bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Different Clustering Techniques in Classifying the Vegetable Growing Panchayats of Ernakulam District, Kerala
Authors: Muhsina A. , Joseph Brigit
Published: January 2023

The goal of this study was to evaluate different clustering techniques in classifying the vegetable growing locations of Ernakulam (EKM) district of Kerala so that same nutrient recommendation can be prescribed for panchayats coming under the same cluster. Hierarchical clustering (HC) and K –means clustering were performed to group the panchayats based on soil fertility status and thereafter comparison of various clustering procedures was done using Davies – Bouldin (DB) index. Different dissimilarity measures- Euclidean, squared Euclidean, Chebychev distance and Mahalanobis D2 were determined and single linkage, complete linkage and average linkage methods were adopted under these measures. The results revealed that Mahalanobis D2 was the better clustering procedure with seven clusters (DB index: 0.120) followed by average linkage method under Euclidean distance (DB index: 0.306) with seven clusters. Manjapra and Keerampara panchayats remained as individual clusters.  Keerampara had strongly acidic soils (pH -5.17) with high available Mg (158 mg kg-1) while Manjapra soils had low Mg availability (19 mg kg-1) and high S content (57 mg kg-1).  Kakkad, Kalady and Vengoor came under cluster I which possessed approximately same EC (0.15-0.19 dS m-1), OC (2-2.4%) and Mg (71-73 mg kg-1) content. Chengamanadu and Vengola came under cluster III while Ayyampuzha and Mudakkuzha belong to cluster IV.
Effects of a School-Based Nutrition, Gardening, and Cooking Intervention on Metabolic Parameters in High-risk Youth
Authors: Davis Jaimie N. , Landry Matthew J. , Vandyousefi Sarvenaz , Jeans Matthew R. , Hudson Erin A. , Hoelscher Deanna M. , van den Berg Alexandra E. , Pérez Adriana
Published: January 2023

Importance

Although school-based gardening programs for children have consistently been shown to improve dietary behaviors, no cluster randomized clinical trial (RCT) has evaluated the effects of a school-based gardening intervention on metabolic outcomes.

Objective

To evaluate the effects of a school-based gardening, nutrition, and cooking intervention (Texas Sprouts) on changes in metabolic outcomes in elementary schoolchildren.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This study was a secondary analysis of a cluster RCT, conducted over 3 years from 2016 to 2019, at low-income elementary schools with majority Hispanic students in the greater Austin, Texas, area. Data were analyzed from January to August 2022.

Interventions

Texas Sprouts was 1 school year long (9 months) and consisted of (1) Garden Leadership Committee formation; (2) a 0.25-acre outdoor teaching garden; (3) 18 student gardening, nutrition, and cooking lessons taught by trained educators throughout the school year; and (4) 9 monthly parent lessons. The delayed intervention was implemented the following academic year and received an identical intervention.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The following measures were obtained at baseline and postintervention (9 months): demographics via survey; measured height, weight, and body mass index parameters; and glucose, insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, and a lipid panel via an optional fasting blood draw.

Results

Sixteen elementary schools were randomly assigned to either Texas Sprouts intervention (8 schools) or to delayed intervention (control, 8 schools). A total of 3302 children (aged 7-12 years) were enrolled in Texas Sprouts, and fasting blood samples were obtained from 1104 children (or 33% of those enrolled) at baseline. The final analytic sample included 695 children (307 boys [44.17%]; mean [SE] age, 9.28 [0.04] years; 480 Hispanic children [69.02%]; 452 [65.03%] eligible for free or reduced lunch) with complete demographic data and baseline and postintervention (9-month) fasting blood draws. Compared with control schools, children from Texas Sprouts schools had a 0.02% reduction in mean hemoglobin A1c (95% CI, 0.03%-0.14%; P = .005) and a 6.40 mg/dL reduction in mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (95% CI, 3.82-8.97 mg/dL; P = .048). There were no intervention effects on glucose, insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, or other lipid parameters.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cluster RCT, Texas Sprouts improved glucose control and reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in high-risk youth. These findings suggest that elementary schools should incorporate garden-based interventions as a way to improve metabolic parameters in children.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02668744
Perceptions of Stress and Mood Associated With Listening to Music in Daily Life During the COVID-19 Lockdown
Authors: Feneberg Anja C. , Stijovic Ana , Forbes Paul A. G. , Lamm Claus , Piperno Giulio , Pronizius Ekaterina , Silani Giorgia , Nater Urs M.
Published: January 2023

Importance

Music listening is a universal human experience. People of all ages and cultures often use music to reduce stress and improve mood, particularly in times of crisis. However, ecologically valid research examining the real-time association of music listening with stress and mood during the COVID-19 pandemic is scarce.

Objective

To explore the associations between listening to music and the perceptions of stress and mood using ecological momentary assessment during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this cohort study conducted between April 1 and May 8, 2020, adults from the general population residing in Austria and Italy were prompted by an app on their smartphone to report data 5 times per day across 7 consecutive days. Participants provided data on their real-time and real-life experiences in their natural environment while strict lockdown measures were in place. Data analysis was performed from March 2021 to February 2022.

