bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Performance Evaluation of a Novel Bayesian Network Model for the Classification of Heart Disease
Authors: Salman Issam , Panda Ganapati , Vomlel Jiří
Published: December 2023

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of death world- wide and requires accurate models to predict the risk of heart disease and mortality from these accidents for early intervention and prevention.
Objective: Bayesian networks (BNs) as a class of machine learning will not only significantly improve the prediction of heart disease outcomes and its mortality, but also represent the dependence/independence between heart abnormalities, mortality and important markers. It allows analysis of healthcare quality and cost reduction.
Results: The performance of specific models was evaluated based on a comprehensive review of the existing literature, including the techniques, algorithms, and data sources used in specific studies. These findings demonstrated that machine learning has the potential to improve the assessment of heart diseases and AMI by using BNs. it shows the impact of different variables on the models’ performance.
Conclusion: Bayesian networks have redefined how we approach complex decision- making. Their ability to combine data-driven insights with probabilistic reasoning makes them essential tools for addressing classification challenges across multiple domains. As technology continues to advance, these models are likely to play an increasingly important role in improving accuracy, efficiency and decision making.
Results of thyroidectomies according to General Surgeons and Otolaryngologist and Cervico Faciale Surgeons at the General Hospital of Reference of Niamey, what differences in the protocols of management?
Authors: SAIDOU Adama , DJAFAROU Abarchi Boubé , ALFARI Abdoul Aziz , OUDOU ZABEIROU , IDE Kadi , BAKOU Owodon Gbinmigan , YOUNSSA Hama , SANI Rachid
Published: December 2023

Objective: To evaluate the surgical management of thyroid pathologies at the Reference General Hospital.
Methods: This was a retro-prospective study over 4 years 6 months carried out in the departments of General and Digestive Surgery (GDS) and Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico Facial Surgery (ORL/FCS). It involved 182 patients who underwent thyroid surgery.
Results: A frequency of thyroidectomy of 9.46% was found. Females predominated with a sex ratio of 0.1. The average age of patients was 42.85 years, a standard deviation 12.80. 84.06% of patients had consulted for anterior cervical mass. EU-TIRADS score 3 represented 7,14% of cases. Heteromultinodular goiter was the main indication for thyroid surgery (59.34%). Total thyroidectomy was the most commonly performed gesture in general surgery in 88,23% (n=105), in Otorhinolaryngology, it was in the same proportion as lobo-isthmectomy at 47.61% (n=30). The first route was video-assisted thyroidectomy 2.2% (n=4). The recurrent laryngeal nerve was dissected and seen in 159 cases (87.36%) and parathyroid glands were also seen and preserved in 58.24% of cases (n=106). In immediate postoperative surgery, the main complications were unilateral recurrent paralysis with dysphonia in 3.3% (n=6) and compressive hematoma in 2.2% (n=4). No deaths had been recorded.
Conclusion: Total thyroidectomy was the most performed procedure in department of General and Digestive Surgery; in Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico Facial Surgery department, conservative surgery still retains a large place. Despite the different protocols, there are few complications in both series.
Multiwavelength observations of KS 1947+300
Authors: Liu Wei , Reig Pablo , Yan Jingzhi , Zhang Peng , Li Xiukun , Gao Bo , Xiao Guangcheng , Liu Qingzhong
Published: December 2023

Context. KS 1947+300 is a Be/X-ray binary. Despite its nearly circular orbit, it displays both giant and regular less intense X-ray outbursts. According to the viscous decretion disk model, such low eccentric binaries should not show periodic outbursts. Aims. We have studied the long-term optical variability of KS 1947+300 and its relationship with X-ray activity. Our objective is to investigate the origin of this variability.
Methods. We have analyzed data covering more than 20 years of observations. In the optical band, we have analyzed spectra and light curves. We measured the strength of the Hα and He I 6678 Å lines. In the X-ray band, we studied the long-term light curves provided by several all-sky monitors.
Results. KS 1947+300 exhibits changes in brightness and Hα emission on time scales from months to years. The optical and IR variability shows small amplitude changes during the active X-ray state, and a long, smooth decrease during the quiescent state. The fact that the amplitude of variability increased with wavelength suggests that the long-term decrease of the optical emission is due to the weakening of the circumstellar disk. Structural changes in the disk may also be the origin of the periodic signals with periods ∼ 200 days detected in the ZTF-g and r band light curves. We speculate that these changes are related to the mechanism that ejects matter from the photosphere of the Be star into the disk. We have also studied the X-ray variability that manifested as a series of type I outbursts after the two giant outburst in 2000 and 2013 and found that the intensity and peak orbital phase differ from outburst to outburst. The type I outbursts in KS 1947+300 are not strictly periodic. This irregularity could result from precession of the interacting points between the neutron star and the disk, namely the disk apastron and the two nodes of the disk.
Conclusions. The long-term changes in optical continuum and line emission and the X-ray variability patterns are attributed to an evolving and distorted decretion disk.
Increased Risk of Low Birth Weight among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Exposed Infants Between 2004 and 2021 in Hubei, China: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Liu Jinli , Wu Songjie , Zou Shi , Yan Yajun , Feng Ling , Guo Wei , Wu Mengmeng , Tang Weiming , Liang Ke
Published: December 2023

