bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of repetitive twice-weekly transcranial direct current stimulations on fatigue and fatigability in people with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Linnhoff Stefanie , Haghikia Aiden , Zaehle Tino 
Published: April 2023

AbstractFatigue is associated with a dramatically decreased quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). It refers to a constant subjective feeling of exhaustion and performance decline, known as fatigability. However, inconsistency and heterogeneity in defining and assessing fatigue have led to limited advances in understanding and treating MS-associated fatigue. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as a promising, non-pharmaceutical treatment strategy for subjective fatigue. However, whether repetitive tDCS also have long-term effects on time-on-task performance has not yet been investigated. This pseudorandomized, single-blinded, and sham-controlled study investigated tDCS effects on behavioral and electrophysiological parameters. 18 pwMS received eight twice-weekly 30 min stimulations over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Fatigability was operationalized as time-on-task-related changes in reaction time variability and P300 amplitude. Additionally, subjective trait and state fatigue ratings were assessed. The results revealed an overall decrease in subjective trait fatigue ratings that lasted at least four weeks after the stimulations. However, the ratings declined after both anodal and sham tDCS. No effects were found on subjective state fatigue and objective fatigability parameters. Linear Mixed Models and Bayesian Regression models likewise favored the absence of a tDCS effect on fatigability parameters. The results confirm the complex relationship between MS-associated fatigue and fatigability. Reliable and clinically relevant parameters need to be established to extend the potential of tDCS for treating fatigability. Furthermore, our results indicate that consecutive stimulations rather than twice-weekly stimulations should be the preferred stimulation scheme in future studies.
Thermal transport properties of porous silicon filled by ionic liquid nanocomposite system
Authors: Lishchuk Pavlo , Vashchuk Alina , Rogalsky Sergiy , Chepela Lesia , Borovyi Mykola , Lacroix David , Isaiev Mykola 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThis paper investigates thermal transport in a nanocomposite system consisting of a porous silicon matrix filled with ionic liquid. Firstly, the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of two imidazolium and one ammonium ionic liquids were evaluated using the photoacoustic approach in piezoelectric configuration and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. Then, the thermal transport properties of the composite system "ionic liquid confined inside porous silicon matrix" were investigated with the photoacoustic approach in gas-microphone configuration. The results demonstrated a significant enhancement of the thermal conductivity of the composite system when compared to the individual components, i.e. (i) more than two times for pristine porous silicon and (ii) more than eight times for ionic liquids. These results provide new paths for innovative solutions in the field of thermal management, particularly in the development of highly efficient energy storage devices.
Partial substitution of red or processed meat with plant-based foods and the risk of type 2 diabetes
Authors: Maukonen Mirkka , Harald Kennet , Kaartinen Niina E. , Tapanainen Heli , Albanes Demetrius , Eriksson Johan , Härkänen Tommi , Jousilahti Pekka , Koskinen Seppo , Päivärinta Essi , Suikki Tiina , Tolonen Hanna , Pajari Anne-Maria , Männistö Satu 
Published: April 2023

