Greater Effect Research Articles

P890 Usefulness of subcutaneous Infliximab in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in clinical practice: are increased levels associated with clinical benefit?

Abstract Background Switch from intravenous Infliximab (IFXiv) to subcutaneous Infliximab (IFXsc) in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) has been associated with an increase in trough levels. However, whether this increase is correlated with additional clinical benefit has not thus far been evaluated in clinical practice. Methods Single-center retrospective study of IBD patients who switched from IFXiv to IFXsc (for at least 3 months), between July 2021 and August 2023, due to unfavorable pharmacokinetics (IFX serum levels <3 +/- anti-IFX antibodies). Disease activity was defined as clinically: Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI) ≥2 for Ulcerative Colitis (UC), Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI) ≥5 for Crohn´s Disease (CD) or perianal fistulae with active drainage; and biochemical: C-reactive protein (CRP) >5 mg/L and/or fecal calprotectin (FC) >250 µg/g in UC and >150 µg/g in CD. Primary endpoint was to evaluate the effectiveness of IFXsc switch: achieving clinical response (decrease of SCCAI ≥2, IHB ≥3 or ≥50% in fistula drainage) or remission (SCCAI ≤1, IHB ≤4 or absence of active fistula drainage) with biomarkers normalization, or maintenance of remission, in patients with and without previous activity, respectively. Secondary endpoints were to assess IFX levels change and safety of IFXsc switch. Results Twenty-five patients (23 CD, 2 UC) were included (Table 1). Previous IFXiv therapy lasted for a median of 55 (20.6-74.1) months (100% with intensified dose and 48% with combined therapy). Median baseline IFX level was 1.7 (0.4-3) μg/mL, with anti-IFX antibodies in two cases. At baseline, 7 patients were in remission and 18 had active disease: 15/18 clinical or both clinical and biochemical (3/15 luminal, 11/15 perianal or 1/15 both), and 3/18 biochemical only. Median follow-up was 15.2 (10.2-19.2) months. After IFXsc switch, an increase of IFX level was achieved in 96% of cases, with a median final level of 12.4 μg/mL (9.2-18) (Figure 1). None of the patients in remission at the beginning relapsed during follow-up. Of patients with previous clinical activity, 66.6% achieved clinical remission (53.3%) or response (13.3%), which was seen in 50% of patients with luminal and 66.7% with perianal activity, after a median of 79 (75-210) days. CRP and FC normalization was reported in 53.3% of patients with previous biochemical activity. Treatment was discontinued only in one patient due to inefficacy. IFXsc was intensified in 8% and concomitant treatment could be withdrawn in four patients. No adverse events we reported. Conclusion Switching to IFXsc in patients with previous therapy with intensified IFXiv is not only associated with a more favorable pharmacokinetic profile but also with a greater effectiveness.

Possibility of transfer and activation of 'silent' tetracycline resistance genes among Enterococcus faecalis under high-pressure processing

In this study, the tetracycline resistance of Enterococcus faecalis strains isolated from food was determined and molecular analyses of the resistance background were performed by determining the frequency of selected tetracycline resistance genes. In addition, the effect of high-pressure stress (400 and 500 MPa) on the expression of selected genes encoding tetracycline resistance was determined, as well as changes in the frequency of transfer of these genes in isolates showing sensitivity to tetracyclines. In our study, we observed an increase in the expression of genes encoding tetracyclines, especially the tet(L) gene, mainly under 400 MPa pressure. The study confirmed the possibility of transferring genes encoding tetracyclines such as tet(M), tet(L), tet(K), tet(W) and tet(O) by horizontal gene transfer in both control strains and exposed to high-pressure. Exposure of the strains to 400 MPa pressure had a greater effect on the possibility of gene transfer and expression than the application of a higher-pressure. To our knowledge, this study for the first time determined the effect of high-pressure stress on the expression of selected genes encoding tetracycline resistance, as well as the possibility and changes in the frequency of transfer of these genes in Enterococcus faecalis isolates showing sensitivity to tetracyclines and possessing silent genes. Due to the observed possibility of increased expression of some of the genes encoding tetracycline resistance and the possibility of their spread by horizontal gene transfer to other microorganisms in the food environment, under the influence of high-pressure processing in strains phenotypically susceptible to this antibiotic, it becomes necessary to monitor this ability in isolates derived from foods.

