bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extending the discussion on inconsistency in forensic decisions and results
Authors: Buckleton John , Bright Jo‐Anne , Taylor Duncan , Curran James , Kalafut Tim
Published: June 2024

The subject of inter‐ and intra‐laboratory inconsistency was recently raised in a commentary by Itiel Dror. We re‐visit an inter‐laboratory trial, with which some of the authors of this current discussion were associated, to diagnose the causes of any differences in the likelihood ratios (LRs) assigned using probabilistic genotyping software. Some of the variation was due to different decisions that would be made on a case‐by‐case basis, some due to laboratory policy and would hence differ between laboratories, and the final and smallest part was the run‐to‐run difference caused by the Monte Carlo aspect of the software used. However, the net variation in LRs was considerable. We believe that most laboratories will self‐diagnose the cause of their difference from the majority answer and in some, but not all instances will take corrective action. An inter‐laboratory exercise consisting of raw data files for relatively straightforward mixtures, such as two mixtures of three or four persons, would allow laboratories to calibrate their procedures and findings.
Finding the path of least resistance: An examination of officer communication tactics and their impact on suspect compliance
Authors: Foster Jacob T. , Zimmerman Laura , Terrill William , Somers Logan J.
Published: June 2024

Research Summary

This study investigated the impact of patrol officer communication tactics on suspect compliance by using Systematic Social Observation (SSO) to code 438 body‐worn camera and dashcam video recordings from two police agencies. Specifically, we examined officer tenor/demeanor, use of noncoercive directives, use of verbal coercion, and accusations, while controlling for a host of suspect and situational factors. Results showed that when officers presented a positive tenor/demeanor or employed noncoercive verbal tactics, suspects were significantly more likely to comply. Conversely, use of coercive verbal tactics and accusatory language did not have a significant impact on suspect compliance. In addition, negative suspect demeanor, suspect impairment, and suspect elevated emotional state negatively affected compliance.

Policy Implications

Recent calls for police reform have focused on producing less coercive outcomes by explicitly recognizing the role that officers have in managing encounters rather than simply reacting to suspect behaviors. An increased focus on officer communication strategies in both police training and practice is likely to promote suspect compliance while reducing the need for officer use of force. Similarly, it is likely that more coercive verbal strategies have little impact on suspect compliance and may lead to negative perceptions of police interactions and law enforcement in general.
Nutraceutical activities of Trigonella foenum‐graecum and Nigella sativa seeds in the management of diabetes‐induced in albino rats
Authors: Shahid Fatima , Arshad Ammara , Munir Naveed , Jawad Muhammad
Published: June 2024

Diabetes causes elevated blood sugar levels, and it has been categorized as one of the most frequent causes of death worldwide. This work aimed to analyze and compare the nutraceutical and therapeutic efficacy of fenugreek seeds (FSs) (Trigonella foenum‐graecum) and black cumin seeds (BCSs) (Nigella sativa) against streptozotocin‐induced diabetes mellitus in albino rats. FS and BCSs were evaluated for proximate analysis, phytochemicals, and antioxidant activities. Male albino rats were used to evaluate the in vivo antidiabetic activities of these medicinal plants for 42 days. Blood samples were drawn at regular intervals of 1 week to analyze blood glucose, plasma insulin, and cholesterol levels and to determine the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA IR) index. At the end of the trial, pancreas tissue was also collected for histological examination. Results of the proximate analysis showed the significant presence of moisture, ash, fat, protein, and fiber. Antioxidant parameters like 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content were found to be significant. There was a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in blood glucose level, serum cholesterol level, and insulin resistance in treatment groups T3–T5. Insulin and body weight results of treatment groups were significant (p < 0.05) compared to streptozotocin‐intoxicated animals. Histological examination revealed the nutraceutical impact of selected herbal plants due to enhancing impact on the size and the number of β‐cells in the pancreas. Findings of current research work explore the antidiabetic capacity of selected nutraceutical and medicinal plants.
Exploring the role of clinical and demographic characteristics on the effects of virtual reality cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis: A moderator analysis
Authors: Berkhof M. , van der Stouwe E. C. D. , Pot‐Kolder R. M. C. A. , van der Gaag M. , Veling W. , Geraets C. N. W.
Published: June 2024

Background

Virtual Reality cognitive behavioral therapy (VR‐CBT) has proven to be an effective treatment method for paranoia and anxiety in psychosis. However, it is unknown, which individuals benefit most from VR‐CBT. Previous studies examined factors affecting the treatment effect of regular CBTp, including illness duration, paranoia, depression, and pre‐therapy avoidance behaviors, but results are inconsistent. The study aims to investigate the factors that influence the effectiveness of VR‐CBT.

