bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical group and modified TNM stage for rhabdomyosarcoma: A review from the Children's Oncology Group
Authors: Crane Jacquelyn N. , Xue Wei , Qumseya Amira , Gao Zhengya , Arndt Carola A. S. , Donaldson Sarah S. , Harrison Douglas J. , Hawkins Douglas S. , Linardic Corinne M. , Mascarenhas Leo , Meyer William H. , Rodeberg David A. , Rudzinski Erin R. , Shulkin Barry L. , Walterhouse David O. , Venkatramani Rajkumar , Weiss Aaron R. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe Children's Oncology Group (COG) uses Clinical Group (CG) and modified Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage to classify rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). CG is based on surgicopathologic findings and is determined after the completion of initial surgical procedure(s) but prior to chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The modified TNM stage is based on clinical and radiographic findings and is assigned prior to any treatment. These systems have evolved over several decades. We review the history, evolution, and rationale behind the current CG and modified TNM classification systems used by COG for RMS. Data from the seven most recently completed and reported frontline COG trials (D9602, D9802, D9803, ARST0331, ARST0431, ARST0531, ARST08P1) were analyzed, and confirm that CG and modified TNM stage remain relevant and useful for predicting prognosis in RMS. We propose updates based on recent data and discuss factors warranting future study to further optimize these classification systems.
Application of a triple‐helical peptide inhibitor of MMP‐2/MMP‐9 to examine T‐cell activation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Authors: Onwuha‐Ekpete Lillian , Fields Gregg B. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractMultiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease whereby pathology includes multifocal perivascular mononuclear cell infiltration into the central nervous system, oligodendrocyte loss and demyelination, and variable axonal loss. Little is known about the causative agent in MS, but the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family of proteolytic enzymes has been implicated in disease progression and resolution. Recent studies revealed that MMP‐2 and/or MMP‐9 are required for an effective T‐cell‐mediated immune response to antigenic stimulation. In the present studies, we used an MMP‐2/MMP‐9 selective triple‐helical peptide inhibitor (THPI) to examine the role of these enzymes in antigen specific T‐cell responses. We found that treatment of murine CD4+ T‐cells with the THPI, followed by CD3/CD28 stimulation of the T‐cell receptor (TCR), resulted in reduced cell proliferation and production of interleukin 2 (IL‐2), interferon gamma (IFN‐γ), and tumor‐necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α). Application of the THPI in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a widely accepted animal model of MS, reduced clinical severity of the disease and weight loss. Splenocytes isolated from THPI‐treated EAE animals had reduced proliferation compared with untreated animals. In an in vitro recall experiment, splenocytes isolated from EAE mice were treated with the THPI, followed by CD3/CD28 stimulation of the TCR. Treated splenocytes had reduced production of IL‐2, IL‐6, IL‐10, IFN‐γ, and TNF‐α compared with untreated splenocytes isolated from EAE mice. Overall, the MMP‐2/MMP‐9‐targeting THPI modulates T‐cell response to antigenic stimulation, including proliferation and immune cell production of specific cytokines, providing insight as to why the THPI is effective in reducing the clinical severity of EAE.
The mysterious blue emission around 440 nm in carbonyl‐based aliphatic clusteroluminogens
Authors: Zhang Zhiming , Zhang Ziteng , Zhang Haoke , Sun Jing Zhi , Tang Ben Zhong 
Published: March 2022

AbstractNonconjugated and nonaromatic heteroatoms‐based structures are discovered with visible emission at clustering state, namely clusteroluminogens (CLgens). Such kind of luminescence is termed clusteroluminescence (CL) which could not be explained by the traditional molecular photophysical theories constructed upon through‐bond conjugation, so investigation on CL has great theoretical significance. In this perspective, we summarize a general feature for C═O bond‐based CLgens that a magic blue emission around 440 nm widely exists in different systems such as natural protein, polyamide, polyester, and polyketone. Comprehensive analysis of the reported works suggests that the (n, π*) transition of carbonyl group most likely generates the 440 nm CL. This perspective aims to draw researchers' attention to the common features and general photophysical theories of CL, and shine new light on aggregate photophysics.
