bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Condyloma acuminatum recurrence can be reduced by lesional autotransplantation
Authors: Epipode Ntawuyamara , Bashir Zeeshan , Liang Yuan , Liang Yanhua 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background
Condyloma acuminatum (CA), also known as a genital wart (GW), is a sexually transmitted disease caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV lesions, recurrence tendency, and risk of malignant formation are primarily dependent on the person’s immunity level. GW recurrence is a major challenge in CA treatment.The aim of this study was to explore how lesional autotransplantation (LT) can be used to treat coronary anemia and decrease its recurrence.
Methods
We treated CA through the preparation and implantation of tissue from nine CA patients in our dermatology clinic. Transplantation of small pieces of HPV lesions to the subcutaneous fat of the inguinal region was carried out with the help of a simple surgical method under local anesthesia. Patients were followed up for six to eight months. We searched PubMed and the Web of Science for treatment options for CA to compare our treatment method recurrence rate with existing treatment options.
Results
During three months of follow-up, seven patients experienced no recurrence of condyloma lesions, while two patients experienced recurrence of small lesions of condyloma acuminatum. The recurrence rate of CA once treated by autotransplantation was relatively low compared to that of other CA treatment options.
Conclusions
Transplantation of HPV lesions to the inguinal area reduces the recurrence rate in sexually active individuals. The 2/9 recurrence after implantation could be due to poor hygiene, sexual relationships or immune factors.
Phenological and morphological variations of Oryza rufipogon and O. nivara in Sri Lanka and their evolutionary implications
Authors: Ge Song , Sandamal Salinda , Tennakoon Asanka , Wijerathna Parakkrama , Zhang Hong-Xiang , Yu Wen-Hao , Qiang Cheng-Gen , Han Jing-Dan , Zhang Fu-Min , Ratnasekera Disna 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Phenological and morphological variation are widely viewed as a pivotal driver of ecological adaptation and speciation. Oryza rufipogon and O. nivara, the wild progenitors of cultivated rice, are most closely related and provide a unique system for investigating ecological adaption and speciation. Here, we investigate variation patterns of flowering phenology and morphological traits within and between O. rufipogon and O. nivara populations in Sri Lanka by incorporating the in situ observation in natural habitats and manipulative experiments in common gardens. First, we observed varying degrees of phenological variation under different temporal and environmental conditions, suggesting that flowering phenology of two Oryza species is highly plastic and vary depending on both environment and management practices. Particularly, the Sri Lankan O. nivara exhibits high plasticity in flowering phenology with water availability being a primary determinant, implying that O. nivara might not be an annual in the strict sense. Second, we unexpectedly found that flowering time of the two species in Sri Lanka overlapped to a large extent, which suggests that the primary factor to maintain the species divergence in Sri Lanka may not be flowering time but rather environments. Third, we uncovered two distinct morphological groups, corresponding to O. rufipogon and O. nivara and show that habitat difference rather than spatial isolation is the main explanation for the phenotypic divergence between species. Moreover, our results indicate a substantial link between morphological variation and several major climatic factors including altitude, temperature and rainfall. Finally, our selection analysis suggests that interspecific divergence in the traits related to reproduction and habitat preference is most likely driven by natural selection. Together, our case study on the Sri Lankan O. rufipogon and O. nivara enhances the understanding of the roles of phenotypic plasticity and environmental factors in the processes of adaptation and speciation.
Enhancing the efficiency of protein language models with minimal wet-lab data through few-shot learning
Authors: Tan Pan , Zhou Ziyi , Zhang Liang , Yu Yuanxi , Li Mingchen , Hong Liang 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Accurately modeling the protein fitness landscapes holds great importance for protein engineering. Recently, due to their capacity and representation ability, pre-trained protein language models have achieved state-of-the-art performance in predicting protein fitness without experimental data. However, their predictions are limited in accuracy as well as interpretability. Furthermore, such deep learning models require abundant labeled training examples for performance improvements, posing a practical barrier. In this work, we introduce FSFP, a training strategy that can effectively optimize protein language models under extreme data scarcity. By combining the techniques of meta-transfer learning, learning to rank, and parameter-efficient fine-tuning, FSFP can significantly boost the performance of various protein language models using merely tens of labeled single-site mutants from the target protein. The experiments across 87 deep mutational scanning datasets underscore its superiority over both unsupervised and supervised approaches, revealing its potential in facilitating AI-guided protein design.
