bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous influence of contact angle, capillary number, and contraction ratio on droplet dynamics in hydrophobic microchannel
Authors: Do Le Hung Toan , Nguyen Thanh Tung , Hoang Van Thanh , Lee Jyh-Wei
Published: May 2024

In droplet-based microfluidic systems, droplet motion and behavior largely depend on fluid properties, flow conditions, and microchannel geometry. This study presents a model to predict droplet dynamics within a contraction microchannel, considering various factors, such as contact angle (θ), capillary number (Ca), and contraction ratio (C), within defined ranges, through the employment of a three-dimensional numerical simulation method. Droplets may undergo trap, squeeze, or breakup as they traverse the contraction microchannel, contingent upon the aforementioned factors. The transition from trap to squeeze is determined by the critical value of capillary number (

C

a

I

). Within the squeezed regime, the contact angle influences droplet deformation and velocity within the contraction microchannel. However, when capillary number (

C

a

II

) in contraction microchannel increases to a specific threshold corresponding to the contraction ratio, the droplet no longer in contact with the wall and becomes independent of the contact angle, a phenomenon referred to as detachment. Moreover, the contact angle’s impact on the transition of droplets from squeeze to breakup is contingent upon the contraction ratio. This study provides a comprehensive overview of droplet behavior within microfluidic systems, offering valuable insights for the optimization and design of microsystems.
Advancements in P3HT:PCBM solar cells through experimental and simulated techniques
Authors: Chargui Taoufik , Lmai Fatima , Erraji Abdellah
Published: May 2024

Organic solar cells are a promising alternative in photovoltaics due to their low manufacturing cost and flexibility. In this study, we developed an organic solar cell of structure (ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PCBM/Al) where the active layer is represented by P3HT:PCBM. Experimental studies revealed that this layer has an energy gap of 1.9 eV and a good absorption coefficient of

3
×

10
5

c

m

−
1

. Using analytical and experimental methods based on (J–V–T) curves, we extracted the key parameters of our device, including parasitic resistances (

R
s

and

R

sh

), ideality factor (n), and Schottky potential barrier (

ϕ

B

)

at different temperatures. Also the charge transport mechanism in our junction is identified in this study. We then used simulation to evaluate the performance of our solar cell, obtaining an initial efficiency of 2.13%, in line with experimental results from other research. Our results confirm the feasibility of our theoretical approach, with performance consistent with previous work. However, by introducing an electron transport layer layer (PFN-Br or PDINO), we were able to improve efficiency up to 4.25%. These results highlight the importance of optimising intermediate layers to maximise the efficiency of organic solar cells.
Time distribution of stimulated transition probabilities
Authors: Pereyra Pedro
Published: May 2024

In recent years, an increasing number of experimental results have been published for a wide variety of systems in which high-precision, ultra-fast, and ultra-short laser pulses techniques have been used to study time-resolved dynamical processes. In the absence of a theoretical prediction of the time distribution of the transition probabilities, the lifetimes τ are generally extracted by fitting the decay time with an exponential, bi-exponential or three-exponential function. In fitting the data, the short-time behavior is generally neglected. The purpose of this study is to show that an explicit formula for the time distribution of the transition probability can be determined rigorously using time-dependent perturbation theory. A formula that perfectly fits an important subset of the experimental results from t = 0 to

t
=
∞

. We show that by following a route different from the usual procedure for deriving transition amplitudes and Einstein coefficients in time-dependent perturbation theory, one ends up with a time-dependent factor, that is, a temporal distribution function of the transition probabilities, and for the Einstein coefficients. The time distribution reported here looks in the time domain similar to the Planck distribution in the frequency domain. In fact, the behavior of the time distribution, with a maximum at

2
τ
ln
⁡
2

, and with τ playing the role of temperature, resembles the behavior of the Planck frequency distribution. We present several examples to demonstrate that the theoretical formula allows for easier fitting of the experimental results reported in the literature. We also show that the time distribution explains the difference in resonance heights between the experimental and theoretical blue laser spectra.
Next-day largest earthquake magnitude forecasting with the aid of Moon tidal force and sunspot data
Authors: Junqueira Saldanha Matheus Henrique , Hirata Yoshito
Published: May 2024

Seismicity is a complex phenomenon with a multitude of components involved. In order to perform forecasting, which has yet to be done sufficiently well, it is paramount to be in possession of information of all these components, and use this information effectively in a prediction model. In the literature, the influence of the Sun and the Moon in seismic activity on Earth has been discussed numerous times. In this paper we contribute to such discussion, giving continuity to a previous work. Most importantly, we instrument four earthquake catalogs from different regions, calculating the Moon tidal force at the region and time of each earthquake, which allows us to analyze the relation between the tidal forces and the earthquake magnitudes. At first, we find that the dynamical system governing Moon motion is unidirectionally coupled with seismic activity, indicating that the position of the Moon drives, to some extent, the earthquake generating process. Furthermore, we present an analysis that demonstrates a clear positive correlation between tidal force and earthquake magnitude. Finally, it is shown that the use of Moon tidal force data and sunspot number data can be used to improve next-day maximum magnitude forecasting, with the highest accuracy being achieved when using both kinds of data. We hope that our results encourage researchers to include data from Moon tidal forces and Sun activity in their earthquake forecasting models.
Incorporating background knowledge in symbolic regression using a computer algebra system
Authors: Fox Charles , Tran Neil D , Nacion F Nikki , Sharlin Samiha , Josephson Tyler R
Published: May 2024

