bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adversarial discriminative domain adaptation for modulation classification based on Ulam stability
Authors: Ren Wenjuan , Chen Qian , Yang Zhanpeng
Published: April 2023

Domain adaptation modulation classification aims to improve the cross‐domain robustness of modulation classification, with the basic idea of mitigating the domain shift between the label‐rich source domain and label‐poor target domain in the latent common feature subspace. Due to the complex and heterogeneous wireless propagation conditions, how to construct the optimal latent common feature subspace is a hard problem. In this letter, the authors introduce Ulam stability to character the boundary of the latent common feature space. These theorems can provide guidance for cross‐domain feature extraction and eliminate the domain shift. Based on the proposed stable theorems, the authors define the Ulam loss and present a new method named Adversarial Discriminative Domain Adaptation with Ulam stability (U‐ADDA). Experiments on public datasets prove the effectiveness and generality of the method.
Chromosome instability‐associated prognostic signature and cluster investigation for cutaneous melanoma cases
Authors: Liu Ning , Liu Guangjing , Ma Qian , Li Xiaobing
Published: April 2023

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is closely associated to the early detection of several clinical tumours. In this study, the authors first established a novel prognostic model of melanoma using the hub genes of CIN, based on the datasets of The cancer genome atlas‐skin cutaneous melanoma (TCGA‐SKCM) and GSE65904 cohorts. Based on the risk scores of our model, the disease‐specific survival (DSS) prognosis was worse in the high‐risk group. Combining risk score, stage, age, ulceration, and clark factors, a Nomogram was generated to predict 1, 3, 5‐year survival rates, which indicated a good clinical validity. Our finding also showed a correlation between high/low risk and tumour infiltration levels of ‘activated CD8 T cells’ and ‘effector memory CD8 T cells’. Moreover, the authors first performed a CIN‐based tumour clustering analysis using TCGA‐SKCM cases, and identified two melanoma clusters, which exhibit the distinct DSS prognosis and the tumour‐infiltrating levels of CD8 T cells. Taken together, a promising CIN‐related prognostic signature and clustering for melanoma cases were first established in our study.
The influence of power quality on the operational modes of industrial power supply systems
Authors: Sevostyanov Alexander
Published: April 2023

About 90% of distortions involving power quality analysis value are caused by the operation of industrial power supply systems. Thus, not only do gradual changes of voltage and harmonic distortions appear, but also disturbances caused by voltage dips and interruptions, which lead to technological equipment malfunctioning as well as serious damage to power quality. However, despite the possible damage from voltage dips and short interruptions in power supply systems, there is no standardization in power quality requirements, and power quality requirements are often not taken into consideration in the design and operation of power supply systems. On the basis of the research conducted on power quality value and analysis of current regulatory documents, the author of the article feels that it is crucial to take into consideration voltage dips and interruptions in the operation of industrial power supply systems.
Indications, Complications, and Early Postoperative Course of Recovery of Intraocular Lens Exchange Surgery: a Single-Center Retrospective Study
Authors: Silva Marcio , Orguel Selim , Becker Matthias , Freiberg Florentina Joyce
Published: April 2023

Purpose To analyze the indications, complications, and early course of recovery of intraocular lens (IOL) exchange surgery.

Material and Methods Records of patients who underwent IOL exchange during a 6-year period at a tertiary referral center were reviewed and the indications and complications after
surgical intervention were analyzed. Their effects on postoperative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), use of IOP-lowering medications, and refractive
cylindrical power were assessed.

Results One hundred and seventy-one eyes (165 patients) were investigated. The most frequent indication for IOL exchange was lens dislocation in 163 eyes (95.32%). The main causes of
IOL dislocation were pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX) in 98 eyes (57.31%) and complications during cataract surgery in 40 eyes (23.39%). During IOL exchange, an anterior iris-claw fixation
was performed in 159 eyes (92.98%). After significant initial deterioration to 1.59 ± 1.08 logMAR on postoperative day 1 (p ≤ 0.001), the CDVA recovered to preoperative levels within 28
days. A significant decrease in IOP was observed on postoperative day 1 (p = 0.04). The most common postoperative complications were corneal edema in 114 eyes (66.67%) and vitreous
hemorrhage in 67 eyes (39.18%).

Conclusion The high early postoperative prevalence of corneal edema and intraocular hemorrhage was found to affect visual recovery after IOL exchange, causing a significant initial
deterioration of CDVA and a delay of full visual recovery. These findings suggest that surgical approaches minimizing the risk of this type of complications should be favored.
A Clinical Decision Tree to Support Keratoconus Patients Considering Corneal Cross-Linking Combined with Refractive Treatment
Authors: Iselin Katja , Bachmann Lucas , Baenninger Philipp , Sanak Frantisek , Kaufmann Claude
Published: April 2023

Background To develop a fast and frugal decision tree to identify keratoconus patients most likely to benefit visually from the combination of corneal cross-linking (CXL) with
topography-guided photorefractive keratectomy (“CXL plus”).

Patients and Methods The outcome of interest was an improvement in uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) by at least two lines at the 12-month follow-up. Preoperative and
12-month follow-up data from patients who received CXL plus (n = 96) and CXL only (n = 96) were used in a recursive partitioning approach to construct a frugal tree with three variables
(corneal thickness [>/< 430 um], patient interest in CXL plus [yes/no], and tomographic cylinder [</> 3 D]). In addition, we estimated the probability of the outcome from a
multivariate logistic regression model for each combination of variables used in the decision tree.

