bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ESTABLISHING MINIMUM STANDARDS ON THE RIGHTS, SUPPORT AND PROTECTION OF VICTIMS OF CRIME AND MACEDONIAN CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW
Authors:   Faculty of Security, Skopje, Bachanovic Oliver , Peovska Natasha ,   Faculty of Security, Skopje
Published: August 2023

In 2012, the European Union Directive (2012/29 EU) was adopted establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of the victims of crime replacing the Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA on the standing of victims in criminal proceedings. Both documents are legally binding of the general kind, the first of that kind, when it comes to victims of crime and EU legislation. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the importance of this Directive for promotion of the position and rights of the victim of crime and the necessity for its implementation in national legislation. Moreover, the Republic of North Macedonia, as a country that has already started the accession negotiations for EU membership, must take into account the minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime as one of the conditions for gaining this status in the EU in the framework of harmonization of national with European legislation. In this regard, we can point the implementation of the Victims’ Rights Directive as one of the priorities of Serbia in the negotiations for its accession to the EU (specifically foreseen in the Action Plan for Chapter 23 - Judiciary and Human Rights). The main method used in this paper will be the content analysis of the Victims' Rights Directive and of domestic legislation regarding the (non) existence of provisions which imply its consistent application. Keywords: EU Victims’ Rights Directive of Crime (2012), minimum standards, national legislation, harmonization of legislation
Unpacking the Volunteer Experience: The Influence of Volunteer Management on Retention and Promotion of the Organization
Authors: Piatak Jaclyn S. , Carman Joanne G.
Published: August 2023

Volunteers play a vital role in nonprofit organizations. While considerable research examines volunteer recruitment and volunteer management, less is known about how to manage volunteers in such a way that inspires volunteers to continue to volunteer and to promote the organization. Using original survey data, we examine how volunteer experiences influence retention and volunteer promotion of the organization using the Net Promoter Score (NPS). The findings suggest that investing in training is paramount, along with making volunteers from diverse backgrounds feel welcome and included. Organizational support, very likely, plays a role too, in that interactions with paid staff and experience with the organization are positive predictors as well. These findings along with qualitative feedback from volunteers offer new insights on how to help nonprofit organizations bridge recruitment and retention efforts.
Research on Nano-Titanium Modified Phenolic Resin Coating and Corrosion Resistance
Authors: Zheng Chengwu , Yuan Xingdong , LI Xiaojing , Wang Xuegang , Cui Fadong , Wang Xiaoliang
Published: August 2023

Nano-titanium has excellent corrosion resistance and can be widely used in the field of corrosion resistant coatings. This paper introduces nano-weight titanium modified phenolic resin coatings and their anti-corrosion properties to explore the principle of nano-titanium modification and the mechanism of anti-corrosion to further develop more advanced corrosion resistant coatings. The article uses scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectrophotometer to characterise the morphology and structure of the nano-titanium modified phenolic resin coatings and to determine the corrosion resistance properties of the modified phenolic resin coatings. The results show that the 4% nano-titanium modified phenolic resin coating, nano-titanium powder and phenolic resin will maximize the dispersion and combination, and the structure is good; nano-titanium grafted on phenolic resin, the successful preparation of nano-titanium modified phenolic resin; modified nano-titanium added to improve the coating's ability of UV absorption. The corrosion resistance of the coating is much better than that of the unmodified phenolic resin coating.
Solar Disc Concentrator: Material Selection for the Receiver
Authors: Perrero Margherita , Papurello Davide
Published: August 2023

Solar concentration is the ability to harness solar radiation to increase the temperature of a receiver. The receiver is the component into which a heat transfer fluid can be flowed for an ORC system and produce electricity, or it can be used for high-temperature thermal storage, or even to implement thermochemical cycles. The choice of material is critical to ensure optimal performance and long-lasting operation. It is also essential that such material can operate at high temperatures and high thermal gradients. In short, material identification involves high thermal stresses that result in structural deformation. Different metal alloys were used to verify that the yield strength limit was not exceeded due to thermal stress induced by concentrated solar radiation. The problem was implemented in Matlab starting from the general heat equation. The purpose is to test whether thermal stress exceeds the yield strength, which is the condition in which elastic bonds in the material are changed, causing deformation. The best material identified was Inconel 740H, which had a high yield strength value and the lowest temperature difference. Under extreme working conditions, it can withstand thermally induced shocks.
Influence of High-Order Twisting Phases on Polarization States and Optical Angular Momentum of a Vector Light Field
Authors: Liu Baoyin , Huang Yingqi , Liu Caixia , Wu Shu-Dan , Chew Khian-Hooi , Chen Rui-Pin
Published: August 2023

