bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ultrasound assessment of gastric content in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy after preoperative oral carbohydrates: A prospective, randomized controlled, double-blind study
Authors: Ge Yali , Shen Dejuan , Gao Ju , Zhang Yang , Xin Chao , Mu Zihan , Wu Keting
Published: March 2023

Background: Cholelithiasis patients present with delayed stomach emptying due to pathophysiological abnormalities in the gastrointestinal system. We analyzed the gastric volume and nature after drinking preoperative oral carbohydrates in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy via ultrasonography.
Methods: One hundred patients who had been scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were enrolled and randomized into the traditional fasting group (Control group, n=50) and the carbohydrate group (CHO group, n=50). Patients in the Control group fasted solids and drink from midnight, the day before surgery. Patients in the CHO group received 800 ml and 400 ml of oral carbohydrates 11 h and 3 h before anesthesia induction, respectively. At 2 h after oral carbohydrates (T1), all patients underwent an ultrasound examination of residual gastric contents; if the patients had a full stomach, the assessment was performed again 1 h later (T2). A stomach containing solid contents or >1.5 mL/kg of liquid was considered "full". The primary outcome was full stomach incidences at the above time points. The secondary outcomes included gastric antral CSA in the right lateral decubitus (RLD) and semi-sitting positions, as well as gastric volume (GV), GV per weight (GV/kg), and Perla's grade at T1.
Results: Compared with the Control group, the incidence of entire stomach was significantly high in the CHO group 2 h after oral carbohydrates. At the T1 time point, 6 patients (13.3%) in the Control group and 14 patients (30.4%) in the CHO group presented with a full stomach (95% confidence interval [CI], [0.96 to 5.41], P = 0.049). At T2, 3 patients (6.7%) in the Control group and 4 patients (8.7%) in the CHO group had a full stomach, with no marked differences between the two groups (95% CI, [0.31 to 5.50], P=0.716). Compared with the Control group, CSA in the semi-sitting and RLD positions, GV and GV/W were significantly high in the CHO group at T1 (P<0.05). The median (interquartile range) of the Perlas grade was 1(0-1) in the Control group and 1(1-1.25) in the CHO group (P =0.004).
Conclusion: Cholecystectomy patients experience a 2 h delay in gastric emptying after receiving preoperative carbohydrates. However, when preoperative carbohydrates were consumed up to 3 h before anesthesia, as assessed by gastric ultrasonography, gastric emptying incidences were comparable between the CHO and the midnight fasting group. In LC patients, the fasting window for oral carbohydrates before surgery should be adequately prolonged.
Trial registration: The study registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (www.chictr.org.cn), Clinical Trials identifier ChiCTR2200055245 (04/01/2022).
Use of Antiplatelet and Lipid Lowering Agent Therapies as Primary Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Strategy and their Determinant Factors among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Gondar: A Prospective Cross- sectional Study
Authors: Solomon Tewodros , Tadesse Sumeya , Tewabe Abebech , Tsehay Tessema
Published: March 2023

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have two to four times increased risk of cardiovascular events compared with those without diabetes. Anti-platelet therapy and lipid lowering therapies have a significant contribution to prevent primary cardiovascular disease to achieve optimal patient outcomes.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the use of antiplatelet and lipid lowering agent therapies as primary cardiovascular disease prevention strategies and their determinant factors among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Methods: A prospective cross sectional study was conducted among 405 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients selected using a systematic random sampling method. Semi-structured questionnaire and data abstraction format were used for data collection. The data was collected from May 1 – July 30, 2022. The data was entered into Epidata version 3 and exported to SPSS version 25.0 statistical packages. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was done for identifying factors associated with use antiplatelet and lipid lowering agent. Statistical significance was declared at 95% confidence interval.
Result:Out of 405 study participants, the majority of study participants 301 (74.3%) had low (<10%) 10-year cardiovascular disease risk and moderate risk was 75 (18.5%). Statin was used for 180 (44.4%) of the study participants. While 81mg aspirin was used for 38 participants. About 58.8% using statin appropriately while 89.9% of them using aspirin appropriately. Ages between 65 - 69 years old (AOR = 3.76, 95% CI: 1.33- 10.61), taking alcohol (AOR = 0.38, 95%: 0.23 - 0.64), being hypertensive (AOR = 2.30, 95%CI: 1.38-3.86) and using two or more glucose lowering agent (AOR = 4.60, 95%CI: 2.72- 7.78) were significantly associated with use of statin. On the other hand, use of more than one glucose lowering agent (AOR = 4.36, 95%CI: 1.64 - 11.61) and being hypertensive (AOR = 3.34, 95%CI: 1.24 - 8.96) were associated with the use of aspirin.
Conclusion:The appropriate indication of lipid lowering agent was low. So, this population is at high potential risk for the development cardiovascular disease and predisposed to unwanted medication side effects. Also, aspirin was used for 10% of patients who were scored under high risk, which implicates these populations are at high risks for bleeding and Reye syndrome, despite the low benefit. These results emphasize the necessity of considering the cardiovascular disease risk of the patients and apply an appropriate measure for primary prevention.
An alternative raw material for Portland cement clinker preparation: Meta-schist
Authors: Korkmaz Abdul Vahap , Hacıfazlıoğlu Hasan
Published: March 2023

