bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Applications of 18650 lithium-ion batteries pack in 3 kw electric vehicles
Authors: Zain A T , Suranto D D , Budiprasojo A , Karimah C N , Azhar F A , Haryanto M D
Published: January 2025

One of the important components in the development of electric vehicles is battery. Battery conditions must be monitored in real-time. This research begins with assembling a 18650 Lithium-ion battery pack with a maximum capacity of 83.5V. A PZEM-017 is used to calculate the value of voltage and current of the battery. In this study, Arduino Atmega 2560 is used for microcontroller and LCD display to show the measurement results. Before being applied to electric vehicle, the measurement and monitoring system needs to be calibrated first. The callibration results show that the Voltage and Current sensors have maximum error under 2% (0.31% for Voltage and 1.56% for Current). While the minimum precisions are 99.59% for voltage and 98.10% for current. This measurement and monitoring system has been successfully applied to 3KW electric vehicle. Where the measurement results show that the increase in driving distance and driver weight will be proportional to the increase in energy consumption from the battery. The electric motor, as a source of vehicle propulsion, will work longer and harder. The highest decrease in voltage value occurred when the distance was 1.8 km and the driver’s weight was 83kg at 3.8V with a power consumption of 136.29Wh.
Feature Extraction of Digital Image Processing for Optimization Chicken Egg Quality Classification
Authors: Perdanasari L , Etikasari B , Ayuninghemi R , Widianta M D , Utomo B
Published: January 2025

Manual external egg quality testing often faces various problems, one of which is the low level of accuracy. Testing processes that rely on human ability to identify eggshell defects can produce inconsistent results. So more efficient and accurate quality testing method is needed, namely imaging technology. Using digital imaging to evaluate egg quality offers advantages, including the ability to automatically and consistently detect shell defects. In applying digital image classification, good training data is needed to get accurate classification results, so the aim of this research is to extract chicken egg color features as training data to optimize the classification system. The method used on classifying chicken eggs based on shell color is feature extraction based on color in HSV (Hue Saturation Value) and RGB (Red Green Blue). Research results obtained 95 image data of chicken eggs consisting of 61 Grade A eggs with average RGB value of 75.39 and average HSV value of 0.36, 28 Grade B eggs with average RGB value of 87.92 and average HSV value is 0.35, and 6 Grade C eggs have average RGB value of 92.36 and average HSV value of 0.33, with color extraction in HSV and RGB spaces.
Strong correlations and disorder driven metal to insulator transition in high entropy (MoVNbW)S2 monolayer
Authors: Badawy Khaled , Zheng Lianxi , Singh Nirpendra
Published: January 2025

Combining quantum confinement and high entropy in the recently synthesized two-dimensional (2D) high entropy transition metal (TM) dichalcogenides offers a platform for unique and unexplored electronic properties. Using density functional theory and tight-binding Hamiltonians, we have explored the role of disorder and strong electronic correlations on the metal-to-insulator transitions of (MoVNbW)S2 monolayer. Our GGA+U results identify that the 1H phase is a half-metal that undergoes a metal-to-insulator transition in the spin (

↑

) channel with a Mott gap of 0.18 eV. The strongly correlated V-3d states drive the metal-to-insulator transition by suppressing the long-range TM−TM hopping. In addition, the 1H phase exhibits strong short-range ferromagnetism via the superexchange interactions of TM−V pairs, with localized magnetic moments on V atoms in the range of 1.3 ∼ 1.6µ

B
. In contrast, geometric distortion in the 1T phase drives the metal-to-insulator transition by altering the charge density, opening a band gap of 0.37 eV. The 1T phase exhibits localized magnetic moments on V atoms (1.7 ∼ 1.9µ

B
), with superexchange interactions occurring only between V−V pairs. Our findings contribute to understanding the complex interplay between disorder and strong electronic correlations in 2D high entropy TM dichalcogenides and provide a pathway for tailoring the electronic and magnetic properties of 2D high entropy materials.
Accelerating multipartite entanglement generation in non-Hermitian superconducting qubits
Authors: Gashu Feyisa Chimdessa , You J-S , Ku Huan-Yu , Jen H H
Published: January 2025

Open quantum systems are susceptible to losses in information, energy, and particles due to their surrounding environment. One novel strategy to mitigate these losses is to transform them into advantages for quantum technologies through tailored non-Hermitian quantum systems. In this work, we theoretically propose a fast generation of multipartite entanglement in non-Hermitian qubits. Our findings reveal that weakly coupled non-Hermitian qubits can accelerate multiparty entanglement generation by thousands of times compared to Hermitian qubits, in particular when approaching the 2
n
-th order exceptional points of n qubits in the

P

T

−

symmetric regime. Furthermore, we show that Hermitian qubits can generate GHZ states with a high fidelity more than 0.9995 in a timescale comparable to that of non-Hermitian qubits, but at the expense of intense driving and large coupling constant. Our approach is scalable to a large number of qubits, presenting a promising pathway for advancing quantum technologies through the non-Hermiticity and higher-order exceptional points in many-body quantum systems.
Semi-supervised EEG-based emotion recognition method by optimal transport distribution matching
Authors: Hamdan Baida , Aghdasi Hadi S. , Salehpour Pedram
Published: January 2025