Methods

A total of 95 participants with a psychotic disorder and at least moderate paranoia (GTPS >40) were included in this explorative study. Data were collected as part of a multicenter randomized controlled trial in which participants were assigned to VR‐CBT or treatment as usual (TAU). The VR‐CBT group received 16 sessions of individual treatment. A moderator analysis was conducted to examine the influence of baseline demographic (age, gender, and education level) and clinical characteristics (duration of illness, paranoia, anxiety, depression, safety behavior, self‐esteem, and social functioning) on treatment effects of paranoia and anxiety as measured with questionnaires and the experience sampling method (ESM) directly after treatment (12 weeks after baseline).

Results

More use of safety behavior at baseline resulted in greater benefits of VR‐CBT on paranoid ideation and ESM paranoia. A higher age was associated with greater benefits of VR‐CBT on social anxiety but not paranoia outcomes. There was no consistent evidence of moderation by any of the other sociodemographic or clinical variables for paranoid ideation and social anxiety.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that a diverse spectrum of patients, with different backgrounds and symptom severity may be able to benefit from VR‐CBT. VR‐CBT can be recommended to a broad spectrum of patients with psychotic disorders, and particularly those with high levels of safety behaviors, including severe avoidance, seem to benefit more.
Conservative interdisciplinary management for a congenitally missing maxillary lateral incisor in an adolescent patient
Authors: Hmud R , Ong DC‐V
Published: June 2024

A congenitally missing lateral incisor tooth is commonly associated with both short and long‐term clinical dilemmas, particularly for a growing patient. A unilaterally missing maxillary lateral incisor tooth creates a significant dental asymmetry in the critical aesthetic zone of the smile and potentially increases the difficulty of any subsequent orthodontic and restorative treatment. Carefully planned interdisciplinary management is required to address the challenges of anterior dental asymmetry, unilateral orthodontic space closure and to alleviate the concerns that accompany restorative implant placement in the anterior maxilla. The use of skeletal temporary anchorage devices has increased the predictability of orthodontic space closure, particularly for missing maxillary lateral incisor cases which were previously considered to be unsuitable.
Indicators of rapid adaptation of an exotic aquatic Poaceae to increased salinity
Authors: Silveira Márcio José , Sbais Patrícia Gonçalves , Bora Letícia Siman , Mourão Káthia Socorro Mathias , de Carvalho Harthman Vanessa
Published: June 2024

The invasion process and the persistence of invasive species across environments can be explained by their tolerance to stressors, such as salinization. Urochloa arrecta (Poaceae) exhibits high invasive potential and has already established in various natural and artificial aquatic ecosystems. Here, we experimentally evaluate the effects of water salinity on the traits of three exotic populations of U. arrecta derived from naturally occurring populations across a salinity gradient. Specifically, we measured the difference in the number and perimeter of intercellular spaces for individuals from the different populations across three experimental treatments of salinity. Our results demonstrate that high water salinity levels affected anatomical traits in all populations. However, the traits of freshwater populations were the more significantly impacted by increasing salinity compared with populations sampled from naturally higher occurring salinity. Populations of U. arrecta established in places with certain degree of salinity can be more resistance to salt increases compared with populations established in freshwater habitats that are more distant geographically. However, the resistance of freshwater populations to certain high salinity levels suggests that these populations may exhibit rapid adaptation and to survive under some degree of salinity, demonstrating the species' high resilience across various environments.
Evaluation of quality of root canal therapy performed by predoctoral students on endodontic outcome and quality of life of patients
Authors: Wen Clarissa Wong Qi , Saei Nurhanani Mat , Ahanin Elaheh , Teixeira Fabricio B. , Parolia Abhishek
Published: June 2024

This study evaluated the technical quality (TQ) of root canal therapy (RCT) performed by predoctoral students and its impact on endodontic outcome (EO) and patients' quality of life (QoL). The TQ of RCT done by predoctoral students was evaluated and follow‐up visits were conducted to determine the clinical, radiographic outcome of RCT and patients' QoL. Frequency distribution, multiple regression, independent‐samples t test and one‐way anova were performed. A total of 226 teeth of 164 patients were clinically and radiographically examined. A satisfactory TQ was observed in 130 (57.5%), successful clinical outcomes in 155 (68.6%), successful radiographical outcomes in 206 (91%) and overall successful EO in 150 teeth (66.4%) with 80% of patients reporting a favourable QoL. A significant positive correlation was noted between EO and QoL (p = 0.002) with no significant correlation in between TQ‐RCT and EO (p = 0.07) and TQ‐RCT and QoL (p = 0.316). Successful EO had a positive impact on patients' QoL.
Passive acoustic monitoring of endangered endemic Afromontane tropical species: A case study with two turacos
Authors: Winiarska Dominika , Pérez‐Granados Cristian , Budka Michał , Osiejuk Tomasz S.
Published: June 2024

