Search Results (54)

Background: Although the difficulty level of figure skating programs has increased in the last two decades, particularly at the junior level, trends in performance have not been reported. This retrospective observational study investigated performance development trends among the top five junior figure skaters competing at international levels in both the ladies’ and men’s singles disciplines from 2005 to 2020. Data from 160 junior single ladies and 160 junior single men were analyzed. The focus was on the progression of technical elements—particularly jumps—and their potential correlation with injury risk. It was hypothesized that younger athletes are increasingly performing jumps with more revolutions, thereby enhancing overall competition standards. Materials and Methods: Using data from the Junior World Championships and Junior Grand Prix Finals, linear regression analysis and one-way ANOVA were conducted to track the frequency of double, triple, and quadruple jumps, as well as trends in age development among athletes in the singles categories from 2005 to 2020. Results: The results indicate a significant increase in the execution of higher-revolution jumps among junior athletes. Between 2005 and 2012, the frequency of double jumps declined across all events, with the most pronounced reductions observed in the Ladies’ Junior World Championships (Δ = 0.216, p = 0.004, d = 1.64) and the Men’s Junior World Championships (Δ = 0.500, p = 0.001, d = 1.82). From 2005 to 2011, the frequencies of triple and quadruple jumps increased, while double jumps remained stable or showed only slight increases. Triple jumps showed slight downward trends (e.g., R² = 0.0202 at the Men’s Junior World Championships). Although still rare, the frequency of quadruple jumps has shown a consistent upward trend across multiple competitions. Between 2000 and 2009, all four events exhibited declining age trends, with decreases ranging from −0.029 to −0.078 years of age per year. In the subsequent decade (2010–2020), when averaged across all events, the observed difference slope (Δ = 0.014) indicated a continued decline in athlete age. Conclusions: In summary, increases in more difficult jumps were found, with simultaneous decreases in less difficult jumps. As jump complexity rises, a parallel increase in sport-specific injury incidence can be anticipated, highlighting the need for proactive strategies for injury prevention and athlete well-being. Full article

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence rates of respiratory pathogens using syndromic tests and also to show which respiratory viruses were detected in suspected cases, especially during and after the pandemic period. A total of 1984 different respiratory tract samples from various departments were included and studied with the QIAstat-Dx device in 2021–2023. The samples were studied with the QIAstat-Dx1 Respiratory SARS-CoV-2 Panel. The kit used was a fully automated, multiplex syndromic test that detected SARS-CoV-2 and 21 other respiratory tract pathogens. As a result of the study, the prevalence of Rhinovirus/Enterovirus (RV/EV) (18.59%), RV/EV-SARS-CoV-2 (42.74%), SARS-CoV-2 (5.04%), and Influenza A Virus (IAV) (5.59%) agents was found to be higher than other agents during the period investigated. Among the 1984 patients examined, 959 (48.33%) had a single viral agent, 156 (7.86%) had double coinfection, 11 (0.55%) had triple coinfection and 1 patient had quadruple coinfection. Nearly half of the patients had a straightforward infection, which helps clinicians in directing specific treatment methods. The study results demonstrate that during the pandemic period, the detection of respiratory pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 and RV/EV was not only critical for accurate diagnosis but also served as an important indicator of the broader epidemiological trends in respiratory infections. The seasonal distribution showed that while RV/EV was frequently present, its coinfection with SARS-CoV-2 was notably observed only in the first trimester. In light of our findings showing high rates of SARS-CoV-2 and RV/EV detection, along with diverse patterns of coinfection in clinical samples, such comprehensive testing not only assists in rapid diagnosis but also informs public health strategies by reflecting the evolving landscape of respiratory infections in the pandemic and post-pandemic era. Full article

