Intrinsic Wave Velocity Propagation:A Novel Parameter for Assessing the Effect of Anthracycline Chemotherapy Agents on Cardiac Diastolic Function in Breast Cancer Patients

Objective Anthracycline chemotherapeutic agents have significant cardiotoxicity.The present study emphasized the effect of anthracycline chemotherapy drugs on left ventricular(LV)myocardial stiffness in breast cancer patients by measuring the intrinsic wave velocity propagation(IVP),and evaluating the potential clinical value of IVP in detecting early LV diastolic function impairment.Methods A total of 68 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients,who were treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy,were analyzed.Transthoracic echocardiography was performed at baseline(T0),and after 1,2,3,4 and 8 chemotherapeutic cycles(T1,T2,T3,T4 and T5,respectively).Then,the IVP,LV strain parameters[global longitudinal strain(GLS),longitudinal peak strain rate at systole(LSRs),longitudinal peak strain rate at early diastole(LSRe),longitudinal peak strain rate at late diastole(LSRa),and the E/LSRe ratio],and conventional echocardiographic parameters were obtained and further analyzed.A relative reduction of>15%in GLS was considered a marker of early LV subclinical dysfunction.Results Compared to the T0 stage,IVP significantly increased at the T1 stage.However,there were no significant changes in GLS,LSRs,or LSRe between the T0 and T1 stages.These parameters significantly decreased from the T2 stage.LSRa started to significantly decrease at the T5 stage,and the E/LSRe ratio started to significantly increase at the T3 stage(all P<0.05).At the T0 stage,IVP(AUC=0.752,P<0.001)had a good predictive value for LV subclinical dysfunction after chemotherapy.Conclusions IVP is a potentially sensitive parameter for the early clinical assessment of anthracycline-related cardiac diastolic impairment.

A unified intrinsic functional expansion theory for solitary waves

A new theory is developed here for evaluating solitary waves on water, with results of high accuracy uniformly valid for waves of all heights, from the highest wave with a corner crest of 120 down to very low ones of diminishing height. Solutions are sought for the Euler model by employing a unified expansion of the logarithmic hodograph in terms of a set of intrinsic component functions analytically determined to represent all the intrinsic properties of the wave entity from the wave crest to its outskirts. The unknown coefficients in the expansion are determined by minimization of the mean-square error of the solution, with the minimization optimized so as to take as few terms as needed to attain results as high in accuracy as attainable. In this regard, Stokess formula, F2= tan , relating the wave speed (the Froude number F) and the logarithmic decrement of its wave field in the outskirt, is generalized to establish a new criterion requiring (for minimizing solution error) the functional expansion to contain a finite power series in M terms of Stokess basic term (singular in ), such that 2M is just somewhat beyond unity, i.e. 2M1. This fundamental criterion is fully validated by solutions for waves of various amplitude-to-water depth ratio =a/h, especially about 0.01, at which M=10 by the criterion. In this pursuit, the class of dwarf solitary waves, defined for waves with 0.01, is discovered as a group of problems more challenging than even the highest wave. For the highest wave, a new solution is determined here to give the maximum height hst=0.8331990, and speed Fhst=1.290890, accurate to the last significant figure, which seems to be a new record.

Weak Type Estimates for Intrinsic Square Functions on Weighted Morrey Spaces

In this paper, we will obtain the weak type estimates of intrinsic square func- tions including the Lusin area integral, Littlewood-Paley g-function and g^-function on the weighted Morrey spaces L^1,k （w） for 0〈k〈 1 and w ∈ A1.

Effective doctor-patient communication skills training optimizes functional organization of intrinsic brain architecture:a restingstate functional MRI study

We studied the influence of doctor-patient communication skills training on brain functional architecture using resting-state functional MRI（rs-fMRI） with a regional homogeneity（ReHo） method. Ten medical students participated in the study. A 1-year long doctor-patient communication skills training program was conducted. RsfMRI data were collected at baseline, one month and one year after training. There was a significant increase in the communication skills test average scores between baseline and 1-month duration of training（P〈0.001）. After one month of communication skills training, medical students had decreased ReHo in the right superior temporal gyrus compared with the baseline. After one year of communication skills training, students had increased ReHo in multiple regions and decreased ReHo in several regions（P 〈0.05, Alphasim corrected）. The change of ReHo values in the superior temporal gyrus negatively correlated with the change of communication skills scale score between one month after communication skills training and baseline（r=-0.734, P= 0.036）. The training program we used can be an effective approach of improving doctor-patient communication skills, and the training resulted in functional plasticity of the brain’s architecture toward optimizing locally functional organization.

