bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An open-label, phase IV randomised controlled trial of two schedules of a four-component meningococcal B vaccine in UK preterm infants
Authors: Calvert Anna , Andrews Nick , Barlow Sheula , Borrow Ray , Black Charlotte , Bromage Barbara , Carr Jeremy , Clarke Paul , Collinson Andrew C , Few Karen , Hayward Naomi , Jones Christine E , Le Doare Kirsty , Ladhani Shamez N , Louth Jennifer , Papadopoulou Georgia , Pople Michelle , Scorrer Tim , Snape Matthew D , Heath Paul T
Published: July 2024

Objective

To compare immunological responses of preterm infants to a four-component meningococcal B vaccine (4CMenB; Bexsero) following a 2+1 vs a 3+1 schedule, and to describe reactogenicity of routine vaccines.

Design

An open-label, phase IV randomised study conducted across six UK sites.

Setting

Neonatal units, postnatal wards, community recruitment following discharge.

Participants

129 preterm infants born at a gestation of <35 weeks (64 in group 1 (2+1), 65 in group 2 (3+1)) were included in the analysis. Analysis was completed for postprimary samples from 125 participants (59 in group 1, 66 in group 2) and for postbooster samples from 118 participants (59 in both groups).

Interventions

Infants randomised to 4CMenB according to a 2+1 or a 3+1 schedule, alongside routine vaccines.

Main outcome measures

Serum bactericidal antibody (SBA) assays performed at 5, 12 and 13 months of age: geometric mean titres (GMTs) and proportions of infants achieving titres ≥4 compared between groups.

Results

There were no significant differences in SBA GMTs between infants receiving a 2+1 compared with a 3+1 schedule following primary or booster vaccination, but a significantly higher proportion of infants had an SBA titre ≥4 against strain NZ98/254 (porin A) at 1 month after primary vaccination using a 3+1 compared with a 2+1 schedule (3+1: 87% (95% CI 76 to 94%), 2+1: 70% (95% CI 56 to 81%), p=0.03).

At 12 weeks of age those in the 3+1 group, who received a dose of 4CMenB, had significantly more episodes of fever >38.0°C than those in the 2+1 group who did not (group 2+1: 2% (n=1); 3+1: 14% (n=9); p=0.02).

Conclusions

Both schedules were immunogenic in preterm infants, although a lower response against strain NZ98/254 was seen in the 2+1 schedule; ongoing disease surveillance is important in understanding the clinical significance of this difference.

Trial registration number

NCT03125616.
Cephalopagus twins diagnosed at 7 weeks gestational age following IVF/ICSI
Authors: Boedeker David , Brolinson Marja , Mehlhaff Krista , Hill Micah , Spitzer Trimble
Published: July 2024

A patient in her 30s who was a G0 proceeded with in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for a history of male factor infertility. Following single embryo transfer, the patient was diagnosed with a conjoined twin pregnancy. During her IVF cycle, the patient was stimulated with an antagonist protocol for 13 days followed by a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist trigger. 13 eggs were retrieved, 9 were mature and 5 fertilised with intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Of those, two were cryopreserved. She had a successful frozen blastocyst embryo transfer. The patient’s 7-week ultrasound demonstrated a single gestational sac, yolk sac and fetal pole. However, the crown-rump length appeared visually abnormal and two heartbeats were visualised. She was referred to maternal–fetal medicine (MFM) for a first-trimester ultrasound. Her ultrasound with MFM was notable for a fluid-filled chest, foreshortened limbs and early sacral agenesis. She was subsequently diagnosed with cephalopagus twins and underwent an induced abortion following consultation with MFM.
Three-dimensional modelling and printing in anterior chest wall reconstruction and stabilisation
Authors: Romsom Jesse , van Huijstee Pieter Jan Willem Hendrik
Published: July 2024

Anterior chest wall instability as a result of sternocostal non-union is a rare complication but can give rise to invalidating pain and cardiac arrhythmias. A woman in her 40s was referred to us with anterior chest wall pain and instability after a modified Ravitch procedure. Sternocostal pseudoarthrosis was seen for which multiple operations were performed which were complicated by low-grade infections. A patient-specific three-dimensional modelled and printed prostheses was used in an operation to both lift the sternum for pectus correction and to reconnect the sternum and the sternal costal junction to regain anterior chest wall stability.
Socioeconomic disparity in the natural history of cutaneous melanoma: evidence from two large prospective cohorts
Authors: Yang Songchun , Xiao Yi , Jing Danrong , Liu Hong , Su Juan , Shen Minxue , Chen Xiang
Published: July 2024

Background

Previous studies on the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) failed to distinguish the effects of different SES factors under an individual-data-based prospective study design.

Methods

Based on UK Biobank (UKB) and China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB), we estimated the effects of four SES factors on transitions from baseline to CMM in situ, subsequently to invasive CMM and further CMM mortality by applying multistate models. We further explored to which extent the associations between SES and CMM incidence could be explained by potential mediators including sun exposure, lifestyle and ageing in UKB.

