bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differences in Follicle Development and Hormone Dynamics Between Controlled Ovarian Stimulation (COS) Using Follitropin Delta and that Using Follitropin Alfa
Authors: Kobanawa Masato , Yoshida Joji
Published: May 2023

Background: We compared the performance of follitropin delta and follitropin alfa in the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol for controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) and discussed the distinctive features of follitropin delta in COS.

Methods: Patients underwent COS using the GnRH antagonist protocol with either recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and oocytes were retrieved. We compared the results of COS, oocyte pick up, fertilization, embryo culture, and clinical pregnancy between the follitropin alfa group and the follitropin delta group.

Results: The serum estrogen level at trigger was significantly lower in the delta than in the alfa group (3,576.69 ± 1,775.60 vs. 2,833.19 ± 1,567.88) as was serum P4 level (2.14 ± 1.26 vs. 1.19 ± 0.85). The stimulation duration (in days) were longer (12.97 ± 2.38 vs. 13.96 ± 2.26) and total gonadotropin dose significantly lower (199.69 ± 54.47 vs. 114.27 ± 39.92), respectively, in the delta group than in the alfa group. The ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) rate was significantly lower in the delta than in the alfa group (48.1% vs. 58.6%). Fertilization, good blastocyst, and clinical pregnancy rates were not significantly different.

COS using follitropin delta is characterized by significantly slower follicle development than COS using follitropin alfa. A comparison of developing follicles showed that the minimum follicle was significantly smaller in the delta group on days 6–8 of COS. The maximum follicle was significantly smaller in the delta group on days 6–8 and 11–13 of COS. The number of follicles larger than 14 mm was significantly lower in the delta group on days 6–8 of COS.

Conclusions: Using follitropin delta is associated with slow follicular development, slow serum E2 elevation, and longer stimulation duration; however, excessive elevation of serum estrogen levels during COS is reduced and so is the incidence of mild OHSS.
Subspace Culling for Ray-Box Intersection
Authors: Yoshimura Atsushi , Harada Takahiro
Published: May 2023

Ray tracing is an essential operation for realistic image synthesis. The acceleration of ray tracing has been studied for a long period of time because algorithms such as light transport simulations require a large amount of ray tracing. One of the major approaches to accelerate the intersections is to use bounding volumes for early pruning for primitives in the volume. The axis-aligned bounding box is a popular bounding volume for ray tracing because of its simplicity and efficiency. However, the conservative bounding volume may produce extra empty space in addition to its content. Especially, primitives that are thin and diagonal to the axis give false-positive hits on the box volume due to the extra space. Although more complex bounding volumes such as oriented bounding boxes may reduce more false-positive hits, they are computationally expensive. In this paper, we propose a novel culling approach to reduce false-positive hits for the bounding box by embedding a binary voxel data structure to the volume. As a ray is represented as a conservative voxel volume as well in our approach, the ray--voxel intersection is cheaply done by bitwise AND operations. Our method is applicable to hierarchical data structures such as bounding volume hierarchy (BVH). It reduces false-positive hits due to the ray--box test and reduces the number of intersections during the traversal of BVH in ray tracing. We evaluate the reduction of intersections with several scenes and show the possibility of performance improvement despite the culling overhead. We also introduce a compression approach with a lookup table for our voxel data. We show that our compressed voxel data achieves significant false-positive reductions with a small amount of memory.
Incorporating Signal Awareness in Source Code Modeling: An Application to Vulnerability Detection
Authors: Suneja Sahil , Zhuang Yufan , Zheng Yunhui , Laredo Jim , Morari Alessandro , Khurana Udayan
Published: May 2023

AI models of code have made significant progress over the past few years. However, many models are actually not learning task-relevant source code features. Instead, they often fit non-relevant but correlated data, leading to a lack of robustness and generalizability, and limiting the subsequent practical use of such models. In this work, we focus on improving the model quality throughsignal awareness, i.e., learning the relevant signals in the input for making predictions. We do so by leveraging the heterogeneity of code samples in terms of their signal-to-noise content. We perform an end-to-end exploration of model signal awareness, comprising: (i) uncovering the reliance of AI models of code on task-irrelevant signals, via prediction-preserving input minimization; (ii) improving models’ signal awareness by incorporating the notion of code complexity during model training, via curriculum learning; (iii) improving models’ signal awareness by generating simplified signal-preserving programs and augmenting them to the training dataset; and (iv) presenting a novel interpretation of the model learning behavior from the perspective of the dataset, using its code complexity distribution. We propose a new metric to measure model signal awareness, Signal-aware Recall, which captures how much of the model’s performance is attributable to task-relevant signal learning. Using a software vulnerability detection use-case, our model probing approach uncovers a significant lack of signal awareness in the models, across three different neural network architectures and three datasets. Signal-aware Recall is observed to be in the sub-50s for models with traditional Recall in the high 90s, suggesting that the models are presumably picking up a lot of noise or dataset nuances while learning their logic. With our code-complexity-aware model learning enhancement techniques, we are able to assist the models toward more task-relevant learning, recording up-to 4.8× improvement in model signal awareness. Finally, we employ our model learning introspection approach to uncover the aspects of source code where the model is facing difficulty, and we analyze how our learning enhancement techniques alleviate it.
NeRFFaceLighting: Implicit and Disentangled Face Lighting Representation Leveraging Generative Prior in Neural Radiance Fields
Authors: Jiang Kaiwen , Chen Shu-Yu , Fu Hongbo , Gao Lin
Published: May 2023

