bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Porous engineering of CoS2/N-doped carbon polyhedra anode for durable lithium-ion battery
Authors: Zhang Zehao , Chen Jingyu , Li Haibo
Published: September 2022

In this work, the porous CoS2/N-doped carbon polyhedra (P-CoS2/CP) has been developed by employing ZIF-67 as the template for durable lithium-ion battery anode. The as-prepared P-CoS2/CP exhibits the novel dodecahedron structure filling with nanopores and CoS2 nanoparticles. As compared to CoS2/CP (122 m2 g−1), the P-CoS2/CP possesses the higher specific surface area of 367 m2 g−1, which benefits to enlarge the electrode-electrolyte contact area and promote the Li+ diffusion dynamics at high current density. On the other hand, the CoS2 nanoparticles are firmly wrapped by the carbon skeleton which can effectively suppresses the volume expansion of CoS2 during the charging/discharging process. Besides, the N-doping enable to improve the conductivity of CP. As a result, the initial discharge capacity of P-CoS2/CP at 0.1 A g−1 is 1484.7 mAh g−1 with the coulombic efficiency of 48.9%. After 100 cycles, the reversible capacity stabilized at 726.2 mAh g−1. Even the current density increases to 2.0 A g−1, a high reversible capacity of 353.7 mAh g−1 can still be achieved, realizing the good rate capability. The superior Li+ performance of P-CoS2/CP is attributed to the synergistic effect of the unique multi-space structure and the high chemical activity of CoS2. Moreover, the Li+ diffusion coefficient of P-CoS2/CP is 4.52 × 10−6 to 1.98 × 10−11 cm2 s−1, which is higher than that of CoS2/CP (1.45 × 10−9 to 5.23 × 10−11 cm2 s−1), highlighting the significance of porous engineering.
Flexible needle puncture path planning for liver tumors based on deep reinforcement learning
Authors: Hu Wenrui , Jiang Huiyan , Wang Meng
Published: September 2022

Objective. Minimally invasive surgery has been widely adopted in the treatment of patients with liver tumors. In liver tumor puncture surgery, an image-guided ablation needle for puncture surgery, which first reaches a target tumor along a predetermined path, and then ablates the tumor or injects drugs near the tumor, is often used to reduce patient trauma, improving the safety of surgery operations and avoiding possible damage to large blood vessels and key organs. In this paper, a path planning method for computer tomography (CT) guided ablation needle in liver tumor puncture surgery is proposed. Approach. Given a CT volume containing abdominal organs, we first classify voxels and optimize the number of voxels to reduce volume rendering pressure, then we reconstruct a multi-scale 3D model of the liver and hepatic vessels. Secondly, multiple entry points of the surgical path are selected based on the strong and weak constraints of clinical puncture surgery through multi-agent reinforcement learning. We select the optimal needle entry point based on the length measurement. Then, through the incremental training of the double deep Q-learning network (DDQN), the transmission of network parameters from the small-scale environment to the larger-scale environment is accomplished, and the optimal surgical path with more optimized details is obtained. Main results. To avoid falling into local optimum in network training, improve both the convergence speed and performance of the network, and maximize the cumulative reward, we train the path planning network on different scales 3D reconstructed organ models, and validate our method on tumor samples from public datasets. The scores of human surgeons verified the clinical relevance of the proposed method. Significance. Our method can robustly provide the optimal puncture path of flexible needle for liver tumors, which is expected to provide a reference for surgeons’ preoperative planning.
Signal processing and computational modeling for interpretation of SEEG-recorded interictal epileptiform discharges in epileptogenic and non-epileptogenic zones
Authors: Köksal-Ersöz Elif , Lazazzera Remo , Yochum Maxime , Merlet Isabelle , Makhalova Julia , Mercadal Borja , Sanchez-Todo Roser , Ruffini Giulio , Bartolomei Fabrice , Benquet Pascal , Wendling Fabrice
Published: September 2022

Objective. In partial epilepsies, interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) are paroxysmal events observed in epileptogenic zone (EZ) and non-epileptogenic zone (NEZ). IEDs’ generation and recurrence are subject to different hypotheses: they appear through glutamatergic and gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) processes; they may trigger seizures or prevent seizure propagation. This paper focuses on a specific class of IEDs, spike-waves (SWs), characterized by a short-duration spike followed by a longer duration wave, both of the same polarity. Signal analysis and neurophysiological mathematical models are used to interpret puzzling IED generation. Approach. Interictal activity was recorded by intracranial stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) electrodes in five different patients. SEEG experts identified the epileptic and non-epileptic zones in which IEDs were detected. After quantifying spatial and temporal features of the detected IEDs, the most significant features for classifying epileptic and non-epileptic zones were determined. A neurophysiologically-plausible mathematical model was then introduced to simulate the IEDs and understand the underlying differences observed in epileptic and non-epileptic zone IEDs. Main results. Two classes of SWs were identified according to subtle differences in morphology and timing of the spike and wave component. Results showed that type-1 SWs were generated in epileptogenic regions also involved at seizure onset, while type-2 SWs were produced in the propagation or non-involved areas. The modeling study indicated that synaptic kinetics, cortical organization, and network interactions determined the morphology of the simulated SEEG signals. Modeling results suggested that the IED morphologies were linked to the degree of preserved inhibition. Significance. This work contributes to the understanding of different mechanisms generating IEDs in epileptic networks. The combination of signal analysis and computational models provides an efficient framework for exploring IEDs in partial epilepsies and classifying EZ and NEZ.
A portable neurostimulator circuit with anodic bias enhances stimulation injection capacity
Authors: Ersöz Alpaslan , Kim Insoo , Han Martin
Published: September 2022

