bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chemical composition of Rhododendron luteum essential oil and its larvacidal effectiveness on Diprion pini larvae
Authors: GOKTURK Temel , BURJANADZE Medea
Published: April 2022

Diprion pini is known as a significant forest pest that damages pine needles in many countries of the world today. Due to the risk of chemical contamination of synthetic pesticides applied against insects, essential oil use is becoming more popular. In this research, the chemical composition of Rhododendron luteum essential oil was analyzed by using GC-MS, and its larvicidal effects on six D. pini larval stages were investigated. The research was conducted in the Artvin Coruh University Central Laboratory under laboratory conditions settings 25±1ºC temperature, 65±5% relative humidity, and a photoperiod of 14:10 h (L:D) in 2019-2020. β-caryophyllene (15,39%), benzyl benzoate (11,05%), δ-cadinene (7,06%), benzyl salicylate (6,08%), and α-pinene (4,14%) were found as the primary components of R. luteum oil. It is observed that the applications of R. luteum essential oil at the doses of 10, 15, and 20 μL/Petri and the controls at 24h, 48h, 72h and 96h induced fatalities at varied rates (20,1-100 %) on six D. pini larval stages (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6). The highest toxicity was identified at L1 (0,72 μL/larva) and the lowest toxicity was determined at L6 (11,92 μL/larva) according to LD50 and LD90 values. To sum it up, R.luteum essential oil showed high toxicity against L1 and L2 larval stages of D. pini.
Why do Chinese older adults in Hong Kong delay or refuse COVID-19 vaccination? A qualitative study based on Grounded Theory
Authors: YUAN Jiehu , Lam Wendy Wing Tak , Xiao Jingyi , Ni Michael Yuxuan , Cowling Benjamin John , Liao Qiuyan
Published: April 2022

Background
Older adults have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. While COVID-19 vaccines are effective for reducing mortality and severe complications, vaccine hesitancy remains a substantial concern particularly among older adults.
Objective
This was a qualitative study to explore the psychological and contextual factors that contribute to Chinese older adults’ delay or refusal of COVID-19 vaccines.
Methods
Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 older adults aged ≥ 60 years who had never received COVID-19 vaccines. Grounded Theory approach guided the selection of informants, data collection, data analysis and report writing.
Results
Participants who delayed or refused COVID-19 vaccination exhibited a spectrum of vaccine-resistant and vaccine-hesitant attitudes which were weaved into the contexts of lacking decisional support from doctors, family and the government, and attitude roots of negative perception of ageing, fatalistic risk attitudes, low health literacy, present time perspective and negative values on western biomedicine, and reliance on the peripheral processing of vaccine-related information. While participants refused or delayed COVID-19 vaccination, they turned to alternative coping strategies to regain self-control in the pandemic.
Conclusions
Interventions to address vaccine hesitancy in older adults should focus on addressing attitude roots and strengthening the connectivity of older people with family, doctors, and government to engage older people in the vaccination decision making. Risk communication should shift to provide more personal relevant information in a caring style, meet older adults’ preference for peripheral information processing, and address their existing misperceptions about COVID-19 vaccines.
Deep Learning Identifies Intelligible Predictors of Poor Prognosis in Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Zhang Qingpeng , Liang Ping , Yang Jiannan , Wang Weilan , Yuan Guanjie , Han Min , Li Zhen
Published: April 2022

Purpose: To explore the performance and intelligibility of machine-learning and deep-learning models on end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prediction, based on readily-accessible clinical and laboratory features of patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 2,382 patients diagnosed with CKD, of which 1,765 were included in the modelling analysis. Eight models (Logistic Regression (LR); Ridge Regression Classification (RRC); Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO); Support Vector Machine (SVM) with a Gaussian kernel (SVM-RBF); and a linear kernel (SVM-Linear); Random Forest (RF); XGBoost; and Deep Neural Network (DNN)) were used to predict whether one person suffering from CKD would progress to ESRD within three years based on basic demographics, and clinical and comorbidity information. LASSO, RF, and XGBoost were introduced to screen the most significant markers to ESRD from the input features. For the DNN model, we introduced four advanced attribution methods (Integrated Gradients, DeepLIFT, GradientSHAP, and Feature Ablation) to enhance model intelligibility. Results: Age, follow-up duration, and 17 biochemical test outcomes (for instance, serum creatinine and hemoglobin) showed significant differences between patients in four CKD stages. The DNN model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) of 0.8843, which was significantly higher than that of baseline models. Nonlinear machine learning models (SVM-RBF, RF, XGBoost, and DNN) generally outperformed linear ones (LR, RRC, LASSO, and SVM-Linear). The interpretation generated by DNN with attribution methods, RF, and XGBoost were consistent with clinical knowledge, whereas LASSO-based interpretation was inconsistent. Hematuria, proteinuria, potassium, urine albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) were positively associated with the progression of CKD, while eGFR and urine creatinine were negatively associated with the progression of CKD. Hematuria is the most important independent risk predictor for the progression of diabetic nephropathy and urolithiasis. Conclusion: The adopted DNN with attribution algorithms extracted intelligible features of CKD progression. In addition, the DNN model identified a number of critical, but under-reported features, such as hematuria, that may be novel markers for the progression of CKD. This study provides physicians solid data-driven evidence in using machine learning and deep learning models for CKD clinical management and treatment.
Comparison of the Anti-Tumor Effect of Conditioned Media of Tonsil-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on A549 and PANC-1 Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Yüce Melek , Albayrak Esra , Gümüşkaptan Çağrı
Published: April 2022

Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the apple of the eye of cancer studies. It was indicated that the secreted factors, especially released by MSCs, have tumoral and anti-tumoral effects on tumor progression. MSCs obtained from different sources show different anti-tumoral effects. At the same time, MSCs originating from the same source also show different tumoral effects in different cancer cells. Here, we compared the anti-tumor effects of soluble factors secreted from MSCs derived from the palatine tonsil (T-MSC) as a new source of MSC on cancer cell lines A549 and PANC-1. Methods and Results Conditioned medium (CM) was obtained from T-MSCs that were successfully isolated from palatine tonsil tissue and characterized, and the cytotoxic effect of CM on the growth of A549 and PANC-1 at different concentrations was demonstrated by MTT analysis. In addition, the apoptotic effect of T-MSC-CM treatment was evaluated on cancer cells using Annexin-V/PI detection method by flow cytometry. Cell cycle arrest in cancer cells was analyzed by flow cytometry using propidium iodide (PI). As a result, we demonstrated that T-MSC-CM treatment significantly decreased the viability of A549 and PANC-1 cell lines in a dose dependent manner post 48 hours. Treatment of CM also differentially induced apoptosis on A549 and PANC-1 cells and caused G2/M arrest in cells. Conclusions In the light of these findings, our study is the first to show that T-MSC-CM has antitumor effect by stimulating apoptosis at different rates on A549 and PANC-1 cells, and has a cell-free cellular therapeutic potential.
Tectonic and velocity structure of the Gulf of Gökova, southwest Anatolia, determined by double-difference seismic tomography: the 20 July 2017 Mw6.5 Bodrum Earthquake
Authors: Özdemirli-Esat Tuğba , Doğanay-Özkan Melike , Esat Korhan
Published: April 2022

The 20 July 2017 Mw6.5 Bodrum main shock that occurred in the Gulf of Gökova is one of the largest earthquakes in the north-south extensional Aegean region. In this study, we generated the first three-dimensional local earthquake tomography for the Gökova region using the double-difference tomography algorithm to provide a contribution to discussions on the source fault of the main shock. The 2500 earthquake records of the magnitude ≥ 2.3 between 01 January 2017 and 31 December 2017 were chosen from the 18 strong-motion accelerometer and 12 weak-motion seismometer stations. The P- and S-wave velocity models and Vp/Vs ratio model of the study area were created, and 1442 earthquakes were relocated. With the help of seismic tomographic imaging, we concluded that the main shock occurred on the south-dipping Gökova Fault Zone, not on the so-called north-dipping fault plane suggested in some studies. We also determined that some earthquakes that occurred in 2017 were associated with a north-dipping normal fault observed up to 10 km depth immediately north of the Gökova Fault Zone. Additionally, the Datça-Kale Main Breakaway Fault, which separates the sedimentary cover and the basement rocks, was also determined in the tomographic profiles. The kinematic analysis of moment tensor solutions of the earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 4, twenty-one of which were generated in this study, is consistent with the north-south extensional tectonic regime in the Aegean region.
Impact of ICU bed availability on ovarian cancer surgical hospitalization rates during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: an ecological study.
Authors: Moterani Vinicius Cesar , Junior Nino Jose Wilson Moterani , Pimentel Franklin Fernandes , Reis Francisco Jose Candido dos
Published: April 2022

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2020, disrupted healthcare services. Reports of changes in surgical activity coincide with the outbreak period. We aimed to identify if any changes could be determined in hospitalization rates of ovarian cancer patients from 2016 to 2020, comparing pre-pandemic and pandemic levels. ResultsHospitalization rates in the state fell, coinciding with the pandemic. Surgical hospitalization rate ratios were inversely correlated with COVID-specific ICU bed occupation rates during the third trimester of 2020, with a Pearson Correlation coefficient of -0.50 (95% CI: -0.78 to -0.05, p = 0.03). Observed ovarian cancer hospitaliation rates were 85% compared to expected values if pre-pandemic trends were mantained.ConclusionA 15% reduction on ovarian cancer hospitalization rates was identified in this scenario. ICU availability was inversely correlated with ovarian cancer surgical activity. These results demonstrate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the treatment of conditions that compete for the same healthcare resources.
Method for constructing human iPS cell line RZPBi001 from Peripheral Blood Cells
Authors: Chen Xiaoqing , Luan yuling , Ying Rong , Yuan Weiming , Tian Pengfei , Hua Dongming , Feng Yu
Published: April 2022

