bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Right parasternal echocardiographic reference values in the healthy male Iranian Shall sheep
Authors: Sadeghian Chaleshtori Sirous , Mokber Dezfouli Mohammad Reza , Vajhi Alireza , Najd Ghahremani Abolfazl , Sabetzadeh Neda , Abbasi Javad
Published: July 2024

Background

Among the large animals, the heart of sheep is functionally and structurally very similar to the human heart. In research, sheep are used as an animal model to study the process of cardiac disease pathogenesis and treatment. Therefore, determining the normal values of the heart structures of sheep with echocardiography is of particular emphasis. The purpose of the present research is to define the normal echocardiography values of heart in Iranian Shall breed sheep.

Materials and methods

In 20 healthy Iranian Shall male sheep weighing 30–35 kg and aged 4–6 months, standing echocardiography was done from the right parasternal approach concentrated on the 3rd to 5th intercostal spaces by 2.5–5 MHz phased array transducer in the longitudinal and transverse views by B‐mode, M‐mode and Doppler systems. In M‐mode echocardiographic, the parameters of interventricular septal, left ventricular internal diameter, left ventricular free wall, right ventricular free wall and right ventricular internal diameter in diastole and systole as well as end point septal separation, ejection fraction (EF) slope, aortic root diameter, left atrial appendage, left atrial diameter/aortic valve diameter, left ventricular ejection time, fractional shortening, end‐diastolic volume, end‐systolic volume, EF, stroke volume and cardiac output and in pulsed‐wave spectral Doppler echocardiographic, the parameters of mitral valve maximum velocity (Vmax), mitral valve mean velocity (Vmean), mitral valve maximum pressure gradient (PGmax), mitral valve mean pressure gradient (PGmean), mitral valve velocity time integral (VTI), mitral valve E‐wave (MV‐E), MV‐E pressure gradient, mitral valve A‐wave (MV‐A), MV‐A pressure gradient, aortic Vmax, aortic valve Vmean, aortic valve PGmax, aortic valve PGmean, aortic valve VTI, left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT)‐Vmax, LVOT‐Vmean were measured.

Results

All the sheep in this study were healthy and had no signs of heart disease. In this study, the parameters of M‐mode and spectral Doppler echocardiographic were assessed and recognized in Iranian Shall sheep. The results demonstrated the parameters of echocardiographic could be dependably determined in Shall sheep which, established normal reference values for these parameters and left ventricular function indices in healthy Shall sheep. These results can be beneficial in appropriate imagination, recognition and measuring cardiac structures.

Conclusion

This study can be exerted as a reference for the assessment and diagnosis of heart diseases in sheep medicine and human cardiovascular research in sheep experimental models.
Framework for Life Cycle Railway Sustainability Assessment: A Methodological Approach Based on Advanced Methods and Tools
Authors: Giunta Marinella , Leonardi Giovanni
Published: July 2024

Railway corridors improvement and development are the most appropriate answer to the need of providing sustainable transportation of people and goods. Indeed, rail is the greener transportation mode since it contributes to the reduction of carbon footprint and energy consumption within the global transportation system. From this perspective, continuing to pursue sustainability objectives, any intervention on railway lines and particularly on track must be focused on the use of materials, components, and techniques able to guarantee the best environmental performances in service life span, also according to Agenda 2030 goal 13 action climate. To this purpose, the decision process at any life stage of construction and maintenance of the track can be supported by advanced methods and tools able to correctly address the right solutions through the quantitative assessment of the related environmental burdens. This study delivers a framework of methods and tools in use for the assessment of the sustainability. An application to a case study is also reported and discussed. Results demonstrated that there is room for the enhancement of environmental behavior of the track during its life cycle by means the suitable selection of materials and techniques for construction and maintenance. Further, the proposed methods have a great potential to support decision-makers.
The Top-Down Solver Verified: Building Confidence in Static Analyzers
Authors: Stade Yannick , Tilscher Sarah , Seidl Helmut
Published: July 2024

The top-down solver (TD) is a local fixpoint algorithm for arbitrary equation systems. It considers the right-hand sides as black boxes and detects dependencies between unknowns on the fly—features that significantly increase both its usability and practical efficiency. At the same time, the recursive evaluation strategy of the TD, combined with the non-local destabilization mechanism, obfuscates the correctness of the computed solution. To strengthen the confidence in tools relying on the TD as their fixpoint engine, we provide a first machine-checked proof of the partial correctness of the TD. Our proof builds on the observation that the TD can be obtained from a considerably simpler recursive fixpoint algorithm, the plain TD, by applying an optimization that neither affects the termination behavior nor the computed result. Accordingly, we break down the proof into a partial correctness proof of the plain TD, which is only then extended to include the optimization. The backbone of our proof is a mutual induction following the solver’s computation trace. We establish sufficient invariants about the solver state to conclude the correctness of its optimization, i.e., the plain TD terminates if and only if the TD terminates, and they return the identical result. The proof is written using Isabelle/HOL and is available in the archive of formal proofs.
Breaking the Mold: Nonlinear Ranking Function Synthesis Without Templates
Authors: Zhu Shaowei , Kincaid Zachary
Published: July 2024