Large volumes of labeled data are needed for accurate emotion recognition from Electroen-cephalography (EEG) signals, however labeling EEG signals needs careful trial recordings and professional analysis, which is costly and time-consuming. However, the majority of EEG-based deep learning methods for emotion recognition are fully supervised. To over-come this issue, Semi-Supervised Learning (SSL) emerges as a promising solution as it requires only a limited amount of labeled data and can learn additional information from a large set of unlabeled ones. This study introduces a new distribution consistency regularization be-tween the labeled and unlabeled EEG segments based on optimal transport (OT) distance, which results in a robust semi-supervised EEG-based emotion algorithm. This regulariza-tion enhances the quality of pseudo-labels generated, enhancing the performance of the emo-tion classifier in an SSL paradigm. Moreover, the proposed method bridges the gap between EEG-based emotion recognition and image classification tasks by introducing appropriate augmentations for EEG signals. The DEAP and SEED datasets are used to evaluate the effica-cy of our method for binary and multi-class emotion recognition tasks. The study reveals that the proposed strategy consistently outperforms peer methods by a large margin across vari-ous quantities of labeled data.
State-level variation drives wolf management in the northwestern United States
Authors: Merz Leandra , Bergmann Nicolas T , Brown Casey L , Martin Jeff Vance , Wardropper Chloe B , Bruskotter Jeremy T , Carter Neil H
Published: January 2025

Recovered and recovering carnivore populations in Europe and North America can pose risks to some human livelihoods like livestock ranching. These risks can motivate wildlife managers to lethally remove carnivores—decisions that are often controversial and poorly understood. We used a 13-year dataset on gray wolves (Canis lupus) in the northwestern United States (Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon) to analyze how social, demographic, and environmental variables influence lethal removal of wolves at the county and state levels. We found that state-level differences are a major driver of lethal removal decisions at the county level. The percentage of federally owned and protected lands was also positively correlated with lethal removal. Predation of livestock by wolves was not significantly correlated with wolf removals in Idaho, but was in Montana, Washington, and Oregon. Our results stress the need to make transparent the process by which recovering populations of carnivores are managed to enhance the legitimacy of management policies.
Temporal legacies of coal mining in the West Coast, New Zealand: path-dependency or path-creation?
Authors: Connelly Sean , Nel Etienne , Floyd Alison
Published: January 2025

Global energy transition and decarbonisation efforts in the face of climate change present a new challenge for coal-based resource communities. While many resource-based communities and coal mining communities have become accustomed to the boom-bust cycles of resource extraction, the transition to alternative energy sources presents unique challenges to coal mining communities. In this paper, we document the long process of transition in the coal mining town of Blackball in New Zealand. Blackball has a long history of mining, yet it is also a community where the local mines on which the town depended have been closed for 50 years. The legacy and heritage of coal mining has since shaped efforts at diversification and revitalization, highlighting the tensions between path-dependency and new path creation in the shaping of the future of Blackball. We draw on concepts from evolutionary economic geography to highlight how iterative processes of path creation and path dependency have played out and identify the important role of community agency and external support in mediating those processes. The temporal component of Blackball’s coal transition presents useful lessons for other mining communities which currently face closure.
Reducing transmission expansion by co-optimizing sizing of wind, solar, storage and grid connection capacity
Authors: Manocha Aneesha , Mantegna Gabriel , Patankar Neha , Jenkins Jesse D
Published: January 2025

Expanding transmission capacity is likely a bottleneck that will restrict variable renewable energy (VRE) deployment required to achieve ambitious emission reduction goals. Interconnection and inter-zonal transmission buildout may be displaced by the optimal sizing of VRE to grid connection capacity and by the co-location of VRE and battery resources behind interconnection. However, neither of these capabilities is commonly captured in macro-energy system models. We develop two new functionalities to explore the substitutability of storage for transmission and the optimal capacity and siting decisions of renewable energy and battery resources through 2030 in the Western Interconnection of the United States. Our findings indicate that modeling optimized interconnection and storage co-location better captures the full value of energy storage and its ability to substitute for transmission. Optimizing interconnection capacity and co-location can reduce total grid connection and shorter-distance transmission capacity expansion on the order of 10% at storage penetration equivalent to 2.5%–10% of peak system demand. The decline in interconnection capacity corresponds with greater ratios of VRE to grid connection capacity (an average of 1.5–1.6 megawatt (MW) PV:1 MW inverter capacity, 1.2–1.3 MW wind:1 MW interconnection). Co-locating storage with VREs also results in a 9%–13% increase in wind capacity, as wind sites tend to require longer and more costly interconnection. Finally, co-located storage exhibits higher value than standalone storage in our model setup (up to ∼43%–45%). Given the coarse representation of transmission networks in our modeling, this outcome likely overstates the real-world importance of storage co-location with VREs. However, it highlights how siting storage in grid-constrained locations can maximize the value of storage and reduce transmission expansion.
Timely Cash
Authors: Gentilini Ugo
Published: January 2025