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is a reliable method for studying the behaviour and ecology of vocally active animals, providing insights into species' activity patterns. Here, we utilised a year‐long recording programme conducted in six areas of the Afromontane tropical forest of Cameroon to assess the utility of PAM, describe the annual and circadian vocal activity patterns, and assess the relationship between vocal activity and climate conditions for two African turaco species: the endemic and Endangered Bannerman's turaco (Tauraco bannermani) and the common, but locally at risk, Great blue turaco (Corythaeola cristata). The automated software detected 8670 vocalisations of Bannerman's turaco and 374 of the Great blue turaco, proving the ability of passive acoustics, coupled with automated software, for monitoring these species. Our findings suggest that both turacos are sedentary and seasonal breeders, exhibiting larger peaks of vocal activity during the dry season, although both species showed smaller activity peaks during the wet season. Similar circadian patterns were observed for both species, with activity peaks occurring at dawn and dusk. Long‐term monitoring programmes of both species should be implemented in the study areas, especially regarding the Great blue turaco, which may soon disappear from Bamenda Highlands.
Three decades of land use and land cover changes in an East African lake and their implications for the conservation of bird communities
Authors: Alemayehu Yismaw , Molla Gashaw , Sadananda Monika
Published: June 2024

Land use and land cover (LULC) dynamics using GIS and remote sensing techniques measure extent and spatial structure, which are critical for monitoring biomes. A digital LULC detection technique with multi‐temporal satellite imagery analysis was employed at four timepoints from 1987 to 2017 and performed using supervised classifications method in ERDAS imagine 2015. For image classification, the five major LULC types included forests, built‐up land, agricultural land, water bodies and grasslands. LULC of grasslands, forests and water bodies reduced, while LULC of agricultural and built‐up lands increased. Avifaunal surveys were conducted at 11 sites across the LULC classes to compare species richness and abundance. The decrement of forests and water bodies would result in habitat loss, affecting endemic and threatened avifauna, as forests showed highest avifaunal species diversity (H′ = 3.80). Despite the decrement, grasslands demonstrated higher avifaunal species richness (107) and abundance (2767). Species richness decreased significantly from grasslands to water bodies and agricultural land (p < 0.05), and from forests to agricultural and built‐up land (p < 0.05), and water bodies (p < 0.01). Avifaunal abundance decreased significantly from grasslands to all other LULC classes. Regular LULC change assessment is integral to avifaunal habitat and biodiversity conservation efforts, particularly at Lake Tana.
Menstrual blood loss is an independent determinant of hemoglobin and ferritin levels in premenopausal blood donors
Authors: Ekroos Sofie , Karregat Jan , Toffol Elena , Castrén Johanna , Arvas Mikko , van den Hurk Katja
Published: June 2024

Introduction

To prevent blood donors from developing iron deficiency (ferritin <15 μg/L) and subsequent anemia (hemoglobin <120 g/L), blood services rely on information about known risk factors, including the donor's sex and age. For example, while Finnish women are able to donate whole blood with a minimum donation interval of 91 days, women in the 18 to 25‐year‐old age group are recommended to donate no more than once per year. Menstrual blood loss is not accounted for in blood donation interval recommendations, despite being a known risk factor of iron deficiency. We aim to investigate to what extent menstrual bleeding is associated with ferritin and hemoglobin levels in female blood donors, and quantify the association of other menstruation‐related variables not currently accounted for by blood services (i.e., use of hormonal contraception, heavy menstrual bleeding) with iron deficiency or anemia.

Material and Methods

The study population consisted of 473 premenopausal and 491 postmenopausal Dutch whole blood donors. Exclusion criteria were current pregnancy, BMI ≥50, ferritin ≥200, pictorial blood assessment chart (PBAC) ≥400, and age <18 or ≥70 years. Menstrual blood loss was quantified using a PBAC, a semiquantitative method to evaluate the number of used menstrual products and the degree of staining. We identified predictors of log(ferritin)/hemoglobin and iron deficiency/anemia using Bayesian linear and logistic regression models and quantified the average percentage of variance in log(ferritin) and hemoglobin explained by the covariates.

Results

Menstrual blood loss accounted for most of the explained variance in hemoglobin (8%) and second only to the number of days since last donation for ferritin (8%). Heavy menstrual bleeding (PBAC ≥150, OR = 3.56 [1.45–8.85], prevalence 13%) was associated with anemia, and use of levonorgestrel‐releasing intrauterine device was negatively associated with iron deficiency (OR = 0.06 [0.01–0.44]). After statistical control for menstrual blood loss, age was not associated with iron status.

Conclusions

Menstrual blood loss and blood donation were the most important determinants of iron status in premenopausal women. Thus, results suggest that accounting for menstrual blood loss in donation interval guidelines may benefit blood donors.
Editorial: Mucosal healing with steroids—Once upon a time in ulcerative colitis. Authors' reply
Authors: Fukuda Tomohiro , Yamazaki Hajime , Matsuoka Katsuyoshi
Published: June 2024

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Fukuda et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.18013 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.18094
Parent stress and social support in a randomized controlled trial of individual versus group parent training for children with HKD/ADHD
Authors: Heubeck B. G. , Richardson A. , Lauth G.
Published: June 2024

Objectives

Assess (a) the relative benefit of individual versus group parent training compared to treatment as usual (TAU) with an emphasis on parent outcomes. Investigate (b) if group parent training increases social support more than other modes of treatment and explore (c) how social support interacts with different modes of treatment.

