bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of ambient air pollution on lung function in preterm-born school-aged children
Authors: Watkins William John , Course Christopher William , Cousins Michael , Hart Kylie , Kotecha Sarah J , Kotecha Sailesh 
Published: February 2024

RationaleIncreased outdoor air pollution worsens lung function in children. However, these associations are less well studied in preterm-born individuals.ObjectivesWe assessed associations between ambient air pollutants and spirometry measures in preterm-born children.MethodsThe Respiratory Health Outcomes in Neonates study recruited preterm-born children aged 7–12 years who were born at ≤34 week's gestation. We associated four ambient air pollutants (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5), PM10, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide) at time of birth and spirometry assessment and averaged exposure between these two time points with spirometry measures, using linear regression analyses. Gestational age was banded into 23–28, 29–31 and 32–34 week's. Regression models estimated spirometry values against pollutant levels at birth and at the time of spirometry.Measurements and main resultsFrom 565 preterm-born children, 542 (96%) had satisfactory data. After adjustments for early and current life factors, significant detrimental associations were noted between PM10at birth and per cent predicted forced vital capacity (%FVC) for the 23–28 and 29–31 week's gestation groups and between current PM2.5and NO2exposure and %FVC for the 23–28 week's gestation group. No associations with spirometry were noted for the averaged pollution exposure between birth and spirometry. Predictive models showed 5.9% and 7.4% differences in %FVC between the highest and lowest current pollution exposures for PM2.5and NO2,respectively, in the 23–28 week group.ConclusionsBirth and current exposures to road-traffic-associated pollutants detrimentally affected %FVC in preterm-born school-aged children, who already have compromised lung function.
The small $$k_{\textrm{T}}$$region in Drell–Yan production at next-to-leading order with the parton branching method
Authors: Bubanja I. , Bermudez Martinez A. , Favart L. , Guzman F. , Hautmann F. , Jung H. , Lelek A. , Mendizabal M. , Moral Figueroa K. , Moureaux L. , Raicevic N. , Seidel M. , Taheri Monfared S. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe Parton Branching (PB) method describes the evolution of transverse momentum dependent (TMD) parton distributions, covering all kinematic regions from small to large transverse momenta $$k_{\textrm{T}}$$

k
T

. The small $$k_{\textrm{T}}$$

k
T

-region is very sensitive both to the contribution of the intrinsic motion of partons (intrinsic $$k_{\textrm{T}}$$

k
T

) and to the resummation of soft gluons taken into account by the PB TMD evolution equations. We study the role of soft-gluon emissions in TMD as well as integrated parton distributions. We perform a detailed investigation of the PB TMD methodology at next-to-leading order (NLO) in Drell–Yan (DY) production for low transverse momenta. We present the extraction of the nonperturbative “intrinsic-$$k_{\textrm{T}}$$

k
T

” distribution from recent measurements of DY transverse momentum distributions at the LHC across a wide range in DY masses, including a detailed treatment of statistical, correlated and uncorrelated uncertainties. We comment on the (in)dependence of intrinsic transverse momentum on DY mass and center-of-mass energy, and on the comparison with other approaches.
Quarkonia dissociation at finite magnetic field in the presence of momentum anisotropy
Authors: Nilima Indrani , Hasan Mujeeb , Singh B. K. , Jamal Mohammad Yousuf 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIn this study, we investigate the potential of heavy quarkonia within a magnetized hot QGP medium having finite momentum anisotropy. The phenomenon of inverse magnetic catalysis is introduced into the system, influencing the magnetic field-modified Debye mass and thereby altering the effective quark masses. Concurrently, the impact of momentum anisotropy in the medium is considered that influence the particle distribution in the medium. The thermal decay width and dissociation temperature of quarkonium states, specifically the 1S and 2S states of charmonium and bottomonium, are computed. Our results reveal that both momentum anisotropy and the inverse magnetic catalysis effects play a significant role in modifying the thermal decay width and dissociation temperature of these heavy quarkonia states.
Robots as Mental Well-being Coaches: Design and Ethical Recommendations
Authors: Axelsson Minja , Spitale Micol , Gunes Hatice 
Published: February 2024

