bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Change in Spousal Status on Frailty Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in South Korea
Authors: Park Yu shin , Kim Soo Young , Joo Hye Jin , Jang Sung In , Park Eun-Cheol
Published: March 2023

Background
This study aimed to examine the impact of marital transitions on the incidence of frailty among older adults in South Korea.
Methods
Data for this longitudinal study were extracted from the first to seventh wave (2006–2018) of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, which included 5,133 participants. Frailty was assessed using the Frailty Instrument scale. Marital transition was categorized into four groups (spouse to spouse [SS], spouse to no spouse [SN], no spouse to spouse [NS] and no spouse to no spouse [NN]). Transitions in marital status and their relationship with frailty were investigated using lagged generalized estimation equations.
Results
The SN group (OR 1.65 CI 1.26 − 2.15) and NN groups (OR 1.64 CI 1.40 − 1.93) had increased likelihood of frailty than the SS group. Furthermore, males in the NN group (OR 2.10 CI 1.53 − 2.88) had the highest odds of frailty among all groups, whereas females in the SN group (OR 1.58 CI 1.17 − 2.14) had higher odds of frailty than those in other groups.
Conclusion
Spousal status may affect frailty among middle-aged and older adults in South Korea. The likelihood of frailty increased for those who lived alone or had been divorced or widowed. Single/unmarried men had a higher likelihood of frailty than widowed or divorced men, while widowed or divorced women had a higher likelihood of frailty than unmarried women.Spousal status is a potential factor that influences frailty, which can be affected differently by sex.
Grow Newtonian rigid inertia into parameter repetitiveness memory equivalent bio-inertia by degenerating eigenstates on a surface tension region to define quantum growth gravity for turnover selection immunity
Authors: Lai Yi Yu
Published: March 2023

Note: Please see pdf for full abstract with equations.
Inversion energy is parameter-against-gravity-internal-fluctuations, the non-simultaneousness tension among turnover fluctuations is quantizing time. Modified Newtonian Laws, first: 𝑑/𝑑𝑥 cosx =−𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑥, 𝑑/𝑑𝑥 sinx = 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑥; second: 𝐹⃗=𝑚∙𝑎⃗+|𝑚𝑔⃗∫𝑡𝑔𝜃⋅𝑑𝜃 ⟩↿⇂ third: Wavelength =2/𝑛 L, frequency = n𝑓0. Bio-systems are topological spaces that can process inputs into inversion energy for repetitiveness memory entropy controlling, the capability of equivalent procured inversion energy with memorized trigonometric repetitiveness is bio-inertia. Schrödinger equation has only quantized energy thus inducing quantum collapse, we then utilize equation 𝑯̂𝜓=𝑬𝜓 + Σn|cos(1/𝑛 𝑥)⟩ to degenerate eigenstates on certain surface tension regions to define G shifting quantum growth gravity for lifespan. Originating from quantum gravitational turnover (resistance) tension between Planck regions and surface tension regions, bio quantum grows in vivo cross folded-surface tension region flow. Life relies on trigonometric negentropy procured from elastic entropy generation ground condensates and physically inherit by quantum growth turnover immunity that regenerates by sexual yolk sac (or asexual nucleus) homing. Long COVID niches grow from the NAbs turnover tension is also unveiled.
Financial Inclusion and Carbon Emissions in Asia: Implications for Environmental Sustainability
Authors: Hussain Shahzad , Ahmad Tanveer , Ullah Sabeeh , Rehman Ajid Ur , Shahzad Syed Jawad Hussain
Published: March 2023

This study explores how carbon emission is affected by financial inclusion. Using a balanced panel data set of 26 Asian countries, we compute a composite index, through principal component analysis (PCA) technique, of financial inclusion based on a set of attributes related to financial inclusion. Our main analysis also delineates to subsample of developed and developing Asian economies. Our findings reveal a long (short)-run positive (negative) impact of financial inclusion on carbon emission across the Asian countries. This finding is also true for developed countries sub-sample implying a non-linearity in short- and long-run relationship. For the developing countries, a more pronounced long-run positive impact compared to developed countries is found. Furthermore, pairwise causality test results indicate a bi-directional causality between financial inclusion and carbon emission. These findings posit important policy implications, especially in the context of strategic integration of financial inclusion and climate change strategies.
Keystone species determine the productivity of synthetic microbial biofilm communities
Authors: Xu Zhihui , Sun Xinli , Xie Jiyu , Zheng Daoyue , Xia Riyan , Wang Wei , Xun Weibing , Huang Qiwei , Zhang Ruifu , Kovács Ákos T , Shen Qirong
Published: March 2023

