bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lung Cancer Detection Using a Modified Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)
Authors: Cari Cari , Yunianto Mohtar , Rahmah Aisyah Ajibah
Published: May 2024

Image processing is used to classify lung images with malignant or normal nodules. The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) method is often used to classify images. This study uses a modified CNN architecture with various layers, filters, batch size, dropout, and epoch values. Variations were made to determine the best accuracy value and reduce the overfitting value of the proposed CNN architecture. This study implements the method using the Keras library with the Python programming language. The data is in the form of CT-Scan images of lung cancer and normal lungs. The results of several experiments from the proposed model produce an accuracy value of 95% using three layers, 128 filters on the first layer, 256 on the second layer, and 512 filters on the third layer, then with 32 batch sizes, 0.5 dropout.
Gravity Interpretation of Mud Volcano based on Satellite Data (Study Case Kuwu and Cangkring Mud Volcano)
Authors: Indriana Rina Dwi , Mariyanto Mariyanto , Agustin Eleonora , Iryanti Mimin , Hapsoro Cahyo Aji , Koesuma Sorja , Ashadi Abdul Latif
Published: May 2024

A mud volcano is one type of mountain in the world. Mud volcano has specific characteristics. In Java, several mud volcanoes spread from west to east of Java. Bledug Kuwu and Bledug Cangkring are mud volcanoes in Central Java. Research on the Bledug Kuwu and Cangkring mud volcanoes systems was not done. In this preliminary study, the gravitational field analysis of the Kuwu-Cangkring mud volcano system was done by using GGmPlus satellite data with a 220 m grid and elevation data using ERTM. Free air anomaly data processing obtained a complete Bouguer anomaly value of 23 to 34 mGal. The separation process of anomalies using the upward continuation method produces a local of -0.5 to 0.5 mGal and a regional of 23 mGal to 34 mGal. The local anomaly value of Bledug Kuwu was -0.275 to - 0.05 mGal and Bledug Cangkring-0.125 to 0.1 mGal. The local anomaly around Bledug Cangkring is higher than Bledug Kuwu, indicating a lower density beneath Bledug Kuwu than in Cangkring.
May 2024 Medical Image of the Month: Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia in a Patient on Veno-Arterial Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation
Authors:   Mayo Clinic Minnesota, Rochester, MN USA, Loftsgard Theodore , Wilson Kari , Bohman John
Published: May 2024

No abstract available. Manuscript truncated after 150 words. A 54-year-old man with a complex cardiac history, including Tetralogy of Fallot requiring Blalock-Taussig shunt in infancy, infundibular patch repair at age 7, and bioprosthetic tricuspid valve replacement at age 52, had ongoing frequent hospitalizations with decompensated right ventricular heart failure secondary to native pulmonary valve mixed stenosis plus regurgitation and left pulmonary artery stenosis. His case was further complicated by his history of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) with recurrent epistaxis and recent GI bleeds with multiple angiodysplastic lesions throughout the stomach, duodenum, and descending colon which were previously treated with argon plasma coagulation. The patient was admitted to our hospital in NYHA class IV heart failure receiving a continuous dopamine infusion and aggressive diuresis. Upon admission, a right heart catheterization demonstrated severe pulmonary valve regurgitation, left pulmonary artery stenosis, and systemic hypoxemia suggestive of an intrapulmonary shunt. Admission transthoracic echocardiogram demonstrated normal left ventricular ejection fraction of 55-60%, a …
Mexican American St. Mary’s: Ethnicity and Identity at a Catholic University in San Antonio, Texas, 1927–2000
Authors: Poyo Gerald E.
Published: May 2024

Abstract: For generations, Mexican American and Latino students, mostly from San Antonio, El Paso, and South Texas border towns, have graduated from St. Mary’s University. Walking a fine line between cultural assimilation and seeking self-defined approaches to integration in U.S. society, activists among them sought a campus cultural and curricular environment that accounted for their traditions and identity. They encountered some religious and lay faculty and staff who recognized their special heritage-related culture and identity, but at the same time, the university remained mostly ambivalent about institutionalizing this diversity into campus life and curricula. As their numbers grew to approximately sixty-five percent in 2000, St. Mary’s eventually took on the designation of a Hispanic Serving Institution. This historical process of acknowledging the importance of ethnicity raises questions about how St. Mary’s University and other Catholic universities with Latino enrollments can holistically educate ethnic Mexican and Latino students in ways that speak to their history, culture, and religious traditions.
A Fetid Feast: Hunger and Violence in Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms
Authors: Gann Lawrence
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Hemingway's casting of the Great War's battlefields as a "stockyard" is monumental within A Farewell to Arms . The comparison captures the brutality and waste of the industrialized murder from which Frederic must escape. Resounding beyond the distress of the mechanical effciency of the war, this image complicates depictions of commensality and consumption. While Frederic eats cheese, the war eats people. Frequently, Hemingway draws us to meals achieved and attempted to meditate on a diffcult truth: sustenance and violence mingle by their nature.
Voluntarism and Cyber Support in Wartime: Pro Bono, or Cui Bono?
Authors: Wilde Gavin , Grossman Taylor
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Ukraine's resilience to Russia's cyber onslaught can be attributed in large part to a historically unprecedented outpouring of technical and cybersecurity support from Western commercial partners. However altruistic such support may have been in spirit, a more robust, front-line understanding of wartime cyber offensives is itself a valuable commodity—one that uniquely incentivizes and enables the Western technology sector to examine, interpret, and ultimately shape the role of cyber operations in armed conflict. This shift is historically unprecedented in the modern era. We contrast this experience with World War I and II, when the US government served as the key intermediary between industry and the warfront. Russia's war on Ukraine demonstrates that private industry has now supplanted that role in the cyber domain. Whereas efforts to mobilize industry during previous wars struggled to draw upon intelligence assessments of battlefield needs, industry now has a very clear view—in some cases, the exclusive one—of how the war is proceeding in cyberspace. As Western governments now seek to systematize cyber assistance for future crises, we argue that they must also grapple with the new political economy of wartime cyber telemetry—one which relegates states to a far more auxiliary role than they have long been accustomed.
Maya Testimonies in the Archive: Violence, Linguistics, and Historical Memory
Authors: French Brigittine M. , Matzar Lolmay Pedro García
Published: May 2024

