bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and evaluation of a patient-centred program for low anterior resection syndrome: protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Garfinkle Richard , Loiselle Carmen G , Park Jason , Fiore Jr Julio F , Bordeianou Liliana G , Liberman A Sender , Morin Nancy , Faria Julio , Ghitulescu Gabriela , Vasilevsky Carol-Ann , Bhatnagar Sahir R , Boutros Marylise
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is described as disordered bowel function after rectal resection that leads to a detriment in quality of life, and affects the majority of individuals following restorative proctectomy for rectal cancer. The management of LARS includes personalised troubleshooting and effective self-management behaviours. Thus, affected individuals need to be well informed and appropriately engaged in their own LARS management. This manuscript describes the development of a LARS patient-centred programme (LPCP) and the study protocol for its evaluation in a randomised controlled trial.

Methods and analysis

This will be a multicentre, randomised, assessor-blind, parallel-groups, pragmatic trial evaluating the impact of an LPCP, consisting of an informational booklet, patient diaries and nurse support, on patient-reported outcomes after restorative proctectomy for rectal cancer. The informational booklet was developed by a multidisciplinary LARS team, and was vetted in a focus group and semistructured interviews involving patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. The primary outcome will be global quality of life (QoL), as measured by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire—Core 30 (QLQ-C30), at 6 months after surgery. The treatment effect on global QoL will be modelled using generalised estimating equations. Secondary outcomes include symptom change, patient activation, bowel function measures, emotional distress, knowledge about LARS and satisfaction with the LPCP.

Ethics and dissemination

The Research Ethics Committee (REC) at the Integrated Health and Social Services Network for West-Central Montreal (health network responsible for the Jewish General Hospital) is the overseeing REC for all Quebec sites. They have granted ethical approval (MP-05-2019-1628) for all Quebec hospitals (Jewish General Hospital, McGill University Health Center, CHU de Quebec) and have granted full authorisation to begin research at the Jewish General Hospital. Patient recruitment will not begin at the other Quebec sites until inter-institutional contracts are finalised and feasibility/authorisation for research is granted by their respective REC. The results of this study will be presented at national and international conferences, and a manuscript with results will be submitted for publication in a high-impact peer-reviewed journal.

Trial registration number

NCT03828318Pre-results.
Desmopressin for reversal of Antiplatelet drugs in Stroke due to Haemorrhage (DASH): protocol for a phase II double-blind randomised controlled feasibility trial
Authors: Desborough Michael J R , Al-Shahi Salman Rustam , Stanworth Simon J , Havard Diane , Brennan Paul M , Dineen Robert A , Coats Timothy J , Hepburn Trish , Bath Philip M , Sprigg Nikola
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) can be devastating and is a common cause of death and disability worldwide. Pre-ICH antiplatelet drug use is associated with a 27% relative increase in 1 month case fatality compared with patients not using antithrombotic drugs. We aim to assess the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled testing the safety and efficacy of desmopressin for patients with antiplatelet-associated ICH.

Methods and analysis

We aim to include 50 patients within 24 hours of spontaneous ICH onset, associated with oral antiplatelet drug(s) use in at least the preceding 7 days. Patients will be randomised (1:1) to receive intravenous desmopressin 20 µg in 50 mL sodium chloride 0.9% infused over 20 min or matching placebo. We will mask participants, relatives and outcome assessors to treatment allocation. Feasibility outcomes include proportion of patients approached being randomised, number of patients receiving allocated treatment, rate of recruitment and adherence to treatment and follow-up. Secondary outcomes include change in ICH volume at 24 hours; hyponatraemia at 24 hours, length of hospital stay, discharge destination, early death less than 28 days, death or dependency at day 90, death up to day 90, serious adverse events (including thromboembolic events) up to day 90; disability (Barthel index, day 90), quality of life (EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D), day 90), cognition (telephone mini-mental state examination day 90) and health economic assessment (EQ-5D).

Ethics and dissemination

The Desmopressin for reversal of Antiplatelet drugs in Stroke due to Haemorrhage (DASH) trial received ethical approval from the East Midlands—Nottingham 2 research ethics committee (18/EM/0184). The DASH trial is funded by National Institute for Health and Care Research RfPB grant: PB-PG-0816-20011. Trial results will be published in a peer reviewed academic journal and disseminated through academic conferences and through patient stroke support groups. Reporting will be in compliance with Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials recommendations.

Trial registration numbers

NCT03696121;NCT67038373; EudraCT 2018-001904-12.
Effect of surfactant dose on outcomes in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome: the OPTI-SURF study protocol
Authors: Goss Kevin Colin William , Gale Chris , Malone Rachel , Longford Nicholas , Ratcliffe Kirsty , Modi Neena
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Respiratory distress syndrome is a condition seen in preterm infants primarily due to surfactant insufficiency. European guidelines recommend the dose and method of surfactant administration. However, in routine practice, clinicians often use a ‘whole vial’ approach to surfactant dosing. The aim of this study is to assess whether in preterm infants of gestational age 36+6weeks+daysor less, a low first dose of surfactant (100–130 mg/kg) compared with a high first dose (170–200 mg/kg) affects survival with no mechanical ventilation on either on postnatal days 3 and 4, and other outcomes.

