bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Utilizing Mobile Robotics for Pelvic Perturbations to Improve Balance and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Adeniyi Adedeji , Stramel Danielle M. , Rahman Danish , Rahman Montaha , Yadav Arihant , Zhou Jingzong , Kim Grace Y. , Agrawal Sunil K. 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Late-life balance disorders remain a severe problem with fatal consequences. Perturbation-based balance training (PBT), a form of rehabilitation that intentionally introduces small, unpredictable disruptions to an individual's gait cycle, can improve balance. The Tethered Pelvic Assist Device (TPAD) is a cable-driven robotic trainer that applies perturbations to the user's pelvis during treadmill walking. Earlier work showcased improved gait stability and the first evidence of increased cognition acutely. The mobile Tethered Pelvic Assist Device (mTPAD), a portable version of the TPAD, applies perturbations to a pelvic belt via a posterior walker during overground gait, as opposed to treadmill walking. Forty healthy older adults were randomly assigned to a control group (CG, n = 20) without mTPAD PBT or an experimental group (EG, n = 20) with mTPAD PBT for a two-day study. Day 1 consisted of baseline anthropometrics, vitals, and functional and cognitive measurements. Day 2 consisted of training with the mTPAD and post-interventional cognitive and functional measurements. Results revealed that the EG significantly outperformed the CG in cognitive and functional tasks while showcasing increased confidence in mobility. Gait analysis demonstrated that the mTPAD PBT significantly improved mediolateral stability during lateral perturbations. To our knowledge, our study is the first randomized, large group (n = 40) clinical study exploring new mobile perturbation-based robotic gait training technology.
Integrating animal experiments, mass spectrometry and network-based approach to reveal the improving sleep quality of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen and γ-aminobutyric acid mixture
Authors: Cui Guozhen , Ren Airong , Wu Tingbiao , Wang Yarong , Fan Qing , Yang Zhenhao , Zhang Shixun , Cao Yongjun 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Background Ziziphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS) is a plant widely used as medicine and food in Asian countries due to its numerous health benefits. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a non-proteinaceous amino acid, is one of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters with a relaxant function. In this study, a systems pharmacology approach was employed to assess the effects of a mixture composed of ZSS and GABA (ZSSG) on sleep improvement.Methods Mice were divided into five groups (n = 10) and received either no treatment, sodium pentobarbital, or sodium barbital with diazepam or ZSSG. The effects of ZSSG on sleep quality were evaluated in mice, and differential metabolites associated with sleep were identified among the control, ZSS, GABA, and ZSSG groups. Additionally, a network-based ingredient-insomnia proximity analysis was applied to explore the major ingredients.Results ZSSG significantly improved sleep quality by decreasing sleep latency and prolonging sleep duration in sodium pentobarbital-induced sleeping mouse model (P < 0.05). ZSSG significantly enhanced the brain content of GABA in mice. Furthermore, ZSSG also significantly decreased sleep latency-induced by sodium barbital in mice (P < 0.05). Metabolic analysis revealed significant differences in 10 metabolites between ZSSG group and the groups administering ZSS or GABA. Lastly, using the network-based ingredient screening model, we discovered potential four active ingredients and three pairwise ingredient combinations with synergistic effect for insomnia from ZSSG among 85 ingredients identified by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. Also, we have constructed an online computation platform.Conclusion Our data demonstrated that ZSSG improved the sleeping quality of mice and help to balance metabolic disorders-associated with sleep disorders. Moreover, based on the network-based prediction method, the potential four active ingredients in ZSSG could serve as quality markers-associated with insomnia. The network-based framework may open up a new avenue for the discovery of active ingredients of herbal medicine for treating complex chronic diseases or symptom, such as insomnia.
