bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impaired coronary flow reserve in patients with supra-normal left ventricular ejection fraction at rest
Authors: Wu Ping , Zhang Xiaoli , Wu Zhifang , Chen Huanzhen , Guo Xiaoshan , Jin Chunrong , Qin Gang , Wang Ruonan , Wang Hongliang , Sun Qiting , Li Li , Yan Rui , Li Xiang , Hacker Marcus , Li Sijin
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Recently, a “U” hazard ratio curve between resting left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and prognosis has been observed in patients referred for routine clinical echocardiograms. The present study sought to explore whether a similar “U” curve existed between resting LVEF and coronary flow reserve (CFR) in patients without severe cardiovascular disease (CVD) and whether impaired CFR played a role in the adverse outcome of patients with supra-normal LVEF (snLVEF, LVEF ≥ 65%).

Methods

Two hundred ten consecutive patients (mean age 52.3 ± 9.3 years, 104 women) without severe CVD underwent clinically indicated rest/dipyridamole stress electrocardiography (ECG)-gated13 N-ammonia positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were followed up for 27.3 ± 9.5 months, including heart failure, late revascularization, re-hospitalization, and re-coronary angiography for any cardiac reason. Clinical characteristics, corrected CFR (cCFR), and MACE were compared among the three groups categorized by resting LVEF detected by PET/CT. Dose–response analyses using restricted cubic spline (RCS) functions, multivariate logistic regression, and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis were conducted to evaluate the relationship between resting LVEF and CFR/outcome.

Results

An inverted “U” curve existed between resting LVEF and cCFR (p = 0.06). Both patients with snLVEF (n = 38) and with reduced LVEF (rLVEF, LVEF < 55%) (n = 66) displayed a higher incidence of reduced cCFR than those with normal LVEF (nLVEF, 55% ≤ LVEF < 65%) (n = 106) (57.9% vs 54.5% vs 34.3%,p < 0.01, respectively). Both snLVEF (p < 0.01) and rLVEF (p < 0.05) remained independent predictors for reduced cCFR after multivariable adjustment. Patients with snLVEF encountered more MACE than those with nLVEF (10.5% vs 0.9%, log-rankp = 0.01).

Conclusions

Patients with snLVEF are prone to impaired cCFR, which may be related to the adverse prognosis. Further investigations are warranted to explore its underlying pathological mechanism and clinical significance.
Drain Amylase Concentrations at 3 h After Gastrectomy Enhance Early Prediction of Postoperative Peripancreatic Inflammatory Fluid Collection
Authors: Nakanishi Koki , Kanda Mitsuro , Tanaka Chie , Takeda Shigeomi , Tanaka Katsuhito , Shimizu Dai , Inokawa Yoshikuni , Hattori Norifumi , Hayashi Masamichi , Nakayama Goro , Fujiwara Michitaka , Kodera Yasuhiro
Published: January 2022

Background

Despite numerous studies of peripancreatic inflammatory fluid collection (PIFC) that report on the relevance of the drain amylase concentration (D‐AMY), early prediction using this assay is problematic. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of measuring the D‐AMY at 3 h after gastrectomy (POD0) for gastric cancer.

Methods

This retrospective analysis included consecutive patients who underwent gastrectomy combined with peripancreatic lymph node dissection. The predictive value of D‐AMY on POD0 and postoperative day 1 (POD1) for clinically relevant PIFC was evaluated together or individually.

Results

Analyses were performed in 204 patients. Twenty (9.8%) patients experienced PIFC. D‐AMY cutoffs of 721 IU/L on POD0 and 1695 IU/L on POD1 were determined using the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for predicting PIFC. The D‐AMY on POD0 had higher sensitivity (80%) but lower specificity (66.3%) for prediction of PIFC, compared with those of D‐AMY on POD1 (65%, 89.1%, respectively). When combination marker analysis was performed, the highest risk group (D‐AMY ≥ the cutoff values of POD0 and POD1) were associated with an elevated rate of occurrence (44%) and a high positive likelihood ratio (7.36) compared with those of the single cutoff group. The lowest risk group (D‐AMY < the cutoff values on POD0 and POD1) was associated with a low rate of occurrence (2.5%) and low negative likelihood ratio (0.24) compared with those of the single cutoff group.

Conclusions

Combined measurements of D‐AMYs on POD0 and POD1 enhanced early prediction of PIFC after gastrectomy.
Development and validation of radiologic scores for guiding individualized induction chemotherapy in T3N1M0 nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Yang Shan-Shan , Wu Yi-Shan , Pang Ya-Jun , Xiao Su-Ming , Zhang Bao-Yu , Liu Zhi-Qiao , Chen En-Ni , Zhang Xu , OuYang Pu-Yun , Xie Fang-Yun
Published: January 2022

Objectives

We aimed to develop and validate radiologic scores from [18F]FDG PET/CT and MRI to guide individualized induction chemotherapy (IC) for patients with T3N1M0 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods

A total of 542 T3N1M0 patients who underwent pretreatment [18F]FDG PET/CT and MRI were enrolled in the training cohort. A total of 174 patients underwent biopsy of one or more cervical lymph nodes. Failure-free survival (FFS) was the primary endpoint. The radiologic score, which was calculated according to the number of risk factors from the multivariate model, was used for risk stratification. The survival difference of patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with or without IC was then compared in risk-stratified subgroups. Another cohort from our prospective clinical trial (N = 353, NCT03003182) was applied for validation.

