bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scoliosis Caused by Rib Fusion after Thoracotomy for Esophageal Atresia: A Case Report and Surgical Approach
Authors:   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Cliniques Universitaires de Saint Luc, Bruxelles, Belgium., Popescu David , Merhi David Abou ,   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Cliniques Universitaires de Saint Luc, Bruxelles, Belgium., Amellal Omar ,   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Cliniques Universitaires de Saint Luc, Bruxelles, Belgium.
Published: January 2024

Introduction: This case report abstract discusses scoliosis, a multifactorial three-dimensional spinal deformity, including lateral curvatures on the frontal plane characterized by Cobb angle measurement, vertebral rotation on the axial plane and sagittal deformity. Scoliosis can be mild, moderate, or severe, and if left untreated, it can lead to further deformity and compromise cardiopulmonary function. Scoliosis is classified into early onset and late onset, with idiopathic scoliosis being the most common form. Early-onset scoliosis has various etiologies, including idiopathic, congenital, neuromuscular, and syndromic. Early management is crucial to minimize complications, such as restrictive ventilatory disorder and pulmonary dysplasia. This case report focuses on an iatrogenic cause of scoliosis due to rib synostosis, which is not included in the classification. Treatment options include non-operative management and surgical interventions, with the use of vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib (VEPTR) thoracoplasty to correct the spinal deformity. Case Report: This article illustrates the case of a 13-year-old girl who developed a left thoracic scoliosis caused by ribs fusion, following multiple right thoracotomies during childhood for esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula. No vertebral abnormalities were reported. Considering the young age of the girl, spinal fusion was not considered. A VEPTR associated with an excision of the fused ribs was used to treat this patient. Conclusion: The aim of this article was to illustrate the importance of a regular follow-up for the patients who have undergone multiples thoracotomies during their childhood even without vertebral abnormalities and propose an early approach to avoid spinal fusion in early adulthood Keywords: Scoliosis, esophageal atresia, growing rods, rib fusions, musculoskeletal deformity, thoracotomy.
High-Q two-dimensional perovskite topological laser
Authors: Zhao Shumin , Zhao Wenhui , Shi Linlin , Han Yue , Cui Yanxia , Li Guohui
Published: January 2024

Quasi-two-dimensional perovskites have attracted widespread interest in developing low-cost high-quality small lasers. The nano cavity based on topologically protected valley edge states can be robust against special defects. Here, we report a high-quality two-dimensional perovskite topological photonic crystal laser based on the quantum valley Hall effect. By adjusting the position of the air holes relative to the pillar, radiation leakage in topological edge states is reduced to a large extent, electric field distribution becomes more uniform and the quality factor can be as high as 3.6 × 104. Our findings could provide opportunities for the development of high-power, stable perovskite lasers with topological protection.
Continuous-wave long-wavelength infrared difference-frequency generation in ZGP driven by near-infrared fiber lasers
Authors: Hu Bo , Chen Lu , Yang Xuemei , He Linzhen , Li Yang , Li Wenlong , Wu Han , Liang Houkun
Published: January 2024

We report the continuous-wave (cw) difference-frequency generation (DFG) in a ZnGeP2 (ZGP) crystal that produces tunable long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) lasing. Particularly, we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility to drive DFG in ZGP by all-fiber near-infrared fiber lasers consisting of a 1.3 µm tunable cw random Raman fiber laser (RRFL) and a 1.5 µm erbium-doped fiber amplifier seeded by a tunable distributed feedback (DFB) laser, making the whole system compact and robust. As a result, the demonstrated LWIR DFG presents a broadband spectral tuning range spanning from 9.5 to 11.5 µm, and the output powers in the spectral range of 9.5–11 µm are larger than 40 µW pumped by watt-level fiber lasers. Meanwhile, as a typical application, a proof-of-concept demonstration of gas sensing of SF6 is executed based on the generated cw LWIR source. Our work demonstrates that the combination of ZGP crystal and fiber lasers can provide an effective and robust approach for the generation of cw LWIR radiation with useful power and broadband wavelength tunability.
Broadband switchable infrared absorbers using phase-change materials
Authors: Emrose Md Tanvir , Payne Emily L. , You Chenglong , Veronis Georgios
Published: January 2024

We introduce multilayer structures with the phase-change material Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) for use as broadband switchable absorbers in the infrared wavelength range. We optimize both the material composition and the layer thicknesses of the multilayer structures, in order to maximize the difference between the absorption for GST in its crystalline phase and the absorption for GST in its amorphous phase in the wavelength range of interest. We show that in the optimized structures near perfect absorption can be switched to very low absorption in a broad wavelength range by switching GST from its crystalline to its amorphous phase. Our optimized lithography-free structures have better performance than harder-to-fabricate three-dimensional structures. Our results could pave the way to a new class of broadband switchable absorbers and thermal sources in the infrared wavelength range.
Flame state recognition method of a scramjet based on PLIF image fusion features and an artificial neural network
Authors: Gao Long , Peng Jiangbo , Yu Xin , Cao Zhen , Han Minghong , Wu Guohua , Yuan Xun
Published: January 2024

