bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Magnitude and reasons of surgery cancellation among elective surgical cases in Wolaita Sodo University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Southern Ethiopia, 2021
Authors: Feleke Mulualem Gete , Chichiabellu Tesfaye Yitna , Ayalew Tadele Lankrew
Published: August 2022

Background

Cancellations of cases are common; most of those cancellations are due to avoidable causes. It is a major cause of psychological trauma for patients and their families. Although little is known in Ethiopia, the aim of this study is aimed to assess the prevalence and the cause of elective surgery cancellation.

Methods

A cross-sectional prospective study design was conducted on 326 patients scheduled for elective surgery from October 1 to December 1st. All consecutive elective surgical cases scheduled during the study period were included in the study. Data were collected using a prepared and pretested questionnaire and entered into SPSS version 23 for analysis. The result of the study was reported in the form of text, tables, and graphs.

Result

During the study, 326 patients were scheduled for elective surgery, among those, 83(25.6%) of surgery was canceled. Patient-related (31.32%) and administrative-related (26.5%) factors were the two most causes of cancellation.

Conclusion

Patient-related and administrative-related factors were the leading causes of cancellation of elective surgical operations in our hospital. Concerned bodies should bring a sustainable change and improvement to prevent unnecessary cancellations and enhance cost-effectiveness through communications, careful planning and efficient utilization of the available hospital resources.
Mammography screening is associated with more favourable breast cancer tumour characteristics and better overall survival: case-only analysis of 3739 Asian breast cancer patients
Authors: Lim Zi Lin , Ho Peh Joo , Khng Alexis Jiaying , Yeoh Yen Shing , Ong Amanda Tse Woon , Tan Benita Kiat Tee , Tan Ern Yu , Tan Su-Ming , Lim Geok Hoon , Lee Jung Ah , Tan Veronique Kiak-Mien , Hu Jesse , Li Jingmei , Hartman Mikael
Published: August 2022

Background

Early detection of breast cancer (BC) through mammography screening (MAM) is known to reduce mortality. We examined the differential effect that mammography has on BC characteristics and overall survival and the sociodemographic determinants of MAM utilization in a multi-ethnic Asian population.

Methods

This study included 3739 BC patients from the Singapore Breast Cancer Cohort (2010–2018). Self-reported sociodemographic characteristics were collected using a structured questionnaire. Clinical data were obtained through medical records. Patients were classified as screeners (last screening mammogram ≤ 2 years before diagnosis), non-screeners (aware but did not attend or last screen > 2years), and those unaware of MAM. Associations between MAM behaviour (MB) and sociodemographic factors and MB and tumour characteristics were examined using multinomial regression. Ten-year overall survival was modelled using Cox regression.

Results

Patients unaware of screening were more likely diagnosed with late stage (ORstage III vs stage I (Ref)[95% CI]: 4.94 [3.45–7.07],p< 0.001), high grade (ORpoorly vs well-differentiated (reference): 1.53 [1.06–2.20],p= 0.022), nodal-positive, large size (OR>5cm vs ≤2cm (reference): 5.06 [3.10–8.25],p< 0.001), and HER2-positive tumours (ORHER2-negative vs HER2-positive (reference): 0.72 [0.53–0.97],p= 0.028). Similar trends were observed between screeners and non-screeners with smaller effect sizes. Overall survival was significantly shorter than screeners in the both groups (HRnon-screeners: 1.89 [1.22–2.94],p= 0.005; HRunaware: 2.90 [1.69–4.98],p< 0.001).

Non-screeners and those unaware were less health conscious, older, of Malay ethnicity, less highly educated, of lower socioeconomic status, more frequently ever smokers, and less physically active. Among screeners, there were more reported personal histories of benign breast surgeries or gynaecological conditions and positive family history of breast cancer.

Conclusions

Mammography attendance is associated with more favourable BC characteristics and overall survival. Disparities in the utility of MAM services suggest that different strategies may be needed to improve MAM uptake.
Molecular determination of O25b/ST131 clone type among extended spectrum β-lactamases production Escherichia coli recovering from urinary tract infection isolates
Authors: Khoshbayan Amin , Golmoradi Zadeh Rezvan , Taati Moghadam Majid , Mirkalantari Shiva , Darbandi Atieh
Published: August 2022

Background

Escherichia coli (E. coli) O25b/ST131 clone causes urinary tract infection (UTI) and is associated with a broad spectrum of other infections, such as intra-abdominal and soft tissue infections, that can be affecting bloodstream infections. Therefore, since O25b/ST131 has been reported in several studies from Iran, in the current study, we have investigated the molecular characteristics, typing, and biofilm formation of O25b/ST131 clone type E. coli collected from UTI specimens.

Methods

A total of 173 E. coli isolates from UTI were collected. The susceptibility to all fourth generations of cephalosporins (cefazolin, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefepime) and ampicillin, ampicillin-sulbactam and aztreonam was determined. Class A ESBLs, class D ESBL and the presence of pabB gene screenings to detect of O25b/ST131 clone type were performed by using of PCR. Biofilm formation was compared between O25b/ST131 isolates and non-O25b/ST131 isolates. Finally, ERIC-PCR was used for typing of ESBL positive isolates.