Objective. Electrochemically safe and efficient charge injection for neural stimulation necessitates monitoring of polarization and enhanced charge injection capacity of the stimulating electrodes. In this work, we present improved microstimulation capability by developing a custom-designed multichannel portable neurostimulator with a fully programmable anodic bias circuitry and voltage transient monitoring feature. Approach. We developed a 16-channel multichannel neurostimulator system, compared charge injection capacities as a function of anodic bias potentials, and demonstrated convenient control of the system by a custom-designed user interface allowing bidirectional wireless data transmission of stimulation parameters and recorded voltage transients. Charge injections were conducted in phosphate-buffered saline with silicon-based iridium oxide microelectrodes. Main results. Under charge-balanced 200 µs cathodic first pulsing, the charge injection capacities increased proportionally to the level of anodic bias applied, reaching a maximum of ten-fold increase in current intensity from 10 µA (100 µC cm−2) to 100 µA (1000 µC cm−2) with a 600 mV anodic bias. Our custom-designed and completely portable 16-channel neurostimulator enabled a significant increase in charge injection capacity in vitro. Significance. Limited charge injection capacity has been a bottleneck in neural stimulation applications, and our system may enable efficacious behavioral animal study involving chronic microstimulation while ensuring electrochemical safety.
Enhancing historical electron temperature data with an artificial neural network in the C-2U FRC
Authors: Player G. , Magee R. M. , Tajima T. , Trask E. , Zhai K.
Published: September 2022

The electron temperature is a vital parameter in understanding the dynamics of fusion plasmas, helping to determine basic properties of the system, stability, and fast ion lifetime. We present a method for improving the sampling rate of historical Thomson scattering data by a factor of 103 on the decommissioned beam-driven C-2U field reversed configuration device by utilizing an artificial neural network. This work details the construction of the model, including an analysis of input signals and the model hyperparameter space. The model’s performance is evaluated on both a random subset and selected ensemble of testing data and its predictions are found to agree with the Thomson measurements in both cases. Finally, the model is used to reconstruct the effect of the micro-burst instability in C-2U, which is then compared to more recent results in C-2W, showing that the effects of the micro-burst on core electron temperature have been mitigated in C-2W.
Evaporation progress of macroscopic-scale droplets on heated substrates
Authors: Zhu Zhiqiang , Zhao Dongdong , Liu Qiusheng , Qin Jun , Tao Yuequn , He Naifeng , Xu Yongxiang
Published: September 2022

Evaporation progress of a macroscopic-scale sessile droplet with the pinned triple line on heated isothermal substrates has been experimentally investigated in the terrestrial gravity, in order to study the interface effect, heat and mass transfer behaviours during the phase change process. The experiments were carried out in a closed chamber in which the environment temperature and pressure were regulated. The contact radius, liquid volume and contact angle during evaporating were observed to study the influence of the gravity effect on the drop shape. The instant evaporation rate was calculated and compared with the theoretical prediction to analyse the coupling influence of diffusion and thermal convection. The effect of substrate temperature on the heat flux were also focused on. It was found that the evolution of heat flux density could be separated into four stages, began with the rapid increase and warm up, then switched to the long-time stable stage and ended up with the final rapid decrease stage.
A Firebug Optimal Cluster based Data Aggregation for Healthcare Application
Authors: Sree Ranjani N Y , Ananth A.G , Sudershan Reddy L
Published: September 2022

Majority of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are made up of huge sensor nodes with minimum cost, processing, communication capability and limited sensing. Because sensor nodes have limited resources, it’s critical to enhance bandwidth utilization, network lifetime and minimize the data transmission. The term data aggregation defines the method of integrating the sensor data to minimize the data transmission. However, WSN-based healthcare applications face privacy, and security concerns. In this paper design of a Fire Bug Swarm Optimal Cluster-Based Data Aggregation (FSOCDA) in WSN has been presented which is a useful method for WSN to save energy and extend network lifetime. The efficient clustering is carried out using FSO, which is utilized to choose the CH from among various nodes in the cluster that serve as data aggregation nodes. By altering the network scale, the computational competence of the FSOCDA technique is compared to that of the non-aggregate approach. Further, the data aggregation method is helpful in healthcare applications in terms of data transferring from host hospital to other.
Waste management in municipal markets
Authors: Merchán Diana , García-Cubero María Teresa , Paredes Alberto , González María
Published: September 2022

