bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Low Back Pain Prevalence and Associated Factors among Nurses: Cross Sectional Study from Palestine
Authors: Said Nizar , AbuZaitoon Rasha , Snober Razan Hasan , Hussein Razan Fares , Abdoon Abrar Hani , Abushehadeh Aseel Maher , Battat Maher 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of low back pain among nurses is notably elevated, exerting a detrimental impact on their job performance and overall work quality. Aim of study: This research aimed to evaluate the prevalence of low back pain among nurses in Nablus city and investigate the interplay between personal and work-related factors and the occurrence of low back pain in this population. Method: Employing a cross-sectional study design, we employed validated instruments, including the Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorder Questionnaire. The study encompassed 258 nursing employees from both the largest and smallest Ministry of Health (MOH) and private sector hospitals in Nablus city, West Bank, Palestine. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Result: A total of 258 nurses participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 98%. The current prevalence of Low Back Pain (LBP) was 82% (n = 212) throughout their life. Additionally, the prevalence of LBP in the 12 months preceding data collection was 78% (N = 201), 71% (N = 182) in the month leading up to the study, and 61% (N = 156) on the day of data collection. Conclusion: The study disclosed a high prevalence of low back pain among nurses, underscoring the urgency for effective solutions. These findings lay the groundwork for future, more comprehensive research to further illuminate this issue.
Assessment of the Safety, Growth, and Gut Microbiota Modulation of Neonates Consuming Infant Formula with Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis CP-9 or Lactobacillus salivarius AP-32: Insights from a Four-Month Clinical Study in Newborn Infants Under Two Months Old
Authors: Shen Shang-Po , Lin Hung-Chih , Chen Jui-Fen , Wang Hui-Shan , Huang Yen-Yu , Hsia Ko-Chiang , Lin Jia-Hung , Kuo Yi-Wei , Li Ching-Min , Hsu Yu-Chieh , Tsai Shin-Yu , Ho Hsieh-Hsun 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Background
Breast milk is a natural treasure for newborns, and its microbiota contains a rich array of bacterial species. When breastfeeding is not possible, infant formula with probiotics can be used as a sole source or as a supplement to breast milk. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety, tolerance, growth, and gut microbiota modulation resulting from the consumption of an infant formula with Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis CP-9 (B. animalis CP-9) or Lactobacillus salivarius AP-32 (L. salivarius AP-32), which were isolated from breast milk and the healthy human gut of newborn infants.
Methods
One hundred and fifty-nine healthy infants were enrolled in this study and separated into three groups: the control group, L. salivarius AP-32 group, and B. animalis CP-9 group. The clinical study evaluated adverse events, growth effects, the incidence of allergies, and gastrointestinal disorders in infants consuming infant formula containing B. animalis CP-9 or L. salivarius AP-32. Finally, the impact of the probiotic infant formula on the gut microbiota was elucidated by next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis.
Results
A 4-month intervention revealed that body weight, recumbent length, and head circumference were similar among the three groups. No adverse events related to the intervention were observed. The microbiota composition was more diverse on day 0 and became more uniform by month 4. B. animalis CP-9 and L. salivarius AP-32 were found to be antibiotic susceptible and displayed a low risk of horizontal antibiotic gene transfer.
Conclusions
The use of B. animalis CP-9 and L. salivarius AP-32 in infant formula was considered safe and well tolerated.
Trial registration
The trial was registered in the US Library of Medicine (clinicaltrials.gov) with the number NCT03993301 on 20/06/2019.