Evaluation of in vitro prebiotic effects of galactomannan oligosaccharides derived from guar gum

SummaryGalactomannan oligosaccharides (GMOS) have been designated as the second generation of prebiotics. This study aimed to systematically investigate the prebiotic effects of GMOS. GMOS were obtained by the hydrolysis of guar gum (5 g L−1) using β‐mannanase (160 U g−1) for 4 h, with the molecular weight significantly decreased to 665 Da. The prebiotic activity of GMOS was verified, which displayed a great proliferation effect on Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. After in vitro faecal fermentation, GMOS greatly improved the production of total short‐chain fatty acids (43.62 mM), especially butyric acid (7.44 mM). Meanwhile, the relative abundance of several beneficial bacteria, including Megasphaera, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium, was greatly improved to 41.15%. Besides, the total relative abundance of several typical harmful bacteria decreased to 37.80%, indicating that GMOS can regulate the composition of intestinal flora. These results provide an important scientific basis for the further use of GMOS as a prebiotic.

A crossover study of antimicrobial capacity and biotoxicity of silver nanoparticles

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have a primordial role in the nanotechnology industry since they have great antimicrobial effects against diverse pathogens. AgNP production, use, and discard have been increasing; still, there is debate about the consequences of exposure to AgNPs for animals and humans. The bioaccumulation and toxicity of AgNPs depend on several factors, including AgNP concentration, physicochemical characteristics, and aggregation. So, complete activity and toxicity profiles for each silver nanoparticle synthesized must be performed. The present work aimed to characterize the behavior of specific AgNPs, then crossover of their antimicrobial capacity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus with their potential in vitro cytotoxic effects in murine fibroblasts (3T3) and human keratinocytes (HaCat) cell lines, and in vivo general and organ‐specific toxicity in zebrafish embryos and larvae. A high susceptibility of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus to low concentrations of AgNPs was observed, yet a cytotoxic effect was also detected in 3T3 and HaCat cells. Moreover, these concentrations delayed embryonic development in zebrafish embryos and presented morphological abnormalities, neurotoxicity, and cardiotoxicity in zebrafish larvae. The results highlight the importance of jointly evaluating the antimicrobial activity and the toxicological profile of each nanoparticle manufactured; this study presents a suitable platform for such crossover assessment.

Application-Driven High-Thermal-Conductivity Polymer Nanocomposites.

Polymer nanocomposites combine the merits of polymer matrices and the unusual effects of nanoscale reinforcements and have been recognized as important members of the material family. Being a fundamental material property, thermal conductivity directly affects the molding and processing of materials as well as the design and performance of devices and systems. Polymer nanocomposites have been used in numerous industrial fields; thus, high demands are placed on the thermal conductivity feature of polymer nanocomposites. In this Perspective, we first provide roadmaps for the development of polymer nanocomposites with isotropic, in-plane, and through-plane high thermal conductivities, demonstrating the great effect of nanoscale reinforcements on thermal conductivity enhancement of polymer nanocomposites. Then the significance of the thermal conductivity of polymer nanocomposites in different application fields, including wearable electronics, thermal interface materials, battery thermal management, dielectric capacitors, electrical equipment, solar thermal energy storage, biomedical applications, carbon dioxide capture, and radiative cooling, are highlighted. In future research, we should continue to focus on methods that can further improve the thermal conductivity of polymer nanocomposites. On the other hand, we should pay more attention to the synergistic improvement of the thermal conductivity and other properties of polymer nanocomposites. Emerging polymer nanocomposites with high thermal conductivity should be based on application-oriented research.

