bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence of Altered Monoamine Oxidase B, an Astroglia Marker, in Early Psychosis with Cannabis Use
Authors: Aji Kankana Nisha , Lalang Nittha , Ramos-Jiménez Christian , rahimian Reza , Mechawar Naguib , Turecki Gustavo , Chartrand Daniel , Boileau Isabelle , Meyer Jeffrey , Rusjan Pablo , Mizrahi Romina
Published: March 2024

A novel radiotracer, [11C]SL25.1188 targets monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) enzyme, which metabolizes monoamines (including dopamine) primarily found in astrocytes. Altered astrocyte function in schizophrenia is supported by convergent evidence from post-mortem, genetic, transcriptomic, peripheral and preclinical findings. However, this has never been tested in living brains of early psychosis. Thirty-eight participants including antipsychotic-free/minimally exposed patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP), clinical high-risk (CHR) individuals and healthy volunteers (HVs) underwent a 90-minute positron emission tomography (PET) scan with [11C]SL25.1188, to measure MAO-B VT, an index of MAO-B concentration. Participants were excluded if tested positive on urine drug screen (except for cannabis). This study of 14 FEP (mean[SD] age, 25.7[5.7] years; 6 F), 7 CHR (mean[SD] age, 20.9[3.7] years; 4 F) and 17 HV (mean[SD] age, 31.2[13.9] years; 9 F) demonstrated significant group differences in regional MAO-B VT (F(2,37.46) = 4.56, p = 0.02, Cohen’s f = 0.49), controlling for tobacco (F (1,37.46) = 5.50 p = 0.02) and cannabis use (F(1,37.46) = 5.05, p = 0.03) with significant reductions in CHR compared to HV (Cohen’s d = 0.99). We report a significant cannabis effect on MAO-B VT (F(1,39.47) = 12.45, p = 0.001, Cohen’s f = 0.56), with a significant group-by-cannabis interaction (F(2,37.35) = 3.81, p = 0.03, Cohen’s f = 0.45), indicating lower MAO-B VT in cannabis-using patients. Decreased MAO-B VT levels was more robust in striatal than cortical regions, in both clinical groups (F(12,46.07) = 2.00, p = 0.046, Cohen’s f = 0.72) and in cannabis users (F(6,46.07) = 6.01, p < 0.001, Cohen’s f = 0.89). Reduced MAO-B concentration supports astrocyte dysfunction in cannabis-using CHR and FEP patients. Reduced MAO-B is consistent with replicated striatal dopamine elevation in psychosis, as well as astrocyte dysfunction in schizophrenia.
Machine Learning-driven models for predicting CO2 Uptake in Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)
Authors: Achour Sofiene , Hosni Zied
Published: March 2024

This study advances the discourse on the application of machine learning (ML) algorithms for the predictive analysis of CO2 uptake in Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), with a nuanced focus on the CATBoost model's capability to navigate the complexities inherent in MOFs' heterogeneous landscape. Building upon and extending the comparative analysis, our investigation underscores the CATBoost model's remarkable predictive prowess, characterized by a significant reduction in root mean square error (RMSE) and an enhanced R-squared (R²) value, thereby affirming its superior accuracy and reliability in forecasting CO2 adsorption. A pivotal aspect of our research is the integration of SHAP values for a detailed assessment of feature importance, which not only corroborated 'Pressure' and 'Surface Area' as pivotal determinants of CO2 uptake but also illuminated the model's advanced analytical capabilities in handling categorical features and mitigating overfitting, even within a dataset marked by intricate and non-linear patterns. Our quantitative and conceptual analysis, showcasing up to a 15% improvement in (RMSE) over previous models, reveals the CATBoost model’s unparalleled efficiency in discerning the multifaceted interplay of factors influencing CO2 adsorption. This is crucial for the strategic engineering of MOFs with optimized properties. Beyond 'Pressure' and 'Surface Area', our SHAP analysis highlighted other descriptors with substantial values, elucidating their nuanced contributions to CO2 uptake and providing invaluable insights for the MOF design process.
Preoperative predictive model based on computed tomography imaging features for pancreatic fistula risk after pancreaticoduodenectomy
Authors: Wang， Yongkai , Chu， Hongpeng , Xi， Shihang , Chen， Zhiyuan , Sun， Wenjing , Yao， Ting , Wang， Guannan , Lu， Linming , Wang Xiaoming
Published: March 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to establish a predictive nomogram model to anticipate the risk of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) at an earlier stage.
Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from patients who underwent PD at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College. Subsequently, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed on relevant factors to identify independent risk factors for CR-POPF. This led to the development of a risk prediction nomogram model based on imaging data. The model's predictive performance and calibration were assessed using ROC curve analysis and calibration curves, then combined with DCA to evaluate the model's clinical utility, and compared with existing models.
Results: Multivariable regression analysis showed that BMI (OR = 1.365, P < 0.001), extracellular volume fraction (ECVF) (OR = 0.884, P < 0.001), main pancreatic duct diameter (MPD) (OR = 0.263, P < 0.001), and the short axis of the pancreatic neck cross-section (OR = 1.374, P = 0.014) are independent risk factors for CR-POPF. There is a significant positive correlation between ECVF and pancreatic fibrosis; Compared with existing risk scoring systems, the model developed in this study showed a superior fit and had the smallest misclassification error.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the nomogram model provides a good predictive effect for the preoperative assessment of the risk of CR-POPF, and that ECVF is a readily obtainable predictor of CR-POPF, with a high correlation between ECVF and pancreatic fibrosis, and the pancreatic texture is classified based on ECVF.
Dietary factors and risk for endometriosis: a Mendelian randomization analysis
Authors: Zhang Xia , Zheng Qiaomei , Chen Lihong
Published: March 2024

