bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implementation of a comprehensive set of optimised CBCT protocols and validation through imaging quality and dose audit
Authors: Khan Marina , Sandhu Navneet , Naeem Marium , Ealden Rebecca , Pearson Michael , Ali Abdirzak , Honey Ian , Webster Amanda , Eaton David , Ntentas Georgios
Published: August 2022

Objectives:

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for radiotherapy treatment verification has increased in frequency; therefore, it is crucial to optimise image quality and radiation dose to patients. The aim of this study was to implement optimised CBCT protocols for the Varian TrueBeams for most tumour sites in adult patients

Methods:

A combination of patient size-specific CBCT protocols from the literature and developed in-house was used. Scans taken before and after optimisation were compared by senior radiographers and physicists to evaluate how changes affected image quality and clinical usability for online image registration. The change in dose for each new CBCT protocol was compared to the Varian default. A clinical audit was performed following implementation to evaluate the changes in imaging dose for all patients receiving a CBCT during that period.

Results:

Ten CBCT protocols were introduced including head and neck and patient-size-specific thorax and pelvis/abdomen protocols. Scans from 102 patients with images before and after optimisation were assessed, none of the scans showed image quality changes compromising clinical usability and for some image quality was improved. Between November 2020 and June 2021, 1185 patients had CBCTs using the new protocols. The imaging dose was reduced for 52% of patients, remained the same for 37% and increased for 12%.

Conclusions:

This study showed that substantial dose reductions and image quality improvements can be achieved with simple changes in the default settings of the Varian TrueBeam CBCT without affecting the radiographers’ confidence in online image registration.

Advances in knowledge:

This study represents a comprehensive assessment and optimisation of CBCT protocols for most sites, validated on a large cohort of patients.
Comparison of HPV testing and cervical cytology in prevention of cervical cancer
Authors: Remjasz Klaudia , Kosz Katarzyna , Kuchnicka Aleksandra , Kuchnicka Julia , Aleksandrowicz Jakub , Zielińska Martyna , Zarankiewicz Natalia , Siedlecki Wojciech , Sapuła Klaudia
Published: August 2022

Introduction and purpose 

This article aims to compare two guiding methods of cervical cancer screening: cervical cytology  and HPV testing. The objective is to provide information on which method  is currently more relevant in the early detection of precancerous lesions and and therefore should  be more frequently used. 

 

 

 

Materials and method 

This review was mainly based on articles from around the world collected in Pubmed in 2003-2022, medical books and websites. The research was done by looking through keywords as follows: “cervical cancer”, “cytology”, “HPV testing”. 

Results 

All selected studies have demonstrated that HPV testing is a more appropriate indicator for initial  high-grade CIN (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) than cytology. 

Conclusions 

According to the cited researches, the public health system should definitely pay more attention  to HPV testing as the first stage of cervical cancer screening. Moreover,  it should clarify by comparing all advantages and disadvantages of methods, which further diagnostic pathway is the most effective and has the best outcomes for the patients.  

Keywords 

cervical cancer, cervical screening, cytology, HPV primary screening, HPV testing
Optimality of Independently Randomized Symmetric Policies for Exchangeable Stochastic Teams with Infinitely Many Decision Makers
Authors: Sanjari Sina , Saldi Naci , Yüksel Serdar
Published: August 2022

We study stochastic teams (known also as decentralized stochastic control problems or identical interest stochastic dynamic games) with large or countably infinite numbers of decision makers and characterize the existence and structural properties of (globally) optimal policies. We consider both static and dynamic nonconvex teams where the cost function and dynamics satisfy an exchangeability condition. To arrive at existence and structural results for optimal policies, we first introduce a topology on control policies, which involves various relaxations given the decentralized information structure. This is then utilized to arrive at a de Finetti–type representation theorem for exchangeable policies. This leads to a representation theorem for policies that admit an infinite exchangeability condition. For a general setup of stochastic team problems with N decision makers, under exchangeability of observations of decision makers and the cost function, we show that, without loss of global optimality, the search for optimal policies can be restricted to those that are N-exchangeable. Then, by extending N-exchangeable policies to infinitely exchangeable ones, establishing a convergence argument for the induced costs, and using the presented de Finetti–type theorem, we establish the existence of an optimal decentralized policy for static and dynamic teams with countably infinite numbers of decision makers, which turns out to be symmetric (i.e., identical) and randomized. In particular, unlike in prior work, convexity of the cost in policies is not assumed. Finally, we show the near optimality of symmetric independently randomized policies for finite N-decision-maker teams and thus establish approximation results for N-decision-maker weakly coupled stochastic teams.

