bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Strategies to Fight Disinformation in Health: Is It Possible for a Brazilian Podcast to Reach Any Target Audience?
Authors: Silva Iorana Candido da , Nogueira Maria Rayssa do Nascimento , de Oliveira Carlos Henrique , Santos Marcos Nascimento dos , Santos Vania dos , NICOLETE Larissa Deadame de Figueiredo
Published: October 2022

Purpose
Knowing the use in the education of podcasts was occurring in some countries, the present work developed one in Portuguese. The aim was to promote health and combat disinformation in Brazil.
Methods
Different categories of Podcasts were created: shorter/longer; with/without guests and disease-related issues or other topics about prevention/health education. After that, the audios were edited and submitted on platforms: It was analyzed through the data generated by the published episodes.
Results
It was observed that duration vs several reproductions did not correlate with (p = 0.2521). Then, the presence/absence of guests (p = 0.1779). However, themes related to infectious and chronic diseases obtained more significant results (p = 0.0466) when compared to the other topics. Also, we noticed that our listeners are primarily men aged between 18 and 27 years old and residing in Brazil.
Conclusion
Podcasts may be able to disseminate knowledge, however, themes and the type of audience must be considered to choose this kind of approach.
Associations of the age of menarche and menopause with hypertension in menopausal women in Rasht, Iran in 2020-2021
Authors: Ahmadnia Zahra , Salari Arsalan , Borghei Yasaman , Mousavi Seyyed Aboozar Fakhr- , Mousavi Seyyed Mehdi , Rafiei Elahe , Karami Samaneh
Published: October 2022

Background
A woman's age of menarche as well as her age of menopause are two important points in her reproductive life. Furthermore, hypertension (HTN) is one of the important causes of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) as well as death, and has been considered as a public health issue all around the world. The current study aims at investigating the association of the age of menarche and menopause with HTN in menopausal women.
Methods
The participants who took part in this cross-sectional study included 1500 postmenopausal women. Baecke Habitual Physical Activity Questionnaire (BHPAQ), blood sample and blood pressure (BP) data were analyzed. The researchers examined the association using logistic regression. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS v.21 software. The significance level was considered P<0.05 for all the tests.
Results
Results was seen between the age of menarche and systolic BP (Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, r=0.086, p=0.001). No significant relationship was observed between the age of menarche and menopause with the chance of high BP in postmenopausal women. A significant relationship was reported between the age of menarche and systolic BP in postmenopausal women. The level of cholesterol (P<o/oo1) and LDL (P<o/oo1) had a positive effect on increasing systolic BP. However, FBS had a negative effect on increasing BP.
Conclusions
These results suggested that the associations of age at menarche with hypertension could be reduced by factors related to place of residence in Iran and knowledge of the association between age at menarche and living in urban areas, number of children, cholesterol levels, LDL, and FBS in women help prevent the development of hypertension.
Should ICSI be implemented on patients with poor-quality embryos in the previous IVF cycle?
Authors: Wang Jiang , Xiong Shun , Xia Fei , Zhu Jiahong , Liao Haiyuan , Wei Biao , Zou Jiayi , Han Wei
Published: October 2022

Purpose
to evaluate whether ICSI can improve the quality of embryo in patients who had their previous IVF cycle cancelled for poor-quality embryo.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study compared the embryo quality and clinical outcome following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and conventional in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in patients who had their previous IVF cycle cancelled for poor-quality embryo.
Results
According to the inclusion criteria, a total of 336 ovarian stimulation cycles were performed in the reproductive medical center of Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children Hospital from March 2016 to June 2022. During this period, ICSI and conventional IVF methods were applied in 158 and 178 cycles, respectively. Apart from the number of high-quality embryos, there were no notable differences in patients baseline characteristics and other laboratory results in the two groups. Compared with IVF, ICSI resulted in a significantly higher high-quality embryo rate (6.21% vs. 2.69%, P < 0.05). Among the 226 embryo transfer cycles, there were no notable differences in miscarriage rate and implantation rate in IVF and ICSI group. Moreover, the clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the ICSI group than those in IVF group (56.52% vs. 43.24%, p < 0.05), and implantation rate seemed to increase in the ICSI group (41.58 vs. 34.64%, p > 0.05%);
Conclusion
The present study suggested that ICSI cannot increase the available embryo number rate in patients without any available embryos after normal fertilization in the previous IVF cycle, however, it can significantly improve the quality of embryo and the clinical pregnancy.
Experimental study of flow pattern in rectangular fish breeding ponds
Authors: Naghizadeh Mahdi , Moghbeli Atefeh , Zounemat-Kermani Mohammad
Published: October 2022