Patient-derived hiPSCs could generate indefinitely illness-related cells and organoids, allowing research scientist to reproduce some pathologic change of human sickness models in petri dishes. Whereas, dermal fibroblasts require some traumatic injury to obtain and have the risky of accumulating variations due to unveil to external stimulus such as UV light. Meanwhile, peripheral blood is regarded to be a more excellent source of somatopiasm because it is less damage to collect and its mutation load is significantly lower than that of skin tissue.In this paper, we describe the successful construction of non-integration hiPSCs form human peripheral blood cells by Sendai virus. A healthy adult female of Han nationality from China contributed her peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Non-integrating Sendai virus recombinant PBMCs with human OSKM (Oct4, Sox2, Kl4 and c-Myc) transcription factors.The pluripotency of transgenic-free iPSCs was confirmed by immunofluorescence staining of pluripotency markers and the capacity of iPSCs to initially differentiate into 3 germ layers in vitro. Moreover, iPSC lines demonstrated awfully normal karyotypes. In the research of illness progression and pathogenesis (eg, DMD, SMA, ALS), iPSC lines can be used as controls.
Two-dimensional multiferroic material of metallic p-doped SnSe
Authors: Du Ruofan , Wang Yuzhu , Cheng Mo , Wang Peng , Li Hui , Feng Wang , Song Luying , Shi Jianping , He Jun
Published: April 2022

Two-dimensional (2D) multiferroic materials have garnered broad interests attributed to their fascinating magnetoelectric properties and energy-efficient multifunctional device applications. Multiferroic heterostructures have recently been realized, nevertheless, the direct coupling between ferroelectric and ferromagnetic order in a single material still remains a daunting challenge, especially for 2D materials. Herein, we develope a simple physical vapor deposition approach to synthesize 2D p-doped SnSe. The local phase segregation of SnSe2 microdomains and accompanying interfacial charge transfer result in the emergence of degenerate semiconductor and metallic feature in SnSe. Intriguingly, the room-temperature ferrimagnetism has been demonstrated first in 2D p-doped SnSe with the Curie temperature approaching to ~337 K. Meanwhile, the robust in-plane ferroelectricity is maintained even under the depolarizing field introduced by SnSe2. The coexistence of ferrimagnetism and ferroelectricity in 2D metallic p-doped SnSe verifies its multiferroic feature. This work presents a significant advance for exploring the magnetoelectric coupling in 2D limit and constructing high-performance logic devices to extend Moore's law.
Exploring a better option for the treatment of autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: whether GM-CSF is combined with WLL: a meta-analysis.
Authors: Liu Xiaohong , Cui Jian , Liu Shixu , Xiong Mengran , Zhang Jinzhi , Liu Yanyi , Xia Xiao , Li Guangxi
Published: April 2022

Background
Understanding the efficacy and safety of treatment methods related to Autoimmune Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP) will help provide information for selecting clinical trials. Our objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) combined with Whole lung lavage (WLL) in aPAP using a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature.
Methods
PubMed/ MEDLINE, EmBase, Web of Science and Cochrane Collaboration databases were systematically searched. The search included literature published or presented from inception to February 2022.
Results
The main outcomes were response rate, relapse rate, alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (P(A-a)O2), alveolar oxygen partial pressure (PaO2), diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO), forced vital capacity (FVC) and 6 min’ walk distance (6MWD). Of 1347 studies yielded by the search, 18 were retained, totalling 477 patients (48 treated with the combination therapy vs 429 receiving GM-CSF alone). Compared with GM-CSF alone, the clinical treatment of GM-CSF combined with WLL was more effective, including significantly higher response rate (98.6% vs. 73.9%, P = 0.018), lower relapse rate (3% vs. 29%, P < 0.001), more improvements in P(A-a)O2 (41.93 mmHg vs. 7.44 mmHg, P < 0.001), PaO2 (26.6 mmHg vs. 10.29 mmHg, P < 0.001), DLCO (10.88% vs. 7.94%, P = 0.223), FVC (10.4% vs. 2.62%, P < 0.001) and 6MWD (100.6 m vs. 52.25 m, P = 0.077).
Conclusions
This meta-analysis found superior efficacy of GM-CSF combined with WLL than GM-CSF alone and highlighted the benefit of the combination of GM-CSF and WLL therapy of PAP. Specially, GM-CSF combined with WLL therapy showed a higher response rate, more improvements on gas exchange and pulmonary function, suggesting combination therapy could have more benefits on aPAP patients. These data provided convincing evidence that GM-CSF combined with WLL could be a promising treatment option for aPAP.
Trial registration:
A protocol of this meta-analysis has been registered on PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42022306244); registered on 22 February 2022.
Nicotine Free Herbal Composition for Smoking De-Addiction - A Placebo Controlled, Double Blind, Randomized, Multi-centric Clinical Study
Authors: Tamoli Sanjay , Harit Mahesh Kumar , Mundhe Narendra , Pande Shishir , Damle Neena , Chavan Sheetal , Kamde Rahul , Pawar Vinay , Mahadik Swapnali
Published: April 2022

