bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Study of Key Issues in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Systems
Authors: Zheng Jinsong
Published: November 2024

In order to solve the problem of dual-mode switching in NG eCall system network, the research on key problems of network telephone system was proposed. Based on 5G NR protocol and synaesthesia integrated transmission technology, this paper uses extended Kalman filter algorithm to predict and track vehicles. The beam management overhead is reduced based on the active sensing capability of the base station, and the reduced overhead is analyzed numerically. The test results show that the vehicle VIN, power type, etc. are correct after analyzing the MSD received by the comprehensive tester, and the position deviation is only 7.2m, far less than 150m. The MSD analysis obtained from several tests shows that the position deviation is generally 2∼12m between. Conclusion: This study can effectively improve the compatibility of LTE/5G NR with the existing on-board eCall system, and effectively reduce the upgrading cost of users.
Validating Predicted Biological Effects of Alzheimer's Disease Associated SNPs Using CSF Biomarker Levels
Authors: Kauwe John S.K. , Cruchaga Carlos , Bertelsen Sarah , Mayo Kevin , Latu Wayne , Nowotny Petra , Hinrichs Anthony L. , Fagan Anne M. , Holtzman David M. , Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative  , Goate Alison M.
Published: November 2024

Recent large-scale genetic studies of late-onset Alzheimer's disease have identified risk variants in CALHM1, GAB2, and SORL1. The mechanisms by which these genes might modulate risk are not definitively known. CALHM1 and SORL1 may alter amyloid-β (Aβ) levels and GAB2 may influence phosphorylation of the tau protein. In this study we have analyzed disease associated genetic variants in each of these genes for association with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ or tau levels in 602 samples from two independent CSF series. We failed to detect association between CSF Aβ42 levels and single nucleotide polymorphisms in SORL1 despite substantial statistical power to detect association. While we also failed to detect association between variants in GAB2 and CSF tau levels, power to detect this association was limited. Finally, our data suggest that the minor allele of rs2986017, in CALHM1, is marginally associated with CSF Aβ42 levels. This association is consistent with previous reports that this non-synonymous coding substitution results in increased Aβ levels in vitro and provides support for an Aβ-related mechanism for modulating risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Discovery of novel metabolic biomarkers in blood serum for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Zhao Yingxin , Villasante-Tezanos Alejandro , Miranda-Morales Ernesto G , Pappolla Miguel A , Fang Xiang
Published: November 2024

Background

Blood metabolites have emerged as promising candidates in the search for biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD), as evidence shows that various metabolic derangements contribute to neurodegeneration in AD.

Objective

We aim to identify metabolic biomarkers for AD diagnosis.

Methods

We conducted an in-depth analysis of the serum metabolome of AD patients and age, sex-matched cognitively unimpaired older adults using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. The biomarkers associated with AD were identified using machine learning algorithms.

Results

Using the discovery dataset and support vector machine (SVM) algorithm, we identified a panel of 14 metabolites predicting AD with a 1.00 area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC). The SVM model was tested against the verification dataset using an independent cohort and retained high predictive accuracy with a 0.97 AUC. Using the random forest (RF) algorithm, we identified a panel of 13 metabolites that predicted AD with a 0.96 AUC when tested against the verification dataset.

Conclusions

These findings pave the way for an efficient, blood-based diagnostic test for AD, holding promise for clinical screenings and diagnostic procedures.
A MULTI-LINGUAL TRANSLATION SYSTEM FOR REAL-WORLD IMAGES
Authors: Önal Erhan , Lopez-Benitez Noe
Published: November 2024

Translating text in real-world images presents several challenges such as text detection, text extraction, recognition, and translation. A multi-lingual translation system must take fundamental differences between the characteristics of different alphabets such as Latin, Cyrillic, Chinese, Korean, and Arabic into account. The system presented in this paper can extract text from real-world images with appropriate heuristics for these alphabets, as well as de-skew, binarize, recognize, and translate them. OCR is utilized to recognize the text, and the translation is employed using Translation Memory and Machine Translation. Experiments were also conducted to determine the most suitable segmentation and binarization algorithms for translation.
INTEGRATING THE CONCEPT OF SYNTHESIS IN THE SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE	DESIGN PROCESS
Authors: Tekinerdogan Bedir , Aksit Mehmet
Published: November 2024

Synthesis is a widely applied problem-solving approach of mature engineering disciplines including the sub-processes of technical problem analysis, identification and composition of solution domain concepts, and alternative-space analysis. Current software development processes do not adopt an explicit synthesis process and as such may fall short in identifying, composing and evaluating the relevant concerns. In order to advance ad hoc software development process to a mature engineering discipline it is necessary to integrate the concept of synthesis in current software engineering processes. In software engineering, software architecture design forms a key artifact including the early design decisions, which embodies the overall structure that impacts the quality of the overall system. For ensuring the quality of software architecture, it is necessary to identify and compose the relevant concerns. For this, we integrate the concept of synthesis in the software architecture design process and present the synthesis-based software architecture design process. This approach differs from existing software architecture design approaches since it explicitly includes the synthesis sub-processes of technical problem analysis, solution domain analysis and alternative space analysis, integrating these in a common process.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY FOR ELIMINATING COUPLING TERMS FROM A DESIGN	MATRIX
Authors: Lee Taesik
Published: November 2024

