bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cyclin D2 gene variance and expression level in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Elwafa Reham Abdel Haleem Abo , Bordiny Magdy El , Salama Mostafa , Fawzy Amira , Omar Omneya Magdy
Published: September 2023

Background

Cyclin D2 (CCND2) is a crucial player in cell cycle regulation. CCND2 polymorphisms contribute to cancer predisposition.

Objectives

To evaluate the association of CCND2 rs3217927 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and its expression levels with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) susceptibility in Egyptian children and its potential prognostic role.

Methods

The 5′ nuclease allelic discrimination assay was used to evaluate the frequency of CCND2 rs3217927 SNP in 80 newly diagnosed children with ALL and 80 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. CCND2 relative expression levels were determined by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Results

The genotype analysis revealed that the GG genotype and G allele were significantly more prevalent among ALL patients than controls (p ˂ .001). Regression analysis demonstrated that Egyptian children carrying only one G allele had about 31‐fold increased risk to develop ALL compared to A allele carriers. CCND2 was overexpressed in ALL patients compared to controls (p < .001). The CCND2 overexpression was associated with the GG genotype and G allele (p < .001). Furthermore, G allele was an independent negative prognostic marker for central nervous system (CNS) involvement (odds ratio [OR] = 4.676; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2–18.6), risk stratification (OR = 38; 95% CI: 7.7–188.2), and chemoresistance (OR = 9.864; 95% CI: 5.6–70.3) in ALL patients.

Conclusions

G allele of CCND2 rs3217927 SNP might be associated with increased risk for ALL in Egyptian children besides being an independent negative prognostic marker for their risk stratification and therapeutic outcome. CCND2 rs3217927 SNP genotyping might be used to demarcate ALL patients with aggressive disease phenotypes who may be candidate for alternative targeted therapeutic strategies
Research on coupled erosion damage model of FRP bonded concrete beams subjected to Lemaitre assumption
Authors: Zou Yunfei , Ji Yongcheng
Published: September 2023

In cold regions, the coupling of freeze–thaw cycles and sulfate frequently impairs the performance of FRP‐bonded concrete, resulting in a shortened service life. Carbon fiber polymer (CFRP) and glass fiber polymer (GFRP) are used to paste pre‐cracked concrete beams in the experiment, and three unfavorable environments are created: freeze–thaw cycle, 10% sulfate solution erosion, and coupling erosion. This paper investigates the durability performance of FRP bonded beams using microscopic, mechanical and dynamic modulus of elasticity tests, as well as post‐erosion damage values and finite element modeling. After 400 h of coupled erosion, sulphate erosion and freeze–thaw cyclic erosion environments, the strength of the CFRP bonded beams was reduced by 66.3%, 14.6% and 42.0% and the GFRP bonded beams by 67%, 21.9% and 52.3% respectively. The results show that single sulphate attack does not cause significant damage to the beams, but it can exacerbate the damage caused by freeze–thaw cycles. A coupled damage model based on the Lemaitre strain equivalence assumption predicted the actual coupled damage of the specimens. The finite element model can accurately predict the damage and strength of the bond surface under loading.

Highlights

The durability performance of CFRP and GFRP adhered pre‐cracked concrete beams

Microscopic, mechanical, and dynamic elastic modulus tests are used

Freeze–thaw erosion environment in 10% mass fraction sulphate solution

Coupled damage models for coupled salt and freeze–thaw cycles are developed

FRP‐reinforced pre‐cracked beams subjected to erosion are simulated with ABAQUS
Local analysis of crystalline phases and properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride) electrospun composites with BaTiO3 nanorods
Authors: Nugraha Aditya Sukma , Chou Chen Chia , Aji Bramantyo Bayu
Published: September 2023

This study investigated the influence of barium titanate nanorods (BT rods) on the properties and phase formation of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanofibers of composite membranes created using the electrospinning technique. The primary objective was to assess the effect of varying BT nanorod concentrations on the membrane properties. The result shows that inserting BT rods into PVDF increases β‐phase content, which, with an optimal concentration of BT rods, affects the activation energy of thermal degradation resulting in the highest β‐phase content and the lowest activation energy at 3% BT content. Moreover, the electrical output of the samples was measured. Using a ball‐drop test, the sample containing 3 wt% BT rods exhibited the highest output voltage, reaching 1.64 V. The BT rods play a significant role in promoting the β‐phase PVDF molecular chain formation, acting as the polar phase in PVDF and aligning with the polarization direction of the BT rods. According to high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy investigations, crystalline phases of PVDF are strongly correlated with the surface charges of perovskite BT rods. The occurrence of charge on the BT rods significantly contributes to fostering the development of the β‐phase PVDF molecular chain. It essentially performs the function of the polar phase within the PVDF, aligning itself in accordance with the polarization direction inherent to the BT rods. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the potential of incorporating BT rod polar surfaces to interact with PVDF chain dipole moments, promoting β‐phase formation. © 2023 Society of Industrial Chemistry.
Effect of inhomogeneous loads on the mechanics of PV modules
Authors: Romer Pascal , Pethani Kishan Bharatbhai , Beinert Andreas J.
Published: September 2023

