bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ca(IO 3 ) 2 nanoparticles: fabrication and application as an eco-friendly and recyclable catalyst for green synthesis of quinoxalines, pyridopyrazines, and 2,3-dicyano pyrazines
Authors: Kalhor Mehdi , Shayestefar Mahboubeh , Khalaj Mehdi , Janghorban Fatemeh
Published: September 2022

In this paper, calcium iodate salt nanoparticles were first synthesized by the modified reaction of Ca(NO3)2and KIO3in aqueous media and under ultrasonic irradiation. The structure of nano-catalyst was then identified by FT-IR, FESEM, EDX, XRD, and BET techniques. Afterward, the fabricated Ca(IO3)2was applied as a nanocatalyst in the facile synthesis of heterocycles including quinoxalines, 5,6-dicyano pyrazines, and pyrido[2,3-b]pyrazines. For this purpose, the feasibility of the reaction in the presence of different catalyst amounts, solvents and temperatures was first investigated. Next, the target compounds were obtained by the condensation reaction of aryl-1,2-diamines or 2,3-diaminomaleonitrile with 1,2-diketones in the presence of catalytic amount of Ca(IO3)2in ethanol or acetic acid solvents at ambient temperature in good to excellent yields. One of the salient advantages of this work is the synthesis of calcium iodate nanoparticles by chemical precipitation method and its application as a heterogeneous nanocatalyst for the first time in the synthesis of organic compounds. The other important benefits of this process are the use of an inexpensive, safe, stable and recyclable catalyst, high yields, short reaction times, easy isolation of the product in pure form.
The relationship between substance abuse-associated stigma and deficits in executive functioning
Authors: Jahromi Leila Razeghian , Mazidi Safura Sadeghi , Bavi Azade Moradi
Published: September 2022

Background: Substance abuse is a common problem worldwide. Among addicts, the perceived stigma of substance abuse harms their quality of life and represents a major treatment barrier. We explored the effect of executive dysfunction on the stigma perceived due to substance abuse.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a validated questionnaire on executive dysfunction and stigma was distributed among eighty drug addicts admitted to Ostad Moharary Neuropsychiatric Hospital in March 2022. Demographic data were also collected. Statistical analyses were done using SPSS v. 25.
Results: In this study, 80 drug users were evaluated, of which 28 (35%) were narcotic drug users, 7 (8.8%) were stimulant drug users, and 45 (56.3%) were multidrug users. Materials were simultaneous (multiple). The mean age of participants was 36.56 37 9.37. In this study, the total test obtained from the stigma questionnaire showed a significant and positive relationship with each of the time scales of self-management, self-organization, self-regulation of emotion, self-motivation, self-inhibition, and total executive performance defects.
Conclusion: Self-perceived stigma is directly linked with executive dysfunction in drug users who are seeking to quit. Since stigma and executive function both play essential roles in addiction treatment success, interventions should be adjusted to reduce the self-perceived stigma and executive function deficits of substance addicts.
HMGCL-induced β-Hydroxybutyrate Production Attenuates Hepatocellular Carcinoma via DPP4-mediated Ferroptosis Susceptibility
Authors: Cui Xiaohan , Yun Xiao , Sun Meiling , Li Renzhi , Lyu Xiajie , Lao Yuanxiang , Yu Wenbin , Qin Xihu
Published: September 2022

Background:Metabolic disorder is an essential characteristic of tumor development. Ketogenesis as a heterogeneous factor in multiple cancer, but the effect of ketogenesis on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is elusive.Methods:We aimed to explain a role of ketogenesis related hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA lyase (HMGCL) on HCC suppression. Expression pattern of HMGCL in HCC specimens was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). HMGCL was depleted or overexpressed in HCC cells to investigate the functions of HMGCLin vitroandin vivo. The antitumor function of HMGCL was studied in subcutaneous xenograft andTrp53Δhep/Δhep; c-Myc-driven HCC mouse models. The mechanism of HMGCL mediated tumor suppression was studied by IHC, western blot (WB) and Cut & Tag.Results:HMGCL depletion promoted HCC proliferation and metastasis, whereas its overexpression reversed this trend. As HMGCL catalyzes β-hydroxybutyric acid (β-OHB) production, we discovered that HMGCL increased acetylation at histone H3K9, which further promoted the transcription of Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4), a key protein maintains intracellular lipid peroxidation and iron accumulation, leading to HCC cells vulnerability to erastin- and sorafenib-induced ferroptosis.Conclusions:Our study identified a critical role of HMGCL on HCC suppression, of which HMGCL regulated H3K9 acetylation through β-OHB and modulating the expression of DPP4 in a dose-dependent manner, which led to ferroptosis in HCC cells.
Factors associated with an unfavorable outcome in patients visiting the emergency department with acute abdominal pain
Authors: Dadeh Ar-aishah
Published: September 2022