Single-Atom Platinum Sites with Asymmetric Coordination Environment on Fully Conjugated Covalent Organic Framework for Efficient Electrocatalysis
Authors: Shi Zhan , Zhang Ziqi , Zhang Zhe , Chen Cailing , Wang Rui , Xie Minggang , Wan Sheng , Zhang Ruige , Cong Linchuan , Lu Haiyan , Han Yu , Xing Wei , Feng Shouhua 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and their derivatives have been applied as electrocatalysts towards a wide range of reactions owing to their unique nanoscale pore configurations, stable periodic structures, abundant coordination sites and high surface area. This work aims to construct the first non-thermodynamically stable Pt-N2 coordination active site through electrochemically modifying platinum (Pt) single atoms into fully conjugated 2D COF as conductive agent-free and pyrolysis-free electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In addition to maximizing atomic utilization, single-atom catalysts with definite structures can be used to investigate catalytic mechanisms and structure-activity relationships. A series of physical characterizations, theoretical calculations and in-situ experiments demonstrate that NGA-COF not only provide favorable metal-support effect for Pt, but also enhance electron transport ability and structural stability. The former can adjust the binding energy between active sites to H* intermediate by forming unique Pt-N2 instead of the mainstream Pt-N4 coordination environment. The latter is ascribed to its unique stability in acidic environments.
Event-Triggered Optimal Tracking Control for Strict-Feedback Nonlinear Systems With Non-Affine Nonlinear Faults
Authors: Wang Ling , Wang Xin , Wang Ziming 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

This article studies the control ideas of the optimal backstepping technique, proposing an event-triggered optimal tracking control scheme for a class of strict-feedback nonlinear systems with non-affine and nonlinear faults. A simplified identifier-critic-actor structure of the reinforcement learning algorithm is utilized to achieve optimal control. The identifier estimates the unknown dynamic functions, the critic evaluates the system performance, and the actor implements the control actions, which allow for modeling and control of anonymous systems to achieve optimal control performance. In this paper, a simplified reinforcement learning algorithm is designed by deriving update rules from the negative gradient of a simple positive function related to the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, and it also releases the stringent persistent excitation condition. Then, a fault-tolerant control method is developed by applying filtered signals for controller design. Moreover, considering communication resource reduction, an event-triggered mechanism is adopted to design the actual controller. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed scheme is validated through theoretical analysis and simulation.
Performance Analysis of Distance Measures for Mixed-Variables Data
Authors: Sumbherwal Nisha , Hooda B.K. , Vinit Parmeet Kumar 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Mixed variables data occurs frequently in most of the fields including medical, industrial, agriculture, marketing and remote sensing. In traditional clustering algorithms, Euclidean distance function is used to compute similarity between two data elements. It gives better and reliable results if numeric attributes are present in the data set. Although, when attributes are non-numeric i.e., categorical or mixed, this measure is not suitable for capturing the similarity of data elements. This study, includes five distance measures viz. Gower, Podani, Huang, Ahmad and Harikumar which is used for mixed variables data. Further, they have been fused into the agglomerative hierarchical clustering algorithms. The performance of these distance measures has been compared by cluster validation methods: Cophenetic correlation coefficient, Connectivity, Average Silhouette Width and Dunn index. The empirical analysis has been carried on pearl millet data with quantitative and qualitative variables using R software package. The experimental results showed that using three cluster validation measures; Cophenetic correlation coefficient, Connectivity, and Average Silhouette width, the Ahmad distance performed better than the Gower, Huang, Ahmad, and Harikumar distances.
