Browse Articles

Validation and the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the sleep quality scale for coronary care patients: a methodological survey

Ecotoxicological effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on the freshwater mussel Lamellidens marginalis: physiological disruption, oxidative stress, and ecological implications

Bio inspired multi agent system for distributed power and interference management in MIMO OFDM networks

National spatiotemporal patterns of influenza-like illness in Iran: A pre-COVID-19 study (2015–2019)

Lower respiratory tract infections, including Influenza-Like Illness (ILI), contribute significantly to local and global mortality rates. This study aimed to identify high-risk areas for ILI incidence at the county level in Iran during the 4-year period prior to COVID-19. Data were analyzed from 109,167 ILI notifications collected between March 2015 and March 2019 through “The Iran Influenza Surveillance System (IISS)”. Spatial scan statistics was utilized to identify significant spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal clusters of ILI cases. The average age of patients was 40 years (range: 1–117), with females comprising 53% of cases. Males exhibited a higher significant case fatality rate (CFR= 3.28%) compared to females (CFR=2.46%)(P-value<0.05). Among all patients, 53% were tested for influenza, and 22% of those tested had a confirmed case, which accounts for 12% of all ILI patients, with Type A being the predominant strain, accounting for 79.15% of cases. Type A influenza had a higher CFR than type B (5.4% vs. 3.01%, respectively). Among the A virus subtypes, H1N1 exhibited the highest CFR at 8.06%. During the study period, from December 2015 to February 2016, provinces such as Khuzestan, Fars, Kerman, and Yazd reported the highest incidence of ILI. Similarly, the provinces of Alborz, Tehran, and Gilan also experienced elevated ILI rates. In contrast, the period from April 2015 to October 2015 saw the lowest incidence of ILI. Notably, the highest CFR was recorded during the months with the peak ILI incidence. The incidence of ILI fluctuated significantly, peaking at 42.04 in the first year, falling to 24.12 in the second year, and continuing to vary in the following years. These findings underscore the urgent need for tailored public health interventions, such as enhanced surveillance and targeted vaccination campaigns, in provinces where ILI incidence and mortality are highest. By concentrating resources and efforts in these high-risk areas, it may be possible to more effectively manage and control ILI outbreaks.

Uncovering mechanism of hepatotoxicity diseases caused by tetrahydrocannabinol based on novel network toxicology and experimental verification

Vitamin D for primary dysmenorrhea and endometriosis-related pain – A systematic review of registered RCTs

Objective This systematic review investigates the potential role of vitamin D supplement in alleviating pain associated with primary dysmenorrhea or endometriosis by analysing registered randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Methods We comprehensively searched the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform to identify registered RCTs that assessed the effects of vitamin D supplement on pain outcomes in people with primary dysmenorrhea or endometriosis. The primary outcomes of interest were pain severity/intensity, pain duration, pain medication usage and pain-related outcome measurements. Results Seven registered RCTs were included in this systematic review. These RCTs had diverse doses and treatment durations of vitamin D supplement used as intervention. They also had either high or some concerns of risk of bias, according to Cochrane risk of bias version 2 assessment. Substantial heterogeneities were generally observed across the seven RCTs. When measured using a validated tool visual analogue scale (VAS), pain severity was significantly lower at the end of treatment when compared with placebo (mean difference MD –1.12, 95% confidence interval [–2.16, –0.07], I2=81%, 5 studies, n = 308). This significant difference was observed in the primary dysmenorrhea RCTs, but not the endometriosis RCTs. Conclusion This systematic review identified vitamin D may reduce pain associated with primary dysmenorrhea, though a low certainty of evidence was available. Future studies that use standardised doses and treatment duration in accordance with the latest clinical practice guidelines are needed to explore any potential benefits vitamin D may have for people with these conditions.

