bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment outcomes of maintenance therapy with cetuximab in metastatic colon cancer in a real-world setting: A single center retrospective analysis
Authors: Kang Sora , Lee Myung-Won , Song Ik-Chan , Lee Hyo-Jin , Yun Hwan-Jung , Jo Deog-Yeon , Kim Jung Sun , Kwon Jung Hye , Kim Ji-Yeon , Lee Kyung-Ha , Ryu Hyewon
Published: November 2022

Purpose
Fluoropyrimidine (FP) and oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy is the standard first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC); however, oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy critically affects the quality of life of patients. Maintenance strategies with FP plus bevacizumab have been well established; nonetheless, the real-world outcomes of maintenance therapy with FP and cetuximab are unclear. We investigated the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent maintenance therapy with cetuximab.
Methods
We retrospectively identified and analyzed patients with mCRC who were treated between 2012 and 2021 with first-line oxaliplatin-based induction chemotherapy (IC) and patients treated with maintenance therapy after IC.
Results
A total of 112 patients were treated with IC. Among them, 48 patients underwent maintenance therapy (same IC regimen without oxaliplatin). The most common reason for the discontinuation of IC was peripheral neuropathy (n = 40, 83%). For the IC of the maintenance group, 3, 26, and 19 patients were treated with CAPOX (capecitabine/oxaliplatin), mFOLFOX6 (FP/leucovorin/oxaliplatin) plus bevacizumab, and mFOLFOX6 plus cetuximab. The best overall response of maintenance therapy was a partial response in 7 patients and stable disease in 30 patients The median progression-free survival (PFS) of maintenance therapy and overall survival (OS) was 4.83 months and 25.6 months in the bevacizumab group, and 5.98 months and 32.4 months in the cetuximab group, respectively.
Conclusions
Maintenance therapy with FP and cetuximab is a feasible strategy for appropriate mCRC patients. Further large-scale randomized studies are needed to validate the efficacy of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor-based maintenance therapy.
A Novel RNA N1-methyladenosine Regulator Mediated Methylation Modification Pattern Can Impact the Immune Status and Predict the Prognosis and Drug Sensitivity of Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Li Rumeng , Jie Chen , Fan Zhipeng , Zeng Xinyu , Huang Zhengrong , Zeng Zihang , Li Jiali , Wang Mengqin , Liu Yuying , Ouyang Wen , Gong Yan , Xie Conghua
Published: November 2022

Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has a high morbidity and mortality. Although the treatment of NSCLC has made progress in recent years, its 5-year overall survival (OS) is about 25 %. In recent years, epigenetic modification has been increasingly regarded as an important marker of cancer. RNA methylation is essentially an epigenetic modification. However, the potential role of m1A modification-related genes in LUAD tumor microenvironment (TME) remains unclear.
Methods: In this study, 10 m1A modulators were comprehensively evaluated in 724 GEO-LUAD patients as training set and 474 TCGA-LUAD patients as test group. Then, three subgroups were determined using the consensus clustering method to evaluate the association between m1A modification and TME. The CIBERSORT method was used to evaluate the level of immune cell infiltration. Finally, the m1A score based on PCA algorithm was associated with prognosis, clinical stage, T stage, N stage, TMB and immune cell infiltration, which was statistically significant. In addition, the drug sensitivity of patients with high and low scores is also different, which provides a new idea for clinical treatment. At the same time, our gene protein-protein interaction (PPI) network screened the target gene ALKBH1, and we found that ALHBH1 is an important biomarker for poor prognosis. More importantly, immunohistochemistry and PCR confirmed that ALKBH1 was up-regulated in LUAD, and the higher the expression, the worse the prognosis.
Results: The high m1A score of patients had a better prognosis, higher immune cell infiltration, a better response to immunotherapy, and a poorer response to chemotherapy.
Conclusion: In summary, the m1A score is expected to become a new tool for evaluating the prognosis of LUAD patients and a candidate biomarker for immunotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy strategies. In addition, we found that ALKBH1 can be used as a biomarker for the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma and experimentally verified the same results.
Heterologous expression of Chimeric hepatitis B core virus like particles harboring SARS-CoV2 epitope and evaluation of its immunization potential in mice
Authors: Sazegari Sima , Niaki Malihe Akbarzadeh , Afsharifar Alireza , Niazi Ali , Derakhshandeh Abdollah , Vahdat Maryam Moradi , Eskandari Mohammad Hadi
Published: November 2022

