bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Expression and characterization of the new antimicrobial peptide AP138L-arg26 anti Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Zhang Kun , Yang Na , Teng Da , Mao Ruoyu , Hao Ya , Wang Jianhua
Published: January 2024

The low activity and yield of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are pressing problems. The improvement of activity and yield through modification and heterologous expression, a potential way to solve the problem, is a research hot-pot. In this work, a new plectasin-derived variant L-type AP138 (AP138L-arg26) was constructed for the study of recombination expression and druggablity. As a result, the total protein concentration of AP138L-arg26 was 3.1 mg/mL in Pichia pastoris X-33 supernatant after 5 days of induction expression in a 5-L fermenter. The recombinant peptide AP138L-arg26 has potential antibacterial activity against selected standard and clinical Gram-positive bacteria (G+, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) 2–16 µg/mL) and high stability under different conditions (temperature, pH, ion concentration) and 2 × MIC of AP138L-arg26 could rapidly kill Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (> 99.99%) within 1.5 h. It showed a high safety in vivo and in vivo and a long post-antibiotic effect (PAE, 1.91 h) compared with vancomycin (1.2 h). Furthermore, the bactericidal mechanism was revealed from two dimensions related to its disruption of the cell membrane resulting in intracellular potassium leakage (2.5-fold higher than control), and an increase in intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and reactive oxygen species (ROS), the decrease of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and further intervening metabolism in S. aureus. These results indicate that AP138L-arg26 as a new peptide candidate could be used for more in-depth development in the future.

Key points

• The AP138L-arg26 was expressed in the P. pastoris expression system with high yield

• The AP138 L-arg26 showed high stability and safety in vitro and in vivo

• The AP138L-arg26 killed S. aureus by affecting cell membranes and metabolism
Genetic Determinants in MRSA Carriage and Their Association with Decolonization Outcome
Authors: Westgeest Annette C. , Schippers Emile F. , Rosema Sigrid , Fliss Monika A. , Kuijper Ed J. , Zwittink Romy D. , Lokate Mariëtte , Wouthuyzen-Bakker Marjan , Lambregts Merel M. C. , Bathoorn Erik
Published: January 2024

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization increases the risk of infection. Response to decolonization treatment is highly variable and determinants for successful decolonization or failure of eradication treatment are largely unknown. Insight into genetic predictors of eradication failure is potentially useful in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to explore genetic characteristics that are associated with MRSA decolonization failure. This cohort study was performed in a tertiary care hospital in the Netherlands. Patients with ≥ 1 positive MRSA culture from any site and with available whole -genome sequencing data of the MRSA isolate between 2017 and 2022 were included. Lineages, resistance, and virulence factors were stratified by MRSA decolonization outcome. In total, 56 patients were included: 12/56 (21%) with treatment failure and 44/56 (79%) with successful decolonization (with or without preceding treatment). A significant association was found between ciprofloxacin-resistant lineages and failure of eradication (OR 4.20, 95%CI 1.11–15.96, P = 0.04). Furthermore, livestock-associated MRSA and the major community-associated MRSA lineages ST6-t304 and ST8-t008 were associated with successful eradication treatment or spontaneous clearance. In conclusion, this explorative study showed a higher eradication failure rate in complicated MRSA carriers with ciprofloxacin-resistant MRSA lineages, which are predominantly healthcare-associated. Further studies are warranted to confirm the higher eradication failure risk of ciprofloxacin-resistant lineages, and identify the underlying mechanisms.
Ultrasound imaging of male urethral stricture disease: a narrative review of the available evidence, focusing on selected prospective studies
Authors: Frankiewicz Mikołaj , Vetterlein Malte W. , Markiet Karolina , Adamowicz Jan , Campos-Juanatey Felix , Cocci Andrea , Rosenbaum Clemens M. , Verla Wesley , Waterloos Marjan , Mantica Guglielmo , Matuszewski Marcin ,   the Trauma and Reconstructive Urology Working Party of the European Association of Urology Young Academic Urologists
Published: January 2024

Purpose

To synthetize the current scientific knowledge on the use of ultrasound of the male urethra for evaluation of urethral stricture disease. This review aims to provide a detailed description of the technical aspects of ultrasonography, and provides some indications on clinical applications of it, based on the evidence available from the selected prospective studies. Advantages and limitations of the technique are also provided.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search was performed using the Medline and Cochrane databases on October 2022. The articles were searched using the keywords “sonourethrography”, “urethral ultrasound”, “urethral stricture” and “SUG”. Only human studies and articles in English were included. Articles were screened by two reviewers (M.F. and K.M.).

Results

Our literature search reporting on the role of sonourethrography in evaluating urethral strictures resulted in selection of 17 studies, all prospective, even if of limited quality due to the small patients’ number (varied from 28 to 113). Nine studies included patients with urethral stricture located in anterior urethra and eight studies included patients regardless of the stricture location. Final analysis was based on selected prospective studies, whose power was limited by the small patients’ groups.