Results

Ninety-four ESBL positive were detected of which 79 of them were O25b/ST131. Antimicrobial susceptibility test data showed that most antibiotics had a higher rate of resistance in isolates of the O25b/ST131 clonal type. Biofilm formation showed that there was a weak association between O25b/ST131 clone type isolates and the level of the biofilm formation. ERIC-PCR results showed that E. coli isolates were genetically diverse and classified into 14 groups.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrated the importance and high prevalence of E. coli O25b/ST131 among UTI isolates with the ability to spread fast and disseminate antibiotic resistance genes.
Quality of life improving after propranolol treatment in patients with Infantile Hemangiomas
Authors: Pensabene Marco , Di Pace Maria Rita , Baldanza Fabio , Grasso Francesco , Patti Maria , Sergio Maria , La Placa Simona , Giuffre’ Mario , Serra Gregorio , Casuccio Alessandra , Cimador Marcello
Published: August 2022

Infantile hemangiomas may affect the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their family members, as anxiety and worry may commonly occur in parents, also linked to the social adversion they experience. We underline the beneficial impact of oral propranolol therapy on QoL of patients with infantile hemangiomas (IH) and of their relatives. A specific questionnaire measuring QoL was administered to parents of IH patients at beginning and end of a treatment with oral propranolol. Different aspects were investigated: site of the lesion, age of patients at starting therapy, length of treatment, occurrence of adverse effects and persistence/recurrence of the vascular anomaly. In all cases the questionnaire revealed a significant improvement of QoL, which was independent from all analyzed factors. It showed that oral propranolol administration in these patients combines optimal clinical results with relevant improvement of QoL, especially in cases of early management. The improvement of QoL seems unrelated to site of lesion, timing and duration of therapy, occurrence of drug-related adverse effects and persistence/recurrence of disease.
Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells for prevention of acute myocardial infarction induced heart failure: study protocol of a phase III randomized clinical trial (Prevent-TAHA8)
Authors: Attar Armin , Monabati Ahmad , Montaseri Mohammad , Vosough Massoud , Hosseini Seyed Ali , Kojouri Javad , Abdi-Ardekani Alireza , Izadpanah Peyman , Azarpira Negar , Pouladfar Gholamreza , Ramzi Mani
Published: August 2022

Background

Results from recent clinical trials on bone marrow mononuclear cell (BM-MNC) transplantation show that this intervention can help reduce the incidence of heart failure (HF) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, no study has evaluated the effect of the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on a clinical endpoint such as HF.

Methods

This single-blinded, randomized, multicenter trial aims to establish whether the intracoronary infusion of umbilical cord-derived Wharton’s jelly MSCs (WJ-MSCs) helps prevent HF development after AMI. The study will enroll 390 patients 3 to 7 days following AMI. Only patients aged below 65 years with impaired LV function (LVEF < 40%) will be included. They will be randomized (2:1 ratio) to either receive standard care or a single intracoronary infusion of 107 WJ-MSCs. The primary outcome of this study is the assessment of HF development during long-term follow-up (3 years).

Discussion

Data will be collected until Nov 2024. Thereafter, the analysis will be conducted. Results are expected to be ready by Dec 2024. We will prepare and submit the related manuscript following the CONSORT guidelines. This study will help determine whether or not the infusion of intracoronary WJ-MSCs in patients with AMI will reduce the incidence of AMI-induced HF.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05043610, Registered on 14 September 2021 - retrospectively registered.
Probiotic Yoghurt Made from Milk of Ewes Fed a Diet Supplemented with Spirulina platensis or Fish Oil
Authors: Shazly Ahmed B. , Khattab Mostafa S. A. , Fouad Mohamed T. , Abd El Tawab Ahmed M. , Saudi Eltaher M. , El-Aziz Mahmoud Abd
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Yoghurt is a widely consumed dairy product around the world. It has healing properties and characteristics that are important for human health. Our goal was to see how using ewes' milk fed Spirulina platensis (SP) or fish oil (FO)-supplemented diets affected the chemical, physical, and nutritional properties of yoghurt, as well as the activity and survival of starter and probiotic bacteria during storage.

Methods

The collected milk from each ewe group was preheated to 65 °C and homogenized in a laboratory homogenizer, then heated to 90 °C for 5 min, cooled to 42 °C, and divided into two equal portions. The first portion was inoculated with 2.0% mixed starter culture (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, 1:1), whereas the second was inoculated with 2% mixed starter culture and 1% Bifidobacterium longum as a probiotic bacteria.

Results

SP yoghurt had the highest levels of short chain-FA, medium chain-FA, mostly C10:0, and long chain-FA, namely C16:0, C18:2 and the lowest levels of C18:0 and C18:1, followed by FO yoghurt. The addition of SP or FO to ewes' diets resulted in yoghurt with higher viable counts of L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus, which were still >107 cfu/g at the end of storage, as well as a higher level of acetaldehyde content (P<0.05) as a flavor compound, than the control (C) yoghurt. The viscosity of SP yoghurt was higher than that of FO and C yoghurt; the difference was not significant. The addition of B. longum, a probiotic bacteria, to all yoghurt samples, improved antioxidant activities, particularly against ABTS• radicals, but reduced SP yoghurt viscosity. When B. longum was added, acetaldehyde content increased from 39.91, 90.47, and 129.31 μmol/100g in C, FA, and SP yoghurts to 46.67, 135.55, and 144.1 μmol/100g in probiotic C, FA, and SP yoghurts, respectively. There was no significant difference in sensory qualities among all the yoghurt samples during all storage periods.

