bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CT measured pulmonary artery to ascending aorta ratio stratified by echocardiographically obtained systolic pulmonary artery pressure values for noninvasive detection of pulmonary hypertension in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis
Authors: Boxhammer Elke , Kletzer Joseph , Kellermair Jörg , Scharinger Bernhard , Kaufmann Reinhard , Hammerer Matthias , Blessberger Hermann , Steinwender Clemens , Lichtenauer Michael , Hergan Klaus , Hoppe Uta C. , Hecht Stefan
Published: March 2023

Background

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) offers a measurement method for the determination of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) with determination of maximal tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRVmax) and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP). Radiological parameters for noninvasive detection of PH, most importantly computed tomography (CT) based PA/AA-ratio = ratio of pulmonary artery diameter (PA) and ascending aorta diameter (AA), are also included in the latest ESC guidelines. The aim of the present study was to define cut-off values for PA/AA-ratio taking also into account cardiovascular biomarkers to determine criteria for noninvasive diagnosis of PH.

Methods

194 patients with severe AS undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) underwent pre-procedural TTE and CT with measurement of PA/AA-ratio. Additionally, common cardiovascular biomarkers were determined.

Results

TAVR patients with an sPAP ≥ 40 mmHg or a TRVmax ≥ 2.9 m/s had a PA/AA-ratio ≥ 0.80 in an AUROC analysis. The cut-off value of ≥ 0.80 resulted in a significantly higher mortality rate (log-rank test: p = 0.034) in these patients in a Kaplan–Meier analysis regarding 1-year survival after TAVR. Significant differences in biomarker expression between patients with a PA/AA-ratio ≥ 0.80 or < 0.80 occurred for BNP (p = 0.001), cTnI (p = 0.032), GDF-15 (p = 0.002) and H-FABP (p = 0.015).

Conclusion

PA/AA-ratio ≥ 0.80 is a promising radiological parameter that can provide information about mortality in patients with severe AS undergoing TAVR; combined with biomarkers it may contribute to noninvasive detection of PH in patients with severe AS.

Graphical abstract
Exacerbated central fatigue and reduced exercise capacity in early-stage breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy
Authors: Hucteau Elyse , Mallard Joris , Pivot Xavier , Schott Roland , Pflumio Carole , Trensz Philippe , Favret Fabrice , Pagano Allan F. , Hureau Thomas J.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The present study aimed to characterize the etiology of exercise-induced neuromuscular fatigue and its consequences on the force-duration relationship to provide mechanistic insights into the reduced exercise capacity characterizing early-stage breast cancer patients.

Methods

Fifteen early-stage breast cancer patients and fifteen healthy women performed 60 maximal voluntary isometric quadriceps contractions (MVCs, 3 s of contraction, 2 s of relaxation). The critical force was determined as the mean force of the last six contractions, while W’ was calculated as the force impulse generated above the critical force. Quadriceps muscle activation during exercise was estimated from vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and rectus femoris EMG. Central and peripheral fatigue were quantified via changes in pre- to postexercise quadriceps voluntary activation (ΔVA) and quadriceps twitch force (ΔQTw) evoked by supramaximal electrical stimulation, respectively.

Results

Early-stage breast cancer patients demonstrated lower MVC than controls preexercise (− 15%, P = 0.022), and this reduction persisted throughout the 60-MVC exercise (− 21%, P = 0.002). The absolute critical force was lower in patients than in controls (144 ± 29N vs. 201 ± 47N, respectively, P < 0.001), while W’ was similar (P = 0.546), resulting in lower total work done (− 23%, P = 0.001). This was associated with lower muscle activation in the vastus lateralis (P < 0.001), vastus medialis (P = 0.003) and rectus femoris (P = 0.003) in patients. Immediately following exercise, ΔVA showed a greater reduction in patients compared to controls (− 21.6 ± 13.3% vs. − 12.6 ± 7.7%, P = 0.040), while ΔQTw was similar (− 60.2 ± 13.2% vs. − 52.8 ± 19.4%, P = 0.196).

Conclusion

These findings support central fatigue as a primary cause of the reduction in exercise capacity characterizing early-stage breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy.

Clinical trials registration

No. NCT04639609—November 20, 2020.
Concurrent/sequential versus sequential immune checkpoint inhibition in inoperable large stage III non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy: a prospective observational study
Authors: Käsmann Lukas , Eze Chukwuka , Taugner Julian , Nieto Alexander , Hofstetter Kerstin , Kröninger Sophie , Guggenberger Julian , Kenndoff Saskia , Flörsch Benedikt , Tufman Amanda , Reinmuth Niels , Duell Thomas , Belka Claus , Manapov Farkhad
Published: March 2023

Purpose/aim

The international standard for patients with large inoperable stage III NSCLC is durvalumab consolidation after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). In this single centre observational study based on individual data, we prospectively evaluated the role of concurrent/sequential versus sequential immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI).

Methods and patients

In total, 39 stage III NSCLC patients were prospectively enrolled, 11 (28%) patients were treated with simultaneous and consolidation therapy with PD-1 inhibition (nivolumab) (SIM-cohort) and 28 (72%) patients received PD-L1 inhibition (durvalumab) as consolidation treatment up to 12 months after the end of CRT (SEQ-cohort).