An integration test based only on the maximum and minimum Z-scores for meta analysis
Authors: Zhang Yuxin , Li Zhengbang 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Purpose:
In modern medical field, one may encounter many summary values such as Z-scores and p-values. There have existed many integration methods for p-values, and there also existed some integration methods for Z-scores. Although there is a test which can integrate the maximum and minimum values from a large number of related Z-score values, but the distribution function of this test method is very complex and it is difficult to compute its p value.
Methods:
In this paper, we propose a new test to integrate the maximum and minimum Z-scores for meta analysis. We derive the asymptotic distribution of our proposed test under some regular conditions and null hypothesis. We investigate theoretical powers of our proposed test for some settings under alternative hypothesis.
Results:
We compare powers of our proposed test to existing tests theoretically. Both extensive simulation results and real data analysis results show that our proposed test can control empirical type-1 error rates well and gain desirable powers.
Conclusion:
Our proposed method can be adopted easily and conveniently.
The value of quantitative shear wave elastography combined with conventional ultrasound in evaluating and guiding fine needle aspiration biopsy of axillary lymph node for early breast cancer: implication for axillary surgical stage
Authors: Liu Xuan , Huang Yi-ni , Wu Ying-lan , Zhu Xiao-yao , Xie Ze-ming , Li Jian 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Objectives
To investigate the value of conventional ultrasonography (US) combined with quantitative shear wave elastography (SWE) in evaluating and identifying target axillary lymph node (TALN) for fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of early breast cancer patients.
Materials and methods
A total of 222 patients with 223 ALNs were prospectively recruited from January 2018 to December 2021. All TALNs were evaluated by US, SWE and subsequently underwent FNAB. The diagnostic performances of US, SWE, two combination methods of US and SWE (“US or SWE” and “US and SWE”), and FNAB guided by the above four methods for evaluating ALN status were assessed using receiver operator characteristic curve analyses. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses used to determine the independent predictors of axillary burden.
Results
The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the ability of conventional US and SWE in diagnosing ALNs were 0.70 and 0.66, with a sensitivity of 78.00% and 65.00%, a specificity of 60.98% and 66.67%. Using the SWE to combined with US, the “US or SWE” achieved significantly improved sensitivity of 86.00%. The AUC of the “US or SWE”-guided FNAB [0.85 (95% CI, 0.80–0.90)] was significantly higher than that of US-guided FNAB [0.83 (95% CI, 0.78–0.88), p = 0.042], SWE-guided FNAB [0.79 (95% CI, 0.73–0.84), p = 0.001], and US and SWE-guided FNAB [0.77 (95% CI, 0.71–0.82), p < 0.001]. Multivariate logistic regression showed that FNAB and number of suspicious ALNs were found independent predictors of axillary burden in early breast cancer patients.
Conclusion
The "US or SWE" had superior sensitivity compared to US or SWE alone in ALN diagnosis. The "US or SWE"-guided FNAB achieved a lower false-negative rate compared to FNAB guided solely by US or SWE, which may be a promising tool for the preoperative diagnosis of ALNs in early breast cancer, and had the potential implication for the selection of axillary surgical modality.
Group-Based Trajectory Modeling to Identify Adherence Patterns for Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Medicare Beneficiaries with Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Mohan Anjana , Chen Hua , Deshmukh Ashish A. , Wanat Matthew , Essien Ekere James , Paranjpe Rutugandha , Fatima Bilqees , Abughosh Susan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background Suboptimal adherence to direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) among Atrial Fibrillation (AF) patients remains currently a major concern due to the increased risk of cardiac and thromboembolic events.
