bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quality Analysis of YouTube Videos about Thyroid Orbitopathy
Authors: İlhan Hatice Deniz , Yaprak Aslı Çetinkaya , Pota Çisil Erkan
Published: December 2022

Purpose: To evaluate the quality and reliability of YouTube videos about Thyroid Orbitopathy
Methods: A YouTube search was performed using the keyword 'Graves eye disease’, ‘thyroid eye disease’, ‘thyroid orbitopathy’, ‘thyroid ophtalmopathy' in the search bar of YouTube. The first 50 videos were analyzed for each keywords. and the first 100 videos that came out were included in the study. The numbers of views, likes, dislikes, comments, daily viewing rate (number of views per day), uploaded source, country of origin, video type (patient experience, scholarly information), and described treatment technique were evaluated for all videos. They were also evaluated regarding their DISCERN, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), global quality score (GQS) and usefulness score by two independent ophthalmologists.
Results: Of the top 100 videos, 94 videos met the criteria. The mean DISCERN, JAMA, GQS and usefulness score were 55.27±16.57,3.04±0.64,3.44±0.93 and 3.23±1.1. If we look at the upload source 53(56.4%) videos were uploaded by physicians, 30(31,9%) videos by institutions/ private health institutions, 7(7,4%) videos by health channels, 4(%4,3) videos by patients. All scoring systems showed a statistically significant and strong positive correlation with each other (p<0.001). A statistically significant positive correlation between viewing rate, likes and comments was observed. As the duration of the video increased, a significant increase in the scores in other scores was observed
Conclusion:YouTube is an important platform for thyroid orbitopathy patients, it helps patients to be aware of their disease in the early period and most of the videos were of good quality. Ophthalmologists should guide their patients who want to get information on YouTube to watch videos uploaded by health care professionals.
Defining Core Outcomes of Reproductive Genetic Carrier Screening: A Delphi survey of Australian and New Zealand stakeholders
Authors: Richardson Ebony , McEwen Alison , Newton-John Toby , Jacobs Chris
Published: December 2022

Understanding the benefits of health interventions is needed to inform best practice and ensure responsible implementation of new approaches to patient care. The assessment of outcomes is an important part of demonstrating these benefits. There is no current consensus about which outcomes are appropriate for the evaluation of genetic health interventions, including genetic testing and genetic counselling. The Core Outcome DEvelopment for Carrier Screening study has addressed this lack of guidance by undertaking a systematic approach to understanding the outcomes that can meaningfully capture the benefits of reproductive genetic carrier screening (RGCS). Herein, we report on a consensus process to determine the degree of consensus among Australian and New Zealand stakeholders regarding the core outcomes of RGCS. An iterative, two-round online Delphi survey was conducted. Panellists ranked 83 outcomes according to their perceived importance on a nine-point Likert scale. Using the distribution of rankings, outcomes were grouped into tiers representative of their perceived level of importance and agreement between groups. The top tier outcomes were agreed to be critically important for all future studies and were used to define a preliminary core outcome set encompassing the domains (1) primary laboratory outcomes, (2) pregnancy outcomes, (3) resource use and (4) perceived utility of RGCS. These findings will help to guide the selection of meaningful outcomes in studies aiming to evaluate the value of RGCS. A future international consensus process will expand on these findings and guide the inclusion of diverse perspectives across the range of settings in which RGCS is offered.
How is parental education associated with infant and young child feeding in Bangladesh? A systematic literature review
Authors: Sarkar Plabon , Rifat M. A. , Bakshi Progati , Talukdar Imdadul Haque , Pechtl Sarah M. L. , Battle Tobias Lindström , Saha Sanjib
Published: December 2022

Background
Education is expected to bring about positive behavioral changes that could lead to better health, especially parental education is one of the most important factors for a child’s health and development. However, the role of parental education on optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in Bangladesh is inconclusive. The objective of this review is to summarize how parental education is associated with IYCF practices in Bangladesh.
Method
This review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar. Record searching, study selection and data extraction was performed using Endnote online and Covidence software, respectively. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used for quality assessment of the included studies.
Results
Out of 414 initial hits, 34 studies were included for this review. Of the included studies, 32 were cross-sectional, one was a randomized controlled trial, and one was a retrospective cohort. Most of the studies (n=24) were nationally representative whereas 10 studies had populations from district and sub-district level. Included studies considered different IYCF related indicators, including breastfeeding (n=22), complementary feeding (n=8), both breastfeeding and complementary feeding (n=2), both breastfeeding and bottle feeding (n=1), and pre-lacteal feeding (n=1). Parental education was found positively associated with complementary feeding practices. However, the role of parental education on breastfeeding, in general, was ambiguous. High parental education was associated with bottle-feeding practices and no initiation of colostrum.
Conclusion
Public health interventions need to focus not only on non- and/or low educated parents regarding complementary feeding but also on educated mothers on initiation of colostrum and proper breastfeeding practices.
Registration
This systematic review is registered to PROSPERO (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/) with registration ID: CRD42022355465
Agrobacterium rhizogenes–induced Altered Morphology and Physiology in Rubber Dandelion after Genetic Transformation
Authors: Lankitus David , Zhang Yingxiao , Ariyaratne Menaka , Barker David J. , McNulty Sarah L. , Amstutz Nikita , Zhao Lu , Iaffaldano Brian J. , Cornish Katrina
Published: December 2022

