bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cellulose Nano Crystal/Graphene Nano Platelets Hybrid Nanofillers reinforced Polylactic Acid Biocomposites: Mechanical and Morphological Properties
Authors: Mohd S H , Rosdi N A Mohd , Bakar M B Abu , Mohamed M , Md Akil H , Thirmirzir M Z A
Published: December 2022

Polylactic acid (PLA) reinforced by hybrid nanofillers biocomposites had been prepared using a melt blending and compression molding technique. The mechanical properties of the PLA biocomposites was studied by incorporating various ratio of cellulose nano crystal (CNC)/graphene nano platelets (GNP) hybrid nanofillers into PLA. The morphological characterization was also carried out using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) to correlate the fracture surface and nanofiller dispersion with the mechanical properties of the composites. The result show that, at the same CNC/GNP hybrid nanofiller loading (3wt %), the strength properties (tensile and flexural) of PLA biocomposites decreased with increment GNP over CNC ratio. 37.35 MPa and 53.87 MPA; 54.71 MPA and 68.22 MPA, respectively. Meanwhile, PLA biocomposites demonstrated a slight increase in tensile modulus as the GNP ratio is higher than CNC. According to the findings, CNC played an important role in enhancing strength properties while GNP was effective in enhancing the modulus properties. The morphological studies by FESEM prove that, there are relationship between fracture surface and filler dispersion with the mechanical properties of PLA biocomposites.
Awareness and practices on Municipal solid waste management among students at University Malaysia Kelantan Jeli Campus
Authors: Nawawi S A , Muniandy I , Fauzi N M , Nor A N M , Ibrahim N , Jamil R M , Aziz H A , Nawawi R , Ya’acob S H , Nazarie W N F W M
Published: December 2022

In a world that rapidly rushes towards an urban future, the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) is increasing drastically compared to the rate of urbanisation. During the early 2000s, around 2.9 billion people produced 0.64 kg of municipal solid waste (MSW) per person per day, but now the amount has increased to 3 billion people generating 1.2 kg per person per day. The waste products produced in higher educational institutions such as colleges and universities equal the operation of large-scale industries and healthcare facilities. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the level of practices and awareness of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) among students in UMK Campus Jeli. Besides, the association between the practices and awareness of municipal solid waste management among students in Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) Jeli Campus were measured. This study utilised a questionnaire concerning the students’ awareness and practices of MSW. The data were analysed using descriptive and chi-square tests. The results showed that the practices of students on MSW in terms of segregation were average, ‘reduce’ and ‘reuse’ practices were both high. While ‘recycling’ and ‘disposal’ practices were average and low, respectively. However, their awareness of MSWM was high. There was a significant association between awareness and practices regarding segregation, reduce, reuse, recycle and disposal of MSWM. In conclusion, UMK Jeli students have good practice and awareness of Municipal solid waste management. The students should be more persistent in the practices of MSW to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Spatial Characterization of Green Space Landscape Structure in Kota Bharu for Sustainable Tourism Planning
Authors: Nor A N M , Fakuruddin S Z , Aziz H A , Nawawi S A , Jamil R M , Hassin N H , Abas M A , Amin M F M , Amir A , Karim M F A , Amaludin N A , Yusoff A H , Ibrahim N , Rafaai N
Published: December 2022

Globally, green space landscape structure has been used as tourist attraction in cities to increase the economy of the country in the tourism sector. However, lack of characterization of green space landscape structure has led to poor management of green space landscape such as lack of information on green space landscape structure to tourists and younger generations, thereby decreasing tourism revenue. The purpose of this study is to characterize three sites of green space landscape structures with potential for tourism in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia for future sustainable ecotourism site management and planning. The three sites are Taman Perbandaran Tengku Anis, K4 Riding Horse and Splash Water Theme Park. To characterize the green space landscape structure in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, remotely-sensed data of 2016, Geographical Information System (GIS) and landscape metrics were used in this study. The results found that Taman Perbandaran Tengku Anis has the most potential to be developed as an ecotourism site compared to K4 Riding Horse and Splash Water Theme Park with the low number of patches, high mean patch area, high largest patch index and favorable ecotourism activity. A map of spatial distribution and characterisation of green space landscape has been produced, which is useful for future sustainable ecotourism planning, development and management of green space landscape structure.
Retrofitting measures for climate resilience: Enhancing the solar performance of Malaysian school buildings with passive design concepts
Authors: Alwi N M , Flor J-F , Anuar N H , Mohamad J , Hanafi N N H , Muhammad N H , Zain M H K M , Nasir M R M
Published: December 2022