We study the influence of high-order twisting phases on polarization states and optical angular momentum of a vector light field with locally linear polarization and a hybrid state of polarization (SoP). The initial SoP of a twisted vector optical field (TVOF) modulated by the high-order twisting phase possesses various symmetric distributions. The propagating properties of a high-order TVOF with locally linear polarization and hybrid SoP are explored, including the intensity compression, expansion, and conversion between the linear and circular polarization components. In particular, orbital angular momentum (OAM) appears in a high-order TVOF during propagation where no OAM exists in the initial field. The variation of OAM distribution in cross-section becomes more frequent with the increase of the twisting phase order. In addition, a non-symmetric OAM distribution appears in an anisotropic TVOF, leading to the rotation of the beam around the propagation axis during propagation. These results provide a new approach for optical field manipulation in a high-order TVOF.
Explainable Approaches for Forecasting Building Electricity Consumption
Authors: Sakkas Nikos D. , Yfanti Sofia , Shah Pooja , Sakkas Nikitas , Chaniotakis Christina , Daskalakis Costas , Barbu Eduard , Domnich Marharyta
Published: August 2023

Building electric energy is characterized by a significant increase of its uses (e.g. vehicle charging), a rapidly declining cost of all related data collection and a proliferation of smart grid concepts, including diverse and flexible electricity pricing schemes. Not surprisingly, an increased number of approaches have been proposed for its modeling and forecasting. In this work, we place our emphasis on three forecasting related issues. First, on the forecasting explainability, i.e. the ability to understand and explain to the user what shapes the forecast. To this extent we rely on concepts and approaches that are inherently explainable, such as the evolutionary approach of genetic programming (GP) and its associated symbolic expressions, as well as the so-called SHAP (SHapley Additive eXplanations) values, which is a well established model agnostic approach for explainability, especially in terms of feature importance. Second, we investigate the impact of the training timeframe on the forecasting accuracy; this is driven by the realization that a fast training would allow for faster deployment of forecasting in real life solutions. And third, we explore the concept of counterfactual analysis on actionable features, i.e. features that the user can really act upon and which therefore present an inherent advantage when it comes to decision support. We have found that SHAP values can provide important insights into the model explainability. As for GP models, we have found comparable and in some cases superior accuracy when compared to its neural-network and time-series counterparts but a rather questionable potential to produce crisp and insightful symbolic expressions, allowing a better insight into the model performance. We have also found, and report here on an important potential especially for practical, decision support, solutions of counterfactuals built on actionable features and short training timeframes.
Thermal Fatigue Effect on the Grain Groove Profile in the Case of Diffusion in Thin Polycrystalline Films of Power Electronic Devices
Authors: Hamieh Tayssir , Ibrahim Ali , Khatir Zoubir
Published: August 2023

In a previous paper, we solved the partial differential equation of Mullins problem in the case of the evaporation-condensation in electronic devices and gave an exact solution relative to the geometric profile of the grain boundary grooving when materials are submitted to thermal and mechanical solicitation and fatigue effect. In this new research, new modelling of the grain groove profile was proposed and new analytical expressions of the groove profile, the derivative and the groove depth were obtained in the case of diffusion in thin polycrystalline films by the resolution of the fourth differential equation formulated by Mullins that supposed 〖y'〗^2≪1. The obtained analytical solution gave more accurate information on the geometric characteristics of the groove that were necessary to study the depth and the width of the groove. These new findings will open a new way to study with more accuracy the problem of the evaporation-condensation combined to the diffusion phenomenon on the material surfaces with the help of the analytical solutions.
A Method to Enable Automatic Extraction of Cost and Quantity Data from Hierarchical Construction Information Documents to Enable Rapid Digital Comparison and Analysis
Authors: Dopazo Daniel Adanza , Mahdjoubi Lamine , Gething Bill
Published: August 2023

Context:
Despite the effort put into developing standards for structuring construction cost, and the strong interest into the field. Most construction companies still perform the process of data gathering and processing manually. That provokes inconsistencies, different criteria when classifying, misclassifications, and the process becomes very time-consuming, particularly on big projects. Additionally, the lack of standardization makes very difficult the cost estimation and comparison tasks.
Objective:
To create a method to extract and organize construction cost and quantity data into a consistent format and structure, to enable rapid and reliable digital comparison of the content.
Method:
The approach consists of a two-step method: Firstly, the system implements data mining to review the input document and determine how it is structured based on the position, format, sequence, and content of descriptive and quantitative data. Secondly, the extracted data is processed and classified with a combination of data science and experts’ knowledge to fit a common format.
Results:
A big variety of information coming from real historical projects has been successfully extracted and processed into a common format with 97.5% of accuracy, using a subset of 5770 assets located on 18 different files, building a solid base for analysis and comparison.
Conclusion:
A robust and accurate method was developed for extracting hierarchical project cost data to a common machine-readable format to enable rapid and reliable comparison and benchmarking.
The Influence of TiO2 Nanoparticles Morphologies on the Performance of Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Luo Wenpo , Blanchard Juliette , Xue Yanpeng , Taleb Abdelhafed
Published: August 2023

