bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advancing Sustainable Manufacturing through Pay-per-Use Servitization Model
Authors: Moorthy Anand R. , Rapaccini Mario
Published: July 2023

In the face of global environmental challenges and their significant impact, manufacturing firms have been recognized as major contributors to environmental degradation and emissions. Additionally, these firms encounter various challenges arising from evolving economies, emerging competitors, shifting consumer preferences, and rapidly advancing digital technologies. To address these challenges and foster innovation, manufacturers are turning to servitization as a strategic approach. Within servitization, the pay-per-use service model emerges as a promising solution. Furthermore, integrating circular economy principles into this model presents an opportunity for sustainable business practices. This paper examines successful examples of companies that have adopted servitization and effectively implemented pay-per-use models while incorporating circular economy principles. Drawing upon these lessons, we propose the “Wheel of Servitization” framework, which enables manufacturers to approach servitization holistically, ensuring that all critical dimensions are addressed to maximize the likelihood of success. By embracing servitization and pay-per-use models within a circular economy context, manufacturing companies can embark on a pathway towards sustainability, addressing environmental concerns and simultaneously meeting the demands of a rapidly changing business landscape.
Leadership and Human Values to Make the Change in the Right Direction in the Modern Service Oriented Society
Authors: Casanueva Carlos
Published: July 2023

My experiences as a practitioner have shown me that appropriate leadership methods that are built considering traditional human values are a key cornerstone for success in the modern service-oriented society. This paper will review, with real management experiences, the usage of these methods and its results.
Selective Heart, Brain and Body Perfusion in Open Aortic Arch Replacement
Authors: Maier Sven , Kari Fabian , Rylski Bartosz , Siepe Matthias , Benk Christoph , Beyersdorf Friedhelm
Published: July 2023

Open aortic arch replacement is a complex and challenging procedure, especially in post dissection aneurysms and in redo procedures after previous surgery of the ascending aorta or aortic root. We report our experience with the simultaneous selective perfusion of heart, brain, and remaining body to ensure optimal perfusion and to minimize perfusion-related risks during these procedures. We used a specially configured heart–lung machine with a centrifugal pump as arterial pump and an additional roller pump for the selective cerebral perfusion. Initial arterial cannulation is achieved via femoral artery or right axillary artery. After lower body circulatory arrest and selective antegrade cerebral perfusion for the distal arch anastomosis, we started selective lower body perfusion simultaneously to the selective antegrade cerebral perfusion and heart perfusion. Eighteen patients were successfully treated with this perfusion strategy from October 2012 to November 2015. No complications related to the heart–lung machine and the cannulation occurred during the procedures. Mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 239 ± 33 minutes, the simultaneous selective perfusion of brain, heart, and remaining body lasted 55 ± 23 minutes. One patient suffered temporary neurological deficit that resolved completely during intensive care unit stay. No patient experienced a permanent neurological deficit or end-organ dysfunction. These high-risk procedures require a concept with a special setup of the heart–lung machine. Our perfusion strategy for aortic arch replacement ensures a selective perfusion of heart, brain, and lower body during this complex procedure and we observed excellent outcomes in this small series. This perfusion strategy is also applicable for redo procedures.
Perioperative Management of a Child with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome of the Jehovah's Witness Faith Presenting for Hybrid Comprehensive Stage II Procedure
Authors: Karuppiah Sathappan , Mckee Christopher , Hodge Ashley , Galantowicz Mark , Tobias Joseph , Naguib Aymen
Published: July 2023

Over the years, there has been a growing recognition of the potential negative sequelae of allogeneic blood products on postoperative outcomes following cardiac surgery. In addition, followers of the Jehovah's Witness (JW) faith have a religious restriction against receiving blood or blood components. Advances in perioperative care, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), and surgical technique have minimized the need for allogeneic blood products. Specific blood conservation strategies include maximizing the preoperative hematocrit and coagulation function as well as intraoperative strategies, such as acute normovolemic hemodilution and adjustments of the technique of CPB. We report a 7-month-old patient whose parents were of the JW faith who underwent a comprehensive stage II procedure for hypoplastic left heart syndrome without exposure to blood or blood products during his hospital stay. Perioperative techniques for blood avoidance are discussed with emphasis on their application to infants undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease.
A Novel Centrifugation Method Using a Cell Salvage Device Offers an Alternative to the Use of Leukocyte-Depleting Filters for Autologous Blood Transfusions
Authors: Barchilon Michael , Gaspar Cristina , Mexas Angela , Nieter Don
Published: July 2023

Autotransfusion protocols often use the use of costly filters, such as leukocyte-depleting filters (LDFs), to minimize reinfusion of activated leukocytes and inflammatory mediators associated with reperfusion injury (RI). LDFs are used extensively in hospital settings; however, they represent an additional capital expenditure for hospitals, as well as a constraint on the reinfusion rate of blood products for health-care providers. We compared a commonly used LDF to a novel centrifugation method employing a widely used cell salvage device. Complete blood counts and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) measuring tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) were performed to compare the efficacy of these methodologies. The LDF removed, on average, 94% of all leukocytes, including 96% of neutrophils. The centrifugation method removed, on average, 89% of all leukocytes, including 91% of neutrophils and resulted in a highly concentrated red blood cell product. Our results suggest both methods offer equivalent leukocyte reduction. TNF-α was also comparably reduced following our novel centrifugation method and the LDF method and IL-2 levels were undetectable in all samples. These results indicate our novel centrifugation method may preclude the need for a LDF during select autotransfusion applications.
The Impact of Roller Pump vs. Centrifugal Pump on Homologous Blood Transfusion in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Datt Bharat , Nguyen Moui B. , Plancher Gary , Ruzmetov Mark , O'Brien Michael , Kube Alicia , Munro Hamish M. , Pourmoghadam Kamal K. , DeCampli William M.
Published: July 2023

