bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The structure of learners’ perceptions of models (not only) in quantum physics: spotlight on Fidelity of Gestalt and Functional Fidelity
Authors: Bitzenbauer Philipp , Ubben Malte S.
Published: January 2025

In previous research, it has been argued that many of the student (mis-)conceptions of quantum concepts described in the literature as widespread among learners can be traced back to poorly developed (quantum) model perceptions that hinder the learning of quantum physics. In particular, it has been shown that the degrees of two cognitive dimensions, namely Functional Fidelity and Fidelity of Gestalt, in students’ thinking account for a substantial amount of the variance in students’ model perceptions in quantum physics and may therefore be useful for describing and understanding the (development of) students’ conceptions of quantum physics topics. So far, however, the cognitive dimensions Functional Fidelity and Fidelity of Gestalt have only been investigated in exploratory studies. In this article, we report the results of a confirmatory factor analysis of data collected from N = 179 secondary school students using an instrument adapted from the literature to assess learners’ perceptions of the photon model. The results of our study provide empirical evidence that the two-factor model of learners’ model perceptions in the quantum context is indeed a good fit to the data. Together with literature from science education research on students’ conceptual development, and taking into account earlier findings on Fidelity of Function and Gestalt Fidelity we derive a plausible description of students’ conceptual development in the context of quantum physics – leading to what we call the Fidelities-Model of Conceptual Development. We discuss this framework in the light of previous research and argue for its potential generalisability beyond the teaching and learning of quantum physics topics. The implications of our findings for both science education research and practice are presented.
On the false assumptions of the SIR model of epidemics
Authors: Raczynski Stanislaw
Published: January 2025

The validity of the continuous susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) is questioned. It is pointed out that the basic assumption used in the model equations is wrong. The classic SIR and susceptible-infected-recovered-susceptible (SIRS) models have the form of the state ordinary differential equation (ODE). These equations do not reflect the spatial distribution of individuals. Moreover, what is more important, the SIR model equations do not reflect the huge collective memory of the modeled system. Such issues as the probability distribution of the immunity period and other time intervals are not taken into account in the ODE SIR model. It is pointed out that the model results depend strongly on these distributions. A comparison to the agent-based model (ABM) and corresponding computer simulations is done. In the paper, the validity of SIR epidemics model is questioned, the deficiency and the basic assumptions of the SIR model are pointed out. This makes the existence of the corresponding differential equations doubtful.
Long Short-Term Memory-Based Impact of Traffic Incidents: Case Study of Seoul Expressway, Korea
Authors: Bae Sang-Hoon , Tran Duy Quang , Bog-gi Park , Quang Huy Tran , Huu Luan Nguyen
Published: January 2025

A traffic incident is one of the major concerns about traffic congestion on an urban expressway. Therefore, understanding the impact of traffic incidents can provide more accurate information to traffic management and participants. This study proposes a new approach that can be used to enhance the traffic incident impact in real situations. The approach combines the VISSIM simulation and machine learning algorithm. First, the fusion data were gathered from various sources, such as the global positioning system (GPS) data on the Seoul expressway, the traffic accident from the traffic accident analysis system (TAAS), and the traffic volume from the Seoul traffic information management system (TOPIS). Second, the speed, traffic volume, and accident information are matched together based on the national standard node link. Then, the VISSIM is used to analyze the speed change and expand incident data considering the incident severity. Finally, the long short-term memory (LSTM) is implemented for training the dataset and forecasting traffic incidents for the prediction model. The proposed approach could perform better accuracy prediction for the traffic incident impact to enhance the comfortable and safe operations of the urban expressway. Especially, the 10% VISSIM data penetration rate achieved the best performance with an average mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 24.80.
A Brookes-Style Denotational Semantics for Release/Acquire Concurrency
Authors: Dvir Yotam , Kammar Ohad , Lahav Ori
Published: January 2025

We present a compositional denotational semantics for a functional language with first-class parallel composition and sharedmemory operations whose operational semantics follows the Release/Acquire weak memory model (RA). The semantics is formulated in Moggi’s monadic approach, and is based on Brookes-style traces. To do so we adapt Brookes’s traces to Kang et al.’s view-based machine for RA, and supplement Brookes’s mumble and stutter closure operations with additional operations, specific to RA. The latter provides a more nuanced understanding of traces that uncouples them from operational interrupted executions. We show that our denotational semantics is adequate and use it to validate various program transformations of interest. This is the first work to put weak memory models on the same footing as many other programming effects in Moggi’s standard monadic approach.
Flexible Screen-Printed Electrode for Cortisol Detection Based on Sulfur-Doped Graphene/Gold Nanoparticles Conductive Ink
Authors: Umuksuz Hazal , Uruc Selen , Dokur Ebrar , Gorduk Ozge , Sahin Yucel
Published: January 2025

