bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Water mass age structures the auxiliary metabolic gene content of free-living and particle-attached deep ocean viral communities
Authors: Coutinho Felipe H. , Silveira Cynthia B. , Sebastián Marta , Sánchez Pablo , Duarte Carlos M. , Vaqué Dolors , Gasol Josep M. , Acinas Silvia G. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractBackgroundViruses play important roles in the ocean’s biogeochemical cycles. Yet, deep ocean viruses are one of the most under-explored fractions of the global biosphere. Little is known about the environmental factors that control the composition and functioning of their communities or how they interact with their free-living or particle-attached microbial hosts.ResultsWe analysed 58 viral communities associated with size-fractionated free-living (0.2–0.8 μm) and particle-attached (0.8–20 μm) cellular metagenomes from bathypelagic (2150–4018 m deep) microbiomes obtained during the Malaspina expedition. These metagenomes yielded 6631 viral sequences, 91% of which were novel, and 67 represented high-quality genomes. Taxonomic classification assigned 53% of the viral sequences to families of tailed viruses from the order Caudovirales. Computational host prediction associated 886 viral sequences to dominant members of the deep ocean microbiome, such as Alphaproteobacteria (284), Gammaproteobacteria (241), SAR324 (23), Marinisomatota (39), and Chloroflexota (61). Free-living and particle-attached viral communities had markedly distinct taxonomic composition, host prevalence, and auxiliary metabolic gene content, which led to the discovery of novel viral-encoded metabolic genes involved in the folate and nucleotide metabolisms. Water mass age emerged as an important factor driving viral community composition. We postulated this was due to changes in quality and concentration of dissolved organic matter acting on the host communities, leading to an increase of viral auxiliary metabolic genes associated with energy metabolism among older water masses.ConclusionsThese results shed light on the mechanisms by which environmental gradients of deep ocean ecosystems structure the composition and functioning of free-living and particle-attached viral communities.
Clinicians’ preferences and attitudes towards the use of lithium in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorders around the world: a survey from the ISBD Lithium task force
Authors: Hidalgo-Mazzei Diego , Mantingh Tim , Pérez de Mendiola Xavier , Samalin Ludovic , Undurraga Juan , Strejilevich Sergio , Severus Emanuel , Bauer Michael , González-Pinto Ana , Nolen Willem A. , Young Allan H. , Vieta Eduard 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Background
Lithium has long been considered the gold-standard pharmacological treatment for the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorders (BD) which is supported by a wide body of evidence. Prior research has shown a steady decline in lithium prescriptions during the last two decades. We aim to identify potential factors explaining this decline across the world with an anonymous worldwide survey developed by the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) Task Force “Role of Lithium in Bipolar Disorders” and distributed by diverse academic and professional international channels.

Results
A total of 886 responses were received of which 606 completed the entire questionnaire while 206 completed it partially. Respondents were from 43 different countries comprising all continents. Lithium was the most preferred treatment option for the maintenance of BD patients (59%). The most relevant clinical circumstances in which lithium was the preferred option were in patients with BD I (53%), a family history of response (18%), and a prior response during acute treatment (17%). In contrast, Lithium was not the preferred option in case of patients´ negative beliefs and/or attitudes towards lithium (13%), acute side-effects or tolerability problems (10%) and intoxication risk (8%). Clinicians were less likely to prefer lithium as a first option in BD maintenance phase when practising in developing economy countries [X2 (1, N = 430) = 9465, p = 0.002) ] and private sectors [X2 (1, N = 434) = 8191, p = 0.004)].

