bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Innovative Agrowaste Banana Peel Extract-Based Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Eco-Friendly Oxidative Shield and Freshness Fortification
Authors: Abdullah Johar Amin Ahmed , Lagos Silvia Nicole Pérez , Sanchez Emanuel Josué Estrada , Rivera-Flores Octavio , Sánchez-Barahona Marlon , Guerrero Antonio , Romero Alberto 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
This study presents the synthesis of agrowaste banana peel extract-based magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (BPEx-MIONPs), emphasizing antioxidant capacity and food preservation. Using iron (III) chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3 · 6 H2O) as a precursor and a reducing agent from agrowaste peel extract, a precisely controlled process yielded BPEx-MIONPs. Characterization involved X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). XRD revealed tetragonal Fe2O3, cubic magnetite structure, and monoclinic FexOy-NPs with an average size of 14.8 nm. TEM and SEM showcased diverse morphologies—cubic, quasi-spherical, and elongated microdomains. FTIR confirmed Fe–O bonds (1000 − 400 cm-1). Antioxidant assessment showed robust DPPH free radical scavenging; BPEx achieved 100% inhibition at 18 min, and BPEx-MIONPs had an IC50 of ~ 136 µg/mL. BPEx-MIONPs, stabilized with banana-based bioplastic, effectively preserved grapes, reducing weight loss to 6.2% on day 3, compared to the control (19.0%). This pioneering study combines banana peel antioxidants with magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, providing sustainable solutions for food preservation and nano-packaging. Ongoing research aims to refine conditions and explore broader applications of BPEx-MIONPs.
The effectiveness of mosquito-proof storm drains on adult mosquito and mosquito larvae abundance: protocol of the IDAlErt storm drAin randomiSed controlled trial (IDEAS) in Barcelona, Spain
Authors: Treskova Marina , Montalvo Tomás , Rocklöv Joacim , Hatfield Charles , Bartumeus Frederic , Dasgupta Shouro , Encarnação João , Lowe Rachel , Semenza Jan C. , Stiles Pascale , Noya Jordi , Valsecchi Andrea , Bärnighausen Till , Palmer John , Bunker Aditi 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background: Climate change is creating newly habitable environments in European cities for mosquitoes of the Aedes and Culex genera, known vectors of arboviruses such as dengue and West Nile. Urban infrastructure interventions can be effective adaptation measures for future-proofing cities, although empirical evidence of their effectiveness is scarce. The Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona (ASPB) is structurally modifying urban storm drains in 2023 in Barcelona, Spain, to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water necessary for Aedes and Culex mosquito reproduction.
Methods: In partnership with ASPB, we are conducting the IDEAS randomised controlled trial (RCT) in Barcelona to investigate the effects of mosquito-proofing storm drains on the abundance of adult Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens mosquitoes encompassing and in the vicinity of drains. Using a parallel-arm design, we have randomised 44 drains to receive mosquito-proofing modification (intervention) or not (control). The primary outcome is the combined counts of total adult Ae.albopictus and Cx.pipiens mosquitoes captured using an entomological aspirator. Secondary outcomes include the presence and total counts of mosquito larvae in water samples. We are measuring these outcomes weekly at each drain starting on 26 June 2023 until no mosquitos are detected.
Results: We will quantify outcomes comparing mosquito-proofed and control drains using generalised linear mixed models. We will also conduct stratified analyses by species, sex, and sensitivity analyses, including environmental and sociodemographic factors.
Conclusion: Our trial is motivated by the importance of testing urban infrastructure interventions to inform investments for future-proofing European cities against climate change-driven proliferation of infectious disease vectors.
Trial registration: This trial is registered as a trial in Open Science Framework Registry. Registration DOI https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/JZQAH
On the Applications of Neural Ordinary Differential Equations in Medical Image Analysis
Authors: Niu Hao , Zhou Yuxiang , Yan Xiaohao , Wu Jun , Shen Yuncheng , Yi Zhang , Hu Junjie 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Medical image analysis tasks are characterized by high-noise, volumetric, and multi-modality, posing challenges for the model that attempts to learn robust features from the input images. Over the last decade, deep neural networks (DNNs) have achieved enormous success in medical image analysis tasks, which can be attributed to their powerful feature representation capability. Despite the promising results reported in numerous literature, DNNs are also criticized for several pivotal limits, with one of the limitations is lack of safety. Safety plays an important role in the applications of DNNs during clinical practice, helping the model defend against potential attacks and preventing the model from silent failure prediction. The recently proposed Neural Ordinary Differential Equation (NODE), a continuous model bridging the gap between DNNs and ODE, provides a significant advantage in ensuring the model's safety. Among the variants of NODE, the neural memory ordinary differential equation (nmODE) owns the global attractor theoretically, exhibiting superiority in prompting the model's performance and robustness during applications. While NODE and its variants have been widely used in medical image analysis tasks, there is a lack of a comprehensive review of their applications, hindering the in-depth understanding of NODE's working principle and its potential applications. To mitigate this limitation, this paper thoroughly reviews the literature on the applications of NODE in medical image analysis from the following five aspects: segmentation, reconstruction, registration, disease prediction, and data generation. We also summarize both the strengths and downsides of the applications of NODE, followed by the possible research directions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review regards the applications of NODE in the field of medical image analysis. We hope this review can draw the researchers' attention to the great potential of NODE and its variants in medical image analysis.
Improving incomplete mixing modeling for junctions of water distribution networks
Authors: Yousefian Reza , Duchesne Sophie 
Published: January 2024