Symbolic regression (SR) can generate interpretable, concise expressions that fit a given dataset, allowing for more human understanding of the structure than black-box approaches. The addition of background knowledge (in the form of symbolic mathematical constraints) allows for the generation of expressions that are meaningful with respect to theory while also being consistent with data. We specifically examine the addition of constraints to traditional genetic algorithm (GA) based SR (PySR) as well as a Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) based Bayesian SR architecture (Bayesian Machine Scientist), and apply these to rediscovering adsorption equations from experimental, historical datasets. We find that, while hard constraints prevent GA and MCMC SR from searching, soft constraints can lead to improved performance both in terms of search effectiveness and model meaningfulness, with computational costs increasing by about an order of magnitude. If the constraints do not correlate well with the dataset or expected models, they can hinder the search of expressions. We find incorporating these constraints in Bayesian SR (as the Bayesian prior) is better than by modifying the fitness function in the GA.
Towards XAI agnostic explainability to assess differential diagnosis for Meningitis diseases
Authors: Messai Aya , Drif Ahlem , Ouyahia Amel , Guechi Meriem , Rais Mounira , Kaderali Lars , Cherifi Hocine
Published: May 2024

Meningitis, characterized by meninges and cerebrospinal fluid inflammation, poses diagnostic challenges due to diverse clinical manifestations. This work introduces an explainable AI automatic medical decision methodology that determines critical features and their relevant values for the differential diagnosis of various meningitis cases. We proceed with knowledge acquisition to define the rules for this research. Currently, we have established the etiological diagnosis of Meningococcaemia, Meningococcal Meningitis, Tuberculous Meningitis, Aseptic Meningitis, Haemophilus influenzae Meningitis, and Pneumococcal Meningitis. The data preprocessing was conducted after collecting data from samples with meningitis diseases at Setif Hospital in Algeria. Tree-based ensemble methods were then applied to assess the model’s performance. Finally, we implement an XAI agnostic explainability approach based on the SHapley Additive exPlanations technique to attribute each feature’s contribution to the model’s output. Experiments were conducted on the collected dataset and the SINAN database, obtained from the Brazilian Government’s Health Information System on Notifiable Diseases, which comprises 6729 patients aged over 18 years. The Extreme Gradient Boosting model was chosen for its superior performance metrics (Accuracy: 0.90, AUROC: 0.94, and F1-score: 0.98). Setif’s hospital data revealed notable performance metrics (Accuracy: 0.7143, F1-Score: 0.7857). This study’s findings showcase each feature’s contribution to the model’s predictions and diagnosis. It also reveals critical biomarker ranges associated with distinct types of Meningitis. Significant diagnostic effect was found for Meningococcal Meningitis with elevated neutrophil levels (

>

40%) and balanced lymphocyte levels (40%–60%). Tuberculous Meningitis demonstrated low neutrophil levels (

<

60%) and elevated lymphocyte levels (

>

60%). H. influenzae meningitis exhibited a predominance of neutrophils (

>

80%), while Aseptic meningitis showed lower neutrophil levels (

<

40%) and lymphocyte levels within the range of 50%–60%. The majority of the AI automatic medical decision results are twinned with validation by our team of infectious disease experts, confirming the alignment of algorithmic diagnoses with clinical practices.
A random active set method for strictly convex quadratic problem with simple bounds
Authors: Gu Ran , Gao Bing
Published: May 2024

The active set method aims at finding the correct active set of the optimal solution and it is a powerful method for solving strictly convex quadratic problems with bound constraints. To guarantee the finite step convergence, existing active set methods all need strict conditions or some additional strategies, which can significantly impact the efficiency of the algorithm. In this paper, we propose a random active set method that introduces randomness in the active set’s update process. We prove that the algorithm can converge in a finite number of iterations with probability one, without any extra conditions on the problem or any supplementary strategies. At last, numerical experiments show that the algorithm can obtain the correct active set within a few iterations, and it has better efficiency and robustness than the existing methods.
Analysis of stochastic probing methods for estimating the trace of functions of sparse symmetric matrices
Authors: Frommer Andreas , Rinelli Michele , Schweitzer Marcel
Published: May 2024

We consider the problem of estimating the trace of a matrix functionf(A)f(A). In certain situations, in particular iff(A)f(A)cannot be well approximated by a low-rank matrix, combining probing methods based on graph colorings with stochastic trace estimation techniques can yield accurate approximations at moderate cost. So far, such methods have not been thoroughly analyzed, though, but were rather used as efficient heuristics by practitioners. In this manuscript, we perform a detailed analysis of stochastic probing methods and, in particular, expose conditions under which the expected approximation error in the stochastic probing method scales more favorably with the dimension of the matrix than the error in non-stochastic probing. Extending results from Aune, Simpson, and Eidsvik [Stat. Comput. 24 (2014), pp. 247–263], we also characterize situations in which using just one stochastic vector is always—not only in expectation—better than the deterministic probing method. Several numerical experiments illustrate our theory and compare with existing methods.
Schinzel-type bounds for the Mahler measure on lemniscates
Authors: Looney Ryan , Pritsker Igor
Published: May 2024