Cortisol (COR), a glucocorticoid hormone synthesized by the adrenal gland and commonly referred to as the stress hormone, plays a crucial role in the regulation of numerous physiological processes in humans. For this reason, the ability to quantify COR rapidly and accurately is of significant importance. In this study, a paper-based flexible electrochemical sensor was developed for the determination of COR utilizing a conductive ink. Sulfur-doped graphene (S-G), synthesized using Yucel’s method, and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were used as conductive materials, and conductive inks with this composition were developed. The conductive ink was integrated onto paper substrates via screen printing to form flexible electrodes. The optimum conditions for sensor fabrication were identified, and electrochemical, chemical, and morphological characterizations were conducted. The sensor exhibited a detection limit of 15.39 ng mL−1, and its economical and user-friendly design renders it an advantageous option for practical applications. The results obtained from the analytical studies indicated that the sensor demonstrated stability and reproducibility for COR measurement. In conclusion, the proposed flexible sensor can be regarded as a model for future flexible and wearable studies.
Improving the Generalization and Robustness of Computer‐Generated Image Detection Based on Contrastive Learning
Authors: Chen Yifang , Yin Weiwu , Luo Anwei , Yang Jianhua , Wang Jie
Published: January 2025

With the rapid development of image generation techniques, it becomes much more difficult to distinguish high‐quality computer‐generated (CG) images from photographic (PG) images, challenging the authenticity and credibility of digital images. Therefore, distinguishing CG images from PG images has become an important research problem in image forensics, and it is crucial to develop reliable methods to detect CG images in practical scenarios. In this paper, we proposed a forensics contrastive learning (FCL) framework to adaptively learn intrinsic forensics features for the general and robust detection of CG images. The data augmentation module is specially designed for CG image forensics, which reduces the interference of forensic‐irrelevant information and enhances discrimination features between CG and PG images in both the spatial and frequency domains. Instance‐wise contrastive loss and patch‐wise contrastive loss are simultaneously applied to capture critical discrepancies between CG and PG images from global and local views. Extensive experiments on different public datasets and common postprocessing operations demonstrate that our approach can achieve significantly better generalization and robustness than the state‐of‐the‐art approaches. This manuscript was submitted as a pre‐print in the following link https://papers.ssrn.com/-sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4778441.
International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines 2024 Diabetes Technologies: Glucose Monitoring
Authors: Tauschman Martin , Cardona-Hernandez Roque , DeSalvo Daniel J. , Hood Korey , Laptev Dmitry N. , Lindholm Olinder Anna , Wheeler Benjamin J. , Smart Carmel E.
Published: January 2025

The International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) guidelines represent a rich repository that serves as the only comprehensive set of clinical recommendations for children, adolescents, and young adults living with diabetes worldwide. This chapter builds on the 2022 ISPAD guidelines, and summarizes recent advances in the technology behind glucose monitoring, and its role in glucose-responsive integrated technology that is feasible with the use of automated insulin delivery (AID) systems in children and adolescents.
Abstract TMP69: Prevalence and Risk Factors of Seizures in Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy: a multi-year health system-wide case-control study
Authors: Badi Mohammed , Vallamchetla Sai Krishna , shourav Manjurul , Abdelkader Omar , Meschia James , Barrett Kevin , Huang Josephine , Williams Lindsy , English Stephen , Eidelman Benjamin , Lin Michelle
Published: January 2025

Introduction:
Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA) is caused by the progressive deposition of β-amyloid in the walls of small to medium-sized cerebral vessels. Although seizures represent a debilitating manifestation of CAA, little is known about their prevalence or associated factors. We aim to fill this gap by determining the prevalence of seizures in CAA and identify factors associated with an increased risk of seizures.

Methods:
We identified consecutive patients with CAA, evaluated within the Mayo Clinic health system between January 2010 and December 2023 using the ICD-10 code. Data on demographics and comorbidities were compared between those with and without seizures using the chi-square test for categorical variables and independent samples t-test for continuous variables. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated after adjusting for age, sex, and race in multivariable logistic regression.

Results:
We included 1,914 patients with CAA with a mean age of 75.4 ± 8.6 years, of whom 52.3% were female and 87.5% were white. Seizures were observed in 347 patients (18.1%). Individuals with seizures were significantly younger (mean age 67.7 ± 9.1 vs. 77.2 ± 7.5 years, p < 0.001). Multivariable modeling identified alcohol abuse (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.03-3.56, p=0.04), diabetes mellitus (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.13-4.06, p=0.02), hypertension (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.33 - 2.41, p= <0.001), liver disease (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.14-2.69, p=0.01), and ischemic stroke (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.01-1.74, p=0.04) as independently associated with an increased risk of seizures.

Conclusion:
We found that seizures affect nearly one in five patients with CAA. Also, comorbidities such as alcohol abuse, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, liver disease, and ischemic stroke were found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of seizures. Longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm these risk factors, some of which may be modifiable.
Abstract TP115: Differences in the Medical Management of Post-Stroke Sequelae Among Patients Treated with Mechanical Thrombectomy vs Intravenous Thrombolysis
Authors: Simmonds Kent , Chavez Audrie , Ifejika Nneka
Published: January 2025

Background:
Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) as treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has demonstrated superior functional outcomes compared to intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). Yet AIS survivors often experience a range of unstudied post-stroke complications which negatively affect patient reported outcomes. To inform clinical practice, we assessed 90-day differences in the medical management of common stroke post-complications among patients treated with MT vs. IVT.

