bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TRUsted rEsidents and Housing Assistance to decrease Violence Exposure in New Haven (TRUE HAVEN): A strengths-based and community-driven stepped-wedge intervention to reduce gun violence
Authors: Tong Guangyu , Spell Virginia T. , Horton Nadine , Thornhill Thomas , Keene Danya , Montgomery Christine , Spiegelman Donna , Wang Emily A. , Roy Brita
Published: May 2023

Background
We describe the rationale and study design for “TRUsted rEsidents and Housing Assistance to decrease Violence Exposure in New Haven (TRUE HAVEN),” a prospective type 1 hybrid effectiveness/implementation study of a multi-level intervention using a stepped wedge design. TRUE HAVEN aims to lower rates of community gun violence by fostering the stability, wealth, and well-being of individuals and families directly impacted by incarceration through the provision of stable housing and by breaking the cycle of trauma.
Design:
TRUE HAVEN is a multi-level intervention with three primary components: financial education paired with housing support (individual level), trauma-informed counseling (neighborhood level), and policy changes to address structural racism (city/state level). Six neighborhoods with among the highest rates of gun violence in New Haven, Connecticut, will receive the individual and neighborhood level intervention components sequentially beginning at staggered 6-month steps. Residents of these neighborhoods will be eligible to participate in the housing stability and financial education component if they were recently incarcerated or are family members of currently incarcerated people; participants will receive intense financial education and follow-up for six months and be eligible for special down payment and rental assistance programs. In addition, trusted community members and organization leaders within each target neighborhood will participate in trauma-informed care training sessions to then be able to recognize when their peers are suffering from trauma symptoms, to support these affected peers, and to destigmatize accessing professional mental health services and connect them to these services when needed. Finally, a multi-stakeholder coalition will be convened to address policies that act as barriers to housing stability or accessing mental healthcare. Interventions will be delivered through existing partnerships with community-based organizations and networks. The primary outcome is neighborhood rate of incident gun violence. To inform future implementation and optimize the intervention package as the study progresses, we will use the Learn As You Go approach to optimize and assess the effectiveness of the intervention package on the primary study outcome.
Discussion
Results from this protocol will yield novel evidence for whether and how addressing structural racism citywide leads to a reduction in gun violence.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05723614. Registration date: February 01, 2023.
Introducing a new magnetic nanocomposite based on the chitosan modified by sulfonic acid-containing moieties for synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridines and polyhydroquinolines
Authors: Shahsavari Maryam , Piltan Mohammad
Published: May 2023

Due to environmental concerns, the development of bio-inspired nanocatalysts is growing increasingly. Hence, in this study an acidic magnetic nanocatalyst was prepared through a simple and efficient method. In this regard, chitosan (CS) was anchored by 4-amino-3-hydroxy-naphthalen-1-sulfonic acid (SA) and then magnetized by Fe3O4. Successful synthesis of magnetic CS-SA nanocomposites was confirmed with the help of FTIR, XRD, FESEM, EDX, VSM, and TGA techniques. The as-synthesized magnetic CS-SA nanocomposites exhibited a very good activity for the multicomponent synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridine and polyhydroquinoline compounds in the ethanol at 50°C. The synergistic effect of –SO3H groups and Fe3O4nanoparticles justified the remarkable activity of magnetic CS-SA nanocomposites. The catalyst was reusable 5 times and remained stable based on the hot filtration test. Some of the salient features of this method are easy catalyst separation, short reaction times, high to excellent efficiencies, safe and green solvent.
A method of restoring the entire income distribution function according to the Pareto index
Authors: Pokrovskii Vladimir
Published: May 2023