Method

Compared individual with group parent training and treatment as usual (TAU) in a randomized controlled trial for N = 237 children with Hyperkinetic Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (HKD/ADHD). Employed two formats of the same cognitive‐behavioural parent training in the same settings to maximize comparability. Controlled for medication status and assessed changes from pre‐ to post‐treatment and 6‐month follow‐up.

Results

Parents reported more positive changes in the parent training groups than in TAU in relation to child behaviour problems and moodiness as well as more positive changes in parent stress and sense of competence. However, gains on parent stress were limited after group training as were gains on satisfaction. Social support improved similarly in all treatment groups. While results indicated clear main effects of social support on all child and parent measures, interactions of social support and treatment outcomes were found for child moodiness and parent stress.

Conclusions

Cognitive‐behavioural parent training is beneficial beyond TAU, especially when it can be provided individually. Surprisingly, group training did not reduce parent stress more than TAU or individual training. Social support related to all measures and interacted with treatment on some outcomes. The findings have numerous implications for research and practice.
Unifying functional and population ecology to test the adaptive value of traits
Authors: Laughlin Daniel C.
Published: June 2024

Plant strategies are phenotypes shaped by natural selection that enable populations to persist in a given environment. Plant strategy theory is essential for understanding the assembly of plant communities, predicting plant responses to climate change, and enhancing the restoration of our degrading biosphere. However, models of plant strategies vary widely and have tended to emphasize either functional traits or life‐history traits at the expense of integrating both into a general framework to improve our ecological and evolutionary understanding of plant form and function. Advancing our understanding of plant strategies will require investment in two complementary research agendas that together will unify functional ecology and population ecology. First, we must determine what is phenotypically possible by quantifying the dimensionality of plant traits. This step requires dense taxonomic sampling of traits on species representing the broad diversity of phylogenetic clades, environmental gradients, and geographical regions found across Earth. It is important that we continue to sample traits locally and share data globally to fill biased gaps in trait databases. Second, we must test the power of traits for explaining species distributions, demographic rates, and population growth rates across gradients of resource limitation, disturbance regimes, temperature, vegetation density, and frequencies of other strategies. This step requires thoughtful, theory‐driven empiricism. Reciprocal transplant experiments beyond the native range and synthetic demographic modelling are the most powerful methods to determine how trait‐by‐environment interactions influence fitness. Moving beyond easy‐to‐measure traits and evaluating the traits that are under the strongest ecological selection within different environmental contexts will improve our understanding of plant adaptations. Plant strategy theory is poised to (i) unpack the multiple dimensions of productivity and disturbance gradients and differentiate adaptations to climate and resource limitation from adaptations to disturbance, (ii) distinguish between the fundamental and realized niches of phenotypes, and (iii) articulate the distinctions and relationships between functional traits and life‐history traits.
Topological Characterization and Uncertainty Visualization of Atmospheric Rivers
Authors: Lan Fangfei , Gamelin Brandi , Yan Lin , Wang Jiali , Wang Bei , Guo Hanqi
Published: June 2024

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, narrow regions of water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere that transport heat and moisture from the tropics to the mid‐latitudes. ARs are often associated with extreme weather events in North America and contribute significantly to water supply and flood risk. However, characterizing ARs has been a major challenge due to the lack of a universal definition and their structural variations. Existing AR detection tools (ARDTs) produce distinct AR boundaries for the same event, making the risk assessment of ARs a difficult task. Understanding these uncertainties is crucial to improving the predictability of AR impacts, including their landfall areas and associated precipitation, which could cause catastrophic flooding and landslides over the coastal regions. In this work, we develop an uncertainty visualization framework that captures boundary and interior uncertainties, i.e., structural variations, of an ensemble of ARs that arise from a set of ARDTs. We first provide a statistical overview of the AR boundaries using the contour boxplots of Whitaker et al. that highlight the structural variations of AR boundaries based on their nesting relationships. We then introduce the topological skeletons of ARs based on Morse complexes that characterize the interior variation of an ensemble of ARs. We propose an uncertainty visualization of these topological skeletons, inspired by MetroSets of Jacobson et al. that emphasizes the agreements and disagreements across the ensemble members. Through case studies and expert feedback, we demonstrate that the two approaches complement each other, and together they could facilitate an effective comparative analysis process and provide a more confident outlook on an AR's shape, area, and onshore impact.
Antarstick: Extracting Snow Height From Time‐Lapse Photography
Authors: Lang Matěj , Mráz Radoslav , Trtík Marek , Stoppel Sergej , Byška Jan , Kozlíková Barbora
Published: June 2024

