bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatially Resolved Tumor Microenvironment Predicts Treatment Outcomes in Relapsed/Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma
Authors: Aoki Tomohiro , Jiang Aixiang , Xu Alexander , Yin Yifan , Gamboa Alicia , Milne Katy , Takata Katsuyoshi , Miyata-Takata Tomoko , Chung Shanee , Rai Shinya , Wu Shaocheng , Warren Mary , Strong Celia , Goodyear Talia , Morris Kayleigh , Chong Lauren C. , Hav Monirath , Colombo Anthony R. , Telenius Adele , Boyle Merrill , Ben-Neriah Susana , Power Maryse , Gerrie Alina S. , Weng Andrew P. , Karsan Aly , Roth Andrew , Farinha Pedro , Scott David W. , Savage Kerry J. , Nelson Brad H. , Merchant Akil , Steidl Christian
Published: December 2023

PURPOSE

About a third of patients with relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin lymphoma (r/r CHL) succumb to their disease after high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (HDC/ASCT). Here, we aimed to describe spatially resolved tumor microenvironment (TME) ecosystems to establish novel biomarkers associated with treatment failure in r/r CHL.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We performed imaging mass cytometry (IMC) on 71 paired primary diagnostic and relapse biopsies using a marker panel specific to CHL biology. For each cell type in the TME, we calculated a spatial score measuring the distance of nearest neighbor cells to the malignant Hodgkin Reed Sternberg cells within the close interaction range. Spatial scores were used as features in prognostic model development for post-ASCT outcomes.

RESULTS

Highly multiplexed IMC data revealed shared TME patterns in paired diagnostic and early r/r CHL samples, whereas TME patterns were more divergent in pairs of diagnostic and late relapse samples. Integrated analysis of IMC and single-cell RNA sequencing data identified unique architecture defined by CXCR5+ Hodgkin and Reed Sternberg (HRS) cells and their strong spatial relationship with CXCL13+ macrophages in the TME. We developed a prognostic assay (RHL4S) using four spatially resolved parameters, CXCR5+ HRS cells, PD1+CD4+ T cells, CD68+ tumor-associated macrophages, and CXCR5+ B cells, which effectively separated patients into high-risk versus low-risk groups with significantly different post-ASCT outcomes. The RHL4S assay was validated in an independent r/r CHL cohort using a multicolor immunofluorescence assay.

CONCLUSION

We identified the interaction of CXCR5+ HRS cells with ligand-expressing CXCL13+ macrophages as a prominent crosstalk axis in relapsed CHL. Harnessing this TME biology, we developed a novel prognostic model applicable to r/r CHL biopsies, RHL4S, opening new avenues for spatial biomarker development.
A Population-Based and Clinical Cohort Validation of the Novel Consensus Definition of Metabolic Hyperferritinemia
Authors: Liu Wen-Yue , Lian Li-You , Zhang Huai , Chen Sui-Dan , Jin Xin-Zhe , Zhang Ni , Ye Chen-Hui , Chen Wen-Ying , Bee George Goh Boon , Wang Fu-Di , Miele Luca , Corradini Elena , Valenti Luca , Zheng Ming-Hua
Published: December 2023

Context

There is limited data on the clinical significance of metabolic hyperferritinemia (MHF) based on the most recent consensus.

Objective

We aimed to validate the clinical outcomes of MHF in the general population and patients with biopsy-proven metabolic dysfunction–associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).

Methods

The NHANES database and PERSONS cohort were included. MHF was defined as elevated serum ferritin with metabolic dysfunction (MD) and stratified into different grades according to ferritin (grade 1: 200 [females]/300 [males]—550 ng/mL; grade 2: 550-1000 ng/mL; grade 3: >1000 ng/mL). The clinical outcomes, including all-cause death, comorbidities, and liver histology, were compared between non-MHF and MHF in adjusted models.

Results

In NHANES, compared with non-MHF with MD, MHF was related to higher risks of advanced fibrosis (P = .036), elevated albumin–creatinine ratio (UACR, P = .001), and sarcopenia (P = .013). Although the association between all grades of MHF and mortality was insignificant (P = .122), grades 2/3 was associated with increased mortality (P = .029). When comparing with non-MHF without MD, the harmful effects of MHF were more significant in mortality (P < .001), elevated UACR (P < .001), cardiovascular disease (P = .028), and sarcopenia (P < .001). In the PERSONS cohort, MHF was associated with more advanced grades of steatosis (P < .001), lobular inflammation (P < .001), advanced fibrosis (P = .017), and more severe hepatocellular iron deposition (P < .001).

