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PloS One 2024Dairy production in the UK has undergone substantial restructuring over the last few decades. Farming intensification has led to a reduction in the total numbers of...
Dairy production in the UK has undergone substantial restructuring over the last few decades. Farming intensification has led to a reduction in the total numbers of farms and animals, while the average herd size per holding has increased. These ever-changing circumstances have important implications for the health and welfare of dairy cows, as well as the overall business performance of farms. For decision-making in dairy farming, it is essential to understand the underlying causes of the inefficiencies and their relative impact. The investigation of yield gaps regarding dairy cattle has been focused on specific causes. However, in addition to the risk of overestimating the impact of a specific ailment, this approach does not allow understanding of the relative contribution to the total, nor does it allow understanding of how well-described that gap is in terms of underlying causes. Using the English and Welsh dairy sectors as an example, this work estimates the Loss Gap-composed of yield losses and health expenditure - using a benchmarking approach and scenario analysis. The Loss Gap was estimated by comparing the current performance of dairy herds as a baseline with that of scenarios where assumptions were made about the milk production of cows, production costs, market prices, mortality, and expenditure related to health events. A deterministic model was developed, consisting of an enterprise budget, in which the cow was the unit, with milking herd and young stock treated separately. When constraining milk production, the model estimated an annual Loss Gap of £148 to £227 million for the whole sector. The reduction in costs of veterinary services and medicines, alongside herd replacement costs, were important contributors to the estimate with some variation between the scenarios. Milk price had a substantial impact in the estimate, with revenue from milk yield representing more than 30% of the Loss Gap, when milk price was benchmarked against that of the top performing farms. This framework provides the boundaries for understanding the relative burden from specific causes in English and Welsh dairy cattle, ensuring that the sum of the estimated losses due to particular problem does not exceed the losses from all-causes, health or non-health related.
Topics: Animals; Cattle; Dairying; Female; Milk; Lactation
PubMed: 38935774
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306314 -
PloS One 2024Expert opinion is widely used in clinical guidelines. No research has ever been conducted investigating the use of expert opinion in international infectious disease... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
INTRODUCTION
Expert opinion is widely used in clinical guidelines. No research has ever been conducted investigating the use of expert opinion in international infectious disease guidelines. This study aimed to create an analytical map by describing the prevalence and utilization of expert opinion in infectious disease guidelines and analyzing the methodological aspects of these guidelines.
METHODS
In this meta-epidemiological study, systematic searches in PubMed and Trip Medical Database were performed to identify clinical guidelines on infectious diseases, published between January 2018 and May 2023 in English, by international organizations. Data extracted included guideline characteristics, expert opinion utilization, and methodological details. Prevalence and rationale of expert opinion use were analyzed descriptively. Methodological differences between groups were analyzed with Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U Test.
RESULTS
The analysis covered 66 guidelines with 2296 recommendations, published/endorsed by 136 organizations. Most guidelines (79%) used systematic literature searches, 42% provided search strategies, and 38% presented screening flow diagrams and conducted risk of bias assessments. 48.5% of the guidelines allowed expert opinion, most of which included expert opinion as part of the evidence hierarchy within the grading system. Guidelines allowing expert opinion, compared to those which do not, issued more recommendations per guideline (48.82 vs.19.13, p<0.001), and reported fewer screening flow diagrams (25% vs. 65%, p = 0.002), and less risk of bias assessments (19% vs.78%, p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
Expert opinion is utilized in half of assessed guidelines, often integrated into the evidence hierarchy within the grading system. Its utilization varies considerably in methodology, form, and terminology between guidelines. These findings highlight a pressing need for additional research and guidance, to improve and advance the standardization of infectious disease guidelines.
Topics: Humans; Expert Testimony; Communicable Diseases; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Epidemiologic Studies
PubMed: 38935698
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306098 -
PloS One 2024The mental health of children conceived using Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) such as In-Vitro-Fertilization (IVF) is a subject of significant controversy....
