bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fabrication of Novel Floating 3D-Printed Devices with Adjustable Releasing Channels for Controlled Release
Authors:   Pharmaceutical Development of Green Innovations Group (PDGIG), Department of Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand, Charoenying Thapakorn , Akkaramongkolporn Prasert ,   Pharmaceutical Development of Green Innovations Group (PDGIG), Department of Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand, Opanasopit Praneet ,   Pharmaceutical Development of Green Innovations Group (PDGIG), Department of Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand, Patrojanasophon Prasopchai ,   Pharmaceutical Development of Green Innovations Group (PDGIG), Department of Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand, Pengnam Supusson ,   Pharmaceutical Development of Green Innovations Group (PDGIG), Department of Biomedicine and Health Informatics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand
Published: August 2023

Gastro-retentive drug delivery systems (GRDDS) have been used to improve the therapeutic efficacy of drugs with narrow absorption windows, unstable in alkaline pH, soluble in acidic conditions, and active locally in the stomach. This study aimed to produce a novel floating three-dimensional (3D)-printed device (F3D) from polylactic acid filaments using a fused deposition modeling 3D printer. There were two parts of F3D: a cap with an air chamber for floating property and a body with 6 channels for controlled release. The device was designed to have adjustable channels for the releasing control and gastric retention of Bromhexine, carvedilol, and theophylline. The releasing channels could be adjusted by rotating the base to open or close the number of releasing channels as 3 levels (2, 4, and 6 channels). Morphology, weight variation, ex vivo floating time, and drug release characteristics were examined. The F3D had a smooth texture with a narrow SD value of weight variation and actual size, suggesting that the F3D had high accuracy and consistent fabrication using 3D printing technology. All tablets incorporated F3D was able to float for at least 24 h. Decreasing the number of channels on the devices led to the sustained release of drugs following 2> 4> 6 channels. Hence, F3D could be useful in controlling drug release for various commercial tablets. Keywords: 3D-printed device, Floating device, Fused deposition modeling, Gastroretentive drug delivery systems, controlled release dosage form
A Compact Circularly Polarized Crossed Dipole Antenna with Wide Bandwidth using Split Ring Resonator and Parasitic Patches
Authors: Yang Hailong , Guo Zhiqiang , Li Xuping , Zhang Yunqi , Song Xueyan , Wang Shanzhe
Published: August 2023

A new compact broadband circularly polarized (CP) crossed dipole antenna using split ring resonator (SRR) and parasitic patches are presented. The proposed antenna is mainly composed of two orthogonal strip dipoles, two 90∘ phase delay lines, four SRRs, and four parasitic patches. The combination of the orthogonal strip dipoles and the delay lines forms a crossed dipole as the main CP radiator. The well-designed SRR can extend the current path and improve the current distribution of high-frequency without increasing the size of the antenna, thereby reducing the size of the antenna and increasing the axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of the high-frequency. The introduction of parasitic patches can improve the current distribution between the upper and lower cut-off frequency points of the bandwidth, and make up for the defects of the insufficient bandwidth of the crossed dipole and the SRR, thereby realizing broadband CP radiation. To verify the antenna, a physical prototype is fabricated. The measured results show that the impedance bandwidth (IBW) of 69.1% (1.38-2.84 GHz), and a wide AR bandwidth of 57.7% (1.43-2.59 GHz). In addition, the designed antenna achieves a stable gain in the working band and a certain band-edge selectivity. Such a single-fed, simple structure and the wideband CP antenna is an excellent candidate for communication systems such as ISM (2.4 GHz), WiBro (2.3-2.39 GHz)and Inmarsat.
An Ultra-small Heated Area Masked Microwave Hyperthermia Therapy Scheme in Fresnel Region
Authors: Abouelnaga Tamer G. , Abdel-Haleem Maha R.
Published: August 2023

This paper introduces a localized masked thermal therapy method for only the breast through the Fresnel region. A pyramidal horn antenna has been used as a hyperthermia system applicator. The antenna is fed by a Yagi array and resonates at 4.74 GHz. A metal plate with a square slot masked the breast phantom. The antenna irradiates the breast phantom for 5 and 10 minutes with input power of 10 and 20 watts (W). Thermal and specific absorption rate (SAR) distributions are studied under the same conditions for a fair comparison between masked and unmasked system performance. The square slot dimensions are altered, and their effects are studied considering the phantom heated area. Moving from unmasked to masked hyperthermia scenarios, a heated area size reduction of 99.87 % is achieved along with a very considerable SAR value reduction. The masked scenario elevates the breast temperature to 43 C∘ in a very concentrated area. The proposed system can elevate only an area of 2×2mm2 of the breast tissue to a temperature of 40 C∘ in 5 minutes, and that is a very promising result in hyperthermia therapy applications.
Sectional Modular Technology for Reducing Detent Force of Linear Unit in Linear-rotary Flux-switching Permanent-magnet Generator for Wind-wave Combined Energy Conversion
Authors: Zhang Guozhen , Nie Rui , Si Jikai , Feng Xiaohui , Wang Changli
Published: August 2023

