bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In the eye of the media: A provost's perspective
Authors: Lee Karen A.
Published: April 2023

This chapter presents the perspective of a provost on public intellectuals in higher education. It provides practical guidance through a series of questions faculty members might ask themselves about their role and approach to public intellectualism, including how to translate academic scholarship into a legible message for the general public and establishing discernment process for accepting an interview, speaking engagement, or writing assignments. It also describes effective practices that can shape a public scholarship agenda and considers the implications for academic scholars who choose to enter the realm of thought leadership and public life, and the implications and repercussions of navigating public discourse in the context of a fragmented American evangelicalism.
Use of high‐flow cannula in pediatric patients with respiratory failure: A prospective cohort study in three high‐altitude hospitals
Authors: Ante‐Ardila Natalia , Garnica Camilo Novoa , Umaña Paola Mora , Castañeda Olga Lucía Baquero , Cháves Alexandra Jiménez , Naranjo Melisa Sofía , Piñeros Juan G. , Bonilla Carolina , Mejía Luz M. , Mesa‐Rubio María L. , Restrepo‐Gualteros Sonia , Barrera Pedro , Moreno‐Lopez Sergio , Rueda‐Guevara Paola , Varela Andrea Ramírez ,   FARA Group
Published: April 2023

Background and Aims

Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is a common cause of morbimortality, and a frequent reason for admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). It requires a high‐flow oxygen device as treatment. Our aim is to determine the frequency and main indications for the use of high‐flow nasal cannula (HFNC), and the prevalence of HFNC failure and its main causes, in three hospitals

Methods

It is a multicenter prospective cohort study, developed in three hospitals in Bogota. Eligible patients were children older than 1 month and younger than 18 years who presented ARF and required management with an HFNC. The study was carried out between April 2020 and December 2021. The follow‐up was carried out at 1, 6, and 48 h after starting the management.

Results

Of 685 patients included in the study, 296 developed ARF. The prevalence of patients with ARF who required management with HFNC was 48%. The frequency of the pathologies that cause the ARF was: Bronchiolitis was the most frequent pathology (34.5%), followed by asthmatic crisis (15.5%) and pneumonia (12.7%). The average time of use of HFNC was 81.6 h. Regarding treatment failure with HFNC, 15 patients presented torpid evolution and required invasive mechanical ventilation, with a prevalence of therapeutic failure of the HFNC of 10.6%.

Conclusion

The use of HFNC is more frequent in patients with bronchiolitis, in children under 2 years of age and in males, which is in line with what has been reported in the literature. In addition, the failure rate of HFNC is low (10.6%), and it may be useful in other pathologies besides bronchiolitis, such as asthma, pneumonia, among others. It opens the possibility to continue evaluating the role of HFNC in pediatric pathology in new studies.
アトピー性皮膚炎を基礎疾患とし肺動脈弁感染性心内膜炎を発症した1例(A case of isolated pulmonary valve infective endocarditis with atopic dermatitis)
Authors: 祐司 野田 , 賢彦 海田 , 知明 根田 , 晃康 大津 , 慧 吉川 , 剛明 松田 , 芳裕 山口
Published: April 2023

アトピー性皮膚炎（atopic dermatitis: AD）は慢性皮膚炎であり，感染性心内膜炎（infective endocarditis: IE）など重症感染症の合併報告はコントロール不良なAD例であり，さらに肺動脈弁の孤立性IE報告例はない。症例は50歳代の男性，既往はコントロール良好な小児期からのADあり。手指消毒剤により指尖部乾燥が増悪していた。入院5日前に発熱し近医から抗菌薬を処方されたが，入院前日に体動困難となり他院へ搬送され敗血症の診断で入院した。翌日精査加療目的に当院へ転院した。来院時意識清明，呼吸循環動態は保たれていたが，40℃の発熱と右肘の発赤腫脹，前腕の有痛性浮腫性紅斑を認めた。血液検査で血小板が3.6万に低下しており敗血症と診断し広域抗菌薬を投与し救命センターに入室とした。入院後右肘穿刺液，左前腕筋間の膿瘍，血液培養からメチシリン感受性ブドウ球菌が検出されセファゾリンにて治療を継続した。入院15日目まで複数回の経胸壁・食道心臓超音波検査とCT検査では疣贅を認めず，ガリウムシンチグラフィーでも有意な所見を認めなかったが，入院33日目に施行した造影CT検査にて肺動脈弁の疣贅を確認した。血液培養陰性化後6週間抗菌薬を投与し，入院51日目に退院した。ADの既往のある菌血症症例は肺動脈弁領域のIEの可能性も念頭に繰り返し評価し考慮する必要がある。
Construction of coaxial liquid centrifugal platform for the extraction of active ingredients from natural products
Authors: Xiong Yue , Chen Zhuhui , Duan Peng‐Bo , Ma Ranran , Ineza Urujeni Gisèle , Liu E‐Hu , Xiao Deli
Published: April 2023