Conclusion

Sonourethrography is a cost-effective and safe technique allowing for a dynamic and three-dimensional urethra assessment. Yet, because of its limited value in detecting posterior urethral strictures, the standard urethrography should remain the basic ‘road-map’ prior to surgery. It is an operator-dependent technique, which can provide detailed information on the length, location, and extent of spongiofibrosis without risks of exposure to ionizing radiation.
Alcohol consumption patterns and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the adult population of Spain
Authors: Fontán-Vela Julia , Ortiz Cristina , López-Cuadrado Teresa , Téllez-Plaza María , García-Esquinas Esther , Galán Iñaki
Published: January 2024

Purpose

The objective is to evaluate the association between various indicators of alcohol consumption and the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet among the Spanish adult population.

Methods

A cross-sectional study including 44,834 participants ≥ 15 years of age from the 2017 National Health Survey and the 2020 European Health Survey in Spain. Alcohol patterns were defined based on (1) average intake: individuals were classified as low risk (1–20 g/day in men and 1–10 g/day in women) and high risk (> 20 g/day in men or > 10 g/day in women), (2) binge drinking, and (3) alcoholic beverage preference. Non-adherence to the Mediterranean diet was defined as scoring < 7 points on an adapted Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener index (range 0–10). Odds ratios (OR) were estimated using logistic regression models adjusted for relevant covariates.

Results

Compared to non-drinkers, low and high-risk drinkers were more likely to report non-adherence to the Mediterranean diet: ORs 1.35 (95% CI 1.23; 1.49) and 1.54 (95% CI 1.34; 1.76), respectively. Similarly, reports of binge drinking less than once a month was associated with higher likelihood of non-adherence (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.04; 1.31). Individuals reporting no preference for a specific beverage and those with a preference for beer or for spirits had lower adherence: ORs 1.18 (95% CI 1.05; 1.33), 1.31 (95% CI 1.17; 1.46), and 1.72 (95% CI 1.17; 2.54), respectively, while a preference for wine showed no association (OR 1.01; 95% CI 0.90; 1.13).

Conclusion

Alcohol consumption, even in low amounts, is associated with lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Therefore, alcoholic beverages should not be included in measures that define the Mediterranean diet.
ChatGPT vs UpToDate: comparative study of usefulness and reliability of Chatbot in common clinical presentations of otorhinolaryngology–head and neck surgery
Authors: Karimov Ziya , Allahverdiyev Irshad , Agayarov Ozlem Yagiz , Demir Dogukan , Almuradova Elvina
Published: January 2024

Purpose

The usage of Chatbots as a kind of Artificial Intelligence in medicine is getting to increase in recent years. UpToDate® is another well-known search tool established on evidence-based knowledge and is used daily by doctors worldwide. In this study, we aimed to investigate the usefulness and reliability of ChatGPT compared to UpToDate in Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (ORL–HNS).

Materials and methods

ChatGPT-3.5 and UpToDate were interrogated for the management of 25 common clinical case scenarios (13 males/12 females) recruited from literature considering the daily observation at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Ege University Faculty of Medicine. Scientific references for the management were requested for each clinical case. The accuracy of the references in the ChatGPT answers was assessed on a 0–2 scale and the usefulness of the ChatGPT and UpToDate answers was assessed with 1–3 scores by reviewers. UpToDate and ChatGPT 3.5 responses were compared.

Results

ChatGPT did not give references in some questions in contrast to UpToDate. Information on the ChatGPT was limited to 2021. UpToDate supported the paper with subheadings, tables, figures, and algorithms. The mean accuracy score of references in ChatGPT answers was 0.25–weak/unrelated. The median (Q1–Q3) was 1.00 (1.25–2.00) for ChatGPT and 2.63 (2.75–3.00) for UpToDate, the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). UpToDate was observed more useful and reliable than ChatGPT.

Conclusions

ChatGPT has the potential to support the physicians to find out the information but our results suggest that ChatGPT needs to be improved to increase the usefulness and reliability of medical evidence-based knowledge.
Molecular pathology in diagnosis and prognostication of head and neck tumors
Authors: Skálová Alena , Bradová Martina , Michal Michael , Mosaieby Elaheh , Klubíčková Natálie , Vaněček Tomáš , Leivo Ilmo
Published: January 2024

Classification of head and neck tumors has evolved in recent decades including a widespread application of molecular testing in tumors of the salivary glands, sinonasal tract, oropharynx, nasopharynx, and soft tissue. Availability of new molecular techniques allowed for the definition of multiple novel tumor types unique to head and neck sites. Moreover, the expanding spectrum of immunohistochemical markers facilitates a rapid identification of diagnostic molecular abnormalities. As such, it is currently possible for head and neck pathologists to benefit from a molecularly defined classifications, while making diagnoses that are still based largely on histopathology and immunohistochemistry. This review highlights some principal molecular alterations in head and neck neoplasms presently available to assist pathologists in the practice of diagnosis, prognostication and prediction of response to treatment.
Value of high-speed videoendoscopy as an auxiliary tool in differentiation of benign and malignant unilateral vocal lesions
Authors: Malinowski Jakub , Pietruszewska Wioletta , Kowalczyk Magdalena , Niebudek-Bogusz Ewa
Published: January 2024

Purpose

The study aimed to assess the relevance of objective vibratory parameters derived from high-speed videolaryngoscopy (HSV) as a supporting tool, to assist clinicians in establishing the initial diagnosis of benign and malignant glottal organic lesions.