Agrobacterium rhizogenes transformation is a more rapid method of obtaining transgenic and edited rubber dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz) plants than Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The hairy root rol genes are present alongside transgenes after transformation, and they change the morphology of rubber dandelion significantly. Although these rol genes are useful visual markers indicating successful transformation of rubber dandelion, they modify the phenotype induced by the target transgenes and are ultimately detrimental to agronomic traits. Fortunately, the rol genes can be removed by conventional plant breeding because they segregate in progeny separately from the targeted transgenes. However, it is preferable to have preliminary identification of promising effects induced by transgenes or gene edits before rol gene removal so that only the best plants are used for breeding. Therefore, the goal of this research was to characterize rol– and rol+ plant morphology so that, in the future, rol+ transgene+ plants can be easily distinguished from rol+ transgene– plants. This requires that rol gene–induced morphological changes and simply assayed physiological traits are first characterized thoroughly so that transgene changes may be observed. Taproot formation is reduced or eliminated in rubber dandelion by rol genes, and rol-induced hairy roots are identifiable easily because they grow shallowly in potting soil, so only partial unearthing is needed. Both leaf and flower numbers are increased by rol genes, but leaves and flowers are smaller than in rubber dandelion wild type with longer stalks. The rosette doming phenotype caused by the induction of a large number of leaf primordia is obvious in rooted plants as young as 1 month old. Photosynthetic rates are reduced significantly in rol+ plants, although growth is not. An accurate description of the morphology of rubber dandelion after A. rhizogenes transformation may allow for initial selection of promising transformed plants before confirmation with polymerase chain reaction, by phenotypic comparison of plants expressing transgenes and the rol gene, with those only expressing the rol gene.
Growth, Photosynthesis, and Gene Expression of Bermudagrass in Response to Salinity and Shade Stress
Authors: Liu Xiaoyan , Xu Xiao , Ji Mingxia , Amombo Erick , Fu Jinmin
Published: December 2022

Soil salinization is an environmental problem globally. Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) has long been used for soil restoration in saline-alkali land. Urbanization and the compound planting pattern combining trees, bushes, and grasses induced shading are becoming one of the most significant environmental constraints on the management of bermudagrass, which directly affects photosynthetic characteristics. Salinity and shade have become the most important environmental constraints on lawn development and implementation. Previous studies have shown that the plant physiological response under combined stress was different from that under single stress. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of salinity stress, shade stress, and the combined stress on bermudagrass. Shade nets were used to simulate shade stress to 85% shade. The NaCl concentration gradient for salinity stress was 1.0% for 7 days, 1.5% for 7 days, and 2.0% for 13 days, respectively. The combined stress combines the two approaches mentioned previously. The results showed that the salinity stress significantly inhibited the plant height, leaf relative water content, chlorophyll content, the chlorophyll a fluorescence induction (OJIP) curve and other photosynthetic parameters of bermudagrass while increasing electrolyte leakage when compared with control. Shade stress significantly enhanced the plant height, chlorophyll content, electrolyte leakage, the OJIP curve, and other photosynthetic parameters. Under the combined stress, the plant height and relative water content did not change significantly, but the photosynthetic parameters such as chlorophyll content and the OJIP curve increased. Furthermore, under the combined stress, the photosynthesis-related genes were regulated. Salinity stress inhibited the photosynthetic ability of bermudagrass more than shade stress, while the combined stress exhibited a considerably better photosynthetic ability. These findings provide information for the usage of bermudagrass in salinized shade conditions.
Transcriptomics-based Analysis of the Response of Sugar Content in Litchi Pulp to Foliar Calcium Fertilizer Treatment
Authors: Peng Junjie , Du Jingjia , Chen Tiantian , Shui Xian , Liao Haizhi , Lin Xiaokai , Zhou Kaibing
Published: December 2022

