bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aerial online mapping on‐board system by real‐time object detection for UGV path generation in unstructured outdoor environments
Authors: Lee Jehong , Lim Jeonggeun , Pyo Sangjin , Lee Jongho
Published: May 2023

An optimal path provides efficient operation of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) for many kinds of tasks such as transportation, exploration, surveillance, and search and rescue in unstructured areas that include various unexpected obstacles. Various onboard sensors such as LiDAR, radar, sonar, and cameras are used to detect obstacles around the UGVs. However, their range of view is often limited by movable obstacles or barriers, resulting in inefficient path generation. Here, we present the aerial online mapping system to generate an efficient path for a UGV on a two‐dimensional map. The map is updated by projecting obstacles detected in the aerial images taken by an unmanned aerial vehicle through an object detector based on a conventional convolutional neural network. The proposed system is implemented in real‐time by a skid steering ground vehicle and a quadcopter with relatively small, low‐cost embedded systems. The frameworks and each module of the systems are given in detail to evaluate the performance. The system is also demonstrated in unstructured outdoor environments such as in a football field and a park with unreliable communication links. The results show that the aerial online mapping is effective in path generation for autonomous UGVs in real environments.
Which direction for sustainable development? A time series comparison of the impacts of redistributive versus market policies in Bolivia and South Korea
Authors: Bell Karen , Hickel Jason , Arbon Rob , Zoomkawala Huzaifa
Published: May 2023

This article examines two major policy frameworks for achieving sustainable development: the market‐based ‘Green Economy’ approach (exemplified by South Korea), and the redistributive ‘Living Well’ approach (exemplified by Bolivia). We compare the two paradigms in qualitative terms using document analysis, and we assess quantitatively how they have fared in terms of delivering progress towards sustainable development in each country. Time series data for the Sustainable Development Index and the Gini index were examined. The results show that, since ‘Living Well’ was initiated, social outcomes have continued to improve in Bolivia and, while emissions and material footprint have increased, they remain low and within or near sustainable boundaries. By contrast, South Korea has regressed in terms of sustainability. Social indicators have improved, but the Green Economy policy has failed to reduce ecological pressures. This raises significant questions about the legitimacy of the Green Economy paradigm as a model for achieving sustainable development.
Fracture Toughness Characteristics of Stacked Bilayer Graphene via Far‐Field Displacement Measurements
Authors: Arshad Muhammad Usama , Gan Yuxiang , Wei Congjie , Li Jiaoli , Wu Chenglin , Naraghi Mohammad
Published: May 2023

Mechanical properties of graphene, e.g., strength, modulus, and fracture toughness are extremely sensitive to flaws. Here the fracture properties of stacked bilayer graphene sheets (SBLG) are reported, obtained via stacking two individually grown graphene sheets. The SBLG is presented here as a building block for flaw‐resilient nanomaterials. The fracture properties of freestanding SBLG sheets, suspended on transmission electron microscope (TEM) grids, are characterized by stretching the TEM grid inside an scanning electron microscope (SEM) chamber and monitoring the local displacements in real‐time. The fracture toughness is measured and expressed as a function of the critical displacement required to propagate existing cracks in the experiment via computational models. This approach decouples force and displacements measurements, and utilizes the known elastic modulus along with the known displacement boundary conditions at the onset of crack growth to estimate the far field force and stress. This strategy represents a breakthrough in nanoscale fracture mechanics for statistical analysis and high throughput experimens on multiple samples at a time. Results demonstrate that the SBLG is markedly tougher than as‐grown single or multilayer graphene, with a mode I fracture toughness of ≈28.06 ± 7.5 MPa. The mechanisms leading to a higher toughness of SBLG are also analyzed and discussed.
Charges Transfer in Interfaces for Energy Generating
Authors: Jiang Yisha , Wu Yitian , Xu Guoheng , Wang Senyao , Mei Tingting , Liu Nannan , Wang Tao , Wang Yude , Xiao Kai
Published: May 2023

Under the threat of energy crisis and environmental pollution, the technology for sustainable and clean energy extraction has received considerable attention. Owing to the intensive exploration of energy conversion strategies, expanded energy sources are successfully converted into electric energy, including mechanical energy from human motion, kinetic energy of falling raindrops, and thermal energy in the ambient. Among these energy conversion processes, charge transfer at different interfaces, such as solid–solid, solid–liquid, liquid–liquid, and gas‐contained interfaces, dominates the power‐generating efficiency. In this review, the mechanisms and applications of interfacial energy generators (IEGs) with different interface types are systematically summarized. Challenges and prospects are also highlighted. Due to the abundant interfacial interactions in nature, the development of IEGs offers a promising avenue of inexhaustible and environmental‐friendly power generation to solve the energy crisis.
Water and sediment quality of an agro‐industrial area through different approaches: Physicochemical parameters and ecotoxicity with amphibians
Authors: Peluso Julieta , Aronzon Carolina M. , Martínez Chehda Agostina , Cuzziol Boccioni Ana Paula , Peltzer Paola M. , Gonzalez Florencia , Valenzuela Lautaro , De Geronimo Eduardo , Aparicio Virginia , Lajmanovich Rafael C.
Published: May 2023

