bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A comparison of wild bee communities in sown flower strips and semi‐natural habitats: A pollination network approach
Authors: Hadrava Jiří , Talašová Anna , Straka Jakub , Benda Daniel , Kazda Jan , Klečka Jan
Published: January 2022

Drastic reductions of insect diversity and abundance have been observed in highly fragmented agricultural landscapes of central Europe. Declines of pollinators may have detrimental effects on the reproduction of wild insect‐pollinated plants as well as the yield of crops. In order to mitigate such impacts, sown flower strips on arable land within Agri‐Environment Climate Schemes (AECS) are supported across EU countries. However, it is not clear whether sown flower strips provide equivalent benefits to wild flower‐visiting insects as semi‐natural habitats.

Here, we apply plant–pollinator network approach to evaluate the function of sown flower strips for the communities of wild bees. We compared the structural characteristics and the robustness of plant–pollinator networks in sown flower strips and nearby semi‐natural habitats in seven sites in the Czech Republic. We also quantified the importance of individual plant species for bees based on simulations of plant–pollinator extinction cascades.

We found that assemblages of plants and pollinators were less diverse in sown flower strips than in semi‐natural habitats, more generalised, and more nested. However, we did not find any significant differences in network robustness to plant–pollinator coextinctions. Further, simulations revealed large variation in the functional importance among plant species from both habitats.

We conclude that although the analysis of network robustness suggested that plants in the sown flower strips and semi‐natural habitats were functionally equivalent, this masked important differences between the two habitats. From a conservation point of view, semi‐natural habitats were superior in supporting a more diverse community of solitary bees and bumblebees, likely because of their greater longevity and higher habitat heterogeneity.
Current knowledge, attitude and practice among dental hygienists in oral cancer awareness: Systematic review
Authors: Coppola Noemi , Rivieccio Immacolata , Blasi Andrea , Ferrigno Roberto , Baldares Stefania , Mignogna Michele Davide , Leuci Stefania
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Evidence on the awareness and knowledge level of oral cancer and its associated risk factors among dental hygienists is scarce; this systematic review aimed to synthesize their available evidence of the level of knowledge, attitude and practice.

Methods

PubMed and Scopus were searched for publications from any year up to January 2021. Studies about knowledge and/or attitudes and/or practices of dental hygienists have been taken into account. Overall, 14 studies have been selected for the systematic review.

Results

Excluding tobacco use (99.8%–100%), considerable variability were found among dental hygienists about important oral cancer risk factors such as alcohol consumption (30.0%–90.0%), human papilloma virus (23.0%–90.0%), oldness (37.7%–69.3%), diet (30.0%–42.2%) and betel quid chewing (5.0% and 98.0%). There was a good level of awareness among dental hygienists regarding leukoplakia (86.5%), instead less than half recognized erythroplakia as a precancerous lesion. Moderate knowledge was recorded about frequent sites of oral cancer development. Most of dental hygienists reported to perform intraoral screening (85.2%–100%). To regard attitude, a great variability was found about adequacy of undergraduate training (15.7%–75.0%) and most of dental hygienists expressed the need for continuing education (92.7%–99.0%).

Conclusions

Dental hygienists play a key role in oral cancer detection. Low knowledge of oral cancer among dental hygienists is strongly associated with the low levels of early detection. These findings provide useful information to improve continuing education programmes pre‐ and post‐graduation targeted at the prevention of oral cancer in order to reduce oral cancer morbidity and mortality.
Improving the drying kinetics and microstructure of vacuum‐fried ripened durian chips
Authors: Thongcharoenpipat Chanoknate , Yamsaengsung Ram
Published: January 2022

This research evaluated the effects of process conditions on the physiochemical properties of vacuum‐fried durian chips. Ripened durians were sliced and fried at 90, 100, 110 and 120°C under 8‐kPa absolute pressure. From this study, microwave heating (MWH) during vacuum frying (VF) significantly reduced the frying time by 20% compared to VF (P < 0.05) with the effective moisture diffusivity for VF, pre‐treatment before vacuum frying (P+VF) and VF+MWH at 110°C determined to be 3.63 × 10−09, 4.30 × 10−09 and 4.84 × 10−09 m2 s−1, respectively. VF+MWH produced chips with significantly lower shrinkage, more yellowness (P < 0.05) and higher crispiness (consistent with the microstructure from scanning electron microscopy (SEM)). In addition, VF+MWH drastically decreased oil absorption by 10%, while P+VF yielded the lowest specific energy consumption (SEC). From sensory evaluation, the overall acceptability of VF+MWH chips rose from 5.83 to 6.07 (seven‐point hedonic scale), thus making the product fall into the ‘Good’ to ‘Very Good’ range.
Fermentation of legumes with Rhizopus oligosporus: effect on physicochemical, functional and microstructural properties
Authors: Toor Barinderjeet Singh , Kaur Amarjeet , Kaur Jaspreet
Published: January 2022