Exposures

Data on self-reported music listening were recorded by means of mobile-based assessments. Perceived chronic stress was assessed once at the end of the study.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Perceptions of momentary stress and mood were measured using visual analog scales (score range, 0-100, where 0 indicates not at all and 100 indicates very much) by means of mobile app–based assessments.

Results

The final sample comprised 711 participants (497 women [69.9%]; median age, 27.0 years [IQR, 24.0-36.0 years]). Participants provided a total of 19 641 data points, including 4677 music listening reports. Music listening was prospectively associated with lower momentary stress levels (β, −0.92; 95% CI, −1.80 to −0.04;P = .04) and improvements in mood valence (β, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.17-2.63;P < .001), especially if the music was perceived as happy. Individuals with higher levels of chronic stress reported improved mood valence after music listening (β, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02-0.22;P = .02).

Conclusions and Relevance

The present findings suggest that music listening may be a means to modulate stress and mood during psychologically demanding periods. Individuals experiencing heightened momentary and/or chronic stress because of the challenges brought about by COVID-19 pandemic–related restrictions might consider music as an easily accessible tool for the management of stress and mood in daily life.
What is the optimal position of low‐frequency words across line boundaries? An eye movement investigation
Authors: Parker Adam J. , Räsänen Milla , Slattery Timothy J.
Published: January 2023

When displaying text on a page or a screen, only a finite number of characters can be presented on a single line. If the text exceeds that finite value, then text wrapping occurs. Often this process results in longer, more difficult to process words being positioned at the start of a line. We conducted an eye movement study to examine how this artefact of text wrapping affects passage reading. This allowed us to answer the question: should word difficulty be used when determining line breaks? Thirty‐nine participants read 20 passages where low‐frequency target words were either line‐initial or line‐final. There was no statistically reliable effect of our manipulation on passage reading time or comprehension despite several effects at a local level. Regarding our primary research question, the evidence suggests that word difficulty may not need to be accounted for when determining line breaks and assigning words to new lines.
Die Chemie des Cyaphid‐Ions
Authors: Görlich Tim , Coburger Peter , Yang Eric S. , Goicoechea Jose M. , Grützmacher Hansjörg , Müller Christian
Published: January 2023

In diesem Übersichtsartikel wird ein Überblick über die Chemie des Cyaphid‐Ions (C≡P)− gegeben. Dieses bemerkenswerte zweiatomige Anion ist bereits seit dem späten neunzehnten Jahrhundert Gegenstand von Untersuchungen, seine Isolierung und Charakterisierung entging den Chemikern jedoch fast hundert Jahre lang. In diesem Review werden die ausschlaggebenden Experimente, die seine Isolierung erst ermöglichten, ausführlich beschrieben. Des Weiteren wird aber auch auf neuere Entwicklungen eingegangen, die zeigen, dass bestimmte Reaktionen des Cyaphid‐Ions auf etablierten Salz‐Metathese‐Protokollen übertragen werden können. Darüber hinaus werden die physikalischen Eigenschaften des Cyaphid‐Ions näher beleuchtet, so dass die Chemie dieses Ions mit der seines leichteren Verwandten, dem Cyanid‐Ion (einem archetypischen Starkfeldliganden und eine wichtige organische funktionellen Gruppe) verglichen und gegenüberstellt werden kann. Jüngste Studien zeigen, dass das Cyaphid‐Ion das Potenzial hat, als vielseitiges chemisches Reagenz für die Synthese neuartiger Moleküle und Materialien eingesetzt werden kann, was eine Vielzahl interessanter, künftiger Untersuchungsmöglichkeiten ermöglichen wird.
Differentiating between Acidic and Basic Surface Hydroxyls on Metal Oxides by Fluoride Substitution: A Case Study on Blue TiO2 from Laser Defect Engineering
Authors: Lau Kinran , Niemann Felix , Abdiaziz Kaltum , Heidelmann Markus , Yang Yuke , Tong Yujin , Fechtelkord Michael , Schmidt Torsten C. , Schnegg Alexander , Campen R. Kramer , Peng Baoxiang , Muhler Martin , Reichenberger Sven , Barcikowski Stephan
Published: January 2023

Both oxygen vacancies and surface hydroxyls play a crucial role in catalysis. Yet, their relationship is not often explored. Herein, we prepare two series of TiO2 (rutile and P25) with increasing oxygen deficiency and Ti3+ concentration by pulsed laser defect engineering in liquid (PUDEL), and selectively quantify the acidic and basic surface OH by fluoride substitution. As indicated by EPR spectroscopy, the laser‐generated Ti3+ exist near the surface of rutile, but appear to be deeper in the bulk for P25. Fluoride substitution shows that extra acidic bridging OH are selectively created on rutile, while the surface OH density remains constant for P25. These observations suggest near‐surface Ti3+ are highly related to surface bridging OH, presumably the former increasing the electron density of the bridging oxygen to form more of the latter. We anticipate that fluoride substitution will enable better characterization of surface OH and its correlation with defects in metal oxides.
Homochiral versus Heterochiral Dimeric Helical Foldamer Bundles: Chlorinated‐Solvent‐Dependent Self‐Sorting
Authors: Menke Friedericke S. , Wicher Barbara , Maurizot Victor , Huc Ivan
Published: January 2023

