bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brain structure alterations in girls with central precocious puberty
Authors: Yoshii Shoko , Takatani Tomozumi , Shiohama Tadashi , Takatani Rieko , Konda Yutaka , Hattori Shinya , Yokota Hajime , Hamada Hiromichi
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Central precocious puberty (CPP) is puberty that occurs at an unusually early age with several negative psychological outcomes. There is a paucity of data on the morphological characteristics of the brain in CPP. This study aimed to determine the structural differences in the brain of patients with CPP.

Methods

We performed voxel- and surface-based morphometric analyses of 1.5 T T1-weighted brain images scanned from 15 girls with CPP and 13 age-matched non-CPP controls (NC). All patients with CPP were diagnosed by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation test. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were evaluated using Levene’s test for equality of variances and a two-tailed unpaired t-test for equality of means. False discovery rate correction for multiple comparisons was applied using the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure.

Results

Morphometric analyses of the brain scans identified 33 candidate measurements. Subsequently, increased thickness of the right precuneus was identified in the patients with CPP using general linear models and visualizations of cortical thickness with a t-statistical map and a random field theory map.

Conclusion

The brain scans of the patients with CPP showed specific morphological differences to those of the control. The features of brain morphology in CPP identified in this study could contribute to further understanding the association between CPP and detrimental psychological outcomes.
Innovative treatment formats, technologies, and clinician trainings that improve access to behavioral pain treatment for youth and adults
Authors: Darnall Beth D. , Edwards Karlyn A. , Courtney Rena E. , Ziadni Maisa S. , Simons Laura E. , Harrison Lauren E.
Published: July 2023

Chronic pain is prevalent across the life span and associated with significant individual and societal costs. Behavioral interventions are recommended as the gold-standard, evidence-based interventions for chronic pain, but barriers, such as lack of pain-trained clinicians, poor insurance coverage, and high treatment burden, limit patients’ ability to access evidenced-based pain education and treatment resources. Recent advances in technology offer new opportunities to leverage innovative digital formats to overcome these barriers and dramatically increase access to high-quality, evidenced-based pain treatments for youth and adults. This scoping review highlights new advances. First, we describe system-level barriers to the broad dissemination of behavioral pain treatment. Next, we review several promising new pediatric and adult pain education and treatment technology innovations to improve access and scalability of evidence-based behavioral pain treatments. Current challenges and future research and clinical recommendations are offered.
First-line tremelimumab plus durvalumab and chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: a cost-effectiveness analysis in the United States
Authors: Liu Wenjie , Huo Gengwei , Chen Peng
Published: July 2023

Importance: In the open-label phase III POSEIDON randomized clinical trial (RCT), a limited course of tremelimumab plus durvalumab and chemotherapy (T + D + CT) indicated in the first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC), progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS) were substantially improved without significant additional tolerance burden compared to chemotherapy (CT). However, given the high cost of T + D + CT, its value needs to be evaluated in terms of both potency and cost.

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of T + D + CT versus CT in individuals with previously untreated mNSCLC from a U.S. payer perspective.

Design, setting, and participants: A three-state Markov model was adopted to weigh the lifetime costs and effectiveness of T + D + CT versus CT for the treatment of first-line mNSCLC, according to the results of the POSEIDON phase III RCT involving 675 individuals with mNSCLC. Individuals were simulated to undergo either T + D + CT for up to four 21-day cycles, followed by durvalumab once every 4 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxic effects and one additional tremelimumab dose, or CT for up to six 21-day cycles (with or without pemetrexed maintenance; all groups) in the analysis.

Main outcomes and measures: Lifetime costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were evaluated with a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $ 100,000 to $ 150,000 per QALY. The uncertainty of the model was investigated using univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analysis.

Results: T + D + CT produced additional 0.36 QALYs with additional costs of $ 217,694, compared to CT, giving rise to ICERs of $ 608,667.86/QALY. The univariate sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the outcomes were most sensitive to the cost of durvalumab. Other variables with a large or moderate influence were the utility of progression-free survival state, utility of progressive disease state, and cost of tremelimumab. Probability sensitivity analysis revealed that T + D + CT had a 0% probability of cost-effectiveness in individuals with mNSCLC at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $ 100,000 to $ 150,000 per QALY.

Conclusion and relevance: In this model, T + D + CT was estimated to be less cost-effective than CT for patients with mNSCLC at a WTP threshold of $ 100,000 to $ 150,000 per QALY in the United States. When new combination therapies with remarkable effect become pivotal in the first-line treatment, the price reduction of durvalumab and tremelimumab may be necessary to achieve cost-effectiveness in future possible context.
Potential effectiveness of digital therapeutics specialized in executive functions as adjunctive treatment for clinical symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a feasibility study
Authors: Sun Tai Hui , Yeom Ji Won , Choi Kwang-Yeon , Kim Jeong-Lan , Lee Heon-Jeong , Kim Hyun-Jin , Cho Chul-Hyun
Published: July 2023

Introduction

The role of digital therapeutics (DTx) in the effective management of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is beginning to gain clinical attention. Therefore, it is essential to verify their potential efficacy.

