Computer-assisted Techniques Research Articles

The impact of digital imaging and computer-assisted surgery in oral surgery: A narrative review

Digital imaging and computer-assisted surgery (CASS) have ushered in a new era in oral surgery, offering manifold advantages in terms of precision, efficiency, and patient well-being. This narrative review delves into the profound impact of these technologies across various facets of oral surgery, encompassing diagnostics, treatment planning, intraoperative guidance, and postoperative evaluation. We examine the evolution of digital imaging modalities, notably cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), and their seamless integration with computer-assisted tools for meticulous surgical interventions. Furthermore, we explore the benefits conferred by virtual surgical planning (VSP) and 3D printing in refining preoperative strategizing and surgical execution. Additionally, we underscore the pivotal role played by navigation systems and robotic assistance in heightening surgical accuracy and mitigating complications. Notwithstanding the remarkable advantages, we also address the inherent challenges and limitations associated with digital imaging and CASS, including cost considerations, learning curves, and potential errors. Despite these hurdles, the widespread adoption of digital technologies in oral surgery has substantially revolutionized clinical practices, culminating in more predictable outcomes and heightened patient satisfaction. Lastly, we contemplate future avenues for research aimed at optimizing the integration of digital imaging and computer-assisted techniques in oral surgical procedures.

Low birth weight, household socio-economic status, water and sanitation are associated with stunting and wasting among children aged 6-23 months: Results from a national survey in Ghana.

Stunting and wasting are key public health problems in Ghana that are significantly linked with mortality and morbidity risk among children. However, information on their associated factors using nationally representative data is scanty in Ghana. This study investigated the influence of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) indicators, socio-demographic and economic related factors, and water and sanitation on stunting and wasting, using nationally representative data in Ghana. This is a secondary data analysis of the most recent (2017/2018) Ghana Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) datasets. The multi-indicator cluster survey is a national cross-sectional household survey with rich data on women of reproductive age and children under the age of five. The survey used a two-stage sampling method in the selection of respondents and a computer-assisted personal interviewing technique to administer structured questionnaires from October 2017 to January 2018. The present study involved 2529 mother-child pairs, with their children aged 6 to 23 months. We used the Complex Sample procedures in SPSS, adjusting for clustering and stratification effects. In a bivariate logistic regression, variables with P-values ≤ 0.05 were included in a backward multivariate logistic regression to identify the significant factors associated with stunting and wasting. The mean age of children was 14.32 ± 0.14 months, with slightly more being males (50.4%). About 12% and 16% of the children were wasted and stunted, respectively. There were 39.4%, 25.9%, and 13.7% of children who, respectively, satisfied the minimum meal frequency (MMF), minimum dietary diversity (MDD), and minimum acceptable diet (MAD). None of the IYCF indicators was significantly associated with stunting or wasting in the multivariate analysis but low socio-economic status, low birth weight, being a male child and unimproved toilet facilities were significantly associated with both wasting and stunting. Our findings suggest that aside from the pre-natal period, in certain contexts, household factors such as low socio-economic status and poor water and sanitation, may be stronger predictors of undernutrition. A combination of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions including the pre-natal period to simultaneously address the multiple determinants of undernutrition need strengthening.

A dual computational and experimental strategy to enhance TSLP antibody affinity for improved asthma treatment.

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin is a key cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of asthma and other allergic diseases. Targeting TSLP and its signaling pathways is increasingly recognized as an effective strategy for asthma treatment. This study focused on enhancing the affinity of the T6 antibody, which specifically targets TSLP, by integrating computational and experimental methods. The initial affinity of the T6 antibody for TSLP was lower than the benchmark antibody AMG157. To improve this, we utilized alanine scanning, molecular docking, and computational tools including mCSM-PPI2 and GEO-PPI to identify critical amino acid residues for site-directed mutagenesis. Subsequent mutations and experimental validations resulted in an antibody with significantly enhanced blocking capacity against TSLP. Our findings demonstrate the potential of computer-assisted techniques in expediting antibody affinity maturation, thereby reducing both the time and cost of experiments. The integration of computational methods with experimental approaches holds great promise for the development of targeted therapeutic antibodies for TSLP-related diseases.

