bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postabortion and safe abortion care coverage, quality, and caseloads during the Global Gag Rule policy period in Ethiopia and Uganda
Authors: Stillman Melissa , Kibira Simon P.S. , Shiferaw Solomon , Makumbi Fredrick , Seme Assefa , Sully Elizabeth A. , Han Lilian , Giorgio Margaret
Published: April 2022

Background: Abortion-related complications contribute to preventable maternal mortality, accounting for 9.8% of maternal deaths globally, and 15.6% in sub-Saharan Africa. High-quality postabortion care (PAC) can mitigate the negative health outcomes associated with unsafe abortion. While the expanded Global Gag Rule policy did not prohibit the provision of PAC, other research has suggested that over-implementation of the policy has resulted in impacts on these services. The purpose of this study was to assess health facilities’ capacity to provide PAC services in Uganda and PAC and safe abortion care (SAC) in Ethiopia during the time in which the policy was in effect. Methods: We collected abortion care data between 2018 and 2020 from public health facilities in Ethiopia (N=282) and Uganda (N=223). We adapted a signal functions approach to create composite indicators of health facilities’ capacity to provide basic and comprehensive PAC and SAC and present descriptive statistics documenting the state of service provision both before and after the GGR went into effect. We also investigate trends in caseloads over the time-period. Results: In both countries, service coverage was high and improved over time, but facilities’ capacity to provide basic PAC services was low in Uganda (17.8% in 2019) and Ethiopia (15.0% in 2020). The number of PAC cases increased by 15.5% over time in Uganda and decreased by 7% in Ethiopia. Basic SAC capacity increased substantially in Ethiopia from 66.7% to 82.8% overall, due in large part to an increase in the provision of medication abortion, and the number of safe abortions increased in Ethiopia by 9.7%.Conclusions: The findings from this analysis suggest that public health systems in both Ethiopia and Uganda were able to maintain essential PAC/SAC services during the GGR period. In Ethiopia, there were improvements in the availability of safe abortion services and an overall improvement in the safety of abortion during this time-period. Despite loss of partnerships and potential disruptions in referral chains, lower-level facilities were able to expand their capacity to provide PAC services. However, PAC caseloads increased in Uganda which could indicate that, as hypothesized, abortion became more stigmatized, less accessible and less safe.
Preparedness of medical students to provide nutrition care following a nutrition education intervention
Authors: Amoore Bright Yamaha , Gaa Patience Kanyiri , Ziblim Shamsu-Deen , Mogre Victor
Published: April 2022

Background: Globally, 71% of deaths are due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) of which 77% of these deaths occur in low-and-middle income countries. Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancers contribute to the majority of deaths caused by NCDs. Nutrition is an important contributor to the occurrence, progression and management of these diseases. Health care professionals’ promotion of the adoption of healthy dietary habits among individuals has been shown to reduce the occurrence of NCDs. However, nutrition care is not frequently provided by medical doctors although patients perceive them as credible sources of nutrition advice and care. We assessed the effects of a nutrition education intervention on medical students’ self-perceived preparedness to provide nutrition care. Methods: We administered a pre, post and four-weeks follow-up questionnaire to second year medical school from who participated in a nutrition education intervention that adapted varied teaching and learning activities. Outcomes were self-perceived level of preparedness, relevance of nutrition education and perceived need for further training in nutrition assessed using five-point Likert scales.Results: The proportion of participants who felt adequately prepared to provide nutrition care increased significantly (p= 0.001) from 38% (n = 35) to 65.2% (n = 60) immediately post-intervention and to 63.2% (n = 54) at 4-weeks follow-up. Also, 74.2% (n = 69) of the students perceived nutrition education to be relevant to their future career as medical doctors which increased to 85% (n = 78) immediately after the intervention (p= 0.026) and declined slightly to 76% (n = 70) 4-weeks follow-up but higher than the baseline proportion. The proportion of participants who reportedly said they will benefit from further training in nutrition increased from 63.8% (n = 58) at pre-intervention to 74.0% (n = 68) at post-intervention (p= 0.016) and decreased significantly to 52.1% (n = 48) at 4-weeks follow-up.Conclusion: An innovative, multiple-strategy nutrition education intervention can improve second year medical students’ self-perceived preparedness to provide nutrition care and their perception of the relevance of nutrition education.
Sedimentary Responses of Late Triassic Soft Sedimentary Deformation to Paleoearthquake Events in the Southwest of North China Plate
Authors: Liang Qingshao , Yu Wei , Tian Jingchun , Han Yonglin , Wang Feng
Published: April 2022

The tectonic events caused by paleoearthquakes have a good response in sedimentary filling. Outcrops and cores from the Chang-7 Member of the Late Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin in Northern China, yield a wide variety of soft sedimentary deformation structures (SSDSs), many of which are laterally extensive for more than 150 km. They include various types of folds, soft sediment liquefaction deformation (liquefied sandstone dyke, liquefied breccia), gravity-driven deformation (load structures, ball-and-pillow structures), hydraplastic deformation (loop bedding, convolute deformation) and brittle deformation (intrastratal faults and stair-step microfaults, microcracks). In most cases, deformation is represented by hybrid brittle-ductile structures exhibiting lateral variation in deformation style. These occur in delta front to semideep to deep lake sands and mudstones (shales). The seismites recognized in outcrops and cores indicate earthquakes with magnitudes between 6 and 8, which are interpreted as a response to splicing collision orogenic events of the South China Block (SCB) and North China Block (NCB) during the Late Triassic period. Systematic study of the spatial and temporal distribution of these seismites improves the understanding of the tectonic context and evolutionary history of sedimentary basements. This study can provide a new perspective on the evolution of tectonic activities in the basin.
The white noise paradox in an experimental design
Authors: Romanovski Mikhail
Published: April 2022