Methods

The HSV examinations were conducted in 175 subjects: 50 normophonic, 85 subjects with benign vocal fold lesions, and 40 with early glottic cancer; organic lesions were confirmed by histopathologic examination. The parameters, derived from HSV kymography: amplitude, symmetry, and glottal dynamic characteristics, were compared statistically between the groups with the following ROC analysis.

Results

Among 14 calculated parameters, 10 differed significantly between the groups. Four of them, the average resultant amplitude of the involved vocal fold (AmpInvolvedAvg), average amplitude asymmetry for the whole glottis and its middle third part (AmplAsymAvg; AmplAsymAvg_2/3), and absolute average phase difference (AbsPhaseDiffAvg), showed significant differences between benign and malignant lesions. Amplitude values were decreasing, while asymmetry and phase difference values were increasing with the risk of malignancy. In ROC analysis, the highest AUC was observed for AmpAsymAvg (0.719; p < 0.0001), and next in order was AmpInvolvedAvg (0.70; p = 0.0002).

Conclusion

The golden standard in the diagnosis of organic lesions of glottis remains clinical examination with videolaryngoscopy, confirmed by histopathological examination. Our results showed that measurements of amplitude, asymmetry, and phase of vibrations in malignant vocal fold masses deteriorate significantly in comparison to benign vocal lesions. High-speed videolaryngoscopy could aid their preliminary differentiation noninvasively before histopathological examination; however, further research on larger groups is needed.
Deep learning in computational mechanics: a review
Authors: Herrmann Leon , Kollmannsberger Stefan
Published: January 2024

The rapid growth of deep learning research, including within the field of computational mechanics, has resulted in an extensive and diverse body of literature. To help researchers identify key concepts and promising methodologies within this field, we provide an overview of deep learning in deterministic computational mechanics. Five main categories are identified and explored: simulation substitution, simulation enhancement, discretizations as neural networks, generative approaches, and deep reinforcement learning. This review focuses on deep learning methods rather than applications for computational mechanics, thereby enabling researchers to explore this field more effectively. As such, the review is not necessarily aimed at researchers with extensive knowledge of deep learning—instead, the primary audience is researchers on the verge of entering this field or those attempting to gain an overview of deep learning in computational mechanics. The discussed concepts are, therefore, explained as simple as possible.
An enhanced corotational Virtual Element Method for large displacements in plane elasticity
Authors: Nale Marco , Gatta Cristina , Addessi Daniela , Benvenuti Elena , Sacco Elio
Published: January 2024

An enhanced virtual element formulation for large displacement analyses is presented. Relying on the corotational approach, the nonlinear geometric effects are introduced by assuming nodal large displacements but small strains in the element. The element deformable behavior is analyzed with reference to the local system, corotating with the element during its motion. Then, the large displacement-induced nonlinearity is accounted for through the transformation matrices relating the local and global quantities. At the local level, the Virtual Element Method is adopted, proposing an enhanced procedure for strain interpolation within the element. The reliability of the proposed approach is explored through several benchmark tests by comparing the results with those evaluated by standard virtual elements, finite element formulations, and analytical solutions. The results prove that: (i) the corotational formulation can be efficiently used within the virtual element framework to account for geometric nonlinearity in the presence of large displacements and small strains; (ii) the adoption of enhanced polynomial approximation for the strain field in the virtual element avoids, in many cases, the need for ad-hoc stabilization procedures also in the nonlinear geometric framework.
Exploring the interconnectedness between health-related quality of life factors among long-term adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYAs): a network analysis
Authors: Bootsma Tom I. , van de Wal Deborah , Vlooswijk Carla , Roos Daniëlle C. , Drabbe Cas , Tissier Renaud , Bijlsma Rhodé M. , Kaal Suzanne E.J. , Kerst Jan Martijn , Tromp Jacqueline M. , Bos Monique E.M.M. , van der Hulle Tom , Lalisang Roy I. , Nuver Janine , Kouwenhoven Mathilde C.M. , van der Graaf Winette T.A. , Janssen Silvie H.M. , Husson Olga
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYAs) are at increased risk of long-term and late effects, and experience unmet needs, impacting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In order to provide and optimize supportive care and targeted interventions for this unique population, it is important to study HRQoL factors’ interconnectedness on a population level. Therefore, this network analysis was performed with the aim to explore the interconnectedness between HRQoL factors, in the analysis described as nodes, among long-term AYAs.

Methods

This population-based cohort study used cross-sectional survey data of long-term AYAs, who were identified by the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). Participants completed a one-time survey (SURVAYA study), including the EORTC survivorship questionnaire (QLQ-SURV111) to assess their long-term HRQoL outcomes and sociodemographic characteristics. The NCR provided the clinical data. Descriptive statistics and a network analysis, including network clustering, were performed.