Background: Due to the potential of virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccines for effective elicitation of immune response and controlling disease, this investigation was projected to explore the feasibility of HBc-VLP-based vaccine regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection, which has not yet been studied. We used the HBc-VLP platform for expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigenic epitope.
Results: Insertion of the selected epitope was done into the major immunodominant region (MIR) of truncated (149 residues) hepatitis B core capsid protein. The chimeric protein was constructed in PET28a+ and expressed through the bacterial E. coli BL21 expression system. However, the protein was expressed in inclusion body forms and they were extracted following urea denaturation from the insoluble phase. Following the extraction, the vaccine protein was purified using Ni2+ iminodiacetic acid (IDA) affinity chromatography. SDS-PAGE and western blotting were used to confirm the protein expression. Regarding the denaturation step, the unavoidable refolding process was carried out, so that the chimeric VLP reassembled in native conformation. Based on the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) microscopic analysis, the HBC VLP was successfully assembled. Confirming the assembled chimeric VLP, we explored the immunogenic effectivity of the vaccine through mice immunization with two-dose vaccination with and without adjuvant. The utilization of adjuvant was suggested to assess the effect of adjuvant on improving the immune elicitation of chimeric VLP-based vaccine. Immunization analysis based on anti-spike specific IgG antibody showed a significant increase in antibody production in harvested serums from immunized mice with HBc-VLP harboring antigenic epitope compared to HBc-VLP and PBS-injected mice.
Conclusions: The results approved the successful production and the effectiveness of the vaccine in terms of humoral IGG antibody production. Therefore, this platform can be considered a promising strategy for developing safe and reasonable vaccines; however, more complementary immunological evaluations are needed.
GUNet: A Novel and Efficient Low-illumination Palmprint Image Enhancement Method
Authors: Zhou Kaijun , Lu Duojie , Liu Guangnan , Zhou Xiancheng , Qin Yemei
Published: November 2022

Palmprint has a high application prospect due to the stability, uniqueness, difficulty of reproduction, easy acquisition and high user acceptance of its own texture characteristics. However, palmprint images acquired at long distances and in low light conditions lose a amount of significant palmprint texture features, which in turn will affect the accuracy of palmprint recognition. Combining traditional methods with deep learning methods, this paper proposes a low-illumination palmprint image enhancement method based on wavelet transform and improved UNet (insertion of integrated attention gate at the UNet jump connection, GUNet). Firstly, the input image is decomposed by wavelet transformation to obtain the decomposition result of the original image, that is the high-frequency image and the low-frequency image. Secondly,the high-frequency image is enhanced by the GUNet neural network to enhance the palmprint texture, and low-frequency images use weighted averaging to smooth low-frequency information other than palm texture information. After that, the palmprint image with a clear palmprint texture is obtained by the wavelet inverse transformation. Numerous experiments are carried out on palmprint databases such as Idiap, CASIA, IITD and a laboratory self-collection. Experimental results show that the proposed approach has higher PSNR, SSIM and VIF indicators than some existing methods, which suggest palmprint image with low-illumination can be significantly enhanced.
Optimal clustering for quantum refinement of biomolecular structures: Q|R#4
Authors: Wang Yaru , Kruse Holger , Moriarty Nigel W. , Waller Mark P. , Afonine Pavel V. , Biczysko Malgorzata
Published: November 2022

Quantum refinement (Q|R) of crystallographic or cryo-EM derived structures of biomolecules within the Q|R project aims at using ab initio computations instead of library-based chemical restraints. An atomic model refinement requires the calculation of the gradient of the objective function. While it is not a computational bottleneck in classic refinement it is a roadblock if the objective function requires ab initio calculations. A solution to this problem adopted in Q|R is to divide the molecular system into manageable parts and do computations for these parts rather than using the whole macromolecule. This work focuses on the validation and optimization of the automatic divide-and-conquer procedure developed within the Q|R project. Also, we propose an atomic gradient error score that can be easily examined with common molecular visualization programs. While the tool is designed to work within the Q|R setting the error score can be adapted to similar fragmentation methods. The gradient testing tool presented here allows a prioridetermination of the computationally efficient strategy given available resources for the potentially time-expensive refinement process. The procedure is illustrated using a peptide and small protein models considering different quantum mechanical (QM) methodologies from Hartree-Fock, including basis set and dispersion corrections, to the modern semi-empirical method from the GFN-xTB family. The results obtained provide some general recommendations for the reliable and effective quantum refinement of larger peptides and proteins.
Ultrasound-guided manipulation of Colle's fracture in adults is not beneficial over landmark based fracture reduction. The outcome of a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Authors: Nema Sandeep Kumar , Austine Jose , Ramasubramani Premkumar , Agrawal Ruchin
Published: November 2022

Background

This review aims to determine the relative Risk of distal Radius (Colle's) fracture (DRF) malalignment between ultrasound-guided and conventional/landmark guided/blind manipulation.

Methods

Major electronic bibliographic databases on ultrasound-guided manipulation of DRF were searched. Studies with randomized, quasi-randomized, and cross-sectional study designs meeting the inclusion criteria were included for this review. Ultrasound and landmark guided DRF manipulations were named cases and controls respectively. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of included studies.

Results

Thirteen and nine studies were analysed in the qualitative and quantitative analysis. 951 DRF patients (475 cases and 476 controls) from 9 studies with mean ages of 51.52 ± 11.86 (22-92) and 55.82 ± 11.28 (18-98) years for cases and controls respectively were pooled for this review. The pooled estimate of Relative Risk from the studies included in MA was 0.90 (0.74-1.09). There was a 10% reduction in risk of malreduction of DRF M&R with USG-guided manipulation than the blind manipulation however, sensitivity analysis revealed a relative risk of 1.00 (0.96-1.05).

