bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Craniectomía descompresiva en infarto maligno de la arteria cerebral media en un hospital de emergencias en Perú
Authors: Celi Fernando , Saal-Zapata Giancarlo
Published: July 2022

Objetivo:  Describir  las  características  clínicas,  quirúrgicas  y  postoperatorias  en  pacientes  con  diagnóstico de infarto maligno de la arteria cerebral media sometidos a craniectomía descompresiva. Material y métodos: Estudio observacional, descriptivo, retrospectivo, tipo serie de casos, realizado entre marzo 2017 y marzo 2020. Se recolectaron los datos de pacientes consecutivos con diagnóstico de infarto de arteria cerebral media. Resultados: Diez casos fueron revisados. Ochenta por ciento fueron hombres, la edad promedio fue 64 años y 60% de los pacientes fueron mayores de 60 años. En la admisión, el Glasgow promedio fue de 11 puntos y el mRS fue de 4. El tiempo promedio desde el diagnostico hasta la cirugía fue de 89,7 horas. La arteria cerebral anterior estuvo comprometida en dos casos. La transformación hemorrágica ocurrió en tres casos. El diámetro anteroposterior promedio de la plaqueta ósea fue de 116 mm. El tiempo promedio de estancia en UCI y estancia hospitalaria fueron de 14,1 días y 27,5 días, respectivamente. Tres pacientes murieron. Conclusiones: La craniectomía descompresiva es un procedimiento que salva vidas en un ambiente hospitalario de emergencia con una aceptable mortalidad intrahospitalaria dentro del primer mes de seguimiento
Infarto agudo de miocardio en paciente con bajo riesgo cardiovascular y lipoproteína (a) elevada. Reporte de caso
Authors: Zacarías-Mendoza Nathalie Victoria , Cotera-Ramón Angela Ibeth , Salazar-Cáceres Pedro Martín
Published: July 2022

La lipoproteína (a) (Lp (a)) es un complejo proteico lipídico plasmático, que representa un factor de riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular (ECV). Sin embargo, no se incluye la medición de Lp (a) en el perfil lipídico convencional y tampoco existen terapias específicas aprobadas para reducir sustancialmente las concentraciones de Lp (a). Se reporta el caso de un varón de 49 años con una estimación de bajo riesgo cardiovascular quien desarrolló infarto agudo de miocardio (IAM) con elevación de ST probablemente debido a elevación de Lp (a). Se presenta el caso para destacar la importancia de la detección y análisis de la Lp (a) en la evaluación del riesgo cardiovascular. Además, se describen terapias actuales y emergentes en pacientes con Lp (a) elevada.
How Does Policy Affect the Implementation and Development of Education? Take the Policy of Allocation of Ladder Education Resources in China as an Example
Authors: Li Jinke
Published: July 2022

The formation and development of a country's education system are often constrained and guided by the government and policies. Policies that conform to the law of education development and the needs of a wide range of social and economic levels will help the country's education develop steadily and receive positive educational feedback. If the implementation of the policy deviates from the major goal of educational development, and at the expense of the welfare of the majority of people, it will have a lot of negative effects on the education system, and even cause a historical regression of the education system. By analyzing the historical reasons, the current implementation and development of China's ladder educational resource allocation policy, and the impact of regional-specific policies, the author puts forward several facts, solutions, and improvement strategies from the perspective of educational leaders to change the difficulties faced by the policy.
A Study of Junior Students English Writing Based on Error Analysis Theory
Authors: Yang Siyi
Published: July 2022

Writing is a concrete expression of the ability to pragmatic, as well as an important skill in learning English. In English Curriculum Standard for Compulsory Education (2022), students are expected to be able to use different sentence structures and tenses in their written expressions to describe or introduce people, things or events around them, expressing emotional attitudes, opinions and intentions. In addition, errors in writing can reflect students’ knowledge of pragmatic. The British linguist Pit Corder proposed Error Analysis Theory in the late 1960s and pointed out that errors can be used as a learning tool. Integrating Error Analysis Theory with junior high school students’ writing can help improving their writing skills. Zizhong Falun Junior High School is located in Falun town, Zizhong county, Sichuan Province, which is a rural junior high school. In this study, the writer collected and analyzed the writing samples of students in the midterm examination of grade two in this school, as well as put forward the targeted suggestions.
Discussion on the Value of Integration Traditional Culture Into Kindergarten Curriculum ---Take Wuhu Iron Painting Technology as an Example
Authors: Zhou Rui
Published: July 2022

Traditional culture is the overall expression of various ideological, cultural and conceptual forms formed in the historical development of our country. Traditional culture breeds the precious spiritual character of the Chinese nation and has very important educational value. Integrating traditional culture into kindergarten curriculum can promote the development of children's character and sociality. Iron painting is a folk craft with a long history in China. Integrating iron painting technology into kindergarten curriculum is an effective way to inherit Chinese excellent culture, an inevitable requirement to promote children's physical and mental development, and a feasible path to promote kindergarten curriculum construction. At the same time, it is feasible to integrate traditional culture into kindergarten curriculum. On the one hand, the research on traditional culture has accumulated some early achievements, which provides a theoretical basis for the development of kindergarten based curriculum; On the other hand, kindergartens can develop game materials of iron painting technology, which reduces the operation difficulty of iron painting technology. It is suggested that kindergartens establish curriculum concepts around children's development and promote the construction of teachers of traditional culture.
SHARĪʿAH-COMPLIANT FINTECH USAGE AMONG MICROENTREPRENEURS IN MALAYSIA: AN EXTENSION OF UTAUT MODEL
Authors: Nik Azman Nik Hadiyan , Md Zabri Mohd Zaidi
Published: July 2022

