bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Data-driven decision-making for district health management: a cluster-randomised study in 24 districts of Ethiopia
Authors: Avan Bilal Iqbal , Dubale Mehret , Taye Girum , Marchant Tanya , Persson Lars Åke , Schellenberg Joanna
Published: February 2024

Background

Use of local data for health system planning and decision-making in maternal, newborn and child health services is limited in low-income and middle-income countries, despite decentralisation and advances in data gathering. An improved culture of data-sharing and collaborative planning is needed. The Data-Informed Platform for Health is a system-strengthening strategy which promotes structured decision-making by district health officials using local data. Here, we describe implementation including process evaluation at district level in Ethiopia, and evaluation through a cluster-randomised trial.

Methods

We supported district health teams in 4-month cycles of data-driven decision-making by: (a) defining problems using a health system framework; (b) reviewing data; (c) considering possible solutions; (d) value-based prioritising; and (e) a consultative process to develop, commit to and follow up on action plans. 12 districts were randomly selected from 24 in the North Shewa zone of Ethiopia between October 2020 and June 2022. The remaining districts formed the trial’s comparison arm. Outcomes included health information system performance and governance of data-driven decision-making. Analysis was conducted using difference-in-differences.

Results

58 4-month cycles were implemented, four or five in each district. Each focused on a health service delivery challenge at district level. Administrators’ practice of, and competence in, data-driven decision-making showed a net increase of 77% (95% CI: 40%, 114%) in the regularity of monthly reviews of service performance, and 48% (95% CI: 9%, 87%) in data-based feedback to health facilities. Statistically significant improvement was also found in administrators’ use of information to appraise services. Qualitative findings also suggested that district health staff reported enhanced data use and collaborative decision-making.

Conclusions

This study generated robust evidence that 20 months’ implementation of the Data-Informed Platform for Health strengthened health management through better data use and appraisal practices, systemised problem analysis to follow up on action points and improved stakeholder engagement.

Trial registration number

NCT05310682.
Bibliometric analysis of the 3-year trends (2018–2021) in literature on artificial intelligence in ophthalmology and vision sciences
Authors: Monson Hayley , Demaine Jeffrey , Perryman Adrianna , Felfeli Tina
Published: February 2024

Objectives

The objective of this analysis is to present a current view of the field of ophthalmology and vision research and artificial intelligence (AI) from topical and geographical perspectives. This will clarify the direction of the field in the future and aid clinicians in adapting to new technological developments.

Methods

A comprehensive search of four different databases was conducted. Statistical and bibliometric analysis were done to characterise the literature. Softwares used included the R Studio bibliometrix package, and VOSviewer.

Results

A total of 3939 articles were included in the final bibliometric analysis. Diabetic retinopathy (391, 6% of the top 100 keywords) was the most frequently occurring indexed keyword by a large margin. The highest impact literature was produced by the least populated countries and in those countries who collaborate internationally. This was confirmed via a hypothesis test where no correlation was found between gross number of published articles and average number of citations (p value=0.866, r=0.038), while graphing ratio of international collaboration against average citations produced a positive correlation (r=0.283). Majority of publications were found to be concentrated in journals specialising in vision and computer science, with this category of journals having the highest number of publications per journal (18.00 publications/journal), though they represented a small proportion of the total journals (<1%).

Conclusion

This study provides a unique characterisation of the literature at the intersection of AI and ophthalmology and presents correlations between article impact and geography, in addition to summarising popular research topics.
REMOTE-ILD study: Description of the protocol for a multicentre, 12-month randomised controlled trial to assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of remote monitoring of spirometry and pulse oximetry in patients with interstitial lung disease
Authors: Barth Sarah , Edwards Colin , Borton Rebecca , Beever Dan , Adams Wendy , Jenkins Gisli , Pizzo Elena , Stewart Iain , Wickremasinghe Melissa
Published: February 2024

Introduction

Remote monitoring of home physiological measurements has been proposed as a solution to support patients with chronic diseases as well as facilitating virtual consultations and pandemic preparedness for the future. Daily home spirometry and pulse oximetry have been demonstrated to be safe and acceptable to patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) but there is currently limited evidence to support its integration into clinical practice.

Aim

Our aim is to understand the clinical utility of frequent remote physiological measurements in ILD and the impact of integrating these into clinical practice from a patient, clinical and health economic perspective.

Methods and analysis

132 patients with fibrotic ILD will be recruited and randomised to receive either usual care with remote digital monitoring of home spirometry and pulse oximetry or usual care alone for 12 months. All participants will complete health-related quality of life and experience questionnaires.

The primary outcome compares the availability of spirometry measurements within the 2 weeks preceding planned clinic appointments. Secondary outcomes will explore other aspects of clinical and cost-effectiveness of the remote monitoring programme.

Ethics and dissemination

The study has been approved by the Camden and Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee (22/LO/0309). All participants will provide informed consent.

This study is registered withwww.clinicaltrials.gov(NCT05662124).