This study investigates the use of meta-schist as an alternative base material to cement clay in clinker production. First, the mineralogical differences between the reference cement clay, rich in silica but poor in iron and aluminium and the meta schist, rich in aluminium and iron and relatively poor in silica, were revealed by the XRD method. Two raw meal samples were prepared, one with ordinary raw materials (limestone and clay) ((RM)/Ref) and the other with meta-schist ((RM)/M) as a reference sample. The effects on the reactivity of the raw mix samples were evaluated on the basis of the unreacted lime content in the samples sintered at 1200, 1300, 1350, 1400 and 1450 °C. Then, two different clinker samples were produced by sintering the two raw mixtures at 1450°C. The relationships between the internal structures of the clinker samples determined by polarizing microscope (amount of porosity, distribution, grain structure of silicate phase crystals and variation of equivalent crystal diameters) were investigated. In addition, setting time, compressive strength and expandability properties of cement mortars produced with both clinker samples were tested. The microstructures of the mortar samples were examined on the 2nd, 7th and 28th days by scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that the meta-schist clinker contains less free CaO than the reference clinker at different temperatures. Both clinkers have similar proportions of alite and microstructures of alite and belite are identical in terms of crystal size and composition. At the same time, the distribution of the liquid phase is more uniform in the reference cement. Using meta-schist, low-temperature and low-cost Portland cement clinker can be produced without additional regulatory materials and blending.
The Influence of Maritime Continent Deforestation on El Niño-Southern Oscillation: Insights from Idealized Modeling Experiments
Authors: Yu Jin-Yi , LEE TING HUI , LIN YONG FU , Lo Min-hui
Published: March 2023

During the past two decades, the Maritime Continent (MC) has experienced increased deforestation1,2. Using hundred-year long ensemble idealized deforestation experiments conducted with the fully-coupled Community Earth System Model (CESM) V1.2, here we show that the MC deforestation have a potential to alter the complexity (i.e., event-to-event differences) of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in terms of its spatial pattern and temporal evolution. The deforestation model run increases the occurrences of Central Pacific El Niño and multi-year La Niña events compared to the control experiment. This change in ENSO complexity is caused by the strengthening effect of MC deforestation on subtropical ENSO dynamics. Conventional tropical ENSO dynamics influence ENSO occurrence and evolution through variations in the tropical Pacific thermocline and related tropical ocean-atmosphere interactions. However, subtropical ENSO dynamics govern the ENSO through coupling processes originated from the subtropical North Pacific. The MC deforestation in our idealized experiment accompanies an anomalous local overturning, which further alters the mean strength of the North Pacific subtropical high and strengthens subtropical ENSO dynamics. Therefore, MC deforestation has the potential to make the El Niño more complex and less predictable.
Antibacterial Activity of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Biosynthesized from Brown Seaweed Extracts against Pathogenic Bacteria
Authors: Sari Rodiah N. , Utomo Bagus S.B. , Suryaningrum Th. D. , Basmal Jamal , Sedayu Bakti B. , Bardant Teuku B. , Fudholi Ahmad , Zulkifli Sunarto , Wicaksono Arief
Published: March 2023

Nowadays, the main health problem and one of the significant problems in the world is increasing bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents. Existing research results show that nanoparticle metals could be used to prevent the spread of resistant bacteria in the community. This study was conducted to determine the antibacterial activity of zinc oxide (ZnO) against gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative bacteria Klebsiella pneumonia and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. ZnO used to be the best ZnO produced from the biosynthesis of brown seaweed (Sargassum sp. and Padina sp.) extracts with Zn(NO3)2.4H2O as precursors at each optimum reaction pH of 10. The diffusion and dilution method used paper discs with three repetitions to conduct the antibacterial activity test. Observations were made by forming a clear zone and the ability to inhibit bacterial growth (MIC). The study's novelty is that ZnO biosynthesized from brown seaweed extract of Sargassum sp. and Padina sp. can inhibit bacterial activity. They can potentially be applied to additional material in fishery product packaging.
Development of diploid embryonic sheep heart cells and sensitivity study of three poxviruses: Lumpy skin disease, Camelpox viruses, and Ecthyma
Authors: Rhazi Halima , Tifrouin Ikram , Mikou Karima , Belayadi Oumaima , Safini Najete , Alhyane Meryem , Tadlaoui Khalid Omari , Lenk Matthias , Elharrak Mehdi
Published: March 2023

Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), Camelpox virus (CPV), and Ecthyma virus (ORFV), the three representative viruses of Poxvirus family, are usually grown on embryonated eggs or primary cells for isolation or production since continuous cell lines are less sensitive. The use of eggs or primary cells presents disadvantages such as availability, potential endogenous contaminants, and limited number of passages. In this study, we developed a diploid cell, originated from an embryonic sheep heart and demonstrated their high prolificity and capability of long-term storage. We also demonstrated the maintain of the diploid cell sensitivity to isolation and growth of three genera of Poxvirus family; Capripoxvirus (LSDV), Orthopoxvirus (CPV) and Parapoxvirus (ORFV). Developed cell grow with a doubling time of 24h and can reach 40 passages with a satisfactory yield comparable to Lamb primary testis at passage 5. After infection, the titer of each Poxvirus is maintained between 7, 0 and 7,6 log TCID50/ml up to 5 passages, around 6,8 for the three viruses at passages 6 to 25, 6,4 at passage 30 and 5,6 at passage 40. Sensitivity of diploid embryonic heart cells did not decrease after long-term conservation in liquid nitrogen. Results showed a higher sensitivity of those cells comparatively to lamb primary testis, intensively used for Capripoxvirus and parapoxvirus detection and growth or Vero cells for Orthopoxvirus. The study demonstrated the interest of embryonic heart diploid cells for poxvirus isolation and production to avoid constraints of eggs, embryo, or primary cells.
Forced Intercourse in America: A Pandemic Update
Authors: Axinn William G. , West Brady T. , Schroeder Heather M.
Published: March 2023

Background: Measures of forced intercourse from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) indicate this a high prevalence among U.S. women that is likely to produce unintended pregnancies. However, NCHS did not measure forced intercourse during the pandemic, limiting knowledge of recent prevalence rates.
Methods: We use multiple nationally-representative, cross-sectional surveys representing the U.S. population from 2011 to 2022 to document these trends. This includes measures from the National Survey of Family Growth, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Transition into Adulthood Supplement, and the American Family Health Study (AFHS) to provide population estimates of forced intercourse.
Results: Reports of forced intercourse remained high during the pandemic, with more than 25% of U.S. females over 40 reporting lifetime forced intercourse in the AFHS (number of females in AFHS: 1,042). There was a significant increase among females aged 24-28 (p<.05) and rates are highest for those who did not complete college. Among females 24-28, 32.5% (S.E. = 5.7%) with less than 4 years of college reported forced intercourse, a significantly (p<.05) higher rate than among those with higher education.
Conclusions: Rates of forced intercourse among U.S. women remained high during the pandemic, increasing significantly in early adulthood. This exposure to forced intercourse is likely to produce an increase in unintended pregnancies and other sexual, reproductive, and mental health problems.
DNA-functionalized Artificial Chimeric Mechanoreceptor for de novo Force-responsive Cellular Signalling
Authors: Yang Sihui , Wang Miao , Tian Dawei , Zhang Xiaoyu , Cui Kaiqing , Lü Shouqin , Wang Hong-Hui , Long Mian , Nie Zhou
Published: March 2023

Synthetic signalling receptors enable programmable cellular responses coupling with a customized input. However, engineering a designer force-sensing receptor to rewire mechanotransduction remains largely unexplored. Herein, we introduce nongenetically engineered artificial mechanoreceptors (AMRs) capable of reprogramming non-mechanoresponsive receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) to sense user-defined force cues, enabling a de novo designed mechanotransduction. AMR is a modular DNA-protein chimera comprising a mechanosensing-and-transmitting DNA nanodevice grafted on natural RTKs via aptameric anchors. AMR senses intercellular tensile force via an allosteric DNA mechano-switch with tuneable piconewton-sensitive force tolerance, actuating a force-triggered dynamic DNA assembly to manipulate RTK dimerization and activate intracellular signalling. By swapping the force-reception ligands, we demonstrate the AMR-mediated activation of c-Met, a representative RTK, in response to the cellular tensile forces mediated by cell-adhesion proteins (integrin, E-cadherin) or membrane protein endocytosis (CI-M6PR). Moreover, the versatility of AMR allows the reprogramming of FGFR1, another RTK, to customize mechanobiological function, e.g., adhesion-mediated neural stem cell maintenance.
Adapting Deep Learning-LSTM method in SDN controller For Secure IoT
Authors: Elsier Omer , MUBARAKALI AZATH , Tayfour Amira Elsir , Marsono Muhammad Nadzir , Hassan Entisar , Abdelrahman Ashraf M.
Published: March 2023

The Internet of Things (IoT) has grown into various enterprise. While the IoT ecosystem's extensive and open environment has many advantages, it can also be a target for a range of growing cyber risks and assaults. The benefits of device integration into a smart ecosystem are enhanced by the IoT's diversity, but the IoT's diverse nature makes establishing a single security solution difficult. However, software-defined networks' (SDNs) centralized intelligence and programmability, it's now possible to put together a single, effective security solution to combat cyber threats and attacks. This study proposes a DL-driven SDN-enabled IoT framework that practice a Deep Neural Network-Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) classifier to quickly and efficiently detect sophisticated multisector malware botnets. The proposed mechanism was rigorously tested utilizing the most recent state-of-the-art dataset, CICIDS2017, as well as traditional performance evaluation metrics. Furthermore, the proposed technique is compared to current industry norms (i.e., DL algorithms). Extensive testing shows that the proposed method surpasses the competition in terms of detection accuracy while requiring just a minimal compromise in terms of computational cost.
Ultrasound-Guided Lateral Branch Radiofrequency Neurotomy for Sacroiliac Joint Pain After Lumbosacral Spinal Fusion Surgery
Authors: Le Viet-Thang , Nguyen Anh Minh , Do Phuoc Trong
Published: March 2023

