bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The USA and the Ideological Principles of NATO Policy in the Black Sea Region
Authors: Ayvazyan Diana S.
Published: September 2024

The paper examines the role of the United States of America (USA) in shaping the ideological principles of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) policy in the Black Sea region. While NATO's cooperation programs with Black Sea countries and the clash of interests between NATO and Russia in this region have been widely discussed, less attention has been paid to the USA's contribution as NATO's leading member state to the alliance's ideological tenets in regions with high conflict potential. This analysis explores the interplay between the USA's conceptual policy framework towards the Black Sea region and its littoral states, as evaluated in the USA's National Security Strategies of 2015, 2017, and 2022, and the ideological principles of NATO's policy in the Black Sea region. A discourse analysis of official documents from both the USA and NATO is applied. The article focuses on the period since the 2014 change in the legal status of Crimea and Sevastopol, a time marked by increased USA and NATO patrols in the Black Sea and expanded NATO security cooperation with Ukraine and Georgia. The author concludes that there is a direct correlation between the USA's ideological perception of the Black Sea region as part of its European policy and NATO's ideological incorporation of the region into the Euro-Atlantic security sphere. The United States promotes ideological principles supporting the development of democratic institutions in Black Sea countries and freedom of navigation, competing with Russia for the region's transit potential. NATO's adherence to the ideological principle of protecting democratic states and supporting the USA's stance on freedom of navigation furthers the United States' interests in deepening economic, military, and political cooperation with the littoral states while maintaining its leadership role.
УПРАВЛІННЯ ЛОГІСТИЧНОЮ КОМПОНЕНТОЮ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ АВІАЦІЙНОЇ ГАЛУЗІ
Authors: ПАНЧЕНКО Володимир
Published: September 2024

У дослідженні розкривається проблематика концепційних і практичних основ менеджменту в логістичній діяльності підприємств авіаційної галузі. Зокрема, предметом дослідження слугують процеси формування, ефективного використання й розвитку інвестиційно-інноваційного забезпечення функціонування логістичної системи підприємств авіаційної галузі. Аргументовано на актуальності проблематики розвитку логістичної компоненти авіатранспортних підприємств. Вказано на джерела формування та використання інвестиційного забезпечення системи логістики підприємств авіаційної галузі. Досліджено аспекти інноваційного розвитку та технологізації логістичної підсистеми діяльності авіатранспортних підприємств.
Społeczności energetyczne z pakietu dyrektyw "Czysta energia dla wszystkich Europejczyków"
Authors: Długosz Tomasz
Published: September 2024

W artykule omówiono obywatelskie społeczności energetyczne (CEC) i społeczności energetyczne działające w zakresie energii odnawialnej (REC), które regulowane są w prawie UC. Przedstawiono cele regulacji, idee stojące za społecznościami energetycznymi. Omówiono przyjęty model społeczności energetycznej,  który został przyjęty w dyrektywach unijnych, oraz założenia dotyczące ram regulacyjnych, które państwa członkowskie mają wprowadzić. Zwrócono uwagę na zasadę zapewnienia równych szans społecznościom energetycznym na rynkach energii. W artykule wskazano wyzwania stojące przed regulacją społeczności energetycznych w prawie polskim i wywołano problem zmiany polskiego modelu regulacyjnego w zakresie, w jakim ten koncentruje się na regulacji zarobkowych przedsiębiorstw energetycznych.
Początki i znaczenie ogólnej definicji prawa własności w tradycji prawnej zachodu
Authors: Ratowski Emil Andrzej
Published: September 2024

The legal institution of ownership, despite its central place in private law system, saw the first attempt to formulate its definition relatively late - at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. The definition was not needed by the Romans, whose approach to law seemed to be characterized by the far-reaching pragmatism being in stark contrast to the more dogmatic medieval scholars' way of thinking. The first attempts to formulate a comprehensive, positive definition of ownership can be attributed to glossators and conciliators. Their achievements were creatively developed by scholars from the school of legal humanism and the law of nature, but were rejected as inconsistent with Roman law by the pandectists, who promoted negative definition of property. Nowadays, for instance in the Polish Civil Code, a partial return to a positive definition of ownership can be observed.
Ograniczenia jawności postępowania w sprawach cywilnych w dobie pandemii ? potrzeba chwili czy trwałe rozwiązanie?
Authors: Zembrzuski Tadeusz
Published: September 2024

