bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human metabolism and basic pharmacokinetic evaluation of AP‐238: A recently emerged acylpiperazine opioid
Authors: Brunetti Pietro , Berardinelli Diletta , Giorgetti Arianna , Schwelm Hannes Max , Haschimi Belal , Pelotti Susi , Busardò Francesco Paolo , Auwärter Volker
Published: June 2023

As a consequence of recently implemented legal restrictions on fentanyl analogs, a new generation of acylpiperazine opioids appeared on the illicit drug market. AP‐238 was the latest opioid in this series to be notified by the European Early Warning System in 2020 and was involved in an increasing number of acute intoxications. AP‐238 metabolism was investigated to provide useful markers of consumption. For the tentative identification of the main phase I metabolites, a pooled human liver microsome assay was performed. Further, four whole blood and two urine samples collected during post‐mortem examinations and samples from a controlled oral self‐administration study were screened for anticipated metabolites. In total, 12 AP‐238 phase I metabolites were identified through liquid chromatography‐quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry in the in vitro assay. All of these were confirmed in vivo, and additionally, 15 phase I and five phase II metabolites were detected in the human urine samples, adding up to a total of 32 metabolites. Most of these metabolites were also detected in the blood samples, although mostly with lower abundances. The main in vivo metabolites were built by hydroxylation combined with further metabolic reactions such as O‐methylation or N‐deacylation. The controlled oral self‐administration allowed us to confirm the usefulness of these metabolites as proof of intake in abstinence control. The detection of metabolites is often crucial to documenting consumption, especially when small traces of the parent drug can be found in real samples. The in vitro assay proved to be suitable for the prediction of valid biomarkers of novel synthetic opioid intake.
Time to clinical benefit of eplerenone among patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction: A subgroups analysis from the EMPHASIS‐HF trial
Authors: Monzo Luca , Girerd Nicolas , Duarte Kevin , Ferreira João Pedro , McMurray John J.V. , van Veldhuisen Dirk J. , Swedberg Karl , Pocock Stuart J. , Pitt Bertram , Zannad Faiez
Published: June 2023

Aim

Eplerenone reduces the risk of cardiovascular death or first hospitalization for heart failure (HF) in patients with HF and a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), but it is still frequently underused in routine practice. We evaluated the time course of benefits of eplerenone after its initiation in HFrEF patients from the EMPHASIS‐HF trial.

Methods and results

The EMPHASIS‐HF trial was a double‐blind randomized clinical trial assessing the effect of eplerenone in patients (n = 2737, mean age 68.6 ± 7.6 years, 22.3% women) with HFrEF and mild symptoms. The time trajectories for the effect of eplerenone versus placebo on the primary composite endpoint (cardiovascular death or first hospitalization for HF) were investigated using Cox proportional hazards models with truncated data at each day post‐randomization. A significant reduction in the primary composite endpoint was observed 26 days after randomization (hazard ratio 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.34–1.00, p = 0.049). Eplerenone was first associated with a significant reduction in the primary endpoint in 35 days or less in most subgroups, including patients with HF history ≥18 months (day 24), estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min (day 12), ischaemic HF aetiology (day 28), age ≥65 years (day 28), narrow QRS (day 30), higher MAGGIC score (day 35), lower potassium (day 30), left ventricular ejection fraction ≥30% (day 28) or already treated with beta‐blockers (day 25).

Conclusions

Eplerenone provides statistically significant and clinically meaningful benefits shortly after treatment initiation in most patients, irrespective of clinical profile. This result reinforces the need for an early initiation of eplerenone in HFrEF, as part of rapidly instituting guideline‐directed medical therapy.
Neuroanatomy of lymphoid organs: Lessons learned from whole‐tissue imaging studies
Authors: Cao Ying , Chen Hongjie , Yang Jing
Published: June 2023

Decades of extensive research have documented the presence of neural innervations of sensory, sympathetic, or parasympathetic origin in primary and secondary lymphoid organs. Such neural inputs can release neurotransmitters and neuropeptides to directly modulate the functions of various immune cells, which represents one of the essential aspects of the body's neuroimmune network. Notably, recent studies empowered by state‐of‐the‐art imaging techniques have comprehensively assessed neural distribution patterns in BM, thymus, spleen, and LNs of rodents and humans, helping clarify several controversies lingering in the field. In addition, it has become evident that neural innervations in lymphoid organs are not static but undergo alterations in pathophysiological contexts. This review aims to update the current information on the neuroanatomy of lymphoid organs obtained through whole‐tissue 3D imaging and genetic approaches, focusing on anatomical features that may designate the functional modulation of immune responses. Moreover, we discuss several critical questions that call for future research, which will advance our in‐depth understanding of the importance and complexity of neural control of lymphoid organs.
Power Module Design for GaN Transistors Enabling High Switching Speed in Multi‐Kilowatt Applications
Authors: Wöhrle Dennis , Burger Bruno , Ambacher Oliver
Published: June 2023

