bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tissue Plasminogen Activator with Prolonged Dwell Time Effectively Evacuates Pleural Effusions
Authors: Townsend Alexandra , Raju Harsha , Serpa Krystina A , Pruett Rachel , Razi Syed S , Tarrazzi Francisco A. , Tami Catherine M , Block Mark I
Published: October 2022

Objectives Fibrinolytic therapy can be effective for management of complex pleural effusions. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA, 10 mg) and deoxyribonuclease (DNAse) every 12 hours with a dwell time of one hour is a common strategy based on published data. We used a simpler protocol of tPA (4 mg) without DNAse but with a longer dwell time of 12 hours, repeated daily. We reviewed our results. Methods Charts were reviewed and demographics, clinical data and treatment information were abstracted. Outcomes were assessed based on radiographic findings and need for surgery. Results 215 effusions in 207 patients (8 bilateral) were identified. 85% were either infectious or malignant. 249 chest tubes were used: 84% were 10 Fr or 12 Fr and 7% were PleurX®. 531 doses of tPA were given. The median number of doses per effusion was 2 (range 1–10), and 84% of effusions were treated with three or fewer doses. There were no significant bleeding complications. Median time to chest tube removal was 6 days (range 1 to 98, IQR 4 to 10). Drainage was considered complete for 78% of effusions, while 6% required decortication. Conclusions Low dose tPA daily with a 12 hour dwell time may be as effective as the standard regimen of tPA and DNAse twice daily with one hour dwell. For the most patients only three doses were required, and small pigtail catheters were sufficient. This regimen uses less medication and is logistically much easier than the current standard.
Evaluation of ureteral injuries caused by ureteral access sheath insertion during ureteroscopic lithotripsy
Authors: Taguchi Makoto , Yasuda Kaneki , Kinoshita Hidefumi
Published: October 2022

Objective:
To evaluate ureteral injuries caused by insertion of a 13-Fr ureteral access sheath, and to identify factors (other than pre-stenting) that are predictive of ureteral injury.
Methods:
We enrolled 201 patients who underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL). We excluded 80 patients who underwent ureteral stent insertion before URSL, 10 patients who did not use a ureteral access sheath, and two patients in whom a ureteral access sheath could not be inserted. In total, 109 patients were analyzed; all underwent insertion of a 13-Fr ureteral access sheath. We investigated ureteral injuries using the Traxer ureteral injury scale.
Results:
There were 21 (19.3%) cases of ureteral access sheath-related ureteral injury, including 11 (10.1%) grade 2 cases and 10 (9.2%) grade 3 cases. The ureteral injury location was the proximal ureter in 20 cases (18.3%), middle ureter in one case (0.9%), and distal ureter in 0 cases. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that male sex was a significant predictive factor for ureteral injury (p = 0.045, odds ratio: 4.87, 95% confidence interval: 1.03–23.01). Postoperative ureteral stricture did not occur in any cases.
Conclusion:
The rate of ureteral injury caused by a 13-Fr ureteral access sheath was considerable, and most ureteral injuries occurred in the proximal ureter. Male sex was a significant predictive factor for ureteral injury, according to multiple logistic regression analysis. The proximal ureter should be confirmed when using a 13-Fr ureteral access sheath, particularly in male patients.
Associations among malnutrition, muscle loss, and postoperative walking ability in intertrochanteric fractures: a retrospective study
Authors: Sato Kohei , Tsuji Hironori , Yorimitsu Masanori , Uehara Takenori , Okazaki Yuki , Takao Shinichiro , Hata Toshiaki , Fukuoka Shiro , Noda Tomoyuki , Kanda Hideyuki , Ozaki Toshifumi
Published: October 2022

Background: Sarcopenia and malnutrition are increasing in older populations and are reported to be among the risk factors for functional impairment after hip fracture surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between loss of skeletal muscle mass, malnutrition, and postoperative walking ability in older adults with hip fractures.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent surgery for intertrochanteric fractures between 2015 and 2020 at our institute. The psoas muscle index (PMI), the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score, and the functional ambulation category (FAC) score were used for the evaluation of skeletal muscle mass, nutritional status, and walking ability. Patients were assigned to a disturbance gait (DG) or independent gait (IG) group based on walking ability 6 months after surgery. Using multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis, skeletal muscle mass, nutritional status, and other factors were used to predict the risk of being assigned to the DG group.
Results: This study included 95 patients with a mean age of 85.2 years. Seventy patients were female. Low skeletal muscle mass was prevalent in 66 patients, 35 suffered from malnutrition, and 28 had both low skeletal muscle mass and malnutrition. Malnutrition and low skeletal muscle mass were significantly associated with postoperative gait disturbance (FAC<3) in the multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis.
Conclusions: Both skeletal muscle loss and malnutrition before surgery were risk factors for poor walking ability after intertrochanteric fracture surgery. Preventive interventions should focus on maintaining or building skeletal muscle mass and improving nutrition in older adults who are at risk of experiencing hip fractures to optimize postoperative functional outcomes if surgery is required.
Explicit Factorization of a Categorical Center
Authors: Guu Jin-Cheng , Tham Ying Hong
Published: October 2022