BACKGROUND
The mental health of children conceived using Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) such as In-Vitro-Fertilization (IVF) is a subject of significant controversy. Existing studies suggest children conceived through ART meet physical and cognitive developmental milestones at similar rates to their spontaneously conceived peers, however, a significant number of studies have connected ART conception with mental health conditions, particularly depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescence. This study, therefore, aimed to determine whether maternal use of ARTs to achieve pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of mental disorders in these children, and whether these effects are sex-dependent or confounded by known covariates in the ART population.
METHODS
Secondary data analysis was performed using Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) data; a nationally representative population-based cross-sequential cohort study. Multivariate logistic regression models examined the impact of ART (including IVF and other fertility drugs, from LSAC wave-1 and wave-2 conducted in 2004 and 2006, respectively) on mental health outcomes (i.e., autism, ADHD, anxiety and/or depression, from LSAC waves 8 conducted in 2018) in Australian adolescents aged 18-19 years in 2018 (n = 1735). Known sociological and obstetric covariates including maternal age, birth weight, smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy, maternal gestational diabetes, postnatal depression, hypertension, and socioeconomic status were considered to generate an adjusted logistic model. Variables with a p-value of <0.05 in the regression models were considered statistically significant.
RESULTS
Of the 1735 mother-child dyads analysed, the maternal mean age was 35.6 years (Standard deviation = ±4.75), approximately 5% of mothers (n = 89) used ART to become pregnant, and 22% of adolescents (n = 384) had a mental disorder. Longitudinal analysis revealed no relationship between ART and children developing a mental disorder in the LSAC population.
CONCLUSION
These results should reassure parents considering ART that there is no increased risk of psychological or neurodevelopmental problems in their ART conceived offspring.
Topics: Humans; Female; Adolescent; Longitudinal Studies; Australia; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted; Male; Mental Health; Young Adult; Pregnancy; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Child; Adult; Depression
PubMed: 38935695
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304213 -
PloS One 2024Tuberculosis is a serious life-threatening disease among the top global health challenges and rapid and effective diagnostic biomarkers are vital for early diagnosis...
BACKGROUND
Tuberculosis is a serious life-threatening disease among the top global health challenges and rapid and effective diagnostic biomarkers are vital for early diagnosis especially given the increasing prevalence of multidrug resistance.
METHODS
Two human whole blood microarray datasets, GSE42826 and GSE42830 were retrieved from publicly available gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. Deregulated genes (DEGs) were identified using GEO2R online tool and Gene Ontology (GO), protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis was performed using Metascape and STRING databases. Significant genes (n = 8) were identified using T-test/ANOVA and Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) score ≥10, which was validated in GSE34608 dataset. The diagnostic potential of three biomarkers was assessed using Area Under Curve (AUC) of Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) plot. The transcriptional levels of these genes were also examined in a separate dataset GSE31348, to monitor the patterns of variation during tuberculosis treatment.
RESULTS
A total of 62 common DEGs (57 upregulated, 7 downregulated genes) were identified in two discovery datasets. GO functions and pathway enrichment analysis shed light on the functional roles of these DEGs in immune response and type-II interferon signaling. The genes in Module-1 (n = 18) were linked to innate immune response, interferon-gamma signaling. The common genes (n = 8) were validated in GSE34608 dataset, that corroborates the results obtained from discovery sets. The gene expression levels demonstrated responsiveness to Mtb infection during anti-TB therapy in GSE31348 dataset. In GSE34608 dataset, the expression levels of three specific genes, GBP5, IFITM3, and EPSTI1, emerged as potential diagnostic makers. In combination, these genes scored remarkable diagnostic performance with 100% sensitivity and 89% specificity, resulting in an impressive Area Under Curve (AUC) of 0.958. However, GBP5 alone showed the highest AUC of 0.986 with 100% sensitivity and 89% specificity.
CONCLUSIONS
The study presents valuable insights into the critical gene network perturbed during tuberculosis. These genes are determinants for assessing the effectiveness of an anti-TB response and distinguishing between active TB and healthy individuals. GBP5, IFITM3 and EPSTI1 emerged as candidate core genes in TB and holds potential as novel molecular targets for the development of interventions in the treatment of TB.