In contrast to homogeneous mechanical load according to IEC 61215, photovoltaic modules in the field are mainly exposed to inhomogeneous loads like snow or wind. This paper deals with such inhomogeneous loads using computational fluid dynamics and finite element method simulations. Temperatures different to room temperature and the choice of encapsulates have significant influences on the thermomechanics of a photovoltaic module in case of snow load. Polyolefin is the encapsulant with the lowest storage modulus and has the lowest overall stress in solar cells and glass down to −30°C. Furthermore, with colder temperatures, the first principal stress decreases in solar cells but increases in the glass. For wind loads, the impact of module orientation, wind direction, module inclination angle, and wind speed is analyzed. A crosswind scenario is found to be most critical. Additionally, as a rule of thumb, higher module inclination angles result in higher stresses. Finally, general thermomechanical rules are extracted allowing for a deeper understanding of the underlying effects and therefore help to build more robust modules in the future.
Structural features of thyroglobulin linked to protein trafficking
Authors: Citterio Cintia E. , Kim Kookjoo , Rajesh Bhavana , Pena Kevin , Clarke Oliver Biggs , Arvan Peter
Published: September 2023

Thyroglobulin must pass endoplasmic reticulum (ER) quality control to become secreted for thyroid hormone synthesis. Defective thyroglobulin, blocked in trafficking, can cause hypothyroidism. Thyroglobulin is a large protein (~2750 residues) spanning regions I–II–III plus a C‐terminal cholinesterase‐like domain. The cholinesterase‐like domain functions as an intramolecular chaperone for regions I–II–III, but the folding pathway leading to successful thyroglobulin trafficking remains largely unknown. Here, informed by the recent three‐dimensional structure of thyroglobulin as determined by cryo‐electron microscopy, we have bioengineered three novel classes of mutants yielding three entirely distinct quality control phenotypes. Specifically, upon expressing recombinant thyroglobulin, we find that first, mutations eliminating a disulfide bond enclosing a 200‐amino acid loop in region I have surprisingly little impact on the ability of thyroglobulin to fold to a secretion‐competent state. Next, we have identified a mutation on the surface of the cholinesterase‐like domain that has no discernible effect on regional folding yet affects contact between distinct regions and thereby triggers impairment in the trafficking of full‐length thyroglobulin. Finally, we have probed a conserved disulfide in the cholinesterase‐like domain that interferes dramatically with local folding, and this defect then impacts on global folding, blocking the entire thyroglobulin in the ER. These data highlight variants with distinct effects on ER quality control, inhibiting domain‐specific folding; folding via regional contact; neither; or both.
Decision‐making in drug development using a composite definition of success
Authors: Saint‐Hilary Gaelle , Robert Veronique , Gasparini Mauro
Published: September 2023

Evidence‐based quantitative methodologies have been proposed to inform decision‐making in drug development, such as metrics to make go/no‐go decisions or predictions of success, identified with statistical significance of future clinical trials. While these methodologies appropriately address some critical questions on the potential of a drug, they either consider the past evidence without predicting the outcome of the future trials or focus only on efficacy, failing to account for the multifaceted aspects of a successful drug development. As quantitative benefit‐risk assessments could enhance decision‐making, we propose a more comprehensive approach using a composite definition of success based not only on the statistical significance of the treatment effect on the primary endpoint but also on its clinical relevance and on a favorable benefit‐risk balance in the next pivotal studies. For one drug, we can thus study several development strategies before starting the pivotal trials by comparing their predictive probability of success. The predictions are based on the available evidence from the previous trials, to which new hypotheses on the future development could be added. The resulting predictive probability of composite success provides a useful summary to support the discussions of the decision‐makers. We present a fictive, but realistic, example in major depressive disorder inspired by a real decision‐making case.
A marginalized two‐part joint model for a longitudinal biomarker and a terminal event with application to advanced head and neck cancers
Authors: Rustand Denis , Briollais Laurent , Rondeau Virginie
Published: September 2023

The sum of the longest diameter (SLD) of the target lesions is a longitudinal biomarker used to assess tumor response in cancer clinical trials, which can inform about early treatment effect. This biomarker is semicontinuous, often characterized by an excess of zeros and right skewness. Conditional two‐part joint models were introduced to account for the excess of zeros in the longitudinal biomarker distribution and link it to a time‐to‐event outcome. A limitation of the conditional two‐part model is that it only provides an effect of covariates, such as treatment, on the conditional mean of positive biomarker values, and not an overall effect on the biomarker, which is often of clinical relevance. As an alternative, we propose in this article, a marginalized two‐part joint model (M‐TPJM) for the repeated measurements of the SLD and a terminal event, where the covariates affect the overall mean of the biomarker. Our simulation studies assessed the good performance of the marginalized model in terms of estimation and coverage rates. Our application of the M‐TPJM to a randomized clinical trial of advanced head and neck cancer shows that the combination of panitumumab in addition with chemotherapy increases the odds of observing a disappearance of all target lesions compared to chemotherapy alone, leading to a possible indirect effect of the combined treatment on time to death.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a resource limited setting: Factors associated with difficult surgeries at the National Referral Hospital, Bhutan
Authors: Wangmo Sangay , Dargay Sonam , ChhodenR Sonam
Published: September 2023

Background

Prediction of difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy may help in making necessary arrangements for optimal intraoperative requirements and postoperative care. This study was conducted to examine the factors associated with and outcomes of difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed at the Bhutan's largest hospital in 2020.

