bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chemical and evolutionary analysis of the scent gland secretions of two species of Gonyleptes Kirby, 1819 (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores)
Authors: Vieira Matheus Lima Silva , Hara Marcos Ryotaro , Willemart Rodrigo Hirata , Santos Deborah Yara Alves Cursino dos , Sannomiya Miriam
Published: September 2022

The subfamily Gonyleptinae is the second largest in Gonyleptidae, harboring over 100 species. Gonyleptinae is polyphyletic, nestled in the clade K92, and despite its richness, several species of that subfamily have not had their chemicals of the defensive secretions analyzed. Among these are Gonyleptes curticornis (Mello-Leitão, 1940) and G. horridus Kirby, 1819, the latter being particularly important because it is the type species of the genus, which in turn names the subfamily. Gonyleptes horridus is also used in many phylogenetic analyses, be it using morphological or molecular data. The chemical study of the secretions of these two species by GC-MS and NMR 1H showed the presence of 1-(6-isopropyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-yl)-methylbutanone, 1-(6-isopropyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-yl) isobutanone and 4- methyl-1-hepten-3-one in both species. On the other hand, 4-methyl-1 hexen-3-one, benzaldehyde and 3-octanone were observed only in G. curticornis. Both species are Gonyleptinae and chemical mapping of the group corroborates that vinyl ketones are synapomorphy of K92 and that the compound 1-(6-isopropyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-yl) isobutanone is synapomorphic to G. curticornis and G. horridus, but homoplastic to the genus Sodreana Mello-Leitão, 1922. 1-(6-(1-methyl-propyl)3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran-2yl)2-methylbutanone and 4-methyl-1-hepten3-one is also synapomorphic to G. curticornis and G. horridus, but homoplastic in Moreiranula saprophila.
Production of Metabolites During the Interaction of Susceptible and Resistant Melon Genotypes (Cucumis Melo L) With the Fungus Monosporascus Cannonballus
Authors: Marquez Sixto A. , Avila Carlos A. , Ibrahim Amir M. H. , Crosby Kevin M. , Singh Jashbir. , Patil Bhimanagouda S. , Pessoa Herika P.
Published: September 2022

Background
Vine decline disease (VDD) caused by the fungus Monosporascus cannonballus (MC), is a major threat to melons (Cucumis melo L.) production worldwide. Nonetheless, little is known about the metabolites produced during the interaction of melon plants with this pathogen. Thus, the goal of this study was to identify and measure quantities as well as time of appearance of metabolites produced during the interaction of a susceptible and a resistant genotype with the pathogen MC. A susceptible genotype labeled TAM-Uvalde and a resistant genotype labeled USDA PI 124104 were grown and inoculated with MC. Amino and phenolic acids as well as hormones were measured before inoculation (0 hours) and 24, 48, 72 hours, and 6 weeks after inoculation, using high performance liquid chromatography analysis.
Results
Several metabolites were identified and their quantities as well as time of appearance were measured in both genotypes. Interestingly, the presence of hydroxy proline seems to be associated with susceptibility since it was always up-regulated in higher quantities in response to pathogen infection in the genotype TAM-Uvalde. Also, the up-regulation in higher quantities of ɤ-amino butyric acid in the genotype TAM-Uvalde 24 and 48 hours after inoculation suggests more penetration of the pathogen in its roots. Additionally, phthalic acid was also found in all the treatments, which may be associated with allelopathic responses of melon plants. Finally, citrulline and gibberellic acid were also found in the inoculated treatments. However, their origin and roles, in this case, need to be clarified.
Conclusions
Taken together, hydroxy proline and ɤ-amino butyric acid could be used as markers of susceptibility to VDD caused by MC, which could be useful in developing resistant varieties.
Structural perspective of the interactions of ACE2 and SARS CoV-2 Spike protein RBD
Authors: Borkotoky Subhomoi , Dey Debajit , Hazarika Zaved
Published: September 2022

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused millions of infections and deaths worldwide since its discovery in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binds to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor, a critical component of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that initiates viral transmission. Most of the critical mutations found in SARS CoV-2 are associated with the RBD of the spike protein. The mutations have the potential to reduce the efficacy of vaccines and neutralizing antibodies. Preventing the interaction between Spike RBD and ACE2 is considered a viable therapeutic strategy since ACE2 binding by RBD is the first step in virus infection. Because the interactions between the two entities are critical for both viral transmission and therapeutic development, it is essential to understand their interactions in detail. In this review, the structural details of ACE2, RBD and their interactions are discussed. In addition, some critical mutations of RBD and their impact on ACE2-RBD interactions are also discussed.
Aberrant glial activation and synaptic defects in CaMKIIα-iCre and nestin-Cre transgenic mouse models
Authors: Alia Alia O. , Popovic Jelena , Salvo Miranda A. , Sadleir Katherine R. , Vassar Robert , Cuddy Leah K.
Published: September 2022