Microbes typically reside in multi-species communities, whose interactions have considerable impacts on the robustness and functionality of such communities. To manage microbial communities, it is essential to understand the factors driving their assemblage and maintenance. Even though the community composition could be easily assessed, interspecies interactions during community establishment remain poorly understood. Here, we combined co-occurrence network analysis with quantitative PCR to examine the importance of each species within synthetic communities (SynComs) of pellicle biofilms. Genome-scale metabolic models and in vitro experiments indicated that the biomass of SynComs was primarily affected by keystone species that are acting either as metabolic facilitators or as competitors. Our study sets an example of how to construct a model SynCom and investigate interspecies interactions.
Infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (MLL-AF) presenting as leukemia cutis with an isolated scalp nodule – A case report.
Authors: Pellegrino Francesco , Coppo Paola , Barisone Elena , Bertorello Nicoletta , Spadea Manuela , Fagioli Franca
Published: March 2023

Background

Infant leukemia is a rare form of acute leukemia diagnosed prior to 1 year of age with an extremely poor prognosis, due to its poor response to current therapies. It comprises about 4% of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Isolated initial cutaneous involvement in ALL is very uncommon, and even more in infant ALL.

Case Presentation

Here we present a case of 2-month-old infant, presenting only nodular skin infiltrates on the scalp with the diagnosis of infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), characterized by the immunophenotype of the most immature B-cell precursors (pro-B ALL) and chromosomal translocation t (9;11), associated with the rearrangement of KMTLA2 and AF9 genes, that is a negative prognostic factor. She underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and she is still in remission

Conclusions

This represents a peculiar case because isolated initial cutaneous involvement in ALL is rare. In fact, most reports of ALL leukemia cutis in literature are single cases. The novel treatment strategies, obtained from recent discoveries regarding the peculiar biology of these leukemias, are increasingly being incorporated into clinical trials and have the potential to improve the prognosis.
Influencing factors of incision healing in HIV positive patients with giant cell tumor of long bone in extremities
Authors: Ma Rui , Zhang Yao , Zhang Qiang
Published: March 2023

Objective
To evaluate the risk factors that affect wound healing after surgery of giant cell tumor in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Methods
20 patients of giant cell tumor with HIV were recruited from June 2018 to June 2022, once diagnosed, 20 patients were receive timely HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) with China's first choice of national free HAART drug containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, lamivudine and efavirenz (TDF + 3TC + EFV, ). and 20 patients of giant cell tumor without HIV were enrolled as control at same time. All patients were underwent the same surgical method. Observe the incidence of infection at the surgical site and risk factors that affect wound healing were evaluated.
Results
The incidence of poor outcome of wound healing in HIV-positive group was higher than HIV-negative group (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in infection of the wound between two groups (p > 0.05). Multivariable regression analysis demonstrated that CD4 + T-lymphocyte count and clinical categories of HIV were independent risk factors for postoperative wound healing (p < 0.05), while age, gender, operation time,albumin,hemoglobin and combined disease, were not (p > 0.05).
Conclusion
The wound can be healed normally in most of HIV-positive patients with giant cell tumor, and the outcome of postoperative wound healing was significantly associated with CD4 + T-lymphocyte coun and HIV clinical category. At the same time, we recommended that reasonable perioperative adjuvant treatments, including nutritional support and immunomodulators, and anti-retroviral drugs should be used.
Damage Identification Based on the Nodal Line Active Modulation Method
Authors: Feng Kan , Li Rong , Yan Jing , Hu Xu , Zhou Jie , Li Zheng
Published: March 2023

A novel vibration-based method (VBM) for damage identification named nodal line active modulation (NLAM) is proposed in this study. Unlike traditional VBMs, NLAM can identify damage by taking advantage of the nodal line effect, which is observed when the defect is located on the nodal lines. In these cases, the dynamic responses of the structure remain nearly unchanged. Through numerical studies, we have elaborated on the theory in detail and painted a clearer picture of the steps in the NLAM process through a cleft detection in an aluminum plate. In experimental research, piezoelectric transducers work as both actuators and sensors for intact and damaged carbon fiber reinforced plastic laminates, while a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer measures the full-field response for the intact structure only. The added mass damage is visualized from the highlighted nodal lines of the modulated operational deflection shapes. The present investigation provides a new idea for VBM damage detection, which should provide practical applications for structural health monitoring.
Small Flying Object Detection and Tracking in Digital Airport Tower through Spatial-Temporal ConvNets
Authors: Thai Phat , Alam Sameer , Lilith Nimrod , Nguyen Binh
Published: March 2023

Digital towers using high-resolution cameras that cover a 360-degree view of airports have recently been applied as a solution for some airports by replacing conventional towers. Although many computer vision systems have been developed as tools to assist tower controllers, small flying object detection remains challenging due to their small dimensions and unpredictable trajectories. This paper proposes a novel computer vision framework to detect, track and recognize small flying objects, namely aircraft and drones, in an airport environment. The framework creates a new Convolutional Neural Network which adapts to the unique characteristics of small flying objects. It also exploits the spatial-temporal information, as well as post-processing, to improve the performance. The proposed framework is validated on an airport dataset and Drone-vs-Bird public dataset. The results show that the framework can not only perform object detection in real-time, but also surpass the performance of state-of-the-art models in both datasets by a large margin.
Favorable cervical cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios of countries with good Human Development Index rankings and high health expenditures
Authors: Shen Tzutsen , Long Chengyu , Wu Mingping
Published: March 2023

