bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Venous thromboembolism and intracranial hemorrhage in patients undergoing glioblastoma surgery
Authors: Wilhelmy Florian , Gaier Michael , Planitzer Uwe , Kasper Johannes , Prasse Gordian , Frydrychowicz Clara , Oesemann René , Meixensberger Jürgen , Lindner Dirk
Published: December 2023

In the perioperative management of patients with glioblastoma (GBM), physicians face the question of whether and when to administer prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation (AC). In this study, we investigate the effects of the timing of postoperative heparinization on thromboembolic events (TE) and postoperative hemorrhage (bleeding, PH) as well as the interactions between the two in the context of an underlying intracerebral malignancy. For this retrospective data analysis, 222 patients who underwent surgery for grade IV glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype (2016 CNS WHO) between 01/01/2014 and 31/12/2019 were included. We followed up for 12 months. We assessed various biographical and clinical data for risk factors and focused on the connection between timepoint of AC and adverse events. Subgroup analyses were performed for pulmonary artery embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis, and postoperative intracranial hemorrhage (PH) that either required surgical intervention or was controlled radiologically only. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann–Whitney U-Test, Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test and univariate binomial logistic regression. p values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant. There was no significant association between prophylactic AC within 24 h and more frequent major bleeding (p = 0.350). AC in patients who developed major bleeding was regularly postponed by the physician/surgeon upon detection of the re-bleeding; therefore, patients with PH were anticoagulated significantly later (p = 0.034). The timing of anticoagulant administration did not differ significantly between patients who experienced a thromboembolic event and those who did not (p = 0.634). There was considerable overlap between the groups. Three of the six patients (50%) with PE had to be lysed or therapeutically anticoagulated and thereafter developed major bleeding (p < 0.001). Patients who experienced TE were more likely to die during hospitalization than those with major bleeding (p = 0.022 vs. p = 1.00). Prophylactic AC within 24 h after surgery does not result in more frequent bleeding. Our data suggests that postoperative intracranial hemorrhage is not caused by prophylactic AC but rather is a surgical complication or the result of antithrombotic therapy. However, thromboembolic events worsen patient outcomes far more than postoperative bleeding. The fact that bleeding may occur as a complication of life-saving lysis therapy in the setting of a thromboembolic event should be included in this cost–benefit consideration.
Sex-related differences in parental rearing patterns in young adults with bipolar disorder
Authors: Zhao Huifang , Zhang Xujing , Xiu Meihong , Wu Fengchun
Published: December 2023

The aim of this study was to examine the parenting characteristics of young patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and explore the sex differences. The parental rearing pattern of young patients with BD was measured and compared with the healthy control of young adults. The EMBU scale was used to assess parental rearing patterns. Patients with BD reported significantly higher scores in the punishment and severity index, as well as of the rejection and denial index, but lower scores in the warmth & affectionate index in the paternal rearing pattern, compared with healthy controls. In addition, patients scored higher on the punishment and severity index and rejection and patterns index in maternal rearing patterns. More importantly, we found significant sex differences in maternal rearing patterns (pBonferroni < 0.05). Specifically, in the maternal rearing patterns, male patients had higher scores on the favoring index than male controls, whereas female patients had lower scores on the warmth & affectionate index than female controls. This study shows significant differences in parental rearing patterns between patients and control subjects. Male patients were overprotective by their mothers and female patients were overlooked by their mothers during upbringing.
Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors improve clinical outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus undergoing anthracycline-containing chemotherapy: an emulated target trial using nationwide cohort data in South Korea
Authors: Hwang Hui-Jeong , Kim Minji , Jun Ji Eun , Yon Dong Keon
Published: December 2023

Novel hypoglycemic agents, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), have shown protective effects against anthracycline (AC)-induced cardiotoxicity and exhibit partial anticancer effects in animal models. However, clinical evidence for this is scarce. This study aimed to evaluate whether SGLT2i improve the clinical outcomes of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) undergoing AC-containing chemotherapy. A total of 81,572 patients who underwent AC chemotherapy between 2014 and 2021 were recruited from a nationwide Korean cohort. Patients were classified into three groups: patients with T2DM taking SGLT2i (n = 780) and other hypoglycemic agents excluding SGLT2i (non-SGLT2i; n = 3,455) during AC chemotherapy, and the non-DM group (n = 77,337). The clinical outcome was a composite of heart failure hospitalization, acute myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and death. After propensity score matching, 779 SGLT2i users were compared with 7800 non-DM patients and 2,337 non-SGLT2i users. The SGLT2i group had better composite outcomes compared with the non-DM group (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 0.35, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.25–0.51) and compared with the non-SGLT2i group (adjusted HR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.32–0.69). In conclusion, SGLT2i may contribute to improving clinical outcomes in patients with T2DM undergoing AC-containing chemotherapy, through an emulated target trial using Korean nationwide cohort data.
Dog owner mental health is associated with dog behavioural problems, dog care and dog-facilitated social interaction: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Barcelos Ana Maria , Kargas Niko , Assheton Phil , Maltby John , Hall Sophie , Mills Daniel S.
Published: December 2023

