bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of extension area based methods for spectrophotometric determination of desmopressin acetate in the presence of its acid-induced degradation products
Authors: Kelani Khadiga M. , Nassar Ahmed M. Wafaa , Omran Gamal A. , Morshedy Samir , Talaat Wael
Published: December 2022

Desmopressin acetate (DPA) is a synthetic analogue of vasopressin used in the treatment of diabetes insipidus, bedwetting, hemophilia A, and elevated levels of urea in the blood. Sensitive and selective stability-indicating methods are needed to be developed and validated for its assay pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms in the presence of its degradation products as no method has been reported for its determination in the presence of its degradants. This work describes a comparative study of five simple stability-indicating spectrophotometric techniques for determination of DPA in presence of its acid-degradation products (acid-degradants) without prior separation. The proposed spectrophotometric techniques (First derivative, Derivative ratio, Ratio difference, Mean centering and Dual wavelength) were developed and validated according to ICH guidelines. Acid degradation was carried out with 0.1 N HCl; the acid-degradants were separated on TLC plates and the acidic degradation pathway was established by IR, H-NMR and MS techniques. The TLC method was based on the separation of DPA and its acid-induced degradation products on silica gel plates using methanol: water (80:20, v/v) as a developing system and UV detection at 254 nm. All assay suggested methods were successfully applied for quantitation of DPA in pure and tablet forms. They are specific, sensitive, precise and accurate. They showed good linearity in the concentration range of 1–14 µg/mL with good correlation coefficients, and limit of detection (LOD) of 0.304, 0.274, 0.167, 0.248 and 0.199 and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.920, 0.829, 0.506, 0.751 and 0.604) for each method, respectively. These methods were successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of DPA in its pure and tablet dosage form in the presence of its acid-degradants. The results obtained were statistically comparable with those of reported HPLC assay method; no significant differences were observed with relevance to accuracy and precision. All the methods are sensitive, selective and can be used for the routine analysis of DPA in its pure and dosage forms.
Breast neuroendocrine tumor arising in the axilla of a man: a case report
Authors: Kimura Kosei , Kawabata Shigeru , Oku Hiroyo , Ikari Ayana , Tominaga Tomo , Takai Saki , Sakane Junna , Tanaka Michiaki , Aoki Chinatsu , Ota Monika , Minami Erika , Hirose Yoshinobu , Lee Sang-Woong , Iwamoto Mitsuhiko
Published: December 2022

Background

Accessory breast carcinomas of the axilla of males are rare, and primary breast neuroendocrine tumors (BNETs) are rare as well. We present a case of a BNET arising in the axilla of a man.

Case presentation

A 64-year-old Japanese man presented with a hard 15-mm mass in the axilla and axillary lymph node swelling. Histopathological examination of the incisional biopsy specimen revealed a neuroendocrine carcinoma. Therefore, wide radical excision of the axillary tumor and axillary lymph node dissection were performed. Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that the solid tumor was mainly located in the subcutaneous adipose tissues and appeared to invade the skin. The tumor phenotypes were positive for CAM 5.2, synaptophysin, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and GATA-binding protein 3; they were negative for human epidermal growth receptor 2. The neuroendocrine component comprised more than 90% of the tumor, and the Ki-67 index was 21%. These results indicated that the tumor was a BNET. This patient underwent adjuvant chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and radiotherapy.

Conclusions

BNET cases in males are rare. The clinical and histological criteria as well as treatment for these rare cases are discussed.
Robust generation of human-chambered cardiac organoids from pluripotent stem cells for improved modelling of cardiovascular diseases
Authors: Ho Beatrice Xuan , Pang Jeremy Kah Sheng , Chen Ying , Loh Yuin-Han , An Omer , Yang Henry He , Seshachalam Veerabrahma Pratap , Koh Judice L. Y. , Chan Woon-Khiong , Ng Shi Yan , Soh Boon Seng
Published: December 2022

Background

Tissue organoids generated from human pluripotent stem cells are valuable tools for disease modelling and to understand developmental processes. While recent progress in human cardiac organoids revealed the ability of these stem cell-derived organoids to self-organize and intrinsically formed chamber-like structure containing a central cavity, it remained unclear the processes involved that enabled such chamber formation.

Methods

Chambered cardiac organoids (CCOs) differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (H7) were generated by modulation of Wnt/ß-catenin signalling under fully defined conditions, and several growth factors essential for cardiac progenitor expansion. Transcriptomic profiling of day 8, day 14 and day 21 CCOs was performed by quantitative PCR and single-cell RNA sequencing. Endothelin-1 (EDN1) known to induce oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes was used to induce cardiac hypertrophy in CCOs in vitro. Functional characterization of cardiomyocyte contractile machinery was performed by immunofluorescence staining and analysis of brightfield and fluorescent video recordings. Quantitative PCR values between groups were compared using two-tailed Student’s t tests. Cardiac organoid parameters comparison between groups was performed using two-tailed Mann–Whitney U test when sample size is small; otherwise, Welch’s t test was used. Comparison of calcium kinetics parameters derived from the fluorescent data was performed using two-tailed Student’s t tests.