The results of the study will be submitted for presentation at regional and national conferences and submitted for peer-reviewed publication. Reports will be prepared for study participants with the support from our public involvement representatives through the charity Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Fifteen out of 16 elite athletes showed concomitant low-grade cartilage lesions of the ankle with unstable syndesmotic injuries: concerns from a prospective case series
Authors: Walinga Alex B , Dahmen Jari , Stornebrink Tobias , Emanuel Kaj S , Kerkhoffs Gino M M J
Published: February 2024

Objectives

This study aimed to determine the incidence rate and characterise the location and severity of cartilage lesions in the ankle in elite athletes undergoing suture-button stabilisation for unstable distal syndesmotic injuries using needle arthroscopic examination. The feasibility and safety of ad hoc needle arthroscopy and its assisted interventions were also assessed.

Methods

This prospective case series included elite athletes undergoing surgical stabilisation between April 2021 and June 2023. Procedures involved suture button fixation and needle arthroscopy, conducted by a single ankle fellow-trained surgeon. Ankle cartilage lesions were graded using the Cheng and Ferkel classification and located using the nine-zone grid. The study followed the STROBE statement.

Results

This study included 16 elite athletes undergoing surgery for distal syndesmotic injuries, with 75% having acute and 25% chronic injuries. Cartilage lesions were prevalent (n=15/16, 94%), mainly at the talar dome (90%), and primarily scored as grade 1 (33%) or grade 2 (67%). Distal tibia cartilage damage occurred in 13% of cases. All patients were diagnosed with an instability of the syndesmosis confirmed through needle arthroscopy and were treated with a suture button (one or two buttons) fixation.

Conclusion

In 15/16 elite athletes with syndesmotic injuries, concomitant ankle cartilage lesions were identified through needle arthroscopy. In addition, most of the lesions were classified as grade 1 or 2, denoting superficial damage. Needle arthroscopic interventions proved feasible and safe for confirming syndesmotic instability and addressing intra-articular pathologies.
What does it mean for a clinical AI to be just: conflicts between local fairness and being fit-for-purpose?
Authors: Pruski Michal
Published: February 2024

There have been repeated calls to ensure that clinical artificial intelligence (AI) is not discriminatory, that is, it provides its intended benefit to all members of society irrespective of the status of any protected characteristics of individuals in whose healthcare the AI might participate. There have also been repeated calls to ensure that any clinical AI is tailored to the local population in which it is being used to ensure that it is fit-for-purpose. Yet, there might be a clash between these two calls since tailoring an AI to a local population might reduce its effectiveness when the AI is used in the care of individuals who have characteristics which are not represented in the local population. Here, I explore the bioethical concept of local fairness as applied to clinical AI. I first introduce the discussion concerning fairness and inequalities in healthcare and how this problem has continued in attempts to develop AI-enhanced healthcare. I then discuss various technical aspects which might affect the implementation of local fairness. Next, I introduce some rule of law considerations into the discussion to contextualise the issue better by drawing key parallels. I then discuss some potential technical solutions which have been proposed to address the issue of local fairness. Finally, I outline which solutions I consider most likely to contribute to a fit-for-purpose and fair AI.
Experimental, finite element and analytical characterization of hysteretic response of ductile connections with nailed angle brackets for mass timber structures
Authors: Sejkot P. , Aloisio A. , Obradović V. , Iqbal A.
Published: February 2024

Engineered wood products along with advanced processing and fabrication are pushing the limits of modern wood construction. Innovative concepts and applications facilitate the development of a new generation of structural systems. However, capacities of such systems are often governed by capabilities of the connections. This paper presents the experimental results with numerical and analytical models of angle brackets for prediction of load bearing capacity, stiffness, and ductility. Three types of metal brackets in beam-column connections have been investigated and their performance has been studied in various loading arrangements. Detailed finite-element models of each connection have been developed to gain insights into their behavior. An analytical approach is also adopted to represent the connections. Comparison with test data suggests that the models can reproduce results with good accuracy. The findings confirm feasibility of implementing ductile connections in practical mass timber structures.
Quantization of Weyl invariant unimodular gravity with antisymmetric ghost fields
Authors: García-López David , Martin Carmelo P.
Published: February 2024

The enforcement of the unimodularity condition in a gravity theory by means of a Lagrange multiplier leads, in general, to inconsistencies upon quantization. This is so, in particular, when the classic linear splitting of the metric between the background and quantum fields is used. To avoid the need of introducing such a Lagrange multiplier while using the classic linear splitting, we carry out the quantization of unimodular gravity with extra Weyl symmetry by using Becchi–Rouet–Stora–Tyutin (BRST) techniques. Here, two gauge symmetries are to be gauge-fixed: transverse diffeomorphisms and Weyl transformations. We perform the gauge-fixing of the transverse diffeomorphism invariance by using BRST transformations that involve antisymmetric ghost fields. We show that these BRST transformations are compatible with the BRST transformations needed to gauge-fix the Weyl symmetry, so that they can be combined in a set of transformations generated by a single BRST operator. Newton’s law of gravitation is derived within the BRST formalism we put forward as well as the Slavnov–Taylor equation.
Non-Adaptive and Adaptive Two-Sided Search with Fast Objects.
Authors: Lebedev Alexey , Deppe Christian
Published: February 2024

