bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluación y detección bioinformática de terpenoides con potencial inhibitorio de la proteína viral 1 (VP1) del virus de la bursitis infecciosa
Authors: Gayozo E. , Arce C. D. J.
Published: January 2024

El virus de la bursitis infecciosa (IBDV) es el agente causal de la enfermedad de la bursa, la cual afecta principalmente a poblaciones avícolas jóvenes y genera un impacto económico negativo en la producción. La proteína vira 1 (VP1) es una enzima con funciones clave para la replicación del genoma viral, por lo que puede ser considerada blanco para la búsqueda de compuestos con posibles actividades inhibitorias. El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar terpenoides con potencial inhibitorio de la proteína VP1 del IBDV mediante herramientas de aproximaciones bioinformáticas. Se seleccionó un total de 52 terpenoides, cuyas propiedades farmacológicas, farmacocinéticas y tóxicas (ADME-Tox) se evaluaron. Las moléculas sin actividades tóxicas y con aptitudes farmacocinéticas fueron sometidas a pruebas exhaustivas de acoplamiento molecular con el sitio catalítico de la VP1 mediante el uso del algoritmo genético y de Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno junto con el método de optimización local de gradientes. Los datos obtenidos revelaron que la Giberelina A1 presenta valores de energía libre de unión significativamente (P < 0,05) favorables (ΔG=-7,28±0,06 kcal/mol; Kdcalc= 8,62±0,99 μM) en comparación con los sustratos rCTP y rGTP. El complejo Giberelina A1-VP1 presenta puentes de hidrógeno con los residuos Arg335 y Asp402, los cuales cumplen roles importantes en la actividad catalítica en la replicación viral. Estos hallazgos sugieren que el terpenoide Giberelina A1 puede ser considerado como compuesto candidato para estudios in vitro de inhibición de funciones de la VP1 e in vivo de actividades antivirales contra el virus de la bursitis infecciosa.
Indicaciones para la evaluación morfológica de la médula ósea en caninos y felinos: revisión de la literatura
Authors: Roldán–Carvajal I. J. , Jaramillo–Arbeláez P. E. , Velásquez D. A. , Muñoz–Duque J. D.
Published: January 2024

Son múltiples las indicaciones para evaluar la médula ósea de caninos o felinos, entre ellas, anomalías persistentes o de causa no explicable, alteraciones en el hemogramay/o en la bioquímica sanguínea, acompañadas de signos y síntomas que pueden ser inespecíficos, estos pueden ser trastornos reactivos o de origen medular. El objetivo de esta revisión es presentar un panorama general de las indicaciones más frecuentes para la evaluación morfológica de la médula ósea en caninos y felinos y hallazgos reportados en la literatura. Como metodología, se empleó un abordaje de los trastornos malignosy benignos con compromiso medular en caninos y felinos, mediante una búsqueda de artículos originales en las bases de datos PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciELO y LILACS, en la que se utilizaron los términos MeSh: bone marrow neoplasms, bone marrow examination, congenital bone marrow failure syndromes, bone marrow failure disorders, combinados con el operador booleano AND con las palabras dog y cat. Se encontraron artículos que estudiaron la médula ósea para el diagnóstico diferencial de infeccionescomo leishmaniasis, ehrlichiosis y anaplasmosis. Sin embargo, en su mayoría, las publicacionestenían como objetivo el diagnóstico de procesos malignos, como trastornos mieloproliferativos y linfoproliferativos. Se concluye que la evaluación de la médula ósea es de gran importancia, lo que permite esclarecer diagnósticos y evaluar la estadificación de algunas enfermedades, así como su pronóstico y seguimiento.
Are beekeepers conservation-friendly? A study on attitudes and values toward animals among small-scale farmers
Authors: Amâncio de Carvalho Roberta Monique , Gomes Arandas Janaina Kelli , Feitosa Martins Celso , Da Nóbrega Alves Romulo Romeu , Chaves Alves Angelo Giuseppe
Published: January 2024

Affective and aesthetic values attributed to nature are primary motivations that can influence human attitudes toward and economic valuation of biodiversity. The expression of these values, however, depends on direct contact and positive experiences with nature. In this sense, research on activities that favor beneficial human-nature interactions, such as beekeeping, can contribute to understanding the factors (including affective and aesthetic) that influence attitudes toward and economic valuation of biodiversity. Our research was carried out at Sítio Xixá, a rural locality originally covered by Atlantic Forest in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. We investigated attitudes toward a variety of locally known animals and their economic value among two groups of small-scale farmers: keepers and nonkeepers of stingless bees. We assumed that keepers of stingless bees would cite more affective-aesthetic attitudes toward animals and would be more willing to pay for animal conservation than nonbeekeepers. The data were collected via semistructured interviews. Beekeepers cited more affective-aesthetic attitudes than nonbeekeepers did. On the other hand, beekeepers were less willing to pay for animal conservation than nonbeekeepers were. It seems that the expression of affective-aesthetic values directed toward animals tends to occur more frequently in groups of people who maintain activities that favor beneficial interactions with the environment, such as beekeepers. However, these values reflect nonmaterial aspects that people attribute to nature and may not be economically valued by human groups. Therefore, nonmaterial values that human populations attribute to nature, such as those related to affection and aesthetics, should be considered in conservation proposals involving the public.
Estimación bayesiana de un Modelo Garch-M Bivariado
Authors: Cruz Torres Cristian
Published: January 2024

