bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rapid Charge Transfer Endowed by Heteroatom Doped Z‐Scheme Van Der Waals Heterojunction for Boosting Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Xing Weinan , Shao Weifan , Li Yingfu , Lin Huage , Han Jiangang , Zou Luyi , Jia Ran , Wu Guangyu
Published: January 2025

Constructing heterojunctions between phase interfaces represents a crucial strategy for achieving excellent photocatalytic performance, but the absence of sufficient interface driving force and limited charge transfer pathway leads to unsatisfactory charge separation processes. Herein, a doping‐engineering strategy is introduced to construct a In─N bond‐bridged In2S3 nanocluster modified S doped carbon nitride (CN) nanosheets Z‐Scheme van der Waals (VDW) heterojunctions (In2S3/CNS) photocatalyst, and the preparation process just by one‐step pyrolysis using the pre‐coordination confinement method. Specifically, S atoms doping enhances the bond strength of In─N and forms high‐quality interfacial In─N linkage which serves as the atomic‐level interfacial “highway” for improving the interfacial electrons migration, decreasing the charge recombination probability. The detailed characterization results, along with theoretical calculations, confirm that both S atom incorporation and the formation of Z‐Scheme VDW heterojunctions synergistically improve the internal electric field. This, in turn, accelerates charge separation and simultaneously enhances light absorption capacity. Consequently, the optimal hydrogen evolution performance of In₂S₃/CNS2 is 160.8 times greater than that of In₂S₃, 8.2 times higher than that of CNS. This study emphasizes the crucial role of atomic‐scale interface regulation and intrinsic electric fields in Z‐Scheme VDW heterojunctions, contributing to ameliorative photocatalytic performance.
CiThroModel Improves Prediction of Symptomatic Venous Thromboembolism in Hospitalized Patients With Cirrhosis Without Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Zanetto Alberto , Vitale Alessandro , Pelizzaro Filippo , Simeon Vittorio , Campello Elena , Turco Laura , Balcar Lorenz , Russo Francesco Paolo , Burra Patrizia , Simioni Paolo , Senzolo Marco
Published: January 2025

Background & Aims

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a recognized complication of acutely ill patients, but its incidence and risk factors in those with cirrhosis are uncertain.

Methods

We retrospectively studied a consecutive cohort of cirrhosis patients non‐electively admitted to our medical unit to determine the rates of symptomatic VTE during hospitalization. Firstly, we explored associations with baseline, clinical and laboratory characteristics using logistic regression. Secondly, we developed a clinical prediction model that could predict the risk of in‐hospital VTE.

Results

We included 687 patients (median age 61 years old; 68% male; Child–Pugh A/B/C, 13%/40%/47%). During hospitalization, 34 patients (4.9%) experienced VTE. Multivariate analysis showed that male sex (OR: 2.56, p = 0.05), AKI (OR: 3.1, p = 0.001), bacterial infections (OR: 2.6, p = 0.008), Pugh score (OR: 1.6. p < 0.001), family history of thrombosis (OR: 3.1, p = 0.04), reduced mobility (OR: 4.6, p < 0.001), and C‐reactive protein (OR: 1.1, p = 0.005) were independent predictors of VTE. We combined these variables in a prediction model (CirrhosisThrombosisModel) that accurately discriminated between high‐ and low‐risk patients. The AUROC of CiThroModel was significantly higher than that of Padua prediction score (0.882 vs. 0.742). After validating the CiThroModel using bootstrapping, the adjusted model maintained optimal discrimination ability (0.862) and calibration. The adjusted formula to calculate the in‐hospital risk of VTE was −9.00 + 0.82 [Male sex] + 1.14 [AKI] + 0.98 [Infection] + 0.48 * Child Pugh score + 1.14 [VTE family history] + 1.54 [Reduced mobility] + 0.15 * PCR/10.

Conclusion

The CiThroModel seems a valuable tool for identifying hospitalized patients with cirrhosis at risk of VTE (https://majinzin.shinyapps.io/vterisk/).
Efficient Event Processing on Modern Hardware
Authors: Kuhrt Marius , Glombiewski Nikolaus , Körber Michael , Morgen Andreas , Brandenstein Dominik , Seeger Bernhard
Published: January 2025

Complex event processing (CEP) is an essential technology for analyzing streams of events. A key feature of a modern CEP architecture is the ability to process both continuous queries and analytical ad hoc queries on high-volume streams. Both query types support common operations (filter, aggregation, joins) known in event stream and database systems. Additionally, a crucial and unique operation in CEP is pattern matching, which matches user-defined predicates to subsequences of events.

We present our solution for a system supporting continuous queries, fast ingestion, and efficient analytical ad hoc queries. The system follows the principles of a Lambda Architecture and is specialized for a large variety of pattern-matching queries, including sequential, situation, and group patterns.