Conclusions

Supplementing the ewes' diets with Spirulina platensis or fish oil can change the fatty acid composition of the resulting yoghurt. The starter culture's activity, flavor compounds, and some chemical, physical, and antioxidant properties of milk produced from these diets can all be improved, particularly in yoghurt treated with probiotic bacteria (B. longum).
Automated vetting of radiology referrals: exploring natural language processing and traditional machine learning approaches
Authors: Potočnik Jaka , Thomas Edel , Killeen Ronan , Foley Shane , Lawlor Aonghus , Stowe John
Published: August 2022

Background

With a significant increase in utilisation of computed tomography (CT), inappropriate imaging is a significant concern. Manual justification audits of radiology referrals are time-consuming and require financial resources. We aimed to retrospectively audit justification of brain CT referrals by applying natural language processing and traditional machine learning (ML) techniques to predict their justification based on the audit outcomes.

Methods

Two human experts retrospectively analysed justification of 375 adult brain CT referrals performed in a tertiary referral hospital during the 2019 calendar year, using a cloud-based platform for structured referring. Cohen’s kappa was computed to measure inter-rater reliability. Referrals were represented as bag-of-words (BOW) and term frequency-inverse document frequency models. Text preprocessing techniques, including custom stop words (CSW) and spell correction (SC), were applied to the referral text. Logistic regression, random forest, and support vector machines (SVM) were used to predict the justification of referrals. A test set (300/75) was used to compute weighted accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the curve (AUC).

Results

In total, 253 (67.5%) examinations were deemed justified, 75 (20.0%) as unjustified, and 47 (12.5%) as maybe justified. The agreement between the annotators was strong (κ = 0.835). The BOW + CSW + SC + SVM outperformed other binary models with a weighted accuracy of 92%, a sensitivity of 91%, a specificity of 93%, and an AUC of 0.948.

Conclusions

Traditional ML models can accurately predict justification of unstructured brain CT referrals. This offers potential for automated justification analysis of CT referrals in clinical departments.
Optimal quadrature formulas for oscillatory integrals in the Sobolev space
Authors: Shadimetov Kholmat , Hayotov Abdullo , Bozarov Bakhromjon
Published: August 2022

This work studies the problem of construction of optimal quadrature formulas in the sense of Sard in the space $L_{2}^{(m)}(0,1)$

L
2

(
m
)

(
0
,
1
)
for numerical calculation of Fourier coefficients. Using Sobolev’s method, we obtain new sine and cosine weighted optimal quadrature formulas of such type for $N + 1\geq m$
N
+
1
≥
m
, where $N + 1$
N
+
1
is the number of nodes. Then, explicit formulas for the optimal coefficients of optimal quadrature formulas are obtained. The obtained optimal quadrature formulas in $L_{2}^{(m)}(0,1)$

L
2

(
m
)

(
0
,
1
)
space are exact for algebraic polynomials of degree $(m-1)$
(
m
−
1
)
.
Isolation, identification, and apoptosis activity of the photosensitizer methyl pheophorbide A from Perilla frutescens leaves
Authors: Ha Jun Young , Yi Gibum , Bae Hwan Hee , Go Young Sam , Kim Yu Jin , Lee Kwang Min , Hong Chang Oh , Kim Keun Ki
Published: August 2022

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising cancer treatment with fewer side effects, and it eliminates tumors in target tissues with reactive oxygen species produced by photosensitizers (PS) and light. In this study, we isolated methyl pheophorbide A, which induces photodynamic cell death in the U937 and SK-HEP-1 cells, from perilla leaves. Its potential as a material for the development of a new PS was also evaluated. The methyl pheophorbide A is a dark green porphyrin compound isolated from methanol extract of perilla leaves. Apoptosis occurred was methyl pheophorbide A treated and irradiated with light, and there was no significant change where light not treated. In both U937 and SK-HEP-1 cells, apoptotic body, vesicle formation, and DNA ladder were confirmed in the light-irradiated. The caspase-3/7 activity an important factor in apoptosis, was 101.50 ± 14.24% when treated with 0.25 μg/ml methyl pheophorbide A in U937, and 91.32 ± 16.23% when treated with 1.00 μg/ml in SK-HEP-1 cells. The apoptotic phenomenon appeared more strongly when the methyl pheophorbide A concentration was increased with irradiating light. This study demonstrates the isolation, identification, and phototoxic activity of methyl pheophorbide A in perilla leaves. We expect that this study will be useful in the search for PS candidates using natural products.
Impacts of COVID-19 at the intersection of substance use disorder treatment and criminal justice systems: findings from three states
Authors: Dir Allyson L. , Tillson Martha , Aalsma Matthew C. , Staton Michele , Staton Monte , Watson Dennis
Published: August 2022

Background

Individuals with substance use disorders (SUD), particularly opioid use disorder (OUD), who are criminal justice-involved are a particularly vulnerable population that has been adversely affected by COVID-19 due to impacts of the pandemic on both the criminal justice and treatment systems. The manuscript presents qualitative data and findings exploring issues related to SUD/OUD treatment among individuals involved in the justice system and the impacts of COVID-19 on these service systems. Qualitative data were collected separately by teams from three different research hubs/sites in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky; at each hub, data were collected from justice system personnel (n = 17) and community-level SUD/OUD providers (n = 21). Codes from two hubs were reviewed and merged to develop the cross-hub coding list. The combined codes were used deductively to analyze the third hub‘s data, and higher-level themes were then developed across all the hubs’ data.

