Avian responses to an extreme weather event:The case of the‘Filomena’snowstorm in Madrid(central Spain)

Cold spells and severe weather may have detrimental effects in wild birds,but owing to the stochastic nature of these events,it is not always possible to measure their impacts.In January 2021,a strong snowstorm known as‘Filomena’affected Spain,mainly the region of Madrid(Central Spain),which was fully covered with snow and suffered freezing temperatures for a fortnight.Using bird surveys conducted in the winter-spring of 2020 and 2021(before and after Filomena)at same locations,we addressed the possible impact of the cold spell in three widespread gamebirds:Wood Pigeon(Columba palumbus),Eurasian Magpie(Pica pica)and Red-legged Partridge(Alectoris rufa).No significant abundance differences were found between years for none of the species and hunting pressure was only significantly reduced for Partridges,hence this species may have been negatively affected by Filomena.Results suggest that in response to Filomena,Pigeons conducted partial migration in search of better conditions,while Magpies aggregated in certain areas of Madrid and Partridges endured the harsh conditions within their home ranges.Our results highlight the importance to alleviate negative impacts of extreme weather events in wild birds through management actions,especially for sedentary species.

Game changer:How Janus kinase inhibitors are reshaping the landscape of ulcerative colitis mana

Recent advancements in the treatment landscape of ulcerative colitis(UC)have ushered in a new era of possibilities,particularly with the introduction of Janus kinase(JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription inhibitors.These novel agents offer a paradigm shift in UC management by targeting key signaling pathways involved in inflammatory processes.With approved JAK inhibitors(JAKis),such as tofacitinib,filgotinib,and upadacitinib,clinicians now have powerful tools to modulate immune responses and gene expression,potentially revolutionizing the treatment algorithm for UC.Clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of JAKis in inducing and maintaining remission,presenting viable options for patients who have failed conventional therapies.Real-world data support the use of JAKis not only as first-line treatments but also in subsequent lines of therapy,particularly in patients with aggressive disease phenotypes or refractory to biologic agents.The rapid onset of action and potency of JAKis have broadened the possibilities in the management strategies of UC,offering timely relief for patients with active disease and facilitating personalized treatment approaches.Despite safety concerns,including cardiovascular risks and infections,ongoing research and post-marketing surveillance will continue to refine our understanding of the risk-benefit profile of JAKis in UC management.

A Tutorial on Federated Learning from Theory to Practice:Foundations,Software Frameworks,Exemplary Use Cases,and Selected Trends

When data privacy is imposed as a necessity,Federated learning(FL)emerges as a relevant artificial intelligence field for developing machine learning(ML)models in a distributed and decentralized environment.FL allows ML models to be trained on local devices without any need for centralized data transfer,thereby reducing both the exposure of sensitive data and the possibility of data interception by malicious third parties.This paradigm has gained momentum in the last few years,spurred by the plethora of real-world applications that have leveraged its ability to improve the efficiency of distributed learning and to accommodate numerous participants with their data sources.By virtue of FL,models can be learned from all such distributed data sources while preserving data privacy.The aim of this paper is to provide a practical tutorial on FL,including a short methodology and a systematic analysis of existing software frameworks.Furthermore,our tutorial provides exemplary cases of study from three complementary perspectives:i)Foundations of FL,describing the main components of FL,from key elements to FL categories;ii)Implementation guidelines and exemplary cases of study,by systematically examining the functionalities provided by existing software frameworks for FL deployment,devising a methodology to design a FL scenario,and providing exemplary cases of study with source code for different ML approaches;and iii)Trends,shortly reviewing a non-exhaustive list of research directions that are under active investigation in the current FL landscape.The ultimate purpose of this work is to establish itself as a referential work for researchers,developers,and data scientists willing to explore the capabilities of FL in practical applications.

