bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prediction of significant wave height based on EEMD and deep learning
Authors: Song Tao , Wang Jiarong , Huo Jidong , Wei Wei , Han Runsheng , Xu Danya , Meng Fan
Published: February 2023

Accurate and reliable wave significant wave height(SWH) prediction is an important task for marine and engineering applications. This study aims to develop a new deep learning algorithm to accurately predict the SWH of deep and distant ocean. In this study, we combine two methods, Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), to construct an EEMD-LSTM model, and explore the optimal parameters of the model through experiments. A total of 5328 hours of SWH data from November 30, 2020, to July 9, 2021, are used to train and test the model to predict the SWH for the future 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, and 18h. The results show that the EEMD-LSTM model has the best results compared with other comparative models for short-term and medium- and long-term predictions. The RMSEs are 0.0204, 0.0279, 0.0452, 0.0941, and 0.1949 for the SWH prediction in the future 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 h. It can be used as a rapid SWH prediction system to ensure navigation safety to a certain extent, which has great practical significance and application value.
Topography of respiratory tract and gut microbiota in mice with influenza A virus infection
Authors: Chen Qichao , Liu Manjiao , Lin Yanfeng , Wang Kaiying , Li Jinhui , Li Peihan , Yang Lang , Jia Leili , Zhang Bei , Guo Hao , Li Peng , Song Hongbin
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Influenza A virus (IAV)-induced dysbiosis may predispose to severe bacterial superinfections. Most studies have focused on the microbiota of single mucosal surfaces; consequently, the relationships between microbiota at different anatomic sites in IAV-infected mice have not been fully studied.

Methods

We characterized respiratory and gut microbiota using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing by Nanopore sequencers and compared the nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, lung and gut microbiomes in healthy and IAV-infected mice.

Results

The oropharyngeal, lung and gut microbiota of healthy mice were dominated by Lactobacillus spp., while nasopharyngeal microbiota were comprised primarily of Streptococcus spp. However, the oropharyngeal, nasopharyngeal, lung, and gut microbiota of IAV-infected mice were dominated by Pseudomonas, Escherichia, Streptococcus, and Muribaculum spp., respectively. Lactobacillus murinus was identified as a biomarker and was reduced at all sites in IAV-infected mice. The microbiota composition of lung was more similar to that of the nasopharynx than the oropharynx in healthy mice.

Discussion

These findings suggest that the main source of lung microbiota in mice differs from that of adults. Moreover, the similarity between the nasopharyngeal and lung microbiota was increased in IAV-infected mice. We found that IAV infection reduced the similarity between the gut and oropharyngeal microbiota. L. murinus was identified as a biomarker of IAV infection and may be an important target for intervention in post-influenza bacterial superinfections.
Mixing planting with native tree species reshapes soil fungal community diversity and structure in multi-generational eucalypt plantations in southern China
Authors: Li Chao , Xu Yuxing , Wang Zhichao , Zhu Wankuan , Du Apeng
Published: February 2023

The continuous planting pattern of eucalypt plantations negatively affects soil quality. A mixed planting pattern using native species implanted in pure plantations has been considered a preferable measure for this problem. However, the impact of this approachon the structure and function of fungal communities is not clear. Here, harvesting sites that had undergone two generations of eucalypt plantations were selected to investigate soil fungal community structure and the co-occurrence network characteristics in response to two silvicultural patterns involving the third generation of eucalypt plantations (E) and mixed plantations of Eucalyptus. urograndis × Cinnamomum. camphora (EC) and E. urograndis × Castanopsis. hystrix (EH). Compared with the first generation of eucalypt plantations (CK), E markedly weakened enzyme activities associated with carbon-, nitrogen-. and phosphorus-cycling. Reduced soil fungal alpha diversity, and elevated the relative abundance of Basidiomycota while decreasing the abundance of Ascomycota. In contrast, EC and EH not only enhanced fungal alpha diversity, but also reshaped fungal composition. At the class level, E caused an enrichment of oligotrophic Agaricomycetes fungi, classified into symbiotroph guild, while EC markedly decreased the abundance of those fungi and increased the abundances of Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, and Tremellomycetes fungi, which were classified into saprotroph or pathotroph guild. Moreover, fungal network complexity and robustness topological attributes were higher or significantly higher in mixed plantations soils compared with those of pure eucalypt plantation E. Furthermore, fungal diversity, structure, and functional taxa were significantly affected by soil organic matter, pH, total nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen.
The cerebellum and anxiety
Authors: Chin Pei Wern , Augustine George J.
Published: February 2023

