bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender bias in shared decision‐making among cancer care guidelines: A systematic review
Authors: Rivera‐Izquierdo Mario , Maes‐Carballo Marta , Jiménez‐Moleón José J. , Martínez‐Ruiz Virginia , Blaakær Jan , Olmedo‐Requena Rocío , Khan Khalid S. , Jørgensen Jan S.
Published: April 2023

Background

In cancer care, the promotion and implementation of shared decision‐making in clinical practice guidelines (CPG) and consensus statements may have potential differences by gender.

Objective

To systematically analyse recommendations concerning shared decision‐making in CPGs and consensus statements for the most frequent cancers exclusively among males (prostate) and females (endometrial).

Search Strategy

We prospectively registered the protocol at PROSPERO (ID: RD42021241127). MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus and online sources (8 guideline databases and 65 professional society websites) were searched independently by two reviewers, without language restrictions.

Inclusion Criteria

CPGs and consensus statements about the diagnosis or treatment of prostate and endometrial cancers were included from January 2015 to August 2021.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

Quality assessment deployed a previously developed 31‐item tool and differences between the two cancers analysed.

Main Results

A total of 176 documents met inclusion criteria, 97 for prostate cancer (84 CPGs and 13 consensus statements) and 79 for endometrial cancer (67 CPGs and 12 consensus statements). Shared decision‐making was recommended more often in prostate cancer guidelines compared to endometrial cancer (46/97 vs. 13/79, 47.4% vs. 16.5%; p < .001). Compared to prostate cancer guidelines (mean 2.14 items, standard deviation 3.45), compliance with the shared‐decision‐making 31‐item tool was lower for endometrial cancer guidelines (mean 0.48 items, standard deviation 1.29) (p < .001). Regarding advice on the implementation of shared decision‐making, it was only reported in 3 (3.8%) endometrial cancer guidelines and in 16 (16.5%) prostate cancer guidelines (p < .001).

Discussion and Conclusions

We observed a significant gender bias as shared decision‐making was systematically more often recommended in the prostate compared to endometrial cancer guidelines. These findings should encourage new CPGs and consensus statements to consider shared decision‐making for improving cancer care regardless of the gender affected.

Patient or Public Contribution

The findings may inform future recommendations for professional associations and governments to update and develop high‐quality clinical guidelines to consider patients' preferences and shared decision‐making in cancer care.
Are we deskilling or reskilling our hospital ward clinicians?
Authors: Bunch Jacinda , Jones Daryl , Psirides Alex
Published: April 2023

Rapid reponse teams emerged 27 years ago to identify deteriorating patients and reduce preventable harm. There are concerns that such teams have deskilled hospital staff. However, over the past 20 years, there have been marked changes in hospital care and workplace requirements for hospital staff. In this article, we contend that hospital staff have been reskilled rather than deskilled.
RETRACTED: Perceived stigmatisation and reliability of questionnaire in the survivors with burns wound: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Farzan Ramyar , Hosseini Seyed Javad , Firooz Mahbobeh , Tabarian Mansooreh Sadeh , Jamshidbeigi Amirreza , Samidoust Pirouz , Sarafi Milad , Mahdiabadi Morteza Zaboli , Ghorbani Vajargah Pooyan , Mollaei Amirabbas , Karkhah Samad , Takasi Poorya , Parvizi Arman , Haddadi Soudabeh
Published: April 2023

Perceived stigmatisation (PS) can cause different effects on burns survivors such as depression, low self‐esteem, body image disturbance, and social anxiety. Current systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to determine the average PS among the burns survivor population and the average reliability of the PS questionnaire (PSQ). A comprehensive systematic search was conducted in various international electronic databases, such as Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Persian electronic databases such as Iranmedex, and Scientific Information Database (SID) using keywords extracted from Medical Subject Headings such as “Stigmatisation”, “Burns”, “Reliability”, and “Questionnaire” from the earliest to February 1, 2023. The COSMIN and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklists were applied to evaluate the risk of bias. Data analysis was performed in STATA V.14 and JAMOVI v 2.3.24 software. The analysis consisted of two sections. Firstly, the overall weighted average of PS was calculated based on mean and standard deviation. Then, the reliability average of PSQ was calculated with the reliability generalisation method based on the alpha coefficient, questionnaire items, and sample size of each study. Finally, eight articles were included in the quantitative analysis. The results showed the weighted average of PS was 2.14 (ES: 2.14, 95%CI: 1.77‐2.51, Z = 11.40, I2:97.8%, P < 0.001). The average of PS in the factors of confused/staring behaviour, absence of friendly behaviour, and hostile behaviour was 2.36 (ES: 2.36, 95%CI: 2.05‐2.67, Z = 14.86, I2:92.7%, P < 0.001), 2.13 (ES: 2.13, 95%CI: 1.87‐2.39, Z = 16.22, I2:93.8%, P < 0.001) and 2.07 (ES: 2.07, 95%CI: 1.67‐2.47, Z = 10.05, I2:96.5%, P < 0.001), respectively. The analysis showed that the overall coefficient alpha of the PSQ was 0.88 (ES: 0.88, 95%CI: 0.851‐0.910, Z = 58.7, I2: 95.04%, P < 0.001). Also, the alpha coefficient of factors including confused/staring behaviour, absence of friendly behaviour, and hostile behaviour were 0.847 (ES: 0.847, 95%CI: 0.770‐0.924, Z = 21.6, I2:99.13%, P < 0.001), 0.860 (ES: 0.860, 95%CI: 0.808‐0.912, Z = 32.4, I2:98.02%, P < 0.001) and 0.899 (ES: 0.899, 95%CI: 0.829‐0.968, Z = 21.33, I2: 0.0%, P < 0.001), respectively. In sum, the current study showed that the average PS was 2.14 out of 5 points. Most survivors and parents reported confused/starring behaviour as a common perceived behaviour from different individuals. Also, the average reliability of PSQ was 0.88, and it had acceptable reliability. More studies are required to better judge the level of PS among different age groups. Also, the psychometric properties of PSQ in different cultures are an essential issue.
The influence of triglycerides on small dense low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels is attenuated in low low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol range: Implications for the negative results of the PROMINENT trial
Authors: Hirano Tsutomu , Ito Yasuki
Published: April 2023

