bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
3D Reconstruction and Measurement Analysis of a Dense Point Cloud Fused with a Depth Image
Authors: Qiao Yujing , Lv Ning , Zhang Siyuan
Published: September 2023

To solve the problems of holes, noise, and texture information missing in the traditional incremental reconstruction of complex surface objects, a 3D reconstruction method of depth image fusion surface dense point clouds is proposed, and texture feature creation is combined to obtain a 3D reconstruction model that takes into account the main body and details of the reconstructed object. First, the mechanism of surface dense reconstruction based on the patch-based multiview stereo (PMVS) algorithm is analyzed. Combined with the principle of view angle selection of stereo images, surface point cloud density reconstruction is performed. Then, the depth value is optimized by the region growing method, and the optimization model is established. The depth image is fused into a dense surface, and the reconstructed part is supplemented by the depth information. Finally, the Markov random field (MRF) is introduced to describe the richness of image details, and combined with the calculating method of the area coordinate, the texture coordinates are accurately calculated to reproduce the texture details of the 3D reconstruction model. 3D reconstruction experiments are performed on multiple indoor and outdoor model surfaces, and the experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve complete and accurate reconstruction of complex surface objects. Our method provides technical support for complex surface topography detection and has industrial practical significance.
Identifying Factors for Low-Risk Participation in Alternative Cardiac Rehabilitation Models for Patients with Coronary Heart Disease Using MI’S SCOREPAD
Authors: Brandt Eric J. , Garfein Joshua , Pai Chih-Wen , Bryant Joseph , Kline-Rogers Eva , Fink Samantha , Rubenfire Melvyn
Published: September 2023

Introduction. Although a recent joint society scientific statement (the American Association of Cardiovascular Pulmonary Rehabilitation, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Cardiology) suggests home-based cardiac rehab (CR) is appropriate for low- and moderate-risk patients, there are no paradigms to define such individuals with coronary heart disease. Methods. We reviewed a decade of data from all patients with coronary heart disease enrolled in a single CR center (University of Michigan) to identify the prevalence of low-risk factors, which may inform on consideration for participation in alternative models of CR. Low-risk factors included not having any of the following: metabolic syndrome, presence of implantable cardioverter defibrillator or permanent pacemaker, active smoking, prior stroke, congestive heart failure, obesity, advanced renal disease, poor exercise capacity, peripheral arterial disease, angina, or clinical depression (MI’S SCOREPAD). We report on the proportion of participants with these risk factors and the proportion with all of these low-risk factors. Results. The mean age of CR participants (

n
=
1984

) was 63 years; 25% were women, and 82% were non-Hispanic White. The mean number of low-risk factors was 8.5, which was similar in the 2011-2012 and 2018-2019 cohorts (8.5 vs. 8.3, respectively,

P
=
0.08

). Additionally, 9.3% of the 2011-2012 cohort and 7.6% of the 2018-2019 cohort had all 11 of the low-risk factors. Conclusion. In this observational study, we provide a first paradigm of identifying factors among coronary heart disease patients that may be considered low-risk and likely high-gain for participation in alternative models of CR. Further work is needed to track clinical outcomes in patients with these factors to determine thresholds for enrolling participants in alternative forms of CR.
Comprehensive Search for GPCR Compounds which Can Enhance MafA and/or PDX-1 Expression Levels Using a Small Molecule Compound Library
Authors: Kaneto Hideaki , Obata Atsushi , Shimoda Masashi , Kimura Tomohiko , Obata Yoshiyuki , Ikeda Tomoko , Moriuchi Saeko , Nakanishi Shuhei , Mune Tomoatsu , Kaku Kohei
Published: September 2023

It has been shown that chronic hyperglycemia gradually decreases insulin biosynthesis and secretion which is accompanied by reduced expression of very important insulin gene transcription factors MafA and PDX-1. Such phenomena are well known as β-cell glucose toxicity. It has been shown that the downregulation of MafA and/or PDX-1 expression considerably explains the molecular mechanism for glucose toxicity. However, it remained unknown which molecules can enhance MafA and/or PDX-1 expression levels. In this study, we comprehensively searched for G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) compounds which can enhance MafA and/or PDX-1 expression levels using a small molecule compound library in pancreatic β-cell line MIN6 cells and islets isolated from nondiabetic C57BL/6 J mice and obese type 2 diabetic C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice. We found that fulvestrant and dexmedetomidine hydrochloride increased MafA, PDX-1, or insulin expression levels in MIN6 cells. We confirmed that fulvestrant and dexmedetomidine hydrochloride increased MafA, PDX-1, or insulin expression levels in islets from nondiabetic mice as well. Furthermore, these reagents more clearly enhanced MafA, PDX-1, or insulin expression levels in islets from obese type 2 diabetic db/db mice in which MafA and PDX-1 expression levels are reduced due to glucose toxicity. In conclusion, fulvestrant and dexmedetomidine hydrochloride increased MafA, PDX-1, or insulin expression levels in MIN6 cells and islets from nondiabetic mice and obese type 2 diabetic db/db mice. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing some molecule which can enhance MafA and/or PDX-1 expression levels. Therefore, although further extensive study is necessary, we think that the information in this study could be, at least in part, useful at some point such as in the development of new antidiabetes medicine based on the molecular mechanism of β-cell glucose toxicity in the future.
Microtubule-Targeting Combined with HDAC Inhibition Is a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas
Authors: Ehteda Anahid , Khan Aaminah , Rajakumar Gayathiri , Vanniasinghe Anne S. , Gopalakrishnan Anjana , Liu Jie , Tsoli Maria , Ziegler David S.
Published: September 2023

Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG) are an incurable childhood brain cancer for which novel treatments are needed. DIPGs are characterized by a mutation in the H3 histone (H3K27M), resulting in loss of H3K27 methylation and global gene dysregulation. TRX-E-009–1 is a novel anticancer agent with preclinical activity demonstrated against a range of cancers. We examined the antitumor activity of TRX-E-009–1 against DIPG neurosphere cultures and observed tumor-specific activity with IC50s ranging from 20 to 100 nmol/L, whereas no activity was observed against normal human astrocyte cells. TRX-E-009–1 exerted its anti-proliferative effect through the induction of apoptotic pathways, with marked increases in cleaved caspase 3 and cleaved PARP levels, while also restoring histone H3K27me3 methylation. Co-administration of TRX-E-009–1 and the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor SAHA extended survival in DIPG orthotopic animal models. This antitumor effect was further enhanced with irradiation. Our findings indicate that TRX-E-009–1, combined with HDAC inhibition, represents a novel, potent therapy for children with DIPG.
A Novel Saliva and Serum miRNA Panel as a Potential Useful Index for Oral Cancer and the Association of miR-21 with Smoking History: a Pilot Study
Authors: Vageli Dimitra P. , Doukas Panagiotis G. , Shah Rema , Boyi Trinithas , Liu Christina , Judson Benjamin L.
Published: September 2023

Tobacco use is implicated in the carcinogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which is associated with poor survival if not diagnosed early. Identification of novel noninvasive, highly sensitive, and cost-effective diagnostic and risk assessment methods for OSCC would improve early detection. Here, we report a pilot study assessing salivary and serum miRNAs associated with OSCC and stratified by smoking status. Saliva and paired serum samples were collected from 23 patients with OSCC and 21 healthy volunteers, with an equal number of smokers and nonsmokers in each group. Twenty head and neck cancer–related miRNAs were quantified by qPCR (dual-labeled LNA probes) and analyzed by Welch t test (95% confidence interval). Four saliva miRNAs, miR-21, miR-136, miR-3928, and miR-29B, showed statistically significant overexpression in OSCC versus healthy controls (P < 0.05). miR-21 was statistically significantly overexpressed in OSCC smokers versus nonsmokers (P = 0.006). Salivary miR-21, miR-136, and miR-3928, and serum miR-21 and miR-136, showed statistically significant differential expression in early-stage tumors versus controls (P < 0.05), particularly miR-21 in smokers (P < 0.005). This pilot study provides a novel panel of saliva and serum miRNAs associated with oral cancer. Further validation as a potential useful index of oral cancer, particularly miR-21 in smokers and early-stage OSCC is warranted.

Prevention Relevance:

Saliva and serum miR-21, miR-136, miR-3928, and miR-29B, are potentially associated with oral cancer even at an early stage, especially miR-21 in individuals with a smoking history, a further validation in a larger cohort of subjects with premalignant and early malignant lesions need to confirm.
TABLE 1 from Nanoparticle Delivery of Immunostimulatory Alu RNA for Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Garland Kyle M. , Kwiatkowski Alexander J. , Tossberg John T. , Crooke Philip S. , Aune Thomas M. , Wilson John T.
Published: September 2023

Correlation of AEI to mutation, neoantigen, neopeptide, and cytolytic scores
FIGURE 5 from Nanoparticle Delivery of Immunostimulatory Alu RNA for Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Garland Kyle M. , Kwiatkowski Alexander J. , Tossberg John T. , Crooke Philip S. , Aune Thomas M. , Wilson John T.
Published: September 2023