Pandemia koronawirusa, wprowadzanie tzw. lockdownu i daleko idących ograniczeń społecznych dały asumpt do podjęcia działań ustawowych z jednej strony ułatwiających i propagujących przeprowadzanie rozpraw online, z drugiej jednak dezawuujących rolę i rangę zasady jawności na rzecz realizacji postulatu szybkości i sprawności postępowania. Zasada jawności postępowania formalnie zagwarantowana w art. 45 Konstytucji RP oraz potwierdzona w przepisach ustrojowych staje się, na skutek coraz liczniejszych odstępstw wprowadzanych do przepisów procesowych, zasadą pozorną. Kontestowanie wprowadzanych rozwiązań jest jednak trudne w świetle argumentu, że mechanizmy te mają mieć charakter tymczasowy, a ustawodawca kieruje się potrzebą ochrony konstytucyjnych wartości w postaci bezpieczeństwa, porządku i zdrowia publicznego. Dążenie do usprawniania przebiegu postępowań sądowych i zapewnienia operatywności instytucji procesowych wielokrotnie wiąże się z potrzebą oraz koniecznością ważenia wartości i pryncypiów. Od legislatora nie należy żądać utrzymywania sztywnych i niezmiennych zasad w ich czystej formie, lecz powinno się oczekiwać dbałości o to, żeby wprowadzane instytucje nie zaprzeczały fundamentalnym regułom obowiązującym w danej dziedzinie prawa.
Wpływ ogłoszenia upadłości konsumenckiej na toczące się postępowanie sądowe - stan prawny po nowelizacji
Authors: Wrzaszcz Paweł
Published: September 2024

Autor porusza kwestię wpływu postępowania upadłościowego na toczące się postępowania sądowe, zwracając uwagę, że pomimo wielu zmian w prawie w tym zakresie, nadal nie ma regulacji prawnej, która w praktyce nie budziłaby wątpliwości. Rozważa kwestię prowadzenia postępowania sądowego w sytuacji ogłoszenia upadłości pozwanego konsumenta, w szczególności biorąc pod uwagę nowe regulacje prawne obowiązujące od marca 2020 roku. Wskazuje, w jakim zakresie nowy model konsumenta upadłość wpływa na toczące się postępowania i czy nowe przepisy gwarantują, że nie doprowadzą one do ?dublowania? tytułów egzekucyjnych, tj. wyroku sądu i wyciągu z listy wierzytelności upadłości zatwierdzonej przez sędzia - komisarz. Na koniec stawia tezę, że ustawodawca nie wspiera sądów skutecznym narzędziem, jakim powinien być elektroniczny rejestr upadłości, zapewniający sądom szybki dostęp do informacji o toczącym się postępowaniu upadłościowym, a co za tym idzie gwarantowałby sprawny przebieg postępowania sądowego.
Grzesznicy czy obywatele? Sądowe zwolnienia religijne od powszechnie obowiązującego prawa w Stanach Zjednoczonych Ameryki: Sądowe zwolnienia religijne od powszechnie obowiązującego prawa w Stanach Zjednoczonych Ameryki
Authors: Kubas Sebastian
Published: September 2024

Judicial religious exemptions from general laws have become increasingly controversial in the U.S. This article examines changing understandings of religious exemptions in the Supreme Court's jurisprudence. Part one discusses the unclear text of religion clauses of the First Amendment whilst part two focuses on doctrinal tensions and contradictions in the Court's opinions, which show the inability to create a robust regime of religious exemptions. Part three follows the Court's rulings on COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and reveals that replacing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Justice Amy Coney Barrett changed the meaning of the Free Exercise Clause. As Part four emphasizes, the American legal system was able to embrace religious exemptions, albeit in a highly limited scope, without courting anarchy. However, the recent trend of grounding religious exemption claims on the third party's sinful behavior, especially in commercial settings, may prove a challenge to a religiously diverse society.
Strona postępowania w procedurze ustalania opłat za usługi wodne
Authors: Sobota Marcin
Published: September 2024

Subject of this paper refers to applying provisions of the Administrative Procedure Code of 14th June 1960 (hereinafter referred to as: A.P.C.) within one of the stages related to determining charges for water services defined in the Water Law Act of 20th July 2017 (hereinafter referred to as: W.L.A.). Author analyses situation in which obliged entity - after the receipt of information determining the amount of charge for water services - upon the lapse of 14 days time limit - has not made the payment and has not submitted complaint. Provisions of the W.L.A. state that in the aforementioned case authority of the National Water Holding 'Polish Waters' issues administrative decision determining the amount of charge. Moreover, the aforementioned procedure requires applying provisions of the A.P.C. Amendments related to provisions of the W.L.A. constitute a trigger for further, detailed analysis.
Problematyka terminów w wyborach Prezydenta RP zarządzonych postanowieniem Marszałka Sejmu z 3 czerwca 2020 r.
Authors: Pyrzyńska Agata
Published: September 2024

The aim of this study is to evaluate the solutions regarding the shape of the election calendar in the elections of the President of the Republic of Poland ordered by the decision of the Marshal of the Sejm of 3 June 2020. First, the study analyzes the legal nature of the decision of the Marshal of the Sejm and the special powers granted to this body under the episodic act of 2 June 2020 on the special rules for the organization of general elections for the President of the Republic of Poland ordered in 2020 with the possibility of voting by post. In this regard, the Marshal's right to set deadlines ignoring the regulations of the Electoral Code and the possibility of modifying the terms specified in the election calendar in connection with the epidemic situation were assessed. In the second part of the paper, the system of election terms resulting from the election calendar was analyzed in order to verify whether the adopted solutions favored the exercise of subjective election rights in the elections of the President in 2020. The research was based on the formal and dogmatic method.
Zasada neminem laedere a ochrona dóbr osobistych osoby fizycznej
Authors: Borysiak Witold
Published: September 2024

