bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct-to-consumer tests advertised online in Australia and their implications for medical overuse: systematic online review and a typology of clinical utility
Authors: Shih Patti , Ding Pauline , Carter Stacy M , Stanaway Fiona , Horvath Andrea R , Langguth Daman , Saad Mirette , St John Andrew , Bell Katy
Published: December 2023

Objectives

The objective of this study is to map the range and variety of direct-to-consumer (DTC) tests advertised online in Australia and analyse their potential clinical utility and implications for medical overuse.

Design

Systematic online search of DTC test products in Google and Google Shopping. DTC test advertisements data were collected and analysed to develop a typology of potential clinical utility of the tests at population level, assessing their potential benefits and harms using available evidence, informed by concepts of medical overuse.

Results

We identified 484 DTC tests (103 unique products), ranging from $A12.99 to $A1947 in cost (mean $A197.83; median $A148.50). Using our typology, we assigned the tests into one of four categories: tests with potential clinical utility (10.7%); tests with limited clinical utility (30.6%); non-evidence-based commercial ‘health checks’ (41.9%); and tests whose methods and/or target conditions are not recognised by the general medical community (16.7%). Of the products identified, 56% did not state that they offered pretest or post-test consultation, and 51% did not report analytical performance of the test or laboratory accreditation.

Conclusions

This first-in-Australia study shows most DTC tests sold online have low potential clinical utility, with healthy consumers constituting the main target market. Harms may be caused by overdiagnosis, high rates of false positives and treatment decisions led by non-evidence-based tests, as well as financial costs of unnecessary and inappropriate testing. Regulatory mechanisms should demand a higher standard of evidence of clinical utility and efficacy for DTC tests. Better transparency and reporting of health outcomes, and the development of decision-support resources for consumers are needed.
External validation of the QCovid 2 and 3 risk prediction algorithms for risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality in adults: a national cohort study in Scotland
Authors: Kerr Steven , Millington Tristan , Rudan Igor , McCowan Colin , Tibble Holly , Jeffrey Karen , Fagbamigbe Adeniyi Francis , Simpson Colin R , Robertson Chris , Hippisley-Cox Julia , Sheikh Aziz
Published: December 2023

Objective

The QCovid 2 and 3 algorithms are risk prediction tools developed during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that can be used to predict the risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality, taking vaccination status into account. In this study, we assess their performance in Scotland.

Methods

We used the Early Pandemic Evaluation and Enhanced Surveillance of COVID-19 national data platform consisting of individual-level data for the population of Scotland (5.4 million residents). Primary care data were linked to reverse-transcription PCR virology testing, hospitalisation and mortality data. We assessed the discrimination and calibration of the QCovid 2 and 3 algorithms in predicting COVID-19 hospitalisations and deaths between 8 December 2020 and 15 June 2021.

Results

Our validation dataset comprised 465 058 individuals, aged 19–100. We found the following performance metrics (95% CIs) for QCovid 2 and 3: Harrell’s C 0.84 (0.82 to 0.86) for hospitalisation, and 0.92 (0.90 to 0.94) for death, observed-expected ratio of 0.24 for hospitalisation and 0.26 for death (ie, both the number of hospitalisations and the number of deaths were overestimated), and a Brier score of 0.0009 (0.00084 to 0.00096) for hospitalisation and 0.00036 (0.00032 to 0.0004) for death.

Conclusions

We found good discrimination of the QCovid 2 and 3 algorithms in Scotland, although performance was worse in higher age groups. Both the number of hospitalisations and the number of deaths were overestimated.
Defining anthropometric thresholds (mid-arm circumference and calf circumference) in older adults residing in the community: a cross-sectional analysis using data from the population representative Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI DAD)
Authors: Bhagwasia Manjusha , Rao Abhijith Rajaram , Banerjee Joyita , Bajpai Swati , Khobragade Pranali Yogiraj , Raman Aruna V , Talukdar Arunanshu , Jain Arvind , Rajguru Chhaya , Sankhe Lalit , Goswami Debabrata , Shanthi Ganapathy Sankaralingam , Kumar Govind , Varghese Mathew , Dhar Minakshi , Gupta Monica , Koul Parvaiz A , Mohanty Rashmi Ranjan , Chakrabarti Sankha Shubhra , Yadati Sathyanarayana Raju , Dey Sharmistha , Lee Jinkook , Dey Aparajit Ballav
Published: December 2023

Objectives

To identify factors associated with malnutrition (undernutrition and overnutrition) and determine appropriate cut-off values for mid-arm circumference (MAC) and calf circumference (CC) among community-dwelling Indian older adults.

Design

Data from the first wave of harmonised diagnostic assessment of dementia for Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI-DAD) were used. Various sociodemographic factors, comorbidities, geriatric syndromes, childhood financial and health status were included. Anthropometric measurements included body mass index (BMI), MAC and CC.

Setting

Nationally representative cohort study including 36 Indian states and union territories.

Participants

4096 older adults aged >60 years from LASI DAD.