The present study investigated the effect of fermentation by Rhizopus oligosporus on the nutritional, functional, colour and microstructural properties of some commonly consumed legumes, that is, chickpea (kabuli and desi), pigeon pea and soybean. Results revealed a substantial (P < 0.05) increment in the protein (5–14%) and ash (5–15%) contents as well as those of essential (13–21%) and non‐essential (3–15%) amino acids with fermentation. Fatty acid composition showed the varied concentrations of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids in fermented legumes. Further, fermentation significantly (P < 0.05) modified the functional and colour properties of legumes. The alteration in the structural conformation of legumes upon fermentation was observed with scanning electron microscopy which confirmed the enzymatic action on the proteins, fibres and lipid bodies. The results concluded that fermentation of these legumes could be a potential approach in developing the novel functional foods to address the concerns of food and nutrition securities.
Genetic characterization of influenza A virus subtypes H11N6, H11N7, and H11N9 isolated from free‐grazing ducks, Thailand
Authors: Chaiyawong Supassama , Charoenkul Kamonpan , Udom Kitikhun , Chamsai Ekkapat , Jairak Waleemas , Boonyapisitsopa Supanat , Bunpapong Napawan , Amonsin Alongkorn
Published: January 2022

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) infect avian species and several mammalian species including humans. Anseriformes water birds are an important reservoir of IAVs. In this study, we identified and characterized IAV subtypes H11N6 (n = 5), H11N7 (n = 3), and H11N9 (n = 3) isolated during the influenza surveillance program in free‐grazing ducks from 2012 to 2015 in Thailand. Eleven IAV‐H11 viruses were characterized by either whole genome sequencing (n = 5) or HA and NA gene sequencing (n = 6) for phylogenetic and amino acid analyses. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Thai IAV‐H11 were grouped into Avian Eurasian lineage. Amino acid analysis showed that all Thai IAV‐H11 viruses have low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) characteristics and sensitive to Oseltamivir and Amantadine. Novel reassortant viruses (IAV‐H11N7 and IAV‐H11N9) have been observed. The reassortant viruses contained NP, M, and NS gene segments which originate from intercontinental sources which never been reported in Thai IAVs. In summary, this study demonstrated high genetic diversity of IAV‐H11 circulating in free‐grazing ducks. Free‐grazing ducks infected with IAVs generated novel reassortant IAV‐H11. Thus, surveillance of IAVs in free‐grazing ducks should be routinely conducted to monitor novel reassortant viruses and subsequently potential virulence viruses.
Porous ceramics with near‐zero shrinkage and low thermal conductivity from hazardous secondary aluminum dross
Authors: Li Wenhao , Zhang Xiaoyan , Zhang Junjie , Shen Hanlin , Yang Junjie , Liu Ying , Liu Jun , Zhang Shengen , Yang Jinlong
Published: January 2022

Herein, a simple, versatile, and low‐cost approach has been proposed to realize the green utilization of secondary aluminum dross, the hazardous solid waste, namely directly sintering dry‐pressed green bodies from secondary aluminum dross to fabricate porous ceramics according to high‐temperature foaming process spontaneously without adding spare foaming agents. Aluminum nitride (AlN) in secondary aluminum dross was employed to realize high‐temperature foaming due to its oxidation, which makes traditional AlN and salts removal process needless. Moreover, near‐zero shrinkage or even expansion during sintering of porous ceramics have occurred because in‐situ foaming process together with the oxidation of Al particles well offset the sintering shrinkage. After sintering at 1400°C for 2 h, porous ceramics composed of α‐Al2O3 and spinel phases with open porosity of 37.91%, sintering expansion rate of 1.13%, flexural strength of 45.67 MPa, and thermal conductivity of 0.97 W/(m·K) have been prepared. Cenospheres as pore‐forming agents have been added to further improve the porosity, and alumina‐based porous ceramics with open porosity of 28.39%–43.20% and flexural strength of 15.80–52.48 MPa have been obtained. This effective solution for recycling secondary aluminum dross could supply high‐performance porous ceramics, which is expected to be applied in the fields of light‐weight structural components and thermal insulations.
Excellent thermal stability and energy storage properties of lead‐free Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3‐based ceramic
Authors: Jiang Zehua , Yuan Ying , Yang Hongcheng , Li Enzhu , Zhang Shuren
Published: January 2022

The ceramic capacitors with excellent energy storage properties and wide operating temperature are the main challenges in power system applications. Here, the lead‐free (1‐x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3‐xCaTiO3 (abbreviated as BNT‐xCT) ceramics were synthesized through solid‐state reaction method. The introduction of CT reduced the temperature of permittivity peak of BNT ceramic, guaranteeing excellent thermal stability over a wide temperature range of −100 ∼ 136°C. Meanwhile, the long‐range order structure of BNT was destructed by structural distortion, and the relaxor behavior was enhanced after doping CT. Moreover, the direct current breakdown strength was improved from 203 to 455 kV/cm, and the high recoverable energy density (Wrec ∼ 2.74 J/cm3) with high efficiency (η ∼ 91%) was achieved for BNT‐0.25CT ceramic, along with a fast discharge speed (t0.9 ∼ 110 ns) superior cycle stability and thermal stability. Those properties enabled a promising practical prospect of BNT‐CT ceramics.
The combination of hexanal and geraniol in sublethal concentrations synergistically inhibits quorum sensing in Pseudomonas fluorescens—In vitro and in silico approaches
Authors: Yu Hang , Liu Yu , Yang Fangwei , Xie Yunfei , Guo Yahui , Cheng Yuliang , Yao Weirong
Published: January 2022

Aim

Hexanal and geraniol are essential oil components with anti-quorum sensing (QS) activity against Pseudomonas fluorescens. This study demonstrated that QS inhibition (QSI) efficacy of the hexanal and geraniol combination (HG) was significantly higher when compared to those of their mono-counterparts at the same concentration.