The Pemafibrate to Reduce Cardiovascular Outcomes by Reducing Triglycerides in Patients with Diabetes (PROMINENT) trial failed to show the preventive effects of pemafibrate, a triglyceride (TG)‐lowering drug, on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia. We recently reported that TG‐lowering with pemafibrate did not decrease the calculated small dense (sd) low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), and speculated that the effect of TG on sdLDL‐C is attenuated in low LDL‐C levels. This report examined this possibility in 1,508 patients with type 2 diabetes and 670 healthy controls. LDL‐C ranges were classified as ≤69, 70–99, 100–139 and 140≤ mg/dL. The slope of the regression curve between sdLDL‐C and TG was found to flatten as LDL‐C decreased; 0.18, 0.13, 0.10 and 0.04 for controls, and 0.18, 0.13, 0.09 and 0.07 for diabetes patients. Correspondingly, the lower the LDL‐C range, the lower the sdLDL‐C/TG ratio. These results suggest that when LDL‐C is tightly controlled, TG‐lowering has only a weak inhibitory effect on sdLDL‐C.
Experiences and perceptions of self‐management in people with prediabetes: A qualitative meta‐synthesis
Authors: Wang Zixin , Shi Qifang , Zeng Yue , Li Yuzhe
Published: April 2023

Background

Diabetes has become a global public health problem. Strengthening the self‐management ability of people with prediabetes plays an important role in preventing the occurrence and development of type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study is to synthesise the self‐management experiences and perceptions of people with prediabetes, which can contribute to the development of self‐management programs.

Methods

This review adheres to the ENTREQ Guide. Evidence‐based medicine database (JBI and Cochrane) and original literature database (PubMed, Medline, EMbase, Web of Science, Wanfang, CNKI and VIP) were searched up to 31 May 2022. Both Chinese and English literature of qualitative research on self‐management experiences and perceptions of prediabetic patients were included. The quality of the included studies was evaluated, and the data were synthesised and analysed by thematic synthesis method.

Results

A total of 23 primary studies containing 504 participants were included. After repeated reading and coding of the literature, three analytical themes were finally identified: coping with role management, success and failure in medical management, seeking and perceiving support.

Conclusion

Role management for people with prediabetes needs more attention. Healthcare providers should identify problems from patients' self‐management experiences and improve professional skills to assist program modifications. Integrating the self‐management program into community activities under the guidance of medical staff and inviting family members and peers to participate can increase involvement and improve the self‐management ability.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

These findings describe the different stages and issues in the self‐management process of prediabetic patients. The practice of prediabetes self‐management should incorporate the psychosocial, physical, and financial issues of the patients. As the main provider of health services, nurses should make patients aware of the susceptibility and severity of prediabetes and help them improve their self‐management skills.

No Patient or Public Contribution

This is a meta‐synthesis without direct participation of patients.
The Polarization of Traumas and Selective Remembering: Competing Political Memories of Military Coups in Contemporary Turkey
Authors: Narlı Ayse Nilüfer , Akyıldız Kaya , Bircan Tuba
Published: April 2023

Based on a national survey funded by the TÜBİTAK SOBAG Program, conducted with 1,957 respondents in 12 cities during 2013‐2014, this article examines the political memory of the 1960, 1971, 1980, and 1997 coups by describing the memories and accompanying emotions of Turkish adults. It then explains how differences in remembering and not remembering the coups are related to demographic, socio‐cultural, political identity, and fear variables. The data reveals diverse, multidirectional, and contesting coup memory patterns. While religiosity was associated with the memories of the 1960 and 1997 coups, self‐declared conservatism, modernity, political identity, political fears differed across the republican/secular and conservative/Islamist divides. The multidirectional and polarized remembering is largely a reflection of the current political context of a polarized memory regime instilled by the ruling Justice and Development Party from the basis of the 1990s′ memory landscape, which was filled with diverse and competing narratives that challenged early republican political memories.
Vertical Contract Disclosure in Three‐Tier Industries*
Authors: Bisceglia Michele
Published: April 2023