Eliminating an off-diagonal term from a design matrix brings value in a few different contexts. For a coupled design, it can decouple the design matrix. For a decoupled design, it will increase the flexibility of design interaction structure and thereby reducing the imaginary complexity. While eliminating an off-diagonal term is always preferred in the Axiomatic Design framework, the cost and benefit of eliminating it must be balanced to justify the effort. Assuming the cost is proportional to the number of off-diagonal terms to eliminate, this paper presents methods to identify a minimum set of off-diagonal terms that achieve the two objectives – decoupling and imaginary complexity. For the decoupling problem, the cycle matrix, C, provides an effective means to identify the optimal set of off-diagonal terms. The method we presented for the coupling problem guarantees the optimal solution. For the imaginary complexity problem, we presented a heuristic approach as a preliminary result to developing a complete method to select the optimal set.
A MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SUPPORTING INTERORGANIZATIONAL COOPERATIVE	DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Authors: Heller Markus , Wörzberger René
Published: November 2024

Development processes in chemical engineering are hard to support. In particular, interorganizational development processes are concerned with the coordination of activities carried out by engineering teams distributed across several cooperating organizations. The management system AHEAD is based on long-term experience gathered in multiple application domains (software, mechanical, or chemical engineering). AHEAD supports the management of dynamic interorganizational development processes by dynamic process views which allow the partial visibility management of processes for external organizations. AHEAD provides support for evolving process views which are able to reflect the changes in evolving development processes. Process views serve as the basis for inter-process connection. Processes can be split top-down into subprocesses for different organizations or composed bottom-up for pre-existing processes from different organizations. When mixing top-down and bottom-up process, planning and execution is possible. AHEAD allows process managers to monitor and control their intra-organizational development processes with all inter-organizational connections to processes in cooperating organizations in a uniform modeling language.
INTEGRATION OF STRUCTURED AND UNSTRUCTURED TEXT DATA IN A CLINICAL	INFORMATION SYSTEM
Authors: Wei Ching-Song D. , Sung Sam Y. , Doong Simon J. , Ng Peter A.
Published: November 2024

This paper describes an integration of structured and unstructured text data in a Clinical Information System (CIS). The input and output data of this Clinical Information System depend heavily on the use of a medical database and an intensive Graphic User Interface (GUI). The data source consists of multiple GUI's fields of various forms which compose structured data and free-text medical reports of patients. These free text medical reports are mostly made of the complicated part of unstructured text data. Usually, the free text medical reports include reports on patient intake, examination, and discharge, which could be an input from a keyboard, a handwriting device, a voice microphone, transcription service or others. Some of the medical language extraction and encoding systems, such as MedLEE, can be used to translate the medical free text into a standard and structured format. These systems will be reviewed and adopted to perform the knowledge extraction from medical free texts, if applicable. To achieve the goal of data sharing for the future application in data interoperability between heterogeneous database systems, a clinical data repository can be stored which is formed by applying a standard-compliant eXtensible Markup Language (XML), with GUI form, for integrating these data. Currently there are a number of healthcare information standards, such as HL7 (Health Level 7, 2006) and Medical Markup Language (Medical Markup Language, 2006) to promote data exchange. But it requires that both the sender and receiver of the data use the same standard in order to achieve the data exchange goal. In this paper, the generic data XML model is therefore developed and the feasibility for transforming the model into any of the standards is also demonstrated.
SIMULATED ANNEALING IN THE OPTIMIZATION OF COLLABORATIVE SYSTEMS	OPERATION
Authors: Gonsalves Tad , Itoh Kiyoshi
Published: November 2024

The simulated annealing (SA) algorithm has been applied for the optimization of a variety of systems. In this paper, we discuss the application of SA for optimizing the operation of collaborative systems. We choose the weighted average of the time customers spend in the system as the objective function to be minimized. This is because the time spent in the system is directly related to customer satisfaction, which in turn is related to business profits. Optimization through SA is sought for the system operating with the service time as well as the capacity of each of its servers, under constrains. We have tested the algorithm on a small-scale clinic model and found the results satisfactory. As future work, we plan to fine-tune the algorithm and apply it to larger collaborative systems.
PERFORMANCE DESIGN RATIONAL FRAMEWORK
Authors: Gonsalves Tad , Itoh Kiyoshi
Published: November 2024