Centrifugal pumps are considered to be less destructive to blood elements(1) when compared to roller pumps. However, their large prime volumes render them unsuitable as arterial pumps in heart lung machine (HLM) circuitry for children. In November of 2014, the circuit at Arnold Palmer Hospital, a Biomedicus BP-50 with kinetic assist venous drainage (KAVD) and 1/4″ tubing was converted to a roller pump in the arterial position with gravity drainage. Vacuum-assisted venous drainage (VAVD) was mounted on the HLM as a backup, but not used. Tubing was changed to 3/16″ in the arterial line in patients <13 kg. A retrospective study with a total of 140 patients compared patients placed on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with Biomedicus centrifugal pumps and KAVD (Centrifugal Group,n= 40) to those placed on CPB with roller pumps and gravity drainage (Roller Group,n= 100). Patients requiring extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)/cardio-pulmonary support (CPS) or undergoing a hybrid procedure were excluded. Re-operation or circulatory arrest patients were not excluded. Prime volumes decreased by 57% from 456 ± 34 mL in the Centrifugal Group to 197 ± 34 mL in the Roller Group (p< .001). There was a corresponding increase in hematocrit (HCT) of blood primes and also on CPB. Intraoperative homologous blood transfusions also decreased 55% from 422 mL in the Centrifugal Group to 231 mL in the Roller Group (p< .001). The Society of Thoracic Surgeons--European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (STAT) categorized intubation times and hospital length of stay (LOS) for all infants showed a trend toward reduction, but was not statistically significant. Overall mortality was 5% utilizing the centrifugal configuration and 0% in the roller pump cohort. We demonstrated that the transition to roller pumps in the arterial position of the HLM considerably reduced our priming volume and formed a basis for a comprehensive blood conservation program. By maintaining higher HCTs on CPB, we were able to reduce intraoperative homologous blood transfusions.
Unexplained Obstruction of an Integrated Cardiotomy Filter During Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Authors: Alwardt Cory M. , Wilson Donald S. , Pajaro Octavio E.
Published: July 2023

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is considered relatively safe in most cases, yet is not complication free. We present a case of an integrated cardiotomy filter obstruction during CPB, requiring circuit reconfiguration. Approximately an hour after uneventful initiation of CPB the integrated cardiotomy filter became obstructed over several minutes, requiring circuit reconfiguration using an external cardiotomy filter to maintain functionality. Following reconfiguration, CPB was maintained with a fully functional circuit allowing safe patient support throughout the remainder of CPB. Postoperatively, there was no sign of thrombus or mechanical obstruction of the filter, which was sent to the manufacturer for analysis. The cause of the obstruction was unclear even after chemical analysis, visual inspection, and a review of all techniques and products to which the patient was exposed. The patient had a generally routine hospital stay, with no signs or symptoms related to the incident. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing an obstructed integrated cardiotomy filter. An appropriate readiness plan for such an incident includes proper venting of the filter chamber, a method for detecting an obstruction, and a plan for circuit reconfiguration. This case illustrates the need for a formal reporting structure for incidents or “near miss” incidents during CPB.
Antifungal Extraction by the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Circuit
Authors: Watt Kevin M. , Cohen-Wolkowiez Michael , Williams Duane C. , Bonadonna Desiree K. , Cheifetz Ira M. , Thakker Dhiren , Benjamin Daniel K. , Brouwer Kim L.R.
Published: July 2023

Invasive candidiasis is common and often fatal in patients supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and treatment relies on optimal antifungal dosing. The ECMO circuit can extract drug and decrease drug exposure, placing the patient at risk of therapeutic failure. This ex vivo study determined the extraction of antifungal drugs by the ECMO circuit. Fluconazole and micafungin were studied separately in three closed-loop circuit configurations to isolate the impact of the oxygenator, hemofilter, and tubing on circuit extraction. Each circuit was primed with human blood, and flow was set to 1 L/min. Drug was dosed to achieve therapeutic concentrations. Each antifungal was added to a separate tube of blood to serve as a control. Serial blood samples were collected over 24 hours and concentrations were quantified with a validated assay. Drug recovery was calculated at each time point: (Ct/Ci)*100, with Ctand Cithe concentrations at time =tand 1 minute, respectively. After 24 hours of recirculation, mean recovery of fluconazole in the ECMO circuit (95–98%) and controls (101%) was high. In contrast, mean recovery of micafungin was dependent on the time and circuit configuration. Recovery at 4 hours was only 46% when a hemofilter was in-line but was much higher when the hemofilter was removed (91%). By 24 hours, however, micafungin recovery was low in all circuit configurations (26–43%), regardless of the presence of a hemofilter, as well as in the controls (57%). In conclusion, these results suggest that micafungin is extracted by the ECMO circuit, which may result in decreased drug exposure in vivo.
The Effect of Autologus Blood Priming on Cerebral Oximetry in Congenital Cardiac Surgery Patients
Authors: Hodge Ashley , Cohen Apryl , Winch Peter , Tumin Dmitry , Burnside Jeffrey , Ratliff Todd , Galantowicz Mark , Naguib Aymen
Published: July 2023

