bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Positioning and Detection of Rigid Pavement Cracks Using GNSS Data and Image Processing
Authors: Nasrallah Ahmed A. , Abdelfatah mohamed , Attia Mohamed I. E. , El-Fiky Gamal 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Modern pavement management systems depend mainly on pavement condition assessment to plan rehabilitation strategies. To assess pavement damages conventionally, manual inspection are performed by trained inspectors. This can be time-consuming and a source of risk for inspectors. Moreover, manual inspection can highly affected by the state of mind of inspectors. To overcome such problems, image based inspection using smartphone camera combined with image processing methods can be used. This combination is relatively cheaper and easier to use. This research proposes an automatic crack detection and mapping program for rigid pavement which can automate visual inspection process. The program consists of various image processing techniques that are used to identify and detect cracks from images. Detected cracks are defined in a pixel coordinate system. Cracks coordinates are converted from pixel coordinates to global coordinates in order to compute their lengths using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) data. The performance of the program was assessed with field study. Cracks quantification process is performed to determine crack lengths and areas. The results show that the precision, recall and accuracy values for the program’s image processing algorithm are 57.00%, 98.81% and 65.22% respectively.
Dose-responses of virtual reality exposure on chronic pain phenotypes: A pilot study
Authors: Canori Alexandra , Wright W. Geoffrey , Coffman Donna L. , Finley Margaret A. , Hiremath Shivayogi V. 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Background
For individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), chronic pain interferes with physical health, function, and quality of life. Virtual reality (VR) is a promising intervention that has been effective in reducing neuropathic pain for individuals with SCI, however there is no standardization for dosage of VR administered, and the efficacy of VR for chronic nociceptive pain is unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the responses between chronic pain and exposure time to virtual reality (VR) in two pain phenotypes in SCI.
Methods
A prospective, repeated measures study was conducted with 17 individuals with SCI who engaged with VR for a five-minute and ten-minute bout. Pain intensity ratings were assessed at baseline and after each bout of VR.
Results
Responses to VR were different for each pain phenotype. A statistically significant decrease in neuropathic pain was achieved within a five-minute bout, and this decrease was maintained at the end of both VR sessions, whereas no change in nociceptive pain level was observed.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that different mechanisms of pain modulation are activated through VR exposure in each pain phenotype, and that five-minute sessions may be clinically sufficient for modulation of neuropathic pain in individuals with SCI.
Trial registration
NCT05236933
IMACA – Automated wood identification system of Colombian timber species using convolutional neural networks
Authors: Urbano Carlos Felipe Ordoñez , Vargas-Cañas Rubiel , Mariño Néstor Milcíades Diaz 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Monitoring and controlling illegal timber trafficking remains a formidable global challenge. The timber sector faces this issue without practical and on-site support systems to facilitate these tasks, and there exists a limited availability of technological and automated tools to assist control personnel in fulfilling their responsibilities. The challenge intensifies in regions where workers possess inadequate expertise in confidently identifying the forest species involved in illegal trade. This paper introduces the architectural framework and a computational model for a digital support tool designed to recognize twenty timber species that are illicitly traded in the Colombian Amazon region. A lightweight convolutional neural network was trained using the transfer learning approach and an in-house generated dataset. The resulting model was deployed on the cloud, following Software as a Service principles, and on a portable embedded system. The prototype exhibits a classification performance exceeding 93%, successfully emulating real-world conditions in the field, including challenges such as imprecise cutting techniques, low-resolution image capture devices, and images captured at varying orientations. Furthermore, the classifier model has been incorporated into a chatbot and a low-cost microcomputer, enabling rapid responses in less than ten seconds. This integration enhances versatility, reduces the subjectivity of the identification process, supports both online and offline operation, and offers potential scalability for the entire system.
NNMT orchestrates the proangiogenic phenotype of cancer-associated fibroblasts via epigenetically regulating ETS2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Wang Xinmiao , Zhao Hui , Luo Xinyue , Chen Yang , Shi Congyu , Wang Yifan , Bai Junqiang , Shao Zhe , Shang Zhengjun 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Tumor angiogenesis is pivotal in tumorigenesis and progression. While cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are known to promote angiogenesis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the underlying mechanisms by which CAFs facilitate angiogenesis within the tumor microenvironment remain elusive. Nicotinamide N'-methyltransferase (NNMT), a member of the N-methyltransferase family, is found to be highly expressed and is identified as a key molecule in the activation of CAFs and the progression of OSCC. Here, combined with our newly established assembled organoid model and fibroblast-endothelial cell (EC) co-culture model, we discovered that stromal NNMT contributed to angiogenesis and tumor growth. Intriguingly, knocking down NNMT in CAFs in OSCC reduced VEGFA expression both in vivo and in vitro. At the molecular level, high expression of NNMT in CAFs promotes ETS2 expression by regulating H3K27 methylation level through mediating methylation deposition. Moreover, ETS2 was furtherly verified to be an activating transcription factor of VEGFA in this study. Collectively, our findings delineated a molecular network in which stromal NNMT initiated an epigenetic reprogramming-ETS2-VEGFA signaling axis, thereby modulating angiogenesis in OSCC.
The duality of asthenia and cognitive impairments in cerebral diseases
Authors: Lokshina A. B. , Zakharov V. V. 
Published: November 2023

