bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship Between Knee Frontal Plane Projection Angle and Lower Limb Muscle Activity in Female Athletes
Authors: Llurda-Almuzara Luis , Canet-Vintró Max , López-de-Celis Carlos , Perez-Bellmunt Albert , Labata-Lezaun Noé , Aiguadé-Aiguadé Ramón , Rodriguez-Sanz Jacobo
Published: February 2024

Context: Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are directly related to the control of dynamic knee valgus in the landing of a jump, and this is mainly due to the correct activation and neuromuscular function of the lower-extremity muscles. The aim of the study is to assess the relationship between lower limb muscle activity during a single-legged drop jump and knee frontal plane projection angle (FPPA). Design: A correlation study. Methods: Thirty healthy collegiate female athletes were included in the study. Main outcomes measures were peak knee FPPA and muscle activity (% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction). Peak knee FPPA during a single-legged drop jump test was identified using a 2-dimensional motion analysis system. Muscle activity was assessed using a surface electromyograph for gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, vastus medialis quadriceps, vastus lateralis quadriceps, medial gastrocnemius, and lateral gastrocnemius. All variables were assessed for both dominant and nondominant limbs. A correlation analysis between peak knee FPPA and muscle activity was performed. Statistical significance was set at P <.05. Results: A mean peak knee FPPA of 14.52° and 13.38° was identified for dominant and nondominant limb single-legged drop jump test, respectively. Muscle activity (% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction) for muscles assessed ranged from 43.97% to 195.71% during the single-legged drop jump test. The correlation analysis found no significant correlation between any of the muscles assessed and peak knee FPPA during the single-legged drop jump test (Pearson coefficient between −.3 and .1). Conclusions: There is no association between muscle activity from the lower limb muscles and the knee FPPA during a single-legged drop jump in female athletes. Thus, different muscle properties should be assessed in order to understand such an important movement as the knee FPPA during a jump.
National study on the risks of COVID-19 infection for paediatric kidney transplant recipients: a retrospective, cross-sectional study
Authors: Withers Charlotte , Patel Rishil , Reynolds Ben C , Christian Martin , Muorah Mordi , Tse Yincent , Edwards Liz , Yadav Pallavi , Haq Shuman , Hegde Shivaram , Callaghan Chris J , Bamford Alasdair , Marks Stephen D
Published: February 2024

Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence emerged that immunosuppressed children were less affected by COVID-19 infections compared with immunosuppressed adults. The aim of our study was to investigate how COVID-19 infections affected paediatric kidney transplant recipients (pKTR) in the UK.

Methods

Questionnaires regarding COVID-19 infection data and care of pKTR during the COVID-19 pandemic were sent to all 13 UK paediatric nephrology centres examining asymptomatic and symptomatic pKTR with positive COVID-19 PCR testing from 1 April 2020 to 1 December 2021.

Results

63 pKTR who were 3.1 (range 0.1–15) years post-transplantation had COVID-19 infection with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR RNA. Classical COVID-19 symptoms were present in half of the patients; with atypical presentations including diarrhoea (13%) and lethargy (13%) also noted, while a third of patients were asymptomatic. Eighteen patients (28%) were hospitalised including five asymptomatic patients admitted for other reasons. No patients needed ventilation or intensive care admission, and one patient received supplemental oxygen. There was evidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in 71% of patients, but no patients needed kidney replacement therapy with haemofiltration or dialysis.

Conclusion

We report 10.4% of the UK paediatric renal transplantation population had documented COVID-19 infections with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR RNA with 28% of those affected requiring hospitalisation. The increased incidence of AKI, particularly after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, was possibly due to increased testing. There was low morbidity and mortality compared with the adult population.
Immunoassay interferences: laboratory pitfall in the diagnosis of adrenocortical carcinoma
Authors: Martins Ferreira Mafalda , Moreno Carolina , Oliveira Patrícia , Paiva Isabel
Published: February 2024

A woman in her late 50s with recent onset of hypertension, diabetes, lumbar pain and unintentional weight loss was diagnosed with a cortisol and androgen-producing adrenal mass. Despite this, serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentration was inappropriately elevated, which was investigated thoroughly. Investigations included a brain magnetic resonance imaging to exclude concomitant pituitary adenoma, a corticotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test and a gallium-68 DOTATATEand 18F-FDOPA PET scan, both excluding ectopic ACTH production. Considering the disparity between clinical presentation and biochemical results, the ACTH was reanalysed using the Cobas immunoassay (Roche, Switzerland), ultimately unveiling the cause for ACTH elevation. ACTH levels had previously been measured with ACTH Immulite (Siemens, Germany), a two-site immunoassay which is prone to interferences causing falsely elevated ACTH concentrations. Inaccurate laboratory levels can lead to diagnosis delay and unnecessary diagnostic procedures and a close communication between the physicians and laboratorians is of utmost importance.
Detailed clinical course of a patient with rapidly progressing sarcomatoid pleural mesothelioma without p16 deletion with systemic haematogenous metastasis to soft tissues
Authors: Mizuhashi Keiichi , Okamoto Kenzo , Nabeshima Kazuki , Kishimoto Takumi
Published: February 2024