We study the generalized Mahler measure on lemniscates, and prove a sharp lower bound for the measure of totally real integer polynomials that includes the classical result of Schinzel expressed in terms of the golden ratio. Moreover, we completely characterize many cases when this lower bound is attained. For example, we explicitly describe all lemniscates and the corresponding quadratic polynomials that achieve our lower bound for the generalized Mahler measure. It turns out that the extremal polynomials attaining the bound must have even degree. The main computational part of this work is related to finding many extremals of degree four and higher, which is a new feature compared to the original Schinzel’s theorem where only quadratic irreducible extremals are possible.
Almost complex torus manifolds - a problem of Petrie type
Authors: Jang Donghoon
Published: May 2024

The Petrie conjecture asserts that if a homotopy

C
P

n

\mathbb {CP}^n

admits a non-trivial circle action, its Pontryagin class agrees with that of

C
P

n

\mathbb {CP}^n

. Petrie proved this conjecture in the case where the manifold admits a

T
n

T^n

-action. An almost complex torus manifold is a

2
n

2n

-dimensional compact connected almost complex manifold equipped with an effective

T
n

T^n

-action that has fixed points. For an almost complex torus manifold, there exists a graph that encodes information about the weights at the fixed points. We prove that if a

2
n

2n

-dimensional almost complex torus manifold

M
M

only shares the Euler number with the complex projective space

C
P

n

\mathbb {CP}^n

, the graph of

M
M

agrees with the graph of a linear

T
n

T^n

-action on

C
P

n

\mathbb {CP}^n

. Consequently,

M
M

has the same weights at the fixed points, Chern numbers, cobordism class, Hirzebruch

χ
y

\chi _y

-genus, Todd genus, and signature as

C
P

n

\mathbb {CP}^n

, endowed with the standard linear action. Furthermore, if

M
M

is equivariantly formal, the equivariant cohomology and the Chern classes of

M
M

and

C
P

n

\mathbb {CP}^n

also agree.
Kalai’s 3^{𝑑} conjecture for unconditional and locally anti-blocking polytopes
Authors: Sanyal Raman , Winter Martin
Published: May 2024

Kalai’s

3
d

3^d

conjecture states that every centrally-symmetric

d
d

-polytope has at least

3
d

3^d

faces. We give short proofs for two special cases: if 

P
P

is unconditional (that is, invariant w.r.t. reflection in any coordinate hyperplane), and more generally, if

P
P

is locally anti-blocking. In both cases we show that the minimum is attained exactly for the Hanner polytopes.
Non-uniformly continuous nearest point maps
Authors: Medina Rubén , Quilis Andrés
Published: May 2024

We construct a Banach space satisfying that the nearest point map (also called proximity mapping or metric projection) onto any non-singleton compact and convex subset is continuous but not uniformly continuous. The space we construct is locally uniformly convex, which ensures the continuity of all these nearest point maps. Moreover, we prove that every infinite-dimensional separable Banach space is arbitrarily close (in the Banach-Mazur distance) to one satisfying the above conditions.
Generalized Hilbert operators arising from Hausdorff matrices
Authors: Bellavita C. , Chalmoukis N. , Daskalogiannis V. , Stylogiannis G.
Published: May 2024

For a finite, positive Borel measure

μ
\mu

on

(
0
,
1
)

(0,1)

we consider an infinite matrix

Γ
μ

\Gamma _\mu

, related to the classical Hausdorff matrix defined by the same measure

μ
\mu

, in the same algebraic way that the Hilbert matrix is related to the Cesáro matrix. When

μ
\mu

is the Lebesgue measure,

Γ
μ

\Gamma _\mu

reduces to the classical Hilbert matrix. We prove that the matrices

Γ
μ

\Gamma _\mu

are not Hankel, unless

μ
\mu

is a constant multiple of the Lebesgue measure, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for their boundedness on the scale of Hardy spaces

H
p

,

1
≤
p
>
∞

H^p, \, 1 \leq p > \infty

, and we study their compactness and complete continuity properties. In the case

2
≤
p
>
∞

2\leq p>\infty

, we are able to compute the exact value of the norm of the operator.
Equivariant prime ideals for infinite dimensional supergroups
Authors: Laudone Robert , Snowden Andrew
Published: May 2024

Let

A
A

be a commutative algebra equipped with an action of a group

G
G

. The so-called

G
G

-primes of

A
A

are the equivariant analogs of prime ideals, and of central importance in equivariant commutative algebra. When

G
G

is an infinite dimensional group, these ideals can be very subtle: for instance, distinct

G
G

-primes can have the same radical. In previous work, the second author showed that if

G
=

G
L

∞

G=\mathbf {GL}_{\infty }

and

A
A

is a polynomial representation, then these pathologies disappear when

G
G

is replaced with the supergroup

G
L

∞

|

∞

\mathbf {GL}_{\infty |\infty }

and

A
A

with a corresponding algebra; this leads to a geometric description of

G
G

-primes of

A
A

. In the present paper, we construct an abstract framework around this result, and apply the framework to prove analogous results for other (super)groups. We give some applications to the isomeric determinantal ideals (commonly known as “queer determinantal ideals”).
A compact extension of Journé’s 𝑇1 theorem on product spaces
Authors: Cao Mingming , Yabuta Kôzô , Yang Dachun
Published: May 2024

We prove a compact version of the

T
1

T1

theorem for bi-parameter singular integrals. That is, if a bi-parameter singular integral operator

