bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maglehøj – preservation of birch bark in a passage grave with evidence of forced entry in prehistory
Authors: Dehn Torben , Larsen Poul Klenz
Published: April 2023

Maglehøj is a Danish passage grave which has birch bark incorporated into its construction. An account of the opening of the monument in 1823 reports the discovery of an earth-free chamber and describes constructional details, including the use of birch bark. An investigation undertaken in 1997, prompted by the information given in this account, revealed that the birch bark was relatively well preserved and that there had been a break-in through one gable of the chamber later in prehistory. This article gives several examples of similar intrusions, which were a more common phenomenon than previously appreciated. The results of a 12-month investigation of the climatic conditions inside Maglehøj’s chamber, aimed at optimising preservation of the birch bark, are also presented. The investigation included measurements of air change and humidity carried out under different conditions. The outcome was a recommendation that the entrance to the chamber be closed with an air-tight seal.
Acne mimickers: Differential diagnosis of open comedones – A short review
Authors: Soundarya Santhanakrishnaan , Jayakar Thomas
Published: April 2023

Acne vulgaris is one of the most common disorders of the pilosebaceous unit, affecting around 9.4% of the global population. The principal or preliminary lesions of acne are comedones, which represent the follicular dilation and hypercornification secondary to androgen hypersensitivity. Although the diagnosis of acne is rarely difficult for an experienced dermatologist, we rarely come across various other dermatoses that clinically resemble comedones yet have a different pathophysiology and poorly respond to treatment. Not all disorders that have comedone-like lesions are acne. These disorders should be kept in mind when comedones occur in an unusual site, age, or pattern. This review article mainly focuses and highlights the salient features of multiple non-acne disorders that present with open comedone-like lesions along with an approach to the diagnosis and its management.
Perceção dos contabilistas certificados sobre o efeito da pandemia COVID-19 na profissão
Authors: Kaizeler Ana Catarina Pagarim Ribeiro , Pinheiro Pedro Miguel Baptista , Gariso Clara Margarida Simões
Published: April 2023

Os profissionais de contabilidade constituem um dos alicerces na sobrevivência das empresas e da atividade económica em contexto pandémico, combatendo a recessão económica e a perda de emprego. O objetivo desta investigação pretende identificar as dificuldades da profissão no contexto de crise. Utilizando a metodologia do tratamento estatístico dos dados recolhidos de um questionário dirigido aos profissionais, concluiu-se que a maioria dos contabilistas, percecionam uma maior carga de trabalho e a atribuição de novas funções existindo ainda profissionais que consideram não ter os recursos e condições suficientes para exercer as suas funções. Foi também encontrada evidencia de satisfação com o acompanhamento de alguns organismos como o da Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados. Este estudo contribui para incentivar políticas de auxílio aos profissionais na obtenção de recursos e melhores condições para o exercício das suas funções e alerta também para a emergência de diferenças de género na profissão em contexto de crise.
Radiological Assessment of Pituitary Hyperplasia in Newly Diagnosed Cases of Primary Hypothyroidism after Hormone Therapy: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Mathur Manoj , Badhan Rajesh K , Kumari Sudesh , Mehta Amit
Published: April 2023

Introduction: With long-standing hypothyroidism, thyrotrophin hyperplasia can result in the enlargement of the pituitary gland. Regression of the hyperplasia has been shown to occur following adequate treatment of primary hypothyroidism with hormone replacement. Characteristics of pituitary gland hyperplasia on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have been described previously in profound primary hyperthyroidism cases. But, hyperplasia and its regression have not been well defined in newly diagnosed acute and uncomplicated cases after thyroid hormone therapy. Aim: To assess pituitary gland size on MRI in the newly diagnosed acute cases of primary hypothyroidism after eight weeks of hormone replacement therapy. Materials and Methods: This longitudinal study was carried out by enrolling 50 patients of recently diagnosed primary hypothyroidism in the Department of Radiodiagnosis, Government Medical College and Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, India from July 2018 to June 2021. In all newly diagnosed cases of primary hypothyroidism, MRI of the pituitary gland was done and the size of the gland was measured in the coronal section before the start of treatment. MRI of all the patients was also done after treatment with levothyroxine at the interval of eight weeks to assess the size of pituitary gland. Student t-test was used for pre and post-treatment measurement. Data was entered in MS Excel and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: Mean age of the patients included was 36.9±14.1 years. The mean Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), Triiodothyronine (T3), Triiodothyronine (T4) levels were 27.5±71.1 miu/l, 0.72±0.33 ng/ml, and 3.6±1.4 mcg/dl, respectively. The mean size of the pituitary gland before treatment was 6.3±1.9 mm and after eight weeks of treatment was 5.5±1.9mm (p=0.97). Conclusion: This study does not find significant radiologically evident hyperplasia of pituitary gland in newly diagnosed cases of primary hypothyroidism, which might be because of MRI in the initial stage of the disease.
A Cross Sectional Study into Drug Abuse among Youth and Its Association with Socio-demographic and Risk Factors in District Kangra of Himachal Pradesh, India.
Authors: Katoch Madhur , Nitima  , Pathania Raj
Published: April 2023

Aim: Substance abuse has a detrimental impact on an individual, families and communities posing major public health challenges. Therefore, the present study has been designed to study the level of prevalence of drug abuse among youth and its association with socio demographic and various risk factors.