Results

For the entire cohort, median progression-free survival (PFS) was 26.3 months and median survival (OS), locoregional recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival were not reached. For the SIM-cohort, median OS was not reached and PFS was 22.8 months, respectively. In the SEQ-cohort, neither median PFS nor OS were reached. After propensity score matching, PFS at 12/24 months were 82/44% in the SIM-cohort and 57/57% in the SEQ-cohort (p = 0.714), respectively. In the SIM-cohort, 36.4/18.2% of patients showed grade II/III pneumonitis; in the SEQ-cohort 18.2/13.6% after PSM (p = 0.258, p = 0.55).

Conclusion

Both concurrent/sequential and sequential ICI show a favorable side effect profile and promising survival in treated patients with inoperable large stage III NSCLC. Concurrent ICI showed a numerical non-significant improvement regarding 6- and 12-months PFS and distant control compared to sequential approach in this small study. However, concurrent ICI to CRT was associated with a non-significant moderate increase in grade II/III pneumonitis.
Speech emotion recognition and text sentiment analysis for financial distress prediction
Authors: Hajek Petr , Munk Michal
Published: March 2023

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in text sentiment analysis and speech emotion recognition in finance due to their potential to capture the intentions and opinions of corporate stakeholders, such as managers and investors. A considerable performance improvement in forecasting company financial performance was achieved by taking textual sentiment into account. However, far too little attention has been paid to managerial emotional states and their potential contribution to financial distress prediction. This study seeks to address this problem by proposing a deep learning architecture that uniquely combines managerial emotional states extracted using speech emotion recognition with FinBERT-based sentiment analysis of earnings conference call transcripts. Thus, the obtained information is fused with traditional financial indicators to achieve a more accurate prediction of financial distress. The proposed model is validated using 1278 earnings conference calls of the 40 largest US companies. The findings of this study provide evidence on the essential role of managerial emotions in predicting financial distress, even when compared with sentiment indicators obtained from text. The experimental results also demonstrate the high accuracy of the proposed model compared with state-of-the-art prediction models.
A planar Schrödinger–Newton system with Trudinger–Moser critical growth
Authors: Liu Zhisu , Rădulescu Vicenţiu D. , Zhang Jianjun
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we focus on the existence of positive solutions to the following planar Schrödinger–Newton system with general critical exponential growth $$\begin{aligned} \left\{ \begin{array}{ll} -\Delta {u}+u+\phi u =f(u)&{} \text{ in }\,\,\mathbb {R}^2, \\ \Delta {\phi }=u^2 &{} \text{ in }\,\, \mathbb {R}^2, \end{array} \right. \end{aligned}$$

-
Δ
u
+
u
+
ϕ
u
=
f
(
u
)

in

R

2

,

Δ
ϕ
=

u
2

in

R

2

,

where $$f\in C^1(\mathbb {R},\mathbb {R})$$

f
∈

C
1

(
R
,
R
)

. We apply a variational approach developed in [36] to study the above problem in the Sobolev space $$H^1(\mathbb {R}^2)$$

H
1

(

R

2

)

. The analysis developed in this paper also allows to investigate the relation between a Riesz-type of Schrödinger–Newton systems and a logarithmic-type of Schrödinger–Poisson systems. Furthermore, this approach can overcome some difficulties resulting from either the nonlocal term with sign-changing and unbounded logarithmic integral kernel, or the critical nonlinearity, or the lack of monotonicity of $$\frac{f(t)}{t^3}$$

f
(
t
)

t
3

. We emphasize that it seems much difficult to use the variational framework developed in the existed literature to study the above problem.
Krankenhaus 2030 – Was sich ändern muss
Authors: Minz Rainer , Grüttner Damian , von Heusinger-Lender Marlis
Published: March 2023

Hintergrund

In den vergangen 30 Jahren hat sich in Deutschland die Anzahl der Krankenhäuser um 21 % und die Anzahl der Krankenhausbetten um 27 % reduziert. Im selben Zeitraum halbierte sich die durchschnittliche Verweildauer der Krankenhausfälle. Dennoch ist die Systemeffizienz zu gering.

Fragestellung

Ursachen für die Systemineffizienz im Krankenhaussektor und Ansätze für eine Krankenhausreform.

Material und Methode

Auswertung der amtlichen Statistiken, Zusammenfassung von Grundlagenarbeiten, Studien und Expertenempfehlungen sowie Übersichtsaufsätze.

Ergebnisse

Das ordnungspolitische Nebeneinander von Krankenhausplanung und Krankenhausfinanzierung führt zu einer strukturellen Unterfinanzierung von Krankenhäusern und zu einer suboptimalen Versorgung mit Krankenhausleistungen. Das rein stationär bezogene Vergütungssystem konserviert stationäre Behandlungsformen. Deutschland weist im internationalen Vergleich eine sehr hohe Krankenhausdichte auf. Dies verschärft den Fachkräftemangel in den Gesundheitsfachberufen. Außerdem haben deutsche Krankenhäuser einen zu niedrigen Digitalisierungsgrad.