Despite numerous qualitative and cross-sectional studies investigating how dog-related factors may impact owners’ well-being, empirical studies to test these causal effects are lacking. This prospective cohort study examined the correlation and potential causal effect of 17 dog-related factors with six well-being outcomes (depression, anxiety, loneliness, suicidal ideation, hedonic well-being and eudaimonic well-being) in dog owners. Over a four-week period, 709 adult dog owners reported their weekly well-being and occurrence of each dog-related factor (e.g. how many times they ran with their dogs). A random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) with significance threshold set at 0.001 was used. Six factors correlated with poorer owner well-being (i.e. aggressive dog behaviour, fearful dog behaviour, poor dog health, failure to provide for the dog, lack of control over the dog, and dog presence). Only ‘friendly conversation with others due to the dog’ correlated with better well-being. Purposeful reductions in the frequency of dog behavioural and health-related issues are likely to improve owner well-being, as well as greater consistency in dog care (i.e. provide for the dog) and more engagement in friendly dog-facilitated social interactions. No potential causal effects were significant. Further studies investigating causal relationships are essential to improve people’s well-being through dog ownership.
Handwriting identification and verification using artificial intelligence-assisted textural features
Authors: Zhao Heng , Li Huihui
Published: December 2023

Intelligent process control and automation systems require verification authentication through digital or handwritten signatures. Digital copies of handwritten signatures have different pixel intensities and spatial variations due to the factors of the surface, writing object, etc. On the verge of this fluctuating drawback for control systems, this manuscript introduces a Spatial Variation-dependent Verification (SVV) scheme using textural features (TF). The handwritten and digital signatures are first verified for their pixel intensities for identification point detection. This identification point varies with the signature’s pattern, region, and texture. The identified point is spatially mapped with the digital signature for verifying the textural feature matching. The textural features are extracted between two successive identification points to prevent cumulative false positives. A convolution neural network aids this process for layered analysis. The first layer is responsible for generating new identification points, and the second layer is responsible for selecting the maximum matching feature for varying intensity. This is non-recurrent for the different textures exhibited as the false factor cuts down the iterated verification. Therefore, the maximum matching features are used for verifying the signatures without high false positives. The proposed scheme’s performance is verified using accuracy, precision, texture detection, false positives, and verification time.
Chronic flooding events due to sea-level rise in French Guiana
Authors: Thiéblemont Rémi , Le Cozannet Gonéri , D’Anna Maurizio , Idier Déborah , Belmadani Ali , Slangen Aimée B. A. , Longueville François
Published: December 2023

As sea levels are rising, the number of chronic flooding events at high tide is increasing across the world coastlines. Yet, many events reported so far either lack observational evidence of flooding, or relate to coastal areas where ground subsidence or oceanic processes often enhance climate change-induced sea-level rise (SLR). Here we present observational and modelling evidence of high-tide flooding events that are unlikely to occur without SLR in French Guiana, where sea-level rise rates are close to the global average and where there is no significant ground subsidence. In particular, on 16 October 2020, a well-documented flooding event happened in Cayenne under calm weather conditions. Our probabilistic assessment of daily maximum water levels superimposed on SLR shows that this event can be modelled and is a consequence of SLR. As sea levels will continue to rise, we show that the number, severity and extent of such high-tide flooding events will increase across several urban areas of French Guiana, with an evolution depending on the topography. As concerns are growing regarding the economic impacts and adaptation challenges of high-tide chronic events across the world, our study provides new evidence that this early impact of SLR is emerging now.
Impact of gamification on green consumption behavior integrating technological awareness, motivation, enjoyment and virtual CSR
Authors: Shahzad Muhammad Farrukh , Xu Shuo , Rehman Obaid ul , Javed Iqra
Published: December 2023

Gamification entails integrating game design elements, including rewards, points, competition, and interactive challenges, into non-game contexts to engage and motivate individuals. In the context of green consumption, gamification can encourage individuals to acquire more sustainable consumption behaviors. The proposed study aims to examine the influence of gamification on green consumption behavior among Chinese university students. However, university students are considered an important target group for such interventions due to their technological savvy and high interest in environmental issues. A self-determination theory (SDT) was used to measure the motivating factors of gamification for adopting green consumption behavior—a convenience sampling technique in which survey-based research designs were used to collect the data. A survey was conducted on a sample of 332 university students in China, using a questionnaire with structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypotheses and assess the proposed relationships between the variables. The finding of this study reveals that gamification has a significant negative relation with green consumption behavior. Further, technological awareness, hedonic motivation, and perceived enjoyment significantly mediate the relationship between gamification and green consumption behavior. Additionally, virtual CSR significantly moderates the relationship between gamification and technological awareness, hedonic motivation, and perceived enjoyment. The findings of this study could have implications for the development of more effective interventions for policy makers and industrialists aimed at promoting sustainable consumption behaviors in China.
AAV production in stable packaging cells requires expression of adenovirus 22/33K protein to allow episomal amplification of integrated rep/cap genes
Authors: Su Weiheng , Seymour Leonard W. , Cawood Ryan
Published: December 2023

