bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The European Nuclear Experimental Educational Platform – ENEEP: Progress, Prospects and Remote Education Capabilities
Authors: Radulović Vladimir , Jazbec Anže , Snoj Luka , Haščik Ján , Vrban Branislav , Čerba Štefan , Lüley Jakub , Osusky Filip , Sklenka Ľubomír , Miglierini Marcel , Novák Ondřej , Böck Helmuth , Cagnazzo Marcella , Villa Mario , Czifrus Szabolcs , Tormási Attila
Published: November 2021

The European Nuclear Experimental Educational Platform – ENEEP is currently being established by five European educational and research organizations in the framework of a Horizon 2020 project, initiated in 2019. The ENEEP partner institutions are the Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI, Slovenia), the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU, Slovak Republic), the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU, Czech Republic), Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien, Austria) and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME, Hungary). ENEEP is intended as an open educational platform, offering experimental hands-on education activities at the ENEEP partner facilities. ENEEP education activities will be offered in different formats (group and individual) and are targeted at university students at all educational levels and young professionals in the nuclear field. This paper gives an overview of the ENEEP project activities and the progress achieved thus far, highlighting the experimental capabilities which will be offered. In the first implementation phase, ENEEP will be based on a comprehensive set of experiments comprising the basics in Reactor Physics and Nuclear Engineering curricula, as well as more specific experiments focusing on particular aspects – investigated phenomena, types and working principles of detectors, etc. Subsequently, novel education activities will be introduced and implemented in ENEEP, following scientific development in nuclear science and technology and nuclear instrumentation detectors, stemming from research activities. Attention will be devoted to the development and optimization of remote education capabilities at the ENEEP partner institutions, of particular relevance during the current Covid-19 pandemic, which is responsible for major changes in education activities worldwide.
Framatome innove et renforce ses sites de production
Authors: Le Gros Gaïc
Published: November 2021

Acteur international du nucléaire, Framatome compte plusieurs projets lauréats de France Relance. Un soutien public qui va permettre à l’industriel d’accélérer ses projets d’investissements pour innover et renforcer ses activités. Zoom sur trois d’entre eux : CAP-INDUSTRIEL, French Fab Métallurgie et FAB-ATF.
Angehörigenarbeit im Maßregelvollzug
Authors: Gerdel Yuriy , Kranixfeld Björn
Published: November 2021

Wenn ein Angehöriger aufgrund einer Straftat im Maßregelvollzug untergebracht wird, fühlen sich Familie und Freunde häufig allein gelassen mit ihren Fragen, ihrer Scham und ihren Ängsten. Pflegende sollte ihnen empathisch zur Seite stehen, Hilfe anbieten und Hoffnung vermitteln – um sie bestenfalls als Co-Therapeuten zu gewinnen. Wie das gelingen kann, zeigt das Projekt „Angehörigenarbeit im MRV § 63“.
Neuroradiologie für den Augenarzt
Authors: Fitsiori Aikaterini , Steffen Heimo
Published: November 2021

Zu den neuroophthalmologischen Erkrankungen gehören Läsionen der Sehbahn
einschließlich der Retina und des Sehnervs, Anomalien der Augenstellung und/oder
-motilität sowie Pupillenstörungen 1. CT und
MRT spielen bei der Diagnosestellung, der Ausbreitung eines Krankheitsprozesses
und differenzialdiagnostischen Überlegungen eine herausragende Rolle. Ziel
dieses Fortbildungsartikels ist es, dem Augenarzt einen Überblick über diese
Untersuchungsverfahren und ihren Einsatz bei für den Augenarzt relevanten
Erkrankungen zu geben.
Data article: Full disk real-time Himawari-8/9 satellite AHI imagery from JAXA
Authors: Sun Xixi , Gnanamuthu Sasikala , Zagade Nilesh , Wang Peng , Bright Jamie M.
Published: November 2021

Satellite products are essential in many research fields. Geostationary satellite imagery is rapidly updating and offers vast multi-spectral data that is useful in applications such as gridded solar forecasting and resource assessment. However, there is a high-barrier to entry for researchers in obtaining and using satellite data. A new database from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) offers near-real-time Himawari-8/9 satellite imagery by Advanced Himawari Imagers (AHIs), for free, to researchers. Typically, this type of data has a high price point; hence, it is a good opportunity for scientific researchers to work in the real real-time operational space. We present a data article complete with a Python package that: (i) downloads full disk Himawari-8/9 AHI Himawari standard data from the JAXA Himawari Monitor P-Tree system, (ii) provides example scripts showing how the data can remapped, cropped, and stored appropriately, and (iii) gives examples how to visualize the data. The Python package can be found on the Python package index at https://pypi.org/project/ftp-himawari8-hsd/.
Nanophotonics-enabled optical data storage in the age of machine learning
Authors: Lamon Simone , Zhang Qiming , Gu Min
Published: November 2021

