Category: Nevin Manimala

Heliyon. 2023 May 10;9(5):e16086. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16086. eCollection 2023 May.

ABSTRACT

The artificial bee colony (ABC) optimization algorithm has been widely used to solve the global optimization problems. Many versions of ABC algorithm exist in the literature intending to achieve optimum solution for problems in different domains. Some modifications of the ABC algorithm are general and can be applied to any problem domain, while some are application dependent. This paper proposes a modified version of the ABC algorithm named as, MABC-SS (modified artificial bee colony algorithm with selection strategy), that can be applied to any problem domain. The algorithm is modified in terms of population initialization and update of a bee position using the old and a new food source equation based on the algorithm’s performance in the previous iteration. The selection strategy is measured based on a novel approach called the rate of change. The population initialization in any optimization algorithm plays an important role in achieving the global optimum. The algorithm proposed in the paper uses random and an opposition-based learning technique to initialize the population and updates a bee’s position after exceeding a certain number of trial limits. The rate of change is based on the average cost and is calculated for the past two iterations and compared for a method to be used in the current iteration to achieve the best result. The proposed algorithm is experimented with 35 benchmark test functions and 10 real world test functions. The findings indicate that the proposed algorithm is able to achieve the optimal result in most cases. The proposed algorithm is compared with the original ABC algorithm, modified versions of the ABC algorithm, and other algorithms in the literature using the test mentioned above. The parameters such as population size, number of iterations and runs were kept same for comparison with non-variants of ABC. In case of ABC variants, ABC specific parameters such as abandonment limit factor (0.6) and acceleration coefficient (1) were kept same. Results indicate that in 40% of the traditional benchmark test functions, the suggested algorithm works better than other variants of ABC (ABC, GABC, MABC, MEABC, BABC, and KFABC), while 30% of the traditional benchmark test functions are comparable. The proposed algorithm was compared to non-variants of ABC as well. The results show that the proposed algorithm achieved the best mean result in 50% of the CEC2019 benchmark test functions and in 94% of the classical benchmark test functions. The result is confirmed by Wilcoxon sum ranked test which shows that MABC-SS achieved statistically significant result in 48% of the classical and 70% of the CEC2019 benchmark test functions when compared with the original ABC. Overall, based on assessment and comparison in benchmark test functions used in this paper, the suggested algorithm is superior to others.

PMID:37223708 | PMC:PMC10200850 | DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16086

SAGE Open Med. 2023 May 19;11:20503121231174735. doi: 10.1177/20503121231174735. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare facilities produce a variety of trash that, if handled improperly, could endanger the environment, the health of patients and clients, healthcare personnel, and the general public. Health staff have been given training on infection control and healthcare waste management. It is not apparent whether similar initiatives are taken for sanitary personnel, though. By evaluating sanitary workers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices about healthcare waste treatment in the Dodoma region of Tanzania, this study sought to clarify the situation.

METHODS: From March to August 2022 in Dodoma, Tanzania, a descriptive cross-sectional study using a quantitative methodology was conducted on 156 randomly chosen sanitary workers. The primary data collection instruments were structured questionnaires that were conducted by interviewers and a trash checklist that the research team created. Statistical Package for Social Sciences computer software was used to conduct a descriptive analysis of the data with a 95% confidence level and a 5% level of significance.

RESULTS: The average age was 28 ± 6.2 years, and there were 74.4% females. Of all of the health institutions under study, 78.4% of the generated medical waste was non-infectious, whereas 21.6% of it was infectious. The share of non-infectious and infectious healthcare waste created by regional referral hospitals was 43.5% and 13.2%, respectively. While 67.8% of sanitary workers believed that handling healthcare waste was not their problem and 63.6% of sanitary workers actually displayed subpar practices of handling healthcare waste, 74.4% of sanitary workers had low understanding about handling healthcare waste. Their procedures for handling medical waste were substantially influenced by the kind of healthcare facility, sex, education, job experience, knowledge, and attitude (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Sanitary staff members had limited understanding and thought they were less concerned with gathering, moving, and storing medical waste. To provide the highest level of health safety, national health policy and facility-based interventions must support and fund participatory waste management training that is tailored to the sociodemographic profiles of sanitary employees.