Results

Themes reflected the justice and treatment systems’ responses to COVID-19, the intersection of systems and COVID-19’s impact on providing OUD treatment for such individuals, and the use of telehealth and telejustice.

Conclusions

Results highlight that despite rapid adaptations made by systems during the pandemic, additional work is needed to better support individuals with OUD who are involved in the justice system. Such work can inform longer-term public health crisis planning to improve community OUD treatment access and linkage for those who are criminal justice-involved.
Quantitative SPECT/CT imaging of lead-212: a phantom study
Authors: Kvassheim Monika , Revheim Mona-Elisabeth R. , Stokke Caroline
Published: August 2022

Background

Lead-212 (212Pb) is a promising radionuclide for targeted therapy, as it decays to α-particle emitter bismuth-212 (212Bi) via β-particle emission. This extends the problematic short half-life of 212Bi. In preparation for upcoming clinical trials with 212Pb, the feasibility of quantitative single photon-emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) imaging of 212Pb was studied, with the purpose to explore the possibility of individualised patient dosimetric estimation.

Results

Both acquisition parameters (combining two different energy windows and two different collimators) and iterative reconstruction parameters (varying the iterations x subsets between 10 × 1, 15 × 1, 30 × 1, 30 × 2, 30 × 3, 30 × 4, and 30 × 30) were investigated to evaluate visual quality and quantitative uncertainties based on phantom images. Calibration factors were determined using a homogeneous phantom and were stable when the total activity imaged exceeded 1 MBq for all the imaging protocols studied, but they increased sharply as the activity decayed below 1 MBq. Both a 20% window centred on 239 keV and a 40% window on 79 keV, with dual scatter windows of 5% and 20%, respectively, could be used. Visual quality at the lowest activity concentrations was improved with the High Energy collimator and the 79 keV energy window. Fractional uncertainty in the activity quantitation, including uncertainties from calibration factors and small volume effects, in spheres of 2.6 ml in the NEMA phantom was 16–21% for all protocols with the 30 × 4 filtered reconstruction except the High Energy collimator with the 239 keV energy window. Quantitative analysis was possible both with and without filters, but the visual quality of the images improved with a filter.

Conclusions

Only minor differences were observed between the imaging protocols which were all determined suitable for quantitative imaging of 212Pb. As uncertainties generally decreased with increasing iterative updates in the reconstruction and recovery curves did not converge with few iterations, a high number of reconstruction updates are recommended for quantitative imaging.
Static lung volumes and diffusion capacity in adults 30 years after being diagnosed with asthma
Authors: Schultz Conrad Uldall Becker , Tupper Oliver Djurhuus , Ulrik Charlotte Suppli
Published: August 2022

Background

Long-term follow-up studies of adults with well-characterized asthma are sparse. We aimed to explore static lung volumes and diffusion capacity after 30 + years with asthma.

Methods

A total of 125 adults with an objectively verified diagnosis of asthma between 1974–1990 at a Danish respiratory outpatient clinic completed a follow-up visit 2017–19. All participants (age range 44–88 years) completed a comprehensive workup and were, based on these assessments, classified as having either active asthma or being in complete remission. The examination program included measurements of static lung volumes and diffusion capacity.

Results

Participants with active asthma were hyperinflated (residual volume/total lung capacity ratio 0.43, 95% CI 0.41—0.45) (RV/TLC ratio) compared with those in remission (RV/TLC ratio 0.38, 95% CI 0.36—0.41) (p < 0.03). A tendency towards higher diffusion capacity per liter lung volume was seen in participants with active asthma (KCO 100% predicted, 95% CI 97—104) compared with those in remission (KCO 94% pred., 95% CI 89—99) (P = 0.10). Longer asthma duration was associated with a higher KCO 0.47% pred./year (95% CI 0.14—0.80), adjusted for age and smoking. Patients on GINA step 4 and 5 treatment were more hyperinflated ($$\Delta$$
Δ
RV 14% pred., 95% CI 3—27) and had higher airway resistance (mean 53% pred., 95% CI 9—97) than participants on lower GINA steps. Patients with uncontrolled disease had substantially higher airway resistance (72% pred. 95% CI 20—124) than well-controlled patients.

Conclusion

Thirty years after a confirmed diagnosis of asthma, those continuing to have active asthma and those having severe asthma, have higher diffusion capacity and more hyperinflation than patients in remission.
Help-seeking attitudes and behaviours among humanitarian aid workers
Authors: Stevens Garry J. , Sharma Asra , Skeoch Kelsey
Published: August 2022

