bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Approach for Identifying Dynamic Parameters in Robotic Systems With Inconsistent Joint Measurements
Authors: Zhu Weiliang , Zhang Guoteng , Rong Xuewen , Li Yibin
Published: July 2024

Achieving accurate robot control and realistic robot simulation relies on the precise modeling of robotic dynamics. Although the identification method for obtaining dynamic parameters has been developed for several years, joint inconsistency has largely been disregarded in prior studies. The inconsistency of joint actuators results in varying confidence levels of their measurement results, leading to the departure of the final identification parameters from valid values, thereby impacting the control performance. This paper presents a novel identification method that effectively addresses the issue of joint inconsistency by assigning distinct weights to each joint. The presented approach extends the least square (LS) method and incorporates the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to calculate the weights of each individual joint. This approach is referred to as PSO-based weighted least square (PWLS). Simulation experiments demonstrated the superior identification accuracy of the PWLS method compared to the LS method in a robot system characterized by joint inconsistency. Moreover, the experiments were performed on a three degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) robotic limb, which exhibited improved identification performance in both the excitation and verification trajectories. These findings have promising implications for enhancing the control and simulation of robotic systems.
Use of digital patient decision-support tools for atrial fibrillation treatments: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zeng Aileen , Tang Queenie , O’Hagan Edel , McCaffery Kirsten , Ijaz Kiran , Quiroz Juan C , Kocaballi Ahmet Baki , Rezazadegan Dana , Trivedi Ritu , Siette Joyce , Shaw Timothy , Makeham Meredith , Thiagalingam Aravinda , Chow Clara K , Laranjo Liliana
Published: July 2024

Objectives

To assess the effects of digital patient decision-support tools for atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment decisions in adults with AF.

Study design

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Eligibility criteria

Eligible randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluated digital patient decision-support tools for AF treatment decisions in adults with AF.

Information sources

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Scopus from 2005 to 2023.

Risk-of-bias (RoB) assessment: We assessed RoB using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2 for RCTs and cluster RCT and the ROBINS-I tool for quasi-experimental studies.

Synthesis of results

We used random effects meta-analysis to synthesise decisional conflict and patient knowledge outcomes reported in RCTs. We performed narrative synthesis for all outcomes. The main outcomes of interest were decisional conflict and patient knowledge.

Results

13 articles, reporting on 11 studies (4 RCTs, 1 cluster RCT and 6 quasi-experimental) met the inclusion criteria. There were 2714 participants across all studies (2372 in RCTs), of which 26% were women and the mean age was 71 years. Socioeconomically disadvantaged groups were poorly represented in the included studies. Seven studies (n=2508) focused on non-valvular AF and the mean CHAD2DS2-VASc across studies was 3.2 and for HAS-BLED 1.9. All tools focused on decisions regarding thromboembolic stroke prevention and most enabled calculation of individualised stroke risk. Tools were heterogeneous in features and functions; four tools were patient decision aids. The readability of content was reported in one study. Meta-analyses showed a reduction in decisional conflict (4 RCTs (n=2167); standardised mean difference −0.19; 95% CI −0.30 to –0.08; p=0.001; I2=26.5%; moderate certainty evidence) corresponding to a decrease in 12.4 units on a scale of 0 to 100 (95% CI −19.5 to –5.2) and improvement in patient knowledge (2 RCTs (n=1057); risk difference 0.72, 95% CI 0.68, 0.76, p<0.001; I2=0%; low certainty evidence) favouring digital patient decision-support tools compared with usual care. Four of the 11 tools were publicly available and 3 had been implemented in healthcare delivery.

Conclusions

In the context of stroke prevention in AF, digital patient decision-support tools likely reduce decisional conflict and may result in little to no change in patient knowledge, compared with usual care. Future studies should leverage digital capabilities for increased personalisation and interactivity of the tools, with better consideration of health literacy and equity aspects. Additional robust trials and implementation studies are warranted.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020218025
Infant formula supplemented with milk fat globule membrane compared with standard infant formula for the cognitive development of healthy term-born formula-fed infants: protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Gould Jacqueline F , Gibson Robert A , Yelland Lisa N , Colombo John , McPhee Andrew J , Gallier Sophie , Roberts Rachel M , Shaddy D. Jill , Bednarz Jana , Makrides Maria
Published: July 2024

Introduction

Milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is a complex lipid–protein structure in mammalian milk and human milk that is largely absent from breastmilk substitutes. The objective of this trial is to investigate whether providing infant formula enriched with MFGM versus standard infant formula improves cognitive development at 12 months of age in exclusively formula-fed full-term infants.

Methods and analysis

This is a randomised, controlled, clinician-blinded, researcher-blinded and participant-blinded trial of two parallel formula-fed groups and a breastfed reference group that were recruited in the suburban Adelaide (Australia) community by a single study centre (a medical research institute). Healthy, exclusively formula-fed, singleton, term-born infants under 8 weeks of age were randomised to either an MFGM-supplemented formula (intervention) or standard infant formula (control) from enrolment until 12 months of age. The reference group was not provided with formula. The primary outcome is the Cognitive Scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Fourth Edition (Bayley-IV) at 12 months. Secondary outcomes are the Bayley-IV Cognitive Scale at 24 months, other Bayley-IV domains (language, motor, emotional and behavioural development) at 12 and 24 months of age, infant attention at 4 and 9 months of age, parent-rated language at 12 and 24 months of age, parent-rated development at 6 and 18 months of age as well as growth, tolerance and safety of the study formula. To ensure at least 80% power to detect a 5-point difference in the mean Bayley-IV cognitive score, >200 infants were recruited in each group.