Ten 16-year-old trees were used as test materials to investigate the effect of foliar calcium fertilizer on the sugar content of ‘Feizixiao’ litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) pulp. The experiment began 35 days after anthesis (DAA) in 2020 and 2021, and the treatment was a foliar spray application of 0.3% CaCl2 aqueous solution, whereas the control was a foliar spray application of water. The sugar content, sucrose-metabolizing enzymes, and ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase (PFK) activities in pulp were measured in 2020 and 2021. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on RNA samples from treatment and control fruit pulps at 35, 63, and 69 DAA (full mature stage) in 2020, and 10 genes were chosen for confirmation by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 2020 and 2021. At full maturity, the soluble sugar content in the calcium-treated group was extremely significantly or significantly higher than that in the control group. After 63 DAA, the net sucrose-metabolizing enzyme activity in the calcium-treated group was significantly higher than that in the control group. Furthermore, at full maturity, the calcium-treated group had significantly higher sucrose synthase cleavage activity and significantly lower PFK activity than the control group. Fifty-four highly expressed genes in the glycolytic pathway (EMP) were screened from transcriptome data, including hexokinase, PFK, and pyruvate kinase genes; 87% of these genes were downregulated in the treatment group compared with the control group at 69 DAA in 2020. The linear regression between RNA-seq and real-time PCR results was significant in 2020 (r = 0.9292) and 2021 (r = 0.8889). When the fruit is fully ripe, calcium treatment increases net sucrose-metabolizing enzyme activity by increasing sucrose synthase cleavage activity, promoting the accumulation of reducing sugars, and it downregulates phosphofructokinase gene expression in EMP, promoting sugar accumulation.
Metodologia da problematização na educação em saúde sobre alimentação e imunidade
Authors: VITORINO Eduardo , IVATA Lais Carvalho dos SantoS , NUNES Nicole Silva , MARTINS Julia Souza , PEREIRA Maria Carolina Marques , MESQUITA Pollyana dos Santos , OLIVEIRA Maria Giulia Costa de , ALMEIDA Larissa Bezerra de , MORAES Leonam Barbosa de , SILVA Patrícia Costa dos Santos da , RODRIGUES Tiago Marciano
Published: December 2022

A metodologia de ensino, baseada na problematização, consiste em elencar situações-problema para que os alunos busquem, de forma autônoma, possíveis resoluções, tendo como principal objetivo a formação de profissionais mais críticos e com perfil para mudar a realidade. Sendo assim, o presente estudo teve como objetivo relatar a experiência do uso da metodologia da problematização com o Arco de Maguerez, na educação em saúde, sobre alimentação saudável e imunidade no curso de enfermagem. Diante da realização da ação educativa, houve, de início, a preparação dos discentes baseando-se no conhecimento científico a fim de que houvesse a troca de saberes com a comunidade. A realização da ação educativa deu a oportunidade para os futuros enfermeiros atuarem junto às pessoas em salas de espera. Logo, essa atividade foi importante para agregar conhecimentos e, além disso, para contribuir na capacidade de planejamento e de execução no que concerne à ação educativa.
COVID-19-associated retinovasculitis in the late stage of HIV infection: a clinical case
Authors: Gavrilova T. V. , Sergienko A. P. , Chereshneva M. V.
Published: December 2022

A clinical case of retinovasculitis with coronavirus infection COVID-19 involving a female patient in the late stage of HIV infection is reported. The patient had no antiretroviral therapy. Clinical features of eye changes, their severity and dynamics influenced by the ophthalmic therapy were revealed. A relationship between the course of COVID-19 and the state of immunodeficiency causes by HIV was found. As a result of the long disease duration and the complications, the patient died.
A technology of vitreomacular traction treatment by single-port intravitreal injection of bacterial collagenase into the foveolar area
Authors: Lyskin P. V. , Makarenko I. R.
Published: December 2022

Purpose: to develop a technology for the treatment of vitreomacular traction (VMT) with intravitreal injection of bacterial collagenase so that the dosage corresponds to the instruction for use of the drug. Material and methods. We carried out the modeling of a variety of variants of collagenase delivery to the area where it should act, taking into account the standard average anatomical parameters of the normal eye. We used modern facilities available in present-day ophthalmic surgery appliances. Results. A technology of bacterial collagenase delivery to the foveolar region of the retina was developed which ensured the injection of 1 KE dosage as permitted by the instruction for use. 27G caliber instruments, a cannula with a silicone tip and an OMS-800 microscope (Topcon, Japan), equipped with the OFFISS imaging systems, were used to deliver the drug directly to the VMT area of 35 eyes. Of these, VMT could be eliminated in 26 cases (74.3%), the best corrected visual acuity increased by 0.20 ± 0.21 (from 0.46 ± 0.21 to 0.66 ± 0.26). Conclusion. The developed technology of VMT treatment may be used in clinical practice as it ensures an effective concentration of the bacterial collagenase in the fovea area using the minimum dose recommended by the manufacturer in the instruction for drug use while avoiding retinal traumatization during the procedure.
Thyroid disorders and their role in the pathogenesis of glaucoma
Authors: Chernyakova T. V. , Zargaryan H. Y. , Brezhnev A. Yu. , Onufriychuk O. N. , Gazizova I. R. , Seleznev А. V. , Kuroyedov А. V.
Published: December 2022

The literature analysis confirms the interrelationship of thyroid gland pathology and glaucoma. Patients with diffusetoxic goiter (DTG) and endemic goiter have an especially high risk of developing glaucoma, while those with autoimmune thyroiditis face a moderate risk. The prevalence of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in patients over 40 with endocrine ophthalmopathy is reliably associated with the male gender and the duration of the disease longer than 60 months. An increased risk of POAG is noted in men with hypothyroidism averagely aged 69. In most cases, ophthalmic hypertension that accompanies endocrine pathology does not need any topical hypotensive treatment. The main pathogenetically validated therapy of thyroid disorders results in a reduction of IOP level and an improvement of fluid outflow from the eye.
A comparative analysis of myopia development in children with bilateral and unilateral pseudophakia
Authors: Katargina L. A. , Kruglova T. B. , Mamykina A. S. , Egiyan N. S. , Arestova N. N.
Published: December 2022

