bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the relationship between safety culture and the quality of patient handover between the ambulance and emergency department from the viewpoints of hospital emergency nurses and emergency medical personnel in northwest Iran
Authors: Alidokht Sevda , Mohamadi Mohammad Ail , Dadkhah Behrouz
Published: March 2024

Aims:The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between safety culture and the quality of patient handover between the ambulance and emergency.Background:Evaluating the patient safety culture significantly affects the quality of patient handover, medical, and care services in different hospital units, especially the emergency department.Methods:The present correlational study was conducted on all nurses working in the emergency departments of educational-medical centers (N=220) and medical emergency personnel of Ardabil city (N=92) using the census method. The data were collected using the Leif et al. (2018) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Questionnaire and the Golling et al. (2022) Quality of Patient Handover between Ambulance and Emergency Department Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (26) using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients, and linear regression logistic model.Results:The results revealed that the quality of patient safety culture in emergency nurses (90.5%) and emergency medical personnel (89.1%) was at a moderate level. The mean patient safety culture in emergency nurses (17.75±151.43) was higher than in emergency medical personnel (148.37±18.48) and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.04). The quality of patient handover among emergency nurses (71.7%) and emergency medical personnel (83.7%) was also moderate and it was statistically significant (P<0.04). There was a positive and significant correlation between the patient safety culture and the quality of patient handover between the ambulance and emergency department (P<0.01). The stepwise multiple linear regression model showed that "teamwork between organizational units" was a stronger predictor than other variables in the quality of patient handover between the ambulance and emergency department.Conclusion:The results revealed that by increasing the level of patient safety culture in emergency nurses, the quality of patient handover increases. Therefore, it is recommended that the policymakers in the health area take the necessary measures by holding briefing workshops to promote the culture of patient safety and strengthen teamwork among the emergency department personnel.
The use of patient-reported outcome measures to improve patient-related outcomes – a systematic review
Authors: Bonsel Joshua M. , Itiola Ademola J. , Huberts Anouk S. , Bonsel Gouke J. , Penton Hannah
Published: March 2024

Background
Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) provide invaluable information on patients’ health outcomes and can be used to improve patient-related outcomes at the individual, organizational and policy levels. This systematic review aimed to a) identify contemporary applications and synthesize all evidence on the use of PROMs in these contexts and b) to determine characteristics of interventions associated with increased effectiveness.
Methods
Five databases were searched for studies providing quantitative evidence of the impact of PROM interventions. Any study design was permitted. An overall benefit (worsening) in outcome was defined as a statistically significant improvement (deterioration) in either a PROM, patient-reported experience measure or clinical outcome. Study quality was assessed using the Effective Public Healthcare Panacea Project’s Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. A narrative synthesis was conducted.
Results
Seventy-six studies of the 11,121 articles identified met the inclusion criteria. At the individual level, 10 (43%) of 23 studies that fed back PROMs to the patient or healthcare provider showed an improvement in outcome. This percentage increased in studies which used PROMs to monitor disease symptoms and linked these to care-pathways: 17 (68%) of 25 studies using this mechanism showed an improvement. Ten (71%) of 14 studies using PROMs to screen for disease found a benefit. The monitoring and screening approach was most effective using PROMs covering cancer-related, depression and gastro-intestinal symptoms. Three studies found that the mere collection of PROMs resulted in improved outcomes. Another three studies used PROMs in decision aids and found improved decision quality.
At the organizational/policy level, none of the 4 studies that used PROMs for benchmarking found a benefit. The three studies that used PROMs for in-depth performance analyses and 1 study in a plan-do-study-act (PDCA) cycle found an improvement in outcome.
Studies employing disease-specific PROMs tended to observe improved outcomes more often. There are concerns regarding the validity of findings, as studies varied from weak to moderate quality.
Conclusions
The use of PROMs at the individual level has matured considerably. Monitoring/screening applications seem promising particularly for diseases for which treatment algorithms rely on the experienced symptom burden by patients. Organizational/policy-level application is in its infancy, and performance evaluation via in-depth analyses and PDCA-cycles may be useful. The findings of this review may aid stakeholders in the development and implementation of PROM-interventions which truly impact patient outcomes.
Does bullying victimization accelerate adolescents’ non-suicidal self-injury? The mediating role of negation emotions and the moderating role of submissive behavior
Authors: Gao Ling , Zhang Zixi , Wu Xiani , Wang Xingchao
Published: March 2024

Based on general strain theory, the current study examined whether bullying victimization was significantly related to adolescents’ non-suicidal self-injury and whether negation emotions mediated this association and submissive behavior moderated this mediation process. A total of 1984 adolescents completed a series of anonymous questionaries regarding bullying victimization, negative emotions, non-suicidal self-injury, and submissive behavior. Results showed that bullying victimization was significantly and positively associated with non-suicidal self-injury and this relation was partially mediated by negative emotions. Submissive behavior moderated the relation between bullying victimization and non-suicidal self-injury as well as negation emotions and non-suicidal self-injury. Specifically, the victims of bullying with high submissive behavior were more likely to develop non-suicidal self-injury. Adolescents who had higher negative emotions were at greater risk of engaging in non-suicidal self-injury when they also had high submissive behavior. The positive association between negative emotions and non-suicidal self-injury was stronger in females than males.
Analysis of gap length as a predictor of surgical outcomes in esophageal atresia with distal fistula: a single center experience
Authors: Ishikawa Miki , Tomita Hirofumi , Ito Yoshifumi , Tsukizaki Ayano , Abe Kiyotomo , Shimotakahara Akihiro , Shimojima Naoki , Hirobe Seiichi
Published: March 2024