Results

In total, 3596 AYAs (on average 12.4 years post diagnosis) were included in our network analysis. The network was proven stable and reliable and, in total, four clusters were identified, including a worriment, daily functioning, psychological, and sexual cluster. Negative health outlook, part of the worriment cluster, was the node with the highest strength and its partial correlation with health distress was significantly different from all other partial correlations.

Conclusion

This study shows the results of a stable and reliable network analysis based on HRQoL data of long-term AYAs, and identified nodes, correlations, and clusters that could be intervened on to improve the HRQoL outcomes of AYAs.
The deep learning applications in IoT-based bio- and medical informatics: a systematic literature review
Authors: Amiri Zahra , Heidari Arash , Navimipour Nima Jafari , Esmaeilpour Mansour , Yazdani Yalda
Published: January 2024

Nowadays, machine learning (ML) has attained a high level of achievement in many contexts. Considering the significance of ML in medical and bioinformatics owing to its accuracy, many investigators discussed multiple solutions for developing the function of medical and bioinformatics challenges using deep learning (DL) techniques. The importance of DL in Internet of Things (IoT)-based bio- and medical informatics lies in its ability to analyze and interpret large amounts of complex and diverse data in real time, providing insights that can improve healthcare outcomes and increase efficiency in the healthcare industry. Several applications of DL in IoT-based bio- and medical informatics include diagnosis, treatment recommendation, clinical decision support, image analysis, wearable monitoring, and drug discovery. The review aims to comprehensively evaluate and synthesize the existing body of the literature on applying deep learning in the intersection of the IoT with bio- and medical informatics. In this paper, we categorized the most cutting-edge DL solutions for medical and bioinformatics issues into five categories based on the DL technique utilized: convolutional neural network, recurrent neural network, generative adversarial network, multilayer perception, and hybrid methods. A systematic literature review was applied to study each one in terms of effective properties, like the main idea, benefits, drawbacks, methods, simulation environment, and datasets. After that, cutting-edge research on DL approaches and applications for bioinformatics concerns was emphasized. In addition, several challenges that contributed to DL implementation for medical and bioinformatics have been addressed, which are predicted to motivate more studies to develop medical and bioinformatics research progressively. According to the findings, most articles are evaluated using features like accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F-score, latency, adaptability, and scalability.
CellSegUNet: an improved deep segmentation model for the cell segmentation based on UNet++ and residual UNet models
Authors: Metlek Sedat
Published: January 2024

Cell nucleus segmentation is an important method that is widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, as well as counting and identifying the cell nucleus. The main challenges when using this method are heterogeneous image intensities in the image, overlapping of cell nuclei, and noise. In order to overcome these difficulties, a hybrid segmentation model with attention block, CellSegUNet, is proposed, inspired by the advantageous points of UNet++  and Residual UNet models. With the proposed attention mechanism, semantic gaps that may occur are prevented by evaluating both horizontal and vertical features together. The serial and parallel connection of the convolutional blocks in the residual modules in the CellSegUNet model prevents data loss. Thus, features with stronger representation ability were obtained. The output layer, which is, especially proposed for the CellSegUNet model, calculated the differences between the data in each layer and the data in the input layer. The output value obtained from the layer level where the lowest value comes from constitutes the output of the whole system. At the same depth level, CellSegUNet versus UNet++  and ResUNet models were compared on Data Science Bowl (DSB), Sartorius Cell Instance Segmentation (SCIS), and Blood Cell Segmentation (BCS) datasets. With the CellSegUNet model, accuracy, dice, and jaccard metrics were obtained as 0.980, 0.970, 0.959 for the DSB dataset, 0.931, 0.957, 0.829 for the SCIS dataset and 0.976, 0.971, 0.927 for the BCS dataset, respectively. As a result, it is predicted that the proposed model can provide solutions to different segmentation problems.
Conservative or surgical management of orbital schwannomas: a population-based case series
Authors: El-Hajj Victor Gabriel , Singh Aman , Norin Cecilia , Edström Erik , Bohman Elin , Elmi-Terander Adrian
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Orbital schwannomas (OS) are rare occurrences with no more than 500 cases reported in the literature. The tumor’s potential to compromise the delicate neuro-ophthalmic structures within the orbit prompts surgical removal. Tumor removal is performed by ophthalmologists, often requiring a multidisciplinary surgical approach. The literature contains a very limited number of cases managed non-surgically. However, the inherent risks of orbital surgery warrant a comparison of the outcomes of conservative and surgical management strategies.

Aims

To review the national Swedish experience with the management of orbital schwannomas.

Methods

The study center is the primary Swedish referral center for the multidisciplinary management of orbital tumors, including schwannomas. During the period of 2005 to 2021, 16 patients with an OS diagnosis were managed at the center.