Methodology: The present research was conducted among 500 students in the age range of 12-25 years. The study was conducted in district Kangra of Himachal Pradesh, India. Out of total 15 blocks from Kangra, five blocks were randomly selected. From these selected blocks    five schools and five colleges (one school and one college from each block) were selected for data collection. “The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST)” and self-structured questionnaire were administered to the sample to collect data.

Results: It was revealed that tobacco was the most abused substance (29.2%) followed by alcohol (28.2%) and inhalants (11.8%). Less than 10 per cent of sample used other substances at least once in their lifetime. Moderate level of drug prevalence of drugs was found among study subjects. A highly significant association was observed between factors like age, type of educational institutes, mother’s occupation, bad company, peer pressure, curiosity, and use of drugs by parents with prevalent drug abuse among youth.

Conclusion: It was concluded from the results that use of varied drugs like tobacco, alcohol, inhalants was found to be prevalent among youth. Moderate level of prevalence was reported for drugs like tobacco, cannabis, sedatives, opioids, inhalants and amphetamines. It is a matter of concern for them as they are at risk of health and other problems from their current pattern of substance use. A brief intervention has to be provided for them in terms of awareness and treatment from health professionals or by a specialist in drug and alcohol treatment service.
Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Aquatic Plant Trapa natans L.-Medicinal Aquatic Plant
Authors: Kiruba R. Mercelin , Christobel G. Johnsi , Mini J. Josphin , Sankaralingam S. , Venkatesh S. , Sundari A. , Soorya C.
Published: April 2023

Trapa natans L.; (water chestnut) is an aquatic plant. The whole plant has various medicinal values but it is less known. The purpose of the study was carried out to reveal phytochemicals and their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the whole plant Trapa natans. The whole plants were shade  dried and powdered. The solvents used to extract were ethanol, methanol, aqueous, chloroform and hexane. The extracts were tested for the antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion method. The bacterial strains used were Straphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus salivarius, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus mutans, Klebsilla pneumonia, E.coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris and Proteus mirabilis. The strains used for fungal activity were Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium notatum, Rhizopus stolonifer and Candida albicans.

Antimicrobial activities of the extract were determined by zone of inhibition by using the disc diffusion method. Maximum antibacterial activity was obtained in ethanol and methanol extract. Hexane and aqueous showed least activity in gram positive strain and did not show any activity in gram negative strain. Antifungal activity showed maximum zone in Candida albicans in methanol extract. Hexane and aqueous extract did not show any activity. The present investigation on the plant Trapa natans has revealed that the ethanol and methanol showed maximum antimicrobial activity.
Evaluation and Selection of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Advanced Lines for Salt Tolerance in Bangladesh
Authors: Khan Md. Mustafa , Karim M. Abdul , Haque M. Moynul , Mia Md. Abdul Baset
Published: April 2023

The present study was carried out to investigate the genetic variability in advanced wheat lines and to identify superior advanced lines under salinity stress based on yield and yield-related traits. The evaluated advanced lines were derived through accurate pedigree selection method. Fifty wheat lines were evaluated in 2011-2012 wheat season at Regional Wheat Research Centre, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute Gazipur, Bangladesh under salinity stress condition. Various statistical tools were used in analyzing the data. Genetic variability was found among the evaluated wheat genotypes for all the traits studied. The evaluated lines were grouped into five clusters using cluster analysis ranging from high salt-tolerant to salt-sensitive genotypes. High to intermediate broad-sense heritability for measured traits showed their potential to be utilized under salinity stress for identifying salt- tolerant wheat lines. The traits under this study showed highly significant positive relationship with yield in terms of genotypic and phenotypic correlations. This indicated that all traits were important in influencing grain yield and could be exploited as selection criteria for improving grain yield of wheat under saline conditions. Eight wheat lines were selected as high salinity tolerant genotypes that would further be used in the breeding program to develop saline tolerant wheat varieties.
Influence of Nitrogen and Spacing on Growth and Fodder Yield of M P Chari (Sorghum bicolor L.)
Authors: Chand Mudakala Lokesh , Singh Rajesh , Pradhan Akhankya , Indu Thakur
Published: April 2023

A field experiment was conducted during Zaid season of 2022 at the Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology And Sciences, Prayagraj (U.P.) India. To study the Response of Nitrogen and spacing on growth and fodder yield of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.). The treatments consist of Nitrogen 60,80,100 kg/ha and spacing of S1- 35×15cm, S2- 45×15cm, S3- 55×15cm. There were 10 treatments each replicated thrice. The soil of experimental plot was sandy loamy in texture, nearly neutral in soil reaction (pH 7.8), low in organic carbon (0.35%) available N (163.42 kg/ha), available P (21.96 kg/ha) and available K (256.48 kg/ha). Results revealed that the higher plant height (186.96 cm), higher plant dry weight (52.78 g/plant), higher crop growth rate (55.0 g/m2/day) and higher green fodder yield (28.36 and 22.43 t/ha) for 1st and 2nd cutting were significantly influenced with Nitrogen 100 kg/ha along with the spacing 55×15cm.
Effect of Nitrogen and Spacing on Green Fodder Yield and Economics of MP Chari (Sorghum bicolor L.)
Authors: Chand Mudakala Lokesh , Singh Rajesh , Sandeep Rathod , Pradhan Akhankya , Indu Thakur
Published: April 2023