Methods:
A retrospective cohort of hospitalized AIS patients treated with IVT or MT were identified from Electronic Medical Records of 92 large healthcare organizations (01/2015-09/2024). Matched propensity scores were used to adjust for baseline differences across 36 factors. Outcomes included the use of medication(s) for the management of fatigue, spasticity, mood, sleep, seizure, neurogenic bowel&neurogenic bladder. Pre-specified subgroup analyses included differences in post-stroke sequelae management stratified by NIHSS scores of ≤9 (mild AIS) or >9 (moderate/severe AIS)&differences in post-stroke sequelae between AIS patients treated with MT vs MT + IVT.

Results:
The final cohort consisted of n=87,819 AIS patients treated with either IVT (n=82,534) or MT (n=5,285). PS matching resulted in 5,285 matched pairs with good balance across all baseline covariates. At 90-days, AIS patients treated with MT were more likely to receive medications for spasticity (RR: 1.15, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.31), mood (RR: 1.06, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.13)&neurogenic bowel (RR: 1.11, 95%CI: 1.09, 1.14) (Table 1). Approximately 7% (n=6,344) of AIS patients had NIHSS scores – PS matching resulted in 877 matched pairs with NIHSS ≤9&848 matched pairs with NIHSS>9. Following stratification, AIS patients treated with MT were significantly more likely to receive treatment of neurogenic bowel&bladder (Table 2). For the MT vs MT + IVT comparison, patients treated with MT were 5% less likely to receive treatment for neurogenic bowel RR: 0.95 (95%CI: 0.92, 0.99) among 1,900 matched pairs (Table 3).

Discussion:
Using real world data, AIS patients treated with MT (vs IVT) were more likely to receive treatment for spasticity, mood&neurogenic bowel. Among patients with documented NIHSS scores, differences remained significant for treatment of neurogenic bowel and bladder after stratifying by stroke severity. Healthcare providers should screen for these post-stroke sequelae, which substantially affect quality of life for AIS survivors.
Entry Deregulation, Market Turnover, and Efficiency: China's Business Registration Reform
Authors: Barwick Panle Jia , Chen Luming , Li Shanjun , Zhang Xiaobo
Published: January 2025

Although entry regulations are ubiquitous across countries, comprehensive evaluations on how such regulations affect firm dynamics and productivity are lacking. We examine a 2012-2014 pilot program in Guangdong (which later became a national policy) that was designed to reduce firm registration costs and encourage entrepreneurial activities. Using administrative data on firms' business registrations and annual reports, our analysis shows that the reform increased firm entry by 25% and firm exit by 8.7% in the manufacturing sector. The productivity of post-reform entrants was 1.1% higher than the productivity of pre-reform entrants, likely due to relaxed financial constraints and more intense competition.
Design of Partial Population Experiments with an Application to Spillovers in Tax Compliance
Authors: Cruces Guillermo , Tortarolo Dario , Vazquez-Bare Gonzalo
Published: January 2025

We develop a framework to analyze partial population experiments, a generalization of the cluster experimental design where clusters are assigned to different treatment intensities. Our framework allows for heterogeneity in cluster sizes and outcome distributions. We study the large-sample behavior of OLS estimators and cluster-robust variance estimators and show that (i) ignoring cluster heterogeneity may result in severely underpowered experiments and (ii) the cluster-robust variance estimator may be upward-biased when clusters are heterogeneous. We derive formulas for power, minimum detectable effects, and optimal cluster assignment probabilities. All our results apply to cluster experiments, a particular case of our framework. We set up a potential outcomes framework to interpret the OLS estimands as causal effects. We implement our methods in a large-scale experiment to estimate the direct and spillover effects of a communication campaign on property tax compliance. We find an increase in tax compliance among individuals directly targeted with our mailing, as well as compliance spillovers on untreated individuals in clusters with a high proportion of treated taxpayers.
Flexing Armageddon: Displacing Climate Change Anxiety through Soft Power Nationalist Interests in Guo Fan’s The Wandering Earth (2019)
Authors: Christopher David
Published: January 2025

