bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Experimental Analysis of a Solar Air Heater Featuring Multiple Spiral-Shaped Semi-Conical Ribs
Authors: Shankar Ravi , Kumar Rajeev , Pandey Arun Kumar , Thakur Deep Singh 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
To improve the thermal and hydraulic performance of artificially roughened solar air heaters (SAHs), the current study analyzes the thermal-hydraulic performance or thermal enhancement factor of artificially roughened solar air heaters. In present experimental research on a solar air heater's absorber plate, newly designed spiral-shaped semi-conical ribs have been explored. The spiral-shaped semi-conical ribs have been designed with the aim of reducing the pressure drop across the rib so that thermal performance may be improved with a little increase in pressure drop after integrating the ribs into the SAH mainstream flow. The higher value of thermal-hydraulic performance indicates an increased heat transfer rate with a minimum increase in pumping power. In order to achieve the highest possible thermal enhancement factor, this experimental study intends to analyze the effects of different geometrical parameters on the heat transmission and friction behavior of numerous spiral-shaped semi-conical ribs. Multiple experiments were conducted using different levels of roughness heights to optimize the rib profile parameters. The Reynolds number (Re) ranges from 3358.65 to 18,095.59, the relative roughness height (e/Dh) 0.09 to 0.227, and relative roughness pitch (P/e) 3.7 to 5.5. These multiple spiral-shaped semi-conical ribs give the maximum thermal enhancement factor of 2.85 at (e/Dh) 0.182 and P/e of 4.1 at Reynolds number 18,095.59. It has been found that current rib geometry can increase the thermal performance of solar air heaters with minimum increased pumping power with reference to rib explored by earlier researchers.
Active Control of Contact Force for a Quasi-Translational Flexible-Link Parallel Mechanism
Authors: Pan Hao , Tang Shujie , Chen Genliang , Wang Hao 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
For practical applications of interactive manipulation, active contact control is one of the fundamental functions that flexible-link parallel mechanisms (FLPMs) should be equipped with. In this paper, a force control approach is proposed for FLPMs to make active adjustment toward their payload, which cannot be directly achieved by their intrinsic passive compliance. To begin with, at a starting configuration the Jacobian matrix is accurately calculated with the finite difference method, while at non-starting configurations it is deduced with an increment-based approach. The compliance model is derived through mapping from the joint stiffness within each elastic rod. On this basis, the differential relation among pose, payload, and actuation variables is constructed to form the control logic, whose correctness and feasibility are then verified with simulations. Finally, interaction experiments under fixed environment and cooperative motion are carried out, and the results demonstrate that force control for a quasi-translational FLPM can be accomplished with enough pose accuracy.
Kinematic Performance Analysis and Dimensional Optimization of New Symmetric Parallel Mechanism 6RPS With Multi-Redundant Actuations
Authors: Liu Xiaofei , Wan Bo , Liu Yu , Chen Ran , Yao Jiantao , Zhao Yongsheng 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
A novel symmetric parallel mechanism 6RPS with multi-redundant actuations is proposed in this paper, which possesses two rotational and one translational degrees-of-freedom. Motion and constraint screw systems of this mechanism are established and then character of the freedom is analyzed. Transmission performance indexes are established, and dimension optimization is operated by considering the distribution of transmission performance. Whole high-performance workspace and performance distribution are analyzed with optimal dimension. Motion interference condition of the mechanism is studied, and accessible posture spaces are analyzed by combining joint space restriction. A comprehensive performance comparison with a counterpart configuration is exhibited. Research results of this paper are of reference significance for both the research of parallel mechanism with two rotational and one translational degrees-of-freedom, and the application of mechanism 6RPS.
RavA‐ViaA antibiotic response is linked to Cpx and Zra2 envelope stress systems in
Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Krin Evelyne , Carvalho André , Lang Manon , Babosan Anamaria , Mazel Didier , Baharoglu Zeynep 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT

