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We present the Lyα Continuum Analysis Network (LyCAN), a convolutional neural network that predicts the unabsorbed quasar continuum within the rest-frame wavelength range of 1040-1600 Å based on the red side of the Lyα emission line (1216-1600 Å). We developed synthetic spectra based on a Gaussian mixture model representation of nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) coefficients. These coefficients were derived from high-resolution, low-redshift (z < 0.2) Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) quasar spectra. We supplemented this COS-based synthetic sample with an equal number of DESI Year 5 mock spectra. LyCAN performs extremely well on testing sets, achieving a median error in the forest region of 1.5% on the DESI mock sample, 2.0% on the COS-based synthetic sample, and 4.1% on the original COS spectra. LyCAN outperforms principal component analysis (PCA) and NMF-based prediction methods using the same training set by 40% or more. We predict the intrinsic continua of 83,635 DESI Year 1 spectra in the redshift range of 2.1 ≤ z ≤ 4.2 and perform an absolute measurement of the evolution of the effective optical depth. This is the largest sample employed to measure the optical depth evolution to date. We fit a power law of the form τ ( z ) = τ 0 ( 1 + z ) γ to our measurements and find τ 0 = (2.46 ± 0.14) × 10−3 and γ = 3.62 ± 0.04. Our results show particular agreement with high-resolution, ground-based observations around z = 2, indicating that LyCAN is able to predict the quasar continuum in the forest region with only spectral information outside the forest.

Social capital is frequently invoked as a reason for engaging in collaborative environmental governance. Yet we have a limited understanding of how collaborative environmental governance mobilizes different types of social capital and how the advantages and costs of social capital accrue for different groups of people. Explicit measures of social capital, such as through social network methods, will help build an understanding of how social capital facilitates collective processes and for whom. We reviewed highly cited articles in Web of Science and Scopus using ‘social capital’ as the search term to identify foundational and emergent social capital concepts. In the context of collaborative environmental governance, we operationalized these social capital concepts with network measures drawn from our expertise and highlighted existing empirical relationships between such network measures and collaborative outcomes. We identified two different perspectives on social capital—one based on social relations that could be readily operationalized with social network measures and the other based on actor characteristics that can further contextualize network data. Relational social capital concepts included social relations among actors; the collective social setting in which relations are embedded; and the advantages and costs that social capital confers to individuals and the collective. Social capital concepts based on actor characteristics included socio-cognitions (e.g. trust, norms, identification with a group, shared meanings) and community engagement (e.g. group membership, civic participation, volunteerism). Empirical evidence using social network approaches to measure social capital reveals patterns in relationship building that influence collaborative and other sustainability outcomes. Social network approaches described here may help define and quantify the social capital mobilized by collaborative governance. Additional research is necessary to track the social capital of collaboratives over time, link it to outcomes, and better understand the social justice implications of collaborative governance.

The Review summarizes much of particle physics and cosmology. Using data from previous editions, plus 2,717 new measurements from 869 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons and the recently discovered Higgs boson, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons. We summarize searches for hypothetical particles such as supersymmetric particles, heavy bosons, axions, dark photons, etc. Particle properties and search limits are listed in Summary Tables. We give numerous tables, figures, formulae, and reviews of topics such as Higgs Boson Physics, Supersymmetry, Grand Unified Theories, Neutrino Mixing, Dark Energy, Dark Matter, Cosmology, Particle Detectors, Colliders, Probability and Statistics. Most of the 120 reviews are updated, including many that are heavily revised. The Review is divided into two volumes. Volume 1 includes the Summary Tables and 97 review articles. Volume 2 consists of the Particle Listings and contains also 23 reviews that address specific aspects of the data presented in the Listings. The complete Review (both volumes) is published online on the website of the Particle Data Group (pdg.lbl.gov) and in a journal. Volume 1 is available in print as the PDG Book. A Particle Physics Booklet with the Summary Tables and essential tables, figures, and equations from selected review articles is available in print, as a web version optimized for use on phones, and as an Android app. The 2024 edition of the Review of Particle Physics should be cited as: S. Navas et al. (Particle Data Group), Phys. Rev. D 110, 030001 (2024)

Broad absorption line (BAL) quasars are characterized by gas clouds that absorb flux at the wavelength of common quasar spectral features, although blueshifted by velocities that can exceed 0.1c. BAL features are interesting as signatures of significant feedback, yet they can also compromise cosmological studies with quasars by distorting the shape of the most prominent quasar emission lines, impacting redshift accuracy and measurements of the matter density distribution traced by the Lyman α forest. We present a catalogue of BAL quasars discovered in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey Early Data Release, which were observed as part of DESI Survey Validation, as well as the first two months of the main survey. We describe our method to automatically identify BAL quasars in DESI data, the quantities we measure for each BAL, and investigate the completeness and purity of this method with mock DESI observations. We mask the wavelengths of the BAL features and re-evaluate each BAL quasar redshift, finding new redshifts which are 243 km s−1 smaller on average for the BAL quasar sample. These new, more accurate redshifts are important to obtain the best measurements of quasar clustering, especially at small scales. Finally, we present some spectra of rarer classes of BALs that illustrate the potential of DESI data to identify such populations for further study.

The size of the human head is highly heritable, but genetic drivers of its variation within the general population remain unmapped. We perform a genome-wide association study on head size (N = 80,890) and identify 67 genetic loci, of which 50 are novel. Neuroimaging studies show that 17 variants affect specific brain areas, but most have widespread effects. Gene set enrichment is observed for various cancers and the p53, Wnt, and ErbB signaling pathways. Genes harboring lead variants are enriched for macrocephaly syndrome genes (37-fold) and high-fidelity cancer genes (9-fold), which is not seen for human height variants. Head size variants are also near genes preferentially expressed in intermediate progenitor cells, neural cells linked to evolutionary brain expansion. Our results indicate that genes regulating early brain and cranial growth incline to neoplasia later in life, irrespective of height. This warrants investigation of clinical implications of the link between head size and cancer.

The 1D power spectrum P1D of the Ly α forest provides important information about cosmological and astrophysical parameters, including constraints on warm dark matter models, the sum of the masses of the three neutrino species, and the thermal state of the intergalactic medium. We present the first measurement of P1D with the quadratic maximum likelihood estimator (QMLE) from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey early data sample. This early sample of 54 600 quasars is already comparable in size to the largest previous studies, and we conduct a thorough investigation of numerous instrumental and analysis systematic errors to evaluate their impact on DESI data with QMLE. We demonstrate the excellent performance of the spectroscopic pipeline noise estimation and the impressive accuracy of the spectrograph resolution matrix with 2D image simulations of raw DESI images that we processed with the DESI spectroscopic pipeline. We also study metal line contamination and noise calibration systematics with quasar spectra on the red side of the Ly α emission line. In a companion paper, we present a similar analysis based on the Fast Fourier Transform estimate of the power spectrum. We conclude with a comparison of these two approaches and discuss the key sources of systematic error that we need to address with the upcoming DESI Year 1 analysis.

