bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Survey of emergency medicine doctors in London physical activity characteristics, awareness of guidelines and prescribing behaviours
Authors: Koch Kai , Tillet Eleanor , Loosemore Michael
Published: May 2023

Objective

To determine London emergency medicine (EM) doctors’ physical activity (PA) characteristics, awareness of PA guidelines and PA prescription practice from London emergency departments (EDs).

Methods

An anonymous online survey of EM doctors working in London over 6 weeks between 27 April 2021 and 12 June 2021. Inclusion criteria included EM doctors of any grade currently working in London EDs. Exclusion criteria were non-EM doctors, other healthcare professionals and those working outside London EDs. The Emergency Medicine Physical Activity Questionnaire created consisted of two parts: part 1, on basic demographic data and the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and part 2, focused questions around awareness of guidelines and prescribing characteristics.

Results

122 participants attempted the survey, of which 75 (61.5%) met the inclusion criteria. 61.3% (n=46) were aware of and 77.3% (n=58) achieved minimum recommended aerobic PA guidelines. However, only 33.3% (n=25) were aware of and 48% (n=36) achieved muscle strengthening (MS) guidelines. The mean sedentary behaviour time/day was 5 hours. 75.3% (n=55) of EM doctors thought it was important to prescribe PA, yet only 41.8% (n=23) prescribed PA.

Conclusions

Most London EM doctors are aware of and achieve minimum aerobic PA guidelines. Encouraging MS awareness and activities, as well as PA prescribing, should be areas of focus. Larger studies should take place to assess EM doctors’ characteristics in UK regions and data using accelerometers to determine PA more precisely. Further research should also look at patient perceptions of PA.
Tolerability and beneficial effects of sacubitril/valsartan on systemic right ventricular failure
Authors: Nederend Marieke , Kiès Philippine , Regeer Madelien V , Vliegen Hubert W , Mertens Bart JA , Robbers-Visser Daniëlle , Bouma Berto J , Tops Laurens F , Schalij Martin J , Jongbloed Monique R M , Egorova Anastasia D
Published: May 2023

Objective

Patients with a systemic right ventricle (sRV) in the context of transposition of the great arteries (TGA) after atrial switch or congenitally corrected TGA (ccTGA) are prone to sRV dysfunction. Pharmacological options for sRV failure remain poorly defined. This study aims to investigate the tolerability and effects of sacubitril/valsartan on sRV failure in adult patients with sRV.

Methods

In this two-centre, prospective cohort study, all consecutive adult patients with symptomatic heart failure and at least moderately reduced sRV systolic function were initiated on sacubitril/valsartan and underwent structured follow-up.

Results

Data of 40 patients were included (40% female, 30% ccTGA, median age 48 (44–53) years). Five patients discontinued therapy during titration. Median follow-up was 24 (12–36) months. The maximal dose was tolerated by 49% of patients. No episodes of hyperkalaemia or renal function decline occurred. Six-minute walking distance increased significantly after 6 months of treatment (569±16 to 597±16 m, p=0.016). Serum N-terminal-prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels decreased significantly after 3 months (567 (374–1134) to 404 (226–633) ng/L, p<0.001). Small, yet consistent echocardiographic improvements in sRV function were observed after 6 months (sRV global longitudinal strain: −11.1±0.5% to −12.6±0.7%, p<0.001, and fractional area change: 20% (16%−24%) to 26% (19%−30%), p<0.001). The linear mixed-effects model illustrated that after first follow-up moment, no time effect was present for the parameters.

Conclusions

Treatment with sacubitril/valsartan was associated with a low rate of adverse effects in this adult sRV cohort. Persisting improvement in 6-minute walking test distance, NT-proBNP levels and echocardiographic parameters of sRV function was observed in an on-treatment analysis and showed no differential response based on sex or anatomy.
Clinical consequences of off-label reduced dosing of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Joosten Linda P T , van Maanen Rosanne , van den Dries Carline J , Rutten Frans H , Hoes Arno W , Granger Christopher B , Hemels Martin E W , Geersing Geert-Jan , van Doorn Sander
Published: May 2023

Objective

Postmarketing observational studies report that a substantial percentage of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) receive a reduced non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) dose without a clear indication. Recently, increasing evidence has become available to explore the clinical consequences of such off-label reduced dosing (OLRD). This study aims to systematically review and meta-analyse observational studies that report clinical outcomes associated with OLRD of NOACs compared with on-label non-reduced dosing (OLNRD) of NOACs in patients with AF.

Methods and analysis

We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of observational studies reporting clinical outcomes in AF patients with OLRD of an NOAC compared with AF patients with OLNRD of an NOAC. Using random effects meta-analyses, we estimated the risk of stroke/thromboembolism, bleeding and all-cause mortality.

