bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alt Ekstremitenin Kronik Ortopedik Problemlerinde Ağrı, Hareket Korkusu ve Kaygı Düzeyi Arasındaki İlişkinin Araştırılması
Authors: Ateş Numanoğlu Esra , Arık Asude , Gökşen Ayşenur , Canlı Kübra , Yıldız Nazım Tolgahan , Coşkun Gürsoy , Erden Zafer , Can Filiz
Published: November 2024

Amaç: Ortopedik yaralanmalarda ağrı aktif harekete engel olan önemli bir problemdir. Bu çalışma alt ekstremitenin kronik ortopedik problemlerinde ağrı, hareket korkusu ve kaygı düzeyi arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemek amacı ile planlandı.
Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya kalça, diz ve ayak bileği eklemlerine ait kronik ortopedik problemleri olan hastalar dahil edildi. Çalışmaya dahil edilen hastaların ağrı seviyesi ‘‘Görsel Analog Skalası’’ ile; hareket korkusu ‘‘Tampa Kinezyofobi Ölçeği’’ ile; kaygı düzeyi ise “Durumluk ve Sürekli Kaygı Ölçeği (STAI-I ve STAI-II)” ile değerlendirildi.
Bulgular: Alt ekstremite ortopedik yaralanması olan hastalarda hareket korkusu aktivite ağrısı ile ilişkili bulundu. Kalça eklemine ait ortopedik yaralanması olan hastalarda hareket korkusunun diz veya ayak bileği etkilenimi olan hastalardan daha yüksek olduğu gözlemlendi.
Sonuç: Kalça eklemi ile ilişkili yaralanmalarda ağrının hareket korkusunu diğer alt ekstremite eklemlerine oranla daha fazla etkilediği sonucuna varıldı. Kronik dönem alt ekstremite ortopedik problemi olan hastalarda ağrı ve psikososyal faktörler değerlendirilmeli ve birbirlerine olan olası etkileri göz önünde bulundurulmalıdır.
Test-Retest Reliability and External Validity of Canadian Diabetes Risk Questionnaire - Turkish
Authors: Ekici Gamze , Aran Orkun , Pekçetin Serkan , Ekici Berkay
Published: November 2024

Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine the test-retest reliability and external validity of the Canadian Diabetes Risk Questionnaire (CanRisk).
Materials and Methods: Individuals over 40 years of age without any disease were included in the study. Participants were administered the CanRisk, Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS). CanRisk test-retest validity was calculated with the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and external validity was calculated with the Pearson correlation coefficient.
Results: The study included 1349 participants, 549 men and 755 women (mean age 50.03 ± 8.05 years). CanRisk test-retest validity was found to be excellent (0.99). Its external validity was evaluated by examining its correlation with NHP, and it was found that there was a statistically significant, positive weak correlation (p<0.05, r= 0.23).
Conclusion: CanRisk -TR was found to be a reliable and valid questionnaire to predict diabetes risk.
Farklı İçeriğe Sahip Konserve Balıkların Ağır Metal Düzeylerinin Belirlenmesi
Authors: Akalın Saygılı Seray , İnan Eroğlu Elif , Güleç Atila , Ayaz Aylin
Published: November 2024

Amaç: Bu araştırmanın amacı Ankara piyasasında ve internet üzerinden satılan farklı içeriğe sahip 66 adet konserve balık örneğinin kurşun, kadmiyum, alüminyum ve arsenik düzeylerinin belirlenmesidir. Aynı zamanda araştırma kapsamında konserve balıkların yağ, nem ve pH düzeyleri de analiz edilerek ağır metal içerikleri ile ilişkileri incelenmiştir.
Gereç ve Yöntem: Tüm örneklerde yağ, nem ve pH analizleri yapılmıştır. Bunun yanı sıra ağır metal (kurşun, kadmiyum, alüminyum ve arsenik) içerikleri de ICP-MS cihazıyla analiz edilmiştir.
Bulgular: Araştırmanın sonuçlarına göre örneklerin en yüksek kurşun içeriği soslu-yağlı ton balığı konservesinde (0,13±0,13 mg/kg), kadmiyum içeriği sade-yağsız ton balığı konservesinde (6,64±4,68 µg/kg), alüminyum içeriği soslu-yağlı uskumru konservesinde (2,49±1,24 mg/kg), arsenik içeriği ise soslu-yağlı sardalya konservesinde (3,02±0,03 mg/kg) saptanmıştır. Soslu numunelerin alüminyum düzeyi sade numunelere kıyasla daha yüksek bulunmuştur (p<0,001). Yağlı numunelerin ise arsenik düzeyinin yağsız numunelerden daha yüksek olduğu tespit edilmiştir (p<0,001).
Sonuç: Araştırmaya göre konserve balıkların içerdikleri balık türü, sos ve yağ durumuna göre ağır metal düzeyleri değişiklik göstermektedir. Analiz sonuçlarına göre konserve balıkların içerdikleri ağır metaller yasal limitlerin altında bulunmuştur Buna göre bireylerin ağır metal maruziyetleri güvenli aralıktadır. Fakat farklı yaş grubundaki bireylerin diyet ve diyet dışı faktörlere bağlı ağır metal maruziyetleri üzerine yapılacak ileri araştırmalara gereksinim vardır.
The Effect of Seasonal Factors on the Spread and Mortality of COVID-19: Retrospective Multicenter Study
Authors: Arıkan Cüneyt , Yamanoğlu Adnan , Tekindal Mustafa Agah , Siliv Neslihan , Bora Ejder Saylav , Şener Aslı , Kanter Efe , Topal Fatih
Published: November 2024