Ethics and dissemination

The Women’s and Children Health Network Human Research Ethics Committee reviewed and approved the study (HREC/19/WCHN/140). Caregivers gave written informed consent prior to enrolling in the trial. Findings of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12620000552987; Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry: anzctr.org.au.
Assessing the quality of emergency department data for injury surveillance in Victoria, Australia: a comparative analysis of two Victorian hospital data sources
Authors: Rezaei-Darzi Ehsan , Berecki-Gisolf Janneke
Published: July 2024

Objective

The emergency department (ED) is pivotal in treating serious injuries, making it a valuable source for population-based injury surveillance. In Victoria, information that is relevant to injury surveillance is collected in the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (VEMD). This study aims to assess the data quality of the VEMD as an injury data source by comparing it with the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset (VAED).

Design

A retrospective observational study of administrative healthcare data.

Setting and participants

VEMD and VAED data from July 2014 to June 2019 were compared. Including only hospitals contributing to both datasets, cases that (1) arrived at the ED and (2) were subsequently admitted, were selected.

Results

While the overall number of cases was similar, VAED outnumbered VEMD cases (414 630 vs 404 608), suggesting potential under-reporting of injuries in the ED. Age-related differences indicated a relative under-representation of older individuals in the VEMD. Injuries caused by falls or transport, and intentional injuries were relatively under-reported in the VEMD.

Conclusions

Injury cases were more numerous in the VAED than in the VEMD even though the number is expected to be equal based on case selection. Older patients were under-represented in the VEMD; this could partly be attributed to patients being admitted for an injury after they presented to the ED with a non-injury ailment. The patterns of under-representation described in this study should be taken into account in ED-based injury incidence reporting.
Comprehensive Observational and Longitudinal study on the Outbreak of Stroke-related Spasticity focusing on the Early Onset management with Botulinum NeuroToxin (COLOSSEO-BoNT): protocol for a real-world prospective observational study on upper limb spasticity
Authors: Marano Massimo , Suppa Antonio , Palmieri Maria Giuseppina , Cecconi Emanuela , Frisullo Giovanni , Bovenzi Roberta , Riso Vittorio , Anzini Alexia , Brienza Marianna , Anticoli Sabrina , Crupi Domenica , Giovannelli Morena , Massimiani Andrea , Rinalduzzi Steno , Morena Emanuele , Massara Maria Carlotta , Cupini Letizia , Bressi Federica , Pilato Fabio , Maggi Loredana , Sauchelli Donato , Iezzi Ennio , Centonze Diego , Aprile Irene , Di Lazzaro Vincenzo , Toni Danilo , Altavista Maria Concetta
Published: July 2024

Introduction

Poststroke spasticity (PSS) affects up to 40% of patients who had a stroke. Botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT-A) has been shown to improve spasticity, but the optimal timing of its application remains unclear. While several predictors of upper limb PSS are known, their utility in clinical practice in relation to BoNT-A treatment has yet to be fully elucidated. The COLOSSEO-BoNT study aims to investigate predictors of PSS and the effects of BoNT-A timing on spasticity-related metrics in a real-world setting.

Methods and analysis

The recruitment will involve approximately 960 patients who have recently experienced an ischaemic stroke (within 10 days, V0) and will follow them up for 24 months. Parameters will be gathered at specific intervals: (V1) 4, (V2) 8, (V3) 12, (V4) 18 months and (V5) 24 months following enrolment. Patients will be monitored throughout their rehabilitation and outpatient clinic journeys and will be compared based on their BoNT-A treatment status—distinguishing between patients receiving treatment at different timings and those who undergo rehabilitation without treatment. Potential predictors will encompass the Fugl-Meyer assessment, the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), stroke radiological characteristics, performance status, therapies and access to patient care pathways. Outcomes will evaluate muscle stiffness using the modified Ashworth scale and passive range of motion, along with measures of quality of life, pain, and functionality.

Ethics and dissemination

This study underwent review and approval by the Ethics Committee of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy. Regardless of the outcome, the findings will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and international conferences.

Trial registration number

NCT05379413.
Graded Exposure Therapy for Fear Avoidance Behaviour After Concussion (GET FAB): protocol for a multisite Canadian randomised controlled trial
Authors: Mikolic Ana , Klotz Tasha , Brasher Penelope , Yeates Keith , Vranceanu Ana-Maria , Kendall Karen D , Snell Deborah L , Debert Chantel T , Bayley Mark , Panenka William , Cairncross Molly , Hunt Cindy , Burke Matthew , Tartaglia Maria Carmela , Silverberg Noah
Published: July 2024

Introduction

Persistent symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) negatively affect daily functioning and quality of life. Fear avoidance behaviour, a coping style in which people avoid or escape from activities or situations that they expect will exacerbate their symptoms, maybe a particularly potent and modifiable risk factor for chronic disability after mTBI. This study will evaluate the efficacy of graded exposure therapy (GET) for reducing persistent symptoms following mTBI, with two primary aims: (1) To determine whether GET is more effective than usual care; (2) to identify for whom GET is the most effective treatment option, by evaluating whether baseline fear avoidance moderates differences between GET and an active comparator (prescribed aerobic exercise). Our findings will guide evidence-based care after mTBI and enable better matching of mTBI patients to treatments.