Cranial irradiation impairs intrinsic excitability and synaptic plasticity of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons with implications for cognitive function

Radiation therapy is a standard treatment for head and neck tumors.However,patients often exhibit cognitive impairments following radiation therapy.Previous studies have revealed that hippocampal dysfunction,specifically abnormal hippocampal neurogenesis or neuroinflammation,plays a key role in radiation-induced cognitive impairment.However,the long-term effects of radiation with respect to the electrophysiological adaptation of hippocampal neurons remain poorly characterized.We found that mice exhibited cognitive impairment 3 months after undergoing 10 minutes of cranial irradiation at a dose rate of 3 Gy/min.Furthermore,we observed a remarkable reduction in spike firing and excitatory synaptic input,as well as greatly enhanced inhibitory inputs,in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons.Corresponding to the electrophysiological adaptation,we found reduced expression of synaptic plasticity marker VGLUT1 and increased expression of VGAT.Furthermore,in irradiated mice,long-term potentiation in the hippocampus was weakened and GluR1 expression was inhibited.These findings suggest that radiation can impair intrinsic excitability and synaptic plasticity in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons.

Subgraph Isomorphism Based Intrinsic Function Reduction in Decompilation

Program comprehension is one of the most important applications in decompilation. The more abstract the decompilation result the better it is understood. Intrinsic function is introduced by a compiler to reduce the overhead of a function call and is inlined in the code where it is called. When analyzing the decompiled code with lots of inlined intrinsic functions, reverse engineers may be confused by these detailed and repeated operations and lose the goal. In this paper, we propose a method based graph isomorphism to detect intrinsic function on the CFG (Control Flow Graph) of the target function first. Then we identify the boundary of the intrinsic function, determine the parameter and return value and reduce the intrinsic function to a single function call in the disassembled program. Experimental results show that our method is more efficient at reducing intrinsic functions than the state-of-art decompilers such as Hex-Rays, REC and RD (Retargetable Decompiler).

Altered intrinsic functional connectivity of the primary visual cortex in youth patients with comitant exotropia: a resting state fMRI study

AIM： To evaluate the differences in the functional connectivity（FC） of the primary visual cortex（V1） between the youth comitant exotropia（CE） patients and health subjects using resting functional magnetic resonance imaging（f MRI） data.METHODS： Totally, 32 CEs（25 males and 7 females） and 32 healthy control subjects（HCs）（25 males and 7 females） were enrolled in the study and underwent the MRI scanning. Two-sample t-test was used to examine differences in FC maps between the CE patients and HCs. RESULTS： The CE patients showed significantly less FC between the left brodmann area（BA17） and left lingual gyrus/cerebellum posterior lobe, right middle occipital gyrus, left precentral gyrus/postcentral gyrus and right inferior parietal lobule/postcentral gyrus. Meanwhile, CE patients showed significantly less FC between right BA17 and right middle occipital gyrus（BA19, 37）.CONCLUSION： Our findings show that CE involves abnormal FC in primary visual cortex in many regions, which may underlie the pathologic mechanism of impaired fusion and stereoscopic vision in CEs.

Calibration and Evaluation of Link Congestion Functions: Applying Intrinsic Sensitivity of Link Speed as a Practical Consideration to Heterogeneous Facility Types within Urban Network

This paper explores the use of archived data to calibrate volume delay functions (VDFs) and updates their input parameters (capacity and free-flow speed) for planning applications. The sensitivity analysis of speed to change in congestion level is performed to capture functional characteristics of VDFs in modeling specific facility types. Different sensitivity characteristics shown by the VDFs indicate that each function is suitable to a particular facility type. The results of sensitivity analysis are confirmed by the root mean square percent error (RMSPE) values calculated using the Orlando Urban Area Transportation Study (OUATS) model results and observed data. The modified Davidson’s function exhibits remarkable performance in nearly all facility types. The strength of the modified Davidson’s function across a broad range of facilities can be attributed to the flexibility of its tuning parameter, μ. Fitted Bureau of Public Road (BPR) and conical delay functions show lower RMSPE for uninterrupted flow facilities (freeways/expressways, managed lanes) and higher values for toll roads (which might have partial interruptions due to toll booths) and signalized arterials. Akcelik function underperforms on freeways/expressways and managed lanes but shows some improvements for toll roads and superior results for the signalized arterials. This was a desired strength of Akcelik function when modeling link travel speed on facilities where stopped delays were encountered.