Purpose
Long-gap esophageal atresia (LGEA) is still a challenge for pediatric surgery. No consensus exists as to what constitutes a long gap, and few studies have investigated the maximum gap length safely repairable by primary anastomosis. Based on surgical outcomes at a single institution, we aimed to determine the gap length in LGEA with a high risk of complications.
Methods
The medical records of 51, consecutive patients with esophageal atresia (EA) with primary repair in the early neonatal period between 2001 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Three, major complications were found in the surgical outcomes: 1) anastomotic leakage, 2) esophageal stricture requiring dilatation, and 3) GERD requiring fundoplication. The predictive power of the postsurgical complications was assessed using receiver operating characteristic analysis, and the area under the curve (AUC) and the cutoff value with a specificity of > 90% were calculated.
Results
Sixteen patients (31.4%) experienced a complication. The AUC of gap length was0.90 (p < 0.001), and the gap length cutoff value was ≥ 2.0 cm for predicting any complication (sensitivity: 62.5%, specificity: 91.4%).
Conclusion
A gap length ≥ 2.0 cm was considered as defining LGEA and was associated with an extremely high complication rate after primary repair.
Risk factors and treatment of difficult intubation during retropharyngeal hematoma evacuation following anterior cervical spine surgery: a retrospective study
Authors: Tian Yang , Qu Yinyin , Li Gang , Fang Jingchao , Guo Xiang-yang , Li Min , Wang Jun , Xu Mao
Published: March 2024

Background
Postoperative retropharyngeal hematoma (RH) following anterior cervical spine surgery (ACSS) can cause acute airway obstruction (AAO). In severe cases, difficult intubation (DI) may occur, posing serious challenges to airway management. The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors for DI and to explore airway management in RH evacuation following ACSS.
Methods
A series of 40 consecutive patients who underwent RH evacuation following ACSS were retrospectively identified at Peking University Third Hospital from March 2010 to March 2023. Patients were categorized into the DI group or no-DI group. Demographic, clinical symptom, and airway assessment data were recorded to identify risk factors for DI.
Results
The incidence of postoperative RH out of all ACSS surgery was 0.2% (40/16,127). General anesthesia was applied for RH evacuation in all 40 patients. The incidence of DI during RH evacuation was 35% (14/40). Thirty-nine patients were successfully treated and discharged, and one patient died of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy 24 days after RH evacuation. Class III & IV acute airway obstruction (AAO) (odds ratio [OR], 5.384; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.098–26.398; P = 0.038) and time interval between symptom onset and airway intervention (TI) (OR, 2.073; CI [1.072–4.010]; P = 0.030) were found to be independent risk factors for DI. Patients with DI had longer tracheal catheter retention times and longer durations of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) (P < 0.001).
Conclusions
Class III & IV AAO and TI are independent risk factors for DI during RH evacuation following ACSS. DI is associated with longer retention of the tracheal catheter and longer duration of stay in the ICU. Appropriate airway intervention should be performed for high-risk patients.
Trial registration:
ChiCTR2200061982
A MRI-based radiomics nomogram for differentiation of fat-poor renal angiomyolipoma from nodular clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Chai Shun , Yang Yawen , Ma Chuanxian , Ma Zhanlong
Published: March 2024

Objectives
This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a radiomics nomogram based on multiparametric MRI in distinguishing between fat-poor renal angiomyolipoma (fp-AML) and renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC) in small renal tumors (≤ 4 cm).
Methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted from July 2017 to July 2023, including 65 ccRCC and 23 fp-AML patients with confirmed pathology. T2WI, DWI and ADC sequences were used to extract radiomics features. A t-test and LASSO were used to select features. A radiomic signature was created after calculating a radiomic score (Rad-score). To create a clinical model, clinical characteristics and subject MRI features were evaluated. Then, the Rad scores and clinical characteristics were integrated to develop a radiomics nomogram. The nomogram's performance was assessed regarding calibration, discrimination, and clinical utility.
Results
In the study, 88 renal masses from 86 patients were included. Each patient had their 3948 radiomics features retrieved, and 13 of those features were used to create the radiomics signature. The radiomics nomogram (AUC, 0.833; 95% CI, 0.675–0.992) showed superior discriminating capacity in the validation set compared to the clinical model (AUC, 0.774; 95% CI, 0.554–0.995) and radiomics signature (AUC, 0.778; 95% CI, 0.571–0.985) alone. Decision curve analysis indicated that the nomogram outperformed the clinical model in terms of clinical utility.
Conclusions
The multiparametric MRI-based radiomics nomograms effectively use Rad scores and clinical factors as non-invasive preoperative predictors, successfully differentiating fp-AML from ccRCC.
Complex symmetry of multiplication and composition operators on A12(D)
Authors: Gupta Anuradha , Singh Deepika
Published: March 2024