Objectives: The impact of seasonal factors on the spread of Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) is not yet clear. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of seasonal factors on the spread of COVID-19.
Methods: This multicenter retrospective study was performed by collecting 284-day COVID-19 data from two university hospitals in a metropolitan center. Correlations between the seasonal parameters of temperature, humidity, wind, and rainfall and the spread of COVID-19 and its clinical outcomes were evaluated using Spearman’s correlation test. Since no linear relationship was determined between variables exhibiting correlation, all models were tested using non-linear curve estimation regression models. The most powerful of the curve estimation regression models, capable of explaining more than 20% of the changes in COVID-19 parameters, was formulated to explain the expected number of events.
Results: A total of 24 225 patients were included in the study. The most powerful correlation was between mean daily temperature and daily case numbers (r:-0.643, p<0.00), with case numbers being highest on days when the mean temperature was 7-18℃. Mean temperate was capable of explaining 57% of COVID-19 case numbers (R-Square:0.571, p<0.00), the relationship between them being best explained in the ’S’ curve regression model. The formula ‘’Y=exp(2.07+31.34/x)’’ was obtained for the number of patients expected from the model according to mean temperature.
Conclusions: Temperature may be the most effective factor in the spread of COVID-19 and the number of cases may be predicted based on temperature.
Kamu Hastanelerinde Çalışan Sağlık Personelinin Kadına Yönelik Eş Şiddeti Konusunda Tutumları
Authors: Cerit Çiğdem , Porsuk Ahmet Önder
Published: November 2024

Amaç: Kadına yönelik eş şiddeti ile mücadele, kadın sağlığı ve kadın hakları açısından büyük bir çabadır. Bu çabada sağlık sektörünün rolü önemlidir. Kırklareli ilinde kamu hastanelerinde çalışan sağlık çalışanlarının kadına yönelik eş şiddeti konusundaki tutumlarını belirlemek amaçlanmıştır.
Gereç ve Yöntem: Araştırmanın evreni, Nisan 2020’de, Kırklareli’deki kamu hastanelerinde çalışan 1210 personeldir. Örneklem büyüklüğü 438, katılım oranı %92,9 olarak hesaplanmıştır (N=407). Veriler sosyodemografik form ve “Sağlık Çalışanlarının Kadına Yönelik Eş Şiddeti Konusunda Tutum ve Uygulamaları Ölçeği” kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Veriler SPSS 22.0 ile analiz edilmiştir. Tanımlayıcı istatistikler ve dağılımın normal olmadığı belirlenen verilerin analizinde ki kare, Mann Whitney U ve Kruskal Wallis testleri kullanılmıştır.
Bulgular: Kırklareli İli kamu hastanelerinde çalışan sağlık çalışanlarının şiddet konusunda mesleki rollerine yönelik tutumlarının olumlu olduğu (ölçek puan ortalaması 103,13±6,42) saptanmıştır. Çalışmamızda ölçeğin “Şiddet Araştırması” alt boyutunda hekimlerin farklılık gösterdiği anlaşılmıştır (p<0,05). Sağlık çalışanlarının kadına yönelik şiddet konusunda eğitim alma durumlarına göre ölçek puan ortalamalarında istatistiksel açıdan önemli fark vardır (p<0,05).
Sonuç: Kırklareli kamu hastanelerinde çalışan sağlık çalışanlarının kadına yönelik şiddete ilişkin tutumlarının olumlu olduğu görülmüştür. Bu durumu etkileyen en önemli faktörün çalışanların öğrenimleri süresince ve mezuniyet sonrası eğitim almaları olduğu anlaşılmıştır.
Распространение вариантов вируса SARS-COV-2, вызывающих интерес (VOI) и находящихся под наблюдением (VUM), на основе количества их геномов, депонированных в базу данных GISAID за неделю с 2 по 8 ноября 2024 г.
Authors: Дмитриева Людмила , Чумачкова Елена , Краснов Ярослав , Осина Наталья , Зимирова Анастасия , Иванова Александра , Карнаухов Игорь , Караваева Татьяна , Щербакова Светлана , Кутырев Владимир
Published: November 2024

В обзоре представлена информация по циркулирующим в настоящее время вариантам вируса SARS-COV-2 Omicron вызывающих интерес (VOI) и находящихся под наблюдением (VUM), геномные последовательности которых размещены в международной базе данных GISAID за неделю с 2 по 8 ноября 2024 г.
Three-valued generalizations of classical logic in weak languages: the degree of maximality
Authors:   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Devyatkin Leonid
Published: November 2024

