Exciting new features have been described concerning neurogenic bowel dysfunction,including interactions between the central nervous system,the enteric nervous system,axonal injury,neuronal loss,neurotransmission of n...Exciting new features have been described concerning neurogenic bowel dysfunction,including interactions between the central nervous system,the enteric nervous system,axonal injury,neuronal loss,neurotransmission of noxious and non-noxious stimuli,and the fields of gastroenterology and neurology.Patients with spinal cord injury,myelomeningocele,multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease present with serious upper and lower bowel dysfunctions characterized by constipation,incontinence,gastrointestinal motor dysfunction and altered visceral sensitivity.Spinal cord injury is associated with severe autonomic dysfunction,and bowel dysfunction is a major physical and psychological burden for these patients.An adult myelomeningocele patient commonly has multiple problems reflecting the multisystemic nature of the disease.Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disorder in which axonal injury,neuronal loss,and atrophy of the central nervous system can lead to permanent neurological damage and clinical disability.Parkinson's disease is a multisystem disorder involving dopaminergic,noradrenergic,serotoninergic and cholinergic systems,characterizedby motor and non-motor symptoms.Parkinson's disease affects several neuronal structures outside the substantia nigra,among which is the enteric nervous system.Recent reports have shown that the lesions in the enteric nervous system occur in very early stages of the disease,even before the involvement of the central nervous system.This has led to the postulation that the enteric nervous system could be critical in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease,as it could represent the point of entry for a putative environmental factor to initiate the pathological process.This review covers the data related to the etiology,epidemiology,clinical expression,pathophysiology,genetic aspects,gastrointestinal motor dysfunction,visceral sensitivity,management,prevention and prognosis of neurogenic bowel dysfunction patients with these neurological diseases.Embryological,morphological and ex展开更多
Aim： To assess seminal plasma anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH） level relationships in fertile and infertile males. Methods： Eighty-four male cases were studied and divided into four groups： fertile normozoosperm...Aim： To assess seminal plasma anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH） level relationships in fertile and infertile males. Methods： Eighty-four male cases were studied and divided into four groups： fertile normozoospermia （n = 16）, oligoastheno- teratozoospermia （n = 15）, obstructive azoospermia （OA） （n = 13） and non-obstructive azoospermia （NOA） （n = 40）. Conventional semen analysis was done for all cases. Testicular biopsy was done with histopathology and fresh tissue examination for testicular sperm extraction （TESE） in NOA cases. NOA group was subdivided according to TESE results into unsuccessful TESE （n = 19） and successful TESE （n = 21）. Seminal plasma AMH was estimated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and serum follicular stimulating hormone （FSH） was estimated in NOA cases only by radioimmunoassay （RIA）. Results： Mean seminal AMH was significantly higher in fertile group than in oligoasthenoteratozoospermia with significance （41.5±10.9 pmol/L vs. 30.5±10.3 pmol/L, P 〈 0.05）. Seminal AMH was not detected in any OA patients. Seminal AMH wascorrelated positively with testicular volume （r = 0.329, P = 0.005）, sperm count （r = 0.483, P = 0.007）, sperm motility percent （r = 0.419, P = 0.021） and negatively with sperm abnormal forms percent （r = -0.413, p = 0.023）. Nonsignificant correlation was evident with age （r = -0.155, P = 0.414） and plasma FSH （ r = -0.014, P = 0.943）. In NOA cases, seminal AMH was detectable in 23/40 cases, 14 of them were successful TESE （57.5%） and was undetectable in 17/40 cases, 10 of them were unsuccessful TESE （58.2%）. Conclusion： Seminal plasma AMH is an absolute testicular marker being absent in all OA cases. However, seminal AMH has a poor predictability for successful testicular sperm retrieval in NOA cases.展开更多
This empirical study examines ChatGPT as an educational and learning tool.It investigates the opportunities and challenges that ChatGPT provides to the students and instructors of communication,business writing,and co...This empirical study examines ChatGPT as an educational and learning tool.It investigates the opportunities and challenges that ChatGPT provides to the students and instructors of communication,business writing,and composition courses.It also strives to provide recommendations.After conducting 30 theory-based and application-based ChatGPT tests,it is found that ChatGPT has the potential of replacing search engines as it provides accurate and reliable input to students.For opportunities,the study found that ChatGPT provides a platform for students to seek answers to theory-based questions and generate ideas for application-based questions.It also provides a platform for instructors to integrate technology in classrooms and conduct workshops to discuss and evaluate generated responses.For challenges,the study found that ChatGPT,if unethically used by students,may lead to human unintelligence and unlearning.This may also present a challenge to instructors as the use of ChatGPT negatively affects their ability to differentiate between meticulous and automation-dependent students,on the one hand,and measure the achievement of learning outcomes,on the other hand.Based on the outcome of the analysis,this study recommends communication,business writing,and composition instructors to(1)refrain from making theory-based questions as take-home assessments,(2)provide communication and business writing students with detailed case-based and scenario-based assessment tasks that call for personalized answers utilizing critical,creative,and imaginative thinking incorporating lectures and textbook material,(3)enforce submitting all take-home assessments on plagiarism detection software,especially for composition courses,and(4)integrate ChatGPT generated responses in classes as examples to be discussed in workshops.Remarkably,this study found that ChatGPT skillfully paraphrases regenerated responses in a way that is not detected by similarity detection software.To maintain their effectiveness,similarity detection software providers 展开更多