Municipal markets are approximately 90 years old in Ecuador, although some of them have modern buildings, the process of organic solid waste has not changed. Object of study of this work is the municipal market “Las Manuelas” located in the province of Guayas in the canton of Durán. Organic solid wastes could be used for the elaboration of new biopolymers, so the objective of this research is to determine the environmental impact of the activities articulated to this process. The observation technique was applied to make the process flow diagram and the methodology of the matrix of importance of environmental impacts. Results obtained showed that the activity of preparation of vegetables and fruits within the municipal market presented the highest I with a value of -42, under these parameters the need to establish preventive actions that can contribute to the circular economy was manifested.
Biodegradation of Plastic Using Termites and their Gut Microbiota: A Mini Review
Authors: Kumar Amit , Kalleshwaraswamy C. M. , Sharma Radhika , Sharma Parvati , Poonia Asha
Published: September 2022

Nature’s pollution is human created activity and human crosses the entire barrier to causing pollution and posing a high significant risk to health of all animals and also for plants. Plastics are the one of the major reason behind this. The high use of plastics material create high solid waste and this solid waste having no completely and fast degradation methods are available in nature. Their degradation also releases various harmful toxic substances which are harmful for environment. Various methods are available for treatment of plastic such as photo-oxidative degradation, thermal degradation, ozone-induced degradation, mechano-chemical degradation, catalytic degradation, and bio degradation. All these methods pose threat to the environment except the method of Biodegradation. Degradation of plastics using microbes are very eco-friendly degradation and causing no any side effect on nature. Termites are the major soil insect that are also capable to degrade plastics using their gut microbiota. Lot of microbial diversity present in termites gut but only few having potential to degrade plastics. In this review we mainly focus on the diversity of termites and their gut microbial fauna that having potential to degrade plastics and their different polymers.
Improving running-in quality and efficiency of journal bearing with ZB and SiO2 nanoparticles as lubricant additive
Authors: Zhou Yuankai , Wang Zhiyong , Wang Jiabiao , Zuo Xue , Xu Jing
Published: September 2022

To both improve the running-in quality and efficiency of the journal bearing, the Zinc borate and SiO2 combinations (ZB/SiO2) are used as lubricant additive. Running-in tests were carried out using a ring-on-block tribometer. Multifractal parameters and correlation dimensions were used to extract the nonlinear characteristics of surface topography and coefficient of friction (COF), respectively. It is also used to evaluate the running-in quality of journal bearing. The time of correlation dimension to reach the stable stage is used to evaluate the running-in efficiency. With the addition of ZB/SiO2, the correlation dimension of COF increases and the multifractal parameters of wear surfaces decrease significantly. Compared with the single ZB or SiO2 additive, the running-in efficiency of the ZB/SiO2 additive can be improved by 25% and 40%, respectively. It indicates that the running-in quality and efficiency are improved with the additive of ZB/SiO2. The excellent tribological properties of ZB/SiO2 are attributed to the solid lubricating film formed by ZB, as well as the rolling, self-repairing, and polishing effect of SiO2. The results are of great significance to improving the service reliability and extending the service life of the journal bearing.
Optimization of Wire-cut EDM process parameters using TLBO algorithm
Authors: Arya Rashmi , Singh Hari
Published: September 2022

The novelty of the work is reflected in using Teaching Learning Based Optimization as metaheuristic algorithm in combination with Response Surface Methodology for achieving multi response optimization of two conflicting responses while machining Incoloy 800H on Wire cut EDM. It is used in materials and equipment for furnace, petrochemical furnace cracker tubes, pigtails and headers, and electric heating element sheathing. There are a number of process parameters of Wire cut EDM which affect the output responses. Here, the effects of Pulse On Time, Pulse Off Time, Peak Current and Servo Voltage on the Cutting Rate and Dimensional Deviation were studied. Experiments were performed according to Box Behnken design with 29 experiemental runs. Pulse On Time was found to be the most significant factor in affecting the Cutting Rate and Dimensional Deviation as envisaged by Analysis of Variance . First, single response optimization was performed using Teaching Learning Based Optimization Algorithm which resulted in an optimal factor level setting of Pulse On Time-120mu, Pulse Off Time-45 mu, Peak Current-200A, Servo Voltage-47V corresponding to Cutting Rate, whereas, Pulse On Time-120mu, Pulse Off Time-35 mu, Peak Current-160 A, and Servo Voltage-30V formed an optimal setting of the factors corresponding to the Dimensional Deviation. Multi-response optimization resulted in an optimal factor level setting of Pulse On Time-120 mu, Pulse Off Time-38 mu, Peak Current-190 A, and Servo Voltage-53 V corresponding to both Cutting Rate and Dimensional Deviation. Then, the optimal factor level settings for single response and multi-response optimizations were confirmed through three confirmation tests. The average of the confirmation tests was compared with predicted value and percentage error was calculated. The percentage error comes out to be less than 5% in all the cases.
Hyper-diffusion on multiplex networks
Authors: Ghorbanchian Reza , Latora Vito , Bianconi Ginestra
Published: September 2022