Background:Low birth weight (LBW, <2500g) is an essential indicator of neonatal death and poor infant development, but data on LBW among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-exposed infants in China is inadequate.
Objective: This study aimed to explore the temporal trend and factors associated with the LBW among HIV-exposed infants in Hubei province, China.
Methods: The pregnant women living with HIV in Hubei province, China between Jan 2004 and Dec 2021 were enrolled this study. Recruited HIV-positive women were provided with consultation about preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). The intervention measures for PMTCT were provided to pregnant women and HIV-exposed infants, and the LBW and HIV status of infants were followed. Collected data included women’s demographic information, HIV status of sexual partner, route of HIV transmission, HBV infection, HCV infection, syphilis infection, intrapartum CD4 count, whether received antiretroviral therapy (ART), the time of ART initiation, and ART regimens during pregnancy. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze factors associated with the LBW.
Results: In total, 531 mothers (581 pregnancy events) and 581 infants were enrolled. The mean birth weight and LBW rate were 3075±470.2g and 8.4%, respectively. From 2004 to 2021, a significantly increased LBW rate (4.7% to 14.0%, P=.004) was observed. The use of protease inhibitor (PI)-based regimen (P=.04) and the exposure to ART in the first trimester (P=.01) were positively correlated with the increase of LBW rate. Exposure to ART in the first trimester (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.64, 95%CI 1.29-10.27) and the second trimester (aOR 4.53, 95%CI 1.52-13.48), premature delivery (aOR 48.44, 95%CI 16.98-138.18), and infant with HIV infection (aOR 5.91, 95%CI 1.55-22.58) were predictors for LBW.
Conclusions: The significantly increased LBW rate in our study indicated that specific attention should be paid to HIV-exposed infants in China. More importantly, our study identified significant factors that can predict the risk of LBW. Interventions targeting these risk factors may prevent LBW among pregnant women living with HIV in future research and prenatal care.
The development strategy of Amateur Table Tennis Match in China Based on the SWOT-AHP Model： a Case Study in Shanghai
Authors: Yi Qing , Liu Zuhong , Liu Xutao , Wang Yidan , Li Rongzhi
Published: December 2023

Considering the significance of amateur sports matches in health promotion and city culture construction. It is essential to systematically analyze the mode of running city amateur match and propose development strategies. This study aimed to investigate the sustainable development strategies for city amateur matches in China through a hybrid model of SWOT and AHP using the Shanghai City Amateur Table Tennis Matches (ATTM) as a research case. Results showed that 20 factors of the SWOT analysis were included and the SWOT group weights are Strengths (5.1703), Opportunities (5.3732), Weaknesses (5.2882), and Threats (5.2386), respectively. The strategic vector coordinates (θ, ρ) are (72.42。, 0.6105). ATTM adopts the S-O development strategy and leverages its advantages and opportunities to promote further development. The findings indicate that ATTM with advanced organization operation mode has good internal strengths and external opportunities, which can enlighten the development of amateur table tennis at domestic and abroad. In the future, the S-O development strategy should be adopted.
Perspectives of Healthcare Professionals on the use of Immersive Virtual Reality in Teenage and Young Adult Oncology: A Qualitative Interview Study
Authors: Deighan Mairi , Simpson Daniel , Brigden Amberly , Cater Kirsten
Published: December 2023

Background: Applications of Virtual Reality (VR) in healthcare continue to grow at a rapid pace, yet the challenges and opportunities associated with VR from the perspective of clinicians and healthcare staff remain underexplored, particularly in the context of Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) oncology. This study aims to bridge this knowledge gap by interviewing clinicians and staff regarding the use of VR in TYA cancer care.
Method: Fourteen semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a diverse range of healthcare professionals working in TYA oncology within the United Kingdom including oncologists, hematologists, clinical nurse specialists, clinical psychologists, radiographers, play specialists, clinical social workers and youth support coordinators. Data were analysed thematically with three themes and seven sub-themes developed.
Results: The findings reveal that TYA healthcare professionals are optimistic and enthusiastic about the potential of using VR to enhance cancer care for teenagers and young adults. However, they also expressed notable concerns related to the practical implementation of VR in clinical settings. These concerns included infection and safety risks, privacy and security concerns, cost implications, storage requirements and staff burden. Clinicians and staff proposed valuable applications for VR in TYA oncology specifically in patient distraction, physiotherapy, procedure preparation, and the delivery of psychotherapy, including acceptance and commitment therapy.
Conclusions: This research has demonstrated that despite an enthusiasm to adopt VR in TYA oncology there are still many challenges, both practical and ethical, that must be addressed to enable the successful implementation of VR in hospitals within the UK. Further research into applications of VR for TYA oncology is warranted, particularly in areas of psychology, physiotherapy, and procedure preparation.
HyperGCN - A Multi-layer Graph NeuralNetworks to Enhance Hyperspectral Image Classification
Authors: P Haseena Rahmath , Srivast Vishal , Chaurasia Kuldeep
Published: December 2023

