bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
IL-1β contributes to the secretion of sclerostin by osteocytes and targeting sclerostin promotes spinal fusion at early stages
Authors: Jiang Zengxin , Jin Lixia , Jiang Chang , Yan Zuoqin , Cao Yuanwu 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
Despite extensive research, there is still a need for safe and effective agents to promote spinal fusion. Interleukin (IL)-1β is an important factor which influences the bone repair and remodelling. The purpose of our study was to determine the effect of IL-1β on sclerostin in osteocytes and to explore whether inhibiting the secretion of sclerostin from osteocytes can promote spinal fusion at early stages.

Methods
Small-interfering RNA was used to suppress the secretion of sclerostin in Ocy454 cells. MC3T3-E1 cells were cocultured with Ocy454 cells. Osteogenic differentiation and mineralisation of MC3T3-E1 cells were evaluated in vitro. SOST knock-out rat generated using the CRISPR-Cas9 system and rat spinal fusion model was used in vivo. The degree of spinal fusion was assessed by manual palpation, radiographic analysis and histological analysis at 2 and 4 weeks.

Results
We found that IL-1β level had a positive association with sclerostin level in vivo. IL-1β promoted the expression and secretion of sclerostin in Ocy454 cells in vitro. Inhibition of IL-1β-induced secretion of sclerostin from Ocy454 cells could promote the osteogenic differentiation and mineralisation of cocultured MC3T3-E1 cells in vitro. The extent of spinal graft fusion was greater in SOST-knockout rats than in wild-type rats at 2 and 4 weeks.

Conclusions
The results demonstrate that IL-1β contributes to a rise in the level of sclerostin at early stages of bone healing. Suppressing sclerostin may be an important therapeutic target capable of promoting spinal fusion at early stages.
Treatment fidelity in a pragmatic clinical trial of music therapy for premature infants and their parents: the LongSTEP study
Authors: Gaden Tora Söderström , Gold Christian , Assmus Jörg , Kvestad Ingrid , Stordal Andreas Størksen , Bieleninik Łucja , Ghetti Claire 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
Treatment fidelity (TF) refers to methodological strategies used to monitor and enhance the reliability and validity of interventions. We evaluated TF in a pragmatic RCT of music therapy (MT) for premature infants and their parents.

Methods
Two hundred thirteen families from seven neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) were randomized to receive standard care, or standard care plus MT during hospitalization, and/or during a 6-month period post-discharge. Eleven music therapists delivered the intervention. Audio and video recordings from sessions representing approximately 10% of each therapists’ participants were evaluated by two external raters and the corresponding therapist using TF questionnaires designed for the study (treatment delivery (TD)). Parents evaluated their experience with MT at the 6-month assessment with a corresponding questionnaire (treatment receipt (TR)). All items as well as composite scores (mean scores across items) were Likert scales from 0 (completely disagree) to 6 (completely agree). A threshold for satisfactory TF scores (≥4) was used in the additional analysis of dichotomized items.

Results
Internal consistency evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha was good for all TF questionnaires (α ≥ 0.70), except the external rater NICU questionnaire where it was slightly lower (α 0.66). Interrater reliability measured by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was moderate (NICU 0.43 (CI 0.27, 0.58), post-discharge 0.57 (CI 0.39, 0.73)). Gwet’s AC for the dichotomized items varied between 0.32 (CI 0.10, 0.54) and 0.72 (CI 0.55, 0.89). Seventy-two NICU and 40 follow-up sessions with 39 participants were evaluated. Therapists’ mean (SD) TD composite score was 4.88 (0.92) in the NICU phase and 4.95 (1.05) in the post-discharge phase. TR was evaluated by 138 parents. The mean (SD) score across intervention conditions was 5.66 (0.50).

Conclusions
TF questionnaires developed to assess MT in neonatal care showed good internal consistency and moderate interrater reliability. TF scores indicated that therapists across countries successfully implemented MT in accordance with the protocol. The high treatment receipt scores indicate that parents received the intervention as intended. Future research in this area should aim to improve the interrater reliability of TF measures by additional training of raters and improved operational definitions of items.

