bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coating Design by Optimizing Field Penetration to Minimize Phase Variations for Multi-Wavelength Adaptive Optics
Authors: Tebow Zach , Hunt John , Ogloza Albert , Talghader Joseph
Published: February 2025

Multiwavelength adaptive optic systems can experience phase errors when corrections measured at one wavelength are applied to others. Such errors originate from several sources, but poor optical coating design can play a major role since the phase dependence of any coating varies greatly with wavelength, angle, and thickness. To address these errors, a multilayer coating design is proposed where the effective electric field penetration depth into the coating is similar at all design wavelengths. Using this method, a two wavelength coating is designed for 1070 nm and 1550 nm and compared to a standard two-wavelength high reflectivity coating consisting of stacked Bragg reflectors. The standard stacked Bragg reflector design induces up to 173.0 nm of phase error across the wavelength band that reflects off the more deeply buried part of the multilayer. Alternatively, the two wavelength equal field penetration design maintains a high reflectivity of 99.999% while only inducing phase variations of 28.6 nm for both target wavelengths.
Four-modal device comprising optical coherence tomography, photoacoustic tomography, ultrasound, and Raman spectroscopy developed for in vivo skin lesion assessment
Authors: Roth Bernhard , Kukk Anatoly Fedorov , Wu Di , Panzer Rüdiger , Emmert Steffen
Published: February 2025

The accurate determination of the depth of the infiltration and the pathophysiology is critical to the treatment and excision of skin cancer, in particular also of melanoma. The current gold standard in skin cancer diagnostics comprises skin biopsy followed by histological examination which is invasive, time-consuming, and limited in measuring at the deepest level. Non-invasive imaging techniques like dermoscopy, confocal microscopy or multiphoton microscopy also face limitations in accurately capturing contrast and depth information across various skin types and lesion locations or in distinguishing between malignant and benign tissue. Thus, there is a need for non-invasive techniques capable of obtaining 3D images of skin lesions with sufficiently high spatial resolution which at the same time assess pathophysiology. To address this problem, we have developed a novel device that combines optical coherence tomography (OCT), photoacoustic tomography, ultrasound, and Raman spectroscopy into a single scanning unit, enabling the in vivo acquisition of co-localized 3D images and Raman fingerprint spectra of skin lesions with all four modalities under 5 minutes for the whole procedure. We performed measurements on 52 suspicious human skin lesions that were immediately excised following the measurements. The resulting lesion depth exhibited a strong correlation with histological thickness between 0.1-5 mm, achieving a coefficient of determination (R^2) of 0.97, which is higher than those from the individual modalities and from previous studies. In addition, the Raman modality offers the possibility to distinguish between malignant and benign lesions. Our results show that the developed multimodal approach for 3D imaging and lesion assessment can offer all required information for non-invasive skin cancer diagnostics. Further clinical measurements are required to determine diagnostic accuracy which will be performed in the next step for the case of melanoma skin cancer.
The cholesterol 24-hydroxylase CYP46A1 promotes α-synuclein pathology in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Dai Lijun , Wang Jiannan , Meng Lanxia , Zhang Xingyu , Xiao Tingting , Deng Min , Chen Guiqin , Xiong Jing , Ke Wei , Hong Zhengyuan , Bu Lihong , Zhang Zhentao
Published: February 2025

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the formation of Lewy bodies that are composed of aggregated α-synuclein (α-Syn). However, the factors that regulate α-Syn pathology and nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration remain poorly understood. Previous studies demonstrate cholesterol 24-hydroxylase (CYP46A1) increases the risk for PD. Moreover, 24-hydroxycholesterol (24-OHC), a brain-specific oxysterol that is catalyzed by CYP46A1, is elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid of PD patients. Herein, we show that the levels of CYP46A1 and 24-OHC are elevated in PD patients and increase with age in a mouse model. Overexpression of CYP46A1 intensifies α-Syn pathology, whereas genetic removal of CYP46A1 attenuates α-Syn neurotoxicity and nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration in the brain. Moreover, supplementation with exogenous 24-OHC exacerbates the mitochondrial dysfunction induced by α-Syn fibrils. Intracerebral injection of 24-OHC enhances the spread of α-Syn pathology and dopaminergic neurodegeneration via elevated X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) and lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG3) levels. Thus, elevated CYP46A1 and 24-OHC promote neurotoxicity and the spread of α-Syn via the XBP1–LAG3 axis. Strategies aimed at inhibiting the CYP46A1-24-OHC axis and LAG3 could hold promise as disease-modifying therapies for PD.
Just in time vs. all in sync: An analysis of two types of synchronization in a minimal model of machine activity in industrial production
Authors: Bose Sanghita , Lesne Annick , Arlinghaus Julia , Hütt Marc-Thorsten
Published: February 2025

