bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The RESTORE C19 Study: Outcomes for women denied immediate breast reconstruction in the United Kingdom during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Authors: Fairhurst Katherine , Dave Rajiv , O'Connell Rachel L , Vidya Raghaven , Fairbrother Patricia , Skillman Jo , Rooshenas Leila , Potter Shelley
Published: October 2023

Purpose
The RESTORE C19 study aimed to explore outcomes for women not offered immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) following mastectomy for breast cancer during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.
Methods
Women who were not offered IBR during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-October 2020) were identified from the B-Map-C study database. Local collaborators were contacted between December 2021 and July 2022 to provide follow up data on the cohort, specifically whether women had been seen to discuss delayed breast reconstruction (DBR) and if so by whom; the receipt and timing of delayed reconstruction or documented decisions not to pursue reconstruction.
Results
Of the 366 women who were not offered IBR, complete follow-up data were available for 311 (85.0%). At a time point of between 21–28 months after mastectomy, less than half of women (n = 149, 47.6%) had been seen by a surgeon to discuss DBR and less than a third (n = 91, 29.2%) had been referred to plastic surgery to discuss autologous options. Only 21 (6.8%) women had actually received a DBR (4 with implant, 17 with autologous tissue). Almost one in five (n = 57) had decided against reconstructive surgery.
Conclusions
The majority of women denied IBR during the first wave of COVID-19 are still waiting for reconstructive surgery with almost 20% deciding not to pursue this option. Qualitative work is now needed to explore the experiences of this group in more detail to determine how best to support these women to complete their breast cancer journeys.
A theoretical comparison among macroseismic scales used in Italy
Authors: Vannucci Gianfranco , Lolli Barbara , Gasperini Paolo
Published: October 2023

A recent work evidenced some empirical discrepancies between the macroseismic intensity estimates in Italy in the last decade with respect to those made previously. A possible reason might be the progressive adoption by Italian researchers of the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS) in place of the Mercalli Cancani Sieberg (MCS) scale mostly used up to 2009. In theory, in modern settlement where reinforced concrete (RC) buildings are increasingly replacing those in masonry, EMS should overestimate MCS because the former accounts for the lower vulnerability of RC whereas the latter does not because RC buildings were not considered at all by the MCS scale since they were almost absent at the time (1912–1932) when it was compiled by Sieberg. However, such theoretical inference is contradicted by the empirical evidence that, on average, MCS intensities really estimated in Italy over the past decade slightly overestimate EMS and not vice versa as it should be. A possible explanation is that the EMS scale had not been well calibrated to reproduce the MCS, as its authors intended to do. Another possible reason of the discrepancies between the last decade and the previous ones might be that the MCS scale applied today is not the same as that defined by Sieberg at the beginning of XX century. In order to better understand the possible causes of such discrepancies, we present here a formal comparison between the definitions of the different degrees of such macroseismic scales.
Association between physical activity and healthcare costs by weight status in middle age: Evidence from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966
Authors: Junttila Hanna , Vaaramo Mikko , Nerg Iiro , Huikari Sanna , Kari Jaana , Leinonen Anna-Maiju , Nurkkala Marjukka , Korpelainen Raija , Korhonen Marko
Published: October 2023

Objectives
To study the association of physical activity (PA) with individual-level outpatient primary healthcare (PHC) costs in midlife according to body mass index (BMI) categories.
Methods
The study population comprised 4 076 participants from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. The probability of having PHC costs and the previous year PHC cost levels at age 46 according to BMI and self-reported PA and their joint interactions were estimated using a two-part model. The BMI categories were healthy weight, overweight, and obesity at ages 31 and 46, and weight gain between such ages. The PA categories were inactive and active at ages 31 and 46, and turning inactive and turning active between such ages. The adjusted predicted annual individual-level PHC costs (€) for the combined BMI and PA categories were estimated.
Results
The participants with obesity had a significantly higher probability of having PHC costs (OR = 3.15, 95%CI 1.23–8.02 for females; OR = 3.77, 95%CI 1.31–10.85 for males) than the participants with healthy weight. The participants with obesity (OR = 1.33, 95%CI 1.01–1.75), and those with weight gain (OR = 1.22, 95%CI 1.03–1.44) had significantly higher PHC costs than the participants with healthy weight among females, but not among males. Joint associations of any of the BMI and PA categories with the probability of having PHC costs or cost levels were not found. Among females, the inactive participants with weight gain had 25% higher predicted costs than the inactive participants with healthy weight; and among the participants who turned active, those with weight gain had 65% higher predicted costs than those with healthy weight. Among males with healthy weight, the inactive ones had 38% higher predicted costs than the active participants.
Conclusions
Reaching the current PA recommendations does not mitigate the impact of obesity and weight gain on outpatient PHC costs in midlife.
Adolescent, parent, and provider attitudes toward a machine-learning based clinical decision support system for selecting treatment for youth depression
Authors: Gunlicks-Stoessel Meredith , Liu Yangchenchen , Parkhill Catherine , Morrell Nicole , Choy-Brown Mimi , Mehus Christopher , Hetler Joel , August Gerald
Published: October 2023