3D-aware portrait lighting control is an emerging and promising domain, thanks to the recent advance of generative adversarial networks and neural radiance fields. Existing solutions typically try to decouple the lighting from the geometry and appearance for disentangled control with an explicit lighting representation (e.g., Lambertian or Phong). However, they either are limited to a constrained lighting condition (e.g., directional light) or demand a tricky-to-fetch dataset as supervision for the intrinsic compositions (e.g., the albedo). We propose
NeRFFaceLighting
to explore an implicit representation for portrait lighting based on the pretrained tri-plane representation to address the above limitations. We approach this disentangled lighting-control problem by distilling the shading from the original fused representation of both appearance and lighting (i.e., one tri-plane) to their disentangled representations (i.e., two tri-planes) with the conditional discriminator to supervise the lighting effects. We further carefully design the regularization to reduce the ambiguity of such decomposition and enhance the ability of generalization to unseen lighting conditions. Moreover, our method can be extended to enable 3D-aware real portrait relighting. Through extensive quantitative and qualitative evaluations, we demonstrate the superior 3D-aware lighting control ability of our model compared to alternative and existing solutions.
Feasibility of Remote Blood Pressure Estimation via Narrow-band Multi-wavelength Pulse Transit Time
Authors: Slapničar Gašper , Wang Wenjin , Luštrek Mitja
Published: May 2023

Contact-free sensing gained much traction in the past decade. While remote monitoring of some parameters (heart rate) is approaching clinical levels of precision, others remain challenging (blood pressure). We investigated the feasibility of estimating blood pressure (BP) via pulse transit time (PTT) in a novel remote single-site manner, using a modified RGB camera. A narrow-band triple band-pass filter allowed us to measure the PTT between different skin layers, harvesting information from green and near-infrared wavelengths. The filter minimizes the inter-channel influence and band overlap, however, some overlap remains within the filter bands. We further resolve this using a color-channel model and a novel channel-separation method. Using the proposed setup and algorithm, we obtained multi-wavelength (MW) PTTs in an experiment inducing BP changes to 9 subjects. The results showed good absolute Pearson’s correlation coefficient between both MW PTT and systolic BP (R = 0.61, p = 0.08) as well as diastolic BP (R = 0.54, p = 0.05), pointing to feasibility of the proposed novel remote MW BP estimation via PTT. This was further confirmed in a leave-one-subject-out experiment, where a simple Random Forest regression model achieved mean absolute errors of 3.59 and 2.63 mmHg for systolic and diastolic BP respectively.
Biases in Large Language Models: Origins, Inventory, and Discussion
Authors: Navigli Roberto , Conia Simone , Ross Björn
Published: May 2023

In this article, we introduce and discuss the pervasive issue of bias in the large language models that are currently at the core of mainstream approaches to Natural Language Processing (NLP). We first introduce data selection bias, that is, the bias caused by the choice of texts that make up a training corpus. Then, we survey the different types of social bias evidenced in the text generated by language models trained on such corpora, ranging from gender to age, from sexual orientation to ethnicity, and from religion to culture. We conclude with directions focused on measuring, reducing, and tackling the aforementioned types of bias.
Test Compression for Launch-on-Capture Transition Fault Testing
Authors: Xiang Dong
Published: May 2023

A new low-power test compression scheme, called
Dcompress
, is proposed for launch-on-capture transition fault testing by using a new seed encoding scheme, a new design for testability architecture, and a new low-power test application procedure. The new seed encoding scheme generates seeds for all tests by selecting a primitive polynomial that encodes all tests of a compact test set. A software-defined linear feedback shift register architecture, called
SLFSR
, is proposed to make the new method conform to the current flow of design and test. Experimental results on benchmark circuits show that test data volume can be compressed up to 6300X with the well-compacted baseline test set for a design with 11.8M gates and more than 1.1M scan flip-flops.
Prognostic Factors and Survival of Chinese Patients with Cardiac Amyloidosis
Authors: Zhang Lu , Li Sulei , Liu Bohan , Wang Jing , Mu Yang , Zhou Xuan , Liu Hongbin
Published: May 2023

Purpose. To identify the survival and prognostic factors for cardiac amyloidosis (CA) in Chinese patients. Methods. This was a prospective cohort study of 72 patients diagnosed with CA and admitted to the PLA General Hospital between November 2017 and April 2021. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, electrocardiographic, conventional ultrasound, endocardial LS during LV systole (LV ENDO LSsys), and myocardial strain data were recorded. Survival was assessed. All-cause mortality was the endpoint. Follow-up was censored on September 30, 2021. Results. The mean follow-up was

17.1
±
12.9

months. Among the 72 patients, 39 died, 23 survived, and 10 were lost to follow-up. Mean survival for all patients was

24.7
±
2.2

months. Mean survival was

32.7
±
2.4

months among patients with NYHA class II,

26.6
±
3.4

months for NYHA class III, and

5.8
±
1.1

months for NYHA class IV. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model showed that NYHA class (

