bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neurophysiological outcomes that sustained clinically significant improvements over 3 years of physiologic ECAP-controlled closed-loop spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain
Authors: Mekhail Nagy A , Levy Robert M , Deer Timothy R , Kapural Leonardo , Li Sean , Amirdelfan Kasra , Hunter Corey W , Rosen Steven M , Costandi Shrif J , Falowski Steven M , Burgher Abram H , Pope Jason E , Gilmore Christopher A , Qureshi Farooq A , Staats Peter S , Scowcroft James , McJunkin Tory , Kim Christopher K , Yang Michael I , Stauss Thomas , Rauck Richard , Duarte Rui V , Soliday Nicole , Leitner Angela , Hanson Erin , Ouyang Zhonghua , Mugan Dave , Poree Lawrence
Published: March 2024

Introduction

A novel, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system with a physiologic closed-loop (CL) feedback mechanism controlled by evoked compound action potentials (ECAPs) enables the optimization of physiologic neural dose and the accuracy of the stimulation, not possible with any other commercially available SCS systems. The report of objective spinal cord measurements is essential to increase the transparency and reproducibility of SCS therapy. Here, we report a cohort of the EVOKE double-blind randomized controlled trial treated with CL-SCS for 36 months to evaluate the ECAP dose and accuracy that sustained the durability of clinical improvements.

Methods

41 patients randomized to CL-SCS remained in their treatment allocation and were followed up through 36 months. Objective neurophysiological data, including measures of spinal cord activation, were analyzed. Pain relief was assessed by determining the proportion of patients with ≥50% and ≥80% reduction in overall back and leg pain.

Results

The performance of the feedback loop resulted in high-dose accuracy by keeping the elicited ECAP within 4µV of the target ECAP set on the system across all timepoints. Percent time stimulating above the ECAP threshold was >98%, and the ECAP dose was ≥19.3µV. Most patients obtained ≥50% reduction (83%) and ≥80% reduction (59%) in overall back and leg pain with a sustained response observed in the rates between 3-month and 36-month follow-up (p=0.083 and p=0.405, respectively).

Conclusion

The results suggest that a physiological adherence to supra-ECAP threshold therapy that generates pain inhibition provided by ECAP-controlled CL-SCS leads to durable improvements in pain intensity with no evidence of loss of therapeutic effect through 36-month follow-up.
Consumer satisfaction, palliative care and artificial intelligence (AI)
Authors: Nair Devi , Raveendran Krishnan Unni
Published: March 2024

The scope of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is promising, and AI has the potential to revolutionise the field of palliative care services also. Consumer satisfaction in palliative care is a critical aspect of providing high-quality end-of-life support. It encompasses various elements that contribute to a positive experience for both patients and their families. AI-based tools and technologies can help in early identification of the beneficiaries, reduce the cost, improve the quality of care and satisfaction to the patients with chronic life-limiting illnesses. However, it is essential to ensure that AI is used ethically and in a way that complements, rather than replaces, the human touch and compassionate care, which are the core components of palliative care. This article tries to analyse the scope and challenges of improving consumer satisfaction through AI-based technology in palliative care services.
ORDERED SEARCH, INTRAPLATFORM COMPETITION AND AN INVISIBLE MARKET BOUNDARY—EVIDENCE FROM CHINESE E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS
Authors: QU CHUANG , LIU HANZHEN , WANG SAI
Published: March 2024

Using data from three leading e-commerce platforms in China, we study the impact of the dispersion of sellers’ ranking positions on the price dispersion of homogeneous commodities. The major findings are as follows: The dispersion of the ranking positions of sellers weakens market competition and intensifies price dispersion. The dispersion of ranking positions has a heterogeneous effect on sellers’ pricing strategies with different ranking positions. In addition, under the combined action of search costs and long-tail effects in e-commerce markets, there is an invisible market boundary in online markets.
Higher-Order Radial Hadamard Directional Derivatives and Applications to Set-Valued Equilibrium Problems
Authors: Tang Tian , Yu Guolin
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we first introduce the higher-order lower and upper radial Hadamard directional derivatives for set-valued maps, which can capture the global information of concerning maps, and discuss the relationships with other existed higher-order derivatives. Second, based on the introduced derivatives, we establish optimality conditions for Henig efficient solutions of a set-valued equilibrium problem with constraints. Particularly, the optimality conditions hold in the case where the derivatives of objective and constraint functions are separated. Finally, we give some duality theorems for a mixed type of primal-dual set-valued equilibrium problem. The main results of this paper are illustrated by several concrete examples.
A 12-Bit 1.2-GS/s Current-Steering DAC in 45-NM CMOS Technology
Authors: Gupta Tarun , Bhandari Sonalika , Taran Sachin , Gupta Rahul Kumar
Published: March 2024