In this study, a pattern recognition model is proposed to differentiate the flame state of a scramjet using an artificial neural network. The flame images are obtained from a scramjet ground test utilizing planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF). By extracting basic features, Hu moments and Zernike moments, the preprocessed flame images are compressed to mine valuable information. In order to reduce redundant input features and improve the efficiency of model operation, the partial least squares (PLS) method is introduced for feature screening and fusion. Then, a back propagation neural network (BPNN) model for multi-flame classification is established and analyzed. Finally, the flame states are determined by comparing the probabilities of different states. In order to optimize the recognition performance, the fusion features are studied and discussed. Experimental results show that when the filtered 11-dimensional features are used as input, the average recognition rate for the four states can reach 97.4%. These results demonstrate the significant potential of integrating PLIF and advanced data analysis methods, thereby broadening their application to intricate combustion fields.
Gain-compensated metal cavity modes and a million-fold improvement of Purcell factors
Authors: VanDrunen Becca , Ren Juanjuan , Franke Sebastian , Hughes Stephen
Published: January 2024

Using a rigorous mode theory for gain-compensated plasmonic dimers, we demonstrate how quality factors and Purcell factors can be dramatically increased, improving the quality factors from 10 to over 26,000 and the peak Purcell factors from approximately 3000 to over 10 billion. Full three-dimensional calculations are presented for gold dimers in a finite-size gain medium, which allows one to easily surpass fundamental Purcell factor limits of lossy media. Within a regime of linear system response, we show how the Purcell factors are modified by the contributions from the projected local density of states as well as a non-local gain. Further, we show that the effective mode volume and radiative beta factors remain relatively constant, despite the significant enhancement of the Purcell factors.
Single-photon sub-Rayleigh precision measurements of a pair of incoherent sources of unequal intensity
Authors: Santamaria Luigi , Sgobba Fabrizio , Lupo Cosmo
Published: January 2024

Interferometric methods have been recently investigated to achieve
sub-Rayleigh imaging and precision measurements of faint incoherent
sources up to the ultimate quantum limit. Here we consider
single-photon imaging of two point-like emitters of unequal intensity.
This is motivated by the fact that pairs of natural emitters typically
have unequal brightness, for example, binary star systems and
exoplanets. We address the problem of estimating the transverse
separation d or the relative intensity . Our theoretical analysis shows that
the associated statistical errors are qualitatively different from the
case of equal intensity. We employ multi-plane light conversion
technology to implement Hermite–Gaussian (HG) spatial-mode
demultiplexing (SPADE), and demonstrate sub-Rayleigh measurement of
two emitters with a Gaussian point-spread function. The experimental
errors are comparable with the theoretical bounds. The latter are
benchmarked against direct imaging, yielding an improvement in the signal-to-noise
ratio, which may be significant when the primary source is much
brighter than the secondary one, for example, as for imaging of
exoplanets.
Observation of accurately designed bound states in the continuum in momentum space
Authors: Wu Jiaju , Chen Jingguang , Qi Xin , Guo Zhiwei , Wang Jiajun , Wu Feng , Sun Yong , Li Yunhui , Jiang Haitao , Shi Lei , Zi Jian , Chen Hong
Published: January 2024

Bound states in the continuum (BICs) in artificial photonic structures have received considerable attention since they offer unique methods for the extreme field localization and enhancement of light-matter interactions. Usually, the symmetry-protected BICs are located at high symmetric points, while the positions of accidental BICs achieved by tuning the parameters will appear at some points in momentum space. Up to now, to accurately design the position of the accidental BIC in momentum space is still a challenge. Here, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate an accurately designed accidental BIC in a two-coupled-oscillator system consisting of bilayer gratings, where the optical response of each grating can be described by a single resonator model. By changing the interlayer distance between the gratings to tune the propagation phase shift related to wave vectors, the position of the accidental BIC can be arbitrarily controlled in momentum space. Moreover, we present a general method and rigorous numerical analyses for extracting the polarization vector fields to observe the topological properties of BICs from the polarization-resolved transmission spectra. Finally, an application of the highly efficient second harmonic generation assisted by quasi-BIC is demonstrated. Our work provides a straightforward strategy for manipulating BICs and studying their topological properties in momentum space.
Preferences and decisional considerations relating to opioid agonist therapy among Ukrainian people who use drugs: A conjoint analysis survey
Authors: Bromberg Daniel J. , Madden Lynn M. , Fraenkel Liana , Muthulingam Dharushana , Rhoades Delaney , Dvoriak Sergii , Dumchev Kostyantyn , Pykalo Iryna , Altice Frederick L.
Published: January 2024

