bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
General and transferable tight binding model for two-dimensional Bismuth allotropes
Authors: Chen Xi-An , Li Shifang , Li Jin , He Chaoyu , Ouyang Tao , Zhang Chunxiao , Tang Chao , Zhong Jianxin
Published: April 2023

Owing to the abundance of allotropes and strong spin-oribital coupling effects (SOC), two-dimensional bismuth materials have attracted great research interest. At present, the most common methods used to calculate the accurate electronic properties accurately are the first-principles calculations based on the hybrid functional HSE06 or GW methods However, HSE06 and GW calculations are hugely time-consuming, especially for large unit-cell systems and high-throughput calculations with a huge number of structures. To study the electronic properties of 2D bismuth allotropes effectively, we propose a general and transferable Slater-Koster tight-binding based on the Bi sp3d5 hybridization, and the set of SK parameters were obtained by fitting the HSE band structures of three Bi allotropes (β-Bi, MBi and αω-Bi). Our results show that our TB model can accurately calculate the electronic properties of different 2D Bi allotropes, including the band structures, orbital projection and topological edge states. Our TB model with excellent transferability and accuracy might facilitate future numerical studies on electronic properties of 2D Bi allotropes with different structures efficiently.
Experimental benchmark data for Monte Carlo simulated radiation effects of gold nanoparticles. Part I: Experiment and raw data analysis
Authors: Rabus Hans , Hepperle Philine , Schlueter Christoph , Hloskovsky Andrei , Baek Woon Yong
Published: April 2023

Electron emission spectra of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) after photon interaction were measured over the energy range between 50 eV and 9500 eV to provide reference data for Monte Carlo radiation-transport simulations. Experiments were performed with the HAXPES spectrometer at the PETRA III high-brilliance beamline P22 at DESY (Hamburg, Germany) for photon energies below and above each of the gold L-edges, that is, at 11.9 keV, 12.0 keV, 13.7 keV, 13.8 keV, 14.3 keV, and 14.4 keV. The study focused on a sample with gold nanoparticles with an average diameter of 11.0 nm on a thin carbon foil. Additional measurements were performed on a sample with 5.3 nm gold nanoparticles and on reference samples of gold and carbon foils. Further measurements were made to calibrate the photon flux monitor, to characterize the transmission function of the electron spectrometer, and to determine the size of the photon beam. This allowed the determination of the absolute values of the spectral particle radiance of secondary electrons per incident photon flux. The paper presents the experimental and raw data analysis procedures, reviews the data obtained for the nanoparticle samples, and discusses their limitations.
Design and fabrication of a tiny micro-pressure sensor with improved linearity and sensitivity
Authors: Ma Ye , Lei Cheng , Liang Ting , Jia Pinggang , Li Zhiqiang , Wang Wentao , Xiong Jijun , Wang Bingyan , Chen Guofeng
Published: April 2023

With the rapid development of key industries such as new energy vehicles, smart homes, smart phones and consumer grade drones, the demand for high performance miniature micro-pressure sensors is also growing promptly. At prssent, most of the pressure sensors of this type adopt a C-type structure, and the thickness of the sensitive diaphragm needs to be continuously thinned in order to improve the sensitivity of this type sensor, which leads to its sensitivity to etching errors and makes it difficult to ensure the linearity of the pressure sensor. Based on this, we designed a tiny micro-pressure half active Wheatstone bridge piezoresistive pressure sensor with C-type square diaphragm structure, whose area is reduced by shortening the number of leads and pads, through ion impantation on the surface of the diaphragm to create piezoresistors, using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) technology to release the pressure sensitive diaphragm with length of 460 μm × 460 μm, thinkness of 7.5 μm. The buried oxygen layer in the SOI (silicon on insulator) can play a role of stopping the etching, which assures the uniformity of the released sensitive diaphragm and the linearity of the sensor while maintains its sensitivity. Before preparing a pressure sensor, simulation data is used to predict whether the test results meet the design requirements. In this paper, the influence of piezoresistors position offset on the performance of the pressure sensor is analyzed by means of simulation, which improves the accuracy of the designed model and guarantees its performance parameters can meet the design indicators. Finally, the static characteristics of the sensor is calibrated. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of the sensor is up to 0.538 mV/kPa in the range of 40 kPa at room temperature, and the nonlinear error is only 0.386% FS. This study provides some new ideas and references for the design work of high performance micro-pressure sensors.
Plasma-stimulated great reduction of diffusion activation energies for B, Al, and Ag in Si
Authors: Zhang Lili , Xu Wanjin , Xu Tianchao , He Renchuan , Huang Rong , Liu Chuanqin , Li Yanping , Dingsun An , Xiao Chi-Jie , Qin Guogang
Published: April 2023