To offer efficient processing, we use modern hardware in each of the components. For continuous queries, we explore multi-core CPUs and GPUs. For ingestion and ad hoc queries, we analyze SSDs and persistent memory as ways to provide a robust system. Furthermore, we explore unique characteristics of the hardware and event processing applications such as temporal data, energy efficiency, and compression. We give an overview of the overall systems, highlight the research accomplishments, and describe common application scenarios that benefit from our architecture.
Scaling Beyond DRAM Without Compromising Performance
Authors: Vogel Lukas , Anneser Christoph , Gruber Ferdinand , Neumann Thomas , Giceva Jana , Kemper Alfons
Published: January 2025

In the past, the common assumption was that main memory would become cheap and abundant enough to power database systems solely. This assumption did not hold. This chapter presents approaches on how modern database systems can scale beyond a single server’s main memory capacity by utilizing trends in modern hardware without sacrificing performance. To this end, we present four systems: Mosaic, a storage engine for analytical workloads; Plush, a PMem-optimized storage structure for transactional workloads; PMFDS, a novel programming model for fully disaggregated systems; and finally, FireArm, a just-in-time compilation framework for rising ARM systems in the server space.
Analysis of Aerodynamic Damping Characteristics of Integral Turbine Blade Disk
Authors: Lu Xuewei , Song Youfu , Chen Yihong , Xie Weiyi , Xiong Xiangjie , Liu Changli
Published: January 2025

The vibration of turbine blisk seriously affects their service life and reliability. When the vibration of blisk is analyzed, the accurate and rapid prediction of aerodynamic damping is very important. Therefore, a double-passage traveling wave method (DPTW) based on the energy method is proposed to calculate unsteady fluids, which uses shape correction method based on phase-lagged boundary conditions. Meanwhile, the variables of the fluid domain are obtained by accessing the Fourier coefficients on the periodic interface. Finally, the aerodynamic damping of the turbine blade as a whole was calculated at different inter-blade phase angles (IBPA). The comparison with the results of the full passage method shows that DPTW method has high computational efficiency, and the calculation error is not more than 5%.
Research on Irregular-Shaped Workpiece Fixture Based on Electrorheological Fluid
Authors: Wang Yinzhen , Liu Jiangping , Zhuo Liyun
Published: January 2025

Although the current computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools on the market are flexible, efficient, and automated, capable of enhancing precision, handling large quantities of components, and processing diverse ordinary parts, they often encounter challenges in positioning, clamping, and stress concentration when fabricating special-shaped structures. In response to these issues, multiple sets of specialized fixtures are usually designed and manufactured according to requirements, which increases the processing cost of irregular-shaped workpieces. Moreover, these specialized fixtures cannot be universally applied, leading to substantial wastage. Therefore, this project utilizes the inherent transformation characteristics of electrorheological (ER) fluid between liquid and solid to achieve rapid automatic clamping. The clamping is fully enveloping, ensuring stable clamping force and minimizing damage to irregular-shaped workpieces. Simultaneously, by combining multi-axis attitude adjustment arms with multiple sets of laser positioning, flexible and precise adjustment of the attitude of irregular-shaped workpieces is achieved. Ultimately, the combination of ER fluid enables the clamping and positioning of any irregular-shaped workpiece.
Analysis of Sealing of Engine Cylinder Head Gasket Based on Computer Simulation
Authors: Lu Ming , Yan Pingtao , Li Qiang
Published: January 2025

Engine cylinder gasket is not prone to leakage under stable conditions, but leakage and cracking often occur during alternating tests such as thermal shock. In order to study the failure of cylinder gasket during alternating tests, this paper establishes a spring unit model of gasket through finite element method, and simulates the transient temperature field results of the thermal shock test cycle. The problem of high cycle under low cycle process was studied, and the changes of line load and gap movement of each position of the gasket during the whole cycle were calculated, and the differences between the transient process and the steady process were obtained. It can be seen from the results that the transient analysis results are basically consistent with the test results, the minimum line load of the gasket is 6.3 N/mm, and the maximum gap movement is 42 μm. By increasing the stiffness of the half beads at the failure position, after optimization, the minimum line load of the gasket is 10.2 N/mm, an increase of 62%, and the maximum gap movement is reduced to 36.8 μm, a decrease of 12.4%. The effect is obvious, and the problem of leakage and cracking of the gasket is solved.
Crystallinity-Induced Variation of the Strength of Electroplated Copper Thin Film in Through Silicon Vias Interconnection Structure
Authors: Luo Yifan , Miura Hideo
Published: January 2025

As integrated circuits develop towards higher integration and miniaturization, the diameter of single micro-interconnection structure has approached the scale of several nanometers, which means consist of only one or a few crystals in a cross-section. In such microscopic scale, some problems start to emerge. In this study, a micro-tensile test method based on the FIB system was developed and the strength of copper thin film samples were measured. The crystallinity was quantitatively determined by applying IQ values obtained from EBSD analysis. Multiple single-crystal copper and bicrystal copper specimens were used for tensile testing. By establishing a curve between the strength and IQ value of these copper samples, it was found that the strength of microscopic copper samples did not change with the IQ value monotonically. A degree of crystallinity that may meant the mechanical properties reach a criticality were realized, which would provide a basis for controlling the reliability of TSV copper interconnection structure.
Structural Design and Analysis of Lower Limb Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robots
Authors: Liang Ruizhi , Fu Hui , Wang Xinzui
Published: January 2025