Abstract: This article centers Maya-Kaqchikel understandings and experiences of genocide and violence in the broader context of struggles for Indigenous self-representation in Guatemala. It begins by situating the authors' archival work on first person survivor testimony in the broader context of state-sponsored violence and discusses the importance of survivor testimony for human rights, scholarly, and Indigenous revindication projects. It enumerates the authors' intellectual, political, and cultural commitments of our collaborative project to transcribe, represent, and analyze genocide survivor testimonies in the Visual History Archive from Maya-Kaqchikel ethnolinguistic communities. It underscores the key role that linguistic analysis has played and continues to play in cultural rights and Indigenous autonomy projects among Maya communities in Guatemala and shows how the analysis of survivor testimony contributes in new ways to this dual scholarly and political project. It argues that history, historical consciousness, and self-representation are constituted through Maya linguistic and discursive forms, which are archival repositories of shared cultural knowledge. Taken together, the analytic trajectory and argument underscore that projects analyzing Maya experiences of violence and resilience must be based upon an explicit commitment to strengthening Indigenous communities and their self-representation to work against forces of continued marginalization.
Rowasu'u: An A'uwẽ-Xavante Community Archive
Authors: Jahnke Lori M. , Dent Rosanna , Welch James R.
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Rowasu'u is a digital archives project that seeks to reunite A'uwẽ-Xavante individuals with researcher produced documentation of their ancestors, families, bodies, culture, and homelands and eventually provide a platform for the collection and preservation of community knowledge. A'uwẽ-Xavante have a long history of receiving academic researchers including anthropologists, geneticists, biomedical researchers, ecologists, and linguists, but they have had limited access to the documentation and other data produced through these encounters. The Rowasu'u project is working with scholars to compile and make accessible records of more than 60 years of decentralized academic research while partnering with A'uwẽ-Xavante communities historically positioned as the most prominent participants. Our larger aspiration is that in addition to supporting A'uwẽ-Xavante efforts to reclaim their history as recorded by scientists, Rowasu'u will advance Indigenous research governance and data sovereignty as human rights applicable to past as well as future research. This chapter discusses our early progress in developing Rowasu'u using Mukurtu CMS, including the challenges and complexities inherent in navigating local politics in the context of generations of marginalization and exclusion.
Finite-element assembly approach of optical quantum walk networks
Authors: Schwarze Christopher R. , Simon David S. , Manni Anthony D. , Ndao Abdoulaye , Sergienko Alexander V.
Published: May 2024

We present a finite-element approach for computing the aggregate scattering matrix of a network of linear coherent scatterers. These might be optical scatterers or more general scattering coins studied in quantum walk theory. While techniques exist for two-dimensional lattices of feed-forward scatterers, the present approach is applicable to any network configuration of any collection of scatterers. Unlike traditional finite-element methods in optics, this method does not directly solve Maxwell’s equations; instead it is used to assemble and solve a linear, coupled scattering problem that emerges after Maxwell’s equations are abstracted within the scattering matrix method. With this approach, a global unitary is assembled corresponding to one time step of the quantum walk on the network. After applying the relevant boundary conditions to this global matrix, the problem becomes non-unitary and possesses a steady-state solution that is the output scattering state. We provide an algorithm to obtain this steady-state solution exactly using a matrix inversion, yielding the scattering state without requiring a direct calculation of the eigenspectrum. The approach is then numerically validated on a coupled-cavity interferometer example that possesses a known, closed-form solution. Finally, the method is shown to be a generalization of the Redheffer star product, which describes scatterers on one-dimensional lattices (2-regular graphs) and is often applied to the design of thin-film optics, making the current approach an invaluable tool for the design and validation of high-dimensional phase-reprogrammable optical devices and study of quantum walks on arbitrary graphs.
Quantum-enhanced optical phase-insensitive heterodyne detection beyond 3-dB noise penalty of image band
Authors: Anai Keitaro , Enomoto Yutaro , Omura Hiroto , Nagano Koji , Izumi Kiwamu , Endo Mamoru , Takeda Shuntaro
Published: May 2024

