bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive analyses of glycolysis-related lncRNAs for ovarian cancer patients
Authors: Zheng Jianfeng , Guo Jialu , Zhu Linling , Zhou Ying , Tong Jinyi
Published: September 2021

Background

Not only glycolysis but also lncRNAs play a significant role in the growth, proliferation, invasion and metastasis of of ovarian cancer (OC). However, researches about glycolysis -related lncRNAs (GRLs) remain unclear in OC. Herein, we first constructed a GRL-based risk model for patients with OC.

Methods

The processed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) profiles with clinicopathological data were downloaded from TCGA and glycolysis-related genes (GRGs) were obtained from MSigDB. Pearson correlation coefficient between glycolysis-related genes (GRGs) and annotated lncRNAs (|r| > 0.4 and p < 0.05) were calculated to identify GRLs. After screening prognostic GRLs, a risk model based on five GRLs was constructed using Univariate and Cox regression. The identified risk model was validated by two validation sets. Further, the differences in clinicopathology, biological function, hypoxia score, immune microenvironment, immune checkpoint, immune checkpoint blockade, chemotherapy drug sensitivity, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulators, and ferroptosis-related genes between risk groups were explored by abundant algorithms. Finally, we established networks based on co-expression, ceRNA, cis and trans interaction.

Results

A total of 535 GRLs were gained and 35 GRLs with significant prognostic value were identified. The prognostic signature containing five GRLs was constructed and validated and can predict prognosis. The nomogram proved the accuracy of the model for predicting prognosis. After computing hypoxia score of each sample by ssGSEA, we found patients with higher risk scores exhibited higher hypoxia score and high hypoxia score was a risk factor. It was revealed that a total of 21 microenvironment cells (such as Central memory CD4 T cell, Neutrophil, Regulatory T cell and so on) and Stromal score had significant differences between the two groups. Four immune checkpoint genes (CD274, LAG3, VTCN1, and CD47) showed disparate expression levels in the two groups. Besides, 16 m6A regulators and 126 ferroptosis-related genes were expressed higher in the low-risk group. GSEA revealed that the risk groups were associated with tumor-related pathways. The two risk groups were confirmed to be sensitive to several chemotherapeutic agents and patients in the low-risk group were more sensitive to ICB therapy. The networks based on co-expression, ceRNA, cis and trans interaction provided insights into the regulatory mechanisms of GRLs.

Conclusions

Our identified and validated risk model based on five GRLs is an independent prognostic factor for OC patients. Through comprehensive analyses, findings of our study uncovered potential biomarker and therapeutic target for the risk model based on the GRLs.
GAMP-SBL-based channel estimation for millimeter-wave MIMO systems
Authors: Shao Jianfeng , Wang Xianpeng , Lan Xiang , Han Zhiguang , Su Ting
Published: September 2021

Based on the finite scattering characters of the millimeter-wave multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel, the mmWave channel estimation problem can be considered as a sparse signal recovery problem. However, most traditional channel estimation methods depend on grid search, which may lead to considerable precision loss. To improve the channel estimation accuracy, we propose a high-precision two-stage millimeter-wave MIMO system channel estimation algorithm. Since the traditional expectation–maximization-based sparse Bayesian learning algorithm can be applied to handle this problem, it spends lots of time to calculate the E-step which needs to compute the inversion of a high-dimensional matrix. To avoid the high computation of matrix inversion, we combine damp generalized approximate message passing with the E-step in SBL. We then improve a refined algorithm to handle the dictionary matrix mismatching problem in sparse representation. Numerical simulations show that the estimation time of the proposed algorithm is greatly reduced compared with the traditional SBL algorithm and better estimation performance is obtained at the same time.
Multi-mechanical waves against Alzheimer’s disease pathology: a systematic review
Authors: Monteiro Francisca , Sotiropoulos Ioannis , Carvalho Óscar , Sousa Nuno , Silva Filipe S.
Published: September 2021

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, affecting approximately 40 million people worldwide. The ineffectiveness of the available pharmacological treatments against AD has fostered researchers to focus on alternative strategies to overcome this challenge. Mechanical vibrations delivered in different stimulation modes have been associated with marked improvements in cognitive and physical performance in both demented and non-demented elderly. Some of the mechanical-based stimulation modalities in efforts are earlier whole-body vibration, transcranial ultrasound stimulation with microbubble injection, and more recently, auditory stimulation. However, there is a huge variety of treatment specifications, and in many cases, conflicting results are reported. In this review, a search on Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases was performed, resulting in 37 papers . These studies suggest that mechanical vibrations delivered through different stimulation modes are effective in attenuating many parameters of AD pathology including functional connectivity and neuronal circuit integrity deficits in the brains of AD patients, as well as in subjects with cognitive decline and non-demented older adults. Despite the evolving preclinical and clinical evidence on these therapeutic modalities, their translation into clinical practice is not consolidated yet. Thus, this comprehensive and critical systematic review aims to address the most important gaps in the reviewed protocols and propose optimal regimens for future clinical application.
Antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus with different degrees of biofilm formation
Authors: Shin Hyo-Jung , Yang Sungtae , Lim Yong
Published: September 2021

