bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mohs Micrographic Surgery Efficacy for Solid Organ Transplant Head and Neck Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Li Kevin L. , Schmalbach Cecelia E.
Published: January 2025

Objective

Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients carry a higher incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) with more aggressive features and worse outcomes compared to immunocompetent (IC) patients. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network advocates peripheral and deep en‐face margin assessment such as Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) for very‐high‐risk cSCC. We aim to assess the efficacy of MMS in the treatment of SOT immunosuppressed head and neck (HN) cSCC patients.

Study Design

Cohort study with planned chart review enrolling HN cSCC patients (2004‐2017).

Setting

Patients were enrolled from a tertiary care medical center registry.

Methods

Patients with cSCC were categorized on the independent variable of immune status. The incidence of MMS was compared between IC and SOT patients. Subgroup analysis of a matched cohort of patients treated with only MMS was performed for patient demographics, tumor characteristics, recurrence rates, and survival.

Results

A total Of 178 HN cSCC patients met the criteria. SOT patients were more likely to be treated with MMS, P < .001. In the subgroup analysis, 34 matched patients were treated with MMS alone. There was homogeneity between groups regarding patient demographics and tumor characteristics. One patient developed local recurrence in the SOT cohort (P = .310). Compared to IC cSCC patients, SOT patients treated with MMS did not experience worse disease‐free or overall survival (OS) (P = .540).

Conclusion

This study suggests that narrow‐margin MMS is an appropriate treatment option for SOT cSCC patients. SOT patients were more likely to be treated with MMS and did not compromise local recurrence, disease‐free, or OS.
Enhancing the performance of CFRP composite joints through a hybrid approach: Geometric modification (stepped adherends) and adhesive modification
Authors: Karthikeyan N. , Naveen Jesuarockiam
Published: January 2025

For aerospace applications, co‐curing bonding is more effective than co‐bonding and secondary bonding for joining fuselage frames to skins, wing ribs, and spars to skin joints. This study investigated the flexural and dynamic behaviors of co‐cured carbon fiber‐reinforced polymeric (CFRP) composite joints utilizing adherend and adhesive‐modified techniques. The adherend underwent modification to incorporate a stepped geometry and adhesive modified by multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWNCT). The flexural strength and modulus were enhanced by 13% and 12%, respectively, when using 0.75 wt% multi‐walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) modified adhesive in co‐cured‐CFRP joints over epoxy adhesive‐stepped adherends. In addition to that, both stepped adherend and 0.75 wt% of MWCNT adhesive in co‐cured CFRP composite joints showed a 261% enhancement in flexural strength and a 45% increase in modulus contrast to plain epoxy adhesive neat co‐cured CFRP composite joints. Interestingly, MWCNTs with a 0.75 wt% demonstrated the highest natural frequencies among all three vibration mode shapes, outperforming the pure adhesive epoxy stepped adherend co‐cured CFRP composite joint by 5%, 2%, and 8%, respectively. The results were investigated using a statistical analysis known as ANOVA. Optimization and prediction were performed utilizing a MATLAB neural net fit tool in conjunction with the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm.

Highlights

Adhesive prepared using six different wt% of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using ultrasonication.

Stepped adherend carbon fiber‐reinforced polymeric (CFRP) joints were fabricated by the co‐cure method.

Maximum flexural and dynamic behaviors at 0.75 wt% MWCNT in adhesive.

Statistical analysis was done using a one‐way ANOVA technique.

An artificial neural network predicts the flexural and dynamic behavior of CFRP composite joints.
Conservative Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation Screening in Children: Re‐Evaluation of Safety
Authors: ten Berg Fleur , Hessels Josefien , Hosman Anna , Boerman Sanne , Post Marco C. , Balemans Walter A. F. , Mager Hans‐Jurgen
Published: January 2025

Introduction

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is an autosomal dominant vascular disease and screening to detect pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) is important to prevent complications. In adults, transthoracic contrast echocardiogram (TTCE) is used to screen PAVMs. In children, a conservative screening method seems to be sufficient to rule out major PAVMs and prevent them from PAVM‐related complications. This study reevaluates the conservative noninvasive screening method using a larger cohort of children screened for HHT.

Methods

This single‐center observational cohort study includes children screened between December 1998 and December 2022. The screening consisted of medical history, physical examination, pulse oximetry, and chest radiography. Data regarding screening, PAVM presence and complications (including transient ischemic attack, stroke, brain abscess and hemoptysis) were collected using the Dutch HHT‐patient database.

Results

In total, 600 children, mean age 9.9 years (SD 4.3) were screened for the presence of PAVMs. None of the 600 children screened suffered any PAVM‐related complications after a total of 7102 years of patient follow‐up (251 children [42%] with a definite HHT‐diagnosis, accounting for 3232 years of follow‐up). In 32 patients (13% of children with HHT), a treatable PAVM was found during childhood.