The advantages of gallium nitride and silicon carbide transistors over silicon devices are highlighted. The design criteria for power modules in multi‐kilowatt applications to effectively leverage these advantages are described. Various concepts to overcome limitations associated with state‐of‐the‐art power module packaging presented in the literature are summarized and evaluated. A novel power module design comprising a 650 V, 300 A half‐bridge with integrated direct current–link and gate drivers is proposed. The results of a finite‐element analysis of its parasitic elements and subsequent double‐pulse test simulation are presented.
Recent advances, challenges, and perspective of copper‐based liquid‐like thermoelectric chalcogenides: A review
Authors: Basit Abdul , Xin Jiwu , Murtaza G. , Wei Lei , Hameed Abdul , Guoyu Wang , Dai Jiyan Y.
Published: June 2023

As a group of emerging liquid‐like thermoelectric materials for waste heat recovery into useful energy, di‐chalcogenides Cu2(S, Se, Te) have been considered as superionic thermoelectric materials. Due to their highly disordered degree of Cu‐ion in the crystal lattice, Cu2(S, Se, Te) compounds can exhibit ultralow thermal conductivity, and in the meantime, their rigid sublattice can decently maintain the electrical performance, making them distinct from other state‐of‐the‐art thermoelectric materials. This review summarizes the well‐designed strategies to realize the impressive performance in thermoelectric materials and their modules by linking the adopted approaches such as defect engineering, interfaces, nano‐porous inclusions, thin films, dislocations, nano‐inclusions, and polycrystalline bulks etc., with the moderate design of the device. Some recent reports are selected to outline the fundamentals, underlined challenges, outlooks, and future development of Cu2(S, Se, Te) liquid‐like thermoelectric materials. We expect that this review covers the needs of future researchers in choosing some potential materials to explore thermoelectricity and other efficient energy conversion technologies.

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Deep learning for check dam area extraction with optical images and digital elevation model: A case study in the hilly and gully regions of the Loess Plateau, China
Authors: Sun Liquan , Guo Huili , Wang Heming , Zhang Biao , Feng Hao , Wu Shufang , Siddique Kadambot H. M.
Published: June 2023

Check dams are widely used on the Loess Plateau of China to control soil and water loss, develop agricultural land and improve watershed ecology. Detailed information on the spatial distribution of check dams and the area of dam land is critical for quantitatively evaluating hydrological and ecological effects, planning the construction of new dams and repairing damaged dams. Therefore, this research presents a method that integrates deep learning and geospatial analysis to facilitate the extraction of check dam areas in broad areas from high‐resolution Gaofen‐2 (GF‐2) multispectral imageries, including red (R), green (G), blue (B) and near‐infrared (NIR) bands and digital elevation model (DEM). First, we generated three datasets with different band combinations (RGB, RGB + NIR and RGB + DEM) using GF‐2 remote sensing images combined with Advanced Land Observing Satellite—the Phased Array type L‐band Synthetic Aperture Radar DEM data to determine the optimal data combination for dam area extraction. Next, four widely used semantic segmentation networks—Fully Convolutional Network (FCN), U‐Net, PSPNet and DeepLabv3+—were modified to support the arbitrary number of input channels and evaluated for check dam area extraction. Finally, the check dam candidate areas in the Yan River basin were extracted from DEM using geospatial analysis to optimize the dam area extraction results. The results showed that all deep learning (DL) models could extract dam areas quickly and accurately with mean intersection over union and overall accuracy values >85% and >98%, respectively. PSPNet had the best performance for testing datasets with different band combinations. We also found that the DL models in the RGB + DEM images had the best remote sensing image segmentation results, avoiding many miss‐classified pixels. The F1 scores in the RGB + DEM test dataset for FCN U‐Net, PSPNet and DeepLabv3+ reached up to 92%, or 3.3%, 2.3%, 1.9% and 3.1% higher than the corresponding values for RGB images. Potential check dam candidate regions (~3969 km2) were obtained for application analysis, which reduced the original area by 50%. The DL models for the RGB + DEM images were applied in the dam candidate regions, extracting 91.9 km2 of agricultural production dam land and 10.6 km2 of runoff and sediment silted dam land. The extraction results will facilitate quantitative analyses of check dams, improve the management of these structures and promote the efficiency of controlling soil losses.
Temporal changes in lahar sediment run‐off characteristics and run‐off coefficients in the Arimura River basin of Sakurajima volcano, Japan
Authors: Ersöz Timur , Haneda Kyoka , Kuribayashi Anna , Gonda Yutaka
Published: June 2023