In 1946, Koopman introduced a two-sided search model. In this model, a searched object is active and can move, at most, one step after each test. We analyze the model of a combinatorial two-sided search by allowing more moves of the searched object after each test. We give strategies and show that they are optimal. We consider adaptive and non-adaptive strategies. We show the surprising result that with the combinatorial two-sided search on a path graph, the optimal non-adaptive search needs the same number of tests as the corresponding adaptive strategy does. The strategy obtained can also be used as an encoding strategy to sent the position of a moving element through a transmission channel.
First-principles investigation of structural, electronic and thermoelectric properties of SmMg2X2 (X = P, As, Sb, Bi) zintl compounds
Authors: Khan Sajid , Khan Dil Faraz , Usman Tariq , Ullah Hayat , Murtaza G. , Jan Saeed Ullah , Ashraf Muhammad Waqar , Ilyas Asif
Published: February 2024

Structure complexity, adequate electronic character and congenital lower thermal conductivity of zintl phases result in designing thermoelectrics of tremendous efficiency. Such qualities of zintl phases embolden us to present a detailed study of SmMg2X2 (X = P, As, Sb, Bi) zintl compounds by first principles. The structural characteristics fit well with the existing data. Electronic properties of titled compounds are scrutinized by adopting PBE-GGA, TB-mBJ and hybrid (YS-PBE0) potentials. The band structure calculations through TB-mBJ and hybrid (YS-PBE0) proclaim the semiconducting behavior of compounds and there is a shrinkage of band gap by changing X anion from P to Bi. The density of states (DOS) calculation reveals that there is a major contribution of Sm-f states and Mg atom in valence band while in conduction band, the prominent role is offered by Sm-d states and p states of X anion. Similarly, the temperature-dependent thermoelectric properties are scrutinized by using BoltzTraP2 code embedded within WIEN2k software for with and without spin–orbit coupling (SOC) and also through hybrid (YS-PBE0) functional. SOC, but even more hybrid functional, has been shown to have a significant effect on the transport behavior. Optimized values of carriers’ concentration are achieved which subsidize thermoelectric parameters like power factor (PF), Seebeck coefficient ([Formula: see text]) and thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) at elevated temperature. The compounds show excellent thermoelectric performance in the studied temperature range.
A rheological and computational analysis on Buongiorno nanofluid model featuring magnetohydrodynamics
Authors: Li Shuguang , Asghar Z. , Waqas M. , Hejazi Hala A. , Zubair M. , Abduvalieva Dilsora
Published: February 2024

This research captures nonlinear thermo-solutal buoyancy (i.e., nonlinear mixed convection) impact in nanofluid flow based on magnetized Casson model. The generalized porosity concept (i.e., Darcy–Forchheimer relationship) is employed by considering incompressible liquid that saturates the porous space. Effects of thermophoresis, Robin conditions, thermo-solutal stratifications and Brownian diffusion are accounted. Consideration of transpiration phenomenon captures suction/injection aspects. Fluid mechanics basic laws are depleted to simplify the governing rheological expressions. A transformation procedure is then employed to convert the nonlinear governing partial systems into differential systems. Homotopy methodology is used to obtain analytical solutions and convergence is ensured. Graphical and tabular outcomes are presented to address the importance of emerging variables.
Mineral chemistry and melt evolution of the mantle wedge peridotites in the Late Cretaceous Zagros Belt ophiolites (Iran): clues for the subduction initiation-induced forearc magmatism
Authors: Ghorbani Ghasem , Shafaii Moghadam Hadi , Dilek Yildirim , Arai Shoji , Khedr Mohamed Z.
Published: February 2024

We investigate in this paper mineral compositions and geochemical evolution of the mantle wedge peridotites preserved in the Late Cretaceous Zagros ophiolites of SW Iran. Mantle peridotites above subduction zones commonly experience distinct melting, depletion and refertilization processes as a result of the circulation of fluids derived from subducting slabs and flux melting. Our results reveal that the mantle wedge peridotites in the Zagros ophiolites are characterized mainly by residual and impregnated types. Residual peridotites resulted from early depletion and later refertilization processes, whereas impregnated peridotites developed due to episodic melt impregnations within and across the mantle. Mg#s and NiO contents, spinel Cr#, Mg#, and TiO
2
in olivines, Mg# and Al
2
O
3
contents of orthopyroxenes, and Mg#, TiO
2
and Al
2
O
3
contents in clinopyroxenes of dunites, harzburgites and lherzolites indicate the significant role of re-equilibration processes among different mineral phases and interactions with basaltic melts percolating within the host peridotites. The observed geochemical variations in the mineral chemistry of the Zagros peridotites reflect changes in magma chemistry and fluctuations in the degree of melt extraction and melt–rock interactions within the mantle peridotites. However, our data suggest that Mg–Fe distribution in the spinels of some dunites and harzburgites might also have resulted from subsolidus redistribution and exchange with surrounding olivine grains. Spinel and clinopyroxene phases in gabbroic rocks and ultramafic cumulates within the Zagros ophiolites also show significant variations in their compositions, suggesting that their magmas evolved from MORB-like to IAT, calc–alkaline and boninite suites, typical of subduction initiation-generated melts. Hence, the Zagros ophiolites present a case study of time-progressive melt evolution of the forearc oceanic lithosphere.

Supplementary material:
Datasets of the mineral chemistry and melt evolution of the mantle wedge peridotites in the Late Cretaceous Zagros Belt ophiolites (Iran) are available in tabular and figurative form at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.7093528
.