At the Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology And Sciences, Prayagraj (U.P.), India, a field experiment was carried out during the Harvest season of 2022. To investigate how spacing and nitrogen affect sorghum growth and fodder production (Sorghum bicolor L.). The treatments include nitrogen at rates of 60, 80, and 100 kg/ha, spaced 35, 45, and 55 cm, respectively. There were 10 treatments total, with three replications of each. The soil in the trial plot had a sandy loamy texture, a pH of 7.8 that was almost neutral, a low level of organic carbon (0.35%), and high levels of available N (163.42 kg/ha), available P (21.96 kg/ha), and available K (256.48 kg/ha) nutrients. In accordance with the results, nitrogen application at a rate of 100 kg per hectare and a spacing of 55 cm apart had a significant impact on plant height (186.96 cm), plant dry weight (52.78 g/plant), crop growth rate (55.0 g/m2/day), and green fodder yield (28.36 and 22.43 t/ha) for the first and second cuttings. With nitrogen 100 kg/ha and the spacing 5515cm, there were also larger gross returns (INR 83809.00/ha), net returns (INR 58133.00/ha), and B:C ratios (2.26).
Reports on Plasmodium falciparum Histidine Rich Protein 2/3 Gene Deletions among African Countries between January 2010 and December 2021 Employed Different Methodological Approaches: A Systematic Review
Authors: Sylvester Boniphace
Published: April 2023

Background: Plasmodium falciparum histidine rich protein 2/3 gene deletions (Pfhrp2/3gd) threatens usefulness of mRDT in diagnosing malaria cases. This review was performed to assess the methods used to report findings on those deletions between January 2010 and December 2021.

Methods: Present search was performed using Medline, Google Scholar and PubMed.

Results: Out of 94 articles identified, 19% (n=18) were included. Reviewed articles varied in methods employed to report those deletions.

Conclusion: Methodological approaches for the Reports between January 2010 and December 2021 on Pfhrp2/3gd are varying and this implies that the findings may not be generalized. Prospective studies aiming at assessing Pfhrp2/3gd need to consider WHO guidelines since such studies are important in assessing the magnitude of Pfhrp2/3gd and therefore provide information towards formulating and change of policies aiming at malaria control.
Solid Waste Management Problems, Solutions, Types and Its Effects; A Case Study of Okpoko Community
Authors: Tochukwu Mmeka Paschal , Chidiogo Okutalukwe Anthony , Kenneth Nnakee Chukwuma
Published: April 2023

The aim of this study is to get to know the nature of solid waste management in Okpoko, identify the problems with the current management, and find a possible solution to them, thus creating a well-arranged environment where everyone can stay with no problem of solid waste. A field survey was conducted to get the opinion of the residents living in that particular area. After an analysis was done on the answers given to us by the residents with the help of the questionnaire that was shared, we finally learned the nature of the current solid waste management practiced there, which was mostly landfill, and the problems they were facing, such as air pollution caused by the open incineration (burning) of solid wastes. A possible solution was also found, which was the recycling and reuse of these solid wastes. The analysis method used for this study was Multiple Linear Regression (SPSS).
An Improved Wavelength Diversity Based Free Space Optical Link: Effects of Fog and Atmospheric Turbulence
Authors: Bello Nasiba Muhammad , Halliru Sani , Babale Suleiman Aliyu , Abbdullahi Maryam Amal
Published: April 2023

Free-space optical (FSO) communication systems have received a lot of attention from academia and industries due to their low cost, high security and data rates for various wireless communication applications. However, factors such as fog and atmospheric turbulence degrade the performance of the FSO communication system. Therefore, this study presents an improved wavelength diversity based free space optical link using a single channel approach. The authors employed both Kim and Al-Naboulsi’s models to model the attenuation-induced FSO link. Furthermore, the Gamma-Gamma turbulent model was utilized to explain the turbulent nature of the FSO communication link. Experimental results showed improved performance in terms of Bit Error Rate (BER) and Quality factor of the FSO link up to a distance of 7km compared to the multiple channel approach that gives a signal output for distances less than 3km only. Hence, the impact of attenuation on the FSO link was reduced and the performance of the system was enhanced under fog and atmospheric turbulence conditions.
Acute Pancreatitis- A Lesser-known Complication of Celphos Poisoning- A Case Report
Authors: Raina Rohit , Jain Vikram , Thokchom Nonita , Agarwal Mayank , Gupta Vinod , Jha Dipesh , Pathania Monika
Published: April 2023