Efficient manufacture of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors for gene therapy remains challenging. Packaging cell lines containing stable integration of the AAV rep/cap genes have been explored, however rAAV production needs to be induced using wild-type adenoviruses to promote episomal amplification of the integrated rep/cap genes by mobilizing a cis-acting replication element (CARE). The adenovirus proteins responsible are not fully defined, and using adenovirus during rAAV manufacture leads to contamination of the rAAV preparation. ‘TESSA’ is a helper adenovirus with a self-repressing Major Late Promoter (MLP). Its helper functions enable efficient rAAV manufacture when the rep and cap genes are provided in trans but is unable to support rAAV production from stable packaging cells. Using rAAV-packaging cell line HeLaRC32, we show that expression of the adenovirus L4 22/33K unit is essential for rep/cap amplification but the proteins are titrated away by binding to replicating adenovirus genomes. siRNA-knockdown of the adenovirus DNA polymerase or the use of a thermosensitive TESSA mutant decreased adenovirus genome replication whilst maintaining MLP repression, thereby recovering rep/cap amplification and efficient rAAV manufacture. Our findings have direct implications for engineering more efficient adenovirus helpers and superior rAAV packaging/producer cells.
Hs27 fibroblast response to contact guidance cues
Authors: Kim C. , Robitaille M. , Christodoulides J. , Ng Y. , Raphael M. , Kang W.
Published: December 2023

Contact guidance is the phenomena of how cells respond to the topography of their external environment. The morphological and dynamic cell responses are strongly influenced by topographic features such as lateral and vertical dimensions, namely, ridge and groove widths and groove depth ($${{\text{R}}}_{{\text{w}}}, {{\text{G}}}_{{\text{w}}},\,\mathrm{and}\,\,{{\text{G}}}_{{\text{D}}}$$

R
w

,

G
w

,

and

G
D

, respectively). However, experimental studies that independently quantify the effect of the individual dimensions as well as their coupling on cellular function are still limited. In this work, we perform extensive parametric studies in the dimensional space—well beyond the previously studied range in the literature—to explore topographical effects on morphology and migration of Hs27 fibroblasts via static and dynamic analyses of live cell images. Our static analysis reveals that the $${{\text{G}}}_{{\text{D}}}$$

G
D

is most significant, followed by the $${{\text{R}}}_{{\text{w}}}$$

R
w

. The fibroblasts appear to be more elongated and aligned in the groove direction as the $${{\text{G}}}_{{\text{D}}}$$

G
D

increases, but their trend changes after 725 nm. Interestingly, the cell shape and alignment show a very strong correlation regardless of $${{\text{G}}}_{{\text{D}}}$$

G
D

. Our dynamic analysis confirms that directional cell migration is also strongly influenced by the $${{\text{G}}}_{{\text{D}}}$$

G
D

, while the effect of the $${{\text{R}}}_{{\text{w}}}$$

R
w

and $${{\text{G}}}_{{\text{w}}}$$

G
w

is statistically insignificant. Directional cell migration, as observed in the static cell behavior, shows the statistically significant transition when the $${{\text{G}}}_{{\text{D}}}$$

G
D

is 725 nm, showing the intimate links between cell morphology and migration. We propose possible scenarios to offer mechanistic explanations of the observed cell behavior.
Significance of headache in intracranial vertebrobasilar artery dissections: an observational study
Authors: Lee Seong-Joon , Lee Jin Soo , Kim Min , Park So Young , Jung Woo Sang , Choi Jin Wook , Lim Yong Cheol , Hong Ji Man
Published: December 2023

Headache may represent acute phase of intracranial vertebrobasilar artery dissection (iVBAD). We aimed to evaluate its clinical significance in iVBAD. Consecutive acute iVBAD patients were grouped into ruptured iVBAD, unruptured iVBAD with no headache, isolated headache, or concurrent headache with neurological symptoms. Composite hemorrhagic/ischemic endpoints, and dynamic arterial changes were graded. Clinical characteristics of the four groups, and association between headache and composite outcomes was evaluated. Headaches were precedent in 79% of the ruptured iVBAD patients (maximal delay, 10D). In unruptured iVBAD, when patients with no headache (N = 69), concurrent headache (N = 111), and isolated headache (N = 126) were compared, concurrent headache was associated with ischemic endpoints (isolated headache as reference, adjusted odds ratio: 6.40, 95% confidence interval [2.03–20.19]). While there were no differences in hemorrhagic endpoints, dynamic arterial changes were higher in the isolated headache group (aOR: 3.98, 95% CI [1.72–9.18]) but not for the concurrent headache group (aOR: 1.59 [0.75–3.38]) compared to no headache group. Headache was more commonly severe (48.4% vs. 17.3%, p < 0.001) and ipsilateral (59.7% vs. 45.5%, p = 0.03) for isolated headache compared to concurrent headache, indicating a higher causal relationship. In iVBAD, isolated headache may be considered an acute-phase biomarker, associated with dynamic arterial changes.
Evaluation of L6 augmentation signal reception characteristics and positioning accuracy of compact and lightweight GNSS antennas
Authors: Suzuki Taro
Published: December 2023