Thematic collection:
This article is part of the Ophiolites, melanges and blueschists collection available at:
https://www.lyellcollection.org/topic/collections/ophiolites-melanges-and-blueschists
Robust Recommender Systems with Rating Flip Noise
Authors: Ye Shanshan , Lu Jie
Published: February 2024

Recommender systems have become important tools in the daily life of human beings since they are powerful to address information overload, and discover relevant and useful items for users. The success of recommender systems largely relies on the interaction history between users and items, which is expected to accurately reflect the preferences of users on items. However, the expectation is easily broken in practice, due to the corruptions made in the interaction history, resulting in unreliable and untrusted recommender systems. Previous works either ignore this issue (assume that the interaction history is precise) or are limited to handling additive noise. Motivated by this, in this paper, we study rating flip noise which widely exists in the interaction history of recommender systems and combat it by modelling the noise generation process. Specifically, the rating flip noise allows a rating to be flipped to any other ratings within the given rating set, which reflects various real-world situations of rating corruption, e.g., a user may randomly click a rating from the rating set and then submit it. The noise generation process is modelled by the noise transition matrix that denotes the probabilities of a clean rating flip into a noisy rating. A statistically consistent algorithm is afterwards applied with the estimated transition matrix to learn a robust recommender system against rating flip noise. Comprehensive experiments on multiple benchmarks confirm the superiority of our method.
Getting it Just Right: Towards Balanced Utility, Privacy, and Equity in Shared Space Sensing
Authors: Xu Andrew , Biehl Jacob , Lee Adam
Published: February 2024

Low-cost sensors have enabled a wide array of data-driven applications and insights. As a result, encountering spaces with pervasive sensing has become all but unavoidable. This creates a fundamental tension: the success of smart environments will become increasingly dependent on equity of access to data-driven insights and consideration of the privacy expectations of sensed individuals. These concerns highlight the need to bring equity to all stakeholders of smart environments, which in turn would preserve public trust in these smart spaces. In this work, we explored several approaches to identity-obscuring visual representations through a progressive series of experiments. We designed and validated a series of visual representations through stakeholder interactions and tested the ability of these visual representations to limit identification via a crowdsourced study. An evaluation across three months of data gathered within our organization also showed that the identity-obscured data could still be leveraged to accurately count group size. Our contributions lay the groundwork for sensing frameworks that bring utility to all stakeholders of shared spaces while being cognizant of their diverse privacy expectations.
Developer Ecosystems for Software Safety
Authors: Kern Christoph
Published: February 2024

How to design and implement information systems so that they are safe and secure is a complex topic. Both high-level design principles and implementation guidance for software safety and security are well established and broadly accepted. For example, Jerome Saltzer and Michael Schroeder's seminal overview of principles of secure design was published almost 50 years ago, and various community and governmental bodies have published comprehensive best practices about how to avoid common software weaknesses. This article argues, based on experience at Google, that focusing on developer ecosystems is both practical and effective, and can achieve a drastic reduction in the rate of common classes of defects across hundreds of applications being developed by thousands of developers.
Sketching Approximability of All Finite CSPs
Authors: Chou Chi-Ning , Golovnev Alexander , Sudan Madhu , Velusamy Santhoshini
Published: February 2024

A constraint satisfaction problem (CSP),

\(\textsf {Max-CSP}(\mathcal {F})\)

, is specified by a finite set of constraints

\(\mathcal {F}\subseteq \lbrace [q]^k \rightarrow \lbrace 0,1\rbrace \rbrace\)

for positive integers
q
and
k
. An instance of the problem on
n
variables is given by
m
applications of constraints from

\(\mathcal {F}\)

to subsequences of the
n
variables, and the goal is to find an assignment to the variables that satisfies the maximum number of constraints. In the (γ ,β)-approximation version of the problem for parameters 0 ≤ β ≤ γ ≤ 1, the goal is to distinguish instances where at least γ fraction of the constraints can be satisfied from instances where at most β fraction of the constraints can be satisfied.

In this work, we consider the approximability of this problem in the context of sketching algorithms and give a dichotomy result. Specifically, for every family

\(\mathcal {F}\)

and every β < γ, we show that either a linear sketching algorithm solves the problem in polylogarithmic space or the problem is not solvable by any sketching algorithm in

\(o(\sqrt {n})\)

space. In particular, we give non-trivial approximation algorithms using polylogarithmic space for infinitely many constraint satisfaction problems.

We also extend previously known lower bounds for general streaming algorithms to a wide variety of problems, and in particular the case of
q
=
k
=2, where we get a dichotomy, and the case when the satisfying assignments of the constraints of

\(\mathcal {F}\)

support a distribution on

\([q]^k\)

with uniform marginals.

Prior to this work, other than sporadic examples, the only systematic classes of CSPs that were analyzed considered the setting of Boolean variables
q
= 2, binary constraints
k
=2, and singleton families

\(|\mathcal {F}|=1\)

and only considered the setting where constraints are placed on literals rather than variables.