El modelo GARCH (modelo autorregresivo condicional heterocedástico generalizado) es un modelo estadístico para series de tiempo usado para describir la varianza del error como una función de los errores al cuadrado pasados y de las varianzas. Estos modelos GARCH son usados para modelar la volatilidad variando en el tiempo y los clusters de volatilidad. Si además el efecto de la varianza es incluido en las observaciones para predecir la media, se tiene un GARCH-M (GARCH en media). En este artículo, se analizan estos modelos en un contexto bayesiano para series de tiempo bivariadas, donde las observaciones son asumidas de comportarse como un modelo VAR-GARCH-M. Una aplicación del modelo bivariado es ajustado para medir el efecto de la variabilidad de la inflación y crecimiento del producto en la media de la inflación y crecimiento del producto.
Influencia en la detección de patrones de la solución del sistema no lineal en una Transformada Shapelet discreta II
Authors: Valdés-Santiago Damian , León-Mecías Ángela M. , Baguer Díaz-Romañach Marta L. , González-Hidalgo Manuel , Jaume-I-Capó Antoni
Published: January 2024

El uso de wavelets adaptadas para el reconocimiento de patrones es muy atractivo por la multiescalaridad de la transformada wavelet. Sin embargo, el buen desempeño de estos algoritmos en la detección de patrones depende fuertemente de la construcción de los filtros adaptados al patrón de interés. La Transformada Shapelet Discreta II [9] (DST-II) es un algoritmo inspirado en la transformada wavelet, que permite el diseño de filtros a la medida para la detección de patrones en señales unidimensionales. La construcción de estos filtros requiere la solución de un sistema de ecuaciones no lineales, que según [9] se puede efectuar mediante cualquier método iterativo. Esta investigación presenta un novedoso y exhaustivo estudio numérico que demuestra el impacto de la elección del método numérico adecuado para la solución del sistema no lineal en la DST-II. La eficacia de los filtros estimados repercute en el desempeño de esta transformada en la detección de patrones. Los mejores resultados se obtienen al combinar el método de Newton con preiteración mediante el algoritmo de continuación. La convergencia alcanzada para el 55, 37% de los patrones sugiere que la DST-II podría ser adecuada para patrones con formas específicas, de utilidad en aplicaciones sobre señales biomédicas.
Vacating a parking lot under uncertainty
Authors: Martínez Díaz José Antonio , Reyes Salgado Juan José , Martínez Flores José Luis , Gibaja Romero Damián Emilio
Published: January 2024

First-mile problems have become a major problem for the automobile industry since moving cars from production plants to selling destinations is characterized by using vehicle carriers with limited space. Although supply chain processes have automatized last-mile operations to improve productivity and increase benefits, first-mile analysis has been widely ignored. For example, in the automotive industry, cars are stored in parking lots until they are demanded, which negatively impacts delivery times and increases transportation costs. The previous issues impact the first-mile logistics of the automobile industry to the detriment of copying with delivery times and increasing the operation cost. In this paper, we deal with the previous issues by modeling the movement of cars from the parking lot to the car Carrier as an optimal control problem. Considering that not all cars should leave the parking lot, we search for conditions that guarantee the existence of a unique optimal path when the cars’ requisition is uncertain. Theoretical results provide a closed-form solution that indicates the optimal path to fill the car carrier in a time window. Such solutions allow us to study the impact of exogenous parameters (such as the parking lot size, the starting point, andmarginal costs) on the behavior and features of the optimal path.
Existence of density function for the running maximum of SDEs driven by nontruncated pure-jump Lévy processes
Authors: Nakagawa Takuya , Suzuki Ryoichi
Published: January 2024

The existence of density function of the running maximum of a stochastic differential equation (SDE) driven by a Brownian motion and a nontruncated pure-jump process is verified. This is proved by the existence of density function of the running maximum of the Wiener–Poisson functionals resulting from Bismut’s approach to the Malliavin calculus for jump processes.
Should One Assume the Discount Rate to Be One of the Risk Factors?
Authors: Kaczmarzyk Jan
Published: January 2024

The Monte Carlo simulation is the ultimate solution for considering nearly all possible scenarios in presumably any discounted cash flow valuation. This paper argues that a discount rate expresses an investor’s current requirement and should be respectively perceived as a parameter only. The consequences of qualifying a required rate of return (a discount rate) as a risk factor in a discounted cash flow valuation are described in the paper using a free cash flow financial model of an asset being a hypothetical publicly traded enterprise. The case study is a discounted cash flow valuation using the Monte Carlo simulation for risk analysis. The various sets of assumptions are considered to explain the consequences of qualifying a required rate of return in a discounted cash flow model as a risk factor. As indicated in the paper, the discount rate as an additional risk factor with an attributed probability distribution increases the volatility of a risk variable, then the distribution of a risk variable becomes more flattened. In previous studies, some authors indicated that a discount rate could be considered a risk factor in the Monte Carlo simulation (Krysiak 2000; Damodaran 2018).
Polska recepcja wiersza Excelsior H. Longfellowa w XIX w.
Authors: Budrewicz Aleksandra
Published: January 2024