Given a braided fusion category C, it is well known that the natural map F: C ⊠ Cbop → Z(C) from the square of C to the (Drinfeld) categorical center Z(C) is an equivalence if and only if C is modular. This provides a non-constructive structure theorem for Z(C) for the modular case. However, it is not clear how to construct the inverse. In this work, we provide an explicit construction using insights from a specific quantum field theory. In particular, we construct an adjoint functor for F that is its inverse precisely when C is modular. The witnessing natural transformations are also constructed as values at certain cobordism of a specific 4-dimensional extended topological quantum field theory, the Crane-Yetter model. Such construction provides a (partial) factorization of the structure of Z(C) even when C is not modular. It is useful for understanding the extended structure of the Crane-Yetter model (future work).
MSC: 18M20, 57K30, 57K40.
Prognostic factors in adults with primary intracranial ependymoma: a population- based study
Authors: Zulfiqar Amna , Yang Helen , Malhotra Armaan , Malik Abdullah , Das Sunit
Published: October 2022

INTRODUCTION

Ependymomas are rare central nervous system neoplasms associated premature mortality. National registry-based datasets are therefore useful for identification of prognostic factors for adults with intracranial ependymoma. We aimed to assess demographic and clinical factors associated with survival for adults with intracranial ependymoma.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registry was queried for prognostic factors and survival outcomes of adult (≥ 18 years) patients diagnosed with intracranial ependymoma from 2004–2018.

RESULTS

We identified 183 adults with primary intracranial ependymoma; 89 patients (49%) had WHO grade II tumors and 94 patients (51%) had WHO grade III tumors. Increased age (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.04), higher tumour grade (HR: 2.14 95% CI: 1.31–3.48) and tumor location (HR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.04–2.75) were significant predictors of mortality. Adjuvant therapy and extent of resection were not predictive of overall survival. In anatomic subgroups, age (p < 0.001), sex (p = 0.022), and tumor grade (p = 0.011) were associated with overall survival among supratentorial ependymoma cases, whereas extent of surgery (p = 0.035) was significant for infratentorial ependymomas survival.

CONCLUSION

Leveraging large national registry data, our findings add to the body of evidence informing clinical decision making for adults with intracranial ependymoma.
Luminosity Normalized Symmetric Deep Convolute Tubular Classifier for Diabetic Retinopathy Detection
Authors: Muthusamy Dharmalingam , Palani Parimala
Published: October 2022

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common eye disease and a notable starting point of blindness in diabetic patients. Detecting the existence of microaneurysms in the fundus images and the identification of DR in the preliminary stage has always been a considerable question for decades. Systematic screening and appropriate interference are the most efficient mechanism for disease management. The sizeable populations of diabetic patients and their enormous screening requirements have given rise to the computer-aided and automatic diagnosis of DR. The utilizationof Deep Neural Networks in DR diagnosis has also attracted much attention and considerable advancement has been made. However, despite the several advancements that have been made, there remains room for improvement in the sensitivity and specificity of the DR diagnosis. In this work, a novel method called the Luminosity Normalized Symmetric Deep Convolute Tubular Classifier (LN-SDCTC) for DR detection is proposed. The LN-SDCTC method is split into two parts. Initially, with the retinal colorfundus images obtained as input, the Luminosity Normalized Retinal Color Fundus Preprocessing model is applied to produce a noise-minimized enhanced contrast image. Second, the obtained processed image is provided as input to the Symmetric Deep Convolute network. Here, with the aid of the convolutional layer (i.e., the Tubular Neighborhood Window), the average pooling layer (i.e., average magnitude value of tubular neighbors), and the max-pooling layer (i.e., maximum contrast orientation), relevant features are selected. Finally, with the extracted features as input and with the aid of the Multinomial Regression Classification function, the severity of the DR disease is determined. Extensive experimental results in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio, disease detection time, sensitivity, and specificity reveal that the proposed method of DR detection greatly facilitates the deep learning model and yields better results than various state-of-art methods.
Inhibition of P2X7 receptor downregulates neuronal TRPV1 expression in rat dorsal root ganglion
Authors: Wang Hongji , Chen Lisha , Xing Juping , Shi Xiangchao , Xu Changshui
Published: October 2022

The purinergic 2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is an ATP-gated ion channel that can conduct extracellular signals and induce corresponding biological effects. Transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) is a non-selective cation channel that maintains normal physiological functions. Numerous studies have shown that P2X7R and TRPV1 are strongly associated with inflammatory reactions, so we aimed to investigate the effect of knockdown of P2X7R in rat satellite glial cells (SGCs) on neuronal TRPV1 expression under a high glucose and high free-fat (HGHF) environment. We found that treatment with P2X7 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) reduced the expressions of the P2X7R protein and mRNA of SCGs in the dorsal root ganglion, downregulated the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 beta via the Ca2+/p38 MAPK/NF-kB pathway. After coculture of neurons with SGCs, TRPV1 expression in neurons was reduced via Ca2+/PKC-ɛ/p38 MAPK pathway. These results suggest that reducing P2X7R on SCGs in an HGHF environment results in decreasing neuronal TRPV1 expression via the Ca2+/PKC-ɛ/p38 MAPK pathway.
Cross-modal interference and facilitation on counting performance
Authors: Gatto Claudia Del , Indraccolo Allegra , Pedale Tiziana , Brunetti Riccardo
Published: October 2022