Due to the nature of their work and operating environments, humanitarian aid workers experience higher rates of psychological distress, burnout and mental health conditions than other emergency service worker populations. Fourteen international humanitarian workers were interviewed to examine whether they seek help from others in the context of work-related distress, specifically, their attitudes and behaviors regarding personal help-seeking at such times, their preferred sources of support and factors that enable or constrain effective help-seeking. Thematic analysis of the data derived five superordinate themes: (1) cultural aspects of help-seeking; (2) risks with formal, internal support; (3) lack of shared understanding of humanitarian context; (4) self-censoring and withdrawal; and (5) role maturity. There is high, in principle, support for personal help-seeking but its use is highly selective. Work colleagues are regarded as the most trusted and effective source of help in high stress periods, while barriers that exist with family and friends mean they are rarely sought out at such times. Trust and confidentiality concerns limit the use of internal agency supports and psychosocial services. External psychological services are preferred but are often found to be unsatisfactory. These findings can support aid organisations to address stigma perceptions that are commonly associated with personal help-seeking, particularly among early career practitioners, and normalise its use as a form of occupational self-care.
Secure framework for IoT technology based on RSA and DNA cryptography
Authors: Elamir Mona M. , Mabrouk May S. , marzouk Samir Y.
Published: August 2022

Background

The Internet of things (IoT) is the network of different objects or “things” containing sensors, software, and other technologies used to exchange data between devices and systems over the cloud. Such systems and networks should be provided with a proper cryptographic methodology to block unauthorized data transmission access. This issue is considered an essential challenge of resources that are shared on the data communication network, that is its security. So, in this study, a cryptosystem is proposed to maintain the security level of such systems with a new idea depending on DNA cryptography and DNA mixing.

Results

In this study, the proposed cryptosystem is based on the RSA algorithm and DNA cryptography concepts with a novel idea for mixing DNA strands obtained from encoding medical image and report to enhance the security level through the IoT networks. This system achieved a proper result in reconstructing images with high quality. The similarity between the original data and the restored one reached 92% through 18 s.

Conclusions

Such a proposed cryptosystem provided the feasibility of data security in network security, especially for E-health care through IoT system to help medical teamwork in handling medical data between hospitals safely. The result showed that RSA is a fast, efficient algorithm that can be utilized safely in cryptography schemes.
Tuberculous otitis media masquerading as malignancy: a diagnostic challenge
Authors: Thomas Roshan Philip , Varghese Sunil Sam , Agarwal Vivek , Susan Anjali B. , Kumar Navneet , Paul Preethi
Published: August 2022

Background

Primary tuberculous otitis media is rare in the paediatric age group, and its neuro-otogenic complication of involvement of cerebellopontine angle in a child is very unusual. Tuberculosis should always be considered as a rare but possible aetiology for such neuro-otogenic lesions.

Case presentation

We report a case of a 13-year-old female patient who presented with left ear discharge and mass-like lesion on otoscopy. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) temporal bone showed erosion of petrous temporal bone, external auditory canal and ossicles. Contrast-enhanced MRI (CEMRI) revealed peripherally enhancing hetero-intense lesion epicentred in the petrous and mastoid part of left temporal bone extending into the left cerebellopontine angle and external auditory canal. Homogenously enhancing soft tissue was seen in the left occipital condyle with sigmoid sinus thrombosis and cervical lymphadenopathy. There was also a single enhancing left temporal lobe lesion. Radiological and clinical assessment was suggestive of malignant aetiology. However, biopsy revealed tuberculosis and anti-tubercular therapy (ATT) was initiated. Interval imaging showed an adequate response to treatment.

Conclusions

Tuberculous otitis media often masquerades as malignancy on clinical and imaging assessment.
Prioritising Informed Health Choices Key Concepts for those impacted by cancer: a protocol
Authors: Li Mengqi , Devane Declan , Beecher Claire , Duffy Austin G. , Duggan Caitriona , Dowling Maura , Grimes David Robert , Kennan Avril , McLoughlin Sarah , Nsangi Allen , Oxman Andrew D. , O’Connor Robert , Stewart Derek C. , Toomey Elaine , Tierney Marie
Published: August 2022

Background: Few areas of health have been as insidiously influenced by misinformation as cancer. Thus, interventions that can help people impacted by cancer reduce the extent to which they are victims of misinformation are necessary. The Informed Health Choices (IHC) initiative has developed Key Concepts that can be used in the development of interventions for evaluating the trustworthiness of claims about the effects of health treatments. We are developing an online education programme called Informed Health Choices-Cancer (IHC-C) based on the IHC Key Concepts. We will provide those impacted by cancer with the knowledge and skills necessary to think critically about the reliability of health information and claims and make informed choices.

Methods: We will establish a steering group (SG) of 12 key stakeholders, including oncology specialists and academics. In addition, we will establish a patient and public involvement (PPI) panel of 20 people impacted by cancer. After training the members on the Key Concepts and the prioritisation process, we will conduct a two-round prioritisation process. In the first round, 12 SG members and four PPI panel members will prioritise Key Concepts for inclusion. In the second round, the remaining 16 PPI members will undertake the prioritisation based on the prioritised Key Concepts from the first round. Participants in both rounds will use a structured judgement form to rate the importance of the Key Concepts for inclusion in the online IHC-C programme. A consensus meeting will be held, where members will reach a consensus on the Key Concepts to be included and rank the order in which the prioritised Key Concepts will be addressed in the IHC-C programme.