Results

The sensitivity of [18F]FDG PET/CT was better than that of MRI (97.7% vs. 87.1%, p < 0.001) for diagnosing histologically proven metastatic cervical lymph nodes. Radiologic lymph node characteristics were independent risk factors for FFS (all p < 0.05). High-risk patients (n = 329) stratified by radiologic score benefited from IC (5-year FFS: IC + CCRT 83.5% vs. CCRT 70.5%; p = 0.0044), while low-risk patients (n = 213) did not. These results were verified again in the validation cohort.

Conclusions

T3N1M0 patients were accurately staged by both [18F]FDG PET/CT and MRI. The radiologic score can correctly identify high-risk patients who can gain additional survival benefit from IC and it can be used to guide individualized treatment of T3N1M0 NPC.

Key Points

• [18F]FDG PET/CT was more accurate than MRI in diagnosing histologically proven cervical lymph nodes.

• Radiologic lymph node characteristics were reliable independent risk factors for FFS in T3N1M0 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

• High-risk patients identified by the radiologic score based on [18F]FDG PET/CT and MRI could benefit from the addition of induction chemotherapy.
Relationship between the transcriptional expression of PIM1 and local control in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas treated with radiotherapy
Authors: León Xavier , García Jacinto , Pujol Albert , de Juan Julia , Vásquez Rosselin , Quer Miquel , Camacho Mercedes
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Proviral integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus (PIMs) are proto-oncogenes encoding serine/threonine kinases that phosphorylate a variety of substrates involved in the regulation of cellular processes. Elevated expression of PIM-1 has been associated with poor prognosis in several types of cancer. There are no studies that have analyzed the response to radiotherapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) according to the expression of PIM-1. The aim of our study was to analyze the relationship between the transcriptional expression of PIM-1 and local response to radiotherapy in HNSCC patients.

Methods

We determined the transcriptional expression of PIM-1 in 135 HNSCC patients treated with radiotherapy, including patients treated with chemoradiotherapy (n = 65) and bioradiotherapy (n = 15).

Results

During the follow-up, 48 patients (35.6%) had a local recurrence of the tumor. Patients with local recurrence had a higher level of PIM-1 expression than those who achieved local control of the disease (P = 0.017). Five-year local recurrence-free survival for patients with a high expression of PIM-1 (n = 43) was 44.6% (95% CI 29.2–60.0%), and for patients with low expression (n = 92) it was 71.9% (95% CI 62.5–81.3%) (P = 0.007). According to the results of multivariate analysis, patients with a high PIM-1 expression had a 2.2-fold increased risk of local recurrence (95% CI 1.22–4.10, P = 0.009).

Conclusion

Patients with elevated transcriptional expression levels of PIM-1 had a significantly higher risk of local recurrence after radiotherapy.
Quartz-in-garnet barometry constraints on formation pressures of eclogites from the Franciscan Complex, California
Authors: Cisneros Miguel , Behr Whitney M. , Platt John P. , Anczkiewicz Robert
Published: January 2022

Determining pressure and temperature variations between high-pressure/low-temperature (HP–LT) eclogite blocks is crucial for constraining end-member exhumation models; however, it has historically been challenging to constrain eclogite pressures due to the high variance associated with this bulk-rock composition. In this work, we utilize quartz-in-garnet elastic barometry to constrain formation pressures of eclogites from the northern (Junction School, Ring Mountain, Jenner Beach) and southern Franciscan Complex (Santa Catalina Island). Multiple eclogite blocks from Jenner Beach are analyzed, and a single eclogite from the other localities. By comparing garnet growth conditions from within a single outcrop and between distinct outcrops, we evaluate the local and regional spatial distribution of P conditions recorded by eclogites. We compare the mean, median, and max pressures between different garnet zones and eclogites. Pressures sometimes exhibit systematic changes across garnet zones; however, some eclogites exhibit no systematic pressure variations across garnet zones. Pressures from northern Franciscan eclogites range from $$\sim $$
∼
1.4–1.8 GPa, at an estimated temperature of 500 $$^{\circ }$$

∘

C; pressures from the Catalina eclogite range from $$\sim $$
∼
1.2–1.5 GPa, at an estimated temperature of 650 $$^{\circ }$$

∘

C. Mean and maximum pressures of different eclogites from the northern Franciscan exhibit negligible differences (< 0.1 GPa). The results are inconsistent with models that propose exhumation of metamorphic blocks from different structural levels, and suggest that now exposed HP–LT eclogites from the northern Franciscan Complex may represent rocks that were coherently underplated, and exhumed from similar structural levels.
Contamination of personal protective equipment during COVID-19 autopsies
Authors: Brandner Johanna M. , Boor Peter , Borcherding Lukas , Edler Carolin , Gerber Sven , Heinemann Axel , Hilsenbeck Julia , Kasajima Atsuko , Lohner Larissa , Märkl Bruno , Pablik Jessica , Schröder Ann Sophie , Slotta-Huspenina Julia , Sommer Linna , Sperhake Jan-Peter , von Stillfried Saskia , Dintner Sebastian
Published: January 2022