Aims
Observational studies have reported an association between dietary factors and endometriosis, but the causality remains unknown. The study aimed to evaluate the potential causal effect of dietary factors on endometriosis.
Methods
We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the effects of 18 diet-related exposure factors (alcoholic drinks per week, alcohol intake frequency, processed meat intake, poultry intake, beef intake, non-oily fish intake, oily fish intake, pork intake, lamb/mutton intake, bread intake, cheese intake, cooked vegetable intake, tea intake, fresh fruit intake, cereal intake, salad/raw vegetable intake, coffee intake, dried fruit intake) on the risk of endometriosis using summary statistics from the genome-wide association study (GWAS). The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was used to deduce the causal association between dietary factors and endometriosis, and sensitivity analyses were further performed.
Results
Processed meat intake (OR=0.550; 95%CI:0.314-0.965; p=0.037) and salad / raw vegetable intake (OR=0.346; 95%CI:0.127-0.943; p=0.038) were discovered as protective factors for endometriosis. Heterogeneity test revealed no significant heterogeneity (processed meat intake: pIVW=0.607, pMR-Egger=0.548; salad / raw vegetable intake: pIVW=0.678, pMR-Egger=0.620). MR-Egger regression test didn’t support any evidence for horizontal pleiotropy (processed meat intake: p for intercept=0.865; salad / raw vegetable intake: p for intercept=0.725). No causal relationship was found between other dietary intakes and endometriosis.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that processed meat intake and salad/raw vegetable intake are associated with a decreased risk of endometriosis, but further investigation is required.
Identification and expression of the target gene SLC24A2 of oar-miR-377 and its novel SNPs effects on wool traits in sheep
Authors: zhou huaqian , Fan Wenhua , Qiu Lixia , Yang Hanyulu , Zhao Zongsheng , Yang Hua , Yu Qian , Yang Yonglin , Zhang Wenzhe
Published: March 2024

Hair follicle development is closely associated with wool traits. Current studies reveal the crucial role of microRNAs in regulating the specific gene expression by binding to target mRNA involution in hair follicle growth and development, thereby regulating the wool traits. Our previous miRNA sequencing showed that oar-miR-377 have special expression in secondary hair follicle development and SLC24A2 may be a new candidate target using bioinformatics analysis. In this study, the regulatory relationship of oar-miR-377 and its specific target gene SLC24A2 was determined in sheep fibroblasts by dual-luciferase reporter assay, RT-qPCR and western blot. The genetic variation of oar-miR-377 precursors were detected using PCR and Sanger sequencing, the association between polymorphisms of oar-miR-377 and wool quality traits were analyzed in Chinese Merino and prolific Suffolk sheep. The result showed that SLC24A2 was a target gene of oar-miR-377. A SNP (276T＞C) of oar-miR-377 upstream sequences was identified in Chinese Merino sheep and prolific Suffolk sheep, and extremely significant associated with the fiber diameter variation (P<0.01). These results suggest that oar-miR-377 promotes secondary hair follicle development by down regulation of SLC24A2 gene expression, and its SNP might be useful markers for wool quality.
Almost Borderenergetic Line Graphs
Authors: DEDE Cahit , MADEN Ayşe Dilek
Published: March 2024

The energy of a graph is calculated by summing the absolute values of the eigen-values found in its adjacency matrix. In this study, we present examples of line graphs with energy equivalent to the energy of a complete graph, which are called the borderenergetic graphs. As the examples of borderenergetic line graphs are rare, we introduce a new type of graphs called almost borderenergetic graphs whose energy differs from the borderenergetic energy by at most 1. In this paper, we begin by exploring the energy properties of line graphs derived from regular graphs and strongly regular graphs. Specifically, we establish a criterion for a line graph to exhibit borderenergetic characteristics when it consists of p many connected regular graphs and q many complete graphs, even when the original regular graph is disconnected. Additionally, we present a criterion for the line graph of a strongly regular graph to exhibit borderenergetic characteristics. To illustrate these concepts, we offer examples of connected borderenergetic graphs that are not necessarily complete. In the second part, we give the spectrum of the line graph of rK 1 K 2 , and show that it is an almost borderenergetic graph for r ≥ 5.
MSC2020: 05C50, 05C76, 15A18.
Psychosocial impacts on patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) who received a Variant of Uncertain Significance (VUS) genetic test result
Authors: Thomas Philippa Emily Benigno , Roberts Jonathan
Published: March 2024