AbstractHigh consumption of red and processed meat has been associated with increased type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. These kinds of diets are also environmentally unsustainable. We examined a modeled association between a partial substitution of red meat or processed meat with plant-based foods (legumes, vegetables, fruit, cereals, or a combination of these) and T2D risk among Finnish adults. We used pooled data from five Finnish cohorts (n = 41,662, 22% women, aged ≥ 25 years, 10.9 years median follow-up with 1750 incident T2D cases). Diet was assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire. In the substitution models, 100 g/week of red meat or 50 g/week of processed meat were substituted with similar amounts of plant-based substitutes. Cohort-specific hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated by Cox proportional hazards multivariable model and pooled using a two-staged random-effects model. We observed small, but statistically significant, reductions in T2D risk in men when red or processed meat were partially substituted with fruits (red meat: HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97–1.00, P = 0.049, processed meat: 0.99, 0.98–1.00, P = 0.005), cereals (red meat: 0.97, 0.95–0.99, P = 0.005, processed meat: 0.99, 0.98–1.00, P = 0.004) or combination of plant-based foods (only processed meat: 0.99, 0.98–1.00, P = 0.004) but not with legumes or vegetables. The findings of women were similar but not statistically significant. Our findings suggest that even small, easily implemented, shifts towards more sustainable diets may reduce T2D risk particularly in men.
m6A regulator-mediated RNA methylation modification patterns are involved in the regulation of the immune microenvironment in ischaemic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Zheng Peng-Fei , Hong Xiu-Qin , Liu Zheng-Yu , Zheng Zhao-Fen , Liu Peng , Chen Lu-Zhu 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe role of RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification in the regulation of the immune microenvironment in ischaemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) remains largely unclear. This study first identified differential m6A regulators between ICM and healthy samples, and then systematically evaluated the effects of m6A modification on the characteristics of the immune microenvironment in ICM, including the infiltration of immune cells, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene, and HALLMARKS pathways. A total of seven key m6A regulators, including WTAP, ZCH3H13, YTHDC1, FMR1, FTO, RBM15 and YTHDF3, were identified using a random forest classifier. A diagnostic nomogram based on these seven key m6A regulators could effectively distinguish patients with ICM from healthy subjects. We further identified two distinct m6A modification patterns (m6A cluster-A and m6A cluster-B) that are mediated by these seven regulators. Meanwhile, we also noted that one m6A regulator, WTAP, was gradually upregulated, while the others were gradually downregulated in the m6A cluster-A vs. m6A cluster-B vs. healthy subjects. In addition, we observed that the degree of infiltration of the activated dendritic cells, macrophages, natural killer (NK) T cells, and type-17 T helper (Th17) cells gradually increased in m6A cluster-A vs. m6A cluster-B vs. healthy subjects. Furthermore, m6A regulators, including FTO, YTHDC1, YTHDF3, FMR1, ZC3H13, and RBM15 were significantly negatively correlated with the above-mentioned immune cells. Additionally, several differential HLA genes and HALLMARKS signalling pathways between the m6A cluster-A and m6A cluster-B groups were also identified. These results suggest that m6A modification plays a key role in the complexity and diversity of the immune microenvironment in ICM, and seven key m6A regulators, including WTAP, ZCH3H13, YTHDC1, FMR1, FTO, RBM15, and YTHDF3, may be novel biomarkers for the accurate diagnosis of ICM. Immunotyping of patients with ICM will help to develop immunotherapy strategies with a higher level of accuracy for patients with a significant immune response.
Avatar-based patient monitoring improves information transfer, diagnostic confidence and reduces perceived workload in intensive care units: computer-based, multicentre comparison study
Authors: Bergauer Lisa , Braun Julia , Roche Tadzio Raoul , Meybohm Patrick , Hottenrott Sebastian , Zacharowski Kai , Raimann Florian Jürgen , Rivas Eva , López-Baamonde Manuel , Ganter Michael Thomas , Nöthiger Christoph Beat , Spahn Donat R. , Tscholl David Werner , Akbas Samira 
Published: April 2023

AbstractPatient monitoring is the foundation of intensive care medicine. High workload and information overload can impair situation awareness of staff, thus leading to loss of important information about patients’ conditions. To facilitate mental processing of patient monitoring data, we developed the Visual-Patient-avatar Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a virtual patient model animated from vital signs and patient installation data. It incorporates user-centred design principles to foster situation awareness. This study investigated the avatar’s effects on information transfer measured by performance, diagnostic confidence and perceived workload. This computer-based study compared Visual-Patient-avatar ICU and conventional monitor modality for the first time. We recruited 25 nurses and 25 physicians from five centres. The participants completed an equal number of scenarios in both modalities. Information transfer, as the primary outcome, was defined as correctly assessing vital signs and installations. Secondary outcomes included diagnostic confidence and perceived workload. For analysis, we used mixed models and matched odds ratios. Comparing 250 within-subject cases revealed that Visual-Patient-avatar ICU led to a higher rate of correctly assessed vital signs and installations [rate ratio (RR) 1.25; 95% CI 1.19–1.31; P < 0.001], strengthened diagnostic confidence [odds ratio (OR) 3.32; 95% CI 2.15–5.11, P < 0.001] and lowered perceived workload (coefficient − 7.62; 95% CI − 9.17 to − 6.07; P < 0.001) than conventional modality. Using Visual-Patient-avatar ICU, participants retrieved more information with higher diagnostic confidence and lower perceived workload compared to the current industry standard monitor.
Atmospheric NOx oxidation as major sources for nitrous acid (HONO)
Authors: Song Min , Zhao Xiaoxi , Liu Pengfei , Mu Jichun , He Guangzhi , Zhang Chenglong , Tong Shengrui , Xue Chaoyang , Zhao Xiujuan , Ge Maofa , Mu Yujing 
Published: April 2023