This paper is deals with the degrees of maximality of consequence relations within the class of C-extending three-valued logics with languages of minimal expressive power. A logic is defined as C-extending if its operations coincide with those of classical logic when their domain is restricted to classical truth values. The degree of maximality of a logic is understood as the set of all its extensions in the same language. Every three-valued C-extending logic can be seen as a linguistic expansion of one of ten three-valued logics. We provide an assesment of the degree of maximality for each of these ten logics. In cases where the degree of maximality is finite, we have obtained exact values. In instances where it proves to be infinite, a lower bound for the cardinality of the lattice of extensions of the corresponding logic is provided. The exception is one system, for which it is demonstrated that the degree of maximality of its consequence relation has the cardinality of the continuum. The paper is devoted to the investigation of proof-theoretic properties of three-valued logics based on the expressive capabilities of their languages. The obtained results raise several questions, outlining new directions for research in this field.
Rethinking logical disagreements: a critique of verbalism and a normative constraints approach
Authors:   University of Isfahan, Alvand Masoud
Published: November 2024

Logical pluralism posits that various conceptions of logic can coexist, suggesting that all acceptable judgments about the validity of an argument are valid without rivalry. This view implies that disagreements between logical theories are merely verbal. Contrary to Kouri Kissel’s proposal of metalinguistic negotiation as an explanation for logical disagreements, this article challenges the notion that such disputes are purely verbal. Employing inference to the best explanation, the author argues in favor of normative restrictions on belief in premises and conclusions as a more compelling explanation for logical disagreements.
A microconstrução [toda vida que]conect no português
Authors: Fortilli Solange de Carvalho
Published: November 2024

Neste trabalho, examina-se a microconstrução [toda vida que] como um conectivo temporal do português. Vinculada à abordagem cognitivo-funcional, a investigação parte do uso linguístico e contempla pressupostos dos Modelos Baseados no Uso (Bybee, 2016, Goldberg, 2019, Diessel, 2019, Traugott; Trousdale, 2021), com atenção a propriedades construcionais que, no caso em estudo, explicam traços de sua função conectora. Para a análise, foram utilizados o Corpus do Português e a rede social X. O exame de 129 casos submetidos a parâmetros fundamentalmente qualitativos possibilitou o detalhamento da microconstrução, revelando sua posição preferida, aspectos de sua composicionalidade e subespecificações de significado. Como resultado, confirma-se o enquadre de [toda vida que] no campo temporal e no esquema [XQUE]conect (Oliveira; Arena, 2019).
Roots in Health Disparities among European Regions
Authors: Sandu Dumitru
Published: November 2024

Objectives. Measuring, by multiple indicators, the health status of populations in NUTS 3 regions in the European Union, and identifying key determinants/predictors of public health. We propose a new index of mortality (MINDEX) that integrates three input indicators – standardised mortality ratio, the under-5 mortality rate of the children and general mortality rate.
Study design. This is a descriptive and prediction approach to MINDEX.
Methods. We use factor analysis to measure MINDEX and blocks of predictors (competitiveness and urbanisation of regions). Multiple regressions to predict the key dependent variables are used to predict the validity of the measurement model.
Results. Competitive and urbanised regions have a better health status. Even if one controls for these two families of factors, the country context counts significantly from the statistical point of view. Five categories of countries influence the health patterns of regional populations in the EU. The key contribution of the article is to validate the new index by descriptive and predictive analysis.
Interventions to Modify the Habituation of Biological Responses to Repeated Stress in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Janson-Schmitt Johanna , Rohleder Nicolas
Published: November 2024

Background

Changes in response patterns of biological stress systems, including responses of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to repeated stress, can promote the development and progression of chronic diseases via changes in downstream inflammatory processes. The aim of this project is thus to investigate, whether habituation of biological stress system activity including responses of the inflammatory system can be modified. Aiming to test for possible paths of action, a randomized controlled study with two intervention programs designed to manipulate cognitive coping strategies will be carried out. By increasing either ruminative or self-compassionate thoughts among healthy young adults, the intervention programs are expected to affect the regulation of occurring emotions as expressed by the responsiveness of biological systems during repeated stress exposure.

Methods

In this study, a total of 120 healthy adults will complete the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) on two consecutive days. Immediately after the first stress induction, participants will be randomly assigned to two experimental conditions designed to manipulate cognitive coping strategies (rumination vs. self-compassion) or a control condition. Measures of HPA axis (salivary cortisol) and autonomic activity (salivary alpha amylase, heart rate, heart rate variability) as well as inflammatory markers (plasma interleukin(IL)-6, expression rates of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes) will be repeatedly assessed throughout the experimental sessions. Response and habituation indices of these measures will be calculated and compared between the experimental conditions and the control condition.

Discussion

The results should provide insight into whether modifying response patterns of biological stress systems could reverse a significant biological mechanism in the development of stress-related diseases.
In Vitro Evaluation of Silver-Zinc Oxide-Eugenol Nanocomposite for Enhanced Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Applications in Diabetic Conditions
Authors: Shunmugiah Karutha Pandian
Published: November 2024

