bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and Safety of Angioplasty Balloon Interposition in CT-Guided Percutaneous Thermal Ablation of Hepatic Malignancies to Protect Adjacent Organs
Authors: Schlappa Michael , Wüst Wolfgang , Siebler Jürgen , Grützmann Robert , Uder Michael , Schmid Axel
Published: July 2022

Purpose

To evaluate the feasibility and safety of placing angioplasty balloons between the liver surface and adjacent organs in CT-guided thermal ablation of subcapsular liver malignancies in case of inadequate success of conventional dissection techniques.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective, single-centre database query identified 327 hepatic malignancies in 153 patients treated in 215 sessions from 2016 to 2018 by thermal ablation. Demographic data, tumour size, distance to adjacent structures, complications and long-term outcomes were assessed when ancillary procedures were performed to protect adjacent organs.

Results

In 21 of 327 (6.4%) ablations, thermal protection was necessary. Balloon interposition was successfully performed in 9 cases in 8 patients after hydrodissection or gas insufflation failed to separate adherent organs. Median pre- and post-balloon insertion distance was 0 mm [0–2 mm] and 17 mm [8–20 mm]. No balloons were damaged, ruptured or slid away from their initial position. Technical success of MWA and protection of adherent structures were achieved in all procedures. In a median follow-up of 11.5 months [0–49 months], the local control rate was 88.9% as 1 patient was treated twice with an interval of 3 months for local recurrence. Three non-process-related major complications and 1 minor complication occurred.

Conclusion

Balloon interposition is a safe and feasible method to enable thermal ablation to a greater number of patients, even after established thermo-protective techniques fail to separate the colon or stomach from the liver surface.
A topological perspective on weather regimes
Authors: Strommen Kristian , Chantry Matthew , Dorrington Joshua , Otter Nina
Published: July 2022

It has long been suggested that the mid-latitude atmospheric circulation possesses what has come to be known as ‘weather regimes’, loosely categorised as regions of phase space with above-average density and/or extended persistence. Their existence and behaviour has been extensively studied in meteorology and climate science, due to their potential for drastically simplifying the complex and chaotic mid-latitude dynamics. Several well-known, simple non-linear dynamical systems have been used as toy-models of the atmosphere in order to understand and exemplify such regime behaviour. Nevertheless, no agreed-upon and clear-cut definition of a ‘regime’ exists in the literature, and unambiguously detecting their existence in the atmospheric circulation is stymied by the high dimensionality of the system. We argue here for an approach which equates the existence of regimes in a dynamical system with the existence of non-trivial topological structure of the system’s attractor. We show using persistent homology, an algorithmic tool in topological data analysis, that this approach is computationally tractable, practically informative, and identifies the relevant regime structure across a range of examples.
Barren oder Touchieren: Tierschutzgerechte Berührungen von Pferden im Springsport – nur bestimmte Zwecke heiligen die Mittel!
Authors: Stietz Cornelia Fredericke
Published: July 2022

Tierschutz und Pferdesport – ein Widerspruch? Bereits die bedauerlichen Reitszenen aus dem
olympischen Fünfkampf im Jahr 2021 hatten diese Frage befeuert. Anfang dieses Jahres rückte dann
der Springsport negativ in den Fokus der öffentlichen Betrachtung: Handelt es sich um eine verbotene
Trainingsmethode, wenn Helfer neben dem Sprung stehen und dem Pferd, für einen besseren Sprung, Stangen
an die Beine schlagen oder kann es schmerzhafte Behandlungen über dem Sprung geben, die mit dem Tierschutzrecht
vereinbar sind? Der Beitrag will untersuchen, ob und welche Berührungen über dem Sprung tierschutzgerecht
sein können und beleuchtet diese Frage unter Berücksichtigung des staatlichen Rechts und des reitsportlichen
Verbandsrechts.
Which components of the Mediterranean diet are associated with dementia? A UK Biobank cohort study
Authors: Dobreva Ivelina , Marston Louise , Mukadam Naaheed
Published: July 2022