Background: Smoking is a major predisposing factor for many health problems including Cancers, Vascular disorders etc. Quitting smoking is the only solution to prevent them. Various medicinal and non-medicinal methods are used for the same. Hypothesis/Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a nicotine free herbal formulation (Smotect tablets) containing ingredients like Mucuna pruriens, Withania somnifera, Bacopa monnieri etc. for cessation of smoking and its effects on other health parameters related to smoking. Study Design: The present study was a placebo controlled, double blind, randomized, multi-centric clinical study conducted at three clinical sites in India.Methods: After ethical approval and informed consent, all participants were given nicotine free herbal composition - Smotect Tablets or Placebo tablets in a dose of 2 tablets twice daily for 90 days. A total of 103 Participants (52 in trial group and 51 in placebo group) completed the study. Evaluation of cessation of smoking was done along with other parameters like measurement of lung capacity, clinical assessment and laboratory investigations at baseline and at regular intervals till the end of the study.Results: A significant reduction in smoking as well as in the CO and COHb levels was observed with the use of Smotect tablets as compared to placebo over a period of 90 days. Significant improvement was also observed in quality of life, energy and stamina levels, reduction of stress level. Smotect tablets were found to be safe without causing any adverse effects. Conclusion: Smotect tablets, a nicotine free herbal composition, can be recommended as a safe and effective remedy for de-addiction of smoking along with improving health related problems arising due to smoking.
Exercise Capacity in Patients with Pulmonary Atresia with Intact Ventricular Septum: Does the type of Surgical Repair matter?
Authors: Konduri Anusha , Aggarwal Sanjeev , Sri Chenni , Mahadin Deemah
Published: April 2022

Background
Two standard surgical palliative options for neonates born with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum (PA/IVS) include uni-or biventricular repair. Whenever feasible, the biventricular repair is considered to have better exercise capacity (XC) and outcomes. However, there is a paucity of data comparing objective XC between these two surgical techniques.
Objective
To compare XC, including longitudinal changes in patients with PA/IVS following uni-biventricular repair.
Methods
This is a single-center retrospective study of survivors with repaired PA/IVS who underwent comprehensive treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Initial and latest exercise parameters were compared for longitudinal analysis. Patients with 1.5 ventricular repair, pacemaker, or incomplete data were excluded. Demographic and exercise parameters were collated. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2 in ml/kg/min), an indicator of maximal aerobic capacity, peak heart rate, and other measures of spirometry performed at the same time were collected. Recorded parameters included, a) Percentage of predicted VO2 (%VO2) normalized for age, weight, height, and gender, b) % oxygen (O2) pulse, c) anaerobic threshold (AT), d) Chronotropic Index (CI), e) % Breathing reserve, f) Forced Vital capacity (FVC), g) % Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1), and h) Maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV). Appropriate statistical tests were performed, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results
Thirty-five patients (43% male, 57% univentricular repair) underwent the latest exercise stress test at a mean (SD) age of 20.1 ± 7.5 years. There were no statistical differences in baseline demographic/clinical parameters between the two groups (univentricular (n = 20) vs. biventricular repair (n = 15)). Patients with univentricular palliation demonstrated significantly lower peak heart rate, chronotropic index (0.50 ± 0.2 vs. 0.90 ± 0.1, p = 0.02), and %FVC (78.3 ± 8.3 vs. 88.6 ± 15.1, p = 0.02). The % VO2 was similar between the groups (68.4 ± 21.4 vs. 81.2 ± 18.9, p = 0.07). Longitudinal data was available for 11 patients in each group, and there was no longitudinal decline in their exercise parameters over similar intermediate follow-up duration (6.8 (UV) vs. 5.3 (BV) years).
Conclusions
Young survivors with PA/IVS with prior univentricular palliation demonstrated an objective impairment in their chronotropic parameters compared with the biventricular repair. However, this did not translate into a significant difference in their exercise capacity. There was no longitudinal decline in exercise capacity or other parameters over intermediate follow-up.
Direct Comparison Two Fixed-ratio Combination Glucagon-like Peptide Receptor Agonist and Basal Insulin on Glycemic and Non Glycemic Parameters in Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Risovic Ivona , Dumanovic Mirjana Sumarac , Bojic Mirjana , Djekic Danijel
Published: April 2022

Background: Two types of fixed-ratio combinations of basal insulin and a glucagon-like protein-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) have been approved for use in type 2 diabetes. One is insulin degludec/liraglutide(iDergLira), and the other is insulin glargine/lixisenatide (iGlarLixi). Direct comparisons between these two combination is not available. Methods: The retrospective study included 186 patients with type 2 DM and who were switched to fixed-ratio combination GLP-1 RA and basal insulin: group I-iDegLIra ( n=86) and group II –iGlarLixi ( n= 99). The aim of this study was to direct compare the effect between two fixed – ratio combination on glycemic parameters and non glycemic parameters. Follow up was 6 months. Results: Mean HbA1c decreased similarly (-1.2% vs.-1.1%). Higher percentage patients in iDegLira group had reached the HbA1c<7% after 6 months ( 22% vs. 18.2%, p<0.05). The mean change in FPG was comparable for the two groups, while mean decrease PPG level were lower in iGlarLixi group (2 vs 1.8 mmol/l, p>0.05). Change in body weight were significant difference in iDegLira group (1.8 kg vs. 0.7 kg, p<0.001). At the end of the study patients showed decreased in total cholesterol and LDL for 0.2 mmol/L in iDegLira, 0.1 mmol/l in iGlarLixi, tryglicerids for 0.3 mmol/l in both groups, increase HDL for 0.1 mm/l in iGlarLixi. Conclusion: Our results showed that more patients with iDegLira had HbA1c less than 7% and these combination had better effect on weight loss. There were no difference on FPG and PPG, lipid profile and rate of hypoglycemia.
Rhizosphere adaptations of Natural Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plants
Authors: K.K Ambily
Published: April 2022