Alu-NPs relay antitumor effects. A, Tumor growth curves for B16.F10 tumors treated intratumorally with 100 µL of either PBS or Alu-NPs at a 2 µg RNA dose (n = 4 or greater per treatment group). As indicated on the graph, treatments were administered three times every 3 days. The tumor growth curve for each treatment group was truncated to the first day in which a mouse in any treatment group reached the study endpoint. A two-way ANOVA with Sidak test was used for statistical analysis. *, P < 0.05; ***, P < 0.001; and ****, P < 0.0001. B, Total mouse weight over time for the mice with B16.F10 tumors. A two-way ANOVA with Sidak test was used for statistical analysis. C, Kaplan–Meier survival curve for the mice bearing B16.F10 tumors treated intratumorally with either PBS or Alu-NPs. log-rank (Mantel-C-ox) test was used for statistical analysis. D, Tumor growth curves for B16.F10 tumors treated as described in A with empty D-PDB NPs, edited Alu-NPs, or Alu-NPs. Edited Alu-NPs contain Alu RNA that is edited to be inactive (n = 7 per group). * represents P < 0.05 comparing Alu-NPs to PBS and D-PDB groups. E, Kaplan–Meier survival curve of mice treated with empty D-PDB NPs, edited Alu-NPs, or Alu-NPs. F, T-cell depletion was initiated with intraperitoneal injection of α-CD8 mAb (100 µg per injection) after tumor inoculation and before treatment. Alu-NPs were statistically different from PBS and Alu-NPs with α-CD8 treatment. Tumor growth curves for B16.F10 tumors after treatment as described in A in mice with or without CD8+ T-cell depletion (n = 8–9 per group). Experiments in A–E were repeated twice and F was conducted once. * represents P < 0.05 comparing Alu-NPs with PBS and Alu-NPs + α-CD8 treated mice. Figure created with biorender.com.
Extrauterine Retroperitoneal Leiomyomas: 3 Case Reports and Review of the Literature
Authors: Juste Álvarez Silvia , Miranda Utrera Natalia Rocío , Duarte Ojeda José Manuel , Sopeña Sutil Raquel , Gil Moradillo Javier , Guerrero-Ramos Félix , Hernández-Arroyo Mario , Santos Pérez De La Blanca Rocío , Rodríguez Antolín Alfredo , Gomez del Cañizo Carmen
Published: September 2023

Leiomyomas are benign mesenchymal tumors which originate from smooth muscle cells. Extrauterine leiomyomas are rare and they may arise where smooth muscle cells are found. Their diagnosis is challenging due to their heterogeneous ways of presentation. Histological analysis may reveal areas of sarcomatous differentiation; therefore, complete resection of the entire tumor is the only curative treatment. There is no adjuvant therapy proved to increase overall survival. It is essential to develop a standardized protocol, detailing how to follow up these patients since it is not reported in the literature to date; however, it is advisable to follow them because the local recurrence rate is high if small implants remain. In this review, we present 3 cases of extrauterine leiomyomas diagnosed and treated in our hospital. The management was different in each case, highlighting the heterogeneity of this condition. According to the literature, there are no solid guidelines on their management. We compare our experience with the data available to date in order to support the existing knowledge and provide our expertise for future studies.
Unerwünschter hoher Astigmatismus nach perforierender Keratoplastik bei Pseudophakie, korrigiert mit einer torischen Add-on-Intraokularlinse
Authors: Cid-Bertomeu Pau , Vilaltella Magí , Huerva Valentín
Published: September 2023

Im vorliegenden Fall wird über die Sehergebnisse eines pseudophaken Patienten mit hohem Astigmatismus nach perforierender Keratoplastik berichtet, der mit einer torischen AddOn®-Intraokularlinse (IOL) im Sulcus behandelt wurde. Der 79-jährige Mann mit einer ophthalmologischen Anamnese eines pseudoexfoliativen Glaukoms und einer Fuchs’schen Endotheldystrophie hatte ein Transplantatversagen nach einer automatisierten endothelialen Keratoplastik nach Descemet-Stripping an seinem rechten Auge. Daraufhin wurde eine perforierende Keratoplastik durchgeführt, und nach selektiver Nahtentfernung ergab sich an diesem Auge ein hoher Hornhautastigmatismus von –9,8 D bis 140°. Eine sekundäre torische AddOn®-IOL mit einer vom Hersteller berechneten Brechkraft von +11,0 D wurde auf 50° im Sulcus des rechten Auges implantiert. Für die IOL-Berechnung wurde die subjektive Refraktion verwendet. Die endgültige Refraktion betrug +1,0 D für die Sphäre und –2,0 D für den Zylinder bis 105°, mit einem sphärischen Äquivalent von 0,0 D. Die bestkorrigierte Sehschärfe betrug 1 Jahr nach der IOL-Implantation logMAR 0,1 (20/25, 0,8 dezimal). Unser Fallbericht zeigt, dass die torische AddOn®-Sekundär-IOL wirksam und sicher bei der Korrektur von Restfehlern mit hohem regulärem Astigmatismus nach Keratoplastik in pseudophaken Augen sein kann.
Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acids Prevent Cardiac Dysfunction in Viral Myocarditis via Interferon Type I Signaling
Authors: Zhou Zhou , Zhang Min , Zhao Chengcheng , Gao Xu , Wen Zheng , Wu Junfang , Chen Chen , Fleming Ingrid , Hu Jiong , Wang Dao Wen
Published: September 2023