Trial registration
Longitudinal Study of music Therapy’s Effectiveness for Premature infants and their caregivers – “LongSTEP”. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03564184. Registered on June 20, 2018
Structured channel covariance estimation from limited samples for large antenna arrays
Authors: Yang Tianyu , Barzegar Khalilsarai Mahdi , Haghighatshoar Saeid , Caire Giuseppe 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIn massive multiuser multiple antenna systems, the knowledge of the users’ channel covariance matrix is crucial for minimum mean square error channel estimation in the uplink and it plays an important role in several multiuser beamforming schemes in the downlink. Due to the large number of base station antennas, accurate covariance estimation is challenging especially in the case where the number of samples is limited and thus comparable to the channel vector dimension. As a result, the standard sample covariance estimator may yield a too large estimation error which in turn may yield significant system performance degradation with respect to the ideal channel covariance knowledge case. To address such problem, we propose a method based on a parametric representation of the channel angular scattering function. The proposed parametric representation includes a discrete specular component which is addressed using the well-known MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) method, and a diffuse scattering component, which is modeled as the superposition of suitable dictionary functions. To obtain the representation parameters, we propose two methods, where the first solves a nonnegative least-squares problem and the second maximizes the likelihood function using expectation–maximization. Our simulation results show that the proposed methods outperform the state of the art with respect to various estimation quality metrics and different sample sizes.
Hack your organizational innovation: literature review and integrative model for running hackathons
Authors: Heller Ben , Amir Atar , Waxman Roy , Maaravi Yossi 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis article aims to offer a comprehensive overview of the existing literature on the hackathon phenomenon to offer scholars a common ground for future research and managers and practitioners research-based guidelines on best planning and running a hackathon. A review of the most relevant literature on hackathons was conducted to serve as the research basis for our integrative model and guidelines. This article synthesizes the research on hackathons to offer comprehensible guidelines for practitioners while also providing questions for future hackathon researchers. We differentiate between the different design characteristics of hackathons while noting their advantages and disadvantages, discuss tools and methodologies for successful hackathon setup and execution step-by-step, and provide recommendations to encourage project continuity.
Active surveillance testing to reduce transmission of carbapenem-resistant, gram-negative bacteria in intensive care units: a pragmatic, randomized cross-over trial
Authors: Jung Jiwon , Park Joung Ha , Yang Hyejin , Lim Young-Ju , Kim Eun Ok , Lim Chae-Man , Kim Mi-Na , Jo Min-Woo , Yun Sung-Cheol , Kim Sung-Han 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
In intensive care unit (ICU) settings, the transmission risk of carbapenem-resistant, gram-negative bacteria (CRGNB) is high. There is a paucity of data regarding the effectiveness of interventions, including active screening, preemptive isolation, and contact precautions, to reduce transmission of CRGNB.

Methods
We conducted a pragmatic, cluster-randomized, non-blinded cross-over study in 6 adult ICUs in a tertiary care center in Seoul, South Korea. ICUs were randomly assigned to perform active surveillance testing with preemptive isolation and contact precautions (intervention) or standard precautions (control) during the initial 6-month study period, followed by a 1-month washout period. During a subsequent 6-month period, departments that used standard precautions switched to using interventional precautions and vice versa. The incidence rates of CRGNB were compared between the two periods using Poisson regression analysis.

Results
During the study period, there were 2268 and 2224 ICU admissions during the intervention and control periods, respectively. Because a carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales outbreak occurred in a surgical ICU (SICU), we excluded admissions to the SICU during both the intervention and control periods and performed a modified intention-to-treat (mITT) analysis. In mITT analysis, a total of 1314 patients were included. The acquisition rate of CRGNB was 1.75 cases per 1000 person-days during the intervention period versus 3.33 cases per 1000 person-days during the control period (IRR, 0.53 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23–1.11]; P = 0.07).

Conclusions
Although this study was underpowered and showed borderline significance, active surveillance testing and preemptive isolation could be considered in settings with high baseline prevalence of CRGNB.
Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03980197.
Feeding broiler chickens with arginine above recommended levels: effects on growth performance, metabolism, and intestinal microbiota
Authors: Brugaletta Giorgio , Zampiga Marco , Laghi Luca , Indio Valentina , Oliveri Chiara , De Cesare Alessandra , Sirri Federico 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackgroundArginine is an essential amino acid for chickens and feeding diets with arginine beyond the recommended levels has been shown to influence the growth performance of broiler chickens in a positive way. Nonetheless, further research is required to understand how arginine supplementation above the widely adopted dosages affects metabolism and intestinal health of broilers. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the effects of arginine supplementation (i.e., total arginine to total lysine ratio of 1.20 instead of 1.06–1.08 recommended by the breeding company) on growth performance of broiler chickens and to explore its impacts on the hepatic and blood metabolic profiles, as well as on the intestinal microbiota. For this purpose, 630 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were assigned to 2 treatments (7 replicates each) fed a control diet or a crystallineL-arginine-supplemented diet for 49 d.ResultsCompared to control birds, those supplemented with arginine performed significantly better exhibiting greater final body weight at D49 (3778 vs. 3937 g;P < 0.001), higher growth rate (76.15 vs. 79.46 g of body weight gained daily;P < 0.001), and lower cumulative feed conversion ratio (1.808 vs. 1.732;P < 0.05). Plasma concentrations of arginine, betaine, histidine, and creatine were greater in supplemented birds than in their control counterparts, as were those of creatine, leucine and other essential amino acids at the hepatic level. In contrast, leucine concentration was lower in the caecal content of supplemented birds. Reduced alpha diversity and relative abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria (specificallyEscherichia coli), as well as increased abundance of Bacteroidetes andLactobacillus salivariuswere found in the caecal content of supplemented birds.ConclusionsThe improvement in growth performance corroborates the advantages of supplementing arginine in broiler nutrition. It can be hypothesized that the performance enhancement found in this study is associated with the increased availability of arginine, betaine, histidine, and creatine in plasma and the liver, as well as to the ability of extra dietary arginine to potentially ameliorate intestinal conditions and microbiota of supplemented birds. However, the latter promising property, along with other research questions raised by this study, deserve further investigations.
Network intrusion detection using data dimensions reduction techniques
Authors: Shiravani Anita , Sadreddini Mohammad Hadi , Nahook Hassan Nosrati 
Published: March 2023