Background Cervical cancer is highly preventable. The mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) is a marker that reflects the available screening interventions and clinical outcomes of cancer treatments. The association between the MIR for cervical cancer and cancer screening disparities among countries is an interesting issue but rarely investigated. The present study sought to understand the association between the cervical cancer MIR and the Human Development Index (HDI).
Methods Cancer incidence and mortality rates were obtained from the GLOBOCAN database. The MIR was defined as the ratio of the crude mortality rate to the incidence. We used linear regression to analyze the correlation of MIRs with the HDI and current health expenditure (CHE) in 61 countries selected based on data quality.
Results The results showed lower incidence and mortality rates and MIRs in more developed regions. In terms of regional categories, Africa had the highest incidence and mortality rates and MIRs. The incidence and mortality rates and MIRs were lowest in North America. Furthermore, favorable MIRs were correlated with a good HDI and high CHE as a percentage of gross domestic product (CHE/GDP) (both p < 0.0001).
Conclusions The MIR variation for cervical cancer is associated with the ranking of the health system and health expenditure, further supporting the role of cancer screening and treatment disparities in clinical outcomes. The promotion of cancer screening programs can reduce the cervical cancer global incidence and mortality rates and MIRs.
Pythagorean Fuzzy MCDM Method in Renewable Energy Resources Assessment
Authors: Chaurasiya Rishikesh , Jain Divya
Published: March 2023

In the current paper a novel entropy measure is proposed on PFSs. Subsequently, presented an integrated PF-SWARA-MARCOS technique for ranking the selection best alternative in MCDM problems. the objective weights are evaluated by combined entropy and score function, and subjective criteria weights are evaluated using to SWARA approach and MARCOS technique is used to rank the alternatives on PFS. At the present, the choice of suitable renewable energy resources is an enormously important challenge that has an impact on both environmental and commercial growth. To deal with the concern, several authors have concentrated on selecting a necessary energy resource by adopting a decision-making method based on numerous Pythagorean fuzzy set (PFS) methodologies. Here, in this article a methodology is the presented to identify the best RERs. A comparative discussion and analysis are presented to performance the reasonableness and consistency of the technique established to rank optimal renewable energy alternatives.
The Test–Retest Reliability and Limits of Agreement of the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) in Youth with Intellectual Disabilities—A Pilot Study
Authors: Bahiraei Saeid , Hosseini Elham , Lou Rahman Amiri Jomi
Published: March 2023

Clinical tests for the assessment of postural balance in people with intellectual disabilities have been the most commonly used single-item tests or multi-item tests, but new tests have been developed, such as the BESTest. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the test–retest reliability and limits of agreement of the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) in youth with intellectual disabilities. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 65 youth (ages 16–25 years) with intellectual disabilities. The BESTest (27 items) was completed twice by the participants. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and standard error of measurement (SEM) were calculated to determine the test–retest reliability of the BESTest. The BESTest overall scores' test-retest reliability was rated as excellent (0.75). Stability limits/verticality, reactive fair to good (≥ 0.40–<0.75) and biomechanical constraints, transitions/anticipatory, transitions/anticipatory, sensory orientation, and stability in gait excellent (≥ 0.75). Current evidence suggests that children with intellectual disabilities have impaired postural balance. However, there appears to be a lack of assessment tools that reliably evaluate the postural balance of this population. The results from this investigation suggest that the BESTest provides "excellent reliability" (≥ 0.75) to assess postural balance in youth with intellectual disabilities.
Decomposition of drivers and identification of decoupling states for the evolution of carbon emissions from energy consumption in China
Authors: Wang Yuze , Mo Shouyi , Zhang Chenjun , Zhi Jiaqi , Li Chenchen
Published: March 2023

As the world's largest energy consumer, China's carbon emission reduction efforts play a pivotal role in achieving the world's climate change goals. Identifying the key factors driving the evolution of China's carbon emissions and understanding the contrasting situation of carbon emissions and economic growth are of great practical significance for China to effectively control the growth of carbon emissions and scientifically formulate carbon emission reduction policies. This paper analyzes the drivers of China's carbon emissions at the national and provincial levels using the LMDI model, and analyzes the relationship between China's economic growth and carbon emissions using the Tapio decoupling index, based on the measurement of China's carbon emissions from energy consumption during 2003–2020. Further, the paper combines the Tapio model with the LMDI model to analyze the key factors affecting the decoupling index of carbon emissions in China. The conclusions show that China's carbon emissions grow at an average annual rate of 4.04% from 2003 to 2020, and show a high growth trend until 2013, while the growth rate is more moderate after 2013. The R&D scale effect, urbanization effect, and population scale effect are the factors driving the growth of China's carbon emissions; while the energy structure effect, energy consumption industry structure effect, energy intensity effect, and R&D efficiency effect on carbon emissions inhibit the growth of China's carbon emissions during the study period. Weak decoupling is the most dominant decoupling state in China from 2003 to 2020, and the decoupling state varies significantly among provinces. Based on this, this paper obtains corresponding policy recommendations.
Chronic Constrictive Pericarditis: A rare cardiac involvement in primary Sjögren’s Syndrome
Authors: Duarte Fabiana , Oliveira Luís , Ramos Sância , Dourado Raquel , Martins Dinis
Published: March 2023