This work made an in-depth study on the transport of B, Al and Ag ions in an inductively coupled plasma-Si system. The plasma-stimulated impurity ion transport is demonstrated to be described by an implantation-diffusion two-step process rather than a pure diffusion process reported previously. The first step is impurity ion implantation under sheath voltage induced by plasma, which determines the impurity ion quantity into Si. The second step is plasma-stimulated impurity ion diffusion, which determines impurity ion transport depth in Si. An approximate solution to this implantation-diffusion process is deduced. Plasma-stimulated diffusion coefficients (D) for B, Al and Ag ions in Si are obtained by fitting the measured secondary ion mass spectroscopy concentration profiles with this equation. Furthermore, plasma-stimulated diffusion activation energies for B, Al and Ag ions in p-Si at 0 °C–120 °C are determined to be 0.22, 0.36 and 0.18 eV by Arrhenius plots, which are much lower than diffusion activation energies of 0.4–0.7, 1.2 and 1.15 eV for interstitial B, Al and Ag ions in Si without plasma reported in literatures. The great reduction of diffusion activation energy makes it possible for impurities to diffuse at room temperature or lower temperatures. The view of plasma-stimulated impurity ion transport is of significant importance on semiconductor technology and device degradation research.
Friction on ALP domain walls and gravitational waves
Authors: Blasi Simone , Mariotti Alberto , Rase Aäron , Sevrin Alexander , Turbang Kevin
Published: April 2023

We study the early Universe evolution of axion-like particle (ALP) domain walls taking
into account the effect of friction from particles in the surrounding plasma, including the case
of particles in thermal equilibrium and frozen out species. We characterize the friction force
from interactions within the ALP effective theory, providing new results for the fermion
contribution as well as identifying simple conditions for friction to be relevant during the
domain wall life time. When friction dominates, the domain wall network departs from the standard
scaling regime and the corresponding gravitational wave emission is affected. As a relevant
example, we show how this can be the case for ALP domain walls emitting at the typical frequencies
of Pulsar Timing Array experiments, when the ALP couples to the SM leptons. We then move to a
general exploration of the gravitational wave prospects in the ALP parameter space. We finally
illustrate how the gravitational wave signal from ALP domain walls is correlated with the quality
of the underlying U(1) symmetry.
Theoretical understanding of evolutionary dynamics on inhomogeneous networks
Authors: Teimouri Hamid , Sattari Khavas Dorsa , Spaulding Cade , Li Christopher , Kolomeisky Anatoly B
Published: April 2023

Evolution is the main feature of all biological systems that allows populations to change their characteristics over successive generations. A powerful approach to understand evolutionary dynamics is to investigate fixation probabilities and fixation times of novel mutations on networks that mimic biological populations. It is now well established that the structure of such networks can have dramatic effects on evolutionary dynamics. In particular, there are population structures that might amplify the fixation probabilities while simultaneously delaying the fixation events. However, the microscopic origins of such complex evolutionary dynamics remain not well understood. We present here a theoretical investigation of the microscopic mechanisms of mutation fixation processes on inhomogeneous networks. It views evolutionary dynamics as a set of stochastic transitions between discrete states specified by different numbers of mutated cells. By specifically considering star networks, we obtain a comprehensive description of evolutionary dynamics. Our approach allows us to employ physics-inspired free-energy landscape arguments to explain the observed trends in fixation times and fixation probabilities, providing a better microscopic understanding of evolutionary dynamics in complex systems.
Long-term upper-extremity prosthetic control using regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces and implanted EMG electrodes
Authors: Vu Philip P , Vaskov Alex K , Lee Christina , Jillala Ritvik R , Wallace Dylan M , Davis Alicia J , Kung Theodore A , Kemp Stephen W P , Gates Deanna H , Chestek Cynthia A , Cederna Paul S
Published: April 2023

Objective. Extracting signals directly from the motor system poses challenges in obtaining both high amplitude and sustainable signals for upper-limb neuroprosthetic control. To translate neural interfaces into the clinical space, these interfaces must provide consistent signals and prosthetic performance. Approach. Previously, we have demonstrated that the Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interface (RPNI) is a biologically stable, bioamplifier of efferent motor action potentials. Here, we assessed the signal reliability from electrodes surgically implanted in RPNIs and residual innervated muscles in humans for long-term prosthetic control. Main results. RPNI signal quality, measured as signal-to-noise ratio, remained greater than 15 for up to 276 and 1054 d in participant 1 (P1), and participant 2 (P2), respectively. Electromyography from both RPNIs and residual muscles was used to decode finger and grasp movements. Though signal amplitude varied between sessions, P2 maintained real-time prosthetic performance above 94% accuracy for 604 d without recalibration. Additionally, P2 completed a real-world multi-sequence coffee task with 99% accuracy for 611 d without recalibration. Significance. This study demonstrates the potential of RPNIs and implanted EMG electrodes as a long-term interface for enhanced prosthetic control.
A smooth transition towards a Tracy–Widom distribution for the largest eigenvalue of interacting k-body fermionic embedded Gaussian ensembles
Authors: Carro Ernesto , Benet Luis , Pérez Castillo Isaac
Published: April 2023

