bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of pomalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone combination chemotherapy for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: POMACE Phase II Study
Authors: Saj Fen , Nisha Yadav , Ganesan Prasanth , Kayal Smita , Kar Rakhee , Halanaik Dhanapathi , Dubashi Biswajit
Published: March 2023

Bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone induction chemotherapy (VRd), followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), are the standard of care for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). Pomalidomide is currently approved for relapsed-refractory multiple myeloma. This single-arm, open-label, phase 2 study was the prospective evaluation of the efficacy and safety of bortezomib, pomalidomide, and dexamethasone (VPd) induction for NDMM. We used Fleming’s two-stage design for sample size calculation. We included transplant-eligible and ineligible patients aged 18–75 years in the study. The patients received four cycles of VPd induction followed by response assessment. Thirty-four patients were included in the study, of which 31 completed all four cycles of induction. The median age was 52 years (32–72). Thirty (91%) patients had multiple myeloma, and three had multiple plasmacytomas with less than 10% bone marrow involvement. Nine (27%) had ISS-I, 9 (27%) had ISS-II, and 15 (46%) had ISS-III myeloma. Three patients had high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities. After four cycles of VPd induction, ten patients (32%) achieved stringent CR, nine had CR (29%), eight (26%) had VGPR, and 4 (13%) had PR. Fifteen (48%) had a complete metabolic response (CMR) on PET-CT. Two patients developed SAEs. Anemia was the most common hematological toxicity. Peripheral neuropathy and constipation were the most common non-hematological toxicities. Patients with ≥VGPR had significantly better 12-month PFS than those with PR. Patients with ≥VGPR and CMR on PET-CT had significantly better 12-month OS. Our study showed VPd induction is safe and efficacious in NDMM. Further Phase 3 studies are necessary to establish the superiority and survival benefits.
A near real-time web-system for predicting fire spread across the Cerrado biome
Authors: Oliveira Ubirajara , Soares-Filho Britaldo , Rodrigues Hermann , Figueira Danilo , Gomes Leticia , Leles William , Berlinck Christian , Morelli Fabiano , Bustamante Mercedes , Ometto Jean , Miranda Heloísa
Published: March 2023

Wildfires are aggravating due to climate change. Public policies need territorial intelligence to prevent and promptly fight fires, especially in vast regions like Brazil. To this end, we have developed a fire-spread prediction system for the Brazilian Cerrado, the biome most affected by wildfires in South America. The system automatically uploads hot pixels and satellite data to calculate maps of fuels loads, vegetation moisture, and probability of burning for simulating fire spread thrice a day for the entire Cerrado at 25 ha and for nine conservation units at 0.04 ha spatial resolution. In both versions, the model attains 65–89% of spatial match. Model results together with ancillary data, e.g., historical burned areas and annual CO2emissions from fires, are available on an interactive web-platform that serves as a tool for fire prevention and fight, particularly in the selected conservation units where the platform is being used for daily operations.
Deterministic linkage for improving follow-up time in a Brazilian population-based cancer registry
Authors: Pereira Talita Fernanda , Aranha Valmir José , Waldvogel Bernadette Cunha , da Costa Allini Mafra , Tavares Guerreiro Fregnani José Humberto
Published: March 2023

Population-based cancer registries (PBCR) are the primary source of cancer incidence and survival statistics. The loss to follow-up of these patients is concerning since it reduces the reliability of any statistical analysis. The linkage techniques have been increasingly used to improve data quality in various information systems. The linkage was performed between the databases of the PBCR-Barretos and the mortality database of the state of São Paulo. To evaluate the improvement in the follow-up time of patients, the comparability of the two databases, pre- and post linkage, was made. Three analyses were performed: a comparative analysis of the absolute number of deaths, a comparative analysis of the follow-up time of patients and the survival analysis. After linkage, there was an increase of 813 deaths. The follow-up time of patients was extended and observed in most types of tumours. The comparability of the survival analyses at both time points also showed a decrease in survival probabilities for all tumour types. Deterministic linkage is effective in updating the vital status of registered patients, improving patient follow-up time, and maintaining good quality data from PBCRs, consequently producing more reliable rates, as seen for the survival analyses.
Bounded Wang tilings with integer programming and graph-based heuristics
Authors: Tyburec Marek , Zeman Jan
Published: March 2023

Wang tiles enable efficient pattern compression while avoiding the periodicity in tile distribution via programmable matching rules. However, most research in Wang tilings has considered tiling the infinite plane. Motivated by emerging applications in materials engineering, we consider the bounded version of the tiling problem and offer four integer programming formulations to construct valid or nearly-valid Wang tilings: a decision, maximum-rectangular tiling, maximum cover, and maximum adjacency constraint satisfaction formulations. To facilitate a finer control over the resulting tilings, we extend these programs with tile-based, color-based, packing, and variable-sized periodic constraints. Furthermore, we introduce an efficient heuristic algorithm for the maximum-cover variant based on the shortest path search in directed acyclic graphs and derive simple modifications to provide a 1/2 approximation guarantee for arbitrary tile sets, and a 2/3 guarantee for tile sets with cyclic transducers. Finally, we benchmark the performance of the integer programming formulations and of the heuristic algorithms showing that the heuristics provide very competitive outputs in a fraction of time. As a by-product, we reveal errors in two well-known aperiodic tile sets: the Knuth tile set contains a tile unusable in two-way infinite tilings, and the Lagae corner tile set is not aperiodic.
Social support enhances the mediating effect of psychological resilience on the relationship between life satisfaction and depressive symptom severity
Authors: Chang Yun-Hsuan , Yang Cheng-Ta , Hsieh Shulan
Published: March 2023