Investigating the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the quality of life of women infected with HPV questionnaire ( EQUALI-HPV)
Authors: Arashlouei Azam Zare , Maghsoudi Saiedeh Haji , Irani Morvarid , Honarvar Zahra , Ahmadi Atefeh , Pereira-Caldeira Natália Maria Vieira 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Introduction People with human papiloma virus (HPV) struggle with numerous challenges and needs in physical, psychological aspects of quality of life in relation to this virus. Various studies have recommended counseling interventions to improve these people’s quality of life. Also, there is a need for standardized and normalized instruments in Iran to evaluate the effect of educational and therapeutic interventions on these patients’ quality of life. Therefore, this study was conducted in gynecologic cancer clinics in Kerman to investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the “quality of life of women infected with HPV questionnaire”. Methods This study was a cross-sectional study including 580 women infected with HPV referred to Kerman’s gynecologic cancer clinics. The samples were selected using convenience sampling in 2023. The content validity, face validity, and construct validity using explanatory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were evaluated. Results The results of the content validity assessment, which included the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR), indicated strong content validity. Additionally, face validity, confirmed qualitatively, further supports these findings. The results of the EFA revealed that the Persian version of the quality of life questionnaire, with 34 items remaining from the 54 items, has a 6-factor structure. These 6 factors showed a 56.7% variance and were confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis using robust root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA = 0.054), comparative fit index (CFI = 0.928), and Tucker-Lewis index (TLI = 0.920). The content validity results showed that all the items had a good validity ratio and index. The Cronbach’s alpha and Raykov’s rho were above 0.7 for all the dimensions. Conclusion The findings depicted that the Persian version of the “quality of life of women infected with HPV questionnaire ” had acceptable validity and reliability and can be utilized to measure these people’s quality of life and conduct psychological studies.
Chromosome regions linked to peanut black pod revealed by QTL-seq
Authors: Altamirano Marco David Goyzueta , Tillman Barry , Wang Jianping 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
The peanut black pod (BP) trait is controlled by a single dominant gene as revealed by a previous genetic study. However, the gene controlling BP is still unknown. In this study, a bulk segregant analysis aided by QTL-seq was utilized to identify genomic regions controlling the BP trait. A population of peanut segregating for the BP trait was developed by crossing a BP line and FloRun™ ‘331’ without BP trait. DNA samples of homozygous F2 lines of normal pod coloration and homozygous F2 lines of BP (homozygosity was validated by F3 plots) were equally pooled for deep sequencing together with the parental lines. A total of 220,714 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were found between the plants of BP and normally colored pods. Following the QTLseq pipeline, the ΔSNP-index and G′ statistics were calculated by comparing the alignments of the bulks to each parental reference genome, identifying a region of 5.36Mb on Chromosome B10 harboring the genes controlling the BP trait. SNPs within this region were further annotated, and three genes were identified as candidates for the BP trait. KASP markers were successfully developed for these SNPs and two of them were validated. The study of BP trait gives us more understanding of its genetic background, potential use in breeding programs, and potential benefits for growers in the southeast US.
Cost-effectiveness of Lung Cancer Screening Combining with CVD and COPD Screening: A Microsimulation Study
Authors: Yuan Jingmin , Xu Fenglin , Sun Yan , Fan Meng , Ren Xiaoxiao , Chen Mingwei , Ren Hui 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Objective
This study aims to estimate the cost-effectiveness of lung cancer (LC), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the so-called “big-3 diseases”, combining screening and identify the optimal target screening population in China.
Methods
A stage shift microsimulation model constructed and different screening strategies were set. Cost, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) and net health benefits (NHB) under different screening strategies were calculated. Strategies with a mean ICER less than $38,223 (3 times as much as China’s GDP per capita in 2022) were deemed to be cost-effective, and the optimal one in this case is the strategy with the largest NHB obtained at the same willingness to pay (WTP). One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis was conducted to estimate results’ stability.
Results
ICERs in all strategies ranged from $2,186.5 to 11,227.6 per QALY, which was less than China’s GDP per capita in 2022. This value was basically lower in combined screening for “big-3 diseases” than in screening for LC alone. The largest NHB and probability of cost-effectiveness were both obtained in the strategy with “big-3 diseases” screening for people over 45 years old with a smoking history of 20 pack-year at least.
Conclusion
The optimal target screening population should be current smokers or smoking quitters in the past 15 years, aged over 45 years old, with a smoking history of 20 pack-year at least. These findings may provide data support for the revision of lung cancer screening guidelines.
Application of different doses of fospropofol in the induction of general anesthesia: a pilot randomized controlled study
Authors: Guo Jiaxin , Liu Jiaqi , Tang Weijie , Qian Mei , Tang Lili , Shen Qiying , Liu Xuesheng 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Background
Fospropofol is a propofol prodrug with good water solubility, which is less likely to cause injection pain and intraoperative hypotension than propofol. The purpose of this study was to investigate the application of different doses of fospropofol in the induction of general anesthesia.