This paper studies the problem of synthesizing (lexicographic) polynomial ranking functions for loops that can be described in polynomial arithmetic over integers and reals. While the analogous ranking function synthesis problem for linear arithmetic is decidable, even checking whether a given function ranks an integer loop is undecidable in the nonlinear setting. We side-step the decidability barrier by working within the theory of linear integer/real rings (LIRR) rather than the standard model of arithmetic. We develop a termination analysis that is guaranteed to succeed if a loop (expressed as a formula) admits a (lexicographic) polynomial ranking function. In contrast to template-based ranking function synthesis in real arithmetic, our completeness result holds for lexicographic ranking functions of unbounded dimension and degree, and effectively subsumes linear lexicographic ranking function synthesis for linear integer loops.
Interactive Theorem Proving Modulo Fuzzing
Authors: Muduli Sujit Kumar , Padulkar Rohan Ravikumar , Roy Subhajit
Published: July 2024

Interactive theorem provers (ITPs) exploit the collaboration between humans and computers, enabling proof of complex theorems. Further, ITPs allow extraction of provably correct implementations from proofs. However, often, the extracted code interface with external libraries containing real-life complexities—proprietary library calls, remote/cloud APIs, complex models like ML models, inline assembly, highly non-linear arithmetic, vector instructions etc. We refer to such functions/operations as closed-box components. For such components, the user has to provide appropriate assumed lemmas to model the behavior of these functions. However, we found instances where these assumed lemmas are inconsistent with the actual semantics of these closed-box components. Hence, even correct-by-construction code extracted from an ITP may still behave incorrectly when interfaced with such closed-box components.

To this end, we propose StarFuzz, that allows the $$\text {F}^\star $$

F
⋆

interactive theorem prover to provide better end-to-end assurance on the application— even when interfaced with the closed-box components. Under the hood, StarFuzz rides on Sādhak, an SMT solver that combines fuzz testing to allow satisfiability checking over closed-box components. On the $$\text {F}^\star $$

F
⋆

library that includes external implementations in OCaml, StarFuzz discovered four bugs—one bug that revealed an error on the assumed lemmas for a closed-box function, and three bugs in the external implementations of these components.
From Clauses to Klauses
Authors: Reeves Joseph E. , Heule Marijn J. H. , Bryant Randal E.
Published: July 2024

Satisfiability (SAT) solvers have been using the same input format for decades: a formula in conjunctive normal form. Cardinality constraints appear frequently in problem descriptions: over $$64\%$$

64
%

of the SAT Competition formulas contain at least one cardinality constraint, while over $$17\%$$

17
%

contain many large cardinality constraints. Allowing general cardinality constraints as input would simplify encodings and enable the solver to handle constraints natively or to encode them using different (and possibly dynamically changing) clausal forms. We modify the modern SAT solver CaDiCaL to handle cardinality constraints natively. Unlike the stronger cardinality reasoning in pseudo-Boolean (PB) or other systems, our incremental approach with cardinality-based propagation requires only moderate changes to a SAT solver, preserves the ability to run important inprocessing techniques, and is easily combined with existing proof-producing and validation tools. Our experimental evaluation on SAT Competition formulas shows our solver configurations with cardinality support consistently outperform other SAT and PB solvers.
Scalable Bit-Blasting with Abstractions
Authors: Niemetz Aina , Preiner Mathias , Zohar Yoni
Published: July 2024

The dominant state-of-the-art approach for solving bit-vector formulas in Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) is bit-blasting, an eager reduction to propositional logic. Bit-blasting is surprisingly efficient in practice but does not generally scale well with increasing bit-widths, especially when bit-vector arithmetic is present. In this paper, we present a novel CEGAR-style abstraction-refinement procedure for the theory of fixed-size bit-vectors that significantly improves the scalability of bit-blasting. We provide lemma schemes for various arithmetic bit-vector operators and an abduction-based framework for synthesizing refinement lemmas. We extended the state-of-the-art SMT solver Bitwuzla with our abstraction-refinement approach and show that it significantly improves solver performance on a variety of benchmark sets, including industrial benchmarks that arise from smart contract verification.
Syntax-Guided Automated Program Repair for Hyperproperties
Authors: Beutner Raven , Hsu Tzu-Han , Bonakdarpour Borzoo , Finkbeiner Bernd
Published: July 2024