Myocarditis is a challenging inflammatory disease of the heart, and better understanding of its pathogenesis is needed to develop specific drug therapies. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), active molecules synthesized by CYP (cytochrome P450) enzymes from arachidonic acids and hydrolyzed to less active dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids by sEH (soluble epoxide hydrolase), have been attributed anti-inflammatory activity. Here, we investigated whether EETs have immunomodulatory activity and exert protective effects on coxsackie B3 virus–induced myocarditis. Viral infection altered eicosanoid epoxide and diol levels in both patients with myocarditis and in the murine heart and correlated with the increased expression and activity of sEH after coxsackie B3 virus infection. Administration of a sEH inhibitor prevented coxsackie B3 virus–induced cardiac dysfunction and inflammatory infiltration. Importantly, EET/sEH inhibitor treatment attenuated viral infection or improved viral resistance by activating type I IFN (interferon) signaling. At the molecular level, EETs enhanced the interaction between GSK3β (glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta) and TBK1 (TANK-binding kinase 1) to promote IFN-β production. Our findings revealed that EETs and sEH inhibitors prevent the progress of coxsackie B3 virus–induced myocarditis, particularly by promoting viral resistance by increasing IFN production.
Cardiac Aging Is Promoted by Pseudohypoxia Increasing p300-Induced Glycolysis
Authors: Serio Simone , Pagiatakis Christina , Musolino Elettra , Felicetta Arianna , Carullo Pierluigi , Laura Frances Javier , Papa Laura , Rozzi Giacomo , Salvarani Nicolò , Miragoli Michele , Gornati Rosalba , Bernardini Giovanni , Condorelli Gianluigi , Papait Roberto
Published: September 2023

BACKGROUND:

Heart failure is typical in the elderly. Metabolic remodeling of cardiomyocytes underlies inexorable deterioration of cardiac function with aging: glycolysis increases at the expense of oxidative phosphorylation, causing an energy deficit contributing to impaired contractility. Better understanding of the mechanisms of this metabolic switching could be critical for reversing the condition.

METHODS:

To investigate the role of 3 histone modifications (H3K27ac, H3K27me3, and H3K4me1) in the metabolic remodeling occurring in the aging heart, we cross-compared epigenomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic data from mice of different ages. In addition, the role of the transcriptional coactivator p300 (E1A-associated binding protein p300)/CBP (CREB binding protein) in cardiac aging was investigated using a specific inhibitor of this histone acetyltransferase enzyme.

RESULTS:

We report a set of species-conserved enhancers associated with transcriptional changes underlying age-related metabolic remodeling in cardiomyocytes. Activation of the enhancer region of
Hk2
—a key glycolysis pathway gene—was fostered in old age–onset mouse heart by pseudohypoxia, wherein hypoxia-related genes are expressed under normal O
2
levels, via increased activity of P300/CBP. Pharmacological inhibition of this transcriptional coactivator before the onset of cardiac aging led to a more aerobic, less glycolytic, metabolic state, improved heart contractility, and overall blunting of cardiac decline.

CONCLUSIONS:

Taken together, our results suggest how epigenetic dysregulation of glycolysis pathway enhancers could potentially be targeted to treat heart failure in the elderly.
Prognostic Implications and Efficacy of Catheter Ablation by Atrial Fibrillation Type
Authors: Miyama Hiroshi , Takatsuki Seiji , Ikemura Nobuhiro , Kimura Takehiro , Katsumata Yoshinori , Yamashita Shuhei , Yamaoka Koki , Ibe Susumu , Seki Yuta , Yamashita Terumasa , Hashimoto Kenji , Ueda Ikuko , Ueno Koji , Ohki Takahiro , Fukuda Keiichi , Kohsaka Shun
Published: September 2023

Background

Catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) is preferred for paroxysmal AF (PAF) but selectively performed in patients with persistent AF (PersAF). This study aimed to investigate the prognostic differences and consequences of CA based on the AF type.

Methods and Results

Data from a multicenter AF cohort study were analyzed, categorizing patients as PAF or PersAF according to AF duration (≤7 or >7 days, respectively). A composite of all‐cause death, heart failure hospitalization, stroke, and bleeding events during 2‐year follow‐up and changes in the Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality‐of‐life score were compared. Additionally, propensity score matching was performed to compare clinical outcomes of patients with and without CA in both AF types. Among 2788 patients, 51.6% and 48.4% had PAF and PersAF, respectively. Patients with PersAF had a higher incidence of the composite outcome (12.8% versus 7.2%;
P
<0.001) and smaller improvements in Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality‐of‐life scores than those with PAF. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, PersAF was an independent predictor of adverse outcomes (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.35 [95% CI, 1.30–1.78],
P
=0.031) and was associated with poor improvements in Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality‐of‐life scores. Propensity score matching analysis showed that the CA group had significantly fewer adverse events than the medication group among patients with PAF (odds ratio, 0.31 [95% CI, 0.18–0.68];
P
=0.002). Patients with PersAF showed a similar but nonsignificant trend.

Conclusions

PersAF is a risk factor for worse clinical outcomes, including patients' health status. CA is associated with fewer adverse events, although careful consideration is required based on the AF type.
A Multicenter Analysis of Abnormal Chromosomal Microarray Findings in Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Landis Benjamin J. , Helvaty Lindsey R. , Geddes Gabrielle C. , Lin Jiuann‐Huey Ivy , Yatsenko Svetlana A. , Lo Cecilia W. , Border William L. , Wechsler Stephanie Burns , Murali Chaya N. , Azamian Mahshid S. , Lalani Seema R. , Hinton Robert B. , Garg Vidu , McBride Kim L. , Hodge Jennelle C. , Ware Stephanie M.
Published: September 2023

Background

Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) provides an opportunity to understand genetic causes of congenital heart disease (CHD). The methods for describing cardiac phenotypes in patients with CMA abnormalities have been inconsistent, which may complicate clinical interpretation of abnormal testing results and hinder a more complete understanding of genotype–phenotype relationships.