Multiplex networks describe systems whose interactions can be of different nature, and are fundamental to understand complexity of networks beyond the framework of simple graphs. Recently it has been pointed out that restricting the attention to pairwise interactions is also a limitation, as the vast majority of complex systems include higher-order interactions that strongly affect their dynamics. Here, we propose hyper-diffusion on multiplex networks, a dynamical process in which diffusion on each single layer is coupled with the diffusion in other layers thanks to the presence of higher-order interactions occurring when there exists link overlap. We show that hyper-diffusion on a duplex network (a multiplex network with two layers) can be described by the hyper-Laplacian in which the strength of four-body interactions among every set of four replica nodes connected in both layers can be tuned by a parameterδ11⩾ 0. The hyper-Laplacian reduces to the standard lower Laplacian, capturing pairwise interactions at the two layers, whenδ11= 0. By combining tools of spectral graph theory, applied topology and network science we provide a general understanding of hyper-diffusion on duplex networks whenδ11> 0, including theoretical bounds on the Fiedler and the largest eigenvalue of hyper-Laplacians and the asymptotic expansion of their spectrum forδ11≪ 1 andδ11≫ 1. Although hyper-diffusion on multiplex networks does not imply a direct ‘transfer of mass’ among the layers (i.e. the average state of replica nodes in each layer is a conserved quantity of the dynamics), we find that the dynamics of the two layers is coupled as the relaxation to the steady state becomes synchronous when higher-order interactions are taken into account and the Fiedler eigenvalue of the hyper-Laplacian is not localized in a single layer of the duplex network.
Estimating the Effectiveness of First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Against Mortality in England: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Authors: Bermingham Charlotte , Morgan Jasper , Ayoubkhani Daniel , Glickman Myer , Islam Nazrul , Sheikh Aziz , Sterne Jonathan , Walker A Sarah , Nafilyan Vahé
Published: September 2022

Estimating real-world vaccine effectiveness is vital to assessing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program and informing the ongoing policy response. However, estimating vaccine effectiveness using observational data is inherently challenging because of the nonrandomized design and potential for unmeasured confounding. We used a regression discontinuity design to estimate vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 mortality in England using the fact that people aged 80 years or older were prioritized for the vaccine rollout. The prioritization led to a large discrepancy in vaccination rates among people aged 80–84 years compared with those aged 75–79 at the beginning of the vaccination campaign. We found a corresponding difference in COVID-19 mortality but not in non-COVID-19 mortality, suggesting that our approach appropriately addressed the issue of unmeasured confounding factors. Our results suggest that the first vaccine dose reduced the risk of COVID-19 death by 52.6% (95% confidence limits: 15.7, 73.4) in those aged 80 years, supporting existing evidence that a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine had a strong protective effect against COVID-19 mortality in older adults. The regression discontinuity model’s estimate of vaccine effectiveness is only slightly lower than those of previously published studies using different methods, suggesting that these estimates are unlikely to be substantially affected by unmeasured confounding factors.
PGRNIG: novel parallel gene regulatory network identification algorithm based on GPU
Authors: Yang Bin , Bao Wenzheng , Chen Baitong
Published: September 2022

Molecular biology has revealed that complex life phenomena can be treated as the result of many gene interactions. Investigating these interactions and understanding the intrinsic mechanisms of biological systems using gene expression data have attracted a lot of attention. As a typical gene regulatory network (GRN) inference method, the S-system has been utilized to deal with small-scale network identification. However, it is extremely difficult to optimize it to infer medium-to-large networks. This paper proposes a novel parallel swarm intelligent algorithm, PGRNIG, to optimize the parameters of the S-system. We employed the clone selection strategy to improve the whale optimization algorithm (CWOA). To enhance the time efficiency of CWOA optimization, we utilized a parallel CWOA (PCWOA) based on the compute unified device architecture (CUDA) platform. Decomposition strategy and L1 regularization were utilized to reduce the search space and complexity of GRN inference. We applied the PGRNIG algorithm on three synthetic datasets and two real time-series expression datasets of the species of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Experimental results show that PGRNIG could infer the gene regulatory network more accurately than other state-of-the-art methods with a convincing computational speed-up. Our findings show that CWOA and PCWOA have faster convergence performances than WOA.
How do we prevent scientific fraud?
Authors: Spires-Jones Tara L
Published: September 2022

Our editor discusses scientific fraud and ways we can discourage it.
Towards assessing subcortical “deep brain” biomarkers of PTSD with functional near-infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Balters Stephanie , Schlichting Marc R , Foland-Ross Lara , Brigadoi Sabrina , Miller Jonas G , Kochenderfer Mykel J , Garrett Amy S , Reiss Allan L
Published: September 2022