Methods and analysis

We will conduct a multisite randomised controlled trial with three arms. Participants (n=220) will be recruited from concussion clinics and emergency departments in three Canadian provinces and randomly assigned (1:2:2 ratio) to receive enhanced usual care, GET or prescribed aerobic exercise. The outcome assessment will occur remotely 14–18 weeks following baseline assessment, after completing the 12-week treatment phase. The primary outcome will be symptom severity (Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Questionnaire).

Ethics and dissemination

Informed consent will be obtained from all participants. All study procedures were approved by the local research ethics boards (University of British Columbia Clinical Research Ethics Board, University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board, University Health Network Research Ethics Board—Panel D). Operational approvals were obtained for Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and Provincial Health Services Authority. If GET proves effective, we will disseminate the GET treatment manual and present instructional workshops for clinicians.

Trial registration number

ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT05365776
Demographic characteristics, gambling engagement, mental health, and associations with harmful gambling risk among UK Armed Forces serving personnel
Authors: Jones Matthew , Champion H , Dighton G , Larcombe J , Fossey M , Dymond S
Published: July 2024

Introduction

Harmful gambling negatively impacts individuals, families and communities. Growing international evidence indicates that the Armed Forces (AF) community may be at a comparatively higher risk of experiencing harm from gambling than the general population. The current study sought to identify general predictors of harmful gambling and gambling engagement among UK AF serving personnel (AFSP).

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional, exploratory survey to identify associations between demographic factors, mental health, gambling engagement and gambling type in a sample (N=608) of AFSP.

Results

Most of the sample reported past-year gambling, with 23% having experienced harm. Male gender, younger age and lower educational attainment all predicted harmful gambling, as did mental health variables of prior generalised anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptomatology. Strategy-based gambling and online sports betting were also predictive of experiencing harm from gambling.

Conclusions

The risk of harm from gambling is associated with demographic, mental health and gambling engagement variables among AFSP. Better understanding of these predictors is important for the development of individualised treatment approaches for harmful gambling.
HeMiRCA: Fine-Grained Root Cause Analysis for Microservices with Heterogeneous Data Sources
Authors: Zhu Zhouruixing , Lee Cheryl , Tang Xiaoying , He Pinjia
Published: July 2024

Microservices architecture improves software scalability, resilience, and agility but also poses significant challenges to system reliability due to their complexity and dynamic nature. Identifying and resolving anomalies promptly is crucial because they can quickly propagate to other microservices and cause severe damage to the system. Existing root-cause metric localization approaches rely on metrics or metrics-anomalies correlations but overlook other monitoring data sources (e.g., traces). We are the first to identify and leverage the anomaly-aware monotonic correlation between heterogeneous monitoring data, motivated by which we propose a novel framework,
Heterogeneous data sources in Microservice systems for Root Cause Analysis (HeMiRCA)
, for hierarchical root cause analysis using Spearman correlation. HeMiRCA is based on the key observation that the microservice responsible for a particular type of fault exhibits a monotonic correlation between the trends of its associated metrics and the trace-based anomaly score of the system. HeMiRCA first calculates time-series anomaly scores using traces and then exploits the correlations between multivariate metrics and the scores to rank the suspicious metrics and microservices. HeMiRCA has been evaluated on two datasets collected from widely used microservice systems. The results show that HeMiRCA outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches by a large margin in identifying root causes at both service level and metric level, achieving a top-1 hit ratio of 82.7% and 74% on average, respectively.
Automated Commit Intelligence by Pre-training
Authors: Liu Shangqing , Li Yanzhou , Xie Xiaofei , Ma Wei , Meng Guozhu , Liu Yang
Published: July 2024

GitHub commits, which record the code changes with natural language messages for description, play a critical role in software developers’ comprehension of software evolution. Due to their importance in software development, several learning-based works are conducted for GitHub commits, such as commit message generation and security patch identification. However, most existing works focus on customizing specialized neural networks for different tasks. Inspired by the superiority of code pre-trained models, which has confirmed their effectiveness across different downstream tasks, to promote the development of open-source software community, we first collect a large-scale commit benchmark including over
7.99
million commits across
7
programming languages. Based on this benchmark, we present CommitBART, a pre-trained encoder-decoder Transformer model for GitHub commits. The model is pre-trained by three categories (i.e., denoising objectives, cross-modal generation, and contrastive learning) for six pre-training tasks to learn commit fragment representations. Our model is evaluated on one understanding task and three generation tasks for commits. The comprehensive experiments on these tasks demonstrate that CommitBART significantly outperforms previous pre-trained works for code. Further analysis also reveals that each pre-training task enhances the model performance.
Multi-Modal LiDAR Point Cloud Semantic Segmentation with Salience Refinement and Boundary Perception
Authors: Zhou Yong , Xie Zeming , Zhao Jiaqi , Du Wenliang , Yao Rui , El Saddik Abdulmotaleb
Published: July 2024