Sarcomatoid mesothelioma is difficult to differentiate from other mesotheliomas. Here, we describe the case of a man in his early 80s with sarcomatoid mesothelioma and a history of asbestos exposure. He initially presented with right-sided chest pain and was examined. Right-sided pleural effusion was detected; therefore, he was hospitalised. Based on the observed pleural effusion and biopsy result, the presence of a malignant tumour was excluded; hence, he was diagnosed with benign asbestos pleurisy. He subsequently developed left-sided pleural effusion, masses and lung nodules, and died 9.5 months after the initial examination. A definitive diagnosis of sarcomatoid mesothelioma with rapid systemic progression was established after detailed investigations using autopsy specimens. This rare case of mesothelioma—withoutp16deletion (detected using fluorescence in situ hybridisation)—presented differently from the usual sarcomatoid mesothelioma.
Published research on the human health implications of climate change between 2012 and 2021: cross sectional study
Authors: Bartlett Victoria L , Doernberg Harry , Mooghali Maryam , Gupta Ravi , Wallach Joshua D , Nyhan Kate , Chen Kai , Ross Joseph S
Published: February 2024

Objective

To better understand the state of research on the effects of climate change on human health, including exposures, health conditions, populations, areas of the world studied, funding sources, and publication characteristics, with a focus on topics that are relevant for populations at risk.

Design

Cross sectional study.

Data sources

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences climate change and human health literature portal, a curated bibliographical database of global peer reviewed research and grey literature was searched. The database combines searches of multiple search engines including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, and includes added-value expert tagging of climate change exposures and health impacts.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria were peer reviewed, original research articles that investigated the health effects of climate change and were published in English from 2012 to 2021. After identification, a 10% random sample was selected to manually perform a detailed characterisation of research topics and publication information.

Results

10 325 original research articles were published between 2012 and 2021, and the number of articles increased by 23% annually. In a random sample of 1014 articles, several gaps were found in research topics that are particularly relevant to populations at risk, such as those in the global south (134 countries established through the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation) (n=444; 43.8%), adults aged 65 years or older (n=195; 19.2%), and on topics related to human conflict and migration (n=25; 2.5%) and food and water quality and security (n=148; 14.6%). Additionally, fewer first authors were from the global south (n=349; 34.4%), which may partly explain why research focusing on these countries is disproportionally less.

Conclusions

Although the body of research on the health effects of climate change has grown substantially over the past decade, including those with a focus on the global south, a disproportionate focus continues to be on countries in the global north and less at risk populations. Governments are the largest source of funding for such research, and governments, particularly in the global north, need to re-orient their climate and health research funding to support researchers in the global south and to be more inclusive of issues that are relevant to the global south.
Efficacy and safety of adjunctive oral therapy in Parkinson’s disease with motor complications: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Sisodia Vibuthi , Dubbeld Lars , De Bie Rob M A , Duarte Gonçalo S , Costa João , Dijk Joke M
Published: February 2024

Background

The aim of this manuscript is to review the evidence and compare the efficacy and safety of catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors (COMT-Is), dopamine receptor agonists (DRAs) and monoamine-oxidase B inhibitors (MAOB-Is) as adjunctive treatment to levodopa in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experiencing motor complications.

Methods

In this systematic review and network meta-analysis, literature searches were performed in MEDLINE and Embase to identify eligible randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with a minimal follow-up of at least 4 weeks published in English between 1980 and 2021. RCTs were included if either a COMT-I, DRA or MAOB-I was evaluated as an adjunctive therapy to levodopa in patients with PD experiencing motor complications and dyskinesia. The main outcomes included daily off-medication time, motor and non-motor examination scales, and adverse events including dyskinesia.

Results

74 RCTs reporting on 18 693 patients were included. All three studied drug classes decreased daily off-medication time compared with placebo (COMT-Is mean −0.8 hours (95% CI −1.0 to −0.6), DRAs −1.1 hours (95% CI −1.4 to −0.8), MAOB-Is −0.9 hours (95% CI −1.2 to −0.6)). Safety analysis showed an increased risk of dyskinesia for all three drug classes (COMT-Is OR 3.3 (95% CI 2.7 to 4.0), DRAs 3.0 (95% CI 2.5 to 3.5), MAOB-Is 1.6 (95% CI 1.2 to 2.2)). According to surface under the cumulative ranking curve scores, pramipexole IR was associated with the most favourable benefit–risk profile.

Conclusions

COMT-Is, DRAs and MAOB-Is effectively reduce motor complications and increase incidence of dyskinesia. In the network meta-analysis, adjunctive use of DRAs appeared most effective.
Accuracy of screening tests for cervical precancer in women living with HIV in low-resource settings: a paired prospective study in Lusaka, Zambia
Authors: Taghavi Katayoun , Moono Misinzo , Mwanahamuntu Mulindi , Roumet Marie , Limacher Andreas , Kapesa Herbert , Madliwa Thamsanqa , Rutjes Anne , Basu Partha , Low Nicola , Manasyan Albert , Bohlius Julia
Published: February 2024

Objective

This study aimed to provide evidence to improve cervical screening for women living with HIV (WLHIV). We assessed the accuracy of screening tests that can be used in low-resource settings and give results at the same visit.