Climate-sensitive school buildings can enhance students’ learning performance and reduce the building’s overall energy consumption. This paper reports on a post-occupancy study of contemporary school buildings in Malaysia, assessing problems of solar heat gain. The research aims to propose retrofitting measures based on passive design principles adapted specifically for the Malaysian tropical climate to strengthen the resilience of local school buildings in a global climate emergency. On-site measurements in two different schools provided the empirical basis for the design modifications. The monitoring procedure included site observations, extended temperature and humidity measurements, and daylight analysis. A virtual classroom model was generated based on the on-site measurements, and a parametric simulation study was conducted to evaluate the proposed retrofit measures’ effectiveness. The model variables were evaluated and compared to identify the passive design elements that significantly impact heat gains and thermal comfort. The results showed that increasing roof overhangs to 1500 mm for additional shading, sensitive selection of roof materials and colours of white-painted zinc roof, and reduction of window-to-wall ratio by 30% to the operable windows helps to reduce solar gains by 6% to improve comfort conditions within the classrooms. Overall, the study provided evidence of how passive solar building design would benefit the climate resilience of Malaysian schools.
High-Resolution Mapping Using Digital Imagery of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) at Quarry Area, Machang, Kelantan
Authors: Alias M F , Udin W S , Piramli M K
Published: December 2022

Traditional structural and engineering geological survey data can only be acquired at the bottom of slopes or by climbing high rock walls in most quarries; these data frequently provide an incomplete picture of the area. UAV technology enables the safe study of difficult-to-access or hazardous locations. The key to future advancements in mining efficiency is the acquisition of high-precision, high-resolution 3D-positioned data. The goal of this research is to produce a high-resolution mapping from photographs captured by UAV. A DJI Mavic Pro 2 captured an image of a 0.131 km2 region of the Bukit Buloh Quarry Center. The final outputs in the forms of Orthomosaic and Digital Surface Model (DSM) were generated using Pix4Dmapper software. By comparing the coordinates of 6 Ground Control Points (GCPs) with coordinates determined using the RTK GPS method, the horizontal and vertical accuracies of the obtained UAV products were calculated. The vertical Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) for the geometric correctness of the data based on the 6 GCPs was 0.044 m. For large-scale maps, the resulting model met the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) accuracy standards. In a conclusion, UAV photogrammetry has evolved into a strong technology that can be used as a viable alternative to traditional mapping methods, particularly the use of expensive measurement equipment and labour. Besides its ability to analyze output data in qualitative or quantitative form, accurate mapping data is essential not only for 3D modelling but also for predicting geological risk in the quarry area.
Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Clay in Sokor and Jeli, Kelantan.
Authors: Fendy Nur Afikah , Ismail Roniza
Published: December 2022

Clay is considered as fine-grained, natural and earthy argillaceous material which are widely distributed in sediments as the products of sedimentation and diagenesis. The sample of rocks and clay soil from Sokor and several areas in Jeli, Kelantan have been analysed for geochemical and mineralogical properties. For geochemical analysis, the concentration of major elements was analysed using X-Ray Diffraction Fluorescene (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Spectroscopy in order to validate the clay mineral existence. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) also was used for trace element determination while the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were used to study the mineralogy of clay as well as petrography. From mineralogy and petrography studies using optical microscope and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis show that the mineral distribution in the sample from both Sokor and Jeli area dominantly by quartz, biotite and K-feldspar mineral. It is supported by XRD analysis which showing the prominent peaks of quartz on 27Å and kaolinite on 12Å from the graph is easily identified. Chondrite normalise pattern is generated from ICP-MS result to constrain rare earth element (REE) behaviour and geochemical information. The normalised fractionation trends recorded below than usual REE deposition. This is because there is no mineral association of REE such as apatite and titanite found from the sample.
Assessing value of water purification services by Kelantan Forest Reserves
Authors: Adnan Norliyana , Mamat Mohd Parid , Ibrahim Tuan Marina Tuan
Published: December 2022

Forest acts as natural water purification agent that is very effective in providing clean water resources to consumers, especially for domestic use. Clean water from natural purification processes would lead to a reduction in water treatment costs at treatment plants. This service is important for safety, assurance of resource availability and health. Hence, the aim of this paper is to assess the value of purification services by Kelantan forest reserves. The assessment is based on economic benefit using the benefit transfer approach of cost functions model with input for environmental values. Assessment enclosed for Kelantan main basin, namely Pergau, Lebir and Galas Basin. Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) data and forest land use information are used as the main data input for the analysis. Results show that basins with more virgin forest have lower treatment cost reduction in WTPs. Hence, the conservation of forest reserves as water catchment areas is important to ensure the availability of clean water especially for domestic uses.
Knowledge, Attitude and Practices on Environmental Sustainability Among The Residents At Jalan Tualang, Kulai Johor Based on Their Educational Background
Authors: Haim N S A , Abas M A , Idris N S U , Hairudin N S M , Malek N H A
Published: December 2022

