bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oligarchs Without Oligarchy: The Structural Factors of Institutional Reforms in Georgia
Authors: Silaev N. , Sukhiashvili D. , Neklyudov N.
Published: November 2022

After the ‘rose revolution’ Georgia significantly improved its governance and state institutions. Scholars explain it with the professional and personal qualities of the reformist team led by Mikhael Saakashvili, with the concentration of power in the hands of the reformers, and with the international settings. However, most of those explanations hardly work in case of the reforms that were implemented after Saakashvili’s team lost the power in 2012. From 2012 to 2020 Georgia have retained and even slightly improved the quality of state institutions. Also, the governments of the ruling ‘Georgian Dream’ party implemented three major reforms: of judiciary, of local self-government, and of public service. Why did Georgia continue reforms despite its domestic political settings changed dramatically after 2012? The paper aims to reveal structural factors which support the long-term reformist course. We point out three factors. The first is that the structure of Georgia’s economy and the constellation of the elite’s interests preclude the making of influential oligarchy able to significantly distort the state institutions. Unlike Ukraine, Georgia did not inherit from the USSR large export-oriented and lucrative heavy industrial sector that could have become an economic base for making sustainable financial-industrial groups with strong political influence. Unlike Moldova, Georgian home-grown “oligarchs” were locked within the small consumer market of their country and served as clients of the political leaders. The richest politicians in Georgia like Bidzina Ivanishvili, late Badri Patarkatsishvili, late Kakha Bendukidze played their own political game but the main sources of their wealth were abroad, their economic interest lay far beyond the national scale and they have (had) no strong incentives to distort the state institutions in the country. Therefore “oligarchs” in Georgia did not make obstacles for reforms. The second factor is that the opposition in 2012–2020 had no reasons to obstruct reforms implemented by “Georgian Dream” governments, because most of those reforms opened new ways (municipal reform) or gave new guaranties (judicial and public service reforms) for political participation. The third is the geopolitical one. The confrontation with Russia since 2004 provides Georgian political elite strong motivation to continue reforms in order to secure the Western patronage.
The grouping of industrial enterprises by capacity utilization rate and level of debts to banks (IV Quarter of 2021)
Authors: Aukutsionek S. , Dyomina N. , Bashirova I. , Serzhantova T. , Belyakov S.
Published: November 2022

Russian industrial enterprises, examined by the «Russian Economic Barometer» are grouped according to two criteria: the level of capacity utilization rate, as well as the level of debts to banks. This grouping allows you to see how key characteristics of enterprises differ depending on how their production capacities are loaded and what level of debts to banks they have. Data are presented for the fourth quarter of 2021.
REB’s Statistical Series: Surveys of Industrial Enterprises
Authors: Aukutsionek S. , Batyaeva A. , Dyomina N. , Egorov A. , Matveev A.
Published: November 2022

Industrial indexes of the Russian Economic Barometer cover a wide range of economic indicators of Russia’s industrial enterprises. The article presents the basic statistical data collected on a monthly, quarterly and semi-annual base by the Russian Economic Barometer through direct surveys of industrial enterprises’ managers. Regular extension of rows allows to consider the dynamics of more than 100 series of indicators, to conduct a comparative analysis of data collected since 1991.
REB’s Statistical Series: Surveys of Agricultural Enterprises
Authors: Aukutsionek S. , Batyaeva A. , Dyomina N. , Egorov A. , Matveev A.
Published: November 2022

The article presents unique data on the Russian agricultural sector, which has been gathered by the Russian Economic Barometer for almost 30 years. There is published statistics reflecting the attitude of the heads of agricultural enterprises towards the economic policy of the government. There are presented data revealing the degree of importance for the agricultural producers of various factors limiting production and capital investments.
Neighborhood Composition and Air Pollution in Chicago: Monitoring Inequities With a Dense, Low-Cost Sensing Network, 2021
Authors: Esie Precious , Daepp Madeleine I.G , Roseway Asta , Counts Scott
Published: November 2022

Objectives. To evaluate the efficacy of a novel, real-time sensor network for routine monitoring of racial and economic disparities in fine particulate matter (PM2.5; particulate matter ≤ 2.5 µm in diameter) exposures at the neighborhood level.

Methods. We deployed a dense network of low-cost PM2.5 sensors in Chicago, Illinois, to evaluate associations between neighborhood-level composition variables (percentage of Black residents, percentage of Hispanic/Latinx residents, and percentage of households below poverty) and interpolated PM2.5. Relationships were assessed in spatial lag models after adjustment for all composition variables. Models were fit with data both from the overall period and during high-pollution episodes associated with social events (July 4, 2021) and wildfires (July 23, 2021).

Results. The spatial lag models showed that racial/ethnic composition variables were associated with higher PM2.5 levels. Levels were notably higher in neighborhoods with larger compositions of Hispanic/Latinx residents across the entire study period and notably higher in neighborhoods with larger Black populations during the July 4 episode.