Anode materials based on TiO2 nanoparticles of different morphologies were prepared using the hydrothermal method and characterized by various techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (DRX), scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and N2 absorption. The TiO2 nanoparticles prepared were used as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and their electrochemical properties were tested using discharging/charging measurements. The results showed that the initial morphology of the nanoparticles plays a minor role in battery performance after the first few cycles and that better capacity was achieved for TiO2 nanobelt morphology. The sharp drop in the specific capacity of LIB during their first cycles is examined considering changes in the morphology of TiO2 particles and their porosity properties in terms of shape and connectivity.
Investigation of Land Atmosphere Coupling during the Extreme Rainstorm on 20 July 2021 over Central East China
Authors: Guo Yakai , Shao Changliang , Aifang Su
Published: August 2023

This study has simulated the typical rainstorm on 20 July 2021 over central east China by using the first-generation Chinese Reanalysis datasets and Global Land Data Assimilation System datasets, and the Noah land surface model coupled with the advanced weather research and forecasting model. Based on this, the gridded planetary boundary layer (PBL) profiles and ensemble states within soil perturbations are collected to investigate the main land-atmosphere coupling characteristics during this modeled rainstorm by using various local coupling metrics and the introduced ensemble statistical metrics. Results have shown that (1) except for the stratospheric thermodynamics and surface thermal over mountain areas, the main characteristics of mid-low layers and surface have been well documented in this modeled rainstorm; (2) the typical coupling intensity is characterized by the dominant morning moistening, early noon weak PBL warming around 2, noontime buoyant mixing temperature deficit around 274 K, daytime PBL and surface latent flux contribution around 100 and 280 W/m2 respectively, and significant afternoon soil-surface latent flux coupling; (3) moist static energy is more significant than PBL height during the relation chains, which is consistent with the significance of surface moistening indicated by local coupling metrics. In general, wet soil contributes greatly to daytime moisture evaporation, which then increases the early noon PBL warming and enhances the noontime buoyant mixing within weak flux contribution. However, this has been suppressed by large-scale forcing such as the upper southwestern inflows of rainstorms, which has further significantly shaped the spatial distribution of statistical metrics in contrast. These quantitatively described local couplings have highlighted both the convection potential diagnoses usage for the local weather application and more applicable coupling threshold diagnoses within the finer spatial investigation.
Scaling-Invariant Max-Filtering Enhancement Transformers for Efficient Visual Tracking
Authors: Chen Zhen , Xiong Xingzhong , Meng Fanqin , Xiao Xianbing , Liu Jun
Published: August 2023

Real-time tracking is one of the most challenging problems in computer vision. Most Transformer-based trackers usually require expensive computational and storage power, which leads to the inability of these robust trackers to achieve real-time performance in resource-constrained devices. In this work, we propose a lightweight tracker, AnteaTrack. To localize the target more precisely, we develop a scaling-invariant max-filtering operator employing a sliding window combined with local max-pooling, which filters out the suspected target from the feature and performs an augmented representation while suppressing the background. For a more tight bounding box, we employ Pixel-Shuffle to increase the resolution of the feature map and get a more fine-grained representation of the target. In addition, AnteaTrack can run in real-time at 47 frames per second(FPS) on the CPU. We tested AnteaTrack on 5 datasets, and a large number of experiments have shown that AnteaTrack provides the most efficient solution compared to the same type of CPU real-time trackers. The code will be available at https://github.com/cnchange/AnteaTrack.
Atomic Insights into the Structural Properties and Displacement Cascades in Ytterbium Titanate Pyrochlore (Yb2Ti2O7) and High Entropy Pyrochlores
Authors: Azeem M. Mustafa , Wang Qingyu
Published: August 2023

Pyrochlore oxides (A2B2O7) are potential nuclear waste substrate material due to their superior radiation resistance properties. We performed molecular dynamics simulations to study the structural properties and displacement cascades in ytterbium titanate pyrochlore (Yb2Ti2O7). We computed threshold displacement energy ( Ed ) and lattice constant ( ao) of Yb2Ti2O7. The effect of displacement cascades in Yb2Ti2O7 of recoils of energies 1 keV, 2 keV, 5 keV, 10 keV in different crystallographic directions ([100], [110], [111]) were studied. The number of defects is found to be proportional to the energy of incident PKA. Additionally, the Ed of pyrochlore is computed and it exhibits anisotropy. Furthermore, radiation damage in high-entropy pyrochlore (HEPy) i.e., YbYTiZrO7, YbGdTiZrO7 , Yb0.5Y0.5Eu0.5Gd0.5TiZrO7 were investigated and compared with Yb2Ti2O7. It was found that HEPy have a larger Ed as compared with Yb2Ti2O7 which exhibits characteristic of lower radiation damage resistance than HEPy. Our simulation proposed that HEPy alloys are more radiation resistant than individual pyrochlore constituents . This work will provide atomic insights in developing substrate materials for nuclear waste applications.
Calculation of Thermodynamic Quantities of 1D Ising Model with Mixed Spin-(s,(2t-1)/2) by Means of Transfer Matrix
Authors: Akin Hasan
Published: August 2023