Current scientific research is driven by the ability to manipulate gene expression by utilizing the Cre/loxP system in transgenic mouse models. However, artifacts in Cre-driver mouse lines that introduce undesired effects and confound results are increasingly being reported. Here, we show aberrant neuroinflammation and synaptic changes in two widely used Cre-driver mouse models. Neuroinflammation in CaMKIIα-iCre mice was characterized by the activation and proliferation of microglia and astrocytes in synaptic layers of the hippocampus. Increased GFAP and Iba1 levels were observed in hippocampal brain regions of 4-, 8-and 22-month-old CaMKIIα-iCre mice compared to WT littermates. Synaptic changes in NMDAR, AMPAR, PSD95 and phosphorylated CaMKIIα became apparent in 8-month-old CaMKIIα-iCre mice but were not observed in 4-month-old CaMKIIα-iCre mice. Synaptophysin and synaptoporin concentrate in presynaptic terminals and were unchanged in CaMKIIα-iCre compared to WT mice, suggesting that synaptic alterations may occur in excitatory post-synapses in which iCre is predominantly expressed. Finally, hippocampal volume was reduced in 22-month-old CaMKIIα-iCre mice compared to WT mice. We tested the brains of mice of additional common Cre-driver mouse models for neuroinflammation; the nestin-Cre mouse model showed synaptic changes and astrocytosis marked by increased GFAP+ astrocytes in cortical and hippocampal regions, while the original CaMKIIα-Cre T29-1 strain was comparable to WT mice. The mechanisms underlying abnormal neuroinflammation in nestin-Cre and CaMKIIα-iCre are unknown but may be associated with high levels of Cre expression. Our findings are critical to the scientific community and demonstrate that the correct Cre-driver controls must be included in all studies using these mice.
Self-healing passive cooling utilizing endothermic reaction of NH4NO3/H2O driven by moisture sorption for photovoltaic cell
Authors: Kim Seonggon , Park Jong Ha , Lee Jae Won , Kim Yongchan , Kang Yong Tae
Published: September 2022

Power efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) cell is significantly affected by the cell temperature. Herein, a passive cooling unit comprising inexpensive materials is developed for perfromance improvement of the PV cell. The water-saturated zeolite 13X is coated on the back side of the PV cell, and ammonium nitrate is dispersed as a layer. When thermal radiation is supplied, water is desorbed from zeolite 13X (primary latent cooling), and also dissolves ammonium nitrate to induce secondary endothermic reaction cooling. The cooling unit is operated based on the moisture sorption performance of mesoporous materials, which is inversely proportional to the cell temperature, and the solubility of endothermic reaction pairs increases proportionally with temperature. It is a reversible process in which ammonium nitrate is crystallized when the temperature is low at night, and water is adsorbed back to zeolite 13X. The average temperature of the PV cell can be reduced by approximately 14.9°C during the day, and the cooling energy density reaches 2,876 kJ/kg. Based on the life cycle cost analysis, the cost of power generation can be reduced by 5.1%, and the power efficiency is improved by 7.5%. A PV cell with the passive cooling unit will be a solution for efficient PV electric generation.
Nano-liter perfusion microfluidic device made entirely by two-photon polymerization for dynamic cell culture with easy cell recovery
Authors: McLennan Hanna Julie , Blanch Adam J. , Wallace Samuel J. , Ritter Lesley , Heinrich Shauna L. , Gardner David K. , Dunning Kylie R. , Gauvin Marty , Love Allison K. , Thompson Jeremy G.
Published: September 2022

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been the material of choice for microfluidic applications in cell biology for many years. However, PDMS limits further advancement because it lacks sub-micron lithographic ‘precision’ and the capability to deliver complex geometry in three dimensions. Further, PDMS microfluidic devices for cell culture have limited capacity for cell retrieval following culture without severely compromising cell health. This study presents a designed and entirely 3D-printed microfluidic chip (8.8 mm x 8.2 mm x 3.6 mm) using two-photon polymerization (2PP). The ‘nest’ chip is composed of ten channels that deliver sub-microliter volume flowrates (to ~ 600 nL/min per channel) to 10 individual retrievable cell sample ‘cradles’ that interlock with the nest to create the microfluidic device. Computational fluid dynamics modelling predicted medium flow in the device, which was accurately validated by real-time microbead tracking. Functional capability of the device was assessed, and demonstrated the capability to deliver culture medium, dyes, and biological molecules to support cell growth, staining and cell phenotype changes, respectively. Therefore, 2PP 3D-printing provides the precision needed for nanoliter fluidic devices constructed from multiple interlocking parts for cell culture application.
The effect of a laughter-based intervention on airway patency in children with tracheostomy
Authors: Valadkhani Sara , Nourian Manijeh , Farahani Azam Shirinabadi , Nasiri Maliheh , Nikfarid Lida
Published: September 2022