HR
=
3.42

, 95% CI: 1.36–8.65,

P
=
0.002

), log-proBNP level (

HR
=
1.40

, 95% CI: 1.17–5.83,

P
=
0.03

), and ENDO LSsys of the LV basal level (

HR
=
1.25

, 95% CI: 1.05–1.95,

P
=
0.004

) were independent prognostic factors for CA. Conclusion. NYHA class, proBNP level, and ENDO LSsys of the LV basal level were independently associated with the survival of patients with CA.
Supplementary Table 5 from RAD51 Foci as a Biomarker Predictive of Platinum Chemotherapy Response in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Compadre Amanda J. , van Biljon Lillian N. , Valentine Mark C. , Llop-Guevara Alba , Graham Emily , Fashemi Bisiayo , Herencia-Ropero Andrea , Kotnik Emilee N. , Cooper Isaac , Harrington Shariska P. , Kuroki L Lindsay M. , McCourt Carolyn K. , Hagemann Andrea R. , Thaker Premal H. , Mutch David G. , Powell Matthew A. , Sun Lulu , Mosammaparast Nima , Serra Violeta , Zhao Peinan , Lomonosova Elena , Khabele Dineo , Mullen Mary M.
Published: May 2023

Patient characteristics of FFPE validation cohort
Data from Investigation of poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor resistance based on serially collected circulating tumor DNA in patients with BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer
Authors: Kim Yoo-Na , Shim Yeeun , Seo Jieun , Choi Zisun , Lee Yong Jae , Shin Saeam , Kim Sang Wun , Kim Sunghoon , Choi Jong Rak , Lee Jung-Yun , Lee Seung-Tae
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Purpose: Patient-specific molecular alterations leading to poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) resistance are relatively unexplored. In this study, we analyzed serially collected circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from patients with BRCA1/2 mutations who received PARPis to investigate the resistance mechanisms and their significance in post-progression treatment response and survival. Experimental Design: Patients were prospectively enrolled between January 2018 and December 2021 (NCT05458973). Whole-blood samples were obtained before PARPi administration and serially every 3 months until progression. ctDNA was extracted from the samples and sequenced with a 531-gene panel; gene sets for each resistance mechanism were curated. Results: Fifty-four patients were included in this analysis. Mutation profiles of genes in pre-PARPi samples indicating a high tumor mutational burden and alterations in genes associated with replication fork stabilization and drug efflux were associated with poor progression-free survival on PARPis. BRCA hypomorphism and reversion were found in one and three patients, respectively. Among 29 patients with matched samples, mutational heterogeneity increased post-progression on PARPis, showing at least one post-specific mutation in 89.7% of the patients. These mutations indicate non-exclusive acquired resistance mechanisms—homologous recombination repair restoration (28%), replication fork stability (34%), upregulated survival pathway (41%), target loss (10%), and drug efflux (3%). We observed poor progression-free survival with subsequent chemotherapy in patients with homologous recombination repair restoration (P = 0.003) and those with the simultaneous involvement of two or more resistance mechanisms (P = 0.040). Conclusions: Analysis of serial ctDNAs highlighted multiple acquired resistance mechanisms, providing valuable insights for improving post-progression treatment and survival.
Data from Investigation of PARP Inhibitor Resistance Based on Serially Collected Circulating Tumor DNA in Patients With BRCA-Mutated Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Kim Yoo-Na , Shim Yeeun , Seo Jieun , Choi Zisun , Lee Yong Jae , Shin Saeam , Kim Sang Wun , Kim Sunghoon , Choi Jong Rak , Lee Jung-Yun , Lee Seung-Tae
Published: May 2023

AbstractPurpose:
Patient-specific molecular alterations leading to PARP inhibitor (PARPi) resistance are relatively unexplored. In this study, we analyzed serially collected circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from patients with BRCA1/2 mutations who received PARPis to investigate the resistance mechanisms and their significance in postprogression treatment response and survival.
Experimental Design:
Patients were prospectively enrolled between January 2018 and December 2021 (NCT05458973). Whole-blood samples were obtained before PARPi administration and serially every 3 months until progression. ctDNA was extracted from the samples and sequenced with a 531-gene panel; gene sets for each resistance mechanism were curated.
Results:
Fifty-four patients were included in this analysis. Mutation profiles of genes in pre-PARPi samples indicating a high tumor mutational burden and alterations in genes associated with replication fork stabilization and drug efflux were associated with poor progression-free survival on PARPis. BRCA hypomorphism and reversion were found in 1 and 3 patients, respectively. Among 29 patients with matched samples, mutational heterogeneity increased postprogression on PARPis, showing at least one postspecific mutation in 89.7% of the patients. These mutations indicate non-exclusive acquired resistance mechanisms—homologous recombination repair restoration (28%), replication fork stability (34%), upregulated survival pathway (41%), target loss (10%), and drug efflux (3%). We observed poor progression-free survival with subsequent chemotherapy in patients with homologous recombination repair restoration (P = 0.003) and those with the simultaneous involvement of two or more resistance mechanisms (P = 0.040).
Conclusions:
Analysis of serial ctDNAs highlighted multiple acquired resistance mechanisms, providing valuable insights for improving postprogression treatment and survival.
Data from Novel BCL-2 Inhibitor Lisaftoclax in Relapsed or Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Other Hematologic Malignancies: First-in-Human Open-Label Trial
Authors: Ailawadhi Sikander , Chen Zi , Huang Bo , Paulus Aneel , Collins Mary C. , Fu Lei (Tommy) , Li Mingyu , Ahmad Mohammad , Men Lichuang , Wang Hengbang , Davids Matthew S. , Liang Eric , Mekala Divya J. , He Zhicong , Lasica Masa , Yannakou Costas K. , Parrondo Ricardo , Glass Laura , Yang Dajun , Chanan-Khan Asher , Zhai Yifan
Published: May 2023