Methods

This was a cross‐sectional study with a convenience sampling method. Data on clinical features, ultrasonography and intraoperative factors of patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy were extracted from their medical records, investigation reports and intraoperative surgery note. Difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy was defined on the basis of the duration of the surgery, injury to bile duct or artery, or conversion to open cholecystectomy. Data were double entered and validated in EpiData 3.1 and analysed in STATA 13.0.

Results

Data from 134 patients were extracted. The mean age of the sample was 43 (±SD 13) years. “Difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy” was reported in 83 patients (62%) and easy laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 51 patients (38%). Those patients having simple adhesions up to the body of the gall bladder were 1.6 times more likely to encounter difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy (adjusted PR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.04–2.48, p = 0.034). The majority did not have any post‐operative complications (130 cases, 97%). The indications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy were symptomatic gall stone disease (129, 96%), acalculous cholecystitis (2, 1%) and gall bladder polyp (3, 2%).

Conclusions

The proportion of difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy is high, but the rates of post‐operative complications were minimal with no mortality or injury to bile duct or arteries.
Chiral Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals: Construction Strategies and Photophysical Properties
Authors: He Tingchao , Cui Yanyan , Li Junzi , Gao Yang
Published: September 2023

Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (PeNCs) have attracted intense interest by virtue of their numerous remarkable optoelectronic properties, which render them promising for various optoelectronic applications. Over the past few years, substantial progress has been made in the study of chiral PeNCs, from the sample preparation, spectroscopic characterization to practical applications. In this review, the state‐of‐the‐art progress of the construction strategies and photophysical properties of chiral PeNCs has been summarized. The focus is placed on emerging developments in terms of synthetic methods, chiroptical properties, nonlinear optics, and chiral spintronics in chiral PeNCs. In the end, there is a discussion on the current challenges and future prospects in this versatile, rapidly evolving field.
Nano‐ and Microscale Confinements in DNA‐Scaffolded Enzyme Cascade Reactions
Authors: Kröll Sandra , Burgahn Teresa , Rabe Kersten S. , Franzreb Matthias , Niemeyer Christof M.
Published: September 2023

Artificial reconstruction of naturally evolved principles, such as compartmentalization and cascading of multienzyme complexes, offers enormous potential for the development of biocatalytic materials and processes. Due to their unique addressability at the nanoscale, DNA origami nanostructures (DON) have proven to be an exceptionally powerful tool for studying the fundamental processes in biocatalytic cascades. To systematically investigate the diffusion‐reaction network of (co)substrate transfer in enzyme cascades, a model system of stereoselective ketoreductase (KRED) with cofactor regenerating enzyme is assembled in different spatial arrangements on DNA nanostructures and is located in the sphere of microbeads (MB) as a spatially confining nano‐ and microenvironment, respectively. The results, obtained through the use of highly sensitive analytical methods, Western blot‐based quantification of the enzymes, and mass spectrometric (MS) product detection, along with theoretical modeling, provide strong evidence for the presence of two interacting compartments, the diffusion layers around the microbead and the DNA scaffold, which influence the catalytic efficiency of the cascade. It is shown that the microscale compartment exerts a strong influence on the productivity of the cascade, whereas the nanoscale arrangement of enzymes has no influence but can be modulated by the insertion of a diffusion barrier.
Effect of Annealing Time on Texture Evolution of Fe–3.4 wt% Si Nonoriented Electrical Steel
Authors: Du Yizhou , O’Malley Ronald J. , Buchely Mario F. , Kelly Paul
Published: September 2023

Herein, the effect of annealing time on the texture evolution in Fe–3.4 wt% Si non‐oriented electrical steel is investigated. Strip samples are cast using a vacuum sampling method, which simulate the solidification conditions of an industrial twin roll thin strip casting (TRSC) process. As‐cast samples with different carbon and sulfur (C&S) levels are hot rolled (HR) with varying levels of hot deformation, cold rolled (CR) to 0.35 mm thickness, and then annealed at 1050 °C for different holding times (1, 6, 24 h). To Fe–3.4 wt% Si nonoriented electrical steel, the observed texture evolution can be divided into different stages as annealing time is increased from 1 to 24 h. With increasing annealing time, the fraction of Goss texture decreases initially and then increases again through the consumption of grains with other textures. With additional time, a decrease of pinning force due to precipitate coarsening results in normal grain growth, resulting in an increase of grain size. In this step, Cube grains can form from rotated Goss grains. A model for core loss is presented and used to explain the core loss results.
Separation and quantitation of valacyclovir enantiomers using stability‐indicating chiral liquid chromatography method with a chiral stationary phase of amylose tris‐(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate)
Authors: Vadagam Niroja , Haridasyam Sharath Babu , Venkatanarayana Muvvala , Lakka Narasimha S. , Chinnakadoori Sanjeeva R.
Published: September 2023