Polish and foreign case-law as well as legal doctrine sometimes present the opinion that in the law of torts a universally binding duty exists not to cause harm to others (the neminem laedere principle). Its breach is supposed to determine the wrongfulness of the tortfeasor's behaviour. The purpose of the article is to analyse whether this principle may be applicable to the protection of personality rights. Due to different ways of understanding in jurisprudence what this principle consists of, the potential application of two concepts was considered. Firstly, if in the legal system there is a general norm of behaviour prohibiting the infringement of another individual's personality rights. Secondly, if there is a general norm of behaviour not to cause others non-pecuniary damage (including immaterial harm - pain and suffering). The neminem laedere principle is not a general principle of Polish law and is also not applicable to the protection of personality rights. This principle can be regarded only as a moral imperative and a postulate for the harmonious coexistence of individuals in society rather than a legal duty.
Glosa do uchwały Sądu Najwyższego z 20 kwietnia 2023 r., III CZP 122/22
Authors: Zawadzka Julita
Published: September 2024

In its resolution of 20 April 2023, the Polish Supreme Court for the first time unequivocally ruled on the scope of the State Treasury"s succession in the case of entities struck off the National Court Register (NCR). The Supreme Court correctly determined that the State Treasury is the general legal successor of entities struck off the NCR and that this succession includes not only its assumption of the rights but also of the obligations of those entities, with the State Treasury"s liability for the liabilities acquired after the legal predecessor being limited to the property acquired after that predecessor. This, in turn, led the Supreme Court to the final (equally well-founded) conclusion that a creditor of an entity struck off the NCR who asserts his claim against the new debtor, i.e. the State Treasury, is not required to prove the acquisition by the State Treasury of the property of the entity struck off the NCR resulting in the State Treasury"s liability for the acquired liabilities because the determination of the property from which the creditor may obtain satisfaction occurs at the stage of enforcement proceedings.
Effects of Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Bilingual Logopenic Primary Progressive Aphasia
Authors: Coemans Silke , De Aguiar Vânia , Paquier Philippe , Tsapkini Kyrana , Engelborghs Sebastiaan , Struys Esli , Keulen Stefanie
Published: September 2024

Background:

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a language-based dementia, causing progressive decline of language functions. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can augment effects of speech-and language therapy (SLT). However, this has not been investigated in bilingual patients with PPA.

Objective:

We evaluated the case of Mr. G., a French (native language, L1)/Dutch (second language, L2)-speaking 59-year-old male, with logopenic PPA, associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology. We aimed to characterize his patterns of language decline and evaluate the effects of tDCS applied to the right posterolateral cerebellum on his language abilities and executive control circuits.

Methods:

In a within-subject controlled design, Mr. G received 9 sessions of sham and anodal tDCS combined with semantic and phonological SLT in L2. Changes were evaluated with an oral naming task in L2, the Boston Naming Task and subtests of the Bilingual Aphasia Test in in L2 and L1, the Stroop Test and Attention Network Test, before and after each phase of stimulation (sham/tDCS) and at 2-month follow-up.

Results:

After anodal tDCS, but not after sham, results improved significantly on oral naming in L2, with generalization to untrained tasks and cross-language transfer (CLT) to L1: picture naming in both languages, syntactic comprehension and repetition in L2, and response times in the incongruent condition of the Attention Network Test, indicating increased inhibitory control.

Conclusions:

Our preliminary results are the first to indicate that tDCS applied to the cerebellum may be a valuable tool to enhance the effects of SLT in bilingual patients with logopenic PPA.
Vitamin D receptor polymorphisms associate with the efficacy and toxicity of radioiodine-131 therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer
Authors: Deng Yuanhong , Fu Ying , Feng Ganghua , Zhang Yi
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND:

Radioiodine-131 (I-131) therapy is the common postoperative adjuvant therapy for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) However, methods to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of I-131 on DTC are still lacking.

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the association between vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms and the efficacy and toxicity of I-131 in DTC patients.

METHODS:

A total of 256 DTC patients who received I-131 therapy were enrolled. The patients were divided into effective group and ineffective group. 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs7975232, rs731236, rs1544410 and rs10735810) of VDR were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry were used to detect the proliferation and apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells.

RESULTS:

Patients in effective group had more CC genotype of rs7975232 and GG genotype of rs10735810 compared with patients in ineffective group They were also independent factors for influencing the efficacy of I-131. PTC-1 and FTC-133 cells transfected with CC genotype of rs7975232 showed lower proliferative activity and higher apoptosis rate after being treated with I-131 In addition, patients with CC genotype at rs7975232 had fewer adverse reactions after I-131 treatment.