During the act of counting, our perceptual system may rely on information coming from different sensory channels. However, when the information coming from different sources is discordant, such as in the case of a de-synchronization between visual stimuli to be counted and irrelevant auditory stimuli, performance in a sequential counting task might deteriorate. Such deterioration may originate from two different mechanisms, both linked to exogenous attention attracted by auditory stimuli. Indeed, exogenous auditory triggers may infiltrate our internal "counter", interfering with the counting process, resulting in an overcount; alternatively, the exogenous auditory triggers may disrupt the internal "counter" by deviating participants’ attention from the visual stimuli, resulting in an undercount. We tested these hypotheses by asking participants to count visual discs sequentially appearing on the screen while listening to task-irrelevant sounds, in systematically varied conditions: visual stimuli could be synchronized or de-synchronized with sounds; they could feature regular or irregular pacing; and their speed presentation could be fast (approx. 4/sec.) or slow (approx. 3/sec.). Our results support the second hypothesis since participants tend to undercount visual stimuli in all harder conditions (de-synchronized, irregular, fast sequences). We discuss these results in detail, adding novel elements to the study of crossmodal interference.
Machine Learning-Enabled Exploration of the Electrochemical Stability of Real-Scale Metallic Nanoparticles
Authors: Bang Kihoon , Hong Doosun , Park Youngtae , Kim Donghun , Han Sang Soo , Lee Hyuck Mo
Published: October 2022

Surface Pourbaix diagrams are critical to understanding the stability of nanomaterials in electrochemical environments. Their construction based on density functional theory (DFT) is, however, prohibitively expensive for real-scale systems, such as several nanometer-size nanoparticles (NPs) involving at least thousands of noble metal atoms, and this limitation calls for machine learning (ML)-driven approaches. Herein, with the aim of accelerating the accurate prediction of adsorption energies for a wide range of surface coverages on large-size NPs, we developed a bond-type embedded crystal graph convolutional neural network (BE-CGCNN) model in which four bonding types were treated differently. Owing to the much enhanced accuracy of the bond-type embedding approach compared to the original CGCNN, we demonstrate the construction of reliable Pourbaix diagrams for very large-size NPs involving up to 6,525 atoms (approximately 4.8 nm in diameter), which enables the exploration of electrochemical stability over various NP sizes and shapes. We reveal that ML-based Pourbaix diagrams well reproduce the experimental observations with increasing NP size, such as the increasing O- to OH-covered phase ratio and the decreasing Pt dissolution phase in the diagrams. This work suggests a new method for accelerated Pourbaix diagram construction for real-scale and arbitrarily shaped NPs, which would significantly open up an avenue for electrochemical stability studies.
Analysis of the Coronary Care Unit Bed Allocation policy and Selecting the most suitable model for optimal allocation in Iran: a multiphase study
Authors: Hedayati Maryam , Azami-Aghdash Saber , Arabloo Jalal , Rezapour Aziz , Alipour Vahid , Moradi Najmeh , Yousefzadeh Negar , Zarei Leila , Zanganeh Marzieh
Published: October 2022

Background
This study aimed to conduct a policy analysis on allocating Coronary Care Unit (CCU) beds and clarifies the well-suited model for the allocation of CCU beds in Iran.
Methods
As a multiphase study, this was conducted in 4 steps including a literature review, semi-structured interviews, an analysis of the policymaking process, and the Delphi study. The models of bed allocation and their criteria, and also the challenges of CCU bed allocation, were explored through literature review and semi-structured interviews. The CCU beds allocation policy was analyzed using Walt and Gilson's Health Policy Triangle (HPT). The suitable model for the optimal allocation of CCU beds in Iran was chosen by the Delphi method.
Results
Findings were reported in four dimensions of the policy analysis triangle, including content, context, process, and actors. Various social, economic, environmental, and political factors affect policy development. Allocating policy emphasizes fair distribution of resources, and full access to health services, and encourages the private sector. Achieving efficiency of hospital bed utilization put bed allocation on the agenda in Iran. Thorough literature review, 11 models and 14 indicators were found. After conducting interviews, the number of indicators increased to 58 cases and the CCU bed allocation challenges were identified. The Trend Model was picked through the Delphi study as a framework for CCU bed allocation.
Conclusion
Using the results of the present study and the proposed model can help to allocate hospital beds, especially CCU beds, optimally and efficiently. However, challenges and barriers identified by this study require consideration during the development of the proposed model. Also, managers and policymakers require information about the most effective strategies to reduce the need for CCU beds in the future. It is recommended that future studies and scenario planning be taken into consideration prior to the optimal allocation of hospital beds in the future.
A Novel Method for Detecting Keratoconus Using Smartphones
Authors: Askarian Behnam , Ankur Tanjemoon , Ho Peter , Chong Jo Woon
Published: October 2022

Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive eye disease, and it is the fourth leading cause of blindness worldwide. KC accounts for 200,000 irreversible blindness and low vision in the U.S. according to the National Institute of Health, National Eye Institute (NIH-NEI). In this paper, we propose a novel smartphone-based method for diagnosing keratoconus in its early stages using eye models. Our proposed method projects Placido discs utilizing the smartphone screen on the cornea and uses a novel color enhancement method for preprocessing, and CIE LAB color-based image processing technique to extract Placido discs from corneal images. The corneal topography map is calculated using Placido disc projections. Finally, by adopting the support vector machine (SVM) and k-fold cross-validation algorithm, we distinguished KC eyes from healthy eyes. From the 50 image database, our proposed algorithm distinguishes KC eyes from healthy eyes with 90% sensitivity 91% specificity and 95% accuracy. The proposed method provides an affordable, rapid, easy-to-use, and versatile method that could be used in remote areas with medical shortages for detecting KC by using smartphones without the use of bulky and expensive imaging devices.
How does population outcrossing rate influence seed quality? Evidence from a 58-year-old seed tree stand of Pinus massoniana
Authors: Wei Wei , Chen Mei-Xi , Li Xian-Qin , Jiang Wei-Xin , Bai Tian-Dao
Published: October 2022

Inbreeding is thought to be a key adverse factor impacting the genetic quality of seeds in seed production populations and the inbreeding degree (i.e., selfing or outcrossing rate) of seed production populations have been extensively assessed through mating system analysis. The depression effect of inbreeding on seed quality traits in seed production populations under open-pollination conditions has not yet been clearly described. In this study, the open-pollinated seeds were collected from 26 mother trees in a 58-year-old seed tree stand. Three seed quality traits, including thousand-seed weight (TSW), germination rate (GR) and germination potential (GP), were measured, and the seeds from eight of 26 families with significant differences in seed quality traits were genotyped through twelve microsatellite markers. In addition, the seeds and sprouts (germinated seeds) from six families were genotyped to reveal the effect of inbreeding on seed germination. The three seed quality traits significantly differed among families (p<0.001). The multilocus outcrossing rate (tm=0.889) and single-locus outcrossing rate (ts=0.648) of overall seeds indicated apparent selfing (11.1%) and biparental inbreeding (24.0%). The outcrossing rate in the sprout group (tm= 0.919,ts= 0.788) was higher than that in the seed group (tm= 0.833,ts= 0.646), and the difference intsbetween groups was different from zero under the 95% confidence interval (0.024-0.260), suggesting that inbreeding negatively affected seed germination. Linear regression demonstrated that TSW was positively correlated withtmandts, while GR was negatively related totm-tsand positively related tots, implying that seed mass (development) was probably more affected by self-fertilization, but germination capacity was more influenced by biparental inbreeding. Roughly, the inbreeding depression (ID) of TSW was 26.3% with a 0.1 decrease intm, while GR was 8.4% with a 0.1 decrease ints. In summary, these results suggest that the IDs during seed development and the germination stage of Masson pine were nonignorable and that more attention should be given to the establishment and management of Masson pine seed production.
Wavelet-based Approach for Diagnosing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Authors: Vimalajeewa Dixon , McDonald Ethan , Bruce Scott Alan , Vidakovic BRANI
Published: October 2022

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common cognitive disorder affecting children. ADHD can interfere with educational, social, and emotional development, so early detection is essential for obtaining proper care. Standard ADHD diagnostic protocols rely heavily on subjective assessments of perceived behavior. An objective diagnostic measure would be a welcome development and potentially aid in accurately and efficiently diagnosing ADHD. Analysis of pupillary dynamics has been proposed as a promising alternative method of detecting affected individuals effectively. This study proposes a method based on the self-similarity of pupillary dynamics and assesses its strength as a potential diagnostic biomarker. Localized discriminatory features are developed in the wavelet domain and selected via a rolling window method to build classifiers. The application on a task-based pupil diameter time series dataset of children aged 10-12 years shows that the proposed method achieves greater than 78% accuracy in detecting ADHD. Comparing with a recent approach that constructs features in the original data domain, the proposed wavelet-based classifier achieves more accurate ADHD classification with fewer features. The findings suggest that the proposed diagnostic procedure involving interpretable wavelet-based self-similarity features of pupil diameter data can potentially aid in improving the efficacy of ADHD diagnosis.
The Etiology of Hypothyroidism Is Revealed by Alternative Genetics Association Study Methodologies
Authors: Stern Amos , Zucker Roei , Linial Michal
Published: October 2022

Hypothyroidism is a common disorder of the endocrine system in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones. About 12% of the population in the USA will develop substantial thyroid deficiency over their lifetime, mostly as a result of iodine deficiency. The hypothyroidism phenotype also includes individuals that suffer from thyroid development abnormalities (congenital hypothyroidism, CH). Using a large population study, we aimed to identify the functional genes associated with an increase or decreased risk for hypothyroidism (ICD-10, E03). To this end, we used the gene-based proteome-wide association study (PWAS) method to detect associations mediated by the effects of variants on the protein function of all coding genes. The UK-Biobank (UKB) reports on 13,687 cases out of 274,824 participants of European ancestry, with a prevalence of 7.5% and 2.0% for females and males, respectively. The results from PWAS for ICD-10 E03 are a ranked list of 77 statistically significant genes (FDR-q-value <0.05) and an extended list of 95 genes with a weaker threshold (FDR-q-value <0.1). Validation was performed using the FinnGen Freeze 7 (Fz7) database across several GWAS with 33.5k to 44.5k cases. We validated 9 highly significant genes across the two independent cohorts. About 12% of the PWAS reported genes are strictly associated with a recessive inheritance model that is mostly overlooked by GWAS. Furthermore, PWAS performed by sex stratification identified 9 genes in males and 63 genes in females. However, resampling and statistical permutation tests confirmed that the genes involved in hypothyroidism are common to both sexes. Many of these genes function in the recognition and response of immune cells, with a strong signature of autoimmunity. Additional genetic association protocols, including PWAS, TWAS (transcriptional WAS), Open Targets (OT, unified GWAS) and coding-GWAS, revealed the complex etiology of hypothyroidism. Each association method highlights a different facet of the disease, including the developmental program of CH, autoimmunity, gene dysregulation, and sex-related gene enrichment. We conclude that genome association methods are complementary while each one reveals different aspects of hypothyroidism. Applying a multiple-protocol approach to complex diseases is expected to improve interpretability and clinical utility.
Estimating coal measures associated geothermal resources using Monte Carlo simulation in the Pingdingshan Coalfield, China
Authors: Lv Jiakun , Yu Zhenzi , Wan Zhijun , Zhang Bo , Wang Zhuting , Zhang Yuan , Shi Peng , Kun Yu
Published: October 2022