The last decade has shown a growing interest in robots as well-being coaches. However, insightful guidelines for the design of robots as coaches to promote mental well-being have not yet been proposed. This article details design and ethical recommendations based on a qualitative analysis drawing on a grounded theory approach, which was conducted with a three-step iterative design process which included user-centered design studies involving robotic well-being coaches, namely: (1) a user-centred design study conducted with 11 participants consisting of both prospective users who had participated in a Brief Solution-Focused Practice study with a human coach, as well as coaches of different disciplines, (2) semi-structured individual interview data gathered from 20 participants attending a Positive Psychology intervention study with the robotic well-being coach Pepper, and (3) a user-centred design study conducted with 3 participants of the Positive Psychology study as well as 2 relevant well-being coaches. After conducting a thematic analysis and a qualitative analysis, we collated the data gathered into convergent and divergent themes, and we distilled from those results a set of design guidelines and ethical considerations. Our findings can inform researchers and roboticists on the key aspects to take into account when designing robotic mental well-being coaches.
RFDrive: Tagged Human-Vehicle Interaction for All
Authors: Sun Wei , Srinivasan Kannan 
Published: February 2024

Human–vehicle interaction is an important factor for safe driving. The driver needs to interact with the in-vehicle steering wheel and infotainment system properly during driving. Specifically, driving guidelines require the driver to hold the steering wheel at the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions. Moreover, the in-vehicle infotainment system should be more adaptive for the driver and front-seat passenger during driving (i.e., the in-vehicle infotainment system should be part and even fully disabled for the driver, whereas the front-seat passenger should be able to enjoy the full in-vehicle infotainment system). However, affordable vehicles are usually designed to achieve basic driving functions without considering safe human–vehicle interactions, which require an add-on, affordable, and ready-to-use human–vehicle interaction monitoring system.
In this article, we present RFDrive, a system that can simultaneously locate the driver’s hand positions on the steering wheel and automate in-vehicle infotainment system touch discrimination for safe driving using commodity passive RFID tags. Since these commodity passive RFID tags are low cost (i.e., around 5 cents per tag), battery free, and are small, like a sticker, our design will enable not only safe driving but is also low cost, which can lead to sustainable solutions. To do so, we attach RFID tags on the steering wheel for the driver’s hand position location and attach RFID tags on the roof of the vehicle’s interior for in-vehicle infotainment system touch discrimination (i.e., differentiating the driver’s infotainment system touch and front-seat passenger’s infotainment system touch). However, the wheel steering will distort the wireless channel-based driver’s hand position location on the steering wheel. Thus, we propose a novel tag ID-based algorithm to locate the driver’s hand position on the steering wheel by harnessing the human body as part of the RFID tag’s antenna. Since the in-vehicle infotainment system touch from the driver or front-seat passenger will affect different RFID tags attached to the roof of the vehicle’s interior, we propose to use the differential amplitude of backscattered signals from all the tags to discriminate in-vehicle infotainment system touch sources. Our experiments show that RFDrive can achieve the average accuracy of 0.98 and 0.98 for in-vehicle touch source discrimination and driver’s hand position location, respectively.
Establishment and Characterization of an Epstein-Barr Virus–positive Cell Line from a Non-keratinizing Differentiated Primary Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Chai Annie Wai Yeeng , Yee Shi Mun , Lee Hui Mei , Abdul Aziz Norazlin , Yee Pei San , Marzuki Marini , Wong Ka Wo , Chiang Alan K.S. , Chow Larry Ka-Yue , Dai Wei , Liu Teng Fei , Tan Lu Ping , Khoo Alan Soo Beng , Lo Kwok Wai , Lim Paul V.H. , Rajadurai Pathmanathan , Lightfoot Howard , Barthorpe Syd , Garnett Mathew J. , Cheong Sok Ching 
Published: February 2024

AbstractNasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a cancer that is etiologically associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), is endemic in Southern China and Southeast Asia. The scarcity of representative NPC cell lines owing to the frequent loss of EBV episomes following prolonged propagation and compromised authenticity of previous models underscores the critical need for new EBV-positive NPC models. Herein, we describe the establishment of a new EBV-positive NPC cell line, designated NPC268 from a primary non-keratinizing, differentiated NPC tissue. NPC268 can undergo productive lytic reactivation of EBV and is highly tumorigenic in immunodeficient mice. Whole-genome sequencing revealed close similarities with the tissue of origin, including large chromosomal rearrangements, while whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and RNA sequencing demonstrated a hypomethylated genome and enrichment in immune-related pathways, respectively. Drug screening of NPC268 together with six other NPC cell lines using 339 compounds, representing the largest high-throughput drug testing in NPC, revealed biomarkers associated with specific drug classes. NPC268 represents the first and only available EBV-positive non-keratinizing differentiated NPC model, and extensive genomic, methylomic, transcriptomic, and drug response data should facilitate research in EBV and NPC, where current models are limited.Significance:NPC268 is the first and only EBV-positive cell line derived from a primary non-keratinizing, differentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma, an understudied but important subtype in Southeast Asian countries. This model adds to the limited number of authentic EBV-positive lines globally that will facilitate mechanistic studies and drug development for NPC.
Single-Cell Transcriptome Reveals Potential Mechanisms for Coronary Artery Lesions in Kawasaki Disease
Authors: Chen Yeshi , Yang Minna , Zhang Mingming , Wang Hongmao , Zheng Yang , Sun Rui , Li Xiaohui 
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND:
Coronary artery lesions (CALs) are the most common and major complication of Kawasaki disease (KD) in developed countries. However, the underlying immunologic mechanisms of CAL development in KD remain unclear.

METHODS:
Here, we conducted single-cell transcriptome analyses of 212 210 peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected from a cross-sectional cohort of 16 children, including 4 patients with KD with CALs, 5 patients with KD without CALs, 4 healthy controls, and 3 febrile controls.

RESULTS:

KD altered the proportion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, including an increasing trend in inflammatory cells (megakaryocytes and monocytes) and a decreasing trend in lymphocytes (eg, CD4
+
T, CD8
+
T, mucosal-associated invariant T, natural killer, and γδ T cells), highlighting the potential presence of lymphopenia phenomenon in KD. Our data indicated the presence of inflammatory cytokine storm in patients with KD with CALs, caused by systemic upregulation of TNFSF13B (tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 13b), CXCL16 (C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 16), TNFSF10 (tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 10), and IL1RN (interleukin 1 receptor antagonist), mainly produced by monocytes (especially for the Mono_CD14-CD16 cluster) and megakaryocytes. We also found that myeloid cells of patients with KD, particularly in those with CALs, might play a role in vascular injury (eg, increased MMP [matrix metalloproteinase] 9, MMP17, and MMP25) and immune cell recruitment. The immune landscape of patients with KD with CALs was featured by lower exhaustion levels in natural killer cells, a high cytotoxic state in the CD8_Pro cluster, and activation of the complement system in monocytes. Additionally, the activation of B cells was more pronounced in the early stage of KD.

CONCLUSIONS:
Collectively, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the roles of various immune cells and inflammatory cytokine storms in the development of CALs in KD and offers a valuable resource for identifying novel therapeutic targets for patients with KD with CALs.
Microvascular Network Remodeling in the Ischemic Mouse Brain Defined by Light Sheet Microscopy
Authors: Hagemann Nina , Qi Yachao , Mohamud Yusuf Ayan , Li AnRan , Squire Anthony , Tertel Tobias , Giebel Bernd , Ludewig Peter , Spangenberg Philippa , Chen Jianxu , Mosig Axel , Gunzer Matthias , Hermann Dirk M. 
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND:
Until now, the analysis of microvascular networks in the reperfused ischemic brain has been limited due to tissue transparency challenges.

METHODS:
Using light sheet microscopy, we assessed microvascular network remodeling in the striatum from 3 hours to 56 days post-ischemia in 2 mouse models of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion lasting 20 or 40 minutes, resulting in mild ischemic brain injury or brain infarction, respectively. We also examined the effect of a clinically applicable S1P (sphingosine-1-phosphate) analog, FTY720 (fingolimod), on microvascular network remodeling.