Cohort studies suggest that the Mediterranean diet is associated with better global cognition in older adults, slower cognitive decline and lower risk of dementia. However, little is known about the relative contribution of each component of the Mediterranean diet to dementia risk or whether the diet’s effects are due to one or more specific food components. We aimed to examine whether Mediterranean diet components are associated with all-cause dementia risk in the UK BioBank cohort. Participants joined the UK Biobank study from 2006 to 2010 and were followed until December 2020. 249,511 participants, who were at least 55 years old, without dementia at baseline were included. We used self-reported consumption of food groups, considered part of the Mediterranean diet including fruit, vegetables, processed meat, unprocessed red meat and unprocessed poultry, fish, cheese, wholegrains. Incident dementia was ascertained through electronic linkage to primary care records, hospital and mortality records or self-report. In this study with a total follow-up of 2,868,824 person-years (median 11.4), after adjusting for all covariates and other food groups, moderate fish consumption of between 2.0 and 3.9 times a week was associated with decreased risk of dementia (HR 0.84, 95%CI 0.71–0.98) compared to no consumption. Additionally, fruit consumption of between 1.0 and 1.9 servings a day was associated with reduced dementia risk (HR 0.85, 95%CI 0.74–0.99) compared to no consumption. No other Mediterranean diet components were associated with dementia risk suggesting that fish consumption may drive the beneficial effects seen from the Mediterranean diet. Further study of potential mechanisms and diet-based intervention trials are needed to establish this.
Intravenous ferric derisomaltose versus saccharated ferric oxide for iron deficiency anemia associated with menorrhagia: a randomized, open-label, active-controlled, noninferiority study
Authors: Kawabata Hiroshi , Tamura Takeshi , Tamai Soichiro , Fujibayashi Akiko , Sugimura Motoi ,   Study Group, Hayakawa Jun , Oku Hisato , Ota Yoshiaki , Nishiguchi Sonoe , Yamada Kiyohiko , Nomura Masayasu , Mizutani Toshiro , Tamura Yoshihiro , Amemiya Kyoka , Urabe Mamoru , Henmi Hirofumi , Aisaka Kozo , Fujito Atsuya , Oku Masataka , Tei Chisei , Kawata Akinori , Hirose Masaya , Yoshioka Masuo , Nishizawa Chizue , Horiguchi Ikuyo , Hirai Kozo , Tanabe Akiko , Yoshida Shohei , Umezawa Yoshihiro , Kashiwazaki Yuji , Kamegai Hideki , Saito Toshio , Naritaka Kazutoshi , Yamauchi Shigehito , Akazawa Kenji , Kobiki Koji , Tsujioka Hiroshi , Sumi Yukari , Matsumoto Reiko , Kiuchi Mari , Utsugisawa Yukari , Maruyama Masanori , Furumoto Hiroyuki , Minegishi Kazuhiro , Takane Masao , Yoshii Asuka , Yokokura Tsuneo , Hanashi Hideki , Yukawa Sumie
Published: July 2022

A multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase III study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of intravenous ferric derisomaltose (FDI) versus saccharated ferric oxide (SFO) in Japanese patients with iron deficiency anemia associated with menorrhagia. FDI can be administered as a single dose up to 1000 mg, whereas SFO has a maximum single dose of 120 mg. The primary endpoint, which was the maximum change in hemoglobin concentration from baseline, was noninferior for the FDI group compared with the SFO group. The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events was lower in the FDI group (66.2%) than in the SFO group (90.8%). Notably, the incidence of serum phosphorus level < 2.0 mg/dL was significantly lower in the FDI group (8.4%) than in the SFO group (83.2%), and severe hypophosphatemia (≤ 1.0 mg/dL) occurred in 6.7% of SFO‑treated patients compared with none in the FDI group. The percentage of patients who achieved the cumulative total iron dose during the 8-week treatment period was higher in the FDI group (92.8%) than in the SFO group (43.2%). The study met its primary endpoint, and also demonstrated the tolerability of a high dose of FDI per infusion, with a lower incidence of hypophosphatemia.
Genomic copy number alterations as biomarkers for triple negative pregnancy-associated breast cancer
Authors: Suelmann B. B. M. , Rademaker A. , van Dooijeweert C. , van der Wall E. , van Diest P. J. , Moelans C. B.
Published: July 2022

Background

PABC, commonly defined as breast cancer diagnosed during or ≤ 1 year after pregnancy, accounts for 7% of all breast cancers in women ≤ 45 years. Compared to age-matched non-PABC patients, PABC is characterized by a particularly aggressive histopathologic profile with poorly differentiated and estrogen- and progesterone receptor negative tumors and associated high mortality rates. This study assessed the genomic background of triple-negative PABC tumors by detection of copy number alterations (CNAs).

Methods

MLPA was used to compare CNAs in breast cancer-associated chromosomal loci between triple-negative PABC- and subtype-matched non-PABC patients. Both CNA patterns were evaluated by cluster analysis; associations between individual gene CNAs, pathological characteristics and survival were explored.

Results

Triple-negative PABC tumors exhibited unique CNAs compared to non-PABC tumors, including enrichment for TOP2A copy number loss, an independent predictor of worse overall survival (HR 8.96, p = 0.020). Cluster analysis based on CNA profiles identified a triple-negative PABC-subgroup with a particularly poor prognosis, characterized by chromosome 8p copy number loss. Individual gene CNAs analysis revealed that FGFR1 copy number loss on chromosome 8p11.23 was an independent predictor of poor outcome in multivariate analysis (HR 3.59, p = 0.053) and predicted the development of distant metastases (p = 0.048).

Conclusion

This study provides novel insights into the biology of triple-negative PABC tumors suggesting that CNAs, particularly 8p loss and TOP2A loss, are involved in the development of breast cancer during pregnancy. FGFR1 loss and TOP2A loss seem to be promising new biomarkers that independently identify subgroups of PABC patients with poor prognosis. These genomic biomarkers may provide clues for personalized therapy.
Reserve-dependent capital efficiency, cross-sector competition, and mineral security considerations in mineral industry transition
Authors: Bang Rasmus Noss , Trellevik Lars-Kristian Lunde
Published: July 2022