Methods and Results

Patients with CHD and abnormal clinical CMA were accrued from 9 pediatric cardiac centers. Highly detailed cardiac phenotypes were systematically classified and analyzed for their association with CMA abnormality. Hierarchical classification of each patient into 1 CHD category facilitated broad analyses. Inclusive classification allowing multiple CHD types per patient provided sensitive descriptions. In 1363 registry patients, 28% had genomic disorders with well‐recognized CHD association, 67% had clinically reported copy number variants (CNVs) with rare or no prior CHD association, and 5% had regions of homozygosity without CNV. Hierarchical classification identified expected CHD categories in genomic disorders, as well as uncharacteristic CHDs. Inclusive phenotyping provided sensitive descriptions of patients with multiple CHD types, which occurred commonly. Among CNVs with rare or no prior CHD association, submicroscopic CNVs were enriched for more complex types of CHD compared with large CNVs. The submicroscopic CNVs that contained a curated CHD gene were enriched for left ventricular obstruction or septal defects, whereas CNVs containing a single gene were enriched for conotruncal defects. Neuronal‐related pathways were over‐represented in single‐gene CNVs, including top candidate causative genes
NRXN3
,
ADCY2
, and
HCN1
.

Conclusions

Intensive cardiac phenotyping in multisite registry data identifies genotype–phenotype associations in CHD patients with abnormal CMA.
Menstrual Cycle Irregularity in Adolescence Is Associated With Cardiometabolic Health in Early Adulthood
Authors: Keenan Kate , Hipwell Alison E. , Polonsky Tamar S.
Published: September 2023

Background

Menstrual cycle irregularities are associated with cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease. We tested associations between age at menarche and cycle irregularity in adolescence and cardiometabolic health in early adulthood in a subsample from the Pittsburgh Girls Study.

Methods and Results

Data from annual interviews were used to assess age at menarche and cycle irregularity (ie, greater or less than every 27–29 days) at age 15 years. At ages 22 to 25 years, cardiometabolic health was measured in a subsample of the Pittsburgh Girls Study (n=352; 68.2% Black), including blood pressure, waist circumference, and fasting serum insulin, glucose, and lipids.
T
tests were used for continuous data and odds ratios for dichotomous data to compare differences in cardiometabolic health as a function of onset and regularity of menses. Early menarche (ie, before age 11 years; n=52) was associated with waist circumference (
P
=0.043). Participants reporting irregular cycles (n=50) in adolescence had significantly higher levels of insulin, glucose, and triglycerides, and higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (
P
values range from 0.035 to 0.005) and were more likely to have clinical indicators of cardiometabolic predisease in early adulthood compared with women who reported regular cycles (odds ratios ranged from 1.89 to 2.56).

Conclusions

Increasing rates and earlier onset of cardiovascular and metabolic disease among women, especially among Black women, highlights the need for identifying early and reliable risk indices. Menstrual cycle irregularity may serve this purpose and help elucidate the role of women's reproductive health in protecting and conferring risk for later cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases.
Dual-encoded magnetization transfer and diffusion imaging and its
application to tract-specific microstructure mapping
Authors: Leppert Ilana R. , Bontempi Pietro , Rowley Christopher D. , Campbell Jennifer S.W. , Nelson Mark C. , Schiavi Simona , Pike G. Bruce , Daducci Alessandro , Tardif Christine L.
Published: September 2023

We present a novel dual-encoded magnetization transfer (MT) and diffusion-weighted sequence and demonstrate its potential to resolve distinct properties of white matter fiber tracts at the sub-voxel level. The sequence was designed and optimized for maximal MT ratio (MTR) efficiency. The resulting whole brain 2.6 mm isotropic protocol to measure tract-specific MTR has a scan time under 7 minutes. Ten healthy subjects were scanned twice to assess repeatability. Two different analysis methods were contrasted: a technique to extract tract-specific MTR using Convex Optimization Modeling for Microstructure Informed Tractography (COMMIT), a global optimization technique; and conventional MTR tractometry. The results demonstrate that the tract-specific method can reliably resolve the MT ratios of major white matter fiber pathways and is less affected by partial volume effects than conventional multi-modal tractometry. By reducing the contamination due to partial volume averaging of tracts, dual-encoded MT and diffusion may increase the sensitivity to microstructure alterations of specific tracts due to disease, aging, or learning, as well as lead to weighted structural connectomes with more anatomical specificity.
Redescription of the subgenus Securiops Jacobus, McCafferty & Gattolliat 2006 (Ephemeroptera, Baetidae, Procloeon Bengtsson 1915)
Authors: KLUGE NIKITA J.
Published: September 2023