Results In the complete sample, 101/192 (52.6%) patients improved by at least two lines at the 12-month follow-up. Patients affirmative in all three answers had a 75.6% (34/45)
probability of gaining at least two lines of improvement in UDVA by CXL plus. The statistical model estimated a 66.0% probability for a successful outcome.

Conclusion A fast and frugal tree consisting of three variables can be used to select a patient group with a high likelihood to benefit from CXL plus. The tree is useful in the
preoperative counseling of keratoconus patients contemplating the CXL plus option, an intervention that is not fully covered by many health insurances.
Utilisation du smartphone dans la sémiologie clinique de la dystrophie épithéliale de Cogan
Authors: Masson Alexandre , Villard Frédéric , Finger Manolito , DeGottrau Philippe , Gaillard Marie-Claire
Published: April 2023

Introduction A lʼère du développement massif de la télémédecine, lʼaccès à des photographies à distance est essentiel. Nous avons donc voulu montrer quʼil est possible de réaliser
des photographies de qualité avec des appareils simples à lʼère de lʼimagerie multimodale coûteuse. Nous illustrons que lʼutilisation du smartphone préalablement monté sur une lampe à fente
a permis de recueillir des photographies précises du segment antérieur, notamment dans notre article, avec un cas de dystrophie épithéliale de Cogan.

Matériel et méthodes Lʼinstallation de ce dispositif est détaillée et imagée. Nous avons monté un smartphone sur les oculaires de la lampe à fente (BQ 900 LED Haag-Streit) et pris
des images de la cornée dʼun patient atteint dʼune dystrophie de Cogan bilatérale.

Résultats Des images statiques de qualité des signes cliniques de cette dystrophie ont pu être prises de manière simple et reproductible. Nous avons corrélé ces signes cliniques avec
les caractéristiques OCT typiques de la pathologie.

Discussion La dystrophie de Cogan nʼétant pas une pathologie si fréquente, lʼintérêt ici est double : le recueil de belles photographies à lʼaide dʼun appareil simple et peu coûteux,
ainsi que lʼobservation et la sauvegarde de la sémiologie clinique particulière de cette dystrophie épithéliale. Des publications ont déjà traité de ce sujet, mais nous avons voulu insister
sur le montage de cet appareil sur une lampe à fente, qui permet une bonne observation de la sémiologie ophtalmologique. Notre présentation démontre quʼil est possible dʼobtenir des
photographies du segment antérieur de qualité avec un matériel simple pour une utilisation clinique quotidienne tant en cabinet quʼen milieu hospitalier.
Postoperative Results in the Treatment of Retinal Detachment with Scleral Buckling Surgery
Authors: Neuhaus Caroline , Valmaggia Christophe
Published: April 2023

Background The course after scleral buckling surgery is investigated in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Patients and Methods The Ethics Committee of Eastern Switzerland approved the retrospective single-center study (EKOS19/152, Project ID: 2019-02034). The primary endpoint is the
anatomical reattachment of the retina 3 months after surgery. Secondary endpoints are visual acuity and the occurrence of intra- and postoperative complications. The patient files of all
patients treated for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with scleral buckling surgery between January 2005 and December 2014 at the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen were included.

Results In 165 of 184 patients (89.7%), reattachment of the retina 3 months postoperatively was achieved by single scleral buckling surgery. Treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal
detachment improved patientsʼ visual acuity by an average of 4.8 ETDRS letters. Intraoperatively, subretinal hemorrhage occurred in one patient. Postoperatively, interfering buckling
material was removed in 24 patients (13.1%). A pars plana vitrectomy was performed in six patients (3.2%) due to epiretinal membrane, in two patients (1.1%) due to a macular hole, and in
three patients (1.6%) due to disturbing vitreous opacities.

Conclusions Scleral buckling surgery is an effective and relatively low complication method for the treatment of selected patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.
Tabakentwöhnung bei hospitalisierten Patienten:innen – Stationär einleiten, ambulant fortführen
Authors: Raspe Matthias , Bals Robert , Bölükbas Serve , Faber Gerhard , Krabbe Bernd , Landmesser Ulf , Al Najem Sinann , Przibille Oliver , Raupach Tobias , Rupp Alexander , Rustler Christa , Tuffman Amanda , Urlbauer Matthias , Voigtländer Thomas , Andreas Stefan ,   In Zusammenarbeit mit weiteren medizinischen Fachgesellschaften und Organisationen: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Innere Medizin (DGIM),   Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kardiologie – Herz- und Kreislaufforschung (DGK),   Deutsche Gesellschaft für Angiologie – Gesellschaft für Gefäßmedizin (DGA),   Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hämatologie und Medizinische Onkologie (DGHO),   Deutsche Gesellschaft für Thoraxchirurgie (DGT),   Bundesverband der Pneumologen, Schlaf- und Beatmungsmediziner (BdP),   Verband Pneumologischer Kliniken (VPK),   Deutsche Atemwegsliga,   Deutsche Lungenstiftung,   Deutsche Herzstiftung
Published: April 2023