Rhizosphere which is an important zone of nutrient changes and nutrient activity of plants which governs the nutrient release and uptake for plant growth. Rhizosphere chemical activity is species specific and the changes are in the immediate vicinity of roots. Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), the important source of natural rubber latex generally growing in acidic conditions is a major crop for economic returns in the major rubber growing countries viz. Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Vietnam and India. Repeated cultivation, heavy rainfall and topographic conditions contribute acidification of soils that limits the crop growth and productivity. The present attempt was to know the rhizosphere adaptations of rubber plants in three soil pH viz. extremely acidic (pH 4.4), strongly acidic (pH 5.5) and neutral soil (pH 7.4) with varying base status for pH and nutrient availability. Seedlings were raised in polybags and nutrient changes in the rhizosphere at the beginning of the experiment and periodic intervals at three months growth and eight months growth were monitored. It is observed that the extremely acidic pH (pH 4.4) was modified to a pH around 5.1 in the strongly acidic range and the neutral pH (pH 7.4) was reduced to acidic soil of pH 6.2. Soil organic carbon, the major soil health index, was maintained in the medium range as at the initial status in all three soils. The calcium and magnesium content of the extremely acidic pH and strongly acidic pH was improved whereas the very high status of neutral soil was decreased significantly. The Ca and Mg mobilized from the weathering of minerals by the root secretions according to plant demand and also by microbes association like mycorrhiza. Modifications in the availability of other nutrients were also observed. The observed alterations in the rhizosphere is an evidence of specific rhizosphere adaptations/modifications in the rubber plants for extremely varying soil conditions. In extremely acidic soil alkalization and in neutral soil, acidification was found when rubber seedlings were grown for eight months. However the fact that the strongly acidic soil (pH 5.5) does not change, indicates that the pH near 5.5 is favorable for the growth of rubber seedlings. Per cent change in rhizosphere pH and nutrient availability was different in three soils. The relative change in nutrient flux with pH change showed an increase in pH 4.4 soil. The study indicated that specific adaptations are operating in the rhizosphere in natural rubber plants to modify the pH and nutrient availability for initial establishment and growth.
Cytokine Hub Classification of PASC, ME-CFS and other PASC-like Conditions
Authors: Patterson Bruce K. , Guevara-Coto Jose , Francisco Edgar B. , Yogendra Ram , Parikh Purvi , Mora-Rodríguez Rodrigo A , Mora Javier , Beaty Christopher , Kaplan Gary , Katz Amiram , Bellanti Joseph A.
Published: April 2022

Background
Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) is a growing healthcare and economic concern affecting as many as 10%-30% of those infected with COVID-19. Though the symptoms have been well-documented, they significantly overlap with other common chronic inflammatory conditions which could confound treatment and therapeutic trials.
Methods
A total of 236 patients including 64 with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), 50 with myalgic encephalomyelitis-chronic fatigue syndrome (ME-CFS), 29 with post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD), and 42 post-vaccine individuals with PASC-like symptoms (POVIP) were enrolled in the study. We performed a 14-plex cytokine/chemokine panel previously described to generate raw data that was normalized and run in a decision tree model using a Classification and Regression Tree (CART) algorithm. The algorithm was used to classify these conditions in distinct groups despite their similar symptoms.
Results
PASC, ME-CSF, POVIP, and Acute COVID-19 disease categories were able to be classified by our cytokine hub based CART algorithm with an average F1 score of 0.61 and high specificity (94%).
Conclusions
Proper classification of these inflammatory conditions with very similar symptoms is critical for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Chemical-Data-Driven Validation of Physical Theories of Liquid Crystals
Authors: Uchida Yoshiaki , Kaji Shizuo , Nakano Naoto
Published: April 2022

Physicists have established a general approach for explaining the phase transition behavior using order parameters in phenomenological theories. Order parameters are generally accounted for by single molecular properties in mean-field theories. Such theories build on physicists’ hypotheses, which are validated by agreement between the observed and predicted values, such as the theoretical estimation of phase transition temperatures. In this study, we report chemical-data-driven methods for finding and scrutinizing physical assumptions on which physical theories are based. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our methodology by validating the assumption of the widely accepted phenomenological Landau theory for liquid-crystalline (LC) phases, wherein the symmetry of the lower-temperature phase explains phase transition. Furthermore, our method suggests that the importance of molecular flexibility is underestimated in the major mean-field theories for LC phases, compared with the widely incorporated molecular shape and intermolecular electrostatic interactions.
Autotuned Classification Based on Knowledge Transferred from Self-supervised Models
Authors: Kishore Jaydeep , Mukherjee Snehasis
Published: April 2022