Background
Many children with tracheostomy are vulnerable to the complications of tracheostomy and airway disorders. One of the methods of taking care of the airways is coughing, which is physiologically very similar to laughter. Laughter is used as complementary medicine in nursing care and improves communication with patients and reduces their anxiety.
Objective
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of laughter on airway patency in children with tracheostomy hospitalized in the selected hospitals of medical universities in Tehran, Iran.
Methods
After obtaining the informed consent from the parents, 80 children with tracheostomy aged 6 to 12 years who have a GCS above 11, at least 72 hours have passed since the tracheostomy surgery, are breathing spontaneously, and didn’t have received anesthetic and are not suffering from an acute or special disease, were included in the study. Then they were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received the laughter intervention twice a day for two consecutive days and 15 minutes each by watching funny animations and interacting with Puppets simultaneously. For both groups, the variables of airway patency, including O2sat, respiratory rate, and suctioning frequency, were measured three times a day for two consecutive days. Independent t-test, non-parametric Mann-Whitney test, Chi-square test, one-factor analysis of variance with repeated measures, and Friedman's non-parametric test were used to analyze the data, and SPSS software version 19 was used.
Results
Most of the participants in both groups were boys (63.8%). The most common cause of hospitalization in children was respiratory diseases (75%) and most children (88.8%) were breathing spontaneously. The average amount of O2sat increased significantly after the fifth and sixth sessions by causing laughter in the intervention group (p < 0.05). The intervention group significantly decreased respiratory rate (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the suctioning frequency until the fifth session (p < 0.05). However, in the sixth session, the suctioning frequency in the intervention group is significantly lower than in the control group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion
The results of the present research have shown that laughter causes a significant effect on airway patency in children with tracheostomy hospitalized in the selected hospitals of medical universities in Tehran. The results of the present study emphasize the non-invasive care of the airways of children with a tracheostomy. Due to their inability to communicate verbally and reduced sensory stimulation due to hospitalization, these children can benefit from laughing for therapeutic and supportive purposes.
The Sustainability of Historical Environments and Its Effects on Functional Changes: Cyprus Kyrenia Antique Harbour
Authors: İpek  , Can
Published: September 2022

Throughout the centuries, historical cities have been formed with cultural values, the life of the cultures, and artistic aspects of various civilizations that have gained identity, and evolved into their current forms. Cities have existed with architectural works and their past cultures. Historical textures are the open air that comes from the past, convey the traces of the past, and link the past to the future. The transfer of historical and cultural heritage to future generations will be possible through "protection" and "conservation" which will ensure the sustainability of historic cities. In general, repairs or amendments aimed at economic development in historic cities provide only economic sustainability in structures with historical characteristics. Sustainability in historic cities should protect the most important structural characteristics and function properly in the structural form. Thus, the historical city's sustainability will be ensured. In historical cities, it is the main target for sustainability and it should be to protect the texture. Within this goal, it is determined that Kyrenia Antique Harbour, which has historical value, its location and its past culture is rich and its tourism effects are analysed. In the study, usage analyses were made, the reasons for the changes were made, and suggestions for the sustainability of the historical city were introduced.
Behavioral factors and SARS-CoV-2 transmission heterogeneity within a household cohort in Costa Rica
Authors: Sun Kaiyuan , Loria Viviana , Aparicio Amada , Porras Carolina , Vanegas Juan Carlos , Zúñiga Michael , Morera Melvin , Avila Carlos , Abdelnour Arturo , Gail Mitch , Pfeiffer Ruth , Cohen Jeffrey , Burbelo Peter , Abed Mehdi , Viboud Cecile , Hildesheim Allan , Herrero Rolando , Prevots D Rebecca
Published: September 2022

Variability in household secondary attack rates (SAR) and transmission risks factors of SARS-CoV-2 remain poorly understood. To characterize SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a household setting, we conducted a household serologic study of SARS-CoV-2 in Costa Rica, with SARS-CoV-2 index cases selected from a larger prospective cohort study and their household contacts were enrolled. A total of 719 household contacts of 304 household index cases were enrolled from November 21, 2020, through July 31, 2021. Demographic, clinical, and behavioral information was collected from the index cases and their household contacts. Blood specimens were collected from contacts within 30-60 days of index case diagnosis; and serum was tested for presence of spike and nucleocapsid SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 prior infections among household contacts was defined based on the presence of both spike and nucleocapsid antibodies. To avoid making strong assumptions that the index case was the sole source of infections among household contacts, we fitted a chain binomial model to the serologic data, which allowed us to account for exogenous community infection risk as well as potential multi-generational transmissions within the household. Overall seroprevalence was 53% (95% confidence interval (CI) 48% – 58%) among household contacts The estimated household secondary attack rate (SAR) was 32% (95% CI 5% – 74%) and the average community infection risk was 19% (95% CI 14% - 26%). Mask wearing by the index case was associated with the household transmission risk reduction by 67% (adjusted odds ratio = 0.33 with 95% CI: 0.09-0.75) and sleeping in a separate bedroom from the index case reduced the risk of household transmission by 78% (adjusted odds ratio = 0.22 with 95% CI 0.10-0.41). The estimated distribution of household secondary attack rates was highly heterogeneous across index cases, with 30% of index cases being the source for 80% of secondary cases. Modeling analysis suggests behavioral factors were important drivers of the observed SARS-CoV-2 transmission heterogeneity within the household.
The effect of mask usage of the health personnel on blood gas analysis and cognitive strengthening during COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: OZMEN Harun , AYDINLI Bahar , DOGRU Serkan , Erdem Huseyin Erdi
Published: September 2022