Cash transfers, or the provision of money to people by the state, reach hundreds of millions of people worldwide. But when did these transfers start, and how did they spread over countries and centuries? What did past practices look like, and how did they evolve? Why, despite compelling evidence, are policymakers sometimes skeptical about cash transfers? Have similar concerns been raised in the past, and how were they resolved? Timely Cash explores these questions by tracing cash transfers over history, codifying diversity in experiences, and identifying recurrent patterns. In doing so, the volume may help illuminate the roots of modern cash transfer dilemmas and reveal how the past can offer surprising lessons for contemporary debates.
Social and Political Stability
Authors: Gentilini Ugo
Published: January 2025

An examination of social and political dimensions of cash transfers could take an infinite number of shapes. Conscious of such challenge, the chapter addresses three dimensions of a much vaster domain. First, it provides a rapid review of how moral and religious precepts have underpinned cash transfer provisions. The picture that emerges is a nuanced, diverse approach within religious creeds on key questions around deservingness and administration of assistance. Second the chapter explores how cities and countries have addressed the thorny issue of “vagrancy.” Societies have been wrestling with debates on if and how to assist local “beggars” and migrant “strangers”: practices range from paying vagrants to leave to forced deportation, and from regulating begging to corporal punishments. The third section of the chapter slices the political dimensions in different parts: these include the use of cash transfers to reduce riots and maintain political stability; to cement racial discriminations and elevate the social status of administrators; and to bolster political consensus. It also offers some reflections on the degree of political ownerships emerging in contexts of recent cash transfers introduction. Furthermore, the chapter illustrates the politics behind the failed adoption of a national minimum income guaranteed program.
Where Do We Go from Here?
Authors: Gentilini Ugo
Published: January 2025

The chapter sets out summary reflections—four devoted to “looking back” and another four geared at “looking ahead.” The former considerations envision an array of issues around how different trajectories of reform shared a common goal; the conflation of causes and effects, and the role of history in providing a sense of direction in causality; the likely competing goals of addressing “needs” and reducing “rolls”; and explaining the stickiness of narratives. These issues may provide some indication for navigating the future of cash transfers. Stylized considerations are also laid out for prospective experiences. As such, the “looking ahead” section discusses the implications from continuity in practices; the importance of dispelling four long-standing and recent “myths”; the risks stemming from the increasing technocratic nature of cash transfer provisions; and the “big question” of poverty inherency in economic systems and the role of cash transfers within them.
Political Automation
Authors: Albrecht Eduardo
Published: January 2025

Governments, once staffed exclusively with human bureaucrats, now routinely use AI-based software to gather information about citizens and make decisions that impact their lives. In many nations, AI determines the level of privacy a person can enjoy, how far they can travel, what public benefits they may receive, and what they can and cannot say publicly. This amounts to a phenomenon of political automation rapidly materializing globally and begs the question: What input do citizens have in how these machines think? The book explores this question in various domains—including policing, national security, and international peacekeeping. Via interviews with individuals active in civil society groups across several geographic contexts, the book seeks to achieve an understanding of popular attempts to interact with this novel form of algorithmic governance. It emerges that if citizens wish to have rights and representation in a future increasingly characterized by political automation, then a new institution is needed. The book proposes the idea of a Third House, a virtual chamber that legislates exclusively on AI in government decision-making and is based on principles of direct democracy. Digital citizens, AI powered replicas of ourselves, would act as our personal representatives to this Third House a virtual chamber that legislates exclusively on AI in government decision-making and is based on principles of direct democracy, unlike existing upper and lower houses that are representative. Digital citizens, AI powered replicas of ourselves, would act as our personal emissaries to this Third House. Deploying political automation without such an institution will result in the gradual sunsetting of participatory systems of government, and perhaps of yet more significant concern, the start of an era in which citizens, having abdicated governance in favor of AI without clear mechanisms for oversight, find they no longer need to trust their conscience on matters of public policy.
Kenya
Authors: Albrecht Eduardo
Published: January 2025

This chapter includes interviews with Alphonce Shiundu, editor of the Kenyan office of the organization Africa Check, and Lilian Olivia Orero, founder of Safe Online Women Kenya, an organization empowering women and girls through digital literacy education. In the interview with Shiundu he describes the impact of disinformation on public debate in Kenya, the potential misuse of data-collection technologies and their effect on civil rights, and the sensitive role of multilateral organizations in the region. In Orero’s interview she discusses the use of data-collection technologies by foreign actors and the potential for interference and rights violations. She also expresses concern about bias in data collection, and details the need for digital literacy and new regulatory frameworks.
A Third House
Authors: Albrecht Eduardo
Published: January 2025