Methods
This single-center randomized clinical trial enrolled 125 patients, aged 18 to 65 years, scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia. Patients were randomly assigned to receive propofol 2 mg/kg (P2 group) or fospropofol 10 mg/kg (F10 group), 12.5 mg/kg (F12.5 group), 15 mg/kg (F15 group), or 20 mg/kg (F20 group). The efficacy and safety end points were the induction success rates of single administration of different doses of fospropofol, the incidences of adverse event, and changes in hemodynamic index and BIS during the 5 min following the first administration.
Results
A total of 125 patients completed this study. The induction success rates of single administration were 100%, 92%, 96%, 100% and 100% (P = 0.508) in the P2 group, F10 group, F12.5 group, F15 group and F20 group, respectively. Our results indicated success rates of F12.5, F15 and F20 groups were not inferior to propofol in general anesthesia induction for ASA I-III adult patients undergoing elective surgeries when the non-inferiority value was − 5% using a one-sided test. Hypotension during induction was the most common side effect. The incidence of hypotension was significantly lower in the F10 group than in the P2 group (28% vs. 76%; P = 0.006). Compared with the P2 group, the incidence of injection pain was significantly lower in all the fospropofol groups (P༜0.001). In fospropofol groups, the rate of bispectral index (BIS) reaching trough and rising is slower, and the incidence of deep anesthesia is lower (P༜0.001).
Conclusion
Fospropofol has comparable efficacy to propofol when used for the induction of general anesthesia in healthy adults. Considering the success rate and the incidence of adverse reactions, 12.5 ~ 15 mg/kg of fospropofol may be a potential option for general anesthesia induction.
Trial registration
The trial was retrospectively registered with Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on Dec 13, 2022 (ChiCTR2200066678).
Added value of ECOG-Performance Status to qSOFA for predicting 30-day mortality in older patients admitted with suspected infections
Authors: Kudo Masataka , Sasaki Sho , Takada Toshihiko , Fujii Kotaro , Yagi Yu , Yano Tetsuhiro , Sada Ken-ei , Fukuhara Shunichi , Suganuma Narufumi 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) is a simple and easy tool for identifying patients with suspected infection, who are at a high risk of poor outcome. However, its predictive performance is still insufficient. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG-PS) score, a tool to evaluate physical function, has been recently reported to be useful in predicting the prognosis of patients with pneumonia. We aimed to evaluate the added value of ECOG-PS to qSOFA in predicting 30-day mortality in older patients admitted with suspected infections. Of the 1536 enrolled patients, 135 (8.8%) died within 30 days. The area under the curve of the extended model was significantly higher than that of the qSOFA model (0.68 vs. 0.64, p = 0.008). When the risk groups were categorized as follows: low (< 5%), intermediate (5–10%), and high (≥ 10%), 5.0% of those who died and 2.1% of those survived were correctly reclassified by the extended model, with an overall categorized net reclassification improvement of 0.03 (95% confidence interval: -0.06 to 0.30). In conclusion, our results suggest that adding the ECOG-PS score could improve the performance of qSOFA, in predicting the 30-day mortality in older patients admitted with suspected infection.