Graph neural networks (GNNs) have recently attracted much attention due totheir exceptional performance in a wide range of applications, including hyperspectralimage classification. However, most GNN-based models developed forhyperspectral image classification are shallow-layer models that combine CNNand GNN to improve performance. The use of fewer layers in their GNN models isattributed to the observed degradation in performance as the depth of GNN modelsincreases. This study proposes HyperGCN, an exclusive GNN-based modelwith multiple graph convolutional layers that exploit the rich spectral informationcontained in hyperspectral images and improve classification performance.HyperGCN prevents performance degradation by incorporating over-smoothingresistanttechniques into its architecture. Extensive experiments on widely usedhyperspectral benchmark datasets such as the Indian Pines dataset and thePavia University dataset show that HyperGCN outperforms traditional graphconvolutional neural network models in all performance metrics, including overallaccuracy, average accuracy, class-specific accuracy, and Cohen’s kappa coefficient.HyperGCN also outperformed fusion models that combine the benefits of CNNand GNN when classifying hyperspectral images.
Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation might overcome the poor prognosis of adult T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with CDKN2 deletion
Authors: Liu Qifa , Hu Xiaoshan , Wang ZhiXiang , Qin Yuting , Xu Jun , Xu Na , Wang Qiang , Lin Ren , Zhao Ke , Zhou Hongsheng , Xuan Li , Yu Sijian
Published: December 2023

The clinical significance of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2 (CDKN2) deletion in adult T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is still a matter of debate. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of CDKN2 deletion and impact of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in adult T-ALL. A total of 241 T-ALL patients were enrolled in this single-center retrospective study: 57 with CDKN2 deletion and 184 with CDKN2 wild-type (WT). CDKN2 deletion was associated with a higher white blood cell (WBC) count (P = 0.013), a greater proportion of high-risk disease (P = 0.004), and a complex karyotype (P = 0.004) than CDKN2 WT. The 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was 30.9% (95% CI 17.5-45.3) and 17.5% (95% CI 11.2-25.1) (P = 0.004), disease-free survival (DFS) was 39.7% (95% CI 25.6-53.4) and 53.8% (95% CI 45.1-61.7) (P = 0.002), and overall survival (OS) was 36.8% (95% CI 23.2-50.5) and 58.2% (95% CI 49.1-66.2) (P < 0.001) in patients with CDKN2 deletion and CDKN2 WT, respectively. In the multivariable analysis of the entire population, CDKN2 deletion was found to be an independent adverse prognostic factor for CIR (HR 2.79 (95% CI 1.3-6), P = 0.009), DFS (HR 1.76 (95% CI 1.1-2.79), P = 0.018), and OS (HR 1.91 (95% CI 1.19-3.07), P = 0.008). In the CDKN2 deletion subgroup, the 5-year CIR was 15.8% (95% CI 4.8-32.6) and 53.9% (95% CI 26.3-75.1) (P = 0.005), DFS was 51.8% (95% CI 30.9-69.1) and 21.1% (95% CI 7.2-39.8) (P < 0.001), and OS was 51.2% (95% CI 30.4-68.7) and 17.4% (95% CI 4.8-36.5) (P < 0.001) in patients with and without allo-HSCT, respectively.
Conclusion: CDKN2 deletion is associated with poor prognosis in adult patients with T-ALL. Patients with T-ALL and CDKN2 deletions may benefit from allo-HSCT.
Associations of Meaning of Home and Housing-Related Control Beliefs with Changes in Symptoms and Quality of Life: A Prospective Study Among Younger-Old Adults in Sweden
Authors: Eriksson Erik , Kylén Maya , Ekström Henrik , Slaug Björn , Elmståhl Sölve , Iwarsson Susanne , Schmidt Steven
Published: December 2023

Feeling in control of one’s environment, and perceiving one’s home as meaningful, have been found to be associated with health and wellbeing among older adults. As longitudinal studies of younger-old adults are lacking, this study aimed to investigate whether this association exists over time among older adults around retirement age. This study used longitudinal data from a random cohort of older adults in southern Sweden collected over a period of around 6 years (~2010-2016). In total, 329 community dwelling older adults, ages 65-76 (190 women and 139 men) participated in the study. Meaningfulness of one’s home was assessed by the Meaning of Home questionnaire, feelings of control of one’s home environment by the Housing-Related Control Beliefs questionnaire, symptom severity by a symptom checklist, and quality of life by Short-Form 12. Analyses was performed by stepwise General Linear Regression models. Housing-Related Control Beliefs was not significantly associated with changes in quality of life. Meaning of Home was found to be significantly associated with changes in gastrointestinal (B= 0.039, p= 0.031) and metabolism (B= 0.084, p< 0.000) symptoms. However, there were inconsistencies among the subscales of the instrument as some were negatively associated, and others were positively associated, with the change. The overall findings therefore suggest that the perceived home environment does not have a significant role in preventing symptoms, or in maintaining or improving quality of life, among older adults around retirement age. This finding is of importance to further develop theoretical understandings of the environments’ role in healthy ageing.
Complexity in Bolza Surface
Authors: Saha Bhola Nath , Sanki Bidyut
Published: December 2023