Methods and analysis

In this prospective, observational study, we will use the National Neonatal Research Database as the main data source. We will obtain additional information describing the dose and method of surfactant administration through the neonatal EPR system. We will use propensity scores to form matched groups with low first dose and high first dose for comparison.

Ethics and dissemination

This study was approved by the West Midlands—Black Country Research Ethics Committee (REC reference: 18/WM/0132; IRAS project ID: 237111). The results of the research will be made publicly available through presentations at local, national or international conferences and will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Trial registration number

NCT03808402.
Design and development of the Pediatric Urology Recovery After Surgery Endeavor (PURSUE) multicentre pilot and exploratory study
Authors: Rove Kyle O , Strine Andrew C , Wilcox Duncan T , Vricella Gino J , Welch Timothy P , VanderBrink Brian , Chu David I , Chaudhry Rajeev , Zee Rebecca S , Brockel Megan A
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Lower urinary tract reconstruction in paediatric urology represents a physiologically stressful event that is associated with high complication rates, including readmissions and emergency room visits. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is a set of multidisciplinary, perioperative strategies designed to expedite surgical recovery without adversely impacting readmission or reoperation rates. Early paediatric urology data demonstrated ERAS reduced complications in this population.

Methods and analysis

In 2016, a working group of paediatric urologists and anaesthesiologists convened to develop an ERAS protocol suitable for patients undergoing lower urinary tract reconstruction and define study process measures, patient-reported outcomes and clinically relevant outcomes in paediatric and adolescent/young adult patients. A multicentre, prospective, propensity-matched, case–control study design was chosen. Each centre will enrol five pilot patients to verify implementation. Subsequent enrolled patients will be propensity matched to historical controls. Eligible patients must be aged 4–25 years and undergoing planned operations (bladder augmentation, continent ileovesicostomy or appendicovesicostomy, or urinary diversion). 64 ERAS patients and 128 controls will be needed to detect a decrease in mean length of stay by 2 days. Pilot phase outcomes include attainment of ≥70% mean protocol adherence per patient and reasons for protocol deviations. Exploratory phase primary outcome is ERAS protocol adherence, with secondary outcomes including length of stay, readmissions, reoperations, emergency room visits, 90-day complications, pain scores, opioid usage and differences in Quality of Recovery 9 scores.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been registered with authors’ respective institution review boards and will be published in peer-reviewed journals. It will provide robust insight into the feasibility of ERAS in paediatric urology, determine patient outcomes and allow for iteration of ERAS implementations as new best practices and evidence for paediatric surgical care arise. We anticipate this study will take 4 years to fully accrue with completed follow-up.

Trial registration number

NCT03245242.
Effect of the VivaSight double-lumen tube on the incidence of hypoxaemia during one-lung ventilation in patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery: a study protocol for a prospective randomised controlled trial
Authors: Long Si , Li Yuhang , Guo Junying , Hu Rong
Published: April 2023

Introduction

A double-lumen tube (DLT) is a traditional one-lung ventilation tool that needs to be positioned under the guidance of a fibreoptic bronchoscope or auscultation. The placement is complex, and poor positioning often causes hypoxaemia. In recent years, VivaSight double-lumen tubes (v-DLTs) have been widely used in thoracic surgery. Because the tubes can be continuously observed during intubation and the operation, malposition can be corrected at any time. However, the effect of v-DLT on perioperative hypoxaemia has been rarely reported. The aim of this study was to observe the incidence of hypoxaemia during one-lung ventilation with v-DLT and to compare the perioperative complications between v-DLT and conventional double-lumen tube (c-DLT).

Methods and analysis

One hundred patients planning to undergo thoracoscopic surgery will be randomised into the c-DLT group and the v-DLT group. During one-lung ventilation, both groups of patients will receive low tidal volume for volume control ventilation. When the blood oxygen saturation falls below 95%, the DLT will be repositioned and the oxygen concentration will be increased to improve the respiratory parameters (5 cm H2O Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on the ventilation side and 5 cm H2O CPAP (continuous airway positive pressure) on the operation side), and double lung ventilation measures will be taken in sequence to prevent a further decline in blood oxygen saturation. The primary outcomes are the incidence and duration of hypoxaemia and the number of intraoperative hypoxaemia treatments, and the secondary outcomes will be postoperative complications and total hospitalisation expenses.

Ethics and dissemination

The study protocol was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University (2020–418) and registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (http://www.chictr.org.cn). The results of the study will be analysed and reported.