Responsiveness of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures After Large Knee Articular Cartilage Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Cartilage transplantation is commonly used to treat large (>4 cm2) articular cartilage defects of the knee. The 2 most common transplants are osteochondral allograft transplantation and autologous chondrocyte implantation. Several patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have been used to determine the efficacy of treatment, but it is unknown which measures are the most effective. To report the multiple PROMs used after large knee articular cartilage transplantation surgery and to compare the responsiveness between them. Meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 4. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search of the PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science databases was performed. A total of 181 articles met inclusion criteria. Patient and study characteristics were extracted, including pre- and postoperative means for PROMs. From the articles that met inclusion criteria for responsiveness analysis (2+ PROMs reported, 1-year minimum follow-up, reported pre- and postoperative means and standard deviations; n = 131), the authors compared the responsiveness between PROM instruments using effect size and relative efficiency (RE) if a PROM could be compared with another in ≥10 articles. A total of 10,015 patients (10,093 knees; mean age, 34.8 years; mean body mass index, 26.1) were included in this study. The mean follow-up time was 58.3 months (range, 1.5-247.2 months), imaging findings were reported in 80 articles (44.2%), patient satisfaction was reported in 39 articles (21.5%), and range of motion was reported in 10 articles (5.5%). There were 58 unique PROM instruments identified, with the most used being the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score (n = 118; 65.2%), followed by Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Pain (n = 58; 32.0%), KOOS Sport and Recreation (n = 58; 32.0%), KOOS Quality of Life (n = 57; 31.5%), KOOS Activities of Daily Living (n = 57; 31.5%), and KOOS Symptoms (n = 57; 31.5%). Overall, IKDC was found to have the greatest effect size (1.68) and the best responsiveness of the other PROMs, which include KOOS Pain (RE, 1.38), KOOS Symptoms (RE, 3.06), KOOS Activities of Daily Living (RE, 1.65), KOOS Sport and Recreation (RE, 1.44), Lysholm (RE, 1.76), and Tegner (RE, 1.56). The IKDC is the most responsive PROM after large knee articular cartilage transplantation surgery. The IKDC score is recommended for assessing outcomes after cartilage transplantation surgery.

Optimizing performance and mood state in competitive swimmers through tapering strategies.

Tapering is a concept that is of great importance in relation to performance, due of its great effect on the psychological and physical condition of the swimmer. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the effect of two-week of tapering characterized by a progressive training volume reduction on mood state and swimming performance in competitive swimmers. Twenty-four competitive male swimmers were randomly assigned into two groups. Experimental group (age = 16.9 ± 0.5 years) and control group (16.1 ± 0.4 years). The mood subscales (tension, depression, anger, fatigue, confusion and vigor), total mood disturbance and swimming performance (50-m front crawl) were measured in pre and posttest. Our findings revealed a significant improvement in mood subscales (20.8 to 47.8%), total mood disturbance (14.4%) and in swimming performance (3.5%) after 2 weeks of tapering training. A significant correlation was observed between the total mood disturbance and the 50 m front crawl (r = -0.63) only in the experimental group. It was concluded that a progressive reduction in training volume with a maintain of intensity could improve mood state and swimming performance. In addition, a change in total mood disturbance could affect swimming performance. Swimming coaches are advised to include tapering period according to the standards we mentioned earlier before competitive swimming to improve mental state, which helps the swimmers to overcome the negative influences of overtraining and therefore they can promote sprint-swimming performance.

The longitudinal relationship between childhood trauma and adolescents' externalizing problems: A moderated mediation model

BackgroundExternalizing problems among adolescents are prevalent, which are associated with a range of maladaptive developmental outcomes. Existing studies investigated the influence of childhood trauma, and attentional control on and how sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is related to adolescents' externalizing problems. However, it is unknown whether attentional control plays a mediating role in the relationships between childhood trauma and adolescents' externalizing problems, and whether SPS plays a moderating role in these relationships. The present study examined these issues with a six-month-interval longitudinal study design. MethodsA total of 1933 junior school students (Grade 7, Mage = 12.82, 47.7 % girls) from a large follow-up project in a city of eastern China participated in the study. After half a year (wave 2), the data of 1890 participants (Grade 8) were collected. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Attentional Control Scale (ACS-C), Highly Sensitive Child Scale (HSCS), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL-YSR) were administered to the participants to assess their childhood trauma, attentional control, SPS, and externalizing problems in two waves. The immediate and longitudinal moderated mediation models were utilized to investigate the relationships among these factors. ResultsChildhood trauma significantly and positively predicted adolescents' externalizing problems. Attentional control played an immediate and longitudinal mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and externalizing problems. SPS moderated the relationship between childhood trauma and adolescents' attentional control. Childhood trauma had a greater effect on the attentional control of adolescents with SPS levels. ConclusionsThis study suggests that childhood trauma might impair adolescents' attentional control and then increase their externalizing problems. The influence of childhood trauma on attentional control is more serious among adolescents with lower SPS levels. Therefore, decreasing and preventing childhood trauma and building a warm nurturing environment might be beneficial to improving adolescents' attentional control ability and then reduce their externalizing problems.