Results

In multistate analyses, good household income was independently associated with an increased risk of CMM in situ (HR=1.38, 95% CI: 1.21 to 1.58) and invasive CMM (HR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.22 to 1.48) in UKB. These findings were partly validated in CKB. Especially in UKB, we observed an increased risk of CMM in situ and invasive CMM among participants with good type of house; only good education was independently associated with lower risk of evolving to invasive CMM among patients with CMM in situ (HR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.92); only good household income was independently associated with lower risk of CMM mortality among patients with CMM (HR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.95). In mediation analysis, the proportions attributable to the mediating effect were <6% for all selected variables, including self-reported sun exposure-related factors.

Conclusion

SES factors have different effects on the incidence and progression of CMM. The association between SES and incident CMM is neither causal nor well explained by selected mediators.
Development and internal validation of a clinical risk score to predict incident renal and pulmonary tumours in people with tuberous sclerosis complex
Authors: Loubert Frédéric , House Andrew A , Larochelle Catherine , Major Philippe , Keezer Mark R
Published: July 2024

Objective

This study aims to develop and internally validate a clinical risk score to predict incident renal angiomyolipoma (AML) and pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) in people with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

Study design

Data from 2420 participants in the TSC Alliance Natural History Database were leveraged for these analyses. Logistic regression was used to predict AML and LAM development using 10 early-onset clinical manifestations of TSC as potential predictors, in addition to sex and genetic mutation. For our models, we divided AML into three separate outcomes: presence or absence of AML, unilateral or bilateral and whether any are ≥3 cm in diameter. The resulting regression models were turned into clinical risk scores which were then internally validated using bootstrap resampling, measuring discrimination and calibration.

Results

The lowest clinical risk scores predicted a risk of AML and LAM of 1% and 0%, while the highest scores predicted a risk of 99% and 73%, respectively. Calibration was excellent for all three AML outcomes and good for LAM. Discrimination ranged from good to strong. C-statistics of 0.84, 0.83, 0.83 and 0.92 were seen for AML, bilateral AML, AML with a lesion≥3 cm and LAM, respectively.

Conclusion

Our work is an important step towards identifying individuals who could benefit from preventative strategies as well as more versus less frequent screening imaging. We expect that our work will allow for more personalised medicine in people with TSC. External validation of the risk scores will be important to confirm the robustness of our findings.
Effects of interval training in cardiovascular disease populations: a clinical perspective
Authors: Reed Jennifer L. , Way Kimberley L. , O'Neill Carley D. , Marçal Isabela R. , Terada Tasuku
Published: July 2024

Nearly 20 years have elapsed since the first clinical trial investigated the impact of interval training on patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). This clinical corner discusses the health outcomes of systematic reviews and meta-analyses and appropriately powered randomized clinical trials which have tested these interval training programs across various CVDs (i.e., coronary artery disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, peripheral arterial disease, and cardiac implantable electronic devices). The publications included in this clinical corner have shown that interval training leads to similar or superior improvements in peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak), functional capacity, pain free walking, quality of life, anxiety, depression, and endothelial function, but the magnitude of improvements across varying protocols (e.g., length and number of work periods, intensities of work periods, duration of exercise sessions, frequency of exercise sessions, and duration of program) and optimal dosage for males and females are unclear across CVD conditions. The heterogeneity in protocols, physical and mental health outcome measures, and lack of sex- and gender-based analyses calls for more high-quality research in this area.
Animal and farm factors affecting the fatty acid profile and amyloid a concentration of milk on Quebec dairy farms
Authors: Mowete S.Y. , Santschi D. , Kwiatkowski K. , Azevedo P.A. , De Neve N. , Fievez V. , Plaizier J.C.
Published: July 2024

Relationships between farm and animal factors and the fatty acid (FA) profile and milk amyloid A (MAA) content of milk were determined in 336 Holstein dairy cows on 24 Quebec farms using multiple regression. Cows with a somatic cell count (SCC) >200 000, and farms feeding palm oil were excluded. Independent factors of the regression models included days in milk (DIM), parity, yield, fat and protein contents of milk, SCC, and the dietary contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and crude fat (CFAT). Nonsignificant variables with P > 0.25 were stepwise removed. Models with high fits were those of total short-chain FA, medium-chain FA, odd- and branched-chain FA (OBCFA), and saturated long-chain FA with R2 of 0.33, 0.36, 0.34, and 0.41, respectively. The fat and protein contents and yield of milk did not affect the milk FA profile. Higher NDF increased the milk fat proportions of short-chain FA and OBCFA and decreased those of monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated FA (PUFA). Higher CFAT reduced this proportion of short-chain FA but increased those of MUFA and PUFA. Increasing DIM reduced this proportion of short-chain FA and increased that of medium-chain FA. Higher SCC increased MAA.
The Holocene to modern Fraser River Delta, Canada: geological history, processes, deposits, natural hazards, and coastal management
Authors: La Croix Andrew D. , Dashtgard Shahin E. , Hill Philip R. , Ayranci Korhan , Clague John J.
Published: July 2024