AbstractMost of the existing water quality models for water distribution networks assume complete mixing at junctions. Albeit few models offer the possibility to consider incomplete mixing (IM) at junctions, most of them were developed under laboratory conditions and for equal pipe size junctions. In real-world distribution networks, however, cross junctions of 150 × 100 × 150 × 100 mm or 100 × 150 × 150 × 150 mm are common, yet no model has been developed for these configurations. This paper presents a new equation to compute concentrations in cross junction outlets while considering IM for six cross junction configurations, including unequal pipe sizes and 150 mm pipes. For each cross junction configuration, mixing was studied under 25 flow scenarios in the laboratory and 40 simulated flow scenarios using OpenFOAM software. Two new flow rate ratios were selected as independent variables to compute different outlet concentrations. For two specific cross junctions with equal pipe sizes, the root-mean-squared error between the observed and simulated concentrations of the newly developed model was 0.02, while it was 0.05 and 0.07, respectively, for the AZRED IM model and the Shao et al. IM model.
Retracted: Assessment of customer satisfaction with the water supply system in low-income countries: A case of Adama City, Ethiopia
Authors: Beshir Abelkassim Aminu , Reddythota Daniel , Alemayehu Esayas 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Water Supply issues a formal retraction in relation to the above article by Abelkassim Aminu Beshir, Daniel Reddythota and Esayas Alemayehu. The publisher issues this retraction due to concerns that were raised regarding potential citation manipulation due to inappropriate references. The journal did not receive a satisfactory response to these concerns and as such the Editors-in-Chief no longer have confidence in the integrity of the article.
Neuro-protective Effect of Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic Acid in a Rat Model of
Scopolamine-induced Cholinergic Dysfunction
Authors: Assaran Amir Hossein , Hosseini Mahmoud , Shirazinia Matin , Eshaghi Ghalibaf Mohammad Hosein , Beheshti Farimah , Mobasheri Leila , Mirzavi Farshad , Rajabian Arezoo 
Published: January 2024

Background::
Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA) is a major component of the oleo-gum
resin of B. serrata with multiple pharmacological activities. The objective of this study was to explore the underlying
mechanisms of neuroprotective potential of AKBA against scopolamine-mediated cholinergic dysfunction
and memory deficits in rats.

Methods::
The rats received AKBA (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg, oral) for 21 days. In the third week, scopolamine
was administered 30 min before the Morris water maze and passive avoidance tests. In order to perform biochemical
assessments, the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were extracted from the rats euthanized under
deep anesthesia.