Asthenia is a pathological condition characterized by abnormal, spontaneous fatigue that occurs without exercise, continues for a long time and does not go away after rest. With asthenia, performance decreases, and difficulties arise in maintaining prolonged mental and physical stress. The presence of these disorders is associated with a decrease in quality of life, an increase in morbidity and mortality in general. In general, we can say that complaints of weakness, tiredness and fatigue are the most common when visiting a primary care doctor. The article presents various clinical manifestations of asthenia, classification and features of these disorders. In clinical practice, it is important to distinguish between idiopathic chronic fatigue (primary or functional asthenia) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The publication presents modern diagnostic criteria for this syndrome. It has been shown that CFS should be distinguished from nonspecific chronic fatigue, which can be observed in various pathological conditions. The article discusses the classification, as well as the features and criteria for diagnosing of asthenic disorders (AD). The close relationship and common pathogenetic mechanisms of the development of asthenia and cognitive impairments (CI) in cerebral diseases are reflected. Issues of management of patients with asthenia and concomitant CI are discussed, which should be comprehensive and include non-drug and drug treatment methods. Non-drug methods, including methods of cognitive stimulation and cognitive training, are coming to the fore in the treatment of various manifestations of AD. The possibilities of therapy with phenylpiracetam for asthenic syndrome of various origins, including those with concomitant anxiety-depressive disorders and CI, have been shown.
Prospects for prescription of urate-lowering therapy in patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia and gout
Authors: Panina E. V. , Eliseev M. S. 
Published: November 2023

Gout is a chronic disease characterized by attacks of arthritis, most often of the lower extremities, which develop under conditions of prolonged hyperuricemia caused by environmental and/or genetic factors. In the last decade, there has been an increase in the prevalence of both hyperuricemia and gout, which causes concern not only among rheumatologists, but also among doctors of related specialties. This is due to the fact that uric acid, deposited not only in joints, but also in other organs and tissues, contributes to the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, as well as chronic kidney disease and osteoarthritis. It has been proven that even asymptomatic hyperuricemia, and not just hyperuricemia as a component of clinical gout, contributes to a more severe course of these comorbid pathologies. Probably, the maintenance of a chronic systemic inflammatory process, oxidative stress and the formation of endothelial dysfunction play a decisive role in the nosogenesis of polypathology. Accumulated scientific evidence suggests that achieving target levels of uric acid (less than 360 μmol/L in the case of atophus gout and less than 300 μmol/L in the case of tophi gout) leads to a reduction in the incidence of cerebral, cardiovascular, and renal events. Prescribing urate-lowering drugs to patients with hyperuricemia and at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and osteoarthritis also appears promising. Among the urate-lowering drugs registered in the Russian Federation, febuxostat shows the highest efficiency and safety, and also has a nephroprotective effect, which is especially important in patients with a decrease in glomerular filtration rate.The article examines in detail the effect of febuxostat on various organs and systems in patients with gout and asymptomatic hyperuricemia.
Water supply and sanitation projects in the last decade: project characteristics, multilateral development bank performance, and quality of results
Authors: Freire Machete Inês , Marques Rui Cunha 
Published: November 2023