Methods and Results

Tests on P. fluorescens motility, biofilm formation, acyl-homoserine lactones’ (AHLs) production, gene expression in vitro, and molecular docking in silico were conducted to evaluate the synergistic effect of hexanal and geraniol on QSI. HG mixture at 0.5 minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) showed a strong synergistic inhibition of biofilm formation (51.8%), motility (60.13%), and extracellular protease activity (58.9%) of P. fluorescens. The synthesis of AHLs, e.g., C8-HSL and C12-HSL, was inhibited by hexanal, geraniol, and HG; both AHLs are responsible for regulating virulence factors in P. fluorescens. The expression of pcoI and gacA genes regulating AHL synthetase and sensor kinase was significantly down-regulated by HG (0.29 and 0.38-fold) at 0.5 MIC. Hexanal and HG showed significant inhibition of the expression of pcoR and gacS genes, which are responsible for AHL receptor protein and response regulation; however, geraniol failed to downregulate the two genes. Molecular docking in silico also supported these findings. Hexanal, which gets inserted into the minor groove of pcoI/pcoR DNA fragments, inhibits the expression of both the genes. Both hexanal (−31.487 kcal/mol) and geraniol (−25.716 kcal/mol) had a higher binding affinity with PcoI protein than the halogenated furanone C30 (−24.829 kcal/mol), which is a known competitor of AHLs. Similarly, hexanal and geraniol strongly bind to the PcoR protein also.

Conclusions

It was found that HG at 0.5 MIC could effectively inhibit QS by suppressing the expression of pcoR/gacS and gacA/gacS genes and therefore, could inhibit the motility and biofilm formation of P. fluorescens.

Significance and Impact of the Study

The present study indicated that HG at sub-MIC as QS inhibitor could be further developed as a new preservative of agri-food products.
Melatonin ameliorates paclitaxel‐induced mice spermatogenesis and fertility defects
Authors: Wang ZhiXin , Teng Zi , Wang ZeLin , Song Zhan , Zhu Peng , Li Ning , Zhang YuSheng , Liu XueXia , Liu FuJun
Published: January 2022

Chemotherapeutic drug of paclitaxel (PTX) has been shown to cause reproductive toxicity thus affecting male fertility, but its underlying molecular basis is unclear. Melatonin (MLT) can mitigate the reproductive damage caused by certain chemotherapy drugs. In this study, we aimed to identify impact of PTX on the main biological processes and protective effect of MLT on reproductive damage caused by PTX. Mice exposed to PTX mainly impaired spermatogenesis, such as decreased sperm counts, reduced sperm motility and increased abnormal sperm. Decreased expressions of germ cell proliferation‐associated protein PCNA and meiosis‐related protein SYCP3 induced by PTX were determined by Western blot, while MLT ameliorated this effect and increased the expressions of PCNA, SYCP3, DMC1, STRA8 and fertility‐related protein of HSPA2, resulting in significantly improved spermatogenesis and sperm quality levels. In vitro fertilization experiment showed that PTX significantly decreased blastocyst formation rates, which can be improved by MLT administration, but not two‐cell development rates. Taken together, this work demonstrated PTX can adversely affect germ cell proliferation and meiosis, which ultimately influence sperm quality and male fertility, and highlighted the protective ability of MLT on ameliorating the side effects of PTX, especially on sperm quality. The results provide information to further the study on the molecular mechanism of PTX's effects on male reproduction and the protective mechanism of MLT.
Prevalence and molecular subtyping of Blastocystis in domestic pigeons in Henan Province, Central China
Authors: Su Changwei , Mei Xuefang , Wei Lai , Wang Jiawen , Feng Xia , Wang Pei , He Bo , Chang Yuan , Xu Fuyang , Wang Mingyong , Tian Xiaowei , Zhang Zhenchao , Li Xiangrui , Wang Shuai
Published: January 2022

Blastocystis is an anaerobic intestinal protozoan parasite found in humans and many kinds of animals that mainly causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, and other clinical symptoms. At present, research on the prevalence and subtype diversity of Blastocystis in domestic pigeons is very limited. The purpose of this study was to detect the infection rate and gene subtype distribution of Blastocystis in domestic pigeons in Henan Province, Central China, to provide a foundation for preventing and controlling Blastocystis in domestic pigeons. Fecal DNA was extracted from 504 fresh fecal samples of pigeons collected from four areas in Henan Province, Central China. All DNA samples were investigated by polymerase chain reaction, and positive samples were sequenced to analyze the gene subtypes based on small ribosomal subunit (SSU rRNA) gene. The overall infection rate of Blastocystis in pigeons in Henan Province was 7.7% (39/504). Four subtypes (STs) of Blastocystis were identified including ST1 (2/39, 5.1%), ST3 (16/39, 41%), ST4 (1/39, 2.6%), and ST7 (20/39, 51.3%), all of which belonged to zoonotic subtypes, and ST7 was the dominant gene subtype. The results show that Blastocystis infection is common in domestic pigeons in Henan Province, Central China, and the pathogens were zoonotic subtypes. Particular attention should be given to reducing the risk of transmission of Blastocystis from domestic pigeons to humans.
Clinical Anti‐aging Efficacy of Propolis Polymeric Nanoparticles Prepared by a Temperature‐induced Phase Transition Method
Authors: An Joo Young , Kim Chaejin , Park Na Rae , Jung Han Soo , Koo Tae‐sung , Yuk Soon Hong , Lee Eun Hee , Cho Sun Hang
Published: January 2022