Fintech has been beneficial to the financial services industry and has markedly enhanced financial inclusivity. While the fintech has already made its mark, there has been somewhat limited use of sharīʿah-compliant fintech (such as P2P lending, crowdfunding, wealthtech, e-wallets) by Muslim microentrepreneurs (MEs) in Malaysia.  Hence, this study examines the factors that affect sharīʿah-compliant fintech usage and its effect on income sustainability via an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). One hundred sixty-five (165) questionnaires were distributed to Muslim MEs who are users of sharīʿah-compliant fintech. This study reveals that performance expectancy and facilitating conditions have positive and significant effects on the use of sharīʿah-compliant fintech. The extended relationship of sharīʿah-compliant fintech adoption and income sustainability also presents a significant and positive relationship in which sharīʿah-compliant fintech has the potential to increase and, more importantly, sustain MEs’ income level.
ISLAMIC STOCK PORTFOLIO OPTIMIZATION USING DEEP REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
Authors: Faturohman Taufik , Nugraha Teguh
Published: July 2022

The Islamic principles in identifying stocks as Shari’ah principles have inevitability restrict the number of stocks that Muslims can invest in and consequently may affect the return from investment. In this paper, we examine the potential of Deep Reinforcement Learning in optimizing the portfolio returns of Islamic stocks. We model stock trading as a Markov Decision Process problem because of its stochastic and interactive nature. Then, we define the trading objective as a problem of maximization, while the DRL agents used are actor-critic algorithms. The selected portfolio consists of 30 most liquid Islamic stocks in Indonesia that constitute JII index and compare with that of the benchmark portfolio, namely the 45 most liquid conventional stocks or LQ45. The performance is compared using several algorithms. The result show that trading on Islamic stocks from January 2019 to December 2020 using the DRL agents could outperform the benchmark index of conventional stocks. Using DRL agents, fund managers would be able to optimize the portfolio on daily basis, minimize risk during crisis or turbulence, and outperform the conventional stocks.
THE DEFAULT IN ISLAMIC PEER TO PEER LENDING: AN APPLICATION OF THE GENERAL STRAIN THEORY
Authors: Nurfadilah Dety , Nurhaida Dida , Samidi Sudarmawan
Published: July 2022

While the Islamic peer to peer (P2P) lending is useful especially during the present Covid-19 Pandemic, its default risk remains high. In this study, we apply the extended general strain theory to investigate borrowers’ default intention on the Islamic P2P lending during the pandemic period. Using the SEM-PLS method to analyse data gathered from a survey, we find economic pressure and socialization difficulty to be significant in increasing negative affects (life dissatisfaction, perceived unfairness, and inferiority feeling) and hence indirectly affecting the willingness to repay. Further, we find that socialization difficulty does not seem to have direct influences on default intention. Finally, moral norms appear to be a significant moderating factor in the framework. These should contribute to a better scoring system of the Islamic P2P lending.
DETERMINANTS OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IMPLEMENTATION IN OIC COUNTRIES
Authors: Kasri Rahmatina A. , Siddiq Muhammad Rizki , Wibowo Farid Arif
Published: July 2022

This study examines the Private-Public Partnership (PPP) implementation for financing public infrastructure and its determinants for the case of OIC countries during the period 2015–2019. Using the fixed-effects panel model and considering public resource constraints and market, macroeconomic, institutional and cultural variables as potential factors, it documents that the regulatory quality, political stability, Islamicity Index and inflation variables positively influence the implementation of PPP for financing public infrastructure in the OIC region. Meanwhile, aid is found to negatively affect the PPP implementation. These findings suggest that PPP implementation tends to be higher in countries with good institutions, stable macroeconomic conditions, low public resources, low levels of aid and strong adherence to Islamic values. The results are expected to provide insights for policymakers and private sectors involved in the implementation of PPP in OIC countries.
Eco - resort en playa Negritos. El turismo como alternativa de desarrollo sostenible para La Brea - Piura
Authors:   , Gonzalez Zavala Bettina
Published: July 2022