A surface in the Teichmüller space, where the systole function attains its maximum, is called a maximal surface. For genus two there exists a unique maximal surface which is called the Bolza surface. In this article, we study the complexity of the set of systolic geodesics on the Bolza surface. We show that any non-systolic geodesic intersects the systolic geodesics in 2n points, where n ≥ 5. Furthermore, we show that there are 12 second systolic geodesics on the Bolza surface and they form a triangulation of the surface.
Prevalence of breast cancer in rural population of Jaipur: A survey-based observational study
Authors: Singh Roshni , Kumar Sachin , Nakash Prashant , Kumar Ramesh , Kumar Govind , pal Pusparghya , Mishra Shivang , Raj Preeti , Rajotiya Sumit , Singh Anurag Kumar , Debnath Sourav , Chaturvedi Bhumi , Bareth Hemant , Patel Akhilesh , Singh Mahaveer , Srivast Anurag , Nathiya Deepak , Tomar Balvir Singh
Published: December 2023

Background
Breast cancer, a global health concern predominantly affecting women, recorded 2.3 million new cases and 685,000 deaths in 2020. Alarmingly, projections suggest that by 2040, there could be over 3 million new cases and 1 million deaths.
Objectives
To assess breast cancer prevalence in 24 rural villages within a 60 km radius of NIMS Hospital, Tala Mod, Jaipur, Rajasthan, North India 303121.
Materials and Methods
A study involving 2023 participants conducted initial screenings, and positive cases underwent further tests, including ultrasound, mammography, and biopsy. SPSSv28 analysed collected data.
Results
Among 2023 subjects, 3 screened positive for breast lumps. Subsequent clinical examination and biopsy identified 1 normal case and 2 with breast cancer, resulting in a prevalence proportion of 0.0009 or 98 per 100,000.
Conclusion
This study helps fill gap in breast cancer prevalence data for rural Rajasthan. The results highlight a concerning prevalence of breast cancer in the rural area near NIMS hospital, emphasizing the urgent need for increased awareness, early detection, and better healthcare access. Challenges like limited resources, awareness programs, and delayed diagnosis contribute to this high incidence. To address this, comprehensive approach is necessary, including improved screening programs and healthcare facilities in rural areas. Prioritizing rural healthcare and evidence-based strategies can reduce the burden of breast cancer and improve health outcomes.
Global Financial Investment Connectedness, ICT, and Intellectual Property Strategy: A Country-Level Empirical Analysis
Authors: Yoo Sungjin
Published: December 2023

This study investigated the direct and indirect impacts of financial investment connectedness and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on countries’ Intellectual Property (IP) strategies. By utilizing the panel logit model on the longitudinal country-level data, we found that countries’ positions in the global financial investment network significantly affect their IP strategies. Furthermore, ICT usage weakens the IP strategy’s reliance on global financial investment connectedness. This study is among the first to link financial investment connectedness and ICT to intellectual property strategy. Implications for governments to manage financial investment portfolios as well as make intellectual property strategies are derived.
Development of an Effective Sentiment Classification Architecture for Texts Containing Negation Words and Emojis
Authors: Bonga Favour Kefas , Varshney Pooja
Published: December 2023

The widespread use of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Twitter has profoundly influenced human interactions and decision-making. Twitter, in particular, has become a popular platform for sharing opinions on diverse topics, resulting in a substantial volume of user-generated content known as tweets. Emojis, which convey emotions and moods, have become integral to online communication. However, existing sentiment analysis methods struggle with the unique characteristics of tweets, such as negation words, contracted phrases, shortened text, language ambiguities, and emojis. To address these challenges, a novel word representational framework is proposed in this research, considering both negation words and emojis. Sentiment analysis is performed using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks to capture both syntactic and semantic features of tweets, enhancing sentiment classification efficiency. Extensive experiments on three benchmark datasets validate the approach, resulting in impressive accuracy rates of 95.24%, 87.13%, and 94.18% on different datasets. These results underscore the effectiveness of the proposed method in handling the complexities of sentiment analysis in the context of tweets, with applications in business insights, government policy formulation, decision-making processes, and brand identity monitoring.
Can audit firms be trusted (again)?
Authors: Beretta Valentina , Demartini Maria Chiara , Trucco Sara
Published: December 2023

Accounting research demonstrated that financial audit can hardly be conceived of as a trust engendering technology yet. According to the sociological theory of trust, trust in auditors is divided into first order and second order trust. First order trust aims at identifying the factors that primarily contribute to the auditor’s trustworthiness, whereas second order trust mirrors the capability of the trust on auditors to be transferred to their clients.
In order to gauge if audit can be trusted again and to analyze if trust can be transferred and how, this study investigates the current audit industry through the lens of the sociological theory of trust.
Results from a panel data analysis show that audit professionalism, commercial orientation and market concentration are the main determinants of first order trust. Moreover, findings from this study highlight that an audit firm’s trustworthiness is negatively transferred to its client.
This study adds knowledge to the theory of trust developed by Sztompka, by providing evidence of which factors impact on the primary object of trust, and how it is possible to transfer them on the secondary object of trust. Indeed, empirical evidence supports that part of literature arguing that auditing is primarily aimed at reproducing social order, whereas limited support is found to the trust engendering role of financial audit.
Resilience of future journalists as a response to the challenges of the profession
Authors: Yevtushenko Olena , Kovalova Tetiana
Published: December 2023

