bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La compétence interculturelle en traduction
Authors: Marrero Agustín Darias
Published: January 2023

Il y a des espaces où les cultures entrent en contact. L’un de ces espaces est constitué par le texte. Les processus de traduction et d’interprétation permettent de faire passer les idées, le sens des textes d’une culture à une autre. Cependant, des éléments textuels chargés d’un poids culturel spécifique, plus marqué, exigent une compétence interculturelle accrue de la part des traducteurs et des interprètes. Cesculturèmes(Vermeer 1983,Nord 1997,2008,Lungu-Badea 2009) demandent un traitement différencié de leur part, entre autres, les notes du traducteur en traduction écrite ou les explicitations des interprètes en interprétation orale.

Nous avons mené une expérience didactique visant à constater comment les étudiants peuvent appréhender les compétences interculturelles pour être en mesure de traduire et de transmettre le contenu informatif d’un texte. La population cible de l’expérience réalisée est constituée d’étudiants en traduction et en interprétation qui ont eu à traduire un texte riche en culturèmes du français vers l’espagnol en suivant une méthodologie déterminée. Ils ont dû à posteriori rédiger des commentaires traductologiques justifiant leurs choix de traduction ; le but ultime de cette démarche étant de connaître les principaux défis qu’ils ont rencontrés lors du processus de la traduction et d’identifier les techniques appliquées pour les relever. Les étudiants ont ainsi pris conscience de leur (manque de) compétence interculturelle et du rôle fondamental qu’elle joue dans leur formation et leur future carrière professionnelle.
Evaluer, diagnostiquer et analyser la traduction automatique neuronale
Authors: Yvon François
Published: January 2023

Les outils de traduction automatique (TA) neuronale ont fait des progrès sensibles, qui qui les rendent utilisables pour un nombre croissant de domaines et de couples de langues. Cette évolution majeure des technologies de
traduction invite à revisiter les méthodes de mesure de la qualité de la traduction, en particulier des mesures dites
automatiques, qui jouent un rôle fondamental pour orienter les nouveaux développements de ces systèmes. Dans cet article, nous
dressons un état des lieux des méthodes utilisées dans le cycle de développement des outils de traduction automatique, depuis les
évaluations purement quantitatives jusqu’aux méthodologies récemment proposées pour analyser et diagnostiquer le fonctionnement de
ces “boites noires” neuronales.
Cooperativity of myosin II motors in the non-regulated and regulated thin filaments investigated with high-speed AFM
Authors: Matusovsky Oleg S. , Månsson Alf , Rassier Dilson E.
Published: January 2023

Skeletal myosins II are non-processive molecular motors that work in ensembles to produce muscle contraction while binding to the actin filament. Although the molecular properties of myosin II are well known, there is still debate about the collective work of the motors: is there cooperativity between myosin motors while binding to the actin filaments? In this study, we use high-speed AFM to evaluate this issue. We observed that the initial binding of small arrays of myosin heads to the non-regulated actin filaments did not affect the cooperative probability of subsequent bindings and did not lead to an increase in the fractional occupancy of the actin binding sites. These results suggest that myosin motors are independent force generators when connected in small arrays, and that the binding of one myosin does not alter the kinetics of other myosins. In contrast, the probability of binding of myosin heads to regulated thin filaments under activating conditions (at high Ca2+ concentration in the presence of 2 μM ATP) was increased with the initial binding of one myosin, leading to a larger occupancy of available binding sites at the next half-helical pitch of the filament. The result suggests that myosin cooperativity is observed over five pseudo-repeats and defined by the activation status of the thin filaments.
Single pulse protoacoustic range verification using a clinical synchrocyclotron
Authors: Caron Joseph , Gonzalez Gilberto , Pandey Prabodh Kumar , Wang Siqi , Prather Kiana , Ahmad Salahuddin , Xiang Liangzhong , Chen Yong
Published: January 2023

Objective. Proton therapy as the next generation radiation-based cancer therapy offers dominant advantages over conventional radiation therapy due to the utilization of the Bragg peak; however, range uncertainty in beam delivery substantially mitigates the advantages of proton therapy. This work reports using protoacoustic measurements to determine the location of proton Bragg peak deposition within a water phantom in real time during beam delivery. Approach. In protoacoustics, proton beams have a definitive range, depositing a majority of the dose at the Bragg peak; this dose is then converted to heat. The resulting thermoelastic expansion generates a 3D acoustic wave, which can be detected by acoustic detectors to localize the Bragg peak. Main results. Protoacoustic measurements were performed with a synchrocyclotron proton machine over the exhaustive energy range from 45.5 to 227.15 MeV in clinic. It was found that the amplitude of the acoustic waves is proportional to proton dose deposition, and therefore encodes dosimetric information. With the guidance of protoacoustics, each individual proton beam (7 pC/pulse) can be directly visualized with sub-millimeter (<0.7 mm) resolution using single beam pulse for the first time. Significance. The ability to localize the Bragg peak in real-time and obtain acoustic signals proportional to dose within tumors could enable precision proton therapy and hope to progress towards in vivo measurements.
Rotating spoke frequency in E × B penning source with two-ion-species plasma
Authors: Choi Jinyoung , Cheon Cheongbin , Hwang Y S , Chung Kyoung-Jae , Kim June Young
Published: January 2023