Intrinsic Carrier Concentration as a Function of Stress in(001),(101) and(111) BiaxiallyStrained-Si and Strained-Si_(1-x)Ge_x

Intrinsic carrier concentration(ni) is one of the most important physical parameters for understanding the physics of strained Si and Si1-xGex materials as well as for evaluating the electrical properties of Si-based strained devices. Up to now, the report on quantitative results of intrinsic carrier concentration in strained Si and Si1-xGex materials has been still lacking. In this paper, by analyzing the band structure of strained Si and Si1-xGex materials, both the effective densities of the state near the top of valence band and the bottom of conduction band( Nc and Nv) at 218, 330 and 393 K and the intrinsic carrier concentration related to Ge fraction(x) at 300 K were systematically studied within the framework of KP theory and semiconductor physics. It is found that the intrinsic carrier concentration in strained Si(001) and Si1-xGex(001) and(101) materials at 300 K increases significantly with increasing Ge fraction(x), which provides valuable references to understand the Sibased strained device physics and design.

On the Weyl’s Lemma for Triharmonic Functions

In this paper,by choosing some appropriate test functions,we prove the Weyl’s lemma for triharmonic functions based on the new type of mean value formulas.

Structural and Functional Studies of Adhesion Receptors Disclose Intrinsic Activation Mechanism of Orphan GPCRs

Gprotein-coupled receptors(GPCRs)play a crucial role in cell signal transduction and comprise the largest drug target protein family.Despite recent breakthroughs in structural and pharmacological studies of these receptors,over 100 GPCRs remain orphan receptors,i.e.,their ligands and signaling pathways are unknown.This limits the full understanding of the physiological functions and signaling mechanisms of the GPCR superfamily.As a“virgin land”of drug discovery,orphan receptors thus offer new opportunities for drug development by serving as potential drug targets.

Intrinsic Rationale of Functional Distribution and Quantitative Distribution--International Experience and Reference of Income Distribution

The issue of income distribution in the modern sense emerged with the creation of the capitalist mode of production-a process characterized by income gaps, at first widening, then narrowing, and widening once again. In the classical economic stage featuring dual economy, income distribution was dominated by capital due to scarce capital and cheap labor, which led to widening income gaps. Entering the neoclassical economic stage, income distribution was dominated by the game between capital and labor due to diminishing marginal return to capital and relatively scarce labor, which led to the growing share of labor compensation and narrowing income gaps. Yet since the 1970s, the deepening of financialization of capital has once again magnified the effect of capital-dominated income distribution, which, together with working class polarization, led to another round of widening income gaps. An observation of the long-term evolution of world economic development and income distribution gives us a clearer view on the intrinsic rationale of change in income distribution: The mode of production determines the mode of distribution and functional distribution shares intrinsic consistency with quantitative distribution.

Tailoring MXene Thickness and Functionalization for Enhanced Room‑Temperature Trace NO_(2) Sensing

In this study,precise control over the thickness and termination of Ti3C2TX MXene flakes is achieved to enhance their electrical properties,environmental stability,and gas-sensing performance.Utilizing a hybrid method involving high-pressure processing,stirring,and immiscible solutions,sub-100 nm MXene flake thickness is achieved within the MXene film on the Si-wafer.Functionalization control is achieved by defunctionalizing MXene at 650℃ under vacuum and H2 gas in a CVD furnace,followed by refunctionalization with iodine and bromine vaporization from a bubbler attached to the CVD.Notably,the introduction of iodine,which has a larger atomic size,lower electronegativity,reduce shielding effect,and lower hydrophilicity(contact angle:99°),profoundly affecting MXene.It improves the surface area(36.2 cm^(2) g^(-1)),oxidation stability in aqueous/ambient environments(21 days/80 days),and film conductivity(749 S m^(-1)).Additionally,it significantly enhances the gas-sensing performance,including the sensitivity(0.1119Ωppm^(-1)),response(0.2% and 23%to 50 ppb and 200 ppm NO_(2)),and response/recovery times(90/100 s).The reduced shielding effect of the–I-terminals and the metallic characteristics of MXene enhance the selectivity of I-MXene toward NO2.This approach paves the way for the development of stable and high-performance gas-sensing two-dimensional materials with promising prospects for future studies.

