bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Muon pair production via e+e−annihilation in the presence of a circularly polarized laser field
Authors: Ouali M , Ouhammou M , Taj S , Benbrik R , Manaut B , El Idrissi M
Published: September 2022

In this paper, we have investigated the elementary particle reactione+e−→μ+μ−that results from the electron–positron interaction, at the leading order, with an intense laser wave of circular polarization. We have derived, by analytical means, the laser-assisted differential cross section expression by using the scattering matrix approach. We have analysed the energy and the number of exchanged photons dependence of muon pair production in electron–positron annihilation at different centre of mass energies including theZ-boson peak. For this reason, a wide range of high centre of mass energies relevant to futuree+e−collider were covered to study the cross section behaviour. We have found that, for a given number of exchanged photons, laser field strength and frequency, the circularly polarized laser field decreases the total cross section by several orders of magnitudes.
Understanding PDF uncertainty in W boson mass measurements*
Authors: Gao Jun , Liu Dianyu , Xie Keping
Published: September 2022

We study the dependence of the transverse mass distribution of charged leptons and the missing energy on parton distributions (PDFs) adapted to W boson mass measurements at the CDF and ATLAS experiments. We compare the shape variations of the distribution induced by different PDFs and find that the spread of predictions from different PDF sets can be significantly larger than the PDF uncertainty predicted by a specific PDF set. We suggest analyzing the experimental data using up-to-date PDFs to gain a better understanding of the PDF uncertainties in W boson mass measurements. We also perform a series of Lagrange multiplier scans to identify the constraints on the transverse mass distribution imposed by individual data sets in the CT18 global analysis. In the case of the CDF measurement, the distribution is mostly sensitive to d-quark PDFs in the intermediate x region, which are largely constrained by DIS and Drell-Yan data on deuteron targets and Tevatron lepton charge asymmetry data.
Riemannian distance based channel selection and feature extraction combining discriminative time-frequency bands and Riemannian tangent space for MI-BCIs
Authors: Qu Tingnan , Jin Jing , Xu Ren , Wang Xingyu , Cichocki Andrzej
Published: September 2022

Objective. Motor imagery-based brain computer interfaces (MI-BCIs) have been widely researched because they do not demand external stimuli and have a high degree of maneuverability. In most scenarios, superabundant selected channels, fixed time windows, and frequency bands would certainly affect the performance of MI-BCIs due to the neurophysiological diversities among different individuals. In this study, we attempt to effectively use the Riemannian geometry of spatial covariance matrix to extract more robust features and thus enhance the decoding efficiency. Approach. First, we utilize a Riemannian distance-based electroencephalography (EEG) channel selection method, which preliminarily reduces the information redundancy in the first stage. Second, we extract discriminative Riemannian tangent space features of EEG signals of selected channels from the most discriminant time-frequency bands to further enhance decoding accuracy for MI-BCIs. Finally, we train a support vector machine model with a linear kernel to classify our extracted discriminative Riemannian features, and evaluate our proposed method using publicly available BCI Competition IV dataset Ⅰ (DS1) and Competition Ⅲ dataset Ⅲa (DS2). Main results. The experimental results show that the average classification accuracy with the selected 16-channel EEG signals of our method is 90.0% and 89.4% in DS1 and DS2 respectively. The average improvements are 20.0% and 21.2% on DS1, 9.4% and 7.2% on DS2 for 8 and 16 selected channels, respectively. Significance. These results show that our proposed method is a promising candidate for the performance improvement of MI-BCIs.
CMS Phase-1 pixel detector refurbishment during LS2 and readiness towards the LHC Run 3
Authors: Noehte Lars O. S.
Published: September 2022

The CMS Phase-1 pixel detector was extracted from the underground cavern after the end of the LHC Run 2 in 2019 and has been kept cold to protect the silicon sensors during the long shutdown period (LS2) in 2019–2021. The LHC is now preparing for the next period of data taking, Run 3, which is scheduled to start in spring 2022. The Phase-1 pixel detector was going through a series of refurbishment and repairs this year to improve the quality of the collected data and enhance the detector performance. The innermost barrel pixel layer has been replaced with new modules and features improved front-end readout chips (PROC600v4), token bit manager chips (TBM10d), and circuit boards to rectify the issues discovered in Run 2. The forward pixel detector has been equipped with new cooling inlets for safe handling and features a revised high-voltage power distribution scheme to better match the low-voltage granularity. All the DC-DC converter modules have been replaced with new modules featuring an improved FEAST2.3 ASIC, which is considerably more robust against the total ionizing dose effect and thus prevents them from breaking during operation. Overall, this article will summarize the refurbishment work of the pixel detector during LS2, and highlight the readiness towards the LHC Run 3 after installation and commissioning.
ALICE ITS 3: the first truly cylindrical inner tracker
Authors: Colella D.
Published: September 2022

The high integration density of MAPS, with silicon sensor and readout electronics implemented in the same device, allows very thin structures with a greatly reduced material budget. Thicknesses of