Background
Machine-learning based clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) have been proposed as a means of advancing personalized treatment planning for disorders, such as depression, that have a multifaceted etiology, course, and symptom profile. However, machine-learning based models for treatment selection are rare in the field of psychiatry. They have also not yet been translated for use in clinical practice. Understanding key stakeholder attitudes toward machine learning-based CDSSs is critical for developing plans for their implementation that promote uptake by both providers and families.
Methods
In Study 1, a machine-learning based Clinical Decision Support System for Youth Depression (CDSS-YD) was demonstrated to focus groups of adolescents with a diagnosis of depression (n = 9), parents (n = 11), and behavioral health providers (n = 8). Qualitative analysis was used to assess their attitudes towards the CDSS-YD. In Study 2, behavioral health providers were trained in the use of the CDSS-YD and they utilized the CDSS-YD in a clinical encounter with 6 adolescents and their parents as part of their treatment planning discussion. Following the appointment, providers, parents, and adolescents completed a survey about their attitudes regarding the use of the CDSS-YD.
Results
All stakeholder groups viewed the CDSS-YD as an easy to understand and useful tool for making personalized treatment decisions, and families and providers were able to successfully use the CDSS-YD in clinical encounters. Parents and adolescents viewed their providers as having a critical role in the use the CDSS-YD, and this had implications for the perceived trustworthiness of the CDSS-YD. Providers reported that clinic productivity metrics would be the primary barrier to CDSS-YD implementation, with the creation of protected time for training, preparation, and use as a key facilitator.
Conclusions
The CDSS-YD has the potential to be a widely accepted and useful tool for personalized treatment planning. Successful implementation will require addressing the system-level barrier of having sufficient time and energy to integrate it into practice.
An improved adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference framework for Lung Cancer Detection & Prediction on Internet of Medical things platform
Authors: Shabu S. L. Jany , Refonaa J. , Mallik Saurav , Dhamodaran D. , Grace L. K.Joshila , Shah Mohd Asif
Published: October 2023

It has become increasingly difficult for medical practitioners to recognize illness in recent years due to the emergence of new diseases from their myriad causes on a daily basis. Due in large part to inadequate diagnostic and monitoring infrastructure, a substantial amount of illness and death are associated with lung cancer (LC). The aim of the paper is to find lung cancer early and help patients receive curative treatment, quitting smoking or never starting is the best way to mitigate the potential for disease-related death. As a result, cutting-edge detection and monitoring technologies must be developed to enable rapid, accurate, and timely diagnosis. Fuzzy logic (FL) is one of the best approaches to modeling complex and uncertain systems; therefore it helps us deal with these challenges. Fuzzy expert system for lung cancer [FES-LC] detection and prediction on Internet of Medical things (IoMT) is employed to overcome the challenges. Hence enhanced adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference framework [ANF-IF] is proposed in the current research. The cloud-based application of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system yields four risk categories: not at risk, slightly at risk, moderately at risk, and severely at risk. New methods and theoretical frameworks have made it possible to diagnose LC in its earliest stages with the help of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), which allow researchers to overcome the limitations of conventionally slow diagnostic efficiency. The proposed system exhibits a precision of 93.4%, accuracy of 95.1%, specificity of 90.6%, sensitivity of 92.8%, False positive rate of 0.22%, false negative ratio of 0.18%, and classification accuracy of 98.2%. The proposed method outperforms all methods and provides better lung cancer detection accuracy than others.
A Catalogue of Structural Variation across Ancestrally Diverse Asian Genomes
Authors: Bertin Nicolas , Tan Joanna , Li Zhihui , Gonzalez-Porta Mar , Rajaby Ramesh , Jimenez Rodrigo , Lim Weng Khong , Tan Ye An , Teo Renyi , Hebrard Maxime , Ow Jack Ling , Ang Shimin , Jeyakani Justin , Chong Yap Seng , Lim Tock Han , Goh Liuh Ling , Tham Yih-Chung , Leong Khai Pang , Chin Calvin , Davila Sonia , Gilmore neer , Cheng Ching-Yu , Chambers John , Tai E Shyong , Liu Jianjun , Sim Xueling , Sung Wing-Kin , Prabhakar Shyam , Tan Patrick , Chai Jin-Fang , Lee Jimmy , Lee Eng Sing , Ngeow Joanne , Elliott Paul , Riboli Elio , Ng Hong Kiat , Mina Theresia , Tay Darwin , Sadhu Nilanjana , Jain Pritesh Rajesh , Low Dorrain , Wang Xiaoyan , Yeo Khung Keong , Cook Stuart Alexander , Pua Chee Jian , Yang Chengxi , Wong Tien , Sabanayagam Charumathi , Raghavan Lavanya , Aung Tin , Chee Miao Ling , Chee Miao , Li Hengtong , Dam Rob van , Teo Yik-Ying , Lim Chia Wei , Tsai Pi Kuang , Chew Wen Jie , Sim Wey Ching , Toh Li-xian Grace , Eriksson Johan , Gluckman Peter , Lee Yung Seng , Yap Fabian , Tan Kok Hian
Published: October 2023