The study aims to investigate approaches that determine the observation regions, ensuring minimum estimation errors for small samples burdened by noise. The investigation is performed under the condition of complete reflection of noise effects on an optimal solution to a design problem. A design is constructed under the Tikhonov regularization paradigm. The case study focuses on the functional features of classical exponential regressions. Classical model functions are chosen because their features are well known. However, new inferences are defined. The main factors that govern the estimation errors of the exponential regressions are determined. The peculiarities of their optimal designs are revealed. It is proven that noise generates a nonidentifiable observation case, and starting with a specific threshold of noise, the design problem offers no solution. The widely used design approaches do not determine the optimal solution features revealed in the framework of the Tikhonov regularization paradigm. The estimation error distribution, factors of noise effect reduction and peculiarities of the optimal design are defined to satisfy this requirement. The results indicate the effectiveness of an alternative viewpoint on traditional solutions to design problems.
An innovative post grouting technique for soil nails
Authors: Barbosa Max Gabriel Timo , de Assis André Pacheco , Cunha Renato Pinto da
Published: April 2022

This study presents an innovative technique of executing soil nails called sectorized post grouting. The most utilized technique of soil nail grouting is gravity grouting, with the literature reporting advances in pressurized grouting. Although obtaining higher pullout resistance of soil nails, pressurized grouting, mostly done in single-stage grouting, does not compensate for exudation and its use in higher nail lengths is difficult. Thus, a technique has been developed that compensates for exudation, with easier application in lengthier nails. The technique was qualitatively assessed to evaluate its surface roughness and later applied in seven real soil nailing works, where it could be quantitatively assessed. The results show that sectorized post-grouted nails obtained greater pullout resistances than gravity grouted and single-stage grouted nails. Although similar improvement was found in tube-à-manchette (TAM) grouted nails, this method presents lower economic efficiency than sectorized post grouting. The pullout resistance results obtained in this study can be utilized in future soil nailing works executed utilizing sectorized post grouting.
The occupational exposure risk and inhalation risk due to ultrafine particles emitted during the powder-coating process
Authors: Gao Xiangjing , Zhou Xingfan , Zhou Zanrong , Chen Rui , Fang Huanghong , Luan Yuqing , Yuan Weiming , Quan Changjian , Hu Yong , Cao Yiyao , Zhou Zhen , Zou Hua
Published: April 2022

BackgroundDue to the rapid development of the powder-coating process and growing awareness of occupational health, the ultrafine particles (UFPs) generated during the powder-coating process have become a serious and urgent problem. However, researchers have not clearly understood the risk of exposure to the UFPs and inhalation risk of the UFPs. ResultsIrregularly shaped, aggregating particles containing Si, Al, Fe, Mg, Pt, and Ca elements were sampled from the work area. The number concentration (NC), mass concentration, surface concentration, personal NC, and lung-deposited surface area concentration of the particles were high: >105 pt/cm3, 0.2–0.4 mg/cm3, 600–1200 μm2/cm3, 0.7–1.4 pt/cm3, and 100–700 μm2/cm3, respectively. In the particle number count, majority of the particles were 30–200 nm in size. The time-weighted and task-weighted levels of exposure to the particles were high. Upon inhalation, most (71.09 mg) of the particles ranging from 10.4 nm to 96.8 nm accumulated in olfactory area, and a few of the particles (0.649 mg) was taken into lung. Similarly, the majority (1195 mg) of the particles that ranged in size from 100.3 nm to 469.8 nm were deposited on the lungs, and the remaining of the particles were trapped in the nasal cavity.ConclusionsDue to the high emissions rate of the UFPs and insufficient control measures, the workers involved in the powder-coating process are at high exposure risk. Moreover, the risk of inhalation of the UFPs by the workers is high, which is suggested by the high quantities of the UFPs deposited in the lungs and on the olfactory. To protect the workers, the series of measures we proposed, including engineering control, management control, and personal protection equipment should be implemented.
Burkitt's lymphoma of the ovary
Authors: li jie , Xi Ling
Published: April 2022

Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) in female adults is rare, the initial presentation of BL as an ovarian tumor is even rarer. A 30-year-old woman presented to the clinic with complaints of distention and went on exploratory laparotomy and pathological examination showed the final diagnosis as BL. Then the patient went on one year of seven cycles of chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), the patient remained disease-free for six years and kept follow-up since then. This study offers the insights in how to make the right and rapid diagnosis and treatment recipe for primary ovarian Burkitt’s lymphoma patients.
Cannabinoid receptor-2 agonist AM1241 attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion- induced oxidative stress in rats via Nrf2/HO-1 pathway
Authors: Zhang Mingxiao , Tian Qingxin , Liu Jianlong
Published: April 2022