Applications requiring outdoor position estimation, such as unmanned construction and delivery automation, focus on receiving global navigation satellite system (GNSS) correction information from satellites for high-precision positioning. In particular, the delivery of correction information for the Galileo high-accuracy service (HAS) and quasi-zenith satellite system (QZSS) centimeter-level augmentation service (CLAS) is based on a new frequency band called L6. The L6 signal is a new type of GNSS signal, and a GNSS antenna corresponding to the frequency of the L6 signal (1275.46 MHz) is required to receive and decode the correction messages. The reception characteristics of the L6 signal are important for receiving correction information. However, the reception performance of antennas supporting the new L6 signal has not been evaluated. Therefore, in this study, we evaluate the reception characteristics of the L6 signal of a compact and lightweight L6-compatible antenna, and the multipath characteristics, which are the fundamental performance of the antenna that affects high-precision positioning. In a 24-hour static test, each antenna’s signal reception performance and multipath characteristics were evaluated, and significant differences were found in performance among the antennas capable of receiving the L6 signal. Furthermore, in a kinematic test, we evaluated high-accuracy positioning using QZSS CLAS with multiple antennas and showed that centimeter-level positioning using L6 augmentation signals is possible even with compact and lightweight GNSS antennas. These evaluations provide guidelines for antenna selection when high-precision positioning using L6 signals is employed in various applications.
Isolation, identification and pathogenicity of local entomopathogenic bacteria as biological control agents against the wild cochineal Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) on cactus pear in Morocco
Authors: El Fakhouri Karim , Ramdani Chaimae , Aasfar Abderrahim , Boulamtat Rachid , Sijilmassi Badreddine , El Bouhssini Mustapha , Kadmiri Issam Meftah
Published: December 2023

The Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) cactus, a crucial crop in Morocco, is threatened by the wild cochineal, Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell). The aim of this research was to investigate the efficacy of nine bacterial strains against both D. opuntiae nymphs and adults females applied individually or after black soap in the laboratory, greenhouse, and field conditions. Using the partial 16S ribosomal DNA, the bacterial isolates were identified as Pseudomonas koreensis, Pseudomonas sp., Burkholderia sp. and Bacillus sp. Under laboratory conditions, the insecticidal activity of P. koreensis strain 66Ms.04 showed the level mortality (88%) of adult females’ at 108 CFU/mL, 7 days after application. At a concentration of 108 CFU/mL, P. koreensis strain 66Ms.04 and Pseudomonas sp. (strains 37 and 5) caused 100% nymphs mortality rate three days after application. Under greenhouse conditions, the use of P. koreensis strain 66Ms.04 at 108 CFU/mL following the application of black soap (60 g/L) demonstrated the maximum levels of females and nymphs’ mortalities with 80 and 91.25%, respectively, after 8 days of treatment. In field conditions, the combined application of the P. koreensis strain 66Ms.04 at 108 CFU/mL with black soap at 60 g/L, for an interval of 7 days, significantly increased the mortality of adult females to 93.33% at 7 days after the second application. These findings showed that the combined treatment of P. koreensis strain 66Ms.04 with black soap can be a potent and eco-friendly pesticide against D. opuntiae.
Review on microgrids design and monitoring approaches for sustainable green energy networks
Authors: Ahmed Ijaz , Rehan Muhammad , Basit Abdul , Ahmad Hasnain , Ahmed Waqas , Ullah Nasim , Piecha Marian , Blazek Vojtech , Prokop Lukas
Published: December 2023

Microgrids are power distribution systems that can operate either in a grid-connected configuration or in an islanded manner, depending on the availability of decentralized power resources, such as sustainable or non-sustainable power sources, battery backup systems, and power demands. The extensive adoption of inverter-based systems poses numerous technological challenges, necessitating a centralized management system to assure the system reliability and monitoring of the energy delivery networks. Thus, this research begins by highlighting these significant obstacles and then analyzes the present-day advances in multilevel control architecture for delivering on promised functionality. This article also discusses the development of innovative control technologies, such as introducing collaborative distributed approaches and reducing conventional three-stage patriarchal administration to fewer stages of system integration and functioning.
Resource efficient aortic distensibility calculation by end to end spatiotemporal learning of aortic lumen from multicentre multivendor multidisease CMR images
Authors: Bohoran Tuan Aqeel , Parke Kelly S. , Graham-Brown Matthew P. M. , Meisuria Mitul , Singh Anvesha , Wormleighton Joanne , Adlam David , Gopalan Deepa , Davies Melanie J. , Williams Bryan , Brown Morris , McCann Gerry P. , Giannakidis Archontis
Published: December 2023

