bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiple freezing–melting pathways of high-density ice at room temperature
Authors: Lee Geun Woo , Lee Yun-Hee , Kim Jin Kyun , Kim Yong-Jae , Kim Minju , Cho Yong Chan , Husband Rachel , Strohm Cornelius , Ehrenreich-Petersen Emma , Laurus Torsten , Graafsma Heinz , Bauer Robert , Lehmkühler Felix , Appel Karen , Konôpková Zuzana , Tang Minxue , Dwivedi Anand , Sztuk-Dambietz Jolanta , Randolph Lisa , Buakor Khachiwan , Humphries Oliver , Baehtz Carsten , Eklund Tobias , Mohrbach Lisa Katharina , Mondal Anshuman , Marquardt Hauke , O’Bannon Earl , Amann-Winkel Katrin , Yoo Choong-Shik , Zastrau Ulf , Liermann Hanns-Peter , Nada Hiroki
Published: December 2024

Various metastable ice phases and their complicated transition pathways have been found by pressurization at low temperatures, where slow kinetics and high metastability can be easily achieved. In contrast, such diversity is less expected at room or elevated temperatures. Here, using a dynamic diamond anvil cell and X-ray free electron laser techniques, we demonstrate that supercompressed water transforms into ice VI through multiple freezing–melting pathways at room temperature, hidden within the pressure region of ice VI. The multiple transition pathways occur via a new metastable ice and a metastable ice VII in the supercompressed water. We found that the structural evolution of supercompressed water from high density to very high density underlies the multiple transition pathways. These findings provide new insights to find more metastable ice phases and their transition pathways at room or elevated temperatures on icy planets.
Gaps in breast cancer interception efforts at a tertiary cancer center: who are we serving?
Authors: Yadav Rina , Johnson Bailey , Phipps Savannah , Konstantinopoulos Kali , Lokender Manjari , Ambro Jane , Althouse Sandra , Hayes Lisa , Balling Tarah
Published: December 2024

Purpose High-risk breast cancer screening programs (HRSPs) provide personalized interventions that can decrease one’s risk of breast cancer (BC). However, HRSPs introduce inequitable access and utilization by disadvantaged groups. Here, we retrospectively reviewed patients referred to HRSPs to discern race and socioeconomic status differences between those who attended the program versus those who did not. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on two cohorts presenting for mammography at Indiana academic health centers: 1) patients identified as at increased risk of BC and referred to a HRSP via lay navigators and 2) newly diagnosed BC patients. Individuals attending the HRSP were compared to high-risk patients who declined/did not respond to HRSP invitation, and to newly diagnosed BC individuals. Age, race, insurance status, and neighborhood socioeconomic status were compared between cohorts using Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests. Results Between 6/2020 and 6/2022, 601 women met criteria for contact by HRSP navigators. Patients accepting appointments were predominately White and privately insured. Black patients more frequently decline appointments compared to White (40.1% v. 29.1%, p = 0.008), and represented a higher proportion of those not attending HRSPs compared to those who did (19.8% v. 10.8%, p = 0.004). Patients diagnosed with BC were more commonly Black (19.4% v. 10.8%, p = 0.003), not privately insured (75.6% v. 84.2%, p = 0.012), and had lower median household incomes (69,611 v.72,656, p = 0.04). Conclusions Significant racial disparities exist amongst patients seen at a tertiary care center’s HRSP. As BC screening/prevention becomes more personalized, efforts should be focused on equitable delivery to minimize inequitable BC outcomes.
Increasing boreal fires reduce future global warming and sea ice loss
Authors: Blanchard-Wrigglesworth Edward , DeRepentigny Patricia , Frierson Dargan
Published: December 2024

Biomass burning can affect climate via the emission of aerosols and their subsequent impact on radiation, cloud microphysics, and surface and atmospheric albedo. Boreal biomass burning emissions have strongly increased during the last decade and are expected to continue increasing as the climate warms. Climate models simulate aerosol processes, yet historical and future Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) simulations have no active fire component, and biomass burning emissions are prescribed as external forcings. Here we show that CMIP6 used future boreal emission scenarios with unrealistic near-zero trends that have a large impact on climate trends. By running sensitivity experiments with ramped up boreal emissions based on observed trends, we find that increasing boreal emissions reduce global warming by 12% and Arctic warming by 38%, reducing the loss of sea ice. Tropical precipitation shifts southward as a result of the hemispheric difference in boreal aerosol forcing and subsequent temperature response. These changes stem from the impact of aerosols on clouds, increasing cloud droplet number concentration, cloud optical depth, and low cloud cover, reducing surface shortwave flux over northern latitudes. Our results highlight the importance of realistic boreal emissions in climate model simulations and the need for improved understanding of boreal emission trends and aerosol-climate interactions.
A Context-Enhanced Deep Learning Approach to Predict Baseball Pitch Location from Ball Tracking Release Metrics
Authors: Moore R. Connor , Gurchiek Reed D. , Avedesian Jason M.
Published: December 2024