Conclusions: At the end of this process, we will identify which Key Concepts should be included and the order in which they should be addressed in the IHC-C programme.
Surgical considerations for syndactyly of the hand in harlequin ichthyosis: a 5-year experience of sequential surgical treatment in a single patient
Authors: Choi Jae Hyeok , Hong Jong Won
Published: August 2022

Harlequin ichthyosis (HI) is a rare congenital disease that primarily affects the skin. Its complications include syndactyly, which can cause severe constriction. Surgical release is thought to be helpful, but the details remain unclear due to a lack of data. We share our 5-year experience of a patient with HI with successful outcomes from five syndactyly release operations involving division, local flap interposition, and full-thickness skin grafts. A visible decrease in the ulnar deviation of the metacarpophalangeal joints and a wider range of motion were noted. There were no complications, except for one case of donor site dehiscence that was resolved after minor revision. The surgical design must conform to the anatomical structure, as it can be easily mistaken due to masking of the skin. A suitable donor site is a flat, non-folding surface, such as the lateral thigh.
The University of Michigan Implements a Hub-and-Spoke Design to Accommodate Social Distancing in the Campus Bus System Under COVID-19 Restrictions
Authors: Chen Gongyu , Fei Xinyu , Jia Huiwen , Yu Xian , Shen Siqian
Published: August 2022

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to significant challenges for schools and communities during the pandemic, requiring policy makers to ensure both safety and operational feasibility. In this paper, we develop mixed-integer programming models and simulation tools to redesign routes and bus schedules for operating a real university campus bus system during the COVID-19 pandemic. We propose a hub-and-spoke design and utilize real data of student activities to identify hub locations and bus stops to be used in the new routes. To reduce disease transmission via expiratory aerosol, we design new bus routes that are shorter than 15 minutes to travel and operate using at most 50% seat capacity and the same number of buses before the pandemic. We sample a variety of scenarios that cover variations of peak demand, social distancing requirements, and bus breakdowns to demonstrate the system resiliency of the new routes and schedules via simulation. The new bus routes were implemented and used during the academic year 2020–2021 to ensure social distancing and short travel time. Our approach can be generalized to redesign public transit systems with a social distancing requirement to reduce passengers’ infection risk.

History: This paper was refereed. This article has been selected for inclusion in the Special Issue on Analytics Remedies to COVID-19.

Funding: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation [Grant CMMI-2041745] and the University of Michigan, College of Engineering.
INTERFACE ENTRE A FILOSOFIA DA CIÊNCIA DE THOMAS KUHN E A EPISTEMOLOGIA DE W. O. QUINE
Authors: Santos MARIA DE JESUS
Published: August 2022

Este estudo faz a seguinte proposição: há elementos na Filosofia da Ciência de Thomas Kuhn que podem ser aproximados da epistemologia de W. O. Quine. Para lhe enunciar vamos investigar influências, pontos comuns e tentar compreender os rios que passam por debaixo dessa ponte epistemológica. A intenção é dar uma aparência à conjunção existente nestes empreendimentos, sem negar que haja muitas disjunções. Não perdemos de vista os muitos legados presentes na imagem de ciência normal, paradigmática, revolucionária, no entanto, supomos que esta afinidade particular careça de mais atenção. As referências primarias serão os textos dos dois pensadores.
PERCEPÇÕES DE PROFESSORES DE LÍNGUAS SOBRE O PROCESSO DE ENSINO-APRENDIZAGEM E OS CENTROS DE IDIOMAS: (RE)VISITANDO CONCEITOS E ESPAÇOS FORMATIVOS / Perceptions of language teachers about the process of teaching, learning and language centers: (re)visiting concepts and formative spaces
Authors: Coelho Iandra Maria Weirich da Silva
Published: August 2022

O objetivo deste estudo é identificar as percepções de professores de inglês e espanhol, do Instituto Federal do Amazonas, sobre o ensino-aprendizagem de línguas e as potencialidades do Centro de Idiomas nesse processo. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, cujos procedimentos teórico-metodológicos incluem uma pesquisa bibliográfica, uso de questionário para coleta de dados e método de análise de conteúdo. O arcabouço teórico que respalda este estudo tem fundamento nas perspectivas pedagógicas críticas e na Pedagogia do Pós-método. A discussão é realizada a partir de quatro categorias:  Aspectos teórico-metodológicos sobre o ensino-aprendizagem de línguas, Atitude curricular, Constituição identitária do Centro de Idiomas e Práticas pedagógicas inovadoras. As principais percepções docentes referem-se à falta de motivação e interesse dos estudantes em estudar outro idioma, à carência de infraestrutura tecnológica e conectividade, à heterogeneidade das turmas e sala de aula com um número excessivo de alunos. Esses resultados evidenciam a necessidade de ressignificação da atitude curricular e da mobilização do Centro de Idiomas como potencial espaço formativo para a implementação de práticas inovadoras que podem transcender a sala de aula, auxiliar professores e estudantes no enfrentamento de desafios  e fortalecer o reconhecimento do papel social e transformador da língua no cenário educativo e nas resistências locais.
RAPUNZEL DOS IRMÃOS GRIMM: UM ESTUDO ENTRE AS VERSÕES DO CONTO PUBLICADAS EM 1812 E 1857 / Brothers Grimm’s Rapunzel: a study between the fairy tale versions published in 1812 and 1857
Authors: De Sousa Feitosa Nathalia Maria , Leite Lopes Saldanha Diana Maria
Published: August 2022