A linear-rotary flux-switching permanent magnet (FSPM) generator (LRFSPMG) is a potential candidate for a wind-wave combined energy conversion (WWCEC) system. The linear unit of the LRFSPMG is a tubular FSPM linear generator (TFSPMLG), which like other permanent magnet linear generators, has an inherent detent force problem. To alleviate this problem, a sectional modular technology scheme is investigated to reduce the detent force of the TFSPMLG. Firstly, the structure is briefly introduced and the detent force analyzed. Secondly, the sectional modular TFSPMLGs are presented and their feasibility verified with respect to the stator of the TFSPMLG being split into two and three sections, forming Modulars I and II, respectively. After that, the detent force suppression principle, and the effects that the sectional modular structures exert on the detent force are analyzed. According to the analysis results, two methods are presented to suppress the detent force: one is to suppress the magnetic coupling effect; the other is to reduce the remaining harmonics. Finally, the three TFSPMLGs, including the initial TFSPMLG, Modular I, and Modular II, are comparatively analyzed by finite-element analysis (FEA). The results show that both the detent forces are greatly reduced without sacrificing the back electromotive force (EMF) and average electromagnetic force, thereby proving the effectiveness of the TFSPMLG with a sectional modular structure.
To Reconstruct or Not: A Case of Acute Reconstruction of the Forearm Interosseous Membrane with CMC Mini Tight Rope
Authors: Mubin Nailah , Kim Kevin , Groff Hannah , Morrison Elizabeth
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Essex Lopresti fractures are rare injuries of the forearm. Extent of damage to the interosseous membrane (IOM) in this setting is variable and can lead to disabling sequelae when not recognized and managed appropriately. While chronic reconstruction for longitudinal radioulnar dissociation is well studied, acute reconstruction of the membrane is infrequently documented and surgical techniques vary. There are only five documented cases of acute IOM reconstruction for Essex Lopresti injuries (ELIs). This is the first described case using a mini suture-button construct in conjunction with a radial head replacement and distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) pinning, while also providing long-term radiographic and functional follow-up of 2 years. Case Report: We present a case of a 40-year-old male who sustained an Essex Lopresti fracture that was acutely recognized and surgically managed with a radial head replacement, DRUJ pinning, and acute reconstruction of the IOM with a Mini TightRope suture button construct. We also provide a post-operative rehabilitation protocol with early range of motion and pin removal. At our final 2-year postoperative follow–up, the patient demonstrated excellent functional outcomes. Conclusion: This case illustrates that a CMC Mini TightRope can be used for acute reconstruction of the IOM in the setting of ELIs which allows for early range of motion and DRUJ pin removal due to the maintenance of longitudinal radioulnar reduction. Keywords: Interosseous membrane, essex lopresti, reconstruction, radioulnar joint.
Interferometric speckle visibility spectroscopy (iSVS) for measuring decorrelation time and dynamics of moving samples with enhanced signal-to-noise ratio and relaxed reference requirements
Authors: Huang Yu Xi , Mahler Simon , Mertz Jerome , Yang Changhuei
Published: August 2023

Diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS) is a group of techniques used to measure the dynamics of a scattering medium in a non-invasive manner. DWS methods rely on detecting the speckle light field from the moving scattering medium and measuring the speckle decorrelation time to quantify the scattering medium’s dynamics. For DWS, the signal-to-noise (SNR) is determined by the ratio between measured decorrelation time to the standard error of the measurement. This SNR is often low in certain applications because of high noise variances and low signal intensity, especially in biological applications with restricted exposure and emission levels. To address this photon-limited signal-to-noise ratio problem, we investigated, theoretically and experimentally, the SNR of an interferometric speckle visibility spectroscopy (iSVS) compared to more traditional DWS methods. We found that iSVS can provide excellent SNR performance through its ability to overcome camera noise. We also proved an iSVS system has more relaxed constraints on the reference beam properties. For an iSVS system to function properly, we only require the reference beam to exhibit local temporal stability, while incident angle, reference phase and intensity uniformity do not need to be constrained. This flexibility can potentially enable more unconventional iSVS implementation schemes.
Analysis on the instability of the surface profiles of precision molding chalcogenide glass aspherical lenses in mass production
Authors: Liu Yue , Xue Changxi , Sun Gaofei , Zhang Guoyv
Published: August 2023

Chalcogenide glass lenses have been widely applied in infrared optical systems for their outstanding optical performance. It is a tendency for complex optical glass elements to be mass-produced with precision glass molding (PGM) technology, of course including chalcogenide glass aspheric lenses. But there is a problem that sometimes the surface profiles of the molded lenses are unstable which leads to a low pass-yield. Precision glass molding experiments and finite elements simulations are carried out to study the reasons for the mentioned problem in this paper. The results reveal that the laying error of the ball chalcogenide glass preform does not have a significant effect on the surface profile of the molded lens. However, in mass production the control of the temperature after forming stage in the PGM process is very important for obtaining the molded lenses with very similar surface profiles. The research results could help relevant researchers design the PGM processing parameters to overcome some errors in the mass production and manufacture precision glass molding machines. The increase in the yield of complex optical glass elements fabricated by PGM technology will further promote the application of such elements in various fields.
Optical frequency domain reflectometry with broadened frequency sweep range assisted by a dual electro-optic frequency comb
Authors: Zhu Yidai , Fan Xinyu , Zhang Zhaopeng , Yuan Zhengchao , Xu Bingxin , He Zuyuan
Published: August 2023