A simple heuristic model, including the multiple exchanges between economic agents, is used to explain the mechanism of emerging and maintenance of social inequality in the market economy. The model allows calculating a density function of the population distribution over income. The function can be considered as a strongly deformed Gauss distribution function, whereas, at large incomes, it coincides with the Pareto distribution. The external, in relation to the model under consideration, force is necessary to maintain the strong non-equilibrium in a stationary state, and this force is the nonequivalence of elementary exchanges: the agent who already receives the higher income has the advantage: it provokes the rich to be getting more rich and the poor to be getting pauper.
Effects of Gravitational Field of a Topological Defect on Heavy Quarkonia Spectra in a Non-Relativistic Quark Model
Authors: Likéné André Aimé Atangana , Ongodo Dieudonne Nga , Ema'a Jean Marie Ema'a , Abiama Patrice Ele , Ben-Bolie Germain Hubert
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we analyze the properties of heavy quarkonia in a curved space-time with conical geometry induced by a topological defect, namely a cosmic string. The particles moving within the latter space are under the influence of an extended version of the Cornell potential. Assuming that the cosmic string space-time is torsion free, the full spectrum of each particle is obtained by solving the Schrodinger equation using the extended Nikiforov-Uvarov method; the wave functions and the radial probability densities of charmonium and bottomonium mesons are derived using the bi-confluent Heun functions. It it observed that the presence of the topological defect, produces a splitting between nP and nD states. The latter states are separated into 2l + 1 components, implying that the gravitational field of a topological defect acts on energy levels like in a way similar to the Zeeman effect due to the magnetic field. However, inthe limit α → 1, which correspond to the usual flat Minkowski space-time, we recover the classical mass spectrum of heavy quarkonia for the extended Cornell potential. The numerical results obtained in this study are overall found in good agreement with experimental data and other relevant theoretical works.Thus, to illustrate the effect of the topological defect graphically, mass spectra, wave functions and radial probability densities are plotted for P−states at different values of α. It is found that, at large values of the quantum number n, the mass spectra of heavy quarkonia exhibit saturation effect governed by the topological parameter.
PACS numbers: 21.60.Fw, 21.10.Re, 70.25.+k, 04.10.Mn
Optimal strategy and system performance ina feedback queue with customer-intensiveservices and boundedly rational customers
Authors: Liu Xinying , Song Yang
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we consider a feedback queue with one server providing customerintensive services. The service reward increases with service time, while longer service time also leads to longer waiting time for customers. Customers are boundedly rational and decide whether to join the system based on a logit model upon their arrival. From the perspective of revenue maximization and social welfare maximization, this paper considers the trade-off between speed and quality of service and studies the optimal service rate, service price and some system performances. Under different strategies, we study the ratio of the corresponding welfare, called the “price of anarchy” (PoA), which measures the harm of service providers’ selfish behavior, and we obtain the interval of PoA and its characteristics. In addition, we conduct some numerical simulations to show the quantitative results of system operation.
Incidental thyroid nodules on Covid 19-related thoracic tomography scans: A giant cohort
Authors: Helvacı Burcak Cavnar , Ozdemir Didem , Turan Kubra , Keskin Caglar , İmga Narin Nasiroglu , Dirikoc Ahmet , Topaloglu Oya , Ersoy Reyhan , Cakir Bekir
Published: May 2023

Introduction: Computerized thoracic tomography (CT) imaging was extensively employed, especially in the early era of the Coronavirus pandemic. An incidental thyroid nodule (ITN) is defined as a nodule not previously detected or suspected clinically but identified by an imaging study. This study aimed to determine the incidence of thyroid nodules incidentally detected in thoracic CTs for the suspicion of Covid-19 pneumonia.Materials and methods Adult patients who underwent thoracic CT in our hospital for Covid-19 management between March 2020 and September 2020 were retrospectively identified. Medical information registered in the hospital and national health system were reviewed. The prevalence of incidental thyroid nodules at CT, thyroid function test results of patients with incidental lesions, correlation of CT findings with ultrasonography (US) findings, and fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) results were evaluated.Results We determined 36.939 adult patients that had a CT scan. Among these, 624 had a previous history of thyroid operation, and 1201 had already been diagnosed with a thyroid pathology. The final analysis included 35.113 patients. There was information about the thyroid gland in CT reports of 3049 patients. The prevalence of ITN was 3.82% (1343/35113 patients), and thyroid heterogeneity was 1.11% (388/35113 patients). While it was explicitly stated that no pathology was found in the thyroid gland in 3.75% (1318/35113) of the patients, no information was given about the thyroid gland in 91.32% (32064/35113) of the patient. Thus, the number of patients informed about the thyroid was 3049 (8.68%), and the number of patients with thyroid pathology was 1731 (4.93%). It was observed that 308 of 1731 (17.80%) patients had follow-up thyroid US. An FNAB was indicated in 238 (87.50%) patients. Of the 238 patients with biopsy indication, only 115 (48.31%) underwent a thyroid FNAB. The cytological diagnosis was benign in 59 (51.30%), non-diagnostic in 30 (26.08%), atypia of uncertain significance in 22 (19.13%), suspected follicular neoplasia/follicular neoplasia in 4 (3.46%) patients. Thyroidectomy was performed in six more patients due to giant nodules, and the final diagnosis was benign in 2 and papillary thyroid cancer in 3 patients.Conclusion In conclusion, increased use of thoracic CT during Covid 19 pandemic probably caused increased detection of ITNs. In this large-scale study, the prevalence of thyroid nodules reported in thoracic CT was 3.82%, and thyroid cancer was detected in 1.30% of patients evaluated in the US. Therefore, Thoracic CT scans taken for different reasons might provide the opportunity for early diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancers.
Enhancing the elasticity of Silicate Cement Stone with anionic styrene-butadiene latex particles
Authors: Zheng Yong , Liao Guoli , Peng Zhigang , Feng Qian
Published: May 2023

To address the problems of brittleness and poor elastic deformation ability of Silicate Cement stone, anionic styrene-butadiene latex particles were prepared using emulsion polymerization with styrene, liquid polybutadiene, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, and fumaric acid as raw materials. The dispersion properties of anionic styrene-butadiene latex particles in water were investigated, as well as the elastic enhancement effect of the particles in cement. The test results show that anionic styrene-butadiene latex particles have good dispersion performance in water, is not easy to agglomerate, and can improve the fluidity of cement slurry. The elastic modulus of anionic styrene-butadiene latex particles cement stone is 43.1% and 27.8% lower than that of blank cement stone and commercially available latex particles cement stone, respectively. The finding of the mechanism analysis demonstrate that the anionic styrene-butadiene latex particles can be filled in cement stones to increase the silicate cement’s elasticity, compactness, and resistance to external stress.
Partitioned Trees
Authors: Meguellati Fahd Mustapha , Zegour Djamel Eddine , Zouana Seyfeddine
Published: May 2023

