bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Statins on Outcomes in Hispanic Patients with COVID-19
Authors: Khalafi Seyed , Evans Justin , Lumbreras Tyson , Tiula Kira , Helmsdoerfer Kristen , Dwivedi Alok Kumar , Dihowm Fatma
Published: August 2022

The Hispanic population is regarded among those who are at greater risk of adverse prognoses due to higher rates of diabetes and obesity in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Statin medications are speculated to help treat the infection by decreasing inflammation caused by COVID-19. In this retrospective, observational study, outcomes of statin use were assessed among Hispanic patients with COVID-19 by screening all patients hospitalized between March, 2020 and March, 2021 at a tertiary care hospital in El Paso, Texas, resulting in a total of 1039 patients. The patients were categorized into a group of either being on statins or not. The considered outcomes were mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization, oxygen supplementation at discharge, hospital length of stay, and mortality. Patients receiving statins were observed to be older with more comorbidities. In the propensity-scores adjusted analysis, no association was found between statin use and: mortality (adjusted risk ratio (aRR)=0.96, p=0.754), mechanical ventilation (aRR=0.91, p=0.503), ICU transfer (aRR=0.96, p=0.395), and O2 supplementation at discharge (aRR=1.03, p=0.729). These outcomes were also evaluated in patients who had myocardial infarction and stroke with COVID-19. Among these patients, association was found between statin use and: a reduced risk of mortality (aRR=0.61, p=0.005), mechanical ventilation (aRR=0.53, p=0.012) and ICU transfers (aRR=0.81, p=0.005). These results may not give us a reason to start patients on statins for the specific treatment of COVID-19, but it may be sufficient evidence to suggest statins should not be discontinued during hospitalization due to COVID-19.
Karyotype conservation and genomic organization of repetitive sequences in the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes (Linnaeus, 1758) (Formicidae: Myrmicinae)
Authors: Teixeira Gisele Amaro , Barros Luísa Antônia Campos , Silveira Linda Inês , Orivel Jérôme , Lopes Denilce Meneses , de Aguiar Hilton Jeferson Alves Cardoso
Published: August 2022

Leaf-cutting ants are among the New World's most conspicuous and studied ant species due to their notable ecological and economic roles. Cytogenetic studies carried out in Atta show remarkable karyotype conservation among the species. We performed classical cytogenetics and physical mapping of repetitive sequences in the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes (Linnaeus, 1758), the type species of the genus. Our goal was to test the karyotype conservation in Atta and to understand the genomic organization and diversity regarding repetitive sequences in leaf-cutting ants. Atta cephalotes showed 2 n = 22 (18m + 2sm + 2st) chromosomes. The heterochromatin followed a centromeric pattern, and the GC-rich regions and 18S rDNA clusters were co-located interstitially in the 4th metacentric pair. These cytogenetic characteristics were observed in other Atta species that had previously been studied, confirming the karyotype conservation in Atta. Evolutionary implications regarding the conservation of the chromosome number in leaf-cutting ants are discussed. Telomeric motif (TTAGG) n was detected in A. cephalotes as observed in other ants. Five out of the 11 microsatellites showed a scattered distribution exclusively on euchromatic areas of the chromosomes. Repetitive sequences mapped on the chromosomes of A. cephalotes are the first insights into genomic organization and diversity in leaf-cutting ants, useful in further comparative studies.
Artificial intelligence knacks-based computing for stochastic COVID-19 SIRC epidemic model with time delay
Authors: Shoaib Muhammad , Haider Adeeba , Raja Muhammad Asif Zahoor , Nisar Kottakkaran Sooppy
Published: August 2022

Time delays play an important part in modeling the fact that one cannot be communicable for a long time after becoming sick. Delay can be triggered by a variety of epidemiological situations. The most egregious causes of a delay are infection latency in the vector and infection latency in the infected host. The dynamics of susceptible, infected, recovered and cross-immune (SIRC) classed-based model having cross-immune and time-delay in the transmission for spread of COVID-19 abbreviated as (SIRC-CTC-19) are investigated in this study using an intelligent numerical computing paradigm based on the Levenberg–Marquardt Method backpropagated by neural networks (LM-BPNN). The model is mathematically governed by a system of ordinary differential equations that depicts the four nodes as susceptible, infected, recovered and cross-immune ones (SIRC) nodes with cross-immune class and time-delay in transmission components for COVID-19 dissemination (CTC-19). The reference solution of the SIRC model for the spread of COVID-19 is produced by using the explicit Runge–Kutta method for the many scenarios of this model arising from altering delay with regard to time. This reference solution permits the use of evolutionary computing to solve the SIRC-CTC-19 using train, validate and test techniques. The proposed LM-BPNN method’s accuracy has been proven by its results overlapping with explicit Runge–Kutta results Calculation of regression metrics, error analysis of histogram illustrations and learning curves on MSE effectively augment the LM-BPNN’s accuracy, convergence and reliability in solving the SIRC-CTC-19 model.
Generative Inpainting of High-resolution Images: Redefined with Real-ESRGAN
Authors: Sreelakshmy I. J. , Kovoor Binsu C.
Published: August 2022