Although the cerebellum is traditionally known for its role in motor functions, recent evidence points toward the additional involvement of the cerebellum in an array of non-motor functions. One such non-motor function is anxiety behavior: a series of recent studies now implicate the cerebellum in anxiety. Here, we review evidence regarding the possible role of the cerebellum in anxiety—ranging from clinical studies to experimental manipulation of neural activity—that collectively points toward a role for the cerebellum, and possibly a specific topographical locus within the cerebellum, as one of the orchestrators of anxiety responses.
Role of cognitive reserve in ischemic stroke prognosis: A systematic review
Authors: Tao Chunhua , Yuan Yuan , Xu Yijun , Zhang Song , Wang Zheng , Wang Sican , Liang Jingyan , Wang Yingge
Published: February 2023

Objective

This systematic review was performed to identify the role of cognitive reserve (CR) proxies in the functional outcome and mortality prognostication of patients after acute ischemic stroke.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were comprehensively searched by two independent reviewers from their inception to 31 August 2022, with no restrictions on language. The reference lists of reviews or included articles were also searched. Cohort studies with a follow-up period of ≥3 months identifying the association between CR indicators and the post-stroke functional outcome and mortality were included. The outcome records for patients with hemorrhage and ischemic stroke not reported separately were excluded. The Quality In Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool was used to assess the quality of included studies.

Results

Our search yielded 28 studies (n = 1,14,212) between 2004 and 2022, of which 14 were prospective cohort studies and 14 were retrospective cohort studies. The follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 36 years, and the mean or median age varied from 39.6 to 77.2 years. Of the 28 studies, 15 studies used the functional outcome as their primary outcome interest, and 11 of the 28 studies included the end-point interest of mortality after ischemic stroke. In addition, two of the 28 studies focused on the interest of functional outcomes and mortality. Among the included studies, CR proxies were measured by education, income, occupation, premorbid intelligence quotient, bilingualism, and socioeconomic status, respectively. The quality of the review studies was affected by low to high risk of bias.

Conclusion

Based on the current literature, patients with ischemic stroke with higher CR proxies may have a lower risk of adverse outcomes. Further prospective studies involving a combination of CR proxies and residuals of fMRI measurements are warranted to determine the contribution of CR to the adverse outcome of ischemic stroke.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO, identifier CRD42022332810, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/.
Enhanced intrinsic functional connectivity in the visual system of visual artist: Implications for creativity
Authors: Hong Tzu-Yi , Yang Ching-Ju , Shih Chung-Heng , Fan Sheng-Fen , Yeh Tzu-Chen , Yu Hsin-Yen , Chen Li-Fen , Hsieh Jen-Chuen
Published: February 2023

Introduction

This study sought to elucidate the cognitive traits of visual artists (VAs) from the perspective of visual creativity and the visual system (i.e., the most fundamental neural correlate).

Methods

We examined the local and long-distance intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) of the visual system to unravel changes in brain traits among VAs. Twenty-seven university students majoring in visual arts and 27 non-artist controls were enrolled.

Results

VAs presented enhanced local FC in the right superior parietal lobule, right precuneus, left inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), left superior parietal lobule, left angular gyrus, and left middle occipital gyrus. VAs also presented enhanced FC with the ITG that targeted the visual area (occipital gyrus and cuneus), which appears to be associated with visual creativity.

Discussion

The visual creativity of VAs was correlated with strength of intrinsic functional connectivity in the visual system. Learning-induced neuroplasticity as a trait change observed in VAs can be attributed to the macroscopic consolidation of consociated neural circuits that are engaged over long-term training in the visual arts and aesthetic experience. The consolidated network can be regarded as virtuoso-specific neural fingerprint.
Challenging inhibitory control with high- and low-calorie food: A behavioural and TMS study
Authors: Bianco Valentina , Veniero Domenica , D’Acunto Alessia , Koch Giacomo , Picazio Silvia
Published: February 2023

Most people are often tempted by their impulses to “indulge” in high-calorie food, even if this behaviour is not consistent with their goal to control weight in the long term and might not be healthy. The outcome of this conflict is strongly dependent on inhibitory control. It has already been reported that individuals with weaker inhibitory control consume more high-calorie food, are more often unsuccessful dieters, overweight or obese compared to people with more effective inhibitory control. In the present study, we aimed at investigating inhibitory control in the context of human eating behaviour. A sample of 20 healthy normal-weight adults performed a 50% probability visual affective Go/NoGo task involving food (high- and low-calorie) and non-food images as stimuli. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was administered over the right primary motor cortex (M1) either 300 ms after image presentation to measure corticospinal excitability during the different stimulus categories or 300 ms after the appearance of a fixation point, as a control stimulation condition. The experimental session consisted of a food target and a non-food target block. Behavioural outcomes showed a natural implicit inclination towards high-calorie food in that participants were faster and more accurate compared to the other categories. This advantage was selectively deleted by TMS, which slowed down reaction times. MEPs did not differ according to the stimulus category, but, as expected, were bigger for Go compared to NoGo trials. Participants judged high-calorie food also as more appetising than low-calorie food images. Overall, our results point to a differential modulation when targeting inhibitory control, in favour of the more palatable food category (high-calorie). Present data suggest that the activity of the motor system is modulated by food nutritional value, being more engaged by appetising food. Future work should explore to what extent these processes are affected in patients with eating disorders and should aim to better characterise the related dynamics of cortical connectivity within the motor network.
Comparing efficacy and safety of first-line treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma: A Bayesian network meta-regression analysis
Authors: Qin Suyang , Xv Zhiyuan , Chen Xi , Wang Shurui , Lu Hai , Li Jiaqi , Guo Xinglin , Yang Jinghua , Liu Chengjiang , Wang Yaoguang , Wang Hongwu
Published: February 2023