Psychosocial factors, including life satisfaction, resilience, and social support, have been proposed to influence depressive symptom severity in adults because the age of onset of depressive disorders, i.e. adolescence to early adulthood, is associated with various impairments in psychosocial functioning. In this study, a psychosocial model was constructed to verify these relationships to prevent depression. For this study, 370 participants were recruited from the community via poster or online advertisements. They completed several questionnaires to assess depressive symptom severity: the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SwLS), Peace of Mind (PoM) scale, Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). A negative association was found between depressive symptom severity and all other variables, including PoM and CD-RISC scores, life satisfaction, and social support. Such factors can be considered protective against increased depressive symptom severity. In addition, indirect effects of PoM and resilience on the negative association between SwLS scores and depressive symptom severity were observed. Moreover, social support was found to mediate the correlation between PoM and resilience, implying that social support mediates the relationship between state of mind and resilience. The psychosocial model suggested that depressive symptom severity is influenced by internal factors (an individual’s state of mind, subjective view of events and their life) and external factors (including social support).
Experimental and theoretical studies for corrosion of molybdenum electrode using streptomycin drug in phosphoric acid medium
Authors: Medany Shymaa S. , Ahmad Yahia H. , Fekry Amany M.
Published: March 2023

Corrosion inhibition of molybdenum electrode in H3PO4acid medium of different concentrations (3.0 to 13 M) has been investigated utilizing different electrochemical techniques. It was observed that the most corrosive concentration is 3.0 M orthophosphoric acid concentration. The effect of adding Cl−to 3.0 M orthophosphoric acid in the concentration range of 0.1 to 1.0 M was also studied. This study showed that the most corrosive medium is 3.0 M containing 1.0 M chloride ion with the greatest rate of hydrogen production. In 3.0 M H3PO4acid with 1.0 M of NaCl, the tested electrode's corrosion and hydrogen production may be successfully suppressed by adding Streptomycin of 10 mM concentration leading to high inhibition efficiency. The outcomes of the studies were confirmed by scanning electron microscopic examination. Additionally, a computational chemistry approach was used to investigate how streptomycin adsorbs and inhibits corrosion at the interface of metal surfaces, and the outcomes of the computational studies are in excellent accord with the experimental findings.
Using dimensionality-reduction techniques to understand the organization of psychotic symptoms in persistent psychotic illness and first episode psychosis
Authors: Fleming Leah M. , Lemonde Ann Catherine , Benrimoh David , Gold James M. , Taylor Jane R. , Malla Ashok , Joober Ridha , Iyer Srividya N. , Lepage Martin , Shah Jai , Corlett Philip R.
Published: March 2023

Psychotic disorders are highly heterogeneous. Understanding relationships between symptoms will be relevant to their underlying pathophysiology. We apply dimensionality-reduction methods across two unique samples to characterize the patterns of symptom organization. We analyzed publicly-available data from 153 participants diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (fBIRN Data Repository and the Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics), as well as 636 first-episode psychosis (FEP) participants from the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychosis (PEPP-Montreal). In all participants, the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) and Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) were collected. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) combined with cluster analysis was applied to SAPS and SANS scores across these two groups of participants. MDS revealed relationships between items of SAPS and SANS. Our application of cluster analysis to these results identified: 1 cluster of disorganization symptoms, 2 clusters of hallucinations/delusions, and 2 SANS clusters (asocial and apathy, speech and affect). Those reality distortion items which were furthest from auditory hallucinations had very weak to no relationship with hallucination severity. Despite being at an earlier stage of illness, symptoms in FEP presentations were similarly organized. While hallucinations and delusions commonly co-occur, we found that their specific themes and content sometimes travel together and sometimes do not. This has important implications, not only for treatment, but also for research—particularly efforts to understand the neurocomputational and pathophysiological mechanism underlying delusions and hallucinations.
RevGel-seq: instrument-free single-cell RNA sequencing using a reversible hydrogel for cell-specific barcoding
Authors: Komatsu Jun , Cico Alba , Poncin Raya , Le Bohec Maël , Morf Jörg , Lipin Stanislav , Graindorge Antoine , Eckert Hélène , Saffarian Azadeh , Cathaly Léa , Guérin Frédéric , Majello Sara , Ulveling Damien , Vayaboury Anaïs , Fernandez Nicolas , Dimitrova Dilyana , Bussell Xavier , Fourne Yannick , Chaumat Pierre , André Barbara , Baldivia Elodie , Godet Ulysse , Guinin Mathieu , Moretto Vivien , Ismail Joy , Caille Olivier , Roblot Natacha , Beaupère Carine , Liboz Alexandrine , Guillemain Ghislaine , Blondeau Bertrand , Walrafen Pierre , Edelstein Stuart
Published: March 2023