Funding: This work was supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Parallel Adaptive Survivor Selection
Authors: Pei Linda , Nelson Barry L. , Hunter Susan R.
Published: August 2022

Ranking and selection (R&S) procedures in simulation optimization simulate every feasible solution to provide global statistical error control, often selecting a single solution in finite time that is optimal or near-optimal with high probability. By exploiting parallel computing advancements, large-scale problems with hundreds of thousands and even millions of feasible solutions are suitable for R&S. Naively parallelizing existing R&S methods originally designed for a serial computing setting is generally ineffective, however, as many of these conventional methods uphold family-wise error guarantees that suffer from multiplicity and require pairwise comparisons that present a computational bottleneck. Parallel adaptive survivor selection (PASS) is a new framework specifically designed for large-scale parallel R&S. By comparing systems to an adaptive “standard” that is learned as the algorithm progresses, PASS eliminates inferior solutions with false elimination rate control and with computationally efficient aggregate comparisons rather than pairwise comparisons. PASS satisfies desirable theoretical properties and performs effectively on realistic problems.
The local physiological effects of a single-use topical negative pressure device in healthy volunteers: the PICO-1 study
Authors: Priyadharsini Prabakaran Praveena , Totty Joshua P , Carradice Dan , Chetter Ian C , Smith George E
Published: August 2022

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a single-use negative pressure wound therapy (sNPWT) device on tissue perfusion, oxygenation and pressure in the intact skin of healthy volunteers.

Method:

Healthy volunteers wore a PICO sNPWT device (Smith+Nephew, UK) on their right medial calf for one week. Perfusion, tissue oxygenation and tissue pressure were recorded in superficial and deep tissues over a period of seven days. At the baseline visit, measurements were recorded before and after dressing application without activation. Macrovascular flow and transduced needle pressure measures were recorded at 0 minutes, 30 minutes and 60 minutes after device activation. Superficial tissue perfusion and both oxygenation measures were recorded continuously over the hour following activation. All outcome measures were repeated at 24 hours and again after seven days, both with the dressing and following dressing removal.

Results:

The device was associated with a measurable increase in perfusion of the limb in 12 healthy volunteers. Superficial tissue oxygenation adjacent to the dressing was reduced during wear, while deeper tissue demonstrated an increase in oxygenation levels. Superficial skin perfusion was observed to differ between skin overlying muscle and that overlying bone. Pressure in tissue underneath the dressing pad was increased throughout dressing wear and returned to baseline levels on dressing removal.

Conclusion:

sNPWT produced measurable changes in local physiology in healthy volunteers with intact skin, despite the absence of a wound. Effects may differ according to anatomical site and the composition of underlying tissues. Other factors that promote healing were not explored in this study.

Declaration of interest:

This study was funded by Smith+Nephew investigator-initiated grant IIS 684. The funder had no input into study design, conduct, analysis, manuscript preparation or dissemination. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
The value of administering intravenous antibiotics during haemodialysis in the treatment of diabetic foot infections
Authors: Pittam Bradley , Chumber Ruby , Vashisht Gaurav , Miller Sophie , O'Dowd Christina , Ledson Thomas , Srinivas-Shankar Upendram
Published: August 2022

Objective:

People with diabetes who are on haemodialysis (HD) are at a high risk of diabetic foot infections (DFI) and related complications. We explored the value of treating DFI with intravenous (IV) antibiotics during HD.

Method:

This was an observational study of consecutively treated patients with DFIs with IV antibiotics during HD. Data collected included baseline characteristics, IV antibiotics used, details of multidisciplinary interventions and DFI treatment outcome.

Results:

A cohort of 11 patients, mean (±standard deviation) age 62.4±12.7 years, had 15 episodes of treatment with IV antibiotics during HD. Of the patients, six (54.5%) were male and nine (81.8%) had type 2 diabetes. The estimated mean glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 11.4±3.9ml/minute. All patients had infected foot ulceration, soft tissue infection, six (54.5%) patients had osteomyelitis, and two (18.2%) had wet gangrene. The commonest IV antibiotic used was vancomycin (10/15 episodes, 66.7%). Other IV antibiotics used were daptomycin and meropenem. In three episodes, oral ciprofloxacin was used with IV antibiotics. The mean duration of antibiotic treatment was 9.2±4.9 weeks. Of the episodes, 11 (73.3%) were treated successfully with IV antibiotics alone and two (13.3%) episodes required minor surgical debridement/amputation. Some 10 (90.9%) members of the cohort had peripheral arterial disease and of those, five (50%) underwent angioplasty during IV antibiotic treatment.

Conclusion:

HD provides a good opportunity for treatment with IV antibiotics in DFI. This mode of administration of IV antibiotics, along with multidisciplinary intervention, is associated with ulcer healing and resolution of infection in over three-quarters of patients with DFI.
Generation of temporal fading envelope sequences for the FSOC channel based on atmospheric turbulence optical parameters
Authors: Yao Haifeng , Hao Qun , Chen Chunyi , Li Ling , Chang Yidi , Du Silun , Liu Xianzhu , Tong Shoufeng , Liu Zhi , Jia Shuqiang , Jiang Huilin
Published: August 2022

