bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In Vitro propagation of Infectious Hypodermal Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus [IHHNV] / Penaeus stylirostris penstyldensovirus [PstDV1] in PmLyO-Sf9
Authors: Dominic Dominic Vithayathil Diya , Sajeevan Thavarool Puthiyedathu , Ameer Ahna , Muneer Abdulkhader , Eldho Linu , Anoop Bhaskaran Sathyabhama , Jayesh Puthumana , Joseph Valsamma , Philip Rosamma , Singh Isaac Sarojini Bright
Published: December 2022

Isolation and in vitro propagation of Infectious Hypodermal Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV/ PstDVI) in PmLyO-Sf9 could be successfully performed. After few hours of post inoculation with the virus, cytopathic changes such as (a) clustering (b) enlargement (c) syncytium formation (d) granulation (e) vacuole formation (f) tapering (g) irregular plasma membrane with extended tails (h) detachment (i) cell death and cellular debris formation were observed. Expression of viral genes, presence of virions and cytological changes demonstrated through TEM suggested replication of the virus in the shrimp - insect hybrid cell line. The virus could be purified by ultracentrifugation, negatively stained, and demonstrated under electron microscope. The same was found to be infective both in vitro and in vivo. This development opens avenues for the study of basic molecular mechanism of IHHNV infection, pathogenesis and replication kinetics much required for developing antiviral strategy in aquaculture.
Momentum Transfer from the DART Mission Kinetic Impact on Asteroid Dimorphos
Authors: Cheng Andrew , Agrusa Harrison , Barbee Brent , Meyer Alex , Farnham Tony , Raducan Sabina , Richardson Derek , Dotto Elisabetta , Zinzi Angelo , Corte Vincenzo Della , Statler Thomas , Chesley Steven , Naidu Shantanu , Hirabayashi Masatoshi , Li Jian-Yang , Eggl Siegfried , Barnouin Olivier , Chabot Nancy , Chocron Sidney , Collins Gareth , Daly Ronald , Davison Thomas , DeCoster Mallory , Ernst Carolyn , Ferrari Fabio , Graninger Dawn , Jacobson Seth , Jutzi Martin , Kumamoto Kathryn , Luther Robert , Lyzhoft Joshua , Michel Patrick , Murdoch Naomi , Nakano Ryota , Palmer Eric , Rivkin Andrew , Scheeres Daniel , Stickle Angela , Sunshine Jessica , Trigo-Rodriguez Josep , Vincent Jean-Baptiste , Walker James , Wünnemann Kai , Zhang Yun , Amoroso Marilena , Bertini Ivano , Brucato John , Capannolo Andrea , Cremonese Gabriele , Dallora Massimo , Deshapriya Prasanna , Gai Igor , Hasselmann Pedro , Ieva Simone , Impresario Gabriele , Ivanovski Stavro , Lavagna Michelle , Lucchetti Alice , Epifani Elena Mazzotta , Modenini Dario , Pajola Maurizio , Palumbo Pasquale , Perna Davide , Pirotta Simone , Poggiali Giovanni , Rossi Alessandro , Tortora Paolo , Zannoni Marco , Zanotti Giovanni
Published: December 2022

The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission performed a kinetic impact on asteroid Dimorphos, the satellite of the binary asteroid (65803) Didymos, at 23:14 UTC on September 26, 2022 as a planetary defense test1. DART was the first hypervelocity impact experiment on an asteroid at size and velocity scales relevant to planetary defense, intended to validate kinetic impact as a means of asteroid deflection. Here we report the first determination of the momentum transferred to an asteroid by kinetic impact. Based on the change in the binary orbit period2, we find an instantaneous reduction in Dimorphos’s along-track orbital velocity component of 2.70 ± 0.10 mm s–1, indicating enhanced momentum transfer due to recoil from ejecta streams produced by the impact3,4. For a Dimorphos bulk density range of 1,500 to 3,300 kg m–3, we find that the expected value of the momentum enhancement factor, β, ranges between 2.2 and 4.9, depending on the mass of Dimorphos. If Dimorphos and Didymos are assumed to have equal densities of 2,400 kg m–3, 〖β=3.61〗_(-0.25)^(+0.19) (1σ). These β values indicate that significantly more momentum was transferred to Dimorphos from the escaping impact ejecta than was incident with DART. Therefore, the DART kinetic impact was highly effective in deflecting the asteroid Dimorphos.
The emerging role of lysine succinylation in ovarian aging
Authors: le meiling , Li Jia , Zhang Dalei , Yuan Yuan , Zhou Chong , He Jinxia , Huang Jian , Hu Liaoliao , Luo Tao , Zheng Liping
Published: December 2022