We introduce the Partitioned Trees, a form of Partitioned Binary Search Tree parameterized to represent both Red-Black trees and a family of partially balanced Binary Search Trees. Partitioned Tree is interesting not only because it provides the same time and space complexity as Balanced Binary Search trees O(logn), but also because it’s simple to implement, easily understandable, and highly adaptable in different fields where rebalancing is costly. We outline the various maintenance operations and insertion and deletion algorithms employed by the proposed data structure. Additionally, we conduct an in-depth analysis on the worst-case height of Partitioned Trees followed by a comparison of Partitioned Trees and Red-Black Trees. Our simulations confirm that Partitioned Trees exhibit superior performance compared to Red-Black Trees.
A New Methodology for SVC Modeling in the Power Flow Problem Based on Sigmoid Functions
Authors: Barbosa João Pedro Peters , Filho João Alberto Passos
Published: May 2023

This paper presents a new methodology for static VAr compensator (SVC) modeling in the power flow problem. The proposed formulation applies sigmoid functions to model the control equations that describe SVCs' steady-state behavior, including their limits consideration. In addition, an improvement to the SVC firing angle model is also proposed to include the droop characteristic in the linear region. The main objective is to develop a power flow formulation considering the full Newton approach. One of the main advantages of the proposed method is that no alternating adjustments are required, even in dealing with boundaries and backoffs procedures. The implementation of a power flow program has been tested using both small-scale tutorial systems and the medium-scale IEEE Nordic system. The results presented validate and indicate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
Metformin mitigates early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage primarily by Sirt1 mediated inflammation and neuroapoptosis
Authors: Zhang Zhong-hua , Zhou Xiao-ming , Zhang Xin
Published: May 2023

Background Clinically, early brain injury (EBI) which refers to the acute injuries to the whole brain in the phase of the first 72 h following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), is intensely investigated to improve neurological and psychological function. Apoptosis and inflammation factors are crucial pathophysiological processes in EBI. It had been revealed that metformin (Met) possesses extensive functions, all can be shown in anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and anti-tumor activities. However, the effect has not been clarified in EBI after SAH. Here, the study was performed to evaluate the neuroprotective effects and mechanisms of Met in EBI after SAH.Methods and results Firstly, we reviewed a clinical retrospective analysis to predict the effect of Met. Secondly, we explored the anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects of Met in vivo. A total of 165 male C57BL/6 were randomly divided into seven groups. SAH grade, Neurological function, Brain edema, and Blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability were evaluated using a grading system. The apoptosis was observed using the TUNEL assay. The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and c reaction protein (CRP) as well as the expressions of Bax, Bcl, and Cleaved-Caspase 3 were performed. The results showed that Met reduced brain edema, attenuated BBB permeability, and inhibited apoptosis and inflammation.Conclusions These results indicate that Met reduces the inflammatory response and alleviates early brain injury after SAH, primarily by increasing SIRT1 levels and inhibiting inflammation factors.
Restricted partition functions and the r-log-concavity of quasi-polynomial-like functions
Authors: Gajdzica Krystian
Published: May 2023

Let A = (ai)∞ i=1 be a weakly increasing sequence of positive integers and let k be a fixed positive integer. For an arbitrary integer n, the restricted partition pA(n, k) enumerates all the partitions of n whose parts belong to the multiset {a1, a2, . . . , ak}. In this paper we investigate some generalizations of the log-concavity of pA(n, k). We deal with both some basic extensions like, for instance, the strong log-concavity and a more intriguing challenge that is the r-log-concavity of both quasi-polynomial-like functions in general, and the restricted partition function in particular. For each of the problems, we present an efficient solution.
Video question answering via traffic knowledge base and question classification
Authors: Sun Xiaoyong , Dai Yu , Wang Yuchen , Ma Weifeng , Lin Xuefen
Published: May 2023

Video Question Answering (VideoQA) is a task that involves answering questions related to videos. The main idea is to understand the content of the video and combine it with the relevant semantic context to answer different types of questions. Existing methods typically analyze the spatio-temporal correlations of the entire video to answer questions. However, for some simple questions, the answer is only related to a specific frame of the video, and analyzing the entire video undoubtedly increases the learning cost. For some complex questions, the information contained in the video is limited, and these methods are not sufficient to fully answer such questions. Therefore, this paper proposes a VideoQA model based on question classification and a traffic knowledge base.The model starts from the perspective of the question and classifies the questions into general scene questions and causal questions, using different methods to process these two types of questions. For general scene questions, we first extract the key frames of the video to convert it into a simpler image question-answering task, and then use top-down and bottom-up attention mechanisms to process it. For causal questions, we design a lightweight traffic knowledge base that provides relevant traffic knowledge not originally present in VideoQA datasets, to help the model reason. We then use a question and knowledge-guided aggregation graph attention network to process causal questions.Experiments show that our model performs better on the TrafficQA dataset than models using millions of external data for pre-training, while greatly reducing resource costs.
Pharmacokinetic Analysis of [18F]-FES PET in the Human Brain and Pituitary Gland
Authors: Ghanzafari Nafiseh , Doorduin Janine , Weijden Chris van der , Willemsen Antoon , Glaudemans Andor , Waarde Aren van , Dierckx Rudi , de Vries Erik
Published: May 2023

