bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cognitive and psychopathological outcomes in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis
Authors: Kazzi Christina , Alpitsis Rubina , O’Brien Terence J , Malpas Charles , Monif Mastura
Published: May 2024

Individuals with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) can experience persistent cognitive deficits and psychopathology, which significantly interferes with daily functioning and quality of life. Here, we review the current literature to characterise the cognitive and psychological sequelae, suggest avenues for further research and discuss the implications for clinical practice. Research on this topic is largely limited to the paediatric population with a few case studies in the adult population. The current evidence demonstrates persistent cognitive deficits in attention and information processing speed, as well as elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results are mixed for executive functions and memory, while language and visuospatial functions are relatively undisturbed. There is emerging evidence to suggest that individuals—particularly children—with ADEM experience persistent cognitive deficits and suffer from elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety. Comprehensive neuropsychological assessments are recommended to guide intervention and monitor progress. Further research is required to clarify our understanding of the cognitive and psychological outcomes following ADEM and the factors that influence them.
Assessing the quality of written information provision for surgical procedures: a case study in oesophagectomy
Authors: Blencowe N S , Strong S , McNair A G K , Howes N , Elliot J , Avery K N , Blazeby J M
Published: May 2024

Objective

To examine the content and quality of written information provided by surgical centres for patients undergoing oesophagectomy for cancer.

Design

Cross-sectional study of the content of National Health Service (NHS) patient information leaflets (PILs) about oesophageal cancer surgery, using a modified framework approach.

Data sources

Written information leaflets from 41 of 43 cancer centres undertaking surgery for oesophageal cancer in England and Wales (response rate 95.3%).

Eligibility criteria

All English language versions of PILs about oesophagectomy.

Results

32 different PILs were identified, of which 2 were generic tools (Macmillan ‘understanding cancer of the gullet’ and EIDO ‘oesophagectomy’). Although most PILs focused on describing in-hospital adverse events, information varied widely and was often misleading. Just 1 leaflet described survival benefits of surgery and 2 mentioned the possibility of disease recurrence.

Conclusions

Written information provided for patients by NHS cancer centres undertaking oesophagectomy is inconsistent and incomplete. It is recommended that surgeons work together with patients to agree on standards of information provision of relevance to all stakeholders’ needs.
Analysis of the immunological response to antiviral therapy in patients with different subtypes of HIV/AIDS: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Liu Xiaoqi , Wang Yanan , Yang Zhongrong , Wu Zhenqian , Li Jing , Tong Zhaowei , Li Xiaofeng , Ren Feilin , Zhu Xiaojuan , Jin Meihua , Mao Guangyun
Published: May 2024

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of standardised antiretroviral therapy (ART) among different HIV subtypes in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), and to screen the best ART regimen for this patient population.

Design

A retrospective cohort study was performed, and PLWHA residing in Huzhou, China, between 2018 and 2020, were enrolled.

Setting and participants

Data from 625 patients, who were newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the AIDS Prevention and Control Information System in Huzhou between 2018 and 2020, were reviewed.

Analysis and outcome measures

Data regarding demographic characteristics and laboratory investigation results were collected. Immune system recovery was used to assess the effectiveness of ART, and an increased percentage of CD4+T lymphocyte counts >30% after receiving ART for >1 year was determined as immunopositive. A multiple logistic regression model was used to comprehensively quantify the association between PLWHA immunological response status and virus subtype. In addition, the joint association between different subtypes and treatment regimens on immunological response status was investigated.

Results

Among 326 enrolled PLWHA with circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC and other HIV/AIDS subtypes, the percentages of immunopositivity were 74.0%, 65.6% and 69.6%, respectively. According to multivariate logistic regression models, there was no difference in the immunological response between patients with CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC and other subtypes of HIV/AIDS who underwent ART (CRF07_BC: adjusted OR (aOR) (95% CI) = 0.8 (0.4 to 1.4); other subtypes: aOR (95% CI) = 1.2 (0.6 to 2.3)). There was no evidence of an obvious joint association between HIV subtypes and ART regimens on immunological response.

Conclusions

Standardised ART was beneficial to all PLWHA, regardless of HIV subtypes, although it was more effective, to some extent, in PLWHA with CRF01_AE.
How prepared are newly qualified allied health professionals for practice in the UK? A systematic review
Authors: Brennan Nicola , Burns Lorna , Mattick Karen , Mitchell Alexandra , Henderson Tristan , Walker Keith , Gale Thomas
Published: May 2024

Objectives

It is important that allied health professionals (AHPs) are prepared for clinical practice from the very start of their working lives to provide quality care for patients, for their personal well-being and for retention of the workforce. The aim of this study was to understand how well newly qualified AHPs were prepared for practice in the UK.

Design

Systematic review.

Data sources

Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC and BEI were searched from 2012 to 2024. Grey literature searching and citation chasing were also conducted.