Background
Ovarian aging is a process of decline in its reserve leading to ovary dysfunction and even reduced health quality in offspring. However, aging-related molecular pathways in the ovary remain obscure. Lysine succinylation (Ksuc), a newly post-translational modification (PTM), has been found to be broadly conserved in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, and associated with multiple pathophysiological processes. There are no relevant reports revealing a link between the molecular mechanisms of ovarian aging and Ksuc.
Methods
The level of Ksuc in ovaries of aged and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) mice and granulosa cells (GCs) derived from follicular fluid of women with POI were detected by immunoblotting and immunohistochemical. To further explore the role of Ksuc in ovarian aging, using in vitro mouse ovary tissue culture and an in vivo mouse model with changed Ksuc level.
Results
Increased Ksuc in ovaries of aged and POI mice and GCs derived from follicular fluid of women with POI, and distribution of Ksuc in various types of mice ovarian cells and the high level of Ksuc in GCs were revealed. Histological assessments and hormone levels analyses showed that the high Ksuc level down-regulated the ovarian index and the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and estrogen levels, and increased follicular atresia. Moreover, in the high Ksuc groups, the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) intensities and the expression of Cleaved-caspase-3 increased and the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) decreased together with positively-expressed P21, an aging-related marker. These results suggest that ovarian aging is likely associated with alteration in Ksuc.
Conclusion
The present study has identified Ksuc in mouse ovary and human GCs and found that high Ksuc level most likely contributes to ovarian aging which is expected further investigation to provide new information for delaying physiological ovarian aging and treating pathological ovarian aging.
An investigation of the potential effects of amitriptyline on polycystic ovary syndrome induced by estradiol valerate
Authors: Alkan Işınsu , Kaplan Süleyman
Published: December 2022

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is frequently observed in adolescent women and usually progresses with depression. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of amitriptyline (AMI), a drug used in the treatment of depression, in individuals with PCOS. Forty 12-week-old female Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into five groups; control, sham, PCOS, AMI, PCOS+AMI. In order to induce the syndrome in the PCOS groups, a single dose of 4mg/kg estradiol valerate was administered by intraperitoneal injection, 10mg/kg AMI was administered by intraperitoneal injection for 30days in the AMI groups. After 30days, all the animals were sacrificed and blood, ovary, brain tissues were collected, subjected to routine tissue processing. Stereological, histopathological analyses were performed on the ovarian sections, while LH, FSH, CAT, and SOD levels were investigated in blood samples. The volume of the corpus luteum and preantral follicles increased in the PCOS group, while a decrease was determined in the number of antral follicles using stereological methods. Biochemical analysis revealed that FSH levels increased and CAT enzyme levels decreased in the PCOS group. Significant morphological changes were observed in ovaries from the PCOS group. The volume of the corpus luteum in the PCOS+AMI group decreased compared to the PCOS group. Serum FSH levels decreased in the PCOS+AMI group, while CAT enzyme levels increased compared to the PCOS group. Degenerative areas were also seen in the PCOS+AMI group ovaries. AMI administration was unable to sufficiently ameliorate the morphological and biochemical changes caused in the ovarian tissues by PCOS.
Blockchain as a service environment: a dependability evaluation
Authors: Correia Leonel , Ramalho Jamilson , Silva Francisco Airton
Published: December 2022

Blockchain has become an important processing paradigm in recent years. The blockchain supports financial transactions and validates contracts, documents and data. However, the evolution of blockchain has become viable for many applications. The servers' availability and reliability (dependence) are required in the data processing. The contract will only be signed if there are enough components to form the blockchain blocks. This paper analyses the dependency between project components that use blockchain. We present a model based on stochastic Petri net (SPN) for evaluating the dependency of the blockchain architecture. The Design of Experiments (DoE) method was used to analyze this model's factors, seeking to know which ones had the higher impact on the system. The sensitivity analysis showed that the MongoDB component has a greater impact on the system dependency and the need to upgrade such a component. Also, for reliability, making component improvements is unnecessary if the system has fewer than 36,000 hours of runtime.
Freight Train Speed Active Disturbance Rejection Tracking and Wheel Anti-slip Based on T-S Fuzzy Neural Network
Authors: Lingzhi YI , yu YI , Chen LI , Chen Xie , dake Zhang , wenbo Jiang
Published: December 2022

A speed tracking control scheme is proposed for freight trains in this paper. This speed tracking scheme approach can prevent the wheel from slipping while controlling the traction motor to drive freight trains at an appropriate speed. Direct Torque Control (DTC) used by the HXD1 electric traction locomotive is applied in this strategy to control the asynchronous motor. Velocity tracking control is implemented by a Predictive Auto Disturbance Rejection Control (PADRC). Through an modified Smith estimator, this PADRC can predict the response of time-delay systems. In addition, an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) observer is designed. An adaptive parameter adjustment mechanism implemented by Affinity Propagation-Fuzzy Neural Network (AP-FNN) is also integrated into this observer. It is used to solve the problem that is difficult to measure the radial velocity and creep rate accurately. Using the anti-slip parameters obtained by this observer, the control scheme of anti-skid control is determined. Under wet and dry pavement conditions, an actual speed curve of a freight train is used to simulate and verify the effectiveness of this scheme.
Investigation on contact pressure of back-up roll with Parabolic chamfer curve and Intelligent Modeling of plate crown in plate rolling process
Authors: Ding Jingguo , Jin Li , Zhang Kai , Sun Jie
Published: December 2022