The Influence of Heuristic and Computer-Assisted Audit Techniques (CAAT) on Fraud Detection with Experience as a Mediating

This study explores the impact of Heuristics and Computer-Assisted Audit Techniques (CAAT) on fraud detection, with Experience as the mediating variable. The findings show that CAAT has no significant effect on fraud detection, while heuristics have a significant effect. Experience also directly contributes positively to fraud detection. An interesting result is that CAAT affects fraud detection through experience as a mediator, while heuristics have no significant effect when mediated by experience. Experience serves as a key bridge that strengthens the relationship between CAAT and fraud detection. The implication is that organisations can improve audit strategies by understanding the complexity of these factors, acknowledging the differential impact between CAAT and heuristics, and leveraging experience as a vital mediator tool to improve fraud detection.

Extraction, identification, and molecular mechanisms of α-glucosidase inhibitory peptides from defatted Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) powder hydrolysates

The objective of this study was to explore the potential of Antarctic krill-derived peptides as α-glucosidase inhibitors for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The enzymolysis conditions of α-glucosidase inhibitory peptides were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM), a statistical method that efficiently determines optimal conditions with a limited number of experiments. Gel chromatography and LC-MS/MS techniques were utilized to determine the molecular weight (Mw) distribution and sequences of the hydrolysates. The identification and analysis of the mechanism behind α-glucosidase inhibitory peptides were conducted through conventional and computer-assisted techniques. The binding affinities between peptides and α-glucosidase were further validated using BLI (biolayer interferometry) assay. The results revealed that hydrolysates generated by neutrase exhibited the highest α-glucosidase inhibition rate. Optimal conditions for hydrolysis were determined to be an enzyme concentration of 6 × 103 U/g, hydrolysis time of 5.4 h, and hydrolysis temperature of 45 °C. Four peptides (LPFQR, PSFD, PSFDF, VPFPR) with strong binding affinities to the active site of α-glucosidase, primarily through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. This study highlights the prospective utility of Antarctic krill-derived peptides in curtailing α-glucosidase activity, offering a theoretical foundation for the development of novel α-glucosidase inhibitors and related functional foods to enhance diabetes management.

Discovery of Cadinane-Type Sesquiterpenoids from the Infected Stems of Hibiscus tiliaceus as Potential Agrochemical Fungicides.

Ten new cadinane-type sesquiterpenoids, named hibisceusins I-R (1-10), along with 14 known sesquiterpenoids (11-24), were acquired from the tainted stems of Hibiscus tiliaceus. Their structures were identified via spectroscopic analysis, one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) NMR, and computer-assisted structure elucidation techniques, including infrared (IR) and mass spectrometry (MS) data. Additionally, subsequent DP4/DP4+ probability methods were used to resolve 3's relative configurations by comparing their experimental values to the predicted NMR data. The absolute configurations of compounds 1-4 were measured through electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. The ability of all isolates to inhibit the growth of five phytopathogenic fungi (Rhizopus stolonifer, Verticillium dahliae Kleb., Thanatephorus cucumeris, Fusarium oxysporum Schltdl., and F. oxysporum HK-27) was evaluated. Aldehydated sesquiterpenoids (1, 6-9, 11, 12, and 22) and a known sesquiterpenoid quinine (18) exhibited significant inhibitory activities against V. dahliae, T. cucumeris, F. oxysporum, and F. oxysporum HK-27 with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 2.5-50 μg/mL, but all isolates remained inactive against R. stolonifer. Moreover, the effects of the isolates on the mycelial morphology were watched through scanning electron microscopy. This study revealed that aldehydated cadinane-type sesquiterpenoids could be used as novel antifungal molecules to develop agrochemical fungicides in plant protection.

