bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improved speech intelligibility in the presence of congruent vibrotactile speech input
Authors: Schulte Alina , Marozeau Jeremy , Ruhe Anna , Büchner Andreas , Kral Andrej , Innes-Brown Hamish 
Published: December 2023

AbstractVibrotactile stimulation is believed to enhance auditory speech perception, offering potential benefits for cochlear implant (CI) users who may utilize compensatory sensory strategies. Our study advances previous research by directly comparing tactile speech intelligibility enhancements in normal-hearing (NH) and CI participants, using the same paradigm. Moreover, we assessed tactile enhancement considering stimulus non-specific, excitatory effects through an incongruent audio-tactile control condition that did not contain any speech-relevant information. In addition to this incongruent audio-tactile condition, we presented sentences in an auditory only and a congruent audio-tactile condition, with the congruent tactile stimulus providing low-frequency envelope information via a vibrating probe on the index fingertip. The study involved 23 NH listeners and 14 CI users. In both groups, significant tactile enhancements were observed for congruent tactile stimuli (5.3% for NH and 5.4% for CI participants), but not for incongruent tactile stimulation. These findings replicate previously observed tactile enhancement effects. Juxtaposing our study with previous research, the informational content of the tactile stimulus emerges as a modulator of intelligibility: Generally, congruent stimuli enhanced, non-matching tactile stimuli reduced, and neutral stimuli did not change test outcomes. We conclude that the temporal cues provided by congruent vibrotactile stimuli may aid in parsing continuous speech signals into syllables and words, consequently leading to the observed improvements in intelligibility.
A probabilistic early fault detection model for a feedback machining system with multiple types of spares
Authors: El-Hadidy Mohamed Abd Allah , Elshenawy Assem Omar 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis paper studies corrective and preventive maintenance to provide a quality control policy. The corrective maintenance, depending on the time, of a feedback machining system model with a finite source and standbys is presented. Moreover, the system has a known number of servers to repair the damaged units, and it contains an inspector to ensure the maintenance quality of the repaired units. The exact value of the probability of n units in the system will be obtained by using an efficient algorithm that depends on the Laplace transformation. To promote the concept of preventive maintenance, we use this probability to get the probability of early fault detection as a function of time and in the steady state. The applicability of this model is discussed for different system capacities.
Characterization and prognostic impact of ACTBL2-positive tumor-infiltrating leukocytes in epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Topalov N. E. , Mayr D. , Kuhn C. , Leutbecher A. , Scherer C. , Kraus F. B. T. , Tauber C. V. , Beyer S. , Meister S. , Hester A. , Kolben T. , Burges A. , Mahner S. , Trillsch F. , Kessler M. , Jeschke U. , Czogalla B. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractActin beta-like 2 (ACTBL2) was recently identified as a new mediator of migration in ovarian cancer cells. Yet, its impact on tumor-infiltrating and thus migrating leukocytes (TILs) remains to date unknown. This study characterizes the subset of ACTBL2-expressing TILs in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and elucidates their prognostic influence on the overall survival of EOC patients with special regard to different histological subtypes. Comprehensive immunohistochemical analyses of Tissue-Microarrays of 156 ovarian cancer patients revealed, that a tumor infiltration by ACTBL2-positive leukocytes was significantly associated with an improved overall survival (OS) (61.2 vs. 34.4 months;p = 0.006) and was identified as an independent prognostic factor (HR = 0.556;p = 0.038). This significant survival benefit was particularly evident in patients with low-grade serous carcinoma (OS: median not reached vs. 15.6 months,p < 0.001; HR = 0.058,p = 0.018). In the present cohort, ACTBL2-positive TILs were mainly composed of CD44-positive cytotoxic T-cells (CD8+) and macrophages (CD68+), as depicted by double-immunofluorescence and various immunohistochemical serial staining. Our results provide significant evidence of the prognostic impact and cellular composition of ACTBL2-expressing TILs in EOC. Complementary studies are required to analyze the underlying molecular mechanisms of ACTBL2 as a marker for activated migrating leukocytes and to further characterize its immunological impact on ovarian carcinogenesis.
Serum proinsulin levels as peripheral blood biomarkers in patients with cognitive impairment
Authors: Saraya Abhinbhen W. , Tunvirachaisakul Chavit , Sonpee Chanikarn , Katasrila Panticha , Sathaporn Tanyares , Tepmongkol Supatporn , Tangwongchai Sookjareon 
Published: December 2023