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a hereditary heart condition, engendering possible fatal symptoms such as heart failure. Gene panel testing is currently employed to provide a genetic diagnosis for HCM, but the discovery of a Variant of Uncertain Significance (VUS) genetic test result is a possibility. This study explored the psychosocial impacts of receiving a VUS result on patients with HCM. A qualitative methodology, using semi-structured interviews, explored the experiences, perceptions, emotions and understanding of seven patients who had received a VUS result with a diagnosis of HCM. The interview transcripts were scrutinised using thematic analysis. Three key themes were highlighted; ‘anxiety’, ‘managing uncertainty’ and ‘hope’ and the overarching theme of ‘concern for family’. Overall, receiving a VUS result did not seem to have a serious psychosocial impact on these participants. The understanding of their result was diverse, but they largely acknowledged its uncertainty, concerned mainly about the impact on their family members. Two ways participants managed this uncertainty were to accept and compartmentalise their result and to remain hopeful for future result re-classification.These coping strategies were similarly seen in cancer patients with VUS results. Consequently, these findings should support Healthcare Professionals (HCPs), especially Genetic Counsellors, when discussing VUS results.
Chimeric free flaps based on end-to-side anastomosis for complex lower extremity reconstruction
Authors: Gu Yingluo , Sun Yongyang , Xu Ke , Yi Nan , Qin Jianzhong , Zhang Yong , Zhao Jiaju , Jiang Bo
Published: March 2024

Background: Complex lower extremity defects are difficult to cover and often require multiple free tissue transfers. Chimeric anterolateral thigh free flaps (ALTF) and peroneal artery perforator free flaps (PAPF) have been designed specifically as an alternative for reconstruction with arterial end-to-side (ETS) anastomosis. We aimed to assess our institutional experience with this technique and to define its role in complex lower extremity reconstruction.
Methods: From July 2012 to March 2023, 27 patients with complex lower extremity defects underwent reconstruction with chimeric ALTF or PAPF. Patients were performed with retrograde flaps for repairing refractory wounds of tibia plateau fracture and antegrade flaps for distal 2/3 tibia and beyond. Demographic, clinical, and follow-up data on the patients were recorded with a special focus on complication profiles during a follow-up of 6 to 60 months.
Results: The mean defect size measured 121.1 ± 215.1 cm2 and the chimeric ALTF or PAPF flaps measured 143.9 ± 177.8 cm2. One patient lost the first free flap but successfully had a chimeric PAPF then. Three patients suffered partial free flap loss, and another three had minor complications. All six survived after an additional exploration, wound dressing, or antibiotics treatment. The retrograde flaps achieved similar blood flow to the antegrade flaps. Patients are all satisfied with functional and aesthetic outcomes.
Conclusions: Given the incidence of complications, utilizing chimeric ALTF and PAPF either with retrograde or antegrade flow based on arterial ETS anastomosis is a reliable surgical option for complex lower extremity reconstructions.
DHC-YOLO: Improved YOLOv8 for Lesion Detection in Brain Tumors, Colon Polyps, and Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Ren Shaojie , Song Jinmiao , Yu Long , Tian Shengwei , Long Jun
Published: March 2024

The detection of lesions in various diseases remains a challenging task in medical image processing, given the diverse morphologies, sizes, and boundaries of lesions associated with different illnesses. In this paper, we propose an advanced lesion detection model named DHC-YOLO, which integrates Multi-Scale Dilated attention (MSDA) and multi-head self-attention (MHSA) within the YOLOv8 network. The method also introduces an enhanced feature fusion through the Concatenation (Concat) operation in the Feature Pyramid Networks (FPN) structure of YOLOv8. The DHC-YOLO model achieves superior performance in lesion detection by effectively aggregating semantic information across various scales in the attended receptive field, reducing redundancy in self-attention mechanisms without the need for complex operations or additional computational costs. The incorporation of MHSA enhances the network’s ability to extract diverse features, and the Concat operation in FPN improves multi-scale feature fusion. Our evaluations on brain tumor, colonic polyp, and esophageal cancer datasets demonstrate the superiority of our method over baseline YOLOv8 and several state-of-the-art object detection models. Specifically, on the brain tumor dataset, DHC-YOLO achieves mAP50 and mAP50:95 scores of 88.3% and 73.5%, respectively; on the colonic polyp dataset, the scores are 88.8% and 67.2%; and on the esophageal cancer dataset, the scores are 51.3% and 20.7%. These compelling results underscore the robust performance of DHC-YOLO in lesion detection tasks.
The experiences of medical and pharmacy students participating in a Collaborative Online International Learning on social accountability and Global Health: a qualitative study
Authors: Rault Anne-Emmanuelle , Giard Janie , Ladner Joël , Kra Ouffoue , Randrianarivo Raphaël , Chenault Marceau , Leaune Edouard
Published: March 2024