This research paper presents a 12-bit 8–4-segmented current-steering DAC (digital-to-analog converter) that offers notable advantages, particularly in terms of its reduced power consumption compared to other similar designs. The exceptional performance of our DAC can be attributed to two key factors: the use of a thermometer encoder and an efficient digital input bit segmentation. These features contribute to enhanced precision and reduced power requirements, setting our DAC apart from the existing solutions in the field. These enhancements significantly reduce glitches and improve the accuracy of the DAC’s output. DAC dissipates a total power of about 44.95[Formula: see text]mW when running at a sample rate of 1.2[Formula: see text]GHz with the CMOS technology of 45[Formula: see text]nm. While the supply input voltage is held constant at 1.2[Formula: see text]V, the DAC’s digital input is pulsating in nature in which the ON voltage is 1[Formula: see text]V and OFF voltage is 0[Formula: see text]V. Also, the DAC has a spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) of 41.77[Formula: see text]dB.
DYNAMICS OF LEPTOSPIROSIS IN HUMAN AND RODENT POPULATIONS: A MULTISCALE MODELING APPROACH
Authors: ADEWOLE MATTHEW O. , ABDULLAH FARAH A. , ALI MAJID K. M.
Published: March 2024

Leptospirosis is a bacteria infection prevalent in many tropical regions, caused by the genus Leptospira. Humans contract the disease by coming in contact with contaminated environments. This study proposes a deterministic mathematical model that links the within-host and between-host dynamics of leptospirosis and investigates its properties. The model’s parameters were estimated by fitting it to real-life data using the “lsqcurvefit” package in MATLAB. The study employs global sensitivity analysis using Latin hypercube sampling with a partial rank correlation coefficient index and uses Pontryagin’s maximum principle to identify cost-effective solutions for time-dependent intervention strategies to suppress the bacteria transmission within a specific period. The results of the study showed that bacteria replication within human and rodent hosts is the major driver of the overall dynamics of leptospirosis and therefore controlling the prevalence of the disease by focusing on the epidemiology components is necessary but will not be effective if the intra-host dynamics of the bacteria within rodent hosts and human hosts are not attentively considered.
Do CSR Firms Make Better Acquisitions?-The Case of Taiwan
Authors: Wang Alan T. , Li Jhih-Ni
Published: March 2024

This study examines the association between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities measured by two of Taiwan’s leading publishers, the Commonwealth Magazine and the Global View Magazine, and the acquirer’s short- and long-term performances after the merger announcement in Taiwan. We use CEO compensation and the firm’s free cash flow as the proxies for CEO self-confidence. We find that the acquirer’s CSR engagement is positively associated with its long-term performance but not with its short-term performance. CEO compensation is positively associated with the acquirer’s performance, especially after the mandatory establishment of the remuneration committee for publicly traded firms. However, the acquirer’s free cash flow is found negatively associated with its performance, supporting Jensen’s (Agency costs of free cash flow, corporate finance, and takeovers. American Economic Review, 76, 323–329) free cash flow hypothesis or CEO hubris. These findings indicate that the CSR measurements of Commonwealth Magazine and Global View Magazine do provide valuable information for CSR activities and that CSR activities do enhance firm value in the long run. Furthermore, the requirement for the establishment of the remuneration committee does improve the effectiveness of CEO compensation for firm performance in Taiwan.
A Novel High-Order Sandwich Plate Theory-Based Isogeometric Analysis for Free Vibration of Variable Angle Tow Composite Sandwich Plates with Complex-Shaped Cutouts
Authors: Chen Xiaodong , Zhang Fengjian , Nie Guojun
Published: March 2024

Advanced automated fiber placement technologies enable variable angle tow sandwich structures possible, which provides an extended flexibility in stiffness tailoring to design lightweight sandwich structures with superior performance. However, complex-shaped openings within this new type of sandwich structures bring great challenges when dealing with vibration problems. In this paper, an isogeometric analysis (IGA) formulation based on a novel high-order sandwich plate theory is developed for the first time to the study of free vibration of variable stiffness sandwich plates with complex-shaped cutouts. The proposed new high-order sandwich plate model is formulated based on the idea of layerwise modeling, that is, the first-order shear deformation theory is employed to characterize the kinematics of the two skins, while the high-order theory based on hierarchic Legendre polynomials is applied to describe the kinematics of the core. The weak-form governing equations for free vibration problems of the perforated sandwich plates are first derived from the virtual work principle, and then the IGA formulation based on the non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) is applied to obtain the eigenfrequencies and the corresponding eigenmodes. The novelty of this work lies in that the introduction of hierarchic Legendre polynomials enables the kinematics of the core to be enriched to any desired expansion order, which shows great superiority over its traditional counterpart such as extended high-order sandwich panel theory (EHSAPT). On the other hand, the developed IGA procedure based on the novel high-order sandwich plate theory is applicable to a general sandwich plate even with complex-shaped cutouts. The accuracy and effectiveness of the developed IGA procedure are validated by comparing against the results available in the literature and those obtained using ABAQUS. Effects of cutout size, boundary condition and fiber angle on the vibration characteristics of the perforated sandwich plates are discussed in numerical examples. The results presented herein may be beneficial for the design of variable stiffness sandwich plates with complex-shaped cutouts.
Free Vibration of Axially Loaded Functionally Graded Porous Cracked Beams
Authors: Al Rjoub Yousef S. , Al-Momani Mohammad A.
Published: March 2024