Confronted with an emerging infectious disease at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical community faced concerns regarding the safety of autopsies on those who died of the disease. This attitude has changed, and autopsies are now recognized as indispensable tools for understanding COVID-19, but the true risk of infection to autopsy staff is nevertheless still debated. To clarify the rate of SARS-CoV-2 contamination in personal protective equipment (PPE), swabs were taken at nine points in the PPE of one physician and one assistant after each of 11 full autopsies performed at four centers. Swabs were also obtained from three minimally invasive autopsies (MIAs) conducted at a fifth center. Lung/bronchus swabs of the deceased served as positive controls, and SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by real-time RT-PCR. In 9 of 11 full autopsies, PPE samples tested RNA positive through PCR, accounting for 41 of the 198 PPE samples taken (21%). The main contaminated items of the PPE were gloves (64% positive), aprons (50% positive), and the tops of shoes (36% positive) while the fronts of safety goggles, for example, were positive in only 4.5% of the samples, and all the face masks were negative. In MIAs, viral RNA was observed in one sample from a glove but not in other swabs. Infectious virus isolation in cell culture was performed on RNA-positive swabs from the full autopsies. Of all the RNA-positive PPE samples, 21% of the glove samples, taken in 3 of 11 full autopsies, tested positive for infectious virus. In conclusion, PPE was contaminated with viral RNA in 82% of autopsies. In 27% of autopsies, PPE was found to be contaminated even with infectious virus, representing a potential risk of infection to autopsy staff. Adequate PPE and hygiene measures, including appropriate waste deposition, are therefore essential to ensure a safe work environment.
Cytoarchitectonic parcellation and functional characterization of four new areas in the caudal parahippocampal cortex
Authors: Stenger Sophie , Bludau Sebastian , Mohlberg Hartmut , Amunts Katrin
Published: January 2022

Brain areas at the parahippocampal gyrus of the temporal–occipital transition region are involved in different functions including processing visual–spatial information and episodic memory. Results of neuroimaging experiments have revealed a differentiated functional parcellation of this region, but its microstructural correlates are less well understood. Here we provide probability maps of four new cytoarchitectonic areas, Ph1, Ph2, Ph3 and CoS1 at the parahippocampal gyrus and collateral sulcus. Areas have been identified based on an observer-independent mapping of serial, cell-body stained histological sections of ten human postmortem brains. They have been registered to two standard reference spaces, and superimposed to capture intersubject variability. The comparison of the maps with functional imaging data illustrates the different involvement of the new areas in a variety of functions. Maps are available as part of Julich-Brain atlas and can be used as anatomical references for future studies to better understand relationships between structure and function of the caudal parahippocampal cortex.
Short-lived species move uphill faster under climate change
Authors: Couet Joséphine , Marjakangas Emma-Liina , Santangeli Andrea , Kålås John Atle , Lindström Åke , Lehikoinen Aleksi
Published: January 2022

Climate change is pushing species ranges and abundances towards the poles and mountain tops. Although many studies have documented local altitudinal shifts, knowledge of general patterns at a large spatial scale, such as a whole mountain range, is scarce. From a conservation perspective, studying altitudinal shifts in wildlife is relevant because mountain regions often represent biodiversity hotspots and are among the most vulnerable ecosystems. Here, we examine whether altitudinal shifts in birds’ abundances have occurred in the Scandinavian mountains over 13 years, and assess whether such shifts are related to species’ traits. Using abundance data, we show a clear pattern of uphill shift in the mean altitude of bird abundance across the Scandinavian mountains, with an average speed of 0.9 m per year. Out of 76 species, 7 shifted significantly their abundance uphill. Altitudinal shift was strongly related to species’ longevity: short-lived species showed more pronounced uphill shifts in abundance than long-lived species. The observed abundance shifts suggest that uphill shifts are not only driven by a small number of individuals at the range boundaries, but the overall bird abundances are on the move. Overall, the results underscore the wide-ranging impact of climate change and the potential vulnerability of species with slow life histories, as they appear less able to timely respond to rapidly changing climatic conditions.
Virtual reality biofeedback interventions for treating anxiety
Authors: Kothgassner Oswald D. , Goreis Andreas , Bauda Ines , Ziegenaus Amelie , Glenk Lisa M. , Felnhofer Anna
Published: January 2022

Background

Virtual reality (VR)-based biofeedback is a relatively new intervention and is increasingly being used for the treatment of anxiety disorders. This is the first research synthesis regarding effects and efficacy of this novel mode of treatment.

Method

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the VR biofeedback literature on treating anxiety symptoms. The MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched for eligible pre-post comparisons and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We used self-reported anxiety, heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV) as primary outcome measures.

Results

A total of 7 studies with 191 participants reported VR biofeedback interventions. Of these studies 5 were RCTs, with 103 participants receiving VR biofeedback and 99 control participants (either 2D biofeedback or waiting list controls). We found that VR biofeedback significantly lowers self-reported anxiety (g = −0.28) and HR (g = −0.45), but not HRV. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in outcomes between VR biofeedback and 2D biofeedback but a significant reduction in HR in the VR biofeedback group compared with the waiting list (g = −0.52).