Embracing generative models to the inpainting realm has resulted in its overwhelming acceptability as an image editing technique. However, these generative inpainting techniques tend to be cumbersome in view of the large memory footprint and resources consumed during the operation. This accounts for why images above 2k resolution are far from being considered as input for inpainting operations. In the present era of super-resolution, where human eyes are accustomed to viewing images beyond 6k and 8k, inpainting algorithms were not at par with the resolution benchmark. This paper proposes a high-resolution inpainting algorithm that addresses these concerns. To improve the computational overhead, the proposed architecture follows a hierarchically scaled 2-stage generative inpainting network. The proposed framework showcases a novel approach of injecting a blind Super Resolution Generative Adversarial Network network in an inpainting scenario. The resolution lost in the first phase is regained by the embedded pre-trained Real-ESRGAN model employed in the final phase. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the proposed method was performed using various datasets. Results obtained on comparing with the state-of-the-art inpainting methods were promising and ought to be a big leap towards super-resolution inpainting methods.
Token-Based Authorization and Authentication for Secure Internet of Vehicles Communication
Authors: Manogaran Gunasekaran , Rawal Bharat S. , Saravanan Vijayalakshmi , M K Priyan , Xin Qin , Shakeel P.
Published: August 2022

The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) communication platform provides seamless information exchange facilities in a dynamic mobile city environment. Heterogeneous communication is a common medium for information exchange through autonomous resources distributed and accessed using infrastructure units. Cyber-security is a primary concern in accessing autonomous information from the distributed resources due to anonymity and different types of targeted adversaries. This article proposes token-based authorization and authentication (TAA) for securing IoV communications. The proposed method relies on blockchain technology and random forest learning for authorization and key management for authentication, respectively. In this process, frequent change in tokens and key update features are restricted in a view to maximize the seamlessness in information exchange. Authentication is preceded by knowledge of the data classification without errors to prevent additional overhead. Blockchain-based authorization helps to update specific fields of the tokens to retain the communication ratio by reducing vehicle-to-vehicle losses. The performance of the proposed method is assessed using appropriate simulations for these metrics by varying vehicle density, error rate, and classification sets.
Thinking like a lawyer
Authors: Blumenthal Johanna
Published: August 2022

On December 9, 2021, Apache announced a zero-day vulnerability in Apache Log4j [3]. As the news broke, tech companies and computing administrators scrambled to push out recommended mitigations. If you are reading this, chances are you already heard about this vulnerability and have made sure to update all of your systems. It is estimated that millions of companies are vulnerable to data breach through exploits of this widely used logging software. When millions of companies are vulnerable to breach it means that lots of people are going to have their data stolen and will suffer financial losses.
Stable Electrochemical Properties of Titanium Doped Layered P2-type Na0.67Ni0.15 Mn0.85O2 Cathode Material for Sodium Ion Batteries
Authors: Han Huawei , Guo Shihong , Chen Yimeng , Guo Shuai , Hong Ningyun , Fan Jiangtao , Long Zhen , Qiu Xiaoqing
Published: August 2022

P2-Na0.67Ni0.15Mn0.85O2 layered sodium transition metal oxides have drawn much attention as a promising candidate cathode due to its high specific capacity and high working voltage. However, undesired cyclability and poor rate performance originated from the serve Jahn-Teller effect and mixed Na+/vacancy ordering during the cycle process. To address this issue, we designed a series P2-type Na0.67Ni0.15Mn0.85−xTixO2 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) cathode by using a modified sol-gel method, and comprehensively investigated the influence of Ti doping Mn sites with the structural and electrochemical properties. It was found that Ti-substitution not only increases the interlayer distance to suppress Na+/vacancy ordering, but also reduces Mn3+ content to alleviate the Jahn-Teller effect. Notable, the Na0.67Ni0.15Mn0.80Ti0.05O2 electrode exhibited a remarkable cycling stability (85.36% capacity retention after 200 cycles at 1 C). Ti-substitution would greatly increase charge/discharge reversibility and boosts Na+ diffusion mobility kinetics, which were clearly elucidated by Ex-situ X-ray Diffraction (XRD), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Galvanostatic Intermittent Titration Technique (GITT), respectively. This simple and effective work provides a novel strategy for developing high-performance cathode materials for practical SIBs.
In-Situ Computed Tomography of Particle Microcracking and Electrode Damage in Cycled NMC622/Graphite Pouch Cell Batteries
Authors: Bond Toby , Gauthier Roby , Gasilov Sergey , Dahn J. R.
Published: August 2022

