bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A seletividade penal brasileira, seu momento de maior incidência e o ciclo da injustiça histórica
Authors: Afonso Paulo Adaias Carvalho , Trad Filho Fábio Ricardo , Flores Andrea
Published: September 2022

O presente trabalho se instaura a partir de uma visão dos Direitos Humanos, observando que a justiça criminal brasileira funciona, muitas das vezes, ainda sob premissas coloniais. Nota-se que, o grupo dos encarcerados em nosso país é majoritariamente formado por membros de grupos oprimidos, desde os primórdios coloniais, como os indígenas e os negros, mas sobretudo os pobres. É contra eles que a balança da justiça pesa de maneira muito mais contundente. Sob a ótica do professor Boaventura de Souza Santos, é aferível que a constatação de maior inflição de sofrimento a certos cidadãos, ainda aqueles marginalizados e excluídos social e economicamente na época da colonização, é produto da turbulência entre raízes e opções o que acaba por gerar tanto a injustiça cognitiva quanto a injustiça histórica, esta segunda, será objeto de análise mais profunda neste artigo. Ademais, outro conceito muito valioso para a análise deste fenômeno histórico social e calcado também pelo professor Boaventura de Souza Santos é o conceito de democracia elitista que será, também, abordado neste trabalho, realizando um paralelo entre estes conceitos teóricos e a prática punitiva atual no Estado brasileiro. O artigo se utilizará do método de abordagem dedutivo e do método de procedimento bibliográfico, apoiando-se nas teorias de autores da chamada teoria crítica que terão algumas de suas ideias e conceitos, sinteticamente, utilizados como ferramentas de compreensão do problema que é a seletividade penal em solo brasileiro.
A Comparative Study on HRD Maturity, Organizational Commitment, Innovation Behavior, and Innovative Culture in Health and Social Care Organizations
Authors:   The Association of Korea Counseling Psychology Education Welfare, JIN Sun-Mi , SONG Yun-Hee
Published: September 2022

In this study, HRD maturity, organizational commitment, innovation behavior, and innovationculture level were examined to understand the HRD situation of public and privateorganizations under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The subjects of this study were thosein charge of education or HRD at public and private organizations, and 119 persons respondedto the survey. The collected data were analyzed using the independent sample t-test andone-way ANOVA. As a result of the study, it was found that the innovation behavior andinnovation culture of private organizations were higher than that of public organizations. HRDoperation maturity, performance maturity, and innovation culture were found to be higher in thewelfare organizations than in the health and welfare organizations. HRD strategy maturity,operational maturity, performance maturity and innovation culture were found to be higher inorganizations with less than 50 employees than in organizations with more than 50 employees. There were differences in HRD strategy, operation, and infrastructure maturity depending on theavailability of professionals. There were differences in strategic maturity, organizationalcommitment, and innovation behavior according to the HRD work period. It was found thatmanagers had higher organizational commitment and innovative behavior than executives. Theresults of this study will be basic data for education and training, career development, andorganizational development as well as determining policy directions of health and welfareorganizations.
Effect of Parental Attachment on Adolescent Excessive Gaming: Mediating Role of Peer Attachment
Authors:   The Association of Korea Counseling Psychology Education Welfare, LEE Do-Jin , SONG Hyeon-Ji , KIM Ju-Eun
Published: September 2022

Previous research has consistently shown that adolescents with poor relationships with theirparents or peers are likely to be involved in excessive gaming. However, no research has beenconducted on relationship of parental attachment, peer attachment, and excessive gaming. Thuswe examined a mediating role of peer attachment in the effect of parental attachment onexcessive gaming. Our participants were 584 middle and high school students in D city(meanage=14.61; SD=2.42; males 51.5%). The mediation analysis results demonstrated a significantpartial mediation, adolescents with low levels of parental attachment were more likely to havelow levels of peer attachment, as a result, were more prone to engage in excessive gaming. Furthermore, parental attachment also directly affected excessive gaming. The partial mediatingeffects were not significantly vary as a function of sex. Our findings indicate that it is imperativeto consider adolescent parental and peer attachment and to monitor the effects of parentalattachment on peer attachment in excessive gaming interventions.
Civil liability in the context of disaster law: a sustainable recovery based on gender equality in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Brasil Deilton Ribeiro , Mattar Daniela Costa Soares
Published: September 2022

This paper aims to analyze civil liability in the light of disaster law, within the paradigm of risk society, based on a sustainable recovery found on gender equality in Latin America and the Caribbean. The proposed theme is justified providing the situation of vulnerability in which humanity is, especially Latin America and the Caribbean, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding the research results, it is clear that by approaching a sustainable recovery based on gender equality, it is proposed to rebuild a new post-pandemic development model of COVID-19, in compliance with the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Importantly, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda and show an open, indivisible perspective and renewed international collaboration. In this research, among the 17 SDGs, we will address SDG 5 – Gender Equality as the basis for the reconstruction of Latin America and the Caribbean post-pandemic COVID-19.
Metabolic targets in cardiac aging and rejuvenation
Authors: Liu Chang , Zhang Xiao , Hu Meiyu , Lu Yi , Gokulnath Priyanka , Vulugundam Gururaja , Xiao Junjie
Published: September 2022

