bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Medical students’ patterns of using ChatGPT as a feedback tool and perceptions of ChatGPT in a Leadership and Communication course in Korea: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Park Janghee
Published: November 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze patterns of using ChatGPT before and after group activities and to explore medical students’ perceptions of ChatGPT as a feedback tool in the classroom.Methods: The study included 99 2nd-year pre-medical students who participated in a “Leadership and Communication” course from March to June 2023. Students engaged in both individual and group activities related to negotiation strategies. ChatGPT was used to provide feedback on their solutions. A survey was administered to assess students’ perceptions of ChatGPT’s feedback, its use in the classroom, and the strengths and challenges of ChatGPT from May 17 to 19, 2023.Results: The students responded by indicating that ChatGPT’s feedback was helpful, and revised and resubmitted their group answers in various ways after receiving feedback. The majority of respondents expressed agreement with the use of ChatGPT during class. The most common response concerning the appropriate context of using ChatGPT’s feedback was “after the first round of discussion, for revisions.” There was a significant difference in satisfaction with ChatGPT’s feedback, including correctness, usefulness, and ethics, depending on whether or not ChatGPT was used during class, but there was no significant difference according to gender or whether students had previous experience with ChatGPT. The strongest advantages were “providing answers to questions” and “summarizing information,” and the worst disadvantage was “producing information without supporting evidence.”Conclusion: The students were aware of the advantages and disadvantages of ChatGPT, and they had a positive attitude toward using ChatGPT in the classroom.
Penile cancer management
Authors:   , de Vries Hielke Martijn
Published: November 2023

In 2021, approximately 122,651 people in the Netherlands were diagnosed with cancer, and one in five of these cases were classified as rare cancers. This research focuses on penile cancer, with 178 new patients in the Netherlands in 2021. Penile cancer has an extensive impact on quality of life.
The investigations in this thesis aim to reduce morbidity and improve survival for penile cancer patients and consist of three parts:
Primary Tumour: EMI-137, a fluorescent tracer, is used to help identify the primary tumour. Outcomes of perineal urethrostomy are also discussed.
Dynamic Sentinel Node Biopsy: The use of the hybrid (fluorescent and radioactive) tracer Indocyanine Green–99mTechnetium-nanocolloid is evaluated. We conclude that blue dye is not of added value. Complications of the procedure are seen more often when more lymph nodes are resected. After a tumor positive sentinel node biopsy, histopathological outcomes cannot be used to reliably predict the patients who have to undergo completion lymph node dissection.
Treatment of Locoregional and Distant Metastases: Improved systemic therapy is necessary to reduce recurrences. Chemoradiation turns out to be a less toxic treatment in comparison to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. The rationale for immunotherapy in penile cancer is discussed and the efficacy of immunotherapy for penile cancer is evaluated.
In conclusion, investigations in this thesis show c-MET to be a potential penile cancer-specific tracer, confirm the reliability and low morbidity and illustrate the continuing evolution of dynamic sentinel node biopsy, propose chemoradiation in stead of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and pave the way for immunotherapy treatment alternatives in penile cancer.
THEORETICAL BASICS OF MONITORING THE CONDITION OF THE ELECTRODES OF CHEMICAL CURRENT SOURCES BY THE METHOD OF ELECTROCHEMICAL IMPEDANCE SPECTROSCOPY
Authors: Ryabokin Oleg
Published: November 2023

On the basis of the conducted critical review of modern physical models of the porous electrode, it сan be stated that under the conditions of non-uniform mass transfer taking into account the depth of the electrode, it is possible not only to develop new porous electrodes for a certain application, but also to control the state of electrochemical systems as a whole using the non-destructive method of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The presence of a macroscopic model of porous electrode allows one to use the integration of parameters over the surface of the electrode and obtain  the average values of current, resistance and capacity within the electrode using the method of averaging in the volume ele­ment within the electrode, where porosity is the volume fraction of the void within the element, which is filled with electrolyte solution. This is the theoretical basis for using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to assess the state of electrodes in electrochemical current sources. To take into account the influence of the aqueous electrolyte, it is possible to use a model taking into account the area of the effective wetted surface, which makes it possib­le to relate the wetting of the electrode pores with the electrolyte solution to the change in electrical conductivity and polarization of the electrode surface. In this case, when usingelectrochemical impedance spectroscopy, it is possible to obtain information about the following changes in primary current sources: 1– the effect of temperature, which leads to a decrease in the areas of the electrode wetted by the electrolyte, which affect the value of the capacity of the DEL, 2 – chemical processes that lead to the destruction of hydrophilic pores and pores with hydrophilic-hydrophobic walls, an increase in the hydrophobic component on the surface of the electrode, 3 – mechanical destruction of the electrodes. The use of models that take into account the geometry of pores makes it possible to obtain correct data for the analysis of the porous surface in the presence of an electrolyte and in cases of gas phase adsorption in  presence of closed pores, as well as to use the value of the capacity on the surface of  electrodes to assess the state of their performance.
Scleroderma: Difficulties in classification, diagnosis, treatment
Authors: Shatokhina E. A. , Lubivets A. A. , Pereverzina N. O.
Published: November 2023