Background

Collagen forms a dermal matrix in the skin. Biosynthesis and decomposition of collagen are the major processes in skin aging. Propolis is rich in flavonoids and phenolic compounds, which are known to be effective in preventing skin aging, including the enhancement of fibroblast proliferation, activation, and growth capacity.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to develop a poorly soluble propolis extract as an active ingredient in cosmetic products for anti‐aging efficacy.

Methods & Results

Polymeric nanoparticles containing propolis extract, polyethylene glycol 400, and poloxamer 407 were prepared via a temperature‐induced phase transition method. The particle size of the polymeric nanoparticles was approximately 20.75 nm. The results of an in vitro procollagen type I carboxy‐terminal peptide assay and a matrix metalloproteinase‐1 inhibition assay showed that the polymeric nanoparticles increased collagen production by 19.81%–24.59% compared to blank (p < 0.05), and significantly reduced intracellular collagenase activity by 7.46%–31.52% compared to blank (p < 0.05). In a clinical trial, polymeric nanoparticles in a cosmetic formulation were applied around the eyes of 24 female subjects for 8 weeks. Five skin parameters were significantly improved after the application of the test ampoule. Visual evaluation using the Global Photo Damage Score showed a significant reduction in wrinkles after the application of the test ampoules (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

This study outlines the development of stable polymeric nanoparticles containing poorly soluble propolis in a cosmetic formulation, and its efficacy in wrinkle improvement. The developed polymeric nanoparticles were effective for alleviating wrinkles and can be used for pharmaceutical applications that utilize propolis as antiseptic, anti‐inflammatory, antimycotic, antifungal, antibacterial, antiulcer, anticancer, and immunomodulatory agents.
Treatment with oral vitamin D alone, topical minoxidil, or combination of both in patients with female pattern hair loss: A comparative clinical and dermoscopic study
Authors: Hassan Ghada F. R. , Sadoma Manar E. T. , Elbatsh Manal M. , Ibrahim Zainab A.
Published: January 2022

Background

One of the most common dermatological complaints among female is female pattern hair loss (FPHL). Serum vitamin D is a factor lately taken into consideration in approaching patients complaining of hair loss.

Aim

To evaluate the serum level of 25‐hydroxy vitamin D in patients with FPHL and to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D therapy alone or combined with minoxidil in the treatment of this disease.

Methods

45 patients with FPHL and 15 controls to measure serum level of vitamin D were enrolled in the study. Patients then were subdivided into 3 groups: group I received topical minoxidil and oral vitamin D, group II received topical minoxidil, and group III received oral vitamin D for 6 months. Clinical and dermoscopic evaluation was done for the three groups before and after treatment.

Results

Vitamin D level was significantly decreased in patients compared to controls. After treatment, as regard Ludwig scale, there was statistically significant improvement in group I than II while no significant improvement was found in group III. Dermoscopy revealed that thin hair and single‐hair unit were significantly improved in groups I and II, while it was not significantly improved in group III.

Conclusion

Oral vitamin D combination to topical minoxidil is recommended to treat patients with FPHL; they had better results than vitamin D or topical minoxidil alone.
Patients and family members´ perceptions of interprofessional teamwork in palliative care: A qualitative descriptive study
Authors: Kesonen Pauliina , Salminen Leena , Haavisto Elina
Published: January 2022

Aims

To describe patients and family members’ perceptions of interprofessional teamwork in specialised palliative care.

Background

Interprofessional teamwork is essential when delivering high‐quality palliative care. Little attention has been paid to patients and family members’ perceptions.

Design

A qualitative descriptive design.

Methods

Semi‐structured individual interviews were conducted with 20 palliative patients and family members (n = 19) in four palliative wards, which were collected from May 2019 to November 2019. Data were analysed using inductive content analysis. COREQ guidelines were followed.

Results

Patients’ perceptions of interprofessional teamwork were described as the nature of interprofessional teamwork, a sense of community and patient participation. Family members’ perceptions of interprofessional teamwork were described as the nature of interprofessional teamwork, the diverse expertise and the sense of community. Patients and family members’ perceptions of interprofessional teamwork were nearly identical and were based on observed social situations or their assumptions. They trust that professionals are working interprofessionally, even if the teamwork cannot be observed. In palliative care, the nature of interprofessional care changes together with patients’ condition and family members progressively need more professional support.