Methods and analysis

We conducted a paired, prospective study among consecutive eligible WLHIV, aged 18–65 years, receiving cervical cancer screening at one hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. The histopathological reference standard was multiple biopsies taken at two time points. The target condition was cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 and above (CIN2+). The index tests were high-risk human papillomavirus detection (hrHPV, Xpert HPV, Cepheid), portable colposcopy (Gynocular, Gynius) and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA). Accuracy of stand-alone and test combinations were calculated as the point estimate with 95% CIs. A sensitivity analysis considered disease when only visible lesions were biopsied.

Results

Women included in the study had well-controlled HIV infection (median CD4 count=542 cells/mm3) and all except one were on antiretroviral therapy. Among 371 participants with histopathological results, 27% (101/371) women had CIN2+ and 23% (23/101) were not detected by any index test. Sensitivity and specificity for stand-alone tests were: hrHPV, 67.3% (95% CI 57.7% to 75.7%) and 65.3% (95% CI 59.4% to 70.7%); Gynocular 51.5% (95% CI 41.9% to 61.0%) and 80.0% (95% CI 74.8% to 84.3%); and VIA 22.8% (95% CI 15.7% to 31.9%) and 92.6% (95% CI 88.8% to 95.2%), respectively. Combining tests did not improve test accuracy measures. All test accuracies improved in sensitivity analysis.

Conclusion

The low accuracy of screening tests assessed might be explained by our reference standard, which reduced verification and misclassification biases. Better screening strategies for WLHIV in low-resource settings are urgently needed.

Trial registration number

NCT03931083.
Neovascular age-related macular degeneration: disease pathogenesis and current state of molecular biomarkers predicting treatment response—a scoping review
Authors: Dervenis Nikolaos , Dervenis Panagiotis , Agorogiannis Eleftherios
Published: February 2024

Age-related macular degeneration is a major cause of blindness, and the development of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) intravitreal treatments has revolutionised the management of the disease. At the same time, new challenges and unmet needs arose due to the limitations of the current therapeutic options. Neovascularisation development during the course of the disease has a complex pathogenetic mechanism, and several biomarkers and their association with treatment outcomes have been investigated. We reviewed the relevant literature about neovascularisation development and biomarkers related to response to treatment. Improving our knowledge on the field can improve patient outcomes and offer personalised care.
A systematic review and critical appraisal of menopause guidelines
Authors: Hemachandra Chandima , Taylor Sasha , Islam Rakibul M , Fooladi Ensieh , Davis Susan R
Published: February 2024

Objective and rationale

To identify and appraise current national and international clinical menopause guidance documents, and to extract and compare the recommendations of the most robust examples.

Design

Systematic review.

Data sources

Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Web of Science

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies

Practice guidance documents for menopause published from 2015 until 20 July 2023. Quality was assessed by the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument.

Results

Twenty-six guidance papers were identified. Of these, five clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and one non-hormonal therapy position statement met AGREE II criteria of being at least of moderate quality. The five CPGs listed symptoms associated with the perimenopause and menopause to be vasomotor symptoms (VMS), disturbed sleep, musculoskeletal pain, decreased sexual function or desire, and mood disturbance (low mood, mood changes or depressive symptoms). Acknowledged potential long-term menopause consequences were urogenital atrophy, and increased risks of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. VMS and menopause-associated mood disturbance were the only consistent indications for systemic menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). Some CPGs supported MHT to prevent or treat osteoporosis, but specific guidance was lacking. None recommended MHT for cognitive symptoms or prevention of other chronic disease. Perimenopause-specific recommendations were scant. A neurokinin 3B antagonist, selective serotonin/norepinephrine (noradrenaline) reuptake inhibitors and gabapentin were recommended non-hormonal medications for VMS, and cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnosis were consistently considered as being of potential benefit.

Discussion

The highest quality CPGs consistently recommended MHT for VMS and menopause-associated mood disturbance, whereas clinical depression or cognitive symptoms, and cardiometabolic disease and dementia prevention were not treatment indications. Further research is needed to inform clinical recommendations for symptomatic perimenopausal women.
Very low calorie diets and total diet replacement in type 2 diabetes: where are we now?
Authors: Taylor Roy
Published: February 2024

Management of type 2 diabetes has now been simplified by the understanding that the condition is caused by excess fat in the liver together with suppression of beta cell function by the associated excess liver export of fat. These factors can be reversed by substantial weight loss leading to remission in the early years after diagnosis, or at least major decrease in cardiovascular risks and improvement in glucose control for all. Weight loss by any means is successful, but it is most easily achieved by rapid action using a low or very low calorie diet of around 800 kcal/day followed by sustained modest restraint of dietary habits. Oral hypoglycaemic agents and one antihypertensive drug can be withdrawn on day 1 of the weight loss diet, raising the importance of appropriate deprescribing.
Bi-allelic variants in chromatoid body protein TDRD6 cause spermiogenesis defects and severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia in humans
Authors: Guo Rui , Wu Huan , Zhu Xiaoyu , Wang Guanxiong , Hu Kaiqin , Li Kuokuo , Geng Hao , Xu Chuan , Zu Chenwan , Gao Yang , Tang Dongdong , Cao Yunxia , He Xiaojin
Published: February 2024

Background

The association between theTDRD6variants and human infertility remains unclear, as only one homozygous missense variant ofTDRD6was found to be associated with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT).