Eligibility criteria

We included primary studies reporting the preparedness for practice of UK graduates across 15 professions; all study types; participants included graduates who were up to 2 years postgraduation, their supervisors, trainers, practice educators and employers; and all outcome measures.

Data extraction and synthesis

A standardised data extraction form was used. Studies were quality assessed using the Quality Appraisal for Diverse Studies tool. 10% of articles were independently double-screened, extracted and quality assessed; 90% was completed by one researcher.

Results

14 reports were included (9 qualitative, 3 mixed-method and 2 quantitative). Six papers focused on radiographers, three on a mixture of professions, two on paramedics, and one each on physiotherapists, clinical psychologists and orthotists. An important finding of the review is the paucity and low-medium quality of research on the topic. The narrative synthesis tentatively suggests that graduates are adequately prepared for practice with different professions having different strengths and weaknesses. Common areas of underpreparedness across the professions were responsibility and decision-making, leadership and research. Graduates were generally well prepared in terms of their knowledge base.

Conclusion

High-quality in-depth research is urgently needed across AHPs to elucidate the specific roles, their nuances and the areas of underpreparedness. Further work is also needed to understand the transition into early clinical practice, ongoing learning opportunities through work, and the supervision and support structures in place.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42022382065.
Mental health workers’ perspectives on the implementation of a peer support intervention in five countries: qualitative findings from the UPSIDES study
Authors: Haun Maria Hildegard , Girit Selina , Goldfarb Yael , Kalha Jasmine , Korde Palak , Kwebiiha Eric , Moran Galia , Mtei Rachel , Niwemuhwezi Jackline , Nixdorf Rebecca , Nugent Lena , Puschner Bernd , Ramesh Mary , Ryan Grace Kathryn , Slade Mike , Charles Ashleigh , Krumm Silvia
Published: May 2024

Objective

The introduction of peer support in mental health teams creates opportunities and challenges for both peer and non-peer staff. However, the majority of research on mental health workers’ (MHWs) experiences with peer support comes from high-income countries. Using Peer Support In Developing Empowering Mental Health Services (UPSIDES) is an international multicentre study, which aims at scaling up peer support for people with severe mental illness in Europe, Asia and Africa. This study investigates MHWs experiences with UPSIDES peer support.

Design

Six focus groups with MHWs were conducted approximately 18 months after the implementation of the UPSIDES peer support intervention. Transcripts were analysed with a descriptive approach using thematic content analysis.

Setting

Qualitative data were collected in Ulm and Hamburg (Germany), Butabika (Uganda), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Be’er Sheva (Israel) and Pune (India).

Participants

25 MHWs (19 females and 6 males) from UPSIDES study sites in the UPSIDES Trial (ISRCTN26008944) participated.

Findings

Five overarching themes were identified in MHWs’ discussions: MHWs valued peer support workers (PSWs) for sharing their lived experiences with service users (theme 1), gained trust in peer support over time (theme 2) and provided support to them (theme 3). Participants from lower-resource study sites reported additional benefits, including reduced workload. PSWs extending their roles beyond what MHWs perceived as appropriate was described as a challenge (theme 4). Perceptions about PSWs varied based on previous peer support experience, ranging from considering PSWs as equal team members to viewing them as service users (theme 5).

Conclusions

Considering local context is essential in order to understand MHWs’ views on the cooperation with PSWs. Especially in settings with less prior experience of peer support, implementers should make extra effort to promote interaction between MHWs and PSWs. In order to better understand the determinants of successful implementation of peer support in diverse settings, further research should investigate the impact of contextual factors (eg, resource availability and cultural values).

Trial registration number

ISRCTN26008944.
Adult bacterial conjunctivitis: resistance patterns over 12 years in patients attending a large primary eye care centre in the UK
Authors: Silvester Alexander , Neal Timothy , Czanner Gabriela , Briggs Michael , Harding Simon , Kaye Stephen
Published: May 2024

Purpose

To determine whether there was a change in the resistance pattern of bacteria isolated from cases of conjunctivitis following the introduction of over-the-counter availability of chloramphenicol in 2005.

Design and setting

Retrospective review of laboratory records for adult patients with suspected bacterial conjunctivitis between 2001 and 2012 attending the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

Participants

Patients with suspected bacterial conjunctivitis. Organisms were identified by standard laboratory methods. Scanty growth and normal flora were considered as a negative result. For positive results, susceptibility testing was undertaken as per British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy guidelines.

Main outcome measures

Prevalence of groups of bacteria associated with acute conjunctivitis and their resistance to chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and methicillin.

Results

A total of 8209 conjunctival swabs were reviewed; 1300 (15.8%) were considered positive, of which 977 (75.2%) and 323 (24.8%) bacteria were identified as Gram positive and Gram negative, respectively.Staphylococcus aureuswas the most prevalent organism identified. Resistance of all bacterial isolates to chloramphenicol was 8.4% varying from 3.0% to 16.4% while that for ciprofloxacin and gentamicin was 16.4% and 14.0%, respectively. Methicillin resistance amongS. aureuswas 8.3%.