Mechanical degradation of electrode materials is an important failure mode in lithium-ion batteries. High-energy-density cathode materials like nickel-rich NMC (LiNixMnyCozO2) undergo significant anisotropic volume expansion during cycling that applies mechanical stress to the material. Computed tomography (CT) of cells can be used to image cell-level and electrode-level changes that result from long-term cycling, without the need for cell disassembly or destructive sampling. Previous work by our group has used synchrotron CT to show cathode thickness growth and depletion of liquid electrolyte after long-term (>2 years) cycling of polycrystalline NMC622/graphite cells. These phenomena were attributed to cathode microcracking, but direct evidence of this was not available at the time. In this study, we present in-situ, sub-micron CT of these unmodified pouch cells, providing new insights into the morphological changes occurring at the particle level. These results confirm that extensive microcracking and dramatic morphological changes are occurring in the cathode that were not previously observed. Combined with the cell-level and electrode-level scans presented previously, this study provides a complete, multi-scale picture of cathode microcracking and how its effects propagate throughout the cell.
Combined Long Short-Term Memory Network-Based Short-Term Prediction of Solar Irradiance
Authors: Madhiarasan Manoharan , Louzazni Mohamed
Published: August 2022

Achieving the highly accurate and generic prediction of solar irradiance is arduous because solar irradiance possesses intermittent randomness and is influenced by meteorological parameters. Therefore, this paper endeavors a new combined long short-term memory network (CLSTMN) with various influence meteorological parameters as inputs. We investigated the proposed predictive model applicability for short-term solar irradiance prediction application and validated it in the real-time metrological dataset. The proposed prediction model is combined and accumulated by various inputs, incurring six individual long short-term memory models to improve solar irradiance prediction accuracy and generalization. Thus, the CLSTMN-based solar irradiance prediction can be generic and overcome the metrological parameters concerning variability. The experimental results ensure good prediction accuracy with minimal evaluation metrics of the proposed CLSTMN for solar irradiance prediction. The RMSE, MAPE, and MSE achieved based on the proposed CLSTMN one-hour-ahead prediction are

7.7729
×

10

−
04

,

8.2479
×

10

−
05

, and

6.0419
×

10

−
07

and for six-hour-ahead prediction are 0.0157, 0.0017, and

2.4627
×

10

−
04

for sunny days, and for cloudy days, the RMSE, MAPE, and MSE achieved based on the proposed CLSTMN one-hour-ahead prediction are

1.2969
×

10

−
04

,

1.6882
×

10

−
04

, and

1.6819
×

10

−
08

and for six-hour-ahead prediction are 0.0176, 0.0043, and

3.0863
×

10

−
04

, respectively. Finally, we investigate the CLSTMN performance effectiveness by comparative analysis with well-known baseline models. The investigative study shows the surpassing prediction performance of the proposed CLSTMN for short-term solar irradiance prediction.
Cadmium and Lead Removal from Aqueous Solution Using Magnetite Nanoparticles Biofabricated from Portulaca oleracea Leaf Extract
Authors: Hassan Payam B. , Rasheed Rezan O. , Zargoosh Kiomars
Published: August 2022

Magnetic nanoparticles of iron oxide (Fe3O4 NPs) were prepared using a biosynthetic method to investigate their potential use as an adsorbent for adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) from the aqueous solution. The present study for the first time used the magnetite nanoparticles from leaf extract of Portulaca oleracea for the removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) metal ions. Characterizations for the prepared Fe3O4 NPs (PO‐Fe3O4MNPs) were achieved by using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmittance electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The batch adsorption process has been performed to study the effect of various parameters, such as contact time, pH, temperature, initial metal concentration, and adsorbent dose. The optimum pH for Cd(II) and Pb(II) adsorption was 6. The removal of heavy metals was found to increase with adsorbent dosage and contact time and reduced with increasing initial concentration. Langmuir, Freundlich, Khan, and Toth isotherms were used as adsorption isotherm models. The adsorption data fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm model with correlation coefficient (R2 > 0.94). The maximum adsorption capacities (Qmax) at equilibrium were 177.48 mg/g and 108.2267 mg/g for Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively. The kinetic analysis showed that the overall adsorption process was successfully fitted with the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. The calculated thermodynamic parameters (∆G°, ∆H°, and ∆S°) showed that the adsorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions onto PO‐Fe3O4MNPs was exothermic and spontaneous. These results demonstrate that biogenic synthesized PO‐Fe3O4MNPs are highly efficient adsorbents for the removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from contaminated water.
Plastic Waste Management System Using Metal Shredder for Clean Environment
Authors: Jeyalakshmi C. , Alagarsamy Manjunathan , Kalaiarasan R. , Easwaran M. , Thangavel Yuvaraja , Paramasivam Prabhu
Published: August 2022

With the high rise in population and a huge level of unwanted materials, conventional methods of waste disposal are becoming outdated as it involves more manual scavenging work and unwanted human potential. In order to overcome the above manual issues, there is a need to design a machine that can clear the litter and leftover wastes without much involvement of human indulgence. To overcome the above issues, the smart garbage collector was designed and implemented. It consists of a vacuum machine that sucks out leftover trash on the ground. Then, it is lifted to a certain height by servo motors to drop it into the shredding area. The shredder then cuts the waste into very tiny pieces. Then, the waste pieces are transferred to the storage box. This box is placed at an inclined angle to support the disposal of waste without human intervention. The box opening and closing actions are controlled by a servo motor that is placed outside the box and the slide opens vertically to avoid any unwanted residual waste in the storage box. The storage box consists of an ultrasonic sensor to notify the level of waste accumulated inside the box, and when the maximum threshold value is attained, the proposed machine has to dispose of the crushed waste. All the actions of the controller are monitored by a private server hosted on the Blynk platform that can be accessed only by the user. The server can be controlled through a mobile interface that acts as a remote control for the proposed machine. The Local Server is set up using Raspberrypi which enables ease of access to the Blynk server hosted in our home router IP.
Existence of Periodic Solutions for a Class of Fourth-Order Difference Equation
Authors: Wei Jia , Han Xiaoling , Ye Fumei
Published: August 2022