Topics: Humans; Tuberculosis; Protein Interaction Maps; RNA-Seq; Computational Biology; Gene Expression Profiling; ROC Curve; Gene Regulatory Networks; Databases, Genetic; Biomarkers; Gene Ontology
PubMed: 38935691
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305582 -
PloS One 2024Geotextiles are excellent anti-filtration materials commonly used in the field of water conservancy engineering; however, the factors affecting the water permeability...
Geotextiles are excellent anti-filtration materials commonly used in the field of water conservancy engineering; however, the factors affecting the water permeability performance of geotextiles under stressed states during operation have not been fully identified. To investigate the effect of unidirectional stretching on the water permeability of geotextiles, a unidirectional rheological head infiltration test was conducted on the geotextiles using a self-developed test apparatus. In addition, the water permeability of geotextiles with different thicknesses and tensile states was calculated using a set of water permeability calculation methods based on the nonlaminar flow state of geotextiles. The results showed that the water permeability of the W120 geotextile samples initially decreased and then increased under warp stretching and gradually increased under weft stretching. However, the water permeability of the W200 geotextile samples initially decreased and then increased under both warp and weft stretching. Therefore, the thickness of the geotextile affected its permeability properties.
Topics: Permeability; Water; Tensile Strength; Rheology; Materials Testing
PubMed: 38935683
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306057 -
PloS One 2024The groundwater resources in different areas of Pakistan are heading towards depletion along with the deterioration of quality due to over-abstraction and urbanization....
The groundwater resources in different areas of Pakistan are heading towards depletion along with the deterioration of quality due to over-abstraction and urbanization. The main focus of this study is to map the current hydrostratigraphical and hydraulic conditions of the late Quaternary aquifers in the central part of Thal Doab of Punjab Plains. To achieve the target, a comprehensive approach was employed combining geophysical investigations using electrical resistivity surveys (ERS) and physiochemical analysis of groundwater specimens collected from the study area. Careful calibration of resistivity models was performed by comparing them with lithologs to ensure their accuracy. The current groundwater conditions were assessed through thirty vertical electrical soundings (VES) using the Schlumberger electrode configuration up to 300m of AB/2. The interpreted results revealed the presence of four to six geo-electric sublayers comprising the intermixing layers of clay, silt, sand, gravel, and kankar inclusions. These layers exhibited very low (<20 Ω-m) to very high (>230 Ω-m) resistivity zones at various depth intervals. The developed 2D/3D models of aquifer systems identify the promising areas of good/fresh quality groundwater in the regions characterized by medium to very high resistivity mainly within the sand with gravel layers. However, lower resistivity values indicate the presence of marginally suitable/fair and saline/brackish groundwater showing the existence of fine sediments such as clays/silts. Additionally, twenty groundwater samples were collected to assess various parameters including pH, TDS, arsenic, fluoride, iron, nitrate, and nitrite. The spatial distribution of these parameters was visualized using 2D maps. The suitability of the groundwater for drinking consumption was evaluated in accordance with WHO guidelines.
Topics: Groundwater; Pakistan; Environmental Monitoring; Water Quality; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 38935674
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302442 -
PloS One 2024In recent years, with the development of the Internet, the attribution classification of APT malware remains an important issue in society. Existing methods have yet to...
In recent years, with the development of the Internet, the attribution classification of APT malware remains an important issue in society. Existing methods have yet to consider the DLL link library and hidden file address during the execution process, and there are shortcomings in capturing the local and global correlation of event behaviors. Compared to the structural features of binary code, opcode features reflect the runtime instructions and do not consider the issue of multiple reuse of local operation behaviors within the same APT organization. Obfuscation techniques more easily influence attribution classification based on single features. To address the above issues, (1) an event behavior graph based on API instructions and related operations is constructed to capture the execution traces on the host using the GNNs model. (2) ImageCNTM captures the local spatial correlation and continuous long-term dependency of opcode images. (3) The word frequency and behavior features are concatenated and fused, proposing a multi-feature, multi-input deep learning model. We collected a publicly available dataset of APT malware to evaluate our method. The attribution classification results of the model based on a single feature reached 89.24% and 91.91%. Finally, compared to single-feature classifiers, the multi-feature fusion model achieves better classification performance.