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(50 μm), values at which silicon chips become flexible, are readily used in many applications. In addition, MAPS can be produced in sensors of wafer size by a process known as stitching. This in turn allows to build detector elements that are large enough to cover full tracker half-layers with single bent sensors. The ALICE ITS 3 project is planning to build a new vertex tracker based on truly cylindrical wafer-scale sensors, with <0.05% X/X0 per layer and located as close as 18 mm to the interaction point. R&D on all project aspects (including mechanics for bent wafer-scale devices, test beams of bent MAPS, design of stitched sensors) is rapidly progressing with the aim for installation during LHC long shutdown 3 (2025–2027). This contribution summarises the project motivation, its R&D schedule, and will show selected highlights of recently accomplished project milestones, including full-scale engineering prototypes with dummy chips and small-scale, fully functional assemblies of functional, bent MAPS.
Characterization measurements of the TRISTAN multi-pixel silicon drift detector
Authors: Urban K. , Carminati M. , Descher M. , Edzards F. , Fink D. , Fiorini C. , Gugiatti M. , Hinz D. , Houdy T. , King P. , Lechner P. , Mertens S. , Siegmann D. , Steidl M. , Wolf J.
Published: September 2022

Sterile neutrinos are a minimal extension of the standard model of particle physics. A laboratory-based approach to search for this particle is via tritium β-decay, where a sterile neutrino would cause a kink-like spectral distortion. The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment extended by a multi-pixel Silicon Drift Detector system has the potential to reach an unprecedented sensitivity to the keV-scale sterile neutrino in a lab-based experiment. The new detector system combines good spectroscopic performance with a high rate capability. In this work, we report about the characterization of charge-sharing between pixels and the commissioning of a 47-pixel prototype detector in a MAC-E filter.
Allpix2 — silicon detector Monte Carlo simulations for particle physics and beyond
Authors: Spannagel S. , Schütze P.
Published: September 2022

Allpix2 is a versatile, open-source simulation framework for silicon pixel detectors. Its goal is to ease the implementation of detailed simulations for both single sensors and more complex setups with multiple detectors. While originally created for silicon detectors in high-energy physics, it is capable of simulating a wide range of detector types for various application scenarios, through its interface to Geant4 to describe the interaction of particles with matter, and the different algorithms for charge transport and digitization. The simulation chain is arranged with the help of intuitive configuration files and an extensible system of modules, which implement the individual simulation steps. Detailed electric field maps imported from TCAD simulations can be used to precisely model the drift behavior of the charge carriers, bringing a new level of realism to the Monte Carlo simulation of particle detectors.

Recently, Allpix2 has seen major improvements to its core framework to take full advantage of multi- and many-core processor architectures for simulating events fully parallel. Furthermore, new physics models such as charge carrier recombination in silicon have been introduced, further extending the application range. This contribution provides an overview of the framework and its components, highlighting the versatility and recent developments.
Xenogenic induction of adipose tissue and maintenance through pre- and post-conditioning using external volume expansion
Authors: Wu Mengfan , Matar Dany Y , Yu Zhen , Karvar Mehran , Chen Ziyu , Ng Brian , Knoedler Samuel , Darwish Oliver , Agarwal Shailesh , Orgill Dennis P , Panayi Adriana C
Published: September 2022

External volume expansion (EVE) has been shown to improve fat graft survival. In this study, we investigated the xenogenic implantation of human allograft adipose matrix (AAM) in non-immunocompromised mice in combination with pre- and post-conditioning with EVE to assess long-term adipose tissue survival. Sixty-eight recipient sites in thirty-four eight-week-old wild type (C57BL/6J) mice were separated into four groups. Thirty-four sites received no conditioning and either a subcutaneous injection of 300 μl saline (n = 17; PBS group) or AAM (n = 17; AAM group). Thirty-four sites received pre-conditioning with EVE (Day -7–3 pre-grafting) and 300 μl of AAM. Seventeen of these sites received immediate post-conditioning (Day 1–5 post-grafting) and 17 delayed post-conditioning (Day 28–32 post-grafting). Tissue was harvested at week 12 for analysis. At 12 weeks, immediate and delayed post-conditioning enabled higher volume retention (p = 0.02 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Adipose Stem Cells were greater in the AAM+Del-EVE group compared to the AAM (p = 0.01). Microvessel density was lower in the AAM group compared to the AAM+Imm-EVE (p = 0.04) and AAM+Del-EVE group (p = 0.02). Macrophage infiltration was lower in the AAM+Imm-EVE (p = 0.002) and AAM+Del-EVE (p = 0.003) groups compared to the AAM group. PCR analysis and Western blotting identified a significantly higher expression of PPAR-γ, LPL and VEGF with delayed-conditioning. Pre- and post-conditioning, particularly delayed-post-conditioning, of the recipient site optimized the microenvironment allowing significant adipogenesis and survival of neo-adipose tissue through robust angiogenesis. This study supports that xenogenic transplantation of adipose matrix allows adipose tissue formation and survival with EVE as an adjuvant.
A Kronig–Penney model in a quadratic channel with periodic δ-interactions: I. Dynamics
Authors: Guarneri Italo
Published: September 2022