We apply the continuation theorem of Mawhin to ensure that a fourth-order nonlinear difference equation of the form

Δ

4

u

k
−
2

−
a

k

u

α

k

+
b

k

u

β

k

=
0

with periodic boundary conditions possesses at least one nontrivial positive solution, where

Δ
u

k

=
u

k
+
1

−
u

k

is the forward difference operator,

α
>
0
,
β
>
0

and

α
≠
β

,

a

k

,
b

k

are

T

-periodic functions and

a

k

b

k

>
0

. As applications, we give some examples to illustrate the application of these theorems.
[Retracted] Health Monitoring of Employees for Industry 4.0
Authors: Ayyalraj Midhun Kumar , Balamurugan Appavu Alias , Misganaw Wondalem
Published: August 2022

On a daily basis, young agers engage in a range of activities. There are numerous things to do, such as attending class, participating in a group project, and going grocery shopping, to mention a few. If a student becomes ill, he or she must visit the clinic for treatment and a note of discharge. Researchers contribute using IoT to display health status in order to decrease the likelihood of becoming unwell. Young agers can use this tool to see if their pulse rates are normal or not. Young agers can see their pulse rate by using the IoT to display their health status. This tool will also assist pupils in reaching their full potential and improving their personal health by determining their optimum pulse rate. Young agers will always keep a healthy lifestyle in order to function in the society. This tool can also serve as a reminder to kids that good health is essential for survival. This method can be used to detect whether a person’s pulse rate is normal while exercising, according to the findings of this study. Such application can be applied in Industry 4.0 in order to evaluate young employee’s health condition to produce better industry outcome.
Tibetan Medicine Shi-Wei-Gan-Ning-San Alleviates Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Chronic Liver Injury by Inhibiting TGF-β1 in Wistar Rats
Authors: Jia Ziming , Zheng Yanhua , Fu Shaohua , Qu Jingjing , Tian Jie , Qu Wen , Mei Zhinan
Published: August 2022

Background. Shi-Wei-Gan-Ning-San (SWGNS) is a classic Tibetan prescription, which has obvious clinical effects in the treatment of viral hepatitis, fatty liver, liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and other liver injuries. However, animal studies and mechanism studies are still lacking. This study aimed to investigate its hepatoprotective efficacy and pharmacological mechanism in animal experiments. Methods. Chronic liver injury was induced by oral administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in Wistar rats for 13 weeks. SWGNS was administered orally to rats at doses of 235, 705, and 1410 mg/kg for 13 weeks. Blood samples were collected for biochemical, ELISA, and radioimmunoassay. Livers were harvested for H&E and immunohistochemical staining. The major constituents of SWGNS were analyzed by HPLC. In vitro experiments were used to explore the protective effect of Crocin on BRL-3A in the environment of H2O2. Results. SWGNS reversed weight loss is induced by CCl4. Serum assays showed that SWGNS reduced CCl4-induced alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and γ-glutamyltransferase levels and increased the total protein and albumin levels. Histopathological evaluation showed that SWGNS alleviated hepatic steatosis, fibrosis, and inflammation. Furthermore, SWNGS reduced CCl4-induced elevations of TGF-β1, hyaluronic acid, laminin, and collagen IV in serum and reduced the high expression of α-SMA in tissues. Moreover, Crocin I and II are the main components of SWGNS. Crocin attenuated the damaging effects of H2O2 on BRL-3A. Conclusions. In conclusion, SWGNS alleviated CCl4-induced chronic liver injury by inhibiting the TGF-β1 pathway. This plays an important role in promoting traditional Tibetan medicine in clinical practice.
The Multifaceted Sustainable Development and Export Intensity of Emerging Market Firms under Financial Constraints: The Role of ESG and Innovative Activity
Authors: Teplova Tamara , Sokolova Tatiana , Gubareva Mariya , Sukhikh Viktoria
Published: August 2022

The role of sustainable development in the export intensity of small and medium‐size enterprises (SMEs) represents an open research question. We consider sustainable development through the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions as well as via firms’ innovative activity indicators. Our objective is to reveal the sustainability determinants of export intensity of SMEs in emerging markets subject to financial constraints, which is one of the major obstacles for SMEs. Our sample is based on the 2018–2020 Business Environment Enterprise Performance Survey data. The Heckman model allows us to reveal the factors relevant for SMEs to gain access to foreign markets under the control of financial constraints specific for SMEs. We also analyze the determinants of the SMEs’ share of direct exports in revenue. Our results demonstrate that innovative activity and corporate social responsibility facilitate entry to foreign markets, while equity concentration is a major deterrent. In particular, we reveal a significant positive effect of research and development investment on export intensity. Our findings highlight the complex nature of the interrelations between the SMEs’ share of direct exports in revenue and ESG consciousness. We find that other significant factors are political links of the top management, the gender composition of production and administrative units, employee training facilities, and ownership structure.
A Comparative Study of Some Automatic Arabic Text Diacritization Systems
Authors: Mijlad Ali , El Younoussi Yacine
Published: August 2022