Abstract

To ensure universal access to water supply and sanitation (WSS) services that are safe, reliable, sustainable, and affordable, it is important to attract the right types of financing and identify the aspects that could be hindering the success of WSS projects. In this study, 62 completed World Bank WSS projects were analyzed to understand the relationship between project characteristics, bank performance, and quality of results. The methodological approach included a systematic quantitative review and comparative, statistical, and regression analyses, considering important aspects of the projects. The existence of correlations and interactions between project results, bank performance, and key aspects of the projects (such as type of project, initial and final risk assessments, commitments and disbursements, and other characteristics) was observed. This study highlights the importance of rating and mitigating WSS project risks (especially the environmental, social, political, and governance risks) and the importance of development bank financing. The applied methodology could be used by both financiers and borrowers.
Additional Value From Free-Text Diagnoses in Electronic Health Records: Hybrid Dictionary and Machine Learning Classification Study
Authors: Mehra Tarun , Wekhof Tobias , Keller Dagmar Iris 
Published: November 2023

Background
Physicians are hesitant to forgo the opportunity of entering unstructured clinical notes for structured data entry in electronic health records. Does free text increase informational value in comparison with structured data?

Objective
This study aims to compare information from unstructured text-based chief complaints harvested and processed by a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm with clinician-entered structured diagnoses in terms of their potential utility for automated improvement of patient workflows.

Methods
Electronic health records of 293,298 patient visits at the emergency department of a Swiss university hospital from January 2014 to October 2021 were analyzed. Using emergency department overcrowding as a case in point, we compared supervised NLP-based keyword dictionaries of symptom clusters from unstructured clinical notes and clinician-entered chief complaints from a structured drop-down menu with the following 2 outcomes: hospitalization and high Emergency Severity Index (ESI) score.

Results
Of 12 symptom clusters, the NLP cluster was substantial in predicting hospitalization in 11 (92%) clusters; 8 (67%) clusters remained significant even after controlling for the cluster of clinician-determined chief complaints in the model. All 12 NLP symptom clusters were significant in predicting a low ESI score, of which 9 (75%) remained significant when controlling for clinician-determined chief complaints. The correlation between NLP clusters and chief complaints was low (r=−0.04 to 0.6), indicating complementarity of information.

Conclusions
The NLP-derived features and clinicians’ knowledge were complementary in explaining patient outcome heterogeneity. They can provide an efficient approach to patient flow management, for example, in an emergency medicine setting. We further demonstrated the feasibility of creating extensive and precise keyword dictionaries with NLP by medical experts without requiring programming knowledge. Using the dictionary, we could classify short and unstructured clinical texts into diagnostic categories defined by the clinician.
Effectiveness and Feasibility of Telehealth-Based Dietary Interventions Targeting Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Trivedi Rupal , Elshafie Shaimaa , Tackett Randall , Young Henry , Sattler Elisabeth Lilian Pia 
Published: November 2023

Background
Telehealth-based dietary interventions were recommended for cardiovascular disease (CVD) management during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, data regarding their effectiveness and feasibility are limited.

Objective
We aimed to examine (1) the effectiveness of telehealth-based dietary interventions in improving clinical CVD risk factors and (2) the feasibility of these interventions among individuals with CVD.

Methods
To conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 2 investigators searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases based on predetermined search terms and included English-language RCTs published between January 2000 and July 2022. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to assess RCT quality. To evaluate intervention effectiveness, weight, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, or blood glucose were compared postintervention in telehealth and usual care (UC) groups. Feasibility was determined through the number of participants retained in intervention and UC groups. Pooled data for each CVD outcome were analyzed using a random effects model. Mean difference (MD), standardized MD, or risk ratio were calculated using R software.

Results
A total of 13 RCTs with 3013 participants were included in the analysis to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of telehealth-based dietary interventions among individuals with CVD. Participants had a mean age of 61.0 (SD 3.7) years, and 18.5% (n=559) were women. Approximately one-third of RCTs were conducted in the United States (n=4, 31%). Included studies used telephone, app, text, audio-visual media, or website-based interventions. Of the 13 included studies, 3 were of high quality, 9 were of moderate quality, and only 1 was of low quality. Pooled estimates showed systolic blood pressure (MD –2.74, 95% CI –4.93 to –0.56) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (standardized MD –0.11, 95% CI –0.19 to –0.03) to be significantly improved among individuals with CVD as a result of telehealth-based dietary interventions compared to UC. No significant difference in effectiveness was detected for weight, BMI, and levels of diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides between telehealth-based dietary interventions and UC among those with CVD. There was no significant difference between the feasibility of telehealth-based dietary interventions versus UC. Significant I2 indicated moderate to considerable heterogeneity.

