bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Decline In Summer Fallow In The Northern Plains Cooled Near-Surface Climate But Had Minimal Impacts On Precipitation
Authors: Bromley Gabriel , Prein Andreas F. , Albeke Shannon E. , Stoy Paul C.
Published: August 2021

Land management strategies can moderate or intensify the impacts of a warming atmosphere. Since the early 1980s, nearly 116,000 km2 of crop land that was once held in fallow during the summer is now planted in the northern North American Great Plains. To simulate the impacts of this substantial land cover change on regional climate processes, convection-permitting model experiments using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model were performed to simulate modern and historical amounts of summer fallow, and were extensively validated using multiple observational data products as well as eddy covariance tower observations. Results of these simulations show that the transition from summer fallow to modern land cover lead to ~1.5 °C cooler temperatures and decreased vapor pressure deficit by ~0.15 kPa during the growing season, which is consistent with observed cooling trends. The cooler and wetter land surface with vegetation leads to a shallower planetary boundary layer and lower lifted condensation level, creating conditions more conducive to convective cloud formation and precipitation. Our model simulations however show little widespread evidence of land surface changes effects on precipitation. The observed precipitation increase in this region is more likely related to increased moisture transport by way of the Great Plains Low Level Jet as suggested by the ERA5 reanalysis. Our results demonstrate that land cover change is consistent with observed regional cooling in the northern North American Great Plains but changes in precipitation cannot be explained by land management alone.
Differences in Breast Cancer Subtypes Among Racial/Ethnic Groups
Authors: Bansil Surbhi , Silva Anthony , Jones Corinne , Hidalgo Elena , Pagano Ian , Fukui Jami
Published: August 2021

PurposeDifferences in incidence of breast cancer subtypes among racial/ethnic groups have been evaluated as a contributing factor in the disparities seen in breast cancer prognosis. We evaluated new breast cancer cases in Hawaii to determine if there were subtype differences according to race/ethnicity that may contribute to known disparities.MethodsWe reviewed 4,318 cases of women diagnosed with breast cancer from two large tumor registries between 2013-2020. We evaluated the new breast cancer cases according to age at diagnosis, self-reported race, and breast cancer subtype (ER, PR, and HER2 receptor status).ResultsWe found both premenopausal and postmenopausal Native Hawaiian women were less likely to be diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer (OR=0.33, P=0.009; OR=0.62, P=0.03 respectively). Premenopausal Japanese women were 71% less likely to be diagnosed with triple positive (ER+/PR+/HER2+) breast cancer (OR=0.29, P=0.0003). Postmenopausal Filipino women were 89% more likely to be diagnosed with ER-/PR-/HER2+ breast cancer (OR=1.89, P=0.02). ConclusionsResults of our study support that there are racial/ethnic differences in breast cancer subtypes among our population which may contribute to the differences in outcome seen. Further evaluation of other clinical and pathological features in each breast cancer subtype may inform potential mechanisms for outcome disparities seen among different racial/ethnic groups.
Polarization isolation for GaN electronics
Authors: Dai Yijun , Guo Wei , Chen Li , Xu Houqiang , AlQatari Feras , Guo Chenyu , Peng Xianchuan , Tang Ke , Liao Che-Hao , Li Xiaohang , Ye Jichun
Published: August 2021

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Kinematic Analysis of compliant slider Crank mechanism
Authors: Korwar Ganesh D
Published: August 2021

This study presents the design and formulation of a kinematic model of a compliant slider-crank micro mechanism and its comparison with the conventional slider-crank mechanism. This work aims with Experimental Analysis of Compliant Slider Crank Micro Mechanism for kinematic performance with a parametric variation. In addition, it also deals with the study of the Mechanical advantage of compliant micro mechanisms. A formulated model is developed using the pseudo-rigid-body model (PRBM). Motion analysis software is used to show the variation in slider displacement for known input link angle. Analysis of compliant mechanism is modeled by PRBM and FEA to analyze deflection. The mechanism is modeled in Adams. The results obtained from Adams are compared with experimentation. The displacements are fairly matches to simulation results. Better displacement as compared to rigid link mechanism can be obtained for smaller angular rotation. Finite element analysis (FEA) is used to show the stress distribution inflexible component for various types of hinges like rectangular cross-section flexible hinges, circular cross-section flexible hinges. Based on stress fatigue analysis is carried for both type joint by experimentally and FEA.
Findings from the microbiota of tooth apical periodontitis and the search for pathogen forgranulomatous inflammation
Authors: Wang Yuanyuan , Xu Hao , Wei Minghui , Wang Yuhong , Wang Wenzhe , Feng Bin , Ju Jia , Wang Xinwen , Liu Yuan
Published: August 2021