Methods

Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were employed to identify potential pathogenic variants ofTDRD6in infertile men. Histology, immunofluorescence, immunoblotting and ultrastructural analyses were conducted to clarify the structural and functional abnormalities of sperm in mutated patients.Tdrd6-knockout mice were generated using the CRISPR–Cas9 system. Total RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) analyses were used to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms, followed by validation through quantitative RT-PCR and immunostaining. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was also used to assess the efficacy of clinical treatment.

Results

Bi-allelicTDRD6variants were identified in five unrelated Chinese individuals with OAT, including homozygous loss-of-function variants in two consanguineous families. Notably, besides reduced concentrations and impaired motility, a significant occurrence of acrosomal hypoplasia was detected in multiple spermatozoa among five patients. Using theTdrd6-deficient mice, we further elucidate the pivotal role of TDRD6 in spermiogenesis and acrosome identified. In addition, the mislocalisation of crucial chromatoid body components DDX4 (MVH) and UPF1 was also observed in round spermatids from patients harbouringTDRD6variants. ScRNA-seq analysis of germ cells from a patient withTDRD6variants revealed that TDRD6 regulates mRNA metabolism processes involved in spermatid differentiation and cytoplasmic translation.

Conclusion

Our findings strongly suggest that TDRD6 plays a conserved role in spermiogenesis and confirms the causal relationship betweenTDRD6variants and human OAT. Additionally, this study highlights the unfavourable ICSI outcomes in individuals with bi-allelicTDRD6variants, providing insights for potential clinical treatment strategies.
Productions of X(3872), $$Z_c(3900)$$, $$X_2(4013)$$, and $$Z_c(4020)$$ in $$B_{(s)}$$ decays offer strong clues on their molecular nature
Authors: Wu Qi , Liu Ming-Zhu , Geng Li-Sheng
Published: February 2024

The exotic states X(3872) and $$Z_c(3900)$$

Z
c

(
3900
)

have long been conjectured as isoscalar and isovector $${\bar{D}}^*D$$

D

¯

∗

D

molecules. In this work, we first propose the triangle diagram mechanism to investigate their productions in B decays as well as their heavy quark spin symmetry partners, $$X_2(4013)$$

X
2

(
4013
)

and $$Z_c(4020)$$

Z
c

(
4020
)

. We show that the large isospin breaking of the ratio $${\mathcal {B}}[B^+ \rightarrow X(3872) K^+]/{\mathcal {B}}[B^0 \rightarrow X(3872) K^0] $$

B

[

B
+

→
X

(
3872
)

K
+

]

/
B

[

B
0

→
X

(
3872
)

K
0

]

can be attributed to the isospin breaking of the neutral and charged $${\bar{D}}^*D$$

D

¯

∗

D

components in their wave functions. For the same reason, the branching fractions of $$Z_c(3900)$$

Z
c

(
3900
)

in B decays are smaller than the corresponding ones of X(3872) by at least one order of magnitude, which naturally explains its non-observation. A hierarchy for the production fractions of X(3872), $$Z_c(3900)$$

Z
c

(
3900
)

, $$X_2(4013)$$

X
2

(
4013
)

, and $$Z_c(4020)$$

Z
c

(
4020
)

in B decays, consistent with all existing data, is predicted. Furthermore, with the factorization ansatz we extract the decay constants of X(3872), $$Z_c(3900)$$

Z
c

(
3900
)

, and $$Z_c(4020)$$

Z
c

(
4020
)

as $${\bar{D}}^*D^{(*)}$$

D

¯

∗

D

(

∗
)

molecules via the B decays, and then calculate their branching fractions in the relevant $$B_{(s)}$$

B

(
s
)

decays, which turn out to agree with all existing experimental data. The mechanism we proposed is useful to elucidate the internal structure of the many exotic hadrons discovered so far and to extract the decay constants of hadronic molecules, which can be used to predict their production in related processes.
Local Community Detection in Multiple Private Networks
Authors: Ni Li , Ye Rui , Luo Wenjian , Zhang Yiwen
Published: February 2024

Individuals are often involved in multiple online social networks. Considering that owners of these networks are unwilling to share their networks, some global algorithms combine information from multiple networks to detect all communities in multiple networks without sharing their edges. When data owners are only interested in the community containing a given node, it is unnecessary and computationally expensive for multiple networks to interact with each other to mine all communities. Moreover, data owners who are specifically looking for a community typically prefer to provide less data than the global algorithms require. Therefore, we propose the Local Collaborative Community Detection problem (LCCD). It exploits information from multiple networks to jointly detect the local community containing a given node without directly sharing edges between networks. To address the LCCD problem, we present a method developed from M method, called colM, to detect the local community in multiple networks. This method adopts secure multiparty computation protocols to protect each network’s private information. Our experiments were conducted on real-world and synthetic datasets. Experimental results show that colM method could effectively identify community structures and outperform comparison algorithms.
An All-Inclusive Taxonomy and Critical Review of Blockchain-Assisted Authentication and Session Key Generation Protocols for IoT
Authors: Shahidinejad Ali , Abawajy Jemal
Published: February 2024

