bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Among Healthcare Workers in Two Governorates Hospitals, Yemen
Authors: Taher Watheq Thabet , Bawazir* Amen , Salam Talal , Alsurimi Khaled
Published: March 2023

Background
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 due to their close contact with infected patients. However, the true burden of COVID-19 among HCWs in Yemen is unknown due to the inadequacy of the healthcare system and the subclinical nature of the disease. This study aims to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs in two Yemeni governorates and identify associated factors using a cross-sectional design.
Method
A total of 404 HCWs were surveyed from June 2022 to September 2022 in Lahj and AL-Dhalea hospitals. A self-administered questionnaire collected demographic data, COVID-19 infection history, and vaccination status. Sera were tested using a specific electrochemiluminescence immunoassay assay. Association analysis was conducted to identify associations between antibody prevalence and demographic and vaccine-related variables.
Result
The mean age of the HCWs was 33 ± 9.0 years, with 65.0% being male and 35.0% female. Of all HCWs surveyed, 94% were SARS-CoV-2 seropositive, and 72.0% had no confirmed test of COVID-19-related symptoms. There was no significant association between seropositivity and age, gender, occupation, or COVID-19 vaccination (P > 0.05).
Conclusion
The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was high among HCWs in Yemen, primarily due to natural infection rather than vaccination. Compliance with infection prevention and control measures did not significantly affect seropositivity. This study highlights the need for improved healthcare systems and resources to reduce the burden of COVID-19 among HCWs in Yemen.
Comparison of infection and human immune responses of two SARS-CoV-2 strains in a humanized AdV-hACE2 NIKO mouse model
Authors: Yong Kylie Su Mei , Anderson Danielle E , Zheng Adrian Kang Eng , Liu Min , Tan Sue Yee , Tan Wilson Wei Sheng , Chen Qingfeng , Wang Lin-Fa
Published: March 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has sickened millions, cost lives and has devastated the global economy. Various animal models for experimental infection with SARS-CoV-2 have played a key role in many aspects of COVID-19 research. Here, we describe a humanized AdV-hACE2 NOD-SCID IL2Rγ-/- (NIKO) mouse model and compared infection with ancestral and mutant (SARS-CoV-2-∆382) strains of SARS-CoV-2. Immune cell infiltration, inflammation, lung damage and pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines was observed in humanized AdV-hACE2 NIKO mice. Humanized AdV-hACE2 NIKO mice infected with the WT and mutant SARS-CoV-2 strain had lung inflammation and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. This model can aid in examining the pathological basis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a human immune environment and evaluation of therapeutic interventions.
Friction-induced planar vibration of a two-rigid-disc system with a finite contact area subjected to uncertain friction
Authors: Hu Han , Batou Anas , Ouyang Huajiang , Liu Ningyu
Published: March 2023

Friction-induced vibration of mechanical systems has significant academic appeal and industrial implications. This paper presents a novel approach to studying the friction-induced planar vibrations of a two-rigid-disc system with a finite contact area. In this approach, a set of discrete two-dimensional LuGre models are introduced to calculate the dynamics of the system, eliminating the need for a stick-slip transition criterion required by static friction models. Complex eigenvalue analysis and transient dynamic analysis are performed to analyse the linear stability and bifurca- tion properties of the system. The spatial variation of the coefficient of friction is also considered, modelled for the first time as an interval field, and is found to greatly impact the system’s stick-slip behaviour and cause oscillations around equilibrium points.
Nationwide incidence of congenital and infantile cataract requiring surgery in Korea
Authors: Kim Dong Geun , Lee Da Yun , Woo Se Joon , Park Kyu Hyung , Park Sang Jun
Published: March 2023

Congenital and infantile (CI) cataract is one of the most important and preventable cause of blindness in children but the incidence has not been studied in Korea. We collected data from the national claims database of the National Health Insurance Service of Korea from 2002 through 2019. We identified children who underwent cataract surgery within the age of 5 years, and cumulative incidence rates were calculated for each of the three age criteria. 989 patients out of 4,221,459 births underwent surgery with CI cataract during the period. The cumulative incidence rates per 10,000 births were 1.60 (0–1 years), 2.38 (0–3 years), and 2.95 (0–5 years), respectively. The incidence peaked in the 2007 birth cohort, which coincides with the start of the national screening program for infants/children. Primary intraocular lens implantation was performed in 439 patients (44%). Strabismus and glaucoma were diagnosed in 825 (83%) and 692 (70%) within 8 years of cataract surgery. The incidence rates of CI cataract in Korea appear to be comparable to previous studies in other regions. The early screening program for infants may reduce delayed diagnosis and increase the proportion of patients undergoing surgery at a critical time for visual development.
HIV-Related Knowledge & Health Care Seeking Barriers among Transgender Individuals in Dhaka City: A cross-sectional Study
Authors: Rahman Md. Mantaka , Alam Ummul Khair
Published: March 2023