Our study is to evaluate the clinical feasibility of the ultrasound-guided lateral branch radiofrequency neurotomy for sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain after lumbosacral spinal fusion surgery (LSFS). This is a prospective study including a total of 46 patients who were diagnosed with SIJ pain after LSFS, not responding to conservative treatment and therefore underwent ultrasound-guided SIJ radiofrequency ablation (RFA) from Jan 2019 to Jan 2022. These patients were followed up for twelve months after procedure. Patients were assessed with the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) pre-procedural and post-procedural for 1-month, 6-month and 12-month follow-ups. There was a significant improvement in post-procedural NRS and ODI scores (p < 0.001). Thirty-eight patients (82.6%) had a satisfactory response, good Global Perceived Effect (GPE) after twelve months. No significant complications were observed for 12 months' follow-up. The ultrasound-guided radiofrequency device designed as a safe, easily applied and encouraging method could avoid a revision surgery. It is a promising technique and has shown good results in providing intermediate pain relief. In addition to the limited series reported in the literature, future studies will add meaning to this topic by including it in routine practice.
Risk factors for long-term invasive mechanical ventilation:a retrospective longitudinal study using German health claims data
Authors: Trudzinski Franziska C , Michels Julia Dorothea , Neetz Benjamin , Meis Jan , Müller Michael , Kempa Axel , Neurohr Claus , Schneider Armin , Felix Herth , Szecsenyi Joachim , Biehler Elena , Fleischhauer Thomas , Wensing Michael , Britsch Simone , Schubert-Haack Janina , Grobe Thomas , Frerk Timm
Published: March 2023

Purpose
Long-term invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is a major burden for those affected and causes high costs for the health care system. Early risk assessment is a prerequisite for the best possible support of high-risk patients during the weaning process. We aimed to identify risk factors for long-term IMV within 96 hours after the onset of IMV.
Methods
The analysis was based on data from the AOK Baden-Württemberg; patients who received IMV ≥ 96h and were discharged between 2015 and 2017 were analysed. Health claims data were considered for the previous year and 30 days after hospitalisation. Long-term IMV was defined as evidence of invasive home mechanical ventilation (HMV), IMV≥ 500h, or readmission with (re)prolonged ventilation. The performance of the model was evaluated on a 2018 data-set.
Results
7.584 hospitalisations were analysed. Criteria for long-term IMV were met in 38.3% of cases, of which 13.9% had evidence of HMV, 73.1% were ventilated >500 hours and/or 40.3% were rehospitalised with IMV. Several risk factors could be identified, including pre-existing conditions, admission diagnosis, prescribed aids and procedures. By combining all these factors into a final model, the risk for long-term IMV could be estimated with a sensitivity and specificity of respectively 49 and 80% on the test data set (when classifiying patients based on their predicted probability with a cut-off of 41.15%).
Conclusion
Based on health claims data alone, the risk for long-term IMV could be estimated with an acceptable predictive quality as early as 96 hours after the start of IMV.
Hierarchical self-assembly in colloidal and molecular length scales in thermotropic zwitterionic liquid crystals
Authors: Gustavsson Lotta , Lv Zhong-Peng , Cherian Tomy , Seppälä Wille , Liljeström Ville , Peng Bo , Huotari Simo , Rannou Patrice , Ikkala Olli
Published: March 2023

Hierarchical self-assemblies suggest routes for emerging structural complexities of soft matter towards multifunctional behaviors, however, involving challenges to design the balanced competing attractive and repulsive interactions required for the different length scales. Herein, self-assembly of zwitterionic amphiphiles were explored in the solvent-free state, where especially bis-n-tetradecylphosphobetaine shows temperature-driven reversible transition from low-temperature molecular-scale self-assemblies to high-temperature hierarchical self-assembly, combining colloidal and molecular order. The colloidal order results from layered molecular packing to 2D-nanoplatelets, which form well-defined oblique self-assemblies in several nanometer periodicity, allowing viscous fluidity upon shearing. The colloidal-scale structure emerges due to packing frustration between the tightly packed zwitterionic moieties and alkyl chains, and can be relieved by plasticizing with ionic liquids for purely smectic-A liquid crystallinity. Thus, even molecules with seemingly simple chemical structure can lead to structural hierarchy and tunable complexity by balancing the competing long-range electrostatics and short-range nanosegregations.
Forgotten Joint Score is Worse When the Affected Leg Perceived Longer than Shorter After Total Hip Arthroplasty
Authors: Kawakami Takehiro , Imagama Takashi , Matsuki Yuta , Okazaki Tomoya , Kaneoka Takehiro , Sakai Takashi
Published: March 2023