In the classical natural product extraction and separation process, it is tedious and requires large amounts of reagents and time. In this study, an efficient coaxial liquid centrifugal oil‐water‐oil triple‐liquid‐phase system with a simple structure and convenient operation was successfully constructed and used to extract flavonoids from Platycladi Cacumen. The results showed that the coaxial liquid centrifugal platform constructed in this study had good stability and 6 ml was the minimum volume of the middle phase for 1000 rpm to stabilize the system. Besides, it was easy to repeat the operation: the relative standard deviations of the extraction yields of flavonoids and sugar in six parallel operations were all less than 10%. Moreover, it was only one‐tenth of the time required for this method as traditional liquid‐liquid extraction while reducing the use of volatile organic reagents. Finally, the new method was more selective than the traditional method for the extraction of flavonoids. Therefore, this study provides a possibility for the coaxial liquid centrifugal platform to be used in multi‐liquid phase systems to achieve the simultaneous extraction of different parts of natural products by different liquid phases. It is expected to provide a reliable reference for further expansion of small‐scale experimental operations to industrial production.
Novel fluorescent nanoprobe based on hyaluronic acid and polyethyleneimine functionalized graphene oxide for detecting hyaluronidase as tumor marker
Authors: Zhang Ping , Zhang Chaoqun , Song Jie , Wang Shuxin , Li Qian , Su Feng , Li Suming
Published: April 2023

A novel nanoprobe was developed for the detection of hyaluronidase as cancer marker, using fluorescein 5‐isothiocyanate (FITC) as fluorescence indicator, hyaluronic acid (HA), and polyethyleneimine (PEI) functionalized graphene oxide (GO) as quencher. PEI was attached to GO through amide bonding, using 1‐ethyl‐3‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N‐hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) as coupling agents. Aminated hyaluronic acid (HA) was then linked to GO‐PEI (GOP) via the same route. Nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet–visible–near infrared spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and thermogravimetric analysis analyses confirmed the successful synthesis of GOP‐HA. Finally, FITC was attached to GOP‐HA through reaction between the isothiocyanate group of FITC and the amine group of aminated HA. The fluorescence of FITC is quenched in the resulted GOP‐HA‐FITC nanoprobe. Addition of hyaluronidase can cleave HA chains into small fragments, releasing FITC to emit fluorescence. Importantly, the nanoprobe is highly sensitive and selective, and can enter cells by specifically binding to the CD44 receptor on the surface of Hela cells. Therefore, GOP‐HA‐FITC nanoprobe could be used in targeted tumor cell imaging for the early diagnosis of cancers.
Designing Bayesian new two‐sided group chain sampling plan for quality regions based on beta prior
Authors: Hafeez Waqar , Aziz Nazrina , Du Jianguo
Published: April 2023

Acceptance sampling is used to determine whether to accept or reject the lot that is being inspected. The Bayesian strategy is the ideal method to use when historical data about the product is available in order to make decision. To estimate quality regions, we suggest a Bayesian new two‐sided group chain sampling plan in this study. The operating characteristic function is developed using the binomial distribution, and average probability of acceptance is estimated using beta distribution as prior. Four quality regions are estimated for certain predetermined values of producer's and consumer's risks. Producer's risk and consumer's risk are correlated with acceptable quality level and limiting quality level of quality regions, respectively. For the proposed plan, inflection point values are estimated based on various combinations of design parameters. Operating characteristic curves are use up to compare the current Bayesian group chain sampling plan (BGChSP) with the effects of changing the values of specified parameter values. The suggested plan is a well replacement for current industry plans, according to the operating characteristic curve's findings.
SpiderLearner: An ensemble approach to Gaussian graphical model estimation
Authors: Shutta Katherine H. , Balzer Laura B. , Scholtens Denise M. , Balasubramanian Raji
Published: April 2023

Gaussian graphical models (GGMs) are a popular form of network model in which nodes represent features in multivariate normal data and edges reflect conditional dependencies between these features. GGM estimation is an active area of research. Currently available tools for GGM estimation require investigators to make several choices regarding algorithms, scoring criteria, and tuning parameters. An estimated GGM may be highly sensitive to these choices, and the accuracy of each method can vary based on structural characteristics of the network such as topology, degree distribution, and density. Because these characteristics area prioriunknown, it is not straightforward to establish universal guidelines for choosing a GGM estimation method. We address this problem by introducing SpiderLearner, an ensemble method that constructs a consensus network from multiple estimated GGMs. Given a set of candidate methods, SpiderLearner estimates the optimal convex combination of results from each method using a likelihood‐based loss function. ‐fold cross‐validation is applied in this process, reducing the risk of overfitting. In simulations, SpiderLearner performs better than or comparably to the best candidate methods according to a variety of metrics, including relative Frobenius norm and out‐of‐sample likelihood. We apply SpiderLearner to publicly available ovarian cancer gene expression data including 2013 participants from 13 diverse studies, demonstrating our tool's potential to identify biomarkers of complex disease. SpiderLearner is implemented as flexible, extensible, open‐source code in the R packageensembleGGMathttps://github.com/katehoffshutta/ensembleGGM.
Cross‐version defect prediction using threshold‐based active learning
Authors: Mei Yuanqing , Liu Xutong , Lu Zeyu , Yang Yibiao , Liu Huihui , Zhou Yuming
Published: April 2023