Background: The prevalence of HIV among Transgender is 1% while only 0.9% in Dhaka City having one-third times a lifetime higher risk of HIV infection. Being minority group barriers faced by transgenders for healthcare-seeking are major public health concerns.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study purposively selecting 135 transgender from Drop-in-center and three Hijra pollis of Dhaka City. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire containing a Likert scale regarding HIV-related knowledge.
Results: Majority were professional sex sellers including 54.1% having irregular sexual clients. 48.9% had been engaged in sex work for more than 10 years. Although more than half (57%) had good HIV-related knowledge. Only one-third (37.3%) sometimes used barrier method and more than half (58%) had knowledge of HIV symptoms. The barriers were negligence (16%), inconvenient location(12.43%), long waiting time(8.1%), and not knowing where to get the service (5.8%). Transgenders from DIC had higher HIV-related knowledge than hijra pollis [t (95% CI)=.168, p=.000] Those having HIV-related higher knowledge didn’t feel the necessity of isolated health corners [t (95% CI)= -3.799, p= .001]
Conclusion: Although DIC provides healthcare services but existing facilities barriers need to be addressed to extend health services.
Tamoxifen reduces mitochondrial respiration, oncogenic signaling and mutant allele burden in a myeloproliferative neoplasm subset
Authors: Fang Zijian , Fattori Giuditta , McKerrell Thomas , Boucher Rebecca , Jackson Aimee , Fletcher Rachel , Forte Dorian , Martin Jose-Ezequiel , Fox Sonia , Roberts James , Glover Rachel , Harris Erica , Bridges Hannah , Grassi Luigi , Rodriguez-Meira Alba , Mead Adam , Knapper Steven , Ewing Joanne , Butt Nauman , Jain Manish , Francis Sebastian , Clark Fiona , Coppell Jason , McMullin Mary , Wadelin Frances , Narayanan Srinivasan , Milojkovic Dragana , Drummond Mark , Sekhar Mallika , ElDaly Hesham , Hirst Judy , Paramor Maike , Baxter Elizabeth , Godfrey Anna , Harrison Claire , Mendez-Ferrer Simon
Published: March 2023

Current therapies for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) improve symptoms but have limited effect on tumor size. In preclinical studies, tamoxifen restored normal apoptosis in mutated hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). TAMARIN is a Phase-II, multicenter, single-arm clinical trial assessing tamoxifen’s safety and activity in patients with stable MPNs, no prior thrombotic events and mutated JAK2V617F, CALRins5 or CALRdel52 peripheral blood allele burden ≥20%. The primary outcome (≥50% allele burden reduction at 24 weeks) was met by 3/38 patients; 5/38 additional patients showed ≥25% reductions. Tamoxifen was well tolerated. Baseline analysis of HSPC transcriptome segregated responders and non-responders, suggesting a predictive signature. In responder HSPCs, longitudinal analysis showed high baseline expression of JAK-STAT signaling and oxidative phosphorylation genes, which were downregulated by tamoxifen. In JAK2V617F+ cells, 4-hydroxytamoxifen inhibited mitochondrial complex-I, activating proapoptotic integrated stress response (ISR) and decreasing pathogenic JAK2 signaling. Therefore, tamoxifen inhibits mitochondrial respiration, modulates ISR and suppresses pathogenic JAK-STAT signaling in a subset of prospectively identifiable MPN patients.
Modelling antimicrobial resistance transmission to guide personalized antimicrobial stewardship interventions and infection control policies in healthcare setting: a pilot study
Authors: Durazzi Francesco , Pezzani Maria Diletta , Arieti Fabiana , Simonetti Omar , Canziani Lorenzo Maria , Carrara Elena , Barbato Lorenzo , Onorati Francesco , Remondini Daniel , Tacconelli Evelina
Published: March 2023

Infection control programs and antimicrobial stewardship have been proven effective in reducing the burden of diseases due to multidrug-resistant organisms, but quantifying the effect of each intervention is an open issue. For this aim, we propose a model to characterize the effect of interventions at single ward level. We adapted the Ross-Macdonald model to describe hospital cross-transmission dynamics of carbapenemase-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, considering healthcare workers as the vectors transmitting susceptible and resistant pathogens among admitted patients. The model parameters were estimated from a literature review, further adjusted to reproduce observed clinical outcomes, and validated using real life data from a 2-year study in a university hospital. The model has been further explored through extensive sensitivity analysis, in order to assess the relevance of single interventions as well as their synergistic effects. Our model has been shown to be an effective tool to describe and predict the impact of interventions in reducing K. pneumoniae colonisations and infections, and can be extended to other specific hospital and pathological scenarios to produce tailored estimates of the most effective strategies.
Non-tuberculous mycobacteria lung disease due to Mycobacterium chimaera in a 67-year- old man treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors for lung adenocarcinoma: infection due to dysregulated immunity?
Authors: Azzarà Cecilia , Lombardi Andrea , Gramegna Andrea , Ori Margherita , Gori Andrea , Blasi Francesco , Bandera Alessandra
Published: March 2023