AbstractInsulin has long been associated with dementia. Insulin affecting the clearance of amyloid-β peptide and phosphorylation of tau in the CNS. Proinsulin is a precursor of insulin and its elevated serum levels are associated with peripheral insulin resistance that may reduce brain insulin levels. Our study aimed to assess differences in serum proinsulin levels between normal and cognitive impairment groups. Prospective recruitment of elderly participants was initiated from October 2019 to September 2023. Patients were divided into “cognitive impairment” and “normal cognition” group. All participants had blood drawn and serum proinsulin was measured at baseline and 12 months. Neurocognitive testing was performed every 6 months. A total of 121 participants were recruited. Seventy-seven were in the normal cognition group and 44 in the cognitive impairment group. The glycemic control and prevalence of diabetes type 2 was similar between groups. Baseline serum proinsulin levels were higher in the cognitively impaired group compared to the normal group at baseline (p = 0.019) and correlated with worse cognitive scores. We identified cognitive status, age, and BMI as potential factors associated with variations in baseline proinsulin levels. Given the complex interplay between insulin and dementia pathogenesis, serum biomarkers related to insulin metabolism may exhibit abnormalities in cognitive impaired patients. Here we present the proinsulin levels in individuals with normal cognitive function versus those with cognitive impairment and found a significant difference. This observation may help identifying non-diabetic patients suitable for treatment with novel AD drugs that related to insulin pathway.
A new measure of node centrality on schedule-based space-time networks for the designation of spread potential
Authors: Pitoski Dino , Babić Karlo , Meštrović Ana 
Published: December 2023

AbstractNode centrality is one of the most frequently revisited network theoretical concepts, which got many calculation method alternatives, each of them being conceived on different empirical or theoretical network abstractions. The vast majority of centrality measures produced up to date were conceived on static network abstractions (the so-called “snapshot” networks), which arguably are less realistic than dynamic (temporal) network abstractions. The new, temporal node centrality measure that we offer with this article, is based on an uncommon abstraction, of a space-time network derived from service schedules (timetables). The proposed measure was designed to rank nodes of a space-time network based on their spread or transmission potential, and was subsequently implemented on the network of sea ferry transportation derived from the aggregated schedules for sea ferry liner shipping services in Europe, as they occurred in the month of August, 2015. The main feature of our measure, named “the Spread Potential”, is the evaluation of the potential of a node in the network for transmitting disease, information (e.g. rumours or false news), as well as other phenomena, whichever support a space-time network abstraction from regular and scheduled services with some known carrying capacities. Such abstractions are, for instance, of the transportation networks (e.g. of airline or maritime shipping or the wider logistics (delivery) networks), networks of medical (hospital) services, educational (teaching) services, and virtually, of any other scheduled networked phenomenon. The article also offers the perspectives of the measure’s applicability on the non-scheduled space-time network abstractions.
An improved human activity recognition technique based on convolutional neural network
Authors: Raj Ravi , Kos Andrzej 
Published: December 2023