The evolution and accumulation of snow cover are among the most important characteristics influencing Antarctica's climate and biotopes. The changes in Antarctica are also substantially impacting global climate change. Therefore, detailed monitoring of snow evolution is key to understanding such changes. One way to conduct this monitoring is by installing trail cameras in a particular region and then processing the captured information. This option is affordable, but has some drawbacks, such as the fully automatic solution for the extraction of snow height from these images is not feasible. Therefore, it still requires human intervention, manually correcting the inaccurately extracted information. In this paper, we present Antarstick, a tool for visual guidance of the user to potentially wrong values extracted from poor‐quality images and support for their interactive correction. This tool allows for much quicker and semi‐automated processing of snow height from time‐lapse photography.
GerontoVis: Data Visualization at the Confluence of Aging
Authors: While Zack , Crouser R. Jordan , Sarvghad Ali
Published: June 2024

Despite the explosive growth of the aging population worldwide, older adults have been largely overlooked by visualization research. This paper is a critical reflection on the underrepresentation of older adults in visualization research. We discuss why investigating visualization at the intersection of aging matters, why older adults may have been omitted from sample populations in visualization research, how aging may affect visualization use, and how this differs from traditional accessibility research. To encourage further discussion and novel scholarship in this area, we introduce GerontoVis, a term which encapsulates research and practice of data visualization design that primarily focuses on older adults. By introducing this new subfield of visualization research, we hope to shine a spotlight on this growing user population and stimulate innovation toward the development of aging‐aware visualization tools. We offer a birds‐eye view of the GerontoVis landscape, explore some of its unique challenges, and identify promising areas for future research.
Should I make it round? Suitability of circular and linear layouts for comparative tasks with matrix and connective data
Authors: Ståhlbom E. , Molin J. , Ynnerman A. , Lundström C.
Published: June 2024

Visual representations based on circular shapes are frequently used in visualization applications. One example are circos plots within bioinformatics, which bend graphs into a wheel of information with connective lines running through the center like spokes. The results are aesthetically appealing and impressive visualizations that fit long data sequences into a small quadratic space. However, the authors' experiences are that when asked, a visualization researcher would generally advise against making visualizations with radial layouts. Upon reviewing the literature we found that there is evidence that circular layouts are preferable in some cases, but we found no clear evidence for what layout is preferable for matrices and connective data in particular, which both are common data types in circos plots. In this work, we thus performed a user study to compare circular and linear layouts. The tasks are inspired by genomics data, but our results generalize to many other application areas, involving comparison and connective data. To build the prototype we utilized Gosling, a grammar for visualizing genomics data. We contribute empirical evidence on the suitedness of linear versus circular layouts, adding to the specific and general knowledge concerning perception of circular graphs. In addition, we contribute a case study evaluation of the grammar Gosling as a rapid prototyping language, confirming its utility and providing guidance on suitable areas for future development.
Guided By AI: Navigating Trust, Bias, and Data Exploration in AI‐Guided Visual Analytics
Authors: Ha Sunwoo , Monadjemi Shayan , Ottley Alvitta
Published: June 2024

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in visual analytics (VA) tools raises vital questions about the behavior of users, their trust, and the potential of induced biases when provided with guidance during data exploration. We present an experiment where participants engaged in a visual data exploration task while receiving intelligent suggestions supplemented with four different transparency levels. We also modulated the difficulty of the task (easy or hard) to simulate a more tedious scenario for the analyst. Our results indicate that participants were more inclined to accept suggestions when completing a more difficult task despite theai's lower suggestion accuracy. Moreover, the levels of transparency tested in this study did not significantly affect suggestion usage or subjective trust ratings of the participants. Additionally, we observed that participants who utilized suggestions throughout the task explored a greater quantity and diversity of data points. We discuss these findings and the implications of this research for improving the design and effectiveness ofai‐guidedvatools.
A Systematic Literature Review of User Evaluation in Immersive Analytics
Authors: Friedl‐Knirsch J. , Pointecker F. , Pfistermüller S. , Stach C. , Anthes C. , Roth D.
Published: June 2024

User evaluation is a common and useful tool for systematically generating knowledge and validating novel approaches in the domain of Immersive Analytics. Since this research domain centres around users, user evaluation is of extraordinary relevance. Additionally, Immersive Analytics is an interdisciplinary field of research where different communities bring in their own methodologies. It is vital to investigate and synchronise these different approaches with the long‐term goal to reach a shared evaluation framework. While there have been several studies focusing on Immersive Analytics as a whole or on certain aspects of the domain, this is the first systematic review of the state of evaluation methodology in Immersive Analytics. The main objective of this systematic literature review is to illustrate methodologies and research areas that are still underrepresented in user studies by identifying current practice in user evaluation in the domain of Immersive Analytics in coherence with the PRISMA protocol. (seehttps://www.acm.org/publications/class-2012)
State of the Art of Graph Visualization in non‐Euclidean Spaces
Authors: Miller Jacob , Bhatia Dhruv , Kobourov Stephen
Published: June 2024