Method

We aimed to investigate the improvement in the clinical symptoms of ADHD by using DTx AimDT01 (NUROW) (AIMMED Co., Ltd., Seoul, Korea) specialized in executive functions. NUROW, which consists of Go/No-go Task- and N-Back/Updating-based training modules and a personalized adaptive algorithm system that adjusts the difficulty level according to the user’s performance, was implemented on 30 Korean children with ADHD aged 6 to 12 years. The children were instructed to use the DTx for 15 min daily for 4 weeks. The Comprehensive attention test (CAT) and Childhood Behavior Checklist (CBCL) were used to assess the children at baseline and endpoint. In contrast, the ADHD-Rating Scale (ARS) and PsyToolkit were used weekly and followed up at 1 month, for any sustained effect. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to identify differences between the participants during visits, while t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to identify changes before and after the DTx.

Results

We included 27 participants with ADHD in this analysis. The ARS inattention (F = 4.080, p = 0.010), hyperactivity (F = 5.998. p < 0.001), and sum (F = 5.902, p < 0.001) significantly improved. After applying NUROW, internalized (t = −3.557, p = 0.001, 95% CI = −3.682-−0.985), other (Z = −3.434, p = 0.001, effect size = −0.661), and sum scores (t = −3.081, p = 0.005, 95% CI = −10.126-−2.022) were significantly changed in the CBCL. The overall effect was confirmed in the ARS sustained effect analysis even after 1 month of discontinuing the DTx intervention.

Discussion

According to caregivers, the findings indicate that DTx holds potential effect as an adjunctive treatment in children with ADHD, especially in subjective clinical symptoms. Future studies will require detailed development and application targeting specific clinical domains using DTx with sufficient sample sizes.

Clinical trial registration: KCT0007579.
The use of teledentistry in clinical oral and maxillofacial pathology practice: an institutional experience
Authors: Flores-Hidalgo Andres , Collie John , King Shae , Grant Ford T. , Beasley Nicole E. , Moss Mark E. , Tempel Thomas R.
Published: July 2023

Background

Although there has been a slight increase in dental professionals since 2011, 98 of North Carolina's 100 counties are designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas by the Heath Resources and Service Administration. This shortage significantly increases disparities and access to primary and specialized oral health care. Also, dental professionals in these remote locations may feel the access and referrals to oral and maxillofacial pathologists cumbersome. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted an inevitable surge in the use of digital technology due to the social distancing norms and lockdowns, which forced dental education institutions and practitioners to adjust to new ways of meeting, teaching, and providing dental care. In the present manuscript, we report our institutional experience delivering specialized dental care in rural areas.

Materials and methods

We conducted a retrospective case series of diagnosis, management, and outcomes of patients who underwent synchronous or asynchronous virtual and remote examination of oral lesions at ECU School of Dental Medicine and one satellite clinic over seven years. For those cases that concluded on surgical sampling, the clinical impressions, differential diagnoses, and the final diagnosis were compared to assess the accuracy of the clinical exam through teledentistry.

Results

The total study population consisted of 71 patients. Most of the remote consultations were done asynchronously. Also, most virtual clinical consultations were initiated due to clinical suspicion of malignancy and infectious/reactive conditions, accounting for 42% and 25.3% of all encounters.

Conclusions

The presented data suggest how teledentistry can support clinical practice in rural areas to achieve optimal care for the patient in rural or remote communities. Also, it significantly decreases the travel required, the number of appointments, and increases the speed of diagnosis. Teledentistry is an excellent tool available to all clinicians and can dramatically aid in diagnosing oral mucosa lesions.
Nanocomposite Coatings for Anti-Corrosion Properties of Metallic Substrates
Authors: Muresan Liana Maria
Published: July 2023

Nanocomposites are high-performance materials with exceptional characteristics that possess properties that their individual constituents, by themselves, cannot provide. They have useful applications in many fields, ranging from membrane processes to fuel cells, biomedical devices, and anti-corrosion protection. Well-tailored nanocomposites are promising materials for anti-corrosion coatings on metals and alloys, exhibiting simple barrier protection or even smart auto-responsive and self-healing functionalities. Nanocomposite coatings can be prepared by using a large variety of matrices and reinforcement materials, often acting in synergy. In this context, recent advances in the preparation and characterization of corrosion-resistant nanocomposite coatings based on metallic, polymeric, and ceramic matrices, as well as the incorporation of various reinforcement materials, are reviewed. The review presents the most important materials used as matrices for nanocomposites (metals, polymers, and ceramics), the most popular fillers (nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanowires, nanorods, nanoplatelets, nanosheets, nanofilms, or nanocapsules), and their combinations. Some of the most important characteristics and applications of nanocomposite coatings, as well as the challenges for future research, are briefly discussed.
Characterization of Some Dermato-Cosmetic Preparations with Marine Lipids from Black Sea Wild Stingray
Authors: Mititelu Magdalena , Licu Monica , Lupu Carmen , Neacșu Sorinel , Olteanu Gabriel , Stanciu Gabriela , Drăgănescu Doina , Oancea Carmen-Nicoleta , Busnatu Ștefan , Hîncu Lucian , Ciocîlteu Maria , Lupuleasa Dumitru
Published: July 2023

