bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FEATURES OF THE COAT OF YAKS OF THE ALTAI POPULATION
Authors: Bakhtushkina A. I.
Published: April 2023

The authors studied the morphometric parameters of yak wool to determine the commodity and technological qualities of the thread of yaks from the Altai population. The research was carried out based on the yak-breeding farm of the Republic of Altai. The study’s objectives included determining the mass fraction of yak wool fractions and the physical properties of down fibres (thinness, length and density of down) of different sex and age groups of yaks of the Altai population. In addition, the authors studied the morphometric parameters of the coat of varying sex and age groups of yaks of the Altai population according to a set of characteristics using methods generally accepted in zootechnics. The weight content of the fractions was determined by analysing wool samples weighing 1 gram taken from different parts of the animal’s body (belly, flank, thigh) for down, awn and transitional hair and entertaining on an analytical balance with an accuracy of 0.0001 g. The length of wool was measured using a metal ruler with an accuracy of 1 mm. The fineness of the thread was determined on a lanometer according to the RIAH method (All-Russian Institute of Animal Husbandry). The authors established differences between the ratios of down, awn and transitional hair in different body parts. Thus, the most significant proportion of soft fibres in yak wool is noted on the side, where its content varies from 68% to 82%. Significantly less fluff is observed on the thigh from 22% to 35% and on the stomach from 11% to 30%. In male yaks, the most down is also found on the side from 67 to 73%, and the least is observed on the thigh (32–42%) and on the stomach (7–15%). In young yaks, the highest down content was noted on the thigh - 82-88%, slightly less on the side - 68-80 and on the stomach - only 24-34%. The thinnest fluff was registered in female yaks - 1.32 microns in length. The authors noticed the best indicators of length wool in male yaks, 5.23 cm. Female yaks are 5.09 cm in fibre length, and young (bulls of young yaks are 4.9 cm compared to adult male yaks. Regarding the mass of downy fibres, the highest arms were in young animals (yaks of young bulls) at - 51.03 mg / cm2 and the lowest at - 49.53 mg/cm2 in male yaks. The down of yaks of the Altai population in thickness corresponds to the 56th grade of sheep wool (semi-thin) and can be used to make high-quality knitwear.
Influence of Pakistani Dramas on the Lifestyle of Female University Students of Lahore
Authors: Nasir Noor Ul Ain , Zia Anjum , Arshad Arooba
Published: April 2023

The aim of this research study is to analyze the Impact of Pakistani Dramas on the lifestyle of Female youth, particularly among the females of the universities of Lahore. This research has been conducted to determine the effects of Pakistani Dramas on different factors of the lifestyle of female youth. The research has been investigated through the Survey method using a questionnaire as a tool of data collection and the data of this research study was collected from the female youth of two well- known universities of the Lahore i.e., University of Management and Technology (UMT) and University of Lahore (UoL). It has targeted 390 females aged 16-25 years who are viewers of Pakistani dramas. In this study, Cultivation Theory has been applied and the respondent’s consumption
pattern has been investigated. The findings of the study indicate that Pakistani TV dramas have a strong influence especially the way dramas are presented.
Data-efficient resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging brain mapping with deep learning
Authors: Luckett Patrick H. , Park Ki Yun , Lee John J. , Lenze Eric J. , Wetherell Julie Loebach , Eyler Lisa T. , Snyder Abraham Z. , Ances Beau M. , Shimony Joshua S. , Leuthardt Eric C.
Published: April 2023

OBJECTIVE

Resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) enables the mapping of function within the brain and is emerging as an efficient tool for the presurgical evaluation of eloquent cortex. Models capable of reliable and precise mapping of resting-state networks (RSNs) with a reduced scanning time would lead to improved patient comfort while reducing the cost per scan. The aims of the present study were to develop a deep 3D convolutional neural network (3DCNN) capable of voxel-wise mapping of language (LAN) and motor (MOT) RSNs with minimal quantities of RS-fMRI data.

METHODS

Imaging data were gathered from multiple ongoing studies at Washington University School of Medicine and other thoroughly characterized, publicly available data sets. All study participants (n = 2252 healthy adults) were cognitively screened and completed structural neuroimaging and RS-fMRI. Random permutations of RS-fMRI regions of interest were used to train a 3DCNN. After training, model inferences were compared using varying amounts of RS-fMRI data from the control data set as well as 5 patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

RESULTS

The trained model achieved 96% out-of-sample validation accuracy on data encompassing a large age range collected on multiple scanner types and varying sequence parameters. Testing on out-of-sample control data showed 97.9% similarity between results generated using either 50 or 200 RS-fMRI time points, corresponding to approximately 2.5 and 10 minutes, respectively (96.9% LAN, 96.3% MOT true-positive rate). In evaluating data from patients with brain tumors, the 3DCNN was able to accurately map LAN and MOT networks despite structural and functional alterations.