As a renewable clean energy associated with coal measures, mine geothermal is being widely developed. Accurate evaluation of coal measures associated geothermal resources can help us realize the effective development and utilization of deep minerals and geothermal energy. The most widely used evaluation method in geothermal resources is the static volume method. However, this approach only assigns specific values to the parameters and ignores the dynamics of the input parameters.Therefore, this paper takes the Cambrian limestone heat storage in the eastern mining area of Pingdingshan Coalfield as a case study. Based on the volume method, monte Carlo method is adopted to reduce the uncertainty of input parameters, so as to more accurately estimate the geothermal resources associated with coal measures in the eastern mining area of Pingdingshan coalfield. When Monte Carlo method is applied to the evaluation of heat storage resources, triangle and uniform distribution model are used as input parameters, and the number of simulation iterations is 10000. The results show that the heat contained in geothermal resources is (5.037 ~ 15.82) × 1014J (most likely 9.538 × 1014J, the probability is greater than 7.8%), in which the heat contained in geothermal water is (0.8806 ~ 6.531) × 1014J (most likely 3.196 × 1014J, probability greater than 7.1%), and the heat contained in the rock matrix of Cambrian limestone is (3.287 ~ 10.36) × 1014J (most likely 6.341 × 1014J, probability greater than 7.3%). On this basis, the theoretical and technical framework of coal thermal co mining is proposed to realize the collaborative mining of coal measures associated geothermal resources.
The Cost-effectiveness of Subcutaneous Semaglutide 2.4 mg Injection for Chronic Weight Management in Canada: A Societal Perspective
Authors: Olivieri Anamaria-Vera , Muratov Sergey , Larsen Sara , Luckevich Maria , Chan Katalina , Lamotte Mark , Lau David
Published: October 2022

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of once-weekly semaglutide 2.4mg injection as adjunct to reduced-calorie meals and increased physical activity (diet and exercise, D&E), in adult patients with obesity (body mass index [BMI] of ≥30 kg/m2) or overweight (BMI 27-30 kg/m2) in the presence of ≥1 weight-related comorbidity, by comparing it with D&E alone or D&E in combination with liraglutide 3.0mg, orlistat, or naltrexone 32mg/bupropion (NB32).
METHODS: The safety and efficacy of semaglutide 2.4mg and D&E were sourced from the STEP 1 and STEP 2 trials, while a network meta-analysis informed the relative efficacy vs. other comparators. The Core Obesity Model was used to extrapolate costs and health outcomes (both discounted at 1.5% annually) over 40 years for a cohort with starting age 50 years and starting BMI 37.5 kg/m2, taking D&E alone or in combination with other pharmacotherapies for 1 year. Costs were analyzed from a societal perspective, including publicly and privately funded health expenses, patient co-payments, and indirect costs.
RESULTS: Semaglutide 2.4mg reduced weight and reverted prediabetes prevalence more than alternative therapies. This translated into delays in the occurrence of weight-related complications, and gains in life-expectancy between 0.081 years vs. D&E (maximum gain) and 0.030 years vs. liraglutide 3.0mg (minimum gain), and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) between 0.103 vs. D&E and 0.039 vs. liraglutide 3.0mg, at additional costs. The incremental cost-utility ratios were 29,677 Canadian dollars (CAD)/QALY gained vs. D&E, CAD12,369/QALY gained vs. liraglutide 3.0mg, CAD25,663/QALY gained vs. orlistat and CAD25,003/QALY gained vs. NB32. The cost-effectiveness acceptability curve showed a high likelihood of subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg injection being considered cost-effective, at willingness-to-pay thresholds of CAD50,000/QALY and beyond.
CONCLUSION: Based on this analysis, the use of semaglutide 2.4mg injection can be considered a cost-effective alternative compared with D&E alone, or D&E in combination with other pharmacotherapies.
A new approach to detecting irregular behavior in the network structure of public contracts
Authors: Pastor Iván Pastor Sanz Ivan
Published: October 2022