New insights into the role of the endoplasmic reticulum in microglia

Microglial cells are the only resident immune cells in the central nervous system and constitute its frontline guardian.They are extremely reactive against infections,trauma,or toxins,but are also responsible for mediating inflammation,taking part in the pathogenic course of many neuropathologies(Sierra et al.,2019).Cell-specific staining,ultrastructural analysis by transmission electron microscopy(TEM),or two-photonmicroscopy imaging have been relevant for the characterization of microglia as well as their cell-cell interactions。

Metastatic pancreatic and lung cancer patient in complete remission following immunotherapy: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)is a lethal malignancy with dispiriting survival data.Immunotherapy is a promising approach to many cancer types,but achieves poor outcomes in advanced PDAC due to its immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.We describe a case of metastatic PDAC effectively treated with pembrolizumab.CASE SUMMARY We report the case of a 67-year-old woman with unresectable locally advanced PDAC,treated with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel followed by radiotherapy plus capecitabine.At nine months,pancreatic tumor progression was observed at the level of the hepatic hilum with the appearance of a new pulmonary nodule suggestive of a second primary,confirmed by left lung biopsy.Systemic immunotherapy was then initiated with pembrolizumab,an immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting programmed cell death protein-1 that covers the two tumor types.The patient showed a complete metabolic response that was maintained throughout the treatment.The patient continues to be disease-free at 5.6 years since the start of immunotherapy.CONCLUSION These results suggest that the administration of pembrolizumab after chemoradiotherapy has a beneficial effect in patients with metastatic PDAC.To our knowledge,this is the first reported case of a patient with metastatic PDAC and metastatic lung cancer showing such a long-lasting complete response after pembrolizumab treatment without curative surgery.Further studies are required to determine biomarkers that identify PDAC patients most likely to benefit from this immunotherapy.

Towards Innovative Research Approaches to Investigating the Role of Emotional Variables in Promoting Language Teachers’ and Learners’ Mental Health

The adequacy of language education largely depends on the favorable and unfavorable emotions that teachers and students experience throughout the education process.Simply said,emotional factors play a key role in improving the quality of language teaching and learning.Furthermore,these emotional factors also promote the well-being of language teachers and learners and place them in a suitable mental condition.In view of the favorable impact of emotional factors on the mental health of language teachers and learners,many educational scholars around the world have studied these factors,their background,and their pedagogical consequences.Nonetheless,the majority of previous studies have employed traditional research methods in assessing these variables and their influences on language teachers’and learners’mental health.Because of the complex and dynamic quality of emotional factors,traditional research approaches often fail to evaluate these factors and their dynamic,non-linear connections with teachers’and learners’mental health and well-being.Accordingly,some novel research approaches are required to measure the dynamicity and complexity of emotional factors in language education settings.To address this call,the current state-of-the-art conceptual article seeks to provide new insights for investigating emotional factors and their potential impact on language teachers’and learners’mental states.This study also intends to offer a comprehensive list of emerging methods that take into account the complex and dynamic nature of emotional variables.Finally,the study outlines the potential implications of this review for educational researchers.

Peripheral nerve regeneration through nerve conduits evokes differential expression of growth-associated protein-43 in the spinal cord

Growth-associated protein 43 plays a key role in neurite outgrowth through cytoskeleton remodeling.We have previously demonstrated that structural damage of peripheral nerves induces growth-associated protein 43 upregulation to promote growth cone formation.Conversely,the limited regenerative capacity of the central nervous system due to an inhibitory environment prevents major changes in neurite outgrowth and should be presumably associated with low levels of growth-associated protein 43 expression.However,central alterations due to peripheral nerve damage have never been assessed using the growthassociated protein 43 marker.In this study,we used the tubulization technique to repair 1 cm-long nerve gaps in the rat nerve injury/repair model and detected growth-associated protein 43 expression in the peripheral and central nervous systems.First,histological analysis of the regeneration process confirmed an active regeneration process of the nerve gaps through the conduit from 10 days onwards.The growth-associated protein 43 expression profile varied across regions and follow-up times,from a localized expression to an abundant and consistent expression throughout the regeneration tissue,confirming the presence of an active nerve regeneration process.Second,spinal cord changes were also histologically assessed,and no apparent changes in the structural and cellular organization were observed using routine staining methods.Surprisingly,remarkable differences and local changes appeared in growth-associated protein 43 expression at the spinal cord level,in particular at 20 days post-repair and beyond.Growth-associated protein 43 protein was first localized in the gracile fasciculus and was homogeneously distributed in the left posterior cord.These findings differed from the growth-associated protein 43 pattern observed in the healthy control,which did not express growth-associated protein 43 at these levels.Our results revealed a differential expression in growth-associated protein 43 protein not only in the regenerating nerve tissue but also in the spinal cord after peripheral nerve transection.These findings open the possibility of using this marker to monitor changes in the central nervous system after peripheral nerve injury.