Progress in sample preparation for scRNA-seq is reported based on RevGel-seq, a reversible-hydrogel technology optimized for samples of fresh cells. Complexes of one cell paired with one barcoded bead are stabilized by a chemical linker and dispersed in a hydrogel in the liquid state. Upon gelation on ice the complexes are immobilized and physically separated without requiring nanowells or droplets. Cell lysis is triggered by detergent diffusion, and RNA molecules are captured on the adjacent barcoded beads for further processing with reverse transcription and preparation for cDNA sequencing. As a proof of concept, analysis of PBMC using RevGel-seq achieves results similar to microfluidic-based technologies when using the same original sample and the same data analysis software. In addition, a clinically relevant application of RevGel-seq is presented for pancreatic islet cells. Furthermore, characterizations carried out on cardiomyocytes demonstrate that the hydrogel technology readily accommodates very large cells. Standard analyses are in the 10,000-input cell range with the current gelation device, in order to satisfy common requirements for single-cell research. A convenient stopping point after two hours has been established by freezing at the cell lysis step, with full preservation of gene expression profiles. Overall, our results show that RevGel-seq represents an accessible and efficient instrument-free alternative, enabling flexibility in terms of experimental design and timing of sample processing, while providing broad coverage of cell types.
Quality assessment and quality control of deep soil mixing columns based on a cement-content controlled method
Authors: Zuo Jinyu , Wang Baotian , Li Wenwei , Han Shaoyang , Wang Jiahui , Zhang Fuhai
Published: March 2023

This paper presents a cement-content controlled method for quality assessment and quality control of the deep soil mixing (DSM) columns in slope reinforcement. The ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) titration method was modified and used for the cement content measurement of core samples, and the effects of curing conditions and curing period on the titration results were investigated. 35 DSM columns with different construction parameters were installed in the test section, and cement content and unconfined compression tests of field core samples were conducted. The relationship between the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and cement content of DSM columns was formulated, and the quality of DSM columns with different construction parameters was assessed. The test results suggested that the failure strength of the field cores was approximately 15–55% lower than that of laboratory samples with the same cement content. In single columns, the coefficient of variation (CV) of cement content had a negative correlation with the average failure strength and a positive correlation with the coefficient of variation of failure strength. Bidirectional mixing method, lower penetration and withdrawal velocity, more mixing blades and larger number of mixings could improve the uniformity of the DSM columns.
Efficient CO2 methanation using nickel nanoparticles supported mesoporous carbon nitride catalysts
Authors: Refaat Zakaria , Saied Mohamed El , Naga Ahmed O. Abo El , Shaban Seham A. , Hassan H B , Shehata Mohamed Refaat , Kady F. Y. El
Published: March 2023

The CO2 methanation technique not only gives a solution for mitigating CO2 emissions but can also be used to store and convey low-grade energy. The basic character and large surface area of mesoporous carbon nitride, (MCN), are considered promising properties for the methanation of CO2. So, a series (5–20 wt.%) of Ni-doped mesoporous carbon nitride catalysts were synthesized by using the impregnation method for CO2 methanation. the prepared catalysts were characterized by several physicochemical techniques including XRD, BET, FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, TEM, TGA analysis, Atomic Absorption, H2-TPR, and CO2-TPD. The catalytic performance was investigated at ambient pressure and temperature range (200–500 °C) using online Gas chromatography system. The prepared catalysts showed good performance where 15%Ni/MCN exhibited the best catalytic conversion and methane yield with 100% methane selectivity at 450 °C for investigated reaction conditions.
Laguncularia racemosa leaves indicate the presence of potentially toxic elements in mangroves
Authors: Pimentel Victório Cristiane , Silva dos Santos Mayara , Cordeiro Dias Aimêe , Silvério Pena Bento João Pedro , dos Santos Ferreira Bruno Henrique , da Costa Souza Marcelo , Kato Simas Naomi , do Carmo de Oliveira Arruda Rosani
Published: March 2023

Brazilian mangroves have been severely impacted by metallurgical, petrochemical, pyrometallurgical smelters and other industrial activities. In Rio de Janeiro, mangroves are part of the Atlantic Rainforest now under the stress of high levels of industrial waste. Therefore, this work aimed to detect potentially toxic elements (PTEs) by evaluating the leaves of Laguncularia racemosa (L.) Gaertn. f. collected from three mangroves with different levels of pollution. To gain further insight toward an accurate diagnosis of the effects of anthropogenic pollution on mangrove stands, we evaluated leaf epicuticular wax composition, as well as morphological and anatomical traits. Samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), gas chromatography (GC) and microscopy. Results revealed variation in the contents of PTEs among the three mangroves from lowest to highest concentration, as follows: Al (0.30–0.73), Pb (0.095–0.325) and Zn (0.25–0.30) mg/kg. Zn was detected in sclerenchyma tissues. Leaf epicuticular wax contained more than 50% of triterpenes, in particular, the pentacyclic triterpenes lupeol (41.61–55.63%) and β-amyrin (8.81–16.35%). Such high concentrations promote the increase in leaf permeability to salts and PTEs. Micromorphology of leaf epicuticular wax in L. racemosa also varied among the three evaluated sites, especially around stomatal openings, but no harmful changes were noted. L. racemosa plays a key role in the rich diversity of mangrove ecosystems. As such, this species could, by the presence of PTEs in its leaves, be a suitable biomonitor of toxic substances in coastal environments of the world and used accordingly in strategies designed for eco-sustainable technologies.
A Ni-modified CuS-based self-supported electrocatalyst with nanobead-like porous morphology for efficient hydrogen production in basic media
Authors: Burungale Vishal V. , Bae Hyojung , Mane Pratik , Cha An-Na , Ryu Sang-Wan , Kang Soon-Hyung , Ha Jun-Seok
Published: March 2023