Aim
The coronavirus disease-19 has caused the death of more than five million people and the treatment of millions in intensive care units since 2019. In this process, the possibility of developing intermittent, long-term hypoxia and hypercarbia due to the use of masks has been considered in detail. Therefore, the negative physiological and psychological effects of this equipment in intensive care unit by healthcare personnel have become questionable. The present study is aimed to investigate the effect of mask use on blood gas analysis values and cognitive functions in intensive care unit healthcare workers.
Materials and methods
After obtaining local ethics committee approval (Grant number: …) and written informed consent, healthcare professionals working in the 3rd level intensive care unit of xxx City Training and Research Hospital were included in the study. Each volunteer's venous blood gas analysis were studied at the beginning and end of the eight-hour morning-shift period. Venous blood gas values including pH, venous partial oxygen pressure, venous partial carbon dioxide pressure, lactate levels were recorded. A five-question survey was applied to the same volunteers and their cognitive function performance during the pandemic period was evaluated.
Results
Intragroup comparisons for the N95 group revealed that pH-2nd measurement was found to be significantly higher than pH-1st measurement and Lactate-1st measurement was significantly higher than Lactate-2nd measurement (p = 0.002, p = 0.004, p = 0.002, p = 0.018, respectively.
Conclusion
Impairment in cognitive functions in intensive care workers using masks during the pandemic period can be explained by the development of intermittent long-term moderate hypoxia.
Accessibility and Availability of Smartphone Apps for Schizophrenia
Authors: Torous John , Kwon Sam , Firth Joseph , Joshi Devayani
Published: September 2022

App-based interventions have potential to enhance access to and quality of care for patients with schizophrenia. However, less is known about the current state of schizophrenia apps in research and how those translate to publicly available apps. This study, therefore, aimed to review schizophrenia apps offered on marketplaces and research literature with a focus on accessibility and availability. A search of recent reviews, gray literatures, PubMed, and Google Scholar was conducted in August 2022. A search of the U.S. iTunes and Google App Store was conducted in July 2022. All eligible studies and apps were systematically screened/reviewed. The academic research search produced 264 results; 60 eligible studies were identified. 51.7% of research apps were built on psychosis-specific platforms and 48.3% of research apps were built on nonspecific platforms. 83.3% of research apps offered monitoring functionalities. Only nine apps, two designed on psychosis-specific platforms and seven on nonspecific platforms were easily accessible. The search of app marketplaces uncovered 537 apps; only six eligible marketplace apps were identified. 83.3% of marketplace apps only offered psychoeducation. All marketplace apps lacked frequent updates with the average time since last update 1121 days. There are few clinically relevant apps accessible to patients on the commercial marketplaces. While research efforts are expanding, many research apps are unavailable today. Better translation of apps from research to the marketplace and a focus on sustainable interventions are important targets for the field.
Cloud Service Insurance: An Approach to Ensure Service Quality for Consumers
Authors: Bhattacharya Adrija , Choudhury Sankhayan
Published: September 2022

In a cloud environment, providers commit to offer the required services with specified quality metric value, as negotiated through service level agreement. But in real life scenario, often the services are not offered with committed QoS, even some quality metric may be dropped in run time. It may not be an acceptable solution for a consumer, especially in a safety critical system. We have proposed a solution to come out from this situation. The proposal is a new concept, called “Service Insurance” through which the desired quality level can be maintained against some additional payment i.e. “insurance premium”. The major contribution of the paper is to express the quality of a service in terms of underlying factors and the subsequent computation of dynamic premium amount. Another contribution is to guide the providers for re-gaining the deviated quality metric value, in case of quality metric deviation in run time. Key performance indicators are identified and the deviated quality metrics are regained through the tuning of KPIs. The entire concept is executed on a benchmark data set and the effectiveness of the mechanism is established through the validation of the hypothesis.
Gray mold and anthracnose disease detection on strawberry leaves using hyperspectral imaging
Authors: Zhang Baohua , Tan Qianqiu , Yu Shuwan , Liu Yuchen , Ou Yunmeng , Qiu Wei
Published: September 2022

Background
Gray mold and anthracnose are the main factors affecting strawberry quality and yield. Accurate and rapid early disease identification is of great significance to achieve precise targeted spraying to avoid large-scale spread of diseases and improve strawberry yield and quality. However, the characteristics between early disease infected leaves and healthy leaves are very similar, making the early identification of strawberry anthracnose and gray mold still challenging.
Results
Based on hyperspectral imaging technology, this study explored the potential of combining spectral fingerprint features and vegetation indices for early detection of strawberry leaf diseases. The CARS algorithm and ReliefF algorithm were used for the extraction of spectral fingerprint features and vegetation indices, respectively. Three machine learning models, BPNN, SVM and ELM, were developed for the early identification of strawberry anthracnose and gray mold, using spectral fingerprint features, vegetation index features and their combined features as inputs respectively. The results showed that the combination of spectral fingerprint features and vegetation index features had better recognition accuracy compared with individual features as inputs, and the accuracies of the three classifiers were 97.78%, 94.44%, and 93.33%, respectively. This indicates that the fused features approach proposed in this study can effectively improve the early detection performance of strawberry leaf diseases.
Conclusions
This study provides a basis for the development of a rapid online detection and real-time monitoring system for fruit diseases.
Development of Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion Following COVID-19 Vaccination and Subsequent SARS-CoV-2 Infection While Taking Oral Contraceptives
Authors: Muto Tetsuaya , Sakamoto Masaaki , Machida Shigeki , Shinichiro Imaizumi , Hamada Yoshinobu , Kamoi Koju
Published: September 2022