The growing data availability has accelerated the rise of data-driven and data-intensive technologies, such as machine learning, a subclass of artificial intelligence technology. Because the volume of data is expanding rapidly, new and improved data storage methods are necessary. Advances in nanophotonics have enabled the creation of disruptive optical data storage techniques and media capable of storing petabytes of data on a single optical disk. However, the needs for high-capacity, long-term, robust, and reliable optical data storage necessitate breakthrough advances in existing optical devices to enable future developments of artificial intelligence technology. Machine learning, which employs computer algorithms capable of self-improvement via experience and data usage, has proven an unrivaled tool to detect and forecast data patterns and decode and extract information from images. Furthermore, machine learning has been combined with physical and chemical sciences to build new fundamental principles and media. The integration of nanophotonics-enabled optical data storage with emerging machine learning technologies promises new methods for high-resolution, accurate, fast, and robust optical data writing and reading, as well as the discovery, design, and optimization of nanomaterials and nanostructures with new functionalities for next-generation nanophotonics-enabled optical data storage. In this Perspective, we review advances in nanophotonics-enabled optical data storage and discuss the role of machine learning in next-generation nanophotonics-enabled optical data storage.
A parasitic surface based wide beam width patch antenna
Authors: Li Qinlong , Yin Yeqing , Chen Xiaoming
Published: November 2021

A parasitic surface (PS) based wide beam width patch antenna operating at 5 GHz is presented. The half-power beam widths (HPBWs) of the patch antenna are improved by the PS, which is composed of a parasitic ring and six parasitic patches. The parasitic ring is used to increase the HPBW in the E-plane, while the six parasitic patches are used to increase the HPBW in the H-plane. Simulation results show that the PS has little effect on the impedance bandwidth of the patch antenna but can increase the HPBW by 66.7° (from 85.1° to 151.8°) in the E-plane and 88.7° (from 78.9° to 167.6°) in the H-plane at 5 GHz. At the same time, the PS decreases the boresight gain of the patch antenna from 5.42 to 3.06 dBi. Measurement results agree well with the simulation.
Waste heaps in the urban environment as negative factors of urbanization
Authors: Popovych V , Voloshchyshyn A , Bosak P , Popovych N
Published: November 2021

Urbanization in Ukraine has led to the development of the Lviv-Volyn coal basin. One of the main negative factors in the operation of coal basins are mine dumps. In addition to environmental hazards, waste heaps of coal mines violate the attractiveness and aesthetics of towns. The wastewater from waste heaps is a secondary factor in reducing the environmental safety of the coal-mining region. These waters are concentrated at the foot of landfills forming the man-made reservoirs. The research presents the negative factors of mine dumps and the results of physical and chemical analysis of subtericone wastewater and its impact on environmental pollution. It is established that the most polluted is the wastewater from waste heaps of the Mezhyrichanska mine which is caused by its operating process. The man-made polluted wastewater from heaps is a secondary factor in reducing the level of ecological danger of the coal-mining region. These waters are concentrated at the foot of landfills in the form of man-made reservoirs. The aim of the research is to indicate the negative factors of urban waste heaps by studying the physical and chemical properties of underspoil waters within the cities of Chervonograd and Novovolynsk.
Prospects for the use of plant materials in creating biodegradable eco-friendly packaging
Authors: Nechai A , Krvavych A , Konechna R
Published: November 2021

This article provides information on the expansion of the base of vegetable raw material used in the packaging industry. During literature research the following criteria were considered: biodegradability, cheapness, availability, a sprouting area, an impact of used materials on condition of other industries. Plant-derived polysaccharides are contemplated as a source of biodegradable substances. The main subjects of research are plants with medicinal properties, invasive, technical and agricultural crops. The process for producing polysaccharide-based films was also examined. The possibility of introducing technologies into production was assessed. Conclusions are based on the impact of all stages of the process (collection, recycling, receiving and reusing) on the environment. Cogeneration technologies, pharmaceutical wastes and biotechnological biomass cultivation methods usage are taken into account to obtain efficient production.
Assessment method of the urban development level in the context of knowledge and innovation economy
Authors: Pereverzieva A , Volkov V , Osaul A , Duhiienko N
Published: November 2021

The assessment method of the level of industrial city (Zaporozhіzhia) development influence affected by knowledge and innovation economy has been proposed in the article. Assessment of the sustainable development level is represented by three components: economic, social and environmental, each of which is characterized by certain indicators. The algorithm has been worked out to determine knowledge and innovation impact for urban sustainable development. It is comprised of three successive stages: indicators characterizing a certain sub-vector are determined in the first stage; sub-vector indexes are calculated in the second stage: the knowledge and innovation index; the knowledge and innovation index is calculated based on the additive and multiplicative model in the third stage. The knowledge and innovation index is defined as “stimulus” (booster) and “restriction” (depreciation) of urban sustainable development, that is, defined as specific ratios. To substantiate the importance of knowledge and innovation impact, not only quantitative approach to evaluation, but also qualitative analysis based on matrix methods have been applied. Changing specific ratios and the degree of specific ratios impact on urban sustainable development allows to analyze changes (increase or decrease) of sustainability level amid weights alterations. Changing specific ratios forms the priorities of economic policy and strategic landmarks.
New opportunities for seafarers owing to reduction emission and arising the number of Dual fuel vessels
Authors: Surinov I , Shemonayev V
Published: November 2021