The taxon Securiops Jacobus, McCafferty & Gattolliat 2006 is treated here as a subgenus of the genus Procloeon Bengtsson 1915; it shares all characters of Procloeon s. l. and besides them, has peculiar autapomorphies in mouthparts structure. Diagnoses of Cloeon/fg1 (or the tribe Cloeonini sensu Kluge 2016), Procloeon/g1 (or the genus Procloeon sensu Kluge 2016) and Securiops are given. Larvae of the South African species Procloeon (Securiops) falcatum (Crass 1947) comb. n. are described for the first time. Based on reared specimens from Zambia, larvae of Procloeon (Securiops) macafertiorum Lugo-Ortiz (in Lugo-Ortiz & McCafferty) 1996 are redescribed; subimagines, imagines and eggs of this species are described for the first time. New larval characters of Procloeon (Securiops) mutadens (Jacobus et al. 2006) comb. n. are reported based on a larva from Gambia. Based on reared specimens from Thailand, larvae of Procloeon (Securiops) primasia (Kaltenbach et al. 2023) comb. n. are redescribed; subimagines, imagines and well-developed eggs of this species are described for the first time. Genitalia of Cheleocloeon excisum (Barnard 1932) are figured for the first time.
Two new species of the genus Diestramima from China (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae: Aemodogryllinae)
Authors: HE ZHU-QING , YU ZHE-YUAN , ZONG JING-SONG , DI MI , SHEN ZI-HAO , LIU YI-JIAO , QIN YAN-YAN , LI KAI
Published: September 2023

The genus Diestramima comprises 41 species from Asia with 31 species distributed in China. In this study, we reconstruct the phylogeny tree of Diestramima species by maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference based on three mitochondrial genes (COI, 12S and 16S). The result indicates that the phylogenetic results are coherent with that based on five molecular markers (COI, 12S, 16S, 18S and 28S). Moreover, two new species, D. pingmengensis sp. nov. He & Zong and D. gulinjingensis. sp. nov. Zong & He are described. Their validities are also supported by morphological features. Furthermore, D. sichuanensis Zhu & Shi, 2022 is treated as a junior synonym of D. guangxiensis Qin, Wang, Liu & Li, 2016 based on both morphological and molecular features.
Virtual Visits in Medical Education: A Medical Student and Resident Perspective
Authors: Kang Y. , Sinco B. R. , Kim Grace J.
Published: September 2023

Background

Necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual care is now a fixture in health care delivery. Literature describes the pivot to virtual clinical education; however, less is known about the learner experience. Understanding perspectives of medical students and residents provides insight to optimize the educational experience in virtual care.

Methods

Third-year medical students and general surgery residents at an academic teaching institution rated their experience of virtual clinic compared to in-person clinic through an anonymous 20-question survey. Questions were on a 5-point Likert scale with narrative opportunities and queried 4 learner objectives: patient care, systems-based practice, education, and faculty engagement. Medical student and resident responses were compared using a t-test.

Results

Lowest rated items included the ability to perform an accurate physical exam, engage with faculty, promote efficiency, and learn clinical skills. Residents gave lower ratings than medical students on all questions. There were significant differences between medical students and residents ( P < .05) in actively participating in patient care, obtaining patient history, having adequate time for patient history, and facilitating efficiency. Narrative themes included faculty variability, virtual visits as additive but insufficient to replace in-person visits, and the importance of being in the same physical space or Zoom Room as faculty.

Discussion

Learners perceive the ability to perform a physical exam, promote efficiency, and engage with faculty to be compromised in the virtual clinic setting. Residents had less favorable perceptions of virtual clinic compared to medical students. Faculty should consider these varying learner perceptions to optimize the educational environment in virtual care.
Repression, backlash, and the duration of protests in Africa
Authors: Lewis Jacob S , Ives Brandon
Published: September 2023

This article investigates the relationship between recent repression of protest and the duration of future protests. A rich scholarship examines how repression impacts dissent, highlighting dissent dimensions such as the number of future events and violent escalation. Less examined is another dimension of dissent – protest duration. We hypothesize that recent repression of protests is pivotal for longer duration of future protest events. Our expectation stems from a participant type mechanism. Recent repression of protest may generate more societal grievances but also increase protesting risks. A simultaneous jump in grievances and risks may increase the number of people protesting who are also risk-acceptant and willing to protest for longer durations. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project data and hierarchal negative binomial models are used to estimate the association between recent repression of protest and subsequent protest duration. Compared to having none of the most recent three protests repressed, a protest in a location where the last three protests were repressed has a substantively longer duration. The results are consistent with the participant type mechanism and existing literature on repression’s heterogeneous effects on individuals.
The Medical, Sociological, Psychological, Religious, and Spiritual Aspects of Masturbation and a Potential Approach to Therapy Based on Catholic Teaching and Virtues Psychology
Authors: Vitz Paul C. , Williams William V.
Published: September 2023