In E

×

B sources with different degrees of magnetization between electrons and ions, collisionless Simon–Hoh instability is prone to be induced, which may result in long-wavelength and low-frequency plasma oscillations along the azimuthal direction known as the rotating spoke. Recent studies have shown that the inertial response of unmagnetized ions is a key factor that affects the rotating spoke frequency, and in-depth studies on the correlation between the ion mass and spoke frequency have been conducted for various types of E

×

B sources (e.g. Hall thruster, magnetron and Penning sources). In the case of the E

×

B Penning source where the generation of desired ion species is maximized through molecular gas discharge, the intrinsic characteristics of the instability dependent on the ion mass inevitably require consideration of the coexistence of various ion species. In this work, we experimentally studied the spoke in the E

×

B Penning source with two-ion-species plasma. By adjusting the mixture ratio of argon and krypton gases, we investigated the changes in instability frequency with electrical diagnostics. Two frequency peaks were clearly observed, with the peaks of lower and higher frequencies corresponding to mode numbers 2 and 3, respectively. The frequencies of each peak shifted to higher values when the argon content in the gas mixture was increased. Finally, the theoretical scaling of the spoke suggests that the changes in the frequencies are proportional to the inverse square root of the effective ion mass.
Two-body top-quark decay in a circularly polarized laser field
Authors: Chahri R , Jakha M , Mouslih S , Manaut B , Taj S
Published: January 2023

The top quark is distinct from all other fermions due to its high mass and short lifetime. Therefore, it decays rapidly almost exclusively into a light quark and a

W
+

gauge boson. Through all of these properties, the top quark can reveal new details about the standard model and possibly about new physics. In this paper, we have investigated the two-body decay of the top quark (

t
→
q
 

W

+

), where q represents one of the quarks d, s and b, in the presence of a monochromatic circularly polarized laser field. Using the lowest-order Dirac-Volkov formalism, we have analytically established the expression for the laser-assisted total decay width of the top quark. We have analyzed the dependence of the total decay width, as well as the lifetime and branching ratios (BRs) on the characteristic parameters of the laser. The results indicate that the laser has a decreasing effect on the decay width, leading to an extension of the lifetime. The lifetime behavior inside the laser field is explained by the quantum Zeno effect. More importantly, we find that the laser field with an appropriate frequency and electric field amplitude leads to a modification of the BRs either by the enhancement of the

(
t
→
b
 

W

+

)

mode or by the suppression of the

(
t
→
s
 

W

+

)

and

(
t
→
d
 

W

+

)

modes.
BETSEE: testing for system-wide effects of single event effects on ITk strip modules
Authors: Belanger-Champagne C. , Dandoy J. , Gallop B.J. , Gosart T.C. , Helling C.M. , Keener P. , Krizka K. , McGovern B. , Mullier G. , Poley A.-L. , Roberts B.R. , Sawyer C. , Wall A. , Wang H. , Warren M.
Published: January 2023

The Inner Tracker silicon strip detector (ITk Strip) is a part of the ATLAS upgrade for the HL-LHC. The detector readout and control is accomplished by the interaction of three on-module custom ASICs (ABCStarv1, HCCStarv1 and AMACstar). All ASICs are designed with protections against Single Event Errors. Their resilience at the system-level can be tested using the Board for Evaluation of Triple-chip Single Event Effects (BETSEE). This special board places all three ASICs into the beam-spot of a test beam facility concurrently and allows for module-like operation. The results from irradiating BETSEE with heavy ions and protons will be presented.
Neutron-gamma events discrimination under complex circumstances using ResNet
Authors: Song H. , Yang C. , Yu B. , Li X. , Hu T. , Sun L.
Published: January 2023

On scintillator detectors, neutron and gamma rays could generate signals. These signals are generated internally and cannot be shielded, and there are various complex circumstances during data collection, such as piled-up pulse at high count rates and overflowed pulse caused by detector range limits. It is challenging to screen these complex circumstances using conventional methods like charge comparison. Conventional methods have low accuracy and lack self adaptability, to address these problem, a neural network based on residual connection structure (ResNet) was proposed. On the basis of the collected real signal, the pulse waveforms under complex circumstances were simulated. After integrating these waveforms into a dataset, they were trained and validated by ResNet and compared with two neural network algorithms MLP and CNN. The false predictions number of ResNet is 60% and 73% lower than that of CNN and MLP. The macro average F1 score of ResNet was 0.9956, which was significantly higher than 0.9885 of CNN and 0.9855 of MLP. And in the ROC and AUC, ResNet is still the best performing method, furthermore the improvement of ResNet to CNN is higher than that of CNN to MLP. These results indicated that Proposed ResNet is more suitable for neutron-gamma events discrimination in complex situations.
Logarithmic catastrophes and Stokes’s phenomenon in waves at horizons
Authors: Farrell L M , Howls C J , O’Dell D H J
Published: January 2023