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are drugs growingly employed in cancer immunotherapy which have significantly improved the prognosis of several tumours. ICIs act by restoring the "exhausted" immune system against a specific pathogen and this have been linked to an increased risk of infectious events.
Case presentation: We present the case of a 67-year-old man with locally advanced lung adenocarcinoma treated with the anti-PD-L1 durvalumab. Three months after immunotherapy started, a radiologic progression was found with elements suggesting a parenchymal superinfection associated with weight loss, asthenia, and sputum emission. A bronchoalveolar lavage resulted positive for Mycobacterium chimaera, and treatment with amikacin iv (for eight weeks) and daily azithromycin, ethambutol, and rifampicin was started. Ten months after treatment started, the patient is alive with a stable lung condition.
Conclusions: The case highlights the risk of non-tuberculous mycobacteria lung disease (NTM-LD) in patients receiving ICIs treatment. Our hypothesis is that durvalumab induced an exaggerated immune response toward mycobacteria, leading to immunopathology and overt clinical manifestations. Clinicians should be aware of this possibility in patients receiving ICIs developing new signs/symptoms related to the respiratory tract, especially in countries with a high prevalence of NTM-LD.
Application of data mining based on swarm intelligence algorithm in financial support of livestock and poultry breeding insurance
Authors: Wang Yuanyuan
Published: March 2023

Among the components of China's actual economic structure, aquaculture has always been a key project, and as a part of agriculture, it has been greatly developed. However, there are still many problems in the actual breeding process, such as low financial support, low information transparency, high financing difficulty and lack of channels, high claims costs and serious moral hazard in the livestock and poultry breeding insurance field, which will affect the development and progress of the industry, Therefore, in this context, this paper improves the efficiency analysis of financial support for livestock and poultry breeding insurance by introducing data mining and swarm intelligence algorithms. Then use the analysis data to build a model to further evaluate the efficiency of financial support. The construction of the model is roughly divided into four parts: insurance density, insurance depth, insurance amount and income. The weight of different indicators is calculated through the analytic hierarchy process, and the overall ranking results are output through consistency test. Some data of the above models are used as the output indicators of DEA decision-making units for top-down ranking. The result analysis shows that the development of technology in this industry can effectively improve the actual productivity of agricultural crops, thus effectively promoting the development of local agriculture. In this paper, data mining and swarm intelligence algorithms are introduced into livestock and poultry breeding insurance to complete the analysis and evaluation of financial support.
Modeling policy pathways to maximize renewable energy growth and investment in Democratic Republic of the Congo using OSeMOSYS
Authors: Dalder Jacob
Published: March 2023

Keeping global warming from evolving into irreversible climate disaster requires immediate and sustained decarbonization of global energy systems. Of urgent priority are the energy systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where billions of people are projected to gain energy access in the next several decades. Therefore, leapfrogging traditional fossil fuel-based electricity production in favor renewable energy technologies is a critical issue area for sustainability. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, political and economic challenges mean $44B in external investment is required to achieve its 2030 emissions reduction targets. Additionally, RETs are often more expensive.
This study sought to generate, evaluate, and recommend possible national policies for the DRC government to implement to most effectively boost growth and investment in RETs. Financial incentives were identified as the policy type most practical for DRC. Modeling the resulting energy systems for policy pathways involving a 16% RET subsidy, a 70% fossil fuel tax, and both in combination relative to no-policy baseline scenarios, the scenarios including the tax had the lowest net costs and the highest proportion of RETs (above 90%). Additionally, despite current reliance on hydropower to fulfill 98% of its energy needs, hydropower plays a very minor role in all modeled scenarios. Finally, a post-modeling market potential assessment was performed on the technology that dominated off-grid supply across policy pathways: the 0.3 kW small solar home system (SHS). Based on learning rates for solar PV, demand for the small SHS system in DRC (>160 million units in total) was found to be sufficient to substantially reduce the unit cost as deployment scales.
Putting results into context, emissions reductions for the policy pathways were higher than a past study focused on distributed RETs in DRC, and system costs were 15% higher than estimated in other analysis. These results provide a novel contribution to the literature by demonstrating how financial incentive policies can influence RET uptake in DRC specifically. Ultimately, this study yielded four policy recommendations for the DRC government:
1. Pursue financial incentives to catalyze DRC’s renewable energy supply
2. Tax fossil fuel energy production
3. Re-evaluate focus on hydropower
4. Promote DRC as a healthy market for solar home systems
Effect of Knee Isometric Flexion on Hamstring and Vertical Spine Muscle Stiffness
Authors: Chen Mengtong , Zhang Yuting , Li Yuanchao , He Yanan , Liang Hongying , Yu Suiqing , Huang Chen , Zhang Zheng , Liu Chunlong
Published: March 2023