Over the course of this book we have learned that political machines are consolidating power, stifling participatory democracy, and reducing the role of autonomous judgment. This chapter argues that such a trend is likely to intensify as AI technologies allow state authorities to further penetrate into people’s private lives and influence behavior. It suggests that current legal frameworks and definitions of rights are inadequate to protect citizens in the age of datafication and that new political institutions are needed. The chapter proposes that the threat of algocracy—or government by algorithm—may be countered via the creation of a “Third House,” an institution that legislates for and over us as “digital citizens.” This institution is described in some detail and located within broader historical and anthropological trends, particularly those pointing toward an increased emphasis on direct democracy.
Religion and Abortion Attitudes
Authors: Adamczyk Amy
Published: January 2025

This chapter examines religion’s role in shaping public opinion about abortion around the world. Researchers have conducted most studies on attitudes about abortion in Christian-majority nations, where religion is often key for shaping disapproval. When looking across the world and at different religions (e.g., Buddhism, Islam), religion, as conventionally assessed, is still a driving force for abortion disapproval. Likewise, residents living in nations with higher levels of religious importance, like the United States, are more likely to have abortion views that are shaped by the religious culture surrounding them. Surprisingly, there are few differences across the major religions once religious importance enters the picture. While Chinese respondents did not talk about religion shaping disapproval, they spoke about it as helping some women cope or rationalize abortion decisions, and as contributing to the valuing of male children over females.
Investigating Cross-National Abortion Behavior and Its Relationship with Attitudes
Authors: Adamczyk Amy
Published: January 2025

This chapter investigates abortion behavior and its relationship with attitudes, laws, and other factors. It begins by examining the country-level forces associated with cross-national abortion rates. Neither legislation nor public abortion disapproval is significantly associated with rates. Rather, economic and educational development and gender equality are critical for decreasing abortion rates by limiting unintended pregnancies. From there, the chapter examines the key characteristics associated with women’s abortion decisions in a set of economically, politically, and religiously diverse countries. Using longitudinal data from young American women, the pathways through which personal religious beliefs shape abortion decisions are investigated. Interviews from the United States and China are used to examine how stigma and shame connect to abortion behavior in these countries. Finally, the circumstances and characteristics of the women the Chinese and American public think typically obtains abortions are compared to those of the women who get abortions in these countries.
The Regulatory Framework
Authors: Malcolm Rosalind , Pointing John
Published: January 2025

The enforcement of statutory nuisance legislation is primarily the responsibility of local authorities under powers and duties set down in section 80 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA 1990). English local authorities enforcing the Act comprise district councils outside Greater London and London borough councils in Greater London. Unitary authorities in non-metropolitan counties are responsible for enforcement.
The Concept of Statutory Nuisance
Authors: Malcolm Rosalind , Pointing John
Published: January 2025

Statutory nuisances are, as their name implies, creatures of statute, which are all now consolidated and re-enacted in Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA 1990), or incorporated by reference into that Act. They are listed in section 79 of the Act.
SAMURAI: shallow analysis of copy number alterations using a reproducible and integrated bioinformatics pipeline
Authors: Potente Sara , Boscarino Diego , Paladin Dino , Marchini Sergio , Beltrame Luca , Romualdi Chiara
Published: January 2025

Shallow whole-genome sequencing (sWGS) offers a cost-effective approach to detect copy number alterations (CNAs). However, there remains a gap for a standardized workflow specifically designed for sWGS analysis. To address this need, in this work we present SAMURAI, a bioinformatics pipeline specifically designed for analyzing CNAs from sWGS data in a standardized and reproducible manner. SAMURAI is built using established community standards, ensuring portability, scalability, and reproducibility. The pipeline features a modular design with independent blocks for data preprocessing, copy number analysis, and customized reporting. Users can select workflows tailored for either solid or liquid biopsy analysis (e.g. circulating tumor DNA), with specific tools integrated for each sample type. The final report generated by SAMURAI provides detailed results to facilitate data interpretation and potential downstream analyses. To demonstrate its robustness, SAMURAI was validated using simulated and real-world data sets. The pipeline achieved high concordance with ground truth data and maintained consistent performance across various scenarios. By promoting standardization and offering a versatile workflow, SAMURAI empowers researchers in diverse environments to reliably analyze CNAs from sWGS data. This, in turn, holds promise for advancements in precision medicine.
Longitudinal urine metabolic profiling and gestational age prediction in human pregnancy
Authors: Shen Xiaotao , Chen Songjie , Liang Liang , Avina Monika , Zackriah Hanyah , Jelliffe-Pawlowski Laura , Rand Larry , Snyder Michael P
Published: January 2025

Pregnancy is a vital period affecting both maternal and fetal health, with impacts on maternal metabolism, fetal growth, and long-term development. While the maternal metabolome undergoes significant changes during pregnancy, longitudinal shifts in maternal urine have been largely unexplored. In this study, we applied liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics to analyze 346 maternal urine samples collected throughout pregnancy from 36 women with diverse backgrounds and clinical profiles. Key metabolite changes included glucocorticoids, lipids, and amino acid derivatives, indicating systematic pathway alterations. We also developed a machine learning model to accurately predict gestational age using urine metabolites, offering a non-invasive pregnancy dating method. Additionally, we demonstrated the ability of the urine metabolome to predict time-to-delivery, providing a complementary tool for prenatal care and delivery planning. This study highlights the clinical potential of urine untargeted metabolomics in obstetric care.
Sequali: efficient and comprehensive quality control of short- and long-read sequencing data
Authors: Vorderman Ruben H P
Published: January 2025

Motivation

Quality control of sequencing data is the first step in many sequencing workflows. Short- and long-read sequencing technologies have many commonalities with regard to quality control. Several quality control programs exist; however, none possess a feature set that is adequate for both technologies. Quality control programs aimed at Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing lack vital features, such as adapter searching, overrepresented sequence analysis, and duplication analysis.