Aromatic oligoamide sequences programmed to fold into stable helical conformations were designed to display a linear array of hydrogen‐bond donors and acceptors at their surface. Sequences were prepared by solid‐phase synthesis. Solution 1H NMR spectroscopic studies and solid‐state crystallographic structures demonstrated the formation of stable hydrogen‐bond‐mediated dimeric helix bundles that could be either heterochiral (with a P and an M helix) or homochiral (with two P or two M helices). Formation of the hetero‐ or homochiral dimers could be driven quantitatively using different chlorinated solvents—exemplifying a remarkable case of either social or narcissistic chiral self‐sorting or upon imposing absolute handedness to the helices to forbid PM species.
Synchronous Dual Electrolyte Additive Sustains Zn Metal Anode with 5600 h Lifespan
Authors: Yang Xianzhong , Li Weiping , Chen Ziyan , Tian Meng , Peng Jun , Luo Jinrong , Su Yiwen , Zou Yuhan , Weng Gao , Shao Yuanlong , Dou Shixue , Sun Jingyu
Published: January 2023

Despite conspicuous merits of Zn metal anodes, the commercialization is still handicapped by rampant dendrite formation and notorious side reaction. Manipulating the nucleation mode and deposition orientation of Zn is a key to rendering stabilized Zn anodes. Here, a dual electrolyte additive strategy is put forward via the direct cooperation of xylitol (XY) and graphene oxide (GO) species into typical zinc sulfate electrolyte. As verified by molecular dynamics simulations, the incorporated XY molecules could regulate the solvation structure of Zn2+, thus inhibiting hydrogen evolution and side reactions. The self‐assembled GO layer is in favor of facilitating the desolvation process to accelerate reaction kinetics. Progressive nucleation and orientational deposition can be realized under the synergistic modulation, enabling a dense and uniform Zn deposition. Consequently, symmetric cell based on dual additives harvests a highly reversible cycling of 5600 h at 1.0 mA cm−2/1.0 mAh cm−2.
Sensitive Detection of p‐Chlorobenzaldehyde in Environmental Water Based on Au@Ag‐MOFs Nanoparticle by Surface‐Enhanced Raman Scattering
Authors: Li Yuanting , Zhang Mengmeng , Wu Zhouya , Bao Xiaoli
Published: January 2023

Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is difficult to detect molecules with weak adsorption, like aldehydes. Herein, we fabricated core‐shell Au@Ag‐MOFs nanoparticles as SERS substrate. The shell can be controllably synthesized, with the thickness about 3 nm. After the morphology and SERS activity characterization, Au@Ag‐MOFs were employed to sensitive and label‐free detect p‐chlorobenzaldehyde (PCB) in water samples. The pore structure and large surface area of Ag‐MOFs shell results more adsorption of PCB, dragging more molecules to “hot spots” area. The abundant amino group in Ag‐MOFs allows the occurrence of Schiff base reaction with aldehyde group in PCB. Taking the synergistic effect of both physical and chemical enhancement, SERS signals of PCB were greatly boosted. The method showed good linearity between 5.0×10−12 M to 1.0×10−8 M for PCB with the limit of detection (LOD) down to 3.3×10−12 M. The proposed method has great potential to be a reliable analytical strategy for aldehydes in real samples.
Review recent rulings involving termination, constructive discharge
Authors: Lyerly Eric
Published: January 2023

An overview of the key topics faced by higher education administrators with citations to noteworthy cases, statutes, regulations, and additional sources.
Coumarin C−H Functionalization by Mn(I) Carbonyls: Mechanistic Insight by Ultra‐Fast IR Spectroscopic Analysis
Authors: Burden Thomas J. , Fernandez Kathryn P. R. , Kagoro Mary , Eastwood Jonathan B. , Tanner Theo F. N. , Whitwood Adrian C. , Clark Ian P. , Towrie Michael , Krieger Jean‐Philippe , Lynam Jason M. , Fairlamb Ian J. S.
Published: January 2023

Mn(I) C−H functionalization of coumarins provides a versatile and practical method for the rapid assembly of fused polycyclic pyridinium‐containing coumarins in a regioselective manner. The synthetic strategy enables application of bench‐stable organomanganese reagents in bothphotochemical‐andthermal‐promoted reactions. The cyclomanganated intermediates, and global reaction system, provide an ideal testing ground for structural characterization of the active Mn(I) carbonyl‐containing species, including transient species observable by ultra‐fast time‐resolved spectroscopic methods. The thermodynamic reductive elimination product, solely encountered from reaction between alkynes and air‐stable organometallic cyclomanganated coumarins, has enabled characterization of a critical seven‐membered Mn(I) intermediate, detected by time‐resolved infrared spectroscopy, enabling the elucidation of the temporal profile of key steps in the reductive elimination pathway. Quantitative data are provided. Manganated polycyclic products are readily decomplexed by AgBF4, opening‐up an efficient route to the formation of π‐extended hybrid coumarin‐pyridinium compounds.
The optimal design of 3D‐printed lattice bone plate by considering fracture healing mechanism
Authors: Xu Shipeng , Ding Xiaohong , Xiong Min , Duan Pengyun , Zhang Heng , Li Zhuoyi
Published: January 2023