After the extraction of congenital cataract in infancy, postoperative refraction changes differently in patients with bilateral and unilateral pseudophakia. Purpose: to compare myopia development in children with bilateral and unilateral pseudophakia. Material and methods. We examined 33 children (63 eyes) with bilateral and 21 children with unilateral pseudophakia for long-term results of congenital cataract extraction performed in their infancy, The evaluated parameters included the incidence and degree of myopia, refraction, general postsurgical astigmatism, and axial length of the eye. Refraction was measured by Nidek ARK-530A (Japan). The axial length was measured by ultrasound B-scan (Voluson E8, GE) or by optical biometry (AL-Scan, Nidek). Results. In bilateral pseudophakia, high myopia was detected if astigmatism was more than 3.25 D or oblique. In the latter case, the eyeball showed a greater growth as compared to with-the-rule astigmatism (4.67 mm and 3.26 mm, respectively; p < 0.05). With incomplete correction of astigmatism in the case of bilateral pseudophakia, myopia progressed to a high degree in nearly half of the cases (48.1 %), and a greater growth of the eye was detected compared with complete correction (4.45 mm and 3.42 mm respectively; p > 0.05). The type and degree of astigmatism did not affect the development and progression of myopia in unilateral pseudophakia. Conclusion. The effect of undercorrected astigmatic defocus on the development and progression of myopia in bilateral pseudophakia is apparently associated with a equivalent visual load on both eyes, while this load is significantly reduced in unilateral pseudophakia so that it fails to affect the development of myopia in such cases.
The role of innate immune system mediators in the development of retinal neurodegeneration in type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Ruchkin M. P. , Markelova E. V. , Fedyashev G. A. , Krasnikov V. E.
Published: December 2022

Purpose. To detect the levels of transform growth factors-β (TGF- β1, TGF- β2, TGF- β3), interferon-ʏ (INF- ʏ), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and S100B protein in blood serum of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and to reveal the connection of these factors with neurodegenerative changes in the retina. Material and methods. 30 patients, averagely aged 60.3, with type 2 DM and no signs of diabetic retinopathy (DR) (the main group) and 30 healthy individuals (control group) were examined using microperimetry and optical coherence tomography. A sandwich variance estimator of solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the levels of TGF- β 1, TGF- β2, TGF- β3, INF- ʏ, ММР-9 and S100B protein in blood serum of the subjects examined. Results. The patients with type 2 DM were found to experience an increased level of focal loss of retinal ganglion cells and a drop in the average photosensitivity of the retina. The main group also showed a reliable increase in the level of S100B protein and in the serum level of MMP-9 against the control, but no significant difference between the groups was found in the level of TIMP-1. The level of TGF- β2 was significantly higher in the main group, which also showed a deficiency of TGF- β3. No significant difference was found between the two groups in the levels of TGF- β1 or INF- ʏ. In contrast, a positive correlation was revealed between the levels of S100B, MMP-9 and the volume of focal loss of retinal ganglion cells. Conclusion. Patients with type 2 DM and signs of neurodegeneration of the retina reveal a higher activity of some cytokines and MMP-9. This may indicate an important role of neuroinflammation and dysfunction of the immune system in the retinal neurodegeneration process of DM patients. Further research of other cytokins is required to determine early and more sensitive markers of retinal neurodegeneration.
Impact of Image Denoising Techniques on CNN-based Liver Vessel Segmentation using Synthesis Low-dose Contrast Enhanced CT Images
Authors: Anh Le Quoc , Loc Pham Xuan , Ha Luu Manh
Published: December 2022

Liver vessel segmentation in contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) images has a significant role in the planning stage for liver cancer treatment, such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Lowering the radiation dose in CECT imaging to reduce radiation risk to the patient degrades the quality of the image and potentially affects the liver vessel segmentation. In recent years, the convolutional neural network (CNN) has shown significant achievement in medical image analysis, including segmentation and denoising tasks. This paper presents a study on a new framework consisting of three well-known denoising techniques, including vessel enhancing diffusion (VED), RED-CNN, and MAP-NN, along with the state-of-theart segmentation method (nnU-Net) to segment the liver vessels in CECT images. We quantitatively evaluate the impacts of denoising techniques on the vessel segmentation on multi-level simulated low-dose CECT images of the liver. The performances of the liver vessel segmentation method combined with the denoising techniques are evaluated using Dice score, sensitivity metric, and processing time. In addition, the effect of denoising on the surface roughness of the segmented liver vessel is also investigated. The experiments show that the image denoising techniques improve the quality of liver vessel segmentation on high noisy CECT images while also reducing the segmentation accuracy on low-noise-level CECT images.
Centripetal Trend in Comments to News in Social Networks
Authors: Golev Nikolay , Sushkina Mariya
Published: December 2022