Purpose Estrogen receptors (ER) are implicated in psychiatric disorders. We assessed if ER availability in the human brain could be quantified using 16α-[18F]-fluoro-17β-estradiol ([18F]-FES) positron emission tomography (PET).
Procedures Seven post‑menopausal women underwent a dynamic [18F]-FES PET scan with arterial blood sampling. A T1-weighted MRI was acquired for anatomical information. After one week, four subjects received a selective ER degrader (SERD), four hours before the PET scan. Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using a metabolite-corrected plasma curve as the input function. The optimal kinetic model was selected based on the Akaike information criterion and standard error of estimated parameters. Accuracy of Logan graphical analysis and standardized uptake value (SUV) was determined via correlational analyses.
Results The reversible two-tissue compartment model (2T4k) model with fixed K1/k2 was preferred. The total volume of distribution (VT) could be more reliably estimated than the binding potential (BPND). A high correlation of VT with Logan graphical analysis was observed, but only a moderate correlation with SUV. SERD administration resulted in a reduced VT in the pituitary gland, but not in other regions.
Conclusions The optimal quantification method for [18F]-FES was the 2T4k with fixed K1/k2 or Logan graphical analysis, but specific binding was only observed in the pituitary gland.
High rate of loss to follow-up among patients undergoing treatment for premalignant cervical lesions at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, South Western Uganda; a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Kajabwangu Rogers , Ssedyabane Frank , Tusubira Deusdedit , Maling Samuel , Kakongi Nathan , Turyakira Eleanor , Namuli Alexcer , Galiwango Martin , Randall Thomas C
Published: May 2023

Background For a cervical cancer control program to be effective in reducing incidence of the disease, there should be a high compliance to treatment and follow-up of the women diagnosed with precursor lesions. Screening programs in low-resource countries like Uganda are challenged by poor adherence to follow-up following treatment for premalignant cervical lesions. This study sought to describe the burden and factors associated with loss to follow-up among women undergoing treatment for premalignant cervical lesions at a tertiary hospital in south-western UgandaMethods This was a retrospective cohort study. We reviewed the registers at the Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital cervical cancer clinic for a period of four years from January 2017 to December 2020. Data was collected on; age, district of residence, diagnosis, date of diagnosis, date and type of initial treatment as well as date of follow up visit. We also captured data on whether patients returned on the scheduled follow up date or within three months after the scheduled follow up date. We defined loss to follow-up as failure to return for follow up either on the scheduled date or within three months after the scheduled date.Results Out of the 298 patients who underwent treatment for premalignant cervical lesions in the study period, 227(76.2%) did not return for follow-up at one year. At bivariate analysis, failure to attend the review visit at 6weeks predicted the loss to follow up at one year following treatment for premalignant lesions almost perfectly (RR = 2.84, 95% CI: 2.18–3.71, p-value < 0.001). Negative HIV serostatus and receiving thermocoagulation, slightly increased the risk of getting lost to follow-up while being more than 45years old reduced the odds. At multi-variate analysis, treatment with thermocoagulation (ARR = 1.21, 95% CI:1.07,1.36, p-value-0.03) was associated with loss to follow-up at one year.Conclusion The proportion of women who don’t return for follow-up at one year following treatment for premalignant cervical lesions at Mbarara regional referral hospital is very high. There is need to implement strategies that prompt patients to return for follow-up following treatment for premalignant cervical lesions.
Protocol for a Formative Study to Develop a Self-rehabilitation Intervention for Functional Mobility Among Community- Dwelling Stroke Survivors in Lmics
Authors: Ibrahim Rabi’u , Lawal Isa Usman , Joseph Conran
Published: May 2023

Background
Stroke is a significant source of acquired adult neurological disability. The increased burden of stroke in Low and Lower-middle Income Countries is currently approaching epidemic level. The consequences of stroke have long-standing effects and require long-term management of the resultant limitations. However, lack of resources, inadequate number of professionals, poor awareness, and lack of technical capacity have made the accessibility and availability of stroke rehabilitation services difficult in Low and Lower-middle Income Countries. Moreover, the effect of the COVID 19 pandemic has worsened the already existing challenges faced by stroke rehabilitation in these regions.
The development of specific and appropriate stroke rehabilitation approaches that can be self-administered, targeting community-dwelling stroke survivors in Low and Lower-middle Income Countries settings, is highly important.
Methods
A formative research design is proposed to support the development of a culturally-adaptable Task-Specific Training programme to be delivered through tele-rehabilitation that can be self-administered by community-dwelling stroke survivors.
Focus group discussions with community-dwelling stroke survivors will be conducted to gather information regarding challenges they faced in carrying out daily activities. The gathered information will be used to inform the development of a Task-specific self-rehabilitation Training model. A Delphi technique will be employed to refine the items in the initial model and come up with a Task-specific, self-rehabilitation programme target at improving functional ability among community-dwelling stroke survivors.
Discussion
Stroke rehabilitation services are grossly inadequate in countries categorized as Low and Lower-middle Income, particularly for community-dwelling stroke survivors in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper presents the methods for the development of a culturally-suitable intervention model for improving functional mobility among community-dwelling stroke survivors in Low and Lower-middle Income Countries.
Numerical Analysis and Design Recommendation for Linear Anodes in above Ground Storage Tank Cathodic Protection Systems: Mesh Grid system vs. Concentric Rings
Authors: Shirshahi Mohammad Javad , Chini Seyed Farshid , Taheri Peyman , Mansouri Abraham
Published: May 2023

