bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
3D patient-specific modeling and structural finite element analysis of atherosclerotic carotid artery based on computed tomography angiography
Authors: Curcio Nicoletta , Rosato Antonio , Mazzaccaro Daniela , Nano Giovanni , Conti Michele , Matrone Giulia 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe assessment of carotid plaque vulnerability is a relevant clinical information that can help prevent adverse cerebrovascular events. To this aim, in this study, we propose a patient-specific computational workflow to quantify the stress distribution in an atherosclerotic carotid artery, by means of geometric modeling and structural simulation of the plaque and vessel wall. Ten patients were involved in our study. Starting with segmentation of the lumen, calcific and lipid plaque components from computed tomography angiography images, the fibrous component and the vessel wall were semi-automatically reconstructed with an ad-hoc procedure. Finite element analyses were performed using local pressure values derived from ultrasound imaging. Simulation outputs were analyzed to assess how mechanical factors influence the stresses within the atherosclerotic wall. The developed reconstruction method was first evaluated by comparing the results obtained using the automatically generated fibrous component model and the one derived from image segmentation. The high-stress regions in the carotid artery wall around plaques suggest areas of possible rupture. In mostly lipidic and heterogeneous plaques, the highest stresses are localized at the interface between the lipidic components and the lumen, in the fibrous cap.
Emerging infectious disease surveillance using a hierarchical diagnosis model and the Knox algorithm
Authors: Wang Mengying , Yang Bingqing , Liu Yunpeng , Yang Yingyun , Ji Hong , Yang Cheng 
Published: November 2023

AbstractEmerging infectious diseases are a critical public health challenge in the twenty-first century. The recent proliferation of such diseases has raised major social and economic concerns. Therefore, early detection of emerging infectious diseases is essential. Subjects from five medical institutions in Beijing, China, which met the spatial-specific requirements, were analyzed. A quality control process was used to select 37,422 medical records of infectious diseases and 56,133 cases of non-infectious diseases. An emerging infectious disease detection model (EIDDM), a two-layer model that divides the problem into two sub-problems, i.e., whether a case is an infectious disease, and if so, whether it is a known infectious disease, was proposed. The first layer model adopts the binary classification model TextCNN-Attention. The second layer is a multi-classification model of LightGBM based on the one-vs-rest strategy. Based on the experimental results, a threshold of 0.5 is selected. The model results were compared with those of other models such as XGBoost and Random Forest using the following evaluation indicators: accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. The prediction performance of the first-layer TextCNN is better than that of other comparison models. Its average specificity for non-infectious diseases is 97.57%, with an average negative predictive value of 82.63%, indicating a low risk of misdiagnosing non-infectious diseases as infectious (i.e., a low false positive rate). Its average positive predictive value for eight selected infectious diseases is 95.07%, demonstrating the model's ability to avoid misdiagnoses. The overall average accuracy of the model is 86.11%. The average prediction accuracy of the second-layer LightGBM model for emerging infectious diseases reaches 90.44%. Furthermore, the response time of a single online reasoning using the LightGBM model is approximately 27 ms, which makes it suitable for analyzing clinical records in real time. Using the Knox method, we found that all the infectious diseases were within 2000 m in our case, and a clustering feature of spatiotemporal interactions (P < 0.05) was observed as well. Performance testing and model comparison results indicated that the EIDDM is fast and accurate and can be used to monitor the onset/outbreak of emerging infectious diseases in real-world hospitals.
Developmental and foliation changes due to dysregulation of adenosine kinase in the cerebellum
Authors: Gebril Hoda M. , Lai Tho , Fedele Denise E. , Wahba Amir 
Published: November 2023