Conclusion

This study confirms that a conservative PAVM screening method in children is safe to prevent complications related to PAVMs. Small PAVMs will be missed using this conservative approach, but without an increased risk of complications.
Forging the iron‐net: Towards a quantitative understanding of microbial communities via siderophore‐mediated interactions
Authors: Gu Shaohua , Shao Jiqi , He Ruolin , Xiong Guanyue , Qu Zeyang , Shao Yuanzhe , Yu Linlong , Zhang Di , Wang Fanhao , Xu Ruichen , Guo Peng , Xi Ningbo , Li Yinxiang , Wu Yanzhao , Wei Zhong , Li Zhiyuan
Published: January 2025

Iron is a critical yet limited nutrient for microbial growth. To scavenge iron, most microbes produce siderophores—diverse small molecules with high iron affinities. Different siderophores are specifically recognized and uptaken by corresponding recognizers, enabling targeted interventions and intriguing cheater‐producer dynamics. We propose constructing a comprehensive iron interaction network, or “iron‐net”, across the microbial world. Such a network offers the potential for precise manipulation of the microbiota, with conceivable applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry as well as advancing microbial ecology and evolution theories. Previously, our successful construction of an iron‐net in the Pseudomonas genus demonstrated the feasibility of coevolution‐inspired digital siderophore‐typing. Enhanced by machine learning techniques and expanding sequencing data, forging such an iron‐net calls for multidisciplinary collaborations and holds significant promise in addressing critical challenges in microbial communities.
Digital Technologies and Sustainable Development: An Insight From Corporate Sector
Authors: Javeed Sohail Ahmad , Yang Xiaoping , Latief Rashid , Ong Tze San , Jinglu Li
Published: January 2025

The excessive utilization of industrial output has drawn significant attention from authorities toward sustainable development. Given the substantial environmental challenges posed by the industrial sector, sustainable development has emerged as a paramount concern for scholars and organizations alike. In this context, considerable emphasis has been placed on the significance of digitization. Digital technologies, particularly blockchain technology (BCH) and digital finance (DF), are transforming the landscape of business and the economy, facilitating corporate sustainable development (CSD), enhancing corporate social practices, and fostering green innovation. Through the application of various econometric strategies using the Chinese business sector as a sample of the study, we found that BCH effectively promotes green innovation and corporate social activities. Additionally, our analysis underscores the critical role of DF in advancing corporate social practices and green innovation. Notably, we highlight the importance of human capital as a moderating factor that strengthens the relationships between BCH and CSD, as well as between digital finance and CSD. This study offers novel insights into ways, digital technology can enhance corporate sustainability practices and presents a framework that may be of significant utility to policymakers and decision‐makers.
1‐(4‐Bromobutyl)‐3‐methyl‐imidazolium Bromide: A Novel Green Ionic Liquid Catalyst for Intermolecular Dehydration of Alcohols
Authors: Wu Shi , Ai Zhiwei , Chen Limei , Tao Huilin , Liu Jia , Wang Jia , Cao Xinyu , Yu Zhongliang , Zhang Yongfan
Published: January 2025

A series of novel halogen‐functionalized imidazolium halides were successfully designed and synthesized by grafting halogenated hydrocarbons on the side chain of imidazolium and were applied to catalyze the intermolecular dehydration of alcohols. Under metal‐free, acid‐free, solvent‐free, mild conditions and in an air atmosphere, 1‐(4‐bromobutyl)‐3‐methylimidazolium bromide was found to efficiently catalyze the etherification of monohydric alcohols and diols, as well as the synthesis of certain unsymmetrical ethers. Interestingly, the immiscibility between ethers and ionic liquids resulted in the spontaneous separation of the catalyst from the product, which made this strategy highly applicable in the etherification. Furthermore, detailed mechanistic studies revealed that [BBrmim]Br formed a unique intermediate with a series of alcohol molecules, in which internal hydrogen atoms successfully underwent hydrogen transfer via hydrogen bonding, thereby ensuring a smooth catalytic process.
Building Bilayer MoS2 with Versatile Morphologies via Etching‐And‐Growth Coexisting Method
Authors: Feng Yibiao , Zhao Zihan , Zhang Tiantian , Luo Zejun , Yang Jian , Xu Boyu , Liu Nan , Nie Jiacai , Zhou Jun , Dou Ruifen
Published: January 2025

The etch‐engineering is a feasible avenue to tailor the layer number and morphology of 2D layered materials during the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth. However, less reports strengthen the etch‐engineering used in the fabrication of high‐quality transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials with tunable layers and desirable morphologies to improve their prominent performance in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here, an etching‐and‐growth coexistence method is reported to directly synthesize high‐quality, high‐symmetric MoS2 bilayers with versatile morphologies via CVD. The growth mechanism is intensively elucidated through analyzing the carrier Ar perturbation associated with the precursor concentration variations, revealing four growth stages including the growth‐priority, local‐etching, equilibrium of etching and growth, and etching‐priority. The as‐grown polygonal bilayer MoS2 exhibits a uniform characteristic, attributed to the formation of the high‐quality single crystal bilayer MoS2 owing to the limitation of the multigrain generation. The work not only enriches the understanding of the growth mechanism of the direct fabrication of TMD materials, but also offers a controllable protocol to engineer their morphologies and the shapes, which can benefit their applications in the electronic and optoelectronic devices.
Photochemical Stabilization of Self‐Assembled Spherical Nucleic Acids
Authors: Kaviani Sepideh , Bai Haochen , Das Trishalina , Asohan Jathavan , Elmanzalawy Abdelrahman , Marlyn Julian , Choueiri Lea El , Damha Masad J. , Laurent Quentin , Sleiman Hanadi F.
Published: January 2025