CONCLUSIONS

Functional maps produced by the 3DCNN can inform surgical planning in patients with brain tumors in a time-efficient manner. The authors present a highly efficient method for presurgical functional mapping and thus improved functional preservation in patients with brain tumors.
Legal life of the society, anomie and problems of legal space unity in Russia nowadays
Authors: Mal’ko Alexander V.
Published: April 2023

The author of the present paper analyses problems of building single legal space in legal life of modern Russian society. The article contains consistent and systematic measures towards organizing legal policy in this field for the Russian Federation
Theory of labor relations in the context of the transformation of the sphere of work: designation of the problem
Authors: Chucha Sergey Yu.
Published: April 2023

The problems of modernization of the subject of Labor Law and the theory of labor relations in the context of the transformation of the labor sphere are considered. Based on the historical analysis of the process of structuring the law on the branches, the direction of development of private-public branches and, above all, Labor Law is predicted. The convergence of the theory of a single indivisible labor legal relationship by N.G. Aleksandrov and the theory of a complex of unified labor relations V.N. Skobelkin in the context of the transition to new technological paradigms and the growth of differentiation in the ways of organizing labor. On the basis of the theory of a complex of unified labor legal relations, ways are proposed to expand the subject of the branch of Labor Law by including in it new relations arising on a contractual and non-contractual basis related to the use of human labor. The necessity of changing the presumption of proving the existence of labor relations, the three-subject composition of the participants in the system of legal relations arising from the use of agency labor (a contract for the provision of an employee), and the joint liability of subjects on the side of the employer (solidary employer) are substantiated.
). Interuniversity Scientific and Practical Conference “Traditional spiritual and moral values as the basis of legal development in the XXI century”
Authors: Krotkova Natalya V.
Published: April 2023

The material of the Interuniversity Scientific and Practical Conference “Traditional spiritual and moral values as the basis of legal development in the XXI century”, held at the Faculty of Law of Lomonosov Moscow State University, is presented. An attempt is made to show the connection between the values of the people (including the Russian people) and its political and legal institutions. In particular, it is noted that the concept of spirituality includes public consciousness, is permeated with value imperatives (religious, ethical, political, aesthetic). It is pointed out that, although every ethnic group has its own value imperatives, not every one of them was able to create a state. It is argued that the spirituality of the Russian people has become the basis of a thousand-year statehood – one of the greatest in world history.
Прояви імерсивності в сучасних культурних практиках
Authors: Губернатор Олена , Красненко Олексій
Published: April 2023

Мета статті — дослідити основні характеристики та особливості прояву феномену імерсивності в контексті культурних практик. Результати дослідження ґрунтуються на виявленні різноманітних типів і специфічних аспектів функціонування імерсивних практик у просторі культури. Визначено, що імерсивність — це унікальна властивість середовища культурної практики, що є системним самоорганізовуваним конструктом, наділена властивостями глибинного занурення, присутності в ньому суб’єкта, інтерактивності, внутрішньосуб’єктної просторової локалізації, когнітивного доступу, насиченості, пластичності та цілісності. Метою імерсивності є створення безпосереднього зв’язку між об’єктом, подією, дією та її сприйняттям людиною для глибинного занурення в культурне середовище: театральне, кінематографічне, виставкове, музейне, екскурсійне, розважальне та ін. З’ясовано, що імерсивні культурні практики створюють ефект занурення завдяки використанню спеціальних технологій — світлових і звукових установок, відеоінсталяцій різної складності, віртуальної/доповненої реальності. Наукова новизна. Досліджено феномен імерсивності, основні характеристики та особливості її прояву в контексті культурних практик. Запропоновано визначення імерсивності та типологізацію імерсивних культурних практик. Висновки. У статті окреслено специфічні характеристики імерсивності (порушення стану психологічної захищеності (зони комфорту) людини та сприйняття культурного продукту «зсередини»; вплив на периферійну анатомо-фізіологічну систему; створення ефекту справжньої реальності в межах культурної практики). З’ясовано, що сучасні імерсивні культурні практики можна типологізувати за форматами занурення; технологіями, що використовуються для створення ефекту занурення; місцем проведення; формою запропонованого культурного досвіду.
Electrophysiological assessment of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Peripheral Polyradiculoneuropathy(CIDP) in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Suhail Marwa S. , Mohammed Najeeb H. , Ali Safaa H.
Published: April 2023