Conclusion

While the first findings are optimistic, more controlled studies with a wider variety of samples are needed to bring this field forward. Particularly, children and adolescents may profit from the combination of gamification elements, VR, and biofeedback.
Classification and pattern extraction of incidents: a deep learning-based approach
Authors: Sarkar Sobhan , Vinay Sammangi , Djeddi Chawki , Maiti J.
Published: January 2022

Classifying or predicting occupational incidents using both structured and unstructured (text) data are an unexplored area of research. Unstructured texts, i.e., incident narratives are often unutilized or underutilized. Besides the explicit information, there exist a large amount of hidden information present in a dataset, which cannot be explored by the traditional machine learning (ML) algorithms. There is a scarcity of studies that reveal the use of deep neural networks (DNNs) in the domain of incident prediction, and its parameter optimization for achieving better prediction power. To address these issues, initially, key terms are extracted from the unstructured texts using LDA-based topic modeling. Then, these key terms are added with the predictor categories to form the feature vector, which is further processed for noise reduction and fed to the adaptive moment estimation (ADAM)-based DNN (i.e., ADNN) for classification, as ADAM is superior to GD, SGD, and RMSProp. To evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed method, a comparative study has been conducted using some state-of-the-arts on five benchmark datasets. Moreover, a case study of an integrated steel plant in India has been demonstrated for the validation of the proposed model. Experimental results reveal that ADNN produces superior performance than others in terms of accuracy. Therefore, the present study offers a robust methodological guide that enables us to handle the issues of unstructured data and hidden information for developing a predictive model.
Accuracy and agreement of national spine register data for 474 patients compared to corresponding electronic patient records
Authors: Alhaug Ole Kristian , Kaur Simran , Dolatowski Filip , Småstuen Milada Cvancarova , Solberg Tore K. , Lønne Greger
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Data quality is essential for all types of research, including health registers. However, data quality is rarely reported. We aimed to assess the accuracy of data in a national spine register (NORspine) and its agreement with corresponding data in electronic patient records (EPR).

Methods

We compared data in NORspine registry against data in (EPR) for 474 patients operated for spinal stenosis in 2015 and 2016 at four public hospitals, using EPR as the gold standard. We assessed accuracy using the proportion correctly classified (PCC) and sensitivity. Agreement was quantified using Kappa statistics or interaclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Results

The mean age (SD) was 66 (11) years, and 54% were females. Compared to EPR, surgeon-reported perioperative complications displayed weak agreement (kappa (95% CI) = 0.51 (0.33–0.69)), PCC of 96%, and a sensitivity (95% CI) of 40% (23–58%). ASA classification had a moderate agreement (kappa (95%CI) = 0.73 (0.66–0.80)). Comorbidities were underreported in NORspine. Perioperative details had strong to excellent agreements (kappa (95% CI) ranging from 0.76 ( 0.68–0.84) to 0.98 (0.95–1.00)), PCCs between 93% and 99% and sensitivities (95% CI) between 92% (0.84–1.00%) and 99% (0.98–1.00%). Patient-reported variables (height, weight, smoking) had excellent agreements (kappa (95% CI) between 0.93 (0.89–0.97) and 0.99 (0.98–0.99)).

Conclusion

Compared to electronic patient records, NORspine displayed weak agreement for perioperative complications, moderate agreement for ASA classification, strong agreement for perioperative details, and excellent agreement for height, weight, and smoking. NORspine underreported perioperative complications and comorbidities when compared to EPRs. Patient-recorded data were more accurate and should be preferred when available.
Leaf wax composition and distribution of Tillandsia landbeckii reflects moisture gradient across the hyperarid Atacama Desert
Authors: Contreras Sergio , Landahur Manlio , García Karla , Latorre Claudio , Reyers Mark , Rethemeyer Janet , Jaeschke Andrea
Published: January 2022

In the hyperarid Atacama Desert, water availability plays a crucial role in allowing plant survival. Along with scant rainfall, marine advective fog frequently occurs along the coastal escarpment fueling isolated mono-specific patches of Tillandsia vegetation. In this study, we investigate the lipid biomarker composition of the bromeliad Tillandsia landbeckii (CAM plant) to assess structural adaptations at the molecular level as a response to extremely arid conditions. We analyzed long-chain n-alkanes and fatty acids in living specimens (n = 59) collected from the main Tillandsia dune ecosystems across a 350 km coastal transect. We found that the leaf wax composition was dominated by n-alkanes with concentrations (total average 160.8 ± 91.4 µg/g) up to three times higher than fatty acids (66.7 ± 40.7 µg/g), likely as an adaptation to the hyperarid environment. Significant differences were found in leaf wax distribution (Average Chain Length [ACL] and Carbon Preference Index [CPI]) in the northern zone relative to the central and southern zones. We found strong negative correlations between fatty acid CPI and n-alkane ACL with precipitation and surface evaporation pointing at fine-scale adaptations to low moisture availability along the coastal transect. Moreover, our data indicate that the predominance of n-alkanes is reflecting the function of the wax in preventing water loss from the leaves. The hyperarid conditions and good preservation potential of both n-alkanes and fatty acids make them ideal tracers to study late Holocene climate change in the Atacama Desert.
A pilot study of multilevel analysis of BDNF in paternal and maternal perinatal depression
Authors: Kittel-Schneider Sarah , Davidova Petra , Kalok Miriam , Essel Corina , Ahmed Fadia Ben , Kingeter Yasmina , Matentzoglu Maria , Leutritz Anna Linda , Kersken Katharina , Koreny Carolin , Weber Heike , Kollert Leonie , McNeill Rhiannon V. , Reif Andreas , Bahlmann Franz , Trautmann-Villalba Patricia
Published: January 2022