Optical phase-insensitive heterodyne (beat-note) detection, which measures the relative phase of two beams at different frequencies through their interference, is a key sensing technology for various spatial/temporal measurements, such as frequency measurements in optical frequency combs. However, its sensitivity is limited not only by shot noise from the signal frequency band but also by the extra shot noise from an image band, known as the 3-dB noise penalty. Here, we propose a method to remove shot noise from all these bands using squeezed light. We also demonstrate beyond-3-dB noise reduction experimentally, confirming that our method actually reduces shot noise from both the signal and extra bands simultaneously. Our work should boost the sensitivity of various spatial/temporal measurements beyond the current limitations.
Generation of true quantum random numbers with on-demand probability distributions via single-photon quantum walks
Authors: Meng Chaoying , Cai Miao , Yang Yufang , Wu Haodong , Li Zhixiang , Ruan Yaping , Zhang Yong , Zhang Han , Xia Keyu , Nori Franco
Published: May 2024

Random numbers are at the heart of diverse fields, ranging from simulations of stochastic processes to classical and quantum cryptography. The requirement for true randomness in these applications has motivated various proposals for generating random numbers based on the inherent randomness of quantum systems. The generation of true random numbers with arbitrarily defined probability distributions is highly desirable for applications, but it is very challenging. Here we show that single-photon quantum walks can generate multi-bit random numbers with on-demand probability distributions, when the required “coin” parameters are found with the gradient descent (GD) algorithm. Our theoretical and experimental results exhibit high fidelity for various selected distributions. This GD-enhanced single-photon system provides a convenient way for building flexible and reliable quantum random number generators. Multi-bit random numbers are a necessary resource for high-dimensional quantum key distribution.
Photoinduced carrier transfer dynamics in a monolayer MoS2/PbS quantum dots heterostructure
Authors: Liu Ben , Si Jinhai , Yan Lihe , Shen Yanan , Hou Xun
Published: May 2024

Two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been proven to be a candidate in photodetectors, and MoS2/lead sulfide (PbS) quantum dots (QDs) heterostructure has been used to expand the optical response wavelength of MoS2. Time-resolved pump-probe transient absorption measurements are performed to clarify the carrier transfer dynamics in the MoS2/PbS heterostructure. By comparing the carrier dynamics in MoS2 and MoS2/PbS under different pump wavelengths, we found that the excited electrons in PbS QDs can transfer rapidly (<100 fs) to MoS2, inducing its optical response in the near-infrared region, although the pump light energy is lower than the bandgap of MoS2. Besides, interfacial excitons can be formed in the heterostructure, prolonging the lifetime of the excited carriers, which could be beneficial for the extraction of the carriers in devices.
Effect of varied beam diameter of picosecond laser on Foturan glass volume microprocessing
Authors: Ionel Laura , Jipa Florin , Bran Alexandra , Axente Emanuel , Popescu-Pelin Gianina , Sima Felix , Sugioka Koji
Published: May 2024

Foturan glass is a photosensitive transparent material which has attracted much interest for microfluidic applications due to possibility of volume processing by ultrafast lasers. In this work, we have investigated the effect of picosecond laser on volume processing in Foturan glass when varying the beam diameter incident on a lens. To this end, specific laser focusing configurations have been designed using raytracing models and an analysis protocol has been developed in the lens focusing region in order to describe the focal point displacement occurring at the variation of the incident laser beam diameter. The numerically simulated results were explained in association with Rayleigh length and found to be in good agreement with the experimental data obtained at well-defined conditions. Specifically, it was found that the hollow microstructures developed by thermal treatment and chemical etching after laser irradiation were significantly displaced along the propagation direction when the incident beam diameter varied in the range of 1-3.5 times. This approach aims to bring an essential contribution to the field of ultrashort pulse lasers micro- and nanoprocessing in transparent materials proving that the laser beam focus position and its size can be precisely controlled with high precision by automated optics for the variation of incident laser beam diameter in predefined conditions. This approach has the potential for laser multi-beam processing at various volume depths using the same optics setup and may even be applicable to two-photon excitation microscopy. On the other hand, the processing protocol in Foturan glass may allow understanding transparent material modification by tailoring laser beam characteristics.
High-quality integratable microlasers from scalable perovskite heterostructures enabled by solution-phase processing
Authors: Ren Yinjuan , Zhou Yan , Feng Likuan , He Xuemin , Wang Yue , Liu Shengli
Published: May 2024