The work rolls of CVC rolling mills in plate rolling process adopt S-shaped roll profile curve, which change the contact situation between the rolls and make the contact pressure distribution between the rolls uneven. The peak of the contact pressure between the rolls appears at the end of the roll, which leads to peeling or “meat loss” at the end of the roll and poor plate crown control effect. To solve those problems, a CVC rolling mill back-up roll profile curve with parabolic chamfer was proposed, and Fusion model of plate crown based on mechanism and data-driven models was developed. Combining the parameters of the CVC roll profile curve, the theoretical calculation formula of the back-up roll chamfering was deduced. According to the actual data of the plate rolling mill, the parameters of different types of back-up roll chamfering were determined, and the distribution of contact pressure between the rolls under different back-up roll chamfering was calculated and analyzed by finite element model. Based on the new parabolic chamfer curve of back-up roll, the rolling force setting model based on ELM and the roll wear model based on GA-ANN were constructed by using the nonlinear fitting ability of machine learning algorithm, Then, the predicted results of rolling force and roll wear are taken as the input variables of plate crown prediction. At the same time, the roll system deformation model and roll bending force model based on mechanism model were introduced as inputs to construct the plate crown CNN model based on mechanism and data-driven fusion. The simulation results show that the parabolic chamfer can significantly reduce the pressure between the backup rolls. When the rolled strip width is 2000mm, 2400mm, and 2800mm, the parabolic chamfer can reduce the peak contact stress between the rolls by approximately 8.6% and 10.8%. When the rolling bending force is 1600kN, 2100kN, and 2600kN, the parabolic chamfer can reduce the peak contact stress between the rolls by approximately 8.6%, 8.9% and 9.1%. The hit ratio of plate crown increased from 90.4–96.5%, and the product degradation rate caused by the shape problem decreased by 35.5%.
Effect of Overground Gait Training with ‘Mobility Assisted Robotic System-MARS’ on Gait Parameters in Patients with Stroke: A Pre-post Study
Authors: Gupta Anupam , Prakash Navin , Sannyasi Gourav , Mohamad Faiz , Honavar Preethi , S Jotheeswaran , Khanna Meeka , Ramakrishnan Subasree
Published: December 2022

Objective
To observe the effect of overground gait training with ‘Mobility Assisted Robotic System-MARS’ on gait parameters in patients with stroke
Patients & Methods:
This prospective pre-post study was conducted in a tertiary teaching research hospital with 25 stroke patients with age ranging between 18–65 years. Patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were divided in 2 groups based on the duration of stroke (≤ 6 months-sub-acute stroke & > 6 months-chronic stroke) and provided overground gait training with MARS robot for 12 sessions over a period of 2–3 weeks. Primary outcome measures were; 10-Meter walk test, 6-minutes’ walk test-6MWT and Timed up & Go-TUG tests. Secondary outcome measures were Functional Ambulation Category-FAC, Modified Rankin Scale-MRS and Scandinavian Stroke Scale-SSS.
Results
No adverse events were reported. Twelve patients in sub-acute stroke group and 13 patients in chronic stroke group were provided gait training for a period of maximum 1 hour per session. All primary and secondary outcome measures showed significant improvement in gait parameters at the end of the training (p < 0.05) barring 10-Meter walk test in sub-acute stroke group (p = 0.255). Chronic stroke group showed significant minimum clinically important difference-MCID difference in endurance (6MWT) at the end of the training and both groups showed better ‘minimal detectable change-MDC’ in balance (TUG) at the end of the training.
Conclusions
Overground gait training with MARS Robot is safe and efficacious. Patients showed significant improvement in walking speed, endurance, balance and independence at the end of the training.
Clinical Trial Registry
: National Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2021/08/035695)
Active Intrusion Detection & Prediction based on Temporal Big Data Analytics
Authors: Jemili Farah
Published: December 2022

Computer security consists in protecting access and manipulating system data by several mechanisms. However, conventional protection technologies are ineffective against current attacks. Thus, new tools have appeared, such as the intrusion detection and prediction systems which are important defense elements for network security since they detect the ongoing intrusions and predict the upcoming attacks. Besides, most of conventional protection technologies remain insufficient in terms of actions since they are all passive systems, unable to provide recommendations in order to block or stop the attacks. In this paper, a distributed detection and prediction system, composed of three major parts, is proposed. The first part deals with the detection of intrusions based on the decision tree learning algorithm. The second part deals with intrusions prediction using the chronicle algorithm. The third part proposes an expert system for security recommendations in response to detected intrusions, able to provide appropriate recommendations to stop the attacks. The proposed system gives good results in terms of accuracy and precision in detecting and predicting attacks, and efficiency in proposing the right recommendations to stop the attacks.
Influence of Structural, Social and Hygienic Atmospheres to accessing Public Toilets in Dhaka, Bangladesh: A Qualitative Exploration
Authors: Hossain Syed Billal , Chowdhury ABM Alauddin , Mubarak Mahfuza , Humayra Ipsita , Shahjahan Md.
Published: December 2022