The effects of a 20-week exercise program on blood-circulating biomarkers related to brain health in overweight or obese children:The ActiveBrains project

Background:Emerging research supports the idea that exercise positively affects neurodevelopment.However,the mechanisms linking exercise with brain health are largely unknown.We aimed to investigate the effect of exercise on(a)blood biomarkers selected based on previous evidence(brainderived neurotrophic factor,β-hydroxybutyrate(BHB),cathepsin B(CTSB),kynurenine,fibroblast growth factor 21(FGF21),soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1(sVCAM-1));and(b)a panel of 92 neurology-related proteins(discovery analysis).We also investigated whether changes in these biomarkers mediate the effects of exercise on brain health(hippocampal structure and function,cognitive performance,and mental health).Methods:We randomized 81 overweight/obese children(10.1±1.1 years,41%girls)into 2 groups:either 20 weeks of aerobic plus resistance exercise or control.Candidate biomarkers were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)for kynurenine,FGF21,and CTSB;colorimetry forβ-hydroxybutyrate;and XMap for brain-derived neurotrophic factor and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1.The92 neurology-related proteins were analyzed by an antibody-based proteomic analysis.Results:Our intervention had no significant effect on candidate biomarkers(all p>0.05).In the discovery analysis,a reduction in circulating macrophage scavenger receptor type-I was observed(standardized differences between groups=-0.3,p=0.001).This effect was validated using ELISA methods(standardized difference=-0.3,p=0.01).None of the biomarkers mediated the effects of exercise on brain health.Conclusions:Our study does not support a chronic effect of exercise on candidate biomarkers.We observed that while chronic exercise reduced the levels of macrophage scavenger receptor type-Ⅰ,it did not mediate the effects of exercise on brain health.Future studies should explore the implications of this novel biomarker for overall health.

Serum biomarkers for the differentiation of autoimmune pancreatitis from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Autoimmune pancreatitis(AIP),a chronic inflammation caused by the immune system attacking the pancreas,usually presents imaging and clinical features that overlap with those of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC).Serum biomarkers,substances that quantitatively change in sera during disease development,are a promising non-invasive tool with high utility for differentiating between these diseases.In this way,the presence of AIP is currently suspected when serum concentrations of immunoglobulin G4(IgG4)antibody are elevated.However,this approach has some drawbacks.Notably,IgG4 antibody concentrations are also elevated in sera from some patients with PDAC.This review focuses on the most recent and relevant serum biomarkers proposed to differentiate between AIP and PDAC,evaluating the usefulness of immunoglobulins,autoantibodies,chemokines,and cytokines.The proposed serum biomarkers have proven useful,although most studies had a small sample size,did not examine their presence in patients with PDAC,or did not test them in humans.In addition,current evidence suggests that a single serum biomarker is unlikely to accurately differentiate these diseases and that a set of biomarkers will be needed to achieve adequate specificity and sensitivity,either alone or in combination with clinical data and/or radiological images.

Chitosan conduits enriched with fibrin-collagen hydrogel with or without adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells for the repair of 15-mm-long sciatic nerve defect

Hollow conduits of natural or synthetic origins have shown acceptable regeneration results in short nerve gap repair;however,results are still not comparable with the current gold standard technique“autografts”.Hollow conduits do not provide a successful regeneration outcome when it comes to critical nerve gap repair.Enriching the lumen of conduits with different extracellular materials and cells could provide a better biomimicry of the natural nerve regenerating environment and is expected to ameliorate the conduit performance.In this study,we evaluated nerve regeneration in vivo using hollow chitosan conduits or conduits enriched with fibrin-collagen hydrogels alone or with the further addition of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in a 15 mm rat sciatic nerve transection model.Unexpected changes in the hydrogel consistency and structural stability in vivo led to a failure of nerve regeneration after 15 weeks.Nevertheless,the molecular assessment in the early regeneration phase(7,14,and 28 days)has shown an upregulation of useful regenerative genes in hydrogel enriched conduits compared with the hollow ones.Hydrogels composed of fibrin-collagen were able to upregulate the expression of soluble NRG1,a growth factor that plays an important role in Schwann cell transdifferentiation.The further enrichment with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells has led to the upregulation of other important genes such as ErbB2,VEGF-A,BDNF,c-Jun,and ATF3.