Conclusions

Conducting interprofessional care more openly could benefit the availability of different professionals’ competence to patients and family members. In palliative care, the nature of interprofessional teamwork changes together with the patients’ health condition. More information is needed about what constitutes an interprofessional framework and the required interprofessional competencies in palliative care.

Relevance to clinical practice.

The findings show the importance of considering the patient's health status when interprofessional care is planned. However, professionals should recognise that a patient's weakening condition changes the focus more to the needs of the family members. It is acknowledged that IP teamwork requires time, but in PC settings, spending time on collaborative practices is not always possible.
Who matters in dynamic coordination problems?
Authors: Guimaraes Bernardo , Jardanovski Gabriel
Published: January 2022

This paper studies a dynamic coordination model with timing frictions and heterogeneity in several dimensions. Each agent might affect and be affected by others in different ways, and the frequency of their decisions might differ. We show there is a unique equilibrium in the model. The economy might sometimes be stuck in an inefficient low‐output equilibrium, and subsidies can improve welfare. We solve the planner's problem assuming no financial constraint and full commitment. The optimal subsidy does not depend on each type's timing frictions: at each point in time, the planner should simply compensate each agent for its externality on others at that particular moment—and disregard the potential for generating externalities in the future. This seemingly myopic policy provides the right incentives for forward‐looking agents. One key intuition is that players form expectations about what others will do exactly as the planner forms expectations about the actions of its future selves.
Trends in dental insurance claims in the United States before and during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic in 2020
Authors: Maupome Gerardo , Scully Allison C. , Yepes Juan F. , Eckert George J. , Downey Timothy
Published: January 2022

Objectives

The SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic disrupted health care services. Previous reports estimated reductions in demand and supply of dental care services, but actual changes have not been reported. The present report depicts a perspective of trends in claims from private dental practice in the United States during 2019 and 2020.

Methods

Private dental insurance paid claims data from a data warehouse (encompassing 66+ carriers in the United States) were obtained for children and adults (treatments identified by their American Dental Association Code of Dental Procedures and Nomenclature [CDT]), encompassing a 5% random sample of all records between January 2019 and December 2020. A market‐based treatment classification placed CDT codes into one of four categories based on the likelihood of being associated with urgent/emergency care.

Results

Claims for 3.8 million patients constituted the 5% random sample for analyses. Substantial drops in the provision of treatment items were quantified for a large segment of private dental insurance plans at a national level, showing differential impacts in dental care categories.

Conclusions

Week‐by‐week, detailed descriptions of demand/availability changes in dental care throughout the first year of the 2020 SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic were obtained through contrasting perspectives in 2019. Provision of dental care and associated impacts fluctuated over time subject to treatment urgency, but also modified as the weeks/months of dental office lockdowns ebbed in and out of the dental market.
Comparison of homogenization with the GentleMacs Dissociator vs conventional methods for routine tissue processing
Authors: Pradal M. , Saint-sardos P. , Faïs T. , Bonnet R. , Delmas J.
Published: January 2022

Tissue specimens are valuable materials for microbiological diagnosis. The method of tissue processing can have a significant effect on sensitivity. This study aimed to compare different biopsy processing methods in terms of efficacy and standardization. Pork tissue artificially inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and samples of infected human tissue were processed by different methods before culture, and the results compared. Bacterial recovery from artificially inoculated pork tissue was significantly higher by homogenization with GentleMacs Dissociator than with sonication. No significant difference was observed between the GentleMacs Dissociator and manual treatment with a scalpel and vortexing. The microbial yield from homogenized human tissues was significantly higher after homogenization with GentleMacs Dissociator than with the conventional method. Homogenization with the GentleMacs Dissociator retrieves bacteria from tissue effectively. Tissue homogenization with the Dissociator is easy and fast to perform and allows for a high degree of standardization.
Children born during the hunger season are at a higher risk of severe acute malnutrition: Findings from a Guinea Sahelian ecological zone in Northern Ghana
Authors: Nonterah Engelbert A. , Welaga Paul , Chatio Samuel T. , Kehoe Sarah H. , Ofosu Winfred , Ward Kate A. , Godfrey Keith M. , Oduro Abraham R. , Newell Marie‐Louise ,   as members of the INPreP study group
Published: January 2022

Heightened food insecurity in the hunger season increases the risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in childhood. This study examined the association of season of birth with SAM in a Guinean Sahelian ecological zone. We analyzed routine health and sociodemographic surveillance data from the Navrongo Health and Socio‐demographic Surveillance System collected between 2011 and 2018. January–June, the period of highest food insecurity, was defined as the hunger season. We defined moderate acute malnutrition as child mid‐upper arm circumference (MUAC) between 115 mm and 135 mm and SAM as MAUC ≤ 115 mm. We used adjusted logistic regression to quantify the association between the season of birth and SAM in children aged 6–35 months. From the 29,452 children studied, 24% had moderate acute malnutrition. Overall, 1.4% had SAM, with a higher prevalence (1.8%) in the hunger season of birth. Compared with those born October–December, adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for SAM were increased for children born in the hunger season: January–March (1.77 [1.31–2.39]) and April–June (1.92 [1.44–2.56]). Low birth weight, age at an assessment of nutritional status, and ethno‐linguistic group were also significantly associated with SAM in adjusted analyses. Our study established that being born in the hunger season is associated with a higher risk of severe acute malnutrition. The result implies improvement in the food supply to pregnant and lactating mothers through sustainable agriculture or food system change targeting the hunger season may reduce the burden of severe acute malnutrition.
Multi‐defect segmentation from façade images using balanced copy–paste method
Authors: Li Jiajun , Wang Qian , Ma Jun , Guo Jingjing
Published: January 2022

