bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessment of structural heterogeneity and its correlation with early recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma by diffusion weighted imaging based virtual MR elastography
Authors: Li Xiang , Wang Jinhan , Zhai Weini , Li Chenxia , Xiao Jiaqi , Liu Shuai , Chu Chunwei , Jing Yanbo , Qu Kai , Zhang Yuelang 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Background：The mechanical characteristics of tumors are closely related to their invasive growth, metastasis and diffusion. Virtual MR elastography(vMRE), which is based on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), can quickly and reliably reflect the biomechanical properties of cancer without the need for invasive procedures.
Aims: To explore the correlation between structural heterogeneity, early recurrence, and virtual shear modulus (mdiff) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) measured by vMRE.
Materials: A total of 40 HCC patients were retrospectively collected. All patients underwent routine MR sequence and DWI. The mdiff value was estimated by DWI with lower b values (b =200 s/mm2) and higher b values (b =1500 s/mm2). The mdiff inside the tumor(mdiff-tumor), at the tumor edge(mdiff-edge), and around the tumor (within 1cm) (mdiff-around) were measured, as well as the sum(mdiff-sum) of the above parameters. T test was used to compare the differences between groups, and ROC curves were drawn to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of vMRE. Kaplan-Meier curve, Log-rank test and Cox regression were used for survival analysis.
Results: The mdiff-tumor, mdiff-edge, mdiff-sum of low differentiation (4.968 kPa, 4.553 kPa, 27.822 kPa) are higher than those of medium-high differentiation (3.554 kPa, 2.858 kPa, 18.762 kPa) (P <0.050). The mdiff-sum shows the highest diagnostic efficiency, with sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of 77.8%, 90.6%, and 0.823, respectively. There were no significant differences of mdiff-tumor, mdiff-edge, mdiff-around, mdiff-sum in vascular invasion, hemorrhage, necrosis or size (P>0.050). Patients with mdiff-around greater than 5.060 kPa are at a higher risk of early recurrence (P=0.003), and the mdiff-around serves as an independent predictor of early recurrence (HR=0.155, 95%CI 0.031 ~ 0.770, P=0.023).
Conclusion: vMRE can effectively differentiate the pathological grading of HCC, and the values around the tumor have certain early warning significance for the early recurrence of HCC.
Low-residue diet with oral nutritional supplements prior to colonoscopy improves the quality of bowel preparation: an endoscopist-blinded, randomized controlled trial
Authors: Shen Huilin , Sun Yijie , Wu Jiaqi , Zhong Xueqing , Li Guodong , Li Weimin 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Background
Poor bowel preparation has been a great problem of endoscopists for a long time. Low-residue diet (LRD) is often recommended on the day before colonoscopy. However, the quality of bowel preparation with LRD alone is suboptimal. The aim of our study was to examine whether patients who consumed LRD with oral nutritional supplements (ONSs) had higher quality of bowel preparation than patients who consumed LRD alone before colonoscopy.
Methods
An endoscopist-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted in patients who scheduled for colonoscopy with sedation. Patients were randomized to the non-ONS group and the ONS group. The primary outcomes were the rates of adequate bowel preparation measured by the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS), the Ottawa Bowel Preparation Scale (OBPS) and the Colon Endoscopic Bubble Scale (CEBuS). The secondary outcomes were the adenoma detection rate (ADR), the polyp detection rate (PDR) and the rates of adverse events.
Results
In both groups, 100 patients were analyzed. The rates of adequate bowel preparation measured by BBPS and OBPS and the PDR were significantly higher in the ONS group than in the non-ONS group (all P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed in the CEBuS scores, the ADR and the rates of adverse events between the two groups (P > 0.05).
Conclusions
LRD with ONSs helps increase the quality of bowel preparation. To help with colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, further studies are warrant.