Outcome measures

The outcome variable was BMI, categorised as low (<18.5 kg/m2), normal (18.5–22.9 kg/m2) and high (>23 kg/m2). The cut-off values of MAC and CC were derived using ROC curve with BMI as the gold standard.

Results

902 (weighted percentage 20.55%) had low BMI, 1742 (44.25%) had high BMI. Undernutrition was associated with age, wealth-quintile and impaired cognition, while overnutrition was associated with higher education, urban living and comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes and chronic heart disease. For CC, the optimal lower and upper cut-offs for males were 28.1 cm and >31.5 cm, respectively, while for females, the corresponding values were 26 cm and >29 cm. Similarly, the optimal lower and upper cut-offs for MAC in males were 23.9 cm and >26.9 cm, and for females, they were 22.5 cm and >25 cm.

Conclusion

Our study identifies a high BMI prevalence, especially among females, individuals with higher education, urban residents and those with comorbidities. We establish gender-specific MAC and CC cut-off values with significant implications for healthcare, policy and research. Tailored interventions can address undernutrition and overnutrition in older adults, enhancing standardised nutritional assessment and well-being.
Key factors for effective implementation of healthcare workers support interventions after patient safety incidents in health organisations: a scoping review
Authors: Guerra-Paiva Sofia , Lobão Maria João , Simões Diogo Godinho , Fernandes Joana , Donato Helena , Carrillo Irene , Mira José Joaquín , Sousa Paulo
Published: December 2023

Objectives

This study aims to map and frame the main factors present in support interventions successfully implemented in health organisations in order to provide timely and adequate response to healthcare workers (HCWs) after patient safety incidents (PSIs).

Design

Scoping review guided by the six-stage approach proposed by Arksey and O’Malley and by PRISMA-ScR.

Data sources

CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, Epistemonikos, PsycINFO, PubMed, SciELO Citation Index, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, reference lists of the eligible articles, websites and a consultation group.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies

Empirical studies (original articles) were prioritised. We used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool Version 2018 to conduct a quality assessment of the eligible studies.

Data extraction and synthesis

A total of 9766 records were retrieved (last update in November 2022). We assessed 156 articles for eligibility in the full-text screening. Of these, 29 articles met the eligibility criteria. The articles were independently screened by two authors. In the case of disagreement, a third author was involved. The collected data were organised according to the Organisational factors, People, Environment, Recommendations from other Audies, Attributes of the support interventions. We used EndNote to import articles from the databases and Rayyan to support the screening of titles and abstracts.

Results

The existence of an organisational culture based on principles of trust and non-judgement, multidisciplinary action, leadership engagement and strong dissemination of the support programmes’ were crucial factors for their effective implementation. Training should be provided for peer supporters and leaders to facilitate the response to HCWs’ needs. Regular communication among the implementation team, allocation of protected time, funding and continuous monitoring are useful elements to the sustainability of the programmes.

Conclusion

HCWs’ well-being depends on an adequate implementation of a complex group of interrelated factors to support them after PSIs.
Social isolation, loneliness and subsequent risk of major adverse cardiovascular events among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Liang Yannis Yan , Chen Yilin , Feng Hongliang , Xue Huachen , Nie Yu , Ai Qi-Yong H , Ma Jiacheng , Yang Lulu , Zhang Jihui , Ai Sizhi
Published: December 2023

Background

Individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are more vulnerable to social disconnection compared with the general population; however, there are few relevant studies investigating this issue.

Aims

To investigate whether social isolation or loneliness may be associated with subsequent risk of developing major adverse cardiovascular events, whether these associations vary according to fatal and non-fatal outcomes and how behavioural, psychological and physiological factors mediate these associations.

Methods

This longitudinal analysis included data from 19 360 individuals with T2DM at baseline (2006–2010) from the UK Biobank. Social isolation and loneliness were measured using self-report questionnaires. The study outcomes included the first events of myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke (n=2273) and all-cause (n=2820) or cardiovascular disease-related mortality through linked hospital data or death registries.

Results

Over a median follow-up of 12.4 years (interquartile range (IQR): 11.6–13.3 years), participants who were more socially isolated (most social isolation vs least social isolation) experienced increased risks for all-cause (hazard ratio (HR) : 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19 to 1.47) and cardiovascular disease (HR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.59) mortality but not first MI or stroke. Loneliness (yes vs no) was associated with a greater risk for a composite of incident MI or stroke (HR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.19 to 1.57) but not mortality. Social isolation was associated with fatal MI and stroke, whereas loneliness was associated with non-fatal MI and stroke. The significant associations of social isolation and loneliness with outcomes were mainly mediated by behavioural factors (mediating proportion: 17.8%–28.2% and 17.6%–17.8%, respectively).

Conclusions

Among individuals with T2DM, social isolation and loneliness are associated with a greater risk of developing major adverse cardiovascular events, with differences in both risks stratified according to fatal and non-fatal events and underlying mediating factors.
Are JAKis more effective among elderly patients with RA, smokers and those with higher cardiovascular risk? A comparative effectiveness study of b/tsDMARDs in Sweden
Authors: Bower Hannah , Frisell Thomas , di Giuseppe Daniela , Delcoigne Benedicte , Lindström Ulf , Turesson Carl , Chatzidionysiou Katerina , Lindqvist Elisabet , Knight Ann , Forsblad-d'Elia Helena , Askling Johan
Published: December 2023

Objectives

To investigate whether the relative effectiveness of janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis) versus tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) or other biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis differ by the presence or absence of risk factors for cardiovascular (CV) disease, age, sex and smoking.