Conclusion

Both in the general population and in at-risk individuals with MAFLD, MHF was related with poorer clinical outcomes.
AptaDB: a comprehensive database integrating aptamer–target interactions
Authors: Chen Long , Yu Zhuohang , Wu Zengrui , Zhou Moran , Wang Yimeng , Yu Xinxin , Li Weihua , Liu Guixia , Tang Yun
Published: December 2023

Aptamers have emerged as research hotspots of the next generation due to excellent performance benefits and application potentials in pharmacology, medicine, and analytical chemistry. Despite the numerous aptamer investigations, the lack of comprehensive data integration has hindered the development of computational methods for aptamers and the reuse of aptamers. A public access database named AptaDB, derived from experimentally validated data manually collected from the literature, was hence developed, integrating comprehensive aptamer-related data, which include six key components: (i) experimentally validated aptamer–target interaction information, (ii) aptamer property information, (iii) structure information of aptamer, (iv) target information, (v) experimental activity information, and (vi) algorithmically calculated similar aptamers. AptaDB currently contains 1350 experimentally validated aptamer–target interactions, 1230 binding affinity constants, 1293 aptamer sequences, and more. Compared to other aptamer databases, it contains twice the number of entries found in available databases. The collection and integration of the above information categories is unique among available aptamer databases and provides a user-friendly interface. AptaDB will also be continuously updated as aptamer research evolves. We expect that AptaDB will become a powerful source for aptamer rational design and a valuable tool for aptamer screening in the future. For access to AptaDB, please visithttp://lmmd.ecust.edu.cn/aptadb/.
A comparative study on the clinical efficacy of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy and conventional open surgery in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation
Authors: Li Zheng , Jiang Chen-yang , Xu Bao-shan
Published: December 2023

Objective: To analyze the efficacy of single-channel percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) and conventional open surgery in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH).

Methods: This is a retrospective study. A total of 66 patients with LDH admitted to Tianjin Medical University from June 2017 to June 2018 were divided into two groups: the observation group (single-channel PELD) and the control group (posterior lumbar interbody fusion), with 33 cases in each group. The two groups were compared in terms of visual analogue scale(VAS), oswestry disability index (ODI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association Score(JOA), perioperative indicators, clinical efficacy, postoperative complications, changes in inflammatory factors and serum T lymphocyte subsets.

Results: The operation time, incision length, intraoperative blood loss, time in bed, hospital stay in the observation group were all lower than those in the control group. At 7d after treatment, the improvement of ODI, VAS and JOA in the observation group were better than that in the control group. At the last follow-up, there was no significant difference in Cobb angle and lumbar lordosis angle between the two groups. The levels of serum IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α in the observation group were lower than those in the control group. The degree of reduction of serum CD3+ and CD4+ in the observation group were higher than those in the control group. And the level of elevation of CD8+ in the observation group was lower than that in the control group. Moreover, there was no significant difference in CD4+/CD8+ level between the two groups. The excellent rate of surgical results in the observation group was higher than that in the control group. Complications occurred in both groups, with no significant difference between the two groups.

Conclusions: Single-channel PELD can achieve superior clinical efficacy over conventional open surgery in the treatment of LDH.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.6678

How to cite this: Li Z, Jiang C, Xu B. A comparative study on the clinical efficacy of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy and conventional open surgery in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(3):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.6678

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The effect of Folic Acid, B12, D, and E Vitamins and Melatonin levels in the follicular fluid taken by the Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection method on pregnancy
Authors: DEMiR KENAN , ÇALIŞKAN Süleyman Tümer , ÇELİK Sebahattin , Akdeniz Muhterem , Göç Rümeysa
Published: December 2023

Objective: It has been demonstrated that the composition of the follicular fluid and many internal/external factors affect success in subfertile couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). We examined the effect of folic acid, B12, D, and E vitamins and melatonin values in follicular fluid on pregnancy in women with low, normal, and high ovarian reserves who underwent ICSI.
Methods: Our study was conducted at Samsun Medical Park Hospital between January 2021 and February 2022. Follicular fluid induction samples were taken from 96 infertile women with low, normal, and high ovarian reserve, and ICSI was applied. Folic acid, B12, D, and E vitamins and melatonin levels were measured in follicular fluid samples by ELISA method. Statistical analyzes were done with SPSS, and ROC curve analyses were used.
Results: Nine people with poor reserve, 19 people with normal reserve and 14 people with high reserve became pregnant. Folic acid, Vitamin-D, B12, E and melatonin levels were lower in those with poor ovarian reserve than in those with normal and high ovarian reserve (p<0.05). According to the pregnancy test, the probability of pregnancy was 43,783 times higher with high levels of folic acid, while it was 8,096 times higher for vitamin D. While vitamin B12 levels were 31,474 times more likely to be pregnancies, vitamin E levels were 35,227 times higher. For melatonin, the values showed that the probability of pregnancy increased by 11,564 times.
Conclusions: High antioxidants may increase the likelihood of conception in infertile women undergoing ICSI. Therefore, couples who will be treated should be advised to increase these markers, especially melatonin in the follicular fluid.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.7929
How to cite this: Demir K, Caliskan ST, Celik S, Akdeniz M, Goc RY. The effect of Folic Acid, B12, D, & E Vitamins and Melatonin levels in the follicular fluid taken by the Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection method on pregnancy. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(3):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.7929
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Barriers and facilitators to refugees and asylum seekers accessing non hospital based care: A mixed methods systematic review protocol.
Authors: Fitzharris Laura , McGowan Emer , Broderick Julie
Published: December 2023