Background
One of the causes of patient dissatisfaction after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is leg length discrepancy (LLD). Even when radiographic LLD (R-LLD) is within 5 mm, some people perceive the affected side to be longer, while others perceive it is shorter. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived LLD (P-LLD), R-LLD, and Forgotten Joint Score (FJS-12) after THA.
Methods
A retrospective study of 164 patients with unilateral hip disease was conducted. Based on P-LLD after THA, they were classified into three categories: perceived short (PS 21 patients), no LLD (PN 121 patients), and perceived long (PL 22 patients). On the other hand, based on R-LLD after THA, they were divided into <−5 mm (RS 36 patients), −5 mm ≤ x < 5 mm (RN 99 patients), and 5 mm ≥ (RL 29 patients), respectively. The proportion of P-LLD in the RN group was also evaluated. In each group, the relationship between P-LLD, R-LLD and FJS-12 was investigated.
Results
After THA, the PL group had significantly worse FJS-12 (PS: 68.3 ± 26.2, PN: 75.0 ± 20.9, PL: 47.3 ± 25.2, P < .0001). In the R-LLD evaluation, there was no difference in FJS-12 among the three groups(RS: 73.7 ± 21.1, RN: 70.0 ± 24.5, RL: 67.7 ± 25.4, P < .53) . The RN group perceived leg length to be longer (RN-PL) in 12.1% of cases, and the RN-PL groups had significantly worse FJS-12 (RN-PS: 65.4 ± 24.8, RN-PN: 73.8 ± 23.1, RN-PL: 41.8 ± 27.6, P < .0001).
Conclusion
One year after THA, patients with longer P-LLD had worse FJS-12, even if the R-LLD was less than 5 mm.
Alzheimer’s disease brain endothelial-like cells reveal differential drug transporter expression and modulation by potentially therapeutic focused ultrasound
Authors: Chaves Juliana C.S. , Wasielewska Joanna M. , Cuni-Lopez Carla , Rantanen Laura M. , Lee Serine , Koistinaho Jari , White Anthony R. , Oikari Lotta E.
Published: March 2023

Background
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) has a major role in maintaining homeostasis of the brain. The primary function of the BBB is regulating the entry of molecules from the blood to the brain while protecting the brain from potentially harmful endogenous and exogenous substances. Transporters expressed in brain endothelial cells (BECs) mediate the uptake or efflux of compounds to and from the brain and they can also challenge the delivery of drugs into the brain for the treatment of brain disorders including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is the most common form of dementia, however, currently there is limited understanding of the role of BBB transporters in AD-related BBB dysfunction.
Methods
We investigated differences in BBB transporter expression and activity in brain endothelial-like cells (iBECs) differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) obtained from people carrying the familial AD Presenilin 1 (PSEN1) mutation (PSEN1 exon 9 deletion; AD-iBECs), healthy controls (Ctrl-iBECs), and isogenic PSEN1 exon 9-corrected lines (PSEN1COR-iBECs). We first characterized the expression levels of 12 BBB transporters in AD-, Ctrl-, and isogenic iBECs to identify any AD specific differences. We then exposed the cells to focused ultrasound, in the absence (FUSonly) or presence of microbubbles (FUS+MB), to examine whether the expression or activity of key transporters can be modulated by therapeutic ultrasound, a novel technique allowing for transient BBB opening.
Results
Our results identified differences in the expression of BBB transporters between AD-iBECs and control iBECs, suggesting disease-specific effects on transporter expression. Additionally, our results demonstrated FUSonly and FUS+MB have the potential to modulate efflux transporter activity. Interestingly, AD-iBECs demonstrated significantly reduced PGP-mediated Aβ accumulation following FUS+MB, an effect not seen in Ctrl-iBECs, suggesting disease-related differences.
Conclusions
Our findings demonstrate that PSEN1 mutant AD-iBECs possess phenotypical differences compared to PSEN1 corrected and unrelated control iBECs in BBB transporter expression and function. Additionally, we show that FUSonly and FUS+MB can modulate the BBB transporter expression and functional activity in iBECs, having potential implications on drug penetration and amyloid clearance. These findings highlight the differential responses of patient cells to FUS treatment, with patient-derived models likely providing an important tool for modelling of therapeutic effects of FUS.
Conversational Agent Dynamics with Minority Opinion and Cognitive Conflict in Small Group Decision-Making
Authors: Nishidai Yuki , Shimojo Shigen , Hayashi Yugo
Published: March 2023

Although studies on group decision-making have greatly contributed to our understanding of group dynamics, it is necessary to further examine the factors that influence group decision-making with conversational agents, such as the agents’ opinions and people’s attitude toward the agents. This study examined the effect of discussion with a group of conversational agents on participants’ decisions. We manipulated the conversational agents’ group opinions and discussion type, and examined individual differences, such as participants’ attitudes toward the agents. In an online experiment, participants read a decision-seeking scenario and responded to the degree of risk they were willing to take. After viewing the opinions of six conversational agents, the participants made a decision again for the same scenario. The results revealed that participants’ decisions shifted toward agents’ opinions regardless of whether they were risky or cautious. Additionally, when the agents’ group opinions were more risk-biased and included a minority opinion, the associations between the degree of a shift to riskier decisions and positive attitude toward the agents were significant. These findings indicate that the agents’ group opinions guided participants toward both risky and cautious decisions and participants’ attitude toward the agents associated with their decision-making, although to a limited extent.
Comprehensive analysis of Major depression Related gene Signature for predicting prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Xue Wenhua , Chen Chengxin , Huang Tao , Cao Jiebin , Duan Xiaoran , Li Chunwei , Yang Yaqi , Li Jun , Deng Jinhai , Peng Mengle , Li Lifeng
Published: March 2023