Visualizing graphs and networks in non‐Euclidean space can have benefits such as natural focus+context in hyperbolic space and the familiarity of interactions in spherical space. Despite work on these topics going back to the mid 1990s, there is no survey, or a part of a survey for this area of research. In this paper we review and categorize over 60 relevant papers and analyze them by geometry, (e.g., spherical, hyperbolic, torus), by contribution (e.g., technique, evaluation, proof, application), and by graph class (e.g., tree, planar, complex).
Open Your Ears and Take a Look: A State‐of‐the‐Art Report on the Integration of Sonification and Visualization
Authors: Enge K. , Elmquist E. , Caiola V. , Rönnberg N. , Rind A. , Iber M. , Lenzi S. , Lan F. , Höldrich R. , Aigner W.
Published: June 2024

The research communities studying visualization and sonification for data display and analysis share exceptionally similar goals, essentially making data of any kind interpretable to humans. One community does so by using visual representations of data, and the other community employs auditory (non‐speech) representations of data. While the two communities have a lot in common, they developed mostly in parallel over the course of the last few decades. With this STAR, we discuss a collection of work that bridges the borders of the two communities, hence a collection of work that aims to integrate the two techniques into one form of audiovisual display, which we argue to be “more than the sum of the two.” We introduce and motivate a classification system applicable to such audiovisual displays and categorize a corpus of 57 academic publications that appeared between 2011 and 2023 in categories such as reading level, dataset type, or evaluation system, to mention a few. The corpus also enables a meta‐analysis of the field, including regularly occurring design patterns such as type of visualization and sonification techniques, or the use of visual and auditory channels, showing an overall diverse field with different designs. An analysis of a co‐author network of the field shows individual teams without many interconnections. The body of work covered in this STAR also relates to three adjacent topics: audiovisual monitoring, accessibility, and audiovisual data art. These three topics are discussed individually in addition to the systematically conducted part of this research. The findings of this report may be used by researchers from both fields to understand the potentials and challenges of such integrated designs while hopefully inspiring them to collaborate with experts from the respective other field.
Effects of protected area coverage and research on conservation status of primates globally
Authors: Wang Zhining , Chen Tao , Yang Li , Chapman Colin A. , Fan Pengfei
Published: June 2024

Conducting conservation research and establishing protected areas (PAs) based on research results are critical to biodiversity conservation. However, the effect of research and PAs on conservation of threatened species has rarely been evaluated simultaneously. We collected data on PAs from 2000 for 2021 and determined the number of publications on global primates (published from 1950 to 2021) to assess the effect of PAs, research, and biological and socioeconomic factors on the current International Union for Conservation of Nature endangered status and change in status. We used the MCMCglmm package to conduct a phylogenetic comparative analysis to control the phylogenetic relationship of primate species. The status of 24.6% (82 of 333) of species assessed at least twice declined. Only the black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) had an improved status. Species with status declines mostly occurred on the south coast of West Africa and in Madagascar. PAs covered 22.1% of each species’ range. Forest loss in PAs (5.5%) was significantly lower than forest loss within 5 km outside PAs (13.8%), suggesting PAs effectively mitigated forest loss. Both the median number of total publications and conservation publications on critically endangered species were higher than those of other categories. Models showed that PA coverage and number of publications or conservation‐focused publications were not related to current status or change in status over time. A decline in status was not related to creation of PAs or increase of research since the last assessment. Our results suggest that current PAs and research are not reversing the extinction crisis of global primates. Doing more conservation‐oriented research, strengthening management of current PAs, and expanding PAs will be needed to protect primates globally.
MultiCogniGraph: A multimodal data fusion and graph convolutional network‐based multi‐hop reasoning method for large equipment fault diagnosis
Authors: Chen Sen , Wang Jian
Published: June 2024

As industrial production escalates in scale and complexity, the rapid localization and diagnosis of equipment failures have become a core technical challenge. In response to the demand for intelligent fault diagnosis in large‐scale industrial equipment, this study presents “MultiCogniGraph”—a multi‐hop reasoning diagnostic method that integrates multimodal data fusion, knowledge graphs, and graph convolutional networks (GCN). This method leverages internet of things (IoT) sensor data, small‐sample imagery, and expert knowledge to comprehensively characterize the equipment state and accurately detect subtle distinctions in fault patterns. Utilizing a knowledge graph to synthesize data from multiple sources and deep reasoning with GCN, “MultiCogniGraph” achieves swift and effective fault localization and diagnosis. The integration of these techniques not only enhances the efficiency and accuracy of fault diagnosis but also its interpretability, marking a new direction in the field of intelligent fault diagnostics.
BiLSTM‐based thunderstorm prediction for IoT applications
Authors: Zhuang Li , Zhu Lin
Published: June 2024