Schlussfolgerung

Eine Reduzierung der Anzahl an Krankenhäusern mit gleichzeitig zunehmender Spezialisierung kann sowohl die Versorgungsqualität für die Patienten als auch die Effektivität des Einsatzes knapper Fachkräfte erhöhen. Es bedarf eines nach Versorgungsstufen differenzierten Finanzierungskonzepts. Eine Steigerung der Attraktivität von Gesundheitsfachberufen, insbesondere durch eine Verbesserung der Ausbildung, kann dem Fachkräftemangel begegnen. Das Krankenhauswesen muss mit der Digitalisierung aufschließen, um zeitgemäß ausgestattete Arbeitsplätze und modern organisierte Arbeitsprozesse anbieten zu können, auch, um die Wirtschaftlichkeit zu verbessern.
Genomic epidemiology and transmission dynamics of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection in Western Australia
Authors: Knight Daniel R. , Imwattana Korakrit , Collins Deirdre A. , Lim Su-Chen , Hong Stacey , Putsathit Papanin , Riley Thomas V.
Published: March 2023

Recurrent cases of Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI) remain one of the most common and serious challenges faced in the management of CDI. The accurate distinction between a relapse (caused by infection with the same strain) and reinfection (caused by a new strain) has implications for infection control and prevention, and patient therapy. Here, we used whole-genome sequencing to investigate the epidemiology of 94 C. difficile isolates from 38 patients with rCDI in Western Australia. The C. difficile strain population comprised 13 sequence types (STs) led by ST2 (PCR ribotype (RT) 014, 36.2%), ST8 (RT002, 19.1%) and ST34 (RT056, 11.7%). Among 38 patients, core genome SNP (cgSNP) typing found 27 strains (71%) from initial and recurring cases differed by ≤ 2 cgSNPs, suggesting a likely relapse of infection with the initial strain, while eight strains differed by ≥ 3 cgSNPs, suggesting reinfection. Almost half of patients with CDI relapse confirmed by WGS suffered episodes that occurred outside the widely used 8-week cut-off for defining rCDI. Several putative strain transmission events between epidemiologically unrelated patients were identified. Isolates of STs 2 and 34 from rCDI cases and environmental sources shared a recent evolutionary history, suggesting a possible common community reservoir. For some rCDI episodes caused by STs 2 and 231, within-host strain diversity was observed, characterised by loss/gain of moxifloxacin resistance. Genomics improves discrimination of relapse from reinfection and identifies putative strain transmission events among patients with rCDI. Current definitions of relapse and reinfection based on the timing of recurrence need to be reconsidered.
A personal retrospective on language workbenches
Authors: van den Brand Mark
Published: March 2023

Model-driven software engineering and specifically domain-specific languages have contributed to improve the quality of software and the efficiency in the development of software. However, the design and implementation of domain-specific languages requires still an enormous investment. Language workbenches are the most important tools in the field of software language engineering. The introduction of language workbenches has alleviated partly the development effort, but there are still a few major challenges that need to be tackled. This paper presents a personal perspective on the development of tools for language engineering and language workbenches in particular and future challenges to be tackled.
The two faces of risk
Authors: Autzen Bengt
Published: March 2023

The relationship between decision theory and the theory of natural selection in evolutionary biology offers a fertile ground for philosophical inquiry. A topic that has recently been addressed in the philosophical literature is the connection between decision-theoretic and biological discussions of risk. The paper adds to this literature by drawing attention to a distinction between two different notions of risk originating in the economic literature and by exploring their relationship in a biological context. More specifically, the paper shows that the two notions of risk can part ways in models of risk-sensitive foraging theory. The paper also draws attention to an important difference in contemporary explanations of the apparent lack of empirical success of rational choice theory and risk-sensitive foraging theory.
HIsarna Process Simulation Model: Using FactSage with Macro Facility
Authors: Yan Zhiming , Htet Theint Theint , Hage Johannes , Meijer Koen , Li Zushu
Published: March 2023

The HIsarna process is one of the emerging technologies for reducing the carbon footprint of the ironmaking process, which is currently in the pilot plant stage. A kinetic HIsarna process simulation model based on the effective equilibrium reaction zone concept has been developed using the FactSage macro programming facility to advance understanding of the whole process. In the model, the HIsarna process is conceptually divided into various equilibrium zones involving combustion, coal pyrolysis and gasification, gas/slag/carbon reactions, and slag/metal reaction. The model has been validated through the pilot plant data, and the results are in good agreement with the quantity and composition of hot metal, slag, and gas. The HIsarna off-gas stream with high CO2 content can potentially allow capture and storage directly for carbon mitigation. The utilization of titanium magnetite ore in the HIsarna process has also been investigated via the developed model. The injection of titanium magnetite ore which has high FeO content decreases coal consumption. Still, it increases the slag volume as higher gangue content when keeping the same productivity as the pilot plant trial. The HIsarna process shows promising potential in using low-quality high titania iron ore as feed materials, but the slag system needs to be further optimized. From the heat distribution, the off-gas sensible heat accounts for a large part of the input heat due to its high temperature but can be recovered with good efficiency. The present model is an efficient tool for understanding the HIsarna process and providing theoretical guidance for future pilot research.
Assessment of Shaft Gas Injection Technology for Blast Furnace Ironmaking
Authors: Li Jing , Kuang Shibo , Zou Ruiping , Yu Aibing
Published: March 2023