Localized scleroderma (LoS) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease with a variety of clinical manifestations. The dermatologist faces the difficulties of establishing a diagnosis and choosing the most appropriate therapy due to the relatively rare prevalence. This review article explores the challenges of classification, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as the factors that contribute to their occurrence. The greatest difficulties in diagnosing LoS that affected the prognosis and progression of the illness are: a delay in diagnosis, including early detection; omission of the active stage of LoS; difficulties in differential diagnosis; lack of association with Lyme borreliosis; low diagnostic value of laboratory and histological tests; limited use of sensitive instrumental methods for diagnosis; and monitoring the activity of LoS in a doctor’s practice. The main difficulties in treatment are the delay in starting treatment; the use of therapy methods with low evidence-based effectiveness; the rare prescription of highly effective approaches; the insufficient effectiveness of systemic drugs and phototherapy; difficulties in determining the volume, timing, and regimen of therapy for each subtype of LoS; the difficulty of achieving a remission; dependence of treatment approach on the doctor’s specialization; the lack of targeted drugs with evidence-based effectiveness in LoS; the lack of high-level evidence-based effectiveness and safety of therapy in LoS; difficulties in the correction of complications of Lo S.
Efficacy of treatment of patients with psoriasis with anxiety and depression with interleukin‑23 inhibitor guselkumab
Authors: Vladimirova I. S. , Kruglova L. S. , Sviridov O. V. , Samushiya M. A.
Published: November 2023

Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated systemic disease that is closely associated with comorbid depression and anxiety disorders. Today, a new direction of therapy is represented by biological therapy. One of the effective and safe drugs is the IL‑23 inhibitor guselkumab.

Purpose of the study. To study the effectiveness of therapy with the interleukin‑23 inhibitor (guselkumab) and the dynamics of indicators of symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with moderate and severe psoriasis.

Material and methods. A retrospective study of 25 patients diagnosed with widespread vulgar psoriasis was conducted. Initial indicators were assessed using the PASI, BSA, sPGA, DLQI, and VAS (itching scale) indices. Anxiety and depression scores were assessed using the HADS and GAD‑7 scales. All patients received treatment with guselkumab according to the standard regimen. The effectiveness of therapy was assessed by the dynamics of PASI, BSA, sPGA, DLQI, VAS, HADS, GAD‑7 indicators after 12 weeks of therapy with the interleukin‑23 inhibitor (guselkumab).

Results. Biological therapy with guselkumab resulted in significant reductions in all parameters at 12 weeks for each patient (p < 0.0001). Only improvement in PASI was significantly correlated with lower depression and anxiety scores (p < 0.0050), whereas decrease in DLQI was not (p > 0.9550).

Conclusions. Biological therapy with the interleukin‑23 inhibitor guselkumab is highly effective in both reducing disease severity and alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety in psoriasis.
Vulvoscopy: anachronism or a time-tested method?
Authors: Ignatovsky A. V.
Published: November 2023

Objective. Due to the growing number of patients with various diseases of the vulva, there is a need to evaluate the available diagnostic tools. Vulvoscopy is one of the widely used methods, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of which varies significantly.

Purpose of the work. Based on the analysis of publications to determine the diagnostic significance of vulvoscopy.

Material and methods. The data of modern research and publications were used in the preparation of the work.

Results. The authors of a number of publications warn against considering vulvoscopy as a variant of colposcopy. A high percentage of false positive results when performing tests with acetic acid may be due to a variety of reasons and is not highly specific for papillomavirus infection. The use of the test with toluidine blue is not recommended due to low sensitivity.

Conclusions. A positive aspect of vulvoscopy is the ability to examine the vulva area with optical magnification, in a position convenient for examining the patient, which makes it possible to identify areas to be biopsied. The use of additional tests with acetic acid should be limited, and tests with toluidine blue and Lugol solution are not recommended due to low sensitivity.
Prospects of bariatric surgery in management of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Akhmedov V. A.
Published: November 2023

The obesity epidemic in the world is accompanied by a signiﬁcant increase in the number of cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). One of the directions is bariatric surgery. The review article presents an analysis of the short-term and long-term effectiveness of the use of bariatric surgery methods in patients with NAFLD. Aspects of the inﬂuence of bariatric surgery on biochemical and histological parameters of liver ﬁbrosis, changes in insulin resistance and lipid proﬁle, intestinal microbiome involved in the homeostasis of the intestine-liver axis are noted. The role of gene polymorphisms in the progression of NAFLD, as well as protection from ﬁbrotic changes in patients with postoperative period is presented.
Strategic guidelines for the development of forest industry of Ukraine in the post-war period
Authors: Drebot O. , Kasiukhnych V. , Vaskiv T.
Published: November 2023