The rapid flowing nature of lahars can cause serious hazards in the proximal to distal areas of volcanoes. The accumulation of ash can form an impermeable layer on the ground and prevent the infiltration of precipitation. The surface water thus formed erodes the ash layer and causes the surface permeability to rise again. Over time, this accumulation and erosion sequence changes the lahar risk. Large numbers of lahars are observed each year around Sakurajima, which is known as one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. In this study, the temporal change of lahar sediment run‐off properties and run‐off coefficients have been investigated between 2015 and 2020 in the Arimura River basin of Sakurajima volcano, Japan. X Band Multi‐Parameter (XMP) radars are used to gather precipitation data in the basin. The sediment data have been obtained by Load, Vibration, Pressure (LVP) sensors, and a kinematic wave model is adopted to calculate surface run‐off. Lahars are categorized as regular and irregular considering the correspondence of measured and calculated waveforms of the hydrographs based on the kinematic wave model. Analyses reveal that run‐off coefficient changes depend on the volcanic activity and decreases after an irregular lahar compared with a previous regular lahar. LVP sensor analysis results show that sediment concentrations of the lahars change in time. It is found that irregular and regular lahars are distinct in terms of velocity and sediment concentrations. It is estimated that irregular lahars carry larger material than regular lahars based on the vibration data. This study underlines that the properties of lahars change over time under the influence of ash fall thickness, and these changes can be detected in detail with our kinematic wave model and LVP sensors.
Effects of resveratrol on tolerance to ischemia/reperfusion injury in aged male mice: Role of autophagy and apoptosis
Authors: Song Xiaogang , Wei Chao , Huang Hui , Cao Xingdan , Chen Ziyi , Chen Yongqing , Wu Bing
Published: June 2023

Aged myocardium is more susceptible to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Autophagy and apoptosis play important roles in cardiac I/R injury. However, whether resveratrol can reduce the I/R vulnerability of aged myocardium by regulating apoptosis and autophagy remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of resveratrol on the tolerance to I/R injury in aged male mice and to determine the contribution of apoptosis and autophagy. We used aged C57 mice as our research subjects. The hearts of mice were isolated after 6 weeks of intragastric administration with resveratrol and subsequently perfused with Krebs–Henseleit buffer to produce the I/R model. We found that resveratrol alleviated cardiac I/R injury in aged mice, but not in SIRT1+/− mice. Aged mice exhibited decreased LC3 and Beclin1 expressions, which were significantly rescued by resveratrol treatment. In addition, resveratrol decreased the expression of Bax and the activity of Caspase‐3, while increasing the expression of Bcl‐2 and the activity of SIRT1 in aged mouse hearts. Coimmunoprecipitation assays revealed that resveratrol facilitated the binding of Bax to Bcl‐2 and the dissociation of Bcl‐2 from Beclin1 in aged mouse myocardium. Conversely, SIRT1 knockout enhanced the formation of the Beclin1/Bcl‐2 complex and disrupted the interaction between Bcl‐2 and Bax. The above results indicate that resveratrol can reduce the vulnerability of myocardial I/R injury in senile myocardium by inhibiting apoptosis and upregulating autophagy through the SIRT1 signaling pathway.
Belief distortion near 52W high and low: Evidence from Indian equity options market
Authors: Saurav Sumit , Agarwalla Sobhesh Kumar , Varma Jayanth R.
Published: June 2023

We examine investors' behavioral biases and preferences in the options market near 52‐week high and low (52W‐H/L) using Indian options market data. We document that as the stock price approaches 52W high (low), the skewness of risk‐neutral density (RND), and out‐of‐the‐money (OTM) call volume decreases (increases), while OTM put volume increases (decreases). After crossing the 52W high (low), the skewness of RND and OTM call volume increases (decreases), while OTM put volume decreases (increases). The effects are economically large and significant. Our findings provide evidence consistent with the anchoring theory of belief distortion near 52W‐H/L. There is no evidence of preference distortion, contrary to what prospect theory predicts.
The effect of H2S content on acid gas migration and storage in shale reservoir by numerical simulation
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyan , Liu Ning , Li Qi , Chen Pingzhi , Wei Xiaochen
Published: June 2023

Acid gas injection is one of the most effective strategies to deal with waste gas generated during the development of sour oil and gas reservoirs. This study numerically investigates the effect of H2S content on the acid gas migration and storage in shale reservoirs. The results indicate that the variations of acid gas density, viscosity, solubility, relative permeability, and capillary pressure caused by different H2S contents have great influence on the acid gas plume migration. When acid gas is in gas state, the maximum horizontal flow appears at the lower part of the reservoir after 5 years, and the horizontal migration distance first decreases and then remains unchanged with the increase of H2S content. Hereafter, the maximum horizontal migration distance appears at the top of the reservoir, and the horizontal migration distance first increases and then remains unchanged with the increase of H2S content. When acid gas is in liquid state, the maximum horizontal migration distance appears at the lower part of the reservoir in the early stage of injection. The horizontal migration distance decreases with the increase of H2S content. Subsequently, the maximum horizontal migration distance first decreases and then increases. The vertical migration distance increases gradually with the increase of H2S content until the acid gas reaches the top of the reservoir, and then the vertical migration distance remains unchanged. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The role of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex on voluntary emotion regulation of social pain
Authors: Yu Wenwen , Li Yiwei , Cao Xueying , Mo Licheng , Chen Yuming , Zhang Dandan
Published: June 2023