The Fraser River Delta (FRD) is a large sedimentary system and home to Metro Vancouver, situated within the unceded territories of several First Nations. This review provides an overview of the geological evolution of the FRD, connecting hydrodynamic processes with sedimentary deposits across its diverse environments, from the river to the delta slope. The study emphasizes the implications of sedimentation and delta evolution for natural hazards and coastal/delta management, pinpointing knowledge gaps. Comprising four main zones—river, delta plain, tidal flats, and delta slope—the FRD is subject to several natural hazards, including subsidence, flooding, earthquakes, liquefaction, and tsunamis. The delta plain, bordering the Fraser River's distributary channels, hosts tidal marshes and flats, including both active and abandoned areas. Active tidal flats like Roberts Bank and Sturgeon Bank receive sediment directly from the Fraser River, while abandoned tidal flats, like those at Boundary Bay and Mud Bay, no longer receive sediment. The tidal flats transition into the delta slope, characterized by sand in the south and mud in the north of the Main Channel. The FRD's susceptibility to hazards necessitates protective measures, with approximately 250 km of dykes shielding the delta plain from river floods and storm surges. Subsidence amplifies the impact of rising sea levels. Earthquakes in the region can induce tsunamis, submarine slope failures, and liquefaction of delta sediments, emphasizing the importance of incorporating sedimentation patterns and delta evolution into management strategies for sustainable urban development, habitat restoration, and coastal defence initiatives.
Job Flow Patterns and Productivity Dynamics in Turkish Manufacturing
Authors: Dogan Ergun , Islam M. Qamarul , Yazici Mehmet
Published: July 2024

In this paper, we analyze the job creation and destruction process, and the productivity dynamics in Turkish manufacturing by size, export status, import status and ownership by using a comprehensive firm-level dataset for the period of 2010–2015. Our focus is on the effect of turnover, which is due to the entry and exit of firms, on both job flows and industrial productivity growth. Our results show that while small firms contribute most to job creation, it is the large firms that contribute most to productivity growth. Regarding ownership, domestic private firms perform better than foreign firms in both job creation and productivity growth. With respect to export status, even though non-exporters outperform exporters in job creation, exporters dominate the productivity growth. As for import status, in job creation, like in the case of export status, non-importers do better but in productivity growth, unlike in the export status, no group of firms dominate, more specifically importers’ and non-importers’ contributions are close to each other. Another interesting finding is that, turnover effect on industry productivity is positive but very low. The role of incumbent firms in generating productivity growth is much higher than that of entering and exiting firms.
Virtual Reality Audio Game for Entertainment and Sound Localization Training
Authors: Gilberto Lucas G. , Bermejo Fernando Raúl , Tommasini Fabián C. , García Bauza Cristian
Published: July 2024

Within the gaming and electronics industry, there is a continuous evolution of alternative applications. Nevertheless, accessibility to video games remains a persistent hurdle for individuals with disabilities, especially those with visual impairments due to the inherent visual-oriented design of games. Audio games (AGs) are electronic games that rely primarily on auditory cues instead of visual interfaces. This study focuses on the creation of a virtual reality AG for cell phones that integrates natural head and torso movements involved in spatial hearing. Its assessment encompasses user experience, interface usability, and sound localization performance. The study engaged eighteen sighted participants in a pre-post test with a control group. The experimental group underwent 7 training sessions with the AG. Via interviews, facets of the gaming experience were explored, while horizontal plane sound source localization was also tested before and after the training. The results enabled the characterization of sensations related to the use of the game and the interaction with the interfaces. Sound localization tests demonstrated distinct enhancements in performance among trained participants, varying with assessed stimuli. These promising results show advances for future virtual AGs, presenting prospects for auditory training. These innovations hold potential for skill development, entertainment, and the integration of visually impaired individuals.
SURE: A Visualized Failure Indexing Approach Using Program Memory Spectrum
Authors: Song Yi , Zhang Xihao , Xie Xiaoyuan , Chen Songqiang , Liu Quanming , Gao Ruizhi
Published: July 2024

Failure indexing is a longstanding crux in software debugging, the goal of which is to automatically divide failures (e.g., failed test cases) into distinct groups according to the culprit root causes, as such multiple faults residing in a faulty program can be handled independently and simultaneously. The community of failure indexing has long been plagued by two challenges: (1) The effectiveness of division is still far from promising. Specifically, existing failure indexing techniques only employ a limited source of software runtime data, for example, code coverage, to be failure proximity and further divide them, which typically delivers unsatisfactory results. (2) The outcome can be hardly comprehensible. Specifically, a developer who receives the division result is just aware of how all failures are divided, without knowing why they should be divided the way they are. This leads to difficulties for developers to be convinced by the division result, which in turn affects the adoption of the results. To tackle these two problems, in this article, we propose
SURE
, a vi
SU
alized failu
R
e ind
E
xing approach using the program memory spectrum (PMS). We first collect the runtime memory information (i.e., variables’ names and values, as well as the depth of the stack frame) at several preset breakpoints during the execution of a failed test case, and transform the gathered memory information into a human-friendly image (called PMS). Then, any pair of PMS images that serve as proxies for two failures is fed to a trained Siamese convolutional neural network, to predict the likelihood of them being triggered by the same fault. Last, a clustering algorithm is adopted to divide all failures based on the mentioned likelihood. In the experiments, we use 30% of the simulated faults to train the neural network, and use 70% of the simulated faults as well as real-world faults to test. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of SURE: It achieves 101.20% and 41.38% improvements in faults number estimation, as well as 105.20% and 35.53% improvements in clustering, compared with the state-of-the-art technique in this field, in simulated and real-world environments, respectively. Moreover, we carry out a human study to quantitatively evaluate the comprehensibility of PMS, revealing that this novel type of representation can help developers better comprehend failure indexing results.
Shortening Overlong Method Names with Abbreviations
Authors: Jiang Yanjie , Liu Hui , Cheung Shing Chi , Zhang Lu
Published: July 2024