The article considers the ratio of centripetal and centrifugal tendencies in online commenting. The research objective was to describe the consistency of comments to news texts published in social networks. This article focuses on the results obtained on the centripetal trend. The approach and methodology were based on the scientific hypothesis about the self-developing nature of communication in social networks. According to this hypothesis, the degree of subjectivity of online news discussion can be transmitted to the dialogue through the text of its comments. The original news text becomes the basis for comments, which are independent texts focused on the original news. As a result, the original text turns into a complex branched network. Comments develop as chains or branches of discussion responses, which can be analyzed. This research featured an Internet text from the Vkontakte social network, its comments, and their mental map. The ratio of centripetal and centrifugal tendencies revealed a certain pattern: the consistency of the original text determined the consistency of comments. The patterns of their correlation showed how the self-developing nature of communication created new linguistic phenomena. The article is of interest to specialists in Internet communication and social networks.
Social networks and other forgotten components of the WaSH enabling environment in Fiji
Authors: Love Mark , Beal C. , Pene S. , Rarokolutu Rt. T. , Whippy A. , Taivoce S. , Shrestha S. , Souter R. T.
Published: December 2022

Pacific Island countries have among the lowest access to improved drinking water sources and sanitation services in the world. Due to geography, climate, the high frequency, and severity of disasters, transportation difficulties and resource constraints, government and private sector support to rural populations are limited and likely to remain so. However, the unique demographic characteristics of the region see considerable support flowing to rural areas from village kin in urban centres and overseas, hinged on strong socio-cultural norms of reciprocity, self-help, and obligation. Focusing on Fiji, this paper examines how select social networks are being used to support improved rural water and sanitation outcomes. Results demonstrate that kinship-orientated urban–rural linkages, select customary norms, relations and practices, common interest associations (such as village development committees), and select social media groups, all constitute critical components of the WaSH enabling environment in Fiji. Given the unique character of the Pacific Islands region, leveraging existing social networks to support improved rural water and sanitation outcomes may constitute a fruitful community water management ‘plus’ strategy for both governments and non-government organisations seeking to strengthen rural water and sanitation service outcomes.
A two-dimensional analytical model for heavy metal contaminants transport in permeable reactive barrier
Authors: Jiang Jie , Luo Hao-Hao , Wang Shu-Fei , Su Jian , Yu Yun-Dong
Published: December 2022

Permeable reactive barrier (PRB) remediation technology has been widely used in the remediation of groundwater contamination. In numerical simulations, neglecting the non-uniform distribution of heavy metal contamination along the depth may lead to deviations between simulation results and reality. The distribution of heavy metals in the soil layer around a non-ferrous mining area in Hezhou, Guangxi, southern China was investigated, and it was found that the standard Gaussian function could well describe the non-uniform distribution of heavy metals in the soil layer. A two-dimensional analytical model solved by the finite element method was used to simulate the migration process of heavy metal contamination in the aquifer and PRB. The results show that the uniform distribution of contaminants along the depth ignores the dilution effect, which may underestimate the service life of the PRB and lead to an overly conservative design of the PRB. The breakthrough time of the PRB decreases with the increase of the maximum initial concentration (Cin,max) and the high concentration range (σ), and increases almost linearly with the barrier thickness (Lw). An optimal design method for PRB location and thickness is proposed, which can provide a reference for the engineering application of PRB.
Thiabendazole degradation by photo-NaOCl/Fe and photo-Fenton like processes, using copper slag as an iron catalyst, in spiked synthetic and real secondary wastewater treatment plant effluents
Authors: García-Estrada Reyna , Arzate Sandra , Ramírez-Zamora Rosa-María
Published: December 2022

Thiabendazole degradation (TBZD) in diferent types of water matrices was assessed by applying two Advanced Oxidation Processes, both using simulated solar light (SSL), copper slag (CS) as an iron based catalyst, and separately H2O2 or NaOCl as oxidants. First, optimum conditions for TBZD were evaluated in distilled water, TBZD = 90% at 60 min for CS-H2O2-SSL, and 92% of TBZD in a twelfth of the time by the system CS-NaOCl-SSL; minimum TBZ depletion variations were observed between the first and the fifth reuse test: 88 ± 2% for CS-H2O2-SSL (60 min) and 90 ± 1% for CS-NaOCl-SSL (5 min). Those conditions were tested using a synthetic (SE) and a real secondary effluent (RE) from a wastewater treatment plant. The CS-H2O2-SSL system achieved TBZD of 88 and 77% after 90 min for SE and RE, with kinetic constants of 0.024 and 0.016 min−1, respectively, whereas photo-NaOCl/Fe showed values of 0.365 and 0.385 min−1 for SE and RE, achieving a 94% TBZD removal in both types of water at 10 min. That might be related to the formation of Cl· and HO• during the photo-NaOCl/Fe process, highlighting that the CS-NaOCl-SSL is an attractive option that has great possibilities for scaling up by a better knowledge in real aqueous matrices.
A Novel Cu(II)-Iodine Catalyzed Hantzsch Type Synthesis of 2-Aminothiazole Derivatives
Authors: Radhika Sankaran , Yamuna Purushothaman , Anilkumar Gopinathan
Published: December 2022