Application of protection motivation theory to identify factors associated with breast self-examination behavior among female students at the University of Gondar: Structural equation modeling approach
Authors: Semagn Birhan Ewunu , Bisetegn Telake Azale , Wolde Maereg 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Background Most Ethiopian women with breast cancer present late-stage disease, and the majority of breast cancer cases occur at an early age. Promoting breast self-examination is one of the high priorities of health education and behavioral change communication interventions in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the magnitude and factors associated with breast self-examination behavior among undergraduate female students at the University of Gondar using protection motivation theory. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 20-June 15/2022. After the study participants were selected through a stratified simple random sampling technique, a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 849 students. The data were entered into Epi Data version 4.6 and exported to STATA 14 and SPSS AMOS 26 for further data management and analysis. A descriptive analysis was performed. The path coefficient and the relationship between the variables were tested by structural equation modeling (SEM). A P value less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results Only 6.77% (95% CI 5.20%, 8.78%) of female university students reported engaging in regular breast self-examination. Among the protection motivation theory constructs, response cost (β= -0.34; 95% CI, -0.84,0) and protection motivation (β = 0.34; 95% CI, 0.13,0.58) were found to have statistically significant direct associations with BSE behavior, whereas self-efficacy (β = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.05, 0.28), response efficacy (β = 0.05; 95% CI, 0.01, 0.13), and fear of breast cancer (β = 0.02; 95% CI,0, 0.07) had statistically significant indirect associations. Among the other covariates ever discussed about breast self-examination (β = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.44, 1.26), family history of breast cancer (β = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.07, 1.37), ever noticing a lump in a breast (β = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.38, 1.35), father educational status (β=-0.19; 95% CI=-0.38, -0.04), and knowledge about breast self-examination (β = 0.12; 95% CI = 0.05, 0.19) were found to have a statistically significant direct association with breast self-examination behavior. Conclusion Regular breast self-examination is very infrequent among undergraduate female university students. The coping appraisal component of protection motivation theory was significantly associated with breast self-examination behavior.
VQAutism: Leveraging Visual Question Answering to Analyse Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Bannur Charvi , Bhat Chaitra , Goutham Gagan , Kakarla Sada , HR Mamatha , Kumar Shankar , M Abhishek 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Background: Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder is an open-ended critical problem and has significant implications for the field of medicine and healthcare, and it can play a crucial role in addressing pressing medical causes and improving healthcare outcomes. The current diagnostic interviews, screening tools, clinical assessments, imaging studies and questionnaires used for the detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder are time-consuming and expensive. There is no single method ideal for all children and experiments that involve an unfamiliar environment make it difficult for children to exhibit their typical behaviour resulting in inaccurate diagnosis.
Results: The proposed VQAutism model was developed to accurately predict answers to multiple questions specifically designed to assist the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The model was trained on Action Units (AUs)extracted from the video frames from two datasets: YouTube Dataset and Clinical Sources. The test results, questions and facial features were validated by medical practitioners. VQAutism outperforms baseline models like Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and transformers by an accuracy margin of 20% and a final test (AUC-ROC) score of 0.9862.
Conclusion: The developed VQAutism model aims to simplify the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Extraction of Action Units and Facial Coordinatesreduces computational resources required to train models with high dimensional features. The results of this study demonstrate that VQAutism outperforms other baseline models. The YouTube dataset and pipeline code are freely available as open source with MIT licence on GitHub.
Reappearances of the SARINAH heritage mall building: an “urban forest” theme and restore the historical artwork
Authors: Ardhiati Yuke , Hasan Asikin , Rushintadevi Fena , Alfiano Rafli 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
The Modern Architecture Movement’s stance against ornamentation, however, the architectural characteristics of the International Style in Indonesia in 1960s are often combined with iconography in the building façade or structural wall. The existence of these artworks inside or outside of various buildings are considered to colour the triumph of Modern Architectural Style. This Design-Build project of SARINAH heritage mall building in Jakarta is organized in a multidisciplinary manner by accommodating an adaptive reuse method. Due to spatial changes on the ground floor, 15 figures of the relief-sculptures as a part of the structural wall, which had been ‘buried’ for 30 years, were rediscovered and they needed to be restored. This case study seeks to reveal the uniqueness of the ongoing transformation project, especially how to treat the heritage building to meet to the contemporaneous. By accommodated “urban forest” theme and restore the historical artwork, the reappearances of the SARINAH heritage mall can meet to the sustainable city goals, enriched by the 15 relief-sculptures reinforces the cultural aesthetics for the shopping centre’s urban destination. Meanwhile, to avoid the high risk to casting the historical artwork then the digitally record held by digital sculpting.