PMID:37223674 | PMC:PMC10201140 | DOI:10.1177/20503121231174735

IEEE Access. 2022;10:119106-119118. doi: 10.1109/access.2022.3221436. Epub 2022 Nov 10.

ABSTRACT

Neurons can code for multiple variables simultaneously and neuroscientists are often interested in classifying neurons based on their receptive field properties. Statistical models provide powerful tools for determining the factors influencing neural spiking activity and classifying individual neurons. However, as neural recording technologies have advanced to produce simultaneous spiking data from massive populations, classical statistical methods often lack the computational efficiency required to handle such data. Machine learning (ML) approaches are known for enabling efficient large scale data analyses; however, they typically require massive training sets with balanced data, along with accurate labels to fit well. Additionally, model assessment and interpretation are often more challenging for ML than for classical statistical methods. To address these challenges, we develop an integrated framework, combining statistical modeling and machine learning approaches to identify the coding properties of neurons from large populations. In order to demonstrate this framework, we apply these methods to data from a population of neurons recorded from rat hippocampus to characterize the distribution of spatial receptive fields in this region.

PMID:37223667 | PMC:PMC10205093 | DOI:10.1109/access.2022.3221436

Fed Pract. 2023 Apr;40(4):128-133. doi: 10.12788/fp.0362. Epub 2023 Apr 20.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Benzodiazepines are considered the gold standard for treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), a group of symptoms that occur after abrupt cessation of alcohol use, but may be associated with serious adverse effects. Given the safety concerns, alternative treatment options for AWS management have been investigated, including gabapentin and baclofen. Because no available studies have investigated the inpatient use of the gabapentin and baclofen combination for alcohol detoxification, this study aims to evaluate their efficacy and safety in the inpatient hospital setting.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Illinois, included patients who were aged ≥ 18 years and who were admitted to the general acute medicine floor for the primary indication of AWS from January 1, 2014, to July 31, 2021. The primary outcome was the length of stay, defined as hours from admission to either discharge or 36 hours with a Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol (CIWA) score ≤ 8. Electronic health records were reviewed to collect CIWA scores, alcohol withdrawal seizure and delirium tremens incidence, rates of conversions from gabapentin/baclofen to lorazepam, rates of transitions to a higher level of care, and readmission for AWS within 30 days.

RESULTS: Mean length of stay in the gabapentin/baclofen group was statistically significantly shorter compared with the benzodiazepine group (42.6 vs 82.5 hours, P < .001). The study found no significant difference between the gabapentin/baclofen and benzodiazepine groups in AWS readmission, adjuvant medications for AWS management, and number of patients who transitioned to a higher level of care. Overall, the safety of gabapentin/baclofen vs benzodiazepine were comparable; however, 1 patient experienced a seizure, and 1 patient experienced delirium tremens during admission in the benzodiazepine group.

CONCLUSIONS: Gabapentin/baclofen combination seems to be an effective and safe alternative to benzodiazepines and may be considered for managing mild AWS in hospitalized patients, but additional research is needed to examine this regimen.

PMID:37223663 | PMC:PMC10202137 | DOI:10.12788/fp.0362

Future Oncol. 2023 May 24. doi: 10.2217/fon-2022-1131. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Aim: Darolutamide significantly prolonged metastasis-free survival (MFS) versus placebo in the Phase III ARAMIS study. We analyzed outcomes in Spanish participants in ARAMIS. Patients & methods: Patients with high-risk nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer were randomized 2:1 to darolutamide 600 mg twice daily or placebo, plus androgen-deprivation therapy. The primary end point was MFS. Descriptive statistics are reported for this post hoc analysis. Results: In Spanish participants, darolutamide (n = 75) prolonged MFS versus placebo (n = 42): hazard ratio 0.345, 95% confidence interval 0.175-0.681. The incidence and type of treatment-emergent adverse events were comparable between treatment arms. Conclusion: For Spanish participants in ARAMIS, efficacy outcomes favored darolutamide versus placebo, with a similar safety profile, consistent with the overall ARAMIS population. Clinical Trials Registration: NCT02200614 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

