bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting dimensional accuracy in 3D printed polydimethylsiloxane‐carbon nanotubes composites via machine learning
Authors: Raj Ratnesh , Mahato Satyajit , Moharana Annada Prasad , Dixit Amit Rai
Published: December 2023

Direct ink writing (DIW) is a rapidly expanding additive manufacturing (AM) technique valued for its cost‐efficiency and material adaptability. While DIW offers substantial process flexibility, achieving precise manufacturing demands a thorough understanding of its printability parameters. Key process variables such as printing speed, nozzle‐bed gap, pulses for extrusion, and extrusion multiplier wield significant influence over the shape and dimensions of printed components. In this study, a machine learning model based on k‐nearest neighbors is employed to predict dimensional accuracy. The model is trained using measured width and thickness data from printed rings, with flow and printing‐speed tests defining parameter boundaries for printing. The final model demonstrates an accuracy of 81% and 74% for two PDMS‐CNT composite ink compositions. The principal components analysis underscores the pivotal roles of the extrusion factor and printing speed in achieving superior geometric fidelity. Additionally, retraction‐residual tests were conducted, revealing that the initial 10 seconds of extrusion hold critical importance as they can lead to distortions when traversing printed regions or perimeters, necessitating consideration in part design. To evaluate layer adhesion strength, a crucial aspect of AM, T‐peel tests were performed. Furthermore, rheological tests provided insights into extrudability, printable reinforcing percentages, shape retention, and yield stress.

Highlights

Rheological tests yield insights into minimum reinforcing% and shape retention.

Developed k‐NN model predicts accuracy using measured printed rings' data.

PC analysis shows key roles of extrusion factor and print speed.

Retraction‐residual tests reveal initial 10 seconds are critical.

Model validation results show 83.45% and 77.95% accuracy, close to prediction.
Large‐scale spatiotemporal calculation of photovoltaic capacity factors using ray tracing: A case study in urban environments
Authors: Bredemeier Dennis , Schinke Carsten , Niepelt Raphael , Brendel Rolf
Published: November 2023

Photovoltaics (PVs) on building facades, either building‐integrated or building‐attached, offer a large energy yield potential especially in densely populated urban areas. Targeting this potential requires the availability of planning tools such as insolation forecasts. However, calculating the PV potential of facade surfaces in an urban environment is challenging. Complex time‐dependent shadowing and light reflections must be considered. In this contribution, we present fast ray tracing calculations for insolation forecasts in large urban environments using clustering of Sun positions into typical days. We use our approach to determine time resolved PV capacity factors for rooftops and facades in a wide variety of environments, which is particularly useful for energy system analyses. The advantage of our approach is that the determined capacity factors for one geographic location can be easily extended to larger geographic regions. In this contribution, we perform calculations in three exemplary environments and extend the results globally. Especially for facade surfaces, we find that there is a pronounced intra‐day and also seasonal distribution of PV potentials that strongly depends on the degree of latitude. The consideration of light reflections in our ray tracing approach causes an increase in calculated full load hours for facade surfaces between 10% and 25% for most geographical locations.
Structural implications of amyloidogenic rare variants Ser282Leu and Gln356Arg identified in h‐BRCA1
Authors: Mishra Neha , Dubey Suchita , Kumari Anchala , Khan Mudassar Ali , Kuligina Ekaterina S. , Preobrazhenskaya Elena V. , Romanko Alexandr A. , Yadav Lumbini R. , Sarin Rajiv , Imyanitov Evgeny N. , Varma Ashok K.
Published: December 2023

Preliminary studies have shown BRCA1 (170–1600) residues to be intrinsically disordered with unknown structural details. However, thousands of clinically reported variants have been identified in this central region of BRCA1. Therefore, we aimed to characterize h‐BRCA1(260–553) to assess the structural basis for pathogenicity of two rare missense variants Ser282Leu, Gln356Arg identified from the Indian and Russian populations respectively. Small‐angle X‐ray scattering analysis revealed WT scores Rg−32 Å, Dmax−93 Å, and Rflex‐51% which are partially disordered, whereas Ser282Leu variant displayed a higher degree of disorderedness and Gln356Arg was observed to be aggregated. WT protein also possesses an inherent propensity to undergo a disorder‐to‐order transition in the presence of cruciform DNA and 2,2,2‐Trifluoroethanol (TFE). An increased alpha‐helical pattern was observed with increasing concentration of TFE for the Gln356Arg mutant whereas Ser282Leu mutant showed significant differences only at the highest TFE concentration. Furthermore, higher thermal shift was observed for WT‐DNA complex compared to the Gln356Arg and Ser282Leu protein‐DNA complex. Moreover, mature amyloid‐like fibrils were observed with 30 μM thioflavin T (ThT) at 37°C for Ser282Leu and Gln356Arg proteins while the WT protein exists in a protofibril state as observed by TEM. Gln356Arg formed higher‐order aggregates with amyloidogenesis over time as monitored by ThT fluorescence. In addition, computational analyses confirmed larger conformational fluctuations for Ser282Leu and Gln356Arg mutants than for the WT. The global structural alterations caused by these variants provide a mechanistic approach for further classification of the variants of uncertain clinical significance in BRCA1 into amyloidogenic variants which may have a significant role in disease pathogenesis.
Drivers and trajectories of multinational migrations of West African international students
Authors: Garvik Marianne , Valenta Marko
Published: November 2023