Although the market demand for smart devices (SDs) in the Internet of Things (IoT) era is surging, the corresponding thunderstorm protection measures have rarely attracted attention. This paper presents a thunderstorm prediction method with elevation correction, to reduce the thunderstorm damage to SDs by visually tracking thunderstorm activities. First, a self‐made three‐dimensional atmospheric electric field apparatus (3DAEFA) deployed in IoT is developed to collect real‐time AEF data. A 3DAEFA‐based localization model is established, and the localization formula after correction is derived. AEF data predicted by the bi‐directional long short‐term memory (BiLSTM) model are input to this formula to obtain thunderstorm point charge localization results. Then, the localization skill is evaluated. Finally, the proposed method is assessed in experiments, under single and multiple point charge conditions. There are significant reductions of at least 33.1% and 8.8% in ranging and elevation angle errors, respectively. Particularly, this post‐prediction correction reduces the deviation of fitted point charge moving paths by at most 0.189 km, demonstrating excellent application effects. Comparisons with radar charts and existing methods testify that this method can effectively predict thunderstorms.
Mortality factors and antibiotic options in carbapenem‐resistant Enterobacterales bloodstream infections: Insights from a high‐prevalence setting with co‐occurring NDM‐1 and OXA‐48
Authors: Karnmueng Palat , Montakantikul Preecha , Paiboonvong Taniya , Plongla Rongpong , Chatsuwan Tanittha , Chumnumwat Supatat
Published: June 2024

Bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by carbapenem‐resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are associated with a high mortality rate. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with 14‐day mortality and identify a potential treatment option. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with CRE‐BSI in Thailand from 2015 to 2020. The multivariate Cox proportional‐hazards model was employed to identify factors influencing 14‐day mortality. Out of 134 diagnosed cases of CRE‐BSI, the all‐cause 14‐day mortality rate was 35.1%. The most prevalent organism isolated was Klebsiella pneumoniae (85.8%), followed by Escherichia coli (11.9%). Among the 60 isolates tested for carbapenemase genes, the majority exhibited co‐occurring blaNDM‐1 and blaOXA‐48 (51.7%), followed by blaOXA‐48 (31.7%) and blaNDM‐1 (15.0%). In the multivariate analysis, neutropenia (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 2.55; 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.28–5.06; p = 0.008), sepsis/septic shock (aHR 3.02; 95%CI 1.33–6.86; p = 0.008), and previous metronidazole exposures (aHR 3.58; 95%CI 1.89–6.71; p < 0.001) were identified as independent factors for 14‐day mortality. The fosfomycin‐based regimen was found to be protective (aHR 0.37; 95%CI 0.15–0.92; p = 0.032). In patients with CRE‐BSI, particularly in regions with a high occurrence of co‐occurring blaNDM‐1 and blaOXA‐48, neutropenia, sepsis/septic shock, and previous metronidazole exposures emerged as independent risk factors for mortality. Moreover, the fosfomycin‐based regimen showed an improvement in the survival rate.
Reducing cardiometabolic risk with semaglutide in type 1 diabetes (RESET1): Study protocol of a phase 2 double‐blinded randomised placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: Frampton Ruth , Snaith Jennifer R. , Hocking Samantha , Holmes‐Walker Jane , Olsen Nicholas , Greenfield Jerry R.
Published: June 2024

Background

Premature cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people living with type 1 diabetes. Therapies are urgently needed to address cardiovascular risk in this group. Semaglutide, a long‐acting glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist, has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events and improve weight and glycaemia in type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide may offer cardioprotective and metabolic benefits in type 1 diabetes.

Methods

We will study 60 adults aged 25–70 years with type 1 diabetes of duration at least 2 years, body mass index ≥25 kg/m2, HbA1c ≥7% and at least one cardiovascular risk factor (microalbuminuria, hypertension or anti‐hypertensive treatment, hyperlipidemia or lipid lowering therapy, current smoking). Participants will receive semaglutide up to 1.0 mg weekly or matched placebo for 26 weeks. The primary outcome is carotid femoral pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, as a surrogate marker of cardiovascular risk. Potential mechanisms for metabolic changes will be explored including change in insulin sensitivity determined by hyperinsulinaemic‐euglycaemic clamp; and incretin and pancreatic hormone action measured during mixed meal tolerance test.

Conclusion

The REducing cardiometabolic risk with SEmaglutide in Type 1 diabetes study will investigate whether semaglutide, a long acting glucagon‐like peptide receptor agonist, can improve markers of cardiometabolic health in T1D. Underlying mechanisms predicting response, including insulin resistance and incretin hormone status, will also be explored.
Diabetes and risk of hospitalisation due to infection in northeastern Thailand: Retrospective cohort study using population‐based healthcare service data
Authors: Peerawaranun Pimnara , Pan‐ngum Wirichada , Hantrakun Viriya , Wild Sarah H. , Dunachie Susanna , Chamnan Parinya
Published: June 2024

Background

Population‐based studies describing the association between diabetes and increased risk of infection have largely been based in high‐income countries. There is limited information describing the burden of infectious disease attributable to diabetes in low and middle‐income countries. This study aimed to describe the burden and risk of infectious disease hospitalisation in people with diabetes compared to those without diabetes in northeastern Thailand.