Cannabinoid type II receptor, also known as CB2 receptor, has been reported to have a protective effect on myocardial infarction. However, CB2 receptor’s role in oxidative stress involved in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) and the underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the protective role of cannabinoid receptor-2 agonist AM1241 against MIRI-induced oxidative stress in rats. In addition, the protective effect of AM1241 on oxidative damage of cardiomyocytes injured by hypoxia-reoxygenation (HR) in vitro and its possible mechanism were investigated by establishing a model of HR of H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Clearly, large infarct size and increased number of inflammatory cells were detected in the heart of rats with MIRI. In the meantime, rats in IR group displayed impaired cardiac function as well as promoted myocardial fibrosis and apoptosis rate. Notably, we observed that ROS production was enhanced in the HR-injured cells, while administration of AM1241 caused a reversal effect, leading to improved cell viability, reduced ROS production and elevated expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 in the cardiomyocytes. In Conclusion, AM1241 exerts beneficial effects on relieving MIRI and attenuating oxidative stress possibly by activating Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.
Can the Use of Adjuvants Enhance the Efficacy of the Micro-fracture Treatment for Managing Focal Chondral Defects? An Experimental Study in a Rat Model
Authors: KURDAL DEMET PEPELE , KAYA MURAT , AKPOLAT AHMET ONUR , KARAHAN NAZIM , YILMAZ BARIS , MIDI AHMET , ALMASRI LAMEES
Published: April 2022

Background: To evaluate whether there are any differences in the efficacies of microfracture (MF) surgeries used in the treatment of focal cartilage lesions alone or in combination with adjuvant therapies.Methods: 42 rats were included in the study. Group 1 received MF alone, Group 2 received platelet rich plasma (PRP) after MF, Group 3 received hyaluronic acid (HÁ) after MF, Group 4 received a synthetic peptide (SP) after MF, Group 5 received a SP plus PRP therapy after MF, and Group 6 received a SP plus HA therapy. Group 7 was designated as the control group. The rats knees were evaluated with the International Cartilage Repair Society Cartilage Repair Assessment 1 and 2 (ICRS-1 and ICRS-2).Results: The ICRS-1 scores were lower in Group 1 than in Group 2, Group 3, Group 4, and Group 7 (p < 0.05). The ICRS-1 scores were higher in Group 7 than in Group 5 and Group 6 (p < 0.05). The ICRS-2 scores in Group 7 were similar to those in Group 2, Group 3, and Group 4 (p < 0.05), the scores were found to below in Group 1, Group 5, and Group 6 (p < 0.05). The inflammation scores were lower in Group 3 than in Group 2 and Group 4 (p < 0.05).Conclusion: In the MF treatment of focal chondral lesions, SP, PRP, and HA injections have a beneficial adjuvant effect based on macroscopic and histopathological findings. However, the combination of these adjuvants is less beneficial than their individual usage
Saccharomyces cerevisiae survival against heat stress entails a communication between CCT and cell wall integrity pathway
Authors: Dube Ankita , Pullepu Dileep , Kabir M Anaul
Published: April 2022

Objective:
To inspect the role CCT in cell wall maintenance.
Results:
The chaperonin TRiC/CCT is cytosolic cylindrical complex of 16 subunits encoded by eight essential genes CCT1-8. It contributes to folding 10% of cellular polypeptides in yeast. The strain carrying substitution point mutation G412E in the equatorial domain of Cct7p resulted in the improper folding of substrates. In this study, the CCT7 mutant exhibited sensitivity to non-optimal growth temperatures and cell wall stressors. Heat shock is known to disrupt cell wall and protein stability in budding yeast. Mitogen-activated protein kinase-mediated cell wall integrity pathway gets activated to compensate the perturbed cell wall. Overexpression of the PKC1 and SLT2 genes of MAPK signaling pathway in mutant rescued the growth and cell division defects. Additionally, the genes of the CWI pathway such as SED1, GFA1, PIR1, and RIM21 are down-regulated.
Conclusions:
The Cct7p mutant strain (G412E) is unable to withstand the heat stress due to the underlying defects in protein folding and cell wall maintenance. Taken together, our results strongly indicate the interaction between CCT and cell wall integrity pathway.
Inhibit of low water activity on conidia germination in Aspergillus flavus
Authors: Jia Sifan , Qi Desheng
Published: April 2022

In this study, we explored the mechanism underlying Aspergillus flavus conidia germination inhibited by decreased water activity. The impact of low water activity was analyzed at 4 h, 8 h and 12 h. Additionally, we demonstrated that low water activity affected cell shape and decreased cell sizes. Transcriptomics found numerous differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during the first 12 h of germination, with 654 DEGs observed among 4 h, 8 h and 12 h. Especially, more DEGs were detected at 8 h of germinating. Therefore, proteomics was performed at 8 h, and 209 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were speculated, with 94 up-regulated and 115 down-regulated. Combined analysis of KEGG of transcriptomics and proteomics demonstrated that the dominant pathways were nutrient metabolism and translation. We also found several DEGs and DEPs in Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathway. Therefore, we concluded that low water activity inhibited conidia germination, caused unregular morphology. Also, low water activity influenced expression of creA, TreB in carbohydrate metabolism, Clr4, RmtA in amino acid metabolism and RPL37, RPL3 in translation in Aspergillus flavus.
Prognostic Prediction Models for Postoperative Patients with Stage I to III Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Study Based on Machine Learning Methods
Authors: Ji Xiaolin , Xu Shuo , Li Xiaoyu , Xu Jinhuan , Guo Yingjie , Tian Zibin
Published: April 2022