The environmental sustainability concept is vital to conserve earth resources and protect the earth ecosystems to maintain future generations’ health and well-being. People are becoming aware of the importance of environmental sustainability, but many of them lack practices and attitudes. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices on environmental sustainability among the residents of Jalan Tualang, Kulai, Johor based on their educational background. The correlation between knowledge practices and attitudes toward environmental sustainability was also analysed. In this study, the survey questionnaires were distributed using an online platform. About 132 respondents from the residential area were involved in this survey. The data from this study were analysed using Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman’s Rho Analysis using SPSS version 20.0 software. Based on the Kruskal-Wallis test, there are no significant differences of knowledge, practices and attitudes on environmental sustainability between different levels of educational background. Besides, results from Spearman’s Rho show a moderate and positive relationship correlation between knowledge-practices, and knowledge-attitudes toward environmental sustainability respectively. A strong and positive relationship was observed between practices and attitudes. In conclusion, the knowledge, attitude and practices on environmental sustainability should be expanded and promoted at all levels of educational background to raise good environmental behaviour through various environmental awareness programs and activities at the community level.
Sustainable Urbanism: Pathway to Resilient Strategies in Adapting Early Malay Town towards Low Carbon City
Authors: Mohamed S A , Hamid N H A , Othmani N I , Kurzi N S , Hassan R , Mohamad W S N W , Zahari Z
Published: December 2022

Due to an alarming rate on the impact of global climate change, the integration of low-carbon goal in regeneration of historic urban areas is regarded as a key part towards the implementation of sustainable urbanism practises based on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Much studies on the planning and design of low carbon strategies concerned overwhelmingly on the new planned cities without much emphasis given on the implemented at old town centre. In the context of Malay early town, the adaptation of the low carbon planning as shifting in environmental conditions is regarded as paramount importance particularly in the planning of the urban form to address the growing complexity of urban fabric at the town. This paper therefore explores the developed framework of Low Carbon City initiative and integration of resilience as an approach in urban transformation and regeneration of Malay early town to provide the platform for understanding the complexity of urban-natural environment from morphological perspective. The purpose of this research is two-fold; firstly, to examine the role of discourse in implementing Low Carbon City Framework (LCCF) in Malaysia at large. The second objective is to identify the place-specific mechanisms based on resilience approach to understand the capacity of urban form system to absorb, adapt or transform in ensuring the dynamic equilibrium of the urban-natural system. Considering Kota Bharu as representative of Malay town, a discursive-analytical perspective framed to examine the upsurge of the LCCF that helps to understand the pathway towards integration of framework at national, state and district level. Such comprehension on implementation measure formed a basis to identify the interactions between environmental performance and urban forms pattern as strategies for resilience. A case study with mapping analysis were employed that revealed significant relations between socio-cultural and environmental dimension which shaped the formation and transformation of urban morphology of the town. This study concludes with an examination of possible future directions for integration of space-morphological approach to general urban resilience for future adaptation planning of Malay towns towards Low Carbon City.
Households awareness and practices on used cooking oil recycling in Felda Lepar Hilir 1, Pahang
Authors: Kamaruzaman N H I , Halim N S Abdul , Malek N H A , Idris N S U
Published: December 2022

Awareness on recycling used cooking oil still lacking in the communities. It can be seen by their improper disposal practices of used cooking oil. Environmental problem might happened and become worsen if no further corrective action is taken towards the improper disposal method. Therefore, this research was conducted in order to evaluate the communities’ awareness and their practices on the management of used cooking oil. A total of 214 respondents from Felda Lepar Hilir 1, Pahang community were chosen in this survey. Before the questionnaire were distributed to the respondent, the reliability test using Cronbach alpha was conducted to evaluate the consistency of the questionnaire. Based on the result, this study found that the average used cooking oil generated per household was 1.27kg/month. This study also revealed that there was no significant difference in awareness on recycling used cooking oil between male and female bases on the t-test analysis. Based on the correlation analysis, there were weak positive relationship between awareness and practices of the community on recycling used cooking oil. It means that the awareness of the community can affect their practices in recycling. Therefore, there is need to strengthen efforts in creating more awareness on appropriate management of used cooking oil.
Investigating the Effects of Plastic Rain Shelter on Sediment Yield to Hydroelectric Reservoirs in Cameron Highlands using RUSLE through GIS Application
Authors: Salleh M S , Abbas A R , Ruslan N I , Alias M , Rahim N , Setu A , Hanim S
Published: December 2022