AbstractDue to the increasing growth of the Internet and its widespread application, the number of attacks on the network has also increased. Therefore, maintaining network security and using intrusion detection systems is of critical importance. The connection between devices leads to a large number of data being generated and saved. The era of “big data” emerges over time. This paper presents a new method for selecting effective features on network intrusion detection based on the concept of fuzzy numbers and scoring methods based on correlation feature selection for intrusion detection systems. The goal of this paper is to present a new approach for reducing data size using the concept of fuzzy numbers and scoring methods based on correlation feature selection for intrusion detection systems. In this method, to eliminate inefficient features and reduce data dimensions, number of features are defined as a fuzzy number, and the heuristic function of the correlation-based feature selection algorithm is expressed as a triangular fuzzy number membership function. To evaluate the proposed method, it is then compared to previous intrusion detection methods. The results show that the proposed method selects several features less than the conventional methods with a higher detection rate. The proposed method is compared with the correlation-based feature selection method on two datasets. The proposed method is evaluated and validated on KDD Cup, NSL-KDD and CICIDS datasets. The achieved accuracy is 99.9% which is 96.01% with CFS method.
Anomaly detection from images in pipes using GAN
Authors: Yumoto Shigeki , Kitsukawa Takumi , Moro Alessandro , Pathak Sarthak , Nakamura Taro , Umeda Kazunori 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIn recent years, the number of pipes that have exceeded their service life has increased. For this reason, earthworm-type robots equipped with cameras have been developed to perform regularly inspections of sewer pipes. However, inspection methods have not yet been established. This paper proposes a method for anomaly detection from images in pipes using Generative Adversarial Network (GAN). A model that combines f-AnoGAN and Lightweight GAN is used to detect anomalies by taking the difference between input images and generated images. Since the GANs are only trained with non-defective images, they are able to convert an image containing defects into one without them. Subtraction images is used to estimate the location of anomalies. Experiments were conducted using actual images of cast iron pipes to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method. It was also validated using sewer-ml, a public dataset.
Blood biomarkers as potential malnutrition screening alternatives among adult patients with cancer on treatment in oncology unit of jimma tertiary hospital: A cross-sectional analysis
Authors: Enkobahry Aklesya , Sime Tariku , Kene Kumsa , Mateos Tigist , Dilnesa Sefie , Zawdie Belay 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
Cancer is becoming the most common global public health concern. Early malnutrition detection and treatment in patients with cancer is an important aspect of cancer management. Although Subjective global assessment (SGA) is a gold standard nutritional assessment tool, it is not routinely utilized due to it is tedious and needs patient literacy. Thus, early detection of malnutrition necessitates alternative parameters comparable with SGA. Therefore this study aims to evaluate serum albumin, Total Protein (TP), and Hemoglobin (Hgb) and their correlation with malnutrition in patients with cancer at Jimma Medical Center (JMC).

Methods
Facility based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 15 to December 15, 2021 G.C at JMC among a total of 176 adult patients with cancer selected via a systematic sampling technique. Nutritional status and behavioural data were collected using the SGA tool and a structured questionnaire. Five ml of venous blood was collected and the level of serum albumin, TP and Hgb were measured using Cobas®6000 chemistry analyzer and hematology analyzer UniCel DxH 800. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r), and logistic regression analysis were implemented for analysis.