Results

Importantly, we demonstrated that a threshold number of cardiac progenitor was essential to line the circumference of the inner cavity to ensure proper formation of a chamber within the organoid. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed improved maturation over a time course, as evidenced from increased mRNA expression of cardiomyocyte maturation genes, ion channel genes and a metabolic shift from glycolysis to fatty acid ß-oxidation. Functionally, CCOs recapitulated clinical cardiac hypertrophy by exhibiting thickened chamber walls, reduced fractional shortening, and increased myofibrillar disarray upon treatment with EDN1. Furthermore, electrophysiological assessment of calcium transients displayed tachyarrhythmic phenotype observed as a consequence of rapid depolarization occurring prior to a complete repolarization.

Conclusions

Our findings shed novel insights into the role of progenitors in CCO formation and pave the way for the robust generation of cardiac organoids, as a platform for future applications in disease modelling and drug screening in vitro.
Guidance of empirical antimicrobial therapy by surveillance cultures in high-risk neutropenic patients: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: de la Court Jara R. , Heijmans Jarom , Huynh Jennifer , Sieswerda Elske , de Jonge Nick A. , van Dijk Karin , Sigaloff Kim C. E. , Schade Rogier P.
Published: December 2022

Background

In neutropenic patients, bloodstream infections (BSI) significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality. Appropriate empirical antibiotic therapy (EAT) of BSI is essential, at the same time overconsumption of very broad-spectrum antibiotics should be avoided. We investigated: (1) whether surveillance cultures can predict BSI with third-generation cephalosporin –resistant Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3GC-R), (2) the effect of inappropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy (IEAT) on clinical outcome and (3) the potential reduction of carbapenem use when using surveillance cultures to guide therapy.

Methods

Retrospective study of adult patients with haematological malignancies with febrile episodes during chemotherapy-induced high-risk neutropenia in whom surveillance cultures were collected weekly. IEAT was defined as the absence of in vitro susceptibility of blood-isolates to the administered EAT. Clinical outcome (ICU admission and death) was evaluated within 30 days.

Results

A total of 673 febrile episodes occurred among 372 high-risk neutropenic patients. BSI was present in 20.1% (135/673), of which 25.9% (35/135) were due to Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa. Of these, 17/35 were 3GC-R and 70.6% (12/17) were preceded by 3GC-R colonization. Negative predictive value of surveillance cultures for 3GC-R BSI was 99.1%. IEAT due to (3GC-R) BSI was not significantly associated with clinical outcome. Using surveillance cultures to guide EAT could potentially reduce carbapenem use by 82.8%, when compared to standard EAT with carbapenem.

Conclusions

This retrospective analysis shows that in patients with high-risk neutropenia, surveillance cultures can potentially reduce the use of carbapenems with infrequent IEAT for 3GC-R BSI and no negative impact on clinical outcome.
Estimation of Failure Mode of Mortar-Filled Sleeve Rebar Splices
Authors: Kim Hyong-Kee , Lee Moon-Sung
Published: December 2022

In order to establish a more rational structural design method for mortar-filled sleeve rebar splices, it is necessary to analyze and evaluate structural factors affecting the structural performance of these rebar splices. It is very desirable to be able to quantitatively estimate the failure mode of the splices at the design stage. A method for estimating the failure mode of mortar-filled sleeve rebar splices presented from the existing research is not clear because the boundary of failure mode is not expressed in formulas. There are also limitations using the methods because the research is based on limited number of test variables, insufficient number of test specimens, and the fact that only steel pipe sleeves were used. Therefore, to establish a more general and comprehensive failure mode estimation method, it needs to be presented in a more quantitative and explicit fashion and evaluated using more diverse variables. In this study, as part of an effort to generate basic data for the establishment of a more rational and quantitative structural design method for mortar-filled sleeve rebar splices, the failure mode estimation method is presented based on the existing bond strength equations of sleeve rebar splices. In addition, to examine the suitability of this failure mode estimation method, the failure modes of 303 sleeve rebar splices were evaluated. The evaluation results indicated that the failure mode estimation method for mortar-filled sleeve rebar splices proposed by this study would yield a failure mode estimation with a sufficiently practical accuracy.
Psychotic features, particularly mood incongruence, as a hallmark of severity of bipolar I disorder
Authors: Elowe Julien , Vallat Julie , Castelao Enrique , Strippoli Marie-Pierre F. , Gholam Mehdi , Ranjbar Setareh , Glaus Jennifer , Merikangas Kathleen , Lavigne Benjamin , Marquet Pierre , Preisig Martin , Vandeleur Caroline L.
Published: December 2022

Background

The occurrence of psychotic features within mood episodes in patients with bipolar I disorder (BD I) has been associated in some studies with a more severe clinical and socio-professional profile. In contrast, other studies establishing the associations of psychotic features in BD I, and in particular of mood-congruent (MC) and mood-incongruent (MI) features, with clinical characteristics have yielded contradictory results. However, many pre-existing studies have been affected by serious methodological limitations. Using a sample of thoroughly assessed patients with BD I our aims were to: (1) establish the proportion of those with MI and MC features, and (2) compare BD I patients with and without psychotic features as well as those with MI to those with MC features on a wide array of socio-demographic and clinical characteristics including course, psychiatric comorbidity and treatment.