In spite of its simplicity, the central limit theorem captures one of the most outstanding phenomena in mathematical physics, that of universality. While this classical result is well understood, it is still not very clear what happens to this universal behavior when the random variables become correlated. A fruitful mathematically laboratory to investigate the rising of new universal properties is offered by the set of eigenvalues of random matrices. In this regard, a lot of work has been done using the standard random matrix ensembles and focusing on the distribution of extreme eigenvalues. In this case, the distribution of the largest or smallest eigenvalue departs from the Fisher–Tippett–Gnedenko theorem yielding the celebrated Tracy–Widom distribution. One may wonder, yet again, how robust this new universal behavior captured by the Tracy–Widom distribution is when the correlation among eigenvalues changes. Few answers have been provided to this poignant question, and our intention in the present work is to contribute to this interesting unexplored territory. Thus, we study numerically the probability distribution for the normalized largest eigenvalue of the interacting k-body fermionic orthogonal and unitary embedded Gaussian ensembles in the diluted limit. We find a smooth transition from a slightly asymmetric Gaussian-like distribution, for small

k

/

m

, to the Tracy–Widom distribution as

k

/

m
→
1

, where k is the rank of the interaction and m is the number of fermions. Correlations at the edge of the spectrum are stronger for small values of

k

/

m

and are independent of the number of particles considered. Our results indicate that subtle correlations toward the edge of the spectrum distinguish the statistical properties of the spectrum of interacting many-body systems in the dilute limit, from those expected for the standard random matrix ensembles.
Realization of a novel dual-band bandpass filter with coupled series gaps and stepped impedance complementary split ring resonators
Authors: Beiki Tahereh , Hosseinipanah Mirshahram , Hojjat Kashani Farrokh
Published: April 2023

In this article, a bandpass filter (BPF) is proposed by
etching stepped impedance complementary split ring resonators
(SICSRRs) pairs in parallel with series gaps on the top side of a
coplanar waveguide (CPW). The Nicolson-Ross-Weir (NRW) method is
used to analyze the left-handed (LH) behavior of the filter. The
effects of the resonators parameters on the left-handed BPF are
studied. The parameters and number of the resonators are adjusted
properly to obtain the desired filter characteristics. Split ring
resonators (SRRs) are magnetically coupled to the BPF to realize a
novel left-handed dual-band bandpass filter. Besides, The dual-band
filter is described by means of the lumped-element equivalent
circuit model. Also, the quasi-static analysis is used to obtain the
equations for the resonant frequencies of the resonators. The
efficient electrical size of the dual-band filter is
0.51λg
× 0.42λg
where λg
 
represents the guided wavelength at the first passband center
frequency. The prototype of the compact dual-band BPF is fabricated
and measured. The measured results reveal low insertion loss and
high return loss at the passbands along with wide upper stopband
attenuation. The measured result is in a good agreement with the
corresponding simulation result.
Spectroscopy of a borosilicate crown glass in the wavelength range of 0.2 µm–15 cm
Authors: Bassarab V V , Shalygin V A , Shakhmin A A , Sokolov V S , Kropotov G I
Published: April 2023

We report on the experimental studies of the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with borosilicate crown glass K108 in the ultrawide frequency range from 0.002 to 1500 THz. Four different types of spectrometers are used to measure the reflectivity and/or transmittance spectra. Spectral dependences of the complex dielectric permittivity, refractive index and extinction coefficient are extracted from the measured spectra. The optical properties of the borosilicate crown glass in the microwave spectral range (2–23 GHz) are investigated for the first time. There are three bands of anomalous dispersion in the spectral curve of the real part of the dielectric permittivity. Each band of the anomalous dispersion corresponds to an absorption band, which is clearly seen in the spectrum of the imaginary part of the dielectric permittivity. The wide low-frequency absorption band is attributed to the Boson peak. Two other examined absorption bands represent sharp peaks and are associated with the Si–O–Si bending and Si–O stretching vibration modes. The results of the study can be useful in the development of optics based on the borosilicate crown glass.
Study on the preparation and color-changing properties of smart fabric based on temperature-sensitive/light-sensitive dual-response
Authors: Li Jing , Zhu Yanan , Chang Le
Published: April 2023

The smart fabric based on temperature-sensitive/light-sensitive dual-response is a functional fabric that can change color with temperature and emit green light in the dark after being excited by light. Prepared by silk-screen printing technology, it is made of temperature-responsive polymers, rare earth photosensitive paste, adhesives, thickeners, and other materials. When the temperature-responsive polymer is 10%, the rare earth photosensitive paste is 12%, and the adhesive is 25%, the printed cotton fabrics had the highest K/S value, the best abrasion resistance, and the best soaping color fastness. After 30 heating and cooling tests, the color depth and temperature-sensitive discoloration performance of the fabrics were still good. The fabric prepared by mixing orange and blue temperature-sensitive color change microcapsules and rare earth light response materials with different mass ratios can obtain continuous multi-color effect at 31–40 °C. Under the excitation of 365 nm wavelength, the fabric appears the characteristic green light of SrAl2O4: Eu2+, Dy3+ luminescent materials. With the increase of temperature, the emission intensity increases first and then decreases. The luminance of the fabric after heating is obviously higher than that under the room temperature.
Motor control insights on walking planner and its stability
Authors: Tiseo Carlo , Veluvolu Kalyana C , Tech Ang Wei
Published: April 2023