Heterocycles having nitrogen and sulphur atoms attract chief attention due to their importance in diverse fields, especially in medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical industry. Among those, 2-aminothiazole, one of the most flexible and pervasive heterocyclic scaffolds found in many natural and synthetic products, exhibits a wide variety of biological activities. A one-pot method for the synthesis of 2-aminothiazoles through Cu(II)-iodine-catalyzed Hantzsch condensation has been achieved for the first time. This novel green methodology facilitates the formation of a broad range of 2-aminothiazole derivatives utilizing catalytic quantities of Cu(II) salts and iodine, incorporating various methyl aryl ketones and thiourea as substrates. This novel strategy involves a Hantzsch-type condensation between thiourea and in situ generated α-iodoketones, formed from the reaction of methyl aryl ketones and iodine. The present protocol reveals PEG-400 as the best solvent, which furnishes moderate to good yields of the desired 2-aminothiazole derivatives. The addition of a catalytic quantity of copper acetate ensures the continuous availability of iodine for several catalytic cycles, as copper(II) allows the oxidation of iodide to iodine. The feasibility of this novel route is studied with electron-withdrawing, electron-donating, and halo-substituted derivatives of methyl aryl ketones with thiourea to confirm the functional group compatibility of the reaction. Moreover, this efficient strategy evades the direct use of noxious and lachrymatory α–halocarbonyls as reaction substrates and strong oxidants. Using a catalytic quantity of iodine in the reaction makes the separation of the desired products much easier by reducing the amount of unwanted side-products than utilizing a stoichiometric amount of iodine.
Level of Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Palliative Care for People with
Advanced Dementia in Spain: Role of Professional and Academic Factors
Authors: Pérez-Ros Pilar , Cauli Omar , Julián-Rochina Iván , Long Carol O. , Chover-Sierra Elena
Published: December 2022

Background:

Providing quality end-of-life care to individuals with advanced dementia is crucial. To date, little attention has been paid to palliative care knowledge and attitudes toward palliative care for people with advanced dementia in Spain

Objectives:

To investigate the knowledge of and attitudes toward palliative care for advanced dementia among registered nurses and physicians in Spain.

Design and Methods:

A descriptive, cross-sectional survey design was used. This study included a convenience sample of 402 nurses (n = 290) and physicians (n = 112). Two instruments were administered: demographic characteristics and Spanish version of the Questionnaire of Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia (qPAD-SV). Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were used for data analysis.

Results:

Overall, the nurses and physicians had moderate mean scores for both knowledge of and attitudes regarding palliative care for advanced dementia. Physicians had a higher level of knowledge (p<0.05) compared to nurses. Additionally, physicians and nursing staff who had professional experience/education in geriatrics and those who had received palliative care and hospice training had greater (p<0.01) knowledge of palliative care. In addition, healthcare professionals who had received dementia care training and who had worked in nursing homes had higher levels (p<0.05) of knowledge and attitudes toward palliative care.

Conclusion:

This study indicates the need to provide nurses and physicians with more education for select groups of professionals who have had limited education and experience in caring for older adults with advanced dementia.
MicroRNAs as Potential Biomarkers in Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Bergami Maria , Fabin Natalia , Cenko Edina , Bugiardini Raffaele , Manfrini Olivia
Published: December 2022

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality globally. Although sub-stantial advances have been made in the diagnosis, management, and risk stratification of CAD, there is still a need for novel diagnostic biomarkers and new therapeutic targets to prevent the epi-demic of the disease. Recently, growing evidence has linked dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) to cardiovascular diseases, including CAD. miRNAs are endogenous, stable, single-stranded, short, non-coding RNAs, and may have utility as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for CAD. Dysreg-ulated miRNAs are involved in regulating lipid and glucose homeostasis pathways, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone pathways, inflammation, endothelial and vascular smooth cell phenotypes promoting atherosclerotic plaque development, progression, and instability. Additionally, miRNAs are stable and easily accessible in the extracellular space, may reside in microvesicles, and are de-tectable in serum or plasma, making them attractive biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular disease. Accumulating studies suggest that miRNAs could be useful biomarkers for early discrimination of patients presenting with myocarditis or Takotsubo syndrome from those with a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, early prognostication of patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes, and accurate detection of left ventricular remodeling after a chronic or acute ischemic event. Moreover, miRNAs represent potential novel therapeutic targets for CAD or other cardiovascular diseases. This review provides an overview of the effects of the entire spec-trum of CAD, its major risk factors, and complications on levels of circulating miRNAs, as well as the limitations and challenges of their potential clinical applications.
Implication of Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Autism Spectrum Disorder:
Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Implications
Authors: Liu Chuanqi , Liu Jiayin , Gong Hong , Liu Tianyao , Li Xin , Fan Xiaotang
Published: December 2022