Aim The aim is to identify longitudinal distinct trajectories of DOAC adherence, and the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with the trajectories.
Method Patients with AF who were prescribed a DOAC from July 2016 - December 2017 were identified among patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plan. Patients were followed up for a year after the index date to calculate the monthly Proportion of days covered (PDC). The monthly PDC was incorporated into the logistic GBTM to characterize the distinct patterns of adherence. A multinomial regression model was carried out to assess various predictors associated with each trajectory. Sub-group analysis was conducted among incident DOAC users.
Results A total of 1,969 patients with AF were included. Four distinct trajectories of adherence were selected: adherent (36.8%), gaps in adherence (9.3%), gradual decline in adherence (29.7%), and rapid decline in adherence (24.2%). Significant predictors associated with suboptimal adherence trajectories were age, gender, health plan, prevalent users, and the presence of comorbidities like hypertension, renal disease, and NSAID use. Among the 933 incident users, three adherence trajectories were identified: adherent trajectory (31.8%), rapid decline in adherence (32.5%), and gradual decline in adherence (35.6%). The significant factors identified among incident users were gender, health plan, HAS-BLED score, and coronary artery disease.
Conclusion Adherence to DOACs was suboptimal among the total population and the incident users.
Imported Malaria in a non-endemic country: sixteen years of cases in a Hospital in the South of Madrid, Spain.
Authors: Antón-Berenguer Víctor , Cabrera-Rodrigo Irene , Valle-Borrego Beatriz , Ligero-López Jorge , Merino-Fernández Francisco J. , Gómez-de-Frutos Sara , Rubio Jose Miguel 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

PURPOSE: Malaria keeps on being a serious global health threat, especially in many tropical countries, where it is endemic. Also in non-endemic countries, like Spain, malaria is an issue that requires attention due to the presence of imported cases.
METHODS: This is a retrospective study, including all patients diagnosed with malaria at Severo Ochoa University Hospital from 2006 to 2022, being classified according to: (I) their type of stay in an endemic area as visiting friends and relatives (VFR), migrants of recent arrival (MRA), or tourism and business (T&B), and (II) the mode of presentation as microscopic (MM) or submicroscopic (SMM) malaria.
RESULTS: In this study, 132 patients (23.7% of all suspected) were diagnosed with malaria. The PCR was the most sensitive technique (99.2%), followed by antigen detection (78.8%) and microscopy (75%), with Plasmodium falciparum being the predominant species (94.7%). VFR was the largest group infected with malaria (69.7%), mostly symptomatic (98.2%) and presenting MM (90.2%). Instead, MRA patients (25%) presented milder (47.4%) or no symptoms (31.6%) and higher cases of SMM (42.4%).
Coinfection with another imported pathogen was present in 19 patients (14.4%), being MRA more frequently coinfected (30.3%).
CONCLUSION: This study shows the need for establishing systems for VFRs to attend pre-travel consultations to reduce malaria imported risk. In the case of MRA, screening for imported diseases should be conducted upon their arrival. Finally, we highlight two cases of co-infection with imported viruses, showing that presence of symptoms resembling malaria from another imported pathogen does not exclude malaria.
Pulsed electric field treatment of oat and barley flour: Influence on enzymes, non-starch polysaccharides, dough rheological properties and application in flat bread
Authors: Grgić Tomislava , Bleha Roman , Smrčková Petra , Stulić Višnja , Pavičić Tomislava Vukušić , Synytsya Andriy , Iveković Damir , Novotni Dubravka 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

This study examined the effects of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on enzymes, non-starch polysaccharides, and bread making potential of oat and barley flour. Enzymes activity, microstructure, β-glucans extractability, molecular weight (Mw) and structure of non-starch polysaccharides, dough rheology and flat bread properties were determined. An exponential decay model explained better the residual activity of oat β-glucanase across electric field intensity than barley β-glucanase. PEF treatment of flour at 12 kV/cm for 162 ms significantly reduced β-glucanase activity (40.2–76.5%) while increased the concentration of total β-glucans (33.5%) and water-extractable arabinoxylans (36–41%). Mw of linear β-d-glucans decreased (9%) while Mw of branched arabinoxylans increased (6–33%). Scanning electron microscopy showed changes in microstructure of barley proteins. Blending wheat flour (70%) with oat or barley flour (30% weight) after PEF treatment enhanced gluten aggregation energy (29–19%) and breakdown viscosity (18–43%) of dough, as well as increased β-glucans content (21–32%) but reduced specific volume (11–24%). The findings of this study provide a comprehensive insight into the PEF's potential for retarding enzymatic reactions and preserving integrity of cereal non-starch polysaccharides.