Oligonucleotide therapeutics, including antisense oligonucleotides and small interfering RNA, offer promising avenues for modulating the expression of disease‐associated proteins. However, challenges such as nuclease degradation, poor cellular uptake, and unspecific targeting hinder their application. To overcome these obstacles, spherical nucleic acids have emerged as versatile tools for nucleic acid delivery in biomedical applications. Our laboratory has introduced sequence‐defined DNA amphiphiles which self‐assemble in aqueous solutions. Despite their advantages, self‐assembled SNAs can be inherently fragile due to their reliance on non‐covalent interactions and fall apart in biologically relevant conditions, specifically by interaction with serum proteins. Herein, this challenge is addressed by introducing two methods of covalent crosslinking of SNAs via UV irradiation. Thymine photodimerization or disulfide crosslinking at the micellar interface enhance SNA stability against human serum albumin binding. This enhanced stability, particularly for disulfide crosslinked SNAs, leads to increased cellular uptake. Furthermore, this crosslinking results in sustained activity and accessibility for release of the therapeutic nucleic acid, along with improvement in unaided gene silencing. The findings demonstrate the efficient stabilization of SNAs through UV crosslinking, influencing their cellular uptake, therapeutic release, and ultimately, gene silencing activity. These studies offer promising avenues for further optimization and exploration of pre‐clinical, in vivo studies.
Charge Transfer Effect in Layered Cathodes Through MEMS‐Based In Situ TEM Studies
Authors: Guan Yujia , Yu Jia , Wang Jiajing , Xiong Manlin , Xu Zenan , Zhou Han , Yan Jingnan , Zhou Junjie , Zhang Qihua , Tendeloo Gustaaf Van , Sun Congli
Published: January 2025

The irreversible lattice oxygen release is the primary issue in layered oxide cathodes which is generally attributed to a consecutive phase transition with less lattice oxygen content. Herein, an anomalous metal segregation pathway is observed in oxygen vacancy defective layered cathodes, which happens far before the onset of phase transitions. The correlation of electron energy loss spectroscopy indicates that an early charge transfer from oxygen 2p to Mn 3d orbital is responsible. It further reveals a specific local vacancy heterogeneity that significantly lowers the migration barrier of Mn. This is further supported by the density functional theory simulations. In fact, the oxygen release is always initiated from the defective crystal, which alters the general degradation pathway initiated from the perfect crystal. This work shed light on the critical role of the local oxygen vacancy heterogeneity in the phase degradation of layered cathodes.
Effect of Buffer Layer Formed by Intentionally Induced Heterogeneous Reaction on CIGS Solar Cells
Authors: Cho Ara , Han Jimin , Song Soomin , Cho Sungwon , Jo Yonghee , Hwang Inchan , Shin Donghyeop , Jeong Inyoung , Ahn Seung Kyu , Park Joo Hyung , Kim Kihwan
Published: January 2025

A modified chemical surface deposition (mCSD) method was introduced to confirm the advantages of buffer layers deposited heterogeneously using a solution process mechanism. In chemical bath deposition (CBD), an absorber is immersed in a mixed aqueous solution containing all cation and anion precursors; in chemical surface deposition (CSD), only the absorber surface participates in the reaction using mixed precursor solutions; and in mCSD, each cation and anion precursor reacts separately on the absorber surface, resulting in a heterogeneous reaction. Optimum conditions to form a buffer layer via a heterogeneous reaction in the mCSD process are determined by changing the deposition order of the precursor solution and solution combination. The CdS or Zn(S,O,OH) buffer layers formed under optimal mCSD conditions indicated higher photovoltaic performance in solar cells compared to that of the conventional CdS buffer layer formed by the CBD method. Temperature‐dependent photovoltaic characteristics, capacitance–voltage measurements, and drive‐level capacitance profiling were performed to investigate carrier transport behaviors, confirming that the solar cell with mCSD‐CdS had less interface recombination. Further, the admittance spectroscopy for defect analysis indicated that a solar cell with the mCSD‐processed buffer layer did not form deep defects compared to that with the CBD‐processed buffer layer.
Contrasting distributions and expression characteristics of transcribing repeats in Setaria viridis
Authors: Franco Ana Luiza , Gu Wenjia , Novák Petr , Leitch Ilia J. , Viccini Lyderson F. , Leitch Andrew R.
Published: January 2025