AbstractNitrous acid (HONO) is the major precursor of hydroxyl (OH) radicals to initiate tropospheric chemistry leading to formation of secondary pollutants. The sources of atmospheric HONO, however, are not fully understood. Here we show two additional HONO sources that stem from atmospheric oxidation of nitrogen oxide (NOx= NO + NO2). Nitric acid (HNO3) formed from photooxidation of NO2can be converted into HONO with a yield of ~53%, and dark NO oxidation by NO3radicals in the presence of H2O produces HONO with a yield of 2%. The diurnal variations of HONO levels from field observations in the urban (Beijing) and rural (Wangdu) areas of the North China Plain can be well reproduced by the WRF-Chem model when the two new HONO sources are taken into account. The findings imply that atmospheric NOxoxidation pathways are the major sources for HONO, which can significantly accelerate ozone formation in polluted regions as well.
PUREE: accurate pan-cancer tumor purity estimation from gene expression data
Authors: Revkov Egor , Kulshrestha Tanmay , Sung Ken Wing-Kin , Skanderup Anders Jacobsen 
Published: April 2023

AbstractTumors are complex masses composed of malignant and non-malignant cells. Variation in tumor purity (proportion of cancer cells in a sample) can both confound integrative analysis and enable studies of tumor heterogeneity. Here we developed PUREE, which uses a weakly supervised learning approach to infer tumor purity from a tumor gene expression profile. PUREE was trained on gene expression data and genomic consensus purity estimates from 7864 solid tumor samples. PUREE predicted purity with high accuracy across distinct solid tumor types and generalized to tumor samples from unseen tumor types and cohorts. Gene features of PUREE were further validated using single-cell RNA-seq data from distinct tumor types. In a comprehensive benchmark, PUREE outperformed existing transcriptome-based purity estimation approaches. Overall, PUREE is a highly accurate and versatile method for estimating tumor purity and interrogating tumor heterogeneity from bulk tumor gene expression data, which can complement genomics-based approaches or be used in settings where genomic data is unavailable.
Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging to map collagen content in prehistoric bones for radiocarbon dating
Authors: Malegori Cristina , Sciutto Giorgia , Oliveri Paolo , Prati Silvia , Gatti Lucrezia , Catelli Emilio , Benazzi Stefano , Cercatillo Silvia , Paleček Dragana , Mazzeo Rocco , Talamo Sahra 
Published: April 2023

AbstractMany of the rarest prehistoric bones found by archaeologists are enormously precious and are considered to be part of our cultural and historical patrimony. Radiocarbon dating is a well-established technique that estimates the ages of bones by analysing the collagen still present. However, this method is destructive, and its use must be limited. In this study, we used imaging technology to quantify the presence of collagen in bone samples in a non-destructive way to select the most suitable samples (or sample regions) to be submitted to radiocarbon dating analysis. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) that was connected to a camera with hyperspectral imaging (HSI) was used along with a chemometric model to create chemical images of the distribution of collagen in ancient bones. This model quantifies the collagen at every pixel and thus provides a chemical mapping of collagen content. Our results will offer significant advances for the study of human evolution as we will be able to minimise the destruction of valuable bone material, which is under the protection and enhancement of European cultural heritage and thus allow us to contextualise the valuable object by providing an accurate calendar age.
Development and Beta Testing of Serious Game-Based Auditory Training Application to Enhance Perceptual Learning of Speech in Cochlear Implant Recipients
Authors: Garadat Soha N. 
Published: April 2023

Purpose:
Computer-based applications became a popular option for auditory training, but their efficacy can be compromised by lack of users' compliance. Serious games are a new emerging field that promotes the use of games for purposes other than entertainment. The purpose of this clinical focus article was to describe the design and development of a new serious game-based auditory training application that aims at enhancing perceptual learning of speech in cochlear implant (CI) recipients.