In recent years, apparently as part of the public relations for its global “soft power” initiatives, China has moderately relaxed much of its previously archaic policy control of its cinema production industry. One result has been the release of a spate of Chinese films to international streaming platforms such as Netflix. One highly visible example is Guo Fan’s The Wandering Earth (2019), a pre-pandemic apocalypse film that unabashedly appropriates conventions from the raft of fin-de-millenaire Hollywood apocalypse films such as Michael Bay’s Armageddon (1998) as part of China’s political economy bid to enter into the international cinematic market. But is it as simple as all that? While films such as The Wandering Earth represent a welcome diversification of more international fare on such giant media streaming platforms as Netflix, and give international exposure to such talented Chinese directors as Guo Fan, the particular ideological project of the film should not go unnoticed. While critics such as Petrus Liu (2020), Laura Waisbich (2020), Ping Zhu (2020), and Amir Khan (2020) have noted the film as an allegory of catastrophic climate change, and Petrus Liu (2020) and Jeroen de Kloet (2022) have noted its similarity to Armageddon in particular, the specific ideological projects of the displacement of techno-industrial responsibility for catastrophic climate change in concert with a “soft power” competition with U.S. hegemony in the context of what Chris Berry (2021) refers to as the phenomenon of “two globalizations” has not been clearly articulated. When compared against Armageddon in particular, it becomes clear how the film works to displace climate change responsibilities in a soft power ideological gambit against U.S. global-capitalist hegemony. Thus, the project of this article is to explore how The Wandering Earth narratively raises the stakes on a similar American ideological project in such spectacular Hollywood films as Michael Bay’s Armageddon, in particular, for example, and resolves contemporary issues of eco-catastrophe with a melodramatic tale of xenophobic Chinese patriarchal salvation that supersedes the American originals in a “soft power” gambit for global hegemony.
Uncovering the Migration of Illicit Cultural Production: a Digital Ethnography of the jav Industry and Fan Communities in China
Authors: Zhang Xiaolong
Published: January 2025

While many studies have examined Japan’s cultural industries, including manga, anime, video games, and films, few have focused on the Japanese Adult Video (jav) industry. The limited research on pornography represents a critical omission given the widespread popularity of such content among the global youth and the imperative to comprehend the migration patterns of problematic or illicit cultural production across borders. The paper takes the example of the jav industry in China by adopting digital ethnography to illustrate the migration of such cultural production, where a government crackdown on pornography has led to Chinese fans becoming the primary cultural actors responsible for reproducing, distributing, and consuming javs. The absence of producers and intermediaries in this system implies that the state has eliminated any legitimate channels for producing and distributing adult entertainment content. The circulation of pornography is prohibited in China, which results in related materials being distributed through covert and challenging-to-regulate channels, such as seeds of the Magnet uri scheme and/or BitTorrent. Consequently, a group of enthusiastic pornography fans has surfaced on various platforms to share and exchange their materials. Therefore, this study has decided to start with the fan group to investigate the jav’s journey in China. By examining the hierarchy of jav fan communities in the Chinese online context, the study suggests that external pressure from government crackdowns on pornographic materials has led to increased solidarity and harmony among Chinese jav fans within their communities through politeness strategies and comradeship, which further weakened the hierarchy of fan communities. Additionally, the analysis of the popularity of Aoi Sora in China as a porn actress provides insight into the intricate mechanisms of cultural production and consumption.
A Uniquely Transnational Style: Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder and The Host
Authors: Eason Emily
Published: January 2025

The Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho has constructed a uniquely transnational style through creating a discourse of the hybridization of South Korean and Hollywood cinemas. The development of this unique style is understood through two of Bong’s first feature films, Memories of Murder [Sarinui Chueok] (South Korea, dir: Bong, 2003) and The Host [Gwoemul] (South Korea and Japan, dir: Bong, 2006). These films demonstrate Bong’s ability to merge distinctly recognisable cinematic traditions from their respective nation. This merging is understood through what Marwan Kraidy (2002) refers to as “hybridization,” the films are analysed through three primary avenues (1) cultural, (2) political, and (3) visual. Bong’s subversion and repurposing of Hollywood conventions lies at the heart of his unique style and underpins his international success. This article reaffirms Bong’s place as a key transnational director who has the capacity to create Hollywood-style blockbusters which resonate politically and socially with their respective audiences.
Cultural Heritage and Chinese Digital Games
Authors: Aroni Gabriele
Published: January 2025

Digital games history has been dominated by Japan, North America, and Europe, both as major producers and consumers of games. However, China is now by far the largest digital games market on the planet, both in terms of player numbers and expenditure. This exceptional growth is naturally reflected in the local production of games, which, despite their large numbers and player base, are only now having more resonance in the West. This paper examines what role Chinese cultural heritage plays in the characterization of its games, as well as the similarities and differences with the Western and Japanese traditions of game arts and development, both from a ludological and aesthetic point of view, with a focus on the role-playing genre.
The Foreigner Indie Video Game Community in Japan from Tokyo Indies to Bitsummit
Authors: Maiuga Alexandra
Published: January 2025

Indie games are a relatively novel phenomenon in the Japanese video game industry. Despite a rich history of hobbyist games and dōjn communities, the development of the indie scene was hindered by social and political factors. How indie, as a genre, became prominent in Japan can be better explained by exploring the foreigner communities of indie developers. Indie communities appeared at the beginning of the 2010s as grassroots events organised by homesick foreigners. Despite linguistic barriers they built a flourishing indie scene that welcomes both Japanese and foreigners and helped create a mediator between local developers and Western markets through Bitsummit and Tokyo Indies. This article explores the involvement of foreigners in the popularization of the indie games by analyzing twelve interviews with foreigners involved in all areas of game development. It then contextualizes their experiences by introducing the role and history of Kyoto Indies, Tokyo Indies and Bitsummit and their complicated relationship with the mainstream Japanese video game industry.
Dreaming of a diy Career: Platform Practices, Motivational Discourses, and the Self-Entrepreneurial diy of Up-and-Coming Indie Bands in China
Authors: Vierbergen Mick
Published: January 2025