Façade defect is an unavoidable and considerable problem to existing buildings and can cause great influence to building owners. The traditional manual façade inspection method is costly, inefficient, and unsafe. Although recent studies achieved the classification of façade defects from images, pixel‐level façade defect segmentation has not been tackled. Therefore, this study proposed and implemented a balanced copy–paste method with the Mask Region‐based Convolutional Neural Network (Mask R‐CNN) model to realize automatic detection and segmentation of façade defects. The proposed balanced copy–paste method was able to improve the recognition accuracy for minority classes and small objects. The proposed method was applied to a façade defect dataset with 2286 images that contained six common categories of defects. Comparisons with three other methods demonstrated that the proposed method could achieve the highest accuracy in defect detection (mean average precision (mAP) = 33.33) and segmentation (mAP = 27.26). Furthermore, compared to the original dataset, the proposed method could result in the greatest accuracy improvement for both minority classes (31% in detection and 32% in segmentation) and small objects (23% in detection and 19% in segmentation). Compared to the traditional over‐sampling method and other methods based on algorithm level, the proposed method also showed higher computational efficiency.
S100‐stained perineural invasion is associated with worse prognosis in stage I/II colorectal cancer: Its possible association with immunosuppression in the tumor
Authors: Fukuda Yumiko , Tanaka Yoshihiro , Eto Ken , Ukai Natsuko , Sonobe Shoko , Takahashi Hiroyuki , Ikegami Masahiro , Shimoda Masayuki
Published: January 2022

Perineural invasion (PNI) is known as a poor prognostic factor in colorectal cancer (CRC). Although histopathological evaluation of PNI is usually conducted on hematoxylin and eosin (HE)‐stained sections (HE‐PNI), it remains controversial whether PNI can be precisely evaluated only by HE‐staining, and its concise mechanisms causing worse prognosis remains elusive. In this study, we examined the impact of PNI evaluated by S‐100‐immunostaining (S100‐PNI) on postoperative mortality in 279 consecutive CRC patients and further investigated its association with the tumor immune microenvironment. S100‐PNI was present in 67.3% of tumors whereas HE‐PNI was present in 18.5%. A 5‐year cumulative incidence of death in the S100‐PNI‐positive group was significantly higher than that in the S100‐PNI‐negative group. Further statistical analyses revealed that S100‐PNI was an independent prognostic factor of all‐cause mortality in stage I/II but not in stage III/IV. Importantly, S100‐PNI was associated with the altered tumor immune microenvironment. Infiltrating immune cell profiling revealed that stromal lymphocytic reaction, which was inversely correlated with postoperative mortality, was significantly reduced in S100‐PNI‐positive tumors compared to S100‐PNI‐negative tumors in stage I/II. These results indicated that S100‐PNI was a poor prognostic factor in stage I/II CRC with possible association with immunosuppression in the tumor.
Populist Gullibility: Conspiracy Theories, News Credibility, Bullshit Receptivity, and Paranormal Belief
Authors: van Prooijen Jan‐Willem , Cohen Rodrigues Talia , Bunzel Carlotta , Georgescu Oana , Komáromy Dániel , Krouwel André P. M.
Published: January 2022

The present research examines the relationship between populist attitudes—that construe society as a struggle between the “corrupt elites” versus the “noble people”—and beliefs in unsubstantiated epistemic claims. We specifically sought to assess the often assumed link between conspiracy beliefs and populist attitudes; moreover, we examined if populist attitudes predict conspiracy beliefs in particular, or rather, credulity of unsubstantiated epistemic claims in general. Study 1 revealed that populist attitudes are robustly associated with conspiracy mentality in a large multination study, drawing samples from 13 European Union (EU) countries. Studies 2 and 3 revealed that besides conspiracy beliefs, populist attitudes also predict increased credulity of obscure and politically neutral news items (regardless of whether they were broadcasted by mainstream or alternative news sources), receptivity to bullshit statements, and supernatural beliefs. Furthermore, Study 3 revealed that these findings were mediated by increased faith in intuition. These studies support the notion of populist gullibility: An increased tendency of people who score high on populist attitudes to accept obscure or unsubstantiated epistemic claims as true, including nonpolitical ones.
Are all real‐world objects created equal? Estimating the “set‐size” of the search target in visual working memory
Authors: Miuccio Michael T. , Zelinsky Gregory J. , Schmidt Joseph
Published: January 2022