Consider a three‐tier industry with a monopolist supplying a manufacturer which sells its product to final consumers through two retailers. Contracts are linear and secret. Hence, upon receiving an out‐of‐equilibrium offer, each retailer must form a belief about the identity of the deviating upstream firm. This beliefs' specification problem wipes out if an Open Book Accounting (OBA) policy is implemented, whereby the input price is disclosed to retailers. Under Cournot (Bertrand) competition, OBA increases industry profits and consumer surplus if retailers believe that any out‐of‐equilibrium offer is more likely to reflect a deviation by the upstream supplier (by the manufacturer).
Is the Patent System an Even Playing Field? The Effect of Patent Attorney Firms
Authors: De Rassenfosse Gaétan , Jensen Paul H. , Julius T'Mir , Palangkaraya Alfons , Webster Elizabeth
Published: April 2023

The patent system underpins the business model of some of the fastest‐growing companies. Used appropriately, it should support frontier technologies and nurture new firms. Used perniciously, it can stifle innovation and protect established technological behemoths. We analyze patent examination decisions at the American, European, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese patent offices and find evidence that patent attorneys have a surprisingly significant role in the patent system. Our results suggest that some forces within the examination system maintain the uneven playing field by allocating monopoly rights to inventors with better access to influential attorneys, rather than leveling it by favoring inventors with better, nonobvious ideas. Attorney quality is most important, vis‐à‐vis invention quality, in less codified and more rapidly changing technology areas such as software and ICT.
The first molecular confirmation of Culex pipiens complex as potential natural vectors of Dirofilaria immitis in Myanmar
Authors: Aung Si Thu , Bawm Saw , Chel Hla Myet , Htun Lat Lat , Wai Soe Soe , Eshita Yuki , Katakura Ken , Nakao Ryo
Published: April 2023

Dirofilariosis, known as one of the most widespread vector‐borne zoonotic diseases, is caused by several different species of the nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria, which can be transmitted by Culex, Anopheles and Aedes mosquito vectors. In order to identify key vector mosquitoes of filarial parasites in Myanmar, mosquitoes were collected during three different seasons (summer, rainy and winter) in three townships in Nay Pyi Taw area, Myanmar. DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were conducted for 185 mosquito pools, with each pool containing 1–10 mosquitoes. Dirofilaria immitis was detected in 20 pools of Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes. The minimum infection rate of mosquitoes was found to be 16.33. The small subunit ribosomal RNA (12S rDNA) gene targeted PCR revealed that the sequences obtained were completely identical to the sequences of D. immitis derived from dogs in China, Brazil and France. The sequences obtained from mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene PCR exhibited 100% identity with the sequences of D. immitis derived from dogs in Bangladesh, Iran, Japan and Thailand, as well as humans in Iran and Thailand, and mosquitoes in Germany and Hungary. The findings of this study demonstrated that the mosquito species of Cx. pipiens complex are potential mosquito vectors for dirofilariosis in Myanmar.
Knowledge, attitudes, and practice related to the prone positioning of patients among intensive care unit nurses working in COVID‐19 units: A cross‐sectional study in China
Authors: Chen Xiuwen , Zhou Yang , Zhou Xia , Su Pan , Yi Jindong
Published: April 2023

Background

An increasing number of studies persistently demonstrate that prone position ventilation can significantly improve the oxygenation index and blood oxygen saturation for most patients (70–80%) with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Studies have also shown that the awake prone position was both safe and effective in helping patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) breathe spontaneously. However, the prone position is not widely adopted when treating patients with COVID‐19 or ARDS from other causes. Basic knowledge, positive attitudes, and correct practices among the nursing staff are necessary to increase the use of prone positions, reduce the incidence of complications associated with prone positions, and improve the quality and safety of health care.

Aim

This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of prone positioning of patients among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses working in COVID‐19 units and provide suggestions for improvement.

Study design

ICU nurses were recruited from two designated tertiary hospitals for COVID‐19 treatment in Shanghai, China, in April 2022, using convenience sampling. A questionnaire survey focusing on the dimensions of knowledge, attitudes, and practice of the prone position with 42 items, was conducted.

Results

A total of 132 ICU nurses participated. The scores on the overall questionnaire and the dimensions of knowledge, attitudes, and practice of prone position were 167.28 (95% CI, 161.70–172.86), 78.35 (95% CI, 76.04–80.66), 32.08 (95% CI, 31.51–32.65), and 56.85 (95% CI, 52.42–61.28) respectively. The overall average score was 79.66% (95% CI, 0.77–0.82). The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that prior experience in treating patients with COVID‐19 and professional titles were related to the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practice of prone position.

