bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synergistic effect of naturally occurring Granulosis virus isolates (PbGV) with phagostimulants against the cabbage butterfly, Pieris brassicae (L.) for its eco-friendly management
Authors: Kour Ramandeep , Gupta R. K. , Hussain Barkat , Kour Simranjeet
Published: January 2022

Background

To manage the cabbage butterfly, Pierisbrassicae (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), it is not wise to use insecticides on leafy vegetables which are eaten mostly fresh. During the past decades, the efforts to manage the pest, through chemical insecticides have raised serious health. Investigations were carried out to isolate naturally occurring GVs (PbGV) as a potent biopesticide against P.brassicae and to explore their efficacy with the application of phagostimulants.

Results

Among the four naturally occurring isolates obtained from Northwestern Himalayas, Sudhmahadev isolate was found to be the most promising based on virulence and speed of kill against all the instars tested in the laboratory, showing the natural incidence of PbGV infection in field conditions. In concentration and time–response bioassay, all the isolates of P.brassicae Granulosis virus were found high virulent against second instar larvae of cabbage butterfly. Therefore, for enhanced efficacy of PBGV, its combined application with phagostimulants (Lepidiumsativum + Teepol + jaggery) or sticker (Teepol + jaggery), applied in field trials, resulted into greater mortality of larval instars than the single one. Overall, the results indicated that the introduction of a more isolates PBGV strain into populations of P.brassicae could be of vital importance for eco-friendly suppression of this pest globally with the combination of phagostimulants. The application virus alone with the pre-standardized concentration of 1 × 1012 OBs/ha did not reduce the larval population density to the desirable extent in the greenhouse chamber and therefore was not included in field experiments. Overall, the most promising treatments in reducing the larval population of the pest were PbGV + Teepol + B.thuringiensis (93.49 and 91.39%) and PbGV + Teepol + L.sativum (88.79 and 86.97%) over control in both greenhouse and field trials, respectively.

Conclusions

In this study, the native isolates of PbGV from different target locations to test their efficacy against different instars of P.brassicae were explored. Using native PBGV isolates with phagostimulant combinations played an important role for regulating the pest effectively. These phagostimulants not only protected the OBs from degradation in the presence of sunlight but also increased the speed of killing. The biocontrol potential of PbGV in both laboratory and field conditions indicated that baculoviruses are sustainable alternative to chemical insecticides.
Healthcare financing in Egypt: a systematic literature review.
Authors: Fasseeh Ahmad , ElEzbawy Baher , Adly Wessam , ElShahawy Rawda , George Mohsen , Abaza Sherif , ElShalakani Amr , Kaló Zoltán
Published: January 2022

Background

The Egyptian healthcare system has multiple stakeholders, including a wide range of public and private healthcare providers and several financing agents. This study sheds light on the healthcare system’s financing mechanisms and the flow of funds in Egypt. It also explores the expected challenges facing the system with the upcoming changes.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of relevant papers through the PubMed and Scopus search engines, in addition to searching gray literature through the ISPOR presentations database and the Google search engine. Articles related to Egypt’s healthcare system financing from 2009 to 2019 were chosen for full-text review. Data were aggregated to estimate budgets and financing routes.

Results

We analyzed the data of 56 out of 454 identified records. Governmental health expenditure represented approximately one-third of the total health expenditure (THE). Total health expenditure as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP) was almost stagnant in the last 12 years, with a median of 5.5%. The primary healthcare financing source is out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure, representing more than 60% of THE, followed by government spending through the Ministry of Finance, around 37% of THE. The pharmaceutical expenditure as a percent of THE ranged from 26.0 to 37.0%.

Conclusions

Although THE as an absolute number is increasing, total health expenditure as a percentage of GDP is declining. The Egyptian healthcare market is based mainly on OOP expenditures and the next period anticipates a shift toward more public spending after Universal Health Insurance gets implemented.
Contribution of advanced neuro-imaging (MR diffusion, perfusion and proton spectroscopy) in differentiation between low grade gliomas GII and MR morphologically similar non neoplastic lesions
Authors: Abdelgawad Mohamed Saied , Kayed Mohamed Hamdy , Reda Mohamed Ihab Samy , Abdelzaher Eman , Farhoud Ahmed Hafez , Elsebaie Nermeen
Published: January 2022

Background

Non-neoplastic brain lesions can be misdiagnosed as low-grade gliomas. Conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging may be non-specific. Additional imaging modalities such as spectroscopy (MRS), perfusion and diffusion imaging aid in diagnosis of such lesions. However, contradictory and overlapping results are still present. Hence, our purpose was to evaluate the role of advanced neuro-imaging in differentiation between low-grade gliomas (WHO grade II) and MR morphologically similar non-neoplastic lesions and to prove which modality has the most accurate results in differentiation.