Results

We included 19 studies with a total of 170 394 NOAC users. In these studies, the percentage of OLRD among patients with an indication for an on-label non-reduced NOAC dose ranged between 9% and 53%. 7 of these 19 studies met the predefined criteria for meta-analysis (n=80 725 patients). The pooled HR associated with OLRD of NOACs was 1.04 (95% CI 0.83 to 1.29; 95% prediction interval (PI) 0.60 to 1.79) for stroke/thromboembolism, 1.10 (95% CI 0.95 to 1.29; 95% PI 0.81 to 1.50) for bleeding and 1.22 (95% CI 0.81 to 1.84; 95% PI 0.55 to 2.70) for all-cause mortality.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis shows no statistically significant increased risk of stroke/thromboembolism, nor a decreased bleeding risk, nor a difference in risk of all-cause mortality in patients with OLRD of NOACs. Future research may focus on differences between NOACs.
Insignificant influence of the intertransverse process block for major breast cancer surgery: a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, clinical trial
Authors: Nielsen Martin Vedel , Tanggaard Katrine , Hansen Lone Bak , Hansen Christian Kruse , Vazin Mojgan , Børglum Jens
Published: May 2023

Introduction

The intertransverse process (ITP) block mimics the thoracic paravertebral block and allegedly ameliorates hemithoracic postoperative pain. However, concerning major reconstructive breast cancer surgery the modality has never been tested against placebo in a randomized clinical trial. We aimed to assess the efficacy of the multiple-injection ITP block and hypothesized that the blockade would reduce postoperative opioid consumption.

Methods

We screened 58 patients with breast cancer scheduled for unilateral subpectoral implant-based primary breast reconstruction, involving mastectomy with complete fascial dissection of the major pectoral muscle. A randomization procedure allowed for the allocation of 36 patients to receive either unilateral multiple-injection active ITP block (0.5% ropivacaine 3×10 mL) or placebo ITP block (isotonic saline 3×10 mL) at T2, T4, T6 in a prospective, blinded, clinical trial. The primary outcome was total opioid consumption within the first 24 postoperative hours. Secondary outcomes included opioid consumption at 4-hour intervals, postoperative pain, patient satisfaction with block application, time to first opioid, ambulation and discharge, opioid-related side effects, and quality of recovery.

Results

Opioid consumption within the first 24 postoperative hours showed no significant reduction when comparing the active and placebo group median (IQR): 75.0 mg (45–135) vs 62.5 mg (30–115), p=0.5, respectively. We did not find any consequential clinically relevant results of the secondary outcomes.

Conclusions

Following major reconstructive breast cancer surgery, a preoperative multiple-injection ITP block neither reduces 24-hour opioid consumption postoperatively nor promotes substantial clinical positive outcomes.

Trial registration number

EudraCT2019-001016-35.
Comparison of the incidence of intravascular injection using the Tuohy and Quincke needles during ultrasound-guided caudal epidural block: a prospective randomized controlled study
Authors: Kim Ji Yeong , Lee Jong Seok , Kim Ji Young , Baek Ji Won , Kim Hye Su , Kim Do-Hyeong
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Intravascular injection of a local anesthetic can lead to life-threatening complications, such as deficits in neurological function after caudal epidural block. This study aimed to determine whether the intravascular injection rate of the Tuohy needle is lower than that of the Quincke needle during an ultrasound-guided caudal block.

Methods

Two-hundred and thirty patients were randomized into the Quincke (n=115) and the Tuohy (n=115) needle groups. The randomly selected needle was introduced at a 45° angle until it penetrated the sacrococcygeal ligament under ultrasound guidance, and intravenous injections were analyzed using contrast-dyed digital subtraction angiography. The relationship between the incidence of intravascular injection and independent variables, including needle type, patient demographics, history of lumbosacral surgery, use of anticoagulants, anatomic variables of the sacrum, presence of bony contact during the procedure, and the number of needle repositioning under ultrasound guidance, were examined.

Results

Intravascular uptake of contrast medium was surveyed in 25/230 (10.9%) caudal blocks using digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The incidence of intravascular uptake was 13.9% (16/115) using the Quincke needle and 7.8% (9/115) using the Tuohy needle (p=0.14). Although the needle tip type was not associated with the rate of intravascular injection, the occurrence of bony contact during the procedure demonstrated a relationship with the intravenous injection (p<0.01).

Conclusions

The overall incidence of inadvertent intravascular injections during ultrasound-guided caudal block confirmed using DSA was 10.9%. Tuohy needles did not reduce intravascular injection rates during the ultrasound-guided caudal block.

Trial registration number

NCT05504590.
The prospects of cation transfer to chalcogen nucleophiles
Authors: Chan Bun , Shirakawa Seiji
Published: May 2023

In this study, we used computational quantum chemistry to investigate the cation affinity for a range of nucleophiles to gauge the possibility of using organochalcogens as catalysts for cation transfer (reference data and geometries are provided in the repository https://github.com/armanderch/ca176 ). In general, the calculated gas-phase cation affinities decrease in the order Cl+> Br+> I+> carbon-centered cation, the anionic nucleophiles have significantly larger cation affinities than the neutral ones, sulfides have larger cation affinities than selenides, and solvation lowers the cation affinities and especially for anionic nucleophiles. These observations are consistent with general chemical intuitions. The energies for the resulting condensed-phase cation transfer reactions show that transferring a carbon-centered cation from a neutral source (e.g., Me2CO3) to a chalcogen nucleophile (e.g., Me2S) is thermochemically viable. However, they are associated with large kinetic barriers. Overall, we find that SeMeC6H5may be a suitable catalyst for transferring a carbon-centered cation from an active source such as MeCO3R or MeSO4R. In this study, we also find that double-hybrid DFT methods, e.g., DSD-PBEP86 to be reasonable for the study of these cation transfer processes.
Premium food for offspring? Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) diet during breeding season in eastern Canada
Authors: Tremblay Junior A. , Fontaine Gabriel L. , Savard Jean-Pierre L. , Béland Jean-Michel , Hébert Christian , Ibarzabal Jacques
Published: May 2023