CONCLUSIONS:

VDR gene polymorphisms may be associated with the efficacy and toxicity of I-131 in DTC patients, which will help to personalize the treatment for patients.
On the computational completeness of several descriptional complexity restrictions of semi-conditional grammars
Authors: Fernau Henning , Kuppusamy Lakshmanan , Oladele Rufus O.
Published: September 2024

A semi-conditional grammar, introduced by Gheorghe Păun, is a form of regulated rewriting system where each rule consists of a context-free core rule A → w along with two strings w + , w − . The rule is applicable if w + (the positive condition) occurs as a substring of the current sentential form, but w − (the negative condition) does not. The maximum lengths i, j of the positive or negative conditional strings, respectively, give a natural measure of descriptional complexity, known as the degree of such grammars. Employing several normal form results on phrase-structure grammars as derived in particular by Viliam Geffert, we improve on previously obtained results by reducing the number of nonterminals of semi-conditional grammars of a given degree ( i , j ) while maintaining computational completeness of the said mechanisms.
Investigation of transmission line operation condition monitoring method based on firefly algorithm
Authors: Zhao Mingguan , Li Meng , Dong Xinsheng , Yang Yang , Wang Hongxia , Ni Yunlong
Published: September 2024

With the explosive growth of electricity consumption, the demand for electricity by electricity users is increasing. As a core component of power supply, the safe and stable operation of transmission lines plays an important role in the normal operation of the entire power system. However, traditional monitoring methods for transmission line operation status face challenges such as limited accuracy, lack of real-time feedback, and high operational costs. In this paper, the Firefly algorithm is used to monitor the running status of transmission lines. Through synchronous testing with the traditional particle swarm optimization algorithm, it is found that the average accuracy of the Firefly algorithm in voltage and current measurement is improved to 93.13% and 93.66% respectively, which is better than the traditional algorithm. Firefly algorithm shows high precision in various power equipment monitoring, the average monitoring accuracy is 95.62% and 93.06%, respectively, which proves that it has stronger performance in transmission line monitoring and can achieve more stringent monitoring requirements. Through the comparison experiment of the algorithm, it proved that the Firefly algorithm had a strong performance in the transmission line operation status monitoring, and could more accurately identify the transmission line fault, which provided a new idea and new method for the safe operation status monitoring of transmission lines.
An intelligent hybrid model for cyber attack classification with selected feature set
Authors: Geetha G. , Rajagopal Manjula , Purnachand K.
Published: September 2024

Cyber security evolving as a severe problem almost in all sectors of cyberspace, due to the time-to-time increase in the number of security breaches. Numerous Zero-days attacks occur continuously, due to the increase in multiple protocols. Almost all of these attacks are small variants of previously known cyber attacks. Moreover, even the advanced approach like Machine Learning (ML), faces the difficulty in identifying those attack’s small mutants over time. Recently, Deep Learning (DL) has been utilized for multiple applications related to cybersecurity fields. Making use of this DL to identify the cyber attack might be a resilient mechanism for novel attacks or tiny mutations. Thereby, a novel cyber attack classification model named DCNN-Bi-LSTM-ICS is proposed in this work. This proposed DCNN-Bi-LSTM-ICS has five working stages. Firstly, in the data acquisition stage, the input data (considering the datasets) for attack classification has been collected. These raw data are pre-processed in the second stage, where an improved class imbalance balancing processing is conducted which makes use of the Improved Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (ISMOTE). In the third stage, along with the conventional mutual information and statistical features, Improved holo-entropy-based features are extracted. To choose the appropriate feature from those retrieved features, an Improved Chi-Square (ICS) processing is developed in the fourth stage. In the final classification stage, a hybrid classification model that combines both the Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) and Bi-directional Long Short Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) has been developed. The outcomes show that the proposed DCNN-Bi-LSTM-ICS can offer outstanding performance in the cyber attack classification task.
Application of high performance computing and deep neural network learning in intelligent city mechanical product recommendation
Authors: Zhang Zijian
Published: September 2024

Intelligent city is a product of the deep integration of information technology, industrialization and urbanization, which has a large number of intelligent mechanical products. The users widely evaluate their application characteristics, and the selection of mechanical products based on user evaluation has become a trend. Nowadays, personalized mechanical product recommendation based on user evaluation is more and more widely used. However, due to the sparse evaluation data, the recommendation accuracy needs to be improved. In this paper, the principle of matrix decomposition is deeply analyzed in order to provide useful ideas for solving this problem. The bias weight hybrid recommendation model of user preference and rating object characteristics is proposed, and the corresponding hybrid recommendation algorithm is designed. First, estimated data obtained using the matrix decomposition principle is supplemented to the sparse data matrix. Secondly, according to the characteristics of users and ratings, initial positions were set based on the statistical distribution of high-performance computing data, and bias weights were set by incorporating each feature. Finally, the nonlinear learning ability of deep neural network learning is used to enhance the classification effectiveness. Practice has proved that the constructed model is reasonable, the designed algorithm converges fast, the recommendation accuracy is improved by about 10%, and the model better alleviates the problem of sparse scoring data. The practical application is simple and convenient, and has good application value.
ResneXt-Lenet: A hybrid deep learning for epileptic seizure prediction
Authors: Borhade Ratnaprabha Ravindra , Barekar Sheetal Sachin , Ohatkar Sharada N. , Mathurkar Piyush K. , Borhade Ravindra Honaji , Bangare Pushpa Manoj
Published: September 2024