Background

This Bayesian network meta-regression analysis provides a head-to-head comparison of first-line therapeutic immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) combinations for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) using median follow-up time as covariate.

Methods

We searched Six databases for a comprehensive analysis of randomised clinical trials (RCTs). Comparing progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of different interventions at the same time node by Bayesian network meta-analysis. Bayesian network meta-regression analysis was performed on objective response rate (ORR), adverse events (AEs) (grade ≥ 3) and the hazard ratios (HR) associated with PFS and OS, with the median follow-up time as the covariate.

Results

Eventually a total of 22 RCTs reporting 11,090 patients with 19 interventions. Lenvatinib plus Pembrolizumab (LenPem) shows dominance of PFS, and Pembrolizumab plus Axitinib (PemAxi) shows superiority in OS at each time point. After meta-regression analysis, for HRs of PFS, LenPem shows advantages; for HRs of OS, PemAxi shows superiority; For ORR, LenPem provides better results. For AEs (grade ≥ 3), Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab (AtezoBev) is better.

Conclusion

Considering the lower toxicity and the higher quality of life, PemAxi should be recommended as the optimal therapy in treating mRCC.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD4202236775.
Development of A novel ferroptosis-related prognostic signature with multiple significance in paediatric neuroblastoma
Authors: Wang Xin , Yang Jun , Bian Hongqiang , Yang Hu
Published: February 2023

Background

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent regulated cell death pathway that plays an essential role in the occurrence and development of tumours. Nonetheless, little is known about the impact of ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) on neuroblastoma.

Methods

Transcriptional profiles and clinicopathological data of neuroblastoma were downloaded from the TARGET and GEO datasets. These were used as the training set and the validation set, respectively. Non-negative matrix factorisation was employed to divide patients with neuroblastoma into distinct ferroptosis clusters. The Cox regression model with LASSO was performed based on the FRGs to construct a multigene signature, which was subsequently evaluated in the testing set. Finally, we analysed the differences in the tumour immune microenvironment (TIME) and immunotherapeutic response among the different risk groups.

Results

The two distinct ferroptosis subtypes were determined and correlated with different clinical outcomes and tumour-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs). A risk model was developed to explore the risk scores of the individual patients. Patients in the low-risk group survived significantly longer than those in the high-risk group and showed a good predictive performance in the testing set. The risk score was significantly linked to clinicopathological traits, and it was confirmed as an independent prognostic indicator for assessing the overall survival. We also found that patients with low-risk scores had a higher infiltration of TIICs and a better immunotherapeutic response.

Conclusions

This study showed the potential role of FRGs in contributing to the clinical features, prognosis, TIME, and immunotherapy of neuroblastoma cases. Our findings offer a valuable basis for future research in targeting ferroptosis and its TIME and provide novel measures for the prevention and treatment of neuroblastoma.
Effect of Dl-3-n-butylphthalide on mitochondrial Cox7c in models of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury
Authors: Jia Jingjing , Deng Jianwen , Jin Haiqiang , Yang Jie , Nan Ding , Yu Zemou , Yu Weiwei , Shen Zhiyuan , Lu Yuxuan , Liu Ran , Wang Zhaoxia , Qu Xiaozhong , Qiu Dong , Yang Zhenzhong , Huang Yining
Published: February 2023

Several studies have demonstrated the protective effect of dl-3-n-Butylphthalide (NBP) against cerebral ischemia, which may be related to the attenuation of mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the specific mechanism and targets of NBP in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion remains unclear. In this study, we used a chemical proteomics approach to search for targets of NBP and identified cytochrome C oxidase 7c (Cox7c) as a key interacting target of NBP. Our findings indicated that NBP inhibits mitochondrial apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) release and increases ATP production through upregulation of Cox7c. Subsequently, mitochondrial respiratory capacity was improved and the HIF-1α/VEGF pathway was upregulated, which contributed to the maintenance of mitochondrial membrane potential and blood brain barrier integrity and promoting angiogenesis. Therefore, our findings provided a novel insight into the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of NBP, and also proposed for the first time that Cox7c exerts a critical role by protecting mitochondrial function.
PBPK modeling to evaluate maximum tolerated doses: A case study with 3-chloroallyl alcohol
Authors: Conolly Rory P. , Clewell Harvey J. , Moore Martha M. , Campbell Jerry L. , Cheng Wanyun , Gentry R. Robinan
Published: February 2023

Introduction: A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for 3-chloroallyl alcohol (3-CAA) was developed and used to evaluate the design of assays for the in vivo genotoxicity of 3-CAA.