The application of biomechanics and motor control models in the control of bipedal robots (humanoids and exoskeletons) has revealed limitations of our understanding of human locomotion. A recently proposed model uses the potential energy for bipedal structures to model the bipedal dynamics, allowing us to predict the system dynamics from its kinematics. This work proposes a task-space planner for human-like straight locomotion that targets application in rehabilitation robotics and computational neuroscience. The proposed architecture is based on the potential energy model and employs locomotor strategies from human data. The model generates Centre of Mass (CoM) trajectories, foot swing trajectories and the Base of Support (BoS) over time. The data show that the proposed architecture can generate behaviour in line with human walking strategies for both the CoM and the foot swing. Despite the CoM vertical trajectory not being as smooth as a human trajectory, the proposed model significantly reduces the error in the estimation of the CoM vertical trajectory compared to the inverted pendulum models. The proposed model can also assess stability based on the body kinematics embedding currently used in clinical practice. However, the model also implies a shift in the interpretation of the spatiotemporal parameters of the gait, which are now determined by the conditions for the equilibrium and not vice versa. In other words, locomotion is a dynamic reaching where the motor primitives are also determined by gravity.
Clinicopathologic features of non–type 1/2 gastric neuroendocrine tumors and their associated mucosal changes
Authors: Logan Kristen , Shi Chanjuan
Published: April 2023

Objectives

The pathogenesis for non–type 1/2 gastric neuroendocrine tumors (G-NETs) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the clinicopathologic features of G-NETs and associated mucosal changes.

Methods

The electronic health records of patients with non–type 1/2 G-NETs were reviewed. H&E slides were reviewed for pathologic features and mucosal changes. The t test and Fisher exact test were used for statistical analysis.

Results

In total, 33 patients were assigned to either group 1 (n = 23) or group 2 (n = 10). Group 1 included patients with a history of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use, increased gastrin levels, or significant PPI effect (PPI/gastrin-associated). All other patients were assigned to group 2. There was no significant difference in age and sex between the 2 groups. Group 2 tumors were more likely to be larger, invade deeper, and develop metastases (P < .05). Tumors in patients with cirrhosis tended to be larger. Peritumoral mucosal changes included loss of oxyntic glands, foveolar hyperplasia, and intestinal metaplasia. Background mucosa in group 1 patients showed PPI effect and neuroendocrine hyperplasia or dysplasia.

Conclusions

Although PPI/gastrin-associated non–type 1/2 G-NETs were smaller and more indolent than typical type 3 G-NETs, tumors in patients with cirrhosis tended to be larger. Additionally, peritumoral mucosal changes could mimic chronic atrophic gastritis.
Sexual selection does not drive hindwing tail elaboration in a moon moth,Actias luna
Authors: Rubin Juliette J , Kawahara Akito Y
Published: April 2023

The most emblematic animal traits are often attributed to sexual selection. While this pressure is an important force, elaborated traits that have been driven solely by natural selection are less enumerated. Here, we test an elaborate trait in moths—hindwing tails—that has been studied in an anti-predator context, but that remains unstudied for its role in mating. We gave female Actias luna (Saturniidae) moths a choice between two males of differing hindwing tail treatments. In our primary experiment, males with intact tails garnered more matings than males with tails removed. This difference appears to result from damage incurred by tail removal, however, as demonstrated with additional experiments. We created a tail/no-tail experimental set where we removed tails from both males, then reglued tails to one and applied glue only to the hindwings of the other. We found no significant difference in mating success between these males. To ensure that this result was not due to the glue itself, we offered females two intact males, with glue added to the wings of one. This set also had equal mating success. We therefore do not find evidence that tails play a role in sexual selection. These results, in combination with previous research on bat-moth battles using A. luna, indicate that the non-sexually dimorphic hindwing tail was likely driven by natural selection. We suggest that future research testing multiple selective forces is needed to reveal the prevalence of natural versus sexual selection as the primary force driving trait elaboration in diverse animal taxa.
A comprehensive benchmarking of differential splicing tools for RNA-seq analysis at the event level
Authors: Jiang Minghao , Zhang Shiyan , Yin Hongxin , Zhuo Zhiyi , Meng Guoyu
Published: April 2023

RNA alternative splicing, a post-transcriptional stage in eukaryotes, is crucial in cellular homeostasis and disease processes. Due to the rapid development of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and the flood of NGS data, the detection of differential splicing from RNA-seq data has become mainstream. A range of bioinformatic tools has been developed. However, until now, an independent and comprehensive comparison of available algorithms/tools at the event level is still lacking. Here, 21 different tools are subjected to systematic evaluation, based on simulated RNA-seq data where exact differential splicing events are introduced. We observe immense discrepancies among these tools. SUPPA, DARTS, rMATS and LeafCutter outperforme other event-based tools. We also examine the abilities of the tools to identify novel splicing events, which shows that most event-based tools are unsuitable for discovering novel splice sites. To improve the overall performance, we present two methodological approaches i.e. low-expression transcript filtering and tool-pair combination. Finally, a new protocol of selecting tools to perform differential splicing analysis for different analytical tasks (e.g. precision and recall rate) is proposed. Under this protocol, we analyze the distinct splicing landscape in the DUX4/IGH subgroup of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and uncover the differential splicing of TCF12. All codes needed to reproduce the results are available at https://github.com/mhjiang97/Benchmarking_DS.
Discriminative pattern discovery for the characterization of different network populations
Authors: Fassetti Fabio , Rombo Simona E , Serrao Cristina
Published: April 2023