Results::
In the MWM test, treatment with AKBA (5 and 10 mg/kg) decreased the latency and distance to find
the platform. Moreover, in the PA test, AKBA remarkably increased latency to darkness and stayed time in
lightness while decreasing the frequency of entry and time in the darkness. According to the biochemical assessments,
AKBA decreased acetylcholinesterase activity and malondialdehyde levels while increasing antioxidant
enzymes and total thiol content. Furthermore, AKBA administration restored the hippocampal mRNA
and protein levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and mRNA expression of B-cell lymphoma (Bcl)-
2 and Bcl-2- associated X genes in brain tissue of scopolamine-injured rats.

Conclusion::
The results suggested the effectiveness of AKBA in preventing learning and memory dysfunction
induced by scopolamine. Accordingly, these protective effects might be produced by modulating BDNF, cholinergic
system function, oxidative stress, and apoptotic markers.
Capsicum annuum Oleoresin Nanoemulgel - Design Characterization and In
vitro Investigation of Anticancer and Antimicrobial Activities
Authors: Eid Ahmad M. , Natsheh Hiba , Issa Linda , Zoabi Majdulin , Amer Monia , Mahamid Effat , Mousa Ahmed 
Published: January 2024

Background::
The use of naturally occurring bioactive materials is getting great attention owing to
their safety and environmental properties. Oily compounds, known as oleoresins, are expected to provide an
important source for the natural products industry aiming to develop novel treatments for skin conditions.
In this work, Capsicum annuum oleoresin nanoemulgel formulations have been prepared and investigated for
their antibacterial and anticancer properties.

Methodology::
Several C. annuum oleoresin nanoemulgel formulations were prepared by incorporating a Carbopol
940 gel in a self-nanoemulsifying nanoemulsion consisting of C. annuum, tween 80, and span 80. The
systems were characterized for particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, and rheology. The in
vitro antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of the optimum formulation were evaluated.

Results::
The selected formulation is composed of 40% tween, 10% span 80, and 40% C. annuum oleoresin.
This formulation produced a stable nanoemulsion with a narrow PDI value of 0.179 ± 0.08 and a droplet size
of 104.0 ± 2.6 nm. Results of the in vitro antimicrobial studies indicated high potency of the systems against
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (zone of inhibition of 29 ± 1.9 mm), E. coli (33 ± 0.9
mm), K. pneumonia (30 ± 1.4 mm), and C. albicans (21 ± 1.5 mm), as compared to the reference antibiotic,
ampicillin (18 ± 1.4 mm against K. pneumonia), and antifungal agent, fluconazole (12 ± 0.1 mm against C. albicans).
Furthermore, cytotoxicity results, expressed as IC50 values, revealed that the oleoresin and its nanoemulgel
had the best effects against the HepG2 cell line (IC50 value of 79.43 μg/mL for the nanoemulgel) and
MCF7 (IC50 value of 57.54 μg/mL), and the most potent effect was found against 3T3 (IC50 value of 45.7 μg/m-
L). On the other side, the system did not substantially exhibit activity against By-61 and Hela.

Conclusion::
C. annuum oleoresin and its nanoemulgel can be considered valuable sources for the discovery of
new antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer compounds in the pharmaceutical industry, especially due to their
potent activity against various cancer cell lines as well as bacterial and fungal strains.
Effect of education level on delivery at home evidence from eastern Indonesia
Authors: Rohmah Nikmatur , Laksono Agung Dwi , Dewi Sofia Rhosma 
Published: January 2024