Structural variants (SVs) are significant contributors to inter-individual genetic variation associated with traits and diseases. Current SV studies using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) have a largely Eurocentric composition, with little known about SV diversity in other ancestries particularly from Asia. Here, we present a WGS catalogue of 152,655 SVs from 8,392 Singaporeans of East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian ancestries, of which ~75% (113,446 SVs) are novel. We show that Asian populations can be stratified by their global SV patterns and identified 82,003 novel SVs that are specific to Asian populations. 38% of these novel SVs are restricted to one of the three major ancestry groups studied (Indian, Chinese or Malay). We uncovered SVs affecting ACMG-defined clinically actionable loci. Lastly, by identifying SVs in linkage disequilibrium with single-nucleotide variants, we demonstrate the utility of our SV catalogue in the fine-mapping of Asian GWAS variants and identification potential causative variants. These results augment our knowledge of structural variation across human populations, thereby reducing current ancestry biases in global references of genetic variation afflicting equity, diversity and inclusion in genetic research.
Synthetic inlet conditions for inhomogeneous flows from filters, packed beds, or sinter plates
Authors: Baik Seung-Jin , Martins Fabio J. W. A. , Beyrau Frank , Kempf Andreas
Published: October 2023

A practical method is presented to generate inflow boundary conditions for the laminar but spatially inhomogeneous flow out of filters, packed beds, or sinter plates. A synthetic velocity field that statistically reproduces the outflow characteristics is created based on digitally filtered random noise by the integral lengthscale of the investigated flow at a low computational cost. The method is tested to reproduce a real flow downstream of a sinter plate, which has its velocity measured using a hot-wire anemometer. Results demonstrate that the present method can efficiently generate synthetic inflow fields.
Credit card fraud recognition based on width and depth neural networks
Authors: Jiang Shan , Feng Yuming , Liao Xiaofeng , Onasanya B. O.
Published: October 2023

Credit card fraud identification is an important issue in risk prevention and control for banks and financial institutions. In order to establish credit card fraud identification model, This paper studies the feature extraction of fraud identification and the correlation analysis of influencing factors, the basic principles of deep neural network models were studied, and the basic principles of wide neural network models were studied, at the same time. On this basis, this paper proposes a credit card fraud identification model combining width neural network and depth neural network. The model was trained using a random gradient descent method. On the test set, the method proposed in this paper achieved an F1 score of 95.6%, and the method has good fraud identification performance. After comparison, the method proposed in this article is superior to traditional machine learning models such as KNN, decision tree, and Bayesian network.
The PpMYB75-PpDFR module reveals the difference between ‘SR’ and its Bud Variant ‘RMHC’ in Peach Red Flesh
Authors: Xu Chao , Xue Xiaomin , Li Zhixing , Chen Mingguang , Wang Siyu , Yang Yating , Shang Mingrui , Qiu Lei , Zhao Xianyan , Hu Wenxiao
Published: October 2023

‘Red Meat Honey Crisp (RMHC)’ has been widely cultivated by growers in recent years due to its early maturity, and red meat type characteristics. As a bud variant of ‘Super Red (SR)’ peach, red flesh is the most distinctive characteristic of ‘Red Meat Honey Crisp (RMHC)’. However, the mechanism of red flesh formation in ‘RMHC’ remains unclear. In this study, 79 differentially produced metabolites were identified by metabolomics analysis. The anthocyanin content in ‘RMHC’ was significantly higher than that in ‘SR’ during the same period, such as cyanidin O-syringic acid and cyanidin 3-O-glucoside. Other flavonoids also increased during the formation of red flesh, including flavonols (6-hydroxykaempferol-7-O-glucoside, hyperin), flavanols (protocatechuic acid, (+)-gallocatechin), and flavonoids (chrysoeriol 5-O-hexoside, tricetin). In addition, transcriptomic analysis and RT-qPCR showed that the expression levels of the flavonoid synthesis pathway transcription factor MYB75 and some structural genes, such as PpDFR, PpCHS, PpC4H, and PpLDOX increased significantly in ‘RMHC’. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that MYB75 was localized to the nucleus. Yeast single hybridization assays showed that MYB75 bound to the cis-acting element CCGTTG of the PpDFR promoter region. The MYB75-PpDFR regulatory network was identified to be a key pathway in the reddening of ‘RMHC’ flesh. Moreover, this is the first study to describe the cause for red meat reddening in ‘RMHC’ compared to ‘SR’ peaches using transcriptomics, metabolomics and molecular methods. Our study identified a key transcription factor involved in the regulation of the flavonoid synthetic pathway and contributes to peach breeding-related efforts as well as the identification of genes involved in color formation in other species.
HDAC6-selective inhibitor CAY10603 ameliorates cigarette smoke-induced small airway remodeling by regulating epithelial barrier dysfunction and reversing EMT
Authors: Zhang Qin , Yan Liming , Lu Ye , Liu Xiaodong , Yin Yan , Wang Qiuyue , Gu Xiu , Zhou Xiaoming
Published: October 2023