The paper discusses Polish translations of H.W. Longfellow’s poem Excelsior. They were written by Maria Ilnicka, Adam Asnyk, Konstanty Gaszyński and Adam Pajgert. I examine Polish modernist paraphrases of this poem (e.g. Jan Kasprowicz’s text). At least 5 Polish translations of Longfellow’s poem were published more or less at the same time (mid-19th century), therefore one can speculate on the reasons for such surprising popularity of Longfellow in Poland. A brief outline of Longfellow’s reception in Poland is also presented, together with Polish Romantic poets’ fascination with his artistic achievement.
Wybrane zagadnienia polskiej chrematonomastyki religijnej. Przyczynek do badań
Authors: Horyń Ewa , Zmuda Ewa
Published: January 2024

In this study, the subject of consideration was one of the groups of chrematonim – religious chrematonim, which include the names of Polish academic chaplaincies. First, the collected onims were characterized in terms of structure and semantic, then their functional aspect was emphasized. The analyzes related to religious chrematonomics were supplemented by the indication of further research plans taking into account the achievements of other paradigms of science.
Comparison of different techniques for evaluation of cellular immunity to SARS-CoV-2 virus
Authors: Afridonova Z. E. , Toptygina A. P. , Bogolyubova A. V. , Semikina E. L.
Published: January 2024

Most techniques for evaluation of T-cell immunity are laborious and unsuitable for routine laboratory diagnostics, thus encouraging researchers to look for accessible and reproducible tests. The purpose of our study is to compare three methods aimed for evaluation of cellular immune response levels to the SARS-CoV-2 viral antigens in patients who have been ill and vaccinated against a new coronavirus infection. We have examined 26 persons who experienced mild or moderate COVID-19 (group 1); 19 people vaccinated twice with Sputnik V, who did not have clinical COVID-19 (group 2); 21 subjects who had COVID-19 and were twice vaccinated with Sputnik V (group 3), and 14 persons who had COVID-19 twice (group 4). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated by gradient centrifugation. The first tested technique was performed as follows: the mononuclear cells were incubated with the S-protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and stained with fluorescently labeled antibodies. The percentage of CD8highCD107a was counted by means of BD FACS Canto II flow cytometer. When assessed by the ELISpot method with “Human IFN-γ ELISpot” kit, IFNγ production was stimulated by SARS-CoV-2 S-protein, or a mixture of SARS-CoV-2 protein peptides in the “Corona-T-test” kit. There were no significant differences in the levels of CD107a expression on CD8high cells between the groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, as well as in amounts of IFNγ producers against SARS-CoV-2 S-protein when using “Human IFN-γ ELISpot” kit. Production of IFN was  significantly  lower  in  group  3  (hybrid  immunity), i.e., 317.29±19.04 pg/ml compared to groups 1 and 2 (post-infection and post-vaccination immunity), i.e., 454.95±20.32 and 470.77±26.24 pg /ml, respectively. The relative level of IFNγ -producing cells in group 2 was higher (22.34±3.77) versus 16.83±2.35 in group 1, and 15.46±1.83 in group 3, whereas the relative levels of IFNγ did not differ in these groups. Stimulation with full-length S-protein showed a significant reduction in the number of spots in group 4 (breakthrough immunity), i.e., 30.59±2.29 vs 58.97±4.47 in group 3. Stimulation with a mixture of SARS-CoV-2 peptides in group 4 vs group 3 revealed a significantly increased number of IFNγ -producing cells (86.72±7.20 versus 69.38±5.53) and higher IFNγ production (991.25±65.18 pg/ml versus 760.76±50.70 pg/ml). Appropriate relative values were as follows: 10.30±2.77 versus 8.61±2.66, and 68.10±9.41 versus 48.35±8.15, respectively. The results of three methods for evaluation of cellular immune response correlate positively with each other, but at different significance levels.
γδT cells in patients with tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses
Authors: Nizheharodava D. B. , Kolyadich J. V. , Marozava N. A. , Zafranskaya M. M.
Published: January 2024

The immunological factors can play an important role as predictive and prognostic biomarkers in oncopathology. Recently, non-conventional innate-like γδT-lymphocytes have received a lot of attention as a promising effector cell population for cancer immunotherapy. This study describes structural and functional subpopulations of γδT lymphocytes involved in antitumor immunity in patients with malignant and benign tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. The aim of the study was to estimate γδT cell subsets composition and functions in patients with neoplasms of nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses in order to characterize cellular immunity in tumor-associated pathological process.

The peripheral venous blood was obtained from 21 patients (13 men and 8 women, average age of 63.0 (56.0-69.0) y. o.) with neoplasms of nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, and 10 healthy donors. Lymphoid cells phenotype and production of intracellular cytokines were investigated using monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry, production of extracellular cytokines was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.

