bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The students' language attitudes towards lecturers' code mixing: A SFL study
Authors: Manar Marsandi , Purwaningrum Prapti Wigati
Published: October 2021

As the effort to have the insight into the existing status of a local language in Indonesia especially in the academic setting viewed as the respected discourse, this current study aims to delineate the attitudes of millennial students towards lecturer’s code mixing to Sundanese during courses. 42 responses reflecting respondents’ perspectives towards the issue were collected via qualitative questionnaire. To reveal the view of participants on the issue under the context of higher education, responses in the forms of 62 clauses were analysed by the transitivity framework of Halliday and Matthiessen. The findings of this SFL study shows that lecturer’s code mixing to Sundanese during courses were viewed by 74% of Sundanese and non-Sundanese participants in positive ways while the rest addressed it with negative attitude. The positive attitudes were respectively represented in material, mental, relational, and existential processes while the negative attitudes were constructed sequentially in relational, material and mental, verbal, and existential clauses. The main reasons in the positive attitudes as revealed by the transitivity analysis are associated with the needs to maintain and preserve local language especially Sundanese via the academic channel.

HIGHLIGHTS:

The processes of meaning making in positive-attitude responses are realized especially in material clauses to establish the importance of preserving local languages especially Sundanese through the academic channel.

The processes of meaning making in negative-attitude responses are realized especially in relational clauses to give priority to the negative impact of using Sundanese on the academic aspect especially for non-Sundanese students.
Analisis Dampak Program Pemberdayaan Terhadap Kesejahteraan Umat
Authors: Mubarok Ferry Khusnul
Published: October 2021

Poverty is still a problem, especially in realizing prosperity. Many programs are carried out to alleviate poverty, one of which is the empowerment program carried out by Islamic microfinance institutions. This study aims to identify the effect of empowerment contracts on people's welfare. This study uses a quantitative approach. This study uses primary data obtained from interviews, observation, documentation. The data analysis technique used a regression approach. The results and discussion showed that the empowerment contract which included the qardhul hasan and musyarakah contracts had a significant effect on customers' income. Thus, empowerment through the qardhul hasan and musyarakah contract schemes can be developed to realize the welfare of the people.
PARADIGMAL CRISIS OF BELARUSIAN ECONOMIC SCIENCE, DIGITALIZATION AND PROBLEMS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE FIELD OF NATIONAL SECURITY
Authors: SOLODOVNIKOV S.
Published: October 2021

The article is devoted to the problems of national security of the Republic of Belarus, the
challenges and threats for which are generated by informatization and the transition
to a risk economy are fundamentally new. The epistemological crisis of Belarusian science, intensifying against the backdrop of the paradigm crisis of economic science as a whole, poses a serious potential threat to national security. The trend of atomization of threats to national security, blurring the line between the economic security of Belarus and the economic security of industrial enterprises, strengthens the need for highly qualified specialists in the field of economic security of economic entities. A systematic approach to ensuring economic security cannot be fully implemented without the training of civil engineering and economic specialists with competencies that include design, economic, technical, technological, organizational and managerial, information and analytical components.
Coupling of Rigorous Multiphase Flash with Advanced Linearization Schemes for Accurate Compositional Simulation
Authors: Abd Abdul Salam , Abushaikha Ahmad , Voskov Denis
Published: October 2021

The properties of fluids flowing in a petroleum reservoir are quantified by understanding the thermodynamic behavior of each flowing phase in the system. This work describes proper techniques to formulate and execute a thermodynamic model for accurately predicting the equilibrium behavior of oil-gas-brine systems within the practical range of pressure and temperature. The three-phase flash algorithm is validated against published data from the available literature. The multiphase flash procedure is implemented to generate linearized physical properties by using an Operator Based Linearization (OBL) modelling technique allowing for a combination of multiple complex physics in the nonlinear solution of governing equations. This is the first implementation of three-phase flash calculations for hydrocarbons and brines based on fugacity-activity models coupled with an advanced highly efficient linearization scheme. Our approach increases the efficiency and flexibility of the modelling process of physical phenomena such as fluid flow in porous subsurface reservoirs.
Differences in the Upscaling Procedure for Compositional Reservoir Simulations of Immiscible and Miscible Gas Flooding
Authors: de Souza Rios Victor , Skauge Arne , Sorbie Ken , Wang Gang , Schiozer Denis José , Schmall dos Santos Luiz Otávio
Published: October 2021

Compositional reservoir simulation is essential to represent the complex interactions associated with gas flooding processes. Generally, an improved description of such small-scale phenomena requires the use of very detailed reservoir models, which impact the computational cost. We provide a practical and general upscaling procedure to guide a robust selection of the upscaling approaches considering the nature and limitations of each reservoir model, exploring the differences between the upscaling of immiscible and miscible gas injection problems.

We highlight the different challenges to achieve improved upscaled models for immiscible and miscible gas displacement conditions with a stepwise workflow. We first identify the need for a special permeability upscaling technique to improve the representation of the main reservoir heterogeneities and sub-grid features, smoothed during the upscaling process. Then, we verify if the use of pseudo-functions is necessary to correct the multiphase flow dynamic behavior. At this stage, different pseudoization approaches are recommended according to the miscibility conditions of the problem.