Conclusions. As a complement to sparse regulatory networks, dense, low-cost sensor networks can capture spatial variations during short-term air pollution episodes and enable monitoring of neighborhood-level inequities in air pollution exposures in real time. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(12):1765–1773. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307068 )
Feasibility and Effects of Mobile Videoconference-based Parent- Implemented Early Start Denver Model Intervention for Early Autism
Authors: Kim Hye Hyeon , Choi Ki Won , Choi Ye Jin , Park So Young
Published: November 2022

Parent-implemented Early Start Denver Model (P-ESDM) is an evidence-based early intervention model for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We investigated the effectiveness of a low-intensity, mobile videoconferencing-based P-ESDM intervention, for 20 parents and their toddler with ASD. They were evaluated at baseline and after 3 months of intervention. We conducted stratified subgroup analysis based on participants’ characteristics and evaluated feasibility using parent questionnaires. Significant improvement was found in parental acquisition of ESDM intervention skills. However, there were no significant differences in any variables between baseline and after intervention. Stratified subgroup analysis based on ASD severity indicated significant effects on parent-child interaction among parents in the high ASD severity group. Stratified subgroup analysis based on personal health record (PHR) access frequency indicated significant effects on toddler's problem behaviour and parent’s stress among high PHR access frequency group. We observed promising feasibility outcomes for P-ESDM intervention through videoconferencing.
Counterfactual groups to assess treatment efficacy in HIV prevention trials in high risk populations in Uganda
Authors: Abaasa Andrew , Mayanja Yunia , Anywaine Zacchaeus , Kusemererwa Sylvia , Ruzagira Eugene , Kaleebu Pontiano
Published: November 2022

Background
Assessment of efficacy in HIV prevention trials remains a challenge in the era of widespread use of active controls. We investigated use of countefactual groups to assess treatment efficacy.
Methods
We used data from placebo arms of two previous HIV prevention efficacy trials (Pro2000 vaginal microbicide trial, 2005–2009 and dapivirine vaginal ring trial, 2013–2016) and four observational cohorts (two in each of the periods; (a) during the conduct of a simulated HIV vaccine efficacy trial (SiVET), 2012–2017 and (b) prior to SiVET (2005–2011), and compared HIV prevention efficacy trial targeted outcomes with SiVETs. SiVET participants were administered a licensed Hepatitis B vaccine at 0,1 and 6 months mimicking an HIV vaccine efficacy trial schedule. Participants were tested for HIV quarterly for one year. The probability of SiVET assignment conditioned on measured participants baseline characteristics were estimated using propensity scores (PS) and matched between SiVET and placebo arm of trials. Similar calculations were repeated for observational cohorts in the pre and during SiVET periods. We compared HIV incidence rate ratio (IRR) between SiVET and the trials or observational data before and after PS matching.
Results
This analysis involved data from 3,387 participants; observational cohorts before SiVET 1495 (44.2%), placebo arms of previous trials 367 (10.8%), observational cohorts during SiVET conduct 953 (28.1%) and SiVETs 572 (16.9%). Before propensity score matching (PSM), there were significant imbalances in participants baseline characteristics between SiVET and all the other studies and HIV incidence was lower in SiVET. After PSM, the participants characteristics were comparable. The HIV incidence in SiVET was similar to that in the previous trial, IRR = 1.01 95%CI:0.16–4.70), p = 0.968, and observational data during SiVET, IRR = 0.74, 95%CI 0.34–1.54), p = 0.195 but much lower compared to the observational data pre SiVET, IRR = 0.48, 95%CI:0.20–1.04) p = 0.023.
Conclusion
PSM can be used to create countefactual groups from other data sources. The best counterfactual group for assessing treatment effect is provided by data collected in the placebo arm of previous trials followed by that from observational data collected concurrently to the current trial (SiVET). Even with PSM, observational data collected prior to the current trial may over estimate treatment effect.
Phenol as an adjuvant in reducing local recurrence rate in a patient’s undergoing intralesional curettage for Giant Cell tumor: A Meta-analysis study
Authors: Banskota Nishant , Yuan Dechao , Zhang Wenli , Duan Hong
Published: November 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Effect of home exercise on post-stroke sensorimotor dysfunction during the long-term COVID-19 epidemic lockdown: a retrospective single-center cohort study
Authors: Wei Dong , Wu Jia-Jia , Zheng Mou-Xiong , Hua Xu-Yun , Xu Jian-Guang
Published: November 2022

Background:During the unpredictable and long-term COVID-19 epidemic lockdown (Shanghai, April 2022 to May 2022), a large number of patients with post-stroke dysfunction exercised at home, without going to specialized rehabilitation institutions for systematic rehabilitation treatment. To date, there are few relevant studies on the effect of home exercise in patients with post-stroke dysfunction in the case of long-term COVID-19 epidemic lockdown.
Methods: First, we collected the factors that might affect the post-stroke sensorimotor dysfunction during the long-term lockdown. The evaluation indicators of post-stroke sensorimotor dysfunction before and after the long-term lockdown were recorded. Second, we analyzed the recovery effect of sensorimotor dysfunction in post-stroke patients who can only rely on home exercise during the long-term lockdown. Third, we sequentially performed univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses to see which factors might influence post-stroke sensorimotor dysfunction during the long-term lockdown.
Results: We report the results of a retrospective single-center cohort study of 104 post-stroke sensorimotor dysfunction patients. For post-stroke sensory dysfunction, patients with shorter disease courses or personalized home exercise programs recovered better. For post-stroke motor dysfunction, patients with younger age, shorter disease courses, or personalized home exercise programs recovered better. For post-stroke balance dysfunction and ADL dysfunction, patients with shorter disease courses recovered better.
Conclusion:During the unpredictable and long-term COVID-19 epidemic lockdown, patients with post-stroke sensorimotor dysfunction who had personalized home exercise programs had better recovery of sensorimotor dysfunction than those who did not have personalized home exercise programs.
Trial registration: This trial was prospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ChiCTR2200063781; 16 September, 2022).
The discovery of multiple active mys-related LTR-retroelements within the Neotominae subfamily of cricetid rodents
Authors: Kass David H , Beatty Sarah , Smith Ashlee , Scott Megan , Shah Dishita , Czaplicki Mary
Published: November 2022