Background
Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most common types of cancer in the world, which has attracted much attention due to its high heterogeneity, invasiveness and metastasis. In recent years, depression has been proved to be related to the occurrence and development of various tumors. However, the regulatory pathway of depression related genes on tumor immune microenvironment and how the underlying mechanisms affect the prognosis of LUAD patients remain unclear.
Methods
In this study, we obtained common differentially expressed genes of LUAD patients and MDD patients through R software package "Limma". The relationship between Co-dysregulated genes and metabolism was investigated by KEGG enrichment analysis. According to survival analysis, we screened and constructed Diffgene | Neuropeptides related to prognosis. Finally, the prediction model is constructed using the LASSO algorithm and Cox regression, and its prediction ability is verified.
Results
This study constructed a risk assessment model for LUAD patients based on the 9 neuropeptide genes most related to the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma, and showed significant predictive effect. The enrichment analysis results of MDD and LUAD Co-dysregulated genes obtained show that the up-regulated genes are enriched in Axon guidance, Ras signaling path, MAPK signaling path, and the down-regulated genes are significantly enriched in Jak-STAT signaling path, Fc epsilon RI signaling path. The results of single cell sequencing data analysis showed that in the high-risk population, it was significantly enriched with ethoxylates, dicarboxylic acid metabolism and pentose phosphate pathway. The low-risk group was more inclined to glycosaminoglycan synthesis, heparin sulfate metabolism and vitamin B6 metabolism.
Conclusions
In general, our study proves for the first time that MDD related gene play an important role in the prognosis of LUAD. The personalized evaluation based on Diffgene | neuropeptide scoring model can accurately predict the prognosis of LUAD patients.
Ethics and Professionalism among Village Health Nurses in Tamil Nadu, India
Authors: Gopichandran Vijayaprasad , Subramaniam Sudharshini , Palanisamy Balasubramanian , Chidambaram Priyadarshini
Published: March 2023

Background: Community Health Workers (CHWs) are the backbone of the public health system in India. They perform several activities at the community level, but little is known about the practice of ethics and professionalism in their work. The CHWs in Tamil Nadu are called Village Health Nurses (VHNs).
Objectives: To explore the experiential wisdom of ethics and professionalism among community health workers in Tamil Nadu.
Methods:We conducted a qualitative study using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions among 125 VHNs in six districts of Tamil Nadu. The data were collected by trained field investigators who were CHWs themselves. Thematic content analysis was done to identify codes, themes and build them into a conceptual model.
Results: The VHNs went beyond the call of their duty to do good to the community. They served as advocates for matters beyond health care in their community. However, overburdened VHNs found it challenging to sustain doing good to the community. Their conceptualization of autonomy ranged from individual autonomous decision making to full paternalistic decision making and this was not uniform across VHNs. The VHNs were sensitive to issues of privacy and confidentiality, but the discussion on these topics were limited. The VHNs reflected the societal norms of gender, class, and caste hierarchies in their work. They had to work amidst difficult power struggles and had their own innovative strategies to subvert power. They faced several ethical conflicts but did not have a standard mechanism for resolving them.
Conclusions: The lack of standard ethical practices among the VHNs indicate that they must be trained in ethics and professionalism and a code of ethics for VHNs is required to help them effectively deliberate on ethical issues during their work.
Comparative evaluation of the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of rapid-prototyped orthodontic models 3D printed in vertical and horizontal orientations: An in-vitro study
Authors: SUBBAIAH NAVEEN K , CHAUDHARI PRABHAT KUMAR , DUGGAL RITU , SAMRIT VILAS D
Published: March 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of the rapid-prototyped dental models 3D printed in vertical and horizontal orientation as compared to the gold standard conventional plasterand digital models.
Methods: This in vitro study involved scanning of 50 plaster dental models (25 maxillary and 25 mandibular) using Maestro 3D Desktop Scanner (AGE Solutions, Pisa, Italy). The STL file obtained from the scanner was processed and three-dimensional (3D) printed in the horizontal and vertical orientation using a polyjet 3D printer (Objet 30 prime, Stratasys Ltd., Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States). The accuracy of the rapid-prototyped (3D printed) models were measured from the pre-determined landmarks and were compared among the groups. In addition, the determination of the cost-effectiveness of the 3D printed models in different orientations was based on the amount of material (resin) utilized during the 3D printing process.
Results: There were statistically insignificant differences (P>0.05) among rapid-prototyped models, plaster models, and digital models for the linear measurements made in all three planes of space with excellent reliability (ICC > 0.804), and internal consistencies (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.910). The dental models printed in the horizontal orientation were found more cost-effective as compared to models printed in a vertical orientation in terms of the amount of material (resin) utilized and printing time during the 3D printing process.
Conclusion: There was no significant difference in terms of accuracy between the rapid-prototyped models 3D printed in the horizontal and vertical orientation. Horizontally printed models were more cost-effective than vertically printed models.
Machine Learning algorithms for in-line monitoring during Yeast Fermentations based on Raman Spectroscopy
Authors: Wu Debiao , Xu Yaying , Xu Feng , Shao Minghao , Huang Mingzhi
Published: March 2023