Conclusions

The ICU nurses strongly believed in the effectiveness of prone positioning, but their knowledge and practice levels need improvement. The experience in treating patients with COVID‐19 and professional titles were related to the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practice of prone position. Nursing managers should ensure that ICU nurses are well trained in prone positioning and help enhance the knowledge and attitudes toward prone positioning to promote its widespread use.

Relevance to clinical practice

Clinical guidelines and in‐service training modules need to be developed to promote the use of prone positioning and reduce prone position‐related complications.
Medical students' knowledge and perception of irritable bowel syndrome in comparison to inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Henick Daniel , Italiano Tyler , Person Hannibal , Keefer Laurie
Published: April 2023

Background

Gastroenterologists may hold less positive attitudes toward disorders of gut–brain interaction (DGBI) like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) compared with organic GI disorders like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This contributes to worse health outcomes in patients with DGBI and decreased patient satisfaction. Medical student knowledge and perception of these two disorders have not been directly studied.

Methods

A cohort of medical students (n = 106) completed a survey where they read clinical vignettes about patients with IBS and IBD and answered questions regarding their knowledge of and attitudes toward these two diseases.

Key results

IBS was perceived as a less real and a more exaggerated disorder when compared to IBD, and patients with IBS were seen as more difficult to treat. With more clinical exposure across 4 years of training, students were more likely to perceive IBS as a “less real” illness, though they held fewer negative attitudes toward patients with IBS. Greater familiarity with both IBS and IBD was associated with fewer negative attitudes.

Conclusions & Inferences

Biases observed in gastroenterologists toward patients with IBS originate as early as the beginning of medical school, including seeing IBS as a “less real” disease and more difficult to treat. Earlier educational interventions may be helpful in identifying and addressing these biases.
Seeing through a glass darkly: Uncertainties about palliative care for patients with interstitial lung disease
Authors: Attia John
Published: April 2023

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Estimating the Radiance in Atmosphere-Ocean Systems With Different Atmosphere Models by Discrete Spherical Harmonics Method
Authors: Fokou Arantes , Tchinda Réné , Lambou Ymeli Guillaume , Lazard Myriam , Wang Cun-Hai
Published: April 2023

The radiative transfer in atmosphere-ocean systems with different atmosphere models is evaluated by the discrete spherical harmonics method. Four standard atmosphere models, namely, Tropical, Mid-Latitude Summer, Mid-Latitude Winter, and U.S. Standard (1976) limited to a height of 16 km are considered above an ocean. Two monochromatic radiations are considered according to the preponderance of the interaction they present with the participating medium, namely, λ=0.55 μm for scattering by particles and λ=16.8 μm for absorption and emission by water vapor and carbon dioxide. The absorption by the atmospheric gases considered is analyzed by the statistical narrow-band correlated-k method. The optical properties of aerosols and water clouds considered are calculated by Lorenz-Mie theory. The results obtained by the proposed discrete spherical harmonics method are in agreement with those of the literature and demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the developed radiative transfer code. The effects of the governing parameters of the system are investigated and show that the presence of the ocean contributes to increasing the upward radiation fluxes in the atmosphere. The presence of aerosols in the atmosphere leads to downward radiance curves at ground level that show significant peaks around the zenith angle of observation θ=0 deg. Additionally, the presence of the cloud in the atmosphere creates a discontinuity in the radiation flux curves at the height of the cloud.
Evidence-Theory-Based Reliability Analysis From the Perspective of Focal Element Classification Using Deep Learning Approach
Authors: Chen L. , Zhang Z. , Yang G. , Zhou Q. , Xia Y. , Jiang C.
Published: April 2023

Epistemic uncertainty is widespread in reliability analysis of practical engineering products. Evidence theory is regarded as a powerful model for quantifying and analyzing epistemic uncertainty. However, the heavy computational burden has severely hindered its application in practical engineering problems, which is essentially caused by the repeated extreme analysis of limit-state function (LSF). In order to address the issue, this paper proposes a novel method to solve the evidence-theory-based reliability analysis (ETRA). It transforms the conventional ETRA problem into the classification of three classes of joint focal elements (JFEs) and then solves the classification problem effectively through a deep learning approach. The core of solving an ETRA problem is to determine whether the joint focal element is located in the reliable region, failure region, or intersected with the LSF. A spatial position feature reduction and arrangement method is proposed to classify the JFEs, which can effectively reduce the feature dimension and take into account the integrity and correlation of features. The stacked autoencoders model is then constructed and updated by extracting the spatial position features of the sampled JFEs to achieve high-accuracy classification of the remaining JFEs, and the reliability interval is calculated efficiently according to the classification results. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated using several numerical examples.
Structural Basis of Dual Specificity of Sinorhizobium meliloti Clr, a cAMP and cGMP Receptor Protein
Authors: Werel Laura , Farmani Neda , Krol Elizaveta , Serrania Javier , Essen Lars-Oliver , Becker Anke
Published: April 2023