Trial registration
[Chinese Clinical Trial Registry], [ChiCTR2400091660], [31/10/2024], [Retrospectively registered]
Human-biting behavior of Leptoconops irritans (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in a touristic area of the Balearic Islands (Spain)
Authors: González Mikel Alexander , Barceló Carlos , Rodríguez-López Aroa , Figuerola Jordi , Miranda Miguel Ángel 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Biting gnats of genus Leptoconops Skuse 1889 are small blood-feeding insects recognized as highly irritating diurnal pests in certain regions around the globe. In Europe, their presence is poorly documented, except in France and Italy. Following reports of human discomfort in a touristic area of Menorca, Balearic Islands (Spain), a small-scale study was conducted to identify the biting species and assess their preferred biting sites using a human-landing assay along a habitat gradient in a coastal dune area. Leptoconops irritans (Noé, 1905) was identified based on morphological features and DNA barcoding. This species reached high densities (average rates of 3.3 landings/min), particularly near coastal dune vegetation. No statistically significant differences were found among the four main body site landings of L. irritans (F3,6.023 = 1.80, p = 0.250): head (n = 91, 53.8%), lower extremities (n = 39, 23.1%), upper extremities (n = 37, 21.8%) and other covered areas (n = 2, 0.2%). Landing preferences varied among the three volunteers and bites progressed differently. This study represents the second documented case of Leptoconops gnats causing human discomfort in Spain. We hope this research stimulates further interest in this understudied genus, which has been largely overlooked across much of Europe.
Long-term Effect of Adhesive Systems on Resin Composite Repair of 3D-Printed Polymers for Temporary Fixed Dental Prostheses
Authors: Genari Bruna , Degrazia Felipe Weidenbach , Suzuki Thaís Yumi Umeda , Cardenal Bernardo Papaleo Mendoza , Andrade Isabela Romão , Miranda Ranulfo Benedito de Paula 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of adhesive systems on the bond strength of composite resin repairs to 3D-printed polymer material used in temporary fixed dental prostheses.
Materials and Methods: Block-shaped specimens of 3D-printed polymer materials used in temporary fixed dental prostheses (priZma 3D Bio Prov) were obtained using a Photon Mono 6K 3D printer (Anycubic) and subjected to post-curing processing (Wash&Cure 2.0, Anycubic). Composite resin restorations were fabricated on these blocks in two 2-mm increments. The following experimental groups were created: three-step conventional adhesive and universal adhesive system groups (n = 5). Sticks with an adhesive area of 0.5 mm² were obtained using a precision cutting machine, and microtensile bond strength was evaluated after 24 hours and six months. Data were analyzed using a t-test between groups and paired t-test between times with a significance level of 0.05, using SigmaPlot Statistical Software.
Results: The μTBS values varied from 28.42 ± 4.12 MPa to 43.29 ± 2.68 MPa. The three-step conventional adhesive yielded a higher microtensile bond strength (μTBS) than the universal adhesive system when tested after 24 hours (p = 0.01). However, after 6 months, no significant difference in μTBS was observed between the three-step conventional and universal adhesives (p = 0.07).
Conclusions: It can be concluded that both three-step conventional and universal adhesive systems are effective in promoting adhesive repair between temporary 3D-printed resin and composite resin.
Clinical Relevance: The findings suggest that both three-step conventional adhesive and universal adhesive systems can be reliably used for the repair of 3D-printed temporary restorations in clinical settings.
Association between muscular tissue desaturation and acute kidney injury in patients after surgery for acute type A aortic dissection: a single-center retrospective study
Authors: Zhao Long , Peng Ling , Huang Qianli , Wei Wei 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Background
A significant association between muscular tissue oxygen saturation (SmtO2), measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and postoperative complications has been observed in patients undergoing major surgery. However, the association between muscular tissue desaturation and acute kidney injury (AKI) has not yet been reported in patients following surgery for acute type A aortic dissection.
Method
One hundred seventy-four adult patients who underwent total aortic arch replacement (TAAR) under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) for acute type A aortic dissection were retrospectively analyzed. Muscular tissue oxygen saturation (SmtO2) and regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2), measured by NIRS, were recorded. The baseline SmtO2 and rScO2 were the average values over 30 seconds following anesthesia induction. The minimum SmtO2 and rScO2 values were the lowest measurements recorded at any time during surgery. The mean SmtO2 and rScO2 were the average values across the entire monitoring period. The thresholds defining muscular tissue desaturation were SmtO2 < 80%, < 85%, and < 90% of baseline (relative changes compared to the baseline measurement) and < 55% and < 50% (absolute values). Cerebral desaturation was defined as rScO2 falling below 55% or 50% on either the left or right side during surgery. The primary outcome was the association between muscular tissue desaturation and AKI. The secondary outcome was the association between cerebral desaturation and AKI.
