bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical outcomes of hyperprogression based on volumetry in non‐small cell lung cancer after immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment
Authors: Kim Jehun , Kim Taeyun , Jang Tae Won , Kang Hee , Kim Mi Hyun , Yoon Seong Hoon , Son Choon‐Hee , Lee Hyun‐Kyung , Kim Hyun‐Kuk , Lee Shin Yup , Shin Kyeong Choel , Han Ji‐Yeon , Kang Eun‐Ju
Published: July 2022

Background

Hyperprogressive disease (HPD) is a novel pattern of the treatment course after immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics, outcomes, and associated factors of HPD using a semiautomatic volume measurement.

Methods

This retrospective study enrolled patients with recurrent and/or metastatic NSCLC treated with ICIs between January 2015 and August 2019 at eight tertiary centers in Korea. HPD was defined according to the tumor growth kinetics and time to treatment failure. Tumor volume was measured using a semiautomatic software.

Results

A total of 219 NSCLC patients with 35 HPD by volumetric measurement (HPDv) (15.9%) were enrolled. The median duration of overall survival (OS) and OS after ICI treatment (ICI‐OS) were 34.5 and 18.4 months, respectively. HPDv patients had significantly worse progression‐free survival (PFS) than progressive disease patients without HPDv (1.16 vs. 1.82 months, p‐value <0.001). ICI‐OS did not significantly differ between patients with HPDv and those without HPDv (2.66 vs. 5.4 months, p = 0.105). PD‐L1 expression lower than 50%, more than three metastatic sites, neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio equal to or higher than 3.3, and hemoglobin level lower than 10 were found to be associated with HPDv.

Conclusions

There is no standardized definition of HPD. However, defining HPD in NSCLC patients treated with ICI using a semiautomatic volume measurement software is feasible.
Oxidative stress‐related effects on various aspects of endometriosis
Authors: Ansariniya Hossein , Yavari Abolfazl , Javaheri Atiyeh , Zare Fateme
Published: July 2022

Background

Endometriosis is a chronic and relatively common disease in women of childbearing age. Complications of this disease include a wide range of disorders. The cause of this disease is not known for sure, but several hypotheses have been proposed for it.

Aim

In this review, an attempt has been made to discuss the effects of oxidative stress on various complications of endometriosis.

Content

In endometriosis, the entry of endometrial tissues into the peritoneal cavity causes oxidative stress through the Fenton reaction and inflammation in this site. Fenton reaction can produce reactive oxygen species through a catalytic form of iron. This process can provoke inflammatory responses and oxidative injury. As a result, the activity of macrophages and expression of nuclear factor‐kappa B increase. Oxidative stress can be associated with many complications of endometriosis. It has been reported that in the peritoneal fluid of endometriosis patients, there are activated macrophages, growth factors, and high concentrations of cytokines. These conditions act as a toxic to embryo survival and sperm function.

Implications

Novel therapeutic strategies must regulate intracellular ROS signaling to inhibit the adverse effects of ROS‐induced endometriosis‐promoting events. According to features of antioxidants, they may inhibit early events of the development of endometriosis.
In vitro storage of boar spermatozoa increases the demand of adenosine triphosphate for reactivation of motility
Authors: Henning Heiko , Nguyen Quynh Thu , Luther Anne‐Marie , Wallner Ulrike , Beyerbach Martin , Waberski Dagmar
Published: July 2022

Background

Prolonging the shelf‐life of liquid‐preserved semen without compromising its fertilizing capacity may increase the efficiency of artificial insemination in pigs. Many fertilization‐relevant processes are adenosine triphosphate dependent. The impact of semen storage and rewarming to body temperature on the energy status of spermatozoa is as yet unknown.

Objectives

To investigate the energy status of boar spermatozoa during storage and subsequent rewarming and to reveal the potential role of mitochondrial function for reactivation and maintenance of sperm motility.

Materials and methods

Extended semen samples (n = 7 boars) were used. Spermatozoa were challenged by storage at 17°C for 7 days and incubation at 38°C for 180 min. The adenosine triphosphate concentration and energy charge in semen samples and lactate concentration in the extracellular medium were assessed. Viability and mitochondrial activity were determined by flow cytometry, and clustered single‐cell analysis of motility parameters was performed.

Results

The energy status was not affected by semen storage (p > 0.05). Rewarming resulted in a net reduction in adenosine triphosphate concentration, which increased with storage time (maximum Day 5: ‐24.2 ± 10.3%) but was not accompanied by a loss in viability, motility, or mitochondrial activity. Blocking glycolysis with 2‐deoxy‐d‐glucose prevented the re‐establishment of motility and mitochondrial activity after rewarming. Mitochondrial activity gradually subsided in virtually all spermatozoa during incubation at 38°C, while adenosine triphosphate and energy charge remained high. Concomitantly, extracellular lactate levels rose, and sperm populations with lower velocity, increased linearity, and low lateral head displacement grew larger. Size changes for major sperm subpopulations correlated with the percentage of viable spermatozoa with high mitochondrial activity (r = 0.44–0.70 for individual subpopulations, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Storage of boar spermatozoa increases the demand of adenosine triphosphate for reactivation of spermatozoa towards fast, non‐linear, and hyperactivation‐like motility patterns upon rewarming. Maintenance of glycolysis seems to be decisive for sperm function after long‐term storage in vitro.
Left ventricular strain in neonates using 2‐dimensional speckle tracking: Normal range and relation with bi‐plan ejection fraction
Authors: Nahili Khaled Al , Saleem Irfan , Ahmad Salim , Ahmed El Tayeb , Rajaa Najlaa Al
Published: July 2022