The present research developed and validated a new stability‐indicating technique for the stereo‐selectively enantiomers of the antiviral nucleoside analog Valacyclovir hydrochloride (VAL). The chiral separation was performed using normal‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a chiral stationary phase consisting of amylose tris(3‐chloro‐5‐methylphenylcarbamate) and a mobile phase of “n‐hexane, methanol, ethanol, and diethylamine”, flow rate of 0.60 mL/min, column temperature of 30°C, injection volume of 10‐μL, detection wavelength of 254‐nm, and run time of 25‐min. The enantiomers (S‐enantiomer, L‐isomer, R‐enantiomer, and D‐isomer) of Valacyclovir were separated with a resolution of 4.8 and no interference. The validation parameters verified for the proposed method, linearity in a range of 0.1002–24.3486 μg/mL (0.02–4.86%) with a regression coefficient of 0.999, and the accuracy was determined with excellent recoveries ranging from 94.38%–109.97%. The concentrations established for the detection limit and quantitation limit were 0.01% and 0.02%, respectively. The forced degradation experiments were used to assess the stability‐indicating qualities. D‐Valacyclovir impurity was successfully evaluated in release and stability samples of VAL in drug substance and tablet dosage forms using the proposed normal phase chiral HPLC approach.
High‐Stability of Heterostructured Bi2S3/VS4/rGO Anode Enabled by Electrolyte Optimization for Fast‐Charging Sodium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Zhang Di , Shao Yachuan , Wang Jian , Li Zhaojin , Wang Qiujun , Sun Huilan , Sun Qujiang , Wang Bo
Published: September 2023

Sodium‐ion batteries are attracting great attention as an alternative to lithium‐ion batteries due to the lower cost and better sustainability of sodium. Although the metal sulfide‐based anodes demonstrate much higher theoretical capacity than the hard carbon anodes, the severe capacity degradation and inferior rate capability caused by poor electrical conductivity and sluggish kinetics hinder their applications. Herein, a novel bimetallic sulfide‐based anode wrapped by reduced graphene oxide (i.e., Bi2S3/VS4/rGO) is presented, in which the heterointerfaces between Bi2S3 and VS4 are well distributed among the composite, leading to the promoted charge transfer and the improved Na+ transport kinetics. Combined with electrolyte optimization, the Bi2S3/VS4/rGO demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance, including excellent rate capabilities over 10 A g−1, and a long lifespan over 1000 cycles. This work indicates the significance of the synergistic effect of structure regulation and electrolyte optimization for achieving fast‐charging performance.
Tracing the downfall of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline
Authors: de Jong Moniek
Published: September 2023

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, widely considered as one of the most contentious energy infrastructure projects ever built, has garnered substantial scholarly and media attention over the course of its seven‐year existence. This narrative review examines key publications in different scholarly fields. It also tracks the evolution of the project, with the aim of explaining its ultimate demise. This overview relies on a comprehensive range of scholarly research, analyses, and news reports. First, concerns that dominated the debate on Nord Stream 2 are identified in the literature. This is followed by a detailed examination of the pivotal events—including the Polish regulator's decision, the delayed Danish permit, the revised European Union regulation, and the US sanctions—that contributed to the timing of the construction of the pipeline. Ultimately, Moscow's actions in February 2022 dealt a fatal blow to the project, which was further aggravated by sabotage 7 months later. Taken together, these developments ensured that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was never utilized, and it currently remains partially damaged and unused at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Scholars have extensively utilized this project as a lens to explore broader trends, highlighting its significance as a prism for understanding complex (energy) politics.

This article is categorized under:

Energy and Power Systems > Energy Infrastructure

Policy and Economics > Security

Policy and Economics > Governance and Regulation

Policy and Economics > Energy Transitions
Generality-Training of a Classifier for Improved Calibration in Unseen Contexts
Authors: Leelar Bhawani Shankar , Kull Meelis
Published: September 2023

Artificial neural networks tend to output class probabilities that are miscalibrated, i.e., their reported uncertainty is not a very good indicator of how much we should trust the model. Consequently, methods have been developed to improve the model’s predictive uncertainty, both during training and post-hoc. Even if the model is calibrated on the domain used in training, it typically becomes over-confident when applied on slightly different target domains, e.g. due to perturbations or shifts in the data. The model can be recalibrated for a fixed list of target domains, but its performance can still be poor on unseen target domains. To address this issue, we propose a generality-training procedure that learns a modified head for the neural network to achieve better calibration generalization to new domains while retaining calibration performance on the given domains. This generality-head is trained on multiple domains using a new objective function with increased emphasis on the calibration loss compared to cross-entropy. Such training results in a more general model in the sense of not only better calibration but also better accuracy on unseen domains, as we demonstrate experimentally on multiple datasets. The code and supplementary for the paper is available (https://github.com/bsl-traveller/CaliGen.git).
Adaptively Weighted Audits of Instant-Runoff Voting Elections: AWAIRE
Authors: Ek Alexander , Stark Philip B. , Stuckey Peter J. , Vukcevic Damjan
Published: September 2023

An election audit is risk-limiting if the audit limits (to a pre-specified threshold) the chance that an erroneous electoral outcome will be certified. Extant methods for auditing instant-runoff voting (IRV) elections are either not risk-limiting or require cast vote records (CVRs), the voting system’s electronic record of the votes on each ballot. CVRs are not always available, for instance, in jurisdictions that tabulate IRV contests manually.