The current research investigates the flow pattern effect on
the performance of rectangular fish breeding ponds based on
hydraulic efficiency and stagnant regions indicators. Three
different flow patterns (linear, vortex cells with rotation in
opposite directions, and vortex cells with rotation in one
direction) with various inlet flow momentum forces (0.88N, 0.022N,
0.01N, 0.005N, and 0.003N) were investigated in the present
experimental study. A rectangular pond with dimensions of 200×50×13
Cm was also used to conduct the experiments. The results obtained
from the flow pattern experimental modelling show the more
appropriate performance of the hydraulic condition in flow pattern
vortex cells with rotation in opposite directions and vortex cells
with rotation in one direction, which were formed by redesign1 and
redesign2. The findings from the research show that the linear flow
pattern with tested momentum forces does not result in optimal
hydraulic efficiency (λ > 0.75). If the vortex cells with
rotation in one direction and the vortex cells with rotation in the
opposite flow patterns replace with the linear flow pattern,
hydraulic efficiency and stagnant regions are optimized in
rectangular ponds
Clinical Value of 18F-FAPI PET/CT in assessing early-stage fibrosis of graft after liver transplantation: preliminary experience
Authors: Fang Xiaohan , Xie Man , Zhao Youwei , Wang Ye , Zhang Qun , Tian Qiuju , Zhao Liu , Zhang Bei , Wei Zhimin , Kong Xinjuan , Yang Guangjie , Cai Jinzhen , Rao Wei
Published: October 2022

Aims
To investigate the clinical usefulness and performance of 18F-FAPI PET/CT in assessing early-stage liver fibrosis in liver transplantation (LT) recipients.
Methods
A prospective study including 17 LT recipients and 12 chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) patients was conducted. All patients received liver biopsy, transient elastography (TE), and 18F-FAPI PET/CT. On 18F-FAPI PET/CT scans, the liver parenchyma's maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) were noted. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to determine the diagnostic efficacy of 18F-FAPI PET/CT in early-stage liver fibrosis (S1 ~ S2) compared with the diagnostic performance of TE.
Results
Of 29 patients, 15(51.7%) had fibrosis S0, 10(34.5%) had S1, and 4(13.8%) had S2 respectively. The SUVmax of patients with early-stage liver fibrosis was significantly higher than those without liver fibrosis in LT recipients and CHB patients (p = 0.004, p = 0.02). In LT recipients, a SUVmax cut-off value of 2.0 detected early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.92 (P = 0.006), and a Liver Stiffness measurements (LSM) score cut-off value of 8.2 kPa diagnosed early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.80 (P = 0.012). In CHB patients, a SUVmax cut-off value of 2.7 detected early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.94 (P < 0.001) and an LSM scores cut-off value of 8.4 kPa diagnosed early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.91 (P < 0.001).
Conclusions
As a non-invasive method, 18F-FAPI PET/CT could be applied to evaluate early-stage liver fibrosis in LT recipients and CHB patients properly. 18F-FAPI PET/CT provided a diagnostic accuracy higher than TE for staging of early-stage liver fibrosis with the additional advantages in whole-liver evaluation.
Deep Learning-Based Diagnosis of Disease Activity in Patients with Graves’ Orbitopathy Using Orbital SPECT/CT
Authors: Yao Ni , Li Longxi , Gao Zhengyuan , Zhao Chen , Li Yanting , Han Chuang , Nan Jiaofen , Zhu Zelin , Xiao Yi , Zhu Fubao , Zhao Min , Zhou Weihua
Published: October 2022

Purpose
Orbital 99mTc-DTPA SPECT/CT is an important new method for the assessment of inflammatory activity in patients with Graves' Orbitopathy (GO), but it consumes a heavy workload for physicians for interpretation. We aim to propose an automated method, called GO-Net, to detect the activity of GO to assist physicians for diagnosis.
Materials and methods
GO-Net had two stages: a semantic V-Net segmentation network (SV-Net) to extract extraocular muscles (EOMs) on orbital CT images; a three-channel convolutional neural network (CNN), including SPECT/CT images and segmentation results, to classify inflammatory activity. Manual corrections were applied when the segmentation results were not accurate. A total of 956 eyes from 478 patients with GO (active: 475; inactive: 481) from Xiangya Hospital of Central South University were enrolled. For the segmentation, five-fold cross-validation with 194 eyes were used for training and internal validation. For the classification, 80% of eyes were trained and internally validated by five-fold cross-validation, and 20% of eyes were used for testing. The contours of the EOMs were drawn manually by an experienced physicians and used as the ground truth. The criteria for the diagnosis of GO activity were determined by the physician through the clinical activity score(CAS) and 99mTc-DTPA uptake.
Results
Our GO-Net method achieved an accuracy of 84.25%, a precision of 83.35%, a sensitivity of 84.63%, a specificity of 83.87%, an F1 score of 0.83, and an area under the receiver (AUC) of 0.89. For EOMs segmentation, our segmentation model achieved a mean intersection over union (IOU) of 0.82. Contours of EOMs in 47 eyes (4.91%) were manually corrected and the average correction time was 5 mins for each eye.
Conclusion
Our proposed Go-Net model could accurately detect GO activity, which has great potential for the diagnosis of GO.
A Historical Comparison of U.S. Army & U.S. Civilian Suicide Rates, 1900-2020
Authors: Smith Jeffrey Allen , Doidge Michael , Hanoa Ryan , Frueh B. Christopher
Published: October 2022