BackgroundOrofacial granulomatosis (OFG) is a granulomatous inflammation (GI) disease in maxillofacial region, the underlying cause of it remains unknown. Our previous study demonstrated that tooth apical periodontitis (AP) plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of OFG, we aimed here to characterize the AP bacterial signatures of OFG patients, and identify bacteria that may be important pathogens capable of inducing OFG.ResultsThe composition of AP microbiota in OFG cases and common AP controls was compared using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the results showed a specific AP microbiota signature in OFG patients, characterized by domination of phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria , notably members of Streptococcus, Lactobacillus and Neisseria. To assess the pathogenicity of the potential pathogens in OFG, we isolated and successfully in vitro cultured Streptococcus, Lactobacillus casei, Neisseria subflava, Veillonella parvula and Actinomyces from OFG patients, and injected the clinical isolates into mice respectively. Ultimately, foot pad injection with N. subflava elicited granulomatous inflammation, and the virulence of N. subflava was verified based on Koch’s postulates.ConclusionsOur findings confirmed the role of bacteria in OFG, and first suggested that the component of the host normal microbiota, N. subflava is likely a pathogen for GI.
Study on the spectrum characteristics of rock burst and the stability of the surrounding rock of a roadway in mines under dynamic load
Authors: yushun Yang , Wei Sijiang , Li Kui
Published: August 2021

This study analyzes the impact pressure in the Yuejin and Qianqiu coal mines in the Yimei mine area, and shows that rock bursts may be caused by damage to the overburden gravel strata caused by coal seam mining and unreasonable mining layout. Rock burst microseismic signals from the Yuejin and Qianqiu mines show that the duration of the vibration waveform is greater than 0.06 s. The fast Fourier transform shows that the low-frequency component of the rock burst accounts for a large proportion, with the main frequency being concentrated in the range between 5 and 50 Hz. A numerical simulation scheme was designed, and the extended D-P strength criterion was adopted to select the distributed load of a sinusoidal pulse in the load waveform as the dynamic load. The plastic strain energy density distribution is used to measure the tendency of the surrounding rock to impact the roadway. By changing the shock position, wave frequency, disturbance intensity, tunnel section shape, and buried depth, it is seen that when a (vibration wave amplitude) = 2.0 m/s2, f (vibration wave frequency) = 40 Hz, H (roadway buried depth) = 1000 m, θ (the angle between the impact position of the seismic wave and the center of the roadway) = 180°, and the roadway section is horseshoe-shaped, the tendency of the surrounding rock to impact the roadway is higher. Under the same conditions, the impact tendency of the surrounding rock on the roadway is the smallest and second smallest when the roadway is circular and straight-wall arched, respectively.
Sensitivity analysis of Seawater intrusion model in Tra Vinh province, Mekong Delta
Authors: xie xuan , ke li yu
Published: August 2021

Seawater intrusion into coastal aquifers is a serious problem, leading to shortage of water supply in Tra Vinh province which is a typical coastal province in Mekong Delta Vietnam. One of the main reason for salinity intrusion is excessive abstraction from groundwater. In addition, climate change is an uncertain challenge which may affect the situation in the future. GMS groundwater modelling is an effective tool to simulate groundwater flow and salinity transport processes in this research. A conceptual and numerical model were built and calibrated to simulate groundwater flow in the case study area located in Tra Vinh with the use of hydraulic head data accumulated in the period 2006 to 2017, a sensitive analysis has been conducted on hydraulic conductivities, specific storage and conductance of boundary condition in order to understand model behaviour. Model results show that groundwater is overexploited in Tra Vinh province. Groundwater levels were continuously decreased in the whole area and in all aquifers. Groundwater recharge is limited due to impermeable layers on surface and is recharge is only possible in sand dune areas. Groundwater abstraction supplies domestic water demand which is much more than recharge. The sensitivity analysis shows that hydraulic conductivity is the most sensitive factor impacting the vales of the groundwater heads. Hydraulic conductance of the boundary is the most sensitive parameter under the head-dependent flow boundary, and hydraulic conductivity is the least sensitive parameter. However, specific storage is more sensitive to impact the values of change of storage. Thus, Boundary conductance, hydraulic conductivity and specific storage coefficient are important parameters for the accuracy of the model results. Saline groundwater occurs in the coastal zone and in the north area. Saltwater intrusion occurs in these area. The salinity data availability is too limited to provide a clear description of salinity distribution in the area.
Environmental Drivers and Network Structure of Hylid Anurans in Floating Meadows From Amazonian Oxbow Lakes
Authors: de Matos Lucicléia Railene Assis , Ramalho Werther Pereira , de Arruda Filipe Viegas , Ceron Karoline , Luna Pedro , Virgílio Lucena Rocha , Vieira Lisandro Juno Soares
Published: August 2021

Despite the increasing amount of knowledge available regarding the ecological interactions between species, the dynamics of anurans in aquatic environments are little explored and understood. In this way, our work aims to assess which factors influence the composition and the ecological interactions of hylid anurans in oxbow lakes in the middle Purus River, Amazonas. We sampled three lakes with high, medium and low levels of connectivity twice, once during the flood and then in drought hydrological regimes. Variations in the hylid anuran assemblages and ecological interactions were tested as function of environmental niche, food resources, level of connectivity and hydrological regime. The availability of environmental resources and the availability of food resources were the best factors that explain the distribution of hylid anurans, which were also highly dependent on the variations between the hydrological regimes. The interactions between anurans, macroinvertebrates and macrophytes showed a modular and specialized structure, which varied according to the connectivity and hydrological regime of the lakes. Connectance showed an increasing trend from high to low connectivity lakes, suggesting that anurans had low trophic and environmental specialization in lakes with low connectivity. Hylids found in the lake of medium connectivity had higher values of trophic specialization and modularity. Our results illustrate the role of river-lake connectivity and annual hydrological cycle to maintain the aquatic biota and their interactions, and highlight the importance of floating meadows for the maintenance of biodiversity in floodplains.
Oil Pollution Effects on Nematodes in Mangrove Sediment: A Microcosm Study
Authors: Naidoo Gonasageran , Naidoo Krishnaveni , Swart Antoinette
Published: August 2021