Serum Biomarker Profile Explains Heterogenity in Patients With Takayasu Arteritis: An Exploratory Analysis
Authors: Goel Ruchika , Anantharaman Devasena , Prabhu Savit B. , Raghupathy Rekha , Prabhu Priya R. , Kabeerdoss Jayakanthan , Joseph George , Jeyaseelan L , Thomas Meera , Pillai M. Radhakrishna , Danda Debashish 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
The clinical presentation of patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK), a large vessel vasculitis, is heterogenous and absence on an ideal biomarker renders assessment of disease activity difficult. In the present study we determined the biomarker profile of patients with TAK and subclassified them based on the same. Methods: Serum of consecutive patients with TAK and 36 controls were subjected to bead-based-multiplex assay or ELISA to quantify cytokines or chemokines or growth factors representing various pathophysiological pathways in TAK. The concentration of analytes between patients and controls and among various subsets of patients were compared. Unbiased clustering of patients was performed by dimensionality reduction methods and correlation networks were constructed. The surgical arterial biopsies of a subset of patients were examined for the extent of inflammation, fibrosis and myxomatous changes in arterial wall and the changes were correlated with cytokine concentration. Results: 85 patients with TAK [66 females, mean age: 28.8 ± 8.9 years, symptom duration of 24 months (IQR: 8–48 months)] and 36 controls were recruited. Levels of B cell antigen (BCA-1) and Pentraxin-3 were higher in patients than controls after applying correction for multiple testing (p < 0.02 for both). IL18 levels were highest in type 5 subtype (p = 0.015) while angiopoietin-2 and BCA-1 levels were highest in type 4 disease (p = 0.015, 0.003 and 0.009 respectively). The level of angiopoietin-2 was higher in patients with active disease (n = 52) than stable disease at baseline (p = 0.007) while IL6 and MMP-2 were paradoxically lower in patients with active disease (p = 0.029 and 0.021 respectively). Serum IL18 and IL2Rα levels trended to correlate positively with intensity of inflammation in the studied samples of aortic tissues. Among treatment naïve patients, those with lower concentration serum IL15, IFNγ and IL12p70 separated into one cluster. The angiogenic factors, MMP-9 and pentraxin-3 demonstrated interconnectedness in patients with active disease and not in those with stable disease. Conclusions: Patients with TAK have varied biomarker profile that depends on angiographic type and intensity of inflammation. While BCA-1 and Pentraxin levels were higher in TAK as compared with controls, angiopoietin-2, Il-6 and MMP-2 levels differentiated active from stable TAK. The biomarkers interconnected among each other differently in active and stable patients.
Applying eye-fixation-related brain potentials for a concealed information test
Authors: Fuseda Kohei , Sugasawa Nao , Kobayashi Takefumi 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
A concealed information test (CIT) is a memory detection technique that is commonly used in criminal investigations. Although event-related brain potentials (ERPs) have been used as a measure in CIT studies, they are not typically measured in criminal investigations due to their susceptibility to noise resulting from eye movement. The present study focused on eye-fixation-related brain potentials (EFRPs), which are a type of brain potentials that are time-locked to the onset of eye-fixations, in order to avoid contamination from eye movement, and investigated whether EFRPs could be a useful measure for CIT. Nineteen participants selected a photograph of one person out of five and created a fictional story about a crime they committed with the person in the selected photograph. The participants provided information about the selected photograph to an experimenter in a no-secret condition, but they did not disclose any information about it in a concealed condition. After the story was created a photograph of a person and a target were presented continuously on alternating sides of the monitor and participants were asked to follow them with their eyes and to press a button when their eyes fixed on the target. The amplitude of P1 elicited by the selected photograph was significantly larger than that elicited by unselected ones only in the concealed condition. The result demonstrates that spatial attention to incoming visual information was modulated by the intent to conceal and indicates that EFRPs are a useful measure in CIT.