Our positive results show wide applicability of bias-based algorithms used previously by [
47
] and [
41
], which we extend to include richer norm estimation algorithms, by giving a systematic way to discover biases. Our negative results combine the Fourier analytic methods of [
56
], which we extend to a wider class of CSPs, with a rich collection of reductions among communication complexity problems that lie at the heart of the negative results. In particular, previous works used Fourier analysis over the Boolean cube to initiate their results and the results seemed particularly tailored to functions on Boolean literals (i.e., with negations). Our techniques surprisingly allow us to get to general
q
-ary CSPs without negations by appealing to the same Fourier analytic starting point over Boolean hypercubes.
MoMENt: Marked Point Processes with Memory-Enhanced Neural Networks for User Activity Modeling
Authors: Sahebi Sherry , Yao Mengfan , Zhao Siqian , Feyzi Behnagh Reza
Published: February 2024

Marked temporal point process models (MTPPs) aim to model event sequences and event markers (associated features) in continuous time. These models have been applied to various application domains where capturing event dynamics in continuous time is beneficial, such as education systems, social networks, and recommender systems. However, current MTPPs suffer from two major limitations, i.e., inefficient representation of event dynamic’s influence on marker distribution and losing fine-grained representation of historical marker distributions in the modeling. Motivated by these limitations, we propose a novel model called
M
arked P
o
int Processes with
M
emory-
E
nhanced
N
eural Ne
t
works (MoMENt) that can capture the bidirectional interrelations between markers and event dynamics while providing fine-grained marker representations. Specifically, MoMENt is constructed of two concurrent networks: Recurrent Activity Updater (RAU) to capture model event dynamics and Memory-Enhanced Marker Updater (MEMU) to represent markers. Both RAU and MEMU components are designed to update each other at every step to model the bidirectional influence of markers and event dynamics. To obtain a fine-grained representation of maker distributions, MEMU is devised with external memories that model detailed marker-level features with latent component vectors. Our extensive experiments on six real-world user interaction datasets demonstrate that MoMENt can accurately represent users’ activity dynamics, boosting time, type, and marker predictions, as well as recommendation performance up to 76.5%, 65.6%, 77.2%, and 57.7%, respectively, compared to baseline approaches. Furthermore, our case studies show the effectiveness of MoMENt in providing meaningful and fine-grained interpretations of user-system relations over time, e.g., how user choices influence their future preferences in the recommendation domain.
MHGCN+: Multiplex Heterogeneous Graph Convolutional Network
Authors: Fu Chaofan , Yu Pengyang , Yu Yanwei , Huang Chao , Zhao Zhongying , Dong Junyu
Published: February 2024

Heterogeneous graph convolutional networks have gained great popularity in tackling various network analytical tasks on heterogeneous graph data, ranging from link prediction to node classification. However, most existing works ignore the relation heterogeneity with multiplex networks between multi-typed nodes and the different importance of relations in meta-paths for node embedding, which can hardly capture the heterogeneous structure signals across different relations. To tackle this challenge, this work proposes a

M

ultiplex

H

eterogeneous

G

raph

C

onvolutional

N

etwork (MHGCN+) for multiplex heterogeneous network embedding. Our MHGCN+ can automatically learn the useful heterogeneous meta-path interactions of different lengths with different importance in multiplex heterogeneous networks through multi-layer convolution aggregation. Additionally, we effectively integrate both multi-relation structural signals and attribute semantics into the learned node embeddings with both unsupervised and semi-supervised learning paradigms. Extensive experiments on seven real-world datasets with various network analytical tasks demonstrate the significant superiority of MHGCN+ against state-of-the-art embedding baselines in terms of all evaluation metrics. The source code of our method is available at:
https://github.com/FuChF/MHGCN-plus
.
The Droplet Search Algorithm for Kernel Scheduling
Authors: Canesche Michael , Rosário Vanderson , Borin Edson , Quintão Pereira Fernando
Published: February 2024

Kernel scheduling is the problem of finding the most efficient implementation for a computational kernel. Identifying this implementation involves experimenting with the parameters of compiler optimizations, such as the size of tiling windows and unrolling factors. This article shows that it is possible to organize these parameters as points in a coordinate space. The function that maps these points to the running time of kernels, in general, will not determine a convex surface. However, this article provides empirical evidence that the origin of this surface (an unoptimized kernel) and its global optimum (the fastest kernel) reside on a convex region. We call this hypothesis the “droplet expectation.” Consequently, a search method based on the Coordinate Descent algorithm tends to find the optimal kernel configuration quickly if the hypothesis holds. This approach—called Droplet Search—has been available in Apache TVM since April of 2023. Experimental results with six large deep learning models on various computing devices (ARM, Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA) indicate that Droplet Search is not only as effective as other AutoTVM search techniques but also 2 to 10 times faster. Moreover, models generated by Droplet Search are competitive with those produced by TVM’s AutoScheduler (Ansor), despite the latter using 4 to 5 times more code transformations than AutoTVM.
Research on the integrated solution of physical education based on smart campus
Authors: Hu Xingli , Li Jiangtao
Published: February 2024

This study investigates the idea of an integrated solution based on a smart campus for physical education. Within the physical education curriculum, the study focuses on the integration of smart fitness monitoring and wearables, interactive fitness equipment and gamification, mobile applications and customized workout plans, smart facilities, indoor navigation, and data-driven curriculum enhancements.
Liver and spleen predominantly mediate calciprotein particle clearance in a rat model of chronic kidney disease
Authors: Zeper Lara W. , Bos Caro , Leermakers Pieter A. , Franssen Gerben M. , Raavé René , Hoenderop Joost G. J , de Baaij Jeroen H. F
Published: February 2024