Repetitive DNA contributes significantly to plant genome size, adaptation, and evolution. However, little is understood about the transcription of repeats. This is addressed here in the plant green foxtail millet (Setaria viridis). First, we used RepeatExplorer2 to calculate the genome proportion (GP) of all repeat types and compared the GP of long terminal repeat (LTR) retroelements against annotated complete and incomplete LTR retroelements (Ty1/copia and Ty3/gypsy) identified by DANTE in a whole genome assembly. We show that DANTE‐identified LTR retroelements can comprise ∼0.75% of the inflorescence poly‐A transcriptome and ∼0.24% of the stem ribo‐depleted transcriptome. In the RNA libraries from inflorescence tissue, both LTR retroelements and DNA transposons identified by RepeatExplorer2 were highly abundant, where they may be taking advantage of the reduced epigenetic silencing in the germ line to amplify. Typically, there was a higher representation of DANTE‐identified LTR retroelements in the transcriptome than RepeatExplorer2‐identified LTR retroelements, potentially reflecting the transcription of elements that have insufficient genomic copy numbers to be detected by RepeatExplorer2. In contrast, for ribo‐depleted libraries of stem tissues, the reverse was observed, with a higher transcriptome representation of RepeatExplorer2‐identified LTR retroelements. For RepeatExplorer2‐identified repeats, we show that the GP of most Ty1/copia and Ty3/gypsy families were positively correlated with their transcript proportion. In addition, guanine‐ and cytosine‐rich repeats with high sequence similarity were also the most abundant in the transcriptome, and these likely represent young elements that are most capable of amplification due to their ability to evade epigenetic silencing.
Genetic Variability of Pestivirus A (BVDV‐1) Circulating in Cattle From Eastern Turkey
Authors: Abounaaja Fatima , Babaoglu Ali Riza
Published: January 2025

Background

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infection, caused by Pestiviruses A and B, with various clinical findings and causes significant economic losses. This disease is common in Turkey as well as in other countries, especially in European countries.

Objective

This study was designed to determine the genotypes of BVDVs and their variability among cattle in eastern Turkey.

Methods

A total of 110 samples from 85 cattle suspected of BVDV infection were tested using RT‐PCR with primers targeting the 5′UTR, autoprotease (Npro) and E2 gene regions of pestiviruses. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses were performed on the 5′UTR and Npro gene regions of these samples.

Results

Analysis of 15 sequences obtained from 13 cattle revealed that Pestivirus A (BVDV‐1) was responsible for the infection. In addition, the study identified subgenotypes BVDV‐1a (n = 5), 1b (n = 5), 1d (n = 1), 1f (n = 1), 1l (n = 1) and 1r (n = 2). No evidence of infection with Pestivirus B (BVDV‐2), Pestivirus D (Border disease virus) or Pestivirus H (HoBi‐like virus/BVDV‐3) was found.

Conclusion

The significance of pestiviruses in causing genital and respiratory problems is once again emphasised, underscoring the necessity of including them in herd screening. Identifying BVDV genetic diversity both in Turkey and worldwide is crucial for developing effective protection, control and eradication strategies, particularly for vaccination programs. As a conclusion, the identification of BVDV‐1a, 1b, 1d, 1f, 1l and 1r in the eastern provinces of Turkey points to an increase in BVDV‐1 genetic diversity.
Predicting Live Weight for Female Rabbits of Meat Crosses From Body Measurements Using LightGBM, XGBoost and Support Vector Machine Algorithms
Authors: Önder Hasan , Tirink Cem , Yakubets Taras , Getya Andriy , Matvieiev Mykhalio , Kononenko Ruslan , Şen Uğur , Özkan Çağri Özgür , Tolun Tolga , Kaya Fahrettin
Published: January 2025

Prediction of body weight (BW) using biometric measurements is an important tool especially for animal welfare and automatic phenotyping tools that needs mathematical models. In this study, it was aimed to predict the BW using body length (BL), chest girth (CG) and width of the waist (WW) for rabbits of the maternal form of Hyla NG. The standard rabbit‐raising practices were applied for the animals. A highly efficient gradient‐boosting decision tree (LightGBM), eXtreme gradient‐boosting (XGBoost) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms were evaluated and compared to the prediction of BW. The coefficient of determination, root mean square error and mean absolute error values were used as comparison criteria. The results showed that LightGBM, XGBoost and SVM algorithms were well fit for the BW using the biometric measures with over 95% accuracy for both train and test sets. The BL was determined as the most explanatory variable on body weight.
The effect of hot corrosion on mechanical properties of the tin-doped titanium aluminide alloy
Authors: Magogodi Steven , Mathabathe Maria Ntsoaki , Rikhotso-Mbungela Rirhandzu , Vilane Velile , Siyasiya Charles , Bolokang Amogelang Sylvester
Published: January 2025

This work investigates the hot corrosion behaviour of Ti-48Al-2Nb-0.3Si and Ti-48Al-2Nb-0.3Si-1Sn alloys under 25 wt.% NaCl and 75 wt.% Na2SO4 molten salt mixture at 900 °C. The alloys were developed through vacuum arc melting and casting. The corrosion kinetics of the alloys were measured by mass change per unit surface area. The results revealed that both alloys experienced hot corrosion attacks; however, Ti-48Al-2Nb-0.3Si-1Sn alloy demonstrated superior corrosion resistance and retained good mechanical properties compared to the Ti-48Al-2Nb-0.3Si.
Data-driven analysis of the effects of microtextured surfaces on friction reduction for plastic syringe applications
Authors: Bornillo Kristal , Bovo Enrico , Sorgato Marco , Lucchetta Giovanni
Published: January 2025