MyotonPRO was used to measure the stiffness of hamstring and erector spinae muscles to investigate the degree of activation of different regions of hamstring and erector spinae muscles by isometric knee flexion at different angles, and to analyze the continuity of myofascial mechanical chains between the tissues of low back and lower extremity by the characteristics of changes in the stiffness of hamstring and erector spinae muscles to provide reference for the practical application of rehabilitation training. 20 healthy adult females were recruited, and the stiffness of semitendinosus (ST), biceps femoris muscle(BF), dominant and non-dominant side erector spinae muscles were measured by MyotonPRO at different angles (90°, 60°, 30°) of prone knee isometric flexion. We found that the stiffness of the ST and nondominant erector spinae muscles gradually increased as the knee flexion angle decreased, with the highest muscle stiffness at 30°. BF and dominant erector spinae muscles showed a tendency to increase and then decrease, with the highest muscle stiffness at 60°; there was a moderate to strong correlation between the BF and nondominant erector spinae muscles (r=0.451,p<0.05; r=0.716, p< 0.0001)The data suggest that 30°-60° is the optimal angle range for training the hamstrings and that there is a moderate to strong correlation between stiffness changes in the lower extremity muscles and the erector spinae, providing data to support the analysis of the continuity of the myofascial mechanical chain between the low back and lower extremity tissues.
Careless response effect in the moderation analysis of the self-efficacy construct: A brief report
Authors: Merino-Soto César , Cruz Gustavo Calderón-de la , Manzanares-Medina Eduardo , Correa-Rojas Jossué , García-Rivas Javier , Toledano-Toledano Filiberto
Published: March 2023

There are many studies on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic performance; however, there has not been a moderation analysis performed on the impact of carelessness/insufficient effort (C/IE) on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and perceived academic performance. A total of 731 adolescents school children (Lima, Peru) from a public educational institution participated. Two moderators were used, namely the sex and age of participants, and a sensitivity analysis was performed using both clean and dirty C/IE data. The prevalence of C/IE was 14.3% of the possible cases. The interaction between self-efficacy and age was affected, while the main effect of self-efficacy remained strong. It is concluded that the effect of moderators changes only slightly when their effect size is not weak.
Simulation of Video image detection in leisure sports tourism industry based on convolutional neural network
Authors: Tao Tingxue , Long Juan
Published: March 2023

Due to the continuous development of information technology, emerging technologies such as 5G networks, Turing devices and deep learning are widely used in people's lives. At present, the sports and tourism industry has become a pillar industry supporting the national economy. Sports events have attracted many people's attention, and people are willing to devote themselves to sports activities. Participants and visitors are also increasing day by day. The article also conducts research on the rapid detection of human video behavior, obtains more representative features for this demand. This research is of great help to the development of the industry. This allows the network to manipulate the input video behavior at different scales and extract deeper video information. Therefore, this paper proposes another 3D convolutional neural network model that combines a multi-level pyramid network with an attention mechanism. The visual attributes in the video behavior data set are explicitly learned to refine the classification of similar features. This paper also proposes an integrated neural network based on visual attribute enhancement. It also shows good adaptability, and can complete video data processing based on time series. The extraction of time and space functions is realized by the two-stream neural network method,the two networks learn the corresponding pixel ratios, and it is not easy to lose the clues of the action recognition. This paper also proposes a spatio-temporal convolutional neural network video for human body recognition algorithm, which is applied to the leisure tourism industry according to the specific analysis of the above method, and promotes the development of the industry.
The g-C 3 N 4 -TiO 2 nanocomposite for non-volatile memory and artificial synaptic device applications
Authors: Patil Snehal L. , Patil Harshada S. , Sutar Santosh S. , Kamble Girish U. , Kim Deok-kee , Kim Jin Hyeok , Kim Tae Geun , Dongale Tukaram D. , Tarwal N. L.
Published: March 2023

Recently, 2D layered materials like graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) are gaining significant attention due to their excellent structural and electronic properties. Metal oxide and g-C3N4 composite can enhance chemical and electronic properties which can ultimately enhance device performance. Given this, we report the synthesis of g-C3N4–TiO2 nanocomposite by the ex-situ (solid state reaction) method for resistive switching (RS) applications. Initially, the TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were optimized by using annealing them at different temperatures and composited with the g-C3N4. The devices fabricated using g-C3N4–TiO2 nanocomposite show good RS properties at very low SET and RESET voltages (< 0.5 V), similar to biological voltage scale. The distribution of switching voltages of all devices was studied using the cumulative probability and Weibull distribution techniques. Moreover, switching voltages were modeled and predicted using the statistical time series analysis method. All fabricated devices demonstrated the double-valued charge flux characteristics, suggesting the presence of a non-ideal memristor effect. The optimized g-C3N4-TiO2 (TiO2 NPs annealed at 450 oC) device shows good endurance and retention memory properties. Moreover, the optimized g-C3N4-TiO2 device can mimic the various bio-synaptic properties such as potentiation-depression, excitatory postsynaptic current, and paired-pulse facilitation. The charge transport results reveal that Ohmic and Child's square law dominated the conduction of the device. Based on electrical and charge transport results, a plausible filamentary RS effect is presented. This study suggested that the g-C3N4-TiO2 is beneficial for both memory and neuromorphic computing applications.
Clustering of lifestyle risk factors for stomach cancer and screening behaviors: results from the 2019 Korean National Cancer Screening Survey
Authors: Trinh Thao Thi Kim , Lee Kyeongmin , Oh Jin-Kyoung , Suh Mina , Jun Jae Kwan , CHOI KUI SON
Published: March 2023