Background
Social accountability aims to promote a collective ethic that upholds the fundamental values of equity, efficiency, solidarity, and social justice in healthcare and is now considered as a critical mission of academic health centers. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is a pedagogical approach that uses digital technology to provide experiential international learning, specifically for increasingly diverse and multicultural healthcare work environments. The SOLID'AIRS program is an innovative French-language COIL that aims to set up international exchanges and workshops on social accountability between medical and pharmacy students. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of participation in the SOLID'AIRS program on medical and pharmacy students
Method
Five universities in four different countries were involved in SOLID’AIRS. We conducted a qualitative study by performing individual, semi-directed interviews with students who participated in the program from 2021 to 2022. A thematic analysis was conducted in five chronological phases: (1) reading, (2) descriptive coding, (3) conceptual coding, (4) identification of themes and (5) production of a coherent thematic structure.
Results
After including sixteen student participants, of whom 13 were medical students, we reached saturation point and identified four main themes related to the impact of participation: 1) 'background in social accountability', 2) 'perception of the program', 3) 'perceived impacts of the program', and 4) 'difficulties encountered and avenues to improve the program'. Overall, the program was well received by all participants. The students identified the advantages and limitations of the program's distance learning format. The primary advantage of this format was its feasibility. The participants noted both professional and personal benefits of the program for their future practice. Based on the challenges faced during the first edition of SOLID'AIRS, particularly in coordinating group work and communication, participants suggested increased supervision of group projects by collaborators and organizing at least one in-person meeting for future editions of the program. The participants reported encountering difficulties during the COIL and suggested ways to improve the program.
Conclusion
Participating in a COIL on social accountability appears to be an effective way to adopt a reflective approach to medical practice and should be implemented and evaluated in other educational contexts.
Using 2% PVPI topical solution for serial intravitreous injections and ocular surface findings: a case control study
Authors: Casemiro José Henrique , Oguido Ana Paula , Casella Antonio Marcelo Barbante
Published: March 2024

Background
The use of povidone-iodine for ocular surface asepsis is widespread for intravitreal injections. They became frequent procedures, leading to serial exposure of patients' eyes to iodinated solutions. In this study, we investigate the changes in the ocular surface in patients submitted to repeated use of povidine for intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF asepsis, analyzing Ocular Surface Disease Index, non-invasive break up time, blinking quality, lipid layer, meniscus height and osmolarity.
Methods
This case-control study included 34 individuals (68 eyes), 14 males, 20 females aged 48 to 94. Inclusion criteria were individuals who received application of 2% povidone-iodine eyedrops for intravitreal injections treatment with the non-treated contralateral eye used as control. Ocular surface examinations were performed at a single occasion. A pre-intravitreal injection asepsis protocol with povidone-iodine was applied. All statistical analysis was performed using the STATA® 18.0 Software and a p-value = 0.05 was considered as the statistical significance value in all tests.
Results
The median number of IVIs in treated eyes was 12 (range 6–20). The results in treated eyes compared with untreated eyes were respectively : median OSDI 16 (IQR 6–39) and 12.5 (IQR 8–39) (p = 0.380); mean NIBUT 10.30 (SD ± 2.62) and 10.78 (SD ± 2.92) ( s, p = 0.476); median blinking quality 100 (IQR 100) and 100 (IQR 100 ) (%, p = 0.188); median lipid layer 87 (IQR 77–90) and 86 (IQR 74–100) (nm, p = 0.451); median meniscus height 0.22 (IQR 0.19-0,31) and 0.24 (IQR 0.20–0.27) (mm, p = 0.862), median Meiboiman gland loss 33 (IQR 24–45) and 31.5 (IQR 25–39) (%, p = 0.524); and mean osmolarity 306.6 (SD ± 21.13) and 313.8 (SD ± 29) (mOsm, p = 0.297). There was no statistically significant relationship between the repetitive use of 2% iodinated solution and signs or symptoms compatible with dry eye syndrome in this group of patients.
Conclusions
The use of iodine on the ocular surface was not statistically related to any parameter we use to evaluate ocular surface. A local anti-inflammatory and protective surface effect of the anti-VEGF used in IVIs should be considered an further studies with repetitive use of PVPI in different eye procedures will be needed to support these results.
The Influence of Social and Task Peer-Leaders on Team Cohesion and Collective Efficacy in Sports: A Meta-Analytical Review
Authors: Piasecki Piotr A. , Filho Edson
Published: March 2024

Background: Effective peer-leadership is paramount to team functioning, as peer-leaders help to facilitate the development of various team processes.
Aims: In the present study we examined the influence of social leadership and task leadership on cohesion and collective efficacy.
Methods: We adhered to the PRISMA guidelines and searched for relevant papers across six databases. A total of 168 papers were screened.
Results: Seven studies, representing 3548 participants and ten different sports, met our inclusion criteria. Our analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between task leadership and social cohesion (r = .26, p< .01), social leadership and social cohesion (r = .23, p = .01), task leadership and collective efficacy (r = .21, p < .01), and social leadership and task cohesion (r = .23, p = .04).
Conclusions: These results suggest that developing task leaders will help foster social cohesion and collective efficacy, and that social leaders positively influence teammates’ feelings of cohesion and collective efficacy beliefs. Therefore, practitioners should develop peer-leadership programs that equip athletes with both task and social dimensions.
Modeling change in public sentiment with nonlocal reaction-diffusion equations
Authors: Shomberg Joseph
Published: March 2024