Results

Sequali was developed to provide sequencing quality control for both short- and long-read sequencing technologies. It features adapter search, overrepresented sequence analysis, and duplication analysis and supports FASTQ and uBAM inputs. It is significantly faster than comparable sequencing quality control programs for both short- and long-read sequencing technologies.

Availability and Implementation

Sequali is an open-source Python application using C extensions and is freely available under the AGPL-3.0 license at https://github.com/rhpvorderman/sequali. The source code for each release is archived at zenodo: https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10822485.
Introducing Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir + Ribavirin as a Generic Retreatment Regimen for Hepatitis C: Evaluation of a Government Program in Rwanda
Authors: Serumondo Janvier , Barebwanuwe Peter , Sheferaw Ephrem Daniel , Iyonizera Jeannette , Berabose Charles , Umuraza Sabine , Ntuyenabo Calliope , Kwizera Kelly Reine , Dushimiyimana Donatha , Umutesi Justine , Kabakambira Jean Damascene , Buya Bobo , Azania Amy , Boeke Caroline E , Ngwije Alida , Ramers Christian B , Rwibasira Gallican
Published: January 2025

Sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir is recommended for hepatitis C virus (HCV) retreatment in those who fail initial treatment but is unavailable in resource-limited settings. We describe a government sofosbuvir/velpatasvir + ribavirin (SOF/VEL + RBV) × 24 weeks retreatment program in Rwanda (November 2021–October 2022). Of 231 participants, 174 were cured (75.3% intention-to-treat analysis). SOF/VEL + RBV may be considered for HCV retreatment in resource-limited settings.
International validation of a pre-transplant risk assessment tool for graft survival in pediatric kidney transplant recipients
Authors: Oomen Loes , de Wall Liesbeth L , Tönshoff Burkhard , Krupka Kai , Harambat Jerome , Hogan Julien , Couchoud Cécile , Savoye Emilie , de Jong Huib , Cornelissen Elisabeth A M , Bouts Antonia H M , Keijzer-Veen Mandy G , Feitz Wout F J , Bootsma-Robroeks Charlotte M H H T
Published: January 2025

Background

A pre-transplant prediction model using commonly available factors is valuable for optimizing donor selection, communication, and counselling for pediatric kidney transplant (PKT) recipients. This study aims to externally validate a Dutch PKT prediction model and assess its international applicability.

Methods

Data from the Dutch-, CERTAIN-, and CRISTAL registries, covering PKT from 2005 to 2021, were used. The Dutch prediction model was externally validated in a German and French cohort and then adapted to these specific countries. An international prediction model was also developed using all available data. Models were based on 80% derivation cohorts and internally validated using areas under the receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC-AUC) and calibration plots.

Results

Of 3266 transplantations, 2475 (273 Dutch, 356 German and 1622 French, 224 other) were used for analysis. Cohorts differed significantly in baseline characteristics and outcomes. Internal validation of the Dutch model showed ROC-AUCs of 0.77 and 0.75 at 10 and 15 years. External validation in German and French cohorts yielded 10-year ROC-AUCs of 0.63 and 0.60, respectively.

Internal validation of the international prediction model showed AUCs of 0.61 and 0.60 at 10 and 15 years with poor calibration, indicating inferior performance. The adapted national models showed better internal validation performance, with 10-year ROC-AUCs of 0.77, 0.76, and 0.73 in Dutch, French, and German cohorts, respectively.

Conclusions

The Dutch PKT prediction tool requires country-specific adaptations for use in other countries, given the diversity of clinical practice across Europe. A country-specific model is preferable to an international model in the current landscape.
Left ventricular force with resting volumetric transthoracic echocardiography identifies different phenotypes in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Authors: Wang Y , Quirino C , Zagatina A , Padang R , Kane G C , Villarraga H R , Cortigiani L , Vazquez J P , Boshchenko A , Ryabova T , Manganelli F , Amor M , Yin L , Pellikka P A , Picano E
Published: January 2025

Background

Heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous entity including patients with different phenotypes of reduced, normal, and supernormal left ventricular (LV) function.

Objectives

To assess the value of resting LV elastance with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to identify HFpEF phenotypes.

Methods

In a prospective, observational, multicenter study, 2380 HFpEF patients were recruited from July 2016 to May 2024 by 35 certified laboratories of 15 countries. HFpEF was diagnosed according to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured. We assessed wall motion score index (WMSI), LV end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), EF, force (SBP/ESV), stroke volume (SV), arterial elastance (AE, SBP/SV), ventricular-arterial coupling (VAC, as SV/ESV), and left atrial volume index (LAVI). Global longitudinal strain (GLS) was available in 1164 (48.9%) patients. In 271 (11.4%) patients, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was assessed. Patients were divided into three groups based on rest force: low rest force group (< 25% percentile, Group 1), median rest force group (≥ 25% percentile & ≤ 75% percentile, Group 2), and high rest force group (> 75% percentile, Group 3).