Aortic distensibility (AD) is important for the prognosis of multiple cardiovascular diseases. We propose a novel resource-efficient deep learning (DL) model, inspired by the bi-directional ConvLSTM U-Net with densely connected convolutions, to perform end-to-end hierarchical learning of the aorta from cine cardiovascular MRI towards streamlining AD quantification. Unlike current DL aortic segmentation approaches, our pipeline: (i) performs simultaneous spatio-temporal learning of the video input, (ii) combines the feature maps from the encoder and decoder using non-linear functions, and (iii) takes into account the high class imbalance. By using multi-centre multi-vendor data from a highly heterogeneous patient cohort, we demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art method in terms of accuracy and at the same time it consumes $$\sim$$
∼
3.9 times less fuel and generates $$\sim$$
∼
2.8 less carbon emissions. Our model could provide a valuable tool for exploring genome-wide associations of the AD with the cognitive performance in large-scale biomedical databases. By making energy usage and carbon emissions explicit, the presented work aligns with efforts to keep DL’s energy requirements and carbon cost in check. The improved resource efficiency of our pipeline might open up the more systematic DL-powered evaluation of the MRI-derived aortic stiffness.
A visual positioning model for UAV’s patrolling video sequence images based on DOM rectification
Authors: Liu Haojie , Fan Wei , Wu Di
Published: December 2023

With technological development of multi sensors, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) can identify and locate key targets in essential monitoring areas or geological disaster-prone areas by taking video sequence images, and precise positioning of the video sequence images is constantly a matter of great concern. In recent years, precise positioning of aerial images has been widely studied. But it is still a challenge to simultaneously realize precise, robust and dynamic positioning of UAV’s patrolling video sequence images in real time. In order to solve this problem, a visual positioning model for patrolling video sequence images based on DOM rectification is proposed, including a robust block-matching algorithm and a precise polynomial-rectifying algorithm. First, the robust block-matching algorithm is used to obtain the best matching area for UAV’s video sequence image on DOM (Digital Orthophoto Map), a pre-acquired digital orthophoto map covering the whole UAV’s patrolling region. Second, the precise polynomial-rectifying algorithm is used to calculate accurate rectification parameters of mapping UAV’s video sequence image to the best matching area obtained above, and then real time positioning of UAV’s patrolling video sequence images can be realized. Finally, the above two algorithms are analyzed and verified by three practical experiments, and results indicate that even if spatial resolution, surface specific features, illumination condition and topographic relief are significantly different between DOM and UAV’s patrolling video sequence images, proposed algorithms can still steadily realize positioning of each UAV’s patrolling video sequence image with about 2.5 m level accuracy in 1 s. To some extent, this study has improved precise positioning effects of UAV’s patrolling video sequence images in real time, and the proposed mathematical model can be directly incorporated into UAV’s patrolling system without any hardware overhead.
Diagnosing lagophthalmos using artificial intelligence
Authors: Knoedler Leonard , Alfertshofer Michael , Simon Siddharth , Prantl Lukas , Kehrer Andreas , Hoch Cosima C. , Knoedler Samuel , Lamby Philipp
Published: December 2023

Lagophthalmos is the incomplete closure of the eyelids posing the risk of corneal ulceration and blindness. Lagophthalmos is a common symptom of various pathologies. We aimed to program a convolutional neural network to automatize lagophthalmos diagnosis. From June 2019 to May 2021, prospective data acquisition was performed on 30 patients seen at the Department of Plastic, Hand, and Reconstructive Surgery at the University Hospital Regensburg, Germany (IRB reference number: 20-2081-101). In addition, comparative data were gathered from 10 healthy patients as the control group. The training set comprised 826 images, while the validation and testing sets consisted of 91 patient images each. Validation accuracy was 97.8% over the span of 64 epochs. The model was trained for 17.3 min. For training and validation, an average loss of 0.304 and 0.358 and a final loss of 0.276 and 0.157 were noted. The testing accuracy was observed to be 93.41% with a loss of 0.221. This study proposes a novel application for rapid and reliable lagophthalmos diagnosis. Our CNN-based approach combines effective anti-overfitting strategies, short training times, and high accuracy levels. Ultimately, this tool carries high translational potential to facilitate the physician’s workflow and improve overall lagophthalmos patient care.
Data analysis on the three defect wavelengths of a MoS2-based defective photonic crystal using machine learning
Authors: Ansari Narges , Sohrabi Atieh , Mirbaghestan Kimia , Hashemi Mahdieh
Published: December 2023

