Search

This study explored the effects of β-1,3/1,6-glucan derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell walls on the growth, survival, and physiological responses of post-larvae (PL) of M. rosenbergii. Over a 3-week period, larvae were fed a formulated egg custard diet containing varying amounts of β-glucan. The findings revealed that incorporating β-glucan into the diet had a substantial positive impact. The inclusion of β-glucans significantly enhanced survival (59.14% for the PL fed 0.2% β-glucan versus 46.58% for the control; p < 0.05), promoted growth (13.58 mg wet weight for the PL fed 0.2% β-glucan versus 9.53 mg for the PL fed the control diet; p < 0.05), and accelerated the time to metamorphosis (26.67 days for the PL fed 0.2% β-glucan versus 28.0 days for the PL fed the control diet). As the amount of β-glucan in the diet increased, larval growth performance consistently improved. The group receiving 0.2% β-glucan exhibited the highest performance in terms of wet and dry weight, total length, and mean production of PL. Furthermore, the study assessed the influence of β-glucan supplementation on larval tolerance to hypersaline stress. Although the differences were not statistically significant, the addition of β-glucan resulted in incremental improvements in the ability of larvae to withstand hypersaline conditions. In conclusion, the dietary supplement containing 0.2% β-glucan exhibited the highest performance among the inclusion levels tested. Further investigation is recommended to determine the nutritional and physiological effects of β-glucan supplementation under salinity stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI), under the direction of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), provided open access to various risk parameters with respect to MidCap and SmallCap funds for the first time from February 2024. Our study utilizes AMFI datasets from February 2024 to September 2024 which consisted of 14 variables. Among these, the primary variable identified in grading mutual funds is the stress test parameter, expressed as number of days required to liquidate between 50% and 25% of the portfolio, respectively, on a pro-rata basis under stress conditions as a response variable. The objective of our paper is to build and test various neural network models which can help in predicting stress levels with the highest accuracy and specificity in MidCap and SmallCap mutual funds based on AMFI's 14 parameters as predictors. The results suggest that the simpler neural network model architectures show higher accuracy. We used Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) over other machine learning methods due to its ability to analyze the impact of dynamic interrelationships among 14 variables on the dependent variable, independent of the statistical distribution of parameters considered. Predicting stress levels with the highest accuracy in MidCap and SmallCap mutual funds will benefit investors by reducing information asymmetry while allocating investments based on their risk tolerance. It will help policy makers in designing controls to protect smaller investors and provide warnings for funds with unusually high risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arthroskopie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Semiconductors play a crucial role in a wide range of applications and are integral to essential infrastructures. Manufacturers of these semiconductors must meet specific quality and lifetime targets. To estimate the lifetime of semiconductors, accelerated stress tests are conducted. This paper introduces a novel approach to modeling drift in discrete electrical parameters within stress test devices. It incorporates a machine learning (ML) approach for arbitrary panel data sets of electrical parameters from accelerated stress tests. The proposed model involves an expert-in-the-loop MLOps decision process, allowing experts to choose between an interpretable model and a robust ML algorithm for regularization and fine-tuning. The model addresses the issue of outliers influencing statistical models by employing regularization techniques. This ensures that the model's accuracy is not compromised by outliers. The model uses interpretable statistically calculated limits for lifetime drift and uncertainty as input data. It then predicts these limits for new lifetime stress test data of electrical parameters from the same technology. The effectiveness of the model is demonstrated using anonymized real data from Infineon technologies. The model's output can help prioritize parameters by the level of significance for indication of degradation over time, providing valuable insights for the analysis and improvement of electrical devices. The combination of explainable statistical algorithms and ML approaches enables the regularization of quality control limit calculations and the detection of lifetime drift in stress test parameters. This information can be used to enhance production quality by identifying significant parameters that indicate degradation and detecting deviations in production processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transportation system stress test is a set of one or more hypothetical scenarios designed to help determine if a transport system can continue to provide an acceptable level of service when subjected to one or more potentially disruptive events. Stress tests, if done well, enable policy makers, regulators, and network operators to assess the ability of transport systems to withstand and recover from potentially disruptive events, and modify the systems if necessary. Although work has been conducted on how to conduct high-level preliminary transportation stress tests, there has not yet been work conducted on how to conduct detailed quantitative simulation-based stress tests on transportation systems. This paper fills this gap by presenting both an approach to conduct simulation-based stress tests and example simulation-based stress tests for a transportation system subject to potentially disruptive hydrometeorological events. Three types of stress tests are conducted for the transportation system in the region of Chur, Switzerland, which is subject to heavy rainfalls that may result in floods and landslides. These include the stress caused by climate change leading to increasing the intensity of extreme rainfall events in the future, stress caused by