Hemodilution is one of the sequelae of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Autologous blood priming (retrograde autologous priming [RAP]/venous antegrade priming [VAP]) and acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) may be effective techniques to minimize hemodilution. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the impact of RAP/VAP combined with ANH on changes in cerebral saturations. A retrospective analysis of 52 patients undergoing congenital cardiac surgery requiring CPB between July 2014 and March 2015 was performed. Bivariate analysis correlated RAP/VAP and ANH volumes. SrO2 change scores were regressed on all covariates using multivariable least-squares models. The average percent of circulating blood volume (CBV) removed during RAP/VAP was 21 ± 10% in the cyanotic group and 15 ± 5% in the acyanotic group (p =.006). There was a decrease in SrO2 from 70 ± 11% at baseline to 55 ± 13% at CPB initiation, although this decrease did not differ by cyanosis (p = .668) or use of ANH (p = .566). Bivariate correlation and multivariable regression analysis of the SrO2 change score further demonstrated no statistically significant correlation between percent of CBV removed during RAP/VAP or ANH and the magnitude of the decline in SrO2. RAP and VAP help minimize hemodilution at the onset of CPB. This study further supports the use of these techniques in a pediatric population by demonstrating declines in SrO2 during RAP/VAP were consistent among cyanotic and acyanotic, including those who underwent ANH.
A Dedicated Perfusion Electronic Medical Record with Discrete Epic Integration
Authors: Reagor James A.
Published: July 2023

Enterprise electronic medical records (EMR) have largely become a standard since their use was mandated by The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. However, perfusion departments have adopted true perfusion EMRs at various rates. In our efforts to integrate with the institutions EMR while enjoying the benefits of an EMR designed specifically for perfusion practice, we developed a discrete data integration solution between Epic and the Spectrum Medical VIPER Perfusion EMR. This report describes our perfusion EMR selection criteria, design challenges, and documentation process.
Bloodless Repair for a 3.6 Kilogram Transposition of the Great Arteries with Jehovah’s Witness Faith
Authors: Burnside Jeffery L. , Ratliff Todd M. , Hodge Ashley B. , Gomez Daniel , Galantowicz Mark , Naguib Aymen
Published: July 2023

Achieving pediatric cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) without allogeneic blood transfusion is challenging. There are many clinical and economic factors that point to the importance of avoiding blood transfusions. In some instances, honoring patients or parents beliefs may be the reason for avoiding blood transfusions. For example, patients or parents of the Jehovah’s Witness faith refuse blood transfusion based on their religious beliefs. Over the last decade, our institution has seen a steady increase in our pediatric Jehovah’s Witness patient population. Caring for these patients have allowed us to develop specific protocols that enable us to safely provide bloodless CPB in all of our patient populations. The success of such an approach to minimize the need for blood transfusions should not start in the operating room; it must include the preoperative period and the postoperative care by the critical care team in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). A multidisciplinary team approach has to be in place with clear communication between the cardiologist, anesthesiologist, cardiac surgeon, perfusionist, and the cardiac intensivist. We present a case of a 7 day old male (3.6 kg) with a preoperative diagnosis of Transposition of the Great Arteries and intact ventricular septum who underwent an arterial switch procedure without the transfusion of any blood products throughout his entire hospital stay.
Mantelzell-Lymphom
Authors: Vetter Christine
Published: July 2023

Während das Watch & Wait-Konzept bei weitgehend asymptomatischen Patienten mit follikulärem Lymphom noch immer als Standard gilt, gibt es beim Mantelzell-Lymphom deutliche Fortschritte. Durch die Behandlung mit Ibrutinib, einem Inhibitor der Bruton-Tyrosinkinase (BTK), kann beim Mantelzell-Lymphom ein verbessertes progressionsfreies Überleben und ein numerisch besseres Gesamtüberleben gegenüber dem Standard einer Immunchemotherapie mit anschließender Stammzelltransplantation erzielt werden.
Digitale Medizin in der Hämatoonkologie
Authors: Vetter Christine
Published: July 2023

Im medizinischen Bereich gibt es noch erhebliche Defizite in puncto interdisziplinärer Zusammenarbeit. Durch die Gründung des „Nationalen Expertengremiums Interoperabilität“ im vergangenen Jahr soll es nun gelingen, „alle an einen Tisch zu bringen“ und verbindliche und international anerkannte Standards im deutschen Gesundheitswesen zu setzen.
Aktuelle Trends in der Beugesehnenchirurgie – Ergebnisse
einer nationalen Online-Umfrage
Authors: Haas-Lützenberger Elisabeth Maria , Strolla Johannes , Giunta Riccardo , Volkmer Elias
Published: July 2023

Innerhalb der letzten 50 Jahre hat sich eine Trendwende in der
Beugesehnenchirurgie vollzogen. Nach Einführung der 2-Strang-Kernnaht
wurde in den 90igern die 4-Strang-Technik, später sogar die
6-Strang-Technik propagiert. Die vorliegende Studie wertet eine Online Umfrage
unter den DGH Mitgliedern zur eingesetzten Nahttechnik von
Beugesehnenverletzungen Zone 2 aus. Ziel war es, ein realistisches Bild der
aktuellen nationalen Versorgungsrealität in Deutschland zu
ermitteln.

Material und Methoden Mittels Online-Umfrage, welche per Email-Link an
alle DGH Mitglieder ausgesandt wurde, wurden 7 Fragen zur aktuell
durchgeführten Nahttechnik bei Beugesehnenverletzungen der Hand in Zone
2 gestellt. Es haben insgesamt 155 DGH Mitglieder aus Deutschland an der Umfrage
teilgenommen.