Point cloud segmentation is essential for scene understanding, which provides advanced information for many applications, such as autonomous driving, robots, and virtual reality. To improve the accuracy and robustness of point cloud segmentation, many researchers have attempted to fuze camera images to complement the color and texture information. The common fusion strategy is the combination of convolutional operations with concatenation, element-wise addition or element-wise multiplication. However, conventional convolutional operators tend to confine the fusion of modal features within their receptive fields, which can be incomplete and limited. In addition, the inability of encoder–decoder segmentation networks to explicitly perceive segmentation boundary information results in semantic ambiguity and classification errors at object edges. These errors are further amplified in point cloud segmentation tasks, significantly affecting the accuracy of point cloud segmentation. To address the above issues, we propose a novel self-attention multi-modal fusion semantic segmentation network for point cloud semantic segmentation. Firstly, to effectively fuze different modal features, we propose a self-cross fusion module (SCF), which models long-range modality dependencies and transfers complementary image information to the point cloud to fully leverage the modality-specific advantages. Secondly, we design the salience refinement module (SR), which calculates the importance of channels in the feature maps and global descriptors to enhance the representation capability of salient modal features. Finally, we propose the local-aware anisotropy loss measure the element-level importance in the data and explicitly provide boundary information for the model, which alleviates the inherent semantic ambiguity problem in segmentation networks. Extensive experiments on two benchmark datasets demonstrate that our proposed method surpasses current state-of-the-art methods.
A Blueprint of IR Evaluation Integrating Task and User Characteristics
Authors: Jarvelin Kalervo , Sormunen Eero
Published: July 2024

Traditional search result evaluation metrics in information retrieval, such as MAP and NDCG, naively focus on topical relevance between a document and search topic and assume this relationship as mono-dimensional and often binary. They neglect document content overlap and assume gains piling up as the searcher examines the ranked list at greater length. We propose a novel search result evaluation framework based on multidimensional, graded relevance assessments, explicit modelling of document overlaps and attributes affecting document usability beyond relevance. Document relevance to a search task is seen to consist of several content themes and document usability attributes. Documents may also overlap regarding their content themes. Attributes such as document readability, trustworthiness, or language represent the entire document’s usability in the search task context, for a given searcher and her motivating task. The proposed framework evaluates the quality of a ranked search result, taking into account the contribution of each successive document, with estimated overlap across themes, and usability based on its attributes.
Word Closure-Based Metamorphic Testing for Machine Translation
Authors: Xie Xiaoyuan , Jin Shuo , Chen Songqiang , Cheung Shing-Chi
Published: July 2024

With the wide application of machine translation, the testing of Machine Translation Systems (MTSs) has attracted much attention. Recent works apply Metamorphic Testing (MT) to address the oracle problem in MTS testing. Existing MT methods for MTS generally follow the workflow of input transformation and output relation comparison, which generates a follow-up input sentence by mutating the source input and compares the source and follow-up output translations to detect translation errors, respectively. These methods use various input transformations to generate the test case pairs and have successfully triggered numerous translation errors. However, they have limitations in performing fine-grained and rigorous output relation comparison and thus may report many false alarms and miss many true errors. In this article, we propose a word closure-based output comparison method to address the limitations of the existing MTS MT methods. We first propose word closure as a new comparison unit, where each closure includes a group of correlated input and output words in the test case pair. Word closures suggest the linkages between the appropriate fragment in the source output translation and its counterpart in the follow-up output for comparison. Next, we compare the semantics on the level of word closure to identify the translation errors. In this way, we perform a fine-grained and rigorous semantic comparison for the outputs and thus realize more effective violation identification. We evaluate our method with the test cases generated by five existing input transformations and the translation outputs from three popular MTSs. Results show that our method significantly outperforms the existing works in violation identification by improving the precision and recall and achieving an average increase of 29.9% in F1 score. It also helps to increase the F1 score of translation error localization by 35.9%.
Hyperion: A Highly Effective Page and PC Based Delta Prefetcher
Authors: Cui Yujie , Chen Wei , Cheng Xu , Yi Jiangfang
Published: July 2024

Hardware prefetching plays an important role in modern processors for hiding memory access latency. Delta prefetchers show great potential at the L1D cache level, as they can impose small storage overhead by recording deltas. Furthermore, local delta prefetchers, such as Berti, have been shown to achieve high L1D accuracy. However, there is still room for improving the L1D coverage of existing delta prefetchers. Our goal is to develop a delta prefetcher capable of achieving both high L1D coverage and accuracy. We explore delta prefetchers trained on various types of contextual information, ranging from coarse-grained to fine-grained, and analyze their L1D coverage and accuracy. Our findings indicate that training deltas based on the access histories of both PCs and memory pages for individual PCs and memory pages can lead to increased L1D coverage alongside high accuracy. Therefore, we introduce Hyperion, a highly efficient Page and PC-based delta prefetcher. In terms of the vital component of recording access histories, we implement three different structures and engage in a detailed discussion about them. Furthermore, Hyperion utilizes micro-architecture information (e.g., L1D hits or misses, PQ occupancy) and real-time L1D accuracy to dynamically adjust its issuing mechanism, further enhancing performance and L1D accuracy. Our results show that Hyperion achieves an L1D accuracy of 92.4% and an L1D coverage of 51.9%, along with an L2C coverage of 63.0% and an LLC coverage of 67.5% across a diverse range of applications, including SPEC CPU2006, SPEC CPU2017, GAP, and PARSEC, with a baseline of no prefetching. Regarding performance, Hyperion achieves a 50.1% performance gain, outperforming the state-of-the-art delta prefetcher Berti by 5.0% over baseline across all memory-intensive traces from the four benchmark suites.
First Steps Towards a Runtime Analysis When Starting With a Good Solution
Authors: Antipov Denis , Buzdalov Maxim , Doerr Benjamin
Published: July 2024