Sedimentation in reservoirs is a common cause of lake and reservoir deterioration. Soil erosion becomes more likely with changing land use and greater development in the catchments, resulting in higher sediment yield into the reservoir. For many years, extensive increase in agricultural farming areas that mostly open fields have been a disadvantage for dams due to their potential to create and transport significant amounts of sediment. Farmers in Cameron Highlands, lately, invested heavily in plastic rain shelters to house their vegetables, flowers, and fruit trees, which are put on steep slopes; however, no similar study has been undertaken on the possible consequences on reservoirs. This paper aggregates predicted annual soil loss for reservoir in Upper Catchments of Cameron Highlands, Malaysia for the years 2017 and 2020 focusing on the application of plastic rain shelters, using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model derived in GIS specifically using QGIS. Precipitation, soil erodibility, topography, cover management, and support practise information gathered for modelling reasons. Plau’ur, Telom, Kial, and Kodol, Upper Bertam, Middle Bertam, Lower Bertam, Habu, Ringlet, and Reservoir were the sub-catchments studied in this study. According to the findings, the sediment yield of the whole catchment was inversely proportional with the area of rain shelter from 207,305.33 m3/year with 13.78 percent rain shelter in year 2017 to 228,682.23 m3/year with 9.16 percent rain shelter in year 2020.
Ontogeny influences tree growth response to soil fertility and neighbourhood crowding in an old-growth temperate forest
Authors: Ren Jing , Fang Shuai , Wang Qing-Wei , Liu Hongyan , Lin Fei , Ye Ji , Hao Zhanqing , Wang Xugao , Fortunel Claire
Published: December 2022

Background and aims

Abiotic and biotic factors simultaneously affect tree growth and thus shape community structure and dynamics. In particular, trees of different size classes show different growth responses to soil nutrients and neighbourhood crowding, but our understanding of how species’ joint responses to these factors vary between size classes remains limited in multi-storied temperate forests. Here, we investigated size class differences in tree growth response to soil gradients and neighbourhood crowding in an old-growth temperate forest.

Methods

We combined growth data over 15 years from 38 902 individuals of 42 tree species with trait data in a 25-ha temperate forest plot in northeast China. We built hierarchical Bayesian models of tree growth to examine the effects of soil gradients and neighbourhood crowding between size classes and canopy types.

Key results

We found that soil and neighbours mainly acted separately in shaping tree growth in small and large trees. Soil total nitrogen and phosphorus increased tree growth in small trees, in particular of understorey species, but not in large trees. Neighbours reduced tree growth in both tree size classes, with stronger effects on large than small trees, and on canopy than understorey species. Furthermore, small trees with higher specific leaf area grew faster in fertile soils, and small trees with less seed mass grew faster in crowded environments. Large trees with higher specific leaf area, specific root length and less seed mass grew faster in crowded environments, while these traits had limited influence on tree growth response to soil gradients.

Conclusions

Our study highlights the importance of size class in modulating the response of tree growth to soil and neighbours, and the differential role of species canopy types and functional traits in capturing these effects in large vs. small trees.
Ineffective integration of multiple anti-predator defenses in a rotifer: a low-cost insurance?
Authors: He Yuhan , Zhu Konghao , Zhao Kangshun , He Liang , Candolin Ulrika , Xu Jun , Zhang Huan
Published: December 2022

To maximize survival, prey often integrates multiple anti-predator defenses. How the defenses interact to reduce predation risk is, however, poorly known. We used the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus to investigate how morphological (spines) and behavioral (floating) defenses are integrated against a common predatory rotifer, Asplanchna brightwellii, and if their combined use improves survival. To this end, we assessed the cost of the behavioral defense and the efficiency of both defenses, individually and combined, as well as their mutual dependency. The results show that the behavioral defense is costly in reducing foraging activity, and that the two defenses are used simultaneously, with the presence of the morphological defense enhancing the use of the behavioral defense, as does the pre-exposure to predator cues. However, while the morphological defense reduces predation risk, the behavioral defense does not, thus, adding the costly behavioral defense to the morphological defense does not improve survival. It is likely that the cost of the behavioral defense is low given its reversibility—compared to the cost of misidentifying the predator species—and that this has promoted the adoption of both defenses, as general low-cost insurance rather than as a tailored strategy toward specific predators. Thus, the optimal strategy in the rotifer appears to be to express both morphological and behavioral defenses when confronted with the cues of a potential predator.
Scaling neighbor joining to one million taxa with dynamic and heuristic neighbor joining
Authors: Clausen Philip T L C
Published: December 2022

Motivation

The neighbor-joining (NJ) algorithm is a widely used method to perform iterative clustering and forms the basis for phylogenetic reconstruction in several bioinformatic pipelines. Although NJ is considered to be a computationally efficient algorithm, it does not scale well for datasets exceeding several thousand taxa (>100 000). Optimizations to the canonical NJ algorithm have been proposed; these optimizations are, however, achieved through approximations or extensive memory usage, which is not feasible for large datasets.