Nowadays one of the main goal of International Maritime Organization (IMO) is to reduce pollution by vessels over the world. Due to this they implemented in MARPOL Annex VI the requirements for any gas vessel’s emissions which are setting the limits and timelines of compliance. To overcome this problem IMO adopted on 15th July 2011 the commence measures for improving vessel’s energy efficiency plan and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). The main strategy of GHG envisages the reduction of international shipping in carbon intensity (reducing CO2 emissions from transport activities on average for international shipping from 40% to 70% by 2050). According to this, growing the problem concerning new opportunities for seafarers. That was managed on example by crewing company Nordic Hamburg at implementation the new trainings.
Information support of nature management and environmental protection in Ukraine
Authors: Kovshun N , Radko A , Moshchych S , Syrotynska A , Zhydyk I
Published: November 2021

This research develops the problem of effectiveness of the management system and protection of the natural environment. In this research, the various factors of management activity are proposed. To achieve this goal we conducted research on information and analytical systems, which are implemented in the management of nature and environmental protection of Ukraine at three levels: regional (oblast), district and urban. The article presents the results of the analysis of classifiers for systematization of circulating documents, functions of computer document management systems, including those implemented in the management of nature and environmental protection, as well as the level of satisfaction with the quality of software products used to management. It is established that for information support of management activities the most necessary are databases on financial and economic activities, regulatory, personnel, resource, logistics and environmental statistics. The importance of information flow system analysis and information technologies are constantly developing and adapting to user awareness. In the investigation underlined the practical use of different methods to solve similar problems taking into account the peculiarities of the organization.
Chemical safety in the context of environmental goals of sustainable development
Authors: Ishchenko A , Stuchynska N , Haiova L , Shchepanskiy E
Published: November 2021

The aim of the article is to carry out a systematic analysis of the components of chemical safety in the context of the environmental aspect of sustainable development goals and to identify those components with the help of competent health professionals. Hazardous chemicals can travel for long distances, be accumulated in the environment as well as cause adverse effects on human health through food chains. The action of toxicants of inorganic and organic nature occurs due to the violation of metabolic processes, inhibition of enzymes, and biotransformation of xenobiotics into more toxic compounds. Physicians must be clearly aware of the relationship in the “toxicant-pathology” system; understand the molecular mechanisms of the hazardous chemicals action; use terminology regarding toxicological characteristics of toxicants; conduct educational, treatment, and prevention activities among the population; acquire information on regulations governing the management of chemical compounds. The next component of chemical safety is the knowledge of approaches to chemical labeling and safety measures for working with chemical products throughout their life cycle. Proper interpretation of the type and level of hazard will enable taking necessary precautions and following relevant safety rules while working with chemical products.
Algorithms and business models of financial outsourcing for sustainable development in industry
Authors: Laktionova O , Desiatskyi S , Mironenko D , Melikhov A , Makhinko V , Kustrich L
Published: November 2021

The work is devoted to the study of the use of business models of financial outsourcing in the institutional support of sustainable development. It is shown that a significant role in the sustainable development of the economy and environmental management can belong to clients of financial outsourcing services - small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). The paper proposes to include an outsourcing company of financial outsourcing services in the infrastructure for supporting sustainable economic development of united territorial communities (UTC), which will increase the volume of revenues to the local budget and provide additional financing for SMEs, incl. whose activities are aimed at improving the environmental situation. A methodology for monitoring the revenue side of local budgets has been developed by processing monthly data “Openbudget” and “Opendata” by methods of predictive analytics. The proposed methodology has been tested on the example of the budget of Mariupol (Ukraine), as a city with a poor environmental situation, in which monitoring of the local budget will reveal additional sources of financing for the activities of SMEs - clients of financial outsourcing services aimed at improving the environment, as well as ensuring sustainable development of the economy of the territories and the country.
Point-of-use upflow sand filter for rural water treatment using natural local sand: Understanding and predicting pressure drop
Authors: Abd Lahin F , Sarbatly R , Chel-Ken C
Published: November 2021