To reduce the dimension of optoelectronic devices, recently, Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) monolayers with direct bandgap in the visible range are widely used in designing a variety of photonic devices. In these applications, adjustability of the working wavelength and bandwidth with optimum absorption value plays an important role. This work proposes a symmetric defective photonic crystal with three defects containing MoS2 monolayer to achieve triple narrowband defect modes with wavelength adjustability throughout the Photonic Band Gap (PBG) region, 560 to 680 nm. Within one of our designs remarkable FWHM approximately equal to 5 nm with absorption values higher than 90% for the first and third defect modes are achieved. The impacts of varying structural parameters on absorption value and wavelength of defect modes are investigated. Due to the multiplicity of structural parameters which results in data plurality, the optical properties of the structure are also predicted by machine learning techniques to assort the achieved data. Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) modeling is used to predict the absorption and wavelength of defect modes for four datasets based on various permutations of structural variables. The machine learning modeling results are highly accurate due to the obtained R2-score and cross-validation score values higher than 90%.
Deep learning-based image classification of turtles imported into Korea
Authors: Baek Jong-Won , Kim Jung-Il , Kim Chang-Bae
Published: December 2023

Although turtles play a key role in maintaining healthy and balanced environments, these are endangered due to global trade to meet the high demand for food, medicine, and pets in Asia. In addition, imported non-native turtles have been controlled as alien invasive species in various countries, including Korea. Therefore, a rapid and accurate classification of imported turtles is needed to conserve and detect those in native ecosystems. In this study, eight Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SSD) models using different backbone networks were used to classify 36 imported turtles in Korea. The images of these species were collected from Google and were identified using morphological features. Then, these were divided into 70% for training, 15% for validation, and 15% for test sets. In addition, data augmentation was applied to the training set to prevent overfitting. Among the eight models, the Resnet18 model showed the highest mean Average Precision (mAP) at 88.1% and the fastest inference time at 0.024 s. The average correct classification rate of 36 turtles in this model was 82.8%. The results of this study could help in management of the turtle trade, specifically in improving detection of alien invasive species in the wild.
The effect of mindfulness meditation on dental anxiety during implant surgery: a randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: Turer Onur Ucak , Ozcan Mustafa , Alkaya Bahar , Demirbilek Furkan , Alpay Nilgun , Daglioglu Gulcin , Seydaoglu Gulsah , Haytac M. Cenk
Published: December 2023

Dental implant surgery is almost always associated with patient anxiety. Anxiety during dental surgical procedures triggers an increase in sympathetic activity. Mindfulness meditation (MM) is often associated with high levels of relaxation in the form of increased parasympathetic tone and decreased sympathetic activity. However, the effect of MM on dental anxiety is not clear. The current study aimed to show the effects of a MM as a sedative technique during dental implant surgery by examining the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), bispectral index (BIS), cortisol levels (CL), systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR) and saturation (SpO2) parameters. HR, SBP, DBP, SpO2, BIS score and CLs were compared at the baseline, immediately before-, during-, and immediately after surgery between the test and control groups. We found that the MM resulted in significant decrease in BIS together with positive effects on hemodynamic parameters (decrease of HR, SBP, DBP and increase of SpO2), psychological findings (improvement on STAI-S scores) and biochemical outcomes (decreased CL). In conclusion, the results demonstrate that MM appeared to be a reliable strategy for managing stress during dental implant operation with benefits in psychological, physiological and biochemical outcomes.
A machine learning approach toward automating spatial identification of LAG3+/CD3+ cells in ulcerative colitis
Authors: Bonnevie Edward D. , Dobrzynski Eric , Steiner Dylan , Hildebrand Deon , Monslow James , Singh Mohan , Decman Vilma , Krull David L.
Published: December 2023

Over the past decade, automation of digital image analysis has become commonplace in both research and clinical settings. Spurred by recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), tissue sub-compartments and cellular phenotypes within those compartments can be identified with higher throughput and accuracy than ever before. Recently, immune checkpoints have emerged as potential targets for auto-immune diseases. As such, spatial identification of these proteins along with immune cell markers (e.g., CD3+/LAG3+ T-cells) is a crucial step in understanding the potential and/or efficacy of such treatments. Here, we describe a semi-automated imaging and analysis pipeline that identifies CD3+/LAG3+ cells in colorectal tissue sub-compartments. While chromogenic staining has been a clinical mainstay and the resulting brightfield images have been utilized in AI/ML approaches in the past, there are associated drawbacks in phenotyping algorithms that can be overcome by fluorescence imaging. To address these tradeoffs, we developed an analysis pipeline combining the strengths of brightfield and fluorescence images. In this assay, immunofluorescence imaging was conducted to identify phenotypes followed by coverslip removal and hematoxylin and eosin staining of the same section to inform an AI/ML tissue segmentation algorithm. This assay proved to be robust in both tissue segmentation and phenotyping, was compatible with automated workflows, and revealed presence of LAG3+ T-cells in ulcerative colitis biopsies with spatial context preserved.
Thermal reaction products and formation pathways of two monoterpenes under in situ thermal desorption conditions that mimic vaping coil temperatures
Authors: Niu Jianjun , Zhu Jiping
Published: December 2023