Ball tracking systems are becoming ubiquitous in sport, creating an unprecedented opportunity for big data applications to optimize human health and performance. These applications are especially common in baseball, a sport known analyzing ball flight data to quantify performance. However, few studies adopt more advanced techniques such as deep learning to conduct these analyses. We aimed to fill this gap by developing a multi-output deep neural network (DNN) to predict final pitch location using ball tracking release metrics and contextual ball flight information (i.e., naïve projectile motion estimates) from over two million pitches thrown during National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I games. Predictions from the DNN were compared to predictions made by previously reported machine learning models, and permutation-based feature importance was used to investigate the most important features for predicting pitch location. Euclidean distance errors with the DNN were approximately 15 centimeters, outperforming linear regression models by 33% (6 centimeters). A post-hoc analysis revealed that a DNN trained without the projectile motion features performed 17% (2.8 centimeters) worse than the optimal model, suggesting the added context helped the model learn underlying physics principles that govern ball flight. Moreover, the most important ball tracking metrics for predicting pitch location were lateral release position and spin rate, which have been tied to performance and injury outcomes in elite pitchers. Thus, this model provides an enhanced framework to analyze pitcher performance, and future applications may use additional context to predict other performance metrics from ball tracking data, such as throwing arm biomechanics.
GPT-4 Feedback Increases Student Activation and Learning Outcomes in Higher Education
Authors: Geschwind Stephan , Lambsdorff Johann Graf , Voss Deborah , Hackl Veronika
Published: December 2024

Artificial Intelligence, in particular the novel possibilities supplied by GPT-4, is increasingly being utilized in educational settings, yet its impact on student activation and learning outcomes remains controversial. We conduct a lab-in-the-field experiment in undergraduate tutorial classes in macroeconomics at the university level. Over the course of one semester, we asked students to answer eight open-ended questions. Depending on the treatment, students received lecturer feedback at the classroom level only (LF), additional individual feedback from their peers (PF), or from the AI (AIF). We find that AIF has a significant positive effect on student activation. Compared to LF, continuous participation in the tasks is significantly higher in AIF, and it induces the longest written answers across the eight tasks. In terms of learning outcomes, AIF stands out for producing the most significant improvement in content. For the style of answers, we find no effects. We attribute the larger effects of AIF compared to PF to the higher reliability and quality of feedback provision of the AI. Our findings demonstrate that AI, specifically GPT-4, can offer a scalable and consistent solution for providing individual feedback in educational settings.
Exploring the usefulness of collaborative reflective practice in fostering generative actions among breast cancer survivors: A reviewed literature
Authors: Lekeka Motlalepule
Published: December 2024

Erikson’s theory provides a broad framework from which to view development throughout the entire lifespan. For instance, with specific reference to Erickson's theory’s in stage 7, namely, generative versus stagnation stage. It is a stage in which individuals are focused on creating or nurturing ideas and projects that may contribute to building a legacy. However, when one fails to become generative, one may emerge with a sense of inadequacy and become stagnant in that aspect of development. For example, those adults who are confronted with life-threatening diseases such as breast cancer may fall short in fulfilling the requirements of stage 7 of the Erikson model due to the illness. Breast cancer can pose a conflict on one’s development, and cause a disruption that may lead to stagnation. However, through engaging in collaborative reflective practice, breast cancer can become a catalyst for one to gain momentum to successfully transition into another stage of development. This review paper sought to explore the usefulness of collaborative reflective practice in fostering generative actions and increasing the quality of life among breast cancer survivors. The Prisma framework was utilized to select studies that suggest that the experience of breast cancer can foster generative behaviors and actions among cancer survivors. 20 Studies were analyzed using thematic analysis. Collaborative reflection can create newness as self-agency, increased productivity, and actualized goals for the survivors to lead meaningful lives. The collaborative reflective practice can develop a sense of trust in the survivors to gain control of their illness and develop an ability to act in an empowered manner.
Glutathione Effects on Liver Enzymes and Serum Electrolyte in Mice Exposed to 850–1900 MHz Mobile Phone Radiation
Authors: BINHAMBALI ABDULHAKEEM
Published: December 2024

Background
The widespread presence of electromagnetic fields (EMF) produced by modern technologies may pose a significant threat to animal health. Ionizing radiation, a byproduct of EMF exposure, has the potential to contribute to serious diseases, including cancer. This study examines the impact of chronic exposure to 900-1800 MHz GSM-EMF-induced electromagnetic radiation on liver enzymes and serum electrolytes in mice, and the potential mitigating effects of exogenous glutathione (GSH) administration. Thirty-five adult male mice were randomly divided into seven groups and exposed to various modes of mobile phone radiation for five weeks, with or without GSH administration. Liver enzymes, Alkaline phosphates (ALP), Alanine transaminase (ALT) , Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and, serum electrolytes, sodium, potassium and bicarbonate were analyzed.
Result
Results showed significant increases in ALP levels in the Silent, Ringtone + GSH, and Silent + GSH groups compared to control group, while ALT and AST levels remained largely unchanged with the exception of some groups across the experimental cohorts. Serum electrolyte concentrations did not significantly differ across the control group. Our study found that chronic mobile phone radiation exposure in mice generally does not significantly affect liver enzyme levels or serum electrolyte concentrations. However, certain combinations with GSH administration notably increased some biochemical markers like ALP, ALT, and AST levels.
Conclusions
Our study concluded that chronic mobile phone radiation had no significant impact on liver enzymes or serum electrolytes in mice. However, glutathione administration in combination with radiation increased liver enzyme levels, suggesting a potential role in oxidative stress mitigation. Further research is needed to explore these findings.
Evaluating Financial Performance of Commercial Banks Applying CAMEL Model: Evidence From Private Commercial Banks of Ethiopia
Authors: Yimer Mitku Malede
Published: December 2024