AbstractPurpose:
This global phase I trial investigated the safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of lisaftoclax (APG-2575), a novel, orally active, potent selective B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) inhibitor, in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (R/R CLL/SLL) and other hematologic malignancies (HMs).
Patients and Methods:
Maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase II dose were evaluated. Outcome measures were safety and tolerability (primary) and pharmacokinetic variables and antitumor effects (secondary). Pharmacodynamics in patient tumor cells were explored.
Results:
Among 52 patients receiving lisaftoclax, MTD was not reached. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) included diarrhea (48.1%), fatigue (34.6%), nausea (30.8%), anemia and thrombocytopenia (28.8% each), neutropenia (26.9%), constipation (25.0%), vomiting (23.1%), headache (21.2%), peripheral edema and hypokalemia (17.3% each), and arthralgia (15.4%). Grade ≥ 3 hematologic TEAEs included neutropenia (21.2%), thrombocytopenia (13.5%), and anemia (9.6%), none resulting in treatment discontinuation. Clinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic results demonstrated that lisaftoclax had a limited plasma residence and systemic exposure and elicited rapid clearance of malignant cells. With a median treatment of 15 (range, 6–43) cycles, 14 of 22 efficacy-evaluable patients with R/R CLL/SLL experienced partial responses, for an objective response rate of 63.6% and median time to response of 2 (range, 2–8) cycles.
Conclusions:
Lisaftoclax was well tolerated, with no evidence of tumor lysis syndrome. Dose-limiting toxicity was not reached at the highest dose level. Lisaftoclax has a unique pharmacokinetic profile compatible with a potentially more convenient daily (vs. weekly) dose ramp-up schedule and induced rapid clinical responses in patients with CLL/SLL, warranting continued clinical investigation.
Supplementary Methods & Figures S1-S5 from Tracing Founder Mutations in Circulating and Tissue-Resident Follicular Lymphoma Precursors
Authors: Schroers-Martin Joseph G. , Soo Joanne , Brisou Gabriel , Scherer Florian , Kurtz David M. , Sworder Brian J. , Khodadoust Michael S. , Jin Michael C. , Bru Agnès , Liu Chih Long , Stehr Henning , Vineis Paolo , Natkunam Yasodha , Teras Lauren R. , Song Joo Y. , Nadel Bertrand , Diehn Maximilian , Roulland Sandrine , Alizadeh Ash A.
Published: May 2023

Supplementary Methods and Figures S1-S5
Supplementary Figures from Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Unifies Developmental Programs of Esophageal and Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia
Authors: Nowicki-Osuch Karol , Zhuang Lizhe , Cheung Tik Shing , Black Emily L. , Masqué-Soler Neus , Devonshire Ginny , Redmond Aisling M. , Freeman Adam , di Pietro Massimilliano , Pilonis Nastazja , Januszewicz Wladyslaw , O'Donovan Maria , Tavaré Simon , Shields Jacqueline D. , Fitzgerald Rebecca C.
Published: May 2023

This file captions for supplementary tables and supplementary figures S1-S28 together with their legends
Supplementary Figure S5 from Nuclear export inhibitor Selinexor enhances oncolytic myxoma virus therapy against cancer
Authors: Rahman Masmudur M. , Oosterom Fleur van , Enow Junior A. , Hossain Maksuda , Gutierrez-Jensen Ami D. , Cashen Mackenzie , Everts Anne , Lowe Kenneth , Kilbourne Jacquelyn , Daggett-Vondras Juliane , Karr Timothy L , McFadden Grant
Published: May 2023

Mass spectrometry of host and viral proteins in the cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments.
TABLE 3 from Prediagnostic CT or MRI Utilization and Outcomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: SEER-Medicare Database Analysis
Authors: Karim Mohammad A. , Singal Amit G. , Kum Hye Chung , Lee Yi-Te , Park Sulki , Rich Nicole E. , Noureddin Mazen , Yang Ju Dong
Published: May 2023

Survival probabilities of patients with HCC by imaging group after adjustment for lead- and length-time bias
Supplementary Table S2 from Prediagnostic CT or MRI Utilization and Outcomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: SEER-Medicare Database Analysis
Authors: Karim Mohammad A. , Singal Amit G. , Kum Hye Chung , Lee Yi-Te , Park Sulki , Rich Nicole E. , Noureddin Mazen , Yang Ju Dong
Published: May 2023

Supplementary Table S2 shows the demographic and clinical factors associated with overall survival for HCC patients after adjusting for lead-time bias.
Protein Biomarkers of New-Onset Heart Failure: Insights From the Heart Omics and Ageing Cohort, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, and the Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Girerd Nicolas , Levy Daniel , Duarte Kevin , Ferreira Joao Pedro , Ballantyne Christie , Collier Timothy , Pizard Anne , Björkman Jens , Butler Javed , Clark Andrew , Cleland John G. , Delles Christian , Diez Javier , González Arantxa , Hazebroek Mark , Ho Jennifer , Huby Anne-Cécile , Hwang Shih-Jen , Latini Roberto , Mariottoni Beatrice , Mebazaa Alexandre , Pellicori Pierpaolo , Sattar Naveed , Sever Peter , Staessen Jan A. , Verdonschot Job , Heymans Stephane , Rossignol Patrick , Zannad Faiez
Published: May 2023

Background:

We sought to identify protein biomarkers of new-onset heart failure (HF) in 3 independent cohorts (HOMAGE cohort [Heart Omics and Ageing], ARIC study [Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities], and FHS [Framingham Heart Study]) and assess if and to what extent they improve HF risk prediction compared to clinical risk factors alone.