Vaping has become more popular and different brands and types of vaping devices have rapidly emerged. However, little is known about the potential health risks of human inhalation exposures to the volatile chemicals in the vapour, which includes both directly vaporised components of vaping liquid and their reaction products formed during vaping processes. This study investigated reaction products of two monoterpenes (α-pinene and terpinolene) that are used as flavouring agents in vaping liquids with a focus on the identification of reaction products and their formation pathways. The thermal desorption was conducted under an in situ condition that is in the range of heating coil temperature in vaping by thermally desorbing the chemicals at a temperature range of 100–300 °C. Additional clean air was introduced during the thermal desorption. 36 and 29 reaction products were identified from α-pinene and terpinolene, respectively, at a relative concentration of 0.01% and greater in the desorbed mixture. 3-Carene was the dominant reaction product of α-pinene, while reaction products of terpinolene was dominated by p-isopropenyltoluene. Several reaction pathways including ring opening, allylic oxidation, cyclo-etherification, Wagner–Meerwein rearrangement, epoxidation, cleavage and removal of partial structure, and dehydration were involved in the formation of various reaction products. These pathways and resulting relative concentrations of residual parent compound and reaction products were influenced by both temperature and amount of air present during thermal desorption. The study results demonstrate possible existence of reaction products from thermally labile chemicals like monoterpenes in vaping aerosols and can help inform policies regulating vaping devices and products to protect public health.
Selected conservation management strategies enhance maize yield stability in the sub-humid tropical agro-ecozone of Upper Eastern Kenya
Authors: Kiboi Milka , Musafiri Collins , Fliessbach Andreas , Ng’etich Onesmus , Wakindiki Isaiah , Ngetich Felix
Published: December 2023

Conservation management strategies have been recommended to enhance soil fertility, moisture retention, crop yield, and yield stability in rainfed agriculture. However, there is limited research on yield stability. We evaluated the effect of integrating soil inputs in conservation tillage on yield and yield stability in Meru South, Upper Eastern Kenya, for eleven consecutive cropping seasons. The trial treatments included conservation tillage without soil inputs (Mt), conservation tillage with soil inputs: sole inorganic fertilizer (F), residue + inorganic fertilizer (RF), residue + inorganic fertilizer + manure (RFM), residue + manure + legume Dolichos Lablab L. (RML), residue + Tithonia + manure (RTM), residue + Tithonia + phosphate rock (RTP) and conventional tillage (Control). Conservation tillage with RFM was the best-fit strategy for enhancing yields. There was heterogeneity in yield residual variance. A larger residual variance implied lesser yield stability. Mt treatment had the least yield residual variance of 0.12 Mg ha−2, followed by Ct and RML, 0.15 Mg ha−2, while RTM had the highest yield residual variance of 0.62 Mg ha−2. Contrarily, the most stable treatments had the least average yields. The study indicated a positive influence of incorporating soil inputs in conservation tillage on yield and suggests longer-term research for yield stability.
Maternal and pregnancy predictive risk factors for having a compensated maternal injury claim: a Swedish nationwide cohort study
Authors: Ivert A. , Holowko N. , Liu X. , Edqvist M. , Roos N. , Gustafson P. , Stephansson O.
Published: December 2023

To describe trends and identify maternal and pregnancy predictive risk factors for having a compensated claim for a maternal injury during delivery, as a proxy for having received suboptimal care. This nationwide retrospective cohort study included 1 754 869 births in Sweden between 2000 and 2016, including 4488 maternal injury claims filed with The National Swedish Patient Insurance Company (Löf), of which 1637 were compensated. Descriptive statistics on maternal and pregnancy characteristics, trends in filed/compensated claims over time, and distribution of compensated claims by clinical classification are presented. Characteristics associated with suboptimal care were identified using multivariable logistic regression, with mutual adjustment in the final model. Compensated claims were sorted into 14 clinical classifications (ICD-10 codes for main condition, injury, and causality). Overall, there was a two-fold increase in filed claims from 2000 to 2016, peaking in 2014. The rate of compensated claims only increased marginally, and 36.5% of filed claims were deemed avoidable. Perineal and pelvic floor injuries, as well as medical and diagnostic errors, were responsible for the majority of compensated claims. Women with a previous caesarean section, post term delivery, chronic or gestational disease, > 13 antenatal visits, or a multiple pregnancy had increased risk of having a compensated claim for a maternal injury during delivery. Understanding the risk factors for having a compensated maternal injury claim may guide health workers and maternity wards in improving the quality and organisation of care to reduce the risk of childbirth related injuries.
The MetaInvert soil invertebrate genome resource provides insights into below-ground biodiversity and evolution
Authors: Collins Gemma , Schneider Clément , Boštjančić Ljudevit Luka , Burkhardt Ulrich , Christian Axel , Decker Peter , Ebersberger Ingo , Hohberg Karin , Lecompte Odile , Merges Dominik , Muelbaier Hannah , Romahn Juliane , Römbke Jörg , Rutz Christelle , Schmelz Rüdiger , Schmidt Alexandra , Theissinger Kathrin , Veres Robert , Lehmitz Ricarda , Pfenninger Markus , Bálint Miklós
Published: December 2023