En el punto más occidental de Sudamérica se encuentra el distrito de la Brea, específicamente en la provincia de Talara en la región de Piura. El sector de estudio se ubica en la Playa Negritos que forma parte de dicho distrito, aquí se practican los deportes náuticos como el deporte del surf, kitesurf y windsurf, los cuales permiten el mediano desarrollo de un turismo especializado a nivel deportivo. Dentro de otras potencialidades el sector cuenta con una albufera, es decir una laguna de agua salada que proporciona un paisaje peculiar a la zona, asimismo también podemos encontrar una salinera donde se explota un recurso desde hace varios años, y finalmente ubicamos también en el sector de estudio, a pocos metros, la playa mundialmente conocida: Punta Balcones, la cual es un lugar de encuentro para todos los amantes de los deportes náuticos. La mayoría de los pobladores de La Brea son de una situación económica baja, la mayoría se dedica al negocio de la pesca y en menor proporción a otras actividades económicas de intercambio comercial. De mañana, con el viento norte, los pescadores navegan en sus botes hacia el sur y en las tardes, una vez que el viento cambia al sur, estos regresan a orillas dirección norte. Muchos de los pobladores locales ya tienen conocimiento de, la dirección del viento, olas y las mareas, junto con la práctica del surf y demás deportes, por lo cual, aprender más sobre deportes náuticos como el windsurf y el kitesurf podría darles oportunidades de trabajo innovadoras y emprendedoras como por ejemplo instructores o hasta su práctica difundida los podría convertir de deportistas destacados y futuros campeones nacionales o mundiales…
Asociación entre el score de severidad de Síndrome Metabólico y Neuropatía Periférica en un hospital de tercer nivel de atención
Authors:   , Rivas Romano Anais del Rosario , Torres Chung Maria Fernanda
Published: July 2022

Objetivo: Conocer la asociación entre el score de severidad síndrome metabólico y el desarrollo de la neuropatía periférica en pacientes con diagnóstico de Diabetes Mellitus. Materiales y métodos: Estudio observacional, analítico, retrospectivo de base de datos clínicas secundaria proveniente de un programa de prevención de pie diabético en pacientes con Diabetes Mellitus (DM) en el Hospital María Auxiliadora (Nivel III). Nuestra población abarcó pacientes adultos de ambos sexos con diagnóstico de DM atendidos por consultorio externo entre los años 2016 al 2019. De los cuales se seleccionaron pacientes con diagnóstico de DM en su primera consulta del programa del Pie en Riesgo y se excluyeron a pacientes embarazadas, amputados y con un diagnóstico diferencial como causa de neuropatía periférica (NP). Se realizó un muestreo censal de la población accesible. Resultados: Se incluyeron 254 pacientes, 66.14% fueron mujeres, la edad promedio fue 61 años y la mediana de tiempo de enfermedad fue de 9.2 años. Un 38.9 % de la población presentó NP, un 92.9% de la población presentó un puntaje Z ≥ 0, un 40% presento ambas alteraciones. En el análisis ajustado, la NP no se asoció con un puntaje alto del SSSM (RP:1.55, IC 95%: 0.62 a 3.88) en forma cruda ni ajustada a edad, sexo, tiempo diabetes y control glicémico. Conclusión: Dos de cada cinco pacientes presenta NP y 9 de cada diez presenta puntaje elevado del SSSM. La NP concurrente no se asoció con un puntaje elevado del SSSM.
A Novel Approach for Initial Centroid Computation
in Clustering
Authors: Wilson Allan J , Radhamani A.S.
Published: July 2022

Clustering is one of the main aspects in wireless sensor networks and K-means algorithm is the most efficient way to cluster analysis. K-means algorithm forms the group of clusters which based upon random selection of initial centroids. If initial centroids are selected based on the distribution of clusters in a particular area, then obtain the best set of cluster. This manuscript proposes a method depending the rectangular area division algorithm to find the best initial centroid which forms a more precise cluster is considerably to reduce the computing period. The analysis and experimental outcomes show that the proposed rectangular area division technique can increase the cluster’s accuracy as well as lessen the computational time of K-means algorithm.
Molecular dynamics simulation on surface modification of a quantum scaled CuO nano-clusters to support their experimental studies
Authors: Loya Adil , Stair Jacqueline , Uddin Farid , Ren Guogang
Published: July 2022

Interest in nanoparticle modification using functional chemicals has increased rapidly, as it is allowing more freedom of physiochemical tuning of the nanoparticle’s surfaces into biomedically oriented and designated properties. However, the observation and detection of the thin molecular layers on the nanoparticle surface are very challenging under current analytical facilities. The focus of this research is to demonstrate fundamental interactions between the surface treated nanoparticles and their host liquid media using lab-based experimentation and simulation. In this research, investigation has been carried out on analyzing the surface compatibility and the diffusivity of modified CuO nanoparticles with short-chain carboxylate-terminated molecules in biofluids. Moreover, during the current Covid-19 pandemic, the Cu/CuONPs have proved effective in killing SARS-CoV1/2 and other airborne viruses. This research was conducted at the molecular level with joint consideration of experimental and simulation studies for characterization of variables. Experimental tests conducted using Fourier Transmission Infrared (FTIR) demonstrated several ranges of interest from FTIR responses, specifically, detection of three major carboxylate attachments (i.e., 1667 cm-1 -1609 cm-1, 1668 cm-1 - 1557 cm-1, etc.) were found. From simulation, similar attachment styles were observed by the LAMMPS simulation package that mimicked similar agglomerations with a predicted diffusion coefficient as recorded to be 2.28E-9m2/s. Viscosities of modified nanofluids were also compared with unmodified nanofluids for defining aggregation kinetics.
Post-monsoon seasonal variation of prokaryotic diversity in solfataric soil from the North Sikkim hot spring
Authors: Das Sayak , Najar Ishfaq Nabi , Sherpa Mingma Thundu , Kumari Ankita , Thakur Nagendra
Published: July 2022