We study the problem of automatically repairing infinite-state software programs w.r.t. temporal hyperproperties. As a first step, we present a repair approach for the temporal logic HyperLTL based on symbolic execution, constraint generation, and syntax-guided synthesis of repair expression (SyGuS). To improve the repair quality, we introduce the notation of a transparent repair that aims to find a patch that is as close as possible to the original program. As a practical realization, we develop an iterative repair approach. Here, we search for a sequence of repairs that are closer and closer to the original program’s behavior. We implement our method in a prototype and report on encouraging experimental results using off-the-shelf SyGuS solvers.
Safe Exploration in Reinforcement Learning by Reachability Analysis over Learned Models
Authors: Wang Yuning , Zhu He
Published: July 2024

We introduce VELM, a reinforcement learning (RL) framework grounded in verification principles for safe exploration in unknown environments. VELM ensures that an RL agent systematically explores its environment, adhering to safety properties throughout the learning process. VELM learns environment models as symbolic formulas and conducts formal reachability analysis over the learned models for safety verification. An online shielding layer is then constructed to confine the RL agent’s exploration solely within a state space verified as safe in the learned model, thereby bolstering the overall safety profile of the RL system. Our experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of VELM across diverse RL environments, highlighting its capacity to significantly reduce safety violations in comparison to existing safe learning techniques, all without compromising the RL agent’s reward performance.
Using Four-Valued Signal Temporal Logic for Incremental Verification of Hybrid Systems
Authors: Lercher Florian , Althoff Matthias
Published: July 2024

Hybrid systems are often safety-critical and at the same time difficult to formally verify due to their mixed discrete and continuous behavior. To address this issue, we propose a novel incremental verification algorithm for hybrid systems based on online monitoring techniques and reachability analysis. To this end, we develop a four-valued semantics for signal temporal logic that allows us to distinguish two types of uncertainty: one arising from set-based evaluation and another one from the incremental nature of our algorithm. Using these semantics to continuously update the verification verdict, our verification algorithm is the first to run alongside the reachability analysis of the system to be verified. This makes it possible to stop the reachability analysis as soon as we obtain a conclusive verdict. We demonstrate the usefulness of our novel approach by several experiments.
What Should Be Observed for Optimal Reward in POMDPs?
Authors: Konsta Alyzia-Maria , Lluch Lafuente Alberto , Matheja Christoph
Published: July 2024

Partially observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) are a standard model for agents making decisions in uncertain environments. Most work on POMDPs focuses on synthesizing strategies based on the available capabilities. However, system designers can often control an agent’s observation capabilities, e.g. by placing or selecting sensors. This raises the question of how one should select an agent’s sensors cost-effectively such that it achieves the desired goals. In this paper, we study the noveloptimal observability problem(oop): Given a POMDP$$\mathscr {M}$$M, how should one change$$\mathscr {M}$$M’s observation capabilities within a fixed budget such that its (minimal) expected reward remains below a given threshold? We show that the problem is undecidable in general and decidable when considering positional strategies only. We present two algorithms for a decidable fragment of theoop: one based on optimal strategies of$$\mathscr {M}$$M’s underlying Markov decision process and one based on parameter synthesis with SMT. We report promising results for variants of typical examples from the POMDP literature.
Localized Attractor Computations for Infinite-State Games
Authors: Schmuck Anne-Kathrin , Heim Philippe , Dimitrova Rayna , Nayak Satya Prakash
Published: July 2024

Infinite-state games are a commonly used model for the synthesis of reactive systems with unbounded data domains. Symbolic methods for solving such games need to be able to construct intricate arguments to establish the existence of winning strategies. Often, large problem instances require prohibitively complex arguments. Therefore, techniques that identify smaller and simpler sub-problems and exploit the respective results for the given game-solving task are highly desirable.

In this paper, we propose the first such technique for infinite-state games. The main idea is to enhance symbolic game-solving with the results of localized attractor computations performed in sub-games. The crux of our approach lies in identifying useful sub-games by computing permissive winning strategy templates in finite abstractions of the infinite-state game. The experimental evaluation of our method demonstrates that it outperforms existing techniques and is applicable to infinite-state games beyond the state of the art.
Regular Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Dohmen Taylor , Perez Mateo , Somenzi Fabio , Trivedi Ashutosh
Published: July 2024

In reinforcement learning, an agent incrementally refines a behavioral policy through a series of episodic interactions with its environment. This process can be characterized as explicit reinforcement learning, as it deals with explicit states and concrete transitions. Building upon the concept of symbolic model checking, we propose a symbolic variant of reinforcement learning, in which sets of states are represented through predicates and transitions are represented by predicate transformers. Drawing inspiration from regular model checking, we choose regular languages over the states as our predicates, and rational transductions as predicate transformations. We refer to this framework as regular reinforcement learning, and study its utility as a symbolic approach to reinforcement learning. Theoretically, we establish results around decidability, approximability, and efficient learnability in the context of regular reinforcement learning. Towards practical applications, we develop a deep regular reinforcement learning algorithm, enabled by the use of graph neural networks. We showcase the applicability and effectiveness of (deep) regular reinforcement learning through empirical evaluation on a diverse set of case studies.
Understanding the SM gauge group from SMEFT
Authors: Li Hao-Lin , Xu Ling-Xiao
Published: July 2024