The increase of total γδT cells number in patients with squamous cell carcinoma accompanied by changes in Vγ2+/Vγ1+T cells ratio in peripheral blood of both patients’ groups with malignant and benign nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses tumors were revealed as compared to healthy donors. The upregulated γδT cell response to phosphoantigen induction in combination with reduced indices of stimulations were shown in the both patients groups but cytokine profile was different, i.e., the elevated IFNγ production has been determined in patients with squamous cell carcinoma. However, in patients with inverted papilloma, redistribution of γδT cell subsets has been associated with IL-17-producing γδT cells. Moreover, the percent of IFNγ+γδT lymphocytes did correlate with IFNγ concentration in cell culture supernatants of patients with malignant nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses neoplasms (R = 0.61; p < 0.05).

The revealed data suggest an involvement of γδT lymphocytes in malignant and benign tumor pathogenesis and may provide a fundamental basis for further detection of possible tumor-associated inflammation and malignization predictors.
Some reflections on immunosuppressants and their delivery to the lungs by aerosol in the treatment of COVID-19
Authors: Kobylyansky V. I.
Published: January 2024

Disorders of immune homeostasis represent the key pathogenetic link of COVID-19, which often manifests as a hyperimmune response to the pathogen, leading to severe uncontrolled inflammation in lungs, followed by complications and death. Accordingly, a certain therapeutic potential is provided by different pharmacological drugs with distinct mechanisms of action, This class of drugs should, however, act in common direction by suppressing the immune response, thus being often classified as immunosuppressants (IS). Of them, the most promising are immunobiological preparations, which include monoclonal antibodies, as well as purinergic regulatory agents. There are several attempts to use the “classical” IS by a certain way, e.g., cytostatics and calcineurin inhibitors which found clinical application in transplantology and oncology. However, their usage for treatment of uncontrolled inflammation of respiratory tract was abandoned by the end of XX century. Meanwhile, the aerosol route of drug administration optimizes treatment, both in terms of their effectiveness, and the reduction of side effects thus promoting usage of IS for treatment of uncontrolled airway inflammation. Previously, the analysis of therapeutic opportunities for some IS delivered as aerosols to the lungs in COVID-19 therapy was not carried out, thus bein the purpose of our work. Methodological analysis was carried out using various databases of biomedical scientific information, including Index Medicus, PubMed, Embase, Cohrane Clinical Trials gov registry and patent databases.

The efficiency of the impact of various IS subgroups in COVID-19, including their administration by inhalations into the respiratory ways, was assessed. The role of regulatory T cells considered the central regulator of immune response, in pathogenesis of COVID-19 was considered, and their therapeutic potential was characterized, dependent on phase and severity of the disease as well as drug dose dependence. Methods and approaches to the use of IP, advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The expediency and future prospects of their application are considered.

One may conclude that the effectiveness of cytostatics and calcineurin inhibitors in the treatment of airway inflammation in COVID-19 remains unconfirmed and seems to be unpromising. Meanwhile, biological preparations, including monoclonal antibodies and purinergic regulatory agents, offer great promise in this respect.
The connection of neuroendocrine diseases with sleep disorders
Authors: Misnikova I. V.
Published: January 2024

Most of the physiological functions of the body, including hormone secretion, differ during sleep and wakefulness. Circadian rhythm and homeostatic sleep pressure are the determining factors in falling asleep and maintaining sleep. Fluctuations in hormone levels are largely determined by circadian rhythms. The central biological clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus is synchronized with external signals, and largely determines the daily rhythms of hormone secretion. Many hormones can affect respiratory function during sleep, exacerbating sleep apnea when their secretion is excessive or deficient. Sleep disorders can occur in a number of neuroendocrine diseases, worsening the quality of life of patients and, in some cases, contributing to the development of life-threatening complications. Screening for sleep disorders, in particular the active detection of sleep apnea in acromegaly, hypothyroidism and hypercorticism, can significantly reduce the risk of complications with timely treatment.
Sodium- glucose cotransporter inhibitors and the brain
Authors: Antonova K. V. , Tashanyan M. M. , Lagoda O. V. , Shishkina T. S. , Lovchev I. M.
Published: January 2024

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with an increased risk of stroke and cognitive impairment. The problem of preventing cerebral disorders in diabetes has not been solved. The review presents current data on the place and role of sodium-glucose cotransporters (SGLTs) in the brain, whose receptors play an important role in ischemia-reperfusion injury of the brain and neurodegenerative changes. Modern studies on the cerebroprotective effects of hypoglycemic drugs – SGLT inhibitors – are presented and summarized.
Multi-Variable Hard Physical Constraints for Climate Model Downscaling
Authors: González-Abad Jose , Hernández-García Álex , Harder Paula , Rolnick David , Gutiérrez José Manuel
Published: January 2024

Global Climate Models (GCMs) are the primary tool to simulate climate evolution and assess the impacts of climate change. However, they often operate at a coarse spatial resolution that limits their accuracy in reproducing local-scale phenomena. Statistical downscaling methods leveraging deep learning offer a solution to this problem by approximating local-scale climate fields from coarse variables, thus enabling regional GCM projections. Typically, climate fields of different variables of interest are downscaled independently, resulting in violations of fundamental physical properties across interconnected variables. This study investigates the scope of this problem and, through an application on temperature, lays the foundation for a framework introducing multi-variable hard constraints that guarantees physical relationships between groups of downscaled climate variables.
Tracing Englacial Layers in Radargram via Semi-supervised Method: A Preliminary Result
Authors: Jebeli Atefeh , Tama Bayu Adhi , Purushotham Sanjay , Janeja Vandana P.
Published: January 2024