Depression in the perinatal period is common in mothers worldwide. Emerging research indicates that fathers are also at risk of developing perinatal depression. However, knowledge regarding biological risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms of perinatal depression is still scarce, particularly in fathers. It has been suggested that the neurotrophin BDNF may play a role in maternal perinatal depression; however, there is currently no data regarding paternal perinatal depression. For this pilot study, 81 expecting parents were recruited and assessed at several time points. We screened for depression using EPDS and MADRS, investigated several psychosocial variables, and took blood samples for BDNF val66met genotyping, epigenetic, and protein analysis. Between pregnancy and 12 months postpartum (pp), we found that 3.7 to 15.7% of fathers screened positive for depression, and 9.6 to 24% of mothers, with at least a twofold increased prevalence in both parents using MADRS compared with EPDS. We also identified several psychosocial factors associated with perinatal depression in both parents. The data revealed a trend that lower BDNF levels correlated with maternal depressive symptoms at 3 months pp. In the fathers, no significant correlations between BDNF and perinatal depression were found. Pregnant women demonstrated lower BDNF methylation and BDNF protein expression compared with men; however, these were found to increase postpartum. Lastly, we identified correlations between depressive symptoms and psychosocial/neurobiological factors. The data suggest that BDNF may play a role in maternal perinatal depression, but not paternal.
The smallest space miners: principles of space biomining
Authors: Santomartino Rosa , Zea Luis , Cockell Charles S.
Published: January 2022

As we aim to expand human presence in space, we need to find viable approaches to achieve independence from terrestrial resources. Space biomining of the Moon, Mars and asteroids has been indicated as one of the promising approaches to achieve in-situ resource utilization by the main space agencies. Structural and expensive metals, essential mineral nutrients, water, oxygen and volatiles could be potentially extracted from extraterrestrial regolith and rocks using microbial-based biotechnologies. The use of bioleaching microorganisms could also be applied to space bioremediation, recycling of waste and to reinforce regenerative life support systems. However, the science around space biomining is still young. Relevant differences between terrestrial and extraterrestrial conditions exist, including the rock types and ores available for mining, and a direct application of established terrestrial biomining techniques may not be a possibility. It is, therefore, necessary to invest in terrestrial and space-based research of specific methods for space applications to learn the effects of space conditions on biomining and bioremediation, expand our knowledge on organotrophic and community-based bioleaching mechanisms, as well as on anaerobic biomining, and investigate the use of synthetic biology to overcome limitations posed by the space environments.
Numerical Modelling of Lithospheric Block-and-Fault Dynamics: What Did We Learn About Large Earthquake Occurrences and Their Frequency?
Authors: Ismail-Zadeh Alik , Soloviev Alexander
Published: January 2022

Dynamics of lithospheric plates resulting in localisation of tectonic stresses and their release in large earthquakes provides important information for seismic hazard assessments. Numerical modelling of the dynamics and earthquake simulations have been changing our view about occurrences of large earthquakes in a system of major regional faults and about the recurrence time of the earthquakes. Here, we overview quantitative models of tectonic stress generation and stress transfer, models of dynamic systems reproducing basic features of seismicity, and fault dynamics models. Then, we review the thirty-year efforts in the modelling of lithospheric block-and-fault dynamics, which allowed us to better understand how the blocks react to the plate motion, how stresses are localised and released in earthquakes, how rheological properties of fault zones exert influence on the earthquake dynamics, where large seismic events occur, and what is the recurrence time of these events. A few key factors influencing the earthquake sequences, clustering, and magnitude are identified including lithospheric plate driving forces, the geometry of fault zones, and their physical properties. We illustrate the effects of the key factors by analysing the block-and-fault dynamics models applied to several earthquake-prone regions, such as Carpathians, Caucasus, Tibet-Himalaya, and the Sunda arc, as well as to the global tectonic plate dynamics.
Robustness of Polynomial Stability of Damped Wave Equations
Authors: Baidiuk Dmytro , Paunonen Lassi
Published: January 2022

In this paper we present new results on the preservation of polynomial stability of damped wave equations under addition of perturbing terms. We in particular introduce sufficient conditions for the stability of perturbed two-dimensional wave equations on rectangular domains, a one-dimensional weakly damped Webster’s equation, and a wave equation with an acoustic boundary condition. In the case of Webster’s equation, we use our results to compute explicit numerical bounds that guarantee the polynomial stability of the perturbed equation.
Joint Classification and Regression for Visual Tracking with Fully Convolutional Siamese Networks
Authors: Cui Ying , Guo Dongyan , Shao Yanyan , Wang Zhenhua , Shen Chunhua , Zhang Liyan , Chen Shengyong
Published: January 2022