The effects of oil pollution on meiobenthic nematode assemblages in a mangrove sediment were investigated. Microcosms comprised 350 ml plastic jars that were filled with 200 g mangrove sediment and subjected to oiling, with or without addition of fertiliser. In the oiled treatments, 15 ml of Bunker fuel oil 180 and 5 ml/L fertiliser (N: P: K: 3: 2: 5) were added to the soil. After four weeks, nematodes were extracted and identified. In the unfertilised oiled treatment, nematode abundance and species richness were significantly reduced by 87% and 53%, respectively, compared to the control. In the fertilised oiled treatment, nematode abundance and species richness increased by 56% and 30% respectively. The eight taxa present in the control but absent in the oiled treatments (Monhystera, Prodesmodora, Plectus, Rhabditis, Koerneria, Rotylenchus, Tobrilus, and Fictor) were characterised as oil-intolerant. The seven taxa present in the oiled treatments (Monhystera, Ethmolaimus, Panagrolaimus, Camacolaimus, Hemicycliophora typica, and H. ripa and a species of the family Xyalidae) were characterised as oil-tolerant and resilient. In all treatments, the dominant species was Ethmolaimus. Taxa such as Rhabditis, Koerneria and Rotylenchus survived oiling, due to the addition of fertiliser. Fertilizer amendment favoured survival of Rhabditis, Koerneria and Rotylenchus and increased reproduction in Camacolaimus.
‘Making the Most of Together-Time’: Development of a Health Visitor Led Intervention to Support Children’s Early Language and Communication Development at the 2-2½ Year-Old Review
Authors: McKean Cristina , Watson Rose , Charlton Jenna , Roulstone Susan , Holme Caitlin , Gilroy Vicky , Law James
Published: August 2021

Background: Early interventions to support young children’s language development through responsive parent-child interaction have proven efficacy but are not currently delivered universally. A potential universal delivery platform is the Health Visitor (HV) led 2-2½ year old review in England’s Healthy Child Programme. It is unclear if it is feasible to offer such interventions through this platform. We report an intervention development process, including extensive stakeholder consultation and co-design to develop an acceptable, feasible and equitable early language intervention for delivery in this context.Methods:The study involved five phases including 13 stakeholder co-design workshops with 7 parents and 39 practitioners (HVs, early years practitioners and speech and language therapists). 1) Identification of existing intervention evidence. 2) Qualitative review of intervention studies extracting candidate target behaviours for intervention and intervention techniques. 3) Co-design workshops with parents and practitioners examining acceptability, barriers and enablers to those behaviours and techniques. Particular attention was paid to diverse family circumstances and the range of barriers which might exist. 4) Findings were analysed using COM-B and theoretical domains frameworks and a prototype intervention model designed. 5) Co-design workshops iteratively refined the proposed model. Results:Practitioners were committed to offering language intervention at the 2-2½ year old review but were not sure precisely how to do so. Parents/caregivers wanted to be proactive and to have agency in supporting their own children, and to do this as soon as possible. For equitable intervention it must be proportionate, with higher ‘intensity’ for higher levels of disadvantage, and tailored, offering differing approaches considering the specific barriers and enablers, assets and challenges in each family. The importance and potential fragility of alliances between parent/caregiver and practitioner were identified as key and so strategies to engender successful collaborative partnership are also embedded intervention design. Conclusion: It is possible to develop an acceptable, feasible and equitable universal intervention for use at the 2-2 ½ year review to promote children’s language development. The result is one of the most explicitly developed universal interventions to promote children’s language development. Further development and piloting is required to develop materials to support successful widespread implementation.
Screening for Hilar Biliary Invasion in Ampullary Cancer Patients
Authors: Sugimoto Mitsuru , Takagi Tadayuki , Suzuki Rei , Konno Naoki , Sato Yuki , Irie Hiroki , Okubo Yoshinori , Nakamura Jun , Takasumi Mika , Hashimoto Minami , Kato Tsunetaka , Kobashi Ryoichiro , Yanagita Takumi , Hashimoto Yuko , Marubashi Shigeru , Hikichi Takuto , Ohira Hiromasa
Published: August 2021