Result
AKI occurred in 71 (40.08%) of the 174 patients underwent TAAR under CPB and DHCA. SmtO2 < 80% of baseline was associated with an increased risk of AKI (odds ratio [OR], 1.021; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.001–1.041; P = 0.034). A receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the optimal cutoff for SmtO2 < 80% baseline duration was 33.5 minutes in predicting AKI (sensitivity, 70.00%; specificity, 77.80%). The durations of SmtO2 < 85% baseline (OR, 1.009; 95% CI, 0.996–1.021; P = 0.195) and < 90% baseline (OR,1.007; 95% CI, 0.996–1.018; P = 0.208) were not significantly associated with AKI. There were no significant differences in the durations of absolute SmtO2 values < 55% and < 50% or in the minimum SmtO2 between the two cohorts. Minimum rScO2 and durations of left and right rScO2 < 55% and < 50% were also not associated with AKI. Patients with AKI experienced significantly higher in-hospital mortality and more postoperative complications compared with non-AKI patients.
Conclusion
Muscular tissue desaturation, defined as SmtO2 < 80% of baseline monitored on the lower leg, was significantly associated with an increased risk of AKI in patients who underwent TAAR under CPB and DHCA. Cerebral desaturation, defined as absolute rScO2 < 55% or < 50%, was not associated with AKI.
Steatosis Non-Invasive Tests Accurately Predict Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease, While Fibrosis Non-Invasive Tests Fall Short: Validation in U.S. Adult Population
Authors: Sualeheen Ayesha , Tan Sze-Yen , Daly Robin M. , Georgousopoulou Ekavi , Roberts Stuart K. , Abbott Gavin , George Elena S. 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Introduction
Metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has replaced NAFLD as the diagnostic standard. This study aimed to validate steatosis and fibrosis non-invasive tests (NITs) used for NAFLD in predicting MASLD and advanced fibrosis, compared to transient elastography (TE), respectively.
Methods
This cross-sectional study used the NHANES database (2017–2020). The Dallas steatosis index (DSI), fatty liver index (FLI), Framingham steatosis index (FSI) and hepatic steatosis index (HSI) were assessed against TE diagnosed MASLD. The NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), APRI (The aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index), and BARD (body mass index, aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio diabetes score) were assessed against TE diagnosed advanced fibrosis. The diagnostic accuracy evaluated with the weighted ROC analysis.
Results
The study included 5,399 participants (51% female), with an estimated MASLD prevalence of 42.9%, and 10.6% indicated advanced fibrosis as assessed by TE. Steatosis NITs showed good diagnostic accuracy for predicting MASLD (AUROC 0.835 to 0.862), with FLI having the maximum Youden index (0.55). Fibrosis NITs indicated poor to fair diagnostic performance for predicting advanced fibrosis (AUROC 0.572 to 0.699) but had high NPV (89%-94%). In an age categorized subgroup analysis fibrosis NITs indicated poor performance in those aged ≤ 35 years and exhibited unacceptably low specificity to exclude fibrosis in those aged ≥ 65 years.
Conclusion
In this population-based cohort of U.S. adults, all steatosis NITs demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy for MASLD. However, the fibrosis NITs showed limited diagnostic ability and were influenced by age, suggesting they should be used with caution in the general population.