This study employed a method of analysis to examine the free oscillation behavior of functionally graded (FG) porous-cracked beams under axial loads and varied boundary conditions. The cracked beam system was composed of interconnecting beam segments kept together by massless rotating springs. Based on the Timoshenko beam theory (TBT) or Euler–Bernoulli theories (EBT), each segment was sectionally flexible. Using a power-law function, mechanical features were expected to gradually change along with the height of the beam. Two different pore distributions, even and uneven, were also explored. Subsequently, Hamilton’s theory was used to derive the equations of kinematic motion for FG-cracked porous beams, and the transfer matrix (TMM) approach was used to get the determinantal equation. A parametric analysis was performed to evaluate how cracks, porosity distribution, slenderness ratio, volume fraction index, boundary conditions, and axial load affect the dynamic characteristics of FG beams. The results revealed that the suggested analytical approach provided several findings that were similar to the existing analytical outcomes in the literature. Moreover, the computer analysis demonstrated that porosity, especially when there were cracks, significantly affected the eigenfrequencies of FG beams. Hence, this study opened the door for possible applications in a variety of engineering settings by offering some crucial insights into the complex dynamics of FG porous-cracked beams.
Influence of Prestress on Vibration Frequency of Beam String Structures Based on Exact Matrix Stiffness Method
Authors: Guo Yu-Fei , Pan Wen-Hao , Luo Yao-Zhi
Published: March 2024

Beam string structures (BSS) are frequently employed in large-span spatial structures due to their high load-carrying efficiency and elegant appearance. Owing to the neglect of the influence of prestress, the natural frequency of the BSS is often overestimated which could be crucial to the dynamic behavior of BSS. This paper presents an exact matrix stiffness analysis method (MSM) for investigating the relationship between prestress and the natural frequency of the planar BSS. A novel dynamic stiffness matrix of beam–columns considering the natural frequency and axial force is used to develop the MSM. The dynamic analysis of the structural vibration stability of BSS is performed by using the global structural stiffness matrix which is assembled from the element stiffness matrices in the global coordinate system. The proposed MSM with the exact dynamic element stiffness matrix for the dynamic analysis of the BSS is verified by comparing with previous results based on the finite element method. The illustrative examples demonstrate that the prestress in the cable has a negative effect on the natural frequency of the BSS and should be considered in the dynamic analysis. As the axial force increases from zero to the buckling load [Formula: see text], the natural frequency of the BSS decreases from the maximum vibration frequency to zero. The influence of prestress on the vibration frequencies of BSS is particularly significant when the prestress to balance the loads is large, especially in the case of large dead and live loads (e.g. floor slabs).
Sustainable Development: Impact of FDI and Corruption Mitigation Within BRI Nations
Authors: Khalid Zameer , Ye Li Jin , Muhammad Tufail , Uddin Maaz , Zaman Khalid , Ullah Inam , Ghadi Yazeed Yasin , Alwabli Abdullah
Published: March 2024

This study examines the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI), corruption mitigation, stock market, e-commerce and energy consumption on environmental quality in 54 countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from 1996 to 2016. Using various econometric techniques, the study finds that anti-corruption efforts and financial development have positive impacts on environmental quality, while economic growth, FDI and urbanization have negative impacts. This study also reveals that FDI and corruption control have a significant interaction effect on CO2 emissions. This study provides important insights and policy implications for achieving sustainable development in BRI countries.
Porphyrins as key components for photoinduced charge separation, solar cells and optogenetics
Authors: Imahori Hiroshi , Akiyama Midori
Published: March 2024

This review presents typical examples of porphyrins, which serve as highly effective building blocks, primarily drawn from our past achievements. They function as both an electron donor and an energy donor/acceptor in various applications. These applications include photosynthetic and solar cell models, dye-sensitized solar cells, bulk heterojunction solar cells, and optogenetics based on photoinduced charge separation. Consequently, porphyrins are essential components for evaluating energy and electron transfer properties, as well as for energy and biological applications.
The value of the Belingwe Greenstone Belt, Zimbabwe, as a national geoheritage site
Authors: Mugumbate Forbes
Published: March 2024

Products of geological processes, such as rock formations, unconformities, structures, minerals, fossils and landforms, represent unique records of the evolution of the Earth. These form a coherent picture showing how the Earth evolved, but the picture becomes blurred with antiquity. Consequently, there are challenges in gathering information from the Archean, the period during which the foundations of the Earth were laid down. The 2.7 Ga Belingwe Greenstone Belt in Zimbabwe has proved to be valuable because it has some of the best-preserved Archean stratigraphy in the world. An unconformity between sialic basement and supracrustal rocks of the greenstone belt, and exotic rocks, such as komatiites and stromatolites, contributes immensely toward our knowledge of the evolution of the young Earth and the beginning of life. The frequent use of the Belingwe Greenstone Belt examples to explain geotectonic processes of the early Earth gives testimony to the importance of this structure. Interpretation of some of the features of the Greenstone Belt is sometimes controversial, which forms areas of endless research to better understand the Archean Era. It is for these reasons that arguments are presented for consideration of the Belingwe Greenstone Belt as a national geoheritage site.
Collaborative Sequential Recommendations via Multi-view GNN-transformers
Authors: Luo Tianze , Liu Yong , Pan Sinno Jialin
Published: March 2024

