bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Developmental Autism Early Screening (DAES): A Novel Test for Screening Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Cirnigliaro Lara , Valle Maria Stella , Casabona Antonino , Randazzo Martina , La Bruna Francesca , Pettinato Fabio , Narzisi Antonio , Rizzo Renata , Barone Rita
Published: December 2023

This study was undertaken to set a novel developmental screening test for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using the Griffiths Scales of Child Development (Griffith III) (Green et al., 2016; Stroud et al., 2016), in order to intercept the early atypical developmental patterns indicating ASD risk in the first 3 years of age. An observational and interactive ASD screener, the Developmental Autism Early Screening (DAES), was developed by detecting Griffiths III items differentiating toddlers with ASD risk from those with global developmental delay (DD) or neurotypical development. The DAES was validated with ASD-specific diagnostic instruments (ADOS-2) and the cut-off score based on sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value that best differentiates between ASD and non-ASD children was identified. We enrolled a total sample of 297 subjects, including children at risk for ASD or DD and neurotypical children. At a cut-off score of 12.5, the DAES had a sensitivity of 93%, specificity of 98.4%, positive predictive value of 96.3% and negative predictive value of 96.9% for identifying children at risk for ASD from non-ASD participants (DD/neurotypical children). The DAES total score correlated significantly with the ADOS-2 calibrated severity scores (CSS) (R = 0.53, p < 0.001). Three ASD risk ranges were identified according to DAES total and ADOS-2 CSS: Little-to-no risk (CSS: 1–3, DAES: 1–7); Mild-to-moderate risk (CSS: 4–5, DAES: 8–14); Moderate-to-severe risk (CSS: 6–10, DAES ≥ 15). The DAES provides a direct approach based on developmental profiles to stratify risk for ASD in early childhood ensuring at risk children the most appropriate diagnostic procedures and targeted intervention.
Investigating Social Competence in a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial of a Theatre-Based Intervention Enhanced for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Corbett Blythe A. , Key Alexandra P. , Klemencic Mark E. , Muscatello Rachael A. , Jones Dorita , Pilkington Jennifer , Burroughs Christina , Vandekar Simon
Published: December 2023

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by challenges in social competence that persist in adulthood, yet few treatment options exist. A pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) of a peer-mediated, theatre-based intervention with established efficacy in youth with ASD was examined in autistic adults. The final sample consisted of forty-seven 18-to-40-year-old participants randomized to the experimental (EXP N = 23) or waitlist control (WLC N = 24) condition. A multimodal, social interdependent model was employed to examine social competence changes in brain (incidental face memory (IFM) using event-related potentials), cognition (Wechsler Memory Scale-III), behavior (Contextual Assessment of Social Skills) and function (Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS); Adaptive Behavior Assessment Scale (ABAS) Social Composite). Using analysis of covariance in which pretest was controlled in the model, posttest between-group differences were observed on IFM (p = 0.016, η2 = 0.139, d = 0.79) and several social and adaptive functional (SRS, ABAS) outcomes in social communication and interaction (SCI) (p = 0.019, η2 = 0.121, d = -00.45), communication (p = 0.044 η2 = 0.09, d = -00.31), and motivation (p = 0.001, η2 = 0.229, d = -0.79) domains. At two-month follow-up, gains in social motivation remained (p = 0.041, η2 = 0.100, d = -0.77). The results offer preliminary support for a unique theatre-based social skills intervention for autistic adults who have few treatment options to enhance social competence. The trial was pre-registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04349644).
Cell wall anisotropy plays a key role in Zea mays stomatal complex movement: the possible role of the cell wall matrix
Authors: Gkolemis K. , Giannoutsou E. , Adamakis I-D. S. , Galatis B. , Apostolakos P.
Published: December 2023

The opening of the stomatal pore in Zea mays is accomplished by the lateral displacement of the central canals of the dumbbell-shaped guard cells (GCs) towards their adjacent deflating subsidiary cells that retreat locally. During this process, the central canals swell, and their cell wall thickenings become thinner. The mechanical forces driving the outward displacement of the central canal are applied by the asymmetrically swollen bulbous ends of the GCs via the rigid terminal cell wall thickenings of the central canal and the polar ventral cell wall (VW) ends. During stomatal pore closure, the shrinking bulbous GC ends no longer exert the mechanical forces on the central canals, allowing them to be pushed back inwards, towards their initial position, by the now swelling subsidiary cells. During this process, the cell walls of the central canal thicken. Examination of immunolabeled specimens revealed that important cell wall matrix materials are differentially distributed across the walls of Z. mays stomatal complexes. The cell walls of the bulbous ends and of the central canal of the GCs, as well as the cell walls of the subsidiary cells were shown to be rich in methylesterified homogalacturonans (HGs) and hemicelluloses. Demethylesterified HGs were, in turn, mainly located at the terminal cell wall thickenings of the central canal, at the polar ends of the VW, at the lateral walls of the GCs and at the periclinal cell walls of the central canal. During stomatal function, a spatiotemporal change on the distribution of some of the cell wall matrix materials is observed. The participation of the above cell wall matrix polysaccharides in the well-orchestrated response of the cell wall during the reversible movements of the stomatal complexes is discussed.
Description of new species of Trematoda from bats of Southeastern Mexico and a new classification for Brachylecithum rileyi n. comb. (Dicrocoeliidae)
Authors: Moguel-Chin Wilson I. , Panti-May Jesús Alonso , García-García Brenda Atziri , Hernández-Mena David I.
Published: December 2023