Conclusion

Resistance to chloramphenicol has remained stable since being made available over the counter. Among Gram-positive bacteria, the most prevalent causative agent of bacterial conjunctivitis, chloramphenicol sensitivity remains high.
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours: a comparison of cytological classification systems
Authors: Ackroyd Lauren , Hanks Matthew , Bancu Andrei , Khan Marium , Sajid Saira , Lobo Dileep N , Zaitoun Abed M
Published: May 2024

Aims

Cytological classification systems provide a standardised interpretation framework for reporting cytological specimens. Three well-known classification systems can be applied when reporting pancreatic cytology. This study aimed to compare the accuracy of these classification systems (C1–C5 system, the Papanicolaou system and the WHO classification) for the assessment of pancreatic neuroendocrine lesions.

Methods

We analysed 73 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour resections, 49 of which had corroborative cytology available, reported over a 12-year period, at a single UK tertiary referral centre. Each cytology case was classified using the aforementioned systems. The final tumour grade allocated at resection was used to assess and compare the accuracy of each cytological classification system.

Results

Cytological assessment accurately reported 77.6% of neuroendocrine lesions as category IVB (neoplastic - other) on Papanicolaou grading, 77.6% as C5 (malignant) lesions and 85.7% as VII (malignant) on WHO grading. 74.3% of resected tumours were grade 1, 17.1% grade 2 and 8.6% grade 3. Complete resection was achieved in 80.8% of cases.

Conclusions

The results demonstrated that the WHO classification appeared to provide reduced ambiguity when compared with both ‘C’ and Papanicolaou classification systems; with a lower proportion of cases being classified as suspicious of malignancy as opposed to malignant. The Papanicolaou system was able to supersede the other two systems through its ability to distinguish neuroendocrine tumours from more aggressive entities such as pancreatic adenocarcinoma, thus, offering flexibility in management while still retaining a similar level of accuracy to the WHO classification system in distinguishing benign from malignant lesions.
Pregnancy, pain and pathology: a reply to Smajdor and Räsänen
Authors: Baron Teresa
Published: May 2024

In their recent paper ‘Is pregnancy a disease?’, Anna Smajdor and Joona Räsänen argue in the affirmative, highlighting features shared by both pregnancy and paradigmatic diseases. In particular, they point to the harmful symptoms and side effects of pregnancy, and the provision of medical treatment to both pregnant patients and those aiming to avoid pregnancy. They consider both subjectivist and objectivist approaches taken by philosophers of health in defining disease, and point out that neither approach convincingly excludes pregnancy. Finally, they present a normative case for treating pregnancy as a disease, suggesting that this attitude could promote preventive provision of contraception and abortion, and encourage respect for (and better treatment of) patients’ suffering during pregnancy. In this response, I challenge various parts of Smajdor and Räsänen’s argument, and cast doubt on the normative benefits of their approach.
No, pregnancy is not a disease
Authors: Colgrove Nicholas , Rodger Daniel
Published: May 2024

Anna Smajdor and Joona Räsänen argue that we have good reason to classify pregnancy as a disease. They discuss five accounts of disease and argue that each account either implies that pregnancy is a disease or if it does not, it faces problems. This strategy allows Smajdor and Räsänen to avoid articulating their own account of disease. Consequently, they cannot establish that pregnancyisa disease, only that plausible accounts of disease suggest this. Some readers will dismiss Smajdor and Räsänen’s claims as counterintuitive. By analogy, if a mathematical proof concludes ‘2+2=5’, readers will know—without investigation—that an error occurred. Rather than dismiss Smajdor and Räsänen’s work, however, the easiest way to undermine their argument is to describe at least one plausible account of disease that (1) excludes pregnancy and (2) avoids the problems they raise for it. This is our strategy. We focus on dysfunction accounts of disease. After outlining Smajdor and Räsänen’s main arguments against dysfunction accounts, we explain why pregnancy is not a disease on these accounts. Next, we defend dysfunction accounts against the three problems that Smajdor and Räsänen raise. If successful, then contra Smajdor and Räsänen, at least one plausible account of disease does not imply that pregnancy is a disease. We suspect that defenders of other accounts can respond similarly. Yet, we note that insofar as dysfunction accounts align with the commonsense intuition that pregnancy is not a disease, this, all else being equal, seems like a point in their favour.
Microbial communities change along the 300 km length of the Grand River for extreme high- and low-flow regimes
Authors: Virgin Taylor L. , Sonthiphand Prinpida , Coyotzi Sara , Hall Michael W. , Venkiteswaran Jason J. , Elgood Richard J. , Schiff Sherry L. , Neufeld Josh D.
Published: May 2024