We propose an optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) with the assistance of a dual electro-optic frequency comb (EOFC), which is intended to improve the system spatial resolution. As the spatial resolution of an OFDR system is inversely proportional to the frequency sweep range, the EOFC acts as a multi-frequency light source for collecting Rayleigh backscattering signals, which are combined to extend the effective frequency sweep range. By utilizing this technique, we have successfully expanded the experimental frequency sweep range to hundreds of gigahertz, achieving a sub-millimeter spatial resolution.
Self-pulsing and dual-mode lasing in a square microcavity semiconductor laser
Authors: Li Jian-Cheng , Huang Yong-Tao , Ma Chun-Guang , Zhang Zhen-Ning , Xiao Jin-Long , Yang Yue-De , Huang Yong-Zhen
Published: August 2023

Self-pulsing and dual-mode lasing in a square microcavity semiconductor laser are studied experimentally. Self-sustained pulses originating from undamped relaxation oscillation induced by a two-mode interaction are obtained, as the injection current is slightly above the laser threshold. A repetition frequency of 4.4 GHz and a pulse width of 30–40 ps are obtained at a current of 8 mA. The laser switches to continuous-wave operation when the injection current is higher than a certain value, and dual-mode lasing with 30.7 GHz at 16 mA and 10.7 GHz at 27 mA are observed in the lasing spectra. Furthermore, the relative intensity noise spectra are presented to reveal the relationship between the lasing states and the dynamics induced by relaxation oscillation and mode beating.
Refractive index measurement of IP-S and IP-Dip photoresists at THz frequencies and validation via 3D photonic metamaterials made by direct laser writing
Authors: Mavrona Elena , Theodosi Anna , Mackosz Krzysztof , Perivolari Eleni , Utke Ivo , Michler Johann , Schwiedrzik Jakob , Kafesaki Maria , Tsilipakos Odysseas , Xomalis Angelos
Published: August 2023

Direct laser writing (DLW) is widely used to fabricate complex metamaterials (MMs) and photonic devices for nanoscale applications across the electromagnetic frequency spectrum. While the optical properties of conventional photoresists used in DLW are well studied in the visible and infrared range, it is still unclear how they behave at lower frequencies. Here, we measure the refractive index and absorption of IP-S and IP-Dip photoresists within the THz range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Further, we utilize THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) to experimentally measure the laser-processed three-dimensional (3D) MM structures. We conduct full-wave electromagnetic simulations using the measured refractive index values to validate our experiments. The THz-TDS measurements are in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions verifying the validity of our refractive index measurements. This study aims to support and lead future investigations utilizing standard DLW photoresists for photonic applications in the THz range.
Nano-optical theory of planar x-ray waveguides
Authors: Lohse Leon Merten , Andrejic Petar
Published: August 2023

X-ray waveguides are routinely used at synchrotron light sources in imaging setups and as a platform for experiments with quantum emitters, providing nanometer-sized confinement – even x-ray optics on a chip has been showcased. X-ray waveguides are weakly guiding and experience significant material absorption, such that the established waveguide theory is not immediately applicable. Here, a general self-contained nano-optical theory of planar waveguides is derived, which is appropriate for hard x-ray energies. Solutions of the electromagnetic fields and its Green’s functions and their expansions into resonant and non-resonant modes are derived. A method to reliably find the resonant modes of x-ray waveguide structures is presented. Based on the general theory, certain common experimental geometries, namely evanescent coupling in grazing-incidence, front-coupling in forward-incidence and radiation from buried emitters, are discussed in more detail. Complementing the analytic discussion, numerical tools are provided and applied to quantitatively extract the main figures of merit. The theory provides an analytic foundation for the interpretation of past and future experiments and, combined with the numerical tools, will facilitate the computer-aided design of x-ray waveguides.
Nano-optical theory of planar x-ray waveguides
Authors: Lohse Leon Merten , Andrejic Petar
Published: August 2023

X-ray waveguides are routinely used at synchrotron light sources in imaging setups
and as a platform for experiments with quantum emitters, providing nanometer-sized confinement
– even x-ray optics on a chip has been showcased. X-ray waveguides are weakly guiding and
experience significant material absorption, such that the established waveguide theory is not
immediately applicable. Here, a a general self-contained nano-optical theory of planar waveguides
is derived, which is appropriate for hard x-ray energies. Solutions of the electromagnetic fields
and its Green’s functions and their expansions into resonant and non-resonant modes are derived.
A method to reliably find the resonant modes of x-ray waveguide structures is presented. Based
on the general theory, certain common experimental geometries, namely evanescent coupling in
grazing-incidence, front-coupling in forward-incidence and radiation from buried emitters, are
discussed in more detail. Complementing the analytic discussion, numerical tools are provided
and applied to quantitatively extract the main figures of merit. The theory provides an analytic
foundation for the interpretation of past and future experiments and, combined with the numerical
tools, will facilitate the computer-aided design of x-ray waveguides.
Photonics Research Interview with Professor John Bowers
Authors: Chang Lin
Published: August 2023