The temporal characteristics of the free space optical communication (FSOC) turbulence fading channel are essential for analyzing the bit error rate (BER) performances and compiling the rationale of adaptive signal processing algorithms. However, the investigation is still limited since the majority of temporal sequence generation fails to combine the autocorrelation function (ACF) of the FSOC system parameters, and using the simplified formula results in the loss of detailed information for turbulence disturbances. In this paper, considering the ACF of engineering measurable atmospheric parameters, we propose a continuous-time FSOC channel fading sequence generation model that obeys the Gamma-Gamma (G-G) probability density function (PDF). First, under the influence of parameters such as transmission distance, optical wavelength, scintillation index, and atmospheric structural constant, the normalized channel fading models of ACF and PSD are established, and the numerical solution of the time-domain Gaussian correlation sequence is derived. Moreover, the light intensity generation model obeying the time-domain correlation with statistical distribution information is derived after employing the rank mapping, taking into account the association between the G-G PDF parameters and the large and small scales turbulence fading channels. Finally, the Monte Carlo numerical method is used to analyze the performances of the ACF, PDF, and PSD parameters, as well as the temporal characteristics of the generated sequence, and the matching relationships between these parameters and theory, under various turbulence intensities, propagation distances, and transverse wind speeds. Numerical results show that the proposed temporal sequence generation model highly restores the disturbance information in different frequency bands for the turbulence fading channels, and the agreement with the theoretical solution is 0.999. This study presents essential numerical simulation methods for analyzing and evaluating the temporal properties of modulated signals. When sophisticated algorithms are used to handle FSOC signals, our proposed temporal sequence model can provide communication signal experimental sample data generating techniques under various FSOC parameters, which is a crucial theoretical basis for evaluating algorithm performances.
Multiplexed vortex state array toward high-dimensional data multicasting
Authors: Shang Zijun , Fu Shiyao , Hai Lan , Zhang Zhichao , Li Lang , Gao Chunqing
Published: August 2022

Optical vortex array has drawn widespread attention since the boom of special applications such as molecular selecting and optical communication. Here, we propose an integrated phase-only scheme to generate multiple multiplexed vortex beams simultaneously, constituting a multiplexed vortex state array, where the spatial position, as well as the corresponding orbital angular momentum (OAM) spectrum, can be manipulated flexibly as desired. Proof-of-concept experiments are carried out and show a few different multiplexed vortex state arrays that fit well with the simulation. Moreover, regarding the array as a data-carrier, a one-to-many multicasting link through multi-state OAM shift keying, a high-dimensional data coding, is also available in free space. In the experiment, four various OAM states are employed and achieve four bits binary symbols, and finally distribute three different images to three separate receivers independently from the same transmitter, showing great potential in the future high-dimensional optical networks.
All-inorganic liquid phase quantum dots and blue laser diode-based white-light source for simultaneous high-speed visible light communication and high-efficiency solid-state lighting
Authors: Ali Amjad , Qasem Zeyad A. H. , Li Yibin , Li Qian , Fu H. Y.
Published: August 2022

In recent years, cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr3) and cadmium selenide/zinc sulfide (CdSe/ZnS) quantum dots have been widely investigated to enhance the capacity of visible light communication (VLC) and solid-state lighting (SSL). Herein, liquid-phase color converter (LCC) glass cavities and solid-phase color converter (SCC) films with green-emitting CsPbBr3 and red-emitting CdSe/ZnS are fabricated to investigate and compare their performance. A facile high-quality LCC-based white laser diode (WLD) is fabricated by combining blue LD with LCC CsPbBr3 and CdSe/ZnS glass cavities as color conversion layers. The LCC-based WLD achieves bright white light with a color rendering index of 85, a correlated color temperature of 5520 K, and a Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates at (0.32, 0.34). Moreover, the VLC system exhibits a modulation bandwidth of 855 MHz and the capability to transmit a real-time data rate of up to 2.1 Gbps over a transmission distance of 1.2 meters. These results indicate that the fabricated WLD is a promising lighting device for simultaneous high-speed VLC and high-efficiency SSL.
Rapid and sensitive detection of ammonia in water by a long period fiber grating sensor coated with sol-gel silica
Authors: Gan Wenbo , Li Yaowei , Liu Ting , Yang Yitao , Song Baoan , Dai Shixun , Xu Tiefeng , Wang Yin , Lin Ting-Jung , Zhang Peiqing
Published: August 2022

A sensitive ammonia sensor based on long-period fiber grating (LPFG) is designed and manufactured for the detection of ammonia concentration in water. Femtosecond laser direct writing technology is used to write LPFGs on standard single-mode silica fiber. A thin layer doped with basic dyes is coated on the optical fiber for sensing by using the sol-gel method. The thicknesses of sol-gel layers, which play a key role in the sensitivity of the LPFG sensor, were carefully studied. Experimental results show that LPFG with a functional layer of ∼340 nm has the best sensing performance, and the detection limit is 0.08 ppm. The response time of the sensor is less than one minute, and the sensor has good repeatability with a short recovery time. Compared with other organic molecules and ions in water, the proposed LPFG sensor has not only good reusability, but also selectivity for the detection of ammonia.
NIR-II multifocal structured illumination microscopy
Authors: Feng Liang , Cai Songtao , Zhang Jie , Lou Kai , Yang Zhigang , Qu Junle , Wen Weijia
Published: August 2022