The lower limb exoskeleton rehabilitation robot is a type of robot that can assist patients with motor dysfunction caused by stroke in limb movement and rehabilitation training. In response to the limited applicability and low flexibility of current lower limb exoskeleton robots, this paper designs a highly adaptable lower limb exoskeleton robot through Solidworks, which has the characteristics of continuous leg length adjustment and structural simplification. The robot has a single lower limb with 3 degrees of freedom, using only the minimum but necessary degrees of freedom to achieve walking motion, thereby reducing the complexity of the mechanism. In addition, the design also avoids the negative impact of joint size on human health and foot movement, and introduces a waist width adjustment mechanism to adapt to users of different body types. Finally, using Ansys Workbench finite element analysis software, static and modal analyses were conducted on different stages of robot motion. The experimental results showed that this design scheme can achieve effective force distribution throughout the entire walking cycle, verifying the feasibility of the structural design.
Study of Multiphase Flow in Ultrafine Powder Stirred Mill Based on CFD-DEM
Authors: Ge Jingxu , Huo Chaoxia , Wang Lin , Zheng Jin , Li Guojun
Published: January 2025

The stirred media mill with pin-type rotor structure is one of the important equipment for manufacturing superfine powder. The CFD-DEM method is used to simulate the solid and liquid flow in the stirred mill. The velocity, collision and energy in the grinding chamber were analysed. The results show that the velocity gradient near the wall of the cylinder and agitator is large, and the velocity gradient near the cover plate on both sides is small, and the distribution of solid particles with high velocity in the grinding chamber is small; the particle distribution in the grinding cavity is not uniform, showing a tendency to pile up to the cover plate on both sides; the total energy per particle in the area near the agitator is much higher than that of the cover plate area on both sides, and the area near the agitator is the effective grinding area.
Degradation Analysis and Reliability Assessment for Fiber Optic Gyroscope with 3-Axis Dependent Degradation Processes
Authors: Wang Kun
Published: January 2025

As an important part of the inertial device in the ship strap-down inertial attitude measurement and navigation system, the high reliability of fiber optic gyroscopes (FOGs) is significant for the long-term precision of navigation systems and mission success for ships. Due to the combined impact of the external service environment and internal physical field, the performance of FOGs will gradually degrade. Although many studies are dedicated to the degradation analysis and reliability assessment of FOGs, few have considered the 3-axis dependent degradation processes of FOGs simultaneously. Confronted with this problem and taking the scale factor and zero bias as two main degradation characteristics of the FOGs, this paper develops the degradation path model for each marginal degradation process on each of x, y and z axis. The unknown model parameters are estimated by maximum likelihood estimation method based on accelerated degradation test data. Furthermore, considering the dependence between the two marginal degradation processes on each axis, the reliability of the FOGs is evaluated by adapting the Gaussian copula function. It can be illustrated that the proposed degradation model and reliability assessment method are effective for FOGs and other products with 3-axis dependent degradation processes.
Study of Computational Model for Closing Comfort of Automotive Door System Considering Work Done by Components
Authors: Liu Zhiguo , Sun Gang , Chen Xin
Published: January 2025

Due to the complexities of the vehicle door system, it is difficult to evaluate the closing comfort in the design of the automotive door system. In order to solve the problem and increase the development efficiency, based on the work of the whole process and the law of energy conservation, this paper models the power and resistance work under the closing conditions of the door system, and focuses on the construction of the work by door gravity, door limiter, sealing force of the seal, air resistance inside the seal and air resistance inside the vehicle in particular, and designs a computational model of the door closing comfort. The application of the model will effectively guide the parameter design of the door system.
Research on Simulation and Flow Characteristics of Liquid Nitrogen Jet Fire-Extinguishing Device Based on AMESim
Authors: Zhai Shikuan , Wang Lijing
Published: January 2025

To investigate the fire-extinguishing efficiency of liquid nitrogen in open space, this paper constructs a numerical model of a liquid nitrogen jet fire-extinguishing device through the AMESim multidisciplinary simulation platform, implementing research on the mass flow rate, the temperature of the heat leakage section, and the stabilization time of gas–liquid ratio concerning liquid nitrogen under diverse input pressures. Concurrently, this paper analyzes the deviation between the experimental results and the simulation results through the constructed experimental device of the liquid nitrogen jet system in the open space, thus exploring the impact exerted by different input pressures on the formation of the stable liquid nitrogen jet state of the system. Research findings indicate that increasing the input pressure of the system can effectively improve the stability of the liquid nitrogen jet. Specifically, in the case that the input pressure of the system exceeds 0.6 MPa, liquid nitrogen can be stably output, with a higher input pressure leading to a shorter time to produce liquid nitrogen at the nozzle. In the case that the input pressure of the system is 0.6 MPa, the liquid nitrogen jet demonstrates obvious intermittent fluctuation, so that it is impossible to form a stable jet.
Feature Extraction for Gas Turbine Rotor Fault Diagnosis in Complex Networks Based on Phase Space Method
Authors: Zhao Zhenmin , Li Jianghong , Cui Jiahang
Published: January 2025