Because defects in software modules (e.g., classes) might lead to product failure and financial loss, software defect prediction enables us to better understand and control software quality. Software development is a dynamic evolutionary process that may result in data distributions (e.g., defect characteristics) varying from version to version. In this case, effective cross‐version defect prediction (CVDP) is not easy to achieve. In this paper, we aim to investigate whether the defect prediction method of the threshold‐based active learning (TAL) can tackle the problem of the different data distribution between successive versions. Our TAL method includes two stages. At the active learning stage, a committee of investigated metrics is constructed to vote on the unlabeled modules of the current version. We pick up the unlabeled module with the median of voting scores to domain experts. The domain experts test and label the selected unlabeled module. Then, we merge the selected labeled module and the remaining modules with pseudo‐labels from the current version into the labeled modules of the prior version to form enhanced training data. Based on the training data, we derive the metric thresholds used for the next iteration. At the defect prediction stage, the iterations stop when a predefined threshold is reached. Finally, we use the cutoff threshold of voting scores, that is, 50%, to predict the defect‐prone of the remaining unlabeled modules. We evaluate the TAL method on 31 versions of 10 projects with three prevalent performance indicators. The results show that TAL outperforms the baseline methods, including three variations methods, two common supervised methods, and the state‐of‐the‐art method Hybrid Active Learning and Kernel PCA (HALKP). The results indicate that TAL can effectively address the different data distribution between successive versions. Furthermore, to keep the cost of extensive testing low in practice, selecting 5% of candidate modules from the current version is sufficient for TAL to achieve a good performance of defect prediction.
Transillumination facilitates coccygeal arterial cannulation in anaesthetised small‐breed dogs
Authors: Kim Hyunseok , Park Kyoungsoo , Lee Junhyup , Shin Donghwi , Son Won‐Gyun , Lee Inhyung
Published: April 2023

Background

Arterial access in small‐breed dogs is challenging, but arterial visualisation may facilitate the procedure, as evidenced in human medicine. This prospective, randomised study investigated the result of using transillumination to guide coccygeal artery cannulation in small‐breed dogs.

Methods

Coccygeal artery cannulation was attempted in dogs anaesthetised with butorphanol, midazolam, propofol and sevoflurane. In 70 dogs (standard technique group [STECHNIQUE group]), arterial cannulation was performed using pulse palpation. In 71 dogs (transilluminating‐standard technique group [TSTECHNIQUE group]), a transilluminating device was utilised. The device was placed on the dorsal tail, and the cannula was advanced towards the dark line visible against the bright background. If the artery was not well visualised due to pigmentation, pulse palpation was used. The success rate of arterial cannulation was compared between the groups using the chi‐squared test.

Results

Arterial cannulation was significantly more successful (p < 0.001) in the TSTECHNIQUE group (63/71 [88.7%]) than in the STECHNIQUE group (43/70 [61.4%]).

Limitations

The number of punctures attempted and the time to cannulation were not assessed, and the procedure was only performed by veterinarians experienced in arterial cannulation.

Conclusions

The transillumination allows for a more accurate approach to the coccygeal artery, improving the success of arterial cannulation when combined with pulse palpation.
Unanticipated hyperkalaemia and associated perioperative complications in three captive grey wolves (Canis lupus) undergoing general anaesthesia
Authors: Mattaliano Giorgio , Heberlein Marianne , Cruz Benedetti Inga‐Catalina
Published: April 2023

Intraoperative hyperkalaemia has been described in dogs, cats, non‐domestic felids and in a calf. This case series reports the occurrence and associated complications in three captive‐held grey wolves anaesthetised for root canal treatment. Severe bradyarrhythmia associated with hypotension was detected in two cases before hyperkalaemia was confirmed. These also presented with signs compatible with malignant hyperthermia and rhabdomyolysis. In the third wolf, regular arterial blood gas analysis revealed a progressive increase in plasma potassium exceeding reference values 240 min after premedication. Hyperkalaemia was treated symptomatically with standard protocols, and the recovery was uneventful in all three wolves. The cause of hyperkalaemia in the described cases remains unknown and is most likely multifactorial. Prolonged recumbency, long anaesthetic duration and the administration of α2‐adrenoceptor agonists are potential influencing factors. Additionally, malignant hyperthermia, rhabdomyolysis, acidaemia and drug effects are discussed for their potential of causing the described intraoperative hyperkalaemia.
Autologous blood patch pleurodesis for management of persistent pneumothorax in a dog with metastatic osteosarcoma
Authors: Moses Amber A. , Robinson Christopher J. , Rincon Angie A. , Wurlod Virginie A. , Withers Sita S.
Published: April 2023