Optical microscopy has been widely used as a versatile tool in biological research. However, its penetration depth and spatial resolution are desperately limited by light scattering during deep propagation in turbid medium. Here, we implement near-infrared second window (1000–1700 nm) multifocal structured illumination microscopy (NIR-II MSIM) capable of deep penetration, high contrast, and enhanced spatial resolution. Raster-scanning multifocal illumination patterns ensure homogeneous illumination of the sample. By integrating NIR-II photoemission into multifocal photoexcitation, NIR-II MSIM affords deep imaging with improved lateral resolution (∼1.49 µm) at a depth of 2.5 mm in an Intralipid/agar phantom and outstanding contrast. Additionally, imaging at longer wavelength in the NIR-II region shows superior performance. This NIR-II MSIM system will afford a promising platform for studying physiological phenomena in turbid specimens in the future.
Laser-diode-driven high-luminance white light source with sediment phosphors and optimal opto-thermal performance
Authors: Rondelez Nick , Ganguly Niladri , Ryckaert Wouter , Meuret Youri
Published: August 2022

High-luminance light sources are challenging to achieve with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) due to power droop. Since laser diodes (LDs) do not suffer from power droop, they can be used as an alternative. A novel, to the best of our knowledge, high-luminance white light source was developed utilizing LDs combined with a sediment silicone/phosphor composite. The deposition of this sediment phosphor inside an aluminum spacer on top of a sapphire backplate ensures optimal thermal management. To enhance the optical performance, the sapphire plate is coated with a custom-designed blue pass filter in order to recycle most of the converted light that is emitted in the backward direction. The maximal obtained luminance of this light source is 103 MCd/m2 at a luminous flux of 3119 lm.
VGsim: Scalable viral genealogy simulator for global pandemic
Authors: Shchur Vladimir , Spirin Vadim , Sirotkin Dmitry , Burovski Evgeni , De Maio Nicola , Corbett-Detig Russell
Published: August 2022

Accurate simulation of complex biological processes is an essential component of developing and validating new technologies and inference approaches. As an effort to help contain the COVID-19 pandemic, large numbers of SARS-CoV-2 genomes have been sequenced from most regions in the world. More than 5.5 million viral sequences are publicly available as of November 2021. Many studies estimate viral genealogies from these sequences, as these can provide valuable information about the spread of the pandemic across time and space. Additionally such data are a rich source of information about molecular evolutionary processes including natural selection, for example allowing the identification of new variants with transmissibility and immunity evasion advantages. To our knowledge, there is no framework that is both efficient and flexible enough to simulate the pandemic to approximate world-scale scenarios and generate viral genealogies of millions of samples. Here, we introduce a new fast simulator VGsim which addresses the problem of simulation genealogies under epidemiological models. The simulation process is split into two phases. During the forward run the algorithm generates a chain of population-level events reflecting the dynamics of the pandemic using an hierarchical version of the Gillespie algorithm. During the backward run a coalescent-like approach generates a tree genealogy of samples conditioning on the population-level events chain generated during the forward run. Our software can model complex population structure, epistasis and immunity escape.
Two scales of distribution and biomass of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in the eastern sector of the CCAMLR Division 58.4.2 (55°E to 80°E)
Authors: Cox Martin J. , Macaulay Gavin , Brasier Madeleine J. , Burns Alicia , Johnson Olivia J. , King Rob , Maschette Dale , Melvin Jessica , Smith Abigail J. R. , Weldrick Christine K. , Wotherspoon Simon , Kawaguchi So
Published: August 2022

Regular monitoring is an important component of the successful management of pelagic animals of interest to commercial fisheries. Here we provide a biomass estimate for Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in the eastern sector of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) Division 58.4.2 (55°E to 80°E; area = 775,732 km2) using data collected during an acoustic-trawl survey carried out in February and March 2021. Using acoustic data collected in day-time and trawl data, areal biomass density was estimated as 8.3 gm-2 giving a total areal krill biomass of 6.48 million tonnes, with a 28.9% coefficient of variation (CV). The inaccessibility of the East Antarctic makes fisheries-independent surveys of Antarctic krill expensive and time consuming, so we also assessed the efficacy of extrapolating smaller surveys to a wider area. During the large-scale survey a smaller scale survey (centre coordinates -66.28°S 63.35°E, area = 4,902 km2) was conducted. We examine how representative krill densities from the small-scale (Mawson box) survey were over a latitudinal range by comparing krill densities from the large-scale survey split into latitudinal bands. We found the small scale survey provided a good representation of the statistical distribution of krill densities within its latitudinal band (KS-test, D = 0.048, p-value = 0.98), as well as mean density (t-test p-value = 0.44), but not outside of the band. We recommend further in situ testing of this approach.
IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic blood donors at two time points in Karachi
Authors: Hasan Muhammad , Moiz Bushra , Qaiser Shama , Masood Kiran Iqbal , Ghous Zara , Hussain Areeba , Ali Natasha , Simas J. Pedro , Veldhoen Marc , Alves Paula , Abidi Syed Hani , Ghias Kulsoom , Khan Erum , Hasan Zahra
Published: August 2022

Introduction

An estimated 1.5 million cases were reported in Pakistan until 23 March, 2022. However, SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing capacity has been limited and the incidence of COVID-19 infections is unknown. Volunteer healthy blood donors can be a control population for assessment of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in the population. We determined COVID-19 seroprevalence during the second pandemic wave in Karachi in donors without known infections or symptoms in 4 weeks prior to enrollment.