Scaling up opioid agonist therapies (OAT) is the most effective strategy to control combined HIV and opioid epidemics, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), where HIV incidence and mortality continue to increase. Patient concerns about OAT, however, have undermined scale-up. The objective of this study is to understand Ukrainian opioid use disorder patient preferences about OAT to guide the development of an evidence-informed decision aid for clinical decision-making. We conducted a conjoint-based choice (CBC) survey. Participants were asked to about their preferences relating to 7 attributes of OAT (cost, dosing frequency, concerns about withdrawal symptoms, adverse side effects, improvements in quality of life, precipitation of withdrawal and legislative requirements to be registered as a drug dependent person) and 20 attribute levels for receiving OAT under differing potential treatment constraints. Data were analyzed using Hierarchical Bayesian models. Using respondent-driven sampling and random sampling, we recruited 2,028 people who inject drugs with opioid use disorder. Relative importance (RIS) and partial-worth utility scores (PWUS) were used to assess preferences for attributes and thresholds within each attribute. Cost and dosing frequency were the most important attributes (RIS = 39.2% and RIS = 25.2%, respectively) to potential patients, followed by concerns about withdrawal symptoms (RIS = 10.8%), adverse side effects (RIS = 9.0%), quality-of-life improvement (RIS = 7.5%), precipitation of euphoria (5.2%) and requirement to be registered as a drug- dependent person (RIS = 3.1%). The monthly cost-threshold for willingness-to-pay was 1,900 UAH ($70 USD). In Ukraine, where both governmental and private OAT clinics have emerged and provide markedly different delivery strategies, preferences are mostly driven by out-of-pocket expenses, despite many patients being willing to pay for OAT. Programmatic demands (flexibility and ease of acquiring medications) remain an important consideration while for a minority, clinical concerns about withdrawal symptoms, adverse side effects and OAT impact on life play a smaller role.
Gender differences in trachomatous scarring prevalence in a formerly trachoma hyperendemic district in Tanzania
Authors: Wolle Meraf A. , Muñoz Beatriz E. , Mgboji Glory , Naufal Fahd , Kashaf Michael Saheb , Mkocha Harran , West Sheila K.
Published: January 2024

Background

Trachoma is a chronic conjunctivitis caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Repeated infections lead to trachomatous conjunctival scarring which can progress to potentially blinding trachomatous trichiasis (TT). In trachoma hyperendemic conditions, women compared to men have an increased risk of scarring and TT, which can progress to blinding corneal opacification. This study determined if there were gender differences in scarring prevalence and severity when trachoma prevalence approaches elimination, in a formerly trachoma hyperendemic region.

Methodology/Principal findings

A cross-sectional prevalence study was conducted amongst adults age 15 years and older in Kongwa district, Tanzania in 2019. 3168 persons over age 15 years agreed to be examined and had at least one eye with a gradable image. Ocular photographs were graded for scarring according to a published four-step severity scale. Overall, about half of all study participants had scarring. However, more females (52.3%) had any scarring compared to males (47.2%), OR = 1.22 (95% CI = 1.05–1.43). For every year increase in age, there was a 6.5% increase in the odds of having more severe scarring (95% CI: 5.8%, 7.2%). Women were more likely than men to have severe scarring, OR 2.36 (95% CI: 1.84–3.02). Residence in a community with TF≥10% was associated with a 1.6-fold increased odds of any scarring.

Conclusions/Significance

Overall scarring prevalence and more severe scarring prevalence was higher in females compared to males, even adjusting for age and community TF prevalence. The data suggest that processes occur that lead to women preferentially progressing towards more severe scarring compared to men.
Effect of an NHE3 inhibitor in combination with an NPT2b inhibitor on gastrointestinal phosphate absorption in Rodent models
Authors: Wang Xiaojun , Yu Xiaohong , Gavardinas Kostas , Dey Asim , Zhang Hong Y. , Porter Gina , Porras Leah , Yu Lan , Guo Haihong , Reidy Charles A. , Haas Joseph V. , Xu Yanping , Kowala Mark C. , Jadhav Prabhakar K. , Wetterau John R.
Published: January 2024

Many of the pathological consequences of chronic kidney disease can be attributed to an elevation in serum phosphate levels. Current therapies focused on decreasing intestinal phosphate absorption to treat hyperphosphatemia are inadequate. The most effective therapeutic strategy may be to target multiple absorptive pathways. In this study, the ability of a novel inhibitor of the intestinal sodium hydrogen exchanger 3 (NHE3), LY3304000, which inhibits paracellular, diffusional uptake of phosphate, to work in combination with an inhibitor of the active transporter, sodium dependent phosphate cotransporter 2b (NPT2b), LY3358966, was explored. LY3304000 modestly inhibited the acute uptake of phosphate into plasma of rats, while surprisingly, it doubled the rate of phosphate uptake in mice, an animal model dominated by NPT2b mediated acute phosphate uptake. In rats, LY3004000 and LY3358966 work in concert to inhibit acute phosphate uptake. On top of LY3358966, LY3304000 further decreased the acute uptake of phosphate into plasma. Studies measuring the recovery of radiolabeled phosphate in the intestine demonstrated LY3304000 and LY3358966 synergistically inhibited the absorption of phosphate in rats. We hypothesize the synergism is because the NHE3 inhibitor, LY3304000, has two opposing effects on intestinal phosphate absorption in rats, first it decreases diffusion mediated paracellular phosphate absorption, while second, it simultaneously increases phosphate absorption through the NPT2b pathway. NHE3 inhibition decreases proton export from enterocytes and raises the cell surface pH. In vitro, NPT2b mediated phosphate transport is increased at higher pHs. The increased NPT2b mediated transport induced by NHE3 inhibition is masked in rats which have relatively low levels of NPT2b mediated phosphate transport, by the more robust inhibition of diffusion mediated phosphate absorption. Thus, the inhibition of NPT2b mediated phosphate transport in rats in the presence of NHE3 inhibition has an effect that exceeds its effect in the absence of NHE3 inhibition, leading to the observed synergism on phosphate absorption between NPT2b and NHE3 inhibition.
County-level variation in healthcare coverage and ischemic heart disease mortality
Authors: Ibrahim Ramzi , Habib Adam , Terrani Kristina , Ravi Soumiya , Takamatsu Chelsea , Salih Mohammed , Ferreira João Paulo
Published: January 2024