Much research has been done on Design Rationale (DR) in software development. DR consists of the decisions made during the design process and the reasons behind them. It is useful for revising, maintaining, documenting, evaluating, and learning the design. In collaboration, rational methods act as catalysts in clarifying issues and their related trade-offs for the involved participants. The three main issues in DR are the capture, representation and use of DR. However, each of these issues is rather difficult to pursue in practice mostly because of the overhead they create in the design process. In this paper, we discuss the extension of design rationale (DR) to performance design rationale (PDR) for the development of collaborative systems. The Performance Design Rationale Framework (PDRF) addresses the issues of capture, representation and use, and presents an integrated solution. In collaborative systems, near-optimum performance under the given constraints is a requirement. However, performance design is at best taken for granted, or a patch-work solution is worked out when operational problems are discovered in the deployed system. At the planning and design level, the designers hope and expect that the system will function as per the specifications after its implementation. In other words, the designer's knowledge about the system's performance is not explicit; it is only implicit. PDRF aims at capturing this tacit knowledge and representing it explicitly so that it can be used effectively. PDRF consists of three phases – (1) system modelling, (2) performance evaluation, and (3) performance improvement. It is implemented as an integrated environment with each stage seamlessly flowing into the next stage. Real-life collaborative engineering systems are too complex and too messy to allow a neat mathematical formulation. As an alternative strategy, we adopt a descriptive modelling technique known as Multi-Context Map (Map). Since collaborative systems are discrete-event in nature, performance evaluation is carried on by means of a discrete-event simulator. Finally, the performance improvement or parameter-tuning is accomplished by the application of Qualitative Reasoning (QR). The qualitative rules in the performance improvement expert system are the representation of the domain experts' heuristics or rationale for performance design. Especially through the utilization of PDRF in the development of collaborative systems, the design engineers are utilizing the performance design rationale that is embedded in the PDRF.
Digital Applications Supporting Speech Therapy: Speech Therapists and Parents Insights
Authors: Virag Bogdana , Crişan-Vida Mihaela , Dughi Tiberiu , Stoicu-Tivadar Lăcrămioara
Published: November 2024

The paper presents perceptions and feedback from speech therapists and parents embracing the idea of using digital tools in improving the language of the children with speech disorders. The authors investigated the perception of speech therapists and parents and their readiness to use digital tools in speech therapy starting from several digital applications from the domain. The feedback was positive, 88.3% of the parents agree to use digital apps at home, between face-to-face speech therapy sessions coordinated by speech therapists and 75% of parents agree to use them several days a week.
Leveraging Cancer Therapy Peptide Data: A Case Study on Machine Learning Application in Accelerating Cancer Research
Authors: Feretzakis Georgios , Anastasiou Athanasios , Pitoglou Stavros , Sakagianni Aikaterini , Rakopoulou Zoi , Kalodanis Konstantinos , Kaldis Vasileios , Paxinou Evgenia , Kalles Dimitris , Verykios Vassilios S.
Published: November 2024

This study leverages the DCTPep database, a comprehensive repository of cancer therapy peptides, to explore the application of machine learning in accelerating cancer research. We applied Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and K-means clustering to categorize cancer therapy peptides based on their physicochemical properties. Our analysis identified three distinct clusters, each characterized by unique features such as sequence length, isoelectric point (pI), net charge, and mass. These findings provide valuable insights into the key properties that influence peptide efficacy, offering a foundation for the design of new therapeutic peptides. Future work will focus on experimental validation and the integration of additional data sources to refine the clustering and enhance the predictive power of the model, ultimately contributing to the development of more effective peptide-based cancer treatments.
Extending the Scope of Telemedicine to Podiatric Medicine
Authors: Stojmanovski Mercieca Lisa A. , Formosa Cynthia , Chockalingam Nachiappan , Cassar Vincent
Published: November 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine in healthcare. This study explores the feasibility of telemedicine for foot and ankle care in primary settings, using a mixed-methods approach with online questionnaires, focus groups, and interviews. Stakeholders, including patients, podiatrists, and senior healthcare managers, agreed on the need for a telemedicine service. Recommendations include creating evidence-based guidelines, providing professional training, and enhancing community education. The research highlights the necessity for structured telemedicine services, identifying gaps in existing pandemic responses and the need for further guidelines and training.
Implementation and Evaluation of Automated, Online Study Recruitment from Computerised Medical Records in a Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network
Authors: Oraee Darius , Button Elizabeth , Sexton Vanashree , Andre Karin , Ferreira Filipa , Mill Aileen , Rushton Stephen , Rowland Ben W. , Hoang Uy , de Lusignan Simon
Published: November 2024