Objectives

Echocardiographic assessment of Left ventricular systolic function is traditionally being performed by estimation of fractional shortening (FS) and ejection fraction (EF). Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is a promising tool for assessment of myocardial function. The aim of this study is to evaluate the global longitudinal strain (GLS) using 2D‐STE in healthy neonates to establish normal reference ranges.

Method

It is a retrospective study through an analysis of transthoracic echocardiogram of normal healthy neonates. We enrolled all neonates in our institution from January 1st, 2021 to February 28th, 2021. 2‐D STE was used to assess left ventricular GLS from the apical views.

Results

185 neonates were enrolled. Mean value for left ventricle GLS (%) was ‐19.9 ± 1.2, GLS‐derived EF (%) was 60.0 ± 2.7; while the left ventricle EF by biplane Simpson's method (%) was 61.0 ± 3. There is a good positive correlation between the Left Ventricle EF by biplane Simpson's method and EF by 2‐D STE, which was statistically significant (r = .294, n = 102, p = .003). Apical 4‐chamber longitudinal strain and strain‐derived EF is significantly correlated with GLS and bi‐plan EF respectively.

Conclusion

2‐STE is feasible technique for analyzing newborn myocardial systolic function. The normal range of GLS in neonates is not much different than reported for the pediatric. There is a good positive correlation between the Left Ventricle EF by 2‐D STE and EF by biplane method.
Effect of behavioural practice targeted at the motor action selection network after stroke
Authors: Stewart Jill Campbell , Baird Jessica F. , Lewis Allison F. , Fritz Stacy L. , Fridriksson Julius
Published: July 2022

Motor action selection engages a network of frontal and parietal brain regions. After stroke, individuals activate a similar network, however, activation is higher, especially in the contralesional hemisphere. The current study examined the effect of practice on action selection performance and brain activation after stroke. Sixteen individuals with chronic stroke (Upper Extremity Fugl–Meyer motor score range: 18–61) moved a joystick with the more‐impaired hand in two conditions: Select (externally cued choice; move right or left based on an abstract rule) and Execute (simple response; move same direction every trial). On Day 1, reaction time (RT) was longer in Select compared to Execute, which corresponded to increased activation primarily in regions in the contralesional action selection network including dorsal premotor, supplementary motor, anterior cingulate and parietal cortices. After 4 days of practice, behavioural performance improved (decreased RT), and only contralesional parietal cortex significantly increased during Select. Higher brain activation on Day 1 in the bilateral action selection network, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and contralesional sensory cortex predicted better performance on Day 4. Overall, practice led to improved action selection performance and reduced brain activation. Systematic changes in practice conditions may allow the targeting of specific components of the motor network during rehabilitation after stroke.
Epistemically exploitative bullshit: A Sartrean account
Authors: Szanto Thomas
Published: July 2022

This paper presents a novel conceptualization of a type of untruthful speech that is of eminent political relevance but has hitherto been unrecognized: epistemically exploitative bullshit (EEB). Speakers engaging in EEB are bullshitting: they deceive their addressee regarding their unconcern for the very difference between truth and falsity. At the same time, they exploit their discursive victims: they oblige their counterparts to perform unacknowledged and emotionally draining epistemic work to educate the speakers about the addressees' oppression, only to discredit their epistemic trustworthiness. I argue that EEB is irreducible to various recently discussed untruthful speech, and in particular to Frankfurtian bullshit, as well as to epistemic exploitation or other epistemic injustices. Taking inspiration from Sartre's analysis of anti‐Semitic discourse, where bullshitting and epistemic exploitation are essentially interlinked, I instead suggest that recognizing the distinctiveness of EEB allows for a more refined conceptualization of these discursive phenomena. Specifically, I show how bad faith and the ensuing collective diffusion and delegation of epistemic responsibility play a so far neglected but key role here. I ultimately demonstrate that with Sartre's help, we can grasp how the existential, interpersonal and institutional dimensions involved in the negotiation of truth seamlessly intersect better than we would with the lens of analytic or critical epistemology alone.
The Gallery Visitor: Initiating Participation through Play
Authors: Ward Sarah
Published: July 2022

Upon entering the gallery, we are met with directives, narratives, and impositions set forth by an authoritative presence. Please remove your backpack. Do not run. Do not speak too loudly. Do not touch. Do not stand too close to the artworks. The presence of security guards or invigilators enforce these instructions on how it is assumed we are to behave in such a space. But do these instructions restrict participation for the visitor? Or do they enable another type of engagement; play? Once perplexed by the visitor behaviour associated with the “museum selfie” culture, this paper will suggest the value of play in the gallery, as an initiative of the visitor to curate their own participation and engagement. In order to demonstrate these ideas of the gallery and their visitors, I will exemplify the participatory practices of Erwin Wurm's One Minute Sculptures (2017), Eva Rothschild's Boys and Sculpture (2012) and Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Rooms, to illustrate the inherent connection between play, learning and embodiment and the gallery visitor.
Getting patients ready for “in the moment” decisions
Authors: Naik Aanand D. , Walling Anne M.
Published: July 2022