Given the nonlinear and complex industrial fermentation system, the process analytical technology offers significant advantages for direct and real-time monitoring, control and evaluation of synthetic processes. Here, we introduced a Raman spectroscopy in-line monitoring method for ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. First, the feature selection methods in machine learning were used to reduce the dimension of Raman spectral data. The results showed that the model training time is reduced by more than 90% after feature selection, while the prediction performance of glycerol and cell concentration is improved by 14.20% and 17.10% at the RMSE level. Then, 15 machine learning algorithms were called to retrain the model, and hyperparameters were adjusted by grid search. The results demonstrated that the model after adjusting the hyperparameters improved the RMSE of ethanol, glycerol, glucose, and biomass by 9.73%, 4.33%, 22.22%, and 13.79%, respectively. Finally, BaggingRegressor, Support vector regression, BayesianRidge, and VotingRegressor are suitable machine learning algorithms corresponding to the models for predicting glucose, ethanol, glycerol, and cell concentrations, respectively. In addition, the R-squared values were 0.89–0.97, and the RMSE values were 0.06–2.59 g/L on the testing datasets, respectively. The results suggested that machine learning methods can be effectively applied in the modeling and analysis of Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, it is conducive to promoting the optimization of Raman spectroscopy in biological process monitoring, thereby improving industrial production efficiency, and providing novel modeling ideas.
The Automation Software of Tian-Ma Radio Telescope RFI Monitoring System
Authors: Zhang Dong , Zhao Rong-Bing , Li Bin , Shang-Guan Wei-Hua , Yan Zhen , Zhang Chu-Yuan
Published: March 2023

The Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) generated by the surrounding environment will significantly reduce the observation efficiency of the large radio telescope. The Tian-Ma Radio Telescope (TMRT) has established a RFI monitoring system to keep watch on its surrounding RFI environment chronically in the L, S, C and X bands. The system consists of antennas, receivers, back-ends and control system. To achieve automatic system operation, we design and implement an automation software based on Tango Controls open source framework. This paper will briefly introduce the TMRT RFI Monitoring System (TRMS), and describe the functional design, architecture design and implementation of the automation software. Finally, With the help of this system, we carry out automatic remote monitoring of the RFI environment around the TMRT in the 1.2 GHz-12GHz frequency band, and then analyze and verify the observation results.
Lithium-functionalized graphene oxide with a low load of Pt as an efficient counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Mohammadnejad S. , Mohammadi M. Reza , Ghartavol H. Mokarami
Published: March 2023

Low-cost materials with excellent chemical stability, high conductivity, and catalytic properties have attracted much attention as an alternative to conventional Pt counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Herein, graphene oxide (GO) sheets were successfully synthesized via the improved Hummers’ method, functionalized with lithium and characterized by SEM, AFM, XRD, Raman, UV-Vis, and FTIR techniques. The impact of GO thickness, heat treatment temperature, and hybridization with Pt particles on photovoltaic performance of the counter electrodes (CEs) were studied. A solar efficiency of 2.47% and 2.94% was achieved for the pristine GO and Li-functionalized GO electrodes, respectively under an optimized condition. A hybrid structure of GO or Li-functionalized GO films coated with an ultra-thin Pt film (i.e., GO-Pt or LiGO-Pt CEs) led to a remarkable efficiency of 7.07% and 8.87%, respectively. Such superior photovoltaic performance of LiGO-Pt CE indicated an increase of 61% in cell efficiency compared to the conventional Pt counter electrodes. The design of GO-based counter electrodes decorated with Pt deposition and Li functionalization will open a new concept for improvement of power conversion efficiency of DSSCs.
The second fundamental form of the real Kaehler submanifolds
Authors: Chion Sergio , Dajczer Marcos
Published: March 2023

Let $f\colon M^{2n}\to\R^{2n+p}$, $2\leq p\leq n-1$, be an isometric immersion of a Kaehler manifold into Euclidean space. Yan and Zheng conjectured in \cite{YZ} that if the codimension is $p\leq 11$ then, along any connected component of an open dense subset of $M^{2n}$, the submanifold is as follows: it is either foliated by holomorphic submanifolds of dimension at least $2n-2p$ with tangent spaces inthe kernel of the second fundamental form whose images are open subsets of affine vector subspaces, or it is embedded holomorphically in a Kaehler submanifold of $\R^{2n+p}$ of larger dimension than $2n$. This bold conjecture was proved by Dajczer and Gromoll just for codimension three and then by Yan and Zheng for codimension four.
In this paper we prove that the second fundamental form of the submanifold behaves pointwise as expected in case that the conjecture is true. This result is a first fundamental step fora possible classification of the non-holomorphic Kaehler submanifolds lying with low codimension in Euclidean space. A counterexample shows that our proof does not work for higher codimension, indicating that proposing $p=11$ in the conjecture as the largest codimension is appropriate.
Effect of Hydrostatic Pressure on the Auger Current Density of InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum Well Light-emitting Diodes
Authors: yahyazadeh Rajab
Published: March 2023