Background: The treatment for ampullary cancer is pancreatoduodenectomy or local ampullectomy. However, effective methods for the preoperative investigation of hilar biliary invasion in ampullary cancer patients have not yet been identified. In this study, we aimed to determine an appropriate method for investigating hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer.Methods: Among 43 ampullary cancer patients, 34 underwent endoscopic treatment (n = 9) or surgery (n = 25). Imaging findings (thickening and enhancement of the bile duct wall on contrast-enhanced CT (CECT), irregularity on endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC), thickening of the entire bile duct wall on intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS), and partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS) and biliary biopsy results were compared with respect to their ability to diagnose hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer.Results: Hilar invasion was not observed in every patient. Among the patients who did not undergo biliary stent insertion, the combination of partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS and biliary biopsy showed the highest accuracy (100%) for diagnosing biliary invasion. However, each imaging finding and biliary biopsy yielded some false positive results.Conclusions: Although some false positive results were obtained with each method, the combination of partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS and biliary biopsy was useful for diagnosing hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer. However, hilar invasion of ampullary cancer is rare; therefore, the investigation of hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer might be unnecessary.Trial registration: not applicable
Tree rings reveal two strong solar proton events in 7176 and 5259 BCE
Authors: Brehm Nicolas , Christl Marcus , Adolphi Florian , Muscheler Raimund , Synal Hans-Arno , Mekhaldi Florian , Paleari Chiara , Leuschner Hanns-Hubert , Bayliss Alexandra , Nicolussi Kurt , Pichler Thomas , Schlüchter Christian , Pearson Charlotte , Salzer Matthew , Fonti Patrick , Nievergelt Daniel , Hantemirov Rashit , Brown David , Usoskin Ilya , Wacker Lukas
Published: August 2021

The Sun sporadically produces eruptive events leading to intense fluxes of solar energetic particles (SEPs) that dramatically disrupt the near-Earth radiation environment. Such events are directly studied for the last decades but little is known about the occurrence and magnitude of rare, extreme SEP events. Presently, a few events that produced measurable signals in cosmogenic radionuclides such as 14C, 10Be and 36Cl have been found. Analyzing annual 14C concentrations in tree-rings from Switzerland, Germany, Ireland, Russia, and the USA we discovered two spikes in atmospheric 14C corresponding to 7176 and 5259 BCE. The ~ 2% increases of atmospheric 14C recorded for both events exceed all previously known 14C peaks but after correction for the geomagnetic field, they are comparable to the largest event of this type discovered so far at 775 CE. These strong events serve as accurate time markers for the synchronization with floating tree-ring and ice core records and provide critical information on the previous occurrence of extreme solar events which threaten modern infrastructure.
Modeling lung cell development using human pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Wong Amy
Published: August 2021

Human PSC (hPSC) differentiations can capture developmental phenotypes and processes and are useful for studying fundamental biological mechanisms driving tissue morphogenesis and cell lineage development. Here, we show for the first time the temporal development of lung cell lineages using hPSC that model developmental milestones observed in primary tissue, the generation of renewable fetal lung epithelial spheroids, and the functional utility of the lung models at different differentiation stages for Cystic fibrosis disease modeling. We first show the presence of hPSC-derived lung progenitor cells reminiscent of early trimester lung development and containing basal stem cells that generate renewable airway spheroids. Maturation and polarization in air liquid interface (ALI) generates additional epithelial cell lineages found in adult airways including pulmonary neuroendocrine, brush, mature basal, ciliated and secretory cell types. Finally, pseudotime and RNA velocity analyses of the integrated datasets from the fetal and ALI stages reveal previously identified and new cell lineage relationships. Overall, hPSC differentiation can capture aspects of human lung development and potentially provide important insight into congenital causes of diseases.
High-throughput 2D-to-4D fabrication of magneto-origami machines
Authors: Yi Shengzhu , Wang Liu , Chen Zhipeng , Luo Qingqing , Wang Jian , Zhang Yuanxi , Peng Lelun , Guo Chuan Fei , Jiang Lelun
Published: August 2021

Magneto-active soft machines capable of magnetically controllable shape-morphing and locomotion have diverse promising applications such as untethered biomedical robots. However, existing magneto-active soft machines often show simple structures and limited deformation range. These technologies also suffer because mass production of the magneto-active machines is unavailable. Here, we propose a direct 2D-to-4D fabrication strategy that transforms 2D magnetic sheets into 3D magneto-active soft machines with customized geometries by incorporating origami folding. The method can be easily adapted to roll-to-roll processing. This approach enables a variety of unique characteristics of magneto-origami machines, including large-magnitude deploying, sequential folding into predesigned shapes and multivariant actuation modes (e.g., contraction, bending, rotation and rolling locomotion). We leverage these abilities to demonstrate a few potential applications: an electronic robot capable of on-demand deploying and wireless charging, a mechanical 8-3 encoder, and a quadruped robot for cargo-release tasks. Our work paves a way for the high-throughput fabrication of magneto-active soft machines with multi-functionalities.
Testing Green Financing for Greater Renewable Electricity Generation and Energy Efficiency: Implications for Post COVID-19 Time
Authors: Liu Zhen , Xu Jinhang , Wei Yiming , Hatab Assem Abu , Lan Jing
Published: August 2021