The biomechanical stimulus is the most important factor for fracture healing and mainly determined by the structural stiffness of bone plate. Currently, the materials commonly used in bone plates are stainless steel and titanium, which often lead to stress shielding effects because of their higher elastic modulus compared with the bone. This article suggests an optimal design method of lattice bone plate based on fracture healing theory. First, the mechanical regulation model with deviatoric strain is established to simulate the tissue differentiation process during fracture healing process. The ratio of the average elastic modulus of callus at the 120th day to the elastic modulus of mature bone is used to characterize the fracture healing rate. Second, the optimal elastic modulus of the design domain is obtained by the optimization mathematical model with the maximum fracture healing rate. Then, the design domain is filled with microstructures, the porosity of which is adjusted to make it possible that the equivalent elastic modulus is equal to the optimized value. And the finite element analysis of the bone plate with microstructure is executed. Finally, the designed lattice bone plates are manufactured through 3D printing, and the mechanical test is carried out. The simulation results indicate that the fracture healing rate is maximum when the elastic modulus of material in design domain is 38 GPa under the constraints of fixation stability. And both the finite element analysis and experiment results show that the designed lattice bone plate meet the strength requirements of fracture internal fixation implants.
Self‐attention based progressive generative adversarial network optimized with arithmetic optimization algorithm for kidney stone detection
Authors: V. Brindha Devi , K. Johny Elma , S. Rooban , Shajin Francis H.
Published: January 2023

Self‐attention based progressive generative adversarial network optimized with arithmetic optimization algorithm (AOA) is proposed in this manuscript for kidney stone detection. Initially, the input kidney stone images are gathered via CT kidney dataset. Then, the input image is preprocessed by utilizing APPDRC filtering approach. Also, the preprocessed images are given to the multi‐level thresholding segmentation technique for segmented the image. Then the segmented images are given to the TF‐IDF feature extraction method for extracting the features. Then the extracted features are fed to feature selection using Weibull distributive generalized multidimensional scaling methods for selecting the features. Then the selected features are SPGGAN classification method for kidney stone detection. Generally, SPGGAN not reveal any adoption of optimization methods compute optimum parameters for assuring correct kidney stone detection. Thus, AOA is used for optimizing the weight parameters of SPGGAN and it is implemented in python, its performance is examined under certain performances metrics, such as accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, F‐measure, computational time, and ROC. The proposed SPGGAN‐AOA‐KSD method attains 54.78%, 34.89%, and 20.96% higher accuracy and 3.45%, 4.08%, and 5.06% greater AUC compared with existing methods, such as a ANN‐OGGA‐KSD, HMANN‐BPA‐KSD, and ANN‐CSOA‐KSD respectively.
HMDE‐FS: A homogeneous distributed ensemble feature selection framework based on resampling with/without replacement
Authors: Nosrati Vahid , Rahmani Mohsen
Published: January 2023

Applying ensemble feature selection (EFS) models in various problems has not been actively discussed, and there has been a lack of effort to make it applicable in the situations such as distributed environments. Due to restrictions of centralized algorithms such as their poor scalability in the high dimension data and also distributed nature of some data, using the traditional centralized computing for dealing with such problems may be inevitable. This paper aims to develop a homogenous distributed ensemble feature selection (HMDE‐FS) framework through a distributed resampling approach rather than a centralized one. The homogenous ensembles mainly operate along with a resampling process, so applying various methods to resampling can affect the performance of the model. Among various strategies, those with and without replacement are two of the main technique families, hence we investigated the efficiency of two well‐known with/without replacement techniques: bootstrapping (BS) and cross‐validation (CV) inspired method that we named crisscross (CC). The proposed HMDE‐FS approaches are tested on eight datasets, and the heavy experimental results illustrate that these methods considerably reduce runtime, while classification accuracy maintains its competitiveness.
A review of computational modeling, machine learning and image analysis in cancer metastasis dynamics
Authors: Hirway Shreyas U. , Weinberg Seth H.
Published: January 2023

Cancer is a life‐threatening process that stems from genetic mutations in cells, which leads to the formation of tumors, and is a major cause of deaths in the United States, with secondary metastasis being a major driver of fatality. The development of an optimal metastatic environment is an essential process prior to tumor metastasis. This process, called pre‐metastatic niche formation, involves the activation of resident fibroblast‐like cells and macrophages. Tumor‐mediated factors introduced to this environment transform resident cells that secrete additional growth factors and remodel the extracellular matrix, which is thought to promote tumor colonization and metastasis in the secondary environment. Furthermore, an important component of metastasis is the biological process of epithelial–mesenchymal transition, which can be exploited by cancer cells to change their phenotype, to migrate and proliferate as necessary. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the investigation of cancer growth and migration. Computational models that focus on biochemical signaling and multicellular dynamics are examined. Machine learning models and image analysis that classify cancer‐related data are also explored. Through this review, we highlight advances in the study of important aspects of cancer and metastasis signaling and computational tools to study these dynamics.
The Cautious Tale of Cryptocurrency Mining
Authors: Cartwright Echo D.
Published: January 2023