AIM: To assess the failure and bone-to-implant contact rate of dental implants placed on osteoporotic subjects. METHODS: Extensive examination strategies were created to classify studies for this systematic review. ME...AIM: To assess the failure and bone-to-implant contact rate of dental implants placed on osteoporotic subjects. METHODS: Extensive examination strategies were created to classify studies for this systematic review. MEDLINE(via Pub Med) and EMBASE database were examined for studies in English up to and including May 2014. The examination presented a combination of the MeS H words described as follow: "osteoporosis" or "osteopenia" or "estrogen deficiency" AND "implant" or "dental implant" or "osseointegration". Assessment of clinical and/or histological peri-implant conditions in osteoporosis subjects treated with titanium dental implants. The examination included a combination of the MeS H terms described as follow: "osteoporosis" or "osteopenia" or "estrogen deficiency" AND "implant" or "dental implant" or "osseointegration".RESULTS: Of 943 potentially eligible articles, 12 were included in the study. A total of 133 subjects with osteoporosis, 73 subjects diagnosed with osteopenia and 708 healthy subjects were assessed in this systematic review. In these subjects were installed 367, 205, 2981 dental implants in osteoporotic, osteopenic and healthy subjects, respectively. The failure rate of dental implant was 10.9% in osteoporotic subjects, 8.29% in osteopenic and 11.43% in healthy ones. Bone-to-implant contact obtained from retrieved implants ranged between 49.96% to 47.84%, for osteoporosis and non-osteoporotic subjects. CONCLUSION: Osteoporotic subjects presented higher rates of implant loss, however, there is a lower evidence to strengthen or refute the hypothesis that osteoporosis may have detrimental effects on bone healing. Consequently, final conclusions regarding the effect of osteoporosis in dental implant therapy cannot be made at this time. There are no randomized clinical trial accessible for evaluation and the retrospectivenature of the evaluated studies shall be taken in account when interpreting this study.展开更多
The acceleration autopilot design for skid-to-turn （STT） missile faces a great challenge owing to coupling effect among planes, variation of missile velocity and its parameters, inexistence of a complete state vecto...The acceleration autopilot design for skid-to-turn （STT） missile faces a great challenge owing to coupling effect among planes, variation of missile velocity and its parameters, inexistence of a complete state vector, and nonlinear aerodynamics. Moreover, the autopilot should be designed for the entire flight envelope where fast variations exist. In this paper, a design of integrated roll-pitch-yaw autopilot based on global fast terminal sliding mode control （GFTSMC） with a partial state nonlinear observer （PSNLO） for STT nonlinear time-varying missile model, is employed to address these issues. GFTSMC with a novel sliding surface is proposed to nullify the integral error and the singularity problem without application of the sign function. The proposed autopilot consisting of two-loop structure, controls STT maneuver and stabilizes the rolling with a PSNLO in order to estimate the immeasurable states as an output while its inputs are missile measurable states and control signals. The missile model considers the velocity variation, gravity effect and parameters＇ variation. Furthermore, the environmental conditions＇ dynamics are mod- eled. PSNLO stability and the closed loop system stability are studied. Finally, numerical simulation is established to evaluate the proposed autopilot performance and to compare it with existing approaches in the literature.展开更多
BACKGROUND In hepatology,the clinical use of endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)has experienced a notable increase in recent times.These applications range from the diagnosis to the treatment of various liver diseases.Therefor...BACKGROUND In hepatology,the clinical use of endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)has experienced a notable increase in recent times.These applications range from the diagnosis to the treatment of various liver diseases.Therefore,this systematic review summarizes the evidence for the diagnostic and therapeutic roles of EUS in liver diseases.AIM To examine and summarize the current available evidence of the possible roles of the EUS in making a suitable diagnosis in liver diseases as well as the therapeutic accuracy and efficacy.METHODS PubMed,Medline,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,and Google Scholar databases were extensively searched until October 2023.The methodological quality of the eligible articles was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale or Cochrane Risk of Bias tool.In addition,statistical analyses were performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.RESULTS Overall,45 articles on EUS were included(28 on diagnostic role and 17 on therapeutic role).Pooled analysis demonstrated that EUS diagnostic tests had an accuracy of 92.4%for focal liver lesions(FLL)and 96.6%for parenchymal liver diseases.EUS-guided liver biopsies with either fine needle aspiration or fine needle biopsy had low complication rates when sampling FLL and parenchymal liver diseases(3.1%and 8.7%,respectively).Analysis of data from four studies showed that EUS-guided liver abscess had high clinical(90.7%)and technical success(90.7%)without significant complications.Similarly,EUS-guided interventions for the treatment of gastric varices(GV)have high technical success(98%)and GV obliteration rate(84%)with few complications(15%)and rebleeding events(17%).CONCLUSION EUS in liver diseases is a promising technique with the potential to be considered a first-line therapeutic and diagnostic option in selected cases.展开更多
Wheat germ is a by-product derived from the wheat milling industry. Defatted wheat germ is the main by-product of the wheat germ in the oil extraction process. This study aims at development of efficient and low cost ...Wheat germ is a by-product derived from the wheat milling industry. Defatted wheat germ is the main by-product of the wheat germ in the oil extraction process. This study aims at development of efficient and low cost processing methods to transform these residues in added value co-product. In this study, wheat germ was analysed for its proximate composition, fatty acid composition, physical and chemical characteristics of wheat germ oil. The basic chemical composition analyses revealed high values of dry matter (87.37 g/100g FW), significant amounts of total protein and fat (27.69 and 8.99 g/100g FW, respectively) content and low ash content (3.08 g/100g FW). The quality of the extracted oils was assessed in terms of acid value, iodine value, saponification value, peroxide value, refractive index, and unsaponifiable matter. The fatty acid profile was found to be made up of linoleic followed by palmitic and oleic as the major fatty acids. Antioxidant properties and in vitro antibacterial activity of defatted wheat germ (DWG) extract were also determined. DWG, as a source of natural antioxidants and antibacterial, could be used to formulate nutraceuticals with potential applications to reduce the level of oxidative stress. The antioxidant potency of the DWG extracts could be the basis for its health promoting potential. The results showed that these by-products could be used as a source of bioactive compounds beneficial for health.展开更多