A 10‐year‐old, neutered, male Pitbull was presented to the oncology service with dyspnoea, approximately 16 months after treatment with amputation and chemotherapy for appendicular osteosarcoma, and 4 months after development of diffuse pulmonary metastatic disease. Thoracic radiographs diagnosed bilateral pneumothorax, presumed secondary to metastatic osteosarcoma. The pneumothorax was refractory to conservative management, and two autologous blood patch pleurodesis procedures were performed 48 hours apart, according to a previously published protocol. Marked radiographic improvement was evident within 24 hours of the autologous blood patch pleurodesis procedures, and the dog was discharged 6 days after initial presentation. Approximately 13 weeks later, the dog was humanely euthanased due to progressive clinical signs. This report describes the development of spontaneous persistent pneumothorax secondary to osteosarcoma metastatic disease in a dog, and its palliation with autologous blood patch pleurodesis. This case demonstrates that autologous blood patch pleurodesis can be considered as a treatment option for pneumothorax secondary to metastatic disease in dogs.
A retrospective study on the immobilisation of captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at UWEC, Uganda
Authors: Watuwa James , Mbabazi Racheal , Sente Celsus , Musinguzi James , Laubscher Liesel
Published: April 2023

The study used the records of 188 chimpanzees that were immobilised with medetomidine and ketamine for annual health checks from 1998 to 2020. The initial dose for each animal was estimated as 5 mg/kg ketamine plus 0.05 mg/kg medetomidine administered intramuscularly. When necessary, additional intramuscular top‐ups of 5 mg/kg ketamine plus 0.05 mg/kg medetomidine were given. Monitoring started from the moment the animals were on the examination table until they were placed back in their enclosure. All animals were positioned in dorsal recumbency. Physiologic parameters including heart rate (beats per minute), respiration rate (breaths per minute), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2, %) and rectal temperature (°C) were measured. Atipamezole was administered at five times the dose of medetomidine. Time to first sign of sedation, time to recumbency, time from darting to reversal, time to first sign of recovery, time to head up and sternal, and time to standing were also measured.
Machine learning for design and optimization of organic Rankine cycle plants: A review of current status and future perspectives
Authors: Oyekale Joseph , Oreko Benjamin
Published: April 2023

The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is widely acknowledged as a sustainable power cycle. However, the traditional approach commonly adopted for its optimal design involves sequential consideration of working fluid selection, plant configuration, and component types, before the optimization of state parameters. This way, the design process fails to achieve an optimal design in most cases, since the process relies heavily on empirical judgments. To improve the design process, researchers have been exploring lately the suitability of machine learning techniques. It is however not clear yet if data‐driven designs of ORC plants are practically viable and accurate. To bridge this gap, this article reviews literature studies in the field. Overviews were first presented on the ORC technology and machine learning modeling approaches. Next, studies that applied machine‐learning methods for the design and performance prediction of ORC plants were discussed. Furthermore, studies that focused on ORC machine learning optimizations were discussed. The artificial neural network (ANN) approach was observed as the technique most frequently applied for ORC design and optimization. Additionally, researchers agree in general that machine‐learning methods can achieve accurate results, with significant reductions of computational time and cost. However, there is the risk of using inadequate data size in the machine learning design approach, or insufficient data set training time, all of which can affect accuracy. It is hoped that this effort would spur the practical implementation of machine learning techniques in the future design and optimization of ORC plants, toward the achievement of more sustainable energy technology.

This article is categorized under:

Sustainable Energy > Energy Efficiency

Sustainable Energy > Other Renewables
Biomonitoring of heavy metals using Contracaecum quadripapillatum (Nematoda) in comparison to its fish host, Lates niloticus, from the Nile River, Egypt
Authors: Thabit Hasnaa
Published: April 2023

Recently, fish parasites have been used as a biomonitoring tool to indicate the health status of ecosystems. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the potential capacity of Contracaecum quadripapillatum larvae as accumulation indicators for metal pollution and compare metal concentrations in host tissues of non-infected and infected fish: Lates niloticus from the Nile River. Accumulations of Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in larval nematodes and tissues of the liver, kidney, and muscles of both infected and non-infected fish were determined. All metal concentrations exhibit a significantly higher increase in larval nematodes than the muscles of infected fish and vice versa except Cd in the kidney. On the other hand, only Cd, Mn, Pb, and Zn concentrations were significantly higher in the parasite than in the host liver. Therefore, bioaccumulation factors were most obvious and effective in the muscles of infected fish than in the liver and kidney. Contracaecum larvae accumulate Cd and Pb more than other metals. The infrapopulation size of C. quadripapillatum correlated with metal concentrations in different host tissues, especially the kidney, while the correlations between metal levels in the tissues of both parasite and fish organs exhibit different patterns in each organ. The current work revealed that C. quadripapillatum larvae represent environmental monitors for metal pollution in the freshwater ecosystem.
Structural, Optical and Antibacterial Activity Studies on CMC/PVA Blend Filled with Three Different Types of Green Synthesized ZnO Nanoparticles
Authors: Yassin A. Y. , Abdelghany A. M. , Salama Reda S. , Tarabiah A. E.
Published: April 2023