Results

330 (13.9%) patients presented with ischemic RWMA. The 3 groups showed a gradient with descending values (Group 3>2>1) for SBP, EF, GLS, AE, and VAC, with the opposite gradient (Group 1> 2> 3) for EDV, EDVi, ESV, ESVi, SV, SVi, and LAVI values (all P<0.01). Patients in Group 3 have higher NTproBNP level and higher percentage of B-line compared to groups 1 and 2 (P<0.05). The 3 groups were similar for values of coronary flow velocity, systolic pulmonary artery pressure, and E/e’ (see table). Univariable linear regression analysis showed that NTproBNP was correlated with force (r = 0.271, p < 0.001), VAC (r = 0.194, p = 0.001), LAVI (r = 0.327, p < 0.001), LVEDV (r = -0.245, p < 0.001), LVEDVi (r = -0.261, p < 0.001), LVESVi (r = -0.190, p = 0.002) and LVESV (r = -0.187, p = 0.002) (see figure). However, multivariable linear regression analysis showed that NTproBNP was independently associated with LAVI (β= 0.211, p < 0.001) and force (β= 1.804, p = 0.002).

Conclusions

HFpEF patients present with different LV contractile phenotypes, easily identified with resting LV force and volumetric TTE. LV force is linearly correlated with cardiac natriuretic peptide levels. The dominant hemodynamic feature of hypocontractile phenotype is a preload recruitment with dilation of LV EDV and normal SV, while the hypercontractile phenotype is characterized by a small LV with reduced SV.

heat map
Cardiac damage associated with aortic stenosis: comparison between patients treated with surgery and transcatheter aortic valve replacement
Authors: Roman R , Islas F , Gil C , O Neill P , Luque M , Carnero M , Jimenez P , Perez-Camargo D , Nombela L , Rivadeneira M , Gutierrez E , De Agustin J A , Olmos C
Published: January 2025

Background and Purpose

Current evidence shows that surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are comparable and equally beneficial in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) across different risk profiles.

Our aim was to analyse potential differences in cardiac damage related to AS between patients undergoing SAVR and those treated with TAVR in a contemporary cohort of patients with AS.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort of patients with AS who underwent SAVR or TAVR in a tertiary care center from 2017 to 2022. Clinical and echocardiographic parameters prior to surgery were compared.

Additionally, patients were classified into different categories of available cardiac damage staging systems (1,2).

Results

874 patients were included, of which 524 underwent TAVR and 350 were treated with SAVR. A comparison of epidemiological and echocardiographic features is displayed in the Table.

Patients who underwent TAVR were significantly older and more commonly female.

Regarding echocardiographic features, patients treated with TAVR had lower left ventricular ejection fraction and higher LV mass and left atrium volumes, as well as higher E/’e values. Pulmonary systolic arterial pressures were higher; beside, this group of patients showed lower TAPSE and right ventricular arterial coupling (Figure 1).

When applying two different cardiac damage staging systems in the two cohorts, those patients treated with TAVR had significantly more cardiac damage, with a higher proportion of patients classified into advance stages (Figure 2).

Conclusions

In a contemporary cohort of patients with severe AS, those treated with TAVR had significantly more advance cardiac damage, particularly at the expense of right ventricular damage, compared to those who underwent SAVR.

Earlier treatment before significant cardiac damage takes place may help to improve outcomes.

Echocardiographic characteristics

Cardiac damage staging systems
Rational and design of EACVI-MMVD study: an international registry on multimodality imaging for mixed and multiple valvular heart disease
Authors: Unger A , Mandoli G E , Neglia D , Romero Dorta E , Kagiyama N , Borodzicz-Jazdzyk S , Velegraki E , Coisne A , Uygur B , Afana A , Florence J , Delgado V , Petersen S , Pezel T
Published: January 2025

Background

Despite the high frequency of multiple (combination of stenotic or regurgitant lesions occurring on ≥2 cardiac valves) and mixed (combination of stenotic and regurgitant lesions on the same valve) valvular heart disease (MMVD) in clinical practice, comprehensive insights into its clinical presentation, management strategies, impact of multimodality imaging, and outcomes are not well established.

Objective

The "EACVI-MMVD Study" will be the first prospective international study assessing all consecutive patients with MMVD to assess its proportion, and describe baseline epidemiological, cardiovascular imaging, management, and prognosis data.

Methods

International prospective, multicentre, observational study led by the Heart Imagers of Tomorrow (HIT) of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) to include all consecutive patients with at least 2 moderate-to-severe VHD involving ≥2 different valves, according to the current ESC guidelines, and/or mixed VHD, defined as at least moderate stenosis and at least moderate regurgitation of a single valve, according to the current ESC guidelines. The recruitment is ongoing over 6 months, involving more than 100 centres across 30 countries. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are provided in Table 1.