This is a continuity of a series of taxonomic papers where materials are examined,described and novel combinations are proposed where necessary to improve our traditional species concepts and provide updates on their ...This is a continuity of a series of taxonomic papers where materials are examined,described and novel combinations are proposed where necessary to improve our traditional species concepts and provide updates on their classification.In addition to extensive morphological descriptions and appropriate asexual and sexual connections,DNA sequence data are also analysed from concatenated datasets(rDNA,TEF-a,RBP2 and b-Tubulin)to infer phylogenetic relationships and substantiate systematic position of taxa within appropriate ranks.Wherever new species or combinations are being proposed,we apply an integrative approach(morphological and molecular data as well as ecological features wherever applicable).Notes on 125 fungal taxa are compiled in this paper,including eight new genera,101 new species,two new combinations,one neotype,four reference specimens,new host or distribution records for eight species and one alternative morphs.The new genera introduced in this paper are Alloarthopyrenia,Arundellina,Camarosporioides,Neomassaria,Neomassarina,Neotruncatella,Paracapsulospora and Pseudophaeosphaeria.The new species are Alfaria spartii,Alloarthopyrenia italica,Anthostomella ravenna,An.thailandica,Arthrinium paraphaeospermum,Arundellina typhae,Aspergillus koreanus,Asterina cynometrae,Bertiella ellipsoidea,Blastophorum aquaticum,Cainia globosa,Camarosporioides phragmitis,Ceramothyrium menglunense,Chaetosphaeronema achilleae,Chlamydotubeufia helicospora,Ciliochorella phanericola,Clavulinopsis aurantiaca,Colletotrichum insertae,Comoclathris italica,Coronophora myricoides,Cortinarius fulvescentoideus,Co.nymphatus,Co.pseudobulliardioides,Co.tenuifulvescens,Cunninghamella gigacellularis,Cyathus pyristriatus,Cytospora cotini,Dematiopleospora alliariae,De.cirsii,Diaporthe aseana,Di.garethjonesii,Distoseptispora multiseptata,Dis.tectonae,Dis.tectonigena,Dothiora buxi,Emericellopsis persica,Gloniopsis calami,Helicoma guttulatum,Helvella floriforma,H.oblongispora,Hermatomyces subiculosa,Juncaceicola italica,Lactarius dirkii,Lentithecium展开更多
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of real-time ultrasound elastography (RUE) in differentiating benign from malignant thyroid nodules, with fine needle aspiration cytology analysis as the ...The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of real-time ultrasound elastography (RUE) in differentiating benign from malignant thyroid nodules, with fine needle aspiration cytology analysis as the reference standard. A total of 78 consecutive patients with thyroid nodules who were selected for fine needle aspiration biopsies were examined in this prospective study. 78 nodules in these patients were examined by conventional ultrasound, and ultrasound elastography. The final diagnosis was obtained from cytological findings. Tissue stiffness on ultrasound elastography was scored from 1 (low stiffness over the entire nodule) to 5 (high stiffness over the entire nodule and surrounding tissue). On real-time ultrasound elastography, 47 of 62 benign nodules (76%) had a score of 1 or 2, whereas 15 of 16 malignant nodules had a score of 3 to 5, with sensitivity of 93.7%, specificity of 90%, a positive predictive value of 71%, and a negative predictive value of 98%. Real-time ultrasound elastography is a promising imaging technique that is useful in the differential diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Utilization of ultrasound elastography could reduce the rate of thyroid biopsies because of its high elasticity being highly associated with benign cytology.展开更多
Notes on 113 fungal taxa are compiled in this paper,including 11 new genera,89 new species,one new subspecies,three new combinations and seven reference specimens.Awide geographic and taxonomic range of fungal taxa ar...Notes on 113 fungal taxa are compiled in this paper,including 11 new genera,89 new species,one new subspecies,three new combinations and seven reference specimens.Awide geographic and taxonomic range of fungal taxa are detailed.In the Ascomycota the new genera Angustospora(Testudinaceae),Camporesia(Xylariaceae),Clematidis,Crassiparies(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),Farasanispora,Longiostiolum(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),Multilocularia(Parabambusicolaceae),Neophaeocryptopus(Dothideaceae),Parameliola(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),and Towyspora(Lentitheciaceae)are introduced.Newly introduced species are Angustospora nilensis,Aniptodera aquibella,Annulohypoxylon albidiscum,Astrocystis thailandica,Camporesia sambuci,Clematidis italica,Colletotrichum menispermi,C.quinquefoliae,Comoclathris pimpinellae,Crassiparies quadrisporus,Cytospora salicicola,Diatrype thailandica,Dothiorella rhamni,Durotheca macrostroma,Farasanispora avicenniae,Halorosellinia rhizophorae,Humicola koreana,Hypoxylon lilloi,Kirschsteiniothelia tectonae,Lindgomyces okinawaensis,Longiostiolum tectonae,Lophiostoma pseudoarmatisporum,Moelleriella phukhiaoensis,M.pongdueatensis,Mucoharknessia anthoxanthi,Multilocularia bambusae,Multiseptospora thysanolaenae,Neophaeocryptopus cytisi,Ocellularia arachchigei,O.ratnapurensis,Ochronectria thailandica,Ophiocordyceps karstii,Parameliola acaciae,P.dimocarpi,Parastagonospora cumpignensis,Pseudodidymosphaeria phlei,Polyplosphaeria thailandica,Pseudolachnella brevifusiformis,Psiloglonium macrosporum,Rhabdodiscus albodenticulatus,Rosellinia chiangmaiensis,Saccothecium rubi,Seimatosporium pseudocornii,S.pseudorosae,Sigarispora ononidis and Towyspora aestuari.New combinations are provided for Eutiarosporella dactylidis(sexual morph described and illus trated)and Pseudocamarosporium pini.Descriptions,illustrations and/or reference specimens are designated for Aposphaeria corallinolutea,Cryptovalsa ampelina,Dothiorella vidmadera,Ophiocordyceps formosana,Petrakia echinata,Phragmoporthe conformis and Pse展开更多
The quick spread of the CoronavirusDisease(COVID-19)infection around the world considered a real danger for global health.The biological structure and symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to other viral chest maladies,whi...The quick spread of the CoronavirusDisease(COVID-19)infection around the world considered a real danger for global health.The biological structure and symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to other viral chest maladies,which makes it challenging and a big issue to improve approaches for efficient identification of COVID-19 disease.In this study,an automatic prediction of COVID-19 identification is proposed to automatically discriminate between healthy and COVID-19 infected subjects in X-ray images using two successful moderns are traditional machine learning methods(e.g.,artificial neural network(ANN),support vector machine(SVM),linear kernel and radial basis function(RBF),k-nearest neighbor(k-NN),Decision Tree(DT),andCN2 rule inducer techniques)and deep learningmodels(e.g.,MobileNets V2,ResNet50,GoogleNet,DarkNet andXception).A largeX-ray dataset has been created and developed,namely the COVID-19 vs.Normal(400 healthy cases,and 400 COVID cases).To the best of our knowledge,it is currently the largest publicly accessible COVID-19 dataset with the largest number of X-ray images of confirmed COVID-19 infection cases.Based on the results obtained from the experiments,it can be concluded that all the models performed well,deep learning models had achieved the optimum accuracy of 98.8%in ResNet50 model.In comparison,in traditional machine learning techniques, the SVM demonstrated the best result for an accuracy of 95% and RBFaccuracy 94% for the prediction of coronavirus disease 2019.展开更多