This article focuses on international students from West Africa and their migration trajectories. Based on in‐depth interviews, we investigate the migration drivers and students' motivations to become international students. Building on the analytical framework of multinational stepwise migration, we also explore their aspirations, obstacles and coping strategies at different stages of their migratory paths. This study maintains that this form of international mobility is not solely driven by academic aspirations. We find that international student migration is an increasingly important part of larger mobility projects for West African students. The paper also relates to facilitators of migration, constrained opportunities in the home countries and restrictive mobility regimes that, in conjunction, have impacted the stepwise migration toward the Global North. To fulfil their broader mobility projects, African students often have to engage in complex stepwise migrations and face various struggles and drawbacks. This study has demonstrated that African students from middle‐class backgrounds are not exempt from these struggles.
Defects in Perovskite Solar Cells and Their Passivation Strategies
Authors: Feng Xin , Liang Xuefeng , Fang Zhou , Li Xinxia , Wang Zihan , Li Huifang , Zhang Lisheng
Published: December 2023

Due to their excellent photoelectric conversion efficiency and low preparation cost, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted much attention from researchers and developed rapidly in the past decade. However, the stability and efficiency of perovskite photovoltaic devices still need to be improved for their practical applications. It is mainly because the perovskite thin films are inevitably defective to some extent (such as points defects and extrinsic defects), leading to the occurrence of non‐radiative recombination (NRR) inside the device and at the interface, which is closely related to the stability and efficiency of perovskite materials. Therefore, exploring reliable passivation strategies is essential to overcome the adverse effects of NRR losses of such point defects. Here, this article summarizes the perovskite solar cells, including the crystal structure and calculations of electronic properties of perovskites, composition, and principles of operation of perovskite solar cells, and more importantly, different passivation strategies, including Lewis acid‐base passivation, anionic and cationic passivation, polymer passivation, and alkyl halogen ammonium passivation for the defects involved in perovskite materials. The passivation effects of these strategies and their regulation mechanisms of point defects involving perovskite materials are also presented. We also discuss the intrinsic relationship between crystal defects and device stability and look forward to feasible defect passivation strategy options for future research.
Rose Bengal‐Derived Carbon Quantum Dots as a Fluorescence Probe for the Highly Sensitive Detection of Fe3+ Ions
Authors: Li Chen‐Yu , Zhang Wen‐Jie , Bi Wen‐Zhu , Ma Qiu‐Juan , Feng Su‐Xiang , Chen Xiao‐Lan , Qu Ling‐Bo
Published: December 2023

In this study, rose bengal‐derived carbon quantum dots (RB‐CQDs) was synthesized by a one‐step solvothermal method using rose bengal and 1,2‐phenylenediamine as precursors in ethanol at 180 °C for 10 h and purified by silica gel chromatography. The as‐synthesized RB‐CQDs disperses well in water with particle sizes ranging from 0.78 to 2.46 nm and exhibits excitation‐independent yellow fluorescent emission (529 nm), high quantum yield (44.3 %) and good biocompatibility. More importantly, the fluorescence of RB‐CQDs can be selectively quenched by Fe3+ ions with good linear correlation and the detection limit is 19.9 nM. The recoveries of this method in actual water samples are 90 % to 110 % with relative standard deviations less than 5 %.
Human Adipose Tissue Lysate‐Based Hydrogel for Lasting Immunomodulation to Effectively Improve Spinal Cord Injury Repair
Authors: Wang Yu , Chai Ying‐Qian , Cai Jie , Huang Shan‐Shan , Wang Ye‐Feng , Yuan Shan‐Shan , Wang Ji‐Long , Shi Ke‐Qing , Deng Jun‐Jie
Published: November 2023

The long‐term inflammatory microenvironment is one of the main obstacles to inhibit acute spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. The natural adipose tissue‐derived extracellular matrix hydrogel shows effective anti‐inflammatory regulation because of its unique protein components. However, the rapid degradation rate and removal of functional proteins during the decellularization process impair the lasting anti‐inflammation function of the adipose tissue‐derived hydrogel. To address this problem, adipose tissue lysate provides an effective way for SCI repair due to its abundance of anti‐inflammatory and nerve regeneration‐related proteins. Thereby, human adipose tissue lysate‐based hydrogel (HATLH) with an appropriate degradation rate is developed, which aims to in situ long‐term recruit and induce anti‐inflammatory M2 macrophages through sustainedly released proteins. HATLH can recruit and polarize M2 macrophages while inhibiting pro‐inflammatory M1 macrophages regardless of human or mouse‐originated. The axonal growth of neuronal cells also can be effectively improved by HATLH and HATLH‐induced M2 macrophages. In vivo experiments reveal that HATLH promotes endogenous M2 macrophages infiltration in large numbers (3.5 × 105/100 µL hydrogel) and maintains a long duration for over a month. In a mouse SCI model, HATLH significantly inhibits local inflammatory response, improves neuron and oligodendrocyte differentiation, enhances axonal growth and remyelination, as well as accelerates neurological function restoration.
Functional suitability assessment of smart contracts: A survey and first proposal
Authors: Vacca Anna , Fredella Michele , Di Sorbo Andrea , Visaggio Corrado A. , Piattini Mario
Published: November 2023