Materials and methods

We enrolled 558 healthy blood donors at the Aga Khan University Hospital between December 2020 and February 2021. ABO blood groups were determined. Serum IgG reactivity were measured to spike and receptor binding domain (RBD) proteins.

Results

Study subjects were predominantly males (99.1%) with a mean age of 29.0±7.4 years. Blood groups were represented by; B (35.8%), O (33.3%), A (23.8%) and AB (7%). Positive IgG responses to spike were detected in 53.4% (95% CI, 49.3–37.5) of blood donors. Positive IgG antibodies to RBD were present in 16.7% (95% CI; 13.6–19.8) of individuals. No significant difference was found between the frequency of IgG antibodies to spike or RBD across age groups. Frequencies of IgG to Spike and RBD antibodies between December 2020 and February 2021 were found to be similar. Seropositivity to either antigen between individuals of different blood groups did not differ. Notably, 31.2% of individuals with IgG antibodies to spike also had IgG antibodies to RBD. Amongst donors who had previously confirmed COVID-19 and were seropositive to spike, 40% had IgG to RBD.

Conclusions

Our study provides insights into the seroprevalence of antibodies to COVID-19 in a healthy cohort in Karachi. The differential dynamics of IgG to spike and RBD likely represent both exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and associate with protective immunity in the population.
A cross-country analysis of macroeconomic responses to COVID-19 pandemic using Twitter sentiments
Authors: Nia Zahra Movahedi , Ahmadi Ali , Bragazzi Nicola L. , Woldegerima Woldegebriel Assefa , Mellado Bruce , Wu Jianhong , Orbinski James , Asgary Ali , Kong Jude Dzevela
Published: August 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the global economy. In this paper, we use the Phillips curve to compare and analyze the macroeconomics of three different countries with distinct income levels, namely, lower-middle (Nigeria), upper-middle (South Africa), and high (Canada) income. We aim to (1) find macroeconomic changes in the three countries during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic time, (2) compare the countries in terms of response to the COVID-19 economic crisis, and (3) compare their expected economic reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic in the near future. An advantage to our work is that we analyze macroeconomics on a monthly basis to capture the shocks and rapid changes caused by on and off rounds of lockdowns. We use the volume and social sentiments of the Twitter data to approximate the macroeconomic statistics. We apply four different machine learning algorithms to estimate the unemployment rate of South Africa and Nigeria on monthly basis. The results show that at the beginning of the pandemic the unemployment rate increased for all the three countries. However, Canada was able to control and reduce the unemployment rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, in line with the Phillips curve short-run, the inflation rate of Canada increased to a level that has never occurred in more than fifteen years. Nigeria and South Africa have not been able to control the unemployment rate and did not return to the pre-COVID-19 level. Yet, the inflation rate has increased in both countries. The inflation rate is still comparable to the pre-COVID-19 level in South Africa, but based on the Phillips curve short-run, it will increase further, if the unemployment rate decreases. Unfortunately, Nigeria is experiencing a horrible stagflation and a wild increase in both unemployment and inflation rates. This shows how vulnerable lower-middle-income countries could be to lockdowns and economic restrictions. In the near future, the main concern for all the countries is the high inflation rate. This work can potentially lead to more targeted and publicly acceptable policies based on social media content.
The perception of Hungarian food by consumer segments according to food purchasing preferences based on primary research results
Authors: Garai-Fodor Mónika , Popovics Anett , Csiszárik-Kocsir Ágnes
Published: August 2022

In addition to the intrinsic value of the product, social, cultural and psychological factors also have a major influence on the consumer’s purchasing decision. They are also influenced by trends and tendencies such as globalisation, digitalisation and various economic and social crises. In our study, we focused on the analysis of food purchasing preferences; including the reasons for the rise of ethnocentrism in the purchase of domestic products and the potential of this phenomenon in light of relevant secondary data and quantitative primary results. The main objective of the study’s primary research is to demonstrate that consumer groups, distinguishable by food consumption preferences, have differentiated perceptions of domestic food (price, quality, reliability). This provides evidence that food consumer preferences are reflected in decisions about domestic food. Due to the Hungarian relevance of the topic, the presentation of related international research and literature was given a prominent role. The focus of our research was to investigate the food purchasing preferences of Hungarian food consumers. Based on the results, we were able to characterise distinct consumer segments based on food purchasing preferences, and we were able to identify potential target groups of domestic food based on food consumer preferences: the ‘conscious food buyers’, the ‘impulse buyers’ and the ‘no preference’. In our view, members belonging to the first two segments can be successfully persuaded to buy Hungarian food through an educational campaign based on sufficiently fashionable and trendy motifs with the help of the right reference person.
The adaptation of academics to the Covid-19 crisis in terms of work time allocation
Authors: Horta Hugo , Panova Anna , Santos João , Yudkevich Maria
Published: August 2022