Diabetic wounds with chronic infections present a significant challenge, exacerbated by the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance, which often leads to delayed healing and increased morbidity. This study introduces a novel silver-zinc oxide-eugenol (Ag+ZnO+EU) nanocomposite, specifically designed to enhance antimicrobial activity and promote wound healing. The nanocomposite was thoroughly characterized using advanced analytical techniques, confirming its nanoscale structure, stability and chemical composition. The Ag+ZnO+EU nanocomposite demonstrated potent antimicrobial efficacy against a range of wound associated pathogens, including standard and clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosaand Candida albicans. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of Ag+ZnO+EU for standard and clinical isolates were significantly lower than those of the individual components, highlighting the synergistic effect of the nanocomposite. Time-kill assays revealed rapid microbial eradication, achieving complete sterility within 240-min. Importantly, the nanocomposite effectively eliminated persister-like cells, which are typically resistant to conventional treatments, suggesting a potential solution for persistent infections. In vitro scratch assays using human keratinocyte cells demonstrated that the Ag+ZnO+EU nanocomposite significantly accelerated wound closure, with near-complete healing observed within 24 hours, indicating enhanced cell migration and tissue regeneration. Additionally, the nanocomposite showed potential antidiabetic effects by increasing glucose uptake up to 97.21% in an in vitro assay using 2- [N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl) amino]-2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-NBDG), a fluorescent glucose analog, suggesting potential applications beyond wound healing. These findings highlight the Ag+ZnO+EU nanocomposite as a promising candidate for addressing both antimicrobial resistance and impaired wound healing in diabetic contexts.
Impact of lumbar cerebrospinal fluid drainage to control intracranial hypertension in patients with severe traumatic brain injury: A retrospective monocentric cohort
Authors: Dagod Geoffrey , Laurens Marlène , Roustan Jean-Paul , Deras Pauline , Courvalin Elie , Girard Mehdi , Weber Hugues , Capdevila Xavier , Charbit Jonathan
Published: November 2024

Background
External lumbar drainage (ELD) of cerebrospinal fluid may help control intracranial pressure following a traumatic brain injury. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of ELD in post-traumatic intracranial hypertension (IH).
Methods
This retrospective monocentric cohort study was conducted in the trauma critical care unit of the regional Level-I trauma centre between January 2012 and December 2022. All traumatic brain injury patients with IH (≥ 22 mmHg despite optimal sedation) were included. Data collection focused on the duration and management of IH, complications related to ELD, and outcomes (6-month Glasgow Outcome Scale [GOS]). The influence of ELD on the duration of IH was assessed using a multivariable Cox regression analysis, while its impact on the 6-month GOS (“unfavourable outcome” GOS 1–3, “good outcome” GOS 4–5) was evaluated using a multivariable logistic regression analysis.
Results
Ninety patients (mean age 37 [SD, 16], injury severity score [ISS] 29 [IQR, 24–34]) were analyzed during the study period. Of these, 50 (56%) benefited from an ELD during their hospitalization (ELD group). The IH duration was significantly reduced in the ELD group (hazard ratio [HR] 1.74 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05–2.87; p = 0.03]). One patient (2%) experienced a cerebral herniation following ELD placement, and two others (4%) developed device-associated meningitis. The ELD group was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of an unfavourable outcome (OR 0.32 [95% CI 0.13–0.77]; p = 0.011) compared to the no ELD group.
Conclusion
ELD appears in our cohort to be a safe and effective strategy to control post-traumatic IH, with an acceptable benefit-risk ratio. Our analysis even suggests a potential outcome improvement in patients treated by ELD compared with those having no cerebrospinal fluid drainage.
Associations between age, red cell distribution width and 180-day and 1-year mortality in giant cell arteritis patients: mediation analyses and machine learning in a cohort study
Authors: Chen Si , Nie Rui , Shen Xiaoran , Wang Yan , Luan Haixia , Zeng Xiaoli , Chen Yanhua , Yuan Hui
Published: November 2024

Objective
The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between age, red cell distribution width (RDW) levels, and 180-day and 1-year mortality in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) using a large cohort from the MIMIC-IV database.
Methods
Clinical data from patients with GCA were extracted from the MIMIC-IV (3.0) database. Logistic and Cox regression analyses, Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival analysis, restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis, and mediation effect analysis were employed to investigate the association between age, RDW levels, and 180-day and 1-year mortality in GCA patients. Predictive models were constructed using machine learning algorithms, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis was applied to evaluate the contributions of age and RDW levels to mortality in patients with GCA.
Results
A total of 228 GCA patients were eligible for analysis. Our study identified both age (OR > 1, P < 0.05) and RDW (OR > 1, P < 0.05) as significant predictors of 180-day and 1-year mortality in GCA patients using multivariate logistic regression analysis. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, age (HR > 1, P < 0.05) and RDW (HR > 1, P < 0.05) also emerged as prognostic risk factors for 180-day and 1-year mortality. KM survival analysis further showed that GCA patients with higher age or elevated RDW levels had significantly lower survival rates compared to younger patients or those with lower RDW levels (P < 0.0001). Moreover, RCS analysis indicated a strong nonlinear relationship between RDW levels (threshold: 17.53%) and 1-year mortality in GCA patients. Additionally, RDW levels were found to modestly mediate the relationship between age and 180-day or 1-year mortality in GCA patients. The results of the machine learning analysis indicate that the model built using the random forest algorithm performed the best, with an area under the curve of 0.879. Additionally, SHAP analysis revealed that both age and RDW levels made significant contributions to the prediction of mortality in GCA patients.
Conclusions
Older age and higher RDW levels were independent risk factors for increased 180-day and 1-year mortality in GCA patients. Furthermore, elevated RDW levels slightly mediated the relationship between age and 180-day or 1-year mortality in GCA patients.
Multifunctional PVA/PNIPAM conductive hydrogel sensors enabled Human-Machine interaction intelligent rehabilitation training
Authors: Zhao Yanlong , Zhang Xichong , Hao Yilin , Zhao Yinghe , Ding Peng , Zhai Wei , Dai Kun , Zheng Guoqiang , Liu Chuntai , Shen Changyu
Published: November 2024