Association between experiences of advanced cancer patients at the end of life and depression in their bereaved caregivers
Authors: Hatano Yutaka , Morita Tatsuya , Mori Masanori , Aoyama Maho , Yoshida Saran , Amano Koji , Terabayashi Toru , Oya Kiyofumi , Tsukuura Hiroaki , Hiratsuka Yusuke , Maeda Isseki , Kizawa Yoshiyuki , Tsuneto Satoru , Shima Yasuo , Masukawa Kento , Miyashita Mitsunori 
Published: March 2022

AbstractObjectiveResearch on the association between circumstances of death in advanced cancer patients and depression in their bereaved caregivers is limited.MethodsA longitudinal study was performed on patients admitted to 21 inpatient hospices/palliative care units (PCUs) in Japan. Patient symptoms were assessed at admission and in the last 3 days of life. Data on distressing events (unexpected death, bleeding) and received treatments (morphine prescriptions, continuous deep sedation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation) were also obtained. Bereaved caregiver depression was assessed 6 months or more after patient death via mail survey using the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9). A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to explore variables predicting bereaved caregiver depression.ResultsOf 1324 deceased patient–bereaved caregiver dyads, data were finally analyzed for 711 dyads. The proportion of probable depression (PHQ‐9 scores ≥10) in bereaved caregivers was 13.6% (91/671; 95% confidence interval: 11.0–16.2). The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that patient hyperactive delirium at PCU admission was significantly associated with the development of bereaved caregiver depression (odds ratio: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.2–3.8). Bereaved caregiver perceived low social support (OR: 4.7, 95% CI: 2.2–10.0) and low preparedness for death (OR: 4.5, 95% CI: 2.6–7.8) were also significantly associated with the development of depression. Other patient and bereaved caregiver variables had no association with depression.ConclusionsHyperactive delirium in terminally ill cancer patients was associated with bereaved caregiver depression. The development of effective strategies to reduce delirium‐related agitation and to provide educational interventions for caregivers may be needed.
Association between self‐perceived activity performance and upper limb functioning in subacute stroke
Authors: Tomita Yosuke , Hasegawa Satoshi , Chida Daiki , Asakura Tomoyuki , Usuda Shigeru 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBackground and purposeThis study aimed to investigate to what extent upper limb (UL) motor impairment, trunk compensation, and activity performance are related to self‐perception of UL activity performance in subacute stroke.MethodsThis was a prospective observational study. Twenty‐four adults with subacute stroke (age: 65.4 ± 10.8 years) underwent clinical and kinematic assessments at baseline (33.9 ± 5.2 days after stroke onset) and 4 weeks after the baseline. The clinical assessment included the UL Fugl‐Meyer motor assessment (FMA), Simple Test for Evaluating hand Function (STEF), and the performance and satisfaction scores of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). The kinematic measurement was performed using a motion capture system during a standardized reach‐to‐grasp task. Endpoint performance variables and trunk displacement were calculated as kinematic outcomes. An inpatient rehabilitation program of 3 h/day was provided every day for 4 weeks between the two measurement points. The relationships between COPM scores and clinical/kinematic outcomes were examined by multiple regression analysis. Significance levels of p < 0.05 were used.ResultsThe results of the multiple regression analysis showed that the changes in STEF (β = 0.520, p = 0.005) and trunk compensation (β = −0.398, p = 0.024) were moderately related to the change in the COPM satisfaction (R2adj = 0.426, p = 0.001), while the change in UL FMA was not.DiscussionThe changes in activity performance and trunk compensation were related to improved self‐perception of UL activity performance. Therapeutic management for activity performance and trunk compensation may be important for improving self‐perception of UL activity performance after stroke.