Response mechanism of heat-sensitive neurons under combined noise stimulation
Authors: Wang Yuhai , Huang Guodong , Zhu Rui , Zhou Shu , Chai Yuan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Patients born with congenital analgesia have no ability to sense temperature, who generally have bleak chances of survival. However, the relevant pathological mechanism remains unclear. To explore how the body's heat-sensitive neurons change in response to external stimuli, based on a heat-sensitive neuron model developed from the piezoelectric neural circuit, we designed two different stimuli combined Gaussian white noise to each stimulus, triggering different firing modes (r1, r2, r3). The Hamilton energy corresponding to each emission mode is calculated to identify the contribution of the external stimulus, and further, a correlation function is defined to identify the influence of external stimuli on the firing mode selection of neurons. Simulation results revealed that the neuronal response to the external stimulus that induces the spike discharge is preferentially compared to the external stimulus that induces the r-clonic pattern. The changes in the contour of the periodic attractor confirmed that external stimuli inducing spike-and-wave and r-clonic patterns could be sensitively perceived. For external stimuli, the chaotic emission pattern caused by the Chua circuit stimulus, the contribution of spikes, r-clonic and even periodic stimuli can be detected because the contour of the chaotic attractor also changes greatly. Moreover, the neurons are more sensitive to external stimuli, which can cause a greater release of Hamilton energy and a higher level of regularity in neural activity. This study revealed the potential response mechanism of thermosensitive neurons under combined noise stimulation.
Composting and fermentation: mitigating hop latent viroid infection risk in hop residues
Authors: Hagemann Michael Helmut , Treiber Charlotte , Sprich Elke , Born Ute , Lutz Kathrin , Stampfl Johannes , Radišek Sebastjan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Hop cultivation, integral to the brewing industry, faces challenges from viroids, especially the citrus bark cracking viroid (CBCVd) but also the hop latent viroid (HLVd) influences hop cone quality. We focused on the degradation kinetics of HLVd thereby covering compost, silage, and digestate made from hop residues. In this study, HLVd serves as a model for understanding CBCVd, which causes significant stunting and yield losses in European hop crops. Composting experiments revealed that although composting significantly lowers HLVd levels, complete degradation within 7 weeks is not guaranteed, with loose compost showing a more rapid reduction than compacted variants. Infectivity experiments conducted using inocula obtained from HLVd-infected hop plant residues exposed to composting, ensiling, and biogas digestate did not result in the transmission of HLVd to viroid-free plants. Also extracting and analyzing the soil-root mixture of plants inoculated with HLVd-infected hop residues did not show evidence for viroid persistence. Degradation experiments further differentiated between the physiochemical and biological influences on viroid and viroid-like random RNA stability, showing that higher temperatures of 50°C enhance degradation over 40°C, and pH levels of 5 or 7 are slowing degradation. In contrast deionized water or a pH of 4 or 9 enhances viroid degradation. Adding extracts from digestate accelerated the process indicating a role of biological activity. Interestingly, a viroid-like random RNA with similar physiochemical properties, showed to degrade faster compared to HLVd, suggesting high robustness of the actual viroid secondary structure. These findings offer valuable insights into managing HLVd in hops and potentially other crops, highlighting effective strategies to mitigate viroid spread, and contributing to broader understanding of RNA degradation in agriculture.