This study pinpoints three current factors that could be momentous in a possible transition to marine mining, namely reserve-dependent capital efficiency (accessibility and grade-dependent output per unit capital), cross-sector competition (competition between two separate mining sectors), and asymmetric mineral security considerations (e.g., the resource owner(s) and government(s) tied to a sector desires production for profit and security reasons). Moreover, four conceptual optimization problems are explored to specify the potential roles of said factors in a possible transition. The first problem considers a principal agent, who make decisions on behalf of resource owner(s), government(s) and producer(s), and invests and extracts to maximize the net present value of extraction from onshore and offshore reserves while facing reserve-independent capital efficiency. The second problem considers the same as the first, except here, the principal meets reserve-dependent capital efficiency. The third problem considers two principals, each representing resource owner(s), government(s), and producer(s) tied to a sector, who invest and extract to maximize the net present value of extraction from the respective reserves subject to the decisions of the other principal. Finally, the last problem considers a duopoly setting in which the marine principal values both financial gain and mineral security. The results illustrate that reserve-dependent capital efficiency, cross-sector competition, and mineral security considerations can, in different ways, drive a possible transition to marine mining. Possible counter effective factors are highlighted and discussed.
Leisure Adjustments of Older Finnish Adults during the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Koskinen Veera K. , Leinonen Emilia A.
Published: July 2022

The current approach to “aging well” emphasizes the importance of active leisure participation in late adulthood. This relates to the view that leisure activities enable older adults to stay physically, mentally, and socially active, and they thereby contribute to wellbeing. In spring 2020, leisure activity engagement was significantly hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores leisure-related experiences and adaptation strategies among Finnish older adults during the period of strict physical distancing. The data comprises letters (N = 77) written by Finnish people (aged 70–93) that were analyzed using content analysis. The study suggests that the reorganization of leisure was particularly influenced by the social significance of leisure activities, the age identities of the participants, and the prevailing ideals of active aging. The paper introduces three strategies of leisure adjustment: building new routines, maintaining activeness, and enjoying slow leisure. The article highlights the importance of investing in older adults’ leisure participation in the aftercare of the pandemic.
Correction to: Asymptotic properties of distance-weighted discrimination and its bias correction for high-dimension, low-sample-size data
Authors: Egashira Kento , Yata Kazuyoshi , Aoshima Makoto
Published: July 2022

A Correction to this paper has been published: 10.1007/s42081-021-00135-x
Decomposing attitude distributions to characterize attitude polarization in Europe
Authors: Gestefeld Martin , Lorenz Jan , Henschel Nils Tobias , Boehnke Klaus
Published: July 2022

In recent years, political discourse and election results appear to be more polarized in western countries but is this associated with increasing attitude polarization of their general public? To answer this question, many different polarization measures have been proposed in the literature but no systematic empirical comparison exists. In an exploratory analysis of 4155 attitude distributions on 11-point scales from the European Social Survey, we find that most polarization measures for single attitude distributions correlate strongly with the average attitude discrepancy between randomly selected pairs. We propose this as a catch-all measure for polarization because it can be decomposed into components related to different groups. By analyzing attitude distributions of the left–right political self-placements and several other topics, we find that distributions are typically not unimodal or bimodal, but show more so a structure with up to five modes. We exploit this structure by fitting a model with five latent groups of moderates, extremists, and centrists. Finally, we use the decomposition of polarization with respect to these groups to analyze polarization and its different aspects across topics, countries, and time establishing an overview and new perspectives on single attitude polarization in Europe.
AI ethics: the case for including animals
Authors: Singer Peter , Tse Yip Fai
Published: July 2022

The ethics of artificial intelligence, or AI ethics, is a rapidly growing field, and rightly so. While the range of issues and groups of stakeholders concerned by the field of AI ethics is expanding, with speculation about whether it extends even to the machines themselves, there is a group of sentient beings who are also affected by AI, but are rarely mentioned within the field of AI ethics—the nonhuman animals. This paper seeks to explore the kinds of impact AI has on nonhuman animals, the severity of these impacts, and their moral implications. We hope that this paper will facilitate the development of a new field of philosophical and technical research regarding the impacts of AI on animals, namely, the ethics of AI as it affects nonhuman animals.
Experimental Machine Ethics and the Problem of Entrenchment
Authors: Merdes Christoph
Published: July 2022

The increasing prevalence of autonomously operating artificial agents has created the desire and arguably need to equip such agents with moral capabilities. A potential tool to morally sanction an artificial agent as admissible for its tasks is to apply a so-called moral Turing test (MTT) to the machine. The MTT can be supported by a pragmatist metaethics as an iteratively applied and modified procedure. However, this iterative, experimentalist procedure faces a dilemma due to the problem of technological entrenchment. I argue that, at least in certain important domains of application, the justification of artificial moral agents requires their deployment, which may entrench them and thereby undermine the justificatory process by hindering its further iteration.
ARISTOPHANES, CLOUDS 327: GROATS GET IN YOUR EYES
Authors: Griffith R. Drew
Published: July 2022

In Aristophanes’ Clouds, Socrates vents his frustration at his new pupil Strepsiades’ inability to see the eponymous chorus with the line ‘You would see them unless you have drops of rheum in your eyes as big as gourds (κολοκύνταις).’ This line is problematic, because gourds relate to eyesight in no obvious way. However, Aristophanes might have ended the verse by referring to Socrates’ initiation of Strepsiades sixty-five lines earlier by a liberal sprinkling of barley, and written ‘or you're blear-eyed with barley-groats (οὐλοχύταισι)’. If some reader added κρομ(μ)ύοις ‘with onions’ to his text as a more universally valid explanation for an eye-affliction, a later scribe might have thought this an attempted correction, and substituted κολοκύνταις, which is both metrically correct and palaeographically closer to οὐλοχύταισι than is κρομ(μ)ύοις.
A NOTE ON THE TEXT AND INTERPRETATION OF CICERO, DE FATO 35
Authors: Dyck Andrew R.
Published: July 2022