The study were mainly aimed to evaluated the financial performance of six purposely selected private commercial banks of Ethiopia for the period 2014-2018 applying camel model. Secondary data had been sourced from annual reports of these considered private banks. finding of the study reveal that, leverage ratio correlated significantly & negatively with capital to assets ratio (financial performance). In this regard, private commercial banks of Ethiopia found as highly leveraged but sound liquidity position. What is more, the study showed that, capital adequacy, asset quality, earning ability and managerial efficiency had no impact on private commercial banks’ financial performance. On the other hand, the liquidity position of these banks were found to be significant variable. More over, this study indicated that, selected banks financial performance found as healthy for the period a study considered. Finally, a researcher suggest, the findings of this study shall be helpful to the management of selected banks in making appropriate managerial decisions.
I-SVVS: Integrative stochastic variational variable selection to explore joint patterns of multi-omics microbiome data
Authors: Dang Tung , Fuji Yushiro , Kumaishi Kie , Usui Erika , Kobori Shungo , Sato Takumi , Toda Yusuke , Sakurai Kengo , Yamasaki Yuji , Tsujimoto Hisashi , Hirai Masami Yokota , Ichihashi Yasunori , Iwata Hiroyoshi
Published: December 2024

High-dimensional multi-omics microbiome data plays an important role in elucidating microbial communities’ interactions with their hosts and environment in critical diseases and ecological changes. Although Bayesian clustering methods have recently been used for the integrated analysis of multi-omics data, no method designed to analyze multi-omics microbiome data has been proposed. In this study, we propose a novel framework called integrative stochastic variational variable selection (I-SVVS), which is an extension of stochastic variational variable selection for high-dimensional microbiome data. The I-SVVS approach addresses a specific Bayesian mixture model for each type of omics data, such as an infinite Dirichlet multinomial mixture model for microbiome data and an infinite Gaussian mixture model for metabolomic data. This approach is expected to reduce the computational time of the clustering process and improve the accuracy of the clustering results. Additionally, I-SVVS identifies a critical set of representative variables in multi-omics microbiome data. Three datasets from soybean, mice, and humans (each set integrated microbiome and metabolome) were used to demonstrate the potential of I-SVVS. The results indicate that I-SVVS achieved improved accuracy and faster computation compared to existing methods across all test datasets. It effectively identified key microbiome species and metabolites characterizing each cluster. For instance, the computational analysis of soybean dataset, including 377 samples with 16,943 microbiome species and 265 metabolome features, was completed in 2.18 hours using I-SVVS, compared to 2.35 days with Clusternomics and 1.12 days with iClusterPlus. The software for this analysis, written in Python, is freely available at https://github.com/tungtokyo1108/I-SVVS.
بيانات الذكاء الاصطناعي وتحديات الملكية
Authors: خلف حسين الدخيل احمد
Published: December 2024

يسلط هذا البحث الضوء مضمون بيانات الذكاء الاصطناعي من حيث التعريف والعناصر والخصائص والانواع والتأكيد انها كل وسيط من الوسائط الإلكترونية المتعددة التي تصل من أي مصدر إلى إحدى تقنيات الذكاء الاصطناعي ، ومدى امكانية كونها محلاً لحق الملكية التقليدية منها والفكرية والآراء الفقهية في هذا الشأن لاسيما الرأي الذي يذهب الى امكانية انطباق قواعد الملكية التقليدية عليها والرأي الذي يذهب الى ان قواعد الملكية الفكرية هي الاقرب لها والرأي الثالث الذي يؤكد ان الافضل ان يتم اعتماد ملكية جماعية عليها ومن ثم الوصول الى نتيجة مفادها عدم دقة جميع تلك الآراء وضرورة تعديل احكام الملكية التقليدية لتلائم ملكية بيانات الذكاء الاصطناعي مع التأكيد على ضرورة تسلح الدول بالتقنيات التي تمكنها من ذلك.
رهانا الحماية والاستثمار في قانون غابات كردستان العراق وفي ظهير حماية لملك الغابوي بالمغرب- دراسة مقارنة)
Authors: القصاب حسن
Published: December 2024

يعرض البحث مقارنة بين قانون غابات كردستان العراق - قانون رقم 10 لسنة 2012 – وبين قانون المحافظة على الملك الغابوي للمملكة المغربية لسنة 1917 ، وهي مقارنة أفقية بين قانون ينتمي إلى جيل من آخر ما شرع وبين آخر يعتبر من أوائل التشريعات البيئية. و لقد حاولت الدراسة إدارة تلك المقارنة على ثلاثة مستويات من مقومات الحماية المنشودة، وهي الحماية القانونية للملك الغابوي و الحماية الزجزية ثم حماية الاستدامة البيئية . وخلصت الدراسة إلى أن بين القانونين تكاملا كشفت عنه عناصر قصور في أحدهما مما يعتبر من مكامن قوة في الآخر؛ وذلك سواء على مستوى الصياغة القانونية أو على مستوى النجاعة التشريعية
Cuidados da mente e estímulo à memória em idosos em residência de longa permanência em Montes Claros: um relato de experiência
Authors: MACIEL Wallace Adriel de Assis , OLIVEIRA Carla Emanuelly Pessoa de , ROCHA Melissa Rodrigues Ramos , SEIXAS Ana Luiza de Souza , FERNANDES Alana Ramos , RAMOS Vitória Maria Sousa , MACEDO Júlia Aguiar , PAULA Maria Flávia Ribeiro de , SILVA Bernardo Mota Fernandes da , ARAÚJO Amanda Aguiar , OLIVA Giovanna Mendes , MACHADO Camila Wanderley Alcântara , ANJOS Jamile Pereira Dias dos
Published: December 2024