T
T

admits the compact full and partial kernel representations, and satisfies the weak compactness property, the diagonal

C
M
O

CMO

condition, and the product

C
M
O

CMO

condition, then

T
T

can be extended to a compact operator on

L
p

(
w
)

L^p(w)

for all

1
>
p
>
∞

1>p>\infty

and

w
∈

A
p

(

R

n
1

×

R

n
2

)

w \in A_p(\mathbb {R}^{n_1} \times \mathbb {R}^{n_2})

. Even in the unweighted setting, it is the first time to give a compact extension of Journé’s

T
1

T1

theorem on product spaces.
Soap bubbles and convex cones: optimal quantitative rigidity
Authors: Poggesi Giorgio
Published: May 2024

We consider a class of recent rigidity results in a convex cone

Σ
⊆

R

N

\Sigma \subseteq \mathbb {R}^N

. These include overdetermined Serrin-type problems for a mixed boundary value problem relative to

Σ
\Sigma

, Alexandrov’s soap bubble-type results relative to

Σ
\Sigma

, and Heintze-Karcher’s inequality relative to

Σ
\Sigma

. Each rigidity result is obtained here by means of a single integral identity and holds true under weak integral overdeterminations in possibly non-smooth cones. Optimal quantitative stability estimates are obtained in terms of an

L
2

L^2

-pseudodistance. In particular, the optimal stability estimate for Heintze-Karcher’s inequality is new even in the classical case

Σ
=

R

N

\Sigma = \mathbb {R}^N

.

Stability bounds in terms of the Hausdorff distance are also provided.

Several new results are established and exploited, including a new Poincaré-type inequality for vector fields whose normal components vanish on a portion of the boundary and an explicit (possibly weighted) trace theory – relative to the cone

Σ
\Sigma

– for harmonic functions satisfying a homogeneous Neumann condition on the portion of the boundary contained in

∂
Σ

\partial \Sigma

.

We also introduce new notions of uniform interior and exterior sphere conditions relative to the cone

Σ
⊆

R

N

\Sigma \subseteq \mathbb {R}^N

, which allow to obtain (via barrier arguments) uniform lower and upper bounds for the gradient in the mixed boundary value-setting. In the particular case

Σ
=

R

N

\Sigma =\mathbb {R}^N

, these conditions return the classical uniform interior and exterior sphere conditions (together with the associated classical gradient bounds of the Dirichlet setting).
Solving the Kerzman’s problem on the sup-norm estimate for \overline{∂} on product domains
Authors: Li Song-Ying
Published: May 2024

In this paper, the author solves the long term open problem of Kerzman on sup-norm estimate for Cauchy-Riemann equation on polydisc in

n
n

-dimensional complex space. The problem has been open since 1971. He also extends and solves the problem on product domains

Ω
n

\Omega ^n

, where

Ω
\Omega

is any bounded domain in

C

\mathbb {C}

with

C

1
,
α

C^{1,\alpha }

boundary for some

α
>
0

\alpha >0

.
Commensurated hyperbolic subgroups
Authors: Lazarovich Nir , Margolis Alex , Mj Mahan
Published: May 2024

We show that if

H
H

is a non-elementary hyperbolic commensurated subgroup of infinite index in a hyperbolic group

G
G

, then

H
H

is virtually a free product of hyperbolic surface groups and free groups. We prove that whenever a one-ended hyperbolic group

H
H

is a fiber of a non-trivial hyperbolic bundle then

H
H

virtually splits over a 2-ended subgroup.
Microbial Abundances Retrieved from Sequencing data—automated NCBI Taxonomy (MARS): a pipeline to create relative microbial abundance data for the Microbiome Modelling Toolbox and utilizing homosynonyms for efficient mapping to resources
Authors: Hulshof Tim , Nap Bram , Martinelli Filippo , Thiele Ines
Published: May 2024

Motivation

Computational approaches to the functional characterization of the microbiome, such as the Microbiome Modelling Toolbox, require precise information on microbial composition and relative abundances. However, challenges arise from homosynonyms—different names referring to the same taxon, which can hinder the mapping process and lead to missed species mapping when using microbial metabolic reconstruction resources, such as AGORA and APOLLO.

Results

We introduce the integrated MARS pipeline, a user-friendly Python-based solution that addresses these challenges. MARS automates the extraction of relative abundances from metagenomic reads, maps species and genera onto microbial metabolic reconstructions, and accounts for alternative taxonomic names. It normalizes microbial reads, provides an optional cut-off for low-abundance taxa, and produces relative abundance tables apt for integration with the Microbiome Modelling Toolbox. A sub-component of the pipeline automates the task of identifying homosynonyms, leveraging web scraping to find taxonomic IDs of given species, searching NCBI for alternative names, and cross-reference them with microbial reconstruction resources. Taken together, MARS streamlines the entire process from processed metagenomic reads to relative abundance, thereby significantly reducing time and effort when working with microbiome data.