Methods

A sample of 162 treated patients with BD I (60.5% female, mean age = 41.4 (s.d: 10.2) years) was recruited within a large family study of mood disorders. Clinical, course and treatment characteristics relied on information elicited through direct diagnostic interviews, family history reports and medical records.

Results

(1) A total of 96 patients (59.3%) had experienced psychotic features over their lifetime. Among them, 44.8% revealed MI features at least once in their lives. (2) Patients with psychotic features were much less likely to be professionally active, revealed alcohol abuse more frequently and used health care, particularly inpatient treatment, more frequently than those without psychotic features. Within patients with psychotic symptoms, those with MI features showed more clinical severity in terms of a higher likelihood of reporting hallucinations, suicidal attempts and comorbid cannabis dependence.

Conclusion

Our data provide additional support for both the distinction between BD-I with and without psychotic features as well as the distinction between MI and MC psychotic features. The more severe course of patients with psychotic features, and particularly those with MI psychotic features, highlights the need for thorough psychopathological evaluations to assess the presence of these symptoms to install appropriate treatment.
Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale
Authors: Xie Yuntian , Arpaci Ibrahim , Xiao Yahui , Meng Fanfei , Xie Ruotong
Published: December 2022

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a source of fear worldwide and has negative mental health effects on the general population. In 2022, the epidemic continues to be characterized by many points, widespread and frequent in China, and the situation is serious and complex. To provide an effective and scientific tool, the study validated the Chinese version of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-SC).

Methods

This study selected 1138 Chinese individuals (age ranged 13 to 80).

Results

Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the C19P-SC was 0.93 (the coefficients of the four dimensions ranged from 0.75 to 0.85). The results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor structure of the C19P-SC. Meanwhile, there was a positive and significant correlation between coronaphobia and state anxiety (r = 0.48, p < 0.001). The metric invariance hypothesis and the scalar invariance hypothesis were valid in the different subgroups. Significant multivariate effects of gender, education level, and identity differences on coronaphobia were found.

Conclusions

The Chinese version of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale has good psychometric properties and is suitable for measuring COVID-19 phobia in Chinese individuals.
Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Early Development Instrument in a sample of Jordanian children
Authors: Ababneh Emad G. , Duku Eric K. , Reid-Westoby Caroline , Gaskin Ashley , Janus Magdalena
Published: December 2022

Background

Investing in children’s early years can have a lasting positive effect, such as better academic outcomes throughout their school careers. In Jordan, investments have been made in early childhood development and early childhood care and education to improve children’s school readiness. School readiness comprises a range of abilities needed to succeed in school, including physical, emotional, social, and cognitive skills. To measure the impact of these investments on children’s school readiness, Jordan has been implementing the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a population-level, teacher-completed checklist of children’s school readiness, assessing children’s development in five main areas, referred to as domains.

Methods

The goal of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the EDI, using data collected in 2018 on a sample of 5965 children in Jordan. The EDI was translated from the original English version to Arabic and adapted for use in Jordan. We conducted a categorical confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for each of the five domains of the EDI and examined the reliability of the domains and subdomains using Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient.

Results

With few exceptions, the study results are in line with those of the analysis of the psychometric properties found with the original, Canadian English version of the EDI in a population of Canadian children. Results of CFAs demonstrated, for the most part, good model fits. Internal consistency indices of the domains ranged from 0.74 for physical health and well-being to 0.96 for social competence. For the subdomains, they ranged from 0.42 to 0.94.

Conclusions

Our results provide empirical support for the adaptation of the EDI for population monitoring of school readiness in Jordan. Validation of the Arabic adaptation opens up the possibility of assessing school readiness of young children in Jordan in comparison to the many other countries that have successfully adapted and applied the EDI.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of molecular testing for cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules
Authors: Dharampal Navjit , Smith Kristine , Harvey Adrian , Paschke Ralf , Rudmik Luke , Chandarana Shamir
Published: December 2022

Background

Thyroid nodules affect up to 65% of the population. Although fine needle aspirate (FNA) cytology is the gold standard for diagnosis, 15–30% of results are indeterminate. Molecular testing may aid in the diagnosis of nodules and potentially reduce unnecessary surgery. However, these tests are associated with significant costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Afirma, a commercially available molecular test, in cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules.

Methods

The base case was a solitary thyroid nodule with no additional high-risk features and an indeterminate FNA. Decision tree analysis was performed from the single payer perspective with a 1-year time horizon. Costing data were collected through micro-costing methodology. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed. The primary outcome was the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of cost per thyroid surgery avoided.

Results

Over 1 year, mean cost estimates were $8176.28 with 0.58 effectiveness for the molecular testing strategy and $6016.83 with 0.07 effectiveness for current standard management. The ICER was $4234.22 per surgery avoided. At a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $5000 per surgery avoided, molecular testing is cost-effective with 63% certainty.