Retrotransposon families in the rodent family Cricetidae have been understudied in contrast to Muridae, both taxa classified within the superfamily Muroidea. Therefore, we pursued advancing our knowledge of the unique mys-1 LTR-retroelement identified in Peromyscus leucopus by utilizing intra-ORF PCR, quantitative dot bots, DNA and protein library screens, the generation of molecular phylogenies, and analyses of orthologous LTR-retroelement loci. This led to the discovery of three additional related families of LTR-retroelements. These include a 2900 bp full-length element of mys-related sequences (mysRS), an 8,000 bp element containing the mys ORF1 sequence (mORF1) with ERV-related sequences downstream in the reverse orientation, as well as an 1800 bp element primarily consisting of mys ORF2 (mORF2) related sequences flanked by LTRs. Our data revealed a very limited number of full-length mys elements among genera of the Neotominae subfamily of cricetid rodents. Additionally, although we estimated roughly 5,000–10,000 genomic copies of the mysRS element among Neotominae, most exist as partial copies. The mORF1 elements are also limited to the genomes of the Neotominae subfamily of cricetid rodents, whereas mORF2 appears limited to the Peromyscus genus. Molecular phylogenies demonstrating concerted evolution, along with an assessment of orthologous loci in Peromyscus for the presence or absence of elements, are consistent with recent activity of these novel LTR-retroelement families. Together with known activity of various families of non-LTR retroelements in Peromyscus species, we propose that retrotransposons have been continually contributing to the dynamics of Peromyscus genomes and are plausibly associated with the evolution of the over 50 identified species.
Preparation of high-performance supercapacitor electrode with nanocomposite of CuO/NCNO flower-like
Authors: Sohouli Esmail , Adib Koroush
Published: November 2022

Due to their importance, different studies have been performed on energy storage systems based on supercapacitors. In this case study, a capacitor electrode based on carbon nano onions (CNOs) and copper oxide (CuO) nanocomposite was synthesized by the hydrothermal synthesis method. The synthesized nanomaterials were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD). Then, the supercapacitance of electrodes based on nickel foam was investigated during autoclave-mediated synthesizing nanocomposite in a 3 M potassium hydroxide solution. In a three-electrode system, the supercapacitor capacitances of flower-like CuO and CNO/CuO nanocomposite at current density 4 A/g were found to be 155 and 315 F/g, respectively. The high stability of the method after 3000 consecutive cycles showed that this electrode has appropriate stability. The supercapacitive properties obtained for NCNO with high surface area help to improve the supercapacitor capacitance of flower-like CuO, which has quasi-supercapacitive properties. In a two-electrode system, the capacitance, the obtained power density, and energy density at a current density of 4 A/g were 450 F/g, 3200 W/kg, and 98 Wh/kg, respectively. Also, stability and low charge transfer resistance are other advantages obtained in a two-symmetrical electrode investigation.
Vitamin A and vitamin E in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: a systematic review
Authors: Carvalho Maria Clara da Cruz , Silbiger Vivian Nogueira , Ribeiro Karla Danielly da S , Araújo Júlia Kaline C P
Published: November 2022

It is known that nutrition plays an important role in maintaining the immune system. In addition, viral infections can culminate in the depletion of vitamins, such as vitamins A and E, and inadequate levels of nutrients can be harmful to health, it is important to verify its relationship with COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus first identified in Wuhan (China), and has spread rapidly worldwide, affecting the immune system and causing exacerbated inflammation. The aim of the study is to investigate whether COVID-19 affects the levels of these vitamins, and how they can help fighting the infection, it is relevant since they can be included as therapy against the disease. A systematic search was performed according to the PRISMA statement, using the PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases. We selected articles that presented the controlled descriptors present in the title or abstract without language exclusion. Abstracts, conferences, editorials, book chapters, review articles, letters, short communications, supporting information, or articles unavailable for download were excluded. The quality of studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). From a total of 4,572 articles, 10 met all inclusion criteria. Three of them were related with vitamin A, two with vitamin E and five relating both vitamins to COVID-19. Of these, 70% were studies that evaluated the concentrations of vitamins, and 30% that evaluated the impact of supplementation of these micronutrients. Adult and elderly patients had decreased vitamin A and E concentrations, being below or close to the reference values for deficiency, especially in critical patients. Supplementation of these vitamins was associated with better prognosis of patients. However, the therapeutic capacity of these vitamins requires additional biological validation through more robust studies, such as randomized clinical trials and assessment of food intake of these vitamins. In addition, studies that assess serum levels of these vitamins before infection are also required.
Quasi-Finite-Time Synchronization of Fractional-Order Coupled Neural Networks with Multiple Output Couplings and Disturbances
Authors: Zhang Xiulan
Published: November 2022