Discussion

The ultrasound guided manipulation does not offers benefits in preventing malreduction over the landmark based manipulation of DRF. Unbiased high quality studies can further verify the findings of this review.
Epidemiology of Community Origin of major multidrug-resistant ESKAPE uropathogens in a paediatric population in South-East Gabon
Authors: Mouanga-Ndzime Yann , Onanga Richard , Longo-Pendy Neil M. , Bignoumba Michelle , Bisseye Cyrille
Published: November 2022

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children are very common. They are often associated with a high risk of sepsis and death. In addition, antibiotic resistance of UTI pathogens isolated from children is steadily increasing, especially against commonly used antibiotics.
The study’s main objective was to examine the epidemiology of community origin and antibiotic sensitivity of major ESKAPE uropathogens in paediatric UTIs in South-East Gabon.
Methods:The study was conducted from January 2018 to December 2021 and involved 508 children aged 0-17 years. Identification of bacterial isolates was carried out using the Vitek-2 compact automated system and the antibiogram with the disk diffusion and microdilution methods according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing recommendations.
Results: The prevalence of UTIs was 59%. E. coli and K. pneumoniae were the main ESKAPE involved in UTIs followed by Enterococcus spp. and S.aureus. The multidrug-resistant (MDR) phenotype was the most common. DTR-E. coli, CRE-K. pneumoniae and MDR-K. pneumoniae were associated with pyelonephritis. MRSA UTIs were frequent in symptomatic children. ESC-E. coli and MRSA were associated with recurrent UTIs while VRE and ESC-E. coli were associated with empirical treatment failures. MDR-E. coli, ESC-E. coli, MDR-K. pneumoniae, ESC-K. pneumoniae, UDR-K. pneumoniae, CRE-K. pneumoniae and XDR-K. pneumoniae were associated with rural paediatric populations.
Conclusion: This study describes the resistance phenotypes DTR, UDR and MAR index in Gabon. It showed a high prevalence of paediatric UTIs with high frequency of E. coli, K. pneumoniae, Enterococcus spp. and S. aureus with heterogeneous resistance profiles (MDR, XDR, DTR, ESC, CRE, MRSA and VRE).
Injectable platelet rich fibrin with demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft compared to demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft in intrabony defects of patients with stage-III periodontitis: A randomized controlled clinical trial Running head: I-PRF with DFDBA in periodontal intrabony defects
Authors: Alshoiby Mashaal Mohammed , El-Sayed Karim Fawzy , Elbattawy Weam , Hosny Manal
Published: November 2022

Aim: The current randomized controlled clinical trial assessed the effect of injectable platelets rich fibrin (I-PRF) combined with demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft (DFDBA) compared to DFDBA alone in the management of intrabony defects of stage-III periodontitis patients.
Methodology: Following sample size calculation, twenty stage-III periodontitis patients with ≥5mm clinical attachment level (CAL)-loss and ≥3mm intrabony defects were randomized into test (I-PRF+DFDBA; n=10) and control (DFDBA; n=10) groups. CAL (primary-outcome), periodontal probing depth (PPD), gingival recession depth (GRD), full-mouth plaque scores (FMPS), full-mouth bleeding scores (FMBS), radiographic linear defect depth (RLDD) and bone fill (secondary outcomes) were examined at baseline, 3, 6 and 9 months post-surgically.
Results: I-PRF+DFDBA and DFDBA independently demonstrated significant intragroup CAL-gain, PPD- and RLDD-reduction at 3, 6 and 9 months (p<0.05), with no significant intergroup differences observed (p>0.05). CAL-gain (mean±SD) of 2.40±0.70mm and 2.50±0.85mm and PPD-reduction of 3.50±1.18mm and 2.80±0.42mm were demonstrated for I-PRF+DFDBA and DFDBA at 9 months respectively. Both groups showed significant intragroup RLDD improvement, with a RLDD of 3.58±0.66mm and 3.89±1.57mm for I-PRF+DFDBA and DFDBA at 9 months respectively. Stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that baseline RLDD and bone fill at 9 months were significant predictors of CAL (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Within the present study’s limitations, DFDBA with or without I-PRF resulted in significant improvement in clinical and radiographic periodontal parameters in the surgical treatment of periodontal intrabony defects of stage-III periodontitis patients. Addition of I-PRF to DFDBA does not appear to significantly enhance the DFDBA’s reparative/regenerative outcomes.
Clinical relevance: Within the current study’s limitations, routinely adding I-PRF to DFDBA cannot be recommended to significantly improve DFDBA’s treatment outcomes of in intrabony defects.
Laser-induced X-ray fluorescence and electron-based X-ray emission analysis of multi-layer material
Authors: Kang Jungu , Ko Do-Kyeong
Published: November 2022

In this study, we analyzed the X-ray fluorescence of the multi-layer material with a laser-induced X-ray and electrons. The laser plasma based sources were generated by the femtosecond Ti: Sapphire laser source, and we optimized sources for the X-ray fluorescence measurement. The laser-induced X-ray fluorescence of three types of stainless steel, copper-covered stainless steel and three types of Korean 10 Won coins were measured using a compact laser with relatively low intensity. Using the difference in penetration depth between X-rays and electrons, the surface and interior of multi-layer materials can be analyzed simultaneously. By combining these two complementary sources, we can provide valuable information about the surface and interior of multi-layer materials even with the compact laser.
Drivers of Low-Frequency Sahel Precipitation Variability: Comparing CMIP5 and CMIP6 Ensemble Means with Observations
Authors: Herman Rebecca Jean , Biasutti Michela , Kushnir Yochanan
Published: November 2022