Small but big leaps towards neuroglycomics:exploring N-glycome in the brain to advance the understanding of brain development and function

Glycosylation is a process that involves the addition of sugar moieties or glycans to different types of molecules,including proteins,lipids,and nucleic acids.Among these,protein glycosylation is one of the most prevalent forms of post-translational modification,playing a crucial role in biological complexity.With more than ten monosaccharides identified within mammalian brain cells and more than 1×1012 possible combinations,the heterogeneity of glycosylation is extensive(Conroy et al.,2021).The diversity of glycans and the complexity of their structures allow for a wide range of protein functions.N-glycans are one of the most abundant forms of glycans and are involved in various cellular functions.N-glycans can be added to proteins at specific sequons,Asn-X-Ser/Thr,and are classified into three main types in mature glycoproteins:high mannose,complex,and hybrid.High mannose N-glycans consist of 5-9 mannose residues linked to a chitobiose core and undergo processing into complex or hybrid forms in the Golgi apparatus(Varki et al.,2017).Complex N-glycans are more diverse and contain various branched structures such as antennae with fucose,galactose,and sialic acid residues.Hybrid N-glycans contain one or more complex branches in conjunction with an oligomannose branch(Fisher and Ungar,2016).Understanding the specific functions of these different types of N-glycans in protein regulation,folding,and function is an active area of research in the life sciences,including glycobiology.

Emerging insights into the function of very long chain fatty acids at cerebellar synapses

Very long chain-saturated and-polyunsaturated fatty acids(VLC-SFA and VLC-PUFA, respectively) are a functionally important class of fatty acids containing 28 carbons or more in their acyl chain. They are synthesized by the elongation of very long fatty acids-4(ELOVL4) enzyme, expressed mainly in the brain, retina, skin, testes, and meibomian gland, where these fatty acids are found(Agbaga et al., 2008). Further, these organs exhibit tissuespecific VLC-PUFA and VLC-SFA biosynthesis and incorporation into complex lipids for specific functions. In the brain, skin, and Meibomian glands, the ELOVL4 mainly makes VLC-SFA, which are incorporated into complex sphingolipids. In the retina, the ELOVL4 makes VLC-PUFA that are incorporated into phosphatidylcholine, that are critical for visual function, while in testes and sperm, the VLC-PUFA are incorporated into sphingolipids that are critical for fertility(Yeboah et al., 2021).

Elevated brain temperature under severe heat exposure impairs cortical motor activity and executive function

Background:Excessive heat exposure can lead to hyperthermia in humans,which impairs physical performance and disrupts cognitive function.While heat is a known physiological stressor,it is unclear how severe heat stress affects brain physiology and function.Methods:Eleven healthy participants were subjected to heat stress from prolonged exercise or warm water immersion until their rectal temperatures(T_(re))attained 39.5℃,inducing exertional or passive hyperthermia,respectively.In a separate trial,blended ice was ingested before and during exercise as a cooling strategy.Data were compared to a control condition with seated rest(normothermic).Brain temperature(T_(br)),cerebral perfusion,and task-based brain activity were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging techniques.Results:T_(br)in motor cortex was found to be tightly regulated at rest(37.3℃±0.4℃(mean±SD))despite fluctuations in T_(re).With the development of hyperthermia,T_(br)increases and dovetails with the rising T_(re).Bilateral motor cortical activity was suppressed during high-intensity plantarflexion tasks,implying a reduced central motor drive in hyperthermic participants(T_(re)=38.5℃±0.1℃).Global gray matter perfusion and regional perfusion in sensorimotor cortex were reduced with passive hyperthermia.Executive function was poorer under a passive hyperthermic state,and this could relate to compromised visual processing as indicated by the reduced activation of left lateral-occipital cortex.Conversely,ingestion of blended ice before and during exercise alleviated the rise in both T_(re)and T_(bc)and mitigated heat-related neural perturbations.Conclusion:Severe heat exposure elevates T_(br),disrupts motor cortical activity and executive function,and this can lead to impairment of physical and cognitive performance.