This study explored the use of machine learning to optimize low-friction microstructures for plastic syringe applications, eliminating the need for silicone oil. Machine learning was employed to analyze available experimental data collected from the literature and identify key microstructure features affecting the coefficient of friction (COF) reduction. An artificial neural network (ANN) was used to analyze how the features affect COF reduction. The contact pressure primarily influenced the magnitude of % COF reduction, with higher contact pressure leading to a decrease in % COF reduction. A lower pitch increased % COF reduction due to a smaller contact area. Microdimples were generally more effective at reducing friction than micropillars or protruded structures. Two-photon polymerization (TPP) was employed to fabricate microdimpled prototypes, and friction tests validated the ANN predictions. Experimental validation demonstrated up to 57% friction reduction on microdimpled surfaces, with pitch and aspect ratio identified as the most critical factors. While some discrepancies were observed between ANN predictions and experimental outcomes, the machine learning model effectively highlighted the relative significance of different factors. This study demonstrates the potential of combining machine learning with advanced manufacturing techniques to enhance the performance of microtextured surfaces for friction reduction.
Sustained treatment-free remission in two chronic myeloid leukemia patients after asciminib discontinuation: a report of two cases
Authors: Yousefi Arjen , Levin Mark-David , Cornelissen Jan J. , Westerweel Peter E.
Published: January 2025

Selected chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients may discontinue their tyrosine kinase inihibitor (TKI) in an attempt to achieve sustained treatment-free remission (TFR), which mitigates therapy-related side effects and limits treatment costs. TFR has been extensively studied following the discontinuation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – competitive TKI. However, there is minimal data concerning TFR after the discontinuation of the novel TKI asciminib. Here, we present two CML patients intolerant to multiple ATP-competitive TKIs who achieved a deep molecular response (DMR) during asciminib treatment and sustained this remission after asciminib discontinuation. One of the cases developed transient myalgia and arthralgia after asciminib discontinuation consistent with a TKI withdrawal syndrome. Both patients have been free of molecular relapse for more than at least 8 months after TKI discontinuation without increase in molecular BCR::ABL1 signal. These two cases provide proof of principle that sustained TFR after discontinuing asciminib in CML patients is feasible.
Evaluating the impact of the Radiomics Quality Score: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Barry Nathaniel , Kendrick Jake , Molin Kaylee , Li Suning , Rowshanfarzad Pejman , Hassan Ghulam M. , Dowling Jason , Parizel Paul M. , Hofman Michael S. , Ebert Martin A.
Published: January 2025

Objectives

Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the application of the Radiomics Quality Score (RQS).

Materials and methods

A search was conducted from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023, for systematic reviews which implemented the RQS. Identification of articles prior to 2022 was via a previously published review. Quality scores of individual radiomics papers, their associated criteria scores, and these scores from all readers were extracted. Errors in the application of RQS criteria were noted and corrected. The RQS of radiomics papers were matched with the publication date, imaging modality, and country, where available.

Results

A total of 130 systematic reviews were included, and individual quality scores 117/130 (90.0%), criteria scores 98/130 (75.4%), and multiple reader data 24/130 (18.5%) were extracted. 3258 quality scores were correlated with the radiomics study date of publication. Criteria scoring errors were discovered in 39/98 (39.8%) of articles. Overall mean RQS was 9.4 ± 6.4 (95% CI, 9.1–9.6) (26.1% ± 17.8% (25.3%–26.7%)). Quality scores were positively correlated with publication year (Pearson R = 0.32, p < 0.01) and significantly higher after publication of the RQS (year < 2018, 5.6 ± 6.1 (5.1–6.1); year ≥ 2018, 10.1 ± 6.1 (9.9–10.4); p < 0.01). Only 233/3258 (7.2%) scores were ≥ 50% of the maximum RQS. Quality scores were significantly different across imaging modalities (p < 0.01). Ten criteria were positively correlated with publication year, and one was negatively correlated.

Conclusion

Radiomics study adherence to the RQS is increasing with time, although a vast majority of studies are developmental and rarely provide a high level of evidence to justify the clinical translation of proposed models.

Key Points

Question

What level of adherence to the Radiomics Quality Score have radiomics studies achieved to date, has it increased with time, and is it sufficient?

Findings

A meta-analysis of 3258 quality scores extracted from 130 review articles resulted in a mean score of 9.4 ± 6.4. Quality scores were positively correlated with time.