Academics have seen their work environment and routines severely affected by the Covid19 pandemic. This topic has been analyzed by the literature, mostly from personal and descriptive perspectives, that highlight the challenging transitions and adaptations that academics have endured concerning their work and life-balance. This research complements those studies, by using a sample of university academics working all around the world in all disciplinary fields and focuses on a longitudinal perspective of workload and task time allocation of academic work. The findings show that academics which in general had long working hours, further increased their time of the week dedicated to work leading possibly to the reported cases in the literature of increasing stress and burnout during the pandemic. These effects were found to be similar to all academics, independently of their gender and disciplinary field. More concerning is that this increased number of hours worked per week appears to have established itself as part of the new normal. The main driver for the increased workload is associated with teaching, and to a lesser extent with administrative duties.
Safety evaluation of rail transit vehicle system based on improved AHP-GA
Authors: Dong Sihui , Yu Fei , Wang Kang
Published: August 2022

The rail transit vehicle system is an important subsystem with the most frequent operation accidents and the most direct impact on passengers. Based on the particularity of the vehicle system and the complexity of the system, the hierarchical analysis method (AHP) is used to evaluate its safety. High-order judgment matrix often has inconsistency, and the judgment matrix consistency guarantee is the key to the hierarchical analysis method applied. Based on the hierarchical analysis principle, this paper corrects the inconsistency judgment matrix and realizes the optimization calculation based on the genetic algorithm. This paper constructs a vehicle system safety evaluation index system including 26 indexes at three layers and uses the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to evaluate the system safety level. The results show that the calculation results based on the improved AHP-GA are significantly better than that based on the conventional AHP method. The comprehensive evaluation conclusion of the case is "average", and the safety level of the vehicle system of the case enterprise needs to be strengthened.
Where is the greatest risk of COVID-19 infection? Findings from Germany’s largest public health department, Cologne
Authors: Broichhaus Lukas , Book Julian , Feddern Sven , Grüne Barbara , Neuhann Florian , Nießen Johannes , Wiesmüller Gerhard A. , Kossow Annelene , Joisten Christine
Published: August 2022

Background

SARS-CoV-2 has been spreading worldwide since late 2019. Before vaccines became available, exclusively non-pharmaceutical measures were used to prevent transmission of infection. Despite the fact that vaccinations are now available, it is still important to identify relevant transmission routes in order to contain the COVID-19- or further pandemics. Therefore, this study aims to systematically analyse data from the largest public health department in Germany to determine the significance of the various known and unknown transmission situations in terms of the proportion of infections.

Methods

All infections in Cologne were systematically recorded by the local health department. In addition to clinical data, the transmission situations were recorded and categorised as pertaining to social contact, work contact, travellers, health care workers, users of educational institutions, visitors of community institutions, infection in the context of medical treatment, and unknown infection.

Findings

The analysis included 25,966 persons. A transmission situation could be identified in 82.7% of the cases (n = 21,477). Most persons (42.1%) were infected due to social contact, primarily within their own household. Another 22.3% were infected at their place of work; this was particularly common among staff members of medical facilities, nursing homes and educational institutions. In 17.3% of the cases, the transmission situation remained unknown; the cases with unknown transmission situation were slightly more often symptomatic (75.2%) than the cases with known transmission situation (69.4%).

Interpretation

Considering that during the study period the leading strains were the wild-type and alpha-variant transmission rather occurred during scenarios involving close contacts than in anonymous situations. Presumably, however, the findings can be transferred to the new variants. Therefore, in order to prevent transmission, besides vaccination regular antigen tests and/or appropriate protective measures remain relevant until this pandemic has subsided.
Heme oxygenase-1 as an important predictor of the severity of COVID-19
Authors: Hara Yu , Tsukiji Jun , Yabe Aya , Onishi Yoshika , Hirose Haruka , Yamamoto Masaki , Kudo Makoto , Kaneko Takeshi , Ebina Toshiaki
Published: August 2022

Background and objective

A cytokine storm is caused by inflammatory cells, including pro-inflammatory macrophage phenotype (M1), and play a critical role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, in which diffuse alveolar damage occurs in the lungs due to oxidative stress exposure. Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 is a stress-induced protein produced by the anti-inflammatory / anti-oxidative macrophage phenotype (M2), which also produces soluble CD163 (sCD163). In our study, we investigated and determined that serum HO-1 can be a predictive biomarker for assessing both the severity and the outcome of COVID-19 patients.