Motivation

An interesting problem is to study how gene co-expression varies in two different populations, associated with healthy and unhealthy individuals, respectively. To this aim, two important aspects should be taken into account: (i) in some cases, pairs/groups of genes show collaborative attitudes, emerging in the study of disorders and diseases; (ii) information coming from each single individual may be crucial to capture specific details, at the basis of complex cellular mechanisms; therefore, it is important avoiding to miss potentially powerful information, associated with the single samples.

Results

Here, a novel approach is proposed, such that two different input populations are considered, and represented by two datasets of edge-labeled graphs. Each graph is associated to an individual, and the edge label is the co-expression value between the two genes associated to the nodes. Discriminative patterns among graphs belonging to different sample sets are searched for, based on a statistical notion of ‘relevance’ able to take into account important local similarities, and also collaborative effects, involving the co-expression among multiple genes. Four different gene expression datasets have been analyzed by the proposed approach, each associated to a different disease. An extensive set of experiments show that the extracted patterns significantly characterize important differences between healthy and unhealthy samples, both in the cooperation and in the biological functionality of the involved genes/proteins. Moreover, the provided analysis confirms some results already presented in the literature on genes with a central role for the considered diseases, still allowing to identify novel and useful insights on this aspect.

Availability and implementation

The algorithm has been implemented using the Java programming language. The data underlying this article and the code are available at https://github.com/CriSe92/DiscriminativeSubgraphDiscovery.
Safety of guselkumab treatment for up to 5 years in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis: pooled analyses across seven clinical trials with more than 8600 patient-years of exposure
Authors: Lebwohl Mark G , Merola Joseph F , Rowland Katelyn , Miller Megan , Yang Ya-Wen , Yu Jenny , You Yin , Chan Daphne , Thaçi Diamant , Langley Richard G
Published: April 2023

Background

Guselkumab has demonstrated favourable safety and efficacy across individual clinical studies in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

Objectives

To evaluate the safety of guselkumab in patients with psoriasis using pooled data from seven phase II/III studies (X-PLORE, VOYAGE 1, VOYAGE 2, NAVIGATE, ORION, ECLIPSE, Japan registration).

Methods

All studies, except NAVIGATE and ECLIPSE (active comparator-controlled only), included a 16-week placebo-controlled period; X-PLORE, VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2 included both placebo and active controls. In most studies, guselkumab-treated patients received 100-mg subcutaneous injections at week 0, week 4, and then every 8 weeks thereafter. Safety data were summarized for the placebo-controlled period (weeks 0–16) and through the end of the reporting period (up to 5 years). Incidence rates of key safety events were integrated post hoc, adjusted for the duration of follow-up and reported per 100 patient-years (PY).

Results

During the placebo-controlled period, 544 patients received placebo (165 PY) and 1220 received guselkumab (378 PY). Through the end of the reporting period, 2891 guselkumab-treated patients contributed 8662 PY of follow-up. During the placebo-controlled period, in the guselkumab and placebo groups, respectively, rates of adverse events (AEs) were 346/100 PY and 341/100 PY, and infections were 95.9/100 PY and 83.6/100 PY. Rates of serious AEs (6.3/100 PY vs. 6.7/100 PY), AEs leading to discontinuation (5.0/100 PY vs. 9.7/100 PY), serious infections (1.1/100 PY vs. 1.2/100 PY), malignancy (0.5 patients/100 PY vs. 0.0 patients/100 PY) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE; 0.3/100 PY vs. 0.0/100 PY) were low and comparable between guselkumab and placebo. Through the end of the reporting period, safety event rates were lower than or comparable to the placebo-controlled period in guselkumab-treated patients: AEs, 169/100 PY; infections, 65.9/100 PY; serious AEs, 5.3/100 PY; AEs leading to discontinuation, 1.6/100 PY; serious infections, 0.9/100 PY; malignancy, 0.7/100 PY; and MACE, 0.3/100 PY. There were no cases of Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, opportunistic infection or active tuberculosis related to guselkumab.