Back ground:  Peripheral   neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus. However, patients with diabetes are more vulnerable to develop chronic inflammatory demyelinating  peripheral  polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) which is an  acquired immune mediated disorder.
Subjects and methods: Three groups of subjects of either sex involved in this study; fourty one (41) patients with diabetic CIDP, fourty six (46)patients  with diabetic peripheral  polyneuropathy and fourty one (41) control subjects. Sensory and motor nerve conduction study (NCS) and electromyography (EMG) of both upper and lower limbs were performed for each subjects. This study was conducted at the unit of neurophysiology in Neuroscience Hospital and Al- yarmouk Teaching  Hospital, in a period from November /2012 to May /2013.
Objectives: : Assess the role of electrophysiological study (NCS and EMG) in the diagnosis of CIDP in diabetic patients and Differentiate between diabetic CIDP and diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy(PNP).
Results: Prolonged distal sensory latency distal (DSL), decreased sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude and slowing of sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV). Sensory NCS was significantly changed in both patients groups. While the presence of abnormal median-normal sural (AMNS) and abnormal radial – normal sural (ARNS) pattern of sensory involvement were detected only in diabetic CIDP patients. Concerning motor nerve conduction study, prolonged distal motor latency (DML), slowing of conduction velocity and prolonged mean F-wave latency were detected in both patients group, but these abnormalities were more in diabetic CIDP patients. Conduction block CB% and abnormal temporal dispersion TD% were observed only in diabetic patients with CIDP. Whereas needle EMG of diabetic CIDP revealed that there are mixed axonal and demyelinating neuropathy.
Conclusion: This study conclude that the abnormal sensory and motor NCS in the lower limbs were higher when compare with that of upper limbs. However, the changes  in motor parameters are more in diabetic patients with CIDP than that of diabetic PNP. In addition, the proximal nerve segments are more vulnerable to be affected by demyelinating process rather than the other segments. Moreover, most of diabetic patients with CIDP have mixed axonal and demyelinating changes in respect to those who had only demyelinating  neuropathy.
Prevalence of Latent TB Infection among Health Care Workers in Three Main TB Health Facilities, Baghdad, Iraq, 2013
Authors: Al-Ameri Alaa H. , Armean Petru , Al-Lami Faris
Published: April 2023

Background: Tuberculosis infection represents a global health problem and a great risk to Health Care Workers. Identifying individuals, particularly Health Care Workers with latent tuberculosis infection will support tuberculosis control through chemoprophylaxis and prevent cross-infection. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and some risk factors for latent tuberculosis infection among Health Care Workers in three tuberculosis health institutions in Baghdad. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013 in Baghdad- Iraq on Health Care Workers working in the Specialized Respiratory & Chest Diseases Center (Tuberculosis institute), Ibn Zuhur Hospital for Chest Diseases and Al-Resafa Health District TB Clinic in Al-Sadr City. Information about age, gender and occupation was obtained. All subjects received a Mantoux tuberculin skin test. Induration of ≥10 mm was considered a positive test. Results: A total of 212 Health Care Workers were enrolled, 71.7% of them were males; none had recently received BCG vaccine. Fifty nine (27.8%) had a positive tuberculin skin test.  Physicians (38.2%) and nurses & paramedicals (31%) have the highest rates of positive result than other occupations. The highest rate of positive results was seen among Health Care Workers in Specialized Respiratory & Chest Diseases Center (55.1%). There was a significant association between positive TST response with the occupation (job title) and the working site. No significant association was seen with age or gender (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Around one third of Health Care Workers in these tuberculosis facilities had latent tuberculosis infection. Job and work place were significant determinants.
Development of farms in wartime conditions
Authors: Malik Mykola , Shpykuliak Oleksandr , Kravchenko Svitlana , Malik Larysa , Yuzhykova Valentyna
Published: April 2023

Farms form an integral element of territorial entities and local culture: they use a variety of agricultural systems, promoting a balanced diet and preserving the environment. In wartime conditions, farms have a unique potential for creating productive and sustainable food systems. All these features indicate that the study of the system of farm development is relevant and has both theoretical and practical significance. The purpose of this study was to substantiate the theoretical and methodological principles, socio-economic and legal issues of the activities of farms in the conditions of martial law. Research methodology. The methodological framework of the present study included the provisions of system analysis and economic theory. To generalize results, monographic, normative, graphic, abstractlogical methods and approaches were used. Study results. It was found that the conditions for staying on the single tax of group 4 are the most beneficial for farms, since the tax is fixed and depends solely on the volume of land plots. It was established that personal farms have the opportunity to implement their activities in the form of entrepreneurship for individuals-entrepreneurs who have organized a family farm. The study characterized individual family farms in Lviv, Zakarpattia, and Chernihiv regions. It was established that during martial law, the state allocates funds under special grants and subsidies to support the development of farms. It was found that the most adapted to the crisis conditions associated with military actions are farms and household plots. Practical significance. The results of the study can be considered in the development of regional programs for the development of agricultural business entities; the development of regulations for the formation and development of cooperation and integration in the agricultural sector of the economy
Depression and Anxiety in Older Adults with Dementia During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Nakanishi Miharu , Ogawa Asao , Sakai Mai , Yoshii Hatsumi , Miyashita Mitsuhiro , Yamasaki Syudo , Nishida Atsushi
Published: April 2023

This study examined the longitudinal association between dementia, activity participation, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic period, and 1-year mental health changes. We obtained data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study in the United States. We included 4,548 older adult participants of two or more survey rounds between 2018 and 2021. We identified baseline dementia status, and assessed depressive symptoms and anxiety at baseline and follow-up. Dementia and poor activity participation were independently associated with an increased prevalence of depressive symptoms and anxiety. Dementia care and support should address emotional and social needs under continued public health restrictions.
Disaster tweet classification: A majority voting approach using machine learning algorithms
Authors: Krishna Dasari Siva , Srinivas Gorla , Prasad Reddy P.V.G.D.
Published: April 2023