Edwin N Aroke,1,&ast; Jai Ganesh Nagidi,2 Vinodh Srinivasasainagendra,3 Tammie L Quinn,4 Fiona BAT Agbor,1 Kiari R Kinnie,1 Hemant K Tiwari,3 Burel R Goodin5,&ast; 1Department of Acute, Chronic, and Continuing Care, School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA; 2Department of Computer Science, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA; 3Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA; 4Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA; 5Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Washington University, St Louis, MO, USA&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Edwin N Aroke, School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1701 2nd Avenue S, NB 470G, Birmingham, AL, 35294-1210, USA, Tel +1205-975-75700, Email earoke@uab.eduIntroduction: Having a lower socioeconomic status (SES) is a predictor of age-related chronic conditions, including chronic low back pain (cLBP). We aimed to examine whether the pace of biological aging mediates the relationship between SES and cLBP outcomes – pain intensity, pain interference, and physical performance.Methods: We used the Dunedin Pace of Aging Calculated from the Epigenome (DunedinPACE) software to determine the pace of biological aging in adults ages 18 to 85 years with no cLBP (n = 74), low-impact pain (n = 56), and high-impact pain (n = 77).Results: The mean chronological age of the participants was 40.9 years (SD= 15.1); 107 (51.7%) were female, and 108 (52.2%) were Black. On average, the pace of biological aging was 5% faster [DunedinPACE = 1.05 (SD = 0.14)] in the sample (DunedinPACE value of 1 = normal pace of aging). Individuals with higher levels of education had a significantly slower pace of biological aging than those with lower education levels (F = 5.546, p = 0.001). After adjusting for sex and race, household income level significantly correlated with the pace of biological aging (r = − 0.17, p = 0.02), pain intensity (r = − 0.21, p = 0.003), pain interference (r = − 0.21, p = 0.003), and physical performance (r = 0.20, p = 0.005). In mediation analyses adjusting for sex, race, and body mass index (BMI), the pace of biological aging mediates the relationship between household income (but not education) level and cLBP intensity, interference, as well as physical performance.Discussion: Results indicate that lower SES contributes to faster biological aging, possibly contributing to greater pain intensity and interference, as well as lower physical performance. Future interventions slowing the pace of biological aging may improve cLBP outcomes.Pain language summary: Individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES) experience worse outcomes from age-related chronic conditions, including chronic low back pain (cLBP). This work examines the relationship between SES, pace of biological aging, and cLBP intensity, interference with daily activities, and physical function. Lower SES correlates with a faster pace of biological aging, as well as cLBP pain intensity, pain interference, and physical performance. The pace of biological aging helps explain the relationship between household income and cLBP intensity, interference, as well as physical performance. Interventions targeting SES disparities may slow biological aging and improve cLBP outcomes.Keywords: socioeconomic status, health disparities, DunedinPACE, pace of biological aging, chronic low back pain, epigenetic clock

Sameer A Alkubati,1,2 Homoud Khaled Aleyadah,1,3 Mohammad Alboliteeh,4 Abdulhafith Alharbi,5 Bandar Alsaif,6 Bushra Alshammari,1 Anas Balawi1 1Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hodeidah University, Hodeidah, Yemen; 3Sharaf Primary Health Care, Hail Health Cluster, Hail, Saudi Arabia; 4Nursing Administration Department, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Sameer A Alkubati, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966506575284, Email alkubatisa@yahoo.comBackground: Understanding medication adherence and its relationship with quality of life (QoL) is essential for improving health outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF).Objective: This study aimed to investigate the predictors of poor quality of life and its relationship with medication adherence among patients with heart failure.Methods: A cross-sectional correlational study was performed on 229 patients with HF receiving care at the Cardiac Center of King Salman Specialist Hospital from March to June 2024. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising patient demographics, the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) to assess QoL, and the General Medication Adherence Scale (GMAS) to measure medication adherence.Results: The mean medication adherence score among patients with heart HF was 17.53 ± 6.94. The level of adherence was moderate among most patients (47.2%), high (29.7%), and poor (23.1%). Regarding QoL, the mean total score for overall QoL was 42.16 ± 20.53. Specifically, the mean scores were 15.24 ± 8.65 and 10.53 ± 5.82 for the physical and emotional dimensions of QoL, respectively. More than half of the patients experienced poor QoL, while moderate QoL was observed in 31.9% and good QoL in 17% of patients. Furthermore, there were moderate negative correlations between medication adherence and physical QoL (r= − 0.51), emotional QoL (r = − 0.59), and overall QoL (r = − 0.59), all of which were statistically significant (p < 0.001).Conclusion: Moderate-to-poor levels of medication adherence and QoL were found among HF patients receiving care in Hail City. Therefore, interventions to improve medication adherence among patients with HF must be prioritized to enhance health outcomes and QoL. It is also crucial to address the factors that negatively influence medication adherence to overcome the barriers that hinder optimal medication adherence.Keywords: heart failure, quality of life, medication adherence, Saudi Arabia

Ali Essa,1 Ahmed Nasser,1 Ibrahim Mohamed Noureldeen,1 Ibrahim Ebeid,1 Ahmed Ebeid,1 Baraa Ahmed,2 Heba Khodary Allam,3 Somaia Shehab-Eldeen,4 Abdallah Essa4 1Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt; 2Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 3Public Health and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt; 4Internal Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Somaia Shehab-Eldeen, Internal Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Email sdarwish@kfu.edu.saBackground: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a prevalent gastrointestinal condition that has a detrimental impact on one’s quality of life because of acid reflux causing damage to the esophagus. Primary symptoms consist of heartburn and regurgitation, although patients may also encounter chest pain, nausea, and dysphagia. Medical students may be particularly susceptible due to stressful lifestyles and unhealthy habits. This study investigates the prevalence of GERD among medical students in Egypt and explores associated risk factors.Subjects and Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study that was conducted among undergraduate medical students at 21 medical schools across Egypt. The study included 602 participants from medical schools. The study utilized a pre-designed, self-administered questionnaire that includes questions about sociodemographic and lifestyle attributes, accompanied by the GERDQ questionnaire used to diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease.Results: A total of 602 undergraduate medical students completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of GERD was found to be 28.4%, with heartburn and regurgitation being the most prevalent symptoms among participants. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression revealed family history of GERD and stress after medical school enrollment as significant predictors of GERD symptoms (p=0.043 and p=0.044, respectively).Conclusion: GERD has become increasingly common among medical students in Egypt. Contributing factors include medical students’ stressful lifestyles and familial predispositions. To address this, it is essential to implement counseling programs and raise awareness as initial steps toward reducing GERD prevalence.Keywords: GERD, medical, students, risk, factor, Egypt

Silke F Metzelthin,1,2 Jette Thuesen,3,4 Hanne Tuntland,5 Magnus Zingmark,6 Yun-Hee Jeon,7 Hanne Kaae Kristensen,8,9 Lee-Fay Low,7 Christopher J Poulos,10,11 Jackie Pool,12 Miia Rahja,13 Erik Rosendahl,14 Marjolein E de Vugt,15 Clarissa Giebel,16 Maud JL Graff,17 Linda Clare18 1Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; 2Living Laboratory in Ageing and Long-Term Care, Maastricht, the Netherlands; 3REHPA, The Danish Knowledge Centre for Rehabilitation and Palliative Care, Nyborg, Denmark; 4Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; 5Department of Health and Functioning, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway; 6Department of Occupational Therapy, Institution of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; 7Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 8Centre for Innovative Medical Technology, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; 9Health Sciences Research Centre UCL University College, Odense, Denmark; 10Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 11HammondCare, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 12Dementia PAL, Southampton, UK; 13Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia; 14Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; 15Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Alzheimer Center Limburg, Mental Health and Neuroscience Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; 16Department of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool & NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast, Liverpool, UK; 17Department of Rehabilitation & Department of IQ health, Radboudumc Alzheimer Center, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; 18University of Exeter Medical School and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South-West Peninsula, Exeter, UKCorrespondence: Silke F Metzelthin, Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht University, Duboisdomein 30, Maastricht, 6229 GT, the Netherlands, Tel +31 6 38 59 49 90, Email s.metzelthin@maastrichtuniversity.nlAbstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the right of individuals with dementia and their family caregivers to access interventions that enhance their participation in society. Reablement is an approach that enables older people to participate in meaningful daily and social activities. Over the past decade, a growing body of evidence has underscored reablement as a promising approach within dementia care, including positive outcomes for people with dementia and their family caregivers, and cost-effectiveness. However, the dissemination of knowledge about and practical implementation of reablement remain slow. This position paper, authored by the ReableDEM research network, aims to address key issues related to implementing reablement in dementia care. To expedite the adoption of reablement within dementia care, we propose five critical areas of focus: 1) Changing the attitudes and expectations of stakeholders (eg health and social care staff, policy makers, funders) – encouraging people to think about dementia as a disability from a biopsychosocial perspective; 2) Disrupting health and social care - A radical change is needed in the way services are organized so that they are more holistic, personalized and resource-oriented; 3) Investing in capacity-building and creating a supportive environment – the workforce needs to be trained and supported to implement reablement in dementia care; 4) Involving, educating and supporting family caregivers - services and staff that are equipped to provide reablement will be better able to involve family caregivers and the person’s social network; 5) Providing robust evidence about reablement in dementia care by conducting high-quality research with long-term follow-up.Keywords: ageing, sustainability, autonomy, capacity-building, functioning, social participation