Methods

Through Swedish registers, we identified 13 493 individuals with 3166 JAKi, 5575 non-TNFi and 11 286 TNFi treatment initiations 2016–2022. All lines of therapy were included, with the majority in second line or higher. Treatment response was defined as the proportion reaching European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) good response and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) remission, respectively, within 6 months. Crude percentage point differences in these proportions (JAKis, and non-TNFis, vs TNFis) overall and by risk factors were observed, and adjusted for confounders using linear regression models. Predicted probabilities of response and remission were estimated from adjusted Poisson models, and presented across CV risk and age.

Results

Overall, adjusted percentage point differences indicated higher response (+5.0%, 95% CI 2.2% to 7.9%) and remission (+5.8%, 95% CI 3.2% to 8.5%) with JAKis versus TNFis. The adjusted percentage point differences for response in those above 65, at elevated CV risk, and smokers were +5.9% (95% CI 2.7% to 9.0%), +8.3% (95% CI 5.3% to 11.4%) and +6.0% (95% CI 3.3% to 8.7%), respectively. The corresponding estimates for remission were +8.0% (95% CI 5.3% to 10.8%), +5.6% (95% CI 3.0% to 8.2%) and +7.6% (95% CI 5.5% to 9.7%).

Conclusions

As used in clinical practice, response and remission at 6 months with JAKis are higher than with TNFi. Among patients with risk factors of concern, effectiveness is similar or numerically further increased. For individualised benefit-to-risk ratios to guide treatment choice, safety and effectiveness in specific patient segments should be considered.
Treatment and monitoring of SAPHO syndrome: a systematic review
Authors: Li Sophie W S , Roberts Eve , Hedrich Christian
Published: December 2023

Background and objectives

Synovitis acne pustulosis hyperostosis osteitis (SAPHO) is a rare heterogeneous disease of unknown aetiopathology. Externally validated and internationally agreed diagnostic criteria or outcomes and, as a result, prospective randomised controlled trials in SAPHO are absent. Consequently, there is no agreed treatment standard. This study aimed to systematically collate and discuss treatment options in SAPHO.

Methods

Following ‘Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses’ guidance, a systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases. Prospective clinical studies and retrospective case collections discussing management and outcomes in SAPHO involving five or more participants were included. Articles not published in English, studies not reporting defined outcomes, and studies solely relying on patient-reported outcomes were excluded.

Results

A total of 28 studies (20 observational, 8 open-label clinical studies) reporting 796 patients of predominantly European ethnicity were included. Reported therapies varied greatly, with many centres using multiple treatments in parallel. Most patients (37.1%) received non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs alone or in combination. Bisphosphonates (22.1%), conventional (21.7%) and biological (11.3%) disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs were the next most frequently reported treatments. Reported outcomes varied and delivered mixed results, which complicates comparisons. Bisphosphonates demonstrated the most consistent improvement of osteoarticular symptoms and were associated with transient influenza-like symptoms. Paradoxical skin reactions were reported in patients treated with TNF inhibitors, but no serious adverse events were recorded. Most treatments had limited or mixed effects on cutaneous involvement. A recent study investigating the Janus kinase inhibitor tofacitinib delivered promising results in relation to skin and nail involvement.

Conclusions

No single currently available treatment option sufficiently addresses all SAPHO-associated symptoms. Variable, sometimes descriptive outcomes and the use of treatment combinations complicate conclusions and treatment recommendations. Randomised clinical trials are necessary to generate reliable evidence.
A Sequential End-to-End Neonatal Sleep Staging Model with Squeeze and Excitation Blocks and Sequential Multi-Scale Convolution Neural Networks
Authors: Zhu Hangyu , Xu Yan , Wu Yonglin , Shen Ning , Wang Laishuan , Chen Chen , Chen Wei
Published: December 2023

Automatic sleep staging offers a quick and objective assessment for quantitatively interpreting sleep stages in neonates. However, most of the existing studies either do not encompass any temporal information, or simply apply neural networks to exploit temporal information at the expense of high computational overhead and modeling ambiguity. This limits the application of these methods to multiple scenarios. In this paper, a sequential end-to-end sleep staging model, SeqEESleepNet, which is competent for parallelly processing sequential epochs and has a fast training rate to adapt to different scenarios, is proposed. SeqEESleepNet consists of a sequence epoch generation (SEG) module, a sequential multi-scale convolution neural network (SMSCNN) and squeeze and excitation (SE) blocks. The SEG module expands independent epochs into sequential signals, enabling the model to learn the temporal information between sleep stages. SMSCNN is a multi-scale convolution neural network that can extract both multi-scale features and temporal information from the signal. Subsequently, the followed SE block can reassign the weights of features through mapping and pooling. Experimental results exhibit that in a clinical dataset, the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches, achieving an overall accuracy, F1-score, and Kappa coefficient of 71.8%, 71.8%, and 0.684 on a three-class classification task with a single channel EEG signal. Based on our overall results, we believe the proposed method could pave the way for convenient multi-scenario neonatal sleep staging methods.
General spin sums in Quantum Field Theory
Authors: José Bueno Rogerio Rodolfo , Fabbri Luca
Published: December 2023