Conclusions

In this comprehensive analysis of 2891 guselkumab-treated patients with psoriasis followed for up to 5 years (8662 PY), guselkumab demonstrated favourable safety, consistent with previous reports. Safety event rates in guselkumab-treated patients were similar to those observed with placebo and were consistent throughout long-term treatment.
The emerging era of staging Alzheimer’s disease pathology using plasma biomarkers
Authors: Mattsson-Carlgren Niklas , Palmqvist Sebastian
Published: April 2023

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Predicting amyloid PET and tau PET stages with plasma biomarkers’ by Jack Jr et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad042).
Isotretinoin for treatment of a challenging case of scleromyxoedema. Comment on ‘Localized papulonodular facial eruption in HIV’
Authors: Abdelmaksoud Ayman , Mamoon Alazab Ahmed
Published: April 2023

We present our experience regarding the successful use of isotretinoin as a valuable therapeutic option for lichen myxoedematosus.
Food and Drug Administration Public Workshop Summary—Development Considerations of Antifungal Drugs to Address Unmet Medical Need
Authors: Yasinskaya Yuliya , Bala Shukal , Waack Ursula , Dixon Cheryl , Higgins Karen , Moore Jason N , Jjingo Caroline J , O'Shaughnessy Elizabeth , Colangelo Philip , Botgros Radu , Nambiar Sumathi , Angulo David , Dane Aaron , Chiller Tom , Hodges Michael R , Sandison Taylor , Hope William , Walsh Thomas J , Pappas Peter , Katragkou Aspasia , Kovanda Laura , Rex John H , Marr Kieren A , Ostrosky-Zeichner Luis , Sekine Shohko , Deshpande Monika , Shukla Sunita J , Farley John
Published: April 2023

Pressing challenges in the treatment of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) include emerging and rare pathogens, resistant/refractory infections, and antifungal armamentarium limited by toxicity, drug-drug interactions, and lack of oral formulations. Development of new antifungal drugs is hampered by the limitations of the available diagnostics, clinical trial endpoints, prolonged trial duration, difficulties in patient recruitment, including subpopulations (eg, pediatrics), and heterogeneity of the IFIs. On 4 August 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration convened a workshop that included IFI experts from academia, industry, and other government agencies to discuss the IFI landscape, unmet need, and potential strategies to facilitate the development of antifungal drugs for treatment and prophylaxis. This article summarizes the key topics presented and discussed during the workshop, such as incentives and research support for drug developers, nonclinical development, clinical trial design challenges, lessons learned from industry, and potential collaborations to facilitate antifungal drug development.
Rapid Rule-Out of Myocardial Infarction Using a Single High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin I Measurement Strategy at Presentation to the Emergency Department: The SAFETY Study
Authors: Fabre-Estremera Blanca , Smith Stephen W , Sandoval Yader , Schulz Karen , Okeson Brynn , Cullen Louise , Apple Fred S
Published: April 2023

Background

Our study addressed the diagnostic performance of the Atellica® IM High-Sensitivity Troponin I (hs-cTnI) assay for the rapid rule-out of myocardial infarction (MI) using a single hs-cTnI measurement at presentation in patients presenting to a US emergency department (ED).

Methods

This was a prospective, observational, cohort study of consecutive ED patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome, using 12-lead electrocardiogram and serial hs-cTnI measurements ordered on clinical indication (SAFETY, NCT04280926). ST-segment elevation MI patients were excluded. The optimal threshold required a sensitivity ≥99% and a negative predictive value (NPV) ≥99.5% for MI during index hospitalization as primary outcome. Type 1 MI (T1MI), myocardial injury, and 30-day adverse events were considered secondary outcomes. Event adjudications were established using the hs-cTnI assay used in clinical care.

Results

In 1171 patients, MI occurred in 97 patients (8.3%), 78.3% of which were type 2 MI. The optimal rule out hs-cTnI threshold was <10 ng/L, which identified 519 (44.3%) patients as low risk at presentation, with sensitivity of 99.0% (95% CI, 94.4–100) and NPV of 99.8% (95% CI, 98.9–100). For T1MI, sensitivity was 100% (95% CI, 83.9–100) and NPV 100% (95% CI, 99.3–100). Regarding myocardial injury, the sensitivity and NPV were 99.5% (95% CI, 97.9–100) and 99.8% (95% CI, 98.9–100), respectively. For 30-day adverse events, sensitivity was 96.8% (95% CI, 94.3–98.4) and NPV 97.9% (95% CI, 96.2–98.9).

Conclusions

A single hs-cTnI measurement strategy enabled the rapid identification of patients at low risk of MI and 30-day adverse events, allowing potential discharge early after ED presentation.

Clinicaltrials.gov Registration number

NCT04280926.
Papillary muscle abnormality as an electrocardiographic mimicker of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a case report
Authors: Janjua Jamal , Burdowski Joseph , Tickoo Sumit , Galin Ira
Published: April 2023

Background

Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ApHCM) is often associated with characteristic giant T wave inversions (GNT) in precordial leads without septal Q waves and increased QRS voltage on 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs). However, these electrocardiographic findings are not specific to ApHCM and can be mimicked by papillary muscle abnormalities. Differentiation between the two is important as the disease course, treatment, and prognosis differ substantially.

Case summary

We report a case report of two such patients both of which presented with abnormal ECGs concerning for ApHCM. Echocardiogram did not show characteristic findings of ApHCM. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed apically displaced, hypertrophied papillary muscles responsible for electrocardiographic abnormalities.