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains challenging in severe varus knees. We evaluated the impact of hip-knee-ankle varus deformity and osteophyte size on achieving restricted kinematic alignment (rKA) in robotic-arm-assisted TKA. Methods: This retrospective study included 244 knees (194 patients) that underwent robotic-arm-assisted TKA for varus primary knee osteoarthritis at an academic institution. Intraoperative hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) and soft tissue balance were monitored to assess the success of rKA with osteophyte resection alone. For those that failed, medial collateral ligament needle pie-crusting was performed. Results: Mean age was 65.3 years (range, 48-83). Mean preoperative HKA was 11.9° varus (range, 1.0°-32.0°), and HKA after osteophyte resection was 5.1° varus (range, 0°-19.0°). Mean HKA correction was 6.8° (range, 0°-18.0°). rKA was achieved in 36.9% at a boundary of ≤3° varus and up to 72.1% at ≤6° varus. Preoperative varus HKA was lower in successful cases across all target alignments (P < .05). Medial tibial osteophyte size was 6.1% ± 2.9% and was smaller in all groups that achieved rKA (P < .05). Both were positively correlated with degree of deformity correction, r = 0.718 (P < .01) and r = 0.281 (P < .01), respectively. Conclusions: This study highlighted the importance of varus deformity and medial tibial osteophytes when adopting rKA. They were associated with increased failure to achieve rKA. rKA was reliably achieved in minimal varus deformities (HKA ≤ 5°), we recommend an expanded protocol of HKA ≤ 6° varus for mild deformities (HKA 6°-10°), and consider medial soft tissue release for moderate (HKA 11°-15°) and severe deformities (HKA ≥ 16°).

Amira Elagamy,1,2 Hessa Khaled Alnasser,3 Wafa Saeed Alghamdi,3 Mohamed Berika,4,5 Dara Aldisi6 1Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Mansoura Ophthalmic Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt; 3College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Rehabilitation Science Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 5Anatomy Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt; 6Community Health Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Amira Elagamy, Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Email aelagamy@ksu.edu.saAim: This study assessed the correlation between corneal biomechanical properties measured with Corvis ST (CST) and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness profile, anterior lamina cribrosa surface depth, and other optic nerve head parameters in healthy Saudi females.Methods: This study included 62 eyes (only right eyes) of 62 healthy Saudi females aged from 20 to 39 yrs. A complete ophthalmologic assessment was performed for all participants. In addition, corneal biomechanical parameters were measured using CST, and optic nerve head parameters were evaluated using spectral domain optical coherence tomography.Results: This study demonstrated a significant weak positive correlation between circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) peak angle and only second applanation (A2) length (mm) (r = 0.293, P = 0.021). Also, this study reported a significant moderate negative association between the C/D ratio and radius (r = − .513, P = 0.015). However, there was no significant correlation between corneal biomechanics and ALCSD in this study.Conclusion: This study reported a significant positive correlation between cpRNFL peak angle and A2-length. In addition, the current study documented a significant moderate negative association between C/D ratio and radius. However, there was no significant correlation between ALCSD and the corneal biomechanical properties in this study. Further research is needed to verify the impact of corneal biomechanics on optic nerve head parameters and further investigate its role in the pathophysiology of glaucoma.Keywords: corneal biomechanics, circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer peak angle, anterior lamina cribrosa surface depth

Salma S AlSharhan,1 Wasan F AlMarzouq,1 Hamzah K Alshaikh,2 Hussain J Aljubran,3 Rizam Alghamdi,4 Sarah M AlQahtani,4 Aseel F Almarzouq,5 Naheel A AlAmer6 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, King Fahd Military Medical Complex, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; 3College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Dammam Medical Complex, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 5College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Salma S AlSharhan, Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, 34212, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966505951801, Email ssalsharhan@iau.edu.saPurpose: Otolaryngology has experienced notable advancements and growth in the application of artificial intelligence (AI). However, otolaryngologists’ perception of these tools are lacking. This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitudes of otolaryngologists toward AI.Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 110 otolaryngologists in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A piloted questionnaire was used to gather information on knowledge, attitude, and opinions regarding AI. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26.Results: Of the sample, 60% indicated average perceived knowledge of AI, while approximately 44.5% perceived their AI knowledge in the field of otolaryngology to be below average. A significant positive correlation was identified between knowledge and attitude scores. It was found that a higher knowledge score was more closely associated with seeing more than 15 patients per day, while a higher attitude score was more closely associated with being older, being a consultant, and having more years of professional experience. Of the sample, 38.2% strongly agreed that the application of AI in scientific research should be included in the residency training program.Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of incorporating AI tools into certain aspects of the otolaryngology residency training program, highlighting their significance.Keywords: otolaryngology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, knowledge, attitude

Barakat M ALRashdi,1 Diaa Massoud,1 Hager K Rashwan,2 Shahenda Mahgoub,3 Nermeen Z Abuelezz,2 Ali M Nasr,4,5 Rami B Kassab,6 Hatem K Amin3 1Department of Biology, College of Science, Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Biochemistry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza, Egypt; 3Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt; 4Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Port Said University, Port Said, 42526, Egypt; 5Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Galala University, New Galala, 43713, Egypt; 6Department of Zoology and Entomology, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, EgyptCorrespondence: Hager K Rashwan, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, P.O. Box, 77, Giza, 12572, Egypt, Tel +201066116240, Email hager.khaled@must.edu.egBackground: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a medical concern that is accompanied by the rapid deterioration of kidney function. It can be triggered by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of gram-negative bacteria as it activates a complicated immune response, resulting in widespread inflammation and potential organ dysfunction. Black seed oil (BSO) is rich in beneficial constituents and has been widely used owing to its nutritional advantages.Purpose: This research is aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of BSO and its nano-formulation on AKI induced by LPS. It also aimed to compare their anti-inflammatory activity with indomethacin, a known synthetic anti-inflammatory drug.Materials and Methods: Forty-eight mice were placed randomly into 8 groups. A single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 2.5 mg/kg B.W. of LPS was used to trigger inflammation, and pretreatment with BSO and its nano-formulation was at 0.2 mL/kg/day for 14 consecutive days. Indomethacin was used as a reference drug and its efficacy was tested alone or in combination with BSO at lower doses. Renal function was assessed using urea, creatinine, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1). Also, oxidative and inflammatory markers were assessed by measuring levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), nitric oxide (NO), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4). Histopathological examination of the kidney tissues was also performed.Results: The study showed that BSO and its nano-formulation had anti-inflammatory effects comparable to or better than those of indomethacin. They greatly decreased the oxidative stress and inflammatory markers induced by LPS. Their protective effect against pathological alterations in kidney tissues was significantly noticed.Conclusion: BSO and its nano-formulation could be used as nephroprotective and anti-inflammatory supplements.Keywords: TLR-4, Nigella sativa, inflammation, nephrotoxicity, nanoparticles

Historical ecology draws on a broad range of information sources and methods to provide insight into ecological and social change, especially over the past ∼12000 yr. While its results are often relevant to conservation and restoration, insights from its diverse disciplines, environments, and geographies have frequently remained siloed or underrepresented, restricting their full potential. Here, scholars and practitioners working in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments on 6 continents and various archipelagoes synthesize knowledge from the fields of history, anthropology, paleontology, and ecology with the goal of describing global research priorities for historical ecology to influence conservation. We used a structured decision-making process to identify and address questions in 4 key priority areas: (1) methods and concepts, (2) knowledge co-production and community engagement, (3) policy and management, and (4) climate change impacts. This work highlights the ways that historical ecology has developed and matured in its use of novel information sources, efforts to move beyond extractive research practices and toward knowledge co-production, and application to management challenges including climate change. We demonstrate the ways that this field has brought together researchers across disciplines, connected academics to practitioners, and engaged communities to create and apply knowledge of the past to address the challenges of our shared future.