Methods should be named to summarize their responsibilities meaningfully. When a method has a non-trivial responsibility, it may require a naming using multiple words. However, overlong method names are susceptible to typos and reduced readability (e.g., displaying a statement partially in standard screen width or splitting it into multiple lines). Programming naming conventions commonly adopt a maximal length (in characters) for identifiers. In practice, developers may not necessarily find a meaningful name that follows such naming conventions when coding a non-trivial method. This article presents the first automated technique (called
NameCompressor
) to shorten overlong method names. Our inspiration is that many lengthy words/phrases in an overlong method name have known and unambiguous abbreviations. The use of these abbreviations for method names is common. To shorten an overlong method name,
NameCompressor
employs three compression techniques, i.e., context-aware compression, probability-based compression, and machine learning-based compression, to find appropriate abbreviations for the words/phrases in the method name. We evaluate
NameCompressor
on a dataset of 700 overlong method names. It correctly generates 613 short names identical to those specified by the developers of these methods.
Genetic Cache: A Machine Learning Approach to Designing DRAM Cache Controllers in HBM Systems
Authors: Amouzegar Morteza , Rezaalipour Morteza , Dehyadegari Masoud
Published: July 2024

DRAM memory controller plays a critical role in maximizing the performance of high bandwidth memory by efficiently managing data transfers between the CPU and the memory modules. Thus, they are suitable for low-power data-intensive applications. However, the complexity of DRAM command scheduling combined with tag management overheads in the cache makes the design of in-package cache controllers significantly challenging. Traditional memory controllers often face challenges with static, inflexible access scheduling designed for general applications, leading to suboptimal performance in dynamic environments. On the other hand, while some advanced controllers employing reinforcement learning offer adaptability to workload fluctuations, they tend to introduce hardware complexity and incur longer training latencies. Our approach aims to design low-power and efficient DRAM cache controllers using a machine learning model that dynamically adjusts to workload changes with optimized hardware efficiency and reduced training time. Therefore, we propose a machine learning approach to design low-power and efficient DRAM cache controllers that will leverage the trained model to produce optimal cache command schedules at runtime. The model considers several conditions for each request queue and chooses the best response among the options. The simulation results show the superiority of our proposed design over the previous algorithms in a set of twelve data-intensive applications; our model is able to improve the performance by up to 40% in some cases and an average of 15% in performance and 10% in power consumption.
False Alarm: XMRV, Cancer, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Authors: Coffin John M. , Kearney Mary F.
Published: July 2024

Xenotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV)-related virus (XMRV) was first described in 2006 in some human prostate cancers. But it drew little attention until 2009, when it was also found, as infectious virus and as MLV-related DNA, in samples from people suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This discovery was rapidly followed by efforts of the international research community to understand the significance of the association and its potential to spread widely as an important human pathogen. Within a few years, efforts by researchers worldwide failed to repeat these findings, and mounting evidence for laboratory contamination with mouse-derived virus and viral DNA sequences became accepted as the explanation for the initial findings. As researchers engaged in these studies, we present here a historical review of the rise and fall of XMRV as a human pathogen, and we discuss the lessons learned from these events.
Morphological Evolution and Dealloying During Corrosion of Ni20Cr (wt.%) in Molten FLiNaK Salts
Authors: Chan Ho Lun , Romanovskaia Elena , Mills Sean H. , Hong Minsung , Romanovski Valentin , Bieberdorf Nathan , Peddeti Chaitanya , Minor Andrew M. , Hosemann Peter , Asta Mark , Scully John R.
Published: July 2024

The dealloying corrosion behavior of the FCC Ni20Cr (wt%) in molten LiF-NaF-KF (FLiNaK) salts at 600 °C under varying applied potentials was investigated. Using in-operando electrochemical techniques and a multi-modal suite of characterization methods, we connect electrochemical potential, thermodynamic stability, and electro-dissolution kinetics to the corrosion morphologies. Notably, under certain potential regimes, a micron-scale bicontinuous structure, characterized by a network of interconnected pores and ligaments riched with the composition of the more noble (MN) element, becomes prominent. At other potentials both MN and less noble (LN) elements dealloy but at different rates. The dealloying process consists of lattice and grain boundary diffusion of Cr to the metal/salt interface, interphase Cr oxidation, accompanied by surface diffusion of Ni to form interconnected ligaments. At higher potentials, the bicontinuous porous structure undergoes further surface coarsening. Concurrently, Cr(II), Cr(III), and Ni(II) begin to dissolve, with the dissolution of Ni occurring at a significantly slower rate. When solid-state transport of Cr is exceeded by the interfacial rates, dealloying depths are limited.
The Effect of Heat Stress on Energy Metabolism, Immune Function, and Oxidative Stress of Juvenile Greater Amberjack Seriola dumerili
Authors: Hao Ruijuan , Li Haiping , Tian Yali , Ru Xiaoying , Deng Qiuxia , Zhu Kunfeng , Yang Tonglin , Huang Yang , Zhu Chunhua
Published: July 2024