Osteogenic Potential of a Biomaterial Enriched with Osteostatin and Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Osteoporotic Rabbits.

Mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) of the SiO2-CaO-P2O5 system are biocompatible materials with a quick and effective in vitro and in vivo bioactive response. MBGs can be enhanced by including therapeutically active ions in their composition, by hosting osteogenic molecules within their mesopores, or by decorating their surfaces with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In previous studies, our group showed that MBGs, ZnO-enriched and loaded with the osteogenic peptide osteostatin (OST), and MSCs exhibited osteogenic features under in vitro conditions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate bone repair capability after large bone defect treatment in distal femur osteoporotic rabbits using MBGs (76%SiO2-15%CaO-5%P2O5-4%ZnO (mol-%)) before and after loading with OST and MSCs from a donor rabbit. MSCs presence and/or OST in scaffolds significantly improved bone repair capacity at 6 and 12 weeks, as confirmed by variations observed in trabecular and cortical bone parameters obtained by micro-CT as well as histological analysis results. A greater effect was observed when OST and MSCs were combined. These findings may indicate the great potential for treating critical bone defects by combining MBGs with MSCs and osteogenic peptides such as OST, with good prospects for translation to clinical practice.

A comprehensive study on product properties and synergistic effects of co-pyrolysis of antibiotic mycelium residues and agricultural and forestry wastes

Co-pyrolysis is considered as a promising method to treat solid waste and improve product properties. In this work, the co-pyrolysis behavior of penicillin mycelial residues (PMR) and rice husk (RH) and wood dusts (WD) was studied, the physicochemical properties of co-pyrolysis products (gas, tar and biochar) were systematically analyzed, and the interaction effects were discussed. TG results showed that the synergistic effect of PMR co-pyrolysis with WD was much higher than that of PMR co-pyrolysis with RH. And co-pyrolysis showed synergistic effect on biochar and tar and antagonistic effect on gas. XRD, Raman and XPS results showed that the co-pyrolysis of PMR and additives (RH and WD) was beneficial to improve the aromaticity and graphitization of biochar. For the co-pyrolysis of PMR and RH, the enhancement of Maillard and Mannich reaction promoted the formation of N-containing heterocyclic compounds, the N-containing compounds obtained better synergistic effects (S = 21.28 %). During the co-pyrolysis of PMR and WD, the decarboxylation, glycoside bond breaking, inner ring C–O group breaking and C–C bond breaking of macromolecules promoted the increase of ketones and furans, especially the ketones obtained the greatest synergistic effect (S = 73.93 %). And the possible reaction pathways for synergistic effect during co-pyrolysis of PMR with RH and WD was speculated, the application framework of pyrolysis products based on the concept of green sustainable development was designed.

Experimental and numerical investigation on the crashworthiness performance of double hat‐section Al‐CFRP beam subjected to quasi‐static bending test

AbstractNowadays, hybrid structures, which combine low‐density composites with low‐cost thin‐walled metals, have shown great effect in enhancing the performance of automotive body structures, especially the energy absorber components. This study focuses on the experimental and numerical investigation of the bending energy absorption behavior of CFRP/aluminum hybrid double hat‐section beams used in the side part of the car body. In the experimental section, two types of double hat‐section beams were fabricated: aluminum and Al/CFRP. These beams were then subjected to quasi‐static three‐point bending tests. The results demonstrated that the hybrid beam exhibited superior energy absorption capabilities compared to the single beam. Subsequently, a finite element model was developed using LS‐Dyna software and was validated by comparing the experimental and numerical load–displacement results. In‐depth numerical analyses were conducted to investigate the influence of various design parameters, including CFRP‐reinforcement configuration, numbers of CFRP layers, CFRP ply‐angle, CFRP reinforced length, and aluminum/CFRP mass, on crashworthiness indicators. The numerical findings indicate that the hybrid beam with , ply‐angles exhibited better crash force efficiency (CFE) and specific energy absorption (SEA) compared to other ply‐angles, respectively. Furthermore, increasing the number of CFRP layers within the total beam's mass improved its energy absorption capacity. It was also revealed that the CFRP length on the upper and lower hats could be considered as 42.5% of the total aluminum beam length, as opposed to the full CFRP length, providing enhanced energy absorption capabilities.Highlights Bending behavior of the Al and Al/CFRP double hat section beams. Effects of variable thickness and identical mass on the double hat section beam. Effects of variable ply angle and number of CFRP layers on the hybrid beams. Discrete effect of CFRP reinforcement configurations and inner CFRP lengths.