Are all real‐world objects created equal? Visual search difficulty increases with the number of targets and as target‐related visual working memory (VWM) load increases. Our goal was to investigate the load imposed by individual real‐world objects held in VWM in the context of search. Measures of visual clutter attempt to quantify real‐world set‐size in the context of scenes. We applied one of these measures, the number of proto‐objects, to individual real‐world objects and used contralateral delay activity (CDA) to measure the resulting VWM load. The current study presented a real‐world object as a target cue, followed by a delay where CDA was measured. This was followed by a four‐object search array. We compared CDA and later search performance from target cues containing a high or low number of proto‐objects. High proto‐object target cues resulted in greater CDA, longer search RTs, target dwell times, and reduced search guidance, relative to low proto‐object targets. These findings demonstrate that targets with more proto‐objects result in a higher VWM load and reduced search performance. This shows that the number of proto‐objects contained within individual objects produce set‐size like effects in VWM and suggests proto‐objects may be a viable unit of measure of real‐world VWM load. Importantly, this demonstrates that not all real‐world objects are created equal.
Taxonomies for synthesizing the evidence on communicating numbers in health: Goals, format, and structure
Authors: Ancker Jessica S. , Benda Natalie C. , Sharma Mohit M. , Johnson Stephen B. , Weiner Stephanie , Zikmund‐Fisher Brian J.
Published: January 2022

Many people, especially those with low numeracy, are known to have difficulty interpreting and applying quantitative information to health decisions. These difficulties have resulted in a rich body of research about better ways to communicate numbers. Synthesizing this body of research into evidence‐based guidance, however, is complicated by inconsistencies in research terminology and researcher goals. In this article, we introduce three taxonomies intended to systematize terminology in the literature, derived from an ongoing systematic literature review. The first taxonomy provides a systematic nomenclature for the outcome measures assessed in the studies, including perceptions, decisions, and actions. The second taxonomy is a nomenclature for the data formats assessed, including numbers (and different formats for numbers) and graphics. The third taxonomy describes the quantitative concepts being conveyed, from the simplest (a single value at a single point in time) to more complex ones (including a risk‐benefit trade‐off and a trend over time). Finally, we demonstrate how these three taxonomies can be used to resolve ambiguities and apparent contradictions in the literature.
Cognitive Modeling of Anticipation: Unsupervised Learning and Symbolic Modeling of Pilots' Mental Representations
Authors: Blum Sebastian , Klaproth Oliver , Russwinkel Nele
Published: January 2022

The ability to anticipate team members' actions enables joint action towards a common goal. Task knowledge and mental simulation allow for anticipating other agents' actions and for making inferences about their underlying mental representations. In human–AI teams, providing AI agents with anticipatory mechanisms can facilitate collaboration and successful execution of joint action. This paper presents a computational cognitive model demonstrating mental simulation of operators' mental models of a situation and anticipation of their behavior. The work proposes two successive steps: (1) A hierarchical cluster algorithm is applied to recognize patterns of behavior among pilots. These behavioral clusters are used to derive commonalities in situation models from empirical data (N = 13 pilots). (2) An ACT‐R (adaptive control of thought ‐ rational) cognitive model is implemented to mentally simulate different possible outcomes of action decisions and timing of a pilot. model tracing of ACT‐R allows following up on operators' individual actions. Two models are implemented using the symbolic representations of ACT‐R: one simulating normative behavior and the other by simulating individual differences and using subsymbolic learning. Model performance is analyzed by a comparison of both models. Results indicate the improved performance of the individual differences over the normative model and are discussed regarding implications for cognitive assistance capable of anticipating operator behavior.
Recent progress in the pig‐to‐nonhuman primate kidney transplantation model: Report of a symposium
Authors: Cooper David K.C.
Published: January 2022

Three excellent presentations at an industry‐sponsored symposium at the (virtual) congress of the combined IXA/CTRMS (September 23–25, 2021) were directed to the value and limitations of the pig‐to‐nonhuman primate (NHP) kidney transplantation model. Daniel Firl and James Markmann provided a meta‐analysis comparing the results of kidney allotransplantation and xenotransplantation in NHPs during the past 25 years. Remarkably, the authors had identified 73 published reports that included 910 individual experiments. Although recipient survival after allotransplantation was longer, the superiority over the survival of xenografts was less than anticipated. Given the excellent short‐ and medium‐term results of clinical kidney allotransplantation today, these data provide hope that the results of clinical pig kidney xenotransplantation may prove significantly better than in NHPs. The authors identified several factors that were shown to statistically influence the success or failure of xenotransplantation. Jean Kwun provided valuable information relating to the longstanding question of whether the survival of a pig organ would be jeopardized if transplanted into an allosensitized recipient. He demonstrated that pig kidney transplantation in an HLA‐sensitized patient may be at a disadvantage, although multiple genetic engineering of the organ‐source pig significantly delayed rejection. In the initial clinical trials, therefore, it would seem wise to exclude any patient with evidence of anti‐HLA antibodies. Andrew Adams reported longer survival (>1 year) of Rhesus monkeys with life‐supporting pig kidney grafts than has been achieved previously. Although not consistently achieved, these excellent results were obtained with an anti‐CD154mAb‐based regimen after CD4+T cell and partial CD20+B cell depletion. Factors that might have contributed to this success, including the phenotype of the pig, the species of the recipient, the recipient's anti‐pig antibody level, and the immunosuppressive regimen, were discussed. Importantly, pig kidney function appeared to be normal in long‐term surviving monkeys. Each study contributed to our goal of introducing xenotransplantation into the clinic.
Biomimetic Architecture Towards Bio Inspired Adaptive Envelopes: In Case of Plant Inspired Concept Generation
Authors: Hafizi Nazgol , Karimnezhad Mojtaba
Published: January 2022