Cathodic protection as a complementary method is one of the most effective ways to prevent corrosion, along with coating and choosing the suitable material. There are different ways to protect the storage tank bottom. Due to the presence of the geo membrane layer and its effective and pivotal role, the use of mixed metal oxide (MMO) anodes is highly recommended. In the current study, the protection process of the above-ground storage tank bottom is simulated using MMO backfilled wire (Concentric Rings) and ribbon anodes (Mesh Grid System). In this regard, several parameters must be considered in reaching the protection criteria. The simulation results show that the effect of the spacing between the anodes, the limiting oxygen current density and the anodic current have the greatest role. Anode depth and soil resistance are also critical factors. Due to the importance of the number of conductor bars and feeding cables, two configurations have been presented for ribbon anodes. These configurations have a direct impact on grid resistance, rectifier size, and related costs. Finally, an economic comparison has been made regarding the use of sacrificial and MMO anodes in the form of ribbon next to wire anodes. The results show that, in the use of ribbon anodes, MMO anodes have better performance than magnesium and zinc sacrificial anodes, and the cost required for MMO linear anodes is far lower than the method of sacrificial ribbon anodes. In the present study, the linear anode system has an estimated cost of approximately 20% less than the ribbon sacrificial anodes made of magnesium and zinc.
Study on the configuration scheme of urban reclaimed water in China based on multi-factor influence
Authors: Guo Hongcong , Wang Liquan , Dong He , Teng Yun , Li Hui
Published: May 2023

Reclaimed water is a stable unconventional water resource, improving the utilization rate of reclaimed water and strengthening the allocation of reclaimed water resources are the current important work of cities in China.In this paper, the research on reclaimed water in China is relatively backward, and a perfect allocation scheme of reclaimed water has not yet been formed. According to China 's development pattern and industrial economy, with the goal of most in line with urban development planning and maximizing economic benefits, a set of algorithms for the allocation of reclaimed water in three major water consumption items of municipal miscellaneous, primary industry and secondary industry are set up, and then three representative cities in South China and North China are selected for calculation.Finally, some suggestions are put forward for the development of reclaimed water in China according to the results.
Stepping up the NTRU-Post Quantum Algorithm Using Parallel Computing
Authors: Elkabbany Ghada F. , Aslan Heba K. , Ibrahim Hassan
Published: May 2023

Nth degree Truncated polynomial Ring Unit (NTRU) is one of the famous post-quantum cryptographic algorithms. Researchers consider NTRU as the most important parameterized family of lattice-based public key cryptosystems that has been established to the IEEE P1363 standards. Lattice-based protocols necessitate operations on large vectors that makes parallel computing one of the appropriate solutions to speedup it. NTRUEncrypt operations contain a large amount of data that requires many repetitive arithmetic operations. These operations make it a strong candidate to take advantage of the high degree of parallelism. The main costly operation which is repeated in all NTRU algorithm steps is the polynomial multiplication. In this work, a Parallel Post Quantum NTRUEncrypt algorithm called PPQNTRUEncrypt is proposed. This algorithm exploits the capabilities of parallel computing to accelerate the NTRUEncrypt algorithm. Both analytical and Apache Spark simulation models are used. The proposed algorithm enhanced the NTRUEncrypt algorithm by approximately 49.5%, 74.5%, 87.6%, 92.5%, 93.4%, and 94.5% assuming that the number of processing elements is 2,4,8,12,16, and 20 respectively.
Study of quarkonium in QGP from unquenched lattice QCD
Authors: Ali Sajid , Bala Dibyendu , Kaczmarek Olaf , Shu Hai-Tao , Ueding Tristan
Published: May 2023

This paper discusses the charmonium and bottomonium correlators in the pseudoscalar channel and the corresponding spectral reconstruction on the lattice. The absence of a transport peak in the pseudoscalar channel spectral function allows for an easier study of the in-medium modification of bound states. However, extracting spectral information from Euclidean correlators is still a numerically ill-posed problem. To constrain the spectral reconstruction, we use an ansatz motivated from perturbation theory. The perturbative model spectral function has two main contributions: a thermal part around the threshold obtained from pNRQCD and the vacuum part well above the threshold. These two regions are matched continuously, and the model spectral function is obtained by introducing parameters that control the overall thermal shift of the peak and the overall amplitude. The lattice correlator data is computed using clover-improved Wilson valence fermions on large and fine gauge field configurations generated using $N_f=2+1$ flavors Highly Improved Staggered Quark (HISQ) action with physical strange quark mass $m_s$, and slightly heavy degenerate up and down quark masses $m_l=m_s/5$ that correspond to $m_\pi\simeq 320$ MeV. Our results obtained at $T=220$ MeV and $T=251$ MeV suggest that no resonance peaks are needed to describe the charmonium lattice data at these temperatures, while for bottomonium thermally broadened resonance peaks persists.
Benign hepaticojejunostomy strictures after pancreatoduodenectomy
Authors: Kobayashi Shinjiro , Nakahara Kazunari , Umezawa Saori , Ida Keisuke , Tsuchihashi Atsuhito , Koizumi Satoshi , Sato Junya , Tateishi Keisuke , Otsubo Takehito
Published: May 2023