Authentication and Session Key Generation Protocols (SKGPs) play an essential role in securing the communication channels of connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Recently, through blockchain integration, scholars have tried to enhance the security and applicability of SKGPs. In brief, blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that can provide interesting features such as immutability, transparency, and accountability without any need for the active participation of trusted parties. This survey presents a comprehensive critical review of blockchain-assisted authentication and SKGPs, suggested for different IoT domains, including Internet of Vehicles, Internet of Drones, and Industrial IoT. Our survey categorizes existing schemes based on several criteria, including IoT application domains, security aspects, and blockchain components. By presenting an unbiased critical review and taxonomy of protocols, we aim to clarify the key challenges. Our review will specifically indicate what properties authors gained or lost through the integration of blockchain. To our best knowledge, this survey is the only one that offers all prerequisites for interested readers in blockchain-integrated SKGPs, such as security features and attacks, attack models, verification tools, blockchain types, blockchain platforms, and consensus mechanisms. Further, our survey elaborates existing research gaps in blockchain-assisted SKGPs. In doing so, we aim to guide future research in this field and provide researchers with the essential information they require.
High-efficiency Compressor Trees for Latest AMD FPGAs
Authors: Hoßfeld Konstantin , Damsgaard Hans Jakob , Nurmi Jar , Blott Michaela , Preußer Thomas B.
Published: February 2024

High-fan-in dot product computations are ubiquitous in highly relevant application domains, such as signal processing and machine learning. Particularly, the diverse set of data formats used in machine learning poses a challenge for flexible efficient design solutions. Ideally, a dot product summation is composed from a carry-free compressor tree followed by a terminal carry-propagate addition. On FPGA, these compressor trees are constructed from generalized parallel counters whose architecture is closely tied to the underlying reconfigurable fabric. This work reviews known counter designs and proposes new ones in the context of the new AMD Versal™ fabric. On this basis, we develop a compressor generator featuring variable-sized counters, novel counter composition heuristics, explicit clustering strategies, and case-specific optimizations like logic gate absorption. In comparison to the Vivado™ default implementation, the combination of such a compressor with a novel, highly efficient quaternary adder reduces the LUT footprint across different bit matrix input shapes by 45% for a plain summation and by 46% for a terminal accumulation at a slight cost in critical path delay still allowing an operation well above 500 MHz. We demonstrate the aptness of our solution at examples of low-precision integer dot product accumulation units.
IDeSyDe: Systematic Design Space Exploration via Design Space Identification
Authors: Jordão Rodolfo , Becker Matthias , Sander Ingo
Published: February 2024

Design space exploration (DSE) is a key activity in embedded design processes, where a mapping between applications and platforms that meets the process design requirements must be found. Finding such mappings is very challenging due to the complexity of modern embedded platforms and applications. DSE tools aid in this challenge by potentially covering sections of the design space that could be unintuitive to designers, leading to more optimised designs. Despite this potential benefit, DSE tools remain relatively niche in the embedded industry. A significant obstacle hindering their wider adoption is integrating such tools into embedded design processes.

We present two contributions that address this integration issue. First, we present the design space identification (DSI) approach for systematically constructing DSE solutions that are modular and tuneable. Modularity means that DSE solutions can be reused to construct other DSE solutions, while tuneability means that the most specific DSE solution is chosen for the target DSE problem. Moreover, DSI enables transparent cooperation between exploration algorithms. Second, we present IDeSyDe, an extensible DSE framework for DSE solutions based on DSI. IDeSyDe allows extensions to be developed in different programming languages in a manner compliant with the DSI approach.

We showcase the relevance of these contributions through five different case studies. The case study evaluations showed that non-exploration DSI procedures create overheads, which are marginal compared to the exploration algorithms. Empirically, most evaluations average 2% of the total DSE request. More importantly, the case studies have shown that IDeSyDe indeed provides a modular and incremental framework for constructing DSE solutions. In particular, the last case study required minimal extensions over the previous case studies so that support for a new application type was added to IDeSyDe.
Aqueous Extract of Leaves and Flowers of Acmella caulirhiza Reduces the Proliferation of Cancer Cells by Underexpressing Some Genes and Activating Caspase-3
Authors: Tienoue Fotso Huiny Miriane , Mbong Angie Mary-Ann , Ntentie Françoise Raïssa , Makamwe Inelle , Edoun Ebouel Ferdinand Lanvin , Kenjing Ndansack Emmerencia , Julius Oben Enyong
Published: February 2024

The increasing prevalence of cancers and the multiple side effects of cancer treatments have led researchers to constantly search for plants containing bioactive compounds with cell death properties. This work aimed at evaluating the antiproliferative effect of an Acmella caulirhiza extract. After evaluation of the in vitro antioxidant potential of the three extracts of Acmella caulirhiza (aqueous (AE-Ac), hydroethanolic (HEE-Ac), and ethanolic (EE-Ac)) through the scavenging of DPPH● and NO● radicals, the extract with the best antioxidant activity was selected for bioactive compound assessment and antiproliferative tests. Subsequently, the cytotoxic activity was evaluated on the viability of breast (MCF-7), brain (CT2A, SB-28, and GL-261), colon (MC-38), and skin (YUMM 1.7 and B16-F1) cancer lines using the MTT method. Then, the line where the extract was the most active was selected to evaluate the expression of certain genes involved in cancerogenesis by RT-PCR and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 involved in cell death mechanism by western blot. The AE-Ac showed the best scavenging activity with IC50s of 0.52 and 0.02 for DPPH● and NO●, respectively. This AE-Ac was found to contain alkaloids, flavonoids, and tannins and was more active on YUMM 1.7 cells (IC50 = 149.42 and 31.99 μg/mL for 24 and 48 h, respectively). Results also showed that AE-Ac downregulated the expression of inflammation (IL-1b p=0.017 and IL-6 p=0.028), growth factors (PDGF p=0.039, IGF