Background
Unfavorable outcome occurs in patients who visit the emergency department (ED) with acute abdominal pain. We aimed to determine the factors associated with unfavorable outcome in ED patients who presented with acute abdominal pain.
Methods
A retrospective cohort study was conducted from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. The inclusion criteria were patients aged older than 18 years who presented to the emergency department (ED) with acute abdominal pain. The patients were divided into either the favorable outcome group or unfavorable outcome group. The two groups were compared in terms of baseline characteristics, triage category, physical examination findings, duration of symptoms, laboratory and imaging results, final diagnosis, treatment in the ED, emergency department length of stay (EDLOS), and ED disposition, morbidity, and mortality. The significant associated factors for an unfavorable outcome were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses by logistic regression.
Results
A total of 951 patients were included in the study. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed EDLOS > 4 hours (adjusted odd ratio (AOR) 2.62, 95% CI: 1.33–5.14, p = 0.005), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) < 80 mmHg (AOR 3.31, 95% CI: 1.71–6.4, p ≤ 0.001), respiratory rate ≥ 24 breaths/min (AOR 2.03, 95% CI: 1.07–3.86, p ≤ 0.031), right lower quadrant (RLQ) tenderness (AOR 3.72, 95% CI: 1.89–7.32, p ≤ 0.001), abdominal distension (AOR 2.91, 95% CI: 1.29–6.57, p = 0.010), hypoactive bowel sounds (AOR 2.89, 95% CI: 1.09–7.67, p = 0.033), presence of specific abdominal signs (AOR 2.07, 95% CI: 1.1–3.88, p = 0.024), leukocytosis ≥ 12,000 cells/mm3 (AOR 2.37, 95% CI: 1.22–4.6, p = 0.011), and absolute neutrophil count (ANC) > 75% (AOR 2.83, 95% CI: 1.39–5.75, p = 0.004) were revealed as significant factors associated with unfavorable outcome. Significant variables associated with in-hospital mortality in the unfavorable outcome group were presence of shock (p ≤ 0.001), mechanical ventilation used (p = 0.008), emergency surgery required (p = 0.007), and occurrence of in-hospital cardiac arrest (p = 0.002). Emergency surgical procedures performed were appendectomy (58.5%, 38 patients), exploratory laparotomy (29.2%, 19 patients), laparoscopy (7.7%, 5 patients), and cholecystectomy (4.6%, 3 patients). Three patients died after admission and one patient died at the ED.
Conclusions
The present study revealed that the significant clinical signs associated with the occurrence of unfavorable outcome were DBP < 80 mmHg, tachypnea (≥ 24 breaths/minute), RLQ tenderness, abdominal distension, hypoactive bowel sounds, and presence of specific abdominal signs. Moreover, associated laboratory results identified from this study were leukocytosis and ANC > 75%. Finally, ED patients with abdominal pain who had EDLOS longer than 4 hours were associated with unfavorable outcome.
Distributed Computing With the Cloud
Authors: Afek Yehuda , Giladi Gal , Patt-Shamir Boaz
Published: September 2022

We investigate the effect of omnipresent cloud storage on distributed computing. To this end, we specify a network model with links of prescribed bandwidth that connect standard processing nodes, and, in addition, passive storage nodes. Each passive node represents a cloud storage system, such as Dropbox, Google Drive etc. We study a few tasks in this model, assuming a single cloud node connected to all other nodes, which are connected to each other arbitrarily. We give implementations for basic tasks of collaboratively writing to and reading from the cloud, and for more advanced applications such as matrix multiplication and federated learning. Our results show that utilizing node-cloud links as well as node-node links can considerably speed up computations, compared to the case where processors communicate either only through the cloud or only through the network links. We first show how to optimally read and write large files to and from the cloud in general graphs using flow techniques. We use these primitives to derive algorithms for combining, where every processor node has an input value and the task is to compute a combined value under some given associative operator. In the special but common case of “fat links,” where we assume that links between processors are bidirectional and have high bandwidth, we provide near-optimal algorithms for any commutative combining operator (such as vector addition). For the task of matrix multiplication (or other non-commutative combining operators), where the inputs are ordered, we present tight results in the simple “wheel” network, where procesing nodes are arranged in a ring, and are all connected to a single cloud node.
Ordinal conditional entropy displays reveal intrinsic characteristics of the Rosenberg Self- Esteem Scale
Authors: Furfaro Emanuela , Hsieh Fushing
Published: September 2022