Jina Chai,1 Jiyeon Kang,1 Woo Jung Seo,1 Hyung Koo Kang,1 Hyeon-Kyung Koo,1 Hyoung-Keun Oh,2 Suk Kyu Choo,2 Jieun Kang1 1Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of KoreaCorrespondence: Jieun Kang, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, 170, Juhwa-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, 10380, Republic of Korea, Tel +82-31-910-7695, Fax +82-31-910-7219, Email realodette@gmail.com

In intrasheath peroneal tendon subluxation, the peroneal tendons subluxate on each other within the retrofibular peroneal tendon sheath. Two subtypes can be distinguished: type A, in which the tendons are normal, and type B, in which the peroneus brevis tendon has an associated longitudinal split and the peroneus longus tendon subluxates through this tendon split. The purpose of this technical note is to describe the details of endoscopic retrofibular groove deepening for management of type A intrasheath peroneal tendon subluxation. This can prevent extensive scar formation, tendon adhesions, and sural nerve entrapment, as well as the problem of prolonged postoperative immobilization.

This study was designed to evaluate how treating Prosopis juliflora pods with polyethylene glycol and carbohydrase enzyme will affect its chemical composition and how the inclusion of treated P. juliflora pods in Boschveld chicken's diets will affect growth performance and nutrient digestibility. Before P. juliflora pods were administrated to the diets, they were pre-treated with enzyme, PEG and a combination of both and analysed for their nutrient content. Five diets, namely PJPM1: commercial standard pullet grower diet as a control; PJPM2: commercial standard grower diet with untreated 30 % of P. juliflora; PJPM3: commercial standard grower diet with PEG treated 30 % of P. juliflora; PJPM4: commercial standard grower diet with carbohydrase enzyme treated 30 % of P. juliflora; PJPM5: commercial standard grower diet with PEG and carbohydrase enzyme treated 30 % of P. juliflora. A total of 300 six-week-old Boschveld chickens were used in this trial. After 42 days of feeding trial, three Boschveld chickens per replicate (n = 90) were randomly selected for the determination of nutrient digestibility. Results on the chemical composition of raw P. juliflora pods meal, pre-treated with enzyme, PEG and combination of both show significant difference (P < 0.05) in CP, Ash, NDF, CF, EE, Hemicellulose, NFC and NFE. Only overall feed intake shows significant different (P < 0.05) in all dietary treatments and all the measured parameters of nutrient digestibility. Enzyme and PEG positively contribute to the chemical composition, growth performance, and nutrient digestibility of diets containing P. juliflora fed to Boschveld chickens.

Giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath (GCTTS) originates from the synovial cells of the tendon sheath. It is one of the most common benign soft-tissue tumors of the foot and ankle affecting the joints, bursae, and tendon sheaths and can behave in a locally aggressive manner. Complete surgical resection with long-term follow-up is the preferred treatment. Because GCTTS is a benign condition, the equilibrium between the quality of the surgical margins and functional preservation should be considered. If more aggressive resection is applied, the outcome may negatively affect quality of life, whereas incomplete resection may lead to recurrence. The purpose of this technical note is to describe the details of endoscopic en bloc resection of GCTTS of the anterior ankle. This endoscopic approach can provide a magnified view of the operative site, allowing accurate surgical assessment to ensure complete resection of the lesion without damage to the adjacent normal structures.

Using the Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) and WMAP data within the global Bayesian BEYONDPLANCK framework, we constrained the polarized foreground emission between 30 and 70 GHz. We combined, for the first time, full-resolution Planck LFI time-ordered data with low-resolution WMAP sky maps at 33, 40, and 61 GHz. The spectral parameters were fit with a likelihood defined at the native resolution of each frequency channel. This analysis represents the first implementation of true multi-resolution component separation applied to CMB observations for both amplitude and spectral energy distribution (SED) parameters. For the synchrotron emission, we approximated the SED as a power-law in frequency and we find that the low signal-to-noise ratio of the current data strongly limits the number of free parameters that can be robustly constrained. We partitioned the sky into four large disjoint regions (High Latitude; Galactic Spur; Galactic Plane; and Galactic Center), each associated with its own power-law index. We find that the High Latitude region is prior-dominated, while the Galactic Center region is contaminated by residual instrumental systematics. The two remaining regions appear to be signal-dominated, and for these we derive spectral indices of βsSpur=3.17±0.06 and βsPlane=3.03±0.07, which is in good agreement with previous results. For the thermal dust emission, we assumed a modified blackbody model and we fit a single power-law index across the full sky. We find βda =â 1.64±0.03, which is slightly steeper than the value reported in Planck HFI data, but still statistically consistent at the 2Ï confidence level.

We describe the computational infrastructure for end-to-end Bayesian cosmic microwave background (CMB) analysis implemented by the BeyondPlanck Collaboration. The code is called Commander3. It provides a statistically consistent framework for global analysis of CMB and microwave observations and may be useful for a wide range of legacy, current, and future experiments. The paper has three main goals. Firstly, we provide a high-level overview of the existing code base, aiming to guide readers who wish to extend and adapt the code according to their own needs or re-implement it from scratch in a different programming language. Secondly, we discuss some critical computational challenges that arise within any global CMB analysis framework, for instance in-memory compression of time-ordered data, fast Fourier transform optimization, and parallelization and load-balancing. Thirdly, we quantify the CPU and RAM requirements for the current BEYONDPLANCK analysis, finding that a total of 1.5 TB of RAM is required for efficient analysis and that the total cost of a full Gibbs sample for LFI is 170 CPU-hrs, including both low-level processing and high-level component separation, which is well within the capabilities of current low-cost computing facilities. The existing code base is made publicly available under a GNU General Public Library (GPL) license.