p

=

0.034

, E2F1p=0.038, and E2F2p=0.016), and antiapoptotic protein genes (Bcl-2 p=0.028 and Bcl-6 p=0.039). The cleaved caspase-3 was positively modulated by the AE-Ac inducing thus cell death by apoptosis. AE-Ac showed inhibitory effects on the expression of genes involved in cancer progression making it a potential health intervention agent that can be exploited in cancer therapy protocols.
A Deep Learning Method for Building Extraction from Remote Sensing Images by Fuzing Local and Global Features
Authors: Wang Yitong , Wang Shumin , Yuan Jing , Dou Aixia , Gu Ziying
Published: February 2024

As important disaster-bearing bodies, buildings are the focus of attention in seismic disaster risk assessment and emergency rescue. It is of great practical significance to extract buildings quickly and accurately with complex textures and variable scales and shapes from high-resolution remote sensing images. We proposed an improved TransUnet model based on multiscale grouped convolution and attention named MATUnet to retain more local detail features and enhance the representation ability of global features, while reducing the network parameters. We designed the multiscale grouped convolutional feature extraction module with attention (GAM) to enhance the representation of detailed features. The convolutional positional encoding module (PEG) was added to redetermine the number of transformer, it solved the problem of local feature information loss and the difficulty of convergence of the network. The channel attention module (CAM) of the decoder enhanced the salient information of the features and solved the problem of information redundancy after feature fusion. We experimented through MATUnet on the WHU building dataset and Massachusetts dataset. MATUnet achieved the best IOU results of 92.14% and 83.22%, respectively, and achieved better than the other generalized and state-of-the-art networks under the same conditions. We also have achieved good segmentation results on the GF2 Xichang building dataset.
One‐Stage Approach to Rehabilitate a Hopeless Tooth in the Maxilla by Means of Immediate Dentoalveolar Restoration: Surgical and Prosthetic Considerations
Authors: Mulinari-Santos Gabriel , Scannavino Fabio Luiz Ferreira , de Avila Erica Dorigatti , Barros-Filho Luiz Antonio Borelli , Theodoro Leticia Helena , Barros Luiz Antonio Borelli , de Molon Rafael Scaf
Published: February 2024

Contemporary dentistry has increased the demand for predictable functional and esthetic results in a short period of time without compromising the long‐term success of rehabilitation. Recent advances in surgical techniques have provided alternatives that allow the prosthetic rehabilitation of complex implant‐supported cases through minimally invasive techniques. In this context, immediate dentoalveolar restoration (IDR) was described aiming at restoring function and esthetics through the reconstruction of lost periodontal tissues followed by immediate implant placement in order to minimize treatment time and surgical morbidity in a one‐stage approach. Therefore, the aim of this clinical case is to describe the reconstruction and rehabilitation of a hopeless tooth in the maxillary region in a one‐stage approach by means of IDR. The proposed steps to rehabilitate the case involved atraumatic dental extraction, immediate implant placement, and hard tissue augmentation by means of cortical‐medullary bone graft harvested from the maxillary tuberosity. Afterwards, a provisional restoration was manufactured and installed to the implant allowing immediate prosthesis provisionalization and function in the same operatory time. Six months after the surgical procedure, the final prosthesis was manufactured and installed. The follow‐up of nine years demonstrated the preservation of hard and soft tissue without tissue alteration and a successful esthetic outcome. The surgical protocol used allowed the ideal three‐dimensional placement of the implant with the restoration of the bone buccal wall, favoring the esthetic and functional outcome of the case with harmony between white and pink esthetics. In conclusion, the employed treatment validated immediate implant‐supported restoration of the missing tooth with high predictability. Furthermore, this protocol resulted in fewer surgical interventions, regeneration, and preservation of peri‐implant tissues reaching the patient’s expectations.
The Characteristics of Circular Fermatean Fuzzy Sets and Multicriteria Decision‐Making Based on the Fermatean Fuzzy t‐Norm and t‐Conorm
Authors: A. Revathy , V. Inthumathi , S. Krishnaprakash , H. Anandakumar , K. M. Arifmohammed
Published: February 2024

When diverse decision makers are involved in the decision‐making process, taking average of decision values might not reflect an accurate point of view. To overcome such a scenario, the circular Fermatean fuzzy (CFF) set, an advancement of the Fermatean fuzzy (FF) set, and the interval‐valued Fermatean fuzzy set (IVFFS) are introduced in this current study. The proposed CFF set is a circle with a centre as association value (AV) and nonassociation value (NAV) with a radius at most equal to . It is built in such a way that it covers all the decision makers’ opinion value through a circle. Due to its geometric structure, the CFF set resolves ambiguity and risk more accurately and effectively than FF and IVFF. FF t‐norm and t‐conorm are used to investigate the properties of CFF sets, subsequent to which the algebraic operations between them are defined. A couple of CFF distance measures between CFF numbers are introduced and used in the selection of an electric autorickshaw along with the CFF weighted averaging and geometric aggregation operators. The overview and comparison analysis of the generated reports exemplifies the viability and compatibility of the CFF set strategy for selecting the best choices.
Assessment of Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of a Proprietary Preparation of Quercetin–Rutin Blend (SophorOx™) in Exercised Rats
Authors: Shanmugasundaram Devanand , Roza James Martin
Published: February 2024