Visual tracking of generic objects is one of the fundamental but challenging problems in computer vision. Here, we propose a novel fully convolutional Siamese network to solve visual tracking by directly predicting the target bounding box in an end-to-end manner. We first reformulate the visual tracking task as two subproblems: a classification problem for pixel category prediction and a regression task for object status estimation at this pixel. With this decomposition, we design a simple yet effective Siamese architecture based classification and regression framework, termed SiamCAR, which consists of two subnetworks: a Siamese subnetwork for feature extraction and a classification-regression subnetwork for direct bounding box prediction. Since the proposed framework is both proposal- and anchor-free, SiamCAR can avoid the tedious hyper-parameter tuning of anchors, considerably simplifying the training. To demonstrate that a much simpler tracking framework can achieve superior tracking results, we conduct extensive experiments and comparisons with state-of-the-art trackers on a few challenging benchmarks. Without bells and whistles, SiamCAR achieves leading performance with a real-time speed. Furthermore, the ablation study validates that the proposed framework is effective with various backbone networks, and can benefit from deeper networks. Code is available at https://github.com/ohhhyeahhh/SiamCAR.
Metabolite profiling reveals a connection between aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 and GABA metabolism in breast cancer metastasis
Authors: Dahn Margaret L. , Walsh Hayley R. , Dean Cheryl A. , Giacomantonio Michael A. , Fernando Wasundara , Murphy J Patrick , Walker Olivia L. , Wasson Marie-Claire D. , Gujar Shashi , Pinto Devanand M. , Marcato Paola
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 (ALDH1A3) is a cancer stem cell (CSC) marker and in breast cancer it is associated with triple-negative/basal-like subtypes and aggressive disease. Studies on the mechanisms of ALDH1A3 in cancer have primarily focused on gene expression changes induced by the enzyme; however, its effects on metabolism have thus far been unstudied and may reveal novel mechanisms of pathogenesis.

Objective

Determine how ALDH1A3 alters the metabolite profile in breast cancer cells and assess potential impacts.

Method

Triple-negative MDA-MB-231 tumors and cells with manipulated ALDH1A3 levels were assessed by HPLC–MS metabolomics and metabolite data was integrated with transcriptome data. Mice harboring MDA-MB-231 tumors with or without altered ALDH1A3 expression were treated with γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or placebo. Effects on tumor growth, and lungs and brain metastasis were quantified by staining of fixed thin sections and quantitative PCR. Breast cancer patient datasets from TCGA, METABRIC and GEO were used to assess the co-expression of GABA pathway genes with ALDH1A3.

Results

Integrated metabolomic and transcriptome data identified GABA metabolism as a primary dysregulated pathway in ALDH1A3 expressing breast tumors. Both ALDH1A3 and GABA treatment enhanced metastasis. Patient dataset analyses revealed expression association between ALDH1A3 and GABA pathway genes and corresponding increased risk of metastasis.

Conclusion

This study revealed a novel pathway affected by ALDH1A3, GABA metabolism. Like ALDH1A3 expression, GABA treatment promotes metastasis. Given the clinical use of GABA mimics to relieve chemotherapy-induced peripheral nerve pain, further study of the effects of GABA in breast cancer progression is warranted.
Modeling Conditional Dependence of Response Accuracy and Response Time with the Diffusion Item Response Theory Model
Authors: Kang Inhan , De Boeck Paul , Ratcliff Roger
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we propose a model-based method to study conditional dependence between response accuracy and response time (RT) with the diffusion IRT model (Tuerlinckx and De Boeck in Psychometrika 70(4):629–650, 2005, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11336-000-0810-3; van der Maas et al. in Psychol Rev 118(2):339–356, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2011.454498). We extend the earlier diffusion IRT model by introducing variability across persons and items in cognitive capacity (drift rate in the evidence accumulation process) and variability in the starting point of the decision processes. We show that the extended model can explain the behavioral patterns of conditional dependency found in the previous studies in psychometrics. Variability in cognitive capacity can predict positive and negative conditional dependency and their interaction with the item difficulty. Variability in starting point can account for the early changes in the response accuracy as a function of RT given the person and item effects. By the combination of the two variability components, the extended model can produce the curvilinear conditional accuracy functions that have been observed in psychometric data. We also provide a simulation study to validate the parameter recovery of the proposed model and present two empirical applications to show how to implement the model to study conditional dependency underlying data response accuracy and RTs.
Epistemic Disadvantage
Authors: Goldstein Rena Beatrice
Published: January 2022

Recent philosophical literature on epistemic harms has paid little attention to the difference between deliberate and non-deliberate harms. In this paper, I analyze the “Curare Case,” a case from the 1940’s in which patient testimony was disregarded by physicians. This case has been described as an instance of epistemic injustice. I problematize this description, arguing instead that the case shows an instance of “epistemic disadvantage.” I propose epistemic disadvantage indicates when harms result from warranted asymmetric relations that justifiably exclude individuals from hermeneutical participation. Epistemic disadvantage categorizes harms that result from justifiable exclusions, are non-deliberate, and result from poor epistemic environments. This analysis brings out a meaningful difference between accidental and deliberate harms in communicative exchanges.
Comparative Study on the Uniform Energy Deposition Achievable via Optimized Plasmonic Nanoresonator Distributions
Authors: Csete Mária , Szenes András , Tóth Emese , Vass Dávid , Fekete Olivér , Bánhelyi Balázs , Papp István , Bíró Tamás , Csernai László P. , Kroó Norbert
Published: January 2022