RESULTS:
Over 56 days, we observed progressive microvascular degeneration in the reperfused striatum, that is, the lesion core, which was followed by robust angiogenesis after mild ischemic injury induced by 20-minute middle cerebral artery occlusion. However, more severe ischemic injury elicited by 40-minute middle cerebral artery occlusion resulted in incomplete microvascular remodeling. In both cases, microvascular networks did not return to their preischemic state but displayed a chronically altered pattern characterized by higher branching point density, shorter branches, higher unconnected branch density, and lower tortuosity, indicating enhanced network connectivity. FTY720 effectively increased microvascular length density, branching point density, and volume density in both models, indicating an angiogenic effect of this drug.

CONCLUSIONS:
Utilizing light sheet microscopy together with automated image analysis, we characterized microvascular remodeling in the ischemic lesion core in unprecedented detail. This technology will significantly advance our understanding of microvascular restorative processes and pave the way for novel treatment developments in the stroke field.
An Energy-based Model for Word-level AutoCompletion in Computer-aided Translation
Authors: Yang Cheng , Huang Guoping , Yu Mo , Zhang Zhirui , Li Siheng , Yang Mingming , Shi Shuming , Yang Yujiu , Liu Lemao 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Word-level AutoCompletion (WLAC) is a rewarding yet challenging task in Computer-aided Translation. Existing work addresses this task through a classification model based on a neural network that maps the hidden vector of the input context into its corresponding label (i.e., the candidate target word is treated as a label). Since the context hidden vector itself does not take the label into account and it is projected to the label through a linear classifier, the model cannot sufficiently leverage valuable information from the source sentence as verified in our experiments, which eventually hinders its overall performance. To alleviate this issue, this work proposes an energy-based model for WLAC, which enables the context hidden vector to capture crucial information from the source sentence. Unfortunately, training and inference suffer from efficiency and effectiveness challenges, therefore we employ three simple yet effective strategies to put our model into practice. Experiments on four standard benchmarks demonstrate that our reranking-based approach achieves substantial improvements (about 6.07%) over the previous state-of-the-art model. Further analyses show that each strategy of our approach contributes to the final performance.1
Reading Security Imaginaries as Fantasies – Loss, Desire, and Enjoyment in the Military Quest for Explainable AI
Authors: Jacobsen Jeppe T. , Nørgaard Katrine 
Published: February 2024

What does the Lacanian notion of fantasy offer to the study of security imaginaries? The article answers this question by introducing a fantasmatic reading strategy illustrated by a case study of the US narrative of ‘technological revolutions of war’ that has recently been fueled by a growing demand for ethical and explainable artificial intelligence in military applications and weapon systems. The article offers a Lacanian comment to the expanding International Relations literature on security imaginaries. It demonstrates how a fantasmatic reading encompasses both a discourse analytical tracing of background understandings employed by many security imaginary scholars and an affective tracing at the margins of discourse that captures the force with which subjects continue to invest in – and patch the constitutive gaps of – a security imaginary. In studying security imaginaries through fantasies, we propose zooming in on three analytical moves: analyzing the continuing construction of a lost utopia in security discourses; following the specific objects of desire that is organized around its own inevitable failure; and locating the mode of enjoyment encountered at the boundaries of the socially acceptable norms. Concevoir les imaginaires de la sécurité comme des fantasmes : La perte, le désir et la jouissance dans la quête militaire d’une IA explicable
In Vivo Porcine Model of Acute Iliocaval Deep Vein Thrombosis
Authors: Roberts Sophia H. , Zaghloul Mohamed S. , Ismail Usama , Rowe Roger A. , Engel Connor , Meade Rodrigo , Elizondo-Benedetto Santiago , Genin Guy M. , Zayed Mohamed A. 
Published: February 2024

Acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a potentially life-threatening condition in which blood clots form in the venous system. Recently, a number of endovascular thrombectomy devices have been introduced to treat acute DVT. Given their varied efficacy and safety profiles, a clear need exists for further device innovation and enhancement. However, a major limitation in the testing, verification, and validation of new thrombectomy devices is a clinically representative large animal model of acute DVT. Unfortunately, existing approaches to creating DVT in porcine models are time-consuming, technically challenging, and yield inconsistent results. We therefore developed a rapid, technically straightforward, and reproducible protocol for induction of large-volume iliocaval DVTs in a living porcine host. This approach involves sequestering the iliocaval venous segment with standard balloon occlusion catheters, and a controlled limited infusion of a 25% ethanol solution within the sequestered static segment. We observed that this method was safe, technically straightforward, and reproducible in producing large-volume acute DVTs. We believe that this technique can be utilized as a standardized DVT model in the testing of future endovascular venous thrombectomy devices. Clinical Impact The study establishes a rapid, technically straightforward, and reproducible porcine large animal model for acute iliocaval deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The procedure can be performed with basic endovascular skillsets. With its procedural efficiency and consistency, the platform is promising for comparative in vivo testing of venous thrombectomy devices in a living host, and for future verification and validation studies to determine efficacy of novel thrombectomy devices relative to predicates.
Is LigaSure Alone Sufficient for the Closure of the Appendix Stump?
Authors: Tazeoglu Deniz , Cem Esmer Ahmet 
Published: February 2024

Purposes Closure of the appendix stump is necessary for laparoscopic appendectomy. Problems that occur during the appendix stump closure can cause severe morbidity. Several methods of stump closure have been described. This study aimed to investigate the adequacy of LigaSure alone in closing the appendix stump. Methods Patients who were operated on with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis between October 2021 and January 2022 were evaluated retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups according to the closure technique of the appendix stump hemoclip(group I) and LigaSure only(group II). In addition, demographic data (age, gender), body mass index (BMI), presence of comorbid disease, perioperative appendicitis classification, operation time, postoperative hospital stay, radiological and pathological appendix size of the patients included in the study were recorded. Clavien Dindo was used for postoperative complication assessment. Result The study included 77 patients. 48(62.3%) of the patients were in group I, and 29(37.7%) were in group II. There was no statistical difference between the groups regarding age, gender distribution, BMI, presence of comorbid disease ( P > .05). The operation time of group I was longer than group II ( P < .001). There was no difference between the groups in terms of both radiological and pathological appendix size. There was no statistical difference between the groups regarding postoperative complications and severity of complications ( P = .76, P = .99, respectively). Conclusion Appendiceal stump closure can be performed with Ligasure, but it should be noted that this procedure can be performed on selected patients, as in the study group, not on all patients.
Ectopic cervical thymus: Recognising the characteristic ‘embroidery yarn’ appearance on ultrasound
Authors: Krishnan Venkatram , Ram Adhitya , Rana Abhilasha , Jaganathan Sriram , Jayappa Sateesh , Glasier Charles , Vattoth Surjith , Ramakrishnaiah Raghu 
Published: February 2024

Introduction: The thymus normally forms in the neck from the third pharyngeal pouch and descends to its normal position in the mediastinum. Arrest of descent or sequestration of thymic tissue can occur at any point along its path leading to an ectopic thymus which can present as a neck mass, usually in the paediatric age group. Purpose and Case Report: Ultrasound is generally performed in the presence of a neck mass in children. Although a characteristic ‘starry sky’ appearance of the thymus has been described on ultrasound, it is not considered sufficiently specific and cross-sectional imaging with magnetic resonance imaging is usually performed. On magnetic resonance imaging, the ectopic thymus appears as a homogeneous T1 isointense and T2 hyperintense mass and may actually appear ominous due to the tendency of ectopic thymus to sometimes show diffusion restriction unlike the normal thymus. Subsequent invasive biopsy or surgical removal is usually necessary to rule out a neoplastic lesion. In our observation, the ultrasound appearance of thymus is sufficiently distinctive to be confidently diagnosed as ectopic thymic tissue. This appearance is similar to the high-resolution appearance of an embroidery yarn. The reason most radiologists are not aware of the same is because the normal mediastinal thymus is not usually imaged by ultrasound. Conclusion: An accurate diagnosis on ultrasound would mean avoidance of expensive cross-sectional imaging and invasive biopsy or surgical excision in favour of regular non-invasive follow-up ultrasound scans until the lesion involutes in late childhood.