IMPORTANCE: Studies examining the perceived association of war time and increasing suicide rates in the U.S. military and U.S. civilian populations have proliferated since the beginning of the Global War on Terror (GWOT). However, additional historical analysis is needed to better place the recent surge in active-duty U.S. Army and U.S. civilian suicide rates into context and better inform researchers, healthcare providers, and policy makers.
Objective: Compare U.S. Army and U.S. civilian annual suicide data from 1900 to 2020 to identify longitudinal trends and separate them from more acute and transient factors.
DESIGN: Cross sectional study that extracted empirical data from U.S. government websites, publications, and journal articles published from 1900 to 2022.
SETTING: A population-based study of active-duty U.S. Army servicemembers and U.S. civilians from 1900 to 2020.
PARTICIPANTS: All active-duty U.S. Army servicemembers from 1900 to 2020 as detailed in U.S. government publications and journal articles. All U.S. civilians from 1900 to 2020 as detailed in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vital Statistics System (NVSS).
INTERVENTION(S) or Exposure(S): None.
MAIN OUTCOME(S) AND MEASURE(S): The current study only included data explicitly reported as suicide in the data sources. Suicide rates are per 100,000 individuals.
RESULTS: From 1900 to 2020, active-duty U.S. Army servicemember and U.S. civilian suicide rates appear to fluctuate similarly, but with servicemember rates often displaying more dramatic changes. Since 1900, active-duty U.S. Army servicemember and similarly aged U.S. civilian male suicide rates have gradually converged, with the differences in rates narrowing over time. However, U.S. Army rates appear to break from the U.S. civilian paralleling trend from about 1975 to roughly 1990, when U.S. Army rates decreased and stabilized below the U.S. civilian male rate.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: War does not historically appear to increase suicide rates in active-duty U.S. Army servicemembers or U.S. civilians. More recently, given the apparent convergence of U.S. Army and similarly aged U.S. civilian male annual suicide rates, larger more universal factors than combat may be similarly affecting both populations.
Clinical Investigation of Lymphocyte DNA Damage in COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Doğan Hasan , Kara Aslı , Çankaya Erdem , Balkan Eda , Gürbüz Muhammet Ali , Kızılkaya Murat , Anapalı Merve
Published: October 2022

Background: This prospective cross-sectional study, aimed to evaluate lymphocyte DNA damage in COVID-19 patients. In this prospective cross-sectional prospective cohort study, 50 COVID-19- positive patients attending Erzurum City Hospital Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic and 42 control group patients were included.
Methods: DNA damages were detected in living cells by lymphocyte isolation in 50 COVID-19- positive patients using the comet assay method. DNA tail/head (olive) moments were evaluated and compared. White blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), neutrophil (NEU), lymphocyte (LYM), eosinophil (EO), monocyte (MONO), basophil (BASO), platelet (PLT), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR).
Results: The RBC, lymphocyte, eosinophil, and monocyte means were significantly higher in the control group (p < 0.05). Whereas HGB and neutrophile means were significantly higher in the study group (p < 0.05). There were significant negative correlations between COVID-19 and RBC (r = -0.863), LYM (r = -0.542), EO (r = -0.686), and MONO (r = -0.385). Meanwhile, there were significant positive correlations between COVID-19 and HGB (r = 0.863), NEU (r = 0.307), tail moment (r = 0.598), and olive moment (r = 0.582).
Conclusion: Both the tail and olive moment mean differences were significantly higher in the study group with higher ranges (p < 0.05). COVID-19 infection statistically significant is increasing both the tail and olive damage percentage in patients, causing DNA damage. Lastly, the NLR rate was associated with the presence and progression of COVID-19.
Crossing the Inflection Point of Digital Development "Emission Reduction" - An Analysis Based on the Perspective of Technological Innovation
Authors: Li Haihai , Huang Yanshuo , Liao Qian
Published: October 2022

From the context of China's "peak carbon dioxide emissions" and "carbon neutral" goals, this study determines whether digital development, as an important path of China's modern development, contributes to the achievement of China's "carbon neutral" goals. In addition, this paper examines whether digital development as an important path of China's modern development also contributes to realizing China's "carbon neutral" goal, while taking into account the internal logic and theoretical mechanism. Consequently, panel data of 267 prefecture-level cities and above nationwide for the time period ranging from 2003 to 2017 is constructed in this study, and used the two-way fixed effects model and instrumental variable estimation method to verify the intrinsic mechanism of digital development affecting carbon intensity. The study findings indicate that: (1) digital development exerts a significant inhibitory effect on carbon intensity, and overall, it demonstrates an "inverted U-shaped" relationship of promotion in the first place and inhibition in the subsequent phase. Moreover, the proposed inhibitory effect represents the marginally increasing trend; (2) promoting technological innovation serves as a significant mechanism for digital development to inhibit the carbon intensity; (3) most cities in China are still below the inflection point of digitalization; (4) optimizing the regional innovation environment effectively advances the inflection point of digitalization; thereby, implying that the government should pay due attention to the inhibiting effect of digitalization on carbon intensity. Besides, there is also a need to further optimize the environment of regional innovation, increase innovation investment, and smoothen the influence mechanism of technological innovation in order to quickly cross the "emission increase" period of digitalization development.
Long COVID and Associated Factors in Individuals From Southern Brazil: A Population-based Study on COVID
Authors: Saes Mirelle de Oliveira , Vieira Yohana Pereira , Rocha Juliana Quadros Santos , Silva Carine Nascimento , Soares Abelardo Oliveira , Neves Rosália Garcia , Gonçalves Cristiane de Souza , Duro Suele Manjourany Silva
Published: October 2022