Mapping forests is an important process in managing natural resources.At present,due to spectral resolution limitations,multispectral images do not give a complete separation between different forest species.In contra...Mapping forests is an important process in managing natural resources.At present,due to spectral resolution limitations,multispectral images do not give a complete separation between different forest species.In contrast,advances in remote sensing technologies have provided hyperspectral tools and images as a solution for the determination of species.In this study,spectral signatures for stone pine（Pinus pinea L.） forests were collected using an advanced spectroradiometer ＂ASD FieldSpec 4 Hi-Res＂ with an accuracy of 1 nm.These spectral signatures are used to compare between different multispectral and hyperspectral satellite images.The comparison is based on processing satellite images： hyperspectral Hyperion,hyperspectral CHRIS-Proba,Advanced Land Imager（ALI）,and Landsat 8.Enhancement and classification methods for hyperspectral and multispectral images are investigated and analyzed.In addition,a well-known hyperspectral image classification algorithm,spectral angle mapper（SAM）,has been improved to perform the classification process efficiently based on collected spectral signatures.The results show that the modified SAM is 9% more accurate than the conventional SAM.In addition,experiments indicate that the CHRIS-Proba image is more accurate than Landsat 8（overall accuracy 82%,precision 93%,and Kappa coefficient 0.43 compared to 60,67%,and 0.035,respectively）.Similarly,Hyperion is better than ALI in mapping stone pine（overall accuracy 92%,precision 97%,and Kappa coefficient 0.74 compared to 52,56%,and -0.032,respectively）.展开更多
This study aimed to investigate drought as an extreme climatic event in Sudan by utilizing the Anomaly and Standard Precipitation Index (SPI). This research employed high-resolution Climate Hazards Group Infrared Prec...This study aimed to investigate drought as an extreme climatic event in Sudan by utilizing the Anomaly and Standard Precipitation Index (SPI). This research employed high-resolution Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) data to analyze the temporal and spatial distribution of rainfall in Sudan from 2001 to 2015. Notably, the analysis compared the annual average precipitation to specific drought events and calculated the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The results indicate a striking frequency of drought occurrence in Sudan, with SPI values suggesting similarities between drought and wet years. It is recommended to compute the SPI for individual stations rather than rely solely on area averages. Despite the comparable SPI values between the drought and wet years, this study emphasizes the profound impact of drought as a recurring phenomenon in Sudan. These findings emphasize the urgent need for proactive drought management and mitigation strategies in Sudan to effectively address the consequences of this climatic challenge.展开更多
Purpose: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a prevalent metabolic disorder associated with significant complications, including visual impairment. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and severity of visual impairment and...Purpose: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a prevalent metabolic disorder associated with significant complications, including visual impairment. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and severity of visual impairment and its associated factors in diabetic patients in Libya. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 2365 DM patients (4730 eyes). Most participants were aged 30 - 49 (38.3%) and 50 - 69 (50.8%) with a nearly equal gender distribution (47.8% males, 52.2% females). Type 2 diabetes was predominant (92.6%), and 62.9% had HbA1c levels of 7.5% or higher. Results: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) was present in 2068 eyes (43.8%), with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) affecting 1178 eyes (25%), moderate NPDR 476 eyes (10.1%), severe NPDR 228 eyes (4.8%), and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) 186 eyes (3.9%). Diabetic maculopathy was observed in 621 eyes (13.1%), with CSME in 287 eyes (6.07%) and non-CSME in 334 eyes (7.06%). Non-retinal conditions included cataracts in 1938 eyes (41%) and glaucoma in 252 eyes (5.3%). Visual impairment was observed in 1159 patients (49%), with 534 (23%) experiencing mild impairment, 382 (18%) moderate impairment, and 243 (12%) severe impairment;142 patients (6%) were classified as legally blind. DR showed a strong association with visual impairment severity (p Conclusions: These findings underscore the urgency for targeted public health interventions to mitigate visual impairment in Libyan individuals with DM.展开更多
To solve the first-order differential equation derived from the problem of a free-falling object and the problem arising from Newton’s law of cooling, the study compares the numerical solutions obtained from Picard’...To solve the first-order differential equation derived from the problem of a free-falling object and the problem arising from Newton’s law of cooling, the study compares the numerical solutions obtained from Picard’s and Taylor’s series methods. We have carried out a descriptive analysis using the MATLAB software. Picard’s and Taylor’s techniques for deriving numerical solutions are both strong mathematical instruments that behave similarly. All first-order differential equations in standard form that have a constant function on the right-hand side share this similarity. As a result, we can conclude that Taylor’s approach is simpler to use, more effective, and more accurate. We will contrast Rung Kutta and Taylor’s methods in more detail in the following section.展开更多