This Editorial comments on the article by Wong et al. in this issue.
Spinner dolphin residency in tropical atoll lagoons: Diurnal presence, seasonal variability and implications for nutrient dynamics
Authors: Letessier T. B. , Johnston J. , Delarue J. , Martin B. , Anderson R. C.
Published: July 2022

Mobile predators serve important ecological functions, including acting as nutrient vectors between different ecosystems. In coral reefs, pelagic nutrient subsidies are believed to play an increasingly important role under ongoing and projected environmental changes. Here, we combine visual sightings with passive acoustic monitoring to report habitat use and behaviour by cetaceans within atoll lagoons in the Maldives and Chagos archipelagoes. We demonstrate that spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) are the most widely distributed and numerically abundant cetacean inside these atolls (>90% of all individual cetaceans by numbers). Our visual and acoustic observations both provide evidence of a regular diurnal behaviour, where dolphins enter the lagoons during the morning, for day‐time resting, and exit during the afternoon, for night‐time foraging offshore. Using standard metabolic models and timing of lagoonal residencies, we estimate that a dolphin pod would deposit approximately 288 ± 17 kg year−1 of nitrogen of primarily mesopelagic origin inside the lagoons. The nitrogen deposited inside an atoll lagoon by a dolphin pod resident year‐round will therefore likely enhance coral reef productivity and resilience and suggests that these dolphins play a role in making pelagic energy and nutrients available to coral reefs. The absence of any acoustic detections following the reversal of the monsoon winds suggests that the short‐to‐medium‐term residency of the dolphins is sensitive to seasonal productivity dynamics.
Concordant patterns of morphological, stable isotope and genetic variation in a recent ecological radiation (Salmonidae: Coregonus spp.)
Authors: Bernal Moisés A. , Yule Daniel L. , Stott Wendylee , Evrard Lori , Dowling Thomas E. , Krabbenhoft Trevor J.
Published: July 2022

Groups of sympatric taxa with low interspecific genetic differentiation, but considerable ecological differences, offer great opportunities to study the dynamics of divergence and speciation. This is the case of ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) in the Laurentian Great Lakes, which are characterized by a complex evolutionary history and are commonly described as having undergone an adaptive radiation. In this study, morphometrics, stable isotopes and transcriptome sequencing were used to study the relationships within the Coregonus artedi complex in western Lake Superior. We observed general concordance for morphological, ecological and genomic variation, but the last was more taxonomically informative as it showed less overlap among species in multivariate space. Low levels of genetic differentiation were observed between individuals morphologically identified as Coregonus hoyi and C. zenithicus, which could be evidence of incomplete lineage sorting or recent hybridization between the two groups. Transcriptome‐based single nucleotide polymorphisms exhibited significant divergence for genes associated with vision, development, metabolism and immunity among species that occupy different habitats. This study highlights the importance of using an integrative approach when studying groups of taxa with a complex evolutionary history, as individual‐level analyses of multiple independent data sets can provide a clearer picture of the patterns and processes associated with the origins of biodiversity.
Eosinophilic peritonitis in children undergoing maintenance peritoneal dialysis: A case report and literature review
Authors: Kenan Bahriye Uzun , Büyükkaragöz Bahar , Leventoğlu Emre , Bakkaloğlu Sevcan A.
Published: July 2022

Eosinophilic peritonitis (EP) constitutes a significant number of culture‐negative peritonitis cases that can affect 16–60% of the patients who are treated with maintenance peritoneal dialysis (PD). Although it is mainly considered to be the hypersensitivity response of the peritoneum to foreign substances, it can also develop following culture‐positive peritonitis attacks. Besides the presence of more than 100 white blood cells (WBC)/ml, the diagnosis is made with the high number of eosinophils in the dialysate fluid (>10%), usually accompanied by peripheral eosinophilia. In this study, a 12‐year‐old male patient, who was diagnosed as EP as early as in the first week of PD catheter placement and treated with systemic antihistamines was reported. Additionally, clinical aspects and treatment modalities of EP are presented with a detailed literature review. Although EP is usually a self‐limiting clinical manifestation with a benign outcome, it can be overlooked due to the lack of a routine reporting of the count and percentage of peritoneal eosinophils in most centers. For this reason, a detailed examination in culture‐negative peritonitis cases for EP in order to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use for these patients should be the strategy.
Melatonin supplementation for the treatment of infantile spasms: protocol for a randomised placebo-controlled triple-blind trial
Authors: Sun Yulin , Feng Weiwei , Chen Jian , Liu Miao , Shi Xiuyu , Wang Jing , Zou Liping , Xu Tao , Yang Guang
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Infantile spasms (IS) is a type of severe epileptic encephalopathy that occurs in infancy and early childhood. IS is characterised clinically by epileptic spasms, often accompanied by sleep disorder and abnormal circadian rhythm. The endogenous circadian rhythm disorder, in turn, can make spasms worse. Melatonin has also been found to have anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties by adjusting the circadian rhythm. However, there are lack of relevant studies on controlling IS by using melatonin. This study aims to analyse the therapeutic effect of melatonin supplementation for the treatment of IS.