The notion of synchronization in logistics is distinct from that encountered in the natural sciences and, in particular, in physics where synchronization rather means that the different parts of the system operate in unison. In logistics, synchronization is often associated with a ‘just in time’ paradigm in supply and production systems. A perfect logistics synchronization therefore is that the activity in a process triggers activity in a neighboring process without delay or queuing. Globally, this type of synchronization can be envisioned as a wave of activity running through the logistics chain. Our goal is a deeper theoretical understanding of these two types of synchronization, i.e. physics synchronization and logistics synchronization, as well as their interplay in the context of production systems where both types may coexist. We employ a minimal model of propagating excitations (representing machine activity) in a graph (representing a production network where each node is a machine). We evidence a strong change in the relationship between the two types of synchronization as a function of two parameters: the machine setup time and the random machine activation representing scheduling conflicts. Comparison of numerical results with pair-approximation mean-field predictions gives mechanistic insights into the synchronization behavior. Using robustness against network connectivity failures as a performance indicator, we find that, depending on the dynamical regime and network architecture, both logistics and physics synchronization can serve as easy-to-measure indicators of systemic performance.
Performance of real-time polymerase chain reaction and Kato-Katz for diagnosing soil-transmitted helminth infections and evaluating treatment efficacy of emodepside in randomized controlled trials
Authors: Lotz Christian N. , Mrimi Emmanuel C. , Schneeberger Pierre H. H. , Ali Said M. , Hattendorf Jan , Keiser Jennifer
Published: February 2025

Background

The World Health Organization recommends the use of the microscopy-based Kato-Katz thick smear for diagnosing soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections. Despite its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, the Kato-Katz method faces challenges, including reader subjectivity and reduced sensitivity. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology offers standardized readouts and higher sensitivity, making it suitable for STH diagnosis and monitoring the treatment efficacy of emodepside within the framework of randomized controlled trials.

Methodology/Principal findings

We evaluated the performance of Kato-Katz versus qPCR for assessing treatment efficacy in terms of cure rates, of single doses of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mg of emodepside compared to 400 mg albendazole. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient examined the correlation between STH eggs per gram in stool samples and qPCR Ct values. Diagnostic sensitivity of qPCR was calculated using a Bayesian latent class modelling approach with data from Ascaris lumbricoides infections. Agreement between Kato-Katz and qPCR at baseline was 93.57% for Trichuris trichiura, and 73.49% for both hookworm and A. lumbricoides. For the latter helminth qPCR demonstrated higher sensitivity (85.00% vs. 47.70%) and slightly lower specificity (93.40% vs. 99.40%) compared to Kato-Katz. We observed a fair to moderate agreement with negative correlation between Ct values and Kato-Katz egg counts. Treatment efficacy, as assessed by qPCR, was lower for all doses of emodepside and albendazole compared to Kato-Katz. Nonetheless, emodepside demonstrated higher cure rates against T. trichiura and A. lumbricoides infections compared to albendazole.

Conclusion/ Significance

Our study confirmed that qPCR is a sensitive diagnostic method for diagnosing STH infections compared to Kato-Katz and serves as a valuable tool for determining treatment efficacy in clinical trials. Furthermore, qPCR confirmed the better treatment efficacy of emodepside compared to albendazole, despite indicating lower cure rates than Kato-Katz.
Prevalence of burnout syndrome in Brazilian anesthesiologists during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey
Authors: Azi Liana M. T. A. , Ferreira Thaiane S. , Cerqueira-Silva Thiago , Diego Luis A. S. , Albuquerque Marcos A. C. , Azi Matheus L.
Published: February 2025

Background

Burnout syndrome, one of the consequences of chronic exposure to stressful, is more prevalent among physicians compared to the general population. Anesthesiology, alongside high-stress specialties such as emergency medicine and surgery, is particularly susceptible to this condition. During the COVID-19 pandemic, anesthesiologists were often on the front lines, potentially exacerbating burnout. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of burnout syndrome among Brazilian anesthesiologists during the pandemic.

Methods

A cross-sectional analytical observational study was conducted with all members of the Brazilian Society of Anesthesiology (SBA). Data were collected via sociodemographic questionnaires and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), disseminated by email.

Results

Burnout syndrome was identified in 19.6% (n = 213) of respondents, while 56.5% (n = 613) were at high risk for developing burnout. Having considered quitting the specialty was the variable most strongly associated with the prevalence of burnout syndrome and the high risk of burnout. As a protective factor, dedicating more time to leisure (over 5 hours per week) was related to a lower occurrence of burnout syndrome and its risk.

Conclusion

Burnout syndrome is highly prevalent among Brazilian anesthesiologists and residents. Target strategies to mitigate burnout should be implemented by healthcare institutions, professional organizations, and government bodies.
Selecting indicators for the measurement of low-value care using German claims data: A three-round modified Delphi panel
Authors: Pioch Carolina , Neubert Anne , Dammertz Lotte , Ermann Hanna , Hildebrandt Meik , Ihle Peter , Nothacker Monika , Schneider Udo , Swart Enno , Busse Reinhard , Vogt Verena
Published: February 2025