There is a possibility that worldwide expenditures in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects could fall much further in 2017 and 2018. This may jeopardize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris climate change agreement. Lack of access to private financing slows the development of green initiatives. Now that sustainable energy isn't about science and technology, it's all about getting financing. Therefore, recent study intended to investigate the role of green financing for maximum renewable electricity generation and efficiency of energy in United States of America (USA). Our study suggested to value environmental initiatives, like other infrastructure initiatives, for greater electricity generation and energy efficiency in USA. Such infrastructural projects need long-term financing and capital-intensiveness. Our findings suggest that to sustain growth, development, and energy poverty reduction, around $26 trillion would be required, in terms of green financing, in the USA alone by the year 2030 to enhance energy efficiency. To achieve energy sustainability goals in USA, recent research suggested some policy implication considering the post COVID-19 time. If suggested policy implications are implemented successfully there are chances that green financing would make energy generation and energy efficiency as effective.
Collateral implications of carbon and metal pollution on carbon dioxide emission at land-water interface of the Ganga River
Authors: Verma Kavita , Pandey Jitendra
Published: August 2021

Atmospheric CO2- source- and- sink is among the most debated issues that have puzzled climate change geochemist for decades. Here, we tested whether heavy metal pollutants in river sediments favor preservation of organic matter through shielding microbial degradation. We measured CO2 emission and extracellular enzyme activities at land-water interface (LWI) of 7 sites along a 285 km main stem of the Ganga River and 60 locations up- and downstream of two contrasting point sources discharging urban (Assi drain; Asdr) and industrial (Ramnagar drain; Rmdr) wastewaters to the river. We found the lowest CO2 flux at Rmdr mouth characterized by the highest concentrations of Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb, Ni, and Cd. The fluxes were relatively higher at locations up-and down-stream Rmdr. Substrate induced respiration (SIR), protease, FDAase and β-D-glucosidase all showed a similar trend but phenol oxidase and alkaline phosphatase showed opposite trend at the main river stem and Asdr. Sites rich in terrestrially derived organic matter have high phenol oxidase activity with low CO2 emission. The CO2 emission in the main river stem showed curvilinear relationships with total heavy metals (∑THM; R2 = 0.68; P < 0.001) and TOC (R2 = 0.65; p < 0.001). The dynamic fit model of main stem data showed that the ∑THM above 337.4 µg g− 1 were able to significantly decrease the activities of protease, FDAase and β-D-glucosidase. The study has implications for understanding C-cycling in human-impacted river sediments where metal pollution shields microbial degradation consequently carbon and nutrient release; and merits attention towards river management decisions.
A Case of Chronic Gastric Anisakiasis Coexisting With Early Gastric Cancer
Authors: Sakurai Eiko , Masaaki Okubo , Tsutsumi Yutaka , Shibata Tomoyuki , Tahara Tomomitsu , Kiriyama Yuka , Michiba Ayano , Ohmiya Naoki , Tsukamoto Tetsuya
Published: August 2021

Background: Anisakiasis is a parasitic disease caused by the consumption of raw or undercooked fish that is infected by anisakis third-stage larvae. In countries, such as Japan, Italy, and Spain, where people have a custom of eating raw or marinated fish, anisakiasis is a common infection. Although anisakiasis has been reported to occur in the gastrointestinal tract in several countries, reports of anisakiasis accompanied by cancer are rare. Case presentation: We present the rare case of a 40-year-old male patient who had anisakiasis coexisting with mucosal gastric cancer. Submucosal gastric cancer was suspected on gastric endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasonography. After laparoscopic distal gastrectomy, granulomatous inflammation with anisakis larvae in the submucosa was pathologically revealed beneath mucosal tubular adenocarcinoma. Histological and immunohistochemical investigation showed cancer cells as intestinal absorptive-type cells that did not harbor mucin. Conclusion: Anisakis larvae could have injected into the cancer cells selectively because of the lack of mucin in the cancerous epithelium. Anisakiasis coexisting with cancer is considered reasonable rather than coincidental.
The Evidence Mapping and Methodological Quality of Clinical Practice Guidelines of Diagnosis and Management for Spinal Pain: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Huang Jin-Feng , Qin Zongshi , Zheng Xuan-Qi , Lin Jia-Liang , Zhang Kai , Li Yan Michael , Wang Yi-Xiang , Wu Ai-Min
Published: August 2021

Objectives: To systematically review clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for treating spinal pain, to assess the quality of different CPGs, and finally to provide an evidence map for the specific explication of research trends and gaps.Method: We searched CPGs in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Guidelines International Network (GIN), National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). We extracted basic information, recommendations, methodological quality, and reporting quality of the CPGs. Four researchers independently evaluated the quality of the CPGs according to the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare (RIGHT). Results: We included 21 CPGs into our study. According to the AGREE II checklist, we found that the mean score was relatively high in four domains, namely, scope and purpose (78.39), stakeholder involvement (63.04), clarity of presentation (72.04), and rigor of development (61.25). However, the mean score of two domains (editorial independence and application) was relatively low. Among the seven domains of the RIGHT checklist, one field (basic information) had the highest reporting rate (86.61%), while another field (funding, declaration, and management of interest) obtained the lowest reporting rate (53.00%). Conclusion: Our study provided evidence mapping, which is a good tool to reduce research waste and facilitate the process of knowledge transfer. We found the mean score of the application of included CPGs was the lowest and most of CPGs didn’t consider patient preferences. Therefore, guideline makers should concentrate on patient preference and application in future guidelines. The results of our study can also be used to optimize the implementation of these recommendations and to improve the development of reliable CPGs for treating spinal pain.
An Integrated Diagnostic Approach for Citrus Exocortis Viroid
Authors: Lin Chih-Hsu , Hung Ting-Hsuan , Hu I , Ku Ta-Hsin , Lin Chun-Yi , Wu Meng-Ling , Shen Tang-Long
Published: August 2021