Shaft injection of reducing gas into ironmaking blast furnaces (BF) helps mitigate BF carbon footprint. However, its effectiveness relies on the interaction between shaft-injected gas (SIG) and other phases. This paper numerically studies shaft gas injection operations based on a 380-m3 industrial BF. A recently developed three-dimensional process model has been adopted to do so. This model is extended to track SIG and hearth-generated gas (HGG), define SIG penetration, and quantify the respective contributions of the two gases to BF performance. After validation, the model is applied to study the effects of three variables related to SIG penetration into the particle bed: SIG flow rate, shaft tuyere number, and horizontal cavity depth. The detailed analysis of flow and thermochemical behaviors shows that increasing the SIG flow rate increases the gas penetration and indirect reduction rate by SIG and lifts the cohesive zone. However, it impedes the indirect reduction reaction by HGG and increases the bed pressure. These effects collectively identify an optimum SIG flow rate. In addition, as the shaft tuyere number or horizontal cavity changes, the SIG penetration zone size changes oppositely in radial and circumferential directions, leading to similar total penetration zone sizes. Consequently, these two variables can limitedly improve BF performance, especially compared with the effect of SIG flow rate. The results suggest that the model offers convenience for exploring the shaft gas injection technology.
Controlling nutritional status score predicts 2-year outcomes in elderly patients admitted for acute heart failure
Authors: Agnoletti Davide , Arcaro Guido , Scaturro Giuliana , Turcato Emanuela , Grison Elisa , Ferrari Elena , Bonapace Stefano , Targher Giovanni , Valbusa Filippo
Published: March 2023

Background

Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of death among the elderly. Its prevalence increases dramatically with age. The prevalence of malnourished subjects is high in hospitalized elderly patients. We aimed to investigate the prognostic role of malnutrition, assessed by controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score, on adverse clinical outcomes in the elderly admitted for acute HF.

Methods

We enrolled 293 patients (mean age 84 years; 48% men) consecutively admitted for acute HF to the Internal Medicine or Geriatrics Divisions at the ‘IRCCS Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria’ Hospital of Negrar (Verona, Italy) from 2013 to 2015. We predicted the risk of all-cause death, re-hospitalizations for HF and non-HF causes, and the composite of all-cause death or hospitalizations over 2-year follow-up. Patients were divided into four groups according to CONUT score: normal-CONUT (0–1; n = 30); mild-CONUT (2–3; n = 56); moderate-CONUT (4–7; n = 171); and severe-CONUT (≥ 8; n = 36).

Results

Higher CONUT scores were associated with older age and lower entry blood pressures. No difference in hemodynamics was noted at the discharge. Kaplan–Meier curves showed a significant association between worsening CONUT scores and risk of all-cause death (p < 0.01), re-hospitalizations (p < 0.01), or both (p < 0.001). Cox regression analysis revealed these significant associations persisted after adjustment for age, sex, pre-existing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and plasma brain natriuretic peptide levels at discharge (all-cause mortality HR = 1.29 (1.00–1.66), p = 0.049; hospitalization for HF HR = 1.36 (1.03–1.81), p = 0.033; hospitalization for non-HF HR = 1.38 (1.03–1.86), p = 0.034; composite outcome HR = 1.33 (1.07–1.64), p = 0.01).

Conclusions

Malnutrition, assessed by the CONUT score, is common among elderly patients admitted for acute HF and is strongly related to increased long-term risk of all-cause death and re-hospitalizations.
Effect of Hyperbaric Storage at Room Temperature on the Activity of Polyphenoloxidase in Model Systems and Fresh Apple Juice
Authors: Manzocco Lara , Basso Federico , Nicoli Maria Cristina
Published: March 2023

The effect of hyperbaric storage (HS) on polyphenoloxidase activity (PPO) was studied in model solutions and apple juice. Model solutions containing increasing amounts of mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) PPO (up to 26 U) were stored at room temperature at pressure up to 200 MPa. During HS, samples were assessed for residual PPO activity. The enzyme was completely inactivated according to a first-order kinetic model that was used to calculate PPO decimal reduction time (Dp) and pressure sensitivity (zp = 140.8 MPa) in diluted model solutions (2 U PPO). The increase in enzyme concentration (6–26 U) nullified the effect of HS, probably due to protein structure stabilization by self-crowding. The application of HS at 100 and 200 MPa to apple juice promoted a decrease in total bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and molds. These changes occurred in concomitance with the inactivation of PPO (zp = 227.3 MPa). At 200 MPa, PPO inactivation followed a biphasic first-order kinetic, suggesting the presence of PPO isozymes with different pressure sensitivity. The inactivation of PPO was observed to occur more rapidly with increasing storage pressure and led to the maintenance of the original bright juice color. This study proves the capability of HS to control enzyme-related quality decay in fruit juices and, potentially, in many other food matrices suffering enzymatic alteration.
Top 10 Histological Mimics of Neuroendocrine Carcinoma You Should Not Miss in the Head and Neck
Authors: Juhlin C. Christofer , Bal Munita
Published: March 2023

Background

The spectrum of neuroendocrine neoplasia (NEN) of the head and neck region is wide-ranging and diverse, including a variety of diagnoses stretching from benign and low-malignant tumor forms to highly proliferative, poor prognosis neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC). Moreover, there are several non-neuroendocrine differential diagnoses to keep in mind as well, displaying various degree of morphological and/or immunohistochemical overlap with bona fide neuroendocrine lesions.