AbstractA convolutional neural network (CNN) is an important and widely utilized part of the artificial neural network (ANN) for computer vision, mostly used in the pattern recognition system. The most important applications of CNN are medical image analysis, image classification, object recognition from videos, recommender systems, financial time series analysis, natural language processing, and human–computer interfaces. However, after the technological advancement in the power of computing ability and the emergence of huge quantities of labeled data provided through enhanced algorithms, nowadays, CNN is widely used in almost every area of study. One of the main uses of wearable technology and CNN within medical surveillance is human activity recognition (HAR), which must require constant tracking of everyday activities. This paper provides a comprehensive study of the application of CNNs in the classification of HAR tasks. We describe their enhancement, from their antecedents up to the current state-of-the-art systems of deep learning (DL). We have provided a comprehensive working principle of CNN for HAR tasks, and a CNN-based model is presented to perform the classification of human activities. The proposed technique interprets data from sensor sequences of inputs by using a multi-layered CNN that gathers temporal and spatial data related to human activities. The publicly available WISDM dataset for HAR has been used to perform this study. This proposed study uses the two-dimensional CNN approach to make a model for the classification of different human activities. A recent version of Python software has been used to perform the study. The rate of accuracy for HAR through the proposed model in this experiment is 97.20%, which is better than the previously estimated state-of-the-art technique. The findings of the study imply that using DL methods for activity recognition might greatly increase accuracy and increase the range of applications where HAR can be used successfully. We have also described the future research trends in the field of HAR in this article.
Minimum meal frequency practice and associated factors among children aged 6–23 months old in The Gambia: a multilevel mixed effect analysis
Authors: Terefe Bewuketu , Jembere Mahlet Moges , Abie Mekonnen Birhanu 
Published: December 2023

AbstractA proxy measure for a child's energy needs, minimum meal frequency (MMF) looks at how often children were fed things other than breast milk. Infants and young children who do not consume enough food frequently are more likely to suffer from malnutrition, which can lead to increased morbidity and mortality as well as stunting and micronutrient deficiencies. There is no MMF recommended by studies in The Gambia. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the practice of MMF and the factors that influence it in children aged 6–23 months in The Gambia. Data from The Gambian Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS-2019/20) were used to identify factors affecting the MMF at individual and community levels. A multi-level regression model and weighted samples of 2100 children were employed for the investigation. After being examined by a p-value of < 0.25 in the binary regression, factors with a p-value of < 0.05 were judged statistically significant. This study found that about 57.95% had provided MMF. Primary and secondary educated mothers (aOR = 1.44, CI 1.11, 1.87), and (aOR = 1.43, CI 1.09, 1.86), wealthiest (aOR = 1.76, CI 1.04, 2.99), 35–49 years old mothers (aOR = 1.35, CI 1.01, 1.79), female household head (aOR = 0.72, CI 0.53, 0.98), breastfeeding status(aOR = 0.10, CI 0.07, 0.15), currently working (aOR = 1.27, CI 1.04, 1.56), 12–17 months child (aOR = 1.40, CI 1.13, 1.73), 18–23 months child (aOR = 1.44, CI 1.08, 1.91) have shown association with MMF. Regarding regions Mansakonko, Kerewan, Kuntaur, and Janjanbureh local government areas have shown (aOR = 3.51, CI 1.77, 6.97), (aOR = 5.17, CI 2.67, 9.99), (aOR = 2.26, CI 1.14, 4.47), and (aOR = 2.35, CI 1.19, 4.64) as compared to Banjul local government area. Comparing MMF in The Gambia to WHO standards, it must be considered low. Encouragement of women and coordinated enhancement of the current nutritional intervention are therefore effective in boosting children's consumption of a variety of foods.
Uncovering anisotropic effects of electric high-moment dipoles on the tunneling current in $$\delta$$-layer tunnel junctions
Authors: Mendez Juan P. , Mamaluy Denis 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe precise positioning of dopants in semiconductors using scanning tunneling microscopes has led to the development of planar dopant-based devices, also known as $$\delta$$
δ
layer-based devices, facilitating the exploration of new concepts in classical and quantum computing. Recently, it has been shown that two distinct conductivity regimes (low- and high-bias regimes) exist in $$\delta$$
δ
-layer tunnel junctions due to the presence of quasi-discrete and continuous states in the conduction band of $$\delta$$
δ
-layer systems. Furthermore, discrete charged impurities in the tunnel junction region significantly influence the tunneling rates in $$\delta$$
δ
-layer tunnel junctions. Here we demonstrate that electrical dipoles, i.e. zero-charge defects, present in the tunnel junction region can also significantly alter the tunneling rate, depending, however, on the specific conductivity regime, and orientation and moment of the dipole. In the low-bias regime, with high-resistance tunneling mode, dipoles of nearly all orientations and moments can alter the current, indicating the extreme sensitivity of the tunneling current to the slightest imperfection in the tunnel gap. In the high-bias regime, with low-resistivity, only dipoles with high moments and oriented in the directions perpendicular to the electron tunneling direction can significantly affect the current, thus making this conductivity regime significantly less prone to the influence of dipole defects with low-moments or oriented in the direction parallel to the tunneling.
Proteomic analysis reveals activation of platelet- and fibrosis-related pathways in hearts of ApoE−/− mice exposed to diesel exhaust particles
Authors: Jung Inkyo , Cho Yoon Jin , Park Minhan , Park Kihong , Lee Seung Hee , Kim Won-Ho , Jeong Hyuk , Lee Ji Eun , Kim Geun-Young 
Published: December 2023