BackgroundCitrus exocortis viroid (CEVd) is a circular single-stranded RNA pathogen consists of around 370 nucleotides and leads to a severe disease showing bark scaling symptom on citrus crops, which leads to yield decrease and economic loss. Since the absence of viroid-encoded proteins, methods for CEVd detection mainly counts on bioassays or nucleic acid-base approaches. In order to validate the CEVd disease, here we developed an integrated diagnostic protocol. MethodsCEVd transcripts were inoculated onto two susceptible cultivars of Solanum lycopersicum L., cv. Rutgers and cv. Double-Fortune, seedings. After inoculation, total RNAs of the two tomato cultivars were extracted to detect CEVd infection by dot blot hybridization, one-step reverse transcription PCR (one-step RT-PCR) and real-time reverse transcription PCR (real-time RT-PCR). In addition, the symptom development of both cultivars was recorded weekly. ResultsThe tomato cultivar Rutgers rather than Double-Fortune or others was selected as a suitable CEVd-indicator plant and the bio-index score was established based on epinasty, vein necrosis, leaf size reduction and stunting symptoms. In addition, the isolate of CEVd that collected from citrus field could rapidly and consistently cause the index symptoms on Rutgers. As expected, CEVd could be specifically and sensitively detected in both tomato and citrus plants by dot-blot hybridization and RT-PCR technologies, including one-step RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR. Furthermore, we found that the levels of CEVd genomic RNA or CEVd derived small RNAs are correlated to symptom severity. ConclusionsIn this study, we developed an integrated detection method for CEVd and revealed potential underlying viroid-host interactions.
The Effects of Weapon Toys on Aggressive Behavior among Chinese Children: The Mediating Role of Aggressive Cognition
Authors: Zhang Qian
Published: August 2021

Background: The purpose of the study was to explore the relationships between exposure to weapon toys and aggressive behavior. Methods: The study sample included 104 six-year-old kindergarten children. Half of them were randomly assigned to play with weapon toys (experimental group) or non-weapon toys (control group). A Semantic Classification Task (SCT) and a Competitive Reaction Time Task (CRTT) were employed to measure aggressive cognition and aggressive behavior. A randomized controlled study was performed and a 2 x 2 (Toys, Gender) Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) statistical test was used to evaluate the effect of toys on aggressive cognition (reaction times to weapon pictures) and behavior (noise intensity setting), controlling for age. Mediation analysis was also conducted to test the mediating role of aggressive cognition in this effect.Results: Results indicated that playing with weapon toys increased aggressive cognition and aggressive behavior. Specifically, boys were more likely than girls to exhibit aggressive behavior in the weapon toys condition, though girls did exhibit aggressive cognition. Mediation analysis indicated that the weapon toy effect on aggressive behavior was partially mediated by aggressive cognition. Conclusions: The main findings of the study suggest that boys may be considered as the target group for aggression intervention and reduction in the context of weapon toys. Practitioners can take away the weapon toys to reduce aggressive cognition, so as to decrease children’s aggressive behavior.
Myrobalans Mediated Nanocolloids in Controlling Marine Pathogens
Authors: S Ranjani , Parthasarathy Pradeep , p Rameshkumar , S Hemalatha
Published: August 2021

Aquaculture production is affected by disease outbreak, which affect the production, profitability, and sustainability of the global aquaculture industry. Antibiotics have been widely used to control various pathogens. Due to its uncontrollable and indiscriminate usage, pathogens have developed resistance towards antibiotics. This current study aims to synthesize green silver- of silver nanocolloids (MBNc) from the extract of three myrobalans. MBNc was characterized by using UV-Vis spectroscopy, DLS, Zeta potential, FE-SEM. EDX, HRTEM, and SAED techniques. The array of antimicrobial assays were performed to evaluate the efficacy of MBNc against vibriosis causing pathogens including V. harveyi, V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus, and foodborne pathogen S. haemolyticus, isolated from infected fish. Further, the presence of ESBL genes including CTX-M-15 and Amp C were analyzed in control and MBNc treated strains. From our studies, it was observed that MBNc was very effective in controlling the growth and biofilm formation in all tested marine pathogens and effectively abolish the genes encoding ESBL CTX-M-15 in antibiotic-resistant pathogens tested. Thus, MBNc can be formulated to control the growth of marine pathogens and it can be used as an alternative to antibiotics to prevent infection in cage culturing and aquafarming.
On the Use of an Innovative Trend Analysis Methodology for Temporal Trend Identification in Extreme Rainfall Indices Over the Central Highlands, Vietnam
Authors: Phuong Dang Nguyen Dong , Huyen Nguyen Thi , Liem Nguyen Duy , Hong Nguyen Thi , Cuong Dang Kien , Loi Nguyen Kim
Published: August 2021