We constrained the level of polarized anomalous microwave emission (AME) on large angular scales using Planck Low-Frequency Instrument (LFI) and WMAP polarization data within a Bayesian cosmic microwave background (CMB) analysis framework. We modeled synchrotron emission with a power-law spectral energy distribution, as well as the sum of AME and thermal dust emission through linear regression with the Planck High-Frequency Instrument (HFI) 353 GHz data. This template-based dust emission model allowed us to constrain the level of polarized AME while making minimal assumptions on its frequency dependence. We neglected CMB fluctuations, but show through simulations that these fluctuations have a minor impact on the results. We find that the resulting AME polarization fraction confidence limit is sensitive to the polarized synchrotron spectral index prior. In addition, for prior means βsâ

We present a Bayesian calibration algorithm for cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations as implemented within the global end-to-end BEYONDPLANCK framework and applied to the Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) data. Following the most recent Planck analysis, we decomposed the full time-dependent gain into a sum of three nearly orthogonal components: one absolute calibration term, common to all detectors, one time-independent term that can vary between detectors, and one time-dependent component that was allowed to vary between one-hour pointing periods. Each term was then sampled conditionally on all other parameters in the global signal model through Gibbs sampling. The absolute calibration is sampled using only the orbital dipole as a reference source, while the two relative gain components were sampled using the full sky signal, including the orbital and Solar CMB dipoles, CMB fluctuations, and foreground contributions. We discuss various aspects of the data that influence gain estimation, including the dipole-polarization quadrupole degeneracy and processing masks. Comparing our solution to previous pipelines, we find good agreement in general, with relative deviations of 0.67% (0.84%) for 30 GHz, 0.12% (0.04%) for 44 GHz and 0.03% (0.64%) for 70 GHz, compared to Planck PR4 and Planck 2018, respectively. We note that the BEYONDPLANCK calibration was performed globally, which results in better inter-frequency consistency than previous estimates. Additionally, WMAP observations were used actively in the BEYONDPLANCK analysis, which both breaks internal degeneracies in the Planck data set and results in an overall better agreement with WMAP. Finally, we used a Wiener filtering approach to smoothing the gain estimates. We show that this method avoids artifacts in the correlated noise maps as a result of oversmoothing the gain solution, which is difficult to avoid with methods like boxcar smoothing, as Wiener filtering by construction maintains a balance between data fidelity and prior knowledge. Although our presentation and algorithm are currently oriented toward LFI processing, the general procedure is fully generalizable to other experiments, as long as the Solar dipole signal is available to be used for calibration.

We present a Gibbs sampling solution to the mapmaking problem for cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements that builds on existing destriping methodology. Gibbs sampling breaks the computationally heavy destriping problem into two separate steps: noise filtering and map binning. Considered as two separate steps, both are computationally much cheaper than solving the combined problem. This provides a huge performance benefit as compared to traditional methods and it allows us, for the first time, to bring the destriping baseline length to a single sample. Here, we applied the Gibbs procedure to simulated Planck 30 GHz data. We find that gaps in the time-ordered data are handled efficiently by filling them in with simulated noise as part of the Gibbs process. The Gibbs procedure yields a chain of map samples, from which we are able to compute the posterior mean as a best-estimate map. The variation in the chain provides information on the correlated residual noise, without the need to construct a full noise covariance matrix. However, if only a single maximum-likelihood frequency map estimate is required, we find that traditional conjugate gradient solvers converge much faster than a Gibbs sampler in terms of the total number of iterations. The conceptual advantages of the Gibbs sampling approach lies in statistically well-defined error propagation and systematic error correction. This methodology thus forms the conceptual basis for the mapmaking algorithm employed in the BEYONDPLANCK framework, which implements the first end-to-end Bayesian analysis pipeline for CMB observations.

We present Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) frequency sky maps derived within the BEYONDPLANCK framework. This framework draws samples from a global posterior distribution that includes instrumental, astrophysical, and cosmological parameters, and the main product is an entire ensemble of frequency sky map samples, each of which corresponds to one possible realization of the various modeled instrumental systematic corrections, including correlated noise, time-variable gain, as well as far sidelobe and bandpass corrections. This ensemble allows for computationally convenient end-to-end propagation of low-level instrumental uncertainties into higher-level science products, including astrophysical component maps, angular power spectra, and cosmological parameters. We show that the two dominant sources of LFI instrumental systematic uncertainties are correlated noise and gain fluctuations, and the products presented here support -for the first time -full Bayesian error propagation for these effects at full angular resolution. We compared our posterior mean maps with traditional frequency maps delivered by the Planck Collaboration, and find generally good agreement. The most important quality improvement is due to significantly lower calibration uncertainties in the new processing, as we find a fractional absolute calibration uncertainty at 70 GHz of δg0/g0â =â 5Ã - 105, which is nominally 40 times smaller than that reported by Planck 2018. However, we also note that the original Planck 2018 estimate has a nontrivial statistical interpretation, and this further illustrates the advantage of the new framework in terms of producing self-consistent and well-defined error estimates of all involved quantities without the need of ad hoc uncertainty contributions. We describe how low-resolution data products, including dense pixel-pixel covariance matrices, may be produced from the posterior samples directly, without the need for computationally expensive analytic calculations or simulations. We conclude that posterior-based frequency map sampling provides unique capabilities in terms of low-level systematics modeling and error propagation, and may play an important role for future Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) B-mode experiments aiming at nanokelvin precision.

We describe the BEYONDPLANCK project in terms of our motivation, methodology, and main products, and provide a guide to a set of companion papers that describe each result in more detail. Building directly on experience from ESA's Planck mission, we implemented a complete end-to-end Bayesian analysis framework for the Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) observations. The primary product is a full joint posterior distribution P(Ï â £d), where Ï represents the set of all free instrumental (gain, correlated noise, bandpass, etc.), astrophysical (synchrotron, free-free, thermal dust emission, etc.), and cosmological (cosmic microwave background -CMB -map, power spectrum, etc.) parameters. Some notable advantages of this approach compared to a traditional pipeline procedure are seamless end-to-end propagation of uncertainties; accurate modeling of both astrophysical and instrumental effects in the most natural basis for each uncertain quantity; optimized computational costs with little or no need for intermediate human interaction between various analysis steps; and a complete overview of the entire analysis process within one single framework. As a practical demonstration of this framework, we focus in particular on low-â CMB polarization reconstruction with Planck LFI. In this process, we identify several important new effects that have not been accounted for in previous pipelines, including gain over-smoothing and time-variable and non-1/f correlated noise in the 30 and 44 GHz channels. Modeling and mitigating both previously known and newly discovered systematic effects, we find that all results are consistent with the Î CDM model, and we constrained the reionization optical depth to Ï â =â 0.066±0.013, with a low-resolution CMB-based Ï 2 probability to exceed of 32%. This uncertainty is about 30% larger than the official pipelines, arising from taking a more complete instrumental model into account. The marginal CMB solar dipole amplitude is 3362.7±1.4â μK, where the error bar was derived directly from the posterior distribution without the need of any ad hoc instrumental corrections. We are currently not aware of any significant unmodeled systematic effects remaining in the Planck LFI data, and, for the first time, the 44 GHz channel is fully exploited in the current analysis. We argue that this framework can play a central role in the analysis of many current and future high-sensitivity CMB experiments, including LiteBIRD, and it will serve as the computational foundation of the emerging community-wide COSMOGLOBE effort, which aims to combine state-of-the-art radio, microwave, and submillimeter data sets into one global astrophysical model.

We present the first application of the COSMOGLOBE analysis framework by analyzing nine-year WMAP time-ordered observations that uses similar machinery to that of BEYONDPLANCK for the Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI). We analyzed only the Q-band (41 GHz) data and report on the low-level analysis process based on uncalibrated time-ordered data to calibrated maps. Most of the existing BEYONDPLANCK pipeline may be reused for WMAP analysis with minimal changes to the existing codebase. The main modification is the implementation of the same preconditioned biconjugate gradient mapmaker used by the WMAP team. Producing a single WMAP Q1-band sample requires 22 CPU-hrs, which is slightly more than the cost of a Planck 44 GHz sample of 17 CPU-hrs; this demonstrates that a full end-to-end Bayesian processing of the WMAP data is computationally feasible. In general, our recovered maps are very similar to the maps released by the WMAP team, although with two notable differences. In terms of temperature, we find a ∼2â μK quadrupole difference that most likely is caused by different gain modeling, while in polarization we find a distinct 2.5â μK signal that has been previously referred to as poorly measured modes by the WMAP team. In the COSMOGLOBE processing, this pattern arises from temperature-to-polarization leakage from the coupling between the CMB Solar dipole, transmission imbalance, and sidelobes. No traces of this pattern are found in either the frequency map or TOD residual map, suggesting that the current processing has succeeded in modeling these poorly measured modes within the assumed parametric model by using Planck information to break the sky-synchronous degeneracies inherent in the WMAP scanning strategy.