Aluminium phosphide is used to control rodents and pests in grain storage facilities. It is readily available as a fumigant for stored cereal grains and sold under various brand names such as QuickPhos, Salphos and Celphos. It acts by causing cellular hypoxia by its effect on mitochondria, causing inhibition of cytochrome C and by free radicals induced injury with no available antidote. Aluminium phosphide affects various systems, more commonly causing gastrointestinal tract irritation causing marked abdominal pain, shock with refractory hypotension  by direct toxicity to heart and various arrythmias, acute respiratory distress syndrome and respiratory failure. Less common features include hepatotoxicity, intravascular haemolysis with methemoglobinemia and/or renal failure. Here we present a case of 24-year-oldnon-alcoholic male, with history of ingestion of approximately6grams of Celphos. At presentation he was drowsy with 2 episodes of vomiting immediately after ingestion of toxin. On subsequent investigations patient was found to have acute pancreatitis which responded to standard fluid resuscitation and acute kidney injury for which 3 episodes of haemodialysis were required. His condition subsequently improved and did not require further dialysis.
There have been only few case reports on aluminium phosphide poisoning primarily causing acute pancreatitis and acute kidney injury. In this case report, we present the case of a young man presented with consumption of aluminium phosphide and then developed acute pancreatitis and acute kidney injury without involvement of other organ systems including heart.
Multifunctionalized Safe Separator Toward Practical Sodium‐Metal Batteries with High‐Performance under High Mass Loading
Authors: Li Menghong , Lu Guanjie , Zheng Weikang , Zhao Qiannan , Li Zhipeng , Jiang Xiaoping , Yang Zuguang , Li Zongyang , Qu Baihua , Xu Chaohe
Published: April 2023

Introducing sodium as anode to develop sodium metal batteries (SMBs) is a promising approach for improving the energy density of sodium‐ion batteries. However, fatal problems, such as uncontrollable sodium dendrite growth, unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in low‐cost carbonate‐based electrolytes, and serious safety issues, greatly impede the practical applications. Here, a multifunctionalized separator is rationally designed, by coating PP separator (<25 µm) with a solid‐state NASICON‐type fast ionic conductor layer (NZSP@PP) to replace the widely used thick glass fiber separator (>200 µm) and successfully solves all of the above problems, and for the first time creats high performance SMBs by using Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) cathodes in pouch cell. The Na||NVP full cells can stably cycle over 1200 times with capacity retention of 80% at a high rate of 10 C and deliver a specific capacity of 80 mAh g−1 even at high rate of 30 C, indicating extraordinary fast‐charging characters. The full SMBs can also stably cycle 200 times with a retention of 96.4% under high NVP loading of 10.7 mg cm−2. Most importantly, the SMB pouch cell can also deliver a long‐life cycles as well as high‐temperature battery performance, which guarantees the safety of SMBs in practical application.
Inhibition of Tumor Metastasis by Liquid‐Nitrogen‐Shocked Tumor Cells with Oncolytic Viruses Infection
Authors: Wu Qing , Huang Hanwei , Sun Mengchi , Zhang Ruizhe , Wang Junxia , Zheng Hanqi , Zhu Chaojie , Yang Shihua , Shen Xinyuan , Shi Jiaqi , Liu Feng , Wu Wei , Sun Jin , Liu Funan , Li Hongjun , Gu Zhen
Published: April 2023

Despite the superior tumor lytic efficacy of oncolytic viruses (OVs), their systemic delivery still faces the challenges of limited circulating periods, poor tumor tropism, and spontaneous antiviral immune responses. Herein, a virus‐concealed tumor‐targeting strategy enabling OVs‘ delivery toward lung metastasis via systemic administration is described. The OVs can actively infect, be internalized, and cloak into tumor cells. Then the tumor cells are subsequently treated with liquid‐nitrogen‐shocking to eliminate the pathogenicity. Such a Trojan Horse‐like vehicle avoids virus neutralization and clearance in the bloodstream and facilitates tumor‐targeted delivery for more than 110‐fold virus enrichment in the tumor metastasis. In addition, this strategy can serve as a tumor vaccine and initiate endogenous adaptive antitumor effects through increasing the memory T cells and modulating the tumor immune microenvironment, including reducing the M2 macrophage, downregulating Treg cells, and priming T cells.
Highly Ordered Supramolecular Materials of Phase‐Separated Block Molecules for Long‐Range Exciton Transport
Authors: van Son Martin H. C. , Berghuis Anton M. , de Waal Bas F. M. , Wenzel Felix A. , Kreger Klaus , Schmidt Hans‐Werner , Rivas Jaime Gómez , Vantomme Ghislaine , Meijer E. W.
Published: April 2023

Efficient energy transport over long distances is essential for optoelectronic and light‐harvesting devices. Although self‐assembled nanofibers of organic molecules are shown to exhibit long exciton diffusion lengths, alignment of these nanofibers into films with large, organized domains with similar properties remains a challenge. Here, it is shown how the functionalization ofC3‐symmetric carbonyl‐bridged triarylamine trisamide (CBT) with oligodimethylsiloxane (oDMS) side chains of discrete length leads to fully covered surfaces with aligned domains up to 125 × 70 µm2in which long‐range exciton transport takes place. The nanoscale morphology within the domains consists of highly ordered nanofibers with discrete intercolumnar spacings within a soft amorphousoDMS matrix. TheoDMS prevents bundling of the CBT fibers, reducing the number of defects within the CBT columns. As a result, the columns have a high degree of coherence, leading to exciton diffusion lengths of a few hundred nanometers with exciton diffusivities (≈0.05 cm2s−1) that are comparable to those of a crystalline tetracene. These findings represent the next step toward fully covered surfaces of highly aligned nanofibers through functionalization withoDMS.
Hepatic arteriovenous malformation
Authors: Shionoya Kento , Kako Makoto
Published: April 2023