High-performance transferable and integratable microlasers hold great promise to construct the integrated photonics and optoelectronics. However, the qualified candidates are still being pursued. Herein, a mass-production of low-threshold and wavelength-tunable microlasers that is readily integratable with the optical fiber platform is realized by a two-step solution-phase approach. The demonstration is enabled by the formation of a novel semiconductor heterostructure from halide perovskites featuring the quasi-free-standing and highly emissive properties. Corroborated by the in-situ optical characterization, we reveal that the lateral perovskite heterostructures are constructed through a sequential reaction driven by the surface energy contrast. These perovskite heterostructures exhibit low-threshold and broadband tunable lasing action thanks to the efficient spatial light conversion nature and the facile composition tunability. Taking the merits together, the heterostructure microlasers can be the competitive applicants for photonic integration as demonstrated by the laser-on-fiber configuration.
Temporal compressive edge imaging enabled by a lensless diffuser camera
Authors: Zheng Ze , Liu Baolei , Song Jiaqi , Ding Lei , Zhong Xiaolan , Chang Lingqian , Wu Xiaojun , McGloin David , Wang Fan
Published: May 2024

Lensless imagers based on diffusers or encoding masks enable high-dimensional imaging from a single-shot measurement and have been applied in various applications. However, to further extract image information such as edge detection, conventional post-processing filtering operations are needed after the reconstruction of the original object images in the diffuser imaging systems. Here, we present the concept of a temporal compressive edge detection method based on a lensless diffuser camera, which can directly recover a time sequence of edge images of a moving object from a single-shot measurement, without further post-processing steps. Our approach provides higher image quality during edge detection, compared with the “conventional post-processing method.” We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach by both numerical simulation and experiments. The proof-of-concept approach can be further developed with other image post-processing operations or versatile computer vision assignments toward task-oriented intelligent lensless imaging systems.
Ultra-low threshold deep ultraviolet generation in a hollow-core fiber
Authors: Sabbah Mohammed , Harrington Kerrianne , Murphy Leah R. , Brahms Christian , Yerolatsitis Stephanos , Stone James M. , Birks Tim A. , Travers John C.
Published: May 2024

Tunable ultrashort pulses in the ultraviolet spectral region are in great demand for a wide range of applications, including spectroscopy and pump–probe experiments. While laser sources capable of producing such pulses exist, they are typically very complex. Notably, resonant dispersive-wave (RDW) emission has emerged as a simple technique for generating such pulses. However, the required pulse energy used to drive the RDW emission, so far, is mostly at the microjoule level, requiring complicated and expensive pump sources. Here, we present our work on lowering the pump energy threshold for generating tuneable deep ultraviolet pulses to the level of tens of nanojoules. We fabricated a record small-core antiresonant fiber with a hollow-core diameter of just 6 μm. When filled with argon, the small mode area enables higher-order soliton propagation and deep ultraviolet (220 to 270 nm) RDW emission from 36 fs pump pulses at 515 nm with the lowest pump energy reported to date (tens of nanojoules). This approach will allow the use of low-cost and compact laser oscillators to drive nonlinear optics in gas-filled fibers for the first time to our knowledge.
Spectroscopy and efficient dual-wavelength laser performances of a Nd:GYSAG crystal
Authors: Huang Conghui , Lin Wenfang , Fang Qiannan , Xu Min , Zhang Shulong , Tao Siliang , Li Shanming , Zhao Chengchun , Hang Yin
Published: May 2024

We reported on the spectral properties and dual-wavelength laser performances of a novel, to the best of our knowledge, Nd:Gd1.8Y1.2ScAl4O12 (Nd:GYSAG) crystal for the first time. The absorption spectra, emission spectra, and fluorescence lifetime were systematically investigated. Further, a continuous-wavelength (CW) laser output power up to 5.02 W was obtained under an absorbed pump power of 9.45 W with slope and optical-to-optical efficiencies of 59.4% and 53.1%, respectively, at 1061.2 and 1063.2 nm. A stable passively Q-switched (PQS) laser employing Cr:YAG as a saturable absorber (SA) was realized. The maximum average output power of 0.756 W with a slope of near 34.4% was obtained with the pulse width, pulse energy, and peak power of 14.0 ns, 128.1 µJ, and 9.15 kW, respectively. The results indicate that the Nd:GYSAG crystal is an excellent laser medium for generating a high-efficiency dual-wavelength laser and has potential in terahertz (THz) laser generation.
Phase-diversity-based wavefront sensing for fluorescence microscopy
Authors: Johnson Courtney , Guo Min , Schneider Magdalena C. , Su Yijun , Khuon Satya , Reiser Nikolaj , Wu Yicong , La Riviere Patrick , Shroff Hari
Published: May 2024

Fluorescence microscopy is an invaluable tool in biology, yet its
performance is compromised when the wavefront of light is distorted
due to optical imperfections or the refractile nature of the sample.
Such optical aberrations can dramatically lower the information
content of images by degrading the image contrast, resolution, and
signal. Adaptive optics (AO) methods can sense and subsequently cancel
the aberrated wavefront, but they are too complex, inefficient, slow,
or expensive for routine adoption by most labs. Here, we introduce a
rapid, sensitive, and robust wavefront sensing scheme based on phase
diversity, a method successfully deployed in astronomy but underused
in microscopy. Our method enables accurate wavefront sensing to less
than λ/35 root mean square (RMS) error with few
measurements, and AO with no additional hardware
besides a corrective element. After validating the method with
simulations, we demonstrate the calibration of a deformable mirror >hundredfold faster than comparable methods
(corresponding to wavefront sensing on the ∼100ms scale), and sensing and subsequent
correction of severe aberrations (RMS wavefront distortion exceeding λ/2), restoring diffraction-limited
imaging on extended biological samples.
Patterned microsphere-lens projection lithography using an electrohydrodynamic-jet-printing-assisted assembly
Authors: Zhong Ya , Yu Haibo , Zhou Peilin , Guo Hongji , Zhao Tianming , Luo Hao , Wen Yangdong , Wang Xiaoduo , Liu Lianqing
Published: May 2024