Individual subjects’ ratings neither are metric nor have homogeneous meanings, so digital- labeled collections of subjects’ ratings are intrinsically ordinal and categorical. However, in these situations the literature privileges the use of measures conceived for numerical data. In this paper, we discuss the exploratory theme of employing conditional entropy to measure degrees of uncertainty in responding to self-rating questions, and that of displaying the computed entropies along the ordinal axis for visible pattern recognition. We apply this theme to the study of an online data set which contains responses to the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. We report three major findings. First, at the fine scale level, the resultant multiple ordinal-display of response-vs-covariate entropy measures reveals that the subjects on both extreme labels (high self-esteem and low self-esteem), show distinct degrees of uncertainty. Secondly, at the global scale level, in responding to positively posed questions, the degree of uncertainty decreases for increasing levels of self-esteem, while, in responding to negative questions, the degree of uncertainty increases. Thirdly, such entropy-based computed patterns are preserved across age groups. We provide a set of tools developed in R that are ready to implement for the analysis of rating data and for exploring pattern-based knowledge in related research.
No “carry-over” effects of tracking devices on return rate and parameters determining reproductive success in once and repeatedly tagged common swifts (Apus apus) a long-distance migratory bird
Authors: Wellbrock Arndt Horst Johann , Witte Klaudia
Published: September 2022

Background:To understand life-history strategies in migratory bird species, we should focus on migration behaviour and possible carry-over effects on both population and individual level. Tracking devices are useful tools to directly investigate migration behaviour. With increased use of tracking devices, questions arise towards animal welfare and possible negative effects of logger on birds. Several studies were conducted to address this question in birds that were tagged and tracked for one complete non-breeding season including migration but with mixed results. To detect individual-based decisions regarding migration strategy, we need to track the same individuals several times. So far, there are no studies investigating effects of repeatedly tagging on reproduction and life-history traits in individual migratory birds, especially in small birds.Methods:We used long-term data of 85 tagged common swifts (Apus apus), a long-distance migratory bird, of a breeding colony in Germany to test whether carrying a geolocator or GPS logger once or repeatedly during non-breeding season affected return rate and parameters determining breeding success. Additionally, we checked for individual differences in arrival date and breeding parameters when the same individuals were tagged and when they were not tagged in different years. Further, we calculated the individual repeatability in arrival at the breeding colony and date of egg laying in repeatedly tagged swifts.Results:Once and repeatedly tagged birds returned to the colony at a similar rate as non-logger birds and arrived earlier than non-logger birds. We detected no differences in time lag to clutch initiation, date of clutch initiation, clutch size, number of chicks and fledglings between logger and non-logger birds. We found no effect of loggers on the arrival date and breeding parameter on individual-level. And arrival date and date of clutch initiation were moderately to highly repeatable within repeatedly tagged individuals.Conclusions:Our data indicated that carrying a logger once or repeatedly had no effect on return rate and breeding success in common swifts.
Energy-efficient power cap configurations through Pareto Front Analysis and Machine Learning Categorization
Authors: Cabrera Alberto , Almeida Francisco , Castellanos-Nieves Dagoberto , Oleksiak Ariel , Blanco Vicente
Published: September 2022

The growing demand for more computational resources has increased the overall energy consumption in computer systems. To support the increasing requirements, power and energy consumption have to be considered as a constraint to execute software. Modern architectures provide tools to manage directly the power constraints of a system. The Intel Power Cap is a relatively recent tool developed to offer fine control of power usage to users at a central processing unit (CPU) level.We propose a methodology to analyze the performance and the energy efficiency trade-offs using this power cap technology for a given algorithm.We extract a Pareto front for the multi-objective performance and energy problem to represent multiple feasible configurations for both objectives. We perform an extensive experimentation to categorize the different algorithms to reduce the total amount of optimal power cap configurations. We propose the use of Machine Learning (ML) clustering techniques to categorize any algorithm in the target architecture.The use of Machine Learning allows to automate the procedure and simplifies the effort required to solve the optimization problem.We present a practical case where we categorize the kernels using ML techniques, with the option to include a new algorithm into an already existing categorization.
Results on Certain Polymers using M-polynomial and NM-polynomial of Topological indices
Authors: H Mohammed Yasin , M Suresh
Published: September 2022

A topological index(TI) is a numerical value matching to a graph. It is frequently employed in chemometrics, biomedicines and bioinformatics to forecast various physiochemical attributes and biological activities of a substances. One of the polynomials named as neighborhood M-polynomial (NM-polynomial) which is used to derive numerous degree-based TI’s. Polysaccharide, poly-γ-glutamic acid and poly-l-lysine, which is a well-known biopolymer, It has extraordinary qualities that attracts a great deal of attention in the fields of medicine, the food industry, wastewater treatment, etc. In this we calculate the degree based and neighborhood degree based indices for above-stated biopolymers in consolidate by using. The NM-polynomial and M-polynomial is being utilized to consolidate the degree based and neighborhood degree based indices are calculated for the study.
Impact of Tax Administration on Revenue Generation in Lagos State
Authors: Ogundipe Michael
Published: September 2022