This research presents the peculiarities of the formation of a modern strategy for the development of forest industry in Ukraine. It was determined that the implementation of strategic management in the postwar period should be based on ensuring the balance of forest use. In order to increase the role of forest resources in the share of national wealth, it is necessary to move to such a model of forest use, which would ensure the proper profit of forest enterprises in a unified relationship, minimize the destructive impact on forest resources, and also ensure the appropriate level of environmental and economic security for the state. A comprehensive scientific assessment of the institutional aspects of economic relations in the context of the existing vector and conditions of development of the forestry industry of Ukraine, including the strategic guidelines approved by the State Forest Management Strategy until 2035, was carried out. The modern features of forest use caused by military operations in Ukraine are revealed. And the algorithm of their further development at different levels of the economic hierarchy is also substantiated. Conceptual approaches to the post-war management of forest resources of Ukraine in the conditions of climatic changes observed in recent decades, as well as in accordance with modern climate-oriented strategies in the world, approved at the summit in Glasgow in 2021, are outlined. Attention is paid to ways of counteracting the destructive impact of climate change on the forestry complex, as well as to the problematic issues of reforestation technologies, afforestation and forest care in order to adapt them to modern climate changes. It has been proven that the main task of state policy in the field of forest resource management is to ensure effective and proper protection, balanced use and formation of forest reproduction mechanisms, as well as the availability of appropriate tools. It was also noted that at the local levels, the implementation of the approved strategy for the development of forestry requires a comprehensive approach to individual areas of innovative activity in the forestry industry. It was found that the appropriate level of implementation of the set of specified measures creates favorable conditions for the effective implementation of the provisions of the approved normative legal acts regarding the use and reproduction of forests in Ukraine.
Influence of seeding rates on the formation of productivity of winter rape agrocenoses (Brassica napus L. Oleifera)
Authors: Zabarnyi O.
Published: November 2023

The influence of sowing rates on the growth, development and formation of seed productivity of winter rape hybrids Pancher and Fencer is highlighted. A structural analysis and comparison of indicators of the individual state of plants at the seeding rate of winter rape recommended by the manufacturer of 500 thousand seeds/ha and reduced rates of 400, 300 and 200 thousand seeds/ha, which model the possible oss of plants in the sowing during the autumn-winter period, were carried out. It was noted that at a sowing rate of 500 thousand units/ha before entering winter (BBCH 15–18), the diameter of the root collar of the hybrids was 0.82–0.84 cm, and the height of the point above the soil level was 2.18–2.35 cm. In the variant with a sowing rate of 200 thousand seeds/ha, the diameter of the root collar of Pancher hybrid increased to 1.13 cm, and that of the Fencer hybrid — 1.11 cm, while the height of the growth point above the soil level of the hybrids was at the level of 1.77–1.88 cm. In the pre-harvest period (BBCH 93–95), the height of winter rape plants was not uniform and largely depended on the seeding rate, i.e., the greater the number of plants per square metre, the taller they were. Thus, at a sowing rate of 500 thousand seeds per hectare, the average height of Pancher winter rape plants was 167 cm, while that of the Fencer hybrid was 173 cm. With a decrease in the seeding rate to 200 thousand seeds/ha, the height of plants also decreased to 156 cm in Pancher hybrid and to 168 cm in Fencer hybrid. At the recommended sowing rates of winter rape (500 thousand units/ha), the number of branches in the hybrids was 6-7 units/plant, the number of pods was 328–386 units/plant, and the weight of 1000 seeds was 2.97–3.15 g. The yield of Pancher hybrid in this variant was 4.37 t/ha, while the yield of the Fencer hybrid was 4.55 t/ha. It was noted that reducing the seeding rate to 400 and 300 thousand units/ha did not significantly reduce the yield of hybrids. However, already at a sowing rate of 200 thousand units/ha, the yield reduction in hybrids was more significant and amounted to 0.68–0.75 t/ha with a yield of 3.62–3.87 t/ha. Studies have shown that winter rape plants have a high compensatory capacity and are able to form high productivity indicators both at the recommended sowing rates (500 thousand units/ha) and at reduced rates (300– 400 thousand units/ha). However, from a practical point of view, it is not necessary to reduce the sowing rates by 40–50% of the recommended ones, as plants may be damaged or destroyed in the autumn-winter period due to drought, freezing, rooting and damage by mouse-like rodents. The revealed peculiarity of winter rape allows determining the limit of rape density at which high and stable productivity, and therefore profitability of production, is ensured.
Remodelling internet infrastructure: A first look at platform governance in the era of ChatGPT
Authors: McKelvey Fenwick , Hunt Robert
Published: November 2023

OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the hybrid private company–nonprofit’s latest artificial intelligence (AI) project,arrives just as the Government of Canada attempts to pass its own response to AI: the ArtificialIntelligence and Data Act (AIDA). Amidst ongoing debates over ChatGPT and its growing connectionsto major platforms, we draw attention to the complex web of policy concerns this very new technologyraises and urge greater consideration of the information commons as a key policy frame to understandAI chatbots and the large-language models (LLMs) used to train them. ChatGPT could not exist withoutthe collective production of resources to support and maintain these commons, and its exploitation ofthem will only continue as OpenAI and its competitors search for ways to monetize chatbots.
Phonological encoding and lexical processing of spoken words in dyslexia: linking behaviour and neural responses
Authors: Schwarz Julia , Lizarazu Mikel , Lallier Marie , Klimovich-Gray Anastasia
Published: November 2023

Developmental dyslexia is associated with phonological processing deficits. Despite phonological deficits, auditory processing of everyday speech is unaffected, raising the question: How do individuals with a phonological deficit process spoken words to achieve normal comprehension? Our study investigates the relationship between phonological skills and neural responses to spoken words at the phonological and at the lexico-semantic level. Fourteen right-handed participants with dyslexia diagnosis and 14 without a history of reading difficulties heard single Spanish words and occasionally had to indicate whether the word was animate while magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signals were recorded. The effects of phonological neighbourhood and word frequency were extracted from the MEG responses using event-related regression coefficients. Participants with dyslexia diagnosis had significantly lower phonological scores than typical readers. Importantly, individuals with lower phonological skills not only showed weaker neural responses to phonological neighbours 200-500 ms after word onset, but also reduced sensitivity to word frequency between 200-650 ms. Source space analysis localised phonological and lexico-semantic effect peaks to the left superior temporal and left inferior frontal gyri, key areas for phonological and combinatorial processes that have been linked to dyslexia. The results provide evidence that phonological deficits impact not only sublexical stages of spoken word processing, but also lexico-semantic processing. These deficits cannot be compensated through neural re-organization of lexical-distributional information at the single word level. Remediation strategies which strengthen bottom-up processing may thus be even more important for dyslexia than previously assumed because phonological training likely benefits word processing at multiple linguistic levels beyond phoneme representations.
Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate production from acetate by recombinant Pseudomonas stutzeri with blocked L-leucine catabolism and enhanced growth in acetate
Authors: Zhu Jieni , Liu Wei , Wang Mengjiao , Di Haiyan , Lü Chuanjuan , Xu Ping , Gao Chao , Ma Cuiqing
Published: November 2023

Acetate is a low-cost feedstock for the production of different bio-chemicals. Electrochemical reduction of CO2 into acetate and subsequent acetate fermentation is a promising method for transforming CO2 into value-added chemicals. However, the significant inhibitory effect of acetate on microbial growth remains a barrier for acetate-based biorefinery. In this study, the deletion of genes involved in L-leucine degradation was found to be beneficial for the growth of Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501 in acetate. P. stutzeri (Δpst_3217), in which the hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA lyase catalyzing β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl-CoA into acetyl-CoA and acetoacetate was deleted, grew faster than other mutants and exhibited increased tolerance to acetate. Then, the genes phbCAB from Ralstonia eutropha H16 for poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) biosynthesis were overexpressed in P. stutzeri (∆pst_3217) and the recombinant strain P. stutzeri (∆pst_3217-phbCAB) can accumulate 0.11 g L−1 PHB from commercial acetate. Importantly, P. stutzeri (∆pst_3217-phbCAB) can also use CO2-derived acetate to produce PHB and the accumulated PHB accounted for 5.42% (w/w) of dried cell weight of P. stutzeri (∆pst_3217-phbCAB).
Provenance blockchain for ensuring IT security in cloud manufacturing
Authors: Umer Mifta Ahmed , Gouveia Luis Borges , Belay Elefelious Getachew
Published: November 2023

Provenance blockchain is an evolving concept for protection of production, logistics, and supply chain networks from rogue Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices. Such rogue IIoT devices are a recognized threat in the cloud manufacturing networks. In extreme cases, they can be used to cause industrial accidents. A brief version of provenance is about end-to-end tracking and tracing of data and the nodes involved in creating, modifying, transmitting, storing, and deleting it at specific times and locations. It provides an end-to-end verifiable and controlled computation for ensuring trustworthiness, quality, reliability, and validity of data. Provenance has existed in computing using logging software systems. This research is focused on threats to food supply chains between two countries. A scenario for protecting food supply chain from India to UAE has been modeled. This research recognized the threat of harmful food items getting mixed with flow of genuine products in a supply chain. The IIoT devices used to control the flow can be authenticated using the evolving provenance blockchain technology. With the help of recent design recommendations in the literature, a model design has been created and simulated in this research. Observations from the simulation revealed that TCP congestions and unpredictable turnaround time for assigning cryptographic keys to IIoT device sessions may have to be explored in future. A collaborative design between the two nations has been proposed. All IIoT devices not supporting cryptography will be eliminated from the cloud manufacturing and supply chain networks. Currently, this design may be used for one time registration only. Future studies may provide improved versions in which, repeated authentication and keys replacements may be implemented.
Prediction of resting energy expenditure in Italian older adults with severe obesity
Authors: Danielewicz Ana Lúcia , Lazzer Stefano , Marra Alice , Abbruzzese Laura , D’Alleva Mattia , Martino Maria De , Isola Miriam , Avelar Núbia Carelli Pereira , Mendonça Vanessa Amaral , Lacerda Ana Cristina Rodrigues , Sartorio Alessandro
Published: November 2023