For followers of the cryptocurrency industry—and who isn't nowadays—2022 did not end well and going into 2023 it doesn't appear much better. There is a dark cloud hanging over the industry. The barrage of negative news regarding cryptocurrency valuation and related technology concerns has no doubt created headwinds for the industry and those who have invested in cryptocurrency mining. Certainly, numerous questions have surfaced as to crypto's sustainability—both on the environmental front and financially, whether investors can rely on the technology's security. At the time of this writing, questions surrounding the latter have sent the crypto market reeling, with impacts on broader exchanges and investigations and indictments brought against one of the industry's largest cryptocurrency exchangers, FTX. And while numerous state and federal leaders are calling for more regulatory oversight of the industry on several fronts (we'll save the financial fallout for another editorial), the impacts of cryptocurrency mining on a changing climate are at the top of the list at federal, state, and local levels.
Model‐based estimation in monetary policy inertia and it's another possibility
Authors: Cha H. E. , Lim Raymond Jay
Published: January 2023

In this paper, different monetary policy rules are re‐estimated employing real‐time data, known as Greenbook data, through MLE and Bayesian Estimation. The results favour the rule with persistent shocks and show that the inertial movement of the Federal funds rate is an illusion, as mentioned by Rudebusch (2002). Since it would be possible to have an omitted variable bias due to impure serial correlation, however, the rule with persistent shock could imply that the other serially correlated variable is required to explain the inertial movement of Federal funds rates. Based on this idea, serial correlation tests are implemented, showing the possibility of an omitted serial correlated variable. Therefore, it is reasonable to search for other persistent variables. As an illusion implies unpredictability in the movement of the Federal funds rate, this hypothesis could be against the credibility of the central bank. In order to have a reasonable explanation for the inertial movement other than persistent shocks, therefore, modifying the rule with a 3‐month t‐bill rate is re‐estimated. The result shows that the rule with the t‐bill rate outperformed in all aspects and is compatible with one theoretical explanation of minimizing the financial volatility for inertial movement.
Light sheet imaging and interactive analysis of the cardiac structure in neonatal mice
Authors: Sodimu Oluwatofunmi , Almasian Milad , Gan Peiheng , Hassan Sohail , Zhang Xinyuan , Liu Ning , Ding Yichen
Published: January 2023

Light‐sheet microscopy (LSM) enables us to strengthen the understanding of cardiac development, injury, and regeneration in mammalian models. This emerging technique decouples laser illumination and fluorescence detection to investigate cardiac micro‐structure and function with a high spatial resolution while minimizing photodamage and maximizing penetration depth. To unravel the potential of volumetric imaging in cardiac development and repair, we sought to integrate our in‐house LSM, Adipo‐Clear, and virtual reality (VR) with neonatal mouse hearts. We demonstrate the use of Adipo‐Clear to render mouse hearts transparent, the development of our in‐house LSM to capture the myocardial architecture within the intact heart, and the integration of VR to explore, measure, and assess regions of interests in an interactive manner. Collectively, we have established an innovative and holistic strategy for image acquisition and interpretation, providing an entry point to assess myocardial micro‐architecture throughout the entire mammalian heart for the understanding of cardiac morphogenesis.
Frequent coexistence of early repolarization pattern, J‐point elevation, and high Sokolow‐Lyon voltage in young men
Authors: Saito Nagomi , Nagahara Daigo , Kamiyama Naoyuki , Fujito Takefumi , Koyama Masayuki , Mochizuki Atsushi , Yano Toshiyuki , Takahashi Satoshi
Published: January 2023

Background

Earlier studies have shown male dominance of an early repolarization (ER) pattern and frequent coexistence with high Sokolow‐Lyon voltage. Although possible involvement of androgen is speculated, the underlying mechanism has not been clarified yet. Previous studies were conducted in adult populations or only in children, and there has been no study in which the ER pattern was investigated in a series of individuals ranging from children before puberty to adults.

Methods

We included 600 individuals comprising six groups according to age: 10–14 years old, 15–19 years old, twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties. Each group had 50 males and 50 females. The distribution of an ER pattern and related ECG parameters were assessed by age and gender.

Results

In early teenagers, there was no significant gender difference in the prevalence of an ER pattern (24% in men vs. 28% in women, p = .82). The prevalence of an ER pattern increased after puberty and reached a peak in men in their twenties (42%). With further advance of age, the prevalence of an ER pattern decreased. On the other hand, the prevalence of an ER pattern in women peaked at 28% in teenagers, and it decreased through twenties (20%) to thirties (10%). Similar male dominance after puberty was observed in Sokolow‐Lyon voltage and J‐point elevation but not in P‐wave amplitude.