In this study, the impact of tax collection on state revenue creation in Lagos was assessed. 100 questionnaires were delivered. Frequency distribution statistics, percentages, the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC), and regression analysis are some of the techniques employed. This frequency and the percentage allow us to understand how the respondents feel about the queries posed and answers provided. The regression analysis was utilized to determine the variables' sign and size as well as their significance. The study's findings indicate a beneficial association between electronic tax payments, tax compliance, and revenue creation. The outcome has the implication that regular usage of the electronic tax payment system inside the FIRS organization will maintain the state's improvement in tax responsibility and revenue production. Tax avoidance and evasion have a detrimental impact on Lagos State's ability to generate income. The conclusion of the outcome is that rising tax avoidance and evasion will reduce state revenue production. The correlation coefficient, r, is -0.723, demonstrating a negative relationship between tax avoidance and evasion and income generation. There is no database for all people who are taxable in Lagos State, the tools used to collect and assess taxes in Lagos State are insufficient, the tax laws are extremely complex and difficult for most people to understand, there is a lack of transparency in the handling of tax payers' money, and taxes are occasionally levied on taxpayers' income by two or more jurisdictions.
JEL code: H20, H25, H26
The evolution of disability effects along the income distribution: Evidence from Italy
Authors: Mussida Chiara , Dario Dario
Published: September 2022

We investigate how disability affects income distribution and how this has evolved with the Great Recession in Italy, using 2005–2008 and 2015–2018 European Union Statistics for Income and Living Conditions data and a dynamic bivariate ordered probit model. We account for the extra costs of disability and model both income and disability processes, allowing for feedback effects from past income to disability. We find that disability is associated with income disadvantage, which the Great Recession has exacerbated. This has resulted in greater income inequality for non-disabled persons and smaller disparities for those with a disability, as a consequence of loss of income both at the bottom and the top of the distribution. Persistence in poverty for people with severe disability increased, while persistence in wealth decreased. In addition, the probability of moving from wealthy to poor conditions has increased for people with disabilities, whereas the opposite has occurred for non-disabled persons.
Use of acoustic stimulus to recognize abnormal zebrafish behavior in water quality warning systems
Authors: Huang Yi , 武 军旭 , 王 Yuetong , Zhao Pingge , 王 Ning
Published: September 2022

Fish behavioral responses have impeded the development of water quality warning technology due to high false alarm rates. The causes of abnormal behavior in fish such as zebrafish (Danio rerio), are often unknown. In this study, acoustic stimuli were tested in recognizing abnormal zebrafish behavior under cadmium exposure. Acoustic startle response sensitivity curves were obtained and analyzed to determine the loudness and frequencies at which the zebrafish responded to the stimuli. The standard stimulus duration was 30 s, and the interval between two stimulations was 20 min. It was found that Cd exposure can weaken zebrafish acoustic startle responses, particularly at 100 Hz and 97 dB, and was significantly correlated with the reduction of the response. After 30 min, the average rate of swimming activity decreased to 24% in 0.25 TU and to 17.6% in 2 TU exposure. This indicates that the acoustic stimulation elicits a response that could help determine a false alarm. Based on this data, we designed a model for testing the abnormal behavior. This study can offer insights for improving the accuracy and stability of water quality warning systems, and is beneficial to the development and application of early-warning systems with biological monitoring of water quality.
Detection and Analysis of Flooding Attacks in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Gebremariam Gebrekiros Gebreyesus , Panda Jeepanda , Indu S.
Published: September 2022

Wireless sensor networks are distributed networks and randomly deployed in harsh environments. The scattered nature of the sensor nodes in an unattended environment makes them vulnerable to various types of attacks. Multiple attacks like flooding attacks degrade the network performance and lifetime by sending various requests to malicious nodes. This paper proposes the detection and analysis of flooding attacks in mesh wireless sensor networks using the Blue tooth communication package MATLAB 2020a toolbox. The flooding attack disabled the relay nodes during the routing path between sources and destination nodes for each simulation scenario. The simulations are conducted by the number of sensors variation for the random generator. After simulating the meshed nodes, the statistical results are the message delivery chance, average hope count, and critical relays. The opportunity of message delivery having a route between sources and destinations is 88.64%. The effectiveness of the proposed system for detection and analysis of flooding attacks is evaluated by random forest machine earing techniques with an average detection rate and accuracy of 99.83%, which is greater than by 3.8%.
Light-stimulated Ethylene Production by Germinating Cucumber Seeds1
Authors: Saltveit Mikal E. , Pharr David M.
Published: September 2022

The degree to which white light stimulated ethylene production in germinating seeds of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) was influenced by the length of time the seed had been germinated in the dark before being exposed to light. Maximum stimulation occurred when 24 hour old dark-grown seedlings were exposed to 40 μE m−2 sec−1 light for 24 hours. Ethylene production increased with the duration and intensity of light exposure at all seedling ages. Neither the light or dark rates of ethylene, or carbon dioxide production, nor their ratios, were highly correlated with the sexual phenotype of the 9 cultivars examined.
Sensory Characteristics of Apple Fruit1,2
Authors: Watada Alley E. , Abbott Judith A. , Hardenburg Robert E.
Published: September 2022