Aiming at the typical fault diagnosis of gas turbine rotor imbalance, contact-rubbing and misalignment, a feature extraction method for rotor fault diagnosis in complex networks based on phase space method is proposed. The delay parameters and embedding dimension parameters of the phase space method are determined by the autocorrelation function method based on the generalized embedding window length, and then the threshold parameters of the node connection edge are added on the basis of the phase space method to construct the rotor complex network, and the network statistical characteristics such as the number of edges, the mean degree and the agglomeration coefficient are extracted. The experimental results of the rotor fault of the gas turbine scaled model results show that the proposed method can effectively distinguish the normal and different types of rotor faults. This method extracts complex network features combined with SVM fault diagnosis method and 1D-CNN method and complex network features combined with Kmeans method for experimental comparison. The fault diagnosis method proposed in this paper has higher classification accuracy and lower fault false alarm rate for different types of faults.
Study of the Influencing Factors on Underwater Radiated Noise of Fin Stabilizer
Authors: Zhong Yan , Yu Jiongmin , Li Guoping , Zhang Yi
Published: January 2025

Ships use anti roll fins to reduce ship roll and enhance passenger comfort. At present, there is a lot of research on the performance improvement and system control of anti roll fins, but less attention has been paid to the water generated noise around anti roll fins. To explore the underwater radiation noise characteristics and propagation laws of anti roll fins, a radiation sound analysis model for anti roll fins was established. Based on the data obtained from unsteady CFD calculations, pressure, velocity, density and other sound source data were extracted, and the FW-H equation was called to obtain the sound pressure characteristics at the specified position. Numerical analysis was conducted on the effects of factors such as airfoil, incoming flow velocity, angle of attack, span length, and fin area on the underwater radiation noise of anti roll fins, providing a theoretical basis for the development of low radiation noise anti roll fins.
On the average size of the eigenvalues of the Hecke operators
Authors: Cason William , Jim Akash , Medlock Charlie , Ross Erick , Xue Hui
Published: January 2025

We determine the average size of the eigenvalues of the Hecke operators acting on the cuspidal modular forms space

$$S_k(\Gamma _0(N))$$

S
k

(

Γ
0

(
N
)

)

in both the vertical and the horizontal perspective. The “average size” is measured via the quadratic mean.
Elliptic log symplectic brackets on projective bundles
Authors: Matviichuk Mykola
Published: January 2025

Let

$$\textsf{X}$$

X

be the product of a complex projective space and a polydisc. We study Poisson brackets on

$$\textsf{X}$$

X

that are log symplectic, that is, generically symplectic and such that the inverse 2-form has only first order poles. We propose a method of constructing such Poisson brackets that additionally are elliptic, in a precise sense. Our method relies on the local Torelli theorem for log symplectic manifolds of Pym, Schedler and the author, and uses combinatorics of smoothing diagrams. We demonstrate effectiveness of the method on a series of examples, recovering, in particular, all log symplectic cases of elliptic Feigin–Odesskii Poisson brackets

$$q_{n,k}$$

q

n
,
k

on

$$\mathbb {P}^{n-1}$$

P

n
-
1

.
Mental health and help-seeking behaviors among Mozambican youth: insights from a post-pandemic National Survey Amidst Internal Conflict
Authors: Dadras Omid
Published: January 2025

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and sociodemographic determinants of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) among Mozambican youth aged 15–24 years, as well as their help-seeking behaviors.

Methods

Data from 8,154 youth participants in the 2022–23 Mozambique Demographic Health Survey were analyzed. MDD and GAD were assessed using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales, respectively. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between sociodemographic factors and mental health outcomes and health-seeking behaviors.

Results

The prevalence of MDD and GAD among Mozambican youth was 7.5% for each condition. However, only 9.3% of those with either MDD or GAD sought help for their symptoms, primarily from family and friends. Females had significantly higher odds of experiencing both MDD and GAD but lower help-seeking behavior as compared to males. Unemployment, lower household wealth, and being single were associated with higher odds of both disorders and lower odds of help-seeking behaviors. Higher education increased the odds of GAD and help-seeking behaviors. Significant regional variations were observed, with conflict-affected regions including Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Zambezia showing the highest prevalence of MDD and GAD.

Conclusion

This study reveals substantial mental health challenges among Mozambican youth, with notable disparities across sociodemographic groups and regions. The low rates of help-seeking behavior underscore the need for targeted interventions to improve mental health awareness and access to services for socio-demographically vulnerable youth.
Comprehensive quantification of C4 to C26 free fatty acids using a supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry method in pharmaceutical-grade egg yolk powders intended for total parenteral nutrition use
Authors: Retrato Mark Dennis Chico , Nguyen Anh Vu , Ubhayasekera S. J. Kumari A. , Bergquist Jonas
Published: January 2025