Hepatic arteriovenous malformation occurs hyperpulsatile heart failure, hepatic encephalopathy, and ascites as clinical symptoms. Oral medication are effective, but hepatic angioembolization or heart surgery in case of its symptoms worsen.
DBSDS: A dual‐blockchain security data sharing model with supervision and privacy‐protection
Authors: Zhang Yuqing , Ma Zhaofeng , Luo Shoushan , Wang Shushuang , Duan Pengfei , Liu Xiao
Published: April 2023

With the rapid development of big data technology and applications, sharing and supervision of massive data have become the demand of industry development. As an emerging technology, blockchain, with excellent characteristics, can promote the prosperity and development of the data‐sharing industry. However, the existing blockchain may lead to some privacy and security issues due to its transparency and lack of supervision. Hence, a secure data sharing model with supervision and privacy protection, named DBSDS, was proposed, which supports illegal content supervision and users revocation, and possesses flexible and fine‐grained access control on data sharing. Firstly, it introduces a dual‐blockchain architecture, one blockchain is used to ensure the integrity and traceability of private data and another is utilized to supervise illegal users so that they can no longer upload and share private data. Secondly, a key tracing tree was built and correspondingly different key generation strategies for different users were designed, which endows regulators with supervision capabilities. Finally, combined ABPER‐KS algorithm, both privacy protection and fine‐grained access control on private data can be accomplished. Furthermore, security analysis and performance comparison manifest that DBSDS is safe and owns better performance, and scheme implementation and experimental analysis indicate the practicality of DBSDS.
Using near‐infrared spectroscopy to investigate the effects of pressures and durations of cupping therapy on muscle blood volume and oxygenation
Authors: Li Yameng , Mo Pu‐Chun , Lin Cheng‐Feng , Pauly Serah , Kundal Nikeeta , Hernandez Manuel E. , Jan Yih‐Kuen
Published: April 2023

Cupping therapy has been widely used to manage musculoskeletal impairment. However, the effects of pressure and duration of cupping therapy on the hemodynamic activity of the muscle have not been investigated. A 2 × 2 repeated measures factorial design was used to examine the main effect and interaction of pressure (−225 and −300 mmHg) and duration (5 and 10 min) on biceps muscle blood flow using near‐infrared spectroscopy in 18 participants. The results showed that a significant interaction is between pressure and duration on deoxy‐hemoglobin (p = 0.045). A significant main effect of pressure is on oxyhemoglobin (p = 0.005) and a significant main effect of duration is on oxyhemoglobin (p = 0.005). Cupping therapy at −300 mmHg for 10 min results in a higher oxyhemoglobin (6.75 ± 2.08 μM) and deoxy‐hemoglobin (1.71 ± 0.78 μM) compared to other three combinations. Our study provides first evidence that the pressure and duration factors of cupping therapy can significantly affect muscle blood volume and oxygenation.
MitoEVs: A new player in multiple disease pathology and treatment
Authors: Zhou Xiyue , Liu Shuyun , Lu Yanrong , Wan Meihua , Cheng Jingqiu , Liu Jingping
Published: April 2023

Mitochondrial damage plays vital roles in the pathology of many diseases, such as cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, aging, metabolic diseases and many types of organ injury. However, the regulatory mechanism of mitochondrial functions among different cells or organs in vivo is still unclear, and efficient therapies for attenuating mitochondrial damage are urgently needed. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell‐derived nanovesicles that can deliver bioactive cargoes among cells or organs. Interestingly, recent evidence shows that diverse mitochondrial contents are enriched in certain EV subpopulations, and such mitoEVs can deliver mitochondrial components to affect the functions of recipient cells under different conditions, which has emerged as a hot topic in this field. However, the overview and many essential questions with respect to this event remain elusive. In this review, we provide a global view of mitoEVs biology and mainly focus on the detailed sorting mechanisms, functional mitochondrial contents, and diverse biological effects of mitoEVs. We also discuss the pathogenic or therapeutic roles of mitoEVs in different diseases and highlight their potential as disease biomarkers or therapies in clinical translation. This review will provide insights into the pathology and drug development for various mitochondrial injury‐related diseases.
A case report of CBD and THC as analgesic therapy in a cat with chronic osteoarthritic pain
Authors: Gutierre E , Crosignani N , García‐Carnelli C , di Mateo A , Recchi L
Published: April 2023