Knowledge on the diet of the Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus Swainson, 1832) is fragmentary and relies on a limited number of studies. Gaps remain in our understanding of the plasticity of its diet, particularly in the eastern part of its range. The main objective of this study was to assess the diet of Black-backed Woodpeckers in burned and unburned habitats and among sexes and ages in Québec. We collected feces and fecal bags from unburned and burned habitats in the Central Laurentians ecoregion of the eastern boreal shield ecozone and assessed diets based on identified prey items. Buprestidae and Cerambycidae of the sub-family Lamiinae were the predominant prey for adult Black-backed Woodpeckers in burned habitats, and the Pythidae Pytho niger (Kirby, 1837) and Lamiinae were the most prevalent prey in unburned habitats. Lamiinae were the most predominant prey items provisioned to nestling in burned habitat, while P. niger was their predominant food in unburned habitat, followed by Cerambycidae (without Lamiinae) and Lamiinae. Our results present new insights into Black-backed Woodpecker diet where parents feed their offspring with the largest prey available, potentially providing higher fitness for their offspring. Furthermore, our study confirms that Black-backed Woodpeckers, at least in the eastern part of its range, are not restricted to feed on Lamiinae but are rather opportunistic in taking advantage from resource–pulse interactions provided by recently disturbed habitats, especially from recently burned habitats.
Accumulation and health risk of major and trace elements in a soil–medicinal plant system: a case study of the Chinese herbaceous peony (
Paeonia Lactiflora
Pall.) grown in Bozhou, China
Authors: Wang Jie , Zhang Xin , Hu Yunfei
Published: May 2023

To investigate the interrelationships between metal elements in soil–medicinal plant systems, 51 pairs of soil and Chinese herbaceous peony samples were collected from Bozhou City, China. Our results revealed that the major and trace elements in soils and Chinese herbaceous peony samples were in descent order as: Al > Fe > Mn > Cr > Zn > Cu > Pb > As > Cd for soil samples, and Al > Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Cr > Pb > As > Cd for peony samples. The pollution indices of enrichment factor and Nemerow integrated pollution index both indicated that Cr was the priority pollutant in soils and the other elements (Mn, As, Fe, Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn) were slightly elevated. In general, the pollution load index indicated that the studied soils were slightly contaminated by the nine elements. Furthermore, there existed a significant relationship between the Cr content in peony samples and that in soils, and soil pH (
P
 < 0.01), indicating that the main source of Cr in Chinese herbaceous peony was probably from soils. Additionally, the Cr content in peony samples displayed the highest hazard quotient value, followed by As, Cu, Al, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cd and Pb. Although the hazard quotient for all elements and hazard index were lower than 1, which indicated no adverse health effects for adults, it was necessary to strengthen the control of soil Cr content in the process of peony planting.

Thematic collection:
This article is part of the Geochemical processes related to mined, milled, or natural metal deposits collection available at:
https://www.lyellcollection.org/topic/collections/geochemical-processes-related-to-mined-milled-or-natural-metal-deposits
A Noninvasive Technique to Detect Authentic/Counterfeit SRAM Chips
Authors: Bahar Talukder B. M. S. , Ferdaus Farah , Rahman Md Tauhidur
Published: May 2023

Many commercially available memory chips are fabricated worldwide in untrusted facilities. Therefore, a counterfeit memory chip can easily enter into the supply chain in different formats. Deploying these counterfeit memory chips into an electronic system can severely affect security and reliability domains because of their substandard quality, poor performance, and shorter lifespan. Therefore, a proper solution is required to identify counterfeit memory chips before deploying them in mission-, safety-, and security-critical systems. However, a single solution to prevent counterfeiting is challenging due to the diversity of counterfeit types, sources, and refinement techniques. Besides, the chips can pass initial testing and still fail while being used in the system. Furthermore, existing solutions focus on detecting a single counterfeit type (e.g., detecting recycled memory chips). This work proposes a framework that detects major counterfeit static random-access memory (SRAM) types by attesting/identifying the origin of the manufacturer. The proposed technique generates a single signature for a manufacturer and does not require any exhaustive registration/authentication process. We validate our proposed technique using 345 SRAM chips produced by major manufacturers. The silicon results show that the test scores (F1score) of our proposed technique of identifying memory manufacturer and part-number are 93% and 71%, respectively.
Collaborative WSN-UAV Data Collection in Smart Agriculture: A Bi-objective Optimization Scheme
Authors: Sun Geng , Zheng Xiaoya , Li Jiahui , Kang Hui , Liang Shuang
Published: May 2023