Cardiac aging is accompanied by progressive loss of cellular function, leading to impaired heart function and heart failure. There is an urgent need for efficient strategies to combat this age-related cardiac dysfunction. A growing number of events suggest that age-related cardiac diseases are tightly related to metabolic imbalance. This review summarizes recent findings concerning metabolic changes during cardiac aging and highlights the therapeutic approaches that target metabolic pathways in cardiac aging.
New species and a revision of the genus Peperomia (Piperaceae) in Thailand
Authors:   Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand, Suwanphakdee Chalermpol , Hodkinson Trevor R. ,   Department of Botany, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D2, Ireland, Chantaranothai Pranom ,   Department of Biology and Center of Excellence Biology (BCD), Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Published: September 2022

We update the descriptions of seventeen native species of Peperomia in Thailand, including a new species, P. ranongensis, and a detailed morphological description for the uncommon species P. kotana based on Thai specimens. We provide a generic description, a key to all the species and provide lectotypifications for P. bavina, P. heyneana, P. laticaulis, P. nakaharae and P. reflexa var. parvifolia. Five species, P. heptaphylla, P. masuthoniana, P. multisurcula, P. ranongensis and P. sirindhorniana, are endemic to Thailand. Peperomia pellucida is a common pantropical species. Eight species, namely P. cavaleriei, P. dindygulensis, P. heyneana, P. laevifolia, P. masuthoniana, P. moulmeiniana, P. multisurcula and P. sirindhorniana have a high potential for development as ornamental plants.
Seed Pests of Woody Legume Seed Beetles (Bruhinae: Chrysomelidae, Coleoptera) and the Potential of Measures of Host Plant Biocontrol in the Republic of Serbia
Authors: Gagić-Serdar Renata , Marković Miroslava , Đorđević Ilija , Rakonjac Ljubinko , Lučić Aleksandar
Published: September 2022

In order to reduce negative effects of application of chemical agents, biological control is becoming increasingly important. This paper therefore focused on research of effects of certain types of seed beetles on control of invasive plant species in Serbia. Numerous sources suggest that for legumes and seed beetles Bruhinae: Chrysomelidae the rule of coexistence in pairs applies in all ecozones. The species rely on one another, primarily in terms of geographical origin or association, thus one plant species is frequently attacked by only one type of seed beetle. Being confirmed to be expressly monophagous, bruchins have proven to be excellent potential agents of control of invasive and harmful host plants (to date, false indigo-bush in Serbia), as is the case of the seed beetle of Persian silk tree, which has been registered as monophagous in Serbia for the first time, making it the number one potential agent in control of the host plant – Persian silk tree in Greece. Standard entomological methods were used, from sample collections, to experiments in photo-eclectors, during dissection counting and placing the seed for development inside by the method 1 flacon – 1 seed, to maintain precise records of the origin of the emerged insects and their numbers, within standard laboratory conditions. The conditions favoring the expansion of the plant have already developed due to climatic circumstances (changes in terms of heat extremes – global warming and precipitation), and it is now gradually becoming invasive. Parasitoid accumulation of roughly one-third (30%) of the total number of false indigo-bush pods makes the false indigo-tree seed beetle a viable candidate for the status of a bioagent. The species has the extreme potential for the application of biological measures which is now quickly gaining importance, all for the purposes of developing the integral control of the plants. Species Acanthoscelides pallidipennis and Bruchidius terrenus have been recorded in this research for the first time in Serbia, while calendars of development have been made for the researched bruchin species, which represents a significant scientific contribution.
Surveying Hate and Its Effects During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
Authors: Shimkhada Riti , Ponce Ninez A.
Published: September 2022

Objectives. To summarize data collection on anti–Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) experiences during COVID-19 and measure the associations of anti-AANHPI hate incidents with mental health, health access, and public safety among AANHPI adults.

Methods. We cataloged COVID-19 surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021 on anti-AANHPI experiences. We then analyzed the 2020 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) AANHPI COVID-19 module by constructing a variable of experiencing or witnessing a hate incident and estimating its associations with serious psychological distress, forgone care, and perceived neighborhood safety.

Results. Estimates of being a victim of a hate incident ranged from 6% to 30%. In the CHIS, 28% of respondents experienced or witnessed a hate incident. Experiencing or witnessing a hate incident was significantly associated with serious psychological distress (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 5.33), forgoing care (AOR = 2.27), and not feeling safe in one’s neighborhood (AOR = 2.70).