With the recent advancements of deep learning-based methods in image classification, the requirement of a huge amount of training data is inevitable to avoid overfitting problems. Moreover, supervised deep learning models require labeled datasets. Preparing such a huge amount of labeled data takes a lot of human effort and time. In this scenario, self-supervised models are becoming popular because of their ability to learn even from unlabelled datasets. This paper presents a method to automatically tune the hyperparameters of a self-supervised model for image classification. The learned features are transferred from a self-supervised model to a set of Fully Connected (FC) layer, where the hyperparameters related to the architecture are tuned. A softmax layer is used following the FC layers for classification. The hyperparameters such as the number of layers, number of units in each layer, learning rate, dropout, and optimizer are automatically tuned in these FC layers, using a Bayesian optimization technique called the Tree-structured Parzen Estimator Approach (TPE) algorithm. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, state-of-the-art self-supervised models such as Simclr and SWAV are used to extract the learned features. Experiments are carried out on CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, and Tiny Imagenet datasets. The proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art.
Clinical Characteristics of Intracranial Aneurysms in Elderly Patents over 70 Years Old: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Chen Ruiqi , Wen Dingke , Xiao Anqi , Guo Rui , You Chao , Liu Yi
Published: April 2022

Background
Although the characteristics of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) in different age groups have been well documented, they remain relatively unclear in elderly patients due to a lack of large sample studies.
Methods
Data from IA patients aged more than 70 years who were treated in our centre from January 2016 to January 2020 were retrospectively collected.
Results
A total of 290 elderly patients (75.9% female) with a mean age of 74.0 ± 4.7 years were analysed. Rupture occurred in 60.7% of patients, 38.6% of whom presented with meningeal irritation, and seizures were noted in 2.3%. A total of 48.9% of the patients with ruptured IAs had initial symptoms presenting with slow development, and the mean delay from ictus was prolonged to 264.2 ± 914.0 hours. In addition, 61.9% of the patients with ruptured IAs had lesions with a maximum diameter of less than 5 mm. A total of 30.3% of the patients had multiple aneurysms, 35.5% had aneurysms with irregular shapes and 54.8% had cerebrovascular atherosclerotic stenosis (CAS). Pulmonary infection (n = 138, 47.6%), hydrocephalus (n = 72, 24.8%), and thrombosis (n = 35, 12.1%) were common complications during hospitalization. By the end of the 1-year follow-up, 22.1% of the patients had unfavourable clinical outcomes, and the mortality rate was 23.4%.
Conclusions
Several characteristics regarding IAs in elderly patients were reported, including an obvious female predominance; mild, slow initial symptom development causing prolonged admission delay; a low incidence of meningeal irritation and seizures due to decreased electrophysiological activity of the neurons; increased percentages of CAS, multiple aneurysms, and aneurysms with daughter sacs causing a high risk of rupture even for small lesions; a high risk of complications during hospitalization; and relatively poor clinical outcomes.
Structural changes in shocked tektite and their implications to impact-induced glass formation
Authors: Sekine Toshimori , Tobase Tsubasa , Zhang Youjun , Kitahara Ginga , Yoshiasa Akira , Sato Tomoko , Kobayashi Takamichi , Mori Akihisa
Published: April 2022

Heavy meteorite impacts on Earth’s surface produce melt and vapor that are quenched rapidly and scattered over wide areas as natural glasses with various shapes and characteristic chemistry, which are known as tektites and impact glasses. Their detailed formation conditions have long been debated using mineralogical and geochemical data and numerical simulations of impact melt formations. These impact processes are also related to the formation and evolution of planets. To unravel the formation conditions of impact-induced glasses, we performed shock recovery experiments on a tektite. Recovered samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy on the Ti K-edge. Results indicate that the densification by shock compression is subjected to post-shock annealing that alters the density and silicate-framework structures but that the local structures around octahedrally coordinated Ti ions remain in the quenched glass. The relationship between the average Ti-O distance and Ti K pre-edge centroid energy is found to distinguish the valance state of Ti ions between Ti4+ and Ti3+ in the glass. This relationship is useful in understanding the formation conditions of impact-derived natural glasses. The presence of Ti3+ in tektites constrains the formation conditions at extremely high temperatures or reduced environments. However, impact glasses collected near the impact sites do not display such conditions, but instead relatively mild and oxidizing formation conditions. These different formation conditions are consistent with the previous numerical results on the crater size dependence.
Visions of Water: Swimming in a drying Australian waterscape
Authors: Roulière Camille
Published: April 2022

Since the 1820s, the Murray Mouth (South Australia) has been subjected to such disfiguring abuse at the hands of colonists that it now faces an unprecedented health crisis. My research consists of implementing a liquid methodology to explore and illuminate this mouth’s d(r)ying waterscapes. To borrow Celan’s phrase, my words represent “attempts to swim on dry land”: they speak of the harsh dialectics of drought and desertification, and yet, water shapes them as they crisscross pages and landscapes. In this essay, I discuss some of those “attempts to swim on dry land”. I illustrate how I articulate and play with the vulnerable interface between (wet) theories and the (dry) realities of the Mouth’s acoustic textures – or, more precisely, how I recorporealise the conceptual in the sensory. We need this recorporealisation because we need to keep trying to swim on dry land. Only through those attempts can we learn how to listen to the wet ontologies hidden behind the colonial veil of blue-green algae blooms, salt and the staccato pounding of the dredgers working hard to keep the Mouth open.
Building a Critical Pinay Islander Framework of Myntoring: A Scholar Warrior’s Navigational Guide
Authors: Ouanesisouk Trinidad Alma
Published: April 2022