Professor John Bowers discusses his career in integrated photonics with his former student, Prof. Lin Chang.
Hi-fun among men who have sex with men in Bangkok: A scoping study exploring key informants’ perspectives on hi-fun contexts, harms and support strategies
Authors: Witzel T. Charles , Charoenyang Mookarpa , Bourne Adam , Guadamuz Thomas E.
Published: August 2023

The use of specific drugs (e.g. methamphetamine, GHB/GBL and other stimulants) to enhance sex among men who have sex with men (MSM), is the focus of global public health concern because of links to social harms, poor mental and sexual health. Often called ‘chemsex’ in Western settings or ‘hi-fun’ in Southeast Asia, this type of sexualised drug use is increasingly visible in Thailand where the unique sociocultural and legislative environments shape sexual cultures and harms. This study aimed to develop an understanding of key informants’ perspectives onhi-funcontexts, harms and current responses in Bangkok. In-depth interviews were conducted with thirteen key informants from clinical, community, policy and development organisations. Four key informants had personal experience ofhi-fun. Interviews coveredhi-funcontexts, harms and support, were transcribed verbatim, translated to English (where necessary) and analysed using a thematic framework. MSMhi-fun‘influencers’ shape norms and provide support online, primarily through Twitter.Hi-funwas linked to Westernisation and wealth; complex hierarchies emerged from asymmetries in social/financial capital. Police coercion towards MSM engaged inhi-funwas a concern. Given the nature of their funding, HIV/HCV/STI transmission was the most pressing focus for many organisations, however key informants were concerned especially about drug overdoses and mental health/well-being impacts. The political and economic context means funding for MSM health in Thailand focuses primarily on HIV prevention/treatment; restrictions on development aid constrain holistichi-funfocused service development. Mosthi-funsupport was informally developed; successful strategies relied on partnership working and peer developed/delivered services, some of which were adapted from high-income settings. Despite substantial barriers, organisations developed services responding to the needs of MSM engaged inhi-fun. Given that many were informally developed or adapted from high-income settings, establishing a theoretical basis for further interventions that is grounded in this unique context is a priority.
Anterior chamber depth in mice is controlled by several quantitative trait loci
Authors: Larson Demelza R. , Kimber Allysa J. , Meyer Kacie J. , Anderson Michael G.
Published: August 2023

Anterior chamber depth (ACD) is a quantitative trait associated with primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). Although ACD is highly heritable, known genetic variations explain a small fraction of the phenotypic variability. The purpose of this study was to identify additional ACD-influencing loci using strains of mice. Cohorts of 86 N2 and 111 F2 mice were generated from crosses between recombinant inbred BXD24/TyJ and wild-derived CAST/EiJ mice. Using anterior chamber optical coherence tomography, mice were phenotyped at 10–12 weeks of age, genotyped based on 93 genome-wide SNPs, and subjected to quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis. In an analysis of ACD among all mice, six loci passed the significance threshold of p = 0.05 and persisted after multiple regression analysis. These were on chromosomes 6, 7, 11, 12, 15 and 17 (named Acdq6, Acdq7, Acdq11, Acdq12, Acdq15, and Acdq17, respectively). Our findings demonstrate a quantitative multi-genic pattern of ACD inheritance in mice and identify six previously unrecognized ACD-influencing loci. We have taken a unique approach to studying the anterior chamber depth phenotype by using mice as genetic tool to examine this continuously distributed trait.
Introducing a new routing method in the MANET using the symbionts search algorithm
Authors: Tabatabaei Shayesteh
Published: August 2023

A wireless MANET network is a grouping of wireless nodes that communicate without the use of a centralized network infrastructure. The lack of reliable elements, such as routers, as well as severe resource constraints, have an important impact on the performance of these networks. To improve the efficiency of MANET, intelligent routing algorithms are required; in fact, the design of a smart and efficient routing algorithm can significantly affect the efficiency of these networks. In this regard, this paper proposes an intelligent routing method for MANET networks based on (SOS) symbiotic organism search. The proposed method is implemented in dynamic environments by considering four important criteria: available bandwidth, remaining battery energy, mobility speed, and hop count. The simulation results show that the learning process of the symbionts search algorithm has a significant impact on network performance and outperforms the FBRP algorithms in terms of throughput rate, data loss rate, packet delivery rate, and the number of hops.
The magnitude of chronic diabetes complications and its associated factors among diabetic patients attending the general hospitals in Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia
Authors: Berhe Kalayou K. , Mselle Lilian T. , Gebru Haftu B.
Published: August 2023

Background

Diabetes is a severe challenge to global public health since it is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and rising healthcare costs. 3.0 million Ethiopians, or 4.7% of the population, had diabetes in 2021. Studies on the chronic complications of diabetes in Ethiopia have not been conducted in lower-level healthcare facilities, so the findings from tertiary hospitals do not accurately reflect the issues with chronic diabetes in general hospitals. In addition, there is a lack of information and little research on the complications of chronic diabetes in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to assess the degree of chronic diabetes complications and associated factors among diabetic patients presenting to general hospitals in the Tigray area in northern Ethiopia.