Background/Objectives: Persistent infection with high-risk (HR) HPV genotypes is the main risk factor for the development of cervical cancer. The present analysis provides recent trends on HR-HPV infection rates and the distribution of HR-HPV genotypes among 3500 Greek women between 2021 and 2023. Methods: The detection of HR-HPVs and the specific identification of HPV16 and HPV18 were conducted using the Roche Cobas 4800 HPV assay. The genotyping of 12 other HR-HPV genotypes was performed through the Nested Multiplex PCR methodology (NMPCR). Results: The overall infection rate was 8.8% with the most prevalent HR-HPV genotype being HPV16 followed by HPV31, HPV66, HPV56, HPV51, HPV58, HPV45, HPV18, HPV68, HPV59, HPV52, HPV35, HPV39, and HPV33. Among HR-HPV-positive cases the prevalence of single, double, triple, and quadruple infections was 73.9%, 19.9%, 5.5%, and 0.7%, respectively. Age-specific analysis showed that the HR-HPV infection rate was higher in the age group of 31–35 years (25.5%) and it was estimated that multiple infections occur more often in younger women. Notably, the distribution of HR-HPV genotypes varies among different age groups. It is proposed that HPV16, HPV31, HPV56, and HPV66 may show an increased possibility of establishing long-term infections in Greek women over 36 years old. Conclusions: The high rates of specific HR-HPVs which are not included in the prophylactic vaccines underlines the significance of constant surveillance of circulating HPVs in the Greek population. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of adding bismuth to conventional triple therapy (modified bismuth quadruple therapy [mBQT]) for Helicobacter pylori treatment-naïve patients in an era of increasing eradication failure. We performed a comprehensive literature search up to December 2024 using PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to investigate mBQT’s benefits. The comparative treatments were as follows: (1) triple therapy without bismuth (TT), (2) non-BQTs (sequential and concomitant), and (3) classic BQT (cBQT) containing metronidazole and tetracycline. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were analyzed to compare eradication rates, adverse drug events, and patient compliance between the mBQT and comparison groups. In total, 9162 and 8449 patients from 43 trials in 35 RCTs were included in the intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses, respectively. The mBQT group had a superior pooled eradication rate compared to the TT group (84.8% vs. 74.1%, p < 0.00001, and odds ratio [OR] = 2.02 [1.61–2.55]). The mBQT showed a similar eradication rate to the non-BQT and cBQT groups (80.8% vs. 80.2%, p = 0.55, and OR = 1.09 [0.83–1.43] in the non-BQT group; 81.5% vs. 83.0%, p = 0.36, and OR = 0.84 [0.59–1.21] in the cBQT group). Regarding adverse drug events, there was no significant difference between the mBQT and comparison groups (25.4% vs. 27.5%, p = 0.53, and OR = 0.95 [0.80–1.12]). The subgroup analysis showed that patient adherence to mBQT was significantly higher than to cBQT (96.4% vs. 93.3%, p = 0.004, and OR = 1.83 [1.21–2.77]). Our meta-analysis showed that mBQT was an effective and tolerable first-line therapy for H. pylori eradication. Full article

Simultaneous simulations of liquid water, water vapor, and heat transport are essential for modeling unsaturated hydrological processes, especially in semi-arid and arid regions. Modeling such coupled hydrothermal processes greatly depends on accurate estimations of soil hydraulic and thermal properties. However, many contributions for estimating these parameters using inversion methods use a single observation as the objective variable, e.g., soil water content is the most common. This study employ multiobjective algorithms to evaluate the worth of different observation types in simultaneous estimations of the soil hydraulic and thermal properties in Inner Mongolia, China. The coupled hydrothermal processes are quantified by HYDRUS-1D model, within which a multialgorithm, genetically adaptive multiobjective (AMALGAM) algorithm is employed to investigate four types of observations that may be available including soil water content, soil temperature, matrix potential, and heat flux in soil profiles. Different combinations of the four measurement types are considered as objectives, resulting single-, dual-, triple-, and quadruple-objective optimization schemes. The results demonstrate that incorporating additional observation types, such as soil water content and matrix potential, significantly improves the overall simulation accuracy of the coupled model. Particularly, the soil water movement is closely linked to the observation of water content, which plays a crucial role in the inversion process. While adding temperature or heat flux to the multi-objective optimization further refines the accuracy of inversion. Considering the cost-benefit ratio of different observation types, simultaneous measurement of water content and temperature is the most practical approach for the inversion since these two variables can be observed simultaneously by the same set of probes such as with a TDR. Full article