The Grand River watershed is the largest catchment in southern Ontario. The river’s northern and southern sections are influenced by agriculture, whereas central regions receive wastewater effluent and urban runoff. To characterize in-river microbial communities, as they relate to spatial and environmental factors, we conducted two same-day sampling events along the entire 300 km length of the river, representing contrasting flow seasons (high flow spring melt and low flow end of summer). Through high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, we assessed the relationship between river microbiota and spatial and physicochemical variables. Flow season had a greater impact on communities than spatial or diel effects and profiles diverged with distance between sites under both flow conditions, but low-flow profiles exhibited higher beta diversity. High-flow profiles showed greater species richness and increased presence of soil and sediment taxa, which may relate to increased input from terrestrial sources. Total suspended solids, dissolved inorganic carbon, and distance from headwaters significantly explained microbial community variation during the low-flow event, whereas conductivity, sulfate, and nitrite were significant explanatory factors for spring melt. This study establishes a baseline for the Grand River’s microbial community, serving as a foundation for modeling the microbiology of anthropogenically impacted freshwater systems affected by lotic processes.
Applications of structural equation modeling in plant functional trait research
Authors: Zhu Yihang , Liu Cong , Peng Changhui , Zhou Xiaolu , Xie Binggeng , Li Tong , Li Peng , Zou Ziying , Tang Jiayi , Liu Zelin
Published: May 2024

(1) Plant functional traits, which encompass morphological, physiological, and ecological characteristics, are key to plant adaptation, growth, and development. In recent years, the structural equation model (SEM) has gained widespread use as a powerful statistical tool for studying plant functional traits and conducting research in this field. Its ability to distinguish between direct and indirect effects makes the SEM a robust method for investigating the complex relationships among environment components, traits, and ecosystem functions. (2) Here, we review and discuss four commonly used SEMs: (1) the covariance-based structural equation model, (2) the piecewise structural equation model, (3) the Bayesian structural equation model, and (4) the partial least squares structural equation model. We also explore their applications in three typical ecosystems—forest, grassland, and wetland ecosystems—and investigate these forms of SEM in the context of their use in trait-ecosystem function research. 3. Our specific objectives were to: (i) compare the advantages and disadvantages of these four types of SEMs; (ii) analyze the current state of research on SEM applications in plant functional traits across diverse ecosystems; and (iii) highlight new approaches and potential research areas for the future application of SEM in plant functional traits. 4. In this paper, several key findings were obtained: (i) the selection of SEM type is influenced by the different spatial scales of the study; (ii) latent and composite variables were less commonly utilized in recent SEM studies; and (iii) while SEMs have proven effective in distinguishing between direct and indirect effects to unravel the complex relationships among multiple variables, indirect effects deserve more attention in general studies. We propose that future applications of SEMs in plant functional traits should incorporate a broader spectrum of traits as well as the trade-offs between them. Larger and more diverse databases of plant functional traits would help make SEM analyses more accurate across different scales.
Cosmological implications of the Weyl geometric gravity theory
Authors: Harko Tiberiu , Shahidi Shahab
Published: May 2024

We consider the cosmological implications of the Weyl geometric gravity theory. The basic action of the model is obtained from the simplest conformally invariant gravitational action, constructed, in Weyl geometry, from the square of the Weyl scalar, the strength of the Weyl vector, and a matter term, respectively. The total action is linearized in the Weyl scalar by introducing an auxiliary scalar field. To maintain the conformal invariance of the action the trace condition is imposed on the matter energy–momentum tensor, thus making the matter sector of the action conformally invariant. The field equations are derived by varying the action with respect to the metric tensor, the Weyl vector field, and the scalar field, respectively. We investigate the cosmological implications of the theory, and we obtain first the cosmological evolution equations for a flat, homogeneous and isotropic geometry, described by Friedmann–Lemaitre–Robertson–Walker metric, which generalize the Friedmann equations of standard general relativity. In this context we consider two cosmological models, corresponding to the vacuum state, and to the presence of matter described by a linear barotropic equation of state. In both cases we perform a detailed comparison of the predictions of the theory with the cosmological observational data, and with the standard $$\Lambda $$
Λ
CDM model. By assuming that the presence of the Weyl geometric effects induce small perturbations in the homogeneous and isotropic cosmological background, and that the anisotropy parameter is small, the equations of the cosmological perturbations due to the presence of the Weyl geometric effects are derived. The time evolution of the metric and matter perturbations are explicitly obtained. Therefore, if Weyl geometric effects are present, the Universe would acquire some anisotropic characteristics, and its geometry will deviate from the standard FLRW one.
Bilateral Remittance Inflows to Asia and the Pacific: Countercyclicality and Motivations to Remit
Authors: KIM KIJIN , ARDANIEL ZEMMA , KIKKAWA AIKO , ENDRIGA BENJAMIN
Published: May 2024