Methods

Review.

Results

While the growth patterns may vary, well-differentiated NEN usually display a stippled “salt and pepper” chromatin, a granular cytoplasm, and unequivocal expression of neuroendocrine markers such as chromogranin A and synaptophysin. However, these features are often less pronounced in NEC, which may cause diagnostic confusion—not the least since several non-NEC head and neck tumors may exhibit morphological similarities and focal neuroendocrine differentiation.

Conclusion

As patients with NEC may require specific adjuvant treatment and follow-up, knowledge regarding differential diagnoses and potential pitfalls is therefore clinically relevant. In this review, the top ten morphological and/or immunohistochemical mimics of NEC are detailed in terms of histology, immunohistochemistry, and molecular genetics.
The school-life balance effect on acquiring cross-disciplinary competences in VET: disruption or continuity during COVID-19?
Authors: Sánchez-Martí Angelina , Ciraso-Calí Anna , Fernández-Sequi Héctor , Pineda-Herrero Pilar
Published: March 2023

Considering that teleworking and online training are on the rise following the pandemic, studying how school-life balance affects the development of VET competences in online learning during COVID-19 can provide relevant information to enhance educational equity in the future. A longitudinal study was conducted employing an on-line questionnaire to meet the following aims: to explore the development of cross-disciplinary competences in VET during COVID-19; to identify different students’ profiles according to their school-life balance during the pandemic; and, to analyse whether the school-life balance was affecting competency development and propose improvements to training as a result. Results show that cross-disciplinary competences did not undergo important changes between the pre-pandemic scenario and during it, except for a decrease in metacognitive self-regulation. Similarly, most students reported having spent the same time studying before and during the pandemic. However, three main profiles of students are revealed, highlighting certain school-life imbalances. While all agree that remote teaching was critical in coping with the situation, differences were found by age and gender, with some participants experiencing more challenging situations. These results provide a fertile context for VET designers and teachers to generate new learning scenarios that meet all students’ potential needs.
Co-packaged optics (CPO): status, challenges, and solutions
Authors: Tan Min , Xu Jiang , Liu Siyang , Feng Junbo , Zhang Hua , Yao Chaonan , Chen Shixi , Guo Hangyu , Han Gengshi , Wen Zhanhao , Chen Bao , He Yu , Zheng Xuqiang , Ming Da , Tu Yaowen , Fu Qiang , Qi Nan , Li Dan , Geng Li , Wen Song , Yang Fenghe , He Huimin , Liu Fengman , Xue Haiyun , Wang Yuhang , Qiu Ciyuan , Mi Guangcan , Li Yanbo , Chang Tianhai , Lai Mingche , Zhang Luo , Hao Qinfen , Qin Mengyuan
Published: March 2023

Due to the rise of 5G, IoT, AI, and high-performance computing applications, datacenter traffic has grown at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 30%. Furthermore, nearly three-fourths of the datacenter traffic resides within datacenters. The conventional pluggable optics increases at a much slower rate than that of datacenter traffic. The gap between application requirements and the capability of conventional pluggable optics keeps increasing, a trend that is unsustainable. Co-packaged optics (CPO) is a disruptive approach to increasing the interconnecting bandwidth density and energy efficiency by dramatically shortening the electrical link length through advanced packaging and co-optimization of electronics and photonics. CPO is widely regarded as a promising solution for future datacenter interconnections, and silicon platform is the most promising platform for large-scale integration. Leading international companies (e.g., Intel, Broadcom and IBM) have heavily investigated in CPO technology, an inter-disciplinary research field that involves photonic devices, integrated circuits design, packaging, photonic device modeling, electronic-photonic co-simulation, applications, and standardization. This review aims to provide the readers a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art progress of CPO in silicon platform, identify the key challenges, and point out the potential solutions, hoping to encourage collaboration between different research fields to accelerate the development of CPO technology.