Objectives. Flavonoids comprise a huge class of phenolic compounds widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom. Although quercetin and rutin have been studied individually for their therapeutic value, the synergistic effect of combining the two has previously not been measured. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of both quercetin and rutin when combined in the form of SophorOx™ (a proprietary preparation of quercetin–rutin) in exercised rats. Methods. Sprague–Dawley rats were orally administered SophorOx™ at 500 mg·kg−1·b.w. and subjected to daily exercise on a fabricated treadmill for 4 weeks. A total of 24 animals were randomly divided into four groups. All the animals were examined for body weight, feed consumption, signs of clinical abnormalities, and morbidity. In addition, serum collected on days 8, 15, 22, and 29 were measured for the liver function test (LFT), random blood sugar (RBS), inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP), oxidative stress markers (8-isoprostane (8-iso-PGF2α), malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and cytokine levels interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)) by the ELISA method. Results. Rats that received SophorOx™ showed no signs of adverse effects, and no significant changes were observed in body weight, feed consumption, liver enzymes, and blood glucose levels. The exercise-treated rats administered with SophorOx™ exhibited a significant reduction in oxidative and inflammatory marker levels, viz., CRP (113.32 ng·mL−1) and oxidative stress markers 8-OHdG (19.32 pg·mL−1), MDA (1.06 nmol·mL−1), 8-iso-PGF2α (1.29 ng·mL−1), IL-1β (0.77 pg·mL−1), and IL-6 (317.14 pg·mL−1) in comparison to those rodents that were exercised without SophorOx™. Conclusion. Oral administration of SophorOx™ significantly reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory marker levels when measured in the rodents subjected to high-intensity exercise.
Is Thrombectomy Worth It for Isolated Posterior Cerebral Artery Occlusion? Meta‐Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis
Authors: Jhou Hong‐Jie , Lee Cho‐Hao , Tsai Yu‐Chi , Chen Po‐Huang , Yang Li‐Yu
Published: February 2024

Background

Thrombectomy is well‐established management for acute ischemic stroke involving large vessel occlusion. However. the potential efficacy of thrombectomy for isolated posterior cerebral artery occlusion remains limited. The study aims to evaluate the benefits of thrombectomy for isolated posterior cerebral artery occlusion.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase for articles published until September 2023. The primary outcome was good functional outcome at 3 months. The secondary outcomes included excellent functional outcome at 3 months and early neurological improvement. The safety outcomes were symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, and mortality at 3 months.

Results

Seven retrospective studies involving 2560 patients with isolated posterior cerebral artery occlusion were included (876 patients receiving thrombectomy). The odds ratio (OR) of good functional outcome at 3 months was 0.93 (95% CI, 0.68–1.28) between 2 groups. The OR of excellent functional outcome (OR 1.23; 95% CI 0.92–1.64) and early neurological improvement (OR 1.82; 95% CI 0.97–3.40) were not different between the 2 groups. Compared with patients with best medical management, those with thrombectomy demonstrated a significantly increased risk of mortality (OR 1.81; 95% CI 1.24–2.65), whereas the risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (OR 2.033; 95% CI 0.996–4.148) did not show an increase. Additionally, the results of trial sequential analysis indicated all outcomes were inconclusive.

Conclusion

Thrombectomy stands as an available procedure for patients with isolated posterior cerebral artery occlusion; however, it shows no notable benefits in reducing symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage risk or enhancing function and may raise mortality compared with standard medical management. Further randomized controlled trials are necessary to yield more conclusive evidence.
Dynamic Impacts of Lockdown on Domestic Violence: Evidence from Multiple Policy Shifts in Chile
Authors: Bhalotra Sonia , Brito Emilia , Clarke Damian , Larroulet Pilar , Pino Francisco
Published: February 2024

We identify dynamic impacts on domestic violence (DV) of the staggered imposition and lifting of lockdown across Chile's 346 municipalities. Lockdown increases DV helpline calls and shelter occupancy without increasing DV police reports. These results are consistent with lockdown raising incidence and creating barriers to reporting. Once lockdown is lifted, shelter occupancy falls and police reports surge, but helpline calls remain elevated in line with state dependence in DV. We identify male job loss as a mechanism driving DV. Our findings accentuate controversy around welfare impacts of lockdown mandates. Adverse impacts of lockdown on DV are mitigated by cash transfers.
The Value of a High School GPA
Authors: Landaud Fanny , Maurin Éric , Willage Barton , Willén Alexander
Published: February 2024