uncertain future mobility behavior of people leading to excessive travel demand on the network, and stress caused by poor planning of the required resources for restoration interventions leading to having less resources for restoration than planned. It is argued that conducting such stress tests makes it clear to decision makers whether or not a transportation system is sufficiently resilient against various stressors, and if not, gives clear indications as to how it could be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein denaturation and aggregation resulting from the effects of interfacial stress, often enhanced by flow and shear stress, pose significant challenges in the production of therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibodies. The influence of flow on protein stability is closely intertwined with interfacial effects. In this study, we have developed a microfluidic device capable of exposing low volume (< 320 µL) protein solutions to highly uniform shear. To disentangle the synergistic impact of flow and interfaces on protein aggregation, we fabricated two devices composed of different materials, namely poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and stainless steel. Upon application of shear, we observed formation of protein particles in the micron-size range. Notably, The number of particles generated in the steel devices was ∼ 3.5 fold lower than in the PMMA device, hinting at an interface-mediated effect. With increasing the protein concentration from 1 to 50 mg/mL we observed a saturation in the amount of aggregates, further confirming the key role of solid-liquid interfaces in inducing particle formation. Introduction of non-ionic surfactants prevented protein aggregation, even at the highest tested protein concentration and low surfactant concentrations of 0.05 mg/mL. Overall, our findings corroborate the synergistic impact of shear and interface effects on protein aggregation. The device developed in this study offers a small-scale platform for assessing the stability of antibody formulations throughout various stages of the development and manufacturing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has affected mortality rates and financial markets worldwide. Against this background, we perform a COVID-19 stress test for life insurance, considering a joint financial and mortality shock, to evaluate the effectiveness of different risk mitigation strategies. Specifically, we conduct a model-based simulation analysis of a life insurer selling annuities and term life insurances. The analysis includes stress scenarios that are calibrated to observations during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also consider new business and study the risk situation under three different risk mitigation strategies observed in practice as an immediate response to the pandemic: stopping sales, increasing premiums, or adjusting investment strategies. Results show that a life insurer's risk situation is mainly affected in the short term, selling annuities (in addition to term life insurance) immunizes against the mortality shock, and the immediate use of risk mitigation strategies can help reduce the negative impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mean‐time‐to‐failure (MTTF) of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor is demonstrated by considering both voltage and temperature dependent electrical degradation in on‐wafer devices. The characteristics of threshold voltage shift (ΔVT) and gate leakage current (Ig_leak) after off‐state step and VDS = 0 step stress test are reported. The devices under test are being DC stressed (high operation life‐time test) in semi‐on‐state conditions at constant power dissipation of 2 W mm−1 for more or less than 200 h until the maximum drain current (Idmax) drops by 15%. Under low stress voltage (10 V), we find activation energies (Ea) and voltage acceleration factor (γ) to be 0.32 eV and 0.09 V−1, respectively, while increasing stress voltage up to 20 V results in increased activation energies of 0.68 and 0.16 eV. The MTTF is estimated to be 1.16 × 104 h at VDS = 20 V, while stressing at low bias gives a high MTTF of 2.20 × 104 h at VDS = 10 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim of the study: to assess the prevalence of arterial hypertension in athletes with high BP values during an exercise test.Methods: out of 2313 athletes 14–18 (15.5 ± 1.4) years old, according to the results of VEM, 128 (6 %; 60 m) people with high blood pressure values at maximum load were identified, 86 (67 %) of them underwent ABPM. The patient were divided into 2 groups: with normal — 62 (72 %) and high office BP – 24 (28 %).Results: athletes with high office BP values had a significantly higher BMI. We did not note any significant differences in ABPM between the two groups. 71 % had arterial hypertension, 65 % had masked arterial hypertension.Conclusions: in young elite athletes with high values of BP during exercise, 71 % are diagnosed arterial hypertension according to ABPM; in 65% masked arterial hypertension has detected, which dictates the need for ABPM in this group of athletes.

Recently, there has been a growing focus on sustainability issues within the financial sector. However, quantitative analysis of social and governance aspects has been challenging due to difficulties in data modelling. With the recent regulatory updates for standardised disclosure, the next step could be the implementation of stress tests, given their widespread use in the supervisory environment. The article analyses the possibility of borrowing certain aspects of rating agency methodologies for a future exercise. It identifies common elements that need to be analyzed and highlights areas where institutional intervention will be necessary

Recently, there has been a growing focus on sustainability issues within the financial sector. However, quantitative analysis of social and governance aspects has been challenging due to difficulties in data modelling. With the recent regulatory updates for standardised disclosure, the next step could be the implementation of stress tests, given their widespread use in the supervisory environment. The article analyses the possibility of borrowing certain aspects of rating agency methodologies for a future exercise. It identifies common elements that need to be analyzed and highlights areas where institutional intervention will be necessary.