In Quantum Field Theory (QFT), scattering amplitudes are computed from propagators which, for internal lines, are built upon spin/polarization-sum relationships. In turn, these are normally constructed upon plane-wave solutions of the free field equations. A question that may now arise is whether such spin/polarization-sums can be generalized. In the past, there has been a first attempt at generalizing spin sums for fermionic fields in terms of the Michel–Wightman identities. In this paper, we aim to find the most general spin sums for fermionic fields within the range of QFT.
Theoretical study of excitation profiles of coherent anti-stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) and applications to carotenoids
Authors: Tatishvili G. D. , Zakaraya M. G. , Gogoli D. G. , Kruchinin S. P.
Published: December 2023

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) spectroscopy is a nonlinear optical technique that is used to investigate many different chemical and biological systems. This tool is very efficient and essentially completely rejects fluorescence. As is well known, the excitation profiles of resonance CARS are mostly used to estimate the origin shift parameters with electronic excitation for vibrations with resonantly enhanced Raman components that give information about the molecular structure and its changes in an excited electronic state. Certainly, it is necessary to have an appropriate theoretical model for pragmatically representing these processes and considering the joint (simultaneous) impact of different broadening mechanisms. The theoretical model presented in the paper is the most general and is free from a priori assumptions. Also, the mathematical algorithm created on its basis is flexible and fast for quantitative calculations.
Damage Analysis of Urban Comprehensive Pipe Gallery Caused by Internal Gas Explosion Based on HHT
Authors: Li Linna , Ma Zhengying , Zhong Dongwang , Li Tengfei , Zhang Qi
Published: December 2023

In this paper, the method of embedding piezoelectric ceramic sensors is used to test the damage of the materials and models of the urban comprehensive pipe gallery. The monitoring signal is processed by HHT method, and the frequency and energy changes of the piezoelectric signal before and after the explosion were analyzed, thus the damage characteristics of the urban comprehensive pipe gallery under the internal gas explosion are determined. The results show that in the gas explosion test inside the pipe gallery model, the waveform and peak value of the piezoelectric signal before and after the explosion did not change significantly, indicating that there was no obvious damage to the side wall of the integrated pipe gallery. However, after further time-frequency analysis of the piezoelectric signal by HHT, it is found that the dominant frequency of the piezoelectric signal after explosion has a downward trend, so it is judged that there is a small damage in the pipe gallery after explosion.
Online Multi-Resource Allocation for Network Slicing in 5G with Distributed Algorithms
Authors: Tang Xuebin
Published: December 2023

With the increasing scale of mobile cellular network applications, 5G mobile network infrastructure provides customizable services to users in the form of network slices. How to effectively allocate existing resources in real dynamic networks with time-varying network utility is a key issue that previous work did not consider. This paper first initializes the multi-resource allocation problem of network slicing in an online manner, where the utility function is set to change over time. Therefore, we propose Metis, an online network slicing resource allocation framework that combines the time-varying nature of the network utility function given bandwidth and processing power constraints with the requirement of virtual network function isolation. The goal is to maximize the cumulative network utility in the long term and specify multiple resource allocation problems by utilizing concave optimization methods. In addition, a distributed algorithm based on the online alternating direction method of multipliers with regret optimization has been developed to achieve optimal resource allocation. Our mathematical analysis proves that Metis can provably converge to the optimal solution and the result of experiments demonstrates a steady state behavior of Metis, which converges in dynamic network settings.
A Small Target Segmentation-Based Assistive Medical Diagnosis Method via Multimedia Data Analysis
Authors: Chen Tao , Huang Yanfeng , Li Yuping
Published: December 2023

The assistive medical diagnosis via multimedia data analysis has been a hot research topic in the area of intelligent health management, which saves a lot of human labor for the hospital. In that, a typical task is to detect and extract key small targets from the medical images. How to ensure detection speed and recognition precision is of great importance to the final practicability of the intelligent techniques. In this paper, we proposed a small target segmentation-based intelligent assistive diagnosis method for this purpose. In the stage of data pre-processing, data enhancement is employed to reduce the effects caused by noise, blur, and low image contrast. In the stage of decoding, a new upsampling method is designed to compensate for information in space and channels to help the network recover feature map resolution, reduce information loss, and improve the segmentation accuracy of smaller tissues or lesions. Such design of a multi-scale adaptive detail feature fusion module is able to make full use of features at different scales to recover high-level detail features, thus improving the segmentation accuracy of structurally complex tissues. Some simulative experiments aided by deep learning programming tools are conducted on the real-world multimedia data (CT, MRI, PET, etc.), so as to evaluate the proposed assistive diagnosis method. It can be concluded from the achieved results that the proposal is well suitable for multimedia data analysis of the experimental scenes.
Image Classification Method Based on Multi-Scale Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Du Shaobo , Li Jing
Published: December 2023