Restoring Natural Upper Limb Movement through a Wrist Prosthetic Module for Partial Hand Amputees
Authors: Choi Seoyoung , Cho Wonwoo , Kim Keehoon 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Background
Most partial hand amputees experience limited wrist movement. The limited rotational wrist movement deteriorates natural upper limb system related to hand use and the usability of the prosthetic hand, which may cause secondary damage to the musculoskeletal system due to overuse of the upper limb affected by repetitive compensatory movement patterns. Nevertheless, partial hand prosthetics, in common, have only been proposed without rotational wrist movement because patients have various hand shapes, and a prosthetic hand should be attached to a narrow space.
Methods
We hypothesized that partial hand amputees, when using a prosthetic hand with a wrist rotation module, would achieve natural upper limb movement muscle synergy and motion analysis comparable to a control group. To validate the proposed prototype design with the wrist rotation module and verify our hypothesis, we compared a control group with partial hand amputees wearing hand prostheses, both with and without the wrist rotation module prototype. The study contained muscle synergy analysis through non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) using surface electromyography (EMG) and motion analyses employing a motion capture system during the reach-to-grasp task. Additionally, we assessed the usability of the prototype design for partial hand amputees using the Jebsen-Taylor hand function test (JHFT).
Results
The results showed that the number of muscle synergies identified through NMF remained consistent at 3 for both the control group and amputees using a hand prosthesis with a wrist rotation module. In the motion analysis, a statistically significant difference was observed between the control group and the prosthetic hand without the wrist rotation module, indicating the presence of compensatory movements when utilizing a prosthetic hand lacking this module. Furthermore, among the amputees, the JHFT demonstrated a greater improvement in total score when using the prosthetic hand equipped with a wrist rotation module compared to the prosthetic hand without this module.
Conclusion
In conclusion, integrating a wrist rotation module in prosthetic hand designs for partial hand amputees restores natural upper limb movement patterns, reduces compensatory movements, and prevent the secondary musculoskeletal. This highlights the importance of this module in enhancing overall functionality and quality of life.
Posterior lumbar fusion surgery doesn’t change sexual activities in patients with lumbar degenerative disease: an observational study
Authors: Shimamura Yukitoshi , Kanayama Masahiro , Horio Michiko , Yamaguchi Ai , Oha Fumihiro , Tsujimoto Takeru , Tanaka Masaru , Hasegawa Yuichi , Endo Tsutomu , Hashimoto Tomoyuki 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Background: There are few studies about sexual function in the patient with posterior lumbar spinal fusion for degenerative lumbar disease. The aim of this study is to investigate sexual activities in patients with lumbar degenerative disease before and after lumbar fusion surgery.
Methods: We recruited 35 patients who underwent lumbar spinal fusion at the age of 55 years or younger. They were 17 men and 18 women with a mean age of 47.4 years. After informed consent, the patients were asked to complete anonymous questionnaire concerning sexual desire, activity, and satisfaction before and after surgery.
Results: In the presick period, 69% of the patients had sexual desire, and 79% achieved satisfaction during sexual activity. Lumbar degenerative disease decreased sexual desire and frequency of sexual activity in 40%, and 74% respectively. Before surgery, satisfaction in sexual activities decreased in 53%, and 55% of the patients felt discomfort during sexual activity. Adjustment in sexual position was required in 44% of man and 54% of woman. After surgery, Sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity and satisfaction did not regain after surgery in 94%, 93% and 92%, respectively.
Those who did not feel discomfort after surgery was significantly lower VAS in both low back pain and leg pain than the patients felt discomfort (low back pain; p=0.024, leg pain; p=0.046).
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that lumbar degenerative diseases decreased sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity and satisfaction, and little of the patients regained their sexual activities after posterior lumbar fusion surgery in the middle-aged patients.