AbstractAir pollution is an environmental risk factor linked to multiple human diseases including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). While particulate matter (PM) emitted by diesel exhaust damages multiple organ systems, heart disease is one of the most severe pathologies affected by PM. However, the in vivo effects of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) on the heart and the molecular mechanisms of DEP-induced heart dysfunction have not been investigated. In the current study, we attempted to identify the proteomic signatures of heart fibrosis caused by diesel exhaust particles (DEP) in CVDs-prone apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE−/−) mice model using tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomic analysis. DEP exposure induced mild heart fibrosis in ApoE−/− mice compared with severe heart fibrosis in ApoE−/− mice that were treated with CVDs-inducing peptide, angiotensin II. TMT-based quantitative proteomic analysis of heart tissues between PBS- and DEP-treated ApoE−/− mice revealed significant upregulation of proteins associated with platelet activation and TGFβ-dependent pathways. Our data suggest that DEP exposure could induce heart fibrosis, potentially via platelet-related pathways and TGFβ induction, causing cardiac fibrosis and dysfunction.
Regulatory variants of APOBEC3 genes potentially associate with COVID-19 severity in populations with African ancestry
Authors: Zhang Ke , Chen Fang , Shen Hu-Yan , Zhang Ping-Ping , Gao Han , Peng Hong , Luo Yu-Si , Cheng Zhong-Shan 
Published: December 2023

AbstractSince November 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the impact of which is huge to the lives of world populations. Many studies suggested that such situation will continue due to the endless mutations in SARS-CoV-2 genome that result in complexity of the efforts for the control of SARS-CoV-2, since the special enrichment of nucleotide substitution C>U in SARS-CoV-2 sequences were discovered mainly due to the editing by human host factors APOBEC3 genes. The observation of SARS-CoV-2 variants Beta (B.1.351) and Omicron (B.1.1.529) firstly spreading in South Africa promoted us to hypothesize that genetic variants of APOBEC3 special in African populations may be attributed to the higher mutation rate of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Africa. Current study was conducted to search for functional variants of APOBEC3 genes associate with COVID-19 hospitalization in African population. By integrating data from the 1000 Genomes Project, Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and Host Genetics Initiative (HGI) of COVID-19, we identified potential functional SNPs close to APOBEC3 genes that are associated with COVID-19 hospitalization in African but not with other populations. Our study provides new insights on the potential contribution of APOBEC3 genes on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 mutations in African population, but further replication is needed to confirm our results.
First complete mitogenome of Massarineae and its contribution to phylogenetic implications in Pleosporales
Authors: Wang Guangying , Zhang Gongyou , lv Xiaoying , Wang Yaping , Long Yaohang , Wang Xianyi , Liu Hongmei 
Published: December 2023