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common pathogens in biofilm-associated chronic infections. S. aureus living within biofilms evades the host immune response and is more resistant to antibiotics than planktonic bacteria. In this study, we generated S. aureus with low and high levels of biofilm formation using the rbf (regulator of biofilm formation) gene and performed a BioTimer assay to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of various types of antibiotics. We showed that biofilm formation by S. aureus had a greater effect on MBC than MIC, probably due to the different growth modes between planktonic and biofilm bacteria. Importantly, we found that the MBC for biofilm S. aureus was much higher than that for planktonic cells, but there was little difference in MBC between low and high levels of biofilm formation. These results suggest that once the biofilm is formed, the bactericidal activity of antibiotics is significantly reduced, regardless of the degree of S. aureus biofilm formation. We propose that S. aureus strains with varying degrees of biofilm formation may be useful for evaluating the anti-biofilm activity of antimicrobial agents and understanding antibiotic resistance mechanisms by biofilm development.
Intraoperative pivot-shift accelerometry combined with anesthesia improves the measure of rotatory knee instability in anterior cruciate ligament injury
Authors: Caracciolo Gastón , Yáñez Roberto , Silvestre Rony , De la Fuente Carlos , Zamorano Héctor , Ossio Alejandra , Strömbäck Lars , Abusleme Sebastian , P. Carpes Felipe
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The knee stiffness acquired following an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury might affect clinical knee tests, i.e., the pivot-shift maneuver. In contrast, the motor effects of spinal anesthesia could favor the identification of rotatory knee deficiencies prior to ACL reconstruction. Hence, we hypothesized that the intra-operative pivot-shift maneuver under spinal anesthesia generates more acceleration in the lateral tibial plateau of patients with an injured ACL than without.

Methods

Seventy patients with unilateral and acute ACL rupture (62 men and 8 women, IKDC of 55.1 ± 13.8 pts) were assessed using the pivot-shift maneuver before and after receiving spinal anesthesia. A triaxial accelerometer was attached to the skin between Gerdys’ tubercle and the anterior tuberosity to measure the subluxation and reduction phases. Mixed ANOVA and multiple comparisons were performed considering the anesthesia and leg as factors (alpha = 5%).

Results

We found a higher acceleration in the injured leg measured under anesthesia compared to without anesthesia (5.12 ± 1.56 m.s− 2 vs. 2.73 ± 1.19 m.s− 2, p < 0.001), and compared to the non-injured leg (5.12 ± 1.56 m.s− 2 vs. 3.45 ± 1.35 m.s− 2, p < 0.001). There was a presence of significant interaction between leg and anesthesia conditions (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The pivot-shift maneuver performed under anesthesia identifies better rotatory instability than without anesthesia because testing the pivot-shift without anesthesia underestimates the rotatory subluxation of the knee by an increased knee stiffness. Thus, testing under anesthesia provides a unique opportunity to determine the rotational instability prior to ACL reconstruction.
Visual search performance in ‘CCTV’ and mobile phone-like video footage
Authors: Mileva Viktoria R. , Hancock Peter J. B. , Langton Stephen R. H.
Published: September 2021

Finding an unfamiliar person in a crowd of others is an integral task for police officers, CCTV-operators, and security staff who may be looking for a suspect or missing person; however, research suggests that it is difficult and accuracy in such tasks is low. In two real-world visual-search experiments, we examined whether being provided with four images versus one image of an unfamiliar target person would help improve accuracy when searching for that person through video footage. In Experiment 1, videos were taken from above and at a distance to simulate CCTV, and images of the target showed their face and torso. In Experiment 2, videos were taken from approximately shoulder height, such as one would expect from body-camera or mobile phone recordings, and target images included only the face. Our findings suggest that having four images as exemplars leads to higher accuracy in the visual search tasks, but this only reached significance in Experiment 2. There also appears to be a conservative bias whereby participants are more likely to respond that the target is not in the video when presented with only one image as opposed to 4. These results point to there being an advantage for providing multiple images of targets for use in video visual-search.
Human blood serum proteome changes after 6 hours of sleep deprivation at night
Authors: Bjørkum Alvhild Alette , Carrasco Duran Ana , Frode Berven , Sinha Roy Dola , Rosendahl Karen , Birkeland Even , Stuhr Linda
Published: September 2021

Background

The aim of this study was to discover significantly changed proteins in human blood serum after loss of 6 h sleep at night. Furthermore, to reveal affected biological process- and molecular function categories that might be clinically relevant, by exploring systems biological databases.

Methods

Eight females were recruited by volunteer request. Peripheral venous whole blood was sampled at 04:00 am, after 6 h of sleep and after 6 h of sleep deprivation. We used within-subjects design (all subjects were their own control). Blood serum from each subject was depleted before protein digestion by trypsin and iTRAQ labeling. Labled peptides were analyzed by mass spectrometry (LTQ OritrapVelos Elite) connected to a LC system (Dionex Ultimate NCR-3000RS).