Results

In this article, two new algorithms, dynamic neighbor joining (DNJ) and heuristic neighbor joining (HNJ), are presented, which optimize the canonical NJ method to scale to millions of taxa without increasing the memory requirements. Both DNJ and HNJ outperform the current gold standard methods to construct NJ trees, while DNJ is guaranteed to produce exact NJ trees.

Availability and implementation

https://bitbucket.org/genomicepidemiology/ccphylo.git

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Visual Omics: a web-based platform for omics data analysis and visualization with rich graph-tuning capabilities
Authors: Li Heng , Shi Mijuan , Ren Keyi , Zhang Lei , Ye Weidong , Zhang Wanting , Cheng Yingyin , Xia Xiao-Qin
Published: December 2022

With the continuous development of high-throughput sequencing technology, bioinformatic analysis of omics data plays an increasingly important role in life science research. Many R packages are widely used for omics analysis, such as DESeq2, clusterProfiler and STRINGdb. And some online tools based on them have been developed to free bench scientists from programming with these R packages. However, the charts generated by these tools are usually in a fixed, non-editable format and often fail to clearly demonstrate the details the researchers intend to express. To address these issues, we have created Visual Omics, an online tool for omics data analysis and scientific chart editing. Visual Omics integrates multiple omics analyses which include differential expression analysis, enrichment analysis, protein domain prediction and protein–protein interaction analysis with extensive graph presentations. It can also independently plot and customize basic charts that are involved in omics analysis, such as various PCA/PCoA plots, bar plots, box plots, heat maps, set intersection diagrams, bubble charts and volcano plots. A distinguishing feature of Visual Omics is that it allows users to perform one-stop omics data analyses without programming, iteratively explore the form and layout of graphs online and fine-tune parameters to generate charts that meet publication requirements.

Availability and implementation

Visual Omics can be used at http://bioinfo.ihb.ac.cn/visomics. Source code can be downloaded at http://bioinfo.ihb.ac.cn/software/visomics/visomics-1.1.tar.gz.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Dual-site transcranial direct current stimulation to treat tinnitus: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Cardon Emilie , Jacquemin Laure , Vermeersch Hanne , Joossen Iris , Moyaert Julie , Mertens Griet , Vanderveken Olivier M , Lammers Marc J W , Van de Heyning Paul , Van Rompaey Vincent , Gilles Annick
Published: December 2022

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed as a potential intervention for subjective tinnitus, but supporting evidence remains limited. We aimed to investigate the effect of anodal high-definition tDCS of the left temporal area and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on tinnitus severity.

This double-blind randomized controlled trial included 77 patients (age range 18–79, 43 male) with chronic subjective tinnitus as their primary complaint. Thirty-eight subjects received six consecutive sessions of dual-site sequential high-definition-tDCS with electrodes positioned over the left temporal area and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Both areas were stimulated for 15 min per session, with total stimulation time amounting to 30 min. Thirty-nine subjects received sham stimulation. The primary outcome measure was the change in tinnitus severity, as evaluated by the Tinnitus Functional Index, from baseline to a follow-up visit at 8 ± 2 weeks after treatment completion. Secondary outcomes included changes in perceived tinnitus loudness, as measured with a visual analogue scale and a tinnitus matching procedure, as well as scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Hyperacusis Questionnaire.

No differences in Tinnitus Functional Index change scores were identified between the active treatment and sham control groups (linear regression: P = 0.86). The Tinnitus Functional Index scores decreased significantly over time in both groups (P = 0.0012), indicating the presence of a considerable placebo effect. These change scores were significantly influenced by sex (linear regression: P = 0.037) and baseline symptoms of anxiety (linear regression: P = 0.049) in both groups. In general, Tinnitus Functional Index scores decreased more profoundly in males and in subjects with a higher degree of anxiety at baseline. None of the included secondary measures differed significantly between experimental arms.

Our results suggest that dual-site sequential high-definition-tDCS of the left temporal area and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex does not alleviate tinnitus severity. Interestingly, in our study population, fluctuations in tinnitus severity were influenced by gender and concurrent mental condition. It is therefore important to take these factors into account when conducting or planning randomized controlled trials in tinnitus populations.
Case report: intravenous leiomyomatosis with intracaval and intracardiac growth
Authors: Kikuchi Daniel S , Goulbourne Clive A , Starbuck Kristen D , Fernandes Marcelo F
Published: December 2022

Background

Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) is a rare, benign smooth muscle cell tumour that extends beyond the pelvis. These tumours grow within vascular channels and can progress to involve the heart and pulmonary vasculature.

