bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Presence of an Arterial Feeding Vessel on Cross-Sectional Imaging Predicts Treatment Response and Survival after Transarterial Chemoembolization for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Retrospective Multivariable Analysis of 138 Patients
Authors: Guan Justin J. , Laroia Sandeep T. , McBride Aaron F. , Sun Shiliang , Huang Lihong , Yang Jingzhen , Dunlay Michael , Nagpal Prashant
Published: March 2023

Finding a feeding vessel with diameter greater than 0.9 mm during transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular cancer (HCC) has been shown to predict tumor necrosis on subsequent pathology. However, whether this translates into a useful clinical predictor for post-chemoembolization response and survival is unknown. This study aimed to determine whether the presence of an arterial feeder on pre-TACE cross-sectional imaging is associated with treatment response and survival after TACE for unresectable HCC. Retrospective medical record search for all chemo-embolizations performed for HCC from 2015 to 2016 yielded 138 patients who underwent 275 TACE sessions spanning 2011 to 2017. Patients consisted of 98 males (71%) with mean age of 62 (range, 37–86). Each patient underwent an average of two TACE sessions (range, 1–11). Endpoints included target tumor response and overall response defined by the mRECIST criteria, as well as patient survival. Preprocedural MRI/CT was reviewed for the presence of arterial feeder. Multivariable logistic regressions and Cox proportional hazard regressions were used to assess the effects of arterial feeder presence on treatment response and survival, respectively, adjusting for other covariates. Overall response was seen in 69% of patients. Arterial feeder was present on preprocedural cross-sectional imaging for 28% of TACE sessions. Median survival was 26.5 months (interquartile range, 13.2–38.1). The presence of arterial feeder led to better target tumor response (OR = 11.9, p < 0.0001), overall response (OR = 9.3, p < 0.0001), and improved survival (HR = 0.55, p = 0.02). The presence of an arterial feeder on pre-TACE cross-sectional imaging is associated with target tumor response, overall response, and survival after TACE.
Clinical Classification of Urethrocutaneous Fistulas Developing after Hypospadias Repair
Authors: Singh Abhinav , Singh Malika , Singh Raghubir
Published: March 2023

Background Clinical classification of the urethrocutaneous fistulas (UCFs) was designed to help the surgeons in (1) categorizing the fistulas, (2) selecting appropriate treatments, (3) keeping record at presentation and discharge, and (4) transferring information while referring a patient with recurrent fistula to a higher center.

Methods This retrospective study comprised of 68 patients with UCFs who reported in the “Hypospadias and VVFs Clinic” between 2004 and 2016. The study was performed to determine the incidence or etiology of the UCFs. It was rather performed to classify fistulas into different categories depending on the number of fistulas: A (5 fistulas), B (16 fistulas), C-a (28 fistulas), C-b (4 fistulas), D (4 fistulas), and E (11 fistulas). Category A fistulas healed conservatively. Category B fistulas underwent transection of the fistula tracts (tractotomy), purse-string closure, or multilayered closure (fistulorrhaphy). Category C-a fistulas were reenforced by preputial or penile skin flaps or waterproofing flaps. Category C-b fistulas underwent re-tubularization of their neourethral plates and eccentric closure of peno-preputial skin. The urethral plates of category D fistulas were re-tubularized after 3 to 6 months and cover was provided by the Cecil-Culp procedure. Category E fistulas had associated hairy urethra, stricture distal urethra, stricture with diverticulum, perifistular scar-induced chordee, long narrow urethral plate, balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO), and short reconstructed neourethra. Accordingly, appropriate corrective measures were taken. Miscellaneous category F was excluded from the study.

Results Except for one in category D, none of the patients had any recurrence of fistula. One patient of category E had residual diverticulum.

Conclusion The designed clinical classification of UCFs is simple. Treatment was in accordance with reconstructive ladder wherein complexity of treatment paralleled with increasing complexity of fistulas.
Effectiveness of a Formal Business of Ophthalmology Course for Trainees
Authors: Siktberg Jonathan , de Castro-Abeger Alexander , Berkowitz Sean T. , Law Janice C.
Published: March 2023

Objective In medical school and residency training, there is little emphasis on the administrative and business aspects of running a clinical practice as either an employee or a business owner. However, by the first day of practice, young ophthalmologists need to have a basic understanding of the business of medicine to be successful in clinical practice and to avoid common pitfalls. Areas such as risk management, negotiation, financial health, lawsuits, marketing, coding, and professionalism are particularly important for practicing ophthalmologists to grasp. We instituted a formal practice management course to increase the early exposure of our trainees to the business aspects of ophthalmology.

Methods Ophthalmology trainees engaged in 11, 1-hour sessions over 3 weeks during a practice management course covering 10 of the most relevant business topics for early career ophthalmologists. A precourse needs assessment, and a postcourse satisfaction and outcomes survey were administered.