A simple, small scale upflow sand filter was fabricated using a locally obtained sands at three different rivers in Sabah, Malaysia: Liwagu River (SL), Tamparuli River (ST), and Kaingaran River (SK). The grain size, porosity, bulk density, particle density and sphericity of the sands were characterized to associate with the corresponding pressure drop across the sand bed. The highest pressure drop per unit length for SK, PT, and SL are 15.85 kPa m-1 at 0.747 m s-1 vs, 10.18 kPa m-1 at 0.352 m s-1 vs, and 9.24 kPa m-1 at 0.747 m s-1 vs, respectively. The pressure drop per unit length at different filter bed depth were plotted, and compared against three theoretical models of Ergun, Kozeny-Carman, and Fair and Hatch. By analyzing the experimental-theoretical comparison using RMSE and Chi-Test, prediction of pressure drop in an upflow sand filter is able to be predicted using the Kozeny-Carman equation preceding filter bed fluidization and subsequently Fair and Hatch’s equation after bed is fluidized.
Modeling the effect of dammar additions on the mass loss response of soy wax/beeswax/dammar blends via response surface methodology
Authors: Shaharuddin S I S , Aziz N B A , Bacho N , Khairussaleh N K M , Tumian A , Zakaria I A
Published: November 2021

The wax used in the batik industry plays a significant role as its composition dictates the ease of wax rendering, dye layering, and wax removal process. This study aims to evaluate the effect of dammar additions on soy wax/beeswax blends based on the mass loss (%) of the wax-covered cotton fabric in 100°C water. Central composite design (CCD), a subset of response surface methodology (RSM) was used to develop a response model (Y: mass loss %) for three independent variables (X1:beeswax, X2:soy wax, X3:dammar). The final quadratic response model obtained (F value =5.43, lack of fit F value = 4.70, adequate precision = 7.65) was proposed in this study. ANOVA analysis showed that the standard error of design was relatively small, ranging between 0.43 to 1.18 for the design space. It was deduced from the response model, that increasing the dammar content in the soy wax/beeswax blends increases the mass loss (%), possibly due to the compositional inhomogeneity of the blends. The result of this study shows great potentials in formulating new soy wax-based compositions that produce varying degrees of ease of wax removal for the batik industry.
Evaluation of solid-state production of myco-coagulant using various lignocellulosic media to reduce water turbidity
Authors: Fellah M , Alam M Z , Al-Mamun A , Kabbashi N A , Engliman N S B
Published: November 2021

High turbidity and suspended solids (SS) are among the significant issues that affect rivers due to the wastewater discharge, terrain condition, land cover, rainfall, agriculture, and other development activities. Chemical flocculants such as polyacrylamide and aluminum sulfate are widely employed for agro-industrial wastewater treatment. However, excessive use of chemical coagulants is harmful to human beings and the environment. Therefore, efficient and economically viable bio-coagulants from renewable biological sources is highly sought after. Myco-coagulant (My-coag) is an organic coagulant produced by fungi that are biodegradable and environmentally friendly. This research aimed to evaluate My-coag solid-state production from locally isolated fungal strains using various lignocellulosic media. The fungus was grown on different lignocellulosic substrates such as cocopeat, sawdust, rice bran, and palm kernel cake for 7 days with a pH of 7.0 at 30 °C. My-coag was extracted from the fungal culture using an aqueous buffer solution of pH 7. The fungal growth rate and dry mass were the highest on cocopeat supplement which was about 1.4 g of dry weight. My-coag extracted from the cocopeat showed good flocculating properties in kaolin suspension with the removal of 96.7% turbidity compared to other substrates such as sawdust, palm kernel cake, and rice bran with the removal of 53.7, 19.6, and 11%, respectively. It is expected that further optimization of this process parameters will lead to the efficient removal of turbidity and solids from water and wastewater to move forward in green technology for sustainable growth in the “Clean Water and Sanitation Sector” and protection of the environment too.
Forensic analysis on printer inks via chemometrics
Authors: Mohd Zawawi L H , Mohamed Azmin N F , Abd. Wahab M F , Ibrahim S I , Mohd Yunus M Y
Published: November 2021

Printer inks are becoming necessary for utilization for wide range of purposes by society in current times with rapid development in technology and digital media area. Thus, forgery and counterfeiting becoming easier for the criminals. It is dangerous as some criminals will misused the technology by mean of addition and adulteration of parts of text or numbers on document as the inks and document can be made as an evidence in the trial court. Thus, the characterization and differentiation of the printed inks in the suspected documents (civil or criminal cases) may provide important information about the authenticity of the printer inks. The focus of this study to differentiate the chemical component of three different types of sample inks by incorporation of FTIR spectrophotometer with principal component analysis. The unique features of the ink samples were unmasked from the score plots of the principal component analysis. Thus, the graphical representation provided by the FTIR spectra with principal component analysis enabled the discrimination certain chemical in the printer inks.
Turning Coconut Residue into Hydrochar using Hydrothermal Carbonization
Authors: Lau Abdullah Myra Shahira , Hamid NoorAshrina A
Published: November 2021