The solfataric soil sediments of the hot springs of Sikkim located at Yume Samdung and Lachen valley were studied for deciphering the uncultured bacterial diversity. The main aim here is to present a comparative study and generate a baseline data on the post-monsoon seasonal variation for the months of October and December, analysed through 16S rRNA V3-V4 amplicon sequencing. The results have shown that there is not much variation at phylum level in the month of October in all the three hot springs such as New Yume Samdung (NYS), Old Yume Samdung (OYS), and Tarum (TAR) hot spring. The abundant phyla mainly present were Firmicutes, followed by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Similarly, in the month of December Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were prevalent, however the percent relative abundance of these phyla in the month of December is relatively less. Besides this decrease in percent abundance it was interestingly seen that relatively more phyla were found contributing towards the bacterial diversity in the month of December. Similar to Phylum level, at genus level there was not much variation seen among various prevalent genera of the three studied hot springs in both the months. The major genera prevalent in both the months among all the three hot springs were followed by Bacillus, Desulfotomaculum, Lactobacillus and Paenibacillus. Similar trend was seen also at genes level that relative abundance of various genera was higher in the month of October but more genera were found to be contributing towards bacterial diversity in the month of December. Few distinct genera were found to be more abundant in the month of December such as Rhodopirellula and Blastopirellula. The results may conclude that there is not much variation in the abundance and type of bacterial communities during the post monsoon season in the month of October and December. However, this may be assumed that there is the accumulation or increase in the bacterial communities during the winter and may favors more mesophilic communities also.
Down-regulation of SCAP inhibits cardiomyocyte injury induced by high glucose
Authors: Sun Hao , Tian He , Lin Jia-Quan , Li Dao-Yong , Zheng Dan-Meng , Wei Dong-Zhuo , Liu Chang , Mei Xi-fan
Published: July 2022

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a type of myocardial injury induced by diabetes. Under the stimulation of continuous hyperglycemia, cardiomyocytes will produce a series of stress responses include apoptosis and inflammation. Sterol regulatory element binding protein cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) is a cholesterol-regulating protein, which is related to diabetes and is abnormally expressed in a variety of complications of diabetes. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of SCAP on cardiomyocyte injury. H9C2 cells were exposed to 35 mmol glucose for 48 h to induce myocardial injury. The results of western blot and immunofluorescence staining showed that the expression of SCAP was increased in high glucose stimulated cells and cardiomyocyte apoptosis increased obviously after high glucose intervention. Then we transfected SCAP siRNA to inhibit SCAP. Our results showed that apoptosis of H9C2 cells induced by high glucose alleviated significantly after SCAP was silenced. And down-regulation of SCAP could also restrained reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by high glucose. Meanwhile, the protein levels of NLRP3, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and p-NF-κB protein was decreased. This reminds us that down-regulation of SCAP can inhibit the apoptosis, ROS and inflammation of cardiomyocytes induced by high glucose. The above evidence speculates that SCAP might play a potential role in the cardiomyocytes injury under high glucose surroundings.
Atherogenic Index of Plasma Is an Independent Predictor of Mitral Annular Calcification
Authors: uzunget sezen baglan , Sahin Kader Eliz
Published: July 2022

Background: In the latest reports, atherogenic indices have been related to acute coronary syndromes, stable coronary artery disease, heart failure and future cardiac events. Conventional atherosclerosis risk factors have been associated with mitral annular calcification (MAC), but data on the relationship between atherogenic indices and MAC are lacking. We aimed to investigate a possible relationship between MAC and atherogenic indices.Methods: In total 741 patients (n = 427 with MAC and n =314 without MAC) who were examined in our cardiology clinic from February 2016 to October 2021 were recruited in the study. Mitral annular calcification was diagnosed by transthoracic 2-dimensional echocardiography. The atherogenic coefficient (AC), Castelli risk indices 1 (CRI-1), Castelli risk indices 2 (CRI-2) and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) were calculated by utilizing standard lipid test values. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in sex, age diabetes and hypertension status between the patient and the control groups. Serum triglyceride level, AIP, Hs-CRP, smoking and BMI were independently significantly associated with MAC in multiple regression analysis (p<0.001).Conclusion: Higher AIP was related to the existence of MAC and also predict the presence of MAC independently. Works assessing modification of those indices are needed.
Does customised care improve satisfaction and positively enable parents in sustained home visiting for mothers and children experiencing adversity?
Authors: Kanda Kie , Blythe Stacy , Grace Rebekah , Elcombe Emma , Kemp Lynn
Published: July 2022

Background
The Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting program (MECSH) is a structured nurse-delivered program designed to address health inequities experienced by families experiencing significant adversity. There is strong evidence for the effectiveness of this program, but limited research exploring the practice and process elements that are core to positive parent outcomes. This study aimed to examine the relationship between customised care related to the mother’s risk factors and parent satisfaction and enablement in the delivery of a MECSH-based program.
Methods
Program delivery data collected as part of a large randomised controlled trial of a MECSH-based sustained nurse home visiting program in Australia (right@home) were analysed. A total of 352 women comprised the intervention arm of the trial.
Results
Our results indicated high levels of satisfaction with the care provided and positive enablement. There were several sociodemographic factors associated with satisfaction and enablement, such as language spoken at home and employment experience. The mothers who received customised care in response to mental health risk and domestic violence had significantly greater satisfaction with the care provided and experienced an increase in enablement compared to those who did not receive such care.
Conclusion
This study contributes to the existing body of empirical research that examines the relationship between care processes and client outcomes in the delivery of home visiting services. It is essential for the sustained nurse home visiting service model to be flexible enough to cater for variations according to family circumstances and needs while maintaining a core of evidence-based practice.
Characterizing the circadian connectome of Ocimum tenuiflorum using an integrated network theoretic framework
Authors: Singh Vikram , Singh Vikram
Published: July 2022