Conclusion

The prevalence of an ER pattern, Sokolow‐Lyon voltage, and J‐point elevation are all augmented after puberty and decrease with aging, leading to frequent coexistence of these ECG findings in young men.
Ranking and selection for pairwise comparison
Authors: Xiao Hui , Zhang Yao , Kou Gang , Zhang Si , Branke Juergen
Published: January 2023

In many real‐world applications, designs can only be evaluated pairwise, relative to each other. Nevertheless, in the simulation literature, almost all the ranking and selection procedures are developed based on the individual performances of each design. This research considers the statistical ranking and selection problem when the design performance can only be simulated pairwise. We formulate this new problem using the optimal computing budget allocation approach and derive the asymptotic optimality condition based on some approximations. The numerical study indicates that our approach can reduce the number of simulations required to confidently identify the best design.
Towards an integrated radiofrequency safety concept for implant carriers in MRI based on sensor‐equipped implants and parallel transmission
Authors: Petzold Johannes , Schmitter Sebastian , Silemek Berk , Winter Lukas , Speck Oliver , Ittermann Bernd , Seifert Frank
Published: January 2023

To protect implant carriers in MRI from excessive radiofrequency (RF) heating it has previously been suggested to assess that hazard via sensors on the implant. Other work recommended parallel transmission (pTx) to actively mitigate implant‐related heating. Here, both ideas are integrated into one comprehensive safety concept where native pTx safety (without implant) is ensured by state‐of‐the‐art field simulations and the implant‐specific hazard is quantified in situ using physical sensors. The concept is demonstrated by electromagnetic simulations performed on a human voxel model with a simplified spinal‐cord implant in an eight‐channel pTx body coil at
. To integrate implant and native safety, the sensor signal must be calibrated in terms of an established safety metric (e.g., specific absorption rate [SAR]). Virtual experiments show that
‐field and implant‐current sensors are well suited for this purpose, while temperature sensors require some caution, and
probes are inadequate. Based on an implant sensor matrix
, constructed in situ from sensor readings, and precomputed native SAR limits, a vector space of safe RF excitations is determined where both global (native) and local (implant‐related) safety requirements are satisfied. Within this safe‐excitation subspace, the solution with the best image quality in terms of
magnitude and homogeneity is then found by a straightforward optimization algorithm. In the investigated example, the optimized pTx shim provides a 3‐fold higher
magnitude compared with circularly polarized excitation for a maximum implant‐related temperature increase
.

To date, sensor‐equipped implants interfaced to a pTx scanner exist as demonstrator items in research labs, but commercial devices are not yet within sight. This paper aims to demonstrate the significant benefits of such an approach and how this could impact implant‐related RF safety in MRI. Today, the responsibility for safe implant scanning lies with the implant manufacturer and the MRI operator; within the sensor concept, the MRI manufacturer would assume much of the operator's current responsibility.
Synthesis of Functionalized 2‐Oxo‐2H‐benzo[h]chromene‐3‐carbonitriles from 1‐Tetralones
Authors: Ghatak Trisha , Althagafi Ismail , Chahal Mohit , Nath Mahendra , Pratap Ramendra
Published: January 2023

We have developed a facile oxidative approach for the synthesis of C‐4 functionalized 2‐oxo‐2H‐benzo[h]chromenes. The required precursors, 4‐(methylthio)‐2‐oxo‐5,6‐dihydro‐benzo[h]chromenes were synthesized by reaction of 1‐tetralones and 2‐cyano‐3,3‐bis(methylthio)acrylate under basic conditions, which can be further aminated with different secondary amines in refluxing ethanol. We have reported the NBS and AIBN mediated oxidation of 5,6‐dihydro‐benzo[h]chromenes to afford 4‐(substituted)‐2‐oxo‐benzo[h]chromenes. The scope of dehydrohalogenation was further extended for the synthesis of thiophene‐fused chromenes. Reactivity of synthesized 4‐(substituted)‐2‐oxo‐benzo[h]chromenes was also explored with C‐ and S‐nucleophiles.
circFLNA promotes intestinal injury during abdominal sepsis through Fas-mediated apoptosis pathway by sponging miR-766-3p
Authors: Ye Ling , Shi Yuan , Zhang Huifeng , Chen Chao , Niu Jingjing , Yang Jianxu , Li Zhifeng , Shao Huanzhang , Qin Bingyu
Published: January 2023

Background

Intra-abdominal infections are the second most common cause of sepsis in the intensive care unit. Intestinal epithelial injury due to abdominal sepsis results in a variety of pathological changes, such as intestinal bacteria and toxins entering the blood, leading to persistent systemic inflammation and multiple organ dysfunction. The increased apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells induced by sepsis further exacerbates the progression of sepsis. Although several studies have revealed that circRNAs are involved in intestinal epithelial injury in sepsis, few studies have identified the roles of circRNAs in intestinal epithelial apoptosis.

Methods

We used laser capture microdissection to obtain purified epithelial cells located in intestinal crypts from four patients with abdominal sepsis induced by intestinal perforation and four samples from age and sex-matched non-septic patients. Microarray analysis of circRNAs was conducted to assess differentially expressed circRNAs between patients with and without sepsis. Lastly, in vitro and in vivo assays were performed to study the mechanism of circFLNA in intestinal epithelial apoptosis during sepsis.

Results

circFLNA was upregulated in the intestinal epithelium after abdominal sepsis induced by intestinal perforation. Inhibition of miR-766-3p impaired si-circFLNA-mediated inhibition of apoptosis and inflammation factor levels in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated HIEC-6 cells. circFLNA aggravated apoptosis and inflammation through the Fas-mediated apoptosis pathway in both LPS-treated HIEC-6 cells and a mouse cecal ligation and puncture model.