Background: Small airway remodeling is one of the vital characteristics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is mainly caused by epithelial barrier dysfunction and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Recent studies have indicated that Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) plays an important role in epithelial function and dysregulation. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effect of an inhibitor with high selectivity for HDAC6 on COPD and its mechanism.
Methods: Cigarette smoke (CS) exposure was used to establish a CS-induced COPD mouse model. CAY10603 at doses of 2.5 and 10 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally on alternate days. The protective effects of CAY10603 on the morphology of CS-induced emphysema, epithelial barrier function and small airway remodeling were evaluated using Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, Masson trichrome (MT) staining, immunohistochemical staining, and western blot. Human lung bronchial epithelial cell line (HBE) was used to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism of CAY10603.
Results: Compared to the CS group, the mean linear intercept (MLI) of CAY10603 treatment groups was decreased and mean alveolar number (MAN) was increased. Collagen deposition was reduced in the groups with CAY10603 treatment. The expression of α-SMA was markedly upregulated in the CS group, which could be reversed by CAY10603 treatment. Conversely, expression of E-cadherin in CS group was further downregulated and was reversed by CAY10603 treatment. CAY10603 could affect tight junction protein expression of ZO-1 and Occludin. The expressions of ZO-1 and Occludin were markedly downregulated in the CS group. After CAY10603 intervention, the protein expression level of ZO-1 and Occludin increased significantly. In HBE cells, CAY10603 significantly attenuated the E-cadherin levels induced by TGF-β1, while concurrently increasing α-SMA expression. This effect was achieved through the suppression of Smad2 and Smad3 phosphorylation. Furthermore, CAY10603 inhibited the TGF-β1-induced cell migration. CAY10603 could reverse EMT by regulating TGF-β1 pathway and improve CS-exposed emphysema in mice.
Conclusions: These findings suggested that CAY10603 inhibited cigarette smoke induced small airway remodeling by regulating epithelial barrier dysfunction and reversing EMT via TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway.
Amide proton transfer weighted imaging and diffusion kurtosis imaging in differentiating malignant from benign breast tumors compared with BI-RADS
Authors: Ma Yingying , Wang Peng , Shao Lin , Ge Yuxi , Qiao Hongyan , Yang Xiao , Hu shudong
Published: October 2023

Background: The present study aims to evaluate the diagnostic performance of amide proton transfer weighted imaging (APTWI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in terms of differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions and to compare them with the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) independently or jointly.
Methods: In this prospective study, participants with no previous treatment and lesions larger than 10 mm were enrolled from September 2022 to June 2023. All participants underwent APTWI and DKI preoperatively. The APTWI derived MTRasym and DKI parameters of mean kurtosis (MK) and mean diffusivity (MD) values were measured independently by two radiologists. The BI-RADS was scored by another two radiologists. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were separately generated to evaluate the diagnostic performance of each individual parameter and the combination of all parameters. Pathologic analysis results were used as the gold standard.
Results:Totally, 67 participants (48 malignant lesions vs. 19 benign lesions) were evaluated. Malignant lesions showed higher MTRasym value, lower MD value and higher MK value than benign lesions. The resultant areas under the ROC curves (AUC) were 0.836 for MTRasym, 0.970 for MD, 0.905 for MK, and 0.690 for BI-RADS in differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions. Moreover, with the combination of quantitative parameters of the two quantitative MRI techniques, the diagnostic performance and specificity of BI-RADS were improved.
Conclusion: APTWI and DKI have been demonstrated as potentially promising quantitative techniques for distinguishing the characteristics of breast lesions and may augment the diagnostic performance of BI-RADS.
Revolutionizing Drilling Operations: Unveiling the Power of Advanced Ultrasound Technologies for Integrity Inspection of Drilling Risers
Authors: Beltrão Bruno D'Almeida , Ferreira Carlos Alberto Martins , Antonio Marcelo Musci Musci Zaib
Published: October 2023

Integrity inspection is crucial in ensuring drilling risers’ reliable operation in the offshore oil and gas industry. This article explores the application of advanced ultrasound technologies, specifically Phased Array and Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD), for inspecting drilling risers. Traditional inspection methods, such as visual, magnetic particle testing and conventional ultrasound, have limitations in detecting and characterising internal defects. In contrast, Phased Array and TOFD offer enhanced accuracy, sensitivity, and coverage capabilities. The article delves into Phased Array and TOFD principles and mechanisms, highlighting their advantages over conventional ultrasound by using these advanced ultrasound techniques to inspect welds, corrosion, and other potential integrity issues in riser components. Additionally, it addresses the challenges associated with inspecting fully assembled risers and presents solutions to overcome them. Furthermore, the article presents case studies demonstrating the effectiveness of Phased Array and TOFD in identifying critical defects, such as fatigue cracks and wall thinning. It emphasises the importance of a comprehensive inspection strategy combining multiple techniques to assess drilling riser integrity comprehensively. Lastly, the article discusses the integration of advanced ultrasound technologies into existing inspection programs, including considerations for equipment selection, personnel training, and data analysis. Overall, this article highlights the significant advancements made in the integrity inspection of drilling risers through the use of advanced ultrasound technologies. It underscores the potential for improved safety, reduced inspection time, logistics and enhanced operational efficiency in the offshore drilling industry.
The post-treatment follow-up compliance related factors and relationship with survival in stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ colorectal cancer patients
Authors: He Xiaofeng , Wen Feng , Lv Min , Du Xuemei , He Jun , Yang Yang , Yuan Jin , Tang Dan , Li Qiu
Published: October 2023