A model of a particle in a line, coupled to a harmonic oscillator via a periodic chain of point interactions, is studied. At a critical value of the coupling strength a transition occurs, from a regime in which the oscillator is localized and the particle propagates arbitrarily far, to a regime in which the oscillator is delocalized, and the particle stays localized in position. In the latter regime the energy of the oscillator exponentially increases, while the particle is captured by the interaction points.
Unsteady edge waves generated by time-harmonic pressure: exact solutions
Authors: Abrashkin A A
Published: September 2022

An analytical description of unsteady edge waves over a uniform slope is proposed. It is assumed that the waves are excited by time-harmonic external pressure with inhomogeneous spatial distribution. The problem is considered in Lagrangian variables. An exact solution of the hydrodynamic equations is obtained. It generalizes the stationary Gerstner–Constantin solution. The proposed model describes the dynamics of coastal splashes of arbitrary initial shape. An important feature of the new solution is that it describes waves both propagating and standing in the longshore direction.
Multiscale engineered human skeletal muscles with perfusable vasculature and microvascular network recapitulating the fluid compartments
Authors: Kim Hyeonyu , Osaki Tatsuya , Kamm Roger D , Asada H Harry
Published: September 2022

Creating a vasculature in engineered human skeletal muscle tissues (ehSMTs) enables us to create thick tissues, increase cell survival in implantation, provide models of blood-organ barriers for drug testing, and enhance muscle differentiation through paracrine signaling. Here, contractile ehSMTs with a central perfusable vascular channel and microvascular networks growing from this central vasculature into the surrounding skeletal muscle tissue were newly demonstrated. Because coculturing muscle cells and endothelial cells requires incompatible media, we recapitulated the in vivo extracellular fluid compartments between blood plasma and interstitial fluid by creating an in vitro perfusable vasculature running through skeletal muscle tissue with a physiologic cell density. By using this model, we constructed large vascularized ehSMTs and showed the potential to be utilized for drug testing platforms. Also, we found that coculturing with two separate media from an early stage of muscle differentiation led to increased contractile force, thicker myotubes, and improved muscle differentiation.
Base Money
Authors: Kim Jeong Min
Published: September 2022

This article discusses how US military payment certificates (MPC) escaped from US military bases during the Korean War to become common currency in local economies. The MPC program was intended to control the mixing of US currency in local economies, yet the worldwide use of MPC on all overseas US bases between 1946 and 1973 facilitated black market circulation of military notes globally by allowing trading differentials among dollars, MPC, and local currencies. As soldiers, goods, and money moved through the US base network across Korea and Japan during the war, MPC were commonly used as a medium of exchange for sexual transactions between US soldiers and local women in both countries. The cross-border sexual markets were central to the everyday economies of Korea and Japan, of which black markets trading US Army supplies and currencies were major components. An analysis of this off-base monetization process of MPC offers a new perspective on the global history of war and occupation by highlighting how the sexual economy of illicit and informal transactions has been integral to US military expansion abroad since the end of World War II.
Deep learning joint models for extracting entities and relations in biomedical: a survey and comparison
Authors: Su Yansen , Wang Minglu , Wang Pengpeng , Zheng Chunhou , Liu Yuansheng , Zeng Xiangxiang
Published: September 2022

The rapid development of biomedicine has produced a large number of biomedical written materials. These unstructured text data create serious challenges for biomedical researchers to find information. Biomedical named entity recognition (BioNER) and biomedical relation extraction (BioRE) are the two most fundamental tasks of biomedical text mining. Accurately and efficiently identifying entities and extracting relations have become very important. Methods that perform two tasks separately are called pipeline models, and they have shortcomings such as insufficient interaction, low extraction quality and easy redundancy. To overcome the above shortcomings, many deep learning-based joint name entity recognition and relation extraction models have been proposed, and they have achieved advanced performance. This paper comprehensively summarize deep learning models for joint name entity recognition and relation extraction for biomedicine. The joint BioNER and BioRE models are discussed in the light of the challenges existing in the BioNER and BioRE tasks. Five joint BioNER and BioRE models and one pipeline model are selected for comparative experiments on four biomedical public datasets, and the experimental results are analyzed. Finally, we discuss the opportunities for future development of deep learning-based joint BioNER and BioRE models.
GNN-SubNet: disease subnetwork detection with explainable graph neural networks
Authors: Pfeifer Bastian , Saranti Anna , Holzinger Andreas
Published: September 2022

Motivation

The tremendous success of graphical neural networks (GNNs) already had a major impact on systems biology research. For example, GNNs are currently being used for drug target recognition in protein–drug interaction networks, as well as for cancer gene discovery and more. Important aspects whose practical relevance is often underestimated are comprehensibility, interpretability and explainability.