Nowadays, people share their opinions through social media. This information may be informative or non-informative. Filtering informative information from social media plays a challenging issue. Nevertheless, people will interact more with that particular disaster event on social media, primarily when a disaster occurs. They share their opinion through some textual information such as tweets or posts. In this work, we propose a generalized approach for categorizing the informative and non-informative media on Twitter. We collected the seven natural disaster events from the crisisNLP. These datasets are different disaster events containing people’s opinions on that specific event. We pre-process the information, which converts the tweet information into machine-understandable vectors. Various machine learning algorithms have processed these vectors. We consider the individual performance of each ML algorithm on different disaster datasets upon choosing the best five algorithms for voting techniques. We tested the performance with matrices such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. We compared our results with existing models in which our proposed model performed better than other existing state of the art models.
Molecular Docking and Network Pharmacology Interaction Analysis of Gingko Biloba (EGB761) Extract with Dual Target Inhibitory Mechanism in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Singh Manisha , Jindal Divya , Kumar Rupesh , Pancham Pranav , Haider Shazia , Gupta Vivek , Mani Shalini , R Rachana , Tiwari Raj Kumar , Chanda Silpi
Published: April 2023

Background:

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of neurodegenerative dementia affecting people in their later years of life. The AD prevalence rate has significantly increased due to a lack of early detection technology and low therapeutic efficacy. Despite recent scientific advances, some aspects of AD pathological targets still require special attention. Certain traditionally consumed phytocompounds have been used for thousands of years to treat such pathologies. The standard extract of Gingko biloba (EGB761) is a combination of 13 macro phyto-compounds and various other micro phytocompounds that have shown greater therapeutic potential against the pathology of AD.

Objective:

Strong physiological evidence of cognitive health preservation has been observed in elderly people who keep an active lifestyle. According to some theories, consuming certain medicinal extracts helps build cognitive reserve. We outline the research employing EGB761 as a dual target for AD.

Methods:

This study investigates various inhibitory targets against AD using computational approaches such as molecular docking, network pharmacology, ADMET (full form), and bioactivity prediction of the selected compounds.

Results:

After interaction studies were done for all the phytoconstituents of EGB761, it was concluded that all four of the phytocompounds (kaempferol, isorhamnetin, quercetin, and ginkgotoxin) showed the maximum inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and GSK3β.

Conclusion:

The highly active phytocompounds of EGB761, especially quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin, have better activity against AChE and GSK3β than its reported synthetic drug, according to molecular docking and network pharmacology research. These compounds may act on multiple targets in the protein network of AD. The AChE theory was primarily responsible for EGB761’s therapeutic efficacy in treating AD.
A study on masking system using 1/f fluctuation to improve comfort in ultra-compact EVs
Authors: Kitamura Takuya , Maehara Fumiya , Kato Taro , Uchino Daigo , Ogawa Kazuki , Ikeda Keigo , Endo Ayato , Narita Takayoshi , Kato Hideaki
Published: April 2023

In recent years, ultra-compact electric vehicles have gained increasing interest. These vehicles can easily make turns owing to their compactness, and they have a low impact on the environment. However, exterior road and wind noises have a large impact on occupant comfort in the interior space because an electric motor is used instead of an internal combustion engine. Therefore, an active noise control system using control sound or masking for ultra-compact electric vehicles was studied. To select the sound used for masking, a sound containing 1/ f fluctuation, which has a relaxing effect on humans, was investigated. In the study of 1/ f fluctuations, various analysis methods for comfort evaluation are used. However, a method of detecting sounds including 1/ f fluctuations has not been established and clarified. Thus, a basic study of 1/ f fluctuations was performed to select the sound to be used for the masker. Furthermore, brain waves of participants were measured in cases in which participants heard sounds including or not 1/ f fluctuation. The results revealed that sounds including 1/ f fluctuation of amplitude and frequency helped participants to relax.
The design of the adaptive prosthetic socket
Authors: Huang YinHui , Wang MingHui , Yu HongLiu
Published: April 2023

The prosthetic socket is the key part connecting the prosthesis and the stump. It needs to be functional, safe, and comfortable at the same time. However, the volume fluctuation of the stump causes the incompatibility between the stump and the socket. This paper designs an adaptive prosthetic socket with rope-driven to fit stump volume fluctuation. The designed adaptive prosthetic socket with constant force characteristic using superelastic shape memory alloy may solve the problem of uneven pressure on the stump due to stump volume fluctuation and adapt stump volume. To obtain a good constant force range, the constant force characteristic of the socket is optimized and validated by finite element analysis. The experimental results show that the constant force mechanism using the C-shaped shape memory alloy sheets can obtain good constant force characteristics, and the socket can apply a constant force to the stump to solve the problem of uneven pressure distribution between the stump and the socket.
Transfer learning for semantic similarity measures based on symbolic regression
Authors: Martinez-Gil Jorge , Chaves-Gonzalez Jose Manuel
Published: April 2023