Background

In the last decade a large number of studies proposed and/or validated equations to estimate the Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) in adults and/or older adults, however, no equation currently available showed good accuracy for older adults with severe obesity. Thus, this study aimed to develop and validate new predictive equations for REE, based on data from the indirect calorimetry, in Italian older adults with severe obesity.

Methods

A retrospective study was as conducted with 764 Caucasian older adults with severe obesity (age range: 60-74 years and BMI ≥ 35 kg/m/²). Four models were used to test the accuracy of anthropometry and body composition variables in multivariable prediction of REE. All models were derived by stepwise multiple regression analysis using a calibration group of 382 subjects [295 females and 87 males] and the equations were cross-validated in the remaining 382 subjects [295 females and 87 males] as validation group. The new prediction equations and the other published equations were tested using the Bland-Altman method. Prediction accuracy was defined as the percentage of subjects whose REE was predicted within ± 10% of measured REE.

Results

All the equations analyzed predicted higher energy requirements for males than females, and most of them underestimated the energy requirement values of our sample. The highest accuracy values were observed in the new equations, with 62% in the anthropometric model and 63% in the body composition model.

Conclusion

Although the accuracy of our equations was slightly higher in comparison with the other taken into consideration, they cannot be considered completely satisfactory for predicting REE in Italians older adults with severe obesity. When predicting equations cannot guarantee precise or acceptable values of REE, the use of indirect calorimetry (if available) should be always recommended, especially in clinical practice.
Immunomodulation exerted by galectins: a land of opportunity in rare cancers
Authors: Díaz-Alvarez Laura , López-Cortés Georgina I. , Pérez-Figueroa Erandi
Published: November 2023

Rare cancers represent only 5% of newly diagnosed malignancies. However, in some cases, they account for up to 50% of the deaths attributed to cancer in their corresponding organ. Part of the reason is that treatment options are generally quite limited, non-specific, and very often, only palliative. Needless to say, research for tailored treatments is warranted. Molecules that exert immunomodulation of the tumor microenvironment are attractive drug targets. One such group is galectins. Thus, in this review we summarize the current knowledge about galectin-mediated immunomodulation in rare cancers, highlighting the research opportunities in each case.
Traditional Chinese exercises on pain and disability in middle-aged and elderly patients with lumbar disc herniation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Zhang Weiye , Wang Gewen , Xie Rong , Zhan Jiawen , Zhu Liguo , Wan Chunyou , Xie Hualong , Cai Chuhao , Du Yuxuan
Published: November 2023

Background

Traditional Chinese exercises (TCEs) have played a significant role in treating various diseases. However, there is limited research assessing the efficacy of TCEs in treating Lumbar disc herniation (LDH). This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of four commonly used TCEs (Baduanjin, Yijinjing, Taichi, and Wuqinxi) on pain and disability in elderly patients with LDH.

Objectives

To assess the quality of relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to provide evidence support for the treatment of LDH.

Methods

RCTs were identified through eight databases. Meta-analysis and trial sequence analysis (TSA) were conducted using RevMan 5.4, Stata 17.0, and TSA 0.9.

Results

A total of 22 RCTs, involving 1931 patients, were included in the analysis. TCEs exhibited a superior effectiveness in treating LDH compared to the control group. However, the TSA analysis suggested the possibility of false positives, indicating the need for more high-quality RCT evidence. Nevertheless, TCEs showed reliable results in significantly improving the VAS score and JOA score of LDH patients.

Conclusion

Current evidence indicates that the four TCEs have advantages in treating LDH in middle-aged and elderly individuals. However, considering the limitations of this study, we need to exercise caution in drawing conclusions, and further research is required to validate these findings.

Systematic Review Registration

http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier [CRD42023431633].
Transcranial direct current stimulation in semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia: a state-of-the-art review
Authors: Norata Davide , Motolese Francesco , Magliozzi Alessandro , Pilato Fabio , Di Lazzaro Vincenzo , Luzzi Simona , Capone Fioravante
Published: November 2023

The semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), known also as “semantic dementia (SD),” is a neurodegenerative disorder that pertains to the frontotemporal lobar degeneration clinical syndromes. There is currently no approved pharmacological therapy for all frontotemporal dementia variants. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising non-invasive brain stimulation technique capable of modulating cortical excitability through a sub-threshold shift in neuronal resting potential. This technique has previously been applied as adjunct treatment in Alzheimer’s disease, while data for frontotemporal dementia are controversial. In this scoped review, we summarize and critically appraise the currently available evidence regarding the use of tDCS for improving performance in naming and/or matching tasks in patients with svPPA. Clinical trials addressing this topic were identified through MEDLINE (accessed by PubMed) and Web of Science, as of November 2022, week 3. Clinical trials have been unable to show a significant benefit of tDCS in enhancing semantic performance in svPPA patients. The heterogeneity of the studies available in the literature might be a possible explanation. Nevertheless, the results of these studies are promising and may offer valuable insights into methodological differences and overlaps, raising interest among researchers in identifying new non-pharmacological strategies for treating svPPA patients. Further studies are therefore warranted to investigate the potential therapeutic role of tDCS in svPPA.
Submuscular plating vs. elastic stable intramedullary nailing for diaphyseal femur fractures in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Li Donghui , Wang Xiangyue , Lu Jialing , Xue Mingfeng
Published: November 2023

Objectives

This review evaluates the safety and efficacy of submuscular plating (SMP) vs. elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) in the treatment of pediatric femur shaft fracture.

Method

Studies comparing the efficacy and safety of SMP and ESIN in pediatric shaft fracture were retrieved from five databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, OVID, and Web of Science) from inception to March 2023 using a systematic literature search strategy. A total of 13 outcome measures, such as perioperative parameters, clinical outcomes, and radiographic results, were included in the meta-analysis.

Results

Eight eligible studies involving 491 patients were included in the narrative synthesis. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. Meta-analysis showed reduced radiation time (RT), soft tissue irritation and angular deformation in the SMP group than in the ESIN group. However, the SMP group had greater estimated blood loss (EBL) than the ESIN group. The duration of surgery, length of hospital stay (LOS), implant removal, complications requiring surgery, Flynn score, incidence of infection, fracture healing time, and limb length discrepancy (LLD) were similar between the two groups. Only one study reported higher incidences of fracture nonunion or delayed healing in the ESIN group.

Conclusion

SMP is an effective and safe intervention superior to ESIN in reducing soft tissue irritation, angular deformation and radiation time. Given the presence of potential bias and heterogeneity, surgeons should select the treatment that would provide the best outcomes for EBL, LOS, operation time, and bone nonunion or delayed healing based on their experience.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023404118, Identifier PROSPERO (CRD42021228512).
Detection of breakage and impurity ratios for raw sugarcane based on estimation model and MDSC-DeepLabv3+
Authors: Li Xin , Zhang Zhigang , Lv Shengping , Liang Tairan , Zou Jianmin , Ning Taotao , Jiang Chunyu
Published: November 2023

Broken cane and impurities such as top, leaf in harvested raw sugarcane significantly influence the yield of the sugar manufacturing process. It is crucial to determine the breakage and impurity ratios for assessing the quality and price of raw sugarcane in sugar refineries. However, the traditional manual sampling approach for detecting breakage and impurity ratios suffers from subjectivity, low efficiency, and result discrepancies. To address this problem, a novel approach combining an estimation model and semantic segmentation method for breakage and impurity ratios detection was developed. A machine vision-based image acquisition platform was designed, and custom image and mass datasets of cane, broken cane, top, and leaf were created. For cane, broken cane, top, and leaf, normal fitting of mean surface densities based on pixel information and measured mass was conducted. An estimation model for the mass of each class and the breakage and impurity ratios was established using the mean surface density and pixels. Furthermore, the MDSC-DeepLabv3+ model was developed to accurately and efficiently segment pixels of the four classes of objects. This model integrates improved MobileNetv2, atrous spatial pyramid pooling with deepwise separable convolution and strip pooling module, and coordinate attention mechanism to achieve high segmentation accuracy, deployability, and efficiency simultaneously. Experimental results based on the custom image and mass datasets showed that the estimation model achieved high accuracy for breakage and impurity ratios between estimated and measured value with R2 values of 0.976 and 0.968, respectively. MDSC-DeepLabv3+ outperformed the compared models with mPA and mIoU of 97.55% and 94.84%, respectively. Compared to the baseline DeepLabv3+, MDSC-DeepLabv3+ demonstrated significant improvements in mPA and mIoU and reduced Params, FLOPs, and inference time, making it suitable for deployment on edge devices and real-time inference. The average relative errors of breakage and impurity ratios between estimated and measured values were 11.3% and 6.5%, respectively. Overall, this novel approach enables high-precision, efficient, and intelligent detection of breakage and impurity ratios for raw sugarcane.
Orthopedic Diseases in the Pura Raza Española Horse: The Prevalence and Genetic Parameters of Angular Hoof Deviations
Authors: Ripollés-Lobo María , Perdomo-González Davinia Isabel , Azor Pedro Javier , Valera Mercedes
Published: November 2023