Background
Constrictive pericarditis represents a chronic condition of which systemic inflammatory diseases are a known, yet uncommon, cause. In primary Sjögren’s Syndrome, pericardial involvement is seldom reported, and it is usually in-association with pericardial effusion or pericarditis.
We report a case of constrictive pericarditis with an insidious course and unusual evolution related to primary Sjögren’s Syndrome. As work-up diagnosis is challenging, clinical suspicion and multimodality imaging are essential for an early diagnosis and rapid onset of treatment. Long-term outcomes remain uncertain.
To the best of our knowledge no other case linking this autoimmune disease to constrictive pericarditis have been reported.
Case presentation
We report the case of a 48 years-old male patient with moderated alcohol habits and two previous hospital admissions. The first hospitalization was due to pleural effusion and ascites, when the diagnosis of primary Sjögren´s Syndrome was performed and an empirical corticotherapy regiment was initiated.
Two-years later, he was readmitted with complains of dyspnea and abdominal distension. Hepatic peliosis was diagnosed on liver biopsy and considered secondary to glucocorticoid therapy. A localized pericardial thickening and a thin circumferential pericardial effusion was evident on thoracic computed tomography, both assumed as secondary to autoimmune disease. Diuretic therapy was adjusted, and the patient was discharged symptom-free.
He was admitted again, around 4 years later, with anasarca and right pleural effusion and at this time a constrictive pericarditis was diagnosed. A partial pericardiectomy was successfully performed.
Since then, although not completely asymptomatic the patient referred clinical improvement but still with a need for baseline diuretic therapy.
Conclusion
Albeit uncommon, connective tissue disorders, such as primary Sjögren’s Syndrome, should be considered as a cause of constrictive pericarditis, particularly in young patients without other classical risk factors for constriction.
A primary Sjögren´s Syndrome diagnosis with a likely association with constrictive pericarditis represents an interesting and challenging case attending to its rarity in modern clinical practice. A high clinical awareness and multimodal cardiac imaging are essential in earlier recognition and treatment approach.
Pathway-specific polygenic risk scores correlate with clinical status and Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers
Authors: Schork Nicholas J. , Elman Jeremy A.
Published: March 2023

Background:APOEis the largest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but there is a substantial polygenic component as well. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) can summarize small effects across the genome but may obscure differential risk associated with different molecular processes and pathways. Variability at the genetic level may contribute to the extensive phenotypic heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we examine polygenic risk impacting specific pathways associated with AD and examined its relationship with clinical status and AD biomarkers of amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration (A/T/N).Methods:A total of 1,411 participants from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) with genotyping data were included. Sets of variants identified from a pathway analysis of AD GWAS summary statistics were combined into clusters based on their assigned pathway. We constructed pathway-specific PRSs for each participant and tested their associations with diagnostic status (AD vs cognitively normal), abnormal levels of amyloid and ptau (positive vs negative), and hippocampal volume. TheAPOEregion was excluded from all PRSs, and analyses controlled forAPOE-ε4 carrier status.Results:Thirteen pathway clusters were identified relating to categories such as immune response, amyloid precursor processing, protein localization, lipid transport and binding, tyrosine kinase, and endocytosis. Eight pathway-specific PRSs were significantly associated with AD dementia diagnosis. Amyloid-positivity was associated with endocytosis and fibril formation, response misfolded protein, and regulation protein tyrosine PRSs. Ptau positivity and hippocampal volume were both related to protein localization and mitophagy PRS, and ptau positivity was additionally associated with an immune signaling PRS. A global AD PRS showed stronger associations with diagnosis and all biomarkers compared to pathway PRSs, suggesting a strong synergistic effect of all loci contributing to the global AD PRS.Conclusions:Pathway PRS may contribute to understanding separable disease processes, but do not appear to add significant power for predictive purposes. These findings demonstrate that, although genetic risk for AD is widely distributed, AD-phenotypes may be preferentially associated with risk in specific pathways. Defining genetic risk along multiple dimensions at the individual level may help clarify the etiological heterogeneity in AD.
Passive Performance Evaluation and Validation of a Viscous Impeller Pump for Subpulmonary Fontan Circulatory Support
Authors: Yang Weiguang , Conover Timothy , Giridharan Guruprasad , Figliola Richard , Marsden Alison , Rodefeld Mark
Published: March 2023