Understanding past changes in the characteristics of climate extremes (such as frequency, intensity, and duration) forms an essential part of viable countermeasures to cope with climate-induced risks under a rapidly warming world. Thus, this paper endeavored to explore possible non-monotonic trend components in heavy rainfall events over the Central Highlands of Vietnam by employing the Şen’s innovative trend analysis (ITA) method in conjunction with the well-defined extreme rainfall indices developed by the Joint CCl/CLIVAR/JCOMM Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI). The outcomes show that the overall trends in most extreme rainfall indices exhibited significant increases at several stations. Moreover, the high-value subgroups of most analyzed indices (such as maximum 5-day precipitation amount (Rx5day), simple daily intensity index (SDII), very wet days (R95p), extremely wet days (R99p), number of extremely heavy precipitation days (R50mm), and consecutive dry days (CDD)) were characterized mainly by significant increasing trends, thereby implying that heavy rainfall events have become more frequent and intense over recent decades. Some stations also exposed significant increasing trend behaviors in a given extreme index within all low-, medium-, and high-value subgroups. In general, it is expected that these findings yield more insightful knowledge on rainfall extremes to local decision-makers and other stakeholders.
Effect of Advanced Paternal Age on Reproductive Outcomes in IVF Cycles of Nonmale Factor Infertility: a Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Lu Xinmei , Liu Yubing , Cao Xiang , Zhang Doudou , Zhang Tiancheng , Liu Miao , Shi Huijuan , Liu Suying , Dong Xi
Published: August 2021

Background: Female age over 35 years has been considered a determinant factor and increases the risk of infertility. However, paternal age has been virtually ignored, and its potential role is still poorly investigated. There is no current consensus on the effects of paternal age on assisted reproductive technology（ART）outcomes. Methods: In total, 381 in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles of nonmale factor infertility (paternal age <35 y in 261 cycles, 35– 39 y in 72 cycles and ≥ 40 y in 48 cycles) were involved in this retrospective cohort study. Maternal age was controlled at under 35 years old. Embryo quality, clinical and neonatal outcomes were compared.Results: Among different paternal age groups, fertilization rate and high-quality embryos were not significantly different (P> 0.05). Compared with the <35 y group, pregnancy rate was not significantly different in the 35–39 y group (P> 0.05), but significantly lower in the ≥ 40 y group(P < 0.05). Additionally, we found a statistically significantly lower implantation rate for men aged ≥40 years (18.8%) compared to the group of men aged <35 years (31.1%) and men aged 35-39 years (30.0%) (P <0.05). A declining trend in the live birth rate (30.6%, 21.7%, and 19.6%) was noted in the subgroups of paternal age (<35 y, 35-39 y, and ≥40 y) (P >0.05). The miscarriage rate was significantly higher in the 35–39 y (44.8%) than that in the <35 y group (21.0%)(P <0.05). While in the oldest group of paternal age ≥ 40 y, although miscarriage rate increased but not significantly different (P >0.05). There were no significant differences in the preterm birth or multiple pregnancy rates among the different paternal age groups (P >0.05). Ectopic pregnancy was only found in the paternal age <35 y group. There was no abnormality in the birth weight of newborns among the different male age groups. Conclusion: Paternal age over 40 years is a key risk factor that influences the ART success rate even with good semen parameters, though has no impact on embryo development.
The Focus Case of a Nonsmooth Rayleigh-Duffing Oscillator
Authors: Wang Zhaoxia , Chen Hebai , Tang Yilei
Published: August 2021

In this paper, we study the global dynamics of a nonsmooth Rayleigh-Duffing equation x¨ + ax˙ + bx˙|x˙| + cx + dx3 = 0 for the case d > 0, i.e., the focus case. The global dynamics of this nonsmooth Rayleigh-Duffing oscillator for the case d < 0, i.e., the saddle case, has been studied completely in the companion volume [Int. J. Non-Linear Mech., 129 (2021) 103657]. The research for the focus case is more complex than the saddle case, such as the appearance of five limit cycles and the gluing bifurcation which means that two double limit cycle bifurcation curves and one homoclinic bifurcation curve are very adjacent occurs. We present bifurcation diagram, including one pitchfork bifurcation curve, two Hopf bifurcation curves, two double limit cycle bifurcation curves and one homoclinic bifurcation curve. Finally, numerical phase portraits illustrate our theoretical results.
Electromagnetic Mode Matching in a Wilson Basis --- Optical Fiber Connections with a Gap
Authors: Floris Sander J. , de Hon Bastiaan P. , Beurden Martijn C. van , Bolhaar Ton
Published: August 2021