Purpose: There is no standard precise surveillance strategy for stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ colorectal cancer (CRC) patients after curative treatment and patient’ adherence varies significantly. This study aimed to assess the associated factors and relationship with survival in CRC patients after radical therapy.
Methods: Stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ CRC patients with curative therapy between January 2016 and December 2021 were retrospectively collected. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to evaluate the associated variables. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to explore the survival benefits.
Results: A total of 662 CRC patients after curative therapies were collected, and 477 patients were eligible. Median follow-up time was 46 months. The 3-year follow-up compliance was 38.8%. Medical insurance, educational attainment, and adjuvant therapy were independently associated with follow-up compliance (P < 0.05). There was a trend of disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.085) and overall survival (OS) (P= 0.080) benefit in patients with good follow-up compliance. And in the subgroup analysis of age under 65 group, patients with good follow-up compliance got a statistically significant survival benefits for DFS (P = 0.009) and OS (P = 0.014). However, there was no survival benefit in patients with intensive follow-up.
Conclusions: The follow-up compliance in stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ CRC patients following their curative treatment was generally poor, and medical insurance, education as well as adjuvant therapy were the main influence factors. Good follow-up compliance yielded a survival benefit in patients under 65 years old. However, intensive follow-up did not result in survival benefits in stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ CRC patients.
Exploring Topological Indices for Analyzing Chemical and Metallic Frameworks: A Focus on Connection Numbers
Authors: . Dilawaiz , Umer Muhammad , Iqbal Hifza , Olejnik Pawel
Published: October 2023

In the study of molecular atoms, numerous topological indices possess useful properties. This paper examines different types of topological indices, including the first Zagreb connection index, second Zagreb connection index, forgotten index, redefined Zagreb index, general randic index, and symmetric division degree index, to analyze the chemical and metallic structure. Furthermore, we explore the Zagreb Connection indices of Concealed non-kekulean benzenoid hydrocarbons (CNBH) and the Face Centered Cubic Lattice (FCC). The results are presented through mathematical quantities and visualized using 3D plots.
Alpha1-adrenergic antagonists act as 6-nitrodopamine receptor antagonists in the human vas deferens
Authors: Britto-Júnior José , Guimarães Renan Arthur Bosio , Oliveira Denis Lima , Lima Antonio Tiago , Junior Gilberto Quirino , Stocco Gabriel Augusto Oliveira , Uramoto Edson Hiroshi Salgado , Fregonesi Adriano , Antunes Edson , De Nucci Gilberto
Published: October 2023

Background: 6-Nitrodopamine (6-ND) is released from human vas deferens and plays a modulatory role in the male ejaculation. Therapeutical use of α1-adrenoceptor antagonists is associated with ejaculatory abnormalities.
Objectives: To evaluate the effect of α1-adrenoceptor antagonists on the contractions induced by 6-ND, dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline in the human epididymal vas deferens (HEVD).
Methods: HEVD strips were suspended in glass chambers containing heated and oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit’s solution. Cumulative concentration-response curves to catecholamines (10 nM-300 mM) were constructed in HEVD strips pre-incubated (30 min) with doxazosin (0.1-1nM), tamsulosin (1-10 nM), prazosin (10-100 nM) and/or silodosin (0.1-10 nM). The effects of these α1-adrenoceptor antagonists were also evaluated in the electric-field stimulation (EFS, 2-32 Hz)-induced contractions.
Results: Doxazosin (0.1 nM) caused significant reductions in 6-ND-induced HEVD contractions without affecting the contractions induced by dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline. Similar results were observed with tamsulosin (1 nM) and prazosin (10 nM). At these concentrations, these α1-adrenoceptor antagonists largely reduced the EFS-induced contractions. Silodosin (1 nM) caused concentration-dependent rightward shifts of the concentration-response curves to 6-ND but had no effect on the contractions induced by dopamine and adrenaline. Silodosin (0.1 nM) only inhibited the contractions induced by noradrenaline. Silodosin at 1 nM, but not at 0.1 nM, caused significant reductions in the EFS-induced contractions.
Discussion and conclusion: The results indicate that 6-ND plays a major role in the human vas deferens contractility and doxazosin, tamsulosin, prazosin and silodosin cause ejaculation disorders in man by blocking the 6-ND receptor rather than α1-adrenoceptors.
Factors affecting delays in seeking treatment among malaria patients in the post-elimination phase in China
Authors: Jia Lianyu , Chen Xiaoyu , Feng Zhanchun , Tang Shangfeng , Feng Da
Published: October 2023