Microlens arrays have been widely used in the fields of micro-optics and micro- and nanofabrication. Traditional preparation methods utilize commercial photoresists and thermosetting materials, thereby restricting the optical properties of microlenses. In recent years, significant advancements have been achieved in near-field super-resolution imaging by utilizing microspheres and forming arrays of microsphere lenses via self-assembly. However, self-assembly approaches lack flexibility in terms of pattern selection. This study proposes a method that utilizes electrohydrodynamic jet (E-jet) printing to code ultraviolet (UV)-curable adhesives and assist in the assembly of patterned microsphere-lens arrays. Simulation results demonstrate that the UV-curable adhesive has little impact on the optical properties of the microsphere lens. Moreover, the microsphere lens exhibits a superior imaging resolution compared with traditional microlenses. A projection-lithography system is developed to achieve an accurate alignment between the focal plane of the microsphere lenses and the plane of the photoresist, facilitating the fabrication of patterned nanostructures. The lithographic nanostructures have a minimum feature size of 850 nm. This method enables the fabrication of arrays of microsphere lenses with arbitrary patterns and presents an inexpensive and simple strategy for fabricating micro- and nanostructure arrays with submicrometer features.
Matilda v1.0: An R package for probabilistic climate projections using a reduced complexity climate model
Authors: Brown Joseph K. , Pressburger Leeya , Snyder Abigail , Dorheim Kalyn , Smith Steven J. , Tebaldi Claudia , Bond-Lamberty Ben
Published: May 2024

A primary advantage to using reduced complexity climate models (RCMs) has been their ability to quickly conduct probabilistic climate projections, a key component of uncertainty quantification in many impact studies and multisector systems. Providing frameworks for such analyses has been a target of several RCMs used in studies of the future co-evolution of the human and Earth systems. In this paper, we present Matilda, an open-science R software package that facilitates probabilistic climate projection analysis, implemented here using the Hector simple climate model in a seamless and easily applied framework. The primary goal of Matilda is to provide the user with a turn-key method to build parameter sets from literature-based prior distributions, run Hector iteratively to produce perturbed parameter ensembles (PPEs), weight ensembles for realism against observed historical climate data, and compute probabilistic projections for different climate variables. This workflow gives the user the ability to explore viable parameter space and propagate uncertainty to model ensembles with just a few lines of code. The package provides significant freedom to select different scoring criteria and algorithms to weight ensemble members, as well as the flexibility to implement custom criteria. Additionally, the architecture of the package simplifies the process of building and analyzing PPEs without requiring significant programming expertise, to accommodate diverse use cases. We present a case study that provides illustrative results of a probabilistic analysis of mean global surface temperature as an example of the software application.
Adverse outcomes in patients hospitalized with pneumonia at age 60 or more: A prospective multi-centric hospital-based study in India
Authors: Kanungo Suman , Bhattacharjee Uttaran , Prabhakaran Aslesh O. , Kumar Rakesh , Rajkumar Prabu , Bhardwaj Sumit Dutt , Chakrabarti Alok Kumar , Kumar C. P. Girish , Potdar Varsha , Manna Byomkesh , Amarchand Ritvik , Choudekar Avinash , Gopal Giridara , Sarda Krishna , Lafond Kathryn E. , Azziz-Baumgartner Eduardo , Saha Siddhartha , Dar Lalit , Krishnan Anand
Published: May 2024

Background

Limited data exists regarding risk factors for adverse outcomes in older adults hospitalized with Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) in low- and middle-income countries such as India. This multisite study aimed to assess outcomes and associated risk factors among adults aged ≥60 years hospitalized with pneumonia.

Methods

Between December 2018 and March 2020, we enrolled ≥60-year-old adults admitted within 48 hours for CAP treatment across 16 public and private facilities in four sites. Clinical data and nasal/oropharyngeal specimens were collected by trained nurses and tested for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other respiratory viruses (ORV) using the qPCR. Participants were evaluated regularly until discharge, as well as on the 7th and 30th days post-discharge. Outcomes included ICU admission and in-hospital or 30-day post-discharge mortality. A hierarchical framework for multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models identified risk factors (e.g., demographics, clinical features, etiologic agents) associated with critical care or death.

Findings

Of 1,090 CAP patients, the median age was 69 years; 38.4% were female. Influenza viruses were detected in 12.3%, RSV in 2.2%, and ORV in 6.3% of participants. Critical care was required for 39.4%, with 9.9% in-hospital mortality and 5% 30-day post-discharge mortality. Only 41% of influenza CAP patients received antiviral treatment. Admission factors independently associated with ICU admission included respiratory rate >30/min, blood urea nitrogen>19mg/dl, altered sensorium, anemia, oxygen saturation <90%, prior cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and private hospital admission. Diabetes, anemia, low oxygen saturation at admission, ICU admission, and mechanical ventilation were associated with 30-day mortality.