Infectious intestinal disease (IID) is a syndrome consisting of diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms linked to a causative pathogen. The Third Study of IID (IID3) will report its incidence in the community within the UK and assess how it has changed since the second IID study (IID2) in 2012. We implemented an automated, online patient recruitment process within a national sentinel surveillance network and compared its performance versus IID2 in terms of: Patient recruitment rates and demographic characteristics of recruited participants. We utilised a text messaging system (TMS) running off a computerised medical record systems (CMR) application programme interface (API). Demographic analysis showed that the majority of those recruited to IID3/IID2 studies were >65 years and female. However, the recruitment of participants of non-white ethnicity was statistically significantly different between IID3/IID2. Further work is required to improve recruitment in the younger patient demographic and in ethnic minority populations.
Macro vs Micro Skin Imaging: Finding an Affordable Approach for Dermatological Care Access in Rural/Remote Areas
Authors: Gudiu Adela-Vasilica , Stoicu-Tivadar Lăcrămioara
Published: November 2024

The present study explored alternative methods for photographing skin lesions in the absence of specialized instruments like dermatoscopes, aiming to enhance remote diagnostic capabilities, particularly in light of the increasing incidence of melanoma cases annually. Using two lenses attached to a smartphone camera, one macroscopic and the other microscopic, study images of nevus formations from one individual were captured, and, in the absence of a collaboration with a dermatologist, subsequently labeled as melanoma or non-melanoma using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) which was trained, with dermoscopic images of melanoma and non-melanoma formations, to see on which image set better performances would be attained. The CNN demonstrated better performance on microscopic images, with 75% of the dataset being labeled correctly, compared to the macroscopic one, with 63% of the dataset being labeled correctly. These findings highlight the potential of smartphone-based imaging with specialized micro lenses to improve diagnostic accuracy for melanoma and other dermatological conditions in remote healthcare settings.
FHIR-Based Arden Syntax Compiler for Clinical Decision Support
Authors: Weich Christian , Grob Moritz , Rappelsberger Andrea , Adlassnig Klaus-Peter
Published: November 2024

The Arden Syntax is a language designed for the encoding of medical knowledge into clinical decision support systems. Its evolution is overseen by Health Level 7. A significant enhancement in its new version 3.0 is the incorporation of FHIR for data retrieval, which addresses the long-standing curly braces problem. We introduce a newly developed compiler for Arden Syntax 3.0, which employs modern tools such as ANTLR for lexical and parsing analysis and GraalVM with the Truffle Language Implementation Framework for semantic processing, optimization, and language execution. Comprehensive testing against a legacy compiler revealed substantial improvements in execution speed, memory efficiency, and code quality. These advancements, coupled with superior maintainability and extensibility, position the Truffle compiler as a robust replacement, supporting future development and enhancing the user experience with Arden-Syntax-based clinical decision support.
Monitoring Guideline Adherence in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: De Jaegere Louis , le Gall Arthur , Cuggia Marc , Delange Boris
Published: November 2024

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) significantly impact global health, often resulting in death or long-term disability. We developed a quality dashboard to monitor adherence to severe TBI guidelines, leveraging data from Rennes University Hospital’s clinical data warehouse collected between January 2020 and December 2023. We included 193 patients from the surgical ICU who were over 18 years old and excluded those without adequate intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring data. The study utilized the French Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Society guidelines and the Brain Trauma Foundation’s 4th Guidelines Edition to assess guideline adherence over the first seven days of hospitalization. Our dashboard, built using the flexdashboard and Plotly R libraries, presents patient demographics, clinical assessments, and treatment adherence. Despite limitations, such as reduced interoperability and the absence of clinician usability testing, our tool represents a pioneering effort in TBI guideline compliance, with plans for future enhancements including expanded guideline evaluation and improved dashboard sharing capabilities.
Identification of Salient Brain Regions for Anxiety Disorders Using Nonlinear EEG Feature Analysis
Authors: Biloborodova Tetiana , Skarga-Bandurova Inna , Derkach Maryna , Matiuk Danylo , Zagorodna Nataliya
Published: November 2024

In this paper, we present a novel approach for identifying salient brain regions and interpreting the ability of nonlinear EEG features to discriminate between anxiety disorders and healthy controls. The proposed method involves the integration of advanced EEG preprocessing and artefact correction, nonlinear feature extraction using conditional permutation entropy, and interpretable machine learning to identify relevant electrodes. The extracted nonlinear features show statistically significant differences between classes, demonstrating high discriminative ability. The discriminative ability was confirmed with T-tests (p = 1.05e-10) and Mann-Whitney U tests (p = 2.65e-11), demonstrating robust statistical significance. Classification results support these findings and guide the identification of relevant electrodes, enhancing the interpretability of the discriminative features. This approach highlights potential brain regions critical for anxiety disorder diagnosis, paving the way for more targeted interventions and improved clinical outcomes.
Generative 3D Cardiac Shape Modelling for in-silico Trials
Authors: Gasparovici Andrei , Serban Alex
Published: November 2024