Background
Delays in malaria treatment can not only lead to severe and even life-threatening complications, but can also be a source of malaria re-transmission, putting more people at risk of infection. This study aimed to investigate the influencing factors influencing treatment delays among malaria patients and their health-seeking behavior.
Methods
The medical records of 494 patients diagnosed with malaria from 6 different malaria-endemic provinces in China were analyzed. A bivariate and multivariable regression model was used to investigate the association between delays in seeking treatment and various factors. A Sankey diagram was used to visualize the trajectories of malaria patients seeking medical care. Total treatment delays were categorized as patient delays and docotor delays.
Results
The incidence of total delays in seeking malaria treatment was 81.6%, of which 28.4% were delayed by patients alone and 34.8% by doctors. The median time of patient delays was 1 day (IQR, 0-20 days), and the median time of doctor delays was 2 days (IQR, 0-90 days). After being subjected to multiple logistic regression analysis, the factor significantly associated with patient delays was living in central China (OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.24-0.78). The factors significantly associated with doctor delays were: age between 30 to 49 years old (OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.23-0.81), being sigle/divorce/separated (OR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.24-0.95), mixed infections (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.02-4.08), first visiting a county-level health institution (OR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.14-0.45), first visiting a prefectural health institution (OR = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.03-0.12), first visiting a provincial health institution (OR = 0.05, 95%CI: 0.02-0.12), and having periodic symptoms (OR=1.71, 95% CI: 1.00-2.92). Furthermore, higher financial burden and complications were found to be associated with patient delays. Doctor delays, in addition to incurring these two consequences, were associated with longer hospital stays.
Conclusion
There was a substantial delay in access to health care for malaria patients before China was certified malaria free. Region, marital status, periodic symptoms and the level of health institutions were factors contributing to delays in treatment-seeking among malaria patients.
Pollen microbiomes of solitary bees (Osmia rufa L. syn. O. bicornis) from seed orchards
Authors: Kęsy Mateusz , Cłapa Tomasz , Narożna Dorota
Published: October 2023

The red mason (Osmia rufa L. syn. O. bicornis) is a solitary bee that is commonly used for pollination of fruit crops. Given the declining numbers of pollinators in various environments, the mason bee has not only become an effective insect as an additional pollinator, but sometimes it becomes the main species that is used to increase the yield of crops. Due to easy rearing and not showing aggressiveness towards people. The individual features of the mason bee have made the interest in this species constantly growing. Currently, the wild bees is more important for the forestry and production the seeds. So far, only the honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera) has been successfully used to work in forest areas, especially with the flowers of Tilia cordata Mill. The rearing of mason bee (Osmia rufa L.) in forest areas is new. The paper presents information on the microbiome of pollen collected from the brood chambers of the solitary bee Osmia rufa L. in various forest biotopes: Tilia cordata Mill, Quercus petraea Liebl. and Prunus avium L. The presence of five groups of bacteria was found in all analyzed pollens were rich in α-Proteabacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, while β-Proteobacteria and Bacteroides were present in a lower level. Despite the presence of bacteria in the pollen, no increased bee mortality was observed in any of the bee nests of forest biotopes. It was found that the forest environment does not pose a threat to the development of Osmia rufa L. bees.
How environmental, geographic, socio-demographic, and epidemiological indicators influence malaria prevalence
Authors: Villena Oswaldo C. , Arab Ali , Lippi Catherine A. , Ryan Sadie J. , Johnson Leah R.
Published: October 2023

Background: The interactions of environmental, geographic, socio-demographic, and epidemiological factors in shaping mosquito-borne disease transmission dynamics are complex and changeable, influencing the abundance and distribution of vectors and the pathogens they transmit. In this study, 27 years of prevalence data (1990-2017) were used to examine the effects of environmental (temperature, precipitation, normalized difference vegetation index, isothermality), geographic (elevation), socio-economic (population density, gross domestic product per capita, human development index), and epidemiological (basic reproductive number) factors on Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria in Africa and Asia.
Methods: Monthly long-term, open-source data for each factor were compiled and analyzed using two approaches: generalized linear models (GLM) and classification and regression trees (CART). Both approaches were used to identify associations between environmental, geographic, socioeconomic, and epidemiological factors with malaria prevalence (the proportion of people infected with malaria in a given time period). Plasmodium. falciparum and P. vivax malaria prevalence were examined in Asia, and only P. falciparum in Africa. Model fit was assessed, estimating the accuracy, precision, recall, and the f1-score of the models.
Results: Both CART and GLMs provided robust predictions of malaria prevalence, but the CART model exhibited slightly better accuracy and precision. An optimum temperature for malaria prevalence around 25 ◦C for P. falciparum prevalence was observed in Africa but not for P. falciparum and P. vivax in Asia which was below 25 ◦C. The decline of malaria prevalence from 2000 to 2012 was well capture by the models as well as the resurgence of P. falciparum prevalence in Africa and Asia. Precipitation showed a unimodal response to malaria prevalence with a positive effect up to a point of 200 - 400 mm of rainfall; then a negative effect was observed as precipitation increased. Higher predicted malaria prevalence in regions with lower GDPPC and lower HDI and a positive correlation with the basic reproductive number.
Conclusion: This study showed that there was a combination of environmental, geographic, socioeconomic, and epidemiological indicators driving malaria prevalence. Identifying these, and describing their associations provides key information to inform planning strategies and interventions to reduce malaria burden in Africa and Asia.
WITHDRAWN: A Multi-Graph Neural Networks Based on Dynamic Spatio-temporal for Urban Traffic Flows Prediction
Authors: Ali Ahmad , Zakarya Muhammad , Qazani Mohammad Reza Chalak , Khan Ayaz Ali , Ahmed Aftab , Al-Bahri Mahmood
Published: October 2023

