bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transformation of EU Financial Regulation
Authors: Kondrat'eva N.
Published: October 2022

The subject of the study is supranational financial regulation aimed at overcoming the lack of investments, finding effective areas of their application, involving more actors in market processes and eliminating territorial imbalances. The purpose of the article is to form a vision about the growth of financial resources of the European Union (EU), which has become the response of official Brussels to the challenges of recent years, such as the weakening of confidence in EU institutions and the crisis of the COVID‑19 pandemic. The task is solved using expert assessments and descriptions of statistical data. The traditional critical assessment of the European Union budget as a stagnant tool in the system of supranational regulation of socio-economic development is confirmed. The understanding of the flexibility of the EU budget policy is deepened, the benefits for two groups of countries are illustrated: net recipients and net donors. The expansion of the EU’s budget and investment regulation in the last decade has been noted due to its going beyond own resources and strengthening the role of extra-budgetary stabilization and investment instruments. The investment rating of the member states has been compiled based on the results of the work of the Strategic Investment Fund. An increase in the EU’s financial capabilities up to 2.5 times, taking into account euro loans, has been tracked, increasing the interest of aid-seeking countries in EU membership. The total benefits of the member states from the distribution of EU grants in 2021–2007 are calculated and a significant benefit for the five large EU countries is shown. The conclusion is made about the formation of the “second generation” of EU financial resources and the transition to a higher level of supranational regulation of the processes of intensification of socio-economic development of the EU and intraregional capital movements.
Sustainable Development Governance in the Arctic
Authors: Nikitina E. , Pozhilova N.
Published: October 2022

Sustainable development in the Arctic is based on formation of regime and mechanisms for enhancing the circumpolar regional cooperation of the rim-states and for diversification of interactions between stakeholders in implementation of 2030 sustainable development goals. Coordination and integration of their regional and domestic environmental and socio-economic priorities is a key for this endeavor. The success of innovative architecture for sustainability governance system depends to a high extent on scrupulous taking into account the specifics of the polar context, and growing interdependence with expanding involvement of the Arctic into the global economy. Effective regional instrument in this respect is the Arctic Council: the outcomes presented for its recent 25-year anniversary indicate that its focus on integrated scientific assessment of major trends and synergies between ongoing dynamic changes in fragile Arctic ecosystems and their consequences for transformations in socio-economic systems had produced unique results. Accumulated knowledge and practices are among the core foundations for multi-level decision-making process by its participants (arctic states, permanent participants, observers) for sustainability governance design and sustainability regime formation, benefiting at the same time the coordination of various approaches towards human responses to regional challenges. In fact the sustainable development agenda has been turning into a red thread across activities of the Arctic Council and its working groups, as well as within its innovative strategic planning up to 2030. Recent geopolitical drivers, however, might contribute to disintegration trends in the region, and negatively affect implementation of its sustainability strategy. So far, the Arctic Council is pausing all official meetings until further notice.
Selection of Adequate EPS-Block Geofoam for Use in Embankments Subjected to Seismic Loads
Authors: Khosravi Marzieh , Arellano David
Published: October 2022

Expanded polystyrene (EPS)- block geofoam is an extremely lightweight fill material utilized in many geotechnical applications such as roadway and railway embankments. This study provides a methodology for analyzing the load-bearing capacity and horizontal sliding failure mechanisms for seismic internal stability analysis of EPSblock geofoam embankments. The seismic analysis procedure is demonstrated by analysis of one of the EPS-block geofoam embankments that Tennessee Department of Transportation is proposing a partial replacement of an existing bridge in Memphis, Tennessee in the USA. The objective of the seismic analysis procedure is to determine stresses from anticipated earthquakes to select the proper type of EPS considering both the 1% and 2% strain criteria that can support the anticipated increase in stress and potential horizontal displacements due to dynamic and static stresses. The study revealed that the 2% criterion provides an economical advantage compared to the 1% criterion.
Performance Analysis of the Impact of Time to Leave on Different Drop Policies for Delay Tolerant Networks
Authors: Hasan Siham , Al-Bayatti Ali H , Khan Sarmadullah , Harrati Youssef , Alaoui El Arbi Abdellaoui , Algaddafi Ali
Published: October 2022

Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs) are intermittently connected networks, where there is no guaranteed end-to-end connectivity between the source and destination. The link between the pair of nodes in the DTNs environments is frequently disrupted, due to the fast mobility of nodes, dissemination nature, and power outages. Due to the absence of contemporaneous paths between the nodes, the opportunities for message forwarding in DTNs usually are limited. To obtain high data delivery, the DTNs use innovation of the Store-Carry and Forward (SCF) technique which allows data transmission to successfully proceed despite the absence of continuous end-to-end paths. However, the SCF approach arises various issues such as buffer congestion and message drop which are caused due to growing number of carried messages in restricted network resources. Therefore, buffer management techniques are required to manage the buffer capacity of the nodes by deciding how to effectively drop the messages and how to schedule the messages in the node’s buffer in a perfect way. This paper evaluates the performance of six buffer management techniques, namely First-In-FirstOut, Last In First Out, Drop Largest, Drop Youngest, Evict Shortest Lifetime First and Evict Most Forwarded First, with MaxProp and Spray and Wait routing protocols under variable message’s Time-To-Live values (60 to 300 minutes with step-change 60 minutes). In addition, this study uses an Opportunistic Network Environment (ONE) simulator that is utilized for evaluating the performance of the dropping policies techniques, where it is considering five performance metrics (delivery ratio, overhead ratio, average latency, hop count, and message drop). The evaluation results of each buffer management policy are explained by these metrics briefly.
Use of Electric Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing to Assess the Cytotoxic Effect of Cannabidiol on Human Oral Epidermoid Carcinoma Cells
Authors: Huang Chien-Chu , Chiu Shao-Chih , Chao Shih-Chi , Liao Heng-Yi , Lee Shiao-Pieng , Huang Chun-Chung , Cho Der-Yang
Published: October 2022