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a cluster of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental conditions
with atypical social communication and repetitive sensory-motor behaviors. The formation of
new neurons from neural precursors in the hippocampus has been unequivocally demonstrated in the
dentate gyrus of rodents and non-human primates. Accumulating evidence sheds light on how the deficits
in the hippocampal neurogenesis may underlie some of the abnormal behavioral phenotypes in
ASD. In this review, we describe the current evidence concerning pre-clinical and clinical studies supporting
the significant role of hippocampal neurogenesis in ASD pathogenesis, discuss the possibility
of improving hippocampal neurogenesis as a new strategy for treating ASD, and highlight the prospect
of emerging pro‐neurogenic therapies for ASD.
The Anemic Newborn at Birth: From Diagnosis to Treatment
Authors: Perrone Serafina , Petrolini Chiara , Chiara Lembo , Chiara Brugnoli , Mario Staccioni , Buonocore Giuseppe
Published: December 2022

Neonatal anaemia is a very frequent clinical condition that may be due to apparent or not evident blood loss, decreased red blood cells (RBCs) production, or increased destruction of RBCs. RBCs transfusion criteria are clearly defined by several national and locally agreed guidelines. However, it is not possible to define a unique cut-off to guide clinicians' transfusion practice, which needs a multiparametric analysis of demographic variables (gestational age, postnatal age, birth weight), clinical evaluation, conventional and new generation monitoring (such as echocardiog-raphy and near-infrared spectroscopy). Unfortunately, few tools are available in the delivery room to help neonatologists in the management of newborn with acute anaemia. Early volume replace-ment with cristalloids and RBCs transfusion could be life-saving in the delivery room when a hypovolaemic shock is suspected, but the use of un-crossmatched whole is not risk-free nor easily available in clinical practice. Placental transfusion could be an extremely effective and inexpensive method to increase haemoglobin (Hb), to improve oxygen delivery, and to increase cardiac output with a reduced need for RBCs transfusions, a reduced risk of intraventricular haemorrhages, and an improved survival of the newborn.
Effects and Mechanisms of Ban-Xia Xie-Xin Decoction on Type 2 Diabetes
Mellitus: Network Pharmacology Analysis and Experimental Evidence
Authors: Hu Zhipeng , Yang Maoyi , Zhang Lili , Yue Rensong
Published: December 2022

Background:

Studies have indicated that Ban-Xia Xie-Xin Decoction (BXXXD) has
therapeutic effects on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, due to the complexity of components
and diversity of targets, the mechanisms are still not fully elucidated.

Objective:

In this research, we systematically analysed the targets of BXXXD through the method
of network pharmacology and further validated them through experiments.

Methods:

The active components and therapeutic targets were identified, and these targets were
analysed by the methods of gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes
(KEGG), and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis. Then, based on these network pharmacology
analyses, we validated the main targets through animal experiments.

Results:

A total of 169 active components and 159 targets were identified. KEGG analysis showed
that the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway, tumour necrosis factor
(TNF) signalling pathway, the phosphatidylinositol 3' -kinase (PI3K), Akt signalling pathway, and
other pathways were related to the treatment of T2DM by BXXXD. PPI network analysis showed
that the key genes included signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3), JUN,
TNF, Recombinant V-Rel Reticuloendotheliosis Viral Oncogene Homolog A (RELA), Akt/PKB-
1 (Protein kinase B), TP53, mitogen-activated protein kinase-1 (MAPK-1), mitogen-activated protein
kinase-3 (MAPK-3), interleukin- 6 (IL6), and mitogen-activated protein kinase-14 (MAPK-
14), respectively. Animal experiments showed that BXXXD could reduce blood glucose and improve
insulin resistance, which may be related to the mechanisms of inhibiting TNF, interleukin-1
(IL-1), IL-6, and interleukin-17 (IL-17) and promoting Akt phosphorylation.

Conclusion:

Our research revealed the mechanisms of BXXXD in the treatment of diabetes, which
laid a solid foundation for further studies on the molecular mechanisms of BXXXD in the treatment
of T2DM.
Application of a Genetic Algorithm for the Optimal Calibration of Hysteretic Models
Authors: Di Benedetto Sabatino , Latour Massimo , Rizzano Gianvittorio
Published: December 2022

Background:

Recent computing improvements have allowed a considerable use of numerical models to predict phenomena concerning various topics. In particular, considering the field of civil engineering, the possibility of having greater computational capabilities has guaranteed to explore both the global and local behaviour of buildings with greater attention and precision so that currently, many software programs allow modelling different structural components with high accuracy.

Objective:

One of the aspects of interest concerns the calibration of phenomenological laws to model the mechanical behaviour of specific structural members, devices or connections. With this in mind, many efforts have recently been dedicated to solving this problem by implementing computational codes called “Genetic Algorithms”, which provide optimal configurations of parameters following procedures that emulate Darwin’s theory of evolution. However, generally, these algorithms are encoded in C++ formats, which are difficult to be modified basing on the needs of the users.

With this in mind, the present work's novelty consists of implementing a Genetic Algorithm that, starting from the knowledge of assigned hysteretic curves, allows their modelling through an appropriate calibration of the parameters of the “hysteretic” uniaxialmaterial element of the OpenSees software. In particular, the originality of the code proposed in this paper is its development in the Matlab environment, which is more easily editable and more flexible to customers' specific needs than traditional C++ compilers, such as MultiCal, a calibration software already available in research.