We develop an RLA method (AWAIRE) that uses adaptively weighted averages of test supermartingales to efficiently audit IRV elections when CVRs are not available. The adaptive weighting ‘learns’ an efficient set of hypotheses to test to confirm the election outcome. When accurate CVRs are available, AWAIRE can use them to increase the efficiency to match the performance of existing methods that require CVRs.

We provide an open-source prototype implementation that can handle elections with up to six candidates. Simulations using data from real elections show that AWAIRE is likely to be efficient in practice. We discuss how to extend the computational approach to handle elections with more candidates.

Adaptively weighted averages of test supermartingales are a general tool, useful beyond election audits to test collections of hypotheses sequentially while rigorously controlling the familywise error rate.
Coercion Mitigation for Voting Systems with Trackers: A Selene Case Study
Authors: Gjøsteen Kristian , Haines Thomas , Solberg Morten Rotvold
Published: September 2023

An interesting approach to achieving verifiability in voting systems is to make use of tracking numbers. This gives voters a simple way of verifying that their ballot was counted: they can simply look up their ballot/tracker pair on a public bulletin board. It is crucial to understand how trackers affect other security properties, in particular privacy. However, existing privacy definitions are not designed to accommodate tracker-based voting systems. Furthermore, the addition of trackers increases the threat of coercion. There does however exist techniques to mitigate the coercion threat. While the term coercion mitigation has been used in the literature when describing voting systems such as Selene, no formal definition of coercion mitigation seems to exist. In this paper we formally define what coercion mitigation means for tracker-based voting systems. We model Selene in our framework and we prove that Selene provides coercion mitigation, in addition to privacy and verifiability.
A Self-quantified Based Dashboard for Supporting Aged-Workforce in Industry 4.0
Authors: Abril-Jimenez Patricia , Gonzalez-Martinez Sergio , Cabrera-Umpierrez María Fernanda
Published: September 2023

With the new Industry 5.0 future factories can effectively face the aged workforce challenge, making workflows more enriched and flexible and capable to increase work well-being. This paper described how self-quantified worker could be a successful tool to achieve with this with a careful collaborative design. Our vision aims at empowering the aged workers and engage them with the work community based on adapting the factory shop floor routines to their changing needs while they age and support the aged worker to understand and develop his/her own competence.
Innovative Smart Care Space Solutions: Integrating Technology and Universal Design for People with Significant Severe Disabilities
Authors: Lee Kuem Ju , Song Won-Kyung
Published: September 2023

This study aimed to develop and implement smart care spaces (SCS) to improve the quality of life and convenience for individuals with significant severe disabilities. By analyzing Korean and international case studies, the study integrated technology, universal design principles, and stakeholder feedback, along with care robots for daily living assistance. Various areas within the SCS address the unique needs of people with severe disabilities. The first SCS was constructed in the Nuri Hall of the National Rehabilitation Center in Korea as a pilot project. Future plans include continuous improvement and utilization of the space based on user experiences, feedback, and results of usability evaluation to reduce the caregiving burden and promote inclusive environments.
Infection and Inflammation Imaging
Authors: Israel Ora , Estrada-Lobato Enrique , Pascual Thomas Neil
Published: September 2023

Most commonly infectious processes in children involve the peripheral skeleton, lungs, kidneys, brain, and heart. Pediatric infections are usually of viral and bacterial origins. Fungal etiology can be found, mainly in children with immunodeficiency. Neonates also have immature immunity and are prone to infections with a less favorable prognosis. Conventional techniques used to evaluate infectious and inflammatory processes in children provide high-resolution images but are limited since only insignificant findings are seen in early disease stages and the differential diagnosis with coexisting pathologies and/or post-treatment changes is challenging. Nuclear Medicine procedures play an important role in diagnosing and monitoring pediatric infections, and inflammatory and granulomatous diseases. Several SPECT radiotracers used in the past for functional imaging of infection and inflammatory processes, such as 67Gallium citrate and 111In-labelled WBCs are not being used anymore routinely in pediatric patients and only rarely in adults, mainly in centers with limited or no access to 99mTc-labelled leukocytes (WBCs) and PET imaging. The value of Nuclear Medicine tests has increased with the implementation of hybrid SPECT/CT, PET/CT, and PET/MRI imaging.
Searching for heavy neutral lepton and lepton number violation through VBS at high-energy muon colliders
Authors: Li Tong , Yao Chang-Yuan , Yuan Man
Published: September 2023