Free fatty acids (FFAs) are important energy sources and significant for energy transport in the body. They also play a crucial role in cellular oxidative stress responses, following cell membrane depolarization, making accurate quantification of FFAs essential. This study presents a novel supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SFC-MS) method using selected ion recording in negative electrospray ionization mode, enabling rapid quantification of 31 FFAs within 6 min without derivatization. FFAs are identified and quantified using an HSS C18 SB column and a secondary mobile phase consisting of methanol with formic acid by detecting their [M − H]− ions. Calibration curves showed strong linearity (R
2 ≥ 0.9910), spanning 1000–12,000 ng/mL for short-chain FFAs and 50–1200 ng/mL for medium- and long-chain FFAs. The method achieves detection limits as low as 1 ng/µL for short-chain FFAs and 0.05 pg/µL for other FFAs per on-column injection. The method demonstrated high accuracy and precision, with bias and coefficients of variation maintained below 15% across five quality control levels. Freeze–thaw and autosampler stability studies confirmed the behavior of matrix-matched standards under optimal storage conditions. The validated method was applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical-grade egg yolk powders, using 13 deuterated FFAs as internal standards (IS) in comparison with heptadecanoic acid (C17:0). Significant variations in FFA quantification using two different IS approaches underscore the importance of selecting an appropriate IS. In summary, this study introduces a reliable and validated SFC-MS method for analyzing FFAs ranging from C4 to C26, requiring minimal sample preparation.

Graphical Abstract
The Multifactorial Relationship Between Bone Tissue Water and Stiffness at the Proximal Femur
Authors: Querido William , Shanas No’ad , Radway Adaeze P. , Jones Brandon C. , Ispiryan Mikayel , Zhao Huaqing , Hast Michael W. , Rajapakse Chamith S. , Pleshko Nancy
Published: January 2025

Bone mechanical function is determined by multiple factors, some of which are still being elucidated. Here, we present a multivariate analysis of the role of bone tissue composition in the proximal femur stiffness of cadaver bones (n = 12, age 44–93). Stiffness was assessed by testing under loading conditions simulating a sideways fall onto the hip. Compositional properties of cortical and trabecular tissues were quantified in femoral neck cross sections by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. In addition, cross-sectional areas and cortical thickness and tissue mineral density (TMD) were measured at the femoral neck. Pearson correlation analysis showed a significant (p < 0.05) negative relationship between bone stiffness and cortical and trabecular water content, both total (r = -0.63) and tightly bound to matrix and mineral (r = -55). Additionally, significant (p < 0.05) positive correlations were found between stiffness and bone area, both total (r = 0.67) and trabecular (r = 0.58). However, linear regression using each of these properties to predict bone stiffness resulted in weak models (R2 = 0.36–0.48). Interestingly, we found markedly stronger models (cross-validated R2 = 0.80–0.92) by using partial least squares (PLS) regression to predict stiffness based on combinations of bone properties. The models with highest R2 values were found when including bone water parameters as explanatory variables, both total and tightly bound, in cortical and trabecular. This study provides new insights by revealing a multifactorial relationship in which higher bone water content across different tissue compartments contributes to lower bone stiffness, highlighting bone water as a potential biomarker of bone quality and proximal femur mechanical function.
Intra-guild competition and ecosystem services of mammal scavengers in a new colonized wolf landscape
Authors: Brogi Rudy , Bongi Paolo , Del Frate Marco , Sieni Sara , Cavallera Anna , Apollonio Marco
Published: January 2025

Carcass utilization by scavengers is crucial for ecosystem dynamics, influencing energy transfer and nutrient cycling. Through the provision of unconsumed carcasses, the return of wolves (Canis lupus) to European ecosystems can trigger complex cascading effects on scavenger communities. Here, we investigate the scavenging dynamics of mammalian species in a prey-rich Mediterranean coastal area close to a large city where wolves have recently returned. Using camera traps, we monitored the scavenging activity on fallow deer (Dama dama) carcasses preyed upon by wolves over a five-year period following the predator’s return. We developed models to assess how competition between red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), wild boars (Sus scrofa), and wolves evolved over time, focusing on their carcass use, direct interactions, and spatiotemporal associations. Wolves exhibited consumption of only minor portions of prey and a negligible reuse of carcasses, while foxes and wild boars engaged in indirect competition for access to this emerging trophic niche. We found a notable temporal change in scavenging activity over the monitoring period, with wild boars progressively emerging as the primary scavenger and providing a substantial removal of carcass biomass. Our findings suggest that wild boars can assume a prominent scavenging role in environments where carcass availability is both abundant and predictable. This study underscores the importance of understanding scavenger temporal dynamics in the context of apex predator recolonization and highlights the need for further research to explore the long-term impacts of these interactions on community structure and ecosystem services as wolf populations continue to expand across Europe.
Persistent prey species in the Lotka–Volterra apparent competition system with a single shared predator
Authors: Seno Hiromi
Published: January 2025