Smart agriculture which integrates the agriculture with Internet of Things (IoT) has attracted attention since it contributes to increase the productivity and quality of crops, reduce energy consumption and facilitate the farmers. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are two most commonly deployed devices that are used for enabling the smart agriculture. In this paper, we design a collaborative WSN-UAV system, wherein different clusters of sensor nodes form different sensor-based virtual antenna arrays (SVAAs) to transmit the collected data towards different receiver UAVs via adopting collaborative beamforming (CB), then the receiver UAVs will take the collected data back to the ground control station (GCS). We formulate a transmission rate and battery energy bi-objective optimization problem (TRBEBOP) to simultaneously maximize the total transmission rate of the sensor-based CB clusters and the total remaining battery energy of the selected sensor nodes, by selecting appropriate sensor nodes in each cluster that can form a predominant SVAA, determining suitable receiver UAVs and optimizing the excitation current weights of the selected sensor nodes. To handle the formulated TRBEBOP that is demonstrated to be non-convex and NP-hard, an enhanced non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (ENSGA-II) with several specific designs is presented. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed ENSGA-II for solving the formulated TRBEBOP. Moreover, compared with other benchmark algorithms, the superiority of the proposed ENSGA-II is demonstrated. In addition, the impacts of several fortuitous circumstances on the system are estimated, and the results illustrate the robustness of the proposed scheme. Finally, the discussion about several mechanisms to deal with the interference induced by the sidelobe levels and the impact of UAV movement on receiving rate are provided.
Review—Optimized Particle Filtering Strategies for High-Accuracy State of Charge Estimation of LIBs
Authors: Wang Shunli , Jia Xianyi , Takyi-Aninakwa Paul , Stroe Daniel-Ioan , Fernandez Carlos
Published: May 2023

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are used as energy storage systems due to their high efficiency. State of charge (SOC) estimation is one of the key functions of the battery management system (BMS). Accurate SOC estimation helps to determine the driving range and effective energy management of electric vehicles (EVs). However, due to complex electrochemical reactions and nonlinear battery characteristics, accurate SOC estimation is challenging. Therefore, this review examines the existing methods for estimating the SOC of LIBs and analyzes their respective advantages and disadvantages. Subsequently, a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the methods for constructing LIB models is conducted from various aspects such as applicability and accuracy. Finally, the advantages of particle filtering (PF) over the Kalman filter (KF) series algorithm for estimating SOC are summarized, and various improved PF algorithms for estimating the SOC of LIBs are compared and discussed. Additionally, this review provides corresponding suggestions for researchers in the battery field.
Bright Warm White Emission of Nd0.9Yb0.1AlO3 Nanocrystals under High Power Density Infrared Excitation
Authors: Gonçalves J. M. , Stefanski M. , Tomala R. , Strek W.
Published: May 2023

Laser induced white emission (LIWE) occurs when exciting a material with a focused infrared laser and it is characterized by an emission of warm white light and a non-linear intensity increase with excitation power, to cite a few. Therefore, it can be used as a new source for indoor lighting. Herein, we describe the LIWE for Nd0.9Yb0.1AlO3 nanocrystals with both 808 nm and 975 nm focused excitation in vacuum and atmospheric pressure and its light characteristics, with a correlated color temperature (CCT) around 2200 K. Additionally, an intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) mechanism is proposed to explain the origin of such emission.
A Power Efficient 32 nm Ternary Multiplier using Graphene Nanoribbon Field-Effect Transistor Technology
Authors: Rohani Zahra , Emrani Zarandi Azadeh Alsadat
Published: May 2023

As circuit complexity grows, designers are exploring ternary logic as an alternative to binary logic to solve interconnection and energy problems. One effective approach to implementing ternary logic-based circuits is to use a multiple-threshold voltage (multi-V

th
) design. In particular, graphene nanoribbon (GNR)-based field-effect transistors (GNRFETs) are a promising alternative to complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology for sub-32 nm feature sizes, as GNRs have excellent properties that can overcome scaling issues in CMOS. This paper introduces a ternary multiplier implemented with 32 nm GNRFET technology, which demonstrates high efficiency with only 26 transistors. Simulation results show that the proposed multiplier improves power dissipation and product-delay-power (PDP) by at least 37.30% and 22.22%, respectively, compared to existing multiplier designs when run at 0.9 V. Moreover, our proposed design is implemented with a carbon nanotube-based FET (CNTFET) technology. The GNRFET-based multiplier improved power and PDP by 41.77% and 30%, respectively in the cost of increasing the delay by 25%, compared to its CNTFET-based equivalent. Finally, we analyze the proposed multiplier under the process and environmental parameters variations of GNRFET technology. Overall, our results demonstrate the advantages of using GNRFET technology for implementing ternary logic-based circuits and provide insight into the impact of different design choices on performance.
Therapeutic perspective: evolving evidence of nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in diabetic kidney disease
Authors: Yao Lan , Liang Xianhui , Wang Pei
Published: May 2023

Approximately 30%–40% of patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (T1D/T2D) develop diabetic kidney disease (DKD), which can lead to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been investigated as treatments for DKD. However, these drugs do not prevent overactivation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). Studies have shown a correlation between MR hyperactivation, renal injury, and DKD. Finerenone, a novel and selective nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (NS-MRA), was approved for the treatment of patients with DKD, and is associated with lower rates of hyperkalemia. Other NS-MRAs (such as KBP-5074, BR-4628, esaxerenone, and apararenone) may also be effective drugs for the treatment of DKD. This review summarizes the effects of pharmacological MR blockade on diabetes and diabetes-associated CKD, with a particular focus on the therapeutic mechanisms of NS-MRAs in preclinical studies and ongoing clinical studies. Further investigation of combined treatment with renoprotective drugs and NS-MRAs to improve the treatment of DKD is needed.
Effect of Tacit Knowledge on Student Self-Determination in Indonesia: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Suwanda Dadang , Suryana Dodi , Suherman Uman , Nadhirah Nadia Aulia , Dahlan Tina Hayati , Ahmad Aslina Binti
Published: May 2023