Graphical Abstract
An Application of the Life Satisfaction Approach (LSA) to Value the Land Consumption and Ecosystem Services
Authors: Bravi Marina , Bottero Marta , Dell’Anna Federico
Published: March 2023

Land systems combine land use and land cover, considering that their changes have important consequences for the local environment and human well-being and are pervasive factors of regional and global environmental change. More specifically, land consumption (LC), due to the occupation of originally agricultural, natural, or semi-natural areas, implies a progressive loss of key environmental resources and ecosystem services (ESs), reducing the individual well-being. Furthermore, policy makers need data on the benefits of public goods in monetary terms to support well-being-oriented decision-making. This work seeks to demonstrate that life satisfaction approach (LSA) can be applied to a practical assessment goal with the intention to give a monetary value to the LC and consequently to a loss of important ESs. The Italian case study is investigated with the help of a national survey database reporting the subjective well-being index (SWBI) subsequently grouped by regions. The overall intent is to make explicit to the policymakers that biodiversity and ESs are valuable to society and that their further degradation will result in irreversible damages to local communities. Using nationally representative data from the Multi-Purpose Survey on Italian Families in Italy over 2012–2016, results suggest that the national average annual income willingness to accept (WTA) related to consumed land is equal to −0.0827 €/m2 on average, while the social cost for LC and the loss of related ESs affects 0.01% of the Italian GDP per year. Finally, the possibility of estimating and comparing the WTA with the land market values brings the method presented here closer to cost-based estimates overcoming the limitations of contingent valuation methods.
LncRNA PVT1 influences breast cancer cells glycolysis through sponging miR-145-5p
Authors: Qu Huan , Li Xingxing , Chen Fei , Zhang Min , Lu Xun , Gu Yun , Lv Mingming , Lu Cheng
Published: March 2023

Background

Long-non-coding RNA PVT1 (lncRNA PVT1) can be used as an oncogenic regulatory non-coding RNA (ncRNA) for many cancers. However, its function and mechanism in breast cancer (BRCA) are still not clearly elucidated.

Objective

We attempt to explain the mechanism of PVT1’s role in breast cancer from different perspectives.

Methods

We analyzed the expression of PVT1 and its correlation with the breast cancer related clinical data in the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We used PVT1 overexpression and knockdown lentivirus to infect breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell line for cell function verification, in vitro using CCK-8 to measure proliferation, flow cytometry to measure apoptosis, transwell test to measure invasion and migration ability, detecting cell extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) to assess glycolysis metabolism and explore the biological functions of PVT1 in breast cancer cells. Transcriptome sequencing was used to analyze the changes of related genes in cells after overexpression of PVT1. In vivo we used a xenograft model to study the effect of PVT1 on breast cancer.

Results

PVT1 was up-regulated in breast cancer tissues and was positively correlated with the clinical stage of breast cancer patients. Overexpression of PVT1 in vitro promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and promoted tumor growth in vivo. Knockdown of PVT1 led to the opposite biological consequence. Further bioinformatics analysis showed that PVT1 changes the glycolysis metabolism of tumors through regulation of glycolysis-related genes. In addition, the expression of miR-145-5p is negatively correlated with PVT1. We consider the possibility of PVT1 promoting cell proliferation and metastasis by regulating the aerobic glucose metabolism in breast cancer cells through sponging the miR-145-5p.

Conclusion

Our results reveal a potential pathway for competing endogenous RNA to regulate breast cancer glucose metabolism. PVT1 regulates glycolysis related genes expression by competitively binding to endogenous miR-145-5p in breast cancer cells to change the metabolic phenotype. This may Provide new ideas for precise molecular therapy targets for breast cancer.
What makes older adults feel good?
Authors: Nivestam Anna , Westergren Albert , Haak Maria
Published: March 2023

Background and aim

To inform health promotion interventions, there is a need for large studies focusing specifically on what makes older adults feel good, from their own perspective. The aim was to explore older adults’ views of what makes them feel good in relation to their different characteristics.

Methods

A qualitative and quantitative study design was used. Independently living people (n = 1212, mean age 78.85) answered the open-ended question, ‘What makes you feel good?’ during preventive home visits. Following inductive and summative content analysis, data was deductively sorted, based on The Canadian model of occupational performance and engagement, into the categories leisure, productivity, and self-care. Group comparisons were made between: men/women; having a partner/being single; and those with bad/good subjective health.

Results

In total, 3117 notes were reported about what makes older adults feel good. Leisure activities were the most frequently reported (2501 times), for example social participation, physical activities, and cultural activities. Thereafter, productivity activities (565 times) such as gardening activities and activities in relation to one’s home were most frequently reported. Activities relating to self-care (51 times) were seldom reported. There were significant differences between men and women, having a partner and being single, and those in bad and good health, as regards the activities they reported as making them feel good.

Discussion and conclusions

To enable older adults to feel good, health promotion interventions can create opportunities for social participation and physical activities which suit older adults’ needs. Such interventions should be adapted to different groups.
Management of contact dermatitis
Authors: Dickel Heinrich
Published: March 2023

As a widespread disease, contact dermatitis affects all age groups with a high prevalence and incidence. In addition to a reduction in the quality of life, it causes considerable health and socioeconomic costs. Essentially, five subtypes can be distinguished, namely irritant contact dermatitis, phototoxic contact dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis with its two special forms of hematogenous and aerogenous contact dermatitis, photoallergic contact dermatitis, and protein contact dermatitis. The diagnosis is based on a detailed history and clinical skin findings as well as the exposure-related performance of allergological in vivo and in vitro tests. Once the contact substance—irritant or allergen—has been identified, the key to therapeutic success lies in its strict avoidance. Symptomatic therapy of contact dermatitis should always be individualized and based on the stage of eczema. Topical glucocorticoids are considered first-line therapy for both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis. The always accompanying basic therapy with skin care products plays a central role for sustainable therapeutic success. Systemic therapy is considered when topical therapy is ineffective or not feasible. In this context, the short-term use of systemic glucocorticoids should be limited to extensive or clinically severe acute contact dermatitis and exacerbations of chronic contact dermatitis. The efficacy of the use of newer biologics and Janus kinase inhibitors in contact dermatitis is currently being evaluated in several clinical trials.
Ballasted Track Behaviour Induced by Absent Sleeper Support and its Detection Based on a Convolutional Neural Network Using Track Data
Authors: Zhang Dawei , Xu Peijuan , Tian Yiyang , Zhong Chen , Zhang Xu
Published: March 2023