A mathematical and dosimetric approach to validate auto‐contouring by Varian Smart segmentation for prostate cancer patients
Authors: Mandal Sudipta , Kale Shrikant N. , Kinhikar Rajesh A. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to quantify the discrepancies in geometrical and dosimetric impacts (in volumetric modulated arc therapy) between manually segmented (MS) contours and smart segmentation (SS) auto‐contours (by Varian Eclipse Treatment Planning System SS v13.5) for prostate cancer patients.MethodsThe automated segmentation was carried out by Eclipse Treatment Planning System (Varian, version 13.5) Smart Segmentation (SS) workspace of 10 prostate cancer patients for four regions of interest; such as, bladder, rectum, femoral head left, and femoral head right. The geometric and dosimetric deviation between SS and MS contours have been quantified in the form of different parameters. The organ‐wise correlation between different validation parameters was addressed.ResultsThe organ‐wise correlation analysis showed the good and consistent correlation between different geometric validation parameters for the bladder. The hypothesis test for checking compliance of different parameters with AAPM 132 tolerance was addressed and validated between MS and SS bladder with p‐value = 0.01 and 0.05. There was no significant dosimetric difference between the dose–volume histogram (DVH) estimated for the SS bladder and standard DVH constraints protocol (as per the TMH PRIME trial) with p‐value = 0.01 and 0.05. The difference between DVH estimated for MS and SS bladder was also not significant, with p‐value = 0.05.ConclusionThis study shows that “well correlated validation parameters infer correctly about the matching or coincidence between auto and manually segmented contours,” and the bladder contouring by Smart Segmentation and plan optimization can achieve acceptable DVH constraints.
Hyperspectral plant sensing for differentiating glyphosate‐resistant and glyphosate‐susceptible johnsongrass through machine learning algorithms
Authors: Huang Yanbo , Zhao Xiaohu , Pan Zeng , Reddy Krishna N. , Zhang Jingcheng 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBACKGROUNDJohnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) is one of the weeds that evolves resistance to glyphosate [N‐(phosphonomethyl)‐glycine], the most widely used herbicide, and the weed may cause agronomic troublesome in the southern USA. This paper reports a study on developing a hyperspectral plant sensing approach to explore the spectral features of glyphosate‐resistant (GR) and glyphosate‐sensitive (GS) plants to evaluate this approach using machine learning algorithms to differentiate between GR and GS plants.RESULTSOn average, GR plants have higher spectral reflectance compared with GS plants. The sensitive spectral bands were optimally selected using the successive projections algorithm respectively wrapped with the machine learning algorithms of k‐nearest neighbors (KNN), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) with Fisher linear discriminant analysis (FLDA) to classify between GS and GS plants. At 3 weeks after transplanting (WAT) KNN and SVM could not acceptably classify the GR and GS plants but they improved significantly with the stages to have their overall accuracies reaching 73% and 77%, respectively, at 5 WAT. RF and FLDA had a better ability to classify the plants at 3 WAT but RF was low in accuracy at 2 WAT while FLDA dropped accuracy to 50% at 4 WAT from 57% at 3 WAT and raised it to 73% at 5 WAT.CONCLUSIONSPrevious studies were conducted developing the hyperspectral imaging approach to differentiate GR Palmer amaranth from GS Palmer amaranth and GR Italian ryegrass from GS Italian ryegrass with classification accuracies of 90% and 80%, respectively. This study demonstrated that the hyperspectral plant sensing approach could be developed to differentiate GR johnsongrass from glyphosate‐sensitive GS johnsongrass with the highest classification accuracy of 77%. The comparison with our previous studies indicated that the similar hyperspectral approach could be used and transferred from classification across different GR and GS weed biotypes, such as Palmer amaranth, Italian ryegrass and johnsongrass, so it is highly possible for classification of more other GR and GS weed biotypes as well. On the basis of classic pattern recognition approaches the process of plant classification can be enhanced by modeling using machine learning algorithms. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
The daytime trapped lee wave pattern and evolution induced by two small‐scale mountains of different heights
Authors: Xue Haile , Giorgetta Marco A. , Guo Jianping 
Published: March 2022