A profile was developed to describe sensory characteristics of ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Miller Spur’, ‘Redspur’, ‘Rome Beauty’, and ‘York Imperial’ apples (Malus domestica Borkh.). Ten sensory attributes were selected and the intensities of the attributes were plotted on a circular graph. The patterns of the plots differed among cultivars and patterns of some cultivars changed with successive harvests and storage of apples. The patterns were used to describe the general sensory characteristics of apples.
Levels of Extractable Abscisic Acid in the Mesocarp and Seed of Persisting and Abscising Peach Fruit1
Authors: Ramina A. , Masia A.
Published: September 2022

Developing fruits of peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch cv. Andross) were classified as to abscission potential on the basis of fruit growth rate during stage I. Levels of inhibitors, as determined by wheat coleoptile and cress seed assays, were parallel in mesocarp and seed. Extracts from fruits with a high abscission potential contained significantly lower levels of an abscisic acid-like inhibitor than did those with low or intermediate potential. Thus ABA content appears to be positively correlated with the rate of fruit growth, and increases in concentration as the fruit is approaching maturity.
Solar photo-assisted electrochemical peroxidation process for the sustainable treatment of tannery industry wastewater
Authors: Gopal Selvabharathi , Somanathan Adishkumar , Jeyakumar RajeshBanu
Published: September 2022

Tannery wastewater is a complex mixture of organic and inorganic components from various processes with high concentrations of Cr, BOD, COD, TDS, strong colour and pH. The goal of the present work was to determine the optimal solar photo-assisted electrochemical peroxidation process (SPECP) experimental conditions for the treatment of tannery wastewater. Experiments were conducted in a bench-scale stirred tank SPECP reactor of 5 L with iron plates as anode and cathode in a contact effective area of 218 cm2. In the stirred tank reactor at optimal conditions, the SPECP yielded 97% COD, 98% of colour and 92% of chromium (III) removal after 60 min at 15 mA/cm2. SPECP improved the biodegradability (BOD5/COD) of tannery wastewater from 0.4 to 0.6 in 15 min. These results showed that wastewater from tannery industries could be treated up to the level of the minimal national standards of India for waste disposal; COD=90 mg/L, BOD=30 mg/L and chromium (III)=1.2 mg/L at a treatment time of 60 min. The operating cost of the best economic condition with maximum degradation was $8.2/m3.
Emulating the estuarine morphology evolution using a deep convolutional neural network emulator based on hydrodynamic results of a numerical model
Authors: Weber de Melo Willian , Pinho J. L. S. , Iglesias Isabel
Published: September 2022

Coastal and estuarine areas present remarkable environmental values, being key zones for the development of many human activities such as tourism, industry, fishing, and other ecosystem services. To promote the sustainable use of these services, effectively managing these areas and their water and sediment resources for present and future conditions is of utmost importance to implement operational forecast platforms using real-time data and numerical models. These platforms are commonly based on numerical modelling suites, which can simulate hydro-morphodynamic patterns with considerable accuracy. However, in many cases, considering the high spatial resolution models that are necessary to develop operational forecast platforms, a high computing capacity is also required, namely for data processing and storage. This work proposes the use of artificial intelligence (AI) models to emulate morphodynamic numerical model results, allowing us to optimize the use of computational resources. A convolutional neural network was implemented, demonstrating its capacity in reproducing the erosion and sedimentation patterns, resembling the numerical model results. The obtained root mean squared error was 0.59 cm, and 74.5 years of morphological evolution was emulated in less than 5 s. The viability of surrogating numerical models by AI techniques to forecast the morphological evolution of estuarine regions was clearly demonstrated.
The future of flood hydrology in the UK
Authors: Lamb Rob , Longfield Sean , Manson Susan , Cloke Hannah L. , Pilling Charlie , Reynard Nick , Sheppard Owain , Asadullah Anita , Vaughan Michael , Fowler Hayley J. , Beven Keith J.
Published: September 2022

A ‘roadmap’ for the future of UK flood hydrology over the next 25 years has been published, based on a wide-ranging and inclusive co-creation process involving more than 270 individuals and 50 organisations from different sectors and disciplines. This paper highlights key features of the roadmap and its development as a community-owned initiative. The roadmap's relationship with hydrological research and practice is discussed, as is its context within the wider flood risk management innovation landscape, including funding. While the paper has a focus on UK flood hydrology, reflecting the scope of the roadmap, it is also considered in the context of advances in hydrology internationally.
Transfer Hydrogenation Reactions by Using Simple Biomass Alcohols as Hydrogen
Sources
Authors: Qie Xuan , Khan Ruhima , Fan Baomin
Published: September 2022