Waves propagating near an event horizon display interesting features including logarithmic phase singularities and caustics. We consider an acoustic horizon in a flowing Bose–Einstein condensate where the elementary excitations obey the Bogoliubov dispersion relation. In the Hamiltonian ray theory the solutions undergo a broken pitchfork bifurcation near the horizon and one might therefore expect the associated wave structure to be given by a Pearcey function, this being the universal wave function that dresses catastrophes with two control parameters. However, the wave function is in fact an Airy-type function supplemented by a logarithmic phase term, a novel type of wave catastrophe. Similar wave functions arise in aeroacoustic flows from jet engines, path integrals in radio astronomy, and also gravitational horizons if dispersion which violates Lorentz symmetry in the UV is included. The approach we take differs from most previous authors in that we analyze the behavior of the integral representation of the wave function using exponential coordinates. This allows for a different treatment of the branch cuts and gives rise to an analysis based purely on saddlepoint expansions. We are thereby able to resolve the multiple real and complex waves that interact at the horizon and its companion caustic. We find that the horizon is a physical manifestation of a Stokes surface, marking the place where a wave is born, and that the horizon and the caustic do not in general coincide: the finite spatial region between them delineates a broadened horizon.
Determining the range of process parameters for friction stir welding using steepest ascent approach
Authors: Singh Naveen , Gupta Meenu
Published: January 2023

In the present research work, friction stir welding (FSW) of dissimilar aluminium alloy series (i.e., 7xxx and 8xxx) is performed at various rotational speeds (1900–2500 rpm), welding speeds (60–80 mm min−1), and tilt angle (1.8°–2.4°) to find out the optimal ranges of process parameters for main experiments. The experiments are designed as per the steepest ascent approach by using three factors two-level fractional factorial design. The tensile strength is considered as an output parameter for deciding the optimal levels of process parameters. The graphical analysis of the steepest ascent provides the optimal ranges of process parameters, i.e., 1818 to 2104 rpm for rotation speed, 42 to 63 mm min−1 for tool travel speed and 0.9 to 1.8° for tool tilt angle. Furthermore, microstructural and fractography analyses are also carried out to study the morphology and nature of joints. The microstructure shows the different welding zones such as the nugget zone, thermomechanical affected zone, and heat affected zone. The fractography analysis reveals the ductile nature of joint.
SYMBA: symbolic computation of squared amplitudes in high energy physics with machine learning
Authors: Alnuqaydan Abdulhakim , Gleyzer Sergei , Prosper Harrison
Published: January 2023

The cross section is one of the most important physical quantities in high-energy physics and the most time consuming to compute. While machine learning has proven to be highly successful in numerical calculations in high-energy physics, analytical calculations using machine learning are still in their infancy. In this work, we use a sequence-to-sequence model, specifically, a transformer, to compute a key element of the cross section calculation, namely, the squared amplitude of an interaction. We show that a transformer model is able to predict correctly 97.6% and 99% of squared amplitudes of quantum chromodynamics and quantum electrodynamics processes, respectively, at a speed that is up to orders of magnitude faster than current symbolic computation frameworks. We discuss the performance of the current model, its limitations and possible future directions for this work.
Fast regression of the tritium breeding ratio in fusion reactors
Authors: Mánek P , Van Goffrier G , Gopakumar V , Nikolaou N , Shimwell J , Waldmann I
Published: January 2023

The tritium breeding ratio (TBR) is an essential quantity for the design of modern and next-generation D-T fueled nuclear fusion reactors. Representing the ratio between tritium fuel generated in breeding blankets and fuel consumed during reactor runtime, the TBR depends on reactor geometry and material properties in a complex manner. In this work, we explored the training of surrogate models to produce a cheap but high-quality approximation for a Monte Carlo (MC) TBR model in use at the UK Atomic Energy Authority. We investigated possibilities for dimensional reduction of its feature space, reviewed 9 families of surrogate models for potential applicability, and performed hyperparameter optimization. Here we present the performance and scaling properties of these models, the fastest of which, an artificial neural network, demonstrated

R
2

=
0.985

and a mean prediction time of

0.898
 
μ

s

, representing a relative speedup of

8
×

10
6

with respect to the expensive MC model. We further present a novel adaptive sampling algorithm, Quality-Adaptive Surrogate Sampling, capable of interfacing with any of the individually studied surrogates. Our preliminary testing on a toy TBR theory has demonstrated the efficacy of this algorithm for accelerating the surrogate modelling process.
Detecting 𝛽 elements in iterated algebraic K-theory
Authors: Angelini-Knoll Gabriel
Published: January 2023

The Lichtenbaum–Quillen conjecture (LQC) relates special values of zeta functions to algebraic K-theory groups. The Ausoni–Rognes red-shift conjectures generalize the LQC to higher chromatic heights in a precise sense. In this paper, we propose an alternate generalization of the LQC to higher chromatic heights and give evidence for it at height two. In particular, if the

n
n

-th Greek letter family is detected by a commutative ring spectrum

R
R

, then we conjecture that the

n
+
1

n+1

-st Greek letter family will be detected by the algebraic K-theory of

R
R

. We prove this in the case

n
=
1

n=1

for

R
=

K

(

F

q

)

R=\mathrm {K}(\mathbb {F}_q)

modulo

(
p
,

v
1

)

(p,v_1)

where

p
≥
5

p\ge 5

and

q
=

ℓ
k

q=\ell ^k

is a prime power generator of the units in

Z

/

p
2

Z

\mathbb {Z}/p^2\mathbb {Z}

. In particular, we prove that the commutative ring spectrum

K

(

K

(

F

q

)
)

\mathrm {K}(\mathrm {K}(\mathbb {F}_q))

detects the part of the

p
p

-primary

β
\beta

-family that survives mod

(
p
,

v
1

)