Case Summary

A 44-year-old female initially presented to her primary care physician for subacute bloating. In the weeks leading up to her presentation, she was in good health. On admission, computed tomography (CT) imaging of the abdomen and pelvis was notable for a mixed solid and cystic mass arising from the fundal myometrium with invasion into the inferior vena cava (IVC). Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) was notable for mobile mass in the right atrium originating from the IVC. The mass was further evaluated by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging before a multidisciplinary, single-staged thoracoabdominal resection was performed. The procedure was well tolerated, and the entire mass was successfully removed without complication. Subsequently, pathological analysis of the resected tumour revealed benign smooth muscle cells, confirming the diagnosis of IVL.

Discussion

Intravenous leiomyomatosis is a rare cause of right-sided cardiac tumours but should be considered in premenopausal females, even those with a prior history of hysterectomy. The clinical presentation of patients with IVL is varied and imaging including CMR, CT, and TTE to evaluate the tissue characteristics and source of the cardiac mass should be performed. Finally, while imaging revealing a freely mobile pelvic mass extending into the IVC and right heart chambers is strongly suggestive of IVL, definitive diagnosis requires pathological analysis of resected tissue.
What are the outcomes of dietary interventions in Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Forsyth Faye , Mulrennan Sandra , Burt Jenni , Hartley Peter , Kuhn Isla , Lin Helen , Mant Jonathan , Tan Sapphire , Zhang Roy , Deaton Christi
Published: December 2022

Aims

To determine the efficacy of dietary interventions in Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF).

Method and results

Keyword searches were performed in five bibliographic databases to identify randomized or controlled studies of dietary interventions conducted in HFpEF or mixed heart failure (HF) samples published in the English language. Studies were appraised for bias and synthesized into seven categories based on the similarity of the intervention or targeted population. The quality of the body of evidence was assessed via the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations) framework. Twenty-five unique interventions were identified; 17 were considered for meta-analysis. Most studies were judged to be at high risk of bias. There was moderate-quality evidence that caloric restriction led to clinically meaningful improvements in blood pressure and body weight. There was moderate-quality evidence that carbohydrate restriction resulted in meaningful reductions in blood pressure. There was very low-quality evidence that protein supplementation improved blood pressure and body weight and moderate-quality evidence for clinically meaningful improvements in function.

Conclusions

While some types of dietary interventions appeared to deliver clinically meaningful change in critical outcomes; the study heterogeneity and overall quality of the evidence make it difficult to make firm recommendations. Greater transparency when reporting the nutritional composition of interventions would enhance the ability to pool studies.

Registration

PROSPERO CRD42019145388.
Ghat: an R package for identifying adaptive polygenic traits
Authors: Mahmoud Medhat , Tost Mila , Ha Ngoc-Thuy , Simianer Henner , Beissinger Timothy
Published: December 2022

Identifying selection on polygenic complex traits in crops and livestock is important for understanding evolution and helps prioritize important characteristics for breeding. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) that contribute to polygenic trait variation often exhibit small or infinitesimal effects. This hinders the ability to detect QTL-controlling polygenic traits because enormously high statistical power is needed for their detection. Recently, we circumvented this challenge by introducing a method to identify selection on complex traits by evaluating the relationship between genome-wide changes in allele frequency and estimates of effect size. The approach involves calculating a composite statistic across all markers that capture this relationship, followed by implementing a linkage disequilibrium-aware permutation test to evaluate if the observed pattern differs from that expected due to drift during evolution and population stratification. In this manuscript, we describe “Ghat,” an R package developed to implement this method to test for selection on polygenic traits. We demonstrate the package by applying it to test for polygenic selection on 15 published European wheat traits including yield, biomass, quality, morphological characteristics, and disease resistance traits. Moreover, we applied Ghat to different simulated populations with different breeding histories and genetic architectures. The results highlight the power of Ghat to identify selection on complex traits. The Ghat package is accessible on CRAN, the Comprehensive R Archival Network, and on GitHub.
Assessing the impact of privacy-preserving record linkage on record overlap and patient demographic and clinical characteristics in PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network
Authors: Marsolo Keith , Kiernan Daniel , Toh Sengwee , Phua Jasmin , Louzao Darcy , Haynes Kevin , Weiner Mark , Angulo Francisco , Bailey Charles , Bian Jiang , Fort Daniel , Grannis Shaun , Krishnamurthy Ashok Kumar , Nair Vinit , Rivera Pedro , Silverstein Jonathan , Zirkle Maryan , Carton Thomas
Published: December 2022

Objective

This article describes the implementation of a privacy-preserving record linkage (PPRL) solution across PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network.

Material and Methods

Using a PPRL solution from Datavant, we quantified the degree of patient overlap across the network and report a de-duplicated analysis of the demographic and clinical characteristics of the PCORnet population.

Results

There were ∼170M patient records across the responding Network Partners, with ∼138M (81%) of those corresponding to a unique patient. 82.1% of patients were found in a single partner and 14.7% were in 2. The percentage overlap between Partners ranged between 0% and 80% with a median of 0%. Linking patients’ electronic health records with claims increased disease prevalence in every clinical characteristic, ranging between 63% and 173%.