In the capital city of Dhaka, males are being prompted to urinate or defecate in public areas due to a lack of access to public toilets. Therefore, the goal of the study was to determine how the structural, social, and hygienic environments affected people's ability to utilize public toilets in Dhaka. This cross-sectional qualitative study was done in Dhaka between November 2016 and January 2017, with data collected from 29 public toilets located around the city's north and south parts. In order to collect data, semi-structured checklists for observing the current structural, social and Hygiene state of public toilets were utilized. There are 237 public toilets in the city that are operational, including Dhaka City Corporation -authorized and non-governmental public toilets. Due to the lack or inaccessibility of the nearest public toilet, residents in the city are accustomed to accessing the nearest restricted bathrooms such as Mosques, Filling stations, hospitals, and so on. Furthermore, the floor materials in all of the toilets were found to be slippery, and degradation of the roof, doors, windows, and interior walls of public toilets was a typical occurrence. In the public toilets we observed, poor supervision was also common. Most of the restrooms analyzed do not have a "Women Section," and several restrooms are famous for the crowding of onlookers, especially near the women's block. Although there are uncomfortable structural, sociological, and hygiene issues as well as unhygienic conditions in public toilets of Dhaka city, the authorities take the situation lightly.
Enhanced glycerol assimilation and lipid production in Rhodotorula toruloides CBS14 upon addition of hemicellulose primarily correlates with early transcription of energy-metabolism related genes
Authors: Martín-Hernández Giselle C. , Chmielarz Mikołaj , Müller Bettina , Brandt Christian , Viehweger Adrian , Hölzer Martin , Passoth Volkmar
Published: December 2022

Background
Lipid formation from glycerol was previously found to be activated in Rhodotorula toruloides when the yeast was cultivated in a mixture of crude glycerol (CG) and hemicellulose hydrolysate (CGHH) compared to CG as the only carbon source. RNA samples from R. toruloides CBS14 cell cultures grown on either CG or CGHH were collected at different time points of cultivation, and a differential gene expression analysis was performed between cells grown at a similar physiological situation.
Results
We observed enhanced transcription of genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation and enzymes localized in mitochondria in CGHH compared to CG. Genes involved in protein turnover, including those encoding ribosomal proteins, translation elongation factors, and genes involved in building the proteasome also showed an enhanced transcription in CGHH compared to CG. At 10 h cultivation, another group of activated genes in CGHH was involved in β-oxidation, handling oxidative stress and degradation of xylose and aromatic compounds. Potential bypasses of the standard GUT1 and GUT2- glycerol assimilation pathway were also expressed and upregulated in CGHH 10 h. When the additional carbon sources from HH were completely consumed, at CGHH 36 h, their transcription decreased and NAD+-dependent glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was upregulated compared to CG 60 h, generating NADH instead of NADPH with glycerol catabolism. TPI1 was upregulated in CGHH compared to cells grown on CG in all physiological situations, potentially channeling the DHAP formed through glycerol catabolism into glycolysis. The highest number of upregulated genes encoding glycolytic enzymes was found after 36 h in CGHH, when all additional carbon sources were already consumed.
Conclusions
We suspect that the physiological reason for the activation of metabolism, which was the basis for the accelerated glycerol assimilation and faster lipid production, was primarily the activation of enzymes that provide energy.
Analyzing the Barriers Affecting the Adoption of Green Computing: A Hybrid Method Approach
Authors: Dalvi-Esfahani Mohammad , Nilashi Mehrbakhsh
Published: December 2022

While there is a plethora of research on the firms’ efforts toward environmental sustainability, it has been found that green computing has not been so prominent due to some burdens that are hindering their development and rapid deployment. Accordingly, upon identification of twelve barriers from the literature and clustering them into three groups of adoption costs, technological barriers, and internal barriers, the mutual influences and the importance level of barriers were investigated using the data collected from fifteen experts in the field. The Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) together with the Matrice d'Impacts Croises Multipication Applique´ an Classment (MICMAC) analyses methods were used to investigate the mutual influences amongst the barriers. The results of the ISM and MICMAC revealed that firm size and legal barriers are the most fundamental and independent ones which have the greatest impact on the system. Moreover, the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method was applied to reveal the importance level of barriers and further depict cause and effect relationships among them. The DEMATEL results revealed that, from the perspective of the experts, adoption cost barriers are more important than the other dimensions (Ri+Ci = 32.888). Furthermore, transactional risk (Ri+Ci = 24.160), technological complexity (Ri+Ci = 12.647), and switching cost (Ri+Ci = 14.483) were identified as the most important barriers related to each dimension. This study's developed decision-making framework would assist managers and practitioners in comprehending the relationships between the barriers that have been identified and how they interact when trying to practice green computing initiatives.
Classification of Indian Classical Music (Hindustani Music) Genres through MFCCs Features using RNN-LSTM Model
Authors: Bisht Abhay Singh , Negi C M S , Singh Rajiv
Published: December 2022