Impact of Compact TiO2 Interface Modification on the Crystallinity of Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Takahashi Saemi , Uchida Satoshi , Jayaweera Piyankarage , Kaneko Shoji , Segawa Hiroshi 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
The effect of TiO2 interfacial morphology on perovskite crystallinity was investigated by modifying the micro and nanoscale surface roughness of compact TiO2. The surface treatment of compact TiO2 layer is considered as an effective strategy to improve a photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells although there is little discussion about the crystallinity of perovskite on top of TiO2. In this research, we have examined the impact of micro and nano scale surface roughness and its influence on perovskite crystal as well as the device performance. Surprisingly, while any noticeable voids were not observed at the interface between the compact TiO2 and perovskite layer, the morphology of the perovskite crystal showed a remarkable improvement by either the micro or nano scale interfacial modification and eventually resulted in an enhancement in photoconversion efficiency and I-V hysteresis. This result pointed out the importance of an underlayer surface morphology in perovskite crystallization process and the possibility that grain boundaries existing in perovskite layer may also be a factor affecting I-V hysteresis in perovskite solar cells.
Automated classification of a new grading system for diabetic maculopathy based on optical coherence tomography by deep learninng
Authors: Cai Liwei , Wen Chi , Jiang Jingwen , Zheng Hongmei , Su Yu , Chen Changzheng 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Purpose:
To develop a Vision Transformer model to detect different stages of diabetic maculopathy (DM) based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) images.
Methods:
A total of 3319 OCT images were extracted from the department of ophthalmology renmin hospital of wuhan university and randomly split the dataset into training and validation sets in a 7:3 ratio. All macular cross-sectional scan OCT images were collected retrospectively from the eyes of DM patients from 2016 to 2022. One of the OCT stages of DM, including early diabetic macular edema (DME), advanced DME, severe DME, and atrophic maculopathy, was labeled on the collected images respectively. A deep learning (DL) model based on Vision Transformer was trained to detect four OCT grading of DM.
Results:
The model proposed in our paper can provide a detection results effectively. We achieved a mean accuracy of 82.00%, a mean F1 score of 83.11%, a mean AUC of 0.96. The AUC for the detection of four OCT grading (i.e., early DME, advanced DME, severe DME, and atrophic maculopathy) was 0.96, 0.95, 0.87 and 0.98, respectively, with a precision of 88.46%, 80.31%, 89.42% and 87.74%, respectively, a sensitivity of 87.03%, 88.18%, 63.39% and 89.42%, respectively, a specificity of 93.02%, 90.72%, 98.40%, 96.66%, respectively and a F1 score of 87.74%, 84.06%, 88.18% and 88.57%, respectively.
Conclusion:
Our DL model based on Vision Transformer demonstrated a relatively high accuracy in the detection of OCT grading of DM,, which can help with patients in early screening to obtain a good visual prognosis. These results emphasized the potential of artificial intelligence in assisting clinicians in developing therapeutic strategies with DM in the future .
Determinants of Puerperal Sepsis Among Post-partum Mothers in Mekelle City Public Hospitals, Tigray, Ethiopia, 2021: a Case Control Study
Authors: Sahle Solomon Gebretsion , Weldemariam Solomon , Mehari Mihret-ab , Abreha Tomas Amare 
Published: June 2023

Abstract

Background
puerperal sepsis is among the leading causes of preventable maternal death not only in developing countries but also in developed countries which is usually reported as the third or fourth common direct cause of maternal death. Although the prevalence of puerperal sepsis is low, it is the significant cause of maternal mortality, morbidities and other long term complications like secondary infertility. The aim of this study was to assess the determinants of puerperal sepsis among post-partum mothers at Mekelle city public hospitals.
Method
Institution based unmatched case control study was conducted among 444 total sample size (111 cases and 333 controls) in Mekelle city public hospitals from March 21, 2021 to April 20, 2021. Consecutive sampling for the cases and systematic sampling for the controls was used. Pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data and the data was entered into Epi data version 4.1 then cleaned, coded and edited and exported to SPSS version 23 statistical software for analysis. Logistic regression was done and variables with a P-value of < 0.25 on Binary logistic regression were taken to Multivariable analysis. At 95% confidence interval, a P-value of < 0.05 was used as cut-off point to declare the association with the dependent variable.