The finite-time synchronization of fractional-order coupled neural networks (FCNNs) is investigated in this paper. A model with multiple output coupling weights and external disturbances is considered, which is a generalized form of frequently used FCNNs with state coupling. In addition, a criterion that can be used to judge whether fractional-order systems are practically finite-time stable is proposed. Furthermore, an adaptive controller is synthesized to ensure the practical finite-time synchronization of FCNNs based on this criterion and the linear matrix inequality technique, and the upper bound of the setting time can be estimated. Finally, a simulation example is provided to illustrate the plausibility of the obtained results.
Indel-free prime editing with bona fide Cas9 nickases
Authors: Lee Jaesuk , Lim Kayeong , Kim Annie , Mok Young Geun , Chung Eugene , Cho Sung-Ik , Lee Ji Min , Kim Jin-Soo
Published: November 2022

Unlike CRISPR-Cas9 nucleases, which yield DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), Cas9 nickases (nCas9s), which are created by replacing key catalytic amino-acid residues in one of the two nuclease domains of S. pyogenesis Cas9 (SpCas9), produce nicks or single-strand breaks. Two SpCas9 variants, namely, nCas9 (D10A) and nCas9 (H840A), which cleave target (guide RNA-pairing) and non-target DNA strands, respectively, are widely used for various purposes, including paired nicking, homology-directed repair, base editing, and prime editing. In an effort to define the off-target nicks caused by these nickases, we performed Digenome-seq, a method based on whole genome sequencing of genomic DNA treated with a nuclease or nickase of interest, and found that nCas9 (H840A) but not nCas9 (D10A) can cleave both strands, producing unwanted DSBs, albeit less efficiently than wild-type Cas9. To inactivate the HNH nuclease domain further, we incorporated additional mutations into nCas9 (H840A). Double-mutant nCas9 (H840A + N863A) did not exhibit the DSB-inducing behavior in vitro and, either alone or in fusion with the M-MLV reverse transcriptase (prime editor), induced a lower frequency of unwanted indels, compared to nCas9 (H840A), caused by error-prone repair of DSBs. When incorporated into prime editor and used with engineered pegRNAs, we found that the nCas9 variant (H840A + N854A) dramatically increased the frequency of correct edits, but not unwanted indels, yielding the highest purity of editing outcomes compared to nCas9 (H840A).
Surface defect detection of solar cell based on similarity non-maximum suppression mechanism
Authors: Wang Yanling , Hou Ting , Zhang Xiong , Shangguan Hong , Zhang Pengcheng , Li Jie , Wei Baoyue
Published: November 2022

The surface defects such as cracks, broken cells and unsoldered areas on the solar cell caused by manufacturing process defects or artificial operation seriously affect the efficiency of solar cell. For the surface defects of solar cell, which have the characteristics of various shapes, large scale changes, and difficult to detect, a surface defect detection algorithm based on similarity non-maximum suppression mechanism is proposed by improving the Faster region-based convolution neural network (R-CNN) in this paper. In the proposed algorithm, a similarity non-maximum suppression mechanism is used, and the effectiveness of prediction frame screening is improved by introducing the cosine similarity of candidate box aspect-ratio. In addition, the cross-layer connection based on Shuffle operation and the three-branch dilated convolution block are introduced in the main feature extraction channel, which improves the network's ability to express features through multi-scale feature fusion. The experimental results show that, compared with the latest deep learning target detection models, the proposed algorithm not only has higher detection accuracy, but also lower false detection and missed detection rates in various types of defect detection.
Prospection and prediction of highly active antibiofilm peptides using machine learning-based methods
Authors: Tarki Fatemeh Ebrahimi , Zarrabi Mahboobeh , Ali Ahya Abdi , Sharbatdar Mahkame
Published: November 2022

Antibiotic resistance is a sign that the golden era of antibiotics is ending. Bacterial biofilm plays a crucial role in the emergence of antibiotic resistance. The biofilms formation on various substrates, from tissues to medical devices, and the remarkable resistance of biofilm-producing bacteria to almost all common antibiotics make bacterial biofilms one of the pivotal challenges in healthcare systems. Finding new therapeutic agents seems inevitable and should be sought proactively. These agents should have particular characteristics to perform well in the biofilm environment. Peptides have been shown to have promising potential as antimicrobial agents. Designing peptides with significant antibiofilm effects is cumbersome and expensive. Developing computational approaches for the prediction of the anti-biofilm effects of peptides seems to be unavoidable. In this study, emphasizing higher than 50% anti-biofilm activity, we applied multiple classification algorithms to select peptide sequences with a considerable anti-biofilm effect for subsequent experimental evaluations. Feature vectors were calculated for each sequence based on the peptide sequences’ primary structure, amino acids’ order, and physicochemical properties. Our computational approach predicted the significant anti-biofilm effect of peptides with accuracy, precision, MCC, and f1-score equal to 99%, 99%, 0.97, and 0.99, respectively, which is comparable with previous methods. This combination of the feature space and high antibiofilm activity was applied in this study for the first time.
Transcriptome Sequencing Provides Insights into Understanding the Infection Mechanism of Alternaria solani on Potato
Authors: Jiang Jia , Guo Xuhao , Tan Huanhuan , Ding Mingya , Liu Fangming , Yang Zhihui , Zhu Jiehua
Published: November 2022