Amphibians are subject to several stressors in the aquatic and terrestrial environments, and human activities have profoundly impacted this vertebrate group. The aim of the present study was to analyze physicochemical parameters, metals and pesticide residues, and the toxicity of water and sediment samples from an environment with high agricultural activity (S1: Salto stream; S2: drainage channel downstream from S1) by means of bioassays using Rhinella arenarum (Amphibia: Anura) larvae. Metals and pesticides were analyzed in water and sediment samples by fluorescence spectrometer of X‐ray by total reflection and ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography‐MS/MS, respectively. For lethality bioassays, 10 larvae (in triplicate) were exposed for 504 h to water and sediment samples. Also, 50 larvae were exposed for 96 h (in triplicate) to water and sediment samples for the evaluation of biomarkers of neurotoxicity, oxidative stress, and genotoxicity. Twenty‐six different pesticides (mainly herbicides) were detected in both sites, and Cu, Zn, and Pb exceeded the limit for protection of aquatic life. Lethality was observed in larvae exposed to water and sediment samples from both sites at chronic exposure. Oxidative stress was observed in larvae exposed to both sites. In larvae exposed to samples from S1, alterations in the neurotoxicity biomarkers were observed. These results alert about the degradation of the sites and highlight the need to monitor and control the use of pesticides.

Practitioner Points

Twenty‐six pesticides were detected in water and sediment from Salto stream basin.

Significant mortality was observed in larvae exposed to samples from all sites.

Sublethal effects were observed mainly in larvae exposed to samples from Salto stream.

The degraded quality can be associated with the agricultural activities of the area.
Towards Assessing Features of Dark Patterns in Cookie Consent Processes
Authors: Kocyigit Emre , Rossi Arianna , Lenzini Gabriele
Published: May 2023

There has been a burst of discussions about how to characterize and recognize online dark patterns — i.e., web design strategies that aim to steer user choices towards what favours service providers or third parties like advertisers rather than what is in the best interest of users. Dark patterns are common in cookie banners where they are used to influence users to accept being tracked for more purposes than a data protection by default principle would dictate. Despite all the discussions, an objective, transparent, and verifiable assessment of dark patterns’ qualities is still missing. We contribute to bridging this gap by studying several cookie processes, in particular their multi-layered information flow —that we represent as message sequence charts—, and by identifying a list of observable and measurable features that we believe can help describing the presence of dark patterns in digital consent flows. We propose thirty one of such properties that can be operationalised into metrics and therefore into objective procedures for the detection of dark patterns.
Stand der didaktischen Forschung zur Trigonometrie
Authors: Katter Valentin
Published: May 2023

In diesem Abschnitt soll zunächst eine Antwort auf die Frage gegeben werden, wieso es sich bei der Trigonometrie um ein für die didaktische Forschung relevantes Themengebiet handelt. Trigonometrische Funktionen gehören zur Funktionsklasse der elementaren nicht-algebraischen Funktionen (Blum & Törner 1983). Funktionen dieser Funktionsklasse sind dadurch ausgezeichnet, dass es keine endliche algebraische Formel gibt mit der Werte dieser Funktionen ausgerechnet werden können. In der Schule können Werte der Sinusfunktion durch geometrische Argumentationen oder heuristische Verfahren am Einheitskreis und an rechtwinkligen Dreiecken bestimmt werden. Weitere Verfahren zur Berechnung bedienen sich der höheren Mathematik, wie der Approximation durch Taylorreihen oder der komplexen Exponentialfunktion (vgl. Abschnitt 4.3 ). Darüber hinaus zeichnet sich die historische Entwicklung der Trigonometrie besonders durch die Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Methoden und Verfahren aus, die zu immer genaueren Berechnungen der Sinuswerte beigetragen haben (vgl. Abschnitt 4.2 ). Für das Verständnis trigonometrischer Funktionen ist also nicht nur ein allgemeines Verständnis von Funktionen und arithmetischen Operationen notwendig, sondern auch die inhaltlichen Deutungen dieser Funktionen in unterschiedlichen mathematischen und geometrischen sowie realen Kontexten. Diese inhaltlichen Deutungen bauen jeweils auf umfangreichem fachlichen Vorwissen auf und sind mit weiteren mathematischen Konzepten verknüpft. Zur Beschreibung des komplexen Netzwerks an Informationen können verschiedene didaktische Theorien genutzt werden, darunter die Theorie der kognitiven Schemata (Skemp 1987) oder des concept image (Tall & Vinner 1981). Weiterhin steht die Thematik in Beziehung zur Konstruktion von Wissen und dem Aufbau von Grundvorstellungen (vom Hofe 1995).
Konzeptioneller Rahmen der empirischen Untersuchung
Authors: Katter Valentin
Published: May 2023

In diesem Kapitel wird der empirische Teil des Forschungsvorhabens vorgestellt. Dazu werden im Folgenden zunächst die Forschungsfragen konkretisiert. Anschließend wird die Konzeption der Studie vorgestellt.
Auswertung der empirischen Untersuchung
Authors: Katter Valentin
Published: May 2023

Die Studienteilnehmenden wurden über die Studie aufgeklärt und aufgefordert, alles was sie denken möglichst ausführlich zu beschreiben und viel miteinander zu kommunizieren. Anschließend wurden sie mit drei Aufgabenblättern, einem Stapel Papier, einem Federpendel und einigen Stiften im Raum allein gelassen und von hinten über die Schulter dabei gefilmt, wie sie die Aufgaben bearbeiten. Insgesamt nahmen acht zufällig zusammengestellte Paare nacheinander an den Fallstudien teil.
Appell für die Nutzung ethnografischer Methoden
Authors: Ruppel Samantha
Published: May 2023