The primary function of an intelligent transportation system (ITS) is traffic prediction. Perfect traffic forecasting can largely enhance the use of public incomes. It is, however, difficult due to the dynamic and complex nature of spatial-temporal dependencies. Largely, the existing methods rely on static adjacency matrices, which do not reflect the simultaneous collaboration of several spatial-temporal correlations and therefore limit the accuracy and correctness of forecasting. In order to address this issue, and to illustrate the dynamic interplay of various spatial-temporal correlations in the traffic flows network, this research suggests a unified simultaneous Multi Fusion Graph Network (DMFGNet) model. The dynamic graph fusion in the proposed DMFGNet model is intended to extract dynamic spatial-temporal dependencies among different areas. Meanwhile, the model Spatial-Temporal attention Unit (DSTAU) is proposed to regulate the weights of aggregation of various neighbours. It may carefully aggregate spatiotemporal properties from various neighbours. To display the usefulness and practicality of the suggested model, extensive evaluation and experiments were conducted on two large scale real-world traffic flow data-sets. The experimental findings validate the benefit of the advised model over prevailing state-of-the-art baseline techniques. Furthermore, the outcomes show that the suggested approach is efficient and practical.
Nonsurgical management of hallux valgus: findings of a randomised pilot and feasibility trial
Authors: Menz Hylton , Lim Polly Q. X. , Hurn Sheree E. , Mickle Karen J. , Buldt Andrew K. , Cotchett Matthew P. , Roddy Edward , Wluka Anita E. , Erbas Bircan , Batra Mehak , Munteanu Shannon E.
Published: October 2023

Background Hallux valgus is a common and disabling condition. This randomised pilot and feasibility trial aimed to determine the feasibility of conducting a parallel group randomised trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a nonsurgical intervention for reducing pain associated with hallux valgus. Methods Twenty-eight community-dwelling women with painful hallux valgus were randomised to receive either a multifaceted, nonsurgical intervention (footwear, foot orthoses, foot exercises, advice, and self-management) or usual care (advice and self-management alone). Outcome measures were obtained at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. The primary outcome was feasibility, evaluated according to demand (recruitment rate and conversion rate), acceptability, adherence, adverse events, and retention rate. Limited efficacy testing was conducted on secondary outcome measures including foot pain, foot muscle strength, general health-related quality of life, use of cointerventions, and participants’ perception of overall treatment effect. Results Between July 8, 2021, and April 22, 2022, we recruited and tested 28 participants (aged 44 to 80 years, mean 60.7, standard deviation 10.7). This period encompassed two COVID-related stay-at-home orders (July 16 to July 27, and August 5 to October 21, 2021). The predetermined feasibility thresholds were met for retention rate, foot pain, mental health-related quality of life, and use of cointerventions, partly met for acceptability, adverse events, and muscle strength, and not met for demand (recruitment rate or conversion rate), adherence, physical health-related quality of life and perception of overall treatment effect. Conclusion In its current form, a randomised trial of footwear, foot orthoses, foot exercises, advice and self-management for relieving pain associated with hallux valgus is not feasible, particularly due to the low adherence with the intervention. However, it is difficult to determine whether the trial would be feasible under different circumstances, particularly due to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Future trials will need to consider improving the aesthetics of the footwear and making the exercise program less burdensome. Trial registration Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ACTRN12621000645853).
Toxicity effects of zinc supply on growth revealed by physiological and transcriptomic evidences in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas(L.) Lam)
Authors: Meng Yusha , Xiang Chao , Huo Jinxi , Shen Shengfa , Tang Yong , Wu Liehong
Published: October 2023

Zinc toxicity affects crop productivity and threatens food security and human health worldwide. Unfortunately, accumulation patterns of zinc and the harm of excessive zinc on sweet potato have not been well explored. In present research, two genotypes sweet potato varieties with different accumulation patterns of zinc were selected for analyzing the effects of excessive zinc on sweet potato via hydroponic and field cultivation experiments. The results indicated that transfer coefficient was closely related to zinc concentration in storage root of sweet potato. Excessive zinc inhibited the growth of sweet potato plants by causing imbalanced mineral concentration, destroying the cellular structure and reducing photosynthesis. Further, a total of 17,945 differentially expressed genes were identified in in the two genotypes under zinc stress by transcriptomic analysis. And differentially expressed genes involved in absorption and transport of zinc, defense network and transcription factors played important roles in responding to zinc stress. In conclusion, this study provides a reference for the selection of sweet potato varieties in zinc contaminated soil and lays a foundation of investigating the tolerance of sweet potato for excessive zinc, which is meaningful for environmental safety and human health.
Bayesian-frequentist hybrid inference framework for single cell RNA-seq analyses
Authors: Han Gang , Yan Dongyan , Sun Zhe , Fang Jiyuan , Chang Xinyue , Wilson Lucas , Liu Yushi
Published: October 2023