Arabic diacritization is the task of restoring diacritics or vowels for Arabic texts considering that they are mostly written without them. This task, when automated, shows better results for some natural language processing tasks; hence, it is necessary for the field of Arabic language processing. In this paper, we are going to present a comparative study of some automatic diacritization systems. One uses a variant of the hidden Markov model. The other one is a pipeline, which includes a Long Short-Term Memory deep learning model, a rule-based correction component, and a statistical-based component. Additionally, we are proposing some modifications to those systems. We have trained and tested those systems in the same benchmark dataset based on the same evaluation metrics proposed in previous work. The best system results are 9.42% and 22.82% for the diacritic error rate DER and the word error rate WER, respectively.
Investigation of Parameters of Fused Deposition Modelling 3D Prints with Compression Properties
Authors: Berihun Sitotaw Dereje , Marcel Muenks Dominik , Kostadinov Kyosev Yordan , Kechi Kabish Abera
Published: August 2022

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has been attracting a great deal of attention in recent years in many application fields, for example, in the aerospace, construction, industry, art, education, protection, security, and medical fields. Printing methods, materials, and parameters influence the performance quality and determine the application sector of 3D prints. In this study, the print parameters are used as independent variables to investigate the compression strength of 3D printed cubes/cubes. The prints were produced by considering infill type, infill percentages, vertical wall, horizontal contours, and dimensions of items as the product parameters. The different printed samples were subjected to atmospheric conditions for 24 hours at (20 ± 1)°C temperature and (65 ± 2)% relative humidity. The samples were then subjected to a cyclic compression test with an indentation depth of 5 mm. The compression force to the planned displacement was measured. As seen from the results, the print parameters investigated in this research significantly influence the compression force and determine the performance of 3D prints according to the application sector. Although all parameters significantly influence the compression force of 3D prints, the magnitude and level of performance are different. Vertical walls relatively withstand high compression force while filling type gives soft and weak products with a relatively low mass. However, the choice of different pressure parameters can influence the compressive strength. With this knowledge, it will be possible in the future to print human soft tissues with a specific compressive strength using the FDM printing process.
Influencing Factors Identification and the Correlation Analysis of Business Environment in the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Greater Bay
Authors: Yu Yuli , Yao Haitao , Zhuang Wanhua
Published: August 2022

The outline of the development plan issued by CPC Central Committee and the State Council for the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Bay Area clearly pointed out that the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Bay Area should be built into a vibrant world‐class urban agglomeration, an international science and technology innovation center, an important support for the construction of the “the Belt and Road,” and a demonstration area for in‐depth cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao; and a high‐quality life circle suitable for living, working, and traveling should be created to become a model of high‐quality sustainable development. In order to develop the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Bay Area, it is extremely important to enhance the regional business environment. This paper focuses on five influencing factors: policy support, talent guarantee, market supervision, financial support, and cultural promotion. Based on one‐way ANOVA and Cobb Douglas function, this paper makes an empirical study on the two important node cities of Zhuhai and Macao. The results show that (1) different factors have different degrees of significant impact on the regional business environment, among which the industry type has the greatest impact, and the duration of enterprise registration has the least impact; (2) when the factors act alone, there is a significant positive correlation between the evaluation dimensions, but most of the correlation degrees are not much different. Finance and talents are the weaknesses of the business environment in the two cities. (3) When the factors are combined, different factors have significant differences in different regions. Zhuhai mainly benefits from policy support, while Macao mainly benefits from market supervision. (4) Regional integration can produce significant association relationship, among which cultural promotion is an important factor. These five important factors have been effectively identified, which have played a leading role in the further design and development direction of the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Bay Area in the future and have an extremely important enlightenment for the study of the business environment in this region.
Adolescents’ Contraceptive Uptake in Ethiopia: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Mekonnen Alemayehu Gonie , Odo Daniel Bogale , Nigatu Dabere
Published: August 2022