Conclusion

Our findings showed that circFLNA promotes intestinal injury in abdominal sepsis through the Fas-mediated apoptosis pathway by sponging miR-766-3p. The circFLNA/miR-766-3p/Fas axis has potential as a novel therapeutic target for treating intestinal injury in sepsis.
Low Mach Number Limit for the Degenerate Navier–Stokes Equations in Presence of Strong Stratification
Authors: Fanelli Francesco , Zatorska Ewelina
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we investigate the low Mach and low Froude numbers limit for the compressible Navier–Stokes equations with degenerate, density-dependent, viscosity coefficient, in the strong stratification regime. We consider the case of a general pressure law with singular component close to vacuum, and general ill-prepared initial data. We perform our study in the three-dimensional periodic domain. We rigorously justify the convergence to the generalised anelastic approximation, which is used extensively to model atmospheric flows.
Effects of quinpirole in the ventral tegmental area on impulsive behaviour during performance on the five-choice serial reaction time task
Authors: Toschi Chiara , Robbins Trevor W. , Dalley Jeffrey W.
Published: January 2023

Impulsive behaviour on the five-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT), a task measuring attention and impulsivity in rodents, is known to depend on dopamine (DA) neurotransmission in the mesolimbic DA pathway. Previous research in our lab reported that systemic administration of the D2/3 agonist quinpirole, which decreases DA release in the striatum, reduced premature responses in rats performing the 5CSRTT. It is unclear, however, whether this effect is mediated by the activation of inhibitory somatodendritic receptors in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which in turn leads to a reduction in DA release in the nucleus accumbens, a major terminal region of the mesolimbic DA pathway. In the present study, we investigated this possibility by infusing quinpirole directly into the VTA of rats during performance on the 5CSRTT. We found that quinpirole, at the highest dose, significantly reduced the frequency of premature responses on the 5CSRTT. Thus, the effects of quinpirole and other D2/3 receptor agonists to reduce this form of impulsive behaviour appear to depend on the activation of somatodendritic D2/3 receptors in the VTA.
Cabozantinib exposure–response analysis for the phase 3 CheckMate 9ER trial of nivolumab plus cabozantinib versus sunitinib in first-line advanced renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Tran Benjamin Duy , Li Jing , Ly Neang , Faggioni Raffaella , Roskos Lorin
Published: January 2023

Purpose

In the phase 3 CheckMate 9ER trial, intravenous nivolumab (240 mg every 2 weeks) plus oral cabozantinib (40 mg/day) improved progression-free survival (PFS) versus sunitinib as first-line therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). To support cabozantinib dosing with the combination, this exposure–response analysis characterized the relationship of cabozantinib exposure with clinical endpoints.

Methods

Dose modification was allowed with cabozantinib (holds and reductions) to manage adverse events (AEs). The population pharmacokinetics analysis was updated and used to generate individual predicted cabozantinib exposure measures. Kaplan–Meier plots and time-to-event Cox proportional hazard (CPH) exposure–response models characterized the relationship of cabozantinib exposure with PFS, dose modifications, and selected AEs.

Results

Kaplan–Meier plots showed no clear difference in PFS across cabozantinib exposure quartiles. Cabozantinib exposure did not significantly affect the hazard of PFS in the CPH base model nor in the final model. In contrast, baseline albumin and nivolumab clearance had a significant effect on PFS. There was no significant relationship between cabozantinib clearance and risk of dose modification, but a significant relationship was identified between cabozantinib exposure and Grade ≥ 1 palmar-plantar-erythrodysesthesia and Grade ≥ 3 diarrhea in the exposure–response analysis.

Conclusion

To optimize individual cabozantinib exposure, these data support the dose modification strategies in CheckMate 9ER for cabozantinib in patients with advanced RCC when combined with nivolumab.
Exact solutions and bounds for network SIR and SEIR models using a rooted-tree approximation
Authors: Hall Cameron Luke , Siebert Bram Alexander
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we develop a new node-based approximate model to describe contagion dynamics on networks. We prove that our approximate model is exact for Markovian SIR (susceptible-infectious-recovered) and SEIR (susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered) dynamics on tree graphs with a single source of infection, and that the model otherwise gives upper bounds on the probabilities of each node being susceptible. Our analysis of SEIR contagion dynamics is general to SEIR models with arbitrarily many classes of exposed/latent state. In all cases of a tree graph with a single source of infection, our approach yields a system of linear differential equations that exactly describes the evolution of node-state probabilities; we use this to state explicit closed-form solutions for an SIR model on a tree. For more general networks, our approach yields a cooperative system of differential equations that can be used to bound the true solution.
Facilitators and barriers to adhere to monitoring disease activity with ePROs: a focus group study in patients with inflammatory arthritis
Authors: Seppen Bart F. , Wiegel Jimmy , Nurmohamed Michael T. , Bos Wouter H. , ter Wee Marieke M.
Published: January 2023