Discussion

Papillary muscle abnormalities including hypertrophy and/or apical displacement can result in giant negative T wave and increased QRS voltage like those seen in ApHCM and should be considered especially in otherwise healthy individuals with normal or near-normal transthoracic echocardiograms. Role of cardiac MRI is critical in this context and is the imaging modality of choice for accurate diagnosis.
Use of machine learning algorithms to predict life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia in sepsis
Authors: Li Le , Zhang Zhuxin , Zhou Likun , Zhang Zhenhao , Xiong Yulong , Hu Zhao , Yao Yan
Published: April 2023

Aims

Life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (LTVAs) are common manifestations of sepsis. The majority of sepsis patients with LTVA are unresponsive to initial standard treatment and thus have a poor prognosis. There are very limited studies focusing on the early identification of patients at high risk of LTVA in sepsis to perform optimal preventive treatment interventions. We aimed to develop a prediction model to predict LTVA in sepsis using machine learning (ML) approaches.

Methods and results

Six ML algorithms including CatBoost, LightGBM, and XGBoost were employed to perform the model fitting. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to identify key features. Methods of model evaluation involved in this study included area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), for model discrimination, calibration curve, and Brier score, for model calibration. Finally, we validated the prediction model both internally and externally. A total of 27 139 patients with sepsis were identified in this study, 1136 (4.2%) suffered from LTVA during hospitalization. We screened out 10 key features from the initial 54 variables via LASSO regression to improve the practicability of the model. CatBoost showed the best prediction performance among the six ML algorithms, with excellent discrimination (AUROC = 0.874) and calibration (Brier score = 0.157). The remarkable performance of the model was presented in the external validation cohort (n = 9492), with an AUROC of 0.836, suggesting certain generalizability of the model. Finally, a nomogram with risk classification of LTVA was shown in this study.

Conclusion

We established and validated a machine leaning-based prediction model, which was conducive to early identification of high-risk LTVA patients in sepsis, thus appropriate methods could be conducted to improve outcomes.
Comparative ecosystem modelling of dynamics and stability of subtropical estuaries under external perturbations in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Li C , Liu H
Published: April 2023

Human intervention and climate change jointly influence the functions and dynamics of marine ecosystems. Studying the impacts of human and climate on ecosystem dynamics is challenging. Unlike experimental studies, research on natural systems is not amendable at the scale of time, space, and biology. With confounding factors well balanced for two adjacent subtropical estuaries except urbanized disturbances, we conducted ecosystem modelling using indirect reasoning by exclusion to quantify the relative impacts of human disruption on estuarine ecosystems under climate variability. One major finding of this study is that the human intervention tends to magnify species fluctuations, complicate the species interaction network, and enhance species interaction strength combined with disclosed downscaling climate effects (indexed as North Atlantic Oscillation and Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation) on estuarine hydrology and biological communities. In addition, functional groups appeared to respond more diversely to external forcing in company with human interventions. While human perturbation was shown to destabilize the estuarine ecosystems, making them vulnerable to environmental variability under climate change, buffering effects of species diversity and trophic interaction tend to underpin the ecosystem functions. The findings of this study contribute to the holistic assessment and strategic management of estuarine ecosystems subjected to human and natural disturbances in the face of climate change.
Correlations of Values of Random Diagonal Forms
Authors: Blomer Valentin , Li Junxian
Published: April 2023

We study the value distribution of diagonal forms in $k$ variables and degree $d$ with random real coefficients and positive integer variables, normalized so that the mean spacing is one. We show that the $\ell $-correlation of almost all such forms is Poissonian when $k$ is large enough depending on $\ell $ and $d$.
The Power of Specialization: NGO Advocacy in Global Conservation Governance
Authors: Shibaike Takumi
Published: April 2023

Organizational ecology has attracted growing interest in global governance research in recent years. As a structural theory, however, organizational ecology has overlooked how organizations may shape the organizational environment by their own choices. Bridging the insights of organizational ecology and the study of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), I argue that the organizational choice of specialism (as opposed to generalism) increases the power of NGOs to influence an environmental condition—issue salience—by targeting a small but engaged segment of the public. Focusing on wildlife conservation governance, I collected new comprehensive data on NGOs and issue characteristics (2008–2015). My empirical analysis shows that specialist NGO density is strongly associated with issue salience. I further examined causal processes in the case of pangolin conservation advocacy, in which specialist NGOs first raised issue salience and generalist NGOs followed. The findings suggest a division of labor among NGOs and challenge a conventional view that the power of NGOs is concentrated in a small number of prominent organizations.
Comprehensive Pediatric Reference Limits for High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin I and NT-proBNP in the CALIPER Cohort
Authors: Bohn Mary Kathryn , Adeli Khosrow
Published: April 2023

Background

Cardiac biomarkers have increasing application in pediatric populations, including congenital heart disease, myocarditis, and heart failure. Clinical practice is limited by evidence gaps in pediatric reference limits to inform clinical decision-making. The current study aimed to establish comprehensive pediatric reference limits for N-terminal (NT)-pro hormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) in the CALIPER cohort of healthy children and adolescents.