Methods: Model development was supported by read across from a published PBPK model for ethanol. Read across was motivated by the expectation that 3-CAA, which like ethanol is a primary alcohol, is metabolized largely by hepatic alcohol dehydrogenases. The PBPK model was used to evaluate how two metrics of tissue dosimetry, maximum blood concentration (Cmax; mg/L) and area under the curve (AUC; mg-hr/L) vary with dose of 3-CAA and with dose route (oral gavage, drinking water).

Results: The model predicted that oral gavage results in a 6-fold higher Cmax than the same dose administered in drinking water, but in similar AUCs. Predicted Cmax provided the best correlation with severe toxicity (e.g., lethality) from 3-CAA, consistent with the production of a reactive metabolite. Therefore, drinking water administration can achieve higher sustained concentration without severe toxicity in vivo.

Discussion: This evaluation is significant because cytotoxicity is a potential confounder of mutagenicity testing. The PBPK model can be used to ensure that studies meet OECD and USEPA test guidelines and that the highest dose used is not associated with severe toxicity. In addition, PBPK modeling provides assurance of target tissue (e.g., bone marrow) exposure even in the absence of laboratory data, by defining the relationship between applied dose and target tissue dose based on accepted principles of pharmacokinetics, relevant physiology and biochemistry of the dosed animals, and chemical-specific information.
A comparative study of high school mathematics teachers’ audible teaching language: A student satisfaction perspective
Authors: Jiang Peijie , Zhang Xiangjun , Ruan Xiaomeng , Feng Zirong , Xiong Bin , Jiang Yanyun
Published: February 2023

Teachers’ audible teaching language is essential for organizing classroom instruction. This study used a questionnaire to compare expert, skilled, and novice high school mathematics teachers’ audible teaching language from the perspective of student satisfaction. The sample was selected using a purposive sampling technique, and the participants were students from a key high school in Changsha, China. A research framework and research instrument with good reliability and validity were constructed for this study. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 22.0. The results showed 263 valid questionnaires, good measurement model fit, and high reliability and validity of the questionnaire. It was found that: (1) students were highly satisfied with the audible teaching language of high school mathematics teachers; (2) student satisfaction with the audible teaching language of skilled, expert, and novice mathematics teachers declined in order, but there was no significant difference overall; (3) students were more satisfied with expert mathematics teachers than with novice teachers in terms of the tone and adaptability of the audible teaching language. The researchers discussed the study’s results, suggested how pre-service and post-service mathematics teachers can improve the quality of their audible teaching language, and pointed out the value and limitations of the study.
Role of civil society in health care: Mechanisms for realizing universal health coverage in vulnerable communities of India
Authors: Jayaraman Anuja , Fernandez Armida
Published: February 2023

The role of civil society as a partner in the delivery of primary health care is well-established. The pandemic placed a great burden on the existing public health system and civil society stepped forward not only to help the vulnerable population to mitigate challenges that subsequently arose but also to fill the gaps the pandemic exposed in India's health care system. The objective of this paper is to provide mechanisms for realizing universal health coverage by strengthening primary health care from the perspective of civil society. The paper uses examples of efforts of SNEHA, a non-profit organization working on the health of women and children in informal settlements of Mumbai and other civil society organizations working with vulnerable or hard-to-reach populations. We use existing literature, field data, reports and published work over the years. We find that civil society helps the health system to connect with difficult-to-reach populations and achieve wider coverage. They can also build the capacity of frontline staff in the public systems in formal and informal ways. They can recommend ways to change the attitudes and motivations of these workers. Civil society organizations with their close connection with the community can play the part of a “gap-filler” and data messenger. Finally, they can refer people to appropriate health facilities minimizing out-of-pocket expenditure on health.
The impact of internet use on health status among older adults in China: The mediating role of social support
Authors: E Yiting , Yang Jianke , Niu Long , Lu Chunli
Published: February 2023

Background

With the popularization of the Internet, the use of the Internet is becoming more and more important in the daily life of older adults. However, previous research mainly focuses on Internet use and health in general, and the mechanism of this effect remains to be studied. To bridge this gap, this study aims to explore the mediational effects of social support between Internet use and health among older adults in China.

Methods

The data used in this article are from the 2021 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS). Social support is divided into two aspects and four dimensions: informal social support (relatives support, friends support, neighbors support) and formal social support (social insurance). This article uses the nested multivariate OLS regression models to analyze the impact of Internet use on health. Furthermore, Finally, SPSS macro PROCESS is applied to test their mediation effects.