The mathematical runtime analysis of evolutionary algorithms traditionally regards the time an algorithm needs to find a solution of a certain quality when initialized with a random population. In practical applications it may be possible to guess solutions that are better than random ones. We start a mathematical runtime analysis for such situations. We observe that different algorithms profit to a very different degree from a better initialization. We also show that the optimal parameterization of an algorithm can depend strongly on the quality of the initial solutions. To overcome this difficulty, self-adjusting and randomized heavy-tailed parameter choices can be profitable. Finally, we observe a larger gap between the performance of the best evolutionary algorithm we found and the corresponding black-box complexity. This could suggest that evolutionary algorithms better exploiting good initial solutions are still to be found. These first findings stem from analyzing the performance of the

\((1+1)\)

evolutionary algorithm and the static, self-adjusting, and heavy-tailed

\((1+(\lambda,\lambda))\)

genetic algorithms on the OneMax benchmark. We are optimistic that the question of how to profit from good initial solutions is interesting beyond these first examples.
Identity-Preserving Face Swapping via Dual Surrogate Generative Models
Authors: Huang Ziyao , Tang Fan , Zhang Yong , Cao Juan , Li Chengyu , Tang Sheng , Li Jintao , Lee Tong-Yee
Published: July 2024

In this study, we revisit the fundamental setting of face-swapping models and reveal that only using implicit supervision for training leads to the difficulty of advanced methods to preserve the source identity. We propose a novel reverse pseudo-input generation approach to offer supplemental data for training face-swapping models, which addresses the aforementioned issue. Unlike the traditional pseudo-label-based training strategy, we assume that arbitrary real facial images could serve as the ground-truth outputs for the face-swapping network and try to generate corresponding input  pair data. Specifically, we involve a source-creating surrogate that alters the attributes of the real image while keeping the identity, and a target-creating surrogate intends to synthesize attribute-preserved target images with different identities. Our framework, which utilizes proxy-paired data as explicit supervision to direct the face-swapping training process, partially fulfills a credible and effective optimization direction to boost the identity-preserving capability. We design explicit and implicit adaption strategies to better approximate the explicit supervision for face swapping. Quantitative and qualitative experiments on FF++, FFHQ, and wild images show that our framework could improve the performance of various face-swapping pipelines in terms of visual fidelity and ID preserving. Furthermore, we display applications with our method on re-aging, swappable attribute customization, cross-domain, and video face swapping. Code is available under https://github.com/ ICTMCG/CSCS.
Metabolic syndrome-associated murine aortic wall stiffening is associated with premature elastic fibers aging
Authors: Vanalderwiert Laetitia , Henry Auberi , Wahart Amandine , Carvajal Berrio Daniel A. , Brauchle Eva M. , El Kaakour Lara , Schenke-Layland Katja , Brinckmann Juergen , Steenbock Heiko , Debelle Laurent , Six Isabelle , Faury Gilles , Jaisson Stéphane , Gillery Philippe , Durlach Vincent , Sartelet Hervé , Maurice Pascal , Bennasroune Amar , Martiny Laurent , Duca Laurent , Romier Béatrice , Blaise Sébastien
Published: July 2024

Aortic elastic fibers of young (6-mo old) individuals with diabetes degrade prematurely and exhibit an appearance like that found in aged (20-mo old) nondiabetic mice. Exacerbated elastolysis and elastin-derived peptide production are characteristic elements, contributing to early aortic wall rigidity and hypertension development. Therefore, limiting this early aging could be a judicious therapeutic approach to reduce cardiovascular complications and premature death in patients with diabetes.
Dysregulation of cholesterol homeostasis is an early signal of β-cell proteotoxicity characteristic of type 2 diabetes
Authors: Gurlo Tatyana , Liu Ruoshui , Wang Zhongying , Hoang Jonathan , Ryazantsev Sergey , Daval Marie , Butler Alexandra E. , Yang Xia , Blencowe Montgomery , Butler Peter C.
Published: July 2024

β-Cell failure in type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by β-cell misfolded protein stress due to the formation of toxic oligomers of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP). Most transcriptional changes in islets in T2D are pro-survival adaptations consistent with the slow progression of β-cell loss. In the present study, investigation of the islet transcriptional signatures in a mouse model of T2D expressing human IAPP revealed decreased cholesterol synthesis and trafficking as a plausible early mediator of IAPP toxicity.
Emergence of Lumpy Skin Disease Virus Infection in Yaks, Cattle‐Yaks, and Cattle on the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau of China
Authors: Song Yuqing , Zuo Ou , Zhang Gelin , Hu Jianwu , Tian Zhancheng , Guan Guiquan , Luo Jianxun , Yin Hong , Shang Youjun , Du Junzheng
Published: July 2024