For the set consisting of holomorphic functions over unit disk D whose derivativelies in the Bergman space A2(D) as well as in the classical Hardy space H2(D),we define a norm which is equivalent to the norm on the derivative Hardy space.We denote this space by A12(D). First, we’ll study some basic analytic propertiesof A12(D) and then obtain some characterizations of continuous multiplicationoperators on A12(D). In the last section, complex symmetries of composition operators on A12(D) with respect to a specific conjugation called standard conjugationare discussed.
MSC[2020]: 47B33, 47B38
Persistence of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in intensive care units environment
Authors: Xu XiaoFeng , Chen XueE , Luo YeTao , Hu TianYu , Zhang Hong , Chen Wei
Published: March 2024

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii(A. baumannii) is a major pathogen that causes nosocomial infections in intensive care units (ICUs). The present study aimed to analyse the distribution of A. baumannii in 2 ICUs and in the hands of ICU workers, focusing on antimicrobial susceptibility genes, carbapenem resistance genes, disinfectant resistance genes and cluster evolution.
Methods: A. baumannii isolates were obtained from 2 ICU environments and ICU workers’ hand during 2016-2018. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was performed for to detect OXA-type genes, metallo-β-lactamase genes and qac genes. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) using both the Oxford and Pasteur schemes, repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (REP-PCR) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR (ERIC-PCR) were used to determine the epidemiologic relationships of the A.baumannii isolates. Global optimal eBURST was used to assess clonal complexes.
Results: Among the environmental A.baumannii isolates, 11 strains were obtained from patients’ surrounding high-touch surfaces, 10 from medical equipment and 6 from nurses’ station objects. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing results revealed that a majority of the A.baumannii strains (23/34, 67.65%) were considered as extensively drug resistant (XDR), and 11.76% (4/34) were considered as multidrug-resistant (MDR). In addition, a total of 26/34 (76.47%) strains were carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB). The Pasteur MLST scheme showed that 97.06% of the A. baumannii strains belonged to 8 sequence types (STs), while the Oxford scheme succeeded in allocating only 82.35% of the isolates. The most dominant ST in the Pasteur scheme was ST2, whereas ST195 was predominant in the Oxford scheme. The STs obtained from the Pasteur scheme correlated well with the REP-PCR patterns. OXA-51 was detected in 94.12% (32/34) isolates. OXA-23 is the most common carbapenemase gene among CRAB isolates (88.46%, 23/26). The prevalence of qacΔE1 was 79.41% (27/34). QacΔE1, OXA-51, OXA-23 and VIM were present in 58.82% (20/34) of the isolates.
Conclusions: A.baumannii strains harbouring the qacΔE1, OXA-51, OXA-23 and VIM genes are widely circulating in ICUs and the hands of healthcare workers. ST2/ST195 (Pasteur/Oxford) were the predominant epidemic type of A.baumannii in ICUs.
Elaboration of a new unsupervised method to extract body water
Authors: Benali Abdelali
Published: March 2024

Maintenance of large groundwater resources is important for the development of ecosystems in the world. Remote sensing is now the main way to observe the world. Conventional body-water extraction methods are easy to implemente and use and work very well, but rely on a stable international scale, which reduces body-water extraction accuracy.
In this paper, we present an original water body extraction unsupervised method for RGB satellite images . The idea is to splitt the three RGB component matrix of the imagea nd then treat only the green matrice beacause the green matrice contain all the water bodies with a great precision and only few non-water bodies regions.
Our method is mainly based on mathematical morphology operators,First, we propose a simple and fast binary algorithm to segment as many real water bodies as possible from satellite images, this step was carried with the Hit or Miss Transform.
The second step is to apply the Top Hat to refine the result of the segmentation.
We tested the accuracy of our method using Sentinel-2Dataset. Compared to other methods, our method increases the segmentation quality and give great results that reached 98% for all index metrics used for remote sensing, the Error is equal to 0.7%.
Keywords : Image processing, Mathematical morphology, RGB image, Classification, Body-water
A new p-value based multiple testing procedure for generalized linear models
Authors: Rilling Joseph , Tang Cheng Yong
Published: March 2024

This study introduces a novel p-value-based multiple testing approach tailored for generalized linear models (GLM). Despite the crucial role of GLM in statistics, existing methodologies face obstacles arising from the heterogeneous variance of response variables and complex dependencies among estimated parameters. Our aim is to address the challenge of controlling the false discovery rate (FDR) amidst arbitrarily dependent test statistics. Through the development of efficient computational algorithms , we present a versatile statistical framework for multiple testing. The proposed framework accommodates a range of tools developed for constructing a new model matrix in regression-type analysis, including random row permutations and Model-X knockoffs. We devise efficient computing techniques to solve the encountered non-trivial quadratic matrix equations, enabling the construction of paired p-values suitable for the two-step multiple testing procedure proposed by Sarkar and Tang (2022). Theoretical analysis affirms the properties of our approach, demonstrating its capability to control the FDR at a given level. Empirical evaluations further substantiate its promising performance across diverse simulation settings.
Management and Treatment of Delayed Posttraumatic Tension Pneumoventricle in Low-Income Countries: A Report of Two Rare Cases and Literature Review
Authors: Hamma Ousmane Issoufou , Idrissa Ousmane Aboubacar , Abdou Mahamane Mobarak Salifou , Angelo Avocefohoun Chanel , Mato Sahidou Sani , Ango Souleymane Mahamadou
Published: March 2024