Physical Privacy Protection for Human Action Recognition: A Portable, Scalable, and Secure Approach
Authors: Wang Ziyi , Liu Mengyuan , Li Peiming 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

The widespread adoption of smart devices and surveillance systems has brought substantial benefits to public safety, smart homes, and health monitoring, while elevating privacy protection to a crucial concern, particularly for human action recognition technologies. Traditional video encryption methods rely on computational algorithms, which fail to fully mitigate privacy risks inherent during video capture. To tackle this issue, we propose a novel physical-layer privacy protection approach called Lens Privacy Sealing, offering an intuitive alternative to algorithmic encryption through simple hardware modifications of existing devices, enabling adjustable privacy levels to meet different recognition requirements. Conventional HAR techniques often follow a two-stage process, where human detection in encrypted videos becomes challenging due to degraded visual information, leading to significant performance loss. To balance privacy and performance, we introduce a single-stage recognition framework using a language-image pre-training model and novel transformers for spatio-temporal integration. Additionally, we develop modules to minimize interference from privacy masks, ensuring effective motion capture while preserving privacy. Extensive experiments validate that our proposed method achieves effective privacy protection while maintaining competitive recognition accuracy.
Comprehensive Study on In Vitro Propagation of Some Imported Peach Rootstocks: In Vitro Rooting and Acclimatization
Authors: Eliwa Galal I. , Dengawye El Refaey F. El , Gawish Mohamed S. , Yamany Mona M. 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

The current study was conducted in the tissue culture laboratory at the horticulture department, Damietta University's faculty of agriculture, Egypt. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of different IBA concentrations on the in vitro rooting and acclimatization of Okinawa (P. persica), Nemared (P. persica × P. davidiana) × P. persica), and Garnem (P. dulcis × P. persica) peach rootstocks. For the in vitro rooting stage, microcuttings of 2–3 cm long were cultured in MS medium supplemented with IBA (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 mg/L). According to our results, the Garnem genotype exhibited the highest in vitro rooting rate%, number of roots per plantlet, and root length. The level of 2.0 mg/L of IBA was associated with rooting rates of 100%, 83.33%, and 75% for the rootstocks Garnem, Okinawa, and Nemared, respectively. The Garnem genotype responded to 4.0 mg/L of IBA with a fixed highest root number (12.33), which is the average number of roots per plantlet. As for the rootstocks Nemared and Okinawa, the highest root number per plantlet was 8.00 and 5.00, respectively, in response to 3.0 mg/L of IBA. The root lengths of the three rootstocks varied significantly depending on the IBA treatment. The Garnem genotype presented the longest root length (5.33 cm), which was followed by the Okinawa genotype (2.49 cm), while the shortest value was presented with the Nemared (1.43 cm). The current study demonstrated that the three rootstocks developed abnormal roots and callus formation when the IBA concentration was increased to 4.00 mg/L. Following acclimatization, the three peach rootstocks of the Garnem, Okinawa, and Nemared had respective average survival rates of 93%, 90%, and 75% for plantlets with fully grown shoots and roots.
SF-DaM: An Efficient Lightweight Approach for Detecting and Mitigating the TCP SYN Flooding Attacks in SDN
Authors: Rabed Ahmed , Abdulrazzaq Fuaad , Al-Mqdashi Abdulmajid , Al-Sanabani Maher 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Despite of its impressive advantages over the traditional networks, SoftwareDefined Networking (SDN) still encounters many challenges, especially when it comes to network security problems. The SYN flooding attacks is considered as the most effective and widely adopted DDoS mechanism to mount saturation on SDN control plane as well as on the targeted victim end systems. Although various studies have addressed this problem area, their solutions do not solve the issue efficiently due to the complexity and impracticality of their designs or due to the significant overhead and long time required for attack detection and mitigation. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an efficient lightweight security approach called SF-DaM for providing fast and accurate alleviation of the SYN flooding attacks in SDNs. The proposed SF-DaM employs a lightweight but effective mechanism for monitoring the incoming TCP connection requests and validating their legitimacy with low overhead which make it capable of detecting and blocking the sources of malicious requests quickly without sacrificing the benign host traffics. To demonstrate its feasibility and effectiveness, the SF-DaM is fully implemented as an extension module of the SDN POX controller and is evaluated under different conditional scenarios via the Mininet emulator. The experimental results illustrate the out-performance of SF-DaM when compared to the state-of-the-art approaches as it can provide a significant improvement on the attack detection time and benign response time specially under the spoofed attacks scenarios. The results also shows that SF-DaM can significantly reduce the overhead on the controller and its control channels.