Conclusions
Clinicians’ preferences and attitudes towards the use of lithium in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorders appear to be affected by both the patients’ beliefs and the professional contexts where clinicians provide their services. More research involving patients is needed for identifying their attitudes toward lithium and factors affecting its use, particularly in developing economies.
Gaussian transformation enhanced semi-supervised learning for sleep stage classification
Authors: Guo Yifan , Mao Helen X. , Yin Jijun , Mao Zhi-Hong 
Published: May 2023

AbstractSleep disorders are significant health concerns affecting a large population. Related clinical studies face the deficiency in sleep data and challenges in data analysis, which requires enormous human expertise and labor. Moreover, in current clinical practice, sleep data acquisition processes usually cover only one night’s sleep history, which is too short to recognize long-term sleep patterns. To address these challenges, we propose a semi-supervised learning (cluster-then-label) approach for sleep stage classification, integrating clustering algorithms into the supervised learning pipeline. We test the effectiveness of the proposed semi-supervised learning approach on two architectures: an advanced architecture using deep learning for classification and k-means for clustering, and a relatively naive Gaussian-based architecture. Also, we introduce two novel Gaussian transformations to improve the robustness and accuracy of the Gaussian-based architecture: assembled-fixed transformation and neural network based transformation. We reveal the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm via experiments on whole-night electroencephalogram (EEG) data. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed learning strategy improves the accuracy and F1 score over the state-of-the-art baseline on out-of-distribution human subjects. The experiments also confirm that the proposed Gaussian transformations can significantly gain normality to EEG band-power features and in turn facilitate the semi-supervised learning process. This cluster-then-label learning approach, combined with novel Gaussian transformations, can significantly improve the accuracy and efficiency of sleep stage classification, enabling more effective diagnosis of sleep disorders.
Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) as a predictor of liver fibrosis in subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Authors: Abdel-latif Abeer , Al-Jarhi Ula Mabid , Hesham Dina , khozam Mona , Fathy Shaimaa A. 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Background
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the fastest growing cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. The prevalence of NAFLD increases in parallel with the increasing prevalence in obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Recently, more evidence indicates the important role of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) on metabolic health.

Methods
A controlled cross-sectional cohort study was conducted upon 60 patients (NAFLD and control group). Patients were categorized according to the NAFLD fibrosis score. All patients subjected to routine labs and SHBG measurement.

Results
BMI was 35.80 ± 6.56 SD and 23.23 ± 2.5 SD in the NAFLD group and control group respectively. The NAFLD fibrosis score was 2.12 ± 1.47 SD. Fifty patients were categorized as advanced liver fibrosis: F3–F4 (> 0.675). No patients scored to exclude advanced liver fibrosis: F0–F2 (< − 1.455). The remaining 10 patients were categorized as indeterminate (in-between). There was a significant correlation between age, mid-arm circumference, waist circumference, BMI, serum albumin level, lipid profile components, as well as the NAFLD fibrosis score and SHBG levels using univariable regression analysis. There was also a significant correlation between mid-arm circumference, waist circumference, lipid profile components as well as SHBG levels and the NAFLD fibrosis score using univariable regression analysis. SHBG can predict severe liver fibrosis (F3–F4) in our NAFLD female cohort at a cut-off level of > 10 ng/mL, with 34% sensitivity and 90% specificity, area under the ROC curve (AUC) = 0.548, with 95% Confidence interval 0.414 to 0.677.

Conclusion
SHBG is positively correlated to severe fibrosis in female NAFLD patients. It is an efficient positive predictor of severe fibrosis in female NAFLD patients at a cut-off level > 10 ng/ml, with a high specificity and modest sensitivity.
Complications of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in pediatric patients: An experience at a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Dr Tooba Fateen  , Dr Nighat Sultana  , Dr Muhammad Sarwar  , Dr Nazish Saqlain  
Published: May 2023