Methods

As part of a multi-centre cross-sectional study, 1,158 type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients from 10 general hospitals in the Tigray region were randomly chosen. An interviewer-administered questionnaire, a record review, and an SPSS version 20 analysis were used to collect the data. All continuous data were presented as mean standard deviation (SD), while categorical data were identified by frequencies. Using a multivariable logistic regression model, the factors associated with chronic diabetes complications among T2D diabetic patients were found, and linked factors were declared at p 0.05.

Results

Fifty-four of people with diabetes have chronic problems. Hypertension (27%) eye illness, renal disease (19.1%), and hypertension (27%) eye disease were the most common long-term effects of diabetes. Patients with chronic diabetes complications were more likely to be older than 60, taking insulin and an OHGA (Oral Hyperglycemic Agent) (AOR = 3.00; 95% CI 1.73, 5.26), having diabetes for more than five years, taking more than four tablets per day (AOR = 1.63; 95% CI 1.23,2.15), and having high systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Patients with government employment (AOR = 0.48; 95% CI 0.26, 0.90), antiplatelet drug use (AOR = 0.29; 95% CI 0.16, 0.52), and medication for treating dyslipidemia (AOR = 0.54; 95% CI 0.35, 0.84), all had a decreased chance of developing a chronic diabetes problem.

Conclusion

At least one chronic diabetic complication was present in more than half of the patients in this study. Chronic diabetes problems were related to patients’ characteristics like age, occupation, diabetes treatment plan, anti-platelet, anti-dyslipidemia medicine, duration of diabetes, high Systolic BP, high Diastolic BP, and pill burden. To avoid complications from occurring, diabetes care professionals and stakeholders must collaborate to establish appropriate methods, especially for individuals who are more likely to experience diabetic complications.
Evaluation of hematological parameters alterations in different waves of COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Charostad Javad , Rezaei Zadeh Rukerd Mohammad , Shahrokhi Azadeh , Aghda Faezeh Afkhami , ghelmani Yaser , Pourzand Pouria , Pourshaikhali Sara , Dabiri Shahriar , dehghani Azam , Astani Akram , Nakhaie Mohsen , Kakavand Ehsan
Published: August 2023

Background

The occurrence of variations in routine hematological parameters is closely associated with disease progression, the development of severe illness, and the mortality rate among COVID-19 patients. This study aimed to investigate hematological parameters in COVID-19 hospitalized patients from the 1st to the 5th waves of the current pandemic.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included a total of 1501 hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 based on WHO criteria, who were admitted to Shahid Sadoughi Hospital (SSH) in Yazd, Iran, from February 2020 to September 2021. Throughout, we encountered five COVID-19 surge waves. In each wave, we randomly selected approximately 300 patients and categorized them based on infection severity during their hospitalization, including partial recovery, full recovery, and death. Finally, hematological parameters were compared based on age, gender, pandemic waves, and outcomes using the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Results

The mean age of patients (n = 1501) was 61.1±21.88, with 816 (54.3%) of them being men. The highest mortality in this study was related to the third wave of COVID-19 with 21.3%. There was a significant difference in all of the hematological parameters, except PDW, PLT, and RDW-CV, among pandemic waves of COVID-19 in our population. The highest rise in the levels of MCV and RDW-CV occurred in the 1st wave, in the 2nd wave for lymphocyte count, MCHC, PLT count, and RDW-SD, in the 3rd wave for WBC, RBC, neutrophil count, MCH, and PDW, and in the 4th wave for Hb, Hct, and ESR (p < 0.01). The median level of Hct, Hb, RBC, and ESR parameters were significantly higher, while the mean level of lymphocyte and were lower in men than in women (p < 0.001). Also, the mean neutrophil in deceased patients significantly was higher than in those with full recovered or partial recovery (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The findings of our study unveiled notable variations in hematological parameters across different pandemic waves, gender, and clinical outcomes. These findings indicate that the behavior of different strains of the COVID-19 may differ across various stages of the pandemic.
Organizational and behavioral attributes’ roles in adopting cloud services: An empirical study in the healthcare industry
Authors: Meri Ahmed , Hasan Mohammad Khatim , Dauwed Mohammed , Jarrar Mu’taman , Aldujaili Ali , Al-Bsheish Mohammad , Shehab Salah , Kareem Haitham Mohsin
Published: August 2023