Conclusion

This cost-effectiveness analysis suggests utilizing Afirma for indeterminate solitary thyroid nodules is a cost-effective strategy for avoiding unnecessary thyroid surgery. With a $5000 WTP threshold, molecular testing has a 63% chance of being the more cost-effective strategy. The cost effectiveness varies based on the cost of the molecular test and the value of Afirma for patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules depends on the WTP threshold to avoid unnecessary thyroid surgery.

Graphical Abstract
Stay-at-home, Safe at Home? A survey of parental home safety practices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Roberts Kristin J. , McAdams Rebecca J. , McKenzie Lara B.
Published: December 2022

Background

To slow the spread of COVID-19, many nonessential businesses, daycares, and schools closed, and areas imposed “stay-at-home” orders. Closures led to young children spending more time at home, traditionally, the place where more than one-half of unintentional pediatric injuries occur. The objective of the current study was to describe parental safety perceptions and confidence, safety device purchase and installation, and injury prevention practices and behaviors, in homes with children 6 years of age and younger, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey with a convenience sample of US participants, 18 years or older, was conducted from November 2020 to February 2021. Parents of children (≤ 6 years) were recruited via social media ads and posts on Facebook and Twitter and invited to complete an anonymous, online survey about their home safety practices before and during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. Upon completion, parents could participate in a prize drawing to receive one of five $100 gift cards.

Results

A total of 499 participants completed the survey. Most (47.9%) were 45–54 years of age and reported the amount of time at home increased for them (93.9%) and their children (90.6%) during the stay-at-home period. Thirty-seven percent (36.9%) of parents considered their homes safe but recognized room for improvement and felt confident in their ability to make their homes safe for their children (72.8%). From the time before until the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders were in place, parents increased their home injury prevention practices (42.3%). Parents that had identified unsafe areas in the home before the stay-at-home order were significantly more likely to increase their safety behaviors, take childproofing actions, and purchase or install safety devices during the stay-at-home order (p < 0.0001). Parents with younger children (5 years) were significantly more likely than parents with older children to take childproofing actions (p < .0001) including purchasing and installing safety devices (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Spending more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic may have helped the sampled parents, especially those with younger children, identify unsafe areas in their homes and encourage them to modify their behaviors, and purchase and install safety devices to help make their homes safer for their children.
Incidence rate and clinical characteristics of acute endophthalmitis following 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy
Authors: Hosseini SeyedehMaryam , Daraee Ghazale , Shoeibi Nasser , Bakhtiari Elham , Ansari-astaneh Mohammad-reza , Abrishami Mojtaba , Motamed Shariati Mehrdad
Published: December 2022

Purpose

In this study, we evaluated the incidence and clinical characteristics of post-vitrectomy acute endophthalmitis in a tertiary eye center.

Methods

Data were obtained by reviewing the patients’ medical records who underwent primary pars plana vitrectomy (PPvitx) from September 2011 to March 2017. We excluded patients who had any ocular surgery in the past 6 months, immunocompromised patients, and patients with a pre-operative diagnosis of endophthalmitis. The primary outcome was the incidence of acute post-pars plana vitrectomy endophthalmitis.

Results

Out of 6474 cases who underwent PPvitx, 12 cases of endophthalmitis (incidence rate of 0.18%) were identified. We found two positive cultures for staphylococcus epidermidis and one positive culture for staphylococcus aureus. Underlying causes of primary vitrectomy in patients who got endophthalmitis were diabetic retinopathy (8 cases), rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (2 cases), and the epiretinal membrane (1 case), and non-clearing vitreous hemorrhage secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (1 case).

Conclusion

In the present study, the rate of post-vitrectomy acute endophthalmitis was higher than in other reported studies.
Empathy in frontline humanitarian negotiations: a relational approach to engagement
Authors: Sutton Rebecca , Paddon Rhoads Emily
Published: December 2022

Humanitarian access—people’s ability to reach aid and aid's ability to reach people—is widely understood to be a central challenge in humanitarian action. One of the most important ways in which humanitarian access is practically secured in conflict settings is through frontline humanitarian negotiations. In this type of negotiation, humanitarians engage in face-to-face interactions with conflict parties to secure safe access to, and protection of, civilian populations in situations of armed conflict. An underdeveloped aspect of such negotiations that is ripe for further exploration is the role of empathy. The purpose of this article is thus to draw on the insights of the empathy literature to explore how empathy shapes humanitarian protection work in the specific domain of frontline humanitarian negotiations. Part one conceptualizes empathy, drawing on the interdisciplinary field of scientific research. Part two introduces the practice of frontline humanitarian negotiation and explains why empathy is critical, particularly in the increasingly fragmented environments that negotiators must operate. Adopting a relational approach, Part three advances a framework for analyzing empathy in frontline humanitarian negotiations. We theorize empathy's salience across four different axes of negotiation, drawing insights gleaned from scholarship and a systematic review of the grey literature on humanitarian negotiation, including field manuals, training materials, and operational guidance. We do not ultimately argue for ‘more empathy’ in this type of work, but rather a more thoughtful approach to empathy—one that entails the cultivation of core empathy-related skill areas, including: emotion regulation, perspective-taking, social awareness, and strategic conveyance of empathy. We contend that this approach could help to alleviate numerous problems in the humanitarian sector, including aid worker burnout.
Effect of the entomopathogenic fungus, Lecanicillium lecanii, on the biology and predation rate of the anthocorid predatory bug, Blaptostethus pallescens, feeding on the flower thrips, Frankliniella schultzei Trybom (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)
Authors: Sundaravalli K. , Varshney Richa , Kandan A. , Revathi K.
Published: December 2022