Objective: To find the incidence of various complications of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) in ICU admitted children and to determine their association with age, gender, blood group and diagnosis of the patients.
Methods: In this observational study, data of 24 patients who underwent 125 sessions of TPE was collected from the Pediatric Intensive care unit (PICU) and Hematology department of The Children’s Hospital, Lahore from December 2020 to November 2021. Age, gender, blood group, indications and complications observed during and after the TPE procedure were documented on a pre-designed proforma. The data was analyzed by using SPSS version 23. Quantitative variables were presented in the form of mean and standard deviation. Qualitative variables like gender, blood groups, indications and complications of plasmapheresis were presented as frequency and percentage. Chi square test was applied for comparison of variables.
Results: Among the 24 patients, 45.8% were of age group five to ten years with mean age of 7.58 years± 2.04 years and male to female ratio of 0.84:1. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and Neuromyelitis Optica spectrum disorder (NMO-SD) were the most prevalent among the patients who underwent TPE. Most common complication was hypotension (44.9%), others were febrile reactions (11.6%), unstable vital signs (14.5%) and allergic reactions (24.6%). Blood group, clinical condition and diagnosis of the patient showed significant association with the incidence of TPE related complications.
Conclusion: The majority of problems caused by TPE are considered to be minor. Sudden fall in blood pressure, pruritus, urticarial rash and fever are the common adverse consequences among pediatric patients. Blood group and diagnosis of the patient can determine the development of such complications during plasmapheresis procedure.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.4.7002
How to cite this: Fateen T, Sultana N, Sarwar M, Saqlain N. Complications of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in pediatric patients: An experience at a tertiary care hospital. Pak J Med Sci. 2023;39(4):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.4.7002
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Brain drain of healthcare professionals from Pakistan from 1971 to 2022: Evidence-based analysis
Authors: Meo Sultan Ayoub , Sultan Tehreem 
Published: May 2023

Since the creation of Pakistan in August 1947, political instability has been a persistent issue in the country, causing a migration of highly qualified, skilled people, and healthcare professionals. From 1971 to 2022 the total number of highly qualified and skilled people including healthcare professionals who migrated from the country is 60,19,888. Among them, 251677 (4.18%), were highly qualified, 455097 (7.55%) were highly skilled, and 5313114 (88.27%) were skilled professionals. Moreover, 50110 (0.83%) were healthcare professionals including doctors 31418 (62.69%), nurses 12853 (25.64%), and pharmacists 5839 (11.65%). The unsustainable political environment, lack of advanced technology-based institutes, poor healthcare infrastructure, low job opportunities and salary benefits in Pakistan caused the brain drain of highly qualified people including healthcare professionals. It adversely affected the academic institutes, the healthcare system, socio-economic growth, research productivity, and the development of the nation. The government of Pakistan must establish sustainable policies to minimize the brain drain of highly qualified people, and healthcare professionals, and recuperate the prosperity of their academic institutes and healthcare system for better healthcare services, and the advancement and sustainable development of the nation.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.4.7853
How to cite this: Meo SA, Sultan T. Brain drain of healthcare professionals from Pakistan from 1971 to 2022: Evidence-based analysis. Pak J Med Sci. 2023;39(4):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.4.7853
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Approaches to the Methodology of Human Potential Assessment in the Conditions of Crisis Phenomena in Russia
Authors: Kulikov V. , Mel'nichuk I. 
Published: May 2023

Empirical approaches to solving the problems of increasing human potential are investigated. The central place in the study is given to the activities of the Russian authorities in the conditions of crisis phenomena over the past 6–8 years. The authors proceeded from the need to use different approaches, even in times of crisis, as one of the main indicators for assessing the country and regions. The main arguments in favor of the methodology for achieving the main goal of improving human well–being are presented.
Causes of runner’s diarrhea and dietary recommendations to avoid it - systematic review
Authors: Jedlina Klaudia , Pacek Katarzyna , Makowska Karolina , Kamińska Izabela , Pikulicka Agata , Szulc Izabela , Swacha Weronika , Piekarska Małgorzata , Kasperski Radosław , Rusin Klaudia 
Published: May 2023