In this work, zinc oxide (ZnO) was produced using extracts of Thymus (Z), Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (K), and Daucus carota (G). Furthermore, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were combined with ZnO to form three novel nanocomposites. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used for the structural analysis, where the semicrystalline nature of the (CMC/PVA)/ZnO nanocomposites was confirmed. The characteristics functional groups that arose inside the prepared samples were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Evidence for the successful preparation of the pure ZnO particles and their nanocomposites was carried out using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The ZnO nanoparticles are mostly spherical, irregularly distributed, and have radii ranging from 10 to 40 nm. Their anti-bacterial activity was studied against B. subtilis, E. coli, and Candida albicans. The inhibition zones of all the prepared samples against E. coli were 0, 19, 31, and 23 mm for PVA/CMC blend, PVA/CMC/ZnO (Z) (PCZ-Z), PVA/CMC/ZnO (K) (PCZ-K), and PVA/CMC/ZnO (G) (PCZ-G), respectively, compared to the streptomycin control Gram-positive standard with inhibition zone (34 mm). On the other hand, the inhibition zones of the prepared samples against B. subtilis were equal to 0, 26, 33, and 28 mm for CMC/PVA, PCZ-Z, PCZ-K, and PCZ-G, respectively. Based on these results, the PCZ-K sample is the most effective at resisting E. coli (91.17%) and B. subtilis (94.28%). These nanocomposites do not have harmful chemicals, making them strong candidates for use in biological applications.
The Relationship Between African Easterly Waves and Tropical Cyclones in Historical and Future Climates in the HighResMIP‐PRIMAVERA Simulations
Authors: Bercos‐Hickey Emily , Patricola Christina M. , Loring Burlen , Collins William D.
Published: April 2023

The deadly and destructive nature of tropical cyclones (TCs) makes understanding their response to future climate change of the utmost importance. TC genesis hinges on multiple factors, including an initial disturbance. African easterly waves (AEWs) have been shown to serve as such disturbances for TCs developing in the North Atlantic. It is therefore crucial to understand the relationship between AEWs and TCs and how this relationship may be affected by climate change. In this study, we examine the AEW‐TC relationship in historical and future climates using three models from the HighResMIP PRIMAVERA simulations. The AEWs and TCs were tracked in the model data using objective tracking algorithms, and AEW and TC tracks were then matched together if they were close to each other in space and time. The strength of the AEWs was measured using the eddy kinetic energy and the curvature vorticity of the waves. TC strength and intensity were measured using potential intensity and lifetime maximum 10 m windspeed. We found that future changes in the frequency of AEWs are not a good indicator of future TC activity. However, AEW strength, as well as environmental conditions conducive to strong TCs, are good indicators of AEWs that develop into TCs in both historical and future climates.
Dissimilarity of Turbulent Transport of Momentum and Heat Under Unstable Conditions Linked to Convective Circulations
Authors: Zhang Lu , Zhang Hongsheng , Zhang Xiaoye , Li Qianhui , Wu Bingui , Cai Xuhui , Song Yu , Zhu Tong
Published: April 2023

The dissimilarity between the turbulent transport of momentum and heat under unstable conditions and its physical mechanisms are investigated in this study, based on the multiple‐level turbulence observation from the Tianjin 255‐m meteorological tower. The transport dissimilarity is observed from the surface layer to the lower part of mixed layer as atmospheric instability increases. Although the transport dissimilarity is accompanied by the development of plumes and thermals under unstable conditions, plumes and thermals can produce intense transport both of momentum and heat simultaneously. It is convective circulations induced by vigorous thermals that cause transport dissimilarity. The horizontal divergence generated by convective circulations imposes a dominant large‐scale reduction in the along‐wind velocity component near the surface, which is related to increased counter gradient transport of momentum, while the temporal variations in temperature mainly reflect the role of plumes and thermals and thus the transport of heat is predominantly down‐gradient. This difference in respective physical processes subsequently leads to dissimilar transport between momentum and heat under unstable conditions. Therefore, it is of great interest to represent the influence of convective circulations on the momentum‐flux estimation in future investigations, aiming to improve the boundary‐layer parameterization schemes for mesoscale numerical weather models.
Acceptance and willingness-to-pay for oocyte cryopreservation in medical versus age-related fertility preservation scenarios among Swedish female university students
Authors: Gambadauro Pietro , Bränn Emma , Hadlaczky Gergö
Published: April 2023

Oocytes can be effectively cryopreserved and stored for future use in in-vitro fertilisation. Oocyte cryopreservation (OC) can therefore mitigate different threats to female fertility, but attitudes and policies often seem more favourable in medical rather than age-related fertility preservation scenarios. The value of OC for potential candidates may be perceived differently depending on the indications, although relevant empirical data are lacking. An adequately powered sample of Swedish female university students (n = 270; median age 25; range 19–35) were randomly delivered a medical (n = 130) or age-related (n = 140) fertility preservation scenario within an online survey. Sociodemographic factors, reproductive experiences, and awareness about OC were not significantly different between the groups. Differences in four outcomes were studied: proportions of respondents (1) positive to the use of OC, (2) positive to public funding for OC, or (3) open to considering OC; and (4) willingness-to-pay (WTP) for OC, measured in thousand Swedish krona (K SEK) through contingent valuation. There were no significant differences in the proportions of respondents positive to the use of OC (medical: 96%; age-related: 93%) or open to consider it (medical: 90%; age-related: 88%) in each scenario. However, public funding had significantly greater support in the medical scenario (85%) than in the age-related one (64%). The median WTP (45 K SEK ≈ 4.15 K EUR) approximated the current Swedish market price for a single elective cycle and was not significantly different between the scenarios (Cliff’s delta − 0.009; 95%CI − 0.146, 0.128). These findings suggest that it may be inappropriate to justify counselling and priority policies only on the assumption that fertility preservation with OC for medical indications is more beneficial to women than when the same technique is used for age-related reasons. However, it would be interesting to investigate further why public funding appears more debatable than the treatment itself.
mlf-core: a framework for deterministic machine learning
Authors: Heumos Lukas , Ehmele Philipp , Kuhn Cuellar Luis , Menden Kevin , Miller Edmund , Lemke Steffen , Gabernet Gisela , Nahnsen Sven
Published: April 2023