In this paper, we consider the one-dimensional Ising model (shortly, 1D-MSIM) having mixed spin-(s,(2t−1)/2) with nearest neighbors and the external magnetic field. We establish the partition function of the model by means of the transfer matrix. Under a null boundary condition, we compute certain thermodynamic quantities for the 1D-MSIM. We find some precise formulas to determine the model’s free energy, entropy, magnetization, and susceptibility. By examining the model’s associated iterative equations, we use the cavity approach to investigate the phase transition problem. We numerically determine the model’s periodicity.
Placenta accreta in monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy
Authors:   Vidnovsky Perinatal Center, Moscow region, Vidnoe, Russian Federation, Kulikov I.A. , Dobrokhotova Yu.E. ,   N.I.Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation, Belousova T.N. ,   Vidnovsky Perinatal Center, Moscow region, Vidnoe, Russian Federation, Nizyaeva N.V. ,   A.P.Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology, B.V.Petrovsky Russian Research Centre of Surgery, Moscow, Russian Federation, Borovkova E.I. ,   N.I.Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation, Burdenko M.V. ,   N.I.Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation, D.S.Davydova D.S. ,   N.I.Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation, N.R.Manafova N.R. ,   N.I.Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
Published: August 2023

Placenta accreta (placenta accreta spectrum/PAS) is a general term defining abnormal trophoblast invasion into the myometrium, the uterine serous membrane, and adjacent organs. This article presents the new FIGO classification of PAS, highlights current diagnostic methods and delivery options for patients with placenta accreta. A clinical case of pregnancy management in a patient with monochorionic diamniotic twins and placenta accreta is described. A variant of conservative organ-preserving delivery technique using tourniquet hemostasis and metroplasty is introduced. Key words: placenta accreta, placenta previa, bleeding, monochorionic diamniotic twins, cesarean section, tourniquet hemostasis
Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis in BRCA1-associated ovarian cancer
Authors:   N.N.Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Moscow, Russian Federation, Sevyan N.V. ,   I.M.Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russian Federation, Fomina L.Ya. ,   N.N.Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Moscow, Russian Federation, Naskhletashvili D.R. ,   N.N.Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Moscow, Russian Federation, Prozorenko E.V. ,   I.M.Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russian Federation, Mitrofanov A.A. ,   N.N.Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Moscow, Russian Federation
Published: August 2023

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) in ovarian cancer is a rare complication of malignant gynecological disease, which is characterized by the spread of tumor cells through the cerebrospinal fluid to the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The cause of rare involvement of central nervous system (CNS) meninges in ovarian cancer is unclear. To date, there are no clinical guidelines for the management of this category of patients, and treatment of LMC in ovarian cancer is based on treatment protocols for meningeal carcinomatosis in other nosologies and on selected clinical observations presented in the world literature and personal experience. This article presents a clinical case of a patient with BRCA1-associated ovarian cancer and lesions of CNS meninges and parenchyma and our own experience in the treatment of this pathology. The treatment consisted of systemic anti-cancer therapy in combination with radiation therapy. Survival time after diagnosis of CNS metastases and treatment was 8 months. Key words: ovarian cancer, meningeal carcinomatosis, brain metastases, cytological examination, cerebrospinal fluid
Innovated grazing management boosts ecosystem multifunctionality in grasslands
Authors: Liu Nan , Zhang Hao , Guo Tongtian , Yang Gaowen , Wei Bin , Xu Hengkang , Ren Haiyan , Badgery Warwick , Kemp David , Nie Zhongnan , Zhang Yingjun
Published: August 2023

The main goal of ecosystem management is to optimize the simultaneous delivery of multiple ecosystem services. However, it is always challenging to develop management practices which balance the ecosystem service trade-offs. Here, we investigated whether and how an innovative grazing practice, which incorporates periods of planned rest and sustainable stocking density, can simultaneously improve multiple ecosystem services. We found that grazing with rest in the peak growing season, along with setting sustainable stocking rates, which considered climate fluctuation, increased ecosystem multifunctionality under a wide range of perspectives (e.g., local herders, conservationists, and decision-makers) compared to grazing exclusion (government intervention) and continuous grazing (conventional practice). In particular, the innovative grazing practice mitigated the trade-offs among the four ecosystem services. These could be attributed to an increase in plant diversity and community dominance (especially dominant palatable forages), because plant diversity played critical roles in delivering cultural and provisioning services, and the dominance was fundamental to regulating and supporting services. Our study suggests that developing innovative management practices could enhance the provision of ecosystem services and mitigate their trade-offs and conflicts between different stakeholder groups.
Sex differences in Pediatric Sepsis – A Systematic Review Protocol
Authors: Kennedy Uchenna Katharina , Moulin Juliette , Schlapbach Luregn J , Menon Kusum , Lee Jan Hau , Held Ulrike
Published: August 2023