O envelhecimento é um processo natural da vida associado a uma série de mudanças que podem levar à ruptura das relações sociais, maior dificuldade das atividades diárias e declínio da memória. Observando esses aspectos, este trabalho teve por objetivo promover bem-estar mental e abordar o déficit de memória. Foram realizadas intervenções durante três dias no Asilo São Vicente de Paulo – Lar Betânia –, com o apoio das Ligas de Geriatria, de Neurociências em Psicologia, e de Odontologia, que colaboraram com a aplicação de questionários e realização do exame físico nos idosos, execução de atividades relacionadas à memória, além de avaliação bucal dos idosos, respectivamente. Além disso, houve a realização de PICS a fim de promover relaxamento. A realização do projeto demonstrou um efeito positivo na população envolvida, que apresentou melhorias em aspectos psicossociais e na saúde física.
A monitoria como colaboradora no processo de formação médica
Authors: MENDES Maria Clara , ROCHA Josiane Santos Brant
Published: December 2024

As universidades, de acordo com as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais (DCN) para o curso de Medicina, têm a responsabilidade de oferecer abordagens que integrem ensino, pesquisa e extensão, fortalecendo o conhecimento científico dos estudantes e aproximando-os da prática profissional. Nesse contexto, a monitoria acadêmica surge como uma metodologia ativa, configurando-se como uma importante estratégia de extensão. Este relato de experiência descreve as contribuições da monitoria acadêmica no processo de ensino-aprendizagem durante a graduação em Medicina, a partir das vivências obtidas em uma Instituição de Ensino Superior (IES) no semestre de 2023.1. A experiência permitiu observar como o programa de monitoria pode contribuir para o aperfeiçoamento acadêmico, ao oferecer recursos que promovem maior confiança, precisão e interesse pela carreira docente.
“It takes a village to raise a leader”
Authors: Hermosura Billie Jane , Bourgeault Ivy Lynn
Published: December 2024

Women constitute most health workers, yet they hold proportionately fewer leadership positions. The literature is replete with normative advice to address gender specific barriers to women’s leadership; less attention is paid to the processes women undertake on their paths to leadership. We describe the leadership journeys of 23 women leaders in the health sector in Canada, guided by a multi-layered framework of barriers and enablers. A thematic analysis of 11 semi-structured interviews and 13 public presentations on leadership journeys was conducted, which applied a priori and emerging themes to segments of the transcripts using NVivo 12. Three key themes emerged: impetus for leadership journey, enablers to leadership development, and barriers to advancement. Women leaders reported a variety of reasons to embark on their leadership journey from their own desire to make a difference to being tapped on the shoulder by mentors and sponsors. Many of the barriers faced were specific to their intersectional identities where they often juggled the complex demands of gender role expectations, while maintaining personal and familial mental health and well-being. The multi-layered framework of important factors was validated and improved. Better understanding women’s leadership journeys needs to capture processual and structural dimensions.
Keywords: Women Leaders, Leadership Journeys, Health Care, Health Sciences
Complexity is not enough for randomness
Authors: Guo Shiyong , Sasieta Martin , Swingle Brian
Published: December 2024

We study the dynamical generation of randomness in Brownian systems as a function of the degree of locality of the Hamiltonian. We first express the trace distance to a unitary design for these systems in terms of an effective equilibrium thermal partition function, and provide a set of conditions that guarantee a linear time to design. We relate the trace distance to design to spectral properties of the time-evolution operator. We apply these considerations to the Brownian pp-SYK model as a function of the degree of locality pp. We show that the time to design is linear, with a slope proportional to 1/p1/p. We corroborate that when pp is of order the system size this reproduces the behavior of a completely non-local Brownian model of random matrices. For the random matrix model, we reinterpret these results from the point of view of classical Brownian motion in the unitary manifold. Therefore, we find that the generation of randomness typically persists for exponentially long times in the system size, even for systems governed by highly non-local time-dependent Hamiltonians. We conjecture this to be a general property: there is no efficient way to generate approximate Haar random unitaries dynamically, unless a large degree of fine-tuning is present in the ensemble of time-dependent Hamiltonians. We contrast the slow generation of randomness to the growth of quantum complexity of the time-evolution operator. Using known bounds on circuit complexity for unitary designs, we obtain a lower bound determining that complexity grows at least linearly in time for Brownian systems. We argue that these bounds on circuit complexity are far from tight and that complexity grows at a much faster rate, at least for non-local systems.
Vector-like quarks: Status and new directions at the LHC
Authors: Banerjee Avik , Bergeaas Kuutmann Elin , Ellajosyula Venugopal , Enberg Rikard , Ferretti Gabriele , Panizzi Luca
Published: December 2024

Experimental searches for vector-like quarks have until now only considered their decays into Standard Model particles. However, various new physics scenarios predict additional scalars, so that these vector-like quarks can decay to new channels. These new channels reduce the branching ratios into Standard Model final states, significantly affecting current mass bounds. In this article, we quantitatively assess the relevance and observability of single and pair production processes of vector-like quarks, followed by decays into both standard and exotic final states. We highlight the importance of large widths and the relative interaction strengths with Standard Model particles and new scalars. Then, we review the post-Moriond 2024 status of these models in light of available LHC data and discuss potential future strategies to enhance the scope of vector-like quark searches.
A $C^\ast$-algebraic view on the interaction of real- and reciprocal space topology in skyrmion crystals
Authors: Prass Pascal , Lux Fabian , Prodan Emil , van Straten Duco , Mokrousov Yuriy
Published: December 2024