Results

Four patients initially underwent surgery where gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in three (75%) and subtotal resection (STR) in one (25%) case. The remaining 12 patients, who had a low risk of neuro-ophthalmic impairment, were managed conservatively with radiological and clinical examinations at regular intervals. After an average follow-up of 17 months, surgery was performed in three of these cases (25%). No recurrences or tumor growths were detected on radiological follow-ups (mean 50 months), and all patients experienced postoperative improvement at clinical follow-up (mean 65 months). The remainder of the conservatively treated patients (n=9) experienced no clinical progression (mean 30 months). A slight radiological tumor progression was detected in one patient after 17 months.

Conclusion

There were no differences in long-term outcome between patients who had been managed with early surgery and those operated later after an initially conservative management. Conservatively treated patients had minimal to no symptoms and remained clinically stable throughout the follow-up period. Based on these findings, conservative management may successfully be adopted in cases with mild symptoms, no signs of compressive optic neuropathy and low risk of neuro-ophthalmic impairment. Conversion to surgical management is indicated upon clinical deterioration or tumor growth. Based on the findings of this study a decision tree for the management of orbital schwannomas is suggested.
Ray tracing-based construction of 3D background model for real-time stereoscopic rendering of live immersive video
Authors: Kim Youngwook , Yun Jehyeong , Yun Joungil , Kwak Sangwoon , Ihm Insung
Published: January 2024

Immersive video stored in multiview video-plus-depth format can provide viewers with vivid immersive experiences. However, rendering such video in real time in immersive environments remains a challenging task due to the high resolution and refresh rate demanded by recent extended reality displays. An essential issue in this immersive rendering is the disocclusion problem that inevitably occurs when virtual views are synthesized via the de facto standard 3D warping technique. In this paper, we present a novel virtual view synthesis framework that, from a live immersive video stream, renders stereoscopic images in real time for a freely moving virtual viewer. The main difference from previous approaches is that the surrounding background environment of the immersive video’s virtual scene is progressively reproduced on the fly directly in the 3D space while the input stream is being rendered. To allow this, we propose a new 3D background modeling scheme that, based on GPU-accelerated real-time ray tracing, efficiently and incrementally builds the background model in compact 3D triangular mesh. Then, we demonstrate that the 3D background environment can effectively alleviate the critical disocclusion problem in the immersive rendering, eventually reducing spatial and temporal aliasing artifacts. It is also suggested that the 3D representation of background environment enables extension of the virtual environment of immersive video by interactively adding 3D visual effects during rendering.
Usefulness of the Berg Balance Scale for prediction of fall risk in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Ayvat Ender , Doğan Mert , Ayvat Fatma , Kılınç Özge Onursal , Sütçü Gülşah , Kılınç Muhammed , Yıldırım Sibel Aksu
Published: January 2024

Introduction

The Berg Balance Scale, possibly the most widely used balance-related measure, has gained popularity in clinical trials. It provides information about patients’ balance-related abilities and can be used to assess improvement or worsening after rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to determine the cut-off value of the Berg Balance Scale for the fall risk in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods

This study was designed as a prospective descriptive trial, and 186 patients with MS were included. Fall history was recorded by interview; balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS).

Results

The mean ages of 96 patients with a fall history within the previous month and 90 patients without a fall history were 35.98 ± 8.58 and 35.71 ± 9.33 years, respectively. The mean value of the BBS score of the faller group was 49.44 ± 5.43 while 52.36 ± 3.53 in non-faller group. The cut-off value of the BBS for fall risk in patients with MS was determined as 50.50 points.

Conclusions

For patient safety and the success of rehabilitation, it is crucial to evaluate the risk of falling in patients with MS, one of the neurological patient groups where complaints about falling are most prevalent. The results showed that BBS is a sensitive and specific measure for identifying in patients with MS at risk of falling.
Multimodal repetitions in children’s co-construction of arguments
Authors: Schönfelder Nora
Published: January 2024

The study examines the interactive functions of gesture repetitions as a specific form of interpersonal synchronization in argumentative decision-making processes of peers (1–6 graders). Based on a collection of 13 instances, gesture repetitions are investigated in the process of collaboratively co-constructing arguments. Drawing on multimodal interaction analysis, a description is provided of how gestures are aligned and laminated with other multimodal resources, such as body posture and gaze, into multimodal repetitions during the co-construction of both arguments and counterarguments. The study illustrates the way in which multimodal repetitions serve to mark coherence between the participants’ turns and contribute to the argument. As the multimodal resources are highly synchronized with each other, multimodal repetitions also make the collaboration of specific participants publicly visible to all interactants, thereby attaching more importance to the sharedness—and persuasiveness—of the constructed argument. The analysis therefore focuses on both depictive and pragmatic gestures that are conceived as parts of multimodal gestalts (Mondada, 2014), and describes different trajectories of co-constructions that entail interactively successful as well as unsuccessful examples.
Nonuniform sliding-window reconstruction for accelerated dual contrast agent quantification with MR fingerprinting
Authors: Marriott Anna , Rioux James , Brewer Kimberly
Published: January 2024

Objective

MR fingerprinting (MRF) can enable preclinical studies of cell tracking by quantifying multiple contrast agents simultaneously, but faster scan times are required for in vivo applications. Sliding window (SW)-MRF is one option for accelerating MRF, but standard implementations are not sufficient to preserve the accuracy of T2*, which is critical for tracking iron-labelled cells in vivo.