Availability and implementation

MARS is implemented in Python. It can be found as an interactive application here: https://mars-pipeline.streamlit.app/along with a detailed documentation here: https://github.com/ThieleLab/mars-pipeline.
fastCCLasso: a fast and efficient algorithm for estimating correlation matrix from compositional data
Authors: Zhang Shen , Fang Huaying , Hu Tao
Published: May 2024

Motivation

The composition and structure of microbial communities on the body surface are closely related to human health. The interaction relationship among microbes can help us understand the formation of the microecological environment and the biological mechanism by which microorganisms influence host health. With the help of high-throughput sequencing technologies, microbial abundances in a natural environment can be directly measured without the isolation of microorganisms in culture. Sequencing experiments in microbiome studies can measure the relative abundance of microbes, which is called compositional data. Although there are already many methods for correlation analysis for compositional data, the computation time or accuracy still needs to be improved for current microbiome studies.

Results

We develop a fast and efficient algorithm, called fastCCLasso, based on a penalized weighted least squares for inferring the correlation structure of microbes from compositional data in microbiome studies. We perform a large number of numerical experiments and the simulation results show that fastCCLasso outperforms its competitors in edge detection for inferring the correlation network. We also apply fastCCLasso for estimating microbial networks in microbiome studies and fastCCLasso provides a conservative network with comparable false discovery counts that are derived from shuffled data.

Availability and implementation

FastCCLasso is open source and freely available from https://github.com/ShenZhang-Statistics/fastCCLasso under GNU LGPL v3.
Label-free, high-throughput holographic imaging to evaluate mammalian gametes and embryos
Authors: Wheeler Matthew B , Rabel R A Chanaka , Rubessa Marcello , Popescu Gabriel
Published: May 2024

Assisted reproduction is one of the significant tools to treat human infertility. Morphological assessment is the primary method to determine sperm and embryo viability during in vitro fertilization cycles. It has the advantage of being a quick, convenient, and inexpensive means of assessment. However, visual observation is of limited predictive value for early embryo morphology. It has led many to search for other imaging tools to assess the reproductive potential of a given embryo. The limitations of visual assessment apply to both humans and animals.

One recent innovation in assisted reproduction technology imaging is interferometric phase microscopy, also known as holographic microscopy. Interferometric phase microscopy/quantitative phase imaging is the next likely progression of analytical microscopes for the assisted reproduction laboratory. The interferometric phase microscopy system analyzes waves produced by the light as it passes through the specimen observed. The microscope collects the light waves produced and uses the algorithm to create a hologram of the specimen. Recently, interferometric phase microscopy has been combined with quantitative phase imaging, which joins phase contrast microscopy with holographic microscopy. These microscopes collect light waves produced and use the algorithm to create a hologram of the specimen. Unlike other systems, interferometric phase microscopy can provide a quantitative digital image, and it can make 2D and 3D images of the samples.

This review summarizes some newer and more promising quantitative phase imaging microscopy systems for evaluating gametes and embryos. Studies clearly show that quantitative phase imaging is superior to bright field microscopy-based evaluation methods when evaluating sperm and oocytes prior to IVF and embryos prior to transfer. However, further assessment of these systems for efficacy, reproducibility, cost-effectiveness, and embryo/gamete safety must take place before they are widely adopted.
Improved stent sharpness evaluation with super-resolution deep learning reconstruction in coronary CT angiography
Authors: Ryu Jae-Kyun , Kim Ki Hwan , Otgonbaatar Chuluunbaatar , Kim Da Som , Shim Hackjoon , Seo Jung Wook
Published: May 2024

Objectives

This study aimed to assess the impact of super-resolution deep learning reconstruction (SR-DLR) on coronary CT angiography (CCTA) image quality and blooming artifacts from coronary artery stents in comparison to conventional methods, including hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR) and deep learning-based reconstruction (DLR).

Methods

A retrospective analysis included 66 CCTA patients from July to November 2022. Major coronary arteries were evaluated for image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Stent sharpness was quantified using 10%-90% edge rise slope (ERS) and 10%-90% edge rise distance (ERD). Qualitative analysis employed a 5-point scoring system to assess overall image quality, image noise, vessel wall, and stent structure.

Results

SR-DLR demonstrated significantly lower image noise compared to HIR and DLR. SNR and CNR were notably higher in SR-DLR. Stent ERS was significantly improved in SR-DLR, with mean ERD values of 0.70 ± 0.20 mm for SR-DLR, 1.13 ± 0.28 mm for HIR, and 0.85 ± 0.26 mm for DLR. Qualitatively, SR-DLR scored higher in all categories.

Conclusions

SR-DLR produces images with lower image noise, leading to improved overall image quality, compared with HIR and DLR. SR-DLR is a valuable image reconstruction algorithm for enhancing the spatial resolution and sharpness of coronary artery stents without being constrained by hardware limitations.

Advances in knowledge

The overall image quality was significantly higher in SR-DLR, resulting in sharper coronary artery stents compared to HIR and DLR.
Synthetic MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging for differentiating nasopharyngeal lymphoma from nasopharyngeal carcinoma: combination with morphological features
Authors: Zhang Heng , Hu Lin , Qin Fanghui , Chang Jun , Zhong Yanqi , Dou Weiqiang , Hu Shudong , Wang Peng
Published: May 2024

Objectives

To investigate the feasibility of synthetic MRI (syMRI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and their combination with morphological features for differentiating nasopharyngeal lymphoma (NPL) from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods

Sixty-nine patients with nasopharyngeal tumours (NPL, n = 22; NPC, n = 47) who underwent syMRI and DWI were retrospectively enrolled between October 2020 and May 2022. syMRI and DWI quantitative parameters (T1, T2, PD, ADC) and morphological features were obtained. Diagnostic performance was assessed by independent sample t-test, chi-square test, logistic regression analysis, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), and DeLong test.