Traditional convolutional neural networks (CNNs) typically use fixed scale convolutional kernels for feature extraction when processing image classification tasks, while ignoring the multi-scale information present in the image. To overcome this limitation, we propose an algorithm based on multi-scale CNNs, which capture features at different levels by introducing convolutional kernels of different scales into the convolutional layer. In this study, we first designed a multi-scale convolutional layer consisting of multiple convolutional kernels of different scales to extract multi-scale features of the image. To further enhance classification performance, we introduced a multi-scale feature fusion module that can effectively fuse features of different scales and classify them through a fully connected layer. Then we conducted extensive experiments on several commonly used image classification datasets. The experimental results show that this network can not only effectively identify and locate hyperspectral image targets in different scenarios, but also reduce missed detections and false positives during the detection process. The average accuracy of the improved model has been improved, and the recognition accuracy of some small markers affected by external factors such as occlusion and lighting has also been improved. In addition, by comparing the detection effect of a single image, the progressiveness and anti-leakage ability of the improved model are proved. The image classification method based on multi-scale CNNs has broad application prospects in image recognition and feature extraction, and can provide valuable reference and reference for research in related fields.
The omega-reducibility of pseudovarieties of ordered monoids representing low levels of concatenation hierarchies
Authors: Volaříková Jana
Published: December 2023

We deal with the question of the [Formula: see text]-reducibility of pseudovarieties of ordered monoids corresponding to levels of concatenation hierarchies of regular languages. A pseudovariety of ordered monoids [Formula: see text] is called [Formula: see text]-reducible if, given a finite ordered monoid M, for every inequality of pseudowords that is valid in [Formula: see text], there exists an inequality of [Formula: see text]-words that is also valid in [Formula: see text] and has the same “imprint” in M.

Place and Zeitoun have recently proven the decidability of the membership problem for levels [Formula: see text], 1, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] of concatenation hierarchies with level 0 being a finite Boolean algebra of regular languages closed under quotients. The solutions of these membership problems have been found by considering a more general problem of separation of regular languages and its further generalization — a problem of covering. Following the results of Place and Zeitoun, we prove that, for every concatenation hierarchy with level 0 being represented by a locally finite pseudovariety of monoids, the pseudovarieties corresponding to levels [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are [Formula: see text]-reducible. As a corollary of these results, we obtain that, for every concatenation hierarchy with level 0 being represented by a locally finite pseudovariety of monoids, the pseudovarieties corresponding to levels [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are definable by [Formula: see text]-inequalities. Furthermore, in the special case of the Straubing–Thérien hierarchy, using a characterization theorem for level 2 by Place and Zeitoun, we obtain that the level 2 is definable by [Formula: see text]-identities.
A two-variable polynomial invariant of virtual knots
Authors: Jeong Myeong–Ju
Published: December 2023

In this paper, we introduce a polynomial invariant of virtual knots by using weights of crossings. It is motivated from the writhe polynomial and the affine index polynomial for virtual knots. The new polynomial invariant is distinct from these polynomials and is a Vassiliev invariant of degree 1. By using the polynomial invariant we give a lower bound for the Gordian distance of two homotopic virtual knots.
Unimodular-like times, evolution and Brans–Dicke gravity
Authors: Bassani Paolo M. , Magueijo João
Published: December 2023

In unimodular-like theories, the constants of nature are demoted from pre-given parameters to phase space variables. Their canonical duals provide physical time variables. We investigate how this interacts with an alternative approach to varying constants, where they are replaced by dynamical scalar fields. Specifically, we investigate the Brans–Dicke theory of gravity and its interaction with clocks dual to the cosmological constant, the Planck mass, etc. We crucially distinguish between the different role of Newton’s G in this process, leading to the possibility of local Lorentz invariance violation. A large number of possible theories emerge, for example where the Brans–Dicke coupling, [Formula: see text], depends on unimodular-like times (in a generalization of scalar-tensor theories), or even become the dual variable to unimodular-like clocks ticking variations in other demoted constants, such as the cosmological constant. We scan the space of possible theories and select those most interesting regarding the joint variations of the Brans–Dicke [Formula: see text] and other parameters, (such as the cosmological constant); and also regarding their energy conservation violation properties. This ground work is meant to provide the formalism for further developments, namely regarding cosmology, black holes and the cosmological constant problem.
Properties of the 7He ground state studied by the 6He(d,p)7He reaction
Authors: Bezbakh A. A. , Golovkov M. S. , Denikin A. S. , Wolski R. , Belogurov S. G. , Biare D. , Chudoba V. , Fomichev A. S. , Gazeeva E. M. , Gorshkov A. V. , Kaminski G. , Khamidullin B. R. , Khirk M. , Krupko S. A. , Mauyey B. , Muzalevskii I. A. , Piatek W. , Quynh A. M. , Sidorchuk S. I. , Slepnev R. S. , Swiercz A. , Ter-Akopian G. M. , Zalewski B.
Published: December 2023