This is a brief ''proof of concept'' article that shows a nonlocal variant of a reaction-diffusion equation, which is already well suited to the study of pattern formation, is a plausible tool for the particular application of modeling change in public sentiment. Public sentiment is ubiquitous in modern society; from the marketing of consumer goods to the choice of political rhetoric, we are all affected by it.Modeling change in public sentiment has an important role when analyzing and predicting the course society is on.Of course, change is permanent. Perhaps the best-known feature in public sentiment is polarization.By this, we mean the development or establishment of a certain subset of a population whose views on a given subject are fixed to one end of the spectrum.It is when public sentiment undergoes a change do we witness the emergence of polarization.In large part we see polarization arise through the use of persuasion and rhetoric.Moreover, some marketing or arguments are more effective on certain individuals, thus leading these people into a polarized regime. Our model captures this emergence of the polarized regime. In addition, in some cases, we see the development of true polar opposites (which we call mixed polarity).Our method features:
• We use a nonlocal Chafee–Infante reaction-diffusion equation to model the evolution of public sentiment in a population that interacts with other individuals.
• We employ a pseudo-random convolution kernel as a symmetric matrix of lognor-mally distributed values. This kernel models the influence of individuals when interacting with others.
• Change in sentiment emerges and may converge to a polarized state expressed by a double-well potential. Other more complicated states occur whereby a mixed polarization emerges.
Parental experiences in the use of fluoxetine for management of ‘disruptive behaviours’ in children and youth with autism and pathological demand avoidance – a mixed methods exploratory study (Fluoxetine study)
Authors: Lim Rebecca , Yip Johnny , Richardson Anamaria
Published: March 2024

Background
Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is a relatively new profile described in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), characterised by an extreme resistance to everyday demands and social interactions and may present as aggressive, destructive behaviours. This study aims to explore (through use of parental recall) the utility of fluoxetine in managing disruptive behaviours attributed to PDA.
Methods
Mixed-methods study incorporating surveys and semi-structured interviews with caregivers.
Results
Extreme Demand Avoidance 8-item measure (EDA-8) survey results showed a significant decrease in most behaviours attributed to PDA, including a decrease in frequency of the child obsessively resisting and avoiding ordinary demands and requests and having difficulties complying with demands unless they were carefully presented. The majority of participants in this study indicated that their child had either a co-occurring diagnosis of an anxiety disorder or that their child experienced anxiety. After initiating fluoxetine, parents noted improvement in their child’s behaviours and consequently improvement in their family’s quality of life.
Conclusion
Fluoxetine shows promise as an effective treatment in improving disruptive behaviours in children with PDA. Given the high prevalence of anxiety in children with PDA, we propose that the disruptive behaviours of PDA are secondary to an embodied experience of anxiety in children with autism.
The frequency degeneracy range of transverse mode in an off-axis end-pumped solid-state lasers
Authors: Li Jia'ning , Song Shengbo , Huang Gang , Jiang Zeqian , Xie Pengjian , Liao Wenbin , Lin Zhanglang , Li Bingxuan , Zhang Ge
Published: March 2024

The degenerate phenomena of transverse modal frequency in an off-axis end-pumped solid-state lasers was researched based on a semi-confocal cavity. Experimental results showed that at the large off-axis distance the transverse mode pattern changed from the Hermite-Gaussian mode to the geometric mode and finally back to the Hermite-Gaussian mode as cavity length varied. At the large off-axis distance, the degeneracy range of transverse mode patterns was a cavity length to mirrors radius ratio from 0.4958 to 0.5092 and the frequency degeneracy range was a cavity length to mirrors radius ratio from 0.4974 to 0.5025. The degeneracy range by observing beating frequency changes was more accurate and more useful than the method by comparing the transverse pattern changes. Furthermore, it was found that the off-axis pumping did not significantly alter the degeneracy position and range.
Exploring Resampling Techniques in Credit Card Default Prediction
Authors: Lokanan Mark
Published: March 2024

In the field of machine learning, the preparation of data is a pivotal step in optimizing model performance. This paper delves into the crucial role of data cleaning and transformation, with a particular emphasis on resampling techniques tailored for addressing imbalanced datasets. By emphasizing the significance of tailored data preparation methodologies, this study underscores the role of resampling techniques in optimizing model performance, especially when dealing with imbalanced datasets. Through an exploration of both undersampling and oversampling methods, the study delves into their nuanced impacts on classification performance and explores the potential trade-offs inherent in each approach. Focusing on the domain of credit card default prediction, the research leverages the UCI Credit Card dataset to provide a comprehensive analysis. The results demonstrate that NearMiss outperformed other undersampling techniques across all classifiers and evaluation metrics. Similarly, K-MeansSMOTE emerged as the top-performing oversampling technique across all classifiers and evaluation metrics. Among the techniques investigated in the study, K-MeansSMOTE oversampling yielded the highest performance accuracy. The findings from this paper enhance our understanding of the performance of different resampling techniques and contribute to the scholarship on handling imbalanced datasets. The results show the pros and cons of different resampling methods used with different machine learning algorithms. They also show how important customized methods are for getting accurate predictions. While offering valuable insights, the study acknowledges the necessity for further research to refine and generalize these techniques across diverse domains and real-world applications, thereby contributing to the broader landscape of machine learning methodologies.
GIS assisted Multi-Camera surveillance system with novel calibration approach for critical facilities
Authors: Punna Rajasekhar , G Aravamuthan , Kar Soumitra
Published: March 2024