文摘Exciting new features have been described concerning neurogenic bowel dysfunction,including interactions between the central nervous system,the enteric nervous system,axonal injury,neuronal loss,neurotransmission of noxious and non-noxious stimuli,and the fields of gastroenterology and neurology.Patients with spinal cord injury,myelomeningocele,multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease present with serious upper and lower bowel dysfunctions characterized by constipation,incontinence,gastrointestinal motor dysfunction and altered visceral sensitivity.Spinal cord injury is associated with severe autonomic dysfunction,and bowel dysfunction is a major physical and psychological burden for these patients.An adult myelomeningocele patient commonly has multiple problems reflecting the multisystemic nature of the disease.Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disorder in which axonal injury,neuronal loss,and atrophy of the central nervous system can lead to permanent neurological damage and clinical disability.Parkinson's disease is a multisystem disorder involving dopaminergic,noradrenergic,serotoninergic and cholinergic systems,characterizedby motor and non-motor symptoms.Parkinson's disease affects several neuronal structures outside the substantia nigra,among which is the enteric nervous system.Recent reports have shown that the lesions in the enteric nervous system occur in very early stages of the disease,even before the involvement of the central nervous system.This has led to the postulation that the enteric nervous system could be critical in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease,as it could represent the point of entry for a putative environmental factor to initiate the pathological process.This review covers the data related to the etiology,epidemiology,clinical expression,pathophysiology,genetic aspects,gastrointestinal motor dysfunction,visceral sensitivity,management,prevention and prognosis of neurogenic bowel dysfunction patients with these neurological diseases.Embryological,morphological and ex
文摘Aim： To assess seminal plasma anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH） level relationships in fertile and infertile males. Methods： Eighty-four male cases were studied and divided into four groups： fertile normozoospermia （n = 16）, oligoastheno- teratozoospermia （n = 15）, obstructive azoospermia （OA） （n = 13） and non-obstructive azoospermia （NOA） （n = 40）. Conventional semen analysis was done for all cases. Testicular biopsy was done with histopathology and fresh tissue examination for testicular sperm extraction （TESE） in NOA cases. NOA group was subdivided according to TESE results into unsuccessful TESE （n = 19） and successful TESE （n = 21）. Seminal plasma AMH was estimated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and serum follicular stimulating hormone （FSH） was estimated in NOA cases only by radioimmunoassay （RIA）. Results： Mean seminal AMH was significantly higher in fertile group than in oligoasthenoteratozoospermia with significance （41.5±10.9 pmol/L vs. 30.5±10.3 pmol/L, P 〈 0.05）. Seminal AMH was not detected in any OA patients. Seminal AMH wascorrelated positively with testicular volume （r = 0.329, P = 0.005）, sperm count （r = 0.483, P = 0.007）, sperm motility percent （r = 0.419, P = 0.021） and negatively with sperm abnormal forms percent （r = -0.413, p = 0.023）. Nonsignificant correlation was evident with age （r = -0.155, P = 0.414） and plasma FSH （ r = -0.014, P = 0.943）. In NOA cases, seminal AMH was detectable in 23/40 cases, 14 of them were successful TESE （57.5%） and was undetectable in 17/40 cases, 10 of them were unsuccessful TESE （58.2%）. Conclusion： Seminal plasma AMH is an absolute testicular marker being absent in all OA cases. However, seminal AMH has a poor predictability for successful testicular sperm retrieval in NOA cases.
文摘This empirical study examines ChatGPT as an educational and learning tool.It investigates the opportunities and challenges that ChatGPT provides to the students and instructors of communication,business writing,and composition courses.It also strives to provide recommendations.After conducting 30 theory-based and application-based ChatGPT tests,it is found that ChatGPT has the potential of replacing search engines as it provides accurate and reliable input to students.For opportunities,the study found that ChatGPT provides a platform for students to seek answers to theory-based questions and generate ideas for application-based questions.It also provides a platform for instructors to integrate technology in classrooms and conduct workshops to discuss and evaluate generated responses.For challenges,the study found that ChatGPT,if unethically used by students,may lead to human unintelligence and unlearning.This may also present a challenge to instructors as the use of ChatGPT negatively affects their ability to differentiate between meticulous and automation-dependent students,on the one hand,and measure the achievement of learning outcomes,on the other hand.Based on the outcome of the analysis,this study recommends communication,business writing,and composition instructors to(1)refrain from making theory-based questions as take-home assessments,(2)provide communication and business writing students with detailed case-based and scenario-based assessment tasks that call for personalized answers utilizing critical,creative,and imaginative thinking incorporating lectures and textbook material,(3)enforce submitting all take-home assessments on plagiarism detection software,especially for composition courses,and(4)integrate ChatGPT generated responses in classes as examples to be discussed in workshops.Remarkably,this study found that ChatGPT skillfully paraphrases regenerated responses in a way that is not detected by similarity detection software.To maintain their effectiveness,similarity detection software providers
基金Supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation,FAPESP,No.2008/06972-6The National Council for Scientific and Technological Development,CNPq Nos.579157/2008-3,302768/2009-2 and 473282/2007-0+1 种基金Pesq-Doc scholarship to Dr.Shibli from University of GuaruhosScholarship to Dr.Giro from University of Guarulhos
文摘AIM: To assess the failure and bone-to-implant contact rate of dental implants placed on osteoporotic subjects. METHODS: Extensive examination strategies were created to classify studies for this systematic review. MEDLINE(via Pub Med) and EMBASE database were examined for studies in English up to and including May 2014. The examination presented a combination of the MeS H words described as follow: "osteoporosis" or "osteopenia" or "estrogen deficiency" AND "implant" or "dental implant" or "osseointegration". Assessment of clinical and/or histological peri-implant conditions in osteoporosis subjects treated with titanium dental implants. The examination included a combination of the MeS H terms described as follow: "osteoporosis" or "osteopenia" or "estrogen deficiency" AND "implant" or "dental implant" or "osseointegration".RESULTS: Of 943 potentially eligible articles, 12 were included in the study. A total of 133 subjects with osteoporosis, 73 subjects diagnosed with osteopenia and 708 healthy subjects were assessed in this systematic review. In these subjects were installed 367, 205, 2981 dental implants in osteoporotic, osteopenic and healthy subjects, respectively. The failure rate of dental implant was 10.9% in osteoporotic subjects, 8.29% in osteopenic and 11.43% in healthy ones. Bone-to-implant contact obtained from retrieved implants ranged between 49.96% to 47.84%, for osteoporosis and non-osteoporotic subjects. CONCLUSION: Osteoporotic subjects presented higher rates of implant loss, however, there is a lower evidence to strengthen or refute the hypothesis that osteoporosis may have detrimental effects on bone healing. Consequently, final conclusions regarding the effect of osteoporosis in dental implant therapy cannot be made at this time. There are no randomized clinical trial accessible for evaluation and the retrospectivenature of the evaluated studies shall be taken in account when interpreting this study.