Results

All patients were classified into two main groups: patients with low-grade glioma (n = 12; mean age, 38.8 ± 16; 8 males) and patients with non-neoplastic lesions (n = 27; mean age, 36.6 ± 15; 19 males) based on the histopathological and clinical–radiological diagnosis. Using ROC curve analysis, a threshold value of 0.93 for rCBV (AUC = 0.875, PPV = 92%, NPV = 71.4%) and a threshold value of 2.5 for Cho/NAA (AUC = 0.829, PPV = 92%, NPV = 71.4%) had 85.2% sensitivity and 83.3% specificity for predicting neoplastic lesions. The area under the curve (AUC) of ROC analysis was good for relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) and Cho/NAA ratios (> 0.80) and fair for Cho/Cr and NAA/Cr ratios (0.70–0.80). When the rCBV measurements were combined with MRS ratios, significant improvement was observed in the area under the curve (AUC) (0.969) with improved diagnostic accuracy (89.7%) and sensitivity (88.9%).

Conclusions

Evaluation of rCBV and metabolite ratios at MRS, particularly Cho/NAA ratio, may be helpful in differentiating low-grade gliomas from non-neoplastic lesions. The combination of dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) perfusion and MRS can significantly improve the diagnostic accuracy and can help avoiding the need for an invasive biopsy.
Communication skills training in psychiatry
Authors: Michaelson Simon , Rahim Shireen
Published: January 2022

Good communication skills are the basis of all effective doctor–patient relationships, and psychiatrists in particular have to manage many types of complex interaction. Research shows the benefits of communication skills training. This article describes strategies for teaching relevant clinical communication skills to trainee psychiatrists on MRCPsych courses and in local centres. The authors set out a sustainable training framework using higher trainees as tutors. There is a need for more widespread teaching of clinical communication skills in psychiatry and at an early stage of specialist training.
Developing guidelines for the translation and cultural adaptation of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment: scoping review and qualitative synthesis
Authors: Khan Ghazn , Mirza Nadine , Waheed Waquas
Published: January 2022

Background

Ethnic minorities in countries such as the UK are at increased risk of dementia or minor cognitive impairment. Despite this, cognitive tests used to provide a timely diagnosis for these conditions demonstrate performance bias in these groups, because of cultural context. They require adaptation that accounts for language and culture beyond translation. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is one such test that has been adapted for multiple cultures.

Aims

We followed previously used methodology for culturally adapting cognitive tests to develop guidelines for translating and culturally adapting the MoCA.

Method

We conducted a scoping review of publications on different versions of the MoCA. We extracted their translation and cultural adaptation procedures. We also distributed questionnaires to adaptors of the MoCA for data on the procedures they undertook to culturally adapt their respective versions.

Results

Our scoping review found 52 publications and highlighted seven steps for translating the MoCA. We received 17 responses from adaptors on their cultural adaptation procedures, with rationale justifying them. We combined data from the scoping review and the adaptors’ feedback to form the guidelines that state how each question of the MoCA has been previously adapted for different cultural contexts and the reasoning behind it.

Conclusions

This paper details our development of cultural adaptation guidelines for the MoCA that future adaptors can use to adapt the MoCA for their own languages or cultures. It also replicates methods previously used and demonstrates how these methods can be used for the cultural adaptation of other cognitive tests.
Natural language processing in psychiatry: the promises and perils of a transformative approach
Authors: Rezaii Neguine , Wolff Phillip , Price Bruce H.
Published: January 2022

A person's everyday language can indicate patterns of thought and emotion predictive of mental illness. Here, we discuss how natural language processing methods can be used to extract indicators of mental health from language to help address long-standing problems in psychiatry, along with the potential hazards of this new technology.
Early Warning Scores and Their Application in the Inpatient Oncology Settings
Authors: Nagarajah Sonieya , Krzyzanowska Monika K. , Murphy Tracy
Published: January 2022

Early Warning Score (EWS) systems are tools that use alterations in vital signs to rapidly identify clinically deteriorating patients and escalate care accordingly. Since its conception in 1997, EWSs have been used in several settings, including the general inpatient ward, intensive care units, and the emergency department. Several iterations of EWSs have been developed with varying levels of sensitivity and specificity for use in different populations. There are multiple strengths of these tools, including their simplicity and their ability to standardize communication and to reduce inappropriate or delayed referrals to the intensive care unit. Although early identification of deteriorating patients in the oncology population is vital to reduce morbidity and mortality and to improve long-term prognosis, the application in the oncology setting has been limited. Patients with an oncological diagnosis are usually older, medically complex, and can have increased susceptibility to infections, end-organ damage, and death. A search using PubMed and Scopus was conducted for articles published between January 1997 and November 2020 pertaining to EWSs in the oncology setting. Seven relevant studies were identified and analyzed. The most commonly used EWS in this setting was the Modified Early Warning Score. Of the seven studies, only two included prospective validation of the EWS in the oncology population and the other five only included a retrospective assessment of the data. The majority of studies were limited by their small sample size, single-institution analysis, and retrospective nature. Future studies should assess dynamic changes in scores over time and evaluate balance measures to identify use of health care resources.
Geometrical aspects of hypermagnetic field interactions
Authors: Cirilo-Lombardo Diego Julio
Published: January 2022