The need for cloud services has been raised globally to provide a platform for healthcare providers to efficiently manage their citizens’ health records and thus provide treatment remotely. In Iraq, the healthcare records of public hospitals are increasing progressively with poor digital management. While recent works indicate cloud computing as a platform for all sectors globally, a lack of empirical evidence demands a comprehensive investigation to identify the significant factors that influence the utilization of cloud health computing. Here we provide a cost-effective, modular, and computationally efficient model of utilizing cloud computing based on the organization theory and the theory of reasoned action perspectives. A total of 105 key informant data were further analyzed. The partial least square structural equation modeling was used for data analysis to explore the effect of organizational structure variables on healthcare information technicians’ behaviors to utilize cloud services. Empirical results revealed that Internet networks, software modularity, hardware modularity, and training availability significantly influence information technicians’ behavioral control and confirmation. Furthermore, these factors positively impacted their utilization of cloud systems, while behavioral control had no significant effect. The importance-performance map analysis further confirms that these factors exhibit high importance in shaping user utilization. Our findings can provide a comprehensive and unified guide to policymakers in the healthcare industry by focusing on the significant factors in organizational and behavioral contexts to engage health information technicians in the development and implementation phases.
Antibiotic resistance: A cross-sectional study on the characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dairy farmers’ cooperative in North Cianjur (KPSCU), Cianjur District, Indonesia
Authors: Suherman Dwida Agustina , Sudarnika Etih , Purnawarman Trioso
Published: August 2023

Background and Aim: Antibiotic resistance is a component of antimicrobial resistance and is often referred to as the silent pandemic. It is one of the causes of global health problems that must be addressed. Resistance occurs due to frequent misuse and overuse of antibiotics by dairy farmers. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the influence of the characteristics of dairy farmers and analyze the variables that directly and indirectly affected the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of dairy farmers regarding antibiotic resistance in a dairy farmers' cooperative in North Cianjur.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional design was used with a structured questionnaire validated by Pearson correlation and reliability tested with Alpha Cronbach. Data were obtained from interviews with 75 dairy farmers in KPSCU, Cianjur District, West Java, Indonesia. The outcome variables were analyzed using descriptive and pathway analyses.

Results: The results showed that dairy farmers had good and sufficient knowledge (42.7%), the attitude level was positive (81.3%), and all farmers had sufficient practices (100%). The results also showed that most dairy farmers were over 40 years of age, with 54.7% having elementary school education. Approximately 50.7% of farmers had been engaged in breeding for 10–20 years, 80% owned their livestock, and 76% had never attended training. There was a significant relationship between age, education, training, and knowledge level. Knowledge was the primary factor influencing the overall attitude. In addition, age, education, type of business, knowledge, and attitude were factors that influenced the practice of antibiotic resistance.

Conclusion: Training and education really influenced KAP of farmers. Therefore, the best way to reduce antibiotic resistance is by increasing farmers’ knowledge and understanding of antibiotic resistance and monitoring the use of antibiotics.

Keywords: antibiotic resistance, knowledge, pathways analysis, questionnaire.
An experimental workflow for identifying RNA m6A alterations in cellular senescence by methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing
Authors: Shi Yue , Wu Zeming , Zhang Weiqi , Qu Jing , Ci Weimin , Liu Guang-Hui
Published: August 2023

N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most prevalent mRNA modification in eukaryotic cells, is known to play regulatory roles in a wide array of biological processes, including aging and cellular senescence. To investigate such roles, the m6A modification can be identified across the entire transcriptome by immunoprecipitation of methylated RNA with an anti-m6A antibody, followed by high-throughput sequencing (meRIP-seq or m6A-seq). Presented here is a protocol for employing meRIP-seq to profile the RNA m6A landscape in senescent human cells. We described, in detail, sample preparation, mRNA isolation, immunoprecipitation, library preparation, sequencing, bioinformatic analysis and validation. We also provided tips and considerations for the optimization and interpretation of the results. Our protocol serves as a methodological resource for investigating transcriptomic m6A alterations in cellular senescence as well as a valuable paradigm for the validation of genes of interest.
Exploring The Symbiotic Economic Benefits Between Farmers and Herders to Promote Peaceful Coexistence in Taraba State Nigeria
Authors: Audu Christina Tanko , Audu Daniel Imoken-Asi
Published: August 2023

This paper explored the symbiotic economic benefits between farmers and herders in Taraba State to promote peaceful coexistence. Taraba State is one of the states in the North East region of Nigeria that is mainly affected by the farmers-herders crisis. The paper illustrated the causes of the farmers-herders crisis which include the growing population, abandonment of the grazing reserve system, and proliferation of small arms and light weapons among others. Although the Federal and State Governments have responded in several ways, among which the creation of grazing reserves in 1965, the establishment of the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) in 1989, the use of the Armed Forces to curb internal security caused by farmers-herders crisis, proposed National Grazing Reserve Bill 2016, proposed Cattle Ranching System 2018, legislation prohibiting open grazing and the Great Green Wall Agency of the Federal Government. All these efforts by the Federal Government and various State Governments could not bring the desired peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders. The crisis still lingered in Taraba State and many other states. Therefore, the paper explored the symbiotic economic benefits that could be enjoyed by farmers and herders leading to peaceful coexistence. Some of the symbiotic economic benefits capable of stimulating peaceful coexistence are; after harvesting crops on their farm, they usually allow cattle to graze on the leftovers, during which excrement from the cows provide manure for the farm, use of yam and cassava peels for preparation of animal feeds, use of rice, guinea corn, maize, and millet chaff for animal feeds and use of animal waste as fertilizer. The author concluded that exploring the symbiotic economic benefits explicated in this paper can bring about peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders which will also result in a peaceful Taraba State. It was suggested that government and private individuals should establish ranches within farming communities in such a manner that herders can get animal feeds from farmers while the farmers get manure from the herders’ farms.
Marginal notes on the project for an etymological dictionary of the Mubi-Toram languages
Authors: Takács Gábor
Published: August 2023