The use of renewable and sustainable energy resources is critical, especially considering the scarcity of fossil fuels and the need to combat air pollution. Various types of biomass feedstock, including coconut husk, have been studied in the past to convert into useful forms of hydrochar. However, no one had attempted to use coconut residue to produce hydrochar through hydrothermal carbonization. The goal of this study is to investigate the properties of synthesised hydrochar from coconut residue under various operating conditions in order to determine the highest yield of hydrochar produced prior to methylene blue degradation. Hydrochar was created from coconut residue using hydrothermal carbonization (HTC). The hydrochar was synthesised over a range of residence times of 6 hours, 12 hours, 18 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours at a constant temperature of 200°C. Prior to the degradation of methylene blue, the properties of hydrochar were investigated using elemental analysis. The oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) and hydrogen-to-carbon (H/C) ratios for all hydrochars were 0.36-0.16 and 1.78-1.17, respectively. For all concentrations, the highest rate of methylene blue removal was approximately 70-80 percent. Overall, residence time had a minor impact on the chemical properties of hydrochars.
A scalable coaxial bioprinting technology for mesenchymal stem cell microfiber fabrication and high extracellular vesicle yield
Authors: Chen Jianwei , Zhou Duchao , Nie Zhenguo , Lu Liang , Lin Zhidong , Zhou Dezhi , Zhang Yi , Long Xiaoyan , Fan Siyang , Xu Tao
Published: November 2021

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are promising candidates for regenerative medicine; however, the lack of scalable methods for high quantity EV production limits their application. In addition, signature EV-derived proteins shared in 3D environments and 2D surfaces, remain mostly unknown. Herein, we present a platform combining MSC microfiber culture with ultracentrifugation purification for high EV yield. Within this platform, a high quantity MSC solution (∼3 × 108 total cells) is encapsulated in a meter-long hollow hydrogel-microfiber via coaxial bioprinting technology. In this 3D core–shell microfiber environment, MSCs express higher levels of stemness markers (Oct4, Nanog, Sox2) than in 2D culture, and maintain their differentiation capacity. Moreover, this platform enriches particles by ∼1009-fold compared to conventional 2D culture, while preserving their pro-angiogenic properties. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry characterization results demonstrate that EVs derived from our platform and conventional 2D culturing have unique protein profiles with 3D-EVs having a greater variety of proteins (1023 vs 605), however, they also share certain proteins (536) and signature MSC-EV proteins (10). This platform, therefore, provides a new tool for EV production using microfibers in one culture dish, thereby reducing space, labor, time, and cost.
Compensating the cell-induced light scattering effect in light-based bioprinting using deep learning
Authors: Guan Jiaao , You Shangting , Xiang Yi , Schimelman Jacob , Alido Jeffrey , Ma Xinyue , Tang Min , Chen Shaochen
Published: November 2021

Digital light processing (DLP)-based three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has the advantages of speed and precision comparing with other 3D printing technologies like extrusion-based 3D printing. Therefore, it is a promising biomaterial fabrication technique for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. When printing cell-laden biomaterials, one challenge of DLP-based bioprinting is the light scattering effect of the cells in the bioink, and therefore induce unpredictable effects on the photopolymerization process. In consequence, the DLP-based bioprinting requires extra trial-and-error efforts for parameters optimization for each specific printable structure to compensate the scattering effects induced by cells, which is often difficult and time-consuming for a machine operator. Such trial-and-error style optimization for each different structure is also very wasteful for those expensive biomaterials and cell lines. Here, we use machine learning to learn from a few trial sample printings and automatically provide printer the optimal parameters to compensate the cell-induced scattering effects. We employ a deep learning method with a learning-based data augmentation which only requires a small amount of training data. After learning from the data, the algorithm can automatically generate the printer parameters to compensate the scattering effects. Our method shows strong improvement in the intra-layer printing resolution for bioprinting, which can be further extended to solve the light scattering problems in multilayer 3D bioprinting processes.
Negative series resistance and photo-response properties of Au/PPY-MWCNTs composite/TiO2/Al2O3/n-Si/Al photodiode
Authors: Ashery A , Gaballah A E H , M Ahmed Emad
Published: November 2021

The paper addresses a novel approach concerning the appearance of negative series resistance (Rs) at high frequencies for both temperatures and voltages. Most of the previous studies have focused on the relationship between voltage and current (I - V) to determine the value of Rs using several methods. By measuring capacitance and conductance as a function of voltage, we were able to develop a systematic analysis of series resistance. At high frequencies of 2 × 107, 107 Hz, Rs has negative values however, at frequency 106 Hz it takes both positive and negative values, whilst from (105 − 10) Hz it has positive values. Here in this article, we synthesized Au/PPY-MWCNTs/TiO2/Al2O3/n-Si/Al structure which can be used in a variety of applications such as supercapacitors, and diodes. We investigated the electrical properties such as ideality factor (n), barrier height (фb), series resistance using several approaches such as conventional, Chueng, and Nord methods. The structure has shown rectification with a good response to daylight illumination. The structure response to daylight illumination indicates that photodiodes have the potential to be used as solar detectors.
Expansion potential of skin grafts with novel I-shaped auxetic incisions
Authors: Gupta Vivek , Chanda Arnab
Published: November 2021