Background

The flower thrips, Frankliniella schultzei Trybom (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a notorious pest that attacks the plants of economic importance. The anthocorid bug Blaptostethus pallescens Poppius (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) is a predator of thrips in field crops and greenhouses. Another biocontrol agent, the entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) Lecanicillium lecanii (Zimm.) (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae), has been effectively used in management of various insect pests. With the aim to develop an effective combination of biocontrol agents like microbial and insect predator for the management of the serious pest F. schultzei, the present studies were carried out on development, predation rate and prey preferences of the predator B. pallescens provided with the EPF (ICAR-NBAIR Vl-8)-treated thrips under laboratory conditions.

Results

The predator, B. pallescens, could complete its life cycle on treated thrips. The nymphal duration of bugs fed on treated thrips was higher (25.25 ± 0.13 days). The Vl-8 strain did not show any negative effect on hatchability of eggs (83% hatchability in treatment; 86% in control). However, the longevity was comparatively less in bugs fed on treated thrips than that of control group The fecundity of the treated group was found to be reduced to one half of the control group. The rate of daily feeding potential of bugs on treated thrips was less (7.29 ± 0.15) than the untreated thrips (12.54 ± 0.1) throughout their lifetime. Moreover, when the F1 generation from both parents line fed on treated and untreated thrips allowed to feed on Corcyra cephalonica eggs, it did not show any difference in terms of nymphal duration which revealed that the fungi did not affect the F1 generation. When choice was given between treated and untreated thrips to different instars of this predatory bug, all the instars including adult significantly preferred the untreated thrips. However, nymphs and adult bugs were found to encounter both the treated and untreated thrips. No mortality was observed in any stage of the predator.

Conclusion

This study shows that the effect of L. lecanii (ICAR-NBAIR Vl-8) on B. pallescens is not harmful. However, further field studies are required to evaluate their combined effect against this pest.
Evaluation of neural networks for residential load forecasting and the impact of systematic feature identification
Authors: Vanting Nicolai Bo , Ma Zheng , Jørgensen Bo Nørregaard
Published: December 2022

Energy systems face challenges due to climate change, distributed energy resources, and political agenda, especially distribution system operators (DSOs) responsible for ensuring grid stability. Accurate predictions of the electricity load can help DSOs better plan and maintain their grids. The study aims to test a systematic data identification and selection process to forecast the electricity load of Danish residential areas. The five-ecosystem CSTEP framework maps relevant independent variables on the cultural, societal, technological, economic, and political dimensions. Based on the literature, a recurrent neural network (RNN), long-short-term memory network (LSTM), gated recurrent unit (GRU), and feed-forward network (FFN) are evaluated and compared. The models are trained and tested using different data inputs and forecasting horizons to assess the impact of the systematic approach and the practical flexibility of the models. The findings show that the models achieve equal performances of around 0.96 adjusted R2 score and 4–5% absolute percentage error for the 1-h predictions. Forecasting 24 h gave an adjusted R2 of around 0.91 and increased the error slightly to 6–7% absolute percentage error. The impact of the systematic identification approach depended on the type of neural network, with the FFN showing the highest increase in error when removing the supporting variables. The GRU and LSTM did not rely on the identified variables, showing minimal changes in performance with or without them. The systematic approach to data identification can help researchers better understand the data inputs and their impact on the target variable. The results indicate that a focus on curating data inputs affects the performance more than choosing a specific type of neural network architecture.
Ecosystem-driven business opportunity identification method and web-based tool with a case study of the electric vehicle home charging energy ecosystem in Denmark
Authors: Ma Zheng , Christensen Kristoffer , Rasmussen Thomas Finch , Jørgensen Bo Nørregaard
Published: December 2022

Understanding the local needs and challenges is critical for technology adoption in the energy sector. However, it is still a big challenge for most ecosystem stakeholders. Furthermore, technology adoption theories have mainly focused on the technology itself, and the business ecosystem perspective has been neglected. Therefore, this paper proposes an ecosystem-driven business opportunity identification method, a systematic approach for ecosystem stakeholders to conduct business opportunity analysis and evaluation based on the CSTEP ecosystem analysis and evaluation method. This method includes four correlated steps: Step 1: Identify the five CSTEP dimensions of the business ecosystem; Step 2: Identify potential changes in the business ecosystem; Step 3: Identify future ecosystem trends and timeline; Step 4: Select business opportunities; and Step 5: Potential solution identification. A web-based tool called opportunity identifier is developed for implementing the proposed method. A case study of the electric vehicle (EV) home charging energy ecosystem in Denmark is applied and demonstrates the application of the proposed method and the implementation of the developed web-based tool. Three value propositions are identified in the case study: (1) EV users can have optimal EV charging cost and optimal CO2 emission consumption with the intelligent EV charging algorithms that consider electricity prices, tariffs, and CO2 emission; (2) DSOs can avoid grid overloads and postpone the grid upgrade by applying intelligent EV charging algorithms; (3) Independent aggregators can aggregate EVs and participate in the ancillary service market or provide Vehicle-to-Grid services by using intelligent EV charging algorithms. Moreover, three feasible decentralized EV charging strategies (Real Time Pricing, Time-of-Use Pricing, and Timed charging) are identified as the potential solutions targeting the first value proposition.
The HLA profile and genetic affinities of three primitive Tamil-speaking endogamous groups: Kallars of Thanjavur, Piramalai Kallar and Vanniyar
Authors: Raju Kamaraj , Karuppiah Balakrishnan , Chinniah Rathika
Published: December 2022