Sequential recommendation systems aim to exploit users’ sequential behavior patterns to capture their interaction intentions and improve recommendation accuracy. Existing sequential recommendation methods mainly focus on modeling the items’ chronological relationships in each individual user behavior sequence, which may not be effective in making accurate and robust recommendations. On the one hand, the performance of existing sequential recommendation methods is usually sensitive to the length of a user’s behavior sequence (i.e., the list of a user’s historically interacted items). On the other hand, besides the context information in each individual user behavior sequence, the collaborative information among different users’ behavior sequences is also crucial to make accurate recommendations. However, this kind of information is usually ignored by existing sequential recommendation methods. In this work, we propose a new sequential recommendation framework, which encodes the context information in each individual user behavior sequence as well as the collaborative information among the behavior sequences of different users, through building a local dependency graph for each item. We conduct extensive experiments to compare the proposed model with state-of-the-art sequential recommendation methods on five benchmark datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model is able to achieve better recommendation performance than existing methods, by incorporating collaborative information.
FulBM: Fast Fully Batch Maintenance for Landmark-based 3-hop Cover Labeling
Authors: Zhang Wentai , E HaiHong , Luo Haoran , Sun Mingzhi
Published: March 2024

Landmark-based 3-hop cover labeling is a category of approaches for shortest distance/path queries on large-scale complex networks. It pre-computes an index offline to accelerate the online distance/path query. Most real-world graphs undergo rapid changes in topology, which makes index maintenance on dynamic graphs necessary. So far, the majority of index maintenance methods can handle only one edge update (either an addition or deletion) each time. To keep up with frequently changing graphs, we research the

ful

ly

b

atch

m

aintenance problem for the 3-hop cover labeling, and proposed the method called
FulBM
. FulBM is composed of two algorithms: InsBM and DelBM, which are designed to handle batch edge insertions and deletions, respectively. This separation is motivated by the insight that batch maintenance for edge insertions are much more time-efficient and the fact that most edge updates in the real world are incremental. Both InsBM and DelBM are equipped with well-designed pruning strategies to minimize the number of vertex accesses. We have conducted comprehensive experiments on both synthetic and real-world graphs to verify the efficiency of FulBM and its variants for weighted graphs. The results show that our methods achieve 5.5× to 228× speedup compared with the state-of-the-art method.
Single-cell ionic current phenotyping explains stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte action potential morphology
Authors: Clark Alexander P. , Wei Siyu , Fullerton Kristin , Krogh-Madsen Trine , Christini David J.
Published: March 2024

We present rapid ionic current phenotyping (RICP), a current quantification approach based on an optimized voltage-clamp protocol. The method captures a rich snapshot of the ionic current dynamics, providing quantitative information about multiple currents (e.g., ICa,L, IKr) in the same cell. The protocol helped to identify key ionic determinants of cellular action potential heterogeneity in iPSC-CMs. This included unexpected results, such as the critical role of IKr in establishing the maximum diastolic potential.
Organization of the human cerebral cortex estimated within individuals: networks, global topography, and function
Authors: Du Jingnan , DiNicola Lauren M. , Angeli Peter A. , Saadon-Grosman Noam , Sun Wendy , Kaiser Stephanie , Ladopoulou Joanna , Xue Aihuiping , Yeo B. T. Thomas , Eldaief Mark C. , Buckner Randy L.
Published: March 2024

The organization of cerebral networks was estimated within individuals with intensive, repeat sampling of fMRI data. A hierarchical organization emerged in each individual that delineated first-, second-, and third-order cortical networks. Regions of distinct third-order association networks consistently exhibited side-by-side juxtapositions that repeated across multiple cortical zones, with clear and robust functional specialization among the embedded regions.
Numerical Study on the Self-Pulsation Characteristics of LOX/GH2 Swirl Coaxial Injector
Authors: Qiao Wentong , Liang Chengkai , Liu Luhao , Wang Shaoyan , Zhang Bingbing , Yang Xiaocong , Yang Lijun , Fu Qingfei
Published: March 2024

To investigate the self-pulsation characteristics of a liquid-centered swirl coaxial injector with liquid oxygen (LOX) and gas hydrogen (GH2) as the working mediums under supercritical condition, a numerical simulation was employed. The transient simulation of the flow and injection process of cryogenic propellant was carried out using the RNG k−ε turbulence model, VOF model, and Peng-Robinson equation of state. The frequency spectrum of calculated pressure oscillation agreed with the experimental data. The amplitude-frequency characteristics of recess region, LOX, and GH2 paths when self-pulsation occurs were analyzed. The effects of operating parameters, such as the flow rate of LOX or GH2 and the initial GH2 temperature, on the self-pulsation, were evaluated specifically. Results reveal that the self-pulsation results from the periodic variation of pressure and velocity caused by the periodic blocking of annular gas by the liquid sheet. The dominant frequencies of pressure oscillation in the recess region, upstream of LOX, or GH2 path are diverse. But for the points in each region, the dominant frequency is about the same. When the LOX/GH2 mixing ratio increases, the liquid sheet thickness and the number of liquid filaments increase. The position where filaments are massively broken into droplets moves further downstream. For the same mixing ratio, the flow rate of LOX has a greater impact on the atomization features. The pressures corresponding to low or high frequency increase when the initial GH2 temperature raises. The higher temperature would shift the dominant oscillation between the low and high regimes.
Absence of Tuberculosis‐Causing Mycobacteria from Slaughtered Livestock Tissues and Environmental Samples, Gauteng Province, South Africa
Authors: Mareledwane Vuyokazi , Adesiyun Abiodun A. , Hlokwe Tiny M.
Published: March 2024

Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) is a group of bacteria responsible for causing tuberculosis in animals and humans. In South Africa (S.A), slaughterhouses are registered by the government and closely inspected and audited for hygienic slaughter practices. Meat inspection to detect lesions has been used for passive surveillance, monitoring, and diagnosis of the disease status. Information on the current status of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in livestock in the country is limited. Hence, we investigated the occurrence of Mycobacterium spp. in the tissues of slaughtered livestock and environmental samples in abattoirs in Gauteng province of South Africa (S.A). The cross‐sectional study employing random sampling from cattle, pigs, and sheep (with the collection of liver, lung, spleen, and different lymph nodes) irrespective of lesions was carried out in 19 red meat abattoirs. Five hundred animals were sampled, comprising cattle (n = 369), pigs (n = 90), and sheep (n = 41). Additionally, 19 environmental samples were collected from feedlots, or where animals drink water while awaiting slaughter, to identify mycobacterial species using culture, acid‐fast bacteria staining, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The Chi‐square and Fisher’s Exact tests were used to detect statistically significant differences in the frequency of detection of Mycobacterium spp. according to the variables investigated (types of tissues, livestock, abattoirs, etc.). The PCR assays detected no MTBC complex species DNA in the bacterial isolates from cattle (n = 32). Sequence analysis (16S rDNA) of the isolates from eight cattle confirmed only two species, namely Mycobacterium colombiense (99.81% identity) and Mycobacterium simiae (99.42% identity). The remaining isolates were identified as members of the Actinomadura species. From the environmental samples, bacterial isolation was made from three samples, and two could only be identified up to the genus level (Mycobacterium species) while the remaining isolate was identified as Mycobacterium senuense (99.22% identity). The study revealed the absence of bovine tuberculosis‐causing pathogens in red meat abattoirs of the Gauteng province. Although non‐tuberculous Mycobacteria have been implicated as potentially causing tuberculosis‐like diseases in livestock, their occurrence in the current study was found to be low, but the potential to cause disease cannot be ignored.
Modeling Gas Compressor Station Operation to Minimize Fuel Costs for Surge Zone Protection
Authors: Zhussupova Dinara , Otelbaev Mukhtarbay , Burgumbayeva Saule
Published: March 2024

Gas transportation through the pipeline network requires high pressure; otherwise, movement will be impossible. Due to friction with the walls of the pipes, the gas loses both speed and pressure. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the pressure in the main pipeline, which can extend for thousands of kilometers. For this purpose, compressor stations are located along the main network, facilitating the gas transport process by raising it to the required pressure. Compressor stations mainly consume the transported gas, with approximately 5% expended on gas compression. This article presents a study on the fuel cost for compressor stations, using mathematical models to optimize the operation of gas compressor units. The objective is to minimize gas consumption as a fuel and provide an optimization method with control over blower revolutions and valve installations to ensure safe transportation. Mathematical modeling of the described process detected the technically unjustified fuel gas consumption during the operation of gas compressor units at a specific compressor station under consideration. The paper proposes a method for minimizing costs, which can serve as the basis for providing recommendations to engineers-dispatchers. Compressor stations of the type under study lack measuring instruments for mass flow; therefore, the methods such as PID controllers, MPC, or neural networks are not applicable here.
Real‐Time Quantitative Evaluation on the Longitudinal Slip Performance of Spherical Steel Bearings of Long‐Span Bridges
Authors: Xu Shiyang , Zhou Xin , Wang Gaoxin , Ding Youliang
Published: March 2024

Spherical steel bearings play an important role in the normal longitudinal expansion of the main girders of long‐span bridges. With the increase in service time, the wear damage will deteriorate the longitudinal slip performance of spherical steel bearings. In this research, a method of real‐time quantitative evaluation on longitudinal slip performance is proposed through monitoring data analysis, correlation analysis, damage evaluation analysis, and experiment data analysis. Monitoring data analysis shows that the temperature field has a good linear relationship with longitudinal displacement. Correlation analysis shows that this relationship is well described by a time‐varying multiple linear regression model. Furthermore, bearing friction is used as an index for real‐time quantitative evaluation, and a large value of bearing friction indicates serious damage. An evaluation model considering the influence of temperature field and bearing frictions is proposed. The time‐varying values of bearing frictions are calculated through Kalman filtering analysis. Experimental results show that the maximum evaluation error of this method is less than 5%, verifying that the proposed method is feasible for real‐time quantitative evaluation on the longitudinal slip performance of bridge bearings.
Analysis of Hotspots in and outside School Zones: A Case Study of Seoul
Authors: Chun Uibeom , Lim Joonbeom , Kim Hyungkyu
Published: March 2024