Results

In this work, we present a novel graph-based deep learning framework for disease subnetwork detection via explainable GNNs. Each patient is represented by the topology of a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network, and the nodes are enriched with multi-omics features from gene expression and DNA methylation. In addition, we propose a modification of the GNNexplainer that provides model-wide explanations for improved disease subnetwork detection.

Availability and implementation

The proposed methods and tools are implemented in the GNN-SubNet Python package, which we have made available on our GitHub for the international research community (https://github.com/pievos101/GNN-SubNet).

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Detecting DNA of novel fungal pathogens using ResNets and a curated fungi-hosts data collection
Authors: Bartoszewicz Jakub M , Nasri Ferdous , Nowicka Melania , Renard Bernhard Y
Published: September 2022

Background

Emerging pathogens are a growing threat, but large data collections and approaches for predicting the risk associated with novel agents are limited to bacteria and viruses. Pathogenic fungi, which also pose a constant threat to public health, remain understudied. Relevant data remain comparatively scarce and scattered among many different sources, hindering the development of sequencing-based detection workflows for novel fungal pathogens. No prediction method working for agents across all three groups is available, even though the cause of an infection is often difficult to identify from symptoms alone.

Results

We present a curated collection of fungal host range data, comprising records on human, animal and plant pathogens, as well as other plant-associated fungi, linked to publicly available genomes. We show that it can be used to predict the pathogenic potential of novel fungal species directly from DNA sequences with either sequence homology or deep learning. We develop learned, numerical representations of the collected genomes and visualize the landscape of fungal pathogenicity. Finally, we train multi-class models predicting if next-generation sequencing reads originate from novel fungal, bacterial or viral threats.

Conclusions

The neural networks trained using our data collection enable accurate detection of novel fungal pathogens. A curated set of over 1400 genomes with host and pathogenicity metadata supports training of machine-learning models and sequence comparison, not limited to the pathogen detection task.

Availability and implementation

The data, models and code are hosted at https://zenodo.org/record/5846345, https://zenodo.org/record/5711877 and https://gitlab.com/dacs-hpi/deepac.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
CGR-CUSUM: a continuous time generalized rapid response cumulative sum chart
Authors: Gomon Daniel , Putter Hein , Nelissen Rob G H H , Van Der Pas Stéphanie
Published: September 2022

Rapidly detecting problems in the quality of care is of utmost importance for the well-being of patients. Without proper inspection schemes, such problems can go undetected for years. Cumulative sum (CUSUM) charts have proven to be useful for quality control, yet available methodology for survival outcomes is limited. The few available continuous time inspection charts usually require the researcher to specify an expected increase in the failure rate in advance, thereby requiring prior knowledge about the problem at hand. Misspecifying parameters can lead to false positive alerts and large detection delays. To solve this problem, we take a more general approach to derive the new Continuous time Generalized Rapid response CUSUM (CGR-CUSUM) chart. We find an expression for the approximate average run length (average time to detection) and illustrate the possible gain in detection speed by using the CGR-CUSUM over other commonly used monitoring schemes on a real-life data set from the Dutch Arthroplasty Register as well as in simulation studies. Besides the inspection of medical procedures, the CGR-CUSUM can also be used for other real-time inspection schemes such as industrial production lines and quality control of services.
Age differences in the functional organization of the prefrontal cortex: analyses of competing hypotheses
Authors: Hsieh Shulan , Yang Meng-Heng , Yao Zai-Fu
Published: September 2022

We employed a mixed design task for block and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging with manipulations of levels of abstraction and duration in task-relevant cues and probes. Age-related differences between younger and older adults in task-related functional brain activity patterns of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were reported. The results showed that (1) the low episodic condition evoked more activity in the more anterior PFC than the high episodic control condition for both age groups; (2) the low abstraction condition evoked more activity in the more anterior PFC than the high abstraction condition for both age groups; and (3) the signal change did not vary as a function of activity dynamics (transient and sustained responses) and maintenance duration (single-trial and multiple-trial). The findings showed that baseline conditions evoked more activity in the more anterior PFC for the older group than the younger group across most task contrasts and conditions, where these additional activities in the brain regions overlapped within the default mode network (DMN). We tentatively concluded that deficiency in the anterior DMN deactivation during externally driven tasks might be attributed to less efficiency in modulating local connectivity propagate to surrounding tissue, which may paradoxically increase brain activity.
Patterns of retrieval-related cortico-striatal connectivity are stable across the adult lifespan
Authors: Hill Paul F , de Chastelaine Marianne , Rugg Michael D
Published: September 2022