This study evaluates highly heterogeneous reservoir models submitted to immiscible and miscible gas flooding. The fine models represent a small part of a reservoir with a highly refined set of grid-block cells, with 5 × 5 cm2 area. The upscaled coarse models present grid-block cells of 8 × 10 m2 area, which is compatible with a refined geological model in reservoir engineering studies. This process results in a challenging upscaling ratio of 32 000. We show a consistent procedure to achieve reliable results with the coarse-scale model under the different miscibility conditions. For immiscible displacement situations, accurate results can be obtained with the coarse models after a proper permeability upscaling procedure and the use of pseudo-relative permeability curves to improve the dynamic responses. Miscible displacements, however, requires a specific treatment of the fluid modeling process to overcome the limitations arising from the thermodynamic equilibrium assumption. For all the situations, the workflow can lead to a robust choice of techniques to satisfactorily improve the coarse-scale simulation results.

Our approach works on two fronts. (1) We apply a dual-porosity/dual-permeability upscaling process, developed by Rios et al. (2020a), to enable the representation of sub-grid heterogeneities in the coarse-scale model, providing consistent improvements on the upscaling results. (2) We generate specific pseudo-functions according to the miscibility conditions of the gas flooding process. We developed a stepwise procedure to deal with the upscaling problems consistently and to enable a better understanding of the coarsening process.
High-Order Adaptive Scheme for Reactive Transport in Heterogeneous Porous Media
Authors: Deucher Ricardo H. , Tchelepi Hamdi A.
Published: October 2021

Subsurface sequestration of carbon dioxide, contaminant transport, and enhanced oil recovery processes often involve complex reaction dynamics. The rock-fluid interactions span a very wide range of length and time scales, and it is important for the numerical solutions to resolve these scales properly. To address these challenges, we extend the adaptive transport scheme for the simulation of reactive transport in heterogeneous porous media developed previously (Deucher and Tchelepi, 2021) to account for (a) higher-order approximation of the convective fluxes and (b) coupling with a chemical solver connected to geochemical databases.

The numerical results demonstrate that adaptivity is more effective when a higher-order approximation of the fluxes is used. This is because of lower levels of numerical dispersion compared with low-order approximations, which helps resolve the displacement fronts more accurately. As a result, the regions that experience significant concentration and saturation gradients are more confined, and that leads to improvements in the computational efficiency of the adaptive scheme. The robustness of the approach is demonstrated using a highly heterogeneous two-phase case with multiple wells and a variable total liquid-rate.

Due to the modularity of the adaptive scheme, coupling with a chemical solver module is straightforward. The scheme is tested for a three-dimensional case that considers injection of carbonated water in a reservoir matrix of calcite. The results show that the adaptive scheme leads to an accurate representation of the reference concentration distributions of the six reactive components throughout the simulation and leads to a large reduction in the number of cell updates required to achieve the solution.
Radio Frequency Heating Simulation Using A Reservoir Simulator Coupled with Electromagnetic Solver for Soil Remediation
Authors: Guan Xiaoyue , Li Gary , Wang Hanming , Shang Shubo , Tokar Timothy , McVey Kevin , Ovalles Cesar , Wu Dagang , Chen Ji
Published: October 2021

Radio frequency (RF) heating is recognized as a technique having the potential to thermally enhance remediation of hydrocarbon-impacted soil. RF heating delivers electromagnetic (EM) power to a targeted body of soil, resulting in an increased soil temperature that enhances the in-situ remediation processes such as biodegradation. Antennas are placed either on the ground or installed in the soil near the ground surface. The antennas operate in the hundreds of kHz to MHz range.

To model the RF heating process, we successfully coupled a reservoir simulator with a 3-dimensional (3D) EM solver to evaluate the ability of RF technology to heat soil in situ. The coupled reservoir/EM simulator solves the EM fields and associated heating for a heterogeneous reservoir or soil volume in the presence of multiple antennas. The coupling was accomplished through a flexible interface in the reservoir simulator that allows the runtime loading of third-party software libraries with additional physics. This coupled workflow had been previously used for studying RF heating for heavy oil recovery (Li 2019).

An RF heating simulation case study was performed in support of a soil remediation field test designed to demonstrate the ability to heat soils using EM energy. The study included field test data analysis, simulation model building, and history matching the model to test data. Results indicate, on average, the soil was heated ∼2-3°C above the initial formation temperature after approximately two days (52 hours) of RF heating. We found that the RF heating was local, and our simulation model, after tuning input parameters, was able to predict a temperature profile consistent with the field test observations. With properly designed RF heating field pilots and tuning of EM and reservoir parameters in simulation models, the coupled reservoir/EM simulator is a powerful tool for the calibration, evaluation, and optimization of RF heating operations.
Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of Chinese medicine in people with asymptomatic hyperuricemia: Protocol for a prospective, double-blinded, randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial.
Authors: Yan Jing-yao , Zhou Ying-yan , Yang Qiao-wen , Wu Jia-qi , He Xiao-hong
Published: October 2021