Purpose To utilize the patient, tumor, and treatment features and compare the performance of machine learning algorithms, develop and validate models to predict overall, disease-free, recurrence-free, and distant metastasis-free survival, and screen important variables to improve the prognosis of patients in clinical settings.Methods More than 1000 colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative resection were grouped according to 4 endpoints and divided into testing sets and training sets (9:1). We applied 4 machine learning algorithms to predict 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival times. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and average precision (AP) were our accuracy indicators. Vital parameters were screened by multivariate regression models. To achieve better prediction of longitudinal oncological outcomes, we performed 10-fold cross-validation except for the recurrence-free survival model (3-fold cross-validation). We iterated 3000 times after hyperparameter optimization and assessed the internal testing sets.Results The best AP values were greater than 80%, except for the overall survival model (69.5%). The best AUCs were all greater than 0.70 except for the recurrence free survival model (0.61). The models performed well. Variables that were widely correlated with prognoses, such as the TNM stage, were selected as important features; however, indirectly related indicators, such as Ki-67 level, were also selected.Conclusion We constructed an independent, high-accuracy "white-box" machine learning system for predicting survival times. This system may help in determining managing strategies for colorectal cancer patients and has future utility in personalized medicine and monitoring.
Providing a Distributed Cryptographic Method Based on Pairing in Order to Increase the Security of the Internet of Things
Authors: Khamseh Elaheh , Namin Mahnaz Ahadzadeh , Reza Akram
Published: April 2022

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a necessary infrastructure for connecting thousands of electronic components to manage smart cities. One of the main challenges of the IoT is the computational constraints at end nodes due to power and storage restrictions. Therefore, the security, i.e. encryption and decryption, of data in transmission which demands high computational power is still a big challenge which has been a subject of debate in this area. To address the aforementioned challenge, computational outsourcing has been utilized by decentralized encryption schemes. The blockchain is a decentralized and autonomous implementation used as a distributed system for encryption. A promising approach to achieving fine-grained access control over IoT data outsourcing is a Ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE). To use attribute-based encryption, we must also define an access structure. In this paper, for secure data communication in the IoT network, we use attribute-based encryption with LSSS access structure on blockchain infrastructure. We propose Attribute-Based Encryption with Blockchain framework on the Internet of Things (ABEBIoT) where our approach focuses on the secure outsourcing of bilinear pairings and to increase the security and efficiency compare to Type-1 pairing, Type-3 pairing is used to generate cryptographic keys. Based on the evaluation criteria, this scheme is safe under the assumption of s-D-BDHE and costs further are acceptable.
Study of the chemical hazard in car body painting workshops in the city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Authors: Savadogo Saybou , Traoré Salimata , Rouamba Sibiri Sylvain , Sakira Abdoul Karim , Coulibaly Adama , Sana Boukary , Somé Touridomon Issa
Published: April 2022

Knowledge of the risks of chemicals remains low among most parts of the African population. This situation is further complicated by the widespread lack of reliable data and information on the toxicity and safe use of chemicals. The present study was conducted to describe the chemical hazards to which workers in auto body paint shops would be exposed.The cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in car body paint shops in the city of Ouagadougou. The data collection consisted of an inventory of the products, direct observation of the workers in the work situation, and interviews.A total of 17 chemical products were inventoried in all the car body paint shops. Of the 17 products inventoried, 15 were flammable solvents (88.23%), 2 (11.77%) were in paste form and 1 (5.88%) was an oxidizer. All the products were dangerous for health and among them 6 (35.29%) were dangerous for the environment according to their pictograms. These products were handled without special precautions.All these products present risks for human health and the environment. In view of the working conditions, there is a potential exposure of the workers to all the chemicals as well as the inhabitants of the nearby residential areas.
In-vitro Evaluation of Anticancer Activity of Rhodamine-640 perchlorate on Rhabdomyosarcoma cell line
Authors: Yaseen Muniba , Khurshed Ahmat , Ullah Hafeez , Batool Zahida , Nazir Aalia , Gilanie Ghulam , Habib Shaista , Aziz Bushra
Published: April 2022