Assessment of brain function with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is limited to the outer regions of the cortex. Previously, we demonstrated the feasibility of inferring activity in subcortical “deep brain” regions using cortical functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and fNIRS activity in healthy adults. Access to subcortical regions subserving emotion and arousal using affordable and portable fNIRS is likely to be transformative for clinical diagnostic and treatment planning. Here, we validate the feasibility of inferring activity in subcortical regions that are central to the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; i.e. amygdala and hippocampus) using cortical fMRI and simulated fNIRS activity in a sample of adolescents diagnosed with PTSD (N = 20, mean age = 15.3 ± 1.9 years) and age-matched healthy controls (N = 20, mean age = 14.5 ± 2.0 years) as they performed a facial expression task. We tested different prediction models, including linear regression, a multilayer perceptron neural network, and a k-nearest neighbors model. Inference of subcortical fMRI activity with cortical fMRI showed high prediction performance for the amygdala (r > 0.91) and hippocampus (r > 0.95) in both groups. Using fNIRS simulated data, relatively high prediction performance for deep brain regions was maintained in healthy controls (r > 0.79), as well as in youths with PTSD (r > 0.75). The linear regression and neural network models provided the best predictions.
Pregnancy Status at the Time of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination and Incidence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection
Authors: Magnus Maria C , Håberg Siri E , Carlsen Ellen Ø , Kwong Jeffrey C , Buchan Sarah A , Fell Deshayne B
Published: September 2022

Background

Pregnant women are recommended to receive coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines; however, relative effectiveness of vaccination by pregnancy status is unclear.

Methods

We compared the relative effectiveness of messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines according to whether women received both doses while pregnant (n = 7412), 1 dose while pregnant (n = 3538), both doses while postpartum (n = 1856), or both doses while neither pregnant nor postpartum (n = 6687). We estimated risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection starting 14 days after the second dose using Cox regression, reporting hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Second, we examined relative effectiveness of a third (booster) dose while pregnant compared to outside pregnancy. The major circulating variant during the study period was the Delta variant.

Results

Fifty-four percent of women received 2 doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine, 16% received 2 doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine, while 30% received 1 dose of both vaccines. Compared to women who received both doses while neither pregnant nor postpartum, the adjusted HR for a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test was similar if the woman received both doses while pregnant (1.04 [95% CI, .94–1.17]), 1 dose while pregnant and 1 dose before or after pregnancy (1.03 [95% CI, .93–1.14]), or both doses while postpartum (0.99 [95% CI, .92–1.07]). The findings were similar for BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna Spikevax), and during Delta- and Omicron-dominant periods. We observed no differences in the relative effectiveness of the booster dose according to pregnancy status.

Conclusions

We observed similar effectiveness of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection among women regardless of pregnancy status at the time of vaccination.
Right heart failure in the setting of thyrotoxic valvulopathy: the pathophysiology of an often neglected diagnosis: a case report
Authors: Harirforoosh Sarah , Cohen Garrett , Glovaci Diana , Patel Pranav M
Published: September 2022

Background

Hyperthyroidism has a significant, well-established impact on the cardiovascular system on both a molecular and circulatory level. The cardiac consequences of thyrotoxicosis are not uncommon, indicated by a 1.2% prevalence of this disorder in the United States. However, our case describes the less widely observed association between thyrotoxicosis and valvulopathy.

Case summary

A 69-year-old Hispanic male presented with a 3-week history of shortness of breath, intermittent chest pain, and lower extremity swelling. Transthoracic echocardiogram revealed a dilated left and right atrium with severe tricuspid regurgitation, moderate mitral regurgitation, malcoaptation of the tricuspid valve leaflets, and a myxomatous mitral valve. In addition, right ventricular systolic function was moderately reduced. A right and left heart catheterization was performed with findings of normal right heart pressures and normal coronary arteries, respectively. To further evaluate the aetiology of the patient’s heart failure, thyroid studies were sent, revealing a thyroid-stimulating hormone value of <0.010 uIU/mL and a free T4 of 1.96 ng/dL. A 4.9 cm lesion was seen on thyroid ultrasound. We concluded that the patient’s heart failure and notable valvular abnormalities were likely as a result of thyrotoxic heart disease. Furosemide and methimazole were initiated while inpatient, and the patient was discharged with close follow-up.

Discussion

We demonstrate a unique case of the possible hemodynamic and cellular effects of thyroid hormone on the development of primary and secondary valve dysfunction. This association is important for clinicians to be aware of, as treatment of its underlying aetiology can lead to improvement in a patient’s cardiac outcomes.
Cardiac relapse of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma manifesting as incessant ventricular tachycardia: a case report
Authors: Kolesnik Ewald , Stangl Verena , Haring Bernhard , Scherr Daniel , Rainer Peter P
Published: September 2022

Background

Cardiac tumours are rare but affected patients may present with symptoms mimicking other cardiac diseases. The most frequent symptoms include heart failure, arrhythmias, or embolic phenomena.