This study aimed to investigate clustering patterns of lifestyle risk factors for stomach cancer and examine the association of risk factor clusters with stomach cancer screening adherence. Data from the 2019 Korean National Cancer Screening Survey, an annual cross-sectional nationwide survey, were used. The study population included 3,539 adults aged 40–74 years with no history of cancer. Six stomach cancer risk factors, including smoking, drinking, physical inactivity, obesity, meat intake, and salted food intake, as well as stomach cancer screening behaviors, were assessed. The most frequent risk factor for stomach cancer was physical inactivity, followed by smoking in males and high salted food intake in females. Compared with subjects with no risk factors, those with three or more risk factors were less likely to adhere to screening guidelines (males: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.23–0.53; females: aOR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.21–0.48). Our findings indicate a disparity in stomach cancer screening, such that those with more risk factors are less likely to get screened. Increasing public awareness, providing behavioral counseling, and targeting high-risk populations for screening interventions are critical for promoting cancer screening adherence and reducing the disparity in cancer screening.
Effective Three-dimensional Thermal Conductivity Networks in Polystyrene/Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes/Al2O3@h-BN Composites Based on Synergistic Effects and Isolated Structures
Authors: Wang Zhengfang , Wu Zijian , Yang Changjie , Sun Mingqi , Weng Ling , Wasnik Priyanka , Li Handong , Algadi Hassan , Annamareddy Sri Hari Kumar , Srid Deepak
Published: March 2023

Enhancing the thermal conductivity (λ) of composites by establishing an effective thermally conductive path is the key to prepare thermally conductive composites. In this study, a new preparation method was used to achieve high λ of composites with low filler contents. Firstly, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and alumina (Al2O3) established a synergistic thermal conductivity network in the polystyrene spheres, and subsequently, the hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) filler wrapped in the outer layer of the composite spheres constructed a continuous h-BN thermal conductivity network during the hot-pressing process. The three-dimensional thermal conductivity network supported by the two thermal conductivity networks provided more pathways for heat transfer in the composite, thus significantly improving its λ. The λ of the composites increased to 3.36 W/mK for MWCNT content of 0.5 wt%, Al2O3 content of 0.5 wt%, and h-BN content of 30 wt%. The composite also has good insulating properties, with a conductivity value of only 3.21×10-9 S/cm at an h-BN content of 30 wt% and MWCNT content of 0.5 wt%. This results from the presence of a h-BN insulation layer on the outside of the composite sphere and the presence of Al2O3 in the synergistic network that blocks the electron transport inside the material, thus maintaining its good insulating properties. Therefore, the composite prepared in this paper has the potential to be used in the field of electronic packaging.
Forced response and internal variability in ensembles of climate simulations: Identification and analysis using Linear Dynamical Mode decomposition
Authors: Gavrilov Andrey , Kravtsov Sergey , Buyanova Maria , Mukhin Dmitry , Loskutov Evgeny , Feigin Alexander
Published: March 2023

Estimating climate response to observed and projected increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases usually requires averaging among multiple independent simulations of computationally expensive global climate models to filter out the spontaneous internal climate variability.
Studies have shown that advanced pattern recognition methods allow one to obtain accurate estimates of the forced climate signal from just a handful of such climate realizations. The accuracy of these methods for a fixed ensemble size, however, decreases with an increasing magnitude of the low-frequency, decadal and longer internal climate variability. Here we generalize a previously developed Bayesian methodology of Linear Dynamical Mode (LDM) decomposition for spatially extended time series to enable joint identification and analysis of forced signal and internal variability in ensembles of climate simulations, a methodology dubbed here an ensemble LDM, or ELDM. The new ELDM method is shown to outperform its pattern-recognition competitors by more accurately isolating the forced signal in small ensembles of both toy- and state-of-the-art climate-model simulations. It is able to do so by explicitly recognizing a non-random structure of the internal variability, identified by the ELDM algorithm alongside the optimal forced-signal estimate, which allows one to study possible dynamical connections between the two types of variability. The optimal ELDM filtering provides a unique opportunity for objective intercomparison of decadal and longer climate variability across different global climate models --- a task that proved difficult due to uncertainties associated with the noisy character and limited length of historical climate simulations combined with parameter uncertainties of alternative signal-detection methods.
Two-Dimensional Metalloid Eutectic Selenium-Iodide Cathodes for Cascade High-Energy Batteries
Authors: Qian Mengmeng , Wu Feng , Zhu Qiaonan , Yu Chuguang , Zhang Junfan , Wang Jing , Song Tinglu , Wang Meng , shao ruiwen , Mao Pengcheng , Su Yuefeng , Wang Hua , Tan Guoqiang
Published: March 2023