Corruption scandals are a major concern worldwide. Situations of instability are usually a breeding ground for new forms of corruption. The COVID-19 pandemic has not been an exception creating new opportunities for fraud and corruption. Hence, there are no few cases where irregularities have been uncovered in different countries since the beginning of the pandemic. Based on 213,729 public contracts granted in Spain in the years 2020 and 2021, this paper proposes an empirical approach to detect irregularities in public procurement. The proposed approach is mainly based on the Node2Vec algorithm, a graph embedding algorithm that automatically learns the complex latent relationships among public contracting authorities and awarded companies. By using Node2Vec each node of the network of public contracts is transformed into low-dimensional dense vectors which are then clustered using the Self-Organizing maps (SOM) algorithm. Five different groups of contracts have been detected. Each group is finally labeled according to their risk of corruption by considering uncovered cases of irregularities that have appeared in the news. This paper contributes to the literature by proposing a new approach to detecting corruption practices by exploiting the network relationships among the different participants in public contracts representing a complementary approach to other traditional or machine learning methods.
Biodegradation of the antiviral tenofovir disoproxyl by a cyanobacteria/bacteria culture.
Authors: SILVA SANDRA , Moreira Carolina , Vasconcelos Olívia , Mol Marcos , Barbosa Francisco , Magalhães Sergia
Published: October 2022

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is an antiretroviral drug extensively used by people living with HIV/AIDS. TDF molecule is hydrolysed in vivo and liberate the tenofovir, the active part of the molecule. Tenofovir is a very stable drug and the discharge of its residues into the environment can potentially lead to risk for aquatic species. This study evaluated the TDF biodegradation and removal by cultures of Microcystis novacekii, non axenic, it presented the bacteria Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes associated. Concentrations of TDF 12.5, 25.0 and 50.0 mg.L-1 were used to the tests. The process occurred in two stages. In the first 72 hours, TDF was de-esterified, forming the tenofovir monoester intermediate by abiotic and enzymatic process associated in extra cell medium. In a second step, the monoester was removed from the culture medium by intracellular processes. At the end of the experiment 88.7 to 94.1% of TDF and its monoester derivative were removed from the culture medium over 16 days. This process showed higher efficiency to the TDF removal at the concentration 25 mg.L-1. The tenofovir or others by-products of TDF were not observed in the test conditions. Tenofovir isoproxil monoester has partial antiviral activity and has shown to be persistent, maintaining a residual concentration after 16 days, indicating the need to continue the research on methods of this product total removal from the aquatic environment.
Pulse distortion caused by waveguide inhomogeneity in nonlinear optical wavelength converters
Authors: Nouroozi Rahman , Paygan Danial , Izadi Mohammad Amin , Mousavi S. Faezeh
Published: October 2022

Low-noise integrated all-optical wavelength converters that can be operated in short pulse regime are essential tools too vercome contention resolution in a modern communication network, based on wavelength division multiplexing. Any imperfect functionality in such devices causes non-ideal optical power transfer to the converted data pulses. All imperfections during the preparation and operation of the wavelength converters can be addressed to the waveguide inhomogeneity which distorts data pulses to be converted. This paper reports different waveguide inhomogeneity effects on the pulse distortion while using periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide as wavelength converters. Three types of χ(2)-based nonlinear optical processes, including second harmonic generation, difference frequency generation, and cascaded second harmonic generation/difference frequency generation are numerically studied to show that any constant, linear, and quadratic waveguide inhomogeneity causes short pulse (down to 1 ns) distortion in such wavelength converters. In addition, it is shown that the reconstruction of sech2-shaped generated pulses is possible, when suitable upside-down quadratic variations of obtained inhomogeneityare deliberately induced in the waveguide. Notably, for pulsed second harmonic generation, the generated pulse can be compressed using an upside-down quadratic phase mismatch.
Tribological Properties of Nano-ZnO/TiO2 Composite Lubricant and functional Transformation from Lubricant to photocatalyst
Authors: Guo Wenxuan , Wang Zexiao , Zhang Luzhong , Dai Yifan , Wang Yuhao , Mao Yukun , Chen Wengang
Published: October 2022

In order to improve the wear and emission of engine internal parts, ZnO/TiO2 composites were selected as lubricating oil additives in this study. Firstly, the effects of different amounts of ZnO/TiO2 composites on the friction and wear properties under the same working conditions were investigated on a four-ball friction and wear tester. Secondly, the photocatalytic performance was tested by 722 visible spectrophotometer. The results show that the addition of different amounts of ZnO/TiO2 composite additives can significantly improve the anti-friction and anti-wear properties and photocatalytic properties of lubricating oil, and the effect is the best when the addition amount is 0.5%. Compared with the condition without additives, the friction coefficient is reduced by about 52%, and the wear loss is reduced by about 60. The degradation rate of methyl orange was also increased by about 12%. The test shows that ZnO/TiO2 as lubricating oil additive has good friction reduction performance and photocatalytic performance. It can not only reduce the loss of internal parts of the engine, but also use its photocatalytic performance to catalyze the gas generated by the engine, so as to increase the engine life and achieve green development.
Pseudoalteromonas insulae sp. nov., isolated from a tidal flat
Authors: Song Ji Hyeon , Lee Eun Bee , Cho Jun Hyeong , Kim Wonyong , Yoon Jung-Hoon
Published: October 2022