We analyze the Lotka–Volterra n prey-1 predator system with no direct interspecific interaction between prey species, in which every prey species undergoes the effect of apparent competition via a single shared predator with all other prey species. We prove that the considered system necessarily has a globally asymptotically stable equilibrium, and we find the necessary and sufficient condition to determine which of feasible equilibria becomes asymptotically stable. Such an asymptotically stable equilibrium shows which prey species goes extinct or persists, and we investigate the composition of persistent prey species at the equilibrium apparent competition system. Making use of the results, we discuss the transition of apparent competition system with a persistent single shared predator through the extermination and invasion of prey species. Our results imply that the long-lasting apparent competition system with a persistent single shared predator would tend toward an implicit functional homogenization in coexisting prey species, or would transfer to a 1 prey-1 predator system in which the predator must be observed as a specialist (monophagy).
Comparisons of neurodegenerative disease biomarkers across different biological fluids from patients with Huntington’s disease
Authors: Bamford Alison R. , Parkin Georgia M. , Corey-Bloom Jody , Thomas Elizabeth A.
Published: January 2025

Fluid biomarkers play important roles in many aspects of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington’s disease (HD). However, a main question relates to how well levels of biomarkers measured in CSF are correlated with those measured in peripheral fluids, such as blood or saliva. In this study, we quantified levels of four neurodegenerative disease-related proteins, neurofilament light (NfL), total tau (t-tau), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and YKL-40 in matched CSF, plasma and saliva samples from Huntingtin (HTT) gene-positive individuals (n = 21) using electrochemiluminescence assays. In addition, salivary levels of NfL, t-tau, and GFAP were quantified from a larger cohort (n = 95). We found both positive and negative correlations in the levels of these biomarkers among different biofluids. Most notably, in contrast to the significant positive correlations observed between CSF and plasma levels for NfL and GFAP, we detected significant negative correlations between the CSF and saliva levels of NfL and GFAP. With regard to clinical measures, both plasma and CSF levels of NfL were significantly positively correlated with Total Motor Score and chorea, whereas saliva levels of NfL showed significant correlations in the opposite direction. Additional correlations between salivary biomarkers with clinical data, adjusting for age, sex and CAG repeat length, confirmed that salivary NfL was significantly negatively associated with chorea scores in manifest HD, but not premanifest (PM), individuals. In contrast, salivary t-tau was positively associated with measures of cognition in PM participants. These findings suggest that salivary levels of NfL and t-tau proteins may exemplify non-invasive biomarkers for disease symptoms at different stages of illness. Further, these findings highlight the notion that different forms of disease proteins exist in different biological fluids.
Correlation between p53 immunoexpression and TP53 mutation status in extrapulmonary small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas and its association with patient survival
Authors: Pavlíčková Klára , Hojný Jan , Waldauf Petr , Dundr Pavel , Hájková Nikola , Švajdler Marián , Fabian Pavel , Zambo Iva Staniczková , Flídrová Miroslava , Laco Jan , Hornychová Helena , Delongová Patricie , Škarda Jozef , Hrudka Jan , Matěj Radoslav
Published: January 2025

Extrapulmonary small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (EP-SCNC) is a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis. Despite its morphological similarity to lung small cell carcinomas, its oncogenesis remains uncertain. One hundred and seventy-one EP-SCNC were enrolled in a multicenter study, and all tissue samples underwent an immunohistochemical p53 analysis. One hundred twenty-five samples were molecularly analyzed using next-generation sequencing (NGS), comprising DNA and RNA analysis. p53 normal/wild type expression was detected in 68 cases (39.8%), whereas aberrant expression was detected in 103 cases (60.2%). Molecular TP53 alteration was detected in 92 out of 125 tumors (73.6%). The TP53 mutation was shown to be prognostic and associated with shorter overall survival (p = 0.041). The multivariate analysis of p53 and TP53 mutational status found that it impacted overall survival relative to distinct sites of tumor locations (p = 0.004 and p = 0.001, respectively). Age did not influenced survival in the multivariate analysis of p53 and TP53 (p = 0.002; p < 0.001 resp.). Among tumors with paired immunohistochemical and molecular results, 108 exhibited concordance between the immunohistochemical and molecular analysis, whereas 17 were discordant. Accordingly, p53 aberrant expression was tightly associated with a TP53 mutation (p < 0.001). In discordant cases, molecular analysis revealed no alteration in three tumors with p53 overexpression. In contrast, in 14 tumors with wild-type p53 expression, TP53 genetic alteration was detected. Possible causes of discordance are discussed in this manuscript. Furthermore, the incidence of aberrant p53 expression / TP53 molecular alteration was noticeably lower in EP-SCNC than in small-cell lung carcinomas. Therefore, in EP-SCNC, other driver mutations should be sought since personalized therapy can improve patient prognosis.
Probing the properties of PTEN specific botulinum toxin type E mutants
Authors: Schiavone Giorgia , Richter Sandy , Henke Tina , Koch Ineke , Thies Linda , Klöpper Fiete , Megighian Aram , Pirazzini Marco , Binz Thomas
Published: January 2025