PMID:37222151 | DOI:10.2217/fon-2022-1131

Vet Comp Oncol. 2023 May 24. doi: 10.1111/vco.12913. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Multi-agent chemotherapy successfully induces remission in most naïve, high-grade canine lymphoma patients; however, disease recurrence is common. MOPP (mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone) is an effective rescue protocol used to re-induce remission, but is associated with gastrointestinal toxicity and can be a less desirable option for patients that previously failed vincristine-containing protocols. Therefore, alternative members of the vinca alkaloid family, such as vinblastine, could be potentially advantageous as substitutes for vincristine to reduce gastrointestinal toxicity and chemoresistance. The objective of this study was to report the clinical outcomes and toxicity of 36 dogs with relapsed or refractory multicentric lymphoma treated with a modified MOPP protocol whereby vincristine was replaced with vinblastine (MVPP). The overall response rate to MVPP was 25% with a median progression free survival of 15 days and a median overall survival of 45 days. MVPP at the prescribed doses resulted in modest and transient clinical benefit, but was well tolerated with no treatment delays or hospitalizations secondary to side effects. Given the minimal toxicity, dose intensification could be considered to improve clinical responses.

PMID:37222086 | DOI:10.1111/vco.12913

Pediatrics. 2023 May 24:e2023061384. doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-061384. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This article describes a 2-phase process implemented by the American Board of Pediatrics in 2021 to investigate and remove potential bias on its General Pediatrics Certifying Examination at the item (question) level based on gender or race and ethnicity. Phase 1 used a statistical technique known as differential item functioning (DIF) analysis to identify items in which 1 subgroup of the population outperformed another subgroup after controlling for overall knowledge level. Phase 2 involved a review of items flagged for statistical DIF by the American Board of Pediatrics’ Bias and Sensitivity Review (BSR) panel, a diverse group of 12 voluntary subject matter experts tasked with identifying language or other characteristics of those items that may have contributed to the observed performance differences. Results indicated that no items on the 2021 examination were flagged for DIF by gender and 2.8% of the items were flagged for DIF by race and ethnicity. Of those items flagged for race and ethnicity, 14.3% (0.4% of total items administered) were judged by the BSR panel to contain biased language that may have undermined what the item was intending to measure and were therefore recommended to be removed from operational scoring. In addition to removing potentially biased items from the current pool of items, we hope that repeating the DIF/BSR process after each examination cycle will increase our understanding of how language nuances and other characteristics impact item performance so that we can improve our guidelines for developing future items.

PMID:37222080 | DOI:10.1542/peds.2023-061384

Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2023 May 24:207640231174365. doi: 10.1177/00207640231174365. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Latvia has the second highest suicide rate in the European Union – with a total population age-standardized suicide rate of 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants.

AIMS: We aimed to assess the prevalence of different types of self-reported suicidal behaviours in Latvia and determine the associated sociodemographic and health-related factors.

METHODS: This study was based on secondary data obtained from the Health Behaviour Among Latvian Adult Population survey. A representative sample of the general population was used, aged 15 to 64 years in 2010, 2012, 2014; and 15 to 74 years in 2016 and 2018 (n = 16,084). Respondents were asked to report the occurrence of life weariness, death wishes, suicidal ideation, suicidal plans and suicide attempts during the previous year. We assessed socio-demographics and health-related factors associated with suicidality. We performed univariate analysis and constructed stepwise multivariate logistic regression models.