In recent decades, the value of architecture become more due to its importance for reducing detrimental effects on the environment and natural capital. To minimize the building's impact on the environment, architectural designs should be highly incorporated into the environment rather than behaving as a separate element focused on a single issue. To address this problem, different methods and design approaches have been introduced. However, exploring the natural solutions for survival can provide invaluable data which can address the human-caused problems. Throughout decades, nature has been survived and evolved. Biological solutions due to their adaptability and multi-functionality are great source of inspiration. This article with help of content analysis method aims to review the concept of biomimetic design in architecture. And proposes plant-inspired solutions for envelope design which can play significant role on buildings’ energy efficiency. Thus, the plant-inspired concepts to be integrated on adaptive envelopes were studied. And a framework for concept generation introduced. Furthermore, a case study on an existing building envelope in the Mediterranean climate region presented and two plant-inspired techniques proposed and conceptually applied.
A Study On Inter- Relationship Of Open Space And Social Cohesion For Wellbeing Of Elderly: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Dash Shanta Pragyan , Thilagam N. Lakshmi
Published: January 2022

Social cohesion in public open spaces has been recommended as one of the key elements for improving the wellbeing of the elderly. Social cohesion includes relational elements and individuals' feeling of association. Over the past few decades, increasing social interaction in the neighbourhood is part of larger urban areas and has been regarded as one of the social sustainability initiatives and plays an important role in megacities sustainability. Comprehending place attachment is necessary to enhance elderly people's interactions to make them self-reliant. The study aims to identify the characteristics of open spaces with their major influential factors for enhancing social cohesion for the well-being of the elderly in an urban residential environment through a systematic literature review. The study focuses on addressing three research questions and analysing its results from primary literature studies in the review process. Ten electronic databases were searched for relevant work from papers written in English between 2011 and 2021. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies were included. A narrative synthesis was carried out of published works to address the research questions after identifying the various characteristics.  The review, which includes 57 published papers, found that the Open spaces are ideally characterized by accessibility, walkability, reduced fear and security, built environment characteristics, landscape elements, climate, best practices, and New Urbanism principles. On the other hand, social cohesion is influenced by activities, safety and security, public places, accessibility, natural elements, noise levels, vehicular interruptions, dimensions and geometry, climate, and physical amenities. A conceptual framework relating to open space attributes and social cohesion is proposed as the finding of the research. Prioritizing the attributes based on the physical, behavioural, and psychological needs of the elderly to keep them active in their aging process could be the further scope of research in this direction.
A Review of Studies on Real Estate Investment Performance in Nigeria
Authors: Agava Yusuf Halim , Bello Nurudeen Akinsola , Dairo Omolola Elizabeth
Published: January 2022

This study has been conducted to review the studies conducted on property investment performance in Nigeria with the aim of providing a clear insight into the trend, authors’ affiliations, performance measurement techniques and the geographical focus of these studies. Published and unpublished research works in this research area were sourced and reviewed. The data and information used were sourced from online databases such as Google, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, and ResearchGate. Printed journals (local and international), published and unpublished Masters and PhD theses were also among the sources of the data used. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the authors’ contributions, affiliations, geographical focus and the annual research trend of real estate investment performance in Nigeria and the results reported. The study found that the first study conducted on the performance of real estate investment was Olaleye (2000) followed by Olaleye (2002). Olaleye, A., Oyewole, M. O. and Dabara, D. I. were found to be the most active and leading researchers on this research area with contributory scores of 3.87, 3.61 and 3.21 respectively. On the average, about 2 studies on the subject were carried out annually with focus majorly on the Lagos property market, Southwest Nigeria. The review further revealed that nominal rate of returns, Sharpe index and coefficient of variation were the common performance measurement indices often adopted by majority of the previous authors. This study recommends that collaborative effort should be established among scholars of estate management and practicing estate surveyors and valuers with a view to bridging the gap between theory and practice and boosting property data banking in Nigeria. The geographical scope of real estate investment performance in Nigeria needs to be expanded to adequately cover all the regional property markets.
Impact of COVID-19 on Housing Market: A Review of Emerging Literature
Authors: Mohammed Jibrin Katun , Aliyu Abdullahi Alhaji , Dzukogi Usman Abubakar , Olawale Abdulafeez Abiodun
Published: January 2022

The housing market over the years has been impacted by various factors in different ways. This review paper examines the growing literature on the impact of COVID-19 on the housing market to ascertain its positive and negative effects. Thus, a total of 40 published conference papers, thesis, academic journal articles, and others obtained from secondary sources were reviewed and revealed that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in some scenarios had positive and negative impacts on the housing market. The paper found that the positive impacts include a rise in housing prices, increase in housing supply and reduction in mass evictions in some locations, while the negative impacts are on housing prices, demand and supply, constraints in mortgage return maintenance and delay in the construction of new housing apartments. The paper, therefore, concludes that both positive and negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are felt on the housing market globally. These thereby form a basis for further studies on the growing impacts of the pandemic concerning the housing market.