Entre contos e recontos, inscrito em muitos dos livros e no próprio imaginário infantil, Rapunzel é um dos clássicos da literatura grimmiana. Porém, fruto da tradição oral, em sua gênese, a narrativa voltava-se ao público adulto, só posteriormente vindo a ser adaptada pelos próprios irmãos filólogos ao público infantil. Em vista disso, este estudo objetiva construir uma análise entre a versão do conto Rapunzel apresentada pelos irmãos Grimm ainda na primeira publicação de Kinder-und Hausmärchen (Contos Maravilhosos, Infantis e Domésticos) em 1812 e aquela que, posteriormente adequada por eles mesmos, sobreviera na sétima edição da obra, em 1857. Para tanto, identificamos as proximidades e dessemelhanças a partir da comparação entre os elementos da narrativa, os enredos e suas singularidades, recorrendo ainda ao método estrutural de análise morfológica concebido por Propp (2006) e às categorias de valores tradicionais românticos do século XIX listadas por Coelho (2000). Como resultado, observamos que as duas versões do conto guardam identidade no que diz respeito aos elementos da narrativa e à estruturação morfológica, já que as funções das personagens são mantidas. A análise permitiu, outrossim, inferir que a adaptação das versões se deu, sobretudo, com vistas a adequar o enredo e poupar o público infantil de qualquer conotação sexual.
DO ENSINO BÁSICO AO STRICTO SENSU: UM RELATO DA PESQUISA E ENSINO NO NORTE DE MATO GROSSO EM CONSONÂNCIA COM LEI 10.639/2003 / From basic education to stricto sensu: a report of research and teaching in North of Mato Grosso in accordance with 10.639/2003 law
Authors: Mantovani Antonio Aparecido , Sobrinho Genivaldo Rodrigues
Published: August 2022

Este texto tem por objetivo principal apresentar uma reflexão a partir de alguns levantamentos sobre a aplicabilidade e recepção da lei 10.639/2003, em seus 20 anos de existência, sobre o trabalho dos professores, a busca por capacitação e a recepção dos alunos com atividades desenvolvidas que contemplam a pesquisa e o ensino com ênfase nas literaturas africanas de Língua Portuguesa, na literatura afro-brasileira e indígena. Para isto, elaborou-se um questionário, encaminhado a estudantes da graduação e pós-graduação, a gestores da educação, e a professores para se averiguar como esses estudantes e profissionais constatam a aplicabilidade da lei nas escolas e universidades onde atuam ou estudam. Fez-se também um levantamento a respeito das dissertações de mestrado da Unemat, Campus de Sinop, elaboradas nos programas de mestrado do PPGLetras, com quatro turmas entre 2016 e 2020, e cinco turmas do ProfLetras, entre 2015 e 2021, e uma análise sobre os trabalhos de pesquisa e aplicação em sala, referentes aos temas aqui em tese. Por fim, este trabalho traz uma síntese das atividades pedagógicas, e das estratégias desenvolvidas ao longo delas, e dos produtos gerados pelos educandos em três sequências didáticas de projetos de pesquisa e intervenção de mestrandas do ProfLetras no Ensino Fundamental.
LEI 10.639/03 E A LITERATURA ANGOLANA: PEPETELA E ONDJAKI / Law 10.639/03 and angolan literature: Pepetela and Ondjaki
Authors: Ribeiro Aparecida Cristina Da Silva
Published: August 2022

O presente artigo aborda a entrada de obras das literaturas africanas nos currículos a partir da publicação da Lei 10.639/03, bem como a presença, hoje constante, dessas literaturas nas escolas e universidades brasileiras. Ao analisar as representações de poder nos romances Predadores (2008), de Pepetela, e Os Transparentes (2013), de Ondjaki, observa-se que tais romances questionam os rumos da nação angolana pós-independência, sobretudo com a violência do capitalismo predatório e a corrupção em espaços de poder. Nos romances, as relações de poder são representadas pelos poderes político e econômico. Objetiva-se, neste trabalho, refletir sobre as relações de poder como força motriz nas narrativas, que tende a apontar a perda de valores morais e éticos do homem, principalmente quando práticas de corrupção e jogos de interesses verificam-se em parcerias políticas e empresariais. A literatura dos ficcionistas aponta uma série de consequências do acúmulo de capital, concentrado nas mãos da elite, como a má distribuição de rendas e a desigualdade social em Angola. O estudo aponta que estudar a ficção angolana contemporânea é sempre um desafio por haver fecundas ligações entre literatura, história e política que se entrelaçam na tessitura dos textos literários e (re) elaboram nas narrativas a história do país. Além disso, a pesquisa permite uma reflexão crítica sobre a abrangência estética e ética do romance como forma de compreender o passado e o presente de países como Angola e Brasil.
A OBRA INFANTIL “O CABELO DE LELÊ”, DE VALÉRIA BELÉM EM DIÁLOGO COM A LEI 10.639/03 / Children's book "O cabelo de Lelê", by Valéria Belém in dialogue with Law 10.639/03
Authors: E Lima Luiz Lisiane Oliveira
Published: August 2022