Background: Pediatric sepsis remains a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite advancements of modern medicine, it accounts for more than 3 million childhood deaths per year. Multiple studies have emphasized that sex and gender have an impact on treatment and outcome of various diseases. Adult studies have revealed sex differences in pathophysiological responses to septic shock, as well as a possible protective effect of estrogens on critical illness. Sex-specific maturational and developmental differences in host immunology have been previously demonstrated for neonatal and pediatric age groups. At present, there are no studies assessing the impact of sex on outcomes of children with sepsis.
Methods: The goal of this study is to assess sex-specific differences in childhood sepsis survival outcomes. We will systematically assess associations of sex and gender with outcomes in pediatric sepsis in the literature by performing a systematic search of MEDLINE and Embase databases. We will include all English language randomized trials and cohort studies. Study population will include children >37 weeks gestational age and < 18years of age. Exposure will be sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock and main comparison will be between male and female sex. The primary outcome will be hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes will be pediatric intensive care unit and hospital length of stay.
Discussion: Results from this review are expected to provide important information on the association of sex with the outcomes of pediatric sepsis. If an association is noted, this study may serve as a foundation for further research evaluating the pathophysiological aspects as well as potential socioeconomic factors responsible for the clinically detected sex differences.

Systematic review registration

Submitted to PROSPERO for registration on 16th March 2022.
Climatic Changes: Knowledge and Adaptation Behavior of Heat-Related Illness among Solid Waste Disposal Workers at 10th of Ramadan city in Egypt
Authors: Eladl Afaf Mahmoud , Elshamy Raghda Ali , Zaitoun Mona Fathy
Published: August 2023

Background Earth's climate changes are at an alarming rate. One of the most severe effects of climate change is extreme heat. This study aimed to assess the risk factors and level of knowledge and adaptation behavior of solid waste disposal workers regarding Heat Related-Illness (HRI) at 10th of Ramadan City.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 220 solid waste disposal workers. A structured interview questionnaire assessed the studied workers' sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, heat exposure risk, knowledge, and adaptation behavior.Results The study showed that adequate knowledge and adaptation behavior regarding HRI was 40% and 30%, respectively. There was a statistically significant association between adequate knowledge with age and education. There was a statistically significant association between adequate adaptation behavior with age, duration of employment, working hours and education. A binary logistic regression for significant risk factors for knowledge and adaptation behavior among the studied workers showed that age and education were the most significant predictors.Conclusion Solid waste disposal workers were at high risk of HRI due to their low levels of knowledge and adaptation behavior regarding HRI. Educational health programs which can guide workers to follow healthy behaviors and prevent HRI are recommended.
Network Traffic Prediction Based on the Multi-time Granularity GRU-BP Neural Network
Authors: haipeng wang , Zhang Shuai
Published: August 2023

A multi-time granularity GRU-BP neural network is proposed in this study for network traffic prediction. In the method, the network traffic data is fitted firstly by the cubic spline curve, and the fitted data is extracted according to different time granularities. Then, several GRU neural networks corresponding to specific time granularities are used for network traffic pre-prediction. Finally, the pre-prediction results of all the GRU neural networks are fed into the fully connected neural network. The fully connected neural network outputs the final network traffic prediction results. Comparison results show that the proposed method can improve the calculation accuracy by 9.0% and reduce the calculation time by 28.6%.
RETRACTED: Achieving a Unique Double Hook Morphology in FSSW of Aluminium-Steel through Sheet Placement and Pin Length Variation
Authors: Kaushik Pankaj , Dwivedi Dheerendra Kumar
Published: August 2023

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Comparing the Implementation of different Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Models in Primary Health Care settings in Northern India: Pragmatic three arm observational study
Authors: Duggal Mona , Chauhan Anshul , Gupta Vishali , Kankaria Ankita , Sood Nayanshi , Miglani Vaibhav , Tigari Basaraj , Kaur Gagandeep , Kumar Lakshay , Naveen Mutyala , Budhija Deepmala , Badada Sanjay Kumar , Vale Luke
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is an emerging leading cause of preventable vision impairment and blindness globally. Early screening is a recommended method for preventing avoidable blindness due to DR. We aim to examine the factors affecting the implementing of different diabetic retinopathy screening models in public health facilities and community settings.
Methods and analysis: A Pragmatic three-arm observational study will be conducted in three wellness and wellness centers in Punjab, India. The study will compare three equal-sized groups of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus and those over 30 years who will be enrolled. Patients and healthcare providers will be interviewed to identify the barriers to accessing retinal examinations in primary health settings. Summary statistics will be presented as frequencies for categorical variables and mean (standard deviation) for continuous variables that are symmetrically distributed; otherwise, median and interquartile ranges will be reported.
The study includes a comprehensive economic evaluation to determine the cost-effectiveness of implementing different diabetic retinopathy screening models in primary health settings. This will be done using a decision tree model. The analysis will include both deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis.
Discussion:
A screening program should ensure early detection and referral for diabetic retinopathy treatment before it results in irreversible vision loss. However, understanding the problems of accessing diabetic retinopathy screening in public health facilities and estimating the cost-effectiveness of such a program in a public health setting in India will inform decision-makers responsible for allocating scarce public health resources.
Trial registration: CTRI/2022/10/046283
Keywords: diabetic retinopathy screening, artificial intelligence, public health settings, cost-effectiveness.
Neuronal information processing causally depends on gamma phase synchrony
Authors: Drebitz Eric , Rausch Lukas-Paul , Kreiter Andreas K.
Published: August 2023