Methods and analysis

This is a triple-blinded (trial participant, outcome assessor and the data analyst), prospective, randomised controlled trial to be conducted in the Department of Paediatrics, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China from November 2020. Patients (n=70) aged 3 months to 2 years with IS will be recruited in this study after receiving written consent from their parents or guardians. Patients will be randomly divided into two equal groups and treated with a combination of adrenocorticotropic hormone, magnesium sulfate and either melatonin or placebo. Clinical data from the patients in the two groups before and after the treatment will be collected and compared. The primary outcome will be assessed 2 weeks later by seizure diaries and reported as the average reduced rate of spasms frequency. Secondary outcomes include the response rate (the rate of spasms-free), electroencephalogram hypsarrhythmia assessment and the psychomotor development assessment (Denver Developmental Screening Test). Sleep quality and safety will also be assessed.

Ethics and dissemination

The protocol for this study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Chinese PLA General Hospital (reference number S2020-337-01) and was reported according to the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials statement. Findings of this research will be disseminated through national and international meetings, conferences and peer-reviewed journals.

Trial registration number

ChiCTR2000036208.
Breaking the myth: the association between the increasing incidence of labour induction and the rate of caesarean delivery in Finland - a nationwide Medical Birth Register study
Authors: Kruit Heidi , Gissler Mika , Heinonen Seppo , Rahkonen Leena
Published: July 2022

Objectives

To determine the association between the rate of labour induction and caesarean delivery.

Design

Medical Birth Register-based study. We used data from the nationwide Medical Birth Register collecting data on delivery outcomes on all births from 22+0 weeks and/or birth weight of at least 500 g.

Setting

Finland.

Participants

663 024 live births in Finland from 2008 to 2019.

Main outcome measures

The rates of labour induction and caesarean delivery.

Results

The rate of labour induction increased from 17.8% to 30.3%; p<0.001, during the study. The total caesarean delivery rate was 16.5% (n=109 178). An increase of approximately 0.5% in the caesarean delivery rate occurred during the study period. The rate of caesarean delivery following labour induction slightly decreased (15.41% vs 15.35%; p<0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, induction of labour was associated with a reduced risk for caesarean delivery (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.74). The frequency of advanced maternal age (18.0% vs 23.5%; p<0.001), obesity (11.4% vs 15.1%; p<0.001) and gestational diabetes (9.8% vs 23.3%; p<0.001) increased during the study.

Conclusions

The 70% increase in the rate of labour induction in Finland has not led to a significant increase in the rate of caesarean delivery, which has remained one of the lowest in the world. Pregnant women in Finland are more frequently obese, older and diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which may partly explain the increase in the rate of labour induction.
Efficacy and safety of trabeculectomy versus peripheral iridectomy plus goniotomy in advanced primary angle-closure glaucoma: study protocol for a multicentre, non-inferiority, randomised controlled trial (the TVG study)
Authors: Gao Xinbo , Lv Aiguo , Lin Fengbin , Lu Ping , Zhang Yi , Song Wulian , Zhu Xiaomin , Zhang Hengli , Liao Mengfei , Song Yunhe , Hu Kun , Zhang Yingzhe , Peng Yuying , Tang Li , Yuan Huiping , Xie Lin , Tang Guangxian , Nie Xin , Jin Ling , Fan Sujie , Zhang Xiulan
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) is a major subtype of glaucoma that accounts for most bilateral glaucoma-related blindness globally. Filtering surgery is a conventional strategy for PACG, yet it has a long learning curve and undesirable disastrous complications. Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) plays an increasing role in the management of glaucoma due to its safer and faster recovery profile; cataract surgery-based MIGS is the most commonly performed such procedure in PACG. However, for patients with a transparent lens or no indications for cataract extraction, incorporation of MIGS into PACG treatment has not yet been reported. Therefore, this multicentre, non-inferiority, randomised controlled clinical trial aims to compare the efficacy and safety of trabeculectomy versus peripheral iridectomy plus an ab interno goniotomy in advanced PACG with no or mild cataracts.

Methods and analysis

This non-inferiority, multicentre, randomised controlled trial will be conducted at seven ophthalmic departments and institutes across China. Eighty-eight patients with no or mild cataracts and advanced PACG will be enrolled and randomised to undergo trabeculectomy or peripheral iridectomy plus ab interno goniotomy. Enrolled patients will undergo comprehensive ophthalmic examinations before and after surgery. The primary outcome is intraocular pressure (IOP) at 12 months postoperatively. The secondary outcomes are cumulative success rate of surgery, surgery-related complications and number of IOP-lowering medications. Participants will be followed up for 36 months postoperatively.