Background

The present study was aimed to study the frequencies of HLA-DRB1/-DQB1 alleles and haplotypes of three endogamous groups of Tamil Nadu state, South India. PCR-SSP typing of HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 alleles were performed on 111 Kallars of Thanjavur, 80 Piramalai Kallar of Madurai and 119 Vanniyar. Genetic distances, neighbor-joining phylogenetic dendrograms and correspondence analysis have been performed.

Results

The HLA class II alleles, DRB1*07 (25.2%), DRB1*15 (15.7%), DRB1*14 (11.7%) and DRB1*12 (9.90%) among Kallars of Thanjavur; DRB1*15 (28.7%), DRB1*04 (15.6%), DRB1*10 (14.3%), DRB1*13 (11.2%) and DRB1*03 (9.37%) among Piamalai Kallar and DRB1*15 (24.7%), DRB1*04 (15.9%), DRB1*07 (11.7%), DRB1*12 (11.3%) and DRB1*10 (10.0%) among Vanniyar were more frequent. Similarly, alleles DQB1*06 (31.0%), DQB1*02 (26.5%) and DQB1*05 (24.7%) among Kallars of Thanjavur; DQB1*05 (32.5%), DQB1*06 (31.8%), DQB1*02 (16.2%) and DQB1*03:02 (12.5%) among Piramalai Kallar and DQB1*05 (52.9%), DQB1*06 (22.6%) and DQB1*02 (11.3%) among Vanniyar were more frequent. We genotyped the two most frequent two-locus haplotypes, such as DRB1*15-DQB1*06 and DRB1*07-DQB1*02 for HLA-A/-B/–C alleles to identify the 5-locus extended haplotypes to extrapolate global affinities. We identified a number of five locus extended haplotypes among south Indian population with stronger global affinities. Further, we identified the presence of a highly unique extended haplotypes such as A*11-B*35-C*12-DRB1*07-DQB1*02 (HF:0.1458) in Kallars of Thanjavur, A*03-B*35-C*04-DRB1*15-DQB1*06 (HF:0.1833) in Piramalai Kallar and A*03-B*07-C*07-DRB1*15-DQB1*06 (HF: 0.1800) in Kallars of Thanjavur and (HF: 0.1081) in Vanniyar population.

Conclusions

Allele distribution and haplotype analysis have demonstrated that the Kallars of Thanjavur, Piramalai Kallar and Vanniyar populations shared HLA alleles with other ethnic and other Indian populations, while showing population specific haplotypes. Analysis of population-specific distribution of HLA alleles is proved to be important in finding out the relatedness of the ethnic groups across continents. The extensive polymorphism of the HLA system also has useful application in the study of the origin, evolution and migration patterns of human populations.
Targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAF/MEK/ERK pathways for cancer therapy
Authors: Li Qingfang , Li Zhihui , Luo Ting , Shi Huashan
Published: December 2022

The PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAF/MEK/ERK pathways are commonly activated by mutations and chromosomal translocation in vital targets. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway is dysregulated in nearly all kinds of neoplasms, with the component in this pathway alternations. RAF/MEK/ERK signaling cascades are used to conduct signaling from the cell surface to the nucleus to mediate gene expression, cell cycle processes and apoptosis. RAS, B-Raf, PI3K, and PTEN are frequent upstream alternative sites. These mutations resulted in activated cell growth and downregulated cell apoptosis. The two pathways interact with each other to participate in tumorigenesis. PTEN alterations suppress RAF/MEK/ERK pathway activity via AKT phosphorylation and RAS inhibition. Several inhibitors targeting major components of these two pathways have been supported by the FDA. Dozens of agents in these two pathways have attracted great attention and have been assessed in clinical trials. The combination of small molecular inhibitors with traditional regimens has also been explored. Furthermore, dual inhibitors provide new insight into antitumor activity. This review will further comprehensively describe the genetic alterations in normal patients and tumor patients and discuss the role of targeted inhibitors in malignant neoplasm therapy. We hope this review will promote a comprehensive understanding of the role of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathways in facilitating tumors and will help direct drug selection for tumor therapy.
Power control strategy of a photovoltaic system with battery storage system
Authors: Bedoud Khouloud , Merabet Hichem , Bahi Tahar
Published: December 2022