This study was initiated in response to the condition of students’ low self-determination, which results in an inability to complete tasks well, a low achievement index, and even congestion and dropout. The research employed a mixed methodology with a concurrent embedded design and a selection without random assignment. The participants of this study were 406 undergraduate students in Indonesia, with 38 experimental and control participants, respectively. The self-determination instrument refers to the theory of Ryan and Deci, which was analyzed using the Rasch Model, and the effectiveness test used the Mann–Whitney U test. The results showed the impact of the identified regulation level that the focus of learning in higher education was successful in developing cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects but still needs to reach the development of students’ self-determination dimension. The tacit knowledge model has advantages in the learning process that can be attached to all courses that can produce useful output products.
Comprehensive Analysis Identifies the PPAR-Targeted Genes Associated with Ovarian Cancer Prognosis and Tumor Microenvironment
Authors: Leng Xiao-Fei , Wang Gao-Fa , Yin Hao , Wei Feng , Zeng Kang-Kang , Zhang Yi-Qun
Published: May 2023

Background. There is a significant role for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in the development of cancer. Nevertheless, the role of PPARs-related genes in ovarian cancer (OC) remains unclear. Methods. The open-accessed data used for analysis were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, which was analyzed using the R software. Results. In our study, we comprehensively investigated the PPAR target genes in OC, including their biological role. Meanwhile, a prognosis signature consisting of eight PPAR target genes was established, including apolipoprotein A-V, UDP glucuronosyltransferase 2 family, polypeptide B4, TSC22 domain family, member 1, growth hormone inducible transmembrane protein, renin, dedicator of cytokinesis 4, enoyl CoA hydratase 1, peroxisomal (ECH1), and angiopoietin-like 4, which showed a good prediction efficiency. A nomogram was constructed by combining the clinical feature and risk score. Immune infiltration and biological enrichment analysis were applied to investigate the difference between high- and low-risk patients. Immunotherapy analysis indicated that low-risk patients might respond better to immunotherapy. Drug sensitivity analysis indicated that high-risk patients might respond better to bleomycin, nilotinib, pazopanib, pyrimethamine, and vinorelbine, yet worse to cisplatin and gefitinib. Furthermore, the gene ECH1 was selected for further analysis. Conclusions. Our study identified a prognosis signature that could effectively indicates patients survival. Meanwhile, our study can provide the direction for future studies focused on the PPARs in OC.
Fractional Effective Quark-Antiquark Interaction in Symplectic Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Luz R. R. , Abu-Shady M. , Petronilo G. X. A. , Santana A. E. , Amorim R. G. G.
Published: May 2023

Considering the formalism of symplectic quantum mechanics, we investigate a two-dimensional nonrelativistic strong interacting system, describing a bound heavy quark-antiquark state. The potential has a linear component that is analyzed in the context of generalized fractional derivatives. For this purpose, the Schrödinger equation in phase space is solved with the linear potential. The ground state solution is obtained and analyzed through the Wigner function for the meson

c

c

¯

. One basic and fundamental result is that the fractional quantum phase-space analysis gives rise to the confinement of quarks in the meson, consistent with experimental results.
Supplementary Table S3 from A Phase II Redifferentiation Trial with Dabrafenib-Trametinib and 131I in Metastatic Radioactive Iodine Refractory BRAF p.V600E-Mutated Differentiated Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Leboulleux Sophie , Do Cao Christine , Zerdoud Slimane , Attard Marie , Bournaud Claire , Lacroix Ludovic , Benisvy Danielle , Taïeb David , Bardet Stéphane , Terroir-Cassou-Mounat Marie , Anizan Nadège , Bouvier-Morel Emilie , Lamartina Livia , Lion Georges , Betrian Sarah , Sajous Christophe , Schiazza Aurélie , Garcia Marie-Eve , Ciappuccini Renaud , Schlumberger Martin , Al Ghuzlan Abir , Godbert Yann , Borget Isabelle
Published: May 2023

Details of samples available for molecular analysis
Supplementary Figure S1 from A Phase II Redifferentiation Trial with Dabrafenib-Trametinib and 131I in Metastatic Radioactive Iodine Refractory BRAF p.V600E-Mutated Differentiated Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Leboulleux Sophie , Do Cao Christine , Zerdoud Slimane , Attard Marie , Bournaud Claire , Lacroix Ludovic , Benisvy Danielle , Taïeb David , Bardet Stéphane , Terroir-Cassou-Mounat Marie , Anizan Nadège , Bouvier-Morel Emilie , Lamartina Livia , Lion Georges , Betrian Sarah , Sajous Christophe , Schiazza Aurélie , Garcia Marie-Eve , Ciappuccini Renaud , Schlumberger Martin , Al Ghuzlan Abir , Godbert Yann , Borget Isabelle
Published: May 2023