Background

Healthcare coverage has been shown to have implications in the prevalence of coronary artery disease. We explore the impact of lack of healthcare coverage on ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality in the US.

Methods

We obtained county-level IHD mortality and healthcare coverage data from the CDC databases for a total of 3,119 US counties. The age-adjusted prevalence of current lack of health insurance among individuals aged 18 to 64 years were obtained for the years 2018 and 2019 and were placed into four quartiles. First (Q1) and fourth quartile (Q4) had the least and highest age-adjusted prevalence of adults without health insurance, respectively. IHD mortality rates, adjusted for age through the direct method, were obtained for the same years and compared among quartiles. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression for each demographic variable was conducted with the quartiles as an ordinal predictor variable and the age-adjusted mortality rate as the outcome variable.

Results

We identified a total of 172,942 deaths related to ischemic heart disease between 2018 and 2019. Overall AAMR was higher in Q4 (92.79 [95% CI, 92.35–93.23]) compared to Q1 (83.14 [95% CI, 82.74–83.54]), accounting for 9.65 excess deaths per 100,000 person-years (slope = 3.47, p = 0.09). Mortality rates in Q4 for males (126.20 [95% CI, 125.42–126.98] and females (65.57 [95% CI, 65.08–66.05]) were higher compared to Q1 (115.72 [95% CI, 114.99–116.44] and 57.48 [95% CI, 57.04–57.91], respectively), accounting for 10.48 and 8.09 excess deaths per 100,000 person-years for males and females, respectively. Similar trends were seen among Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations. Northeastern, Southern, and Western regions had higher AAMR within Q4 compared to Q1, with higher prevalence of current lack of health insurance accounting for 49.2, 8.15, and 29.04 excess deaths per 100,000 person-years, respectively.

Conclusion

A higher prevalence of adults without healthcare coverage may be associated with increased IHD mortality rates. Our results serve as a hypothesis-generating platform for future research in this area.
Integrated drug response prediction models pinpoint repurposed drugs with effectiveness against rhabdomyosarcoma
Authors: Baek Bin , Jang Eunmi , Park Sejin , Park Sung-Hye , Williams Darren Reece , Jung Da-Woon , Lee Hyunju
Published: January 2024

Targeted therapies for inhibiting the growth of cancer cells or inducing apoptosis are urgently needed for effective rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) treatment. However, identifying cancer-targeting compounds with few side effects, among the many potential compounds, is expensive and time-consuming. A computational approach to reduce the number of potential candidate drugs can facilitate the discovery of attractive lead compounds. To address this and obtain reliable predictions of novel cell-line-specific drugs, we apply prediction models that have the potential to improve drug discovery approaches for RMS treatment. The results of two prediction models were ensemble and validated via in vitro experiments. The computational models were trained using data extracted from the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer database and tested on two RMS cell lines to select potential RMS drug candidates. Among 235 candidate drugs, 22 were selected following the result of the computational approach, and three candidate drugs were identified (NSC207895, vorinostat, and belinostat) that showed selective effectiveness in RMS cell lines in vitro via the induction of apoptosis. Our in vitro experiments have demonstrated that our proposed methods can effectively identify and repurpose drugs for treating RMS.
Characterization of controlling factors for soil organic carbon stocks in one Karst region of Southwest China
Authors: Li Qiang , Chen Baoshan , Yuan Hezhong , Li Hui , Zhuang Shunyao
Published: January 2024

Soil organic carbon (SOC) contributes the most significant portion of carbon storage in the terrestrial ecosystem. The potential for variability in carbon losses from soil can lead to severe consequences such as climate change. While extensive studies have been conducted to characterize how land cover type, soil texture, and topography impact the distribution of SOC stocks across different ecosystems, little is known about in Karst Region. Here, we characterized SOC stocks with intensive sampling at the local scale (495 representative samples) via Random Forest Regression (RF) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Our findings revealed significant differences in SOC stock among land cover types, with croplands exhibiting the lowest SOC stocks, indicating that management practices could play a crucial role in SOC stocks. Conversely, there was little correlation between SOC stock and clay percentage, suggesting that soil texture was not a primary factor influencing SOC at a local scale. Further, Annual Precipitation was identified as the key driving factor for the dynamics of SOC stocks with the help of RF and PCA. A substantial SOC deficit was observed in most soils in this study, as evaluated by a SOC/clay ratio, indicating a significant potential in SOC sequestration with practical measures in the karst region. As such, future research focused on simulating SOC dynamics in the context of climate change should consider the controlling factors at a local scale and summarize them carefully during the up-scaling process.
Sociodemographic factors associated with the success or failure of anti-tuberculosis treatment in the Chiapas Highlands, Mexico, 2019–2022
Authors: Sánchez-Pérez Héctor Javier , Gordillo-Marroquín Cristina , Vázquez-Marcelín Janeth , Martín-Mateo Miguel , Gómez-Velasco Anaximandro
Published: January 2024