Public Attitudes Toward ChatGPT on Twitter: Sentiments, Topics, and Occupations
Authors: Koonchanok Ratanond , Pan Yanling , Jang Hyeju 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
ChatGPT sets a new record with the fastest-growing user base, as a chatbot powered by a large language model (LLM). While it demonstrates state-of-the-art capabilities in a variety of language-generation tasks, it also raises widespread public concerns regarding its societal impact. In this paper, we investigated public attitudes towards ChatGPT by applying natural language processing techniques such as sentiment analysis and topic modeling to Twitter data from December 5, 2022 to June 10, 2023. Our sentiment analysis result indicates that the overall sentiment was largely neutral to positive, and negative sentiments were decreasing over time. Our topic model reveals that the most popular topics discussed were education, Bard, Search Engines, OpenAI, Marketing, and Cybersecurity, but the ranking varies by month. We also analyzed the occupations of Twitter users and found that those with occupations in arts and entertainment tweeted aboutChatGPT most frequently. Additionally, people tended to tweet about topics relevant to their occupation. For instance, Cybersecurity is the most discussed topic among those with occupations related to computer and math, and Education is the most discussed topic among those in academic and research. Overall, our exploratory study provides insights into the public perception of ChatGPT, which could be valuable to both the general public and developers of this technology.
Missing Data Recovery for Transmission Networks Using Graph Convolutional Networks with Location Mask
Authors: Li Lijuan , Zhang Qingsong , Liu Hongliang , Xing Baixue , Liu Hai , Chen Qi , Wang Jie 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

As the integration of power systems and information systems has advanced, the significance of power data has progressively increased. However, data loss stemming from information attacks and other transmission failures diminishes the value of power data. Research on missing data recovery in transmission network nodes overlooks the stochastic characteristics of missing positions and random missing scales in missing information completion. Therefore, this paper proposes a graph convolution method with a location mask. This model introduces an input‒output matrix containing all node feature information to address random missing positions. The designed location mask and the class residual network structure formed by the graph convolution layers enhance the model's information mining and generalization capabilities, effectively addressing random missing positions and random missing scales. Subsequently, through comparison with other models and through testing across 61 scenarios involving various missing patterns and scales, the model's effectiveness and superiority are validated. Finally, a series of experiments are conducted to explore the role of the location mask during the data recovery task.
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Utilization of Traditional Medicine among THE COMMUNITY of South West Omo Zone, Jemu Town, South west Ethiopia Peoples regional state, Ethiopia
Authors: DEREJE MEKURIAW 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background
Traditional medicine is used by about 80% of the Ethiopian people to meet their healthcare needs. Studies on the current knowledge and practices of communities in the era of modern health care expansion are inadequate.
Objective
To assess the knowledge, attitude and Utilization of traditional medicine (TM) among the community in West Omo Zone, Jemu Town, South West Regional State of Ethiopia.
Methodology
Descriptive cross-sectional study was used to conduct the study. A systematic random sampling was used to select households. Data was collected through house to house interview. The data was analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21.0.
Results
The results of this study revealed that overall knowledge of traditional medicine in the community is 63.8%. From total of 390 study participants 251(64.4%) have good attitude on TM and 139(36.6%) have poor attitude on TM. Three hundred forty eight (89.2%) they reported that they used complementary and alternative medicine in the past two years. According to this study mostly complementary and alternative medicine was given for adults 185(47.4%), elders 122(31.3%), 55(14.1%) for children and 28(7.2%) for pregnant women.
Conclusion
The majority population has good knowledge of the TM. Cultural acceptability and prevalence of traditional medicine in community Jemu Town is 63.8% and this is due to the cultural acceptability, easy accessibility, and affordability of TM. Also majority of population in the community has good attitude of TM which is 64.4%) and the finding also shows TM are highly utilized by the community about 89.2% in the Town. Herbal medications were used by the community to treat malaria, fever, infection, constipation and others.