Results

The primary outcome will be the proportion of MMVD cases assessed in echocardiographic labs over 6 months. We will then describe the clinical presentation, management strategies, cardiovascular imaging data, and 1-year prognosis of these MMVD patients (Figure 1). Physicians will determine baseline evaluation, which may include the full spectrum of multimodality imaging, such as transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography, stress echocardiography, computed tomography, and cardiovascular magnetic resonance. Optionally, three dedicated core laboratories will analyse cardiovascular imaging data from participating centres.

Conclusion

The EACVI-MMVD study will be the first and largest international multicentre study evaluating the prevalence of MMVD in clinical practice and determining the impact of multimodality imaging in MMVD patients.

Table1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Figure 1 Overview of the study
Predicting valvular heart disease prognosis from large echocardiography record datasets by machine learning
Authors: Lin W W , Wang Y H , Chen H M , Huang H N , Lee W L , Yang C T
Published: January 2025

Echocardiography is the best choice for diagnosing valvular heart disease. The treatment guidelines of the AHA and ESC provide clinicians with how to select patients for interventional treatment at the appropriate time. However, these treatment guidelines often vary according to different places and ethnic groups. There are 15,000 echocardiography examinations in our hospital every year. Each patient has approximately 50 measured parameters, plus physiological measurements such as height, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, clinical diagnoses and comorbidities, and the image data are stored in DICOM format. Starting in 2012, we formatted and stored this information in structural reports, and by 2023 we had a total of 170,000 records. We analyzed the 3 years prognosis and survival rate of patients with severe aortic stenosis who received different treatments in our hospital from 2012 to 2015. After the clinical data are divided into 9 categories, both unsupervised and supervised learnings are uses to train the best feasible model based on training data. Unsupervised and supervised learnings use 7 and 2 algorithms, respectively, through recursive features to eliminate and filter important features out. The judgement based on the model accuracy for supervised learning and the comparison of four different features’ impact on accuracy for unsupervised learning. The highest accuracy for supervised learning is 1, while the highest accuracy of the unsupervised model is about 0.44. The accuracy of feature selection is not much different from the original data. This study shows the XGBoost algorithm possess the highest accuracy. In the future, we will use wearable devices to continuously monitor patients’ vital signs. Coupled with the remote monitoring of Internet of Things (IOT) technology and fast computer calculations, we may integrate them into big databases to create personalized and precision diagnosis and recommendations for valvular heart disease.

Important features selected by XGBoost
Dynamic ventricular-arterial coupling during supine ergometry is related to outcome in asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis
Authors: Armenis I , Leontiadis E , Tsiapras D , Kyrzopoulos S , Iakovou I , Athanassopoulos G D
Published: January 2025

Background

Ventricular-arterial coupling (VAC) represents a key pathophysiological component for the preservation of left ventricular (LV) contractile efficiency. Increased age, hypertension and evolving atherosclerosis may induce VAC mismatch in asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS).

Purpose

Purpose of the study was to assess the effect of supine ergometry (Ex) on VAC in AS and to interrogate potential relationship with the clinical outcome.

Methods

Forty eight AS patients, followed-up on valve clinic in a tertiary center (age 66±12 years), were referred for Ex. AS-related cardiac events (independent decision for surgery, occurrence of AS-related symptoms) during a follow-up of 33±21 months occurred in 19 patients (EV group).

The following parameters were estimated noninvasively both at rest-R/Ex: LV ejection fraction (EF:%), strain (SR:%), transmitral E/e ratio, peak transtricuspid systolic pressure, AV mean gradient (meanGR: mmHg), valvuloarterial impedance (Za: mm Hg·ml-1m2), effective arterial elastance (Ea: mmHg/ml), LV endsystolic elastance (Ees: mmHg/ml) and VAC as the ratio Ea/Ees.

Results

Event (EV) and non-event (nEV) groups had similar % target heart rate at Ex (96±17 vs 100±12), age (66±12 vs 66±12 years), women/men ratio (9/19 vs 14/29), EF-R (55±8 vs 56±7%), SR-R (15.0±4.0 vs 14.5±3.5%), SR-Ex (16±5 vs 17±4%) but lower EF-Ex (59±9 vs 64±6%, p=0.03).

EV group had greater meanGR at R (45±16 vs 37±12mmHg, p=0.03), but similar Za both at R and Ex (2.3±1.0 vs 2.0±0.8mm Hg·ml-1m2 and 2.7±0.8 vs 2.7±1.0mm Hg·ml-1m2).

EV group had lower Ees at Ex (4.0±2.0 vs 5.6±2.3mmHg/ml, p=0.026) but similar Ees at R (3.0±1.3 vs 3.3±1.5 mmHg/ml) as well Ea both at R and Ex (2.4±1.0 vs 2.6±1.0 mmHg/ml and 2.7±1.0 vs 3.1±1.1 mmHg/ml).