Memory retrieval effects in the striatum are well documented and robust across experimental paradigms. However, the functional significance of these effects, and whether they are moderated by age, remains unclear. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging paired with an associative recognition task to examine retrieval effects in the striatum in a sample of healthy young, middle-aged, and older adults. We identified anatomically segregated patterns of enhanced striatal blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity during recollection- and familiarity-based memory judgments. Successful recollection was associated with enhanced BOLD activity in bilateral putamen and nucleus accumbens, and neither of these effects were reliably moderated by age. Familiarity effects were evident in the head of the caudate nucleus bilaterally, and these effects were attenuated in middle-aged and older adults. Using psychophysiological interaction analyses, we observed a monitoring-related increase in functional connectivity between the caudate and regions of the frontoparietal control network, and between the putamen and bilateral retrosplenial cortex and intraparietal sulcus. In all instances, monitoring-related increases in cortico-striatal connectivity were unmoderated by age. These results suggest that the striatum, and the caudate in particular, couples with the frontoparietal control network to support top-down retrieval-monitoring operations, and that the strength of these inter-regional interactions is preserved in later life.
Point-of-Care Tenofovir Urine Testing for the Prediction of Treatment Failure and Drug Resistance During Initial Treatment for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Infection
Authors: Hermans Lucas E , Umunnakwe Chijioke N , Lalla-Edward Samanta T , Hebel Shane K , Tempelman Hugo A , Nijhuis Monique , Venter Willem D F , Wensing Annemarie M J
Published: September 2022

Background

Viral rebound during antiretroviral treatment (ART) is most often driven by suboptimal adherence in the absence of drug resistance. We assessed the diagnostic performance of point-of-care (POC) tenofovir (TFV) detection in urine for the prediction of viral rebound and drug resistance during ART.

Methods

We performed a nested case-control study within the ADVANCE randomized clinical trial (NCT03122262) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and newly initiating ART were randomized to receive either dolutegravir or efavirenz, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate or alafenamide, and emtricitabine. All participants with rebound ≥200 copies/mL between 24 and 96 weeks of follow-up were selected as cases and matched to controls with virological suppression <50 copies/mL. Rapid POC urine-TFV detection was performed retrospectively.

Results

We included 281 samples from 198 participants. Urine-TFV was detectable in 30.7% (70/228) of cases and in 100% (53/53) of controls. Undetectable urine-TFV predicted rebound with a sensitivity of 69% [95% confidence interval {CI}: 63–75] and specificity of 100% [93–100]. In cases with virological failure and sequencing data (n = 42), NRTI drug resistance was detected in 50% (10/20) of cases with detectable urine-TFV versus in 8.3% (2/24) of cases with undetectable urine-TFV. Detectable urine-TFV predicted NRTI resistance (odds ratio [OR] 10.4 [1.8–114.4] P = .005) with a sensitivity of 83% [52–98] and specificity of 69% [50–84].

Conclusions

POC objective adherence testing using a urine-TFV test predicted viral rebound with high specificity. In participants with rebound, urine-TFV testing predicted the selection of drug resistance. Objective adherence testing may be used to rapidly provide insight into adherence, suppression, and drug resistance during ART.
Effectiveness of Molnupiravir in High-Risk Patients: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis
Authors: Najjar-Debbiny Ronza , Gronich Naomi , Weber Gabriel , Khoury Johad , Amar Maisam , Stein Nili , Goldstein Lee Hilary , Saliba Walid
Published: September 2022

Background

Molnupiravir was granted emergency use authorization for the treatment of mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we used population-based real-world data to evaluate the effectiveness of molnupiravir.

Methods

The database of the largest healthcare provider in Israel was used to identify all adults with first-ever positive test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) performed in the community during January–February 2022, who were at high risk for severe COVID-19, and had no contraindications for molnupiravir use. Patients were included regardless of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status. A total of 2661 patients who received molnupiravir were propensity score matched with 2661 patients who have not received molnupiravir (control group). Patients were followed through 10 March 2022 for up to 28 days for the first occurrence of the composite severe COVID-19 or COVID-19-specific mortality.

Results

The composite outcome occurred in 50 patients in the molnupiravir group and 60 patients in the control group. Molnupiravir was associated with a nonsignificant reduced risk of the composite outcome: hazard ratio, 0.83 (95% confidence interval, .57–1.21). However, subgroup analyses showed that molnupiravir was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of the composite outcome in older patients 0.54 (0.34–0.86), in females 0.41 (0.22–0.77), and in patients with inadequate COVID-19 vaccination 0.45 (0.25–0.82). The results were similar when each component of the composite outcome was examined separately.

Conclusions

This study suggests that in the era of Omicron and in real-life setting, molnupiravir might be effective in reducing the risk of severe COVID-19 and COVID-19-related mortality, particularly in specific subgroups.
New Obfuscation Scheme for Conjunctions
Authors: Zhang Zheng , Zhang Fangguo
Published: September 2022