De fato 35 is part of Cicero's argument against the Stoic theory of causation. He claims in general that the Stoic chain of causes consists of antecedent but not efficient causes. To the examples cited in the previous chapter he adds verses from the opening of Ennius’ Medea exul (lines 208–11 Jocelyn = FRL 2 and TRF 89.1–4) containing the Nurse's lamentation over the origins of the Argonautic expedition that led, ultimately, to Medea's current mental distress. Then follows the question quorsum haec praeterita? and the answer quia sequitur illud, ‘nam numquam era errans mea domo ecferret pedem | Medea, animo aegro, amore saeuo saucia’, non ut eae res causam adferrent amoris, citing Ennius, Medea exul 215–16 Jocelyn = FRL 2 and TRF 89.8–9. Editors and commentators have struggled to explain the relation of the answer to the question. Here it is argued that the relation becomes clear if one adopts non for non and punctuates with a query after amoris. The sense will be: ‘Why have these past events been cited? In view of the sequel … was it not so that they bring on the cause of love?’ In other words, the Nurse, like the Stoics in Cicero's view, cites antecedent events as if they were efficient causes.
HORACE AS A PUBLIC POET: THE EVIDENCE OF ODES 3.6
Authors: Wiseman T. P.
Published: July 2022

Tony Woodman's commentary has provided a convincing explanation of the apparently contradictory message of Odes 3.6. If the closing stanza does indeed allow the corruption of Roman morals to be reversed, the poem is best understood as a contribution to the celebrations in February 28 BC of Imperator Caesar's vow to restore the temples that had been allowed to fall into neglect by the corrupt oligarchy defeated in the civil wars. The widely held belief that Horace's references to performance are all metaphorical is shown to be unjustified.
Tropical Continents Rainier Than Expected From Geometrical Constraints
Authors: Hohenegger Cathy , Stevens Bjorn
Published: July 2022

Abundant rainfall over tropical land masses sustains rich ecosystems, a crucial source of biodiversity and sink of carbon. Here, we use two characteristics of the observed tropical precipitation distribution, its distinctive zonal arrangement and its partitioning between land and ocean, to understand whether land conditions the climate to receive more than its fair share of precipitation as set by the land‐sea distribution. Our analysis demonstrates that it is not possible to explain the tropics‐wide partitioning of precipitation unless one assumes that rain is favored over land. Land receives more than its fair share of precipitation by broadening and letting the tropical rainbelts move more, effectively underpinning a negative feedback between surface water storage and precipitation. In contrast, rain is disfavored over land in climate models. Our findings suggest that the abundance of rainfall that shapes the terrestrial tropical biosphere is more robust to perturbations than models have suggested.
Role of Sea Surface Physical Processes in Mixed‐Layer Temperature Changes During Summer Marine Heat Waves in the Chile‐Peru Current System
Authors: Cooley Kylene M. , Fewings Melanie R. , Lerczak James A. , O’Neill Larry W. , Brown Kevin S.
Published: July 2022

We identified anomalously warm sea surface temperature (SST) events during 1980–2019 near the major upwelling center at Punta Lavapié in the central Chile‐Peru Current System, using the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts reanalysis and focusing on time scales of 10 days to 6 months. Extreme warm SST anomalies on these time scales mostly occurred in the austral summer, December through February, and had spatial scales of 1000s of km. By compositing over the 37 most extreme warm events, we estimated terms in a heat budget for the ocean surface mixed layer at the times of strongest warming preceding the events. The net surface heat flux anomaly is too small to explain the anomalous warming, even when allowing for uncertainty in mixed‐layer depth. The composite mean anomaly of wind stress, from satellite ocean vector wind swath data, during the 37 anomalous warming periods has a spatial pattern similar to the resulting warm SST anomalies, analogous to previous studies in the California Current System. The weakened surface wind stress suggests reduced entrainment of cold water from below the mixed layer. Within 100–200 km of the coast, the typical upwelling‐favorable wind stress curl decreases, suggesting reduced upwelling of cold water. In a 1000‐km area of anomalous warming offshore, the typical downwelling‐favorable wind stress curl also decreases, implying reduced downward Ekman pumping, which would allow mixed‐layer shoaling and amplify the effect of the positive climatological summertime net surface heat flux.
Testing the Linearity of Combined Electron Scattering Effects Driven by Simultaneous H+ and He+ Band EMIC Waves
Authors: Yi Juan , Fu Song , Ni Binbin , Zhou Ruoxian , Cao Xing , Xiang Zheng , Gu Xudong , Ma Xin , Yun Xiaotong
Published: July 2022