The melting of ice sheets significantly contributes to sea level rise, highlighting the crucial need to comprehend the structure of ice for climate benefits. The stratigraphy of ice sheets revealed through ice layer radargrams gives us a window into historical depth-age correlations and accumulation rates. Harnessing this knowledge is not only crucial for interpreting both past and present ice dynamics, especially concerning the Greenland ice sheet, but also for making informed decisions to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Ice layer tracing is prevalently conducted using manual or semi-automatic approaches, requiring significant time and expertise. This study aims to address the need for efficient and precise tracing methods in a two-step process. This is achieved by utilizing an unsupervised annotation method (i.e., ARESELP) to train deep learning models, thereby reducing the need for extensive and time-consuming manual annotations. Four prominent deep learning-based segmentation techniques, namely U-Net, U-Net+VGG19, U-Net+Inception, and Attention U-Net, are benchmarked. Additionally, various thresholding methods such as binary, Otsu, and CLAHE have been explored to achieve optimal enhancement for the true label annotation images. Our preliminary experiments indicate that the combination of attention U-Net with specific processing techniques yields the best performance in terms of the binary IoU metric.
Leveraging AI-Derived Data for Carbon Accounting: Information Extraction from Alternative Sources
Authors: Oladeji Olamide , Mousavi Seyed Shahabeddin
Published: January 2024

Carbon accounting is a fundamental building block in our global path to emissions reduction and decarbonization, yet many challenges exist in achieving reliable and trusted carbon accounting measures. We motivate that carbon accounting not only needs to be more data-driven, but also more methodologically sound. We discuss the need for alternative, more diverse data sources that can play a significant role on our path to trusted carbon accounting procedures and elaborate on not only why, but how Artificial Intelligence (AI) in general and Natural Language Processing (NLP) in particular can unlock reasonable access to a treasure trove of alternative data sets in light of the recent advances in the field that better enable the utilization of unstructured data in this process. We present a case study of the recent developments on real-world data via an NLP-powered analysis using OpenAI's GPT API on financial and shipping data. We conclude the paper with a discussion on how these methods and approaches can be integrated into a broader framework for AI-enabled integrative carbon accounting.
Opportunities for Generative Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate Deployment of Human-Supervised Autonomous Robots
Authors: Gregory Jason M. , Gupta Satyandra K.
Published: January 2024

Autonomous robots have the potential to supplement human capabilities while reducing cognitive and physical burden. However, deploying such systems in natural settings is currently a time-consuming process that revolves around a human’s ability to research, design, test, and evaluate the robot – thereby introducing unnecessary bottlenecks and significant delays to technology adoption. The current work in the field of human-robot interaction (HRI) has historically focused on robot use even though humans play a critical role during autonomous system design and deployment. We argue that the scope of HRI must be expanded beyond that of the current views within the scientific community, to include all phases of system development, deployment, and use. Furthermore, to facilitate the pursuit of this new expanded scope, we present eight opportunities for technological advances in HRI and autonomy using Generative AI that, if realized, could have transformational impact on the fielding of human-supervised autonomous robots. Broadly speaking, our identified opportunities relate to interaction and trustworthiness, collaboration and cooperation, robot motion, robot perception, synthetic scenario generation, testing and evaluation, failure detection, and robot design.
Modifying RL Policies with Imagined Actions: How Predictable Policies Can Enable Users to Perform Novel Tasks
Authors: Sheidlower Isaac , Aronson Reuben , Short Elaine
Published: January 2024

It is crucial that users are empowered to use the functionalities of a robot to creatively solve problems on the fly. A user who has access to a Reinforcement Learning (RL) based robot may want to use the robot's autonomy and their knowledge of its behavior to complete new tasks. One way is for the user to take control of some of the robot's action space through teleoperation while the RL policy simultaneously controls the rest. However, an out-of-the-box RL policy may not readily facilitate this. For example, a user's control may bring the robot into a failure state from the policy's perspective, causing it to act in a way the user is not familiar with, hindering the success of the user's desired task. In this work, we formalize this problem and present Imaginary Out-of-Distribution Actions, IODA, an initial algorithm for addressing that problem and empowering user's to leverage their expectation of a robot's behavior to accomplish new tasks.
Bi-cultural Investigation of Collisions in Social Navigation
Authors: Xiao Xuesu , Mead Ross , Mirsky Reuth
Published: January 2024