To date, 23 species of trematodes have been reported in bats from Mexico. However, in some regions of Mexico, such as the Yucatan Peninsula, many species of bats do not have helminthological records. Here, we sampled bats in four localities in Southeastern Mexico from April 2017 to February 2022. Parasites were collected from the intestine of four species of bats: Pteronotus fulvus, Eumops nanus, Noctilio leporinus and Nyctinomops laticaudatus. Conventional morphological techniques and molecular tools with the 28S ribosomal gene were used to describe the helminths. We discovered that our parasites represent three new species and a new combination of trematodes. We found that the new species have morphological differences with their congeneric species, and we complement this information whit molecular data. Furthermore, we found morphological and molecular evidence that places Dicrocoelium rileyi within the genus Brachylecithum. This study points out the importance of comparing morphological and phylogenetic information.
Molecular data aids pinworm diagnosis in night monkeys (Aotus spp., Primates: Aotidae) with the resurrection of a Trypanoxyuris species (Nematoda: Oxyuridae)
Authors: Solórzano-García Brenda , Link Ospina Andrés , Pérez-Ponce de León Gerardo
Published: December 2023

Neotropical primates (Platyrrhines) are commonly parasitized by pinworm nematodes of the genus Trypanoxyuris Vevers, 1923. The taxonomic identity of Trypanoxyuris sampled in night monkeys (Aotus Iliger) has been rather controversial. Two species have been described, namely T. microon (Linstow, 1907) and T. interlabiata (Sandosham, 1950). The latter was synonymized with T. microon considering that the observed morphological differences corresponded to different developmental stages of the nematode rather than to differences between both species. Here, we used an integrative taxonomy approach, based on morphological and molecular data along with host identity, in order to assess the validity of both species. Our results evidenced that these different morphotypes correspond to different and reciprocally monophyletic groups; thus, we propose the resurrection of T. interlabiata. We redescribe both pinworm species using specimens sampled in Aotus monkeys from Colombia and discuss the advantages of combining molecular and morphological data to uncover pinworm diversity, and to understand the potential forces determining the diversification process in pinworms from platyrrhine primates.
Der Einfluss des Zeitpunktes der medikamenteninduzierten Schlafendoskopie auf die Ausprägung des Apnoe-Hypopnoe-Indexes in der Polysomnographie
Authors: Maurer Joachim T. , Gasparic Merle , Huseynov Jamal
Published: December 2023

Hintergrund

Zur Indikationsstellung chirurgischer Therapiemöglichkeiten der obstruktiven Schlafapnoe (OSA) werden neben der klinischen Untersuchung zumeist eine medikamenteninduzierte Schlafendoskopie (MISE) und eine Polysomnographie (PSG) herangezogen. Dabei wird die MISE häufig am Tag der PSG durchgeführt. Die applizierten Medikamente und der Ablauf der MISE könnten die Ausprägung der OSA in der nachfolgenden PSG und somit die Therapieempfehlung beeinflussen.

Fragestellung

Unterscheidet sich die Ausprägung der OSA in der PSG, wenn die MISE am gleichen Tag wie die PSG oder unabhängig davon durchgeführt wird?

Material und Methode

Retrospektive Kohortenstudie von 101 Patienten aus einem Patientenpool von 813 Patienten zur MISE und PSG zwischen 2017 bis 2020 mit zuvor polygraphisch oder polysomnographisch gesicherter OSA (Nacht 1), davon bei 24 Patienten extern, bei 77 in domo erhoben. In der Studiengruppe (SG, n = 53) wurde die MISE am selben Tag wie die PSG (Nacht 2) durchgeführt, während sie in der Kontrollgruppe (KG, n = 58) an einem anderen Tag durchgeführt wurde. Primärer Zielparameter war die Veränderung des Apnoe-Hypopnoe-Indexes (AHI) zwischen Nacht 1 und Nacht 2.

Ergebnisse

Der AHI verringerte sich zwischen den beiden Nächten in der SG bzw. KG im Mittel um −4,77 ± 18,92/h bzw. −1,70 ± 13,77/h, im Median um −3,80/h bzw. −0,25/h. Statistische Signifikanz wurde jedoch nur bei der Betrachtung der ausschließlich in domo erhobenen Daten erreicht (n = 77; p = 0,0189). Dort blieben der mittlere und mediane AHI in der KG unverändert, während er in der SG deutlich abnahm (Mittelwert SG −7,62 ± 20,47, KG 0,38 ± 11,53; Median: SG −6,65, KG 0,20).