Method:
Using a participatory action research protocol, three phases were used in the process of development of this application to ensure its appropriateness for the target population. There were eight participants in Phase I, 16 participants in Phase II, and 51 participants in Phase III. In Phase III, participants were required to provide feedback using an online questionnaire after a 1-week trial period.

Results:

Participants' feedback and reflection from each phase were used to enhance the design and functionality of the final application. Results from Phase III demonstrated that greater than 90% of participants in both groups rated their satisfaction with several features of the games 4 or more on a 5-point Likert scale, with 1 being
very dissatisfied
and 5 being
very satisfied
. Differences in mean ratings for some features were significantly different between the two groups, perhaps reflecting differences in their auditory abilities.

Conclusion:
Results demonstrated that participants were highly satisfied with several features of the application, suggesting its potential to offer CI users a unique training opportunity by presenting repetitive and structured listening exercises using serious games.
Videostroboscopy Versus High-Speed Videoendoscopy: Factors Influencing Ratings of Laryngeal Oscillation
Authors: Fujiki Robert Brinton , Croegaert-Koch Caitlin K. , Thibeault Susan L. 
Published: April 2023

Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether patient voice-related diagnosis, severity of dysphonia, and rater's experience influence the relationship between laryngeal oscillation ratings made from videostroboscopic and high-speed videoendoscopic (HSV) exams.

Method:
Stroboscopy and HSV exams from 15 patients with adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD) and 15 with benign vocal fold lesions were rated for laryngeal oscillation and closure by 10 licensed speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Raters were divided into low- (< 5 years) and high-experience (> 5 years) groups. Ratings of vocal fold amplitude, mucosal wave, periodicity, phase symmetry, nonvibrating portion of the vocal fold, and glottal closure were examined using an online form adapted from the Voice Vibratory Assessment of Laryngeal Imaging (VALI).

Results:

Stroboscopy and HSV ratings were more strongly positively correlated for patients with benign vocal fold lesions (
r
between .43 and .75) than for those with ADSD (
r
between .40 and .68). Differences between stroboscopy and HSV exams were significantly greater for ratings of amplitude, mucosal wave, and periodicity in patients with ADSD than for patients with benign vocal fold lesions. Raters with < 5 years of experience showed significantly greater differences between stroboscopy and HSV ratings of amplitude and nonvibrating portion of the vocal fold for patients with ADSD only. Significantly greater differences between ratings of periodicity and phase symmetry were observed in patients with more severe dysphonia.

Conclusions:
Differences in laryngeal ratings made between HSV and stroboscopy exams may be influenced by patient diagnosis, severity of dysphonia, and rater experience. Future study is warranted to determine how the differences observed influence clinical diagnosis and outcomes.
Evaluation of orthogonal frequency‐division multiple‐access systems in the presence of carrier frequency offset using wireless images transmission
Authors: A. M. Al Soufy Khaled , S. Al‐kamali Faisal 
Published: April 2023

AbstractOrthogonal Frequency‐Division Multiple‐Access (OFDMA) is used in different recent wireless communication systems. However, it is susceptible to carrier frequency offset (CFO) which effects the orthogonality between subcarriers and causes inter‐carrier interference (ICI) and multiple access interference (MAI). The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of the CFOs on the performance of Discrete Sine Transform (DST) DST‐OFDMA, Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) DCT‐OFDMA and Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) DFT‐OFDMA systems and to evaluate them with different modulation schemes and different subcarriers mapping schemes over vehicular A and Stanford University Interim (SUI) 3 channels. Transmission of image over the wireless system is performed to analyze and investigate the performance in terms of the Peak Signal‐to‐Noise Ratio (PSNR), and the Mean Square Error (MSE). Through the evaluation, with CFO compensation, without CFO, and without CFO compensation cases are considered. In this work, Joint Minimum Mean Square Error (JMMSE) equalization and CFO compensation technique is used. It is noted that when the QPSK scheme and the SUI3 channel model are used then the DCT‐OFDMA system provides better MSE and PSNR performances than other systems for the JMMSE compensation technique.
Impact and compensation of carrier synchronization errors in OFDM signals with very large QAM constellations
Authors: Mokhtari Zahra , Dinis Rui , Oliveira Luís , Oliveira João 
Published: April 2023