Das folgende Kapitel führt zunächst in die teilnehmende Beobachtung als Methode ein. Dabei wird zunächst auf die methodische Herkunft eingegangen. Dann werden einzelne Forschungsstrategien und das Vorgehen im Feld genauer beschrieben. Der Forschungsprozess wird in verschiedene Phasen unterteilt und immer wieder kritisch hinterfragt. Anschließend findet eine Übertragung der Methode in die Politikwissenschaft und die FuK statt. Unter Berücksichtigung dieser Disziplinen wird die Methode anschließend mit besonderer Berücksichtigung ihrer Machbarkeit und Durchführbarkeit analysiert, bevor auf Expert*inneninterviews als ergänzende Methode eingegangen wird. Abschließend findet eine ethische Betrachtung der Methode der teilnehmenden Beobachtung statt. Zusätzlich wird nach jedem Unterkapitel eine Reflexion meiner eigenen Forschung durchgeführt und es wird beschrieben, wie ich in der Forschung vorgegangen bin.
Innenansichten aus dem ZFD – empirische Ergebnisse aus der Forschung in Deutschland
Authors: Ruppel Samantha
Published: May 2023

In diesem Kapitel wird vertieft in die ZFD-Landschaft eingeführt. Es werden empirische Ergebnisse vorgestellt, welche in Expert*inneninterviews in Deutschland und durch die Teilnahme an Vorbereitungsseminaren für Fachkräfte vor ihrer Ausreise gewonnen werden konnten. Durch dieses Kapitel können vertiefte Einsichten in den ZFD gewonnen werden. Zudem wird die Grundlage für die weitere empirische Forschung und das weitere Verständnis gelegt. Dabei wird zunächst der ZFD aus Sicht der durchführenden Organisationen dargestellt. Anschließend wird beantwortet, wer die lokalen Partner*innen sind.
Numerical Solutions to Infiltration Equation
Authors: Wu Lizhou , Zhou Jianting
Published: May 2023

Unsaturated infiltration issues occur in many fields, such as rainfall-induced soil slope failures (Wu et al. in Hydro-mechanical analysis of rainfall-induced landslides. Springer, 2020a; Wu et al. in Appl Math Model 80:408–425, 2020b; Jiang et al. in Eng Comput 38:1–14, 2022), solute migration simulation (Cross et al. in Adv Water Resour 136, 2020), and coal seam water injection and coalbed methane extraction (Liu et al. 2018; Wang et al. in J Comput Appl Math 367, 2020).
Energy dynamics, information and heat flow in quenched cooling and the crossover from quantum to classical thermodynamics
Authors: Ohanesjan V. , Cheipesh Y. , Gnezdilov N. V. , Pavlov A. I. , Schalm K.
Published: May 2023

Abstract

The dynamics when a hot many-body quantum system is brought into instantaneous contact with a cold many-body quantum system can be understood as a combination of early time quantum correlation (von Neumann entropy) gain and late time energy relaxation. We show that at the shortest timescales there is an energy increase in each system linked to the entropy gain, even though equilibrium thermodynamics does not apply. This energy increase is of quantum origin and results from the collective binding energy between the two systems. Counter-intuitively, this implies that also the hotter of the two systems generically experiences an initial energy increase when brought into contact with the other colder system. In the limit where the energy relaxation overwhelms the (quantum) correlation build-up, classical energy dynamics emerges where the energy in the hot system decreases immediately upon contact with a cooler system. We use both strongly correlated SYK systems and weakly correlated mixed field Ising chains to exhibit these characteristics, and comment on its implications for both black hole evaporation and quantum thermodynamics.
An EFT hunter’s guide to two-to-two scattering: HEFT and SMEFT on-shell amplitudes
Authors: Liu Hongkai , Ma Teng , Shadmi Yael , Waterbury Michael
Published: May 2023

Abstract

We derive the contact terms contributing to the four-point amplitudes of the standard model particles, keeping terms with up to quartic energy growth. Imposing just the unbroken low-energy symmetry, and treating the electroweak gauge bosons and the Higgs as independent degrees of freedom, we obtain the most general four-point contact-term amplitudes, corresponding to the Higgs Effective Field Theory (HEFT) framework. The contact terms are spanned by a basis of Stripped Contact Terms, which carry the polarization information, multiplied by polynomials in the Mandelstam invariants. For terms with quadratic energy growth, we also derive the low-energy Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) predictions, via on-shell Higgsing of the massless SMEFT contact terms. We discuss several aspects of bottom-up versus top-down on-shell derivations of the HEFT and SMEFT amplitudes, highlighting in particular the simple counting of HEFT dimensions in the on-shell approach and the transparent relation between perturbative unitarity and gauge-invariance in the little-group covariant massive spinor formalism. Our results provide a formulation of Effective Field Theory analyses directly in terms of observable quantities. For terms with quadratic energy growth, we also provide the mapping to the Warsaw basis.
External gravitational field of a homogeneous ellipsoidal shell: a reference for testing gravity modelling software
Authors: Seitz Kurt , Heck Bernhard , Abd-Elmotaal Hussein
Published: May 2023