Background: Single cell RNA sequencing technology (scRNA-seq) has been proven useful in understanding cell-specific disease mechanisms. However, identifying genes of interest remains a key challenge. Pseudo-bulk methods that pool scRNA-seq counts in the same biological replicates have been commonly used to identify differentially expressed genes. However, such methods may lack power due to the limited sample size of scRNA-seq datasets, which can be prohibitively expensive.
Results: Motivated by this, we proposed to use the Bayesian-frequentist hybrid (BFH) framework to increase the power.
Conclusion: In our idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) case study, we demonstrated that with a proper informative prior, the BFH approach identified more genes of interest. Furthermore, these genes were reasonable based on the current knowledge of IPF. Thus, the BFH offers a unique and flexible framework for future scRNA-seq analyses.
Comparison of Plasmodium Vivax Infections in Duffy Negatives From Community and Health Center Collections in Ethiopia
Authors: Bradley Lauren , Yewhalaw Delenasaw , Hemming-Schroeder Elizabeth , Jeang Brook , Lee Ming-Chieh , Zemene Endalew , Degefa Teshome , Lo Eugenia , King Christopher , Kazura James , Yan Guiyun
Published: October 2023

Background
Malaria remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia with an estimated 4.2 million annual cases and 61% of the population living in areas at risk of malaria transmission. Throughout the country Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum are co-endemic, and Duffy expression is highly heterogeneous. The public health significance of Duffy negativity in relation to P. vivax malaria in Ethiopia, however, remains unclear.
Methods
A total of 9,580 and 4,667 subjects from community and health facilities from a malaria endemic site and an epidemic-prone site in western Ethiopia were enrolled and examined for P. vivax infection and Duffy expression. Association between Duffy expression, P. vivax and P. falciparum infections were examined for samples collected from asymptomatic community volunteers and symptomatic subjects from health centers.
Results
Among the community-based cross-sectional samples, infection rate of P. vivax among the Duffy positives was 2–22 fold higher than among the Duffy negatives. Parasite positivity rate was 10–50 fold higher in Duffy positive than Duffy negatives among samples collected from the health center settings and mixed P. vivax and P. falciparum infections were significantly more common than P. vivax mono infections among Duffy negative individuals. P. vivax parasitemia measured by 18sRNA parasite gene copy number was similar between Duffy positives and Duffy negatives.
Conclusions
Duffy negativity does not offer complete protection against infection by P. vivax, and cases of P. vivax in Duffy negatives are widespread in Ethiopia, being found in asymptomatic volunteers from communities and in febrile patients from health centers. These findings offer evidence for consideration when developing control and intervention strategies in areas of endemic P. vivax and Duffy heterogeneity.
Axial intensity of Bessel higher-order cosh-Gaussian beam propagating in a turbulent atmosphere
Authors: Dalil-Essakali L. , Nossir N. , Belafhal A.
Published: October 2023

In the present paper, the effects of the turbulent atmosphere on the propagation properties of Bessel higher-order cosh-Gaussian (BHChG) beam are investigated. Based on the Rytov approximation and the extended Huygens-Fresnel integral diffraction, analytical expression of the axial intensity for BHChG beam is evaluated and the results of some laser beams are deduced as particular cases from our research. Some graphical representations have been carried out to study the influence of the incident beam parameters and the atmospheric turbulence on the considered beam. The obtained results can be useful for atmospheric optics applications in free-space optical communications.
Pruned Broad Learning System Based on Sparse Ridge Fusion
Authors: Chu Fei , Lu Xinyu , Su Jiaming , Liang Tao , Chen C. L. Philip , Wang Xuesong
Published: October 2023

Broad learning system is an emerging method, which has achieved outstanding performance in regression and classification problems. This paper proposes a novel algorithm called Pruned Broad Learning System (PBLS) to reduce model size and improve model interpretability. The proposed PBLS introduces the sparse ridge fusion penalty into BLS, which combines the \({L_1} - norm\) regularizer and second order difference penalty together. The \({L_1} - norm\) regularizer is used to sparse the model by making insignificant output weights toward zero, while second order difference penalty is used to smooth output weights by penalizing the roughness of the model. Then, the unimportant nodes are pruned from the model. The remaining useful nodes are divided in the form of block structure, and their output weights change slowly and smoothly in their respective block structure. The experiments on several commonly used regression data sets are carried out to verify the feasibility of the proposed pruned BLS. The experiment results indicate that pruned BLS can reduce model complexity without loss of prediction accuracy and improve the model interpretability.