A 10‐year‐old mixed breed male cat presented with clinical signs related to chronic orthopaedic pain. Upon physical examination, pain was noted, based on the feline Musculoskeletal Pain Index (FMPI). An analgesic treatment with a full spectrum cannabis oil (1.8% CBD and 0.8% THC) was proposed for 30 days (0,5 mg/kg based on CBD). The FMPI scale score decreased more than 50%. This case reported a satisfactory outcome for the patient and the owner, although this medication could increase ALT. Given the paucity of literature published to date on the treatment of veterinary species with cannabis‐based medications, further clinical and pharmacokinetic studies are necessary to study the safety and efficacy of its use.
A classification‐prediction joint framework to accelerate QTMT‐based CU partition of inter‐mode VVC
Authors: Peng Zixiao , Shen Liquan
Published: April 2023

Aiming at accelerating the inter coding of versatile video coding (VVC), the existing deep‐learning‐based methods utilize a single convolutional neural network (CNN) to directly predict the quadtree plus multi‐type tree (QTMT)‐based partition of the whole coding tree unit (CTU). However, these methods adopt one prediction network for unevenly distributed CTUs and ignore that the different CTUs have different partition prediction difficulties, leading to performance degradation and computation waste. To overcome these limitations, a classification‐prediction joint framework is proposed to accelerate inter coding of VVC in this letter, which combines classification and prediction to process different CTUs through different networks with appropriate capacities. To achieve effective partition prediction of the whole CTU, the QTMT‐based partition is first modeled as the partition homogeneity map (PHM), which is a value map reflecting the partition of each 8× 8 unit. Second, the classification module classifies the CTUs into different classes according to their partition prediction difficulty, and then different prediction sub‐networks with appropriate capacities are utilized to predict the PHM for the corresponding CTU class. Finally, the decision tree (DT) is adopted to determine the optimal split modes based on the predicted PHM. Experimental results show that the approach achieves 44.5% time saving with 1.94% BD‐BR increase, outperforming state‐of‐the‐art approaches.
An ultra‐low quiescent current tri‐mode DC–DC boost converter with 95.6% peak efficiency for internet of things application
Authors: Zheng Lixia , Song Zhuli , Guo Pengyu , Guo Junjie , Chang Changyuan , Huang Peirong , Lu Li
Published: April 2023

An ultra‐low quiescent current tri‐mode DC–DC boost converter is proposed in this paper, which can efficiently handle loads from 1 μA to 300 mA, providing 5‐V output from 3 to 4.2‐V input. Hysteresis current mode control is adopted to realize seamless mode switching between continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). In order to deal with the light load situation, this paper proposes a quasi burst mode (QBM). In this mode, most of the modules are turned off and only the QBM controller, low‐power current bias and sample and hold circuit are retained, which significantly reduces the static current of the converter, and thus improves the light load efficiency. Meanwhile, the average current of error amplifier and comparator are reduced significantly by dynamic biasing. Finally, the efficiency of the converter is greatly improved and kept at a reasonable output ripple. The proposed converter is implemented in a 0.13‐μm BCD process design and manufacturing. The test results show that the quiescent current of the converter is only 780 nA, which can achieve a peak efficiency of 95.6%, and ensure that the efficiency is maintained above 80% in the load range of 10 μA to 300 mA.
Wireless communications “N + 1 dimensionality” endogenous anti-jamming: theory and techniques
Authors: Yao Fuqiang , Zhu Yonggang , Sun Yifu , Guo Wenlong
Published: April 2023

The existing theory and techniques of wireless communication anti-jamming have reached their performance limit recently. With this focus, by leveraging the inherent characteristics of wireless communication and referring to the principle of cyberspace endogenous security, this paper investigates the core issues of endogenous security in the electromagnetic space, namely, endogenous anti-jamming (EAJ), which can defend against unknown electromagnetic attacks effectively. Specifically, the subspace method is first adopted to establish the unified framework for the conventional spread-spectrum, intelligent, and endogenous anti-jamming, in which both the intrinsic development law of each technique and the internal logic between them are revealed. Then, the fundamental concept, key techniques, and development suggestions of wireless communication “N + 1 dimensionality” endogenous anti-jamming are proposed to seek a disruptive breakthrough.
Impact of Presence, Level, and Closure of a Stoma on Growth in Young Children: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Eeftinck Schattenkerk Laurens Donald , Vogel Irene , de Jong Justin R. , Tanis Pieter J. , Gorter Ramon , Tabbers Merit , van Heurn L. W. Ernest , Musters Gijsbert , Derikx Joep P. M.
Published: April 2023

Introduction A stoma will cause nutrients loss which could result in impaired growth. Impaired growth can negatively impact long-term development. This study aims to evaluate: (1) the effect of stomas on growth comparing small bowel stoma versus colostomy and (2) if early closure (within 6 weeks), proximal small bowel stoma (within 50 cm of Treitz), major small bowel resection (≥ 30 cm), or adequate sodium supplementation (urinary level ≤ 30 mmol/L) influences growth.

Methods Young children (≤ 3 years) treated with stomas between 1998 and 2018 were retrospectively identified. Growth was measured with weight-for-age Z-scores. Malnourishment was defined using the World Health Organization's definition. Comparison between changes in Z-scores at creation, closure, and a year following closure was done by Friedman's test with post hoc Wilcoxon's signed rank test or Wilcoxon's rank-sum test when necessary.