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, motile by single polar flagellum and ovoid or rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated BDTF-M6T, was isolated from tidal flat sediment collected from the Yellow Sea, Republic of Korea. Neighbour-joining phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain BDTF-M6Tfell within the clade comprising the type strains ofPseudoalteromonasspecies. Strain BDTF-M6Texhibited the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity value (98.3%) to the type strain ofP.caenipelagiand sequence similarities of less than 97.9% to the type strains of the otherPseudoalteromonasspecies. The DNA G+C content of strain BDTF-M6Tfrom genomic sequence data was 50.0%. The ANI and dDDH values between strain BDTF-M6Tand the type strains of forty-fourPseudoalteromonasspecies were less than 70.3 and 22.6%, respectively. Strain BDTF-M6Tcontained Q-8 as the predominant ubiquinone and C16:0, summed feature 3 (C16:1ω7cand/or C16:1ω6c) and C18:1ω7cas the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids of strain BDTF-M6Twere phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified aminolipid and one unidentified glycolipid. Distinguished phenotypic properties, along with the phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness, revealed that strain BDTF-M6Tis separated from recognizedPseudoalteromonasspecies. On the basis of the data presented, strain BDTF-M6Tis considered to represent a novel species of the genusPseudoalteromonas, for which the namePseudoalteromonas insulaesp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BDTF-M6T(= KACC 22179T= NBRC 115118T).
Clinical feasibility of laparoscopic left lateral segment liver resection with magnetic anchor technique: a preliminary clinical study
Authors: Zhang Miaomiao , Bai Jigang , Zhang Dong , Tao Jie , Geng Zhimin , Li Zhuoqun , Ren Yuxiang , Zhang Yuhan , Lyu Yi , Yan Xiaopeng
Published: October 2022

Purpose
Magnetic anchor technique (MAT) has been applied in laparoscopic cholecystectomy and laparoscopic appendectomy, but has not been reported in laparoscopic partial hepatectomy. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of the MAT in laparoscopic left lateral segment liver resection.
Methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of eight patients who underwent laparoscopic left lateral segment liver resection assisted by MAT in our department from July 2020 to November 2021. The magnetic anchor device was independently designed and developed by the author of this paper, which consists of the anchor magnet and magnetic grasping apparatus. Surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative accidents, operator experience, postoperative incision pain score, postoperative complications, and other indicators were evaluated and analyzed.
Results
All eight patients underwent a MAT-assisted laparoscopic left lateral segment liver resection, including three patients undertaking conventional 5-port and five patients having a transumbilical single-port operation. The mean operation time was 138 ± 34.32 min (range 95–185 min) and the mean intraoperative blood loss was 123 ± 88.60 mL (range 20–300 mL). No adverse events occurred during the operation. The magnetic anchor device showed good workability and maneuverability in both tissue and organ exposure. In particular, the operators did not experience either a “chopstick” or “sword-fight” effect in the single-port laparoscopic operation.
Conclusion
The MAT is safe and feasible for laparoscopic left lateral segment liver resection, especially, exhibits its unique abettance for transumbilical single-port laparoscopic left lateral segment liver resection.
Effects of muña essential oil (Minthostachys mollis) added in edible coating based on black maca flour (Lepidium meyenii Walpers) and nanoclay for shelf-life prolongation of minimally processed melon (Cucumis melo L.)
Authors: Pacheco-Torreblanca Noelia Xiomara , Pacco-Huamani Maria Cecilia , Carlos-Tapia Katerin Victoria , Pizato Sandriane , -Vega William Renzo Cortez , Choque-Delgado Grethel Teresa
Published: October 2022

The objective of this manuscript was to evaluate the effect of muña essential oil in the coating based on black maca flour and nanoclay to prolong the shelf life of minimally processed melon. Melon cubes were stored for 12 days at 5±1 °C and divided into four treatments: T1 control (without coating), T2, T3, and T4 with 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% muña essential oil, respectively. Weight loss, titratable acidity, pH, soluble solids content, color, firmness, water activity, microbiological evaluations of molds and yeasts, Salmonella spp, and Escherichia coli were analyzed. Treatment 2 showed better results, in less weight loss (8.74%), firmness, and color, in addition to retarding microbial growth and prolonging the shelf life of the melon compared to T1. It concluded that the muña essential oil and maca coating was efficient, it reduced the growth of molds and yeasts and the loss of weight and firmness in fresh-cut melon.
Assessment of Casuarina clones and intercrops in agroforestry
Authors: JK Jincy Justin , Veerapur Maheswarappa , Hegde Ramakrishna , BC Dhananjaya , TS Hareesh
Published: October 2022

Casuarinas is one of the most important tree species ideal for agroforestry due to its nitrogen-fixing ability, desirable stem form, fast growth and light crown characteristics. Identification of suitable tree-crop combinations is important for maximizing the resource use efficiency of the components. In the present study, we assessed the growth performance of Casuarina clones and yield performance of intercrops for agroforestry. The field experiment consists of eight Casuarina hybrid clones planted ain row-column design with a spacing of 3 m × 2 m in three replications. Horse gram and cowpea were intercropped between tree rows during October 2021 and April 2022. Clone CH2 recorded a higher height and girth at breast height (8.41 m and 25 cm, respectively) at the end of experiment. The clones CH2, CH4 and CH5 performed better in quantitative parameters compared to the clones HPF, CJ9 and MTP. The green pod yield and biomass yield of cowpea were found higher in sole crop (8235 kg ha− 1and 5840 kg ha− 1) and it was lower under CH1 (2763 kg ha− 1and 1683 kg ha− 1). It was evident that the yield of intercrops was lower under the clones which performed well with respect to growth parameters. This may be attributed to the shade effect caused by the Casuarina trees on the intercrops.
­Machine Learning dimensionality reduction to detect EEG channel
differences between PTSD cases and healthy controls
Authors: Nguyen Vu , Phan Minh , Wang Tiantian , Norouzzadeh Payam , Snir Eli , Tutun Salih , McKinney Brett , Rahmani Bahareh
Published: October 2022