Recently, transfer learning strategies have become ideal for reusing acquired knowledge through a training phase. The key idea is that reusing such knowledge brings advantages such as increased accuracy and considerable resource savings. In this work, we design a novel strategy for effective and efficient transfer learning in semantic similarity. Our approach is based on generating and transferring optimal models obtained through a symbolic regression process being able to stack evaluation scores from several fundamental techniques. After an exhaustive empirical study, the results lead to high accuracy in addition to significant savings in terms of training time consumed in most of the scenarios considered.
Quality framework for combining survey, administrative and big data for official statistics
Authors: Gootzen Yvonne A.P.M. , Daas Piet J.H. , van Delden Arnout
Published: April 2023

Creating statistics by combining data sources allows for the production of new, more timely and/or more detailed statistics. With an intended statistical output in mind, and various potentially useful data sources, there is a need to assess the potential of each source to contribute to the intended statistic. Quality frameworks provide tools for such tasks. This paper proposes a quality framework that includes dimensions applicable to survey, administrative and big data to support the assessment of the potential of each source to contribute to the intended statistic. The framework is applied to a case study of mobility data and a case study of virus particle detection in sewage data.
Measuring governance, democracy and participation: Lessons from two decades of experience in Peru
Authors: Herrera Javier , Hidalgo Nancy , Razafindrakoto Mireille , Roubaud François
Published: April 2023

This paper presents Peru’s unique experience in measuring governance through household surveys. Launched at the initiative of the authors in the early 2000s, and coordinated since then by one of them, this survey module is, to the best of our knowledge, the most ambitious (in terms of the length of series, statistical properties, ownership) ever carried out on a global scale by a national institute of statistics (INEI). The Peruvian experience has contributed to both demonstrating the validity of the approach chosen to measure governance, prior to the adoption of SDG 16 in 2015, and supporting the regular production of indicators on governance, primarily those of SDG 16. The first part provides a brief overview of the Peruvian context and demonstrates the importance of monitoring governance issues in general, and in this country in particular. In the second part, we describe the main methodological options and innovations adopted by INEI since the launch of the module. The third part illustrates the analytical potential of the approach based on a few empirical examples, while the fourth part presents various ways through which the data has been used so far and some institutional challenges faced in promoting the use of governance statistics. Finally, we conclude by drawing key lessons from this initiative and outlining prospects for the future.
Now is the time to close gaps in governance statistics: And the Praia Group is ready for the challenge
Authors: de Pina Mendes Cardoso Joao , Roubaud François , Gadgil Arvinn , Laberge Marie
Published: April 2023