Results In the presence of a stoma in 172 children, 61% showed growth decline. Severe malnourishment was seen at the time of stoma closure in 51% of the patients treated by small bowel stoma and 16% of those treated by colostomy. Within a year following stoma closure, 67% showed a positive growth trend. Having a proximal small bowel stoma and undergoing major small bowel resection led to significantly lower Z-scores at closure. Adequate sodium supplementation and early closure did not lead to significant changes in Z-scores.

Conclusion Stomas have a negative impact on growth in the majority of children. This impact might be decreased by preventing small bowel stomas when possible, specifically proximal stomas, and limiting small bowel resection. Since stoma closure is essential in reversing the negative effect on growth, we opt that early closure might result in an early shift to catch-up growth.
Persistently non-compliant employment practice in the informal economy: permissive visibility in a multiple regulator setting
Authors: Clark Ian , Collins Alan , Hunter James , Pickford Richard , Barratt Jack , Fearnall-Williams Huw
Published: April 2023

The growing significance of non-compliant employment practice in the British economy has motivated scrutiny of the effectiveness of current regulation. In some markets, charges of labour exploitation, underpayment of the national minimum wage and associated ‘wage theft’ from workers are rife where business operations are characterised by academics, regulators and stakeholders as exuding ‘permissive visibility’. The current landscape of enforcement and regulation of informal business and employment practices features complex structural and operational issues for regulators subject to tight resource constraints. These enable permissiveness and offer scope for strategic regulatory tolerance of some violation types, possibly to raise compliance rates for other types of violations. Drawing on extensive empirical evidence and qualitative data sources in one market sector (hand car washes), this study investigates some key hypotheses focussing on compliance and responses by businesses and regulators to the extant regulatory regime. These inform a pragmatic institutional analysis considering the merits of some movement towards a single enforcement body instead of the existing arrangements featuring multiple regulatory institutions.
Assessing the use of supplementary materials to improve genomic variant discovery
Authors: Pasche Emilie , Mottaz Anaïs , Gobeill Julien , Michel Pierre-André , Caucheteur Déborah , Naderi Nona , Ruch Patrick
Published: April 2023

The curation of genomic variants requires collecting evidence not only in variant knowledge bases but also in the literature. However, some variants result in no match when searched in the scientific literature. Indeed, it has been reported that a significant subset of information related to genomic variants are not reported in the full text, but only in the supplementary materials associated with a publication. In the study, we present an evaluation of the use of supplementary data (SD) to improve the retrieval of relevant scientific publications for variant curation. Our experiments show that searching SD enables to significantly increase the volume of documents retrieved for a variant, thus reducing by ∼63% the number of variants for which no match is found in the scientific literature. SD thus represent a paramount source of information for curating variants of unknown significance and should receive more attention by global research infrastructures, which maintain literature search engines.

Database URL https://www.expasy.org/resources/variomes
Spoken Sentence Complexity and Grammar Use in Children with CIs
Authors: Socher Michaela , Ingo Elisabeth
Published: April 2023

This study investigated if the language profiles of prelingually deaf children with bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) and children with typical hearing (TH) matched on their quantitative score on clinical spoken expressive language tasks differed in terms of sentence complexity, sentence length, and severity of grammatical errors. No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of (1) proportion of simple, conjoined, and complex sentences; (2) mean length of utterance based on words and syllables; and (3) proportion of local and global grammatical errors. The results indicate that the quantitative scores on the clinical spoken expressive language tasks are related to similar spoken language profiles in children with CIs and children with TH. These findings suggest that these tests can be used for meaningful comparisons of expressive spoken language skills. However, more studies are needed on the real-life expressive language skills of children with CIs, as clinical tests often rely on one specific modality (in this study: spoken language) and might therefore not accurately represent the language skills of the children.
Frailty prevalence and efficient screening in primary care-based memory clinics
Authors: Lee Linda , Jones Aaron , Patel Tejal , Hillier Loretta M , Heckman George A , Costa Andrew P
Published: April 2023

Background

Little is known about the prevalence of frailty among patients with memory concerns attending a primary care-based memory clinic.

Objective

This study aims to describe the prevalence of frailty among patients attending a primary care-based memory clinic and to determine if prevalence rates differ based on the screening tool that is used.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective medical record review for all consecutive patients assessed in a primary care-based memory clinic over 8 months. Frailty was measured in 258 patients using the Fried frailty criteria, which relies on physical measures, and the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), which relies on functional status. Weighted kappa statistics were calculated to compare the Fried frailty and the CFS.

Results

The prevalence of frailty was 16% by Fried criteria and 48% by the CFS. Agreement between Fried frailty and CFS was fair for CFS 5+ (kappa = 0.22; 95% confidence interval: 0.13, 0.32) and moderate for CFS 6+ (kappa = 0.47; 0.34, 0.61). Dual-trait measures of hand grip strength with gait speed were found to be a valid proxy for Fried frailty phenotype.