The tension pneumoventricle is a rare subtype of pneumocephalus characterized by intracranial hypertension secondary to pathological accumulation of air in the cerebral ventricles. This rare neurosurgical emergency has a life-threatening course. A delayed posttraumatic tension pneumoventriculus is an extremely rare condition that appears 72 h after head trauma. It can occur following a skull base fracture complicated by an osteodural defect without pneumocephalus or, more rarely, as a complication of simple acute posttraumatic pneumoventricle. This pathology represents a challenge in low-income countries because of limited access to social security and brain imaging and an inefficient health transport system. Its diagnosis and treatment may require multiple brain computed tomography scans in the acute phase of trauma and rapid medical evacuation. Here we report two patients with skull base fractures whose state of consciousness deteriorated after they returned home due to delayed posttraumatic tension pneumoventricle. The patients were rapidly taken to the hospital and treated in the emergency department, and their outcome was generally favorable. These cases underline the importance of regular, high-quality follow-up for skull base trauma patients in low-income countries, even after discharge from the hospital.
Changes in Healthcare Seeking Behaviors Among Caretakers of Children in the Previously Occupied ISIS territory: Hadeetha, Anbar, Iraq: A Cross-Sectional Survey of 415 Households
Authors: Al-Dahir Sara , Hasan Tahseen Abdulateef , Khalil Alaa , Moss William J , Talaat Kawsar R , Knoll Maria Deloria , Burnham Gilbert
Published: March 2024

Background: The objective of this study was to describe changes in health seeking behaviors of caregivers of children ages 12-60 months of age in Hadeetha, Anbar, Iraq from the conflict period of ISIS (Islamic State of Syria and Iraq), 2014-2017, to the post-conflict period, 2021. The western province of Anbar, and the district of Hadeetha, have suffered direct impacts from the second United States led invasion (2003) through the ISIS invasion (2014-2017). With the primary health care centers being closed or inaccessible, the remaining population experienced changes in health seeking. The area of Anbar, Iraq remains largely remote from the discourse of health system recovery post-conflict.
Methods: This was a mixed-methods study composed of a cross-sectional 415 household survey and focus groups in Hadeetha, Anbar, Iraq. Caretakers of children were interviewed from February to April 2021. Children were sampled from a list of children who missed at least one vaccination appointment without a return for follow-up from the birth cohorts of 2015-2020. Focus groups and key informant interviews occurred from 2019-2021.
Results: In the post-conflict period, there were no differences in health seeking based upon provider type between respondents. Physicians were primary healthcare providers in the post-conflict period for 79% of respondents versus only 47% in the conflict period. Healthcare workers described major barriers to delivering services in Hadeetha during the ISIS occupation due to infrastructure damage, threats of violence, decreased medical personnel, lack of compensation and disruptions in medical supplies from 2014-2017.
Conclusion: This study provides insight into health seeking challenges among the many individuals who remained in Hadeetha during the ISIS occupation. Health use patterns by provider type mirror the concerns the healthcare providers shared: limited availability, efflux of professional workers, limited resources and security challenges to providing care. Positive trends toward increased access to physicians during periods of peace are an encouraging marker for continued population resilience during the post-conflict period. Recovery efforts continue to be hampered by internal sectarian discord within Iraq as well as insufficient resources to maintain health services as well as provide catch-up health services, such as immunizations.
Attack Detection Model for BCoT based on Contrastive Variational Autoencoder and Metric Learning
Authors: Wu Chunwang , Liu Xiaolei , Ding Kangyi , Xin Bangzhou , Lu Jiazhong , Liu Jiayong , Huang Cheng
Published: March 2024

With development of blockchain technology, clouding computing and Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain and cloud of things (BCoT) has become development tendency. But the security has become the most development hinder of BCoT. Attack detection model is a crucial part of attack revelation mechanism for BCoT. As a consequence, attack detection model has received more concerned. Due to the great diversity and variation of network attacks aiming to BCoT, tradition attack detection models are not suitable for BCoT. In this paper, we propose a novel attack detection model for BCoT, denoted as cVAE-DML. The novel model is based on contrastive variational autoencoder (cVAE) and deep metric learning (DML). By training the cVAE, the proposed model generates private features for attack visiting information as well as shared features between attack visiting information and normal visiting information. Based on those generated features, the proposed model can generate representative new samples to balance the training dataset. At last, the decoder of cVAE is connected to the deep metric learning network to detect attack aiming to BCoT. The efficiency of cVAE-DML is verified using the CIC-IDS 2017 dataset and CSE-CIC-IDS 2018 dataset. The results show that cVAE-DML can improve attack detection efficiency even under the condition of unbalanced samples.
Air pollution is linked to cognitive decline independent of hypersensitive C-reactive protein: Insights from middle-aged and older Chinese
Authors: Huang Li , Hu Xiangming , Liu Jia , Wang Jiajia , Zhou Yingling , Li Guang , Dong Guanghui , Dong Haojian
Published: March 2024