<p><strong><em>Background:</em></strong><em> Eastern is an area that tends to be lagging in terms of health development in Indonesia, including delivery services. </em></p><p><strong><em>Objectives:</em></strong><em> The study aims to analyzes the effect of education level on delivery at home in eastern Indonesia. </em></p><p><strong><em>Methods:</em></strong><em> The study employed secondary data from the 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS). The samples of this study were women of childbearing age, who labored in the last five years, and there were 2,299 respondents. Apart from education level as an exposure variable, the study used seven control variables, i.e., residence, age, employment, marital, parity, health insurance, and wealth status. In addition, the study employed binary logistic regression in the final stage. </em></p><p><strong><em>Results:</em></strong><em> The results inform women with primary education have a 1.520 times higher probability than women with higher education to deliver at home (AOR 1.520; 95% CI 1.520-1.521). Moreover, women with secondary education are 1.206 times more likely than women with higher education to deliver at home (AOR 1.206; 95% CI 1.206-1.207). Thus, the results of this analysis inform the lower the education level, the higher the possibility for delivery at home. Apart from education level, the study also found other control variables significantly related to maternal delivery at home in eastern Indonesia.</em> <em>Seven control variables are proven to be related to home delivery in Eastern Indonesia. The first lives in the countryside, the second is younger, the third does not work, the fourth has a partner, the fifth is multiparous, the sixth has no insurance, and the seventh is very poor. </em></p><strong><em>Conclusions:</em></strong><em> The study concluded that education level affects maternal delivery at home in eastern Indonesia.The recommendation from this research is the need for policies that can minimize the limitations of vulnerable groups in utilizing help in hospitals. </em>
Patient Portal Use Among Family Caregivers of Individuals With Dementia and Cancer: Regression Analysis From the National Study of Caregiving
Authors: Bratches Reed W R , Wall Jaclyn A , Puga Frank , Pilonieta Giovanna , Jablonski Rita , Bakitas Marie , Geldmacher David S , Odom J Nicholas 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Background
Family caregivers are often inexperienced and require information from clinic visits to effectively provide care for patients. Despite reported deficiencies, 68% of health systems facilitate sharing information with family caregivers through the patient portal. The patient portal is especially critical in the context of serious illnesses, like advanced cancer and dementia, where caregiving is intense and informational needs change over the trajectory of disease progression.

Objective
The objective of our study was to analyze a large, nationally representative sample of family caregivers from the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) to determine individual characteristics and demographic factors associated with patient portal use among family caregivers of persons living with dementia and those living with cancer.

Methods
We conducted a secondary data analysis using data from the 2020 NSOC sample of family caregivers linked to National Health and Aging Trends Study. Weighted regression analysis by condition (ie, dementia or cancer) was used to examine associations between family caregiver use of the patient portal and demographic variables, including age, race or ethnicity, gender, employment status, caregiver health, education, and religiosity.

Results
A total of 462 participants (representing 4,589,844 weighted responses) were included in our analysis. In the fully adjusted regression model for caregivers of persons living with dementia, Hispanic ethnicity was associated with higher odds of patient portal use (OR: 2.81, 95% CI 1.05-7.57; P=.04), whereas qualification lower than a college degree was associated with lower odds of patient portal use by family caregiver (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.18-0.71; P<.001. In the fully adjusted regression model for caregivers of persons living with cancer, no variables were found to be statistically significantly associated with patient portal use at the .05 level.

Conclusions
In our analysis of NSOC survey data, we found differences between how dementia and cancer caregivers access the patient portal. As the patient portal is a common method of connecting caregivers with information from clinic visits, future research should focus on understanding how the portal is used by the groups we have identified, and why.
Performance of ChatGPT on Ophthalmology-Related Questions Across Various Examination Levels: Observational Study
Authors: Haddad Firas , Saade Joanna S 
Published: January 2024

Background
ChatGPT and language learning models have gained attention recently for their ability to answer questions on various examinations across various disciplines. The question of whether ChatGPT could be used to aid in medical education is yet to be answered, particularly in the field of ophthalmology.

Objective
The aim of this study is to assess the ability of ChatGPT-3.5 (GPT-3.5) and ChatGPT-4.0 (GPT-4.0) to answer ophthalmology-related questions across different levels of ophthalmology training.

Methods
Questions from the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) steps 1 (n=44), 2 (n=60), and 3 (n=28) were extracted from AMBOSS, and 248 questions (64 easy, 122 medium, and 62 difficult questions) were extracted from the book, Ophthalmology Board Review Q&A, for the Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program and the Board of Ophthalmology (OB) Written Qualifying Examination (WQE). Questions were prompted identically and inputted to GPT-3.5 and GPT-4.0.