Inter-annual variability of mammal populations in the Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve by winter route sensing
Authors: Asoskova A. Е. , Skvortsov V. V. 
Published: December 2024

This article presents the results of a research study into the dynamics of mammal populations in the Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve during the 2014–2024 period. The research was conducted using the authors’ field observations and archival data. The influence of a number of factors, i.e., snow cover depth and spruce and pine cone yield, on the mammal populations in the area under study is analyzed. A weak snow cover was shown to be favorable for maintaining high numbers of wild boar populations, while a thicker show cover was more favorable for predators (wolves). The weather conditions favorable for harvest of spruce and pine cones was found to have a positive effect on both herbivores and predators. In the dynamics of relationships between predators and their prey, regular interrelated fluctuations in population numbers are observed.
The impact of rainfall value on the accuracy of the SCS-CN model: selection of model parameters
Authors: Sun Qiang , Liu Jiahao 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACT
The soil conservation service curve number (SCS-CN) model is a widely utilized tool for estimating runoff and relies on two empirical parameters: the CN and the ratio of initial abstraction to maximum potential retention (λ). The determination of the parameters is via the empirical method or calculations based on actual data. However, few studies address the effect of rainfall on parameter selection, and collecting runoff data for model analysis is challenging. This study, taking the Nemor River Basin as the research region, investigates how the combination of CN and λ impacts the model in different rainfall conditions. Using runoff plots and reanalysis product data, the study reveals that: (1) the calculated methods outperformed the empirical method, increasing the Nash Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient from 0.34 to 0.65. (2) A higher λ value (0.2 compared to 0.02) reduces runoff and smoothes the runoff curve, which becomes less obvious with increasing CN. (3) The CN values exhibit a non-monotonic relationship with rainfall, initially decreasing before rising, highlighting the need to adjust the CN based on rainfall. Moreover, the SCS-CN model's performance with reanalysis data approximates that with actual data, confirming the viability of reanalysis datasets in this region.
Evaluation and prediction of carrying capacity of soil and water resources in Lanzhou City based on the CA–Markov model
Authors: Zhou Tianhong , Gao Jiancheng , An Feihu , Wang Hualan , Chu Junying , Ma Kai 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACT
To promote sustainable development, evaluating the carrying capacity of soil and water resources has become indispensable. This study establishes an evaluation system using the driving force–pressure–state–impact–response framework and employs the entropy weight cloud model to comprehensively assess the water and soil resource capacity of Lanzhou. Additionally, the CA–Markov model and the gray prediction model were deployed to forecast Lanzhou's future water and soil resource capacity. The evaluation from 2010 to 2022 indicates consistent classification at overloaded or severely overloaded levels, highlighting systemic inefficiency in water and soil resource utilization, which poses a significant obstacle to sustainability. Notably, urbanization rate, water productivity coefficient, and per capita water resources were identified as key factors influencing these results. Based on the forecast for the next 5 years (2023–2027), the water and soil resource capacity of Lanzhou is expected to further decline, posing challenges to sustainable development. This study provides technical support and decision-making guidance for the formulation of Lanzhou's water and soil resource management strategies and sustainable development planning, playing a key role in promoting efficient resource utilization and protecting regional water and soil resources.
PENGARUH IMPLEMENTASI PROGRAM SUSTAINABLE FINANCE TERHADAP OPERATING EFFICIENCY RATIO BANK TAHUN 2017-2022
Authors: Julian Felix Armando  , Setyo Tri Wahyudi  
Published: December 2024

This research is aimed for examining the impact of the implementation of sustainable finance program policies that projected by the sustainability report, Ethernet Channel, and Green Credit which are examine for it’s influene on the Operational Efficiency Ratio of banks that listed on the IDX that projected by BOPO in 2017-2022. Through the results of research on 6 banks that are observed by purposive sampling, it shows that ethernet channel product with digital innovation encourage customer efficiency which supports bank operational efficiency. Contrary to the Sustainability Report and Green Credit which actually creates additional costs and risks as well as the characteristics of each program that encourages inefficiency in the observed banks.