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a well-recognized treatment modality for oncological and non-oncological diseases. In this current research Rhodamine (Rh-640 perchlorate), a second generation photosensitizer, mediated photodynamic effects are evaluated. Different controlling parameters i.e., optimum intracellular drug concentration, light dose response on lower scale are investigated on in-vitro human Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer cell line. Diode laser 630 nm was used as a light source and three treatment arms were selected for photodynamic efficacy evaluation. An optimum incubation time of 3 hours was found for Rh-640 mediated exposure of RD culture. Effective intracellular drug accumulation was optimized for culture when administered with different concentrations (5, 10, 20, 30, 50, 70, and 100) µM. Photodynamic action of Rh-640 at different light doses (2, 5, 15) J/cm2 was evaluated. It was found that post incubation with optimized parameters Rhodamine 640 mediated photodynamic therapy showed light dose dependent cytotoxicity i.e., (85% (2 J/cm2), 80%( 5 J/cm2), 69%( 15 J/cm2). Current research work suggest the potential photodynamic action of Rh-640 and may be evaluated its efficacy on other cancer cell lines.
Outcomes of infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Canada: a cohort study
Authors: Venkata Sujith Kumar Reddy Gurram , Shah Prakesh S , Beltempo Marc , Yoon Eugene , Wood Stephen , Hicks Matthew , Daboval Thierry , Wong Jonathan , Wintermark Pia , Mohammad Khorshid
Published: April 2022

Purpose: To evaluate the change in the severity of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and associated morbidities between pre-and during COVID-19 pandemic periods in Canada. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study extracting the data from level-3 NICUs participating in Canadian Neonatal Network (CNN). The primary outcome was a composite of death in the first week after birth and/or stage 3 HIE (Sarnat and Sarnat). Secondary outcomes included rate and severity of HIE among admitted neonates, overall mortality, brain injury on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neonates requiring resuscitation, organ dysfunction, and rates of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) usage. We included 1591 neonates with gestational age ≥36 weeks with HIE during the specified periods: pandemic cohort April 1st to December 31st of 2020; pre-pandemic cohort between April 1st to December 31st of 2017, 2018, and 2019. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) and confidence intervals (CI).Results: We observed no difference in the primary outcome (15% vs. 16%; OR 1.08; 95%CI 0.78-1.48), mortality in the first week of life (6% vs. 6%; OR 1.10, 95%CI 0.69-1.75), overall mortality, neonates requiring resuscitation, organ dysfunction, TH usage, and rate of brain injury. In the ad-hoc analysis, per 1000 live births, there was an increase in the rate of infants with HIE and TH use. Conclusions: Severity of HIE, associated morbidities and mortality were not significantly different during the pandemic compared to a pre-pandemic period in Canada. Anticipated risks and difficulties in accessing healthcare have not increased the mortality and morbidities in neonates with HIE in Canada.
The PoliTO-UniRoma1 database of cyclic and dynamic laboratory tests: assessment of empirical predictive models
Authors: Ciancimino Andrea , Cosentini Renato Maria , Foti Sebastiano , Lanzo Giuseppe , Pagliaroli Alessandro , Pallara Oronzo
Published: April 2022

The soil nonlinear hysteretic behaviour is usually described, in the moderate strain range, through the shear modulus reduction and material damping ratio (MRD) curves. In the common practice, in absence of specific laboratory tests, the curves are estimated by employing empirical regression models. Such predictive models, typically calibrated on large experimental datasets, correlate the soil response to its physical properties. This research fits within this context, presenting a comprehensive database of cyclic and dynamic laboratory tests conducted on natural Italian soils. The database, publicly available as supplementary data of the paper, contains the results of the tests conducted by the geotechnical laboratories of the Politecnico di Torino (Turin, Italy) and the Sapienza Università di Roma (Rome, Italy) over the past 30 years. The experimental data are employed to assess the performance of some widely used empirical models in predicting the MRD curves of natural uncemented fine-grained soils, emphasizing the importance of using an independent dataset for conducting a reliable statistical analysis. The results show that the use of many soil parameters as proxies for predicting the soil response does not necessarily lead to an improvement in the performance of the model. Therefore according to Occam’s razor principle, simple models are to be preferred.
Near-infrared fluorescence axillary reverse mapping (ARM) procedure in invasive breast cancer: relationship between fluorescence signal in ARM lymph nodes and clinical outcomes
Authors: Abbaci Muriel , Conversano Angelica , Karimi Maryam , Mathieu Marie-Christine , Rouffiac Valérie , De Leeuw Frederic , Michiels Stefan , Laplace-Builhé Corinne , Mazouni Chafika
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence axillary reverse mapping (ARM) procedure is a promising tool to identify and preserve arm lymphatic drainage during axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). The ARMONIC clinical trial was conducted to validate the technique on a large cohort of patients and to analyse predictive clinical factors for ARM lymph node metastasis. For the first time, the fluorescence signal intensity from the ARM lymph nodes was measured and correlated with clinical findings. Materials and methods: 109 patients with invasive breast cancer with an indication of mastectomy and ALND underwent the NIR fluorescence ARM procedure. Indocyanine green was administered by intradermal injection followed by the intraoperative identification and resection of ARM lymph nodes with NIR fluorescence camera guidance. Fluorescence signal intensity and signal distribution were then measured ex vivo and compared with clinical outcomes.Results: ARM lymph nodes were successfully identified by fluorescence in 94.5% of cases. The mean normalised fluorescence signal intensity value was 0.47 with no significant signal difference between metastatic and non-metastatic ARM lymph nodes (p=0.3728). At the microscopic level, fluorescence signal distribution was focally intense in lymphoid tissue areas. Only preoperative diagnosis of metastasis in the axillary nodes of patients was significantly associated with higher ARM node fluorescence signal intensity (p=0.0253) but not the pathological nodal (pN) status (p=0.8081). Based on an optimal cut-off fluorescence value, the final sensitivity and specificity of NIR fluorescence ARM procedure for ARM lymph node metastatic involvement was 64.7% and 47.3%, respectively.Conclusion: Although our preliminary results did not show fluorescence signal intensity is a reliable diagnostic tool, NIR fluorescence ARM procedure may be useful for ARM lymph node identification. Clinical trial registration: NCT02994225
Analysis and Design of Ultra-Wideband PRGW Hybrid Coupler Using PEC/PMC Waveguide Model
Authors: Mousavirazi Zahra , Ali Mohamed Mamdouh M. , Gheisanab Hassan Naseri , Denidni Tayeb A.
Published: April 2022