The traditional knowledge about the therapeutic and nutritional value of fish has been unanimously recognized among the population since ancient times. So, thanks to the therapeutic virtues of these marine animals, it was possible to develop therapies for certain pathologies as well as the use of bioactive compounds as adjunctive therapies incorporated into the treatment regimen of patients. In the present study, stingray liver oil from wild species collected from the Romanian coast of the Black Sea was isolated and analyzed. Fatty acid analysis was performed by gas chromatography. The analysis of the distribution of fatty acids in the composition of stingray liver oil indicates a ratio of 2.83 of omega 3 fatty acids to omega 6, a ratio of 1.33 of polyunsaturated fatty acids to monounsaturated fatty acids, an iodine index of 111.85, and a total percentage of 68.98% of unsaturated fatty acids. Stingray liver oil was used to evaluate the healing action after preparing a fatty ointment. According to the experimental data, a complete regeneration capacity of the wounds was noted in 12 days without visible signs. Four emulgels with stingray liver oil were formulated and analyzed from a rheological and structural point of view in order to select the optimal composition, after which the anti-inflammatory effect on inflammation caused in laboratory rats was studied and an anti-inflammatory effect was found significant (a maximum inhibitory effect of 66.47% on the edemas induced by the 10% kaolin suspension and 65.64% on the edemas induced by the 6% dextran solution).
Disguised Full-Duplex Covert Communications
Authors: Moon Jihwan
Published: July 2023

Covert communications have arisen as an effective communications security measure that overcomes some of the limitations of cryptography and physical layer security. The main objective is to completely conceal from external devices the very existence of the link for exchanging confidential messages. In this paper, we take a step further and consider a scenario in which a covert communications node disguises itself as another functional entity for even more covertness. To be specific, we study a system where a source node communicates with a seemingly receive-only destination node which, in fact, is full-duplex (FD) and covertly delivers critical messages to another hidden receiver while evading the surveillance. Our aim is to identify the achievable covert rate at the hidden receiver by optimizing the public data rate and the transmit power of the FD destination node subject to the worst-case detection error probability (DEP) of the warden. Closed-form solutions are provided, and we investigate the effects of various system parameters on the covert rate through numerical results, one of which reveals that applying more (less) destination transmit power achieves a higher covert rate when the source transmit power is low (high). Since our work provides a performance guideline from the information-theoretic point of view, we conclude this paper with a discussion on possible future research such as analyses with practical modulations and imperfect channel state information.
Flexible Pressure Sensors for Integration into Karate Body Protector
Authors: Tama Birkocak Derya , Gomes Pedro , Carvalho Helder
Published: July 2023

The increasing interest in karate has also attracted the attention of researchers, especially in combining the equipment used by practitioners with technology to prevent injuries, improve technical skills and provide appropriate scoring. Contrary to the sport of taekwondo, the development of a smart body protector in the sport of karate is still a niche field to be researched. This study focused on developing piezoresistive, textile-based pressure sensors using piezoresistive film, conductive fabric as well as different bonding materials and methods. Primarily, small-scale sensors were produced using ultrasonic welding, hot press welding and oven curing. These were characterized using a universal testing machine and specific conditioning and data-acquisition hardware combined with custom processing software. Large-scale sensors were then manufactured to be placed inside the karate body protector and characterized using cyclic testing. The conditioning circuit allows flexible gain adjustment, and it was possible to obtain a stable signal with an output of up to 0.03 V/N, an adequate signal for the tested force range. The transfer function shows some drift over the cycles, in addition to the expected hysteresis and slight nonlinearity, which can be compensated for. Finally, the configuration with the best results was tested in real practice tests; during these tests the body protector was placed on a dummy as well as on a person. The results showed that the piezoresistive textile-based pressure sensor produced is able to detect and quantify the impact of even light punches, providing an unobtrusive means for performance monitoring and score calculation for competitive practice of this sport.
Rapid Prediction of Nutrient Concentration in Citrus Leaves Using Vis-NIR Spectroscopy
Authors: Acosta Maylin , Quiñones Ana , Munera Sandra , de Paz José Miguel , Blasco José
Published: July 2023

The nutritional diagnosis of crops is carried out through costly foliar ionomic analysis in laboratories. However, spectroscopy is a sensing technique that could replace these destructive analyses for monitoring nutritional status. This work aimed to develop a calibration model to predict the foliar concentrations of macro and micronutrients in citrus plantations based on rapid non-destructive spectral measurements. To this end, 592 ‘Clementina de Nules’ citrus leaves were collected during several months of growth. In these foliar samples, the spectral absorbance (430–1040 nm) was measured using a portable spectrometer, and the foliar ionomics was determined by emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) for macro and micronutrients, and the Kjeldahl method to quantify N. Models based on partial least squares regression (PLS-R) were calibrated to predict the content of macro and micronutrients in the leaves. The determination coefficients obtained in the model test were between 0.31 and 0.69, the highest values being found for P, K, and B (0.60, 0.63, and 0.69, respectively). Furthermore, the important P, K, and B wavelengths were evaluated using the weighted regression coefficients (BW) obtained from the PLS-R model. The results showed that the selected wavelengths were all in the visible region (430–750 nm) related to foliage pigments. The results indicate that this technique is promising for rapid and non-destructive foliar macro and micronutrient prediction.
Road Traffic Sign Detection Method Based on RTS R-CNN Instance Segmentation Network
Authors: Zhang Guirong , Peng Yiming , Wang Hai
Published: July 2023