The reduction of different unsaturated compounds by transfer hydrogenation (TH)
has emerged as a more efficient methodology than the classical method of using the molecular
hydrogen in industry and laboratory. Transfer hydrogenation is more advantageous in terms of
safety and convenience. Alcohols, formic acid, esters, H2O, etc. are the common molecules
that are used as a hydrogen donor in the transfer hydrogenation reaction. Primary alcohols,
namely methanol and ethanol were less explored as a hydrogen source in the TH reaction,
probably due to the formation of aldehyde after dehydrogenation of these alcohols, which are
more reactive and may undergo side reactions. However, methanol and ethanol are cheap,
easily available, and easily handled compounds. They can be easily obtained from biomass,
coal, etc. Because of these advantages, chemists became more interested in the application of
methanol and ethanol as hydrogen sources in the transfer hydrogenation reaction. In this review, we present an
overview of the work reported by different groups on the transfer hydrogenation reactions with methanol and ethanol
as hydrogen sources.
Cognitive Advantage of Bilingualism Over Monolingualism in Older
Adults: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Chen Si , Lin Yuying , Zuo Shufang , Wang Ziyu , Liang Jinghong , Jiang Zheng , Xu Yue , Wang Peiyu , Jing Xiuchen , Lin Lu
Published: September 2022

Objectives:

This study aimed to explore whether bilingual older adults had a cognitive advantage over their monolingual counterparts, and validate the influence of cognition-related (participants’ cognitive condition, the cognitive domain assessed), and bilingualism-related factors (second language proficiency, frequency of use, acquisition time, and immigration status of participants)on the cognitive advantage of bilingualism.

Methods:

Through a systematic search of nine databases (Web of science, PubMed, Elsevier Science Direct, Cochrane Library, Embase, PsycINFO, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang) from the inception to April, 2021, observational studies with bilingual and monolingual older adults as participants and cognitive function scores as outcome measures were included. Two reviewers independently completed the selection and methodological quality assessment of studies using the JBI cross-sectional study quality evaluation tool, and used a pre-designed table for data extraction and sorting.

Results:

Fourteen studies with 51 tasks were included, involving 3737 participants (bilingual group: 1695, monolingual group: 2042). The overall results of the meta-analysis showed that bilingualism had a small cognitive advantage over monolingualism in older adults [SMD=0.23, 95%CI (0.07, 0.38), P=0.004]. In addition, the subgroup analyses indicated that factors such as participants’ cognitive condition, the cognitive domain assessed, second language proficiency, acquisition time, and immigration status of participants had an impact on the cognitive advantage of bilingualism in older adults.

Conclusion:

Bilingualism had a mild cognitive advantage over monolingualism in older adults, which was more prominent in older adults with mild cognitive impairment than in cognitively healthy ones, more evident in global cognitive function and inhibitory control than in other individual cognitive domains, and might be influenced by the proficiency and acquisition time of second language as well as the immigration status of older adults.
Adipokine Profile on Joint and Periodontal Conditions in First-degree
Relatives of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Ramos-Casallas Alejandro , De Avila Juliette , Chaparro‐Sanabria Andrea , Choueka Philippe Chalem , Bello-Gualtero Juan Manuel , Chila-Moreno Lorena , Pacheco-Tena César , Bautista-Molano Wilson , Romero-Sánchez Consuelo
Published: September 2022

Background:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by joint inflammation and destruction.

Objective:

Establish the association between Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) infection, body mass index (BMI), joint involvement, and serum adipokines in first-degree relatives (FDR) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods:

The cross-sectional study evaluated 124 FDR and 124 healthy controls (HC). The clinical examination included joint and radiographic evaluation and calculation of BMI. Serum adipokine levels were measured (leptin, vaspin, adiponectin, resistin, and adipsin), as were the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies. Investigations were performed to detect P. gingivalis, and anti-P. gingivalis antibodies. Statistical analyses were per-formed to confirm associations.

Results:

Leptin levels in FDR were associated with BMI >25 (OR, 2.64; 95%CI, 1.17-5.97; P=0.019), radiographic damage (Simple Erosion Narrowing Score [SENS])/hands, total SENS, and joint space narrowing in feet (P=0.037, 0.026, 0.020, respectively). FDR had more tender joints (P=0.018); this finding was associated with high levels of leptin and resistin and low levels of adip-sin (P=0.040, 0.040, and 0.019, respectively).
The presence of P. gingivalis was related to FDR, low levels of adipsin, resistin, adiponectin, and a trend toward higher levels of leptin (P=0.002, 0.001, 0.003, and 0.060, respectively), whereas anti-P. gingivalis antibodies were related to low levels of adipsin (P=0.001).

Conclusion:

In FDR, serum adipokine levels were associated with overweight and the presence of P. gingivalis. Adipokine levels were also associated with joint involvement. Hence, adipokines may be involved in the pathogenesis of RA in FDR and warrant further investigation.
α-Cyanoacrylate Rapid Medical Adhesive (Medical EC Glue) Localization
of Pulmonary Nodules Guided by Computed Tomography before Thoracoscopic
Surgery
Authors: Liu Yinghui , Hou Zhonghui , Wu Ke , Zhu Yanjun , Wang Huaiyu , Han Yong
Published: September 2022

Objective:

The study aims to conduct lung cancer screening by low-dose CT to identify the
nature of the pulmonary nodule. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of preoperative
medical EC glue localization of pulmonary nodules of uncertain nature by minimally invasive surgical
resection.