By reducing healthcare services that offer little benefit or potential harm to patients (low-value care), resources can be redirected towards more adequate treatments, improving healthcare efficiency and patient outcomes. This study aimed to systematically incorporate clinical expertise across medical disciplines through a Delphi process to establish indicators for measuring low-value care, ensuring their acceptance by medical societies, the broader medical community, and patients. We developed two versions (one with higher sensitivity and one with higher specificity) for almost each of the 42 indicators identified as potentially measurable in a previous systematic review. We conducted a three-round modified Delphi panel based on the RAND/UCLA appropriateness methodology, with 62 experts from 52 Scientific Medical Societies and professional organisations, and patient representatives. In round one, each indicator was rated for its ability to indicate low-value healthcare and its measurability in German claims data. This was followed by an online discussion in round two. The indicators were then modified based on expert feedback and re-assessed in round three. As a result, 24 indicators were deemed appropriate for measuring low-value care, covering areas such as pharmaceuticals, diagnostic tests, screening, and treatment. For example, one indicator identified patients with cancer who received chemotherapy in the last month of life. These indicators will help identify healthcare services that may require policy-level interventions to improve the quality of care. However, most low-value care indicators can only be measured in German claims data if documentation requirements for relevant information are expanded.
Identification of the key role of IL-17RB in the treatment of osteoarthritis with Shaoyao Gancao decoction: Verification based on RNA-seq and bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Hou Chengzhi , Yu Zhangjingze , Song Qinghui , Chu Xuelei , Wei Guangcheng , Zhu Jia , Yang Liping , Zhao Yong , Zhang Ping , Li Qiuyue
Published: February 2025

Background

Shaoyao Gancao Decoction (SGD) is a classic and representative oral administration of traditional Chinese medicine formula. It is composed of two Chinese herbal medicines, Paeoniae Radix Alba [Paeonia lactiflora Pall] and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. The clinical study found SGD could effectively reduce clinical symptoms and improve the level of inflammation in osteoarthritis (OA) patients.

Purpose

The aim of this study is to identify the efficacy and molecular mechanism of SGD in the treatment of OA, and find the new therapeutic target through RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to provide theoretical support for its clinical application.

Methods

Destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) OA rat model was established in vivo. Hematoxylineosin staining, safranin O/fast green staining and immunohistochemistry were used to observe changes of cartilage Histology and extracellular matrix (ECM) of cartilage cells. In vitro, the chondrocyte-like cells were derived from ATDC5 cells and induced by interleukin-1 beta to establish the model. The medial meniscotibial ligament (MTT) test was used to identify the effects of SGD on chondrocyte-like cell proliferation, and immunocytochemistry was used to assess changes in chondrocyte ECM. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained by RNA-Seq. Meanwhile, the core targets were found through bioinformatics analysis, and then verified by qRT-PCR and Western Blotting. The inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α were detected by ELISA.

Results

SGD could alleviate cartilage degeneration, and reduce ECM degradation in OA by upregulating COL2A1 and downregulating MMP-13. 120 key targets were screened from DEGs by RNA-Seq. Based on further bioinformatics analysis, interleukin 17 receptor B (IL-17RB), interleukin 23 receptor and growth differentiation factor 5 were finally selected as core targets. IL-17RB has rarely been reported in previous studies about OA, and worthy of further study. Subsequently, it was found that the gene and protein expressions of IL-17RB were significantly reversed in model group after SGD treatment. Moreover, SGD could inhibit the release of inflammatory factors by mediating IL-17RB in OA.

Conclusions

SGD reduced the release of inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, upregulated COL2A1 and downregulated MMP-13 to alleviate degradation of ECM, and reduced the cartilage degeneration and progression of OA by reducing IL-17RB in articular cartilage.
Proteomic and metabolomic profiling reveals the underlying molecular mechanisms in modified alternate-day fasting-mediated protection against Diabetic kidney disease
Authors: Zeng Xin , Xing Yi-hang , Ma Xiu-mei , Long Yang , Jiang Zong-zhe , Xu Yong
Published: February 2025

Background

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease, and while lifestyle interventions like intermittent fasting have shown promise in treating diabetes, the impact of modified alternate-day fasting (MADF) on DKD is not well understood. This study aimed to explore MADF’s effects on DKD in db/db mice, a model for the condition, and to investigate its underlying mechanisms.

Methods

We implemented an MADF regimen in db/db mice on a high-fat diet, measuring blood glucose, body weight, and renal function at various times. After the intervention, we analyzed the proteome and metabolome of renal tissues.

Results

MADF was found to reduce hyperglycemia and slow the pathological progression of DKD in the mice. Proteomic analysis identified 165 proteins that increased and 196 that decreased in the kidneys of db/db mice compared to controls. MADF intervention led to a decrease in 26 of the increased proteins and an increase in 18 of the decreased ones. Notably, many of these proteins, including cathepsin S (CTSS), were related to lysosomes, suggesting a role in renal protection. Metabolomic profiling revealed changes in metabolites associated with inflammation, such as prostaglandin A1, which was downregulated in db/db mice and upregulated with MADF. Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence staining confirmed the expression changes of CTSS observed in the proteomic data. Additionally, CTSS expression was found to increase in renal cells exposed to high glucose and palmitic acid.

Conclusion

MADF appears to mitigate the progression of DKD, with proteomic evidence pointing to lysosome-related proteins like CTSS as potential mediators of its renal protective effects. These findings indicate that MADF and the inhibition of CTSS could be considered as novel therapeutic strategies for DKD treatment.
Transcriptomic analysis reveals cloquintocet-mexyl-inducible genes in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Landau Olivia A. , Jamison Brendan V. , Riechers Dean E.
Published: February 2025