RESULTS: In 2010 to 2018, 15.6% of responders reported some type of suicidal behaviour (95% CI [15.1, 16.2]). Sociodemographic factors – including non-cohabitation status and Latvian nationality – were associated with mild (life-weariness and death wishes) and serious (suicidal ideation, plans to commit suicide, suicide attempts) types of behaviour. Older age was associated with mild suicidal behaviours, whereas lower educational levels were associated with serious suicidal behaviours. Diagnosed depression, self-reported depression, self-reported anxiety, stress, low mood, alcohol intake habits with heavy drinking episodes (less than monthly, monthly and weekly), perceived health as average or below average, disuse of primary health services were associated with mild and serious types of suicidal behaviour. Current smoking status and absenteeism were associated with mild suicidal behaviour types. Self-reported insomnia, having at least two somatic diagnoses, occasional smoking status, absenteeism with 11 or more days in the last year, receiving disability pension were associated with serious suicidal behaviour types. Musculoskeletal diseases exhibited preventive effects.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that certain groups of individuals might exhibit greater vulnerability to suicidality.

PMID:37222074 | DOI:10.1177/00207640231174365

Int Immunopharmacol. 2023 May 21;120:110314. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110314. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin D3 (VitD3) on inflammatory mechanisms, hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) in the hippocampus, and cognitive impairment of the mouse model of vascular dementia (VaD).

METHODS: In this study, 32 male mice were randomly assigned to the control, VaD, VitD3 (300 IU/Kg/day), and VitD3 (500 IU/Kg/day) groups. VaD and VitD3 groups were gavaged daily for 4 weeks with a gastric needle. For biochemical assessments, blood samples and the hippocampus were isolated. IL-1β and TNF-α were analyzed by ELISA, and p-tau and other inflammatory molecules were measured by western blot.

RESULTS: VitD3 supplements significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the level of inflammatory factors in the hippocampus and prevented apoptosis. However, regarding p-tau in hippocampal tissue, this decrease was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The results of behavioral assessments showed that VitD3 significantly improved the spatial memory of treated mice.

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the neuroprotective effects of VitD3 are mainly associated with their anti-inflammatory effects.

PMID:37220695 | DOI:10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110314

Comput Methods Programs Biomed. 2023 May 16;238:107604. doi: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2023.107604. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Ultrasound based blood velocity estimation is a continuously developing frontier, where the vast number of possible acquisition setups and velocity estimators makes it challenging to assess which combination is better suited for a given imaging application. FLUST, the Flow-Line based Ultrasound Simulation Tool, may be used to address this challenge, providing a common platform for evaluation of velocity estimation schemes on in silico data. However, the FLUST approach had some limitations in its original form, including reduced robustness for phase sensitive setups and the need for manual selection of integrity parameters. In addition, implementation of the technique and therefore also documentation of signal integrity was left to potential users of the approach.

METHODS: In this work, several improvements to the FLUST technique are proposed and investigated, and a robust, open source simulation framework developed. The software supports several transducer types and acquisition setups, in addition to a range of different flow phantoms. The main goal of this work is to offer a robust, computationally cheap and user-friendly framework to simulate ultrasound data from stationary blood velocity fields and thereby facilitate design and evaluation of estimation schemes, including acquisition design, velocity estimation and other post-processing steps.

RESULTS: The technical improvements proposed in this work resulted in reduced interpolation errors, reduced variability in signal power, and also automatic selection of spatial and temporal discretization parameters. Results are presented illustrating the challenges and the effectiveness of the solutions. The integrity of the improved simulation framework is validated in an extensive study, with results indicating that speckle statistics, spatial and temporal correlation and frequency content all correspond well with theoretical predictions. Finally, an illustrative example shows how FLUST may be used throughout the design and optimization process of a velocity estimator.

CONCLUSIONS: The FLUST framework is available as a part of the UltraSound ToolBox (USTB), and the results in this paper demonstrate that it can be used as an efficient and reliable tool for the development and validation of ultrasound-based velocity estimation schemes.

PMID:37220679 | DOI:10.1016/j.cmpb.2023.107604