While China’s platformised cultural industries promote musical entrepreneurism, up-and-coming indie bands in China face several challenges in their journey towards a career in the music industries: a high regulatory threshold for participating in the live scene, little space for live experimentation, limited choice of online self-releasing platforms, and a censorship regime that limits criticism and creativity. This paper examines how up-and-coming indie bands, often overlooked in academia, navigate the precarious and competitive environment of professionalisation and regulation in China’s platformised music industry. Drawing on ethnographic methods and discourse analysis, it investigates the platform practices and motivations of three up-and-coming indie bands based around Shanghai: Protostar, Acid Room, and Blue Liquid. The paper identifies six discursive repertoires that these bands use to motivate their approach to a diy ethos – entrepreneurism, professionalism, authenticity, independence, convenience, and necessity – and argues that they adopt a self-entrepreneurial diy approach to actively shape their career.
Intermediating White Snake and Beyond: The Contingent Trans-Asian Journeys of Chinese Animation into Japan
Authors: Mihara Ryotaro , Yamashita Kazuo , Yoshikawa Tatsuo
Published: January 2025

This paper highlights cultural intermediaries as an indispensable analytical focus through which we could make intellectual sense of cultural production in East Asia and its global journeys. The existing literature recognises cultural intermediaries as critical agents who orchestrate a match between cultural products and their target markets. Examining cultural intermediaries in the realm of the growing inflow of Chinese animation into Japanese theatrical distribution nowadays, including the introduction of White Snake in Japan in 2021, this paper suggests contingency as one of the most critical features entailed in the work of cultural intermediaries. Our cases highlight how their intermediation process was, in fact, ignited and carried out in an immensely contingent manner without any pre-established plans or principles. The paper underscores contingency as the feature that deserves straightforward attention of the literature on cultural intermediaries, and as the vantage point from which we could make rich sense of the front-line dynamism at work in trans-Asian cultural productions.
Application of Virtual Reality Technology in Intervention for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review
Authors: Fu Wangqian , Tao Tao , Wang Jingyi , Peng Zhiwei , Wang Yan
Published: January 2025

Virtual reality (VR) technology provides innovative intervention means for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to its advantages of realism, flexibility, and controllability, bringing new possibilities. The application of VR technology for intervention in children with ASD has been widely explored. A total of 39 studies reviewed relevant literature from 2006 to February 2024 and found that VR technology demonstrated strong effectiveness in intervention for children with ASD, including social skills, moods and emotions, daily living skills, attention and others. However, existing studies have limitations regarding research methods, participants, theories, and long-term effectiveness. Future research should overcome the limitations of current studies, focusing on weak quality of research methods, targeting female individuals with ASD and individuals with varying levels of functioning, exploring the theoretical foundations of VR-based interventions, and conducting long-term follow-ups to verify intervention effects.
Future of Passenger Mobility in the U.S.A.: Scenarios for 2030
Authors: Kothawala Alimurtaza , Ahmad Maha , Dominguez-Faus Rosa , Fulton Lewis , Circella Giovanni
Published: January 2025

To develop long-term strategies for transportation planning, it is necessary to understand and address the uncertainties related to mobility. This task is challenging, given the rapid evolution of passenger transportation in the U.S.A. To aid transportation planning, we combine expert insights and quantitative modeling in a two-step process to create scenarios for U.S. passenger transportation in 2030. In the first part, we use inputs from 34 experts on 18 socio-demographic, macro-economic, and technological factors that influence transportation to generate combinations of projections that are reasonable and coherent: we call them scenarios. For the three distinct scenarios thus developed, we use a spreadsheet-based transportation activity accounting tool to estimate nationwide vehicle miles traveled, carbon emissions, and electrification levels. The Hop & Drive scenario is dismal, characterized by a slower economy, greater suburban growth, and higher driving levels. Mapped by Directives envisions a future shaped by ambitious local and federal policies accelerating electrification, reviving U.S. mass transit, and lowering driving levels. The third scenario, Technology Dazzles, imagines the outcomes of rapid technological improvements and adoption, leading to an increasingly automated world with a mobility-as-a-service paradigm beginning to be realized. The projections developed for each scenario should serve as markers for transportation planners at the federal and regional levels who monitor transportation trends. These markers can be used to adjust regional and national transportation funding priorities and understand the broader implications of development and funding strategies under uncertainty.
Fault characterization enhancement method for rolling bearings based on combination of weighted indicator screening and IMOMEDA
Authors: Luan Xiaochi , Lei Zhihao , Liu Xinhang , Zhao Junhao , Sha Yundong , Yang Jie
Published: January 2025