Functional microfluidics:theory,microfabrication,and applications

Microfluidic devices are composed of microchannels with a diameter ranging from ten to a few hundred micrometers.Thus,quite a small(10-9–10-18l)amount of liquid can be manipulated by such a precise system.In the past three decades,significant progress in materials science,microfabrication,and various applications has boosted the development of promising functional microfluidic devices.In this review,the recent progress on novel microfluidic devices with various functions and applications is presented.First,the theory and numerical methods for studying the performance of microfluidic devices are briefly introduced.Then,materials and fabrication methods of functional microfluidic devices are summarized.Next,the recent significant advances in applications of microfluidic devices are highlighted,including heat sinks,clean water production,chemical reactions,sensors,biomedicine,capillaric circuits,wearable electronic devices,and microrobotics.Finally,perspectives on the challenges and future developments of functional microfluidic devices are presented.This review aims to inspire researchers from various fields engineering,materials,chemistry,mathematics,physics,and more—to collaborate and drive forward the development and applications of functional microfluidic devices,specifically for achieving carbon neutrality.

STARLIKENESS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SINE HYPERBOLIC FUNCTION

Let q_(λ)(z)=1+λsinh(ζ),0<λ<1/sinh(1)be a non-vanishing analytic function in the open unit disk.We introduce a subclass S^(*)(q_(λ))of starlike functions which contains the functions f such that zf'/f is subordinated by q_(λ).We establish inclusion and radii results for the class S^(*)(q_(λ))for several known classes of starlike functions.Furthermore,we obtain sharp coefficient bounds and sharp Hankel determinants of order two for the class S^(*)(q_(λ)).We also find a sharp bound for the third Hankel determinant for the caseλ=1/2.

BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEMS OF CONJUGATE AND GENERALIZED K-HOLOMORPHIC FUNCTIONS IN C^(2)

In this paper,conjugate k-holomorphic functions and generalized k-holomorphic functions are defined in the two-dimensional complex space,and the corresponding Riemann boundary value problems and the inverse problems are discussed on generalized bicylinders.By the characteristics of the corresponding functions and boundary properties of the Cauchy type singular integral operators with conjugate k-holomorphic kernels,the general solutions and special solutions of the corresponding boundary value problems are studied in a detailed fashion,and the integral expressions of the solutions are obtained.

Change in Functional Status from Preoperative to One Year Postoperative in Patients Who Have Undergone Elective Open-Heart Surgery: A Repeated-Measures Study

Purpose: Although patient-related factors affect surgical outcomes, preoperative functional status is not measured by any cardiac risk score. Functional status can, however, be objectively measured using validated outcome tools such as the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLFDI). The purpose of this study was to determine 1) if there was a change over time in functional status, as measured by the LLFDI, in patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery, and if so, 2) what specific aspect(s) of functional status changed. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study of one year was conducted on elective cardiac surgery patients (n = 43) using the self-reported LLFDI, which measures Disability Frequency (frequency of participation in social tasks), Disability Limitation (ability to participate in social tasks) and Function Total (ease in performing routine activities). Higher scores indicate increased function and decreased disability. LLFDI scores were compared at three times (preoperative, six-week and one-year postoperative) using repeated measures ANOVA. Post hoc pairwise comparison was conducted for specific interactions. Results: Both Function Total and Disability Frequency significantly changed over time (p = 0.047 and p = 0.013, respectively). Specifically, patients’ function level was significantly higher one-year postoperative compared to preoperative (M difference = +3.48, SE = 1.48, p = 0.026). Likewise, Disability Frequency scores were significantly higher (i.e. more active) at one-year postoperative versus preoperative (M difference= +5.98, SE = 2.19, p = 0.033). Disability Limitation scores were not significantly different between any time points (p > 0.05). Conclusion: By one-year postoperative, patients demonstrated increased ease in their routine physical activities and were more participatory in social life tasks. Individuals who underwent elective cardiac surgery took more than six weeks to detect notable improvement in functional status, which was expected with a sternotomy approach. This study provides support for the use of the LLFDI as an effective tool to capture functional status in the cardiac population. These findings may assist cardiac patients in recovery timeline expectations.