Habitat-dependent breeding biology of the Blue Tit(Cyanistes caeruleus)across a continuous and heterogeneous Mediterranean woodland

Mediterranean woodland environments are characterised by high spatial and temporal heterogeneity,which means the inhabiting species face a wide variety of selective pressures.Species may respond differently to habitat heterogeneity and so distinct eco-evolutionary scenarios may be responsible for the inter-habitat variability in reproductive strategies observed in certain species.The inter-forest variability of some reproductive traits in passerines has been examined by comparing forest patches or separated fragments.However,there is still little information regarding how such highly mobile animals adjust their breeding performance across continuous and heterogeneous woodlands.Here we studied the reproductive performance of a population of Blue Tits(Cyanistes caeruleus) in an area of continuous Mediterranean woodland that included two mountain slopes and four different types of forest,ranging from deciduous oak forests to perennial non-oak forests.We studied the habitat heterogeneity and inter-forest phenotypic variation in terms of reproductive performance and adult and nestling biometry,besides also exploring the effects of ectoparasites on Blue Tit reproduction.Eggs were laid earliest in deciduous Pyrenean Oak(Quercus pyrenaica) forests,while clutch size and the number of fledglings were highest in the humid Pyrenean Oak forest,which had the greatest tree coverage and most humid climate,and lowest in the coniferous Scots Pine(Pinus sylvestris) forest.There were no inter-forest differences in hatching(percentage of nests with at least one egg hatched) and fledging(percentage of nests in which at least one nestling fledged)success.Similarly,there were no inter-forest differences in adult and nestling biometry,but adults that raised more fledglings had a lower body mass,while males whose females laid larger clutches had smaller tarsi.Most ectoparasites did not affect Blue Tit reproduction,although Culicoides had a negative impact on nestling body mass.These results suggest that Blue Tits can adjust their reproductive effort to the forest where they breed even across a very small spatial scale.Different eco-evolutionary scenarios,such as phenotypic plasticity or genetic structuring and local adaptation,might explain the phenotypic differentiation in the reproductive strategies observed over small areas in woodlands.

Feasibility of the 2-point method to determine the load-velocity relationship variables during the countermovement jump exercise

Purpose:This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of load-velocity(L-V)relationship variables obtained through the 2-point method using different load combinations and velocity variables.Methods:Twenty men performed 2 identical sessions consisting of 2 countermovement jumps against 4 external loads(20 kg,40 kg,60 kg,and80 kg)and a heavy squat against a load linked to a mean velocity(MV)of 0.55 m/s(load_(0.55)).The L-V relationship variables(load-axis intercept(L_(0)),velocity-axis intercept(v_(0)),and area under the L-V relationship line(A_(line)))were obtained using 3 velocity variables(MV,mean propulsive velocity(MPV),and peak velocity)by the multiple-point method including(20-40-60-80-load_(0.55))and excluding(20-40-60-80)the heavy squat,as well as from their respective 2-point methods(20-load_(0.55)and 20-80).Results:The L-V relationship variables were obtained with an acceptable reliability(coefncient of variation(CV)≤7.30%;intra-class correlation coefficient>0.63).The reliability of L_(0)and v_(0)was comparable for both methods(CV_(ratio)(calculated as higher value/lower value):1.11-1.12),but the multiple-point method provided Al_(ine)with a greater reliability(CV_(ratio)=1.26).The use of a heavy squat provided the L-V relationship variables with a comparable or higher reliability than the use of a heavy countermovement jump load(CV_(ratio):1.06-1.19).The peak velocity provided the load-velocity relationship variables with the greatest reliability(CV_(ratio):1.15-1.86)followed by the MV(CV_(ratio):1.07-1.18),and finally the MPV.The 2-point methods only revealed an acceptable validity for the MV and MPV(effect size≤0.19;Pearson s product-moment correlation coefficient≥0.96;Lin's concordance correlation coefficient≥0.94).Conclusion:The 2-point method obtained from a heavy squat load and MV or MPV is a quick,safe,and reliable procedure to evaluate the lower-body maximal neuromuscular capacities through the L-V relationship.