Identification and characterization of genes encoding herbicide-detoxifying enzymes is lacking in allohexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Gene expression is frequently induced by herbicide safeners and implies the encoded enzymes serve a role in herbicide metabolism and detoxification. Cloquintocet-mexyl (CM) is a safener commonly utilized with halauxifen-methyl (HM), a synthetic auxin herbicide whose phytotoxic form is halauxifen acid (HA). Our first objective was to identify candidate HA-detoxifying genes via RNA-Seq by comparing untreated and CM-treated leaf tissue. On average, 81% of RNA-Seq library reads mapped uniquely to the reference genome and 76.4% of reads were mapped to a gene. Among the 103 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs), functional annotations indicate the majority of DEGs encode proteins associated with herbicide or xenobiotic metabolism. This finding was further corroborated by gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, where several genes were assigned GO terms indicating oxidoreductase activity (34 genes) and transferase activity (45 genes). One of the significant DEGs is a member of the CYP81A subfamily of cytochrome P450s (CYPs; denoted as CYP81A-5A), which are of interest due to their ability to catalyze synthetic auxin detoxification. To investigate CYP expression induced by HM and/or CM, our second objective was to measure gene-specific expression of CYP81A-5A and its homoeologs (CYP81A-5B and CYP81A-5D) in untreated leaf tissue and leaf tissue treated with CM and HM over time using RT-qPCR. Relative to the reference gene (β-tubulin), basal CYP expression is high, expression among these CYPs varies over time, and expression for all CYPs is CM-inducible but not HM-inducible. Further analysis of CYP81A-5A, such as gene knock-out, overexpression experiments, or in vitro activity assays with purified enzyme are necessary to test the hypotheses that the encoded CYP detoxifies HA and that CM upregulates this reaction.
The colonial library and productive futurity in Jean-Pierre Bekolo’s Mudimbe’s Things and Words (2015)
Authors: Tchouaffe Olivier J.
Published: February 2025

In Mudimbe’s Things and Words (2015), Jean-Pierre Bekolo and Valentin-Yves Mudimbe draw upon notions of colonial cultural politics, the imposed past and the regulatory brutality of the colonial library as integral to the relationship between knowledge and power. In fact, they discuss how knowledge itself is a production of power as Mudimbe deconstructs the work of Michel Foucault. Mudimbe fills the gaps between the ontology and homology, between the invention of Africa and colonial violence as processes harnessed and coded, weaponized and deployed for the exploitation and destruction of the continent. Consequently, notions of the imposed past and the colonial library are not reducible to symbolic questions but demand to be continually confronted. This past continues to live on as a precondition to the mutually enforcing role of colonial logics of power, violence and its legacies in the continent of Africa. This way, this invention of Africa connects the dots between colonial cultural politics, the desacralization of Indigenous African traditional knowledge and practices opening the way for the development and legitimation of a White supremacist materialistic perspective driven by liberal individualism and racial capitalism. Jean-Pierre Bekolo and Valentin-Yves Mudimbe, on the other hand, through their politics of friendship, poke holes to the invention of Africa foregrounding the resilience of an Indigenous objective and an economy of meanings as resources for ordinary Africans to understand themselves better as a collective constantly challenging contemporary politics and aesthetics as in a symbiotic site of Ubuntu’s emancipatory politics through reciprocities, obligations and consequences.
Leaving and returning: Tracing the double disengagement in the work of Dolores Redondo
Authors: Collins Jacky
Published: February 2025

Crime fiction is an extremely popular genre, the basic template of which can adapt to a multitude of settings, plots and functions. Emerging from repressive dictatorships and oppressive right-wing regimes, many nations in the Spanish-speaking world have only recently, in the past 50 years, seen the development of a crime genre that serves as a critique of society past and present. This article analyses two contemporary Spanish crime novels by award-winning author Dolores Redondo. Adopting a multi-theoretical approach, the character of the detective appearing in two novels by the Basque crime fiction author will be the focus of the discussion. Aspects of slippage in space, time and agency considered from an autoethnographic perspective inform an examination of the narrative structure. It concludes by considering the impact that the motion of ‘leaving and returning’ has in the context of crime fiction.
Análisis e implementación de estrategias para prevenir o atenuar la “contaminación” cognitiva en la obtención, análisis e interpretación de las pruebas científico-forenses en el proceso penal
Authors: Amezcua de Miguel Raquel
Published: February 2025

Durante la obtención, análisis e interpretación de las pruebas científico-forenses en un procedimiento judicial, siempre intervienen los sesgos cognitivos. Estos afectan a las decisiones que conducen a la imposición de una condena que puede no tener nada que ver con la verdad de lo que pasó y ser todo lo contrario a lo justa que se pretende. Hay numerosos estudios que describen los sesgos cognitivos, cómo actúan sobre expertos e inexpertos, y describen cómo han afectado a numerosos procedimientos judiciales dando lugar a la puesta en libertad de cientos de personas que han sido ingresados en prisión injustamente. Implementar medidas y procedimientos estandarizados que los disminuyan puede contribuir a que el precio que se ha de pagar por un error judicial no sea tan alto. Los sesgos son inconscientes e inherentes al ser humano, conocer sus fuentes y su origen permite entender cuáles son los factores que pueden influir en las decisiones de los expertos que tratan de esclarecer una verdad que solo conocen un autor, una víctima o un testigo que rara vez cuentan la misma historia. Es posible minimizar sus efectos. Existen estrategias que tratan de evitar que los sesgos influyan en las decisiones de los expertos, decisiones que, hasta hace poco, se pensaba que eran fruto de un razonamiento lógico, científico y jurídico. En este trabajo, se enumeran muchas medidas que la literatura científica propone para conseguirlo, orientadas hacia los expertos, a su entorno y a intervenir en todas las etapas de la investigación para alcanzar la legitimidad y el amparo jurídico deseado. Resulta muy difícil reunir tantas ciencias en una sola, la forense, y aplicarla teniendo en cuenta los factores psicológicos del individuo, que parecen infinitos.
The role of sea fish meat in the transmission of Vibrio parahaemolyticus to humans: An in-depth analysis of seasonal and species-specific variations
Authors: Al-Garadi Maged A. , Almashhadany Dhary Alewy , Aziz Rasha N. , Al-Qabili Dheyazan M. Ali , Alhumaidan Ohoud S. , Alnuwaysir Hanouf , Ali Al-Hammadi Mohammed , Sayed Essam , Alabsi A. M.
Published: February 2025