With development of the heavy-haul railway, the increased axle load and traction weight bring a significant challenge for the service performance and safety maintenance of the railway track. Conducting defect recognition on concrete sleepers and ballast using big data is vital. This paper focused on the detection of absent sleeper support in a ballasted track with an emphasis on the integration of model-based and data-driven methods. To this end, a mathematical model consisting of the wagon, track and wheel–rail contact subsystems was first established to acquire the necessary raw data for the data-driven method, in which the wagon was regarded as a 47-degree-of-freedom multi-body subsystem, and the track was treated as a multi-layer discrete-elastic support beam subsystem with absent sleeper support. Then, an architectural hierarchy of a three-layer  convolutional neural network (TLCNN) was developed, which includes three convolutional layers and two pooling layers, and a method for reconstructing one-dimensional sleeper vertical displacement to a two-dimensional time–space matrix was also proposed. Thirdly, verification was carried out by comparing the simulation and experimental results to illustrate the accuracy and reliability of the mathematical model, and the dynamic behaviour of the track with absent sleeper support was investigated. Lastly, the established TLCNN was used to train the raw data of the sleeper vertical displacement and detect the existence of absent sleeper support. Results show that the integration of model-based and data-driven methods was a reliable and effective approach for the detection of absent sleeper support. The proposed TLCNN can acquire and extract robust characteristics in a noisy environment. To handle more complex recognition tasks and further improve performance, deeper CNN models and larger sample sizes should be preferentially considered in practical applications.
Engaging upper secondary school pupils with integrity and source criticism
Authors: Premat Christophe
Published: March 2023

The ambition of the article is to create an awareness among upper secondary school pupils on what academic integrity and source criticism mean. Instead of devoting time to a general presentation of academic studies, the claim is that a collective reflection based upon the common practices of pupils (sources) could be efficient to describe the outlines of academic integrity. An action research was made in 2019 and 2020 among Swedish upper secondary school pupils with the help of an instructional video on sources, academic integrity and plagiarism. It revealed a consensus on the notion of source criticism. Furthermore, the findings show that a majority of pupils used platforms such as Wikipedia to get a quick access to facts without daring quoting them in a work for school. This gap represents an opportunity to introduce academic integrity in a very concrete manner with an insistence on the necessity of citing all the sources that contributed to the elaboration of a work.
Reinforcement Learning Under Uncertainty: Expected Versus Unexpected Uncertainty and State Versus Reward Uncertainty
Authors: Ez-zizi Adnane , Farrell Simon , Leslie David , Malhotra Gaurav , Ludwig Casimir J.H.
Published: March 2023

Two prominent types of uncertainty that have been studied extensively are expected and unexpected uncertainty. Studies suggest that humans are capable of learning from reward under both expected and unexpected uncertainty when the source of variability is the reward. How do people learn when the source of uncertainty is the environment’s state and the rewards themselves are deterministic? How does their learning compare with the case of reward uncertainty? The present study addressed these questions using behavioural experimentation and computational modelling. Experiment 1 showed that human subjects were generally able to use reward feedback to successfully learn the task rules under state uncertainty, and were able to detect a non-signalled reversal of stimulus-response contingencies. Experiment 2, which combined all four types of uncertainties—expected versus unexpected uncertainty, and state versus reward uncertainty—highlighted key similarities and differences in learning between state and reward uncertainties. We found that subjects performed significantly better in the state uncertainty condition, primarily because they explored less and improved their state disambiguation. We also show that a simple reinforcement learning mechanism that ignores state uncertainty and updates the state-action value of only the identified state accounted for the behavioural data better than both a Bayesian reinforcement learning model that keeps track of belief states and a model that acts based on sampling from past experiences. Our findings suggest a common mechanism supports reward-based learning under state and reward uncertainty.
Routing Prediction Strategy for UAV Swarm Network Using Pigeon-Inspired Optimization-Based Neural Network
Authors: Li Yong , Zheng Mohong
Published: March 2023

A routing prediction strategy via a pigeon-inspired optimization (PIO)-based neural network (NN) is designed for UAV swarm networks with highly dynamic topology. The proposed strategy can predict the performance of the neighboring nodes as the next hop. For more precise prediction and less computational complexity, the states of the UAV swarm motion and the network are considered as the prior information, and the PIO-based NN framework is established. Based on the system model, PIO is applied to find the optimal weight matrices of the NN-based routing prediction model. The matrix of the hop count index function is calculated using this prediction model. The proposed strategy can directly determine the next hop based on the prediction results or can be combined with other routing methods to maintain a balance between the stability and the shortest path. Numerical simulations are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.
Adsorption of methane on biochar for emission reduction in oil and gas fields
Authors: Ko Vivien Yoonhee , Wang Jinsheng , He Ian , Ryan David , Zhang Xiaojie , Lan Christopher
Published: March 2023