We propose a deep learning method to model and generate synthetic aortic shapes based on representing shapes as the zero-level set of a neural signed distance field, conditioned by a family of trainable embedding vectors with encode the geometric features of each shape. The network is trained on a dataset of aortic root meshes reconstructed from CT images by making the neural field vanish on sampled surface points and enforcing its spatial gradient to have unit norm. Empirical results show that our model can represent aortic shapes with high fidelity. Moreover, by sampling from the learned embedding vectors, we can generate novel shapes that resemble real patient anatomies, which can be used for in-silico trials.
AI-Assisted Application for Pediatric Drug Dosing
Authors: Mocrii Andreea-Alexandra , Chirila Oana-Sorina
Published: November 2024

Technology in the medical field is continuously advancing due to its numerous subdomains and the ever-growing medical needs of people. Information systems have become integral to doctors’ daily routines in patient care, offering flexibility and support in repetitive tasks, thereby allowing more time for critical activities. This paper presents the implementation of a machine learning algorithm, leveraging natural language processing (NLP) and labeling techniques, to analyze medical leaflets from Romania. The aim is to assist pediatricians in determining appropriate treatment doses for children based on various parameters such as age, weight, and other significant factors.
Development of an AI Platform for Advanced Breast Cancer Management
Authors: Ouattara Thomas Alassane , Barro Seydou Golo , Staccini Pascal
Published: November 2024

This article explores the transition from a traditional histopathological examination system to an innovative platform using artificial intelligence (AI) for breast cancer detection from histopathological images in Burkina Faso. The existing system is analyzed in detail, highlighting the steps of querying, sample preparation, analysis by the pathologist, and validation by the physician. From this analysis, the needs and challenges are identified, emphasizing the opportunities for AI to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the diagnosis. The design of the AI platform is then presented, including data collection, AI model development, and its integration into existing processes. Finally, the expected results and implications for improving healthcare in Burkina Faso are discussed, highlighting the potential benefits and challenges to overcome for the successful adoption of this promising technology.
The Creation of Intensional Medication Lists Using the NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices
Authors: Jamie Gavin , Byford Rachel , Wimalaratna Rashmi , de Lusignan Simon
Published: November 2024

The identification of medications prescribed to patients in routinely collected health records is an important part of the identification of cohorts for surveillance and research. Preparations available for prescription can change frequently and this presents challenges to the maintenance of extensional or “flat lists” of medications, particularly in ongoing studies such as disease surveillance. The NHS publishes a Dictionary of Medicines and Devices weekly, listing almost all the medications available in the UK as an extension to the UK edition of SNOMED CT. We developed a method of creating intensional specifications of medications using specified active ingredients and the form of the medication. The specifications can be expressed using the SNOMED CT Expression Constraint Language, and can be used to form a library which may be used across multiple projects. We have developed intensional definitions of medication groups for all drugs likely to be used in primary care. We have shown that these can be shared as FHIR valuesets using the NHS Terminology Server. Here we show examples of expressions about medications used for neuropathic pain. We have created expressions which improve the specificity of the extraction by filtering on the form and number of ingredients.
vueltas con la implementación de normas en el Mercosur
Authors: NOLAN RENATO JULIAN HORACIO MASSARI
Published: November 2024

La implementación legislativa resulta trascendental a fin de cristalizar las políticas diseñadas por los legisladores en el orden jurídico de un ente de integración, siendo está además extremadamente compleja aun cuando no exista conflicto alguno entre los medios burocráticos y los fines políticos. El Mercosur a pesar de contar con una sólida estructura institucional ha adolecido desde sus orígenes de un mecanismo riguroso de incorporación. En el presente estudio se analizan las respuestas y soluciones implementadas a lo largo de los años con el objetivo de sortear tales carencias, así como también las características propias del ordenamiento jurídico del bloque y las consecuencias que pueden acarrear el incumplimiento de la normativa aprobada por el citado.
Gonorrhoea in Poland in 2022
Authors: Zakrzewska Karolina , Niedźwiedzka-Stadnik Marta
Published: November 2024

Background

In 2022, gonorrhoea cases in EU/EEA countries returned to the pre-pandemic upward trend, reaching a new peak. During the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, in February 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to mass migration.

Objective

This paper aims to summarize the epidemiological situation of gonorrhoea in Poland in
2022, a year characterized by dual crises.

Material and methods

Epidemiological surveillance case-based data on gonorrhoea for 2022, incidence rates from bulletins (years 2013-2022), and the number of patients treated in dermatology-venereology clinics from the Statistical Bulletins of the MoH were compared with data from previous years.