Music has been considered an inseparable part of our culture and tradition. In this work, we created a dataset with six Hindustani music genres: Abhang, Bhajan, Thumri, Tappa, Ghazal, and Kajri, each of which contains 100 songs in wave(.wav) format. To classify the Hindustani music genres, we employ the mel frequency ceptral coefficients features, which contain timbral information, and the Recurrent Neural Network-Long Short Term Memory. Our best three models achieved an average accuracy of 86% when trained on various feature sets with MFCC values of 18, 26, and 39. Furthermore, we use uniform manifold approximation and projection to transform and visualise higher-dimensional feature set data into two-dimensional space. Based on the results, we can infer that Hindustani music has more intricate melodies than western music, and feeding 18 MFCC features to the deep neural network is the optimum strategy to obtain better accuracy. Increasing the hop length from 512 to 1024 reduces the input dimension size, which facilitates the RNN-LSTM model. As a result, the performance of the RNN-LSTM models has been slightly improved. Our RNN-LSTM models’ test set accuracy decreased by 5% when we took 5 segments. Additionally, we evaluated and compared our model to six genres of the GTZAN dataset and achieved 90% accuracy.
The prevalence of various menstrual disorders and its association with psychological stress in medical faculties students. A Cross-sectional study.
Authors: Alshayeb Sarah , Sakka Kanaan
Published: December 2022

Background: Menstrual disorders are of the most prevalent health issues in young female students studying in health science faculties. The purpose of this study was to provide an insight on the menstrual patterns among medical faculties students, and to determine whether stress can be an identified factor for its various disorders.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Faculties of Medicine, Dentistry and pharmacy in the Syrian Private University, Damascus, Syria, between October and November of 2022. Nine hundred and eighty female students anonymously completed the identification of menstrual problems and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaire. The date was analyzed with Social Science Statistics Package.
Results: The mean age of the students was 21.52 ± 2.06 years. The most common menstrual disorders in this study were dysmenorrhea (88%), premenstrual syndrome (87%), and irregular menstrual cycle (21%). We found a statistically significant relationship between the occurrence of irregular menstrual cycle and amenorrhea, polymenorrhea, and oligomenorrhea. 82% had mild to moderate stress, 10% had high stress, while 8% had low stress. There was a statistically significant relationship between stress and abnormal vaginal bleeding, oligomenorrhea, and menstrual irregularity.
Conclusion: There was a really high prevalence of stress among these students, which was also associated with the occurrence of various menstrual disorders, both of which can not only have an impact on a student's ability to function academically, but also may potentially have detrimental impacts on their reproductive and mental health. It is for that reason we advise that all students of medical faculties get brief courses on stress management strategies as part of their curriculum. Additionally, all medical faculties universities should set up procedures for the early detection of individuals with stress and menstruation disorders. The identified students with high stress levels should also get prompt gynaecological and psychiatric counselling.
Psychological benefits of hobby engagement in older age: a longitudinal cross-country analysis of 93,263 older adults in 16 countries
Authors: Fancourt Daisy , Mak Hei Wan , Noguchi Taiji , Bone Jessica , Wels Jacques , Gao Qian , Kondo Katsunori , Saito Tami
Published: December 2022

The growing ageing population has begun to pose a threat to global health due to social and psychological challenges experienced by older adults. To mitigate this, many countries promote hobby engagement to support and improve mental health. Yet, it remains unclear whether there is consistency in benefits across different cultural settings. We harmonised measures of hobby engagement and multiple aspects of mental health across 16 nations represented in five cohort studies. Fixed effects models and multi-national meta-analyses were applied to compare the longitudinal associations between hobbies and mental health internationally. Independent of confounders, having a hobby was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, and higher levels of self-reported health, happiness and life satisfaction. But prevalence of engagement and benefits correlated with macro-level factors such as life expectancy and national happiness levels. Consequently, ensuring equality in hobby engagement within and between countries should be the priority.
Exploring Breastfeeding Mothers’ and Lactation Consultants’ Experiences of Lactation Consultancy Throughout the Restrictions Put in Place Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Authors: Connolly Anna , Matthews Anne
Published: December 2022

Background
Breastfeeding rates in Ireland are among the lowest in the world. Lactation consultancy provides mothers with support and information on how to cope with any challenges they encounter. There is emerging evidence that COVID-19 restrictions impacted access to and the quality of breastfeeding support.
Aim
The aim of this study was to explore breastfeeding mothers’ and lactation consultants’ experiences of breastfeeding support throughout the COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland. It also aimed to explore what adaptations had to be made to the delivery of lactation consultancy and how these changes impacted mothers’ experiences of breastfeeding support.
Methods
A qualitative research design was chosen. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants, three breastfeeding mothers and five lactation consultants. Interviews were conducted online via Zoom, audio-recorded and transcribed. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results
Five key themes were identified: ‘Lack of Support’, ‘Adapting to COVID-19 Restrictions’, Emotional Response to COVID-19 and Restrictions’, Vaccination as a Barrier to and Facilitator of Support’ and Inconsistency of Lactation Support Across Ireland’. Both lactation consultants and mothers identified similar issues however, slight variations within lactation consultants' perceptions of mothers’ and mothers’ attitudes towards online services were seen. An unanticipated finding was the lack of support in hospitals pre-COVID-19.
Conclusions
Both mothers’ and lactation consultants’ experiences of lactation consultancy were impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions. Although exacerbated by COVID-19, the lack of support in hospitals existed before COVID-19. Provision of better breastfeeding support is required.
Recommendations
Increased availability of lactation consultants and the implementation of breastfeeding rooms within hospitals is required in addition to debrief counselling sessions for lactation consultants. Further research is required to understand the unavailability of lactation consultants in hospital settings and to identify how to manage breastfeeding support in future emergency situations.
Post-dispersal seed removal in an agricultural landscape of semi-arid West Africa
Authors: Boadi Paula Antwiwaah N. , Nboyine Jerry A. , Kusi Francis , Jnr Ibrahim Yussif , Lawer Eric Adjei
Published: December 2022