Blockchain is a cross‐cutting technology allowing interactions among untrusted entities in a distributed manner without the need for involving a trusted third party. Smart contracts (i.e., programs running on the blockchain) enabled organizations to envision and implement solutions to real‐world problems in less cost and time. Given the immutability of blockchain and the lack of best practices for properly designing and developing smart contracts, it is crucial to assure smart contract quality before deployment. With the help of an exploratory survey involving developers and researchers, this paper identifies the practices and tools used to develop, implement, and evaluate smart contracts. The survey received 55 valid responses. Such responses indicate that (i) inefficiencies may occur during the development cycle of a smart contract, especially regarding requirements specification, design, and testing phases, and (ii) the lack of a shared standard to evaluate the functional quality of implemented smart contracts. To start coping with these issues, the adoption of functional suitability assessment measures recommended by the ISO/IEC 25000 standard, widely used in software engineering, is proposed by adapting them to the context of smart contracts. Through some examples, the manuscript also illustrates how to measure the functional completeness and correctness of smart contracts. The proposed procedure to measure smart contract functional suitability brings advantages to both developers and users of decentralized finance or non‐fungible tokens platforms, data marketplaces, or shipping and real estate services, just to mention a few. In particular, it helps (i) better outline the responsibilities of smart contracts, (ii) uncover errors and deficiencies of smart contracts in the early stages, and (iii) ensure that the established requirements are met.
Layered Ferroelectric NbOI2 Flakes Toward In‐Plane Anisotropic Self‐Powered Sensing
Authors: Sun Xuzhou , Wan Yingjie , Fang Yuqiang , Huang Fuqiang
Published: November 2023

2D ferroelectric materials have attracted much interest due to their potential for developing flexible self‐powered nanogenerators. Niobium oxide diiodide (NbOI2) has in‐plane anisotropy of electrical properties and large lateral piezoelectric coefficient, which makes it possess high‐performance and unique behavior in flexible sensing. In this work, multidirectional piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) devices using NbOI2 flake are fabricated and excellent energy harvesting and sensing capabilities are found. Specifically, the NbOI2‐based PENG can exhibit a long‐time stable voltage output of 215 mV at a large strain of 1.1%. More importantly, the periodic output signal pattern of the twelve‐electrode NbOI2‐based PENG in six directions is investigated, and this anisotropy provides the possibility of achieving simultaneous signal harvesting in multiple directions. This work broadens the scope of applications of 2D materials in nano‐energy and provides new ideas and insights for further exploration of nano‐energy and smart wearable nano‐electronic devices.
A survey of episode mining
Authors: Ouarem Oualid , Nouioua Farid , Fournier‐Viger Philippe
Published: November 2023

Episode mining is a research area in data mining, where the aim is to discover interesting episodes, that is, subsequences of events, in an event sequence. The most popular episode‐mining task is frequent episode mining (FEM), which consists of identifying episodes that appear frequently in an event sequence, but this task has also been extended in various ways. It was shown that episode mining can reveal insightful patterns for numerous applications such as web stream analysis, network fault management, and cybersecurity, and that episodes can be useful for prediction. Episode mining is an active research area, and there have been numerous advances in the field over the last 25 years. However, due to the rapid evolution of the pattern mining field, there is no prior study that summarizes and gives a detailed overview of this field. The contribution of this article is to fill this gap by presenting an up‐to‐date survey that provides an introduction to episode mining and an overview of recent developments and research opportunities. This advanced review first gives an introduction to the field of episode mining and the first algorithms. Then, the main concepts used in these algorithms are explained. After that, several recent studies are reviewed that have addressed some limitations of these algorithms and proposed novel solutions to overcome them. Finally, the paper lists some possible extensions of the existing frameworks to mine more meaningful patterns and presents some possible orientations for future work that may contribute to the evolution of the episode mining field.

This article is categorized under:

Algorithmic Development > Spatial and Temporal Data Mining

Algorithmic Development > Association Rules

Technologies > Association Rules
Anti-racist Praxis in (Science and) Education
Authors: Azarmandi Mahdis , Gray Kelli , Likely Rasheda , Ortiz Huitzilin , Tolbert Sara
Published: November 2023

This chapter takes up overarching questions that stemmed from the authors’ participation as panelists in an international town hall at a science educator conference: our vision for cultivating anti-racist and social justice-driven (science) education, challenges we have experienced while enacting this vision, and creative maneuvers and resistance strategies we have used in overcoming those challenges. The chapter (and town hall upon which it is based) brought together racially and geographically diverse educators with a wide range of expertise, from political science to science education, literacy education, teacher education, and social justice education. Our diverse positionalities helped us engage with challenges and possibilities from a more robust and multidimensional perspective. This chapter is not trying to make a case for anti-racism in science education or why we should take on anti-racist projects as part of life and living together in the Anthropocene. Rather, our goal through these conversations was to bring our own experiences to bear on how anti-racist and social justice-driven education can be enacted and sustained in science and education and beyond. We found that our diverse perspectives enabled us to collectively think and imagine beyond the limitations of our own disciplinary and nationalist socializations.
Fluid Management in Cardiogenic Shock
Authors: Srinivasan Shrikanth , Kundu Riddhi
Published: November 2023