Results

In 2022, Poland experienced a rise in gonorrhoea cases, with 630 reported, a 20.7% increase from the pre-pandemic peak in 2019. The incidence rate was 3.22 per 100,000 men and 0.21 per 100,000 women, with significant regional variation (0.08-4.66/100,000). Over 20% of cases reported in 2022 were diagnosed in 2020-2021. Most patients were Polish (91%), and none of the cases involved refugees fleeing the Ukraine conflict. The median time from diagnosis to reporting was 11 days, with 75% of cases reported within 4 weeks. Most cases involved men (93.3%) and were most common in the 25-34 age group (42.9%). N. gonorrhoeae frequently affected the genitourinary tract (79.7%), followed by the rectum (10.1%) and the pharynx (9.9%). Two cases of ocular infections involved adults. Nearly half of the diagnoses in 2022 were made by dermato-venerologists (46%).

Conclusions

The COVID-19 pandemic caused delays in reporting cases of gonorrhoea. The war in Ukraine didn't impact the increase in 2022, suggesting that the actual number of infections among refugees remained undetected. Strengthening surveillance and local coordination is crucial to address these and future challenges. Healthcare workers (include surveillance) must provide complete and up-to-date epidemiological data for effective prevention. Public health measures should improved access to diagnostics, treatment, and post-exposure prophylaxis.
Effect of Orijin Bitters, Aqueous Extracts of Hibiscus Sabdariffa and Zingiber Officinale Roscoe on the Kidney of Adult Wistar Rats
Authors: David Sarah I. , Duru Godfrey , Abraham Abigail , Samuel Victor Ita Samuel
Published: November 2024

Orijin bitters, Hibiscus sabdariffa and Zingiber officinale roscoe have been reported to possess various medicinal properties. The aim of the study is to evaluate their effects on the kidney of adult wistar rats. Methodology: thirty rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, each having 5 rats. Group 1 received distilled water, group 2, 70cl/70kg/bw orijin bitters, group 3, orijin bitters and 200mg/kg/bw Hibiscus sabdariffa calyx aqueous extract, group 4, orijin bitters and 500mg/kg/bw Hibiscus sabdariffa calyx aqueous extract, group 5, orijin bitters and 200mg/kg/bw officinale rhizome aqueous extract, group 6, orijin bitters and 500mg/kg/bw Zingiber officinale rhizome aqueous extract over a 21- day period. After administration, the rats were sacrificed and the kidney harvested for biochemical and histological analysis. Results: Orijin bitters altered renal function, indicated by elevated level of malondialdehyde and decreased level of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione, along with histopathological changes such as glomerular atrophy and tubular degeneration compared to the control. The result was not statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conversely, aqueous extracts of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyx and Zingiber officinale rhizome exhibited antioxidant properties, reducing oxidative stress and mitigating renal damage compared to the orijin bitters group only. Although the result was not statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Orijin bitters may have nephrotoxic effects, while Hibiscus sabdariffa and Zingiber officinale may offer protective benefits, due to their antioxidant properties.
Unmasking China’s Facebook Diplomacy During COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa: Analysis of User Data
Authors: Oloo Ong’ong’a Daniel
Published: November 2024

China’s use of international social media platforms such as Facebook to spread its foreign policy around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked discussion in academia and elsewhere. As a result, this study investigates Chinese embassies’ use of digital platforms in Africa by examining the content of posts on these platforms to establish dominant themes and expose African impressions of China through followers’ comments through big data analysis. The results demonstrate that Chinese embassies use Facebook to criticize Western dominant notions of democracy and human rights and propagate China’s democracy as superior, while Africans regard Chinese as people aiming to destabilize their governments’ economies, seize their resources. There is a need to improve Chinese institutions’ tactics for engaging with the digital public in order to effectively apply digital diplomacy practice in the big data sphere, as they encounter hate speech and have their messages misinterpreted.
The ‘Politics of Antagonism’ in Hungary under the Orbán Government
Authors:   United European Research Society, Park Jungwon
Published: November 2024

This study aims to elucidate the characteristics and aspects of the regression of democracy in Central Europe following the system transformation, focusing on Hungary, which shows the most dramatic example of democratic backsliding among Central European countries.
For this purpose, this article characterizes the policy line under Viktor Orbán's regime, which has been in power since 2010, as the ‘Six-anti Campaign’. The first of the ‘Six-anti Campaign’ is ‘anti-checks and balances’. This neutralizes the democratic control system of democracy. The second is ‘anti-civil society’. This aims to suppress and eliminate critical voices against the Orbán government. The third is ‘anti-migrant’. Following the refugee crisis in Europe, Hungary has refused the EU's refugee quotas and continues to promote an anti-immigrant campaign. The fourth is ‘anti-Soros’. Soros has been considered a symbolic enemy, and continuous anti-Soros propaganda has been carried out. The fifth is ‘anti-EU’. It involves creating ongoing conflicts and tensions with the EU headquarters while appealing to the patriotism and nationalism of the Hungarian people. Lastly, ‘anti-liberalism’ is the ideological basis for the above five campaigns. Prime Minister Orbán himself has declared ‘illiberal democracy’ and holds the banner of opposition to liberalism.
As a result of this ‘Six-anti Campaign’, Hungary’s current politics show a regression of democracy and the emergence of authoritarianism or absolutism. The last 14 years of the Orbán government’s rule can be defined as ‘politics of antagonism’, and the future task of Hungarian politics should be to overcome Orbán’s ‘Six-anti Campaign’ and restore the ‘politics of recognition’.
The Formation of Modern Christmas: The Metamorphosis of European Traditions
Authors:   United European Research Society, Bhang Won-il
Published: November 2024