RavA-ViaA were reported to play a role in aminoglycoside (AG) sensitivity, but the mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we performed competition and survival experiments to confirm that deletion of
ravA-viaA
increases tolerance of the Gram-negative pathogen
Vibrio cholerae
to low and high AG concentrations during aerobic growth. Using high-throughput strategies in this species, we identify Cpx and Zra2 two-component systems as new partners of RavA-ViaA. We show that the AG tolerance of
∆ravvia
requires the presence of these membrane stress sensing two-component systems. We propose that deletion of the RavA-ViaA function facilitates the response AGs because of a pre-activated state of Cpx and Zra2 membrane stress response systems. We also find an impact of these genes on vancomycin resistance, and we show that simultaneous inactivation of
ravvia
function together with envelope stress response systems leads to outer membrane permeabilization. Vancomycin is mostly used for Gram-positive because of its low efficiency for crossing the Gram-negative outer membrane. Targeting of the
ravA-viaA
operon for inactivation could be a future strategy to allow uptake of vancomycin into multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

IMPORTANCE

The RavA-ViaA complex was previously found to sensitize
Escherichia coli
to aminoglycosides (AGs) in anaerobic conditions, but the mechanism is unknown. AGs are antibiotics known for their high efficiency against Gram-negative bacteria. In order to elucidate how the expression of the
ravA-viaA
genes increases bacterial susceptibility to aminoglycosides, we aimed at identifying partner functions necessary for increased tolerance in the absence of RavA-ViaA, in
Vibrio cholerae
. We show that membrane stress response systems Cpx and Zra2 are required in the absence of RavA-ViaA, for the tolerance to AGs and for outer membrane integrity. In the absence of these systems, the
∆ravvia
strain’s membrane becomes permeable to external agents such as the antibiotic vancomycin.
The glycopatterns of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
as a potential biomarker for its carbapenem resistance
Authors: Dang Jing , Shu Jian , Wang Ruiying , Yu Hanjie , Chen Zhuo , Yan Wenbo , Zhao Bingxiang , Ding Li , Wang Yuzi , Hu Huizheng , Li Zheng 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT

Multidrug-resistant (MDR)
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
infections pose a significant challenge to effective treatment. Although carbapenems were once considered the primary therapeutic option for MDR
P. aeruginosa
, the clinical use of these antibiotics has become increasingly limited, and the exploration of alternative antimicrobial strategies remains necessary. Bacterial surface glycans are critical in response to antibiotics and represent an attractive therapeutic target. However, the understanding of the role of glycan structures in bacterial resistance is currently quite limited. In this study, we used lectin microarrays to analyze the differences in glycan alterations between 53 drug-sensitive
P. aeruginosa
(DSPA) strains and 57 carbapenem-resistant
P. aeruginosa
(CRPA) strains obtained from clinical isolates, with the goal of identifying important glycopatterns associated with carbapenem resistance. The results revealed significant differences in the expression levels of glycan structures [e.g., Fucα1–6GlcNAc, α-
d
-Man, and Fucα1–3(Galβ1–4)GlcNAc] recognized by 20 lectins (e.g., LCA, PSA, and AAL) on the bacterial surface. Furthermore, we applied
K
-fold cross-validation to determine the optimal parameters and constructed the DSPA and CRPA models using gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) algorithm. The GBDT model presented the best performance in an independent test cohort, demonstrating that the screened glycopatterns could serve as potential biomarkers for differentiating bacterial resistance. Our study is the first to apply lectin microarrays to monitor carbapenem resistance in clinical
P. aeruginosa
isolates, and we hope that the methodology used in this work will serve as an important tool for exploring the association of bacterial resistance with glycosylation mechanisms.