The main aim of this study is to examine whether the combined scattering effects simultaneously induced by different plasma waves can be treated as the linear superposition (LS) of independent scattering effect caused by each single wave mode or not. Accordingly, this study investigates the individual and combined scattering effects of simultaneous H+ and He+ band electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves as an example. Both quasi‐linear theory and test particle simulations have been applied to evaluate the scattering effects in the form of diffusion rates and single particle tracing. The narrowband EMIC waves with amplitudes (1, 5, and 10 nT) and monochromatic EMIC waves with amplitudes ranging from 0.1 to 10 nT have been adopted in this study to involve both linear and nonlinear resonant scattering effects. The analysis on resonant condition indicates that H+ and He+ band EMIC waves can simultaneously scatter electrons with the same energies and pitch angles. For both narrowband and monochromatic EMIC waves, the combined diffusion rates induced by simultaneous two band waves are consistent with the LS of independent scattering rates caused by single band waves. The following single particle tracing presents two different wave‐particle interaction conditions at different magnetic latitudes. In conclusion, our results suggest that the linear superposed scattering results can effectively evaluate the combined resonant scattering effects driven by two‐band EMIC waves, which can easily be generalized to estimate the combined scattering effects simultaneously induced by different plasma waves for radiation belt modeling.
The Effect of Harbor Developments on Future High‐Tide Flooding in Miami, Florida
Authors: De Leo F. , Talke S. A. , Orton P. M. , Wahl T.
Published: July 2022

Little is known about the effect of tidal changes on minor flooding in most lagoonal estuaries, often due to a paucity of historical records that predate landscape changes. In this contribution, we recover and apply archival tidal range data to show that the mean tidal range in Miami, Florida, has almost doubled since 1900, from 0.32 to 0.61 m today. A likely cause is the dredging of a ∼15 m deep, 150 m wide harbor entrance channel beginning in the early 20th century, which changed northern Biscayne Bay from a choked inlet system to one with a tidal range close to coastal conditions. To investigate the implications for high‐tide flooding, we develop and validate a tidal‐inference based methodology that leverages estimates of pre‐1900 tidal range to obtain historical tidal predictions and constituents. Next, water level predictions that represent historical and modern water level variations are projected forward in time using different sea level rise scenarios. Results show that the historical increase in tidal range hastened the occurrence of present‐day flooding, and that the total integrated number of days with high‐tide floods in the 2020–2100 period will be approximately O(103) more under present day tides compared to pre‐development conditions. These results suggest that tidal change may be a previously under‐appreciated factor in the increasing prevalence of high‐tide flooding in lagoonal estuaries, and our methods open the door to improving our understanding of other heavily‐altered systems.
Photoinduced large polaron transport and dynamics in organic–inorganic hybrid lead halide perovskite with terahertz probes
Authors: Jin Zuanming , Peng Yan , Fang Yuqing , Ye Zhijiang , Fan Zhiyuan , Liu Zhilin , Bao Xichang , Gao Heng , Ren Wei , Wu Jing , Ma Guohong , Chen Qianli , Zhang Chao , Balakin Alexey V. , Shkurinov Alexander P. , Zhu Yiming , Zhuang Songlin
Published: July 2022

Organic-inorganic hybrid metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have attracted tremendous attention for optoelectronic applications. The long photocarrier lifetime and moderate carrier mobility have been proposed as results of the large polaron formation in MHPs. However, it is challenging to measure the effective mass and carrier scattering parameters of the photogenerated large polarons in the ultrafast carrier recombination dynamics. Here, we show, in a one-step spectroscopic method, that the optical-pump and terahertz-electromagnetic probe (OPTP) technique allows us to access the nature of interplay of photoexcited unbound charge carriers and optical phonons in polycrystalline CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) of about 10 μm grain size. Firstly, we demonstrate a direct spectral evidence of the large polarons in polycrystalline MAPbI3. Using the Drude–Smith–Lorentz model along with the Frӧhlich-type electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling, we determine the effective mass and scattering parameters of photogenerated polaronic carriers. We discover that the resulting moderate polaronic carrier mobility is mainly influenced by the enhanced carrier scattering, rather than the polaron mass enhancement. While, the formation of large polarons in MAPbI3 polycrystalline grains results in a long charge carrier lifetime at room temperature. Our results provide crucial information about the photo-physics of MAPbI3 and are indispensable for optoelectronic device development with better performance.
Functionalizing Van der Waals materials by shaping them
Authors: Jariwala Deep
Published: July 2022

A number of van der Waals materials can be gradually tuned from electron to hole conductance with an increasing or decreasing thickness, which offers a novel route to modulate nanoscale charge-carrier distribution and thus functionality in devices.
Exploiting optical degrees of freedom for information multiplexing in diffractive neural networks
Authors: Zuo Chao , Chen Qian
Published: July 2022

Exploiting internal degrees of freedom of light, such as polarization, provides efficient ways to scale the capacity of optical diffractive computing, which may ultimately lead to high-throughput, multifunctional all-optical diffractive processors that can execute a diverse range of tasks in parallel.
Mitochondrial fission induces immunoescape in solid tumors through decreasing MHC-I surface expression
Authors: Lei Xinyuan , Lin Hsinyu , Wang Jieqi , Ou Zhanpeng , Ruan Yi , Sadagopan Ananthan , Chen Weixiong , Xie Shule , Chen Baisheng , Li Qunxing , Wang Jue , Lin Huayue , Zhu Xiaofeng , Yuan Xiaoqing , Tian Tian , Lv Xiaobin , Fu Sha , Zhu Xiaorui , Zhou Jian , Pan Guokai , Xia Xin , Tannous Bakhos A. , Ferrone Soldano , Fan Song , Li Jinsong
Published: July 2022