Result
From the total of 176 study participants, 69.3% were females and the mean age was 50.1 ± 13.7 years. Based on SGA, 61.4% of the patients were malnourished. There was a significant decrease in the mean level of serum albumin, TP and Hgb in malnourished as compared to well-nourished patients. Serum albumin(r=-0.491), TP(r=-0.270), and Hgb (r=-0.451) had a significant correlation with SGA tool. Stage IV cancer AOR = 4.98 (1.23–20.07), Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer AOR = 3.39(1.29–8.88) and malnutrition AOR = 3.9(1.81–8.4) were significantly associated with hypoalbuminemia. Similarly, age of > 64 years AOR = 6.44(1.55–26.67), GI cancer AOR = 2.92(1.01–6.29) and malnutrition AOR = 3.14(1.43–6.94) were significantly associated with hypoproteinemia; and stage-IV cancer AOR = 3.94(1.11–13.35) and malnutrition AOR = 3.8(1.82–8.2) were significantly associated with low Hgb level.

Conclusion and recommendation
Altered level of serum albumin, TP and Hgb was correlated with the SGA tool of malnutrition. Therefore, it is suggested to be used as an alternative or additional screening tool for prompt detection of malnutrition in adult patients with cancer.
Influence of contraceptive use and other socio-demographic factors on under-five child mortality in Bangladesh: semi-parametric and parametric approaches
Authors: Khan Golam Rabbi , Baten Abdul , Azad Md. Abul Kalam 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
The under-five child mortality rate is a widely accepted indicator of the development of a country as well as reflects the country’s health care system and quality of life. Although the child mortality rate is decreasing over time in Bangladesh, the rate is still high among South Asian countries. The target of the Sustainable Development Goal-3.2 is to reduce the under-five mortality rate in all countries of the world to 25 or fewer per 1000 live births by 2030. The purpose of this study is to identify the socio-demographic factors which have an influence on under-five child mortality in Bangladesh as well as to examine whether contraceptive use has any effect on under-five mortality in Bangladesh. Finally, a comparison has been made between the results obtained from the Cox proportional Hazard Model and Weibull model to find out which model is more efficient for the study data.

Methods
For the study, data was extracted from Bangladesh Demographic Health Surveys 2017–2018 (BDHS 2017–2018). The Kaplan–Meier survival function has been used to demonstrate the survival probabilities of under-five children. While multivariate analyses of the Cox Proportional Hazard model and Weibull model are used to estimate the under-five mortality risks for various predictors.

Results
The study results show consistently higher survival probabilities for children of mothers who used modern contraceptives during survival periods. Other significant predictors for under-five child mortality include mother’s education level (higher education), mother’s age (> 20), wealth index (rich), source of drinking water (tube well), and division (Chittagong, Khulna, Mymensingh). Weibull model has given more efficient results than the Cox Proportional Hazard model except for one covariate (water source).

Conclusion
Contraceptives use significantly improves the survival chances of children under-five age. This underscores the importance of contraceptive use in the pursuit of a sustainable reduction in under-five mortality in Bangladesh. It also intensifies the need to address the present level of contraceptive use in the country. This may not be due to the use of contraceptives in itself but may be due to the substantial biological and socioeconomic benefits that are concomitant with contraceptive use which may promote both maternal and child health. So, Extra effort should be given by the policymakers to ensure the use of modern contraceptive methods to improve the under-five survival in Bangladesh.
Smart cities from low cost to expensive solutions under an optimal analysis
Authors: Ionescu Romeo-Victor , Zlati Monica Laura , Antohi Valentin-Marian 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis scientific approach mainly aims to develop a smart city/smart community concept to objectively evaluate the progress of these organizational forms in relation to other classical/traditional forms of city organizations. The elaborated model allowed the construction of the dashboard of access actions in the smart city/smart community category on two levels of financial effort correlated with the effect on the sustainable development of smart cities. The validity of the proposed model and our approach was supported by the complex statistical analysis performed in this study. The research concluded that low-cost solutions are the most effective in supporting smart urban development. They should be followed by the other category of solutions, which implies more significant financial and managerial efforts as well as a higher rate of welfare growth for urban citizens. The main outcomes of this research include modelling solutions related to smart city development at a low-cost level and identifying the sensitivity elements that maximize the growth function. The implications of this research are to provide viable alternatives based on smart city development opportunities with medium and long-term effects on urban communities, economic sustainability, and translation into urban development rates. This study’s results are useful for all administrations ready for change that want the rapid implementation of the measures with beneficial effects on the community or which, through a strategic vision, aim to connect to the European objectives of sustainable growth and social welfare for citizens. Practically, this study is a tool for defining and implementing smart public policies at the urban level.