IMPORTANCE

Bacterial surface glycans are an attractive therapeutic target in response to antibiotics; however, current knowledge of the corresponding mechanisms is rather limited. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, genome sequencing, and MALDI-TOF MS, commonly used in recent years to analyze bacterial resistance, are unable to rapidly and efficiently establish associations between glycans and resistance. The discovery of new antimicrobial strategies still requires the introduction of promising analytical methods. In this study, we applied lectin microarray technology and a machine-learning model to screen for important glycan structures associated with carbapenem-resistant
P. aeruginosa
. This work highlights that specific glycopatterns can be important biomarkers associated with bacterial antibiotic resistance, which promises to provide a rapid entry point for exploring new resistance mechanisms in pathogens.
Investigating short-stay admission to a neonatal intensive care unit as a risk factor for reduced breast feeding at discharge in infants ≥36 weeks’ gestation: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Jones Rachel Ann , Elhindi James , Lowe Gemma , Henry Lynne , Maheshwari Rajesh , Culcer Mihaela Roxana , Pasupathy Dharmintra , Melov Sarah J 
Published: October 2023

ObjectiveThis study aims to determine the effect of infant–mother separation following a short-stay (≤72 hours) admission to a Level 5 neonatal unit versus no admission on infant-feeding outcomes at hospital discharge.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingAn Australian Level 5 neonatal unit within a tertiary referral hospital.ParticipantsMothers and their infants born between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020 had a short-stay admission to the neonatal unit or no admission. All participants met admission criteria to the postnatal ward and were discharged home at ≤72 hours (n=12 540). Postnatal ward admission criteria included ≥36 weeks’ gestation and birth weight ≥2.2 kg.Main outcome measuresInfant feeding at discharge from hospital. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted, adjusting for confounders associated with known breastfeeding issues. These included age, ethnicity, parity, obesity, socioeconomic score, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, diabetes, infant gestation and birthweight centile, caesarean section birth, postpartum haemorrhage and skin-to-skin contact.ResultsOf the 12 540 live births meeting inclusion criteria, 1000 (8%) infants were admitted to the neonatal unit. The primary reasons for admission were suspicion of sepsis (24%), maternal diabetes (19%) and jaundice (16%). We found a reduction in full breast feeding at hospital discharge in cases of a short admission to the neonatal unit compared with no admission (aOR 0.40; 95% CI 0.34 to 0.47; p<0.001). We identified that women of different ethnicities had differing levels of risk for formula supplementation at hospital discharge. The ethnic grouping least likely to be fully breast feeding at discharge was Southeast Asian women (aOR 0.47; 95% CI 0.39 to 0.57; p<0.001).ConclusionsIdentifying mother–infant dyads at risk of non-exclusive breast feeding at hospital discharge will help target resources for practice improvement.
UTILITY OF PROVOCATIVE TEST POSITIVATION TIME IN CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME SEVERITY ASSESSMENT
Authors: Daliri Mahla , Sahebalam Mohamad , Olia Neda Daliri Beirak , Moradi Ali 
Published: October 2023

Background: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) provocative tests, such as Phalen, reverse Phalen, Tinel and compression, are solely used to help diagnosis. However, there are limited data about the application of these clinical tests for severities determination. Methods: A total of 64 patients with confirmed CTS were included. Three groups of mild, moderate, and severe were then defined based on the electrodiagnostic (EDx) test. The time to turning positive for Phalen, reverse Phalen, and compression tests were recorded. Initially, the percentage of positive results were compared among three groups of disease severity. Then, test positivation time was categorized into two groups of below and above 30 s, and comparison was made among groups with regard to this threshold. Finally, correlational analysis between mean positivation time and EDx quantitative parameters was conducted. Results: We found no difference between the three groups of disease severity, and there was no correlation between the time duration for three tests to become positive and EDx severity parameters. Conclusions: CTS clinical provocative tests are not of use in evaluation of disease severity.
LUCK OF OUTCOME IN THE TALENT VERSUS LUCK MODEL
Authors: HAMADA HIROSHI 
Published: October 2023