The enhanced HER catalytic activity of a porous CuS-based catalyst, which was converted from Cu2O, is due to both increased surface porosity and intrinsic activity resulting from the synergy between Cu and Ni.
Ultrasensitive fluorescence detection of nitro-explosives by dihydro-oxoisobenzofuranyl-phthalazinone obtained from the Cd(ii)-catalyzed cyclization of azinodimethylidyne-benzoic acid
Authors: Singh Durgesh , Chandra Subhash , Pandey Rampal
Published: March 2023

Ultrasensitive detection of nitroexplosives is accomplished by utilizing the fluorescent probe dihydro-oxoisobenzofuranyl-phthalazinone obtained from the Cd(ii)-catalyzed cyclization of azinodimethylidyne-benzoic acid.
Structural, electronic and thermoelectric properties of GeC and MXO (M = Ti, Zr and X = S, Se) monolayers and their van der Waals heterostructures
Authors: Bashir Khadeeja , Bilal M. , Amin B. , Chen Yuanping , Idrees M.
Published: March 2023

Calculated Seebeck coefficient (a) and (b) electrical conductivity (c) and (d) and power factor (e) and (f) of GeC–TiSO, GeC–TiSeO, GeC–ZrSO and GeC–ZrSeO vdW heterostructures for 300 K and 800 K, respectively.
Ternary pentagonal BXN (X = C, Si, Ge, and Sn) sheets with high piezoelectricity
Authors: Thanasarnsurapong Thanasee , Detrattanawichai Panyalak , Dabsamut Klichchupong , Chatratin Intuon , T-Thienprasert Jiraroj , Jungthawan Sirichok , Boonchun Adisak
Published: March 2023

The piezoelectricity of two-dimensional pentagonal BXN (X = C, Si, Ge, and Sn) nanosheets.
Designing neoteric acidic deep eutectic solvents: an innovative, low-cost and environment-friendly strategy in the fast and facile production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural
Authors: Karimi Sabah , Niakan Mahsa , Shekaari Hemayat
Published: March 2023

A facile, fast and sustainable approach for the production of 5-hydroxymethyfurfural by acidic natural deep eutectic solvents.
Solid-phase synthesis of ultra-small CuMo solid solution alloy for efficient electroreduction CO2-to-C2+production
Authors: Zhang Zhili , Hu Jingwen , Zheng Xuan , Zhang Wenchao , Lu Shuanglong , Duan Fang , Zhu Han , Du Mingliang
Published: March 2023

Ultra-small CuMo solid solution alloy nanoclusters were anchored on electrospun carbon nanofibersviasolid-phase synthesis, achieving excellent CO2RR performance with a high FEC2+of 84.5% and FEethanolof 75.7%.
How water desorbs from calcite
Authors: Dickbreder Tobias , Lautner Dirk , Köhler Antonia , Klausfering Lea , Bechstein Ralf , Kühnle Angelika
Published: March 2023

The desorption of water from calcite (10.4) reveals that the (2 × 1) surface reconstruction not only persist at room temperature but crucially influences the surface properties.
Preparation and characterization of ZIF-8 and ZIF-67 engineered PVDF mixed-matrix membranes: stability enhancement in pervaporation study
Authors: Kachhadiya Dipeshkumar D. , Murthy Z. V. P.
Published: March 2023

Mono-(ZIF-8 and ZIF-67) and bi-metallic (ZIF-8-67) MOFs are used as fillers for MMMs. The prepared MMMs enhance the separation performance. All the prepared MMMs show stable separation performance for 220 h of experiments.
Bright and ultrafast electron point source made of LaB6 nanotip
Authors: Bhorade O. , Deconihout B. , Blum I. , Moldovan S. , Houard J. , Normand A. , Jagtap K. , More M. , Vella A.
Published: March 2023

For the first time, we investigate strong-field photoelectron emission from LaB6 needles, opening the way towards new sources of ultra-short pulses of electrons.
Beyond the matrix: structural and physiological advancements in mitochondrial calcium signaling
Authors: MacEwen Melissa J.S. , Sancak Yasemin
Published: March 2023

Mitochondrial calcium (Ca2+) signaling has long been known to regulate diverse cellular functions, ranging from ATP production via oxidative phosphorylation, to cytoplasmic Ca2+ signaling to apoptosis. Central to mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling is the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter complex (MCUC) which enables Ca2+ flux from the cytosol into the mitochondrial matrix. Several pivotal discoveries over the past 15 years have clarified the identity of the proteins comprising MCUC. Here, we provide an overview of the literature on mitochondrial Ca2+ biology and highlight recent findings on the high-resolution structure, dynamic regulation, and new functions of MCUC, with an emphasis on publications from the last five years. We discuss the importance of these findings for human health and the therapeutic potential of targeting mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling.
Electrospray ion beam deposition plus low-energy electron holography as a tool for imaging individual biomolecules
Authors: Ochner Hannah , Rauschenbach Stephan , Malavolti Luigi
Published: March 2023