O presente artigo tem como objetivo analisar a obra infantil O cabelo de Lelê (2012), de Valéria Belém apontando na análise a importância da representatividade de meninas negras de cabelos crespos como protagonistas dos livros infantis contribuindo para a elevação da autoestima dessas crianças e apontando possibilidades de aplicação da Lei 10.639/03 em diálogo com a Literatura Infantil. Acreditamos que a Lei 10.639/03 que tornou obrigatório o ensino da História e Cultura afro-brasileira nos estabelecimentos de ensino fundamental e médio, oficiais e particulares contribuiu para a publicação de obras voltadas para essa temática. Nessa perspectiva enquadra-se a obra O cabelo de Lelê, pois Valéria Belém conta com muito encanto e realidade o drama de uma criança negra em busca de respostas sobre suas origens e como aconteceu o processo de aceitação do seu cabelo. Para embasar nossas análises utilizaremos como referencial teórico: Amâncio (2014), Coelho (2000), Gomes (2017), Fage (2010), Munanga (2009), Ribeiro (2019), entre outros. O livro analisado retrata este momento libertador em que uma menina descobre, por meio de um livro de História da África, a origem do formato do seu cabelo. Não se tratava apenas em dizer que era “diferente” dos demais. Mas, que o formato do seu cabelo era a marca da identidade geográfica, histórica e cultural dos seus ancestrais africanos. É fundamental que as crianças negras se vejam representadas positivamente nos livros infantis para que assim tenham uma formação saudável da sua autoimagem, e, consequentemente, a autoestima elevada.
First record and redescription of hyperparasitoid of cotton mealybug, Cheiloneurus nankingensis Li & Xu (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) from India with some other records
Authors: ZEYA SHAHID BIN , MOHAN MITHRA , ANWAR PRINCE TARIQUE , NARAYANAN ANITHA
Published: August 2022

Cheiloneurus nankingensis Li & Xu, 2020 is recorded for the first time and redescribed from India. The following two species: Aenasius arizonensis (Girault), Blepyrus insularis (Cameron), are recorded with their new hosts from the Indian State of Kerala.
Dynamic List Based Data Integrity Verification in Cloud Environment
Authors: KC Akshay , Muniyal Balachandra
Published: August 2022

Cloud repository gives a proficient way to fathom issues of management and capacity, driven by high-speed information emergence. Consequently, a developing number of governing bodies and people lean towards storing their information within the cloud premises. In any case, due to the partition of information ownership and administration, it becomes exceptionally troublesome for the users or the owners to verify the integrity of data in a routine way. Hence, numerous analysts center on creating various protocols, that remotely check the astuteness of the information saved within the cloud. In this respect, a conceivable solution is proposed for dynamic reviewing by making use of a dynamic list-based index table to verify the integrity of the data which is more efficient than the state of the arts. Besides, with such a verification structure, it is proven that communication cost and storage cost at the client side is diminished effectively. The statistical analysis based on comprehensive tests illustrates that the proposed convention accomplishes the specified properties in comparison with the state of the arts.
Publisher Side Profit Optimization Using Adaptive Keyword Weighted Sponsored Search Technique
Authors: Gupta Shikha , Mishra Atul
Published: August 2022

One of the most prominent fields of online advertising is Sponsored search and for various search engines, it acts as one of the main sources of revenue. This paper focuses on sponsored links displayed to the user along with search results when a query is fired by the user. Bidding on keywords is done by the advertiser for the expected future queries and accordingly, payment is done if clicked. A novel technique is proposed in this paper which aims to maximize the revenue earned by a search engine by using an Adaptive keyword weighted approach. Normally, the advertisers focus on keywords with a high frequency which leads to underexplored revenue of search engines. The approach proposed in this paper assigns weight to the keywords based on their winning probability. It also merges the assigned weight with the rarity factor leading to more revenue. With this approach, advertisers with relevant keywords which are rare are explored even if the bid value is low. Experimental results are shown in this paper for proving the improvements over the generalized balance algorithm.
Designing a Flow-based Mechanism for Accessing Electronic Health Records on a Cloud Environment
Authors: Ou Tsung-Yin , Tsai Wen-Lung
Published: August 2022

Electronic health record (EHR) implementation not only to facilitate doctor-patient communication reduces paper consumption but also allows the rapid exchange of medical records, integrating patients’ medical information from different locations. However, the costs of establishing massive and repetitive systems, constructing databases, and maintaining and exchanging data, as well as the energy consumption underscoring such an operation, represent substantial costs for a medical institution. Therefore, it is important to develop a cloud solution for EHRs and to provide a platform where resources are truly shareable. This study investigates the feasibility of cloud EHR services provided by trusted third parties. However, not only do medical records stored in an access environment with multiple users potentially endanger patient privacy, but also, without well-designed access control, such an environment may beget excessive unnecessary data access, which is costly and hinders cloud computing. To address the dual challenge of protecting patient privacy and allowing cloud computing, this study proposes the doctor–patient workflow and implements a web-based system. This mechanism ensures patients’ data security and addresses the demand of EHR cloud sharing, i.e., controlling EHR access authorities. The proposed method can protect the privacy of patients’ medical records on the cloud and grant users with minimum granularity access, thereby creating a system with the advantages of data security and cloud computing. This study proposes the doctor–patient workflow as the access control mechanism of cloud medical records, which minimizes the granularity of access. In addition, the access authority of the workflow dynamically changes with the environment, which ensures patients’ access to their medical records and defines the appropriate timing of cloud data access operations, thereby preventing unnecessary energy consumption. In practice, considerable contributions can be made to the establishment of access control and promotion of the cloud environment for medical records.