Cyclic 3′,5′-AMP (cAMP) and cyclic 3′,5′-GMP (cGMP) are both long known as important nucleotide secondary messengers in eukaryotes. This is also the case for cAMP in prokaryotes, whereas a signaling role for cGMP in this domain of life has been recognized only recently.
Supplemental Material: Compositional change from high-Mg to low-Mg magmatism at ca. 150 Ma in the central Lhasa terrane, Tibet: Switching from advancing to retreating subduction of the Bangong Tethyan slab
Authors: An Yu , Li Shi-Min , al. et
Published: April 2023

Supplemental Text S1: Analytical methods. Figures S1–S3. Tables S1–S4: Zircon trace-elemental, zircon U-Pb isotopic, zircon in-situ Hf isotopic, and whole-rock major- and trace-elemental data for intrusive rocks from the Zhegu, Wengmunong, and Dulu plutons in the central Lhasa subterrane. Table S5–S6: Compiled GPS positions, zircon U-Pb age, and Hf isotopic data for magmatic and sedimentary rocks in the central and southern Lhasa subterranes.
Targeting PPAR-gamma counteracts tumour adaptation to immune-checkpoint blockade in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Xiong Zhewen , Chan Stephen Lam , Zhou Jingying , Vong Joaquim S.L. , Kwong Tsz Tung , Zeng Xuezhen , Wu Haoran , Cao Jianquan , Tu Yalin , Feng Yu , Yang Weiqin , Wong Patrick Pak-Chun , Si-Tou Willis Wai-Yiu , Liu Xiaoyu , Wang Jing , Tang Wenshu , Liang Zhixian , Lu Jiahuan , Li Ka Man , Low Jie-Ting , Chan Michael Wing-Yan , Leung Howard H.W. , Chan Anthony W.H. , To Ka-Fai , Yip Kevin Yuk-Lap , Lo Yuk Ming Dennis , Sung Joseph Jao-Yiu , Cheng Alfred Sze-Lok
Published: April 2023

Objective

Therapy-induced tumour microenvironment (TME) remodelling poses a major hurdle for cancer cure. As the majority of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exhibits primary or acquired resistance to antiprogrammed cell death (ligand)-1 (anti-PD-[L]1) therapies, we aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying tumour adaptation to immune-checkpoint targeting.

Design

Two immunotherapy-resistant HCC models were generated by serial orthotopic implantation of HCC cells through anti-PD-L1-treated syngeneic, immunocompetent mice and interrogated by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), genomic and immune profiling. Key signalling pathway was investigated by lentiviral-mediated knockdown and pharmacological inhibition, and further verified by scRNA-seq analysis of HCC tumour biopsies from a phase II trial of pembrolizumab (NCT03419481).

Results

Anti-PD-L1-resistant tumours grew >10-fold larger than parental tumours in immunocompetent but not immunocompromised mice without overt genetic changes, which were accompanied by intratumoral accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), cytotoxic to exhausted CD8+T cell conversion and exclusion. Mechanistically, tumour cell-intrinsic upregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) transcriptionally activated vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) production to drive MDSC expansion and CD8+T cell dysfunction. A selective PPARγ antagonist triggered an immune suppressive-to-stimulatory TME conversion and resensitised tumours to anti-PD-L1 therapy in orthotopic and spontaneous HCC models. Importantly, 40% (6/15) of patients with HCC resistant to pembrolizumab exhibited tumorous PPARγ induction. Moreover, higher baseline PPARγ expression was associated with poorer survival of anti-PD-(L)1-treated patients in multiple cancer types.

Conclusion

We uncover an adaptive transcriptional programme by which tumour cells evade immune-checkpoint targeting via PPARγ/VEGF-A-mediated TME immunosuppression, thus providing a strategy for counteracting immunotherapeutic resistance in HCC.
Effects of nontrivial topology with Coulomb-types scalar and vector potential on relativistic quantum motions of scalar charged bosons
Authors: Ahmed Faizuddin
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we study the relativistic quantum motions of spin-zero scalar bosons confined by the quantum flux field in the presence of Coulomb-type scalar potential in the background of a topologically nontrivial 4D space–time. Afterwards, we introduce a Coulomb-like vector potential through a minimal substitution in the wave equation and determine the eigenvalue solutions of the quantum system analytically. In fact, it is shown there that the nontrivial topology of the geometry, Coulomb-types scalar and vector potential, and the quantum flux field influence the energy profile and wave function of the scalar bosons and get them modified. Also, the gravitational analogue of the Aharonov–Bohm effect is observed because the energy eigenvalue depends on the geometric quantum phase.
In-Depth Analysis of Smooth and Nonsmooth Bifurcations for an Open-Loop Boost Converter Feeding Constant Power Loads in Discontinuous Conduction Mode
Authors: Benadero Luis , El Aroudi Abdelali , Martinez-Salamero Luis , Tse Chi K.
Published: April 2023