As one of the core components of aeroengine, it is very important to find out the fault of intermediate bearing in time for the safety of aeroengine. Early bearing fault features are easily buried by background noise, which makes it difficult to extract fault features. To solve this problem, a fault feature enhancement method based on weighted index screening and IMOMEDA is proposed in this article. First, employ wavelet packet decomposition to analyze the vibration signal; and the kurtosis, correlation coefficient, and permutation entropy are fused into weighted indexes by entropy weight method to screen the node components with high signal-to-noise ratio for reconstruction; then, envelope autocorrelation analysis is used to optimize the deconvolution cycle parameter T of the multipoint optimal minimum entropy deconvolution adjusted; and then the optimized IMOMEDA is used to filter out the noise components of reconstructed signals to achieve the enhancement of the fault features; and finally, envelope demodulation is performed to identify the fault feature information. After the simulation signal verification, the signal peak factor processed by this method is increased from 7.3 to 9.7, so the fault characteristics are effectively enhanced. The data of different fault types measured by the aeroengine intermediate bearing fault simulation test bench are analyzed. The results show that the method can effectively filter out the strong background noise in the vibration signal of different fault types, enhance the weak fault characteristics related to the bearing fault, and can be used as one of the effective methods for the fault diagnosis of the intermediate bearing of the aeroengine.
Where Do Clients Receive Methadone Treatment? Exploring Bypassing Behaviors in Methadone Treatment Clients: Temporal, Geographic, and Demographic Factors
Authors: Alibrahim Abdullah , Marsh Jeanne C , Amaro Hortensia , Kong Yinfei , Khachikian Tenie , Guerrero Erick
Published: January 2025

Background:

Few studies have examined where clients receive methadone treatment for opioid use disorder relative to their residences. Commuting time affects access to care, and anecdotal evidence suggests clients often bypass closer methadone providers. This study quantifies (a) bypass patterns in Los Angeles County, (b) gender, age, and ethnoracial differences in bypassing, and (c) links between bypassing and facility attributes.

Methods:

Using retrospective multiyear analysis, we matched opioid treatment episodes with commuting times between clients’ ZIP codes and treatment facilities. From 16 972 outpatient episodes (2010-2017), data were paired with Google Maps commuting estimates. The study covered 32 methadone facilities and 8627 unique clients. We determined the difference in driving time (a proxy for commuting time) from the nearest (bypassed) provider to the provider where the client was treated, deriving bypass and extended commute rates. We compared the rates of a scaled bypassing variable across racial, ethnic, and gender groups. We examined rates by grouping and by facility characteristics of the closest provider.

Results:

Bypassing occurred in 48.9% of episodes; 21.0% involved extra commute time of 5+ minutes beyond the closest facility. Bypass rates varied significantly across racial, ethnic, and gender groups. Black or African American clients showed higher bypass rates than non-Latino white clients. Latino female clients had lower rates and shorter commutes than Latino male clients ( P < .01). Larger methadone facilities experienced fewer bypassing and Black clients were found to typically bypass in favor of providers with longer wait times than other groups in the study.

Implications:

This is the first study investigating client and facility characteristics relating to methadone treatment bypassing in a major U.S. care system. The results highlight significant bypass rates affecting efficient access. Findings have implications for opioid treatment system design, particularly to improve access to quality care for underserved communities.
Is maternal diabetes during pregnancy associated with neurodevelopmental, cognitive and behavioural outcomes in children? Insights from individual participant data meta-analysis in ten birth cohorts
Authors: Pretorius Rachelle A. , Avraam Demetris , Guxens Mònica , Julvez Jordi , Harris Jennifer R. , Nader Johanna Thorbjornsrud , Cadman Tim , Elhakeem Ahmed , Strandberg-Larsen Katrine , Marroun Hanan El , Defina Serena , Yang Tiffany C. , McEachan Rosie , Wright John , Ibarluzea Jesús , Santa-Marina Loreto , Delgado Juana Mari , Rebagliato Marisa , Charles Marie-Aline , Vainqueur Chloe , Maritano Silvia , Zugna Daniela , Yuan Wen Lun , Heude Barbara , Huang Rae-Chi
Published: January 2025

Background

Growing evidence shows that dysregulated metabolic intrauterine environments can affect offspring’s neurodevelopment and behaviour. However, the results of individual cohort studies have been inconsistent. We aimed to investigate the association between maternal diabetes before pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with neurodevelopmental, cognitive and behavioural outcomes in children.

Methods

Harmonised data from > 200 000 mother-child pairs across ten birth cohorts in Europe and Australia were available. Mother-child pairs were included for analysis to determine whether GDM was recorded (yes or no) and whether at least one neurodevelopmental, cognitive and behavioural outcome was available in children aged 3 to 13 years. Confounder-adjusted regression models were used to estimate associations between maternal diabetes and child outcomes using two-stage individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. Model 1 included a crude estimate. The full adjustment model (model 2) included adjustment for child sex, maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, pregnancy weight gain, maternal smoking during pregnancy, plurality, parity and maternal education.