Inline low-energy electron holography (LEEH) in conjunction with sample preparation by electrospray ion beam deposition (ES-IBD) has recently emerged as a promising method for the sub-nanometre-scale single-molecule imaging of biomolecules. The single-molecule nature of the LEEH measurement allows for the mapping of the molecules’ conformational space and thus for the imaging of structurally variable biomolecules, thereby providing valuable complementary information to well-established biomolecular structure determination methods. Here, after briefly tracing the development of inline LEEH in bioimaging, we present the state-of-the-art of native ES-IBD + LEEH as a method of single-protein imaging, discuss its applications, specifically regarding the imaging of structurally flexible protein systems and the amplitude and phase information encoded in a low-energy electron hologram, and provide an outlook regarding the considerable possibilities for the future advancement of the approach.
A Qualitative Analysis of Clinician Perspectives of Ultrasound Biofeedback for Speech Sound Disorders
Authors: Dugan Sarah , Schwab Sarah M. , Seward Reneé , Avant James , Zhang Ting , Li Sarah R. , Eary Kathryn , Mast T. Douglas , Riley Michael A. , Boyce Suzanne
Published: March 2023

Purpose:

Ultrasound biofeedback therapy (UBT) is a relatively new type of technology-assisted speech-language therapy and has shown promise in remediating speech sound disorders. However, there is a current lack of understanding of the barriers and benefits that may influence the usage behavior and clinical decision making for the implementation of UBT from a clinician perspective. In this qualitative study, we explore the perspectives of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who have used ultrasound biofeedback in programs of speech sound therapy using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model.

Method:

Seven SLPs who had clinical experience treating speech sound disorders with UBT participated. Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted and video-recorded. Two coders coded and categorized the transcribed data, with consensus established with a third coder. Using thematic analysis, the data were exploratorily grouped into themes along components of the UTAUT model.

Results:

The highest number of codes was sorted into the “effort expectancy” theme, followed by “performance expectancy,” “social influence,” and “facilitating conditions” themes of the UTAUT model. Clinicians identified multiple perceived barriers and benefits to the use of ultrasound technology. The top identified barrier was limited accessibility, and the top benefit was the ability to visualize a client's articulatory response to cues on a display.

Conclusions:

Clinicians prioritized “effort expectancy” and “performance expectancy” when reflecting on the use of ultrasound biofeedback for speech sound disorders. Clinicians spoke favorably about using UBT for speech sound disorder treatment but acknowledged institutional barriers and limitations at organizational and social levels.
Effects of Production Training With Ultrasound Biofeedback on Production and Perception of Second-Language English Tense–Lax Vowel Contrasts
Authors: Chang Yung-hsiang Shawn
Published: March 2023

Purpose:

This study investigated the efficacy of ultrasound biofeedback compared to a traditional acoustic input–only method in the second-language (L2) production training of English tense–lax vowel contrasts (/i–ɪ/ and /e–ɛ/). The relationship between the degrees of production and perception learning was also examined to explore a potential L2 production–perception link.

Method:

Using a pretest/training/posttest paradigm, two groups of native Mandarin speakers received three sessions of training, one with ultrasound and one with audio only. Perception performance was measured by accuracy in AX discrimination. Production performance was measured in terms of accuracy in repetition production and Euclidean distance between contrasting vowels.

Results:

Both groups showed significant improvements in posttest production and perception tasks. Additionally, the training benefits were retained 6 weeks after training. The two groups, however, did not differ significantly in training gains; nor was there a significant correlation between training-induced changes in perception and production performance.

Conclusions:

The results indicate that ultrasound feedback is similarly effective as the audio-only training in improving the L2 production of English tense–lax contrasts and the benefits transferred to perception. The lack of correlation between production and perception gains suggests that the two modalities need to be separately trained to achieve desired L2 learning outcomes.
Risk‐aware self‐triggered linear quadratic control
Authors: Kishida Masako
Published: March 2023

This paper presents a self‐triggered control approach with the view of risks for discrete‐time linear stochastic systems. More specifically, under the assumption that the first two moments of the disturbance distribution are known, the paper considers the problem of designing a control law that reduces the use of communication and power resources by aperiodically sampling the states and updating control inputs, while achieving a given performance goal at a risk below a specified level. This problem is approached by using the worst‐case Conditional Value‐at‐Risk as a measure of risk, to quantify the tail behavior of the stochastic systems, thus allowing us to suppress large losses. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed approach.
An adaptive cross‐scale transformer based on graph signal processing for person re‐identification
Authors: Zhou Wei , Hou Yi , Xu Shijun , Zhou Shilin
Published: March 2023

Extracting robust feature representation is one of the key challenges for person re‐identification (ReID) task. Although convolution neural network (CNN)‐based methods have achieved great success, they still cannot handle the part occlusion and misalignment caused by limited receptive field. Recently, pure transformer models have shown its power in the person ReID task. However, current transformer models adopt patches of equal‐scale as input, and cannot solve the problem of cross‐scale interaction properly. To overcome this problem, an adaptive cross‐scale transformer from a perspective of the graph signal, named ACSFormer, is proposed. Specifically, the self‐attention module is first treated as an undirected fully connected graph. And then, “node variation” is introduced as an indicator to adaptively merge neighbourhood tokens. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, their ACSFormer is the first work to attempt to combine pure transformers and graph signal processing in the field of person ReID. Extensive evaluations are conducted on three person ReID datasets to validate the performance of ACSFormer. Experiments demonstrate that this ACSFormer performs on par with state‐of‐the‐art CNN‐based methods and consistently improves transformer‐based baseline, for example, surpassing ViT‐baseline by 2.5%, 2.7% and 4.8% mAP on Market1501, DukeMTMC‐reID and MSMT17, respectively.
Improving the open cluster census
Authors: Hunt Emily L. , Reffert Sabine
Published: March 2023

Context.Data from theGaiasatellite are revolutionising our understanding of the Milky Way. With every new data release, there is a need to update the census of open clusters.