Adaptation of the quality of oncology nursing care scale for patients undergoing cancer treatment in South Korea

Levels of concentrates and protein sources in intensive pasture-based beef cattle rearing during the rainy season in the Amazon biome

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different nutritional strategies on the intensification of beef cattle farming on pastures during the rainy season. Eighty male cattle (testers) were randomly allocated to 16 paddocks formed with Mombaça grass (Megathyrsus maximus), totaling five animals (testers) per paddock. The strategies consisted of two levels of concentrates (LC) [7 and 10 g.kg-1 of body weight (BW)], i.e., low and high LC, and two protein sources (PS) with dried distillers’ grain with solubles (DDGS) and soybean meal (SBM) in a completely randomized design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. The forage’s chemical, structural, and productive characteristics and the supplemented animals’ performance, productivity, and serum parameters were evaluated. The forage had the greatest height (P = 0.038) at the lowest LC; however, a greater leaf proportion (P = 0.049) and leaf: stem ratio (L:S) (P = 0.042) were observed when the highest LC was used. The animals receiving the highest LC had the highest supplement intake (P < 0.001) and a lower pasture intake (P = 0.001). The average daily gain (ADG) did not differ between the LC (P = 0.135) and PS (P = 0.190) groups (0.97 kg.day-1). The LC used in the nutritional strategies did not affect the stocking rate (P = 0.272) or productivity (P = 0.986). Supplementation of 7 g.kg-1 BW is recommended for intensive rearing of beef cattle during the rainy season, as it results in high gains at a relatively low cost. In addition, as there were no negative responses to the use of DDGS as a protein source in the supplement, it represents an alternative for replacing soybean meal in the formulations.

Performance and predictive modeling of surface carbonized plant fiber reinforced alkali-activated self-insulating mortar

Measuring the fitted filtration efficiency of cloth masks, medical masks and respirators

Importance Masks reduce transmission of SARS-CoV2 and other respiratory pathogens. Comparative studies of the fitted filtration efficiency of different types of masks are scarce. Objective To describe the fitted filtration efficiency against small aerosols (0.02–1 µm) of medical and non-medical masks and respirators when worn, and how this is affected by user modifications (hacks) and by overmasking with a cloth mask. Design We tested a 2-layer woven-cotton cloth mask of a consensus design, ASTM-certified level 1 and level 3 masks, a non-certified mask, KF94s, KN95s, an N95 and a CaN99. Setting Closed rooms with ambient particles supplemented by salt particles. Participants 12 total participants; 21–55 years, 68% female, 77% white, NIOSH 1–10. Main Outcome and Measure Using standard methods and a PortaCount 8038, we counted 0.02–1 µm particles inside and outside masks and respirators, expressing results as the percentage filtered by each mask. We also studied level 1 and level 3 masks with earguards, scrub caps, the knot-and-tuck method, and the effects of braces or overmasking with a cloth mask. Results Filtration efficiency for the cloth mask was 47–55%, for level 1 masks 52–60%, for level 3 masks 60–77%. A non-certified KN95 look-alike, two KF94s, and three KN95s filtered 57–77%, and the N95 and CaN99 97–98% without fit testing. External braces and overmasking with a well-fitting cloth mask increased filtration, but earguards, scrub caps, and the knot-and-tuck method did not. Limitations Limited number of masks of each type sampled; no adjustment for multiple comparisons. Conclusions and Relevance Well-fitting 2-layer cotton masks filter in the same range as level 1 masks when worn: around 50%. Level 3 masks and KN95s/KF94s filter around 70%. Over a level 1 mask, external braces or overmasking with a cloth-mask-on-ties produced filtration around 90%. Only N95s and CaN99s, both of which have overhead elastic, performed close to the occupational health and safety standards for fit tested PPE (>99%), filtering at 97–99% when worn, without formal fit testing. These findings inform public health messaging about relative protection from aerosols afforded by different mask types and explain the effectiveness of cloth masks observed in numerous epidemiologic studies conducted in the first year of the pandemic. A plain language summary of these findings is available at https://maskevidence.org/masks-compared .