This chapter discusses cardiogenic shock, a common condition encountered in the ICU. Cardiogenic shock results from decreased cardiac output and manifests as end-organ ischemia. The key diagnostic criteria for cardiogenic shock are identified, and the different clinical presentations of left and right heart failure are described. Fluid management in patients with an impaired cardiac function is complex, and clinicians traditionally titrate fluid therapy based on central venous pressure and clinical examination. However, there may be an overemphasis on fluid restriction in patients with heart failure, and physicians need to identify the subgroup of patients with cardiogenic shock who might actually benefit from fluid replacement. Fluid boluses need to be titrated to specific end points of end-organ perfusion guided by dynamic measures of fluid responsiveness and repeated echocardiographic assessments. While the pulmonary artery (PA) catheter continues to be the gold standard in assessing hemodynamics and fluid requirements in these patients, less invasive or noninvasive modes have shown potential in providing equivalent information without the risks associated with the PA catheter. Understanding the etiology and type of heart failure is crucial in providing additional information and the likelihood of a favorable response to fluid resuscitation. Take-home messages include the importance of identifying different subtypes of cardiogenic shock and etiology, the definitive role of ultrasound and other invasive or noninvasive hemodynamic monitors to guide fluid management, and the need for carefully titrated fluid boluses to specific end points in patients with impaired cardiac function.
Fluid Management in Neurocritical Care
Authors: Kishen Roop
Published: November 2023

Neurocritical care (NIC) patients require fluids like other critically ill patients, and general principles of fluid management in the critically ill apply to these patients as well. However, special considerations need to be applied to NIC patients because of the nature of their illness, viz. neurological injury causing problems with brain homeostasis. Isotonic crystalloids are the recommended fluids and colloids are generally to be avoided as should be hypo-osmolar fluids. Occasionally, hyperosmolar fluids are required to control raised intracranial pressure. Care must be taken to maintain normovolaemia, which often requires individualised fluid management and multimodal monitoring. Hypovolaemia exacerbates neurological injury and hypervolaemia is detrimental to brain homeostasis. Clinicians should also keep a careful watch on patients’ electrolyte as abnormalities, especially that of sodium, can occur and may/will affect the choice of fluid infused.
Lie-Poisson gauge theories and κ-Minkowski electrodynamics
Authors: Kupriyanov V. G. , Kurkov M. A. , Vitale P.
Published: November 2023

Abstract

We consider gauge theories on Poisson manifolds emerging as semiclassical approximations of noncommutative spacetime with Lie algebra type noncommutativity. We prove an important identity, which allows to obtain simple and manifestly gauge-covariant expressions for the Euler-Lagrange equations of motion, the Bianchi and the Noether identities. We discuss the non-Lagrangian equations of motion, and apply our findings to theκ-Minkowski case. We construct a family of exact solutions of the deformed Maxwell equations in the vacuum. In the classical limit, these solutions recover plane waves with left-handed and right-handed circular polarization, being classical counterparts of photons. The deformed dispersion relation appears to be nontrivial.
Harnessing the power of curvilinear internal coordinates: from molecular structure prediction to vibrational spectroscopy
Authors: Mendolicchio Marco
Published: November 2023

Different standard VPT2 codes employ Cartesian coordinates for the computation of rotational and vibrational spectroscopic parameters. However, curvilinear internal coordinates offer a number of advantages provided that a general non-redundant set of coordinates can be built and employed in an unsupervised workflow. In the present paper I summarize the main results and perspectives of a general engine employing curvilinear internal coordinates and perturbation theory for the computation of rotational and vibrational spectroscopic parameters of large molecules beyond the conventional rigid rotor/harmonic oscillator model. Some examples concerning biomolecule building blocks are discussed in some detail in order to better analyze the performance of the proposed strategy.
MET-receptor targeted fluorescent imaging and spectroscopy to detect multifocal papillary thyroid cancer
Authors: Metman Madelon J. H. , Jonker Pascal K. C. , Sondorp Luc H. J. , van Hemel Bettien M. , Sywak Mark S. , Gill Anthony J. , Jansen Liesbeth , van Diest Paul J. , van Ginhoven Tessa M. , Löwik Clemens W. G. M. , Nguyen Anh H. , Robinson Dominic J. , van Dam Gooitzen M. , Links Thera P. , Coppes Rob P. , Fehrmann Rudolf S. N. , Kruijff Schelto
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Multifocal disease in PTC is associated with an increased recurrence rate. Multifocal disease (MD) is underdiagnosed with the current gold standard of pre-operative ultrasound staging. Here, we evaluate the use of EMI-137 targeted molecular fluorescence-guided imaging (MFGI) and spectroscopy as a tool for the intra-operative detection of uni- and multifocal papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) aiming to improve disease staging and treatment selection.

Methods

A phase-1 study (NCT03470259) with EMI-137 was conducted to evaluate the possibility of detecting PTC using MFGI and quantitative fiber-optic spectroscopy.

Results

Fourteen patients underwent hemi- or total thyroidectomy (TTX) after administration of 0.09 mg/kg (n = 1), 0.13 mg/kg (n = 8), or 0.18 mg/kg (n = 5) EMI-137. Both MFGI and spectroscopy could differentiate PTC from healthy thyroid tissue after administration of EMI-137, which binds selectively to MET in PTC. 0.13 mg/kg was the lowest dosage EMI-137 that allowed for differentiation between PTC and healthy thyroid tissue. The smallest PTC focus detected by MFGI was 1.4 mm. MFGI restaged 80% of patients from unifocal to multifocal PTC compared to ultrasound.