The 7He nucleus was studied using the 6He[Formula: see text]He reaction in inverse kinematics at 29 [Formula: see text]MeV 6He beam delivered by the ACCULINNA-2 fragment separator (FLNR, JINR). The registration of neutrons from [Formula: see text] decay made it possible to derive the 7He ground state parameters, the decay energy of 0.38(2)[Formula: see text]MeV and width of 0.11(3)[Formula: see text]MeV.
A global Morse index theorem and applications to Jacobi fields on CMC surfaces
Authors: Huang Wu-Hsiung
Published: December 2023

In this paper, we establish a “global” Morse index theorem. Given a hypersurface [Formula: see text] of constant mean curvature, immersed in [Formula: see text]. Consider a continuous deformation of “generalized” Lipschitz domain [Formula: see text] enlarging in [Formula: see text]. The topological type of [Formula: see text] is permitted to change along [Formula: see text], so that [Formula: see text] has an arbitrary shape which can “reach afar” in [Formula: see text], i.e. cover any preassigned area. The proof of the global Morse index theorem is reduced to the continuity in [Formula: see text] of the Sobolev space [Formula: see text] of variation functions on [Formula: see text], as well as the continuity of eigenvalues of the stability operator. We devise a “detour” strategy by introducing a notion of “set-continuity” of [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text] to yield the required continuities of [Formula: see text] and of eigenvalues. The global Morse index theorem thus follows and provides a structural theorem of the existence of Jacobi fields on domains in [Formula: see text].
Perspective functions with nonlinear scaling
Authors: Briceño-Arias Luis M. , Combettes Patrick L. , Silva Francisco J.
Published: December 2023

The classical perspective of a function is a construction which transforms a convex function into one that is jointly convex with respect to an auxiliary scaling variable. Motivated by applications in several areas of applied analysis, we investigate an extension of this construct in which the scaling variable is replaced by a nonlinear term. Our construction is placed in the general context of locally convex spaces and it generates a lower semicontinuous convex function under broad assumptions on the underlying functions. Various convex-analytical properties are established and closed-form expressions are derived. Several applications are presented.
The set of representatives and explicit factorization of xn − 1 over finite fields
Authors: Singh Manjit , Deepak
Published: December 2023

Let [Formula: see text] be a positive integer and let [Formula: see text] be a finite field with [Formula: see text] elements, where [Formula: see text] is a prime power and [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we give the explicit factorization of [Formula: see text] over [Formula: see text] and count the number of its irreducible factors for the following conditions: [Formula: see text] are odd and [Formula: see text]. First, we present a method to obtain the set of all representatives of [Formula: see text]-cyclotomic cosets modulo [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text]. This set of representatives is then used to find the irreducible factors of [Formula: see text] and the cyclotomic polynomial [Formula: see text] over [Formula: see text]. The form of irreducible factors of [Formula: see text] is characterized such that the coefficients of these irreducible factors are followed by second-order linear recurring sequences.
Kostant’s generating functions and Mckay–Slodowy correspondence
Authors: Jing Naihuan , Li Zhijun , Wang Danxia
Published: December 2023

Let [Formula: see text] be a pair of finite subgroups of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] a finite-dimensional fundamental [Formula: see text]-module. We study Kostant’s generating functions for the decomposition of the [Formula: see text]-module [Formula: see text] restricted to [Formula: see text] in connection with the McKay–Slodowy correspondence. In particular, the classical Kostant formula was generalized to a uniform version of the Poincaré series for the symmetric invariants in which the multiplicities of any individual module in the symmetric algebra are completely determined.
Enhancing the fidelity of controlled cyclic teleportation via quantum weak measurement techniques to combat the decoherence due to amplitude damping
Authors: Singh Deepak , Kumar Sanjeev
Published: December 2023

This study focuses on the impact of amplitude-damping noise, which diminishes the fidelity of the teleported quantum state on an existing cyclic quantum teleportation scheme [V. Verma, D. Yadav and D. K. Mishra, Opt. Quantum Electron. 53 (2021) 1]. The CQT scheme involves three participants performing a cyclic teleportation along with a controller to supervise the protocol. We also propose weak measurement and reversal measurement operations as potential solutions to combat the noise-induced decoherence and improve the fidelity of the existing CQT scheme. The simulation results showcase the improvements achieved in the fidelity calculation when implementing the potential solutions. The findings hold immense potential for quantum information communications in practical situations.
Learning an Image-Based Visual Servoing Controller for Object Grasping
Authors: Wang Shuaijun , Sun Lining , Li Mantian , Wang Pengfei , Zha Fusheng , Guo Wei , Li Qiang
Published: December 2023

Adaptive and cooperative control of arms and fingers for natural object reaching and grasping, without explicit 3D geometric pose information, is observed in humans. In this study, an image-based visual servoing controller, inspired by human grasping behavior, is proposed for an arm-gripper system. A large-scale dataset is constructed using Pybullet simulation, comprising paired images and arm-gripper control signals mimicking expert grasping behavior. Leveraging this dataset, a network is directly trained to derive a control policy that maps images to cooperative grasp control. Subsequently, the learned synergy grasping policy from the network is directly applied to a real robot with the same configuration. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. Videos can be found at https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1tg4y1b7Qe/ .
Ionic Liquids Nanoliposomes Based on Targeted and Active Permeability for Enhanced Combination Chemotherapy Efficiency
Authors: Su Kai , Chen Peng , Gao Hao , Zhai Yuan , Qiao Youbei , Wang Chaoli , Yang Feng
Published: December 2023