Results

We identified 725 proteins in human blood serum. 34 proteins were significantly differentially expressed after 6 h of sleep deprivation at night. Out of 34 proteins, 14 proteins were up-regulated, and 20 proteins were down-regulated. We emphasized the functionality of the 16 proteins commonly differentiated in all 8 subjects and the relation to pathological conditions. In addition, we discussed Histone H4 (H4) and protein S100-A6/Calcyclin (S10A6) that were upregulated more than 1.5-fold. Finally, we discussed affected biological process- and molecular function categories.

Conclusions

Overall, our study suggest that acute sleep deprivation, at least in females, affects several known biological processes- and molecular function categories and associates to proteins that also are changed under pathological conditions like impaired coagulation, oxidative stress, immune suppression, neurodegenerative related disorder, and cancer. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD021004.
An overview of digitalization for the building-to-grid ecosystem
Authors: Ma Zheng , Clausen Anders , Lin Yun , Jørgensen Bo Nørregaard
Published: September 2021

Digitalization is playing an important role in the emerging practice of Building-to-Grid (B2G). However, the majority of the literature only covers either the grid side, the demand side, or the technical aspect of B2G integration, and an overview of the digitalization in B2G and the involved stakeholders is missing. To fill these gaps, this paper proposes a definition of the B2G ecosystem and provides an overview of the digitalization of the B2G ecosystem with six aspects (B2G goals and themes, B2G technologies, B2G data sources and data management, and B2G related stakeholders). This paper also discusses five emerging technologies (5G, IoT, big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain) and three main challenges of the applications of the emerging technologies in the B2G ecosystem (Security and privacy, interoperability and scalability, coordination, and dysfunctional emerging behaviors of collective intelligent controls). Lastly, this paper recommends future research directions in the Building-to-Grid ecosystem (especially ecosystem modeling and simulation), B2G’s role in smart cities, sustainability, resilience, and harmonization of the B2G ecosystem, and other emerging technologies in B2G.
A generic agent-based framework for modeling business ecosystems: a case study of electric vehicle home charging
Authors: Værbak Magnus , Ma Zheng , Demazeau Yves , Jørgensen Bo N.
Published: September 2021

Modeling and simulation have been popularly used for system investigation and evaluation. With proper evaluation, distribution system operators can decide on a reasonable course of action for encouraging energy flexibility and make predictions on the recommended timing and magnitude of system updates under different scenarios. However, there is no efficient tool for system operators to quickly set up and perform simulations of alternative scenarios for system updates before planning their course of action, without much experience with programming or system modeling. This paper proposes an agent-based modeling framework for developing agent-based simulation models of business ecosystems that can be applied to multiple evaluation scenarios by simple configuration of agents and roles. There are two steps in this proposed framework: Step 1 – Interface and role interactions design and Step 2 – Agent architecture and connections design. In addition, the framework depends on a pre-step that covers mapping and architecture development of the business ecosystem to be modeled. The framework is demonstrated with a case study of an energy business ecosystem consisting of an electricity distribution grid with 137 connected domestic consumers. The case study shows that the proposed agent-based modeling framework supports the development of agent-based models for simulating energy business ecosystems. To verify the behavior of the developed agent-based simulation models, a verification procedure of the agent models is briefly discussed, which includes unit, integration, and system testing approaches similar to the ones used in software testing.
Lower dementia risk with anticoagulation and ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Kim Daehoon , Yang Pil-Sung , Joung Boyoung
Published: September 2021

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common cardiac arrhythmia in the elderly population, has been associated with an impairment of cognitive function and an increased risk of dementia. Even though there does not appear to be solid evidence that any specific treatment prevents or delays AF-associated cognitive decline, evidence is accumulating regarding the possible treatment strategies for preventing dementia. Oral anticoagulation, especially non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants rather than warfarin use, has been suggested to be associated with reduced risk of dementia. Successfully maintaining sinus rhythm using catheter ablation might be also helpful in preventing subsequent dementia in patients with AF. In this review, we critically appraise the proposed treatment strategies for preventing AF-associated cognitive decline.
Randomized Prospective Trial Exploring the Impact of Structured Journaling in Patients With Sarcoma on the Management of Treatment-Related Adverse Events
Authors: Speece N.J. , Xu Menglin , Tinoco Gabriel , Liebner David A. , Chen James L.
Published: September 2021

PURPOSE:

Treatment-related adverse events associated with systemic anticancer therapy (SACT) can deter patients with sarcoma from completing treatment. With self-monitoring, patients may be better empowered to self-advocate for improved symptom management. We hypothesized that by incorporating journaling, a structured form of self-monitoring, care team communication, and symptom management would improve. We thus designed a prospective randomized trial exploring journaling as a therapeutic adjuvant for symptom management ( NCT03258892 ).

METHODS:

Participants with sarcoma initiating SACT were randomly assigned to receive either a symptom management journal at the start of SACT or after completing two cycles of SACT. Symptom journals were designed jointly by a cancer patient focus group and by education experts. Journals were reviewed with clinical staff at each visit. Participant responses were obtained through questionnaires. Patient call volume was obtained through the electronic health record.