Hydrogels are regarded as an ideal medium for human-machine interaction (HMI) due to their adjustable modulus and flexibility, enabling seamless interaction with smart devices. However, in the field of medical rehabilitation, most of the hydrogel-based sensors are simply used to detect the motion signals of fragments and are rarely applied to help patients with rehabilitation training and improve the efficiency of doctors' diagnosis. This is due to the unstable sensing properties and poor mechanical properties of most hydrogels. The poor durability greatly limits the application of hydrogel-based sensors. Here, a conductive hydrogel sensor with visual temperature sensitivity and good mechanical properties (300% strain, breaking stress 0.19 MPa) is fabricated by introducing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-borax system combined with a freeze-thaw physical regulation strategy. The PVA/PNIPAM/PEDOT: PSS (PPP) hydrogels possess a rapid response/recovery time (200 ms/200 ms), a low detection limit of 1% strain, and good stability and durability. Furthermore, by integrating the hydrogels with a LabVIEW circuit program and wireless transmission technology, we have developed an advanced intelligent HMI system capable of monitoring, rehabilitation training, and remote diagnosis.
A remaining life prediction method combining multi-bearing common features evaluation and convolutional LSTM networks
Authors: Huang Zhidong , Peng Zhenrui
Published: November 2024

The prediction of remaining useful life (RUL) is of great significance for health monitoring and the preventive maintenance of mechanical equipment operation status. Effective feature extraction and evaluation of equipment operation monitoring data is a key step in achieving accurate RUL predictions. Existing feature evaluation methods mainly rely on the linear weighted sum of multiple evaluation indicators to comprehensively evaluate and screen the features. However, this feature evaluation process requires manual experience to set weights for each evaluation indicator, resulting in uncertainty in feature selection. A degradation consistency feature evaluation method that considers the correlation of different features of multiple bearings is proposed to address the above issues. This method calculates the average Pearson correlation coefficient of the same feature of different bearings, selects common features representing different bearing degradation processes from a multi-domain feature set, and then uses the selected common features to predict RUL using a convolutional long short-term memory (ConvLSTM) network that can capture spatiotemporal characteristics. The proposed method is experimentally validated using two cases, and the results show that, compared to the multiple evaluation indicators method, the proposed approach achieves higher accuracy in predicting bearing RUL. Additionally, it demonstrates the generalization ability of the prediction model for estimating the bearing RUL across different operating conditions.
Estimating lung cancer risk from e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products: Applications of a tool based on biomarkers of exposure and of potential harm
Authors: Lee Peter N. , Coombs Katharine J. , Fry John S.
Published: November 2024

Background: Few epidemiological data exist on the lung cancer (LC) risk of E-cigarettes (ECIGs) and heated tobacco products (HTPs).
Aim: To estimate the LC risk of these new tobacco products (NTPs) from their levels of biomarkers of exposure (BOEs) and potential harm (BOPHs).
Methods: For 28 BOE and 82 BOPH groups we sought North American and European biomarker data for cigarette smokers and users of other established tobacco products (ETPs; cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco (ST) and/or snuff/snus). Using also ETP-specific LC relative risk (RR) estimates vs. non-users from recent meta-analyses of epidemiological studies in these regions we derived a regression model predicting the LC RR by level of each biomarker. For each NTP with relevant biomarker data, its LC risk was then estimated by combining RR estimates for selected biomarkers. Our main estimates considered only biomarkers significantly (p<0.01) fitting the model, and showing no significant (p<0.01) misfit to the RR of 1.0 for non-users.
Results: From 38 publications, biomarker data for ETPs were available for 56 BOEs in 21 of the 28 groups and for 54 BOPHs in 29 of the 82. The regression slope fitted to the LC risk was significant (p<0.01) for 22 BOEs and six BOPHs, though the predicted RR for non-users significantly (p<0.01) differed from 1.0 for 16 of these biomarkers.
The estimated LC RR for ECIGs, derived from 30 estimates for 10 biomarkers, was 1.88 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.60-2.22), an excess risk (ER = RR−1) 6.8% of that for cigarette smokers. The RR generally varied little in sensitivity analyses, but increased markedly where the restriction to significant model fit was removed, the results then including some huge implausible RRs.
The estimated LC RR for HTPs, combining individual estimates for four BOEs was 1.44 (0.41-5.08), the ER being 3.4% of that for cigarette smokers.
Conclusions: Our methodology has limitations, but seems useful for estimating risk given no epidemiological data. Using biomarkers satisfactorily fitting the model suggests the LC risk from ECIGs is much lower than from cigarettes. Limited data indicate that risk from HTPs is also low. Future research using additional data could extend these findings.
Improved Differentiation of Prostate Cancer Using Advanced Diffusion Models: A Comparative Study of Mono-Exponential, Fractional-Order-Calculus, and Multi-Compartment Models
Authors: He Yongsheng , Qi Xuan , Zhou Min-Xiong , Liu Mengxiao , Yang Hongkai , Wang Wuling , Du Bing , Nie Shengdong , Yan Xu
Published: November 2024