Topics: Software; Internet; Algorithms; Humans; Deep Learning
PubMed: 38935673
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304066 -
PloS One 2024This study aims to analyze the efficacy and safety of different electrical stimulation treatments for post-stroke motor dysfunction, and to quantitatively analyze the...
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to analyze the efficacy and safety of different electrical stimulation treatments for post-stroke motor dysfunction, and to quantitatively analyze the advantages between them and their possible benefits for patients.
METHODS
We will systematically search seven databases. All of them will be retrieved from inception to 15, April 2024. Two reviewers will evaluation the risk of bias in all included studies with the version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool. Data synthesis will be performed using a random-effects model of network meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of different electrical stimulation therapies. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve was used to indicate the possibility of the pros and cons of the intervention. The strength of evidence will be assessed by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework.
DISCUSSION
This study will provide evidence that electrical stimulation therapy can effectively improve motor function in stroke patients and will also provide some valuable references for clinical decision-making and treatment guidelines.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023459102.
Topics: Humans; Systematic Reviews as Topic; Stroke; Network Meta-Analysis; Electric Stimulation Therapy; Stroke Rehabilitation; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 38935648
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304174 -
PloS One 2024An optimization algorithm based on the LMPEC algorithm is proposed to rectify the nameplate image to address the problem that overexposure and underexposure of the...
An optimization algorithm based on the LMPEC algorithm is proposed to rectify the nameplate image to address the problem that overexposure and underexposure of the nameplate image of electrical equipment will make subsequent nameplate recognition difficult. In the network structure, the PS-UNet++ network is based on the sub-pixel convolution upsampling module, and the UNet++ network is constructed as the feature extraction sub-network of the optimization algorithm to extract more detailed information from the model. Smooth L1 loss is substituted for L1 loss in the loss function to prevent model oscillation. In addition, to increase the robustness of the model, an improved method built on the multi-scale training method is applied. The experimental results indicate that, among all comparison algorithms, the optimized algorithm performs the best on the data set of electrical equipment nameplate exposure the experimenter generated. Compared to the original LMPEC algorithm, the SSIM, PSNR, and PI image evaluation indices are enhanced by 5.6%, 5.1%, and 7.96%, respectively.
Topics: Algorithms; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Electrical Equipment and Supplies
PubMed: 38935634
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300792 -
PloS One 2024Diabetes is a chronic disease associated with the potential for blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes, and lower limb amputations. The global prevalence of...
BACKGROUND
Diabetes is a chronic disease associated with the potential for blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes, and lower limb amputations. The global prevalence of diabetes is rising, particularly in the sub-Saharan African (SSA) region, where accessing treatment and antidiabetic drugs is complex, leading to challenges in managing the condition. Intentional and structured therapeutic education has demonstrated its ability to enhance health outcomes in diabetes patients. Given the numerous healthcare deficiencies in sub-Saharan Africa, the authors have reevaluated the role of therapeutic patient education (TPE) in this context.
METHODS
This systematic review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. We queried four databases between March 14 and June 30, 2023 and conducted Cochrane's Risk of Bias analysis on the included studies. Subsequently, a qualitative synthesis of the results was performed.
RESULTS
The final analysis included thirteen studies. Seven of these, which assessed glycemic control, reported statistically significant results. Additionally, other clinical parameters such as body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and lipid levels also exhibited some significant improvements. Knowledge substantially increased following the intervention, while attitude, self-care practices, and medication adherence showed no significant improvements. Nurse-led and peer-led intervention programs produced positive outcomes, whereas technology-based intervention methods did not yield favorable results.
CONCLUSION
TPE programs in sub-Saharan Africa have a significant impact on both clinical and non-clinical outcomes in diabetes patients. However, the sustainability of these outcomes remains uncertain. Further research is needed to assess the long-term effects of TPE on diabetes patients.
Topics: Humans; Africa South of the Sahara; Patient Education as Topic; Diabetes Mellitus; Medication Adherence; Self Care; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
PubMed: 38935594
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299526