RESULTS:

Of 64 participants consented for the trial, 53 were evaluable for analysis. Fifty-five percent of participants reported that the journal was at least moderately useful. These participants were more likely to report improved communication scores ( P = .027), symptom management ( P = .011), and quality of life (QOL) ( P = .019). Participants who received the journal early were less likely to report a decrease in QOL as compared with the late journal group ( P = .757 v P = .035).

CONCLUSION:

To our knowledge, this is the first prospective randomized trial evaluating the use of structured journaling as a low-cost means to improve treatment-related adverse event management and QOL in patients with sarcoma undergoing SACT. These promising results will need to be confirmed by additional studies.
The Auto-Tuned Self: Modulating Voice and Gender in Digital Media Ecologies
Authors: Åkervall Lisa
Published: September 2021

This essay takes the auto-tuned viral video “Can't Hug Every Cat” as a point of entry for a broader analysis of how modulation decisively shapes politics, aesthetics, and gendering in contemporary digital ecologies. It uncovers how the exaggerated exhibitions of feminine vocal modulation in “Can't Hug Every Cat” entangle with generational feminist anxieties over gendered forms of articulation such as “sexy baby voice” and “upspeak.” It argues that the problematic of the modulated voice is both technologically and thematically central to political, technological, aesthetic, and gendered genealogies of media-technical modulation. The modulated voice given such extraordinary staging in “Can't Hug Every Cat” is therefore restored to the longer history of voice modulation, which is itself closely tied to the rise of control societies and digital media. In this perspective, techniques of voice modulation and social modulation are tandem technologies. The voice modulation that has figured prominently in media cultures in recent decades—from the music of Cher to T-Pain and beyond—is not merely a consequence of digital media and control societies but is also integral to their conditions of possibility. In this light, the rise of technologies for the modulation of the human voice since the nineteenth century is intertwined with the rise of new economic, political, and medical systems of control.
Schneemann Sounding: Embodied Sonic Systems
Authors: Ragona Melissa
Published: September 2021

This essay examines the central position the medium of sound played in the work of the artist Carolee Schneemann (US, 1939–2019). By exploring a few key early works such as Glass Environment for Sound and Motion (1962), Chromelodeon (1963), and Noise Bodies (1965), it traces how her exposure to emergent forms in experimental music informed important translations she made of complex sonic structures into expanded, layered, constantly evolving visual systems. The essay argues that Schneemann transformed the body into a soft recording system that broadcast sonic testimonies of everyday encounters with the excesses of conspicuous consumption, the inequalities of gendered relations, and the disturbing encounters with state-mandated violence against other cultures, in particular the US invasion of Vietnam.
Christ, Santa Claus, Doctor Deliverer: For Carolee Schneemann
Authors: Yoon Soyoung
Published: September 2021

This essay attends to the force of aggression in Carolee Schneemann's work, emphasizing the conflicts in the artist's representation of enjoyment, knowledge, and truth in her own body, with a focus on Up To and Including Her Limits (1973–76) and the underexplored text “Anti-Demeter: The More I Give the More You Steal” (1994). Addressing how the latter presents an origin myth for the artist, the essay underscores Schneemann's struggle over questions of genealogy, alliance, influence, and debt. On the question of debt, particular attention is given to its quality of ambivalence on terms of sexual difference, especially for father figures perceived as models of artistic expressivity, and the mothering body as a body of prohibition, labor, illness, and death. Examining the negation of the body, the role of aggression and violence, and the critique of the bind of “male fantasies” in Schneemann's work, the essay proposes a shift in feminist art historiography and its projections on Schneemann the artist. The essay asserts Schneemann's tale as a cautionary and self-reflexive one for those who come after, the would-be-daughters, who would negate the body, the struggle, the art yet again for the myth, in a time ripe for myth, in the wake of the artist's passing.
House Body House
Authors: White Kenneth
Published: September 2021

The essay describes Carolee Schneemann's residence, a stone house constructed in 1750 by Huguenot settlers on land of the Munsee Lenape people, and its central role in her life and work from the early 1960s until her death in 2019. The essay gives particular attention to Schneemann's text “Parts of a Body House” (1957–67), a series of paragraphs composed over a decade that describe a network of biomorphic structures and multimedia environments. The essay argues that “Parts of a Body House” is a “nerve codex” by which to read the artist's life and work. The essay is derived in part from remarks the author delivered at the memorial service for Schneemann at Judson Memorial Church, New York, on 3 May 2019.
The Resistance to Overanalysis
Authors: McEleney Corey
Published: September 2021

“The Resistance to Overanalysis” carefully analyzes the rhetoric that the business community, the self-help industry, and mass culture more generally use to pathologize overanalysis as an unhelpful, counterproductive practice that inhibits people’s efforts at reaching their goals and becoming happy, successful citizens. Focusing on the persistent stereotype that associates academics and intellectuals (particularly in the humanities) with overanalysis, the essay offers a critique of the anti-intellectual conventions that underlie denunciations of overanalysis. It also demonstrates how those conventions, and the ideological values they reinforce, have been echoed, from within the academic humanities, by what has been dubbed “postcritique.” The essay makes a case for why intellectuals in the humanities must exercise caution when it comes to adopting the values that the postcritique movement promotes, given the way those values subtend the populist, even fascistic, anti-intellectual interests that also fuel the stigmatization of overanalysis.
Parables for the Virtual
Authors: Massumi Brian
Published: September 2021