2022 Association between severe mental illness and risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures: analysis of UK primary care data

Abstract Introduction Severe Mental Illness (SMI), particularly schizophrenia, has been associated with reduced bone mineral density and increased risk of fractures, although some studies have shown inconsistent results. We aimed to examine the effect of SMI on recorded diagnosis of osteoporosis and fragility fracture in older people in the UK, accounting for age, sex, social deprivation and lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol and Body Mass Index (BMI)). Methods We used de-identified data provided as part of routine primary care (IQVIA Medical Research Database). Patients with a diagnosis of SMI (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, other psychosis) aged 50-99y between 1/1/2000-31/12/2018 were matched 1:8 to age- and sex-adjusted controls without SMI, using Exposure Density Sampling (EDS). We estimated Hazard Ratios (HR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (95%CI) based on Cox Proportional Hazards model. We stratified the analysis by sex, accounting for age, social deprivation, year (model 1), and the above plus smoking, alcohol, and BMI (model 2). We imputed missing lifestyle data using Multiple Imputation. Results In total 444,480 people aged ≥50 years were included in the analysis (SMI N=50,006; controls N=394,474). In men, prior diagnosis of SMI increased the risk of osteoporosis diagnosis by 64% (HR 1.64; 95%CI 1.44-1.88) and the risk of fragility fractures by 87% (HR 1.87; 95%CI 1.70-2.06) in model 1. SMI also increased osteoporosis risk by 49% (HR=1.49; 95%CI 1.30-1.71) and fragility fracture risk by 82% (HR=1.82; 95%CI 1.65-2.00) in model 2 in men. In contrast, prior diagnosis of SMI had no significant effect on recorded osteoporosis risk in women. Prior SMI in women increased fragility fracture risk by 53% (HR 1.53; 95%CI 1.45-1.61) in model 1 and by 51% (HR=1.51; 95%CI 1.43-1.58) in model 2. Conclusions SMI is associated with increased risk of osteoporosis in men, and fragility fractures in both men and women, with a greater effect in men.

The In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Argirium SUNc against Most Common Pathogenic and Spoilage Food Bacteria.

Foodborne diseases are one of the main issues for human health, and antibacterial packaging plays a major role in food security assurance. Silver ultra nanoparticles (Argirium SUNc) are antimicrobial agents that have a wide spectrum of action, including against pathogenic bacteria and spoilage fungi. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of Argirium SUNc on the bacteria most commonly found in food: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella typhimurium. In this regard, an in vitro study was carried out by assessing the Argirium SUNc effectiveness on different concentrations of each tested microbial strain and at different time intervals. The data showed that the antimicrobial activity of Argirium SUNc was directly related to the microbial concentration and varied depending on the microbial species. Moreover, a greater effectiveness against Gram-negative bacteria than Gram-positive bacteria was observed. These preliminary results provided important information on the silver nanoparticles spectrum of action, and this is an aspect that appears particularly promising for obtaining a viable alternative to traditional antimicrobials to be used against the pathogens and spoilage agents most commonly found in the food chain, harmful both to health and quality aspects.