There are numerous applications in geodesy and other geo-sciences in which the gravitational potential effect or other functions of the potential are computed by forward modelling from a given mass distribution. Different volume discretisations, e.g. prisms, tesseroids or mass layers are used. In order to control the numerical realisation of the forward calculation in the practical application, e.g. in reduction tasks, these evaluation programs should be verified against rigorous analytical solutions. In this contribution, a closed analytical solution for the potential of an ellipsoidal shell as a test body is presented. Furthermore, we derive the respective closed formulae for the gravity vector and the gravity gradient tensor. Program implementations of the tesseroid approach are compared on the basis of this ellipsoidal mass arrangement. For the practical usage, fast-converging expansions in spherical harmonics are provided in addition. The derivation of the formulae is based on a closed solution of the potential of a homogeneous ellipsoid for computation points situated on the rotation axis, which then is extended to the external space.
New insights to diversity and enzyme–substrate interactions of fungal glucuronoyl esterases
Authors: Agger Jane Wittrup , Madsen Michael Schmidt , Martinsen Line Korte , Martins Pedro Alves , Barrett Kristian , Meyer Anne S.
Published: May 2023

Glucuronoyl esterases (GEs) (EC 3.1.1.117) catalyze the cleavage of ester-linked lignin-carbohydrate complexes that has high impact on the plant cell wall integrity. The GEs are among the very few known types of hydrolytic enzymes that act at the interface of lignin, or which may potentially interact with lignin itself. In this review, we provide the latest update of the current knowledge on GEs with a special focus on the fungal variants. In addition, we have established the phylogenetic relationship between all GEs and this reveals that the fungal enzymes largely fall into one major branch, together with only a minor subset of bacterial enzymes. About 22% of the fungal proteins carry an additional domain, which is almost exclusively a CBM1 binding domain. We address how GEs may interact with the lignin-side of their substrate by molecular docking experiments based on the known structure of the Cerrena unicolor GE (CuGE). The docking studies indicate that there are no direct interactions between the enzyme and the lignin polymer, that the lignin-moiety is facing away from the protein surface and that an elongated carbon-chain between the ester-linkage and the first phenyl of lignin is preferable. Much basic research on these enzymes has been done over the past 15 years, but the next big step forward for these enzymes is connected to application and how these enzymes can facilitate the use of lignocellulose as a renewable resource.

Key points

Fungal GEs are closely related and are sometimes linked to a binding module

Molecular docking suggests good accommodation of lignin-like substructures

GEs could be among the first expressed enzymes during fungal growth on biomass.
Preclinical evaluation of 68Ga-radiolabeled trimeric affibody for PDGFRβ-targeting PET imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Cai Huawei , Li Zhao , Shi Qiuxiao , Yang Hao , Xiao Liu , Li Mufeng , Lin Hua , Wu Xiaoai , She Tianshan , Chen Lihong , Li Lin , Lu Xiaofeng
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly vascularized solid carcinoma and tumor vessel–targeted molecular imaging might be effective for early diagnosis of HCC. Herein, we developed a novel trimeric affibody (ZTRI) with highly specific binding to the platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ). The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of 68Ga-radiolabeled ZTRI ([68Ga]Ga-DOTA-ZTRI) as PET tracer for diagnosis of HCC.

Methods

The bioinformatics analysis of clinical database and immunoblotting of clinical specimens were performed to validate the potential of PDGFRβ as HCC biomarker. The trimeric affibody ZTRI was conjugated with DOTA-NHS-ester and radiolabeled with 68Ga to produce [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-ZTRI conjugate. Immunoreactivity and specific uptake of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-ZTRI were assessed by dose-dependent cell binding, autoradiography, and biodistribution analysis. [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-ZTRI PET/CT scanning of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced primary HCC rats and a rare case of idiopathical HCC rhesus monkey was performed to evaluate the imaging capability and radiation dosimetry of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-ZTRI in vivo.

Results

Excessive PDGFRβ was validated as a representative biomarker of HCC neovascularization. The radiolabeling of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-ZTRI was achieved at more than 95% radiochemical yield. In vitro assays showed specific uptake of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-ZTRI in HCC tumor vessels by autoradiography. Animal PET/CT imaging with [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-ZTRI successfully visualized the tumor lesions in primary HCC rats and rhesus monkey, and indicated radiation absorbed dose of 2.03E-02 mSv/MBq for each scanning.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated that [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-ZTRI conjugate could be applied as a promising PET tracer for early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Fuzzy Conversational Character Computing
Authors: Hundertmark Sophie , Portmann Edy , Hafner Nils
Published: May 2023

Der folgende Beitrag zeigt auf, wie bestehende Disziplinen und Methoden aus den Bereichen der Psychologie und der Wirtschaftsinformatik miteinander kombiniert und erweitert werden, damit Conversational Bots, auch als Chat- oder Voicebots bekannt, nicht nur natürliche Sprache verstehen und verarbeiten können, sondern auch personalisiert auf die Useranfragen eingehen können. Dies alles mit dem Ziel, möglichst natürliche Dialoge zwischen Menschen und Maschinen zu ermöglichen und dabei den Fokus der Datensparsamkeit nicht zu verlieren.