Results

Informal social support positively influenced the health status among older adults, while formal social support did not. Among the three types of informal social support, relatives support and friends support significantly affected health status among Chinese older adults. Regarding social support differences between urban and rural areas, it was found that relatives support is a positively significant factor for rural older adults, while friends support is significant for urban older adults.

Conclusions

Since Internet use has many ways of impacting health status, social support only plays a partial mediating role in this study. It recommends that the government should take compelling measures to encourage and promote the use of the Internet among older adults and obtain various social support to improve their health status.
Analysis of the correlation between clinical nurses' professional quality of life and family care and organizational support
Authors: Xu Shan , Ju Dandan , Chen Ye , Wu Meiliyang , Wang Lan , Xi Xinxue , Zeng Tieying
Published: February 2023

Background and aim

Nurses' professional quality of life (ProQOL) is closely related to nursing life, and it is essential to clarify the professional quality of life of nurses and enhance it effectively. We aimed to explore the influence of family care and organizational support on the professional quality of life of clinical nurses and to improve the theoretical basis for improving the professional quality of life of clinical nurses in China.

Methods

A single center, descriptive, cross-sectional design was used in this study. From February to April 2,022, 2,200 nurses from Tongji Hospital were selected as the study population, using the General Information Form, Family Care Scale, Professional Quality of Life Scale, Nurses' Sense of Organizational Support Questionnaire, and Work-Family Conflict Scale, and analyzing the relationship between professional quality of life and family care and organizational support among clinical nurses for correlation analysis as well as multiple linear regression to determine the factors affecting participants' Factors affecting ProQOL. P < 0.05 values were considered statistically significant.

Results

The Cronbach coefficients of the scales were generally above 0.8, with good validity. All nurses had empathic satisfaction, burnout, and secondary trauma scores of 28.74 ± 3.83, 30.82 ± 3.45 and 29.40 ± 3.69, respectively, and correlation analysis, as well as multiple linear regression results, showed that the three dimensions of nurses' professional quality of life were associated with family care and organizational support (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The professional quality of life of nurses deserves to draw focused attention. The degree of family care and organizational support are predictive of professional quality of life, and nursing managers should pay attention to rationalizing tasks, pay attention to the physical and mental health of nursing staff, and improve the quality of life of nurses.
Strategies to tackle non-communicable diseases in Afghanistan: A scoping review
Authors: Neyazi Narges , Mosadeghrad Ali Mohammad , Afshari Mahnaz , Isfahani Parvaneh , Safi Najibullah
Published: February 2023

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors are the leading cause of death worldwide and contribute to 74.3% of deaths globally in 2019. The burden of NCDs is escalating in Afghanistan. Currently, every seconds, people in Afghanistan are dying of NCDs. Addressing this challenge in Afghanistan needs effective and practical interventions. This study aimed to identify the strategies developed and implemented in countries with low non-communicable premature death. To conduct a scoping review, we followed the six-step Arksey and O'Malley protocol and searched for eligible articles on eight international databases and the gray literature. The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The inclusion criteria were English documents and evidence produced up to 30 November 2021 for the control of NCDs. We excluded incomplete texts, duplicates, and dissertations due to lack of access. We used EndNote X9 and MaxQDA software for data management and analysis. We conducted content analysis for this study. A total of 122 documents developed between 1984 and 2021 met the inclusion criteria. We identified 35 strategies from which the most used strategies were related to unhealthy diets and smoking cessation programs. Canada (26.4%), Korea (19.8%), and the United Kingdom (19%) have the most publications on the control and prevention of NCDs among the countries included in the study. Most strategies were implemented over 2 years (41%). This study recommends specific interventions to control and prevent NCDs for the main risk factors of tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and the main non-communicable diseases such as heart diseases, cancers, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health, the WHO country office, and other involved stakeholders can use the findings of this review to design and implement strategies for controlling and preventing NCDs in Afghanistan. International organizations such as the World Health Organization, United Nations Agencies, the World Bank, and other involving communities should invest in strengthening good health governance in Afghanistan. The Afghan Government should focus on promoting and funding health literacy among the public and self-care to control and prevent NCDs.
Promoting school readiness in children with developmental disabilities in LMICs
Authors: Nair M. K. C. , Radhakrishnan Rekha , Olusanya Bolajoko O.
Published: February 2023