COVID-19 is an infection in which symptoms may persist after the acute phase. The aim of the present study was to verify the prevalence and factors associated with COVID-19 and to describe the main residual symptoms after 6–10 months of infection in individuals from the extreme south of Brazil. This was a cross-sectional study of 2919 individuals older than 18 diagnosed by RT‒PCR with COVID-19 in the city of Rio Grande/RS, Brazil, from December 2020 to March 2021 who were symptomatic, with data collected by telephone interview or home visit. The COVID-19 outcome was obtained from the sum of all symptoms that the individual claimed to continue having at the time of the interview, ranging from zero to 19. For the crude and adjusted analyses, we used Poisson regression with robust adjustment of variance calculating prevalence ratios (PRs) and their respective 95% confidence intervals. The adjusted analysis was performed by means of a hierarchical model built in four levels. The significance level adopted was 5%, and the analyses were performed with the statistical package Stata 16.1. The prevalence of COVID-long was 48.3% (95% CI 46.5; 50.1). The most prevalent residual symptoms were fatigue, memory loss, loss of attention, headache, loss of smell, muscle pain and loss of taste. The groups more likely to develop COVID-19 were female, exhibited anxiety, hypertension, heart problems, diabetes mellitus, musculoskeletal problems, respiratory problems, previous morbidities and hospitalization in a ward or ICU. Physical activity and self-perception of good and very good health were protective factors for the outcome. When adjusted, female gender, anxiety, morbidities and who were hospitalized remained associated with the outcome, while self-perception of good and very good health had a lower probability. This study showed that almost half of the individuals in the sample developed long COVID after 6–9 months of infection. Among the associated factors, female individuals and those with chronic conditions stand out, demanding the creation of public policies to promote integral and continued assistance to these individuals.
The role of 99mTc-HFAPi SPECT/CT in patients with malignancies of digestive system: first clinical experience
Authors: Jia Xi , Li Xinru , Jia Bing , Yang Ye , Wang Yuanbo , Liu Yan , Ji Ting , Xie Xin , Yao Yu , Qiu Guanglin , Deng Huixing , Zhu Zhaohui , Chen Si , Yang Aimin , Gao Rui
Published: October 2022

Background
Recently, PET/ CT imaging with radiolabelled FAP inhibitors (FAPIs) has been widely evaluated in diverse diseases. However, rare report has been published using SPECT/CT, a more available imaging method, with 99mTc-labelled FAPI. In this study, we evaluated the potential effect of 99mTc-HFAPi in clinical analysis for digestive system tumours.
Methods
This is a single-centre prospective diagnostic efficiency study (Ethic approved No.: XJTU1AF2021LSK-021 of First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University and ChiCTR2100048093 of Chinese Clinical Trial Register). 40 patients with suspected or confirmed digestive system tumours underwent 99mTc-HFAPi SPECT/CT between January through June 2021. For dynamic biodistribution and dosimetry estimation, whole-body planar scintigraphy was performed at 10, 30, 90, 150, and 240 min post-injection. Optimal acquisition time was considered at 60–90 min post-injection and semi-quantified using SUVmax and T/B ratio. The diagnostic performance of 99mTc-HFAPi were calculated and compared with those of contrast-enhanced CT (ceCT) using McNemar test, and the changes of tumour stage and oncologic management were recorded.
Results
Physiological distribution of 99mTc-HFAPi was observed in the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and to a lesser extent in the kidneys, spleen and thyroid. The diagnostic sensitivity of 99mTc-HFAPi for non-operative primary lesions was similar to that of ceCT (94.29% [33/35] vs 100% [35/35], respectively; P = 0.5); in local relapse detection, 99mTc-HFAPi was successfully detected in 100% (n = 3) of patients. In the diagnosis of suspected metastatic lesions, 99mTc-HFAPi exhibited higher sensitivity (89.66% [26/29] vs 68.97% [20/29], respectively, P = 0.03) and specificity (97.9% [47/48] vs 85.4% [41/48], respectively, P = 0.03) than ceCT, especially with 100% (24/24) specificity in the diagnosis of liver metastases, resulting in 20.0% (8/40) changes in TNM stage and 15.0% (6/40) changes in oncologic management.
Conclusion
99mTc-HFAPi demonstrates a greater diagnostic efficiency than ceCT in the detection of distant metastasis, especially in identifying liver metastases.
Parental Involvement and Education Outcomes of Their Children
Authors: Kantová Klára
Published: October 2022

With the goal of shedding more light on the impact of parental time spent with their children, I estimate the causal relationship between parental involvement and the education outcomes of their children. This study is the first to examine the effect of parental time in terms of engagement in a child’s everyday life. Moreover, I enrich the existing literature by considering the characteristics of children as well as their parents. To estimate causal treatment effects, I use a simple logistic regression along with a subclassification on the propensity score. By subclassification, the systematic differences in baseline characteristics are eliminated. The education outcome is represented by a binary variable denoting whether the respondent completed high school or not. Completing high school increases a person’s economic self-sufficiency and civic engagement. The results indicate a higher probability of graduating from high school with higher parental involvement. This probability decreases when a child disobeys his or her parent. Most importantly, the results suggest that the expected probability of completing high school decreases with stricter parental behaviour.
JEL Codes: I21, J12, J13
Crystal structure, Spectroscopic characterization, impedance spectroscopic investigation and AC electrical conduction behavior of [(NH4)0,79K0,21]2Cu0,71Ni0,29Cl4.2H2O
Authors: messouadi Nouha , messoudi nihel , loukil mohamed
Published: October 2022