Results Of the 24 trainees who completed the presurvey, 96% of respondents had no previous training in contract negotiation, 88% lacked training in lawsuits, and 88% had no training in liability insurance. 96% had no inpatient coding education, and 88% had no outpatient coding training. Seventeen trainees completed the postsurvey, and statistically significant improvements in confidence ratings were found in all domains including coding, malpractice claims, and building a practice. 88% of trainees reported that the course improved their ability to code, and 100% agreed that the course improved their understanding of lawsuits, ability to negotiate a contract, and their understanding of the business of ophthalmology.

Conclusion A formal, targeted business of ophthalmology course improved the knowledge of trainees on essential business concepts. This course can serve as a model for other programs looking to meet this educational need.
Study on the Synthesis of Dihydroflavonol Compounds
Authors: Du Zhi-Teng , Zhao Zeng , Sun Qing-Yan , Zhang Wei-Dong
Published: March 2023

From the roots of Campylotropis hirtella (Franch.) Schindl., many natural dihydroflavonol compounds have been extracted, and they possess a structurally novel feature of chiral tertiary alcohol groups. However, the content of the compounds in the plant is extremely low. At this point, to satisfy the needs of further experimental research on these compounds, much effort has been invested in the chemical synthesis of the core structure of 3-hydroxy-3-phenylchroman-4-one. This study aimed to explore a novel method for the synthesis of dihydroflavonol (3), and its application in the production of a natural product (14). The method started with commercially available materials, and provided a foundation for total synthesis of natural compounds of dihydroflavonol.
Dynamic value sharing based on employee contribution as a competitiveness-enhancing device
Authors: Xie Zuomiao , Yuan Shiqi , Zhu Jinjing , Palferman Alistair
Published: March 2023

As the era of the knowledge economy has firmly established itself, the ability of firms to attract, motivate, and retain talents in order to realize stable and sustainable value creation, is increasingly critical. This paper proposes a dynamic value-sharing mechanism (DVS), based on human capital contribution, which combines the advantages of distribution fairness and dynamicity, to enhance firm value and profitability. As an instrument of analysis, this paper uses evolutionary game theory to study the feasibility of DVS and analyzes the impacts of key factors on the dynamic evolution game process and result. Evolutionary results show that: (1) DVS has the function of screening high-capability employees, and the high-capability employees ultimately dominate the value sharing under this mechanism; (2) DVS more stably promotes value creation, and the firm’s value increases to a greater extent than it would do without this mechanism and in the traditional static value sharing (SVS) model; (3) enterprises with a high proportion of talented employees have inherent advantages in implementing DVS, such as those involved in high-tech industries; and (4) the relationship between the ratio of overall profit sharing and the time of evolution to equilibrium is non-monotonic.
3D in vitro model demonstrates invasive tumor dynamics in real time
Authors: Thompson Avery
Published: March 2023

Network of hydrogels provides an environment to study tumor expansion and cell migration
Identifying and investigating spatial features in InGaAs solar cells by hyperspectral luminescence imaging
Authors: Conrad Brianna , Hamadani Behrang H.
Published: March 2023

Hyperspectral luminescence imaging adds high-resolution spectral data to the electroluminescence and photoluminescence images of photovoltaic materials and devices. This enables absolute calibration across a range of spectra and, subsequently, enhances the information that can be gained from such measurements. We present a temperature-dependent luminescence hyperspectral imaging study of dilute InGaAs solar cells. We are able to identify the cause of dark spots on the device as local areas with increased defect-related recombination and identify a likely candidate for the type of defect. Hyperspectral images also reveal a device-wide pattern in low-energy-tail luminescence and In alloy fraction, which corresponds with increased non-radiative recombination. This pattern would not be identifiable with conventional imaging methods. Detailed information on such features is useful as, paired with the knowledge of fabrication processes and device design features, it can help identify the ways to reduce associated non-radiative recombination and improve device performance.
Attention-based encoder–decoder network for depth estimation from color-coded light fields
Authors: Sheng Hao , Cheng Kun , Jin Xiaokang , Han Tian , Jiang Xiaolin , Dong Changchun
Published: March 2023

Compressive light field cameras have attracted notable attention over the past few years because they can efficiently determine redundancy from light fields. However, much of the research has only concentrated on reconstructing the entire light field from compressed sampling, which ignores the possibility of directly extracting information such as depth from it. In this paper, we introduce a light field camera configuration with a random color-coded microlens array. Considering the color-coded light fields, we propose a novel attention-based encoder–decoder network. Specifically, the encoder part compresses the coded measurement into a low-dimensional representation that removes most redundancy, and the decoder part constructs the depth map directly from the latent representation. The attention mechanism enables the network to process spatial and angular features dynamically and effectively, thus significantly improving performance. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets show that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art light field depth estimation method designed for non-coded light fields. To our knowledge, this is the first study that combines the color-coded light field with the attention-based deep learning approach, which provides a crucial insight into the design of enhanced light field photography systems.
Corrigendum to: Legume grain-based supplements in dairy sheep diet: effects on milk yield, composition and fatty acid profile
Authors: Bonanno Adriana , Di Grigoli Antonino , Vitale Francesca , Alabiso Marco , Giosué Cristina , Mazza Francesca , Todaro Massimo
Published: March 2023