To contribute to the reduction of methane emissions, using low-cost biochar as adsorbents for capturing and storing methane in oil and gas fields is investigated. This work presents results of methane adsorption on four biochars made from forestry wastes in comparison with the results of three commercial activated carbons. Although the adsorption capacity of the biochars is lower by over 50% than that of the activated carbons, thelow-cost and potential environmental benefits provide the incentive to the investigation. Moreover, it is shown that biochar can store more methane than vessels of compressed gas up to the pressure of 75 bar, suggesting the possibility of avoiding high-pressure gas compression and heavy vessels for cost savings in oil and gas fields. The thermodynamic and kinetic behaviors of the adsorption are studied and implications for the targeted application are discussed.

Graphical Abstract
DigitalExposome: quantifying impact of urban environment on wellbeing using sensor fusion and deep learning
Authors: Johnson Thomas , Kanjo Eiman , Woodward Kieran
Published: March 2023

The increasing level of air pollutants (e.g. particulates, noise and gases) within the atmosphere are impacting mental wellbeing. In this paper, we define the term ‘DigitalExposome’ as a conceptual framework that takes us closer towards understanding the relationship between environment, personal characteristics, behaviour and wellbeing using multimodal mobile sensing technology. Specifically, we simultaneously collected (for the first time) multi-sensor data including urban environmental factors (e.g. air pollution including: Particulate Matter (PM1), (PM2.5), (PM10), Oxidised, Reduced, Ammonia (NH3) and Noise, People Count in the vicinity), body reaction (physiological reactions including: EDA, HR, HRV, Body Temperature, BVP and movement) and individuals’ perceived responses (e.g. self-reported valence) in urban settings. Our users followed a pre-specified urban path and collected the data using a comprehensive sensing edge device. The data is instantly fused, time-stamped and geo-tagged at the point of collection. A range of multivariate statistical analysis techniques have been applied including Principle Component Analysis, Regression and Spatial Visualisations to unravel the relationship between the variables. Results showed that Electrodermal Activity (EDA) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) are noticeably impacted by the level of Particulate Matter in the environment. Furthermore, we adopted Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to classify self-reported wellbeing from the multimodal dataset which achieved an f1-score of 0.76.
Exploring self-harm risk vulnerabilities in autism using the ‘thinking patterns profiling model’
Authors: Tollerfield Isobel , Wilkinson Ewan , Stewart Alex G. , Nall-Evans Sharleen , Michelet Felix , Elliott Phil , Jaydeokar Sujeet
Published: March 2023

Background

Autism has been linked to higher rates of self-harm. Research is yet to establish the reason for the association between autism and self-harm as a distress response.

Methods

Using the ‘thinking patterns profiling model’, this study explored characteristics associated with self-harm risk in 100 autistic young people. Secondary analysis of routinely collected clinical data was conducted using odds ratios and t-tests.

Results

We found the prevalence of reported self-harm risk was 48%. Young people with reported self-harm risks had significantly lower regulation skills (p ≤ 0.01) and lower social flexibility skills (p ≤ 0.01) compared to those without reported self-harm risk. For those described as impulsive, mean scores on the following skills were significantly lower: perspective-taking skills (p ≤ 0.01), flexible thinking for creative problem-solving (p ≤ 0.05) and sensory tolerating (p ≤ 0.05). There was no relationship between reported self-harm risk and adverse childhood experiences.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that profiling tools such as ‘Thinking Patterns Profiling Model’ can be used to explore unique patterns of vulnerability and resilience related to self-harm risk in autism. The findings suggest that autistic thinking patterns might interplay with other factors (e.g. impulsivity). Patterns are based on each person’s profile across four core skill-sets: regulation, flexible thinking, sensory coherence, and social perspective-taking. These findings motivate a person-centred and profile-informed approach to planning support and adjustments. Further studies are needed to confirm the ways in which mechanisms typically involved in self-harm risk, may interact with core cognitive and affective differences found in autism.
Hemodynamic Management During Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Patients with Cardiogenic Shock: A Review
Authors: Yin Chengfen , Xu Lei
Published: March 2023

Background

The use of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) for cardiorespiratory support is increasing. However, few criteria for hemodynamic management have been described yet in V-A ECMO patients.

Method

We performed a review of hemodynamic management during V-A ECMO in CS patient based the literature published. We discuss how to optimize hemodynamic management.

Results

Patients on V-A ECMO require special hemodynamic management. It is crucial to maintain an adequate tissue oxygen supply and demand balance. Hemodynamic optimization is essential to support LV decompression and improve end-organ function and should be initiated immediately after initiating V-A ECMO support, during which more positive fluid balance is associated with worse outcomes.

Conclusion

The hemodynamic management of CS patients with V-A ECMO are complex and involves various aspect. Clinicians who care for patients on VA ECMO should combined use many availability indicators to guide hemodynamic management.