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral disease caused by lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), which mainly infects cattle and can cause huge economic losses. In May 2023, yaks, cattle‐yaks, and cattle in Tibet (Xizang), China, developed fever, skin nodules, and severe discharges and were suspected to be cases of LSD. Samples from these animals were analyzed using molecular biology and serological methods. The RPO30, P32, and GPCR genes were amplified by PCR and sequenced, and the whole genome of the virus was determined using viral metagenomics technology. Sequencing results showed that it was indeed an LSDV infection, and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay results confirmed the presence of LSDV antibodies. The whole genome phylogenetic tree shows that LSDV/CHINA/Tibet/2023 is different from the previous epidemic strains in China, but clusters with India 2022 strain. This is the first report of LSD in yaks, cattle‐yaks, and cattle on the highest altitude plateau in the world.
Synthesis, Growth, and Characterization of Structural, Optical, and Nonlinear Optical Properties of L‐Proline Tartrate Added by Lanthanum Chloride Single Crystal
Authors: Alemu Dessale , Abza Tizazu , Peter M. Esthaku , Negash Micheal
Published: July 2024

L‐proline tartrate (LPT), 1 and 2 mol% of lanthanum chloride‐ (LaCl3‐) doped LPT single crystals have been synthesized and grown using a slow evaporation solution method at room temperature. The crystals have undergone different characterization studies to test their suitability for device fabrication. The single crystal X‐ray diffraction studies have revealed that both 1 and 2 mol% of LaCl3‐doped LPT single crystals have been crystalized monoclinic crystal structure and space group P21. The UV‐Vis‐NIR spectrum analysis has shown that pure, 1, and 2 mol% of LaCl3‐doped LPT single crystals have good optical transparency in the entire visible and near IR region. The optical band gap energy for pure, 1 and 2 mol% of LaCl3‐doped LPT single crystals to be 4.9, 5, and 5.1 eV, respectively. The energy dispersive X‐ray analysis confirmed that LaCl3 has been incorporated into LPT crystal. The second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency for 1 and 2 mol% of LaCl3‐doped LPT single crystals has been tested and found to be 1.27 and 1.6 times greater than that of the reference KDP crystal, respectively.
Pattern‐Recognition Receptors and Cervical Microbiome in Patients with Early Miscarriages
Authors: Gryaznova Mariya V. , Kozarenko Olesya N. , Ivannikova Victoria M. , Smirnova Yuliya D. , Burakova Inna Y. , Altukhova Oxana B. , Samborskaya Natalia I. , Syromyatnikov Mikhail Y. , Maslov Alexander Y. , Lebedeva Olga P.
Published: July 2024

Early miscarriages are one of the main causes of reproductive losses. The objective of this study was to estimate Toll‐ and NOD‐like receptors mRNA expression levels and their correlation with microbiome composition in the endocervix of patients with 1st trimester miscarriages (n = 15) compared to those with healthy ongoing pregnancies (n = 15). Samples of the cervical epithelium were collected using a cytobrush. The expression of Toll‐like receptors (TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, and TLR6) and NOD‐like receptors (NOD1, NOD2, NLRP1, and NLRC4) was estimated by quantitative reverse‐transcriptase PCR. Cervical microbiome composition was assessed by 16S rRNA next‐generation sequencing. We found no differences in community state types (CSTs) and alpha‐ and beta‐diversity between the groups. The dominant microorganisms in both groups were Lactobacillus iners. Bifidobacterium breve and Aeromonas popoffii, whose abundance was significantly higher in patients with miscarriages compared to those with ongoing pregnancies. Corynebacterium callunae and Turicibacter sanguinis, on the contrary, were significantly higher in women of the control group. Only decreased expression of TLR2 was observed in patients with miscarriages. The expression of other Toll‐ and NOD‐like receptors showed no significant differences between the groups. NOD1 mRNA expression had a strong positive correlation with the abundance of L. iners, L. delbrueckii, and Aerococcus christensenii; TLR6 mRNA expression had a strong positive correlation with L. iners. The findings suggest that variations in Toll‐ and NOD‐like receptors mRNA expression and specific shifts in the cervical microbiome might play a role in the immunological landscape, potentially contributing to the pathogenesis of early miscarriages.
Homozygous HOXC13 Variant Causes Pure Hair and Nail Ectodermal Dysplasia via Reduction in Protein Stability
Authors: Clowes Virginia , Ma Xiaolun , Maude Hannah , Dennis Catherine , Gao Qing , Quinn Geraldine , O’Toole Edel A. , Batta Kapila , Cebola Inês , Cui Wei
Published: July 2024