Methods

In a retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data for 2012–2018 for 3.8 million people aged ≥20 years in northeastern Thailand, hospitalisation rates for any infectious diseases (ICD‐10 codes A00‐B99) were estimated and negative binomial regression used to estimate rate ratios (RR) for the association between diabetes and infectious disease hospitalisation adjusted for age, sex and area of residence.

Results

In this study, 164,177 people had a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus at any point over the study period. Infectious disease hospitalisation rates per 1000 person‐years (95%CI) were 71.8 (70.9, 72.8), 27.7 (27.1, 28.3) and 7.5 (7.5, 7.5) for people with prevalent diabetes, incident diabetes and those without diabetes respectively. Diabetes was associated with a 4.6‐fold higher risk of infectious disease hospitalisation (RR (95% CI) 4.59 (4.52, 4.66)). RRs for infectious disease hospitalisation were 3.38 (3.29, 3.47) for people with diabetes managed by lifestyle alone and 5.29 (5.20, 5.39) for people receiving prescriptions for diabetes drugs.

Conclusions

In this Thai population, diabetes was associated with substantially increased risk of hospitalisation due to infectious diseases and people with diabetes who were on pharmacological treatment had a higher risk than those receiving lifestyle modification advice alone.
Cost–utility analysis of a flash continuous glucose monitoring system in the management of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus on basal insulin therapy—An Italian healthcare system perspective
Authors: Del Prato Stefano , Giorgino Francesco , Szafranski Kirk , Poon Yeesha
Published: June 2024

Aims

To assess the cost–utility of the FreeStyle Libre flash continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system from an Italian healthcare system perspective, when compared with self‐monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in people living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) receiving basal insulin.

Materials and Methods

A patient‐level microsimulation model was run using Microsoft Excel for 10 000 patients over a lifetime horizon, with 3.0% discounting for costs and utilities. Inputs were based on clinical trials and real‐world evidence, with patient characteristics reflecting Italian population data. The effect of flash CGM was modelled as a persistent 0.8% reduction in glycated haemoglobin versus SMBG. Costs (€ 2023) and disutilities were applied to glucose monitoring, diabetes complications, severe hypoglycaemia, and diabetic ketoacidosis. The health outcome was measured as quality‐adjusted life‐years (QALYs).

Results

Direct costs were €5338 higher with flash CGM than with SMBG. Flash CGM was associated with 0.51 more QALYs than SMBG, giving an incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) of €10 556/QALY. Scenario analysis ICERs ranged from €3825/QALY to €26 737/QALY. In probabilistic analysis, flash CGM was 100% likely to be cost effective at willingness‐to‐pay thresholds > €20 000/QALY.

Conclusions

From an Italian healthcare system perspective, flash CGM is cost effective compared with SMBG for people living with T2DM on basal insulin.
Combined peripheral and central ultrasound for the diagnosis of PAH‐SSc patients
Authors: Correale Michele , Rotondo Cinzia , Bevere Ester Maria Lucia , Tricarico Lucia , Rella Valeria , Villani Deborah , Granato Mattia , Migliozzi Celeste , Cantatore Francesco Paolo , Brunetti Natale Daniele , Corrado Addolorata
Published: June 2024

Background

Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), an intricate autoimmune disease causing tissue fibrosis, introduces cardiovascular complexities, notably pulmonary hypertension (PH), affecting both survival and quality of life. This study centers on evaluating echocardiographic parameters and endothelial function using flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD) in SSc patients, aiming to differentiate those with and without pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The emphasis lies in early detection, given the heightened vulnerability of the right ventricle (RV) in the presence of PH.

Methods

Fifty‐nine SSc patients and 48 healthy subjects participated, undergoing clinical examinations, echocardiography, FMD assessments, blood analyses, and right heart catheterization (RHC) according to the ESC/ERS guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of PH.

Results

SSc‐PAH patients displayed lower FMD, higher frequency of TAPSE < 18 mm, RA area > 18 cm2, act RVOT < 105 ms and TRV > 280 cm/s compared to those without PAH and healthy controls. Resting resistivity index (RI) was higher in SSc patients, with no significant difference between those with and without PAH. Lower FMD% serves as a predictive marker for adverse cardiovascular outcomes in both SSc and SSc‐PAH patients. Stratification by TRV levels and PAH presence reveals notable FMD% variations, emphasizing its potential utility.

Conclusions

Early identification of endothelial dysfunction and impaired RV echocardiographic parameters, such as TAPSE and TRV, could aid in predicting right ventricular dysfunction and PAH in SSc patients.