Abstract

We discuss heavy particles that can be used to pin down the faithful Standard Model (SM) gauge group and their patterns in the SM effective field theory (SMEFT). These heavy particles are not invariant under a specific ℤ6 subgroup of SU(3)c × SU(2)L × U(1)Y, which however acts trivially on all the SM particles, hence the faithful SM gauge group remains undetermined. Different realizations of the faithful SM gauge group correspond to different spectra of heavy particles, and they also correspond to distinct sets of line operators with one-form global symmetry acting on them. We show that the heavy particles not invariant under the ℤ6 group cannot appear in tree-level ultraviolet completions of SMEFT, this enforces us to consider one-loop UV completions of SMEFT to identify the ℤ6 non-invariant heavy particles. We demonstrate with examples that correlations between Wilson coefficients provide an efficient way to examine models with ℤ6 non-invariant heavy particles. Finally, we prove that all the scalars that can trigger electroweak symmetry breaking must be invariant under the ℤ6 group, hence they cannot be used to probe the faithful SM gauge group.
Precision electroweak tensions and a dark photon
Authors: Harigaya Keisuke , Petrosky Evan , Pierce Aaron
Published: July 2024

Abstract

We examine how different assumptions about the hadronic vacuum polarization, the W boson mass, and the forward-backward asymmetry in b-quarks at the Z pole can impact the precision electroweak fit. We study the implications for a kinetically mixed dark photon, addressing the complementarity of precision bounds and direct searches, particularly in the case where the dark photon can decay into the dark sector, and we consider implications for future Large Hadron Collider searches. We comment on cases where the precision effects of the dark photon may not be well-described by the oblique parameters.
Liouville gravity at the end of the world:deformed defects in AdS/BCFT
Authors: Neuenfeld Dominik , Svesko Andrew , Sybesma Watse
Published: July 2024

Abstract

We study shape deformations of two-dimensional end-of-the-world (ETW) branes, such as those in bottom-up models of two-dimensional holographic boundary conformal field theories (BCFT), and derive an action for the theory of brane deformations in any bulk three-dimensional maximally symmetric spacetime. In the case of a bulk anti-de Sitter (AdS) spacetime, at leading order in the ultraviolet cutoff, the induced theory on the brane controlling its shape is Liouville gravity coupled to quantum matter. We show in certain limits the theory reduces to semi-classical AdS, dS or flat Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity, thus providing the first doubly-holographic derivation of two-dimensional models of dilaton gravity minimally coupled to a large number of conformal fields. Specializing to the AdS JT gravity limit, we discuss the dual BCFT interpretation and provide evidence that changing the boundary conditions of JT gravity on the brane is equivalent to a deformation of the dual BCFT with the displacement operator. This establishes a doubly-holographic triality between (i) brane deformations in the bulk, (ii) JT gravity in the brane description, and (iii) irrelevant deformations of the CFT boundary. Lastly, in the presence of a non-trivial dilaton profile, we prove that the Ryu-Takayanagi formula for holographic BCFTs receives a contact term whenever the minimal surface ends on the brane.
Constraints from the neutron EDM on subleading effective operators for direct Dark Matter searches
Authors: Drees Manuel , Mehra Rahul
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Interactions between Dark Matter (DM) and nucleons relevant for direct search experiments can be organised in a model independent manner using a Galiliean invariant, non-relativistic effective field theory (NREFT). Here one expands the interactions in powers of the momentum transfer $$ \overrightarrow{q} $$

q
→

and DM velocity $$ \overrightarrow{v} $$

v
→

. This approach generates many operators. The potentially most important subleading operators are odd under T, and can thus only be present in a theory with CP violating interactions. We consider two such operators, called $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
10 and $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
11 in the literature, in simplified models with neutral spin−0 mediators; the couplings are chosen such that the coefficient of the leading spin independent (SI) operator, which survives for $$ \overrightarrow{v} $$

v
→

→ 0, vanishes at tree level. However, it is generically induced at the next order in perturbation theory. We perform a numerical comparison of the number of scattering events between interactions involving the T−odd operators and the corresponding loop induced SI contributions. We find that for “maximal” CP violation the former can dominate over the latter. However, in two of the three models we consider, an electric dipole moment of the neutron (nEDM) is induced at two-loop order. We find that the experimental bound on the nEDM typically leads to undetectably small rates induced by $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
10. On the other hand, the model leading to a nonvanishing coefficient of $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
11 does not induce an nEDM.
Renormalization group flows in AdS and the bootstrap program
Authors: Meineri Marco , Penedones Joao , Spirig Taro
Published: July 2024