With growing social concern on pedestrian accidents involving children, the Korean government announced a plan to decrease the number of child deaths due to traffic accidents by 2026. Therefore, policymakers should consider various measures for school zones because a safe school walkway is essential for preventing traffic accidents around schools. Some parts of the roads within a radius of 300 m from elementary school and kindergarten entrances are designated as school zones. Certain roads experience frequent accidents within the school zone, while others experience frequent accidents outside the school zone. Hence, this study aimed to provide school zone types in Seoul by noting different occurrence accidents within and outside each school zone and suggest proper countermeasure by type. After selecting a 300 m radius analysis unit from the school zones, a distinction was made between the school zones and outside for each analysis unit. After verifying the spatial autocorrelation in each unit, hotspot analysis identified four types based on the presence or absence of hotspots in each unit. Types were defined as follows: Type A—no hotspots in school zones or outside the school zones; Type B—hotspots only outside the school zones; Type C—hotspots only the school zones; and Type D—hotspots both in school zones and outside the school zones. Subsequently, a case study was conducted to validate the types. For Types B and C, the results revealed differences in the installation of traffic safety facilities and the environment between within and outside the school zones. Therefore, Type B requires improving safety outside the school zones by expanding school zones to match the safety level within. For Type C, it implies the need to strengthen safety measures in the school zones. Lastly, for Type D, improvement projects for a safe walking environment should be implemented in primarily by conducting separate inspections.
Nurse Interns’ Perception of Clinical Preparation and Readiness for Clinical Internship Experiences
Authors: Almadani Noura , Hables Reda M. , Alharbi Jalal , Alamri Majed , Alshammari Mukhlid
Published: March 2024

Background. As nursing interns enter challenging clinical settings, evaluating their preparation and readiness is vital for adaptation success. Sufficient real-world experience and patient care are crucial preparation components that enable effective practice and higher competencies. Aim. This study aimed to assess nurse interns’ perception of clinical preparation and readiness for clinical internship experiences. Methods. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed, comprising three sections on demographics, clinical preparation requirements, and the Casey–Fink Readiness for Practice Survey. Descriptive statistics as the mean and standard deviation, numbers and percentages, linear regression model, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used for reporting normal distribution, categorical variables, and relationship between a scalar response and one or more explanatory variables and to calculate statistics between two continuous variables. Results. The participants were 130 nurse interns who were involved in an internship between 2016 and 2020, 50% of the nurse interns. They had a moderate level of clinical preparation, and 28.5% of them exhibited a low level. In addition, 53.8% were found to be moderately ready for practice, while 22.3% had a low level of readiness Conclusion. The observed significant positive correlation between perceived preparation and readiness underscores the pivotal role of clinical preparation in influencing practice readiness. Implications. These findings emphasize the importance of targeted interventions aimed at enhancing clinical preparation to directly bolster overall readiness for professional practice among nurse interns.
Effectiveness of Air Filters in Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Shih Ming-Yang , Hsu Hsueh-Wen , Chen Ssu-Yin , Su Ming-Jang , Lo Wei-Cheng , Chen Chiehfeng
Published: March 2024

Previous studies have evaluated the effectiveness of air filters in mitigating the symptoms of allergic rhinitis (AR). However, these studies have yielded inconsistent results. This systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness of air filters for patients with AR. For this, we comprehensively searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases to identify relevant articles. The results are presented in terms of standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) values with the fixed‐effects model (FEM) and random‐effects model (REM). Eight randomized controlled trials were included in our meta‐analysis. Of these, three had a parallel design and five had a crossover design. Regarding clinical outcomes, pooled analyses performed using patients’ nighttime and daytime symptom scores revealed SMD values of −0.21 (95% CI: −0.35 to −0.07 (FEM) and −0.35 to −0.08 (REM)) and −0.16 (95% CI: −0.30 to −0.03 (both FEM and REM)), respectively. However, no significant changes were noted in the SMD values when assessing medication use, quality of life (QoL), or peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). In conclusion, air filters may help alleviate symptoms associated with AR; however, their effects on medication use, QoL, and PEFR appear to be limited. This systemic review and meta‐analysis is registered with CRD42022380560.
Enhancing Malaria Control Strategy: Optimal Control and Cost‐Effectiveness Analysis on the Impact of Vector Bias on the Efficacy of Mosquito Repellent and Hospitalization
Authors: Febiriana Iffatricia Haura , Hassan Abdullah Hasan , Aldila Dipo
Published: March 2024

This paper focuses on the impact of mosquito biting bias on the success of malaria intervention strategies. The initial model is developed considering the existence of symptomatic and asymptomatic humans, as well as vector bias. The model is then analyzed to demonstrate how the malaria‐endemic equilibrium always exists and is globally asymptotically stable if the basic reproduction number is larger than one. On the other hand, malaria will always go extinct in the population if the basic reproduction number is less than one. For intervention analysis, the model is extended by considering mosquito repellent and hospitalization as control strategies. The control reproduction number is shown analytically. Using the Pontryagin maximum principle, we characterize our optimal control problem. Several scenarios are conducted to observe the dynamics of control variables under different circumstances. We found that the intervention of mosquito repellent and hospitalization together is the most cost‐effective strategy to reduce the spread of malaria. Furthermore, we have shown that the more biased the vector attracted to infected individuals, the higher the cost needed to implement the control strategy.
NCI Cancer Research Data Commons: Resources to Share Key Cancer Data
Authors: Wang Zhining , Davidsen Tanja M. , Kuffel Gina R. , Addepalli KanakaDurga , Bell Amanda , Casas-Silva Esmeralda , Dingerdissen Hayley , Farahani Keyvan , Fedorov Andrey , Gaheen Sharon , Grossman Robert L. , Kikinis Ron , Kim Erika , Otridge John , Pihl Todd , Porter Melissa , Rodriguez Henry , Staudt Louis M. , Thangudu Ratna R. , Venkatachari Sudha , Zenklusen Jean Claude , Zhang Xu ,   The CRDC Program, Barnholtz-Sloan Jill S. , Kerlavage Anthony R.
Published: March 2024