Introduction. In their work, journalists encounter many stressful and potentially psychologically traumatic events. Even journalists who do not work in war zones are at risk of developing PTSD or other mental health issues. In the conditions of a full-scale war, the question arises how to prepare future journalists for such psychologically challenging work.
Relevance of the study. The development of resilience skills can be a response to the challenges of the journalism profession. Researchers and practicing journalists have been increasingly discussing resilience in recent years. However, in Ukrainian educational institutions, this skill has not yet received due attention. The relevance of our research lies in addressing a topic that is not sufficiently developed in both science and practice. The aim of the article is to outline the role of resilience as a necessary skill in the training of future journalists.
Methodology. A complex of scientific methods was used to achieve the goal of the article. Methods of analysis, generalization and comparison were used to formulate the theoretical foundations of the research. The empirical research was carried out by the survey method using the following psychodiagnostic questionnaires: Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD RISC-10), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), S. Maddi Hardiness Scale.
Results. Resilience is the ability to effectively adapt to complex life experiences, endure adversities in a way that promotes bouncing back or even bouncing beyond. Professional organizations and media for journalists emphasize the importance of this skill. However, only a few educational institutions abroad offer specialized courses for developing this skill. The urgency of developing resilience in Ukrainian journalism students is evidenced by the data from a pilot study, which showed that about 40 % of respondents had a low level of resilience.
Conclusions. The pilot study indicates that a significant portion of surveyed journalism students may be unprepared for the psychological challenges of their future profession. Therefore, it is crucial to develop recommendations for journalism department staff regarding the development of students’ resilience.
Discrepancies in University of California Fig Breeding Records
Authors: Frost Richard B.
Published: December 2023

A 1975 fig crop reference chapter written by W.B. Storey contains pedigree information involving 30 cultivars from the University of California breeding program and early California. The data were compared with the records from the US Department of Agriculture and statements from two other sources. Graphical representations were used to determine differences among the authors. All data are supplied in this article and supplemental materials. An estimate of correct parentage is presented in the final graph.
EVALUATION OF THE CYTOTOXICITY AND GENOTOXICOLOGICAL SAFETY PROFILE OF BIOACTIVE SILVER(I) COMPLEXES WITH AMINOADAMANTANE LIGANDS
Authors: Cerqueira Igor Henrique , Mieli Maria Julia , Pereira Anna Karla , Corbi Pedro Paulo , Resende Flavia
Published: December 2023

Silver(I) complexes of amantadine (atdH), memantine (mtnH) and rimantadine (rtdH), named Ag-atd, Ag-mtn and Ag-rtd, respectively, were recently synthesized and described in the literature as promising antibacterial agents. In the present study, the cytotoxicity of such complexes was evaluated against cultures of primary epidermal keratinocytes (HaCaT) and murine melanoma tumor cells (B16-F10), and mutagenicity was studied by the Ames test to investigate their abilities to induce gene mutations. The Ames test was performed using Salmonella Typhimurium strains (TA98, TA100, TA102 and TA97a) capable of detecting frameshift and base pair substitution gene mutations, in experiments with and without metabolic activation (microsomal fraction S9). This study revealed significant cytotoxic activity against tumor cells and selectivity of Ag-atd and Ag-rtd complexes when compared to non-tumor human keratinocyte cells. Moreover, the Ag(I) complexes did not induce a significant growth in the number of revertant colonies when comparing with the negative control, both in the experiments without and with metabolic activation, indicating absence of mutagenic activity. The results are encouraging and collaborate in the genotoxicological investigations necessary for understanding the interaction and ability of the silver complexes to induce mutations and contribute to ensure their uses as future antibacterial or antitumor agents.
In situ Transesterification of Crambe Seeds with Dimethyl Carbonate Using an Enzymatic Catalyst
Authors: da Silva Camila , Massa Thainara , de Mello Bruna Tais , Feiten Mirian Cristina , Stevanato Natália , Postaue Najla
Published: December 2023

In situ transesterification of crambe seeds oil was investigated to produce fatty acid methyl esters using dimethyl carbonate as acyl acceptor and lipase Novozyme 435® as the catalyst. First, the effects of solvent-to-seeds ratio, seed pretreatment, and extraction time were evaluated on the seed oil removal, comparing the results with conventional Soxhlet extraction. Then, the effects of enzyme loading (5 to 30 wt.% based on the oil mass) and reaction time (60 to 540 min) were evaluated on the simultaneous extraction and reaction. The highest oil extraction yield (ca. 26 wt.%) was achieved at the solvent-to-seeds ratio of 6 mL g-1 and 360 min. The oil obtained from seeds that received thermal pretreatment showed a higher concentration of minor compounds. The highest ester content (76.71 wt.%) was obtained with an enzyme loading of 20 wt.%, solvent-to-seeds ratio of 6 mL g-1, for 480 min. The reaction samples showed a predominance of erucate and oleate esters, with identification of the co-products formation (glycerol carbonate and glycerol dicarbonate), and ca. 5 wt.% of acylglycerols.
COST ANALYSIS OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AND SUPERVISED EXERCISE TRAINING IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS
Authors: Timurtaş Eren , Mate Kedar K. V. , Kartal Gökçe , Demirbüken İlkşan , Çelik Yusuf , Polat Mine Gülden , Tarım Mehveş
Published: December 2023