Post-dispersal seed removal is crucial for maintaining plant diversity by influencing secondary dispersal, recruitment, and mortality of seeds. In this study, we examined the effect of three habitat types (conventional farmland, agroforestry parkland, and woodland) and two seed species (Leucaena leucocephala and Faidherbia albida) on post-dispersal seed removal by invertebrates and vertebrates in an agricultural landscape using selective exclosure treatments. The exclosure treatments, closed and open, were designed to respectively impose restrictions that allow only invertebrates as well as both invertebrates and vertebrates access to seeds. The results showed that habitat type (χ2=65.06, p = <0.0001) and seed species (χ2=6.207, p = 0.013) influenced the rate of seed removal: i.e., the woodland habitat and F. albida seeds recorded the highest removal rates while the parkland habitat recorded the least. However, while not always statistically significant for most habitat pairwise comparisons for the different seed species investigated, our findings suggest that invertebrates likely dominated seed removal events compared to vertebrates. The diversity of fauna often associated with natural or woodland habitats coupled with their differential seed selection habits may have accounted for the observed findings. We further suspect that the presence of bushes and fallow lands near conventional farmlands resulted in its high seed removal rate compared to the parkland habitat. Thus, post-dispersal seed removal benefits from fauna diversity in bushes or fallows near conventional farmlands. Overall, our study has demonstrated that woodland and agricultural habitats can potentially contribute to maintaining plant population dynamics through predation and dispersal events.
Developing Rock Mass Classification Method Using Precise Description of Joints
Authors: Jin Changyu , Liang JUNYU , Cui Jianxin , Wang Qiang
Published: December 2022

Rock mass classification is essential for assessing the quality of macroscopic rock mass and is the basis for rock mass stability analysis and geotechnical engineering design. The joint observation technology limits traditional rock mass classification methods in that they only collect joint information from one-dimensional or two-dimensional space and cannot comprehensively obtain the joint occurrence in three-dimensional space. Consequently, empirical formulas are frequently used in studies on joint distribution laws, resulting in less accurate calculations of joint parameters. This study develops a method for classifying rock masses using a precise description of the joints. Initially, it utilizes the borehole camera and the Sirovision joint scanning system to acquire accurate three-dimensional joint occurrence data. The subjective and objective weights of each evaluation index are derived from the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the CRITIC technique according to the cloud model theory. The game theory is then employed to determine the combined weight and evaluate the quality of a rock mass method with the cloud model (GA-CM). The proposed classification method is applied to the slope of an open-pit mine. The results indicate that compared to the traditional methods, the proposed method is objective, accurate, and field-applicable and also reduces the influence of subjective factors on rock mass quality evaluation and enhances the classification reliability.
Evaluation of Physical Properties and Image of Polyvinyl Chloride as Breast Tissue Equivalence for Dual-Modality (Mammography and Ultrasound)
Authors: Hariyanto Aditya Prayugo , Budiarti Nurhanifa Tri , Suprijanto Suprijanto , Ng Kwan Hoong , Haryanto Freddy , Endarko Endarko
Published: December 2022

Tissue-mimicking phantom (TMP) is gradually becoming a fundamental element for quality assurance and control in ionizing and non-ionizing radiation imaging modalities as well as in the development of different techniques. This study aims to evaluate polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tissue mimicking material for dual-modality breast phantoms in mammography and ultrasound. Breast tissue equivalence was evaluated based on X-ray attenuation properties, speed of sound, attenuation, and acoustic impedance. There are six samples of PVC-plasticizer material with variations of PVC concentration and additives. The evaluation of X-ray attenuation was carried out using mammography from 23–35 kV, while the acoustic properties were assessed with mode A ultrasound and a transducer frequency of 5 MHz. A breast phantom was created from TMP material with tissue equivalence and was evaluated using mammography as well as ultrasound to analyze its image quality. The results showed that samples A, B, C, E, and F have the closest equivalent to the ACR breast phantom material with a different range of 0.01–1.39 in the 23–35 kV range. Based on the evaluation of the acoustic properties of ultrasound, A had high similarity to fat tissue with difference of 0.03 (dB cm− 1 MHz− 1) and 0.07 (106 kg m− 2 s− 1), while B was close to the glandular tissue with difference of 9.2 m s− 1. Multilayer breast phantom images' results showed gray levels in mammography and ultrasound modalities. This study succeeded in establishing TMP material for mammography and ultrasound. It can also be used for simple quality assurance and control programs.
Triple-Level Relationship Enhanced Transformer for Image Captioning
Authors: Zheng Anqi , Zheng Shiqi , Chen Nan , Bai Cong
Published: December 2022