Purpose

To develop a SW approach to MRF which preserves the T2* accuracy required for accelerated concentration mapping of iron-labelled cells on single-channel preclinical systems.

Methods

A nonuniform SW was applied to the MRF sequence and dictionary. Segments of the sequence most sensitive to T2* were subject to a shorter window length, preserving the T2* sensitivity. Phantoms containing iron-labelled CD8+ T cells and gadolinium were used to compare 24× undersampled uniform and nonuniform SW-MRF parameter maps. Dual concentration maps were generated for both uniform and nonuniform MRF and compared.

Results

Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient, compared to gold standard parameter values, was much greater for nonuniform SW-MRF than for uniform SW-MRF. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed no significant difference between nonuniform SW-MRF and gold standards. Nonuniform SW-MRF outperformed the uniform SW-MRF concentration maps for all parameters, providing a balance between T2* sensitivity of short window lengths, and SNR of longer window lengths.

Conclusions

Nonuniform SW-MRF improves the accuracy of matching compared to uniform SW-MRF, allowing higher accelerated concentration mapping for preclinical systems.
Assessment of the effects of different variable weights on wildfire susceptibility
Authors: Sari Fatih
Published: January 2024

In this study, wildfire susceptibility is mapped using various multi-criteria decision analysis techniques (AHP, SAW and VIKOR) and machine learning algorithms (MaxEnt and logistic regression) to reveal the response of models for wildfires. In this study, it is suggested that using natural weights generated by machine learning algorithms instead of artificial weights in MCDA methods can increase the reliability of susceptibility maps because wildfires have very close relationship with climatic, topographic and environmental variables. The contribution rates (natural weights) were obtained using machine learning algorithms and incorporated into MCDA methods to make the spatial relationships between variables more obvious. As a result, eight susceptibility maps were generated using MCDA methods, MaxEnt and logistic regression algorithms. Correlation analysis showed that using natural weights instead of artificial weights increased the correlation between MCDA methods and machine learning algorithms. Each correlation value increased by 10% on average and the highest increase was determined between VIKOR and logistic regression from 0.6286 to 0.7580 when natural weights were used. In addition, 1035 existing wildfire locations were used to evaluate the reliability of generated maps. The results showed that the average risk values of 1035 wildfire locations increased from 6.04 to 7.23 using AHP, from 0.66 to 0.79 using SAW and from 0.35 to 0.25 using the VIKOR method. This indicates a significant increase in the accuracy and reliability of susceptibility maps produced when natural weights determined by machine learning algorithms are used in MCDA methods.
CMSV: a New Cloud Multi-Agents for Self-Driving Vehicles as a Services
Authors: Nasr Aida A.
Published: January 2024

The development of autonomous vehicles has changed the way of transmitting goods to users, with the potential to improve road safety and efficiency. One of the effective issues of self-driving vehicles is path planning issue. In this paper, a new system is proposed for addressing the potential of using multi-agent systems (MAS) to address path planning problems in autonomous vehicles. The system is called Cloud Multi-Agents for Self-Driving Vehicles as A Services (CMSV). It is used to solve the dependent delivery problem, where the vehicle transmits the goods/deliveries, that are dependent on each other, to specific locations in ordering or with specific directions. The new system consists of three phases: (1) converting the problem into TSP sub problems according to deliveries dependency, (2) applying GDC to select the good solutions (3) applying multi-agent system to select the optimal solution. The proposed system is compared with systems that use a genetic algorithm, Ant Colony algorithm, Particle Swarm Optimization and The Harris hawk optimization (HHO) algorithm. From the findings, we find that the proposed system is more efficient than the other systems.
The behaviour of aluminium, manganese, iron, cobalt, and lead in the subarctic Pacific Ocean: boundary scavenging and temporal changes
Authors: Chan Cheuk-Yin , Zheng Linjie , Sohrin Yoshiki
Published: January 2024

Aluminium (Al), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), and lead (Pb) are trace metals that exhibit significant scavenging tendencies in the oceans. This study presents the full-depth distributions of the dissolved (d) and labile particulate (lp) fractions of these five elements in the subarctic Pacific Ocean, obtained during the GEOTRACES Japan KH-17-3 cruise. Along the 145° W meridional transect, the d and lp species of Al, Mn, Fe, and Co reflected fluvial supply from Alaska and benthic input from the continental shelf. We estimated that the boundary-scavenging zone has a width of approximately 250 km off Alaska. Along the 47° N zonal transect (GEOTRACES GP02 Line), we found input of trace metals from the Okhotsk and Bering Seas in the west, contrasting to the limited input of trace metals due to boundary scavenging in the east. The hydrothermal activity of the Juan de Fuca Ridge influenced the distribution of deep-water trace metals at the easternmost station, CL-21. Temporal change in the vertical profiles of dPb in the middle of the subarctic gyre highlighted a decline in anthropogenic Pb emissions from 2005 to 2017. Temporal change of the vertical profiles of Al, Mn, and Fe at 47° N, 160° E from 2011 to 2017 indicates the influence of the Great East Japan Earthquake. In particular, lp trace metals were brought by tsunami and ocean circulation in 2011, and decreased over time through scavenging.
Toward Characterizing Lymphatic Vasculature in the Mammary Gland During Normal Development and Tumor-Associated Remodeling
Authors: Dahms Petra , Lyons Traci R
Published: January 2024