Conclusions. Evidence from a multitude of data sources corroborates the toll of hate incidents suffered by AANHPIs. Findings regarding the negative effects of anti-AANHPI hate on mental health, health access, and public safety compel public and private investment to end victimization of AANHPI communities. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(10):1446–1453. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306977 )
Ecological model development : evaluation of system quality
Authors: McKay S. , Richards Nate , Swannack Todd
Published: September 2022

Ecological models are used throughout the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to inform decisions related to ecosystem restoration, water operations, environmental impact assessment, environmental mitigation, and other topics. Ecological models are typically developed in phases of conceptualization, quantification, evaluation, application, and communication. Evaluation is a process for assessing the technical quality, reliability, and ecological basis of a model and includes techniques such as calibration, verification, validation, and review. In this technical note (TN), we describe an approach for evaluating system quality, which generally includes the computational integrity, numerical accuracy, and programming of a model or modeling system. Methods are presented for avoiding computational errors during development, detecting errors through model testing, and updating models based on review and use. A formal structure is proposed for model test plans and subsequently demonstrated for a hypothetical habitat suitability model. Overall, this TN provides ecological modeling practitioners with a rapid guide for evaluating system quality.
A Study of Swirling Jet Drilling and Its Specific Energy for Hydrate-Bearing Sediments
Authors: Zhang Yiqun , Hu Xiao , Wu Xiaoya , Li Gensheng , Li Jingbin , Tian Shoucheng , Shen Kaixiang
Published: September 2022

Natural gas hydrate (NGH) is a form of clean energy. The marine NGH solid fluidization exploitation method and the integrated radial jet drilling and completion method are considered as two ways to improve gas production, and water jet is the key technology of the two mining methods. This paper first compared the flow field distribution of conical jet and swirling jet at different outlet velocities through numerical simulation. The volume change of conical jet and swirling jet erosion hydrate-bearing sediment (HBS) was analyzed when the jet outlet velocity and standoff distance were changed. Then, based on the experimental apparatus for NGH generation and jet erosion, we carried out the swirling jet erosion HBS experiments. The depth and diameter of the erosion pits were about 10% larger than the numerical simulation. Finally, we evaluated the jet erosion performance with specific energy calculations. The results show that the reaming ability of the swirling jet is 2.4 times than that of the conical jet at the jet velocity of 100 m/s and the standoff distance of 5 mm. When the jet velocity ranges from 30 to 100 m/s, the erosion efficiency of the swirling jet is higher than that of the conical jet. The critical standoff distance is calculated as 12.5 mm (12.5 times nozzle throat) in current study, larger than which the advantages of swirling jet erosion HBS become less obvious. The excellent performance of swirling jet erosion HBS under certain conditions is described by specific energy calculation. This study can help for better understanding the performance of water jet drilling and provides an idea for improving the production efficiency of NGH.
Observational study on the assessment of prognostic factors for mortality in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia
Authors: Spuntarelli Valerio , Taranto Aldo , Beumo Brice Ndongmo , Tartarone Emanuele , Bentivegna Enrico , Luciani Michelangelo , Morsa Alessandra , Bonfini Rita , Martelletti Paolo
Published: September 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Infection can range from asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic to more severe forms with pneumonia and multiorgan dysfunction. Understanding the prognostic factors that influence the course of hospitalization and the onset of more severe forms of the disease has been one of the most important challenges of this pandemic. The main objective of this observational study is to establish some clinical and laboratory parameters useful for defining the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. The secondary end point is to understand how glycaemic changes affect the days of hospitalization. We observed how hypernatremia, hypokalaemia, newly diagnosed renal insufficiency and altered glycemic values were the main complications that arose during hospitalization, especially in patients staying in high-intensity units. Interestingly, we also noted how the altered glycemic values correlated with a longer length of hospital stay. We hope this study will help to better understand what the most important factors to be aware of for COVID-19 patients.
House prices and credit as transmission channels from monetary policy to inequality: evidence from OECD countries
Authors: Vale Sofia de Sousa
Published: September 2022

This paper applies a panel vector autoregressive model to assess the impact of monetary policy on the Gini coefficient of disposable income of 30 OECD countries between 1995Q1 and 2017Q4. The emphasis is put on transmission channels as house prices and households’ debt, which represent the two sides of households’ balance sheet at a macroeconomic level. The analysis of the impulse-response functions indicates a contractionary monetary policy increasing the Gini coefficient. Inequality in income decreases with a rise in credit but increases with a positive shock to house prices. The findings indicate reverse causality between the Gini coefficient and the short-run interest rate, as a shock to the former causes the latter to increase. These results are robust to model specifications in which each transmission channel is considered in isolation, revealing that house prices and credit-to-GDP affect inequality and that they are mutually reinforcing.
Electronic structure and optical properties of nonmetal-doped TiO2 for application in self-cleaning and photovoltaic panel's coatings: first-principles calculations
Authors: AKHARKHACH Badr , BARHDADI Abdelfettah
Published: September 2022