In an era of striking climate change, increased marine temperature severely affects aquatic animals and cause significant ecological and socioeconomic impacts. At present, there is little information about the effects of heat stress on the physiology of greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili). This study explores the mechanisms whereby juvenile greater amberjacks cope with heat stress. An increase in water temperature (25 to 28°C and 31°C) changed the activity levels of enzymes responsible for antioxidant defense, immune function, and energy metabolism. When water temperatures increased from 25 to 28°C and 31°C, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glucose (GLU) in the greater amberjacks increased, suggesting that the fish suffered oxidative stress. During the early stage of heat stress, the levels of triglycerides (TG) and glutathione (GSH) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), acid phosphatase (ACP), lysozyme (LYZ), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) increased significantly suggesting that juvenile greater amberjacks adapt to heat stress by enhancing their antioxidant defense, energy metabolism, and immune defense. However, long‐term exposure to heat stress decreased the levels of TG and GSH; decreased the activities of SOD, CAT, ALP, ACP, LYZ, and AST; and increased the levels of MDA and GLU, suggesting that the energy metabolism and immune function of juvenile greater amberjack S. dumerilis are suppressed by oxidative damage. This study provides insights into the physiological adaptation of juvenile greater amberjacks to heat stress.
Analysis of Switched Inductor‐Based High Gain SEPIC for Microgrid Systems
Authors: K. Jayanthi , Senthil Kumar N. , J. Gnanavadivel , Stonier Albert Alexander , Peter Geno , Arun Vijayakumar , Ganji Vivekananda
Published: July 2024

DC microgrids are getting more attention because majority of the renewable energy sources generate DC output voltage and also modern gadgets require DC voltage for its operation. In this work, high gain SEPIC (HGSC) topology is derived from switched inductor voltage boosting cell (SIVBC). The HGSC converter provides continuous source current due to SIVBC and high conversion ratio and achieves maximum efficiency of 97.88% when compared with the existing SEPIC topology. The operating modes, conversion ratio expression, power loss distribution, voltage drop, current stress of the semiconductor devices, and efficiency are also analysed. In DC microgrids, the HGSC intends to track the peak power from solar PV array. An incremental conductance algorithm is employed to track the peak power of the solar PV modules. The power flow in the microgrid system is analysed by employing synchronous reference frame theory‐based current controller. In order to validate the theoretical concepts of the HGSC converter, the hardware model is developed for the load rating of 1,000 W/380 V output voltage.
Proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia: A Diagnostic Challenge in a Clinical and Histopathological Context—With Reflections on the Health Reality in Brazil
Authors: Di Benedetto Michele , de Figueiredo Meira Gabriela , da Rocha Milena Martins , Biancardi Mariel Ruivo , Barbosa Jéssica Barroso , Câmara Jeconias , de Oliveira Paiva Neto Gerson , de Menezes Martinho Roberto Luiz , Rubira Cássia Maria Fischer , de Carvalho Sales Peres Silvia Helena
Published: July 2024

Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) is an aggressive and distinct oral disorder with a high potential for malignant transformation (MT). It presents as multifocal lesions that progress over time and frequently recur, often developing carcinomas. Accurately diagnosing PVL is crucial to distinguish it from other oral mucosa lesions that have a lower risk of cancer progression. However, due to the diverse histological features observed in PVL, identifying clinical criteria and histological patterns that can be applied by unfamiliar professionals is challenging. In this study, we present a case of PVL associated with dysplasia in a 53‐year‐old female patient. The patient exhibited macular and leukoplakic nonscrapable lesions disseminated throughout the oral cavity, with continuous growth. The diagnosis of PVL was established during an 18‐month follow‐up. This case highlights the difficulties faced by both clinicians and pathologists in diagnosing PVL, emphasizing the need for careful evaluation and accurate diagnosis, particularly in patients with unusual oral lesions, and highlighting the discrepancies observed in the application of available protocols to our particular case. Distinguishing PVL from similar conditions can be challenging due to overlapping clinical signs and indistinct histopathological features.
Impact Angle Constraint Guidance Against Active Defense Target Based on Partial Differential Games
Authors: Xu Biao , Xu Jialuo , Li Shuang , Zhang Jinpeng
Published: July 2024