Phases 5 and 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5 and CMIP6) both grossly underestimate the magnitude of low-frequency Sahel rainfall variability; but unlike CMIP5, CMIP6 mean historical precipitation does not even correlate with observed multi-decadal variability. We demarcate realms of simulated physical processes that may induce differences between these ensembles and prevent both from explaining observations. We partition all influences on simulated Sahelian precipitation variability into five components: (1) teleconnections from sea surface temperature (SST); (2) atmospheric and (3) oceanic variability internal to the climate system; (4) the SST response to external radiative forcing; and (5) the “fast” (not mediated by SST) precipitation response to forcing. In a vast improvement from previous ensembles, the mean spectral power of Sahel rainfall in CMIP6 atmosphere-only simulations is consistent with observed low-frequency variance. The mean low-frequency variability is dominated by teleconnections from observed global SST, and the fast response only hurts its performance. We estimate that the strength of simulated teleconnections is consistent with observations using the previously-established North Atlantic Relative Index (NARI) to approximate the role of global SST, and apply this relationship to the coupled CMIP ensembles to infer that both fail to explain low-frequency historical Sahel rainfall variability mostly because they cannot explain the observed combination of forced and internal SST variability. Yet differences between CMIP5 and CMIP6 in mean Sahel precipitation and its correlation with observations do not derive from differences in NARI, but from the fast response to forcing or the role of other SST patterns.
Effects of near-fault and far-fault ground motions on seismic responses of multi-storey building structures controlled by tuned mass damper inerter
Authors: Abd-Elhamed Ayman
Published: November 2022

The tuned mass-damper-inerter (TMDI) is a newly developed passive energy dissipation unit that combines the conventional tuned mass-damper (TMD) with an inerter mechanism to attenuate undesirable vibrations. Far- and near-fault earthquake characteristics influence optimal TMDI parameters in controlling displacement demands on building structures. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of TMDI on the structural response of linear-behaving multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) structures subjected to far-and near-fault earthquake-induced ground shaking. The chosen near-fault records guarantee motions with forward directivity (FD) and motions with fling step (FS). An approach based on a genetic algorithm (GA) is used to tackle the optimization problem. The objective function that needs to be minimized is the displacement of the building's top story. On the basis of predetermined mass and inertance ratios, the single-objective minimization method is used to compute the optimal design parameters (damping and frequency ratios). TMD and TMDI's optimal control capabilities are compared, and an inerter dependence analysis is conducted to probe the effect of the improvement. It is analytically demonstrated that the TMDI performs better than the conventional TMD for relatively small mass ratios, regardless the distance from a fault rupture. However, the TMD's high-mode dampening effect can be further enhanced by increasing the inertance of the inerter. Additionally, buildings excited by near-fault records with FS have a higher seismic demand on their induced responses. Lastly, the inerter's mass-amplification effect can either enhance the performance of the conventional TMD, for a certain TMD mass, or replace a portion of the TMD's oscillating mass, to realize a substantial weight reduction at a desired level of vibration suppression.
Genotypes and Viral Load of Hepatitis C Virus among HIV Patients Visiting ART Center of Nepal
Authors: Sah Uday Kant , Sah Anil Kumar , Ansari Mehraj , Sah Jay Prakash , Kumar Pawan
Published: November 2022

HIV patients are prone to various other complications, disorder and coinfections mainly HCV coinfection. HCV coinfection increases up the frequency and severity of liver disease. The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of HCV coinfection among HIV patients, HCV viral load and HCV genotypes in Nepal. This cross-sectional study was conducted from Oct 2021 to May 2022 in the HIV seropositive patients attending the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Kathmandu, Nepal. All the demographic and blood samples were collected from the patients. The RNA was extracted and estimated the viral load and HCV genotypes by standard Q-PCR protocols. A total 203 PLHIV were enrolled in the study out of which 115 (56.6%) had HCV co-infection by Q-PCR. Most commonly HCV infection was higher in male 110 (95.6%) than female 5 (4.4%). HCV viral load < 34 IU/ml was observed as higher number 56 (27.6%) then 31 (15.3%) had among 34-3000 IU/ml, 17 (8.4%) had 3000–30000 IU/ml, 8 (3.9%) had 30000–300000 IU/ml and only 3 (1.5%) had > 3000000 IU/ml HCV viral load. Genotype 3 were most prevalent 36 (61.1%) then genotypes 5a, 6, 1 and 1a as 13 (22.1%), 6 (10.2%, 2 (3.3%) and 2 (3.3%) respectively. Genotype 3a was most prevalent genotypes and the presence of HCV genotype 6 in Nepalese patients may indicate a shift of HCV genotypes.
Physicomechanical properties of raw and comminuted pine and poplar shavings: Energy consumption, particle size distribution and flow properties
Authors: Tryjarski Paweł , Lisowski Aleksander , Gawron Jakub , Obstawski Paweł
Published: November 2022