Ergebnisse 155 Bögen wurden vollständig beantwortet und in
die Auswertung eingeschlossen. Die Teilnehmer zeigten einen ausgeglichenen
Anteil an Unfallchirurgen, Plastischen Chirurgen und ausschließlich
handchirurgisch tätigen Chirurgen. Immerhin 53% der Teilnehmer
favorisieren eine 4-Strang-Naht. 21% führen noch immer bevorzugt
eine 2-Strang-Naht, 10% eine 6-Strang-Naht durch. Die Technik nach
Kirchmayr-Kessler oder Modifikation davon wird von 52% der Teilnehmer
angewandt, 6% setzen die Technik nach M-Tang, und 10% eine
„andere Technik“ ein. 98% der Teilnehmer bejahten die
Frage nach einer zusätzlichen zirkulären epitendinösen
Adaptationsnaht. In Bezug auf das Nahtmaterial variierten die Meinungen
stärker: 68% verwenden einen resorbierbaren, monofilen Faden wie
z. B. PDS. Knapp ein Viertel (23%) nutzen einen nicht
resorbierbaren monofilen Faden wie z. B. Prolene. Die Frage, ob eine
Anpassung der Nahttechnik aufgrund neuer Studien innerhalb der letzten 7 Jahre
stattgefunden habe, bejahten 40%.

Schlußfolgerung Die Beugesehnenchirurgie hat sich durch intensive
Forschungsentwicklungen in den letzten Jahren erheblich verändert.
Während lange Jahre die 2-Strang-Naht das Maß aller Dinge
darstellte, konnten wir zeigen, dass viele handchirurgisch tätige
Kollegen in Deutschland ihre Nahttechnik zur Versorgung von
Beugesehnenverletzungen in Zone 2 modernisiert haben. Aktuell wird eine
4-Strang-Naht mit monofilem, resorbierbaren Nahtmaterial zuzüglich einer
zirkulären Adaptationsnaht von der Mehrheit der befragten DGH Mitglieder
bevorzugt. Die momentan auf den Jahrestagungen und Kongressen viel diskutierte
Naht nach M-Tang wird lediglich von 6% der Befragten eingesetzt. Unsere
Ergebnisse legen somit nahe, dass der wissenschaftliche Diskurs einen
wesentlichen Einfluss auf die Wahl der chirurgischen Technik und das
Nahtmaterial hat, wenngleich die Versorgungsrealität der aktuellen
theoretischen Diskussion erst mit einigen Jahren Verspätung folgt.
Fortgeschrittenes Nierenzellkarzinom
Authors: Arnheim Katharina
Published: July 2023

In der Erstlinientherapie des metastasierten Nierenzellkarzinoms (RCC) sind immunonkologische (IO) Kombinationen und Regime mit einem Checkpoint-Inhibitor (CPI) plus Tyrosinkinase-Inhibitor (TKI) heute leitlinienkonformer Standard. Vorteile der TKI/IO-Regime sind die geringe primäre Progressionsrate und die hohen Responseraten.
Hautkrebs-Früherkennung
Authors: Bubenzer Rainer H.
Published: July 2023

Auch 15 Jahre nach Einführung des Hautkrebsscreenings in der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung (GKV) wird über seine Berechtigung weiterhin kontrovers diskutiert, fasste Prof. Claus Garbe, Stuttgart, den Stand der Diskussion auf einem dermato-onkologischen Fachseminar zusammen. Ein wesentlicher Grund für die Debatte ist der fragliche Effekt des Screenings auf die Mortalität. Hierfür könnten eine Reihe von Gründen wie die vergleichsweise geringe Inanspruchnahme durch die Bevölkerung verantwortlich sein. Dennoch spricht sich der erfahrene Dermato-Onkologe dafür aus, das gesetzliche Hautkrebsscreening (gHKS) fortzuführen und weiterzuentwickeln.
Smart Healthcare
Authors: Eimer Martina
Published: July 2023

Das Gesundheitswesen befindet sich in einer digitalen Transformation. „Smart Health“ ist in aller Munde. Big Data, Künstliche Intelligenz (KI), 3D-Verfahren und neue Diagnostik-Methoden können mehr Daten erheben und verarbeiten als je zuvor. Durch diesen technischen Fortschritt wird es unter anderem möglich, Therapien anzubieten, die besser auf die jeweiligen Patienten*innen zugeschnitten sind. Doch sei weder die Telematikinfrastruktur noch die intersektorale Interoperabilität so aufgestellt, dass eine digitale nutzenbringende Gesundheitsversorgung für Patient*innen und Healthcare Professionals gelingt, äußerte Dr. Anke Diehl, Chief Transformation Officer der Universität Essen. Ein Beispiel für das Potential von Digitalisierung und KI zeigt das „Smart Hospital“ der Universitätsmedizin Essen. Bereits heute kommt dort KI bei einer Reihe von Anwendungen zum Einsatz.
Bedeutung der Immuntherapie beim Zervixkarzinom wächst
Authors: Klein Friederike
Published: July 2023

90 % der Zervixkarzinome sind HPV-assoziiert und weisen eine hohe Tumormutationslast auf. Die HPV-Infektion führt zur Bildung von Neoantigenen und induziert eine Hochregulation von PD-L1 und PD-1. Gute Bedingungen also für eine Immuntherapie.
Nichtkleinzelliges Bronchialkarzinom
Authors: Krome Susanne
Published: July 2023