Cannabidiol (CBD) is an active diterpenoid compound that is extracted from the leaves and stem of Cannabis sativa. Previous studies show that CBD is a non-psychotropic compound with significant anti-cancer effects. This study determines its cytotoxic effect on oral cancer cells and OECM1 cells and compares the outcomes with a chemotherapeutic drug, cisplatin. This study determines the effect of CBD on the viability, apoptosis, morphology and migration of OECM1 cells. Electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) is used to measure the change in cell impedance for cells that are treated with a series concentration of CBD for 24 hours. AlamarBlue and annexin V/7-AAD staining assays show that CBD has a cytotoxic effect on cell viability and induces cell apoptosis. ECIS analysis shows that CBD decreases the overall resistance and morphological parameters at 4 kHz in a concentration-dependent manner. There is a significant reduction in the wound-healing recovery rate for cells that are treated with 30 μM CBD. This study demonstrates that ECIS can be used for in vitro screening of anticancer drugs and is more sensitive, functional and comprehensive than traditional biochemical assays. CBD also increases cytotoxicity on cell survival and the migration of oral cancer cells, so it may be a therapeutic drug for oral cancer
Towards Whole Health Toxicology: In-Silico Prediction of Diseases Sensitive to Multi-Chemical Exposures
Authors: Arowolo Olatunbosun , Salemme Victoria , Suvorov Alexander
Published: October 2022

Chemical exposures from diverse sources merge on a limited number of molecular pathways described as toxicity pathways. Changes in the same set of molecular pathways in different cell and tissue types may generate seemingly unrelated health conditions. Today, no approaches are available to predict in an unbiased way sensitivities of different disease states and their combinations to multichemical exposures across the exposome. We propose an inductive in-silico workflow where sensitivities of genes to chemical exposures are identified based on the overlap of existing genomic datasets, and data on sensitivities of individual genes is further used to sequentially derive predictions on sensitivities of molecular pathways, disease states, and groups of disease states (syndromes). Our analysis predicts that conditions representing the most significant public health problems are among the most sensitive to cumulative chemical exposures. These conditions include six leading types of cancer in the world (prostatic, breast, stomach, lung, colorectal neoplasms, and hepatocellular carcinoma), obesity, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, autistic disorder, Alzheimer's disease, hypertension, heart failure, brain and myocardial ischemia, and myocardial infarction. Overall, our predictions suggest that environmental risk factors may be underestimated for the most significant public health problems.
More Circular City in the Energy and Ecological Transition. A Methodological Approach to Sustainable Urban Regeneration
Authors: Balletto Ginevra , Ladu Mara , Camerin Federico , Ghiani Emilio , Torriti Jacopo
Published: October 2022

Cities consume over 75% of natural resources, produce over 50% of global waste and emit 60 - 80% of greenhouse gases. The scenario that by 2050 two thirds of the world population will live in cities, highlights how cities are still responsible of the growing consumption characterized by linear economy processes, with the production of various types of waste. In this unsustainable framework, the Circular Economy offers the opportunity to shape the urban system by means of rethinking the possibility to produce and use goods and services exploring new ways to ensure long-term prosperity. The Circular City paradigm contains in fact all the principles of the Circular Economy: recovery, recycling and sharing. In particular, Circular City also introduces actions related to the development of renewable energy communities, use of green materials, CO2 absorption approaches and Proximity Cities. The aim of this work is to develop a methodology to build a composite index (Circular City Index) capable of measuring the degree of implementation of urban policies that enable the territory to initiate an ecological transition of public assets. The city of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) represents the case study to apply circular urban policies in public properties, for civil and military use.
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Advancing Breast Cancer Detection Using Different Imaging Modalities: A Systematic Review
Authors: Madani Mohammad , Behzadi Mohammad Mahdi , Nabavi Sheida
Published: October 2022