The paper accompanies the second part of a planned longer series “Mubi-Toram lexicon and Afro-Asiatic” as a kind of belated extended introduction surveying some new results in the grouping of these languages as well as into some principles guiding our research designed to step by step reveal the Chadic and wider Afro-Asiatic cognate heritage in the lexical stock of the Mubi-Toram languages which represent the easternmost (26th) and sprachgeschichtlich perhaps the most enigmatic group of the vaste Chadic (i.e., 6th) branch of the gigantic Afro-Asiatic family.
Omotic lexicon in its Afro-Asiatic setting VIII: Further addenda to the Omotic roots with *b- + dentals and sibilants (Part 1)
Authors: Takács Gábor
Published: August 2023

The paper constitutes part of a long-range series aiming, step by step, to identify the inherited Afro-Asiatic stock in the etymologically little explored lexicon of the Omotic (West Ethiopia) branch of the Afro-Asiatic family displaying the least of shared traits among the six branches of this macrofamily, which suggests a most ancient Omotic desintegration reaching far back to the age of post-Natufian neolithic.
A Randomized Blocking Structure for Streaming Record Linkage
Authors: Karapiperis Dimitrios , Tjortjis Christos , Verykios Vassilios S.
Published: August 2023

A huge amount of data, in terms of streams, are collected nowadays via a variety of sources, such as sensors, mobile devices, or even raw log files. The unprecedented rate at which these data are generated and collected calls for novel record linkage methods to identify matching records pairs, which refer to the same real-world entity. Towards this direction, blocking methods are used in order to reduce the number of candidate record pairs while still maintaining high levels of accuracy. This paper introduces ExpBlock, a randomized record linkage structure, which guarantees that both the most frequently accessed and recently used blocks remain in main memory and, additionally, the records within a block are renewed on a rolling basis. Specifically, the probability of inactive blocks and older records to remain in main memory decays in order to make room for more promising blocks and fresher records, respectively. We implement these features using random choices instead of utilizing cumbersome sorting data structures in order to favour simplicity of implementation and efficiency. We showcase, through the experimental evaluation, that ExplBlock scales efficiently to data streams by providing accurate results in a timely fashion.
Fast Search-by-Classification for Large-Scale Databases Using Index-Aware Decision Trees and Random Forests
Authors: Lülf Christian , Martins Denis Mayr Lima , Salles Marcos Antonio Vaz , Zhou Yongluan , Gieseke Fabian
Published: August 2023

The vast amounts of data collected in various domains pose great challenges to modern data exploration and analysis. To find "interesting" objects in large databases, users typically define a query using positive and negative example objects and train a classification model to identify the objects of interest in the entire data catalog. However, this approach requires a scan of all the data to apply the classification model to each instance in the data catalog, making this method prohibitively expensive to be employed in large-scale databases serving many users and queries interactively. In this work, we propose a novel framework for such search-by-classification scenarios that allows users to interactively search for target objects by specifying queries through a small set of positive and negative examples. Unlike previous approaches, our framework can rapidly answer such queries at low cost without scanning the entire database. Our framework is based on an index-aware construction scheme for decision trees and random forests that transforms the inference phase of these classification models into a set of range queries, which in turn can be efficiently executed by leveraging multidimensional indexing structures. Our experiments show that queries over large data catalogs with hundreds of millions of objects can be processed in a few seconds using a single server, compared to hours needed by classical scanning-based approaches.
SUREL+: Moving from Walks to Sets for Scalable Subgraph-Based Graph Representation Learning
Authors: Yin Haoteng , Zhang Muhan , Wang Jianguo , Li Pan
Published: August 2023