This paper analyzes the Talent versus Luck model, which examines the impact of talent and luck on an individual’s career success. The original simulation-based model demonstrated that the distribution of capital has a heavy tail, and the most successful individuals are not necessarily the most talented. While the implications of the original model are intriguing, those findings were based solely on numerical calculations, and it was unclear how generally valid they are. Challet et al. generalize the original model using an analytical approach and successfully clarify the relationship between talent, lucky events, and capital when talent is constant and follows a uniform distribution. We reformulate a simplified model and derive more general propositions about the relationship between luck and talent in individual success by introducing the new concept of luck of outcome in addition to the luck of opportunity in previous models. We show that the capital distribution generated from a simplified talent versus luck model follows a lognormal distribution even when the talent is subject to a normal distribution. Moreover, we specify the relationship between the inequality of the distribution, which is indicated by the Gini coefficient, and the parameters of talent distribution.
Fine-Grained Domain Adaptation for Chinese Syntactic Processing
Authors: Zhang Meishan , Guo Peiming , Jiang Peijie , Long Dingkun , Sun Yueheng , Xu Guangwei , Xie Pengjun , Zhang Min 
Published: October 2023

Syntactic processing is fundamental to natural language processing. It provides rich and comprehensive syntax information in sentences that could be potentially beneficial for downstream tasks. Recently, pretrained language models have shown great success in Chinese syntactic processing, which typically involves word segmentation, POS tagging, and dependency parsing. However, the on-going research never ends since performance would be degraded drastically when tested on a highly-discrepant domain. This problem is widely accepted as domain adaptation, where the test domain differs from the training domain in supervised learning. Self-training is one promising solution for it, and straightforward source-to-target adaptation has already shown remarkable effectiveness in previous work. While this strategy ignores the fact that sentences of the target domain sentences may have very different gaps from the source training domain. More specifically, sentences with large gaps might fail by direct self-training adaptation. To this end, we propose fine-grained domain adaptation for Chinese syntactic processing in this work, aiming to model the gaps between the source and the target domains accurately and progressively. The key idea is to divide the target domain into fine-grained subdomains by using a specified domain distance metric, and then perform gradual self-training on the subdomains. We further offer an intuitive theoretical illustration based on the theory of Kumar et al. (2020) approximately. In addition, a novel representation learning framework is proposed to encode fine-grained subdomains effectively, aiming to utilize the above idea fully. Experimental results on benchmark datasets show that our method can achieve significant improvements over a variety of baselines.
The Value of IgM Memory B-Cells in the Assessment of Splenic Function in Childhood Cancer Survivors at Risk for Splenic Dysfunction: A DCCSS-LATER Study
Authors: Houtman Bente M. , Walraven Iris , de Grouw Elke , van der Maazen Richard W. M. , Kremer Leontien C. M. , van Dulmen-den Broeder Eline , van den Heuvel-Eibrink Marry M. , Tissing Wim J. E. , Bresters Dorine , van der Pal Helena J. H. , de Vries Andrica C. H. , Louwerens Marloes , van der Heiden-van der Loo Margriet , Neggers Sebastian J. C. , Janssens Geert O. , Blijlevens Nicole M. A. , Lambeck Annechien J. A. , Preijers Frank , Loonen Jacqueline J. 
Published: October 2023

Background. Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) who received radiotherapy involving the spleen or total body irradiation (TBI) might be at risk for splenic dysfunction. A comprehensive screening test for examining splenic dysfunction is lacking. Objective. We investigated whether IgM memory B-cells could be used to assess splenic dysfunction in CCS who received a splenectomy, radiotherapy involving the spleen, or TBI. Methods. All CCS were enrolled from the DCCSS-LATER cohort. We analyzed differences in IgM memory B-cells and Howell–Jolly bodies (HJB) in CCS who had a splenectomy (n = 9), received radiotherapy involving the spleen (n = 36), or TBI (n = 15). IgM memory B-cells < 9 cells/µL was defined as abnormal. Results. We observed a higher median number of IgM memory B-cells in CCS who received radiotherapy involving the spleen (31 cells/µL,