Background
Alternaria solani (A. solani), the main pathogen of potato early blight, causes serious yield reduction every year. However, the molecular interaction between A. solani and its host, potato, is largely unknown. In this study, a deep RNA-sequencing approach was applied to gain insights into the pathogenesis of A. solani. At 3, 4, and 5 days post inoculation (dpi), RNA samples from the susceptible potato cultivar Favorita infected by A. solani strain HWC-168, were sequenced and utilized for transcriptome analysis.
Results
A total of 4430 (2167 up-regulated, 2263 down-regulated), 4736 (2312 up-regulated, 2424 down-regulated), and 5043 (2411 up-regulated, 2632 down-regulated) genes were differentially expressed at 3, 4 and 5 dpi, respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the genes of amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, and enzyme activity were significantly expressed at the late infection stage. Correspondingly, the symptoms developed rapidly during the late stage infection of A. solani. In addition, the short time-series expression miner (STEM) assay was conducted to analyze the gene expression patterns of A. solani and it was found that profile 17 and 19 showed significant changing trends at 3, 4 and 5 dpi. Both profiles especially profile 17 contained a large number of enzymatic proteins, including transferases, oxidoreductases, hydrolases and carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZYmes), which may play important roles in the late process of fungal infection. Furthermore, we screened possible candidate effectors by an adopted pipeline and found 137 differentially expressed small secreted proteins, which included some enzymes and unknown function proteins.
Conclusions
Collectively, the data presented in this study showed that amino acid metabolism, and glucose metabolism pathways may be the key metabolic pathways and these specific enzymes were important at the late stage of A. solani infection. These results contributed to the establishment of a broader knowledge of the pathogenesis of A. solani to potato at the transcriptional level and provided clues for determining the effectors of A. solani.
Lipoprotein(a) variations between Chronic Coronary Syndrome and Acute Myocardial Infarction and their relation to the severity of coronary artery stenosis
Authors: Zhu Hongwen , Zheng Zhenzhong
Published: November 2022

Background

Lp(a) levels and the degree of coronary artery stenosis in patients with CAD at different times [e.g., acute myocardial infarction (AMI), chronic coronary syndrome (CCS)] are closely related to patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), but the differences in Lp(a) levels and the relationship between Lp(a) levels and the degree of coronary artery stenosis are unclear.

Methods

Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we screened 217 patients with CCS and 141 patients with AMI. Their data were collected separately, including gender, age, marital status, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, drinking,troponin I, Creatine Kinase Isoenzyme(CKMB), Lp(a), apolipoprotein a [apo(a)],apolipoprotein b [apo(b)], LDL, HDL, TG, TC, D-dimer, fibrinogen, homocysteine, number of coronary artery lesions and the degree of stenosis,and echocardiography related indices.The correlation between Lp(a) level and the degree of coronary artery stenosis was tested by Spearman rank correlation, and the relationship between Lp(a) level and coronary artery obstruction was clarified using univarite and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, and ROC curves were plotted to clarify the value of Lp(a) in predicting coronary artery obstruction and the cut-off value.

Results

In our study, the median Lp(a) concentration was significantly higher in AMI patients than CCS(336.0 vs 135.0 mg/L).Lp(a) was highly associated with the degree of coronary stenosis in patients with CCS(r = 0.811,p<0.001) and was not found in patients with AMI(r = 0.029, p > 0.05).Lp(a) was associated with coronary artery obstruction(define as coronary artery stenosis ≥ 50%) in a multivariate regression analysis compared to other factors(OR:1.024;95%CI:1.016–1.032).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve shows that the area under curve(AUC) of lipoprotein(a) is 93.9%,and the cut-off value of Lp(a) for predicting coronary artery obstruction was 130 mg/L(sensitivity: 85.83% ,specificity: 88.46%).

Conclusions

Lp(a) levels were considerably greater in AMI patients compared to CCS patients, but they did not correlate with the severity of coronary artery stenosis in AMI patients. The level of coronary stenosis can be predicted by Lp(a). In patients with chronic coronary syndrome, Lp(a) > 130 mg/L indicates coronary artery stenosis > 50%.
Chronic Anti-Coagulation Therapy Reduced Mortality In Patients With High Cardiovascular Risk Early In COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Zaghloul Mohamed S. , Jammeh Momodou , Gibson Andrew , Luo Suhong , Chadwick-Mansker Kelley , Liu Qianjin , Yan Yan , Zayed Mohamed A.
Published: November 2022