Severe burn injures lead to millions of fatalities every year due to lack of skin replacements. While skin is a very limited and expensive entity, split thickness skin grafting, which involves the projection of a parallel incision pattern on a small section of healthy excised skin, is typically employed to increase the expansion and cover a larger burn site. To date, the real expansion capacity of such grafts are low (<3 times) and insufficient for treatment of severe burn injuries. In this study, novel I-shaped auxetic incision patterns, which are known to exhibit high negative Poisson’s ratios, have been tested on the skin to investigate their expansion potential. Fourteen two-layer skin graft models with varying incision pattern parameters (i.e., length, spacing, and orientation) were developed using finite element modelling and tested under uniaxial and biaxial tensile loads. The Poisson’s ratio, meshing ratios, and induced stresses were quantified across all models. Graft models tested uniaxially along the orthogonal directions indicated opposite trends in generated Poisson’s ratios, as the length of the I-shape incisions were increased. Biaxially, with a symmetric and closely spaced I-shape pattern, graft meshing ratios up to 15.65 were achieved without overstressing the skin. Overall, the findings from the study indicated that expansion potentials much higher than that of traditional skin grafts can be achieved with novel I-shaped auxetic skin grafts, which would be indispensable for covering large wounds in severe burn injuries.
When does temperature matter for ecosystem respiration?
Authors: Gudasz Cristian , Karlsson Jan , Bastviken David
Published: November 2021

The temperature response of ecosystem processes is key to understand and predict impacts of climate change. This is especially true for respiration, given its high temperature sensitivity and major role in the global carbon cycle. However, similar intrinsic temperature sensitivity for respiration does not mean comparable temperature effects across ecosystems and biomes because non-temperature factors can be more important. Here we analyzed soil and sediment respiration data and found that in temperature ranges corresponding to high latitude mean temperatures, absolute respiration rates are more sensitive to non-temperature factors than to projected direct temperature effects. However, at higher temperatures (>20 °C) the direct effect of temperature mediated by temperature sensitivity will likely be more important over changes in non-temperature factors in shaping how respiration change over time. This supports past suggestions that the relatively small projected temperature increase at low (tropical) latitudes may have a large direct impact on absolute respiration. In contrast, absolute respiration rates at high (boreal/arctic) latitudes will likely be more sensitive on the development of the non-temperature factors than on the direct effects of the large projected temperature increase there. Social media abstract. Respiration may be less dependent to changes in temperature at higher than lower latitudes.
Guide tree optimization with genetic algorithm to improve multiple protein 3D-structure alignment
Authors: Shegay Maksim V , Švedas Vytas K , Voevodin Vladimir V , Suplatov Dmitry A , Popova Nina N
Published: November 2021

Motivation

With the increasing availability of 3D-data, the focus of comparative bioinformatic analysis is shifting from protein sequence alignments toward more content-rich 3D-alignments. This raises the need for new ways to improve the accuracy of 3D-superimposition.

Results

We proposed guide tree optimization with genetic algorithm (GA) as a universal tool to improve the alignment quality of multiple protein 3D-structures systematically. As a proof of concept, we implemented the suggested GA-based approach in popular Matt and Caretta multiple protein 3D-structure alignment (M3DSA) algorithms, leading to a statistically significant improvement of the TM-score quality indicator by up to 220–1523% on ‘SABmark Superfamilies’ (in 49–77% of cases) and ‘SABmark Twilight’ (in 59–80% of cases) datasets. The observed improvement in collections of distant homologies highlights the potentials of GA to optimize 3D-alignments of diverse protein superfamilies as one plausible tool to study the structure–function relationship.

Availability and implementation

The source codes of patched gaCaretta and gaMatt programs are available open-access at https://github.com/n-canter/gamaps.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Impact of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination on postoperative mortality in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors:   COVID Surg Collaborative
Published: November 2021

There is little evidence around the potentially protective role of previous Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination on postoperative mortality in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Prior BCG vaccination did not protect SARS-CoV-2 infected patients against postoperative pulmonary complications and 30-day mortality.
Socioeconomic status effects on health vary between rural and urban Turkana
Authors: Lea Amanda J , Waigwa Charles , Muhoya Benjamin , Lotukoi Francis , Peng Julie , Henry Lucas P , Abhyankar Varada , Kamau Joseph , Martins Dino , Gurven Michael , Ayroles Julien F
Published: November 2021

Background and objectives

Understanding the social determinants of health is a major goal in evolutionary biology and human health research. Low socioeconomic status (often operationalized as absolute material wealth) is consistently associated with chronic stress, poor health and premature death in high-income countries. However, the degree to which wealth gradients in health are universal—or are instead made even steeper under contemporary, post-industrial conditions—remains poorly understood.

Methodology

We quantified absolute material wealth and several health outcomes among a population of traditional pastoralists, the Turkana of northwest Kenya, who are currently transitioning toward a more urban, market-integrated lifestyle. We assessed whether wealth associations with health differed in subsistence-level versus urban contexts. We also explored the causes and consequences of wealth-health associations by measuring serum cortisol, potential sociobehavioral mediators in early life and adulthood, and adult reproductive success (number of surviving offspring).