Development of novel self-cleaning technologies, especially those based on semiconductor photocatalysis system, is one of the most important research problems in environmental cleanup. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a well-known semiconductor photocatalyst that has a strong photocatalytic activity in the ultra-violet part of the spectrum while its photocatalytic efficiency is very limited within the visible range due to its large band gap. In the field of photocatalytic materials, doping is an efficient method to increase the spectral response and promote charge separation. However, the type of dopant is not the only important factor, but also its position in the material lattice. In the present study, we have carried out first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) to explore how particular doping configuration, such as Br or Cl doping at an O site, may influence the electronic structure and the charge density distribution within rutile TiO2. Furthermore, optical properties such as the absorption coefficient, the transmittance and reflectance spectra have also been derived from the calculated complex dielectric function and examined to see whether this doping configuration has any effect on the use of the material as a self-cleaning coating on photovoltaic panels.
Combining Deep Learning and Crowd-sourcing Images to Predict Housing Quality in Rural China
Authors: Xu Weipan , Gu Yu , Chen Yifan , Wang Yongtian , Chen Luan , Deng Weihuan , Li Xun
Published: September 2022

Housing quality is an essential contributor to human well-being, security and health. Monitoring the housing quality is crucial for unveiling socio-economic development status and providing political proposals. However, it is exceedingly scarce to depict the nationwide housing quality in large-scale and fine-granularity in remote rural areas owing to the high cost of canonical survey methods. Taking rural China as an example, we collect massive rural house images for housing quality assessment by various volunteers and further build up a deep learning model based on the assessed images to realize an automatic prediction for huge raw house images. As a result, the model performance achieves a high R2 of 0.76. Afterward, the housing qualities of 10,000 Chinese villages are predicted based on 50,000 unlabeled geo-images, and an apparent spatial heterogeneity is uncovered. Specifically, divided by Qinling Mountains-Huaihe River Line, housing quality in southern China is much higher than in northern China. Our method provides high-resolution estimates of housing quality across the extensive rural area, which could be a complementary tool for automatically monitoring housing change and supporting house-related policy-making.
Adaptive Backstepping-Based Formation Control of Autonomous Ground Vehicles with Tire Sliding Effects
Authors: Wang Heng , Li Surui , Wang Siqi , Li Qing
Published: September 2022

This paper studies the problem of formation control of autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) in spite of tire sliding effects. The path tracking models of AGVs are converted into nonlinear systems via chain form transformation. An adaptive observer is designed to estimate the unknown sideslip angle for each vehicle, and distributed adaptive backstepping-based formation control strategies are proposed which guarantee that all the vehicles follow desired geometric patterns given only relative measurement information from their neighbors. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified by simulation examples.
What Proportion of Population has achieved Cellular Immunity against SARS-CoV-2 after Booster Vaccination: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Tani Yuta , Takita Morihito , Kobashi Yurie , Wakui Masatoshi , Zhao Tianchen , Yamamoto Chika , Saito Hiroaki , Kawashima Moe , Sugiura Sota , Nishikawa Yoshitaka , Omata Fumiya , Shimazu Yuzo , Kawamura Takeshi , Sugiyama Akira , Nakayama Aya , Kaneko Yudai , Kodama Tetsuhiko , Kami Masahiro , Tsubokura Masaharu
Published: September 2022

Background
Booster vaccination reduces the incidence of severe cases and mortality of COVID-19, with cellular immunity playing an important role. However, little is known about what proportion of population has achieved cellular immunity after booster vaccination.
Methods
We conducted a Fukushima cohort database and assessed the humoral and cellular immunity in 2526 residents and HCWs in Fukushima Prefecture in Japan by continuous blood collection every 3 months since September 2021. We identified the proportion of people with induced cellular immunity after booster vaccination, using T-SPOT.COVID test, and analyzed their background characteristics.
Results
Among 1089 participants, 64.3 % (700/1089) had reactive cellular immunity after booster vaccination. Multivariable analysis revealed the following as independent predictors of reactive cellular immunity: age <40 years (adjusted odds ratio: 1.81, 95 % confidence interval: 1.19–2.75, p-value: 0.005), and adverse reactions after vaccination (1.92, 1.19-3.09, 0.007). Notably, despite IgG(S) and neutralizing antibody titers of ≥500 AU/mL, 33.9 % (349/1031) and 33.5 % (341/1017) of participants, respectively, did not have reactive cellular immunity.
Conclusion
This is the first study to evaluate cellular immunity at the population level after booster vaccination using T-SPOT.COVID test, however, with several limitations. Future studies will need to evaluate previously infected subjects and their T-cell subsets.
Tumor-derived endothelial-specific molecule 1 elicits productive angiogenesis and tumor metastasis to promote bevacizumab resistance
Authors: Kang Nannan , Liang Xue , Fan Buxi , Zhao Chen , Shen Beiyu , Ji Xuemei , Liu Yu
Published: September 2022