This paper provides novel evidence on the causal effect of high school Grade Point Average (GPA) on the human capital development and labor market trajectory of individuals. Causal identification is achieved by exploiting a unique feature of the Norwegian education system that produces exogenous variation in GPA among high school students. We find little effect on the number of completed years of higher education, but significant effects on the number and quality of higher education programs available to students after high school. Most importantly, we find persistent effects on students' long-run labor market outcomes, most notably market wage.
Is Hybrid Work the Best of Both Worlds? Evidence from a Field Experiment
Authors: Choudhury Prithwiraj , Khanna Tarun , Makridis Christos A. , Schirmann Kyle
Published: February 2024

This paper reports causal evidence on how the extent of hybrid work—the number of days worked from home relative to days worked from office—affects employee attitudes and performance. Workers who spent around two days in the office each week on average self-reported greater work-life balance, more job satisfaction, and lower isolation from colleagues compared to workers who spent more or fewer days in the office. Employees in the intermediate hybrid condition received no different performance ratings compared to peers who spent more or fewer days in the office.
New records and potential distribution of Bufo luchunnicus (Yang & Rao, 2008) in Vietnam
Authors: Van Pham Anh , Le Minh Duc , Pham Cuong The , Ngo Hai Ngoc , Luu Vinh Quang , Sung Nenh Ba , Van Dau Trieu , Ziegler Thomas , Nguyen Truong Quang
Published: February 2024

The Luchun Stream Toad – Bufo luchunnicus (Yang and Rao, 2008) is a Critically Endangered species with a restricted distribution in southern China and northwestern Vietnam. Habitat loss and disturbance is the main threat to this species, but a lack of understanding of its natural history has hindered urgent conservation efforts to safeguard the species and its habitats. As a result of our field surveys, we herein report two new population records of B. luchunnicus in Vietnam and provide novel data on its natural history. In addition, species distribution models (MaxEnt – Maximum Entropy Algorithm) using current climatic data are applied to predict the potential distribution of B. luchunnicus.
Vulnerability of Female Headed Households
Authors: Al Fara Heba
Published: February 2024

Research has shown that the vulnerability of female headed households is hugely exacerbated during crises such as wars and conflict. However, little research has uncovered the unique challenges that single women face in accessing humanitarian aid, for themselves and for their dependents, before, during and immediately following a crisis. This article critically examines the challenges that female headed households face in accessing humanitarian aid in crisis settings to provide a clearer and deeper understanding as well as exploration of the risks. This research found that although social and cultural health but also logistical as well as economic challenges limit female headed households’ access to humanitarian aid, female heads of households use their agency to actively respond to these challenges to provide for their dependents during a crisis. Thus, female headed households must be recognized as active agents prior to, during and immediate post conflict situations and must be supported socially, politically and economically, using effective, sustainable and equitable techniques.
Siblings in the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women
Authors: Stamatopoulou Zoe
Published: February 2024

The Hesiodic Catalogue of Women is replete with catalogues of brothers and sisters, and yet interactions among siblings are fairly sparse in the extant fragments. This article surveys the representation of sibling interactions in the fragments and contextualizes them within the broader ideological framework of the genealogical poem.
Biomedical Applications of Wavelet Transform Algorithm on Deep Learning Ultrasonic Image Optimization as a Prognosis Model for Acute Myocarditis
Authors: Mei Fan , Qian Dan , Nie Yujun , Wang Bin , Liang Aimin , Li Hua
Published: February 2024

We aimed to investigate the biomedical methods of wavelet transform algorithm on ultrasonic image denoising algorithm and the risk factors for the adverse prognostic events of patients with myocarditis and analyse its correlation with free triiodothyronine (FT3) level. A retrospective
study was performed to include 68 patients diagnosed with acute myocarditis (AM). The included patients were enrolled into adverse event (AE) group (n = 7) and non-adverse event (NAE) group (n = 61). The clinical data, laboratory examination indicators, echocardiographic parameters,
and thyroid functions between the patients in the two groups at admission were compared. Besides, wavelet transform (WT) algorithm was employed to process ultrasonic images containing noises. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed using Logistic regression model. It was demonstrated
that peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM) (35.279, 0.847) of wavelet transform algorithm were higher than those of denoising convolutional neural network (DnCNN) algorithm (30.673, 0.582) and Red-Net algorithm (28.489, 0.638). In the AE group, the QRS interval
was longer ([102 (93, 135) ms] versus [86 (79, 102) ms]), the proportion of prolonged QRS period was higher (28.57%, 9.83%), and the creatine kinase isoenzyme, a marker of myocardial injury, was higher [32.87 (13.64, 78.62) U/L] versus 12.02 (9.89, 27.65) U/L], and the level of FT3 was lower
[1.87 (1.23, 2.36) pg/mL versus 2.83 (1.83, 3.45) pg/mL] compared to the NAE group. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the adverse event group was lower than that in the non-adverse event group [45.78 (36.18, 54.32) % versus 63.72 (54.82, 64.68)]. Multivariate Logistic regression
analysis showed that the risk factors for adverse events in patients with acute myocarditis included QRS interval > 120 ms (OR = 1.021), creatine kinase isoenzyme > 24 U/L (OR = 1.024), FT3 (OR = 0.067), and LVEF < 50% (OR = 0.973). This work confirmed that the wavelet transform algorithm
can optimize the image quality of echocardiography, improve the clarity, and provide a feasible idea for improving the prognosis of patients with acute myocarditis.