Since 2014, the NCI has launched a series of data commons as part of the Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC) ecosystem housing genomic, proteomic, imaging, and clinical data to support cancer research and promote data sharing of NCI-funded studies. This review describes each data commons (Genomic Data Commons, Proteomic Data Commons, Integrated Canine Data Commons, Cancer Data Service, Imaging Data Commons, and Clinical and Translational Data Commons), including their unique and shared features, accomplishments, and challenges. Also discussed is how the CRDC data commons implement Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR) principles and promote data sharing in support of the new NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy.

See related articles by Brady et al., p. 1384, Pot et al., p. 1396, and Kim et al., p. 1404
NCI Cancer Research Data Commons: Cloud-Based Analytic Resources
Authors: Pot David , Worman Zelia , Baumann Alexander , Pathak Shirish , Beck Rowan , Beck Erin , Thayer Katherine , Davidsen Tanja M. , Kim Erika , Davis-Dusenbery Brandi , Otridge John , Pihl Todd ,   The CRDC Program, Barnholtz-Sloan Jill S. , Kerlavage Anthony R.
Published: March 2024

The NCI's Cloud Resources (CR) are the analytical components of the Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC) ecosystem. This review describes how the three CRs (Broad Institute FireCloud, Institute for Systems Biology Cancer Gateway in the Cloud, and Seven Bridges Cancer Genomics Cloud) provide access and availability to large, cloud-hosted, multimodal cancer datasets, as well as offer tools and workspaces for performing data analysis where the data resides, without download or storage. In addition, users can upload their own data and tools into their workspaces, allowing researchers to create custom analysis workflows and integrate CRDC-hosted data with their own.

See related articles by Brady et al., p. 1384, Wang et al., p. 1388, and Kim et al., p. 1404
NCI Cancer Research Data Commons: Lessons Learned and Future State
Authors: Kim Erika , Davidsen Tanja , Davis-Dusenbery Brandi N , Baumann Alexander , Maggio Angela , Chen Zhaoyi , Meerzaman Daoud , Casas-Silva Esmeralda , Pot David , Pihl Todd , Otridge John , Shalley Eve ,   The CRDC Program, Barnholtz-Sloan Jill S. , Kerlavage Anthony R.
Published: March 2024

More than ever, scientific progress in cancer research hinges on our ability to combine datasets and extract meaningful interpretations to better understand diseases and ultimately inform the development of better treatments and diagnostic tools. To enable the successful sharing and use of big data, the NCI developed the Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC), providing access to a large, comprehensive, and expanding collection of cancer data. The CRDC is a cloud-based data science infrastructure that eliminates the need for researchers to download and store large-scale datasets by allowing them to perform analysis where data reside. Over the past 10 years, the CRDC has made significant progress in providing access to data and tools along with training and outreach to support the cancer research community. In this review, we provide an overview of the history and the impact of the CRDC to date, lessons learned, and future plans to further promote data sharing, accessibility, interoperability, and reuse.

See related articles by Brady et al., p. 1384, Wang et al., p. 1388, and Pot et al., p. 1396
AKTing on R Loops Makes for an ATRactive Target in Ovarian Cancer Therapy
Authors: Ramanarayanan Vijayalalitha , Oberdoerffer Philipp
Published: March 2024

High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is the deadliest subtype of ovarian cancer. While PARP inhibitors (PARPi) have transformed the care of advanced HGSOC, PARPi resistance poses a major limitation to their clinical utility. DNA damage checkpoint signaling via ATR kinase can counteract PARPi-induced replication stress, making ATR an attractive therapeutic target in PARPi-resistant tumors. However, ATR inhibitor (ATRi) efficacy in the clinic is low, emphasizing the need for suitable combination treatments. In this issue of Cancer Research, Huang and colleagues uncovered cytotoxic synergism between inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway and ATR based on high-throughput screening for ATRi drug combinations in PARPi-resistant HGSOC cells. Dual inhibition of ATR and AKT resulted in aberrant replication stress and cell death, which was attributed in part to impaired resolution of replication-stalling RNA:DNA hybrids (R loops). The authors identified the DNA/RNA helicase DHX9 as a clinically relevant candidate effector of R loop resolution in HGSOC. AKT interacted with and recruited DHX9 to R loops, where it complemented ATR in facilitating their removal. Underlining the therapeutic potential relevance of these findings, combined inhibition of ATR and AKT caused near complete tumor regression in HGSOC xenograft models, and elevated AKT/DHX9 levels correlated with poor survival in patients with HGSOC. Of note, the genotoxic consequences of dual ATRi/AKTi treatment extended beyond PARPi-resistant tumors and are likely to affect genome integrity beyond R loops. The work by Huang and colleagues thus provides compelling rationale for the exploration of combined targeting of the AKT and ATR pathways as a potentially broadly applicable treatment of advanced HGSOC.