Background and Aim: Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a marine bacterium commonly associated with foodborne illnesses due to the consumption of contaminated seafood. Understanding its prevalence in both fish meat and human infections is crucial for public health. This study aimed to estimate the occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus in human stool and fish meat samples while analyzing seasonal and species-specific variations in the Al-Hodeidah governorate.

Materials and Methods: A total of 225 samples were collected, including 75 human stool samples from patients with gastrointestinal symptoms and 150 fish meat samples from five fish species commonly consumed in the region. Standard microbiological methods were used for the isolation and identification of V. parahaemolyticus, including culture on Thiosulfate–Citrate–Bile Salts–Sucrose (TCBS) agar, biochemical tests, and growth analysis in varying NaCl concentrations. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 12, applying the Chi-square test for group comparisons with a significance level of p ≤ 0.05.

Results: The overall occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus was 7.1%. Human stool samples had a occurrence of 6.7%, while fish meat samples had a slightly higher occurrence of 7.3%. The highest monthly occurrence in human samples was recorded in July (15.0%), while the highest fish contamination was detected in September (12.0%). Among fish species, Rastrelliger kanagurta (Bagah) had the highest contamination rate (20.0%), followed by Scomberomorus commerson (Dairak) at 13.3%, whereas no V. parahaemolyticus isolates were found in Dasyatis kuhlii (Safon) and Rachycentron canadum (Sakalah).

Conclusion: The findings confirm the presence of V. parahaemolyticus in both human and fish meat samples, highlighting seasonal variations and species-specific differences. The peak occurrence in fish during warm months suggests a potential link between higher temperatures and bacterial prevalence. Improved seafood handling, monitoring, and public health awareness are essential to mitigate the risk of foodborne infections. Further research is needed to explore genetic determinants of virulence and antimicrobial resistance in local isolates.

Keywords: fish meat, foodborne infection, seafood safety, seasonal variation, Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
DETECTION METHOD OF TUNNEL SURROUNDING ROCK LEAKAGE CHANNEL BASED ON IMPROVED CHAOTIC PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHM
Authors: Zhu Lei , Qiao Peixuan , Jiang Fuyu , Shen Caihua , Jiang Yuke
Published: February 2025

Leakage channels in the tunnel lining and surrounding rock can cause water seepage on the tunnel walls, significantly impacting the safety and stability of tunnel operations. Therefore, precise detection of leakage channels within the tunnel lining and surrounding rock is essential for maintaining tunnel safety. In this paper, based on the theory of natural potential field exploration, the distribution of electric potential on the tunnel walls is investigated. An improved particle swarm optimization algorithm is applied to invert the spatial charge distribution within the tunnel lining and surrounding rock. The distribution of spatial charges is used to infer the location and direction of leakage channels within the tunnel lining and surrounding rock, providing guidance for accurate remediation measures. The research results show that the variance of charge distribution in the forward modeling inversion is 1.58%, and in the inversion of measured data, the variance is 7.6%. The inverted results display charge anomaly regions consistent with the actual locations of leakage channels.
COVID-19 ENTRE PESSOAS IDOSAS DE MINAS GERAIS: ANÁLISE EPIDEMIOLÓGICA ESPAÇO-TEMPORAL
Authors: Ferreira Ricardo Vicente , Ikegami Erica Midori , Tavares Darlene Mara dos Santos , Oliveira Nayara Gomes Nunes , Oliveira Neilzo Nunes , Meneguci Joilson , Marmo Flavia Aparecida Dias
Published: February 2025

O objetivo do estudo foi analisar os clusters de casos hospitalizados de Síndrome Respiratória Aguda Grave por covid-19 entre pessoas idosas em Minas Gerais, em um período de dois anos (2020 a 2022). Trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico retrospectivo realizado com 100.630 casos de pessoas idosas hospitalizadas com Síndrome Respiratória Aguda Grave por covid-19 em Minas Gerais. Os dados referem-se ao período de 08 de março de 2020 a 09 de março de 2022 e foram obtidos por meio da Ficha de Cadastro Individual - Casos de Síndrome Respiratória Aguda Grave Hospitalizados. Utilizou-se a estatística retrospectiva de varredura espaço-temporal de Kulldorff e o I-Moran Local com auxílio de Sistema de Informação Geográfica para georreferenciamento. Verificou-se autocorrelação espacial positiva com maior valor de I-Moran local para o período da variante "Outra". Foram detectados casos de clusters alto-alto predominantes nas macrorregiões Leste, Centro e Triângulo Mineiro, no período das variantes "Outra" e Gama. Foram identificados 38 clusters distribuídos em 14 macrorregiões distintas, sendo o maior número e tempo de duração para a variante Delta e "Outra", respectivamente. Os resultados desta pesquisa destacam a existência de autocorrelação espacial positiva de casos hospitalizados, além de padrões distintos nos clusters.
RELAÇÃO ENTRE O CONSUMO ALIMENTAR, COMPOSIÇÃO CORPORAL E COMPORTAMENTO SEDENTÁRIO EM CRIANÇAS E ADOLESCENTES COM TRANSTORNO DO ESPECTRO AUTISTA
Authors: Rodrigues Perla Silva , Lima Maria Valéria Chaves de , Rocha Maria Nildenia de Oliveira , Carvalho Camila Fernandes Maia de , Oliveira Kalyane Kelly Duarte de , Silva Bruna Yhang da Costa , Costa Adalberto Veronese da , Cardoso Glêbia Alexa
Published: February 2025