Successful behaviour relies on the brain’s ability to flexibly process relevant information while suppressing irrelevant information1. Visual neurons show functional flexibility by selectively responding to subsets of inputs representing attended objects while ignoring those conveying information about irrelevant objects2–5. Several neuronal mechanisms underlying such attention-dependent processing have been proposed. However, causation has not yet been proven6–9. We show that the spike arrival time with respect to the receiving neurons’ γ-oscillatory activity is causal to the spikes’ impact on these neurons and behaviour. We performed intracortical microstimulation (ICM) in area V2 of macaque monkeys to evoke spikes. These ICM-evoked spikes caused a significant increase in the spiking activity of receiving V4 neurons and a significant delay in monkeys’ responses. These effects were observed only when ICM-evoked spikes arrived close to the peak of the neurons’ excitability cycle, with no effects observed during other phases of the V4 γ-cycle. Our results demonstrate that phase synchronization between input spikes and receiver neurons is causal for selective signal routing and required for flexible network configuration. These results are significant for future theoretical and experimental research on selective information processing and brain-computer interfaces.
Global Heliospheric Termination Shock Strength in the Solar-Interstellar Interaction
Authors: Zirnstein Eric , Kumar Rahul , Swaczyna Paweł , Dayeh Maher , Heerikhuisen Jacob , Shrestha Bishwas L. , Szalay Jamey
Published: August 2023

A "heliospheric" termination shock (HTS) surrounds our solar system at approximately 100 astronomical units from the Sun, where the expanding solar wind is compressed and heated before encountering the interstellar medium. HTS-accelerated particles govern the pressure balance with the interstellar medium, but little is known about the HTS’s global properties beyond in situ measurements from Voyager in only two directions of the sky. We fill this gap in knowledge with a novel and complex methodology: particle-in-cell, test particle, and MHD simulations, combined with a global minimization scheme to derive global HTS compression ratio sky maps. The methods utilize Interstellar Boundary Explorer observations of energetic neutral atoms produced from HTS-accelerated particles. Our results reveal unique, three-dimensional characteristics, such as higher compression near the poles during solar minimum, north-south asymmetries from the disparate polar coronal holes' evolution, and minimum compression near the flanks likely from solar wind slowing by enhanced MeV particle pressure.
Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Tigecycline Based on Therapeutic Drug Monitoring for Carbapenem- Resistant Gram Negative Bacterium Pneumonia in Intensive Care Units
Authors: Bai Xiangrong , Wang Zhi-zhou , Li Wen-chao , Wang Yan-gai , Lou Ran , Qu Xin , linlin Fan , wei Zhang , Wu Yan-chuan , Yan Su-ying , Zhang Lan
Published: August 2023

Background
We investigated the associations between the different dose of tigecycline, its efficacy and safety, and the role of tigecycline therapeutic drug monitoring for patients in intensive care unit.
Methods
This was a single-center cohort study including patients with Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, (MDR-AB)and Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(MDR-KP) pulmonary infections admitted to the ICU between October 2020 and December 2021. The steady-state plasma concentration after tigecycline administration was determined by the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method. Multivariate analysis of the clinical efficacy and safety of tigecycline were performed to control cofounding factors.
Results
This study included 45 patients, and a total of 45 blood samples were collected to determine steady-state trough concentrations of tigecycline. All patients were divided into High Dose (HD) group and Standard Dose (SD) group. The median trough concentration of tigecycline was 0.56µg/mL in the HD group, which was higher than in the SD group(0,21µg/mL),p = 0.000. There was no significant difference between the two groups of patients in terms of bacterial eradication rate, mortality rate and clinical efficacy. Multiple regression analysis showed that ICU days was correlated with mortality OR 1.030(1.005–1.056), p = 0.017. APACHE II was significantly associated with clinical efficacy OR 0.870(0.755–1.002),p = 0.045. The level of fibrinogen decline in the HD group was significantly higher than that in the SD group(-3.05 ± 1.67 vs -1.75 ± 1.90),p = 0.038. Age and tigecycline treatment duration were identified as influencing factors for fibrinogen decline.
Conclusions
Tigecycline plasma concentrations are significantly increased when using a high dose. However, the plasma concentration of tigecycline is not correlated with clinical efficacy and adverse reactions. Fibrinogen decline appears to be related to patient age and days of tigecycline. Large sample data are still needed to confirm the clinical guidance significance of tigecycline TDM.
Efficacy and Safety of Lateral Position Rotation and Pulling Manipulation for Treating Low Back Pain of Sacroiliac Joint Misalignment Origin: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Wang Nan , Du Guoqing , Xue Yan , Zhan Hongsheng , Shi Ying , Liu Yongming , Feng Yuanyuan , Wang Xiang , Shen Zhibi , Xiong Yizhe , Li Zhengyan , Zhang Mingcai , Yu Qianyun , Han Qiang , Wang Yupeng , Lian Youzhi , Zhang Kaiyong
Published: August 2023