(p,v_1)

. The method of proof also implies that these

β
\beta

elements are detected in iterated algebraic K-theory of the integers. Consequently, one may relate iterated algebraic K-theory groups of the integers to integral modular forms satisfying certain congruences.
Finite free cumulants: Multiplicative convolutions, genus expansion and infinitesimal distributions
Authors: Arizmendi Octavio , Garza-Vargas Jorge , Perales Daniel
Published: January 2023

Given two polynomials

p
(
x
)
,
q
(
x
)

p(x), q(x)

of degree

d
d

, we give a combinatorial formula for the finite free cumulants of

p
(
x
)

⊠
d

q
(
x
)

p(x)\boxtimes _d q(x)

. We show that this formula admits a topological expansion in terms of non-crossing multi-annular permutations on surfaces of different genera.

This topological expansion, on the one hand, deepens the connection between the theories of finite free probability and free probability, and in particular proves that

⊠
d

\boxtimes _d

converges to

⊠
\boxtimes

as

d
d

goes to infinity. On the other hand, borrowing tools from the theory of second order freeness, we use our expansion to study the infinitesimal distribution of certain families of polynomials which include Hermite and Laguerre, and draw some connections with the theory of infinitesimal distributions for real random matrices.

Finally, building on our results we give a new short and conceptual proof of a recent result (see J. Hoskins and Z. Kabluchko [Exp. Math. (2021), pp. 1–27]; S. Steinerberger [Exp. Math. (2021), pp. 1–6]) that connects root distributions of polynomial derivatives with free fractional convolution powers.
Superconvergence and regularity of densities in free probability
Authors: Bercovici Hari , Wang Jiun-Chau , Zhong Ping
Published: January 2023

The phenomenon of superconvergence, first observed in the central limit theorem of free probability, was subsequently extended to arbitrary limit laws for free additive convolution. We show that the same phenomenon occurs for the multiplicative versions of free convolution on the positive line and on the unit circle. We also show that a certain Hölder regularity, first demonstrated by Biane for the density of a free additive convolution with a semicircular law, extends to free (additive and multiplicative) convolutions with arbitrary freely infinitely divisible distributions.
Tracing human life trajectory using gut microbial communities by context-aware deep learning
Authors: Zhang Haohong , Chong Hui , Yu Qingyang , Zha Yuguo , Cheng Mingyue , Ning Kang
Published: January 2023

The gut microbial communities are highly plastic throughout life, and the human gut microbial communities show spatial-temporal dynamic patterns at different life stages. However, the underlying association between gut microbial communities and time-related factors remains unclear. The lack of context-awareness, insufficient data, and the existence of batch effect are the three major issues, making the life trajection of the host based on gut microbial communities problematic. Here, we used a novel computational approach (microDELTA, microbial-based deep life trajectory) to track longitudinal human gut microbial communities’ alterations, which employs transfer learning for context-aware mining of gut microbial community dynamics at different life stages. Using an infant cohort, we demonstrated that microDELTA outperformed Neural Network for accurately predicting the age of infant with different delivery mode, especially for newborn infants of vaginal delivery with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of microDELTA and Neural Network at 0.811 and 0.436, respectively. In this context, we have discovered the influence of delivery mode on infant gut microbial communities. Along the human lifespan, we also applied microDELTA to a Chinese traveler cohort, a Hadza hunter-gatherer cohort and an elderly cohort. Results revealed the association between long-term dietary shifts during travel and adult gut microbial communities, the seasonal cycling of gut microbial communities for the Hadza hunter-gatherers, and the distinctive microbial pattern of elderly gut microbial communities. In summary, microDELTA can largely solve the issues in tracing the life trajectory of the human microbial communities and generate accurate and flexible models for a broad spectrum of microbial-based longitudinal researches.
Inflammatory induration in hidradenitis suppurativa and application to severity assessment
Authors: Bellefeuille Gretchen , Paiewonsky Briana , Khalid Bisma , Freese Rebecca L , Lowes Michelle A , Kirby Joslyn S , Alavi Afsaneh , Goldfarb Noah
Published: January 2023

Skin thickness, as known as inflammatory induration, is a component in several HS grading instruments including the HASI and HASI-R. This study sought to evaluate how thickest lesion measurement (mm) corresponds to HS severity. This study demonstrates that inflammatory induration has moderate association with HS severity, thickest lesion measurement (mm) demonstrates known-validity across Hurley stages, and cut-offs for thickest lesion measurement (mm) were determined for inflammatory induration grading for the purpose of HASI-R training.
Author reply to: Comment on: ‘Eczematous drug eruption in patients with psoriasis under anti-interleukin-17A: does interleukin-22 play a key role?’
Authors: Ruggiero Angelo , Megna Matteo , Caiazzo Giuseppina , Parisi Melania , Mascolo Massimo , Russo Daniela , Gallo Lucia , Fabbrocini Gabriella , Napolitano Maddalena , Patruno Cataldo
Published: January 2023

Eczematous drug eruption during biological treatments represents novel and difficult-to-manage reactions, with a still unexplained pathogenesis