Region features and grid features are often used in the field of image captioning. As they are often extracted by different networks, fusing them for image captioning needs connections between them. However, these connections often rely on simple coordinates, which will lead the captions lacks of precise expression of visual relationships. Meanwhile the scene graph features contain object relationship information, through the multi-layer calculation, the extracted object relationship information is of higher level and more complete, which can compensate the shortage of region features and grid features to a certain extent. Therefore, a triple-level relationship enhanced transformer(TRET) is proposed in this paper, which can process three features in parallel. TRET can obtain and combine different levels of object relationship features, achieve complementarity of different features. Specifically, we obtain high-level object-relational information with the help of Graph Based Attention, and achieve the fusion of low-level relational information and high-level object-relational information with the help of Cross Relationship Enhanced Attention, so as to better align the information of both modalities, visual and text. To validate our model, we conducte comprehensive experiments on the MS-COCO dataset. The results indicate that our method achieves better performance compared with the existing state-of-the-art methods and effectively enhances the ability of describing the representation of object relationships in the generated outcomes.
Effects of switching from biomass stoves to electric stoves and subsequent reduction in resultant emissions in the Kenyan energy sector
Authors: Akute Michelle , Cannone Carla
Published: December 2022

Being a major source of fuel for cooking in Kenya, biomass presents various challenges that are both environment and health related in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and indoor air pollution complications respectively. In this regard, it is imperative to encourage a switch to cleaner and safer technologies for cooking. The present paper tries to address the challenge of GHG emissions linked to using biomass fuel in the cooking sector through modelling analysis. The OseMOSYS modelling platform has been used to create three scenarios that have been used to evaluate the effects of switching from biomass stoves to electric stoves within the electricity sector in the country. Results showed that a stepwise switch to electric stoves will lead to a decrease in total emissions and specifically from biomass which contributes the largest emissions in the Kenyan energy sector at 84% for the whole modelling period. There was however an increase in emissions from coal to meet an increased demand in electricity. A scenario to limit the emissions from fossil fuels led to introduction of nuclear power plants in the electricity generation mix that brought about very high investment and operating costs in the power sector. It was recommended that an analysis should be carried out of linkages between different sectors to know effects of fuel switching on demand-side technologies and allow informed decisions by policy makers on policies. The model does not calculate and present emissions from every sub sector. This limited in depth analysis of how emissions from each sector were affected in each scenario. It was therefore recommended that this improvement on emissions presentation be done as part of future work to allow easier tracking and proposed specific actions.
Visual Recovery And Vacular Reperfusion Documented With Multimodal Imaging In A Unilateral Vasoocclusive Retinopathy With Retinal Vasculitis Presenting As The Initial And Only Manifestation Of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Babu Kalpana , Konana Vinaya Kumara , Mehrotra Mansi , Jois Ramesh , Murthy Krishna R
Published: December 2022

Aim: To report a rare case of visual recovery and vascular reperfusion in a unilateral vasoocclusive retinopathy and retinal vasculitis presenting as the initial and only manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) despite elevated serological markers.
Materials & Methods: Retrospective case report
Results: A 33-year-old lady with no systemic complaints, presented with blurred vision in left eye(OS). She was diagnosed to have unilateral vasoocclusive retinopathy with retinal vasculitis and macular edema(OS). Fluorescein angiography and OCTA confirmed areas of multiple arteriolar occlusions(OS). She was diagnosed to have SLE on the basis of strongly positive antinuclear antibody, nRNP/Sm(3+), SS-A(2+) and Rib.Pprotein(2+), leucopenia(3400cells/mm3), increased ESR(68mm/hr) and low complement-3 levels. There were no other clinical signs of SLE. Antiphospholipid antibodies were negative. Treatment included pulse doses of intravenous methyl prednisolone followed by oral steroids, pulse doses of intravenous cyclophosphamide, posterior subtenon steroid injection and sectoral laser photocoagulation. Serial multimodal imaging showed vascular reperfusion and good visual outcome.
Conclusion: This case report highlights the excellent visual outcome and vascular reperfusion documented with multimodal imaging in a rare case of unilateral vasoocclusive retinopathy and retinal vasculitis occurring as an isolated finding in SLE despite elevated serum markers. These findings suggest that the vaso-occlusive disease is reversible if the diagnosis is made promptly and intensive therapy is initiated.
Therapeutic opportunity of phosphodiesterase 3A modulators in myxoid liposarcomas
Authors: Toivanen Kirsi , Kilpinen Sami , Ojala Kalle , Murumägi Astrid , Arjama Mariliina , Merikoski Nanna , Salmikangas Sami , Kallioniemi Olli , Sampo Mika , Böhling Tom , Sihto Harri
Published: December 2022

Liposarcoma is a common soft tissue sarcoma, and is classified into four histological subtypes, each with distinct disease outcome, morphology, and genotype. Typical primary treatment in advanced liposarcoma consists of surgery, combined with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or both. There are currently no approved targeted therapeutics or precision medicine opportunities in liposarcoma. Here we investigated 131 liposarcoma tumour samples by transcriptional profiling and 543 sarcomas by immunoprofiling and compared these data with high-throughput drug sensitivity testing in liposarcoma cell lines in vitro. The data showed that i) myxoid liposarcomas, specifically the high-grade phenotype, display high levels of PDE3A gene expression and that ii) PDE3A modulators are effective inhibitors in PDE3A and SLFN12 co-expressing soft tissue sarcoma cell lines. iii) In addition, PDE3A modulators synergize with many emerging targeted therapies and sensitize sarcoma cell lines to Bcl-2 family inhibitors. We suggest that overexpression of PDE3A and SLFN12 genes is common in myxoid liposarcomas and that this leads to sensitivity to PDE3A modulators and synergy with Bcl-2 family inhibition. Further studies are warranted to translate these observations into precision liposarcoma therapy.
Myocardial Infarction in patients with severe beta thalassaemia: A case series
Authors: Premawardhena Anuja , De Silva Shamila , Rajapaksha Megha , Ratnamalala Visaka , Nallarajah Jemimah , Galappatthy Gamini
Published: December 2022