Schlussfolgerungen

Die Durchführung der MISE am Tag der PSG könnte zu einem niedrigeren AHI führen und so die Therapieempfehlung beeinflussen, insbesondere wenn AHI-Grenzwerte beachtet werden müssen. Dies spräche dafür, PSG und MISE an unterschiedlichen Tagen durchzuführen.
Assessing the Effect of a 2-Year Mindfulness-Based Training Programme on Personal and Professional Functioning: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Whitesman Simon , Mash Robert
Published: December 2023

Objectives

Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly a part of mainstream society. The training of professionals to teach these programmes is an important element in maintaining the quality and integrity of this approach. The objective of this study was to examine the experience of trainees undertaking a 2-year training curriculum and how this supported adaptation when they began teaching.

Method

The study was a convergent mixed-methods design, including a descriptive survey of trainees using a questionnaire and a descriptive phenomenological exploration of trainees’ experiences using focus group interviews.

Results

A significant majority of graduates were women and either health professionals or coaches. Most graduates continued to teach after completion of the training, predominantly Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or an adapted MBSR. Qualitative analysis revealed themes related to the structure and content of the curriculum, changing identity, sensitivity to local context, the importance of learning this approach in a community, and embodied experience. The latter two themes were particularly significant when navigating challenging emotional and somatic experiences.

Conclusions

Teachers-in-training internalised the essential qualities of mindfulness as an awareness practice. This capacity required the effort of personal practice alongside theoretical understanding, the support of community and a willingness to be present with a wider range of experience. These factors combined to support the embodiment of the essential qualities of mindfulness. A majority of graduates actively explored teaching MBIs in their professional contexts after completion, and the personal shifts that they experienced through the cultivation of mindful living during the training provided a robust foundation on which to begin teaching a contemporary mindfulness approach to others in a context sensitive way.

Preregistration

This study is not preregistered.
Sequence stratigraphy of the Eocene deep-water organic-rich mudstones in the Fushun Basin, Northeast China
Authors: Xu Yinbo , Sun Pingchang , Li Yuanji , Yao Shuqing , Zhang Jiaqiang , Liu Zhaojun , Li Feng , Tong Lihua
Published: December 2023

Sequence stratigraphy study in mudstone and oil shale strata is difficulty but critical for the analysis of the quality unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. This contribution investigates the sequence stratigraphy of the Eocene thick organic-rich fine-grained sediments in the Fushun basin, according to the organic geochemical data measured in laboratory and predicted by the amplitude difference the resistivity and the density curve when they are overlapping (which was called ΔlogR). The sampling interval of ΔlogR was 0.125 m. The results show that the total organic carbon, the oil yield, and the petroleum potential of the Eocene mudstones prove a good linear correlation between values measured in lab and values predicted by the ΔlogR model. A total of 21 parasequences are identified in mudstones and can be divided into two cycles, a fully developed lower cycle and an underdeveloped upper cycle. There are four organic matter accumulation stages in a fully developed cycle, including two stages in the uprising half-cycle characterized by low values and rising values of the predicted geochemical data, respectively, followed by two stages in the declining half cycle characterized by high values and decreasing values of the predicted geochemical data, respectively. This contribution provides a basis for a further analysis of the characteristics of organic matter cycles in the oil shale strata of the Fushun Basin and areas with similar situation.
A Review and Benchmark on State-of-the-Art Steel Defects Detection
Authors: Chazhoor Anthony Ashwin Peter , Ho Edmond S. L. , Gao Bin , Woo Wai Lok
Published: December 2023

Steel, a critical material in construction, automobile, and railroad manufacturing industries, often presents defects that can lead to equipment failure, significant safety risks, and costly downtime. This research aims to evaluate the performance of state-of-the-art object detection models in detecting defects on steel surfaces, a critical task in industries such as railroad and automobile manufacturing. The study addresses the challenges of limited defect data and lengthy model training times. Five existing state-of-the-art object detection models (faster R-CNN, deformable DETR, double head R-CNN, Retinanet, and deformable convolutional network) were benchmarked on the Northeastern University (NEU) steel dataset. The selection of models covers a broad spectrum of methodologies, including two-stage detectors, single-stage detectors, transformers, and a model incorporating deformable convolutions. The deformable convolutional network achieved the highest accuracy of 77.28% on the NEU dataset following a fivefold cross-validation method. Other models also demonstrated notable performance, with accuracies within the 70–75% range. Certain models exhibited particular strengths in detecting specific defects, indicating potential areas for future research and model improvement. The findings provide a comprehensive foundation for future research in steel defect detection and have significant implications for practical applications. The research could improve quality control processes in the steel industry by automating the defect detection task, leading to safer and more reliable steel products and protecting workers by removing the human factor from hazardous environments.
Patient predictors of pathogenic versus commensal Gram-positive bacilli organisms isolated from blood cultures
Authors: Sharma Arjun , Elligsen Marion , Daneman Nick , Lam Philip W.
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Gram-positive bacilli represent a diverse species of bacteria that range from commensal flora to pathogens implicated in severe and life-threatening infection. Following the isolation of Gram-positive bacilli from blood cultures, the time to species identification may take upward of 24 hours, leaving clinicians to conjecture whether they may represent a contaminant (inadvertent inoculation of commensal flora) or pathogenic organism. In this study, we sought to identify patient variables that could help predict the isolation of contaminant versus pathogenic Gram-positive bacilli from blood cultures.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Settings:

One quaternary academic medical center affiliated with the University of Toronto.