Conclusion

High ICU admission and 30-day mortality rates were observed among older adults with pneumonia, with a significant proportion linked to influenza and RSV infections. Comprehensive guidelines for CAP prevention and management in older adults are needed, especially with the co-circulation of SARS-CoV-2.
Phenotypic characterization and analysis of genetic diversity between commercial crossbred and indigenous chickens from three different agro-ecological zones using DArT-Seq technology
Authors: Adomako Kwaku , Sovi Selorm , Kyei Bismark , Hamidu Jacob Alhassan , Olympio Oscar Simon , Aggrey Samuel E.
Published: May 2024

Indigenous and were used to study genetic diversity and population structure analyses. Polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.0 to 0.5, with 21,285 SNP markers (35%) being in the lowest PIC value range (0 to 0.15) while 13,511 (commercial chickens have developed unique adaptations to their environments, which may include nutrition, pathogens, and thermal stress. Besides, environmental pressures and artificial selection have generated significant genome-wide divergence in chickens, as those selection pressures contribute a considerable evolutionary force to phenotypic and genotypic differentiation. Herein, we determined genomic diversity of indigenous chickens from semi-deciduous rainforest (SDR), coastal savannah (CS) and Guinea savannah (GS) agro-ecological zones (AEZs) in Ghana and commercial crossbreds (CC) reared at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). We generated SNP markers from 82 chickens (62 indigenous chicken ecotypes and 26 commercial crossbred ecotype) using DArT-Seq technology. A total of 85,396 SNP markers were generated and after filtering the data, 58,353 markers 21%) were in the highest PIC value range (0.45 to 0.50). The CC were more genetically diverse than the indigenous birds, with the highest expected heterozygosity value of 0.220. Between the commercial crossbreds population and the indigenous ecotypes, pairwise FSTvalues were estimated to be 0.105 between CS, 0.096 between SDF, and 0.133 between GS. Furthermore, PCA analysis showed that the CC, SDF and GS chickens clustered together and are genetically distant from the commercial crossbred. We herein show that chickens from the AEZs studied can be considered as one population. However, due the abundance of agro-byproducts in the SDR compared to the CS and GS, chickens from the SDR AEZ had better growth compared to their counterparts. It is suggested that the genetic diversity within the local ecotypes could form the basis for genetic improvement.
Attentional adversarial training for few-shot medical image segmentation without annotations
Authors: Awudong Buhailiqiemu , Li Qi , Liang Zili , Tian Lin , Yan Jingwen
Published: May 2024

Medical image segmentation is a critical application that plays a significant role in clinical research. Despite the fact that many deep neural networks have achieved quite high accuracy in the field of medical image segmentation, there is still a scarcity of annotated labels, making it difficult to train a robust and generalized model. Few-shot learning has the potential to predict new classes that are unseen in training with a few annotations. In this study, a novel few-shot semantic segmentation framework named prototype-based generative adversarial network (PG-Net) is proposed for medical image segmentation without annotations. The proposed PG-Net consists of two subnetworks: the prototype-based segmentation network (P-Net) and the guided evaluation network (G-Net). On one hand, the P-Net as a generator focuses on extracting multi-scale features and local spatial information in order to produce refined predictions with discriminative context between foreground and background. On the other hand, the G-Net as a discriminator, which employs an attention mechanism, further distills the relation knowledge between support and query, and contributes to P-Net producing segmentation masks of query with more similar distributions as support. Hence, the PG-Net can enhance segmentation quality by an adversarial training strategy. Compared to the state-of-the-art (SOTA) few-shot segmentation methods, comparative experiments demonstrate that the proposed PG-Net provides noticeably more robust and prominent generalization ability on different medical image modality datasets, including an abdominal Computed Tomography (CT) dataset and an abdominal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) dataset.
A cautionary tale about properly vetting datasets used in supervised learning predicting metabolic pathway involvement
Authors: Huckvale Erik D. , Moseley Hunter N. B.
Published: May 2024

The mapping of metabolite-specific data to pathways within cellular metabolism is a major data analysis step needed for biochemical interpretation. A variety of machine learning approaches, particularly deep learning approaches, have been used to predict these metabolite-to-pathway mappings, utilizing a training dataset of known metabolite-to-pathway mappings. A few such training datasets have been derived from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). However, several prior published machine learning approaches utilized an erroneous KEGG-derived training dataset that used SMILES molecular representations strings (KEGG-SMILES dataset) and contained a sizable proportion (~26%) duplicate entries. The presence of so many duplicates taint the training and testing sets generated from k-fold cross-validation of the KEGG-SMILES dataset. Therefore, the k-fold cross-validation performance of the resulting machine learning models was grossly inflated by the erroneous presence of these duplicate entries. Here we describe and evaluate the KEGG-SMILES dataset so that others may avoid using it. We also identify the prior publications that utilized this erroneous KEGG-SMILES dataset so their machine learning results can be properly and critically evaluated. In addition, we demonstrate the reduction of model k-fold cross-validation (CV) performance after de-duplicating the KEGG-SMILES dataset. This is a cautionary tale about properly vetting prior published benchmark datasets before using them in machine learning approaches. We hope others will avoid similar mistakes.
Control of acute myeloid leukemia and generation of immune memory in vivo using AMV564, a bivalent bispecific CD33 x CD3 T cell engager
Authors: Eissenberg Linda G. , Ritchey Julie K. , Rettig Michael P. , Patel Dilan A. , Vij Kiran , Gao Feng , Smith Victoria , Han Tae H. , DiPersio John F.
Published: May 2024