Background
Long-term air pollution exposure and inflammation are considered to be associated with cognitive decline. However, whether air pollution exposure related cognitive decline is dependent on inflammation remains uncertain.
Material and Methods
The present study collected data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) at baseline in 2011, with a follow up period in 2015. Concentration of air pollutants (particles with diameters ≤ 1.0µm [PM1], ≤ 2.5µm [PM2.5], ≤ 10µm [PM10], nitrogen dioxide [NO2] and ozone [O3]) were obtained from China High Air Pollutants (CHAP) dataset. Hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a systemic inflammation marker, was measured in blood of subjects and cognitive function was assessed by standardized questionnaire.
Results
A total of 6434 participants were included in the study. Lower exposure to PM2.5, PM1, PM10 and NO2 were associated with mitigated cognitive decline. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were as follows: PM2.5-0.934(0.925, 0.943), PM1- 0.945 (0.935,0.955), PM10-0.977(0.972,0.982) and NO2-0.962(0.950,0.975), respectively. CRP showed no significant correlation with cognitive decline or change in levels of air pollution. Interaction regression analysis revealed no association between hs-CRP and air pollution on cognitive decline, the OR (95%CI) for co-exposure of high level hs-CRP and PM2.5, PM1, PM10, O3 and NO2 were 1.001([0.999,1.002] P = 0.331), 1.001([0.999,1.002] P = 0.568), 1.000([1.000,1.001] P = 0.304), 0.999([0.998,1.001] P = 0.304), and 1.002([1.000, 1.004], adjusted P = 0.055), respectively. Bootstrap test exhibited no significant mediating effect of hs-CRP on the relationship between any air pollutants and cognitive decline.
Conclusion
Ambient air pollution exposure was linked to cognitive decline independent of systemic inflammation, as indicated by hs-CRP level.
Energy-Efficient Architecture for Optimized IoT Data Transmission from Edge to Cloud
Authors: Zeba Musarrat , Mashira Mysun , Mim Most. Marufatul Jannat , Islam Md. Motaharul , Hassan Md. Rafiul , Hassan Mohammad Mehedi
Published: March 2024

Edge Computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) have recently experienced significant growth and transformed how data is processed and analyzed. Edge computing improves efficiency and reduces latency by processing data locally. However, transmitting data efficiently while conserving energy is still a major issue today, especially considering the volume and redundancy of data. The computational capacity and memory of edge gateways in the network's edge layers are limited, making it challenging to process data effectively. As a result, data transmission often becomes inefficient. To address this issue, our research introduces an energy-efficient architecture for edge gateways in the edge layer. This architecture leverages data deduplication and compression techniques for IoT data transmission from edge to cloud. The research's unique deduplication algorithm eliminates duplicate data, while the Lempel Ziv 4 compression algorithm compresses large data sets effectively. This method not only reduces energy consumption but also minimizes memory usage, facilitating quicker and more efficient data transmission. Consequently, this approach significantly alleviates energy consumption challenges and limited data processing capabilities in the edge layer.
Microbial community organization designates distinct pulmonary exacerbation types and predicts treatment outcome in cystic fibrosis
Authors: Widder Stefanie , Carmody Lisa , Opron Kristopher , Kalikin Linda , Caverly Lindsay , LiPuma John
Published: March 2024

Polymicrobial infection of the airways is a hallmark of obstructive lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF), non-CF bronchiectasis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) in these conditions are associated with accelerated lung function decline and higher mortality rates. An understanding of the microbial underpinnings of PEx is challenged by high inter-patient variability in airway microbial community profiles. We analyzed bacterial communities in 880 CF sputum samples and developed microbiome descriptors to model community reorganization prior to and during 18 PEx. We identified two microbial dysbiosis regimes with opposing ecology and dynamics. Pathogen-governed PEx showed hierarchical community reorganization and reduced diversity, whereas anaerobic bloom PEx displayed stochasticity and increased diversity. A simulation of antimicrobial treatment predicted better efficacy for hierarchically organized communities. This link between PEx type, microbiome organization, and treatment success advances the development of personalized clinical management in CF and, potentially, other obstructive lung diseases.
Evaluation of Cancer Stem Cells in Patient-derived Xenografts of Retinoblastoma in Chick Embryo-Chorioallontoic Membrane model
Authors: VL Narayana Revu , Mishra Dilip K , Jakati Saumya , Kaliki Swathi , Vemuganti Geeta K
Published: March 2024