Aims.We aim to conduct a blind, all-sky search for open clusters using 729 million sources fromGaiaDR3 down to magnitudeG ∼ 20, creating a homogeneous catalogue of clusters including many new objects.

Methods.We used the Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (HDBSCAN) algorithm to recover clusters. We validated our clusters using a statistical density test and a Bayesian convolutional neural network for colour-magnitude diagram classification. We inferred basic astrometric parameters, ages, extinctions, and distances for the clusters in the catalogue.

Results.We recovered 7167 clusters, 2387 of which are candidate new objects and 4782 of which crossmatch to objects in the literature, including 134 globular clusters. A more stringent cut of our catalogue contains 4105 highly reliable clusters, 739 of which are new. Owing to the scope of our methodology, we are able to tentatively suggest that many of the clusters we are unable to detect may not be real, including 1152 clusters from the Milky Way Star Cluster (MWSC) catalogue that should have been detectable inGaiadata. Our cluster membership lists include many new members and often include tidal tails. Our catalogue’s distribution traces the galactic warp, the spiral arm structure, and the dust distribution of the Milky Way. While much of the content of our catalogue contains bound open and globular clusters, as many as a few thousand of our clusters are more compatible with unbound moving groups, which we will classify in an upcoming work.

Conclusions.We have conducted the largest search for open clusters to date, producing a single homogeneous star cluster catalogue which we make available with this paper.
Convergence analysis of a Local Discontinuous Galerkin approximation for nonlinear systems with balanced Orlicz-structure
Authors: Kaltenbach Alex , Růžička Michael
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we investigate a Local Discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) approximation for systems with balanced Orlicz-structure. We propose a new numerical flux, which yields optimal convergence rates for linear ansatz functions. In particular, our approach yields a unified treatment for problems with (p, δ)-structure for arbitrary p ∈ (1, ∞) and δ ≥ 0.
Polynomial algorithms for p-dispersion problems in a planar Pareto Front
Authors: Dupin Nicolas
Published: March 2023

In this paper, p-dispersion problems are studied to select p ⩾ 2 representative points from a large 2D Pareto Front (PF), solution of bi-objective optimization. Four standard p-dispersion variants are considered. A novel variant, Max-Sum-Neighbor p-dispersion, is introduced for the specific case of a 2D PF. Firstly, 2-dispersion and 3-dispersion problems are proven solvable in O(n) time in a 2D PF. Secondly, dynamic programming algorithms are designed for three p-dispersion variants, proving polynomial complexities in a 2D PF. Max-min p-dispersion is solvable in O(pn log n) time and O(n) memory space. Max-Sum-Neighbor p-dispersion is proven solvable in O(pn2) time and O(n) space. Max-Sum-min p-dispersion is solvable in O(pn3) time and O(pn2) space. These complexity results hold also in 1D, proving for the first time that Max-Sum-min p-dispersion is polynomial in 1D. Furthermore, properties of these algorithms are discussed for an efficient implementation and for practical applications.
Percutaneous endoscopic necrosectomy (PEN) for treatment of necrotizing pancreatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Gjeorgjievski Mihajlo , Bhurwal Abishek , Chouthai Abhishek A. , Abdelqader Abdelhai , Gaidhane Monica , Shahid Haroon , Tyberg Amy , Sarkar Avik , Kahaleh Michel
Published: March 2023

Background and study aims Endoscopic necrosectomy is limited by the proximity of necrosis to the gastrointestinal tract. Percutaneous endoscopic necrosectomy (PEN) is a minimally invasive endoscopic method of percutaneous debridement. Studies regarding its efficacy and safety are lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of PEN in necrotizing pancreatitis.

Methods Pubmed, Ovid, Cochrane, Scopus and Web of Science Database were searched from inception through February 2021. Dual extraction and quality assessment of studies using Cochrane risk of bias tool were performed independently by two authors. The primary outcome was defined as clinical success of PEN. Secondary outcomes included periprocedural morbidity, mortality, and long-term morbidity and mortality.

Results Sixteen observational studies including 282 subjects were analyzed. The average reported age of the participants was 50.3 years. Patients with reported gender included 39 % females and 61 % males. The success rate as defined by complete resolution of necrosis and removal of drainage catheters/stents was 82 % (95 % confidence interval 77–87). The mean size of pancreatic necrosis was 14.86 cm (5–54 cm). The periprocedural morbidity rate was 10 %, while there was no reported periprocedural mortality. The long-term morbidity rate was reported as 23 % and mortality at follow-up was 16 %.