Masturbation is common and generally accepted in Western society as a normal, healthy activity. In contrast, the Catholic Church holds that masturbation is immoral. Noting that the human person is a profound unity of body and spirit, if the Church is correct, masturbation should have negative effects on the human person. If the secular view is correct, masturbation should have conversely positive effects. This paper is divided into three parts. An in-depth literature survey was performed to evaluate the physical, medical, psychological, sociological and spiritual correlates of masturbation. The second part is a theological summary of the Catholic understanding of masturbation. The third part is an approach to therapy. Physically, masturbation was found to be less sexually satisfying than intercourse. Medical complications include penile injury and self-asphyxial behavior. Psychologically, masturbation was found to be associated with depression, anxiety, immature defenses, hypersexuality, guilt, poor body self-image and stress in the workplace. Sociologically most studies indicate a negative correlation between masturbation and relationship satisfaction, quality, intimacy, relational happiness, emotional satisfaction with the partner, trust, passion, and love. Spiritually, masturbation is highly positively correlated with pornography consumption and negatively with religion and religiosity. There is a higher rate of masturbation in homosexuals and bisexuals than in heterosexuals. Theologically, masturbation and pornography directly violate the religious virtue of chastity, undermining one's prayer life and the motivation to develop a spiritual life. Therapeutically, positive psychology, which emphasizes cultivating what it identifies as virtues, including justice, courage, temperance, wisdom (similar to prudence), transcendence (similar to hope) and humanity (similar to charity), can be used to counsel individuals struggling with masturbation. Once the harms are understood, a person can be counseled that this temptation represents a challenge, an opportunity to build self-control, and with self-control the capacity to develop character strengths and major virtues.
Empowered, Smaller Families Are Better for the Planet: How to Talk about Family Planning and Environmental Sustainability
Authors: Delacroix Céline , Engelman Robert
Published: September 2023

Despite their complex and nonlinear relationship, reproductive rights and environmental sustainability likely have a synergistic relationship. Social movement theory suggests that reframing reproductive rights in this light can strengthen and benefit them by diversifying their moral appeal and support base. Yet despite increasing scientific evidence demonstrating ways in which population size, growth, and distribution tend to undermine various aspects of environmental sustainability, and increasing public awareness and concern for environmental degradation, linking these issues remains a contested and polarised enterprise. In this article, we explore the marginalisation processes at play surrounding this linkage and introduce the concept of population reductionism. We review advice and normative trends on communicating messages linking the fulfilment of reproductive rights with improved environmental sustainability. We elaborate a strategic communication roadmap to promote the operationalisation of the family planning and environmental sustainability linkage, centred on individual empowerment, and propose a global rallying cry—‘empowered, smaller families are better for the planet’.
Book review: Sujata Patel (Ed.), Exploring Sociabilities of Contemporary India
Authors: Ray Nupur
Published: September 2023

Sujata Patel (Ed.), Exploring Sociabilities of Contemporary India, Orient BlackSwan, 2019, 328 pp., ₹945, ISBN 9789352878475 (Hardcover).
The Australian Constitution as a Framework for Securing Economic Justice
Authors: Emerton Patrick , James Kathryn
Published: September 2023

We contend that, contrary to mainstream understanding, the Australian Constitution provides a meaningful framework for ensuring economic justice, by virtue of its conferral upon the Commonwealth Parliament of particular legislative powers, namely the income justice and taxation powers. We draw on Rawlsian political theory, together with constitutional theory including recent work on constitutional directive principles, to explain how a constitution, and specifically the Australian Constitution, can impose requirements upon the political order independently of its operation as a legal instrument whose legal meaning is interpreted and applied by the courts. We use this novel account of the relationship between political and legal constitutionalism to establish the consequences, for each branch of government, of this constitutional requirement to secure economic justice. This includes a defence, from the perspective of political as well as legal constitutionalism, of the constitutionality of laws imposing retrospective taxation.
Adaptive guaranteed cost tracking control for high-order nonlinear systems based on fully actuated system approaches
Authors: Hu Liyao , Duan Guangren
Published: September 2023

This paper considers the adaptive guaranteed cost tracking (AGCT) control problems for two classes of high-order nonlinear systems with unknown parameters. A new local smooth nonlinear function (LSNF) is introduced first, which provides an important mathematical tool for our controller design. Then, based on the LSNF and the high-order fully actuated (HOFA) system approaches, the AGCT controller is designed for HOFA system with unknown parameter, which guarantees that all of the states of the closed-loop HOFA system are globally bounded, and the tracking error is asymptotically convergent. Moreover, the upper bound of cost function (UBCF) characterizing the tracking performance can be arbitrarily preseted, and is completely independent of the system initial value and the unknown parameter, which significantly improves the tracking performance, and is difficult to achieve by using existing guaranteed cost control (GCC). Furthermore, an extra result, the AGCT controller for a class of strict-feedback systems with high-order form and unknown parameters, is obtained in this paper, which also guarantees that the system tracking error is globally asymptotically convergent with the arbitrarily preseted UBCF characterizing the tracking performance. Three simulation examples, including an inverted pendulum, are presented to show the effect and the superiority of the proposed method.
Dynamic compensation by coupled triple-thermocouples for temperature measurement error of high-temperature gas flow
Authors: Chu Jingrui , Wang Shilei , Gan Runlin , Wang Wenhang , Li Baoren , Yang Gang
Published: September 2023