Clinical relevance

Although quality scores of radiomics studies have increased with time, many studies have not demonstrated sufficient evidence for clinical translation. As new appraisal tools emerge, the current role of the Radiomics Quality Score may change.
CAS-ESM2.0 Dataset for the G1ext Experiment of the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP)
Authors: Cui Min , Ji Duoying , Moore John C. , Zhang He , Jin Jiangbo , Fei Kece , Wu Chenglai , Zhu Jiawen , He Juanxiong , Chai Zhaoyang , Zhang Dongling
Published: January 2025

Solar radiation modification, a scheme aimed at mitigating rapid global warming triggered by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, has been explored through the G1ext experiment under the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) framework, utilizing the Chinese Academy of Sciences Earth System Model version 2 (CAS-ESM2.0). This paper briefly describes the basic configuration and experimental design of the CAS-ESM2.0 for G1ext, which involves a sudden reduction in solar irradiance to counterbalance the radiative forcing of an abrupt quadrupling of atmospheric CO2 concentration, running for 100 years. Preliminary results show that this model can reproduce well the compensatory effect of a uniform decrease in global solar radiation on the radiative forcing resulting from an abrupt quadrupling of CO2 concentration. Like other Earth system models, CAS-ESM2.0 reasonably captures variations in radiative adjustments, surface air temperature, and precipitation patterns, both globally and locally, under the G1ext scenario. The generated datasets have been released on the Earth System Grid Federation data server, providing insight into the potential efficacy and impact of solar geoengineering strategies.
Deep reinforcement learning-based adaptive fuzzy control for electro-hydraulic servo system
Authors: Khater A. Aziz , Fekry Mohamed , El-Bardini Mohammad , El-Nagar Ahmad M.
Published: January 2025

In this paper, a novel adaptive fuzzy controller based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is introduced for electro-hydraulic servo systems. The controller combines the strengths of fuzzy proportional–integral (PI) control and deep Q-learning network (DQLN) to achieve real-time adaptation and improve the control performance. The purpose of this paper is to address the challenges of controlling electro-hydraulic servo systems by developing an adaptive controller that can dynamically adjust its control parameters based on the system’s state. The traditional fuzzy PI controller is enhanced with DRL techniques to enable automatic adaptation and compensation for changing online conditions. The proposed adaptive controller utilizes a DQLN to dynamically adjust the scaling factors of the input/output membership functions. By using the DQLN algorithm, the controller learns from a variety of system data to determine the optimal control parameters. The update equation of the weights for the Q-network is derived using the Lyapunov stability (LS) theorem, which overcomes the limitations of gradient descent (GD) methods such as instability and local minima trapping. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed controller, it is practically implemented to regulate an electro-hydraulic servo system. The controller’s performance is compared against other existing controllers, and its enhancements are demonstrated through experimental evaluation.
Comparative study between fractional CO2 laser alone versus fractional CO2 laser combined with topical dutasteride in treatment of male androgenic alopecia
Authors: Galal Sara Ahmed , Ali Mona Sobh , A. HafizHala Hala Shawky
Published: January 2025

Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is the most common form of non-scarring hair loss, characterized by marked hair follicle miniaturization. AGA is a challenging skin condition with limited treatment results. Laser light can promote hair growth at specific wavelengths. The efficacy of fractional CO2 laser in scalp AGA treatment was reported in a few studies. We aimed to compare the efficacy of fractional CO2 laser alone versus the combination of fractional CO2 laser with topical dutasteride in the treatment of male AGA. 30 male patients with AGA were enrolled in the study; they were divided into two groups. All patients received three sessions of ablative fractional CO2 laser one month apart on the scalp, where group (I) patients were subjected to laser sessions only, and group (II) patients were subjected to topical dutasteride, first immediately after each session and secondly fifteen days after each session. The evaluation was done according to dermoscopy (DermLite® DL4) and photographic assessment. Patient satisfaction and side effects were reported. According to the global photo assessment, the combination of fractional CO2 laser with topical dutasteride showed a statistically significant improvement compared to the fractional CO2 laser alone group. The combination of fractional CO2 laser with topical dutasteride is more efficient in improving male androgenic alopecia than fractional CO2 laser alone according to the investigator’s global assessment. There was a significant improvement in all dermoscopic parameters in both groups.
Riverbank filtration: a frontline treatment method for surface and groundwater—African perspective
Authors: Uwimpaye Fasilate , Twagirayezu Gratien , Agbamu Isaac Odiri , Mazurkiewicz Karolina , Jeż-Walkowiak Joanna
Published: January 2025

Riverbank filtration (RBF) has emerged as a crucial and functional water treatment method, particularly effective in improving surface water quality. This review is aimed at assessing the suitability of RBF in regions with limited access to clean water, such as Africa, where it has the potential to alleviate water scarcity and enhance water security. This review used various studies, highlighting the principles, applications, and advancements of RBF worldwide. The findings of this review revealed that RBF effectively addresses a broad range of contaminants, including microbial pathogens, organic compounds, heavy metals, and micro-pollutants, through natural processes like adsorption, biodegradation, and filtration. These natural mechanisms significantly reduce waterborne contaminants, making RBF an eco-friendly, sustainable, and cost-effective alternative to conventional water treatment methods. Hydro geological factors, such as aquifer thickness and hydraulic conductivity, play an important role in the efficiency and overall performance of RBF systems. The integration of RBF with advanced treatment technologies not only removes contaminants more effectively but also ensures a sustainable supply of clean water for various applications. The cost-saving aspect of RBF, compared to traditional methods, is particularly significant in low-income regions. The study suggests a wider use of RBF, particularly in Africa, where it can strengthen resilient water supply systems in response to growing water scarcity and climate change concerns.
The effect of the intensive margin on waste separation behavior: a discrete choice experiment
Authors: Reingewertz Yaniv , Ayalon Ofira
Published: January 2025