Understanding the interaction of real- and reciprocal space topology in skyrmion crystals is an open problem. We approach it from the viewpoint of C^\astC*-algebras and calculate all admissible Chern numbers of a strongly coupled tight-binding skyrmion system on a triangular lattice as a function of Fermi energy and texture parameters. Our analysis reveals the topological complexity of electronic states coupled to spin textures, and the failure of the adiabatic picture to account for it in terms of emergent electromagnetism. On the contrary, we explain the discontinuous jumps in the real-space winding number in terms of collective evolution in real-, reciprocal, and mixed space Chern numbers. Our work sets the stage for further research on topological dynamics in complex dynamic spin textures coupled to external fields.
Optimizing the operation of series and parallel reservoirs using the neutrosophic environment: A case study of the Karun watershed
Authors: Rezai Seyyed Ebrahim , Sharafati Ahmad , Edalatpanah Seyyed Ahmad , Jamali Saeed
Published: December 2024

In this paper, neutrosophic inference is used for the first time as a new Fuzzy Set Theory generalization to improve the operation of series and parallel dam reservoirs. A case study was conducted on the problem of parallel and series use of multiple and multi-purpose reservoirs in the dams of the Karun watershed (Iran). The problem of optimizing the operations of dam reservoirs with the objective function of minimizing the shortages and maximizing the production of hydropower is modeled and solved using training data. The optimization results are applied to model the problem in ANFIS, the behavior of the system in the Neutrosophic environment is infered by ANFIS. Finally, the conventional operation method, and the ANFIS method was compared with Neutrosophic inference by Fuzzy performance criteria. The results showed that the proposed neutrosophic inference model can highly infer dam reservoir system behavior. This method has achieved higher fuzzy reliability, higher fuzzy resilience, and lower fuzzy vulnerability indices, resulting in higher fuzzy sustainability. It has improved the objective functions by 80 and 40 percent in the training data and by 67 and 36 percent in the test data, respectively, compared to the Operation Rule Curve and ANFIS.
Assessment of in vitro dynamics of pathogenic environmental Acanthamoeba T4 and T9 genotypes isolated from three recreational lakes in Klang Valley, Malaysia over the HaCaT cell monolayer
Authors: Halim Rohaya Abdul , Halim Hasseri , Hussain Rosnani Hanim Mohd , Aazmi Shafiq , Khan Naveed Ahmed , Siddiqui Ruqaiyyah , Anuar Tengku Shahrul
Published: December 2024

Free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba are causative agents of keratitis and amoebic encephalitis. They are widely found in various ecological environments. Therefore, the present study brings results that can help to better understand the genotypes of the environmental isolates and their pathogenicity. This study procured 26 Acanthamoeba isolates from three recreational lakes in 2022. Polymerase chain reaction amplification was performed on positive Acanthamoeba samples. The thermotolerance, osmotolerance, and cytopathogenicity in human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells of the samples were also evaluated. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that 12 isolates were of genotype T4, two (T9), six (T17), four (T8), and one each from T5 and T11. The thermo- and osmotolerance assays indicated that eight Acanthamoeba samples were potentially pathogenic. Two T4 and one T9 genotype also recorded 33-, 42-, and 133-kDa serine-type proteases, respectively. The HaCaT cell monolayer revealed that three T4 and one T9 samples achieved cytopathic effects within the 50–100% range, hence significantly cytotoxic. The lactate dehydrogenase secretion results demonstrated that three (T4) and one (T9) sample exhibited exceptional toxicity (over 40%) compared to the other samples. The responses of Acanthamoeba members with similar genotypes to pathogenicity indicator assays varied considerably, rendering correlation of pathogenicity with specific genotypes challenging.
Classification of human monkeypox with the Fuzzy C-Means Algorithm using image processing methods and Haralick texture parameters
Authors: Gönenç Senem , Pasin Ozge
Published: December 2024

Aim: Human monkeypox can cause skin lesions in the form of blisters of different shapes on various parts of the body. Due to the fact that the skin lesions caused by human monkeypox have a very similar appearance to lesions caused by chickenpox and measles, the study includes images of chickenpox and measles as well as images of human monkeypox. The aim of this study is to distinguish human monkeypox virus skin lesion images from other viral diseases with similar images.

Methods: For this study, the Monkeypox Skin Lesion Dataset, which consists of binary classification data for monkeypox and non-monkeypox (chickenpox, measles) skin lesions, is accessed from the Kaggle.com website. In total, 228 images are processed, with 101 images in the monkeypox group and 127 images in the non-monkeypox group. The images in the Monkeypox Skin Lesion Dataset are processed using image analysis methods and Haralick texture parameters are calculated to create 13 different features for each image. For the classification process in the statistical analysis part of the study, Fuzzy C-Means algorithm is used.

Results: The images used in the study belong to individuals with varying skin tones and from different parts of the body, and the algorithm provides encouraging results in determining the type of skin lesions in the images. The overall classification accuracy rate is 61.8%, and the highest accuracy (76.2%) is achieved in the monkeypox class.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that images of viral diseases with similar skin lesions can be classified using various image-processing techniques and different statistical methods.
Çocukluk çağı menenjitinde serum ve beyin omurilik sıvısı prokalsitonin düzeyleri ve akut faz göstergeleri ile ilişkisi
Authors: Özmen Derya
Published: December 2024

Amaç: Bakteriyel menenjit, yüksek mortalite ve morbiditeye sahip, hızlı tanı ve tedavi gerektiren pediatrik acil bir durumdur. Menenjitte viral-bakteriyel etiyoloji ayrımı yapmak her zaman mümkün değildir ve zaman alır. Bu çalışmada menenjit ön tanısı ile tetkik edilen çocuklarda, serum ve beyin omurilik sıvısı (BOS) prokalsitonin düzeylerinin, bakteriyel ve viral menenjitlerin erken tanısındaki yeri ve akut faz göstergeleri ile ilişkisi araştırılmıştır.