Imagine a service robot developed in the United States (US) being deployed in a public space in Israel. Due to the cultural differences, the robot from a ``contact-averse'' culture (i.e., the US) might find it difficult to find its way when navigating the crowd, as people from a ``contact-tolerant'' culture (i.e., Israel) - where a subtle touch between strangers is not uncommon - will always move closer to the robot than it would expect; conversely, an ``Israeli'' robot may be found too aggressive in US social spaces. Currently, these cultural differences hinder the ability to plug-and-play social robots in different cultures due to the requirement of extensive extra engineering effort. This paper presents a comparison of the results from an existing study conducted in the US with the same study design that was deployed in Israel. This comparison shows the clear, identifiable criteria that a socially aware robot will need to consider when navigating a new culture. More generally, the results from this paper offer a first step to identifying the cultural differences in social robot navigation so we can structure solutions to be compatible with these cultures and with novel ones, with minimum adaptation.
Memory Matters: The Need to Improve Long-Term Memory in LLM-Agents
Authors: Hatalis Kostas , Christou Despina , Myers Joshua , Jones Steven , Lambert Keith , Amos-Binks Adam , Dannenhauer Zohreh , Dannenhauer Dustin
Published: January 2024

In this paper, we provide a review of the current efforts to develop LLM agents, which are autonomous agents that leverage large language models. We examine the memory management approaches used in these agents. One crucial aspect of these agents is their long-term memory, which is often implemented using vector databases. We describe how vector databases are utilized to store and retrieve information in LLM agents. Moreover we highlight open problems, such as the separation of different types of memories and the management of memory over the agent's lifetime. Lastly, we propose several topics for future research to address these challenges and further enhance the capabilities of LLM agents, including the use of metadata in procedural and semantic memory and the integration of external knowledge sources with vector databases.
Longitudinal Multinomial Relative Entropy-Based Discrete Relative Risk Models for Integrated Prediction of Competing Risk
Authors: Li Qinmengge , He Kevin
Published: January 2024

Prognosis prediction is a pivotal aspect of survival analysis, particularly when considering competing risks. The contemporary landscape is enriched with an abundance of biobank data encompassing diverse risk factors like genetics, transcriptomics, and electronic health records, fueling efforts to enhance prognostic predictions. However, the resulting predictive models suffer from rare event rates, limited sample sizes, high dimensionality, and low signal-to-noise ratios. To address these challenges and amplify predictive capabilities, the integration of historical prediction models has emerged as a promising approach. Yet, prevailing integration methods often rest upon the premise of comparable underlying distributions across disparate data sources—a presumption that frequently diverges from reality. Disregarding the inherent heterogeneity among these information sources can inadvertently introduce substantial bias, underscoring the urgency of integrated competing risk analyses that systematically accommodate cohort heterogeneity. In response, we propose an original solution: a longitudinal multinomial relative entropy-based integration framework. This methodology incorporates the established prediction models from the literature, yielding refined prognostic predictions for newly acquired datasets.
Potential Antiviral Effect of Korean Forest Wild Mushrooms against Feline Coronavirus (FCoV)
Authors: Ryoo Rhim , Lee Hyorim , Park Youngki
Published: January 2024

Coronaviruses (CoV) are among the major viruses that cause common cold in humans. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a high-risk human pathogen that derived from bat coronaviruses, although several other animals serve as CoV hosts, contributing to human infection. As the human activity area expanded, viruses previously prevalent only in animals mutated and became threats to humans as well, leading to worldwide epidemics. Therefore, controlling CoV infections in animals is essential to prevent CoV-related human infections. Feline coronavirus (FCoV) could be reportedly used as an alternative model for SARS-CoV-2. Traditionally, mushrooms are not only foods but are also consumed to prevent diseases. Importantly, certain edible and medicinal mushrooms display antibacterial and antiviral effects against respiratory pathogens; therefore, they could be tested as potential coronavirus treatment agents. In this study, we investigated if wild forest mushrooms with various reported physiological activities could exhibit an antiviral activity against CoV, using FCoV as a SARS-CoV-2 model infecting Crandell Rees feline kidney cells. We measured the antiviral activity of 11 wild mushrooms overall and our results demonstrated that Pleurotus ostreatus and Phallus luteus displayed the highest antiviral efficacy of 55.33%, followed by Tricholoma bakamatsutake at 43.77%. Grifola frondosa, Morchella esculenta, and Sarcodon imbricatus exhibited mild efficacy of 29.21%. We also tested Amanita caesareoides, Marasmius siccus, Pachyma hoelen, Phallus rubrovolvata, and Sparassis latifolia but could not detect any antiviral activity in their case. Our study confirms that wild forest mushrooms could be used as potential functional foods or pharmacological materials against coronavirus.
Vacuum consolidation of dredged slurry improved by horizontal drainage-enhanced geotextile
Authors: Wang J. , Anda R. , Fu H. , Hu X. , Li X. , Cai Y.
Published: January 2024