Background/Objectives: In heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), the early diagnosis and proper treatment of comorbidities (CMs) are of fundamental relevance. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of CMs among real-world patients requiring hospitalisation for HFrEF and to investigate the effect of CMs on the implementation of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) and on all-cause mortality (ACM). Methods: The data of a consecutive HFrEF patient cohort hospitalised for HF between 2021 and 2024 were analysed retrospectively. Sixteen CMs (6 CV and 10 non-CV) were considered. Patients were divided into three categories: 0–3 vs. 4–6 vs. ≥7 CMs. GDMT at discharge and ACM were compared among CM categories. The predictors of 1-year ACM were also evaluated. Results: From the 388 patients (male: 76%, age: 61 [50–70] years; NT-proBNP: 5286 [2570–9923] pg/mL; ≥2 cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic disease overlap: 46%), a large proportion received GDMT (RASi: 91%; βB: 85%; MRA: 95%; SGLT2i: 59%; triple therapy [TT: RASi+βB+MRA]: 82%; quadruple therapy [QT: TT + SGLT2i]: 54%) at discharge. Multimorbidity was accompanied with a (p < 0.05) lower application ratio of RASi (96% vs. 92% vs. 85%; 0–3 vs. 4–6 vs. ≥7 CMs) and βB therapy (94% vs. 85% vs. 78%), while MRA (99% vs. 94% vs. 94%) and SGTL2i use (61% vs. 59% vs. 57%) did not differ (p > 0.05). Patients with multimorbidity were less likely to be treated with TT (93% vs. 82% vs. 73%, p = 0.001), while no difference was detected in the implementation of QT (56% vs. 54% vs. 50%, p = 0.685). The 1-year ACM of patients with an increased burden of CMs was higher (9% vs. 13% vs. 25%, p = 0.003). The risk of 1-year ACM was favourably affected by the use of TT/QT and less severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction, while having ≥5 CMs had an unfavourable impact on prognosis. Conclusions: According to our real-world analysis, HFrEF patients with an increased burden of CMs can expect a less favourable outcome. However, modern GDMT can even be applied in this patient population, resulting in a significantly improved prognosis. Thus, clinicians should insist on the early, conscious implementation of a prognosis-modifying drug regime in multimorbid HF patients as well. Full article

Background/Objectives: Bismuth quadruple therapy (BQT) is recommended as the best second-line regimen after failure of first-line clarithromycin triple therapy (CTT) for Helicobacter pylori eradication. However, there are some limitations to this approach, including the lack of an appropriate sequel regimen after failure of BQT and complicated administration. Metronidazole triple therapy (MTT) is simple to administer, but it is not widely recommended. This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of MTT as second-line regimen for H. pylori eradication after failure of CTT. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of the Korean patients with H. pylori infection who underwent second-line treatment after failure of first-line CTT from October 2013 to October 2019. The efficacy of MTT and BQT for H. pylori eradication was compared. Results: The eradication rate in the BQT group tended to be higher than that in the MTT group; however, the difference was not statistically significant (208/233, 89.3% versus 244/284, 85.9%, p = 0.287). Among 40 patients with second-line MTT eradication failure, 21 received the third-line BQT, and 15 showed successful eradication (15/21, 71.4%). In the men 70 years or older, the eradication rate of MTT was lower than that of BQT without statistical significance (75.8% versus 94.1%, p = 0.141). Conclusions: These findings suggested that MTT could be a second-line treatment option, reserving BQT for Helicobacter pylori eradication after first line CTT failure, except in elderly men 70 years or older. Full article

A wavelength-switchable ring-cavity ytterbium-doped fiber laser utilizing an all-fiber Lyot interferometer filter was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Firstly, the Lyot filter was constructed using a polarization-maintaining fiber (PMF) to obtain a comb interferometer effect, and the free spectrum ranges corresponding to 2.5 and 1 m PMF were 2.2 and 6.4 nm, respectively. Then, wavelength-switchable ytterbium-doped fiber emission was realized in the experiment, and the tunable range for the single-wavelength laser was from 1073.76 to 1086.78 nm, with a power variation of less than 1.959 dB. During the experiment, four different sets of double-wavelength lasers were achieved by adjusting the polarization controller (PC) from 1071.64 to 1081.65 nm; in addition, three different sets of triple-wavelength lasers were realized, and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was more than 33.031 dB. For stable single-, double-, and triple-wavelength lasers, the power shifts were less than 0.574, 0.631, and 1.195 dB, respectively. Through adjusting the PC, quadruple-wavelength-switchable lasers could be realized with an SNR exceeding 26.233 dB. Full article