Breast cancer is among the most common and fatal diseases for women, and no permanent treatment has been discovered. Thus, early detection is a crucial step to control and cure breast cancer that can save the lives of millions of women. For example, in 2020, more than 65% of breast cancer patients were diagnosed in early-stage of cancer, from whom all survived cancer. Although early detection is the most effective approach for cancer treatment, breast cancer screening conducted by radiologists is very expensive and time-consuming. More importantly, conventional methods of analyzing breast cancer images suffer from high false detection rates. Different breast cancer imaging modalities are used to extract and analyze the key features affecting diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. These imaging modalities can be divided into subgroups such as mammograms, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, histopathological images, or any combination of them. Radiologists or pathologists analyze images produced by these methods manually that leads to increase the risk of wrong decisions for cancer detection. Thus, utilization of new automatic methods to analyze all kinds of breast screening images to assist radiologists to interpret images is required. Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely utilized to automatically improve the early detection and treatment of different types of cancer, specifically breast cancer, thereby enhancing the survival chance of patients. Advances in AI algorithms, such as deep learning, and availability of datasets obtained from various imaging modalities have opened an opportunity to surpass limitations of current breast cancer analysis methods. In this article, we first review breast cancer imaging modalities, and their strengths and limitations. Then, we explore and summarize the most recent studies that employed AI in breast cancer detection using various breast imaging modalities. In addition, we report available datasets on the breast cancer imaging modalities which are important in developing AI-based algorithms and training deep learning models. In conclusion, this review paper tries to provide a comprehensive resource to help researchers working in breast cancer imaging analysis.
Abiotic and Biotic Combined Stress in Tomato: Additive, Synergic and Antagonistic Effects and Within-plant Phenotypic Plasticity
Authors: Vescio Rosa , Caridi Roberta , Laudani Francesca , Palmeri Vincenzo , Zappalà Lucia , Badiani Maurizio , Sorgonà Agostino
Published: October 2022

Background: Drought, N deficiency and herbivory are considered the most important stressors caused by climate change in the agro- and eco-systems and varied in space and time shaping a highly dynamic and heterogeneous stressful environments. This study aims to evaluate the to-mato morpho-physiological and metabolic responses to combined abiotic and herbivory at dif-ferent within-plant spatial levels and temporal scales. Methods: Leaf-level morphological, gas exchange traits and VOC profiles were measured in to-mato plants exposed to N deficiency and drought, T. absoluta larvae and their combination. Ad-ditive, synergistic or antagonistic effects of the single stress when combined were also evaluat-ed. Morpho-physiological traits and VOC profile were also measured on leaves located at three different positions along the shoot axes. Results: The combination of the abiotic and biotic stress has been more harmful than single stress with antagonistic and synergistic but non-additive effects for the morpho-physiological and VOC tomato responses, respectively. Combined stress also determined a high within-plant phenotypic plasticity of the morpho-physiological responses. Conclusions: These results suggest that the combined stress in tomato determined a “new stress state” and a higher within-plant phenotypic plasticity which could permit an efficient use of the growth and defence resources in the heterogeneous and multiple stressful environmental condi-tions.
Addressed Fiber Bragg Structures: Principles and Applications Overview
Authors: Agliullin Timur , Il'In German , Kuznetsov Artem , Misbakhov Rinat , Misbakhov Rustam , Morozov Gennady , Morozov Oleg , Nureev Ilnur , Sakhabutdinov Airat
Published: October 2022

Five years ago, the concept of addressed fiber Bragg structures (AFBS) was proposed, which simultaneously perform the functions of a two-frequency radiation shaper, the difference frequency of which is the AFBS address, and a sensitive element, since the value of the difference frequency is invariant to measured physical fields, and the set of difference frequencies, moreover, is orthogonal in the array of such sensors, enabling their address multiplexing. In this article, we provide an overview of the theory and technology of AFBS, including the structures with three or more spectral components with various combinations of difference frequencies, symmetrical and asymmetric, performing the functions of the address and converting information signals to the low-frequency range at the same time, along with other functions. The subjects of interrogation of these structures, their fabrication and calibration are discussed as well. We also consider a wide range of applications in which AFBS can be used, covering such areas as oil and gas production, power engineering, transport, medicine, etc. In addition, the prospects of AFBS further development are proposed.
Level of Trust of the Population in the Unified Health System in the Midst of the COVID-19 Crisis in Brazil
Authors: Tenório de Araújo Juliana , Delpino Felipe , Dias Heriederson , Berra Thais , Ramos Antonio , Nascimento Murilo , Alonso Jonas , Silva Ruan , Freitas Giselle , Teibo Titilade , Gonzales Roxana , Arcêncio Ricardo
Published: October 2022

Objective: to assess level of trust in health services during COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study, carried out between 2020 and 2021, among Brazilians over 18. A non-probabilistic sampling was used. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied, using the Local Bivariate Moran’s technique was used to verify the existence of spatial dependence between the incidence and mortality of COVID-19 and trust in health services. Furthermore, multinomial regression was also used to analyze the factors associated with the confidence level, with the calculation of the Odds Ratio and with a confidence interval of 95%. Results: 50.6% reported trust in hospital services while 41.4% did not trust Primary Health Care services. With the application of the Local Bivariate Moran, both for the incidence and mortality of COVID-19, the trust in tertiary care and primary care services showed a statistically significant spatial association predominant in the Midwest (High-Low) and North (Low-High) regions of Brazil. The level of trust was associated with education, religion, region of the country and income. Conclusions: The level of trust in hospital services, more than Primary Health Care services, may be related to the population's culture of prioritizing the search for hospital care at the detriment of health promotion and disease prevention
Fricke Topological Qubits
Authors: Planat Michel , Chester David , Amaral Marcelo Maciej , Irwin Klee
Published: October 2022