The aim of this study was to assess the energy consumption during milling and cutting-milling of pine and poplar shavings and determination of particle size distribution (PSD) characteristics and mechanical properties of these materials. Cutting-milling process required less energy (in kJ·kg–1) than milling but maximum mass flow rate of shavings was significantly higher and thus the effective power requirement of knife mill during cutting was also higher. Comminution of plastic poplar shavings was more energy-consuming than harder pine shavings. These features influenced PSD, which was approximated with four mathematical models: Rosin-Rammler-Sperling-Bennett (RRSB), normal, logistic and lognormal. On the base of the best fitting (Radj2) for RRSB, detailed PSD parameters were calculated and all PSDs were described as ‘mesokurtic’, ‘fine skewed’ and ‘well-graded’. In comparison to milled shavings, cut-milled shavings had higher density, but were less compressible and had lower unconfined yield strength. However, cut-milled shavings had higher flowability because of lower cohesion and internal friction angles, because after cutting-milling particles were more spherical than elongated particles after milling. Cut-milled poplar shavings had more favourable mechanical parameters and better PSD characteristics, but required more energy for comminution than pine shavings.
Role of Yellow Wine in Homocysteine-induced Endothelial Progenitor Cell Function
Authors: Jiang chengjian , Zhang jieting , Hu songqing , Meng Liping , Chi Jufang , Zhai Xiaoya , Xing Yangbo , Xu Weiyuan , Guo Hangyuan
Published: November 2022

Background
Increased Hcy level is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). It was proposed that yellow rice wine improves Hcy-induced EPCs dysfunction and inhibits the development of atherosclerotic plaques. In this study, we observed whether yellow rice wine and red wine improve the properties of homocysteine (Hcy)-induced endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs).
Methods
The bone marrow of rats was extracted to isolate EPCs from the bone marrow cell suspension using density-gradient centrifugation. The cells were inoculated on culture plates coated with human fibronectin (HFN), to induce mononuclear cell differentiation into EPCs. Samples were divided into 5 groups including a control group. Western blotting. and NO assays were used respectively to observe the generation of eNOS, p-eNOS and NO. MTT and transwell assays were conducted. Apoptosis and in vitro angiogenesis of EPCs were determined.
Results
Compared with the control group, the potential for proliferation, migration and in vitro angiogenesis of EPCs decreased significantly following Hcy intervention (P < 0.01).The production of eNOS, NO and p-eNOS was significantly reduced (P < 0.01). Intervention with yellow rice wine and red wine significantly improved the effect of Hcy in EPCs (P < 0.01). Further, comparison with the control group indicated that the intervention also significantly improved the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of EPCs in vitro (P < 0.05). Compared with the Hcy group, the alcohol group did not show significant functional changes in EPCs (P > 0.05). No impact on apoptotic function of EPCs was observed (P > 0.05). Hcy significantly lowers the capacity of proliferation, migration and in vitro angiogenesis of EPCs and reduces the production of eNOS, p-eNOS and NO.
Conclusion
Our results showed Hcy significantly lowers the capacity of proliferation, migration and in vitro angiogenesis of EPCs and reduces the production of eNOS, p-eNOS and NO,which indicates that yellow rice wine and red wine in small doses improve the functions of EPCs.
Examining the Antecedents of Job satisfaction among Public and Private Bank Employees in India
Authors: Biju Ajitha Kumari Vijayappan Nair , C Arathy
Published: November 2022

This paper examines antecedents of job satisfaction of Indian public and private bank employees, and it aims to explore the reason for the difference in job satisfaction between them. The study reveals that there is a substantial difference in terms of job satisfaction between public and private sector bank employees. The public sector bank employees are more satisfied than private-sector bank employees in India. The nature of the job undertaken, the job security and the influence of co-workers emerge as significant predictors of job satisfaction more among public sector bank employees than those in the private sector. Among the demographic characteristics of employees, the education and designation/title of employees have emerged as the best predictor for job satisfaction of public sector bank employees. But in private banks, the strong determents of job satisfaction are the title or designation of employees and experience. We suggest a reason for dissatisfaction can be linked to the recruitment process in banks, which is effective in public but not effective in private banks in India. Henceforth, we suggest that the need for urgent human resource policy intervention is essential for improving the efficacy and efficiency of private bank employees and reducing the severe attrition rate in private sector banks in India.
Informative Lagrange Multipliers in the Nonlinear Parametric Programming Model
Authors: Jie Tao , Yan Gao
Published: November 2022

The shadow price expresses the marginal cost with respect to the variation of constraints, and it is extremely useful in the sensitivity analysis of nonlinear programming models. However, the shadow price may fail to exist in particular parametric programming models, and the informative Lagrange multipliers are proposed to supplement the theory of the shadow price. The traditional analysis of informative Lagrange multipliers is based on the right hand side perturbation model, in which the resource constraints are assumed to be arbitrarily violated, and the variation of resources are measured by the perturbations. In the line of traditional analysis, the minimum norm Lagrange multiplier is proved to be informative since it expresses the rate of cost improvement per unit constraints violation along the steepest descent direction. However, the internal cause of the resource variations is neglected, and the minimum norm Lagrange multiplier may fail to be informative when the perturbations are not only on the right hand side of the constraints. In this paper, we extend the classical constraint violation condition to the generalized constraint violation condition, which captures the characteristic of the problem structure of nonlinear parametric programming models. Based on the generalized constraint violation condition, we provide sufficient conditions for the minimum norm Lagrange multiplier to be informative. Furthermore, we propose a kind of penalty function method to derive the informative LM in fully parametric programming models, which means that the perturbations are not only on the right hand side of the constraints. Finally, we use examples to support our theoretic results.
Emotion-Aware Brainstorm Optimization
Authors: Ntakolia Charis , Koutsiou Dimitra-Christina C. , Iakovidis Dimitris K.
Published: November 2022