We present posterior sample-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) constraints from Planck LFI and WMAP observations as derived through global end-to-end Bayesian processing within the BeyondPlanck framework. We first used these samples to study correlations between CMB, foreground, and instrumental parameters. We identified a particularly strong degeneracy between CMB temperature fluctuations and free-free emission on intermediate angular scales (400 ≤ ∫ ≤ 600), mitigated through model reduction, masking, and resampling. We compared our posterior-based CMB results with previous Planck products and found a generally good agreement, however, with notably higher noise due to our exclusion of Planck HFI data.We found a best-fit CMB dipole amplitude of 3362:7 ± 1:4 μK, which is in excellent agreement with previous Planck results. The quoted dipole uncertainty is derived directly from the sampled posterior distribution and does not involve any ad hoc contributions for Planck instrumental systematic effects. Similarly, we find a temperature quadrupole amplitude of φTT 2 = 229 ± 97 μK2, which is in good agreement with previous results in terms of the amplitude, but the uncertainty is one order of magnitude greater than the naive diagonal Fisher uncertainty. Concurrently, we find less evidence of a possible alignment between the quadrupole and octopole than previously reported, due to a much larger scatter in the individual quadrupole coeffcients that is caused both by marginalizing over a more complete set of systematic effects – as well as by requiring a more conservative analysis mask to mitigate the free-free degeneracy. For higher multipoles, we find that the angular temperature power spectrum is generally in good agreement with both Planck and WMAP. At the same time, we note that this is the first time that the sample-based, asymptotically exact Blackwell-Rao estimator has been successfully established for multipoles up to ∫ ≤ 600. It now accounts for the majority of the cosmologically important information. Overall, this analysis demonstrates the unique capabilities of the Bayesian approach with respect to end-to-end systematic uncertainty propagation and we believe it can and should play an important role in the analysis of future CMB experiments. Cosmological parameter constraints are presented in a companion paper.

End-to-end simulations play a key role in the analysis of any high-sensitivity cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment, providing high-fidelity systematic error propagation capabilities that are unmatched by any other means. In this paper, we address an important issue regarding such simulations, namely, how to define the inputs in terms of sky model and instrument parameters. These may either be taken as a constrained realization derived from the data or as a random realization independent from the data. We refer to these as posterior and prior simulations, respectively. We show that the two options lead to significantly different correlation structures, as prior simulations (contrary to posterior simulations) effectively include cosmic variance, but they exclude realization-specific correlations from non-linear degeneracies. Consequently, they quantify fundamentally different types of uncertainties. We argue that as a result, they also have different and complementary scientific uses, even if this dichotomy is not absolute. In particular, posterior simulations are in general more convenient for parameter estimation studies, while prior simulations are generally more convenient for model testing. Before BEYONDPLANCK, most pipelines used a mix of constrained and random inputs and applied the same hybrid simulations for all applications, even though the statistical justification for this is not always evident. BEYONDPLANCK represents the first end-to-end CMB simulation framework that is able to generate both types of simulations and these new capabilities have brought this topic to the forefront. The BEYONDPLANCK posterior simulations and their uses are described extensively in a suite of companion papers. In this work, we consider one important applications of the corresponding prior simulations, namely, code validation. Specifically, we generated a set of one-year LFI 30 GHz prior simulations with known inputs and we used these to validate the core low-level BEYONDPLANCK algorithms dealing with gain estimation, correlated noise estimation, and mapmaking.

We present cosmological parameter constraints estimated using the Bayesian BeyondPlanck analysis framework. This method supports seamless end-to-end error propagation from raw time-ordered data onto final cosmological parameters. As a first demonstration of the method, we analyzed time-ordered Planck LFI observations, combined with selected external data (WMAP 33–61 GHz, Planck HFI DR4 353 and 857 GHz, and Haslam 408 MHz) in the form of pixelized maps that are used to break critical astrophysical degeneracies. Overall, all the results are generally in good agreement with previously reported values from Planck 2018 and WMAP, with the largest relative difference for any parameter amounting about 1φ when considering only temperature multipoles between 30 ≤ ∫ ≤ 600. In cases where there are differences, we note that the BeyondPlanck results are generally slightly closer to the high- ∫ HFI-dominated Planck 2018 results than previous analyses, suggesting slightly less tension between low and high multipoles. Using low- ∫ polarization information from LFI and WMAP, we find a best-fit value of φ = 0:066±0:013, which is higher than the low value of φ = 0:052 ± 0:008 derived from Planck 2018 and slightly lower than the value of 0:069 ± 0:011 derived from the joint analysis of offcial LFI and WMAP products. Most importantly, however, we find that the uncertainty derived in the BeyondPlanck processing is about 30% greater than when analyzing the offcial products, after taking into account the different sky coverage. We argue that this uncertainty is due to a marginalization over a more complete model of instrumental and astrophysical parameters, which results in more reliable and more rigorously defined uncertainties. We find that about 2000 Monte Carlo samples are required to achieve a robust convergence for a low-resolution cosmic microwave background (CMB) covariance matrix with 225 independent modes, and producing these samples takes about eight weeks on a modest computing cluster with 256 cores.

We present a Bayesian method for estimating instrumental noise parameters and propagating noise uncertainties within the global BEYONDPLANCK Gibbs sampling framework, which we applied to Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) time-ordered data. Following previous works in the literature, we initially adopted a 1/f model for the noise power spectral density (PSD), but we found the need for an additional lognormal component in the noise model in the 30 and 44 GHz bands. We implemented an optimal Wiener-filter (or constrained realization) gap-filling procedure to account for masked data. We then used this procedure to both estimate the gapless correlated noise in the time-domain, ncorr, and to sample the noise PSD parameters, ξnâ =â {Ï0,â fknee,â α,â Ap}. In contrast to previous Planck analyses, we assumed piecewise stationary noise only within each pointing period (PID), and not throughout the full mission, but we adopted the LFI Data Processing Center results as priors on α and fknee. We generally found best-fit correlated noise parameters that are mostly consistent with previous results, with a few notable exceptions. However, a detailed inspection of the time-dependent results has revealed many important findings. First and foremost, we find strong evidence for statistically significant temporal variations in all noise PSD parameters, many of which are directly correlated with satellite housekeeping data. Second, while the simple 1/f model appears to be an excellent fit for the LFI 70 GHz channel, there is evidence for additional correlated noise that is not described by a 1/f model in the 30 and 44 GHz channels, including within the primary science frequency range of 0.1-1 Hz. In general, most 30 and 44 GHz channels exhibit deviations from 1/f at the 2-3Ï level in each one-hour pointing period, motivating the addition of the lognormal noise component for these bands. For certain periods of time, we also find evidence of strong common mode noise fluctuations across the entire focal plane. Overall, we conclude that a simple 1/f profile is not adequate for obtaining a full characterization of the Planck LFI noise, even when fitted hour-by-hour, and a more general model is required. These findings have important implications for large-scale CMB polarization reconstruction with the Planck LFI data and the current work is a first attempt at understanding and mitigating these issues.

Chondromalacia of patella (CMP) is a condition in which cartilages under patella and underlying surface soften and tear resulting in anterior knee pain that worsens especially while flexing and climbing stairs. Conservative treatments can delay or prevent the need of surgical interventions. The prime objective of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of certain conservative treatments for symptomatic relief from anterior knee pain due to CMP on a single case. A 45-year-old male diagnosed to have symptomatic CMP of grade-IV with anterior knee pain in both the legs sequentially and difficulty in flexion and climbing stairs has been treated conservatively with nutraceutical supplement, physical rehabilitation, and combined platelet rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) intra-articular (IA) injections. Knee flexion angle (KFA) and kneeling ability score (KAS) are considered as clinical evaluation parameters for demonstrating the efficacy of the conservative treatments. The conservative treatments with collagen peptide nutraceutical supplement and rehabilitation exercises for the right knee and the same along with combined PRP and HA IA injections for the left knee sequentially are found to be effective in symptomatic relief from the knee pain to a great extent with significant improvement in the knee joint flexibility as demonstrated on a single case. Thus, the treatments are remarkable for significant alleviation of the knee pain and improvement in the knee joint flexibility.