Waterfall plot of the RECIST response
Supplementary Fig. S2 from Phase II Trial of Nelipepimut-S Peptide Vaccine in Women with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
Authors: O'Shea Anne E. , Clifton Guy T. , Qiao Na , Heckman-Stoddard Brandy M. , Wojtowicz Malgorzata , Dimond Eileen , Bedrosian Isabelle , Weber Diane , Garber Judy E. , Husband Alexander , Pastorello Ricardo , Lee J. Jack , Hernandez Mike , Liu Diane D. , Vornik Lana A. , Brown Powel H. , Alatrash Gheath , Peoples George E. , Mittendorf Elizabeth A.
Published: May 2023

Supplementary Fig. S2: Nelipepimut-S (NPS)-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses in patients receiving GM-CSF alone with corresponding HER2 changes
Contribution of Previously Unrecognized RNA Splice-Altering Variants to Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Jang Min Young , Patel Parth N. , Pereira Alexandre C. , Willcox Jon A.L. , Haghighi Alireza , Tai Angela C. , Ito Kaoru , Morton Sarah U. , Gorham Joshua M. , McKean David M. , DePalma Steven R. , Bernstein Daniel , Brueckner Martina , Chung Wendy K. , Giardini Alessandro , Goldmuntz Elizabeth , Kaltman Jonathan R. , Kim Richard , Newburger Jane W. , Shen Yufeng , Srivastava Deepak , Tristani-Firouzi Martin , Gelb Bruce D. , Porter George A. , Seidman Christine E. , Seidman Jonathan G.
Published: May 2023

Background:

Known genetic causes of congenital heart disease (CHD) explain <40% of CHD cases, and interpreting the clinical significance of variants with uncertain functional impact remains challenging. We aim to improve diagnostic classification of variants in patients with CHD by assessing the impact of noncanonical splice region variants on RNA splicing.

Methods:

We tested de novo variants from trio studies of 2649 CHD probands and their parents, as well as rare (allele frequency, <2×10−6) variants from 4472 CHD probands in the Pediatric Cardiac Genetics Consortium through a combined computational and in vitro approach.

Results:

We identified 53 de novo and 74 rare variants in CHD cases that alter splicing and thus are loss of function. Of these, 77 variants are in known dominant, recessive, and candidate CHD genes, includingKMT2DandRBFOX2. In 1 case, we confirmed the variant’s predicted impact on RNA splicing in RNA transcripts from the proband’s cardiac tissue. Two probands were found to have 2 loss-of-function variants for recessive CHD genesHECTD1andDYNC2H1. In addition, SpliceAI—a predictive algorithm for altered RNA splicing—has a positive predictive value of ≈93% in our cohort.

Conclusions:

Through assessment of RNA splicing, we identified a new loss-of-function variant within a CHD gene in 78 probands, of whom 69 (1.5%; n=4472) did not have a previously established genetic explanation for CHD. Identification of splice-altering variants improves diagnostic classification and genetic diagnoses for CHD.

Registration:

URL:https://clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01196182.
VR Dance Training System Capable of Human Motion Tracking and Automatic Dance Evaluation
Authors: Esaki Kazuhiro , Nagao Katashi
Published: May 2023

In this paper, a method for 3D human body tracking using multiple cameras and an automatic evaluation method using machine learning are developed to construct a virtual reality (VR) dance self-training system for fast-moving hip-hop dance. Dancers’ movement data are input as time-series data of temporal changes in joint point positions and rotations and are categorized into instructional items that are frequently pointed out by coaches as areas for improvement in actual dance lessons. For automatic dance evaluation, contrastive learning is used to obtain better expression vectors with less data. As a result, the accuracy when using contrastive learning was 0.79, a significant improvement from 0.65 without contrastive learning. In addition, since each dance is modeled by a coach, the accuracy was slightly improved to 0.84 by using, as input, the difference between the expression vectors of the model's and the user's movement data. Eight subjects used the VR dance training system, and results of a questionnaire survey confirmed that the system is effective.
Dubbing in Practice: A Large Scale Study of Human Localization With Insights for Automatic Dubbing
Authors: Brannon William , Virkar Yogesh , Thompson Brian
Published: May 2023

We investigate how humans perform the task of dubbing video content from one language into another, leveraging a novel corpus of 319.57 hours of video from 54 professionally produced titles. This is the first such large-scale study we are aware of. The results challenge a number of assumptions commonly made in both qualitative literature on human dubbing and machine-learning literature on automatic dubbing, arguing for the importance of vocal naturalness and translation quality over commonly emphasized isometric (character length) and lip-sync constraints, and for a more qualified view of the importance of isochronic (timing) constraints. We also find substantial influence of the source-side audio on human dubs through channels other than the words of the translation, pointing to the need for research on ways to preserve speech characteristics, as well as transfer of semantic properties such as emphasis and emotion, in automatic dubbing systems.
Gelasia attariana (Scorzonerinae, Cichorieae, Asteraceae), a new species from NW of Iran, inferred from morphological and molecular data
Authors: EBRAHIMI ATEFEH , HATAMI ELHAM , SAFAVI SEYED REZA , MIRTADZADINI MANSOUR
Published: May 2023