Purpose;
To determine the causes of benign hepaticojejunostomy strictures (BHSs) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and the outcome of endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) treatment for BHSs.
Methods;
A total of 175 patients who underwent PD between January 2013 and December 2020 and who were able to be followed up for at least 1 year were included. The preoperative data, operative outcomes, and postoperative course were compared between the BHS group and the group of patients who did not develop stenosis during follow-up (non-BHS group). The course of treatment in the BHS group was also tabulated.
Results;
Of the patients who underwent anastomosis of the common hepatic duct and jejunum, 13 required invasive treatment due to BHS (7.4%). Multivariate analysis in the BHS and non-BHS groups identified male sex (OR; 3.753, 95% CI; 1.029–18.003, P = 0.0448) and a preoperative bile duct diameter less than 8.8 mm (OR; 7.51, 95% CI; 1.75–52.40, P = 0.0053) as independent risk factors for the development of BHS. In the BHS group, all patients underwent ERC using enteroscopy. The success rate of the ERC approach to the bile duct was 92.3%. Plastic stents were inserted in 6 cases, and metallic stents were inserted in 3 cases. The median observation period since the last ERC was 17.9 months, and there was no recurrence of stenosis in any of the 13 patients.
Conclusions;
Patients with narrow bile ducts are at higher risk of BHS after PD. Recently, BHS after PD has been treated with ERC-related procedures, which may reduce the burden on patients.
Effects of melatonin on reproductive performance, plasma progesterone and malondialdehyde concentrations during breeding season in ewes
Authors: Akbulut Kursat , Kırbaş Mesut , Harman Halil , Yavuz Halil
Published: May 2023

Melatonin, synthesized in the pineal gland, affects the hypothalamus, leading to the release of gonadotropins during the transition period in sheep and goats. Melatonin regulates the production of prolactin in lactotrophic cells and of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone in gonadotropic cells. Melatonin may also provide better reproductive performance through its positive effects on reproduction, such as improving oocyte quality, favoring embryo implantation, reducing oxidative stress, and protecting the offspring by increasing progesterone levels. Melatonin applications in sheep are generally carried out during anoestrus and transition periods. In this study, the effect of exogenous melatonin used with different methods on estrus onset, fertility, plasma progesterone, and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration will be examined during the breeding season in sheep. For this purpose, the ewes were assigned to three groups: Group I (MEL): Subcutaneous administration of 18 mg of melatonin (Regulin, Ceva-Türkiye) Group II (MELPRO): Subcutaneous administration of 18 mg melatonin (Regulin, Ceva-Türkiye) + Intravaginal sponge containing 20 mg of flugestone acetate for 9 days (Choronogest CR- France) + As soon as the sponge is removed, intramuscular PGF2α (250 µg cloprostenol, Senkrodin-Vetaş-Türkiye) Group III (CON): 1 ml of physiological saline was administered subcutaneously for the placebo effect. As a result, in ewes, only exogenous melatonin administration during the natural breeding season causes a short delay in the time to first estrus. Melatonin increases progesterone concentration on day 17 of gestation in the natural breeding season. The positive reproductive effects of melatonin may increase the multiple birth rate and litter size.
Defect Detection and Localization in Operational Amplifiers using Digital Control and Monitor Circuits
Authors: Sekyere Michael , Marampally Saikiran , Chen Degang
Published: May 2023

Operational amplifiers (op amps) are fundamental blocks that find wide application both as stand-alone devices and as crucial building blocks embedded in various Systems on Chips (SoCs). Achieving high defect coverage as well as performing diagnosis and defect localization in these circuits has been proven to be a difficult/expensive task even with sophisticated analog and digital testing circuitry. ISO26262 Standard for functional safety (FuSa) places stringent requirement that an automotive IC must have a very high defect coverage (usually greater than 90%). This reinforce the need to improve the robustness in the design of analog and mixed signal (AMS) circuits to ensure their reliability especially if they are used in mission critical industries. This paper presents a simple defect detection, diagnosis, and localization method for op amps including Widlar current reference and biasing circuitry and can be used both for production and in-field tests for online health monitoring to ensure continued reliability during integrated circuits’ (IC) lifetime. We rigorously validate all our results using extensive transistor-level simulations of two op amps architectures (folded cascode and telescopic) designed in MUSE TSMC 180nm technology. For the folded cascode op amp, the proposed method achieves a worst-case defect coverage of 94.5% and a best-case coverage of 98%. Similarly for the telescopic op amp, the proposed method attains a worst- and best-case defect coverage of 97% and 99% respectively. Furthermore, in this work, we also propose a defect diagnosis and localization strategy using recorded bit streams from states of digital injectors and detectors.
Unmeasurable C-reactive Protein as a Clue in Diagnosis of Severe Hematology Pathologies in Children in Primary Settings
Authors: Piteková Barbora , Zieg Jakub , Konopásek Patrik , Turecký Ladislav , Brenner Marcel , Gécz Jakub
Published: May 2023