基金co-supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.61304077)International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (No.2015DFA01710)+3 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China (No.BK20130765)the Chinese Ministry of Education Project of Humanities and Social Sciences (No.13YJCZH171)the 11th Jiangsu Province Six Talent Peaks of High Level Talents Project of China (No.2014_ZBZZ_005)the Jiangsu Province Project Blue: Young Academic Leaders Project
文摘The acceleration autopilot design for skid-to-turn （STT） missile faces a great challenge owing to coupling effect among planes, variation of missile velocity and its parameters, inexistence of a complete state vector, and nonlinear aerodynamics. Moreover, the autopilot should be designed for the entire flight envelope where fast variations exist. In this paper, a design of integrated roll-pitch-yaw autopilot based on global fast terminal sliding mode control （GFTSMC） with a partial state nonlinear observer （PSNLO） for STT nonlinear time-varying missile model, is employed to address these issues. GFTSMC with a novel sliding surface is proposed to nullify the integral error and the singularity problem without application of the sign function. The proposed autopilot consisting of two-loop structure, controls STT maneuver and stabilizes the rolling with a PSNLO in order to estimate the immeasurable states as an output while its inputs are missile measurable states and control signals. The missile model considers the velocity variation, gravity effect and parameters＇ variation. Furthermore, the environmental conditions＇ dynamics are mod- eled. PSNLO stability and the closed loop system stability are studied. Finally, numerical simulation is established to evaluate the proposed autopilot performance and to compare it with existing approaches in the literature.
文摘BACKGROUND In hepatology,the clinical use of endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)has experienced a notable increase in recent times.These applications range from the diagnosis to the treatment of various liver diseases.Therefore,this systematic review summarizes the evidence for the diagnostic and therapeutic roles of EUS in liver diseases.AIM To examine and summarize the current available evidence of the possible roles of the EUS in making a suitable diagnosis in liver diseases as well as the therapeutic accuracy and efficacy.METHODS PubMed,Medline,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,and Google Scholar databases were extensively searched until October 2023.The methodological quality of the eligible articles was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale or Cochrane Risk of Bias tool.In addition,statistical analyses were performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.RESULTS Overall,45 articles on EUS were included(28 on diagnostic role and 17 on therapeutic role).Pooled analysis demonstrated that EUS diagnostic tests had an accuracy of 92.4%for focal liver lesions(FLL)and 96.6%for parenchymal liver diseases.EUS-guided liver biopsies with either fine needle aspiration or fine needle biopsy had low complication rates when sampling FLL and parenchymal liver diseases(3.1%and 8.7%,respectively).Analysis of data from four studies showed that EUS-guided liver abscess had high clinical(90.7%)and technical success(90.7%)without significant complications.Similarly,EUS-guided interventions for the treatment of gastric varices(GV)have high technical success(98%)and GV obliteration rate(84%)with few complications(15%)and rebleeding events(17%).CONCLUSION EUS in liver diseases is a promising technique with the potential to be considered a first-line therapeutic and diagnostic option in selected cases.
文摘Wheat germ is a by-product derived from the wheat milling industry. Defatted wheat germ is the main by-product of the wheat germ in the oil extraction process. This study aims at development of efficient and low cost processing methods to transform these residues in added value co-product. In this study, wheat germ was analysed for its proximate composition, fatty acid composition, physical and chemical characteristics of wheat germ oil. The basic chemical composition analyses revealed high values of dry matter (87.37 g/100g FW), significant amounts of total protein and fat (27.69 and 8.99 g/100g FW, respectively) content and low ash content (3.08 g/100g FW). The quality of the extracted oils was assessed in terms of acid value, iodine value, saponification value, peroxide value, refractive index, and unsaponifiable matter. The fatty acid profile was found to be made up of linoleic followed by palmitic and oleic as the major fatty acids. Antioxidant properties and in vitro antibacterial activity of defatted wheat germ (DWG) extract were also determined. DWG, as a source of natural antioxidants and antibacterial, could be used to formulate nutraceuticals with potential applications to reduce the level of oxidative stress. The antioxidant potency of the DWG extracts could be the basis for its health promoting potential. The results showed that these by-products could be used as a source of bioactive compounds beneficial for health.