With the aim to find protein sources that are free of genetically modified organisms, the effects of legume grain-based concentrates, used as alternatives of a mixed concentrate feed containing soybean, were evaluated on sheep milk production. Twelve lactating ewes were divided into four groups, fed hay and, according to a 4 × 4 Latin square design, supplied with 800 g/day of a commercial mixed concentrate feed (MCF) containing maize and soybean, or the same amount of isoprotein concentrates consisting of chickpea (CH), faba bean (FB), or pea (PE) mixed with barley. The ewes ingested more of the concentrates with legume grains than the MCF (702, 702, 678 vs 587 g/day DM for CH, FB, PE and MCF; P ? 0.001). Compared with CH, FB and PE resulted in greater (P ? 0.05) milk yield (710, 718 vs 654 g/day for FB, PE and CH, respectively), and led to a greater (P ? 0.05) efficiency of dietary protein utilisation for milk casein synthesis (94, 97 vs 87 g casein/kg crude protein intake for FB, PE and CH, respectively), whereas MCF resulted in intermediate levels of milk yield (677 g/day) and milk casein/crude protein intake (88 g/kg). Chickpea increased the milk content of trans-vaccenic and rumenic acids in comparison with FB and PE and, similarly to MCF, increased the milk content of linoleic acid, as well as total unsaturated fatty acids (24.3, 23.9 vs 17.2, 16.8 g/100 g fatty acid methyl esters for MCF, CH, FB and PE; P ? 0.001), thereby improving the potential health-promoting index. Legume grains can replace soybean in diets of dairy ewes, as they do not adversely affect milk yield and composition.
Response of waxy maize (Zea mays L. var. ceratina Kulesh) leaf photosynthesis to low temperature during the grain-filling stage
Authors: Guo Jian , Wang Zitao , Wei Qi , Li Guanghao , Yang Huan , Lu Dalei
Published: March 2023

Low temperature (LT) during the grain-filling stage is an important factor that affects the source–sink relationship and leads to yield loss in maize (Zea mays L). In this study, field and pot trials were conducted to investigate the effects of LT during the grain-filling stage on leaf photosynthesis, antioxidant system, hormones, and grain yield of waxy maize cultivars Suyunuo 5 (S5) and Yunuo 7 (Y7). The results showed that LT treatment inhibited the chlorophyll biosynthesis and reduced the photosynthetic pigment levels during grain-filling stage. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activities, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance decreased under LT treatment during the grain-filling stage. Furthermore, LT treatment increased the contents of malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species, and decreased the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase in the ear leaves, which accelerated the oxidative damage of leaf. The LT treatment also raised abscisic acid content and reduced indole acetic acid content in the ear leaves during grain-filling stage. The results of field and pot trials were verified by each other, but the field effect was greater than that of pot. Overall, LT treatment reduced the waxy maize dry matter accumulation after silking by affecting the physiological and biochemical processes of leaves, and ultimately decreased grain yield.
De novo design of small beta barrel proteins
Authors: Kim David E. , Jensen Davin R. , Feldman David , Tischer Doug , Saleem Ayesha , Chow Cameron M. , Li Xinting , Carter Lauren , Milles Lukas , Nguyen Hannah , Kang Alex , Bera Asim K. , Peterson Francis C. , Volkman Brian F. , Ovchinnikov Sergey , Baker David
Published: March 2023

Small beta barrel proteins are attractive targets for computational design because of their considerable functional diversity despite their very small size (<70 amino acids). However, there are considerable challenges to designing such structures, and there has been little success thus far. Because of the small size, the hydrophobic core stabilizing the fold is necessarily very small, and the conformational strain of barrel closure can oppose folding; also intermolecular aggregation through free beta strand edges can compete with proper monomer folding. Here, we explore the de novo design of small beta barrel topologies using both Rosetta energy–based methods and deep learning approaches to design four small beta barrel folds: Src homology 3 (SH3) and oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB) topologies found in nature and five and six up-and-down-stranded barrels rarely if ever seen in nature. Both approaches yielded successful designs with high thermal stability and experimentally determined structures with less than 2.4 Å rmsd from the designed models. Using deep learning for backbone generation and Rosetta for sequence design yielded higher design success rates and increased structural diversity than Rosetta alone. The ability to design a large and structurally diverse set of small beta barrel proteins greatly increases the protein shape space available for designing binders to protein targets of interest.
Inter-organizational conflict in the participatory web
Authors: Boéri Julie
Published: March 2023