Trial registration number

ChiCTR2100046484.
Older adults’ experiences and perceived impacts of the Aging, Community and Health Research Unit-Community Partnership Program (ACHRU-CPP) for diabetes self-management in Canada: a qualitative descriptive study
Authors: Yous Marie-Lee , Ganann Rebecca , Ploeg Jenny , Markle-Reid Maureen , Northwood Melissa , Fisher Kathryn , Valaitis Ruta , Chambers Tracey , Montelpare William , Légaré France , Beleno Ron , Gaudet Gary , Giacometti Luisa , Levely Deborah , Lindsay Craig , Morrison Allan , Tang Frank ,   On behalf of the ACHRU-CPP Research Team
Published: April 2023

Objectives

To assess the experiences and perceived impacts of the Aging, Community and Health Research Unit-Community Partnership Program (ACHRU-CPP) from the perspectives of older adults with diabetes and other chronic conditions. The ACHRU-CPP is a complex 6-month self-management evidence-based intervention for community-living older adults aged 65 years or older with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and at least one other chronic condition. It includes home and phone visits, care coordination, system navigation support, caregiver support and group wellness sessions delivered by a nurse, dietitian or nutritionist, and community programme coordinator.

Design

Qualitative descriptive design embedded within a randomised controlled trial was used.

Setting

Six trial sites offering primary care services from three Canadian provinces (ie, Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island) were included.

Participants

The sample was 45 community-living older adults aged 65 years or older with diabetes and at least one other chronic condition.

Methods

Participants completed semistructured postintervention interviews by phone in English or French. The analytical process followed Braun and Clarke’s experiential thematic analysis framework. Patient partners informed study design and interpretation.

Results

The mean age of older adults was 71.7 years, and the mean length of time living with diabetes was 18.8 years. Older adults reported positive experiences with the ACHRU-CPP that supported diabetes self-management, such as improved knowledge in managing diabetes and other chronic conditions, enhanced physical activity and function, improved eating habits, and opportunities for socialisation. They reported being connected to community resources by the intervention team to address social determinants of health and support self-management.

Conclusions

Older adults perceived that a 6-month person-centred intervention collaboratively delivered by a team of health and social care providers helped support chronic disease self-management. There is a need for providers to help older adults connect with available health and social services in the community.

Trial registration number

ClinicalTrials.gov ID:NCT03664583; Results.
Cross-sectional study to assess depression among healthcare workers in Lusaka, Zambia during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Simbeza Sandra , Mutale Jacob , Mulabe Musunge , Jere Lazarus , Bukankala Chama , Sikombe Kombatende , Sikazwe Izukanji , Bolton-Moore Carolyn , Mody Aaloke , Geng Elvin H , Sharma Anjali , Beres Laura K , Pry Jake M
Published: April 2023

Objectives

We sought to assess depression among healthcare workers (HCWs) in the context of COVID-19 in Lusaka Province, Zambia.

Design

This cross-sectional study is nested within a larger study, the Person-Centred Public Health for HIV Treatment in Zambia (PCPH), a cluster-randomised trial to assess HIV care and outcomes.

Setting

The research was conducted in 24 government-run health facilities from 11 August to 15 October 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lusaka, Zambia.

Participants

We used convenience sampling to recruit HCW participants who were previously enrolled in the PCPH study, had more than 6 months’ experience working at the facility and were voluntarily willing to participate.

Primary outcome measures

We implemented the well-validated 9-question Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess HCW depression. We used mixed-effects, adjusted Poisson regression to estimate the marginal probability of HCWs experiencing depression that may warrant intervention (PHQ-9 score ≥5) by healthcare facility.

Results

We collected PHQ-9 survey responses from 713 professional and lay HCWs. Overall, 334 (46.8%, 95% CI 43.1%, 50.6%) HCWs recorded a PHQ-9 score ≥5, indicating the need for further assessment and potential intervention for depression. We identified significant heterogeneity across facilities and observed a greater proportion of HCWs with symptoms of depression in facilities providing COVID-19 testing and treatment services.

Conclusions

Depression may be a concern for a large proportion of HCWs in Zambia. Further work to understand the magnitude and aetiologies of depression among HCWs in the public sector is needed to design effective prevention and treatment interventions to meet the needs for mental health support and to minimise poor health outcomes.
Factors predicting the transition from acute to persistent pain in people with ‘sciatica’: the FORECAST longitudinal prognostic factor cohort study protocol
Authors: Schmid Annina B , Ridgway Lucy , Hailey Louise , Tachrount Mohamed , Probert Fay , Martin Kathryn R , Scott Whitney , Crombez Geert , Price Christine , Robinson Claire , Koushesh Soraya , Ather Sarim , Tampin Brigitte , Barbero Marco , Nanz Daniel , Clare Stuart , Fairbank Jeremy , Baskozos Georgios
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Sciatica is a common condition and is associated with higher levels of pain, disability, poorer quality of life, and increased use of health resources compared with low back pain alone. Although many patients recover, a third develop persistent sciatica symptoms. It remains unclear, why some patients develop persistent sciatica as none of the traditionally considered clinical parameters (eg, symptom severity, routine MRI) are consistent prognostic factors.

The FORECAST study (factors predicting the transition from acute to persistent pain in people with ‘sciatica’) will take a different approach by exploring mechanism-based subgroups in patients with sciatica and investigate whether a mechanism-based approach can identify factors that predict pain persistence in patients with sciatica.