This paper examines the cyclicality of remittance inflows to economies in Asia and the Pacific, aiming to identify major factors associated with remittances using gravity models of bilateral remittances. An analysis that assesses correlation coefficients between the cyclical factors of remittances and gross domestic product suggests that remittances tend to be countercyclical, or acyclical, against the business cycle of the remittance-receiving economy relative to the sending economy. This observation is confirmed by the gravity models of bilateral remittances. Furthermore, the estimation results suggest that migrant stock is one of the most significant factors affecting bilateral remittances. The study also shows that an increase in bilateral remittances can be attributed to a higher occurrence of disasters triggered by natural hazards in receiving economies, an appreciation of the receiving economy’s currency value against the sending economy’s, a lower interest rate differential (receiver–sender), greater capital account openness, more political instability, and lower costs of remittances.
Prospects of buffer layer optimization for electrodeposited CZTS-based thin-film solar cell using SCAPS-1D
Authors: Alee Soheil , Soltanmohammadi Mina , Abrari Masoud , Ghanaatshoar Majid
Published: May 2024

Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) has recently attracted the intensive attention of researchers as a significant photovoltaic material for the scalable production of thin film solar cells. We have particularly focused on replacing the conventional CdS buffer layer with non-toxic and earth-abundant materials of zinc stannate (Zn2SnO[Formula: see text] in environmentally friendly thin-film solar cells based on CZTS. Zinc stannate (ZTO) with a wide bandgap energy of about 3.33[Formula: see text]eV can be a promising material to reduce photon absorption loss and improve the photovoltaic performance of the device. Thus, the absorber and buffer layers were practically prepared to determine the bandgaps of layers for citation in SCAPS-1D simulation program. We employed chemical methods to deposit the CdS and CZTS layers and succeeded to obtain a high-quality kesterite phase of CZTS. The common configuration of FTO/CZTS/buffer/ZnO/AZO was the basis of the simulations in which, the thicknesses of the absorber and buffer layers were optimized by using the SCAPS-1D. According to the outcome of the simulations, the ZTO buffer layer has a better performance than CdS.
A Simple Photosensitive Circuit Based on a Mutator for Emulating Memristor, Memcapacitor, and Meminductor: Light Illumination Effects on Dynamical Behaviors
Authors: Chen Yixin , Cao Yinghong , Mou Jun , Sun Bo , Banerjee Santo
Published: May 2024

This contribution investigates a photosensitive circuit based on a mutator for emulating memristor, memcapacitor, and meminductor. The circuit contains a phototube, a mutator, and several basic electronic components. The phototube is employed within the circuit to capture the external illumination for energy injection in order to obtain a continuous signal source. By varying the light intensity on the phototube, chaotic dynamics such as attractors, bifurcation diagrams, and Lyapunov exponents spectrum are analyzed, while the mutator is switched to different mem-elements without changing the structure of the circuit. Especially, the special phenomenon of the coexistence of attractors is discovered. Ultimately, the circuit is realized using DSP. This circuit holds promise in offering potential insights into the dynamics of neural networks, and it could find applications in the development of highly sensitive sensors.
Predicting crude oil prices using SARIMA-X method: An empirical study
Authors: Agrawal Anshul , Kadam Sanjeev , Kapoor Pooja A. , Rashid Mohammed
Published: May 2024

Crude oil prices wield substantial influence over economic stability and sustainability, exerting a profound impact across various sectors and significantly moulding the economic well-being of nations. Thus, precision of predicting crude oil prices is of utmost importance for a wide array of stakeholders, including policymakers, investors, and participants in the energy market. This study offers an empirical exploration of the Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous Variables (SARIMA-X) method, employing RMSE and MAPE values for forecasting crude oil prices during the most volatile periods from 2020 to 2023, including both COVID-19 pandemic and Russia Ukraine war period. The results indicate that the SARIMA-X method is effective for predicting crude oil prices during turbulent market conditions. This model can be a valuable tool for investors, traders, and other market participants, enabling them to make informed decisions when it comes to both intraday trading and long-term forecasting of crude oil prices.
From Classification to Clinical Insights
Authors: Englhardt Zachary , Ma Chengqian , Morris Margaret E. , Chang Chun-Cheng , Xu Xuhai "Orson" , Qin Lianhui , McDuff Daniel , Liu Xin , Patel Shwetak , Iyer Vikram
Published: May 2024

Passively collected behavioral health data from ubiquitous sensors could provide mental health professionals valuable insights into patient's daily lives, but such efforts are impeded by disparate metrics, lack of interoperability, and unclear correlations between the measured signals and an individual's mental health. To address these challenges, we pioneer the exploration of large language models (LLMs) to synthesize clinically relevant insights from multi-sensor data. We develop chain-of-thought prompting methods to generate LLM reasoning on how data pertaining to activity, sleep and social interaction relate to conditions such as depression and anxiety. We then prompt the LLM to perform binary classification, achieving accuracies of 61.1%, exceeding the state of the art. We find models like GPT-4 correctly reference numerical data 75% of the time.