Social, professional and political imaginaries are increasingly produced, contested and negotiated in and across online platforms. Adopting a socio-narrative perspective, this paper explores the ways in which collectivities of interpreters use communication technologies in the construction of, and competition over, their organizational identity, practice and space. It focuses on Babels, which organized activist interpreting in social forums, and AIIC, the international association of conference interpreters, and their use of babels.org and aiic.net. It analyzes the narrative ‘position’ of these collectivities through the prism of their Web 2.0 homepage design, and individual members’ enactment of, or departure from, these positions (narrative ‘locations’) in the context of an inter-website and interorganizational conflict. The study shows that the participatory web mediates and shapes how collectivities publicly project, enact and contest competing imaginaries of the profession, of the interpreting community, and of society at large.
Literary translation: Between intellectual cooperation and cultural diplomacy
Authors: Carbó-Catalan Elisabet
Published: March 2023

Intellectual cooperation and cultural diplomacy are generally addressed by historians of international relations
and by scholars working in global history. In this contribution, I approach them from a cultural but socially oriented
perspective. I examine the history of the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation (IIIC) with a focus on the
translation activities it promoted and the functions the latter fulfilled in society. To this end, I first present the main
activities that configured the IIIC’s translation policy. Then I delve into the political dimensions of intellectual cooperation,
many of which shaped the translation projects developed by this institution in turn. Finally, I focus on a specific translation
project, namely, the Ibero-American Collection. Its editorial history is reconstructed to show the ways this
collection fulfilled functions that surpassed its foundational purpose, including unplanned functions related to Latin American
regional cooperation and to the promotion of a Latin American regional identity.
Translation and the experience of exclusion
Authors: Pacheco Aguilar Raquel
Published: March 2023

On the basis of a critical approach to the concept of ‘social exclusion,’ this contribution explores the intersections between translation theory and social theory by offering a conceptual framework to study the impact of translation and interpreting in exclusion and inclusion processes. It examines the case of a migrants’ translation rights movement that took place in Lavapiés (Madrid, Spain) during the Covid-19 pandemic that sought to provide – and demand – medical interpreting in healthcare centers and other public areas. The article gives some insights into the complexities of the role of translation and interpreting as an inclusive practice in the context of a pandemic.
The institutionalisation of sign language interpreting in Austria and its impact on the construction of the deaf world
Authors: Grbić Nadja
Published: March 2023

Translation and Interpreting Studies research has traditionally drawn on progress models to describe
professionalisation processes. In this paper, I will argue that an alternative approach based on two processual concepts, namely
Anselm Strauss’s ‘social worlds’ (1978) and Thomas
Gieryn’s ‘boundary work’ (1983) might offer new insights. Social worlds are interrelated agglomerations of agents who
participate in certain activities and develop shared commitments and ideologies. Boundary work refers to the construction and
maintenance of similarities and differences for inclusion in and exclusion from a group. To demonstrate the application of this
theoretical-methodological framework, I will map the social worlds involved in the organisation of sign language interpreting in
Austria at three crucial stages. I will discuss how the interrelations between the social worlds have influenced
institutionalisation and professionalisation and how these in turn have shaped the social world of the sign language interpreters
as well as the social world of deaf people.
Ultrafast dynamics under high-pressure
Authors: Tu Hongyu , Pan Lingyun , Qi Hongjian , Zhang Shuhao , Li Fangfei , Sun Chenglin , Wang Xin , Cui Tian
Published: March 2023

High-pressure is a mechanical method to regulate the structure and internal interaction of materials. Therefore, observation of properties’ change can be realized in a relatively pure environment. Furthermore, high-pressure affects the delocalization of wavefunction among materials’ atoms and thus their dynamics process. Dynamics results are essential data for understanding the physical and chemical characteristics, which is valuable for materials application and development. Ultrafast spectroscopy is a powerful tool to investigate dynamics process and becoming a necessary characterization method for materials investigation. The combination of high-pressure with ultrafast spectroscopy in the nanocosecond∼femtosecond scale enables us to investigate the influence of the enhanced interaction between particles on the physical and chemical properties of materials, such as energy transfer, charge transfer, Auger recombination, etc. Base on this point of view, this review summarizes recent progress in the ultrafast dynamics under high-pressure for various materials, in which new phenomena and new mechanisms are observed. In this review, we describe in detail the principles of in situ high pressure ultrafast dynamics probing technology and its field of application. On this basis, the progress of the study of dynamic processes under high-pressure in different material systems is summarized. An outlook on in situ high-pressure ultrafast dynamics research is also provided.
Facile synthesis of nanostrip-structured pseudo-boehmite “nest” for nano-TiO2/γ-Al2O3 construction to remove tetracycline hydrochloride in water
Authors: Fu Wenjing , Wei Cundi , Xu Shaonan , Wang Enhui , Zhang Jinyi , Xu You , Zou Jiyuan , Wei Jilun , Zuo Jing
Published: March 2023