Conclusion

EMI-137-guided MFGI and spectroscopy can be used to detect multifocal PTC. This may improve disease staging and treatment selection between hemi- and total thyroidectomy by better differentiation between unifocal and multifocal disease.

Trial registration

NCT03470259
CIRSE Standards of Practice for the Endovascular Treatment of Visceral and Renal Artery Aneurysms and Pseudoaneurysms
Authors: Rossi Michele , Krokidis Miltiadis , Kashef Elika , Peynircioglu Bora , Tipaldi Marcello Andrea
Published: November 2023

Background

Endovascular treatment of visceral and renal artery aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms is an effective, minimally invasive treatment that has been successfully used since the early 1990s, with refined and expanded techniques and tools currently offering excellent outcomes. Due to increased detection of such lesions in recent years, many of which are asymptomatic, revision of the indications for intervention and the correct endovascular treatment approaches has become essential.

Purpose

This document will presume that the indication for treatment is clear and approved by the multidisciplinary team and will define the standards required for the performance of each intervention, as well as their relative advantages and limitations. CIRSE Standards of Practice documents are not intended to impose a standard of clinical patient care, but recommend a reasonable approach to, and best practices for, the performance of the endovascular treatment of visceral and renal artery aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms.

Methods

The writing group was established by the CIRSE Standards of Practice Committee and consisted of five clinicians with internationally recognised expertise in endovascular treatments. The writing group reviewed the existing literature on visceral and renal artery aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms, performing an evidence search using PubMed to identify publications in English and relating to human subjects from 1990 to 2022. The final recommendations were formulated through consensus.

Results

Endovascular treatment has an established role in the successful management of visceral and renal artery aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms, and this Standards of Practice document provides up-to-date recommendations for its safe performance.
Enhancing diagnosis of Hirschsprung’s disease using deep learning from histological sections of post pull-through specimens: preliminary results
Authors: Duci Miriam , Magoni Alessia , Santoro Luisa , Dei Tos Angelo Paolo , Gamba Piergiorgio , Uccheddu Francesca , Fascetti-Leon Francesco
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Accurate histological diagnosis in Hirschsprung disease (HD) is challenging, due to its complexity and potential for errors. In this study, we present an artificial intelligence (AI)-based method designed to identify ganglionic cells and hypertrophic nerves in HD histology.

Methods

Formalin-fixed samples were used and an expert pathologist and a surgeon annotated these slides on a web-based platform, identifying ganglionic cells and nerves. Images were partitioned into square sections, augmented through data manipulation techniques and used to develop two distinct U-net models: one for detecting ganglionic cells and normal nerves; the other to recognise hypertrophic nerves.

Results

The study included 108 annotated samples, resulting in 19,600 images after data augmentation and manually segmentation. Subsequently, 17,655 slides without target elements were excluded. The algorithm was trained using 1945 slides (930 for model 1 and 1015 for model 2) with 1556 slides used for training the supervised network and 389 for validation. The accuracy of model 1 was found to be 92.32%, while model 2 achieved an accuracy of 91.5%.

Conclusion

The AI-based U-net technique demonstrates robustness in detecting ganglion cells and nerves in HD. The deep learning approach has the potential to standardise and streamline HD diagnosis, benefiting patients and aiding in training of pathologists.
Evaluation of long-term efficacy and safety of dienogest in patients with chronic cyclic pelvic pain associated with endometriosis
Authors: Maiorana Antonio , Maranto Marianna , Restivo Vincenzo , Gerfo Daniele Lo , Minneci Gabriella , Mercurio Antonella , Incandela Domenico
Published: November 2023

Purpose

To evaluate the efficacy and long-term safety (up to 108 months) of treatment with Dienogest in patients with endometriosis.

Methods

Patients with chronic pelvic pain endometriosis-related were enrolled in this observational study from June 2012 to July 2021. The patients enrolled took Dienogest 2 mg as a single daily administration. Group B of long-term therapy patients (over 15 months) were compared with group A of short-term therapy patients (0–15 months). The effects of the drug on pain variation were assessed using the VAS scale and endometriomas dimensions through ultrasonographic evaluation. Furthermore, has been valuated the appearance of side effects and the effect of the drug on bone metabolism by performing MOC every 24 months in group B.

Results

157 patients were enrolled. The mean size of the major endometrioma progressively decreased from 33.2 mm (29.4–36.9) at T0 to 7 mm (0–15.8) after 108 months of treatment. We found a significant improvement in dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, dyschezia and non-cyclic pelvic pain. As for the side effects, both groups complained menstrual alterations present in 22.9%. In 27.6% of group B, osteopenia was found. Group B had a higher percentage statistically significant of side effects such as headaches, weight gain and libido reduction compared to group A. 2

Conclusion

Long-term therapy with Dienogest has proven effective in controlling the symptoms of the disease and reducing the size of endometriomas, with an increase in the positive effects related to the duration of the intake and in the absence of serious adverse events. Study approved by the "Palermo 2" Ethics Committee on July 2, 2012 No. 16.
Reduced relaxed micromorphic modeling of harmonically loaded metamaterial plates: investigating boundary effects in finite-size structures
Authors: Demetriou Plastiras , Rizzi Gianluca , Madeo Angela
Published: November 2023