This paper presents a study of the existence conditions of limit cycles and mechanisms when losing their stability in an open-loop DC–DC boost converter loaded with a constant power load and operating in discontinuous conduction mode. First, the existence conditions are determined. Then, boundaries associated with different kinds of instabilities such as the classical smooth fold and period-doubling bifurcations and nonsmooth border-collision bifurcations such as fold border-collision bifurcations are elucidated. To perform the stability analysis, an implicit 1D map for the system is derived. From this model, it is obtained that smooth period-doubling and fold bifurcations may occur at certain values of the circuit parameters. Some results from numerical simulations performed on the circuit-based switched model are provided showing consistency with the theoretical analysis from the derived model.
A Novel Approach to the Characterization of Stretching and Folding in Pursuit Tracking with Chaotic and Intermittent Behaviors
Authors: Babazadeh Fatemeh , Ahmadi-Pajouh Mohammad Ali , Reza Hashemi Golpayegani Seyed Mohammad
Published: April 2023

Detection of Stretching And Folding (SAF) traits in a time series is still controversial and of great interest. Also, visuo-manual tracking studies did not pay attention to SAF in hand motion trajectories. This research aims to find out the relevance of SAF to the discontinuities in chaotic dynamics of hand motion through target tracking tasks. Specifically, a new method is constructed based on this relation in which SAF can extract accurately trajectories in both time domain and phase space. Consequently, we designed experiments to track sinusoidal and trapezoidal target movements shown on a monitor. In these experiments, fourteen participants were instructed to move the joystick handle by wrist flexion-extension movements. Results confirm intermittency in significant human motor control behavior which results in discontinuities in hand motion trajectories. The relation between SAF and these discontinuities is realized by chaotic and intermittent behaviors of tracking dynamics. Verification of the method’s accuracy is also carried out by taking advantage of the Poincaré section. Our method can provide insight into the dynamical behaviors of chaotic and intermittent systems involving mechanisms in human motor control. It can be applied to general systems with intermittent behavior and other systems with modification.
Ultrasound Image Segmentation and Classification of Benign and Malignant Thyroid Nodules on the Basis of Deep Learning
Authors: Yang Min , Yee Austin Lin , Yu Jiafeng
Published: April 2023

This study aimed to investigate the effect of an image denoising algorithm based on weighted low-rank matrix restoration on thyroid nodule ultrasound images. A total of 1000 original ultrasound image data sets of thyroid nodules were selected as the study samples. The nodule segmentation data set of thyroid ultrasound region of interest (ROI) images was drawn and acquired. By introducing multiscale features and an attention mechanism to optimize the U-Net model, an ultrasound image segmentation model (F-U-Net) was constructed. The performance of the traditional U network model and full convolutional neural network model (FCN) was analyzed and compared by simulation experiments. The results showed that the dice coefficient, accuracy, and recall of the improved loss function in this study were significantly higher than those of the traditional cross entropy loss function and dice coefficient loss function, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The Dice coefficient, accuracy, and recall of the F-U-net model were significantly higher than those of the traditional FCN model and U-net model (P < 0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive predictive value of the F-U-net model for benign and malignant thyroid nodules were significantly higher than those of the FCN model and U-net model (P < 0.05). In summary, the proposed F-U network can effectively process the ultrasound images of thyroid nodules, improve the image quality, and help to improve the diagnostic effect of benign and malignant thyroid nodules. It provides a data reference for segmentation and reconstruction of benign and malignant ultrasound images of thyroid nodules.
STEAM COAL PRICE FORECASTING VIA LK-LC RIDGE REGRESSION ENSEMBLE LEARNING
Authors: TANG MINGZHU , MENG WEITING , HONG QIANG , WU HUAWEI , WANG YANG , YANG GUANGYI , HU YUEHUI , LIU BEIYUAN , CHEN DONGLIN , XIONG FUQIANG
Published: April 2023

Steam coal is the blood of China industry. Forecasting steam coal prices accurately and reliably is of great significance to the stable development of China’s economy. For the predictive model of existing steam coal prices, it is difficult to dig the law of nonlinearity of power coal price data and with poor stability. To address the problems that steam coal price features are highly nonlinear and models lack robustness, Laplacian kernel–log hyperbolic loss–Ridge regression (LK-LC-Ridge-Ensemble) model is proposed, which uses ensemble learning model for steam coal price prediction. First, in each sliding window, two kinds of correlation coefficient are employed to identify the optimal time interval, while the optimal feature set is selected to reduce the data dimension. Second, the Laplace kernel functions are adopted for constructing kernel Ridge regression (LK-Ridge), which boosts the capacity to learn nonlinear laws; the logarithmic loss function is introduced to form the LK-LC-Ridge to enhance the robustness. Finally, the prediction results of each single regression models are utilized to build a results matrix that is input into the meta-model SVR for ensemble learning, which further develops the model performance. Empirical results from three typical steam coal price datasets indicate that the proposed ensemble strategy is reliable for the model performance enhancement. Furthermore, the proposed model outperforms all single primitive models including accuracy of prediction results and robustness of model. Grouping cross-comparison between the different models suggests that the proposed ensemble model is more accurate and robust for steam coal price forecasting.
NEURAL LEARNING CONTROL METHODOLOGY FOR PREDEFINED-TIME SYNCHRONIZATION OF UNKNOWN CHAOTIC SYSTEMS
Authors: YAO QIJIA , LI QING , ALOTAIBI AHMED , ALSUBAIE HAJID , CHU YU-MING
Published: April 2023