Objectives
Oral contraceptive use, vaccination for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are all risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Although, in general, branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) develops during the mid-60s in general, we present a case of BRVO caused by the abovementioned risk factors in a young woman. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report about BRVO associated with oral contraceptives, COVID-19 vaccination, and SARS-CoV-2.
Case presentation:
A 21-year-old woman was referred to us after experiencing loss of visual acuity in her right eye from 10 days ago. She had been using oral contraceptives for 2 years for paramenia before noticing her ophthalmological symptoms. Despite having received two does of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, she had contracted COVID-19 with fever, sore throat, cough, low back pain, and general malaise about 40 days before the initial visit. However, only the cough persisted for a month. The right eye showed BRVO with macular edema (ME). She did not smoke or have diabetes mellitus or systemic hypertension. The result of blood test was normal, including the cardiolipin antibody IgG. She was treated with an intravitreal aflibercept injection immediately. The right fundus showed rapid improvement in the resolution of ME.
Conclusions
The combination of oral contraceptive use, COVID-19 vaccination, and subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infection could accelerate VTE, thereby leading to BRVO. Given that cases of COVID-19 have increased globally, patients with RVO who use oral contraceptives are likely to be encountered more frequently.
Complete genome sequence of multi-drug resistant Klebsiella quasipneumoniae isolated for the first time from a wastewater treatment plant in Slovenia
Authors: Gonçalves José , Koritnik Tom , Bosilj Martin , Mioc Verica , Trkov Marija , Paragi Metka
Published: September 2022

Objectives
This study reports the isolation and genomic characterization of two novel multidrug-resistant isolates of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae, isolated from a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Slovenia.
Methods
Both genomes were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq platform. De novo genome assembly was performed using Velvet 1.2.10. The genomes were annotated using RAST tool kit (RASTtk). The resistome was identified using tools available from the Center for Genomic Epidemiology.
Results
High-quality contigs were obtained using and both belong to the MSLT ST 138. KB-61219-C generated 196 contigs and an estimated genome length of 5.958.270 bp. KB-161219-D generated 197 contigs and an estimated genome length of 5.955.847 bp.
Conclusion
This study reports the isolation and genomic characterization of two novel multidrug-resistant isolates of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae, isolated from a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Slovenia.
The Klotho-FGF23 axis and cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic patients with chronic limb threatening ischemia: a prospective study
Authors: Biscetti Federico , Rando Maria Margherita , Cecchini Andrea Leonardo , Nicolazzi Maria Anna , Angelini Flavia , Iezzi Roberto , Eraso Luis H , Dimuzio Paul J , Pitocco Dario , Gasbarrini Antonio , Massetti Massimo , Flex Andrea
Published: September 2022

Cardiovascular complications after lower extremity revascularization (LER) are common in diabetic patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and chronic limb threatening ischemia (CLTI). The Klotho-FGF23 axis is associated with endothelial injury and cardiovascular risk. We aimed to analyze the relationship between Klotho-FGF23 serum levels and the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and major adverse limb events (MALE) after LER in diabetic patients with PAD and CLTI. Baseline levels of Klotho, and FGF23, and their association with subsequent incidence of MACE and MALE were analyzed in a prospective, non-randomized study in a population of diabetic patients with PAD and CLTI requiring LER. A total of 220 patients were followed for 12 months after LER. Sixty-three MACE and 122 MALE were recorded during follow-up period. Baseline lower Klotho serum levels (295.3 ± 151.3 pg/mL vs 446.4 ± 171.7 pg/mL, p < 0.01), whereas increased serum levels FGF23 (75.0 ± 11.8 pg/mL vs 53.2 ± 15.4 pg/mL, p < 0.01) were significantly associated with the development of MACE. ROC analysis confirmed the predictive power of the Klotho-FGF23 axis. Furthermore, decreased Klotho serum levels were associated with the occurrence of MALE after LER (329.1 ± 136.8 pg/mL vs 495.4 ± 183.9 pg/mL, p < 0.01). We found that Klotho-FGF23 axis imbalance is a potential biomarker for increased cardiovascular risk after LER in diabetic patients with PAD and CLTI.
The Combination of Estradiol and N-acetylcysteine improves folliculogenesis and angiogenesis of mice ovarian autografts by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress
Authors: Ebrahimi Fatemeh , Zavareh Saeed , Nasiri Meysam
Published: September 2022