Ben Li,1– 4,&ast; Farah Shaikh,2,&ast; Abdelrahman Zamzam,2 Ravel Raphael,2 Muzammil H Syed,2 Houssam K Younes,5 Rawand Abdin,6 Mohammad Qadura1– 3,7 1Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 2Division of Vascular Surgery, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 3Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 4Temerty Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education in Medicine (T-CAIREM), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 5Heart, Vascular, & Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 6Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 7Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Mohammad Qadura, University of Toronto, Division of Vascular Surgery, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 30 Bond Street, Suite 7-076, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada, Tel +1 416-864-5154, Email mohammad.qadura@utoronto.caPurpose: Inflammatory biomarkers associated with peripheral artery disease (PAD) have been examined separately; however, an algorithm that includes a panel of inflammatory proteins to inform prognosis of PAD could improve predictive accuracy. We developed predictive models for 2-year PAD-related major adverse limb events (MALE) using clinical/inflammatory biomarker data.Methods: We conducted a prognostic study using 2 phases (discovery/validation models). The discovery cohort included 100 PAD patients that were propensity-score matched to 100 non-PAD patients. The validation cohort included 365 patients with PAD and 144 patients without PAD (non-matched). Plasma concentrations of 29 inflammatory proteins were determined at recruitment and the cohorts were followed for 2 years. The outcome of interest was 2-year MALE (composite of major amputation, vascular intervention, or acute limb ischemia). A random forest model was trained with 10-fold cross-validation to predict 2-year MALE using the following input features: 1) clinical characteristics, 2) inflammatory biomarkers that were expressed differentially in PAD vs non-PAD patients, and 3) clinical characteristics and inflammatory biomarkers.Results: The model discovery cohort was well-matched on age, sex, and comorbidities. Of the 29 proteins tested, 5 were elevated in PAD vs non-PAD patients (MMP-7, MMP-10, IL-6, CCL2/MCP-1, and TFPI). For prognosis of 2-year MALE on the validation cohort, our model achieved AUROC 0.63 using clinical features alone and adding inflammatory biomarker levels improved performance to AUROC 0.84.Conclusion: Using clinical characteristics and inflammatory biomarker data, we developed an accurate predictive model for PAD prognosis.Plain Language Summary: Inflammatory biomarkers associated with peripheral artery disease (PAD) have been examined separately; however, an algorithm that includes an inflammatory protein panel to inform prognosis of PAD may improve predictive accuracy. We developed predictive models for 2-year major adverse limb events (MALE) using clinical characteristics (demographics, comorbidities, and medications) and a panel of 5 PAD-specific inflammatory biomarkers (MMP-7, MMP-10, IL-6, CCL2/MCP-1, and TFPI) that achieved excellent performance on an independent validation cohort (AUROC 0.84). The models developed through this study may support PAD risk-stratification and targeted management strategies.Keywords: inflammatory biomarkers, predictive model, prognosis, peripheral artery disease

Seung Yeon Lee,1,2 Ji Hye Ham,3 Hyun-Kyung Park,4 Deok Hyun Jang,5 Won Mo Jang6,7 1Department of Administration, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea; 2Office of External Affairs, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Centre, Seoul, South Korea; 3Seoul Public Health Research Institute, Seoul Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea; 4Health Insurance Research Institute, National Health Insurance Service, Wonju, South Korea; 5Research Analytics & Communications, Gallup Korea, Seoul, South Korea; 6Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Centre, Seoul, South Korea; 7Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South KoreaCorrespondence: Won Mo Jang, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Seoul Metropolitan Government – Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, 07061, South Korea, Tel +82-2-870-2165, Email thomasj@snu.ac.krPurpose: After the declaration by the World Health Organization signaling the conclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries lifted mandatory mask-wearing regulations. This study aimed to investigate factors such as risk perception and political ideology associated with continued adherence to mask-wearing among specific populations, particularly when it is no longer deemed necessary.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study including a sample of 1001 respondents stratified by sex, age (≥ 18 years), and region from January 31 to February 2, 2023, after the mandatory mask regulation was lifted in South Korea. Multivariate logistic regression models were applied to estimate the relationships between risk perceptions, political ideology, and mask-wearing maintenance, adjusting for factors such as sex, age, occupation, and trust in the government.Results: Our results indicated significant associations between age, self-reported household economic status, political ideology, affective risk perception, and perceived effectiveness of the government’s COVID-related measures with indoor mask-wearing. Specifically, liberals were more likely to keep mask-wearing indoors than conservatives (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.19; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33– 3.59); and those who perceived a greater affective risk of COVID-19 (aOR: 2.47; 95% CI: 1.96– 3.10), along with those who perceived the government’s countermeasures as inadequate, were more inclined to maintain the habit of wearing masks indoors (aOR: 1.90; 95% CI: 1.19– 3.03).Conclusion: Our study highlighted the multifaceted factors influencing mask-wearing behavior in the post-COVID-19 era. Even after adjusting for various confounding factors, such as age, sex, and trust in the government, an association remained between affective risk perception, political ideology, and mask-wearing behavior. However, further research for psychological mechanisms is needed to foster a culture of preventive behaviors proportional to the risk of infection.Keywords: risk perception, mask-wearing behaviors, political ideology

Hye Kyung Jin,1– 3 Eunyoung Kim1,3,4 1Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea; 2Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea; 3Data Science, Evidence-Based and Clinical Research Laboratory, Department of Health, Social, and Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea; 4Division of Licensing of Medicines and Regulatory Science, The Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Management, and Regulatory Science Policy, The Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Regulatory Sciences, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South KoreaCorrespondence: Eunyoung Kim, Data Science, Evidence-Based and Clinical Research Laboratory, Department of Health, Social, and Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 06974, South Korea, Tel +82-2-820-5791, Fax +82-2-816-7338, Email eykimjcb777@cau.ac.krPurpose: Leadership is increasingly becoming a priority in the forms of higher education associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution; however, few studies have examined it in the context of pharmacy education. This study investigated the levels of communication competence, critical thinking disposition, problem-solving ability, and leadership of pharmacy students, and identified factors related to leadership.Methods: This study was conducted using a nationwide cross-sectional online survey with a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 416 third-to-sixth-year pharmacy students from all 35 pharmacy schools in South Korea, completed the survey from September 1 to 15, 2019. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, Pearson’s correlations, and multiple regression analysis. We verified construct validity by performing an exploratory factor analysis.Results: The pharmacy students revealed a moderate level of communication skills, critical thinking disposition, problem-solving ability, and leadership. Significant positive correlations were found among communication competence (r=0.724, p< 0.001), critical thinking disposition (r=0.615, p< 0.001), problem-solving ability (r=0.599, p< 0.001), and leadership. After adjustment for control variables, communication competence (β=0.319, p< 0.001) was found to be the most significant predictor of leadership (F=104.12, p< 0.001, R2=0.756).Conclusion: This study showed that the students’ leadership was influenced by their competence in communicating effectively, thinking critically, and solving problems. Pharmacy educators should acknowledge and implement innovative curriculum and assessment approaches in preparing pharmacy students for their professional paths.Keywords: leadership, communication competence, critical thinking disposition, problem-solving ability, pharmacy students