Internet of things:Conceptual network structure,main challenges and future directions

Internet of Things(IoT)is a key technology trend that supports our digitalized society in applications such as smart countries and smart cities.In this study,we investigate the existing strategic themes,thematic evolution structure,key challenges,and potential research opportunities associated with the IoT.For this study,we conduct a Bibliometric Performance and Network Analysis(BPNA),supplemented by an exhaustive Systematic Literature Review(SLR).Specifically,in BPNA,the software SciMAT is used to analyze 14,385 documents and 30,381 keywords in the Web of Science(WoS)database,which was released between 2002 and 2019.The results reveal that 31 clusters are classified according to their importance and development,and the conceptual structures of key clusters are presented,along with their performance analysis and the relationship with other subthemes.The thematic evolution structure describes the important cluster(s)over time.For the SLR,23 documents are analyzed.The SLR reveals key challenges and limitations associated with the IoT.We expect the results will form the basis of future research and guide decision-making in the IoT and other supporting industries.

Comparative effects of different types of exercise on health-related quality of life during and after active cancer treatment:A systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background The positive influence of most types of exercise has been reported repeatedly,but what the most effective exercise approaches are for improving health-related quality of life(HRQoL)in people with cancer remains unknown.The aim of this systematic review and network meta-analysis was to synthesize the evidence from intervention studies to assess the effects of different types of exercise on HRQoL during and after cancer treatment.Methods MEDLINE,SPORTDiscus,the Cochrane Library,Web of Science,and Scopus were searched for randomized controlled trials aimed at testing the effects of exercise interventions meant to improve HRQoL in people with cancer.Separate analyses were conducted for HRQoL as measured by general and cancer-specific questionnaires.We also evaluated whether the effects of exercise were different during and after cancer treatment in both the physical and mental HRQoL domains.Results In total,93 studies involving 7435 people with cancer were included.Network effect size estimates comparing exercise intervention vs.usual care were significant for combined exercise(0.35,95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.14–0.56)for HRQoL as measured by general questionnaires,and for combined(0.31,95%CI:0.13–0.48),mind–body exercise(0.54,95%CI:0.18–0.89),and walking(0.39,95%CI:0.04–0.74)for HRQoL as measured by cancer-specific questionnaires.Conclusion Exercise programs combining aerobic and resistance training can be recommended to improve HRQoL during and after cancer treatment.The scarcity and heterogeneity of these studies prevents us from making recommendations about other exercise modalities due to insufficient evidence.

Improved organs at risk segmentation based on modified U‐Net with self‐attention and consistency regularisation

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world,with radiotherapy as one of the treatment options.Radiotherapy planning starts with delineating the affected area from healthy organs,called organs at risk(OAR).A new approach to automatic OAR seg-mentation in the chest cavity in Computed Tomography(CT)images is presented.The proposed approach is based on the modified U‐Net architecture with the ResNet‐34 encoder,which is the baseline adopted in this work.The new two‐branch CS‐SA U‐Net architecture is proposed,which consists of two parallel U‐Net models in which self‐attention blocks with cosine similarity as query‐key similarity function(CS‐SA)blocks are inserted between the encoder and decoder,which enabled the use of con-sistency regularisation.The proposed solution demonstrates state‐of‐the‐art performance for the problem of OAR segmentation in CT images on the publicly available SegTHOR benchmark dataset in terms of a Dice coefficient(oesophagus-0.8714,heart-0.9516,trachea-0.9286,aorta-0.9510)and Hausdorff distance(oesophagus-0.2541,heart-0.1514,trachea-0.1722,aorta-0.1114)and significantly outperforms the baseline.The current approach is demonstrated to be viable for improving the quality of OAR segmentation for radiotherapy planning.