Method

The serum concentrations of HO-1 and sCD163 of COVID-19 patients were measured on admission. The relationship between these biomarkers and other clinical parameters and outcomes were evaluated.

Results

Sixty-four COVID-19 patients (11 mild, 38 moderate, and 15 severe cases) were assessed. The serum HO-1 tended to increase (11.0 ng/mL vs. 24.3 ng/mL vs. 59.6 ng/mL with severity). Serum HO-1 correlated with serum lactate dehydrogenase (R = 0.422), C-reactive protein (R = 0.463), and the ground glass opacity (GGO) and consolidation score (R = 0.625) of chest computed tomography. The serum HO-1 showed a better area under the curve (AUC) for predicting ICU admission than the serum sCD163 (HO-1; 0.816 and sCD163; 0.743). In addition, composite parameters including serum HO-1 and the GGO and consolidation score showed a higher AUC for predicting ICU admission than the AUC of a single parameter.

Conclusion

Clinically, serum HO-1, reflecting the activation of M2, could be a very useful marker for evaluating disease severity and predicting prognoses for COVID-19 patients. In addition, controlling activated M2 might be a preventative COVID-19 therapeutic target.
AI-based analysis of oral lesions using novel deep convolutional neural networks for early detection of oral cancer
Authors: Warin Kritsasith , Limprasert Wasit , Suebnukarn Siriwan , Jinaporntham Suthin , Jantana Patcharapon , Vicharueang Sothana
Published: August 2022

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications in oncology have been developed rapidly with reported successes in recent years. This work aims to evaluate the performance of deep convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithms for the classification and detection of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in oral photographic images. A dataset comprising 980 oral photographic images was divided into 365 images of OSCC, 315 images of OPMDs and 300 images of non-pathological images. Multiclass image classification models were created by using DenseNet-169, ResNet-101, SqueezeNet and Swin-S. Multiclass object detection models were fabricated by using faster R-CNN, YOLOv5, RetinaNet and CenterNet2. The AUC of multiclass image classification of the best CNN models, DenseNet-196, was 1.00 and 0.98 on OSCC and OPMDs, respectively. The AUC of the best multiclass CNN-base object detection models, Faster R-CNN, was 0.88 and 0.64 on OSCC and OPMDs, respectively. In comparison, DenseNet-196 yielded the best multiclass image classification performance with AUC of 1.00 and 0.98 on OSCC and OPMD, respectively. These values were inline with the performance of experts and superior to those of general practictioners (GPs). In conclusion, CNN-based models have potential for the identification of OSCC and OPMDs in oral photographic images and are expected to be a diagnostic tool to assist GPs for the early detection of oral cancer.
Medical student attitudes on vaccination relevance: A mixed-method study
Authors: Herrmann-Werner Anne , Festl-Wietek Teresa , Gille Christian , Zipfel Stephan , Wiechers Steffen
Published: August 2022

Background and objectives

The study aims to investigate the attitudes of medical students regarding the importance and relevance of vaccinations, whether vaccinations should be compulsory and how to employ a new teaching concept to deal with vaccination-critical parents.

Methods

This mixed-method study consists of a quantitative questionnaire and focus groups. Quantitative data were analysed by calculating the descriptive statistics, and interviews were analysed using Mayring’s content analysis.

Results

A total of 170 medical students completed the questionnaire, and 59 students participated in 9 focus groups. Students reported that they felt more confident dealing with vaccination-critical parents after learning the new teaching concept. Similar results were found for medical students prior to and during the pandemic. During the pandemic, medical students viewed vaccinations for several diseases, such as measles or COVID-19, as important (range: M = 3.56, SD = 0.54 to M = 3.97, SD = 0.17). Similar results were found for medical students prior to the pandemic (range: M = 3.26, SD = 0.77 to M = 3.94, SD = 0.24). In the focus groups, however, medical students displayed controversial attitudes regarding compulsory vaccinations.

Conclusions

While the medical students agreed on the use of vaccination for highly infectious diseases, their level of agreement decreased depending on the severity of the disease. Practical recommendations that come out of the study are creating a trustful relationship with and delivering information to patients.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and functional outcomes in Veterans with psychosis or recent homelessness: A 15-month longitudinal study
Authors: Wynn Jonathan K. , McCleery Amanda , Novacek Derek M. , Reavis Eric A. , Senturk Damla , Sugar Catherine A. , Tsai Jack , Green Michael F.
Published: August 2022

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has had unprecedented effects on mental health and community functioning. Negative effects related to disruption of individuals’ social connections may have been more severe for those who had tenuous social connections prior to the pandemic. Veterans who have recently experienced homelessness (RHV) or have a psychotic disorder (PSY) are considered particularly vulnerable because many had poor social connections prior to the pandemic.

Methods

We conducted a 15-month longitudinal study between May 2020 –July 2021 assessing clinical (e.g., depression, anxiety) and community (e.g., social functioning, work functioning) outcomes. Eighty-one PSY, 76 RHV, and 74 Veteran controls (CTL) were interviewed over 5 assessment periods. We assessed changes in mental health and community functioning trajectories relative to pre-pandemic retrospective ratings and examined group differences in these trajectories.