Abstract

High-energy muon collider can play as an emitter of electroweak gauge bosons and thus leads to substantial vector boson scattering (VBS) processes. In this work, we investigate the production of heavy neutral lepton (HNL) N and lepton number violation (LNV) signature through VBS at high-energy muon colliders. VBS induces LNV processes W±Z/γ → ℓ±N → ℓ±ℓ±W∓ → ℓ±ℓ±$$ q\overline{q} $$
q

q
¯

′ with an on-shell HNL N at μ+μ− colliders. In analogy to neutrinoless double-beta decay with the HNL in t-channel, the LNV signature W+W+ → ℓ+ℓ+ can also happen via VBS at same-sign muon collider. They provide clean and robust LNV signatures to tell the nature of Majorana HNLs and thus have more advantageous benefits than direct μμ annihilation. We analyze the potential of searching for Majorana HNL and obtain the exclusion limits on mixing VℓN. Based on this same-sign lepton signature, we also obtain the sensitivity of muon collider to the Weinberg operator.
Photosynthetic conversion of carbon dioxide from cement production to microalgae biomass
Authors: Dickinson Kathryn E. , Stemmler Kevin , Bermarija Tessa , Tibbetts Sean M. , MacQuarrie Scott P. , Bhatti Shabana , Kozera Catherine , O’Leary Stephen J.B. , McGinn Patrick J.
Published: September 2023

Production of microalgae is a potential technology for capturing and recycling carbon dioxide from cement kiln emissions. In this study, a process of selecting a suitable strain that would effectively utilize carbon dioxide and generate biomass was investigated. A down-selection screening method was applied to 28 strains isolated from the area surrounding a commercial cement plant. In laboratory-scale (1 L) continuous-mode chemostats, observed productivity was > 0.9 g L−1 d−1 for most strains studied. Chlorella sorokiniana (strain SMC-14M) appeared to be the most tolerant to cement kiln gas emissions in situ, delivered under control of a pH-stat system, and was down-selected to further investigate growth and biomass production at large-scale (1000 L) cultivation. Results demonstrated little variability in lipid, crude protein, and carbohydrate composition throughout growth between kiln-gas grown algal biomass and biomass produced with laboratory grade CO2. The growth rate at which the maximum quantity of CO2 from the emissions is recycled also produced the maximum amount of the targeted biomass components to increase commercial value of the biomass. An accumulation of some heavy metals throughout its growth demonstrates the necessity to monitor the biomass cultivated with industrial flue gases and to carefully consider the potential applications for this biomass; despite its other attractive nutritional properties.

Key points

• Studied high biomass producing algal strains grown on CO2from cement flue gas.

• Chlorella sorokiniana SMC-14M grew well at large scale, in situ on cement flue gas.

• Demonstrated the resulting commercial potential of the cultured algal biomass.
A very rare case of a thoracobrachialis muscle
Authors: Zielinska Nicol , Karauda Piotr , Węgiel Andrzej , Szewczyk Bartłomiej , Olewnik Łukasz
Published: September 2023

The anterior arm compartment includes the biceps brachii muscle, brachialis muscle, and coracobrachialis muscle, and they are characterized by different morphological variations. During standard anatomical dissection of right upper limb, an variant muscle was found. It originated from the fascia covering the long head of biceps brachii and from the tendon of pectoralis major muscle. It also connected to the brachial fascia. It also demonstrated a long thin tendon which was distally attached to the medial epicondyle of humerus. Knowledge about the morphological variations in this region is clinically important because of their direct correlation with neurovascular structures, which may lead to pathologies such as tingling, muscle weakness, paresthesia, and loss of sensation.
Online physiotherapy for people with axial spondyloarthritis: quantitative and qualitative data from a cohort study
Authors: Paul L. , McDonald M. T. , McConnachie A. , Siebert S. , Coulter E. H.
Published: September 2023

Life-long exercise is essential in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) management; however, long-term adherence is challenging. Online exercise programmes are an alternative to face-to-face physiotherapy. (1) To measure adherence to a 12-month, individualised, online physiotherapy programme for people with axSpA, and investigate the effects on disease activity, spinal mobility, work ability, quality of life and function. (2) To investigate associations between programme adherence and outcomes. (3) To explore participants’ views of the programme and factors affecting adherence. Participants were ‘non-exercisers’ recruited from rheumatology outpatient services. Adherence was measured using online diary entries. Outcomes included the BATH indices, health status (EQ5D), Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQOL), exercise capacity (6MWT), Work, Productivity and Activity Impairment in AS (WPAI), Exercise Attitude Questionnaire (EAQ) and Exercise Motivations Inventory-2 (EMI-2) at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Interviews determined views on the intervention and factors affecting adherence. Fifty participants were recruited. Over the 52-week intervention, adherence (five times/week) ranged from 19% (± 30%) to 44% (± 35%). Significant improvements were found in disease activity (BASDAI), spinal mobility (BASMI), 6MWT, AsQoL and EQ5D-VAS at 6 and 12 months. There were no associations between adherence and baseline variables or demographics. Interviews suggested support from others, routine, and feeling the benefit positively affected adherence. Conversely, lack of motivation, life events and symptoms negatively affected adherence. A 12-month online physiotherapy programme significantly improved symptoms in people with axSpA who were not regular exercisers. Adherence reduced over the intervention period. Online exercise programmes may benefit people with axSpA; however, strategies to improve adherence are required.
Treatment of patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) with an electromagnetic field coupled to biorhythmically defined impulse configuration: the MicrocircMODS study
Authors: Werdan Karl , Nuding Sebastian , Kühnert Diethelm , Kolthoum Ramzi , Schott Artjom , Quitter Felix , Wienke Andreas , Sedding Daniel
Published: September 2023

Background

To potentially improve impaired vasomotion of patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), we tested whether an electromagnetic field of low flux density coupled with a biorhythmically defined impulse configuration (Physical Vascular Therapy BEMER®, PVT), in addition to standard care, is safe and feasible and might improve disturbed microcirculatory blood flow and thereby improve global haemodynamics.