For intercepting active defense target, an impact angle constraint guidance law is proposed based on partial differential games. First, the relative motion models of three‐player games between interceptor, target, and defense missile are established. The problem of intercepting active defense target is separated into two partial games. Then, two partial coupled game guidance laws are obtained, respectively. Impact angle constraint is taken into account in the game between attacker and defender (D). Finally, a combined guidance law is calculated by the two partial differential games. The performance of the strategy can be adjusted by the weight coefficient related to the miss distance between the attacker and the D. Simulations show that the guidance law can intercept the target with impact angle constraint and evade D’s interception at the same time.
Streamlined Intraoperative Brain Tumor Classification and Molecular Subtyping in Stereotactic Biopsies Using Stimulated Raman Histology and Deep Learning
Authors: Reinecke David , Ruess Daniel , Meissner Anna-Katharina , Fürtjes Gina , von Spreckelsen Niklas , Ion-Margineanu Adrian , Khalid Florian , Blau Tobias , Stehle Thomas , Al-Shugri Abdulkader , Büttner Reinhard , Goldbrunner Roland , Ruge Maximilian I. , Neuschmelting Volker
Published: July 2024

Purpose:

Recent artificial intelligence algorithms aided intraoperative decision-making via stimulated Raman histology (SRH) during craniotomy. This study assesses deep learning algorithms for rapid intraoperative diagnosis from SRH images in small stereotactic-guided brain biopsies. It defines a minimum tissue sample size threshold to ensure diagnostic accuracy.

Experimental Design:

A prospective single-center study examined 121 SRH images from 84 patients with unclear intracranial lesions undergoing stereotactic brain biopsy. Unprocessed, label-free samples were imaged using a portable fiber laser Raman scattering microscope. Three deep learning models were tested to (i) identify tumorous/nontumorous tissue as qualitative biopsy control; (ii) subclassify into high-grade glioma (central nervous system World Health Organization grade 4), diffuse low-grade glioma (central nervous system World Health Organization grades 2–3), metastases, lymphoma, or gliosis; and (iii) molecularly subtype IDH and 1p/19q statuses of adult-type diffuse gliomas. Model predictions were evaluated against frozen section analysis and final neuropathologic diagnoses.

Results:

The first model identified tumorous/nontumorous tissue with 91.7% accuracy. Sample size on slides impacted accuracy in brain tumor subclassification (81.6%, κ = 0.72 frozen section; 73.9%, κ = 0.61 second model), with SRH images being smaller than hematoxylin and eosin images (4.1 ± 2.5 mm2 vs. 16.7 ± 8.2 mm2, P < 0.001). SRH images with more than 140 high-quality patches and a mean squeezed sample of 5.26 mm2 yielded 89.5% accuracy in subclassification and 93.9% in molecular subtyping of adult-type diffuse gliomas.

Conclusions:

Artificial intelligence–based SRH image analysis is non-inferior to frozen section analysis in detecting and subclassifying brain tumors during small stereotactic-guided biopsies once a critical squeezed sample size is reached. Beyond frozen section analysis, it enables valid molecular glioma subtyping, allowing faster treatment decisions in the future; however, refinement is needed for long-term application.
Tumor Mutational Load: A Novel Predictor for Clinical Benefit of Pembrolizumab
Authors: Hsu Fang-Chi , Yen Yun
Published: July 2024

A recent study evaluated the efficacy of pembrolizumab across various cancers, classified according to tumor mutational load (TML) defined by whole-genome sequencing. Tumors exhibiting intermediate to high TML showed improved clinical benefit from pembrolizumab. This proof-of-concept study highlights clinical value of TML in patient selection, advancing precision immunotherapy and treatment strategies.

See related article by Geurts et al., p. 3735
Figure 4 from Characterization of Non-Monotonic Relationships between Tumor Mutational Burden and Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Anaya Jordan , Kung Julia , Baras Alexander S.
Published: July 2024

TCGA model fits. Nine selected cancer types are shown. Mean-normalized Cox and neural net model fits were averaged over 10 K-folds. TMB distributions shown as rug plots.
Inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT) imaging reveals variable recovery profiles of active MS lesions according to size and localization
Authors: Soustelle Lucas , Mchinda Samira , Hertanu Andreea , Gherib Soraya , Pini Lauriane , Guye Maxime , Ranjeva Jean-Philippe , Varma Gopal , Alsop David C. , Pelletier Jean , Girard Olivier M. , Duhamel Guillaume
Published: July 2024

This work aims at exploiting the unique myelin specificity of the inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT) technique to characterize the recovery dynamics of active multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. IhMT and three other myelin-sensitive techniques, conventional MT, T1-weighted, and diffusion tensor imaging, were applied in a 12-month longitudinal study performed on relapsing-remitting MS patients. An exponential recovery model was used to fit the variations over time of the metrics derived from each MR technique within new active lesions. A principal component analysis was performed on the model parameters obtained for all MR myelin-sensitive techniques across all active lesions of all patients to identify specific recovery profiles. The results show that the recovery profiles of myelin-sensitive MR metrics in active MS lesions vary according to the localization and size of lesions. The distance of lesions from the ventricles is positively associated with the recovery rates of ihMTR and T1w-MPRAGE: the further the lesion is from the ventricles, the higher the recovery rate of these metrics. Lesion size is positively associated with initial loss and negatively associated with final recovery of ihMTR and other MR metrics: small lesions have lower initial loss and greater final recovery of MR metrics than large lesions. Thanks to the specificity of the ihMT technique for myelin, these features can be interpreted in terms of remyelination. This study thus provides longitudinal in vivo support for the pathological observations of higher remyelination in small lesions compared with large ones and faster remyelination in lesions away from the ventricles. These results support the use of ihMT and other measures for quantifying remyelination rates in clinical studies of remyelination therapies.
Fusarium kamalianum, a new species of Fusarium from India from ornamental Chamaedorea seifrizii
Authors: RANA SHIWALI , SINGH SANJAY K.
Published: July 2024