Plasmonic nanoresonators of core–shell composition and nanorod shape were optimized to tune their absorption cross-section maximum to the central wavelength of a short laser pulse. The number density distribution of randomly located nanoresonators along a laser pulse-length scaled target was numerically optimized to maximize the absorptance with the criterion of minimal absorption difference between neighboring layers illuminated by two counter-propagating laser pulses. Wide Gaussian number density distribution of core–shell nanoparticles and nanorods enabled to improve the absorptance with low standard deviation; however, the energy deposited until the overlap of the two laser pulses exhibited a considerable standard deviation. Successive adjustment resulted in narrower Gaussian number density distributions that made it possible to ensure almost uniform distribution of the deposited energy integrated until the maximal overlap of the two laser pulses. While for core–shell nanoparticles the standard deviation of absorptance could be preserved, for the nanorods it was compromised. Considering the larger and polarization independent absorption cross-section as well as the simultaneously achievable smaller standard deviation of absorptance and deposited energy distribution, the core–shell nanoparticles outperform the nanorods both in optimized and adjusted nanoresonator distributions. Exception is the standard deviation of deposited energy distribution considered for the complete layers that is smaller in the adjusted nanorod distribution. Optimization of both nanoresonator distributions has potential applications, where efficient and uniform energy deposition is crucial, including biomedical applications, phase transitions, and even fusion.
Sharing goals by timely communication improves fishermen's satisfaction with marine protected areas: A case study in the Mediterranean
Authors: Perea-Muñoz José Manuel , Miles Austin , Bayle-Sempere Just Tomàs
Published: January 2022

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are considered as a valid tool for mitigating the impact of fishing on marine ecosystems. Their success depends upon their acceptance by implicated stakeholders and on the integration of the stakeholder groups into their management. This integration is especially important with regard to fishermen, whose interests are the most directly affected by MPAs. The relational coordination method posits that effective communication and supportive relationships among stakeholders result in positive stakeholder behaviors and a more effective management of the system. Applying its principles, we designed a survey to evaluate the satisfaction of fishermen associated with five MPAs in the Spanish Mediterranean and determine what mechanisms affect fishermen’s acceptance of MPAs. Our results demonstrate that effective communication is particularly important for good supportive relationships and satisfaction among fishermen and other stakeholder groups, as well as satisfaction with the MPA. Sharing objectives with fishermen through timely communication is the primary mechanism to improve fishermen's satisfaction and ameliorate perceptions towards MPA. To address this issue, we recommend more substantial integration of fishermen in the co-management of MPAs.
Halloysite Nanotube Vehicles for Drug Delivery Through a Model Blood–Brain Barrier
Authors: Saleh M. , Prajapati N. , Karan A. , Rahman N. , Stavitskaya A. , DeCoster M. , Lvov Y.
Published: January 2022

Epilepsy treatment requires anti-seizure medical formulations; available medications have various painful side effects and penetrate the brain–blood barrier poorly. A promising method is the use of natural clay nanocontainers for drug delivery through this membrane barrier. Halloysites (Hly) are biocompatible, 50-nm diameter tubes with a positively charged, hollow inner lumen and negatively charged outer shell and are available naturally. These characteristics enable them to be versatile as drug loaded ‘nano-torpedoes’ effectively penetrating cell membranes. The endothelial cells are a major cell type in the blood–brain barrier that provides for the selective permeability separating the circulating blood and allowing only the passage of glucose, water, and amino acids, but not traditional drug formulations. Nanotubes encapsulating rhodamine isothiocyanate and ionomycin penetration through the rat-brain microvascular endothelial cells followed by a prolonged 24-h drug release was demonstrated. A model membrane was set up across 0.4-μm-pore polystyrene transwell supports covered by seeding endothelial and astrocyte cells to mimic the blood–brain barrier in vivo. This barrier demonstrated a dual permeation mechanism (inter-cell accumulation and through-passing) for loaded Hlys, exploiting the potential of this nanoclay in the trans-membrane delivery of drugs. Use of Hly nanotubes as drug carriers to penetrate the brain microvascular endothelial barrier and to deliver the payload displayed a new approach for the treatment of brain diseases such as epilepsy.
Surgical Treatments of Chronic Vulvar Pain After Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting
Authors: Bazzoun Yara , Aerts Leen , Abdulcadir Jasmine
Published: January 2022

Background

Vulvar and in particular clitoral pain can affect women with Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). To date, there is no comprehensive study on the different available treatments for vulvar pain after FGM/C.

Aim

To study the outcome of surgical treatments of vulvar and/or clitoral pain among women living with FGM/C.

Methods

Retrospective review of the consecutive medical files of all 506 women who consulted at a specialized outpatient clinic for women with FGM/C between April 1, 2010 and December 31, 2017.

Outcome

Subjective change in chronic vulvar pain after surgical treatment.

Results

In total, 36.1% of women (n = 183) experienced chronic pain, all types included, among which 2.8% (n = 14) experienced provoked or unprovoked chronic vulvar pain. Among the 14 women with provoked or unprovoked chronic vulvar pain, ten (71.4%) underwent surgical treatment: 7 underwent resection of vulvar scar complications (cysts, bridles, adhesions) with (n = 4) or without (n = 3) concomitant defibulation, 3 had clitoral reconstruction and one had labium reconstruction with removal of peri-clitoral adhesion. Nine out of ten (90%) experienced resolution of pain after surgery and the remaining woman (10%) was lost to follow-up.