Background
Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) in most tumors, including Retinoblastoma (Rb), are associated with tumor-initiation, metastasis, and drug resistance. Our previous studies identified Rb CSCs as CD44+/CD133- by flowcytometry using size and phenotype. In this study, we further evaluated two prime characteristics of CSC, i.e., chemoresistance and tumor-initiating properties using Chick embryo-Chorioallantoic Membrane (CE-CAM) model.
Methods
After obtaining IRB approval, fresh Rb tumors (n = 15) was collected and sorted using antibodies against CD44, followed by CD133. Drug resistance and gene expression were evaluated using MTT assay and qPCR. Tumor-initiation and metastatic ability were assessed using the CE-CAM assay by transplanting one million cells into a day-7 chick embryo and were evaluated by gross, confocal microscopy, IVIS spectral imaging, alu-qPCR, and histology.
Results
The percentage of CSCs in Rb tumors ranges from 4.8 to 28.4%, exhibiting higher drug resistance and enhanced gene expression of CSC, stemness, drug resistance, EMT & invasion, and metastasis-specific genes than tumor non-CSCs (P < 0.0001). The CSC transplanted cells formed white-colored glistening tumor nodules on the CAM and significantly higher localization of fluorescence signals than non-CSCs (p < 0.0001). IVIS imaging showed positive signals in the brain, which confirmed malignant round cells on histopathology and were quantitatively measured by alu-qPCR.
Conclusion
The Rb CSCs (CD44+/CD133-) are endowed with inherent drug resistance and tumor-initiating, as demonstrated by enhanced capacity to form tumor xenografts in the CE-CAM model with evidence of metastasis. The CE-CAM is a valuable, cost-effective pre-clinical model that evaluates the pathogenesis of tumor progression and also targets therapies.
Exploring Soil Quality Variations across Upper, Middle, And Lower Ganga Regions: Leveraging GIS & Multivariate Statistical Methods to assess Organic Farming Viability
Authors: Balkrishna Acharya , Ghosh Sourav , Arya Vedpriya , Banerjee Srimoyee , Kaushik Ilika , Semwal Diksha , Monika  , Surendran U
Published: March 2024

To assess the viability of organic farming by analyzing various characteristics, 26 soil samples were gathered from five states in three Indo-Gangetic regions for the current study. With a median pH of 6.7 and electrical conductivity ranging from 85.27 µs/cm to 425.63 µs/cm, the sites from Upper Ganga Region (UGR) showed favorable soil conditions, leading to higher Soil Quality Index values (0.68 to 0.75; p < 0.05). On the other hand, the Lower Ganga Region (LGR) exhibited neutral to slightly alkaline pH of 7.7, greater EC levels (421.89 µs/cm to 690.75 µs/cm), and lower SQI values (0.55 to 0.62; p < 0.05). The UGR had the highest nitrogen levels (153.87 kg/ha to 172.64 kg/ha; p < 0.05), while the Middle Ganga Region (MGR) had higher amounts of phosphorus (18.76 kg/ha to 24.59 kg/ha; p < 0.05) and potassium (204.15 kg/ha to 235.78 kg/ha). The amounts of each nutrient varied widely. The LGR exhibited higher levels of zinc (range: 48.26 mg/kg to 55.94 mg/kg) and lead (6.25 mg/kg to 8.31 mg/kg; p < 0.05) in comparison to the UGR and MGR, however the concentrations of heavy metals varied. In conclusion, organic farming is feasible along the Ganga basin region; however, because of its favorable soil conditions and higher SQI values, the UGR may be a better location for it, while the MGR & LGR might need more intensive soil management techniques to reduce the risk of contamination and promote sustainable organic farming practices.
Advancing Skin Cancer Detection: Harnessing the Power of CNNs
Authors: Santos Dheiver Francisco
Published: March 2024

The CNN model, based on YOLOv8.1.29, achieved an average classification accuracy of 53% across all classes. Higher confidence levels were observed in correctly classifying certain categories like akiec, bcc, bkl, and df, while lower confidence levels were noted for mel, nv, and vasc classes. The precision-confidence curve highlighted areas for improvement, with teachers generally exhibiting higher confidence levels compared to students. The Precision-Recall Curve provided a detailed assessment of the model's performance across different skin cancer classes. Visual examples demonstrated the model's ability to accurately identify lesions of various types. Overall, the CNN-based approach shows promise for early skin cancer diagnosis, with potential for further improvement through refinement and validation studies.
Much ado about nothing - a meta-analysis of time spent playing video games and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Kaczmarek Łukasz , Chwiłkowska Patrycja , Behnke Maciej , Drążkowski Dariusz
Published: March 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic led to concerns about increased time spent playing video games and potential impacts on mental health. In this meta-analysis, we synthesized studies to quantify changes in gaming time during the pandemic and examine its association with positive and negative mental health metrics. We searched databases for studies published from March 2020 to December 2021 reporting gaming time and mental health positive (e.g., happiness, positive affect, relaxation) or negative (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, anger) indicators during the pandemic. We employed random effects meta-analyses with robust variance estimates. We accounted for potential moderators (e.g., world region). In 17 studies (26 effects, n = 18026), we found a small increase in time spent gaming during the pandemic versus pre-pandemic, d = 0.26, 95% CI [0.14, 0.37], p = .0004). In 22 studies (100 effects, n = 19752), gaming time was not associated with mental health (r = -0.03, 95% CI [-0.08, 0.02], p = .22), regardless of whether it was for well-being or ill-being measures. Moderator analyses indicated negligible differences across study characteristics (d < 0.20). These results highlight the need to carefully consider assumptions equating more gaming time with poorer (or improved) mental health during pandemics. They provide insights relevant to researchers, policymakers, educators, caregivers, and gamers. Our findings are crucial for further evidence-based public health policies and recommendations for gaming in possible future pandemics and lockdowns.
Impact of Consumer Digital Experience on Consumer Reliability in the Context of Indian Banking Sector
Authors: gupta vishnu
Published: March 2024