Conclusions PEN is a novel method of endoscopic management of pancreatic necrosis. Based on our meta-analysis of retrospective studies, it represents a safe treatment modality with high rates of clinical success and low rates of perioperative morbidity and mortality. This study supports the use of PEN when conventional endoscopic therapy is not feasible.
Die Rolle des Biofaktors Zink bei
Autoimmunerkrankungen
Authors: Classen Hans-Georg , Birkelbach Daniela , Reich Anna
Published: March 2023

Zink ist essenziell für die Funktion des Immunsystems. Die Diagnostik des
aktuellen Zinkstatus ist dadurch erschwert, dass das Plasmazink nur etwa
0,1% des Gesamtbestandes ausmacht. Eine Metaanalyse von 62
englischsprachigen Arbeiten ergab signifikant erniedrigte Konzentrationen des
Plasma-/Serum-Zink bei verschiedenen Autoimmunerkrankungen. Zink sollte
daher in der Praxis mehr beachtet, Mangelzustände diagnostiziert und
– wenn nötig – durch eine gezielte Supplementierung mit
dem Biofaktor Zink ausgeglichen werden.
ω-3-Fettsäuren und Autoimmunerkrankungen: Kann man
mit Fischen der Entzündung davonschwimmen?
Authors: Schmiedel Volker
Published: March 2023

Autoimmunerkrankungen haben sich in den letzten Jahrzehnten weltweit zu einer
Pandemie entwickelt – mit steigender Tendenz. Es existiert eine
genetische Prädisposition, aber Umweltfaktoren dominieren. Dabei
scheinen die Ernährung und hier bes. ω-3-Fettsäuren eine
sehr wichtige Rolle zu spielen.
Lesões articulares prévias são associadas ao desempenho muscular de jogadores de voleibol?
Authors: Bittencourt Natália F. N. , Amaral Giovanna M. , Zuin Alysson L. , Mascarenhas Rodrigo de O. , Silva Anderson A. , Silva Hytalo de J. , Mendonça Luciana D.
Published: March 2023

Objetivo O objetivo deste estudo é determinar se lesões prévias de ombro e joelho estavam associadas ao índice de fadiga isocinética e razão agonista/antagonista dos rotadores internos/externos do ombro e flexores/extensores do joelho em jogadores de voleibol.

Métodos Esta é uma investigação transversal com 49 jogadores de voleibol de elite que competem em alto nível no Brasil. O índice de fadiga isocinética e os perfis de agonistas/antagonistas foram avaliados durante a pré-temporada. Além disso, para registro de lesões anteriores, os atletas responderam a um questionário padronizado. Conduzimos uma análise da curva de característica de operação do receptor (receiver operating characteristic, ROC) para determinar a força de associação e o ponto de corte clinicamente relevante de variáveis com significância estatística na área sob a curva (AUC) (α = 0,05). Um teste t independente comparou as variáveis isocinéticas entre atletas com e sem lesão prévia (α = 0,05).

Resultados Os resultados da análise da curva ROC indicam que os valores do índice de fadiga dos isquiotibiais a 300o/s foram associados à presença de lesão prévia no joelho (área soba a curva [AUC] = 73%, p = 0,004), enquanto os valores do índice de fadiga dos rotadores externos do ombro a 360°/s não foram associados à presença de lesão prévia no ombro (AUC = 68%, p = 0.053).

Conclusões Atletas de voleibol de elite que relataram lesões anteriores no joelho estavam propensos a um índice de fadiga maior do que aqueles que não relataram lesões. O treinamento de resistência de flexores do joelho pode ser útil para atletas com relatos de lesões no joelho na temporada anterior.
Comparação entre tratamento cirúrgico e conservador para fraturas toracolombares AOSpine tipo A3 e A4 sem déficit neurológico: Estudo de coorte prospectivo observacional
Authors: Vialle Emiliano Neves , Falavigna Asdrubal , Arruda André de Oliveira , Guasque Joana Bretas Cabral Rondon , Pinto Bárbara Miroski de Oliveira , Finger Guilherme , Sfreddo Ericson , Cecchini André Martins de Lima
Published: March 2023

Objetivo Comparar os resultados clínicos entre os tratamentos conservador (CS) e cirúrgico (CXS) das fraturas A3 e A4 sem déficit neurológico.

Métodos Estudo prospectivo observacional de paciente com fraturas toracolombares tipo A3 e A4. Esses pacientes foram separados entre os grupos cirúrgico e conservador e avaliados sequencialmente através da escala numérica de dor (NRS), do questionário de incapacidade de Roland-Morris (RMDQ), do EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) e da escala de trabalho de Denis (DWS) até 2,5 anos de acompanhamento.

Resultados Ambos os grupos apresentaram melhora significante, sem diferença estatística nos questionários de dor (NRS: CXS 2,4 ± 2,6; CS 3,5 ± 2,6; p > 0,05), funcionalidade (RMDQ: CS 7 ± 6,4; CXS 5,5 ± 5,2; p > 0,05), qualidade de vida (EQ-5D) e retorno ao trabalho (DWS).

Conclusão Ambos os tratamentos são opções viáveis e com resultados clínicos equivalentes. Há uma tendência a melhores resultados no tratamento cirúrgico das fraturas A4.
Metástase do eixo axial
Authors: Moura Marcio Fernando Aparecido de , Nakagawa Suely Akiko , Sanches Diego Pereira , Vianna Karina Costa Maia
Published: March 2023

As metástases no eixo axial permanecem um desafio para o tratamento cirúrgico bem como para outras modalidades, como quimioterapia, imunoterapia e radioterapia. É inequívoco que a cirurgia proporciona melhorias na dor e na preservação do status neurológico; porém, há permanência desta condição quando associada à radioterapia e a outras modalidades de tratamento. Nesta revisão damos ênfase às formas de tratamento cirúrgico atuais nas diferentes regiões da coluna vertebral e pelve. A evidente possibilidade de tratamentos percutâneos está relacionada a casos iniciais ou tardios, bem como a casos em que há maiores riscos e instabilidade às cirurgias convencionais associadas à radioterapia, e tem se mostrado a opção adequada para o controle local da doença metastática.
Pneumocystis jiroveci Pneumonia: A Review of Management in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Non-HIV Immunocompromised Patients
Authors: Ibrahim Atif , Chattaraj Asmi , Iqbal Qamar , Anjum Ali , Rehman Mohammad Ebad Ur , Aijaz Zobia , Nasir Fazila , Ansar Sadia , Zangeneh Tirdad T. , Iftikhar Ahmad
Published: March 2023