Patients:

Adult inpatients were admitted to hospital over a 5-year period (May 2014 to December 2019).

Methods:

A total of 260 unique Gram-positive bacilli blood culture results from adult inpatients were reviewed and analyzed in both a univariable and multivariable model.

Results:

Malignancy (aOR 2.78, 95% CI 1.33–5.91, p = 0.007), point increments in the Quick Sepsis Related Organ Failure Assessment score for sepsis (aOR 2.25, 95% CI 1.50–3.47, p < 0.001), peptic ulcer disease (aOR 5.63, 95% CI 1.43–21.0, p = 0.01), and the receipt of immunosuppression prior to a blood culture draw (aOR 3.80, 95% CI 1.86–8.01, p < 0.001) were associated with an increased likelihood of speciating pathogenic Gram-positive bacilli from blood cultures such as Clostridium species and Listeria monocytogenes.

Conclusion:

Such predictors can help supplement a clinician’s assessment on determining when empirical therapy is indicated when faced with Gram-positive bacilli from blood cultures and may direct future stewardship interventions for responsible antimicrobial prescribing.
All aboard the ChatGPT steamroller: Top 10 ways to make artificial intelligence work for healthcare professionals
Authors: Non Lemuel R.
Published: December 2023

Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), the flagship generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot by OpenAI, is transforming many things in medicine, from healthcare and research to medical education. It is anticipated to integrate in many aspects of the medical industry, and we should brace for this inevitability and use it to our advantage. Here are proposed ways you can use ChatGPT in medicine with some specific use cases in antimicrobial stewardship and hospital epidemiology.
Spatiotemporal self-supervised pre-training on satellite imagery improves food insecurity prediction
Authors: Cartuyvels Ruben , Fierens Tom , Coppieters Emiel , Moens Marie-Francine , Sileo Damien
Published: December 2023

Global warming will cause unprecedented changes to the world. Predicting events such as food insecurities in specific earth regions is a valuable way to face them with adequate policies. Existing food insecurity prediction models are based on handcrafted features such as population counts, food prices, or rainfall measurements. However, finding useful features is a challenging task, and data scarcity hinders accuracy. We leverage unsupervised pre-training of neural networks to automatically learn useful features from widely available Landsat-8 satellite images. We train neural feature extractors to predict whether pairs of images are coming from spatially close or distant regions on the assumption that close regions should have similar features. We also integrate a temporal dimension to our pre-training to capture the temporal trends of satellite images with improved accuracy. We show that with unsupervised pre-training on a large set of satellite images, neural feature extractors achieve a macro F1 of 65.4% on the Famine Early Warning Systems network dataset—a 24% improvement over handcrafted features. We further show that our pre-training method leads to better features than supervised learning and previous unsupervised pre-training techniques. We demonstrate the importance of the proposed time-aware pre-training and show that the pre-trained networks can predict food insecurity with limited availability of labeled data.
Organising fragmented labour: the case of migrant workers at Helpling in Berlin
Authors: Niebler Valentin , Animento Stefania
Published: December 2023

Research on collective organisation of migrant platform workers is mostly concerned with ride-hailing and delivery logistics, where explicit forms of collective action have been visible. This paper addresses the issue of the self-organisation of migrant workers on cleaning platforms through a case study of Helpling cleaners in Berlin. In the paper, we ask why the attempts for organising workers have failed to scale up beyond the informal exchange of information and tactics among the workers. Our article argues that the spatial dispersion of work across the city, lack of occupational identity, and the legal framework of work, make worker organising difficult for cleaners in Berlin. Still, these factors do not lead to an absence of collective practices. Helpling workers in our study gather in online groups, can receive help and exchange in a community centre, and have been in touch with political groups. Based on the case study, the article discusses potentials and hurdles for the development of collective counter-power.
Researching a History of Epidemics in Sierra Leone during the Coronavirus Pandemic
Authors: M’bayo Tamba E.
Published: December 2023

This article provides a narrative about archival research experience in Sierra Leone as the coronavirus outbreak spread globally in early 2020. Coincidentally, the research concerned the country’s history of epidemics since 1787, when Freetown, its first city, accommodated freed Blacks repatriated from Britain and the Americas. As Sierra Leone prepared for another disease outbreak after Ebola in 2014, leaving or staying in Freetown (after seven months into a ten-month Fulbright US Scholar term) had health and research outcomes at stake. Historicizing the pandemic while engaging personal/social memory in historical accounts, the article highlights containment measures adopted against epidemics/pandemics across time.
Whither Education? The Long Shadow of Pre-Unification School Systems into Italy’s Liberal Age (1861–1911)
Authors: Bozzano Monica , Cappelli Gabriele , Vasta Michelangelo
Published: December 2023