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Study on the detection of anthrax by ICP-MS based on gold nanoparticle labeling
Authors: Xu Zeyong , Ma Tengbo , Han Xiao , Liu Guohong , Luo Teng , Yu Mengbin , Han Lili , Chen Kaichuang , Chen Gaoyun
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: In recent years, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been widely used in the field of molecular biology because of its unique advantages. Anthrax is a widespread and long-standing infectious disease, which affects and restricts people’s work and life seriously. OBJECTIVE: The study goal is to develop a new method for the detection of anthrax. METHODS: A rapid, sensitive and accurate method for the detection of anthrax characteristic DNA was proposed by combing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The linear range of this method is 100–2500 pmol/L and the limit of detection of 16.61 pmol/L. CONCLUSION: The proposed method has numerous advantages, including simplicity of operation, high sensitivity, and specificity, which provides a new idea for the detection of anthrax. Importantly, this methodology has good potential for the detection of other biological substances such as bacteria and viruses by changing the modification sequence on the nanoparticle probe.
Evaluation of deep learning methods for early gastric cancer detection using gastroscopic images
Authors: Su Xiufeng , Liu Qingshan , Gao Xiaozhong , Ma Liyong
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: A timely diagnosis of early gastric cancer (EGC) can greatly reduce the death rate of patients. However, the manual detection of EGC is a costly and low-accuracy task. The artificial intelligence (AI) method based on deep learning is considered as a potential method to detect EGC. AI methods have outperformed endoscopists in EGC detection, especially with the use of the different region convolutional neural network (RCNN) models recently reported. However, no studies compared the performances of different RCNN series models. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the performances of different RCNN series models for EGC. METHODS: Three typical RCNN models were used to detect gastric cancer using 3659 gastroscopic images, including 1434 images of EGC: Faster RCNN, Cascade RCNN, and Mask RCNN. RESULTS: The models were evaluated in terms of specificity, accuracy, precision, recall, and AP. Fast RCNN, Cascade RCNN, and Mask RCNN had similar accuracy (0.935, 0.938, and 0.935). The specificity of Cascade RCNN was 0.946, which was slightly higher than 0.908 for Faster RCNN and 0.908 for Mask RCNN. CONCLUSION: Faster RCNN and Mask RCNN place more emphasis on positive detection, and Cascade RCNN places more emphasis on negative detection. These methods based on deep learning were conducive to helping in early cancer diagnosis using endoscopic images.
Effect of perioperative cognitive behavioral interventions on pain, anxiety, and sleep quality in elderly patients after sinus floor elevation and immediate implantation: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Wang Ning , Wang Zou , Hu Chen , Yang Yujun , He Guixin , Shao Longquan , You Jie
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: Sinus floor elevation and immediate dental implantation are commonly performed to treat dentition defects in elderly patients. Targeted cognitive behavioral interventions (CBI) during the perioperative period can reduce pain and anxiety as well as improve sleep quality. This can lead to improvements in patient cooperation during follow-up treatment and enhance the overall efficacy of the surgery. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the impact of a cognitive behavioral intervention method on perioperative pain, anxiety, and sleep quality in elderly patients undergoing sinus floor elevation and immediate dental implantation. METHODS: Forty patients who required the treatment at the Stomatology Clinic in our hospital between December 2018 and December 2022 were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: a control group (n= 20), which received conventional treatment and care during the perioperative period, and an intervention group (n= 20), which received comprehensive behavioral intervention in addition to the conventional treatment and care during the perioperative period. The perioperative anxiety, pain, and sleep quality of the patients in both groups were evaluated. Anxiety was assessed using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and pain was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: No statistically significant differences in SAS and PSQI were observed between the two groups at the initial visit; the values were significantly higher than those measured postoperatively. The SAS scores and PSQI of patients on days 0 and 7 post-surgery in the intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Perioperative cognitive behavioral intervention can effectively improve anxiety, postoperative pain and sleep quality in elderly patients who have undergone sinus floor elevation and immediate dental implantation, thereby reducing the incidence of complications.
Morphological ECG subtraction method for removing ECG artifacts from diaphragm EMG
Authors: Guo Liang , Li Zhi-Wei , Zhang Han , Li Shuang-Miao , Zhang Jian-Heng
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: Diaphragmatic electromyographic (EMGdi) is a helpful method to reflect the respiratory center’s activity visually. However, the electrocardiogram (ECG) severely affected its weakness, limiting its use. OBJECTIVE: To remove the ECG artifact from the EMGdi, we designed a Morphological ECG subtraction method (MES) based on three steps: 1) ECG localization, 2) morphological tracking, and 3) ECG subtractor. METHODS: We evaluated the MES method against the wavelet-based dual-threshold and stationary wavelet filters using visual and frequency-domain characteristics (median frequency and power ratio). RESULTS: The results show that the MES method can preserve the features of the original diaphragm signal for both surface diaphragm signal (SEMGdi) and clinical collection of diaphragm signal (EMGdi_clinic), and it is more effective than the wavelet-based dual-threshold and stationary wavelet filtering methods. CONCLUSION: The MES method is more effective than other methods. This technique may improve respiratory monitoring and assisted ventilation in patients with respiratory diseases.
Sk-Conv and SPP-based UNet for lesion segmentation of coronary optical coherence tomography
Authors: Wang Zhan , Zheng Jiawei , Jiang Peilin , Gao Dengfeng