With the rapid development of the autonomous driving industry, there is increasing research on related perception tasks. However, research on road surface traffic sign detection tasks is still limited. There are two main challenges to this task. First, when the target object’s pixel ratio is small, the detection accuracy often decreases. Second, the existing publicly available road surface traffic sign datasets have limited image data. To address these issues, this paper proposes a new instance segmentation network, RTS R-CNN, for road surface traffic sign detection tasks based on Mask R-CNN. The network can accurately perceive road surface traffic signs and provide important information for the autonomous driving decision-making system. Specifically, CSPDarkNet53_ECA is proposed in the feature extraction stage to enhance the performance of deep convolutional networks by increasing inter-channel interactions. Second, to improve the network’s detection accuracy for small target objects, GR-PAFPN is proposed in the feature fusion part, which uses a residual feature enhancement module (RFA) and atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP) to optimize PAFPN and introduces a balanced feature pyramid module (BFP) to handle the imbalanced feature information at different resolutions. Finally, data augmentation is used to generate more data and prevent overfitting in specific scenarios. The proposed method has been tested on the open-source dataset Ceymo, achieving a Macro F1-score of 87.56%, which is 2.3% higher than the baseline method, while the inference speed reaches 23.5 FPS.
A Transformer-Based Neural Network for Gait Prediction in Lower Limb Exoskeleton Robots Using Plantar Force
Authors: Ren Jiale , Wang Aihui , Li Hengyi , Yue Xuebin , Meng Lin
Published: July 2023

Lower limb exoskeleton robots have shown significant research value due to their capabilities of providing assistance to wearers and improving physical motion functions. As a type of robotic technology, wearable robots are directly in contact with the wearer’s limbs during operation, necessitating a high level of human–robot collaboration to ensure safety and efficacy. Furthermore, gait prediction for the wearer, which helps to compensate for sensor delays and provide references for controller design, is crucial for improving the the human–robot collaboration capability. For gait prediction, the plantar force intrinsically reflects crucial gait patterns regardless of individual differences. To be exact, the plantar force encompasses a doubled three-axis force, which varies over time concerning the two feet, which also reflects the gait patterns indistinctly. In this paper, we developed a transformer-based neural network (TFSformer) comprising convolution and variational mode decomposition (VMD) to predict bilateral hip and knee joint angles utilizing the plantar pressure. Given the distinct information contained in the temporal and the force-space dimensions of plantar pressure, the encoder uses 1D convolution to obtain the integrated features in the two dimensions. As for the decoder, it utilizes a multi-channel attention mechanism to simultaneously focus on both dimensions and a deep multi-channel attention structure to reduce the computational and memory consumption. Furthermore, VMD is applied to networks to better distinguish the trends and changes in data. The model is trained and tested on a self-constructed dataset that consists of data from 35 volunteers. The experimental results show that FTSformer reduces the mean absolute error (MAE) up to 10.83%, 15.04% and 8.05% and the mean squared error (MSE) by 20.40%, 29.90% and 12.60% compared to the CNN model, the transformer model and the CNN transformer model, respectively.
Research Use by Cooperative Extension Educators in New York State
Authors: Hamilton Stephen , Chen Emily , Pillemer Karl , Meador Rhoda
Published: July 2023

A Web-based survey of 388 off-campus Cornell Extension educators in New York State examined their attitudes toward research, sources of research-based information, knowledge and beliefs about evidence-based programs, and involvement in research activities. Strong consensus emerged that research is central and that educators are capable of reading and applying it. The Web is their most frequent source. Time is the greatest barrier. Educators know about evidence-based programs but do not necessarily regard them as superior. Research experience is common among educators in agriculture, much less in 4-H. New methods are needed to connect educators with faculty.
Ethics Education in Medical School: Why? What and How?
Authors: MENG Kwang-ho
Published: July 2023

The concept of incorporating ethics courses into the medical curriculum has been firmly established in the most medical schools of Western world. Virtually every medical school curriculum in the United States, for example, includes medical ethics, and graduates have generally found these courses to be useful and have favored expansion of the programs.
In contrary, however, medical ethics has only recently been included in medical education in Korea. It was early 1980s when one medical school in Seoul first started teaching ethics to the senior medical students, and only half of all 41 medical schools in Korea now are providing some form of ethics education to the medical students.
Physicians and curriculum committees have been hesitant to allot time for medical ethics in an already crowded medical curriculum. Their perception that the discipline is soft and nonverifiable when contrasted to more technical subjects is one problem. Another is the fact that ethics rarely offers specific solutions for discrete problems and tends to raise questions rather than provide clear answers.
However, as medical practice changes in response to advances in technology, pressures from the community for a different quality of doctor-patient relationship, and political changes in health provision, doctors’ interest in the ethical aspects of their practice continues to grow in Korea too.
This paper summarizes the needs of ethics education in medical school in Korea and proposes the hopeful contents and teaching methods based on experiences of medical schools mostly in Western world.
우리나라의 병원의료윤리위원회
Authors: KOH Younsuck , MENG Kwang-ho , KOO Young-Mo , SOHN Myong-sei , HWANG Sang-Ik , HONG Changgi D
Published: July 2023