Recently, there has been renewed interest in conjunction obfuscations. A conjunction, which is called pattern matching with wildcards sometimes, is associated with a pattern $\mathsf{pat}\in \{0,1,*\}^n$ where * is a wildcard. It accepts if and only if the input bits are the same as the pattern at all non-wildcard positions. The conjunction obfuscation starts to get noticed because it provides the ability to protect these sensitive patterns while preserving its functionality. It is meaningful when the conjunction obfuscation is applied in the pattern matching, biological recognition, resisting SQL injection attacks and so on. In this work, we propose a new candidate of conjunction obfuscation. It not only retains the simplicity of the intuitive scheme in BKM18, but also adds wildcards to the pattern. Besides, we also propose a conjunction obfuscation with multi-bit output. The second obfuscation has the same size of the obfuscated program as the first obfuscation. Both obfuscations provide the distributional virtual black-box security.
Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Have Heterogeneous Treatment Preferences That Are Largely Determined by the Avoidance of Abdominal Pain and Side Effects [P-POWER IBD Study]
Authors: Louis Edouard , Siegel Corey A , James Barbara , Heidenreich Sebastian , Krucien Nicolas , Ghosh Subrata
Published: September 2022

Background and Aims

Patient-centric management of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] is important, with consensus considering patient-reported outcomes alongside clinical and endoscopic assessment by healthcare providers. However, evidence regarding patients’ treatment priorities is still limited. This study aimed to elicit benefit–risk trade-offs that patients with IBD are willing to make, to help inform discussions about patient-centric treatment targets.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional online survey of adults with self-confirmed Crohn’s disease [CD] or ulcerative colitis [UC] receiving IBD treatment. The impact of efficacy, administration and safety on treatment preferences was elicited using a discrete choice experiment. Relative attribute importance [RAI] and maximum acceptable risk of mild-to-moderate side effects [SEs] were estimated from a mixed logit model.

Results

In total, 400 patients [CD: 54%; UC: 46%; female: 38.0%; age range: 18–78 years] were recruited. Efficacy, administration and safety affected treatment preferences to varying degrees, with abdominal pain being most important [RAI 33%] followed by risks of mild-to-moderate SEs [RAI 27%] and serious infections [RAI 16%]. To reduce abdominal pain from severe to moderate/mild, patients accepted an additional 18.8% or 30.6% risk of mild-to-moderate SEs, respectively. While average preferences between patients with CD and UC were similar, patients with CD placed greater importance on abdominal pain [p < 0.05], and patients with UC on bowel urgency [p < 0.05]. However, preferences varied notably.

Conclusions

While avoiding abdominal pain, SEs and serious infections had on average the highest treatment priority, preferences varied between patients. Treatment strategies should consider the trade-offs individuals are willing to make.
Diversity and Role of Entomological Fauna Associated WithAnnona senegalensis(Magnoliales: Annonaceae) in Burkina Faso, West Africa
Authors: Dao Zézouma Anselme , Romba Rahim , Traore Mamoudou , Birba Sibiri , Zoure Aboubacar Baba , Ouedraogo Idrissa , Ouedraogo Amadé , Gnankine Olivier
Published: September 2022

Annona senegalensis Pers. is a shrub of tropical countries that, during the fruiting period, harbor many insects. All parts of the plant are used and exploited in traditional medicine, food, and firewood. Our study aimed at evaluating the diversity of insects associated with the different phenological stages of A. senegalensis fruits in two phytogeographic zones of Burkina Faso. Sampling was carried out on flowers, green fruits, ripe fruits, and decayed fruits of A. senegalensis. For the first time, a total of 48 insects species belonging to 6 orders and 23 families were identified. These orders were Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Diptera. Our data indicated that the diversity of insect species varies according to the stages of development of the fruit (P = 0.017) and according to the site (P = 2.2e-16). Among these insects, Curculionidae (Endaeus spp.) predominate on flowers, are known to be pollinators, and Formicidae (Messor galla Mayr, [Hymenoptera: Formicidae], Trichomyrmex abyssinicus Forel, [Hymenoptera: Formicidae], and Crematogaster sp.) and Tettigometridae (Hilda undata Walker, [Hemiptera: Tettigometridae]) are suspected to have mutualistic relationships on green fruits. Potential pests belonging to the Scarabaeidae (Pachnoda spp., Polybaphes spp., and Xeloma Maura Boheman, [Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae]), Drosophilidae (Zaprionus indianus Gupta, [Diptera: Drosophilidae]), and Nitidulidae (Carpophilus nepos Murray, [Coleoptera: Nitidulidae]) are associated with ripe and decayed fruits. The data in this study highlight the diversity in terms of pollinators that ensure the fruit production and Formicidae known to protect A. senegalensis against potential pests. These data provide valuable information in terms of valuation of this plant.
Seasonal and Diel Communication Periods of Sympatric Pest Limonius Click Beetle Species (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in Western Canada
Authors: Lemke Emily , van Herk Willem G , Singleton Kendal , Gries Gerhard
Published: September 2022