The protection of any strategic and critical facilities from physical intrusionsis of prime importance to the authorities. Now-a-days, a lot of video camerasare installed for surveillance to detect intrusions along the perimeter of suchfacilities. However, monitoring through video feed from a large number of camerassimultaneously by security personnel is tedious and often error prone. This paperdescribes an intelligent system developed to assist in surveillance by detectingintrusions from the video feed of already existing infrastructure of cameras andby marking the intrusion on a GIS map in real time. GIS mapping integratesthe output of multiple cameras in a single bird’s eye view to provide a pictureof entire perimeter in a glance. The intrusions are detected using deep learningbased object detection model and the pixel location of intrusions are transformedto GIS coordinates. This approach helps in reducing the number of watch towers,patrolling frequency etc., which in turn reduces the costs to security. This alsoacts as an assisting tool to the security by pointing at the right camera feed, inwhich a probable intrusion is occurring. This approach has been implementedat a critical facility with feed from geographically isolated multiple surveillancecameras located along the perimeter of 7km stretch. The video stream is collectedand processed at a centralised server with CUDA enabled GPU devices. Thesystem achieves a frame rate of 10fps for 75 cameras. This software architectureis modular and seamlessly scales-up to handle any number of cameras
BRAF V600E Mutation in Thyroid Carcinoma: A Large-Scale Study in Han Chinese Population
Authors: Cong Rong , Ouyang Hui , Zhou Di , Li Xinying , Xia Fada
Published: March 2024

Background The prevalence of genetic mutations in thyroid cancer varies significantly among different ethnic backgrounds. The present study aimed to investigate the clinical potential of BRAF V600E in a large group of homogenous Han Chinese patients.
Methods From 2018 to 2021, 6232 thyroid disease patients who underwent thyroidectomy at our hospital were enrolled. We measured the diagnostic value of BRAF and plotted ROC curves. Patients with full clinical-pathological data were selected and divided into the BRAF mutation and wild type groups. We conducted univariate and multivariate analyses to quantify the differences in potential predictive factors of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients between the groups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to estimate overall recurrence and recurrence rate.
Results The prevalence of BRAF V600E mutation was 86.0% in PTCs. The sensitivity and specificity of BRAF mutation for diagnosing PTC from suspicious lesions were 85.5% and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of BRAF analysis in the indeterminate cytology group were 72.5% and 100%, respectively. BRAF mutation showed an independent association with older age, negative HT, larger tumor size, extrathyroidal extension, and multifocality in PTCs. In micro-PTCs (tumor size ≤1), the mutation was also positively correlated with progressive phenotypes of extrathyroidal extension and multifocality. BRAF mutation was associated with poorer recurrence-free probability in Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.
Conclusions This large single-center study revealed that BRAF V600E is highly prevalent in the Han Chinese population and demonstrated BRAF V600E mutation testing has high diagnostic accuracy and its strong association with the progress of aggressiveness in PTCs and a higher probability of recurrence. BRAF mutation can serve as an accurate marker for diagnosis and decision-making with great value.
Identification of novel tumor antigens and immune subtypes in breast cancer patients for mRNA vaccine development
Authors: Yu Haiyan , Liu Junping , Li Lintai , He Jingquan , Li Dandan , Hou Xianliang , Cai Wanxia , Chen Yumei , Dai Yong , Tang Donge , Tang Min , Zhang Wei
Published: March 2024

Background:Breast cancer has overtaken lung cancer as the world's most common malignancy. Despite the development of some mRNA vaccines, no satisfactory vaccination for breast cancer has entered clinical application.Methods:In this study, we used multiple analyses of expression datasets from public sources to find new possible tumor antigens for breast cancer and to hunt for potential treatment-sensitive patients.Results:We identified the antigens DST, ANO6, LAMA3, and NEDD9 as putative candidates. Furthermore, we found five predictive genes to identify specific patients inclined for vaccination, namely TRBC2, CD3D, CD27, CD3E, and TRBV28. Following that, we discovered three immunological subtypes of breast cancer, Cluster 1 and Cluster 3, which were recognized as "cold tumors" with minimal immune activity and were more likely to respond to vaccination. We uncovered that Cluster 1 and Cluster 3 could be further separated into two subgroups, each with distinct immune cell infiltration patterns, suggesting that vaccine responses could differ among these patients. The findings of our study lay theoretical foundation for the development of mRNA vaccine and provide new opportunities for personalized treatment.
Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality and Years of Life Lost in Patients with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Retrospective Study in the Metropolitan Region of Vitória, Brazil
Authors: FILHO WALTER GOMES DA SILVA , DE ALMEIDA RODRIGO FREIRE , GONÇALVES JESSICA VAZ , VASCONCELOS HELLEN SILLER , LOUZADA CARLA BERNARDO , RAMOS LARISSA CUNHA SILVA SANTOS , RODRIGUES THAIS DA SILVA , DE ALMEIDA HANNA SOUZA , PEREIRA RAMON DA SILVA , GROBERIO RODRIGO MIRANDA , NASCIMENTO LUCAS RODRIGUES , ARÊAS FERNANDO ZANELA DA SILVA
Published: March 2024