Across the three domains of life, circadian clock is known to regulate vital physiological processes, like, growth, development, defence etc. by anticipating environmental cues. In this work, we report an integrated network theoretic methodology comprising of random walk with restart (RWR) and graphlet degree vectors (GDV) to characterize genome wide core circadian clock and clock associated raw candidate proteins in a plant for which protein interaction information is available. As a case study, we have implemented this framework in Ocimum tenuiflorum (Tulsi); one of the most valuable medicinal plants that has been utilized since ancient times in the management of a large number of diseases. For that, 24 core clock (CC) proteins were mined in 56 template plant genomes to build their hidden Markov models (HMMs). These HMMs were then used to identify 24 core clock proteins in O. tenuiflorum. The local topology of the interologous Tulsi protein interaction network (TulsiPIN) was explored to predict the CC associated raw candidate proteins. Statistical and biological significance of the raw candidates was determined using permutation and enrichment tests. A total of 66 putative CC associated proteins were identified and their functional annotation was performed.
Gradient variations of cellulose supramolecular structures in moso bamboo culm: from nano to micro horizons
Authors: Ling Zhe , Jin Zhi , Dai Linxin , Ma Jianfeng , Chen Qian
Published: July 2022

The radially gradient variation in the cellulose supramolecular structures of bamboo culm were systematically studied by XRD and the confocal Raman microspectroscopy. XRD analysis indicated that bamboo yellow (By) has the isotropic crystallite arrangements, while outer bamboo timber (Bt) and bamboo green (Bg) display preferred orientation of crystals. Moreover, both the crystallinity and crystallite sizes notably grow from the inner By to the outer Bg. Raman band ratio (I1095/I2939) was used to predict microfibrils angle (MFA) in different cell wall types, semi-qualitatively. The results showed that the ratio was the highest in parenchyma, followed by narrow layer of fiber wall, and the lowest in the broad layer, which indicated the higher MFA in the parenchyma. Interestingly, the ratio decreased along the successive and alternating broad and narrow lamellae of fiber wall, in accordance with cell wall micromechanical trend. The findings will favor the large-scale utilization for the bamboo-based flexible composites.
Off-Brand: A Six-Year Study of Medication Brand and Generic Name Usage in a Multi-Facility Academic Healthcare System
Authors: Steinkamp Jackson , Hecht Todd , Hennessy Sean , Leonard Charles , Shu Di , Airan-Javia Subha L.
Published: July 2022

Background:
Usage of medication brand names in electronic health records may introduce conflicts of interest, perpetuate false perceptions of brand superiority, alter prescribing practices, and cause confusion leading to errors. We sought to identify the frequency of brand name medication usage in clinical documentation, as well as factors associated with increased usage.
Methods:
We conducted a descriptive analysis to identify generic and brand names for 518 medications in all clinical notes written at our healthcare system between 2015 and 2020. We used string-matching and regular expressions to identify medication mentions. We conducted bivariate analyses to identify associations between brand name usage and author-, note-, and medication-level factors, and a multivariate logistic regression to clarify independent associations between individual factors and brand usage.
Results:
A total of 104,456,653 notes from 37,285 unique authors were included in our analysis. 162,906,009 medication mentions were identified, of which 36.0% were brand name mentions with a steady year-over-year decrease. Factors associated with usage of brand name included: author role, years since release, length and syllabic complexity of the generic name, service type, and encounter context. Over-the-counter availability did not affect usage. There was sizable individual variation between note writers.
Conclusions:
Usage of brand names in documentation is a multifaceted phenomenon involving ease-of-writing and pronunciation, author role and training, and time since medication approval. Our findings indicate potential avenues to reduce usage frequency, including individual clinician education and system-level changes to reduce the difference in complexity between brand names and generic names.
Modelling and estimation of COVID-19 pandemic with the face mask and vaccination
Authors: Bai Zhongtian , Ma Zhihui , Jing Libaihe , Li Yonghong , Wang Shufan , Wang Bin-Guo , Wu Yan , Zhang Jiangqian , Wang Haoyang
Published: July 2022

COVID-19 is a public health emergency for human beings and brings some very harmful consequences in social and economic fields. In order to model COVID-19 and develop the effective controlling measures, this paper proposes an SEIR-type epidemic model with the mask wearing and the vaccination. Firstly, the effective reproduction number and the threshold conditions are obtained by analyzing the dynamical behaviors of the proposed epidemic model. Secondly, selecting the data of South Korea from January 20, 2022 to March 21, 2022, all model parameters are defined and estimated. Finally, based on the estimated parameters, the numerical simulations are conducted and the simulation suitably fit with the presented model. The results show that the mask wearing ratio, the effectiveness of the certain face mask, the vaccination rate and effectiveness of vaccination for the susceptible individuals play an important role in preventing and controlling COVID-19 pandemic. The face mask wearing is associated with 83% and 90% reductions in the numbers of the cumulative cases and the newly confirmed cases respectively after sixty days while the face mask wearing rate increases 15%, and the vaccination rate is associated with 75% and 80% reductions in the numbers of the cumulative cases and the newly confirmed cases respectively after sixty days while the vaccination rate augments 15\%. Therefore, the effect of the mask wearing on reducing the cumulative cases and the newly confirmed cases is more remarkable than that of the vaccination, this means the disease control departments should strongly recommended that peoples should wear the face mask to prevent themselves from becoming infected when the vaccination willingness of individuals is relative low. The face mask wearing still the primary measure to prevent and control the transmission of COVID-19 pandemic.
Space Discretization-based Optimal Trajectory Planning for Automated Vehicles in Narrow Corridor Scenes
Authors: Xu Biao , Lin Xuerong , Hu Manjiang , Bian Yougang , Qin ZhaoBo
Published: July 2022