In this paper, a new method to facilitate the design of Printed Ridge Gap Waveguide (PRGW) structures is introduced. One of the main difficulties in designing such structures is related to their simulation process which is really time and energy-consuming. Therefore, a suitable boundary condition is considered to bring about the primary structure without involving the bed of nails or mushroom unit cells. Using this technique, a wideband PRGW 3dB hybrid double-box coupler is designed to serve in mm-wave frequencies at a center frequency of 30 GHz, which can be deployed for the next generation of mobile communication. The designed coupler provides a wide matching and isolation bandwidth with low output amplitude imbalance, which is unique in comparison with current couplers. The prototype of the proposed coupler is fabricated and measured where the simulation and measurement results show a good agreement indicating the strength of the proposed method in PRGW structure design as well. The measured results show the couplers achieve better than 10-dB return loss and isolation over the frequency range from 25 to 40 GHz (46% BW) with the power-split unbalance and phase error within ±1 dB and ±5 degrees, respectively. In addition, square mushrooms are chosen here to satisfy the high impedance surface. Not only do they bring about larger stop bandwidth, but also their configuration facilitates the arrangement of them around the coupler. The proposed design has superb characteristics such as low profile, low loss, and easy integration with microwave circuits and systems that can be suitable for designing mm-wave beamforming networks.
Description of pathogenic bacteria in patients with respiratory symptoms associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Colombia
Authors: Zuluaga Nathalia , Martínez David , Hernández Carolina , Ballesteros Nathalia , Castañeda Sergio , Ramírez Juan David , Muñoz Marina
Published: April 2022

Viral respiratory infections may predispose to co-infections with other pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, pathogenic respiratory bacteria were detected in patients with and without severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) suffering respiratory symptoms such as cough, fever, odynophagia, rhinorrhea, respiratory distress, and fatigue. Patients without respiratory symptoms were included as controls. Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae were the main bacteria found in patients with respiratory symptoms (including hospitalized patients) in both positive and negative for SARS-CoV-2 infections. Pathogenic bacteria possibly proliferate due to the limited immune response of patients with SARS-CoV-2, perhaps due to dysbiosis generated by the viral infection.
Prioritize biologically relevant ions for data-independent acquisition (BRI- DIA) in LC-MS/MS-based lipidomics analysis
Authors: Duan Likun , Scheidemantle Grace , Lodge Mareca , Cummings Magdalina J , Pham Eva , Wang Xiaoqiu , Kennedy Arion , Liu Xiaojing
Published: April 2022

Introduction Data-dependent acquisition (DDA) is the most commonly used MS/MS scan method for lipidomics analysis on orbitrap-based instrument. However, MS instrument associated software decide the top N precursors for fragmentation, resulting in stochasticity of precursor selection and compromised consistency and reproducibility. We introduce a novel workflow using biologically relevant lipids to construct inclusion list for data-independent acquisition (DIA), named as BRI-DIA workflow. Objectives To ensure consistent coverage of biologically relevant lipids in LC-MS/MS-based lipidomics analysis. Methods Biologically relevant ion list was constructed based on LIPID MAPS and lipidome atlas in MS-DIAL 4. Lipids were extracted from mouse tissues and used to assess different MS/MS scan workflow (DDA, BRI-DIA, and hybrid mode) on LC-Orbitrap Exploris 480 mass spectrometer. Results DDA resulted in more MS/MS events, but the total number of unique lipids identified by three methods (DDA, BRI-DIA, and hybrid MS/MS scan mode) is comparable (580 unique lipids across 44 lipid subclasses in mouse liver). Major cardiolipin molecular species were identified by data generated using BRI-DIA and hybrid methods and allowed calculation of cardiolipin compositions, while identification of the most abundant cardiolipin CL72:8 was missing in data generated using DDA method, leading to wrong calculation of cardiolipin composition. Conclusion The method of using inclusion list comprised of biologically relevant lipids in DIA MS/MS scan is as efficient as traditional DDA method in profiling lipids, but offers better consistency of lipid identification, compared to DDA method. This study was performed using Orbitrap Exploris 480, and we will further evaluate this workflow on other platforms, and if verified by future work, this biologically relevant ion fragmentation workflow could be routinely used in many studies to improve MS/MS identification capacities.
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) distributions, aggregation structures and predator interactions in Bransfield Strait
Authors: Annasawmy Pavanee , Horne John K , Reiss Christian S , Cutter George R , Macaulay Gavin J
Published: April 2022