Abstract

We study correlation functions of the bulk stress tensor and boundary operators in Quantum Field Theories (QFT) in Anti-de Sitter (AdS) space. In particular, we derive new sum rules from the two-point function of the stress tensor and its three-point function with two boundary operators. In AdS2, this leads to a bootstrap setup that involves the central charge of the UV limit of the bulk QFT and may allow to follow a Renormalization Group (RG) flow non-perturbatively by continuously varying the AdS radius. Along the way, we establish the convergence properties of the newly discovered local block decomposition of the three-point function.
Assessing wire EDM as a novel approach for CFRP drilling: performance and thermal analysis across lay-up configurations
Authors: Bajoria Aman , Alshaer Ahmad , Abdallah Ramy
Published: July 2024

Conventional drilling of carbon fibre–reinforced plastic (CFRP) presents significant challenges due to the material’s abrasive nature and anisotropic properties, leading to tool wear, delamination, and surface damage. To address these challenges, this study pioneers the use of wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) to evaluate the drilling performance of thick CFRP lay-up configurations mainly unidirectional and multidirectional, marking the first application of WEDM for CFRP drilling. The study evaluates material removal rate (MRR), delamination factor (DF), and surface damage while employing an analytical solution to estimate surface temperature and heat conduction in the laminates. An eight-full factorial experimental design was employed, involving variations in ignition current (3 A and 5 A) and pulse-off time (4 µs and 8 µs). The findings revealed that the multidirectional lay-up achieved an MRR of 2.85 mm3/min, significantly outperforming the unidirectional lay-up’s MRR of 0.95 mm3/min, representing a 300% increase at 5 A and 4 µs. However, the increase in discharge energy led to surface damage such as delamination, frayed fibres, and irregular circularity, especially evident in the unidirectional lay-up. For delamination, the multidirectional lay-up had the highest top DF of 1.4 at 5 A and 6 µs, while the unidirectional lay-up achieved the peak bottom DF of 1.24 at the same levels. While none of the parameters significantly affected the responses, the current exhibited the highest contribution ratios. Analytical predictions of the thermal distribution indicated a 45-µm delamination length at the laminate surface and depth, aligning closely with experimental predictions of 30–50 µm.
Definitions and symptoms of the post-COVID syndrome: an updated systematic umbrella review
Authors: Gutzeit Julian , Weiß M. , Nürnberger C. , Lemhöfer C. , Appel K. S. , Pracht E. , Reese J.-P. , Lehmann C. , Polidori M. C. , Hein G. , Deckert J.
Published: July 2024

Post-COVID syndrome (PCS) describes a persistent complex of symptoms following a COVID-19 episode, lasting at least 4 to 12 weeks, depending on the specific criteria used for its definition. It is often associated with moderate to severe impairments of daily life and represents a major burden for many people worldwide. However, especially during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, therapeutic and diagnostic uncertainties were prominent due to the novelty of the disease and non-specific definitions that overlooked functional deficits and lacked objective assessment. The present work comprehensively examines the status of PCS definitions as depicted in recent reviews and meta-analyses, alongside exploring associated symptoms and functional impairments. We searched the database Pubmed for reviews and meta-analysis evaluating PCS in the period between May 31, 2022, to December 31, 2023. Out of 95 studies, 33 were selected for inclusion in our analyses. Furthermore, we extended upon prior research by systematically recording the symptoms linked with PCS as identified in the studies. We found that fatigue, neurological complaints, and exercise intolerance were the most frequently reported symptoms. In conclusion, over the past eighteen months, there has been a notable increase in quantity and quality of research studies on PCS. However, there still remains a clear need for improvement, particularly with regard to the definition of the symptoms necessary for diagnosing this syndrome. Enhancing this aspect will render future research more comparable and precise, thereby advancing and understanding PCS.
Developing new strategies for the gradual integration of sensory imagery scripts into mental training: a commentary on Krüger et al. (2022)
Authors: Thai Quang Thong , Lotze Martin
Published: July 2024

Our comment emphasizes the multisensory guidance of mental training processes as pointed out by Krüger et al. 2022. Guided multisensory mental training can focus on different aspects of action performance and gradually increase the vividness of the mental construct. The authors previously described an interaction between neural representation, subjective experience, and training gain. To enrich the subjective experience of the mental process, the establishment and testing of different guided mental training procedures are discussed.
A prognostic framework for predicting lung signet ring cell carcinoma via a machine learning based cox proportional hazard model
Authors: Chen Haixin , Xu Yanyan , Lin Haowen , Wan Shibiao , Luo Lianxiang
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) is a rare type of lung cancer. The conventional survival nomogram used to predict lung cancer performs poorly for SRCC. Therefore, a novel nomogram specifically for studying SRCC is highly required.

Methods

Baseline characteristics of lung signet ring cell carcinoma were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression and random forest analysis were performed on the training group data, respectively. Subsequently, we compared results from these two types of analyses. A nomogram model was developed to predict 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival (OS) for patients, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration curves were used to assess the prediction accuracy. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to assess the clinical applicability of the proposed model. For treatment modalities, Kaplan-Meier curves were adopted to analyze condition-specific effects.