A128 OPTIMIZED COMPUTER ASSISTED TECHNIQUE FOR INCREASING ADENOMA DETECTION DURING COLONOSCOPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract Background Efforts to improve colonoscopy have recently focused on improving adenoma detection interventions such as artificial intelligence (CADe) that have demonstrated improvements in Adenoma Detection Rates (ADR). Although studies have focused on implementation of one intervention at a time. Aims We evaluated an optimized computer assisted technique (CADopt) versus standard colonoscopy to improve ADR during colonosocopy. Methods A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted enrolling adults (45–80 years) undergoing elective colonoscopy. Participants were randomized (1:1) to the intervention group (CADopt, and control group. In the CADopt group, endoscopists used a computer aided polyp detection combined with linked colour imaging, water exchange colonoscopy, and cecal retroflexion. In the control group, standard colonoscopy was performed. Primary outcome was Adenoma Detection Rate (ADR) in the intervention and control groups. Secondary outcomes included advanced ADR (AADR) and sessile serrated lesion detection rates (SDR). Results A total of 467 patients were recruited and randomized (CADopt group 229 patients, 50.2% female vs 238 patients, 48.3% female in the control group). ADR was 49.3% (95%CI 42.7-56.0) for the CADopt group vs 38.2% (95%CI 32.0-44.7) for the control group (p=0.016). AADR and SDR were 13.1% (95%CI 9.0-18.2) and 6.6% (95%CI 3.7-10.6) for the CADopt group versus 8.0% (95%CI 4.9-12.2), and 7.1% (95%CI 4.2-11.1) for the control group, respectively. Conclusions Using an optimized computer assisted technique led to significant improvements in ADR and a trend towards AADR improvements. Funding Agencies Fujifilm

Developing future competencies of people employed in non-standard forms of employment: employers’ and employees’ perspective

PurposeThe aim of this study is to analyze the differences between non-standard forms of employment (FoE) (i.e. dependent self-employment/business-to-business/B2B contract and contract of mandate) in terms of investing in the development of future competencies by employees and employers. This study also examined additional factors which influence these investments.Design/methodology/approachTo collect data, the computer-assisted telephone interview technique was used. 200 employees from different companies located in Poland participated in this study, wherein each of the above-mentioned FoEs (i.e. dependent self-employment and contract of mandate) was represented by 100 people. The Chi-Square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used in the statistical analyses.FindingsIn the case of only 2 out of 14 competencies, there were statistically significant differences between the two groups of respondents: the employers financed training courses for B2B employees more frequently than for mandate contract workers. Moreover, in only one case there was a statistically significant difference: the self-employed financed training courses themselves more often than mandate contract workers. This study revealed an important impact of other variables such as respondents’ age, education level, parental status and industry on the training activities undertaken by employers and employees.Originality/valueAlthough the issue of developing future competencies is important, there is little research examining this problem in the context of people who work in non-standard FoE. Moreover, previous research primarily focused on identifying differences between people working under employment contracts and the self-employed. This article fills these research gaps as well as shows that more factors should be considered in the research models to get a deeper insight into the problem of non-standard FoEs.

Deep Learning Methods for Small Molecule Drug Discovery: A Survey

With the development of computer-assisted techniques, research communities including biochemistry and deep learning have been devoted into the drug discovery field for over a decade. Various applications of deep learning have drawn great attention in drug discovery, such as molecule generation, molecular property prediction, retrosynthesis prediction, and reaction prediction. While most existing surveys only focus on one of the applications, limiting the view of researchers in the community. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review on the aforementioned four aspects, and discuss the relationships among different applications. The latest literature and classical benchmarks are presented for better understanding the development of variety of approaches.

Topic modelling literary interviews from The Paris Review

Abstract The interview has always proved to be a rich source for those hoping to better understand the figures behind a text, as well as any social contexts and writing practices which might have informed their aesthetic sentiments. Over the past two decades, research into the literary interview has made significant strides, both in terms of how this literary genre is conceptualized and how its emergence and development has been historically traced, the form remains somewhat neglected by literary and cultural theorists and scholars. There is also a remarkable absence of distant readings in this domain. With the rise of the digital humanities, particularly digital literary studies, one would expect more scholars to have used computer-assisted techniques to mine literary interviews, which are, in terms of dataset practicalities, somewhat ideal, semi-structured by nature, and typically available online. Such is the question to which this article attends, taking as its dataset seven decades’ worth of literary interviews from The Paris Review, and ‘topic modelling’ these documents to determine the key themes that dominate such a culturally significant set of materials while also exploring the value of topic modelling to socio-literary criticism.