Tabakrauchen ist das größte vermeidbare Gesundheitsrisiko. Die Auswirkungen sind individuell und gesellschaftlich gravierend. Dennoch ist die Prävalenz aktuell Tabakrauchender in Deutschland mit ca. 35 % weiterhin hoch. Sorge bereitet zudem ein zuletzt starker Anstieg aktiv rauchender Jugendlicher (14- bis 17-Jährige, aktuelle Prävalenz ca. 16 %) und junger Erwachsener (18- bis 24-Jährige, aktuelle Prävalenz ca. 41 %). Etwa ein Drittel der stationär behandelten Patienten:innen rauchen. Die Hospitalisierung von aktiven Rauchern:innen in Akut- und Rehakliniken ist als „teachable moment“ ein günstiger Zeitpunkt, eine Tabakentwöhnung einzuleiten. Eine Intervention, die im Krankenhaus beginnt und nach der Entlassung mindestens einen Monat lang fortgesetzt wird, führt zu etwa 40 % zusätzlich entwöhnter Patienten:innen. Sie ist wissenschaftlich gut untersucht, effektiv und kosteneffizient. Die poststationäre Anbindung kann an ein Tabakentwöhnungsprogramm, eine Rehabilitationseinrichtung, ein Internet- oder Telefonangebot erfolgen. Es bestehen in Deutschland strukturierte und qualitätsgesicherte Angebote zur Umsetzung sowohl für den stationären als auch für den ambulanten Bereich. Größtes Hindernis für eine breite Etablierung solcher Angebote ist die fehlende Kostenerstattung. Zwei umsetzbare Wege, dies zu ändern, wären die Einführung eines Zusatzentgelts für den bestehenden OPS 9-501 „Multimodale stationäre Behandlung zur Tabakentwöhnung“ sowie die Etablierung von Qualitätsverträgen nach § 110a SGB V. Ein Ausbau der Tabakentwöhnung in Gesundheitseinrichtungen würde die Rauchprävalenz und die damit einhergehenden Erkrankungen sowie die konsekutiven Kosten nachhaltig reduzieren.
Identification of small-molecule protein–protein interaction inhibitors for NKG2D
Authors: Thompson Aaron A. , Harbut Michael B. , Kung Pei-Pei , Karpowich Nathan K. , Branson Jeffrey D. , Grant Joanna C. , Hagan Deborah , Pascual Heather A. , Bai Guoyun , Zavareh Reza Beheshti , Coate Heather R. , Collins Bernard C. , Côte Marjorie , Gelin Christine F. , Damm-Ganamet Kelly L. , Gholami Hadi , Huff Adam R. , Limon Luis , Lumb Kevin J. , Mak Puiying A. , Nakafuku Kohki M. , Price Edmund V. , Shih Amy Y. , Tootoonchi Mandana , Vellore Nadeem A. , Wang Jocelyn , Wei Na , Ziff Jeannie , Berger Scott B. , Edwards James P. , Gardet Agnès , Sun Siquan , Towne Jennifer E. , Venable Jennifer D. , Shi Zhicai , Venkatesan Hariharan , Rives Marie-Laure , Sharma Sujata , Shireman Brock T. , Allen Samantha J.
Published: April 2023

NKG2D (natural-killer group 2, member D) is a homodimeric transmembrane receptor that plays an important role in NK, γδ
+
, and CD8
+
T cell-mediated immune responses to environmental stressors such as viral or bacterial infections and oxidative stress. However, aberrant NKG2D signaling has also been associated with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and as such NKG2D is thought to be an attractive target for immune intervention. Here, we describe a comprehensive small-molecule hit identification strategy and two distinct series of protein–protein interaction inhibitors of NKG2D. Although the hits are chemically distinct, they share a unique allosteric mechanism of disrupting ligand binding by accessing a cryptic pocket and causing the two monomers of the NKG2D dimer to open apart and twist relative to one another. Leveraging a suite of biochemical and cell-based assays coupled with structure-based drug design, we established tractable structure–activity relationships with one of the chemical series and successfully improved both the potency and physicochemical properties. Together, we demonstrate that it is possible, albeit challenging, to disrupt the interaction between NKG2D and multiple protein ligands with a single molecule through allosteric modulation of the NKG2D receptor dimer/ligand interface.
Structure of the human respiratory complex II
Authors: Du Zhanqiang , Zhou Xiaoting , Lai Yuezheng , Xu Jinxu , Zhang Yuying , Zhou Shan , Feng Ziyan , Yu Long , Tang Yanting , Wang Weiwei , Yu Lu , Tian Changlin , Ran Ting , Chen Hongming , Guddat Luke W. , Liu Fengjiang , Gao Yan , Rao Zihe , Gong Hongri
Published: April 2023

Human complex II is a key protein complex that links two essential energy-producing processes: the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Deficiencies due to mutagenesis have been shown to cause mitochondrial disease and some types of cancers. However, the structure of this complex is yet to be resolved, hindering a comprehensive understanding of the functional aspects of this molecular machine. Here, we have determined the structure of human complex II in the presence of ubiquinone at 2.86 Å resolution by cryoelectron microscopy, showing it comprises two water-soluble subunits, SDHA and SDHB, and two membrane-spanning subunits, SDHC and SDHD. This structure allows us to propose a route for electron transfer. In addition, clinically relevant mutations are mapped onto the structure. This mapping provides a molecular understanding to explain why these variants have the potential to produce disease.
Membrane protein isolation and structure determination in cell-derived membrane vesicles
Authors: Tao Xiao , Zhao Chen , MacKinnon Roderick
Published: April 2023