AbstractEndophytic fungi play an important role in the growth and development of traditional Chinese medicine plants. We isolated a strain of Acrocalymma vagum from the endophytic fungi of the traditional Chinese plants Paris. To accurately identify this endophytic fungal species of interest, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome of A. vagum, which is the first discovered mitochondrial genome in Massarineae. The A. vagum mitochondrial genome consists of a 35,079-bp closed circular DNA molecule containing 36 genes. Then, we compared the general sequence characteristics of A. vagum with those of Pleosporales, and the second structure of the 22 tRNAs was predicted. The phylogenetic relationship of A. vagum was constructed using two different data sets (protein-coding genes and amino acids). The phylogenetic tree shows that A. vagum is located at the root of Pleosporales. The analysis of introns shows that the number of introns increases with the increase in branch length. The results showed that monophyly was confirmed for all families in Pleosporales except for Pleosporaceae. A. vagum is an ancient species in the Pleosporales, and Pleosporaceae may require further revision. In Pleosporales, the number of introns is positively correlated with branch length, providing data for further study on the origin of introns.
Usefulness of intraoperative ultrasound examination for laparoscopic right-side colon cancer surgery: a propensity score-matched study
Authors: Kasashima Hiroaki , Fukuoka Tatsunari , Tsujio Gen , Sugimoto Atsushi , Yonemitsu Ken , Kitayama Kisyu , Iseki Yasuhito , Shibutani Masatsune , Maeda Kiyoshi 
Published: December 2023

AbstractComplete mesocolic excision (CME) with central vascular ligation (CVL) in laparoscopic surgery for right-sided colon cancer (RSCC) requires a precise understanding of the vascular anatomy. The efficacy of intraoperative ultrasound (IUS) in the identification of blood vessels for RSCC surgery was not evaluated. The aim of this study was to compare the intraoperative and short-term outcomes of CME with CVL with or without IUS by laparoscopic surgery for RSCC. We performed IUS on 26 patients of RSCC and compared with a total of 124 patients who underwent the surgery for RSCC at our institution. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to reduce the confounding effects to imbalances in the use of IUS. The IUS identified the main feeding artery and the accompanying vein in all 26 cases. After PSM, the amount of intraoperative blood loss in the IUS group was significantly lower than that in the conventional group (5 ml vs. 30 ml, p = 0.035) and no significant difference of the postoperative complications was observed. The IUS reduced the risk of bleeding in the surgery for RSCC. The IUS is a safe and feasible technique that help the surgeons for anatomical understandings under real-time condition in the laparoscopic surgery of RSCC.
Impact of a pneumatic surgical robot with haptic feedback function on surgical manipulation
Authors: Ueda Yuichiro , Miyahara So , Tokuishi Keita , Nakajima Hiroyasu , Waseda Ryuichi , Shiraishi Takeshi , Sato Toshihiko 
Published: December 2023

AbstractAlthough robotic-assisted surgery has the advantages of low patient burden and high precision without unsteady hand movements, the lack of tactile sensations may result in unexpected iatrogenic organ damage. The Saroa (Riverfield Inc., Tokyo, Japan) is a pneumatically driven robot that provides real-time haptic feedback to the surgeon. Using the Saroa robot, six examinees performed puffed rice transfer and four of them performed pig lung resection tasks with the feedback function turned on and off. The puffed rice transfer task consisted of transferring 20 grains of puffed rice from the left to the right compartment in the training box. The mean grasping forces during the puffed rice transfer task with the haptic feedback function turned off and on were 2.14 N and 0.63 N, respectively (P = 0.003). The mean grasping forces during the pig lung resection task were lower with the feedback turned on than turned off. The force that the forceps exerted on the grasping object was weaker in both tasks when the haptic feedback function was turned on, suggesting that the feedback function allows gentler handling of tissues, improving patient safety during robotic surgery.