Βrainstorm Optimization (BSO) is a swarm-intelligence clustering-based algorithm inspired by the human brainstorming process. Electromagnetism-like Mechanism for global Optimization (EMO) is a physics-inspired optimization algorithm. In this study we propose a novel hybrid metaheuristic evolutionary algorithm that combines aspects from both BSO and EMO. The proposed algorithm, named Emotion-aware Brainstorm Optimization (EBO), is inspired by the attraction-repulsion mechanism of electromagnetism, and it is applied in a new emotion-aware brainstorming context, where positive and negative thoughts produce ideas interacting with each other. Novel contributions include a bi-polar clustering approach, a probabilistic selection operator, and a hybrid evolution process, which improves the ability of the algorithm to avoid local optima and convergence speed. A systematic comparative performance evaluation that includes sensitivity analysis, convergence velocity and dynamic fitness landscape analyses, and scalability assessment was performed using several reference benchmark functions from standard benchmark suites. The results validate the performance advantages of the proposed algorithm over relevant state-of-the-art algorithms.
A Multidomain Intervention Program for Older People With Dementia: a Pilot Study
Authors: Nguyen Thanh Xuan , Vu Huyen Thi Thanh , Nguyen Tuan , Esterman Adrian , Tran Luc Viet , Thillainadesan Janani , Naganathan Vasikaran , Brodaty Henry
Published: November 2022

Background: Multidomain interventions have been shown to be effective in improving cognition, quality of life, reducing neuropsychiatric symptoms and delaying progression of functional impairment or disability in dementia patients. To investigate the multidomain intervention in other populations and diverse cultural and geographical settings, this pilot study will assess the feasibility of a multidomain intervention for older people with dementia in nursing homes in Vietnam. Methods: Participants will be randomized into two equal groups, to receive either an multidomain intervention (intervention group) or regular health advice (control group). The intervention will include physical, cognitive, and social interventions and management of metabolic and vascular risk factors. We will hypothesize that the multidomain intervention will be feasible in Vietnam, and participants who receive the intervention will show improvement in quality of life, behaviors, functional ability, cognitive function, sleep, and in reduction of falls, use of healthcare services, and death rate compared to those in the control group during the 6 months intervention period and after the 6 months extended follow-up.
Discussion: This is the first study to evaluate feasibility of a multidomain intervention program for older people with dementia in nursing homes in Vietnam. The results from the trial will inform clinicians and the public of the possibility of comprehensive treatment beyond simply drug treatments for dementia. It pave the way for further studies to evaluate the long-term effects of multidomain interventions in dementia patients. Futhermore, the research results will provide information on the effectiveness of multidomain interventions which will inform policy development on dementia.
Trial registration: The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04948450.
Untargeted Metabolomics of Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Authors: Wang Yawen , Huang Jinlong
Published: November 2022

BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) is a disorder associated with depression and eating disorders, often arising from minor defects in appearance or an individual's imagining that he or she is defective. However, the pathogenesis and mechanism of BDD are not clear, and its pathogenesis and adjuvant treatment methods still need to be explored. We employed an liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics approach to identify key metabolic differences in BDD. Plasma samples from 2 independent cohorts (8 BDD patients and 8 healthy controls) were collected to characterize metabolic changes in BDD patients. The raw data were subjected to the Compound Discovery program for peak alignment, retention time correction, and extraction of peak areas. Metabolite structure identification was performed using the Compound Discovery program by means of accurate mass matching (<10ppm) and secondary spectral matching to search the database. Multidimensional statistical analysis was performed using the R statistical software ropls tool, including unsupervised PCA (principal component analysis) analysis, supervised PLS-DA (partial least squares discriminant analysis) and OPLS-DA (orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis). Identify the most promising metabolic signatures associated with BDD across all metabolomic datasets. Occurrence of BDD may be related to ABC transporters, purine metabolism, Glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, Pyrimidine, Pyrimidine metabolism, Biosynthesis of 12-, 14- and 16-membered macrolides, microbial metabolism in diverse environments, Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, Caffeine and Insect hormone biosynthesis.
Comparison between intrasylvian and intracerebral hematoma associated with ruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysms: clinical implications, technical considerations, and outcome evaluation.
Authors: Sturiale Carmelo Lucio , Alba Scerrati , Luca Ricciardi , Oriela Rustemi , Maria Auriccio Anna , Norri Nicolò , Piazza Amedeo , Ranieri Fabio , Tomatis Alberto , Albanese Alessio , Egidio Vincenzo Di , Farneti Marco , Mangiola Annunziato , Marchese Enrico , Raco Antonino , Volpin Lorenzo , Trevisi Gianluca
Published: November 2022