Ischemia/Reperfusion injuries are important issues after ovarian transplantation. Our study examined the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and estradiol (E2) on mouse ovarian autografts. Mice (6–8 weeks) were divided into ovarian autograft as follows: Control: fresh ovarian tissue autograft; Sham: cryopreserved/warmed ovarian tissue V; NAC: cryopreserved/warmed ovarian tissue autograft with NAC treatment; E2: cryopreserved/warmed ovarian tissue autograft with E2 treatment; NAC + E2: cryopreserved/warmed ovarian tissue autografts with the treatment of NAC and E2. In all groups, grafts were harvested on days 2, 7, and 28 after transplantation to evaluate histological parameters, inflammation relative to genes expression, and oxidative status. Histological analysis showed that NAC, E2 and a combination of NAC&E2 significantly increased the primordial, preantral, and antral follicular number. When NAC was used, it significantly reduced the expression of Tnf-α and Fgf-2, while increased Il-1β, Il-6, and Vegf expression levels. The levels of Il-6, Fgf-2, and VEGF were dramatically increased in the E2- treated group. The Combination of NAC and E2 significantly increased levels of Il-1β, Il-6, Fgf-2, and Vegf. NAC and E2 alone or in combination, significantly increased total antioxidant capacity but did not affect the superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities. In conclusion, after transplantation, NAC and E2 alone or in combination, could improve follicular development and angiogenesis as well as decline inflammation and ovarian oxidative damage.
Minimum capital requirement and portfolio allocation for non-life insurance: a semiparametric model with Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) constraint
Authors: Staino Alessandro , Russo Emilio , Costabile Massimo , Leccadito Arturo
Published: September 2022

We present an optimization problem to determine the minimum capital requirement for a non-life insurance company. The optimization problem imposes a non-positive Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) of the insurer's net loss and a portfolio performance constraint. When expressing the optimization problem in a semiparametric form, we demonstrate its convexity for any integrable random variable representing the insurer's liability. Furthermore, we prove that the function defining the CVaR constraint in the semiparametric formulation is continuously differentiable when the insurer's liability has a continuous distribution. We use the Kelly-Cheney-Goldstein algorithm to solve the optimization problem in the semiparametric form and show its convergence. An empirical analysis is carried out by assuming three different liability distributions: a lognormal distribution, a gamma distribution, and a mixture of Erlang distributions with a common scale parameter. The numerical experiments show that the choice of the liability distribution plays a crucial role since marked differences emerge when comparing the mixture distribution with the other two distributions. In particular, the mixture distribution describes better the right tail of the empirical distribution of liabilities with respect to the other two distributions and implies higher capital requirements and different assets in the optimal portfolios.
Application of machine learning algorithms to forecast prices of Sardinella brasiliensis commercialized in a South American supply center
Authors: França Vinícius Fellype Cavalcanti , Oliveira Luan Diego , Andrade¹ Humber Agrelli
Published: September 2022

Small pelagic fishes develop important role in human nutrition especially in emergent countries which are considered an affordable source of protein ensuring food security, and with its fishery being source of income for several populations around the world. Despite fish nutritional composition present several benefits for human health, prices are pointed as the main factor to choose seafood as components of diet, highlighting the relevance of the economic analysis of these items once disturbances in its prices might alter the feeding patterns of populations worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the Brazilian Sardine (Sardinella brasiliensis) prices dynamics in one of the main markets of northeastern Brazil, evaluate possible reasons for its peaks and use machine learning techniques to forecast its future prices. The dataset used was obtained in the Pernambuco Supply and Logistics Center (PSLC) website, which contains a historical series of sardine’s prices from 2013 to 2022. The dataset was divided in train and test sections, the train section modelled using the Fbprophet library and a long-short term memory neural network in order forecast the future prices, then the test dataset was used to evaluate the predictions based in the root mean square error, mean absolute error and mean absolute percentage error metrics. Both algorithms reached low error metrics in its forecasts, however LSTM predictions were significantly better presenting lower error metrics than Fbprophet, showing their usability in the economic context of marine sciences opening the door to further studies of the dynamics of food prices around the world.
The state of implementing big data in banking business processes: An Indonesian perspective
Authors: Ritchi Hamzah , Andriani Gina , Zulkarnaen Reza , Zaidaan Akmal
Published: September 2022

Notwithstanding the perceived global potentiality, how big data enhances decision-making quality prompts an intriguing inquiry, especially in an increasingly competitive banking environment in developing economies. Building on an industry data-driven framework, this study strives to understand the state of implementing big data in the Indonesian banking sector. A deductively organized descriptive method employing in-depth interviews was conducted with subject matter experts representing Indonesian banking-related areas. The result and the following analysis show the modest status of big data implementation across three major banks and two complementary companies, as indicated by many elements of the framework phases that were found during the early adoption stage. This denotes a steady buy-in across banking business processes as particularly reflected in the framework’s four phases – continuing push to meet the variety aspect (intelligence), structured data architecture domination (design), limited choice of performance indicator for big data value (choice), and customer–corporate vision decoupling (implementation). While Indonesian banks have evidently initiated the big data implementation, further improvement remains imperative for the decision-making process. Accordingly, big data should be tightly coupled with a strong data-driven vision that drives decision-making across intra-firm actors. Handling data omnipresence shall be viewed as the embodiment of a data-driven vision.
ANÁLISE DAS COMPETÊNCIAS COMPETITIVAS DO PROFISSIONAL DE TECNOLOGIA DA INFORMAÇÃO: ESTUDO DE CASO COM VAGAS OFERTADAS PELO LINKEDIN
Authors: Novaes Érica Thaís Da Conceição , Cavalcante Junior Florisvaldo Cunha
Published: September 2022