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) explicitly acknowledge inclusive and equitable quality education as the primary goal of any global initiatives for early childhood development for children under 5 years with developmental delays and disabilities. Primary education provides the foundation for lifelong learning, vocational attainment, and economically independent living. Globally, the majority (over 90%) of children with developmental disabilities reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These children are significantly less likely to have foundational reading and numeracy skills, more likely to have never attended school and more likely to be out of primary school, compared to children without disabilities. Concerted and well-coordinated efforts to prepare these children in early childhood for inclusive education constitute a moral and ethical priority for all countries. This paper sets out to examine the concept and dimensions of school readiness for children under 5 years from an extensive narrative review of the literature. It identifies the barriers and challenges for school readiness for children with disabilities and the limitations of the available tools for evaluating school readiness. It concludes by emphasizing the critical role of inter-disciplinary engagement among pediatric caregivers in promoting school readiness in partnership with the families and community where the children reside. Overall, the paper highlights the need for appropriate policy initiatives at the global and national levels to promote school readiness specifically for children under 5 years with developmental disabilities in LMICs, if the aspirational goal of inclusive education by 2030 under the SDGs is to be realized.
Efficacy of antiseptics and chemomechanical methods for dentin caries lesions: A systematic review with GRADE approach
Authors: Ferreira Luiza de Almeida Queiroz , Diniz Ivana Márcia Alves , Peixoto Rogéli Tibúrcio Ribeiro da Cunha , Gomes Natália Aparecida , Caneschi Camila de Sousa , Spineli Loukia Maria , Martins Carolina Castro
Published: February 2023

Objectives

Selective caries removal aims to remove carious tissue in deep dentin lesions. However, a discussion stands on the value of antiseptics and chemomechanical adjuvant methods to reduce the bacterial load on residual caries lesions. This systematic review has addressed two main clinical questions to compare the antimicrobial efficacy of available methods using (1) antiseptic or (2) chemomechanical agents before restoring dentin carious lesions.

Methods

We included randomized and non-randomized controlled trials (RCTs/ NRCTs). We searched eight databases from inception to October 2021. Paired reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. The primary outcome was the reduction in the number of total bacterial in dentin, whereas secondary outcomes were reduction in the number of Lactobacillus and Streptococcus. We used the ratio of ratio of post-treatment to baseline means between two interventions in the logarithmic scale as a proper effect measure. Certainty of evidence was assessed with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.

Results

We included 14 RCTs and 9 NRCTs, with nine interventions. Regardless the method, the number of bacteria at baseline was similar or exceeded that after the intervention, particularly in NRCTs. The evidence was inconclusive for most comparisons. Among antiseptic agents, chlorhexidine (CHX) resulted in an average of 1.14 times [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08–1.21] more total bacterial than photodynamic therapy in RCTs. Among NRCTS, the natural agents resulted in five times more total bacterial than CHX (95% CI: 2–11). For chemomechanical methods, the control resulted in eight times (95% CI: 4–17) more total bacterial than Carisolv (SHAA).

Conclusions

The certainty of the evidence was very low for all comparisons showing uncertainty whether one treatment could be more effective than another for dentin disinfection. So far, exclusively removing soft carious dentin would be enough to reduce the bacterial count.
Gender role differentiation in household fuel transition decision-making: Implications for education and training in Uganda
Authors: Elasu Joseph , Ntayi Joseph Mpeera , Adaramola Muyiwa S. , Buyinza Faisal , Ngoma Muhammad , Atukunda Ronnette
Published: February 2023

Introduction

The role of gender and gender role differentiation has been of long standing interest and has remained a concern regarding the access and use of energy fuels for cooking in households. Although there seems to be a thin line between gender. However, studies on gender role differentiation in household fuel transition have framed gender as the biological construction of male and female rather than social roles.

Methods

This study used A multinomial probit regression model (MNP) to analyze the effect of gender role differentiation on household transition decisions from high to low-polluting fuels and their implications on education and training in Uganda. The study used the National Household Survey data collected by Uganda Bureau of Statistics.

Findings and discussion

The findings revealed that the gender role differentiation significantly affected household fuel transition decisions. The study concludes by highlighting the implications of such gender role differentiation on education and training in Uganda.
An embodied and ecological approach to skill acquisition in racecar driving
Authors: Ziv Gal
Published: February 2023

Racecar driving is a fast-paced sport that presents the driver-athlete with many perception-action coupling and decision-making challenges. One question that arises is how racecar drivers deal with the influx of perceptual information and manage to perform successfully in such high speeds and, as a result, very limited time to make decisions and act upon them. In this perspective paper, I suggest that the ecological approach is one theoretical framework that can help researchers understand how skill is acquired in racecar driving. I also suggest that an embodied perception of affordances can provide a good basis for research in the field. Specifically, it is an extended embodied cognition that includes not only the driver's mind and body, but the car itself. In a sense, the driver and the car are embodied into one unit and any perception of affordances should be based on this unit. This paper will also discuss the constraints during a race, the affordances the race driver must perceive and how they change over the course of a race, and how researchers can use a racecar driving paradigm to study human perception and action from an embodied and an ecological approach. Specifically, because the driver is seated, measuring EEG and eye movements is relatively simple and can provide additional information on drivers' visual perception of affordances, and their ability to act upon them.
How can the unnaturalness of cellular agricultural products be familiarized?: Modeling public attitudes toward cultured meats in Japan
Authors: Hibino Aiko , Nakamura Futoshi , Furuhashi Mai , Takeuchi Shoji
Published: February 2023