Ethics and dissemination

The study protocol was approved by the ethical committees of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, China (ID: 2021KYPJ191) and of all subcentres. All participants will be required to provide written informed consent. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated in international academic meetings.

Trial registration number

NCT05163951.
Cannabis consumption in young adults with cancer: descriptive study
Authors: Donovan Kristine A , Dolan Alex , Lubrano di Ciccone Barbara B , Babilonia Margarita Bobonis , Skinner Amber , Reed Damon R , Portman Diane G
Published: July 2022

Objective

In the USA, the increase in state-sanctioned medical and recreational cannabis consumption means more young adults (YA) with cancer are using cannabis. Data and information are needed to characterise this use and frame much needed discussions about the role of cannabis in cancer care. To that end, this study’s objective was to describe consumption of cannabis in YA with cancer.

Methods

Four hundred seventy-six patients with cancer ages 18–39 years at a large comprehensive cancer centre responded to a survey about their cannabis consumption. The survey was administered online between July 2019 and June 2020, and respondents were anonymous.

Results

Fifty-two per cent (n=247) of respondents endorsed use within the last year; of these, half reported using cannabis prior to their diagnosis. Consumption was about equally distributed between smoking/inhalation and eating/drinking cannabis products. Seventy-five per cent of consumers used cannabis at least weekly. Top five primary reasons for use were pain, anxiety, nausea, sleep and recreation. More frequent consumption was associated with greater perceived improvement in certain symptoms. Cannabis products tended to be sourced from friends and family and information from non-medical sources. Most YA reported being comfortable discussing their consumption with providers.

Conclusions

Many YA are using cannabis frequently to manage their cancer-related and treatment-related symptoms. Findings support the need for providers to consider cannabis use in treatment planning and symptom management with YA. Findings should help frame patient and provider discussions and herald much needed research on the effect of cannabis consumption on patient outcomes.
Rheological behaviour of dilute soil-water mixtures: role of interactions from colloidal and non-colloidal particles
Authors: Zarch M. Kamali , Zhang L.M. , Haeri S.M. , Xu Z.D.
Published: July 2022

The rheological behaviour of dilute soil-water mixtures, such as hyperconcentrated mixtures and interstitial fluids in debris flows, can significantly affect the flow dynamics of flow-type landslides. These mixtures often contain clay, silt, and sandy particles. Despite great efforts, the effects of soil type and texture on the rheological behaviour of these mixtures are still not well understood. To tackle this issue, an experimental investigation is carried out using a narrow-gap rotational viscometer to evaluate the interactions from colloidal (clay) and non-colloidal (silt and sand) particles and possibility of flow regime change. The flow curves of dilute mixtures are determined with and without a dispersion agent. A functional curve between spindle speed and Reynolds Number or Froud Number is proposed to distinguish different flow regimes in the narrow-gap rotational viscometer. Results demonstrate the applicability of the Bingham model for describing the bulk rheological behaviour of dilute mixtures. The mixture viscosity governs the contribution of the hydrodynamic effects from all particles, while the yield stress governs the contribution of the colloidal effects from colloidal particles. Results also reveal that for dilute mixtures containing particles up to medium sand size, the main cause of the flow regime change is the flow boundary conditions.
Revisiting Chaplygin gas cosmologies with the recent observations of high-redshift quasars
Authors: Zheng Jie , Cao Shuo , Lian Yujie , Liu Tonghua , Liu Yuting , Zhu Zong-Hong
Published: July 2022

In this paper, we use the latest observations of quasars covering the redshift range of $$0.04<z<5.1$$

0.04
<
z
<
5.1

to investigate a series of Chaplygin gas models as candidates for unified dark matter and dark energy. Based on different combinations of available standard candle and standard ruler data, we put constraints on the generalized Chaplygin gas (GCG), modified Chaplygin gas (MCG), new generalized Chaplygin gas (NGCG) and viscous generalized Chaplygin gas (VGCG) models. Moreover, we apply Jensen–Shannon divergence (JSD), statefinder diagnostics, and the deviance information criterion (DIC) to distinguish these CG models, based on the statistical results derived from Markov chain Monte Carlo method. The results show that (1) The standard ruler data could provide more stringent constraints on the cosmological parameters of different CG models considered in this analysis. Interestingly, the matter density parameter $$\varOmega _{m}$$

Ω
m

and Hubble constant $$H_{0}$$

H
0

derived from the available data are well consistent with those from the Planck 2018 results; (2) Based on the statistical criteria JSD, our findings demonstrate the well consistency between Chaplygin gas and the concordance $$\varLambda $$
Λ
CDM model. However, in the framework of statefinder diagnostics, the GCG and NGCG models cannot be distinguished from $$\varLambda $$
Λ
CDM, while MCG and VGCG models show significant deviation from $$\varLambda $$
Λ
CDM in the present epoch; (3) According to the the statistical criteria DIC, we show that the MCG and VGCG models have substantial observational support from high-redshift quasars, whereas the GCG and NGCG models miss out on the less observational support category but can not be ruled out.
High radiative recombination in GaN-based yellow light-emitting diodes
Authors: Khan Sibghatullah , Usman Muhammad , Ali Shazma , Rasheed Saad , Saeed Sana
Published: July 2022