The right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rVLPFC) is highly engaged in emotion regulation of social pain. However, there is still lack of both inhibition and excitement evidence to prove the causal relationship between this brain region and voluntary emotion regulation. This study used high‐frequency (10 Hz) and low‐frequency (1 Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to separately activate or inhibit the rVLPFC in two groups of participants. We recorded participants' emotion ratings as well as their social attitude and prosocial behaviors following emotion regulation. Also, we used eye tracker to record the changes of pupil diameter to measure emotional feelings objectively. A total of 108 healthy participants were randomly assigned to the activated, inhibitory or sham rTMS groups. They were required to accomplish three sequential tasks: the emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal) task, the favorability rating task, and the donation task. Results show that the rVLPFC‐inhibitory group reported more negative emotions and showed larger pupil diameter while the rVLPFC‐activated group showed less negative emotions and reduced pupil diameter during emotion regulation (both compared with the sham rTMS group). In addition, the activated group gave more positive social evaluation to peers and donated more money to a public welfare activity than the rVLPFC‐inhibitory group, among which the change of social attitude was mediated by regulated emotion. Taken together, these findings reveal that the rVLPFC plays a causal role in voluntary emotion regulation of social pain and can be a potential brain target in treating deficits of emotion regulation in psychiatric disorders.
Iguratimod efficacy in palindromic rheumatism treatment
Authors: Yuan Fangfang , He Junhong , Luo Jing , Zhang Xin , Lin Jixia , Chen Yahui , Huang Haiyan , Yang Qiong
Published: June 2023

Background

As a new immunomodulator for rheumatoid arthritis, iguratimod (IGU) also has therapeutic potential in other immune diseases. In this study, we determined the effects of IGU on disease control in patients with palindromic rheumatism (PR).

Methods

Patients with PR were divided into Control group (Ctrl group) and an IGU treatment (IGU group) groups. Drug efficacy was evaluated according to the frequency of PR attacks (monthly), the visual analog scale (VAS) score of patient pain, and clinical symptoms.

Results

The drug positivity and disease control rates of the IGU group (100.00% and 90.91%, respectively) were significantly higher than those of the Ctrl group (61.11% and 5.56%; p = .002 and p < .001, respectively). The median number of PR flares and the VAS score of patients in the Ctrl group decreased from 3.00 (1.00–15.00) to 0.83 (0.00–12.00) and from 5 (4–6) to 4 (1–6), respectively. In the IGU group, the median number of PR attacks decreased from 4.50 (2.00–15.00) to 0.00 (0.00–0.33), and the VAS score decreased from 5 (4–6) to 0 (0–2). The IGU group exhibited a significant reduction in PR flare frequency and improvement in the VAS value (p < .001 and p < .001, respectively).

Conclusion

Our study is the first to describe the efficacy of IGU in PR treatment. IGU can significantly reduce the number of PR flares and improve the clinical symptoms of patients with PR.
Quality of life of adolescent and adult survivors of childhood cancer in Europe—A systematic review
Authors: Larsen Pia Alkærsig , Amidi Ali , Ghith Nermin , Winther Jeanette Falck , Pedersen Camilla
Published: June 2023

Advances in diagnostics and treatment of childhood cancer during the past few decades have substantially increased survival, resulting in a growing population of survivors of childhood cancer. Somatic and mental late effects of the cancer and the treatment may impact the quality of life (QoL). Previous reviews of QoL in survivors of childhood cancer have shown contradictory findings across studies and the majority of studies included have been based on data from North America and may not be directly comparable to a European setting. The aim of our study was to critically evaluate and summarise the latest evidence on the QoL of childhood cancer survivors in Europe and to identify survivors at particular risk. The eligible studies were published between 2008 and 2022, conducted in Europe and included participants who had survived at least 5 years after diagnosis of a childhood cancer. The main outcome of interest was QoL of survivors which was measured with validated qualitative and quantitative QoL questionnaires. A systematic literature search conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINALH resulted in inclusion of 36 articles with a total of 14 342 survivors of childhood cancer. The majority of included studies found that childhood cancer survivors reported poorer QoL than comparisons. Female gender, treatment with haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and a brain tumour diagnosis were associated with lower QoL. With a growing population of childhood cancer survivors with many years ahead of them, targeted interventions and optimal follow‐up care are important to improve the QoL of survivors.
Setting Current Context for Agility in the Future of Systems Engineering
Authors: Dove Rick
Published: June 2023

Agility in the future of systems engineering (FuSE) is one of the topic areas under the INCOSE FuSE initiative. A roadmap for near‐term improvement, presented at the 2021 INCOSE International Symposium, offered nine strategic concepts appropriate and ready for further movement toward standard practice. Initial work in that direction enticed several practitioners and researchers to address selected concepts in this special issue of the INCOSE INSIGHT publication. The purpose of this lead‐off article is to provide a contextual backdrop for the articles that follow.
Systems Engineering Agility in a Nutshell
Authors: Dove Rick , Lunney Kerry , Orosz Michael , Yokell Mike
Published: June 2023

Systems engineering must necessarily have the agility to anticipate and effectively respond to an increasingly dynamic and uncertain environment. Agile systems engineering, agile software engineering, and agile any‐kind‐of engineering share common goals and leverage common agility‐enabling strategies. This article succinctly describes eight strategic aspects with application discussions at the systems engineering level.
Project Lifecycle Development for a Next Generation Space Suit Project
Authors: Cabrera Michael A. , Simske Steve
Published: June 2023