Objetivo: Avaliar a relação do consumo alimentar, comportamento sedentário, perfil antropométrico e composição corporal de crianças e adolescentes com Transtorno do Espectro Autista. Metodologia: Participaram do estudo 100 crianças e adolescentes, de ambos os sexos, com diagnóstico de autismo. Foram utilizados formulários para traçar o perfil socioeconômico, o tempo de tela, o nível de atividade física e o consumo alimentar (recordatório de 24 horas). A composição corporal foi avaliada pela aferição do peso, estatura, circunferências da cintura, quadril e abdominal, além das dobras subescapular e tricipital. Resultados: 75% dos participantes demonstraram excesso de tempo em telas. Ademais, 74% das crianças e adolescentes foram classificados como não ativos. 36% dos participantes apresentaram um percentual de gordura moderadamente alto e alto. Um maior consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados e tempo de tela, bem como menor tempo de atividade física correlacionaram-se com adiposidade corporal (p<0,05). Conclusão: À medida que a ingestão de ultraprocessados aumenta, os níveis de gordura corporal e os indicadores antropométricos de adiposidade também crescem. Ademais, quanto menos tempo é dedicado à prática de atividade física, maiores são os níveis de gordura. Ao mesmo tempo, quanto mais tempo dedicado às atividades de tela, maiores são os percentuais de gordura e os indicadores de excesso de peso.
New possibilities for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. How much does the effect cost?
Authors: Pyadushkina E. A. , Lila A. M. , Yagnenkova E. E. , Ignatyeva V. I. , Derkach E. V.
Published: February 2025

Our previous study has shown that the new biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD) anifrolumab (AFM) can be considered as a cost-effective alternative to belimumab (BLM) in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Following a review by the Commission of the Ministry of Health of Russia, AFM was recommended for inclusion in the List of vital and Essential Drugs (VED).

Objective: to conduct a clinical and economic analysis (CEA) of the use of bDMARD for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe SLE, to update the previously conducted CEA considering changing circumstances, including populational changes, price characteristics and law in the context of the Russian healthcare system, and to assess the impact of changes.

Material and methods. The CEA was conducted from a healthcare system perspective and was based on the results of an indirect comparison of the efficacy of AFM and BLM drugs using a cost-effectiveness analysis. The costs of drug therapy with the compared bDMARDs for one year, the cost-effectiveness ratio and the incremental indicator of cost-effectiveness growth were calculated. Drug prices were calculated based on the register of maximum retail prices for drugs from the VED. A comparison of the main results of the analysis is presented.

Results and discussion. The results of the indirect comparison of efficacy showed statistically significant advantages of AFM over BLM according to the SRI-4 criterion: odds ratio – 2.61 (95% confidence interval 1.22–5.58). The cost of therapy for one patient for 52 weeks, recalculated considering the changed indicators, for AFM in combination with standard therapy was 655.5 thousand rubles, for BLM – 622 thousand rubles, the difference in cost was 5.1%. When prescribing AFM, the cost of the effect (achieving a response to therapy according to the SRI-4 criterion) in one patient was 1181 thousand rubles, which is 38.6% lower than when using BLM (1924 thousand rubles). The additional cost of achieving a response according to SRI-4 in one additional patient for AFM compared to BLM amounted to 144 thousand rubles, which is significantly less than the previously calculated similar indicator – 3.4 million rubles.

Conclusion. The CEA, considering the current data allows us to conclude that the use of AFM in patients with moderate to severe SLE is economically feasible within the framework of the Russian healthcare system. The expansion of the VED list by including new, more effective and economically justifiable options, and registration of maximum retail prices will increase the availability of SLE therapy, reduce the financial burden on the budgets of regions of the Russian Federation and enable more patients to receive the necessary treatment.
Is fibromyalgia secondary to rheumatic diseases?
Authors: Filatova E. G. , Melikova N. A. , Filatova E. S. , Lila A. M.
Published: February 2025

Fibromyalgia (FM) affects 2 to 4 % of the population. In rheumatic diseases (RD), the frequency of FM is higher than in the general population, but the question remains whether it is a secondary disease, a complication of RD or an independent comorbid disorder.

Objective: to determine whether FM in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a secondary or an independent comorbid disorder.