The radiative recombination rate is greatly enhanced by the conversion of GaN last quantum barrier (LQB) into aluminium gallium nitride (AlGaN) LQB and further into graded AlGaN electron blocking layer (EBL) in GaN-based yellow light-emitting diode (LED) with emission between 510 nm and 580 nm. Our simulation results reveal an increase in carrier concentration and, therefore, reduction in electron-hole asymmetry in multiple quantum wells (MQWs). The proposed structure demonstrates that in MQWs, the chance of the electron-hole (e-h) overlapping increases. When compared to conventional LED, the radiative recombination increases by 70%, while the hole concentration increases by 20%. In our proposed structure, the turn-on voltage is also decreased from 3.2 V to 2.9 V
Multi-Uncertainty Captured Multi-Robot Lidar Odometry and Mapping Framework for Large-Scale Environments
Authors: Xiong Guangming , Ma Junyi , Yu Huilong , Xu Jingyi , Xu Jiahui
Published: July 2022

Multi-robot simultaneous localization and mapping (MR-SLAM) is of great importance for enhancing the efficiency of large-scale environment exploration. Despite remarkable advances in schemes for cooperation, there is a critical lack of approaches to handle multiple uncertainties inherent to MR-SLAM in large-scale environments. This paper proposes a multi-uncertainty captured multi-robot lidar odometry and mapping (MUC-LOAM) framework, to quantify and utilize the uncertainties of feature points and robot mutual poses in large-scale environments. A proposed hybrid weighting strategy for pose update is integrated into MUC-LOAM to handle feature uncertainty from distance changing and dynamic objects. A devised Bayesian Neural Network (BNN) is proposed to capture mutual pose uncertainty. Then the covariance propagation of quaternions to Euler angles conversion is leveraged to filter out unreliable mutual poses. Another covariance propagation through coordinate transformations in nonlinear optimization improves the accuracy of map merging. The feasibility and enhanced robustness of the proposed framework for large-scale exploration are validated on both public datasets and real-world experiments.
Deep Learning for Effective and Efficient Reduction of Large Adaptation Spaces in Self-adaptive Systems
Authors: Weyns Danny , Gheibi Omid , Quin Federico , Van Der Donckt Jeroen
Published: July 2022

Many software systems today face uncertain operating conditions, such as sudden changes in the availability of resources or unexpected user behavior. Without proper mitigation these uncertainties can jeopardize the system goals. Self-adaptation is a common approach to tackle such uncertainties. When the system goals may be compromised, the self-adaptive system has to select the best adaptation option to reconfigure by analyzing the possible adaptation options, i.e., the adaptation space. Yet, analyzing large adaptation spaces using rigorous methods can be resource- and time-consuming, or even be infeasible. One approach to tackle this problem is by using online machine learning to reduce adaptation spaces. However, existing approaches require domain expertise to perform feature engineering to define the learner and support online adaptation space reduction only for specific goals. To tackle these limitations, we present “Deep Learning for Adaptation Space Reduction Plus”—DLASeR+ for short. DLASeR+ offers an extendable learning framework for online adaptation space reduction that does not require feature engineering, while supporting three common types of adaptation goals: threshold, optimization, and set-point goals. We evaluate DLASeR+ on two instances of an Internet-of-Things application with increasing sizes of adaptation spaces for different combinations of adaptation goals. We compare DLASeR+ with a baseline that applies exhaustive analysis and two state-of-the-art approaches for adaptation space reduction that rely on learning. Results show that DLASeR+ is effective with a negligible effect on the realization of the adaptation goals compared to an exhaustive analysis approach and supports three common types of adaptation goals beyond the state-of-the-art approaches.
MetaDetector: Meta Event Knowledge Transfer for Fake News Detection
Authors: Ding Yasan , Guo Bin , Liu Yan , Liang Yunji , Shen Haocheng , Yu Zhiwen
Published: July 2022

The blooming of fake news on social networks has devastating impacts on society, the economy, and public security. Although numerous studies are conducted for the automatic detection of fake news, the majority tend to utilize deep neural networks to learn event-specific features for superior detection performance on specific datasets. However, the trained models heavily rely on the training datasets and are infeasible to apply to upcoming events due to the discrepancy between event distributions. Inspired by domain adaptation theories, we propose an end-to-end adversarial adaptation network, dubbed as
MetaDetector
, to transfer meta knowledge (event-shared features) between different events. Specifically,
MetaDetector
pushes the feature extractor and event discriminator to eliminate event-specific features and preserve required meta knowledge by adversarial training. Furthermore, the pseudo-event discriminator is utilized to evaluate the importance of news records in historical events to obtain partial knowledge that are discriminative for detecting fake news. Under the coordinated optimization among all the submodules,
MetaDetector
accurately transfers the meta knowledge of historical events to the upcoming event for fact checking. We conduct extensive experiments on two real-world datasets collected from Sina Weibo and Twitter. The experimental results demonstrate that
MetaDetector
outperforms the state-of-the-art methods, especially when the distribution discrepancy between events is significant.
A Sparse Feature Matching Model Using a Transformer towards Large-View Indoor Visual Localization
Authors: Li Ning , Tu Weiping , Ai Haojun
Published: July 2022