Ke-gui Weng,1,2,&ast; Hai-ke Lei,2,&ast; De-Song Shen,3,&ast; Ying Wang,2 Xiao-Dong Zhu1,4 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiation Oncology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Oncology, Liuzhou People’s Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi Medical University, Liuzhou, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Oncology, Wuming Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiao-Dong Zhu, Department of Radiation Oncology, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, Guangxi, 530021, People’s Republic of China, Email zhuxdonggxmu@126.com Ying Wang, Department of Radiation Oncology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, 400030, People’s Republic of China, Email wangying1967_cq@126.comPurpose: The aims of the study were to monitor circulating lymphocyte subset counts before and after therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and investigate their relationships with patient outcomes.Patients and Methods: Subjects comprised patients with TNM stage I–IVA NPC who underwent radiotherapy. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected before and after treatment. Lymphocyte subset counts were analyzed by flow cytometry. Differences between post-treatment and baseline counts were calculated to determine Δ values. Patients were divided into high and low groups, based on median lymphocyte subset counts; propensity score matching was applied to balance groups. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were plotted using Kaplan-Meier curves and compared using a Log rank test. Relationships between lymphocyte subset counts and patient survival were subjected to Cox regression analysis.Results: Patients with NPC (n=746) were enrolled from 2012– 2022. Higher CD8+ and total T cell baseline counts were associated with better 5-year PFS (73.7% vs 63.1%, P=0.002 and 73.8% vs 64.1%, P=0.005, respectively). Similarly, higher Δ values of CD4+ and total T cells were associated with higher 5-year PFS (76.2% vs 63.5%, P=0.001; 74.3% vs 65.4%, P=0.010) and OS (89.8% vs 81.6%, P=0.005; 88.6% vs 82.5%, P=0.009). Multivariate Cox regression revealed that CD8+ (hazard ratio (HR) 0.651, P=0.002) and total T (HR 0.600, P< 0.001) cells were significantly associated with PFS. CD4+ (HR 0.708, P=0.038) and total T (HR 0.639, P=0.031) cells were independent prognostic factors for OS.Conclusion: NPC patients with low total or CD8+ T cell counts before treatment had worse prognosis; however, those with more significant decreases in total or CD4+ T cells possibly had better outcomes. T cell counts can be reliable indicators to predict prognosis.Keywords: chemoradiotherapy, T cell counts, progression-free survival, overall survival, propensity score matching

Trigeminal schwannoma is the second most common intracranial schwannoma yet accounts for less than 0.5% intracranial tumors [1]. Cystic degeneration is uncommon. We would like to report a pathologically proven multicompartmental cystic trigeminal schwannoma in a young adult presenting with chronic headache. A literature review on the imaging features of trigeminal schwannoma is performed to assist radiologists in accurate disease localization and prioritizing differential diagnosis in challenging cases. Confident preoperative radiological diagnosis would directly affect management strategies.

Mi Kyung Park,1 Hye-Kyung Park,2 Hak Sun Yu1,3 1Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea; 3Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of KoreaCorrespondence: Hye-Kyung Park; Hak Sun Yu, Tel +82+51-240-7000 ; +82+51-510-8022, Email parkhk@pusan.ac.kr; hsyu@pusan.ac.krBackground: Repeated exposure to recombinant profilin from Acanthamoeba (rAc-PF) induces allergic airway responses in vitro and in vivo. Based on the role of toll-like receptors (TLRs) in allergic airway diseases, TLRs play a central role in innate immune responses and the adaptive immune system and regulate responses against antigens through antigen-specific receptors. In this study, we attempted to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying rAc-PF-induced allergic inflammatory responses.Methods: We determined the correlation between rAc-PF and TLRs and analyzed changes in allergic immune responses after blocking multiple TLR signaling under rAc-PF treatment conditions in vitro. We also compared allergic inflammatory responses in TLR2 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice. To investigate the effect of TLR2 on antigen prototyping and T cell activation in the inflammatory response induced by rAc-PF, we assessed maturation of BMDCs and polarization of naïve T cells by rAc-PF stimulation. Additionally, we compared changes in inflammation-related gene expression by rAc-PF treatment in primary lung epithelial cells isolated from TLR2 KO and WT mice.Results: The rAc-PF treatment was increased the expression level of TLR2 and 9 in vitro. But, there were not significantly differ the others TLRs expression by rAc-PF treated group. And then, the mRNA expression levels of inflammation-related genes were reduced in the TLR2 or TLR9 antagonist-treated groups compared to those in the rAc-PF alone, were no difference the treated with the other TLRs (TLR4, 6, and 7/8) antagonist. The difference was higher in the TLR2 antagonist group. Additionally, the levels of airway inflammatory disease indicators were lower in the TLR2 KO group than in the WT group after rAc-PF treatment. Furthermore, the expression of bone marrow-derived dendritic cell (BMDC) surface molecular markers following rAc-PF stimulation was lower in TLR2 KO mice than in WT mice, and TLR2 KO in BMDCs resulted in a remarkable decline in Th2/17-related cytokine production and Th2/17 subset differentiation. In addition, the expression levels of rAc-PF-induced inflammatory genes were reduced inTLR2 KO primary lung cells compared to those in normal primary lung cells.Conclusion: These results suggest that the rAc-PF-induced airway inflammatory response is regulated by TLR2 signaling.Keywords: rAc-PF, profilin, toll-like receptors, airway inflammation, T cell activation

Omer Ahmed Hamad Amin,1 Raouf Rahim Mirza,2 Hiwa Abubakr Hussein,2 Zhikal Omar Khudhur,3 Harem Khdir Awla,4 Shukur Wasman Smail4,5 1Department of Rheumatology, Ranya Teaching Hospital, Ministry of Health, Ranya, Kurdistan Region, Iraq; 2College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region, Iraq; 3Biology Education Department, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq; 4Department of Biology, College of Science, Salahaddin University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq; 5Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Science, Cihan University-Erbil, Kurdistan Region, IraqCorrespondence: Shukur Wasman Smail, Department of Biology, College of Science, Salahaddin University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, Tel +9647504491092, Email shukur.smail@su.edu.krdPurpose: Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a rare connective tissue disorder characterized by autoimmunity, fibrosis, and vasculopathy that affects the skin and internal organs, including the gastrointestinal tract, particularly the esophagus. This article highlights the characteristics and clinical symptoms of esophageal involvement in patients with SSc.Patients and Methods: This study was conducted between November 2022 to August 2023, including 26 already diagnosed cases of SSc in the Department of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation and Kurdistan Center for Gastroenterology and Hepatology-Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Esophageal involvement was investigated using esophageal manometry, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), and 24-hour impedance-pH monitoring.Results: Females were significantly predominant (P = 0.019) regarding the symptoms; 76.9% of the patients had heart burn, 76.9% dysphagia, 73.1% water brush, and 69.2% regurgitation. In total, 69.2% of the patients showed erosive gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) on EGD, 76.9% had decreased lower esophageal sphincter pressure (DLESP) and decreased distal esophageal peristaltic contractions (DDEPC) on esophageal manometry, and 84.6% had reflux on pH monitoring. Raynaud’s phenomenon is the most common and typically the earliest clinical manifestation of SSc. The presence of erosive GERD was found to significantly increase the risk of developing dysphagia (B = 4.725, P = 0.014, OR = 3.482) and regurgitation (B = 3.521, P = 0.006, OR = 4.030).Conclusion: It is crucial to take gender-specific considerations into account when diagnosing and managing esophageal complications in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Additionally, employing various diagnostic assessments to detect esophageal involvement during SSc is essential. Erosive GERD has been identified as a risk factor that contributes to the development of dysphagia and regurgitation in individuals with SSc.Keywords: esophageal involvement, esophageal manometry, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, 24-hour Impedance-pH Monitoring, systemic sclerosis