Case summary

A 39-year-old man with a history of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma of the nasal type (ENKTL-NT) in clinical remission presented at our department with incessant ventricular tachycardia. The arrhythmia could only be controlled with a combination of intravenously administered beta-blockers, ajmaline, and amiodarone. Diagnostic workup excluded ischaemia, but imaging revealed a tumour located in the apex of the left ventricle. Endomyocardial biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of cardiac relapse of ENKTL-NT. Upon chemotherapy no further arrhythmias developed.

Discussion

Many malignancies can metastasize into the heart. Multimodal imaging including echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and a positron-emission tomography computed tomography paved the way to the diagnosis that was finally established by endomyocardial biopsy. In the present case, a cardiac metastasis from an ENKTL-NT presented with incessant ventricular tachycardia.
Health financing policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: a review of the first stages in the WHO South-East Asia Region
Authors: Gadsden Thomas , Ford Belinda , Angell Blake , Sumarac Bojan , de Oliveira Cruz Valeria , Wang Hui , Tsilaajav Tsolmon , Jan Stephen
Published: September 2022

COVID-19 imposed unprecedented financing requirements on countries to rapidly implement effective prevention and control measures while dealing with severe economic contraction. The challenges were particularly acute for the 11 countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region (SEAR), home to the lowest average level of public expenditure on health of all WHO regions. We conducted a narrative review of peer-reviewed, grey literature and publicly available sources to analyse the immediate health financing policies adopted by countries in the WHO SEAR in response to COVID-19 in the first 12 months of the pandemic, i.e. from 1 March 2020 to 1 March 2021. Our review focused on the readiness of health systems to address the financial challenges of COVID-19 in terms of revenue generation, financial protection and strategic purchasing including public financial management issues. Twenty peer-reviewed articles were included, and web searches identified media articles (n = 21), policy reports (n = 18) and blog entries (n = 5) from reputable sources. We found that countries in the SEAR demonstrated great flexibility in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, including exploring various options for revenue raising, removing financial barriers to care and rapidly adapting purchasing arrangements. At the same time, the pandemic exposed pre-existing health financing policy weaknesses such as underinvestment, inadequate regulatory capacity of the private health sector and passive purchasing, which should give countries an impetus for reform towards more resilient health systems. Further monitoring and evaluation are needed to assess the long-term implications of policy responses on issues such as government capacity for debt servicing and fiscal space for health and how they protect progress towards the objectives of universal health coverage.
Examining the gender imbalance in the National Community Health Assistant Programme in Liberia: a qualitative analysis of policy and Programme implementation
Authors: Hafez Sali , Munyati Bob Mwiinga , Zeno Katie , Gbozee Catherine K Z , Jusu Mbalu , Reeves Mantue S , Wesseh C Sanford , Wiah S Olasford , AlKhaldi Mohammed , Johnson Kristin , Subah Marion
Published: September 2022

The Revised National Community Health Services Policy (2016–2021) (RNCHSP) and its programme implementation, the Liberian National Community Health Assistant Programme (NCHAP), exhibit a critical gender imbalance among the Community Health Assistants (CHAs) as only 17% are women. This study was designed to assess the gender responsiveness of the RNCHSP and its programme implementation in five counties across Liberia to identify opportunities to improve gender equity in the programme. Using qualitative methods, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with policymakers and 32 with CHAs, other members of the community health workforce and community members. The study found that despite the Government of Liberia’s intention to prioritize women in the recruitment and selection of CHAs, the planning and implementation of the RNCHSP were not gender responsive. While the role of community structures, such as Community Health Committees, in the nomination and selection of CHAs is central to community ownership of the programme, unfavourable gender norms influenced women’s nomination to become CHAs. Cultural, social and religious perceptions and practices of gender created inequitable expectations that negatively influenced the recruitment of women CHAs. In particular, the education requirement for CHAs posed a significant barrier to women’s nomination and selection as CHAs, due to disparities in access to education for girls in Liberia. The inequitable gender balance of CHAs has impacted the accessibility, acceptability and affordability of community healthcare services, particularly among women. Strengthening the gender responsiveness within the RNCHSP and its programme implementation is key to fostering gender equity among the health workforce and strengthening a key pillar of the health system. Employing gender responsive policies and programme will likely increase the effectiveness of community healthcare services.
Light-responsive transcription factor PpWRKY44 induces anthocyanin accumulation by regulatingPpMYB10expression in pear
Authors: Alabd Ahmed , Ahmad Mudassar , Zhang Xiao , Gao Yuhao , Peng Lin , Zhang Lu , Ni Junbei , Bai Songling , Teng Yuanwen
Published: September 2022