Patients with single ventricle defects undergoing the Fontan procedure eventually face Fontan failure. Long-term cavopulmonary assist devices using rotary pump technologies are currently being developed as a subpulmonary power source to prevent and treat Fontan failure. Low hydraulic resistance is a critical safety requirement in the event of pump failure (0 RPM) as a modest 2 mmHg cavopulmonary pressure drop can compromise patient hemodynamics. The goal of this study is therefore to assess the passive performance for a viscous impeller pump (VIP) we are developing for Fontan patients, and validate flow simulations against in-vitro data. Two different blade heights (1.09 mm vs 1.62 mm) and a blank housing model were tested using a mock circulatory loop (MCL) with cardiac output ranging from 3 to 11 L/min. Three-dimensional flow simulations were performed and compared against MCL data. In-silico and MCL results demonstrated a clinically insignificant pressure drop of $<$ 2 mmHg at a cardiac output of 7 L/min for both blade heights. There was good agreement between simulation and MCL results for pressure loss (mean difference -0.23 mmHg 95% CI [0.24 -0.71]). Compared to the blank housing model, low wall shear stress area and oscillatory shear index on the pump surface were low, and mean washout times were within 2 seconds. This study demonstrated the low resistance characteristic of current VIP designs in the failed condition that results in clinically acceptable minimal pressure loss with low risk of thrombosis.
Health Financing Challenges Among ASEAN: A Systematic Review
Authors: Lim Ming Yao , Kamaruzaman Hanin Farhana , Wu Olivia , Geue Claudia
Published: March 2023

Background Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has received much attention and many countries are striving towards achieving it. The Southeast Asian region in particular, comprises many developing countries with limited resources, exacerbating challenges around achieving UHC. This paper aims to specifically explore the health financing challenges these countries face in achieving UHC via a systematic review approach and formulate a set of recommendations that will be useful for policy makers.
Methods The systematic review followed the guidelines as recommended by PRISMA. Narrative synthesis approach was used for data synthesis, followed by identification of common themes.
Results The initial search returned 160 articles and a total of 32 articles were included after the screening process. The identified challenges in health financing towards achieving UHC in the Southeast Asian region are categorized into six main themes, namely 1) Unsustainability of revenue raising methods, 2) Fragmented health insurance schemes, 3) Incongruity between insurance benefits and people’s need, 4) Political and legislative indifference, 5) Intractable and rapidly rising healthcare cost, 6) Morally reprehensible behaviours.
Conclusions The challenges identified are diverse and therefore require a multifaceted approach. Regional collaborative efforts between countries will play an important role for the progress towards UHC as well as narrowing the inequity gap. At national level, individual countries need to work towards sustainable health financing strategies by leveraging on innovative digital technologies and constantly adapting to dynamic health trends.
Registration This study is registered with PROSPERO, under registration number CRD42022336624
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Outcomes in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and TP53 aberration who received first line ibrutinib: a nationwide registry study from the Italian Medicines Agency
Authors: Rigolin Gian Matteo , Olimpieri Pier Paolo , Summa Valentina , Celant Simone , Scarfò Lydia , Tognolo Lucia , Ballardini Maria Pia , Urso Antonio , Sessa Mariarosaria , Gambara Silvia , Cura Francesca , Fortini Monica , Ghia Paolo , Cuneo Antonio , Russo Pierluigi
Published: March 2023

In this analysis we describe the effectiveness of first-line ibrutinib in 747 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and TP53 aberrations in a nationwide study with a 100% capture of patients who received the study drug. Median age was 71 years (range 32-95). An estimated treatment persistence rate of 63.4% (95% CI 60.0%-67.0%) and survival rate of 82.6% (95% CI 79.9%-85.4%) were recorded at 24 months. Disease progression or death were the reasons for discontinuation in 182/397 patients (45.8%). A higher risk of treatment discontinuation was found to be associated with age, ECOG-PS and pre-existing heart disease, whereas ECOG≥1, age≥70 years and male sex were associated with an increased risk of death. Median post-progression overall survival (OS) was 12.2 months (95% CI 9.2-22.0). Post-discontinuation median OS in patients who discontinued ibrutinib for other reasons was not reached (95% CI 42.3 months – NA).
Ibrutinib was an effective first-line treatment for CLL and TP53 aberrations in patients treated at large academic centers and community practice hospitals. Clinical characteristics at baseline may influence the effectiveness of ibrutinib, whereas the experience of prescribing centers and multi-hit or single-hit TP53 aberrations had no impact on outcome in this high-risk population.
Early breeding site arrival of a migratory tropical seabird correlates with large-scale climatic phenomena in the North Atlantic
Authors: Campioni Letizia , Madeiros Jeremy , Becciu Paolo
Published: March 2023