A particular bird’s nest-like pseudo-boehmite (PB) composed of cohesive nanostrips was prepared by a novel and facile approach based on the reaction of Al–Ga–In–Sn alloy and water, together with ammonium carbonate. The PB possesses a large specific surface area (465.2 m2 g−1), pore volume (1.0 cm3 g−1), and pore diameter (8.7 nm). Subsequently, it was utilized as a precursor to form the TiO2/γ-Al2O3 nanocomposite for tetracycline hydrochloride removal. The removal efficiency can reach above 90% at TiO2:PB = 1:1.5 under the Sunlight irradiation simulated by a LED lamp. Our results indicate that the nest-like PB is a promising carrier precursor for efficient nanocomposite catalysts.
High performance perovskite luminescent devices on Si substrates by controlling quasi-two-dimensional phases
Authors: Xu Xiaoxiao , Juan Fangying , Zhu Ting , Xiao Ke , Sun Teng , Chen Jiaming , Xu Ling , Xu Jun , Chen Kunji
Published: March 2023

High-performance air-processed perovskite light-emitting devices (PeLEDs) combined with Si materials are currently an opportunity because of the potential applications in multiple function integration. Here, a high-efficient Si/perovskite heterojunction near infrared light-emitting device have been fabricated by controlling the quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) phases via introduction of 4-fluorobenzylamine hydroiodide (FPMAI) while the whole device fabrication process is simple and under ambient air. It was found that the luminescence behavior could be modulated by changing the quasi-2D phase ratio. The external quantum efficiency reached 9.7% at the optimized parameters, which was 75% higher than that of the device with a pure three-dimensional phase. Our results indicate an appropriate and easy method to improve the performance of air-processed Si-based PeLEDs.
Using ensemble Monte Carlo methods to evaluate non-equilibrium Green’s functions
Authors: Ferry David K
Published: March 2023

The use of ensemble Monte Carlo methods for the simulation of transport in semiconductor devices has become extensive over the past few decades. This method allows for simulation utilizing particles while addressing the full physics within the device, leaving the computational difficulties to the computer. More recently, the study of quantum mechanical effects within the devices, effects which also strongly affect the carrier transport itself, have become important. While particles have continued to be useful in quantum simulations using Wigner functions, interest in analytical solutions based upon the non-equilibrium Green’s functions (NEGF) have become of greater interest in device simulation. While NEGF has been adopted by many commercial semiconductor, there remains considerable computational difficulty in this approach. Here, a particle approach to NEGF is discussed, and preliminary results presented illustrating the computational efficiency that remains with the use of particles. This approach adopts the natural basis functions for use in a high electric field and the preliminary results are obtained for quantum transport in Si at 300 K. This approach appears to offer significant advantages for the use of NEGF.
Hartree–Fock analogue theory of thermo-optic interaction
Authors: Stein Enrico , Pelster Axel
Published: March 2023

Thermo-optic interaction significantly differs from the usual particle-particle interactions in physics, as it is retarded in time. A prominent platform for realising this kind of interaction are photon Bose–Einstein condensates, which are created in dye-filled microcavities. The dye solution continually absorbs and re-emits these photons, causing the photon gas to thermalize and to form a Bose–Einstein condensate. Because of a non-ideal quantum efficiency, these cycles heat the dye solution, creating a medium that provides an effective thermo-optic photon–photon interaction. So far, only a mean-field description of this process exists. This paper goes beyond by working out a quantum mechanical description of the effective thermo-optic photon–photon interaction. To this end, the self-consistent modelling of the temperature diffusion builds the backbone of the modelling. Furthermore, the manyfold experimental timescales allow for deriving an approximate Hamiltonian. The resulting quantum theory is applied in the perturbative regime to both a harmonic and a box potential for investigating its prospect for precise measurements of the effective photon–photon interaction strength.
A model-agnostic analysis of hybrid stars with reactive interfaces
Authors: Lugones Germán , Mariani Mauro , Ranea-Sandoval Ignacio F.
Published: March 2023

We study hybrid stars considering the effects on stellar stability of the hadron-quark conversion speed at the sharp interface. The equation of state is constructed by combining a model-agnostic hadronic description with a constant speed of sound model for quark matter. We show that current LIGO/Virgo, NICER, low-density nuclear and high-density perturbative QCD constraints can be satisfied in two scenarios, with low and high transition pressures. If the conversion speed at the interface is slow, a new class of dynamically stable hybrid objects is possible and very stiff hadronic equations of state cannot be discarded. Densities tens of times larger than the nuclear saturation density are possible at the center of these objects. We discuss possible formation mechanisms for the new class of hybrid stars and smoking guns for their observational identification.
Real-time implementation of the high-fidelity NBI code RABBIT into the discharge control system of ASDEX Upgrade
Authors: Weiland M. , Bilato R. , Sieglin B. , Felici F. , Giannone L. , Kudlacek O. , Rampp M. , Scheffer M. , Treutterer W. , Zehetbauer T. , Upgrade Team the ASDEX
Published: March 2023