See related article by Huang et al., p. 887
Combination of an Autoantibody Panel and Alpha-Fetoprotein for Early Detection of Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Shen Yajing , Chen Jiajun , Wu Jinyu , Li Tiandong , Yi Chuncheng , Wang Keyan , Wang Peng , Sun Changqing , Ye Hua
Published: March 2024

The purpose of this study was to identify biomarkers associated with hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) and to develop a new combination with good diagnostic performance. This study was divided into four phases: discovery, verification, validation, and modeling. A total of four candidate tumor-associated autoantibodies (TAAb; anti-ZIC2, anti-PCNA, anti-CDC37L1, and anti-DUSP6) were identified by human proteome microarray (52 samples) and bioinformatics analysis. Subsequently, these candidate TAAbs were further confirmed by indirect ELISA with two testing cohorts (120 samples for verification and 663 samples for validation). The AUC for these four TAAbs to identify patients with HBV-HCC from chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients ranged from 0.693 to 0.739. Finally, a diagnostic panel with three TAAbs (anti-ZIC2, anti-CDC37L1, and anti-DUSP6) was developed. This panel showed superior diagnostic efficiency in identifying early HBV-HCC compared with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), with an AUC of 0.834 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.772–0.897] for this panel and 0.727 (95% CI, 0.642–0.812) for AFP (P = 0.0359). In addition, the AUC for this panel to identify AFP-negative patients with HBV-HCC was 0.796 (95% CI, 0.734–0.858), with a sensitivity of 52.4% and a specificity of 89.0%. Importantly, the panel in combination with AFP significantly increased the positive rate for early HBV-HCC to 84.1% (P = 0.005) and for late HBV-HCC to 96.3% (P < 0.001). Our findings suggest that AFP and the autoantibody panel may be independent but complementary serologic biomarkers for HBV-HCC detection.

Prevention Relevance:

We developed a robust diagnostic panel for identifying patients with HBV-HCC from patients with CHB. This autoantibody panel provided superior diagnostic performance for HBV-HCC at an early stage and/or with negative AFP results. Our findings suggest that AFP and the autoantibody panel may be independent but complementary biomarkers for HBV-HCC detection.
TABLE 1 from Impact of Tumor-intrinsic Molecular Features on Survival and Acquired Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Resistance in ALK-positive NSCLC
Authors: Nakazawa Mari , Harada Guilherme , Ghanem Paola , Bubie Adrian , Kiedrowski Lesli A. , Murray Joseph C. , Marrone Kristen A. , Scott Susan C. , Houseknecht Stefanie , Falcon Christina J. , Evans Patrick , Feliciano Josephine , Hann Christine L. , Ettinger David S. , Smith Kellie N. , Anagnostou Valsamo , Forde Patrick M. , Brahmer Julie R. , Levy Benjamin , Drilon Alexander , Lam Vincent K.
Published: March 2024

Baseline characteristics of patients with ALK-positive NSCLC in clinical cohort by EML4-ALK v1 and v3 subgroups
Supplemental Table 5 from Impact of Tumor-intrinsic Molecular Features on Survival and Acquired Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Resistance in ALK-positive NSCLC
Authors: Nakazawa Mari , Harada Guilherme , Ghanem Paola , Bubie Adrian , Kiedrowski Lesli A. , Murray Joseph C. , Marrone Kristen A. , Scott Susan C. , Houseknecht Stefanie , Falcon Christina J. , Evans Patrick , Feliciano Josephine , Hann Christine L. , Ettinger David S. , Smith Kellie N. , Anagnostou Valsamo , Forde Patrick M. , Brahmer Julie R. , Levy Benjamin , Drilon Alexander , Lam Vincent K.
Published: March 2024

Summary of adjusted and unadjusted hazard ratios (HR) with respective confidence intervals as generated by Cox proportional-hazards survival models. Clinically relevant variables and their relative effect sizes on (A) overall survival (OS), (B) progression-free survival (PFS) on first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), and (C) PFS on first-line alectinib or brigatinib. Significance at the level of p < 0.05 is indicated by the asterisk (*).
Supplemental Table 3 from Impact of Tumor-intrinsic Molecular Features on Survival and Acquired Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Resistance in ALK-positive NSCLC
Authors: Nakazawa Mari , Harada Guilherme , Ghanem Paola , Bubie Adrian , Kiedrowski Lesli A. , Murray Joseph C. , Marrone Kristen A. , Scott Susan C. , Houseknecht Stefanie , Falcon Christina J. , Evans Patrick , Feliciano Josephine , Hann Christine L. , Ettinger David S. , Smith Kellie N. , Anagnostou Valsamo , Forde Patrick M. , Brahmer Julie R. , Levy Benjamin , Drilon Alexander , Lam Vincent K.
Published: March 2024

Distribution of resistance ALK mutations by EML4-ALK variant subtype in (A) clinical and (B) liquid biopsy cohorts. P-value is derived from Fisher's test of v3 vs non-v3. Significance at the level of p < 0.05 is indicated by the asterisk (*).