基金K.D.Hyde would like to thank the Thailand Research Fund grant no RSA5980068 entitled Biodiversity,phylogeny and role of fungal endophytes on above parts of Rhizophora apiculata and Nypa fruticans and the Chinese Academy of Sciences,Project Number 2013T2S0030,for the award of Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists at Kunming Institute of Botany.Financial support by the German Academic Exchange Service(DAAD)and the Thai Royal Golden Ph.D.Jubilee-Industry program(RGJ)for a joint TRF-DAAD PPP(2012-2014)academic exchange grant to K.D.Hyde and M.Stadler,and the RGJ for a personal grant to B.Thongbai(No.Ph.D/0138/2553 in 4.S.MF/53/A.3)is gratefully acknowledged.Chayanard Phukhamsakda(PHD/0020/2557)acknowledges the The Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D.Program under the Thailand Research Fund.Mingkwan Doilom acknowledges the Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D.Program(PHD./0072/2553 in 4.S.M.F./53/A.2)under the Thailand Research Fund.Ausana Mapook is grateful to Research and Researchers for Industries(RRI)PHD57I0012.Rungtiwa Phookamsak sincerely appreciates The Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D.Program(PHD/0090/2551 in 4.S.MF/51/A.1)under the Thailand Research Fund for financial support.Qi Zhao thanks the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31360015)the CAS/SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams,and the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.KSCX2-EW-Z-9 and KIB2016002)+2 种基金KNAR acknowledges support from the University Grants Commission(UGC),India,in the form of a Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship(Grant No.F.14-2(SC)/2009(SA-III)(and the permissions given to him for collecting agaric specimens from the forests of Kerala by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests,Government of Kerala(WL12-4042/2009 dated 05-08-2009)This Project was funded by the National Plan for Science,Technology and Innovation(MAARIFAH),King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,Award Number(12-BIO2840-02)B.K.Cui thanked for the finance by the Fundamental Resear
文摘This is a continuity of a series of taxonomic papers where materials are examined,described and novel combinations are proposed where necessary to improve our traditional species concepts and provide updates on their classification.In addition to extensive morphological descriptions and appropriate asexual and sexual connections,DNA sequence data are also analysed from concatenated datasets(rDNA,TEF-a,RBP2 and b-Tubulin)to infer phylogenetic relationships and substantiate systematic position of taxa within appropriate ranks.Wherever new species or combinations are being proposed,we apply an integrative approach(morphological and molecular data as well as ecological features wherever applicable).Notes on 125 fungal taxa are compiled in this paper,including eight new genera,101 new species,two new combinations,one neotype,four reference specimens,new host or distribution records for eight species and one alternative morphs.The new genera introduced in this paper are Alloarthopyrenia,Arundellina,Camarosporioides,Neomassaria,Neomassarina,Neotruncatella,Paracapsulospora and Pseudophaeosphaeria.The new species are Alfaria spartii,Alloarthopyrenia italica,Anthostomella ravenna,An.thailandica,Arthrinium paraphaeospermum,Arundellina typhae,Aspergillus koreanus,Asterina cynometrae,Bertiella ellipsoidea,Blastophorum aquaticum,Cainia globosa,Camarosporioides phragmitis,Ceramothyrium menglunense,Chaetosphaeronema achilleae,Chlamydotubeufia helicospora,Ciliochorella phanericola,Clavulinopsis aurantiaca,Colletotrichum insertae,Comoclathris italica,Coronophora myricoides,Cortinarius fulvescentoideus,Co.nymphatus,Co.pseudobulliardioides,Co.tenuifulvescens,Cunninghamella gigacellularis,Cyathus pyristriatus,Cytospora cotini,Dematiopleospora alliariae,De.cirsii,Diaporthe aseana,Di.garethjonesii,Distoseptispora multiseptata,Dis.tectonae,Dis.tectonigena,Dothiora buxi,Emericellopsis persica,Gloniopsis calami,Helicoma guttulatum,Helvella floriforma,H.oblongispora,Hermatomyces subiculosa,Juncaceicola italica,Lactarius dirkii,Lentithecium
文摘The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of real-time ultrasound elastography (RUE) in differentiating benign from malignant thyroid nodules, with fine needle aspiration cytology analysis as the reference standard. A total of 78 consecutive patients with thyroid nodules who were selected for fine needle aspiration biopsies were examined in this prospective study. 78 nodules in these patients were examined by conventional ultrasound, and ultrasound elastography. The final diagnosis was obtained from cytological findings. Tissue stiffness on ultrasound elastography was scored from 1 (low stiffness over the entire nodule) to 5 (high stiffness over the entire nodule and surrounding tissue). On real-time ultrasound elastography, 47 of 62 benign nodules (76%) had a score of 1 or 2, whereas 15 of 16 malignant nodules had a score of 3 to 5, with sensitivity of 93.7%, specificity of 90%, a positive predictive value of 71%, and a negative predictive value of 98%. Real-time ultrasound elastography is a promising imaging technique that is useful in the differential diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Utilization of ultrasound elastography could reduce the rate of thyroid biopsies because of its high elasticity being highly associated with benign cytology.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.30770013,No.31500013,No.31000013,No.31360014,No.31470152)the Special Program of Basic Science of the Ministry of Science and Technology(No.2012FY111600)the Technology of and International Cooperation Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology(No.2009DFA31160)of the People’s Republic of China,and the opening funding of State key Laboratory of Mycology,Institute of Microbiology,Chinese Academy of Sciences for funding。
文摘Notes on 113 fungal taxa are compiled in this paper,including 11 new genera,89 new species,one new subspecies,three new combinations and seven reference specimens.Awide geographic and taxonomic range of fungal taxa are detailed.In the Ascomycota the new genera Angustospora(Testudinaceae),Camporesia(Xylariaceae),Clematidis,Crassiparies(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),Farasanispora,Longiostiolum(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),Multilocularia(Parabambusicolaceae),Neophaeocryptopus(Dothideaceae),Parameliola(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),and Towyspora(Lentitheciaceae)are introduced.Newly introduced species are Angustospora nilensis,Aniptodera aquibella,Annulohypoxylon albidiscum,Astrocystis thailandica,Camporesia sambuci,Clematidis italica,Colletotrichum menispermi,C.quinquefoliae,Comoclathris pimpinellae,Crassiparies quadrisporus,Cytospora salicicola,Diatrype thailandica,Dothiorella rhamni,Durotheca macrostroma,Farasanispora avicenniae,Halorosellinia rhizophorae,Humicola koreana,Hypoxylon lilloi,Kirschsteiniothelia tectonae,Lindgomyces okinawaensis,Longiostiolum tectonae,Lophiostoma pseudoarmatisporum,Moelleriella phukhiaoensis,M.pongdueatensis,Mucoharknessia anthoxanthi,Multilocularia bambusae,Multiseptospora thysanolaenae,Neophaeocryptopus cytisi,Ocellularia arachchigei,O.ratnapurensis,Ochronectria thailandica,Ophiocordyceps karstii,Parameliola acaciae,P.dimocarpi,Parastagonospora cumpignensis,Pseudodidymosphaeria phlei,Polyplosphaeria thailandica,Pseudolachnella brevifusiformis,Psiloglonium macrosporum,Rhabdodiscus albodenticulatus,Rosellinia chiangmaiensis,Saccothecium rubi,Seimatosporium pseudocornii,S.pseudorosae,Sigarispora ononidis and Towyspora aestuari.New combinations are provided for Eutiarosporella dactylidis(sexual morph described and illus trated)and Pseudocamarosporium pini.Descriptions,illustrations and/or reference specimens are designated for Aposphaeria corallinolutea,Cryptovalsa ampelina,Dothiorella vidmadera,Ophiocordyceps formosana,Petrakia echinata,Phragmoporthe conformis and Pse