Subtle variation in sepsis-III definitions markedly influences predictive performance within and across methods

Early detection of sepsis is key to ensure timely clinical intervention. Since very few end-to-end pipelines are publicly available, fair comparisons between methodologies are difficult if not impossible. Progress is further limited by discrepancies in the reconstruction of sepsis onset time. This retrospective cohort study highlights the variation in performance of predictive models under three subtly different interpretations of sepsis onset from the sepsis-III definition and compares this against inter-model differences. The models are chosen to cover tree-based, deep learning, and survival analysis methods. Using the MIMIC-III database, between 867 and 2178 intensive care unit admissions with sepsis were identified, depending on the onset definition. We show that model performance can be more sensitive to differences in the definition of sepsis onset than to the model itself. Given a fixed sepsis definition, the best performing method had a gain of 1–5% in the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC). However, the choice of onset time can cause a greater effect, with variation of 0–6% in AUROC. We illustrate that misleading conclusions can be drawn if models are compared without consideration of the sepsis definition used which emphasizes the need for a standardized definition for sepsis onset.

Quantitative Easing’s Effects on the U.S. Housing Market

As the housing bubble burst in the United States, the buildup of subprime lending led to the Global Financial Crisis. The Federal Reserve desperately slashes interest rates to reverse the economic recession, but the Zero Lower Bound significantly hindered the policy's future effectiveness with concerns of an existing liquidity trap. As a result, the unprecedented Quantitative Easing became the policymakers' last resort. Through the large-scale purchases of financial assets including mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and government bonds, the Fed attempts to stimulate the economy through reserve creation and instilling downward pressure on future interest rates. This literature review discusses how QE specifically affected the U.S. housing market during the GFC. An analysis is conducted on various social aspects and stakeholders by identifying the various channels through which QE is transmitted. The signaling, bank lending, and refinancing channels all suggest that MBS had the greatest effect on market expectations, bank behaviors, and consumer spending. As a result, many were many spillover effects into real estate, notably on asset prices, employment, and investment. Even though literature has criticized QE's ineffectiveness and its potential drawbacks, the unconventional monetary policy certainly played an essential role in preventing a worse outcome and effectively demonstrating its ability to reduce interest rates, generate wealth, and revive the economy.

Salvage therapy for refractory sudden sensorineural hearing loss (RSSNHL): a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Approximately 30-50% of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) patients show poor response to systemic steroid therapy. Additionally, the most appropriate treatment for patients with refractory sudden sensorineural hearing loss (RSSNHL) is unknown. This study aimed to explore the best treatment for RSSNHL. Using a frequentist contrast-based model and PRISMA guidelines, this study compared five salvage regimes: intratympanic injection of steroids (ITS), hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy, post auricle steroid injection (PSI), ITS combined with HBO therapy, and continued systemic steroids. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases for randomised controlled trials and cohort studies comparing treatment regimens for RSSNHL. Compared with the control group (no additional treatment), PSI and ITS demonstrated significant improvements. The mean hearing gain was greater after PSI (11.1 dB [95% CI, 4.4-17.9]) than after ITS (7.7 dB [95% CI, 4.8-10.7]). When a restricted definition of RSSNHL was used, the ITS + HBO therapy showed the largest difference in improvement for pure tone average compared with the control group (14.5 dB [95% CI, 4.2-25.0]). The administration of either PSI or ITS leads to the greatest therapeutic effect in patients with RSSNHL. However, a consensus on the definition of RSSNHL is needed.

Reducing the Environmental Impact of Wireless Communication via Probabilistic Machine Learning

Machine learning methods are increasingly adopted in communications problems, particularly those arising in next generation wireless settings. Though seen as a key climate mitigation and societal adaptation enabler, communications related energy consumption is high and is expected to grow in future networks in spite of anticipated efficiency gains in 6G due to exponential communications traffic growth. To make meaningful climate mitigation impact in the communications sector, a mindset shift away from maximizing throughput at all cost and towards prioritizing energy efficiency is needed. Moreover, this must be adopted in both existing (without incurring further embodied carbon costs through equipment replacement) and future network infrastructure, given the long development time of mobile generations. To that end, we present summaries of two such problems, from both current and next generation network specifications, where probabilistic inference methods were used to great effect: using Bayesian parameter tuning we are able to safely reduce the energy consumption of existing hardware on a live communications network by 11% whilst maintaining operator specified performance envelopes; through spatiotemporal Gaussian process surrogate modeling we reduce the overhead in a next generation hybrid beamforming system by over 60%, greatly improving the networks' ability to target highly mobile users such as autonomous vehicles. The Bayesian paradigm is itself helpful in terms of energy usage, since training a Bayesian optimization model can require much less computation than, say, training a deep neural network.