Tumor microenvironment severely restricts the delivery of chemotherapy drugs. The microenvironment responsive nanoparticles often have complex designs with hampered clinical translatability. Here, we show a kind of ionic liquids (ILs) with soybean lecithin (SL) as cation, folic acid (FA) as anion, in particular, it could formulate nanoliposome by film evaporation method to deliver cis-Diamineplatinum (II) dichloride (cisplatin, Cis) and doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX). These special ILs liposome could target tumor cells via folate receptor-mediated endocytosis by enhancing the cellular uptake, and significantly improve the deep permeability by actively infiltrating throughout the tumor tissue owing to the special noncovalent bond between SL–FA ILs with cell membrane. Moreover, ILs liposomes improve delivery efficiency of Cis and DOX and enhance the combined chemotherapeutic effect. The simple preparation process of the ILs nanoliposome should facilitate the clinical transformation of nanodrugs.
Steady-state bifurcations and patterns formation in a diffusive toxic-phytoplankton–zooplankton model
Authors: Yang Jingen , Hui Yuanxian , Zhao Zhong
Published: December 2023

In this paper, we study a diffusive toxic-phytoplankton–zooplankton model with prey-taxis under Neumann boundary condition. By analyzing the characteristic equation, we discuss the local stability of the positive constant solutions and show the repulsive prey-taxis is the key factor that destabilizes the solutions. By means of the abstract bifurcation theorem, we investigate the existence of non-constant positive steady-state solutions bifurcating from the constant coexistence equilibrium. Furthermore, we obtain the criterion for the stability of the branching solutions near the bifurcation point. Numerical simulations support our theoretical results, together with some interesting phenomena, stable heterogeneous periodic solutions emerge when prey-tactic sensitivity coefficient is well below the critical value, and zooplankton populations present extinction and continued transitions as habitat size increases.
Comprehensive analysis of disease dynamics using nonlinear fractional order SEIRS model with Crowley–Martin functional response and saturated treatment
Authors: Ayoub Bouissa , Najib Tsouli
Published: December 2023

This paper presents a comprehensive study of disease spreading dynamics through the application of a nonlinear fractional order epidemic SEIRS model. By incorporating the Crowley–Martin type functional response and a saturated treatment function, the model effectively captures the intricacies of real-world epidemics. Our research establishes the existence, uniqueness, non-negativity and boundedness of the solution, while also investigating the model’s fundamental reproduction number. Additionally, we conduct a thorough analysis of the specific conditions governing the local and global stability of the model’s equilibriums. A notable observation is the variation of the reproduction number with the fractional-order [Formula: see text], which represents a memory effect on individuals’ dynamic behavior and reveals the influence of interactions between compartments. To validate these theoretical findings, we employ numerical simulations using Matlab, demonstrating that inhibition measures for susceptibles and the saturated treatment parameters play a pivotal role in determining the disease state. Specifically, we observe that as these parameter values increase, the transition from endemic equilibrium to disease-free equilibrium occurs.
Single-cell manipulation by two-dimensional micropatterning
Authors: Ma Xuehe , Zhang Haimei , Deng Shiyu , Sun Qiushuo , Hu Qingsong , Pan Yuhang , Hu Fen , Lee Imshik , Xing Fulin , Pan Leiting
Published: December 2023

Cells are highly sensitive to their geometrical and mechanical microenvironment that directly regulate cell shape, cytoskeleton and organelle, as well as the nucleus morphology and genetic expression. The emerging two-dimensional micropatterning techniques offer powerful tools to construct controllable and well-organized microenvironment for single-cell level investigations with qualitative analysis, cellular standardization, and in vivo environment mimicking. Here, we provide an overview of the basic principle and characteristics of the two most widely-used micropatterning techniques, including photolithographic micropatterning and soft lithography micropatterning. Moreover, we summarize the application of micropatterning technique in controlling cytoskeleton, cell migration, nucleus and gene expression, as well as intercellular communication.
Effects of interfacial buffering layer on imprint and domain switching dynamics in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin-film heterostructures
Authors: Lu Lingzhi , Zheng Chunyan , Zheng Weijie , Dong Chenyu , Yue Yuhao , Xu Yawen , Wen Zheng
Published: December 2023