Methods and analysis

We will perform a prospective longitudinal cohort study including 180 people with acute/subacute sciatica. N=168 healthy participants will provide normative data. A detailed set of variables will be assessed within 3 months after sciatica onset. This will include self-reported sensory and psychosocial profiles, quantitative sensory testing, blood inflammatory markers and advanced neuroimaging. We will determine outcome with the Sciatica Bothersomeness Index and a Numerical Pain Rating Scale for leg pain severity at 3 and 12 months.

We will use principal component analysis followed by clustering methods to identify subgroups. Univariate associations and machine learning methods optimised for high dimensional small data sets will be used to identify the most powerful predictors and model selection/accuracy.

The results will provide crucial information about the pathophysiological drivers of sciatica symptoms and may identify prognostic factors of pain persistence.

Ethics and dissemination

The FORECAST study has received ethical approval (South Central Oxford C, 18/SC/0263). The dissemination strategy will be guided by our patient and public engagement activities and will include peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, social media and podcasts.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN18170726; Pre-results.
Engineering second-generation TCR-T cells by site-specific integration of TRAF-binding motifs into theCD247locus
Authors: Lah Sangjoon , Kim Segi , Kang In , Kim Hyojin , Hupperetz Cedric , Jung Hyuncheol , Choi Hyeong Ryeol , Lee Young-Ho , Jang Hyeon-Ki , Bae Sangsu , Kim Chan Hyuk
Published: April 2023

Background

The incorporation of co-stimulatory signaling domains into second-generation chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) significantly enhances the proliferation and persistence of CAR-T cells in vivo, leading to successful clinical outcomes.

Methods

To achieve such functional enhancement in transgenic T-cell receptor-engineered T-cell (TCR-T) therapy, we designed a second-generation TCR-T cell in which CD3ζ genes modified to contain the intracellular domain (ICD) of the 4-1BB receptor were selectively inserted into theCD247locus.

Results

This modification enabled the simultaneous recruitment of key adaptor molecules for signals 1 and 2 on TCR engagement. However, the addition of full-length 4-1BB ICD unexpectedly impaired the expression and signaling of TCRs, leading to suboptimal antitumor activity of the resulting TCR-T cells in vivo. We found that the basic-rich motif (BRM) in the 4-1BB ICD was responsible for the undesirable outcomes, and that fusion of minimal tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor (TRAF)-binding motifs at the C-terminus of CD3ζ (zBBΔBRM) was sufficient to recruit TRAF2, the key adaptor molecule in 4-1BB signaling, while retaining the expression and proximal signaling of the transgenic TCR. Consequently, TCR-T cells expressing zBBΔBRMexhibited improved persistence and expansion in vitro and in vivo, resulting in superior antitumor activity in a mouse xenograft model.

Conclusions

Our findings offer a promising strategy for improving the intracellular signaling of TCR-T cells and their application in treating solid tumors.
Response of forest productivity to changes in growth and fire regime due to climate change
Authors: Pau Mathilde , Gauthier Sylvie , Boulanger Yan , Ouzennou Hakim , Girardin Martin P. , Bergeron Yves
Published: April 2023

Climate change is having complex impacts on the boreal forest, modulating both tree growth limiting factors and fire regime. However, these aspects are usually projected independently when estimating climate change effect on the boreal forest. Using a combination of three different methods, our goal is to assess the combined impact of changes in growth and fire regime due to climate change on the timber supply at the transitions from closed to open boreal coniferous forests in Québec, Canada. To identify the areas that are likely to be the most sensitive to climate change, we projected climate-induced impacts on growth and fire activity at three different time periods: 2011–2040 RCP 8.5 for low growth change and minimum fire activity, 2071–2100 RCP 4.5 for moderate growth change and medium fire activity, and 2071–2100 RCP 8.5 for high growth change and maximum fire activity. Our study shows the importance of incorporating fire in strategic forest management planning especially in a context of climate change. Under the most extreme scenarios, the negative impact of fire activity on productive area and total volume mostly offsets the positive effects of climate change via improved tree growth.
Adaptive Passive Cell Balancing of Battery Management System for an Electric Vehicle Application
Authors: Arthanareeswaran Jeyashree , Loganathan Ashok Kumar
Published: April 2023

The battery pack powers the electric motor in a battery-operated electric vehicle. To achieve the required power, the cells are connected in series and parallel combinations to form a battery pack. The battery pack is monitored using the battery management system. During the charging and discharging process, imbalance occurs in the cells due to intrinsic and extrinsic properties of the battery chemistry. This cell imbalance induces problems, such as an under-discharge, over-charge, increase in charging time and reduction in battery lifecycle. The passive and active balancing technique is employed to balance the individual cells in the battery pack. In this paper, the adaptive passive cell balancing is performed for a battery pack of six series-connected Li-ion cells of rating 3.6[Formula: see text]V, 4[Formula: see text]Ah under ideal, charging, discharging and drive cycle conditions using MATLAB/Simscape. In this proposed adaptive passive cell balancing methodology, a dynamic resistance is selected based on the threshold values to balance the individual cells in the battery pack. For this battery pack, the proposed design achieves 34% reduction in balancing time, 17% reduction in energy loss, and 14% reduction in power loss under ideal conditions. The experimental verification is also done and shows that the balancing time is about 2400[Formula: see text]s. The capacity fade factor of the battery pack is also analyzed.
Chaos Robustness and Computation Complexity of Piecewise Linear and Smooth Chaotic Chua’s System
Authors: Vinko Davor , Miličević Kruno , Vidović Ivan , Zorić Bruno
Published: April 2023