While we began our investigation by developing methods to use LLMs to output binary classifications for conditions like depression, we find instead that their greatest potential value to clinicians lies not in diagnostic classification, but rather in rigorous analysis of diverse self-tracking data to generate natural language summaries that synthesize multiple data streams and identify potential concerns. Clinicians envisioned using these insights in a variety of ways, principally for fostering collaborative investigation with patients to strengthen the therapeutic alliance and guide treatment. We describe this collaborative engagement, additional envisioned uses, and associated concerns that must be addressed before adoption in real-world contexts.
Waving Hand as Infrared Source for Ubiquitous Gas Sensing
Authors: Liao Zimo , Jin Meng , An Shun , Niu Chaoyue , Wu Fan , Deng Tao , Chen Guihai
Published: May 2024

Gases in the environment can significantly affect our health and safety. As mobile devices gain popularity, we consider to explore a human-centered gas detection system that can be integrated into commercial mobile devices to realize ubiquitous gas detection. However, existing gas sensors either have too long response delays or are too cumbersome. This paper shows the feasibility of performing gas sensing by shining infrared (IR) signals emitted from our hands through the gas, allowing the system to rely on a single IR detector. The core opportunity arises from the fact that the human hand can provide stable, broadband, and omnidirectional IR radiation. Considering that IR signals experience distinct attenuation when passing through different gases or gases with different concentrations, we can integrate the human hand into the gas sensing system to enable extremely low-power and sustainable gas sensing. Yet, it is challenging to build up a robust system directly utilizing the hand's IR radiation. Practical issues include low IR radiation from the hand, unstable optical path, impact of environmental factors such as ambient temperature, etc. To tackle these issues, we on one hand modulate the IR radiation from the hand leveraging the controllability of the human hand, which improves the hand's IR radiation. On the other hand, we provide a dual-channel IR detector design to filter out the impact of environmental factors and gases in the environment. Extensive experiments show that our system can realize ethanol, gaseous water, and CO2 detection with 96.7%, 92.1% and 94.2%, respectively.
Changing Your Tune: Lessons for Using Music to Encourage Physical Activity
Authors: Clark Matthew , Doryab Afsaneh
Published: May 2024

Our research investigated whether music can communicate physical activity levels in daily life. Past studies have shown that simple musical tunes can provide wellness information, but no study has examined whether musical feedback can affect daily behavior or lead to healthier habits. We conducted a within-subject study with 62 participants over a period of 76 days, providing either musical or text-based feedback on their daily physical activity. The music was built and personalized based on participants' step counts and baseline wellness perceptions. Results showed that participants were marginally more active during the music feedback compared to their baseline period, and significantly more active compared to the text-based feedback (p = 0.000). We also find that the participant's average activity may influence the musical features they find most inspiration within a song. Finally, context influenced how musical feedback was interpreted, and specific musical features correlated with higher activity levels regardless of baseline perceptions. We discuss lessons learned for designing music-based feedback systems for health communication.
UWB-enabled Sensing for Fast and Effortless Blood Pressure Monitoring
Authors: Wang Zhi , Jin Beihong , Zhang Fusang , Li Siheng , Ma Junqi
Published: May 2024

Blood Pressure (BP) is a critical vital sign to assess cardiovascular health. However, existing cuff-based and wearable-based BP measurement methods require direct contact between the user's skin and the device, resulting in poor user experience and limited engagement for regular daily monitoring of BP. In this paper, we propose a contactless approach using Ultra-WideBand (UWB) signals for regular daily BP monitoring. To remove components of the received signals that are not related to the pulse waves, we propose two methods that utilize peak detection and principal component analysis to identify aliased and deformed parts. Furthermore, to extract BP-related features and improve the accuracy of BP prediction, particularly for hypertensive users, we construct a deep learning model that extracts features of pulse waves at different scales and identifies the different effects of features on BP. We build the corresponding BP monitoring system named RF-BP and conduct extensive experiments on both a public dataset and a self-built dataset. The experimental results show that RF-BP can accurately predict the BP of users and provide alerts for users with hypertension. Over the self-built dataset, the mean absolute error (MAE) and standard deviation (SD) for SBP are 6.5 mmHg and 6.1 mmHg, and the MAE and SD for DBP are 4.7 mmHg and 4.9 mmHg.
Hey, What's Going On?
Authors: Meinhardt Luca-Maxim , Rück Maximilian , Zähnle Julian , Elhaidary Maryam , Colley Mark , Rietzler Michael , Rukzio Enrico
Published: May 2024

Highly Automated Vehicles offer a new level of independence to people who are blind or visually impaired. However, due to their limited vision, gaining knowledge of the surrounding traffic can be challenging. To address this issue, we conducted an interactive, participatory workshop (N=4) to develop an auditory interface and OnBoard- a tactile interface with expandable elements - to convey traffic information to visually impaired people. In a user study with N=14 participants, we explored usability, situation awareness, predictability, and engagement with OnBoard and the auditory interface. Our qualitative and quantitative results show that tactile cues, similar to auditory cues, are able to convey traffic information to users. In particular, there is a trend that participants with reduced visual acuity showed increased engagement with both interfaces. However, the diversity of visual impairments and individual information needs underscores the importance of a highly tailored multimodal approach as the ideal solution.
Evolving Generative AI: Entangling the Accountability Relationship
Authors: Elliott Marc T. J , P Deepak , MacCarthaigh Muiris
Published: May 2024