BackgroundHyperuricemia increases the risk of gout and cardiovascular complications. Studys show that Chinese medicine can decrease uric acid through multiple targets, but many of these studys is conducted on animal, because the lack of a consistent prescription and mechanism.So we design this research to study whether Chinese medicine is really effective and which target is essential.MethodsThis study is a prospective, double-blinded, randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial. From March 2020 to December 2021.30 asymptomatic hyperuricemia people will be recruiting and assigned to either Chinese medicine group or placebo group, each group will have 15 subjects.During the 12-week observation period,there will be 4 times of visits.The decline in the uric acid is the main outcome measure, urinary uric acid,inflammatory biomarkers and other index that may involve in lowing uric acid are the secondary outcome measures.DiscussionThis study will probe the effect of Chinese medicine treatment on hyperuricemia, and explore possible therapeutic mechanisms. By performing this trial,we hoping to provide evidence and data to support further large clinical studies.Trial registration:ChiCTR2000038575. Registered on September 24, 2020.
No Or Diffuse Phase-Transition With Temperature In One-Dimensional Ising Model?
Authors: Zhang Li , Zhang Li-Li , Huang Yi-Neng
Published: October 2021

For about a century since Ising model, one of the most important microscopic models of physics, was proposed, it is agreed that there is no phase-transition with temperature in the one-dimensional based on no global spontaneous-magnetization. On the contrary, our exact calculation of all-size spontaneous-magnetization and computer simulations of spin orientation states show that the low temperature state of one-dimensional Ising model (1D-IM) is a ferromagnetic phase of multi-domains, and it is concluded that the transition process from high temperature paramagnetic to low temperature ferromagnetic phase is a diffuse phase-transition by comparing with the corresponding phenomena. Moreover, based on the previous outcome that 1D-IM is always at paramagnetic state in whole temperature range, the corresponding one-dimensional materials cannot be used in storage and memory in principle. However, our results of the low temperature ferromagnetic state in 1D-IM indicate that the relevant materials have potential applications in storage devices.
Effect of Jianpi Qinghua Decoction on Gut Microbiota, Intestinal Permeability and Glycolipid Metabolism in Newly Diagnosed T2DM Patients: Study Protocol for a Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Jin Shenyi , Zhang Sheng , Chen Qingguang , Han Xu , Liu Yahua , Yan Zihui , Cai Mengjie , Lu Hao
Published: October 2021

BackgroundThe gut microbiome is a key target for traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) to ameliorate type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients with T2DM have quite distinct gut microbiota in comparisons with normal individuals, and it directly influences intestinal permeability. This study aims to investigate the underlying effects of Jianpi Qinghua Decoction on gut microbiota and intestinal permeability in newly diagnosed T2DM patients.Methods / designThis study is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in 120 subjects with newly diagnosed T2DM. The patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio into placebo group (1/10 Jianpi Qinghua Decoction + maltodextrin twice daily, n = 60) and treatment group (Jianpi Qinghua Decoction twice daily, n = 60). The study drugs will be double blinded to both investigators and participants. The visits will be done at baseline (visit 0), 1 month (visit 1), 2 months (visit 2), 3 months (visit 3). Measures include: anthropometric measures, blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (2hPG) and serum insulin, total cholesterol (TC), total triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), safety indexs (including blood routine examination, clinical urine tests, liver/renal profile), identifying intestinal permeability used ELISA testing serum LPS, serum intestinal fatty acid binding protein (IFABP), serum Zonulin concentrations and fecal sample collection for gut microbiota profiling through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 26. DiscussionWe describe a clinical research protocol evaluating the impact of Jianpi Qinghua Decoction on gut microbiota and intestinal permeability in newly diagnosed T2DM patients. We assume that adminstration of Jianpi Qinghua Decoction will correct gut microbial dysbiosis and intestinal permeability, leading to improved glycemic control.Trial registrationChinese clinical trial registry, identifier: ChiCTR2000039423（http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=62537&htm=4.）.Registered on 27 October 2020.
Inputs from wastewater treatment plant effluent influence the temporal variability of nutrient uptake in an intermittent stream
Authors: Castelar Sara , Bernal Susana , Ribot Miquel , Merbt Stephanie N. , Tobella Marta , Sabater Francesc , Ledesma José Luís , Guasch Helena , Lupon Anna , Gacia Esperança , Drummond Jennifer , Marti Eugenia
Published: October 2021

Effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) affect water chemistry and in-stream nutrient uptake capacity from receiving freshwaters, thus altering the amount and fate of nutrients exported. In Mediterranean regions, the dilution capacity of receiving streams to buffer the WWTP biogeochemical fingerprint can vary seasonally due to changes in hydrologic conditions. We assessed the temporal patterns and controls on nutrient uptake in an intermittent Mediterranean stream receiving WWTP effluent inputs. We compiled data on longitudinal profiles of ambient concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus along a 800 m reach on 47 sampling dates between 2001 and 2017 that cover a wide range of hydrological conditions. Data were used to estimate net nutrient uptake in the receiving stream. Ammonium concentration decreased along the reach in 72% of dates, and these decreases were coupled with increases of either nitrite or nitrate. This phenomenon suggests that the stream acted as a hot spot of nitrification. Conversely, concentration of phosphorus did not show any longitudinal pattern in 75% of dates, suggesting that uptake and release processes for this element were commonly counterbalanced. Finally, ammonium net uptake decreased when the stream had a low dilution capacity, suggesting that excess of available nutrients associated with WWTP inputs control de temporal variation of the bioreactive capacity of the receiving streams. Overall, this study suggests that water management should consider the biogeochemical interplay between WWTP operation and the functioning of receiving streams as a strategy to improve stream water quality in urban landscapes.
Expression of Five Target Proteins Related to Human Cytomegalovirus Infection in Brain Metastases of Lung Cancer
Authors: Wu Jie , Zhao Haifeng , Yan Ke , Xie Xiangtong , Gu Donghua , Wang Weihua , Fei Xifeng , Zhu Wenyu , Wang Zhimin , Huang Qiang
Published: October 2021