In patients treated with IL-17 inhibitors for psoriasis, eczematous drug eruptions skin lesions mainly express Th2/Th22 features, with a central role played by IL-22.
Interleukin-17A immune pattern across genetic acantholytic and blistering disorders
Authors: Haghighi Javid Asal , Li Donglin , Technau-Hafsi Kristin , Has Cristina
Published: January 2023

There is a high therapeutic need in acantholytic and blistering genodermatoses. Cutaneous inflammation is a reasonable therapeutic target, although the patterns are not yet fully elucidated. Here we investigated by immunohistochemistry whether interleukin (IL)-17A is expressed in the inflammatory infiltrate in 34 patients with Hailey–Hailey disease, Darier disease, and junctional and dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. There was a 5–7-fold increase in the number of IL-17A-positive cells in all patients’ samples as compared with normal skin. IL-17A cells were present in epidermal acantholytic areas and dermal inflammatory infiltrates in Hailey–Hailey and Darier disease. In epidermolysis bullosa samples, positive cells were present at the dermoepidermal junction zone. The IL-17A inflammatory pattern was validated by observing upregulation of downstream genes/proteins, S100A7, S100A8 and S100A9 (S100 calcium-binding proteins). These results suggest that IL-17A contributes to skin inflammation and could be a therapeutic target during inflammatory flares in these disorders.
Liver disease among patients with psoriasis: the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry
Authors: Lim Y T , Robinson S , Tang M M ,   the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry Working Group
Published: January 2023

Background

Therapeutic options may be limited for patients with psoriasis who have concomitant liver disease (PsL).

Objectives

We aimed to report the frequency of liver disease among patients with psoriasis, and describe the clinical features, treatment modalities and quality of life.

Methods

This was a multicentre cross-sectional study of patients with psoriasis notified to the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry (MPR) from January 2007 to December 2018.

Results

Of 21 735 patients with psoriasis, 174 (0.8%) had liver disease. The three most common liver diseases were viral hepatitis (62.1%), fatty liver (14.4%) and liver cirrhosis (10.9%). The male-to-female ratio was 3.8 : 1. Mean age (SD) of onset of psoriasis was higher in those with liver disease vs. those without [37.25 years (13.47) vs. 33.26 years (16.96), P < 0.001]. Patients with PsL, compared with those without liver disease, had a higher rate of dyslipidaemia (27.5% vs. 16.4%, P < 0.001), hypertension (33.9% vs. 23.7%, P = 0.002), diabetes mellitus (22.4% vs. 15.9%, P = 0.021) and HIV infection (5.3% vs. 0.4%, P < 0.001). Those with PsL were also more likely than those without liver disease to have severe disease [body surface area > 10% and/or Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) > 10] (59.3% vs. 49.9%, P = 0.027), psoriatic arthropathy (21.1% vs. 13.0%, P = 0.002) and nail involvement (78.2% vs. 56.1%, P < 0.001). Also significantly higher in the group with PsL were the use of phototherapy (8.4% vs. 2.6%, P < 0.001), acitretin (7.3% vs. 2.8%, P < 0.001) and ciclosporin (3.0% vs. 0.7%, P < 0.001). Mean DLQI was similar in both groups [9.69 (7.20) vs. 9.62 (6.75), P = 0.88].

Conclusions

The frequency of patients with PsL in the MPR was 0.8%. Patients with PsL were more likely to be male, had a higher rate of comorbidities, severe disease, and nail and joint involvement than those without liver disease.
Finerenone and effects on mortality in chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes: a FIDELITY analysis
Authors: Filippatos Gerasimos , Anker Stefan D , August Phyllis , Coats Andrew J S , Januzzi James L , Mankovsky Boris , Rossing Peter , Ruilope Luis M , Pitt Bertram , Sarafidis Pantelis , Teerlink John R , Kapelios Chris J , Gebel Martin , Brinker Meike , Joseph Amer , Lage Andrea , Bakris George , Agarwal Rajiv
Published: January 2023

Aims

Finerenone reduces the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). We investigated the causes of mortality in the FIDELITY population.

Methods and results

The FIDELITY prespecified pooled data analysis from FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD excluded patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. Outcomes included intention-to-treat and prespecified on-treatment analyses of the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Of 13 026 patients [mean age, 64.8 years; mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), 57.6 mL/min/1.73 m2], 99.8% were on renin–angiotensin system inhibitors. Finerenone reduced the incidence of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality vs. placebo (8.5% vs. 9.4% and 4.9% vs. 5.6%, respectively) and demonstrated significant on-treatment reductions [hazard ratio (HR), 0.82; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.70–0.96; P = 0.014 and HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.67–0.99; P = 0.040, respectively]. Cardiovascular-related mortality was most common, and finerenone lowered the incidence of sudden cardiac death vs. placebo [1.3% (incidence rate 0.44/100 patient-years) vs. 1.8% (0.58/100 patient-years), respectively; HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.57–0.996; P = 0.046]. The effects of finerenone on mortality were similar across all Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes risk groups. Event probability with finerenone at 4 years was consistent irrespective of baseline urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, but seemingly more pronounced in patients with higher baseline eGFR.

Conclusion

In FIDELITY, finerenone significantly reduced the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality vs. placebo in patients with T2D across a broad spectrum of CKD stages while on treatment, as well as sudden cardiac death in the intention-to-treat population.