The development of drug resistance in malignant tumors leads to disease progression and creates a bottleneck in their treatment. Bevacizumab is widely used clinically, and acts by inhibiting angiogenesis to “starve” tumors. Although it has negligeable side effects and significant short-term effects, continuous treatment can readily induce rebound proliferation of tumor blood vessels, leading to drug resistance, however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear with no effective strategies to overcome this resistance. Previously, we found that the Fc portion of bevacizumab cooperates with the Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) ligand to induce M2b polarization in macrophages and secrete tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), which in its turn promotes immunosuppression, tumor metastasis, and angiogenesis. However, the downstream mechanism underlying TNFα-mediated bevacizumab resistance requires further investigation. Our RNA-Seq analysis results revealed that the expression of endothelial cell specific molecule-1 (ESM1) is significantly increased in drug-resistant tumors and promotes metastasis and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, TNFα induces the upregulation of ESM1, while ESM1 further regulates matrix metalloprotease-9, vascular endothelial growth factor, and delta-like ligand-4 molecules, thus, promoting metastasis and angiogenesis. Accordingly, the curative effect of bevacizumab is significantly improved by neutralizing ESM1 with the high-affinity anti-ESM1 monoclonal antibody 1-2B7 in bevacizumab-resistant animal models. This study provides important insights regarding the molecular mechanism by which TNFα-induced ESM1 expression promotes angiogenesis, which has important theoretical value and clinical significance for elucidating the mechanism of bevacizumab drug resistance and identifying appropriate biosimilars.
Physical Activity and the Natural Environment Video Different research on the effect of different combinations on improving children's attention
Authors: Luo Xiao , Tao Meng , Lu Jiahao , Lu Li , He Xiaolong
Published: September 2022

Objectives Physical activity intervention and watching natural environment videos have been proven to improve young children’s attention level. However, evidence comparing the improvement effects of different combinations of the two has rarely been reported. By comparing the differences in the improvement effects of four combinations of physical activities and watching natural environment videos on the attention level of young children, this study can enrich the evidence in this research field and also provide a reference for arranging effective intervention methods for children’s attention recovery between classes. Method A total of 152 children aged 4 to 6 years were recruited and randomly divided into four intervention groups: (1) physical activity intervention first and thereafter watching the natural environment video group (activity + video group), (2) watching the natural environment video first and thereafter the physical activity intervention group (video + activity group), (3) physical activity-based group, and (4) natural environment video-based group. Physical activity involved 4 minutes of moderate-intensity basic physical fitness combination training. The subjects wore thePico Neopioneer version of the VR glasses all-in-one machine to watch the natural environment video. Thereafter, population sociological variables and daily physical activity levels, among others, were investigated. Auditory and visual sustained attention tests were performed before and after the intervention in each group. Result Compared with the pretest scores, the auditory attention post-test scores of the four groups showed an improvement trend. In particular, the “activity + video” group (F = 10.828;ɳp2 = 0.226;p = 0.002) and “natural environmental video-based” group (F = 9.452;ɳp2 = 0.203;p = 0.004) have the best improvement effect. For visual attention, only the “activity + video” group showed a significant improvement trend (F = 4.287;ɳp2 = 0.104;p = 0.045), while the other three groups showed a downward trend in scores. Conclusions Among the different intervention combinations, the physical activity intervention first and watching natural environment videos thereafter group has the best effect on improving children’s attention during recess. Physical activity interventions at the end of recess adversely affect young children’s visual attention levels at the beginning of the class. Therefore, this study recommends that children should not engage in physical activity interventions in the second half of the class break. Lastly, the current research recommends presenting the content of physical activity interventions first and further improving their attention thereafter by watching natural environment videos.
MS-CANet: Multi-Scale Subtraction Network with Coordinate Attention for Retinal Vessel Segmentation
Authors: Jiang Yun , Yan Wei , Chen Jie , Qiao Hao , Zhang Zequn , Wang Meiqi
Published: September 2022

Retinal vessel segmentation is essential for the diagnosis of certain ophthalmic and cardiovascular diseases. Most improved methods based on U-shape networks for retinal vessel segmentation use element-wise addition or dimension-concatenate to fuse the differences between different network layers. However, these operations easily generate redundant information, which will weaken the complementarity between features of different layers and neglect the location information of feature maps, resulting in inaccurate retinal vessel localization and blurred vessel edges. To address these problems, we propose a multi-scale subtraction network (MS-CANet) with residual coordinate attention to segment the vessels in retinal vessel images. Specifically, we first use a residual coordinate attention module in the encoding phase to capture the long-range dependence of spatial direction while preserving accurate position information. Then, we configure the multi-scale subtraction units at different perceptual field levels to obtain rich multi-scale information. In addition, We design a parallel channel attention module to increase the difference between the vessel and the background, facilitating the recovery of marginal vessels in the decoding phase. Experiments on three benchmark datasets, DRIVE, CHASE, and STARE, show that our method has good performance compared to most advanced methods under different evaluation metrics.
Screening of Latent Rheumatic Heart Disease and Pharyngeal Group a Streptococci Carriage in Family Members of Children With Rheumatic Heart Disease
Authors: Balaban İsmail , Kara Soner S. , Güllü Ufuk U. , Kılınç Yusuf , Demirelli Selami
Published: September 2022