In einer aufwendigen Modellierung mit Daten aus dem CRISP-Register führten Englmeier et al. eine Analyse zur Kosten-Effektivität der Liquid Biopsy bei Erkrankten mit fortgeschrittenen nichtkleinzelligen Bronchialkarzinomen (NSCLC) durch. In Abhängigkeit von den entdeckten Treibermutationen erfolgten Anpassungen der zielgerichteten Therapie. Die LB war klinisch effektiv und kein Kostentreiber.
Machine-learned acceleration for molecular dynamics in CASTEP
Authors: Stenczel Tamás K. , El-Machachi Zakariya , Liepuoniute Guoda , Morrow Joe D. , Bartók Albert P. , Probert Matt I. J. , Csányi Gábor , Deringer Volker L.
Published: July 2023

Machine learning (ML) methods are of rapidly growing interest for materials modeling, and yet, the use of ML interatomic potentials for new systems is often more demanding than that of established density-functional theory (DFT) packages. Here, we describe computational methodology to combine the CASTEP first-principles simulation software with the on-the-fly fitting and evaluation of ML interatomic potential models. Our approach is based on regular checking against DFT reference data, which provides a direct measure of the accuracy of the evolving ML model. We discuss the general framework and the specific solutions implemented, and we present an example application to high-temperature molecular-dynamics simulations of carbon nanostructures. The code is freely available for academic research.
Theme in English and German
Authors: Freiwald Jonas
Published: July 2023

This book represents a detailed discussion and corpus analysis of Theme in English and German originals and translations. The empirical results are based on thousands of clauses from four different registers, cover a variety of linguistic aspects including multiple Themes, marked Themes, participant roles, agency, and identifiability, and are tested statistically using regression analyses. The book sheds light on one of the most elusive concepts of the systemic functional linguistics framework, Theme, by comparing it with different approaches, related concepts, and realizations in different languages and by examining empirically different Theme models, contrastive differences, and translation effects. Given that Theme in English and German is realized formally by being the first clause constituent and is thus, effectively, a syntactic phenomenon, this monograph is not only relevant for functional linguists, but any interested in English and German word order differences and their effects on translations.
Theoretical characterization of the adsorption configuration of pyrrole on Si(100) surface by x-ray spectroscopy
Authors: Li 李 Hao-Qing 好情 , Ming 明 Jing 静 , Jiang 姜 Zhi-Ang 志昂 , Li 李 Hai-Bo 海波 , Ma 马 Yong 勇 , Song 宋 Xiu-Neng 秀能
Published: July 2023

The possible configurations of pyrrole absorbed on a Si(100) surface have been investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra. The C-1s XPS and NEXAFS spectra of these adsorption configurations have been calculated by using the density functional theory (DFT) method and full-core hole (FCH) approximation to investigate the relationship between the adsorption configurations and the spectra. The result shows that the XPS and NEXAFS spectra are structurally dependent on the configurations of pyrrole absorbed on the Si(100) surface. Compared with the XPS, the NEXAFS spectra are relatively sensitive to the adsorption configurations and can accurately identify them. The NEXAFS decomposition spectra produced by non-equivalent carbon atoms have also been calculated and show that the spectral features vary with the diverse types of carbon atoms and their structural environments.
Optical waveguide power splitter with adjustable splitting ratio using non-Hermitian shortcuts to adiabaticity
Authors: Feng Yu-xin , Wu Jin-lei , Ren Bin , Han Jin-xuan , Tang Shuai , Song Jie , Jiang Yong-yuan
Published: July 2023

Versatile optical devices with smaller space footprint are crucial for integrated optics. In this work, we design a dual-waveguide power splitter with adjustable splitting ratio depending on the input ports. The modulated gain and loss are imposed on two waveguides to nullify the non-adiabatic coupling using non-Hermitian shortcut to adiabaticity technique. Simulation results reveal that the length of the power splitter can be shortened to about one ninth compared to the one along the adiabatic path, meanwhile, the proposed splitter has good robustness against possible fabrication errors.
Two-dimensional derivatives obtained by oxidation of MXene for simulating the oxidative properties of natural enzymes
Authors: Peng Qiang , Jiang Nian , Qian Ling , Yue Wanqing
Published: July 2023

Oxidation-derived nanoparticles (CDs/TiO
x
) of Ti3C2 were prepared for the first time by simple oxidation of Ti3C2. CDs/TiO
x
was a two-dimensional hybrid of amorphous carbon and titanium oxides with a lateral dimension of about 50 nm. H2O2 was used as the oxygenator and the reduction product was H2O, which was environmentally friendly and inexpensive. Carboxyl, carbonyl, and hydroxyl groups are formed naturally during the oxidation derivative process. The decreased size increases the specific surface area and provides the possibility for the abundant presence of functional groups. The oxidation process converts MXene from reducing to oxidizing and achieves the ability of the derivatives to mimic peroxidase. Compared with natural horseradish peroxidase, the Michaelis constant for H2O2 was ten-fold lower. A cascade catalytic reaction system of glucose oxidase with CDs/TiO
x
was constructed, and the generated H2O2 could be further used to catalyze the oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) to NAD+. With the assistance of NAD+-dependent dehydrogenase, NADH could be restored to 95% of the initial level. This assay system can detect glucose levels scientifically and accurately in the range of 0.02–10 mM and remains viable after 20 cycles.
On the scale-freeness of random colored substitution networks
Authors: Li Nero , Britz Thomas
Published: July 2023