Amaç: Bu araştırmanın amacı, Tip-2 Diabetes Mellituslu (T2DM) kişilerin gözetimli egzersiz, akıllı telefon uygulaması ve akıllı saat kullanarak yaptıkları 12 haftalık egzersiz takibinin yapıldığı randomize kontrollü klinik çalışmanın maliyet analizinin yapılmasıdır.
Yöntem: Denetimli egzersiz, akıllı telefon uygulaması ve akıllı saat yoluyla 12 hafta boyunca egzersiz uygulanan üç farklı T2DM grubu için Sosyal Sigortalar Kurumu tarafından yapılan ödemeler belirlenerek bütçe etkisi hesaplanmış ve maliyet etkinliği toplumsal bakış açısıyla hesaplanmıştır.
Sonuç: Türk Lirası (TL) başına Kaliteye Ayarlanmış Yaşam Yıl (KAYY) değerleri denetimli egzersiz grubunda 14.863 TL; akıllı telefon uygulama grubunda 6056 TL, akıllı saat grubunda 7379 TL olarak bulundu. Maliyet etkinliği en yüksek olan yöntemin akıllı telefonla egzersiz uygulama yöntemi olduğu belirlendi. Maliyet analizinde KAYY değerlerindeki değişim denetimli egzersiz grubunda 0,11; akıllı telefon uygulama grubunda 0,12 ve akıllı saat grubunda 0,11 olarak hesaplandı.
Tartışma: Maliyet etkinliği akıllı telefon uygulama grubunda yüksek, mobil uygulamalar grubunda orta ve denetimli egzersiz grubunda en düşük olup çalışmanın sonuçları literatür ile benzerlik göstermektedir.
THE EFFECTS OF WORK-RELATED AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS ON ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROFESSION AND BURNOUT AMONG PHYSIOTHERAPISTS WORKING IN TURKIYE
Authors: Aydoğdu Onur , Bektaş Karakuş Meryem , Sarı Zübeyir
Published: December 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the levels of burnout and attitude of physiotherapists towards profession and to examine variables that affect these levels.
Methods: The research was conducted on physiotherapists working in different fields between November 2020 and February 2021. Professional attitude levels and burnout levels of physiotherapists were evaluated with “Attitude Scale towards physiotherapists Profession (ASP)” and “Burnout Scale-Short Form (BSSF)”, respectively. In addition, socio-demographic information of the physiotherapists; their institution, working days and hours, the physiotherapy field worked; their experience in the physiotherapy field, and perceived income adequacy were recorded. All evaluation forms were prepared electronically with GoogleDocs and delivered to participants via social media and other communication options.
Results: A total of 123 physiotherapists participated i this study. BSSF ranged from 1.20 to 6.40, while mean value was 3.44±1.14. Mean score of ASP total, professional satisfaction subscale, qualifications required by profession and general concerns about profession was 133.22±13.56; 71.33±8.28; 37.07±3.66; 24.82±3.65, respectively. Statistically significant correlations were found between burnout levels of physiotherapists and total score in the scale of attitude towards the profession (r=-0.519, p=0.001), professional satisfaction subscale (r=-0.509, p=0.001), qualifications required by the profession subscale (r=-0.374, p=0.001), profession-related concerns subscale (r=-0.397, p=0.001).
Conclusions: It is important to examine attitudes of physiotherapists towards profession and variables that affect these attitudes. Examining variables that cause negative attitudes towards profession can provide re-arrangement of these variables in a way that can lead to a positive attitude. This situation may result in an increase in professional success and satisfaction of physiotherapists.
Occurrence and diversity of nontuberculous mycobacteria affected by water stagnation in building plumbing
Authors: Rahmatika Iftita , Simazaki Dai , Kurisu Futoshi , Furumai Hiroaki , Kasuga Ikuro
Published: December 2023

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) refer to mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae. Some NTM are known to cause pulmonary and skin diseases. As NTM are prevalent in water supply systems, the health burden of waterborne NTM is concerned. However, little is known about NTM in building plumbing. This study revealed the abundance and diversity of NTM in building plumbing by using culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches. Moreover, the chlorine susceptibility of NTM isolates in tap water was evaluated. The increase in the abundance of Mycobacterium spp. was observed in some taps after 24 h of stagnation, indicating that NTM could have the potential to regrow in building plumbing. While Mycobacterium mucogenicum and Mycobacterium avium were detected by cultivation, amplicon sequencing of NTM-specific hsp65 genes revealed that Mycobacterium gordonae was dominant in most of the samples, which was not detected by cultivation. The chlorine susceptibility experiment demonstrated that NTM strains related to M. avium and M. mucogenicum were 119 and 426 times more tolerant to chlorine than Escherichia coli, respectively. As M. mucogenicum, M. avium, and M. gordonae are regarded as opportunistic pathogens, intensive monitoring of NTM in tap water in building plumbing is necessary.
Classification and description of the drainage state of manholes in urban drainage systems
Authors: Zhang Dawei , Han Dixi , Zhong Qiang , Chen Qigang
Published: December 2023