We recently proposed that topological quantum computing might be based on $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$ representations of the fundamental group $\pi_1(S^3\setminus K)$ for the complement of a link $K$ in the $3$-sphere. The restriction to links whose associated $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$ character variety $\mathcal{V}$ contains a Fricke surface $\kappa_d=xyz -x^2-y^2-z^2+d$ is desirable due to the connection of Fricke spaces to elementary topology. Taking $K$ as the Hopf link $L2a1$, one of the three arithmetic two-bridge links [the Whitehead link $5_1^2$, the Berge link $6_2^2$, the double-eight link $6_3^2$] or the link $7_3^2$, the $\mathcal{V}$ for those links contains the reducible component $\kappa_4$, the so-called Cayley cubic. In addition, the $\mathcal{V}$ for the later two links contains the irreducible component $\kappa_3$, or $\kappa_2$, respectively. Taking $\rho$ to be a representation with character $\kappa_d$ ($d<4$), with $|x|,|y|,|z| \le 2$, then $\rho(\pi_1)$ fixes a unique point in the hyperbolic space $\mathcal{H}_3$ and is conjugate to a $SU(2)$ representation (a qubit). Even though details on the physical implementation remain open, more generally, we show that topological quantum computing may be developed from the point of view of three-bridge links, the topology of the $4$-punctured sphere and Painlev\'e VI equation. The $0$-surgery on the $3$ circles of the Borromean rings L6a4 is taken as an example.
Cut Points of the Conicity Index and Associated Factors in Brazilian Rural Workers
Authors: Prado Camila Bruneli do , Martins Cleodice Alves , Cremonini Ana Clara Petersen , Ferreira Júlia Rabelo Santos , Cattafesta Monica , Salaroli Luciane Bresciani
Published: October 2022

(1) Background: Metabolic syndrome is associated with cardiovascular complications. Therefore, this study aims to establish cut points for the conicity index based on the components of the metabolic syndrome and to associate it with characteristics sociodemographic, food consumption and occupational factors in Brazilian rural workers; (2) Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out with farmers. The receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated and the cutoff points for the conicity index were identified by the area under the curve, sensitivity and specificity. The variables included in the binary logistic regression analysis were selected by considering p < 0.20 in the bivariate test; (3) Results: The cut points were similar in females according to both criteria, resulting in a single cut-off of 1.269. In males, the cut points showed differences, resulting in 1.272 according to the NCEP-ATP III and 1.252 according to the IDF. We have shown that younger people, those who work more than 40 hours a week and the lowest contribution of culinary ingredients are associated with increased odds of abdominal obesity. While the consumption of the products they sell or produce decreases these chances; (4) Conclusions: The conicity index showed high discriminatory power for the identification of abdominal obesity in rural workers.
Diagenetic–Porosity Evolution and Reservoir Evaluation in Multiprovenance Tight Sandstones: Insight from the Lower Shihezi Formation in Hangjinqi Area, Northern Ordos Basin
Authors: Sun Xiao , Tan Xianfeng , Tang Yuanlan , Tian Jingchun , Lei Tao , Wang Jia , Luo Long , Zhu Chaobin , Mo Songyu , Zhou Huanhuan , Lai Fuqiang
Published: October 2022

The reservoir property of tight sandstones is closely related to the provenance and diagenesis, and multiprovenance system and complex diagenesis are developed in Hangjinqi area. However, the relationship between provenance, diagenesis, and physical characteristics of tight reservoirs in Hangjinqi area has not yet been reported. The Middle Permian Lower Shihezi Formation is one of the most important tight gas sandstone reservoirs in the Hangjinqi area of Ordos Basin. This research compared the diagenesis-porosity quantitative evolution mechanisms of Lower Shihezi Formation sandstones from various provenances in the Hangjinqi area using thin-section descriptions, cathodoluminescence imaging, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and homogenization temperature of fluid inclusions, along with general physical data and high-pressure mercury intrusion (HPMI) data. The sandstones mainly comprise quartzarenite, sublitharenite, and litharenite with low porosity and low permeability and display obvious zonation in the content of detrital components as a result of multiprovenance. Pore space of those sandstone mainly consists of primary pores, secondary pores, and microfractures, but their proportion varies in different provenances. According to HPMI, the order of the pore-throat radius from largest to smallest is central provenance, eastern provenance, and western provenance, which is consistent with the change tend of porosity (middle part>northern part>western part) in Hangjinqi region. The diagenetic evolution path of those sandstones is comparable, with compaction, cementation, dissolution, and fracture development. The central provenance has the best reservoir quality, followed by the eastern provenance and the western provenance, and this variation due to the diverse diagenesis (diagenetic stage and intensity) of different provenances. These findings reveal that the variations in detrital composition and structure caused by different provenances are the material basis of reservoir differentiation, and the main rationale for reservoir differentiation is varying degrees of diagenesis during burial process.
Peran Warga Sekolah dalam Penerapan Budaya Sekolah: Studi Kasus di SDN I Temon
Authors: Ardhyantama Vit , Wibowo Tyas Arie , Aristya Ferry
Published: October 2022