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with provoked thrombo-inflammatory responses. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic this was thought to contribute to hypercoagulability and multi-organ system complications in infected patients. Limited studies have evaluated the impact of therapeutic anti-coagulation therapy (AC) in alleviate these risks in COVID-19 positive patients. Our study aimed to investigate whether long-term therapeutic AC can decrease the risk of multi-organ system complications (MOSC) including stroke, limb ischemia, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, in-hospital and intensive care unit death in COVID-19 positive patients during the early phase of the pandemic in the United States.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of all COVID-19 positive United States Veterans between March 2020 and October 2020. Patients receiving continuous therapeutic AC for a least 30 days prior to or after their initial COVID-19 positive test were assigned to the AC group. Patients who did not receive AC were included in a control group. We analyzed the primary study outcome of MOSC between the AC and control groups using binary logistic regression analysis (Odd-Ratio; OR).
Results: We identified 48,066 COVID-19 patients, of them 879 (1.8%) were receiving continuous therapeutic AC. The AC cohort had significantly worse comorbidities than the control group. On the adjusted binary logistic regression model, therapeutic AC significantly decreased in-hospital mortality rate (OR; 0.67, p = 0.04), despite a higher incidence of GI bleeding (OR; 4.00, p = 0.02). However, therapeutic AC did not significantly reduce other adverse events.
Conclusion: AC therapy reduced in-hospital death early in the COVID-19 pandemic among patients who were hospitalized with the infection. However, it did not decrease the risk of MOSC. Additional trials are needed to determine the effectiveness of AC in preventing complications associated with ongoing emerging strains of the COVID-19 virus.
The dynamic effects of fiscal discretion on income distribution in the EU-27
Authors: Flores David Sarasa
Published: November 2022

Based on panel data for the EU-27 from 1990 to 2017, this paper develops a novel three-steps framework to assess the dynamic effects of spending-based discretionary fiscal policy on income distribution and inequality. The steps are the following: 1) extract the discretionary fiscal component by estimating a well-known fiscal rule model, 2) use that com- ponent to estimate the dynamics of income distribution given a discretion’s shock by ARDL models and 3) investigate the short-, medium- and long-term effects by computing IRFs via Local Projections by Jordà, 2005. Overall, I find supportive evidence on the heterogeneity in the response of income distribution to discretionary changes in government spending and a weak performance of discretion in terms of income redistribution durability. Such hetero- geneity is shown as i) a significant and positive, yet transitory, income redistributive power of discretion and ii) a persistent and detrimental impact on the top 1 share of the distribution. In addition, these results complement with i) significant in the short-term and ii) persistent in the long-run inequality alleviation. Such results are robust to multiple specifications regarding lag selection criteria, time indicators inclusion and sign non-linearities (asymmetries).
Combined endovascular antegrade- and direct retrograde carotid artery stenting for chronic and long segment common carotid artery occlusion: technical note and review of literature
Authors: Miyake Shigeta , Nakai Yasunobu , Akimoto Taisuke , Ishikawa Syun , Saruta Wakiko , Kuroda Hiroki , Shimizu Satoru , Yamamoto Tetsuya
Published: November 2022

Background
Common carotid artery occlusion (CCAO) is a rare cause of ischemic stroke and the major treatment for CCAO is bypass surgery. However, safer alternatives should be developed to treat CCAO.
Case presentation
A 68-year-old male was diagnosed with left-sided asymptomatic CCAO due to neck radiation therapy for laryngeal cancer. Recanalization therapy using a pull-through technique was initiated because cerebral blood flow progressively decreased during follow-up. First, after a short sheath was inserted into the common carotid artery (CCA), the occluded CCA was retrogradelypenetratedthrough the sheath. Second, a micro-guide wire was guided to the aorta from the femoral sheath where it was caught using a snare-wire guided from the cervical sheath. Subsequently, the micro-guide wire was gently pulled out from the cervical sheath, penetrated the occluded lesion, and was secured to the femoral and cervical sheaths. Finally, the occluded lesion was dilated using a balloon and the stent was placed. The patient was discharged uneventfully 5 days post-procedure.
Conclusions
Combined endovascular antegrade and direct retrograde carotid artery stenting is a versatile and minimally invasive treatment option for CCAO in terms of the reliable penetration of obstructive lesions and reduction of embolic and hemorrhagic complications.
A Brief Technical Report: MS ISO/IEC 17025 Reassessment in the Commercial Chemical Laboratory
Authors: LI HUI LING , HASSAN MOHD SUKRI , NGAH CHE WAN ZANARIAH CHE WAN
Published: November 2022

A Technical Assessor (TA) report is required for every assessment. This brief technical report aims to share the findings after an assessment in the commercial chemical laboratory. This assessment was conducted for 3 audit days, one TA covers food, traditional medicine, animal feed, and agricultural products. It was based on the MS ISO/IEC 17025:2017 clauses, SAMM policies (SP), Specific Criteria (SC) and Specific Technical Requirements (STR). A total of 5 findings were issued to the laboratory, which were 3 Non-Compliance Records (NCR) category 2, 1 NCR category 3 and 1 NCR category 4 which is an observation. The certified Accreditation Body (CAB) needed to be closed out the NCR category 2 and category 3 within three months with corrective action and root cause analysis to obtain the accreditation continuously.
Maturation in the Indian Context: An Exploration of Differentiation of Self in Indian Youth
Authors: Narayanan Mini , Sri Sujata
Published: November 2022