Results

We obtained 731 patients diagnosed with lung signet ring cell carcinoma (LSRCC) in the SEER database and randomized the patients into a training group (551) and a validation group (220) with a ratio of 7:3. Eight factors including age, primary site, T, N, and M.Stage, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation were included in the nomogram analysis. Results suggested that treatment methods (like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation) and T-Stage factors had significant prognostic effects. The results of ROC curves, calibration curves, and DCA in the training and validation groups demonstrated that the nomogram we constructed could precisely predict survival and prognosis in LSRCC patients. Through deep verification, we found the constructed model had a high C-index, indicating that the model had a strong predictive power. Further, we found that all surgical interventions had good effects on OS and cancer-specific survival (CSS). The survival curves showed a relatively favorable prognosis for T0 patients overall, regardless of the treatment modality.

Conclusions

Our nomogram is demonstrated to be clinically beneficial for the prognosis of LSRCC patients. The surgical intervention was successful regardless of the tumor stage, and the Cox proportional hazard (CPH) model had better performance than the machine learning model in terms of effectiveness.
MASCC/ISOO Clinical Practice Statement: Adjuvant bone-modifying agents in primary breast cancer patients - prevention of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw
Authors: Yarom Noam , Van Poznak Catherine H. , Epstein Joel B. , Ottaviani Giulia , Matsuda Yuhei , Migliorati Cesar , Elad Sharon
Published: July 2024

Purpose

A MASCC/ISOO Clinical Practice Statement (CPS) is aimed at generating a concise tool for clinicians that concentrates practical information needed for the management of oral complications of cancer patients. This CPS raises awareness to the prevention of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) in patients with breast cancer treated with adjuvant bone-modifying agents (BMA).

Methods

This CPS was developed based on a critical evaluation of the literature followed by a structured discussion of a group of leading experts, members of the Oral Care Study Group of MASCC/ISOO. The information is presented in the form of succinct bullets and tables to generate a short manual about the best standard of care.

Results

In patients treated with adjuvant BMA, dento-alveolar surgery poses a moderate risk for MRONJ that ranges between the high risk for MRONJ in patients with metastatic breast cancer and the low risk for MRONJ in patients with osteoporosis. Existing MRONJ guidelines serve as a starting point for adjuvant BMA use. Urgent procedures should be delivered without delay using the accepted precautions to prevent MRONJ. If elective surgery is considered, the individual risk for MRONJ following surgery should be assessed according to common risk factors.

Conclusion

Prevention of MRONJ in primary breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant BMA requires risk–benefit assessment; collaboration between the medical team, dental professional, and patient; and patient-specific tailored dental treatment planning. The patient should be informed about this risk. Additional research is needed to define optimal MRONJ care for this population.
Outcomes after selective nerve root blockade for lumbar radicular pain from lumbar disc hernia or lumbar spinal stenosis assessed by the PROMIS-29 – a prospective observational cohort study
Authors: Karlsson Caroline , Carlsson Erik , Åkerstedt Josefin , Lilja Petrus , von Essen Christoffer , Tabatabaei Pedram , Wänman Johan
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Selective nerve root blocks (SNRB) are used both as a therapeutic and diagnostic tool for lumbar radicular pain. Most studies evaluate the effect of SNRB simply by its relation to pain reduction. It is well known that pain is associated with other factors such as depression, anxiety, inactivity and sleeping disorders, but these patient-related outcomes are seldom evaluated. This study evaluated the influence of SNRB on pain-related outcomes including depression, anxiety, fatigue, pain interference, activity and sleep.

Methods

One hundred three patients with lumbar radicular pain were treated with a SNRB. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were assessed with the PROMIS-29 for 12 weeks (84 days) following the SNRB. Patients were stratified based on their pain reduction at the 14-day follow up as responders (≥ 30% pain reduction) and non-responders (< 30% pain reduction). Post-treatment duration was estimated with the Kaplan–Meier analysis with return to baseline as an event. A paired t-test was used to compare pre- and post-treatment responses at specific time intervals.

Results

Forty-four percent (n = 45) of the patients were responders and showed significant improvement in all parameters throughout the 84-days follow-up, the exception was sleep that lost significance at day 70. The mean post-treatment duration among responders was 59 (52–67) days. Non-responders showed significant improvements in pain interference and pain intensity until day 35 and in ability for social participation until 21-day.