O presente estudo obteve a análise das competências do profissional na área da Gestão da Tecnologia da Informação, com base nas exigências que as organizações requerem de um profissional recém-formado com o objetivo de analisar quais competências são mais exigidas no mercado de trabalho para o profissional de TI. No que diz respeito às competências, cada empresa busca diferentes requisitos para a contratação de profissionais a partir da análise. A análise teve como objetivo avaliar as dificuldades e a competitividade que o profissional encontra no mercado de trabalho. A pesquisa foi realizada em 33 empresas localizadas na Região Nordeste, por se tratar de uma pesquisa qualitativa, foram coletados dados em diversas cidades que possuíam os requisitos de competências necessários, as quais foram definidas como importantes no setor de gestão para um profissional da área de Gestão da Tecnologia da Informação. Percebe-se que as competências consideradas importantes para o estudo, ou seja, são aquelas que as organizações destacam como as mais exigidas para o profissional ingressar no mercado de trabalho. Assim, obtendo as competências necessárias para fazer o negócio desta organização, servindo a empresa e até mesmo os seus clientes. Diante da pesquisa, o estudo mostra a importância da plataforma para o profissional em formação, onde as competências tendem a ser um grande investimento para o ambiente profissional. Dessa forma, é possível afirmar que a plataforma LinkedIn usada para o estudo de pesquisa de caso foi eficiente para os resultados encontrados, onde ajuda o profissional a ter mais chance de buscar em locais mais próximos ao seu estado e com maior demanda, pois nas informações percebe-se a maior procura em cidades e capitais.
ESTÁDIO DE FUTEBOL: "ÂNCORA" SOCIAL NO PAÍS DO FUTEBOL?
Authors: Lacerda Mariana De Souza , Trindade Fernanda Cota
Published: September 2022

No Brasil, a cultura do futebol está presente na sociedade desde a década de 1920, sendo utilizado algumas vezes como instrumento de entretenimento para ocultar problemas sociais e políticos. O esporte ganhou mais adeptos durante a Era Vargas, período que houve as primeiras construções de estádios no país. Entretanto com o passar dos anos e a participação em eventos esportivos internacionais, o número de estádios aumentou consideravelmente, refletindo em construções gigantescas no meio das cidades. Comumente quando um país é escolhido para sediar um megaevento esportivo é necessário que ele se prepare para receber o evento, transformando suas cidades para se adequarem aos padrões exigidos pelos organizadores, padrões esses que na maioria das vezes não refletem a real necessidade daquele local. O objetivo deste presente artigo é discutir os impactos dos megaeventos esportivos nas cidades com foco no Brasil, identificando como eles influenciaram nas dinâmicas urbanas e sociais nas cidades-sede. A metodologia utilizada se caracteriza como aplicada, qualitativa e exploratória, buscando levantamento de dados através de livros, pesquisas bibliográficas e artigos publicados, além da realização de estudo de caso entre as cidades de Barcelona-ESP, cidade-sede dos Jogos Olímpicos de 1992, e Manaus-AM, uma das cidades-sede da Copa do Mundo de 2014. Por meio desse estudo foi possível constatar que a cidade de Barcelona obteve êxito na execução dos projetos necessários para a realização do megaevento, conseguindo conciliar as reais necessidades da cidade com as exigências dos organizadores. Já Manaus se encontrava em péssimas condições para sediar um evento de tamanha magnitude, refletindo em obras superfaturadas que hoje se encontram em situação de abandono. Por fim, foi possível observar que o Brasil não estava preparado para receber um megaevento como a Copa do Mundo, sendo necessário um replanejamento para reinserir as estruturas advindas do evento na sociedade atual.
UMA ANÁLISE DA PRODUÇÃO ACADÊMICA SOBRE EDUCAÇÃO POPULAR NO BRASIL DE 2009 A 2019
Authors: Natividade Rubenilson Cerqueira , Moreira Ana Maria Albuquerque , Silva Cruz Shirleide Pereira
Published: September 2022