Results

NPL has significantly lower T2, PD, and ADC values compared to NPC (all P < .05), whereas no significant difference was found in T1 value between these two entities (P > .05). The morphological features of tumour type, skull-base involvement, Waldeyer ring involvement, and lymph nodes involvement region were significantly different between NPL and NPC (all P < .05). The syMRI (T2 + PD) model has better diagnostic efficacy, with AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 0.875, 77.27%, 89.36%, and 85.51%. Compared with syMRI model, syMRI + Morph (PD + Waldeyer ring involvement + lymph nodes involvement region), syMRI + DWI (T2 + PD + ADC), and syMRI + DWI + Morph (PD + ADC + skull-base involvement + Waldeyer ring involvement) models can further improve the diagnostic efficiency (all P < .05). Furthermore, syMRI + DWI + Morph model has excellent diagnostic performance, with AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 0.986, 95.47%, 97.87%, and 97.10%, respectively.

Conclusion

syMRI and DWI quantitative parameters were helpful in discriminating NPL from NPC. syMRI + DWI + Morph model has the excellent diagnostic efficiency in differentiating these two entities.

Advances in knowledge

syMRI + DWI + morphological feature method can differentiate NPL from NPC with excellent diagnostic performance.
Impact of disease, musculoskeletal symptoms and disease control in the CorEvitas Psoriasis Registry
Authors: Grant Carly , Perez-Chada Lourdes M , Harrison Ryan W , McLean Robert R , Dube Blessing , Crabtree Margaux M , Gottlieb Alice B , Merola Joseph F
Published: May 2024

Background

Early identification, diagnosis and symptom control of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients with psoriasis remain unmet medical needs.

Objectives

To compare the impact of disease and other characteristics between patients with psoriasis who screened positive for PsA using the Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (PEST) (screen-positive group) and patients who (i) have PsA (PsA group) or (ii) screened negative for PsA (screen-negative group). Also, to determine the proportion of patients at a patient-acceptable symptom state (PASS) in the screen-positive and PsA groups.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional analysis of the CorEvitas Psoriasis Registry. We included a convenience sample of patients with psoriasis from the screen-positive and PsA groups who completed the Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease-12 (PsAID12), and a comparator screen-negative group who did not complete the PsAID12. We report descriptive summaries of demographics, comorbidities, psoriasis characteristics, patient-reported outcome measures and the proportion of patients at PASS (i.e. PsAID12 ≤ 4).

Results

The screen-positive, PsA and screen-negative groups included 369, 70 and 4724 patients, respectively. The screen-positive and PsA groups had a similar impact of disease, demographics, comorbidities and psoriasis characteristics (d < 0.337). Mean PsAID12 scores were 3.1 (SD 2.3) and 3.7 (SD 2.6) in the screen-positive and PsA groups, respectively. Compared with patients who screened negative for PsA, patients who screened positive exhibited higher rates of selected known predictors of PsA such as older age, longer psoriasis duration, nail disease and inverse psoriasis. The proportion of patients at PASS was 56% and 67% for the PsA and screen-positive groups, respectively.

Conclusions

The similar profiles between screen-positive and PsA groups, in comparison with the screen-negative group, support observations of possible underdiagnosis of PsA and the increased impact of disease, especially musculoskeletal disease, among patients who screen positive for PsA. The high percentage of patients not at an acceptable symptom state in the PsA and screen-positive groups highlights the need to optimize care in PsA.
Disseminated verrucous and keratotic plaques in a young boy
Authors: Malhi Kittu , Singh Sukhdeep , Chatterjee Debajyoti , De Dipankar , Handa Sanjeev , Mahajan Rahul
Published: May 2024

We present a rare case of verrucous discoid lupus erythematosus in a paediatric patient, with a focus on clinical and histopathological features. We discuss the differential diagnoses, including papulonecrotic tuberculid, verrucous psoriasis and pityriasis rubra pilaris, with a focus on histopathological clues for differentiation, and emphasize the pivotal role of histopathological examination and direct immunofluorescence in confirming the diagnosis.
The OptoReg system: a simple and inexpensive solution for regulating water oxygen
Authors: Ern Rasmus , Jutfelt Fredrik
Published: May 2024

This paper describes an optocoupler-based regulation apparatus for saturation manipulation of oxygen in water (OptoReg). This system enables control of solenoid valves for oxygen and nitrogen gases using a FireSting-O2 meter, an optocoupler box and an electronic switch box. The hardware components connect to a computer through Universal Serial Bus (USB) cables. The control software is free and has a graphical user interface, making it easy to use. With the OptoReg system, any lab with a computer running Microsoft Windows operating system and a 4-channel FireSting-O2 meter can easily and cheaply set up four independently controlled systems for regulating water oxygen levels. Here, we describe how to assemble and run the OptoReg system and present a data set demonstrating the high precision and stability of the OptoReg system during static acclimation experiments and dynamic warming trials.
Implications of five different risk models in primary prevention guidelines
Authors: Sud Maneesh , Sivaswamy Atul , Austin Peter C , Abdel-Qadir Husam , Anderson Todd J , Naimark David M J , Lee Douglas S , Roifman Idan , Thanassoulis George , Tu Karen , Wijeysundera Harindra C , Ko Dennis T
Published: May 2024

Background

A lack of consensus exists across guidelines as to which risk model should be used for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Our objective was to determine potential improvements in the number needed to treat (NNT) and number of events prevented (NEP) using different risk models in patients eligible for risk stratification.