Gelasia attariana is described as a new species from northwest of Iran, near the border to Azerbaijan. The new species is morphologically similar to G. cinerea and G. wendelboi, mainly because of sharing caulescent perennial life form, entire lanceolate leaves with 3–7 parallel veins, tomentose indumentum of phyllaries and glabrous achenes without carpopodium, but differs in plant height, indumentum type of stems and leaves, length/width ratio of leaves, leaves color, apex of leaves and length of achenes and pappus. Morphological comparisons and taxonomic relationships of G. attariana with its closely related taxa are discussed. Consistent with morphological data, molecular evidences based on nrDNA ITS sequences confirmed that the new species can be recognized as a distinct taxon from its close relatives. Description, images of living plants and distribution map of the new species are also provided.
Strobilanthes spathulatibracteata, a new species of Acanthaceae from northern Vietnam
Authors: HAI DO VAN , THUY NGUYEN THU , LIN ZHELI , DENG YUNFEI
Published: May 2023

Strobilanthes spathulatibracteata is described as a new species from northern Vietnam. Morphologically, it resembles S. tonkinensis, but differs in its perennial undershrub habit, hirsute young stem, fragrant stem and blades, spathulate bracts and bracteoles with gland-tipped hirsute indumentum, 2-lipped calyx, 35–45 mm long corolla being puberulent outside and hirsute inside, and apically pubescent fruits. Photographs, illustrations, information on its habitat, ecology, pollen morphology and a preliminary conservation assessment are provided.
Species of Reticulipeurus Kéler, 1958 (Phthiraptera, Ischnocera, Oxylipeurus-complex) parasitic on species of Arborophila, with description of a new subgenus and three new species
Authors: GUSTAFSSON DANIEL R. , ZOU FASHENG
Published: May 2023

A new subgenus and three new species of parasitic lice (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) in the Oxylipeurus-complex are described and illustrated. Forcipurellus new subgenus is part of the genus Reticulipeurus Kéler, 1958, and only includes species parasitic on partridges of the genus Arborophila Hodgson, 1837. The new species are: Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) diki new species ex Arborophila rubrirostris (Salvadori, 1879); Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) bracatus new species ex Arborophila atrogularis (Blyth, 1849); Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) longistylus new species ex Arborophila rufogularis guttata Delacour & Jabouille, 1928 and two other host subspecies. In addition, we redescribe the species Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) formosanus (Uchida, 1917) ex Arborophila crudigularis (Swinhoe, 1864) and Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) nitzschi Kéler, 1958 ex Arborophila torqueola torqueola (Valenciennes, 1825) and Arborophila torqueola millardi (Baker, 1921). Also, we briefly discuss four additional species that could not be described based on the specimens examined. A key to identify all species in the subgenus Forcipurellus is provided, as well as an emendation to include Forcipurellus in a previously published key to the Oxylipeurus-complex.
Eulasia (Eulasia) ozdikmeni and Pygopleurus ozguri, two new species of Glaphyridae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) from south western Turkey
Authors: ULIANA MARCO , BOLLINO MAURIZIO , SABATINELLI GUIDO
Published: May 2023

Two new species of Glaphyridae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) are described from south western Turkey. Eulasia (Eulasia) ozdikmeni Uliana, Bollino & Sabatinelli, new species is distributed from the Isparta vilayet in the west, to the Mersin vilayet in the east, and was previously confused with Eulasia (Eulasia) montana (Reitter, 1890), a poorly known species from Diyarbakir area for which a lectotype is designated. Pygopleurus ozguri Uliana, Bollino & Sabatinelli, new species is an early-flying species only known from the surroundings of Karaman city (Karaman vilayet), and is peculiar for the shape of the male clypeus and paramera.
A new mud shrimp of the genus Paragourretia Sakai, 2004, from the Gulf of Mexico (Crustacea: Decapoda: Ctenochelidae)
Authors: FELDER DARRYL L. , DWORSCHAK PETER C.
Published: May 2023

A new western Atlantic member of the ctenochelid genus Paragourretia Sakai, 2004 is described to accommodate a single unique specimen collected by dredge on muddy rubble substrates of the continental shelf in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Paragourretia sandrae n. sp. closely resembles Paragourretia biffari (Blanco Rambla & Liñero Arana, 1994), another regionally reported species for which photographs and additional illustrations are herein provided. While P. biffari and P. sandrae n. sp. are similar in habitus and known habitat to the more commonly encountered confamilial Dawsonius latispina (Dawson, 1967), the third maxillipeds in Paragourretia bear distinct exopods that are absent in Dawsonius Manning & Felder, 1991. As in eight other world congeners, P. sandrae n. sp. differs from both P. biffari and Dawsonius in lacking triangular ventrolateral projections on the sixth pleomere. It is further distinguished from P. biffari by lacking a distinctly incised notch in the anterodistal margin of the uropodal exopod and by absence of a median terminal spine on the telson. Additional sequence-quality specimens of P. sandrae n. sp. are required to clarify its relationships within the polyphyletic genus Paragourretia on a molecular genetic basis.
Negotiating Toilet Access: A Qualitative Exploration of Women's Incarceration
Authors: Smoyer Amy B. , Schwarz Paige , Camenga Deepa , Rickey Leslie
Published: May 2023