Yöntemler: Çalışmaya menenjit ön tanısıyla lomber ponksiyon (LP) yapılan çocuk hastalar alındı. Bu hastaların serum ve BOS prokalsitonin düzeylerine, eritrosit sedimentasyon hızına (ESH) ve C-reaktif protein (CRP) düzeyine bakıldı.

Bulgular: Çalışma sırasında 75 hastaya menenjit şüphesiyle LP yapıldı. 15 hastaya bakteriyel menenjit ve 6 hastaya viral menenjit tanısı konuldu. 7 hastaya da santral sinir sistemini etkileyen enfeksiyon dışı hastalık tanısı konuldu ve bu grup kontrol grubu olarak kullanıldı. Bakteriyel menenjit grubu ile viral menenjit grubu karşılaştırıldığında ESH ve CRP düzeyi açısından anlamlı bir fark yoktu. Fakat serum ve BOS prokalsitonin düzeyleri bakteriyel grupta istatistiksel olarak anlamlı şekilde yüksekti. Serum ve BOS prokalsitonin düzeyleri hem bakteriyel hem de viral menenjit grubunda BOS protein düzeyi ve CRP düzeyi ile pozitif korelasyon gösteriyordu. BOS prokalsitonin düzeyleri ayrıca BOS hücre sayısı ile pozitif korelasyon gösteriyordu. Bakteriyel menenjit ve kontrol grubu arasında sınır değer serum prokalsitonin için 0,61 ng/mL ve BOS prokalsitonin için 0,5 ng/mL olarak bulundu. Bakteriyel ve viral menenjit grupları arasında ise BOS prokalsitonin için anlamlı bir sınır değer tespit edilemezken serum prokalsitonin için sınır değer 0,2 ng/mL olarak bulundu.

Sonuç: Bakteriyel-viral menenjit ayrımında ESH ve CRP düzeyi sınırlı bilgi verirken serum ve BOS prokalsitonin düzeyleri bakteriyel menenjitte anlamlı olarak daha yüksek olduğu için bu ayrımda yardımcı olabilir.
The effects of blood lactate level on mortality in patients developing sepsis in intensive care unit
Authors: Tomruk Mustafa , Balasar Barış , Eroğlu Esma
Published: December 2024

Aim: Sepsis is a serious condition with high mortality and morbidity in intensive care units (ICUs). Mortality decreases with early and appropriate antimicrobial treatment. We aimed to investigate the relationship between lactate levels and mortality in the ICU of our hospital.

Methods: Patient records > 18, hospitalized in the ICU of Meram State Hospital between January 2022 and January 2024, were retrospectively examined. All patients microbiologically confirmed to have positive blood culture results and diagnosed sepsis were included in the study. Age on admission, gender, diagnoses at hospitalization, Apache II, length of stay, and mortality in ICU were obtained from patients’ medical records. In the presence of suspicion of sepsis in a patient hospitalized in intensive care and in the first 72 hours after antibiotic treatment, the lactate level was recorded. Lactate clearance was defined as the percent decrease in lactate from ICU department presentation to hour 72. Mortality rates within the first 28 days were recorded. Lactate levels were compared in patients with and without mortality. The value of lactate in predicting mortality was evaluated statistically.

Results: Of 56 patients included in the study, whose diagnoses of sepsis were microbiologically proven, 38 (67.9%) died. The area under a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve Area under curve (AUC) of lactate in predicting mortality was 0.738 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.590 –0.886, (p=0.004)]. Threshold lactate value for mortality was 1.7 mmol/L (sensitivity: 73.7%, specificity: 61.1%). While lactate levels, lactate clearance, length of hospital stay, Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score were statistically significant between sepsis patients with and without mortality (p=0,004, p = 0.03 p= 0,00 p=0.003). Baseline lactate was in survivors 2.05±1.37 and in nonsurvivors 1.33±0.98 mmol/L. Survivors compared with nonsurvivors had a lactate clearance of 48.2 ± 24.4 vs. 22.06 ± %, respectively (p = 0.007). It showed lactate clearance to have a significant relationship with mortality (p = 0.03).

Conclusion: Here, we found that lactate level and, lactate clearance may be a significant place in the early treatment and follow-up of sepsis patients in ICUs.
Çatışma bölgelerinde anne ve çocuk sağlığı: Filistin'de sağlık hizmetlerine erişimin önündeki engeller
Authors: Olğaç Kadriye
Published: December 2024