Background
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) due to a middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms rupture is often associated with intracerebral (ICH) or intrasylvian hematomas (ISH).
Materials and methods
We reviewed 163 patients with ruptured MCA aneurysms associated with pure SAH or SAH + ICH/ISH. Patients were first dichotomized according to the presence of a hematoma (ICH/ISH). Then, we performed a subgroup analysis comparing ICH versus ISH in order to explore their relationship with the most relevant demographic, clinical, and angioarchitectural features.
Results
Overall, 85 patients (52%) had a pure SAH, whereas 78 (48%) presented an associated ICH/ISH. No significant differences were observed in demographics and angioarchitectural features between the two groups, but Fisher grading and Hunt-Hess score were higher in patients with hematomas. A good outcome was observed in a higher percentage of patients with pure SAH compared with the others (76% Vs 44%), although mortality rates were comparable. Age, Hunt-Hess and treatment-related complications were the main outcome predictors at multivariate analysis. Patients with ICH appeared clinically worse than those with ISH. We also found that older age, higher Hunt-Hess, larger aneurysms, decompressive craniectomy and treatment-related complications were associated with poor outcome among patients with ISH, but not with ICH, which appeared per se as a more severe clinical condition.
Conclusions
Our study confirm that age, Hunt-Hess and treatment-related complications influence the outcome of patients with ruptured MCA aneurysms. However, in the subgroup analysis of patients with SAH associated with ICH or ISH, only the Hunt-Hess at onset appeared as an independent predictor of outcome.
Secured V2x Communication Using Optimized Prime Field Ecc Architecture
Authors: A Kamaraj
Published: November 2022

In today's world, wireless communication pervades every part of life and is currently advancing to include transportation. Vehicles can communicate with one another, with pedestrians, with roadside infrastructure, and other moving objects using the basic type of vehicular communication known as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. In addition to road safety, security and privacy issues must be taken into consideration in V2X activities. The objective of this research is to ensure a high level of security in various forms of vehicular communication (V2V, V2I, and V2N) and to support vehicles in safely receiving all keys and messages from Road side Unit (RSU), other vehicles, or the network with the support of simple cryptographic techniques. Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is one of the many cryptographic techniques that offer a desirable response to this requirement. The Koblitz curve secp256k1 is supported by the designed ECC processor for 256-bit point multiplication and point addition. A powerful illustration of the "Divide and Conquer" strategy's ability to accelerate multiplication asymptotically is given by the Karatsuba algorithm. One of the algorithms made to increase effectiveness and decrease cost in order to simplify multiplication is the Karatsuba algorithm. The ECC processor's multiplication operation is accelerated further by the incorporation of pipelining. With a maximum clock frequency of 238.40MHz, the proposed Karatsuba-based ECC processor executes 256-bit single point multiplication in 0.937ms, providing 273.21kbps throughput, and taking up 8.42k slices in a Virtex-7 FPGA. Scalar multiplication is extended by incorporating a pipeline by increasing the highest clock frequency by up to 7.97%, which decreases time consumption by 9.90% and boosts throughput by 10.99%. In terms of area, operating frequency, area-delay product, and throughput, the suggested pipelined Karatsuba multiplier based ECC processor performs better than the existing designs. As a result, the suggested method's implementation provides fast and time-efficient scalar multiplication with effective hardware usage, all without sacrificing performance.
Compact LD side-pumped Nd:YAG oscillator at 100 Hz without water- cooling
Authors: Yangzeqi Zeqi , Cong Zhenhua , Meng Jun , wang shang , zhao zhigang , Liu Gaoyou , liu zhaojun
Published: November 2022

A high-repetition-frequency side-pumped electro-optical (E-O) Q-switched Nd:YAG laser without water cooling is reported. A 100 Hz laser module without water-cooling was designed and the related parameters of crystal are simulated. The crystal is annularly pumped in both ends and is conductively cooled in the middle. The heat generated by crystal and laser diode is dissipated by thermoelectric cooler (TEC), fins and fan. The 1064 nm maximum output energy is 68 mJ with a pulse width of 31 ns and a repetition rate of 100 Hz. The optical-optical conversion efficiency is 10.6%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of 100 Hz repetition rate operation for a E-O Q-switched Nd:YAG rod laser without water-cooling.
Improving network delay predictions using GNNs
Authors: Farreras Miquel , Soto Paola , Camelo Miguel , Fàbrega Lluís , Vilà Pere
Published: November 2022