Objectives : To identify the present status of the Hospital Ethics Committees (HECs) activities in Korea.
Design, setting, participants : A postal survey was sent to 76 major residents training hospitals. Additionally, we included the data related to HEC obtained from our another survey to identify residents' personal perception of medical ethics.
Main measurements and results : HECs were present at 48 of the 58 responding hospitals. Theologians, social workers, and lawyers are rarely involved with HECs. Only five HECs have held a meeting more than once per month. The main barriers to having an active, consistent HEC were time shortages of the members, and inadequate knowledge of medical laws or medical ethics. The thirteen respondents believed their HEC’s recommendations had a major influence on clinical practices. Two-third (66.6%) of responding residents did not know the existence of HEC in their hospitals. The most common reasons to develop a new HEC was to lighten a physician s burden in terms of ethics and law.
Conclusion : The HECs activities were poor. To address the growing number of ethical dilemmas or medical disputes at the hospitals, systematic assistance to promote the activity of HECs seems to be urgently required in our society.
An evaluation of the level of moral development of clinical nurses in Korea
Authors: LEE Mi-Aie , AHN Sung-Hee , KANG Yoon-Sook , SEOMUN Gyeong-Ae , SHIN Mi-Ja
Published: July 2023

This study was conducted to evaluate the level of moral development of clinical nurses in Korea. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires received from 187 clinical nurses in Korea from March 1 to 15, April 2006. The Korean version of the DIT (Rest's Defining Issues Test) was adopted to evaluate levels of moral development, which was measured by the score of P(%) and stage 4. The data were analyzed by a t-test, ANOVA. The results were as follows: 1) The mean score of P(%) and stage 4 was 39.66 (SD=13.34) and 16.20 (SD=8.12) respectively; 2) The score of P(%) revealed significant differences by marital status, nursing ethics education, and employment rank; 3) The score of stage 4 revealed significant differences by age, education level, birthplace, employment rank, and amount of clinical experience. In conclusion, while nursing ethics education should be helpful for enhancing nurses' moral development, this study suggests that it is necessary to develop the content of nursing ethics education and to evaluate its effectiveness.
Korean Patients’ Conceptions of a Good Nurse
Authors: HAN Sung-Suk , UM Young-Rhan , HONG Yeo-Shin , CHO Nam-Ok
Published: July 2023

A study was designed to determine the characteristics, conduct, and impact of a good nurse from the point of view of patients in Korean university hospitals. The study was carried out at two university hospitals in Seoul and one university hospital outside of Seoul. A total of 600 patients (200 at each hospital) were surveyed. With respect to the characteristics of a good nurse, the study showed that patients believe that a good nurse should be kind, cheerful, sincere, trustworthy, considerate, and that nurses must treat patients like family members. In order to determine the conduct of a good nurse as viewed by patients, eight factors were considered, including compassion, professional pride, patient-centered caring, professional knowledge, trust, expertise, respect for patients, and advocacy. When attitudes towards the different factors were measured and converted to scores out of 100 percent, the factor that scored highest was professional knowledge (82.52), followed by professional pride (78.61), trust (78.11), and patient respect (76.90). As for the impact of a good nurse, patients reported that a good nurse induces trust, feelings of security, courage, and cheerfulness in patients. This research shows that a good nurse is conceived as someone who is friendly, bright, sincere, understanding, and treats the patient like family members. If a patient receives care from such a nurse, the patient will rely on the nurse, feel safe, have confidence in the struggle against his or her disease, and have a brighter disposition while undergoing care. Furthermore, although the professional knowledge and pride of nurses are important factors in a patient’s care, for nurses to have an empathetic attitude toward patients, it is suggested that they receive continued education.
Ethical Issues in the Forth Industrial Revolution and the Enhancement of Bioethics Education in Korean Universities
Authors: KIM Sookyung , LEE Kyunghwa , KIM Sanghee
Published: July 2023