Conclusions
Telehealth-based dietary interventions show promise in addressing CVD risk factors.
Integrated Immunization Information System in Indonesia: Prototype Design Using Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Authors: Rahmadhan Muhamad Adhytia Wana Putra , Handayani Putu Wuri 
Published: November 2023

Background
As the volume of immunization records increases, problems with fragmented records arise, especially since the majority of records in developing countries, including Indonesia, remain paper based. Implementing an immunization information system (IIS) offers a solution to this problem.

Objective
In this study, we designed an integrated IIS prototype in Indonesia using the design science research (DSR) methodology.

Methods
The stages of the DSR methodology followed in this study included identifying problems and motivating and defining objectives for a solution, design and development, demonstration, evaluation, communication, and drawing conclusions and suggestions. Specifically, this study began with problem formulation and a literature review. We then applied quantitative (questionnaire with 305 members of the public) and qualitative (interviews with 15 health workers including nurses, midwives, and doctors) data collection approaches.

Results
The resulting high-fidelity prototype follows the 8 golden rules. There are 2 IIS designs, one for the public as immunization recipients and another for health workers. The functionalities include immunization history, schedule, recommendations, verification, certificates, reminders and recalls, coverage, monitoring, news, and reports of adverse events. Evaluation of the prototype was carried out through interviews and a questionnaire designed according to the System Usability Scale (SUS) and Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ). The SUS value was 72.5 or “Good (Acceptable),” while the system usefulness, information quality, interface quality, and overall value on the PSSUQ were 2.65, 2.94, 2.48, and 2.71, respectively, which indicate it has an effective design.

Conclusions
This provides a guide for health facilities, health regulators, and health application developers on how to implement an integrated IIS in Indonesia.
Career preferences of Filipino senior high school students
Authors: Fernandez Chery , Balijon Meshel , Ancho Inero 
Published: November 2023

This research determined the trends and challenges in career preferences of the public high schools in Cebu City, Philippines. The study participants were 35 students, including five guidance counselors and advocates (GCA) from different identified public national high schools. This research used a quantitative-qualitative mixed design through a focused group discussion to confirm the responses of the respondents. The results show that students often choose careers that suit the needs of their families. Sometimes, they use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and My Space to seek a job, base their choices in popular courses/degrees today, they even use technology to do that or choose a career that fits their abilities. According to the GCAs, most of the students lack motivation and do not know the deeper reasons for the courses that they want and just pick a degree program just for the sake of having one. Sometimes, they lack information about different careers, base things on practicality, they cannot decide, they do not have a choice and their parents choose their career for them. The findings suggest GCAs need to encourage learners, and their parents to make use of a career pathing design for them to be guided in terms of their career decisions.
Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Interventions in the Treatment for Traumatic Intracranial Hematomas
Authors: Serebrennikov N. A. , Mizgiryov D. V. , Talypov A. E. 
Published: November 2023

Traumatic brain injuries are a global problem, with more than 50 million people suffering from brain injuries every year. A frequent consequence of severe traumatic brain injury is intracranial hematoma (ICH), causing mortality, disability, post-traumatic epilepsy. ICH has different clinical manifestations and physical characteristics. Standard treatment for ICH includes conservative monitoring for small volume hematomas or surgical evacuation of the hematoma. Craniotomy is often used to remove hematomas, because acute and subacute hematomas contain clots, and drainage of the hematoma cavity alone is not enough. In chronic hematomas, drainage through a hole is usually used, but this is effective only if the hematoma is represented by one cavity and its contents are completely liquid, which is not always the case. Thus, widely used techniques do not always meet modern requirements for effectiveness and low invasiveness of surgical treatment.The review considers endoscopic methods of surgical treatment for all variants of traumatic ICH; 31 publications have been found on this topic, mentioning 602 interventions. Differences in patient selection criteria make it difficult to compare the methods and outcomes. From the technical point of view, the procedures were also very diverse. The article analyzes the main features of different authors’ methods.None of the authors comes to the conclusion about outcome worsening after endoscopic intervention. With regard to acute and subacute hematomas, there are currently no reliable statistical data, but the results obtained can generally be assessed as positive.In acute and subacute hematomas, endoscopic intervention is perceived by the authors not as providing more opportunities, but only as a less invasive replacement for conventional craniotomy. In chronic hematomas, endoscopic intervention is considered to have more opportunities and advantages over the standard treatment.At present, the widespread use of endoscopic minimally invasive methods of surgical treatment for traumatic hematomas is hampered mainly by the lack of clear criteria for selecting patients and well-established methods of intervention. More high-quality research is needed to determine the role of these methods in general clinical practice.