Motivation

Machine learning has shown extensive growth in recent years and is now routinely applied to sensitive areas. To allow appropriate verification of predictive models before deployment, models must be deterministic. Solely fixing all random seeds is not sufficient for deterministic machine learning, as major machine learning libraries default to the usage of nondeterministic algorithms based on atomic operations.

Results

Various machine learning libraries released deterministic counterparts to the nondeterministic algorithms. We evaluated the effect of these algorithms on determinism and runtime. Based on these results, we formulated a set of requirements for deterministic machine learning and developed a new software solution, the mlf-core ecosystem, which aids machine learning projects to meet and keep these requirements. We applied mlf-core to develop deterministic models in various biomedical fields including a single-cell autoencoder with TensorFlow, a PyTorch-based U-Net model for liver-tumor segmentation in computed tomography scans, and a liver cancer classifier based on gene expression profiles with XGBoost.

Availability and implementation

The complete data together with the implementations of the mlf-core ecosystem and use case models are available at https://github.com/mlf-core.
STGRNS: an interpretable transformer-based method for inferring gene regulatory networks from single-cell transcriptomic data
Authors: Xu Jing , Zhang Aidi , Liu Fang , Zhang Xiujun
Published: April 2023

Motivation

Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies provide an opportunity to infer cell-specific gene regulatory networks (GRNs), which is an important challenge in systems biology. Although numerous methods have been developed for inferring GRNs from scRNA-seq data, it is still a challenge to deal with cellular heterogeneity.

Results

To address this challenge, we developed an interpretable transformer-based method namely STGRNS for inferring GRNs from scRNA-seq data. In this algorithm, gene expression motif technique was proposed to convert gene pairs into contiguous sub-vectors, which can be used as input for the transformer encoder. By avoiding missing phase-specific regulations in a network, gene expression motif can improve the accuracy of GRN inference for different types of scRNA-seq data. To assess the performance of STGRNS, we implemented the comparative experiments with some popular methods on extensive benchmark datasets including 21 static and 27 time-series scRNA-seq dataset. All the results show that STGRNS is superior to other comparative methods. In addition, STGRNS was also proved to be more interpretable than “black box” deep learning methods, which are well-known for the difficulty to explain the predictions clearly.

Availability and implementation

The source code and data are available at https://github.com/zhanglab-wbgcas/STGRNS.
Bipolar high-frequency electric welding in radical resection of frontal sinus tumors
Authors: Zabolotnyi Dmytro , Kvasha Olena
Published: April 2023

The aim of study is to develop a new method of connecting the dura mater (DM) defects in frontal sinus tumors with intracranial spread using high-frequency bipolar coagulation for welding of living tissues. Depending on the method of DM defect repair, patients were divided into two groups. The 1st group (control) included patients whose DM defect was connected according to the conventional method (suturing with polypropylene threads), in the 2nd group—the DM defect was connected by high-frequency bipolar electric welding using EKVZ-300, Patonmed. As a result of the study, the authors proposed an effective method of connecting the DM defects after the removal of frontal sinus tumors spreading intracranially. Such methods include a high-frequency bipolar electric welding method, the use of which contributed to a minimal destructive effect on adjacent tissues, but at the same time hermetically connected the DM. This was possible due to the supply of current with certain wave characteristics in a certain modulation at a temperature of 40–48°C, resulting in the connection of tissues without the formation of a coagulation scab due to the mechanism of protein-associated electrothermal adhesion of tissues. Presented data indicate significant advantages of using high-frequency bipolar electric welding the DM defects and fascia lata to restore the closed physiological circuit of cerebrospinal fluid circulation, compared to the traditional suture method. This approach has reduced intra- and post-operative complications, the time of surgery, and the length of the postoperative period.
Study on flame propagation characteristics of coal dust explosion in horizontal straight pipe
Authors: Song Baichao
Published: April 2023

Coal dust explosion is one of the common accidents in mines. The flame generated in the explosion process spreads rapidly, and the high-temperature flame will cause personal injury and equipment damage in the working environment. In order to study the flame propagation characteristics of coal dust explosion, four kinds of coal dust explosion flame propagation experiments were carried out by using the intelligent coal dust explosion identification device, and the flame propagation process was simulated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The results show that the flame length of lignite dust explosion is obviously longer than that of long flame coal, non-caking coal and gas coal. From the ignition of lignite coal dust, the flame length increases continuously, reaches the maximum of 52 cm at a certain time and then gradually decreases to 0. While the flame length increases, the flame propagation rate also experiences the propagation process of accelerating and decelerating. By comparing the explosion flame length obtained by CFD numerical simulation with the experimental results, it is found that the simulation error is within the acceptable range. Further statistical analysis is made on the simulation results of overpressure generated by explosion, and it is found that the change law is consistent with the theoretical formula, so as to further verify the feasibility of numerical simulation for explosion research. The research results lay a theoretical foundation for predicting the disaster scope of coal dust explosion accidents, and have practical significance for taking explosion suppression and flameproof measures in mines.
Functional analysis of rare anti-Müllerian hormone protein-altering variants identified in women with PCOS
Authors: Meng L , McLuskey A , Dunaif A , Visser J A
Published: April 2023