Abnormalities in hoof shape are usually connected with limb conformation defects. The role of angular hoof deviations is important for longevity in sports competitions and is increasingly recognized as a factor associated with lameness in performance horses. In this paper, we measured the prevalence of four defects related to the angulation of the hoof in the Pura Raza Española horse (PRE): splay-footed forelimb (SFF), pigeon-toed forelimb (PTF), splay-footed rear limb (SFR), and pigeon-toed rear limb (PTR). A total of 51,134 animals were studied, of which only 15.75% did not have any of the four angular hoof defects investigated, while 26.61%, 23.76%, 79.53%, and 3.86% presented SFF, PTF, SFR, and PTR, respectively. Angular defects were evaluated using two different models; model A was a linear scale composed of three categories, where 0 corresponded to the absence of defects, 1 to a minor presence of the defect and 2 to the highest degree of the defect. Model B was composed of two categories, where 0 corresponded to the absence of defects and 1 to the presence of defects, joining classes 1 and 2. We measured the factors influencing the appearance of these defects: age, inbreeding coefficient, sex, and birth stud size. The heritability of each defect was also estimated using a multivariate animal model, using the Gibbsf90+ software from the BLUPF90 family, resulting in heritability estimates of 0.18 (s.d. = 0.009), 0.20 (s.d. = 0.010), 0.11 (s.d. = 0.009), and 0.31 (s.d. = 0.010) for SFF, PTF, SFR, and PTR defects, respectively, for model A, and 0.17 (s.d. = 0.008), 0.19 (s.d. = 0.009), 0.11 (s.d. = 0.009), and 0.29 (s.d. = 0.009) for SFF, PTF, SFR, and PTR defects, respectively, for model B. Finally, the genetic correlation between the diameter of the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) and the proportionality index (PI) in relation to the higher or lower prevalence of the defects was analyzed. We concluded that diameter of SDFT development is strongly correlated with inward toe conditions (PTF, PTR; P≠0 ≥ 0.95), while PI is associated with outward toe defects (SFF, SFR; P≠0 ≥ 0.95).
Education and Awareness on Antimicrobial Resistance in the WHO African Region: A Systematic Review
Authors: Fuller Walter , Kapona Otridah , Aboderin Aaron Oladipo , Adeyemo Adeyemi Temitayo , Olatunbosun Oluwadamilare Isaiah , Gahimbare Laetitia , Ahmed Yahaya Ali
Published: November 2023

This review documents the status of AMR education and awareness in the WHO African region, as well as specific initiatives by its member states in implementing education and awareness interventions, as a strategic objective of the Global Action Plan on AMR, i.e., improve knowledge and understanding on AMR through effective communication, education, and training. A systematic search was conducted in Google Scholar, PubMed, and African Journals Online Library according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, for articles published in English. Retrieval and screening of articles was performed using a structured search protocol following a pre-set inclusion/exclusion criterion. Eighty-five published articles reporting 92 different studies from 19 Member States met inclusion criteria and were included in the final qualitative synthesis. Nigeria (21) and Ethiopia (16) had most of the studies, while the rest were distributed across the remaining 17 Member States. The majority of the articles were on knowledge, attitude, and practices with regard to AMR and antimicrobial use and most of them documented a general lack and suboptimal knowledge, poor attitude and practices, and widespread self-medication. This review shows low levels of knowledge of AMR coupled with extensive misuse of antimicrobial medicines by different target audiences. These findings underscore the urgent need for enhanced and context-specific educational and positive behavioural change interventions.
Digital Simulation and Analysis of Assembly-Deviation Prediction Based on Measurement Data
Authors: Zhang Ninglu , Wu Yingna , Yang Rui , Xie Guangping
Published: November 2023

For various power equipment items such as aircraft engines and gas turbines with numerous components demanding requirements on processing accuracy and high structural complexity, processing errors tend to cause such problems as assembly rework, forced assembly and prolonged research and development cycle. In this paper, the core machine of micro gas turbine is taken as the research object to construct a simulation model of assembly-deviation prediction based on the design tolerance and actual measurement data. Then, an analysis is conducted on the assemblability of the design model and the key factors causing the deviation of the assembly. After conducting deviation calculations and simulation analysis, it was determined that the current mounting position is deemed to be suboptimal. In light of this finding, an optimized solution is proposed, which involves advancing the mounting phase by 0.47 mm. This adjustment effectively resolves the interference issue resulting from the design error. Moreover, the geometry, shape and three-dimensional contour of the key components are measured with high accuracy and precision to identify the key characteristic parameters affecting the outcome of the assembly. With an assembly-deviation-prediction and -analysis model established on the basis of actual measurement data, the results of the assembly-deviation analysis are compared with the outcome of the assembly, showing high consistency. The assembly-deviation-prediction method proposed in this paper on the basis of design tolerance and actual measurement data is applicable to the manufacture of aviation and combustion engines.
Application of Segmented and Prestressed Supporting Structures in Bridge Crane Systems: Potentials and Challenges
Authors: Oellerich Jan , Büscher Keno Jann
Published: November 2023