A hypothesis for an optimized, project lifecycle development method was formulated by understanding (i) the project environment of implementation, (ii) applicable, current state‐of‐the‐art frameworks, and (iii) eliciting feedback before, during and after testing from those individuals participating in the lifecycle development framework. While traditional waterfall methods have their place, high uncertainty projects instigate exploratory work and as such, agile implementations were created to allow projects to quickly adapt (PMI 2017). In the context of dynamic environments and niche products, NASA is no stranger. Understanding the current state of the project and current state‐of‐the‐art facilitates an approach that allows for well‐established techniques in the way of lean and agile to benefit project development. Additionally, these inclusions may help expose knowledge gaps in the current state‐of‐the‐art and also lend credibility to approaches derived to help close those gaps. This article describes the modified agile concept (MAC) and its multi‐disciplinary approach to a sampling of various lean and agile methods integrated alongside traditional, waterfall methods (such as a hybrid model) to support the hypothesized project lifecycle development. This approach was developed as part of a case study with a design and test team responsible for building test stations to qualify components of the life support system on the next generation space suit. This article will outline exclusively the scrum and lean methods in the MAC with a cursory overview on kanban development supporting the MAC.
Characterization of tele‐pharmacy interventions performed via an expanded tele‐critical care pharmacist protocol
Authors: Griffiths Carrie L. , Kosmisky Desiree E. , Everhart Sonia S. , Smith Katelyn A.
Published: June 2023

Background

To enhance patient care during the COVID‐19 pandemic, tele‐critical care (TCC) pharmacists within Atrium Health (AH) managed therapy in multiple domains under a Critical Care Pharmacist Emergency Protocol Agreement (CCPEPA).

Methods

This was a multicenter, retrospective quality improvement (QI) study conducted at AH's North Carolina facilities to compare TCC pharmacist interventions between shifts (timeframes 1 and 2), identify and categorize medication management interventions (timeframe 3), and to assess how the CCPEPA was utilized during these different timeframes.

Results

After removing duplicate patients and interventions that were recorded in overlapping timeframes, 5681 interventions were performed on 1665 unique patients. Timeframe 1 documented 2150 interventions on 861 patients with an average of 37.2 interventions/shift on first shift and 14.3 interventions/shift on second shift. Medication management (46.5%) was the most common activity on first shift whereas glucose management activities (42.8%) were most common on second shift. During timeframe 2, the full time TCC pharmacists documented 710 interventions on 395 patients with an average of 15.8 interventions/shift on first shift and 11.3 interventions/shift on second shift. Activity results were similar to timeframe 1. During timeframe 3, 2331 medication management interventions were performed on 700 patients, averaging 18.4 interventions/day, including medication discontinuation (39.2%), medication addition (15.7%), and order clarification (11.8%). The most common medication class was sedation and analgesia (26.3%).

Conclusions

The CCPEPA provided TCC pharmacists various opportunities to enhance patient care and practice at the top of their license. First shift hours with proactive patient review for both faculty and full‐time TCC pharmacists resulted in more interventions per shift and increased medication management interventions. These QI initiatives demonstrate the benefit of having TCC pharmacists as part of the healthcare team. Within AH, the success of the CCPEPA protocol has supported advocating for Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner status and increases in TCC pharmacist staff.
Therapy plans for therapeutic apheresis in Epic HealthLink
Authors: Jain Vansh S. , Li Huihua , Lee Kristin P. , Rose William Nicholas
Published: June 2023

Background

A common required duty of pathology resident physicians while rotating on transfusion medicine is the medical oversight of the therapeutic apheresis service. A task often performed on this clinical medicine service is formulating and writing orders for therapeutic apheresis procedures. The EpicCare tool called the therapy plan provides unique advantages over a standard electronic order set for therapeutic apheresis.

Materials and Methods

Transfusion medicine physicians, apheresis nurses, pharmacists, and information technology professionals collaborated to create therapy plans for three therapeutic apheresis procedures: plasmapheresis, red cell exchange, and photopheresis.

Results

Therapy plans were implemented and have been well‐received for several years. Over a six‐year time period, a total of 613 therapy plans were created and signed. We speculate that this implementation may have increased both physician efficiency and patient safety.

Conclusion

This article reports our experience using therapy plans in EpicCare in order to raise awareness of this tool and to serve as an encouragement for wider adoption.
Can we diagnose mental disorders in children? A large‐scale assessment of machine learning on structural neuroimaging of 6916 children in the adolescent brain cognitive development study
Authors: Gaus Richard , Pölsterl Sebastian , Greimel Ellen , Schulte‐Körne Gerd , Wachinger Christian
Published: June 2023

Background

Prediction of mental disorders based on neuroimaging is an emerging area of research with promising first results in adults. However, research on the unique demographic of children is underrepresented and it is doubtful whether findings obtained on adults can be transferred to children.

Methods

Using data from 6916 children aged 9–10 in the multicenter Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, we extracted 136 regional volume and thickness measures from structural magnetic resonance images to rigorously evaluate the capabilities of machine learning to predict 10 different psychiatric disorders: major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder (BD), psychotic symptoms, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, post‐traumatic stress disorder, obsessive‐compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder. For each disorder, we performed cross‐validation and assessed whether models discovered a true pattern in the data via permutation testing.