Back Ground: Cardiac disease remains a dominant if not the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with thalassaemia, particular in those with thalassaemia major. Myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease however is rarely reported.
Case Presentations: Three older patients with three distinct thalassaemia syndromes presented with acute coronary syndrome. Two were heavily transfused whilst the other was a minimally transfused patient. Both heavily transfused patients had ST-elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI) while the minimally transfused patient had unstable angina. Coronary angiogram (CA) was normal in two patients. One patient who developed a STEMI had a 50% plaque. All three were managed as standard ACS, although the aetiology appeared non-atherogenic.
Conclusions: The exact etiology of the presentation, remains a mystery and therefore the rational use of thrombolytic, carrying out angiogram in the primary setting, using and continuing antiplatelet and high dose statins all remains unclear in this sub group of patients.
Global, regional, and national time trends in incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability for uterine fibroids, 1990-2019: An age- period-cohort analysis for the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study
Authors: Lou Zheng , Huang Yizhou , Li Shuting , Luo Zhou , Li Chunming , Chu Ketan , Zhang Tao , Song Peige , Zhou Jianhong
Published: December 2022

Background: Uterine fibroids are the most common benign neoplasm of the uterus and a major source of morbidity for women. We report an overview of trends in uterine fibroids of incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs) in 204 countries and territories over the past 30 years and associations with age, period, and birth cohort.
Methods: The incidence, prevalence, and YLDs were derived from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 (GBD 2019) study. We utilized an age-period-cohort (APC) model to estimate annual percentage changes in age-standardized rate (ASR) for incidence, ASR for prevalence, ASR for YLDs (net drifts), annual percentage changes from 10 - 14 years to 65 - 69 years (local drifts), period and cohort relative risks (period/cohort effects) between 1990 to 2019.
Results: Globally, the incident cases, prevalent cases, and the number of YLDs of uterine fibroids increased from 1990 to 2019 with the growth of 67.07%, 78.82% and 77.34%, respectively. High Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and high-middle SDI quintiles with decreasing trends (net drift < 0.0%), and increasing trends (net drift > 0.0%) were observed in middle SDI, low-middle SDI, and low SDI quintiles in annual percentage change of ASR for incidence, ASR for prevalence and ASR for YLDs over the past 30 years. There were 186 countries and territories that showed an increasing trend in ASR for incidence, 183 showed an increasing trend in ASR for prevalence and 174 showed an increasing trend in ASR for YLDs. Moreover, the effects of age on uterine fibroids increased with age and peaked at 35 - 44 years and then declined with advancing age. Both the period and cohort effects on uterine fibroids showed increasing trend in middle SDI, low-middle SDI and low SDI quintiles in recent 15 years and birth cohort later than 1965.
Conclusions: The global burden of uterine fibroids is becoming more serious in middle SDI, low-middle SDI and low SDI quintiles. Raising awareness of uterine fibroids, increasing medical investment and improving levels of medical care are necessary to reduce future burden.
Anticancer properties of red beetroot hydro-alcoholic extract and its main constituent; Betanin on colorectal cancer cell lines
Authors: Saber Amir , Abedimanesh Nasim , Somi Mohammad-Hossein , Khosroushahi Ahmad Yari , Moradi Shima
Published: December 2022

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer worldwide. Red beetroot (Beta vulgaris) contains Betanin as its major betacyanin, possessing wide proapoptotic effects. This study aimed to investigate the anticancer and pro-papoptotic effects of beetroot hydro-alcoholic extract (BHE) and betanin, on colorectal cancer cell lines. BHE and betanin were used to treat Caco-2 and HT-29 colorectal cancer cells. MTT assay, DAPI staining, and FACS-flow cytometry tests were used to determine the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) and apoptosis-inducing evaluations. Intended genes were assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The IC50 for HT-29 and Caco-2 cell lines were 92 µg/mL, 107 µg/mL for BHE, and 64 µg/mL, 90 µg/mL for betanin at 48 h, respectively. BHE and betanin significantly inhibited the growth of both cancer cell lines time and dose-dependently. DAPI staining and flow cytometry results revealed significant apoptosis symptoms in treated cancerous cell lines. The expression level of proapoptotic genes (BAD, Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, and Fas-R) in treated HT-29 and Caco-2 cells was higher than in untreated and normal cells. In contrast, the anti-apoptotic gene (Bcl-2) was significantly downregulated. BHE and betanin effectively inhibited cancer cell proliferation and induced apoptosis via the modification of effective genes.