Context Social exclusion is characterised by and represents a form of disadvantage and marginalisation of vulnerable groups of people in society, who cannot fully participate in the normal activities of daily living. People who are socially excluded such as asylum seekers and refugees have complex healthcare needs and tend to present more to the acute hospital setting as emergency presentations. Little is known about barriers and facilitators experienced by this group to accessing nonhospital based care. Objectives This mixed methods systematic review, will critically examine the concept of barriers and facilitators for refugees and asylum seekers to accessing non hospital based care. Methods This methodological review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for conducting mixed methods reviews. The following databases will be searched: Central Medline, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library. Relevant grey literature will be included. Title and abstract screening, followed by full-text screening will be undertaken independently by two reviewers. The Joanna Briggs Institute extraction tool will be adapted for data extraction. Discussion This mixed method review will comprehensively evaluate quantitative and qualitative data, synthesise both barriers and facilitators and follow a systematic approach through establishing use of mixed methods research across asylum seekers and refugees, and how they affect accessing non-hospital based care. It will explore conceptual models of access to healthcare and how they influence these factors.
Synergiczny charakter pedagogiki Dobrej Nowiny
Authors: Walulik Anna
Published: December 2023

Celem artykułu jest ukazanie Ewangelii jako źródła pedagogicznego myślenia i działania. Echo jej przesłania jest obecne w różnych nurtach i koncepcjach pedagogicznych uznawanych za nowoczesne i nowatorskie. Wskazuje to na synergiczny charakter pedagogiki odwołującej się do chrześcijaństwa, którego źródłem jest rzeczywistość zmartwychwstania Jezusa i wynikająca z tej prawdy nadzieja człowieka, że może osiągnąć zbawienie – szczęśliwe życie z Bogiem przez całą wieczność.
Wydarzenia opisane w Ewangelii to wydarzenia zbawcze, których składowe tworzą sieć wzajemnych powiązań. W przestrzeni tej sieci ujawnia się synergia, rozumiana jako współdziałanie, którego efektem jest nie tylko wzmacnianie pożądanych wartości lub osłabianie niepożądanych zjawisk, lecz pojawianie się nowej jakości. Przejawia się ona w tym, że refleksja pedagogiczna i działania wychowawcze inspirowane ideą Ewangelii odwołują się nie tylko do wiedzy wynikającej z poznania naturalnego, ale także do wiedzy wzbogaconej poznaniem odwołującym się do Transcendencji. Przy czym korzystanie z efektów synergicznych wymaga poznania treści Ewangelii i zasad jej interpretacji.
Desarrollo de la competencia oral en inglés como lengua extranjera a través de la mediación lingüística en educación secundaria.
Authors: Alcaraz-Mármol Gema
Published: December 2023

Linguistic mediation is one of the aspects to be developed within communicative competence, as established by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (2002). The aim of this study is to check whether linguistic mediation somehow contributes the development of other communicative constructs, in this case oral production. To this end, a group of 40 students from the 1st year of Bachillerato at a public secondary school in Madrid carried out a total of eight language mediation activities designed ad hoc. The activities were carried out once a week, in 50-minute sessions. The participants took an oral production test before and after the didactic intervention. Oral production was measured in terms of coherence and cohesion, lexical and grammatical variety, fluency, interaction, and pronunciation. The results showed that after the completion of the mediation activities, the students’ fluency and interaction had improved significantly, thus suggesting the added value of linguistic mediation not only as important in itself but as a facilitator in the development of other communicative skills.
El uso de las "sitcoms" para el aprendizaje cultural en el aula de idiomas: un seminario para universitarios.
Authors: Raigón Rodríguez Antonio , Larrea-Espinar Ángela
Published: December 2023

This article examines the perceptions of EFL university students regarding an intercultural workshop that uses a sitcom (Master of None) as an instructional tool. Prior to detailing the workshop and the students’ assessment, this paper deals with the evolving role of culture in the English language classroom. Concentrating on cultural facts about English-speaking countries has proven insufficient for today’s world, where the vast majority of interactions happen among non-native speakers. Students need to work on developing skills and attitudes in order to become intercultural citizens. Even though language teaching has evolved to accommodate this shift in cultural perspective, textbooks, the backbone of language teaching, have remained almost unaffected by this change of paradigm. In this context, TV shows can be a dependable cultural training tool. Data obtained via a Likert-scale questionnaire show the participants’ appreciation for the workshop, and their highly positive perception of the acquisition of cultural knowledge and the development of attitudes and skills using this type of workshop.
El léxico disponible en inglés de chicos y chicas españoles adolescentes.
Authors: Jiménez Catalán Rosa María , Canga Alonso Andrés
Published: December 2023