Material and methods. The study involved 127 patients who were divided into three groups. Group 1 comprised patients with RA without FM (n=47), group 2 comprised patients with RA + FM (n=55), and group 3 comprised patients with FM without RD (n=25). FM was diagnosed based on the 2016 ACR diagnostic criteria. Pain intensity was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS, 10 cm) at rest. We also assessed the frequency of the neuropathic pain using the Pain DETECT and DN4 questionnaires for neuropathic pain, the presence and severity of central sensitization symptoms using CSI, fatigue using FSS, anxiety and depression using HADS, sleep disturbances using the PSQI and cognitive impairment using the DSST. Quality of life (QOL) was assessed using the EQ-5D and the revised FM impact questionnaire – FIQR, in the group of patients without FM, its modified version – SIQR – was used.

Results and discussion. Signs of FM preceded the inflammatory changes in the joints and complicated the diagnosis of RA, which was reflected in an increase in the time until RA diagnosis in the RA + FM group to an average of 20 months compared to 10 months in the RA without FM group. No relationship was found between the presence of FM and the degree of RA activity according to DAS28. No specific clinical picture of FM was found in the RA + FM group compared to the FM group without RD.

Conclusion. The results obtained suggest that FM in patients with RA is an independent comorbid condition and the cause of various comorbid disorders, which contributes to an even greater impairment of QOL. The diagnosis of FM in patients with RD will optimize treatment: patients suffering from RD and FM require complex therapy.
Algorithm for monitoring patients with axial spondyloarthritis depending on the activity of the disease
Authors: Datsina A. V. , Erdes Sh. F.
Published: February 2025

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is actively treated with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, but their efficacy decreases over time, leading to the development of exacerbation, the onset of severe and chronic pain, progression of structural changes and deterioration of quality of life, as well as significant economic losses. The international community is increasingly concerned about the problem of identifying difficultto-treat (D2T) patients. In this context, it is necessary to develop strategies and markers for their identification and effective treatment. The authors propose a regimen of follow-up that represents an innovative approach to monitoring patients with D2T axSpA.
Known laboratory abnormalities and potential targets for the conservative treatment of avascular osteonecrosis
Authors: Bialik V. E. , Makarov M. A. , Bialik E. I. , Makarov S. A. , Karateev A. E. , Lila A. M. , Nesterenko V. A. , Bialik A. A. , Kapitonov D. V. , Gorelova A. I.
Published: February 2025

Avascular osteonecrosis (AON) is a common condition that most often affects people of working age (20–60 years). The disease leads to rapid destruction and collapse of the subchondral bone with subsequent development of secondary osteoarthritis of the affected joint. The current data on laboratory abnormalities in AON are presented. Biomarkers directly related to the development and progression of AON are described in detail. Ideas for future research are formulated to improve the detection and treatment of the disease.
A 14-gene Region of Rat Chromosome 8 in SHR-Derived Polydactylous Congenic Substrain Affects Muscle-Specific Insulin Resistance, Dyslipidaemia and Visceral Adiposity
Authors: Šeda O. , Liška F. , Šedová L. , Kazdová L. , Křenová D. , Křen Vladimír
Published: February 2025

The SHR and the PD/Cub are two established rodent models of human metabolic syndrome. Introgression of a ca 30 cM region of rat chromosome 8 from PD/Cub onto the genetic background of SHR was previously shown to influence several of the metabolic syndrome-related traits along with causing the PLS in the SHR-Lx congenic strain. In the process of identification of the causative alleles, we have produced several congenic sublines. The differential segment of SHR-Lx PD5 congenic substrain [SHR.PD(D8Rat42-D8Arb23)/Cub] spans approximately 1.4 Mb encompassing only 14 genes. When comparing the metabolic, morphometric and gene expression profiles of the SHR-Lx PD5 vs. SHR, the polydactyly and several distinct metabolic features observed in the original SHR-Lx congenic were still manifested, suggesting that the responsible genes were “trapped” within the relatively short differential segment of PD/Cub origin in SHR-Lx PD5. Particularly, the SHR-Lx PD5 displayed substantial reduction of insulin sensitivity confined to skeletal muscle. Among the candidate genes, the promyelocytic leukaemia zinc-finger Plzf (Zbtb16) transcription repressor is most likely responsible for the Lx mutation resulting in PLS and could also be involved in the alteration of metabolic pathways. The sequence analysis of the Plzf gene revealed a SNP leading to a threonine to serine substitution in SHR at aminoacid position 208 (T208S). In summary, we have isolated a 1.4 Mb genomic region syntenic to human chromosome 11q23, which, apart from causing polydactyly-luxate syndrome (PLS), affects total body weight, adiposity, lipid profile, insulin sensitivity of skeletal muscle and related gene expression as shown in the SHR-Lx PD5 congenic substrain.
The Effect of Gemcitabine in the Treatment of Rejection in Experimental Small Intestine Transplantation
Authors: Kudla Michal , Kříž J. , Janotová D. , Girman P. , Mergental H. , Kočík M. , Honsová E. , Adamec M.
Published: February 2025

The aim of our study was to test the immunosuppressive effect of gemcitabine in monotherapy following heterotopic SBT in the rat. The BN and LEW rats were used as donors and recipients, respectively. Recipients were divided into 4 groups – group A without immunosuppression, group B treated with a therapeutic dose of tacrolimus, groups C and D treated with various doses of gemcitabine (100 and 150 µ µg/kg/day). Immunosuppression was administered once a day for 7 days after SBT, when the animals were sacrificed and a histological examination of grafts was performed. Only in group B no signs of acute rejection were seen. Significant differences (P < 0.01) were noted only between group B versus groups A, C, and D. No significant differences were demonstrated between groups A versus groups C, D and between group C versus group D. Monotherapy by gemcitabine (when administered at given doses) was not shown to be effective in preventing acute rejection in a rat model of heterotopic SBT.
CausalMesh: A Causal Cache for Stateful Serverless Computing
Authors: Zhang Haoran , Mu Shuai , Angel Sebastian , Liu Vincent
Published: February 2025