Objective
The aim of this study is to evaluate echocardiographic evidence of latent rheumatic heart disease and Group A β hemolytic Streptococcus carriage in family members of acute rheumatic fever patients and asses the importance of screening for this conditions.
Methods
Children with diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever aged between 5 and 18 years and their family members and household relatives were screened with echocardiography for latent rheumatic heart disease and Group A β hemolytic Streptococcus carriage with throat culture test.
Results
In the study period, 46 index cases and their 124 relatives were evaluated. Echocardiographic screening of 22 (17.7%) family members revealed latent rheumatic heart disease.Ten (8.1%) cases had positive throat culture results for Group A β hemolytic Streptococcus and 2 of them, 20% of all culture positive cases, had latent rheumatic heart disease findings in echocardiographic evaluation.
Conclusions
The family members of children with rheumatic heart disease have increased relative risk for rheumatic heart disease. Screening programs for throat culture test and echocardiographic evaluation of household, family members and relatives, of children with acute rheumatic fever should be planned for determination of definite or latent rheumatic heart disease and asymptomatic Streptococcal throat carriage and if detected, Group A β hemolytic Streptococcal carriage should be treated to decrease the risk of recurrent acute rheumatic fever for index case.
TCF7L2 is a master regulator of muscle wasting in severe cancer cachexia
Authors: Leong Mei Ling , Karjalainen Klaus , Ruedl Christiane
Published: September 2022

Hyper-activation of the canonical Wnt signalling pathway drives tumour initiation and cancer progression. Of the four TCF/LEF transcription factors that propagate Wnt signalling, TCF7L2 is believed to be relevant in colorectal cancer because it is essential for adult gut homeostasis. However, this has been challenging to verify because Tcf7l2 germline or adulthood knockouts are lethal. To circumvent lethality and mimic the systemic action of a potential drug, we generated a transgenic mouse strain that allows inducible, tuneable and reversible repression of endogenous Tcf7l2. While complete Tcf7l2 repression was lethal, partial repression rescued moribund mice from death in the ApcMin/+-DSS colon adenocarcinoma model. Unexpectedly, Tcf7l2 repression did not impact tumour growth but reversed lethal cachexia—a cancer comorbidity characterised by severe weight and muscle loss. During severe cachexia, elevated Tcf7l2 in the gastrocnemius muscle induces atrophy via the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy lysosome system (ALS). Repressing Tcf7l2 in the gastrocnemius reduces the expression of UPS and ALS genes to non-cachectic levels, thereby preventing atrophy and restoring muscle mass. Therapeutic targeting of TCF7L2 could ameliorate cachexia-induced muscle atrophy. Our mice could be utilised to study conditions that involve muscle atrophy, such as aging, diabetes, obesity and neuromuscular diseases.
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Biodegradation by Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus pulmonarius
Authors: Odigbo Chioma , Adenipekun Clementina , Oladosu Ibrahim , Ogunjobi Adeniyi
Published: September 2022

Essential properties of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) such as lightness, high transparency, high mechanical strength, good moisture barrier, high heat resistance, and relatively low cost make it a suitable material for the packaging of natural mineral and soft drink bottles. However, these have contributed significantly to household and municipal waste responsible for the growing environmental pollution that has become a threat to the planet. Low-cost, ecologically friendly treatments with the capacity to eradicate plastics, are being advocated for by scientists. This s, therefore, seeks to explore the potential capacity of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus pulmonarius in biodegrading PET plastic on two different substrates (Soil and rice straw). The substrates were contaminated with 5% and 10% plastic prior to inoculation with Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus pulmonarius separately and left to incubate for 2 months. Chemical changes in the plastic were monitored using FT-IR and GC-MS. FTIR spectral analysis of PET flakes displayed different shifts in the wavenumbers, changes in band intensity, and the formation of new peaks, indicating changes in functional groups. Degradation products like hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids, alcohols, esters, and ketones were detected in the GC-MS analysis of the decomposed PET plastic.
Ternary Composite Electrode Carbon Fiber/mno2 /polyaniline for Supercapacitor Applications Based on Naturally Available Broom and Bamboo Sticks
Authors: Shetty Yashaswini , Holla Sowmya R , N Sangeetha D , M Selvakumar
Published: September 2022