This article explores some of the ethical issues associated with the fourth industrial revolution and sug-gests new directions for bioethics education in Korean universities. Some countries have recently devel-oped guidelines and regulations based on the legal and ethical considerations of the benefits and social risks of new technologies associated with the fourth industrial revolution. Foreign universities have also created courses (both classroom and online) that deal with these issues and help to ensure that these new technologies are developed in an ethically appropriate fashion. In South Korea too there have been at-tempts to enhance bioethics education to meet the changing demands of society. However, bioethics edu-cation in Korea remains focused on traditional bioethical topics and largely neglects the ethical issues relat-ed to emerging technologies. Furthermore, Korean universities offer no online courses in bioethics and the classroom courses that do exist are generally treated as electives. In order to improve bioethics education in Korean universities, we suggest that (a) new course should be developed for interprofessional educa- tion; (b) courses in bioethics should be treated as required subjects gradually; (c) online courses should be prepared, and (d) universities should continually revise course contents in response to the development of new technologies.
An Integrated Literature Review of Nursing Ethics Research for Nursing Students in Korea (2011-2020)
Authors: LEE Goeun , PARK Sung-Ho , LEE Hyo-Jin , PARK Su-Bin , Kim Sanghee
Published: July 2023

This study was conducted to determine the current state, and future directions, of research on nursing ethics for nursing students in Korea. The study analyzed and evaluated original research articles that explore nursing ethics issues for Korean nursing students using the integrative literature review method proposed by Whittermore and Knafl. Five Korean databases were searched with queries that combined the terms ‘nursing’, ‘student’, ‘ethic’, and ‘moral’. From the 246 articles published between 2011 and September 2020, 92 were finally selected based on the inclusion criteria and data evaluation. According to the analysis, descriptive studies(75.0%) were the most common designs of article and ethics awareness(37.9%) was the most common research topics. The most frequent keywords were ‘bioethics’, ‘ethics’, ‘(moral) sensitivity’, ‘(critical) thinking’, ‘(ethical) value’, ‘education’, and ‘professionalism’. Most of the research instruments used had been developed in previous studies(88.2%), and the types of journals in which the research was published included those in interdisciplinary medical fields(47.8%), nursing(27.2%), and ethics(10.9%). The number of articles per year has been increasing, especially in 2015 and 2018, and interest in ethical issues and professional ethics has also increased since 2015. This article argues that in order to improve the quality of nursing ethic sresearch, related research should be carried out using a variety of research designs on a wider range of topics, and further develop the knowledge specific to nursing.
Reinforcing Professionalism through Medical Ethics Education Based on Arete
Authors: KIM Min Ji , KIM Jun , KIM Seon-Kyoung
Published: July 2023

This article examines the current status and limitations of medical ethics courses in 40 medical schools in South Korea. Weaknesses in these medical ethics curricula are identified through an analysis of students’ opinions. It is found that medical ethics education in South Korea is focused primarily on normative ethics and case-based learning while character education is largely overlooked. However, if the goal of medical ethics education is to nurture ethical virtues and medical professionalism, it is essential that medical students also receive some thinking training based on principles in virtue ethics. Accordingly, this article argues that the ten character virtues identified by the Korean Educational Development Institute should be incorporated into the casebased instructional methods used in medical ethics curricula in South Korea.
The Need for a One Health Approach to Health Care
Authors: CHOI Eunjoo
Published: July 2023

This article builds on previous research concerning the need for ethics and communication at the expanding human-animal-environment interface. COVID-19 has shown how humans, animals, and the environment are highly inter-connected. Approximately 60% of human infectious diseases in the 20th century originated in animals, and about 75% of new infectious diseases have spread from animals to humans. Although the One Health approach to medicine clearly recognizes the interconnection between people, animals, and the environment, it is also open to criticism. The One Health approach tends to focus exclusively on zoonosis while ignoring the environmental effects caused by huge capital-based development. This article examines the concept of One Health from an ecological level and discusses its achievements, the criticisms that have been raised against it, and the tasks that remain for research based upon it.
The Effect of Moral Sensitivity and Moral Distress on the Caring Behavior of Nurses in Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units*
Authors: HWANG Gahui , SHIN Jung-Min , KIM Miseul , KIM Sanghee , YANG Seung Hyeon
Published: July 2023

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of moral sensitivity and moral distress on the caring behavior of neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit nurses. A survey was conducted on 121 nurses working in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units of five general hospitals in two regions of South Korea. The study found significant differences in moral sensitivity (p =.002), moral distress (p =.001), and caring behavior (p =.013) according to age. There were also significant differences according to career, marriage, and experience in ethics education. A multiple regression analysis confirmed that moral sensitivity (p <.001) and moral distress (p =.027) had a significant effect on caring behavior, accounting for 22.5% and 10.3% of the observed data, respectively. The results of this study may help to identify ways of improving the caring behavior of nurses working in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units.
A Prerequisite for Social Consensus: Knowing What We Do not Know*
Authors: KIM Hyosin , KIM Claire Junga
Published: July 2023