Complaints of diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms are common among endurance runners. These problems may interfere with athletic activities and be the main cause of underperformance during sports events. It is estimated that this difficulty affects 30 to 90 percent of long-distance runners. The most important pathophysiological factors affecting the occurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms are ischemia and mechanical damage to the intestines, as well as the secretion of neuroendocrine substances. The diet before physical exercise is also one of the most significant factors related to the appearance of gastrointestinal symptoms. Avoiding the intake of fat, caffeine, protein, fiber, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and dehydration before performance is one of the suggestions for preventing runner’s diarrhea. There are new recommendations for athletes, such as avoidance of fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) and the intake of multiple transportable carbohydrates. It seems that a short-term gluten free diet has no effect on the performance of athletes but further research is needed. Mechanisms of runner’s diarrhea are still poorly understood, so more research needs to be conducted to improve the recommendations to runners.
Isolation Improvement Using the Field-Circuit Combined Method for In-Band Full-Duplex MIMO Antenna Arrays
Authors: Da Yiran , Yi Jianjia , Li Jianxing , Chen Xiaoming 
Published: May 2023

This paper proposes a field-circuit combined decoupling method for co-polarized in-band full-duplex multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna arrays. The proposed field-circuit combined method is composed of decoupling network and neutralization-based decoupling. An in-band full-duplex antenna with high isolation and low cross-polarization level is designed and extended to a 1 × 4 linear array. The decoupling network and ADS are applied for the array to alleviate the mutual coupling by rebuilding the neutralization wave paths in the circuit and field domains. Thus, low coupling (< −25 dB) among the transmitting/receiving antennas and high isolation (> 47 dB) between the transmitting and receiving antennas are achieved at 2.6 GHz, exhibiting a superior decoupling performance.
Effects of Andrographis paniculata Leaf Extract on C-Reactive Protein and Serum Ferritin in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Sepsis Model Rat
Authors: Salsabela Rezya , Widyastiti Nyoman Suci , Retnoningrum Dwi , Ariosta Ariosta , Susilaningsih Neni 
Published: May 2023

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin are acute-phase reactants that have demonstrated association with the severity of a variety of inflammation-mediated illnesses, including infection and sepsis. Sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata) leaf is traditionally used as an anti-inflammation and anti-bacterial herb. Sambiloto leaf extract possesses anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic, immuno-stimulatory, antiviral, and antioxidant activitiesObjective: To evaluate the effect of Sambiloto leaf extract (Andrographis paniculata) on inflammation biomarker (CRP and serum ferritin) in a rat model of sepsis-induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).Methods: This research was a true experimental study with a post-test-only control group design. Twenty five male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups consisting of a healthy control (HC), Negative control (NC), Treatment 1 (T1) Sambiloto 200mg/kgBW, T2 Sambiloto 400mg/kgBW, T3 Sambiloto 500mg/kgBW). Sambiloto leaf extract was given on days 8-21 and LPS 5mg/kgBW was injected intraperitoneal on day 22. On the 25th day, blood was drawn and CRP and serum ferritin levels were analyzed using ELISA method. The data were analyzed using One-Way ANOVA and Kruskal Wallis test.Results: The mean CRP levels of HC, NC, T1, T2,T3 were 7.72 ± 2.53; 8.12 ± 1.08; 5.22 ± 1.71; 6.40 ± 1.19; 5.14 ± 1.37 ng/dl respectively. The mean serum ferritin level of HC, NC, T1, T2, T3 were 293.60 ± 66.53; 601.20 ± 100.17; 433.40 ± 194.65; 331.60 ± 75.97; 318.00 ± 69.64 ng/dl respectively. There were differences in CRP levels in groups T1(p=0.012) and T3(p=0.010), serum ferritin levels in groups T2(p=0.014) and T3(p=0.008) to the control group.Conclusion: Sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata) leaf extract has anti-inflammatory effects in the rat model of sepsis.
An Assessment of The Effect of Training Practices on Staff Performance: A Case of The University of The Gambia
Authors: Zahra Jobe Fatoumata , Njie Matarr 
Published: May 2023