Rest and stress echocardiography (SE) play a fundamental role in the evaluation of aortic valve stenosis (AS). According to the current guidelines for the echocardiographic evaluation of patients with aortic stenosis, four broad categories can be defined: high-gradient AS (mean gradient ≥ 40 mmHg, peak velocity ≥ 4 m/s, aortic valve area (AVA) ≤ 1 cm2 or indexed AVA ≤ 0.6 cm2/m2); low-flow, low-gradient AS with reduced ejection fraction (mean gradient < 40 mmHg, AVA ≤ 1 cm2, left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50%, stroke volume index (Svi) ≤ 35 mL/m2); low-flow, low-gradient AS with preserved ejection fraction (mean gradient < 40 mmHg, AVA ≤ 1 cm2, LVEF ≥ 50%, SVi ≤ 35 mL/m2); and normal-flow, low-gradient AS with preserved ejection fraction (mean gradient < 40 mmHg, AVA ≤ 1 cm2, indexed AVA ≤ 0.6 cm2/m2, LVEF ≥ 50%, SVi > 35 mL/m2). Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is indicated with the onset of symptoms development or LVEF reduction. However, there is often mismatch between resting transthoracic echocardiography findings and patient's symptoms. In these discordant cases, SE and CT calcium scoring are among the indicated methods to guide the management decision making. Additionally, due to the increasing evidence that in asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis an early AVR instead of conservative treatment is associated with better outcomes, SE can help identify those that would benefit from an early AVR by revealing markers of poor prognosis. Low-flow, low-gradient AS represents a challenge both in diagnosis and in therapeutic management. Low-dose dobutamine SE is the recommended method to distinguish true-severe from pseudo-severe stenosis and assess the existence of flow (contractile) reserve to appropriately guide the need for intervention in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cardiac troponins may increase in various conditions of myocardial injury different from ischemic myocardial necrosis. • Whether myocardial ischemia influences the changes of exercise-induced troponin remains debatable. • Our data show that hs-cTnI levels significantly increase after an exercise/pharmacological stress test. • The magnitude of hs-cTnI increase is independent of the induction and extension of myocardial ischemia. • Changes in troponins after a diagnostic stress test cannot be taken as a clue to the presence of transient myocardial ischemia, as well as of its severity/extension. Previous studies showed that exercise may increase cardiac troponin serum levels; whether the occurrence of myocardial ischemia influences the changes of exercise-induced troponin raise, however, remains debatable. We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients undergoing for the first time an elective stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) because of clinical suspicion of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients were divided into 3 groups based on the evidence and degree of stress-induced myocardial ischemia at MPS: 1) group 1, no myocardial ischemia (≤4 %); 2) group 2, mild myocardial ischemia (5–10 %); 3) group 3, moderate-to-severe myocardial ischemia (≥10 %). High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (cTnI) was measured immediately before (T 0) and 1 hour (T 1) and 4 h (T 2) after the stress test. One hundred-seven patients (71 males; age 65.6 ± 9.4 years) were enrolled in the study. Serum hs-cTnI concentrations (logarithmic values) significantly increased after MPS, compared to baseline, in the whole population, from 1.47±1.26 ng/L at T 0 , to 1.68±1.12 ng/L at T 1 (p <0.001) and 2.15±1.02 ng/L at T 2 (p <0.001 vs. both T 0 and T 1). The increase in hs-cTnI did not significantly differ between the 3 groups (p = 0.44). The heart rate achieved during the test was the strongest determinant of cTnI increase (p < 0.001) after the stress test. In patients with suspected CAD, stress MPS induces an increase of cTnI that is independent of the induction and extension/severity of myocardial ischemia and is mainly related to myocardial work, as indicated by the heart rate achieved during the test. Changes in cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations from baseline (green columns) to 1 hour (blue columns) and 4 h (red columns) after a myocardial perfusion imaging stress test, according to the degree of myocardial perfusion defects (A) and heart rate (HR) at peak stress test (B). [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main demands of investors (depositors and shareholders) of banks is transparency. However, in addition to the requirements for meeting this demand, measuring how to meet it has become challenging. So far, researchers have proposed different qualitative criteria for transparency. In this study, while introducing the correlation coefficient between book and market value at risk (VaRs) as a criterion of transparency, we seek to examine the stability of this criterion in different economic conditions. For this purpose, first, by using the e-garch model, the value at risk was estimated based on the balance sheet (book) information and also the market information of the banks' shares, then by calculating the correlation coefficients between book and market VaR's under normal conditions, we predict book and market VaR's using vector autoregressive (VAR) models, along with defining three stress scenarios (Mild - Severe - hyper stress). We examined the significance of the difference between the calculated correlation coefficients in the three stress test modes. We thus tested the stability of the correlation coefficient of the defined scenarios. The findings showed that except for the correlation caused by the unemployment rate factor in mild and hyper-stress scenarios, in other cases, no evidence of H0 rejection was found, indicating the stability of the correlation coefficient between book and market VaRs as a measure of transparency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronary computed tomography angiography has emerged as an important diagnostic modality for evaluation of acute chest pain in the emergency department for patients at low to intermediate risk for acute coronary syndromes. Several clinical trials have shown excellent negative predictive value of coronary computed tomography angiography to detect obstructive coronary artery disease. Cardiac biomarkers such as troponins and creatine kinase MB, along with history, electrocardiogram, age, risk factors, troponin score, and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction score should be used in conjunction with coronary computed tomography angiography for safe and rapid discharge of patients from the emergency department. Coronary computed tomography angiography along with high-sensitivity troponin assays could be effective for rapid evaluation of acute chest pain in the emergency department, but high-sensitivity troponins are not always available. Emergency department physicians are not quite comfortable making clinical decisions, especially if the coronary stenosis is in the range of 50% to 70%. In these cases, further evaluation with functional testing, such as nuclear stress testing or stress echocardiogram, is a common approach in many centers; however, newer methods such as fractional flow reserve computed tomography could be safely incorporated in coronary computed tomography angiography to help with clinical decision-making in these scenarios.

The essential goal in the diagnostic approach to chronic coronary syndromes is to identify patients with significant stenoses in the coronary arteries who could benefit from invasive treatment while avoiding exposure to unnecessary interventional treatments or diagnostic procedures for patients who are unlikely to have significant stenoses in their coronary arteries. Early myocardial ischemia leads to a dynamic molecular response in the affected myocardium. A promising minimally invasive strategy is to access changes of concentrations of certain biomarkers circulating in blood during stress test-induced myocardial ischemia. This novel approach may change the landscape of non-invasive assessment of cardiac ischemia. However, there is a need for careful selection of possible candidates to be evaluated in future clinical trials. Several biomarkers have been proposed as potentially useful in this context and they are discussed in this review paper.