Savaşlar, sağlığın sosyal belirleyicilerini ve onu korumak için tasarlanmış olan sağlık sistemlerini bozmaktadır. 7 Ekim 2023’ten beri Filistin’de devam eden işgal özellikle hassas grupta yer alan anne ve çocukların hayatını önemli ölçüde tehlikeye atmaktadır. Filistin’de yaşayan halk, işgalin neden olduğu gıda ve su sorunları, bulaşıcı hastalıkların artması, yaşam koşullarının yetersizliği, ruhsal sorunların artması gibi birçok fiziksel ve psikolojik sorunla karşı karşıya kalmaktadır. Binlerce anne ve çocuk ölümü, yaralanmalar gün geçtikçe artmaya devam etmektedir. Hastanelerin hasar alması, yeterli ekipmanlara ulaşamama gibi faktörler sağlık hizmetlerine erişimi engellemektedir. Hamile kadınların yeterli bir şekilde sağlık hizmetine ulaşamaması anne ve bebek ölümlerinde artış görülmesine neden olmaktadır. Aynı şekilde çocukların sağlık hizmetine ulaşamaması birçok fiziksel ve psikolojik rahatsızlığın artmasına yol açmaktadır. Herkesin sağlık hizmeti alması insani bir hak iken Filistinli anne ve çocuklar bu durumdan mahrum kalmaktadır. Bu nedenle annelerin ve çocukların sağlık sorunlarının ve gereksinimlerinin tespit edilmesi ve yeterli sağlık hizmetlerini alması oldukça önemlidir. Filistinli anne ve çocukların kaliteli bir sağlık hizmetlerine ulaşmalarının sadece ahlaki bir zorunluluk değil, korunması ve desteklenmesi gereken temel bir insan hakkı olduğu unutulmamalıdır. Bu derlemenin amacı da; Filistin’de işgal sırasında anne ve çocukların sağlık hizmetlerine ulaşamamasının sonuçlarına değinmek, farkındalık yaratmak ve bu durumu tüm Dünya’ya duyurabilmektir.
Mental health services in Gaza
Authors: Arslan Büşra
Published: December 2024

Due to Israel’s decades-long occupation in Palestine, mental health problems have emerged in a large part of the population, especially those living in Gaza, alongside the loss of lives and injuries. While the ongoing war conditions have made it difficult even to meet basic human needs, the provision of mental health services has also been significantly restricted. The aim of this article is to review the data on the epidemiology of mental health among women, children, and adolescents in Gaza over the past 20 years, and to examine the state of mental health services in Gaza, with a particular focus on the periods before and after the events of October 7, 2023. The literature was searched using the keywords “Gaza mental health,” “Palestine mental health,” and “Gaza child psychiatry.
The silent kill: “Medicide” as an instrument of human rights abuses in Gaza
Authors: Çamcı Melih , Hassanien Nourhan , El Khateeb Leen
Published: December 2024

The Israeli military attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023, have severely impacted healthcare, including the destruction of medical infrastructure, targeted assaults on healthcare workers, and the obstruction of medical aid. These actions have resulted in a profound humanitarian crisis, exacerbating existing health challenges and creating new ones, while dismantling Gaza’s already fragile healthcare system. This study examines the multi-faceted destruction of the healthcare infrastructure, arguing that these actions constitute a deliberate strategy of warfare aimed at incapacitating the healthcare system. This phenomenon, termed medicide —a portmanteau of “medicine” and “human rights abuses,” refers to the systematic destruction of a healthcare system, wholly or partially, with the intent of impairing or eliminating the conditions necessary to save and sustain the lives of the sick and injured — is explored within the context of its long-term psychological and physical toll on the Gazan population.
7 Ekim 2023 sonrası İsrail işgalinin Gazze sağlık sistemine etkilerinin biyoetik ve uluslararası hukuk açısından değerlendirilmesi
Authors: Demir Perihan , Uzar İsmail , Topçu İbrahim
Published: December 2024

Amaç: Gazze’de 7 Ekim 2023’te başlayan işgal sonrasında sağlık alanında hak ihlalleri ve etik problemler gündeme gelmiştir. Çalışmamızın amacı Gazze’deki İsrail işgalinin bölgenin sağlık sistemi ve sağlık hizmeti sunumu üzerindeki etkilerini belirlemek ve bunların biyoetik ve uluslararası hukuk çerçevesinde analizini yapmaktır.

Yöntemler: Çalışmamızda Dünya Sağlık Örgütü’nün işgal altındaki Filistin topraklarındaki (oPt) silahlı çatışmalara ilişkin Halk Sağlığı Durum Analizi (PHSA), Dünya Sağlık Örgütü’nün Gazze Acil Durum Raporları, Birleşmiş Milletler İnsani İşler Koordinasyon Ofisi (OCHA)’nin Bildirilen Etki Anlık Görüntü Raporu, Dünya Sağlık Örgütü ve Health Cluster’ın gösterge paneli “Unified Health Dashboard Version 2.0” incelenerek 7 Ekim 2023’ten günümüze Gazze’de sağlık hizmeti sunumundaki etik ve hukuki ihlaller tespit edilmeye çalışılmıştır.

Bulgular: Gazze’de sağlık hizmetlerine yönelik 504 saldırı gerçekleştirilmiş ve 756 kişi öldürülmüştür. Gazze’de bulunan 36 hastanenin 17 tanesi kısmi olarak işlevini sürdürebilmektedir (%47). Toplam sayısı 132 olan birinci basamak sağlık merkezinin 47 tanesi kısmen işlevini sürdürebilmektedir (%36). Gazze’deki birinci basamak sağlık merkezlerinde ve hastanelerde ihtiyaç duyulan temel ilaçların %70’i eksiktir. Sağlık tesislerine yapılan saldırılar nedeniyle 880 sağlık çalışanı hayatını kaybetmiştir. Toplam 14.000 hastanın tıbbi tahliyeye ihtiyaç duyduğu tahmin edilmektedir.