Dank dem neuen Ansatz des Character Computing (CC) in Kombination mit Computing with Words and Perceptions (CWP), welches ein Teilbereich der Fuzzylogic ist, und der Conversational Theory wird die Sprach- und Emotionserkennung von Conversational Bots auf ein komplett neues Level gebracht. Bisherige Chat- oder Voicebots sind lediglich darauf ausgelegt, einfache Befehle von ihren Usern zu verstehen und auszuführen. Dabei wird der Sprachinput einem vordefinierten Befehl zugeordnet und danach ausgeführt. So wird die Komplexität der Sprache auf einem Niveau vereinfacht, sodass viele wichtige Informationen verloren gehen. Es werden so beispielsweise keinerlei Informationen über die Persönlichkeit und Emotionen der User weiterverarbeitet. Beim klassischen Character Computing werden die Persönlichkeit und Emotionen zwar berücksichtigt, aber in der Regel wird eine Vielzahl von Daten benötigt, um zunächst den Character und anschließend das erwartete Verhalten des Users ableiten zu können. Dies ist in der Realität von Chat- und Voicebots kaum umsetzbar. Daher zeigen wir mit unserer Arbeit auf, wie Character Computing unter der Anwendung der Fuzzylogic mit dem Fokus auf Datensparsamkeit und Ethik angewendet werden kann.
Is preoperative hypoalbuminemia or hypoproteinemia a reliable marker for anastomotic leakage risk in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery in an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program?
Authors: Do Woong Choi Joseph , Kwik Charlotte , Vivekanandamoorthy Nurojan , Shanmugalingam Aswin , Allan Lachlan , Gavegan Fiona , Shedden Karen , Peters Ashleigh , Khoury Toufic El , Pathmanathan Nimalan , Toh James Wei Tatt
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Preoperative hypoalbuminemia has traditionally been used as a marker of nutritional status and is considered a significant risk factor for anastomotic leak (AL).

Methods

The Westmead Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (WERAS) prospectively collected database, consisting of 361 patients who underwent colorectal surgery with primary anastomosis, was interrogated. Preoperative serum albumin and protein levels (measured within 1 week of surgery) were plotted on receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC curves) and statistically analyzed for cutoff values, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPV).

Results

The incidence of AL was 4.4% (16/361). Overall mortality was 1.4% (5/361), 6.3% (1/16) in the AL group, and 1.2% (4/345) in the no AL group. The median preoperative albumin and protein level in the AL group were 39 g/L and 75 g/L, respectively. The median preoperative albumin and protein level in the no AL group were 38 g/L and 74 g/L, respectively. The Mann–Whitney U test showed no statistically significant difference in albumin levels (p = 0.4457) nor protein levels (p = 0.6245) in the AL and no AL groups. ROC curves demonstrated that preoperative albumin and protein levels were not good predictors of anastomotic leak. Cutoff values for albumin (38 g/L) and protein (75 g/L) both had poor PPV for AL (4.8% and 3.8% respectively).

Conclusion

In patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery as part of an ERAS program, preoperative serum albumin and protein levels are not reliable in predicting AL. This may be because of nutritional supplementation provided as part of an ERAS program may correct nutritional deficits to protect against AL or that low albumin/protein is not as robust a marker of AL as previously reported.
Hyaluronan-enriched transfer medium (HETM) can improve the implantation rate in morphologically poor euploid blastocyst transfer
Authors: Nakagawa Koji , Horikawa Takashi , Orita Yuji , Yamashiro Emi , Watanabe Hideaki , Shirai Asako , Ogata Souichi , Kataoka Hisayo , Kuroda Keiji , Takamizawa Satoru , Sugiyama Rikikazu
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Hyaluronan-enriched transfer medium (HETM) could improve the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) for patients with repeated implantation failures (RIF). In contrast, there have been seldom reports addressing the potentially beneficial effects of HETM for morphologically poor blastocysts (MPBLs). Our study aimed to evaluate whether the use of HETM would improve the CPR for the patients who were transferred with euploid MPBLs.

Methods

Patients who underwent single euploid blastocyst transfer between July 2020 and June 2022 were enrolled. We included only those blastocysts confirmed as euploid by PGT-A, and those blastocysts were transferred after thawing. The natural ovulatory cycle or hormone replacement cycle (HRC) protocol were used for endometrial preparation for frozen embryo transfer (FET). A total of 1,168 FET cycles were performed in the study period, including 954 cycles of morphologically good blastocysts (≥ 4BB in Gardner’s classification), and 85 cycles of MPBLs, of which 47 were transferred using HETM in FET (the HETM group), and the remaining 38 were transferred with the medium without hyaluronan (the control group). We compared the CPR between these two groups.

Results

The characteristics of patients were similar between the HETM and control groups. The CPR in the HETM group was significantly higher than the control group (47.4% and 21.5%, respectively, p = 0.019). The multiple logistic regression analysis found that the use of HETM was a predictive factor of positive pregnancy outcomes (OR = 5.08, 95% CI = 1.62–16.0, p = 0.019).

Conclusion

Our data suggests that HETM used in the euploid blastocyst transfer can improve the clinical pregnancy rates of morphologically poor blastocysts.
Differences of genomic alterations and heavy metals in non-small cell lung cancer with different histological subtypes
Authors: Mu Die , Tang Hui , Teng Gen , Li Xinyang , Zhang Yarui , Gao Ge , Wang Dongjuan , Bai Lu , Lian Xiangyao , Wen Ming , Jiang Lisha , Wu Shouxin , Jiang Huihui , Zhu Cuimin
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to explore the correlations among heavy metals concentration, histologic subtypes and molecular characteristics in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods

In this study, an NGS panel of 82 tumor-associated genes was used to identify genomic alternations in 180 newly diagnosed patients with NSCLC. The concentrations of 18 heavy metals in the serum samples were detected by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Results

A total of 243 somatic mutations of 25 mutant genes were identified in 115 of 148 patients with LUAD and 45 somatic mutations of 15 mutant genes were found in 24 of 32 patients with LUSC. The genomic alternations, somatic interactions, traditional serum biomarkers, and heavy metals were markedly different between patients with LUAD and LUSC. Moreover, patients with LUSC were significantly positively correlated with Ba, but not LUAD. Lastly, patients with EGFR mutations presented significant negative correlations with Cd and Sr, whereas patients with TP53 mutations showed a significant positive correlation with Pb.