Theoretical and experimental research on long life prediction of the locking system of the space station docking mechanism

Enhanced convolutional neural network accelerators with memory optimization for routing applications

Currently, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) accelerators find application in various digital domains, each highlighting memory utilization as a significant concern leading to system degradation. In response, our present work focuses on optimizing the memory usage of CNN through a strategic approach. The resulting system is coined as the Memory Optimized Zebra CNN (MOZC). In the initial stage, the CNN accelerator is constructed with optimized features, specifically addressing the network routing function. In this context, our approach draws inspiration from zebras, aiming to identify the shortest path between network nodes. The Field-Programmable-Gate-Arrays (FPGA) are employed for evaluating MOZC performance, considering parameters such as lookup table (LUT), Flip-Flop (FF), memory utilization, power consumption, Digital-Signal Processing (DSP), and Giga-Operations-Per-Second per watt (GOPS/W). Additionally, key parameters like data delivery and Throughput assess routing and data transmission robustness. Video data is utilized to determine routing efficiency, and the achieved highest GOPS/W is recorded as 30.43, marking a substantial improvement over conventional CNN accelerators.

A multi-model approach for estimation of ash yield in coal using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Fruit fly infestation of cucurbitaceous vegetables in Morogoro—Eastern Central Tanzania

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are a significant threat to cucurbit production in Tanzania. To effectively combat these pests, it is crucial to understand the patterns of fruit fly infestations among cucurbit crops at different altitudes. Our study focused on the infestation patterns of fruit flies among commonly grown cucurbit crops—cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus [Thunb.] Matsum. & Nakai), and squash (Cucurbita moschata D.) in Eastern Central Tanzania. The research was conducted in the “plateau” (low altitude) and the “mountainous” (high altitude) areas of Morogoro over three cropping seasons (March - April as Season I, June – July as Season II, and September – October as Season III) during 2020. We collected a total of 450 samples equivalent to 4,500 fruits during this period. Out of these, 418 samples were infested by five fruit fly species: Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), Dacus ciliatus Loew, Dacus vertebratus Bezzi, Dacus bivittatus (Bigot), and Dacus punctatifrons Karsch, which are the principal tephritid pests of cucurbit crops in Morogoro. In total, 22,169 fruit flies were recovered from the samples, with more flies emerging from the mountainous zone (12,390) than the plateau (9,779). Zeugodacus cucurbitae accounted for the majority of the emerged flies (18,789), while the remaining species, including D. vertebratus and D. ciliatus, contributed smaller numbers. Among the hosts, Cucumis sativus was the most heavily infested, followed by Cucurbit moschata and Citrullus lanatus. Significant effects of fruit fly species × host species and fruit fly species × agroecological zone on percent infestation and degree of infestation. Furthermore, the effects of host species × agroecological zone on percent infestation were significant. The study further found that that Z. cucurbitae was the dominant pest in terms of percent and degree of infestation among the three cucurbit crops at both agroecological zones in the Morogoro region. These findings provide valuable insights into severity of pest infestation that may cause high economic losses in cucurbit crops in cucurbit production. The study recommends that any management strategies for fruit flies should focus on controlling Z. cucurbitae, as a key pest of cucurbits in the region.

Computational study of carboplatin interaction with PEG-functionalized C60 fullerene as a drug carrier using DFT and molecular dynamics simulations

Extracellular vesicles from adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells promote colony formation ability and EMT of corneal limbal epithelial cells

Corneal diseases are a leading cause of visual impairment, and their treatment remains challenging. Corneal epithelial stem cells exist in the limbus, the peripheral region of the cornea, and play an important role in corneal regeneration. Here, we evaluated the effects of extracellular vesicles from human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSC-EVs) on limbal epithelial cells (LECs). Colony formation assays showed that the colony-forming efficiency of LECs significantly increased in the presence of AdMSC-EVs. We next demonstrated that AdMSC-EVs accelerated the migration of LECs in a scratch assay, whereas the proliferation of LECs was decreased by AdMSC-EVs in the cell proliferation assay. RNA sequencing analysis of LECs indicated that AdMSC-EVs maintained their stem cell properties and improved epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, after identifying the six most abundant microRNAs (miRNAs) in AdMSC-EVs, LEC transfection with miRNA mimics indicated that miR-25, miR-191, and miR-335 were the most probable miRNA factors within AdMSC-EVs at improving colony formation ability and EMT. Taken together, our findings indicated that AdMSC-EVs enhanced the colony formation ability and EMT of LECs, and the effects of AdMSC-EVs were in-part mediated by the miRNAs within the AdMSC-EVs.