We strongly agree with the feature paper’s argument concerning the need for better discussions and a social consensus concerning end-of-life medical care. We also insist that there is a lack of empirical research related to end-of-life care in Korean society and that greater investment in relevant research is a prerequisite for productive discussion and consensus-building. Unfortunately, many of the premises in the Life-sustaining Treatment Decision Act of 2016 were not subjected to any critical analysis or empirical testing. In this article, we argue that empirical studies should be conducted concerning what Korean citizens?individually and collectively?know or believe, and also what we do not know, concerning issues and unmet needs around end-of-life care and social support in South Korea.
Development of a Functional Healthy Chicken and Beef Mortadella Fortified with Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and the Evaluation of Their Chemical, Microbiological, and Sensory Properties
Authors: Belaouni Meriem , Al-Abdullah Al-Sawalha Basem
Published: July 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the chemical, physical, and microbiological properties of beef and chicken mortadella (BM and CM, respectively) to determine the effect of flaxseed and oregano oils on mortadella samples as compared to the control. Twelve mortadella samples (6 rolls and 6 slices) were analyzed each forming six treatments: T1 (BM control), T2 (CM control), T3 (CM fortified with flaxseed oil), T4 (CM fortified with oregano oil), T5 (BM fortified with flaxseed oil) and T6 (BM fortified with oregano oil). Results obtained during six months of storage were significantly different except for those of the fatty acid profile. Results of chemical analysis showed a moisture content was around 65%, fat content ranged from 11.19-13.90% in BM and 9.77-10.43% in CM, protein content was around 14%, cholesterol content ranged from 21.5-52 mg/100 g in BM, and 16-55 mg/100g in CM, ash content was around 3%, collagen content was around 1.68%, salt content was around 2%, and the negative [H⁺] (ph) content was around 6.5. Oregano oil was found to increase the L* value in both BM and CM. Both oils reduced a* and b* values and were found to be differently affected by the addition of oils. The antimicrobial properties of both oils were observed (an approximate 1 log CFU/g reduction). The resulting sensory scores indicated that both BM and CM were acceptable with no significant differences in texture, sliceability, appearance, and color.
Spatial Analysis of Flood Prone Areas in Fena Leisela Subdistrict, Buru Regency
Authors: Latue Philia Christi
Published: July 2023

Fena Leisela sub-district is often hit by floods in the rainy season. Floods that often occur in the Siwalalat sub-district are caused by the overflowing of the Waegeren river. The research used DEMNAS data and analysis using the Topographic Wetness Index method. The results of the inundation potential analysis are divided into three classes, namely low potential class with an area of 92,196.09 or 63.04%, medium class of 45,769.48 ha or 31.29%, and a high potential class of 936.12 ha or 5.67%. Waelana-Lana village (3,291.78 ha), Wamana Baru (1,349.33 ha), and Waspait (936.12 ha) are villages that have the largest area in the high flood hazard class in Fena Leisela Sub-district. In the medium flood class, Raheriat village (8,243.39 ha) is the village that has the largest area presentation compared to other villages and for the low flood hazard class, Wamlana village (14,811.98 ha), Waemite village (12,305.48 ha) and Waelana-lana village (1,680.33 ha) are the villages that have the largest area compared to other villages in Fena Leisela Sub-district. The results of this study are expected to be a reference for the government and the community in handling future floods to minimize the impact that occurs.
The Re-Label Method For Data-Centric Machine Learning
Authors: Guo Tong
Published: July 2023

In industry deep learning application, our manually labeled data has a certain number of noisy data. To solve this problem and achieve more than 90 score in dev dataset, we present a simple method to find the noisy data and re-label the noisy data by human, given the model predictions as references in human labeling. In this paper, we illustrate our idea for a broad set of deep learning tasks, includes classification, sequence tagging, object detection, sequence generation, click-through rate prediction. The experimental results and human evaluation results verify our idea.
A High-Performance Transfer Learning-Based Model for Microwave Structure Behavior Prediction
Authors: Ma Jiteng , Dang Shuping , Watkins Gavin , Morris Kevin , Beach Mark
Published: July 2023

Microwave structure behavior prediction enables the estimation of circuit response over a frequency range, playing a crucial role in the design of radio frequency (RF) structures. Deep neural network (DNN) approaches have demonstrated their capability to simulate microwave structure behaviors. Nonetheless, the quality and utility of the model are constrained by the availability of data and computational capabilities. These inherent disadvantages hinder the extensive application of DNN in microwave structure behavior prediction. Transfer learning has recently been produced as a method offering improved accuracy and speed for predicting microwave circuit behavior. This paper proposes a novel transfer learning-based model to expedite the prediction process for a sequence of frequency samples. Through experimental validation, it is illustrated that the proposed methodology outperforms the conventional DNN techniques for microwave structure behavior prediction by effectively reducing the required data and shortening the training time. The proposed model also facilitates the fine-tuning of hyperparameters and reduces the simulator computing load.
Habilidades de coping em atletas escolares brasileiros
Authors: Miranda Renato , Coimbra Danilo Reis , Miranda Junior Marcio Vidigal , Russo André Furiatti , Andrade Alexandro , Bara Filho Maurício
Published: July 2023