Autonomous network management is crucial for Fifth Generation (5G) and Beyond 5G (B5G) networks, where constant environmental changes must be predicted, adapting network configurations accordingly. Model-ing tools are required to predict the impact on performance when new traffic combinations and routings are applied in the network. Mathematical analysis and network simulators are techniques to model modern networks but have limitations of low accuracy or high execution times, respectively. To overcome these limitations, Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, and more concretely, Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), are proposed to model modern networks due to their ability to capture complex relationships from graph-like data while predicting network properties with high accuracy. However, one of the main issues when using GNNs is that they cannot generalize to larger networks, when different input data (i.e. smaller network topologies, and shorter paths) are provided for training and predictions (e.g., larger network topolo-gies, larger paths). This paper addresses the GNN generalization problem by leveraging networking concepts and analysis to improve a base-line model. The results applied on the RouteNet baseline developed by Barcelona Neural Networking Center-Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (BNN-UPC) significantly improve the model’s accuracy in larger graphs. In addition, we propose a closed-loop control context where the resulting GNN model could be potentially used in different use cases.
Factors Influencing Adherence to Anti-retroviral Therapy in Amazonian Indigenous People Living With Hiv/aids
Authors: Valenzuela-Oré Félix , Angulo-Bazán Yolanda E. , Lazóriga-Sandoval Lucy D. , Cruz-Vicarromero Norma L. , Cubas-Sagardia Cecilia R.
Published: November 2022

Background: Indigenous communities in Peru has been historically affected by high mortality rates attributable to HIV-AIDS infection, associated with a low access to health services, and socio-cultural barriers. In this context, the study aimed to describe factors associated with antiretroviral treatment adherence in people from awajun and wampis indigenous communities, living with HIV-AIDS in a peruvian amazonian region.
Methods. A cross-sectional study, which was completed in a consecutive sample of people from indigenous communities (awajun or wampis) living with HIV, who are received antiretroviral treatment at least on the last three months. Participants were recruited between October 1 and December 30, 2021, from four districts of Bagua and Condorcanqui provinces – Amazonian region. An ad-hoc questionnaire was applied to collect information about demographical, economical, and socio-cultural factors and access to health services; and the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ) was performed to evaluate the adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis with backward stepwise were performed to explore factors that might influence adherence.
Results: Of the 208 participants, 28.8% reported complete adherence to antiretroviral treatment. The multivariate logistic regression showed that occupation (aPR: 1.86; 95%CI 1.15-3.02), economic income (aPR: 0.64; 95%CI 0.41-0.99), and adverse reactions to antiretroviral therapy (aPR: 0.36; 95%CI 0.18-0.70) were related with complete adherence to medication.
Conclusions: Only a third of participants reported a complete adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Factors associated with adherence to antiretroviral medication were related to socioeconomic conditions and adverse reactions to therapeutic scheme. Interventions related to improve adherence in indigenous people living with HIV should have to consider these factors in order to develop effective implementation strategies.
Patient Centeredness - a Cultural Targeted Survey among Junior Medical Managers
Authors: Tal Orna , Barnea Royi , Tur-Sinai Aviad
Published: November 2022

Background: Patient centeredness is a core element in healthcare. However, there is a gap between the understanding of this term by health care professionals, and patients’ capability, self-efficacy and willingness to take part in medical decisions. We aimed to expose standpoints toward "patient centeredness" among junior medical managers (JMM), as they bridge between policy strategies and patients. We tried to reveal cultural differences by comparing the views of the majority and the minority subpopulations of Israel (Arabic and Hebrew speakers).
Methods: A cross-sectional survey among JMM studying for an advanced degree in health systems management at three academic training colleges in Israel was conducted in February-March 2022. The respondents completed a structured questionnaire, comprising four sections: a) perceptions towards trust, accountability, insurance coverage and economic status; b) perception regarding decision-making mechanisms; c) preferences toward achieving equity and d) demographic details.
Results: A total of 192 respondents were included in the study, 50% were Hebrew speakers and 50% were Arabic speakers. No differences were found between Arabic and Hebrew speakers regarding perception towards trust, accountability, insurance coverage and economic status. JMM from both subpopulations perceived that patients' gender and age do not influence the attitude of physicians, but Arabic speaking respondents perceived that healthcare professionals prefer educated patients, or those with supportive families. All respondents perceived that patients would like to be more involved in medical decisions; yet, Arabic-speakers believe that patients tend to rely on physicians’ recommendations, while Hebrew speakers believe patients wish to lead the medical decision by themselves.
Conclusions: Patient centeredness strategy needs to be implemented bottom-up as well as top-down, in a transparent nationwide manner. JMM are key actors to accomplish this strategy, as they realize policy guidelines in the context of social disparities, thus they can achieve a friendly personalized dialogue with their patients. We believe that empowerment of these JMM may create a ripple effect yielding a bottom- up perception of equity and initiating change.
Heteroclinic bifurcation analysis of the tippedisk through the use of Melnikov theory
Authors: Sailer Simon , Leine Remco I.
Published: November 2022

The Tippedisk is a mechanical-mathematical archetype for a peculiar friction-induced inversion phenomenon that occurs when an unbalanced disk is spun rapidly about an in-plane axis, with the center of gravity rising counterintuitively as the orientation of the disk inverts. To understand the qualitative behavior of the tippedisk, a nonlinear analysis is performed, revealing the singularly perturbed structure of the system equations. Application of singular perturbation theory shows that the long-term behavior is dominated by a two-dimensional slow manifold, on which the asymptotic dynamics takes place. Moreover, Melnikov theory is used to derive a closed form approximation of a heteroclinic bifurcation, which allows general statements to be made about the dynamic behavior of the tippedisk.
MSC2010 numbers: 70E18, 70K20, 70E50.