The present research under study makes in attention the synthesis of a new mixed material of formula [(NH4)0,79K0,21]2Cu0,71Ni0,29Cl4.2H2O by slow evaporation at room temperature. It is characterized by the following techniques: X-ray diffraction (XRD), IR absorption, Raman scattering, thermal analysis, AC conductivity and dielectric measurements. The crystals of [(NH4)0,79K0,21]2Cu0,71Ni0,29Cl4.2H2O belong to the Tetragonal system with the P4(2)/mnm space group. The crystallographic network consists of an [Cu0,71Ni0,29Cl4.(H2O)2]2− anion located on an inversion center and coordinated by two water molecules and four chlorine, and two [(NH4)0,79/K0,21]+ protonated cations. The crystalline stability is ensured by hydrogen bonds to form a zero-dimensional network. Furthermore, the spectroscopic results, at room temperature, confirmed the existence of both cationic and anionic parts, which is in perfect harmony with the results obtained from structural measurements. The impedance spectroscopy technique was used in order to understand the evolution of the electrical behavior and the relaxation process in this material. Accordingly, the experimental data of the Nyquist were fitted to the equivalent circuit created by a parallel combination of grain resistance Rg and a term of complex elements: constant phase elements CPE. The impedance spectroscopic confirms the existence of non-Debye behavior. As a matter of fact, the DC conductivity exhibits a semiconductor behavior. The transport of the charge carrier happens through an ion hopping mechanism, influenced by the motion of the K⁺ and NH4+ cations within the structure of [(NH4)0,79K0,21]2Cu0,71Ni0,29Cl4.2H2O. The AC conductivity data are well described by Jonsher’s law. The thermal behavior of the exponent parameter "n" reveals that the conduction mechanism is non-overlapping small polaron tunneling.
Spatial regression identifies socioeconomic inequality in multi-stage power outage recovery after Hurricane Isaac
Authors: Best Kelsea , Kerr Siobhan , Reilly Allison , Patwardhan Anand , Niemeier Deb , Guikema Seth
Published: October 2022

Power outages are a common outcome of hurricanes in the United States with potentially serious implications for community wellbeing. Understanding how power outage recovery is influenced by factors such as the magnitude of the outage, storm characteristics, and community demographics is key to building community resilience. Outage data is a valuable tool that can help to better understand how hurricanes affect built infrastructure and influence the management of short-term infrastructure recovery process. We conduct a spatial regression analysis on customers experiencing outages and the total power recovery time to investigate the factors influencing power outage recovery in Louisiana after Hurricane Isaac. Our interest was in whether infrastructure damage and recovery times resulting from a hurricane disproportionately affect socio-economically vulnerable populations and racial minorities. We find that median income is a significant predictor of 50%, 80%, and 95% recovery times, even after controlling for hurricane characteristics and total outages. Higher income geographies and higher income adjacent geographies experience faster recovery times. Our findings point to possible inequities associated with income in power outage recovery prioritization, which cannot be explained by exposure to outages, storm characteristics, or the presence of critical services such as hospitals and emergency response stations. These results should inform more equitable responses to power outages in the future helping to improve overall community resilience.
The Complexion of Multi-period Quantum Cournot Duopoly Game with Bounded Rationality Based on Asymmetric Information
Authors: Zhang Xinli , Zhang Jiahe
Published: October 2022

In the Cournot duopoly market, each firm is not completely rational, one firm's possession of information is not symmetrical, and their Nash equilibria are also usually inferior to Pareto optimality. The intersection of quantum game theory, nonlinear dynamics and asymmetric information may be an effective way to solve this problem. In this paper, we set up a multi-period quantum Cournot duopoly game model with bounded rationality based on asymmetric information, investigate the effects of quantum entanglement and asymmetric information on the local stability of quantum Nash equilibrium and complex dynamic behavior of the system. The result shows that an increase in the quantum entanglement decreases the quantum Nash equilibrium local stability and accelerates the occurrence of the system’s chaotic behavior, while the asymmetric information stabilizes the quantum Nash equilibrium and suppresses the chaotic behavior.The contradictive impact on the local stability of quantum Nash equilibrium creates the interesting properties of the game. Numerical simulations demonstrate these complex dynamical features via bifurcation, strange attractors, fractal dimensions and sensitivity to initial conditions.
Amazing diversity in the soil microbes capable of degrading Phthalate isomers and Tri-choloro ethylene (TCE) at Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India
Authors: Bhattacharya Debesh Chandra
Published: October 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Relationship Between red blood cell distribution width and Preoperative deep venous thrombosis of the lower extremity in elderly patients with hip fracture: A Propensity-Score Matched and Conditional Logistic Regression Analysis
Authors: Zhang Kexin , Zhu Yanbin , Tian Yunxu , Tian Miao , Li Xiuting , Wei Jianlu
Published: October 2022