Conclusion

The genomic alternations, somatic interactions, traditional serum biomarkers, and heavy metals were different between patients with LUAC and LUSC, and heavy metals (e.g., Ba, Pb, and Cd) may contribute to the tumorigenesis of NSCLC with different histological and molecular subtypes.
A pilot study for the isolation of Eimeria spp. oocysts from environmental straw samples in comparison with individual faecal examination of fattening calves
Authors: Bauer Jessica , Kaske Martin , Oehm Andreas , Schnyder Manuela
Published: May 2023

The diagnosis of eimeriosis in calves mainly relies on the presence of diarrhoea and the excretion of Eimeria oocysts in the faeces. Restraining the animals to collect rectal samples for diagnostic purposes is stressful and time-consuming. The aim of this study was to evaluate a method for the quantification of oocysts in environmental barn straw samples. To investigate the recovery rate of the method, straw and Eimeria negative faeces were spiked with Eimeria oocysts in plastic bags and mixed with water and 0.05% Tween 20 (v/v); the liquids were filtered twice through sieves (mesh size 300 and 52 μm), centrifuged and the number of oocysts in the sediment determined using a McMaster counting chamber. A recovery rate of 52.4% (95% confidence interval: 48.2–56.5%) was obtained. In the following, field straw (n = 156) and individual faecal samples (n = 195, also analysed by McMaster counting chambers) were collected on four different farms. Eimeria oocysts were present on all farms in faecal (84/195, 43.1%) and straw samples (119/156, 76.3%). In 37 (23.7%) straw samples, sporulated oocysts were observed, with a sporulation rate ranging from 0 to 40%. Despite high variability between farms and examination days, mean numbers of oocysts in the straw positively correlated with mean numbers of oocysts excreted in the faeces (ρSpearman = 0.60). The examination of environmental straw samples may represent an easy-to-perform, non-invasive, inexpensive preliminary diagnostic approach for surveillance of eimeriosis at group level, having the potential to assess the infection pressure.
Automated segmentation of porous thermal spray material CT scans with predictive uncertainty estimation
Authors: Martinez Carianne , Bolintineanu Dan S. , Olson Aaron , Rodgers Theron , Donohoe Brendan , Potter Kevin M. , Roberts Scott A. , Pokharel Reeju , Forrest Stephanie , Moore Nathan W.
Published: May 2023

Thermal sprayed metal coatings are used in many industrial applications, and characterizing the structure and performance of these materials is vital to understanding their behavior in the field. X-ray computed tomography (CT) enables volumetric, nondestructive imaging of these materials, but precise segmentation of this grayscale image data into discrete material phases is necessary to calculate quantities of interest related to material structure. In this work, we present a methodology to automate the CT segmentation process as well as quantify uncertainty in segmentations via deep learning. Neural networks (NNs) have been shown to excel at segmentation tasks; however, memory constraints, class imbalance, and lack of sufficient training data often prohibit their deployment in high resolution volumetric domains. Our 3D convolutional NN implementation mitigates these challenges and accurately segments full resolution CT scans of thermal sprayed materials with maps of uncertainty that conservatively bound the predicted geometry. These bounds are propagated through calculations of material properties such as porosity that may provide an understanding of anticipated behavior in the field.
The use of artificial neural networks in the determination of soil grain composition
Authors: Sekuła Klaudia , Karłowska-Pik Joanna , Kmiecik Ewa
Published: May 2023

The paper presents the possibility of using data mining tools — artificial neural networks — in prediction of hydrometer reading after 24 h in order to limit the duration of the test to 4 h. The authors analysed a database of 693 granulometric composition analysis results of genetically different soils with the use of radial basis function network (RBF) and multilayer perceptron (MLP). The calculations performed showed that it is possible to use MLP to shorten the test time without affecting the quality of the results. The presented accuracy of the model, in the range of 0.55–0.72, allows one to determine the content of silt and clay fractions with an accuracy of 0.49% for equivalent diameter (dT) and 1.50% for percentage of all particles with a diameter smaller than dT (ZT). The results were better than that achieved using linear re-gression models with all predictors (REG), stepwise regression models (SREG), and classification and regression trees (CRT). Taking into account the uncertainty of hydrometric determinations, the obtained forecast values is lower than this uncertainty, therefore neural networks can be used to predict the results of this type of research.
Screening for colorectal cancer
Authors: Gartlehner Gerald , Schernhammer Eva , Lax Sigurd F. , Preusser Matthias , Bachler Herbert , Titzer Harald , Kletecka-Pulker Maria , Turnher Helga , Siebert Uwe
Published: May 2023

Background

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Austria. To date, colorectal cancer screening in Austria remains opportunistic and includes colonoscopy or stool-based blood tests. The Austrian National Committee for Cancer Screening developed evidence-based recommendations for a nationwide organized colorectal cancer screening program.

Methods

The methodological framework followed the approach of the United States Preventive Services Task Force. The evidence base underlying the newly developed recommendations comprised a review of the existing published evidence and a decision analytic model tailored to the Austrian context. Using a structured process, committee members considered 1) the magnitude of the net benefit of each screening strategy, 2) the certainty of evidence, and 3) the level of acceptance of the interventions among the target population.