Murray Bowen’s ‘Differentiation of Self’ refers to a maturation process wherein the individual can achieve an optimal balance between the biologically rooted dialectic forces of togetherness and separateness. Being a multigenerational process, differentiation is achieved within the context of the family's emotional process and manifests in the intrapsychic and interpersonal domains of functioning. Higher levels of differentiation facilitate better psychological health, and lower levels leave the person vulnerable to psychological distress. While extensively explored in the West, there is a paucity of differentiation studies in India, which is a collectivistic society characterised by psychological interdependence.
An online cross-sectional survey was conducted to explore differentiation among Indian youth enrolled in universities across Maharashtra, India, using the DSI-R (Differentiation of Self-Revised) (Skowron & Schmitt, 2003). Data collected from 783 youth (243 males, 540 females; mean age = 20.77 years) was analysed using non-parametric statistics. Findings indicated average levels of differentiation (M=3.4, SD=0.59), high levels of I-Position (M=4.1, SD=0.77) and Emotional Reactivity (M=2.8, SD=0.95), and average levels of Emotional Cutoff (M=3.7, SD=0.91) and Fusion with others (M=3. SD=0.7). Contrary to Bowen's assertion of the universality of the construct, sociodemographic factors like gender, birth order, relationship status and parental education were found to influence differentiation levels of youth significantly. Existing data provides contradicting evidence of the same. Findings support the need for more multicultural studies of differentiation to understand the construct and its manifestation in different cultures. Implications for assessment and therapeutic interventions are discussed.
Resistance training restores skeletal muscle atrophy and satellite cell content in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Rahmati Masoud , joneydi Mohammad Shariatzadeh , Koyanagi Ai , Yang Guang , Ji Bingzhou , Lee Seung Won , Yon Dong Keon , Smith Lee , Shin Jae Il , Li Yusheng
Published: November 2022

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, and numerous recent findings suggest that several pathologic signs, including loss of muscle strength and mass, are also detected in these patients. In the present study, we evaluated muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), myonuclear number, satellite cell (SC) content, and myosin heavy chain (MyHC) types in an animal model of AD and examined the possible role of resistance training in controlling skeletal muscle size in this disease. Fifty-eight male rats were randomly divided into four groups: healthy-control (H-C), healthy-exercise (H-Ex), Alzheimer-control (A-C), and Alzheimer-exercise (A-Ex). AD was induced by the single injection of 1–42 amyloid into the CA1 region of the hippocampus (1 µl/site). The rats in H-Ex and A-Ex groups performed a 5-week resistance training period (17 sessions). The results indicated that AD induces significant skeletal muscle atrophy and reduces the myonuclear number and SC content in gastrocnemius muscle. Interestingly, we did not find any significant differences in the different MyHC distributions of AD animals compared with controls, while resistance training significantly increased the CSA of MyHC IIb fibers in both AD and healthy animals. Altogether, these observations suggest that the skeletal muscle of AD animals are more prone to atrophy and loss of myonuclear number and satellite cell content, while resistance training successfully restores these impairments.
Relationship between Dizziness Handicap Inventory and Right to left shunt grading, and interventional therapy effect on unexplained dizziness: A prospective clinical study
Authors: Li Yanping , Shen Yu , Cao Qian , Cheng Yingzhang , Huang Wei , Xu Lijun , Tang Zhenyu
Published: November 2022

Background and Objective: Unexplained dizziness remains a clinical challenge. Our previous studies have shown that unexplained dizziness may be related to patent foramen ovale (PFO). This study aims to explore whether the degree of shunt is correlated with the degree of unexplained dizziness and looking for the possible clinical intervention for patients with unexplained dizziness.
Methods: This study was a large single-center, prospective, controlled study. From March 2019 to March 2022, patients with unexplained dizziness and explained dizziness and healthy controls were recruited. Contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler sonography(c-TCD) was performed to detect the existence of right-to-left shunt (RLS) and shunt grading. The dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) was completed to evaluate the dizziness. Unexplained dizziness patients with large amount of PFO were volunteered to receive medication treatment and transcatheter PFO closure and followed up six months.
Results: A total of 387 patients (132 unexplained, 123 explained and 132 controls) were enrolled. There was a statistical difference in the RLS grading with three groups (p < 0.001). The Spearman correlation coefficient of RLS grading and DHI scores in unexplained dizziness patients (r=0.122, p=0.163) and explained dizziness patients (r=0.067, p=0.460). In the unexplained group, there were 49 cases with massive grading RLS. Of which 25 patients received percutaneous PFO closure treatment and 24 cases received medication treatment. Followed up six months after treatment, the amount of DHI scores change in patients who received the percutaneous PFO closure was significantly higher than that in the medication treatment group (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: RLS may play an important role in unexplained dizziness. For unexplained dizziness patients, PFO closure may contribute to better outcomes. In the future, large-scale randomized controlled studies are still needed.
Scope, Effects and Mitigation of Hydropeaking: A Case Study of Lundesokna, Gaula River
Authors: Devi N. Nithila , Ganapathy Abinesh , Chang Yuan-Shun , Angulo B. Yessica Sevilla
Published: November 2022