Fever is among the most common symptoms which lead parents and their children to the pediatrician. The most common cause of fever in children is acute infection (bacterial or viral). However, sometimes fever can be the manifestation of much more serious diseases. C-reactive protein is a marker widely used in clinical pediatric practice which helps to decide if any antibiotic treatment is needed or not. The authors present 3 case reports of children with fever from the pediatric emergency department, when the result unmeasurable capillary C-reactive protein was one of the clues in the diagnosis of severe hematology pathologies.
Implementing the dual functions of switchable broadband absorption and sensitive sensing in a VO2 based metasurface
Authors: Zhao Songliang , Wang Jingyu , Jiang Huan , Zhang Hui , Zhao Weiren
Published: May 2023

The metadevice with multiple functions in a fixed nanostructure is highly required. In this paper, we numerically achieved the dual functions of switchable broadband absorption and sensitive refractive index (RI) sensing in a fixed fishnet shaped nanostructure by integrating with the phase change material vanadium dioxide (VO2). Exploiting the insulator-to-metal transition of VO2, the absorption strength could be dynamically switched from 0.07 to 0.97 in a broad terahertz (THz) band. Meanwhile, the same structure with metallic VO2 exhibits highly sensitive RI sensing performance. The sensitivity reaches 1.15 THz/RIU, which makes great progress. The proposed metasurface with dual functions will promote the development and applications of THz nanodevices.
A Cognitive Behavioral Survey and Exploration Questionnaire Development.
Authors: Zhao Junyu , Li Hong , Lin Rong , yan yuanjiao , Pan Xiaodong , Xin Jiawei
Published: May 2023

Background Disease perception and attitude seem to play critical roles in the cognitive impairment of individuals and may be significantly affected by healthcare professionals’ guidance in specific health behavioral changes.Objectives This study aimed to develop a questionnaire to investigate and explore the behavioral consciousness and attitudes of participants at risk of dementia during their early stage of cognitive impairment.Methods Based on the Health Belief Model and Theory, after extant literature analysis and specialist interviews, a scale of 42 question items were developed. About 283 cognitively complained MCI adults with no current or past history of dementia from our database were asked to enter this survey in our Geriatric Rehabilitation and Industry Promotion Center.Result 255 responses were obtained during this survey. The modified questionnaire includes four dimensions: susceptibility cognition (8 items), severity cognition (11 items), barrier cognition (7 items), and benefit cognition (9 items), 35 items in total. All of the internal consistency reliability, recalculation reliability, and content validity were higher than 0.89. Also, the correlation coefficient within each dimension shows a powerful relationship score from 0.874 to 0.935.Conclusion Our results supported that the MCIHB-Q has good reliability and validity, which may provide an adequate evaluation of clinical judgment in health care specialists.
The Cancer Nursing workforce in Australia: a national survey exploring determinants of job satisfaction
Authors: Bradford Natalie , Moore Elizabeth , Taylor Karen , Cook Olivia , Gent Lucy , Beane Theresa , Williams Natalie , Alexander Kimberly , Still Jemma , Ward Cameron , McErlean Gemma , Gates Priscilla , Kirk Deborah , Monterosso Leanne , McCarthy Alexandra , Tomkins-Lomic Zerina , Balson Jessica , Directors CNSA Research Standing Committee and Board of
Published: May 2023

Background
To maintain and improve the quality of the cancer nursing workforce, it is crucial to understand the factors that influence retention and job satisfaction. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of cancer nurses in Australia and identify predictors of job satisfaction.
Methods
We analysed data from an anonymous cross-sectional survey distributed through the Cancer Nurses Society Australia membership and social media platforms from October 2021 to February 2022. The survey was compared to national nursing registration data. Data were analysed with non-parametric tests, and a stepwise, linear regression model was developed to best predict job satisfaction.
Results
Responses were received from 930 cancer nurses. Most respondents (85%) described themselves as experienced nurses, and more than half had post-graduate qualifications. There were 89 different titles for advanced practice nursing roles. Managing high workload was a reported challenge by 88%. Intention to leave within 10 years was reported by nearly 60%; this was significantly correlated with job satisfaction and age. Significantly higher scores for job satisfaction were associated with those who had career progression opportunities, career development opportunities, adequate peer support and a clearly defined scope of role. Conversely, job satisfaction scores decreased the more people agreed there was a lack of leadership and they had insufficient resources to provide quality care.
Conclusion
Cancer nurses are critical to the delivery of cancer care however, the workforce is challenged with shortages. This study provides an understanding of the Australian cancer nursing workforce characteristics, their roles and activities, and highlights important considerations for retaining nurses in the profession. We identified individual, organizational, and systemic factors that contribute to job satisfaction and outline strategies to address these. Findings can be used to address and prioritize workforce challenges.
Comprehensive analysis of circRNA expression profiles in p75NTR-knockout ecto- mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Li Yuanyi , Wan Leyu , Shao Zhenghao , Yuan Qing , Zhang Yanyan , Teng Zhisheng , Nie Xin
Published: May 2023