Methods:

From December 2017 to December 2019, 18 patients (12 women, 6 men; median age: 54
years)with pulmonary nodules were located using medical EC glue under the guidance of preoperative
CT and then resected under video thoracoscopy at Air Force Medical Center of PLA. The clinical
characteristics were retrospectively collected to evaluate the effectiveness, safety and feasibility of the
operation.

Results:

The mean value of the maximum diameter of pulmonary nodules on CT images before the
operation was 10.8 mm. The average depth was 10.3 mm (1.0-39.5 mm). Among 18 nodules, 8 were
pure ground glass nodules, 3 were solid nodules, and 7 were partial solid nodules. The diagnosis rate of
medical glue localization under the guidance of CT after the operation was 100%. Postoperative pathological
diagnosis showed that there were 10 cases of primary lung adenocarcinoma, 1 case of invasive
lung adenocarcinoma, 3 cases of adenocarcinoma in situ, 1 case of metastatic adenocarcinoma, and 3
cases of benign nodules. No obvious serious complications were found after localization.

Conclusions:

This study suggests that CT-guided percutaneous medical EC glue localization is a reliable,
safe, feasible and practical method for undiagnosed pulmonary nodules and can significantly improve
the rate of resection of small pulmonary nodules. Furthermore, it was considered to be more
reasonable to remove pulmonary nodules and maximize the preservation of lung function.
Enhanced Moth-flame Optimizer with Quasi-Reflection and Refraction
Learning with Application to Image Segmentation and Medical Diagnosis
Authors: Ye Yinghai , Chen Huiling , Pan Zhifang , Xia Jianfu , Cai Zhennao , Heidari Ali Asghar
Published: September 2022

Background:

Moth-flame optimization will meet the premature and stagnation phenomenon when encountering difficult optimization tasks.

Objective:

To overcome the above shortcomings, this paper presented a quasi-reflection moth-flame optimization algorithm with refraction learning called QRMFO to strengthen the property of ordinary MFO and apply it in various application fields.

Method:

In the proposed QRMFO, quasi-reflection-based learning increases the diversity of the population and expands the search space on the iteration jump phase; refraction learning improves the accuracy of the potential optimal solution.

Results:

Several experiments are conducted to evaluate the superiority of the proposed QRMFO in the paper; first of all, the CEC2017 benchmark suite is utilized to estimate the capability of QRMFO when dealing with the standard test sets compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms; afterward, QRMFO is adopted to deal with multilevel thresholding image segmentation problems and real medical diagnosis case.

Conclusion:

Simulation results and discussions show that the proposed optimizer is superior to the basic MFO and other advanced methods in terms of convergence rate and solution accuracy.
Combating the COVID-19 Pandemic Using 3D Printed PPE: Challenges and Recommendations
Authors: Amir Amaar , Amir Baraa
Published: September 2022

Background:

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March of 2020. As traditional respiratory personal protective equipment (PPE) was in severe shortage, communities turned to 3D printing to provide printed PPE alternatives; however, certain hurdles need to be addressed to ensure the safety of users.

Objective:

One main consideration when dealing with 3D printed parts is the presence of pores. Several studies have found the diameter of these pores to range widely from as little as 10µm to over 150 µm, making them larger than the droplets and nuclei through which the virus is transmitted.

Methods:

Researchers found that altering print settings, such as increasing the extrusion multiplier, may decrease the size and number of these perforating pores. Other challenges include the variable reproducibility of printed PPE, which may be remedied through printer calibration. Storage and sterilization are also a challenge as most 3D printed plastics do not tolerate disinfection methods, such as autoclaves. The use of chemical disinfectants is recommended instead. The rigidity of printed plastics may compromise the fit of masks for varying users. Using 3D scanning may provide personalized masks that seal appropriately.

Results:

One final issue is the prolonged interaction with 3D printers of inexperienced users, predisposing them to the respiratory tract and skin irritation; thus, adequate ventilation and protection are mandatory.

Conclusion:

Documenting the benefits and drawbacks of this form of PPE production carries great significance in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as any future public health emergencies.
THE ROLE OF SELF-CONFIDENCE IN MEDIATING THE EFFECTS OF SKILL PRACTICES AND TRAINING ON EMPLOYEES' PERFORMANCE
Authors:   Pelita Bangsa University, Indonesia, Sutarto Sutarto , Setyaningrum Retno Purwani ,   Pelita Bangsa University, Indonesia, Rezeki Fitri ,   Pelita Bangsa University, Indonesia
Published: September 2022