Clinical trials registration

FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD are registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, numbers NCT02540993 and NCT02545049, respectively (funded by Bayer AG).
Long-Run Effects of Aid: Forecasts and Evidence from Sierra Leone
Authors: Casey Katherine , Glennerster Rachel , Miguel Edward , Voors Maarten
Published: January 2023

We evaluate the long-run effects of a decentralised approach to economic development called community-driven development—a prominent strategy for delivering foreign aid—by revisiting a randomised community-driven development program in Sierra Leone 11 years after launch. We estimate large persistent gains in local public goods and market activity, and modest positive effects on institutions. There is suggestive evidence that community-driven development may have slightly improved the communities’ response to the 2014 Ebola epidemic. We compare estimates to the forecasts of experts from Sierra Leone and abroad, working in policy and academia, and find that local policymakers are overly optimistic about the effectiveness of community-driven development.
Investigator-reported ventricular arrhythmias and mortality in heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction
Authors: Curtain James P , Adamson Carly , Kondo Toru , Butt Jawad Haider , Desai Akshay S , Zannad Faiez , Rouleau Jean L , Rohde Luis E , Kober Lars , Anand Inder S , van Veldhuisen Dirk J , Zile Michael R , Lefkowitz Martin P , Solomon Scott D , Packer Milton , Petrie Mark C , Jhund Pardeep S , McMurray John J V
Published: January 2023

Aims

Few reports have examined the incidence of ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) or their relationship with mortality in patients with heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) or heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

Methods and results

Data from the PARAGON-HF, TOPCAT, I-Preserve, and CHARM-Preserved trials were merged. VT/VF, reported as adverse events, were identified. Patients who experienced VT/VF were compared with patients who did not. The relationship between VT/VF and mortality was examined in time-updated Cox proportional hazard regression models. Variables associated with VT/VF were examined in Cox proportional hazard regression models. The rate of VT/VF in patients with HFmrEF compared with patients with HFpEF was examined in a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Of 13 609 patients, over a median follow-up of 1170 days (interquartile range: 966–1451), 146 (1.1%) experienced an investigator-reported VT/VF (incidence rate 0.3 per 100 person-years). Patients who experienced VT/VF were more likely to be male, have had a myocardial infarction, poorer renal function, more adverse left ventricular remodelling, and higher N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) than patients who did not. Occurrence of VT/VF was associated with NT-proBNP, history of atrial fibrillation/flutter, male sex, lower ejection fraction, and history of hypertension. VT/VF was associated with all-cause death [adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 3.95, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.80–5.57; P < 0.001] and cardiovascular death, driven by death from heart failure and not sudden death. Patients with HFmrEF had a higher rate of VT/VF than patients with HFpEF (adjusted HR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.77–2.71).

Conclusion

VT/VF was uncommon in patients with HFmrEF and HFpEF. However, such events were strongly associated with mortality and appear to be a marker of disease severity rather than risk of sudden death.

Clinical trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov unique identifier: NCT01920711(PARAGON-HF); NCT00094302 (TOPCAT); NCT00095238 (I-Preserve); NCT00634712 (CHARM-Preserved)
Show us the data: global COVID-19 wastewater monitoring efforts, equity, and gaps
Authors: Naughton Colleen C , Roman Fernando A , Alvarado Ana Grace F , Tariqi Arianna Q , Deeming Matthew A , Kadonsky Krystin F , Bibby Kyle , Bivins Aaron , Medema Gertjan , Ahmed Warish , Katsivelis Panagis , Allan Vajra , Sinclair Ryan , Rose Joan B
Published: January 2023

A year since the declaration of the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there were over 110 million cases and 2.5 million deaths. Learning from methods to track community spread of other viruses such as poliovirus, environmental virologists and those in the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) field quickly adapted their existing methods to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater. Unlike COVID-19 case and mortality data, there was not a global dashboard to track wastewater monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA worldwide. This study provides a 1-year review of the “COVIDPoops19” global dashboard of universities, sites, and countries monitoring SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater. Methods to assemble the dashboard combined standard literature review, Google Form submissions, and daily, social media keyword searches. Over 200 universities, 1400 sites, and 55 countries with 59 dashboards monitored wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. However, monitoring was primarily in high-income countries (65%) with less access to this valuable tool in low- and middle-income countries (35%). Data were not widely shared publicly or accessible to researchers to further inform public health actions, perform meta-analysis, better coordinate, and determine equitable distribution of monitoring sites. For WBE to be used to its full potential during COVID-19 and beyond, show us the data.
Direct wastewater extraction as a simple and effective method for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and COVID-19 community-level monitoring
Authors: Lott Megan E J , Norfolk William A , Dailey Cody A , Foley Amelia M , Melendez-Declet Carolina , Robertson Megan J , Rathbun Stephen L , Lipp Erin K
Published: January 2023