This paper contributes to the literature on the determinants of the expansion of mass schooling and the long-term legacy of educational institutions. Based on a new provincial-level dataset for Italy in the period 1861–1911, we argue that different models of schooling provision adopted by the different pre-unification polities influenced primary-education organizations across macro-regions up to WWI. As a result, school access and the capability to generate literacy given current rates of enrollment differed substantially, with the Northern regions aiming to increase schooling for all, while the Center and the South implemented a more elitist model.
Typing of Leishmania isolates from vectors and leporids of the Madrid (Spain) outbreak
Authors: Fernández-Arévalo Anna , González Estela , Ballart Cristina , Martín-Martín Inés , Tebar Silvia , Muñoz Carme , Jiménez Maribel , Molina Ricardo , Gállego Montserrat
Published: December 2023

In 2009, a large outbreak of leishmaniasis, associated with environmental changes, was declared near Madrid (Spain), in which Phlebotomus perniciosus was the vector, whereas the main reservoirs were hares and rabbits. Analysis of isolates from humans, vectors and leporids from the focus identified the Leishmania infantum ITS-Lombardi genotype. However, multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE), the reference technique for Leishmania typing, and sequencing of the hsp70 gene, a commonly used marker, were not performed. In the present study, 19 isolates from P. perniciosus (n = 11), hares (n = 5) and rabbits (n = 3) from the outbreak area, all characterized as ITS-Lombardi in previous studies, were analysed by MLEE and hsp70 sequencing. The hsp70 results confirmed that all the analysed strains are L. infantum. However, by MLEE, 4 different zymodemes of L. infantum were identified based on variable mobilities of the NP1 enzyme: MON-34 (NP1100, n = 11), MON-80 (NP1130, n = 6), MON-24 (NP1140, n = 1) and MON-331 (NP1150, n = 1). The relative frequency of these zymodemes does not correspond to their usual occurrence in Spain. Moreover, MON-34 and MON-80 were found in P. perniciosus, hares and rabbits for the first time. These findings continue to provide insights into the outbreak and call for further studies with a higher number of strains.
Laboring Femininities: Skill, Body, and Class-making Among Beauty Workers in India
Authors: Banerjee Supurna
Published: December 2023

Tea plantation workers in India have historically been a part of the feminized workforce, constituting somewhat exceptionally formal labor in a country with high informalization of women's employment. In the past decade, however, a combined fallout of neo-liberalization and globalization contextualized within the local history of varying phases of incorporation, accumulation/dispossession and shifting relations of production brought about a crisis in the tea plantations leading to closures, retrenchment, and casualization. The women workers from tea plantations joined the burgeoning casualized urban labor force. Through ethnography and interviews I traced women workers from tea plantations in West Bengal, India, who migrated to the beauty industry in Hyderabad and Delhi-NCR. The paper focuses on the construction of women's labor in the beauty industry with continuities and contrasts from the tea plantations to understand the makings of gendered labor and skill. The women's frequent invocation of femininity as skill foregrounds the woman's body as central to woman's labor and the workplace but also provides a scope to unsettle understanding of femininity as a specific and naturalized concept. Using the lens of migration from one sector of feminized labor to another, this paper interrogates the production of the feminine worker and the workplace in different but related contexts. Their reflections on their work, skill, and workplace allows us an insight into the ways in which the body as the woman and the worker is deployed as skilled/natural and how they themselves co-construct, negotiate, and subvert the construction of femininity and feminine labor in the workplace.
Special Section on Productive Hierarchies in Global Perspectives: Gendered Skill, Labor Control and Workplace Politics
Authors: Akgöz Görkem , Kenny Bridget
Published: December 2023

From the nineteenth century, when the new social question of women's factory labor came to preoccupy the (middle-class) public imagination, to the present times of globalized labor chains, discourses on gendered labor have been at once fluid and constitutive of labor hierarchies. These discourses and social relations affirm their centrality within processes of industrialization and workplace restructuring as well as in development policy, urban formation, and indeed, nation building. Depending on the political economy of the labor market, the images of laboring women accordingly oscillated between, for instance, helpless and exploited victims to national heroines in the service of developmental projects. At the same time, since the early nineteenth-century, the steadily accumulating social reform, labor inspection, or social scientific accounts of women's paid and unpaid labor testified to states’ and employers’ growing comfort with hiring what was and is still, in many ways, a cheap, easily exploitable category of workers, one whose profitability increased the more precarious their employment became. Such discourses and labor control practices were deeply racialized and classed. On the other side of the public imagination and employer's surveillance, women who engaged in paid work sometimes appropriated the discourses and reshaped the practices that were used to characterize their labor and judge their choices.
Force-based organization and control scheme for the non-prehensile cooperative transportation of objects
Authors: Rosenfelder Mario , Ebel Henrik , Eberhard Peter
Published: December 2023