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) manifests with a blockage the coronary arteries, usually due to plaque buildup, and has a serious impact on the human life. Atherosclerotic plaques, including fibrous plaques, lipid plaques, and calcified plaques can lead to occurrence of CAD. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is employed in the clinical practice as it clearly provides a detailed display of the lesion plaques, thereby assessing the patient’s condition. Analyzing the OCT images manually is a very tedious and time-consuming task for the clinicians. Therefore, automatic segmentation of the coronary OCT images is necessary. OBJECTIVE: In view of the good utility of Unet network in the segmentation of medical images, the present study proposed the development of a Unet network based on Sk-Conv and spatial pyramid pooling modules to segment the coronary OCT images. METHODS: In order to extract multi-scale features, these two modules were added at the bottom of UNet. Meanwhile, ablation experiments are designed to verify each module is effective. RESULTS: After testing, our model achieves 0.8935 on f1 score and 0.7497 on mIOU. Compared to the current advanced models, our model performs better. CONCLUSION: Our model achieves good results on OCT sequences.
Comparison of chronic gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicities between brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy for patients with prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Li Xuanzhe , Shan Ligang , Wang Qianqi , Zhai Huige , Xuan Yinghua , Yan Gen
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: 125I BT is an effective radiotherapy for prostate cancer. However, comparison data of GI and GU toxicities between BT, BT + EBRT, and EBRT-alone patient groups is limited. OBJECTIVE: To define the GI and GU toxicities in prostate cancer to prevent adverse events after treatment. METHODS: We searched published studies in PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases up to December 31, 2022. The endpoints were the RRs of GI and GU toxicities. Pooled data were assessed using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Fifteen eligible studies were included into this analysis. LDR-BT had significantly lower RRs than LDR-BT + EBRT for acute GI (2.13; 95% CI, 1.22–3.69; P= 0.007) and late GI toxicities (3.96; 95% CI, 1.23–12.70; P= 0.02). Moreover, EBRT had significantly higher RRs than LDR-BT for acute GU (2.32; 95% CI, 1.29–4.15; P= 0.005) and late GU toxicities (2.38; 95% CI, 1.27–4.44; P= 0.007). HDR-BT had significantly higher RRs for acute GU toxicities than LDR-BT alone (0.30; 95% CI, 0.23–0.40; P< 0.00001). CONCLUSION: The results implied that BT with and without EBRT can result in both GI and GU toxicities in patients with prostate cancer, with LDR-BT leading to a poorer urinary function than EBRT.
A structural analysis of the rail unit of an indoor assistive mobility system
Authors: Kim Je Nam , Shin Mi Yeon , Seo You Sung , Yu Chang Ho , Kim Kyong
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: Individuals with gait disturbances, such as that post-stroke, are discharged home to undergo outpatient rehabilitation. Rehabilitation in the community is not as effective as that in hospital, due to long travel times and short program duration. OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed rail unit structure, with the aim of assisting home indoor assistive mobility system (HIAMS) development, allowing patients to undergo gait-related rehabilitation training at home. METHODS: The HIAMS consists of a mobile rail running around the whole room, a turn-table for movement between rails, and a weight-supporting component. Structural analysis was performed using the Abaqus/CAE solution (Version 6.14, Dassault systems, Inc.) to verify device safety, according to the load applied to the rail and turn-table units. The load was applied vertically at 150 kg to reflect the weight of potential users. RESULTS: Structural analysis was performed on the weight-supporting components, which was consist of turn-table case, bearing components (center, left), connective bracket and rail rollers. The safety factors of each components were estimated as 1.31, 5.39 (bearing, center), 8.45 (bearing, left), 1.43 and 3.61 in sequence. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated a safety factor of ⩾ 1.3 for the key system units, suggesting this technology is safe for use in the home rehabilitation training of individuals with gait impairment post-ICU stay.
Altered brain functional networks after Quchi (LI 11) acupuncture: An EEG analysis
Authors: Zhang Ke , Yang Huayuan
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: As a unique traditional Chinese medicine therapy, the central effect of acupuncture has received increasing attention. Functional brain networks can provide connectivity information among brain regions. OBJECTIVE: The study goal is to explore the regulatory effect of acupuncture on the brain functional network. METHODS: This paper analyzes the electroencephalography (EEG)-based power spectrum and brain functional network elicited by acupuncture at Quchi (LI 11). RESULTS: The power spectrum results showed that acupuncture at LI 11 decreased the energy in the alpha frequency, mainly in the central region, left parietal lobe, left temporal lobe and left frontal lobe. Moreover, functional brain networks converted from the magnitude-squared coherence matrix in the alpha band are reconstructed. The results show that acupuncture did not alter the basic properties of the brain functional connection network. During acupuncture, the average node degree, average clustering coefficient, and small-world property of the brain functional connection network decreased after acupuncture compared with that before it. However, the average characteristic path length increased after acupuncture compared with before. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at LI 11 altered the brain’s electrical activity. In the meantime, this acupuncture reduced the network’s internal connectivity and information transfer efficiency.
Construction of U-Net++ pulmonary nodule intelligent analysis model based on feature weighted aggregation
Authors: Yang Dewu , Du Juan , Liu Kang , Sui Yan , Wang Junying , Gai Xinghui
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a malignant tumor originating from the bronchial mucosa or glands of the lung. Early lung cancer patients often have no obvious symptoms, but early detection and treatment have an important clinical significance for prognostic effect. Computed tomography (CT) is one of the important means in the diagnosis of lung cancer. In order to better solve the problem of diagnosis efficiency, and reduce the rate of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis, computer aided diagnosis are employed in the accurate localization and segmentation of pulmonary nodules through imaging diagnostics, image processing technology, and other clinical means. OBJECTIVE: This present study was envisaged to establish an intelligent segmentation model of pulmonary nodules to improve the accuracy of early screening for lung cancer patients. METHODS: Compared with the traditional segmentation model of fully convolutional neural network, the U-Net++ algorithm based on feature-weighted integration (WI-U-Net++) effectively utilized the feature weight information, adopted the adaptive