This study explores the available English lexicon of Spanish adolescents in the twelfth form. It combines a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the English words produced by males and females in a lexical availability task. The objectives are twofold. Firstly, we identify the number of words retrieved by each group in response to nine prompts related to learners’ realities, such as ‘Food & drink’, ‘Clothes’, ‘School’, or ‘Hobbies’. Secondly, we analyse the most frequent words retrieved by males and females to ascertain whether patterns of gender variation are observed. Overall, the results indicated more similarities than differences. A closer analysis on the means points to the absence of significant differences in the number of words produced by males and females both for the whole task and per prompt. However, differential tendencies were also observed in the exclusive words for each group that were found in the prompts ‘Professions’ and ‘Clothes’.
Clindamycin: an effective treatment for granulomatous mastitis caused by Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii in a pregnant patient
Authors: Abdalla Elmustafa , Elmudathir Ahmed , Ahmed Ahmed H. , Ali Bashir , Elhadi Ali Mohamed , Taha Noheir M. , Khan Fahmi Y.
Published: December 2023

Corynebacterium spp. are Gram-positive bacteria, and recent studies have proposed a potential link between granulomatous mastitis and Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii infections, posing a challenge in selecting appropriate antibiotics, particularly in pregnant women. A young pregnant woman presented with a palpable lump in her left breast. Subsequent assessment revealed the presence of necrotising granulomatous mastitis attributed to C. kroppenstedtii. Initially treated with amoxicillin/clavulanate, the patient showed no improvement. Consequently, clindamycin was administered based on culture and sensitivity results, which resulted in a favourable response with no recurrence of symptoms. This report aims to emphasise the efficacy of clindamycin as a treatment option for granulomatous mastitis caused by C. kroppenstedtii.
CAMINHOS PARA TORNAR-SE GRIOT
Authors: Correa Marco Aurélio
Published: December 2023

Procurando corpo e fundamento na pesquisa de mestrado que desenvolvi em educação no ProPed da Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro troco uma ideia com o cineasta Tothi dos Santos. Residente de Aparecida de Goiânia, cidade da região metropolitana da capital do estado de Goiás, Tothi, realiza investigações experimentais acerca das corporalidades afro-diaspóricas e cinema documentário. É sócio administrador na produtora Dafuq Filmes e cocriador do selo afirmativo Filmes de Preto, além de associado a APAN. Piramos juntos em uma das ideais que tento elaborar em minha dissertação sobre como professores – minha formação original – e cineastas se encontram numa caminhada como possíveis griots.
µPED based electrode modified with nanocomposite for the detection of proline: An abiotic stress biomarker in plant
Authors: Santhosh Mallesh , Park Tusan
Published: December 2023

Plants when exposed to stressful conditions, accumulates array of metabolites. Among them proline plays significant and beneficial role as osmolyte, metal chelator and as anti-oxidative defense and regulator molecule. Thus the proline content is one of the potent bio-marker for the early detection of abiotic stress in plant. In this work a microfluidic paper-based electrochemical device (µPED) modified with copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO) decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite is utilized to develop disposable system for the detection of proline. Wax and screen printings were utilized to create microfluidic chambers and electrode pattern on paper device, respectively. Portable potentiostat was used for measuring the current in response from the addition of proline. The proposed sensor exhibits excellent electrochemical performance with broad linear responses over a proline concentration ranging from 0.1 mM to 7.5 mM (R2 =0.99) and showed lower detection limit of 0.05 mM at 0.4 V vs. pseudo Ag/AgCl. Excellent electrochemical performance may be attributed to presence of electroactive rGO and catalytic activity towards proline is due to the coordination between proline and copper (II) oxide nanoparticles. These results demonstrate that the proposed paper-based electrochemical sensor can be utilized in disposable and portable way to detect proline content in the abiotic-stressed plants and has potential to be applied in on-site application.
TÜRK KÜLTÜRÜNDE ISLIK VE ISLIĞIN İŞLEVLERİ
Authors: KORKMAZ İskender
Published: December 2023

İletişim çeşitlerinden birisi olan ıslık, insanlık tarihi kadar eski bir eylemdir. Çağlar boyunca insanoğlu ıslığı çeşitli amaçlarla kullanmış ve çeşitlendirip geliştirerek günümüze kadar getirmiştir. Bu bakımdan ıslık gerek işlevsel açıdan gerekse inançsal boyutta insanlık tarihinin gündelik yaşamına farklı şekillerde yansımıştır. Günümüzde ıslığı hayatımızın birçok yerinde görmek mümkündür. Kimi zaman uzaktaki bir kişiye seslenme aracı olarak kimi zaman da bir müziğin çalgı aleti olarak bazen de bir eylem sırasında protesto aracı olarak karşımıza çıkabilir. Çok yönlü bir yapıya sahip olan ıslık, sadece bunlarla kalmayıp inançlar üzerinde de etkileri olduğu söylenebilir. Dünyanın birçok yerinde ıslıkla iliği çeşitli inançlar bulunmaktadır. Bu inançlar dikkate alındığında ıslık, bazen kişiye musibet getirdiği gibi bazen de uğur getirdiği düşünülebilir. Söz konusu bu çalışmada ıslık bir iletişim çeşidi olarak incelenmiş ve ıslığın kültürel hayatımızda işlevleri üzerine durulmuştur. Bu işlevler iletişim işlevi, protesto işlevi, müzikal işlevi gibi çeşitli başlıklara ayrılmıştır. Bu başlıklar altında gerek tarihi gerekse günümüzdeki örnekler dikkate alınarak incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın devamında gerek dünyada gerekse Türk toplumunda ıslıkla ilgili inançları ele alınmıştır.