Calciprotein particles (CPPs) buffer calcium and phosphate in the blood to prevent formation of crystals. In CKD, increased phosphate levels may exceed the buffering capacity of CPPs, resulting in crystalline CPPs that induce calcification. This study demonstrates that labeled CPPs are predominantly cleared from the circulation in the liver by Kupffer cells, macrophages, and hepatocytes. Our results suggest that targeting liver CPP clearance may reduce the burden of crystalline CPP in the development of vascular calcification.
Airway tree caliber heterogeneity and airflow obstruction among older adults
Authors: Vameghestahbanati Motahareh , Kingdom Leina , Hoffman Eric A. , Kirby Miranda , Allen Norrina B. , Angelini Elsa , Bertoni Alain , Hamid Qutayba , Hogg James C. , Jacobs David R. , Laine Andrew , Maltais Francois , Michos Erin D. , Sack Coralynn , Sin Don , Watson Karol E. , Wysoczanksi Artur , Couper David , Cooper Christopher , Han Meilan , Woodruff Prescott , Tan Wan C. , Bourbeau Jean , Barr R. Graham , Smith Benjamin M. ,   on behalf of investigators from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Lung Study; the Canadian Cohort of Obstructive Lung Disease (CanCOLD); and the Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Study (SPIROMICS)
Published: February 2024

In this study, by leveraging two community-based samples and a case-control study of heavy smokers, we show that among older adults, airway tree caliber heterogeneity quantified by CT is associated with airflow obstruction and COPD independent of age, sex, height, race-ethnicity, and dysanapsis. These observations suggest that airway tree caliber heterogeneity is a structural trait associated with low baseline lung function and normal decline trajectory that is relevant to COPD.
The effect of chronic habitual exercise on oxygen carrying capacity and blood compartment volumes in older adults
Authors: Wakeham Denis J. , Hearon Christopher M. , Levine Benjamin D.
Published: February 2024

We observed that absolute oxygen carrying capacity (total hemoglobin mass, tHbmass) and blood compartment volumes were not associated with lifelong exercise dose. However, hematological adaptations associated with lifelong habitual exercise are only present among exercisers, whereby competitive Masters athletes have a greater oxygen carrying capacity (tHbmass) and expanded blood compartment volumes when scaled to fat-free mass.
A novel method for tracking nitrogen kinetics in vivo under hyperbaric conditions using radioactive nitrogen-13 gas and positron emission tomography
Authors: Ashworth Edward T. , Ogawa Ryotaro , Nguyen Juliana , Afif Chloe , Sá Rui C. , Butts Pauly Kim , Vera David R. , Lindholm Peter
Published: February 2024

This article describes a method for the in vivo quantification and tracking of nitrogen through the mammalian body whilst exposed to hyperbaric pressure. The method has the potential to further our understanding of decompression sickness, and quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of both the treatment and prevention of decompression sickness.
Antibiofilm Activity of Curcumin and Piperine and Their Synergistic Effects with Antifungals against Candida albicans Clinical Isolates
Authors: Tsopmene Ulrich Joël , Tokam Kuaté Christian Ramsès , Kayoka-Kabongo Prudence Ngalula , Bisso Borel Ndezo , Metopa Anisel , Mofor Clautilde Teugwa , Dzoyem Jean Paul
Published: February 2024

Background. Candidiasis is the common name for diseases caused by yeast of the genus Candida. Candida albicans is one of the most implicated species in superficial and invasive candidiasis. Antifungals, polyenes, and azoles have been used to treat candidiasis. However, due to the development of antifungal resistance, research of natural substances with potential antifungal effects at low concentrations or combined is also a possibility. Methods. The broth microdilution method was used to evaluate the antifungal activity. The biofilm formation was assessed using the microtiter plate method. The antibiofilm activities were assessed using micro plaque tetrazolium salt assay (MTT). The combination effect of antifungal with natural substances was made using the checkerboard method. Results. Among our isolates, clotrimazole was the most resistant, but amphotericin B was the most effective antifungal. The biofilm was formed by all isolates of C. albicans. Curcumin and piperine displayed antibiofilm activity with minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) and minimum eradicating concentration (MBEC) ranging from 64 to 1024 μg/mL and 256 to 2048 μg/mL. In combination, piperine presented double synergistic effects compared to curcumin with all antifungals tested. Curcumin shows more synergistic effect when combined with polyenes than with azoles. However, piperine shows a more synergistic effect when combined with azoles compared to polyenes. Conclusion. C. albicans was susceptible to curcumin and piperine both on planktonic cells and biofilm. The combination of curcumin and piperine with antifungals has shown synergistic effects against multiresistant clinical isolates of Candida albicans representing an alternative drug research for the treatment of clinical candidiasis.
Machine Learning-Based Backpressure Unstart Prediction and Warning Method for Combined Cycle Engine Hypersonic Inlet-Oriented Wide Speed Range
Authors: Min Ke , Hong Tanbao , Cai Zejun , Yu Lianchen , Zhu Chengxiang , Zeng Jianping
Published: February 2024