The narrow corridor is a common working scene for automated vehicles, where it is pretty challenging to plan a safe, feasible, and smooth trajectory due to the narrow passable area constraints. This paper presents a space discretization-based optimal trajectory planning method for automated vehicles in a narrow corridor scene with the consideration of travel time minimization and boundary collision avoidance. In this method, we firstly design a driving corridor model to describe the reference path and the feasible areas mathematically. Then, we build a space discretization-based trajectory optimization model in which the objective function is travel efficiency, and the vehicle-kinematics constraints, collision-avoidance constraints, and several other constraints are proposed to ensure the feasibility and comfortability of the planned trajectory. Finally, the proposed method is verified with both simulations and field tests. The test results demonstrate the enhanced smoothness and effectiveness of the trajectories compared with the baseline algorithm.
Effects of let-7a microRNA and C-C chemokine receptor type 7 expression on cellular function and prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Yura Masahiro , Fukuda Kazumasa , Matsuda Satoru , Irino Tomoyuki , Nakamura Rieko , Kawakubo Hirofumi , Takeuchi Hiroya , Kitagawa Yuko
Published: July 2022

Background
The C-C chemokine receptor type 7 (CCR7) plays an important role in chemotactic and metastatic responses in various cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Several studies have reported that let-7a microRNA (miRNA) suppresses migration and invasion of various types of cancer cells by downregulating CCR7 expression.
Methods
The expression of CCR7 and let-7a was measured in the cell lines, tumor tissues, and peritumoral tissues of ESCC patients. KYSE cell lines were transfected with synthetic let-7a miRNA and a let-7a miRNA inhibitor, and their CCR7 expression and invasive ability were evaluated. A highly invasive cell line was established via an invasion assay, and CCR7 and let-7a expression was subsequently evaluated. In vivo, cancer cells overexpressing CCR7 were injected subcutaneously into mice and monitored for tumor growth and lymph node metastasis.
Results
A negative correlation between CCR7 and let-7a expression was observed in ESCC cell lines and patient tissue samples. Synthetic let-7a decreased CCR7 expression, while the let-7a inhibitor increased it. In vitro, the established highly invasive cancer cells with high and low levels of CCR7 and let-7a expression, respectively, exhibited a greater invasive ability than the wild-type cell line. In vivo, the highly invasive cells were associated with tumor growth and lymph node metastasis in mice. Patients in the high-CCR7/low-let-7a group had the worst prognosis with five-year recurrence free survival (5-RFS) at 37.5%, followed by the high-CCR7/high-let-7a (5-RFS: 60.0%) and low-CCR7 (5-RFS: 85.7%; p = 0.038) groups.
Conclusions
The expression of CCR7 was downregulated by let-7a miRNA in esophageal cancer cells. The decrease in let-7a expression led to the increased expression of CCR7 in ESCC cells, consequently increasing their invasive ability and malignancy, and resulted in a worse prognosis for ESCC patients.
Trial registration:
Retrospectively registered.
COVID-19 Vaccination Induced Corneal Graft Rejection Does Not Exist: Results of a Large Multi-country Population Based Study
Authors: Roberts Harry , Wilkins Mark , Malik Mohsan , Langroudi Melody , Myerscough James , Pellegrini Marco , Yu Angeli Christy , Busin Massimo
Published: July 2022

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to present the rates of corneal transplant rejection from 2018 to 2022 at both Moorfields Eye Hospital UK, and Ospedali Privati Forli (OPF) “Villa Igea”, Italy and evaluate the purported association between COVID-19 vaccination and rejection. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of rejection cases presenting to the two units. Monthly rates were correlated against regional vaccination program rates. At OPF, conditional Poisson regression model was employed to estimate the incidence risk ratio (IRR) of graft rejection following COVID-19 vaccination risk period compared with the control period. RESULTS: Between January 2018 and March 2022, there were 471 (Moorfields), 95 (OPF) episodes of rejection. From the start of vaccination programme in the UK in late January 2021, the median number of graft rejections per month at Moorfields was 6 (range: 5 – 9), which was not significantly different to post-lockdown, pre-vaccination programme (March 2020 – January 2021), p=0.367. At OPF, the median rates of rejection before and after initiation of the vaccination program were not significantly different (p=0.124). No significant increase in incidence rate of rejection in the risk period following COVID-19 vaccination was found (IRR=0.53, p=0.71). CONCLUSION: No notable increase in rates of transplant rejection was noted in year 2021 when COVID-19 vaccination was broadly implemented. The apparent temporal relationship between COVID-19 vaccination and corneal graft rejection highlighted in several case reports may not represent a causative association
Two novel mgCas12a proteins from the human gut metagenome exhibit reduced collateral DNase activity
Authors: Kim Han Seong , Kim Dongwook , Choe Sunghwa
Published: July 2022