In the present study, energy harvesting is done from carbon
fibers (CFs) synthesized using a naturally available
broomstick and bamboo stick. The broom and bamboo sticks have been
reprocessed in an alkaline solution using a controlled hydrothermal
method. The carbonization of the cellulose fibers resulted in the
production of CFs. The synthesized CFs have been used to prepare a
ternary composite electrode with MnO2 and polyaniline
(PA). Thus, prepared ternary composite electrodes were
used for the supercapacitor application. The Supercapacitor with a
maximum specific capacitance (SC) of 373 F/g (from
Broomstick) and 132 F/g (from the bamboo stick) was fabricated,
which showed good cycling stability. The structural properties of
the electrode materials were confirmed using X-ray diffraction,
scanning electron microscopy, EDAX, BET adsorption-desorption
experiment, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques.
The fabricated symmetrical electrode's supercapacitor properties
were analyzed using cyclic voltammetry (CV),
electrochemical impedance, and galvanostatic charge-discharge
(GCD) cycling technique.
Social Return on Investment (SROI) Project of the Surgical Waiting List Management System
Authors: Muñoz José Luis González , Ruiz Antonio J. García
Published: September 2022

Background
In Andalusia, the right to maximum waiting times for health care clashes with the available supply, leading to an increase in demand in the form of waiting lists. To cope with this situation, the activity of private centers has been created for certain diagnostic tests or surgical activities. Management, therefore, depends on these contracted private centers, which have to evaluate their offers in economic and healthcare terms, to be able to obtain the healthcare agreements. There are different methods of economic evaluation, based mainly on the economic and care aspects. The model based on social return on investment (SROI) allows us to evaluate an action both from the economic side and from the side of all the actors involved. However, there are no studies on the suitability of waiting lists using this model.
Methods
A cross-sectional and prospective design was carried out between April 2021 and March 2022. After meeting the inclusion criteria, 75 patients were surveyed in person to determine their gained quality of life and their social assessment, to analyze the social return on investment, and to determine the suitability of the intervention (concerted diagnostic endoscopy activity in a concerted center) from the point of view of the different stakeholders involved.
Discussion
In this first approach, the study protocol is presented. Subsequently, the economic, social, and environmental settings of the intervention of concerted activity to adjust endoscopy diagnostic waiting list times will be known. Also, the economic cost of the interventions of the health concerts and the Andalusian public health system about the intervention, the cost of the increase in extraordinary health resources, determine the most prevalent surgeries from highest to lowest and specify the highest number of surgeries that are established in the concerts and the Andalusian Public Health Service.
Trial registration: 113.21 [Registry ID: CÁDIZ RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE
The influence of verapamil on the pharmacokinetics of the pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor neratinib in rats: the role of P-glycoprotein-mediated efflux
Authors: Qi Defei , Dou Yuanyuan , Zhang Wenke , Wang Mengqing , Li Yingying , Zhang Mingzhu , Qin Jia , Cao Jinlan , Fang Dong , Ma Jing , Yang Wei , Xie Songqiang , Sun Hua
Published: September 2022

Neratinib, an irreversible pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been approved for the treatment of HER2-positive (HER2+) early-stage and brain metastatic breast cancer. Thus far, the pharmacology effects and pharmacodynamics of neratinib have been well studied. However, the disposition of neratinib and its influencing factors in vivo remain unclear. P-glycoprotein (P-gp), one of the most extensively studied transporters, substantially restricts penetration of drugs into the body or deeper compartments (i.e., blood-brain barrier, BBB), regarding drug resistance and drug-drug interactions. Thereby, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of verapamil (a P-gp inhibitor) on the pharmacokinetics of neratinib in rats. Here, we have established a high specific, selective and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (UPLC-MS/MS) method to quantify plasma concentrations of neratinib in rats. Pharmacokinetic results showed that verapamil significantly increased the system exposure of neratinib, as Cmax increased by 2.09-fold and AUC0 − t increased by 1.64-fold, respectively. Additionally, the in vitro transport of neratinib using Madin-Darby canine kidney II (MDCK II) and MDCK-MDR1 cell line models. As a result, the net flux ratio was over than 2 and decreased over 50% by verapamil, suggesting that probably neratinib was a substrate of P-gp. Hence, coadministration of P-gp inhibitors might be indispensable for neratinib in the treatment of breast cancer patients, especially for brain metastases. These findings may support the further clinical development and application of neratinib.
Experimental study on Alkali Activated Fine Aggregate in mortar and Masonry Blocks
Authors: MP Naveena , Narayana G , . Radhakrishna
Published: September 2022