Pure hair and nail ectodermal dysplasia (PHNED) is a congenital disorder characterized by reduced or absent hair and dystrophic nails. PHNED is caused by pathogenic variants in genes involved in hair and nail development, including HOXC13. Previously reported biallelic HOXC13 pathogenic variants led to PHNED by either disrupting protein expression through nonsense‐mediated decay or altering the DNA‐binding affinity of the homeobox domain of HOXC13. Here, we report a case of HOXC13‐related PHNED with a rare homozygous variant, c.931C>T, p.Arg311Trp. Similarly to previously reported missense variants, p.Arg311Trp resides in the homeobox domain of HOXC13 and was assumed to lead to the decreased transcriptional activity of target genes. However, in contrast with previously reported variants, in vitro overexpression assays revealed that the p.Arg311Trp variant decreases HOXC13 protein stability, which is corroborated by a series of in silico predictions. Computational models further suggest that p.Arg311Trp results in a structural rearrangement with loss of interhelical connection between Arg311 in α‐helix 3 and Glu276 in α‐helix 1. Altogether, our results suggest a novel molecular mechanism causative of PHNED, whereby biallelic pathogenic variants in HOXC13 may result in decreased protein stability and consequently decreased transcriptional activity of target genes essential for hair and nail development.
Computational Screening of Ca‐Containing Coating Materials for Electrodes of Ca‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Kim Myeongjun , Park Haesun
Published: July 2024

The energy storage system utilizing calcium as a charge carrier is gaining prominence due to its abundance in the Earth’s crust, reduction potential that is comparable to lithium (Li/Li+ = −3.04 V, Ca/Ca2+ = −2.84 V), and its nontoxic nature. Enabling practical Ca‐ion batteries demands overcoming challenges in forming both electrically nonconductive and ionically conductive SEI layers. We propose a coating strategy and thermodynamic screening via the Materials Project database to pinpoint suitable coating materials. Our selection criteria encompass phase stability, electronic properties, and electrochemical stability. Among 787 compounds, we identified 46 candidates (29 anodic, 24 cathodic, and 7 of them are on both sides) based on reduction/oxidation potential and width of the stability window. Optimal compounds such as Ca4Cl6O and CaCN2 for anodes, and Ca(AlCl4)2, CaCO3, CaSO4, KCaF3, and CaAlF5 for cathodes exhibit superior interfacial stability for electrode coating, holding promise for Ca‐ion batteries. This study can provide foundational insights into coating materials for Ca‐ion batteries, offering guidance for electrode interface stabilization and practical battery design.
A Novel Method for Full‐Field Scale Factor Calculation under Off‐Axis Measurements for Vision‐Based Structural Multipoint Displacement Measurement and Health Monitoring
Authors: Zhai Guohua , Tan Zhisen , Liang Yabin
Published: July 2024

For vision‐based structural displacement measurement and health monitoring, the scale factor (SF) calculation plays a pivotal role in converting the pixel displacement into the actual one. On the other hand, for the current SF calculation methods, the object distance, between the to‐be‐measured points on the object plane and the optical center of the shooting instrument, has to be measured in advance due to the existence of the pitch and horizontal angle under off‐axis measurement. Unfortunately, it is usually inefficient, difficult, and even impossible to obtain the object distances for all the to‐be‐measured points, especially for the full‐field displacement monitoring on huge scale structures. In this paper, a novel SF calculation method was proposed to calculate the full‐field scale factor of the host structure under off‐axis measurement by combining with the similarity relation of the camera imaging model. With the help of this method, all the scale factors of the to‐be‐measured points can be calculated accurately and highly efficiently, as long as the object distance of any one point or the geometric dimensions of any feature object on the object surface is provided. In addition, to quantitatively assess the SF calculation accuracy of the method, a static vision‐based measurement investigation was firstly conducted, and then, two experimental investigations about the multipoint and full‐field structural displacement measurement on a cable‐stayed bridge model and a simply supported beam model were conducted to validate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method. Finally, all the results demonstrated that the proposed method exhibits an excellent performance on the SF calculation under off‐axis measurement and provides a great potential to be utilized for the vision‐based structural multipoint and full‐field displacement measurement and health monitoring.
Supplementary Table S2 from Serum Lipid Levels, Genetic Risk, and Lung Cancer Incidence: A Large Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Wang Jing , Wang Qi , Shi Ziwei , Yan Xiaolong , Lei Zhiqun , Zhu Wenmin
Published: July 2024

Supplementary Table S2 shows the results of stratified analysis for serum lipid levels.
Supplementary Table S1 from Association of Ideal Cardiovascular Health in Youth with Cancer Risk in Adulthood: A Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study
Authors: Niemelä Jussi , Nuotio Joel , Laitinen Tomi T. , Kähönen Mika , Hutri Nina , Lehtimäki Terho , Jokinen Eero , Tossavainen Päivi , Laitinen Tomi P. , Heinonen Olli J. , Dwyer Terence , Pahkala Katja , Rovio Suvi P. , Viikari Jorma , Raitakari Olli , Juonala Markus
Published: July 2024

Supplementary Table S1: Proportion of Cancers by different Cancer Subtypes among Participants with complete AHA ICH Data in 1986
Supplementary Materials and Methods SM1 from Evidence of Decreased Long-term Risk of Cervical Precancer after Negative Primary HPV Screens Compared with Negative Cytology Screens in a Longitudinal Cohort Study
Authors: Gottschlich Anna , Hong Quan , Gondara Lovedeep , Alam Md S. , Cook Darrel A. , Martin Ruth E. , Lee Marette , Melnikow Joy , Peacock Stuart , Proctor Lily , Stuart Gavin , Franco Eduardo L. , Krajden Mel , Smith Laurie W. , Ogilvie Gina S.
Published: July 2024

Checklist for STROBE reporting
Reducing Racial Inequalities in Prostate Cancer Treatment: Healthcare Access Barriers
Authors: Burwell Alanna , Freedland Stephen J. , Gong Jun
Published: July 2024

Inequalities in healthcare for patients with prostate cancer can result in treatment and mortality disparities. Despite Black men with prostate cancer having higher incidence and mortality from prostate cancer, the study by Hammarlund and colleagues found that they are less likely to receive appropriate treatment compared with their White counterparts. Given that Black men with prostate cancer have similar or better survival when participating in clinical trials or receiving equal treatment from an equal access to healthcare system, identifying factors contributing to inequitable treatment is essential to improve the overall health and survival of Black men with prostate cancer.