Whistling, one of the types of communication, is an action as old as human history. Throughout the ages, human beings have used whistling for various purposes and have diversified and developed it until today. In this respect, whistling has been reflected in the daily life of human history in different ways, both functionally and religiously. Nowadays, it is possible to see whistling in many parts of our lives. It can sometimes appear as a means of addressing a distant person, sometimes as a musical instrument, or sometimes as a means of protest during an action. Whistling, which has a versatile structure, can be said to have effects not only on these but also on beliefs. There are various beliefs related to whistling in many parts of the world. Considering these beliefs, it can be thought that whistling sometimes brings misfortune to a person and sometimes brings good luck. In this study, whistling was examined as a type of communication and the functions of whistling in our cultural life were emphasized. These functions are divided into various headings such as communication function, protest function, musical function. It has been examined under these headings, taking into account both historical and contemporary examples. In the continuation of the study, beliefs about whistling both in the world and in Turkish society are discussed.
Performance of large language models at the MRCS Part A: a tool for medical education?
Authors: Yiu A , Lam K
Published: December 2023

Introduction

The Intercollegiate Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons examination (MRCS) Part A assesses generic surgical sciences and applied knowledge using 300 multiple-choice Single Best Answer items. Large Language Models (LLMs) are trained on vast amounts of text to generate natural language outputs, and applications in healthcare and medical education are rising.

Methods

Two LLMs, ChatGPT (OpenAI) and Bard (Google AI), were tested using 300 questions from a popular MRCS Part A question bank without/with need for justification (NJ/J). LLM outputs were scored according to accuracy, concordance and insight.

Results

ChatGPT achieved 85.7%/84.3% accuracy for NJ/J encodings. Bard achieved 64%/64.3% accuracy for NJ/J encodings. ChatGPT and Bard displayed high levels of concordance for NJ (95.3%; 81.7%) and J (93.7%; 79.7%) encodings, respectively. ChatGPT and Bard provided an insightful statement in >98% and >86% outputs, respectively.

Discussion

This study demonstrates that ChatGPT achieves passing-level accuracy at MRCS Part A, and both LLMs achieve high concordance and provide insightful responses to test questions. Instances of clinically inappropriate or inaccurate decision-making, incomplete appreciation of nuanced clinical scenarios and utilisation of out-of-date guidance was, however, noted. LLMs are accessible and time-efficient tools, access vast clinical knowledge, and may reduce the emphasis on factual recall in medical education and assessment.

Conclusion

ChatGPT achieves passing-level accuracy for MRCS Part A with concordant and insightful outputs. Future applications of LLMs in healthcare must be cautious of hallucinations and incorrect reasoning but have the potential to develop AI-supported clinicians.
Evaluation of outcomes and utility of abdominal aortic aneurysm surveillance in octogenarians and nonagenarians
Authors: Nasir IT , Shoab SS , Bani-Hani MG
Published: December 2023

Introduction

The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of our regional abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening programme in octogenarians and nonagenarians. This was to help decide whether discontinuation might be appropriate in certain instances. Primary outcomes were the number of patients who reached threshold (5.5cm) and the number where intervention was offered. Secondary outcome was cost effectiveness.

Methods

A retrospective review of a regional AAA surveillance database was carried out to evaluate outcomes. Data collected included patient age, sex, date of first and last scan, initial and latest size of aneurysm, outcome, time under surveillance and total number of scans. Patients were divided into three groups (80–84 years, 85–89 years and 90+ years).

Results

The number of patients in this age group was 354. Only 2.0% (n=7) of patients underwent intervention. Threshold size was achieved in 8.3% (n=18), 14.8% (n=18) and 26.7% (n=4), in the age groups 80–84 years, 85–89 years and 90+ years, respectively. Of these patients, operative intervention was possible in 2.8% (n=6), 0.8% (n=1) and 0% (n=0), respectively.

Conclusion

A relatively small number of octogenarians and nonagenarians reach the threshold size during surveillance. An even smaller proportion require repair of their aneurysm. While there may be a role for AAA surveillance in octogenarians in highly selected groups, these data should inform the discussions made with individual patients. It should also inform future evaluation of such surveillance.
Machine Learning Clustering Analysis Towards Educator’s Readiness to Adopt Augmented Reality as a Teaching Tool
Authors: Sangodiah Anbuselvan , Yi Wei Chooi , Ayob Ayu Norafida binti , Jalil Norazira Binti A , Subramaniam Charles Ramendran S PR , Lirong Gong
Published: December 2023