Methods:

Genetic Algorithms are instructions through which it is possible to reach the optimal calibration of mathematical models according to a procedure that conceptually refers to the evolutionary process of living species.

Results:

The proposed GA has been validated against MultiCal tool by calibrating 44 force-displacement hysteretic curves obtained from finite element simulations relating to the cyclic behaviour of connections between circular hollow section profiles and passing-through plates subjected to displacement histories in the axial direction.

Conclusion:

The results have shown that the proposed algorithm calibrates the known responses with acceptable accuracy, in line with or even better than the outcomes provided by MultiCal.
Article 9 - EU FTAs and divided sovereignty: Transformative shifts in trade authority
Authors: Guimarães Maria Helena
Published: December 2022

EU trade policy has evolved on the scope of its remit through what can be framed as “creeping competence” (Pollack 1994, 2000). Since the Treaty of Rome to the Lisbon Treaty the EU has consolidated its sovereignty over trade by broadening its competences. However, the enlarged scope of EU FTAs has pushed subnational units to demand shared sovereignty over trade issues to protect the status quo on their regulatory competences. In turn, the 2017 Court of Justice ruling that the EU-Singapore Agreement could only be concluded with the consent of the EU and its Member States has led the Commission to propose the splitting of trade deals into EU-only and “mixed” agreements. While the EU holds to its exclusive competences in the former, mixed agreements require divided sovereignty with the member states.  Both the engagement of subnational entities in trade policy and the impact of the Court decision represent transformative shifts in the locus of trade policymaking from centralized competences to divided sovereignty with national and subnational entities. The ensuing difficulties in ratifying EU trade agreements have prompted stop-gap solutions that raise questions as to where the pattern of “creeping competence” is applicable. These political and legal challenges highlight that “creeping competence” may have unintended consequences unleashed by the dynamics of the policy itself. In trade policy the notion of “creeping competence” has to capture the legal challenges, the efforts to claw back centralization, as well as the pushback by subnational entities to protect their regulatory sovereignty.
A Ciência Cidadã: Passado, Presente e Futuro do Envolvimento Público na Investigação Científica
Authors: Luís Cristina
Published: December 2022

Numa altura em que as relações entre ciência e sociedade adquirem cada vez mais protagonismo, iniciativas que permitam um maior envolvimento e diálogo entre ambas as partes ganham cada vez mais destaque. Neste contexto tem-se assistido a um enorme crescimento, ao longo da última década, de uma prática conhecida como ciência cidadã que, pelo facto de constituir uma forma de participação pública na investigação científica, potencia o avanço mais rápido do conhecimento científico, contribuindo para uma maior colaboração entre a ciência e a sociedade. Apresenta-se aqui um breve apanhado das principais características da ciência cidadã, de que forma esta prática surge no passado, mobilizando o envolvimento da sociedade daquele tempo, analisando, em particular exemplos relacionados com o registo da biodiversidade, e traçando algum do panorama atual em Portugal. Deixam-se algumas sugestões para o futuro desenvolvimento de ações nesta área, em particular estudos que analisem as motivações para participar na investigação científica, permitindo abrir portas a uma ciência mais aberta e partilhada.
THE DIRECTIONS OF SEAPORT TECHNOLOGICAL RULES DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Kuznetsov A. L. , Sampiev A. M. , Semenov A. D.
Published: December 2022

The verb “project” in Latin means “throw forward”. In practice, the goal of any project or design is to create an object that does not yet exist with a certain number of features. As far as the physical creation of an object is started only after finishing the design, during this process we deal with different models and information. The result of sea terminals design is the documentation which consists of not only the necessary for construction and exploitation information, but also almost all physical, operational and financial parameters of the object. At the same time, the elements of behavior research, i. e. exploration of the output parameters reaction to the change of input ones and the data that were calculated on the previous steps of the design process, are a necessary part of each next step. The variation of requirements to the precision, sustainability and specification of data on different steps of design requires to use different in complexity and precision models to analyze them. The capitalization of infrastructural objects of sea transport, the acceptance of liquidity and the scale of social-economic impact on the society define the special requirements to this branch of activity, which are applied in strict regulation and formulation of rules of all design processes. Particularly, the active rules define the methods of sea terminals design, but this definition has been unchanged for a long time. The great evolution of nature, structure and volumes of data brings a conflict with the documental requirements to the calculations. This research is dedicated to the formulation of general rules of mathematical modelling, used as an instrument of sea terminals design on different steps. In order to achieve this goal, the typical steps of design process, which allow matching the consequence of technological design with the utilization of statistical modelling and queueing theory methods, are included in the paper. A new conception of simulation modelling, which allows connecting gnoseological advantages of this approach with universality of traditional methods, is also included. The saving of universality and objective process of consequent adequacy provement of all described models allows us to make a question of utilization of this instrument in general rules and recommendations of sea terminals design.