AbstractAdenosine kinase (ADK), the major adenosine-metabolizing enzyme, plays a key role in brain development and disease. In humans, mutations in the Adk gene have been linked to developmental delay, stunted growth, and intellectual disability. To better understand the role of ADK in brain development, it is important to dissect the specific roles of the two isoforms of the enzyme expressed in the cytoplasm (ADK-S) and cell nucleus (ADK-L). We, therefore, studied brain development in Adk-tg transgenic mice, which only express ADK-S in the absence of ADK-L throughout development. In the mutant animals, we found a reduction in the overall brain, body size, and weight during fetal and postnatal development. As a major developmental abnormality, we found a profound change in the foliation pattern of the cerebellum. Strikingly, our results indicated aberrant Purkinje cells arborization at P9 and accelerated cell death at P6 and P9. We found defects in cerebellar cell proliferation and migration using a bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-based cell proliferation assay at postnatal day 7. Our data demonstrate that dysregulation of ADK expression during brain development profoundly affects brain growth and differentiation.
Estimating the effectiveness of electric vehicles braking when determining the circumstances of a traffic accident
Authors: Kashkanov Andrii , Semenov Andriy , Kashkanova Anastasiia , Kryvinska Natalia , Palchevskyi Oleg , Baraban Serhii 
Published: November 2023

AbstractIn the vast majority of cases, the braking process is used to prevent traffic accidents. The effectiveness of this process depends on the design and functionality of vehicle braking systems (presence of anti-lock braking system, emergency braking system, preventive safety systems, etc.) and is limited by the amount of frictional forces in contact of tires with the road. The improvement of methodical approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of braking of cars contributes to increasing the accuracy and objectivity of establishing the circumstances of the occurrence of emergency situations. The paper analyses existing methods of evaluating the braking parameters of vehicles (including those with an electric drive) and modern methods of evaluating electric vehicle braking parameters and conducting auto-technical investigations of traffic accidents, which relate to using different methodological approaches and digital technologies at all stages of expert research. In contrast to existing models, the proposed mathematical model for estimating the trajectory of two-axle cars during braking allows for considering various types of input parameter uncertainty, reducing the range of possible modeling errors by 39%. Comparing simulation results and experimental data showed that the average relative error is 4.58%, and the maximum error did not exceed 7.82%. The performed study of the stability of the electric vehicles' movement during emergency braking with the help of developed mathematical models in the Mathcad software environment reveals the content of the algorithm of a similar calculation in specialized computer programs of auto technical examination. Conducting such calculations is relevant in the analysis of real accident situations, where specific circumstances and features that cannot be considered during modeling in specialized software must be taken into account. Simultaneously, the probability of type I errors is reduced by 2–19%, and type II errors are reduced by 43–68%.
Enhancing the direct charging performance of an open quantum battery by adjusting its velocity
Authors: Mojaveri B. , Jafarzadeh Bahrbeig R. , Fasihi M. A. , Babanzadeh S. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe performance of open quantum batteries (QBs) is severely limited by decoherence due to the interaction with the surrounding environment. So, protecting the charging processes against decoherence is of great importance for realizing QBs. In this work we address this issue by developing a charging process of a qubit-based open QB composed of a qubit-battery and a qubit-charger, where each qubit moves inside an independent cavity reservoir. Our results show that, in both the Markovian and non-Markovian dynamics, the charging characteristics, including the charging energy, efficiency and ergotropy, regularly increase with increasing the speed of charger and battery qubits. Interestingly, when the charger and battery move with higher velocities, the initial energy of the charger is completely transferred to the battery in the Markovian dynamics. In this situation, it is possible to extract the total stored energy as work for a long time. Our findings show that open moving-qubit systems are robust and reliable QBs, thus making them a promising candidate for experimental implementations.
Functionality, physical activity, fatigue and quality of life in patients with acute COVID-19 and Long COVID infection
Authors: Vélez-Santamaría Rodrigo , Fernández-Solana Jessica , Méndez-López Fátima , Domínguez-García Marta , González-Bernal Jerónimo J. , Magallón-Botaya Rosa , Oliván-Blázquez Bárbara , González-Santos Josefa , Santamaría-Peláez Mirian 
Published: November 2023