Wastewater surveillance has proven to be an effective tool to monitor the transmission and emergence of infectious agents at a community scale. Workflows for wastewater surveillance generally rely on concentration steps to increase the probability of detection of low-abundance targets, but preconcentration can substantially increase the time and cost of analyses while also introducing additional loss of target during processing. To address some of these issues, we conducted a longitudinal study implementing a simplified workflow for SARS-CoV-2 detection from wastewater, using a direct column-based extraction approach. Composite influent wastewater samples were collected weekly for 1 year between June 2020 and June 2021 in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, USA. Bypassing any concentration step, low volumes (280 µl) of influent wastewater were extracted using a commercial kit, and immediately analyzed by RT-qPCR for the SARS-CoV-2 N1 and N2 gene targets. SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA was detected in 76% (193/254) of influent samples, and the recovery of the surrogate bovine coronavirus was 42% (IQR: 28%, 59%). N1 and N2 assay positivity, viral concentration, and flow-adjusted daily viral load correlated significantly with per-capita case reports of COVID-19 at the county-level (ρ = 0.69–0.82). To compensate for the method’s high limit of detection (approximately 106–107 copies l−1 in wastewater), we extracted multiple small-volume replicates of each wastewater sample. With this approach, we detected as few as five cases of COVID-19 per 100 000 individuals. These results indicate that a direct-extraction-based workflow for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance can provide informative and actionable results.
Real-world Comparative Effectiveness of Ustekinumab vs Anti-TNF in Crohn’s Disease With Propensity Score Adjustment: Induction Phase Results From the Prospective, Observational RUN-CD Study
Authors: Bokemeyer Bernd , Plachta-Danielzik Sandra , di Giuseppe Romina , Mohl Wolfgang , Teich Niels , Hoffstadt Martin , Schweitzer Axel , von der Ohe Manfred , Gauss Annika , Atreya Raja , Krause Thomas , Blumenstein Irina , Hartmann Petra , Schreiber Stefan
Published: January 2023

Background

In addition to randomized controlled trials (RCTs), real-world studies on the effectiveness of ustekinumab (UST) in Crohn’s disease (CD) are required inasmuch as RCTs are usually confined to selected patients, which may not represent everyday clinical practice. Within the framework of the prospective real-world RUN-CD registry, a total of approximately 900 CD patients from 44 inflammatory bowel disease centers from all over Germany starting a new therapy with UST or other biologics were screened for a real-world evidence (RWE) comparison of CD patients with UST vs antitumor necrosis factor (TNF).

Methods

A total of 618 CD patients with a nonrandomized biological therapy were qualified for this induction phase effectiveness RUN-CD study of UST vs anti-TNF. To reduce selection bias in estimations of treatment effects, the propensity score with inverse probability of treatment weighting was implemented. The results were reported as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

A total of 339 UST and 279 anti-TNF patients were analyzed. The effectiveness of UST vs anti-TNF in terms of clinical remission (UST 65.4% vs anti-TNF 63.0%; OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.71-1.74) and steroid-free remission (UST 51.0% vs anti-TNF 53.8%; OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.60-1.47) was comparable at the end of induction therapy. Similar results were observed in the bio-naïve and bio-experienced UST vs anti-TNF groups. For both, the remission rates were higher in the bio-naïve than in the bio-experienced groups (P < .05).

Conclusions

In this prospective, observational RUN-CD study, the RWE head-to-head comparison of UST vs anti-TNF showed similar induction effectiveness in both groups, remarkably higher than those found in prior RCTs.
Effect on microbial communities in apple orchard soil when exposed short-term to climate change abiotic factors and different orchard management practices
Authors: Cook Chris , Magan Naresh , Robinson-Boyer Louisa , Xu Xiangming
Published: January 2023

Aim

We assessed the effect of exposing apple orchard soil to different temperatures and CO2 levels on the resident microbiome of soils from a conventionally managed and an organically managed apple orchard. The key difference between these two orchards was that synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are routinely used in the former one.

Methods and results

To investigate the effect of CO2 and temperature, soil samples from each site at two depths were exposed to either elevated temperature (29°C) at either 5000 or 10 000 ppm for five weeks or control conditions (25°C + 400 ppm). Both bacterial and fungal communities were profiled with amplicon-sequencing. The differences between the two orchards were the most significant factor affecting the bacterial and fungal communities, contributing to 53.7–14.0% of the variance in Bray–Curtis β diversity, respectively. Elevated CO2 concentration and increased temperature affected organic orchard microbial diversity more than the conventionally managed orchard. A number of candidate beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms had differential abundances when temperature and CO2 were elevated, but their effect on the plant is unclear.

Conclusions

This study has highlighted that microbial communities in bulk soils are most significantly influenced by crop management practices compared to the climate conditions used in the study. The studied climate conditions had a more limited effect on microbial community diversity in conventionally managed soil samples than in organically managed soils.
New families of cage-like structures based on Goldberg polyhedra with non-isolated pentagons
Authors: Rezaee Javan Anooshe , Liu Yuanpeng , Xie Yi Min
Published: January 2023

A Goldberg polyhedron is a convex polyhedron made of hexagons and pentagons that have icosahedral rotational symmetry. Goldberg polyhedra have appeared frequently in art, architecture, and engineering. Some carbon fullerenes, inorganic cages, viruses, and proteins in nature exhibit the fundamental shapes of Goldberg polyhedra. According to Euler’s polyhedron formula, an icosahedral Goldberg polyhedron always has exactly 12 pentagons. In Goldberg polyhedra, all pentagons are surrounded by hexagons only—this is known as the isolated pentagon rule (IPR). This study systematically developed new families of cage-like structures derived from the initial topology of Goldberg polyhedra but with the 12 pentagons fused in five different arrangements and different densities of hexagonal faces. These families might be of great significance in biology and chemistry, where some non-IPR fullerenes have been created recently with chemical reactivity and properties markedly different from IPR fullerenes. Furthermore, this study has conducted an optimization for multiple objectives and constraints, such as equal edge length, equal area, planarity, and spherical shape. The optimized configurations are highly desirable for architectural applications, where a structure with a small number of different edge lengths and planar faces may significantly reduce the fabrication cost and enable the construction of surfaces with flat panels.
Longitudinal study on sexual function and quality of life in infertile couples undergoing intrauterine insemination
Authors: Lo Sue Seen-Tsing , Wong Grace Ching-Yin , Ng Ernest Hung-Yu , Chan Celia Hoi-Yan , Li Raymond Hang-Wun
Published: January 2023