Abstract: The Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI), under the direction of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), provided open access to various risk parameters with respect to MidCap and SmallCap funds for the first time from February 2024. Our study utilizes AMFI datasets from February 2024 to September 2024 which consisted of 14 variables. Among these, the primary variable identified in grading mutual funds is the stress test parameter, expressed as number of days required to liquidate between 50% and 25% of the portfolio, respectively, on a pro-rata basis under stress conditions as a response variable. The objective of our paper is to build and test various neural network models which can help in predicting stress levels with the highest accuracy and specificity in MidCap and SmallCap mutual funds based on AMFI’s 14 parameters as predictors. The results suggest that the simpler neural network model architectures show higher accuracy. We used Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) over other machine learning methods due to its ability to analyze the impact of dynamic interrelationships among 14 variables on the dependent variable, independent of the statistical distribution of parameters considered. Predicting stress levels with the highest accuracy in MidCap and SmallCap mutual funds will benefit investors by reducing information asymmetry while allocating investments based on their risk tolerance. It will help policy makers in designing controls to protect smaller investors and provide warnings for funds with unusually high risk.

Featured Application: The results of the following design investigation can be used in the field of machining, particularly when developing new types of cutting tools and tooling. This paper describes the process of the design and verification of a milling tool and tooling that may contribute to the renouncement of the flood cooling method when mineral oils and oil-in-water emulsions are used as coolants. The proposed solutions are based on the idea of coolant supply in internal channels created inside of a cutting tool. As an alternative to the aforementioned mineral oil-based coolants, liquids with higher cooling efficiency and environmental friendliness (green coolants) were considered. Given coolants' possible lack of lubricating properties and negative (corrosive, etc.) influence on a machine tool's units, tooling delivers these coolants to the cutting tool and bypasses the standard machine tool's supply system. The geometry of the milling tool (a cutting insert with an internal channel) was tested in the framework of a stress simulation. To perform it, cutting force components F z , F y , and F x were determined empirically and then applied to the simulated area of contact between the tool and the workpiece. Based on the obtained principal stress values P 1 , P 2 , and P 3 , the factor of safety was calculated with the Mohr–Coulomb, P 1   m a x , and P 3   m i n failure criteria. The proposed milling tool, equipped with a novel type of labyrinth seal with no friction between its components, was experimentally tested to confirm its ability to maintain leak-tightness at different values of spindle speed (200~2000 rpm) and coolant supply volume (1.0~10.0 L/min). Based on the results of the stress simulation and the leak-tightness experiment, conclusions were drawn about further modernization and utilization prospects of the proposed milling tool and tooling design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to high altitude results in hypobaric hypoxia, leading to physiological changes in the cardiovascular system that may result in limiting symptoms, including dyspnea, fatigue, and exercise intolerance. However, it is still unclear why some patients are more susceptible to high-altitude symptoms than others. Hypoxic simulation testing (HST) simulates changes in physiology that occur at a specific altitude by asking the patients to breathe a mixture of gases with decreased oxygen content. This study aimed to determine whether the use of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) during HST can detect the rise in right-sided pressures and the impact of hypoxia on right ventricle (RV) hemodynamics and right to left shunts, thus revealing the underlying causes of high-altitude signs and symptoms. A retrospective study was performed including consecutive patients with unexplained dyspnea at high altitude. HSTs were performed by administrating reduced FiO2 to simulate altitude levels specific to patients' history. Echocardiography images were obtained at baseline and during hypoxia. The study included 27 patients, with a mean age of 65 years, 14 patients (51.9%) were female. RV systolic pressure increased at peak hypoxia, while RV systolic function declined as shown by a significant decrease in the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), the maximum velocity achieved by the lateral tricuspid annulus during systole (S' wave), and the RV free wall longitudinal strain. Additionally, right-to-left shunt was present in 19 (70.4%) patients as identified by bubble contrast injections. Among these, the severity of the shunt increased at peak hypoxia in eight cases (42.1%), and the shunt was only evident during hypoxia in seven patients (36.8%). In conclusion, the use of TTE during HST provides valuable information by revealing the presence of symptomatic, sustained shunts and confirming the decline in RV hemodynamics, thus potentially explaining dyspnea at high altitude. Further studies are needed to establish the optimal clinical role of this physiologic method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essential goal in the diagnostic approach to chronic coronary syndromes is to identify patients with significant stenoses in the coronary arteries who could benefit from invasive treatment while avoiding exposure to unnecessary interventional treatments or diagnostic procedures for patients who are unlikely to have significant stenoses in their coronary arteries. Early myocardial ischemia leads to a dynamic molecular response in the affected myocardium. A promising minimally invasive strategy is to access changes of concentrations of certain biomarkers circulating in blood during stress test-induced myocardial ischemia. This novel approach may change the landscape of non-invasive assessment of cardiac ischemia. However, there is a need for careful selection of possible candidates to be evaluated in future clinical trials. Several biomarkers have been proposed as potentially useful in this context and they are discussed in this review paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is still challenging for cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to detect ischemic heart disease (IHD) without the use of gadolinium contrast. We aimed to evaluate the potential value of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) stress myocardial strain derived from feature tracking (FT) as a novel method for detecting IHD in a swine model. CMR cines, myocardial perfusion