Methods

In a prospective, monocentric, one-arm pilot study, 10 MODS patients (APACHE II score 20–35) were included. Patients were treated, in addition to standard care, for 4 days with PVT (3 treatment periods of 8 min each day; day 1: field intensity 10.5 μT; day 2:14 μT, day 3:17.5 μT; day 4:21.0 μT). Primary endpoint was the effect of PVT on sublingual microcirculatory perfusion, documented by microvascular flow index (MFI). Patient safety, adverse events, and outcomes were documented.

Results

An increase in MFI by approximately 25% paralleled 4-day PVT, with the increase starting immediately after the first PVT and lasting over the total 4-day treatment period. Concerning global haemodynamics (secondary endpoints), halving vasopressor use within 24 h, and haemodynamic stabilisation paralleled 4-day PVT with an increase in cardiac index, stroke volume index, and cardiac power index by 30%–50%. No adverse events (AEs) or serious adverse events (SAEs) were classified as causally related to the medical product (PVT) or study. Three patients died within 28 days and one patient between 28 and 180 days.

Conclusion

PVT treatment was feasible and safe and could be performed without obstruction of standard patient care. An increase in microcirculatory blood flow, a rapid reduction in vasopressor use, and an improvement in global haemodynamics paralleled PVT treatment. Findings of this pilot study allowed forming a concept for a randomized trial for further proof.

Graphical abstract
Endoscopic management of sinonasal tumours in the Nordic university hospitals: a survey
Authors: Korsström Carl , Lilja Markus , Hammarstedt-Nordenvall Lalle , Mäkitie Antti , Haapaniemi Aaro
Published: September 2023

Purpose

The Nordic countries (27 M) all have comparable, publicly funded healthcare systems, and the management of sinonasal tumours is centralised to the 21 university hospitals. We sought to assess and compare the treatment practice of sinonasal tumours across the Nordic countries.

Methods

A web-based questionnaire was sent to all university hospital departments of otorhinolaryngology—head and neck surgery in the Nordic countries.

Results

Answers were obtained from all 21 Nordic university hospitals. The endoscopic approach was widely utilised by all, with most (62%) centres reporting 3–4 surgeons performing endoscopic sinonasal tumour surgery. Finland reported the lowest rates of centralisation among university hospitals despite having the highest number of 0.1–1 M catchment population hospitals. Most centres (88%) opted for the endoscopic approach in a patient case warranting medial maxillectomy. In a case of a Kadish C esthesioneuroblastoma, most (52%) of the centres preferred an endoscopic approach. Most centres (62%) reported favouring the endoscopic approach in a case describing a juvenile angiofibroma. Regarding a case describing a sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma, consensus was tied (38% vs. 38%) between endoscopic resection followed by postoperative (chemo)radiotherapy (RT/CRT) and induction chemotherapy followed by RT/CRT or surgery followed by RT/CRT.

Conclusion

Endoscopic approach was widely utilised in the Nordic countries. The case-based replies showed differences in treatment practice, both internationally and nationally. The rate of centralisation among university hospitals remains relatively low, despite the rarity of these tumours.
Is triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 1 (TREM-1) protein a new marker of serious infectious complications in colorectal surgery?: case-matched pilot study
Authors: Pisarska-Adamczyk Magdalena , Rzepa Anna , Kapusta Maria , Zawadzka Karolina , Kuśnierz-Cabala Beata , Wysocki Michał , Małczak Piotr , Major Piotr , Zub-Pokrowiecka Anna , Wierdak Mateusz , Pędziwiatr Michał
Published: September 2023

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 1 (TREM-1) protein as a marker for serious infectious complications during laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Methods

Sixty-four patients with colon or rectal cancer, who underwent an elective laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery from November 2018 to February 2020, were included in the analysis. Blood samples of the TREM-1 protein testing were collected four times from each patient: before and on three following postoperative days (PODs). Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of infectious complications. Subsequently, patients with infectious complications (group 1) were matched 1:1 with patients without complications (group 2). The case-matched analysis was done by selecting patients from the control group by age, ASA scale, cancer stage, and type of surgery.

Results

There was no significant difference in demographic and operative characteristics between the two groups. The median length of hospital stay was longer in group 1 than in group 2 (11 days vs. 5 days, p < 0.001). Preoperative measurements of TREM-1 protein did not differ between the two groups. There were no significant differences in the measurements on the first and third postoperative days. However, the median TREM-1 measurement was higher in group 1 on the second postoperative day (542 pg/ml vs. 399 pg/ml; p = 0.040). The difference was more apparent when only severe postoperative complications were considered. When compared to the group without any complications, the median TREM-1 level was significantly higher in the group with severe infection complications in POD 1, POD 2, and POD 3 (p < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve demonstrated that TREM-1 readings in POD 2 had a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 84% for the presence of severe infection complications at a value of 579.3 pg/ml (AUC 0.8, 95%CI 0.65–0.96).