Association between lifestyle factors and thyroid function in young euthyroid adults

Purpose:The present work examines the associations of dietary habits,sedentarism,physical activity(PA)levels and sleep habits,with thyroid function in young euthyroid adults.Methods:A total of 105 young euthyroid adults participated in this cross-sectional study.Thyroid function was determined in fasting conditions(>6 h).Dietary habits were measured by a food frequency questionnaire and three non-consecutive 24 h recalls,and different dietary intake and patterns were then estimated.The time spent in sedentary,PA levels and sleep habits were objectively measured using a wrist-worn accelerometer.Results:Energy and carbohydrate intake were positively associated with thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH)(β=0.222;R^(2)=0.102;P=0.022 andβ=0.425;R^(2)=0.129;P=0.007,respectively)whereas fat intake was negatively associated with TSH(β=-0.428;R^(2)=0.137;P=0.004).Energy intake was also positively associated with free triiodothyronine(β=0.277;R^(2)=0.137;P=0.004).Further,adherence to the Mediterranean diet was negatively related to TSH and free thyroxine(FT4)(β=-0.221;R^(2)=0.113;P=0.020 andβ=-0.268;R^(2)=0.071;P=0.007,respectively).Vigorous-intensity and overall PA were negatively associated with FT4(β=-0.227;R^(2)=0.052;P=0.022 andβ=-0.204;R^(2)=0.042;P=0.041,respectively).In contrast,no associations were found between sleep parameters and thyroid function.Conclusions:Lifestyle factors such as dietary intake and PA levels seems to be related to thyroid function even in young euthyroid adults.

Understanding the Link:Emotional Attention in Italian Families and Children’s Social Development

Background:Emotional attention refers to the capacity to recognize and properly respond to one’s and others’emotional states.On another note,family is a primary source of socialization that influences the development of various social skills.In another line,adolescence is a complex stage that has been associated with emotional difficulties that could be related to competences such as prosociability and inclusion.It is inferred that through the family context and the attention that is processed,a series of competencies are transmitted to the youngsters,but this relationship is still unclear.For this reason,the study’s purpose was to examine the relationship between the emotional attention of mothers and fathers and the social and prosocial competencies of their children.Methods:To accomplish this,a cross-sectional study and ex post facto design were conducted.The Trait-Meta Mood Scale(TMMS-24)-to assess emotional attention-,the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire(SDQ)-to determine the prosociality dimension-,and the Test on Passing Developmental Tasks in Adolescence(TCS-A)-to measure social inclusionwere administered.The participants were N=228 families composed of n=114 mothers/fathers(67.5%females)and n=114 daughters/sons(38.5%females)selected through non-probabilistic sampling using a convenience sample in the Bari region of Italy.A descriptive and inferential analysis-Student’s test and Pearson’s correlation-was performed with the statistic package SPSS version 28(significance level p<0.05).Results:The findings showed that the families possessed an adequate background in emotional attention and that their daughters and sons were also generally well-adjusted in social inclusion and prosociality.It also found certain signs that the prosocial competence of the children could be related to the behavior of their mothers and fathers.Conclusion:In conclusion,social inclusion is related to prosocial behavior,and maybe primarily cultivated within families where parents’emotional self-regulation serves as a model for children although further research is necessary.Comparative studies between different cultures are also proposed.

GAN‐MD:A myocarditis detection using multi‐channel convolutional neural networks and generative adversarial network‐based data augmentation