Chaotic systems are often considered to be a basis for various cryptographic methods due to their properties, which correspond to cryptographic properties like confusion, diffusion and algorithm (attack) complexity. In these kinds of applications, chaos robustness is desired. It can be defined by the absence of periodic windows and coexisting attractors in some neighborhoods of the parameter space. On the other hand, when used as a basis for neuromorphic modeling, chaos robustness is to be avoided, and the edge-of-chaos regime is needed. This paper analyses the robustness and edge-of-chaos for Chua’s systems, comprising either a piecewise linear or a smooth function nonlinearity, using a novel figure of merit based on correlation coefficient and Lyapunov exponent. Calculation complexity, which is important when a chaotic system is implemented, is evaluated for double and decimal data types, where needed calculation time varies by a factor of about 1500, depending on the nonlinearity function and the data type. On the other hand, different data types result in different number precision, which has some practical advantages and drawbacks presented in the paper.
ABNORMAL DETECTION OF WIND TURBINE CONVERTER BASED ON CWGANGP-CSSVM
Authors: TANG MINGZHU , TANG JUN , WU HUAWEI , WANG YANG , HU YIYUN , LIU BEIYUAN , ALASSAFI MADINI O. , ALSAADI FAWAZ E. , AHMAD ADIL M. , XIONG FUQIANG
Published: April 2023

Abnormal detection of wind turbine converter (WT) is one of the key technologies to ensure long-term stable operation and safe power generation of WT. The number of normal samples in the SCADA data of WT converter operation is much larger than the number of abnormal samples. In order to solve the problem of low abnormal data and low recognition rate of WTs, we propose a sample enhancement method for WT abnormality detection based on an improved conditional Wasserstein generative adversarial network. Since the anomaly samples of WT converters are few and difficult to obtain, the CWGANGP oversampling method is constructed to increase the anomaly samples in the WT converter dataset. The method adds additional category labels to the inputs of the generative and discriminative models of the generative adversarial network, constrains the generative model to generate few types of anomalous samples, and enhances the generative model’s ability to generate few types of anomalous samples, enabling data generation in a prescribed direction. The smooth continuous Wasserstein distance is used instead of JS divergence as a distance metric to measure the probability distribution of real and generated data in the conditional generative response network and reduce pattern collapse. The gradient constraint is added to the CWGANGP model to enhance the convergence of the WGAN model, so that the generative model can synthesize minority class anomalous samples more effectively and accurately under the condition of unbalanced sample data categories. The quality of anomalous sample generation is also improved. Finally, the anomaly detection is made on the actual operating variator dataset for the unbalanced dataset and the dataset after reaching Nash equilibrium. The experimental results show that the method used in this paper has lower MAR and FAR in WT converter anomaly detection compared with other oversampling data balance optimization methods such as SMOTE, RandomOverSampler, GAN, etc. The method can be well implemented for anomaly detection of large wind turbines and can be better applied in WT intelligent systems.
AUTOMATIC COLORIZATION OF CHINESE INK PAINTING COMBINING MULTI-LEVEL FEATURES AND GENERATIVE ADVERSARIAL NETWORKS
Authors: WU BING , DONG QINGSHUANG , SUN WENQI
Published: April 2023

Advanced Chinese ink painting also includes work-brush flower and bird paintings with brilliant colors, in contrast to traditional ink paintings that often only use water, ink, and black and white. This serves as the foundation for our investigation into a generalized transfer problem involving ink and wash, or an ink painting coloring problem. Our goal is to automatically colorize black and white ink paintings using deep neural networks. This study can serve as a guide for coloring ink paintings and broaden the range of applications for ink painting style transfer. The high-level semantic information and low-level local features of ink paintings cannot be successfully extracted using the current generalized style transfer approach (colorization algorithm). The resulting images have muddy borders and low color saturation. In order to improve the accuracy and coherence of the coloring of ink paintings, we build training by combining the global and local features of ink paintings with the achievements of generative adversarial networks already made in the field of colorization. Comparative and objective evaluations of the experimental portion are made using metrics like peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity (SSIM), colorfulness, and user studies. Additionally, our approach beats the previous comparison approaches in terms of creative expression, color richness, and color overflow management.
Nanoarchitectonics of supramolecular porphyrins based on a bis(porphyrin) cleft molecule
Authors: Hirao Takehiro , Haino Takeharu
Published: April 2023