Background: The links between brain metastases of lung cancer and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection have been controversial for a long time. This study aims to explore the links between brain metastases of lung cancer and HCMV infection from the perspective of expression and detection of HCMV immediate early gene (IE), guanine nucleotide-binding protein 4 (GBP4), CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF1) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) proteins. Methods: We collected brain metastases specimens and lung primary tumor specimens of a series of patients that have not undergone any treatment. Conventional hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining of target molecules was performed. We used the ImageJ software to process the average optical density value of immune complexes and GraphPad Prism 8.0.1 to perform image analysis, and the SPSS 22.0 statistics package (t test) to analyze the expression differences of target molecules.Results: Based on five cases of brain metastases and two cases of lung primary tumors, a total of seven samples were investigated. Conventional pathology diagnosis reported four cases of brain metastases of lung adenocarcinoma and one case of brain metastases of mixed small cell lung cancer with adenocarcinoma. Among the 19 molecular immunopathological test samples, only GBP4, related to HCMV infection, and TTF1, related to metastases, were highly expressed in all seven samples. A comparison of the AOD values of the primary lung cancer to the AOD values of brain metastases, yielded statistically significant differences as follows: in Case No.1, GBP4 (p=0.016), EGRF (p<0.001); in Case No. 2, IE (p<0.001), CXCR4 (p=0.005), EGFR (p=0.023), TTF1 (p=0.004). Conclusions: Although TTF1 is known to be a kinesin for brain metastases of lung cancer cells and it is associated with poor survival prognosis, the role of GBP4, which is closely related to HCMV infection and a key protein of brain metastases of lung cancer, remains unknown. The findings provide new knowledge into the role of GBP4 and could provide clues for devising novel strategies for target molecular therapy research in brain metastases of lung cancer in the context of HCMV infection.
A secondary data analysis of qualitative study of individualized treatment regimen for North Indians living with human immunodeficiency virus-1
Authors: Barik Sushanta Kumar , Bansal Avi Kumar , Yadav Ashwini , Tripathy Srikanth Prasad , Singh Tej Pal , Jena Srikanta , Patil Shripad A , Mohanty Keshar Kunja
Published: October 2021

The follow-up of fifty-seven patients were conducted after a confirmation genotyping test. The secondary data analysis was done on the data available to observe the correlation between the CD4 counts and viral loads (One of the markers of clinical outcome) of the individual North Indian patients infected with HIV-1 Subtype C. The drug resistance mutations in individual patient were analysed through the drug resistance database, Stanford University, USA. The data of resistance associated with drugs, CD4 counts, viral loads of the individual patient was compiled and statistically analysed for drug resistance pattern profiles using Microsoft Excel 2016 and SPSS Version 22. The normality of data was checked by Shapiro-Wilk test (p<0.05). The study starting and endpoint data on CD4 counts, viral loads and drug resistance patterns associated with multiple first-line ART was available for 24 north Indian patients. The starting and study endpoint data on CD4 counts and drug resistance patterns associated with multiple first- line ART was available for 33 North Indian patients. The study indicative that the recommendation of policy to provide a tailor-made individualized regimen to each patient under AIDS control program.
Preparing for Participation in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Bundle Care Payment Initiative – Advanced (BPCI-A) for Major Bowel Surgery
Authors: Collins Caitlin , Abel Mary Kathryn , Shui Amy , Intinarelli Gina , Sosa Julie Ann , Wick Elizabeth C.
Published: October 2021

BackgroundAs healthcare costs rise, there is increasing emphasis on alternative payment models to improve care efficiency. Bundled payment represents an alternative reimbursement model gaining popularity within the surgical sphere. We aimed to assess where the largest opportunities for care improvement lay and how best to identify patients at high-risk of suffering costly complications.MethodsWe utilized itemized CMS claims data for a historical group of 252 bundled payment patients and performed a cost analysis to identify opportunities for improved care efficiency. Based on the results of this cost analysis, we identified readmissions as a target for improvement. We then assessed whether the ACS NSQIP surgical risk calculator could accurately identify patients within our bundled payment population who were at high-risk of readmission using a logistic regression model.ResultsReadmissions accounted for 12.8% of the average total care episode cost with a coefficient of variation of 2.72, thereby representing the most substantial, non-fixed cost for our bundled payment patients. Patients readmitted within their 90-day care episode were 2.53 times more likely to be high-cost (>$60,000) than patients not readmitted. However, the ACS NSQIP surgical risk calculator did not accurately predict patients at high-risk of readmission within the first 30-days with an AUROC of 0.58.ConclusionsOur study highlights the importance of reducing readmissions as a central component to improving care for bowel surgery bundled payment patients. Preventing such readmissions requires accurate identification of patients at high-risk of readmission; however, current risk prediction models lack the adaptability necessary for this task.
Evidence-Based Optimization of the Mandarin Version of the Post Stroke Checklist: A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Jia Miao , Lu Huiqi , Li Yan , Liu Zhihong , Tu Jinyi , Liu Yue , Huang Simin , Li Jinjun , Zhou Hongzhen
Published: October 2021