Introduction. Ethiopia has made significant efforts to enhance family planning services despite variations in the community’s use of modern contraception in different parts of the country. Various studies have reported the proportion and determinant factors of adolescents’ contraceptive uptake in Ethiopia. These studies are not consistent in terms of size, scope, and geographic coverage, and the results need to be systematically collated to inform policies. Therefore, this review was aimed at analyzing the findings of those primary studies to obtain more representative evidence of adolescents’ contraceptive uptake in Ethiopia. Methods. Five databases (MEDLINE via PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and CINAHL) were searched for papers published from January 2000 up to June 2022 in English. Of thirty eligible studies, eight papers were included in this meta‐analysis. Between‐study heterogeneity was evaluated by the forest plot and inconsistency index (I2). A random‐effects model was used to calculate the pooled estimates of adolescents’ contraceptive uptake. Results. The overall pooled proportion of adolescents’ contraceptive uptake was 40% (I2 = 99.70, p ≤ 0.001; 95%CI = 19, 61). Adolescents’ usage of contraception was influenced by a number of factors: individual‐, sociocultural‐, knowledge‐ (about contraceptive methods), and healthcare service‐related factors. Individual‐related factors include the educational status of adolescents, being of young age, and the income status of adolescents’ families. Sociocultural‐related factors comprise discussion with the family/relatives, parent disapproval and pressure from partners, and being married or having a partner. Healthcare service‐related factors include the availability of youth clubs and inconvenient service hours for SRH services. Knowing contraceptive methods and SRH services was also positively associated with adolescents’ contraceptive utilization. Conclusions. The proportion of adolescents who used contraception in Ethiopia was 40%. Adolescents’ use of contraceptives was influenced by a variety of factors: individual‐, sociocultural‐, healthcare‐, and knowledge‐related factors. Hence, integrated interventions targeted at tackling barriers to contraceptive uptake may be helpful to improve adolescents’ contraceptive utilization in Ethiopia.
Prognostic Values of BolA Family Member Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Dong , Wang ZhiMing , Tao YiMing
Published: August 2022

The BolA gene family member (BOLA1–3) plays an important role in regulating normal and pathological biological processes including liver tumorigenesis. However, their expression patterns as prognostic factors in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients have not to be elucidated. We examined the transcriptional expressions and survival data of BolA family member in patients with HCC from online databases including ONCOMINE, TCGA, UALCAN, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), Kaplan‐Meier plotter, SurvExpress, cBioPortal, and Exobase. Network molecular interaction views of BolA family members and their neighborhoods were constructed by the IntAct web server. In our research, we had found that the expression levels of BolA /2/3 mRNA were higher in HCC tissue than in normal liver tissues from TGCA databases. Moreover, the BolA family gene expression level is significantly associated with distinct tumor pathological grade, TMN stage, and overall survival (OS). The BolA family can be considered as prognostic risk biomarkers of HCC. A small number of BolA gene‐mutated samples were detected in the HCC tissue. IntAct analysis revealed that BolA1/2/3 was closely associated with the GLRX3 expression in HCC, which is implicated in the regulation of the cellular iron homeostasis and tumor growth. Furthermore, prognostic values of altered BolAs and their neighbor GLRX3 gene in HCC patients were validated by SurvExpress analysis. In conclusion, the membrane BolA family identified in this study provides very useful information for the mechanism of hepatic tumorigenesis.
Comparison of Pharmacokinetic Profiles of 14 Major Bioactive Components in Normal and Arthritic Model Rats after Oral Administration of Angelicae pubescentis Radix by UPLC-MS/MS
Authors: Hou Ajiao , Yu Huan , Wang Song , Zhang Jiaxu , Wang Xuejiao , Zheng Senwang , Yang Liu , Kuang Haixue , Jiang Hai
Published: August 2022

An ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was established to simultaneously determine 14 compounds of Angelicae pubescentis Radix (APR) in normal and arthritis rat plasma in which chloramphenicol and daidzein were used as the internal standards. After protein precipitation with acetonitrile, separation was carried out on a Thermo Hypersil GOLD C18 column using gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid aqueous and acetonitrile consisting as the mobile phase at a flowing rate of 0.3 mL/min. A Thermo TSQ QUANTIS triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was used to detect 14 compounds in positive/negative ion exchange mode and this study was the first to investigate the pharmacokinetic changes of the active compounds in rats under the pathological state of arthritis. The method was verified and the results showed that the intra- and interday precision, accuracy, matrix effect, and extraction recovery were all acceptable, and the analytes were stable under different storage conditions. In addition, the pharmacokinetic behaviors of the 14 compounds were significantly different in model rats compared with normal rats. This indicated that the pharmacokinetic behavior of drugs will vary with the pathological state of the body, which suggested that individualized and reasonable drug administration plans should be formulated for different pathological states in clinical practice. This study provided a scientific basis and data support for better understanding the pharmacodynamic substance basis and clinical application of APR against arthritis.
Examine the Mechanical Properties of Aluminium Tetrahydride/Calotropis gigantea Based Hybrid Polyester Composites in Cryogenic Atmosphere
Authors: Bagali Pavan Balappa , Rashid N. I. Haroon , Al-Ammar Essam A. , Srinivas C. , Jayaprakash H. V. , Venkatesh J. D. , Mohammed Sohail M. A. K. , De Poures Melvin Victor , Adugna Nahom
Published: August 2022