This paper presents a method for achieving synchronization of chaotic systems with unknown dynamics, using a predefined-time neural learning control approach. The proposed method includes a control law for synchronization and a parameter updating law that are designed to ensure stability according to the predefined-time Lyapunov theory. The analysis of stability indicates that the synchronization errors using this approach converge to a small region around zero within the predefined time. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through simulation examples.
Pre-Trained Language Model-Based Deep Learning for Sentiment Classification of Vietnamese Feedback
Authors: Loc Cu Vinh , Viet Truong Xuan , Viet Tran Hoang , Thao Le Hoang , Viet Nguyen Hoang
Published: April 2023

In recent years, with the strong and outstanding development of the Internet, the need to refer to the feedback of previous customers when shopping online is increasing. Therefore, websites are developed to allow users to share experiences, reviews, comments and feedback about the services and products of businesses and organizations. The organizations also collect user feedback about their products and services to give better directions. However, with a large amount of user feedback about certain services and products, it is difficult for users, businesses, and organizations to pay attention to them all. Thus, an automatic system is necessary to analyze the sentiment of a customer feedback. Recently, the well-known pre-trained language models for Vietnamese (PhoBERT) achieved high performance in comparison with other approaches. However, this method may not focus on the local information in the text like phrases or fragments. In this paper, we propose a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model based on PhoBERT for sentiment classification. The output of contextualized embeddings of the PhoBERT’s last four layers is fed into the CNN. This makes the network capable of obtaining more local information from the sentiment. Besides, the PhoBERT output is also given to the transformer encoder layers in order to employ the self-attention technique, and this also makes the model more focused on the important information of the sentiment segments. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach gives competitive performance compared to the existing studies on three public datasets with the opinions of Vietnamese people.
HOW NEW FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGIES RESOLVE ECONOMIC STAGNATION: THE FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE
Authors: ZENG JHIH-HONG , HSU MING-FU
Published: April 2023

This research explores how new financial technologies are able to resolve economic stagnation by considering two dimensions of financial technology’s spread: the spread to poor people and that to rural area people. Based on a sample of 109 countries, our findings indicate that the spread of new financial technologies to poor people not only benefits economic growth directly, but also generates an indirect positive influence on economic growth via the channel of financial institutions’ development. By comparison, the effect of spreading financial technologies to rural area people on stimulating economic growth is insignificant. Lastly, we offer some policy implications associated with the results.
An Analysis of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF): Essence, Impacts and Prospects
Authors: Jiang Fangfei
Published: April 2023

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) proposed by the Biden administration has gone through three major stages — conception, preparation and engagement, and initial negotiation — and focuses on four key pillars: Connected Economy, Resilient Economy, Clean Economy, and Fair Economy. In fact, this initiative supplements and reinforces the Trump administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, while carrying forward and advancing the “America First” policy. It is a new attempt of the US to build an economic club exclusive of China in the Indo-Pacific and to lead in building a new structure for regional cooperation, as well as a diplomatic signal deliberately released by the Biden administration to its Eurasian allies during the Russia–Ukarine conflict. As the prospects of the IPEF are still of much uncertainty, it might exert few substantial impacts on China in the short term. However, we should still be alert to its long-term adverse influence on China–US relations, China’s surrounding international environment and foreign relations, the development of regional economic cooperation and world economy, as well as the stability of international order. Given the domestic situation in the US and the attitude of the other members, the progress of IPEF negotiations in the four pillars may vary significantly in the coming period.
The Parchment Path?
Authors: Neville-Neil George V.
Published: April 2023

The greater the risk, the greater the reward, and if you do succeed, it will be an achievement that you can look back on and smile wryly about. Postdocs never laugh because postdocs are post-laughter. However, there are some things to consider before plunking down your application fee and writing all those essays.
A Fast Fuel Cell EIS Measurement Method Based on Square Wave Excitation and Modified Wavelets
Authors: Dong Qichao , Zhou Yafu , Lian Jing , Li LinHui
Published: April 2023

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is an effective technique for real-time fault detection of vehicle-mounted proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In this study, a method to enable fast online measurements of the EIS for PEMFC is presented based on square excitation and modified Morlet wavelet transform (WT), which is validated experimentally. The Morlet wavelet function has been optimized to be more suitable for WT applications in impedance calculations. With this improvement, WT is able to cover the analysis frequency range of 1 Hz to 4 kHz by using very short time-domain data, precisely at the moment of a square-wave signal jump. This results in a significant reduction in computational cost and allows efficient impedance calculations. The calculated impedance based on the modified Morlet WT has a maximum calculation error of 2.57%, as confirmed by comparing the theoretical impedance at different frequency points. Compared to the general fast Fourier transform (FFT) EIS calculation method, the proposed method demonstrates significant advantages in terms of both calculation accuracy and test implementation.
How to Measure Solid State Lithium-ion Diffusion using the Atlung Method for Intercalant Diffusion
Authors: Zsoldos Eniko , Cormier Marc M. E. , Phattharasupakun Nutthaphon , Liu Aaron , Dahn J. R.
Published: April 2023