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) poses a notable incidence in both developed countries and emerging economies worldwide. Each year, approximately 70 million people are affected by TBI, and around 11% of these events are classified as severe. Data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) in 2019 revealed that Brazil accounts for 1.1% of all moderate/severe TBI incidents worldwide. Within this context, falls stand out as the primary cause, representing 67% of cases. Analyzing the statistics at the state level, it is observed that Espírito Santo is responsible for 14% of all TBI incidents in Brazil, with falls also being the main cause, at a percentile of 67%. The discovery of predictors of TBI mortality is crucial to support intervention and prognosis strategies, potentially guiding public health policies. Due to the scarcity of studies in this area, our objective was to identify predictors of mortality in severe TBI and analyze the burden of TBI in the metropolitan region of Vitória, Espírito Santo. We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study at a trauma reference hospital in the state, including all individuals diagnosed with severe TBI from 2019 to 2022. The dependent variable analyzed was the outcome of hospital mortality. After applying the inclusion criteria, 863 individuals were included in the study, of which 450 (52.14%) had a fatal outcome, and 413 (47.86%) survived. The mean age was 48.67 years, with 82.5% being male. Falls (55.56%) were the leading cause of death in the population. The final binomial logistic regression model indicated that age up to 59 years, time up to 10 days in orotracheal intubation (OTI), and the type of trauma from falls were variables with notable predictive power for severe TBI-related mortality in the population. The calculation of Years of Life Lost (YLLs) revealed that TBI had an accumulated impact of 10,870.23 years of life lost prematurely in the study population. This is the first retrospective study to analyze predictive variables and the burden of TBI in the Greater Vitória region. However, it is important to note that unanalyzed factors may influence outcomes, such as the sample restriction to patients from a single reference hospital in the region, potentially limiting the understanding of variations in epidemiological profiles and adjacent health services.
FEDRETAIL: A Framework for Distributed Retail Data Analysis and Learning Toward E-commerce 5.0
Authors: Chongder Sumit
Published: March 2024

Retail data analysis has been identified as a crucial component in the pursuit of E-commerce 5.0. The recent rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has revolutionized retail data analysis by providing advanced technologies such as big data analysis and machine learning. However, the privacy of customers has become a significant concern, making retail institutions hesitant to share their customer data. This reluctance forms isolated data islands, hindering the realization of comprehensive retail data analysis. I propose a federated learning-based retail data analysis framework, FEDRETAIL, to address this challenge. This framework allows retail data analysis federations to be formed by several institutions. None of these institutions need to exchange their customer data with each other directly, and they always keep the data in their place to ensure their customers’ privacy. We apply our FEDRETAIL framework to analyze a retail dataset via different federated learning paradigms. The experimental results show that our framework not only guarantees the customers’ privacy but also effectively breaks the borders of data islands by achieving higher analysis quality. FEDRETAIL framework closely approaches the performance of centralized analysis, which requires data collection in a commonplace, posing a risk of privacy exposure. In conclusion, the FEDRETAIL framework presents a promising solution for privacy-preserving retail data analysis in the era of E-commerce 5.0, paving the way for more effective and secure data-driven decision-making in the retail industry.
Upwelling Enhances Hg Particle Scavenging in the California Current Ecosystem
Authors: Cui Xinyun , Adams Hannah M. , Song Yiluan , Stukel Michael R. , Schartup Amina T. , Lamborg Carl H.
Published: March 2024

Mercury (Hg) cycling is essential to explore in marine ecosystems because of the adverse effects of Hg on the health of humans and marine organisms via bioaccumulation. Coastal upwelling could supply Hg into the mixed layer of the ocean, however, its impact on Hg cycling, encompassing particle scavenging, water mass transport, and sea-air exchange, remains understudied. Additionally, particles supplying monomethylmercury (MMHg) in low oxygen water pose a significant environmental concern. During the 2021 California Current Ecosystem (CCE) Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Cruise, we investigated two upwelled water parcels and one non-upwelled water parcel, collecting suspended and sinking particle samples. We observed higher total particulate Hg and sinking flux in the upwelling region compared to the open ocean, indicating upwelling enhances particle scavenging. To better understand the intricate interplay between Hg particle scavenging and upwelling, we further modeled Hg inventories and fluxes in the upper ocean under two scenarios: upwelling and non-upwelling. The model simulations supported the hypothesis that upwelling enhances sinking fluxes by 40% through elevated primary production. The combined effect of these competing forcings results in an increased delivery of Hg to low oxygen regions where net methylation occurs.
Reinterpretation Reinterpretation of Surah At Taubah Verse 29 Against Acts of Terrorism Using Ma'na-Cum-Maghza Approach in Efforts to Prevent Islamophobia
Authors: Irbah Zukhruful
Published: March 2024