Clinical Implications

Safe and effective surgical treatments exist and patients with chronic vulvar pain post-FGM/C should be referred to specialists who would consider appropriate indications for surgery and support informed decision-making and treatment.

Strengths & Limitations

The strengths of this research are the big sample size of women from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, as well as the availability of pre- and postsurgery iconographic material and histology. Limitations include a subjective reporting of pain without validated questionnaires.

Conclusion

Effective surgical treatments for provoked or unprovoked chronic vulvar pain post-FGM/C are clitoral reconstruction, defibulation, cystectomy, and bridle removal. Surgical treatments should be combined with a culturally sensitive multidisciplinary care and follow-up.
Effects of Depression on Processing and Evaluation of Sexual Stimuli in Women
Authors: Baranowski Andreas M. , Noll Ann-Kathrin , Golder Sarah , Markert Charlotte , Stark Rudolf
Published: January 2022

Background

Sexual dysfunctions are commonly associated with depression by which women are particularly affected.

Aim

In the following study, we looked at which stage–early attention-related processes or later evaluation-related processes–of the processing of sexual stimuli deviations occur in depressed individuals.

Methods

We examined 96 women who either suffered from a major depressive disorder, or had recovered from it, and a healthy control group. The early level of attention processes was represented by reaction time tasks (dot probe, line orientation, picture categorization). In addition, implicit approach and avoidance behavior was tested by the Approach-Avoidance Task. Later evaluation of the visual material was determined with the help of a questionnaire for recording automatic negative thoughts regarding sexuality.

Outcomes

Reaction times and explicit ratings as well as the Becks Depression Inventory (BDI II), the Trait Sexual Motivation Questionnaire (TSMQ), the Sexual Modes Questionnaire (SMQ) and a screening for sexual dysfunction were used.

Results

Depressed women did not differ significantly from healthy women in their attention processes and approach-avoidance behavior. However, there were clear differences in explicit assessment and automatic thoughts about sexual stimuli. Women who had recovered from depression lay between the 2 groups.

Clinical Implications

The results indicated that the therapy of sexual dysfunction in depressed patients should focus more on automatic thoughts than on attention processes.

Strengths & Limitations

This study is the first to experimentally research the attention processes of depression towards sexual stimuli. However, participants were only tested on one occasion so that change of attention processes and evaluation of sexual stimuli over the course of a depression could not be assessed.

Conclusion

Our novel findings demonstrate the role of attention processes in sexual dysfunctions of depressed women and suggest potential mechanisms that may underlie the observed correlation between depression and sexual dysfunction.
Illness Incidence, Psychological Characteristics, and Sleep in Dogsled Drivers During the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
Authors: Blakeson Magdalene C. , Jerome Scott P. , Walsh Neil P. , Schagatay Erika , Hanstock Helen G.
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Every March, dogsled drivers (mushers) compete in a 1569-km race across Alaska, involving physical exertion, mental exertion, and sleep deprivation for up to 2 wk. These factors may increase mushers’ vulnerability to illness, making them a relevant study population for acute infection risk factors. Specifically, the influence of psychological factors on illness risk during prolonged physical exertion has rarely been investigated. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological characteristics, sleep deprivation, and illness incidence in Iditarod mushers.

Methods

Fourteen mushers completed 4 psychological instruments to assess state and trait anxiety, resilience and perceived stress, and self-reported upper respiratory symptoms (URS) in the month before the race. Mushers self-reported sleep duration and URS during the race.

Results

State and trait anxiety, resilience, and perceived stress did not differ between mushers with and without pre- and in-race URS ( P>0.05). However, all mushers who reported in-race URS had reported URS ≤9 d before the race, and the onset of symptoms during the race typically occurred shortly after a rest period. Sleep duration was higher in mushers who reported in-race URS, both before (4.9±0.3 h, P=0.016) and during illness (5.9±1.3 h, P=0.006), vs mushers without in-race URS (3.4±0.8 h).

Conclusions

This study highlights recent illness, rest periods, and greater sleep requirements as potential risk factors for URS onset during a multiday endurance challenge, whereas psychological factors were not associated with URS.
Strongly Regular Graphs
Authors: Brouwer Andries E. , Van Maldeghem H.
Published: January 2022

Strongly regular graphs lie at the intersection of statistical design, group theory, finite geometry, information and coding theory, and extremal combinatorics. This monograph collects all the major known results together for the first time in book form, creating an invaluable text that researchers in algebraic combinatorics and related areas will refer to for years to come. The book covers the theory of strongly regular graphs, polar graphs, rank 3 graphs associated to buildings and Fischer groups, cyclotomic graphs, two-weight codes and graphs related to combinatorial configurations such as Latin squares, quasi-symmetric designs and spherical designs. It gives the complete classification of rank 3 graphs, including some new constructions. More than 100 graphs are treated individually. Some unified and streamlined proofs are featured, along with original material including a new approach to the (affine) half spin graphs of rank 5 hyperbolic polar spaces.