For the first time, a real-time capable NBI code, which has a comparable fidelity to the much more computationally expensive Monte Carlo codes such as NUBEAM, has been coupled to the discharge control system of a tokamak. This implementation has been done at ASDEX Upgrade and is presented in this paper. Modifications to the numerical scheme of RABBIT for the time-dependent solution of the Fokker–Planck equation have been carried out to make it compatible with the non-equidistant time-steps, as they occur in real-time simulations. We demonstrate that this allows RABBIT to run in real-time both in a steady-state and time-dependent fashion and show and discuss an actual real-time simulation. Its accuracy is identified by comparing to offline RABBIT and TRANSP-NUBEAM runs (where more diagnostics are available for preciser inputs).
Gyrokinetic simulations of electrostatic microturbulence in ADITYA-U tokamak
Authors: Singh Tajinder , Sharma Deepti , Macwan Tanmay , Sharma Sarveshwar , Ghosh Joydeep , Sen Abhijit , Lin Zhihong , Kuley Animesh
Published: March 2023

Global gyrokinetic simulations of the electrostatic microturbulence driven by the pressure gradients of thermal ions and electrons are carried out for the ADITYA-U tokamak geometry using its experimental plasma profiles and with collisional effects. The dominant instability is trapped electron mode (TEM) based on the linear eigenmode structure and its propagation in the electron diamagnetic direction. Collisional effects suppress turbulence and transport to a certain extent. Zonal flow is not playing a critical role in the TEM saturation, which is dominated by the inverse cascade. The frequency spectrum of the electrostatic fluctuations is in broad agreement with the experimentally recorded spectrum in the ADITYA-U, with a bandwidth ranging from

∼

0

to 50 kHz.
A glomerulus chip with spherically twisted cell-laden hollow fibers as glomerular capillary tufts
Authors: Dai Zhilin , Li Chengpan , Shi Zhengdi , Li Shibo , Luo Tianzhi , Ding Weiping
Published: March 2023

Glomerulus-on-a-chip, as a promising alternative for drug nephrotoxicity evaluation, is attracting increasing attention. For glomerulus-on-a-chip, the more biomimetic the chip is, the more convincing the application of the chip is. In this study, we proposed a hollow fiber-based biomimetic glomerulus chip that can regulate filtration in response to blood pressure and hormone levels. On the chip developed here, bundles of hollow fibers were spherically twisted and embedded in designed Bowman’s capsules to form spherical glomerular capillary tufts, with podocytes and endotheliocytes cultured on the outer and inner surfaces of the hollow fibers, respectively. We evaluated the morphology of cells, the viability of cells, and the metabolic function of cells in terms of glucose consumption and urea synthesis by comparing the results obtained under fluidic and static conditions, confirmed the barrier function of the endotheliocyte-fiber membrane-podocyte structure by monitoring the diffusion of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled inulin, albumin and IgG, and, for the first time, achieved on-chip filtration regulation in response to the hormone atrial natriuretic peptide. In addition, the application of the chip in the evaluation of drug nephrotoxicity was also preliminarily demonstrated. This work offers insights into the design of a more physiologically similar glomerulus on a microfluidic chip.
Ultrasonic testing of the biomechanical properties of donation blood
Authors: Ahmed Mohamed Esam T , Pomarede Pascal , Mangin Pierre H , Declercq Nico F
Published: March 2023

Background.Donated blood is routinely preserved for about six weeks. After that, a considerable amount of unused blood is discarded for safety. We carried out sequential measurements of the ultrasonic parameters (Velocity of propagation of ultrasound, its attenuation, and relative nonlinearity coefficient B/A) for red blood cells (RBCs) bags in their physiological preserving conditions in the blood bank, in a given experimental setup, to investigate the gradual deteriorations in the biomechanical properties of RBCs.Materials and Methods. We discuss our primary findings, which indicate the applicability of ultrasound techniques as a quantitative quick, non-invasive routine check for the validity of sealed blood bags. The technique can be applied during and beyond the regular preservation period, thus enabling deciding for each bag to either further preserve or withdraw.Results and Discussion. Considerable increases in the velocity of propagation (ΔV = 966 m s−1) and ultrasound attenuation (Δα= 0.81 dB C−1m−1) were detected to take place during the preservation time. Likewise, the relative nonlinearity coefficient showed a generally rising trend during the preservation period (Δ(B/A) = 0.0129). At the same time, a distinctive feature characteristic of a specific blood group type is realized in all cases. Due to the complex stress-strain relations and their reflection on the hydrodynamics and flow rate of non-Newtonian fluids, the increased viscosity of long-preserved blood may justify the known post-transfusion flow complications.
Steady Prandtl layer expansions with external forcing
Authors: Guo Yan , Iyer Sameer
Published: March 2023

In this article we apply the machinery developed by Guo and Iyer [Validity of Steady Prandtl Layer Expansions, Comm. Pure Appl. Math. (to appear) (2022)] together with a new compactness estimate and a new quantity, the “degree”, in order to prove validity of steady Prandtl layer expansions with external forcing. The compactness techniques introduced in this article allow us to treat more general background Prandtl layers than Guo and Iyer [Validity of Steady Prandtl Layer Expansions, Comm. Pure Appl. Math. (to appear) (2022)].
Multi-trait analysis of gene-by-environment interactions in large-scale genetic studies
Authors: Luo Lan , Mehrotra Devan V , Shen Judong , Tang Zheng-Zheng
Published: March 2023