From the previous scarce periods, the investigation has evolved from traditional resources and compounds and toward frivolous constituents to produce small and hugely influential substances for specific purposes. The foremost goal of the current examination is to explore the effectiveness of aluminium tetrahydride (ATH) filler addition on the Calotropis gigantea fibre (CGF)/polyester-based hybrid composite. The hybrid materials with a 3 mm width and three layers of CGF were manufactured using the conventional technique. To achieve the objectives mentioned above, the following constraints like (i) Wt.% of ATH, (ii) number of CGF Layers, and (iii) cryogenic treatment hours, each at three different levels, were chosen. The composite was fabricated as per the design of L9 orthogonal array. This research measured the mechanical characteristics like flexural, tensile, and impact characteristics. The materials with 5 wt proportions of filler, 3 layers of CGF and 30 min of liquid nitrogen treatment (A2, B3 and C2) showed better mechanical strength. They were studying the broken specimen's morphological behavior by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Mechanical Properties of Banyan Fiber‐Reinforced Sawdust Nanofiller Particulate Hybrid Polymer Composite
Authors: Raja T. , Vinayagam Mohanavel , Thanakodi Sathish , Seikh A. H. , Siddique M. H. , Subbiah Ram , Gebrekidan Atkilt Mulu
Published: August 2022

The utilization of renewable raw materials, such as natural fiber composites, can be prioritized in the building industry as it transitions to a bioeconomy. The sustainable product can improve environmental protection; therefore, the present work is stated with the natural fibers of chopped banyan fiber reinforced with sawdust nanocellulose epoxy‐based composite fabricated by hand layup process. To identify the mechanical effects of tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, and hardness value for five different weight ratios of chopped banyan fibers and sawdust nanofiller materials, the composite weight ratio was made with 60% of matrix phase that was fixed for all five samples and 40% of reinforcement phase in which the fibers and filler percentage can vary for five samples. The results are revealed sample E (50 g of banyan, 25 g of saw dust, 110 g of epoxy, and 185 g of laminate) given a more tensile strength of 39 MPa and a flexural strength of 34 MPa, and sample A was given a high impact energy absorption capacity of 18 Joule compared with other samples of hybrid composite; and also, the SEM morphological was used to identify the surface interaction and failure mode of this composite laminates.
Risk Factors Associated with Mortality in COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients: Data from the Middle East
Authors: Karasneh Reema A. , Khassawneh Basheer Y. , Al-Azzam Sayer , Al-Mistarehi Abdel-Hameed , Lattyak William J. , Aldiab Motasem , Kabbaha Suad , Hasan Syed Shahzad , Conway Barbara R. , Aldeyab Mamoon A.
Published: August 2022

This study aimed to assess the risk factors for COVID-19 mortality among hospitalized patients in Jordan. All COVID-19 patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Jordan from September 20, 2020, to August 8, 2021, were included in this study. Demographics, clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and laboratory results were extracted from the patients’ electronic records. Multivariable logistic and machine learning (ML) methods were used to study variable importance. Out of 1,613 COVID-19 patients, 1,004 (62.2%) were discharged from the hospital (survived), while 609 (37.8%) died. Patients who were of elderly age (>65 years) (OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.28–3.16), current smokers (OR, 1.61; 95%CI, 1.17–2.23), and had severe or critical illness at admission ((OR, 1.56; 95%CI, 1.05–2.32) (OR, 2.94; 95%CI, 2.02–4.27); respectively), were at higher risk of mortality. Comorbidities including chronic kidney disease (OR, 2.90; 95% CI, 1.90–4.43), deep venous thrombosis (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.08–6.35), malignancy (OR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.46–3.38), diabetes (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.04–1.65), and heart failure (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.02–2.23) were significantly associated with increased risk of mortality. Laboratory abnormalities associated with mortality included hypernatremia (OR, 11.37; 95% CI, 4.33–29.81), elevated aspartate aminotransferase (OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.42–2.31), hypoalbuminemia (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.37–2.25), and low platelets level (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.05–1.95). Several demographic, clinical, and laboratory risk factors for COVID-19 mortality were identified. This study is the first to examine the risk factors associated with mortality using ML methods in the Middle East. This will contribute to a better understanding of the impact of the disease and improve the outcome of the pandemic worldwide.
Diagnostic Value of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes for Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia
Authors: Lu Jun , Sun Ling , Wu Xifeng , Li Tantan , Men Lijie
Published: August 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the absolute value of peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia and the diagnostic effect on patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia. From January 2020 to June 2021, 76 patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia and 80 healthy check‐ups admitted to our hospital were selected as study subjects and divided into a control group (80 patients, healthy check‐ups) and an observation group (76 patients, primary immune thrombocytopenia), according to the health status of the organism. Early morning fasting venous blood was collected from both groups, and the absolute value of peripheral blood lymphocytes was measured and compared using a fully automated hematology analyzer to investigate the diagnostic value of absolute peripheral blood lymphocytes in primary immune thrombocytopenia. The CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and CD16+CD56+ assay values in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and the CD3+CD8+, CD19+, and ALC assay values were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The CD3+CD8+ detection values of newly diagnosed patients were similar to those of relapsed refractory patients (P > 0.05); CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and CD16+CD56+ detection values of newly diagnosed patients were lower than those of relapsed refractory patients, and CD19+ and ALC detection values were higher than those of relapsed refractory patients; CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and CD16+CD56+ detection values of mild patients were lower than those of relapsed refractory patients; CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and CD16+CD56+ detection values were higher in mild patients than in severe patients, and CD3+CD8+, CD19+, and ALC detection values were lower than in severe patients (P < 0.05). The absolute lymphocyte values were of high diagnostic value in primary immune thrombocytopenia, with a sensitivity and specificity of 93.42% and 90.00%. The application of absolute peripheral blood lymphocyte value in the clinical diagnosis of primary immune thrombocytopenia can achieve a better detection and diagnosis effect, which has a positive impact on the early diagnosis rate and can help patients to obtain more timely, effective and targeted treatment, and is worthy of promotion.
Monitoring Therapeutic Response to Anti-FAP CAR T Cells Using [18F]AlF-FAPI-74
Authors: Lee Iris K. , Noguera-Ortega Estela , Xiao Zebin , Todd Leslie , Scholler John , Song Decheng , Liousia Maria , Lohith Katheryn , Xu Kexiang , Edwards Kimberly J. , Farwell Michael D. , June Carl H. , Albelda Steven M. , Puré Ellen , Sellmyer Mark A.
Published: August 2022