Background: The Post Stroke Checklist has been proved to be feasible and useful in standardizing the process for long-term post-stroke care and we developed a Mandarin version of it (M-PSC). However, it is not capable of enforcing follow-up care after stroke and further optimization is needed.Methods: Participants were consecutively recruited from 13 departments in a specialized hospital on the discharge date. The trained clinicians contacted them by telephone calls at six months since the most recent diagnosis. A satisfaction questionnaire was sent to the participant whilst clinicians completed a satisfaction questionnaire and the Pragmatic Face and Content Validity Test (PRAC-Test). Then, a debriefing meeting was held to discuss potential problems of the M-PSC. Quantitative and qualitative data were both collected from April 2021 to May 2021.Results: A total of 167 individuals consented to take part in the study.113 participants completed the assessment at six months and three were excluded due to missing data. The M-PSC identified a wide range of unmet needs related to stroke and at least one need was reported in 76.4% of participants. The average time taken to administer the M-PSC was 8 mins. Satisfaction ratings were high for participants (8.5/10) and clinicians (9.6/10). Totally 31 further screenings were conducted and 33 appropriate referrals were accomplished. Several areas for improvement were identified and revised.Conclusions: The M-PSC is a feasible and useful measure in enforcing follow-up care and promising to be an approach in standardizing post-stroke follow-up practice in telehealth during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Physical Resilience Instrument for Older Adults (PRIFOR)
Authors: Hu Fang-Wen , Lin Cheng-Han , Yueh Fang-Ru , Lo Yu-Tai , Lin Chung-Ying
Published: October 2021

Background: Physical resilience is known to minimize the adverse outcomes of health stressors for older people. However, validated instruments that assess physical resilience in older adults are rare. Therefore, we aimed to validate the Physical Resilience Instrument for Older Adults (PRIFOR) to fill the literature gap. Methods: Content analysis with content validity was first carried out to generate relevant items assessing physical resilience for older adults, and 19 items were developed. Psychometric evaluation of the 19 items was then tested on 200 older adults (mean [SD] age = 76.4 [6.6] years; 51.0% women) via item properties, factor structure, item fit, internal consistency, criterion-related validity, and known-group validity. Results: All 19 items had satisfactory item properties, as they were normally distributed (skewness = -1.03 to 0.38; kurtosis = -1.05 to 0.32). However, two items were removed due to substantial ceiling effects. The retained 17 items were embedded in three factors as suggested by the exploratory factor analysis (EFA). All items except one had satisfactory item fit statistics; thus, the unidimensionality was supported for the three factors on 16 items. The retained 16 items showed promising properties in known-group validity, criterion-related validity, and internal consistency (α = 0.94). Conclusions: The 16-item PRIFOR exhibits good psychometric properties. Using this instrument to measure physical resilience would be beneficial to identify factors that could protect older people from negative health consequence. With the use of the PRIFOR, intervention effects can also be evaluated. It is helpful to strengthen resilience and thereby facilitate successful aging.
Geophysical Assessment of Impact of E-Waste Pollutants on the Subsurface Soil of Alaba International Market Dumpsite in Lagos, Nigeria.
Authors: AJAKAYE PAUL ADENIRAN , Somoye Emmanuel , Owolabi Lawal
Published: October 2021

Soil degradation forms a part of the significant impacts arising from indiscriminate disposal of e-waste. This study was aimed at assessing the magnitude of legacy contamination by e-waste, particularly, its depth and spread in the subsurface soil of Alaba International Market e-waste dumpsite in Lagos, Nigeria through the analysis of VES and 2D-Wenner array configuration data acquired on the dumpsite. The results of the VES data and 2D resistivity analysis showed that Alaba dumpsite was highly impacted by e-wastes due to the permeable geo-electric characteristics of the lithologic units beneath the dumpsite. The lithogy enables the pollutants to spread laterally and progressively increase in depth through sand column subsurface to more than 30m. It also showed that the contaminated zones are characterised by resistivity values ranging from 5.0 to 8.3 Ω.m. The study site is highly populated with wells and boreholes as the main sources of water for the community, thus the findings from this study could facilitate Lagos State Government decisions on improving protection for groundwater resources around the study area.
Jagged2-γδT17 is Regulated by Mycobacterium Vaccae in Asthmatic Mice
Authors: Yao Yi-En , Sun Qi-Xiang , Zhang Jing-Hong , Huang Jian-Lin , Xu Si-Yue , Li Chao-Qian
Published: October 2021

