Identifying Arnold's tongue for digital oscillators through event-based control in phase-locked loops.

Digital phase-locked loops (PLLs) are essential feedback circuits for synchronizing signals in digital communication systems. While amplitude and phase vary continuously in analog oscillators, the amplitude remains constant in digital oscillators with dynamical variations manifesting exclusively through changes in the timing of signal transitions. In this work, we introduce a novel analytically solvable event-based model for phase-locking in digital PLLs that leverages the discrete nature of digital signals.

Comparing the immunogenicity of COVID-19 infection and vaccination in pregnant women as measured by anti-S IgG.

Background: Pregnancy is a critical time for women, making them more susceptible to infectious diseases like COVID-19. This study aims to determine the immunogenicity of COVID-19 in pregnant women who have been infected compared to those who have received the inactive COVID-19 vaccine.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, pregnant women who received the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine (Sinopharm) and those with a history of COVID-19 infection during pregnancy were studied.

CT perfusion in stroke: Comparing conventional and RAPID automated software.

CT perfusion (CTP) imaging is increasingly used for routine evaluation of acute ischemic stroke. Knowledge about the different types of CTP software, imaging acquisition and post-processing, and interpretation is crucial for appropriate patient selection for reperfusion therapy. Conventional vendor-provided CTP software differentiates between ischemic penumbra and core infarct using the tiebreaker of critically reduced cerebral blood volume (CBV) values within brain regions showing abnormally elevated time parameters like mean transit time (MTT) or time to peak (TTP).

Corrigendum: The potential relationship between environmental endocrine disruptor exposure and the development of endometriosis and adenomyosis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.

A Paternal Fish Oil Diet Preconception Reduces Lung Inflammation in a Toxicant-Driven Murine Model of New Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

New bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a neonatal disease that is theorized to begin in utero and manifests as reduced alveolarization due to inflammation of the lung. Risk factors for new BPD in human infants include intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), premature birth (PTB) and formula feeding. Using a mouse model, our group recently reported that a paternal history of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposure increased his offspring's risk of IUGR, PTB, and new BPD.

Interpolating log-determinant and trace of the powers of matrix .

We develop heuristic interpolation methods for the functions and where the matrices and are Hermitian and positive (semi) definite and and are real variables. These functions are featured in many applications in statistics, machine learning, and computational physics. The presented interpolation functions are based on the modification of sharp bounds for these functions.

Role of MRI-Derived Radiomics Features in Determining Degree of Tumor Differentiation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

: To investigate radiomics ability in predicting hepatocellular carcinoma histological degree of differentiation by using volumetric MR imaging parameters. : Volumetric venous enhancement and apparent diffusion coefficient were calculated on baseline MRI of 171 lesions. Ninety-five radiomics features were extracted, then random forest classification identified the performance of the texture features in classifying tumor degree of differentiation based on their histopathological features.

Can Posttransarterial Chemoembolization Volumetric Oil Deposition on Computed Tomography Predict Treatment Response on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Leiomyosarcoma Metastases to the Liver?

Objective: To predict early tumor response to transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) based on volumetric oil deposition on posttreatment computed tomography (CT) in patients with leiomyosarcoma liver metastases.

Methods: This retrospective lesion-by-lesion based study included 32 lesions. The volumetric percent enhancing tumor on pre-TACE and 1-month post-TACE venous phase magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the percent oil deposition on CT 1 day after TACE were calculated.

The Potential Relationship Between Environmental Endocrine Disruptor Exposure and the Development of Endometriosis and Adenomyosis.

Women with endometriosis, the growth of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus, commonly also exhibit adenomyosis, the growth of endometrial tissues within the uterine muscle. Each disease is associated with functional alterations in the eutopic endometrium frequently leading to pain, reduced fertility, and an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although the precise etiology of either disease is poorly understood, evidence suggests that the presence of endometriosis may be a contributing factor to the subsequent development of adenomyosis as a consequence of an altered, systemic inflammatory response.

A Preconception Paternal Fish Oil Diet Prevents Toxicant-Driven New Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Neonatal Mice.

New bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a developmental lung disease associated with placental dysfunction and impaired alveolarization. Risk factors for new BPD include prematurity, delayed postnatal growth, the dysregulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and parental exposure to toxicants. Our group previously reported that a history of paternal toxicant exposure increased the risk of prematurity and low birth weight in offspring.

Time-delayed Kuramoto model in the Watts-Strogatz small-world networks.

We study the synchronization of small-world networks of identical coupled phase oscillators through the Kuramoto interaction and uniform time delay. For a given intrinsic frequency and coupling constant, we observe synchronization enhancement in a range of time delays and discontinuous transition from the partially synchronized state with defect patterns to a glassy phase, characterized by a distribution of randomly frozen phase-locked oscillators. By further increasing the time delay, this phase undergoes a discontinuous transition to another partially synchronized state.

Cross-sectional imaging in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis: Single time-point liver or spleen volume is associated with survival.

Aim: To evaluate the association between single time-point quantitative liver and spleen volumes in patients with PSC and transplant-free survival, independent of Mayo risk score.

Materials And Methods: This HIPAA-compliant retrospective study included 165 PSC patients in a hospital. Total (T), and lobar (right [R], left [L], and caudate [C]) liver volumes and spleen volume (S) were measured.

Role of volumetric multiparametric MRI in distinguishing between intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms and serous cystadenoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the use of volumetric multiparametric MRI in differentiating pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) from serous cystadenomas (SCAs) METHODS: Included patients (123 patients with pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCNs) measuring ≥ 10 mm) were stratified into two groups based on cyst type. Axial cyst size, region of interest (ROI)-based apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and volumetric data, including cyst volume, volumetric apparent diffusion coefficient (vADC), and volumetric venous enhancement (vVE) were extracted and compared between the two groups. Univariate and multiple logistic regression was used to develop models for distinguishing between IPMNs and SCAs.

Therapeutic response assessment in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: society of abdominal radiology review paper on the role of morphological and functional imaging techniques.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States and is projected to be the second by 2030. Systemic combination chemotherapy is considered an essential first-line treatment for the majority of patients with PDA, in both the neoadjuvant and palliative settings. In addition, a number of novel therapies are being tested in clinical trials for patients with advanced PDA.

Integrating baseline MR imaging biomarkers into BCLC and CLIP improves overall survival prediction of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the independent predictive role of baseline imaging biomarkers for overall survival (OS) and transplant-free survival (TFS) in patients with HCC and assess the incremental value of these biomarkers to current staging systems.

Methods: In this retrospective IRB approved study, the clinical, laboratory, and imaging parameters of 304 HCC patients were collected. Cox regression model was utilized to identify the potential predictors of survival.

Role of baseline volumetric functional MRI in predicting histopathologic grade and patients' survival in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the role of volumetric ADC (vADC) and volumetric venous enhancement (vVE) in predicting the grade of tumor differentiation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: The study population included 136 HCC patients (188 lesions) who had baseline MR imaging and histopathological report. Measurements of vVE and vADC were performed on baseline MRI.

The urgent need for modification of scientific ranking indexes to facilitate scientific progress and diminish academic bullying.

Academic bullying occurs when senior scientists direct abusive behavior such as verbal insults, public shaming, isolation, and threatening toward vulnerable junior colleagues such as postdocs, graduate students and lab members. We believe that one root cause of bullying behavior is the pressure felt by scientists to compete for rankings designed to measure their scientific worth. These ratings, such as the h-index, have several unintended consequences, one of which we believe is academic bullying.

Imaging Features of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: From Diagnosis to Liver Transplant Follow-up.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease of the bile ducts that leads to multifocal bile duct fibrosis, strictures, cholestasis, liver parenchymal changes, and ultimately cirrhosis. It more commonly occurs in young adults, with a variety of clinical and imaging manifestations. The cause of the disease is not known, but it has a strong association with inflammatory bowel disease and can overlap with other autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune hepatitis and immunoglobulin G4-related disease.

Follow-up of Incidentally Detected Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms: Do Baseline MRI and CT Features Predict Cyst Growth?

Background Incidental detection of pancreatic cystic neoplasm (PCN) has increased. Since a small percentage of PCNs possess malignant potential, management is challenging. The recently revised American College of Radiology (ACR) recommendations define PCN measurement and growth for different categories based on baseline cyst size.