AbstractLow cost video sensors used for streaming video signals to help firefighters, require high bit rate due to uncompressed images. To increase spectral efficiency given a limited bandwidth, very high order constellations in high signal to noise ratio regimes can be used. However, noise is not the only factor effecting the high order constellations. These constellations are also sensitive to hardware impairments and system non‐linearities. Therefore, in this paper, the effect of carrier frequency offset (CFO) on the performance of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system with high order quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) is studied. A closed form expression is derived for the maximum normalized residual CFO that an OFDM system with M‐QAM constellation can resist to have an error free symbol detection. Finally, the suitability of common previous CFO estimation techniques such as the cyclic prefix based technique and the Moose technique in these systems are investigate. The results show that the maximum residual CFO that an OFDM system with M‐QAM constellation can resist is proportional to the inverse of . The results also show that very large order QAM constellations such as 4096‐QAM are very sensitive to even small residual CFO values and their performance degrades, significantly. However, the bit error rate analysis indicate that the Moose CFO estimation technique can be used in these systems to compensate the CFO effect, accurately.
Attention‐based hierarchical pyramid feature fusion structure for efficient face recognition
Authors: Dai Yi , Sun Kai , Huang Wei , Zhang Dawei , Dai Gaojie 
Published: April 2023

AbstractDeep convolutional neural networks (CNN) have become the main method for face recognition (FR). To deploy deep CNN models on embedded and mobile devices, several lightweight FR models have been proposed. However, multi‐scale facial features are seldom considered in these approaches. To overcome this limitation, an attention‐based hierarchical pyramid feature fusion (AHPF) structure was proposed in this paper. Specifically, hierarchical multi‐scale features were directly extracted from the backbone based on its pyramidal hierarchy, and the bidirectional cross‐scale connection was used to better combine the high‐level global features with low‐level local features. In addition, instead of simple concatenation or summation, an attention‐based feature fusion mechanism was used to highlight the most recognizable facial patches, and to address the unequal contribution to the output during the fusing process. Based on the AHPF structure and efficient backbones, multiple sizes of lightweight FR models were presented, called HSFNet. After an extensive experimental evaluation involving 10 mainstream benchmarks, the proposed models consistently achieved state‐of‐the‐art FR performance compared to other lightweight FR models with same level of model complexity. With only 0.659M parameters and 94.94M FLOPs, our HSFNet‐05‐M exhibited a performance competitive with recent top‐ranked FR models containing up to 4M parameters and 500M FLOPs.
An integrated dependability guarantee provisioning for cluster‐based IoV networks with slicing
Authors: Wang Xiaoxuan , Li Xuehan , Jing Tao , Yu Hengyu 
Published: April 2023

AbstractHigh‐dependability Internet of Vehicle (IoV) is essential for urban transit, since it contributes to the safe operation of vehicles, and even to the safety of the entire city. This paper introduces the IoV cluster model with network slicing. Based on this model, an integrated vehicles clustering and network slicing scheme for IoV networks is introduced to guarantee the dependability of different traffics in IoV. The network slicing scheme is proposed to divide the wireless frequency resource of the IoV network into separate logical networks. A analysis model, based on age of information, is utilized as an integrated indicator for evaluating the dependability of the IoV system in urban transit. Asynchronous reinforcement learning with advantage actor‐critic is employed to optimize the integrated dependability of IoV. It is demonstrated in simulations that the proposed IoV cluster incorporating the network slicing scheme can guarantee the integrated dependability of the IoV system. Moreover, by the application of reinforcement learning, the system dependability can be further improved.