Integral membrane protein structure determination traditionally requires extraction from cell membranes using detergents or polymers. Here, we describe the isolation and structure determination of proteins in membrane vesicles derived directly from cells. Structures of the ion channel Slo1 from total cell membranes and from cell plasma membranes were determined at 3.8 Å and 2.7 Å resolution, respectively. The plasma membrane environment stabilizes Slo1, revealing an alteration of global helical packing, polar lipid, and cholesterol interactions that stabilize previously unresolved regions of the channel and an additional ion binding site in the Ca2+regulatory domain. The two methods presented enable structural analysis of both internal and plasma membrane proteins without disrupting weakly interacting proteins, lipids, and cofactors that are essential to biological function.
The Pretoria Agreement: mere cessation of hostilities or heralding a new era in Ethiopia?
Authors: Gebresenbet Fana , Tariku Yonas
Published: April 2023

On 2 November 2022, welcome news came from Pretoria, South Africa. After 10 days of negotiations, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) signed a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. This piece situates the importance of the war, and more importantly the agreement, within the longue durée of Ethiopian politics and highlights its importance as a turning point marking the end of the era of the dominance of the TPLF and the beginning of the end of ethno-nationalism's hegemonic centrality to national politics, including at the expense of the Ethiopian state.
Optimization of TiN-based ultra-flexible materials for photothermal and solar harvesting applications
Authors: Nga Do T. , Julie Thudsaphungthong , Ha Chu Viet , Anh Chu Thuy , Nghia Do Chi , Phan Anh D.
Published: April 2023

We propose a theoretical model to investigate photothermal heating of ultra-flexible metamaterials, which are obtained by randomly mixing TiN nanoparticles in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Due to the plasmonic properties of TiN nanoparticles, incident light can be perfectly absorbed in a broadband range (300-3000 nm) to generate heat within these metamaterials. Under irradiation of an 808 nm near-infrared laser with different intensities, our predicted temperature rises as a function of time agree well with recent experimental data. For a given laser intensity, the temperature rise varies non-monotonically with the concentration of TiN nanoparticles. Increasing the TiN concentration leads to a decrease in the heating process since the thermal conductivity grows. A small TiN concentration significantly reduces the absorbed energy and, thus, the system is less heated. When we apply this model to solar heating, we find that the temperature rise is no longer non-monotonic, and the heating efficiency is much lower than in the laser case. Our studies would provide good guidance for future experimental studies on the photothermal heating of broadband perfect absorbers.
Aromatic Volatile Organic Compounds Adsorption on Tungsten Diselenide Monolayer
Authors: Tran Thi Nhan , Luong Thi Theu , Tran Quang Huy , Phung Viet Bac T. , Dinh Van An
Published: April 2023

In this work, we performed a density functional theory calculation to systematically investigate the adsorption and evaluate the adsorption performance of aromatic volatile organic compounds, benzene and toluene, on WSe2 monolayer. The most favourable adsorption configurations of gas molecules with the parallel orientation of the benzene ring to the substrate surface are explored by computing the binding energies as a function of spatial coordinates and carefully optimizing geometrical structures. The calculations pointed out that gas molecules could diffuse across the substrate along the diffusion paths with quite low diffusion potential barriers, about 180 meV for benzene and 130 meV for toluene molecules. We found that both gases are physisorbed on WSe2 monolayer with moderate adsorption energies, short recovery times, and large response lengths. The gas adsorption causes the bandgap reduction of 26 meV and a slight work function increase of the substrate. There is a charge transfer from the substrate onto the gas molecules, this may cause a resistance decrease of the p-type semiconductor substrate. WSe2 monolayer is quite sensitive to benzene and toluene, and could be suggested as an aromatic gas sensing material.
Inorganic nanorods direct neuronal differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Vemuri Satish Kumar , Banala Rajkiran Reddy , Nethi Susheel Kumar , Devraj Vijaya Madhuri , P Pavan Kumar , C Thejaswini Lalittha , M Indira Devi , Gurava Reddy AV , GPV Subbaiah
Published: April 2023

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells and are considered a potential source for tissue and organ repair due to their self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation abilities. However, in most cases, MSCs are needed to be stimulated with external growth factors to promote their proliferation and differentiation. Over the past decade, it has been demonstrated that nanomaterials could facilitate MSC proliferation and differentiation, and excellent efforts are carried out to investigate their possible modulating pattern and mechanisms for MSC differentiation. Europium hydroxide (EuIII(OH)3) nanorods (EHN) are well-researched for their biomimicking properties and act as a substitute for growth factors that induce cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. In the current study, the human MSCs were chosen as an in vitro model for evaluating the role of EHN in modulating the differentiation process of MSCs into neuronal and glial lineages. The characterization of MSCs and differentiated neuronal cells observed by flow cytometry, confocal, and gene marker expression studies supported our hypothesis that the EHNs are pro-angiogenic and pro-neurogenic. Finally, altogether our results suggest that EHNs have the potential to play an essential part in developing novel treatment strategies for neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries based on the nanomedicine approach.
Impact of vehicle electrification on global supply chains and emission transfer
Authors: Nakamoto Yuya , Tokito Shohei , Kito Minami
Published: April 2023