Telemonitoring disease activity with electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) may reduce the workload of rheumatic care by decreasing outpatient clinic visits. However, low adherence to reporting ePROs is frequently observed. Our objective was to identify facilitators and barriers to weekly monitoring of disease activity with ePROs. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who recently participated in one of the two telemonitoring studies with ePROs completed in a smartphone app, were invited to participate in focus group discussions (FGD). Thematic analysis was used to identify themes that play a role in the decision to continue or stop reporting weekly ePROs. A total of 22 patients participated in three FGDs. Five themes were identified that were of importance to adhere to telemonitoring: (1) questionnaire frequency, (2) discussing results of completed ePROs, (3) physical consultations, (4) patient insight into disease activity and (5) user experience of the app. All themes contained both barrier and facilitator elements. The results suggest that to improve adherence to telemonitoring of disease activity with ePROs, the perceived benefits of completing ePROs should be maximized. This can be done by providing patients the ability to skip (unneeded) physical consultations in case of low disease activity, and training clinicians to always discuss the completed ePROs. In addition, it is essential to reduce the effort to report ePROs, by tailoring the frequency of ePROs based on the patients’ disease activity or preference, aiming for optimal app functionality as well as by sending notifications when new ePROs are available.
Parametric model order reduction by machine learning for fluid–structure interaction analysis
Authors: Lee SiHun , Jang Kijoo , Lee Sangmin , Cho Haeseong , Shin SangJoon
Published: January 2023

An improved nonintrusive parametric model order reduction (pMOR) approach is proposed for the flow field interpolation regarding fluid–structure interaction (FSI) objects. Flow field computation using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) requires excessive computational time and memory. Nonintrusive and data-driven MOR schemes have been proposed to overcome such limitations. The present methodology is implemented by both proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and a modified Nouveau variational autoencoder (mNVAE). POD attempts to reduce the number of degrees of freedom (DOFs) on the precomputed series of the full-order model parametric result. The reduced DOF yields parametrically independent reduced bases and dependent coefficients. Then, mNVAE is employed for the interpolation of POD coefficients, which will be combined with POD modes for parametrically interpolated flow field generation. The present approach is assessed on the benchmark problem of a two-dimensional plunging airfoil and the highly nonlinear FSI phenomenon of the limit cycle oscillation. The comparison was executed against other POD-based generative neural network approaches. The proposed methodology demonstrates applicability on highly nonlinear FSI objects with improved accuracy and efficiency.
Orbital floor fractures—a comparison between CT images and findings at surgery
Authors: Folkestad Lena , Jönsson Lars , Karlsson Therese
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The present study aims to investigate how well CT images correlate to surgical findings in orbital floor fractures and to the presence of diplopia.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, 27 consecutive patients already selected for surgery due to an orbital floor fracture underwent a routine CT scan (axial, coronal, sagittal). An ophthalmologist established any presence of diplopia. Extent of fracture/injury seen on CT was compared to that discovered during surgery.

Results

In the surgeons´ opinions CT-images were in concordance with surgical findings in 71% of the cases. Agreement for pure blow out fractures was high (92%). Tetrapod fractures as a cause of an orbital floor fracture was only identified as such by surgeons in three of 11 cases, all subjected to orbital exploration, not only a closed reduction. Diplopia showed a significant correlation to rounding of the inferior rectus muscle at coronal CT. “Rounding” significantly correlated with the presence of a floor defect, to herniation of soft tissues and to the volume of displaced tissue.

Conclusions

The results imply that the joint professional interaction between neuroradiology and surgery is important and would benefit from the use of an easy and well-defined classification system of orbital floor fractures. In Sweden a national record to collect data on all zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures assessed is to be started aiming at making general statements possible by time.
Rhizophagus irregularis improves Hg tolerance of Medicago truncatula by upregulating the Zn transporter genes ZIP2 and ZIP6
Authors: Guo Yaqin , Sommer Nadine , Martin Konrad , Rasche Frank
Published: January 2023

Mercury (Hg) pollution of soils is a critical environmental problem. To rehabilitate Hg contaminated soils, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi-based phytoremediation may be supportive, yet the functional potential of AM fungi in response to Hg exposure is unclear. In a greenhouse experiment, we assessed the response of Medicago truncatula (Hg tolerance index (TI), Hg partitioning) to different Hg concentrations [0 (Hg0), 25 (Hg25), 50 (Hg50) µg g−1] in treatments with (AM) and without (NM) inoculation of Rhizophagus irregularis. Additionally, zinc (Zn) uptake and the expression of two Zn transporter genes (ZIP2, ZIP6) were examined because Zn is an essential element for plants and shares the same outer electronic configuration as Hg, implying potential competition for the same transporters. The results showed that AM plants had a higher TI than NM plants. Plant roots were identified as dominant Hg reservoirs. AM inoculation reduced the root Hg concentration under Hg50 compared to the NM treatment. There was an interaction between Hg treatment and AM inoculation on Hg stem concentration, i.e., at Hg25, AM inoculation decreased the Hg translocation from roots to stems, while Hg translocation was increased at Hg50 compared to the NM treatment. Zn acquisition was improved by R. irregularis. The negative relationship between Hg and Zn concentrations in the roots of AM and NM plants implied potential competition for the same transporters, although the expression of Zn transporters was upregulated by AM inoculation at all Hg levels. In conclusion, this baseline study demonstrated that R. irregularis may play an important role in Hg tolerance of M. truncatula, suggesting its potential for Hg-contaminated phytoremediation.