Over decades of robotics research, cooperative object transportation has been studied as a meaningful model problem for robotic networks because it possesses a variety of crucial challenges. Although these challenges are demanding, the cooperation of multiple robots has the potential to solve automation problems that are beyond the scope of an individual robot. So far, the model problem has mostly been addressed by explicitly controlling the robots’ positions. However, the position-based approach suffers from some intrinsic detriments, for example, the lack of explicit feedback between robots and object. Moreover, it remains an open question how many robots shall be employed to ensure a successful transportation. This paper’s purpose is to overcome these challenges using a novel force-based approach taking into account the robots’ actual manipulation capabilities, that is, the exerted forces. Using cost-efficient hardware, the interaction forces are measured and, what is more, explicitly controlled by a highly responsive onboard controller. Employing a tailored software architecture, the novel force-based scheme, useful for robotic manipulation beyond the benchmark problem, is probably the most flexible of its kind regarding the number of robots and the object’s shape. The controller’s functionality and performance as well as the scheme’s versatility are demonstrated by several hardware experiments.
Non-native tone categorization and word learning across a spectrum of L1 tonal statuses
Authors: Laméris Tim Joris , Llompart Miquel , Post Brechtje
Published: December 2023

Adults differ in the ease with which they acquire lexical tones in a non-native language. Individual differences have been attributed to several factors, such as the role that pitch plays in a learner's L1 to signal lexical meaning (L1 tonal status), the shape of the tones to be acquired (tone types), as well as extralinguistic factors (such as musical experience and working memory). Here, we ask whether learners from a spectrum of L1 tonal statuses (Dutch, Swedish and Japanese, and Thai) differ in their tone word learning facility, whilst we simultaneously investigate the effects of tone type, and musical experience and working memory. Our findings suggest that above and beyond L1 tonal status, the strongest predictor of tone word learning was pre-lexical tone processing (measured by a tone categorization task), although the strength of the link between pre-lexical and lexical processing may be modulated by L1 tonal status.
QUALITATIVE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE ON CERTAIN LIE GROUPS
Authors: CHATTOPADHYAY ARUP , GIRI DEBKUMAR , SRIVASTAVA R. K.
Published: December 2023

In this article, we study the recent development of the qualitative uncertainty principle on certain Lie groups. In particular, we consider that if the Weyl transform on certain step-two nilpotent Lie groups is of finite rank, then the function has to be zero almost everywhere as long as the nonvanishing set for the function has finite measure. Further, we consider that if the Weyl transform of each Fourier–Wigner piece of a suitable function on the Heisenberg motion group is of finite rank, then the function has to be zero almost everywhere whenever the nonvanishing set for each Fourier–Wigner piece has finite measure.
Observational Evidence of the Four‐Wave Interaction Between Magnetospheric Whistler Mode Waves
Authors: Yang Qiwu , Liu Si , Yang Hongming , Gao Zhonglei , Xiao Fuliang , He Qian
Published: December 2023

Whistler mode wave is a crucial emission which can significantly affect the electron dynamics in the magnetosphere. The nonlinear three‐wave interaction between whistler mode waves has been frequently observed, while the four‐wave interaction between these waves is seldom reported. Here, we present two multiband whistler mode wave events by Van Allen Probes, in which the relatively weak wave bands occur exactly corresponding to the strong wave bands. We find that the frequencies of the weak and strong bands satisfy the frequency matching conditions of the four‐wave interaction, and the wave normal angles of the weak bands are almost within the possible ranges calculated from the wave vector matching conditions. Additionally, the cross‐correlation coefficients between the amplitudes of the weak bands and that of strong bands approach 0.80. These results indicate that the weak bands are very likely to be produced by the four‐wave interaction between whistler mode waves. Similar to the three‐wave interaction, the four‐wave interaction can extend the frequency of whistler mode waves from close to 0.5fce to a wider range in both the lower (0.26fce) and upper (0.78fce) bands, and thus potentially play an important role in the electron dynamics.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment of Pediatric Rumination Syndrome
Authors: Kroon Van Diest Ashley M.
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Rumination syndrome is a disorder of gut–brain interaction that involves effortless postprandial regurgitation of gastric contents. It frequently occurs in otherwise healthy children and adolescents, and is associated with significant physical and psychological consequences. Treatment of Rumination syndrome is largely behavioral, and more severe illness was traditionally treated with intensive inpatient treatment. While largely successful, inpatient treatment is very costly and frequently denied by insurance.

Method:

As such, the intensive outpatient program (IOP) for treating Rumination syndrome was developed. This paper describes the novel IOP approach to treating pediatric Rumination syndrome in detail.

Results:

Data on both treatment and cost-effectiveness of the IOP are reviewed, demonstrating that IOP is as effective yet significantly cheaper than intensive inpatient treatment. The tiered method of care used within this model, adaptation to telehealth, and translatability of the program to other providers and institutions are also reviewed.

Conclusions:

Intensive outpatient treatment for pediatric Rumination syndrome is an effective form of treatment that is significantly less costly than inpatient care, more readily approved by insurance, and more easily translated to telehealth or other institutions and providers for use.