A novel species, Fusarium kamalianum, belonging to the Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC), is established to accommodate a fungal pathogen that was isolated from infected Chamaedorea seifrizii (Bamboo palm). The identification of this pathogenic strain was determined based on the cultural features, asexual-morphs, and phylogenetic analysis based on translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef-1α), RNA polymerase second largest subunit (rpb2), internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), 28S large subunit (LSU), and β-tubulin (tub2) sequence data. The detailed taxonomic descriptions, cultural, microscopic images, and phylogenetic trees are presented for the introduced taxon. The sequencing data of this isolate exhibited substantial distinctness from the previously discovered species of Fusarium and created a unique distinct clade. This is the first study that reports infection in Chamaedorea seifrizii plants caused by Fusarium species.
Tolypella mongolica (Charophyceae, Characeae): A new dioecious charophyte species from the center of Eurasia and implications for charophyte taxonomy, including the validation of T. porteri and the new combination for T. jwalae
Authors: Romanov ROMAN E. , NIKULIN VYACHESLAV YU. , VISHNYAKOV VASILY S. , TSEGMID BUKHCHULUUN , EFREMOV ANDREY N. , ZHAKOVA LIUBOV V. , GONTCHAROV ANDREY A.
Published: July 2024

A new dioecious species of Tolypella, T. mongolica sp. nov. from the section Tolypella, was described using an integrative taxonomy. It was found in three distant localities – shallows of a brackish small lake and a channel in the midland steppe in Mongolia and the Altai Mountains, and a small brackish water body in the dry steppe in Southeast Europe. It differs from other species in rbcL and ITS sequences and in distinct complex ornamentation of the oospore surface, varying from sparsely coarsely tuberculate to having the appearance of an aerial view of mountain landscape with acute to mostly sharp edges of elements at probably the ripest stage. Wide intrapopulation variability of expression of this trait, only partly explainable by oospore ripening stage, was found and illustrated for two populations, indicating previous underestimation of this phenomenon in taxonomic research. T. mongolica is richly fertile and appears to be ephemeral as most species of this genus. Only female plants were found in all localities. The absence of male plants could be referred to either their earlier development during the growing season or, less likely, parthenogenesis in this species. The description of the new species suggests taxonomic changes for two dioecious species of charophytes. Tolypella porteri stat. et comb. nov. was validated here. T. jwalae was recognized as a species of Nitella, N. jwalae comb. nov.
Taxonomic revision of the genus Punjuba (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae)
Authors: SOARES MARCOS VINICIUS BATISTA , GUERRA ETHIÉNE , MORIM MARLI PIRES , IGANCI JOÃO RICARDO VIEIRA
Published: July 2024

Punjuba is a Neotropical genus of the mimosoid clade (Leguminosae). The genus was recently restablished and is recognized by presenting shrubs and trees, with lax racemes or spiciform racemes, leaves with 1–3 pairs of pinnae and 2–7 pairs of leaflets in each pinna, thin and lateraly compressed legumes, curved to spiral, and seeds lacking pleurogram. Recent advances on legumes systematics have been producing great challenges on the circumscription of genera, especially on the mimosoid clade. Molecular phylogenetic studies confirm that Punjuba is monophyletic, and a revision of the genus and species circumscriptions are needed. Here we present a taxonomic revision of Punjuba, providing an identification key for all species currently recognized in the genus, morphological descriptions, and distribution maps. We recognize six species in the genus: P. callejasii, P. centiflora, P. killipii, P. lehmannii, P. racemiflora and P. foreroana, being the last one described here as a new species. Abarema josephi is proposed as a new synonym of P. lehmannii. Morphological characters including the inflorescence, indumentum, leaves and leaflets, besides quantitative characters, were applied as diagnostic to recognize the species.
An Annotated Checklist of Earthworms (Annelida: Clitellata: Oligochaeta) of Indo-Gangetic Plains of India
Authors: TIWARI NALINI , TIWARI POOJA , GUPTA NEELIMA , YADAV SHWETA
Published: July 2024

A checklist of earthworm species hitherto known from Indo–Gangetic Plains of India is presented. In total, 98 species and subspecies are recorded, belonging to 33 genera spread over 9 families. Of these, 38 species are recognized as endemics and 34 as exotics. For every species and subspecies, the checklist comprises state-wise distributional information, all important synonyms, type locality and citations to the original description found in the literature.
White matter and cortical gray matter microstructural abnormalities in new daily persistent headache: a NODDI study
Authors: Li Zhilei , Mei Yanliang , Wang Wei , Wang Lei , Wu Shouyi , Zhang Kaibo , Qiu Dong , Xiong Zhonghua , Li Xiaoshuang , Yuan Ziyu , Zhang Peng , Zhang Mantian , Tong Qiuling , Zhang Zhenchang , Wang Yonggang
Published: July 2024

Background

New daily persistent headache (NDPH) is a rare primary headache with unclear pathogenesis. Neuroimaging studies of NDPH are limited, and controversy still exists. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is commonly used to study the white matter. However, lacking specificity, the potential pathological mechanisms of white matter microstructural changes remain poorly understood. In addition, the intricacy of gray matter structures impedes the application of the DTI model. Here, we applied an advanced diffusion model of neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) to study the white matter and cortical gray matter microstructure in patients with NDPH.