See related article by Hammarlund and colleagues, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33:435–41
Supplementary Table S1 from Immunologic Profiling of Immune-Related Cutaneous Adverse Events with Checkpoint Inhibitors Reveals Polarized Actionable Pathways
Authors: Lacouture Mario E. , Goleva Elena , Shah Neil , Rotemberg Veronica , Kraehenbuehl Lukas , Ketosugbo Kwami F. , Merghoub Taha , Maier Tara , Bang Alexander , Gu Stephanie , Salvador Trina , Moy Andrea P. , Lyubchenko Taras , Xiao Olivia , Hall Clifton F. , Berdyshev Evgeny , Crooks James , Weight Ryan , Kern Jeffrey A. , Leung Donald Y.M.
Published: July 2024

Supplementary Table S1. Key resources—multiplex cytokine assays.
Supplementary Table S6 from A Cohort Study to Evaluate Genetic Predictors of Aromatase Inhibitor Musculoskeletal Symptoms: Results from ECOG-ACRIN E1Z11
Authors: Stearns Vered , Jegede Opeyemi A. , Chang Victor T.-S. , Skaar Todd C. , Berenberg Jeffrey L. , Nand Ranveer , Shafqat Atif , Jacobs Nisha L. , Luginbuhl William , Gilman Paul , Benson Al B. , Goodman Judie R. , Buchschacher Gary L. , Henry N. Lynn , Loprinzi Charles L. , Flynn Patrick J. , Mitchell Edith P. , Fisch Michael J. , Sparano Joseph A. , Wagner Lynne I.
Published: July 2024

Supplementary Table S6: Allele frequency and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test result, by patient cohort.
Supplementary Figure S4 from A Machine Learning Algorithm Facilitates Prognosis Prediction and Treatment Selection for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage C Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Han Ji W. , Lee Soon K. , Kwon Jung H. , Nam Soon W. , Yang Hyun , Bae Si H. , Kim Ji H. , Nam Heechul , Kim Chang W. , Lee Hae L. , Kim Hee Y. , Lee Sung W. , Lee Ahlim , Chang U I. , Song Do S. , Kim Seok-Hwan , Song Myeong J. , Sung Pil S. , Choi Jong Y. , Yoon Seung K. , Jang Jeong W.
Published: July 2024

Calibration curves of CLAM-C in the test (A) and validation (B) cohorts.
Supplementary Table S5 from Spatial Profiling of Ovarian Carcinoma and Tumor Microenvironment Evolution under Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
Authors: Yaniz-Galende Elisa , Zeng Qinghe , Bejar-Grau Juan F. , Klein Christophe , Blanc-Durand Felix , Le Formal Audrey , Pujade-Lauraine Eric , Chardin Laure , Edmond Elodie , Marty Virginie , Ray-Coquard Isabelle , Joly Florence , Ferron Gwenael , Pautier Patricia , Berton-Rigaud Dominique , Lortholary Alain , Dohollou Nadine , Desauw Christophe , Fabbro Michel , Malaurie Emmanuelle , Bonichon-Lamaichhane Nathalie , Bello Roufai Diana , Gantzer Justine , Rouleau Etienne , Genestie Catherine , Leary Alexandra
Published: July 2024

Change in immune coregulators expression in intraepithelial (ie+) and stromal compartment (s+) in pre- and post-NACT tumors
Supplementary Figure S3 from Monitoring Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Tumor Content in Circulating Cell-Free DNA
Authors: Lian Shifeng , Lu Chenyu , Li Fugui , Yu Xia , Ai Limei , Wu Biaohua , Gong Xueyi , Zhou Wenjing , Liang Xuejun , Zhan Jiyun , Yuan Yong , Fang Fang , Liu Zhiwei , Ji Mingfang , Zheng Zongli
Published: July 2024

Supplementary Figure S3. Distribution of the tumor fraction by baseline characteristics among 67 hospital HCC patients. (A) Distribution of the tumor fraction by age, sex, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), Child–Pugh score, and tumor size. (B) The correlation between tumor fraction and AFP. (C) The correlation between tumor fraction and tumor size.
Supplementary Figure S8 from Cell-Free Human Papillomavirus DNA Is a Sensitive Biomarker for Prognosis and for Early Detection of Relapse in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer
Authors: Sivars Lars , Jylhä Cecilia , Crona Guterstam Ylva , Zupancic Mark , Lindqvist Britta , Nordenskjöld Magnus , Tham Emma , Hellman Kristina
Published: July 2024

Supplementary Figure S8. Number of copies of ctHPV DNA at different timepoints for all patients (n = 4) with at least one ctHPV DNA–positive sample during early- or late follow-up but no verified relapse.