Conclusions

Among primary care patients with memory concerns, frailty prevalence rates differed based on the measure used. Screening for frailty in this population using measures relying on physical performance may be a more efficient approach for persons already at risk of further health instability from cognitive impairment. Our findings demonstrate how measure selection should be based on the objectives and context in which frailty screening occurs.
Assessing the longitudinal effects of the continuation and discontinuation of the school-located influenza vaccination programme on parental vaccine hesitancy in Hong Kong
Authors: Dong Meihong , Ip Dennis Kai Ming , Yuan Jiehu , So Hau Chi , Cowling Benjamin J , Liao Qiuyan
Published: April 2023

Background

School-located influenza vaccination programme (SIVP) can effectively promote childhood seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV). However, the longitudinal effects of continuation and discontinuation of the SIVP on parents’ vaccine hesitancy remained unknown.

Methods

A two-wave longitudinal study recruited adult parents who had at least one child attending a kindergarten or primary school using random-digital-dialled telephone interviews. Generalized estimating equation and structural equation modelling were used to examine the impact of changes in schools’ SIVP participation status on parents’ vaccine-related attitudes, and childhood SIV acceptance over 2 years in Hong Kong.

Results

Children’s SIV uptake varied by the schools’ SIVP participation status. The highest SIV uptake was found in schools that consistently participated in SIVP (Consistent participation group) (2018/2019: 85.0%; 2019/2020: 83.0%) but lowest in the Consistent non-Participation group (2018/2019: 45.0%; 2019/2020: 39.0%). SIV uptake increased in the Late Initiation group but declined in the Discontinuation group. An increasing trend of parental vaccine-hesitant attitudes was observed in the Consistent non-Participation group.

Conclusions

Initiation and continuation of the SIVP can reduce parental vaccine hesitancy to achieve a high childhood SIV uptake. Conversely, discontinuation of the SIVP or persistent resistance to the implementation of SIVP can increase parental vaccine hesitancy and reduce childhood SIV uptake.
Neural and behavioral signatures of the multidimensionality of manipulable object processing
Authors: Almeida J. , Fracasso A. , Kristensen S. , Valério D. , Bergström F. , Chakravarthi R. , Tal Z. , Walbrin J.
Published: April 2023

Understanding how we recognize everyday objects requires unravelling the variables that govern the way we think about objects and the way in which our representations are organized neurally. A major hypothesis is that the organization of object knowledge follows key object-related dimensions, analogously to how sensory information is organized in the brain. Here, we explored, behaviorally and neurally, the multidimensionality of object processing. We focused on within-domain object information as a proxy for the kinds of object decision tasks we typically engage in our daily lives – e.g., identifying a knife from other types of manipulable objects such as spoons, axes or screwdrivers. To do so, we extracted object-related dimensions from subjective human judgments on a set of objects from a particular object domain – i.e., manipulable objects. We demonstrated that the extracted dimensions are cognitively interpretable – i.e., participants are able to label them; are cognitively relevant for manipulable object processing – i.e., categorization decisions are guided by these dimensions; and are important for the neural organization of knowledge – i.e., they are good predictors of the neural signals elicited by manipulable objects. This shows that multidimensionality is a hallmark of the organization of object knowledge in the brain.
Angular head velocity cells within brainstem nuclei projecting to the head direction circuit
Authors: Graham Jalina A. , Dumont Julie R. , Winter Shawn S. , Brown Joel E. , LaChance Patrick A. , Amon Carly C. , Farnes Kara B. , Morris Ashlyn J. , Streltzov Nicholas A. , Taube Jeffrey S.
Published: April 2023

An animal’s perceived sense of orientation depends upon the head direction (HD) system found in several limbic structures and depends upon an intact peripheral vestibular labyrinth. However, how the vestibular system influences the generation, maintenance, and updating of the HD signal remains poorly understood. Anatomical and lesion studies point towards three key brainstem nuclei as being potential critical components in generating the HD signal: nucleus prepositus hypoglossi (NPH), supragenual nucleus (SGN), and dorsal paragigantocellularis reticular nuclei (PGRNd). Collectively, these nuclei are situated between the vestibular nuclei and the dorsal tegmental and lateral mammillary nuclei, which are thought to serve as the origin of the HD signal. To test this hypothesis, extracellular recordings were made in these areas while rats either freely foraged in a cylindrical environment or were restrained and rotated passively. During foraging, a large subset of cells in all three nuclei exhibited activity that correlated with changes in the rat’s angular head velocity (AHV). Two fundamental types of AHV cells were observed: 1) symmetrical AHV cells increased or decreased their neural firing with increases in AHV regardless of the direction of rotation; 2) asymmetrical AHV cells responded differentially to clockwise (CW) and counter-clockwise (CCW) head rotations. When rats were passively rotated, some AHV cells remained sensitive to AHV whereas others had attenuated firing. In addition, a large number of AHV cells were modulated by linear head velocity. These results indicate the types of information conveyed in the ascending vestibular pathways that are responsible for generating the HD signal.

Significance Statement

Extracellular recording of brainstem nuclei (nucleus prepositus hypoglossi, supragenual nucleus, and dorsal paragigantocellularis reticular nucleus) that project to the head direction circuit identified different types of angular head velocity (AHV) cells while rats freely foraged in a cylindrical environment. The firing of many cells was also modulated by linear velocity. When rats were restrained and passively rotated some cells remained sensitive to AHV, whereas others had attenuated firing. These brainstem nuclei provide critical information about the rotational movement of the rat’s head in the azimuthal plane.