Stateful serverless workflows consist of multiple serverless functions that access state on a remote database. Developers sometimes add a cache layer between the serverless runtime and the database to improve I/O latency. However, in a serverless environment, functions in the same workflow may be scheduled to different nodes with different caches, which can cause non-intuitive anomalies. This paper presents CausalMesh, a novel approach to causally consistent caching in serverless computing. CausalMesh is the first cache system that supports coordination-free and abort-free read/write operations and read transactions when clients roam among multiple servers. CausalMesh also supports read-write transactional causal consistency in the presence of client roaming, but at the cost of abort-freedom. Our evaluation shows that CausalMesh has lower latency and higher throughput than existing proposals.
The Vadalog Parallel System: Distributed Reasoning with Datalog+/-
Authors: Bellomarini Luigi , Benedetto Davide , Brandetti Matteo , Sallinger Emanuel , Vlad Adriano
Published: February 2025

Over the past years, there has been a growing demand for ontological reasoning systems based on languages of the Datalog+/- family, such as Vadalog, for their ability to effectively model a wide range of real-world problems with powerful features such as existential quantification. As the scale and complexity of data analysis tasks continue to grow, the ability to distribute the computational workload across multiple non-communicating processors has become vital for these systems to achieve scalable performance.

The joint presence of existential quantification and recursion poses new challenges, currently unsolved by existing distributed systems, which only concentrate on Datalog and are therefore unsuitable for ontological reasoning. When working across multiple processors, generating all the facts to answer a specific reasoning query, avoiding duplication, and guaranteeing termination are non-trivial tasks as infinitely many new symbols and facts can be generated by existential quantification and recursion.

In this paper, we address such challenges and introduce the first distributed framework in the Datalog+/- space. We propose the condition of homomorphic decomposability, which identifies sets of Datalog+/- rules with good distribution properties. We put homomorphic decomposability into action with a distributed reasoning algorithm for Warded Datalog+/-, the core of Vadalog. We implement Vadalog Parallel, a distributed reasoner for Vadalog and provide experimental evaluation against state-of-the-art systems.
A Branch-&-Bound Algorithm for Fractional Hypertree Decomposition
Authors: He Zongyan , Yu Jeffrey Xu
Published: February 2025

Conjunctive queries (
CQ
s) have been widely used in database systems in which acyclic
CQ
s can be computed efficiently, whereas cyclic
CQ
s may not. Here, a
CQ
is acyclic if its hypergraph representation
H
is acyclic. In order to find a class of
CQ
s that are "mildly cyclic", hypertree decompositions (HDs) have been studied. The quality of such HDs is by the so-called hypertree width. The class of acyclic queries is the queries whose hypertree width is 1, and a mildly cyclic
CQ
can be processed efficiently if its hypertree width is bounded. There are several HDs, such as tree decomposition (TD), generalized hypertree decomposition (GHD), fractional hypertree decomposition (FHD), as well as hypertree decomposition (HD). The minimum hypertree width by FHD is the smallest among all, and it is NP-complete to check if the minimum hypertree width by FHD exists for a given hypertree width at most
k.
In the literature, there is no dynamic programming (
DP
) algorithm or branch-&-bound algorithm reported to compute FHD. In this paper, we show that there is a
DP
algorithm for FHD, and we give a branch-&-bound algorithm based on our DP algorithm to compute FHD with upper/lower bounds. We confirm the effectiveness and efficiency of our algorithm by testing all 3,648 hypergraphs given in a benchmark for HDs, and we also confirm our approach in query evaluation in real database systems.
Steiner
-Hardness: A Query Hardness Measure for Graph-Based ANN Indexes
Authors: Wang Zeyu , Wang Qitong , Cheng Xiaoxing , Wang Peng , Palpanas Themis , Wang Wei
Published: February 2025

Graph-based indexes have been widely employed to accelerate approximate similarity search of high-dimensional vectors. However, the performance of graph indexes to answer different queries varies vastly, leading to an unstable quality of service for downstream applications. This necessitates an effective measure to test query hardness on graph indexes. Nonetheless, popular distance-based hardness measures like LID lose their effects due to the ignorance of the graph structure. In this paper, we propose
Steiner
-hardness, a novel connection-based graph-native query hardness measure. Specifically, we first propose a theoretical framework to analyze the minimum query effort on graph indexes and then define
Steiner
-hardness as the minimum effort on a representative graph. Moreover, we prove that our
Steiner
-hardness is highly relevant to the classical Directed
Steiner
Tree (DST) problems. In this case, we design a novel algorithm to reduce our problem to DST problems and then leverage their solvers to help calculate
Steiner
-hardness efficiently. Compared with LID and other similar measures,
Steiner
-hardness shows a significantly better correlation with the actual query effort on various datasets. Additionally, an unbiased evaluation designed based on
Steiner
-hardness reveals new ranking results, indicating a meaningful direction for enhancing the robustness of graph indexes.