In western North America, sympatric Limonius click beetle species produce limoniic acid [(E)-4-ethyloct-4-enoic acid] as a sex pheromone component (L. canus (LeConte), L. californicus (Mannerheim)) or respond to it as a sex attractant (L. infuscatus (Motschulsky)). We tested the hypothesis that these three congeners maintain species-specificity of sexual communication through nonoverlapping seasonal occurrence and/or contrasting diel periodicity of sexual communication. Using capture times of beetles in pheromone-baited traps as a proxy for sexual communication periods, our data show that L. canus and L. californicus have seasonally distinct communication periods. Most L. canus males (>90%) were captured in April and most L. californicus males (>95%) were captured in May/June/July. As almost exclusively L. infuscatus males were captured in two separate 24-hr trapping studies, with data recordings every hour, it remains inconclusive whether the three Limonius congeners communicate at different times of the day. Males of L. infuscatus responded to pheromone lures only during daytime hours and during the warmest period each day. Captures of L. infuscatus overlapping with those of L. canus in April and those of L. californicus in May/June imply the presence of reproductive isolating mechanisms other than seasonal separation of sexual communication periods.
Projected impact of treatment intensification with statin, ezetimibe, and statin plus ezetimibe fixed-dose combination on MACE across six countries
Authors: Farnier Michel , Santos Raul D , Cosin-Sales Juan , Ezhov Marat V , Liu Jian , Granados Denis , Santoni Serena , Khan Irfan , Catapano Alberico L
Published: September 2022

Aims

The 2019 European Society of Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society (ESC/EAS) dyslipidaemia guidelines recommend achievement of low-density lipoprotein cholestrol (LDL-C) goals based on an individual’s risk. We aimed to evaluate the impact of guideline adoption with statin, ezetimibe, and statin plus ezetimibe fixed-dose combination (FDC) on LDL-C goal achievement and incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) across six countries.

Methods and results

A simulation model with a five-year horizon (2020–2024) was developed based on Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Global Burden of Disease Study database with a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario representing status quo, intervention scenario-1 representing treatment with statin and ezetimibe as separate agents, and intervention scenario-2 representing treatment with statin or statin plus ezetimibe FDC. MACE was defined as the composite of myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke, and cardiovascular death. The mean population LDL-C was reduced from 4.25 mmol/L in the BAU scenario, to 3.65 mmol/L and 3.59 mmol/L in intervention scenarios-1 and -2, respectively. Compared with BAU, intervention scenarios-1 and-2 resulted in relative reduction of MACE by 5.4% and 6.4% representing ∼3.7 and 4.4 million MACE averted, respectively, across six countries over 5 years. The absolute benefit in terms of MACE averted was highest for China, whereas France had highest relative reduction in MACE with both intervention scenarios compared with BAU.

Conclusion

The 2019 ESC/EAS guideline-based treatment intensification with strategies based on statin, ezetimibe, and statin plus ezetimibe FDC is estimated to result in a substantial population-level benefit in terms of MACE averted compared with BAU.
Prevalence of insomnia and hypnotic use in Norwegian patients visiting their general practitioner
Authors: Torsvik Sunniva , Bjorvatn Bjørn , Eliassen Knut Eirik , Forthun Ingeborg
Published: September 2022

Background

Sleep problems are common in the general population, but there are few studies on the prevalence of sleep problems and hypnotic use among patients in general practice.

Objectives

To estimate the prevalence of insomnia (based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM], version 5), self-reported sleep problems and hypnotic use among patients in general practice, and explore whether the prevalence depended on patient characteristics.

Methods

A cross-sectional study with questionnaire data collected by 114 final-year medical students while deployed in different general practices in Norway during 2020. A total of 1,848 consecutive and unselected patients (response rate 85.2%) visiting their general practitioners (GPs) completed a one-page questionnaire, that included the validated Bergen Insomnia Scale (BIS), questions on for how long they have had a sleep problem, hypnotic use, and background characteristics. Associations were estimated using a modified Poisson regression model.

Results

The prevalence of chronic insomnia according to BIS was 48.3%, while 46.9% reported chronic sleep problems (sleep problems of ≥3 months) and 17.8% reported hypnotic use. Females, patients with low compared with higher education, and patients who slept shorter or longer than 7–8 h, had higher risk of chronic insomnia disorder (CID), chronic self-reported sleep problems (CSP), and hypnotic use. The oldest age group (≥65 years) had lower risk of chronic insomnia compared with the youngest (18–34) but twice the probability of hypnotic use.

Conclusions

CID, CSP, and hypnotic use were prevalent among patients visiting their GP. Insomnia can be effectively treated and deserves more attention among GPs.
Sensorimotor and Frontoparietal Network Connectivity Are Associated With Subsequent Maintenance of Gait Speed and Episodic Memory in Older Adults
Authors: Hsu Chun Liang , Manor Brad , Travison Thomas , Pascual-Leone Alvaro , Lipsitz Lewis A
Published: September 2022

Background

Slow gait is predictive of functional impairments in older adults, while concomitant slow gait and cognitive complaints are associated with a greater risk for cognitive decline and dementia. However, functional neural correlates for gait speed maintenance are unclear. As the sensorimotor network (SMN) and frontoparietal network (FPN) are integral components of these functions, this study investigated differences in SMN and FPN in older adults with/without gait speed decline over 24 months; and whether these networks were associated with the maintenance of cognitive function.