Abstract: Islamophobia is a phenomenon of fear and threat to Islam. On January 21 2023, an incident occurred when the Koran was burned in Sweden. Islamophobia in this case is triggered by historical trauma due to what some members of extreme Islamic groups have done. This group tends to understand and adhere to the ideology of confrontation that the word "war" in the letter At Taubah verse 29 is only physical warfare against enemies and against people who have different opinions through acts of terror. The formulation of the research problem is how to interpret Surah At Taubah verse 29 using the Ma'na Cum Maghza approach and how to contextualize this interpretation towards acts of terrorism as an effort to ward off Islamophobia? Researchers use this type of library research. The results of research using the Ma'na Cum Maghza approach are that all the behavior and attitudes of Muslims shown are back to the behavior and attitudes of non-Muslims towards Muslims. Muslims are only allowed to attack if they attack Muslims first. In the contextual realm, this verse shows that Islam is a friendly religion and not a cause of chaos, unlike what is said by Islamophobic people. In the current era, there are many various behaviors that are not in accordance with the teachings of the Islamic religion. However, that doesn't mean this has to be immediately shared and fought.
Double Burden (Dual Roles) of Women in Domestic and Public: Perspectives Surah Al-Qasas 23 and Surah Al-Ahzab 33
Authors: Halimah Ulfatul
Published: March 2024

The term "Double Burden" refers to a situation in which women simultaneously hold two or more roles as wives, mothers, and employees outside the house, alongside their traditional roles within the household. In this framework, a conflict arises between family responsibilities and employment, creating a dilemma faced by many working women. In Islam, there are various perspectives on the roles of women, including whether they should work outside the house or focus more on domestic duties. This article discusses the two roles performed by women, both in the domestic and public spheres. There are two Quranic verses that indicate different point of views: Surah Al-Qasas: 23 demonstrates women's ability to work outside the home, while Surah Al-Ahzab: 33 suggests that women are better off engaging in activities within the home. The result is the domestic and public roles can both function with the commitment between partners and in accordance with their respective abilities to fulfill their responsibilities.
Variations in the streamflow of the Nierji Reservoir Basin and quantification of the influencing factors
Authors: Han Chunxu , Li Fengping , Li Xiaolan , Wang Sheng , Xu Yanhua
Published: March 2024

Nierji Reservoir is the largest and most important water conservancy project in the Nenjiang River Basin. A thorough understanding of variations in streamflow and the driving factors of the Nierji Reservoir Basin (NERB) is crucial, but there are still gaps. In this paper, the annual streamflow data of Nierji Reservoir from 1898 to 2013 were applied to detect changing trends and abrupt changes using the Mann–Kendall method. Additionally, a Back Propagation–Artificial Neural Network (BP-ANN) model was developed to explore the relationships between the streamflow and its influencing factors and further quantify the relative contribution of each factor to the streamflow change. The results revealed that the annual streamflow of NERB significantly increased from 1898 to 2013 but declined during 1988–2013. Human activities were found to be the primary driver of streamflow decrease during 1988–2013 (nearly 75% of the total change). GDP had the largest influence, contributing 32% to the overall variation. Forest area, precipitation, and cultivated area had contributions of 25%, 23%, and 18%, respectively. Temperature had the least impact, with a relative contribution of 2%. This study provides valuable insights into water resources management in the Nenjiang River Basin, benefiting both agriculture and ecology.
Chloride ion sequestration by vetiver root biosorption: isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic analyses and ANN prediction
Authors: Dhumal Riddhi Chandrakant , Sadgir Parag
Published: March 2024

The present research investigates the potential of activated vetiver root powder as a bioadsorbent for removing chloride ions from saline aqueous environments, especially relevant for addressing agricultural water scarcity. Factors such as pH, biomass dosage, contact duration, and initial salt ion concentration were examined. Thermodynamic analysis provided insights into the adsorption process, demonstrating the feasibility, non-spontaneous behavior, and exothermic nature of chloride ion adsorption onto activated vetiver root powder. The batch adsorption of chlorides adhered to the Langmuir equation and a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, demonstrating a monolayer adsorption capacity of 17.58 mg/g for activated vetiver powder. An artificial neural network (ANN) was used to develop a predictive model for estimating the percentage removal of chloride ions. The values of R2 and mean squared error were used to determine the predictive performance of the ANN. In the near term, prospective commercial uses of activated vetiver powder merit further investigation through in-depth research using real wastewater containing salinity-inducing ion.
FTO in Lung Cancer: Its Progression and Therapeutic Potential
Authors: Chen Xue-Fen , Gong Chen
Published: March 2024

One of the most fatal and frequent malignancies on the planet is lung cancer. Its occurrence
and development are the results of multifactorial and multigenic interactions. In recent
years, RNA N6-methyladenosine transferase (FTO) has gained significant attention in the field
of oncology. FTO is the first RNA demethylase to be found to control target mRNA demethylation.
The growth, proliferation, and metastasis of tumor cells are greatly influenced by FTO.
Recent studies have found that imbalanced m6A methylation regulatory proteins can induce disruption
of downstream RNA metabolism, strongly affecting tumor development. This paper provides
an overview of the relationship between FTO and lung cancer, discussing the mechanisms
by which FTO is involved in lung cancer and its potential clinical applications.