Career Trajectory: A Longitudinal Analysis of Criminology Graduates’ Attributes and Professional Success in a Private HEI

All graduates aspire for career progression, successful career paths, and maximum professional development. The increasing demand for professionals to address emerging societal issues and new trends locally and globally necessitates continuous adaptation and upskilling to meet the evolving needs of society and personal career trajectories. This research analyzes graduates' attributes and their alignment with professional success. Thirty (30) alumni of BS Criminology in a private HEI, chosen through convenience sampling, are examined using a validated researchers-made questionnaire, pilot tested for reliability (Cronbach Alpha = 0.91 and 0.88) composed of a Likert scale checklist for quantitative and open-ended questions for qualitative. Data gathering utilized semi-structured interviews and computer-assisted techniques using Google Forms, with the observance of ethical research standards. Using frequency, percentage, and mean substantiated with the themes merged through narrative analysis, gathered data revealed that most graduates now work as law enforcers, police officers, probation, and correctional officers (about 80%). This professional success rate, a testament to our graduates' dedication and hard work, is rooted in their dreams and desire to make a difference. In addition, results showed that, as perceived, academic preparedness (x=3.52), self-efficacy (3.68) on performing criminology skills and outcome expectations to all actions made (x=3.80) are highly influential and contribute to professional success, which showcased a high perceived percentage of alignment (about 93%) implied from both quantitative and the theme discovered. With these, a contextualized career trajectory model is recommended to offer a comprehensive visual framework for understanding the stages, transitions, and skill development necessary to support students toward professional success.

SURVEY ON DISSENTING OPINIONS IN THE JURISPRUDENCE OF COLLEGIAL PUBLIC FINANCE BODIES IN POLAND

Dissenting opinions to the rulings of state bodies are submitted very rarely. The purpose of this article was to identify the reasons for this phenomenon in case of rulings of collegial public finance bodies, such as committees adjudicating on cases of violation of public finance discipline (including joint adjudication committee, inter-ministerial adjudication committee, adjudication committee at the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Chancellery, regional adjudication committees at regional accounting chambers, the Main Adjudication Committee) and rulings of local government appeal boards adjudicating on tax matters. The research was conducted using the Computer-Assisted Web Interview research technique. The research material included 67 questionnaires completed by a group of employees-adjudicators of the above-mentioned bodies. Their analysis led to the following research findings which explained why dissenting opinions to the decisions of collegial public finance authorities are submitted so seldom: rare occurrence of controversies among the members of the adjudicating panel, personality traits of the members of these bodies, and more specifically, striving to ensure their independence and a sense of collegiality. The shape of the procedural provisions governing the rules for submitting dissenting opinions cannot be seen as one of such reasons.

But was it Trustworthy? Methodological Experiences From a Study of a Hard-to-Reach Group of Students in Need of a Flexible Research Approach

Pedagogical research on experiences of learning among students with severe speech and physical impairment (SSPI) is sparse. This may be due to a lack of research-on-research methodology literature about students with SSPI, as they are difficult to find and there are barriers to their participation in mainstream research. Hence, method development is especially important regarding these students, who cannot participate when traditional inquiry methods are used. This article’s objective is therefore to advance method development by means of a retrospective investigation. The empirical findings consist of documented experiences from a previous study of students with SSPI (henceforth, “literacy study”). A computer-assisted email dialogue technique was developed in the literacy study’s pilot study and eventually used in the main study, to investigate the students’ experiences of their literacy development. The aim of this study is to retrospectively and critically examine the scientific trustworthiness of a methodological research approach based on an email dialogue technique used exploratively in the literacy study, to investigate the literacy development among the students grounded in their own experiences, and to contribute methodological experiences gained from that study regarding the relationship between the use of verification strategies and checking techniques. The computer-assisted email dialogue approach was necessary because the few participants were spread over great geographical distances. The approach was developed as an explorative and flexible inclusive research design and was used within the tradition of participatory research. The students in both the pilot and main studies (8–16 years of age) were treated as collaborators rather than research subjects. Both the verification strategies and techniques regarding trustworthiness criteria were found to be important for trustworthiness. The main conclusion, based on our experiences in this retrospective investigation, is that it is necessary to continuously and thoroughly focus on trustworthiness issues throughout the research process to obtain trustworthy findings.