Numerous countries plan to promote increased levels of vehicle electrification. This study demonstrates that, when considering the life cycle of automobiles, higher levels of vehicle electrification over the next 30 years in Japan would generate higher carbon emissions, preventing the country from meeting carbon reduction and neutrality targets in 2030 and 2050, respectively. In 2020, 2030, and 2050, domestic emissions could decrease to 92.5, 72.9, and 49.6 Mt, respectively, while emission transfers to other countries could reach 12.1 Mt (11.5% of the global carbon footprint), 10.4 Mt (12.5%), and 8.7 Mt (14.9%). The results indicate that even if the widespread use of alternative fuel vehicles could reduce domestic emissions, such emissions might be transferred to foreign countries, and blanket promotion of automobile electrification should be avoided. Instead, governments and the automotive industry should take responsibility for global and whole life-cycle emissions of vehicles, not only domestic tank-to-wheel emissions. These results provide baseline information for use in the recommendation measures and international rules to be adopted by the automobile industry stakeholders and policymakers.
A correspondence between higher Adams differentials and higher algebraic Novikov differentials at odd primes
Authors: Wang Xiangjun , Zhang Yu
Published: April 2023

This paper studies the higher differentials of the classical Adams spectral sequence at odd primes. In particular, we follow the “cofiber of

τ
\tau

philosophy” of Gheorghe, Isaksen, Wang, and Xu [Acta Math. 226 (2021), pp. 319–407; Publ. Math. Inst. Hautes Études Sci. 137 (2023), pp. 107–243] to show that higher Adams differentials agree with their corresponding higher algebraic Novikov differentials in a certain range.
Microtubule competition and cell growth recenter the nucleus after anaphase in fission yeast
Authors: Bellingham-Johnstun Kimberly , Thorn Annelise , Belmonte Julio M. , Laplante Caroline
Published: April 2023

Active centering of the nucleus by microtubules is critical for symmetrical cell division in fission yeast. We determined that microtubule competition and cell growth influence this mechanism, resulting in the slow recentering of the nucleus after anaphase.
Ultrasound Calculation of Fat Volume for Liposuction: A Clinical Software Validation
Authors: Harutyunyan Robert , Gilardino Mirko S , Papanastasiou Vasilios W , Jeffries Sean D , Hemmerling Thomas M
Published: April 2023

Background

Fat manipulation procedures such as liposuction contain a degree of subjectivity primarily guided by the surgeon's visual or tactile perception of the underlying fat. Currently, there is no cost-effective, direct method to objectively measure fat depth and volume in real time.

Objectives

Utilizing innovative ultrasound-based software, the authors aimed to validate fat tissue volume and distribution measurements in the preoperative setting.

Methods

Eighteen participants were recruited to evaluate the accuracy of the new software. Recruited participants underwent ultrasound scans within the preoperative markings of the study area before surgery. Ultrasound-estimated fat profiles were generated with the in-house software and compared directly with the intraoperative aspirated fat recorded after gravity separation.

Results

Participants’ mean age and BMI were 47.6 (11.3) years and 25.6 (2.3) kg/m2, respectively. Evaluation of trial data showed promising results following the use of a Bland Altman agreement analysis. For the 18 patients and 44 volumes estimated, 43 of 44 measurements fell within a confidence interval of 95% when compared with the clinical lipoaspirate (dry) volumes collected postsurgery. The bias was estimated at 9.15 mL with a standard deviation of 17.08 mL and 95% confidence interval between −24.34 mL and 42.63 mL.

Conclusions

Preoperative fat assessment measurements agreed significantly with intraoperative lipoaspirate volumes. The pilot study demonstrates, for the first time, a novel companion tool with the prospect of supporting surgeons in surgical planning, measuring, and executing the transfer of adipose tissues.

Level of Evidence: 4
A survey on algorithms to characterize transcription factor binding sites
Authors: Tognon Manuel , Giugno Rosalba , Pinello Luca
Published: April 2023

Transcription factors (TFs) are key regulatory proteins that control the transcriptional rate of cells by binding short DNA sequences called transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) or motifs. Identifying and characterizing TFBS is fundamental to understanding the regulatory mechanisms governing the transcriptional state of cells. During the last decades, several experimental methods have been developed to recover DNA sequences containing TFBS. In parallel, computational methods have been proposed to discover and identify TFBS motifs based on these DNA sequences. This is one of the most widely investigated problems in bioinformatics and is referred to as the motif discovery problem. In this manuscript, we review classical and novel experimental and computational methods developed to discover and characterize TFBS motifs in DNA sequences, highlighting their advantages and drawbacks. We also discuss open challenges and future perspectives that could fill the remaining gaps in the field.
Statistical summaries of unlabelled evolutionary trees
Authors: Samyak Rajanala , Palacios Julia A
Published: April 2023