The advanced digital revolution has shifted conventional teaching and learning into digital education. In consistency with digital education, Augmented Reality (AR) applications started to shine in the education industry for their ability to create conducive teaching and learning environments, especially in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Movement Control Order (MCO) implemented in the year 2020 has led to emergency remote teaching and learning without much preparation for all educators and learners. Throughout these few years, most educators got familiar with digital teaching tools and online teaching platforms. Hence, this study aims to explore educators’ readiness to adopt AR as a teaching tool in their teaching during the endemic period. A quantitative approach via questionnaire has been distributed to the Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) in the states of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. Machine learning using a clustering technique was used to find patterns between the demographics of educators towards the AR perception of educators. The results revealed that educators' perceptions of AR technology are influenced by their familiarity with it, their personal beliefs, and their attitudes toward technology. This study provides an insightful overview of the benefits of AR applications in education and the implications of the adoption of AR in Malaysian schools and educational institutions. It also highlights the importance of motivating educators and students to embrace AR as an enhancement learning tool, providing a valuable discussion for the government, learning institutions, and educators on the implementation of AR in Malaysia.
Predicting Football Match Outcomes with Machine Learning Approaches
Authors: Choi Bing Shen , Foo Lee Kien , Chua Sook-Ling
Published: December 2023

The increasing use of data-driven approaches has led to the development of models to predict football match outcomes. However, predicting match outcomes accurately remains a challenge due to the sport's inherent unpredictability. In this study, we have investigated the usage of different machine learning models in predicting the outcome of English Premier League matches. We assessed the performance of random forest, logistic regression, linear support vector classifier and extreme gradient boosting models for binary and multiclass classification. These models are trained with datasets obtained using different sampling techniques. The result showed that the models performed better when trained with dataset obtained using a balanced sampling technique for binary classification. Additionally, the models' predictions were evaluated by conducting simulation on football betting profits based on the 2022-2023 EPL season. The model achieved the highest accuracy is the binary class random forest, but the model provided the highest football betting profit is the binary class logistic regression.
Evolutionary Optimization Techniques in Analog Integrated Circuit Designs
Authors: Hoang Trang , Bui Bao Quoc , Nguyen Hoang Trong , Ton Phuc That Bao
Published: December 2023

The proposed genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) applied for the optimal design of a one-stage operational amplifier circuit with a current mirror load are studied in this work. The sizes of transistors are optimized using the proposed GA and PSO for improved areas and performance parameters of the circuit. A number of performance parameters are collected from the data set created by GA and PSO to optimize the size of transistors and other design parameters. The Spectre simulator is chosen for the simulation of circuit parameters to obtain necessary for the GA and PSO algorithm. Post-optimization results justify that the proposed GA and PSO methods are competitive with differential evolution regarding convergence speed, design specifications, and the optimal CMOS one-stage operational amplifier circuit parameters.
Optimizing Neural Networks for Academic Performance Classification Using Feature Selection and Resampling Approach
Authors: Supriyadi Didi , Purwanto Purwanto , Warsito Budi
Published: December 2023

The features present in large datasets significantly affect the performance of machine learning models. Redundant and irrelevant features will be rejected and cause a decrease in machine learning model performance. This paper proposes HyFeS-ROS-ANN: Hybrid Feature Selection and Resampling combination method for binary classification using artificial neural network multilayer perceptron (MLP).  The first stage of this approach is to use a combination of two feature selection methods to select essential features that are highly correlated with model performance. The second stage of this approach is to use a combination of resampling methods to handle unbalanced data classes. Both approaches are applied to the academic performance classification model using the MLP neural network. This research dataset is obtained using three-dimensional (3D) frameworks such as the Big Five Personality to determine the Personality that affects academic performance from the student dimension, the Family Influence Scale (FIS), which measures factors that affect academic performance from the family dimension, and Higher Education Institutions Service Quality (HEISQUAL) to measure service quality and its influence on academic performance from the Education institution dimension. Previous research shows that the CoR-ANN algorithm has a model accuracy rate of 94%. The research results based on the dataset show that our proposed method can improve accuracy by selecting more relevant and essential features in improving model performance. The results show that the features are reduced from 135 to 108, while the HyFS-ROS-ANN model for binary classification accuracy increases to 100%.
Explaining the abolition of the wage stop in the UK
Authors: Grover Chris
Published: December 2023

Before the introduction of the household benefit cap in the UK in 2013 the previous mechanism there limited the income of social assistance recipients was the wage stop, operating for four decades between 1935 and 1975. Similar to the benefit cap, the wage stop reflected and reproduced concerns with incentivising unemployed people to labour. This raises questions about why the wage stop was abolished in the mid-1970s when worries about unemployment continued, particularly its intersections with out-of-work benefits. It is widely argued that the abolition of the wage stop was a consequence of lobbying by the Child Poverty Action Group. Drawing upon records held at the UK’s National Archives, this article argues that this is an over-simplified explanation that, first, ignores concerns with the wage stop that pre-dated the Child Poverty Action Group’s criticism of it, including concerns within the assistance boards with its administration. And, second, while by the mid-1970s there was (albeit ambiguous) concern with the impacts of the wage stop, there was a shift in approach that emphasised the supplementation of low wages with social security benefits, rather than forcing social assistance below the assessed needs of households, as being a preferable means of ensuring the incentive to take wage-labour.
"In All Circumstances": Home Births and Collaborative Health Care in Ireland, 1900-1950
Authors: Delay Cara
Published: December 2023