The navigation of higher education by Filipina women/Pinay islanders can bring intense feelings of isolation and an emotional toll, especially in predominantly white spaces of learning. Yet, myntors can serve a vital role in navigating coloniality. The pathways of schooling and professionalisation come with constant negotiation and reconciliation of contradictions. In this article, I propose a conceptual framework, Critical Pinay Islander Framework of Myntoring (CPIMF). Based on my reflection of my academic trajectory as an islander and a Pinay ‘scholar warrior’, I argue how this framework can promote a sense of empowerment, liberation, and healing through a critical understanding of the Pinay diaspora, transnational wayfinding, and solidarity. I suggest that CPIFM can be an effective process and method to interrupt and disrupt the settler colonial mentality in academia.
Shifting Sands, Layering Meanings: A tale of the Goodwin Sands, told through its social production
Authors: Collins Kathryn
Published: April 2022

The Goodwin Sands is a sandbank located four miles east of Kent, in southeast England. At low tides the intertidal areas become accessible, and this has led to the marine space being put to numerous, often contradictory, uses. The rich history and mythology of the Goodwin Sands is juxtaposed with a contemporary marine consent application to dredge aggregate from the subtidal sandbank areas. This article uses the triad of perceived, conceived and lived space found within Lefebvre’s Production of Space thesis to tell a tale of Goodwin Sands. This methodology allows for temporal connections between archival and contemporary expressions of the marine space to be understood. Using the marine consent application as its departure point allows for the story of the Sands to unfold as layered meanings emerge. But this is more than just a story of Goodwin Sands – an attempt to explain what they are – it is an exploration of social production within marine space, and an opportunity to rethink how space is represented within marine planning decision-making.
Loan loss provision index and bank risk: An empirical study in Indonesia
Authors: Jasman Jasman , Murwaningsari Etty
Published: April 2022

The purpose of this study is to determine an index for loan loss provision as a new measurement and examine its effect on bank risk. The study also compared the results with a commonly used measurement, which is the ratio of loan loss provision (LLP). The population of this study is all conventional banks, including foreign banks with branch offices in Indonesia. The period of observation is from 2015 to 2018. The sample selection based on the purposive sampling method resulted in 86 banks. This study used panel data analysis. The data were collected from the annual reports of each bank and the website of the Financial Services Authority. The research findings show that the index of loan loss provision can decrease credit risk, liquidity risk, and operational risk. Meanwhile, the ratio of the loan loss provision only affects operational risk and does not affect credit risk and liquidity risk. The findings of this study suggest that the index for loan loss provision is more suitable to be used as an alternative measurement in the research design related to loan loss provision because the implementation of IFRS 9 requires more detailed disclosure of how banks estimate the amount of loan loss provision.
Study on propagation characteristics of Scholte wave in shallow sea at non-horizontal underwater interface
Authors: Zhao Shuang , Meng Xiangyao , Gu Danni , Guo Cean , Wang Xiannan , Zhang Jian
Published: April 2022

Theoretical and simulation studies are carried out to study the propagation characteristics of Scholte waves in non-horizontal underwater interface of shallow sea. The dispersion and polarization characteristics of Scholte waves in horizontal layered underwater interface are analyzed by using wave theory and staggered grid finite difference method. The effectiveness of the method used in this paper is proved from the perspective of theory and simulation. The propagation characteristics and polarization characteristics of Scholte waves in non-horizontal underwater interface are also analyzed. At the wedge-shaped underwater interface, the particle trajectory of Scholte wave is related to the angle between the propagation direction and the underwater interface, and with the increase of the angle, the deflection angle of the particle trajectory increases. At the bulged underwater interface, the particle trajectory of seismic wave has nothing to do with the propagation direction and the bulged underwater interface, but the bulged underwater interface has a great influence on the amplitude of seismic wave. The research results are of great significance to underwater target detection and geological exploration.
Development of a new comprehensive framework for the evaluation of leak management components and practices
Authors: Bozkurt Cansu , Firat Mahmut , Ateş Abdullah
Published: April 2022

Leaks cause significant operational problems in water distribution systems (WDSs). The methods for managing leaks are time-consuming and costly. Therefore, the suitability and applicability of water loss management (WLM) methods should be analyzed. In this study, a new comprehensive framework was proposed using the scoring table to evaluate and highlight the reliability of data and to analyze the current application level of leakage management practices in WDSs. The developed framework consists of 60 sub-components determined to cover the WLM practices. A scoring structure was created to analyze these sub-components in measurable criteria. The developed framework was applied to three pilot administrations, and the results were discussed. The data quality (quite good, good, doubtful, poor, and quite poor) is classified according to the application level of the leakage management practices. The data quality of leakage management components and the application levels of practices are at good level in Administrations I and II and at moderate level in Administration III. The weaknesses and strengths in administrations were defined in the scope of leakage management, and the components that need improvement are determined dynamically. This framework will provide more accurate data for sustainable leakage management in the administration and make field applications more systematic.
Flash flood inundation assessment for an arid catchment, case study at Wadi Al Jizzi, Oman
Authors: Abushandi Eyad , Al Sarihi Moza
Published: April 2022