In this paper, we propose an approach for describing wave propagation in finite-size microstructured metamaterials using a reduced relaxed micromorphic model. This method introduces an additional kinematic field with respect to the classical Cauchy continua, allowing to capture the effects of the underlying microstructure with a homogeneous model. We show that the reduced relaxed micromorphic model is not only effective for studying infinite-size metamaterials, but also efficient for numerical simulations and analysis on specimens of finite size. This makes it an essential tool for designing and optimizing metamaterials structures with specific wave propagation properties. The proposed model’s efficiency is assessed through numerical simulations for finite-size benchmark problems, and shows a good agreement for a wide range of frequencies. The possibility of producing the same macroscopic metamaterial with different but equivalent unit cell “cuts” is also analyzed, showing that, even close to the boundary, the reduced relaxed micromorphic model is capable of giving accurate responses for the considered loading and boundary conditions.
Half-space depth of log-concave probability measures
Authors: Brazitikos Silouanos , Giannopoulos Apostolos , Pafis Minas
Published: November 2023

Given a probability measure $$\mu $$
μ
on $${{\mathbb {R}}}^n$$

R

n

, Tukey’s half-space depth is defined for any $$x\in {{\mathbb {R}}}^n$$

x
∈

R

n

by $$\varphi _{\mu }(x)=\inf \{\mu (H):H\in {{{\mathcal {H}}}}(x)\}$$

φ
μ

(
x
)

=
inf

{
μ

(
H
)

:
H
∈
H

(
x
)

}

, where $$\mathcal{H}(x)$$

H
(
x
)

is the set of all half-spaces H of $${{\mathbb {R}}}^n$$

R

n

containing x. We show that if $$\mu $$
μ
is a non-degenerate log-concave probability measure on $${{\mathbb {R}}}^n$$

R

n

then $$\begin{aligned} e^{-c_1n}\leqslant \int _{{\mathbb {R}}^n}\varphi _{\mu }(x)\,d\mu (x) \leqslant e^{-c_2n/L_{\mu }^2} \end{aligned}$$

e

-

c
1

n

⩽

∫

R

n

φ
μ

(
x
)

d
μ

(
x
)

⩽

e

-

c
2

n
/

L

μ

2

where $$L_{\mu }$$

L
μ

is the isotropic constant of $$\mu $$
μ
and $$c_1,c_2>0$$

c
1

,

c
2

>
0

are absolute constants. The proofs combine large deviations techniques with a number of facts from the theory of $$L_q$$

L
q

-centroid bodies of log-concave probability measures. The same ideas lead to general estimates for the expected measure of random polytopes whose vertices have a log-concave distribution.
Fast Optimistic Gradient Descent Ascent (OGDA) Method in Continuous and Discrete Time
Authors: Boţ Radu Ioan , Csetnek Ernö Robert , Nguyen Dang-Khoa
Published: November 2023

In the framework of real Hilbert spaces, we study continuous in time dynamics as well as numerical algorithms for the problem of approaching the set of zeros of a single-valued monotone and continuous operator V. The starting point of our investigations is a second-order dynamical system that combines a vanishing damping term with the time derivative of V along the trajectory, which can be seen as an analogous of the Hessian-driven damping in case the operator is originating from a potential. Our method exhibits fast convergence rates of order

$$o \left( \frac{1}{t\beta (t)} \right) $$

o

1

t
β
(
t
)

for

$$\Vert V(z(t))\Vert $$

‖
V
(
z
(
t
)
)
‖

, where

$$z(\cdot )$$

z
(
·
)

denotes the generated trajectory and

$$\beta (\cdot )$$

β
(
·
)

is a positive nondecreasing function satisfying a growth condition, and also for the restricted gap function, which is a measure of optimality for variational inequalities. We also prove the weak convergence of the trajectory to a zero of V. Temporal discretizations of the dynamical system generate implicit and explicit numerical algorithms, which can be both seen as accelerated versions of the Optimistic Gradient Descent Ascent (OGDA) method for monotone operators, for which we prove that the generated sequence of iterates

$$(z_k)_{k \ge 0}$$

(

z
k

)

k
≥
0

shares the asymptotic features of the continuous dynamics. In particular we show for the implicit numerical algorithm convergence rates of order

$$o \left( \frac{1}{k\beta _k} \right) $$

o

1

k

β
k

for

$$\Vert V(z^k)\Vert $$

‖
V
(

z
k

)
‖

and the restricted gap function, where

$$(\beta _k)_{k \ge 0}$$

(

β
k

)

k
≥
0

is a positive nondecreasing sequence satisfying a growth condition. For the explicit numerical algorithm, we show by additionally assuming that the operator V is Lipschitz continuous convergence rates of order

$$o \left( \frac{1}{k} \right) $$

o

1
k

for

$$\Vert V(z^k)\Vert $$

‖
V
(

z
k

)
‖

and the restricted gap function. All convergence rate statements are last iterate convergence results; in addition to these, we prove for both algorithms the convergence of the iterates to a zero of V. To our knowledge, our study exhibits the best-known convergence rate results for monotone equations. Numerical experiments indicate the overwhelming superiority of our explicit numerical algorithm over other methods designed to solve monotone equations governed by monotone and Lipschitz continuous operators.
Middle Terms of AR-sequences of Graded Kronecker Modules
Authors: Liu Jie
Published: November 2023