p
=
0.06

) or TBI (55 cells/µL,

p

= 0.03) compared to CCS who received splenectomy (20 cells/µL). However, only two CCS had IgM memory B-cells below the lower limit of normal. No difference in IgM memory B-cells was observed between CCS with HJB present and absent (35 cells/µL vs. 44 cells/µL). Conclusion. Although the number of IgM memory B-cells differed between splenectomized CCS and CCS who received radiotherapy involving the spleen or TBI, only two CCS showed abnormal values. Therefore, this assessment cannot be used to screen for splenic dysfunction.
Phase I Dose-Escalation Study of the Safety and Pharmacokinetics of AGS15E Monotherapy in Patients with Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma
Authors: Petrylak Daniel P. , Eigl Bernhard J. , George Saby , Heath Elisabeth I. , Hotte Sebastien J. , Chism David D. , Nabell Lisle M. , Picus Joel , Cheng Susanna Y. , Appleman Leonard J. , Sonpavde Guru P. , Morgans Alicia K. , Pourhosseini Pourya , Wu Ruishan , Standley Laura , Croitoru Ruslan , Yu Evan Y. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Purpose:
Effective treatment of locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) remains an unmet need. Antibody–drug conjugates (ADC) providing targeted drug delivery have shown antitumor activity in this setting. AGS15E is an investigational ADC that delivers the cytotoxic drug monomethyl auristatin E to cells expressing SLITRK6, a UC-associated antigen.

Patients and Methods:
This was a multicenter, single-arm, phase I dose-escalation and expansion trial of AGS15E in patients with mUC (NCT01963052). During dose escalation, AGS15E was administered intravenously at six levels (0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25 mg/kg), employing a continual reassessment method to determine dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) and the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) for the dose-expansion cohort. The primary objective was to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of AGS15E in patients with and without prior chemotherapy and with prior checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapy. Best overall response was also examined.

Results:
Ninety-three patients were recruited, including 33 patients previously treated with CPI. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were fatigue (54.8%), nausea (37.6%), and decreased appetite (35.5%). Peripheral neuropathy and ocular toxicities occurred at doses of ≥0.75 mg/kg. AGS15E increased in a dose-proportional manner after single- and multiple-dose administration; accumulation was low. Five DLT occurred from 0.50 to 1.25 mg/kg. The RP2D was assessed at 1.00 mg/kg; the objective response rate (ORR) was 35.7% at this dose level. The ORR in the total population and CPI-exposed subgroup were 18.3% and 27.3%, respectively.

Conclusions:
DLT with AGS15E were observed at 0.75, 1.00, and 1.25 mg/kg, with an RP2D of 1.00 mg/kg being determined.
When the penny drops: sharks outsmart cichlids in serial reversal learning
Authors: Schluessel V. , Leo V. , Bawolt M. , Kreuter N. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Two species of fish were tested in a serial reversal learning task using two dimensional objects varying in colour and/or form. After reaching the learning criterion (LC) in the original discrimination task, individuals reversed for up to ten times, i.e., stimulus association was switched and animals rewarded for choosing the stimulus that had not been rewarded in the previous learning phase. This was conducted using the two stimuli green diamond (S+) vs. red square (S−) for the training of eight cichlids, and black star (S+) vs. black circle (S−) for the training of seven bamboo sharks. All fifteen animals completed the initial training phase and reversed successfully at least three times, indicating an ability to forsake a previously learned stimulus association in favour of a new one. Sharks, but not cichlids, also showed a decrease in the number of sessions needed to reach LC with an increase in the number of reversals conducted, showing that some sort of learning strategy, i.e., rule learning, had been applied. Animals that improve their performance within such learning paradigms are considered to possess more behavioural flexibility and advanced cognitive abilities than those who do not. More flexibility could specifically aid species living in complex habitats, social groups and subjected to changing environmental conditions.