Extending previous results in the literature, random colored substitution networks and degree dimension are defined in this paper. The scale-freeness of these networks is proved by introducing a new definition for degree dimension that is associated with Lyapunov exponents. The random colored substitution network hence turns out to be a simple, powerful and promising model to generate random scale-free networks.
Bounds on the number of higher-dimensional partitions
Authors: Yeliussizov Damir
Published: July 2023

We establish some bounds on the number of higher-dimensional partitions by volume. In particular, we give bounds via vector partitions and MacMahon’s numbers.
iGRLDTI: an improved graph representation learning method for predicting drug–target interactions over heterogeneous biological information network
Authors: Zhao Bo-Wei , Su Xiao-Rui , Hu Peng-Wei , Huang Yu-An , You Zhu-Hong , Hu Lun
Published: July 2023

Motivation

The task of predicting drug–target interactions (DTIs) plays a significant role in facilitating the development of novel drug discovery. Compared with laboratory-based approaches, computational methods proposed for DTI prediction are preferred due to their high-efficiency and low-cost advantages. Recently, much attention has been attracted to apply different graph neural network (GNN) models to discover underlying DTIs from heterogeneous biological information network (HBIN). Although GNN-based prediction methods achieve better performance, they are prone to encounter the over-smoothing simulation when learning the latent representations of drugs and targets with their rich neighborhood information in HBIN, and thereby reduce the discriminative ability in DTI prediction.

Results

In this work, an improved graph representation learning method, namely iGRLDTI, is proposed to address the above issue by better capturing more discriminative representations of drugs and targets in a latent feature space. Specifically, iGRLDTI first constructs an HBIN by integrating the biological knowledge of drugs and targets with their interactions. After that, it adopts a node-dependent local smoothing strategy to adaptively decide the propagation depth of each biomolecule in HBIN, thus significantly alleviating over-smoothing by enhancing the discriminative ability of feature representations of drugs and targets. Finally, a Gradient Boosting Decision Tree classifier is used by iGRLDTI to predict novel DTIs. Experimental results demonstrate that iGRLDTI yields better performance that several state-of-the-art computational methods on the benchmark dataset. Besides, our case study indicates that iGRLDTI can successfully identify novel DTIs with more distinguishable features of drugs and targets.

Availability and implementation

Python codes and dataset are available at https://github.com/stevejobws/iGRLDTI/.
Single-cell Hi-C data enhancement with deep residual and generative adversarial networks
Authors: Wang Yanli , Guo Zhiye , Cheng Jianlin
Published: July 2023

Motivation

The spatial genome organization of a eukaryotic cell is important for its function. The development of single-cell technologies for probing the 3D genome conformation, especially single-cell chromosome conformation capture techniques, has enabled us to understand genome function better than before. However, due to extreme sparsity and high noise associated with single-cell Hi-C data, it is still difficult to study genome structure and function using the HiC-data of one single cell.

Results

In this work, we developed a deep learning method ScHiCEDRN based on deep residual networks and generative adversarial networks for the imputation and enhancement of Hi-C data of a single cell. In terms of both image evaluation and Hi-C reproducibility metrics, ScHiCEDRN outperforms the four deep learning methods (DeepHiC, HiCPlus, HiCSR, and Loopenhance) on enhancing the raw single-cell Hi-C data of human and Drosophila. The experiments also show that it can generate single-cell Hi-C data more suitable for identifying topologically associating domain boundaries and reconstructing 3D chromosome structures than the existing methods. Moreover, ScHiCEDRN’s performance generalizes well across different single cells and cell types, and it can be applied to improving population Hi-C data.

Availability and implementation

The source code of ScHiCEDRN is available at the GitHub repository: https://github.com/BioinfoMachineLearning/ScHiCEDRN.
High prevalence of pre-eclampsia in women with coarctation of the aorta
Authors: Gronningsaeter Lasse , Langesaeter Eldrid , Sørbye Ingvil Krarup , Quattrone Alessia , Almaas Vibeke Marie , Skulstad Helge , Estensen Mette-Elise
Published: July 2023

Aims

The aim was to study pregnancy outcomes in women with coarctation of the aorta (CoA) and associations to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Maternal morbidity and mortality are higher in women with heart disease and pre-eclampsia. Chronic hypertension, frequently encountered in CoA, is a risk factor for pre-eclampsia.

Methods and results

Clinical data from the National Unit for Pregnancy and Heart Disease database was reviewed for pregnant women with CoA from 2008 to 2021. The primary outcome was hypertensive pregnancy disorders. The secondary outcomes were other cardiovascular, obstetric, and foetal complications. Seventy-six patients were included, with a total of 87 pregnancies. Seventeen (20%) patients were treated for chronic hypertension before pregnancy. Fifteen (20%) patients developed pre-eclampsia, and 5 (7%) had pregnancy-induced hypertension. Major adverse cardiac events developed in four (5%) patients, with no maternal or foetal mortality. Maternal age at first pregnancy [odds ratio (OR) 1.37], body mass index before first pregnancy (OR 1.77), and using acetylsalicylic acid from the first trimester (OR 0.22) were statistically significantly associated with pre-eclampsia. At follow-up (median) 8 years after pregnancy, 29 (38%) patients had anti-hypertensive treatment, an increase of 16% compared to pre-pregnancy. Five (7%) patients had progression of aorta ascendens dilatation to >40 mm, seven (9%) had an upper to lower systolic blood pressure gradient >20 mmHg, and six (8%) had received CoA re-intervention.