Conclusion

TREM-1 measurements might become a helpful predictive marker in the early diagnosis of serious infectious complications in patients following laparoscopic colorectal surgery.
One-year outcome after open inguinal hernia repair with self-fixated mesh: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Thölix Anna-Maria , Kössi Jyrki , Harju Jukka
Published: September 2023

Purpose

The aim of this study was to analyze pain after surgery with the use of self-fixated meshes, which are commonly used as an alternative for sutured mesh in open inguinal hernia repair.

Methods

This prospective randomized clinical trial was conducted from November 2018 to March 2021, with a follow-up duration of 12 months. Male patients, aged 18–85, and suitable for day case surgery, were included. The patients received the self-adhesive Adhesix™ mesh or the self-gripping Progrip™ mesh in open inguinal hernia surgery. The primary outcome was the number of additional follow-up visits due to post-operative pain. Secondary outcomes included intensity of pain, quality of life measures, and complications.

Results

Two hundred seventy patients were included in this trial, 132 with Adhesix™ (A group), and 138 with Progrip™ (P-group). All patients’ medical records were reviewed 12 months after surgery, and 207 patients (76.2%) completed 12-month follow-up. The number of patients needing additional follow-up visits 3–12 months after surgery were comparable (A group 3/3.0%, P-group 6/5.6%). The numeric rating scale was low at 12 months after surgery (at rest A 0.21, P 0.34, at exercise A 0.78, P 0.90). The incidence of chronic pain, that is moderate or severe pain during exercise, was 5 patients (5.2%) with Adhesix™ and 8 patients (7.4%) with Progrip™ (P = 0.333). Two hernia recurrences (1.0%) were established, one in each group.

Conclusion

At 1 year after hernia surgery, the use of self-gripping and self-adhesive meshes lead to successful pain reduction and quality of life improvement.

Trial registration.

ClinicalTrials.com NCT03734224.
Standardized Treatment and Diagnostic Approach to Reduce Disease burden in the early postoperative phase in children with congenital heart defects—STANDARD study: a pilot randomized controlled trial
Authors: Vogt Antonia , Meyer Sascha , Schäfers Hans-Joachim , Weise Julius Johannes , Wagenpfeil Stefan , Abdul-Khaliq Hashim , Poryo Martin
Published: September 2023

To explore the effect of a daily goal checklist on pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU) length of stay (LOS) after congenital heart surgery. This study is a prospective randomized single-center study. Group characteristics were as follows: STANDARD group: n = 30, 36.7% female, median age 0.9 years; control group: n = 33, 36.4% female, median age 1.1 years. Invasive ventilation time, STAT categories, mean vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS)24h, maximal (max.) VIS24h, mean VIS24–48h, max. VIS24–48h, VIS category, number of sedatives, analgesics, diuretics, number of deployed diagnostic modalities, morbidities, and mortality did not differ between both groups. Median PCICU LOS was 96.0 h (STANDARD group) versus 101.5 h (control group) (p = 0.63). In the overall cohort, univariate regression analysis identified age at surgery (b = −0.02), STAT category (b = 18.3), severity of CHD (b = 40.6), mean VIS24h (b = 3.5), max. VIS24h (b = 2.2), mean VIS24–48h (b = 6.5), and VIS category (b = 13.8) as significant parameters for prolonged PCICU LOS. In multivariate regression analysis, age at surgery (b = −0.2), severity of CHD (b = 44.0), and mean VIS24h (b = 6.7) were of significance. Within the STANDARD sub-group, univariate regression analysis determined STAT category (b = 32.3), severity of CHD (b = 70.0), mean VIS24h (b = 5.0), mean VIS24–48h (b = 5.9), number of defined goals (b = 2.6), number of achieved goals (b = 3.3), number of not achieved goals (b = 10.8), and number of unevaluated goals (b = 7.0) as significant parameters for prolonged PCICU LOS. Multivariate regression analysis identified the number of defined goals (b = 2.5) and the number of unevaluated goals (b = −3.0) to be significant parameters.

  Conclusion: The structured realization and recording of daily goals is of advantage in patients following pediatric cardiac surgery by reducing PCICU LOS.

What is known:• Communication errors are the most frequent reasons for adverse events in intensive care unit patients.• Improved communication can be achieved by discussion and documentation of the patients’ goals during daily rounds.

What is new:• In the overall cohort age at surgery, severity of congenital heart defect and mean vasoactive inotropic score within the first 24 hours had significant impact on pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU) length of stay (LOS).• In the intervention group, the number of defined goals and the number of unevaluated goals were significant parameters for prolonged PCICU LOS.
The Geometry of Random Tournaments
Authors: Kolesnik Brett , Sanchez Mario
Published: September 2023

A tournament is an orientation of a graph. Each edge is a match, directed towards the winner. The score sequence lists the number of wins by each team. In this article, by interpreting score sequences geometrically, we generalize and extend classical theorems of Landau (Bull. Math. Biophys. 15, 143–148 (1953)) and Moon (Pac. J. Math. 13, 1343–1345 (1963)), via the theory of zonotopal tilings.