Mitochondrial dynamics can regulate Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)-I antigen expression by cancer cells and their immunogenicity in mice and in patients with malignancies. A crucial role in the mitochondrial fragmentation connection with immunogenicity is played by the IRE1α-XBP-1s axis. XBP-1s is a transcription factor for aminopeptidase TPP2, which inhibits MHC-I complex cell surface expression likely by degrading tumor antigen peptides. Mitochondrial fission inhibition with Mdivi-1 upregulates MHC-I expression on cancer cells and enhances the efficacy of adoptive T cell therapy in patient-derived tumor models. Therefore mitochondrial fission inhibition might provide an approach to enhance the efficacy of T cell-based immunotherapy.
The Australian Shark-Incident Database for quantifying temporal and spatial patterns of shark-human conflict
Authors: Riley Madeline , Meagher Phoebe , Huveneers Charlie , Leto Jacob , Peddemors Victor M. , Slip David , West John , Bradshaw Corey J. A.
Published: July 2022

We describe the Australian Shark-Incident Database, formerly known as the Australian Shark-Attack File, which contains comprehensive reports of 1,196 shark bites that have occurred in Australia over 231 years (1791–2022). Data were collated by the Taronga Conservation Society Australia using purpose-designed questionnaires provided to shark-bite victims or witnesses, media reports, and information provided by the department responsible for fisheries in each Australian state (including the Northern Territory). The dataset includes provoked and unprovoked bites from fresh, brackish, and marine waters in Australia. Data span 22 suspected shark species. This dataset will be publicly available, and can be used by analysts to decipher environmental, biological, and social patterns of shark bites in Australia. The information will aid scientists, conservationists, authorities, and members of the public to make informed decisions when implementing or selecting mitigation measures.
Effects of a supervised exercise program in addition to electrical stimulation or kinesio taping in low back pain: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Aguilar-Ferrándiz María Encarnación , Matarán-Peñarrocha Guillermo A. , Tapia-Haro Rosa María , Castellote-Caballero Yolanda , Martí-García Celia , Castro-Sánchez Adelaida María
Published: July 2022

Chronic low back pain it is one of the most common health problems worldwide. Usually is accompanied by a complex set of symptoms and generates significant direct and indirect socioeconomic and health costs. From a therapeutic point of view, there are a wide variety of methods to address the treatment of this pathology, however, these therapies have not been shown definitive efficacy. To investigate the effect of a mixed treatment with exercise and electrical stimulation versus exercise and kinesio taping in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain. A total of 58 patients participated in this single-blinded randomised clinical trial. Participants were assigned to the exercises- kinesio taping group, or exercises- analgesic current group, both received 12 treatment sessions. Disability, fear of movement, anxiety, depression, sleeps quality, pain, lower limb mechanosensitivity and pressure-pain thresholds were recorded at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment. The 2 × 2 mixed analysis of covariance test showed statistically significant differences between groups for pain (P = 0.046). Pair-wise comparisons with baseline demonstrated significant differences for both groups in pain (P ≤ 0.001), disability (P ≤ 0.001), pressure-pain thresholds (P ≤ 0.044), lower limb mechanosensitivity, (P ≤ 0.047), anxiety (P ≤ 0.001), depression (P ≤ 0.001) and sleep quality (P ≤ 0.010). Patients with chronic low back pain who received a combined treatment of exercises and kinesio taping or analgesic current showed an improvement in pain, disability, anxiety, depression and sleep pattern. Moreover, exercises combined with electrotherapy produces greater improvements over these variables.

Trial registration: NCT02812459.
Multiscale Brazil nut effects in bioturbated sediment
Authors: Savranskaia Tatiana , Egli Ramon , Valet Jean-Pierre
Published: July 2022

Size segregation in granular materials is a universal phenomenon popularly known as the Brazil nut effect (BNE), from the tendency of larger nuts to end on the top of a shaken container. In nature, fast granular flows bear many similarities with well-studied mixing processes. Instead, much slower phenomena, such as the accumulation of ferromanganese nodules (FN) on the seafloor, have been attributed to the BNE but remain essentially unexplained. Here we document, for the first time, the BNE on sub-millimetre particles in pelagic sediment and propose a size segregation model for the surface mixed layer of bioturbated sediments. Our model explains the size distribution of FN seeds, pointing to a uniform segregation mechanism over sizes ranging from < 1 mm to > 1 cm, which does not depend on selective ingestion by feeding organisms. In addition to explaining FN nucleation, our model has important implications for microfossil dating and the mechanism underlying sedimentary records of the Earth’s magnetic field.
First-principles study of the electronic and optical properties of Ho$$_{\text{W}}$$ impurities in single-layer tungsten disulfide
Authors: Khan M. A. , Leuenberger Michael N.
Published: July 2022

The electronic and optical properties of single-layer (SL) tungsten disulfide (WS$$_2$$

2

) in the presence of substitutional Holmium impurities (Ho$$_{\text{W}}$$

W

) are studied. Although Ho is much larger than W, density functional theory (DFT) including spin-orbit coupling is used to show that Ho:SL WS$$_2$$

2

is stable. The magnetic moment of the Ho impurity is found to be 4.75$$\mu _B$$

μ
B

using spin-dependent DFT. The optical selection rules identified in the optical spectrum match exactly the optical selection rules derived by means of group theory. The presence of neutral Ho$$_W$$

W

impurities gives rise to localized impurity states (LIS) with f-orbital character in the band structure. Using the Kubo-Greenwood formula and Kohn-Sham orbitals we obtain atom-like sharp transitions in the in-plane and out-of-plane components of the susceptibility tensor, Im$$\chi _{\parallel }$$