Background:
Clinical studies have confirmed that traditional lumbar oblique-pulling manipulation (TLOM) can effectively improve lumbosacral pain caused by sacroiliac joint misalignment. However, the absence of established standards and norms for TLOM, combined with its diverse approaches, increases the likelihood of deviations in clinical effectiveness and potential exacerbation of the ailment.
Methods:
we will use a multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate and show that the lateral position rotation and pulling manipulation (LPRPM) is safer and more effective than the TLOM in the treatment of low back pain of sacroiliac joint misalignment origin. In this study, we propose to evaluate the effectiveness of LPRPM in the treatment of low back pain of sacroiliac joint misalignment origin by assessing the rate of improvement in pain symptoms, lumbar spine mobility, lumbar pain visual analogue scale (VAS), lumbar spine dysfunction Oswestry disability index(ODI), lumbar spine symptom improvement Japanese Orthopaedic Association Scores (JOA), and overall functional improvement Short Form 36(SF-36). We will recruit 272 patients diagnosed with low back pain of sacroiliac joint misalignment origin and randomly assign them to the trial and control groups in a 1:1 ratio. The trial group (n = 136) will be treated with LPRPM, and the control group (n = 136) will be treated with TLOM. Outcomes will be measured at four time points: before the first treatment, immediately after the first treatment, 1 week after the first treatment, and 1 month after the first treatment. Adverse events will be recorded.
Discussion:
In this research, we have modified TLOM and introduced a new technique called LPRPM to verify whether this manipulation is efficacy and safety.
Composition And Influencing Factors of Hospital Expenses in Patients with Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
Authors: Guo Yixian , Wang Yufeng , Yin Guozhi , Tuo Hang , Zhu Yifeng , Wang Yiheng , Yang Wei
Published: August 2023

Objective: To determine the composition and influencing factors of hospital expenses of patients undergone laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG) in an effort to reasonably control the hospital costs and reduce the economic burden of patients.
Method: The inpatient expenses of 574 patients with LSG surgery from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2022, in a tertiary hospital in China were retrospectively studied. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the composition of inpatient expenses. The mean values between the two groups were compared using the independent t-test, and the mean values between multiple groups were compared using an ANOVA test. The effective results of Mono-factor analysis were further analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis.
Result: (1) The result indicated an upward trend in hospital expenses among LSG patients over the past four years, with an average cost of 53241.87 RMB. The major components of hospital charge were: operation costs of 7109.60 RMB (13.35%) and disposable material costs of 13849.69 RMB (26.01%), accounting for 39.36% of the total hospital costs. (2) The results of multiple linear regression analysis were observed that F=33.478, P<0.05. Gender, complications, number of other diagnoses, year of discharge, age and length of stay were the important factors affecting hospital expenses. Hospitalization expenses were higher for male patients than female patients, which increased as comorbidities, age, postoperative complications, and length of stay increased.
Conclusion: High operation costs and continuously rising material costs contribute to rising hospitalization expenses for LSG patients. Early operation to reduce weight, control of obesity-related comorbidities, reducing postoperative complication risk, reasonable control of hospitalization time, and more effective surgical costs management can significantly reduce hospitalization costs for this patient group.
ceRNA network and WGCNA analyses of differentially expressed genes in cervical cancer tissues for association with survival of patients
Authors: Luo yongjin , liu zhen , hu xiaoxia
Published: August 2023

Objective
To identify differential expressed genes (DEGs) in cervical cancer tissues as prognostic biomarkers.
Methods
We analyzed gene expression profiles from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) using R software. DEGs were identified in cervical cancer tissues. miRNAs targeted by differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs targeted by microRNAs were identified using bioinformatics tools. The ceRNA network and lncRNA expression modules were constructed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Kaplan-Meier analysis confirmed DEGs as prognostic markers. Immunohistochemical analysis validated hub gene expression in 10 paired cervical cancer and normal tissues.
Results
We identified 1914 DEmRNAs, 210 DElncRNAs, and 67 DEmiRNAs in cervical cancer samples. The ceRNA network revealed several lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs involved. CACNA1C-AS1 and LIFR-AS1 were associated with specific modules. Three hub genes (E2F1, CCNB1, and CCNE1) showed high expression in cervical cancer tissues and correlated with patient prognosis.
Conclusion
Our study demonstrates the utility of ceRNA network and WGCNA analyses to identify novel DEGs as prognostic markers in cervical cancer. These findings warrant further validation in future studies.
RETRACTED: Isolation of Carnobacterium from hand triturated with a “carne” (meat) grinder. Case report
Authors: Barrientos-Flores Corazón , García-Hernández María Lourdes , Mendez-Sotelo Braulio Josué , Hernández-Durán Melissa , Cerón-González Guillermo , Colín-Castro Claudia A. , Franco-Cendejas Rafael , López-Jácome Luis Esaú
Published: August 2023