文摘The quick spread of the CoronavirusDisease(COVID-19)infection around the world considered a real danger for global health.The biological structure and symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to other viral chest maladies,which makes it challenging and a big issue to improve approaches for efficient identification of COVID-19 disease.In this study,an automatic prediction of COVID-19 identification is proposed to automatically discriminate between healthy and COVID-19 infected subjects in X-ray images using two successful moderns are traditional machine learning methods(e.g.,artificial neural network(ANN),support vector machine(SVM),linear kernel and radial basis function(RBF),k-nearest neighbor(k-NN),Decision Tree(DT),andCN2 rule inducer techniques)and deep learningmodels(e.g.,MobileNets V2,ResNet50,GoogleNet,DarkNet andXception).A largeX-ray dataset has been created and developed,namely the COVID-19 vs.Normal(400 healthy cases,and 400 COVID cases).To the best of our knowledge,it is currently the largest publicly accessible COVID-19 dataset with the largest number of X-ray images of confirmed COVID-19 infection cases.Based on the results obtained from the experiments,it can be concluded that all the models performed well,deep learning models had achieved the optimum accuracy of 98.8%in ResNet50 model.In comparison,in traditional machine learning techniques, the SVM demonstrated the best result for an accuracy of 95% and RBFaccuracy 94% for the prediction of coronavirus disease 2019.
基金funded by the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research(Mapping Stone Pine Forests in Lebanon)
文摘Mapping forests is an important process in managing natural resources.At present,due to spectral resolution limitations,multispectral images do not give a complete separation between different forest species.In contrast,advances in remote sensing technologies have provided hyperspectral tools and images as a solution for the determination of species.In this study,spectral signatures for stone pine（Pinus pinea L.） forests were collected using an advanced spectroradiometer ＂ASD FieldSpec 4 Hi-Res＂ with an accuracy of 1 nm.These spectral signatures are used to compare between different multispectral and hyperspectral satellite images.The comparison is based on processing satellite images： hyperspectral Hyperion,hyperspectral CHRIS-Proba,Advanced Land Imager（ALI）,and Landsat 8.Enhancement and classification methods for hyperspectral and multispectral images are investigated and analyzed.In addition,a well-known hyperspectral image classification algorithm,spectral angle mapper（SAM）,has been improved to perform the classification process efficiently based on collected spectral signatures.The results show that the modified SAM is 9% more accurate than the conventional SAM.In addition,experiments indicate that the CHRIS-Proba image is more accurate than Landsat 8（overall accuracy 82%,precision 93%,and Kappa coefficient 0.43 compared to 60,67%,and 0.035,respectively）.Similarly,Hyperion is better than ALI in mapping stone pine（overall accuracy 92%,precision 97%,and Kappa coefficient 0.74 compared to 52,56%,and -0.032,respectively）.
文摘This study aimed to investigate drought as an extreme climatic event in Sudan by utilizing the Anomaly and Standard Precipitation Index (SPI). This research employed high-resolution Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) data to analyze the temporal and spatial distribution of rainfall in Sudan from 2001 to 2015. Notably, the analysis compared the annual average precipitation to specific drought events and calculated the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The results indicate a striking frequency of drought occurrence in Sudan, with SPI values suggesting similarities between drought and wet years. It is recommended to compute the SPI for individual stations rather than rely solely on area averages. Despite the comparable SPI values between the drought and wet years, this study emphasizes the profound impact of drought as a recurring phenomenon in Sudan. These findings emphasize the urgent need for proactive drought management and mitigation strategies in Sudan to effectively address the consequences of this climatic challenge.
文摘Purpose: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a prevalent metabolic disorder associated with significant complications, including visual impairment. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and severity of visual impairment and its associated factors in diabetic patients in Libya. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 2365 DM patients (4730 eyes). Most participants were aged 30 - 49 (38.3%) and 50 - 69 (50.8%) with a nearly equal gender distribution (47.8% males, 52.2% females). Type 2 diabetes was predominant (92.6%), and 62.9% had HbA1c levels of 7.5% or higher. Results: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) was present in 2068 eyes (43.8%), with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) affecting 1178 eyes (25%), moderate NPDR 476 eyes (10.1%), severe NPDR 228 eyes (4.8%), and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) 186 eyes (3.9%). Diabetic maculopathy was observed in 621 eyes (13.1%), with CSME in 287 eyes (6.07%) and non-CSME in 334 eyes (7.06%). Non-retinal conditions included cataracts in 1938 eyes (41%) and glaucoma in 252 eyes (5.3%). Visual impairment was observed in 1159 patients (49%), with 534 (23%) experiencing mild impairment, 382 (18%) moderate impairment, and 243 (12%) severe impairment;142 patients (6%) were classified as legally blind. DR showed a strong association with visual impairment severity (p Conclusions: These findings underscore the urgency for targeted public health interventions to mitigate visual impairment in Libyan individuals with DM.
文摘To solve the first-order differential equation derived from the problem of a free-falling object and the problem arising from Newton’s law of cooling, the study compares the numerical solutions obtained from Picard’s and Taylor’s series methods. We have carried out a descriptive analysis using the MATLAB software. Picard’s and Taylor’s techniques for deriving numerical solutions are both strong mathematical instruments that behave similarly. All first-order differential equations in standard form that have a constant function on the right-hand side share this similarity. As a result, we can conclude that Taylor’s approach is simpler to use, more effective, and more accurate. We will contrast Rung Kutta and Taylor’s methods in more detail in the following section.