Methods

This study assessed brain microstructure, including 27 patients with NDPH, and matched 28 healthy controls (HCs) by NODDI. The differences between the two groups were assessed by tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and surface-based analysis (SBA), focusing on the NODDI metrics (neurite density index (NDI), orientation dispersion index (ODI), and isotropic volume fraction (ISOVF)). Furthermore, we performed Pearson’s correlation analysis between the NODDI indicators and clinical characteristics.

Results

Compared to HCs, patients with NDPH had a reduction of density and complexity in several fiber tracts. For robust results, the fiber tracts were defined as comprising more than 100 voxels, including bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), as well as right corticospinal tract (CST). Moreover, the reduction of neurite density was uncovered in the left superior and middle frontal cortex, left precentral cortex, and right lateral orbitofrontal cortex and insula. There was no correlation between the NODDI metrics of these brain regions and clinical variables or scales of relevance after the Bonferroni correction.

Conclusions

Our research indicated that neurite loss was detected in both white matter and cortical gray matter of patients with NDPH.
Epigenetic control of skeletal muscle atrophy
Authors: Liang Wenpeng , Xu Feng , Li Li , Peng Chunlei , Sun Hualin , Qiu Jiaying , Sun Junjie
Published: July 2024

Skeletal muscular atrophy is a complex disease involving a large number of gene expression regulatory networks and various biological processes. Despite extensive research on this topic, its underlying mechanisms remain elusive, and effective therapeutic approaches are yet to be established. Recent studies have shown that epigenetics play an important role in regulating skeletal muscle atrophy, influencing the expression of numerous genes associated with this condition through the addition or removal of certain chemical modifications at the molecular level. This review article comprehensively summarizes the different types of modifications to DNA, histones, RNA, and their known regulators. We also discuss how epigenetic modifications change during the process of skeletal muscle atrophy, the molecular mechanisms by which epigenetic regulatory proteins control skeletal muscle atrophy, and assess their translational potential. The role of epigenetics on muscle stem cells is also highlighted. In addition, we propose that alternative splicing interacts with epigenetic mechanisms to regulate skeletal muscle mass, offering a novel perspective that enhances our understanding of epigenetic inheritance’s role and the regulatory network governing skeletal muscle atrophy. Collectively, advancements in the understanding of epigenetic mechanisms provide invaluable insights into the study of skeletal muscle atrophy. Moreover, this knowledge paves the way for identifying new avenues for the development of more effective therapeutic strategies and pharmaceutical interventions.
Exploring cost performance tradeoffs and uncertainties for electric- and autonomous electric trucks using computational experiments
Authors: Engholm Albin , Allström Andreas , Akbarian Mehdi
Published: July 2024

The recent development of battery electric trucks (BETs) suggests that they could play a vital role in transitioning to zero-emission road freight. To facilitate this transition, it is important to understand under which conditions BETs can be a viable alternative to internal combustion engine trucks (ICETs). Concurrently, the advancement of autonomous driving technology adds uncertainty and complexity to analyzing how the cost competitiveness of future zero-emissions trucks, such as autonomous electric trucks (AETs) may develop. This study examines the cost performance of BETs and AETs compared to ICETs, and how it varies over different market and technology conditions, charging strategies, and transport applications. Focus is on heavy-duty tractor-trailer trucks operating full truckload shuttle-flows in Sweden. Due to the inherent uncertainty and interactions among the analyzed factors, the analysis is performed as computational experiments using a simulation model of BET, AET, and ICET shuttle flow operations and associated costs. In total, 19,200 experiments are performed by sampling the model across 1200 scenarios representing various transport applications and technical and economic conditions for sixteen charging strategies with different combinations of depot, destination, and en route charging. The results indicate that both BETs and AETs are cost competitive compared to ICETs in a large share of scenarios. High asset utilization is important for offsetting additional investment costs in vehicles and chargers, highlighting the importance of deploying these vehicles in applications that enable high productivity. The cost performance for BETs is primarily influenced by energy related costs, charging strategy, and charging infrastructure utilization. The AET cost performance is in addition heavily affected by remote operations cost, and costs for the automated driving system. When feasible, relying only on depot charging is in many scenarios the most cost-effective charging strategy, with the primary exceptions being highly energy-demanding scenarios with long distances and heavy goods in which the required battery is too heavy to operate the truck within vehicle weight regulations if not complemented by destination, or en route charging. However, many experiments do not lead to a reduced payload capacity for BETs and AETs compared to ICETs, and a large majority of the considered scenarios are feasible to operate with a BET or AET within current gross vehicle weight regulations.