CRISPR/Cas9 and CRISPR/Cas12a are characterized by a single-component effector protein. Despite unique features like DNA cleavage with 5′ staggered ends and a single crRNA, Cas12a has not been adopted in therapeutics to the same extent as Cas9. To address the pressing therapeutic needs for effective CRISPR/Cas12 systems, we selected two candidates, designated mgCas12a-1 and mgCas12a-2, from an analysis of the human microbiome metagenome (mg) for biochemical characterization. These new Cas12 proteins shared about 37% identity with FnCas12a from Francisella novicida and showed preference for Mn2+ and Mg2+ over Ca2+ or Fe2+ as divalent metal ions. The new Cas12 proteins also tolerated pH values from 5 to 8 and temperatures from 30°C to 50°C and had lower non-specific nuclease activity upon prolonged incubation than did FnCas12a. Considering their biochemical characteristics and greater purification yield, the novel mgCas12a proteins may expedite the application of Cas12a proteins in genomics research as well as human therapeutics.
Functional transcriptomic landscape informs novel therapeutic strategies in multiple myeloma
Authors: Sudalagunta Praneeth Reddy , Canevarolo Rafael , Meads Mark , Silva Ariosto , zhao Xiaohong , Cubitt Christopher , DeAvila Gabriel , Alugubelli Raghunandan Reddy , Logothetis Constantine , Tungesvik Alexandre , Zhang Qi , Hampton Oliver , Teer Jamie , Welsh Eric , Yoder Sean , Shah Bijal , Hazlehurst Lori , Gatenby Robert , Domelen Dane Van , Chai Yi , Wang Feng , DeCastro Andrew , Bloomer Amanda , Seigel Erin , Sullivan Daniel , Alsina Melissa , Nishihori Taiga , Brayer Jason , Cleveland John L. , Dalton William , Gillies Robert , Walker Christopher , Landesman Yosef , Baz Rachid , Silva Ariosto Siqueira , Shain Kenneth
Published: July 2022

We present a unique database of tumor samples from 399 multiple myeloma (MM) patients, whose functional genomic landscape was assessed by integrating ex vivo drug sensitivity to 138 drugs, clinical variables, cytogenetics, mutational profiles and transcriptomes. These analyses revealed a novel MM transcriptomic topology that, when associated with ex vivo drug sensitivity, generates “footprints” having both mechanistic and predictive applications. We validated the transcriptomic footprint for the nuclear export inhibitor selinexor in two clinical trials, BOSTON and MCC17814, and showed such a gene signature can accurately classify clinical response and suggest mechanism of resistance. Finally, we propose a novel evolutionary-based therapeutic strategy involving sequential therapy of monoclonal antibody daratumumab and selinexor, based on anti-correlative transcriptomic footprints, which was validated in two clinical trials (STOMP and XPORT-MM-028). Collectively, this database and computational framework can be leveraged to inform underlying biology, and to identify novel therapeutic strategies to improve treatment of MM.
Design and CNFET Implementation of the GDI Based Ternary Prefix Adders
Authors: Shanmugam Kavitha , C Kumar
Published: July 2022

Ternary adders have produced more benefits compared to the binary adders (i.e.) the ternary adder occupies less amount of area as well as produces less interconnect complexity. But the CMOS implementation of the ternary adders are failed to perform the process when the channel length is taken as 32nm. At 32nm technology, the CMOS transistors are exhibited undesired effects such as SCE, mobility degradation, etc., These issues are overcome by multi-gate devices. CNFETs (Carbon Nano-tube Field Effect Transistors) are the one of the technology to work efficiently when channel length is 32nm. In this paper, CNFETs based ternary prefix adders are designed. The power consumption is the most needed requirement for the VLSI system. So, this can be achieved by reducing the number of transistors. The reduction approach is called as the GDI (Gate Diffusion Input) logic is also included in the proposed prefix adder design. The proposed adder improved by reducing the power upto 83%, Energy upto 83%, current upto 78%, delay upto 96%. Finally, the PDP (Power Delay product) also reduced by 84% compared to existing ternary adders.
Automated Estimation of Hepatorenal Index: a Biomarker for Hepatic Steatosis
Authors: Wang Shuhang , Kumar Viksit , Hu Szu-Yeu , Wang Xiaohong , Chen Lei , Wang Jingchao , Ozturk Arinc , Li Qian , Pierce Theodore T. , Tsymbalenko Yelena , O’Dea Paul , Washburn Michael J. , Samir Anthony E.
Published: July 2022