Methods:

A nested case-control design was used with cases (incident HF) and controls (without HF) matched on age and sex within each cohort. Plasma concentrations of 276 proteins were measured at baseline in ARIC (250 cases/250 controls), FHS (191/191), and HOMAGE cohort (562/871).

Results:

In single protein analysis, after adjusting for matching variables and clinical risk factors (and correcting for multiple testing), 62 proteins were associated with incident HF in ARIC, 16 in FHS, and 116 in HOMAGE cohort. Proteins associated with incident HF in all cohorts were BNP (brain natriuretic peptide), NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-BP1 (4E-binding protein 1), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), Gal-9 (galectin-9), TGF-alpha (transforming growth factor alpha), THBS2 (thrombospondin-2), and U-PAR (urokinase plasminogen activator surface receptor). The increment in
C
-index for incident HF based on a multiprotein biomarker approach, in addition to clinical risk factors and NT-proBNP, was 11.1% (7.5%–14.7%) in ARIC, 5.9% (2.6%–9.2%) in FHS, and 7.5% (5.4%–9.5%) in HOMAGE cohort, all
P
<0.001), each of which was a larger increase than that for NT-proBNP on top of clinical risk factors. Complex network analysis revealed a number of overrepresented pathways related to inflammation (eg, tumor necrosis factor and interleukin) and remodeling (eg, extracellular matrix and apoptosis).

Conclusions:

A multiprotein biomarker approach improves prediction of incident HF when added to natriuretic peptides and clinical risk factors.
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Reduced Ejection Fraction and Nonsevere Aortic Stenosis
Authors: Ludwig Sebastian , Schofer Niklas , Abdel-Wahab Mohamed , Urena Marina , Jean Guillaume , Renker Matthias , Hamm Christian W. , Thiele Holger , Iung Bernard , Ooms Joris F. , Wiessman Maya , Mogensen Nils S.B. , Longère Benjamin , Perrin Nils , Ben Ali Walid , Coisne Augustin , Dahl Jordi S. , Van Mieghem Nicolas M. , Kornowski Ran , Kim Won-Keun , Clavel Marie-Annick
Published: May 2023

Background:

The potential benefit of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with nonsevere aortic stenosis (AS) and heart failure is controversial. This study aimed to assess outcomes of patients with nonsevere low-gradient AS (LGAS) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction undergoing TAVR or medical management.

Methods:

Patients undergoing TAVR for LGAS and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (<50%) were included in a multinational registry. True-severe low-gradient AS (TS-LGAS) and pseudo-severe low-gradient AS (PS-LGAS) were classified according to computed tomography-derived aortic valve calcification thresholds. A medical control group with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and moderate AS or PS-LGAS was used (Medical-Mod). Adjusted outcomes between all groups were compared. Among patients with nonsevere AS (moderate or PS-LGAS), outcomes after TAVR and medical therapy were compared using propensity score-matching.

Results:

A total of 706 LGAS patients undergoing TAVR (TS-LGAS, N=527; PS-LGAS, N=179) and 470 Medical-Mod patients were included. After adjustment, both TAVR groups showed superior survival compared with Medical-Mod patients (all
P
<0.001), while no difference was found between TS-LGAS and PS-LGAS TAVR patients (
P
=0.96). After propensity score-matching among patients with nonsevere AS, PS-LGAS TAVR patients showed superior 2-year overall (65.4%) and cardiovascular survival (80.4%) compared with Medical-Mod patients (48.8% and 58.5%, both
P
≤0.004). In a multivariable analysis including all patients with nonsevere AS, TAVR was an independent predictor of survival (hazard ratio, 0.39 [95% CI, 0.27–0.55];
P
<0.0001).

Conclusions:

Among patients with nonsevere AS and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, TAVR represents a major predictor of superior survival. These results reinforce the need for randomized-controlled trials comparing TAVR versus medical management in heart failure patients with nonsevere AS.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT04914481.
Three new species of Herpothallon (Lichenized Ascomycota) from Southern China
Authors: LIU LINLIN , ZUO QIJIA , XUE JUNXIA , REN ZHAOJIE , ZHANG LULU
Published: May 2023

This paper describes three species of Herpothallon new to science from southern China: H. glaucescens, H. lilacinum and H. tomentosum. The three species all possess a non-pigmented thallus, hypothallus and prothallus. Herpothallon glaucescens has a white, whitish grey to greyish green thallus and swollen, subglobose to ± vermiform pseudisidia, rounded at the top. Herpothallon lilacinum has subglobose or irregularly cushion-shaped, fluffy-felty pseudisidia, white at the base, lilac to lilac grey at their tips. Herpothallon tomentosum has globular pseudisidia, felty with many projecting hyphae, sometimes containing a central pycnidium. Detailed descriptions for all three new species are provided with an updated key to the genus Herpothallon in China. Additionally, a phylogenetic tree based on Bayesian and ML analyses of mtSSU data shows the position of the new species in Herpothallon.
Two new species of the genus Ocellarnaca Gorochov, 2004 (Orthoptera: Gryllacrididae) from China
Authors: DUAN YUE-TING , CHEN PO-WEI , SHI FU-MING
Published: May 2023