Methods

Analytical immunoassay performance was assessed through precision, linearity, and method comparison (Abbott Alinity ci system). Subsequently, approximately 200 serum samples collected from apparently healthy children (birth to 18 years) were analyzed for hs-cTnI and NT-proBNP. Reference limits (2.5th, 97.5th, and 99th percentiles) were established as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute EP-28A3c guidelines with associated 90% confidence intervals.

Results

Of all pediatric serum samples analyzed, 46% had detectable hs-cTnI concentrations (limit of detection: 1.3 ng/L). Both hs-cTnI and NT-proBNP demonstrated markedly elevated neonatal concentrations with 99th percentiles of 55.8 and 1785 ng/L, respectively. No statistically significant age-specific differences were observed beyond 1 year of age across all cardiac biomarkers examined. No sex-specific association was observed between hs-cTnI and NT-proBNP concentration and adolescence.

Conclusions

We report age-specific reference limits for hs-cTnI and NT-proBNP in a healthy Canadian cohort of children and adolescents measured using Alinity immunoassays for the first time. These data support the need for pediatric-specific interpretation to reduce misinformed clinical decision-making and calls to action larger cohort studies such that reference limits can be more robustly defined.
The Investor-State Dispute Settlement Reform Process: Design, Dilemmas and Discontents
Authors: Arato Julian , Claussen Kathleen , Langford Malcolm
Published: April 2023

This Special Issue takes the pulse of the UN Commission on International Trade Law process on reforming investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) at its midway point. It features contributions by members of the Academic Forum on ISDS, engaging with various topics on the negotiating table, as well as some that are off the table or hovering in-between. Together, these articles seek to address questions of design, dilemmas and discontent – especially how states negotiate the values and tradeoffs of reform, and engage (or not) with critics of the process. They do so from the perspectives of law, social science and public policy and they employ a range of methods, including computational approaches.
Elastic integrative analysis of randomised trial and real-world data for treatment heterogeneity estimation
Authors: Yang Shu , Gao Chenyin , Zeng Donglin , Wang Xiaofei
Published: April 2023

We propose a test-based elastic integrative analysis of the randomised trial and real-world data to estimate treatment effect heterogeneity with a vector of known effect modifiers. When the real-world data are not subject to bias, our approach combines the trial and real-world data for efficient estimation. Utilising the trial design, we construct a test to decide whether or not to use real-world data. We characterise the asymptotic distribution of the test-based estimator under local alternatives. We provide a data-adaptive procedure to select the test threshold that promises the smallest mean square error and an elastic confidence interval with a good finite-sample coverage property.
Dynamics of direct impact accretion in degenerate binary systems
Authors: Kramarev Nikita , Yudin Andrey
Published: April 2023

We consider the gas dynamics in an accreting binary system of degenerate stars within the framework of the Newtonian approximation. In such a system, the accretion stream can impact the surface of a white dwarf (WD) or neutron star (NS) as a result of the very compact orbit. This causes a loss of angular momentum from the orbit and spin-up of the accretor. We construct an approximation for the specific angular momentum of the accreting matter, which goes to spin up the accretor and approximations for some other parameters of the system. It is shown that the obtained approximation of the specific momentum is qualitatively different from the widely used Keplerian formula. It should affect the boundary between scenarios of immediate tidal disruption and slow mass-loss of the donor in WD–WD and NS–NS binaries, as well as the time of stable mass transfer in the stripping scenario.
Cosmological simulations of two-component wave dark matter
Authors: Huang Hsinhao , Schive Hsi-Yu , Chiueh Tzihong
Published: April 2023

Wave (fuzzy) dark matter ($\psi \rm {DM}$) consists of ultralight bosons, featuring a solitonic core within a granular halo. Here we extend $\psi \rm {DM}$ to two components, with distinct particle masses m and coupled only through gravity, and investigate the resulting soliton–halo structure via cosmological simulations. Specifically, we assume $\psi \rm {DM}$ contains 75 per cent major component and 25 per cent minor component, fix the major-component particle mass to $m_{\rm major}=1\times 10^{-22}\, \rm eV$, and explore two different minor-component particle masses with mmajor: mminor = 3: 1 and 1: 3, respectively. For mmajor: mminor = 3: 1, we find that (i) the major- and minor-component solitons coexist, have comparable masses, and are roughly concentric. (ii) The soliton peak density is significantly lower than the single-component counterpart, leading to a smoother soliton-to-halo transition and rotation curve. (iii) The combined soliton mass of both components follows the same single-component core–halo mass relation. In dramatic contrast, for mmajor: mminor = 1: 3, a minor-component soliton cannot form with the presence of a stable major-component soliton; the total density profile, for both halo and soliton, is thus dominated by the major component and closely follows the single-component case. To support this finding, we propose a toy model illustrating that it is difficult to form a soliton in a hot environment associated with a deep gravitational potential. The work demonstrates that the extra flexibility added to the multi-component $\psi \rm {DM}$ model can resolve observational tensions over the single-component model while retaining its key features.