Steatosis is the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Ultrasound helps diagnose steatosis due to its wide availability, non-invasiveness, and safety. The hepatorenal index (HRI) is a clinically used biomarker for diagnosing steatosis. To study the automated calculation of HRI from ultrasound images, we identified a retrospective cohort undergoing abdominal ultrasound with 1320 images, one image per patient. The patients were divided into training (n=1166) and test (n=154) sets. The test set consists of 48 patients without steatosis (S0) and 106 patients with steatosis (S1-S3). An automated method was proposed to calculate HRI using four steps (a) segment the liver and the renal cortex, (b) remove pixels associated with ducts, vessels, masses, cysts, and shadowing artifacts, (c) place two regions of interest (ROIs), one each in the liver and the renal cortex, and (d) calculate the HRI as the ratio of the mean pixel value of the liver ROI to the renal cortex ROI. We explored several sets of rules for ROI placement. The method minimizing the Euclidean distance between the two ROIs, the best performer, had an area under the ROC (AUROC) curve of 0.87 compared to physicians with an AUROC of 0.82 (p=0.159). In addition, the Euclidean distance constraint showed no dependence on depth for ROI placement. The proposed automated method can be translated into clinical care without modifying existing imaging protocols to optimize the diagnostic capability of ultrasound for hepatic steatosis and assist with triaging patients.
Aesthetic Reconstruction of Onco-surgical Maxillary Defects Using Free Scapular Flap with and without CAD/CAM Customized Osteotomy Guide
Authors: Alwadeai Mohamed Salah , aroomi Lina Ali Al , Shindy Mostafa Ibrahim , Amin Ayman Abdel-Wahab , Zedan Mohamed Hamdallah
Published: July 2022

Background: Reconstruction of the maxillary defects following tumor ablation remains to be a challenge for surgeons. Virtual Surgical Planning (VSP), intraoperative cutting guides and stereolithographic models provides the head and neck reconstructive surgeon with powerful tools for complex reconstruction planning. Despite its use in fibular osteocutaneous reconstruction, application to the scapular free flap has not been as widely reported. The aim of this study was to compare aesthetic results and operation time of free scapular flap, with and without computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) customized osteotomy guide, for reconstruction of maxillary defects.Methods: In this prospective randomized controlled clinical trial study, we randomly assigned 22 patients with maxillary defects who were scheduled to undergo maxillary reconstruction with either free scapular flap with CAD/CAM customized osteotomy guide; study group (n = 11) or free scapular flap without CAD/CAM customized osteotomy guide; control group (n =11). All patients were followed up for 3 months. The aesthetic outcome, operation and ischemic times were evaluated and compared.Results: Aesthetic outcomes were evaluated objectively by means of differential surface area (sagittal and axial) measurement, which showed improved aesthetic outcome (contour symmetry) in the study group with a mean of (241.39±113.74), compared to patients in control group with a mean of (358.70±143.99). There were significant differences between the two groups (P< 0.05). Aesthetic outcomes were also evaluated subjectively by means of visual analogue scale (VAS) and patient’s satisfaction score (PSS). The postoperative aesthetic appearance was better in the study group with more patients satisfied than that in control group and there were statistically significant differences (P=0.039). The mean total operative time was 678.81 minutes and 777.18 minutes in the study group and control group respectively (P<0.05) and the mean ischemia time was 133.18 minutes and 195.72 minutes for study group and control group respectively (P<0.05).The ischemia time and total operative time were shorter in the study group compared to those in the control group and there were no flap losses in both groups.Conclusion: The use of CAD/CAM prefabricated cutting guides facilitates scapular flap molding and placement, minimizes ischemic time and operating time as well as improves aesthetic outcomes.Trial registration: This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. Registration number: NCT03757286. Registration date: 28/11/ 2018.
Using 5A’s model for lifestyle counseling on psychological symptoms in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized field trial
Authors: ZareMobini Fatemeh , Farajzadegan Ziba , Kazemi Ashraf , Salehi Mehrdad
Published: July 2022

Lifestyle modification in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) could be associated with an increase in psychological symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of lifestyle modification counseling through using 5As Model on the psychological symptoms of women with PCOS. This double-blind randomized field trial was performed on 70 women with PCOS in two groups of lifestyle modification counseling based on 5A’s model and counseling without using the model. The intervention was performed based on five stages of the 5A’s model including ask, advise, assess, assist, and arrange during a week, and psychological symptoms were assessed using Symptom Checklist-90-R before the intervention and one and three months after the intervention. The results showed that one and three months after the intervention, the level of psychological symptoms, except obsessive-compulsive, were significantly lower in the intervention group than the control group (p <0.05). Moreover, the level of these symptoms decreased over time in the intervention group (p <0.0001). Using of 5A’s model in lifestyle modification counseling is associated with the promotion of mental health in women with PCOS and the 5 A’s model is recommended for using lifestyle counseling in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Dual-Channel P-Type Ternary DNTT–Graphene Barristor
Authors: Lee Yongsu , Kim Seung-Mo , Kim Kiyung , Kim So-Young , Lee Ho-In , Kwon Heejin , Lee Hae-Won , Kim Chaeeun , Some Surajit , Hwang Hyeon Jun , Lee Byoung Hun
Published: July 2022

P-type ternary switch devices are crucial elements for the practical implementation of complementary ternary circuits. This report demonstrates a p-type ternary device showing three distinct electrical output states with controllable threshold voltage values using a dual-channel dinaphtho[2,3-b:2',3'-f]thieno[3,2-b]-thiophene–graphene barristor structure. To obtain transfer characteristics with distinctively separated ternary states, novel structures called contact-resistive and contact-doping layers were developed. The feasibility of a complementary standard ternary inverter design around 1 V was demonstrated using the experimentally calibrated ternary device model.