The paper reports two new species of the genus Ocellarnaca Gorochov, 2004 (Orthoptera: Gryllacrididae) from China, i.e. Ocellarnaca longiprotubera sp. nov. and Ocellarnaca grossa sp. nov. The type specimens are deposited in the Museum of Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China.
Three new species of the genus Nigrimacula Shi, Bian & Zhou, 2016 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae) from Yunnan, China
Authors: DUAN YANHAO , SU JIE , SHI FUMING , CHANG YANLIN
Published: May 2023

This paper reports three new species of the genus Nigrimacula Shi, Bian & Zhou, 2016 from Yunnan, China, i.e. Nigrimacula biprotubera sp. nov., Nigrimacula trigona sp. nov. and Nigrimacula wuliangshanensis sp. nov. In addition, we supplement the male description of Nigrimacula inlobata Cui, Liu & Shi, 2021.
Gyrosus deltodontus, a new genus and species of Ianeirina (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Selenocephalini) from South Africa
Authors: XU DELIANG , ZHANG YALIN
Published: May 2023

A new genus of Ianeirina (Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Selenocephalini), Gyrosus gen. nov. including the new species Gyrosus deltodontus sp. nov. as the type species, is described and illustrated from South Africa. Habitus photographs of adult leafhoppers and the genitalia of this new species are provided. Type specimens of this new species are deposited in the Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town, South Africa (ISAM).
Education Fever and Adolescent Deviance in China
Authors: Huang Wan , Chen Xiaojin , Wu Yuning
Published: May 2023

Is education fever in China, embodied in parents’ high expectations of and heavy investments in children’s education, a source of strain for the offspring? Using a nationally representative sample of children from 6th to 12th grade, we examine the effects of education fever on adolescent deviance in China, controlling for a range of individual and family characteristics. The regression results revealed that parental investment increased adolescents’ deviant behavior even when children’s academic performance and family socioeconomic status were controlled, whereas parental expectation did not affect adolescents’ deviant behavior. These findings demonstrated that education fever, particularly in the form of heavy parental investment, constitutes a salient source of strain for Chinese adolescents and its deviance-promoting influence should not be ignored.
School Lunch Advisory Councils’ use of behavioural economics influences vegetable selection and waste
Authors: Byker Shanks Carmen , Stenberg Molly , Bark Katie , Izumi Betty , Hoff Casey , Parks Courtney A
Published: May 2023

Introduction:

Fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is low among adolescents, and waste of these foods is high in school cafeterias. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of behavioural economic strategies and structural lunchroom changes on FV selection and waste in high-school lunch programmes using the collaborative efforts of teachers, food service directors and students.

Methods:

A pre-post quasi-experimental design was used to collect plate waste data for 3 days in the autumn and 3 days in the spring semesters. Five high-school cafeterias from three rural and two urban counties in Montana participated. School Lunch Advisory Councils selected and implemented behavioural economic strategies that focused on increasing selection and decreasing waste of FVs served on the main service line and salad bar. Plate waste data were collected using direct weighing and the quarter-waste method. Preintervention to postintervention plate waste amounts were compared using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test.

Results:

Vegetable selection at the salad bar significantly increased ( p < .05). Vegetable waste significantly decreased at the main service line ( p < .05). Fruit selection and waste did not significantly change.

Conclusion:

Changes in the lunchroom environment through behavioural economic strategies provide one avenue to increase selection and decrease waste of vegetables, ultimately influencing overall dietary quality among high-school students and creating more sustainable food systems.
Content Strategy and Intercultural Communication: Analysis of International Websites of Chinese Universities
Authors: Tang Yingying , Ding Huiling
Published: May 2023

This study examines the content strategies of 12 Chinese universities’ international websites. Going beyond the Hofstede–Hall model, we explore a novel mixed-method study using both content strategy analysis and user research to investigate intercultural web-based communication strategies. Our study identifies the impacts of Chinese cultural and socio-political values on web content and the mismatch between such values and the information needs of globally distributed prospective students. We conclude that universities’ web content strategies should fully understand target audiences’ needs. Designers benefit from doing stakeholder interviews and competitor analysis to provide relevant, accurate, and accessible information to users from different cultures.
Rap and Brazilian Popular Music as Movements of Social Protest in Brazil
Authors: Oliveira Hellen
Published: May 2023

A social and historical reconstruction based on music observes the contemporary arrangement of Brazilian rap, its role in current social movements, and how its productions inform social and political relations in Brazil.