Christmas is an “invented tradition” that amalgamates European heritage in the context of modern American. This paper delves into the background of Christmas formation in ancient Europe, its renaissance through transformations in modernity, and its evolution within the contemporary commercial milieu. Through this case study, insights into the metamorphosis of culture are garnered, highlighting its occurrences on a mass scale and within material domains.
Initially, Christmas emerged during the Roman era, blending various traditions beneath the guise of Christian festivities. Throughout the Middle Ages, it retained characteristics of winter celebrations and faced prohibition by Puritans after the Reformation. However, in 19th-century New York, it experienced a revival by consolidating core symbols derived from European traditions, transforming into a family-centric occasion. Across the 19th and 20th centuries, it evolved within the material context of gift-giving culture, acquiring vitality through media, eventually developing into a globally celebrated holiday. Particularly, the formation process of the Santa Claus symbol exemplifies how Christmas fashioned sacred symbols for modern individuals within material conditions.
Migration and Cultural Fusion: Döner Kebab in Germany
Authors:   United European Research Society, Yun Yongseon
Published: November 2024

The Döner Kebab, a Turkic street food that emerged in Berlin in the early 1970s, is now recognized as Germany's national street food. In Berlin, the “metropolis of Döner,” home to more than 1,600 of the 18,000 Döner shops that have opened across Germany, Döner is listed as one of the must-try street foods for tourists.
The success of Turkic immigrant food is not the same as that of McDonald's or KFC. It's not unusual for trend-setting American pop culture to be embraced around the world, but it's unique for traditional Turkic food, a blend of Islamic and nomadic cultures, to gain traction in Europe.
Not surprisingly, Döner's success has also caught the attention of academics. Starting with the fact that Döner has changed the German street food culture forever, studies have looked at it as an example of cultural fusion by migration.
This study sketches the process of Döner's transformation from a Turkic migrant dish to a German dish by adopting some German elements, followed by its subsequent success and its current status as a national street food in Germany. The chapter concludes with a discussion of Döner's contribution to maintaining the identity of the Turkic migrant community in Germany. Of course, Döner was not only a bridge to cultural exchange and fusion between Turkic and German cultures. While Döner facilitated mainstream society's understanding of migrants, he also fostered hostility towards them. Therefore, in the final chapter, this study examines the rejection and resistance to migration and migrants expressed through Döner.
The Economic Europeanization in Eastern Europe, Resistance Factors and their Characteristics: Focusing on the case of Croatia
Authors:   United European Research Society, Kim Chul-Min
Published: November 2024

The process of ‘Europeanization(Europeanisation)’ in Eastern Europe, which means escaping the remnants of the past Socialist system and returning to a truly European state, began in earnest after the announcement of the ‘Copenhagen Criteria’ in 1993 and the ‘Agenda 2000’ in 1997. Afterwards, joining the EU and the ‘Schengen Agreement’, which symbolize ‘Political Europeanization’ and ‘Social and Psychological Europeanization’, and joining the Eurozone, which symbolizes ‘Economic Europeanization’, have become important future goals for Eastern Europe. However, it is also true that today’s Eastern European countries, unlike their activeness toward joining the EU and Schengen Area, have a strong resistance to joining the Eurozone, and are hesitant to join.
In the case of Croatia, which entered the path of ‘Economic Europeanization’ upon joining the Eurozone in January 2023, a year later, ‘Euroscepticism’, including dissatisfaction with Eurozone membership and resistance to ‘Economic Europeanization’, is increasing. There are various factors at play here. The main factors in this study are, firstly, the desire to enjoy ‘the taste of (economic) sovereignty’ and the subsequent expansion of resistance, secondly, ‘dissatisfaction with the uniformity of ECB policies’ and ‘distrust in the future Eurozone’, and finally, there is the ‘increasing Far-right nationalism’ and the ‘resulting internal political instability’. Based on this, we attempted to analyze the characteristics of each element. Through this, I would like to confirm the uncomfortable views and unrest of Eastern European countries regarding joining the Eurozone, which is today symbolized by ‘Economic Europeanization,’ and present various perspectives and concerns about the future direction and development potential of the Eurozone.
Optimization of carbon nutrition in order to protect grapevine genetic resources in the system in vitro
Authors: Pavlova I. A. , Lushchay E. A. , Abdurashitova A. S. , Klimenko V. P. , Grigorenko M. I.
Published: November 2024

Relevance. Vegetative collection of in vitro plants of promising varieties, hybrids and clones of grapes was created in the Institute Magarach. Now it is relevant to study the possibility of using nutrient media, both with an increased concentration of sucrose and sucrose-free, for long-term non-replanting cultivation of grape plants in vitro.