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui peran warga sekolah dalam penerapan budaya sekolah: studi kasus di SD N I Temon. Jenis penelitiann ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif dengan menggunakan pendekatan penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Subjek dalam penelitian ini adalah warga sekolah SD N I Temon yang terdiri   dari Kepala sekolah, guru/tenaga pendidik, penjaga sekolah dan siswa. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah observasi, wawancara, dan dokumentasi. Keabsahan data menggunakan triangulasi teknik dan sumber. Berdasarkan hasil penlitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa warga sekolah berperan sebagai pendidik, fasilitator, pendorong, dan pelaku penerapan budaya sekolah. Keempat peran ini dijalankan oleh warga sekolah SD N I Temon ketika berada di lingkup sekolah yang bertujuan untuk membentuk karakter anak melalui budaya sekolah. Melalui peran warga sekolah  ini, diketahui bahwa peran warga sekolah terhadap penerapan budaya sekolah ini, tergolong kedalam kategori baik, sebagaimana yang dilakukan warga sekolah untuk meningkatkan karakter siswa melalui budaya sekolah.

 

This study aimed to determine the role of school community in the implementation of school culture: a case study at SD N I Temon. This type of research was a qualitative research using a qualitative descriptive research approach. The subjects in this study were community of SD N I Temon which consisted of the principal, teachers/educators, school guards and students. Data collection methods used are observation, interviews, and documentation. The validity of the data were using triangulation techniques and sources. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that school community act as educators, facilitators, motivators, and actors in implementing school culture. These four roles were carried out by the community of SD N I Temon when they were in the scope of the school which aims to shape the character of students through school culture. Through the role of the school community, it was known that the role of the school community in the implementation of this school culture was classified into the good category, as what the school community did to improve the character of students through school culture.
Sentiment analysis on labeled and unlabeled datasets using BERT architecture
Authors: Chakraborty Koyel , Bhattacharyya Siddhartha , Bag Rajib
Published: October 2022

Sentiment analysis (SA) is the study of human perception in any subject of practice. It retrieves data from datasets using Natural Language Processing (NLP) methodologies and algorithms that are either regulation-based, blended, or rely on machine learning approaches. SA is garnering fame for its capacity to fit in a large chunk of data with user evaluations, uncover a trend, and come to a consensus derived from real facts rather than hypotheses established on a limited number of observations. The flexible nature of sentiment gathering has helped in playing a critical role in both commercial and research applications in the last few years. This study presents new sentiment analysis models based on Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) for both labeled and unlabeled datasets. The labeled datasets using supervised learning are modeled in a hybrid architecture of fine-tuned BERT and interval Type − 2 fuzzy sets. The inclusion of interval Type-2 fuzzy logic for handling reluctance or inaccuracy in data shows commendable results for the labeled datasets. For the prediction of sentiments in unlabeled datasets, they are embedded through a BERT tokenizer with the help of a threshold and activation functions. The coupling of a multi-layer perceptron with the BERT parser substantially decreases the time and complexity compared to supervised learning. Both the models have been implemented on multiple datasets and have outperformed existing state-of-the-art techniques in this field.
Effect analysis of peg-interferon on chronic hepatitis B virus infection
Authors: Li Hong , Wang Yanteng , Li Beibei , Yang Jiaqi , Tian Chang
Published: October 2022

Objective To observe the effect of Polyethylene glycol interferon α (PEG-IFN α) on chronic hepatitis B(CHB) virus infection . Methods 152 patients treated with PEG-IFN α were retrospectively analyzed. The main evaluation indexes were the degree of HBsAg decline and its influencing factors. Results among 152 patients followed up, 39 patients (25.7%) had HBsAg decreased by more than 1log10IU/ml. The clinical cure rate of HBsAg (-) patients with HBsAg < 1500IU/ml was 15.9%. Treatment duration, Alanine Transaminase elevation at 12/24 weeks, baseline HBeAg status and baseline HBsAg level were the factors influencing HBsAg decline. Conclusion The lower the baseline HBsAg level and the longer the treatment course, the more favorable it is to the decline of HBsAg.Elevated Alanine Transaminase(ALT) at 12/24 weeks was a predictor of HBsAg decline. Patient compliance is important.
Evaluation of synergistic approach of spinel cadmium–copper nanoferrites as magnetic catalysts for promoting wastewater decontamination: Impact of Ag ions doping
Authors: Mangood Ahmed H. , Gemeay Ali Hassan , Abdle-Galeil Mohamed M. , Salama Eman Sh. , El-Shater Reda E.
Published: October 2022