Results

Two of 10 disorders can be detected with statistical significance when using advanced models that (i) allow for non‐linear relationships between neuroanatomy and disorder, (ii) model interdependencies between disorders, and (iii) avoid confounding due to sociodemographic factors: ADHD (AUROC = 0.567, p = 0.002) and BD (AUROC = 0.551, p = 0.002). In contrast, traditional models perform consistently worse and predict only ADHD with statistical significance (AUROC = 0.529, p = 0.002).

Conclusion

While the modest absolute classification performance does not warrant application in the clinic, our results provide empirical evidence that embracing and explicitly accounting for the complexities of mental disorders via advanced machine learning models can discover patterns that would remain hidden with traditional models.
(Un)equal demands and opportunities: Conceptualizing student navigation in undergraduate engineering programs
Authors: Lee Walter C. , Hall Janice L. , Josiam Malini , Pee Crystal M.
Published: June 2023

Background

It is well known that earning a bachelor's degree in engineering is a demanding task, but ripe with opportunity. For students from historically excluded demographic groups, this task is exacerbated by oppressive circumstances. Although considerable research has documented how student outcomes differ across demographic groups, much less is known about the dynamic processes that marginalize some students.

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual model of student navigation in the context of undergraduate engineering programs. Our goal is to illustrate how localized, structural features unjustly shape the demands and opportunities encountered by students and influence how they respond.

Scope/Method

We developed our model using an iterative, four‐stage process. This process included (1) clarifying the purpose of the development process; (2) identifying concepts and insights from prior research; (3) synthesizing the concepts and insights into propositions; and (4) visualizing the suspected relationships between the salient constructs in the propositions.

Results

Our model focuses on the dynamic interactions between the characteristics of students, the embedded contexts in which they are situated, and the support infrastructure of their learning environment.

Conclusion

The resulting model illustrates the influence of structural features on how students a) respond to demands and opportunities and b) navigate obstacles present in the learning environment. Although its focus is on marginalized students in undergraduate engineering programs, the model may be applicable to STEM higher education more broadly.
Familial immune‐mediated aplastic anaemia in six different families
Authors: Imi Tatsuya , Mizumaki Hiroki , Hosomichi Kazuyoshi , Nannya Yasuhito , Zaimoku Yoshitaka , Yoroidaka Takeshi , Katagiri Takamasa , Ishiyama Ken , Yamazaki Hirohito , Ogawa Ryosuke , Kuroiwa Mika , Tajima Atsushi , Ogawa Seishi , Nakao Shinji
Published: June 2023

We studied the pathophysiology of aplastic anaemia (AA) in six different pairs of relatives without a family history of hematologic disorders or congenital AA. Five and four of the six pairs shared the HLA‐DRB1*15:01 and B*40:02 alleles, respectively. Glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐anchored protein‐deficient blood cells were detected in eight of the 10 patients evaluated. In a mother‐daughter pair from one family, flow cytometry detected leukocytes lacking HLA‐A2 due to loss of heterogeneity in chromosome 6p. Whole‐exome sequencing of the family pair revealed a missense mutation in MYSM1. These results suggest that genetic inheritance of immune traits might underlie familial AA in some patients.
A mixed‐methods evaluation of why an implementation trial failed to engage veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder in trauma‐focused psychotherapy
Authors: Fortney John C. , Rajan Suparna , Chen Jessica A. , Campbell Sarah B. , Nolan John P. , Wong Edwin , Sayre George , Petrova Valentina , Simons Carol E. , Reisinger Heather S. , Schnurr Paula P.
Published: June 2023

An effectiveness trial found that telemedicine collaborative care for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) significantly increased engagement in trauma‐focused psychotherapy (TFP) and improved PTSD symptoms. However, in a subsequent implementation trial, very few veterans enrolled in collaborative care initiated TFP. We conducted a mixed‐methods evaluation to determine why veterans did not initiate TFP in the implementation trial. After conducting chart reviews of 1,071 veterans with PTSD enrolled in collaborative care, patients were categorized into four mutually exclusive TFP groups: TFP not discussed; TFP discussed, declined; TFP discussed, did not decline; and TFP initiated. We conducted semistructured interviews with 43 unique patients and 58 unique providers (i.e., care managers and mental health specialists). Almost half (48.6%) of the veterans had no documentation of discussing TFP with their care manager; another 28.9% discussed it but declined. Most veterans (77.1%) had an encounter with a mental health specialist, 36.8% of whom never discussed TFP, and 35.7% of whom discussed it but declined. Providers reported that many veterans were not able, willing, or ready to engage in TFP and that non–trauma‐focused therapies were better aligned with their treatment goals. Veterans gave numerous reasons for not initiating TFP, including having bad prior experiences with TFP and wanting to avoid thinking about past traumatic experiences.