Rooted and ranked phylogenetic trees are mathematical objects that are useful in modelling hierarchical data and evolutionary relationships with applications to many fields such as evolutionary biology and genetic epidemiology. Bayesian phylogenetic inference usually explores the posterior distribution of trees via Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. However, assessing uncertainty and summarizing distributions remains challenging for these types of structures. While labelled phylogenetic trees have been extensively studied, relatively less literature exists for unlabelled trees that are increasingly useful, for example when one seeks to summarize samples of trees obtained with different methods, or from different samples and environments, and wishes to assess the stability and generalizability of these summaries. In our paper, we exploit recently proposed distance metrics of unlabelled ranked binary trees and unlabelled ranked genealogies, or trees equipped with branch lengths, to define the Fréchet mean, variance and interquartile sets as summaries of these tree distributions. We provide an efficient combinatorial optimization algorithm for computing the Fréchet mean of a sample or of distributions on unlabelled ranked tree shapes and unlabelled ranked genealogies. We show the applicability of our summary statistics for studying popular tree distributions and for comparing the SARS-CoV-2 evolutionary trees across different locations during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020. Our current implementations are publicly available at https://github.com/RSamyak/fmatrix.
Ethical challenges and principles in integrated care
Authors: McKeown Alex
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Integrated care is an established approach to delivery in parts of the healthcare infrastructure, and an ideal which, it is claimed, should be realized system-wide. Its ethical weight derives from its defence of a view about how healthcare ought to operate. Although the goal of integration is laudable, it is ethically and practically complex, involving trade-offs.

Sources of data

Considerable evidence attests to widespread enthusiasm for integration, given the need to prevent harm and extend the reach of scarce resources. Equally, evidence increasingly highlights the obstacles to successfully translating this ideal into practice.

Areas of agreement

The principle that healthcare should be seamless, ensuring that patients do not come to harm through gaps in care enjoys broad agreement. There is a similar consensus that placing the patient’s perspective at the centre of decision-making is vital, since this enables identification of these gaps.

Areas of controversy

Integrating care by making it seamless entails blurring boundaries of care domains. This risks undermining the locus of responsibility for care decisions via confusion about who has ownership of specialist knowledge where domains overlap. There is a lack of consensus about how successful integration should be measured.

Growing points

More research into the relative cost-effectiveness of upstream public health investment in preventing chronic ill-health caused by modifiable lifestyle factors vs integrating care for people already ill; further research into ethical implications of integration in practice, which can be obscured by the simplicity of the fundamental normative principle guiding integration in theory.
Acute coronary syndromes and multivessel coronary artery disease
Authors: Zimbardo Giuseppe , Cialdella Pio , Di Fusco Paolo , Donahue Michael Edward , D’Aquino Umberto Maria Lombardi , Paolucci Luca , Sergi Sonia Cristina , Talarico Giovanni Paolo , Calò Leonardo
Published: April 2023

Patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and multivessel coronary artery disease are frequently encountered during clinical practice and those patients are at higher risk of subsequent acute cardiovascular events. In patients presenting with both ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes, complete revascularization is associated with decreased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. Nevertheless, the optimal timing of the intervention and treatment modality are still in discussions. Furthermore, non-culprit lesions assessment based on stenosis severity, either on visual or on functional evaluation, may not provide information about vulnerable plaques prone to thrombosis. Therefore, insights from intracoronary imaging could further identify high-risk plaque and patients at higher risk of future adverse events. This article aims to provide an overview of current guideline recommendations, envisioning future perspectives for the treatment of patients with ACS and multivessel disease.
HeartInsight: from SELENE HF to implementation in clinical practice
Authors: Zanotto Gabriele , Capucci Alessandro
Published: April 2023

There is strong evidence that remote monitoring in cardiac implantable electronic devices can detect device malfunctions earlier than conventional monitoring and that it can be useful for detecting cardiac arrhythmias, while little data are available for an improved management of heart failure (HF). HeartInsight is a new remote monitoring algorithm developed and validated in the SELENE HF study that combines information from a diverse set of sensors integrated into one alert to detect worsening HF with promising accuracy. However, the shift from detecting technical issues or arrhythmia episodes to early predicting clinical events underscores the need to understand how to properly integrate these tools into the clinical workflow by defining an organizational model and shared guidelines for the management of HF alerts. Here, we critically discuss issues that will be raised by the implementation of this ‘enhanced’ remote monitoring approach to HF care in daily clinical practice.
Low-dose rivaroxaban: can cardiovascular events be reduced?
Authors: De Luca Leonardo
Published: April 2023

Despite available effective guideline-based preventive therapies, patients with vascular diseases remain at high-risk of recurrent ischaemic events. Novel therapeutic strategies are therefore needed in order to further reduce the residual risk that is present in these high-risk patients. The Cardiovascular Outcomes for People using Anticoagulation Strategies trial demonstrated that, in patients with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD), a combination of rivaroxaban 2.5 mg/bid (vascular dose) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) 100 mg once daily, the so-called dual pathway inhibition (DPI), reduced cardiovascular death, stroke, or myocardial infarction by 24% and mortality by 18%, as compared with ASA-alone. The rationale that can explain the improvement of cardiovascular outcome is that platelet aggregation and fibrin formation are involved in arterial thrombosis and rivaroxaban is able to target both ways and has a synergic effect with ASA. The aim of this review is to discuss the potential mechanisms and added benefits of DPI, in patients with PAD and CAD.
The Brugada syndrome: pharmacological therapy
Authors: Giustetto Carla , Cerrato Natascia , Dusi Veronica , Angelini Filippo , De Ferrari Gaetano , Gaita Fiorenzo
Published: April 2023