Ferrite magnetic nanoparticles are active in the advanced oxidation process (AOP), which catalyzes the decomposition of H2O2 generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Noble metal substitution is an efficient strategy to improve the catalytic activity of ferrite-based catalysts. In this study, Cd0.5Cu0.5−xAgxFe2O4 (where 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) ferrites were fabricated via simple co-precipitation method. The influence of the silver ions on the structural, magnetic, and catalytic characteristics of the spinel nanoparticles, as well as on their morphology, was examined.. X-ray diffractograms revealed a single-phase cubic spinel structure in all the synthesized samples. The crystallite size was in the nanoregime (7–15 nm), and it decreased similarly to the saturation magnetization from 29.8 to 2.80 emu as the Ag+ doping increased. Two prominent absorption bands were visible in Fourier-transform infrared spectra at 600 cm− 1 and 400 cm− 1, respectively, and they belonged to the tetrahedral (A) and octahedral (B) sites. The samples were then used as catalysts for the oxidative breakdown of the typical organic contaminant indigo carmine dye (IC). The catalytic process followed the first-order kinetic model, and the rate constant increased from 0.007 to 0.023 min− 1 with increasing of Ag+ doping. Cd0.5Cu0.5−xAgxFe2O4 exhibited excellent catalytic performance in the whole pH range of 2–11, especially in the strong alkaline environment. Cd0.5Cu0.5−xAgxFe2O4 was a promising efficient and stable material for Fenton-based alkaline wastewater treatment. Finally, the pathway includes, HO•, HO2−•, O2−• as oxidants resulted from the synergistic effects of Fe3+, Cu2+, and Ag+, with H2O2 and surface hydroxyl groups has been proposed.
Cobalt-Catalyzed Enantioselective Intramolecular Reductive Cyclization via Electrochemistry
Authors: Gao Shiquan , Wang Chen , Yang Junfeng , Zhang Junliang
Published: October 2022

Transition-metal asymmetric cyclization of 1,6-enynes has emerged as a powerful method for the construction of carbocycles and heterocycles. However, very rare examples worked under electrochemical conditions. We report herein a Co-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular reductive coupling of enynes via electrochemistry using H2O as hydride source. The products were obtained in good yields with high regio- and enantioselectivities. It represents the first cobalt-catalyzed enantioselective transformation via electrochemistry with a general substrate scope. DFT studies explored the possible reaction pathways and revealed that the oxidative cyclization of enynes by LCo(I) is more favorable than oxidative addition of H2O or other pathways.
Impacts of Watershed Management on land use/ cover Changes and Landscape Greenness in Yezat Watershed, North West Ethiopia
Authors: Andualem Zemenu Awoke , Meshesha Derege Tsegaye , Hassen Ebrahim Esa
Published: October 2022

This study was conducted to assess the long term impacts of watershed management on land use/ cover changes and landscape greenness in yezat watershed. The results of the study shown that between 1990 and 2021, built up area, plantation, natural forest, shrubland and grasslands were increased by + 254ha, + 712.3ha, 196.3ha, + 1070.8 and + 425.3ha respectively due to watershed management interventions. Conversely, cultivated land was decreased with a rate of -2658.7ha, in the study area. However, the reverse is true between 1990 and 2000 due large scale land degradation. Besides,the result of the study also shown that low landscape greenness value (-0.11) was observed between 1990–2000 and high landscape greenness value (+ 0.2) was observed between 1990–2021. The observed change in landscape greenness in watershed was due to the change in shrubland (+ 1070.8ha), grassland (+ 425.3ha), plantation (+ 712.3ha) and forestland (+ 196.3ha) covers between 1990 and 2021 years. Such observed changes in land use land covers, landscape greenness and cultivated land in the study watershed a have important implications on environmental benefits.
Factors for adherence to a physical activity promotion program in the workplace - A literature review
Authors: Grimaud Quentin , Malloggi Lucie , Moret Leila , Tripodi Dominique
Published: October 2022

Introduction
The health benefits of physical activity are now widely accepted and proven. However, the physical activity of individuals has decreased over the last decades, in favor of sedentary behaviors, mainly due to changes in working patterns. Promoting physical activity in the workplace is therefore of major public health interest, but is limited by employees' adherence.
Method
A literature review was conducted to identify factors for adherence to a physical activity promotion program in the workplace. In March 2021, the terms "physical activity”, "physical exercise", "training”, "workplace", "worksite", and "employees" were searched in PubMed among scientific publications published over the 2000-2021 period.
Results
More than 900 publications were analyzed and 54 were retrieved. The main factors for adherence identified were the baseline physical activity level, health level and motivation at the individual level; the intervention individualization at the interventional level; and the work environment quality at the organizational level.
Discussion
These results are consistent with previously published studies, although their validity is limited by the high heterogeneity of the included studies. Assessing these factors for adherence now appears to be a necessary prerequisite before implementing a physical activity promotion program in the workplace.
Using innovative copper-loaded activated alumina (Cu/AA) as the catalyst for catalytic wet peroxidation (CWPO) of catechol
Authors: Gosu Vijayalakshmi , Dhakar Archana , Zhang Tian C , Surampalli Rao Y , Subbaramaiah Verraboina
Published: October 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Disparities in school experience for minoritized students during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: De France Kalee , Hoffmann Jessica
Published: October 2022