AbstractA prominent feature of COVID-19, both in the short and long term, is the reduction in quality of life (QoL) due to low functionality scores and the presence of fatigue, which can hinder daily activities. The main objective of this study is to compare the functional status, level of physical activity, fatigue, and QoL of patients with Long COVID to other COVID-19 patients who did not develop persistent illness, and to determine whether there is a relationship between these variables and QoL. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 170 participants who had been infected with COVID-19 or had developed Long COVID. The main variables studied were functionality, physical activity, QoL and fatigue, measured using the PostCOVID-19 Functional Status Scale (PCFS), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Short Form 12 (SF-12), and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). The main findings show a significant relationship (p < 0.001) between reduced functionality, lower physical activity levels, increased fatigue severity, and poorer QoL in Long COVID patients. Furthermore, these variables are also related to worse QoL, but only functional status predicts it. In conclusion, our results have shown highly significant correlations between the group with COVID-19 and Long COVID regarding functional status, level of physical activity, QoL, and fatigue.
Curcumin enhances elvitegravir concentration and alleviates oxidative stress and inflammatory response
Authors: Godse Sandip , Zhou Lina , Sinha Namita , Kodidela Sunitha , Kumar Asit , Singh Udai P. , Kumar Santosh 
Published: November 2023

AbstractIn this study, we investigated the potential of using curcumin (CUR) as an adjuvant to enhance the delivery of antiretroviral drug elvitegravir (EVG) across the BBB, and alleviate oxidative stress and inflammatory response, which are the major hallmark of HIV neuropathogenesis. In a mouse model, we compared the biodistribution of EVG alone and in combination with CUR using intraperitoneal (IP) and intranasal (IN) routes. IN administration showed a significantly higher accumulation of EVG in the brain, while both IP and IN routes led to increased EVG levels in the lungs and liver. The addition of CUR further enhanced EVG brain delivery, especially when administered via the IN route. The expression of neural marker proteins, synaptophysin, L1CAM, NeuN, and GFAP was not significantly altered by EVG or CUR alone or their combination, indicating preserved neural homeostasis. After establishing improved brain concentration and safety of CUR-adjuvanted EVG in mice in acute treatment, we studied the effect of this treatment in HIV-infected U1 macrophages. In U1 macrophages, we also observed that the addition of CUR enhanced the intracellular concentration of EVG. The total area under the curve (AUCtot) for EVG was significantly higher in the presence of CUR. We also evaluated the effects of CUR on oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity in EVG-treated U1 macrophages. CUR reduced oxidative stress, as evidenced by decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and elevated antioxidant enzyme expression. Furthermore, the combination of CUR and EVG exhibited a significant reduction in proinflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-1β, IL-18) and chemokines (RANTES, MCP-1) in U1 macrophages. Additionally, western blot analysis confirmed the decreased expression of IL-1β and TNF-α in EVG + CUR-treated cells. These findings suggest the potential of CUR to enhance EVG permeability to the brain and subsequent efficacy of EVG, including HIV neuropathogenesis.
Context dependent cognitive development in Bhutanese children
Authors: Gredebäck Gustaf , Dorji Nidup , Sen Umay , Nyström Pär , Hellberg Johanna , Wangchuk  
Published: November 2023

AbstractWe assessed risk/protective factors for cognitive development of Bhutanese children (504 3–5 year-olds, 49% girls, major ethnicities Ngalop 26%, Tshangla 30%, Lhotsampa 34%) using a non-verbal test of cognitive capacity (SON-R) and primary caregiver interviews. Cognitive capacity was related to the family’s SES and whether the family belonged to the primary Buddhist majority ethnic groups (Ngalop or Tshangla) or primarily Hindu minorities (Lhotsampa). In majority families more engagement in Buddhist practices was associated with higher cognitive capacity in children. Minority children were more impacted by parents autonomous-relatedness values. Results demonstrate that cognitive development is dependent on the financial and educational context of the family, societal events, and culture specific risk/protective factors that differ across sub-groups (majority/minority, culture/religion).
Next-generation genetic sexing strain establishment in the agricultural pest Ceratitis capitata
Authors: Davydova Serafima , Liu Junru , Kandul Nikolay P. , Braswell W. Evan , Akbari Omar S. , Meccariello Angela 
Published: November 2023