Background: Mycobacterium vaccae nebulization imparted protective effect against asthma in a mouse model. The Jagged2-γδT17 signal transduction pathway plays an important role in bronchial asthma. However, the effect of M. vaccae nebulization on the Jagged2-γδT17 signal transduction pathway in mouse models of asthma remains unclear. Methods: In total, 30 female C57 mice were randomized to normal control (group a), asthma control (group b), M. vaccae nebulization prevention,and M. vaccae nebulization treatment (group d) groups. Asthma mice models were created using ovalbumin (OVA). The Notch signaling pathway was blocked by DAPT inhibitors. Airway hyperreactivity (AHR) was measured by noninvasive lung function tests. Histopathological analyses using blue-periodic acid Schiff along with hematoxylin and eosin were performed. Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and a Western blotting assay allowed for the detection of lung protein expressions, while spleen expressions of IL-17+γδT+ cytokines were assessed with FLOW cytometry. One-way analysis of variance for within-group comparisons, the least significant difference t-test or Student-Newman-Keuls test for intergroup comparisons, and the nonparametric rank sum test for analysis of airway inflammation scores were used in the study. Results: Asthmatic mice models demonstrated downregulated Notch signaling pathway activation and decreased γδT cells and IL-17 cytokine secretion. There was also increased Jagged2 protein expression which correlated positively with γδT+IL-17+ secretion. In asthmatic mice, the expressions of Jagged2 and γδT17, along with airway inflammation and airway reactivity, were all decreased after M. vaccae exposure (p<0.05). Conclusion: The Notch signaling pathway contributed towards asthma initiation and progression by facilitating γδT cells and IL-17 cytokines production. Inhaled M. vaccae led to a significant decrease in Jagged2 and γδT17 expressions in asthmatic mice, indicating its utility in asthma prevention.
Evaluation of the Kenya Livestock and Wildlife Syndromic Surveillance System for Rift Valley Fever, Narok County, Kenya, 2018-2019
Authors: Nakadio Erenius , Kahariri Samuel , Owiny Maurice
Published: October 2021

Background

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) outbreaks in livestock have had a detrimental impact on livestock trade, animal breeding, and productivity. Routine evaluation and data analysis of surveillance systems ensure that health events are efficiently and effectively monitored. This study evaluated Kenya Livestock and Wildlife Surveillance System (KLWSS) and characterized RVF cases reported for Narok County.
Methods

We evaluated KLWSS from January 2018 to December 2019 using CDC guidelines for evaluating surveillance systems. Attributes of simplicity, flexibility, data quality, acceptability, representativeness, timeliness, stability, sensitivity, and predictive value positive were examined. A retrospective review of RVF surveillance data for Narok County was performed. Demographic and clinical variables were assessed. Data were cleaned in Ms. Excel and descriptive analysis was done using Epi Info 7. Categorical variables were summarized using frequencies and proportions while continuous variables were summarized using measures of central tendency and dispersion. Study authorization was granted by the Directorate of Veterinary Services.
Results

System was simple in structure and operation, accommodated upgrading of its application, data quality performance was 69.8%, stakeholder’s participation rate was 80% with 842 reports coming from six sub-counties and 30 wards. The median time between event occurrence and event reporting was two days (range one to six days). The system had been operational since 2018 with no reports of any unscheduled outages and downtimes. Suspected cases of RVF reported were 11% (95/842) of the reported cases. The livestock species affected were cattle 56% (53/95) and Sheep 44% (42/95). About 96% (91/95) of the suspected cases were in mixed livestock production systems. The common syndrome was abortions 74% (95/129) with Loita ward recording 97% (92/95) suspected RVF cases. All suspected cases were reported in March 2018.
Conclusions

The KLWSS system was found to be stable but with below-par performance in data quality. Improvement in data quality is required to ensure that the surveillance system is efficient and effective.
Mannose Modified Co-Loaded Zoledronic Liposomes Deplete M2-tumor-associated Macrophages to Enhance Anti-Tumor Effect of Doxorubicin on TNBC
Authors: Yao Wendong , Xu Hengwu , Chen Yanhong , Xu Yingying , Zhou Feng , Wang Zeng , Cai Xinjun
Published: October 2021

As the most numerous inflammatory cell group in tumor microenvironment, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have an essential effect in tumor therapy and are potential therapeutic targets. M2 type tumor-associated macrophages (M2-TAMs) were involved in the entire process of tumor development, invasion, and metastasis, obstructing the anti-tumor effect of chemotherapy drugs and nano-medicine. This study aimed to construct a mannose modified co-loaded zoledronic acid and doxorubicin liposomes (Man-LP@ZOL/DOX) for improving the anti-tumor effect by suppressing M2-TAMs on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The size, PDI, and Zeta-potential of Man-LP@ZOL/DOX liposomes were determined to be 212.80±7.74 nm, 0.1413±0.0232, -33.63±0.49 mV, respectively. The Man-LP@ZOL/DOX's EE% and DL% of ZOL as measured were 17.21±2.26% and 1.56±0.21%, while for DOX, they were 84.42±2.05% and 5.12±0.14%. The uptake of Man-LP into cells was increased when it was modified with a TAMs target ligand. The liposomes inhibited the invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells induced by M2-TAMs, and expression of biomarkers on M2-TAMs (Arg1 and CD206 in vitro, CD68, and CD206 in vivo) was apparent. Moreover, co-loaded drugs liposome system remarkably enhanced anticancer effects both in vitro and vivo combined with ZOL. In conclusion, all these results established that Man-LP@ZOL/DOX could enhance anti-tumor effect of DOX via depleting M2-TAMs on TNBC.
Cost of Illness of HER2-Positive and Recurrent HER2-Positive Breast Cancer – A Danish Register-Based Study from 2005 to 2016
Authors: Spanggaard Maria , Olsen Jens , Jensen Kenneth Forsström , Andersson Michael
Published: October 2021