Recently, rare heterozygous AMH protein-altering variants were identified in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), causing reduced anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) signaling. However, the exact functional mechanism remains unknown. Here, we analyzed the processing, secretion, and signaling of these AMH variants. Functional analysis of six PCOS-specific AMH variants (V12G, P151S, P270S, P352S, P362S, H506Q) and one control-specific variant (A519V) was performed in the mouse granulosa cell-line KK-1. Human (h) AMH-151S and hAMH-506Q have ∼90% decreased AMH signaling compared to wild-type (wt) AMH signaling. Coexpression of hAMH-151S or hAMH-506Q with wt-hAMH dose-dependently inhibited wt-hAMH signaling. Western blotting revealed that hAMH-151S and hAMH-506Q proteins were detected in the cell lysate but not in the supernatant. Confocal microscopy showed that HEK293 cells expressing hAMH-151S and hAMH-506Q had higher cellular AMH protein levels with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention compared to cells expressing wt-hAMH. Using two AMH ELISA kits, hAMH-151S was detected in the cell lysate, while only very low levels were detected in the supernatant. Both hAMH-362S and hAMH-519V were detectable using the automated AMH ELISA but showed severely reduced immunoactivity in the manual ELISA. Surprisingly, hAMH-506Q was undetectable in both the cell lysate and supernatant using either ELISA. However, in PCOS cases, heterozygous carriers of the P151S and H506Q variants still had detectable AMH in both assays. Thus, P151S and H506Q disrupt normal processing and secretion of AMH, causing ER retention. Additionally, AMH variants can impair the AMH immunoactivity. An AMH variant may be considered when serum AMH levels are relatively low in PCOS cases.
Caudal epidural steroid injection versus transforaminal ESI for unilateral S1 radiculopathy: a prospective, randomized trial
Authors: Ozturk Ekim Can , Sacaklidir Rekib , Sencan Savas , Gunduz Osman Hakan
Published: April 2023

Objective

Epidural steroid injections are frequently performed to manage radicular symptoms. Most research investigating the effectiveness of different routes of epidural injections were conducted with non-homogeneous groups. In this study our aim was to investigate the efficacy of caudal versus transforaminal approaches in patients with unilateral S1 radiculopathy secondary to a paracentral L5–S1 disc herniation.

Study design

Prospective, randomized clinical trial.

Setting

A university hospital pain management center.

Methods

The study was conducted between January 2022 and February 2023. Patients with unilateral S1 radiculopathy were randomly divided into two groups: the caudal epidural steroid injection (CESI) and the transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) group. Severity of pain and disability were assessed with Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) at baseline, 3 weeks, and 3 months after treatment. Fifty percent or more improvement in NRS-11 was defined as treatment success. Fluoroscopy time and doses of exposed radiation were also recorded.

Results

A total of 60 patients were included in the final analysis (n = 30 for each group). Significant improvement in pain and disability scores was observed at 3rd week and 3rd month compared to baseline (P < .001). Treatment success rate at 3rd month was 77% for the CESI group and 73% for the TFESI group without any significant difference between the groups (P = .766).

Conclusions

CESI is equally effective as TFESI in the management of S1 radiculopathy due to a paracentral L5–S1 disc herniation. Both approaches can reduce pain and disability, while CESI requires shorter fluoroscopy time and less radiation exposure.
Paediatric rheumatologists do not score the physician’s global assessment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis disease activity in the same way
Authors: Backström Maria , Tarkiainen Maarit , Gottlieb Beth S , Trincianti Chiara , Qiu Tingting , Morgan Esi , Lovell Daniel J , Bovis Francesca , Löyttyniemi Eliisa , Ruperto Nicolino , Vähäsalo Paula , Consolaro Alessandro
Published: April 2023

Objectives

To assess the heterogeneity in factors affecting physician’s global assessment of disease activity (PhGA) and in PhGA scoring of multiple JIA patient’s case scenarios.

Methods

An electronic web-based questionnaire of factors potentially considered in PhGA was sent worldwide to members of PRINTO and the Pediatric Rheumatology Care and Outcomes Improvement Network (PR-COIN). The respondents were asked to rate from 0 to 100 the relevance of 17 factors possibly affecting PhGA scoring and to derive a PhGA score of 17 detailed JIA patient cases. The median and interquartile range was used to measure the heterogeneity in the scoring. To demonstrate the consistency among the PhGA scores of the patient cases provided by multiple physicians, we assessed the inter-rater reliability using intra-class correlation.