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) are established biopharmaceuticals for neuromuscular and secretory conditions based on their ability to block neurotransmitter release from neurons by proteolyzing specific soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins. Recently, a mutant catalytic domain of serotype E (LC/E) exhibiting 16 mutations was reported to cleave the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). This molecule represents an attractive new target in neurons as several reports support PTEN knockdown as a strategy to stimulate axonal regeneration after injury. Though this LC/E mutant was shown to cleave PTEN in primary neurons through lentivirus-based expression, its expression and functionality as mutated full-length BoNT/E have not been studied. Hence, we assembled the 16 mutations stepwise in a bacterial expression plasmid for LC/E and purified several multiple mutants of LC/E. Biochemical characterization showed that the 16-fold mutant did not exhibit a detectable activity toward SNAP-25 up to 10 µM final concentration while it displayed an EC50 of approximately 200 nM for PTEN, exceeding 1000-fold that for LC/E-wt on the native substrate SNAP-25. Unexpectedly, expression of the full length 16-fold mutated BoNT/E did not provide soluble protein, possibly due to an interference of the interaction between LC and the translocation domain. Reversion of individual mutations revealed the E159L and S162Q substitutions, critical for redirecting LC/E activity toward PTEN, as main culprits for the solubility issue. To overcome this problem, we applied a methodology proved successful years ago, harnessing a proteolytically inactive variant of BoNT type D (BoNT/Di) as neurospecific delivery system for cargo proteins. The fusion protein LCE-16x-BoNT/Di could be produced in sufficient yields. Activity tests using rat cerebellar granule neurons showed BoNT/E-like activity for LC/E-wt-BoNT/Di, but no PTEN-directed activity for LC/E-16x-BoNT/Di.
Impact of diabetes mellitus type two on incidence and progression of Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review of longitudinal patient cohorts
Authors: Stockmann Olga , Ye Lan , Greten Stephan , Chemodanow David , Wegner Florian , Klietz Martin
Published: January 2025

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease of the elderly. Patients suffer from progressive motor and non-motor symptoms. Further, PD patients often present geriatric features like multimorbidity and polypharmacotherapy. A frequent comorbidity of PD patients is diabetes mellitus type two (T2DM). In the last decade growing evidence emerged on the impact of T2DM on PD. Of the present review was to analyze the impact of T2DM on PD incidence and progression in patient cohorts. A systematic review of the literature was performed via PubMed and Google Scholar. Studies on longitudinal PD patient cohorts with at least 10 patients per group were included. The diabetic state of the patient had to be determined. In total, 15 studies were analyzed for this review. According to most of the included studies T2DM increases the risk of developing PD significantly. Disease progression is augmented by T2DM both for motor and cognitive impairments. Some studies also point out a correlation of motor worsening and diabetic status measured by the serum HbA1c level. In relation to biomarkers, PD patients with diabetes have higher neurofilament light chain and Tau level but lower Amyloid beta level. T2DM seems to be a risk factor for the development and progression of PD. PD patients should be screened for T2DM and treatment should be initiated promptly. There is still a lack of knowledge about the molecular mechanisms leading to interactions of these diseases.
Drug interactions in a sample of inpatients diagnosed with cannabis use disorder
Authors: Schulze Westhoff Martin , Massarou Christina , Bleich Stefan , Heck Johannes , Jendretzky Konstantin Fritz , Glahn Alexander , Schröder Sebastian
Published: January 2025

The majority of patients with cannabis use disorder (CUD) regularly take medication. Cannabinoids influence metabolism of some commonly prescribed drugs. However, little is known about the characteristics and frequency of potential cannabis-drug (CDIs) and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in patients with CUD. Therefore, our study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of drug interactions in patients with CUD during inpatient treatment on an addiction-specific ward over a six-year-period. To this aim, medication charts were analyzed and screened for potential CDIs and DDIs. Herein, the drugs.com classification for potential CDIs and UpToDate Lexicomp program for potential DDIs were utilized. The study cohort consisted of 301 patient cases, predominantly male (85.0%), with a median age of 37 years. 89.4% (269/301) of all cases involved were taking at least one drug that could potentially interact with cannabis. Levomethadone, buprenorphine and morphine were the most common drugs involved in potentially serious CDIs. In addition, 196 DDIs were identified, of which 25.5% were classified as ‘avoid combination’ and 74.5% as ‘consider therapy modification’. Hereby, combinations of levomethadone with other psychotropic drugs most frequently accounted for potentially severe and mild DDIs. The results of our study indicate that especially patients diagnosed with CUD also receiving opioid substitution therapy are at risk for potential drug interactions. Therefore, a clinical monitoring of vigilance and respiratory function should be applied during inpatient treatment. Routine use of interaction check tools in patients diagnosed with CUD should also be considered by healthcare providers. In addition, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) should be used to increase medication safety in this patient population.
Deep Convolutional Neural Networks on Multiclass Classification of Three-Dimensional Brain Images for Parkinson’s Disease Stage Prediction
Authors: Huang Guan-Hua , Lai Wan-Chen , Chen Tai-Been , Hsu Chien-Chin , Chen Huei-Yung , Wu Yi-Chen , Yeh Li-Ren
Published: January 2025