O coping pode ser definido como a capacidade de gerenciar esforços cognitivos e comportamentais que estão constantemente modificando-se para administrar demandas psicofísicas específicas internas ou externas que excedem aos recursos do indivíduo. Esta habilidade é importante no desempenho de atletas, principalmente no esporte infanto-juvenil. O esporte competitivo escolar produz benefícios na saúde, sociais, acadêmicos e psicológicos para os jovens atletas. No entanto, ainda são escassos os estudos investigando o contexto do esporte competitivo escolar brasileiro. O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar as habilidades de coping em atletas escolares brasileiros, comparando atletas do sexo masculino e feminino e atletas de nível competitivo local e nacional. A amostra foi composta de 105 atletas escolares de ambos os sexos (62,9% masculino) com idade foi de 16±0,9 anos e o tempo de prática de 4,7±2,5 anos de modalidades coletivas (voleibol, basquetebol, handebol e futsal). Foram selecionados 66 (62,9%) atletas da delegação Nacional e 39 (37,1%) da delegação Local. Para avaliar as habilidades de coping dos atletas escolares foi utilizado o questionário “Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28BR.”A variável Coping Total foi analisada separadamente por meio de uma ANOVA 2x2. Os dados das habilidades específicas de coping foram analisados por meio de MANOVA de dois fatores “sexo” e “nível competitivo” (Nacional e Local) com os escores de Lidar com Adversidades, Melhor Desempenho sob Pressão, Preparação Mental/Metas, Concentração, Livre de Preocupação, Motivação/Confiança e Treinabilidade como variáveis dependentes. Houve diferença entre o sexo masculino e feminino no Coping Total, além das habilidades de Melhor Desempenho sob Pressão, Preparação Mental/Metas, Concentração e Motivação/Confiança. Entre os atletas de nível de desempenho Nacional e Local houve diferença nas habilidades de Melhor Desempenho sob Pressão e Motivação/Confiança. Treinadores e demais envolvidos no contexto do esporte escolar devem atentar para o desenvolvimento dessas habilidades de coping em seus atletas, a fim de que eles melhorem o desempenho e maximizem os benefícios que o esporte competitivo pode trazer para o jovem atleta escolar.
Análise das affordances do ambiente domiciliar de crianças pré-escolares: um estudo em função da renda familiar
Authors: Pizzo Gislaine Contessoto , Contreira Andressa Ribeiro , Rocha Francielli Ferreira da , Nascimento Junior José Roberto Andrade do , Vieira Lenamar Fiorese
Published: July 2023

Este estudo objetivou investigar as affordances do ambiente domiciliar de crianças pré-escolares de 36 a 42 meses de idade em função da renda familiar. Participaram do estudo 83 pré-escolares regularmente matriculados em quatro Centros Municipais de Educação Infantil do município de Maringá/PR. Para verificar a affordances do ambiente familiar, a renda familiar e a escolaridade dos pais, foi utilizado o questionário Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development (AHEMD-SR). Para análise dos dados, foram utilizados os testes de Kolmogorov-Smirnov, o Kruskal-Wallise U de Mann-Whitney, adontando-se valor p<0,05. Os resultados evidenciaram que crianças com baixa renda familiar apresentam maior estimulação motora (Md=3,5) quando comparadas com as crianças de média renda familiar (Md=2,5). Todavia, observou-se que as crianças pertencentes a famílias de alta renda possuem mais affordances para o desenvolvimento da motricidade fina quando comparadas às crianças de baixa renda (p=0,005). Já na dimensão de motricidade grossa, verificou-se que crianças de média renda familiar apresentaram ambiente mais favorável para o desenvolvimento de tal habilidade em detrimento às crianças de baixa renda (p=0,005). Concluiu-se que a renda familiar pode ser um elemento interveniente para as affordances relacionadas ao desenvolvimento das habilidades motoras grossas e finas, sendo que crianças pertencentes a famílias de melhor poder aquisitivo possuem maiores oportunidades de desenvolvimento. Por outro lado, crianças de baixa renda possuem mais affordances relacionadas à estimulação motora.
STUDY OF INDICATORS OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY OF ACROBATS AT THE STAGES OF LONG-TERM TRAINING IN THE ASPECT OF SEXUAL DIMORPHISM
Authors: Bachynska Natalia Veronika , Ivchenko Oksana , Boguslavsky Viktor , Sarychev Volodymyr , Petrushyn Dmytro , Anisimov Dmytro , Vozniuk Kostyantyn
Published: July 2023

Aim: Study and comparative characteristics based on the data of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis of athletes specializing in pair-group acrobatics, taking into account age, features of sexual dimorphism at various stages of multi-year training
Materials and Methods: Acrobats of both sexes, of different sports qualifications, of the following stages of long-term training took part in the study: 1) group of training 9-11 years old: girls (n=38), boys (n=38); 2) sports improvement groups aged 12-15: girls (n=36), boys (n=36); 3) groups of higher sports skills aged 16-23: girls (n=32), boys (n=32).
Results: A gender comparison was made between groups of acrobats aged 9-11 years, but no statistically significant differences between girls and boys were found (р>0.05). Comparative characteristics of boys 12-15 and 16-20 years old shows a statistical difference (p 0.5).
Conclusions: In each of the age and gender groups, at different stages of multi-year improvement, acrobats with a different type of regulation – central or autonomous – were identified. The correlation analysis of the 12-15-year-old age group allowed us to obtain the following results: a high and medium degree of correlation between LF and TP indicators in both girls and boys (r=0.82 and r=0.66, respectively). A relationship between VLF and TP indicators was also revealed, in girls r=0.78 and in boys r=0.72.