Results
Multivariable analysis revealed that rural residence (AOR: 3, 95% CI: 1.50–5.90), no ANC follow up (AOR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.08–6.71), duration of rupture of membrane > 24 hours (AOR: 4.1, 95% CI: 1.60-10.58), duration of labor > 24 hours (AOR: 4.3, 95% CI: 1.86–9.92), number of vaginal examination > = 5 (AOR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.26–6.26), cesarean section mode of delivery (AOR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.48–5.20) and no PNC follow up (AOR: 3.9, 95% CI: 1.60–9.36) were the determinant factors of puerperal sepsis in this study.
Conclusion
the determinants of puerperal sepsis in this study were rural residence, not having antenatal care, prolonged duration of rupture of membrane, prolonged duration of labor, frequent number of vaginal examination, cesarean section and not having postnatal care. It is recommended that strengthening provision of health education on danger signs of pregnancy, parthograph utilization and avoiding of frequent vaginal examinations.
The effect of supplementation of vitamin D to the egg-yolk extender on cryopreservation of ram semen
Authors: aktar ahmet , Toker Mehmed Berk , Koca Davut , Uzun Umit Can , Alcay Selim 
Published: June 2023

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effects of supplementation of vitamin D to the egg-yolk extender on characteristics of frozen-thawed ram semen. Semen samples obtained from adult rams were pooled and divided into five equal volumes. It was reconstituted with extenders containing different concentrations of vitamin D (0 (control), 12.5 (VITD 12.5), 25 (VITD 25), 50 (VITD 50), and 100 ng/ml (VITD 100)) and then they were frozen. Sperm motility, plasmamembrane functionalintegrity, acrosomal integrity, DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial membrane potential of the groups were determined. Among motility values after thawing, the VITD50 group was found to be superior to the other groups (P < 0.05). When the plasma membrane integrity was evaluated, VITD25 and VITD50 groups were found better than the other groups (P < 0.05). Acrosomal integrity, DNA fragmentation, and mitochondrial membrane potential rates were found better in VITD25, VITD50 and VITD100 groups when compared to all other groups, but no significant difference was found among all groups (P > 0.05). In the study, it was observed that adding vitamin D to the extender had a beneficial effect on ram spermatological parameters. In addition, it was concluded that the use of the 50 ng/ml vitamin D in the extender provided more effective protection than the other doses.
Distribution characteristics and potential risks of bioaerosols during scattered farming
Authors: Yu Xuezheng , Han Yunping , Liu Jianguo , Cao Yingnan , Wang Ying , Wang Zixuan , Lyu Jinxin , Zhou Ziyu , Yan Ying 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
In most economically underdeveloped areas, scattered farming and cohabitation of humans and livestock are still common. However, the production and harm of bioaerosol in these areas have not received considerable attention. In this study, bioaerosol characteristics were analyzed in scattered farming in rural areas of Northwest China. The results showed that the highest concentrations of bacteria, fungi, and Enterobacteria were 125609 ± 467 CFU/m³, 25175 ± 10305 CFU/m³, and 4167 ± 592 CFU/m³, respectively; most of the bioaerosols had particle sizes larger than 3.3 µm. 71 bacterial genera and 16 fungal genera of the potential pathogen were identified, and some zoonotic potential pathogenic genera such as Bacillus, Campylobacter, Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Penicillium were found among them. The potential exposure risk was estimated using the average daily dose rate assessment method. While the risk values are higher for adults, the potential exposure risks may be higher for left-behind children and the elderly. Moreover, our findings showed that the scattered farming pattern of human-animal coexistence can affect the indoor air environment in the surrounding area, leading to chronic respiratory diseases in the occupants. Therefore, the corresponding government departments and farmers should enhance their awareness of bioaerosol risks to reduce the incidence of infection.