Despite similar VAC at R (0.84±0.24 vs 0.79±0.25), EV group showed worsening VAC during Ex (0.75±0.29 vs 0.58±0.12, p=0.01).

Binary logistic regression analysis for events, including the different parameters between groups (meanGR, VAC Ex, EF Ex), selected only the VAC Ex (exp(b)=0.01, p=0.02) as independent predictor.

ROC event cut off for VAC Ex was 0.69 (area 0.68, p=0.05, sensitivity 0.6 specificity=0.9, figure 1).

Kaplan Meier analysis for the greater values of the VAC Ex than 0.69 showed an increased hazard ratio for events (log rank=6.9 p=0.009, figure 2).

Conclusion

In asymptomatic patients with AS, noninvasive VAC at Ex provides an independent prognostic yield for cardiac outcome from conventional indices of either LV function or hydraulic aortic valve performance.
Echocardiographic feature analysis for differentiating myocardial hypertrophy etiologies using artificial intelligence
Authors: Moon I K , Lee J N , Lee S A , Jeong D W , Jeon J I , Jang Y G , Jeong S H , Kim J Y , Choi H M , Hwang I C , Hong Y T , Cho G Y , Yoon Y E , Chang H J
Published: January 2025

Background

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a common finding in cardiovascular diseases, necessitating precise etiological differentiation for tailored treatment strategies. Echocardiography, crucial for detecting LVH, often exhibits limited accuracy in differentiating LVH etiology. Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds promise in augmenting echocardiographic feature analysis, thereby enhancing LVH assessment.

Objectives

We aimed to develop an explainable AI algorithm detecting LVH and differentiating its common etiologies, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), cardiac amyloidosis (CA), or hypertensive heart disease (HHD), based on echocardiographic images.

Methods

The developmental datasets were sourced from diverse medical centers (867 subjects), while an independent external validation set was obtained from a single tertiary medical center (619 subjects). Utilizing the four fundamental echocardiographic views, conventional and harmonization-driven myocardial textures and geographic features were extracted, and the explainable classification algorithm was developed. (Figure 1)

Results

The developmental dataset (mean age, 52.0±17.9 years; 60.3% male) comprised with LVH present in 67.6% of the training set and 63.2% of the internal validation set (P=0.323). The external validation set (mean age, 51.3±14.6; 48.6% male) showed a significantly lower LVH prevalence than the internal validation dataset (33.1% vs. 63.2%; P <0.001). In internal validation, the classification model accurately detected LVH with an area under the curve (AUC) of 1.00 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00–1.00). For HCM, CA, and HHD classification, it achieved AUCs of 0.97 (95% CI, 0.94–0.99), 0.95 (95% CI, 0.90–0.99), and 0.86 (95% CI, 0.78–0.93), respectively. In external validation, the model maintained impressive performance: LVH, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.99–1.00); HCM, 0.96 (95% CI, 0.92–0.98); CA, 0.89 (95% CI, 0.83–0.93); and HHD, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.81–0.91). (Figure 2) Overall, the AI-enhanced echocardiographic feature analysis successfully differentiated the causes of LVH, demonstrating high accuracy in internal validation and external validation cohorts (89.6 and 92.7%, respectively). Harmonization-driven textures were pivotal in LVH detection and HCM differentiation, while conventional textures and myocardial thickness were influential in CA and HHD differentiation.

Conclusion

This study showed that AI-enhanced echocardiographic feature analysis accurately identified LVH and its etiologies, highlighting the value of AI-driven texture and spatial analysis in LVH evaluation.

Process of Echo feature-extraction

AUC of Model in LVH differentiation
left ventricular systolic function after liver transplantation
Authors: Zeybey U , Yurdakul S , Yazici S E , Atasever A , Akdeniz C S , Canbolat I P , Sahin S , Ucar F M , Ciftci C , Yuzer Y
Published: January 2025

Background

Liver transplantation (LT) is the only curative therapy for patients with end stage liver disease. However, LT may challenge the cardiovascular system , unmasking left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. In the present study we evaluated LV systolic function of patients with end stage liver disease, after the transplantation, based on tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and strain analysis.

Methods and Results

We recruited 32 patients (age 54.59± 11.8 years, 23 % male) with preserved LV ejection fraction (EF) who underwent LT. Left ventricular systolic function was evaluated in terms of conventional parameters and deformation analysis. Left ventricular dimensions (p=0.81), LV EF (p=0.46) and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (p=0.16) did not change after the LT . Regarding TDI analysis, we observed marked decrease in septal and lateral peak systolic velocities . (LV septal Sa 0.08±0.009 to 0.07±0.008 m/s, p=0.0001, and LV lateral Sa 0.09±0.02 to 0.08±0.01, p=0.0001). Based on 2D strain analysis, there was significant impairment in LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) measurements, after LT, when compared to the parameters before the operation (- 20.24 % ± 3.52 to -16.05 % ± 2.55, p=0.0001).

Conclusion

Systolic heart failure is an important clinical condition post LT in the first year which has a devastating effect on the quality of lives of the patients. Detailed assessment of LV systolic function with preserved EF, helps to identify high risk patients for manifest heart failure.