Background

Cross-sectional studies have shown that sexual dysfunction and poor quality of life were prevalent among couples undergoing assisted reproduction at specific time points, but nothing is known about how these outcomes change over the course of their intrauterine insemination (IUI) journey.

Aim

We investigated the longitudinal changes in sexual function and quality of life of infertile couples undergoing IUI.

Methods

Sixty-six infertile couples completed an anonymous questionnaire at 3 time points: after IUI counseling (T1), 1 day before IUI (T2), and 2 weeks after IUI (T3). The questionnaire consisted of demographic data, Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) or International Index of Erectile Function–5, and Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL).

Outcomes

Descriptive statistics, significance testing with the Friedman test, and post hoc analysis with the Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to compare changes in sexual function and quality of life at different time points.

Results

Overall, 18 (26.1%), 16 (23.2%), and 12 (17.4%) women and 29 (42.0%), 37 (53.6%), and 31 (44.9%) men were at risk for sexual dysfunction at T1, T2, and T3, respectively. There were significant differences in mean FSFI scores in arousal (3.87, 4.06, 4.10) and orgasm (4.15, 4.24, 4.39) domains at T1, T2, and T3. After post hoc analysis, only the increase in mean orgasm FSFI scores between T1 and T3 was statistically significant. Men’s FertiQoL scores remained high during IUI (74.33-75.63 out of 100). Men also scored significantly higher than women on all FertiQoL domains except environment at the 3 time points. Post hoc analysis showed significant improvement in women’s FertiQoL domain scores between T1 and T2: mind-body, environment, treatment, and total. Women’s FertiQoL score at T2 for the treatment domain was also significantly higher than that at T3.

Clinical Implications

Men should not be neglected during IUI as their erectile function got worse in the process, with half of the men being affected. Although women’s quality of life showed some improvement during IUI, most of their scores were lower than men’s.

Strengths and Limitations

The use of psychometrically validated questionnaires and a longitudinal approach are the major strengths; a small sample size and the lack of a dyadic approach are the major limitations.

Conclusion

During IUI, women’s sexual performance and quality of life improved. The proportion of men having erectile problems was high for this age group, but men’s FertiQoL scores remained good and were better than their partners’ throughout IUI.
The pedicled gracilis muscle combined with the fascia lata: a preliminary clinical study of a new biomimetic dynamic phalloplasty method
Authors: Cao Zilong , Liu Liqiang , Yang Zhe , Li Yangqun , Jiao Hu , Zhang Tiran , Zhou Lu
Published: January 2023

Background

Phalloplasty is a challenging procedure in the field of repair and reconstruction. Traditional skin flap methods with prostheses or autologous tissue implantation are still common; however, with this method the reconstructed phallus is static and has a high risk of complications.

Aim

We aimed to use novel methods for phalloplasty to mimic the normal structure of the phallus while maintaining the patient’s ability to obtain sufficient hardness and subjective controllability.

Methods

The neophallus comprised the bilateral pedicled neurovascular gracilis muscle, which provided neophallus volitional control; the pedicled fascia lata, which mimicked the tunica albuginea; the pedicled anterolateral thigh flap, which was used to reconstruct the neourethra and neoglans; and the thin split-thickness skin grafted on the surface of the fascia lata. The urethral anastomosis was performed simultaneously. The appearance and function of the neophallus, as well as patient satisfaction, were evaluated postoperatively.

Outcomes

The biomimetic dynamic phalloplasty using the bilateral pedicled gracilis muscle combined with the fascia lata was successfully performed in 4 patients.

Results

During follow-up at 10-21 months after the procedure, all 4 patients could complete sexual intercourse and were satisfied with the appearance and self-controllability of the neophallus. The size of the neophallus stabilized within 6 months. The tactile, deep touch sensation, and pain sensations of the neophallus partially recovered. All of the patients could stand to urinate.

Clinical Implications

We used the gracilis muscle combined with the fascia lata to mimic the basic structure of the corpus cavernosum and tunica albuginea and successfully reconstructed the biomimetic dynamic neophallus.

Strengths and Limitations

This is to our knowledge the first report of biomimetic dynamic phalloplasty using the bilateral pedicled gracilis muscle combined with the fascia lata to mimic the complex structure of the phallus and enable the achievement of erection. However, due to the small number of patients included in this study, the data have no statistical significance. More cases are needed to obtain conclusive data and examine the long-term clinical effects of this procedure.

Conclusion

Using novel methods for phalloplasty, we successfully maintained the patient’s ability to obtain sufficient hardness and subjective controllability without the use of implants, and the preliminary clinical results are encouraging.