χ
‖

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. The optical resonances are in good agreement with experimental data.
ArtSeg—Artifact segmentation and removal in brightfield cell microscopy images without manual pixel-level annotations
Authors: Ali Mohammed A. S. , Hollo Kaspar , Laasfeld Tõnis , Torp Jane , Tahk Maris-Johanna , Rinken Ago , Palo Kaupo , Parts Leopold , Fishman Dmytro
Published: July 2022

Brightfield cell microscopy is a foundational tool in life sciences. The acquired images are prone to contain visual artifacts that hinder downstream analysis, and automatically removing them is therefore of great practical interest. Deep convolutional neural networks are state-of-the-art for image segmentation, but require pixel-level annotations, which are time-consuming to produce. Here, we propose ScoreCAM-U-Net, a pipeline to segment artifactual regions in brightfield images with limited user input. The model is trained using only image-level labels, so the process is faster by orders of magnitude compared to pixel-level annotation, but without substantially sacrificing the segmentation performance. We confirm that artifacts indeed exist with different shapes and sizes in three different brightfield microscopy image datasets, and distort downstream analyses such as nuclei segmentation, morphometry and fluorescence intensity quantification. We then demonstrate that our automated artifact removal ameliorates this problem. Such rapid cleaning of acquired images using the power of deep learning models is likely to become a standard step for all large scale microscopy experiments.
Evaluation of blood perfusion using laser doppler flowmetry during endoscopic lumbar sympathectomy in patients with plantar hyperhidrosis: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Lee Yea-Chan , You Young Kyung , Lee Sungsoo , Moon Duk Hwan , Lee Ji-Won
Published: July 2022

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether monitoring the changes of skin blood flow may be effective in assessing blood perfusion during endoscopic lumbar sympathectomy (ELS) in patients with plantar hyperhidrosis. In this study, a total of 30 patients who underwent surgical treatment for plantar hyperhidrosis at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in Yonsei University Gangnam Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea, between July 2020 and December 2020, were retrospectively analyzed. Sympathetic denervation was performed on the third lumbar ganglion, and intraoperative laser doppler flowmetry (LDF) was used to detect the lumbar sympathetic chain accurately. We observed an abrupt increase of peripheral blood flow after sympathetic denervation, and the median percent changes of perfusion unit were 173.27 (inter-quartile range, IQR 195.48) and 392.98 (IQR 597.27) for the left and right sympathectomies, respectively. This study demonstrated the efficacy of monitoring skin blood flow via LDF during ELS. This result suggests that exact detection of blood flow using LDF is essential for improving the accuracy of ELS by checking the perfusion site on the sole in patients with plantar hyperhidrosis.
Long-term clinical and angiographic outcome of the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) for endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms
Authors: Goertz Lukas , Liebig Thomas , Siebert Eberhard , Dorn Franziska , Pflaeging Muriel , Forbrig Robert , Pennig Lenhard , Schlamann Marc , Kabbasch Christoph
Published: July 2022

The Woven EndoBridge (WEB) is a well-established device for endovascular treatment of wide-necked bifurcation aneurysms. The objective was to evaluate the long-term angiographic outcome of the WEB and to identify factors that influence aneurysm occlusion. Patient, aneurysm and procedural characteristics of 213 consecutive patients treated with the WEB at three German tertiary care centers between 2011 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Aneurysm occlusion was determined immediately after the procedure, at mid-term (≤ 12 months) and at long-term (> 12 months) follow-up. Among 182 included aneurysms (mean diameter: 7.0 ± 2.4, mean neck width: 4.3 ± 1.6 mm), 29.7% were ruptured. The novel WEB 17 was used in 41.8%, and 11.0% were treated in combination with coiling and/or stenting. Complete and adequate occlusions were observed in 101/155 (65.2%) and 133/155 (85.8%) at mid-term, respectively, and in 59/94 (62.8%) and 87/94 (92.6%) at long-term follow-up (median: 19 months), respectively. Among 92 patients available for both mid- and long-term follow-up, occlusion was stable in 72.8%, improved in 16.3% and worsened in 10.9%. There were no major recurrences leading to aneurysm remnants between mid- and long-term follow-up. Retreatment was performed in 10/155 (6.5%) during mid-term and in 1/94 (1.0%) during long-term follow-up. The WEB provides durable aneurysm occlusion at the long-term. Nevertheless, follow-up imaging is necessary to identify late recurrences that may occur in around 10%.
Essential oil-mediated biocompatible magnesium nanoparticles with enhanced antibacterial, antifungal, and photocatalytic efficacies
Authors: Pathania Diksha , Kumar Sunil , Thakur Pankaj , Chaudhary Vishal , Kaushik Ajeet , Varma Rajender S. , Furukawa Hidemitsu , Sharma Mamta , Khosla Ajit
Published: July 2022