Methods. The aim of the study is to study the effect of carbohydrate nutrition for maintaining plant collection samples in vitro in conditions of slow growth and deep rest.

Study materials were grape plants in vitro of wine varieties of the Institute Magarach breeding: Antei Magarachskiy, Granatovyi Magaracha, Pamyati Golodrigi. Cultivation was carried out on PG medium developed at the Institute Magarach; three medium variants were used: sucrose-free, 10 g/l (as a control), 60 g/l.

Results. Grape plants, when cultivated in vitro for a long time on a sucrose-free, 10 mg/l and 60 mg/l sucrose media, retain their viability, while morphogenetic potential is better manifested on a sucrose-free medium. The absence of sucrose in the medium is not a limiting factor for morphogenesis of grape plants. It seems more promising to use a medium with sucrose concentration 60 mg/l for cultivating grape plants in the collection in vitro. To maintain the samples of the collection, a combined mode can be used, consisting of two stages of cultivation: the first is light with an intensity of 1000 lux under conditions of a 16-hour photoperiod at a temperature of +25–27 °C, the duration of the period is until the shoot is completely lignified; the second is at low positive temperatures of +2–4 °C in the dark. The period of non-replanting protection in a mixed regime will depend on the genetic specificity of a particular variety.
Assessment of the genetic diversity of sunflower lines of VNIIMK breeding based on multiplex microsatellite analysis
Authors: Golovatskaya A. V. , Guchetl S. Z.
Published: November 2024

The development of a variety, a hybrid, involves a significant investment of time and money. In this regard, for the development of domestic breeding programmes and to increase the efficiency of the breeding process, it is necessary to attract additional tools. For these purposes, the most effective and widely used are microsatellite DNA markers. Using the multiplex system of microsatellite DNA markers developed by us, it was possible to identify and evaluate the genetic diversity of 28 sunflower lines of V.S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops in a short time. The lines studied in this work were developed in different ecological zones of cultivation. DNA was isolated from the axial organs of the dry seed germ using the reagent kit “MagnoPrime Phyto”. Samples were genotyped using 4 multiplex systems consisting of 4–5 primer pairs. Polymerase chain reaction products were separated by capillary electrophoresis under denaturing conditions on a Nanofor-05 genetic analyzer. The selected 18 primer pairs produced 130 alleles, with an average of 7.22 alleles per locus. The effective number of alleles ranged from 2.47 to 6.87. The frequency of all alleles of the polymorphic loci varied from 0.036 to 0.571. The PIC index ranged from 0.59 to 0.86. All the markers studied in this work had high discriminatory potential. The collection of lines showed significant genetic diversity and distances between them. Cluster analysis reflected 100% uniqueness of the studied genotypes bred at V.S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops. Structuredness of the lines was observed in the way that paternal and maternal forms of hybrids were placed in different groups according to the degree of genetic affinity.
Development of Technology for a Creamy Dessert Bioproduct for Healthy Nutrition with Functional Ingredients
Authors: Konovalov S. A. , Gavrilova N. B. , Ivanova N. F. , Chernopolskaya N. L. , Rebezov M. B. , Smolnikova F. H.
Published: November 2024

Relevance. The article provides a detailed analysis of scientific research related to the development of technology for a creamy dessert bioproduct for healthy nutrition based on dairy and vegetable raw materials.

Methods. A biologically active component in the form of berry syrups, which are a valuable source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers, organic acids, phenolic compounds and other substances capable of having a healing effect on the human body, has been scientifically substantiated and developed as a source of biologically active components for enriching creamy bioproducts.

Results. It is proved that the use of berry syrups obtained on the basis of wild plant raw materials of the Siberian region of Russia in the technology of dessert bioproduct significantly improves its flavor properties, chemical composition, nutritional and biological value. In addition to berry syrups, in order to enrich the creamy dessert product with functional food ingredients, a binary starter culture containing probiotic microorganisms in immobilized form, iron lactate, ascorbic acid, and dry milk whey were used. These components of functional nutrition play an important role in improving metabolism, normalizing the state of the internal environment of the body, increasing its resistance to harmful environmental influences. The objects of research, the main of which are cream, are described, standard organoleptic, physico-chemical, microbiological and biological research methods using modern devices are applied, mathematical and statistical methods of analyzing experimental data were used. A detailed description of the production technology of berry syrups is presented, the technological parameters of these operations are given in order to maximize the extraction of biologically active substances from plant raw materials. At the final stage of scientific research, the technology of production of creamy dessert bioproduct is presented, the expediency of using biologically active components in its production is justified, quality indicators, nutritional and biological values, storage capacity and shelf life of the new bioproduct are given.