Anthocyanins are a valuable source of antioxidants in the human diet and contribute to fruit coloration. In red-skinned pears, anthocyanin biosynthesis can be induced by light, in which the MYB–bHLH–WDR complex plays a critically important role in transcriptional regulation. However, knowledge of WRKY-mediated transcriptional regulation of light-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis is scarce in red pears. This work identified and functionally characterized a light-inducing WRKY transcription factor, PpWRKY44, in pear. Functional analysis based on overexpressed pear calli showed that PpWRKY44 promoted anthocyanin accumulation. Also, transiently overexpressed PpWRKY44 in pear leaves and fruit peels significantly enhanced the accumulation of anthocyanin, whereas silencing PpWRKY44 in pear fruit peels impaired induction of the accumulation of anthocyanin by light. By chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assay coupled to a quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we found that PpWRKY44 bound in vivo and in vitro to the PpMYB10 promoter, revealing it as a direct downstream target gene. Moreover, PpWRKY44 was activated by PpBBX18, a light signal transduction pathway component. Our results explained the mechanism mediating the impacts of PpWRKY44 on the transcriptional regulation of anthocyanin accumulation, with potential implications for fine-tuning the fruit peel coloration triggered by light in red pears.
Breast cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic: moving from disparities to health equity
Authors: Richman Ilana , Tessier-Sherman Baylah , Galusha Deron , Oladele Carol R , Wang Karen
Published: September 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented disruptions to routine health care in the United States. Screening mammography, a cornerstone of breast cancer control and prevention, was completely halted in the spring of 2020, and screening programs have continued to face challenges with subsequent COVID-19 waves. Although screening mammography rates decreased for all women during the pandemic, a number of studies have now clearly documented that reductions in screening have been greater for some populations than others. Specifically, minoritized women have been screened at lower rates than White women across studies, although the specific patterns of disparity vary depending on the populations and communities studied. We posit that these disparities are likely due to a variety of structural and contextual factors, including the differential impact of COVID-19 on communities. We also outline key considerations for closing gaps in screening mammography. First, practices, health systems, and communities must measure screening mammography use to identify whether gaps exist and which populations are most affected. Second, we propose that strategies to close disparities in breast cancer screening must be multifaceted, targeting the health system or practice, but also structural factors at the policy level. Health disparities arise from a complex set of conditions, and multimodal solutions that address the complex, multifactorial conditions that lead to disparities may be more likely to succeed and are necessary for promoting health equity.
Inflammation, Executive Function, and Adiposity in Children With or at Risk for Obesity: A Pilot Study
Authors: King Kathryn P , Keller Caroline V , Evans Corinne T , Murdaugh Donna L , Gower Barbara A , Gowey Marissa A
Published: September 2022

Objective

Obesity is associated with executive function (EF) deficits across the lifespan. Higher body mass index (BMI), obesity severity, and poorer adherence and weight outcomes in obesity treatment have all been associated with EF deficits. Adult literature has begun to emphasize neuroinflammation in obesity as a possible pathway to later cognitive impairment in EF. However, pediatric obesity literature has yet to establish associations between peripheral inflammation and EF. Thus, the present study examined associations and variability in inflammation, EF, and adiposity in children with or at risk for obesity. Additionally, inflammation was examined as a mediator of the relationship between adiposity and EF.

Methods

Children (N = 39) aged 8–12 years with BMI ≥ 50th percentile were recruited. The NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery was used to assess performance-based EF. Peripheral inflammation was assessed in fasted sera. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans were conducted to assess body composition. Linear regression and Hayes’ PROCESS Model 4 (Hayes, 2017) were used to evaluate associations between adiposity and inflammation, inflammation and EF, and whether adiposity effects EF through its effect on inflammation.

Results

Positive associations were identified between adiposity and inflammation, and negative to null associations were identified between inflammation and EF. Medium indirect effects of adiposity on EF through inflammation were detected.

Conclusion

Pilot evidence suggests greater adiposity is linked with greater inflammation, which in turn is associated with less EF in some domains. Directionality and causality cannot yet be established, but with replication, findings may inform efforts to target EF in pediatric obesity.
T-Cell Responses Against Mycobacterium ulcerans and Mycobacterium tuberculosis Protein Extracts Identify Children With Buruli Ulcer Disease
Authors: Jacobsen Marc , Adjei Jonathan Kofi , Aniagyei Wilfred , Adankwah Ernest , Seyfarth Julia , Mayatepek Ertan , Antwi-Berko Daniel , Sakyi Samuel Asamoah , Debrah Alexander Y , Debrah Linda Batsa , Owusu Dorcas O , Phillips Richard O
Published: September 2022

Immune-based diagnosis of Buruli ulcer disease (BUD) in children is difficult due to cross-reactivity between mycobacteria. We found that T-cell IFNγ/TNFα responses against Mycobacterium (M.) ulcerans and M. tuberculosis (PPDMulc, PPDMtub) were different between children with BUD (n = 27) and TB (n = 20) but only ratios (PPDMtub/PPDMulc) discriminated the study groups efficiently.
Rapid oxidative release of fungal mannan for detection by immunoassay
Authors: Kvam Alexander J , Burnham-Marusich Amanda R , Mash Michael , Kozel Thomas R
Published: September 2022