Purpose
This study aims to compare the performance of mono-exponential (Mono), fractional-order-calculus (FROC), and multi-compartment (MC) diffusion models in differentiating prostate lesions, including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa), as well as classifying PCa by clinical significance and risk levels.
Methods
A prospective study was conducted with 224 men (aged 50–80) undergoing 3T MR imaging. Regions of interest (ROIs) analyses were performed on quantitative parameters from Mono, FROC, and MC models. These parameters were evaluated for their ability to distinguish BPH from PCa, clinically significant (CS) from clinically insignificant (CInS) PCa, and among PCa risk levels. Group differences were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by post-hoc Dunn’s test. ROC curves were plotted, and AUC was calculated. Logistic regression was used for parameter combinations, and performance was evaluated via 1000 bootstrap samples. The correlation between parameter pairs was analyzed. The image quality and PCa detection capability were also evaluated visually.
Results
In distinguishing PCa from BPH, the F1, ADC, and D parameters from the three models achieved high AUCs of 0.92, 0.91, and 0.91, respectively. For differentiating CS-PCa from CInS-PCa, the F2 parameter and the combination of C1 + F2 from the MC model showed the highest AUCs (0.75 and 0.76). In assessing PCa risk levels, F2 and C1 + F2 from the MC model showed the highest AUCs (0.73 and 0.74) for low vs. intermediate-risk PCa. For intermediate vs. high-risk PCa, F1, F1F2, and β + F1F2 from MC and FROC models had the highest AUCs (0.66, 0.66, and 0.71). In addition, ADC was strongly or moderately correlated to D, µ, F1, F1F2, F3, C1 and C3, and not correlated to β and F2. ADC and C1 demonstrated high image quality and strong PCa detection capability.
Conclusion
Advanced diffusion models, particularly the MC model, demonstrated a significant improvement over ADC in differentiating prostate lesions, especially between low and intermediate-risk PCa, between intermediate and high-risk PCa, and between clinically significant and insignificant PCa. Comparable performance was observed in distinguishing BPH from PCa among three models. Moreover, the combination of MC and FROC models further enhanced differentiation accuracy, particularly in the more challenging classifications between intermediate and high-risk PCa, where ADC alone proved inadequate. These results highlight the potential clinical value of MC model and combining MC and FROC models for more precise PCa risk stratification.
Effects of mixing of Eu2O3 in resin composites using a planetary centrifugal mixer on the fluorescence characteristics and mechanical properties
Authors: Utsumi Yuta , Oishi Masatsugu , Yonekura Kazuhide , Ikeda Masaomi , Matsuki Yusuke , Ohge Kenichiro , Utsumi Yuta , Hosaka Keiichi
Published: November 2024

OBJECTIVE
A visually identifiable product mixed with the fluorescent filler europium oxide (Eu2O3) in resin composites (RCs) has not yet been developed, owing to concerns regarding the degradation of mechanical properties with increasing Eu2O3 concentration. The objective of this study is to disperse Eu2O3 in an RC using a planetary centrifugal mixer and assess its effects on photoluminescence and mechanical properties.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A commercially available RC was mixed with Eu2O3 at various concentrations using a planetary centrifugal mixer. The fabricated samples were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and a spectrofluorometer to assess their crystal structures, particle sizes, and photoluminescence properties. Vickers microhardness measurements were performed, along with three-point bending test. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the mechanical properties.
RESULTS
The intensity of red fluorescence increased with the Eu2O3 concentration. The fluorescence spectra at 613 and 620 nm exhibited higher intensities under excitation at 254 nm. Eu2O3 was dispersed in RC regardless of the Eu2O3 concentration, and no aggregation was observed. Regarding the mechanical properties, there were no significant differences in the flexural strength or modulus, and the Vickers hardness gradually increased with increasing Eu2O3 concentration.
CONCLUSION
Upon using a planetary centrifugal mixer to mix Eu2O3 with RC, visible fluorescence emission was observed even with increasing the Eu2O3 concentration, and the mechanical properties of this system were unaffected.
Clinical outcome and long‑term prognosis after endoscopic submucosal dissection for colorectal tumors in patients aged 75 years or older
Authors: Asayama Naoki , Nagata Shinji , Shigita Kenjiro , Mouri Yoshihiro , Ooie Shintaro , Matsumoto Kenta , Aoyama Taiki , Fukumoto Akira , Kaneko Mayumi
Published: November 2024

Purpose
To determine the clinical outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for colorectal tumors in elderly patients and predictors of mortality.
Methods
We retrospectively evaluated 207 lesions in 195 consecutive elderly patients aged ≥ 75 years who underwent ESD for colorectal tumors between January 2007 and December 2018. Outcomes of ESD were evaluated, and the prognosis was assessed in terms of both curability and the patient’s baseline physical condition as determined by several indices. Cox regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with reduced overall survival (OS).
Results
Treatment outcomes included a median treatment time of 55 min, en bloc resection rate of 97%, histological en bloc resection rate of 92%, postoperative bleeding rate of 2.4%, and intraoperative perforation rate of 3.4%. Postoperative bleeding and intraoperative perforation could be treated conservatively. Delayed perforation occurred in 1 patient and required emergency surgery. Three-year OS was 99.4% and 5-year OS was 95.8%. Overall, 3 patients experienced recurrence (1 local, 2 distant metastasis) and 1 patient died of primary cancer. Multivariate analysis identified Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score ≥ 3 as the only independent predictor of reduced OS (hazard ratio 4.26; 95% confidence interval 1.60-11.38; P = 0.004).
Conclusion
Colorectal ESD appears to be safe and effective treatment for elderly patients aged ≥ 75 years. A high CCI score, but not curability achieved by ESD, was independently associated with reduced OS in these patients. The CCI score should be considered when determining the indications for ESD in elderly patients.
Wisdom in Laughter: Effects of leadership Humour on Advice Behaviours
Authors: Liu Yang , Yang Shanshan , Zhang Ludan
Published: November 2024