Background: Information and knowledge about cost of illness and labour productivity in patients with HER2-positive early-stage and metastatic breast cancer treated with trastuzumab is limited. The aim of this study was to estimate the direct and indirect costs associated with treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer among patients with early-stage and metastatic breast cancer, treated with trastuzumab, in a 10-year period after diagnosis. Materials and Methods: This study included all Danish HER2-positive breast cancer patients (≥18 years) treated with trastuzumab between 2005 and 2016 identified in the Danish national registers. Among this population, patients experiencing metastatic breast cancer were identified. For the study populations, we estimated total healthcare costs and indirect costs for one year prior to the breast cancer diagnosis and up to 10 years after diagnosis compared with a group of matched controls free of breast cancer.Results: We identified 4,153 HER2-positive breast cancer patients, whereof 27% were identified with metastatic breast cancer. During the follow-up period of 10 years, we estimated excess healthcare costs of EUR 115,000 among the total study population compared to controls; EUR 211,000 among patients with recurrence; and EUR 89,000 among patients without recurrence. Healthcare costs were found to be highest in the first year after diagnosis and also peaked in the year after recurrence. Labour productivity was significantly lower among patients with recurrence 10 years after breast cancer diagnosis compared with controls.Conclusions: In this study, we estimated the direct and indirect cost associated with HER2-positive breast cancer to be significantly increased during the 10 years after diagnosis, specifically among patients experiencing recurrence of breast cancer.
Troglitazone Derivatives Induce Early Modifications of the Cytoskeleton and Inhibition of Migration in Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Marine Geoffroy , Marine Lemesle , Alexandra Kleinclauss , Sabine Mazerbourg , Levy Batista , Muriel BarberiHeyob , Thierry Bastogne , Wilfrid Boireau , Rouleau Alain , Dorian Dupommier , Michel Boisbrun , Corinne Comoy , Stéphane Flament , Grillier-Vuissoz Isabelle , Sandra Kuntz
Published: October 2021

Background The 5-years survival rate of breast cancer patients is around 90%. Unfortunately, some types of tumors, especially the triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), present chemo-resistance and have a higher relapse 5 years post-treatment due to metastasis. These challenges highlight the need for the development of new drugs for these tumors. In this context, we developed new troglitazone derivatives as support for such potential new treatment.Methods The kinetic of early cellular events was investigated after Δ2-TGZ and AB186 treatment by real-time cell analysis system (RTCA) in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, followed by cell morphology analysis by immuno-localization. Then, we characterized the action of both compounds on the cell migration by wound healing and transwell assays in TNBC MDA-MB-231 and Hs578T cell lines. Finally, we performed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis and pull-down assay using biotinylated AB186 to identify cytoplasmic targets.Results Δ2-TGZ and AB186 induced a rapid modification of impedance-based signals and morphology in MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. This process was associated with an inhibition of cell migration in MDA-MB-231 and Hs578T cell lines. Subsequently, 6 cytoskeleton components have been identified as potential targets of AB186 in MDA-MB-231 cytoplasmic fraction. We further validated α-tubulin as one of the direct targets of AB186.Conclusion New troglitazone derivatives, Δ2-TGZ and AB186, induced early cell morphological changes and showed anti-migratory effects on TNBC cells suggesting that these drugs could be proposed as novel candidates to treat TNBC patients.
Trypsin Enhances SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Facilitating Viral Entry
Authors: Kim Yeeun , Jang Guehwan , Lee Duri , Kim Nara , Seon Jeong Won , Kim Young-hoan , Lee Changhee
Published: October 2021

Coronavirus infects the cell by cytoplasmic or endosomal membrane fusion driven by the spike (S) protein, which must be primed by proteolytic cleavage at the S1/S2 furin cleavage site (FCS) and S2′ site by cellular proteases. Exogenous trypsin as a medium additive facilitates isolation and propagation of several coronaviruses in vitro. Here, we showed that trypsin mediated the enhancement of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in cultured cells and that SARS-CoV-2 entered the cells via either a non-endosomal or an endosomal fusion pathway depending on the presence of trypsin. Interestingly, trypsin enabled viral entry at the cell surface and led to more efficient infection efficiency than trypsin-independent endosomal entry, suggesting that trypsin production in the target organs may trigger high replication of SARS-CoV-2 and cause severe tissue injury. Extensive syncytia formation and enhanced growth kinetics were observed only in the presence of exogenous trypsin for the cell-adapted SARS-CoV-2 strains. During 50 serial passages without trypsin addition, a specific R685S mutation occurred in the S1/S2 FCS (681PRRAR685) that was completely conserved but with several mutations in the S2 fusion subunit in the presence of trypsin. These findings demonstrate that S1/S2 FCS is essential for S protein proteolytic priming and fusion activity for SARS-CoV-2 entry but not for SARS-CoV-2 replication. Our data can contribute to the improvement of SARS-CoV-2 production to develop vaccines or antivirals and motivate further investigations into the explicit functions of cell adaptation-related genetic drift in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis.
Immunogenicity of Quadrivalent HPV Vaccine in Adolescent Ghanaian Girls 36 Months After Vaccination
Authors: Donkoh Emmanuel Timmy , Dassah Edward Tieru , Owusu-Dabo Ellis
Published: October 2021