We investigate disparities in perceptions of school climate during the COVID-19 pandemic across multiple indicators of minoritized group membership (low SES, non-binary gender, non-heterosexual sexual orientation, racial/ethnic minority). Furthermore, we examine the effects of belonging to multiple minoritized groups. Across a range of school climate indices, belonging to a minoritized group is associated with significantly lower quality of school climate, however, specific effects vary across minoritized group and aspect of school climate.
The IMPACT Cross-Sectional Study: The socioeconomic experiences of US and non-US immigrants in Canada in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ghahari Setareh , Subhani Anwar
Published: October 2022

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated socioeconomic deficiencies within Canada's immigrant populations, yet the nature of these challenges is not well understood. Specifically, it is essential to understand the difference between immigrants from countries with similar language and resources (such as the US) and those from a different background (non-US countries). Accordingly, the IMPACT study at the centre of this article included a Canadian national survey that compared key domains of life in US immigrants with non-US immigrants to provide policymakers with a research-based path toward delivering culturally targeted and socially competent services.
Methods: Potential participants were recruited from various newcomer support services centers in Canada to complete the IMPACT survey. The survey comprised a series of questionnaires designed to assess participants' self-perceived impacts of COVID-19 on various socioeconomic markers. For each socioeconomic variable, we analyzed the experiential differences between US vs non-US immigrant subgroups. A chi-square analysis was used to analyze the differences between these geographic subgroups (significance level α=0.05).
Results: On average, non-US immigrants in Canada were less likely to disclose their COVID-19 health status than their US-based counterparts; this trend was correlated with reported concerns over discontinuation of one’s income. Qualitative themes within the non-US immigrant subgroup elucidated a mentality of “making it on [one’s]own”, and consequently, a reluctance to seek out external resources. Surprisingly, despite the US immigrant subgroup having better socioeconomic conditions before the onset of the pandemic, this subgroup was subject to a comparatively greater post-pandemic decrease in socioeconomic well-being, resulting in proportionally greater food and financial insecurities than non-US immigrants.
Conclusion: The study highlighted two key findings: (1) US immigrants faced a proportionally increased instability of their socioeconomic well-being; whilst (2) non-US immigrants faced greater social and intrapersonal barriers to external supports and experienced a greater incidence of COVID-19 infections, likely resulting from this cohorts reluctance to miss work on the basis of income generation. Government-funded immigration resources, newcomer support centers, and researchers require evidence-based, demographically-targeted initiatives to aid the diverse needs of Canadian immigrants and in the post-pandemic recovery period and in future public health emergencies.
Oxidation towards enrofloxacin degradation over nanoscale zero-valent copper: Mechanism and products
Authors: Gong Zhiqiang , Xie Junpu , Liu Jingxin , Liu Ting , Chen Jianwu , Li Jinping , Gan Jinhua
Published: October 2022

Enrofloxacin (ENR) is a widely used veterinary fluoroquinolone antibiotic and is frequently detected in water environments. The degradation of ENR was examined utilizing molecular oxygen mediation using nanometer zero-valent copper (nZVC) as the catalyst in this work. The dosage of nZVC, initial pH, and reaction temperature were investigated as contributing factors to ENR degradation. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) that participated in the reaction were identified, their generation mechanisms were elucidated, and the effects on ENR degradation were assessed. More emphasis was given to exploring ENR degradation and transformation pathways via analyses of HPLC-TOF-MS. Data showed that at 35 ℃, with an initial pH of 3 and exposed to air, an nZVC dose of 0.5 g·L− 1 degraded ENR by 99.51% dramatically. HO• radicals were identified as the dominant ROS, and conversions among Cu0, Cu+, and Cu2+ played crucial roles in the generation of ROS. The destruction mechanism of ENR was speculated based on analyses of HPLC-TOF-MS results as the transformation of the piperazine ring into an oxidized state with a -COOH substitution with HO•, which caused ENR to be mineralized and converted into CO2, H2O, and \({\text{NO}}_{\text{3}}^{\text{-}}\). This research proposes a capable and practical method for removing ENR from water.
Rethinking of value of early-stage infectious disease modelling to public health: a real-world data validation of SIR models
Authors: Liu Taoran , Huang Jian , He Zonglin , Zhang Yin , Yan Ni , Zhang Casper J. P , Ming Wai-Kit
Published: October 2022