The vacuum consolidation behavior of dredged slurry improved by horizontal drainage-enhanced geotextile (HDeG) application was investigated. For comparison, vacuum consolidation tests using a prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) and layered prefabricated horizontal drains (PHDs) were conducted. Based on the test results, it was found that by using HDeG, the consolidation rate of the dredged slurry was significantly increased. Thus, the effectiveness of the HDeG method was verified. The nonwoven geotextile sheet of HDeG could provide a sufficient vacuum pressure and drainage and therefore greatly shorten the drainage path. The HDeG-induced consolidation settlement generally matched the calculated 1D consolidation settlement well using a representative coefficient of consolidation. The analysis of scanning electron microscopy images shows that after the vacuum consolidation test, the porosity of the PHD filter (vacuum PHD treatment) was only 11% (21.1% of the initial porosity), while the porosity of the PHD filter of the HDeG was 22.16% (42.6% of the initial porosity), suggesting that the geotextile effectively reduced the apparent clogging of the drains.
Ultimate bearing capacity of geosynthetic reinforced soil abutment centrifuge model tests
Authors: Zhao C. , Xu C. , Yang Y. , Wang Q. , Du C. , Li G.
Published: January 2024

Five centrifuge models of geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) abutments with segmental block facing were loaded in the acceleration field under plane strain condition. Influencing factors including reinforcement tensile strength, setback and bearing area width were considered and analysed. Results show that the abutment with stronger reinforcement remained stable under the maximum loading capacity. However, abutments with weaker reinforcement showed excessive vertical strain, local deformation or even collapse. The ultimate bearing capacity increased with the lengthening of setback but decreased due to a larger bearing area. The rupture of reinforcements was observed and considered as the cause of the failures. Compared with the measured ultimate bearing capacity, the values calculated by the semi-empirical formula of design guidelines were significantly conservative. The failure surface of failed abutment developed from the rear edge of the bearing area to the middle height of the abutment at an angle of nearly 45° + φ/2. The setback and the bearing area width affected the form and position of the failure surface. The difference between the potential failure surface predicted by available methods and the measured failure surfaces has been discussed, and suggestions for the design and ultimate bearing capacity prediction of GRS abutments with segmental block facing are provided.
Experimental investigation of the seismic behaviour of eccentric RC beams with different reinforcement configurations
Authors: Lee Tai-Kuang , Chen Cheng-Cheng , Huang Guo-Luen
Published: January 2024

In reinforced concrete (RC) buildings, the seismic behaviour of RC beams with flush outside faces of beams and columns has not been verified by experiments. In this study, four large RC beam specimens were fabricated and an experimental verification was conducted. The results showed that all of the specimens (including three beam specimens with flush outside faces of beams and columns) could withstand ultimate drift angles up to 4% rad. In addition, the lateral strength and seismic behaviour of a specimen with a concrete cover of 85 mm were no less than those of the benchmark specimen, so a concrete cover thickness of 85–40 mm should be acceptable for RC beams. The seismic behaviour of two specimens with lateral U-shaped auxiliary transverse reinforcement and a concrete cover of 85 mm was better than that of the benchmark specimen, but the crack width of the latter was wider and the spalling degree of the concrete cover was more serious. Based on the results of this work, the practical recommendation is to adopt lateral U-shaped auxiliary transverse reinforcement in which the two legs extend beyond half the width of the hoop, with two auxiliary longitudinal reinforcements and the same spacing as the hoop.
VALOR-CKD: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial Evaluating Veverimer in Slowing Progression of CKD in Patients with Metabolic Acidosis
Authors: Tangri Navdeep , Mathur Vandana S. , Bushinsky David A. , Klaerner Gerrit , Li Elizabeth , Parsell Dawn , Stasiv Yuri , Walker Michael , Wesson Donald E. , Wheeler David C. , Perkovic Vlado , Inker Lesley A.
Published: January 2024

Significance Statement

Metabolic acidosis is a common complication of CKD and is associated with more rapid decline of kidney function, but well-powered controlled randomized trials testing the effect of treating metabolic acidosis on slowing CKD progression have not been conducted. The VALOR-CKD study randomized 1480 individuals with CKD and metabolic acidosis, across 320 sites to placebo or veverimer (a novel hydrochloric acid binder). The findings did not demonstrate the efficacy of veverimer in slowing CKD progression, but the difference in serum bicarbonate between placebo and drug arms was only approximately 1 mEq/L. Veverimer was safe and well tolerated.

Background

Metabolic acidosis is common in CKD, but whether its treatment slows CKD progression is unknown. Veverimer, a novel hydrochloric acid binder that removes acid from the gastrointestinal tract, leads to an increase in serum bicarbonate.

Methods

In a phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, patients with CKD (eGFR of 20–40 ml/min per 1.73 m2) and metabolic acidosis (serum bicarbonate of 12–20 mEq/L) from 35 countries were randomized to veverimer or placebo. The primary outcome was the composite end point of CKD progression, defined as the development of ESKD (kidney transplantation or maintenance dialysis), a sustained decline in eGFR of ≥40% from baseline, or death due to kidney failure.

Results

The mean (±SD) baseline eGFR was 29.2±6.3 ml/min per 1.73 m2, and serum bicarbonate was 17.5±1.4 mEq/L; this increased to 23.4±2.0 mEq/L after the active treatment run-in. After randomized withdrawal, the mean serum bicarbonate was 22.0±3.0 mEq/L and 20.9±3.3 mEq/L in the veverimer and placebo groups at month 3, and this approximately 1 mEq/L difference remained stable for the first 24 months. A primary end point event occurred in 149/741 and 148/739 patients in the veverimer and placebo groups, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.8 to 1.2; P = 0.90). Serious and overall adverse event incidence did not differ between the groups.