A Study of Computer-Assisted Automatic Translation Techniques and Practices for English Vocational Terminology

Abstract This paper mainly carries out a more in-depth study on the design and planning of computer-assisted translation models based on translation memory and demonstrates the new computer-assisted translation model formed in this way. The TMX specification model, combined with the actual needs, summarizes the corresponding terminology data model, introduces and summarizes the word splitting, similarity, and alignment techniques of the computer-assisted translation model, and verifies the effectiveness of the model through practical application. The study shows that the average code length of computer-aided translation is about 0.1~0.3 lower than that of human translation in specialized fields, and its performance and efficiency are better than that of human translation. The efficiency of computer-aided translation software in extracting terminology positively correlates with an increase in frequency. Computer-assisted translation plays a significant role in the professional field and provides empirical support for subsequent related research.

3D printing-assisted total hip arthroplasty and internal fixation for the treatment of fresh acetabular fracture and femoral head necrosis: A case report

Rationale: Posterior wall comminuted fractures of the acetabulum are typically caused by high-energy trauma, and the complex anatomical structure of the acetabulum makes their treatment challenging. However, reports of the treatment of fresh acetabular fractures combined with femoral head necrosis are extremely rare. Patient concerns: A 57-year-old male, injured in a car accident, presented with right hip pain and limited mobility. At the age of 50, the patient was diagnosed with avascular necrosis of the right femoral head, experiencing right hip pain and a limp while walking, for which conservative treatment was initiated. Diagnosis: The patient was clinically diagnosed with fresh comminuted posterior wall acetabular fracture and late-stage femoral head necrosis. Interventions: We applied 3D printing technology and computer-assisted virtual surgical techniques for preoperative planning, simulated fracture reduction, and designed personalized bone plates and screws for fixation of the posterior wall of the acetabulum. A single-stage total hip arthroplasty was performed to treat femoral head necrosis. Outcomes: He began walking with the assistance of a walker 1 month after surgery, and at 6 months post-surgery, the acetabular posterior wall fracture had effectively healed, allowing the patient to return to work. Lessons: The application of 3D printing technology in acetabular internal fixation and total hip arthroplasty is helpful for fracture assessment, facilitates smooth surgery, promotes fracture reduction and healing, restores hip joint function, and ensures a high level of safety.

Barriers to Adherence to Healthy Diet and Recommended Physical Activity Perceived by the Polish Population.

According to the World Health Organization, an unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity constitute the primary global health risks. The purpose of this study was to as-certain the barriers to a healthy diet (HD) and physical activity (PA) as perceived by the Polish population in order to implement public health interventions. A quantitative survey was conducted using the computer-assisted telephone interview technique on a randomly selected representative sample of 2000 Polish citizens aged 18-88 years. The research tool was a questionnaire consisting of two parts: sociodemographic characteristics and examining barriers to an HD (Cronbach's alpha = 0.899) and regular PA (Cronbach's alpha = 0.923). Women constituted more than half of the sample (53.4%), and most of the respondents lived in urban areas (60.5%), considered their financial situation as average (56.9%), and their health as satisfactory (42.3%). Barriers to an HD include the cost of healthy food (43%), lack of motivation (26.7%), and lack of time (25.4%). Barriers to taking up PA include competing priorities (29%), a lack of motivation to exercise (27.3%), feeling of constant fatigue, and lack of energy (24.4%). Limiting factors in the adoption of both an HD and PA are gender (women > men; HD p < 0.01; PA p < 0.001), financial situation (unsatisfactory; HD and PA p < 0.001), health condition (unsatisfactory; HD and PA p < 0.001), type of work (blue-collar workers; HD p < 0.001; PA p < 0.05), and employment status (people running household; HD and PA p < 0.001). The results of this study provide important information about barriers to adopting healthy lifestyle principles. The practical implications of our work can be used by policymakers responsible for intervention strategies and programmes to increase the number of people adhering to recommendations for an HD and PA by removing barriers.