AbstractTephritid fruit fly pests pose an increasing threat to the agricultural industry due to their global dispersion and a highly invasive nature. Here we showcase the feasibility of an early-detection SEPARATOR sex sorting approach through using the non-model Tephritid pest, Ceratitis capitata. This system relies on female-only fluorescent marker expression, accomplished through the use of a sex-specific intron of the highly-conserved transformer gene from C. capitata and Anastrepha ludens. The herein characterized strains have 100% desired phenotype outcomes, allowing accurate male–female separation during early development. Overall, we describe an antibiotic and temperature-independent sex-sorting system in C. capitata, which, moving forward, may be implemented in other non-model Tephritid pest species. This strategy can facilitate the establishment of genetic sexing systems with endogenous elements exclusively, which, on a wider scale, can improve pest population control strategies like sterile insect technique.
Multi-omic profiling reveals discrepant immunogenic properties and a unique tumor microenvironment among melanoma brain metastases
Authors: In Gino K. , Ribeiro Jennifer R. , Yin Jun , Xiu Joanne , Bustos Matias A. , Ito Fumito , Chow Frances , Zada Gabriel , Hwang Lindsay , Salama April K. S. , Park Soo J. , Moser Justin C. , Darabi Sourat , Domingo-Musibay Evidio , Ascierto Maria L. , Margolin Kim , Lutzky Jose , Gibney Geoffrey T. , Atkins Michael B. , Izar Benjamin , Hoon Dave S. B. , VanderWalde Ari M. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractMelanoma brain metastases (MBM) are clinically challenging to treat and exhibit variable responses to immune checkpoint therapies. Prior research suggests that MBM exhibit poor tumor immune responses and are enriched in oxidative phosphorylation. Here, we report results from a multi-omic analysis of a large, real-world melanoma cohort. MBM exhibited lower interferon-gamma (IFNγ) scores and T cell-inflamed scores compared to primary cutaneous melanoma (PCM) or extracranial metastases (ECM), which was independent of tumor mutational burden. Among MBM, there were fewer computationally inferred immune cell infiltrates, which correlated with lower TNF and IL12B mRNA levels. Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) revealed suppression of inflammatory responses and dendritic cell maturation pathways. MBM also demonstrated a higher frequency of pathogenic PTEN mutations and angiogenic signaling. Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) was enriched in MBM and negatively correlated with NK cell and B cell-associated transcriptomic signatures. Modulating metabolic or angiogenic pathways in MBM may improve responses to immunotherapy in this difficult-to-treat patient subset.
Fully 3D printed flexible, conformal and multi-directional tactile sensor with integrated biomimetic and auxetic structure
Authors: Wei Yuyang , Li Bingqian , Domingos Marco , Qian Zhihui , Zhu Yiming , Yan Lingyun , Ren Lei , Wei Guowu 
Published: November 2023