Lack of high-resolution data and inappropriate integration of different data sources make modelling flash flood even more complicated. The IHACRES and AHP models were used to estimate floods for the period 1987 to 2007 for Wadi Al Jizzi arid catchment. The IHACRES model results showed that the average simulated flood was 0.36 m3/s, while that observed for all flood storms was 0.30 m3/s. The average readjusted AHP Simulated Flood for three statically defined clusters: low, moderate, and high rainfall was 3.55, 3.20, and 3.75 m3/s, respectively. The average observed flooding for low, moderate, and high rainfall were 3.23, 1.54, 3.07 m3/s. Pearson correlation between observed and simulated flood showed significant values for IHACRES and AHP with a range of 0.84 and 0.89 respectively. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency of the IHACRES model was 0.78, while it shows a good performance for low and high AHP re-adjusted values, which was 0.81 and 0.82.
Adsorptive removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous streams using photocatalytic CuBTC/ZnO chitosan composites
Authors: Dindorkar Shreyas S. , Patel Raj Vardhan , Yadav Anshul
Published: April 2022

In this study, a CuBTC/ZnO chitosan composite was synthesized for the adsorptive removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous streams. Characterization techniques, namely, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric techniques, were used to characterize CuBTC, ZnO, and CuBTC/ZnO chitosan composites. The scanning electron microscopy images revealed the rough and porous structures of the CuBTC/ZnO chitosan composite. The composites were tested for the adsorption capacity and removal efficiency towards the methylene blue dye by varying adsorbent dosage, adsorbate concentration, pH, and contact time. The pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models were the best fit for the adsorption of methylene blue on CuBTC/ZnO chitosan composite beads, indicating that the adsorption was monolayer and chemical in nature. The equilibrium dose of the composites was 1.6 g L−1, and the contact time was 90 min with a removal efficiency of 98.75%. The maximum adsorption capacity was 50.07 mg g−1. Regeneration of the composites was performed to check the reusability of the synthesized CuBTC/ZnO chitosan composite beads. The active oxygenated species generated by the photocatalytic action of ZnO on the contaminated water was responsible for the degradation of methylene blue. The reported composite beads can be used for up to 5 cycles to remove methylene blue.
Bullying no contexto escolar
Authors: Jardim Koenigkam Eduardo , De Lemos Gonçalves Heloysa , De Souza Fernandes Crahim Suely Cristina
Published: April 2022

O presente artigo tem como objetivo apresentar o Bullying, de sua origem até seus efeitos e impactos sociais, demonstrando as consequências dessa anomalia social que tem repercutido na vida de qualquer criança em sua fase escolar. Tal temática vai além dos processos pedagógicos, pois atinge degraus de natureza psicológica, pormenorizados pelos princípios da ciência do comportamento humano. As atitudes do ser humano se refletem constantemente nas diversas esferas da realidade cultural e social, provocando reações, muitas vezes estimuladas pelo meio ou seu histórico de vida. A psicologia em si, possui respostas capazes de promover ótimos resultados, dos quais já estão sendo praticados em muitas partes do mundo, pois  o Bullying é um problema que se tornou mundialmente peculiar às instituições escolares, sendo impossível desvincular os eventos ocorridos nas escolas dos históricos de vida dos estudantes, pois o praticante do Bullying, o buller, tem em suas vítimas uma maneira de refletir suas mazelas e dores emocionais vividas em seu passado, ou dependendo da situação, identifica-se sérios problemas vividos pelo praticante em tempo real. Várias investigações promovidas por psicólogos junto aos profissionais da educação estão sendo realizadas com grande êxito, onde conseguem elencar futuras soluções para modificar o quadro de insegurança nos ambientes escolares. Uma sociedade vulnerável aos problemas socioeconômicos e culturais de uma determinada região, pode resultar em anomalias sérias e muitas vezes irreversíveis.
Emoções, Sistema Imunológico e Terapia Centrada na Pessoa
Authors: Santos de Oliveira Marcela , Rocha Fátima Niemeyer da Rocha
Published: April 2022

Estudo de revisão de literatura, objetiva investigar a interferência das emoções no funcionamento do sistema imunológico e na vulnerabilidade à doença, assim como o seu papel no processo de cura. Verifica-se uma significativa integração entre os processos emocionais, cognitivos e homeostáticos do organismo, sendo importante sua identificação para que se compreenda como ocorrem as respostas fisiológicas diante das variadas situações enfrentadas pelo indivíduo em seu cotidiano. O estresse e o esgotamento emocional afetam o sistema imunológico, sendo necessário conhecer os mecanismos de enfrentamento e gestão do estresse para a prevenção de doenças e a promoção da saúde emocional. Ao processar os acontecimentos ao longo da vida, especialmente quando se depara com situações traumáticas e/ou estressantes, a pessoa constrói significados para compreender o que lhe ocorre e utiliza estratégias de sobrevivência, cujas consequências podem gerar efeitos nefastos sobre o seu sistema imunológico. Entende-se como relevante compreender como lidar com as emoções que causam mal-estar e estresse para a prevenção de doenças e seu tratamento. A Terapia Centrada na Pessoa, no âmbito da Psicologia Humanista, pode ser uma ferramenta no tratamento de pessoas acometidas de doenças psicoemocionais e no processo de valorização do potencial de crescimento pessoal e de autorrealização do indivíduo, para que tenha liberdade na hora de decidir o rumo de sua vida.