Accurate indoor visual localization has been a challenging task under large-view scenes with wide baselines and weak texture images, where it is difficult to accomplish accurate image matching. To address the problem of sparse image features mismatching, we develop a coarse-to-fine feature matching model using a transformer, termed MSFA-T, which assigns the corresponding semantic labels to image features for an incipient coarse matching. To avoid the anomalous scoring of sparse feature interrelationship in the attention assigning phase, we propose a multiscale forward attention mechanism that decomposes the similarity-based features to learn the specificity of sparse features, the influence of position-independence on sparse features is reduced and the performance of the fine image matching in visual localization is effectively improved. We conduct extensive experiments on the challenging datasets; the results show that our model achieves image matching with an average 79.8% probability of the area under the cumulative curve of the corner point error, which outperforms the related state-of-the-art algorithms by an improvement of 13% probability at 1 m accuracy for the image-based visual localization in large view scenes.
Virtual Reality Software and Data Processing Algorithms Packaged Online for Videos
Authors: Zeng Li , Guo Keke
Published: July 2022

Aiming at the problem of virtual reality and data processing algorithm of online video packaging, one transmission scheme uses TILES in HEVC to block the video and then applies MP4Box to pack the video and generate a DASH video stream. A method is proposed to process the same panoramic video with different quality. By designing a new index to measure the complexity of the coding tree unit, this method predicts the depth of the coding tree unit by using the complexity index and spatial correlation of the video, skipping unnecessary traversal range, and realizing fast division of coding units. Experimental results show that compared with the latest HM16.20 reference model, the proposed algorithm can reduce the coding time by 37.25%, the BD-rate only increases by 0.74%, and the video image quality is almost not lost.
Variational Autoencoder for Zero-Shot Recognition of Bai Characters
Authors: Lin Weiwei , Ma Tai , Zhang Zeqing , Li Xiaofan , Xue Xingsi
Published: July 2022

When talking about Bai nationality, people are impressed by its long history and the language it has created. However, since fewer people of the young generation learn the traditional language, the glorious Bai culture becomes less known, making understanding Bai characters difficult. Based on the highly precise character recognition model for Bai characters, the paper is aimed at helping people read books written in Bai characters so as to popularize the culture. To begin with, a data set is built with the support of Bai culture fans and experts. However, the data set is not large enough as knowledge in this respect is limited. This makes the deep learning model less accurate since it lacks sufficient data. The popular zero-shot learning (ZSL) is adopted to overcome the insufficiency of data sets. We use Chinese characters as the seen class, Bai characters as the unseen class, and the number of strokes as the attribute to construct the ZSL format data set. However, the existing ZSL methods ignore the character structure information, so a generation method based on variational autoencoder (VAE) is put forward, which can automatically capture the character structure information. Experimental results show that the method facilitates the recognition of Bai characters and makes it more precise.
Yield Response of Faba Bean to Lime, NPSB, and Rhizobium Inoculation in Kiremu District, Western Ethiopia
Authors: Geleta Dereje , Bekele Getachew
Published: July 2022

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is one of the most important winter legume crops for human consumption as a green or dried, fresh, or canned. Low soil fertility and acidity are the major constraints of faba bean production in Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted in the Kiremu district of West Oromia, Ethiopia, under rain-fed conditions on a farmer's field to evaluate the effect of different rates of lime and NPSB-blended fertilizer application with and without inoculation on yield components and yield of faba bean. The three factors, lime rates (0, 2, and 4 t ha−1), mineral fertilizer rates (0, 60, 120, and 180 kg·ha−1 NPSB), and rhizobium inoculation (with and without), were combined in 3 x 4 x 2 factorial arrangement of RCBD in three replications. The data were collected on yield and yield components and subjected to the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The ANOVA results revealed that the number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, hundred seeds weight, harvest index, aboveground biomass, and grain yield were significantly affected by the treatment. Therefore, the highest faba bean yield was obtained from the application of 2 t limes ha−1, 120 NPSB ha−1, and 500 g·ha−1 rhizobium inoculation, and thus, the integrated application of the aforementioned rates of lime, NPSB, and rhizobium inoculation could be recommended for maximizing the productivity profitability of faba bean production in the study area and similar agro-ecologies.
Numerical Simulation of Particle Deposition in Arterial Bifurcation via Lattice Boltzmann Method
Authors: Yi Houhui
Published: July 2022

Arterial bifurcation plays a key role in cardiovascular system, so studying the characteristic of the blood flows near bifurcated arteries is of great importance in hemodynamics. The lattice Boltzmann (LB) model is used to observe the behavior of the particle deposition near the bifurcated artery. The mechanical quantity, including particle trajectories, velocities, and angular velocities, is studied numerically by LB simulations. The particle is prone to stasis as it is close to the wall of bifurcated vessel for small flow Reynolds number. Larger branch angle leads to higher possibility of particle stagnation. The numerical results are consistent with the clinical observation. The study provides a basis for understanding the mechanism of hemodynamics near bifurcations and will provide a research basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients with atherosclerosis.
Determination of UDP-Glucose and UDP-Galactose in Maize by Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography and Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Lan Chen , Zhao Bing , Yang Lu , Zhou Yusen , Guo Siyi , Zhang Xuebin , Zhang Junli
Published: July 2022