This account describes the construction of supramolecular constructs based on our bis(porphyrin) cleft molecule. The bis(porphyrin) cleft molecule was originally synthesized as a tweezer-shaped host molecule for planar guest molecules. A detailed study on the bis(porphyrin) cleft molecule revealed that the bis(porphyrin) cleft molecule forms two kinds of supramolecular structures. One structure is a self-complementary dimer obtained through intermolecular hydrogen bonding, and the other structure is a host-guest complex, in which the electron-rich cleft cavity accommodates electron-deficient guests through donor-acceptor interactions. Through the two supramolecular structures, two distinct supramolecular polymers can be formed through self-complementary dimerization or donor-acceptor host-guest complexation. The supramolecular chain structures were modified by judiciously using two distinct supramolecular structures. In the main text, several results, including the binding capability of our bis(porphyrin) cleft molecule, the formation of supramolecular porphyrin complexes, and the supramolecular polymerization behaviors of the bis(porphyrin) cleft molecule, are reported. In conclusion, the future direction of the bis(porphyrin) cleft molecule is provided.
Rate-independent Computation in Continuous Chemical Reaction Networks
Authors: Chen Ho-Lin , Doty David , Reeves Wyatt , Soloveichik David
Published: April 2023

Understanding the algorithmic behaviors that are
in principle
realizable in a chemical system is necessary for a rigorous understanding of the design principles of biological regulatory networks. Further, advances in synthetic biology herald the time when we will be able to rationally engineer complex chemical systems and when idealized formal models will become blueprints for engineering.

Coupled chemical interactions in a well-mixed solution are commonly formalized as chemical reaction networks (CRNs). However, despite the widespread use of CRNs in the natural sciences, the range of computational behaviors exhibited by CRNs is not well understood. Here, we study the following problem: What functions

f : ℝ
k
→ ℝ

can be computed by a CRN, in which the CRN eventually produces the correct amount of the “output” molecule, no matter the rate at which reactions proceed? This captures a previously unexplored but very natural class of computations: For example, the reaction

X
1
+ X
2
→ Y

can be thought to compute the function
y
= min (

x
1
, x
2

). Such a CRN is robust in the sense that it is correct whether its evolution is governed by the standard model of mass-action kinetics, alternatives such as Hill-function or Michaelis-Menten kinetics, or other arbitrary models of chemistry that respect the (fundamentally digital) stoichiometric constraints (what are the reactants and products?).

We develop a reachability relation based on a broad notion of “what could happen” if reaction rates can vary arbitrarily over time. Using reachability, we define
stable computation
analogously to probability 1 computation in distributed computing and connect it with a seemingly stronger notion of rate-independent computation based on convergence in the limit
t
→ ∞ under a wide class of generalized rate laws. Besides the direct mapping of a concentration to a nonnegative analog value, we also consider the “dual-rail representation” that can represent negative values as the difference of two concentrations and allows the composition of CRN modules. We prove that a function is rate-independently computable if and only if it is piecewise linear (with rational coefficients) and continuous (dual-rail representation), or non-negative with discontinuities occurring only when some inputs switch from zero to positive (direct representation). The many contexts where continuous piecewise linear functions are powerful targets for implementation, combined with the systematic construction we develop for computing these functions, demonstrate the potential of rate-independent chemical computation.
CRP2.0: A Fast and Robust Cooperation between Routing and Placement in Advanced Technology Nodes
Authors: Aghaeekiasaraee Erfan , Tabrizi Aysa Fakheri , Fontana Tiago Augusto , Netto Renan , Almeida Sheiny Fabre , Gandhi Upma , Güntzel José Luís , Westwick David , Behjat Laleh
Published: April 2023

Traditionally, the placement and routing stages of a physical design are performed separately. Because of the additional complexities arising in advanced technology nodes, they have become more interdependent. Therefore, creating efficient cooperation between the routing and placement steps has become an important topic in Electronic Design Automation (EDA). In this article, a framework that allows cooperation between routing and placement is proposed. The main objective of the proposed framework is to improve the detailed routing solution by combining routing and placement. The core of this framework is the Cooperation between Routing and Placement (CRP2.0)1engine including techniques to combine routing and placement. The key contributions of CRP2.0 include an Integer Linear Programming (ILP)-based Detailed Placement (ILP-DP), net classification, and two Cost and Net Caching techniques. The efficacy of the proposed framework is evaluated on the official ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Physical Design (ISPD) 2018 and 2019 contest benchmarks. In this article, we show that by using the Cost Caching technique, the global routing runtime compared with state-of-the-art algorithms was reduced by 28.56%, on average. Moreover, numerical results show that when working with advanced technology nodes, the proposed framework can improve the detailed routing score by an average of 0.3% while only moving 0.7% of the cells, on average. The proposed engine can be employed as an add-on to the physical design flow between the global routing and detailed routing steps.
Rigorous Pattern Matching as a Language Feature
Authors: Taft S. Tucker
Published: April 2023