A systematic investigation of the factors that affect lithium diffusion coefficient measurements in the Atlung Method for Intercalant Diffusion (AMID) is carried out. Single crystal LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 is used for method development. The factors include electrode mass loading, separator thickness, electrolyte solvent choice and salt molarity, voltage interval sizes, open circuit relaxation time, C-rate choice, and charge vs discharge direction. In an ideal diffusivity measurement method, none of these factors listed should impact the true material diffusivity since it should be a purely material property. However, as we demonstrate here, all these experimental parameters should be selected carefully to minimize cell and electrode resistance contributions so that one can measure true lithium diffusivity in a material that is independent of current direction. We propose a low electrode loading cell design that is applicable for all diffusion measurement methods consisting of an ultrathin electrode coating (0.2 mAh cm−2), thin separator and 1.5 M LiPF6 ethylene carbonate: dimethyl carbonate 1:1 electrolyte. Additionally, we show diffusivity is not dependent on charge or discharge direction in NMC622, and we compare AMID results to Galvanostatic Intermittent Titration. Specific to AMID 15 min OCV time with 0.1 V intervals are suitable for this measurement.
Simulating the Impact of Glassy Carbon Foam Electrodes on the Performance of Sodium Iodine Batteries
Authors: Gerbig F. , Holzapfel M. , Nirschl H.
Published: April 2023

This publication examines the influences of glassy carbon foam electrodes on the overall battery performance of secondary sodium iodine batteries. The battery combines a molten sodium anode and an iodine-based cathode with NaSICON serving as a ceramic separator. The battery system works at 100 °C and is suitable for stationary energy storage. A long cycle life and good resource utilization are major concerns for establishing the proposed battery system. This paper employs a spatially resolved simulation approach to investigate the effects of foam electrodes of different porosities and cell sizes on the charging and discharging behavior. The spatially resolved model reflects species and mass transport as well as electrochemical processes and reactions in the positive half cell. An open-pored glassy carbon foam cathode structure shows an improved utilizable capacity compared to a simpler two-dimensional electrode. Parameter studies of foam porosity and specific surface area indicate that porosity is the crucial parameter for achievable depth of discharge. We conclude that glassy carbon open-pored foam of preferably high porosity is a suitable material for cathode electrodes in sodium iodine batteries.
Influence of Lithium Metal Deposition on Thermal Stability: Combined DSC and Morphology Analysis of Cyclic Aged Lithium Metal Batteries
Authors: Hellweg L. , Beuse T. , Winter M. , Börner M.
Published: April 2023

Safety properties of lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are key for potential commercialization. The few studies reported focus predominantly on pristine materials or as-assembled cells disregarding potential safety risks induced by cyclic aging and the associated formation of high surface area lithium deposits. Herein, LMBs using organic carbonate-solvent electrolyte were investigated to decipher the influence of the lithium metal deposition behavior on the thermal stability. For this purpose, cells were cycled to different states of health, states of charge and at varied current densities during charging before analyzing the thermal stability on material and cell level via differential scanning calorimetry. In combination with cryogenic-focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy it is possible to correlate the lithium metal deposition morphology with the thermal stability. Therein, accumulation of highly porous lithium metal deposits during cycling leads to a significant increase of released heat caused by highly exothermic reactions between deposited lithium and the electrolyte. Consequently, a denser deposition morphology shifts the onset for exothermic decomposition reactions to higher temperatures. Overall, this study introduces the combination of different analytical techniques to evaluate LMB safety properties and reveals the safety-relevant impact of cyclic aging on thermal stability.
Effect of Higher-Order Harmonics on the Steady-State Neutron Flux in Accelerator-Driven Subcritical Reactors
Authors: Ni Zining , Xie Jinsen , Wasaye Muhammad Abdul , Zhang Erpin , Yu Tao
Published: April 2023

Higher-order neutron fluxes (i.e., higher-order harmonics) are widely applied in perturbation theory and modal kinetics, and they are important for research on the physical characteristics of accelerator-driven subcritical reactors (ADSRs). This paper presents a computational scheme for reconstructing the neutron flux in the steady state according to the biorthogonal properties of the forward and adjoint neutron fluxes, which can be used to analyze how higher-order harmonics affect the steady-state neutron flux under

λ

- and prompt

α

-modes. Simulation results indicated that a modal synthesis method based on

λ

- and prompt

α

-modes can effectively reconstruct the steady-state neutron flux and core power in an ADSR with a power reconstruction accuracy of within 5%. The higher-order harmonics can be classified into three types according to their physical characteristics: the first type contributes significantly to the steady-state neutron flux, the second type contributes almost nothing to the steady-state neutron flux, and the third type contributes nothing to the steady-state neutron flux. The external neutron source contributes only to specific harmonic expansion orders, which are characterized by significant axial and radial symmetry for both the

λ

- and prompt

α

-modes.