Waste separation plays a critical role in sustainable waste management, yet implementing effective programs remains challenging due to varying household participation. This paper investigates the determinants of households’ willingness to sort waste into multiple streams, focusing on the intensive margin of waste separation behavior. Our key contribution is examining how increasing the number of required sorting streams impacts the willingness to participate, providing new insights into optimal sorting complexity. We also examine the roles of distance to collection facilities and monetary incentives. We conduct a discrete choice experiment using a representative sample of 481 respondents in Israel, each faced with 15 discrete choice games. The study offers valuable insights by examining a broad spectrum of sorting streams, ranging from a single stream up to six separation categories. The results show that asking respondents to sort waste into an additional waste stream increased their willingness to sort waste by 17% (OR = 1.17) on average. This suggests households are reasonably accepting of having to sort waste into multiple streams for recycling programs. The analysis also confirms positive effects of monetary incentives and proximity to collection points on the willingness to sort waste. Providing a $14 monthly incentive increased willingness to sort waste by 2.12 times, while adding 3 min to the walking distance reduced willingness to sort waste by 55% (OR = 0.45). Overall, the findings reveal considerable support among the Israeli population for comprehensive waste sorting and recycling efforts involving several segregated material streams, especially when combined with monetary incentives and convenient collection. We recommend that municipalities examine the economic viability of designing waste sorting programs with multiple streams with the provision of financial incentives, and while ensuring convenient access to collection facilities to enhance participation and optimize recycling outcomes.
How Parental Identity and Behaviors Contribute to the Well-being of Parents in an Ultra-Orthodox Society
Authors: Alon Raaya , Bergman Deitcher Deborah , Aram Dorit
Published: January 2025

The Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) sector is religiously conservative, insular, strictly adheres to Judaism, and considers raising children a central value. This study broadens the research on this sector by examining how conservativeness, parental identity, and parenting behaviors predict parental well-being. Parenting behaviors were assessed by the Parenting Pentagon Model (PPM), which includes five constructs that provide a comprehensive picture of parenting: Partnership, Leadership, Love, Independence, and Rules. Participants were 355 Haredi parents (279 mothers, 76 fathers), who completed questionnaires addressing primary study variables. The parents reported being more conservative than open, having a fairly strong parental identity, more optimal behaviors on the PPM, and fairly high levels of well-being. A regression analysis showed that having a child with a disability, conservativeness, parental identity, and the PPM all explained significant variance in parental well-being. A greater understanding of this sector can lend insight into other insular, conservative sectors around the world.
Pushing and Pulling: The Static and Dynamic Effects of Political Distrust on Support for Representative Democracy and its Rivals
Authors: van der Meer Tom W. G. , Janssen Lisa A.
Published: January 2025

Distrust is widely argued to stimulate support for political and institutional change. Yet, there is little agreement among scholars whether distrust pulls people towards rivaling decision-making models such as direct democracy, technocracy, and authoritarianism. This paper argues that political distrust is an unconditional push-factor away from the status quo (i.e., representative democracy), but that the appeal of any specific alternative decision-making models among distrusters is conditional on their political dispositions. This paper systematically tests rivaling theories on the micro-level relationship between political distrust and support for change, representative democracy, and alternative decision-making models. Crucially, we test to what extent the pull-factor of rivaling models is conditional on citizens’ political efficacy and populist leaning. Moreover, we separate the effects of structurally low trust from that of dynamically declining trust by estimating Random Effects Within Between (REWB) models on three-wave panel survey data across four European countries (the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Portugal). Our findings confirm that distrust unconditionally pushes people away from the status quo, but does not unconditionally pull people towards any alternative model. Rather than technocracy (mixed effects) and authoritarianism (predominantly negative effects), we find that political distrust particularly stimulates support for direct democracy. This positive effect of political distrust on support for direct democracy is particularly strong among efficacious citizens and supporters of populist parties. This aligns with the idea of dissatisfied democrats, whose distrust drives their ambition for more direct influence.
Sublethal and lethal toxicity assessment of lanthanum and gadolinium to Daphnia magna in a 7-day test method
Authors: Padilla Suarez Edith Guadalupe , Revel Marion , Libralato Giovanni , Guida Marco , Heise Susanne
Published: January 2025