Manholes are important structures in urban storm drainage systems connecting roads and underground drainage networks, and they are also an important part of the research on improving urban resistance to storm flooding. Due to cost and space constraints, most of the existing experimental data on manholes come from scale model experiments obtained by scaling according to Froude's similarity criterion, and there is a lack of validation based on full-size experimental data. This also leads to inconsistencies in the form and parameter values of the manhole flow exchange equations derived from different experiments. To remedy this deficiency, a full-scale urban drainage engineering physics model was developed in this study with the aim of investigating the flow exchange of surface water as it flows through manholes into the sewer system. Experiments were conducted under steady flow conditions and compared with predictions from the existing models. The results show that the predictions of the existing model deviate significantly from the measured values when the flow is between free weir flow and submerged orifice flow. Therefore, we constructed a weighting equation based on weir and orifice flows and found that the weighting coefficients decayed exponentially during the transition from weir to orifice flow.
Fabrication of Large Three-Dimensional Flow Path Structure Using SS Flexible Tube
Authors: Kitamori R.
Published: December 2023

Abstract. Aluminum is a commonly used material when cooling channels are required due to its high thermal conductivity and light weight. However, aluminum has a low corrosion resistance which is a key factor to be aware of when a cooling system utilizing water is required. Metal Technology Co. Ltd. (MTC) currently manufactures a variety of aluminum products in which stainless steel (SS) tubes are embedded and bonded with HIP to improve corrosion resistance while maintaining a light weight. As the demand for complex three-dimensional (3D) cooling channels increases, the complexity creates limitations on creating the cooling channels using the current methods and processes. 3D flow paths can be fabricated if SS tubes are bent and then welded together, but the assembly process for HIP is complex. Complex, thin-walled SS flexible tubes are not able to withstand the pressures applied during diffusion bonding. MTC, has successfully developed an alternative for making internal 3D cooling channels with SS flexible tubes.
Application of HIP-NNS to Large Complex Products Using Super Duplex Stainless Steel Powder
Authors: Shiokawa T.
Published: December 2023

Abstract. In recent years, the productivity of offshore plants has been improved and the field of production from shallow water to deep sea has been expanded. Along with this, it is required that the plant equipment be upsized and maintenance-free. The conventional manufacturing method for duplex stainless steel parts such as valves for plant equipment was mainly forging. There is a problem though, it is difficult to obtain homogeneity with the physical characteristics. One solution to this problem is powder sintering using HIPed near net-shaped (HIP-NNS) products. However, near-net manufacturing requires advanced capsule design and powder filling control. In this paper, we will report the results of the HIP-NNS method when manufacturing a large-sized complex-shaped powder sintered product using the world's largest HIP device.
Towards Territorial Development From Sustainability
Authors: Vergara-Romero Arnaldo
Published: December 2023

Sustainability, a key factor in development, is evident in many ways, from current economic thought to the new practices of rurality, urbanism and agricultural production processes. This influences the advances in organization and structure of the concept of the anthropocene. The traces left by societies and generations from our past are present in our environment, and leads us to reflect on where we are going and how we can mitigate the environmental damage that we've caused, which sometimes seems irreversible. The book seeks to take into account, from a theoretical and practical evaluation of sustainability in the Ecuadorian territory, the search for problems around the environment and its plausible solutions, which are based on academic research.
Evidence-Based Summary of Digital Therapeutic Interventions for Self-Management in Patients with Hip Fractures：a Systematic review (Preprint)
Authors: Xiao Wanlian , Huang Tianwen , Chen Xiaoling , Peng Xiaoqiong , Deng Sijia , Huang Xiaomin , Yu Xueya , Fu Qiuyan
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND

Hip fragility fractures are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Surgical treatment is mostly used in clinical practice, but the long process of postoperative hip function rehabilitation training and the poor self-management ability of patients are not conducive to their subsequent rehabilitation treatment.

OBJECTIVE

To consolidate the best evidence for digital therapeutic intervention schemes in self-management for patients with hip fragility fractures, providing evidence-based foundation for clinical practitioners to formulate patient self-management plans utilizing digital therapy interventions.

METHODS

Computerized search of domestic and international databases and websites for clinical decisions, systematic reviews, clinical practice guidelines, evidence summaries, and expert consensus on the self-management of patients with hip fragility fractures from their inception to September 2023. Two researchers assessed the quality of the included studies and extracted the evidence.

RESULTS

A total of 15 papers were included, comprising 4 guidelines, 5 expert consensus documents,5 systematic reviews, and 1 evidence summaries. The research team summarized 26 best pieces of evidence from 4 aspects: digital design, self-management influencing factors, self-management intervention plan, self-management intervention content.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers comprehensive and scientific evidence-based foundations on digital therapy interventions for the self-management of patients with hip fragility fractures, serving as a substantial reference for healthcare professionals to foster more efficient and tailored self-management plans.
Research on the Cough-Related Disease Classification and Recognition Method Combining Attention Mechanism with Residual Neural Networks (Preprint)
Authors: Sun Wensheng , Jiahao Zou , Miao Ziping , Yin Na , Fang Wenying , Sun Jimin , Yang Shigui
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND

Coughing, a common clinical symptom, is a protective respiratory reflex associated with various respiratory disorders. Due to its diverse acoustic characteristics resulting from different underlying causes, the analysis of a patient's cough sounds provides valuable insights for physicians in diagnosing associated diseases.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to present an improved method for the detection of cough-related diseases based on deep learning, aimed at assisting in the diagnosis of relevant diseases.