Commonly cited reasons for noninitiation were providers never discussing TFP with veterans and veterans declining TFP after discussing it with their provider. Interventions, such as shared decision‐making tools, may be needed to engage providers and patients in informed discussions about TFP.
Secretive marsh bird occupancy across a spectrum of hydroelectric reservoir management in western montane Canada
Authors: Westphal Ashleigh M. , Green David J. , Arndt Janice E. , Darvill Rachel , Drever Mark C.
Published: June 2023

Dam construction projects have created opportunities for water security, targeted flood protection, and energy production but at the cost of increasing anthropogenic pressure on affected aquatic ecosystems. Wetland ecosystems are often among the most vulnerable, as underlying hydrological regimes influence overall wetland structure and function. Marsh bird species are wetland and riparian habitat specialists, many of which are experiencing population declines across North America. We examined how the alteration of hydrological regimes for generating hydroelectric power affected the occurrence of secretive marsh bird species in the western montane region of British Columbia, Canada. We established survey stations in wetlands across 2 regions, the West Kootenay and the Columbia Wetlands, sampling across a spectrum of hydrological regimes and other potentially relevant factors. At each station, we assessed wetland occupancy during the breeding season using broadcast‐callback surveys focused on 5 secretive marsh bird species: American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), American coot (Fulica americana), pied‐billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), sora (Porzana carolina), and Virginia rail (Rallus limicola). Additionally, we measured vegetation structure and the proximity and size of nearby water bodies for each survey station. We then used occupancy models to assess important correlates behind wetland occupancy for these marsh bird species, considering water management operations, regional differences, and local‐ and landscape‐level wetland characteristics. Secretive marsh bird species were more likely to occupy wetlands in areas with less frequently altered hydrological regimes. Occupancy models highlighted local‐ and landscape‐level characteristics as important correlates for wetland occupancy by marsh birds. Wetlands with frequently altered hydrological regimes had more open water cover and less tall vegetation present, conditions that were negatively associated with occupancy. Altered wetlands in this study were farther from the next nearest wetland, which was also negatively associated with occupancy. We suggest reservoir management is altering vegetation communities within these wetlands, indirectly promoting lower occupancy of secretive marsh bird species.
Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile/Polyvinylidene Fluoride/Boehmite Separator and Gel Polymer Electrolyte Polyethylene Oxide/Polyvinylidene Fluoride‐hexafluoropropylene/Lithium Bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide/Boehmite Composite Separator Are Used for Fast Charging
Authors: Tan Haowen , Jia Shaojin
Published: June 2023

With the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, the fast charging of lithium (Li) batteries is attracting increasing attention. However, the rapid decline in battery capacity caused by fast charging and accidents caused by Li dendrites piercing the separator greatly restrict fast‐charging applications. Herein, an electrospun polyacrylonitrile/polyvinylidene fluoride/boehmite (PAN/PVDF/12 wt.% AlO(OH)) and gel polymer polyethylene oxide/polyvinylidene fluoride‐hexafluoropropylene/lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide/boehmite (PEO/PVDF‐HFP/12.6 wt.% LiTFSI /10 wt.% AlO(OH)) pressed together to form a two‐layer functional separator is designed. The electrospun separator improves the high‐temperature resistance of the entire separator due to its special structure. After the 1 h heat treatment at 220 °C, the thermal shrinkage rate of the double‐layer separator reaches 10.1%, showing good thermal stability. At 0.2 C, the discharge capacity retention rate is 99.4% after 100 cycles. After 1000 cycles at a rate of 10 C, the discharge capacity remains at 88% of the initial value. The two‐layer separator exhibits better capacity retention and superior rate performance than PP, providing an effective approach for commercializing fast‐charging functional separators.
The reconfiguration pattern of individual brain metabolic connectome for Parkinson's disease identification
Authors: Li Weikai , Tang Yongxiang , Peng Liling , Wang Zhengxia , Hu Shuo , Gao Xin
Published: June 2023

18F‐Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F‐FDG PET) is widely employed to reveal metabolic abnormalities linked to Parkinson's disease (PD) at a systemic level. However, the individual metabolic connectome details with PD based on 18F‐FDG PET remain largely unknown. To alleviate this issue, we derived a novel brain network estimation method for individual metabolic connectome, that is, Jensen‐Shannon Divergence Similarity Estimation (JSSE). Further, intergroup difference between the individual's metabolic brain network and its global/local graph metrics was analyzed to investigate the metabolic connectome's alterations. To further improve the PD diagnosis performance, multiple kernel support vector machine (MKSVM) is conducted for identifying PD from normal control (NC), which combines both topological metrics and connection. Resultantly, PD individuals showed higher nodal topological properties (including assortativity, modularity score, and characteristic path length) than NC individuals, whereas global efficiency and synchronization were lower. Moreover, 45 most significant connections were affected. Further, consensus connections in occipital, parietal, and frontal regions were decrease in PD while increase in subcortical, temporal, and prefrontal regions. The abnormal metabolic network measurements depicted an ideal classification in identifying PD of NC with an accuracy up to 91.84%. The JSSE method identified the individual‐level metabolic connectome of 18F‐FDG PET, providing more dimensional and systematic mechanism insights for PD.
Amantadine‐Induced Craniofacial Myoclonus: Distinctive Iatrogenic Dysarthria in Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Lin Iris , Armengou‐Garcia Laura , Sasikumar Sanskriti , Kuhlman Greg , Fox Susan H. , Lang Anthony E. , Espay Alberto J.
Published: June 2023

Background

Amantadine is a widely prescribed medication in Parkinson's disease (PD). A distinctive craniofacial distribution of myoclonus with speech impairment is an underrecognized iatrogenic complication in amantadine‐treated patients with PD.