Off-the-shelf immunotherapeutics that suppress tumor growth and provide durable protection against relapse could enhance cancer treatment. We report preclinical studies on a CD33 x CD3 bivalent bispecific diabody, AMV564, that not only suppresses tumor growth, but also facilitates memory responses in a mouse model of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Mechanistically, a single 5-day treatment with AMV564 seems to reduce tumor burden by redirection of T cells, providing a time window for allogeneic or other T cells that innately recognize tumor antigens to become activated and proliferate. When the concentration of bispecific becomes negligible, the effector: target ratio has also shifted, and these activated T cells mediate long-term tumor control. To test the efficacy of AMV564 in vivo, we generated a CD33+ MOLM13CG bioluminescent human cell line and optimized conditions needed to control these cells for 62 days in vivo in NSG mice. Of note, not only did MOLM13CG become undetectable by bioluminescence imaging in response to infusion of human T cells plus AMV564, but also NSG mice that had cleared the tumor also resisted rechallenge with MOLM13CG in spite of no additional AMV564 treatment. In these mice, we identified effector and effector memory human CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood immediately prior to rechallenge that expanded significantly during the subsequent 18 days. In addition to the anti-tumor effects of AMV564 on the clearance of MOLM13CG cells in vivo, similar effects were seen when primary CD33+ human AML cells were engrafted in NSG mice even when the human T cells made up only 2% of the peripheral blood cells and AML cells made up 98%. These studies suggest that AMV564 is a novel and effective bispecific diabody for the targeting of CD33+ AML that may provide long-term survival advantages in the clinic.
Aging in zebrafish is associated with reduced locomotor activity and strain dependent changes in bottom dwelling and thigmotaxis
Authors: Hudock Jacob , Kenney Justin W.
Published: May 2024

Aging is associated with a wide range of physiological and behavioral changes in many species. Zebrafish, like humans, rodents, and birds, exhibits gradual senescence, and thus may be a useful model organism for identifying evolutionarily conserved mechanisms related to aging. Here, we compared behavior in the novel tank test of young (6-month-old) and middle aged (12-month-old) zebrafish from two strains (TL and TU) and both sexes. We find that this modest age difference results in a reduction in locomotor activity in male fish. We also found that background strain modulated the effects of age on predator avoidance behaviors related to anxiety: older female TL fish increased bottom dwelling whereas older male TU fish decreased thigmotaxis. Although there were no consistent effects of age on either short-term (within session) or long-term (next day) habituation to the novel tank, strain affected the habituation response. TL fish tended to increase their distance from the bottom of the tank whereas TU fish had no changes in bottom distance but instead tended to increase thigmotaxis. Our findings support the use of zebrafish for the study of how age affects locomotion and how genetics interacts with age and sex to alter exploratory and emotional behaviors in response to novelty.
Identification of compounds that cause axonal dieback without cytotoxicity in dorsal root ganglia explants and intervertebral disc cells with potential to treat pain via denervation
Authors: Lee Fei San , Nguyen Uyen N. , Munns Eliza J. , Wachs Rebecca A.
Published: May 2024

Low back pain, knee osteoarthritis, and cancer patients suffer from chronic pain. Aberrant nerve growth into intervertebral disc, knee, and tumors, are common pathologies that lead to these chronic pain conditions. Axonal dieback induced by capsaicin (Caps) denervation has been FDA-approved to treat painful neuropathies and knee osteoarthritis but with short-term efficacy and discomfort. Herein, we propose to evaluate pyridoxine (Pyr), vincristine sulfate (Vcr) and ionomycin (Imy) as axonal dieback compounds for denervation with potential to alleviate pain. Previous literature suggests Pyr, Vcr, and Imy can cause undesired axonal degeneration, but no previous work has evaluated axonal dieback and cytotoxicity on adult rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) explants. Thus, we performed axonal dieback screening using adult rat DRG explants in vitro with Caps as a positive control and assessed cytotoxicity. Imy inhibited axonal outgrowth and slowed axonal dieback, while Pyr and Vcr at high concentrations produced significant reduction in axon length and robust axonal dieback within three days. DRGs treated with Caps, Vcr, or Imy had increased DRG cytotoxicity compared to matched controls, but overall cytotoxicity was minimal and at least 88% lower compared to lysed DRGs. Pyr did not lead to any DRG cytotoxicity. Further, neither Pyr nor Vcr triggered intervertebral disc cell death or affected cellular metabolic activity after three days of incubation in vitro. Overall, our findings suggest Pyr and Vcr are not toxic to DRGs and intervertebral disc cells, and there is potential for repurposing these compounds for axonal dieback compounds to cause local denervation and alleviate pain.
Predictors of infective endocarditis associated in-hospital mortality in Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Tigray, North Ethiopia: Microbiological,clinical features, and management profiles
Authors: Tesfay Hagazi , Weldu Yemane , Ebrahim Mohamedawel Mohamedniguss , Hailu Abraha , Gidey Kibreab , Gebrehaweria Teklay , Berhane Samuel , Gessesse Zekarias , Kahsay Hagos , Mezmur Daniel , Fisseha Kidan , Haileselassie Aregawi , Bayray Alemayehu
Published: May 2024