AbstractTwo large‐eddy simulations are carried out to investigate the vertical structure and daytime evolution of trapped lee waves (TLWs) triggered by mountains of two heights (500 and 1500 m, denoted as HM500 and HM1500, respectively) based on a typical subtropical winter troposphere, in which a steady upper‐level jet and a clear diurnal evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) are present. Multimode TLWs co‐exist at three altitudes with dominant wavelengths increasing with altitude in HM500, while a single‐mode TLW dominates throughout most of the troposphere in HM1500. The wave amplitudes for both experiments increase from midday, reaching peaks in the afternoon, likely related to the reduction of the wave absorption by the ABL. Whereas the growth of the dominant wavelength of TLWs with time is mainly limited to layers near the ABL top for HM500; the dominant wavelength in HM1500 stays steady with time. The TLW pattern and evolution can be largely explained by linear theory. In HM500, the multimode pattern is due to the perturbation source at a low altitude where high wavenumbers are supported, and the wavelength lengthening near the ABL top can be explained by the decreasing Scorer parameter in the afternoon. In HM1500, the large‐amplitude single‐mode TLW is due to the enhanced and elevated perturbation source of the higher mountain where the Scorer parameter is smaller and affected less by the ABL. The continual amplification of the dominant TLW in HM1500 may be caused by the instability from the wave‐induced momentum deficit at the upper ABL, which further facilitates the wave propagation. Our findings are beneficial for improving our process‐scale understanding of the vertical structure and diurnal evolution of TLWs constrained by the upper‐level jet and ABL evolution, and have implications for improving orographic gravity‐wave parameterization especially when the model resolution approaches around 10 km.
Crosstalk between RNA viruses and DNA sensors: Role of the cGAS‐STING signalling pathway
Authors: Fan Yiyun Michelle , Zhang Yizhuo Lyanne , Luo Honglin , Mohamud Yasir 
Published: March 2022

AbstractDespite only comprising half of all known viral species, RNA viruses are disproportionately responsible for many of the worst epidemics in human history, including outbreaks of influenza, poliomyelitis, Ebola, and most recently, the coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. The propensity for RNA viruses to replicate in cytosolic compartments has led to an evolutionary arms race and the emergence of cytosolic sensors to recognise and initiate the host innate immune response. Although significant progress has been made in identifying and characterising cytosolic RNA sensors as anti‐viral innate immune factors, the potential role for cytosolic DNA sensors in RNA viral infection is only recently being appreciated. Among these, the cyclic GMP‐AMP synthase (cGAS)‐stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway has attracted increasing attention. The cGAS‐STING signalling pathway has emerged as a key innate immune signalling axis that is implicated in diverse human diseases from infectious diseases to neurodegeneration and cancer. Here we review the existing literature on RNA viruses and their reciprocal interactions with the cGAS‐STING pathway and share insights into RNA virus diversity by touching on the similarities and differences of RNA viral strategies.
Hijacking of unmanned surface vehicles: A demonstration of attacks and countermeasures in the field
Authors: Solnør Petter , Volden Øystein , Gryte Kristoffer , Petrovic Slobodan , Fossen Thor I. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractDriven by advances in information and communication technologies, an increasing number of industries embrace unmanned and autonomous vehicles for services, such as public transportation, shipping, mapping, and remote surveillance. Unfortunately, these vehicles are vulnerable to passive and active cyber‐physical attacks that can be used for industrial espionage and hijacking attempts. Since attackers can use hijacked vehicles as weapons in terrorist attacks, ensuring the secure operation of such vehicles is critical to prevent the attacks from causing dire financial consequences, or worse, the loss of human lives. This study is motivated by the observation that most cybersecurity studies provide superficial, high‐level descriptions of vulnerabilities and attacks, and the true impact of the described attacks remains unclear. To address this problem, we demonstrate advanced manipulation attacks against an underactuated Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) which results in successful hijackings. Using state‐of‐the‐art cryptography, we also show how the signal transmission can be secured to avoid hijacking attempts actively steering the vehicle off course. Through field experiments, we demonstrate how the attacks affect the closed‐loop guidance, navigation, and control system and how the proposed countermeasures prevent these attacks from being successful. Our study is unique in that we provide a complete description of the attacked USV and give a detailed analysis of how spoofed navigation estimates affect the closed‐loop behavior of the underactuated USV.