Since its publication twenty years ago, Brian Massumi's pioneering Parables for the Virtual has become an essential text for interdisciplinary scholars across the humanities. Massumi views the body and media such as television, film, and the internet as cultural formations that operate on multiple registers of sensation. Renewing and assessing William James's radical empiricism and Henri Bergson's philosophy of perception through the filter of the postwar French philosophy of Deleuze, Guattari, and Foucault, Massumi links a cultural logic of variation to questions of movement, affect, and sensation. Replacing the traditional opposition of literal and figural with distinctions between stasis and motion and between actual and virtual, Massumi tackles related theoretical issues by applying them to cultural mediums as diverse as architecture, body art, the digital art of Stelarc, and Ronald Reagan's acting career. The result is an intriguing combination of cultural theory, science, and philosophy that asserts itself in a crystalline and multifaceted argument.

This twentieth anniversary edition includes a new preface in which Massumi situates the book in relation to developments since its publication and outlines the evolution of its main concepts. It also includes two short texts, “Keywords for Affect” and “Missed Conceptions about Affect,” in which Massumi explicates his approach to affect in ways that emphasize the book's political and philosophical stakes.
Polygenic Score for Physical Activity Is Associated with Multiple Common Diseases
Authors: SILLANPÄÄ ELINA , PALVIAINEN TEEMU , RIPATTI SAMULI , KUJALA URHO M. , KAPRIO JAAKKO
Published: September 2021

Introduction

Genetic pleiotropy, in which the same genes affect two or more traits, may partially explain the frequently observed associations between high physical activity (PA) and later reduced morbidity or mortality. This study investigated associations between PA polygenic risk scores (PRS) and cardiometabolic diseases among the Finnish population.

Methods

PRS for device-measured overall PA were adapted to a FinnGen study cohort of 218,792 individuals with genomewide genotyping and extensive digital longitudinal health register data. Associations between PA PRS and body mass index, diseases, and mortality were analyzed with linear and logistic regression models.

Results

A high PA PRS predicted a lower body mass index (β = −0.025 kg·m−2 per one SD change in PA PRS, SE = 0.013, P = 1.87 × 10−80). The PA PRS also predicted a lower risk for diseases that typically develop later in life or not at all among highly active individuals. A lower disease risk was systematically observed for cardiovascular diseases (odds ratio [OR] per 1 SD change in PA PRS = 0.95, P = 9.5 × 10−19) and, for example, hypertension [OR = 0.93, P = 2.7 × 10−44), type 2 diabetes (OR = 0.91, P = 4.1 × 10−42), and coronary heart disease (OR = 0.95, P = 1.2 × 10−9). Participants with high PA PRS had also lower mortality risk (OR = 0.97, P = 0.0003).

Conclusions

Genetically less active persons are at a higher risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases, which may partly explain the previously observed associations between low PA and higher disease and mortality risk. The same inherited physical fitness and metabolism-related mechanisms may be associated both with PA levels and with cardiometabolic disease risk.
The Effect of Exercise Training on Lean Body Mass in Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: FRASER STEVE F. , GARDNER JASON R. , DALLA VIA JACK , DALY ROBIN M.
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Reduced lean body mass (LBM) is common during and after treatment for breast cancer, and it is associated with increased treatment-induced toxicity, shorter time to tumor progression, and decreased survival. Exercise training is a potential intervention for maintaining or increasing LBM. We conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis to investigate the effects of exercise training on LBM in breast cancer.

Methods

A comprehensive search was performed to November 2020 for randomized controlled trials reporting the effects of structured exercise training on LBM compared with control in women with breast cancer during or after cancer treatment. A random-effects meta-analysis was completed using the absolute net difference in the change in LBM between intervention and control groups as the outcome measure. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were also performed.

Results

Data from 17 studies involving 1743 breast cancer survivors were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, there was a significant benefit of exercise training compared with control on LBM (0.58 kg, 95% confidence interval = 0.27 to 0.88, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed positive effects for resistance training (0.59 kg) and aerobic training (0.29 kg), and for exercise training conducted during (0.47 kg) or after (0.66 kg) cancer treatment. Exercise training was beneficial in studies enrolling postmenopausal women (0.58 kg) as well as in those with participants of mixed menopausal status (1.46 kg).

Conclusions

Compared with usual care, exercise training has a beneficial effect on LBM in women with breast cancer, both during and after cancer treatment. Given the physiological and functional importance of LBM in women with breast cancer, oncologists should encourage their patients to engage in regular exercise training, with particular emphasis on resistance training.
Role of diffusion tensor imaging in the evaluation of ulnar nerve involvement in leprosy
Authors: Aggarwal Ankita , Das Chandan Jyoti , Khanna Neena , Sharma Raju , Srivastava Deep Narayan , Goyal Vinay , Netaji Arjunlokesh
Published: September 2021

Objective:

Early detection of peripheral neuropathy is extremely important as leprosy is one of the treatable causes of peripheral neuropathy. The study was undertaken to assess the role of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in ulnar neuropathy in leprosy patients.