Methods and results

A retrospective observational cohort was assembled from primary care patients in Ontario, Canada, between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2014 and followed for up to 5 years. Risk estimation was undertaken in patients 40–75 years of age, without CVD, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease using the Framingham Risk Score (FRS), the Pooled Cohort Equations (PCEs), a recalibrated FRS (R-FRS), the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation 2 (SCORE2), and the low-risk region recalibrated SCORE2 (LR-SCORE2). The cohort consisted of 47 399 patients (59% women, mean age 54 years). The NNT with statins was lowest for the SCORE2 at 40, followed by the LR-SCORE2 at 41, the R-FRS at 43, the PCEs at 55, and the FRS at 65. Models that selected for individuals with a lower NNT recommended statins to fewer, but higher-risk patients. For instance, the SCORE2 recommended statins to 7.9% of patients (5-year CVD incidence 5.92%). The FRS, however, recommended statins to 34.6% of patients (5-year CVD incidence 4.01%). Accordingly, the NEP was highest for the FRS at 406 and lowest for the SCORE2 at 156.

Conclusions

Newer models such as the SCORE2 may improve statin allocation to higher-risk groups with a lower NNT but prevent fewer events at the population level.
First-time surgical aortic valve replacement: nationwide trends and outcomes from The Netherlands Heart Registration
Authors: Daeter Edgar J , de Beaufort Hector W L , Roefs Maaike M , van Boven Wim Jan P , van Veghel Dennis , van der Kaaij Niels P ,   Cardiothoracic Surgery Registration Committee of the Netherlands Heart Registration, Bramer S , van Boven W J P , Vonk A B A , Koene B M J A , Bekkers J A , Hoohenkerk G J F , Markou A L P , de Weger A , Segers P , Porta F , Speekenbrink R G H , Stooker W , Li W W L , Daeter E J , van der Kaaij N P , Douglas Y L
Published: May 2024

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to describe trends and outcomes for patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in the Netherlands.

METHODS

The Netherlands Heart Registration database was used to report the number and outcomes of isolated, primary SAVR procedures performed from 2007 to 2018 in adult patients.

RESULTS

A total of 17 142 procedures were included, of which 77.9% were performed using a biological prosthesis and 21.0% with a mechanical prosthesis. Median logistic EuroSCORE I decreased from 4.6 [interquartile range (IQR) 2.4–7.7] to 4.0 (IQR 2.6–6.0). The 120-day mortality decreased from 3.3% in 2007 to 0.7% in 2018. The median duration of follow-up was 76 months (IQR 53–111). Ten-year survival, when adjusted for age, EuroSCORE I and body surface area, was 72.4%, and adjusted 10-year freedom from reinvervention was 98.1%. Additional analysis for patients under the age of 60 showed no difference between patients treated with a biological or mechanical prosthesis in adjusted 10-year survival, 89.7% vs 91.9±%, respectively (P = 0.25), but a significant difference in adjusted 10-year freedom from reintervention, 90.0±% vs 95.9%, respectively (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Between 2007 and 2018, age and risk profile of patients undergoing SAVR decreased, especially for patients treated with a biological prosthesis. The 120-day mortality decreased over time. Patients undergoing SAVR nowadays have a risk of 120-day mortality of <1% and 10-year freedom from valve-related reintervention of >95%.
Multicentre experience of antegrade thoracic endovascular aortic repair for the treatment of thoracic aortic diseases
Authors: Gibello Lorenzo , Antonello Michele , Civilini Efrem , Pellenc Quentin , Bellosta Raffaello , Carbonari Luciano , Bonardelli Stefano , Freyrie Antonio , Riambau Vincent , Varetto Gianfranco , Verzini Fabio
Published: May 2024

OBJECTIVES

The goal of this multicentre retrospective cohort study was to evaluate technical success and early and late outcomes of thoracic endovascular repair (TEVAR) with grafts deployed upside down through antegrade access, to treat thoracic aortic diseases.

METHODS

Antegrade TEVAR operations performed between January 2010 and December 2021 were collected and analysed. Both elective and urgent procedures were included. Exclusion criteria were endografts deployed in previous or concomitant surgical or endovascular repairs.

RESULTS

Fourteen patients were enrolled; 13 were males (94%) with a mean age of 71 years (interquartile range 62; 78). Five patients underwent urgent procedures (2 ruptured aortas and 3 symptomatic patients). Indications for treatment were 8 (57%) aneurysms/pseudoaneurysms, 3 (21%) dissections and 3 (21%) penetrating aortic ulcers. Technical success was achieved in all procedures. Early mortality occurred in 4 (28%) cases, all urgent procedures. Median follow-up was 13 months (interquartile range 1; 44). Late deaths occurred in 2 (20%) patients, both operated on in elective settings. The first died at 19 months of aortic-related reintervention; the second died at 34 months of a non-aortic-related cause. Two patients (14%) underwent aortic-related reinterventions for late type I endoleak. The survival rate of those having the elective procedures was 100%, 84% and 67% at 12, 24 and 36 months, respectively. Freedom from reintervention was 92%, 56% and 56% at 12, 24 and 36 months, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Antegrade TEVAR can seldom be considered an alternative when traditional retrograde approach is not feasible. Despite good technical success and few access-site complications, this study demonstrates high rates of late type I endoleak and aortic-related reinterventions.
Identification of three mechanistic pathways for iron-deficient heart failure
Authors: Packer Milton , Anker Stefan D , Butler Javed , Cleland John G F , Kalra Paul R , Mentz Robert J , Ponikowski Piotr
Published: May 2024