Sonuç: 7 Ekim 2023 tarihinde başlayan işgal, Gazze’deki sağlık hizmeti sunumunu daha da kötüleştirmiştir. İşgal sırasında biyoetiğin temel prensipleri ihlal edilmiştir. İsrail tarafından uluslararası sözleşmeler dikkate alınmadan siviller, hastaneler, ambulanslar, hastalar, sağlık çalışanları, kadınlar, çocuklar hedef alınmıştır. Gazze’deki bu insan hakları ihlalleri, dünya genelinde ayrım gözetmeksizin insan onurunu korumak için tesis edilmiş tüm anlaşma ve sözleşmelerin tekrar sorgulanmasını ve denetim mekanizmalarının geliştirilmesini gündeme getirmiştir.
Początki psychologii prenatalnej. Stanislav Grof i jego matryce perinatalne – przejaw geniuszu czy manowce nauki?
Authors: Lichtenberg-Kokoszka Emilia
Published: December 2024

Stanislav Grof i jego koncepcje niemal nieznane w Polsce, na świecie cieszą się sporą, choć niejednoznaczną, sławą. Jako jeden z pionierów psychologii prenatalnej, a równocześnie współtwórca psychologii transpersonalnej, lekarz, psychiatra i terapeuta, łączy on w swoich teoriach elementy biograficzne z mistycznymi i transpersonalnymi. Niniejszy artykuł stanowi próbę przybliżenia stworzonej przez niego koncepcji matryc perinatalnych oraz kontrowersji powstałych wokół jego teorii. Działanie takie wydaje się zasadne zwłaszcza w kontekście tego, że koncepcje Grofa często stanowią podstawę kolejnych teorii oraz metod terapeutycznych, które nie wskazują na ich pierwotne pochodzenie, a wiele jego twierdzeń przedostało się do wiedzy naukowej i potocznej, kształtując w istotny sposób opinię na temat okresu okołoporodowego.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Syphilis: A Retrospective Study among the Ege University HIV Cohort
Authors: Acet Oguzhan , Dirik Sukru , Pullukcu Husnu , Tasbakan Meltem , Gokengin Deniz
Published: December 2024

Introduction/Objective:

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to significant changes in
the lives, habits, and frequency of hospital admissions of People Living with HIV (PLWH). However,
information is limited on the changes in the sexual behavior of these individuals and the resulting
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). This study aimed to determine the trends in
syphilis among the Ege University HIV cohort before and during the pandemic.

Methods:

All PLWH who presented to the HIV outpatient clinic of Ege University Faculty of
Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, for HIV care for the first
time between January 1st, 2008 and October 1st, 2022, and whose laboratory results for syphilis
were available, were reviewed. Those presenting between January 1st, 2008, and March 11th, 2020,
were defined as the pre-pandemic (group A) cases, and those presenting between March 12th,
2020, and October 1st, 2022, were defined as the pandemic period (group B) cases. Clinical and
laboratory information about the cases was obtained retrospectively from medical records.

Results:

The number of PLWH who presented to the clinic for a first visit with a new HIV diagnosis
or follow-up between the specified dates was 1283 (956 group A, 327 group B). Overall, 155
(%12.1) PLWH were diagnosed with syphilis. A total of 204 syphilis episodes occurred during
6,173 Person-years of Follow-up (PYFU). Of these episodes, 86 (42.1%) were diagnosed in the
pre-pandemic period, and 118 (57.8%) during the pandemic. The number of episodes during the
pandemic was significantly higher in group A than in the pre-pandemic period (3.47 per 100 PYFU
and 2.57 per 100 PYFU, respectively; p=0.0434). When comparing the number of episodes
during the pandemic period, compared to group A, group B members had a significantly higher
number of syphilis episodes during the pandemic (3.47 and 7.81 per 100 PYFU, respectively;
p<.001).

Conclusion:

This study shows that syphilis rates remained high during the pandemic. Healthcare
providers are recommended to prepare PLWH for potential emergencies to be encountered in the
future and repeatedly remind them to use prevention in all high-risk circumstances.
The Role of Long Non-coding RNA ZFAS1 in Gliomagenesis: A Scoping Review
Authors: Amiruddin Engku Maryam Afifah Engku Omar , Rahman Amirah Abdul , Usoff Muhammad Fawwaz Mohd , Kadir Siti Hamimah Sheikh Abdul , Ibrahim Kamariah , Osman Nora Julianna
Published: December 2024

Background:

Non-coding RNA species play important roles in biological mechanisms that
regulate glioma initiation and progression. Recently, evidence suggested that ZNFX1 antisense RNA
1 (ZFAS1) has the ability to act as an oncogene or tumour suppressor, and so plays critical regulatory
functions in the development and progression of many types of cancers such as lung, renal and hepatocarcinoma.
The roles of ZFAS1 in glioma cancer are still unclear, and there are numerous potential
pathways to explore.

Objective:

The aim of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the role of ZFAS1 in gliomagenesis,
outline existing research on its mechanisms in glioma, and identify any knowledge gaps.

Method:

A literature search was carried out using Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science (WoS) using
a specified search string, and the data gathered was discussed and reported.

Results:

This scoping review comprised five original research papers that study ZFAS1 and its roles
in gliomagenesis. ZFAS1 was found to be highly upregulated in glioma. and overall survival was
revealed to be significantly associated with ZFAS1 status and regulated via several pathways and
interactions, such as miRNA signalling, Epithelial to Mesenchymal transition (EMT) and Notch
signalling pathway. Furthermore, ZFAS1 knockdown decreased cell proliferation, migration, and
invasion while promoting cell death, implying that ZFAS1 is involved in glioma cancer progression.

Conclusion:

The evaluation of their diagnostic importance and therapeutic potential may aid in the
development of novel therapies for glioma cancer.