Background: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was a severe and common complication that occurred in the patients with hip fractures, and the red blood cell distribution width (RDW) had been confirmed to be a risk factor of preoperative DVT. However, this relationship remains yet clear, and thus this study aimed to elucidate the relationship between RDW and preoperative DVT in the elderly patients with hip fractures.
Methods: We retrospectively collected the medical data of elderly patients (≥60 years) with hip fractures who were admitted to our hospital from October 2017 to December 2020. We used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to determine the optimal cut-off value of RDW, based on which, all patients were divided into the high or low RDW group. A propensity score matching (PSM) in a 1:1 ratio with the caliper value set as 0.02 was performed to balance variables and match cases with controls. Finally, the other potential confounding factors were controlled for by using conditional logistic regression analysis to identify the association between the RDW and preoperative DVT.
Results: A total of 2,520 patients were enrolled, the optimal cut-off value of RDW was 14.23%, and 1641 patients had a lower value, while 879 had a lower value. After PSM, 747 pairs constituted the study group. The standardized mean deviations (SMD) of all covariates were less than 0.10 (range, -0.06 to 0.04), indicating the groups were well matched. The conditional logistic regression analysis showed high RDW was associated with 1.83-fold increased risk (adjusted RR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.28 to 2.62) of preoperative DVT after adjusting the covariates. In parallel, intertrochanteric fracture, high BMI, and longer time to surgery were identified as independent risk factors for preoperative DVT.
Conclusion: High RDW level, together with other risk factors, was identified to be independently associated with preoperative DVT in elderly patients with hip fractures, thus facilitating the individualized risk assessment, risk stratification and accordingly development of targeted preventive interventions.
Flexible Contact Tracing Mining Algorithms for Moving Objects
Authors: Chen Yu , Dai Hua , Li Bohan , Yang Geng
Published: October 2022

Contact tracing, a transmission intervention, has shown effectiveness inpandemic control. However, most existing schemes only focus on direct contact. There has been little work on indirect contact. In addition,most schemes are too stereotypical to change the rules of “contact” flexibly. To address the above problems, this paper provides flexible contact tracing mining (FCTM) algorithms for moving objects. First, a contact tracing model that supports four scenarios of contact identification is presented. Then, a baseline contact tracing mining algorithm(FCTMbas) using sliding window mechanism is proposed. To further improve the mining performance, an optimization contact tracing mining algorithm (FCTMopt) based on binary anchor timestamp (BAT)is proposed. It processes all objects only at BATs and quickly prunes detection objects at a safe distance from infected objects. We comprehensively evaluate the performance of our algorithms on real-world datasets. The results showed that they could mine more contacts and the optimization algorithm FCTMopt is more efficient than FCTMbas.
Integrated analysis of single‑cell and bulk RNA‑sequencing identifies a signature based on macrophage marker genes involved in prostate cancer prognosis and treatment responsiveness
Authors: Li Xiugai , Zheng Chang , Xue Xiaoxia , Wu Junying , Li Fei , Song Dan , Li Xuelian
Published: October 2022

Background
In the tumor microenvironment, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) interact with cancer cells and contribute to the progression of solid tumors. Nonetheless, the clinical significance of TAMs-related biomarkers in prostate cancer (PCa) is largely unexplored. The present study aimed to construct a macrophage-related signature (MRS) for predicting the prognosis of PCa patients based on macrophage marker genes and exploring its potential mechanisms.
Methods
Six cohorts containing 1056 PCa patients with RNA-Seq and follow-up data were enrolled in this study. Based on macrophage marker genes identified by single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis, univariate analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso)-Cox regression, and machine learning procedure were performed to derive a consensus MRS. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), concordance index, and decision curve analyses were used to confirm the predictive capacity.
Results
The predictive performance of MRS for recurrence-free survival (RFS) is stable and robust, and it outperforms traditional clinical variables. Furthermore, the high MRS patients presented abundant macrophage infiltration and high expression of immune checkpoint genes (CTLA4, HAVCR2, and CD86). The frequency of mutations was relatively high in high MRS group. However, the low MRS patients indicated a better response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and leuprolide-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Notably, the abnormal ATF3 expression may be associated with docetaxel and cabazitaxel-resistant in the PCa cell lines.
Conclusions
In this study, a novel MRS was first developed and validated to accurately predict patients’ RFS, assess immune characteristics, infer therapeutic benefits, and provide an auxiliary tool for personalized therapies.
Adiponectin attenuates splenectomy-induced cognitive deficits by alleviating neuroinflammation and oxidative stress via the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κb signaling pathway in aged rats
Authors: Zhang Zhijing , Guo Lideng , Yang Fei , Peng Shanpan , Wang Di , Lai Xiawei , Su Baiqin , Xie Haihui
Published: October 2022

Background
Perioperative neurocognitive disorder (PND) is a common adverse event after surgical trauma in elderly patients. The pathogenesis of PND is still unclear. Adiponectin (APN) is a plasma protein secreted by adipose tissue. We have reported that decreased APN expression is associated with PND patients. APN may be a promising therapeutic agent for PND. However, the neuroprotective mechanism of APN in PND is still unclear.
Methods
Eighteen month-old male Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to six groups: the sham, sham + APN (intragastric (i.g.) administration of 10 µg/kg/day for 20 days before splenectomy), PND (splenectomy), PND + APN, PND + TAK-242 (intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of 3 mg/kg TAK-242) and PND + APN + LPS (i.p. administration of 2 mg/kg LPS). The cognitive function of the rats was assessed with the Morris water maze (MWM) test. Immunohistochemistry/ immunofluorescence, western blotting and ELISA were used to evaluate the activation of the TLR4/NF-κb axis, oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis, microglial activation and proinflammatory cytokine expression in the hippocampus.
Results
We first found that APN treatment significantly improved learning and cognitive function in the MWM test after surgical trauma. Further experiments showed that APN could inhibit the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κb p65 pathway to decrease the degree of oxidative damage (MDA, SOD and caspase 3) and microglia-mediated neuroinflammation (IBA1, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6). The TLR4 antagonist TAK-242 had a similar effect as APN, while the TLR4 agonist LPS abolished the beneficial effect of APN.
Conclusions
APN exerts a neuroprotective effect against cognitive deficits induced by peripheral trauma, and the possible mechanisms include inhibition of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, which is mediated by suppression of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κb signaling pathway. We propose that APN is a promising candidate for PND treatment.
Development of a method of passaging and freezing human iPS cell-derived hepatocytes to improve their functions and application.
Authors: Inui Jumpei , Ueyama-Toba Yukiko , Mitani Seiji , Mizuguchi Hiroyuki
Published: October 2022

Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) are expected to replace primary human hepatocytes as a new stable source of functional hepatocytes in various medical applications. However, the hepatic functions of HLCs are still low and it takes a long time to differentiate them from human iPS cells. Furthermore, HLCs have very low proliferative capacity and are difficult to be passaged due to loss of hepatic functions after reseeding. To overcome these problems, we attempted to develop a technology to dissociate, cryopreserve, and reseed HLCs in this study. By adding epithelial-mesenchymal transition inhibitors and optimizing the cell dissociation time, we have developed a method for passaging HLCs without loss of their functions. After passage, HLCs showed a hepatocyte-like polygonal cell morphology and expressed major hepatocyte marker proteins such as albumin and cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). In addition, the HLCs had low-density lipoprotein uptake and glycogen storage capacity. The HLCs also showed higher CYP3A4 activity and increased gene expression levels of major hepatocyte markers after passage compared to before passage. Finally, they maintained their functions even after their cryopreservation and re-culture. By applying this technology, it will be possible to provide ready-to-use availability of cryopreserved HLCs for drug discovery research.
Real-world clinical outcomes of treatment with molnupiravir for patients with mild- to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 during the Omicron variant pandemic
Authors: Suzuki Yasuhito , Shibata Yoko , Minemura Hiroyuki , Nikaido Takefumi , Tanino Yoshinori , Fukuhara Atsuro , Kanno Ryuzo , Saito Hiroyuki , Suzuki Shuzo , Inokoshi Yayoi , Sando Eiichiro , Sakuma Hirofumi , Kobayashi Tatsuho , Kume Hiroaki , Kamimoto Masahiro , Aoki Hideko , Takama Akira , Iizuka Taku , Kamiyama Takamichi , Nakayama Masaru , Saito Kiyoshi , Tanigawa Koichi , Sato Masahiko , Waragai Yuichi , Kambe Toshiyuki , Kanzaki Norio , Azuma Teruhisa , Okamoto Hiromasa , Sakamoto Keiji , Nakamura Yuichi , Ohtani Hiroshi , Waragai Mitsuru , Maeda Shinsaku , Ishida Tokiya , Sugino Keishi , Abe Wataru , Tsukada Yasuhiko , Lee Tomoyoshi , Yamada Ryuki , Sato Riko , Onuma Takumi , Tomita Hikaru , Saito Mikako , Watanabe Natsumi , Rikimaru Mami , Kawamata Takaya , Morimoto Julia , Togawa Ryuichi , Sato Yuki , Saito Junpei , Kanazawa Kenya , Hamaguchi Sugihiro , Iseki Ken
Published: October 2022

Background
It is unclear whether molnupiravir has a beneficial effect on vaccinated patients infected with the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We here evaluated the efficacy of molnupiravir in patients with mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the Omicron variant surge in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
Methods
We enrolled patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who were admitted to hospitals between January and April, 2022. Clinical deterioration after admission was compared between molnupiravir users (n = 281) and non-users (n = 1,636).
Results
The molnupiravir users were older (P < 0.0001), and had greater rates of history of chronic respiratory disease (P = 0.039), hypertension (P < 0.0001), dyslipidemia (P < 0.0001), diabetes mellitus (P < 0.0001), and cardiac disease (P = 0.003) than the non-users. The clinical deterioration rate was significantly lower in the molnupiravir users compared to the non-users (3.92% vs 7.46%; P = 0.021). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that receiving molnupiravir was a factor for preventing deterioration (odds ratio 0.426; 95% confidence interval 0.208–0.871; P = 0.019), independent of receiving the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Furthermore, in 259 patients who were selected from each group after matching on the propensity score, the rate of deterioration was significantly lower among those receiving molnupiravir compared to those not receiving molnupiravir (3.86% vs 9.65%; p = 0.008).
Conclusion
This real-world study demonstrates that molnupiravir contributes to the prevention of deterioration in COVID-19 patients after hospitalization during the Omicron variant phase.
Recognition of cancer mediating genes using the novel MLP-SDAE model
Authors: Sheet Sougata , Ghosh Anupam , Ghosh Ranjan , Chakrabarti Amlan
Published: October 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Phytoremediation potential of Acorus calamus L., an emergent macrophyte, to remove inorganic arsenic from water
Authors: Li Shuhui , Liu Guangyi , Zhang Ting
Published: October 2022