The use of rare earth elements has increased in recent years, leading to a rise in environmental concentrations. Despite the growth in number of studies regarding toxicity, knowledge gaps remain. For Daphnia magna, standardized test methods involve exposure periods of either 48 h or 21 days to assess toxicological effects. In this study, the exposure period was adjusted to 7 days to evaluate sublethal endpoints not measurable in 48-h tests. Additionally, this approach enabled us to obtain results within a shorter time frame than that required for 21-day tests. This study focused on the individual toxicity of lanthanum (La) and gadolinium (Gd) to Daphnia magna. We assessed mortality, feeding rate, somatic growth, and maturity under static conditions, modifying the media by adding MOPS buffer to maintain an initial pH of 6.8 and providing Raphidocelis subcapitata as a daily food source. Results showed that the solubility of La decreased considerably, with the highest recovery rate dropping from 133.33% at the start to 32.73% by the end of the 7-day exposure period. In contrast, Gd solubility remained stable, with a recovery rate of 86.88% at the start and 81.30% at the end of the test. Daily lethal concentrations (LCx) were calculated, revealing LC10 values on the first day, LC20 on the second day, and LC50 by the third day for La and the second day for Gd. By the test’s end, the LC10, LC20, and LC50 values were 30.40, 78.96, and 403.67 µg L−1 for La, and 10.67, 33.73, and 241.28 µg L−1 for Gd. For the sublethal endpoints, maturity was the most sensitive endpoint with the EC20 and EC10 corresponding to 0.79 and 0.26 µg L−1 for La and 0.39 and 0.14 µg L−1 for Gd. Gd had a higher toxicity in all endpoints assessed. While a thorough comparison to existing literature remains challenging due to variations in endpoints assessed, the methodology employed in this study yielded a range of informative results. This approach provides a useful range-finding test for Daphnia magna toxicity assessments, particularly for preliminary screening, and may complement standardized methodologies.
A chemo-mechanical model of the swelling of anhydritic claystones
Authors: Nousiou Antonia , Anagnostou Georgios
Published: January 2025

Anhydritic claystones are widely distributed in the Gypsum Keuper formation. Their swelling is associated with the chemical process of anhydrite to gypsum transformation and has caused extensive damages in tunnels. Even though this problem has attracted great scientific interest, an adequate mathematical description of the swelling of anhydritic rocks is still missing. The present paper contributes towards closing this gap by formulating a coupled chemo-mechanical constitutive model, which considers anhydritic rock as an elastoplastic porous medium according to the principle of effective stresses, with a Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion, a non-associated flow rule and an additional, chemically induced strain component. The volumetric chemical strain is equal to the sum of the changes of the volume of the solids and of the pore volume. The change of the volume of the solids depends on the stoichiometry of the chemical reaction and is proportional to the mass of the transformed anhydrite. The pore volume may increase or decrease during the anhydrite to gypsum transformation, depending on how gypsum grows. The pore volume increases if the gypsum crystals crack and expand the matrix, and decreases if the gypsum crystals precipitate within the available pore space. The proposed model considers experimental results according to which the higher the stresses and porosity, the lower the increase in pore volume. In addition, the model assumes that the chemical strains are coaxial with the principal stresses and that the volumetric chemical strain in each principal direction is inversely proportional to the corresponding principal stress. The model is calibrated with results of tests on artificial anhydrite-kaolin specimens and achieves a very high correlation degree (R

2
 = 0.92).
A simple proximal algorithm based on the golden ratio for equilibrium problem on Hadamard manifolds
Authors: Oyewole O. K. , Abass H. A. , Moshokoa S. P.
Published: January 2025

In this paper, we propose a simple proximal method which is combined with the inertial and golden ratio technique as extrapolation methods for approximating a solution to the equilibrium problem. The proposed method is self-adaptive such that its execution does not depend on the knowledge of the Lipschitz condition of the associated pseudomonotone cost operator. Under mild and standard assumptions on the control parameters, we showed that the sequence of iterates generated by this method converges to a solution of the problem. Assuming that the cost operator is strongly pseudomonotone, we prove that the sequence of iterates converge R-linearly to a solution of the EP. To show the numerical efficiency of this proposed method, we displayed some numerical experiments.
The effects of initial temperature and inert–gas addition on the dynamic characteristics of hydrogen–air deflagration
Authors: Katsumi Toshiyuki , Noguchi Haruki , Zemba Atsushi , Sato Daisuke , Kadowaki Satoshi
Published: January 2025

The experiments of hydrogen–air deflagration were conducted in a closed combustion chamber to investigate the effects of initial temperature and inert gas addition on the dynamic characteristics. The dynamic behavior of spherically propagating flames was observed by using high-speed Schlieren photography, and the flame radius and propagation velocity were measured by analyzing Schlieren photographs. At sufficiently small flame radii, we obtained the propagation velocity of unstretched flame. At large flame radii, cellular flame fronts were generated by intrinsic instability. Owing to the cellular shape of fronts, the propagation velocity increased, and then the flame acceleration was confirmed. We obtained the increment coefficient of propagation velocity. As the initial temperature became higher, the dynamic behavior of flame fronts weakened. Thus, the increment coefficient normalized by the propagation velocity of unstretched flame decreased. This was because of the weakness of intrinsic instability. Moreover, the normalized increment coefficient increased as the inert gas concentration became higher, especially in the case of carbon dioxide as inert gas. The dynamic characteristics of hydrogen–air deflagration were greatly affected by the initial temperature and inert gas addition.

Graphical abstract