In this paper, an alternative design approach to the construction of bridge crane systems is analyzed with respect to the potentials and challenges of use based on two possible construction methods. Compared to conventional crane bridges, which are manufactured as a single part, the innovation of the approach relates to designing the crane bridge in segments and assembling it from standardized individual components, which are small in dimension, to form a plug-in structure. These are then prestressed by means of a tensile member to establish the load-bearing capacity. The motivation of the alternative design concept arises from a challenging manufacturing and costly transportation of common crane bridges. Here, the different design approaches are first presented as to how a segmental crane bridge can be constructed and which function the involved components fulfill. In this context, the novel construction method also gives rise to new constraints that are not covered by the common design standards and are therefore discussed. The paper concludes with a comparative study to identify advantages and disadvantages of both concepts regarding defined criteria with the aim of determining design improvements and elaborates the potentials and challenges of the approach with respect to a future industrial implementation. Moreover, these findings additionally form the basis for further research work in this area.
The Semantic Adjacency Criterion in Time Intervals Mining
Authors: Shknevsky Alexander , Shahar Yuval , Moskovitch Robert
Published: November 2023

We propose a new pruning constraint when mining frequent temporal patterns to be used as classification and prediction features, the Semantic Adjacency Criterion [SAC], which filters out temporal patterns that contain potentially semantically contradictory components, exploiting each medical domain’s knowledge. We have defined three SAC versions and tested them within three medical domains (oncology, hepatitis, diabetes) and a frequent-temporal-pattern discovery framework. Previously, we had shown that using SAC enhances the repeatability of discovering the same temporal patterns in similar proportions in different patient groups within the same clinical domain. Here, we focused on SAC’s computational implications for pattern discovery, and for classification and prediction, using the discovered patterns as features, by four different machine-learning methods: Random Forests, Naïve Bayes, SVM, and Logistic Regression. Using SAC resulted in a significant reduction, across all medical domains and classification methods, of up to 97% in the number of discovered temporal patterns, and in the runtime of the discovery process, of up to 98%. Nevertheless, the highly reduced set of only semantically transparent patterns, when used as features, resulted in classification and prediction models whose performance was at least as good as the models resulting from using the complete temporal-pattern set.
Evaluation of Augmented Reality Surgical Navigation in Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy: Clinical Study
Authors: Huang Xin , Liu Xiaoguang , Zhu Bin , Hou Xiangyu , Hai Bao , Li Shuiqing , Yu Dongfang , Zheng Wenhao , Li Ranyang , Pan Junjun , Yao Youjie , Dai Zailin , Zeng Haijun
Published: November 2023

Background: The puncture procedure in percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) is non-visual, and the learning curve for PELD is steep. Methods: An augmented reality surgical navigation (ARSN) system was designed and utilized in PELD. The system possesses three core functionalities: augmented reality (AR) radiograph overlay, AR puncture needle real-time tracking, and AR navigation. We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial to evaluate its feasibility and effectiveness. A total of 20 patients with lumbar disc herniation treated with PELD were analyzed. Of these, 10 patients were treated with the guidance of ARSN (ARSN group). The remaining 10 patients were treated using C-arm fluoroscopy guidance (control group). Results: The AR radiographs and AR puncture needle were successfully superimposed on the intraoperative videos. The anteroposterior and lateral AR tracking distance errors were 1.55 ± 0.17 mm and 1.78 ± 0.21 mm. The ARSN group exhibited a significant reduction in both the number of puncture attempts (2.0 ± 0.4 vs. 6.9 ± 0.5, p = 0.000) and the number of fluoroscopies (10.6 ± 0.9 vs. 18.5 ± 1.6, p = 0.000) compared with the control group. Complications were not observed in either group. Conclusions: The results indicate that the clinical application of the ARSN system in PELD is effective and feasible.
Implementation of a Virtual Reality Based Digital-Twin Robotic Minimally Invasive Surgery Simulator
Authors: Cai Xiaoyu , Wang Zijun , Li Shijie , Pan Junjun , Li Chengli , Tai Yonghang
Published: November 2023

The rapid development of computers and robots has seen robotic minimally invasive surgery (RMIS) gradually enter the public’s vision. RMIS can effectively eliminate the hand vibrations of surgeons and further reduce wounds and bleeding. However, suitable RMIS and virtual reality-based digital-twin surgery trainers are still in the early stages of development. Extensive training is required for surgeons to adapt to different operating modes compared to traditional MIS. A virtual-reality-based digital-twin robotic minimally invasive surgery (VRDT-RMIS) simulator was developed in this study, and its effectiveness was introduced. Twenty-five volunteers were divided into two groups for the experiment, the Expert Group and the Novice Group. The use of the VRDT-RMIS simulator for face, content, and structural validation training, including the peg transfer module and the soft tissue cutting module, was evaluated. Through subjective and objective evaluations, the potential roles of vision and haptics in robot surgery training were explored. The simulator can effectively distinguish surgical skill proficiency between experts and novices.