Leveraging computer-assisted audit tools for corporate sustainability: Evidence from Ethiopia

The existing ample literature studied the factors for adopting computer-assisted audit techniques (CAATs) by internal and external auditors, frequently ignoring their impact on the quality of audits and companies’ efficiency. This study delivers new evidence on the kinds of CAATs utilized by internal auditors, examines their adoption impact on corporate sustainability, and studies the moderating impact of company characteristics. This study used data from internal auditors in Ethiopia gathered using a survey, and the study hypotheses were tested using the partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The study found a moderate utilization of CAATs by internal auditors in executing their activities. The result also revealed a highly positive impact of internal auditors’ CAAT utilization on fraud discovery in the acquisition process. The study found that the intensity of this relationship is impacted by the companies’ characteristics of management commitment. However, the size and type of the company are not impacting it. This study finding complements prior studies and helps practitioners make decisions that can improve CAAT utilization in internal audit functions for a high level of companies’ sustainability.

HSH-UNet: Hybrid selective high order interactive U-shaped model for automated skin lesion segmentation

The use of computer-assisted clinical dermatologists to diagnose skin diseases is an important aid. And computer-assisted techniques mainly use deep neural networks. Recently, the proposal of higher-order spatial interaction operations in deep neural networks has attracted a lot of attention. It has the advantages of both convolution and transformers, and additionally has the advantages of efficient, extensible and translation-equivariant. However, the selection of the interaction order in higher-order interaction operations requires tedious manual selection of a suitable interaction order. In this paper, a hybrid selective higher-order interaction U-shaped model HSH-UNet is proposed to solve the problem that requires manual selection of the order. Specifically, we design a hybrid selective high-order interaction module HSHB embedded in the U-shaped model. The HSHB adaptively selects the appropriate order for the interaction operation channel-by-channel under the computationally obtained guiding features. The hybrid order interaction also solves the problem of fixed order of interaction at each level. We performed extensive experiments on three public skin lesion datasets and our own dataset to validate the effectiveness of our proposed method. The ablation experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our hybrid selective higher order interaction module. The comparison with state-of-the-art methods also demonstrates the superiority of our proposed HSH-UNet performance. The code is available at https://github.com/wurenkai/HSH-UNet.

Constructive proofs for localised radial solutions of semilinear elliptic systems on

Ground state solutions of elliptic problems have been analysed extensively in the theory of partial differential equations, as they represent fundamental spatial patterns in many model equations. While the results for scalar equations, as well as certain specific classes of elliptic systems, are comprehensive, much less is known about these localised solutions in generic systems of nonlinear elliptic equations. In this paper we present a general method to prove constructively the existence of localised radially symmetric solutions of elliptic systems on . Such solutions are essentially described by systems of non-autonomous ordinary differential equations. We study these systems using dynamical systems theory and computer-assisted proof techniques, combining a suitably chosen Lyapunov–Perron operator with a Newton–Kantorovich type theorem. We demonstrate the power of this methodology by proving specific localised radial solutions of the cubic Klein–Gordon equation on , the Swift–Hohenberg equation on , and a three-component FitzHugh–Nagumo system on . These results illustrate that ground state solutions in a wide range of elliptic systems are tractable through constructive proofs.

Understanding the Transformative Potential of Computer-Assisted Audit Tools and Techniques (CAATTs) in the Accounting Profession

The transformative CAATTs enhance auditing with technology-driven approaches and data analytics. While widely used in large audit firms, their benefits and future impact on accounting remain uncertain for smaller firms. This study aims to provide a theoretical overview of CAATTs, examining their concept, benefits, and significance compared to traditional audit methods. It also explores the challenges associated with CAATTs' adoption. Through up-to-date insights from previous studies, the research sheds light on the potential impact of CAATTs on the auditing sector. Additionally, this study reviews the existing literature that addresses the obstacles hindering CAATTs' adoption in small and medium-sized firms and offers strategies to overcome these adoption challenges. The aim is to provide a better understanding of these innovative tools and their role in shaping the accounting profession. By leveraging CAATTs' capabilities, auditors can enhance their efficiency, accuracy, and effectiveness in conducting audits, paving the way for a more promising future of accounting endeavours.