Results

Higher socioeconomic status and greater material wealth predicts better self-reported health and more offspring in traditional pastoralist Turkana, but worse cardiometabolic health and fewer offspring in urban Turkana. We do not find robust evidence for either direct biological mediators (cortisol) or indirect sociobehavioral mediators (e.g. adult diet or health behaviors, early life experiences) of wealth–health relationships in either context.

Conclusions and implications

While social gradients in health are well-established in humans and animals across a variety of socioecological contexts, we show that the relationship between wealth and health can vary within a single population. Our findings emphasize that changes in economic and societal circumstances may directly alter how, why and under what conditions socioeconomic status predicts health.

Lay Summary

High socioeconomic status predicts better health and more offspring in traditional Turkana pastoralists, but worse health and fewer offspring in individuals of the same group living in urban areas. Together, our study shows that under different economic and societal circumstances, wealth effects on health may manifest in very different ways.
Comparative Investigation of the Stems, Leaves, Flowers, and Roots of Centipeda Minima Based on Fingerprinting–Multivariate Classification Techniques
Authors: Liu Meiqi , Zhao Xiaoran , Qiu Ziying , Sun Lili , Deng Yanru , Ren Xiaoliang , Mou Jiajia
Published: November 2021

Background

Centipeda minima (L.) A. Br. et Aschers, known as Ebushicao (EBSC) in Chinese, has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for dispelling wind, clearing orifices, detoxification, and swelling. Although the traditional use of EBSC involves the whole plant, during harvesting and processing, separation of the stems, leaves, flowers, and roots often occurs. However, there are few studies on its medicinal parts.

Objective

A strategy combining high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprinting and multivariate classification techniques are here proposed for the comparison of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of EBSC.

Method

The roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of EBSC samples were analyzed and compared based on HPLC fingerprints combined with chemometrics, including hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and back propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN). Chemical markers were screened using PLS-DA, and the contents of representative ingredients were determined by an HPLC method.

Results

The HCA and PCA provided clear discrimination of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. Moreover, the PLS-DA model and BP-ANN were established to verify the classification results and showed a greater ability to predict new samples. Four representative chemical markers were screened out, and the content of these markers in flowers and leaves was higher than that in stems and roots, and the difference was significant.

Conclusions

Combining HPLC fingerprinting and multicomponent chemical pattern recognition technology can be used to distinguish different parts of EBSC. The results indicated that brevilin A, quercetin, rutin, and chlorogenic acid, the important active components of EBSC, were mainly present in the leaves and flowers. This is of great significance for the differentiation and identification of the different medicinal parts of EBSC, as well as for the effectiveness of drug usage in clinical practice.

Highlights

HP LC was used to quickly obtain chemical for fingerprint analysis. HCA, P CA, P LS-DA were used to visualize the discrimination of roots, stems, leaves and flowers of EBSC. P LS-DA model was established to verify the classification results and obtained the chemical marker. BP-ANN model was used to further improve the discrimination accuracy.
The New Reform of the Penal Law of the Catholic Church: Resuscitating a Forgotten Pastoral Instrument?
Authors: Zambrana-Tévar Nicolás
Published: November 2021

The new reform of the penal law of the Catholic Church, amending Book VI of the Code of Canon Law of the Latin Church, as well as other recent canon law norms, aims at making sure that local bishops can punish more straightforwardly and with less discretion those conducts which are considered as most harmful for the church as a community. The drafters of this reform have made it clear that, in the past, many believed that penal laws should only exceptionally be applied. Now, however, this area of canon law should actually be considered one more instrument of pastoral governance. Although the Vatican has underlined that the new Book VI will be useful in the fight against the crime of sex abuse by clergy, this reform partly codifies norms and punitive mechanisms which had been progressively introduced and had already been in place, sometimes for decades.
Identification and expression assay of calcium-dependent protein kinase family genes in Hevea brasiliensis and determination of HbCDPK5 functions in disease resistance
Authors: Zhang Bei , Song Yufeng , Zhang Xiaodong , Wang Qiannan , Li Xiuqiong , He Chaozu , Luo Hongli
Published: November 2021