Conclusions

Among patients with CKD and metabolic acidosis, treatment with veverimer did not slow CKD progression. The lower than expected bicarbonate separation may have hindered the ability to test the hypothesis.

Clinical Trial registry name and registration number

VALOR-CKD, NCT03710291.
DEPDC5 mutation and familial focal epilepsy with variable foci: genotype and phenotype of a family
Authors: Aberastury Marina , Fernández Romina , Córdoba Marta , Comas Betiana , Peralta Martín , Agosta Guillermo , Kauffman Marcelo , Silva Walter
Published: January 2024

Aims. Familial focal epilepsy with variable foci is a relatively rare autosomal disease with an unclear incidence, which is characterized by focal seizures arising from different cortical regions in different family members.

Methods. We describe three members of a two‐generation Argentine family with familial focal epilepsy with variable foci syndrome and a DEPDC5 gene mutation.

Results. The mean onset age was nine years old. The father experienced episodes with occipital semiology and both siblings exhibited frontal lobe seizures. Their neurological examination and neuroimaging studies were normal. All three patients are currently seizure‐free, in spite of initially experiencing frequent seizures. Complete exome sequencing revealed a new DEPDC5 gene mutation (NM_001242896: c.4718T>C; p.L1573P).

Conclusions. This study of a family with clinical characteristics that met all the criteria for familial focal epilepsy with variable foci demonstrates the usefulness of exome sequencing as a diagnostic tool. [Published with video sequence on www.epilepticdisorders.com]
Quinidine therapy and therapeutic drug monitoring in four patients with KCNT1 mutations
Authors: Yoshitomi Shinsaku , Takahashi Yukitoshi , Yamaguchi Tokito , Oboshi Taikan , Horino Asako , Ikeda Hiroko , Imai Katsumi , Okanishi Tohru , Nakashima Mitsuko , Saitsu Hirotomo , Matsumoto Naomichi , Yoshimoto Jun , Fujita Takako , Ishii Atsushi , Hirose Shinichi , Inoue Yushi
Published: January 2024

Aims. Several recent studies have reported potassium sodium‐activated channel subfamily T member 1 (KCNT1) mutations in epilepsy patients on quinidine therapy. The efficacy and safety of quinidine for epilepsy treatment, however, remains controversial.

Methods. We herein report the cases of four patients with KCNT1 mutations treated with quinidine.

Results. A reduction in seizures of more than 50% after quinidine treatment was observed in one patient with epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures (EIMFS), whereas two patients with EIMFS and one with focal epilepsy did not achieve apparent seizure reduction. The relationship between quinidine dose and serum quinidine concentration was inconsistent, particularly at high quinidine doses. One patient with EIMFS developed ventricular tachycardia the day after an increase in quinidine dose from 114 to 126 mg/kg/day. The serum trough quinidine concentration and the corrected QT interval (QTc) before arrhythmia onset were 2.4 μg/ml and 420 ms, respectively, and peak serum quinidine concentration after arrhythmia onset was 9.4 μg/ml. Another patient with EIMFS showed aberrant intraventricular conduction with a quinidine dose of 74.5 mg/kg/day and a serum trough concentration of 3.2 μg/ml.

Conclusions. Given that serum quinidine levels may elevate sharply after a dose increase, careful monitoring of electrocardiographs and serum concentrations is required. Based on a review of previous reports and our experience with this case, quinidine should be considered as a promising drug for patients with EIMFS harbouring KCNT1 mutations, however, its efficacy remains controversial due to the limited number of cases, and more information on optimal serum concentrations and appropriate titration methods is required.
Berardinelli‐Seip syndrome and progressive myoclonus epilepsy
Authors: Serino Domenico , Davico Chiara , Specchio Nicola , Marras Carlo Efisio , Fioretto Franco
Published: January 2024

Berardinelli‐Seip syndrome, or congenital generalized lipodystrophy type 2 (CGL2), is characterized by a lack of subcutaneous adipose tissue and precocious metabolic syndrome with insulin resistance, resulting in diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hepatic steatosis, cardiomyopathy, and acanthosis nigricans. Most reported mutations are associated with mild, non‐progressive neurological impairment. We describe the clinical and EEG data of a patient with progressive myoclonus epilepsy (PME), CGL2, and progressive neurological impairment, carrying a homozygous BSCL2 nonsense mutation. The patient had epilepsy onset at the age of two, characterized by monthly generalized tonic‐clonic seizures. By the age of three, he presented with drug‐resistant ongoing myoclonic absence seizures, photosensitivity, progressive neurological degeneration, and moderate cognitive delay. Molecular analysis of the BSCL2 gene yielded a homozygous c.(1076dupC) p.(Glu360*) mutation. Application of a vagus nerve stimulator led to temporary improvement in seizure frequency, general neurological condition, and EEG background activity. Specific BSCL2 mutations may lead to a peculiar CGL2 phenotype characterized by PME and progressive neurodegeneration. Application of a vagus nerve stimulator, rarely used for PMEs, may prove beneficial, if only temporarily, for both seizure frequency and general neurological condition.