imaging at rest and during ATP stress, and late gadolinium enhancement were obtained in both control and IHD swine. Normal, remote, ischemic, and infarcted myocardium were analyzed. The diagnostic accuracy of myocardial strain for infarction and ischemia was assessed using coronary angiography and pathology as reference. Eleven IHD swine and five healthy control swine were enrolled in this study. Strain parameters, even at rest, were associated with myocardial ischemia and infarction(all p < 0.05). The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values of all strain parameters for detecting infarcted myocardium exceeded 0.900 (all p < 0.05). The AUC values for detecting ischemic myocardium were as follows: 0.906 and 0.847 for stress and rest radial strain, 0.763 and 0.716 for stress and rest circumferential strain, 0.758 and 0.663 for stress and rest longitudinal strain (all p < 0.001). Heat maps demonstrated that all strain parameters showed mild to moderate correlations with the stress myocardial blood flow and myocardial perfusion reserve (all p < 0.05). CMR-FT-derived ATP stress myocardial strain shows promise as a noninvasive method for detecting myocardial ischemia and infarction in an IHD swine model, with rest strain parameters offering potential as a needle-free diagnostic option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article raises the issues of developing a relevant tool for financial regulation and supervision – stress testing. Regulatory authorities use different types of testing to assess possible problems, as well as to model the response of supervised institutions to changes in system parameters. At present, the issues of ensuring financial stability are quite acute, and the search for effective analytical tools is an important managerial task, the solution of which is the focus of this study. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the advantages and limitations of this tool and to identify areas for its improvement. The evolution of the tool has been analyzed, and microprudential, macroprudential, and crisis stress tests investigated. The work is based on the data of the International Monetary Fund, as well as the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the methods of analyzing regulatory documents and comparative economic analysis have been used. Types of stress tests and main stages of stress testing have been systematized. The authors, considering cross-border nature of financial institutions’ activities, conclude that transformation of supervisory tools is desirable and recommend the inclusion of non-banking financial organizations in stress testing, as well as network interactions between financial institutions as the main areas of improvement.

Semiconductors play a crucial role in a wide range of applications and are integral to essential infrastructures. Manufacturers of these semiconductors must meet specific quality and lifetime targets. To estimate the lifetime of semiconductors, accelerated stress tests are conducted. This paper introduces a novel approach to modeling drift in discrete electrical parameters within stress test devices. It incorporates a machine learning (ML) approach for arbitrary panel data sets of electrical parameters from accelerated stress tests. The proposed model involves an expert-in-the-loop MLOps decision process, allowing experts to choose between an interpretable model and a robust ML algorithm for regularization and fine-tuning. The model addresses the issue of outliers influencing statistical models by employing regularization techniques. This ensures that the model’s accuracy is not compromised by outliers. The model uses interpretable statistically calculated limits for lifetime drift and uncertainty as input data. It then predicts these limits for new lifetime stress test data of electrical parameters from the same technology. The effectiveness of the model is demonstrated using anonymized real data from Infineon technologies. The model’s output can help prioritize parameters by the level of significance for indication of degradation over time, providing valuable insights for the analysis and improvement of electrical devices. The combination of explainable statistical algorithms and ML approaches enables the regularization of quality control limit calculations and the detection of lifetime drift in stress test parameters. This information can be used to enhance production quality by identifying significant parameters that indicate degradation and detecting deviations in production processes.

Background This study aimed to quantify the mechanoresponse of 10 blood marker candidates for joint metabolism to a walking stress test in patients with knee osteoarthritis and to determine the association among marker kinetics and with accumulated load and patient reported outcomes. Methods 24 patients with knee osteoarthritis completed questionnaires, and a 30-minute walking stress test with six blood serum samples and gait analysis. Concentrations of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-1, -3, and -9, epitope resulting from cleavage of type II collagen by collagenases (C2C), type II procollagen (CPII), interleukin (IL)-6, proteoglycan (PRG)-4, A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS)-4, and resistin were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Joint load (moments and compartmental forces) was estimated using musculoskeletal modeling using gait analysis data. Results COMP and MMP-3 showed an immediate increase after the walking stress followed by a decrease. MMP-9 and resistin showed a delayed decrease below pre-stress levels. ∆COMP correlated with ∆MMP-3 for most time points. ∆MMP-9 correlated with ∆resistin for most time points. The load-induced increase in blood marker levels correlated among blood markers and time points. C2C and resistin correlated positively and C2C/CPII and MMP2 correlated negatively with load during gait. Immediate relative ∆CPII and ∆MMP1 and delayed relative ∆COMP, ∆IL6, ∆C2C, ∆CPII, ∆MMP1 and ∆MMP3 correlated with the load accumulated during the walking stress. Baseline C2C levels correlated with Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) subscales and load-induced changes in MMP-3 with KOOS and Short Form 36 quality of life subscores (P Conclusions The distinct and differentiated physiological response to the walking stress depends on accumulated load and appears relevant for patient reported osteoarthritis outcome and quality of life and warrants further investigation in the context of disease progression. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT02622204