Parkinson’s disease (PD), a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, is commonly diagnosed using functional medical imaging techniques such as single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). In this study, we utilized two SPECT data sets (n = 634 and n = 202) from different hospitals to develop a model capable of accurately predicting PD stages, a multiclass classification task. We used the entire three-dimensional (3D) brain images as input and experimented with various model architectures. Initially, we treated the 3D images as sequences of two-dimensional (2D) slices and fed them sequentially into 2D convolutional neural network (CNN) models pretrained on ImageNet, averaging the outputs to obtain the final predicted stage. We also applied 3D CNN models pretrained on Kinetics-400. Additionally, we incorporated an attention mechanism to account for the varying importance of different slices in the prediction process. To further enhance model efficacy and robustness, we simultaneously trained the two data sets using weight sharing, a technique known as cotraining. Our results demonstrated that 2D models pretrained on ImageNet outperformed 3D models pretrained on Kinetics-400, and models utilizing the attention mechanism outperformed both 2D and 3D models. The cotraining technique proved effective in improving model performance when the cotraining data sets were sufficiently large.
Two-year randomized controlled trial of circumferential versus segmental ab externo angle surgery in patients with primary open angle glaucoma
Authors: Elwehidy Ahmed Samy , Bayoumi Nader Hussein Lotfy , Elwehidy Mostafa A. S. , Zaky Nashaat Shawky , Hagras Sherein M. , Bayoumi Nader H. L.
Published: January 2025

Purpose

To compare the surgical outcomes of visco-circumferential-suture-trabeculotomy (VCST) and rigid probe segmental viscotrabeculotomy (VT) in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Study design

A prospective randomized controlled study.

Patients and Methods

Patients presenting with POAG and operated upon in Mansoura Ophthalmic Center in Mansoura, Egypt between February 2017 and September 2021 were enrolled. Study eyes were randomized to either VCST or VT and follow up extended for 24 months. Success was defined as an intra ocular pressure (IOP)≤18 mmHg with a 40% reduction from baseline. Complications were noted.

Results

The study enrolled 166 (82 in the circumferential group) eyes of 107 patients. There were no statistically significant differences between both groups in any demographic or preoperative clinical characteristics. The IOP trend demonstrated marked initial reduction (from 32.3±2.4 and 31.8±2.6 mmHg preoperatively in VCST and VT groups respectively) followed by a slow gradual rise over subsequent follow-up settling at lower IOP values in the circumferential (12.4±1.2 mmHg) than in the segmental group (15.5±0.9 mmHg) (p<0.001), both settling at significantly lower levels than preoperative values. The survival curve demonstrates complete success rates at 12, 15, 18, and 24 months were 98.8%, 96.4%, 95.1%, and 85.4% in the circumferential group and 98.8%, 92.9%, 91.7%, 79.8% in the segmental group respectively. Minimal self-limiting hyphema was universal in all study eyes.

Conclusions

Angle procedures -segmental and circumferential- are effective in lowering the IOP for at least 2 years in eyes with POAG, with circumferential angle surgery providing a greater reduction of IOP and requiring fewer subsequent glaucoma procedures.
Making a living and zoonotic disease risk management in coloured broiler poultry farms in Northern Viet Nam
Authors: Houghton Eve , Nguyen Khue Thi Minh , Syndicus Ivo , Nguyen Dien Thi
Published: January 2025

This paper asks what influences farmers’ adherence to national and international zoonotic disease intervention efforts and argues that development and promotion of biosecurity interventions must take into account the economic and social context informing how livestock sectors operate and how those who work in them are making a living. Specifically, we explore how poultry farms in Viet Nam are managed amidst global efforts to combat disease and national ambitions to sustain growth. The growth of Viet Nam’s livestock sector has been accompanied by a range of disease outbreaks that have caused the deaths of animals and humans, threatened businesses, and led to the introduction and ongoing revisions to biosecurity efforts. Despite a strict national (and international) agenda focusing on disease control through biosecurity strategies, on farms disease management is implemented in various ways and to varying degrees. Based on fieldwork in three provinces of Northern Viet Nam and in-depth interviews with actors working on farms and across the commercial poultry sector, we reflect on social, financial and political factors shaping the country’s biosecurity narratives and discuss key practices farming households engage in that influence their disease management efforts. Our findings reveal that strict adherence to biosecurity guidelines is often practically unfeasible for commercial poultry farming households to implement where zoonotic diseases are not a concern related to bird and human health so much as a potential risk to a household’s living, that exists among a range of diverse opportunities and uncertainties shaping farming operations in Viet Nam’s changing livestock sector.
Utah producers and soil health: digging deeper
Authors: Petrzelka Peggy , Ulrich-Schad Jessica D. , Yost Matt
Published: January 2025

While the importance of soil health has been widely documented in certain areas of the U.S., such as the Midwest and Great Plains, other agricultural lands and producers remain largely understudied regarding soil health, including those in the Intermountain West (IMW). In this field report, we dig deeper into differing viewpoints on soil health held by Utah producers, examining how those more and less open to soil health efforts compare in various ways. Using data from a 2024 mail and online survey of Utah producers, we focus on two questions in this exploratory work: (1) How do producers who are more open to soil health practices compare by characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors with those producers who are less open to such practices and (2) What support do those more open to improving soil health need to increase soil health efforts on their land? We find the producers are both similar in several ways but also differ in important ways. Digging deeper and parsing out producers based on their opinions, influences, and information sources as they relate to soil health provides some valuable insights for those doing research and outreach on soil health in the IMW.