Climate change and weather variability are having global impacts on the lives of organisms, particularly on high-trophic level predators such as pelagic seabirds. In the North Atlantic, migratory seabirds are expected to respond to climate variability by adjusting their seasonal events, including the timing of migration and arrival at the breeding site. The timing of these events may be influenced by large-scale atmospheric phenomena like the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO). The White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) is a wide-spread tropical migratory seabird breeding at its Atlantic northernmost edge of distribution range in Bermuda Islands (32° 17' 58'' N, 64° 47' 25'' W). Using data from eBird, an online database of bird observations where expert and amateur birdwatchers can report their sightings, we explored trends in Tropicbird first annual observation (proxy for bird arrival time) at the Bermuda breeding ground from 1953 to 2023. Specifically, we examined the relationship between the arrival time of the Tropicbird at its breeding site and the NAO and AMO. We show that the progressive early arrival at the breeding site (20–25 days in advance) of Tropicbirds over the last 70 years positively correlated with the NAO and AMO Indices. This suggests that this tropic seabird breeding in the North Atlantic may be responding to climate-induced changes affecting the Atlantic Ocean. Our findings highlight the fundamental contribution of citizen-science data for ecological long-term studies to understand animals' responses to a changing world.
An approach to rapidly identify the gender of the pigeon by using cross-priming amplification with immune-chromatographic strip
Authors: Wang Yimin , Gao Yilin , Wang Shan , Li Hanglin , He Xun , Wang Wei , Ba Yierta , Wang Lei , Jiang Jinqing
Published: March 2023

Most of birds are monomorphic species and breeds, which makes it difficult to determine their gender by appearances, especially the pigeon is a farm animal with an economic interest in meat production, ornamentals, sports, and experimental animals. Until now, only endoscopy, laparoscopy, karyotyping, and DNA testing are available, but these methods are expensive, invasive, or time-consuming for the determination gender of the pigeon. Therefore, an easy, accurate, sensitive, on-site, affordable, and applicable rapid identification of the gender of the pigeon is widely needed for the owner of the pigeon. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the efficacy of Cross-priming amplification (CPA) combined with an immune-chromatographic strip (CPA-strip) for gender identification of the pigeon. The methodology was optimized through various experimental trials. Subsequently, ten samples collected from pigeons were subjected to analysis using the optimized CPA-strip assay, and the results indicated that all female samples were accurately detected. In contrast, the blood samples collected from chickens and ducks were negative when tested with the CPA-strip assay. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the successful establishment of an immune-chromatographic CPA-strip assay for the on-site gender determination of pigeons with high accuracy.
Deposit morphology and structure under interactions of sliding mass and erodible layers—experimental insights
Authors: Yao Chaowei , Zhang Qing , Duan Zhao , Li Ming , Wu Yinbing , Wang Nianqin
Published: March 2023

Landslides are a kind of highly concerned geological disasters that occurring with complex motion processes and mechanisms. They often significantly affect the human life and properties located in their pathway. In some circumstances, the geological phenomena and structural features generated by the interactions between landslides and their substrates are still unclear, which makes it difficult to be forecasted and mitigated on its effects. In this study, a sandbox experiment was conducted to study the velocity and displacement of the sliding mass, the geometry of the deposit, and the internal and external structural characteristics of the deposit under the interactions between the sliding mass and erodible layer by varying the depth of the erodible layer. Results show that the motion process of sliding mass consists of three stages: falling, shovel push-extrusion, and push-nappe accumulation. In the first stage, the velocity of the sliding mass increases sharply to a peak velocity before colliding with the erodible layer. In the latter two stages, the mobility of landslide is greatly limited by the erodible layers at the foot of the inclined plate, and the secondary acceleration of the sliding mass is observed. The deposits were divided into three zones (Ia, Ib, and II), in terms of the morphological and structural characteristics of their positions. The action forms were mainly pushing and covering in the zone II and I respectively. There were phenomena such as strata inversion, pushover, and entrainment that occurred in the deposits; the folds, ridges, and bulge that occurred on the surface of deposits. These structural characteristics reflect the stress states of laboratory landslides in motion from compressing to shearing. The results of this research will provide a valuable theoretical reference for the calculation of the disaster range when erodible layers exist in landslides' motion paths.
Development of a longitudinal-torsional ultrasonic assisted roller dressing device for precision form grinding of GCr15 bearing rings
Authors: Li Chenglong , Jiao Feng , Ma Xiaosan , Niu Ying , Tong Jinglin
Published: March 2023

High-quality and highly precision dressing is essential to achieving precision form grinding of GCr15 bearing rings. A method of longitudinal-torsional ultrasonic assisted roller dressing (LTUARD) was proposed for achieving high precision and high-quality dressing. A device of LTUARD was developed for investigating the dressing effect of the longitudinal-torsional ultrasonic assisted roller on the white alumina (WA) grinding wheel. The longitudinal-torsional horn with roller loading was mainly studied during the device development of LTUARD. The geometric dimensions of the longitudinal vibration horn with large tool head were firstly determined by the set of transcendental equations, and then the longitudinal vibration was converted to longitudinal torsional vibration by adding a helical slot in the conical section. Subsequently, the results of the impedance analysis and vibration characteristics experiments of the longitudinal-torsional ultrasonic vibration system show that the vibration system meets the vibration requirements of LTUARD. The vitrified bonded white alumina (WA) grinding wheel dressing experiments were carried out using conventional roller dressing (CRD) and LTUARD respectively, and the grinding of GCr15 bearing rings with the before dressing (BD) and after dressing of WA grinding wheel. The results of dressing and grinding experiments show that the surface morphology and roundness error of WA grinding wheel are improved after LTUARD, and the surface quality of GCr15 bearing rings ground by WA grinding wheel after LTUARD dressing is better. The reliability and practicality of the developed dressing device were verified by the dressing and grinding experiment results.
A novel in vitro model of long-lasting inflammation using primary human macrophages for osteoarthritis research
Authors: Ummarino Aldo , Pensado-López Alba , Migliore Roberta , Alcaide-Ruggiero Lourdes , Calà Nicholas , Caputo Michele , Gambaro Francesco Manlio , Anfray Clément , Ronzoni Flavio L. , Kon Elizaveta , Allavena Paola , Andón Fernando Torres
Published: March 2023