Digitalization has been transforming the banking sector in India, and it has brought about numerous changes in the way banks operate and serve customers. Our study paradigm, which is based on earlier studies defines Consumer Digital Experience as a formative latent construct that is determined by three factors: Digital Product Offerings, Digital Business Environment, and Frontline Equipment. In addition, and in keeping with other research, we think of Consumer Reliability as a single latent construct with distinct elements expressing its following aspects, word of mouth and satisfaction. This paper discusses the impact of the Consumer Digital Experience on consumer reliability in the Indian banking system. The main tool for analyzing the impact we use Exploratory factor Analysis to define our number of factors then we perform the Structural Equation Modeling to find the relationship between Consumer Digital Experience and consumer reliability in the banking sector. The results of the study confirm that Consumer Digital Experience has a very strong impact on consumer reliability especially the frontline digital equipment plays a crucial role in increasing consumer trust with respect to the current digital era while other factors also have an association with consumer reliability but at a very small level. Consumers are more concerned with the digital equipment installed in the banks.
Proposta de diretrizes para formação continuada dos pedagogos técnico-administrativos em educação em um Instituto Federal de Educação
Authors: Dos Santos Castro Leonara Rocha , De Oliveira Elenilce Gomes , Fernandes Natal Lânia Roque , Da Silva Maria Madalena , Feijó Jerciano Pinheiro
Published: March 2024

Este artigo visa apresentar o processo de elaboração da proposta de Diretrizes Norteadoras para ações de formação continuada dos pedagogos do serviço público federal, da carreira dos Técnicos Administrativos em Educação (TAEs), em um Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia. O estudo é fruto da pesquisa de mestrado que buscou analisar a formação inicial e continuada dos pedagogos (TAE) do Instituto Federal do Ceará (IFCE) em relação às propostas formativas mais adequadas para categoria, que estejam alicerçadas em uma perspectiva crítica e emancipadora a partir da elaboração de Diretrizes para sua Formação Continuada. A pesquisa utiliza abordagem qualitativa, de caráter exploratório,fundamentada em Carrijo et al. (2016); Lorenzet e Zitkoski (2017); Oliveira e Fonseca (2020) e Silva e Monteiro (2020). As referidas diretrizes foram estruturadas em cinco seções, a saber: 1. Formação para os pedagogos recém-ingressos na instituição; 2. Formação específica para os Pedagogos (TAE) recém-ingressos, lotados nas Coordenadorias Técnico-Pedagógicas (CTPs);3. Formação Continuada dos Pedagogos (TAE) do IFCE; 4. Da oferta e participação nas formações e5. Abordagem didático-pedagógica. Por fim, reforçamos que as diretrizes não se constituem em um documento rígido, mas têm como proposta fomentar discussões dos pedagogos acerca de suas demandas formativas, tanto enquanto categoria de trabalhadores quanto em sua atuação nos Institutos Federais.
Permukiman Megalitikum dan Budaya Kubur Batu di Kampung Nuabari, Desa Lenandareta, Kecamatan Paga, Kabupaten Sikka
Authors: Parera Yohanes Pieter Pedor , Boer Alexius
Published: March 2024

Title: Megalithic Settlements and Rock Burial Culture in Nuabari Village, Lenandareta Village, Paga Sub-district, Sikka District

Technological developments have a broad impact on all elements of human life, including society's mindset and views. In the past, all activities in human life were carried out manually, but nowadays all human activities are carried out using modern technology and equipment. The impact of technological developments also reaches all residential areas of society. Modernization has become a lifestyle and part of urban society, whereas in rural areas it has only spread to certain aspects. This also happens in East Nusa Tenggara, especially in Nuabari Village, Sikka Regency, which is known as a megalithic village with a stone grave culture. The stone grave culture is a megalithic culture that is still maintained by the Lio tribe, an indigenous tribe that lives in Nuabari Village. The settlement pattern of Nuabari Village still reflects the megalithic residential layout pattern with several typical traditional houses and the placement of ceremonial courtyard areas. The influence of modernization cannot be separated from the lives of the people in Nuabari Village. The impact can be seen in the use of materials and modified forms in some of the residential buildings of the Nuabari Village community. This can raise concerns about the process of erosion of socio-cultural philosophical values which should be the attraction and cultural heritage of megaliths in the Kampung Nuabari settlement.
Plataformización de la Educación Superior Pública Brasileña: implicaciones para el proyecto educativo
Authors: Furtado Barrera Débora , Viero Devechi Catia Piccolo
Published: March 2024