Recommendations

The Austrian National Committee for Cancer Screening recommends the implementation of a nationwide organized colorectal cancer screening program for all adults aged 45–75 years. For persons 65 years or older, screening decisions should occur on an individual basis in accordance with a person’s overall health, prior screening history, and preferences.

Specifically, the committee recommends either a 10-year screening colonoscopy or biennial fecal immunochemical tests with colonoscopy following a positive result, with both screening strategies considered equivalent. Each citizen should be able to make an informed decision about their preferred screening method. Switching between the two screening strategies should be possible. Following an unremarkable colonoscopy, screening by fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is only required after 10 years. Screening recommendations apply only to asymptomatic persons at average risk for colorectal cancer.

The screening program must be pilot tested, and accompanied by a public information campaign, formative evaluation, quality assurance, and data collection.
Influence of the L/D ratio on the rotary coefficients of a submarine
Authors: Kim Howan , Ranmuthugala Dev , Renilson Martin
Published: May 2023

At the early design stage of a submarine, it is necessary to have a good estimate of the linear manoeuvring coefficients, or derivatives. These are necessary to determine the required size of any appendages to achieve the desired level of motion stability and controllability. Various empirical methods exist to make such estimates, including the influence of appendages. However, methods do not exist to predict the linear rotary coefficients (i.e. $${Y}_{r}^{^{\prime}}$$

Y

r

′

and $${N}_{r}^{^{\prime}}$$

N

r

′

) for a bare hull. Thus, the aim of this work was to determine the values of the linear rotary coefficients for an axisymmetric underwater body as functions of Length to Diameter (L/D) ratio to improve the empirical estimate of these values for a fully appended submarine. The work was performed using validated Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) based simulations to obtain forces and moments on the body. It is considered that the developed expressions for the linear rotary coefficients are adequate for an unappended axisymmetric underwater body at the design stage over the range: 6 ≤ L/D ≤ 14, which can then be used to size and locate the appendages.
An Effective Approach to Improve the Automatic Segmentation and Classification Accuracy of Brain Metastasis by Combining Multi-phase Delay Enhanced MR Images
Authors: Chen Mingming , Guo Yujie , Wang Pengcheng , Chen Qi , Bai Lu , Wang Shaobin , Su Ya , Wang Lizhen , Gong Guanzhong
Published: May 2023

The objective of this study is to analyse the diffusion rule of the contrast media in multi-phase delayed enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) T1 images using radiomics and to construct an automatic classification and segmentation model of brain metastases (BM) based on support vector machine (SVM) and Dpn-UNet. A total of 189 BM patients with 1047 metastases were enrolled. Contrast-enhanced MR images were obtained at 1, 3, 5, 10, 18, and 20 min following contrast medium injection. The tumour target volume was delineated, and the radiomics features were extracted and analysed. BM segmentation and classification models in the MR images with different enhancement phases were constructed using Dpn-UNet and SVM, and differences in the BM segmentation and classification models with different enhancement times were compared. (1) The signal intensity for BM decreased with time delay and peaked at 3 min. (2) Among the 144 optimal radiomics features, 22 showed strong correlation with time (highest R-value = 0.82), while 41 showed strong correlation with volume (highest R-value = 0.99). (3) The average dice similarity coefficients of both the training and test sets were the highest at 10 min for the automatic segmentation of BM, reaching 0.92 and 0.82, respectively. (4) The areas under the curve (AUCs) for the classification of BM pathology type applying single-phase MRI was the highest at 10 min, reaching 0.674. The AUC for the classification of BM by applying the six-phase image combination was the highest, reaching 0.9596, and improved by 42.3% compared with that by applying single-phase images at 10 min. The dynamic changes of contrast media diffusion in BM can be reflected by multi-phase delayed enhancement based on radiomics, which can more objectively reflect the pathological types and significantly improve the accuracy of BM segmentation and classification.
Genetic analyses of stay green for tolerance to water stress and nitrogen deficiency in Algerian Saharan maize populations
Authors: Riache Meriem , Djemel Abderahmane , Revilla Pedro , Malvar Rosa Ana , Mefti Mohamed
Published: May 2023

Delayed senescence could contribute to maintain yield under water stress and low nitrogen stress. Landraces from arid areas can provide favorable alleles for stay green under stress. The objectives of this study were to estimate varietal and heterosis effects of Algerian Saharan populations and their crosses for stay-green under water stress and no-nitrogen fertilization and to identify the most promising populations as sources of stay-green under stress. Six Algerian maize populations were evaluated in a diallel under water stress (300 mm irrigation) versus control (600 mm) and no-nitrogen fertilization versus 120 kg/ha N fertilization. Both varietal and specific heterosis were involved in delayed senescence under stress. Breeding programs could capitalize additive components by using the populations IZM or IGS with favorable varietal effects for delayed senescence under nitrogen stress, or dominance effects by using the population AOR with favorable heterotic effects for plant color under water and nitrogen stresses. Based on specific heterosis, under water stress conditions with no-nitrogen supply, the most promising cross was AOR × IZM for delayed senescence, while IZM × BAH (with no-nitrogen supply), and SHH × BAH (with nitrogen fertilizer), will allow a longer maintenance of the plant coloration. We suggest reciprocal recurrent selection with these populations for developing drought-tolerant and low nitrogen hybrids to improve stay-green.
Researching Intimate Partner Violence Against Women (IPVAW): Overcoming Gender Blindness by Improving Methodology in Compliance with Measurement Standards
Authors: Sánchez-Prada Andrés , Delgado-Álvarez Carmen , Bosch-Fiol Esperanza , Ferrer-Pérez Victoria A.
Published: May 2023