Background This study aimed to quantify the mechanoresponse of 10 blood marker candidates for joint metabolism to a walking stress test in patients with knee osteoarthritis and to determine the association among marker kinetics and with accumulated load and patient reported outcomes. Methods 24 patients with knee osteoarthritis completed questionnaires, and a 30-minute walking stress test with six blood serum samples and gait analysis. Concentrations of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-1, -3, and -9, epitope resulting from cleavage of type II collagen by collagenases (C2C), type II procollagen (CPII), interleukin (IL)-6, proteoglycan (PRG)-4, A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS)-4, and resistin were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Joint load (moments and compartmental forces) was estimated using musculoskeletal modeling using gait analysis data. Results COMP and MMP-3 showed an immediate increase after the walking stress followed by a decrease. MMP-9 and resistin showed a delayed decrease below pre-stress levels. ∆COMP correlated with ∆MMP-3 for most time points. ∆MMP-9 correlated with ∆resistin for most time points. The load-induced increase in blood marker levels correlated among blood markers and time points. C2C and resistin correlated positively and C2C/CPII and MMP2 correlated negatively with load during gait. Immediate relative ∆CPII and ∆MMP1 and delayed relative ∆COMP, ∆IL6, ∆C2C, ∆CPII, ∆MMP1 and ∆MMP3 correlated with the load accumulated during the walking stress. Baseline C2C levels correlated with Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) subscales and load-induced changes in MMP-3 with KOOS and Short Form 36 quality of life subscores (P

Introduction: We aimed to screen the presence of silent myocardial ischaemia, in established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, using a stress test then to evaluate its association with the disease activity and the cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and Heartscore. Methods: It is a transversal study in a rheumatologic centre in Tunisia. One hundred three RA patients, asymptomatic for CV diseases, were submitted to a stress test. Demographic data, CV risk factors and disease characteristics were assessed and risk factors of silent myocardial ischaemia in RA patients were identified. Results: There were 103 patients (sex‐ratio = 0.3) with a mean age of 53 ± 10 years. The evaluation of the disease activity showed that the mean Disease Activity Score in 28 joints C‐reactive protein, Clinical Disease Activity Index and Simplified Disease Activity Index were 3.9 ± 1.38, 17.17 ± 11.4 and 33.39 ± 26, respectively. The ischaemic ratio (CT/HDL) revealed that 42% of patients had a moderate to high myocardial ischaemic risk. HeartSCORE was high in 35% of cases. A silent myocardial ischaemia in the stress test was found in 11 patients (10.6%) and was associated with male sex (p = 0.03), advanced age (p = 0.04), erosive character (p = 0.05), the advanced age of the RA diagnosis (p = 0.01) and the ischaemic ratio (p = 0.05). No relationship was found with the majority of traditional CV risk factors nor with disease activity variables. Conclusion: Our results corroborated the hypothesis that the stress test could reveal subclinical CV dysfunction and supported the utility of the Heartscore as a screening tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among persons presenting to the emergency department with suspected acute myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac troponin (cTn) testing is commonly used to detect acute myocardial injury. Accelerated diagnostic protocols (ADPs) guide clinicians to integrate cTn results with other clinical information to decide whether to order further diagnostic testing. To determine the change in the rate and yield of stress test or coronary CT angiogram following cTn measurement in patients with chest pain presenting to the emergency department pre- and post-transition to a high-sensitivity (hs-cTn) assay in an updated ADP. Using electronic health records, we examined visits for chest pain at five emergency departments affiliated with an integrated academic health system 1-year pre- and post-hs-cTn assay transition. Outcomes included stress test or coronary imaging frequency, ADP compliance among those with additional testing, and diagnostic yield (ratio of positive tests to total tests). There were 7564 patient-visits for chest pain, including 3665 in the pre- and 3899 in the post-period. Following the updated ADP using hs-cTn, 862 (23.5 per 100 patient visits) visits led to subsequent testing versus 1085 (27.8 per 100 patient visits) in the pre-hs-cTn period, (P < 0.001). Among those who were tested, the protocol-compliant rate fell from 80.9% to 46.5% (P < 0.001), but the yield of those tests rose from 24.5% to 29.2% (P = 0.07). Among tests that were noncompliant with ADP guidance, yield was similar pre- and post-updated hs-cTn ADP implementation (pre 13.0%, post 15.4% (P = 0.43). Implementation of hs-cTn supported by an updated ADP was associated with a lower rate of stress testing and coronary CT angiogram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of this work was to design and obtain a series of curcuminoid chalcone–NSAID hybrid derivatives. The ester-type hybrid compounds with ibuprofen (i), ketoprofen (ii), and naproxen (iii) were obtained in two ways, using the Claisen–Schmidt reaction and the Steglich esterification reaction. The designed molecules were successfully synthesised, and FT-IR, MS, and NMR spectroscopy confirmed their structures. Moreover, the cytotoxic effect of the sonodynamic therapy and the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticholinergic properties of some curcuminoid chalcones and curcuminoid chalcones hybrids were evaluated. The curcuminoid chalcone derivatives showed promising neuroprotective activity as sonosensitisers for sonodynamic therapy in the studied cell lines. Additionally, the stability of the ester-type hybrid compounds with promising activity was determined. The RP-HPLC method was used to observe the degradation of the tested compounds. Studies have shown that structural isomers of ester-type hybrid compounds (3ai, 3bi) are characterised by a similar susceptibility to degradation factors, i.e., they are extremely unstable in alkaline environments, very unstable in acidic environments, unstable in neutral environments, practically stable in oxidising environments, and photolabile in solutions and in the solid phase. These compounds maintain adequate stability in environment at pH 1.2 and 6.8, which may make them good candidates for developing formulations for oral administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Stress triggers a cascade of reactions that alter the organism's dynamic steady state. There is a scarcity of interventional studies that show cortisol variability upon stress over time in groups of patients with chronic noncommunicable diseases and comorbidities. Objective: We aimed to examine salivary cortisol changes in the cognitive stress response of patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus (HT&DM) and patients with hypertension (HT) and to determine differences between them. Methods: The study was conducted using a stress test of solving an arithmetic task in 62 patients with HT&DM and HT who were being treated in the outpatient clinic of the Medical Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology Department in Istanbul University, Istanbul Medical Faculty Hospital. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the HT&DM and HT groups for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) values (P = .331 and P = .058). When measured by repeated ANOVA, salivary cortisol level [F (1.842, 60) = 8.771, P < .0001], SBP [F (2.185, 60) = 12.080, P < .0001], DBP [F (2.793, 60) = 6.043, P = .001], and heart rate [F (2.073, 60) = 13.259, P < .0001] were statistically significant for the main effect (time), while the effect of the group × time interaction factor was statistically not significant (P = .773; P = .751; P = .713 and P = .506, respectively). Conclusion: The arithmetic problem-solving task used with the HT&DM and HT patients was useful as an acute stress test in the laboratory environment. There was no statistically significant difference for group × time interaction factor between the HT&DM and HT groups; however, the salivary cortisol and BP values increased significantly after acute stress within each group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This retrospective study investigated newly diagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD) in prostate cancer patients treated with Androgen Deprivation Therapy and who underwent cardio-onco evaluation at a Cancer Institute. The cardio-onco evaluation included a systematic evaluation of coronary status. Among the 34 patients evaluated, 20.6% were diagnosed with CAD, often asymptomatic with a median diagnosis time of 5 months. Of the 27 patients without CAD, 44.4% underwent a therapeutic intervention by the cardiologist. Our results underscore of CAD screening in this population; however, further research is needed to determine whether routine CAD screening for these patients would result in significant clinical benefits. Background: Given the potential cardiovascular risks of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), it is essential to identify patients who may be at an increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD). Despite the recent ESC recommendations, there is no consensus on when to refer a patient to a cardiologist for further evaluation. Objective: To report on new diagnoses of CAD in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) requiring ADT who underwent a systematic cardio-onco evaluation with an assessment of their coronary status. Design, Setting, and Participants: This is a retrospective, monocentric study that included patients with PCa who had completed a cardio-onco evaluation with an assessment of their coronary status in the cardio-oncology department at the Western Cancer Institute, Nantes, between January 2019 and August 2022. Intervention: The baseline cardio-onco evaluation included a physical exam, transthoracic echography, and electrocardiogram, followed with a systematic evaluation of their coronary status. Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: The primary objective was to determine the incidence of newly diagnosed CAD. The secondary objective was to evaluate the number of changes in cardiovascular treatment. Results and Limitations: Among the 34 patients who underwent cardio-onco evaluation, 7 (20.6%) were diagnosed with CAD, with a median time to diagnosis of 5 months. Most patients were asymptomatic, with one who experienced a myocardial infarction. Of the 27 patients without CAD, 44.4% underwent a therapeutic intervention by the cardiologist, with no cardiac deaths during follow-up. Overall, 55.9% of patients had a therapeutic intervention after the cardio-onco evaluation. Conclusions: The high incidence of newly diagnosed CAD in asymptomatic patients supports the need for screening for CAD in this population. Further research is needed to determine whether routine screening for CAD in patients receiving ADT would result in significant clinical benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photobiomodulation (PBM) has ergogenic effects on aerobic and anaerobic efforts and may improve sports performance. As Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) fighting requires both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, so PBM may be effective in increasing the physical performance of BJJ athletes. Thus, this study aimed to verify the effects of PBM with different energy doses (6 or 12 J per point) on high-intensity intermittent anaerobic performance in BJJ athletes. Methods: Eleven male athletes performed three lower limb Wingate testing sessions. At the beginning of each session, in a randomized, crossover, double-blind fashion, the athletes received PBM with a dose of 6 J (4.5 J/cm2) or 12 J (9.1 J/cm2), or placebo (PLA) at 17 points in each lower limb. In each session, the squat jump (SJ) and three Wingate test series were performed, with a 3-minute interval between series. Heart rate (HR) was collected immediately before, after each Wingate test, and at 1, 3, and 5 minutes after the last test. The rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was reported after each Wingate test. Differences between Wingate tests and treatment sessions were set at p<0.05. Results: No differences were observed between treatments in SJ height, Wingate performance, HR, and RPE (p>0.05; for all comparisons). The Wingate test session promoted a reduction in anaerobic capacity in the second and third sets in all conditions, indicating fatigue (p<0.05). Conclusion: Treatment with PBM did not produce a dose-dependent ergogenic response in high-intensity intermittent performance in BJJ athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, working environments and private lives have changed dramatically. Digital technologies and media have become more and more important and have found their way into nearly all private and work environments. Communication situations have been largely relocated to virtual spaces. One of these scenarios is digital job interviews. Job interviews are usually--also in the non-digital world--perceived as stressful and associated with biological stress responses. We here present and evaluate a newly developed laboratory stressor that is based on a digital job interview-scenario. Methods: N = 45 healthy people participated in the study (64.4% female; mean age: 23.2 ± 3.6 years; mean body mass index = 22.8 ± 4.0 kg/m2). Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and cortisol were assessed as measures for biological stress responses. Furthermore, perceived stress was rated at the time points of the saliva samplings. The job interviews lasted between 20 and 25min. All materials, including instructions for the experimenter (i.e., the job interviewer) and the data set used for statistical analysis, as well as a multimodal data set, which includes further measures, are publicly available. Results: Typical subjective and biological stress-response patterns were found, with peak sAA and perceived stress levels observed immediately after the job interviews and peak cortisol concentrations 5min afterwards. Female participants experienced the scenario as more stressful than male participants. Cortisol peaks were higher for participants who experienced the situation as a threat in comparison to participants who experienced it as a challenge. Associations between the strength of the stress response with further person characteristics and psychological variables such as BMI, age, coping styles, and personality were not found. Discussion: Overall, our method is well-suited to induce biological and perceived stress, mostly independent of person characteristics and psychological variables. The setting is naturalistic and easily implementable in standardized laboratory settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the stress resistance and growth performance of postlarval Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus that were fed a diet supplemented with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a probiotic. Methods: Two groups were established in triplicate: fish that were given a diet supplemented with probiotic and a control group that received a diet without probiotic. Two‐hundred larvae were randomly distributed into each of six experimental units. Fish were fed six times daily. After 20 days, growth performance was determined, including survival, final weight, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, and effectiveness of sexual reversal. From these fish, 30 fingerlings (0.25 ± 0.02 g [mean ± SD]) per experimental unit were removed and used to perform stress tests (n = 180), with 10 fingerlings being subjected to three stressors (i.e., transport, osmotic shock, and thermal shock). Result: Fish that were fed the probiotic diet showed improved performance in final weight (16.6%) and survival (15.1%), as well as higher resistance to thermal (102.3%) and osmotic (27.5%) challenges, compared to control fish. Conclusion: Saccharomyces cerevisiae improved growth performance and survival and had no effect on the rate of masculinization. Impact statementYeast improves resistance to cold heat stress. Yeast increases resistance to osmotic challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a model for calculating the production gap to obtain the cyclically-adjusted budget balance (CAB), which is then used to conduct a stress test with the production gap values to track the reaction of CAB in terms of the Impulse-Response Function in EViews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mature Caucasian patient, an endurance-trained triathlete (age group), had a routine ECG. The patient was immediately referred to Emergency based on supposed ECG abnormalities indicating a heart attack. This diagnosis was quickly dismissed based on no symptoms, heart rate of 50 BPM, athletic status, excellent health, and no prior cardiovascular problems. The patient had a history of severe white coat hypertension and underwent a further stress test and echocardiogram. The stress test showed exaggerated systolic blood pressures (over 225 mmHg) and high in-clinic basal blood pressures (160/90 mmHg), and the patient was diagnosed as hypertensive with exercise blood pressure close to stroke territory. He was told to stop racing, reduce training, and was prescribed antihypertensive drugs (which he did not take). Subsequent at-home 24 h (values close to 120/80 mmHg) and stress blood pressure measurements reversed that decision when considered in combination with an excellent echocardiogram result. The literature clearly describes endurance-trained athletes with systolic pressures over 225 mmHg Hg as being conditioned with no pathological aspects. Endurance-trained athletes should be examined as special cases in the field of cardiovascular medicine as trained physiological responses often present as cardiac abnormalities, and misdiagnosis can inappropriately change the athlete’s life.

Objectives: The pharmacological stress test with vasodilator agents is an alternative cardiological diagnostic tool for patients with contraindications to the classical stress test provided by physical activity during single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). The study compared the frequency of the side effects of regadenoson and dipyridamole during a SPECT MPI. Methods: This retrospective study included data of 283 consecutive patients who underwent pharmacological stress tests in years 2015-2020. The study group consisted of 240 patients who had received dipyridamole and 43 patients who had received regadenoson. The collected data included the patients' characteristics, the occurrence of side effects (divided into mild: headache, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, dyspnea, chest discomfort, hot flushes, general weakness and severe: bradycardia, hypotension, loss of consciousness), and blood pressure values/measurements. Results: Overall, complications occurred relatively often (regadenoson: 23.2%, dipirydamol: 26.7%, p=0.639). Procedure discontinuation was necessary in 0.7% of examinations, whereas pharmacological support was necessary in 4.7%. There was no difference in the prevalence of mild (regadenoson: 16.2%, dipirydamol: 18.3%, p=0.747) and severe complications (regadenoson: 11.6%, dipyridamole: 15.0%, p=0.563). However, regadenoson has been found to cause a significantly smaller mean decrease of systolic blood pressure (SBP) (regadenoson: -2.6±10.0 mmHg, dipyridamole: -8.7±9.6 mmHg, p=0.002), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (regadenoson: -0.9±5.4 mmHg, dipyridamole: -3.6±6.2 mmHg, p=0.032), as well as mean arterial pressure (MAP) (regadenoson: -1.5±5.6 mmHg, dipyridamole: -5.4±6.5 mmHg, p=0.001). Conclusion: Regadenoson and dipyridamole presented a similar safety profile during SPECT MPI. However, regadenoson has been found to cause significantly smaller decreases in SBP, DBP, and MAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we analyzed the durability of the commercial Pt/C catalysts with platinum loading of 20% and 40% using two different accelerated durability tests, i.e., using Ar or O2 when bubbling the electrolyte during testing. The structural analysis of the changes in the morphology of the catalysts was performed by XRD and TEM as well as the assessment of the degradation degree of the catalysts using the values of the specific surface area and ORR activity, both, before and after the stress testing. Regardless of the stress testing conditions, the JM20 material was established to degrade ESA and the catalytic activity to a greater extent than JM40, which may be due to the structural and morphological features of the catalysts and their evolution during the stress testing under various conditions. The JM20 material has been reported to exhibit a greater degree of degradation when bubbling the electrolyte with oxygen during the stress testing compared to argon, which may be explained by a different mechanism of degradation for the catalyst with the predominant oxidation of the carbon support, leading to a different nature of the distribution of the platinum nanoparticles over the surface of the carbon support, according to results that have estimated the number of nanoparticle intersections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]