Conclusion

Pre-eclampsia occurred in 20% of women with CoA in their first pregnancy. All pre-eclamptic patients received adequate anti-hypertensive treatment. All CoA patients were provided multi-disciplinary management, including cardiologic follow-up, to optimize maternal–foetal outcomes.
Myocardial recovery in children supported with a durable ventricular assist device—a systematic review
Authors: Rohde Sofie , de By Theo M M H , Bogers Ad J J C , Schweiger Martin
Published: July 2023

OBJECTIVES

A small percentage of paediatric patients supported with a ventricular assist device (VAD) can have their device explanted following myocardial recovery. The goal of this systematic review is to summarize the current literature on the clinical course in these children after weaning.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed on 27 May 2022 using Embase, Medline ALL, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Google Scholar to include all literature on paediatric patients supported by a durable VAD during the last decade. Overlapping study cohorts and registry-based studies were filtered out.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven articles were included. Eighteen of them reported on the incidence of recovery in cohort studies, with an overall incidence rate of 8.7% (81/928). Twenty-two of the included articles reported on clinical outcomes after VAD explantation (83 patients). The aetiologies varied widely and were not limited to diseases with a natural transient course like myocarditis. Most of the patients in the included studies (70; 84.3%) were supported by a Berlin Heart EXCOR, and in 66.3% (55/83), only the left ventricle had to be supported. The longest follow-up period was 19.1 years, and multiple studies reported on long-term myocardial recovery. Fewer than half of the reported deaths had a cardiac cause.

CONCLUSIONS

Myocardial recovery during VAD support is dependent on various contributing components. The interactions among patient-, device-, time- and hospital-related factors are complex and not yet fully understood. Long-term recovery after VAD support is achievable, even after a long duration of VAD support, and even in patients with aetiologies different from myocarditis or post-cardiotomy heart failure. More research is needed on this favourable outcome after VAD support.
Credit expansion, leverage, and banking distress: the puzzle of interwar Italy
Authors: Molteni Marco
Published: July 2023

This study analyses the relationship between lending growth, leverage, and distress at the individual bank level for interwar Italy, which experienced remarkable credit expansion in the 1920s. Novel data from archival research based on banking supervision classified documents reveals a large, albeit forgotten, crisis. A puzzle emerges: regression analysis on individual bank balance sheets indicates that leverage and lending growth are not predictors of distress. Complementary indicators show that the features highlighted in the literature on leveraged credit booms do not apply to Italy. Italy’s credit expansion was not a leverage-fuelled credit boom but a process of financial development.
Genetic dissection of morphological variation between cauliflower and a rapid cycling Brassica oleracea line
Authors: Shuang Lan Shuan , Cuevas Hugo , Lemke Cornelia , Kim Changsoo , Shehzad Tariq , Paterson Andrew H
Published: July 2023

To improve resolution to small genomic regions and sensitivity to small-effect loci in the identification of genetic factors conferring the enlarged inflorescence and other traits of cauliflower while also expediting further genetic dissection, 104 near-isogenic introgression lines (NIILs) covering 78.56% of the cauliflower genome, were selected from an advanced backcross population using cauliflower [Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L., mutant for Orange gene (ORG)] as the donor parent and a rapid cycling line (TO1434) as recurrent parent. Subsets of the advanced backcross population and NIILs were planted in the field for 8 seasons, finding 141 marker-trait associations for 15 leaf-, stem-, and flower-traits. Exemplifying the usefulness of these lines, we delineated the previously known flower color gene to a 4.5 MB interval on C3; a gene for small plant size to a 3.4 MB region on C8; and a gene for large plant size and flowering time to a 6.1 MB region on C9. This approach unmasked closely linked QTL alleles with opposing effects (on chr. 8) and revealed both alleles with expected phenotypic effects and effects opposite the parental phenotypes. Selected B. oleracea NIILs with short generation time add new value to widely used research and teaching materials.
A Reference Genome Assembly for the Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
Authors: Baudrin Gaspard , Pons Jean-Marc , Bed’Hom Bertrand , Gil Lisa , Boyer Roxane , Dusabyinema Yves , Jiguet Frédéric , Fuchs Jérôme
Published: July 2023

The spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) forms with the Mediterranean flycatcher (Muscicapa tyrrhenica) a newly recognized species pair of trans-Saharan migratory passerines. These flycatchers present a nested peripatric distribution, a pattern especially unusual among high dispersal species that questions the eco-evolutionary factors involved during the speciation process. Here, we present a genome assembly for M. striata assembled using a combination of Nanopore and Illumina sequences. The final assembly is 1.08 Gb long and consists of 4,779 contigs with an N50 of 3.2 Mb. The completeness of our M. striata genome assembly is supported by the number of BUSCO (95%) and ultraconserved element (UCE) (4889/5041; 97.0%) loci retrieved. This assembly showed high synteny with the Ficedula albicollis reference genome, the closest species for which a chromosome-scale reference genome is available. Several inversions were identified and will need to be investigated at the family level.
Making Home: The Role of Social Networks on Identity, Health, and Quality of Life Among Rural Lesbian and Gay Older Adults
Authors: Guest Marc Aaron , Hunter Elizabeth G , Schoenberg Nancy E
Published: July 2023

Background and Objectives

Gay and lesbian older persons face a host of health inequalities related to their identity as they age. Challenges to health access and appropriate social support may be even more exacerbated for those living in rural environments; this may be due to the lack of supportive and affirming social connections. This project aimed to explore and describe the social networks and the relationship of these social networks to identity, health, and quality of life of gay and lesbian individuals in rural communities.