Lundesokna river which is a tributary of the unregulated Gaula River, is exposed to the problem of hydropeaking caused by the hydropower plant. River Gaula is also one of the best Atlantic Salmon fishing rivers in Norway. The main objective of the paper is to quantify the impact of hydropeaking in Lundesokna-Gaula confluence and along the lengths of River Lundesokna on salmon population. As a first step, the characteristics of hydropeaking such as peaking discharge, base flow, standard amplitude, peak retention, flashness and rate of change are estimated. Then the seasonality of hydropeaking behaviour is quantified by detecting hydropeaking events using Hydropeaking Event Detection Algorithm (HEDA) (Li & Pasternack, 2021) algorithm. For the individual peaking event and seasonal average peak-base flows the hydraulic model was set-up. The hydraulic characteristics of hydropeaking events at various zones of the Lundesokna River, such as various ramping areas, ramping rate were estimated. Additionally, the eco-hydraulic indicators such as potential spawning area, spawning habitat and fish stranding indices were estimated at various zones of the Lundesokna River. The key highlights of the analysis that has been conducted for Lundesokna are as follows: (i) 15 min temporal resolution was found out to be optimal in capturing the hydropeaking events, (ii) base-peak flow differences were prominent in Winter season, (iii) confluence reported lower ramping rates due to moderation by the unregulated flows in Gaula, (iv) irrespective of the increase in flows in Lundesokna (up to a flow similar to that in Gaula), confluence’s spawning potential will not be much affected; however other sites in Lundesokna might get affected, therefore site-specific mitigation strategies need to be practiced, (v) when Gaula is at low flows, hydropeaking flows at Lundesokna should be maintained accordingly to reduce the stranding risk. We also propose an environmental flow informed comprehensive framework for drafting operational guidelines and site-specific mitigation measures can be undertaken to ensure effective conservation of the salmon population.
Discuss the rationality of the new substage IB of FIGO 2018 cervical cancer staging system
Authors: Li Zhiqiang , Zhao Hongwei , Wang Yahong , Cao Yuye , Zhu Bin , Lin Lihong , Li Weili , Wang Qianqing , Jin Shuangling , Yao Jilong , Bin Xiaolong , Lang Jinghe , Chen Chunlin , Liu Ping
Published: November 2022

Objective: To explore the rationality of the new stage IB of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2018 cervical cancer from the open surgical oncology perspective.
Methods: Patients with FIGO 2018 stage IB cervical cancer were screened from the clinical diagnosis and treatment for cervical cancer in China (Four C) database including cases from 47 hospitals in mainland China between 2004 and 2018.Firstly, we classified the lymph node-positive cases in the FIGO 2009 stage IB as stage “IIIC-IB”.Then,using Real World Study(RWS) method,we retrospectively compared the 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS)of patients with FIGO2018 staged IB1、IB2、IB3 and IIIC-IB .
Results:The results were as follows: 1210 cases were in stage IB1, 1315 cases were in stage IB2, 470 cases were in stage IB3, and 868 cases were in stage “IIIC-IB”.(1) In the whole study population, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed statistically meaningful differences in 5-year OS and 5-year DFS in patients with stage IB1、IB2、IB3 and IIIC-IB cervical cancer (OS: 98.4% vs 94.8% vs 92.1%vs 81.9% , P<0.001; DFS: 94.0% vs 90.7%vs 90.3% vs74.9%, P<0.001).(2)Cox multivariate analysis showed:for stage IB1、IB2，IB1 was an independent protective factor for 5-year OS (HR=0.438, 95% CI: 0.245-0.785,P=0.006),but IB1 was not an independent protective factor for 5-year DFS (P=0.073).For stage IB2、IB3,stage IB3 was not an independent risk factor for 5-year OS and 5-year DFS (OS：P=0.120; DFS：P=0.828).(3) For stage IB1、IB2、IB3、IIIC-IB, Kaplan-Meier analysis and cox multivariate analysis both showed a higher risk of death and death/recurrence in the stageIIIC-IB than the stage IB.
Conclusion: The new FIGO 2018 staging strategy is helpful for further distinguishing the survival outcomes of patients with different IB substages, especially IB1、IB2 , but it is not significant for those with IB2、IB3 substages. Patients in the FIGO2009 stage IB disease with positive lymph node metastasis are classified in the FIGO 2018 stage IIIC-IB group, which is helpful for further guiding clinical decision-making and prognosis evaluation.
Revisiting the East Asian summer monsoon structure: A combined effect of condensational heating and synoptic eddy activities
Authors: Chen Shengjie , Yang Xiu-Qun , Fang Jiabei , Sun Linyuan , Tao Lingfeng , Sang Xiaozhuo , Yin Manman
Published: November 2022

The East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) is a unique regional monsoon in the subtropics involving not only tropical but midlatitude processes. Most of the previous studies identified the role of condensational heating which is largely relevant to the tropical moisture transport in determining the dynamical structure of EASM. However, how midlatitude synoptic eddy activities can affect the EASM structure has not been well recognized. With dynamical diagnoses, this study revisits the EASM structure by emphasizing the roles of feedbacks of condensational heating versus synoptic eddy activities. As EASM is characterized by a grand low-level low with strong humid southerly flows extending from the tropics to the northeastern Asia, its vertical structure is found to have a distinct meridional difference bounded at around 35.5oN. In the southern domain, EASM features a meridional overturning cell and a baroclinic structure with an upper-level high versus a lower-level low in geopotential height, which are primarily controlled by substantial condensational heating due to abundant monsoon precipitation. However, in the northern domain, EASM exhibits an equivalent barotropic structure with an upper-level low versus a lower-level low. Such a unique structure results from a combined effect of feedbacks of condensational heating and synoptic eddy activities, in which the upper-level low is dominated by the synoptic eddy dynamical feedback while the lower-level low is induced by the both feedbacks. The role of the midlatitude transient eddy activities in shaping the EASM structure proposed in this study provides a new perspective for understanding the formation and variation of EASM.