This study analysed the influence of leadership humour on employees' advice and its mechanism of action. For this purpose, we constructed a model with leadership humour as the independent variable, employees' positive emotions as the mediator, superior-subordinate relationship as the moderator, and employees' advice as the dependent variable. We conducted a questionnaire survey using a random sampling methodand conducted empirical analyses on the valid data. The results showed that leadership humour, positive emotions, and superior and subordinate relations were all significantly and positively related to employee advice; positive emotions played a mediating role in the effect of leadership humour on employee advice; and superior and subordinate relations played a moderating role in the relationship between leadership humour and employee advice.
Enhancing Inland River Shore Power Utilization: A Game Theory and Prospect Theory Approach to Optimizing Incentive Mechanisms
Authors: CAI Wenxue , XIE Cailian , Gu Yimiao
Published: November 2024

The development of the shipping and port industry has significantly driven both the Chinese and global economies. However, the environmental impact of their carbon footprint cannot be overlooked. Recently, the industry has made strides in implementing various environmental protection measures, with the promotion and adoption of shore power technology in inland port areas emerging as promising avenues for sustainable development. Despite widespread promotion and the establishment of shore power facilities in inland river areas, the utilization rate remains low. This is primarily due to the minimal benefits that inland river ships gain from using shore power, which often fail to meet their expectations. The traditional income function based on rational agent theory is inadequate, leading to existing incentive measures that do not effectively encourage shore power usage by inland river ships. Therefore, it is essential to analyze this issue from the perspective of behavioral economics. This paper introduces the reference point effect from prospect theory and designs an incentive mechanism for inland river shore power based on game theory principles. The goal is to explore how government subsidies and penalties can be adjusted to create effective incentives for shore power usage, ultimately seeking to improve the adoption rate of shore power among inland river ships and enhance the overall environmental quality of inland river ports.
Automatic Recognition and Analysis of Talus Cartilage Lesions Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Feng Fanxiang , Wang Hongfei , Yuan Pengfei
Published: November 2024

Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs) involve damage to cartilage and subchondral bone, necessitating early diagnosis and intervention due to the disease's progressive nature. MRI is the primary diagnostic tool in clinical practice, known for its high sensitivity and specificity. However, early-stage cartilage injuries often present low contrast and poor signal-to-noise ratios, making it challenging for even experienced physicians to accurately detect OLTs, potentially leading to irreversible disease progression. To address this issue, we developed a novel convolutional neural network designed to rapidly and efficiently identify and classify OLTs. Additionally, an OLTS-AI analysis system was created to assist in diagnosis. This study used a training and validation dataset consisting of MRI images from 334 ankle patients at Sichuan Province Orthopedic Hospital. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a classification accuracy of 96.73%, with detection speeds of 309.8 FPS on CPU and 823.1 FPS on GPU. This system is now implemented in clinical practice, enabling the analysis of talus lesions in just three seconds, significantly reducing doctors' workload while enhancing diagnostic efficiency in managing OLTs effectively.
Narrowing down the Hubble tension to the first two rungs of distance ladders
Authors: Wang Shao-Jiang , Huang Lu , Cai Rong-Gen , Liu Jian-Qi , Yao Yan-Hong
Published: November 2024

The decade-persistent Hubble tension has become a 5σ crisis of modern cosmology between the early-Universe extrapolation from globally fitting the standard ΛCDM to Planck-CMB measurements and the late-Universe measurement from the three-rung distance ladder with SH0ES calibration. Regarding the current dilemma of theoretical resolutions, recent focus has shifted to systematics inspection. Here we find an associated $5\sigma$ tension in the intercept of the supernova magnitude-redshift relation between the second-rung and third-rung supernovae from the PantheonPlus compilation independent of calibrations in use. As required by the consistency of the distance-ladder method, we propose an ingenious method to eliminate the intercept tension, directly constraining H0 = 73.4±1.0 km/s/Mpc from the first two-rung distance ladder alone without referring to the third-rung supernovae but still consistent with both SH0ES typical three-rung and first two-rung constraints, which not only supports our method to rebuild the intercept consistency but also rules out third-rung supernova systematics including the late-time transition in supernova absolute magnitude. Further crosschecks for Carnegie Supernova Project with different calibrations all consistently prefer our results. Therefore, the original Hubble tension between the Planck-CMB measurements and SH0ES three-rung distance ladder can be narrowed down to a tension between the Planck-CMB and the first two-rung measurements.
Analysis on seeking medical treatment delay and influencing factors of tuberculosis patients among students in Wuhan,China during 2012－2023
Authors: Zhang Zhengbin , Quan Chao , Chen Jun , Yu Aiping , Zhang Zefang , Hu Jing , Liao Wanjun , Lu Zhouqin , Chen Guoxi , Zhou Meilan , Wang Xiaojun , Zhang Wei , Wu Gang , Li Yuehua , Wang Jianjie
Published: November 2024