Soil invertebrates are among the least understood metazoans on Earth. Thus far, the lack of taxonomically broad and dense genomic resources has made it hard to thoroughly investigate their evolution and ecology. With MetaInvert we provide draft genome assemblies for 232 soil invertebrate species, representing 14 common groups and 94 families. We show that this data substantially extends the taxonomic scope of DNA- or RNA-based taxonomic identification. Moreover, we confirm that theories of genome evolution cannot be generalised across evolutionarily distinct invertebrate groups. The soil invertebrate genomes presented here will support the management of soil biodiversity through molecular monitoring of community composition and function, and the discovery of evolutionary adaptations to the challenges of soil conditions.
Unsupervised learning of pixel clustering in Mueller matrix images for mapping microstructural features in pathological tissues
Authors: Wan Jiachen , Dong Yang , Yao Yue , Xiao Weijin , Huang Ruqi , Xue Jing-Hao , Peng Ran , Pei Haojie , Tian Xuewu , Liao Ran , He Honghui , Zeng Nan , Li Chao , Ma Hui
Published: December 2023

In histopathology, doctors identify diseases by characterizing abnormal cells and their spatial organization within tissues. Polarization microscopy and supervised learning have been proved as an effective tool for extracting polarization parameters to highlight pathological features. Here, we present an alternative approach based on unsupervised learning to group polarization-pixels into clusters, which correspond to distinct pathological structures. For pathological samples from different patients, it is confirmed that such unsupervised learning technique can decompose the histological structures into a stable basis of characteristic microstructural clusters, some of which correspond to distinctive pathological features for clinical diagnosis. Using hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) samples, we demonstrate how the proposed framework can be utilized for segmentation of histological image, visualization of microstructure composition associated with lesion, and identification of polarization-based microstructure markers that correlates with specific pathology variation. This technique is capable of unraveling invisible microstructures in non-polarization images, and turn them into visible polarization features to pathologists and researchers.
Silver-decorated palladium on carbon catalyst for enhanced ammonium formate dehydrogenation
Authors: Dong Zhun , Mukhtar Ahmad , Ludwig Thomas , Akhade Sneha A. , Hu Wenda , Hu Jian Zhi , Grubel Katarzyna , Engelhard Mark , Wood Brandon C. , Autrey Tom , Lin Hongfei
Published: December 2023

Palladium (Pd)-based catalysts efficiently convert ammonium formate solution to hydrogen at low temperatures (<100 °C), but they tend to deactivate quickly during stability testing.
Thienoisoindigo-based recyclable conjugated polymers for organic electronics
Authors: Nozaki Naoya , Uva Azalea , Matsumoto Hidetoshi , Tran Helen , Ashizawa Minoru
Published: December 2023

Imine-based semiconducting polymers with thienoisoindigo-based monomers are 90% recoverable upon imine hydrolysis, enabling closed-loop recycling.
Nanoscale structural response of biomimetic cell membranes to controlled dehydration
Authors: Krok Emilia , Franquelim Henri G. , Chattopadhyay Madhurima , Orlikowska-Rzeznik Hanna , Schwille Petra , Piatkowski Lukasz
Published: December 2023

Reducing the hydration state of the membrane leads to an enhanced mixing of lipids characteristic of the liquid-disordered phase with those forming the liquid-ordered phase, and to the decrease in the hydrophobic mismatch between the two phases.
Selective and sensitive fluorescent staining of serum albumin in protein gel electrophoresis via sequence-defined oligo-dithiocarbamate
Authors: Jose Anna , Porel Mintu
Published: December 2023

This work presents a fluorescent sequence-defined oligo dithiocarbamate platform with a dansyl appendage for interaction studies with a range of proteins including BSA, HSA, proteinase, trypsin, lysozyme, hemoglobin, and amylase.
Infrared photoinduced electrochemiluminescence microscopy of single cells
Authors: Descamps Julie , Zhao Yiran , Goudeau Bertrand , Manojlovic Dragan , Loget Gabriel , Sojic Neso
Published: December 2023

Photo-induced electrochemiluminescence imaging of single cells is reported using an infrared light stimulus.
Three-dimensional blueprinting of molecular patterns in liquid crystalline polymers
Authors: Tabrizi Mohsen , Clement J. Arul , Babaei Mahnoush , Martinez Angel , Gao Junfeng , Ware Taylor H. , Shankar M. Ravi
Published: December 2023

Exploiting the interplay of anisotropic diamagnetic susceptibility of liquid crystalline monomers and site selective photopolymerization enables the fabrication of 3D freeforms with highly refined microstructures.
Electrophoretic propulsion of matchstick-shaped magnetodielectric particles in the presence of external magnetic fields in a nematic liquid crystal
Authors: S Archana , V. S. Devika , More Prasanna , Pujala Ravi Kumar , Dhara Surajit
Published: December 2023

Magnetodielectric matchstick-shaped particles have demonstrated the capability of transducing electric and magnetic energies simultaneously for controlled motion in nematic liquid crystals.