Background. Development of pre-clinical models of long-lasting inflammation is needed for the study of inflammatory diseases. Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common inflammatory joint pathology, is characterized by an abundance of M1-like macrophages producing several pro-inflammatory cytokines and proteolytic enzymes damaging the local tissues. Here we developed a novel in vitro model of long-lasting inflammation using primary human monocyte-derived macrophages continuously cultured for 15 days.
Results. We first screened synovial fluids from 11 OA patients using multiplex Ella® and we found measurable levels of IL-6, CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL10, TNFa, IL-1b, using them as read-outs of the following experiments. We then found an increased survival of macrophages differentiated with both M-CSF and GM-CSF (M-/GM-Mf) compared either with macrophages differentiated with M-CSF alone (M-Mf) or macrophages differentiated with GM-CSF alone (GM-Mf) and, consequently, decided to use them to set up the in vitro model of long-lasting inflammation. Consistently with the increased survival, the repeated stimulation of M-/GM-Mfs either with lipopolysaccharide + interferon-g (LPS+IFN-g) or Pam3CysSerLys4 (Pam3CSK4) led to the sustained production of IL-6, CCL2 and CXCL8 over time. Finally, to investigate the usefulness of our model for OA research, we repeatedly exposed stimulated macrophages to dexamethasone (DEX) and/or celecoxib (CEL), two anti-inflammatory drugs commonly used for OA therapy. We found an excellent anti-inflammatory activity but significant toxicity of DEX for concentrations over 10 nM, while CEL was not toxic and efficiently inhibited PGE2 secretion. Of interest, the inflammatory profile of macrophages differentiated with M-CSF or GM-CSF and activated with the two pro-inflammatory stimuli (LPS+IFN-g vs Pam3CSK4) was not identical, overall showing production of more inflammatory mediators with GM-CSF-macrophages stimulated with Pam3CSK4.
Conclusions. We introduce here a novel easy-to-use in vitro culture model of long-lasting inflammation using primary human macrophages, that could be useful for the screening of new compounds and drug delivery systems, to improve the therapy of inflammatory disorders.
Economic Evaluation of Cefiderocol for the Treatment of Carbapenem- Resistant Infections in Italy
Authors: Bassetti Matteo , Pitrelli Andrea , Notarianni Maria Laura , Green Will , Dymond Amy , Gill Karan
Published: March 2023

Background
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become an increasing concern to healthcare systems worldwide and is currently recognised as a major urgent threat to public health. In 2017, the World Health Organisation (WHO) specifically highlighted the threat of gram-negative bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics, specifying three ‘Priority 1 – Critical’, carbapenem-resistant (CR) pathogens for which drugs are urgently required to address. Cefiderocol, a parenteral antibiotic, is the first antibiotic to address all three priority 1 pathogens described by the WHO.
Methods
A decision-tree model was built to determine the cost-effectiveness of cefiderocol vs colistin and colistin based regimens, for the treatment of seriously ill patients with a confirmed CR infection in Italy. A scenario analysis was also run comparing the cost-effectiveness of cefiderocol with ceftazidime/avibactam for the treatment of seriously ill patients with a suspected CR infection. The evaluation was performed from a health care perspective with a lifetime time horizon. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were also conducted to account for uncertainty.
Results
Cefiderocol was shown to be cost-effective when compared with colistin and colistin based regimens in the confirmed CR population at a cost-effectiveness threshold of €40,000, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €11,430 and incremental net monetary benefit of €18,751. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis results in a probability of cost-effectiveness of 70.1% and the probability of a sustained cure was the main driver of the economic model. Cefiderocol was also cost-effective in the suspected CR population.
Conclusions
Cefiderocol is cost-effective from the Italian health care perspective when used to treat seriously ill patients with both confirmed, and suspected, CR infections.
TP53 mutation-associated immunosignatures impact on anti-PD-L1 treatment response in head and neck cancer patients.
Authors: Sacconi Andrea , Muti Paola , Pulito Claudio , Pellini Raul , Strano Sabrina , Ben-David Uri , Bossi Paolo , Blandino Giovanni
Published: March 2023