In this study, the emergent macrophyte Acorus calamus L. was used to remove different concentrations (200, 500, and 1,000 µg L‒1) of arsenate [As(V)] and arsenite [As(III)] from water. The removal efficiencies of As(V) and As(III) reached more than 95%. As(III) could be removed by A. calamus L. more efficiently than As(V). In both As(V)- and As(III)-exposed A. calamus L., the arsenic contents were much higher in the root than in the stem and leaf. The translocation factors of As(V) and As(III) were no more than 0.152. Both As(V) and As(III) were found in the whole plant, whereas dimethylarsinic acid (DMA, 0.06‒0.13 mg kg‒1) was only present in the aboveground part (leaf). As(V) was the main species in the As(V)-exposed plants (45.86%‒70.21%). As(III) was the main species in the stem and leaf of As(III)-exposed plants (55.76%‒85.52%), while As(V) was still dominant in the root. A. calamus L. could keep its green leaves during the 31 days of inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure. However, As(V) had a little inhibitory effect on height growth, and As(III) could slightly inhibit the weight gain. The concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), as well as the activity of catalase (CAT) were significantly higher in the root than those in the stem and leaf. The oxidative stress response of A. calamus L. to As(III) was more than that to As(V). Our findings indicated that A. calamus L. was regarded as a promising material for the removal of iAs.
Incorporating Machine Learning in Dispute Resolution and Settlement Process for Financial Fraud
Authors: Mark
Published: October 2022

This paper aims to classify disciplinary hearings into two types (settlement and contested). The objective is to employ binary machine learning classifier algorithms to predict the hearing outcomes given a set of features representing the victims, offenders, and enforcement. Data for this project came from the Investment Industry Regulatory Industry of Canada’s (IIROC) tribunal hearing. The data comprises cases that made their way through the IIROC ethics enforcement system and were decided or negotiated by a hearing panel. The findings from the machine learning classifiers confirm that decisions in these cases are not proportionate to the harm committed and that the presence of aggravating factors does not result in harsher sentences.
Identification and Internal Validation of a Novel Pre-Transplant Biomarker Panel to Predict Mortality Following Liver Transplantation: The Liver Immune Frailty Index
Authors: Panayotova Guergana G. , Simonishvili Sopio , Nguyen Duc T. , Graviss Edward A. , Aware Nikita , Manner Carl J. , Minze Laurie J. , Ayorinde Tumininu , Qin Yong , Jin Lianhua , Moore Linda , Paterno Flavio , Saharia Ashish , Mobley Constance M. , Amin Arpit , Hobeika Mark J. , Pyrsopoulos Nikolaos , Li Xian C. , Guarrera James V. , Ghobrial R. Mark , Lunsford Keri E.
Published: October 2022

Cirrhosis-related immune dysfunction is well recognized and may contribute to early mortality following liver transplant (LT). The purpose of the present study was to identify pre-transplant biomarkers of immune dysfunction (i.e., immune frailty) that might accurately predict risk of early mortality following LT. Patient plasma was collected immediately prior to LT (T0) and analyzed via Luminex (N = 279). On multivariate analysis, HCV IgG, Fractalkine, and MMP3 were significant predictors of 1 year post-LT mortality and were utilized to comprise a novel Liver Immune Frailty Index (LIFI). The LIFI stratifies LT recipients into -low, -moderate, and –high risk tertiles. One year mortality was 1.5% for LIFI-low, 13.2% for LIFI-moderate, and 63.3% for LIFI-high. Internal validation through bootstrap resampling with 2000 replicates demonstrated the final LIFI model predicts early post-LT mortality with C-statistic = 0.84. This novel index may identify patients at risk for persistent severe immune dysfunction and early mortality following LT.
Clinical and cost-effectiveness analysis of community-based screening strategies for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Forlano Roberta , Stanic Tijana , Jayawardana Sahan , Mullish Benjamin , Yee Michael , Mossialos Elias , Goldin Robert , Petta Salvatore , Tsochatzis Emmanouil , Thursz Mark , Manousou Pinelopi
Published: October 2022

Background & Aims:
We investigated the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) in primary care and developed a risk-stratification pathway. We also assessed the cost-utility of different screening strategies for NAFLD in the diabetic community.
Methods
Consecutive T2DM patients underwent screening for liver diseases, including liver stiffness measurement(LSM). Binary logistic was used to predict factors associated with significant fibrosis. We used independent predictors of significant and advanced fibrosis to generate a predictive score for this population (BIMAST),and validated it internally and externally. Five screening strategies were compared against standard of care (SOC): BIMAST score, ultrasound plus abnormal liver function tests, FIB-4, NAFLD fibrosis score, and fibroscan. A Markov model was built upon four health states based on fibrosis status. We generated the cost per quality-adjusted life year(QALY) gained and calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) in the base-case analysis conducted over a lifetime horizon.
Results
Among 300 patients enrolled (287 included), 64% (186) had NAFLD and 10% (28) other causes of liver disease. Patients with significant fibrosis, advanced fibrosis, and cirrhosis due to NAFLD accounted for 17% (50/287), 11% (31/287), and 3% (8/287), respectively. BIMAST score validation showed an excellent diagnostic performance in primary care improving false negatives from 38–10% compared to FIB-4. In the cost-utility analysis, ICER was £2,337.92/QALY for BIMAST and £2,480/QALY for fibroscan. When transition probabilities, utilities, screening effect, and cost inputs were modified, we found a > 99% probability of NAFLD screening tests being cost-effective compared to SOC in all evaluated scenarios.
Conclusion
Screening for NAFLD in diabetic patients in primary care is cost-effective and should become part of the holistic assessment in the community.