Carbon dots for ultrastable solid‐state batteries
Authors: Xu Laiqiang , Tu Hanyu , Zhu Fangjun , Xiang Yinger , Luo Zheng , Fang Susu , Deng Wentao , Zou Guoqiang , Hou Hongshuai , Ji Xiaobo 
Published: March 2022

AbstractAmong the solid electrolytes for solid‐state Li batteries, polymer electrolytes are actively explored on the basis of the good interfacial contact and easy making, while it is still constrained by slow ionic transport and low lithium ion transference number. Herein, functional carbon dots‐based Li+ conductor (CD‐Li) is designed to improve the dynamics and selectivity of Li+ transport in polyethylene oxide (PEO) electrolyte. High ionic conductivity (1.0 × 10−4 S/cm, 25 °C) and Li+ transference number (0.60) were successfully achieved within the CD‐Li‐based PEO composite electrolyte, which could be attributed to the enhanced chain movement and the limited motion of anion. Moreover, the characteristics of big volume of individual anions of CD‐Li can provide more free Li+. As well, benefiting from the existence of F atom in the CD‐Li, in‐situ constructed LiF‐containing interfacial layer is in favor of maintaining the interface stability and facilitating the rapid transmission of Li ions. The composite electrolyte with CD‐Li can address the ionic conductivity issues accompanied with strengthening the interfacial stability. The distinctive composite electrolyte realizes the stable cycle performance for Li/LiFePO4 and Li/LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 batteries. The exploration of multifunctional carbon dot fillers provides new ideas for the efficient development of composite electrolytes.
Towards using coupling measures to guide black‐box integration testing in component‐based systems
Authors: Hellhake Dominik , Bogner Justus , Schmid Tobias , Wagner Stefan 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn component‐based software development, integration testing is a crucial step in verifying the composite behaviour of a system. However, very few formally or empirically validated approaches are available for systematically testing if components have been successfully integrated. In practice, integration testing of component‐based systems is usually performed in a time‐ and resource‐limited context, which further increases the demand for effective test selection strategies. In this work, we therefore analyse the relationship between different component and interface coupling measures found in literature and the distribution of failures found during integration testing of an automotive system. By investigating the correlation for each measure at two architectural levels, we discuss its usefulness to guide integration testing at the software component level as well as for the hardware component level where coupling is measured among multiple electronic control units (ECUs) of a vehicle. Our results indicate that there is a positive correlation between coupling measures and failure‐proneness at both architectural level for all tested measures. However, at the hardware component level, all measures achieved a significantly higher correlation when compared to the software‐level correlation. Consequently, we conclude that prioritizing testing of highly coupled components and interfaces is a valid approach for systematic integration testing, as coupling proved to be a valid indicator for failure‐proneness.
Comparative analysis of striatal [18F]FDOPA uptake in a partial lesion model of Parkinson's disease in rats: Ratio method versus graphical model
Authors: Avendaño‐Estrada Arturo , Verdugo‐Díaz Leticia , Ávila‐Rodríguez Miguel A. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractAnimal models of Parkinson's disease are useful to evaluate new treatments and to elucidate the etiology of the disease. Hence, it is necessary to have methods that allow quantification of their effectiveness. [18F]FDOPA‐PET (FDOPA‐PET) imaging is outstanding for this purpose because of its capacity to measure changes in the dopaminergic pathway noninvasively and in vivo. Nevertheless, PET acquisition and quantification is time‐consuming making it necessary to find faster ways to quantify FDOPA‐PET data. This study evaluated Male Wistar rats by FDOPA, before and after being partially injured with 6‐OHDA unilaterally. MicroPET scans with a duration of 120 min were acquired and Patlak reference plots were created to estimate the influx constant Kc in the striatum using the full dynamic scan data. Additionally, simple striatal‐to‐cerebral ratios (SCR) of short static acquisitions were computed and compared with the Kc values. Good correlation (r > 0.70) was obtained between Kc and SCR, acquired between 80–120 min after FDOPA administration with frames of 10 or 20 min and both methods were able to separate the FDOPA‐uptake of healthy controls from that of the PD model (SCR −28%, Kc −71%). The present study concludes that Kc and SCR can be trustfully used to discriminate partially lesioned rats from healthy controls.