In this paper, an intelligent approach based on fuzzy logic has been developed to ensure operation at the maximum power point of a PV system under dynamic climatic conditions. The current distortion due to the use of static converters in photovoltaic production systems involves the consumption of reactive energy. For this, separate control of active and reactive powers using a proportional-integral controller is applied. Using batteries for energy storage in the photovoltaic system has become an increasingly promising solution to improve energy quality: current and voltage. For this purpose, the energy management of batteries for regulating the charge level under dynamic climatic conditions has been studied. The research presented in this paper provides an important contribution to the application of fuzzy theory to improve the power and performance of a hybrid system comprising a grid-connected PV, battery, and energy management strategy. Therefore, to highlight the advantage of the FL-MPPT studied in this paper, its performance has been compared and analyzed with conventional P&O and NNT algorithms. Simulation results are carried out in MatLab/Simulink tools. According to the analysis of the results, a better energy quality has been proven.
Warped P-SV wavelet distortion correction using a time-frequency adaptive shaping filter
Authors: Geng Weiheng , Chen Xiaohong , Li Jingye , Wang Jianhua , Wu Fan , Tang Wei , Zhang Junjie
Published: December 2022

To perform joint PP/PS amplitude-variation-with-angle inversion or attribute analysis, we usually map converted-wave (PS) data to the compressional wave (PP) time domain to guarantee that the reflection events from similar reflectors have the same two-way traveltimes. Mapping PS data to the PP time domain leads to a nonstationary characteristic of the PS data. Nonstationary here means varying spectral content of the wavelet in PS data, which will degrade inversion results. We develop a zero-phase time-frequency adaptive shaping filter to filter the nonstationary PS data to be stationary. This adaptive filter can correct the distorted wavelets in the PS data without introducing numerical noise and artifacts. In addition, we use the dynamic time warping algorithm to estimate the time shifts between the PP and PS data and the local seismic attribute estimation method to estimate the subsurface [Formula: see text] ratios from the time shifts. The estimated [Formula: see text] ratios will be used to calculate the time- and location-varying wavelets by the Fourier scaling theorem, and then the adaptive shaping filter is constructed. Based on the synthetic and field data examples, we determine the better performance of the adaptive shaping filter over the conventional shaping filter in attenuating numerical noise and artifacts.
Predicting In-Hospital Mortality After Acute Myeloid Leukemia Therapy: Through Supervised Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Siddiqui Nauman S. , Klein Andreas , Godara Amandeep , Buchsbaum Rachel J. , Hughes Michael C.
Published: December 2022

PURPOSE

Despite careful patient selection, induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is associated with a considerable risk for treatment-related mortality (5%-20%). We evaluated machine learning (ML) algorithms trained using factors available at the time of admission for AML therapy to predict death during the hospitalization.

METHODS

We included AML discharges with age > 17 years who received inpatient chemotherapy from State Inpatient Database from Arizona, Florida, New York, Maryland, Washington, and New Jersey for years 2008-2014. The primary objective was to predict inpatient mortality in patients undergoing chemotherapy using covariates present before initiation of chemotherapy. ML algorithms logistic regression (LR), decision tree, and random forest were compared.

RESULTS

29,613 hospitalizations for patients with AML were included in the analysis each with 4,177 features. The median age was 58.9 (18-101) years, 13,689 (53.7%) were male, and 20,203 (69%) were White. The mean time from admission to chemotherapy was 3 days (95% CI, 2.9 to 3.1), and 2,682 (9.1%) died during the hospitalization. Both LR and random forest models achieved an area under the curve (AUC) score of 0.78, whereas decision tree achieved an AUC of 0.70. The baseline LR model with age yielded an AUC of 0.62. To clinically balance and minimize false positives, we selected a decision threshold of 0.7 and at this threshold, 51 of our test set of 5,923 could have potentially averted treatment-related mortality.

CONCLUSION

Using readily accessible variables, inpatient mortality of patients on track for chemotherapy to treat AML can be predicted through ML algorithms. The model also predicted inpatient mortality when tested on different data representations and paves the way for future research.
Nancy Cunard and the 1930s Coalitional Anthology
Authors: Beeber Matthew
Published: December 2022

This essay addresses Pablo Neruda and Nancy Cunard’s Spanish Civil War poetry anthology Los poetas del mundo defienden al pueblo espanol alongside Cunard’s earlier anthology, her massive and eclectic Negro: Anthology (1934). I argue that when read alongside Cunard’s later, lesser-known collaboration with Neruda, Negro can be seen as one part of Cunard’s larger trajectory as an editor of coalitional anthologies. Los poetas, an understudied collection of modernist poetry deserving of recovery in its own right, also allows greater perspective of Cunard’s earlier anthology. Reading Negro alongside Los poetas makes clear that the stakes of the project, along with the current academic discourse surrounding Cunard, are rooted in questions of the possibility of coalition. Ultimately, I argue that these anthologies uniquely model within their aesthetic form the organization of the political coalitions they seek to produce. They are coalitional, with the goal of bringing disparate elements into productive harmony, in both aesthetics and praxis. I locate what I call coalitional aesthetics within each volume, simultaneously attesting to the disparity of its constituent parts and to their unity. Coalitional aesthetics do not smooth over incongruities between individual parts but rather emphasize them, insisting on their singularity even within the whole they comprise.
Effect of home non-invasive ventilation on left ventricular function and quality of life in patients with heart failure and central sleep apnea syndrome
Authors: Beres Eniko , Babes Katalin , Beres Zsolt Levente , Botea Mihai , Davidescu Lavinia
Published: December 2022