The goal of this study is to characterize EEG channel(s) that can help distinguish between PTSD and Healthy cases. For this purpose, we introduce a dimensionality reduction method that combines clustering and Support Vector Machine (SVM) weights to identify new feature weights for prediction of PTSD. We apply k-means clustering to dataset of each subject to classify the data points into 6 clusters, then utilize linear SVM to extract the weight matrix that shows the importance of channels in constituting the cluster classification of data points within each subject’s dataset. The significant SVM weights of F4, F8, and Pz are smaller in PTSD than in healthy subjects. This new approach can be used as a tool to better understand the interaction of EEG signals and diagnosis.
Prospects for Adding Drugs with Known Anti-tuberculosis Activity to the Composition of Bone Cement for Treatment of Tuberculous Arthritis
Authors: Peretsmanas E. O. , Zubikov V. S. , Panova A. E. , Gracheva A. N. , Kazyulina A. A. , Gerasimov I. A.
Published: October 2022

The objective: to evaluate the possibility of using linezolid, amikacin, levofloxacin and bedaquiline mixed with bone cement for the treatment of patients with tuberculous arthritis taking into account changes in mechanical properties of bone cement, antimycobacterial activity of drugs and characteristics of their release.

Subjects and Methods. The antimycobacterial, elution and strength characteristics of bone cement mixed with the drugs known for their anti-tuberculosis activity were studied: linezolid, amikacin, levofloxacin, and bedaquiline. The antimycobacterial effect was evaluated by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the reference strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37RV sensitive to anti-tuberculosis drugs (TB drugs). To study the kinetics of elution, the methods of high-performance mass spectrometry and spectrophotometry were used. The strength characteristics were determined using LFM-50 electromechanical testing machine.

Results. The obtained results demonstrated satisfactory elution and antimycobacterial parameters for linezolid and amikacin, thus they can be mixed with bone cement, and the cement retained its strength characteristics. Levofloxacin showed antimycobacterial activity only within 1 day after the cement sample was immersed in the solution. Bedaquiline showed negative elution and antimycobacterial characteristics in the cement sample.
Tolerability and Efficacy of Chemotherapy Containing Bedaquiline in Patients with Multiple Drug Resistant Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Authors: Filinyuk O. V. , Schegertsov D. Yu. , Kabanets N. N. , Amichba D. E.
Published: October 2022

The objective: to evaluate safety and efficacy of bedaquiline in the treatment of patients with multiple drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

Subjects and Methods. Clinical data of 523 patients above 18 years old registered for MDR TB treatment as per regimen 4 were retrospectively analyzed. HIV-negative patients were selected and divided into two groups by the use of bedaquiline in the chemotherapy regimen.

Results. In MDR TB treatment regimen containing bedaquiline, adverse reactions were observed in 95.7% of cases, the majority of them (65.2%) were of mild or moderate degree of severity. In 30.4% of such cases, bedaquiline was temporarily discontinued (mostly due to hepatotoxic reactions). No cardiotoxicity was observed as a response to bedaquiline, the median corrected QT interval made 413 ms, the maximum value was 438 ms. Adding bedaquiline to the regimen resulted in faster (in the first 3 months of treatment) and more frequent (in 94.7%) sputum conversion by culture (in the regimens with no bedaquiline, it was achieved in 63.8% of cases, p = 0.019). Treatment with regimens containing bedaquiline was effective in 82.61% of patients, while regimens with no bedaquiline were effective in 65.2% of cases, p = 0.085.
Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Levels on Yield of Marvel Grass (Dichanthium-Annulatum L) in Irrigated Condition Under N-W Agro Climatic Zone
Authors: Patel D. G. , Patel C. K. , Kiranbhai Rabari
Published: October 2022

The experiment was undertaken during Kharif season of 2019, 2020 and 2021 at Regional Research Station, S. D. Agricultural University, Kothara (Gujarat). The treatments comprised of three levels of nitrogen (N1: 10 kg N/ha, N2: 20 kg N/ha and N3: 30 kg N/ha) and three levels of phosphorus (P1: 0, P2: 20, P3: 40 kg P2O5/ha) was laid out in a factorial randomized block design with three replications. Effect of different nitrogen levels on Marvel green forage yield was found significant in pooled analysis. Application of 30 kg nitrogen/ha (N3) recorded significantly the highest plant height (135.68 cm), effective tillers/tussock (47.44), green and dry forage yield @ 811.18 and 347.87 q/ha, Crude fibre content (38.36 %) and Crude protein content (5.21 %), while application of phosphorus has no impact significantly on yield of marvel grass in pooled as well as individual year of analysis.