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia is an opportunistic fungal infection that was mainly associated with pneumonia in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. There has been a decline in Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia incidence in HIV since the introduction of antiretroviral medications. However, its incidence is increasing in non-HIV immunocompromised patients including those with solid organ transplantation, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, solid organ tumors, autoimmune deficiencies, and primary immunodeficiency disorders. We aim to review and summarize the etiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in HIV, and non-HIV patients. HIV patients usually have mild-to-severe symptoms, while non-HIV patients present with a rapidly progressing disease. Induced sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid can be used to make a definitive diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is considered to be the first-line drug for treatment and has proven to be highly effective for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia prophylaxis in both HIV and non-HIV patients. Pentamidine, atovaquone, clindamycin, and primaquine are used as second-line agents. While several diagnostic tests, treatments, and prophylactic regimes are available at our disposal, there is need for more research to prevent and manage this disease more effectively.
Topological charge conservation for continuous insulators
Authors: Bal Guillaume
Published: March 2023

This paper proposes a classification of elliptic (pseudo-)differential Hamiltonians describing topological insulators and superconductors in Euclidean space by means of domain walls. Augmenting a given Hamiltonian by one or several domain walls results in confinement that naturally yields a Fredholm operator, whose index is taken as the topological charge of the system. The index is computed explicitly in terms of the symbol of the Hamiltonian by a Fedosov–Hörmander formula, which implements in Euclidean spaces an Atiyah–Singer index theorem. For Hamiltonians admitting an appropriate decomposition in a Clifford algebra, the index is given by the easily computable topological degree of a naturally associated map. A practically important property of topological insulators is the asymmetric transport observed along one-dimensional lines generated by the domain walls. This asymmetry is captured by the edge conductivity, a physical observable of the system. We prove that the edge conductivity is quantized and given by the index of a second Fredholm operator of the Toeplitz type. We also prove topological charge conservation by stating that the two aforementioned indices agree. This result generalizes to higher dimensions and higher-order topological insulators, the bulk-edge correspondence of two-dimensional materials. We apply this procedure to evaluate the topological charge of several classical examples of (standard and higher-order) topological insulators and superconductors in one, two, and three spatial dimensions.
Orbital stability of periodic peakons for a new higher-order μ-Camassa–Holm equation
Authors: Chong Gezi , Fu Ying
Published: March 2023

The consideration here is a higher-order μ-Camassa–Holm equation, which is a higher-order extension of the μ-Camassa–Holm equation and retains some properties of the μ-Camassa–Holm equation and the modified μ-Camassa–Holm equation. By utilizing the inequalities with the maximum and minimum of solutions related to the first three conservation laws, we establish that the periodic peakons of this equation are orbitally stable under small perturbations in the energy space.
A review of recent studies on valve-less piezoelectric pumps
Authors: Li Wei , Li Dabing , He Lipeng , Wang Yage , Wang De , Qiao Lu
Published: March 2023

Due to the advantages of small size, low power consumption and price, no wear, and reliable performances of valve-less piezoelectric pumps, which academics have studied and gained excellent consequences for, valve-less pumps are applied in the following fields: fuel supply, chemical analysis, biological fields, drug injection, lubrication, irrigation of experiment fields, etc. In addition, they will broaden the application scope in micro-drive fields and cooling systems in the future. During this work, first, the valve structures and output capabilities of the passive valve and active valve piezoelectric pumps are discussed. Second, the various forms of symmetrical structure, asymmetrical structure, and drive variant structure valve-less pumps are introduced, the working processes are illustrated, and the advantages and disadvantages of pump characteristics with the flow rate and pressure are analyzed under different driving conditions. In this process, some optimization methods with theoretical and simulation analysis are explained. Third, the applications of valve-less pumps are analyzed. Finally, the conclusions and future development of valve-less piezoelectric pumps are given. This work attempts to provide some guidance for enhancing output performances and applications.
A snapshot of domain evolution between topological vortex and stripe in ferroelectric hexagonal ErMnO3
Authors: Kang Jiaqian , Gao Ziyan , Guo Changqing , Zhu Wenfu , Huang Houbing , Hong Jiawang , Cheong Sang-Wook , Wang Xueyun
Published: March 2023

Hexagonal manganites exhibit three distinct domain patterns: stripe, loop, and vortex. Due to the high ferroelectric phase transition temperature and the lack of reliable visualization methods, it is still a mystery about the evolution and the formation of vortex networks. In this study, we managed to capture the coexistence of vortices, loops, and stripes by accurately controlling the annealing temperature right at Tc. We proposed a merging process between the V–AV pair and the stripe, which result in two different forms of vortex networks, namely, the normal vortex and the zigzag vortex. In addition, the connection between the density of stripes and the orientation of V–AV pairs is analyzed, which are both influenced by self-straining of the crystal. The mystery of evolution of the vortex network is unveiled by capturing the snapshot, and the experimental database provided calls for more analysis to understand the evolution of different domain topologies.