Current understanding of iron-deficient heart failure is based on blood tests that are thought to reflect systemic iron stores, but the available evidence suggests greater complexity. The entry and egress of circulating iron is controlled by erythroblasts, which (in severe iron deficiency) will sacrifice erythropoiesis to supply iron to other organs, e.g. the heart. Marked hypoferraemia (typically with anaemia) can drive the depletion of cardiomyocyte iron, impairing contractile performance and explaining why a transferrin saturation < ≈15%–16% predicts the ability of intravenous iron to reduce the risk of major heart failure events in long-term trials (Type 1 iron-deficient heart failure). However, heart failure may be accompanied by intracellular iron depletion within skeletal muscle and cardiomyocytes, which is disproportionate to the findings of systemic iron biomarkers. Inflammation- and deconditioning-mediated skeletal muscle dysfunction—a primary cause of dyspnoea and exercise intolerance in patients with heart failure—is accompanied by intracellular skeletal myocyte iron depletion, which can be exacerbated by even mild hypoferraemia, explaining why symptoms and functional capacity improve following intravenous iron, regardless of baseline haemoglobin or changes in haemoglobin (Type 2 iron-deficient heart failure). Additionally, patients with advanced heart failure show myocardial iron depletion due to both diminished entry into and enhanced egress of iron from the myocardium; the changes in iron proteins in the cardiomyocytes of these patients are opposite to those expected from systemic iron deficiency. Nevertheless, iron supplementation can prevent ventricular remodelling and cardiomyopathy produced by experimental injury in the absence of systemic iron deficiency (Type 3 iron-deficient heart failure). These observations, taken collectively, support the possibility of three different mechanistic pathways for the development of iron-deficient heart failure: one that is driven through systemic iron depletion and impaired erythropoiesis and two that are characterized by disproportionate depletion of intracellular iron in skeletal and cardiac muscle. These mechanisms are not mutually exclusive, and all pathways may be operative at the same time or may occur sequentially in the same patients.
Sex chromosome turnover in hybridizing stickleback lineages
Authors: Yi Xueling , Wang Dandan , Reid Kerry , Feng Xueyun , Löytynoja Ari , Merilä Juha
Published: May 2024

Recent discoveries of sex chromosome diversity across the tree of life have challenged the canonical model of conserved sex chromosome evolution and evoked new theories on labile sex chromosomes that maintain less differentiation and undergo frequent turnover. However, theories of labile sex chromosome evolution lack direct empirical support due to the paucity of case studies demonstrating ongoing sex chromosome turnover in nature. Two divergent lineages (viz. WL & EL) of nine-spined sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius) with different sex chromosomes (linkage group [LG] 12 in the EL, unknown in the WL) hybridize in a natural secondary contact zone in the Baltic Sea, providing an opportunity to study ongoing turnover between coexisting sex chromosomes. In this study, we first identify an 80 kbp genomic region on LG3 as the sex-determining region (SDR) using whole-genome resequencing data of family crosses of a WL population. We then verify this region as the SDR in most other WL populations and demonstrate a potentially ongoing sex chromosome turnover in admixed marine populations where the evolutionarily younger and homomorphic LG3 sex chromosome replaces the older and heteromorphic LG12 sex chromosome. The results provide a rare glimpse of sex chromosome turnover in the wild and indicate the possible existence of additional yet undiscovered sex chromosome diversity in Pungitius sticklebacks.
The strength of gut microbiota transfer along social networks and genealogical lineages in the house mouse
Authors: Bendová Barbora , Bímová Barbora Vošlajerová , Čížková Dagmar , Daniszová Kristina , Ďureje Ľudovít , Hiadlovská Zuzana , Macholán Miloš , Piálek Jaroslav , Schmiedová Lucie , Kreisinger Jakub
Published: May 2024

The gut microbiota of vertebrates is acquired from the environment and other individuals, including parents and unrelated conspecifics. In the laboratory mouse, a key animal model, inter-individual interactions are severely limited and its gut microbiota is abnormal. Surprisingly, our understanding of how inter-individual transmission impacts house mouse gut microbiota is solely derived from laboratory experiments. We investigated the effects of inter-individual transmission on gut microbiota in two subspecies of house mice (Mus musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus) raised in a semi-natural environment without social or mating restrictions. We assessed the correlation between microbiota composition (16S rRNA profiles), social contact intensity (microtransponder-based social networks), and mouse relatedness (microsatellite-based pedigrees). Inter-individual transmission had a greater impact on the lower gut (colon and cecum) than on the small intestine (ileum). In the lower gut, relatedness and social contact independently influenced microbiota similarity. Despite female-biased parental care, both parents exerted a similar influence on their offspring’s microbiota, diminishing with the offspring’s age in adulthood. Inter-individual transmission was more pronounced in M. m. domesticus, a subspecies, with a social and reproductive network divided into more closed modules. This suggests that the transmission magnitude depends on the social and genetic structure of the studied population.