Results

All groups had significantly increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and concerns with contamination at the onset of the pandemic. However, RHV and PSY showed faster returns to their baseline levels compared to CTL, who took nearly 15 months to return to baseline. With regards to functioning, both RHV and PSY, but not CTL, had significant improvements in family and social networks over time. Work functioning worsened over time only in PSY, and independent living increased over time in both RHV and PSY but not CTL.

Conclusions

These results reveal that vulnerable Veterans with access to VA mental health and case management services exhibited lower negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and community functioning than expected.
An Empirical Study of Stratified Warner’s Randomized Response Model
Authors: Das Soumyadipta , Bera Souvick , Bhattacharya Sagnik
Published: August 2022

This poster shows a stratified randomized response model based on Warner’s model that has an optimal allocation and large gain in precision. It is shown that the proposed model is more efficient than the stratified randomized response model. Additionally, it is shown that the estimator based on the proposed method is more efficient than the Warner, the Mangat and Singh and the Mangat estimators under the conditions presented in both the case of completely truthful reporting and that of not completely truthful reporting by the respondents.
The Ongoing Debate of Serum Ammonia Levels in Cirrhosis: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Authors: Deutsch-Link Sasha , Moon Andrew M.
Published: August 2022

Serum ammonia testing in hepatic encephalopathy (HE) has been long debated in the field of hepatology. Although central to the pathophysiology of HE, serum ammonia testing is fraught with complexities that can lead to challenges in laboratory collection and interpretation. Although there is some disagreement across guideline organizations regarding routine testing of ammonia in HE, all acknowledge that normal values, although possible in HE, may warrant reconsideration of the diagnosis. In this study, we propose a nuanced approach to ammonia testing in HE. Serum ammonia testing provides little additional benefit in clinical scenarios with a high or low pretest probability for HE. However, if the pretest probability for HE is uncertain, a low ammonia level may reduce the posttest probability of HE. In this scenario, other etiologies of altered mental status should be explored. Future research should focus on developing a standardized approach to serum ammonia collection, processing, and interpretation.
Artificial Intelligence-Aided Colonoscopy Does Not Increase Adenoma Detection Rate in Routine Clinical Practice
Authors: Levy Idan , Bruckmayer Liora , Klang Eyal , Ben-Horin Shomron , Kopylov Uri
Published: August 2022

The performance of artificial intelligence-aided colonoscopy (AIAC) in a real-world setting has not been described. We compared adenoma and polyp detection rates (ADR/PDR) in a 6-month period before (pre-AIAC) and after introduction of AIAC (GI Genius, Medtronic) in all endoscopy suites in our large-volume center. The ADR and PDR in the AIAC group was lower compared with those in the pre-AIAC group (30.3% vs 35.2%, P < 0.001; 36.5% vs 40.9%, P = 0.004, respectively); procedure time was significantly shorter in the AIAC group. In summary, introduction of AIAC did not result in performance improvement in our large-center cohort, raising important questions on AI-human interactions in medicine.
Combination of Coagulation and VUV+H2O2 for the Treatment of Color and Organic Matter in Treated Effluent Wastewater from a Sugar Factory
Authors: Kiattisaksiri Pradabduang , Petmark Noppakhun , Ratpukdi Thunyalux
Published: August 2022

The removal of color and organic matter in treated effluent wastewater from a sugar factory by coagulation, combined with advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), including UV, UV+ hydrogen peroxide (UV+H2O2), vacuum UV (VUV), and VUV+H2O2, was investigated in this study. The effect of pH and a dose of coagulants (aluminum sulfate (alum), polyaluminium chloride (PACl), ferric chloride (FeCl3), and ferric sulfate (Fe2(SO4)3)), as a pretreatment step prior to AOPs, was analyzed. The optimum pH and coagulant dose for coagulation was pH 6 and 600 mg/L, respectively. The iron-based coagulants generally provided the better removal efficiency than the aluminium-based coagulants. Among four coagulants, FeCl3 was chosen for use in the pretreatment step since it provided the best performance for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal, UV transmission improvement, and cost-effectiveness. The removal efficiency and degradation rate of color, UV absorbance at 254 nm (UV254), and DOC increased along with the H2O2 dosage. The reduction of UV254 indicated a less aromatic portion of DOC after AOPs. The ratio of DOC:H2O2 at 1:3 yielded the highest DOC removal of 70 ± 0.42 and 73 ± 0.19% in 60 min by UV+H2O2 and VUV+H2O2, respectively. For energy efficiency, VUV+H2O2 (DOC:H2O2 =1:3) provided the lowest electrical energy per order (EEO) (26 kWh/m3). After coagulation, DOC combined with VUV+H2O2 was reduced to the appropriate level for reuse (4 mg/L). The findings from this research demonstrate the promise of coagulation coupled with the VUV+H2O2 process as a technology for water reuse application in the sugar industry.