METHODS

In this study, we conducted extensive data collection, which included voluntary cough audio recordings from patients with well-diagnosed respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, COVID-19, and pneumonia), as well as healthy participants,We collected a total of 2,610 audio samples.We added the Channel Attention Mechanism CAM to the last convolutional block of each residual block in the ResNet18 neural network, and later constructed the CAM-ResNet18 neural network model.
We transformed the collected cough audio recordings into spectrograms and established the corresponding dataset, utilizing these spectrograms as input data for the CAM-ResNet18 neural network model. Subsequently, we trained the CAM-ResNet18 neural network model using the training set within this dataset,adjust the model parameters and train the model until it converges. Finally, we input the spectrograms from the test set into the pre-trained neural network model for precise classification.

RESULTS

Through experiments conducted on the audio dataset we collected, our proposed improvement method achieved an accuracy of 83.9% in classifying these five types of cough audio, while the traditional ResNet18 model had an accuracy of 78.16%.

CONCLUSIONS

The experimental results of this study validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The uniqueness of this model lies in its enhanced ability to focus on critical features, effectively reducing overfitting issues. As we continue to expand the cough audio dataset in future work, we anticipate further improvements in classification accuracy. The findings of this study hold significant potential application value in clinical diagnosis.
Patterns of Internet Use in People with Severe Mental Ill Health: A Typology and Outline of Difficulties and Potential Protective Strategies. (Preprint)
Authors: Walker Lauren , Wadman Ruth , Taylor Olivia , Heron Paul , Newbronner Liz , Spanakis Panagiotis , Crosland Suzanne , Peckham Emily Jane
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND

People with Severe Mental Ill health (SMI) face profound health inequalities, which may be exacerbated by increased rates of digital exclusion and the movement of health services and provisions to being offered online.

OBJECTIVE

To explore internet and digital technology usage for those with SMI, with particular focus on the drivers of the relationship between high internet use and poorer self-reported mental health.

METHODS

We carried out a qualitative interview study with 16 participants with SMI. The participant sample was drawn from a wider investigation of the impacts of the pandemic and restrictions on the health and wellbeing of people with SMI. Data was analysed using framework analysis.

RESULTS

Participant experiences fell into three broad categories; those who had a positive or neutral online experience, those who had negative or difficult experiences of being online and low users / those with low digital literacy. Of the participants with difficult experiences (those who reported strong unpleasant feelings) our analysis revealed two interesting categories, those with worries and fears related to the online world and those who had difficulty limiting their internet use. Also of note was the description of conscious / mindful interaction with the online world.

CONCLUSIONS

People with SMI (along with the general population) are expected to conduct more of their activities of daily living online in the post pandemic world. This research shows that the majority of internet users with SMI have positive or neutral experiences. However, our typology reveals subgroups of the SMI population for whom there is a relationship between internet use and difficult feelings. These subgroups can be identified by asking questions about online activities, time spent online, feelings, difficulties / issues experienced and use of gambling, dating, adult content, and conspiracy theory websites online. Our conclusions point to further work in collaboration with people with lived experience to modify and test this typology.
A Comparison of Synthetic Data Generation Techniques for Control Group Survival Data in Oncology Clinical Trials: Simulation Study (Preprint)
Authors: Akiya Ippei , Ishihara Takuma , Yamamoto Keiichi
Published: December 2023

UNSTRUCTURED

Introduction:
Synthetic patient data (SPD) generation for survival analysis in oncology trials holds significant potential for accelerating clinical development. Various machine learning methods, including CART, random forest (RF), Bayesian network (BN), and CTGAN, have been employed for this purpose, but their performance in reflecting actual patient survival data remains under investigation.

Method:
Utilizing multiple clinical trial datasets, survival SPD was generated and evaluated using mean survival time (MST), hazard ratio distance (HRD), and visual analysis of Kaplan‒Meier (KM) plots. Each method's ability to mimic the statistical profile of real patient data was compared.

Results:
CART consistently demonstrated promising results across various evaluation metrics, outperforming other methods such as RF, BN, and CTGAN. However, while RF is known for its high generalization performance, CART exhibited closer resemblance to actual data, emphasizing the importance of similarity in SPD generation.

Conclusion:
It seems that the reason that CART indicated better similarity than RF is that the ensemble learning of RF prevents overfitting, and CART overfits SPD. In SPD generation, the statistical properties close to the actual data should be the focus, not a well-generalized prediction model. Both the BN and CTGAN methods cannot accurately reflect the statistical profile of the actual data, primarily due to the small datasets. As a method for generating SPD for survival data from small datasets, such as clinical trial data, CART is considered the most effective method. Additionally, it is necessary to improve CART-based generation methods by incorporating feature engineering and other methods in future work.