Norms and behaviors about toileting in prison can expand understanding of women's lived experience of incarceration. Knowledge about this subject is significant because access to clean, safe toilets is a human rights issue, and toilet habits can impact social, mental, and physical outcomes. Three focus groups were conducted with 15 incarcerated women about their quotidian prison toilet experiences. While the toilet was physically available, institutional regulations, social norms, and women's individual psychologies limited their access and utilization. The ways in which toilet use was negotiated with self, peers, and are described, and the implications of these findings are discussed.
Connecting Scientists With Students Using Social Media in an Undergraduate Science Course
Authors: Shiffman David Samuel , Whitenack Lisa Beth , Ferry Lara Annette
Published: May 2023

Social media tools like Twitter allow scientists and other technical subject area experts to interact with the public in previously-unimaginable ways. Here we present a lesson plan in which undergraduates in a non-majors science course (introduction to marine biology) are asked to follow experts on Twitter from a carefully curated list and then complete a series of follow-up activities and reflections. This assignment is not only popular with students, but also supplemented their formal learning, allowed students to engage more deeply with subjects of personal interest, and has created life-long learning opportunities while improving science literacy. The lesson plan guidelines shared here can be adapted to other branches of science.
Examining Mental Health, Academic, and Economic Stressors During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Community College and 4-Year University Students
Authors: Ramirez Amaranta , Rivera David B. , Valadez Adrian M. , Mattis Samantha , Cerezo Alison
Published: May 2023

Objective: The COVID-19 global pandemic has created severe, long-lasting challenges to college students in the United States (US). In the present study, we assessed mental health symptomatology (depression, anxiety, life stress), academic challenges, and economic stress during the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. Method: A total sample of 361 college students ( Mage = 22.26, SD = 5.56) was gathered from a community college ( N = 134) and mid-size public university ( N = 227) in Southwest US, both designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions. Results: Pearson and point biserial correlations indicated associations between mental health symptomatology, academic challenges, and economic stress, including expected delays in graduation. Multivariate analysis revealed that community college students had statistically significantly higher scores on anxiety F(1, 312) = 5.27, p = .02, [Formula: see text] = .01 than 4-year university students, as well as key differences with respect to academic challenges. Chi Square analyses revealed that Latinx families experienced greater economic hardships, including job loss or reduced work hours (χ2 (1, N = 361) = 28.56, p = .00) than other ethnic/racial groups. Conclusions/Contributions: Findings revealed that community college students faced disparately negative mental health symptomatology, academic challenges, and economic stress during the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. Further, Latinx students’ families experienced significant economic hardship that may have impacted students’ academic progress and future planning.
The democratic personality? The big five, authoritarianism and regime preference in consolidated democracies
Authors: Erhardt Julian
Published: May 2023

Research frequently contends that support for democracy is a comparatively stable attitude. A previously neglected explanation for this finding is that regime preferences rest on deeply rooted psychological foundations. This article develops theoretical arguments about how the big five personality traits relate to democratic regime preferences in consolidated democracies, and presents empirical evidence using original survey data for six Western European countries. The results show that democratic regime support is substantively higher for more open, conscientious and agreeable individuals, but slightly lower for more extraverted and neurotic individuals. In addition, it highlights that it is important not to conflate support for democracy with authoritarianism, which the previous literature has frequently turned to for personality roots of anti-democratic sentiments. While authoritarianism also goes along with lower openness to experience, conscientiousness displays an opposite relationship, increasing pro-democratic attitudes but also individuals’ levels of authoritarianism. Thus, findings on authoritarianism should not be automatically translated to regime preferences.
Efficacy of zinc supplementation for the treatment of dysmenorrhoea: a double-blind randomised controlled trial
Authors: Obiagwu Hillary I. , Eleje George U. , Obiechina Nworah J.A. , Nwosu Betrand O. , Udigwe Gerald O. , Ikechebelu Joseph I. , Ugboaja Joseph O , Okoro Chukwuemeka C. , Okonkwo Ifeanyi O. , Okwuosa Ayodele O. , Oguejiofor Charlotte B. , Chigbo Chisom G. , Ogabido Chukwudi A. , Okafor Chidinma Charity , Okafor Chigozie G.
Published: May 2023

Objectives

To determine the efficacy of zinc sulfate supplementation in managing dysmenorrhoea.

Methods

In total, 103 high school students were randomised into an experimental arm (52 students) and a control arm (51 students) and received 40-mg zinc sulfate or placebo, respectively, over three cycles. Primary outcome measures were the mean Visual Analogue Scale score, which measured pain over three cycles, and the frequency of nausea and vomiting. Secondary outcomes were the use of additional analgesics and the frequency of allergic reactions.

Results

Fifty participants were analysed in each group. Mean pain scores were not significantly different between the groups before administering zinc sulfate therapy. Following the intervention, the mean pain scores for the treatment (2.80 ± 2.28) and placebo (3.48 ± 2.85) groups were not significantly different in the first cycle; however, scores in the treatment group were significantly better in the second (2.56 ± 1.97 vs 3.80 ± 2.77) and third (1.95 ± 1.72 vs 3.95 ± 2.82) cycles. No significant differences were observed between the groups in the nausea and vomiting incidence and the requirement for additional analgesics.

Conclusions

Zinc sulfate reduces dysmenorrhoea severity with minimal or no adverse effects, especially with more than one cycle of usage. Trial Registration Number: PACTR202105843292338. The trial is publicly available and was registered at www.pactr.org on 25 May 2021.