Identifying genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI) is challenging because the GEI analysis generally has low power. Large-scale consortium-based studies are ultimately needed to achieve adequate power for identifying GEI. We introduce Multi-Trait Analysis of Gene–Environment Interactions (MTAGEI), a powerful, robust, and computationally efficient framework to test gene–environment interactions on multiple traits in large data sets, such as the UK Biobank (UKB). To facilitate the meta-analysis of GEI studies in a consortium, MTAGEI efficiently generates summary statistics of genetic associations for multiple traits under different environmental conditions and integrates the summary statistics for GEI analysis. MTAGEI enhances the power of GEI analysis by aggregating GEI signals across multiple traits and variants that would otherwise be difficult to detect individually. MTAGEI achieves robustness by combining complementary tests under a wide spectrum of genetic architectures. We demonstrate the advantages of MTAGEI over existing single-trait-based GEI tests through extensive simulation studies and the analysis of the whole exome sequencing data from the UKB.
Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors and Biological Aging in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 1999–2018
Authors: Thomas Aline , Belsky Daniel W , Gu Yian
Published: March 2023

People who have a balanced diet and engage in more physical activity live longer, healthier lives. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that these associations reflect a slowing of biological processes of aging. We analyzed data from 42 625 participants (aged 20–84 years, 51% female participants) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), 1999–2018. We calculated adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MeDi) and level of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) using standard methods. We measured biological aging by applying the PhenoAge algorithm, developed using clinical and mortality data from NHANES-III (1988–94), to clinical chemistries measured from a blood draw at the time of the survey. We tested the associations of diet and physical activity measures with biological aging, explored synergies between these health behaviors, and tested heterogeneity in their associations across strata of age, sex, and body mass index. Participants who adhered to the MeDi and who did more LTPA had younger biological ages compared with those who had less-healthy lifestyles (high vs low MeDi tertiles: β = 0.14 standard deviation [SD] [95% confidence interval {CI}: −0.18, −0.11]; high vs sedentary LTPA, β = 0.12 SD [−0.15, −0.09]), in models controlled for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Healthy diet and regular physical activity were independently associated with lower clinically defined biological aging, regardless of age, sex, and BMI category.
Differential Brain Structural and Functional Patterns in Crohn’s Disease Patients are Associated with Different Disease Stages
Authors: Agostini Alessandro , Benuzzi Francesca , Ballotta Daniela , Rizzello Fernando , Gionchetti Paolo , Filippini Nicola
Published: March 2023

Background

Crohn’s disease (CD) is an inflammatory, chronic disorder that alternates between a quiescent phase and inflammatory flare-ups. Research has begun to elucidate the impact of CD in modulating brain structure and function. The previous neuroimaging studies mainly involved CD patients in remission (CD-R); therefore, little is known about how inflammation influences brain-related features in different stages of the disease. We carried out a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study to explore whether the different levels of disease activity may differentially affect brain structure and function.

Methods

Fourteen CD-R patients, 19 patients with mild to moderate inflammatory activity (CD-A), and 18 healthy controls (HCs) underwent an MRI scan including structural and functional sequences.

Results

Between-group comparisons showed morphological and functional brain differences distinctively associated with the stage of disease activity. The CD-A patients had reduced gray matter within the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) relative to CD-R patients. Analysis on resting fMRI data showed the following patterns: (1) increased connectivity within the left fronto-parietal network (in the superior parietal lobe) in CD-R patients relative to CD-A patients; (2) decreased connectivity in the motor network (in parietal and motor areas) in the CD-A group relative to the HC group; (3) reduced connectivity in the motor network and (4) in the language network (in parietal areas and in the PCC) in CD-R patients relative to HC.

Conclusions

The present findings represent a further step towards understanding brain morphological and functional changes in the active vs remission stages of CD patients.
Adoption of shared decision-making and clinical decision support for reducing cardiovascular disease risk in community health centers
Authors: Hauschildt Jennifer , Lyon-Scott Kristin , Sheppler Christina R , Larson Annie E , McMullen Carmit , Boston David , O’Connor Patrick J , Sperl-Hillen JoAnn M , Gold Rachel
Published: March 2023

Objective

Electronic health record (EHR)-based shared decision-making (SDM) and clinical decision support (CDS) systems can improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) care quality and risk factor management. Use of the CV Wizard system showed a beneficial effect on high-risk community health center (CHC) patients’ CVD risk within an effectiveness trial, but system adoption was low overall. We assessed which multi-level characteristics were associated with system use.

Materials and Methods

Analyses included 80 195 encounters with 17 931 patients with high CVD risk and/or uncontrolled risk factors at 42 clinics in September 2018–March 2020. Data came from the CV Wizard repository and EHR data, and a survey of 44 clinic providers. Adjusted, mixed-effects multivariate Poisson regression analyses assessed factors associated with system use. We included clinic- and provider-level clustering as random effects to account for nested data.

Results

Likelihood of system use was significantly higher in encounters with patients with higher CVD risk and at longer encounters, and lower when providers were >10 minutes behind schedule, among other factors. Survey participants reported generally high satisfaction with the system but were less likely to use it when there were time constraints or when rooming staff did not print the system output for the provider.