The gas flow temperature signal simulation system (ATSSS) plays a crucial role in the hardware-in-the-loop simulation of hypersonic aircraft. The accuracy of gas flow temperature measurements is of paramount importance for the ATSSS. This system comprises a high-temperature plasma heater, a gas flow mixing chamber, and thermocouples. The ATSSS exhibits specific characteristics such as high temperatures, rapid temperature changes, and fast flow rates. However, due to the large measurement time constant of high-temperature thermocouples, significant dynamic errors are introduced into the measurement results. To address this issue and enhance the dynamic measurement accuracy of gas flow temperature, this study establishes a thermocouple heat transfer model for the ATSSS. It also analyzes the mechanism behind the generation of dynamic errors in the ATSSS and proposes a three-thermocouple coupled temperature measurement dynamic compensation method (TTCTMDC). This method compensates for errors caused by thermal convection, thermal radiation, and thermal conduction under high-temperature conditions. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method can reduce errors by 50% to 80%. In addition, an experimental platform for the ATSSS is constructed, and the TTCTMDC method is employed to compensate for measurement errors. The results indicate that the dynamic measurement error can be reduced to 1/4 to 1/2 of the original value using the TTCTMDC method. This research lays a foundation for the successful development of the ATSSS and provides a novel approach to dynamically measuring high-temperature gas flow, thereby advancing scientific research in the field of measurement.
Re-configuring the jigsaw puzzle: Balancing time, pace, place and space of work in the Covid-19 era
Authors: Grant Kirsteen , McQueen Fiona , Osborn Sharani , Holland Peter
Published: September 2023

Drawing on the principles of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and the Work–Home Resources (W-HR) model, this research captured the lived experiences of 19 parents from across Scotland during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. The data were derived initially from two digital interviews per participant, with interview content in both cases informed by preceding questionnaires. A third phase of interviews was conducted post the pandemic. Findings revealed that while participants valued increased flexibility gained through enforced home working, this often led to feelings of guilt, working longer hours and perceived work intensification. Work–home conflict emerged as a source of tension, dependent upon social and relational interactions, and physical and shared spaces at home. The authors analyse these issues in the context of job crafting as a means of organising the jigsaw pieces of work–home conflict as participants transitioned to a ‘new normal’. In conclusion they examine the implications and suggest avenues for further research.
South Korean Preservice Teachers’ Self-Perception as Gifted: Impact on Teacher Self-Efficacy and Attitudes Toward Gifted Education
Authors: Woo Heejin , Cumming Therese M.
Published: September 2023

Teachers’ self-perception of their competence impacts their attitudes toward teaching, which in turn, influences both their practice and student outcomes. The goal of the current study is to explore South Korean preservice primary school teachers’ self-perception of being gifted and the relationship between their self-perception and self-efficacy in attitudes toward gifted education. This mixed-methods study includes a survey of 481 fourth-year South Korean preservice primary school teachers and follow-up focus group interviews with 13 of the survey participants. The survey results indicate that South Korean preservice teachers tend to not consider themselves as gifted. Also, the mean score of self-perception as gifted for the male preservice teachers was significantly higher than that of the female preservice teachers. Their self-perception as gifted was positively related to their self-efficacy in teaching gifted students and their tendency of seeing gifted education as elitist but negatively related to their support of gifted education.
Strategies for information source selection: A focus group study on young people in Europe
Authors: Karim Muhaimin , Widén Gunilla
Published: September 2023

The article presents findings from a study that examined how young people select, consult and evaluate multiple information sources to validate the information they seek. It contributes to the field of information behaviour and helps in designing better information services. Eight focus group interviews were carried out in four different locations across Europe. A total of 37 young people participated through purposive sampling. The study illustrates participants’ complex information pathways through which they consult multiple sources to reach the most trusted information source. The content analysis of the data showed that ascribed cognitive authority and affective factors such as confidentiality, privacy and empathy strongly determine the selection of an information source. The study observes the young participants’ dependency on networked and human sources for ease of access and reluctance to rely on mainstream media and textual information. The study has strong practical implications for designing information services and developing communication materials targeted at young people.
Abstracting road traffic via topological braids: Applications to traffic flow analysis and distributed control
Authors: Mavrogiannis Christoforos , DeCastro Jonathan A , Srinivasa Siddhartha S
Published: September 2023

Despite the structure of road environments, imposed via geometry and rules, traffic flows exhibit complex multiagent dynamics. Reasoning about such dynamics is challenging due to the high dimensionality of possible behavior, the heterogeneity of agents, and the stochasticity of their decision-making. Modeling approaches learning associations in Euclidean spaces are often limited by their high sample complexity and the sparseness of available datasets. Our key insight is that the structure of traffic behavior could be effectively captured by lower-dimensional abstractions that emphasize critical interaction relationships. In this article, we abstract the space of behavior in traffic scenes into a discrete set of interaction modes, described in interpretable, symbolic form using topological braids. First, through a case study across real-world datasets, we show that braids can describe a wide range of complex behavior and uncover insights about the interactivity of vehicles. For instance, we find that high vehicle density does not always map to rich mixing patterns among them. Further, we show that our representation can effectively guide decision-making in traffic scenes. We describe a mechanism that probabilistically maps vehicles’ past behavior to modes of future interaction. We integrate this mechanism into a control algorithm that treats navigation as minimization of uncertainty over interaction modes, and investigate its performance on the task of traversing uncontrolled intersections in simulation. We show that our algorithm enables agents to coordinate significantly safer traversals for similar efficiency compared to baselines explicitly reasoning in the space of trajectories across a series of challenging scenarios.