The present study focused on development of Alkali Activated Fine Aggregate (AAFA) by palletization method. AAFA were manufactured using Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) and alkali activator solution at ambient conditions. Sodium hydroxide of six molarity and sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide ratio of 2.5 was used. The alkali activated fine aggregates were prepared using a drum mixer by maintaining a certain rotation angle and speed. AAFA processed a rough texture. The flow properties of the plastering mortar (1:3) were studied by replacing sand by Alkali activated fine aggregate. Mortar cubes were tested to determine the characteristics of alkali activated fine aggregate mortar. Compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of the mortar were evaluated at the age of 28 days. Results indicate that speed of the mixer influence the properties of alkali activated fine aggregate. AAFA exhibited lower specific gravity, high water absorption, and lesser bulk density compared to manufactured sand. The flow of mortar increases by increasing the percentage of Alkali Activated Fine Aggregate, up to a 60% replacement of M-sand for a water cement ratio of 1.3. Beyond 60% replacement, there is a bleeding in the mix. The compressive strength of Alkali activated Fine aggregate mortar gives consistently optimum compressive strength up to an 80% replacement of AAS by M-sand. The manufactured aggregates were found to be suitable in making plaster/masonry mortar and for making masonry units.
Effects of Structured Exercise Intervention on Fatigue, Quality of Life and Clinical Outcomes During Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Huang Lu , Wu Yun , Xu Ming , Wang Yingying , Jia Chengzhen , Song Guiqi , Song Kaidi , Wu Yaohua , Zhang Yongliang
Published: September 2022

Children and adolescents undergoing umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) are faced with severe challenges and a decline in quality of life (QoL) during the inpatient period. This prospective study investigated the effect of structured exercise intervention on fatigue, QoL and clinical outcomes.Participants (n=48) were randomized to a control group (CG: usual care) or an intervention group (IG: structured exercise intervention). Fatigue and QoL were assessed at hospital admission, 14 days after UCBT, and at discharge using repeated measures analysis of variances. In addition, engraftment kinetics, supportive care, and transplant-related complications were derived from medical records. Forty-four patients completed the study, and the IG participated in an average of 2.12 (1.36-2.8) training sessions with a duration of 24 (16-34) min weekly. Fatigue increased at 14 days after UCBT (76.04±15.88 vs. 69.03±15.36, p=0.031), but it returned to pre-UCBT levels at discharge (74.10±16.31 vs. 76.04±15.88, p=0.578), with patients' QoL was positively maintained during the exercise intervention (75.16±11.27 vs. 74.77±10.58 vs. 77.40±14.33, p＞0.05). However, no significant differences were observed for the remainder of clinical outcomes (p＞0.05). In conclusion, our randomized study indicated that structured exercise intervention might exert a protective effect by attenuating the decline in fatigue and QoL.
Double Differential Ionization Cross-Sections of CF3Cl molecule by Electron Impact
Authors: Kumar Rajeev
Published: September 2022

For the first time, we evaluated partial and total, double differential ionization cross-sections (DDCS) of CF3Cl molecule by electron impact using a modified Jain-Khare semi-empirical approach. We have evaluated double differential ionization cross-section as a function of energy loss of primary electron /or secondary electron energy at fixed incident angles (300and 600) and at fixed incident electron energies i.e. 100, 200 and 500 eV. Angular variation of DDCS at fixed incident electron energies and fixed secondary electron energies have also been evaluated. No other data for double differential ionization cross-sections are available for comparison.
Investigation of Factors Associated with Retinal Oxidative Stress and Inflammation that affect the Foveal Avascular Zone in Healthy Eyes: An Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Study
Authors: O'Shea Susan M. , O’Dwyer Veronica M. , Butler John S. , Scanlon Grainne
Published: September 2022

Purpose
The size and shape of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) can change due to retinal diseases associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, hypertensive retinopathy and macular degeneration. Macular pigment (MP), a powerful retinal antioxidant, may confer protection. This study aims to assess the relationship, if any, between factors that may affect the superficial FAZ (i.e. blood pressure (BP), vessel density, perfusion, overweight/obesity), and possible links with MP optical density (MPOD), in young, healthy subjects.
Methods
One hundred and fifty-four subjects, aged 18 to 35 years, were recruited. The superficial FAZ area, foveal vascularity and central macular thickness (CMT) were assessed using the Cirrus 5000. Health parameters including, BP, body mass index (BMI), trunk fat % and MPOD were analyzed, to determine possible associations with the FAZ.
Results
Mean FAZ area was 0.23 ± 0.08mm2. FAZ area was positively correlated with BMI (Pearson’s r = 0.189, p = 0.03) and significantly larger in participants with lower MPOD, on bivariate analysis (p = 0.04). Significant correlates of FAZ area in the multivariate model included age, sex, BP, vessel perfusion central, CMT and trunk fat %, which collectively contributed 65.2% of the overall variability.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that reduced vessel perfusion, thinner CMT, higher trunk fat % and low MPOD are plausible predictors of a larger FAZ area, in healthy eyes. Non-invasive OCTA testing, in association with these predictors, may aid in the early detection and monitoring of retinal diseases associated with oxidative stress and inflammation.