Despite the significantly high theoretical energy of conversion-based M‒X (M=Li/Na/K; X=S/Se/Te/Br2/I2) batteries, the electrical insulation intrinsic and severe shuttle behavior result in unsatisfactory energy output and cycle life. Here we develop a new cascade battery that couples two sequential redox reactions in a single system to endow higher output energy. This cascade battery is achieved by simply employing a self-assembled 2D cathode architecture directly synthesized by a eutectoid reaction of 4Se+CI4=4SeI+C, simultaneously constructing metalloid eutectic Se-I compounds encapsulated into carbon nanocages. Such composite cathode exhibits a distinctive 2D core-shell structure, extraordinary electrical conduction and fast synergistic activation, accordingly enabling an ultrahigh energy density (345.7 Wh kg−1) and an ultralong cycle life (90.1% for 1000 cycles) in a representative Li−SeI battery. Ingeniously, the involvement of two-redox in one-cell by synchronous material consolidation strategy offers a promising direction for the design of advanced high-energy batteries with the cascading effects.
Similarity-assisted Variational Autoencoder forNonlinear Dimension Reduction with Applicationto Single-cell RNA Sequencing Data
Authors: Chun Hyonho , Kim Gwangwoo
Published: March 2023

Background: Deep generative models naturally become nonlinear dimension reduction tools to visualize large-scale datasets such as single-cell RNA sequencing datasets for revealing latent grouping patterns or identifying outliers. The Variational autoencoder (VAE) is a popular deep generative method equipped with encoder/decoder structures. The encoder and decoder are useful when a new sample is mapped to the latent space and a data point is generated from a point in a latent space. However, the VAE tends not to show grouping pattern clearly without additional annotation information. On the other hand, similarity-based dimension reduction methods such as t-SNE or UMAP present clear grouping patterns even though these methods do not have encoder/decoder structures. To bridge this gap, we propose a new approach that adopts similarity information in the VAE framework. In addition, for biological applications, we extend our approach to a conditional VAE (CVAE) to account for covariate effects in the dimension reduction step.
Results: In the simulation study and real single-cell RNA sequencing data analyses, our method shows great performance compared to existing state-of-the-art methods by producing clear grouping structures using an inferred encoder and decoder. Our method also successfully adjusts for covariate effects, resulting in more useful dimension reduction.
Conclusions: Our method is able to produce clearer grouping patterns than those of other regularized VAE methods by utilizing similarity information encoded in the data via the highly celebrated UMAP loss function.
Amiodarone Induced Myxedema Coma: A Systematic Review of Case Reports
Authors: Alnaeem Mohammad M. , Mansour Nadeen Hussein , Alwahsh Bayan Suliman , Nashwan Abdulqadir J.
Published: March 2023

Objective The current systematic review examined whether elderly patients who received amiodarone were at risk for developing myxedema coma. Methods The Cochrane guidelines were used for a systematic review of Medline (PubMed), Science Direct, CINAHL Cochrane database, and Google Scholar for case reports on the Amiodarone-induced myxedema coma. Results A total of 12 case reports were found to meet the determined inclusion criteria. Patients who received amiodarone highly risk of developing myxedema coma. Case reports showed that patients received 100–200 mg of amiodarone orally and developed bradycardia and hypothermia with elevation in thyroid stimulating hormone. Most patients were treated with levothyroxine and hydrocortisone medication upon diagnosis. Conclusion The various possible causes of Myxedema coma make diagnosis difficult. Through clinical symptoms and serum TSH, the diagnosis could be confirmed. Amiodarone-induced Myxedema coma was successfully treated with levothyroxine and glucocorticoids.
Expression profiles of circular RNAs in spermatozoa from aging men
Authors: Zhou Qiao , Liu Anming , Ji Hui , Ji Juan , Sun Jingwen , Ling Zhonghui , Li Guangyao , Ling Xiufeng , Xu Lu , Chen Xiaoning
Published: March 2023

Background Advanced paternal age (APA) is associated with decreased fertility, but the mechanism underlying APA remains unknown. CircRNAs have been reported to be ideal candidate biomarkers for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in many diseases and are also involved in spermatogenesis. Hence, we aimed to assess the circRNA expression profile of spermatozoa from aging men.
Methods and Results We recruited 6 subjects, including 3 in the younger group (men age < 40) and 3 in the APA group (men age≥40). RNA sequencing was exploited to identify the expression profiles of circRNAs between the two groups. The expression levelsof circRNAs were validated using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT–qPCR). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes biological pathway analysis and Gene Ontologyanalysis were performed to evaluate the functions of differentially expressed circRNAs (DE-circRNAs) between the two groups. In total, 18,787 circRNAs were sequenced in the spermatozoa of two groups. Our analysis revealed that there were 1056 downregulated circRNAs and 1228 upregulated circRNAs between the two groups, and KEGG analysis showed they were mainly involved in pathways including the DNA repair signaling pathway, meiotic recombination signaling pathway, and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
Conclusions In conclusion, our study suggested that circRNAs play a vital role in spermatozoa from aging men and provided a fresh perspective on the specific regulatory mechanism of spermatozoa from aging men.
Approach to real-time patient case integrity control based on TiCDC+Kafka
Authors: LI YAN-PING , YIN PAN-LONG , XU GUANG-ZHU , SANG YE , TU GUANG-QUAN
Published: March 2023