Conclusion

SNRB can improve pain intensity, pain interference, physical function, fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance and the ability to participate in social roles.
Contribution of testosterone and estradiol in sexual dimorphism of early-onset Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Bovenzi Roberta , Conti Matteo , Simonetta Clara , Bissacco Jacopo , Mascioli Davide , Michienzi Vito , Pieri Massimo , Cerroni Rocco , Liguori Claudio , Pierantozzi Mariangela , Stefani Alessandro , Mercuri Nicola Biagio , Schirinzi Tommaso
Published: July 2024

Early-onset Parkinson’s disease (EOPD) occurs during the fertile life, when circulating neuroactive sex hormones might enhance the sexual dimorphism of the disease. Here, we aimed to examine how sex hormones can contribute to sex differences in EOPD patients. A cohort of 34 EOPD patients, 20 males and 14 females, underwent comprehensive clinical evaluation of motor and non-motor disturbances. Blood levels of estradiol, total testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone were measured in all patients and correlated to clinical features. We found that female patients exhibited greater non-motor symptoms and a relatively higher rate of dystonia than males. In females, lower estradiol levels accounted for higher MDS-UPDRS-II and III scores and more frequent motor complications, while lower testosterone levels were associated with a major occurrence of dystonia. In male patients, no significant correlations emerged. In conclusion, this study highlighted the relevance of sex hormone levels in the sexual dimorphism and unique phenotype of EOPD.
Reinforced colour preference of parasitoid wasps in the presence of floral scent: a case study of a cross-modal effect
Authors: Kugimiya Soichi , Shimoda Takeshi , Takabayashi Junji
Published: July 2024

We examined the possibility of a cross-modal effect in naïve Cotesia vestalis, a parasitoid wasp of diamondback moth larvae, by using artificial flower models of four colours (blue, green, yellow, and red) in the absence or presence of floral scent collected from Brassica rapa inflorescences. In a four-choice test, regardless of the floral scent, non-starved female wasps visited green and yellow models significantly more often than blue and red ones, although no significant difference was observed between visits to the green and yellow models. They seldom visited blue and red models. When starved, the wasps became even more particular, visiting yellow significantly more frequently than green models, irrespective of the presence of the floral scent, indicating that they preferred to use yellow visual cues in their food search. Furthermore, a factorial analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of the interaction between model colour and floral scent on the wasps’ visits to flower models. The floral scent induced starved and non-starved wasps to visit yellow and green models about twice as often as without the scent. A cross-modal effect of olfactory perception on the use of chromatic information by wasps may allow them to search efficiently for food sources.
Understanding digital engagement: factors influencing awareness and satisfaction of digital transformation
Authors: Jo Hyeon , Ahn Hyun Yong
Published: July 2024

In an era marked by rapid digital transformation, understanding the factors that influence digital engagement is crucial for bridging the digital divide. This study aims to explore the impact of individual factors such as networking motive, social media use, content service usage, and economic activity on digital transformation awareness and satisfaction. Utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data from 7,000 respondents of the National Information Society Agency (NIA)'s 2022 Digital Divide Survey, this research provides empirical insights into the dynamics of digital engagement. The findings reveal that networking motive significantly predicts social media use, which in turn slightly enhances digital transformation awareness but not satisfaction. Conversely, economic activity positively influences both awareness and satisfaction with digital transformation, underscoring the tangible benefits of digital economic engagement. Life service utilization emerged as a crucial factor, significantly impacting both awareness and satisfaction. These results offer critical implications for policymakers, educators, and digital platform developers, suggesting the need for targeted strategies to enhance digital literacy, promote inclusive digital services, and foster economic opportunities in the digital domain.
Enhancing data preparation: insights from a time series case study
Authors: Sancricca Camilla , Siracusa Giovanni , Cappiello Cinzia
Published: July 2024

Data play a key role in AI systems that support decision-making processes. Data-centric AI highlights the importance of having high-quality input data to obtain reliable results. However, well-preparing data for machine learning is becoming difficult due to the variety of data quality issues and available data preparation tasks. For this reason, approaches that help users in performing this demanding phase are needed. This work proposes DIANA, a framework for data-centric AI to support data exploration and preparation, suggesting suitable cleaning tasks to obtain valuable analysis results. We design an adaptive self-service environment that can handle the analysis and preparation of different types of sources, i.e., tabular, and streaming data. The central component of our framework is a knowledge base that collects evidence related to the effectiveness of the data preparation actions along with the type of input data and the considered machine learning model. In this paper, we first describe the framework, the knowledge base model, and its enrichment process. Then, we show the experiments conducted to enrich the knowledge base in a particular case study: time series data streams.
BDI-II: Self-Report and Interview-based Administration Yield the Same Results in Young Adults
Authors: Gottfried Jaroslav , Chvojka Edita , Klocek Adam , Kratochvil Tomas , Palíšek Petr , Tancoš Martin
Published: July 2024

Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) is one of the most used instruments for depression assessment. Stepankova Georgi, H., Vlckova,H., Lukavsky, K., Kopecek, J., M., & Bares, M. (2019). Beck Depression Inventory-II: Self-report or interview-based administrations show different results in older persons. International Psychogeriatrics, 31(5), 735–742.) found that BDI-II yielded lower scores when administered to elderly participants in the interview form after previous questionnaire form. Stepankova Georgi et al. imply that some participants misunderstand the instructions, which inflates their score, and that the interview form of BDI-II has a potential to prevent such bias thanks to the interviewer’s feedback. However, many studies have found a decrease in BDI-II scores simply due to the repeated administration. Our study aims to test whether the hypothesis of Stepankova Georgi, H., Vlckova, H., Lukavsky, K., Kopecek, J., M., & Bares, M. (2019). Beck Depression Inventory-II: Self-report or interview-based administrations show different results in older persons. International Psychogeriatrics, 31(5), 735–742.) is plausible by using a sample of young adults without cognitive impairment. We administered the Czech version of BDI-II in both the questionnaire and the interview form to a convenience sample of 125 young adults (Mage = 22.3, 60% women) and performed a Wilcoxon signed-rank test to within-subject compare mean scores. We show that both administration forms yield similar mean scores. The results imply that BDI-II can be administered to young adults without cognitive impairment in either form without the risk of substantial bias, but the interview form can still prevent misunderstanding of instructions in some respondents.
Degradation effects in FRNC jackets of optical fiber cables
Authors: Węglarska Agata , Piechocki Krzysztof , Danek Maciej , Kozanecki Marcin
Published: July 2024

In large scale manufacturing, polymeric materials for cable jackets are subjected to high temperature and shear, what can induce degradation processes. In result, changes in structure of polymer materials can occur what is critical for their applications. Permanent market pressure on increase of productivity and product reliability as well as rigorous administrative regulations in telecommunication industry are the driving forces for development and introduction of new advanced Flame Retardant Non-corrosive jacketing materials. Despite many studies, their behavior is still neither well characterized nor understood in large-scale production. The object of studies was characterization of a relationship between processing conditions and effects of degradation of FRNC cable materials. The main goal was to find the processing factors limiting the production speed. Materials taken into consideration were two commercially available thermoplastic FRNC compounds dedicated to fiber optic cables, based on linear low-density polyethylene/ethylene–vinyl acetate composites with high loading of aluminum trihydroxide and magnesium dihydroxide fillers. Thermal degradation of cable materials was studied with use of thermogravimetry and rheometry. The series of jacket samples under different processing conditions were produced. Material processing behavior was characterized, and tensile and heat aging performance of cable jacket were tested. The results showed that the primary limiting factors for line speed increase were the melt pressure and jacket tensile performance, but neither the shrinkage nor extruder motor load. The result and general approach to the FRNC investigation can be successfully used in cable industry or in other industries involving the extrusion of FRNC materials.
Distinguishing imagining from perceiving: reality monitoring and the ‘Perky effect’
Authors: Todd Cain
Published: July 2024

This paper examines the problem of how we distinguish, phenomenologically, sensory imagination from perception. I suggest that philosophical discussions of this issue have been hampered by a surprising failure to carefully distinguish what is involved in our awareness of being in a state of imagining, from our awareness of the imagistic content. Rectifying this allows us, first, to gain a clearer insight into the problem at issue, and it also allows for a new interpretation of the so-called ‘Perky effect’, whereby subjects supposedly confuse imagining for perceiving. Second, it allows us to give a more nuanced account of reality monitoring and of the metacognitive mechanisms underpinning the phenomenal features we rely upon to distinguish state from content.
Identifiability of Level-1 Species Networks from Gene Tree Quartets
Authors: Allman Elizabeth S. , Baños Hector , Garrote-Lopez Marina , Rhodes John A.
Published: July 2024

When hybridization or other forms of lateral gene transfer have occurred, evolutionary relationships of species are better represented by phylogenetic networks than by trees. While inference of such networks remains challenging, several recently proposed methods are based on quartet concordance factors—the probabilities that a tree relating a gene sampled from the species displays the possible 4-taxon relationships. Building on earlier results, we investigate what level-1 network features are identifiable from concordance factors under the network multispecies coalescent model. We obtain results on both topological features of the network, and numerical parameters, uncovering a number of failures of identifiability related to 3-cycles in the network. Addressing these identifiability issues is essential for designing statistically consistent inference methods.
The role of engagement in retaining volunteers
Authors: Lorente Jose M. , Küster Inés , Vila Natalia
Published: July 2024

Under the Theory of Self-Determination, this paper determines the moderating role of volunteers’ engagement in their motivation and retention. A study with 761 volunteers from different types of NGOs and SEM methodology shows that (1) higher levels of psychological need to feel competent are associated with higher intrinsic motivation, and (2) higher volunteer satisfaction leads to higher intention to recommend the NGO to others; more in higher engaged volunteers. This study proposes that NGO managers should allow volunteers to choose the tasks that best meet their needs and even design their volunteer opportunities with motivating and meaningful tasks tailored to their preferences. The paper contributes as follows: (1) although the volunteer’s motivation has been studied, little research has focused on why a person wishes to volunteer and remain a volunteer; (2) the study of engagement applied to the field of volunteering is relative novel; and (3) there is a weakness in the literature related to the measures used to study volunteering motivations and engagement.