Inlet unstart prediction and warning are strictly crucial to the operation of hypersonic engines, especially for combined cycle engines where implementation across a wide speed range poses significant challenges. This paper proposes a realization method that involves constructing the conditions of critical backpressure ratios for the inlet unstart and unstart warning states within a wide speed range and establishing the backpressure prediction models for each engine mode. The detection of the unstart and unstart warning states is achieved by predicting the backpressure ratio at the exit of the isolator and comparing it to the critical backpressure ratios. To achieve this, numerical simulations for a three-dimensional inward-turning multiducted hypersonic combined inlet at various Mach numbers and backpressure ratios are carried out to obtain the dataset of surface pressure. A 10-fold cross-validation support vector machine (10-CV SVM) is used to solve the unstart boundary of surface pressure, and an unstart margin is set to determine the unstart warning boundary. A back propagation (BP) neural network is constructed to estimate the critical backpressure ratios at each working point within a wide speed range. The data information of surface pressure on the boundaries is used as the input for the predictions. The overall average regression correlation coefficient approaches 0.99 on the test dataset at each working point. The backpressure prediction models are established by the one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN). Only 2 to 4 measurement points of surface pressure are considered for cross-validation evaluation, and the mean absolute percentage error is between 4% and 8% with the average prediction time not exceeding 2 ms. Finally, the proposed method and prediction models are validated by wind tunnel experimental data.
Active Pointing Compensation of a HTS Multibeam Antenna
Authors: Wang Xudong , Wang Pengpeng
Published: February 2024

Active pointing compensation of a High Throughput Satellite (HTS) multibeam antenna via microfiber composites (MFCs) is studied in this paper. Electrical-mechanical coupling analysis of MFCs is conducted to quantitatively determine driving forces and moments of MFCs attached on a carbon fiber reinforced composite (CFRP) laminate, and a positive correlation relationship is observed for driving ability versus thickness of the laminate. By different driving strategies, MFCs could act in bending mode and torsioning mode for structural deformation control, and driving efficiency of the MFCs on a multibeam antenna is studied. Thermal distortion of the antenna under a typical in orbit thermal distribution causes the reflector to rotate about y axis with an pointing error of 0.005°, active compensation is conducted, and the final compensation results show that with an optimal voltage of 432 V, pointing error of the antenna is greatly compensated, and the depointing angle is corrected to be 0.00004°.
Improved Risk-Stratification Scheme for Mismatch-Repair Proficient Stage II Colorectal Cancers Using the Digital Pathology Biomarker QuantCRC
Authors: Wu Christina , Pai Reetesh K. , Kosiorek Heidi , Banerjee Imon , Pfeiffer Ashlyn , Hagen Catherine E. , Hartley Christopher P. , Graham Rondell P. , Sonbol Mohamad B. , Bekaii-Saab Tanios , Xie Hao , Sinicrope Frank A. , Patel Bhavik , Westerling-Bui Thomas , Shivji Sameer , Conner James , Swallow Carol , Savage Paul , Cyr David P. , Kirsch Richard , Pai Rish K.
Published: February 2024

Purpose:

There is a need to improve current risk stratification of stage II colorectal cancer to better inform risk of recurrence and guide adjuvant chemotherapy. We sought to examine whether integration of QuantCRC, a digital pathology biomarker utilizing hematoxylin and eosin–stained slides, provides improved risk stratification over current American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines.

Experimental Design:

ASCO and QuantCRC-integrated schemes were applied to a cohort of 398 mismatch-repair proficient (MMRP) stage II colorectal cancers from three large academic medical centers. The ASCO stage II scheme was taken from recent guidelines. The QuantCRC-integrated scheme utilized pT3 versus pT4 and a QuantCRC-derived risk classification. Evaluation of recurrence-free survival (RFS) according to these risk schemes was compared using the log-rank test and HR.

Results:

Integration of QuantCRC provides improved risk stratification compared with the ASCO scheme for stage II MMRP colorectal cancers. The QuantCRC-integrated scheme placed more stage II tumors in the low-risk group compared with the ASCO scheme (62.5% vs. 42.2%) without compromising excellent 3-year RFS. The QuantCRC-integrated scheme provided larger HR for both intermediate-risk (2.27; 95% CI, 1.32–3.91; P = 0.003) and high-risk (3.27; 95% CI, 1.42–7.55; P = 0.006) groups compared with ASCO intermediate-risk (1.58; 95% CI, 0.87–2.87; P = 0.1) and high-risk (2.24; 95% CI, 1.09–4.62; P = 0.03) groups. The QuantCRC-integrated risk groups remained prognostic in the subgroup of patients that did not receive any adjuvant chemotherapy.