Implications for Impact Statement

The intensive outpatient program for treating pediatric Rumination syndrome is effective while costing significantly less than previously relied upon inpatient treatment and is described in detail in this article. Adaptation to telehealth as well as ability of other providers or institutions to use this model to treat pediatric Rumination syndrome is reviewed.
Single-cell transcriptional landscape of long non-coding RNAs orchestrating mouse heart development
Authors: Ramos Thaís A. R. , Urquiza-Zurich Sebastián , Kim Soo Young , Gillette Thomas G. , Hill Joseph A. , Lavandero Sergio , do Rêgo Thaís G. , Maracaja-Coutinho Vinicius
Published: December 2023

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) comprise the most representative transcriptional units of the mammalian genome. They are associated with organ development linked with the emergence of cardiovascular diseases. We used bioinformatic approaches, machine learning algorithms, systems biology analyses, and statistical techniques to define co-expression modules linked to heart development and cardiovascular diseases. We also uncovered differentially expressed transcripts in subpopulations of cardiomyocytes. Finally, from this work, we were able to identify eight cardiac cell-types; several new coding, lncRNA, and pcRNA markers; two cardiomyocyte subpopulations at four different time points (ventricle E9.5, left ventricle E11.5, right ventricle E14.5 and left atrium P0) that harbored co-expressed gene modules enriched in mitochondrial, heart development and cardiovascular diseases. Our results evidence the role of particular lncRNAs in heart development and highlight the usage of co-expression modular approaches in the cell-type functional definition.
Lesion detection in women breast’s dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging using deep learning
Authors: Saikia Sudarshan , Si Tapas , Deb Darpan , Bora Kangkana , Mallik Saurav , Maulik Ujjwal , Zhao Zhongming
Published: December 2023

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women and the second foremost cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. Recent technological advances in breast cancer treatment offer hope to millions of women in the world. Segmentation of the breast’s Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) is one of the necessary tasks in the diagnosis and detection of breast cancer. Currently, a popular deep learning model, U-Net is extensively used in biomedical image segmentation. This article aims to advance the state of the art and conduct a more in-depth analysis with a focus on the use of various U-Net models in lesion detection in women’s breast DCE-MRI. In this article, we perform an empirical study of the effectiveness and efficiency of U-Net and its derived deep learning models including ResUNet, Dense UNet, DUNet, Attention U-Net, UNet++, MultiResUNet, RAUNet, Inception U-Net and U-Net GAN for lesion detection in breast DCE-MRI. All the models are applied to the benchmarked 100 Sagittal T2-Weighted fat-suppressed DCE-MRI slices of 20 patients and their performance is compared. Also, a comparative study has been conducted with V-Net, W-Net, and DeepLabV3+. Non-parametric statistical test Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test is used to analyze the significance of the quantitative results. Furthermore, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is used to evaluate overall performance focused on accuracy, precision, sensitivity, F$$_1$$

1

-score, specificity, Geometric-Mean, DSC, and false-positive rate. The RAUNet segmentation model achieved a high accuracy of 99.76%, sensitivity of 85.04%, precision of 90.21%, and Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) of 85.04% whereas ResNet achieved 99.62% accuracy, 62.26% sensitivity, 99.56% precision, and 72.86% DSC. ResUNet is found to be the most effective model based on MCDA. On the other hand, U-Net GAN takes the least computational time to perform the segmentation task. Both quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate that the ResNet model performs better than other models in segmenting the images and lesion detection, though computational time in achieving the objectives varies.
Mushroom poisoning outbreaks in Guizhou Province, China: a prediction study using SARIMA and Prophet models
Authors: Zhang Li , Chen Qing-yuan , Xiong Su-fang , Zhu Shu , Tian Ji-gui , Li Jun , Guo Hua
Published: December 2023

Mushroom poisoning is a public health concern worldwide that not only harms the physical and mental health of those who are poisoned but also increases the medical and financial burden on families and society. The present study aimed to describe and analyze the current situations and factors influencing mushroom poisoning outbreaks in Guizhou province, Southwest China, between January 2012 and June 2022, and to predict the future trends of its occurrence. Our study provides a basis for the rational formulation of prevention and control and medical resource allocation policies for mushroom poisoning. The epidemiological characteristics and factors influencing mushroom poisoning incidence were analyzed using descriptive epidemiological methods and the chi-squared test, respectively. Then, future occurrence trends were predicted using the SARIMA and Prophet models. In total, 1577 mushroom poisoning incidents were recorded in Guizhou Province, with 7347 exposures, 5497 cases, 3654 hospitalizations, and 93 fatalities. The mortality rate was 4.45% in 1 ~ 6 years higher than other age groups. There were notable geographic and seasonal characteristics, with the number of occurrences much higher in rural areas (1198) than in cities (379), and poisoning cases were more common during the rainy season (June to September). The mortality rate of household poisoning cases was 1.86%, with the most deaths occurring in households. Statistically significant differences were observed in the incidence across various cities, periods, and poisoning locations (P < 0.05). Both models had advantages and disadvantages for prediction. Nevertheless, the SARIMA model had better overall prediction results than the Prophet model (R > 0.9, the residual plot of the prediction results was randomly distributed, and RMSESARIMA < RMSEProphet). However, the prediction result plot of the Prophet model was more explanatory than the SARIMA model and could visualize overall and seasonal trends. Both models predicted that the prevalence of mushroom poisoning would continue to increase in the future; however, the number of fatalities is generally declining. Seasonal patterns indicated that a high number of deaths from gooseberry mushroom poisoning occurred in October. The epidemiological trends of mushroom poisoning remain severe, and health education on related knowledge must be strengthened in rural areas, with June to October as the key prevention and control phase. Further, medical treatment of mushroom poisoning cases with clinical symptoms should pay attention to inquiries to check whether the mushroom is similar in appearance to the Amanita, particularly in October.
First principles-based design of lightweight high entropy alloys
Authors: Sorkin Viacheslav , Yu Zhi Gen , Chen Shuai , Tan Teck Leong , Aitken Zachary , Zhang Yong-Wei
Published: December 2023