O presente levantamento objetiva identificar e descrever as produções acadêmicas sobre educação popular, cursinhos populares e cursinhos universitários populares no Brasil. No artigo trata-se de uma revisão bibliográfica de dissertações e teses no período de 2009 a 2019, com produções extraídas dos repositórios: Biblioteca Digital Brasileira de Teses e Dissertações (BDTD), Portal de Periódicos CAPES e Google Acadêmico. A pesquisa apresenta o levantamento de 105 produções, sendo que destas, 79 (setenta e nove) são dissertações de mestrado e 26 (vinte e seis) teses de doutorado, em áreas e campos do conhecimento diversos, tais como: educação, ensino da ciência, linguística aplicada, sociologia, educação física, psicologia e psicologia social, geografia, letras e ciências da saúde. Tendo como tema central do artigo o movimento e avanço da atuação da educação popular por meio de cursinhos populares, as produções analisadas abordam a preparação para ingresso nas universidades brasileiras, seus desafios para democratização na educação superior e o papel da educação popular como assistência para estudantes com vulnerabilidade social. No bojo da implementação de políticas sociais no Brasil, os próprios movimentos de cursinhos populares foram se ampliando e abrindo espaço para outras configurações, como a dos cursinhos universitários populares (CUPs). Esses, por sua vez, mantendo os mesmos objetivos sociais, possuem em seu quadro social majoritariamente estudantes universitários e pertencem a um movimento mais contemporâneo da prática da educação popular. Os resultados deste levantamento nos permitem concluir que as produções analisadas apontam a concentração acadêmicocientífica no escopo da educação popular e dos cursinhos populares tradicionais oriundos da década de 1950. Demonstram, ainda, os desafios de produções mais atuais em relação a novas configurações permitidas por meio da extensão universitária e a atuação social universitária.
Home office e Qualidade de Vida no Trabalho: Desafios enfrentados pelo segmento da Tecnologia da Informação na Pandemia do Covid-19
Authors: Da Silva Daniele Priscila , Lopes Costa Barbara Regina , Araújo Richard Medeiros
Published: September 2022

Resumo. Diante da crise enfrentada, em 2020, devido a Pandemia Covid-19, ocasionada por um novo agente do Coronavírus – SARSCoV-2, medidas de isolamento social foram estabelecidas e mudanças comportamentais foram adotadas na tentativa de conter a doença e evitar contágio, levando empresas a adotarem o modelo de trabalho home office, também conhecido como ‘teletrabalho’, modalidade de trabalho realizado na residência. O objetivo do paper é compreender as condições de trabalho home office de profissionais de TI, impulsionada no período da pandemia, verificando os impactos na rotina destes profissionais provocados pela necessidade de adaptação ao home office.O percurso metodológico do presente trabalho se desenvolveu a partir de uma pesquisa quantitativa, por meio de questionário voltado as pessoas ligadas à área de TI,por meio do instrumento de pesquisa online, adaptado no google forms, a fim demonstrar os desafios enfrentados na pandemia pelos trabalhadores de TI no home office, quanto ao delineamento trata-se de um levantamento de campo, a técnica utilizada para este levantamento de dados foi o tipo bola de neve virtual, que é uma forma de amostra não probabilística. Os dados mostraram que trabalhando via home office, os trabalhadores economizam com locomoção, ficam mais perto de suas famílias, o que, por muitas vezes, reduz o stress e aumenta a produtividade. As tecnologias envolvendo o home office vão muito além de simples tecnologias de comunicação, permitem aos funcionários manter o contato com os demais colegas de trabalho, porém, existem fatores considerados desafiadores para o home office como a falta de supervisão presencial e da possibilidade de distrações para com o ambiente domiciliar.
Assessment of future urban water demand and supply under socioeconomic scenarios: a case of Assosa town
Authors: Saketa Yadeta
Published: September 2022

Water scarcity is becoming a progressively more serious global issue. Assosa town in Ethiopia faces serious water scarcity problems due to rapid population growth and urban expansion. This study aims to model the water demand of Assosa town using a forecasting model. Four scenarios were developed: population growth, living standards, water loss reduction, and a combination of these. The water demand and unmet demands for each scenario were evaluated. Results show that the demand for water and supply will vary significantly if the present state continues. In the base year (2018), the overall water demand is 2.07 gigalitres (GL) and the unmet demand is estimated as 0.096 GL. The water demand grows to 3.71 GL under the reference scenario in 2035. The combination of population growth and improved living standard scenarios is observed to impact greatly on water demand. The total water demand of this scenario was estimated to be 7.14 GL latterly in the projection period and the unmet demand would grow to 5.2 GL. The results confirmed that improved water management approaches are needed in the town to ensure the sustainability of water resources in the long term and outline proper water utilization policies.
Study on the performance of sewage sludge biochar modified by nZVI to remove Cu(II) and Cr(VI) in water
Authors: Kang Xudong , Xiao Feiyu , Zhou Sihai , Zhang Qiuya , Qiu Liwei , Wang Liping
Published: September 2022

In this study, to simultaneously dispose of sludge and wastewater containing heavy metals, sludge biochar loaded with nano zero-valent-iron (nZVI) was prepared at 700 °C (nBC700) to remove Cr(VI) and Cu(II). The results showed the removal capacity of biochar was greatly improved by loading nZVI, and the adsorption capacities of biochar for Cu(II) and Cr(VI) increased by 251.96% and 205.18%. Pseudo-second-order kinetic and Sips isotherm models were fitted to the removal processes. Intraparticle diffusion models showed the removal process was controlled by surface diffusion and intraparticle diffusion. Competitive experiments showed Cr(VI) can compete with Cu(II) for active sites, but Cr(VI) was more easily removed by nBC700 through cation bridge. The removal mechanism illustrated removing Cu(II) mainly depended on complex precipitation, followed by reduction reaction, while Cr(VI) was on the contrary. This work provided effective data for sludge disposal and heavy metal removal.