Uma reconstrução social e histórica a partir da música observa-se o arranjo contemporâneo do rap brasileiro, sua implicação nos movimentos sociais atuais, e como suas produções informam sobre as relações sociais e políticas no Brasil.
A novel neural emulator identification of nonlinear dynamical systems using Lyapunov stability theory
Authors: Hamza Rabab , Zribi Ali , Farhat Yassin
Published: May 2023

This paper deals with a new weight-updating algorithm using Lyapunov stability theory (LST) for the training of a neural emulator (NE), of nonlinear systems, connected by an autonomous algorithm inspired from the real-time recurrent learning (RTRL). The proposed method is formulated by an inequality-constraint optimization problem where the Lagrange multiplier theory is used as the optimization tool. The contribution of this paper is the integration of the LST into the Lagrange constraint function to synthesize a new analytical adaptation gain rate satisfying the asymptotic stability of the NE and providing good emulation performances. To confirm the good performances and the convergence ability of the proposed adaptation algorithm, a numerical example and an experimental validation on a chemical reactor are proposed.
“I want to know more about the world”: A case study of international-mindedness as a means of professional development for music teachers in China
Authors: Zhang Le
Published: May 2023

The purpose of this study was to understand music teachers’ experiences with an online professional development course focused on international-mindedness (IM). This course introduced the concept of IM by exposing xiaowai (out-of-school) music teachers in China to international music teaching methods. The results, which were based on interviews with the participants, journal entries, and teaching reflections, revealed the advantages and the difficulties these teachers identified when attempting to switch from their traditional teaching methods to a more international style. This research suggests that IM may be essential if xiaowai music teachers are to change their traditional way of teaching. The participants also experienced two types of limitations: some they saw and acknowledged themselves and others that they did not consciously perceive. The findings also suggest that it would be beneficial to explore a more “Chinese” way to implement IM.
The neurovascular unit in healthy and injured spinal cord
Authors: Zhou Rubing , Li Junzhao , Wang Ruideng , Chen Zhengyang , Zhou Fang
Published: May 2023

The neurovascular unit (NVU) reflects the close temporal and spatial link between neurons and blood vessels. However, the understanding of the NVU in the spinal cord is far from clear and largely based on generalized knowledge obtained from the brain. Herein, we review the present knowledge of the NVU and highlight candidate approaches to investigate the NVU, particularly focusing on the spinal cord. Several unique features maintain the highly regulated microenvironment in the NVU. Autoregulation and neurovascular coupling ensure regional blood flow meets the metabolic demand according to the blood supply or local neural activation. The blood–central nervous system barrier partitions the circulating blood from neural parenchyma and facilitates the selective exchange of substances. Furthermore, we discuss spinal cord injury (SCI) as a common injury from the perspective of NVU dysfunction. Hopefully, this review will help expand the understanding of the NVU in the spinal cord and inspire new insights into SCI.
Parental Emotion Socialization, Emotion Regulation and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescence: The Role of Family Cohesion
Authors: Hu Jennifer , Zhou Ting , Huang Zheng
Published: May 2023

This study explored the effect of parental emotion socialization behavior (ESB) on depressive symptoms with a focus on the mediating effect of emotion regulation and the moderating role of family cohesion. A total of 236 Chinese adolescents were surveyed and reported on parental ESB, family cohesion, emotion dysregulation, and depressive symptoms. The results indicated that parental ESB toward negative emotions was associated with adolescents’ depressive symptoms, as mediated by emotion dysregulation. Moreover, higher levels of family cohesion both enhanced the negative relationships between supportive ESB toward anger/sadness and emotion dysregulation and strengthened the positive relationship between non-supportive parental ESB toward sadness and emotion dysregulation. These findings clarify the interactive effects of multiple components of emotional parenting, reveal the double-edged effects of family cohesion in the association between parental ESB and depressive symptoms in adolescents, and highlight the importance of evaluating the family emotional context in research and clinical interventions.
Canine noninflammatory alopecia: An approach to its classification and a diagnostic aid
Authors: Welle Monika M.
Published: May 2023

Noninflammatory alopecia is common in dogs and is a frequent cause to consult a veterinarian. It is also a common reason to take biopsies. Noninflammatory alopecia can be attributed to a decreased formation or cytodifferentiation of the hair follicle or the hair shaft in utero, resulting in congenital alopecia. Congenital alopecia often has a hereditary cause, and examples of such disorders are ectodermal dysplasias associated with gene variants of the ectodysplasin A gene. Noninflammatory alopecia may also be caused by impaired postnatal regeneration of hair follicles or shafts. Such disorders may have a clear breed predilection, and alopecia starts early in life. A hereditary background is suspected in those cases but has not been proven. They are referred to as follicular dysplasia although some of these disorders present histologically like a hair cycle disturbance. Late-onset alopecia is usually acquired and may be associated with endocrinopathies. Other possible causes are impaired vascular perfusion or stress. As the hair follicle has limited possible responses to altered regulation, and histopathology may change during the course of a disease, a detailed clinical history, thorough clinical examination including blood work, appropriate biopsy site selection, and detailed histological findings need to be combined to achieve a final diagnosis. This review aims to provide an overview about the known noninflammatory alopecic disorders in dogs. As the pathogenesis of most disorders is unknown, some statements are based on comparative aspects or reflect the authors’ opinion.
Locus of Control Among Arab and Jewish Israeli Parolees
Authors: Peled-Laskov Ronit , Shoham Efrat , Cojocaru Lutzy
Published: May 2023

This research examines how participation in the Israeli Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority supervised therapy program for paroled prisoners can reinforce Jewish and Arab prisoners’ locus of control given their cultural diversity. Research participants included 108 paroled prisoners who had taken part in the program during 2019 to 2020. The program appears to have made a positive contribution to participants’ locus of control, particularly among Jewish parolees. For Arab parolees, the program’s strongest contribution was alleviating their apprehensions about returning to prison. Possible Theoretical explanations are offered for this finding, by referring to the concept of “culture-sensitive care” and the potential contribution of a change in perspective regarding the process of ending delinquency.
‘The Impetus for Change’: Legislating for Equal Pay and Employment Equality in the Republic of Ireland in the 1970s
Authors: Jobling Suzanne
Published: May 2023