summary: This article examines the development of a collaborative model of home-based reproductive caregiving in Ireland from 1900 to 1950, focusing on the interactions of different practitioners in childbirth cases in the domestic sphere. In Ireland the move to obstetrics and trained nursing and midwifery was gradual, complicated by the needs and wants of ordinary women, who were reluctant to give up their trusted care givers and who actively sought to maintain long-standing domestic health care traditions. The result was a hybrid and collaborative model of domestic reproductive health care, requiring the attention of different practitioners, placing them in the same space, and necessitating that they work together. This dynamic and evolving system provided most pregnant, laboring, and postparturient women with essential reproductive care, but it would be overtaken by hospital-based reproductive medicine by around 1950, remaining only in folklore and memory by the late twentieth century.
Who Do Our Methods Serve and Protect? Pedagogical and Meta-Ethical Challenges in Teaching Breonna Taylor
Authors: Porter Andrew Stone
Published: December 2023

Abstract: Introductory courses in Christian ethics ordinarily survey deontological, teleological, and virtue ethics, testing each against case studies. In spring 2021, this author followed the customary approach, but our case was a claim made by Sgt. John Mattingly of Louisville Metro Police Department, who was involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor. In an e-mail to over 1,000 LMPD colleagues, Mattingly claimed, "I know we did the legal, moral and ethical thing that night." Mattingly's striking assertion raises epistemological and meta-ethical questions. In what sense was killing Ms. Taylor the right thing to do? Was this action virtuous? Did it proceed from a worthy intention toward a valid goal? Was it done in accordance with duty/ies? Did it produce good consequences? Was it conducive toward liberation? While the methods are necessary, none is fully adequate; the article argues that they should be supplemented by responsibilist ethical lenses adapted from Darryl Trimiew and Iris Marion Young.
The Evolution of Inuktut Dictionary-Making: From Historical Documentation to Inuit Authorship and Collaborations
Authors: Murasugi Kumiko , Patrick Donna
Published: December 2023

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the history of dictionary-making for the Inuktut (Inuit) language in Canada from the nineteenth century until today, ranging from those created by missionaries and linguists to projects led by Inuit or through collaborations between Inuit and non-Inuit language specialists. We propose four stages or phases of Inuktut dictionary-making, adapting Czaykowska-Higgins's (2009) model of linguistic fieldwork. The first phase, Inuit as informants (working on Inuit and Inuktut language), focuses on the work of missionaries, linguists, and anthropologists who gathered wordlists and learned the language during their sojourns in the Arctic from the eighteenth century well into the 1970s. The second phase, Inuit as beneficiaries (working for Inuit), includes the awareness to document language use by Inuit in the development of literacy, publications, education, and revitalization efforts in general. The third phase involves Inuit as primary authors (work by Inuit) in dictionary-making projects. Lastly, there are new collaborative projects that involve working with Inuit as partners (working with Inuit), particularly in the fields of digital mapping, online dictionaries, and digital databases. We trace all four of these dictionary-making trajectories, recognizing that some of these phases overlap (temporally and functionally) and highlighting the political and economic goals and agency of Inuit over the past two centuries to retain and secure more control over their land and languages.
Nêhiyawi-pîkiskwêwina maskwacîsihk : Spoken Dictionary of Maskwacîs Cree
Authors: Arppe Antti , Harrigan Atticus G. , Schmirler Katherine , Dacanay Daniel , Makinaw Rose
Published: December 2023

ABSTRACT: This paper details the development of nêhiyawi-pîkiskwêwina maskwacîsihk: Spoken Dictionary of Maskwacîs Cree (in progress). Since 2014, this joint project between the Maskwacîs Education and Schools Commission (MESC) and the Alberta Language Technology Lab (ALTLab) has sought to record carefully pronounced, isolated spoken audio for the approximately 9,000 entries in the Maskwacîs Dictionary of Cree Words (Maskwachees Cultural College 2009), as well as to fill lexical gaps through elicitation, to record example sentences for as many of these entries as possible, and to make these recordings publicly available online. Between 2014 and 2018, approximately 700 hours of audio and close to 120,000 recordings for 20,300 carefully spoken word and phrase types were gathered in elicitation sessions. After extracting and annotating the relevant Cree vocabulary, these audio clips were compiled in a novel, publicly accessible online Speech Database as well as through itwêwina , the intelligent bilingual online Cree–English dictionary. The entries in this database are currently in the process of orthographic standardization, gloss standardization, and linguistic analysis. Simultaneously, native speakers of Cree are re-reviewing the database's entries to ensure pronunciation quality and verify definitions where needed. In this paper, we discuss the origins of this project; the original elicitation sessions; the postprocessing, standardization, and validation of the recordings; and means by which these recordings can be publicly accessed online.
The Image of the Slave in Cicero's Catilinarians
Authors: Čulík-Baird Hannah
Published: December 2023