Methods:

This was a case–control study including 38 patients (72 nerves) and 5 controls (10 nerves) done between January 2017 and June 2019. Skin biopsy proven cases of leprosy, having symptoms of ulnar neuropathy (proven on nerve conduction study) were included. MRI was performed on a 3 T MR system. Mean cross-sectional area, fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of ulnar nerve at cubital tunnel were calculated. Additional ancillary findings and appearance of base sequences were evaluated.

Results:

Ulnar nerve showed thickening with altered T  2W signal in all the affected nerves, having an average cross-sectional area of 0.26 cm2. Low FA with mean of 0.397 ± 0.19 and high ADC with mean of 1.28 ± 0.427 x 10 −3 mm2/s of ulnar nerve in retrocondylar groove was obtained. In the control group, mean cross-sectional area was 0.71cm2 with mean FA and ADC of 0.53 ± 0.088 and 1.03 ± 0.24 x 10 −3 mm2/s respectively. Statistically no significant difference was seen in diseased and control group. Cut-off to detect neuropathy for FA and ADC is 0.4835 and 1.1020 × 10 −3 mm2/s respectively.

Conclusion:

DTI though is challenging in peripheral nerves, however, is proving to be a powerful complementary tool for assessment of peripheral neuropathy. Our study validates its utility in infective neuropathies.

Advances in knowledge:

1. DTI is a potential complementary tool for detection of peripheral neuropathies and can be incorporated in standard MR neurography protocol.

2. In leprosy-related ulnar neuropathy, altered signal intensity with thickening or abscess of the nerve is appreciated along with locoregional nodes and secondary denervation changes along with reduction of FA and rise in ADC value.

3. Best cut-offs obtained in our study for FA and ADC are 0.4835 and 1.1020 × 10 −3 mm2/s respectively.
CT texture analysis in evaluation of thymic tumors and thymic hyperplasia: correlation with the international thymic malignancy interest group (ITMIG) stage and WHO grade
Authors: Rajamohan Naveen , Goyal Ankur , Kandasamy Devasenathipathy , Bhalla Ashu Seith , Parshad Rajinder , Jain Deepali , Sharma Raju
Published: September 2021

Objectives:

To evaluate the effectiveness of CT texture analysis (CTTA) in (1) differentiating Thymoma (THY) from thymic hyperplasia (TH) (2) low from high WHO grade, and (3) low from high Masaoka Koga (MK)/International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group (ITMIG) stages.

Methods:

After institute ethical clearance, this cross-sectional study analyzed 26 patients (THY-18, TH-8) who underwent dual energy CT (DECT) and surgery between January 2016 and December 2018. CTTA was performed using TexRad (Feedback Medical Ltd., Cambridge, UK- www.fbkmed.com ) by a single observer. Free hand regions of interest (ROIs) were placed over axial sections where there was maximum enhancement and homogeneity. Filtration histogram was used to generate six first-order texture parameters [mean, standard deviation (SD), mean of positive pixels (MPP), entropy, skewness, and kurtosis] at six spatial scaling factors “SSF 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6”. Mann–Whitney test was applied among various categories and p value < 0.05 was considered significant. Three-step feature selection was performed to determine the best parameters among each category.

Results:

The best performing parameters were (1) THY vs TH- Mean at “SSF 0” (AUC: 0.8889) and MPP at “SSF 0” (AUC: 0.8889), (2) Low vs high WHO grade - no parameter showed statistical significance with good AUC, and (3) Low vs high MK/ITMIG stage- SD at “SSF 6” (AUC: 0.8052 and 0.8333 respectively]).

Conclusion:

CTTA revealed several parameters with excellent diagnostic performance in differentiating thymoma from thymic hyperplasia and MK/ITMIG high vs low stages. CTTA could potentially serve as a non-invasive tool for this stratification.

Advances in knowledge:

This study has employed texture analysis, a novel radiomics method on DECT scans to determine the best performing parameter and their corresponding cut-off values to differentiate among the above-mentioned categories. These new parameters may help add another layer of confidence to non-invasively stratify and prognosticate patients accurately which was only previously possible with a biopsy.
Magnetic resonance imaging texture analysis in the quantitative evaluation of acute osteomyelitis of the mandibular bone
Authors: Muraoka Hirotaka , Ito Kotaro , Hirahara Naohisa , Ichiki Shungo , Kondo Takumi , Kaneda Takashi
Published: September 2021

Objectives:

Accurate assessment of radiological images can help in early diagnosis and therapy of suppurative osteomyelitis (OM). The purpose of this study was to apply texture analysis to MRI as a means of quantitatively evaluating acute OM of the mandible.

Methods:

We analyzed the data from 38 patients who complained of pain and underwent MRI between April 2017 and March 2019. From the MRIs of these patients, with (n = 19) and without OM (n = 19), 279 radiomics features were extracted using short tau inversion recovery, data of the regions of interest and analyzed with MaZda v. 3.3. 10 features, including one histogram feature (90th percentile), eight gray-level co-occurrence matrix features (Sum Averg), and one gray-level run-length matrix feature (Horzl_RLNonUni), were selected using Fisher coefficient and compared between the acute OM and non-OM groups. The two groups were compared using Mann–Whitney U test with p value set at 0.05.