Objective

To estimate the incidence rate of tuberculosis (TB) in the Highlands (Tsotsil-Tseltal) region of Chiapas and to analyze sociodemographic factors that might influence the success of anti-TB treatment from the period of January 2019 to June 2022.

Methods

Retrospective study in which the TB databases of the National Epidemiological Surveillance System (SINAVE) were analyzed. TB incidence rates were calculated based on the number of registered TB cases and estimated annual populations. The success-failure of anti-TB treatment was analyzed according to sociodemographic indicators, degree of concentration of indigenous population of the municipality of residence and admission to SINAVE.

Results

Two hundred thirty-three cases were analyzed. The variables associated to a lower success rate of treatment against TB were: living in a municipality with high-very high concentration of indigenous population, being indigenous, having a primary school education or lower, and agricultural occupation. The number of TB diagnosed from 2020–2022 and the incidence rates from 2020–2021 decreased significantly compared to 2019.

Conclusions

It is necessary to strengthen the follow-up of TB cases in the region, mainly in areas with high-very high indigenous concentration, in people with low levels of education and engaged in agricultural work.
How does news affect biopharma stock prices?: An event study
Authors: Cho Joonhyuk , Singh Manish , Lo Andrew W.
Published: January 2024

We investigate the impact of information on biopharmaceutical stock prices via an event study encompassing 503,107 news releases from 1,012 companies. We distinguish between pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and apply three asset pricing models to estimate their abnormal returns. Acquisition-related news yields the highest positive return, while drug-development setbacks trigger significant negative returns. We also find that biotechnology companies have larger means and standard deviations of abnormal returns, while the abnormal returns of pharmaceutical companies are influenced by more general financial news. To better understand the empirical properties of price movement dynamics, we regress abnormal returns on market capitalization and a sub-industry indicator variable to distinguish biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and find that biopharma companies with larger capitalization generally experience lower magnitude of abnormal returns in response to events. Using longer event windows, we show that news related to acquisitions and clinical trials are the sources of potential news leakage. We expect this study to provide valuable insights into how diverse news types affect market perceptions and stock valuations, particularly in the volatile and information-sensitive biopharmaceutical sector, thus aiding stakeholders in making informed investment and strategic decisions.
The impact of digital economy on environmental pollution: Evidence from 267 cities in China
Authors: Yuan Honglin , Liu Jia , Li Xiaona , Zhong Shen
Published: January 2024

Environmental pollution has become a pressing global issue, severely threatening human health and ecosystems. As an emerging driver of economic development in countries worldwide, the digital economy (DE) has the potential to enhance resource utilization efficiency and promote the development of clean technologies, thereby reducing environmental pollution. Based on the panel data of 267 cities in China from 2012 to 2021, the spatial econometric model is used to test the impact of DE on environmental pollution. The mediating effect model is used to explore the transmission mechanism of DE affecting environmental pollution. The panel threshold model is used to examine the threshold effect of marketization. The results are as follows: (1) DE can significantly reduce environmental pollution. The conclusion is still valid after conducting robustness tests such as selecting historical data as instrumental variables and the “Broadband China” pilot as a quasi-natural experiment. (2) From the perspective of transmission mechanism, DE can reduce environmental pollution through green technology innovation and industrial structure upgrading. (3) From the perspective of spatial spillover effect, DE can reduce the environmental pollution level of surrounding cities. (4) From the perspective of threshold effect, DE has obvious market-oriented single threshold effect on environmental pollution. When the marketization level crosses the threshold of 11.6611, the emission reduction effect of DE is significant. (5) From the perspective of heterogeneity, DE has a heterogeneous impact on environmental pollution in cities with different geographic locations, resource endowments and administrative level. Regarding geographical heterogeneity, DE can effectively reduce environmental pollution in eastern and central regions, but has no significant impact on environmental pollution in western regions. Regarding the heterogeneity of resource endowment, compared to non-resource-based cities, resource-based cities suffer more from the negative effects of DE on their environment. Regarding the heterogeneity of administrative levels, compared with non-central cities, the DE of central cities has a greater emission reduction effect. Based on empirical results, this paper proposes strategic recommendations in areas such as enhancing the application of DE in emission reduction, upgrading industrial structures, promoting green technology innovation, and improving the level of marketization. This study not only enriches the research of DE and environmental pollution, but also provides a reference for the formulation of environmental pollution control policies.
Asymmetric effects of foreign direct investment and globalization on ecological footprint in Indonesia
Authors: Van Tran Hung , Tran Anh Viet , Bui Hoang Ngoc , Mai Tram Nguyen Huynh
Published: January 2024