Introduction
Available human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines could have an important primary role in cervical cancer prevention once their long-term immunogenicity and safety are evaluated at the population level. The aim of this study was to optimize an assay to be used in evaluating the long-term durability of HPV vaccine response following a pilot vaccination of adolescent girls in Ghana.
Methods
A rapid, high-throughput, indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was evaluated for the detection and quantitation of anti-HPV L1 (late expression protein: types 6, 11, 16 and 18) immunoglobulin G (IgG) in human serum (n = 89). The performance of the assay was evaluated using serum collected from a cohort of pre-adolescent girls (n = 49) previously vaccinated with a quadrivalent vaccine and non-immune serum obtained from age-matched controls (n = 40).
Results
The seroprevalence of anti-HPV IgG antibodies was significantly higher among vaccinated than unvaccinated girls for both HPV − 16 (63.3% vs. 12.5%; p < 0.001) and HPV − 18 (34.7% vs. 20.0%; p = 0.042), respectively. Thirty-six months after receiving the third dose of vaccine, significantly higher mean anti–HPV-16 (0.618 vs. 0.145), anti–HPV-18 (0.323 vs. 0.309), and anti–HPV-6 (1.371 vs. 0.981) antibody levels were measured, compared to unvaccinated girls (all p < 0.05). A correlation between optical density and antibody activity indicated assay sensitivity to increasing levels of antibody activity.
Conclusion
We have successfully developed and implemented a robust and sensitive assay for the evaluation of antibody responses among immunized adolescent girls for monitoring future large-scale HPV vaccination studies in low-income settings. Our results demonstrated greater immunoglobulin G antibody activity within serum drawn from adolescent girls immunized 36 months prior.
Associations of Sleep Problems With Asthma/wheeze and Allergic Rhinitis Among Chinese Children Aged 0-6 Years: a Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Ma Ying , Tang Jie , Wen Yuqi , Hu Yan , Liang Jingjing , Jiang Lin , Xing Yanfei , Lin Suifang , Song Yanyan
Published: October 2021

Background: Asthma/wheeze and allergic rhinitis are common among pre-school age children, which urgently need to identify more modifiable risk factors for prevention. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of sleep problems with asthma/wheeze and allergic rhinitis among Chinese children aged 0-6 years. Methods: This cross-sectional survey, a part of the National Survey on Physical Growth and Development of Children in nine cities of China (NSPGDC), was conducted in Guangzhou, China. Children aged 0-6 years were randomly selected from 29 communities and 32 kindergartens. Asthma/wheeze, allergic rhinitis and sleep problem were evaluated by a valid questionnaire which was completed by participants’ parent(s). Binary logistic regression models were employed to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for asthma/wheeze and allergic rhinitis according to short sleep duration, late bedtime and frequent nocturnal awaking. Results: We included 13376 children aged 0~6 years. Of these, 371 (2.8%) diagnosed as asthma/wheeze, and 610 (4.6%) diagnosed as allergic rhinitis. Frequent nocturnal awakening was associated with asthma/wheeze and allergic rhinitis, adjusted OR were 1.53 (95% CI: 1.20~1.94) and 1.39(1.14-1.71), respectively. Further subgroup analysis showed the association of frequent nocturnal awakening with asthma/wheeze and allergic rhinitis differed by age. No significant associations of short duration and late bedtime with asthma/wheeze and allergic rhinitis were identified. Conclusions: Our data suggested that frequent nocturnal awakening was associated with asthma/wheeze and allergic rhinitis, but this association differed by age. Further studies are warranted to confirm its’ causal association and to understand the underlying mechanisms.
Deep Convolution Neural Networks Learned Image Classification for Early Cancer Detection Using Lightweight
Authors: K Seshadri Ramana , K Bala Chowdappa , ooruchintala Obulesu , Mandru Deena Babu , suresh kallam
Published: October 2021

Cancer is uncontrolled cell growth in any part of the body. Early cancer detection aims to identify patients who exhibit symptoms early on in order to maximise their chances of a successful treatment. Cancer disease mortality is decreased through early detection and treatment. Numerous researchers proposed a variety of image processing and machine learning approaches for cancer detection. However, existing systems did not improve detection accuracy or efficiency. A Deep Convolutional Neural Learning Classifier Model based on the Least Mean Square Filterative Ricker Wavelet Transform (L-DCNLC) is proposed to address the aforementioned issues. The L-DCNLC Model's primary objective is to detect cancer earlier by utilising a fully connected max pooling deep convolutional network with increased accuracy and reduced time consumption. The fully connected max pooling deep convolutional network is composed of one input layer, three hidden layers, and one output layer. Initially, the input layer of the L-DCNLC Model considers the number of patient images in the database as input.