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Examining changes in sexual risk in Britain between 1990-2010: A Latent Class Analysis approach
Authors: Muschialli Luke , Samartsidis Pantelis , Presanis Anne , Mercer Catherine H.
Published: August 2023

Background: Understanding how sexual risk changes over time is important for determining the likelihood of adverse sexual health outcomes. There are different risk profiles in the population and standard descriptive or regression methods are limited in their ability to capture this multidimensional concept. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) is a mixture modelling method that generates a categorical latent variable classifying a heterogeneous population into homogenous groups. We therefore use LCA to investigate sexual risk in Britain, and if and for whom, this has changed between 1990 and 2010.
Methods: Data from three rounds of Britain’s decennial National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyle (Natsal) were used, restricted to sexually-active participants (those reporting any sexual partners in the past year) aged 16-44-years (N1990=11,738; N2000=9,690; N2010=8,397). LCA was used with four variables: partner numbers (past year), number of partners without a condom (past year), age at first sex and self-perceived HIV risk, as variables common to all three Natsals. Covariates included age, ethnicity, educational attainment, same-sex attraction, and marital status. Multinomial regression analyses and Chi-Squared tests assessed change over time.
Results: Partner number was the key driver of class membership, the resulting three classes we labelled: Long-Term Monogamy (41.3% of men; 60.9% of women), Risk-Conscious Monogamy (32.5%; 23.4%) and Sexual Risk Taking (26.2%; 15.7%) There was a statistically significant increase between 1990 and 2010 in the proportion of men (c2=739.49, p<0.01) and women (c2=1270.43, p<0.01) in the Sexual Risk-Taking class, increasing from 19.5% to 31.1% (men) and 9.9% to 22.1% (women). Marital status, specifically being single/not cohabiting, was strongly associated with Sexual Risk-Taking class membership at all time points.
Conclusion: Our results indicate the viability of LCA models to assess change over time for complex behavioural phenomena, whilst supporting previous findings, namely an increase in sexual risk-taking in recent decades, partnership number driving class assignment, and significant sex differences in risk-taking. This methodological approach to assessing change over time can be used to extend previous LCA models (such as investigating the impact of COVID-19 on latent class composition) and to support empirical evidence of change over time to facilitate more nuanced public health policy.
Low ceiling effect of Forgotten-Joint Score 12 after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A longitudinal retrospective study
Authors: Sakamoto Takuya , Watanabe Shotaro , Horii Manato , Ito Ryu , Toguchi Kaoru , Akagi Ryuichiro , Kimura Seiji , Yamaguchi Satoshi , Ohtori Seiji , Sasho Takahisa
Published: August 2023

Background: Conventional patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are crucial for postoperative evaluation following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR); however, a disadvantage is their high ceiling effect. In contrast, Forgotten Joint Score-12 (FJS) is used for postoperative evaluation after total joint arthroplasty and has a low ceiling effect. We aimed to assess the ceiling effect in FJS, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and Lysholm Knee Score (LKS) at 1 and 2 years after ACLR and to predict the factors influencing FJS in the first postoperative year.
Methods: This retrospective observational study included 47 patients who underwent double-bundle primary ACLR. We surveyed the demographic characteristics of the patients and the side-to-sided difference of tibial anterior translation and limb symmetry index of the single-leg hop test (SLH-LSI) at 1 year postoperatively. Additionally, we collected the FJS, KOOS, and LKS scores at 1 and 2 years postoperatively using identical predetermined questionnaires. We compared the FJS scores at 1 and 2 years postoperatively using paired t-tests and calculated the ceiling effects of the FJS, KOOS, and LKS scores. In addition, multiple linear regression analysis was performed to predict the factors influencing the FJS score 1 year postoperatively.
Results: The participants included 32 women and 15 men (mean age, 27.2 years; mean body mass index, 22.8 kg/m2). The mean FJS scores at 1 and 2 years postoperatively were 85.0 ± 18.1 and 89.8 ± 13.1, respectively, and had no significant differences (p = 0.06). The ceiling effects for the FJS, KOOS, and LKS scores at 1 year postoperatively were 23.4%, 34.0%, and 29.8%, and 36.2%, 43.8%, and 42.6% at 2 years postoperatively. The SLH-LSI score affected the FJS 1 year postoperatively (estimated coefficient 38.183, p < 0.05).
Conclusions: The ceiling effect of FJS on ACLR up to 2 years tended to be lower than that of KOOS and LKS. Knee function related to the FJS was similar to that of other PROMs. The FJS may also be useful for assessing the short clinical course after ACLR.