The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 is the most recent legislative effort in the Republic of Ireland to address the enduring gender pay gap. However, why is the gender pay gap an enduring aspect of Irish working life? Since independence, economic factors combined with religious influences saw male employment prioritised and by the early 1970s Irish women's workplace representation and average pay compared to male workers was low. This article explores the provisions of, and circumstances surrounding the introduction of two of the first acts addressing employment equality - the Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Act 1974 and the Employment Equality Act 1977 and considers two contrasting equal pay cases and their impact. Five decades later, what insights does the legislation's introduction provide?
Airpower and territorial control: Unpacking the NATO intervention in Libya
Authors: Petersson Emil
Published: May 2023

How does how intervener airpower affect civil war parties’ ability to take and hold territory? I argue that airpower can have both short- and long-term effects on an actor's ability to take and hold territory, by reducing its ability to effectively fight its adversary. Using novel, disaggregated data, I conduct a quantitative within-case study of 2011 NATO-led intervention in Libya. I find that the NATO air campaign made the Libyan government less likely to capture territory in the short term, and that airstrikes reduced its ability to capture territory in the long term.
How COVID-19 has affected college newspapers: A mixed-methods study
Authors: Sparks Jessica , LoMonte Frank , Rubin April
Published: May 2023

This study explores how the COVID-19 pandemic—with its college closures, business shutdowns, and student enrollment declines—impacted the independence of college media during the pandemic, and how those impacts will continue after the pandemic is over. Using a mixed-methods approach based on the Hierarchical Influences Model framework (Shoemaker & Reese, 2013), this study integrates the results of a survey of 126 student media news outlets with interviews from 15 well-known news organizations from universities with established independent practices, to establish a relationship between revenue sources and student participation with independence measures. Results confirmed a stronger push toward digital products and the use of a wider variety of revenue-generating techniques during the pandemic.
Abdominal Emergencies in Cancer Patients
Authors: Scaglione Mariano , Masala Salvatore , Tamburrini Stefania , Lassandro Giulia , Barbuto Luigi , Romano Luigia , Iacobellis Francesca , Sica Giacomo , Crivelli Paola , Turilli Davide , Sandomenico Fabio , Granata Vincenza , Patlas Michael N
Published: May 2023

Abdominal emergencies in cancer patients encompass a wide spectrum of oncologic conditions caused directly by malignancies, paraneoplastic syndromes, reactions to the chemotherapy or often represent the first clinical manifestation of an unknown malignancy. Not rarely, clinical symptoms are the tip of an iceberg. In this scenario, the radiologist is asked to exclude the cause responsible for the patient’s symptoms, to suggest the best way to manage and to rule out the underlying malignancy. In this article, we discuss some of the most common abdominal oncological emergencies that may be encountered in an emergency department.
Digital Financial Services and Open Banking Innovation: Are Banks Becoming ‘invisible’?
Authors: Stefanelli Valeria , Manta Francesco
Published: May 2023

Digitalization in many economic sectors drove the financial system to adapt to new paradigms of technological transformation. Moreover, the extant regulatory framework forced the financial system to reconsider its business models and its relationship with the market. Such reasons generated also in the banking sector a new model of competition within the ecosystem never seen before in this sector. The new ecosystem of banks and financial institutions lacks a common framework that not only synthesizes the development lines of open innovation in the banking sector but also regarding the planification of strategic choices and organization within the new ecosystems. The present study aims to inquire into the strategic positioning of European banks toward their digital transformation strategies, by analysing the decision-making processes that occurred between 2015 and 2022. A qualitative analysis of partnerships and the adoption of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) development in support of new service models was carried out. Results have relevant policy implications for regulators, linked to the business evolution and the risks of outsourcing, and managerial implications for the followers, specifically on the plan of service integration to diversify and boost their activities in the segment of customer relationship management and care, providing a better user experience.
Gender Role Conflict, Gay Identity, Relationship Love Types and Relationship Satisfaction in Greek Gay Men: A Path Model
Authors: Daoultzis Konstantinos Christos , Kordoutis Panos
Published: May 2023

We examined the relations between Gender Role Conflict (GRC) patterns, Gay Identity, Relationship Satisfaction (RS) and three of Sternberg’s Relationship Love Types (Fatuous Love, Infatuation, Companionate Love). Self-identified gay men ( n = 232) completed an online survey. A path model showed that Companionate Love Type mediated effects upon RS. Specifically, (a) the negative effects of GRC patterns, Restricted Emotionality, Restricted Affectionate Behaviour Between Men and Success, Power, and Competition, (b) the negative effect of the Gay Identity dimension, Internalized Homonegativity and (c) the negative effect of Infatuation and the positive effect of Fatuous love. Conclusively, GRC and Gay Identity seem to negatively affect the emotional exchange and communication between partners and their overall subjective evaluation of the relationship. Acceptance and empowerment by the significant other or negotiating one’s role in the relationship may be a better “territory” of confronting and managing Gay Identity and GRC issues in ameliorating one’s relationship.