Since ChatGPT's debut, generative AI technologies have surged in popularity within the AI community. Recognized for their cutting-edge language processing capabilities, these excel in generating human-like conversations, enabling open-ended dialogues with end-users. We consider that the future adoption of generative AI for critical public domain applications transforms the accountability relationship. Previously characterized by the relationship between an actor and a forum, the introduction of generative systems complicates accountability dynamics as the initial interaction shifts from the actor to an advanced generative system. We conceptualise a dual-phase accountability relationship involving the actor, the forum, and the generative AI as a foundational approach to understanding public sector accountability in the context of these technologies. Focusing on integrating generative AI for assisting healthcare triaging, we identify potential challenges introduced for maintaining effective accountability relationships, highlighting concerns that these technologies relegate actors to a secondary phase of accountability and creates a disconnect between government actors and citizens. We suggest recommendations aimed at disentangling the complexities generative systems bring to the accountability relationship. As we speculate on the technologies’ disruptive impact on accountability, we urge public servants, policymakers, and system designers to deliberate on the potential accountability impact generative systems produce prior to their deployment.
Efficient Automation of Neural Network Design: A Survey on Differentiable Neural Architecture Search
Authors: Heuillet Alexandre , Nasser Ahmad , Arioui Hichem , Tabia Hedi
Published: May 2024

In the past few years, Differentiable Neural Architecture Search (DNAS) rapidly imposed itself as the trending approach to automate the discovery of deep neural network architectures. This rise is mainly due to the popularity of DARTS (Differentiable ARchitecTure Search), one of the first major DNAS methods. In contrast with previous works based on Reinforcement Learning or Evolutionary Algorithms, DNAS is faster by several orders of magnitude and uses fewer computational resources. In this comprehensive survey, we focused specifically on DNAS and reviewed recent approaches in this field. Furthermore, we proposed a novel challenge-based taxonomy to classify DNAS methods. We also discussed the contributions brought to DNAS in the past few years and its impact on the global NAS field. Finally, we concluded by giving some insights into future research directions for the DNAS field.
Indigo3: A Parallel Graph Analytics Benchmark Suite for Exploring Implementation Styles and Common Bugs
Authors: Liu Yiqian , Azami Noushin , Vanausdal Avery , Burtscher Martin
Published: May 2024

Graph analytics codes are widely used and tend to exhibit input-dependent behavior, making them particularly interesting for software verification and validation. This article presents Indigo3, a labeled benchmark suite based on 7 graph algorithms that are implemented in different styles, including versions with deliberately planted bugs. We systematically combine 13 sets of implementation styles and 15 common bug types to create the 41,790 CUDA, OpenMP, and parallel C programs in the suite. Each code is labeled with the styles and bugs it incorporates. We used 4 subsets of Indigo3 to test 5 program-verification tools. Our results show that the tools perform quite differently across the bug types and implementation styles, have distinct strengths and weaknesses, and generally struggle with graph codes. We discuss the styles and bugs that tend to be the most challenging as well as the programming patterns that yield false positives.
Data Science Methods for Real-World Evidence Generation in Real-World Data
Authors: Liu Fang
Published: May 2024

In the healthcare landscape, data science (DS) methods have emerged as indispensable tools to harness real-world data (RWD) from various data sources such as electronic health records, claim and registry data, and data gathered from digital health technologies. Real-world evidence (RWE) generated from RWD empowers researchers, clinicians, and policymakers with a more comprehensive understanding of real-world patient outcomes. Nevertheless, persistent challenges in RWD (e.g., messiness, voluminousness, heterogeneity, multimodality) and a growing awareness of the need for trustworthy and reliable RWE demand innovative, robust, and valid DS methods for analyzing RWD. In this article, I review some common current DS methods for extracting RWE and valuable insights from complex and diverse RWD. This article encompasses the entire RWE-generation pipeline, from study design with RWD to data preprocessing, exploratory analysis, methods for analyzing RWD, and trustworthiness and reliability guarantees, along with data ethics considerations and open-source tools. This review, tailored for an audience that may not be experts in DS, aspires to offer a systematic review of DS methods and assists readers in selecting suitable DS methods and enhancing the process of RWE generation for addressing their specific challenges.
Computational Methods for Predicting Key Interactions in T Cell–Mediated Adaptive Immunity
Authors: Ehrlich Ryan , Glynn Eric , Singh Mona , Ghersi Dario
Published: May 2024