Introduction

This study aims to clarify how the unnaturalness of cellular agricultural products can be familiarized to society, using the case of the Japanese public's receptivity to cultured meats. Perceived unnaturalness is a key factor in the rejection of emerging technologies. While past studies have examined the explanatory factors involved in the public acceptance of cultured meats, the relationships among multiple factors have not been fully examined. Cultured meats and cellular agricultural products have been positively evaluated because they can contribute to future food sustainability, so the trade-off between perceived unnaturalness and sustainability is a significant issue for the public.

Method

This study uses a questionnaire survey with 2,000 Japanese respondents, which was conducted in 2019. Using a categorical data analysis approach, the strongest explanatory factors for receptivity were comprehensively searched among attitudes toward cultured meats, eating habits, demographics, and so on.

Results and discussion

The results indicated that perceived unnaturalness showed a strong explanatory power for the rejection of cultured meats, but awareness of world famine problems increased acceptance of cultured meat, if the degree of the respondents' concern for unnaturalness was moderate. The perceived animacy of non-human life forms is also associated with acceptance of cultured meat, which may reflect Japanese cultural values. These results suggest multiple pathways to overcoming the disgust of new food technologies in the social implementation process.
Postoperative free flap monitoring in reconstructive surgery—man or machine?
Authors: Knoedler Samuel , Hoch Cosima C. , Huelsboemer Lioba , Knoedler Leonard , Stögner Viola A. , Pomahac Bohdan , Kauke-Navarro Martin , Colen David
Published: February 2023

Free tissue transfer is widely used for the reconstruction of complex tissue defects. The survival of free flaps depends on the patency and integrity of the microvascular anastomosis. Accordingly, the early detection of vascular comprise and prompt intervention are indispensable to increase flap survival rates. Such monitoring strategies are commonly integrated into the perioperative algorithm, with clinical examination still being considered the gold standard for routine free flap monitoring. Despite its widespread acceptance as state of the art, the clinical examination also has its pitfalls, such as the limited applicability in buried flaps and the risk of poor interrater agreement due to inconsistent flap (failure) appearances. To compensate for these shortcomings, a plethora of alternative monitoring tools have been proposed in recent years, each of them with inherent strengths and limitations. Given the ongoing demographic change, the number of older patients requiring free flap reconstruction, e.g., after cancer resection, is rising. Yet, age-related morphologic changes may complicate the free flap evaluation in elderly patients and delay the prompt detection of clinical signs of flap compromise. In this review, we provide an overview of currently available and employed methods for free flap monitoring, with a special focus on elderly patients and how senescence may impact standard free flap monitoring strategies.
UKF-Based Observer Design for the Electric Brake Booster in Situations of Disturbance
Authors: Mei Mingming , Cheng Shuo , Li Liang , Mu Hongyuan , Pei Yuxuan
Published: February 2023

The motor-driven electric brake booster (E-Booster) can replace the traditional vacuum booster to realize the braking power assistance and active braking. Independent of extra sensors, this paper proposes a full-state observer for E-Booster based on Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) in the presence of a driver’s input force disturbance. The electro-hydraulic system is first modeled, which includes a nonlinear hydraulic model and the reaction disk’s rubber model. The pre-compression is designed to produce linear power assistance based on the properties of rubber material. With the existence of the disturbance, the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) algorithm is used to track the pre-compression of the reaction disk so that E-Booster is developed into a closed-loop system to achieve power assistance. The proposed UKF observer can online estimate the states considering the controller input and disturbance input. To reduce the process error, the hydraulic p-V characteristic is fitted using the recursive least squares (RLS) method before observation. Furthermore, the simulation test and vehicle tests are performed to validate the observation effect. In the closed-loop test, UKF decreases residual error by 16% when compared to the typical Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). The simulation results remain consistent with the experimental results, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Renormalization in Quantum Brain Dynamics
Authors: Nishiyama Akihiro , Tanaka Shigenori , Tuszynski Jack A.
Published: February 2023

We show renormalization in Quantum Brain Dynamics (QBD) in 3+1 dimensions, namely Quantum Electrodynamics with water rotational dipole fields. First, we introduce the Lagrangian density for QBD involving terms of water rotational dipole fields, photon fields and their interactions. Next, we show Feynman diagrams with 1-loop self-energy and vertex function in dipole coupling expansion in QBD. The counter-terms are derived from the coupling expansion of the water dipole moment. Our approach will be applied to numerical simulations of Kadanoff–Baym equations for water dipoles and photons to describe the breakdown of the rotational symmetry of dipoles, namely memory formation processes. It will also be extended to the renormalization group method for QBD with running parameters in multi-scales.
Distribution, Transport, and Impact on Air Quality of Two Typical Dust Events in China in 2021
Authors: Ye Qia , Zheng Xiaoshen
Published: February 2023