Discussion

The overlap between Partners was variable and depended on timeframe. However, patient data linkage changed the prevalence profile of the PCORnet patient population.

Conclusions

This project was one of the largest linkage efforts of its kind and demonstrates the potential value of record linkage. Linkage between Partners may be most useful in cases where there is geographic proximity between Partners, an expectation that potential linkage Partners will be able to fill gaps in data, or a longer study timeframe.
Evaluating resources composing the PheMAP knowledge base to enhance high-throughput phenotyping
Authors: Wan Nicholas C , Yaqoob Ali A , Ong Henry H , Zhao Juan , Wei Wei-Qi
Published: December 2022

Objective

A previous study, PheMAP, combined independent, online resources to enable high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) using electronic health records (EHRs). However, online resources offer distinct quality descriptions of diseases which may affect phenotyping performance. We aimed to evaluate the phenotyping performance of single resource-based PheMAPs and investigate an optimized strategy for HTP.

Materials and Methods

We compared how each resource produced top-ranked concept unique identifiers (CUIs) by term frequency—inverse document frequency with Jaccard matrices comparing single resources and the original PheMAP. We correlated top-ranked concepts from each resource to features used in established Phenotype KnowledgeBase (PheKB) algorithms for hypothyroidism, type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and dementias. Using resources separately, we calculated multiple phenotype risk scores for individuals from Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s BioVU DNA Biobank and compared phenotyping performance against rule-based eMERGE algorithms. Lastly, we implemented an ensemble strategy which classified patient case/control status based upon PheMAP resource agreement.

Results

Jaccard similarity matrices indicate that the similarity of CUIs comprising single resource-based PheMAPs varies. Single resource-based PheMAPs generated from MedlinePlus and MedicineNet outperformed others but only encompass 81.6% of overall disease phenotypes. We propose the PheMAP-Ensemble which provides higher average accuracy and precision than the combined average accuracy and precision of single resource-based PheMAPs. While offering complete phenotype coverage, PheMAP-Ensemble significantly increases phenotyping recall compared to the original iteration.

Conclusions

Resources comprising the PheMAP produce different phenotyping performance when implemented individually. The ensemble method significantly improves the quality of PheMAP by fully utilizing dissimilar resources to capture accurate phenotyping data from EHRs.
Evaluating the Potential of Brood Recapping to Select Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) Resistant Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
Authors: Guichard Matthieu , von Virag Adrien , Dainat Benjamin
Published: December 2022

Several resistance traits have been proposed to select honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) that can survive in the presence of parasitic mite Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman) and enable a more sustainable apiculture. The interest for uncapping-recapping has recently increased following its identification in several naturally surviving honey bee populations, yet the utility of this trait for human-mediated selection is poorly known. Here, we evaluated the repeatability of recapping and its correlations with mite infestation levels, and assessed the expression of the trait in the often neglected drone brood. We also calculated correlations between recapping, mite infertility, and mite fecundity, expressed either at the level of individual brood cells or of the whole colony. Recapping measured in worker brood showed moderate repeatability (ranging between 0.30 and 0.46). Depending on sample, recapping slightly correlated negatively with colony infestation values. Recapping was also measured in drone brood, with values often comparable to recapping in worker brood, but no significant correlations were obtained between castes. At cell level, recapped cells in drone brood (but not in workers) were significantly less infested than nonrecapped cells, whereas in workers (but not in drones), recapped cells hosted mites with significantly lower fecundity. At colony level, with a few exceptions, recapping did not significantly correlate with mite infertility and fecundity, caste, sample, or number of infested cells considered. These results indicate limited possibilities of impeding mite reproduction and possibly mite infestation of honey bee colonies by recapping, which would need to be confirmed on larger, different populations.
Using COVID-19 to Address Environmental Threats to Health and Leverage for Prison Reform in South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe
Authors: Van Hout Marie Claire
Published: December 2022

Health rights of prisoners has long been a neglected political issue in Africa, where over one million people are detained, and almost half of whom are in pre-trial detention. African prisons constitute high-risk environments for communicable disease transmission. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the public health literature on African prison responses focused on preparedness as it related to testing capacity, quarantine practices and personal protective measures to mitigate disease spread. This article combines the right to health as narrowly defined by a prisoner’s right to access non-discriminatory equivalent health care, with a broader focus on assessing normative standards of detention. A comparative legal realist assessment of prison operations in South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe during COVID-19 state disaster measures is presented, focusing on the environmental determinants of health (ventilation, minimum floor space, water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition) in prisons. It reveals the inherent tensions in ensuring a balance between respecting the fundamental rights of people living and working in prisons, ensuring adequate environmental health standards and mitigating disease during public health emergencies. Despite insufficient government resourcing and inadequate coverage of COVID-19 responses, few severe outbreaks were reported. This could be due to lack of testing, reporting or other factors (asymptomatic infection, acquired immunity). Prison congestion and unrest however affected prisoners and staff fearful of hazardous living and occupational health conditions. COVID-19 as public health emergency amplifies the need to address systemic deficits in infrastructure, resourcing and efficiency of criminal justice systems. Policy level and pragmatic recommendations for enhanced human rights practice are outlined.
Prosecuting Aggression against Ukraine as an ‘Other Inhumane Act’ before the ICC
Authors: Pinzauti Giulia , Pizzuti Alessandro
Published: December 2022