Let $$(T(n),\Omega )$$

(
T
(
n
)
,
Ω
)

be the covering of the generalized Kronecker quiver K(n), where $$\Omega $$
Ω
is a bipartite orientation. Then there exists a reflection functor $$\sigma $$
σ
on the category $${{\,\textrm{mod}\,}}(T(n),\Omega )$$

mod

(
T
(
n
)
,
Ω
)

. Suppose that $$0\rightarrow X\rightarrow Y\rightarrow Z\rightarrow 0$$

0
→
X
→
Y
→
Z
→
0

is an AR-sequence in the regular component $$\mathcal {D}$$
D
of $${{\,\textrm{mod}\,}}(T(n),\Omega )$$

mod

(
T
(
n
)
,
Ω
)

, and b(Z) is the number of flow modules in the $$\sigma $$
σ
-orbit of Z. Then the middle term Y is a sink (source or flow) module if and only if $$\sigma Z$$

σ
Z

is a sink (source or flow) module. Moreover, their radii and centers satisfy $$r(Y)=r(\sigma Z)+1$$

r
(
Y
)
=
r
(
σ
Z
)
+
1

and $$C(Y)=C(\sigma Z)$$

C
(
Y
)
=
C
(
σ
Z
)

.
Preventive releases of phytoseiid and anthocorid predators provided with supplemental food successfully control Scirtothrips in strawberry
Authors: Mouratidis Angelos , Marrero-Díaz Elías , Sánchez-Álvarez Begoña , Hernández-Suárez Estrella , Messelink Gerben J.
Published: November 2023

Thrips of the subtropical genus Scirtothrips are emerging as important pests in several crops. Scirtothrips dorsalis has been increasingly invading new areas outside of its native region of South and East Asia causing economic damage to several crops. Scirtothrips inermis is another polyphagous species with worldwide distribution. Both species are polyphagous, and in recent years have emerged as key pests in strawberry. In this study, we first evaluated the predation and oviposition rate of commercially available phytoseiid predatory mites Amblyseius swirskii, Amblydromalus limonicus, Transeius montdorensis, and Neoseiulus cucumeris on larval stages of both Scirtothrips species, and oviposition rates of predatory mites on the supplementary food source Artemia franciscana cysts were also assessed. Predatory mites equally accepted both thrips species as prey and showed stable oviposition rates on these diets. Amblyseius swirskii and A. limonicus were the most voracious, also exhibiting the highest oviposition rate of the predators tested. We further evaluated the biological control potential of predatory mites and anthocorid predators Orius laevigatus and Orius limbatus in a greenhouse experiment. Predators were released preventively and supported with Artemia cysts before the introduction of S. inermis. Both Orius predators achieved good control of the pest, with O. limbatus developing higher numbers than O. laevigatus. Regarding phytoseiids, A. swirskii and A. limonicus both controlled the pest and built higher populations than T. montdorensis and N. cucumeris. Our results show that a preventive strategy based on phytoseiid or anthocorid predators in strawberry can be effective in suppressing S. inermis.
Using Hot and Cool Measures to Phenotype and Predict Functional Outcomes Across Dimensions of ADHD and Typical Development in Adolescents
Authors: Elahi Heather , Iosif Ana-Maria , Mukherjee Prerona , Hinshaw Stephen P. , Schweitzer Julie B.
Published: December 2023

Multiple pathway models propose that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) arises from dysfunction in separate systems comprised of a "cool" or cognitive pathway versus a “hot” or emotional/reward pathway. Interactions between these pathways and the degree of maturation may further determine functional outcomes for adolescents ranging from those diagnosed with ADHD to typical development (TD). We used a latent profile analysis on rating scales and behavioral task performance assessing emotion, irritability, impulsivity, risk-taking, future orientation, and processing speed (PS) to identify subgroups of TD adolescents and adolescents with ADHD (N = 152) based on the hot and cool pathway model. We identified four classes: 1) High-Complex Challenges; 2) Moderate-Mixed Challenges; 3) Non-Emotive Impulsivity; and 4) High Regulation and Control. A multiple pathway model of ADHD is supported with classes differing in degree of emotional lability and irritability, types of impulsivity, and ability to use future consequences to modulate impulsivity and PS. The classes differed regarding functional behavior, with the High-Complex class demonstrating the most severe functional challenges in academic-related functioning. The Moderate-Mixed class also displayed significant functional challenges but with moderate emotional lability and irritability ratings. The Non-Emotive Impulsivity class exhibited low emotionality and low irritability, yet high impulsivity with limited negative functional consequences, and was composed of a mix of ADHD and TD adolescents. Differences between classes suggest ADHD symptomatology may represent both categorical and dimensional differences. Precision health interventions may be more effective in addressing the specific challenges associated with the classes rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to treating ADHD.
Chemical food safety of seaweed: Species, spatial and thallus dependent variation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and techniques for their removal
Authors: Jönsson Madeleine , Nordberg Karlsson Eva
Published: November 2023