Structural pattern-matching as a language feature has become more common in programming languages over the past decade. This paper will consider more generally the challenge of adding pattern matching as a programming language feature, from the points of view of language design, rigorous static error detection, and effectiveness. In this context, a pattern matching language feature can be seen as providing a more rigorous approach to handling the complex conditionals that arise in processing highly structured input.
Basic Formal Verification of aWaypoint Manager for Unmanned Air Vehicles in SPARK
Authors: Humphrey Laura
Published: April 2023

As software becomes more complex, it becomes more difficult to verify its correctness. This poses a particular problem for autonomous systems, since they are software-intensive and will also require strong evidence of correctness in order to be allowed to operate in the real world. One way to help address this problem is through the use of formal methods, i.e. mathematically-based tools for software and hardware verification. In this paper, we perform formal program verification on a service in OpenUxAS, a free and open source software framework for mission-level, multi-vehicle autonomy. More specifically, we apply the SPARK language and verification toolset to a service that sanity-checks and segments long sequences of vehicle waypoints to prove that it is free of runtime errors.
DAIS Project - Distributed Artificial Intelligence Systems
Authors: Balador Ali , Sinaei Sima , Pettersson Mats , Kaya Ilhan
Published: April 2023

DAIS is a step forward in the area of artificial intelligence and edge computing. DAIS intends to create a complete framework for self-organizing, energy efficient and private-by-design distributed AI. DAIS is a European project with a consortium of 47 partners from 11 countries coordinated by RISE Research Institute of Sweden.
Review—Charge Carrier Mobility of Organic Thin Film Transistor: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Influencing Factors Based on Organic Semiconducting Materials
Authors: Wahab Nur Zuraihan Abd , Abdulhameed Abdullah , Ismail Ahmad Ghadafi , Ramli Muhammad Mahyiddin , Sidek Roslina Mohd , Shafie Suhaidi , Mohtar Mohd Nazim
Published: April 2023

The use of organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) is growing rapidly as an alternative to their inorganic counterparts due to their advantageous properties, such as easy processing and flexibility. The performance of OTFTs is still undergoing improvement and taking this as a recognition, this paper reviews various factors that influence the performance of the OTFTs, primarily in terms of field-effect mobility. The influencing factors reviewed in this article are divided into intrinsic and extrinsic factors for different organic semiconducting materials (OSMs). The intrinsic factors include the OSMs’ molecular orientation, OSM/dielectric interaction, and OSM/electrode interaction. The extrinsic factors are basically related to the OSM processing and OTFTs fabrication. For example, the article discusses how mixing, blending, and annealing affect the properties of the OSMs. The effect of the ambient atmosphere on OTFTs’ performance is also discussed. The aim of this article is to discuss the current trends related to one of the critical figures of merit of OTFTs, which is the mobility of charge carriers.
Basal ganglia neurons in healthy and parkinsonian primates generate recurring sequences of spikes
Authors: Galvan Adriana , Wichmann Thomas
Published: April 2023

Previous work has shown that the timing of the electrical activity of basal ganglia neurons has nonstochastic properties, resulting in oscillatory firing patterns, or bursting. This article describes another such property in the monkey brain; a surprisingly large proportion of action potentials generated by cells in the extrastriatal basal ganglia are part of precisely timed recurring sequences of spiking events. We also found that the generation of these sequences changes substantially in the parkinsonian state.
Influence of Mass Concentration on Microstructure and Pore Structure of Coal-Gangue-Based Green Cemented Filling Body
Authors: Qiu Jisheng , Yang Minmin , Cheng Kun , Guan Xiao , Luan Xi , Xiao Zhijie
Published: April 2023

In response to China’s “double carbon” strategic goal, the problem of large emissions of coal gangue and low utilization rate of gangue cemented backfill with fly ash as admixture needs to be solved urgently. Based on this, this paper uses coal gangue powder as admixture and coal gangue as coarse and fine aggregate to prepare coal-gangue-based green cemented filling body (CGGCFB) with different mass concentrations (MC). The workability, mechanical properties, and microscopic pore structure (nuclear magnetic resonance and scanning electron microscope) were measured, respectively, to explore the effect of MC on the above mentioned properties. In terms of macroscopic properties, with the increase of MC from 80% to 82% and 84%, the slump of filling slurry decreased by 18.37% and 32.65%, the expansion decreased by 30% and 54.55%, and the bleeding rate decreased by 28.3% and 60.38%. The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of CGGCFB at different ages increased to varying degrees, and the maximum was 2.9 times of the original. In terms of microscopic pore structure characteristics, the total number of pores of CGGCFB decreases, the pore size changes from large to small, the shape tends to be uniform and circular, the force characteristics of the pores are improved, the complexity and tortuousness of the pore channels increase, and the inner surface of the pores becomes rough; the test results show that the performance of the backfill with a mass concentration of 82% is reasonable, and the utilization rate of coal gangue can be increased to 72%. The research results of this paper can further improve the utilization rate of coal gangue resources, and provide a theoretical reference for the research and application of coal gangue in mine filling.
Antifungal Mechanism of Cinnamon Essential Oil against Chinese Yam-Derived Aspergillus niger
Authors: Wang Mingcheng , Liu Huiyuan , Dang Yuanyuan , Li Dahong , Qiao Zhu , Wang Gailing , Liu Guo , Xu Jin , Li Enzhong
Published: April 2023