We study theoretically the Josephson current through a junction composed of quadruple quantum dots (QDs), of which only one is coupled directly to the left and right superconductor leads (denoted by QD1). The other three QDs are side-coupled to QD1 and free from coupling to the leads. It is found that when the energy levels of all the four QDs are identical, the Josephson current varying with energy level of QD1 develops three peaks with two narrow and one wide, showing the typical Dicke lineshape. With increasing inter-dot coupling strength, the triple-peak configuration is well retained and accompanied by an obviously increased current amplitude. The critical current as a function of the energy level of QD1 shows a single resonance peak whose position and height depend on the energy levels of the side-coupled QDs and the inter-dot coupling strengths. We also find that the curve of the critical current versus energy levels of the side-coupled QDs shows a pair of Fano resonances and the same number Fano antiresonances (valleys). When the energy levels of the side-coupled QDs are different from each other, another Fano resonance and antiresonance are induced due to the quantum interference effect. The present results are compared with those in double and triple QDs systems, and may serve as unique means, such as the combination of quantum Dicke and Fano effects, to manipulate the Josehpson currents. Full article

Eupatorium lindleyanum DC. (EL) is a traditional Chinese herb known for its phlegm-reducing, cough-relieving and asthma-calming properties. It is widely used for treating cough and bronchitis. However, preliminary experiments have revealed wide variations in the composition of its different medicinal parts (flowers, leaves and stems), and the composition and efficacy of its different medicinal parts remain largely underexplored at present. In this study, non-targeted rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with a quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (RRLC-Q-TOF-MS)-based metabolomics approach was developed to investigate the differences in the chemical composition of different medicinal parts of EL. We identified or tentatively identified 9 alkaloids, 11 flavonoids, 14 sesquiterpene lactones, 3 diterpenoids and 24 phenolic acids. In addition, heatmap visualization, quantitative analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-PDA) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) showed particularly high levels of sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids and phenolic acids in the flowers, such as eupalinolide A and B and chlorogenic acid, among others. The leaves also contained some flavonoid sesquiterpene lactones and phenolic acids, while the stems were almost absent. The findings of in vitro activity studies indicated that the flowers exhibited a notable inhibitory effect on the release of the inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6, surpassing the anti-inflammatory efficacy observed in the leaves. Conversely, the stems demonstrated negligible anti-inflammatory activity. The variations in anti-inflammatory activity among the flowers, leaves and stems of EL can primarily be attributed to the presence of flavonoids, phenolic acids and sesquiterpene lactones in both the flowers and leaves. Additionally, the flowers contain a higher concentration of these active components compared to the leaves. These compounds mediate their anti-inflammatory effects through distinct biochemical pathways. The results of this study are anticipated to provide a scientific basis for the rational and effective utilization of EL resources. Full article

Nowadays, navigation systems are widely used in public travel because they can instantly offer GPS-based route directions. Following the navigation prompt messages while driving is considered a secondary driving task, while vehicle control is regarded as a primary driving task. Navigation prompt messages with more information can deliver more cues to drivers, but they require a higher cognitive demand and vice versa. To systematically explore the effects of the amount of information from navigation voice prompts and further quantify the utility of voice prompts, four types of prompt messages with increasing amounts of information, denoted as a Single Message, Double Message, Triple Message, and Quadruple Message, were designed. A driving simulation experiment was conducted to obtain driving behavior data under different prompt messages. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal–Wallis (KW) test were used to examine the differences in driving performance under the guidance of different prompt messages from multiple perspectives. Then, eight indicators were selected based on the functions of the navigation system and the driver’s response, and the grey near-optimal method was used to determine the utility of the four types of prompt messages. This study found that the four types of navigation prompt messages all began to take effect at about 200 m upstream of the stop bar. The differences between the four types of prompt messages were more significant in the zone from 100 m upstream and ended at 100 m downstream of the stop bar of the intersection. Drivers using Single and Double Messages exhibited more powerful deceleration than those using Triple and Quadruple Messages. The utility values of the four types of prompt messages increased with the increase in the amount of information. This study provides theoretical support for optimizing navigation information and lays a foundation for establishing navigation broadcast guidelines. Full article