Nucleotide sugars, the activated forms of monosaccharides, are important intermediates of carbohydrate metabolism in all organisms. Here, we describe a method for the detection and quantification of UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose in maize in order to compare their metabolism in both wild-type and mutated plants. Triple quadrupole operating in a multiple reaction monitoring mode was used to quantify nucleotide sugars. The limits of detection for UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose were 0.50 and 0.70 ng·mL−1, respectively. The recoveries of the method ranged from 98.3% to 103.6% with the relative standard deviations less than 6.3%. To prove the applicability of this method, we analyzed several sets of maize extracts obtained from different cultivars grown under standardized greenhouse conditions. All the results demonstrated the suitability of the developed method to quantify UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose in maize extracts.
Leprosy: A Review of Epidemiology, Clinical Diagnosis, and Management
Authors: Chen Kou-Huang , Lin Cheng-Yao , Su Shih-Bin , Chen Kow-Tong
Published: July 2022

Leprosy is a neglected infectious disease caused by acid-fast bacillus Mycobacterium leprae. It primarily affects the skin and then progresses to a secondary stage, causing peripheral neuropathy with potential long-term disability along with stigma. Leprosy patients account for a significant proportion of the global disease burden. Previous efforts to improve diagnostic and therapeutic techniques have focused on leprosy in adults, whereas childhood leprosy has been relatively neglected. This review aims to update the diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations for adult and childhood leprosy. This review summarizes the clinical, bacteriological, and immunological approaches used in the diagnosis of leprosy. As strategies for the diagnosis and management of leprosy continue to develop better and more advanced knowledge, control and prevention of leprosy are crucial.
Identification and Validation of Autophagy-Related Genes in Primary Ovarian Insufficiency by Gene Expression Profile and Bioinformatic Analysis
Authors: Lv Siji , Sun Jiani , Sun Jing
Published: July 2022

Background. To investigate the relationship between primary ovarian insufficiency and autophagy, we detected and got the expression profile of human granulosa cell line SVOG, which was with or without LPS induced. The expression profile was analyzed with the focus on the autophagy genes, among which hub genes were identified. Results. Totally, 6 genes were selected as candidate hub genes which might correlate with the process of primary ovarian insufficiency. The expression of hub genes was then validated by quantitative real-time PCR and two of them had significant expression change. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to observe the features of hub genes, including hub gene-RBP/TF/miRNA/drug network construction, functional analysis, and protein-protein interaction network. Pearson’s correlation analysis was also performed to identify the correlation between hub genes and autophagy genes, among which there were four autophagy genes significantly correlated with hub genes, including ATG4B, ATG3, ATG13, and ULK1. Conclusion. The results indicated that autophagy might play an essential role in the process and underlying molecular mechanism of primary ovarian insufficiency, which was revealed for the first time and may help to provide a molecular foundation for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for primary ovarian insufficiency.
Considerations for Conducting Bring Your Own “Device” (BYOD) Clinical Studies
Authors: Demanuele Charmaine , Lokker Cynthia , Jhaveri Krishna , Georgiev Pirinka , Sezgin Emre , Geoghegan Cindy , Zou Kelly H. , Izmailova Elena , McCarthy Marie
Published: July 2022

Background: Digital health technologies are attracting attention as novel tools for data collection in clinical research. They present alternative methods compared to in-clinic data collection, which often yields snapshots of the participants’ physiology, behavior, and function that may be prone to biases and artifacts, e.g., white coat hypertension, and not representative of the data in free-living conditions. Modern digital health technologies equipped with multi-modal sensors combine different data streams to derive comprehensive endpoints that are important to study participants and are clinically meaningful. Used for data collection in clinical trials, they can be deployed as provisioned products where technology is given at study start or in a bring your own “device” (BYOD) manner where participants use their technologies to generate study data. Summary: The BYOD option has the potential to be more user-friendly, allowing participants to use technologies that they are familiar with, ensuring better participant compliance, and potentially reducing the bias that comes with introducing new technologies. However, this approach presents different technical, operational, regulatory, and ethical challenges to study teams. For example, BYOD data can be more heterogeneous, and recruiting historically underrepresented populations with limited access to technology and the internet can be challenging. Despite the rapid increase in digital health technologies for clinical and healthcare research, BYOD use in clinical trials is limited, and regulatory guidance is still evolving. Key Messages: We offer considerations for academic researchers, drug developers, and patient advocacy organizations on the design and deployment of BYOD models in clinical research. These considerations address: (1) early identification and engagement with internal and external stakeholders; (2) study design including informed consent and recruitment strategies; (3) outcome, endpoint, and technology selection; (4) data management including compliance and data monitoring; (5) statistical considerations to meet regulatory requirements. We believe that this article acts as a primer, providing insights into study design and operational requirements to ensure the successful implementation of BYOD clinical studies.