Encephalopathy is the result of epilepsy, which is defined as recurring seizures. Around the world, almost 65 million people suffer with epilepsy. Because an epileptic seizure involves a crucial clinical element and a clear contradiction with everyday activities, it can be difficult to predict it. The electroencephalogram (EEG) has been the established signal for clinical evaluation of brain activities. So far, several methodologies for the detection of epileptic seizures have been proposed but have not been effective. To bridge this gap, a powerful model for epileptic seizure prediction using ResneXt-LeNet is proposed. Here, a Kalman filter is used to preprocess the EEG signal to reduce noise levels in the signal. Then, feature extraction is performed to extract features, such as statistical and spectral. Feature selection is done using Fuzzy information gain that suggests appropriate choices for future processing, and finally, seizure prediction is done using hybrid ResneXt-LeNet, which is a combination of ResneXt and Lenet. The proposed ResneXt-LeNet achieved excellent performance with a maximum accuracy of 98.14%, a maximum sensitivity of 98.10%, and a specificity of 98.56%.
Designing the First Trials for Parkinson’s Prevention
Authors: Crotty Grace F. , Ayer Samuel J. , Schwarzschild Michael A.
Published: September 2024

For decades the greatest goal of Parkinson’s disease (PD) research has often been distilled to the discovery of treatments that prevent the disease or its progression. However, until recently only the latter has been realistically pursued through randomized clinical trials of candidate disease-modifying therapy (DMT) conducted on individuals after they received traditional clinical diagnosis of PD (i.e., tertiary prevention trials). Now, in light of major advances in our understanding of the prodromal stages of PD, as well as its genetics and biomarkers, the first secondary prevention trials for PD are beginning. In this review, we take stock of DMT trials to date, summarize the breakthroughs that allow the identification of cohorts at high risk of developing a traditional diagnosis of PD, and describe key design elements of secondary prevention trials and how they depend on the prodromal stage being targeted. These elements address whom to enroll, what interventions to test, and how to measure secondary prevention (i.e., slowed progression during the prodromal stages of PD). Although these design strategies, along with the biological definition, subtype classification, and staging of the disease are evolving, all are driven by continued progress in the underlying science and integrated by a broad motivated community of stakeholders. While considerable methodological challenges remain, opportunities to move clinical trials of DMT to earlier points in the disease process than ever before have begun to unfold, and the prospects for PD prevention are nowtangible.
Entropy parameter optimization for epileptic seizure detection: A parallel approach
Authors: H Anila Glory , V S Shankar Sriram
Published: September 2024

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) – one of the recent advancements in the field of Bioinformatics which offers a real-time support for the people, who are affected by chronic neurological disorders. Owing to the rapid progression of Electroencephalogram (EEG) – based BCI system, the detection of epileptic seizures has become much simpler. However, accurate detection through visual inspection is tedious, time-consuming and prone to error. Thus, automation has become inevitable and for automating the epileptic seizure detection, entropies are appropriate as the nature of EEG signals are complex, arrhythmic, ephemeral, and non-stationary. Several renowned entropies are widely applied, nevertheless, the existing models fail to identify the optimal parameters of the entropies which greatly influences the performance of the Machine Learning models that could make better predictions. Hence to address the aforementioned issue, this paper presents a parallel machine learning based farmland fertility algorithm which optimizes the parameters of various entropies thereby detecting Epileptic Seizures in a systematic way. A novel weighted fitness function has been designed based on Kullback-Leibler Divergence (KLD). The extracted features are further classified using state-of-the-art classifiers. The overall performance of the proposed algorithm was evaluated using the EEG dataset obtained from University of Bonn, Germany, University of Bern and Indian EEG, New Delhi and the results show the supremacy of the proposed model in terms of sensitivity, specificity, precision, F1-score, G-mean and classification accuracy.
Genetic association study of preterm birth and gestational age in a population-based case-control study in Peru
Authors: Juvinao-Quintero D.L. , Sanchez S.E. , Workalemahu T. , Pinto N. , Liang L. , Williams M.A. , Gelaye B.
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth (PTB) affects ∼15 million pregnancies worldwide. Genetic studies have identified several candidate loci for PTB, but results remain inconclusive and limited to European populations. Thus, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of PTB and gestational age at delivery (GA) among 2,212 Peruvian women. METHODS: PTB cases delivered≥20 weeks’ but < 37 weeks’ gestation, while controls delivered at term (≥37 weeks but <42 weeks). Multivariable regressions were used to identify genetic markers for PTB and GA (∼6 million SNPs), adjusting for maternal age and the first two genetic principal components. In silico functional analysis was conducted among top signals detected with an arbitrary P < 1.0×10–5 . We sought to replicate genetic markers for PTB and GA identified in Europeans, and we developed a genetic risk score for GA based on European markers. RESULTS: Mean GA was 30 ± 4 weeks in PTB cases (N = 933) and 39 ± 1 in the controls (N = 1,279). No associatiosn were identified at genome-wide level. Nominal PTB variants were enriched for biological pathways associated with polyketide, progesterone, steroid hormones, and glycosyl metabolism. Nominal GA variants were enriched in intronic regions and cancer pathways. Variants in WNT4 associated with GA in Europeans were replicated in our study. A genetic risk score was associated with a 2-day longer GA (P = 0.002) in our sample. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified various signals suggestively associated with PTB and GA in pregnant Peruvian women. None of these variants overlapped with signals previously identified in Europeans.
Impact of central vision loss on oculomotor skills required for reading: An eye-tracking study
Authors: González-Vides L. , Gómez-Pedrero J.A. , Cañadas P. , Hernández-Verdejo J.L.
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND

A better understanding of the relationship between eye movements required for reading and central visual field loss may facilitate the design of more effective personalized visual rehabilitation programs to improve access to information and quality of life.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the impact of central vision loss due to maculopathy on the oculomotor skills required for reading and tasks of varying complexity, eye-tracking technology was used.

METHODS

Case-control study. Participants were 17 cases (61.7 years (SD [Formula: see text] 8.8), 12 females and 5 males) and 17 controls, matched for age and sex. Three computer-based tests were administered, analyzing eye fixations, saccadic movements, and visual search, measured with a 60 Hz eye-tracking device.

RESULTS

Central vision loss due to maculopathy increases the number of fixations and saccadic movements, indicating more instability in and out of the region of interest. Visual search required more fixations (16.2 [Formula: see text] 10.2 vs. 6.7 [Formula: see text] 1.9), more saccades (11.7 [Formula: see text] 6.4 vs. 3.3 [Formula: see text] 1.9), longer latency (701.3 [Formula: see text] 191.4 ms vs. 315.9 [Formula: see text] 56.0 ms), and longer time to find the target (113.1 [Formula: see text] 76.6 s vs. 18.5 [Formula: see text] 10.1 s). All comparisons between the two groups showed a statistically significant difference ([Formula: see text] 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The results revealed the significant impact of central vision loss due to maculopathy on reading by increasing patterns of eye fixations, saccadic movements, and visual search strategies, as measured by eye-tracking technology. This technology may have high potential to improve the assessment and rehabilitation of people with maculopathy, and this may become key information for designing personalized interventions to improve the quality of life and autonomy of individuals with central vision loss.
Empowering accessibility: The dynamics of assistive technology acquisition
Authors: Eshleman Julie , Moon Nathan , Harris Frances , Linden Maureen
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND

While it has been broadly agreed that there is a need for consolidated information about assistive technology, previous attempts have not been sufficient for detailed consumer demands.

OBJECTIVE

Researchers sought consumer feedback to determine what should be included in a comprehensive, accessible database of AT.

METHODS

We conducted focus groups with different stakeholder groups (people with diverse disabilities, practitioners, and circles of support). We used a framework analysis to map participant responses to the research questions using focus group transcripts and notes.

RESULTS

AT users are looking for quick access to certain information such as the cost versus benefit, reliability, funding, and compatibility. They expect to find this in a variety of formats (video, audio, text) with a collaborative element (reviews and recommendations) from other users.

CONCLUSIONS

In an AT product database, users want the option to search by activity rather than only disability category, as disability can fluctuate. Accessibility of the database is key, with people preferring modifiable and flexible formats for both adding and consuming information. A community of practice will foster the connections people require to confirm their decisions prior to purchase.
Experimental study of magnetic hydrogel assisted magnetic anchorguided endoscopic submucosal dissection in colonic tumors
Authors: Cui Lin , Zhang Xueyan , Wen Yingying , Li Cuihua , Zhang Jianyun , Cui XiWei , Sun Hao , Chang Liu
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a well-established treatment for gastrointestinal tumors and enables en bloc resection. Adequate counter traction with good visualization is important for safe and effective dissection. OBJECTIVE: Based on magnetic anchor-guided endoscopic submucosal dissection (MAG-ESD), we would like to explore the feasibility of magnetic hydrogel as an internal magnetic anchor that can be injected into the submucosa through an endoscopic needle to assist colonic endoscopic submucosal dissection. METHODS: This prospective trial was conducted on 20 porcine colons ex vivo. We injected magnetic hydrogel into submucosa of the porcine colons ex vivo for MAG-ESD to evaluate the traction effect and operation satisfaction. RESULTS: Magnetic hydrogel assisted ESD was successfully performed on 20 porcine colons ex vivo. Adequate counter traction with good visualization was successfully obtained during the procedure of dissection. CONCLUSION: Magnetic hydrogel assisted MAG-ESD is feasible and effective.
Do dynamic changes in haematological and biochemical parameters predict mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients?
Authors: Jandric Milka , Zlojutro Biljana , Momcicevic Danica , Dragic Sasa , Kovacevic Tijana , Djajic Vlado , Stojiljkovic Milos P. , Loncar-Stojiljkovic Dragana , Skrbic Ranko , Djuric Dragan M. , Kovacevic Pedja
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND:

Critically ill COVID-19 patients are usually subjected to clinical, laboratory, and radiological diagnostic procedures resulting in numerous findings. Utilizing these findings as indicators for disease progression or outcome prediction is particularly intriguing.