Cases

We report 7 patients with idiopathic PD (disease duration, 6–21 years) who developed speech‐induced craniofacial‐predominant myoclonus with “stuttering‐like” dysarthria and speech arrests days to months after amantadine initiation or dose increase. Renal insufficiency was identified as a risk factor in 4 cases. In all cases, reduction or discontinuation of amantadine markedly attenuated the myoclonus and restored speech intelligibility.

Literature Review

Amantadine can induce subcortical segmental or generalized myoclonus. A report in 1996 of “vocal myoclonus” in an amantadine‐treated patient with PD was the first observation of a focal distribution of myoclonus, particularly affecting speech. Since then, few cases of craniofacial myoclonus with speech impairment have been reported, none with accompanying video. With 1 exception, the craniofacial distribution was part of a generalized pattern of amantadine‐induced myoclonus. Comorbid renal insufficiency is a recognized risk factor.

Conclusions

Speech‐induced craniofacial myoclonus, with marked “stuttering‐like” dysarthria and speech arrests, is a disabling iatrogenic complication in PD that resolves upon amantadine discontinuation.
Laplace transform‐based approximation methods for solving pure aggregation and breakage equations
Authors: Kaushik Sonali , Hussain Saddam , Kumar Rajesh
Published: June 2023

The varied applications of the aggregation and breakage equations in several fields of science have attracted many researchers to explore accurate novel methods to calculate their solutions. Due to the complexity of these models, the exact solutions are computable only for a few cases of aggregation and breakage kernel parameters. So, to obtain solutions for physically relevant kernels, various numerical and semi‐analytical approaches have been explored. It is observed in the literature that the numerical methods are accurate, but they require some unrealistic assumptions. This has led to the development of semi‐analytical methods that need fewer parameters and are bereft of discretization of the variables. The researchers explore accurate and less time‐consuming methods to solve such equations. So, the objective of this article is the introduction of novel and accurate semi‐analytical techniques to solve the pure aggregation and breakage equations. We have used the Laplace optimized decomposition method (LODM) to calculate the series solution for the aggregation equation and the Laplace Adomian decomposition method (LADM) to solve pure breakage equation. The novelty of this work is that it deals with the theoretical convergence of the LADM and LODM solutions toward the exact solutions. In addition to this, several numerical test cases are presented to validate our theoretical findings. For the aggregation equation, LODM results are compared with the solutions obtained via well‐developed finite volume technique. The methods are found to be highly accurate to solve these partial integro‐differential equations.
Psychological safety, communication openness, nurse job outcomes, and patient safety in hospital nurses
Authors: Cho Hyeonmi , Steege Linsey M. , Arsenault Knudsen Élise N.
Published: June 2023

Promoting psychological safety in a workplace is known to contribute to improved job outcomes across a wide variety of industries. This study aimed to examine the relationships between psychological safety at work and job outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction and intention to leave), and patient safety among hospital nurses; and to determine the mediating effect of communication openness on these relationships. This cross‐sectional study used survey data from 867 hospital nurses working in the United States. Multiple logistic regression models and Hayes' PROCESS macro in SPSS were used. Nurses who worked in an environment with higher psychological safety levels were more likely to be satisfied in their current job, less likely to intend to leave their current job within the next year, and more likely to report favorable patient safety ratings. Communication openness mediated these relationships. When nurses feel psychologically safe at work, they are more likely to engage in open communication, which in turn can lead to greater job satisfaction, decreased turnover intention, and improved patient safety. Nurse managers should strive to develop leadership strategies that promote psychological safety in the work environment and support open communication among nurses.
Model‐free optimal tracking over finite horizon using adaptive dynamic programming
Authors: Jha Mayank Shekhar , Theilliol Didier , Weber Philippe
Published: June 2023

Adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) based approaches are effective for solving nonlinear Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) in an approximative sense. This paper develops a novel ADP‐based approach, in that the focus is on minimizing the consecutive changes in control inputs over a finite horizon to solve the optimal tracking problem for completely unknown discrete time systems. To that end, the cost function considers within its arguments: tracking performance, energy consumption and as a novelty, consecutive changes in the control inputs. Through suitable system transformation, the optimal tracking problem is transformed to a regulation problem with respect to state tracking error. The latter leads to a novel performance index function over finite horizon and corresponding nonlinear HJB equation that is solved in an approximative iterative sense using a novel iterative ADP‐based algorithm. A suitable Neural network‐based structure is proposed to learn the initial admissible one step zero control law. The proposed iterative ADP is implemented using heuristic dynamic programming technique based on actor‐critic Neural Network structure. Finally, simulation studies are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.