Results

Children (aged 7–10 years) born to mothers with GDM had higher attention-deficient hyperactive disorder (ADHD) symptoms compared to non-exposed controls (model 2, regression coefficient (β) 3.67 (95% CI 1.13, 6.20), P = 0.001). Moreover, children (aged 4–6 years) born to mothers with GDM exhibited more externalising problems than those born to mothers without GDM (model 2, β 2.77 (95% CI 0.52, 5.02), P = 0.01). A pre-existing maternal history of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus was associated with ADHD symptoms at 4–6 years (model 1, β 8.82 (95% CI 2.21, 15.45, P = 0.009) and β 7.90 (95% CI 0.82, 14.98, P = 0.02), respectively). The association was no longer apparent in further adjustments.

Conclusions

This study found that children between 4 - 6 and 7–10 years of age born to mothers with GDM have a greater likelihood of developing externalising problems and ADHD symptoms, respectively. Externalising problems often co-exist with ADHD symptoms and precede formal ADHD diagnosis. Overall, this large-scale multi-cohort study suggested that a dysregulated metabolic environment during pregnancy may contribute to ADHD symptoms and externalising problems in young children.
Extracellular matrix stiffness regulates colorectal cancer progression via HSF4
Authors: Wang Kangtao , Ning Siyi , Zhang Shuai , Jiang Mingming , Huang Yan , Pei Haiping , Li Ming , Tan Fengbo
Published: January 2025

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has high incidence and mortality rates, with severe prognoses during invasion and metastasis stages. Despite advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, the impact of the tumour microenvironment, particularly extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness, on CRC progression and metastasis is not fully understood.

Methods

This study included 107 CRC patients. Tumour stiffness was assessed using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), and collagen ratio was analysed with Masson staining. CRC cell lines were cultured on matrices of varying stiffness, followed by transcriptome sequencing to identify stiffness-related genes. An HSF4 knockout CRC cell model was cultured in different ECM stiffness to evaluate the effects of HSF4 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo.

Results

CRC tumour stiffness was significantly higher than normal tissue and positively correlated with collagen content and TNM staging. High-stiffness matrices significantly regulated cell functions and signalling pathways. High HSF4 (heat shock transcriptional factor 4) expression was strongly associated with tumour stiffness and poor prognosis. HSF4 expression increased with higher TNM stages, and its knockout significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, especially on high-stiffness matrices. In vivo experiments confirmed that HSF4 promoted tumour growth and metastasis, independent of collagen protein increase.

Conclusions

This study reveals that tumour stiffness promotes the proliferation and metastasis of CRC by regulating EMT-related signalling pathways through HSF4. Tumour stiffness and HSF4 could be valuable targets for prognostic assessment and therapeutic intervention in CRC.
Whole exome sequencing-based homologous recombination deficiency test for epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Chiang Ying-Cheng , Huang Hsien-Neng , Kuo Kuan-Ting , Hwu Wuh-Liang , Lin Po-Han
Published: January 2025

Background

The homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) test is an important tool for identifying patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) benefit from the treatment with poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi). Using whole exome sequencing (WES)-based platform can provide information of gene mutations and HRD score; however, the clinical value of WES-based HRD test was less validated in EOC.

Methods

We enrolled 40 patients with EOC in the training cohort and 23 in the validation cohort. The WES-based HRD score was calculated using the scarHRD software. We first evaluated the concordance of the HRD status defined by the Myriad MyChoice CDx and then assessed the value of HRD on clinical prognosis in patients with EOC.

Results

The HRD score defined by the WES-based test was positively correlated with that of the Myriad MyChoice® CDx test (r = 0.82, p < 0.01) in the training cohort. In compared to HRD status of Myriad test, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the WES-based HRD test were 93.5% (29/31), 77.8% (7/9), 93.5% (29/31), and 77.8% (7/9), respectively. Patients with positive HRD status defined by WES-based scarHRD test and Myriad MyChoice® CDx test were both highly associated with platinum sensitive response (both Fisher’s exact test, p = 0.002) as well as the superior progression-free survival (both log-rank p = 0.002). The multi-variate Cox regression model incorporated with optimal debulking surgery showed that the recurrence risk was decreased in the patients with positive HRD status, either defined by Myriad MyChoice® CDx test (Hazard ratio (HR) 0.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.14–0.79, p = 0.013) or WES-based test Myriad MyChoice® CDx test (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14–0.80, p = 0.014). Nine patients had mutations in the genes involved in HR DNA repair, and all of them were positive for HRD. In the validation group, 23 patients were defined as positive HRD by WES-based testing. Six positive HRD patients and 5 negative HRD patients received maintenance PARPi. The median responsive interval of PARPi was 17 months in positive HRD patients and 3 months in negative HRD patients.

Conclusion

The WES-based test is a potential option for determining the HRD status in EOC patients, and desires for further validation in large-scale cohorts.
Decision tree-based learning and laboratory data mining: an efficient approach to amebiasis testing
Authors: Al-khlifeh Enas , Tarawneh Ahmad S. , Almohammadi Khalid , Alrashidi Malek , Hassanat Ramadan , Hassanat Ahmad B.
Published: January 2025

Background

Amebiasis represents a significant global health concern. This is especially evident in developing countries, where infections are more common. The primary diagnostic method in laboratories involves the microscopy of stool samples. However, this approach can sometimes result in the misinterpretation of amebiasis as other gastroenteritis (GE) conditions. The goal of the work is to produce a machine learning (ML) model that uses laboratory findings and demographic information to automatically predict amebiasis.