The dust event from 12 January to 17 January 2021 (“1.12 event”) is the first dust process in 2021 and the earliest dust event in the last two decades. The dust event from 14 to 18 March 2021 (“3.15 event”) was the strongest dust storm in the past decade. Distribution, transport, and impact on urban air quality of these two typical dust events were studied using multi-source satellite data, a HYSPLIT trajectory model, and a 3D concentration-weighted trajectory model. Results show that both dust events affected a wide range of areas, covering Northwest, North, Northeast, East, and Central-South China. A strong dust belt spanning Northwest, North, and Northeast China was formed in northern China on 15 March 2021. The distribution heights of the 1.12 and 3.15 events were 0–5 km and 0–10 km, respectively. Dust from western Inner Mongolia and southern Mongolia dominated the 1.12 event, while dust from southern Mongolia dominated the 3.15 event. Both of these dust sources had eastward and southeastward transport paths. The majority of the dust was near-ground in downstream cities from an altitude of 0–3 km. Most cities were affected by the dust backflow. The 1.12 event generated more severe particulate pollution in southern China than the 3.15 event. During high-value dust days, ozone pollution levels decreased at the majority of stations. Dust weather with low dust rising heights and dust backflow phenomena should be taken seriously in urban dust pollution forecasting and warning work. International collaboration is needed to improve China’s desertification control.
Reinforcement Learning with Dual Safety Policies for Energy Savings in Building Energy Systems
Authors: Lin Xingbin , Yuan Deyu , Li Xifei
Published: February 2023

Reinforcement learning (RL) is being gradually applied in the control of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to learn the optimal control sequences for energy savings. However, due to the “trial and error” issue, the output sequences of RL may cause potential operational safety issues when RL is applied in real systems. To solve those problems, an RL algorithm with dual safety policies for energy savings in HVAC systems is proposed. In the proposed dual safety policies, the implicit safety policy is a part of the RL model, which integrates safety into the optimization target of RL, by adding penalties in reward for actions that exceed the safety constraints. In explicit safety policy, an online safety classifier is built to filter the actions outputted by RL; thus, only those actions that are classified as safe and have the highest benefits will be finally selected. In this way, the safety of controlled HVAC systems running with proposed RL algorithms can be effectively satisfied while reducing the energy consumptions. To verify the proposed algorithm, we implemented the control algorithm in a real existing commercial building. After a certain period of self-studying, the energy consumption of HVAC had been reduced by more than 15.02% compared to the proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control. Meanwhile, compared to the independent application of the RL algorithm without safety policy, the proportion of indoor temperature not meeting the demand is reduced by 25.06%.
Load Frequency Control and Automatic Voltage Regulation in Four-Area Interconnected Power Systems Using a Gradient-Based Optimizer
Authors: Ali Tayyab , Malik Suheel Abdullah , Daraz Amil , Adeel Muhammad , Aslam Sheraz , Herodotou Herodotos
Published: February 2023

Existing interconnected power systems (IPSs) are being overloaded by the expansion of the industrial and residential sectors together with the incorporation of renewable energy sources, which cause serious fluctuations in frequency, voltage, and tie-line power. The automatic voltage regulation (AVR) and load frequency control (LFC) loops provide high quality power to all consumers with nominal frequency, voltage, and tie-line power deviation, ensuring the stability and security of IPS in these conditions. In this paper, a proportional integral derivative (PID) controller is investigated for the effective control of a four-area IPS. Each IPS area has five generating units including gas, thermal reheat, hydro, and two renewable energy sources, namely wind and solar photovoltaic plants. The PID controller was tuned by a meta-heuristic optimization algorithm known as a gradient-based optimizer (GBO). The integral of time multiplied by squared value of error (ITSE) was utilized as an error criterion for the evaluation of the fitness function. The voltage, frequency, and tie-line power responses of GBO-PID were evaluated and compared with integral–proportional derivative (GBO-I-PD), tilt integral derivative (GBO-TID), and integral–proportional (GBO-I-P) controllers with 5% step load perturbation (SLP) provided in each of the four areas. Comprehensive comparisons between GBO-PID and other control methodologies revealed that the proposed GBO-PID controller provides superior voltage, frequency, and tie-line power responses in each area. The reliability and efficacy of GBO-PID methodology were further validated with variations in the turbine time constant and speed regulation over a range of Â ± 25%. It is evident from the outcomes of the sensitivity analysis that the proposed GBO-PID control methodology is very reliable and can successfully stabilize the deviations in terminal voltage, load frequency, and tie-line power with a shorter settling time in a four-area IPS.