Lymphatic vasculature has been shown to promote metastatic spread of breast cancer. Lymphatic vasculature, which is made up of larger collecting vessels and smaller capillaries, has specialized cell junctions that facilitate cell intravasation. Normally, these junctions are designed to collect immune cells and other cellular components for immune surveillance by lymph nodes, but they are also utilized by cancer cells to facilitate metastasis. Although lymphatic development overall in the body has been well-characterized, there has been little focus on how the lymphatic network changes in the mammary gland during stages of remodeling such as pregnancy, lactation, and postpartum involution. In this review, we aim to define the currently known lymphangiogenic factors and lymphatic remodeling events during mammary gland morphogenesis. Furthermore, we juxtapose mammary gland pubertal development and postpartum involution to show similarities of pro-lymphangiogenic signaling as well as other molecular signals for epithelial cell survival that are critical in these morphogenic stages. The similar mechanisms include involvement of M2-polarized macrophages that contribute to matrix remodeling and vasculogenesis; signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) survival and proliferation signaling; and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2)/Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) signaling to promote ductal and lymphatic expansion. Investigation and characterization of lymphangiogenesis in the normal mammary gland can provide insight to targetable mechanisms for lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic spread of tumor cells in breast cancer.
Facilitators and Barriers to Implementing Interventions to Prevent Musculoskeletal Disorders in Blue-Collar Workers: A Scoping Review
Authors: der Meer Suzan Mooren-van , Smit Denise J. M. , Hutting Nathan , van Lankveld Wim , Engels Josephine , Reneman Michiel , Pelgrim Thomas , Staal J. Bart
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Blue-collar workers generally have less healthy lifestyles, poorer health, and a lower life expectancy than white-collar workers. At least in part this may be attributed to their work and working conditions. Employers increasingly provide interventions to improve health and wellbeing and prevent musculoskeletal disorders. However, they often do not reach blue-collar workers. The aim of this scoping review was to identify the facilitators for and barriers to implementing such interventions among blue-collar workers.

Methods

A scoping review in which the study population of the selected studies consists of blue-collar workers (≥ 18 years old) in paid employment. Furthermore, included studies should report facilitators and barriers to implementing interventions to prevent musculoskeletal disorders. The literature search was conducted in six databases. The resulting studies were extracted with the help of the updated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Results

15 articles were included; these were reviews, intervention studies, qualitative studies and process evaluations. A main facilitator was a participatory approach, which involves the blue-collar worker in the entire process of defining, developing, and implementing a multidimensional preventive intervention. The main barriers on the worker level were unfavorable worker characteristics and unsupportive behavior/attitudes. The main barriers on the organization level were a culture with a high production standard, a hierarchical culture, inflexible work, and an unsupportive attitude from the employer.

Conclusion

This review showed the multifaceted nature of implementation. A tailored implementation plan that involves the stakeholders (including workers) is important.
Hydroxycarbonate apatite formation, cytotoxicity, and antibacterial properties of rubidium-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles
Authors: Pantulap Usanee , Unalan Irem , Zheng Kai , Boccaccini Aldo R.
Published: January 2024

Rubidium (Rb) has been shown to impact biological activity. This work synthesized Rb-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs) based on the composition 70SiO2–30CaO mol% with a sol-gel method. Rb2O was substituted for CaO in concentrations of 5 and 10 mol%. The influence of Rb incorporation on the hydroxycarbonate apatite (HCA) formation, cytotoxicity, and antibacterial capacity of particles was evaluated. XRD analysis confirmed the amorphous structure of the particles. In vitro, biomineralization studies showed HCA on the surface of MBGN and Rb-doped MBGN pellets after 7 days of soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF). An inhibition zone of Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) around Rb-doped MBGN pellets was detected, while MBGN pellets did not show any inhibition zone. Additionally, MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblastic cells demonstrated cytocompatibility when exposed to Rb-MBG suspensions at different concentrations of up to 250 µg/ml. Based on their overall properties, Rb-containing MBGNs are proposed for biomedical applications, such as filler nanoparticles in composite bone scaffolds.
Understanding Wellbeing Profiles According to White Matter Structural Connectivity Sub-types in Early Adolescents: The First Hundred Brains Cohort from the Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study
Authors: Driver Christina , Boyes Amanda , Mohamed Abdalla Z. , Levenstein Jacob M. , Parker Marcella , Hermens Daniel F.
Published: January 2024