Aggregation structures of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and predator interactions were investigated using active acoustic data collected for approximately one month by WBAT and Signature100 echosounders deployed on moorings in two hydrographically different sites in Bransfield Strait. Near Nelson Island, water flows from the northwest to southeast while Deception Island is influenced by the Bransfield Front with stronger net current velocities from the southwest to northeast. Krill aggregations were identified and then classified in three clusters using a swarm-identification algorithm and hierarchical clustering using aggregation morphological characteristics: acoustic density, mean depth, center of mass, inertia, equivalent area, aggregation index, and proportion occupied. A total of 693 and 736 aggregations were detected at the mooring sites close to Nelson and Deception Islands. The three aggregation categories ranged from high to low densities, evenness and dispersion and were distributed throughout the water column. Krill aggregation densities and mean thickness are influenced by current velocities, direction, mean depth, and predator foraging. The majority of observed predator dive profiles occurred over the aggregation type with highest krill densities at both Nelson and Deception Islands, and within the first 25 m of the water column. The heterogeneity of krill aggregations potentially impacts predator foraging strategies and predator-krill interactions in the hydrodynamically active Bransfield Strait.
COVID19 induced immunosuppression and aggressive progression of primary cranial vault lymphoma presented as a management challenge, a case report, and a review of the literature.
Authors: Jha vikas Chandra , Alam Mohammad shahnawaz
Published: April 2022

Primary Large cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma of the cranial vault is rare and association with COVID19 needs to be studied as in our patient.Our patient, a 53-year-old male noticed fast growth of posterior cranial vault tumour from 2cm to 10 cm size in last 6months after COVID 19 affliction. MRI brain with contrast revealed lesions mimicking multicentric meningioma. The whole-body PET scan was normal. Following Subtotal excision of the mass, histopathology revealed large B-cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (DLBCL). Immunohistochemistry showed positive for CD10, CD20, CD45 (LCA), ALK, and BCL-VE with Ki-67 index 90–95%. Following radiotherapy and chemotherapy patient is disease-free on imaging and doing well at 5 months of follow-up.Early intervention with excisional biopsy and timely chemo and radiotherapy in presence of favourable immunostaining may add survival benefit even in the presence of malignant features induced by immunosuppressing disease as COVID19.Although this association was noticed in this single case study but role of Covid 19 infection in inducing the fast progression of tumours which can be expedited in immunosuppressive condition cannot be ignored.
Effects of changes of osteocyte shape on fluid flow and fluid shear stress of loaded bone
Authors: Yu WeiLun , Huo Xuyang , Li Hongliang , Yang Fengjian , Qi Qiuju , Wu Xiaogang , Chen Weiyi
Published: April 2022

Background: Load-induced pressure gradients (PG) result in interstitial fluid flow in bone tissue, which is not only provides sufficient nutrient supply and metabolic pathway for the bone cells, but also enables bone cells to accept external mechanical signals. Methods: We calculate the number and distribution of bone canaliculus around the osteocyte based on the varying shape of osteocyte, and then use these calculated parameters and other microstructure data of bone tissue to estimate the anisotropy permeability of the lacunar–canalicular. Finally, according to the calculated parameters, the poroelastic finite element models of the osteon are established, and the influence of the osteocyte shape on the fluid flow properties of osteon under the axial displacement load is analyzed. Two kinds of boundary conditions are considered on the cement line of osteon, elastic restrained (BC1) and displacement confined (BC2). Results: In the range of parameters we studied, the changes of osteocyte shape (Case1-Case6) make the maximum value of PG, pore pressure (PP), fluid velocity (FV) and fluid shear stress (FSS) 33.36%, 67.67%, 8.6% and 26.6% larger than the Reference model in BC1, respectively. And the maximum value of PG, PP, FV and FSS are 65.39%, 67.67%, 8.4% and 29% larger than reference model in BC2. The maximum PG, PP, FV and FSS in BC2 are 96.72%, 95.51%, 97.87% and 97.13% larger than that in BC1, respectively. The permeability of elongated osteocyte model (Case 3, Case 4 and Case 6) have a difference of one magnitude order in X and Y direction. Conclusion: The changes of osteocyte shape has a significant impact on the degrees of anisotropy for fluid flow and porous media of osteon. This model can facilitate better accurately quantifying the fluid flow in lacuna-canalicular system.
Comparison of Self Versus Expert-assisted Feedback for Cricothyroidotomy Training
Authors: Aldinc Hasan , Gun Cem , Yaylaci Serpil , Senuren Cigdem Ozkaya , Guven Feray , Sahiner Melike , Kayayurt Kamil , Turkmen Suha
Published: April 2022