Background

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a continuously evolving disease with a high mortality rate despite different advances in treatment. In Ethiopia, there is a paucity of data regarding IE. Therefore, this study is aimed at assessing IE-related in-hospital mortality and characterization of IE patients based on their microbiological, clinical features, and management profiles in the Ayder Comprehensive Specified Hospital (ACSH).

Methods

We conducted a hospital-based prospective follow-up study with all consecutive sampling techniques for suspected infective endocarditis patients admitted to ACSH from January 2020 to February 2022. Echocardiography was performed, and three sets of blood samples for blood culture were taken as per the standard protocol. We also performed isolation of microbial etiologies and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. The data was analyzed using STATA version 16. Stepwise logistic regression was run to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality. Effects were measured through the odds ratio at the 5% level of significance.

Results

Seventy-four cases of suspected infective endocarditis were investigated; of these, 54 episodes fulfilled modified Duke’s criteria. Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) (85.2%) was the most common underlying heart disease. Murmur (94.4%), fever (68.5%), and pallor (57.4%) were the most common clinical findings. Vegetation was present in 96.3% of episodes. Blood culture was positive only in 7 (13%) episodes. Complications occurred in 41 (75.9%) cases, with congestive heart failure being the most common. All patients were managed medically, with no surgical intervention. The in-hospital mortality was 14 (25.9%). IE-related in-hospital mortality was significantly associated with surgery recommendation and myalgia clinical symptoms.

Conclusion

IE occurred relatively in a younger population, with RHD as the most common underlying heart disease. There was a high rate of culture-negative endocarditis, and the majority of patients were treated empirically. Mortality was high. The establishment of cardiac surgery and strengthening microbiology services should be given top priority.
Induction of heat shock protein expression in SP2/0 transgenic cells and its effect on the production of monoclonal antibodies
Authors: Jaffaraghaei Morteza , Ghafouri Hossein , Vaziri Behrouz , Taheri Maryam , Talebkhan Yeganeh , Heravi Mansooreh , Parand Mohammad
Published: May 2024

The objective of the current investigation was to evaluate the induction of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in SP2/0 transgenic cells and the effect of these proteins on the production of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The SP2/0 cell line expressing the PSG-026 antibody, a biosimilar candidate of golimumab, the culture parameters, and the target protein expression were not justified for industrial production and were used for the experiments. Paracetamol and heat shock were used as chemical and physical inducers of HSPs, respectively. The results showed that paracetamol and heat shock increased the expression of HSP70 and HSP27 at the mRNA and protein levels. The expression of HSPs was greater in paracetamol-treated cells than in heat shock-treated cells. Paracetamol treatment at concentrations above 0.5 mM significantly reduced cell viability and mAb expression. However, treatment with 0.25 mM paracetamol results in delayed cell death and increased mAb production. Heat shock treatment at 45°C for 30 minutes after enhanced mAb expression was applied after pre-treatment with paracetamol. In bioreactor cultures, pretreatment of cells with paracetamol improved cell viability and shortened the lag phase, resulting in increased cell density. The production of mAbs in paracetamol-treated cultures was markedly greater than that in the control. Analysis of protein quality and charge variants revealed no significant differences between paracetamol-treated and control cultures, indicating that the induction of HSPs did not affect protein aggregation or charge variants. These findings suggest that inducing and manipulating HSP expression can be a valuable strategy for improving recombinant protein production in biopharmaceutical processes.
The impact of left-behind experience on urban identity of new-generation migrant workers
Authors: Linlin Fu , Chen Yihe , Fang Shile , Xu Xinnan , Kong Wenli , Liu Ziqi
Published: May 2024

We investigate the impact of left-behind experiences on the urban identity of new-generation migrant workers using data from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey. The results show the following: (1) The left-behind experience is an important factor undermining the urban identity of new-generation migrant workers, and the conclusion remains consistent after robustness checks, such as propensity score matching. (2) Left-behind experiences of both parents away from home had the most significant negative impact on urban identity. (3) The results of the mechanism tests indicate that the left-behind experience exerts an adverse impact on urban identity through the pathways of poorer physical health, more frequent migration, more challenging job search, and stronger dependence on preexisting social networks. The findings of this study also offer policy suggestions for promoting the urban identity of new-generation migrant workers.