Intimate Partner Violence Against Women (IPVAW) has been defined as a violation of human rights and a serious public health problem rooted in social inequality between women and men. Nevertheless, a significant amount of scientific literature on the topic of IPVAW continues to exclude the gender perspective in both research design and the interpretation of results, despite its conceptual and explanatory relevance. This paper considers certain gender-blind practices in the research on IPVAW. Based on this analysis, we propose explicitly stating the theoretical assumptions inherent in the definition of the construct and clarifying the intended interpretation for measures, so that they can be incorporated into the analysis of validity, and we argue in favor of the need for interdisciplinary studies based on multicausal explanatory models, which incorporate the category gender as a transversal explanatory factor of this type of violence, as well as multi-method approaches, with the aim of overcoming issues of construct underrepresentation and construct-irrelevant variance.
Looking for Plant microRNAs in Human Blood Samples: Bioinformatics Evidence and Perspectives
Authors: Olmi Lorenzo , Pepe Gerardo , Helmer-Citterich Manuela , Canini Antonella , Gismondi Angelo
Published: May 2023

Literature has proposed the existence of a cross kingdom regulation (CRK) between human and plants. In this context, microRNAs present in edible plants would be acquired through diet by the consumer’s organism and transported via bloodstream to tissues, where they would modulate gene expression. However, the validity of this phenomenon is strongly debated; indeed, some scholars have discussed both the methodologies and the results obtained in previous works. To date, only one study has performed a bioinformatics analysis on small RNA-sequencing data for checking the presence of plant miRNAs (pmiRNAs) in human plasma. For that investigation, the lack of reliable controls, which led to the misidentification of human RNAs as pmiRNAs, has been deeply criticized. Thus, in the present contribution, we aim to demonstrate the existence of pmiRNAs in human blood, adopting a bioinformatics approach characterized by more stringent conditions and filtering. The information obtained from 380 experiments produced in 5 different next generation sequencing (NGS) projects was examined, revealing the presence of 350 circulating pmiRNAs across the analysed data set. Although one of the NGS projects shows results likely to be attributed to sample contamination, the others appear to provide reliable support for the acquisition of pmiRNAs through diet. To infer the potential biological activity of the identified pmiRNAs, we predicted their putative human mRNA targets, finding with great surprise that they appear to be mainly involved in neurogenesis and nervous system development. Unfortunately, no consensus was identified within the sequences of detected pmiRNAs, in order to justify their stability or capability to be preserved in human plasma. We believe that the issue regarding CKR still needs further clarifications, even if the present findings would offer a solid support that this hypothesis is not impossible.
Comparison fabrication, identification and avoidance of corrosion potential of M-CuO NPs/S-CuO NPs to suppress corrosion on steel in an acidic solution
Authors: Hyba Amira M. , El Refay Heba M. , Shahen Seham , Gaber Ghalia A.
Published: May 2023

The utilization of plants to produce metal oxide nanoparticles has recently received a lot of attention due to its ease of usage and environmental friendliness. Therefore, the aim of this study was to synthesize CuO NPs using two distinct methods, including an aqueous extract of moringa oleifera leaves (M-CuO NPs) and a synthetic approach (S-CuO NPs). Nanoparticles produced were evaluated by SEM, EDX, TEM and XRD, to consider the creation of CuO NPs and to determine the morphological, elemental constitution and size the samples. The average particles size 14.95 and 35.73 nm for S-CuO and M-CuO NPs, respectively, is having potentials for application as inhibitor in corrosion of MS. The inhibition and adsorption properties of prepared M-CuO NPs and S-CuO NPs on MS in 1 M HCl were investigated using the wt reduction assessment. The maximal IE of prepared M-CuO NPs and S-CuO NPs was 95.06% and 92.10%, respectively, at 1000 ppm. The IE % improves with greater concentration of the prepared M-CuO NPs and S-CuO NPs. According to the findings, M-CuO NPs are the most effective green potential inhibitor for MS in acidic conditions. It is demonstrated that the Langmuir isotherms are obeyed by the produced CuO NPs and MS substrate.
Effect of Whole Tomato Powder or Tomato Peel Powder Incorporation on the Color, Nutritional, and Textural Properties of Extruded High Moisture Meat Analogues
Authors: Lyu Xiaoyu , Ying Danyang , Zhang Pangzhen , Fang Zhongxiang
Published: May 2023

Soy protein based high moisture meat analogues (HMMAs) were made by extrusion, with incorporation of 0, 5, 10, and 20% whole tomato powder (WTP) or 10% tomato peel powder (TPP). Their color, nutritional, and textural properties were characterized. Results showed that the color, total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and bioaccessible lycopene content in the HMMAs were improved with WTP incorporation. However, too much (20%) WTP incorporation led to unacceptable textural properties. On the other hand, TPP incorporation resulted in a conspicuously soft texture, an unevenly distributed color as well as minimal color and nutritional improvements. Compared with TPP, WTP was more suitable to be incorporated into HMMAs to improve the color and nutritional qualities.
Worm Domains are not Gromov Hyperbolic
Authors: Arosio Leandro , Dall’Ara Gian Maria , Fiacchi Matteo
Published: May 2023

We show that Worm domains are not Gromov hyperbolic with respect to the Kobayashi distance.