The adaptive immune system recognizes pathogen- and cancer-specific features and is endowed with memory, enabling it to respond quickly and efficiently to repeated encounters with the same antigens. T cells play a central role in the adaptive immune system by directly targeting intracellular pathogens and helping to activate B cells to secrete antibodies. Several fundamental protein interactions—including those between major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins and antigen-derived peptides as well as between T cell receptors and peptide–MHC complexes—underlie the ability of T cells to recognize antigens with great precision. Computational approaches to predict these interactions are increasingly being used for medically relevant applications, including vaccine design and prediction of patient response to cancer immunotherapies. We provide computational researchers with an accessible introduction to the adaptive immune system, review computational approaches to predict the key protein interactions underlying T cell–mediated adaptive immunity, and highlight remaining challenges.
The Latino Middle Class
Authors: Vallejo Jody Agius , Vasquez-Tokos Jessica
Published: May 2024

Latino educational gains over time and income mobility portend a burgeoning Latino middle class. In this article, we critically review scholarship on the Latino middle class, from theoretical perspectives aiming to explain Latino experiences to empirical research investigating mechanisms that promote, and barriers that thwart, upward mobility. Studies suggest that the Latino middle class is distinctive for many reasons—from structural barriers to asset accumulation, legal status precarity for self or family, financial responsibility for class-disadvantaged kin, and negative controlling images that bog down class ascension. Scholars’ recent efforts to decouple middle-class status from Whiteness is an important contribution that undercuts the notion that melding into Whiteness is the desired outcome of middle-class integration. In addition to the utility of education to upward mobility, we contend that studies of middle-class pathways should expand to recognize that Latinos are engaging in workarounds—career paths not requiring a bachelor's degree, such as business ownership or credentialed professions. Workarounds are an intervention that accounts for routes to mobility that are eclipsed by conventional conceptions of mobility. Ultimately, we argue that Latinos are attaining middle-class status even as they are racialized, thereby expanding the minoritized middle class.
Thinking Like a Feminist: What Feminist Theory Has to Offer Sociology
Authors: Salzinger Leslie , Gonsalves Tara
Published: May 2024

What does feminist theory have to offer sociology? Defining feminist theory as work that problematizes the gender binary and the relations of domination that constitute and emerge from it, we explore four key aspects of feminist scholarship. We begin with work that explores gender as a structuring trope. We then turn to how gender is coconstituted with other structures of power and domination. Next, we survey how feminists have theorized the relationship between nature and the social through the body. Finally, we examine feminist epistemological claims. We conclude by demonstrating the inextricability of feminist conceptual work and feminist politics. As we move across these bodies of work, we show how they are linked with one another and suggest some of the ways in which thinking like a feminist would help sociologists better grasp the dynamics of the social worlds we study.
Communication—The Development of a Stable and Practical Saturated Reference Electrode for Molten Chloride Salt Systems
Authors: Torrie J. Marvin , Fuller Ranon , Rappleye Devin
Published: May 2024

A simply constructed, stable, Ni/Ni2+ saturated reference electrode (SRE) has potential to measure thermodynamic behavior of molten chloride salts more reliably. Like the Ag/Ag+ reference electrode (RE), the Ni/Ni2+ SRE is made of commercially available materials. Initial experiments in molten CaCl2 and LiCl show the Ag/Ag+ RE potential drifting two times faster than the SRE. Furthermore, experiments show the replicability of SREs by comparing two Ni/Ni2+ SREs with different compositions of NiCl2 which is supportive of saturated phase behavior.
Review—Self-Supporting Electrocatalysts for HER in Alkaline Water Electrolysis
Authors: Zhang Endao , Song Wei
Published: May 2024

Hydrogen is a prime candidate for replacing fossil fuels. Electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen stands out as a particularly clean method, garnering significant attention from researchers in recent years. Among the various techniques for electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen, alkaline electrolysis holds the most promise for large-scale industrialization. The key to advancing this technology lies in the development of durable and cost-effective electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Self-supporting electrode is an electrode structure in which a catalyst layer is formed directly on a substrate (such as carbon cloth, nickel foam, stainless steel, etc) without using a binder and with good structural stability. In contrast to traditional nanocatalysts, self-supporting electrocatalysts offer significant advantages, including reduced resistance, enhanced stability, and prolonged usability under high currents. This paper reviews recent advancements in HER electrochemical catalysts for alkaline water electrolysis, focusing on the utilization of hydrogen-evolving catalysts such as metal sulfides, phosphides, selenides, oxides, and hydroxides. With self-supported electrocatalysts as the focal point, the paper delves into progress made in their preparation techniques, structural design, understanding of reaction mechanisms, and strategies for performance enhancement. Ultimately, the future development direction of promoting hydrogen evolution by self-supported electrocatalysts in alkaline water electrolysis is summarized.
Impact of visual rotations on heading direction and center of mass control during steady-state gait
Authors: Biere Joost , Groen Brenda E. , Keijsers Noël L. W.
Published: May 2024

Healthy, naive participants were unaware of subtle, low-frequency rotations of the visual field but still coupled their gait trajectory to a rotating virtual environment. In response, participants decreased their margin of stability toward the new heading direction, without changing the center of mass excursion magnitude and foot placement strategy.