Results:

All 10 radiomics features showed significant differences between the acute OM and non-OM groups (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

MRI texture analysis has potential application in radiomics diagnosis of acute OM of the mandible.
Multifrequency magnetic resonance elastography-based tomoelastography of the parotid glands–feasibility and reference values
Authors: Elsholtz Fabian Henry Jürgen , Reiter Rolf , Marticorena Garcia Stephan Rodrigo , Braun Jürgen , Sack Ingolf , Hamm Bernd , Schaafs Lars-Arne
Published: September 2021

Objectives:

Accurate radiological differentiation of parotid tumors remains challenging despite recent technical advances in quantitative medical imaging. Multifrequency magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) could provide additional information on viscoelastic properties of normal and abnormal biological tissues. This study investigates the feasibility of MRE of the parotid glands in healthy participants and provides first reference values.

Methods:

20 healthy participants underwent multifrequency MRE of both parotid glands at 3 Tesla. Shear waves at frequencies of 25, 30, 40, and 50 Hz were introduced into the participants' heads through the occiput using pressurized-air actuators. Shear wave speed (SWS) and loss angle of the shear modulus (φ) were reconstructed by tomoelastography post-processing as surrogate parameters for tissue stiffness and viscosity or fluidity. 10 participants underwent repeated MRE to determine test–retest reliability based on intraclass correlation coefficients.

Results:

All MRE datasets acquired could be included in the analysis. Mean SWS was 0.97 ± 0.13 m/s, and mean φ was 0.59 ± 0.05 rad, each for both sides combined and without notable lateral difference (p = 0.88/0.87). Test–retest reliability was good for SWS (ICC = 0.84 for both sides/ICC = 0.77 for the right side/ICC = 0.79 for the left side) and good to excellent for φ(ICC = 0.94/0.86/0.90).

Conclusions:

Multifrequency MRE of the parotid glands is feasible and reliable. This technique, therefore, is a promising method for investigating the viscoelastic properties of salivary gland tumors in future studies.
Understanding service reorganisation in the Irish health & social care system from 1998 to 2020: lessons for reform and transformation
Authors: Barry Sarah , Stach Malgorzata , Thomas Steve , Burke Sara
Published: September 2021

Background: Given policy drives for integrated care and other reforms requiring service reorganisation this study analyses service reorganisation in the Irish health and social care system from 1998 to 2020 with the aim of identifying lessons for reform implementation and system learning generally.

Methods: A mixed-method, co-designed study of three distinct datasets through in a policy document analysis, a thematic analysis of interviews with elite respondents, and a formal review of the international literature, sets the Irish reorganisation story in the context of services and system reorganisation elsewhere. This approach is apt given the complexity involved.

Results: We find repeated policy declarations for forms of integrated care from the early 1990s in Ireland. These have not resulted in effective change across the system due to political, organisational and implementation failures. We identify poor clarity and commitment to policy and process, weak change management and resourcing, and reluctance from within the system to change established ways of working, cultures and allegiances. Given its narrative approach and identification of key lessons, this study is of use to policy makers, researchers and practitioners, clinical and managerial. It forms part of a bigger project of evidence building for the implementation of Sláintecare, Ireland’s 10-year health system reform programme.

Conclusions: The paper captures important lessons for regionalisation of services delivery and other reorganisations in service-based systems more generally. We find evidence of a negative policy/implementation/practice cycle repeatedly missing opportunities for reform. Learning to break this cycle is essential for implementing Sláintecare and other complex reorganisational health reforms generally.
Validation and clinical application of a method to quantify efavirenz in cervicovaginal secretions from flocked swabs using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Olagunju Adeniyi , Nwogu Jacinta , Eniayewu Oluwasegun , Atoyebi Shakir , Amara Alieu , Kpamor John , Bolaji Oluseye , Adejuyigbe Ebunoluwa , Owen Andrew , Khoo Saye
Published: September 2021

Background: A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method to quantify drugs in dried cervicovaginal secretions from flocked swabs was developed and validated using the antiretroviral efavirenz as an example.

Methods: Cervicovaginal swabs (CVS) were prepared by submerging flocked swabs in efavirenz-spiked matrix. Time to full saturation, weight uniformity, recovery and room temperature stability were evaluated. Chromatographic separation was on a reverse-phase C18 column by gradient elution using 1mM ammonium acetate in water/acetonitrile at 400 µL/min. Detection and quantification were on a TSQ Quantum Access triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in negative ionisation mode. The method was used to quantify efavirenz in CVS samples from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive women in the VADICT study (NCT03284645). A total of 98 samples (35 paired intensive CVS and DBS samples, 14 paired sparse CVS and DBS samples) from 19 participants were available for this analysis.