We propose a real-time case integrity control method that is configurable and easily scalable because the traditional case quality in hospitals is low. Existing electronic case quality control systems are poorly scalable, have a single business scenario, and changes in quality control rules can easily put development and maintenance under pressure. We first standardize the monitoring record messages from the hidden points of every medical business system and gather the monitoring record data via the integration platform; next, we build a case integrity control algorithm based on the guidelines for hospital case integrity control; and finally, we design a real-time case integrity control system based on TiCDC and Kafka technology. The findings demonstrate that the real-time case integrity control system and integrity control algorithm based on TiCDC and Kafka technology can sense and acquire case monitoring data in real-time, and can provide real-time case integrity control and result from feedback, while the quality control rules are simple to extend.
The Effect of Piped Water at Home on Childhood Overweight Rate: Experimental Evidence from Urban Morocco
Authors: Ritter Patricia I
Published: March 2023

Obesity is a global epidemic costing billions of dollars and millions of deaths. The most cost-effective interventions are those that target children, aiming to prevent obesity rather than to reverse it later in life. Roughly 79% of overweight children under five live in middle-income countries, where only about half of the households have access to piped water at home. This study finds that access to piped water at home reduces children's overweight rate in the city of Tangiers. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that these benefits alone do not render this type of intervention cost-effective but adds significantly to other potential benefits.
JEL Classification: I12, I18, H41, O12
Decameter Type IV Burst with High Polarization on 13 July 2022
Authors: Melnik V. N. , Brazhenko A. I. , Frantsuzenko A. V. , Dorovskyy V. V. , Shevchuk M. V.
Published: March 2023

We discuss properties of Type IV burst observed by radio telescopes URAN-2 (Ukrainian Radio Interferometer of NASU-2) and NDA (Nançay Decameter Array) on 13 July 2022. This burst was registered at frequencies 26–80 MHz and lasted from 07:00 to 12:00 UT. It had the fine structure in the form of sub-bursts similar to decameter Type III-like bursts, with negative frequency drift rates from − 5MHz/s to -21MHZ/s and sometimes with positive drifts. Their durations were from 1 s to 2.6 s in most cases and maximum fluxes were up to 700 s.f.u. At the same time maximum polarization of Type IV burst was 100%. It is very unusual for decameter Type IV bursts because as a rule this value is about 40%. This Type IV burst was not associated with any CME. We discuss properties of this Type IV burst in the plasma model of radio emission.
Opioid, sedative, pre-admission medication and iatrogenic withdrawal risk in UK adult critically ill patients: a point prevalence study
Authors: Eadie Rebekah , McKenzie Cathrine Anne , Hadfield Daniel , Kalk Nicola J , Bolesta Scott , Dempster Martin , McAuley Daniel F , Blackwood Bronagh
Published: March 2023

Background: Iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome, after exposure medication known to cause withdrawal is recognised, yet under described in adult intensive care.
Aim: Investigate, opioid, sedation and preadmission medication practice in critically ill adults with focus on aspects associated with iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome
Methods: One-day point prevalence study in UK ICUs. We collected ICU admission medication and/or substances with withdrawal potential, sedation policy, opioid and sedative use, dose, and duration.
Results: 37 from 39 participating ICUs contributed data from 386 patients. The prevalence rate for parenteral opioid and sedative medication was 56.1%, (212 patients). 23 ICUs (59%) had no sedation/analgesia policy, and no ICUs screened for iatrogenic withdrawal. Patient admission medications with withdrawal-potential included antidepressants or antipsychotics (43, 20.3%) and nicotine (41, 19.3%). Of 212 patients, 202 (95.3%) received opioids, 163 (76.9%) sedatives and 153 (72.2%) both. 202 (95.3%) patients received opioids: 167 (82.7%) by continuous infusions and 90 (44.6%) patients for longer than 96-hours. 163 (76.9%) patients received sedatives: 157 (77.7%) by continuous infusions and 74 (45.4%) patients for longer than 96-hours.
Conclusion: Opioid and sedative prevalence rates were high, and a high proportion of ICUs had no sedative/analgesic policies. Nearly half of patients received continuous opioids and sedatives for longer than 96-hours placing them at high risk of iatrogenic withdrawal. No participating unit reported using a validated tool for iatrogenic withdrawal assessment.
Microbial interaction between human skin and Nukadoko, a fermented rice bran bed for pickling vegetables
Authors: Niwa Ryo , Seong Young ah , Jo Kazuhiro , Ito Kohei , Chen Dominique
Published: March 2023