PENGARUH ORIENTASI PASAR DAN INOVASI TERHADAP KINERJA BISNIS DENGAN KEUNGGULAN BERSAING SEBAGAI VARIABEL INTERVENING (STUDI KASUS UMKM TELUR ASIN DI KABUPATEN BREBES)

This study aims to determine and analyze the effect of market orientation and innovation on business performance with competitive advantage as an intervening variable (a case study of salted egg UMKM in Brebes district). This study used a quantitative research type with the research sample calculated using total sampling technique and obtained a total sample of 50 respondents. Data collection techniques using a questionnaire. Data analysis used linear regression analysis. Market orientation partially has a positive and significant effect on business performance in salted egg SMEs in Brebes Regency. The research results show that Innovation partially has no effect on business performance in salted egg SMEs in Brebes Regency. Market orientation partially has a positive and not significant effect on competitive advantage in salted egg SMEs in Brebes Regency. Innovation partially has a positive and significant effect on competitive advantage in salted egg SMEs in Brebes Regency. Competitive advantage partially has a positive and significant effect on business performance in salted egg SMEs in Brebes Regency. Market orientation using the Sobel model 1 test has a greater effect on business performance through competitive advantage in salted egg SMEs in Brebes Regency. Innovation in the Sobel model 2 test does not have a greater effect on business performance through competitive advantage in salted egg SMEs in Brebes Regency.

Effect of different non-pharmacologic placebo treatments on migraine prevention: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Placebo control plays an important role in evaluating the effectiveness of interventions. Specifying differential effects of various placebo controls on migraine prevention would be essential in the explanation of preventive treatment for migraine and the indirect comparison between different prophylactic therapeutics. To access the impact of different non-pharmacologic placebo types on different outcomes in migraine patients. We searched PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials, Embase, and Web of Science databases from the date of creation to June 19, 2023. Randomized controlled trials of migraine that included sham intervention of acupuncture or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation (nVNS) or repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) or transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) were conducted. The primary outcome was the migraine days, and the secondary outcomes were the number of migraine attacks, headache days, headache frequency, and responder's rate. Placebo effects were assessed using five individual placebos for network meta-analysis, using mean differences to measure the relative effect of pair-wise comparisons between interventions. A total of 50 trials with 4880 subjects were included. Twenty-seven trials were evaluated for low risk of bias. The results of indirect comparisons show that sham rTMS and sham tDCS had optimal and similar effects in reducing migraine days; sham acupuncture has the greatest effect on reducing the number of migraine attacks and relieving headache frequency; sham rTMS had a highly significant advantage in reducing headache days compared with the other placebo controls. Based on the network meta-analysis results, we found that sham acupuncture had the greatest effect on migraine prophylaxis. The strong placebo effect of sham acupuncture should be considered when assessing the therapeutic effect.

Deciphering the biotic and abiotic drivers of coalescence asymmetry between soil and manure microbiomes

Manure application improves soil fertility, yet its implications on the success of invasion of manure-borne microorganisms in the soil are poorly understood. Here, we assessed the importance of abiotic and biotic factors in modulating the extent to which manure-borne fungal and bacterial communities can invade resident soil microbial communities. For this purpose, we applied varying frequencies of two different amounts of manure to nine soils differing in physico-chemical properties, as well as in land-use history, over 180 days and monitored changes in bacterial and fungal communities. Variance partitioning revealed differential contributions of abiotic and biotic factors to invasion success, which together accounted for up to 82 % of the variance explained. We showed that the effects of interactions between biotic and abiotic factors increased with coalescence frequency and manure amount for the bacterial and fungal communities, respectively. Both abiotic and biotic factors were important for modulating coalescence asymmetry for the bacterial community, whereas abiotic factors had a greater effect on the fungal community. These results provide new insights into the drivers of coalescence events between manure and resident soil microbial communities. Moreover, our findings highlight the roles of the mixing ratio and frequency of coalescence events in modulating the survival of manure-borne microorganisms.