Background. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a therapeutic strategy for various cancers although only a subset of patients respond to the therapy. Identifying patients more prone to respond to ICIs may increase the therapeutic benefit and allow studying new approaches for resistant patients.
Methods. We analyzed the TCGA cohort of HNSCC patients in relation to their activation of 26 immune gene expression signatures, as well as their cell typecomposition, in order to define signaling pathways associated with resistance to ICIs. Results were validated on a cohort of 102 HNSCC patients under treatment with PD-L1 inhibitors and by in vitro experiments in HNSCC cell lines.
Results. We observed a significant association between the gene set and TP53 gene status and other predictors of the response to ICI in HNSCC patients. Surprisingly, the presence of a TP53 mutation together with another co-driver mutation was associated with significantly higher levels of the immune gene expression, in comparison to tumors in which the TP53 gene was mutated alone. In addition, the higher level of TP53 mutated-dependent MYC signature was associated with lower levels of the immune gene expression signature. In vitro and a patient cohort validation corroborated these findings.
Conclusions. Immune gene signature sets may classify with more accuracy HNSCC patients responsive to immunotherapy. These biomarkers may be easily implemented in clinical setting.
Probing the sensitivity of ab initio multiple spawning to its parameters
Authors: Lassmann Yorick , Curchod Basile
Published: March 2023

Full multiple spawning (FMS) offers a strategy to simulate the nonadiabatic dynamics of molecular systems by describing their nuclear wavefunctions by a linear combination of coupled trajectory basis functions (TBFs). Applying a series of controlled approximations to the FMS equations leads to the ab initio multiple spawning (AIMS), which is compatible with an on-the-fly propagation of the TBFs and an accurate description of nonadiabatic processes. The AIMS strategy and its numerical implementations, however, rely on a series of user-defined parameters. Herein, we investigate the influence of these parameters on the electronic-state population of two molecular systems – trans-azomethane and a two-dimensional model of the butatriene cation. This work highlights the stability of AIMS with respect to most of its parameters, underlines the specific parameters that require particular attention from the user of the method, and offers prescriptions for an informed selection of their value.
Computing Balanced Solutions for Large International Kidney Exchange Schemes
Authors: Benedek Marton , Biró Péter , Paulusma Daniel , Ye Xin
Published: March 2023

To overcome incompatibility issues, kidney patients may swap their donors. In international kidney exchange programmes (IKEPs), countries merge their national patient-donor pools. We consider a recently introduced credit system. In each round, countries are given an initial ``fair'' allocation of the total number of kidney transplants. This allocation is adjusted by a credit function yielding a target allocation. The goal is to find a solution that approaches the target allocation as closely as possible, to ensure long-term stability of the international pool. As solutions, we use maximum matchings that lexicographically minimize the country deviations from the target allocation. We perform, for the first time, a computational study for a large number of countries. For the initial allocations we use two easy-to-compute solution concepts, the benefit value and the contribution value, and four classical but hard-to-compute concepts, the Shapley value, nucleolus, Banzhaf value and tau value. By using state-of-the-art software we show that the latter four concepts are now within reach for IKEPs of up to fifteen countries. Our experiments show that using lexicographically minimal maximum matchings instead of ones that only minimize the largest deviation from the target allocation (as previously done) may make an IKEP up to 54% more balanced.
An experiment of the light with contradictory formulas
Authors: Louiz Akram
Published: March 2023

Motivated by the appearance of my previous article about the light in the very useful Book titled the worldwide list of alternative theories and critics (edition 2023), I tried to propose this experiment that tries to trap light beams in a rotating environment.
I presented also the related formulas in this work and I could even guess some recurrence relations if the trapped Light-Beam is reflected several times from the moving wall of mirrors. However, the work exposes a contradiction concerning the reflected light beams velocity vectors and this made us suspect the correctness of some formulas when dealing with moving mirrors.
This proposed experiment is very interesting, but the most important are the remarks that can be made by observing the contradictions exposed in this article.
FSCN: A Novel Forwarding Method based on Shannon Entropy and COPRAS Decision Process in Named Data Networking
Authors: Soltani Mohammad , Barekatain Behrang , Hendesi Faramarz , Beheshti Zahra
Published: March 2023

One of the next-generation Information-Centric Networking (ICN) architectures for the future Internet is Named Data Networking (NDN). The appropriate output interface (forwarding) has recently emerged as a key challenge affecting the performance of this network and has received a lot of attention from researchers due to its importance. Although efforts have been made through the methods introduced so far to address this challenge, the neglect of effective network load balancing parameters, non-dynamic weighting, and the use of only a few criteria have been suggested for selecting the output interface have made it vital to further improve the network delay, congestion, and ultimately the network's throughput. Regarding this matter, a new strategy is presented in this article based on the COPRAS Decision-Making Process with the dynamic weighting of Shannon's entropy called FSCN for transmitting request packets through the optimal output interface. The essential parameters identified in the suggested approach such as bandwidth, delay, and the number of hops can be dynamically weighted using the Shannon entropy technique and conditions. Then, the interfaces are scored using the COPRAS method, and the suitable output interface is ascertained. The advantages of the proposed method include considering influential criteria to characterize the path's performance and the dynamic weighting of criteria. The simulation outcomes in NDNsim demonstrated enhancements in critical parameters, including interest throughput, satisfaction ratio, packet drop, and delivery time when compared to comparable approaches.