Optimizing the neural network and iterated function system parameters for fractal approximation using a modified evolutionary algorithm

Rising prevalence of subthreshold and major depressive symptom in South Korea: A trend analysis from 2014 and 2018

Introduction Subthreshold depression and major depressive symptoms are prevalent mental health conditions that significantly impact quality of life and contribute to South Korea’s high suicide rate. Despite their importance, few studies have examined temporal changes in the occurrence of these disorders in the Korean population. Objective This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of subthreshold depression and MDD using a large, representative sample of the South Korean population and analyze trends over time. Methods Data were obtained from 10,848 participants aged 19 and above in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES) in 2014 and 2018. Depression severity was categorized using cutoff scores of 5-14 for subthreshold symptoms and ≥ 15 for severe symptoms. Results The prevalence of subthreshold depression increased from 12.90% in 2014 to 15.20% in 2018, while MDD rose from 4.7% to 7.0% (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that MDD (OR = 8.1, 95% CI = 2.34-11.23), college education (OR = 7.9, 95% CI = 4.23-10.00), and age above 65 years (OR = 8.1, 95% CI = 2.58-12.58) exhibited similar risks for suicide attempts. Conclusion Since 2014, there has been a sharp and sustained increase in both subthreshold and severe depressive symptoms among the Korean population. This alarming trend underscores the critical need for targeted prevention and intervention strategies.

Efficient traffic sign recognition using YOLO for intelligent transport systems

Abstract Accurate traffic sign recognition (TSR) is critical for enhancing the safety and reliability of autonomous driving systems. This study proposes an optimized YOLOv5-based framework to address challenges such as small-scale detection, environmental variability, and real-time processing constraints. Three key innovations are introduced: (1) k-means++ clustering for anchor box optimization, achieving a 77.55% average IoU (vs. 75.95% for traditional k-means) to enhance small-target detection; (2) comprehensive comparative analysis of YOLOv5 variants (s/m/x), revealing precision-speed trade-offs (99.3–99.5% mAP@0.5 vs. 32–45 ms inference time) for deployment flexibility; and (3) systematic hyperparameter tuning to maximize robustness across diverse scenarios. Leveraging the CCTSDB dataset (13,830 annotated images), experiments demonstrate the framework’s superiority: it attains 98.1% mean average precision (mAP), 98.6% recall, and 99.3% precision, outperforming Faster-RCNN and SSD by 5–8% in mAP while maintaining 45 FPS throughput. The YOLOv5s variant achieves optimal balance with 99.3% mAP@0.5 and 32 ms per-image inference, validated through rigorous statistical analysis (Tukey HSD). Robust performance in challenging conditions (e.g., small sample, backlit sample, foggy scenes) is evidenced by detection confidence exceeding 0.90. These results highlight the framework’s applicability in latency-sensitive intelligent transportation systems.

Decision makers consider all options in choice triplets

Most contemporary decision-making research focuses on choices between only two alternative options, in spite of the fact that most real-world decisions involve more than two options. Beyond this practical point, multi-option decisions are also important from a theoretical perspective. Experimental and computational studies have demonstrated that the composition of a set of choice options has predictable effects on choice outcomes. Specifically, with more options available to choose from, responses are slower and more stochastic. This effect is amplified when the values of the options (including the worst option in the set) are more similar to each other. In this study, we provide further evidence of these known effects. We also provide evidence that metacognitive factors such as feelings of confidence in the response or mental effort exertion during deliberation show similar effects as the cognitive factors (consistency between choices and value estimates, response speed). Finally, we provide novel evidence that value estimates are refined during deliberation for all options in choice triplets, similar to what has previously been show for choice pairs.