Recently, the design of lightweight high entropy alloys (HEAs) with a mass density lower than 5 g/cm3 has attracted much research interest in structural materials. We applied a first principles-based high-throughput method to design lightweight HEAs in single solid-solution phase. Three lightweight quinary HEA families were studied: AlBeMgTiLi, AlBeMgTiSi and AlBeMgTiCu. By comprehensively exploring their entire compositional spaces, we identified the most promising compositions according to the following design criteria: the highest stability, lowest mass density, largest elastic modulus and specific stiffness, along with highest Pugh’s ratio. We found that HEAs with the topmost compositions exhibit a negative formation energy, a low density and high specific Young’s modulus, but a low Pugh’s ratio. Importantly, we show that the most stable composition, Al0.31Be0.15Mg0.14Ti0.05Si0.35 is energetically more stable than its metallic compounds and it significantly outperforms the current lightweight engineering alloys such as the 7075 Al alloy. These results suggest that the designed lightweight HEAs can be energetically more stable, lighter, and stiffer but slightly less ductile compared to existing Al alloys. Similar conclusions can be also drawn for the AlBeMgTiLi and AlBeMgTiCu. Our design methodology and findings serve as a valuable tool and guidance for the experimental development of lightweight HEAs.
Assessing health-related quality of life of people with diabetes in Nigeria using the EQ-5D-5L: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Jackson Idongesit Linus , Isah Abdulmuminu , Arikpo Abam Onen
Published: December 2023

Assessing the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of people with diabetes is important to evaluate treatment effectiveness and identify interventions that would be beneficial to the patients. This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to assess the HRQoL of people with diabetes visiting 15 community pharmacies in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, and to identify its determinants. The English (Nigeria) version of the EQ-5D-5L was administered to 420 eligible patients between August and September 2021. Data were analyzed with SPSS (IBM version 25.0) and presented descriptively; differences in HRQoL scores were examined using inferential statistics. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Most participants (56.8%) were female; 193 (49.6%) were between the ages of 30 and 49. The median (interquartile range, IQR) for the EQ VAS and EQ-5D-5L index scores, respectively, were 80.0 (65.0–85.0) and 0.77 (0.62–0.90). Most participants reported problems with usual activities (52.7%), pain/discomfort (60.2%), and anxiety/depression (57.6%). The EQ VAS score and EQ-5D-5L utility index were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with respondents' age, marital status, work status, and personal monthly income. The HRQoL of participants was relatively high. Nevertheless, implementing strategies aimed at pain management and providing psychological support for people with diabetes in Nigeria may improve their HRQoL.
Progression of albuminuria and podocyte injury in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis inhibited by enhanced glycosphingolipid GM3 via valproic acid
Authors: Kawashima Nagako , Naito Shokichi , Nagane Masaki , Yamashita Tadashi , Nakayama Ken-ichi
Published: December 2023

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, characterized by decreased numbers of podocytes in glomeruli, is a common cause of refractory nephrotic syndrome. Recently, we showed that enhanced glycosphingolipid GM3 expression after administration of valproic acid, an upregulator of ST3GAL5/St3gal5, was effective in preventing albuminuria and podocyte injury. We also revealed the molecular mechanism for this preventive effect, which involves GM3 directly binding nephrin that then act together in glycolipid-enriched membrane (GEM) fractions under normal conditions and in non-GEM fractions under nephrin injury conditions. Kidney disease is frequently referred to as a “silent killer” because it is often difficult to detect subjective symptoms. Thus, primary treatment for these diseases is initiated after the onset of disease progression. Consequently, the efficacy of enhanced levels of GM3 induced by valproic acid needs to be evaluated after the onset of the disease with severe albuminuria such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Here, we report the therapeutic effect of enhanced GM3 expression induced via administration of valproic acid on albuminuria and podocyte injury after the onset focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in anti-nephrin antibody treated mice. Our findings suggest elevated levels of GM3 following treatment with valproic acid has therapeutic utility for kidney disease associated with severe albuminuria and podocyte injury.