weighted method for weighted integration, and performed an intelligent segmentation of the anatomical structure and image details, which was applied in the auxiliary diagnosis of pulmonary nodules in CT images. Standard chest X-ray phantom was selected as CT scanning objects, and 30 spherical and irregular simulated nodules were built into them, respectively. CT images were collected by setting different tube voltage and noise index, and randomly included into the training set, validation set and test set at a ratio of 8:1:1. RESULTS: The experimental results showed that the segmentation accuracy of WI-U-Net++ algorithm for spheroid nodules and irregular nodules was 98.75% and 83.47%, respectively, which was better than that of U-Net and U-Net++ algorithm. In the auxiliary diagnosis, the recall rate of the WI-U-Net++ algorithm for spheroid nodules and irregular nodules was 93.47% and 84.52%, respectively. The accuracy of the benign or malignant identification was 80.27%, and the AUC was 0.9342. CONCLUSION: U-Net++ algorithm based on feature-weighted integration could improve the segmentation effect of pulmonary nodules. Especially in the case of irregular nodules with malignant signs, the accuracy of clinical diagnosis was significantly improved, and the level of differential diagnosis between benign and malignant was improved.
Preliminary research of the classification of the brain acute stroke lesions by the Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI) and Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI) parameters
Authors: Liu Xin , Zhang Ying , Chen Fang , Wang Lei , Luo Wenbin , Zheng Ye , Yan Gen
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) is a mature scanning technique. With high sensitivity in detecting cerebral infractions, it has become an essential part of the clinical evaluation of acute stroke. However, with the update in medical ideals and treatment, clinicians are now focusing on distinguishing between reversible and irreversible brain tissue damage rather than detecting ischaemic lesions alone. OBJECTIVE: We supposed that Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI) could classify heterogeneous DWI lesions, deepening the understanding of tissue injury. We systematically studied the different parameters of DKI in acute stroke patients in the literature. METHODS: We collected 41 patients (26 male, 15 female), including different infarctions with acute cerebral infarction in different brain regions. Of all patients, 20 were single-infarction, while others were multi-infarctions. In this paper, we categorized acute cerebral infarction lesions into two types according to the parametric characteristics of both DKI and DWI. Type I means the DKI and DWI were matched, and Type II means the DKI and DWI were mismatched. Based on each parametric map, the region of interest (ROI) is outlined in each most severe lesion area (as large as possible in the center of the lesion). In the control group, ROIs of the same size are located in the corresponding regions of the contralateral hemisphere. RESULTS: In both Type I and Type II, all parameters conform to a normal distribution. An independent sample T-test was used to compare the differences between each group. In Type I, we found the FA, MD, Da, Dr, MK and Ka values were statistically different (P< 0.05), while in Type II, only the MK and Ka values were statistically different (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: DKI, compared to DWI, can provide more imaging information about intracranial ischemic infarction, which can deepen the understanding of the mechanism of ischemic tissue damage. Our classification of the brain acute stroke lesions by DKI parameters and DWI may help us rediscover the real core of infraction.
The effect of motivational interviewing based on the transtheoretical model on oral cleaning behavior of patients with periodontitis who have undergone implant restoration
Authors: He Guixin , Wang Zou , Hu Chen , Yang Yujun , Wang Ning , Shao Longquan , You Jie
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: Implant-restored patients with periodontitis have a higher risk of developing peri-implantitis, and helping them develop oral cleaning habits is significant. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of motivational interviewing based on the transtheoretical model on the modification of oral cleaning behaviors of implant-restored patients with periodontitis. METHODS: Patients with periodontitis (n= 70) who would receive dental implant treatment were included. And they were randomly divided into two groups: experimental (n= 35) and control (n= 35). Control patients received routine oral hygiene education, and those in the experimental group received motivational interviewing based on the transtheoretical model. Oral cleaning behavior was compared between the two groups before and after intervention. In addition, periodontal health status was compared on the day of implant restoration and three months later. RESULTS: Compared to the control, the experimental group demonstrated significantly better oral hygiene behavior after intervention (P< 0.05). Three months after implant restoration, significantly better results were obtained by the experimental group in terms of mPLI and mSBI (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Motivational interviewing based on the transtheoretical model can effectively improve the oral cleaning behavior and periodontal health of implant-restored patients with periodontitis.
Application of translation wavelet transform with new threshold function in pulse wave signal denoising
Authors: Zhang Jun , Geng Xingguang , Zhang Yitao , Yao Fei , Wang Yunfeng , Zhang Haiying
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND: The wrist pulse wave under the optimal pulse pressure plays an important role in detecting human body’s physiological and pathological information. Wavelet threshold filtering is a common method for pulse wave de-noising. However, traditional filtering methods cannot smoothen the whole pulse wave well and highlight the details. OBJECTIVE: In view of this, an attempt is made in this paper to propose the pulse wave denoising algorithm for pulse wave under optimal pulse pressure according to the translation invariant wavelet transform (TIWT) and the new threshold function. METHODS: Firstly, by using hyperbolic tangent curve and combining the advantages of soft threshold function and hard threshold function, the new threshold function is derived. Secondly, based on the TIWT, pseudo-Gibbs phenomenon gets suppressed. RESULTS: The experiments show that in comparison to the traditional wavelet filtering algorithm, the novel algorithm can better maintain the pulse wave geometric characteristics and has a higher signal to noise ratio (SNR). CONCLUSION: The TIWT with improved new threshold compensates the shortcomings of the traditional wavelet threshold denoising methods in a better way. It lays a foundation for extracting time-domain characteristics of pulse wave.