The sustainable development goal seems challenging for governments worldwide, including Indonesia, which has faced an ecological deficit due to rapid economic development and population growth since 1999. The study aims to probe the potential asymmetric effects of foreign direct investment and globalization on ecological footprint in Indonesia from 1971 to 2019, which was ignored by previous studies. By adopting the autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lags (NARDL) approaches, the results clearly reveal that (i) The positive shock of globalization has a positive and statistically significant impact on the ecological footprint; (ii) the impact of foreign direct investment on the ecological footprint is asymmetric in the long run. Accordingly, the study found that the influence of negative changes in foreign direct investment is larger than positive changes. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the Indonesian government carefully consider the long-term consequences of globalization on the environment and reasonable control of foreign direct investment inflows.
Volatile organic compounds in headspace characterize isolated bacterial strains independent of growth medium or antibiotic sensitivity
Authors: Hintzen Kim F. H. , Blanchet Lionel , Smolinska Agnieszka , Boumans Marie-Louise , Stobberingh Ellen E. , Dallinga Jan W. , Lubbers Tim , van Schooten Frederik-Jan , Boots Agnes W.
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Early and reliable determination of bacterial strain specificity and antibiotic resistance is critical to improve sepsis treatment. Previous research demonstrated the potential of headspace analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to differentiate between various microorganisms associated with pulmonary infections in vitro. This study evaluates whether VOC analysis can also discriminate antibiotic sensitive from resistant bacterial strains when cultured on varying growth media.

Methods

Both antibiotic-sensitive and -resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumonia were cultured on 4 different growth media, i.e. Brain Heart Infusion, Marine Broth, Müller-Hinton and Trypticase Soy Agar. After overnight incubation at 37°C, the headspace air of the cultures was collected on stainless steel desorption tubes and analyzed by gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-tof-MS). Statistical analysis was performed using regularized multivariate analysis of variance and cross validation.

Results

The three bacterial species could be correctly recognized based on the differential presence of 14 VOCs (p<0.001). This discrimination was not influenced by the different growth media. Interestingly, a clear discrimination could be made between the antibiotic-resistant and -sensitive variant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (p<0.001) based on their species-specific VOC signature.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that isolated microorganisms, including antibiotic-sensitive and -resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, could be identified based on their excreted VOCs independent of the applied growth media. These findings suggest that the discriminating volatiles are associated with the microorganisms themselves rather than with their growth medium. This study exemplifies the potential of VOC analysis as diagnostic tool in medical microbiology. However, validation of our results in appropriate in vivo models is critical to improve translation of breath analysis to clinical applications.
The impact of biological sex in peripheral nerve blockade: A prospective pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic and morphometric study in volunteers
Authors: Zadrazil Markus , Marhofer Peter , Columb Malachy , Opfermann Philipp , Schmid Werner , Marhofer Daniela , Stimpfl Thomas , Reichel Sabine , Al Jalali Valentin , Zeitlinger Markus
Published: January 2024

Study objective

The impact of biological sex in peripheral regional anaesthesia is largely unknown. We therefore designed a prospective study in volunteers to investigate the impact of biological sex on pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic and morphometric characteristics for peripheral nerve blockade.

Methods

The initial study plan was powered to include 90 volunteers to find a difference of 35 min in duration of sensory block (primary outcome variable) with 80% power and alpha error at 5%. After discussions in ethical review, a pilot study of 2 x 12 volunteers from each sex were studied. Female and male volunteers received ultrasound guided nerve blockade with 3.0 mL ropivacaine 7.5 mg mL-1. Sensory duration of blockade, as the primary outcome, was evaluated by pinprick testing. Secondary outcomes were sensory onset time of blockade, pharmacokinetic characteristics and the visibility of ulnar nerves using ultrasound. Analyses included Mann-Whitney U-statistics with P<0.05 (two-sided) as significant.

Results

After 24 participants, the median (IQR) duration of sensory blockade was 450 (420; 503) min in women and 480 (450; 510) min in men (P = 0.49). Sensory onset time of blockade, and ultrasound visibility of nerves were also similar between the study groups. The total drug exposure across time (AUC0-infinity) was significantly higher in women (P = 0.017). After a the planned power re-analysis after these 24 study paticipants, which suggested that > 400 subjects would be required with 80% power and alpha error of 5% to find significance for the primary outcome parameter for marginal differences, we terminated the study at this point.