Google y Microsoft están presentes en todos los sectores de nuestras vidas. Este fenómeno proviene de una nueva configuración del sistema económico, que se entiende como capitalismo de vigilancia, en el que algunas empresas basan sus modelos de negocio en la recopilación y seguimiento de datos. En Brasil, notamos la presencia de estas grandes tecnológicas en la educación cuando analizamos que casi el 80% de las instituciones públicas de educación superior tienen un acuerdo con una de estas empresas. En este sentido, nos preguntamos: ¿cuáles son las posibles consecuencias de un proceso de plataformatización de las universidades públicas brasileñas? Este estudio documental bibliográfico con enfoque hermenéutico reconstructivo tiene como base teórica las discusiones desarrolladas por Van Dijck y Poell en torno a la plataformatización de la educación pública. Para ello, fueron seleccionadas siete universidades públicas brasileñas. Se entiende que hay un proceso de plataformatización de la Educación Superior pública brasileña en curso, con intenciones reales de generar cambios en el proyecto educativo de la universidad.
Validez de la estructura factorial de la EYUPIE-M: Una medida de Inteligencia Emocional en adolescentes
Authors: Sosa-Correa Manuel , Barcelata-Eguiarte Blanca Estela , Vega-Cauich Julio Isaac , Rodríguez-Mora Álvaro
Published: March 2024

La inteligencia emocional (IE) es una capacidad que contribuye a la adaptación adolescente. Puesto que es un constructo complejo, existen diferentes modelos y criterios de evaluación e instrumentos para su medición. Dada la necesidad de contar con medidas válidas y confiables situadas culturalmente, el objetivo principal de este estudio fue confirmar la estructura factorial y la confiabilidad de la Escala Yucatán del Uso Percibido de Inteligencia Emocional en Menores (EYUPIE-M) en adolescentes mexicanos, y, probar su validez convergente a través de las correlaciones con la Escala de Salud Positiva. Se llevó a cabo un estudio instrumental en el que participaron 1091 estudiantes adolescentes de 9 a 19 años (M = 14.07; DE = 1.77) del Estado de Yucatán, México. El análisis factorial confirmatorio evidenció un modelo de cuatro factores con buenos indicadores de ajuste (χ2 =875.62, gl = 246, p < .001; CFI = .972; TLI = .968; GFI = .988; RMSEA = .049 [IC 90%: .046 - .053]; SRMR = .055). La confiabilidad se examinó a partir de índices de consistencia interna alfa, omega y glb, los cuales oscilaron entre .69 (α) y .94 (glb) para los factores y para la escala general de .64 (ω) y .92 (glb). La validez convergente mostró correlaciones moderadas con la Escala de Salud Mental Positiva. Se presentaron diferencias en los niveles de IE según el sexo y la edad. La EYUPIE-M, presenta propiedades psicométricas adecuadas que apoyan su potencial utilidad para evaluar la IE en adolescentes mexicanos.
Developing an innovative machine learning model for rainfall prediction in a semi-arid region
Authors: Latif Sarmad Dashti , Mohammed Dyar Othman , Jaafar Alhassan
Published: March 2024

Due to global climate change, managing water resources is one of the most critical challenges for most countries in the world, especially in the Middle East. In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), there is a good amount of precipitation, surface water, and groundwater, but the main issue is mismanagement of those sources. Rainfall is one of the major sources of water resources in KRI. In order to manage the available water resources and prevent natural disasters such as floods and droughts, there is a need for reliable models for forecasting rainfall. The current study focuses on developing a hybrid model, namely seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average combined with an artificial neural network (SARIMA-ANN) for forecasting monthly rainfall at Sulaymaniyah City for the duration of 1938–2012. For comparison purposes, a conventional machine learning model, namely artificial neural networks (ANN) has been applied on the same data. Two different statistical measurements, namely, root mean square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R2), have been used to check the accuracy of the proposed models. According to the findings, SARIMA-ANN outperformed ANN with RMSE = 11.5, RMSE = 51.002, R2 = 0.98, R2 = 0.43, respectively. The findings of the current study could contribute to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.
Assessment of microbial water treatment by direct solar radiation disinfection approach
Authors: Kopesa Firaol Bedada , Feye Miliyon Dida , Dechasa Ashenafi , Worku Mezgebu Geme , Sorsa Oftau
Published: March 2024

The solar sterilization treatment innovation method can be implemented within households to address water pollution, especially those contaminants caused by microorganisms that may lead to waterborne illnesses. During review, water sources in the local area were assessed for turbidity and microbial quality. It was found that river water had turbidity levels of less than 30 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units) during the dry season and typically up to 50 NTU during the wet season. This review aimed to understand the impact of these findings on the local area and its technological context. This study researched the utilization of sun-based radiation to clean the microbial mass tracked down in untreated water. Temperature and length of the openness are the two normal factors that were distinguished. The first water with a microbial heap of 40–55 (CFU) was presented to solar radiation at a temperature of above 44.5 °C outcome 0 (CFU) at the openness season of 6 h. The size and kind of materials utilized for this process were PET bottles of 1.5 L capacity with a half-dark tone. The factual examination at a 95% certainty information stretch has a p-value of <0.0001.