On the basis of two optical fibers with an optional lateral and longitudinal displacement in a homogeneous background medium, we describe a general full-vectorial Wilson-basis discretized mode-matching method that evaluates the converged electromagnetic fields after all resonances in the possible gap cavity have settled. Wilson basis functions feature strong localization in both the spatial and the spectral domain, which allows for efficient modal electromagnetic field expansions, adequate truncation of field propagation operators, and sparse translation operators, which in turn allow to make ad hoc electromagnetic field-matching operators. For physical contact connections between single-mode fibers with a mode-field diameter mismatch, we obtain attenuation curves that are right between those obtained from approximation methods that either effectively match the electric field or the magnetic field under the assumption of a vanishing reflection. For fibers separated by a growing gap, constructive and destructive interference patterns in the cavity are computed by the successive application of Love's equivalence principle and the propagation operator. By leveraging the physical width of the Wilson basis functions and the stepsize of the propagation operator, the initial operators may be reused in solving the interface problem for other wavelengths. For multi-mode fiber connections, we provide attenuation curves on a modal electromagnetic field level, as well as for overfilled and core-confined target encircled-flux compliant launches.

A comparison to geometrical-optics based approaches shows attenuation differences in the order of several hundredth of a dB, and although that is small, it is significant for modern connection attenuation specifications. In the final example of connections between regular and trench-assisted multi-mode fibers, we notice that the relative change in the cumulative near-field power distribution can be significant, despite a marginally small attenuation. The influence of a core diameter and/or numerical aperture mismatch can be examined with a deliberate lateral misalignment.
Case Report: One Human Streptococcus Suis Infection in Shandong Province, China
Authors: Zhang Xueli , Bao Qihan , Kou Zengqiang , Li Renpeng , Mao Qian , Feng Jianing , Wang Suzhen , Wang Qiang
Published: August 2021

Background: Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen. Case presentation: A 56-year-old woman was infected with S. suis. The patient reared pigs in her backyard. At admission, her blood examinations showed a leukocyte count of 27.28×109/L with 94.20% neutrophils. Cerebrospinal fluid was noted to be cloudy with a leukocyte count of 2700×106/L. Cerebrospinal fluid culture grew gram-positive cocci that were identified as S. suis type II. Ceftriaxone was administered. Conclusion: Human infections with S. suis highlights the need for health education, prevention and surveillance it.
Chemoecological Study of Trophic Interaction Between Pseudosphinx Tetrio L. Larvae and Allamanda Cathartica L.
Authors: MATIGNON LINDA , LO MAME E MARIETOU , VICENTINI MAURO , VALENCIA DROCHS PETRI , PALMEIRA-MELLO MARCOS V. , SYLVESTRE MURIEL , PASSE-COUTRIN NADY , VEGA-RUA ANUBIS , Domenech Antonio , BENFODDA ZOHRA , Meffre Patrick , Cebrián-Torrejón Gerardo
Published: August 2021

The larval caterpillar Pseudosphinx tetrio L. is a species that feeds specifically on plants belonging to the family Apocynaceae. The genus Allamanda includes many shrubs or flowering trees which are grown throughout the tropical regions and are well known due their several biological properties. This work explores the interaction between the caterpillar and this plant using several analytical techniques such as thin layer chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and cyclic voltammetry. Further, a multivariate data analysis was performed in attempt to obtain better insights regard the samples. The results point out the similar profile between the health and herbivore Allamanda cathartica L.’s leaves and the caterpillars’ faeces. The similar analytical profile between the leaves of A. cathartica and the faeces of P. tetrio, as well as the difference with the caterpillar’s bodies suggest a selective excretion of compounds by the caterpillar. These compounds found selectively in the faeces (and not in the body) can explain that P. tetrio can feed this toxic Apocynaceae species.
Explainable Machine Learning for Knee Osteoarthritis Diagnosis Based on a Novel Fuzzy Feature Selection Methodology
Authors: Kokkotis Christos , Ntakolia Charis , Moustakidis Serafeim , Giakas Giannis , Tsaopoulos Dimitrios
Published: August 2021

Knee Osteoarthritis (ΚΟΑ) is a degenerative joint disease of the knee that results from the progressive loss of cartilage. Due to KOA’s multifactorial nature and the poor understanding of its pathophysiology, there is a need for reliable tools that will reduce diagnostic errors made by clinicians. The existence of public databases has facilitated the advent of advanced analytics in KOA research however the heterogeneity of the available data along with the observed high feature dimensionality make this diagnosis task difficult. The objective of the present study is to provide a robust Feature Selection (FS) methodology that could: (i) handle the multidimensional nature of the available datasets and (ii) alleviate the defectiveness of existing feature selection techniques towards the identification of important risk factors which contribute to KOA diagnosis. For this aim, we used multidisciplinary data obtained from the Osteoarthritis Initiative database for individuals without or with KOA. The proposed fuzzy ensemble feature selection methodology aggregates the results of several FS algorithms (filter, wrapper and embedded ones) based on fuzzy logic. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology was evaluated using an extensive experimental setup that involved multiple competing FS algorithms and several well-known ML models. A 73.55 % classification accuracy was achieved by the best performing model (Random Forest classifier) on a group of twenty-one selected risk factors. Explainability analysis was finally performed to quantify the impact of the selected features on the model’s output thus enhancing our understanding of the rationale behind the decision-making mechanism of the best model.