The increasing interest in seaweed as a food resource in Western societies raises concerns about associated potentially toxic elements (PTEs), including arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead, and iodine. Hence, this study examined variation in PTEs by including samples of four different species (Ulva lactuca, Palmaria palmata, Alaria esculenta, and Saccharina latissima) from Ireland, as well as of a single species (S. latissima) from three different harvest sites and with different thallus parts analyzed from a single harvest site. Comparing different species from the Irish site, U. lactuca showed the overall lowest PTE levels, while S. latissima and A. esculenta had notably higher levels of arsenic (105±3 and 57.9±5.5 mg kg-1 DW, respectively) and cadmium (0.839±0.046 and 1.03±0.05 mg kg-1 DW, respectively), and S. latissima had highest iodine levels (2480±210 mg kg-1 DW). Lead was higher in P. palmata and U. lactuca but below maximum limits. Further analysis of S. latissima from three sites (Ireland, Norway, Sweden) showed site-specific variations in inorganic arsenic (0.192–9.69 mg kg-1 DW), lead (0.0751–0.269 mg kg-1 DW), and cadmium (0.554–1.16 mg kg-1 DW). Saccharina latissima from the Swedish site exhibited uneven PTE distribution in tissue of different age. In terms of tolerable intake levels, iodine and cadmium posed most concern for seaweed consumption. After processing, total ash content decreased, leading to reductions in total arsenic (61.1%), inorganic arsenic (92.4%), lead (49.4%), and iodine (72.8%). Cadmium and mercury were difficult to remove. This study offers insights into the chemical food safety of seaweed, both pre- and post-processing, for introduction into expanding European markets.

Graphical abstract
Explainable reinforcement learning (XRL): a systematic literature review and taxonomy
Authors: Bekkemoen Yanzhe
Published: November 2023

In recent years, reinforcement learning (RL) systems have shown impressive performance and remarkable achievements. Many achievements can be attributed to combining RL with deep learning. However, those systems lack explainability, which refers to our understanding of the system’s decision-making process. In response to this challenge, the new explainable RL (XRL) field has emerged and grown rapidly to help us understand RL systems. This systematic literature review aims to give a unified view of the field by reviewing ten existing XRL literature reviews and 189 XRL studies from the past five years. Furthermore, we seek to organize these studies into a new taxonomy, discuss each area in detail, and draw connections between methods and stakeholder questions (e.g., “how can I get the agent to do _?”). Finally, we look at the research trends in XRL, recommend XRL methods, and present some exciting research directions for future research. We hope stakeholders, such as RL researchers and practitioners, will utilize this literature review as a comprehensive resource to overview existing state-of-the-art XRL methods. Additionally, we strive to help find research gaps and quickly identify methods that answer stakeholder questions.
Relationships Between Exposure to Gestational Diabetes Treatment and Neonatal Anthropometry: Evidence from the Born in Bradford (BiB) Cohort
Authors: Martine-Edith Gilberte , Johnson William , Petherick Emily S.
Published: November 2023

Objectives

To examine the relationships between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) treatment and neonatal anthropometry.

Methods

Covariate-adjusted multivariable linear regression analyses were used in 9907 offspring of the Born in Bradford cohort. GDM treatment type (lifestyle changes advice only, lifestyle changes and insulin or lifestyle changes and metformin) was the exposure, offspring born to mothers without GDM the control, and birth weight, head, mid-arm and abdominal circumference, and subscapular and triceps skinfold thickness the outcomes.

Results

Lower birth weight in offspring exposed to insulin (− 117.2 g (95% CI − 173.8, − 60.7)) and metformin (− 200.3 g (− 328.5, − 72.1)) compared to offspring not exposed to GDM was partly attributed to lower gestational age at birth and greater proportion of Pakistani mothers in the treatment groups. Higher subscapular skinfolds in offspring exposed to treatment compared to those not exposed to GDM was partly attributed to higher maternal glucose concentrations at diagnosis. In fully adjusted analyses, offspring exposed to GDM treatment had lower weight, smaller abdominal circumference and skinfolds at birth than those not exposed to GDM. Metformin exposure was associated with smaller offspring mid-arm circumference (− 0.3 cm (− 0.6, − 0.07)) than insulin exposure in fully adjusted models with no other differences found.

Conclusions for Practice

Offspring exposed to GDM treatment were lighter and smaller at birth than those not exposed to GDM. Metformin-exposed offspring had largely comparable birth anthropometric characteristics to those exposed to insulin.
Application of Swiss law and influence of Swiss protection of legal personality in international sport: a necessity to ensure equality of treatment among competitors?
Authors: Perruchoud Matthieu
Published: December 2023

Sports law and Swiss law are closely connected. It is at first quite complex to perceive the real implications of Swiss law, in which way it applies as well as its concrete consequences in sport. To understand the relation between Swiss law and international sport, the present article will analyze the concepts, rules and principles of Swiss law which apply in this area (i.e., Swiss association law, contract law and protection of legal personality). Knowledge of Swiss law for athletes, teams and federation is fundamental. It is the first step to develop coherent and powerful strategy before the Court of Arbitration for Sport or internal judicial bodies of international federations. A general overview of the importance of Swiss law appears to be very valuable to understand the context of sports law. Also, the protection of legal personality as the core principle of sports law is of a primordial importance in sports law and it will be developed in this contribution. The specific influence of equality of treatment between athletes will be discussed, too. This principle is fundamental in sport and is one of the purposes of a uniform application of (Swiss) law in sport.