The self-video feedback method may have the potential to provide a low-cost alternative to physician-driven simulation-based training. This study aimed to assess the utility of video feedback by comparing the improvement in procedural performance when trainees received self-video feedback (trainees review their performance alone) and expert-assısted video feedback (trainees review their performance while an emergency physician provides additional feedback). This study was performed at a university simulation center with 89 final-year medical students and used a cricothyroidotomy simulation model. Following the educational presentation and the best practice video, trainees were randomized into two groups (self video-feedback and expert assisted video-feedback). They performed the cricothyroidotomy before and after the feedback, The procedures were recorded and scored. Scoring were made using a pre-defıned checklist. Mann Whitney U test and Wilcoxon test were used to analyze non-normally distributed data. For the analysis of normally distributed data, Student t-test and Paired Samples t-test were used. Results demonstrated significant improvement in cricothyroidotomy performance with both types of video feedback. The improvement was significantly greater in the expert-assisted video feedback group. We think that simulation-based training is effective with self video feedback.
„Teachers’ Beliefs“: Inklusionsbezogene Überzeugungen von angehenden Lehrkräften hinsichtlich eines gemeinsamen Unterrichts
Authors: Endres Annika , Risch Björn , Schehl Marie , Weinberger Philip
Published: April 2022

Professionelle Kompetenz gilt als zentrale Handlungsressource unterrichtlichen Handelns. Berufsbezogene Überzeugungen und Werte (beliefs) können dessen Qualität maßgeblich beeinflussen und sind Gegenstand zahlreicher empirischer Untersuchungen. Eine Vielzahl von Forschungsvorhaben präzisieren den gewählten Beliefbegriff hinsichtlich fachwissenschaftlicher, fachdidaktischer oder (sonder)pädagogischer Fragestellungen. In dem vorliegenden Beitrag wird zunächst unser Begriffsverständnis von professioneller Handlungskompetenz, Inklusion und Teachers’ Beliefs theoretisch begründet. Von diesen Betrachtungen ausgehend, wird das Forschungsdesign einer qualitativen Studie abgeleitet, welches die inklusionsbezogenen Überzeugungen von angehenden Lehrkräften hinsichtlich eines gemeinsamen Unterrichts beschreibt sowie Implikationen für die Hochschullehre aus Studierendenperspektive ermöglicht. Die Ergebnisse geben Aufschluss über das Heterogenitätsverständnis von Lehramtsstudierenden der Regelschule, deren vorherrschenden Rollenbildern und ideellen Überzeugungen zu inklusivem Unterricht. Sie skizzieren außerdem hochschuldidaktische Maßnahmen, welche aus Studierendenperspektive einen Beitrag für die Vorbereitung im Unterricht inklusiver Klassen leisten können. Konsequenzen, die sich aus unserer Sicht für die Ausbildung von Lehramtsstudierenden ergeben, werden mit Fokus auf die Entmystifizierung inklusionsbezogener Überzeugungen diskutiert.Abstract

Professional competence is regarded as a central resource for teaching action. Job-related beliefs and values (beliefs) can significantly influence its quality and are the subject of numerous empirical studies. Research projects in various fields of educational science specify the chosen concept of belief with regard to scientific, didactic or (special) pedagogical questions. In this article, our understanding of the concepts of professional competence, inclusion and the teacher belief is first theoretically justified. Based on these considerations, the research design of a qualitative study is derived, which allows to describe the inclusion-related future teachers' beliefs regarding joint teaching as well as implications for higher education teaching from the student perspective. The results provide information about the heterogeneity of students in mainstream schools, prevailing role models, and ideological ideas about inclusive teaching. They also outline university didactic measures which, from a student perspective, can contribute to the preparation of inclusive classes. Consequences which, in our view, arise for the training of student teachers are discussed with a focus on demystifying inclusion-related convictions.
relações econômicas entre China, América Latina e Caribe
Authors: Garcia Ana Saggioro , Curty Rodrigo
Published: April 2022

A China tem papel central no regime internacional de investimentos como país emissor e anfitrião de investimento externo direto. Ela também é o primeiro país em maior número de tratados bilaterais de investimentos. Neste artigo, analisamos os tratados da China com países da América Latina e Caribe e as principais características de suas relações comerciais, financeiras e de investimento. Buscamos questionar em que medida a China pode se tornar uma parceira alternativa para as economias da região e se o país contribui para promover inovações no modelo de TBI vigente.
Study on the relationship between fatigue life and rheology of rejuvenated asphalt
Authors: Zhou Tao , Zhang Zhiyu
Published: April 2022

The utilization of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) contributes significantly to reducing resource waste and protecting the environment. However, due to the performance of rejuvenator, fatigue cracking has always been one of the important constraint on the development of the reclaimed asphalt pavements. Based on the studies previously conducted by our group, this paper investigated the fatigue properties of waste rubber/oil (WRO) rejuvenated asphalt and common rejuvenated asphalt by dynamic shear rheometer test (DSR), and analyzed the relationship between fatigue life and rheological properties of rejuvenated asphalt. The results indicated that the fatigue life of WRO rejuvenated asphalt is comparatively better than that of common rejuvenated asphalt. Affected by the of waste tire crumb rubber (WTCR), the increase of the proportion of waste tire crumb rubber (WTCR) can improve the elastic recovery ability of rejuvenated asphalt. The fatigue life of rejuvenated asphalt is susceptible to the rate of phase angle change, and the lower the viscoelasticity change rate, the better the fatigue life. There is no obvious direct relationship between the fatigue life of rejuvenated asphalt and the complex modulus.