AbstractTactile sensors play a crucial role in the development of biologically inspired robotic prostheses, particularly in providing tactile feedback. However, existing sensing technology still falls short in terms of sensitivity under high pressure and adaptability to uneven working surfaces. Furthermore, the fabrication of tactile sensors often requires complex and expensive manufacturing processes, limiting their widespread application. Here we develop a conformal tactile sensor with improved sensing performance fabricated using an in-house 3D printing system. Our sensor detects shear stimuli through the integration of an auxetic structure and interlocking features. The design enables an extended sensing range (from 0.1 to 0.26 MPa) and provides sensitivity in both normal and shear directions, with values of 0.63 KPa−1and 0.92 N−1, respectively. Additionally, the sensor is capable of detecting temperature variations within the range of 40−90 °C. To showcase the feasibility of our approach, we have printed the tactile sensor directly onto the fingertip of an anthropomorphic robotic hand, the proximal femur head, and lumbar vertebra. The results demonstrate the potential for achieving sensorimotor control and temperature sensing in artificial upper limbs, and allowing the monitoring of bone-on-bone load.
Evolutionary trajectory of SARS-CoV-2 genome shifts during widespread vaccination and emergence of Omicron variant
Authors: Gayvert Kaitlyn , McKay Sheldon , Lim Wei Keat , Baum Alina , Kyratsous Christos , Copin Richard , Atwal Gurinder S. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractUnderstanding the adaptation of SARS-CoV-2 is critical for the development of effective treatments against this exceptionally successful human pathogen. To predict the emergence of new variants that may escape host immunity or increase virulence, it is important to characterize the biological forces driving its evolution. We conducted a comprehensive population genetic study of over thirteen million SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences, collected over a timeframe of ~3 years, to investigate these forces. Our analysis revealed that during the first year of the pandemic (2020 to 2021), the SARS-CoV-2 genome was subject to strong conservation, with only 3.6% of sites under diversifying pressure in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the Spike protein. However, we observed a sharp increase in the diversification of the RBD during 2021 (8.1% of sites under diversifying pressure up to 2022), indicating selective pressures that promote the accumulation of mutations. This period coincided with broad viral infection and adoption of vaccination worldwide, and we observed the acquisition of mutations that later defined the Omicron lineages in independent SARS-CoV-2 strains, suggesting that diversifying selection at these sites could have led to their fixation in Omicron lineages by convergent evolution. Since the emergence of Omicron, we observed a further decrease in the conservation of structural genes, including M, N, and the spike proteins (13.1% of RBD sites under diversifying pressure up to 2023), and identified new sites defining future potential emerging strains. Our results exhibit that ongoing rapid antigenic evolution continues to produce new high-frequency functional variants. Sites under selection are critical for virus fitness, and currently known T cell epitope sequences are highly conserved. Altogether, our study provides a comprehensive dynamic map of sites under selection and conservation across the entirety of the SARS-CoV-2 genome.
Speech, Sign, or Both? Factors Influencing Caregivers' Communication Method Decision Making for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children
Authors: Jones Maranda K. , Roberts Megan Y. 
Published: November 2023

Purpose:
Caregivers of deaf/hard of hearing infants are faced with challenging decisions regarding their child's communication method. The purpose of the current research note is to characterize the advice that caregivers receive and value as well as the factors that influence caregivers' decision making.

Method:
The current study enrolled 105 caregiver–child dyads, including children between 12 and 18 months of age with bilateral, congenital hearing loss. All children were exposed to spoken language, and 63.81% of children were also exposed to sign language. Caregivers completed the “Making Decisions About Sign, Speech, and Multilingualism Survey” (Crowe et al., 2014).

Results:

Caregivers most frequently received advice to use both speech and sign and highly valued advice from speech-language pathologists. When considering the use of speech, the factors that caregivers most frequently rated as
very important
were “My child's future academic success” (96.19%), “My child's future literary success” (95.24%), and “My child's future access to higher education” (95.19%). When considering the use of sign, the factors that caregivers most frequently rated as
very important
were “My child's ability to form friendships and future relationships” (82.52%), “My child's future literary success” (81.37%), and “My child's future academic success” (81.37%).

Conclusions:
Results of the current study suggest that throughout the decision-making process, caregivers' highest priority is understanding how their decisions will influence their child's future access to opportunities and relationships. Providers may consider discussing these factors early in the decision-making process to support caregivers' ability to make an informed choice regarding their child's communication method.
FPGA in the loop implementation of the PUMA 560 robot based on backstepping control
Authors: Fekik Arezki , Khati Hocine , Azar Ahmad Taher , Hamida Mohamed Lamine , Denoun Hakim , Hameed Ibrahim A. , Kamal Nashwa Ahmad 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe objective of this article is to present the implementation of a backstepping control regulator on a Xilinx Zedboard Zynq FPGA using the HDL Coder tool through the FPGA in‐the‐loop option, and to study its effectiveness when applied to a three‐dimensional robotic manipulator model. The analysis is based on the application of the backstepping control law for the three degrees of freedom PUMA 560 model, through the development of a dynamic simulation model. The results of practical implementation using the FPGA in the loop technique demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method using the Xilinx Zedboard Zynq FPGA, which provides a useful insight into the benefits of using backstepping control laws in robotics applications.