Brugada syndrome is an inherited channelopathy with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and an increased incidence of supraventricular arrhythmias, as compared with the general population. For the prevention of SCD, the guidelines recommend the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD); however, ICD does not prevent VA. In this article, we provide a brief review of the literature on the Brugada syndrome pharmacological therapy, mainly focusing on quinidine treatment. The efficacy of quinidine therapy in the prevention of VA in Brugada syndrome has been demonstrated by several small studies in patients with ICD and recurrent shocks or in asymptomatic patients with inducible ventricular fibrillation (VF) at electrophysiological study. Quinidine has also been tested for the prophylaxis of supraventricular arrhythmias, especially atrial fibrillation/flutter, and in paediatric patients. In these studies, quinidine proved highly effective in preventing re-induction of VF and spontaneous recurrences of both ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias. Unfortunately, this therapy is burdened by a high incidence of side effects, which may lead to drug discontinuation.
Artificial intelligence for advanced analysis of coronary plaque
Authors: van Assen Marly , von Knebel Doeberitz Philipp , Quyyumi Arshed A , De Cecco Carlo N
Published: April 2023

The field of coronary plaque analysis is advancing including more quantitative analysis of coronary artery diseases such as plaque burden, high-risk plaque features, computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve, and radiomics. Although these biomarkers have shown great promise for the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiac patients in a research setting, many of these advanced analyses are labour and time intensive and therefore hard to implement in daily clinical practice. Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasing role in supporting the quantification of these new biomarkers. AI offers the opportunity to increase efficiency, reduce human error and reader variability and to increase the accuracy of diagnosis and prognosis by automating many processing and supporting clinicians in their decision-making. With the use of AI these novel analysis approaches for coronary artery disease can be made feasible for clinical practice without increasing cost and workload and potentially improve patient care.
Multimodality imaging in decompensated heart failure
Authors: D’Andrea Antonello , Ilardi Federica , Palermi Stefano , Riegler Lucia , Miele Tiziana , Giallauria Francesco , D’Alto Michele , Russo Vincenzo , Cice Gennaro
Published: April 2023

Heart failure (HF) is usually suspected by clinical history, symptoms, physical examination, electrocardiogram findings, and natriuretic peptides’ values. However, echocardiography and other imaging techniques play an essential role in supporting HF diagnosis. Thanks to its non-invasiveness and safety, transthoracic echocardiography is the first-level technique of choice to assess myocardial structure and function, trying to establish the diagnosis of HF with reduced, mildly reduced, and preserved ejection fraction. The role of echocardiography is not limited to diagnosis but it represents a crucial tool in guiding therapeutic decision-making and monitoring response to therapy. Over the last decades, several technological advancements were made in the imaging field, aiming at better understanding the morphofunctional abnormalities occurring in cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this review article is to summarize the incremental role of imaging techniques (in particular cardiac magnetic resonance and myocardial scintigraphy) in HF, highlighting their essential applications to HF diagnosis and management.
Chronic heart failure: the role of di vericiguat
Authors: Caminiti Giuseppe , Sposato Barbara , Volterrani Maurizio
Published: April 2023

The introduction of multiple new pharmacological agents over the past three decades in the field of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) has led to reduced rates of mortality and hospitalizations, and consequently, the prevalence of HFrEF has increased, and up to 10% of patients progress to more advanced stages, characterized by high rates of mortality and hospitalizations and poor quality of life. Vericiguat, a novel oral soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator, has proved effective in patients with HFrEF who had recently been hospitalized or had received intravenous diuretic therapy. In these patients, vericiguat reduced the primary outcome of death from cardiovascular causes or first hospitalization for heart failure in comparison with placebo. By reducing hospital admissions in a population at a very high risk of re-hospitalization, vericiguat might have a positive impact on healthcare costs for the management of HFrEF.
Spectral induced polarization of rocks with electronically conductive inclusions: a semi-empirical capillary model
Authors: Gurin Grigory , Titov Konstantin
Published: April 2023

Induced polarization (IP) method is widely used in different applications including mining geology, hydrogeology, contaminant hydrology, geodynamics and geothermal research. For this reason, petrophysical investigations of IP parameters present an increased interest. Last decades IP behaviour of rocks and sediments containing metallic particles (MP) was extensively studied. Petrophysical investigations were performed mostly with synthetic granular models presented mixtures of sands and MP. In this paper, for the first time, we present IP data measured on a synthetic capillary model. The model made of Plexiglas contains a bundle of capillaries: some active (i.e. blocked by MP), others passive (open). In the experiments, we varied (i) the volumetric content of MP (ii) the water electrical resistivity, (iii) the model porosity and (iv) the MP resistance. We found that the chargeability primarily depends on the ratio of the active to total surface of the pore cross-sections. Consequently, when the model contains only one active pore, and no passive pores, the chargeability is equal to 100 per cent. This is the case even if the volumetric content of MP is very small. This behaviour of the capillary model is contrary to that of sand-MP mixture where the chargeability is approximately proportional to the volumetric MP content. We also found that the relaxation time of the capillary model depends on the bulk resistivity, the MP resistivity and the specific capacitance of the electrical double layer at the ‘MP–pore water’ interface. We explain the experimental data based on a new semi-empirical model. The model presents an extension of Pelton's model with explicit consideration of electrical and structural parameters of the capillaries.
RcSPL1–RcTAF15b regulates the flowering time of rose (Rosa chinensis)
Authors: Yu Rui , Xiong Zhiying , Zhu Xinhui , Feng Panpan , Hu Ziyi , Fang Rongxiang , Zhang Yuman , Liu Qinglin
Published: April 2023