Conclusions

We did not detect significant differences between female and male study participants in terms of pharmacodynamic and morphometric characteristics after ultrasound guided ulnar nerve blocks. Women did show significantly greater pharmacokinetic ropivacaine exposures. The results of this study indicate that peripheral regional block pharmacodynamic characteristics are independent of the biological sex, whereas pharmacokinetic parameters are sex-dependent.
Multi-objective optimization of dual resource integrated scheduling problem of production equipment and RGVs considering conflict-free routing
Authors: Zhang Qinglei , Hu Jing , Liu Zhen , Duan Jianguo
Published: January 2024

In flexible job shop scheduling problem (FJSP), the collision of bidirectional rail guided vehicles (RGVs) directly affects RGVs scheduling, and it is closely coupled with the allocation of production equipment, which directly affects the production efficiency. In this problem, taking minimizing the maximum completion time of RGVs and minimizing the maximum completion time of products as multi-objectives a dual-resource integrated scheduling model of production equipment and RGVs considering conflict-free routing problem (CFRP) is proposed. To solve the model, a multi-objective improved discrete grey wolf optimizer (MOID-GWO) is designed. Further, the performance of popular multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) such as NSGA-Ⅱ, SPEA2 and MOPSO are selected for comparative test. The results show that, among 42 instances of different scales designed, 37, 34 and 28 instances in MOID-GWO are superior to the comparison algorithms in metrics of generational distance (GD), inverted GD (IGD) and Spread, respectively. Moreover, in metric of Convergence and Diversity (CD), the Pareto frontier (PF) obtained by MOID-GWO is closer to the optimal solution. Finally, taking the production process of a construction machinery equipment component as an example, the validity and feasibility of the model and algorithm are verified.
Proliferation and immunohistochemistry for p53, CD25 and CK20 in predicting prognosis of non-muscle invasive papillary urothelial carcinomas
Authors: Kvikstad Vebjørn , Lillesand Melinda , Gudlaugsson Einar , Mangrud Ok Målfrid , Rewcastle Emma , Skaland Ivar , Baak Jan P. A. , Janssen Emiel A. M.
Published: January 2024

Non-muscle invasive papillary urothelial carcinoma is a prevalent disease with a high recurrence tendency. Good prognostic and reproducible biomarkers for tumor recurrence and disease progression are lacking. Currently, WHO grade and tumor stage are essential in risk stratification and treatment decision-making. Here we present the prognostic value of proliferation markers (Ki67, mitotic activity index (MAI) and PPH3) together with p53, CD25 and CK20 immunohistochemistry (IHC). In this population-based retrospective study, 349 primary non-muscle invasive bladder cancers (NMIBC) were available. MAI and PPH3 were calculated manually according to highly standardized previously described methods, Ki-67 by the semi-automated QPRODIT quantification system, p53 and CD25 by the fully automated digital image analysis program Visipharm® and CK20 with the help of the semi-quantitative immunoreactive score (IRS). Survival analyses with log rank test, as well as univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed for all investigated variables. Age and multifocality were the only significant variables for tumor recurrence. All investigated variables, except gender, were significantly associated with stage progression. In multivariate analysis, MAI was the only prognostic variable for stage progression (p<0.001).
Impact of air humidity on the tenacity of different agents in bioaerosols
Authors: Siller Paul , Skopeck Britta , Rosen Kerstin , Bartel Alexander , Friese Anika , Rösler Uwe
Published: January 2024

Despite the variety of pathogens that are transmitted via the airborne route, few data are available on factors that influence the tenacity of airborne pathogens. In order to better understand and thus control airborne infections, knowledge of these factors is important. In this study, three agents, S. aureus, G. stearothermophilus spores and the MS2 bacteriophage, were aerosolized at relative humidities (RH) varying between 30% and 70%. Air samples were then analyzed to determine the concentration of the agents. S. aureus was found to have significantly lower survival rate in the aerosol at RH above 60%. It showed the lowest recovery rates of the three agents, ranging from 0.13% at approximately 70% RH to 4.39% at 30% RH. G. stearothermophilus spores showed the highest tenacity with recovery rates ranging from 41.85% to 61.73% with little effect of RH. For the MS2 bacteriophage, a significantly lower tenacity in the aerosol was observed with a recovery rate of 4.24% for intermediate RH of approximately 50%. The results of this study confirm the significant influence of the RH on the tenacity of airborne microorganisms depending on the specific agent. These data show that the behavior of microorganism in bioaerosols is varies under different environmental conditions.
Empirical study of college students’ extracurricular reading preference by functional data analysis of the library book borrowing behavior
Authors: Zhang Fan , Liu Yuling , Song Chao , Yang Chun , Hong Shaoyong
Published: January 2024

Library data contains many students’ reading records that reflect their general knowledge acquisition. The purpose of this study is to deeply mine the library book-borrowing data, with concerns on different book catalogues and properties to predict the students’ extracurricular interests. An intelligent computing framework is proposed by the fusion of a neural network architecture and a partial differential equations (PDE) function module. In model designs, the architecture is constructed as an adaptive learning backpropagation neural network (BPNN), with automatic tuning of its hyperparameters. The PDE module is embedded into the network structure to enhance the loss functions of each neural perceptron. For model evaluation, a novel comprehensive index is designed using the calculus of information entropy. Empirical experiments are conducted on a diverse and multimodal time-series dataset of library book borrowing records to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. Results validate that the proposed framework is capable of revealing the students’ extracurricular reading interests by processing related book borrowing records, and expected to be applied to “big data” analysis for a wide range of various libraries.
Inter- and intra-rater reproducibility of quantitative T1 measurement using semiautomatic region of interest placement in myometrium
Authors: Nakagawa Sadahiro , Uno Takahiro , Ishitoya Shunta , Takabayashi Eriko , Oya Akiko , Kubota Wakako , Okizaki Atsutaka
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the inter- and intraobserver reproducibility of quantitative T1 (qT1) measurements using manual and semiautomatic region of interest (ROI) placements. We hypothesized the usefulness of the semiautomatic method, which utilizes a three-dimensional (3D) anatomical relationship between the myometrium and other tissues, for minimizing ROI placement variation, thereby improving qT1 reproducibility compared to the manual approach. The semiautomatic approach, which considered anatomical relationships, was expected to enhance reproducibility by reducing ROI placement variabilities.