Results

The questionnaire was completed by 491 respondents. A large individual variation was observed in the impact of different factors on PhGA when assessing JIA. For non-systemic JIA the presence of fever had the largest variation and swollen joint count had the smallest. For sJIA, the largest variation was seen in the presence of erosions and the smallest in the presence of fever. The intra-class correlation of the group for PhGA scoring of patient cases was 0.53 (95% CI 0.38, 0.72).

Conclusions

In a sample of worldwide respondents, the scoring of the PhGA is divergent. Consensus on PhGA scoring guidelines is required to obtain a consistent assessment of patients.
Impact of population size on early adaptation in rugged fitness landscapes
Authors: Servajean Richard , Bitbol Anne-Florence
Published: April 2023

Owing to stochastic fluctuations arising from finite population size, known as genetic drift, the ability of a population to explore a rugged fitness landscape depends on its size. In the weak mutation regime, while the mean steady-state fitness increases with population size, we find that the height of the first fitness peak encountered when starting from a random genotype displays various behaviours versus population size, even among small and simple rugged landscapes. We show that the accessibility of the different fitness peaks is key to determining whether this height overall increases or decreases with population size. Furthermore, there is often a finite population size that maximizes the height of the first fitness peak encountered when starting from a random genotype. This holds across various classes of model rugged landscapes with sparse peaks, and in some experimental and experimentally inspired ones. Thus, early adaptation in rugged fitness landscapes can be more efficient and predictable for relatively small population sizes than in the large-size limit.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Interdisciplinary approaches to predicting evolutionary biology’.
SERPINB3 induces the basal-like/squamous subtype and enhances disease progression in pancreatic cancer
Authors: Ohara Yuuki , Tang Wei , Liu Huaitian , Yang Shouhui , Dorsey Tiffany H. , Cawley Helen , Moreno Paloma , Azizian Azadeh , Gaedcke Jochen , Ghadimi B. Michael , Hanna Nader , Ambs Stefan , Hussain S. Perwez
Published: April 2023

Pancreatic cancer is a heterogeneous disease with distinct subtypes. Here, we investigated candidate driver genes of the highly aggressive basal-like/squamous molecular subtype of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Integrative transcriptomic analyses identified the upregulated serine/cysteine protease inhibitor, SERPINB3 (squamous cell carcinoma antigen 1, SCCA1) in basal-like/squamous PDAC using discovery and validation approaches. Upregulation of SERPINB3 associated with decreased patient survival and a transcriptome profile indicative of the basal-like/squamous subtype. In human PDAC cell lines, SERPINB3 transgene expression enhanced their invasion capability. Moreover, upregulated expression of SERPINB3 in AsPC-1 cells resulted in enhanced lung metastasis in an orthotopic xenograft model. Molecular analysis of the primary tumor xenografts indicated activation of pathways related to metastasis, increased oxidative damage, and angiogenesis when SERPINB3 was upregulated. Furthermore, metabolomic analysis, using patient cohorts and PDAC cell lines showed a distinct metabolic pattern closely associated with both SERPINB3 and the basal-like/squamous subtype, which included upregulation of carnitine/acylcarnitine, amino acid, glutathione, and purine metabolic pathways, and glycolysis. Further RNA-seq and metabolomic analyses indicated that SERPINB3 may potentially induce the basal-like/squamous subtype and metabolic reprogramming through MYC activation. Taken together, our findings identified SERPINB3 as a candidate marker gene for the basal-like/squamous subtype, which may contribute to the disease aggressiveness in this subtype of PDAC.

Abbreviations

8-Hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), Diaminobenzene (DAB), Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), Human Metabolome Technologies, Inc. (HMT), Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA), Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), Serine/Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitor Family B Member 3 (SERPINB3)

Graphical abstract

Highlights

SERPINB3 is upregulated in basal-like/squamous PDAC and associates with decreased patient survival

SERPINB3 promotes differentiation into the basal-like/squamous subtype and enhances invasion and metastasis of PDAC

SERPINB3 induces metabolic reprogramming and MYC activation and a metabolic signature indicative of basal-like/squamous PDAC
The structure of the teleost Immunoglobulin M core provides insights on polymeric antibody evolution, assembly, and function
Authors: Lyu Mengfan , Malyutin Andrey G. , Stadtmueller Beth M.
Published: April 2023

Polymeric (p) immunoglobulins (Igs) serve broad functions during vertebrate immune responses. Typically, pIgs contain between two and six Ig monomers, each with two antigen binding fragments and one fragment crystallization (Fc). In addition, many pIgs assemble with a joining-chain (JC); however, the number of monomers and potential to include JC varies with species and heavy chain class. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of IgM from a teleost (t) species, which does not encode JC. The structure revealed four tIgM Fcs linked through eight C-terminal tailpieces (Tps), which adopt a single β-sandwich-like domain (Tp assembly) located between two Fcs. Remarkably, two of eight heavy chains fold uniquely, resulting in a structure distinct from mammalian IgM, which typically contains five IgM monomers, one JC and a centrally-located Tp assembly. Together with mutational analysis, structural data indicate that pIgs have evolved a range of assembly mechanisms and structures, each likely to support unique antibody effector functions.