Chinese yam with damaged outer skin can be easily oxidized and infected by spoilage fungi. To find preservatives in the storage of the Chinese yam, Aspergillus niger 103 was isolated, identified, and determined as the dominant spoilage fungus in Chinese yam according to Koch’s postulates. Then, the strain was used as a model to screen antifungal agents and study antifungal mechanisms in this study. We found that cinnamon essential oil was the best antifungal agent, and the minimum concentration against Aspergillus niger 103 was 25 μg/mL. The storage life of Chinese yam could significantly extend by 27.66 days by spraying with cinnamon essential oil (25 μg/mL). To further explore the antifungal mechanism of cinnamon essential oil against Aspergillus niger 103, alkaline phosphatase activity and electrolyte content in the fungal solution were measured. The alkaline phosphatase activity and electrolyte content of the fungal solution with cinnamon essential oil were significantly increased than those without cinnamon essential oil, which showed that the cinnamon essential oil could destroy the integrity of the cell wall and cell membrane of Aspergillus niger 103, and disrupted cellular homeostasis of Aspergillus niger 103.
Graphene-Based Full-Duplex Antenna for Future Generation Communication in THz Frequency Range
Authors: Syed Avez , Almalki Mansour H.
Published: April 2023

A proximity-coupled graphene patch-based full-duplex antenna is proposed for terahertz (THz) applications. The antenna provides a 10 dB impedance bandwidth of 6.06% (1.76 − 1.87 THz). The input ports of the proposed design are isolated from each other by −25 dB. The aspect ratio of the graphene-based radiating patch and the physical parameters of the antenna is selected for obtaining the single-mode operation. The dimensions (length and width of graphene) of the proposed antenna have been opted to operate in two higher-order orthogonal modes, and these modes remain intrinsically isolated. The utilization of the graphene material provides flexibility in tuning the antenna response. Graphene-based patch exhibits good electrical conductivity, electrical conductance controllability, and plasmon properties. The graphene-based antennas perform better than their metallic counterparts, especially in the THz frequency range. The radiation properties of the graphene material are more prominent due to no-ohmic losses. Moreover, its chemical potential may be altered by applying a bias voltage to its surface conductivity, which modifies the surface impedance value of graphene. Therefore, with a small footprint, graphene acts as an excellent radiator at extremely high frequencies.
A Probabilistic Model for Evaluation of the Dynamic Behavior of a Concrete Gravity Dam considering the Fluid-Structure Interaction
Authors: Pasbani Khiavi Majid , Ferdousi Adel , Moallemi Khiavi Abdolrahman
Published: April 2023

Regarding the importance of the interaction effect in the dynamic behavior of a concrete dam and reservoir, the process of hydrodynamic wave propagation in the reservoir and its effects on the response of a concrete gravity dam are examined in this article by presenting a new probabilistic model. For this purpose, a program has been written in an APDL environment of Ansys software capable of dynamic analysis of a system and presenting probabilistic models. The Monte Carlo method with the LHS method has been applied for the probabilistic model, in which the essential parameters in the dam-reservoir interaction problem include excitation frequency, reservoir height, and reservoir length as input variables, and the effect of their changes on the hydrodynamic wave propagation process in the reservoir and the dynamic response of the dam are evaluated. For a better understanding of the dam-reservoir interaction concept and to show the capability of the presented model, two simple and isolated models of the concrete gravity dam and reservoir system have been considered. According to the results, the distribution trend of hydrodynamic pressure along the reservoir can be obviously recognized. Also, the results present the dependence of the responses and the propagation status on the excitation frequency and its relationship with the system frequency and the reservoir natural frequency.
Targeting Mutated p53: Naivete and Enthusiasm to Attempt the Impossible
Authors: El-Deiry Wafik S.
Published: April 2023

Tumor suppressor TP53 is an important gene in human cancer because it is mutated in the majority of tumors, leading to loss-of-function or gain-of-function phenotypes. Mutated TP53 acts like an oncogene, driving cancer progression and causing poor patient outcomes. The role of mutated p53 in cancer has been known for over three decades, yet there is no FDA-approved drug to address the problem. This brief historical perspective highlights some of the insightful advances as well as challenges in therapeutic targeting of p53, especially the mutated forms. The article focuses on a functional p53 pathway restoration approach to drug discovery that years ago was not mainstream, encouraged by anyone, taught in textbooks, or embraced by medicinal chemists. With some knowledge, a clinician scientist's interest, and motivation, the author pursued a unique line of investigation leading to insights for functional bypass of TP53 mutations in human cancer. Like mutated Ras proteins, mutant p53 is fundamentally important as a therapeutic target in cancer and probably deserves a "p53 initiative" like the NCI's "Ras initiative.” There is a link between naivete and enthusiasm for pursuing difficult problems, but important solutions are discovered through hard work and persistence. Hopefully, some benefit comes to patients with cancer from such drug discovery and development efforts.