Rose (Rosa chinensis), which is an economically valuable floral species worldwide, has three types, namely once-flowering (OF), occasional or re-blooming (OR), and recurrent or continuous flowering (CF). However, the mechanism underlying the effect of the age pathway on the duration of the CF or OF juvenile phase is largely unknown. In this study, we observed that the RcSPL1 transcript levels were substantially upregulated during the floral development period in CF and OF plants. Additionally, accumulation of RcSPL1 protein was controlled by rch-miR156. The ectopic expression of RcSPL1 in Arabidopsis thaliana accelerated the vegetative phase transition and flowering. Furthermore, the transient overexpression of RcSPL1 in rose plants accelerated flowering, whereas silencing of RcSPL1 had the opposite phenotype. Accordingly, the transcription levels of floral meristem identity genes (APETALA1, FRUITFULL, and LEAFY) were significantly affected by the changes in RcSPL1 expression. RcTAF15b protein, which is an autonomous pathway protein, was revealed to interact with RcSPL1. The silencing and overexpression of RcTAF15b in rose plants led to delayed and accelerated flowering, respectively. Collectively, the study findings imply that RcSPL1–RcTAF15b modulates the flowering time of rose plants.
Modular systems, interconnecting features and technical function in EU design law—GC rules on relationship between functionality provisions in Article 8 CDR
Authors: Brancusi Lavinia
Published: April 2023

The General Court ruled that not all the features ensuring the interconnection between two products and covered by the must-fit prohibition are also solely dictated by the technical function of one of the products; a design right conferred over a modular product may, however, be invoked for the benefit of all of its must-fit features, irrespective of whether or not they are solely dictated by the technical function.
Spontaneous rupture of nontraumatic hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm
Authors: Boyd-Tressler Andrea , Follette Craig , Oechsel Kelly , Carmichael Samuel , Stettler Gregory R , Avery Martin
Published: April 2023

Spontaneous rupture of hepatic artery pseudoaneurysms (HAP) is a rare cause of intra-abdominal hemorrhage. Herein, we present a case of a spontaneous rupture of a nontraumatic HAP. A 61-year-old female, not on any anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications, presented with abdominal pain and hemorrhagic shock. Cross-sectional imaging revealed a left HAP with evidence of active bleeding. Emergent diagnostic angiography was performed, and angioembolization of an actively bleeding pseudoaneurysm was performed. Given the risk of rupture and high mortality rate associated with rupture, aggressive treatment of HAP should be pursued.
An unexpected case of Castleman disease in porta hepatis lymphadenopathy
Authors: Li Crystal , Hameed Ahmer , Pleass Henry
Published: April 2023

Castleman disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder that can be life threatening if left unmanaged in severe cases of inflammatory response. CD should be excluded by thorough workup in cases of lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly of unknown cause. Excisional biopsy of lymph nodes may be required to make a definitive diagnosis. A case of CD manifesting as portal hepatis lymphadenopathy is presented.
FIREbox: simulating galaxies at high dynamic range in a cosmological volume
Authors: Feldmann Robert , Quataert Eliot , Faucher-Giguère Claude-André , Hopkins Philip F , Çatmabacak Onur , Kereš Dušan , Bassini Luigi , Bernardini Mauro , Bullock James S , Cenci Elia , Gensior Jindra , Liang Lichen , Moreno Jorge , Wetzel Andrew
Published: April 2023

We introduce a suite of cosmological volume simulations to study the evolution of galaxies as part of the Feedback in Realistic Environments project. FIREbox, the principal simulation of the present suite, provides a representative sample of galaxies (∼1000 galaxies with $M_{\rm star}\gt 10^8\, M_\odot$ at z  = 0) at a resolution ($\Delta {}x\sim {}20\, {\rm pc}$ , $m_{\rm b}\sim {}6\times {}10^4\, M_\odot$ ) comparable to state-of-the-art galaxy zoom-in simulations. FIREbox captures the multiphase nature of the interstellar medium in a fully cosmological setting (L = 22.1 Mpc) thanks to its exceptionally high dynamic range (≳106) and the inclusion of multichannel stellar feedback. Here, we focus on validating the simulation predictions by comparing to observational data. We find that star formation rates, gas masses, and metallicities of simulated galaxies with $M_{\rm star}\lt 10^{10.5-11}\, M_\odot$ broadly agree with observations. These galaxy scaling relations extend to low masses ($M_{\rm star}\sim {}10^7\, M_\odot$ ) and follow a (broken) power-law relationship. Also reproduced are the evolution of the cosmic HI density and the HI column density distribution at z ∼ 0–5. At low z , FIREbox predicts a peak in the stellar-mass–halo-mass relation but also a higher abundance of massive galaxies and a higher cosmic star formation rate density than observed, showing that stellar feedback alone is insufficient to reproduce the properties of massive galaxies at late times. Given its high resolution and sample size, FIREbox offers a baseline prediction of galaxy formation theory in a ΛCDM Universe while also highlighting modelling challenges to be addressed in next-generation galaxy simulations.