Calcium (Ca2+) signaling is one of the earliest factors to coordinate plant adaptive responses. As direct sensors and activators of Ca2+ signals, calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) were reported to be widely involved in regulating different biotic and abiotic stress stimuli. In this study, 32 Hevea brasiliensis CDPK (HbCDPK) genes were predicted and classified into four subgroups. Among them, the full-length coding sequences of 28 HbCDPK genes were confirmed by RT-PCR and verified by sequencing. Putative cis-elements assay in the promoters of HbCDPKs showed that most of the HbCDPK genes contained gibberellic acid-responsive element (GARE), abscisic acid-responsive element (ABRE), salicylic acid-responsive element (SARE), defense and stress responsive element (TC-rich repeats) and low-temperature response element (LTR), which could be activated by different biotic and abiotic stresses. Real-time PCR analysis indicated that 28 HbCDPK genes respond to infection of pathogenic fungi and a variety of phytohormones. Subcellular localization was observed with most HbCDPKs located in cell membrane, cytoplasm or organelles. Some HbCDPKs were confirmed to cause reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and accumulation in rubber tree mesophyll protoplast directly. HbCDPK5 was strongly induced by the inoculation with Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and was chosen for further analysis. HbCDPK5 localized to the cell membrane and cytoplasm, and obviously regulated the accumulation of ROS in rubber tree mesophyll protoplast. Overexpression of HbCDPK5 in Arabidopsis enhanced the resistance to Botrytis cinerea. These results indicate that rubber tree CDPK genes play important roles in plant disease resistance.
The Power of Community in Addressing Infant Mortality Inequities
Authors: Gorenflo Grace , Rich Naomi , Adams-McBride Maggie , Hilliard Casey
Published: November 2021

On opposite ends of North Carolina, collaborations in Buncombe and Chatham counties are tackling infant mortality inequities with innovative strategies. While their strategies differ, both groups use an approach that is driven by authentic community voice and directly contributes to dismantling structural racism. The Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville is transitioning their leadership of the Mothering Asheville Coalition to SistasCaring4Sistas, a group of Black doulas with lived experience, and is supporting the doulas' work to become a nonprofit organization that will serve the entire state. Chatham County Health Department leads the Equity for Moms and Babies Realized Across Chatham Coalition, a group that relies on recommendations from birthing individuals with lived experience to continually assess and revise hospital policies and practices to improve birth experiences in addition to birth outcomes. The work of these communities highlights several implications for advancing health equity, including the need to establish and maintain trust with the community served, include those with lived experience and expertise in decision making, guide strategies, take risks, and facilitate organizational culture change.
Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Pregnancy-Related Social Support: Design Workshops With Community-Based Organizations in Greater Boston
Authors: Molina Rose L. , DiMeo Amanda , Graham Leigh , Galvin Grace , Shah Neel , Langer Ana
Published: November 2021

Community-based organizations are uniquely positioned to address critical gaps in social support that contribute to inequities in maternal health. Using a human-centered design process, we held 3 design workshops with members of 15 organizations in Greater Boston, including community-based organizations, allied hospital systems, and public health departments, to assess proposed solutions for gaps in social support services during pregnancy and the first year after childbirth. The workshops focused on solutions to problems that emerged from a mixed-methods research study with community-based organizations that provide social support services; workshop attendees explored facilitators and barriers to implementing solutions. Key considerations included colocation of solutions, shared ownership of program and client data, decision making about triage and referrals, and strengthening coordination of existing programs. Collaborative design workshops surfaced potential solutions to improve coordination of services, which require addressing structural and interpersonal racism in Greater Boston.
Race and Ethnicity and Cardiometabolic Risk Profile: Disparities Across Income and Health Insurance in a National Sample of US Adults
Authors: Javed Zulqarnain , Maqsood Muhammad Haisum , Amin Zahir , Nasir Khurram
Published: November 2021

Context:

Income and health insurance are important social determinants of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and may explain much racial/ethnic variation in CVD burden. However, racial/ethnic disparities in cumulative cardiometabolic (CMB) risk profile by insurance type and income level have not been studied on a national scale.

Objectives:

To test the hypothesis that racial/ethnic minorities experience greater CMB burden at each income level and insurance type than non-Hispanic Whites (NHW).

Setting:

This study used nationally representative data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

Design:

Observational (cross-sectional).

Participants:

In total, 134661 (weighted N = 197780611) adults, 18 years or older, from the 2013-2017 NHIS.

Primary Outcome:

CMB risk profile.

Intervention/Analysis:

Age-adjusted prevalence of optimal, average, and poor CMB risk profile—defined respectively as self-report of 0, 1-2, and 3 or more risk factors of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or hypercholesterolemia—was examined for NHW, non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB), and Hispanics. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression models were used to test the association between race and ethnicity and CMB profile overall and separately by household income level and insurance type.

Results:

Overall, 15% of NHB and 11% of Hispanics experienced poor CMB risk profile, compared with 9% for NHW. In fully adjusted models, NHB and Hispanics, respectively had nearly 25%-90% and 10%-30% increased odds of poor CMB profile across insurance types and 45%-60% and 15%-30% increased odds of poor CMB profile across income levels, relative to NHW. The observed disparities were widest for the Medicare group (NHB: OR = 1.90; Hispanics: OR = 1.31) and highest-income level (NHB: OR = 1.62).

Conclusions:

Racial/ethnic minorities experience poor CMB profile at each level of income and insurance. These findings point to the need for greater investigation of unmeasured determinants of minority cardiovascular (CV) health, including structural racism and implicit bias in CV care.