Emergent application of antimicrobial strategies as symptomatic treatment in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and linkage of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 with microbial infections, has created colossal demand for antimicrobials. For the first time, this communication explore the physicochemical, antifungal, antibacterial, and photocatalytic properties of biogenic magnesium nanoparticles (MgNPs), synthesized using essential oil of Cymbopogon flexuosus's as an efficient multifunctional reducing and stabilizing/capping reagent. It is observed that MgNPs (ranging in size: 8–16 nm) of varying phytochemical compositions (MgS1, MgS2, MgS3) exhibited various useful physicochemical, antimicrobial, and photocatalytic properties. FTIR outcomes highlight the functional biomolecules-assisted reduction of Mg from Mg+ to Mg0. Among all, MgS3-Nps owing to the smallest particle size exhibited superior photocatalytic efficacy (91.2%) for the methylene blue degradation upon direct exposure to the sunlight for 3 h without using any reducing agents. Fabricated MgNPs also exhibited excellent antifungal (against Fusarium oxysporum) and antibacterial (versus Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) efficacies compared to state-of-the-art antimicrobial agents deployed for the treatment of infectious diseases. Based on this investigated greener approach, imperative from economic and environmental viewpoint, such essential oil based-MgNPs can be a potential nanosystem for various industrial applications where photocatalytic, and biomedical attributes are the key requirements.
PD-L1 regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia by activating PI3K-AKT signaling pathway
Authors: Wang Fang , Yang Liqiong , Xiao Mintao , Zhang Zhuo , Shen Jing , Anuchapreeda Songyot , Tima Singkome , Chiampanichayakul Sawitree , Xiao Zhangang
Published: July 2022

As immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) continue to advance, more evidence has emerged that anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy is an effective treatment against cancers. Known as the programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), this co-inhibitory ligand contributes to T cell exhaustion by interacting with programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor. However, cancer-intrinsic signaling pathways of the PD-L1 molecule are not well elucidated. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the regulatory network of PD-L1 and lay the basis of successful use of anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Data for AML patients were extracted from TCGA and GTEx databases. The downstream signaling pathways of PD-L1 were identified via Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. The key PD-L1 related genes were selected by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), MCC algorithm and Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE). The CCK-8 assay was used to assess cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to determine cell apoptosis and cell cycle. Western blotting was used to identify the expression of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. PD-L1 was shown to be elevated in AML patients when compared with the control group, and high PD-L1 expression was associated with poor overall survival rate. The ECM-receptor interaction, as well as the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, were important PD-L1 downstream pathways. All three analyses found eight genes (ITGA2B, ITGB3, COL6A5, COL6A6, PF4, NMU, AGTR1, F2RL3) to be significantly associated with PD-L1. Knockdown of PD-L1 inhibited AML cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. Importantly, PD-L1 knockdown reduced the expression of PI3K and p-AKT, but PD-L1 overexpression increased their expression. The current study elucidates the main regulatory network and downstream targets of PD-L1 in AML, assisting in the understanding of the underlying mechanism of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy and paving the way for clinical application of ICIs in AML.
Gut microbiota composition in colorectal cancer patients is genetically regulated
Authors: Colombo Francesca , Illescas Oscar , Noci Sara , Minnai Francesca , Pintarelli Giulia , Pettinicchio Angela , Vannelli Alberto , Sorrentino Luca , Battaglia Luigi , Cosimelli Maurizio , Dragani Tommaso A. , Gariboldi Manuela
Published: July 2022

The risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) depends on environmental and genetic factors. Among environmental factors, an imbalance in the gut microbiota can increase CRC risk. Also, microbiota is influenced by host genetics. However, it is not known if germline variants influence CRC development by modulating microbiota composition. We investigated germline variants associated with the abundance of bacterial populations in the normal (non-involved) colorectal mucosa of 93 CRC patients and evaluated their possible role in disease. Using a multivariable linear regression, we assessed the association between germline variants identified by genome wide genotyping and bacteria abundances determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We identified 37 germline variants associated with the abundance of the generaBacteroides, Ruminococcus, Akkermansia, FaecalibacteriumandGemmigerand with alpha diversity. These variants are correlated with the expression of 58 genes involved in inflammatory responses, cell adhesion, apoptosis and barrier integrity. Genes and bacteria appear to be involved in the same processes. In fact, expression of the pro-inflammatory genesGAL,GSDMDandLY6Hwas correlated with the abundance ofBacteroides, which has pro-inflammatory properties; abundance of the anti-inflammatory genusFaecalibacteriumcorrelated with expression of KAZN, with barrier-enhancing functions. Both the microbiota composition and local inflammation are regulated, at least partially, by the same germline variants. These variants may regulate the microenvironment in which bacteria grow and predispose to the development of cancer. Identification of these variants is the first step to identifying higher-risk individuals and proposing tailored preventive treatments that increase beneficial bacterial populations.
Microfluidic model for in vitro acute Toxoplasma gondii infection and transendothelial migration
Authors: Kim Hyunho , Hong Sung-Hee , Jeong Hyo Eun , Han Sewoon , Ahn Jinchul , Kim Jin-A. , Yang Ji-Hun , Oh Hyun Jeong , Chung Seok , Lee Sang-Eun
Published: July 2022

The protozoan parasiteToxoplasma gondii(T. gondii) causes one of the most common human zoonotic diseases and infects approximately one-third of the global population.T. gondiiinfects nearly every cell type and causes severe symptoms in susceptible populations. In previous laboratory animal studies,T. gondiimovement and transmission were not analyzed in real time. In a three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic assay, we successfully supported the complex lytic cycle ofT. gondiiin situ by generating a stable microvasculature. The physiology of theT. gondii-infected microvasculature was monitored in order to investigate the growth, paracellular and transcellular migration, and transmission ofT. gondii, as well as the efficacy ofT. gondiidrugs.