The model haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii is polyploid with about 20 copies of its major chromosome. Recently it has been described that highly efficient intermolecular gene conversion operates in H. volcanii to equalize the chromosomal copies. In the current study, 24 genes were selected that encode proteins with orthologs involved in gene conversion or homologous recombination in archaea, bacteria, or eukaryotes. Single gene deletion strains of 22 genes and a control gene were constructed in two parent strains for a gene conversion assay; only radA and radB were shown to be essential. Protoplast fusions were used to generate strains that were heterozygous for the gene HVO_2528, encoding an enzyme for carotinoid biosynthesis. It was revealed that a lack of six of the proteins did not influence the efficiency of gene conversion, while sixteen mutants had severe gene conversion defects. Notably, lack of paralogous proteins of gene families had very different effects, e.g., mutant Δrad25b had no phenotype, while mutants Δrad25a, Δrad25c, and Δrad25d were highly compromised. Generation of a quadruple rad25 and a triple sph deletion strain also indicated that the paralogs have different functions, in contrast to sph2 and sph4, which cannot be deleted simultaneously. There was no correlation between the severity of the phenotypes and the respective transcript levels under non-stressed conditions, indicating that gene expression has to be induced at the onset of gene conversion. Phylogenetic trees of the protein families Rad3/25, MutL/S, and Sph/SMC/Rad50 were generated to unravel the history of the paralogous proteins of H. volcanii. Taken together, unselected intermolecular gene conversion in H. volcanii involves at least 16 different proteins, the molecular roles of which can be studied in detail in future projects. Full article

The equilibrium structures of silyl iodide, SiH₃I, and silylene halides, SiHX (X = F, Cl, Br, I), were determined by using the mixed regression method, where approximate values of the rotational constants are supplemented by the structural parameters of a different origin. For this goal, it is shown that the r(Si-H) bond length can be determined by using the isolated SiH stretching frequency and that an accurate estimation of the bond angles is obtained by an MP2 calculation with a basis set of triple zeta quality. To check the accuracy of the experimental structures, they were also optimized by means of all electron CCSD(T) calculations using basis sets of quadruple zeta quality. Full article

The solar energy market is predicted to be shared between Si solar cells and third-generation photovoltaics in the future. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) show the greatest potential to capture a share there as a single junction or in tandem with silicon. Researchers worldwide are looking to optimize the composition of the perovskite film to achieve an optimal bandgap, performance, and stability. Traditional perovskites have a mixture of formamidinium and methyl ammonium as the A-site cation in their ABX₃ structure. However, in recent times, the use of cesium and rubidium has become popular for making highly efficient PSCs. A thorough analysis of the performance and stability of double-, triple-, and quadruple-cation PSCs under different environmental conditions was performed in this study. The performance of the device and the films was analyzed by electrical measurements (J–V, dark J–V, EQE), scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence, and X-ray diffraction. The quadruple-cation device with the formula Cs_0.07Rb_0.03FA_0.77MA_0.13PbI_2.8Br_0.2 showed the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.7%. However, this device had the least stability under all conditions. The triple-cation device with the formula Cs_0.1FA_0.6MA_0.3PbI_2.8Br_0.2, with a slightly lower PCE (21.2%), was considerably more stable, resulting in about 30% more energy harvested than that using the other two devices during their life cycle. Full article

This paper analyzes how export margins responded to an intermediate input supply shock caused by the 2020 lockdown in China. We use regression decomposition with triple and quadruple difference-in-differences models to identify causal impacts and mitigate potential heterogeneity in transaction-level customs data from the Bangladesh apparel manufacturing industry. The triple difference estimate shows that the average export value per firm–product–destination combination declined by approximately 65%, leading to a decrease in overall exports of woven apparel from Bangladesh. The input supply shock also adversely affected the subgroups of firms across various firm-level characteristics along the intensive margin. Moreover, the export market share decomposition reveals that the shock significantly affected intensive margins by decreasing incumbents’ market allocation by 9%. An equivalent increase in extensive margins led to a readjustment in the market allocation, leading to fewer market leavers and slightly more new market entrants. Our results indicate that Bangladesh’s exports mostly decreased due to the smaller quantities of products exported rather than there being fewer firms, destinations, or products involved in export trade. There were significant market share reallocations that occurred after the Chinese input supply shock. An appropriate policy stance is required for sustainable export sector growth strategies, which will enhance the country’s defense against potential future shocks and foster the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh. Full article