Subgraph-based graph representation learning (SGRL) has recently emerged as a powerful tool in many prediction tasks on graphs due to its advantages in model expressiveness and generalization ability. Most previous SGRL models face computational issues related to the high cost of extracting subgraphs for each training or testing query. Recently, SUREL was proposed to accelerate SGRL, which samples random walks offline and joins these walks online as a proxy of subgraphs for prediction. Thanks to the reusability of sampled walks across different queries, SUREL achieves state-of-the-art performance in terms of scalability and prediction accuracy. However, SUREL still suffers from high computational overhead caused by node redundancy in sampled walks. In this work, we propose a novel framework SUREL+ that upgrades SUREL by using node sets instead of walks to represent subgraphs. By definition, such set-based representations avoid repeated nodes, but node sets can be irregular in size. To solve this issue, we design a dedicated sparse data structure to efficiently store and access node sets, and provide a specialized operator to join them in parallel batches. SUREL+ is modularized to support multiple types of set samplers, structural features, and neural encoders to complement the loss of structural information after the reduction from walks to sets. Extensive experiments have been performed to verify the effectiveness of SUREL+ in the prediction tasks of links, relation types, and higher-order patterns. SUREL+ achieves 3--11× speedups of SUREL while maintaining comparable or even better prediction performance; compared to other SGRL baselines, SUREL+ achieves ~20× speedups and significantly improves the prediction accuracy.
Asymptotically Better Query Optimization Using Indexed Algebra
Authors: Fent Philipp , Moerkotte Guido , Neumann Thomas
Published: August 2023

Query optimization is essential for the efficient execution of queries. The necessary analysis, if we can and should apply optimizations and transform the query plan, is already challenging. Traditional techniques focus on the availability of columns at individual operators, which does not scale for analysis of data flow through the query. Tracking available columns per operator takes quadratic space, which can result in multi-second optimization time for deep algebra trees. Instead, we need to re-think the naïve algebra representation to efficiently support data flow analysis.

In this paper, we introduce
Indexed Algebra
, a novel representation of relational algebra that makes common optimization tasks efficient. Indexed Algebra enables efficient reasoning with an auxiliary index structure based on link/cut trees that support dynamic updates and queries in
O
(log
n
). This approach not only improves the asymptotic complexity, but also allows elegant and concise formulations for the data flow questions needed for query optimization. While large queries see theoretically unbounded improvements, Indexed Algebra also improves optimization time of the relatively harmless queries of TPC-H and TPC-DS by more than 1.8×.
R
3
: Record-Replay-Retroaction for Database-Backed Applications
Authors: Li Qian , Kraft Peter , Cafarella Michael , Demiralp Çağatay , Graefe Goetz , Kozyrakis Christos , Stonebraker Michael , Suresh Lalith , Yu Xiangyao , Zaharia Matei
Published: August 2023

Developers would benefit greatly from time travel: being able to
faithfully replay
past executions and
retroactively execute
modified code on past events. Currently, replay and retroaction are impractical because they require expensively capturing fine-grained timing information to reproduce concurrent accesses to shared state. In this paper, we propose practical time travel for
database-backed applications
, an important class of distributed applications that access shared state through transactions.

We present R
3
, a novel Record-Replay-Retroaction tool. R
3
implements a lightweight interceptor to record concurrency information for applications at transaction-level granularity, enabling replay and retroaction with minimal overhead. We address key challenges in both replay and retroaction. First, we design a novel algorithm for faithfully reproducing application requests running with snapshot isolation, allowing R
3
to support most production DBMSs. Second, we develop a retroactive execution mechanism that provides high fidelity with the original trace while supporting nearly arbitrary code modifications. We demonstrate how R
3
simplifies debugging for real, hard-to-reproduce concurrency bugs from popular open-source web applications. We evaluate R
3
using TPC-C and microservice workloads and show that R
3
always-on recording has a small performance overhead (<25% for point queries but <0.1% for complex transactions like in TPC-C) during normal application execution and that R
3
can retroactively execute bugfixed code over recorded traces within 0.11--0.78× of the original execution time.
POEM: Pattern-Oriented Explanations of Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Dadvar Vargha , Golab Lukasz , Srivastava Divesh
Published: August 2023

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are commonly used in computer vision. However, their predictions are difficult to explain, as is the case with many deep learning models. To address this problem, we present POEM, a modular framework that produces patterns of semantic concepts such as shapes and colours to explain image classifier CNNs. POEM identifies patterns such as "if sofa then living room", meaning that if an image contains a sofa and the model pays attention to the sofa, then the model classifies the image as a living room. We illustrate the advantages of POEM over existing work using quantitative and qualitative experiments.
k-Best Egalitarian Stable Marriages for Task Assignment
Authors: Wu Siyuan , U Leong Hou , Karras Panagiotis
Published: August 2023

In a two-sided market with each agent ranking individuals on the other side according to their preferences, such as location or incentive, thestable marriageproblem calls to find aperfect matchingamong the two sides such that no pair of agents prefers each other to their assigned matches. Recent studies show that the number of solutions can be large in practice. Yet the classic solution by the Gale-Shapley (GS) algorithm isoptimalfor agents on the one side andpessimalfor those on the other side. Some algorithms find a stable marriage that optimizes a measure of the cumulative satisfaction of all agents, such asegalitarian cost.However, in many real-world circumstances, a decision-maker needs to examine a set of solutions that are stable and attentive to both sides and choose among them based on expert knowledge. With such a disposition, it is necessary to identify a set of high-quality stable marriages and provide transparent explanations for any reassigned matches to the decision-maker. In this paper, we provide efficient algorithms that find thek-best stable marriages byegalitarian cost.Our exhaustive experimental study using real-world data and realistic preferences demonstrates the efficacy and efficiency of our solution.