Fermentation is a broad term that refers to the use of microorganisms in various applications, including food preservation. In particular, pickles that are flavored through microorganism-mediated fermentation of vegetables are widely produced. Nukadoko(fermented rice bran bed) is a type of pickles and traditional fermented food in Japan that utilizes lactic acid bacteria to ferment vegetables. The microbial composition in the rice bran bed contributes to the flavor of pickled products. However, the origin of the microbes present in the rice bran bed has yet to be determined and no studies have examined how the skin microbiome, which varies widely from individual to individual, affects the quality of Nukadoko. In this study, the effects of interaction of microbes between Nukadoko and the human skin during Nukadoko maintenance were studied. Three participants were asked to stir commercially available late-stage Nukadoko for 14 days and not stir it for the remaining 14 days to examine microbial settlement and shedding. Microbiome analysis was performed on human skin and Nukadoko. We found that microorganisms from rice bran beds can temporarily settle on human skin but are shed quickly. Stirring rice bran beds by hand may have short-term effects on the skin microbiome. This study provides insights into the communication between human and food microbiomes in traditional Japanese fermented foods.
Are Wind Turbines Integrated Into Landscape? An Analysis of Its Social Perception in a Spanish Mediterranean Area
Authors: López-Martínez Francisco
Published: March 2023

Context
Renewable energy development has introduced wind farms as a common landscape element. However, as a human-made elements, wind farms do not cause the same detriment on landscape visual quality according to socio-demographic characteristics of the beholder.
Objectives
In this regard, the study analyses the population’s visual perception of wind farms into Mediterranean landscapes regarding three social variables: gender, age and education level.
Method
People´s preferences were assessed through an on-line survey with several landscape photographs with and without wind turbines. Subsequently, the score of each photograph was statistically analyzed according to the landscape shown and the socio-demographic variables considered.
Results
The results demonstrate how vegetation had a positive effect in landscape' scenic beauty, especially forestry, as well as people do not perceive negatively wind turbines presence. In fact, their implementation in deteriorated or low scored landscapes improves scenic beauty. Lastly, despite the fact that gender, age and education do not influence on people´s perception, there is a trend between these factors and wind turbines landscape influence.
Conclusions
In addition to reinforce the vegetation positive influence in landscape' scenic beauty, wind turbines have become an additional landscape element that, in general, do not have a negative impact on its scenic beauty but, according to age, they have different consideration.
Scenario analyses to reach smart sustainability in Tehran
Authors: Hatami Afshar , Sasanpour Farzaneh , Asadzadeh Haniyeh , Bodegom P.M. van
Published: March 2023

The 21st-century provides major challenges to mankind including rapid urbanization, population growth, and socio-economic, physical and environmental pressures. To find an optimal balance between economic growth and environmental protection in modern cities, smart sustainability approach are essential. Here, we aim at introducing the future smart sustainable city (SSC) and investigate scenario projections for reaching such smart sustainability city. Tehran metropolis, as capital of Iran, faced many of the issues mentioned above in the last five decades and is used as case study for our explorations. For this purpose, we evaluated the environmental factors that were most important for environmental sustainability in Tehran. These factors were subsequently incorporated in three scenarios for 2030 being smart sustainable Tehran, uncontrolled Tehran and unsmart and unsustainable Tehran. Also, the results of this study indicate the need for the involvement of Tehran city managers and planners in national issues and challenges to guide them towards useful management and its associated challenges for the Tehran metropolis.
Molecular Characterization of Glaesserella parasuis Strains Circulating in North American Swine Production Systems
Authors: Mugabi Robert , Silva Ana Paula S. Poeta , Hu Xiao , Gottschalk Marcelo , Aragon Virginia , Macedo Nubia R. , Sahin Orhan , Harms Perry , Main Rodger , Tucker Alexander W. , Li Ganwu , Clavijo Maria J.
Published: March 2023

Background
Glaesserella parasuis is the causative agent of Glässer’s disease in pigs. Serotyping is the most common method used to type G. parasuis isolates. However, the high number of non-typables (NT) and low discriminatory power make serotyping problematic. In this study, 218 field clinical isolates and 15 G. parasuis reference strains were whole-genome sequenced (WGS). Multilocus sequence types (MLST), serotypes, core-genome phylogeny, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, and putative virulence genes were determined.
Results
In silico WGS serotyping revealed 11 of 15 serotypes. The most frequently detected serotypes were 7, 13, 4, and 2. MLST identified 72 sequence types (STs) (66 novel). The most predominant ST was novel ST454. At least one group 1 vtaA virulence gene was observed in all isolates, except for serotype 8 (ST299 and ST406), 15 (ST408 and ST552) and NT (ST448). A few group 1 vtaA genes were significantly associated with certain serotypes or STs. Core-genome phylogeny depicted 3 primary lineages (LI, LII, and LIII), with LIIIA sublineage isolates lacking all vtaA genes.
Conclusion
This study showed the use of WGS to type G. parasuis isolates and can be considered an alternative to the more labor-intensive and traditional serotyping and standard MLST. Core-genome phylogeny provided the best strain discrimination. The presence of other putative virulence factors and AMR genes was also explored. These findings will lead to a better understanding of the molecular epidemiology and virulence in G. parasuis that can be applied to the future development of diagnostic tools, autogenous vaccines, evaluation of antibiotic use, prevention, and disease control.