Results
GPT-3.5 achieved a total of 55% (n=210) of correct answers, while GPT-4.0 achieved a total of 70% (n=270) of correct answers. GPT-3.5 answered 75% (n=33) of questions correctly in USMLE step 1, 73.33% (n=44) in USMLE step 2, 60.71% (n=17) in USMLE step 3, and 46.77% (n=116) in the OB-WQE. GPT-4.0 answered 70.45% (n=31) of questions correctly in USMLE step 1, 90.32% (n=56) in USMLE step 2, 96.43% (n=27) in USMLE step 3, and 62.90% (n=156) in the OB-WQE. GPT-3.5 performed poorer as examination levels advanced (P<.001), while GPT-4.0 performed better on USMLE steps 2 and 3 and worse on USMLE step 1 and the OB-WQE (P<.001). The coefficient of correlation (r) between ChatGPT answering correctly and human users answering correctly was 0.21 (P=.01) for GPT-3.5 as compared to –0.31 (P<.001) for GPT-4.0. GPT-3.5 performed similarly across difficulty levels, while GPT-4.0 performed more poorly with an increase in the difficulty level. Both GPT models performed significantly better on certain topics than on others.

Conclusions
ChatGPT is far from being considered a part of mainstream medical education. Future models with higher accuracy are needed for the platform to be effective in medical education.
Web-Based Search Volume for HIV Tests and HIV-Testing Preferences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Infodemiology Study
Authors: Kanamori Rie , Umemura Futaba , Uemura Kosuke , Miyagami Taiju , Valenti Simon , Fukui Nobuyuki , Yuda Mayumi , Saita Mizue , Mori Hirotake , Naito Toshio 
Published: January 2024

Background
Research has found a COVID-19 pandemic–related impact on HIV medical services, including clinic visits, testing, and antiviral therapy initiation in countries including Japan. However, the change in trend for HIV/AIDS testing during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been explored extensively in the Japanese population.

Objective
This infodemiology study examines the web-based search interest for two types of HIV tests, self-test kits and facility-based tests, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Methods
The monthly search volume of queried search terms was obtained from Yahoo! JAPAN. Search volumes for the following terms were collected from November 2017 to October 2018: “HIV test,” “HIV test kit,” and “HIV test health center.” The search term “Corona PCR” and the number of new COVID-19 cases by month were used as a control for the search trends. The number of new HIV cases in the corresponding study period was obtained from the AIDS Trend Committee Quarterly Report from the AIDS Prevention Foundation.

Results
Compared to the search volume of “corona-PCR,” which roughly fluctuated corresponding to the number of new COVID-19 cases in Japan, the search volume of “HIV test” was relatively stable from 2019 to 2022. When we further stratified by the type of HIV test, the respective web-based search interest in HIV self-testing and facility-based testing showed distinct patterns from 2018 to 2022. While the search volume of “HIV test kit” remained stable, that of “HIV test health center” displayed a decreasing trend starting in 2018 and has remained low since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 66%-71% of the search volume of “HIV test kits” was attributable to searches made by male internet users from 2018 to 2022, and the top three contributing age groups were those aged 30-39 (27%-32%), 20-29 (19%-32%), and 40-49 (19%-25%) years. On the other hand, the search volume of “HIV test health centers” by male users decreased from more than 500 from 2018 to 2019 to fewer than 300 from 2020 to 2022.

Conclusions
Our study found a notable decrease in the search volume of “HIV test health center” during the pandemic, while the search volume for HIV self-testing kits remained stable before and during the COVID-19 crisis in Japan. This suggests that the previously reported COVID-19–related decrease in the number of HIV tests mostly likely referred to facility-based testing. This sheds light on the change in HIV-testing preferences in Japan, calling for a more comprehensive application and regulatory acceptance of HIV self-instructed tests.
Γ-CONVERGENCE OF DOUBLE SEQUENCES OF FUNCTIONS, AND MINIMIZERS
Authors: Talo Ozer , Sever Yurdal 
Published: January 2024

In the present paper, we introduce the concept of Γ-convergence of a double sequence of functions defined from a metric space into real numbers. This convergence is useful as it is a convenient concept of convergence for approximating minimization problems in the field of mathematical optimization. First, we compare this convergence with pointwise and uniform convergence and obtain some properties of Γ-convergence. Later we deal with the problem of minimization. We prove that, under some additional assumptions, the Γ-convergence of a double sequence (f_{kl}) to a function f implies the convergence of the minimum values of f_{kl} to the minimum value of f. Moreover, we prove that each limit point of the double sequence of the minimizers of f_{kl} is a minimizer of f.