In this study, a numerical model was used to analyze the Auger current in c-plane InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well light-emitting diodes (MQWLED) under hydrostatic pressure. Finite difference techniques were employed to acquire energy eigenvalues and their corresponding eigenfunctions of \({\text{InGaN/GaN}}\) MQWLED, and the hole eigenstates were calculated via a 6×6 k.p method under applied hydrostatic pressure. Our calculations demonstrated that the hole-hole-electron (CHHS) and electron-electron-hole (CCCH) Auger coefficients had the largest contribution to the total Auger coefficient (76% and 20%, respectively). It was found that a change in pressure up to 10 GPa increases the carrier density up to 0.75×1019cm−3 and 0.56×1019cm−3 for the holes and electrons, respectively, and the effective band gap. Based on the result, it could decrease the exaction binding energy, rise the electric field rate up to 0.77MV/cm, and decrease the Auger coefficient and Auger current up to 2.1×10− 31 cm6s− 1and 75A/cm2 in the multiple-quantum well regions, respectively. Our studies provided more detailed insight into the origin of the Auger current drop under hydrostatic pressure in InGaN-based LEDs.
A pathogenic germline BRCA1 mutation in a patient with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and rectum adenocarcinoma
Authors: Zhou You , Xu Yanjie , Zhao Jiemin , Ni Xuefeng , Hu Wenwei
Published: February 2023

Tumor suppressor gene BRCA1, known for its vital roles in regulating DNA damage, is frequently mutated in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), whose mutation also increases susceptibility to intestinal, prostatic and pancreatic cancers of patients. As the main subtype of lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is malignant disorders arising from immune cells and displays predominantly as lymphadenopathy or solid tumors, which is rarely considered hereditary. However, the relationship between BRCA1 mutation and NHL is rarely reported. Here, we present a primary NHL and recent second primary tumor rectum adenocarcinoma. Considering the hereditary factors in developing colorectal cancer, we investigated her family history and found her sister died with ovarian cancer. Meanwhile, her genetic testing identified a pathologic germline mutation in BRCA1 (c.1115G＞A). Taken into account the strong evidence between BRCA1 mutation and HBOC occurrence, we also did genetic test for her daughter and found the same BRCA1 mutation. Although strong evidence between BRCA1 mutation and HBOC exists, the patient harboring pathogenic BRCA1 mutation did not suffer from HBOC but NHL and rectum adenocarcinoma which required further investigations and modifications of current screening criteria for HBOC. And great attention should also be paid to her daughter with BRCA1 mutation carrier.
Using vacuum-assisted ureteral access sheath in the treatment of complex steinstrasse: a multi- center study
Authors: Wang Dong , Xu Yuyu , Liu Zhen , Liang Jian , Lai Dehui , Guan Wenfeng , Xu Guibin
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Steinstrasse is an iatrogenic condition resulting from upper urinary tract lithotripsy. Uncomplicated steinstrasse can be managed expectantly. Complex steinstrasse can pose a therapeutic challenge. The vacuum-assisted ureteral access sheath (vaUAS) is similar to a conventional ureteral access sheath but has a side branch that can be connected to vacuum apparatus. This device seemed to be useful in the management of complex steinstrasse. Material and Method: 35 patients with complex steinstrasse, defined as steinstrasse containing ≥ 4 stones or with an aggregate length of ≥ 1.5 cm, were treated in four tertiary medical centers using the vaUAS in this prospective and non-randomized study. The vaUAS was inserted into the ureter over a guidewire until the tip of the vaUAS was in contact with the lowermost stone fragment. A 7 Fr./8.4 Fr. semirigid ureteroscope and a holmium laser were used to pulverize the obstructing stone. All the stone fragments were aspirated either in the space between the scope and the sheath, or through the channel of the sheath by withdrawing the scope to the proximal of the aspiration port. Result: All patients were steinstrasse-free at end of the procedure, as assessed visually and by KUB. At the three-month follow-up, 94.3% of patients were stone-free with or without a supplementary procedure. There were no perioperative complications. Five patients experienced postoperative fever and/or significant hematuria, and one patient had transient sepsis, a grade I and IV Clavien complication respectively. Conclusion: vaUAS can be an effective adjunctive device in the management of complex steinstrasse.
Stakeholder perspectives on the impact of Covid-19 on Oncology services: A qualitative study
Authors: Butow Phyllis , Havard Polly E. , Butt Zoe , Juraskova Ilona , Sharpe Louise , Dhillon Haryana , Beatty Lisa , Beale Philip , Cigolini Maria , Kelly Brian , Chan Raymond J. , Kirsten Laura , Best Megan C. , Shaw Joanne
Published: March 2023

Background: As COVID-19 spread across the globe, cancer services were required to rapidly pivot to minimise risks without compromising outcomes for patients or staff. The aim of this study was to document changes to Oncology services as a result of COVID-19 from the perspectives of both providers and receivers of care during the initial phase of the pandemic.
Methods: Participants were recruited between June and December 2020 through an email invitation via professional or consumer organisations, two hospital-based oncology services and snowballing. Semi-structured interviews focused on health service changes and their impacts, which were then analysed by thematic analysis.
Results: Thirty-two patients, 16 carers and 29 health professionals were recruited. Fifteen patients (n=47%) had localised disease and 19 (n=59%) were currently receiving treatment. Oncology staff included oncologists, palliative care physicians, nurses, allied health and psychosocial practitioners. Four themes arose from the data: safety, increased stress and burnout, communication challenges, and quality of cancer care.
Conclusions: There is an ongoing need for cancer-specific information from a single, trusted source to inform medical practitioners and patients/carers. More data are required to inform evidence-based guidelines for cancer care during future pandemics. All stakeholders require ongoing support to avoid stress and burnout.