Detection of fungal cells in infected tissue by procedures such as potassium hydroxide (KOH) microscopy and histopathology are well-established methods in medical mycology. However, microscopy requires skilled personnel, specialized equipment, and may take considerable time to a result. An alternative approach is immunoassay for detection of fungal mannans in tissue as a biomarker for the presence of fungal cells. However, mannan is a component of the fungal cell wall, and detection of mannan would require a facile means for mannan extraction prior to detection by immunoassay. In this study, we evaluated a broad spectrum of extraction reagents using Trichophyton rubrum mycelia and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mnn2 blastoconidia as model fungi. Oxidative release by treatment with dilute bleach proved to be a novel and highly effective procedure. Complete extraction occurred in as little as 2-4 min. Detergents, chaotropes, and acid were ineffective. Strong base released mannan but was less efficient than oxidative release and required the use of highly corrosive reagents. Oxidative release of cell wall mannans from fungal mycelia and blastoconidia may be an effective first step in immunodetection of fungi in tissues from infected humans, animals, or plants that could be done at or near the diagnostic point of need.
Cryptococcus neoformans- andCryptococcus gattii-specific IgG, IgA and IgM differ among children and adults with and without cryptococcosis from Colombia
Authors: Becerra-Álvarez Paola , Escandón Patricia , Lizarazo Jairo , Quirós-Gómez Óscar , Firacative Carolina
Published: September 2022

Cryptococcus neoformans (Cn) and Cryptococcus gattii (Cg) cause cryptococcosis, a life-threatening systemic mycosis of global distribution affecting mainly immunocompromised adults. Although a humoral response occurs during cryptococcosis, the role of antibody production against this mycosis is not fully understood. We aimed to determine total and specific antibodies against cryptococcal protein antigens in sera from people with and without a diagnosis of cryptococcosis from Colombia. Using ELISA, total and specific levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgA and IgM were determined in sera from children and adults with (n = 109) and without (n = 119) cryptococcosis. Specific antibodies were those binding Cn- and Cg-protein antigens. In general, the mean of the total IgG production was higher in cryptococcosis patients than in controls (13 942.32 vs. 6459.91 µg/ml), while levels of IgA (488.13 vs. 1564.53 µg/ml) and IgM (775.69 vs. 1014.72 µg/ml) were higher in controls than in cryptococcosis patients (P ≤ .05). In patients with cryptococcosis, total IgG, IgA and IgM levels were higher in HIV + compared with HIV− (P ≤ .05). Specific antibodies tended to be higher in cryptococcosis patients than in controls and in adults than in children, with a positive correlation between antibody reactivity and age. All immunoglobulins were more reactive against Cn-proteins than Cg-proteins. Overall, a positive weak correlation between total and specific antibodies was found, although not always statistically significant. In patients with cryptococcosis from Colombia, the levels of immunoglobulins, total and specific, differ with respect to people without cryptococcosis. Variations in antibody production among adults and children with cryptococcosis and between Cn- and Cg-protein antigens were as well established. Our findings encourage further studies to determine the role of humoral immunity for host defense against cryptococcosis.
Pulsar candidate selection with residual convolutional autoencoder
Authors: Yin Qian , Li Jiajie , Zheng Xin , Li Yefan , Cui Hanshuai , Bao Zelun
Published: September 2022

The pulsar detection survey has contributed to the study of celestial evolution by providing scientists with a large amount of observational data. In addition, the amount of data collected by the survey has grown exponentially, and there is a large class imbalance in the corresponding data. In this paper, we design a residual convolutional autoencoder (RCAE) based on the structure of the autoencoder, and combine with logistic regression (LR) to construct a network structure framework suitable for pulsar candidate identification. RCAE is used as the primary model to fit the data distribution of the non-pulsar sample, the process does not need to consider the positive and negative pulsar sample imbalance. LR is used as an auxiliary classification model to test the final results. The experimental results on the HTRU Medlat and PMPS-26k data sets show that the best performance is achieved without the use of data generation and complex enhancement methods.
NGC 6240 supermassive black hole binary dynamical evolution based on Chandra data
Authors: Sobolenko M , Kompaniiets O , Berczik P , Marchenko V , Vasylenko A , Fedorova E , Shukirgaliyev B
Published: September 2022

The main idea of our research is to estimate the physical coalescence time of the double supermassive black hole (SMBH) system in the centre of NGC 6240 based on the X-ray observations from the Chandra space observatory. The spectra of the northern and southern nuclei were fitted by spectral models from Sherpa and both presented the narrow component of the Fe Kα emission line. It enabled us to apply the spectral model to these lines and to find relative offset ≈0.02 keV. The enclosed dynamical mass of the central region of NGC 6240 with radius 1 kpc was estimated $\approx 2.04\times 10^{11} \rm \,\, M_{\odot }$. These data allowed us to carry on the high-resolution direct N-body simulations with Newtonian and post-Newtonian (up to $2.5\mathcal {PN}$ correction) dynamics for this particular double SMBH system. As a result, from our numerical models, we approximated the central SMBH binary merging time for the different binary eccentricities. In our numerical parameters range, the upper limit for the merging time, even for the very small eccentricities, is still below ≈70 Myr. Gravitational waveforms and amplitude-frequency pictures from such events can be detected using pulsar timing array projects at the last merging phase.