Materials and methods

This study recruited 23 healthy female volunteers. Data with variable flip angle (VFA) and inversion recovery were acquired using 3D-spoiled gradient echo and spin echo sequences, respectively. T1 maps were generated with VFA. Manual and semiautomatic ROI placements were independently conducted. Mean qT1 values were calculated from the T1 maps using the corresponding pixel values of the myometrial ROI. Inter- and intraobserver reproducibility of qT1 values was investigated. The inter- and intraobserver reproducibility of qT1 values was evaluated by calculating the coefficient of variation (CoV). Further, reproducibility was evaluated with inter- and intraobserver errors and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Bland–Altman analysis was utilized to compare the results, estimate bias, and determine the limits of agreement.

Results

The mean inter- and intraobserver CoV of the qT1 values for semiautomatic ROI placement was significantly lower than those for manual ROI placement (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). ICCs for semiautomatic ROI placement were greater than those for manual ROI placement. Further, the mean inter- and intraobserver errors for semiautomatic ROI placement were significantly lower than those for manual ROI placement (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively).

Conclusion

Semiautomatic ROI placement demonstrated high reproducibility of qT1 measurements compared with manual methods. Semiautomatic ROI placement may be useful for evaluating uterine qT1 with high reproducibility.
Validated respiratory drug deposition predictions from 2D and 3D medical images with statistical shape models and convolutional neural networks
Authors: Williams Josh , Ahlqvist Haavard , Cunningham Alexander , Kirby Andrew , Katz Ira , Fleming John , Conway Joy , Cunningham Steve , Ozel Ali , Wolfram Uwe
Published: January 2024

For the one billion sufferers of respiratory disease, managing their disease with inhalers crucially influences their quality of life. Generic treatment plans could be improved with the aid of computational models that account for patient-specific features such as breathing pattern, lung pathology and morphology. Therefore, we aim to develop and validate an automated computational framework for patient-specific deposition modelling. To that end, an image processing approach is proposed that could produce 3D patient respiratory geometries from 2D chest X-rays and 3D CT images. We evaluated the airway and lung morphology produced by our image processing framework, and assessed deposition compared toin vivodata. The 2D-to-3D image processing reproduces airway diameter to 9% median error compared to ground truth segmentations, but is sensitive to outliers of up to 33% due to lung outline noise. Predicted regional deposition gave 5% median error compared toin vivomeasurements. The proposed framework is capable of providing patient-specific deposition measurements for varying treatments, to determine which treatment would best satisfy the needs imposed by each patient (such as disease and lung/airway morphology). Integration of patient-specific modelling into clinical practice as an additional decision-making tool could optimise treatment plans and lower the burden of respiratory diseases.
Three-component contour dynamics model to simulate and analyze amoeboid cell motility in two dimensions
Authors: Schindler Daniel , Moldenhawer Ted , Beta Carsten , Huisinga Wilhelm , Holschneider Matthias
Published: January 2024

Amoeboid cell motility is relevant in a wide variety of biomedical processes such as wound healing, cancer metastasis, and embryonic morphogenesis. It is characterized by pronounced changes of the cell shape associated with expansions and retractions of the cell membrane, which result in a crawling kind of locomotion. Despite existing computational models of amoeboid motion, the inference of expansion and retraction components of individual cells, the corresponding classification of cells, and the a priori specification of the parameter regime to achieve a specific motility behavior remain challenging open problems. We propose a novel model of the spatio-temporal evolution of two-dimensional cell contours comprising three biophysiologically motivated components: a stochastic term accounting for membrane protrusions and two deterministic terms accounting for membrane retractions by regularizing the shape and area of the contour. Mathematically, these correspond to the intensity of a self-exciting Poisson point process, the area-preserving curve-shortening flow, and an area adjustment flow. The model is used to generate contour data for a variety of qualitatively different, e.g., polarized and non-polarized, cell tracks that visually resemble experimental data very closely. In application to experimental cell tracks, we inferred the protrusion component and examined its correlation to common biomarkers: the F-actin density close to the membrane and its local motion. Due to the low model complexity, parameter estimation is fast, straightforward, and offers a simple way to classify contour dynamics based on two locomotion types: the amoeboid and a so-called fan-shaped type. For both types, we use cell tracks segmented from fluorescence imaging data of the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum. An implementation of the model is provided within the open-source software package AmoePy, a Python-based toolbox for analyzing and simulating amoeboid cell motility.