Method

Data extracted from Jordanian electronic medical records (EMR) between 2020 and 2022 comprised 763 amebic cases and 314 nonamebic cases. Patient demographics, clinical signs, microscopic diagnoses, and leukocyte counts were used to train eight decision tree algorithms and compare their accuracy of predictions. Feature ranking and correlation methods were implemented to enhance the accuracy of classifying amebiasis from other conditions.

Results

The primary dependent variables distinguishing amebiasis include the percentage of neutrophils, mucus presence, and the counts of red blood cells (RBCs) and white blood cells (WBCs) in stool samples. Prediction accuracy and precision ranged from 92% to 94.6% when employing decision tree classifiers including decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), XGBoost, AdaBoost, and gradient boosting (GB). However, the optimized RF model demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of 98% for detecting amebiasis from laboratory data, utilizing only 300 estimators with a max depth of 20. This study highlights that amebiasis is a significant health concern in Jordan, responsible for 17.22% of all gastroenteritis episodes in this study. Male sex and age were associated with higher incidence of amebiasis (P = 0.014), with over 25% of cases occurring in infants and toddlers.

Conclusions

The application of ML to EMR can accurately predict amebiasis. This finding significantly contributes to the emerging use of ML as a decision support system in parasitic disease diagnosis.

Graphical Abstract
Gene expression of psychiatric disorder-related kinesin superfamily proteins (Kifs) is potentiated in alternatively activated primary cultured microglia
Authors: Iwata Suguru , Hyugaji Mitsuhiro , Soga Yohei , Morikawa Momo , Sasaki Tetsuya , Takei Yosuke
Published: January 2025

Objective

Reactivity of microglia, the resident cells of the brain, underlies innate immune mechanisms (e.g., injury repair), and disruption of microglial reactivity has been shown to facilitate psychiatric disorder dysfunctions. Although cellular analyses based on cultured microglia have been conducted, the molecular mechanism regulating microglial polarization remains elusive. We established a primary microglia culture that enabled manipulation of the substate of cells. This allowed us to investigate the expression levels of psychiatric disorder-related Kifs messenger RNA (mRNA) in each condition. Kifs encode molecular motor proteins that transport cargo along microtubules, which are thought to dynamically reorganize during a substate change.

Results

As a candidate for a crucial Kifs gene that is associated with microglia polarization, we selected psychiatric disorder-related Kifs including Kif17. We found that the relative amounts of Kif3a, Kif17, and Kif13a mRNA were potentiated in alternatively activated microglia, whereas there were no significant changes in activated microglia. Furthermore, the microglia derived from a mouse line which possesses a mutation inducing truncated KIF17 indicated disrupted morphological phenotype of alternatively activated microglia. These results suggest that the potentiation of specific molecular motor expression is required to maintain the function of alternatively activated microglia.
Biofilm characterisation of Mycoplasma bovis co-cultured with Trueperella pyogenes
Authors: Nishi Koji , Gondaira Satoshi , Hirano Yuki , Ohashi Masahide , Sato Ayano , Matsuda Kazuya , Iwasaki Tomohito , Kanda Takuya , Uemura Ryoko , Higuchi Hidetoshi
Published: January 2025

Mycoplasma pneumonia, caused by Mycoplasma bovis (Mycoplasmopsis bovis; M. bovis), is linked with severe inflammatory reactions in the lungs and can be challenging to treat with antibiotics. Biofilms play a significant role in bacterial persistence and contribute to the development of chronic lesions. A recent study has shown that polymicrobial interactions between species are an important factor in biofilm formation, yet the precise mechanism of biofilm formation in M. bovis remains unknown. By assuming multiple pathogen infections in the bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC), this study examined the characterisation of the polymicrobial relationship between M. bovis and Trueperella pyogenes (T. pyogenes) during biofilm formation. Autopsies were performed on four Holstein calves (two chronic Mycoplasma pneumonia calves and two control calves). Bacterium-like aggregation structures (> 10 μm), which were assumed to be biofilms of M. bovis in vivo, were observed adhering to the cilia in calves with Mycoplasma pneumonia. M. bovis released an extracellular matrix to connect with neighbouring bacteria and form a mature biofilm on the plate. Biofilm formation in the co-culture of M. bovis and T. pyogenes (strain T1: 1 × 105 and 1 × 106 CFU/well) significantly increased (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01; 64.1% and 64.8% increase) compared to that in a single culture of these bacteria. Furthermore, some large aggregates (> 40 μm), composed of M. bovis and T. pyogenes, were observed. The morphological characteristics of this biofilm were similar to those observed in vivo compared to a single culture. In conclusion, the polymicrobial interaction between M. bovis and T. pyogenes induces biofilm formation, which is associated with increased resistance to antimicrobial agents, and this exacerbates the progression of chronic Mycoplasma pneumonia.