Purpose:

Despite the success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy against hematologic malignancies, successful targeting of solid tumors with CAR T cells has been limited by a lack of durable responses and reports of toxicities. Our understanding of the limited therapeutic efficacy in solid tumors could be improved with quantitative tools that allow characterization of CAR T–targeted antigens in tumors and accurate monitoring of response.

Experimental Design:

We used a radiolabeled FAP inhibitor (FAPI) [18F]AlF-FAPI-74 probe to complement ongoing efforts to develop and optimize FAP CAR T cells. The selectivity of the radiotracer for FAP was characterized in vitro, and its ability to monitor changes in FAP expression was evaluated using rodent models of lung cancer.

Results:

[18F]AlF-FAPI-74 showed selective retention in FAP+ cells in vitro, with effective blocking of the uptake in presence of unlabeled FAPI. In vivo, [18F]AlF-FAPI-74 was able to detect FAP expression on tumor cells as well as FAP+ stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment with a high target-to-background ratio. We further demonstrated the utility of the tracer to monitor changes in FAP expression following FAP CAR T-cell therapy, and the PET imaging findings showed a robust correlation with ex vivo analyses.

Conclusions:

This noninvasive imaging approach to interrogate the tumor microenvironment represents an innovative pairing of a diagnostic PET probe with solid tumor CAR T-cell therapy and has the potential to serve as a predictive and pharmacodynamic response biomarker for FAP as well as other stroma-targeted therapies. A PET imaging approach targeting FAP expressed on activated fibroblasts of the tumor stroma has the potential to predict and monitor therapeutic response to FAP-targeted CAR T-cell therapy.

See related commentary by Weber et al., p. 5241
Microvascular Changes in the Cystic Lesion of Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion Imaged by Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Authors: Araki Satoko , Sakimoto Susumu , Shiozaki Daiki , Ueda Chihiro , Hara Chikako , Fukushima Yoko , Sayanagi Kaori , Sakaguchi Hirokazu , Nishida Kohji
Published: August 2022

Introduction: This study aimed to describe the quantitative features of the microvasculature in the cystic lesions of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Methods: A total of 43 eyes with BRVO, treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy, were analyzed. Using wide-field swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), en face OCT images were obtained by depth-integrated reflectivity of the retina, and vascular density (VD), vascular length (VL), vascular lacunarity, and fractal dimension (FD) were evaluated in a 12 × 12-mm area of retinal nonperfusion. Results: The mean area of affected lesions was 38.7 ± 19.8 mm2, and cystic lesions were 8.5 ± 10.1 mm2. VD, VL, and FD were significantly decreased in the cystic lesions compared to other affected lesions in the same eyes (p = 0.0010, p = 0.0001, and p = 0.0003, respectively) and in all eyes (p = 0.0281, p = 0.0050, and p < 0.0001, respectively). VD in cystic lesions within the vascular arcade (25 eyes) correlated with best-corrected visual acuity on OCTA (r = −0.433, and p = 0.0492). Conclusions: Vascular structure in the cystic lesions was unpreserved compared to the other lesions in BRVO. These findings may help in understanding the pathophysiology of retinal edema in BRVO.
IgG4-Related Peripheral Neuropathy with Unilateral Cervical Nerve Root and Brachial Plexus Swelling: A Case Report
Authors: Tarisawa Monami , Kano Takahiro , Tanaka Daiki , Yoshino Masanao , Houzen Hideki
Published: August 2022

A 64-year-old man presented with left upper limb weakness and dysesthesia for 4 months. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated swelling from the 6th–8th left cervical nerve roots to the left brachial plexus. The serum IgG4 level was elevated (762.7 mg/dL). 18F-FDG-PET showed high uptake in the mediastinal lymph nodes, and biopsy revealed infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells. We diagnosed IgG4-related neuropathy, and steroid therapy administration improved the symptoms. IgG4-related disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of peripheral nerve swellings. If biopsy of the disordered nerves is difficult, lymph nodes or other organs should be considered.