This study examines the direct effect of skill practices and training on employees' performance and the indirect effect of skill practices and training on employees' performance through self-confidence. This study was conducted at PT. Mulia Glass Float Division, Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java. This study is a quantitative study that collected data using a survey technique through a questionnaire. The data was then processed using PLS 3.3.3 software. The study population was 151 employees. Based on purposive sampling, the entire population was used as a sample. The results showed that self-confidence had a positive effect on employees' performance, skill practices had a positive impact on self-confidence, skill practices had a positive effect on employees' performance, training had a positive impact on self-confidence, and training had no effect on employees' performance, skill practices had a positive effect on employees' performance through self-confidence mediation, and training had a positive effect on employees' performance through self-confidence mediation. The expertise possessed by employees and the training provided could increase the employees' confidence that they could conduct their duties and responsibilities properly. Consecutively, it affected increasing employees' performance. This study is expected to be a reference for company management to conduct training to improve employees' skill practices continuously. It is also expected to increase employees' self-confidence and have an impact on improving employees' performance.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AND PERCEIVED QUALITY IN MEDIATING THE INFLUENCE OF CONSUMER ETHNOCENTRISM ON PURCHASE INTENTION
Authors:   Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia, Ardisa Chintata , Rohman Fatchur ,   Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia, Puspaningrum Astrid ,   Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia
Published: September 2022

This study aims to determine and analyze the relationship between Consumer Ethnocentrism, Country of Origin, Purchase Intention, and Perceived Quality in local cosmetics of Indonesian products. This research will be conducted by the explanatory research method. The population of this study is women in Malang who already know the products of MAKEOVER but have never purchased the product. The sample from this study amounted to 186 respondents. This study, the number of variables studied as many as four variables, namely consumer ethnocentrism, country of origin, perceived quality, and purchase intention. This study was conducted to dispel the assumption that genuine local products, especially Indonesian cosmetics, are still often judged to be inferior to imported products. The data collection techniques in this study were conducted through questionnaires and documentation. The technique used in taking the sample was non-probability sampling using quota sampling from prospective consumers. Data analysis techniques used through validity tests use Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) instrument validity tests, reliability tests, and Partial Least Square (PLS) approach with Smart PLS 3 software. The results showed that consumer ethnocentrism owned by women in Malang is a prospective consumer of local products has led to the interest in purchasing MAKEOVER products as opposed to imported cosmetic products, an exciting finding in this study because the high ethnocentric spirit does not make people want to buy local products, further findings that a good image of the country of origin is proven to influence the buying interest of prospective consumers and also proven to be a good antecedent between consumer ethnocentrism and purchase intention than perceived quality managed to be the primary mediation between consumer ethnocentrism and purchase intention in local products. Based on the result of this study, the company must compete with imported products by increasing the ethnocentrism campaign to its consumers so that it can create continuous purchase intentions in many ways.
THE ROLE OF SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP IN IMPROVING JOB COMMITMENT, ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
Authors:   Universitas Hasyim Asyari, Tebuireng Jombang, Indonesia, Idawati Khoirotul , Mahadun Hanifudin ,   Universitas Hasyim Asyari, Tebuireng Jombang, Indonesia
Published: September 2022

This study aims to examine spiritual leadership affects organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), investigate the effect of spiritual leadership to employee performance, investigate the effect of job commitment to employee performance, to investigate the effect of spiritual leadership to job commitment, to investigate the effect of job commitment to OCB, and to examine the effect of OCB to employee performance of Islamic banking. Related to the research objective, the type of research is explanatory research. The sampling technique was saturated sampling. The sample of the study was 102 employees of Islamic banking in Malang. Questionnaires collected data and analyzed using structural equations modeling (SEM). The results show that spiritual leadership affects OCB. Spiritual leadership effect on job commitment and employee performance. Likewise, job commitment brings no effect on employee performance. Job commitment significantly affects OCB, and OCB affects employee performance. The findings from this research could be applied to enhance employee performance by developing job commitment and organizational citizenship behavior among employees in Islamic banking.
Aplicación de un sistema de gestión del conocimiento en productores ovinos-caprinos en Colombia
Authors: Ospina-Rivera Oscar Fernando , Torres-Cruz ´Mónica Zayne , Grajales-Lombana Henry Alberto
Published: September 2022

Objective. Knowledge management contributes to the generation of competitive advantages in sheep-goat production systems. Materials and methods. With 66 producers, the effect of applying a knowledge management model on its level and use was evaluated. The construction of the model involved 4 phases: Characterization of the producers, Management with information systems and analysis of indicators, Intervention with knowledge management and Monitoring and evaluation; In these, the analysis of three (3) types of producers was developed: with a conventional technical assistance system, intervened and without intervention, evaluating them in terms of the level and use of appropriate knowledge. Results. The group that actually worked on the knowledge management model that aims to appropriate, exchange and combine the tacit with the explicit, accept that their level and use of knowledge was modified compared to what was expressed by those who contemplated a conventional technical assistance model or the that they did not have (p<0.05). Conclusions. Continue developing works of this type that contribute to the management and construction of tacit knowledge at different levels based on the experiences and internalization of explicit knowledge.