Background
Tuberculosis (TB) treatment delay is one of the major challenges to end tuberculosis in many developing countries. Such cases may contribute to an increased TB transmission and severity of illness.Timely detection and treatment of tuberculosis is an effective means to control tuberculosis especially in school where is a place with dense crowds and strong mobility.This study aims to assess the magnitude of student patient delay in seeking medical treatment and associated factors in Wuhan,China.
Methods
We used the medical record information of PTB patients of students in Wuhan recorded by the National Tuberculosis Management Information System(TBIMS) in 2012-2023,then exported to the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 to analyze the delay and change trend of seeking medical treatment of student tuberculosis patients, and took Multi-variable logistic regression method to ascertain the factors affecting the delay of seeking medical treatment of students.
Results
The median time of student TB patients in seeking medical treatment was 11 (5,21) days in Wuhan, and 38.54% of involved student TB patients in seeking medical treatment for more than 14 days after onset of their TB symptoms. From 2012 to 2023, except for the year of COVID-19, there was little fluctuation in the delay of students seeking medical treatment for tuberculosis in other years. during COVID།19, the time from symptoms onset to seeking medical treatment was significantly shorter due to the strengthening of school morning and afternoon examinations and symptom screening,the proportion of students aged ≥ 18 seeking medical treatment for tuberculosis is the highest among age groups.The results of multivariate analysis showed that near urban area, female, 13–18years old, ethnic minorities, and follow-up patients were at higher risk of delay in seeking medical treatment, and different ethnic groups and patient sources were the main influencing factors of delay in treatment.
Conclusion
There was a high prevalence of delay in seeking medical treatment among pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) student patients in Wuhan, nearly 1/4 of student patients experienced the delay of seeking medical treatment. Students from ethnic minorities or abroad, as well as patients from the tracking group were factors associated with delay in seeking medical treatment. Providing health education to the community and more active case tracking by staff in grassroots community health service centers would minimize the delay.
Nitrogen Interaction with Other Nutrients in Sour orange Seedling
Authors: Kargar Farnaz , Mirsoleimani Abbas , Najafi-Ghiri Mahdi
Published: November 2024

Nitrogen is one of the main elements in plant nutrition and its deficiency or toxicity can affect plant performance and the uptake and translocation of other nutrients. In this research, we investigated the effect of different nitrogen (N) concentrations in nutrient solution on morphological, and biochemical characteristics, as well as the absorption and translocation of other nutrients in sour orange seedlings. The results showed that the optimal N concentration to achieve the highest growth is 16 mM, lower concentrations have no significant effect on this, but at 32 mM N it is greatly reduced. By increasing the N concentration in the culture medium from 2 to 16, there was an increase in root dry weight (46%), shoot dry weight (46%), leaf area (24%), root length (27%), total chlorophyll (56%), and Fv/Fm (22%). In 16 mM N, concentration of potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper in the shoot and root calcium concentration increased, while the concentration of magnesium, manganese, zinc, and copper in the shoot decreased. Nitrate toxicity occurred at 32 mM, and caused a decrease in plant dry weight (57%) and nitrate reductase enzyme activity in the root (45%) and shoot (41%), as well as a decrease in translocation of N, potassium, calcium, iron, and copper from roots to shoots. With the increase of N concentration in the growth medium, ratio of calcium to potassium in the plant increased, which should be considered in calcareous soils where the high amount of dissolved calcium prevents the uptake of potassium.
Genome-wide identification, characterization, and expression analysis of BZR transcription factor family in Gerbera hybrida
Authors: Luo Qishan , Huang Gan , Lin Xiaohui , Wang Xiaojing , Wang Yaqin
Published: November 2024

Background: The BZR family genes encode plant-specific transcription factors that serve as pivotal regulators of plant BR signaling pathway, critically influencing plant growth and development.
Results: In this study, we performed a genome-wide investigation of BZR family gene in gerbera in order to identify the key components of BR pathway that may function in petal growth. The identified BZR genes, named GhBEH1-7 (GhBEH1, GhBEH2, GhBEH3, GhBEH4, GhBEH5, GhBEH6, GhBEH7), are distributed across chromosomes 3, 5, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15. These genes exhibit similar exon-intron structures and possess typical BZR family structure. Phylogenetic analysis clustered these genes into two distinct subgroups. Analysis of cis-acting elementsrevealed their involvement in hormone response, stress response and growth regulation. Subcellular localization analysis indicated nuclear localization for GhBEH1 and GhBEH2, while the remainingfive genes exhibited dual localization in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Transactivation assay indicated GhBEH1 and GhBEH2 may function as transcriptional repressors, contrasting with the transcriptional activation observed for the other five genes. Notably, seven GhBEHs exhibits various expression patterns under different growth stages of ray florets and BR treatment conditions. While, GhBEH1 and GhBEH2showed pronounced responsiveness to BR stimulation.
Conclusion: Our work explains genome-wide identification, characterization, and expression analysis of BZR transcription factor family in gerbera, and hinted these seven GhBEHs is involved in regulating petal growth and development. These findings provide a basis for further studies on further research on the biological function of the BZR gene family in petal growth and a theoretical basis for future horticultural application in gerbera.