Objectives
Performance of SIR model in the early stage of a novel epidemic may be hindered by data availability. Additionally, the traditional SIR model may oversimplify the disease progress, and knowledge about the virus and transmission is limited early in the epidemic, resulting in a greater uncertainty of such modelling. We aimed to investigate the impact of model inputs on the early-stage SIR projection using COVID-19 as an illustration to evaluate the application of early infection models.
Design, Setting and Methods
We constructed a modified SIR model using discrete-time Markov chain to simulate daily epidemic dynamics and estimate the number of beds needed in Wuhan in the early stage of COVID-19 epidemic. We compared eight scenarios of SIR projection to the Real-world data (RWD) and used root mean square error (RMSE) to assess model performance.
Participants
There are no participants involved in this study.
Results
According to the National Health Commission, the number of beds occupied in isolation wards and ICUs due to COVID-19 in Wuhan peaked at 37,746. In our model, as the epidemic developed, we observed an increasing daily new case rate, and decreasing daily removal rate and ICU rate. This change in rates contributed to the growth in the needs of bed in both isolation wards and ICUs. Assuming a 50% diagnosis rate and 70% public health efficacy, the model based on parameter estimated using data from the day reaching 3,200 to the day reaching 6,400 cases returned a lowest RMSE. This model predicted 22,613 beds needed in isolation ward and ICU as on the day of RWD peak. Very early SIR model predictions based on early cumulative case data initially underestimated the number of beds needed, but the RMSEs tended to decline as more updated data were used.
Conclusions
Early-stage SIR model, although simple but convenient and relatively accurate, is a useful tool to provide decisive information for public health system and predict the trend of an epidemic of novel infectious disease in the very early stage. However, model inputs should be frequently revisited considering the fluctuation of early-stage data and the impacts of policy-related factors should be reviewed cautiously.
Effect of Time to Operative Repair Within Twenty-Four Hours on Visual Acuity Outcomes for Open Globe Injuries
Authors: Makhoul Kevin , Bitar Racquel , Armstrong Grayson , Weinert Marguerite , Ivanov Alexander , Kahale Francesca , Ta Thong , Lorch Alice
Published: October 2022

Background/Objectives

Convention is to perform open globe injury (OGI) repair within 24 hours to minimize risk of endophthalmitis. However, there is limited data assessing how time to operative repair (OR) within 24 hours impacts postoperative visual acuity (VA).

Subjects/Methods

Manual retrospective chart review of 633 eyes at Massachusetts Eye and Ear (MEE) with a diagnosis of OGI between 2012–2022. Inclusion criteria were primary repair ≤ 24 hours after injury and ≥ one month up. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted with postoperative VA as primary outcome.

Results

Of the subjects, 489 (77.3%) were male and 496 (78.4%) were white. Demographics of OGI wounds included 320 (50.6%) rupture and 313 (49.4%) laceration; 126 (19.9%) with rAPD, 189 (29.9%) zone 3 injuries, 449 (71.2%) uveal prolapse, and 110 (17.4%) intraocular foreign body. Final postoperative LogMAR VAs consisted of 31% with a VA < 1.7, 9% with a VA of 1.9, 18% with a VA of 2.3, 27% with a VA of 2.7, and 11% with a VA of 3.0. Multivariate analysis showed no significant correlation between time to OR and postoperative VA (p = 0.800) [95%CI:-0.01,0.01]. Older age (p < 0.001) [95%CI:0.00,0.01], worse presenting VA (p < 0.001) [95%CI:0.17,0.32], rAPD (p < 0.001) [95%CI:0.65,1.0], mechanism of rupture (p < 0.001) [95%CI:0.19,0.54], higher zone of injury (p < 0.001) [95%CI:0.25,0.45], and uveal prolapse (p = 0.003) [95%CI:0.09,0.42] were significantly associated with worse final VA.

Conclusions

Time to repair of OGIs within 24 hours does not influence final VA. Optimization of surgical and patient factors may contribute more significantly to final VA than prioritizing more rapid time to OR.
Viral inhibition of ER-phagy is critical to membrane remodelling for biogenesis of (+)RNA virus replication organelles
Authors: sanyal sumana , Lan Yun , Leur Sophie van , Fernandez Julia , Wong Ho , Kampmann Martin , Siu Lewis , Zhang Jingshu , Li Ming , Nicholls John
Published: October 2022

Infection by (+)RNA viruses are accompanied by induction of ER-expansion and membrane remodelling to form viral replication organelles, followed by assembly and secretion of viral progenies. We previously identified that virus triggered lipophagy was critical for the process of flaviviral assembly, driven by the lipid droplet associated protein Ancient ubiquitin protein 1 (Aup1). A ubiquitin conjugating protein Ube2g2 that functions as a co-factor for Aup1 was also identified as a host dependency factor in our study. Here we characterized its function: Ube2g2-deficient cells displayed a dramatic reduction in production of flavi- and coronaviruses, which could be rescued by reconstituting the wild-type but not the catalytically deficient (C89K) mutant of Ube2g2, suggesting that its enzymatic activity is necessary. Ube2g2 deficiency did not affect entry of virus particles but resulted in a profound loss in formation of replication organelles, and production of infectious progenies. This phenomenon resulted from its dual activity in (i) triggering lipophagy in conjunction with Aup1, and (ii) degradation of ER chaperones such as Herpud1, SEL1L, Hrd1 to restrict ER-phagy upon Xbp1-IRE1 triggered ER expansion. Ube2g2-deficient cells were impaired in lipophagy, while undergoing wide-spread Sec62 and Chmp4 dependent ER-phagy, inhibiting membrane remodelling required for biogenesis of viral replication organelles. Our results therefore underscore a virus-driven exquisite fine-tuning of selective autophagy of organelles that drive host membrane reorganization during +RNA virus infection to enable biogenesis of viral replication organelles.