This article revisits the possibility of prosecuting the underlying acts of aggression as crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court, with specific reference to the February 2022 unlawful use of force against Ukraine by the Russian Federation. The authors argue that Russia’s unlawful use of force in breach of the right to self-determination of the Ukrainian people, which caused them great suffering or serious injury to mental/physical health, can be qualified as other inhumane acts under Article 7(1)(k) of the Rome Statute. While this approach has its challenges, it would allow the Court to prosecute the underlying acts of aggression as crimes against humanity avoiding the jurisdictional limitations that apply to the crime of aggression.
Parental self-medication and associated factors in children: a cross-sectional study in Turkey
Authors: Karatas Yusuf , Khan Zakir , Öz Emine Ekemen , Özagil Ezgi Sena Gören , Abussuutoğlu Ayşe Büşra , Erkişi Tansu , Pelit Aykut , Khan Faiz Ullah , Rahman Hazir
Published: December 2022

Objective

This study was conducted to evaluate the parental self-medication (SM) practices in children and associated factors in Adana, Turkey.

Methods

A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out among the parents between December 2020 and April 2021. This study was conducted according to the ‘Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES)’ guidelines. A one-page survey included details about sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, profession, education of parents and others) sources of information, questions related to parental SM practices for their children (SM practices, common illnesses, drugs used as SM practices and drug-related information) and the reasons behind SM practices were disseminated via social media networks (Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook) to eligible participants. Online sample size calculator was used, and snow-ball sampling was employed during the study. The final automatic responses from Google Forms were retrieved as ‘Excel datasheet’ and then cleaned, coded and imported into the SPSS statistical tool (v.25.0).

Key findings

This study included a total of 370 participants (response rate of 95.4%). Parental SM practices were revealed to be more (n = 234; 63.5%) prevalent. The most frequent problems for parents who follow SM practices were fever (39.5%; n = 146) and abdominal pain (23.8%; n = 88). The most commonly used class of drugs was antipyretics followed by analgesics and antibiotics. The main reasons for SM practices were personal experience in treating children (n = 186; 50.3%) and high consultation charges (n = 72; 19.5%). Mother working status and parental educational level were two main factors found to be statistically associated with SM practices (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The prevalence of parental SM practices was high. There is an urgent need for the parental educational program, the development of national policies about rational medicine usage and durable actions to discourage SM practices.
Combat Injury Profile in Urban Warfare
Authors: Satanovsky Alexandra , Gilor Yuval , Benov Avi , Chen Jacob , Shlaifer Amir , Talmy Tomer , Radomislensky Irina , Siman-Tov Maya , Peleg Kobi , Weil Yoram A , Eisenkraft Arik
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Combat ground maneuvers consist of various platforms and have several environmental characteristics, influenced by the terrain, the operational mission, and the force’s capabilities. This study assesses data on injuries sustained during urban warfare, aiming to evaluate the relationship between injury characteristics, maneuver platform, and personal protective gear on the battlefield.

Materials and Methods

IDF soldiers injured infantry soldiers from the “Cast Lead” and the “Protective Edge” operations in the Gaza Strip (2008-2009 and 2014, respectively) were divided into four groups according to the maneuver platform and the environment: mounted infantry (armored and unarmored vehicle) and dismounted infantry (urban and open area). The primary outcome was the severity of the injury, and the secondary outcome was the injured body part.

Results

Overall, 588 casualties were included in the final analysis, of whom 507 were dismounted infantry soldiers (265 in open terrain and 242 in urban area) and 81 were mounted infantry soldiers (20 in unarmored and 61 were injured in armored vehicles). The Injury Severity Score was similar in all subgroups. Open terrain subgroups were found to have fewer head injuries and higher levels of lower extremity injuries, similar to the unarmored vehicle group. More facial injuries were documented in the urban area group.

Conclusions

The Injury Severity Score was not influenced by environmental protection. Although we found differences in the injured body parts, further studies on the exact mechanism of injury are needed to elucidate further the relationship and differences between the various platforms used and injuries seen in urban warfare, aiming for tailor-made protection.