OBJECTIVES:

Exploring the significance of dynamic changes in haematological and biochemical parameters in predicting the mortality of critically ill COVID-19 patients.

METHODS:

The present study was a prospective and observational study involving mechanically ventilated 75 critically ill adult COVID-19 patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure. The collected data included baseline patient characteristics, treatment options, outcome, and laboratory findings at admission and 7 days after. The dynamics of the obtained findings were compared between survivors and non-survivors.

RESULTS:

The 28-day survival rate was 61.3%. In the group of non-survivors significant dynamic changes were found for C-reactive protein ([Formula: see text] 0.001), interleukin-6 ([Formula: see text] 0.001), lymphocyte ([Formula: see text] 0.003), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio ([Formula: see text] 0.003), platelets ([Formula: see text] 0.001), haemoglobin ([Formula: see text] 0.001), iron ([Formula: see text] 0.012), and total iron-binding capacity ([Formula: see text] 0.001). Statistically significant changes over time were found for ferritin ([Formula: see text] 0.010), D-dimer ([Formula: see text] 0.001), hs-troponin T ([Formula: see text] 0.002), lactate dehydrogenase ([Formula: see text] 0.001), glucose ([Formula: see text] 0.023), unsaturated iron-binding capacity ([Formula: see text] 0.008), and vitamin D ([Formula: see text] 0.001).

CONCLUSION:

The dynamic changes in inflammatory, haematological and biochemical parameters can predict disease severity, and outcome.
Periodontitis diagnosis: A review of current and future trends in artificial intelligence
Authors: Jundaeng Jarupat , Chamchong Rapeeporn , Nithikathkul Choosak
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND:

Artificial intelligence (AI) acts as the state-of-the-art in periodontitis diagnosis in dentistry. Current diagnostic challenges include errors due to a lack of experienced dentists, limited time for radiograph analysis, and mandatory reporting, impacting care quality, cost, and efficiency.

OBJECTIVE:

This review aims to evaluate the current and future trends in AI for diagnosing periodontitis.

METHODS:

A thorough literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. We searched databases including PubMed, Scopus, Wiley Online Library, and ScienceDirect for studies published between January 2018 and December 2023. Keywords used in the search included “artificial intelligence,” “panoramic radiograph,” “periodontitis,” “periodontal disease,” and “diagnosis.”

RESULTS:

The review included 12 studies from an initial 211 records. These studies used advanced models, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs), demonstrating accuracy rates for periodontal bone loss detection ranging from 0.76 to 0.98. Methodologies included deep learning hybrid methods, automated identification systems, and machine learning classifiers, enhancing diagnostic precision and efficiency.

CONCLUSIONS:

Integrating AI innovations in periodontitis diagnosis enhances diagnostic accuracy and efficiency, providing a robust alternative to conventional methods. These technologies offer quicker, less labor-intensive, and more precise alternatives to classical approaches. Future research should focus on improving AI model reliability and generalizability to ensure widespread clinical adoption.
Value of perfusion characteristics evaluated by CEUS combined with STQ parameters in diagnosing the properties of SLN in breast cancer
Authors: Tang Yizhi , Chen Peng , Tang Tian , Luo Zhihui , Wang Xuelian , Ma Xinxin , Jin Lijia
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND:

Accurate sentinel lymph node (SLN) characterization is essential for breast cancer management, prompting advancements in imaging technologies such as contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and sound touch quantification (STQ) to enhance diagnostic precision.

OBJECTIVE:

To explore the value of perfusion characteristics evaluated by CEUS combined with STQ parameters in diagnosing the properties of sentinel lymph node (SLN) in breast cancer.

METHODS:

A total of 91 breast cancer patients (91 SLNs) admitted to the hospital from February 2022 to December 2023 were selected for this study. Among them, 26 patients with metastatic SLN confirmed by surgery and pathology were included in the metastatic SLN group, and 65 patients with non-metastatic SLN were included in the non-metastatic SLN group. Preoperative examination results of CEUS and STQ were retrospectively analyzed. The diagnostic efficacy of perfusion characteristics evaluated by CEUS and STQ parameters for the properties of SLN in breast cancer was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Statistical methods such as chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis were employed to analyze the data.