Neural crest-derived ecto-mesenchymal stem cells (EMSCs), as the progenitor cells of odontogenic stem cells, may be the suitable seed cell for regenerative dentistry. p75NTR, as the neural crest stem cell marker, plays a crucial role during the teeth development of EMSCs. Nevertheless, the interaction networks p75NTR connecting with odonto/osteogenic differentiation and mineralization are still poorly studied. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) regulate life processes mainly by performing as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to prevent the process that microRNAs (miRNAs) bind with their target mRNAs. But the roles of p75NTR-related circRNAs in EMSCs are largely unknown. We used circRNA-seq to examine the differentially expressed circRNAs between WT and p75NTR (-/-) EMSCs and three of them were selected for qRT-PCR verification. GO, KEGG and Reactome enrichment analyses showed that differentially expressed circRNAs interact with cell proliferation, locomotory behavior, cell differentiation and are mainly involved in Wnt, JAK/STAT, Hippo and TGF-β signaling pathways. Then, CCK8, transwell assay and ALP staining assay were performed to verify the result of enrichment analyses. Then, the circRNA-miRNA interaction networks were constructed by using bioinformatics analysis. A new circRNA, mmu_circ_0001380 and mmu_circ_0013536 were selected to predict potential target miRNAs. Besides, with TargetScan, we noticed that these three circRNAs may influence the expression of DSPP and RUNX2 and qRT-PCR was performed for verification. Therefore, these three circRNAs are inclined to be vital in developing EMSCs and be novel core molecules for the further understanding of odontogenesis related to p75NTR.
Comparison of 96-kV and 120-kV Cone-Beam CT for the Assessment of Cochlear Implants
Authors: Burck Iris , Yel Ibrahim , Martin Simon , Albrecht Moritz H. , Koch Vitali , Booz Christian , Santos Daniel Pinto dos , Kaltenbach Benjamin , Ackermann Hanns , Helbig Silke , Stöver Timo , Vogl Thomas J. , Scholtz Jan-Erik
Published: May 2023

Background: To compare the diagnostic value of 120-kV with conventional 96-kV Cone-Beam CT (CBCT) of the temporal bone after cochlear implant (CI) surgery.Methods: This retrospective study included CBCT scans after CI surgery between 06/17 and 01/18. CBCT allowed examinations with 96-kV or 120-kV; other parameters were the same. Two radiologists independently evaluated following criteria on 5-point Likert scales: osseous spiral lamina, inner and outer cochlear wall, semi-circular canals, mastoid trabecular structure, overall image quality, metal and motion artefacts, depiction of intracochlear electrode position and visualisation of single electrode contacts. Effective radiation dose was assessed.Results: Seventy-five patients (females, n = 39 [52.0%], mean age, 55.8 ± 16.5 years) were scanned with 96-kV (n = 32, 42.7%) and 120-kV (n = 43, 57.3%) protocols including CI models from three vendors (vendor A n = 7; vendor B n = 43; vendor C n = 25). Overall image quality, depiction of anatomical structures, and electrode position were rated significantly better in 120-kV images compared to 96-kV (all p < = 0.018). Anatomical structures and electrode position were rated significantly better in 120-kV CBCT for CI models from vendor A and C, while 120-kV did not provide improved image quality in CI models from vendor B. Radiation doses were significantly higher for 120-kV scans compared to 96-kV (0.15 vs. 0.08 mSv, p < 0.001).Conclusions: 120-kV and 96-kV CBCT provide good diagnostic images for the postoperative CI evaluation. While 120-kV showed improved depiction of temporal bone and CI electrode position compared to 96-kV in most CI models, the 120-kV protocol should be chosen wisely due to a substantially higher radiation exposure.
A logistic-SBAS method of monitoring and correction for mining surface deformation
Authors: Wang Fengyun , Tao Qiuxiang , Liu Guolin , Chen Yang , Han Yu , Guo Zaijie , Liu Xiaoshuai
Published: May 2023

SBAS InSAR has long been used in the mining surface deformation monitoring, and its research has been widely concerned by researchers worldwide. For the problem of unsatisfactory accuracy of SBAS InSAR-monitored mining surface deformation results, It proposed a new corrected model by integrating SBAS InSAR and logistic function. First, the time series deformation results in mining areas were obtained by SBAS InSAR, and the variation law of differences between SBAS InSAR- and leveling-monitored deformation values were counted. Then, the corrected model was established by the logistic linear regression analysis function, and solved using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. Finally, the corrected high-accuracy time series deformation results in the mining area were obtained. A mining area in Shandong Province of China was taken as the research object and the practical application effect of the proposed corrected model was verified. Results showed that logistic function could relatively accurately describe the variation law of the differences and the corrected results were significantly better than SBAS InSAR-monitored results, and the RMSEs of corrected results improved by 33%-58%. The accuracy of SBAS InSAR-monitored mining surface deformation was effectively improved.