Wellbeing is protective against the emergence of psychopathology. Neurobiological markers associated with mental wellbeing during adolescence are important to understand. Limited research has examined neural networks (white matter tracts) and mental wellbeing in early adolescence specifically. A cross-sectional diffusion tensor imaging analysis approach was conducted, from the Longitudinal Adolescent Brain study, First Hundred Brains cohort (N = 99; 46.5% female; Mage = 13.01, SD = 0.55). Participants completed self-report measures including wellbeing, quality-of-life, and psychological distress. Potential neurobiological profiles using fractional anisotropy, axial, and radial diffusivity were determined via a whole brain voxel-wise approach, and hierarchical cluster analysis of fractional anisotropy values, obtained from 21 major white matter tracts. Three cluster groups with significantly different neurobiological profiles were distinguished. No significant differences were found between the three cluster groups and measures of wellbeing, but two left lateralized significant associations between white matter tracts and wellbeing measures were found. These results provide preliminary evidence for potential neurobiological markers of mental health and wellbeing in early adolescence and should be tracked longitudinally to provide more detailed and robust findings.
The enzymatic properties of Arabidopsis thaliana DNA polymerase λ suggest a role in base excision repair
Authors: Morales-Ruiz T. , Beltrán-Melero C. , Ortega-Paredes D. , Luna-Morillo J. A. , Martínez-Macías M. I. , Roldán-Arjona T. , Ariza R. R. , Córdoba-Cañero D.
Published: January 2024

Base excision repair (BER) generates gapped DNA intermediates containing a 5′-terminal 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate (5′-dRP) group. In mammalian cells, gap filling and dRP removal are catalyzed by Pol β, which belongs to the X family of DNA polymerases. In higher plants, the only member of the X family of DNA polymerases is Pol λ. Although it is generally believed that plant Pol λ participates in BER, there is limited experimental evidence for this hypothesis. Here we have characterized the biochemical properties of Arabidopsis thaliana Pol λ (AtPol λ) in a BER context, using a variety of DNA repair intermediates. We have found that AtPol λ performs gap filling inserting the correct nucleotide, and that the rate of nucleotide incorporation is higher in substrates containing a C in the template strand. Gap filling catalyzed by AtPol λ is most efficient with a phosphate at the 5′-end of the gap and is not inhibited by the presence of a 5′-dRP mimic. We also show that AtPol λ possesses an intrinsic dRP lyase activity that is reduced by mutations at two lysine residues in its 8-kDa domain, one of which is present in Pol λ exclusively and not in any Pol β homolog. Importantly, we also found that the dRP lyase activity of AtPol λ allows efficient completion of uracil repair in a reconstituted short-patch BER reaction. These results suggest that AtPol λ plays an important role in plant BER.
Longitudinal patterns of scientific collaboration in doctoral studies
Authors: Cugmas Marjan , Mali Franc , Kronegger Luka
Published: January 2024

Doctoral studies play a vital role in socializing young individuals in science as they navigate the challenges of modern knowledge-based societies. Taking various forms and intensities, the mentor–mentee relationship is integral to this process. The paper therefore addresses the temporal patterns of scientific collaboration between mentors and mentees, as well as among co-mentors, given that understanding the characteristics of mentoring collaborations is essential for developing successful higher education strategies for attracting potential doctoral students and designing effective science policies. Patterns of collaboration were identified using a symbolic data clustering approach and described using linear discriminant analysis. The data come from national information systems in Slovenia and cover the period between 1991 and 2020. On the mentor–mentee level, six types of scientific collaborations were identified and classified in three broader categories:study-limited,already established, andborn and raised. The most common,born and raised,is characterized by students who are isolated from the scientific community at the beginning of their studies and have become well integrated into the scientific community and highly productive researchers by the time they complete their doctoral studies. Thestudy-limitedcollaboration pattern is becoming increasingly popular and more common in the natural and technical sciences. Thealready establishedis more common among older mentees. The notion that mentoring promotes long-term scientific collaboration between mentors is not confirmed by the presented study. However, higher levels of collaboration between mentors are associated with younger age, working in the same scientific discipline, and younger mentors.
Universalism and particularism in the recommendations of the nobel prize for science
Authors: Ko Byoung-Kwon , Jang Yeongkyun , Yang Jae-Suk
Published: January 2024

From the viewpoints of universalism and particularism, this paper investigates the process of recommendation by focusing on peer review for the Nobel Prize for Science from 1901 to 1970. The results indicate that self-recommendation practices are routine, especially in developed countries, and that the recommendation network is fundamentally built on mutually beneficial relationships between countries. The analysis also reveals that political, economic, military, biological, and colonial factors irrelevant to scientific performance impact the recommendations. During the study period, the Cold War evoked severe tensions between the Western and Eastern Blocs and influenced recommendations on each side; political and military factors also played a role. The main findings imply apparent evidence for particularism, indicating the presence of bias in the recommendation process. This paper provides suggestions for improvement of the selection process for the Nobel Committee.