Research Design and Methods

Social network data on network type, size, and social capital were collected and supplemented by quantitative questionnaires relating to health, quality of life, marginalization, and identity.

Results

Participants (N = 25) were recruited from three states. Thirteen participants self-identified as gay and 12 as lesbian. All but one identified as non-Hispanic White. The average age of all participants was 60.32 years. Findings indicate that rural gay and lesbian individuals develop networks with little consideration for network members’ acceptance of their identity. Participants reported an average network size of 9.32 individuals. Gay men reported higher perceptual affinity (.69) than lesbian participants (.62). Lesbian networks showed significantly (p = .0262) greater demographic similarity (.58) than aging gay men’s networks (.55). Aging gay men (.89) reported statistically stronger (p = .0078) network ties than aging lesbian females (.78). Among participants in this study, network size is not correlated with the health and quality of life of rural aging lesbian and gay individuals. Still, personal identity congruence does appear to relate to health and quality of life.

Discussion and Implications

The findings highlight the collective need to continue research into sexual minority aging and rural sexual minority aging, particularly employing novel methods.
Innovations for an Aging Society through the Lens of Patent Data
Authors: Ng Reuben , Indran Nicole
Published: July 2023

Background and Objectives

An aging population creates fertile ground for devising innovations for older adults. By using patents as a proxy for inventive activity, this study sets the stage for understanding the latest innovations being designed for the older population. Insights will pave the way for a better understanding of inventions that could render society more age-friendly on the innovation front.

Research Design and Methods

To identify the latest innovations targeted at the older population, we collected all patents (N = 326) issued in 2021, specifically those issued between January 5th and December 28th. Upon removing irrelevant data, 120 patents were retained in the data set. Both inductive and deductive modes of reasoning informed our content analysis of the data.

Results

Three themes surfaced. About half (49.2%) of the patents focused on “Preventive Health, Safety, and Independence” (Theme 1). About 38.3% pertained to “Anti-Aging” (Theme 2) and 12.5% were about the “Pathologization of Old Age” (Theme 3).

Discussion and Implications

This is the first study that evaluates the state of innovations for an aging population. While there are inventions aimed at optimizing the well-being of older adults, there are also those designed due to beliefs that see old age as a problem to solve. As the world experiences a demographic shift, it is imperative that collective ingenuity be harnessed to build a society conducive to all facets of the aging experience.
Warmer temperature during asexual reproduction induce methylome, transcriptomic, and lasting phenotypic changes in Fragaria vesca ecotypes
Authors: Zhang(张宇鹏) YuPeng , Fan Guangxun , Toivainen Tuomas , Tengs Torstein , Yakovlev Igor , Krokene Paal , Hytönen Timo , Fossdal Carl Gunnar , Grini Paul E.
Published: July 2023

Plants must adapt with increasing speed to global warming to maintain their fitness. One rapid adaptation mechanism is epigenetic memory, which may provide organisms sufficient time to adapt to climate change. We studied how the perennial Fragaria vesca adapted to warmer temperatures (28°C vs. 18°C) over three asexual generations. Differences in flowering time, stolon number, and petiole length were induced by warmer temperature in one or more ecotypes after three asexual generations and persisted in a common garden environment. Induced methylome changes differed between the four ecotypes from Norway, Iceland, Italy, and Spain, but shared methylome responses were also identified. Most differentially methylated regions (DMRs) occurred in the CHG context, and most CHG and CHH DMRs were hypermethylated at the warmer temperature. In eight CHG DMR peaks, a highly similar methylation pattern could be observed between ecotypes. On average, 13% of the differentially methylated genes between ecotypes also showed a temperature-induced change in gene expression. We observed ecotype-specific methylation and expression patterns for genes related to gibberellin metabolism, flowering time, and epigenetic mechanisms. Furthermore, we observed a negative correlation with gene expression when repetitive elements were found near (±2 kb) or inside genes. In conclusion, lasting phenotypic changes indicative of an epigenetic memory were induced by warmer temperature and were accompanied by changes in DNA methylation patterns. Both shared methylation patterns and transcriptome differences between F. vesca accessions were observed, indicating that DNA methylation may be involved in both general and ecotype-specific phenotypic variation.
Dioscin Activates Endoplasmic Reticulum Unfolded Protein Response for Defense Against Pathogenic Bacteria in Caenorhabditis elegans via IRE-1/XBP-1 Pathway
Authors: Xiao Yi , Liu Fang , Wu Qinyi , Zhu Xinting , Yu Changyan , Jiang Nian , Li Sanhua , Liu Yun
Published: July 2023

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is an evolutionarily conserved pathway that senses and responds to the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen during bacterial infection. The IRE-1/XBP-1 pathway is a major branch of the UPRER that has been conserved from yeast to human. Dioscin, a steroidal saponin exhibits a broad spectrum of properties. However, whether dioscin influences the immune response and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain obscure. We find that dioscin increases resistance to Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, dioscin also inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Meanwhile, dioscin enhances the resistance to pathogens by reducing bacterial burden in the intestine. Through genetic screening, we find that dioscin activates the UPRER to promote innate immunity via IRE-1/XBP-1 pathway. Intriguingly, dioscin requires the neural XBP-1 for immune response. Our findings suggest that dioscin may be a viable candidate for the treatment of infectious diseases.