RESULTS:

Enhancement patterns differed significantly between the metastatic SLN and non-metastatic SLN groups ([Formula: see text] 0.05). ROC curve analysis indicated that CEUS perfusion characteristics had an AUC value of 0.823 for diagnosing SLN properties, with a sensitivity of 84.62% and specificity of 70.77% using type I as the critical value. Additionally, STQ measurement showed significantly higher values in the metastatic SLN group (44.18 [Formula: see text] 6.53 kPa) compared to the non-metastatic SLN group (34.69 [Formula: see text] 6.81 kPa) ([Formula: see text] 6.075, [Formula: see text] 0.001). The AUC value for STQ parameters in diagnosing metastatic SLN was 0.849, with a sensitivity of 73.08% and specificity of 92.31% using 42.40 kPa as the critical value. Though the AUC value of STQ measurement was higher than CEUS perfusion characteristics alone, the difference was not statistically significant ([Formula: see text] 0.393, [Formula: see text] 0.695). Moreover, combining CEUS perfusion characteristics with STQ parameters yielded an AUC value of 0.815 for diagnosing SLN properties, showing no significant difference compared to diagnosis with CEUS or STQ parameters alone ([Formula: see text] 0.149, 0.516, [Formula: see text] 0.882, 0.606).

CONCLUSION:

Combined use of perfusion characteristics evaluated by CEUS and STQ parameters can significantly improve the diagnostic specificity of SLN in breast cancer. It is worthy of clinical promotion.
Harnessing the wisdom of a radiologist: Texture-aware curriculum self-supervised learning for thorax disease classification
Authors: Peng Ningkang , Guo Shengjie , Yuan Shuai , Kitsuregawa Masaru , Gu Yanhui
Published: September 2024

With the rapid advancement of deep learning technologies, self-supervised learning utilizing large-scale unlabeled datasets has emerged as a dominant learning paradigm across multiple fields. This paradigm aligns well with the nature of medical imaging data, which has led to significant research efforts in applying self-supervised learning methods to this domain. However, many of these approaches fail to fully consider the unique characteristics of medical imaging, particularly the critical role that texture information plays in the diagnosis of thorax diseases. To address this gap, we propose a novel texture-aware self-supervised learning framework that leverages the Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) as an auxiliary signal to strengthen the model’s capacity to extract disease-relevant texture features. Additionally, we integrate curriculum learning into our approach, which gradually emphasizes texture information throughout the training process. This method enables the model to more effectively capture the inherent characteristics of medical imaging data. Our qualitative and quantitative experimental results show that our approach surpasses the current state-of-the-art methods on both the NIH CXR and Stanford CheXpert datasets.
Adaptive prior image constrained total generalized variation for low-dose dynamic cerebral perfusion CT reconstruction
Authors: Niu Shanzhou , Li Shuo , Huang Shuyan , Liang Lijing , Tang Sizhou , Wang Tinghua , Yu Gaohang , Niu Tianye , Wang Jing , Ma Jianhua
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND: Dynamic cerebral perfusion CT (DCPCT) can provide valuable insight into cerebral hemodynamics by visualizing changes in blood within the brain. However, the associated high radiation dose of the standard DCPCT scanning protocol has been a great concern for the patient and radiation physics. Minimizing the x-ray exposure to patients has been a major effort in the DCPCT examination. A simple and cost-effective approach to achieve low-dose DCPCT imaging is to lower the x-ray tube current in data acquisition. However, the image quality of low-dose DCPCT will be degraded because of the excessive quantum noise. OBJECTIVE: To obtain high-quality DCPCT images, we present a statistical iterative reconstruction (SIR) algorithm based on penalized weighted least squares (PWLS) using adaptive prior image constrained total generalized variation (APICTGV) regularization (PWLS-APICTGV). METHODS: APICTGV regularization uses the precontrast scanned high-quality CT image as an adaptive structural prior for low-dose PWLS reconstruction. Thus, the image quality of low-dose DCPCT is improved while essential features of targe image are well preserved. An alternating optimization algorithm is developed to solve the cost function of the PWLS-APICTGV reconstruction. RESULTS: PWLS-APICTGV algorithm was evaluated using a digital brain perfusion phantom and patient data. Compared to other competing algorithms, the PWLS-APICTGV algorithm shows better noise reduction and structural details preservation. Furthermore, the PWLS-APICTGV algorithm can generate more accurate cerebral blood flow (CBF) map than that of other reconstruction methods. CONCLUSIONS: PWLS-APICTGV algorithm can significantly suppress noise while preserving the important features of the reconstructed DCPCT image, thus achieving a great improvement in low-dose DCPCT imaging.
Are Cartoon Movies Necessary for Junior High School Students to Learn Arabic Language?
Authors: Az Zaky Yazid Abid , Fahmi Ari Khairurrijal
Published: September 2024

In the current digital era, educational methodologies are evolving at an unprecedented pace, making it crucial to explore innovative teaching tools. Cartoons, with their engaging and interactive nature, present a compelling medium for Arabic language learning, particularly for young children. This research aims to describe the need for Arabic language education development by exploring learning media using cartoons. The method utilized in this study is systematic literature review, employing meta-synthesis procedures. The research findings indicate that the use of cartoons in Arabic language learning in the digital era positively impacts student engagement and understanding of learning materials. Overall, this study underscores the significance of integrating cartoons into Arabic language education to cater to the needs of elementary school children in today's digital age.