Central Sleep Apnea Syndrome (CSAS) and Cheyne-Stokes breathing are prevalent in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Positive respiratory pressure therapy (PAP) associated with drug therapy for heart failure can improve quality of life, although tolerance to PAP therapy can be difficult to achieve.
Materials and method: Patients for this prospective, mono-center, cohort study were selected from patients with chronic heart failure who present at the Sleep Laboratory of the Medical Clinic of Pneumology, Oradea who underwent polysomnography. 38 HFrEF and CSAS patients were included between January 2019 to December 2021 in the study, with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) >=15/hour of sleep. Echocardiographic hemodynamic parameters (left ventricular ejection fraction-LVEF, mitral regurgitation score), PAP compliance, and quality of life using the severe respiratory failure questionnaire (SRI) at the initiation of PAP and after 3 months were included.
Results: After 3 months of PAP therapy LVEF increased significantly (from 31.4% ±12.2to 38.0%±10.9, p=0.0181), AHI decreased (from 40.1±18.7 to 6.8±6.1 events/h, p<0.0001) and all the categories of SRI showed improvement with significant general score increase (from 57.0±15.1 to 66.6±16.9, p<0.0001).
Conclusion: The association of PAP therapy with drug therapy in patients with HFrEF and CSAS improves hemodynamic parameters and quality of life.
Keywords: Chronic heart failure, positive airway pressure therapy, central sleep apnea syndrome
Relationship between Fitness and Healthy Lifestyle
Authors: Liușnea Cristian Ștefan
Published: December 2022

Background: In our study we will refer to the benefits of practicing appropriate fitness exercises that can contribute to maintaining or returning to a closer weight, to achieving an ade-quate physical condition reflected in self-confidence and to adopting a healthy lifestyle.; (2) Methods:.Our theoretical study is based on the analysis of perspectives offered by specialists in fields complementary to physical education, in order to understand not only from a medical but also a social perspective, the importance of fitness in the lives of young people. (3) Results: We believe that the physical exercises that make up the fitness set have beneficial effects on the hu-man body, from the point of view: morphogenetic, physiological, educational, prophylactic and curative. (4) Conclusions: In this context, we believe that it is necessary to reconsider the benefits of fitness - a good remedy against sedentarism and aging, being able to delay, diminish or com-pletely prevent the mechanisms associated with these processes (arterial diseases, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.). Fitness is part of a healthy lifestyle
Keywords: Fitness, Health Lifestyle, Physical exercises
Tibial Stems in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: A literature Review
Authors: Cuculici Ștefan Alexandru , Groșeanu Florin , Cristea Ștefan
Published: December 2022

Abstract: This article displays a review of the specialty literature regarding the surgery of primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and more specifically refers to the complicated cases of primary total knee replacement where due to some preexisting pathologic circumstances, the orthopaedic surgeon must anticipate the risks and enhance the stability of the implant to obtain a long lifespan without revision surgeries. We collected the findings throught literature and compared them to our own surgical experience to create a rationale for the selection of the best knee prosthesis in surgical practice.
Keywords: total knee arthroplasty; primary total knee arthroplasty; implant; prosthesis; tibial stem extension;
Comparative study on the efficiency of motor rehabilitation of the lower limbs using a stationary horizontal bicycle versus a standard therapeutic program
Authors: Murgoci Nicolae
Published: December 2022

Abstract: The purpose of the present study is to compare the efficiency of two physiother-apeutic programs for rehabilitation of the lower limbs, one using a stationary bicycle and the other one being a standard program, targeting muscle imbalance deficit. Subjects are outpatients - the control group (C n=5), 58.67 ± 11.67 years, received a standard rehabilita-tion program, and the experimental group (E n=5), 56.67 ± 12.14 years, received a pro-posed rehabilitation program implying a stationary bicycle. Equipment used is for muscle imbalances – sensor attached to bicycle pedals, for joint testing – goniometer, for heart rate smart watch, pain assessment – VAS numeric scale, and for perceived effort Borg scale. The rehabilitation program including the stationary horizontal bicycle obtained better re-sults in terms of pain control (T-Test p C/E=.004/.001 and Wilcoxon p C/E=.039/.041) and the correction of muscular imbalances (T-Test p C/E=.003/.000, r= .990/.997) related to the lower limbs, with the mention that both programs recorded statistically significant results regarding functionality. HR values for the control group and experimental group < THR values, aerobic conditioning with the submaximal effort being essential for rehabilitation. Both programs maintained the same perceived level of effort with an average of 3.6 Borg- moderate effort, respectively mild-moderate dyspnea.
Keywords: rehabilitation; lower limbs; stationary bicycle; muscle imbalance; pedal sensor; ana-log value; heart rate (HR); target heart rate (THR).