Methods

We included 42 community-dwelling older adults aged >70 years from the MOBILIZE Boston Study. Resting-state fMRI was performed at the study baseline. Participant characteristics, gait speed, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) were assessed at baseline and at 24-month follow-up. Decliners were identified as individuals with >0.05 meters/second decline in gait speed from baseline to 24 months. Of the 26 decliners and 16 maintainers, decliners exhibited a significant decline in delayed-recall performance on the HVLT over 24 months.

Results

Controlling for baseline age and multiple comparisons, contrary to initial hypothesis, maintainers exhibited lower baseline primary motor and premotor connectivity (p = .01) within the SMN, and greater baseline ventral visual–supramarginal gyrus connectivity within the FPN (p = .02) compared to decliners. Lower primary motor–premotor connectivity was correlated with maintenance of delayed-recall performance on the HVLT (p = .04).

Conclusion

These findings demonstrated a potential compensatory mechanism involved in the link between the decline in gait speed and episodic memory, whereby baseline connectivity of the SMN and FPN may underlie subsequent maintenance of gait speed and cognitive function in old age.
Feasibility of multimedia animations as preoperative guides for urgent abdominal surgeries in a public hospital in Brazil
Authors: Schnitman Gabriel , Gomes Danila , Deckelbaum Dan , Utiyama Edivaldo Massazo
Published: September 2022

Health literacy, culture and language play vital roles in patients’ understanding of health issues. Obstacles are more evident in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where inadequate patient education levels are higher and hospital resources are lower. This is a prospective pilot study assessing the feasibility of digital preoperative animations as guides for surgical patients. Patients admitted to a public hospital in Brazil for acute cholecystitis or appendicitis were included. Feasibility was represented by acceptability rate and ease of integration with department protocols. Thirty-four patients were included, and 26 patients concluded the intervention (76.5% acceptability rate). Demographic factors seemed to affect the results, indicated by higher acceptability from those with lower education levels, from younger patients and from women. Few studies have evaluated the use of multimedia resources for surgical patients, and no studies assessed the use of animations as digital patient education resources in an LMIC. This study demonstrated that the use of animations for patient education in LMICs is feasible. A step-based approach is proposed to aid the implementation of patient education digital interventions. The use of digital multimedia animations as preoperative guides in LMICs is feasible. It may help improve patient education and promote clinical benefits.
TVIR: a comprehensive vegetable information resource database for comparative and functional genomic studies
Authors: Yu Tong , Ma Xiao , Liu Zhuo , Feng Xuehuan , Wang Zhiyuan , Ren Jun , Cao Rui , Zhang Yingchao , Nie Fulei , Song Xiaoming
Published: September 2022

Vegetables are an indispensable part of the daily diet of humans. Therefore, it is vital to systematically study the genomic data of vegetables and build a platform for data sharing and analysis. In this study, a comprehensive platform for vegetables with a user-friendly Web interface—The Vegetable Information Resource (TVIR, http://tvir.bio2db.com)—was built based on the genomes of 59 vegetables. TVIR database contains numerous important functional genes, including 5215 auxin genes, 2437 anthocyanin genes, 15 002 flowering genes, 79 830 resistance genes, and 2639 glucosinolate genes of 59 vegetables. In addition, 2597 N6-methyladenosine (m6A) genes were identified, including 513 writers, 1058 erasers, and 1026 readers. A total of 2 101 501 specific clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) guide sequences and 17 377 miRNAs were detected and deposited in TVIR database. Information on gene synteny, duplication, and orthologs is also provided for 59 vegetable species. TVIR database contains 2 346 850 gene annotations by the Swiss-Prot, TrEMBL, Gene Ontology (GO), Pfam, and Non-redundant (Nr) databases. Synteny, Primer Design, Blast, and JBrowse tools are provided to facilitate users in conducting comparative genomic analyses. This is the first large-scale collection of vegetable genomic data and bioinformatic analysis. All genome and gene sequences, annotations, and bioinformatic results can be easily downloaded from TVIR. Furthermore, transcriptome data of 98 vegetables have been collected and collated, and can be searched by species, tissues, or different growth stages. TVIR is expected to become a key hub for vegetable research globally. The database will be updated with newly assembled vegetable genomes and comparative genomic studies in the future.
Procedural Rights in the Outskirts of Criminal Law: European Union Administrative Fines
Authors: Kärner Markus
Published: September 2022

The article analyses the application of criminal-head guarantees to European Union legislation requiring Member States to lay down rules on administrative fines. EU legislation requiring Member States to stipulate administrative fines for breaches of EU law has been on a steady increase. The proliferation of such sanctions with little harmonisation of applicable procedural safeguards opens doors for misuses of punitive power. The first part of the article analyses the application of the Engel criteria and the Jussila exception for offences falling short of the hard-core of criminal law. The article highlights the discrepancies in the case law and suggests an alternative to the moral stigma approach in applying the Jussila exception. The second part of the article assesses whether the case law of the ECJ provides similar results and to which extent has the Union’s legislator harmonised or precluded procedural safeguards regarding administrative fines.