Interfacial engineering is important for ferroelectric thin-film heterostructures because of the modulation of boundary conditions of the spontaneous polarizations and their switching behaviors, which are essential for ferroelectric electronics. In this work, we study the effects of interfacial buffering layer, 5-nm-thick SrTiO3 (STO), on the imprint and domain switching of epitaxial Pt/Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/SrRuO3 (SRO) thin-film heterostructures and capacitors. By buffering the ultrathin SrTiO3 layer at the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 surface, the imprint effect can be dramatically alleviated as observed in the piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM)-measured domain structures and polarization–electric field hysteresis loops in thin-film capacitors. However, when the SrTiO3 layer is buffered at the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/SrRuO3 interface, the imprint effect is slightly increased. These phenomena are explained based on the band alignments among the Pt and SrRuO3 electrodes and the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 layer associated with the existence of oxygen vacancies in the SrTiO3 layer. With the reduction of imprint effect, the domain switching dynamics are also improved in the SrTiO3-buffered Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 capacitor, in which the switching activation field is decreased by about 45.3% in comparison with that of the pristine capacitor. These results facilitate the design and optimization of ferroelectric devices with the improvements in domain configurations, switching behaviors and band alignments.
Latest results from the DAMPE space mission
Authors: Parenti Andrea
Published: December 2023

The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a particle detector hosted on board a satellite orbiting around the Earth since December 2015. The space mission has been promoted by the Chinese Academy of Science and results from an international effort also including Italian and Swiss institutions. The scientific goals include: indirect detection of Dark Matter signatures in cosmic lepton spectra, study of Cosmic Ray energy spectra up to energies of hundreds of TeV and high-energy gamma ray astronomy. A general overview of the mission will be presented and its main results about the all-electron, proton, helium, light-component (p+He) and heavier nuclei energy spectra, as well as studies on gamma-ray sources, will be discussed.
Annual modulation results from DAMA/LIBRA
Authors: Bernabei R. , Belli P. , Caracciolo V. , Cerulli R. , Di Marco A. , Leoncini A. , Merlo V. , Montecchia F. , Cappella F. , d’Angelo A. , Incicchitti A. , Dai C. J. , Ma X. H. , Sheng X. D. , Ye Z. P.
Published: December 2023

DAMA/LIBRA is an experiment investigating the presence of Dark Matter particles in the Galactic halo. The target detectors are ultra-radiopure NaI(Tl) crystal scintillators. They are placed inside a low-background set-up at the underground Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) of the I.N.F.N.. DAMA/LIBRA has been in operation in two phases by pursuing the annual modulation as signature to point-out in a model-independent way the presence and the features of the Dark Matter (DM) signal in the counting rate. In its second phase of measurement, DAMA/LIBRA–phase2, it has been working with a lower software energy threshold with respect to DAMA/LIBRA–phase1. DAMA/LIBRA–phase2 confirms the evidence of a signal that meets all the requirements of the model independent Dark Matter annual modulation signature, at 11.8 [Formula: see text] C.L. in the energy region (1–6) keV. In the energy region (2–6) keV, where data are also available from DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA–phase1, the achieved C.L. for the full exposure (2.86 ton × yr, 22 annual cycles) is 13.7 [Formula: see text]; the modulation amplitude of the single-hit scintillation events is: [Formula: see text] cpd/kg/keV, and the measured period and phase are well in agreement with those expected for DM particles. Detailed studies have excluded that the observed modulation is due to systematics or side reaction. In this proceedings the results achieved so far by the DAMA/LIBRA experiment and the new ones corresponding to two new annual cycles of data will be presented. Future perspectives of the experiment will be addressed.
Development of modern software to process data collected by the quarknet card
Authors: Petropoulos Michael
Published: December 2023

The [Formula: see text]Net program developed by the EAP Physics Laboratory is a long-term vision for the transfer of knowledge and research practice in secondary education. The students’ involvement is divided into two axes, the construction and calibration of detection devices on the one hand, and the collection and processing of the measurements collected by these devices on the other. The quarknet card is used to collect the data, which records data in hexadecimal format. In this work, the methodology developed is presented, so that the data can be converted into the decimal format familiar to the students, so that they understand exactly what was measured and it is easy to process the experimental data and draw conclusions from them in a modern computing environment.
Asymptotics of the determinant of the modified Bessel functions and the second Painlevé equation
Authors: Chen Yu , Xu Shuai-Xia , Zhao Yu-Qiu
Published: December 2023

In the paper, we consider the extended Gross–Witten–Wadia unitary matrix model by introducing a logarithmic term in the potential. The partition function of the model can be expressed equivalently in terms of the Toeplitz determinant with the [Formula: see text]-entry being the modified Bessel functions of order [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]. When the degree [Formula: see text] is finite, we show that the Toeplitz determinant is described by the isomonodromy [Formula: see text]-function of the Painlevé III equation. As a double scaling limit, we establish an asymptotic approximation of the logarithmic derivative of the Toeplitz determinant, expressed in terms of the Hastings–McLeod solution of the inhomogeneous Painlevé II equation with parameter [Formula: see text]. The asymptotics of the leading coefficient and recurrence coefficient of the associated orthogonal polynomials are also derived. We obtain the results by applying the Deift–Zhou nonlinear steepest descent method to the Riemann–Hilbert problem for orthogonal polynomials on the Hankel loop. The main concern here is the construction of a local parametrix at the critical point [Formula: see text], where the [Formula: see text]-function of the Jimbo–Miwa Lax pair for the inhomogeneous Painlevé II equation is involved.