Abstract: "Are we not condemned to live in our exposure to one another, sometimes in the same space? Owing to this structural proximity, there is no longer any 'outside' that might be opposed to an 'inside,' no 'elsewhere' that might be opposed to a 'here,' no 'closeness' that might be opposed to a 'remoteness.'" Taking inspiration from Achille Mbembe's (2019), 40, "necropolitical" analysis of slavery in colonial contexts as a "structural proximity," this article explores Cicero's use of the image of a slave (idealized as "ideal" as well as vilified as violent) in the Catilinarians .
Comprehensive advancement in endoscopy: optical design, algorithm enhancement, and clinical validation for merged WLI and CBI imaging
Authors: Fu Ye , Zhang Shipeng , Ma Longfei , Zhao Zhe , Liao Hongen , Xie Tianyu
Published: December 2023

As endoscopic imaging technology advances, there is a growing clinical demand for enhanced imaging capabilities. Although conventional white light imaging (WLI) endoscopy offers realistic images, it often cannot reveal detailed characteristics of the mucosa. On the other hand, optical staining endoscopy, such as Compound Band Imaging (CBI), can discern subtle structures, serving to some extent as an optical biopsy. However, its image brightness is low, and the colors can be abrupt. These two techniques, commonly used in clinical settings, have complementary advantages. Nonetheless, they require different lighting conditions, which makes it challenging to combine their imaging strengths on living tissues. In this study, we introduce a novel endoscopic imaging technique that effectively combines the advantages of both WLI and CBI. Doctors don’t need to manually switch between these two observation modes, as they can obtain the image information of both modes in one image. We calibrated an appropriate proportion for simultaneous illumination with the light required for WLI and CBI. We designed a new illumination spectrum tailored for gastrointestinal examination, achieving their fusion at the optical level. Using a new algorithm that focuses on enhancing specific hemoglobin tissue features, we restored narrow-band image characteristics lost due to the introduction of white light. Our hardware and software innovations not only boost the illumination brightness of the endoscope but also ensure the narrow-band feature details of the image. To evaluate the reliability and safety of the new endoscopic system, we conducted a series of tests in line with relevant international standards and validated the design parameters. For clinical trials, we collected a total of 256 sets of images, each set comprising images of the same lesion location captured using WLI, CBI, and our proposed method. We recruited four experienced clinicians to conduct subjective evaluations of the collected images. The results affirmed the significant advantages of our method. We believe that the novel endoscopic system we introduced has vast potential for clinical application in the future.
High resolution terahertz ATR frequency-domain spectroscopy for monitoring spinal cord injury in rats
Authors: Fang Xing , Huang Hanxu , Zhang Hongqi , Yang Zuomin , Lyu Zhidong , Yang Hang , Li Nan , Zhao Tengfei , Yu Xianbin , Zhang Lu
Published: December 2023

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to permanent neurological impairment, underscoring the urgency of regular therapeutic intervention and monitoring. In this study, we propose a new strategy for monitoring spinal cord injury through serum based on high-resolution THz attenuated total reflection frequency domain spectroscopy (THz-ATR-FDS). We demonstrated serum spectral differences at different time points after experimental SCI in rats. We also studied the relationship between serum lipid concentration and the time of SCI, which revealed the potential of lipid molecules as biomarkers of SCI. In addition, based on the principal component analysis (PCA) and least squares regression (LSR) models, the quantitative relationship between the refractive index spectrum and lipid concentration in serum was automatically analyzed. This work highlights terahertz spectroscopy as a promising tool for label-free, periodic, and efficient monitoring of SCI.
Deep-learning-based automated measurement of outer retinal layer thickness for use in the assessment of age-related macular degeneration, applicable to both swept-source and spectral-domain OCT imaging
Authors: Lu Jie , Cheng Yuxuan , Hiya Farhan E. , Shen Mengxi , Herrera Gissel , Zhang Qinqin , Gregori Giovanni , Rosenfeld Philip J. , Wang Ruikang K.
Published: December 2023

Effective biomarkers are required for assessing the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a prevalent and progressive eye disease. This paper presents a deep learning-based automated algorithm, applicable to both swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) and spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) scans, for measuring outer retinal layer (ORL) thickness as a surrogate biomarker for outer retinal degeneration, e.g., photoreceptor disruption, to assess AMD progression. The algorithm was developed based on a modified TransUNet model with clinically annotated retinal features manifested in the progression of AMD. The algorithm demonstrates a high accuracy with an intersection of union (IoU) of 0.9698 in the testing dataset for segmenting ORL using both SS-OCT and SD-OCT datasets. The robustness and applicability of the algorithm are indicated by strong correlation (r = 0.9551, P < 0.0001 in the central-fovea 3 mm-circle, and r = 0.9442, P < 0.0001 in the 5 mm-circle) and agreement (the mean bias = 0.5440 um in the 3-mm circle, and 1.392 um in the 5-mm circle) of the ORL thickness measurements between SS-OCT and SD-OCT scans. Comparative analysis reveals significant differences (P < 0.0001) in ORL thickness among 80 normal eyes, 30 intermediate AMD eyes with reticular pseudodrusen, 49 intermediate AMD eyes with drusen, and 40 late AMD eyes with geographic atrophy, highlighting its potential as an independent biomarker for predicting AMD progression. The findings provide valuable insights into the ORL alterations associated with different stages of AMD and emphasize the potential of ORL thickness as a sensitive indicator of AMD severity and progression.