Discussion

CHC providers prioritize using this system for patients with the greatest CVD risk, when time permits, and when rooming staff make the information readily available. CHCs’ financial constraints create substantial challenges to addressing barriers to improved system use, with health equity implications.

Conclusion

Research is needed on improving SDM and CDS adoption in CHCs.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03001713, https://clinicaltrials.gov/
Implicates as Instrumental Variables: An Approach for Estimation and Inference with Probabilistically Matched Data
Authors: Patki Dhiren , Shapiro Matthew D
Published: March 2023

Linkage errors in probabilistically matched data sets can cause biases in the estimation of regression coefficients. This article proposes an approach to obtain consistent estimates and valid inference that relies on instrumental variables. The novelty of the method is to show that instrumental variables arise naturally in the course of probabilistic record linkage thereby allowing for off-the-shelf implementation. Relative to existing approaches, the instrumental variable approach does not require integration of the record linkage and regression analysis steps, the estimation of complex models of linkage error, or computationally expensive methods to estimate standard errors. The instrumental variables approach performs well in Monte Carlo simulations of an environment highlighting a many-to-one linkage problem.
Association between comorbidities and longitudinal changes in total testosterone among men from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
Authors: Carto Chase Alexander , Gurayah Aaron A , Arbelaez Maria Camila Suarez , Grewal Meghan R , Kohn Taylor , Ramasamy Ranjith
Published: March 2023

Background

Previous cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have described decreasing testosterone levels with age in men, without consideration of acquired comorbidities in aging males.

Aim

We evaluated the longitudinal association between age and testosterone levels as well as the impact of several comorbidities on this relationship using multivariate panel regression analysis.

Methods

Participants were selected from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Data were obtained on the presence of several comorbidities and total testosterone level during each follow-up visit. A multivariate panel regression analysis was performed to determine the impact of age on testosterone level while controlling for individual comorbidities.

Outcomes

The primary outcomes were strength of association between age and various comorbidities, and testosterone level.

Results

A total of 625 men were included in this study, with a mean age of 65 years and a mean testosterone level of 463 ng/dL. On multivariable-adjusted panel regression analysis, age was not significantly associated with testosterone decline, while anemia, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, obesity, peripheral artery disease, and stroke were inversely associated with total testosterone level. We report no association between cancer and total testosterone.

Clinical Implications

This study indicates that a decline in testosterone levels over time may be due to the presence of various comorbidities, which affects the medical management of hypogonadism in aging men.

Strengths and Limitations

The strengths of this study include the standardized acquisition of testosterone tests and uniform collection of variables, while limitations include the lack of follow-up data from 205 patients and the limited racial/ethnic diversity in the cohort.

Conclusions

In this large longitudinal study, we found that when adjusted for the presence of concomitant comorbidities, age does not predict a significant decline in testosterone level. With the overall increase in life expectancy and the simultaneous rise in the incidence of comorbidities such as diabetes and dyslipidemia, our findings may help optimize screening and treatment for late-onset hypogonadism in patients with multiple comorbidities.
Juvenile Fasciola gigantica emerging through the skin in a returning traveller
Authors: Van Den Broucke Steven , Vandecasteele Stefaan , Van Esbroeck Marjan , Dorny Pierre , Dermauw Veronique , De Jong Theodorus , Bottieau Emmanuel , Vereecken Henk , Potters Idzi , Paredis Linda
Published: March 2023

We describe a patient presenting with eosinophilia and liver lesions. A juvenile Fasciola gigantica emerged through the skin, an occurrence which has been only described in two patients so far. Ectopic manifestations usually appear shortly after infection, whereas the time before emergence was more than 1 year in our patient.
On the topological surface states of the intrinsic magnetic topological insulator Mn-Bi-Te family
Authors: Wang Yuan , Ma Xiao-Ming , Hao Zhanyang , Cai Yongqing , Rong Hongtao , Zhang Fayuan , Chen Weizhao , Zhang Chengcheng , Lin Junhao , Zhao Yue , Liu Chang , Liu Qihang , Chen Chaoyu
Published: March 2023

We review recent progress in the electronic structure study of intrinsic magnetic topological insulators (MnBi2Te4) · (Bi2Te3)n ($n\ = \ 0,\ 1,\ 2,\ 3$) family. Specifically, we focus on the ubiquitously (nearly) gapless behavior of the topological Dirac surface state observed by photoemission spectroscopy, even though a large Dirac gap is expected because of surface ferromagnetic order. The dichotomy between experiment and theory concerning this gap behavior is perhaps the most critical and puzzling question in this frontier. We discuss various proposals accounting for the lack of magnetic effect on the topological Dirac surface state, which are mainly categorized into two pictures, magnetic reconfiguration and topological surface state redistribution. Band engineering towards opening a magnetic gap of topological surface states provides great opportunities to realize quantized topological transport and axion electrodynamics at higher temperatures.