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of training practices on the performance of the staffs of the University of the Gambia (UTG). A stratified sampling technique was used together with various other methods, including a mixed research approach, using both quantitative and qualitative research to assess the effect of training on staff performance. Primary data was collected from the UTG Human Resources Department and from the academic and administrative members of staff selected from all the Schools of the University, using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The quantitative data was gathered using the 5-point Likert scale items, and this was analyzed using Excel. The results of the study were presented together with its interpretation, using tables, pie charts and bar graphs. The findings of the study indicated that on-the job training is widely practised in the University of the Gambia. However, the process of staff training was found to be unplanned and unsystematic. It was further gathered that there is a lack of commitment from the senior management team regarding staff training. Overall, the findings of the study revealed that the training provided in University of the Gambia has not helped them realize any significant improvement in their work performance. These findings are contrary to the general consensus in the literature, which contend that training in fact does help improve staff performance. Nevertheless, taking these findings of the study into consideration, it is recommended that the University of the Gambia need to endeavor to set aside funds solely dedicated for training staffs on a continuous basis. The key recommendation will be to revise its current staff training and development policy to make training more effective.
Voter Apathy in Nigeria as Political Protest: A Critical Overview of People’s Participation in Elections in Nigeria
Authors: Abdullahi Muhammad , Arabo Umar Abubakar 
Published: May 2023

This study explained that since the return to civil rule in 1999 after decades of military interregnum, Nigeria was involved in series of elections in the country. It has been observed that in each of these elections low turnout of voters used to be recorded. Several efforts were made with a view to assuage this malaise but, the citizens’ full participations always fell below expectations. The paper uses qualitative method which involves key informant interview as well as Aristotle’s theory of politics and thus argues that, until the elected officials in Nigeria recourse to fulfilling their campaign promises, and elections superintendents live up to expectation by making the electorates votes count during elections, above all, entrenchment of good governance, the menace of voter apathy will continue to be experienced in the Nigeria’s political space.
Mean surface and volume particle tensors under L-restricted isotropy and associated ellipsoids
Authors: Eriksen Rikke , Kiderlen Markus 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
The convex-geometric Minkowski tensors contain information about shape and orientation of the underlying convex body. They therefore yield valuable summary statistics for stationary marked point processes with marks in the family of convex bodies, or, slightly more specialised, for stationary particle processes. We show here that if the distribution of the typical particle is invariant under rotations about a fixed k-plane, then the average volume tensors of the typical particle can be derived from k + 1-dimensional sections. This finding extends the well-known three-dimensional special case to higher dimensions. A corresponding result for the surface tensors is also proven.
In the last part of the paper we show how Minkowski tensors can be used to define three ellipsoidal set-valued summary statistics, discuss their estimation and illustrate their construction and use in a simulation example. Two of these, the so-called Miles ellipsoid and the inertia ellipsoid, are based on mean volume tensors of ranks up to 2. The third, based on the mean surface tensor of rank 2, will be called the Blaschke ellipsoid and is only defined when the typical particle has a rotationally symmetric distribution about an axis, as we then can use uniqueness and reconstruction results for centred ellipsoids of revolution from their rank-2 surface tensor. The latter are also established here.
Characterizations of symplectic polar spaces
Authors: Cardinali Ilaria , Cuypers Hans , Giuzzi Luca , Pasini Antonio 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
A polar space 𝒮 is called symplectic if it admits a projective embedding ε : 𝒮 → PG(V) such that the image ε(𝒮) of 𝒮 by ε is defined by an alternating form of V. In this paper we characterize symplectic polar spaces in terms of their incidence properties, with no mention of peculiar properties of their embeddings. This is relevant especially when 𝒮 admits different (non-isomorphic) embeddings, as it is the case when 𝒮 is defined over a field of characteristic 2.