Conclusions:

Incorporation of QuantCRC into risk stratification provides a powerful predictor of RFS that has potential to guide subsequent treatment and surveillance for stage II MMRP colorectal cancers.
Supplementary Table 6 from Cumulative Incidence, Risk Factors, and Overall Survival of Disease Recurrence after Curative Resection of Stage II–III Colorectal Cancer: A Population-based Study
Authors: Boute Tara C. , Swartjes Hidde , Greuter Marjolein J.E. , Elferink Marloes A.G. , van Eekelen Rik , Vink Geraldine R. , de Wilt Johannes H.W. , Coupé Veerle M.H.
Published: February 2024

One-, three- and five-year overall survival of patients with recurrent colorectal cancer
FIGURE 5 from Cumulative Incidence, Risk Factors, and Overall Survival of Disease Recurrence after Curative Resection of Stage II–III Colorectal Cancer: A Population-based Study
Authors: Boute Tara C. , Swartjes Hidde , Greuter Marjolein J.E. , Elferink Marloes A.G. , van Eekelen Rik , Vink Geraldine R. , de Wilt Johannes H.W. , Coupé Veerle M.H.
Published: February 2024

OS plot of patients diagnosed with distantly recurrent colorectal cancer at one site only with corresponding 95% confidence bands, stratified for the localization of the recurrence(s). Vertically dashed lines represent median OS. LN, lymph nodes.
FIGURE 2 from Characterizing Neutrophil Subtypes in Cancer Using scRNA Sequencing Demonstrates the Importance of IL1β/CXCR2 Axis in Generation of Metastasis-specific Neutrophils
Authors: Fetit Rana , McLaren Alistair S. , White Mark , Mills Megan L. , Falconer John , Cortes-Lavaud Xabier , Gilroy Kathryn , Lannagan Tamsin R.M. , Ridgway Rachel A. , Nixon Colin , Naiker Varushka , Njunge Renee , Clarke Cassie J. , Whyte Declan , Kirschner Kristina , Jackstadt Rene , Norman Jim , Carlin Leo M. , Campbell Andrew D. , Sansom Owen J. , Steele Colin W.
Published: February 2024

Characterization of neutrophils in metastasis. A, UMAP of neutrophils in CRCLM. B, Coexpression of H_enriched and T_enriched signatures. One cluster is not enriched for either signature (blue arrow). C and D, Unsupervised pseudotime analysis and estimated smoothers for TXNIP expression over the different numbered pseudotime lineages. E, Coexpression of TXNIP and CXCR2. F and G, Expression and estimated smoothers for CXCL8 over pseudotime. H, Coexpression of CXCL8 and IL1β. I, IHC staining of TXNIP in a patient CRCLM sample at 4x (left) and 10x (right). Scale bars = 50 µm. J and K, IHC staining of ITGAM (Neutrophils) and CD3 (T cells) in a patient CRCLM sample at 4x, scale bars = 50 µm. Dashed squares indicate regions where immune cells cluster. L, Differentially expressed genes in metastasis-specific neutrophil cluster. M, H_enriched, T_enriched, and M_enriched gene signatures in mouse bulk-RNA-seq neutrophil dataset. L, Healthy liver tissue, PT: Primary tumor, LMET: Liver metastasis. N, Averaged expression of the individual genes of the three signatures. O, UMAP plot of integrated human neutrophils from PT and metastatic (M) datasets of different cancers. P, Coexpression of CXCR2 with IL1β (top) and TXNIP (bottom). Q, Differential gene expression between neutrophils in malignancy compared with PT. R and S, GO and KEGG analysis of M_CRC neutrophils.
Electrical discharge reproduction in rod-barrier-plane system
Authors: Samira Benharat , Leila Belgacem , Dyhia Doufene , Slimane Bouazabia , Abderrahmane Haddad , Mounir Sakmeche
Published: February 2024

The present paper deals with new modeling to reproduce the electric discharge in the rod-plane air gap system with rubber insulating barrier under AC and impulse voltage. This model considers the randomness character of discharge evolution which is governed by the electric field. The discharges shape obtained by this model are compared with ones given by experimental tests. The established model reproduces correctly the forms of discharges obtained by experimental tests under AC voltage. It is found that the behavior of the electrical discharge depends not only on the dimension (thickness and width) of the insulating barriers but on its positions in the air gap as well. It is to highlight that the mode of applied voltage is of key importance barrier. Experimental investigation shows that the developed arc can evolve on 1 to 4 channels. The generated discharges in AC voltage distinguish by the formation of a multiple-channel arc. Whereas, the discharge under lightning impulse voltage found to progress in a single channel whatever the barrier position and dimensions. The model confirms that electric field is the most important factor in the behavior of the rod-insulating barrier-plane system submitted to high voltage.
Comparison of power system flow analysis methods of IEEE 5-bus system
Authors: Channi Harpreet Kaur , Sandhu Ramandeep , Giri Nimay Chandra , Singh Parminder , Syam Fathy Abdelaziz
Published: February 2024

Load flow analysis is a crucial tool used by electrical engineers for simulating the power system. It is aimed at examining the most possible way of operating and controlling a power system and the exchange of power flow within the power system. For the economic and optimal operation of power systems, the most essential task is to find the most feasible solution technique suitable and efficient for the study of power generation, transmission, and distribution. There are various power flow study solution techniques, and for some solution techniques, the simulation of the system can take a long time, which prevents the simulator from attaining a higher accuracy result for the power flow simulation due to the interrupting rise and fall in power demand from the consumer, which also affects the power generation as well. This paper discusses the comparison of various techniques used in load flow studies with the assistance of a small power system with five buses. The numerical solution techniques used are the fast decoupled load flow solution technique, the Gauss-Seidel solution technique, and the Newton-Raphson solution technique for a power flow study solution on an IEEE 5-bus using MATLAB/Simulink.