Myocarditis is a significant public health concern because of its potential to cause heart failure and sudden death.The standard invasive diagnostic method,endomyocardial bi-opsy,is typically reserved for cases with severe complications,limiting its widespread use.Conversely,non‐invasive cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR)imaging presents a promising alternative for detecting and monitoring myocarditis,because of its high signal contrast that reveals myocardial involvement.To assist medical professionals via artificial intelligence,the authors introduce generative adversarial networks‐multi discriminator(GAN‐MD),a deep learning model that uses binary classification to diagnose myocarditis from CMR images.Their approach employs a series of convolutional neural networks(CNNs)that extract and combine feature vectors for accurate diagnosis.The authors suggest a novel technique for improving the classification precision of CNNs.Using generative adversarial networks(GANs)to create synthetic images for data augmentation,the authors address challenges such as mode collapse and unstable training.Incorporating a reconstruction loss into the GAN loss function requires the generator to produce images reflecting the discriminator features,thus enhancing the generated images'quality to more accurately replicate authentic data patterns.Moreover,combining this loss function with other reg-ularisation methods,such as gradient penalty,has proven to further improve the perfor-mance of diverse GAN models.A significant challenge in myocarditis diagnosis is the imbalance of classification,where one class dominates over the other.To mitigate this,the authors introduce a focal loss‐based training method that effectively trains the model on the minority class samples.The GAN‐MD approach,evaluated on the Z‐Alizadeh Sani myocarditis dataset,achieves superior results(F‐measure 86.2%;geometric mean 91.0%)compared with other deep learning models and traditional machine learning methods.

Muscle strength deficits are associated with low bone mineral density in young pediatric cancer survivors:The iBoneFIT project

Background Pediatric cancer survivors are at increased risk of muscle weakness and low areal bone mineral density(aBMD).However,the prevalence of muscle strength deficits is not well documented,and the associations of muscle strength with aBMD are unknown in this population.Therefore,this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of upper-and lower-body muscle strength deficits and to examine the associations of upper-and lower-body muscle strength with age-,sex,and race-specific aBMD Z-scores at the total body,total hip,femoral neck,and lumbar spine.Methods This cross-sectional study included 116 pediatric cancer survivors(12.1±3.3 years old,mean±SD;42.2%female).Upper-and lower-body muscle strength were assessed by handgrip and standing long jump test,respectively.Dual‑energy X‑ray absorptiometry was used to measure aBMD(g/cm2).Associations between muscle strength and aBMD were evaluated in multivariable linear regression models.Logistic regression was used to evaluate the contribution of muscle strength(1-decile lower)to the odds of having low aBMD(Z-score≤1.0).All analyses were adjusted for time from treatment completion,radiotherapy exposure,and body mass index.Results More than one-half of survivors were within the 2 lowest deciles for upper-(56.9%)and lower-body muscle strength(60.0%)in comparison to age-and sex-specific reference values.Muscle strength deficits were associated with lower aBMD Z-scores at all sites(B=0.133–0.258,p=0.001–0.032).Each 1-decile lower in upper-body muscle strength was associated with 30%–95%higher odds of having low aBMD Z-scores at all sites.Each 1-decile lower in lower-body muscle strength was associated with 35%–70%higher odds of having low aBMD Z-scores at total body,total hip,and femoral neck.Conclusion Muscle strength deficits are prevalent in young pediatric cancer survivors,and such deficits are associated with lower aBMD Z-scores at all sites.These results suggest that interventions designed to improve muscle strength in this vulnerable population may have the added benefit of improving aBMD.

A Systematic Literature Review on Task Allocation and Performance Management Techniques in Cloud Data Center

As cloud computing usage grows,cloud data centers play an increasingly important role.To maximize resource utilization,ensure service quality,and enhance system performance,it is crucial to allocate tasks and manage performance effectively.The purpose of this study is to provide an extensive analysis of task allocation and performance management techniques employed in cloud data centers.The aim is to systematically categorize and organize previous research by identifying the cloud computing methodologies,categories,and gaps.A literature review was conducted,which included the analysis of 463 task allocations and 480 performance management papers.The review revealed three task allocation research topics and seven performance management methods.Task allocation research areas are resource allocation,load-Balancing,and scheduling.Performance management includes monitoring and control,power and energy management,resource utilization optimization,quality of service management,fault management,virtual machine management,and network management.The study proposes new techniques to enhance cloud computing work allocation and performance management.Short-comings in each approach can guide future research.The research’s findings on cloud data center task allocation and performance management can assist academics,practitioners,and cloud service providers in optimizing their systems for dependability,cost-effectiveness,and scalability.Innovative methodologies can steer future research to fill gaps in the literature.