Results: Swabs were fully saturated within 15 seconds, absorbing 128 µL of matrix with coefficient of variation (%CV) below 1.3%. The method was linear with a weighting factor (1/X) in the range of 25-10000 ng/mL with inter- and intra-day precision (% CV) of 7.69-14.9%, and accuracy (% bias) of 99.1-105.3%. Mean recovery of efavirenz from CVS was 83.8% (%CV, 11.2) with no significant matrix effect. Efavirenz remained stable in swabs for at least 35 days after drying and storage at room temperature. Median (range) CVS efavirenz AUC0-24h was 16370 ng*h/mL (5803-22088), Cmax was 1618 ng/mL (610-2438) at a Tmax of 8.0 h (8.0-12), and Cmin was 399 ng/mL (110-981). Efavirenz CVS:plasma AUC0-24 ratio was 0.41 (0.20-0.59).

Conclusions: Further application of this method will improve our understanding of the pharmacology of other therapeutics in the female genital tract, including in low- and middle-income countries.
Toward Robust Monitoring of Malicious Outbreaks
Authors: Tang Shaojie , Liu Siyuan , Han Xu , Qiao Yu
Published: September 2021

Recently, diffusion processes in social networks have attracted increasing attention within computer science, marketing science, social sciences, and political science. Although the majority of existing works focus on maximizing the reach of desirable diffusion processes, we are interested in deploying a group of monitors to detect malicious diffusion processes such as the spread of computer worms. In this work, we introduce and study the [Formula: see text]-Monitoring Game} on networks. Our game is composed of two parties an attacker and a defender. The attacker can launch an attack by distributing a limited number of seeds (i.e., virus) to the network. Under our [Formula: see text]-Monitoring Game, we say an attack is successful if and only if the following two conditions are satisfied: (1) the outbreak/propagation reaches at least α individuals without intervention, and (2) it has not been detected before reaching β individuals. Typically, we require that β is no larger than α in order to compensate the reaction delays after the outbreak has been detected. On the other end, the defender’s ultimate goal is to deploy a set of monitors in the network that can minimize attacker’s success ratio in the worst-case. (We also extend the basic model by considering a noisy diffusion model, where the propagation probabilities on each edge could vary within an interval.) Our work is built upon recent work in security games, our adversarial setting provides robust solutions in practice.

Summary of Contribution: Although the diffusion processes in social networks have been extensively studied, most existing works aim at maximizing the reach of desirable diffusion processes. We are interested in deploying a group of monitors to detect malicious diffusion processes, such as the spread of computer worms. To capture the impact of model uncertainty, we consider a noisy diffusion model in which the propagation probabilities on each edge could vary within an interval. Our work is built upon recent work in security games; our adversarial setting leads to robust solutions in practice.
Introduction: 2020 Daniel H. Wagner Prize for Excellence in the Practice of Advanced Analytics and Operations Research
Authors: Helander Mary E. , Stone Lawrence D.
Published: September 2021

The judges for the 2020 Daniel H. Wagner Prize for Excellence in the Practice of Advanced Analytics and Operations Research selected the five finalist papers featured in this special issue of the INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics (IJAA). The prestigious Wagner Prize—awarded for achievement in implemented operations research, management science, and advanced analytics—emphasizes the quality and originality of mathematical models along with clarity of written and oral exposition. This year’s winning application is a system for optimally managing Dow Agrosciences’ (now Corteva) seed corn portfolio, which includes seeds for several hundred varieties of corn and is valued at more than $1 billion. The model employs Bayesian analytic methods to estimate crop yields from expert judgement. Stochastic optimization is then used to determine backup production in South America while dealing with yield uncertainty in North America. The remaining four papers include an efficient mixed-integer program used by Birchbox to determine individualized subscriber product sets; a scheduling system for Argentina’s premier soccer league; an incentive system for encouraging Lyft drivers to reposition to provide improved service; and a system for optimizing the electric bus network design in Rotterdam.
A Silver-Plated Youth (1792–1815)
Authors: Van Young Eric
Published: September 2021

The physical description of the Guanajuato of Alamán’s youth continues in this chapter. His early childhood education is discussed, and an early residence with his widowed mother in Mexico City. Scarcely had he returned to his native city when the independence movement broke out in September 1810. His relationship with the local power structure in Guanajuato is described, and his early acquaintance with Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. The fall of Guanajuato to Hidalgo’s insurgents in late September 1810, Alamán’s own account of his brush with death at the hands of the insurgents, and the question of whether he was traumatized by this experience are narrated. His very negative impression of the Mexico City elections under the briefly revived Spanish Constitution of 1812 closes the chapter.
Years of Pilgrimage, First Steps in Politics, and a Betrothal (1816–1823)
Authors: Van Young Eric
Published: September 2021

This chapter sees Alamán through most of the decade 1814-1823 as he traveled and studied in Europe, travels that can be traced in some detail through his surviving passports and visas. He visited many of the major cities in the region, among them Paris, London, Madrid, and spent time in Italy and Germany. Along the way he met a number of the outstanding literary and scientific figures of the age, such as Alexander von Humboldt and Madame de Staël, and found himself once again in Paris during the return of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815. He returned briefly to New Spain in 1820 to be betrothed to Narcisa Castrillo and occupy two minor political posts before being elected a deputy to the Spanish imperial Cortes (diet) in Madrid. He departed for Spain late in 1820 and would be gone for two years.