We investigate the role of a dynamical torsion field coming from a geometrical non-Riemannian model. This model is reminiscent of a generalized Born-Infeld theory and the torsion plays a fundamental role trough its Hodge dual: the pseudovector

This

contains axion, Kalb-Ramond 2-form and physical observables of macroscopic character. An emergent interaction Lagrangian arises from the model and it is compared with a superstring inspired one taken from Bamba Kazuharu
et al., Phys. Lett. B, 664 (2008) 154 pulling out several important consequences in favor of our proposal, as the possibility of establishing a clear connection between the change of the CMB polarization plane and the anomalous current

.
Single-photon emission and multi-photon emission from single CdTeSe/ZnS quantum dots at room temperature
Authors: Jin Siyue , Xu Xingsheng
Published: January 2022

In this report, single-photon emission and multi-photon emission from single colloidal CdTeSe/ZnS quantum dots at near-infrared wavelength were realized at room temperature. The fluorescence lifetime, blinking, and anti-bunching effect of this single quantum dots at different excitation powers were measured. The relationship between the excitation power and the emission of exciton, biexciton and multiexciton of single quantum dots at a wavelength of 800 nm was obtained. The physical mechanism of photoluminescence of the single quantum dots was analyzed.
Novel protocol to observe the intestinal tuft cell using transmission electron microscopy
Authors: Kozono Takuma , Tamura-Nakano Miwa , Kawamura Yuki I. , Tonozuka Takashi , Nishikawa Atsushi
Published: January 2022

The tuft cell is a chemosensory cell, a specific cell type sharing the taste transduction system with a taste cell on the tongue, of which the existence has been discovered in various tissues including the gastrointestinal tract, gall bladder, trachea and pancreatic duct. To date, electron microscopic approaches have shown various morphological features of the tuft cell, such as long and thick microvilli, tubulovesicular network at the apical side and prominent skeleton structures. Recently, it has been reported that the small intestinal tuft cell functions to initiate type-2 immunity in response to helminth infection. However, the mechanisms by which such distinguished structures are involved with the physiological functions are poorly understood. To address this question, a combination of physiological study of tuft cells using genetic models and its morphological study using electron microscopy will be required. However, it is a challenge to observe tuft cells by electron microscopy due to their extremely low frequency in the epithelium. Therefore, in this paper, we suggest an advanced protocol to observe the small intestinal tuft cell efficiently by transmission electron microscopy using serial semi-thin sections on Aclar film.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Potentiating Vγ9Vδ2 T cell proliferation and assessing their cytotoxicity towards adherent cancer cells at the single cell level
Authors: Liu Chenxiao , Skorupinska-Tudek Karolina , Eriksson Sven-Göran , Parmryd Ingela
Published: January 2022

Vγ9Vδ2 T cells is the dominant γδ T cell subset in human blood. They are cytotoxic and activated by phosphoantigens whose concentrations are increased in cancer cells, making the cancer cells targets for Vγ9Vδ2 T cell immunotherapy. For successful immunotherapy, it is important both to characterise Vγ9Vδ2 T cell proliferation and optimise the assessment of their cytotoxic potential, which is the aim of this study. We found that supplementation with freshly thawed human serum potentiated Vγ9Vδ2 T cell proliferation from peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with (E)-4-Hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl diphosphate (HMBPP) and consistently enabled Vγ9Vδ2 T cell proliferation from cryopreserved PBMCs. In cryopreserved PBMCs the proliferation was higher than in freshly prepared PBMCs. In a panel of short-chain prenyl alcohols, monophosphates and diphosphates, most diphosphates and also dimethylallyl monophosphate stimulated Vγ9Vδ2 T cell proliferation. We developed a method where the cytotoxicity of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells towards adherent cells is assessed at the single cell level using flow cytometry, which gives more clear-cut results than the traditional bulk release assays. Moreover, we found that HMBPP enhances the Vγ9Vδ2 T cell cytotoxicity towards colon cancer cells. In summary, we have developed an easily interpretable method to assess the cytotoxicity of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells towards adherent cells, found that Vγ9Vδ2 T cell proliferation can be potentiated by media-supplementation and how misclassification of non-responders may be avoided. Our findings will be useful in the further development of Vγ9Vδ2 T cell immunotherapy.
European lung cancer screening: valuable trial evidence for optimal practice implementation
Authors: Silva Mario , Milanese Gianluca , Ledda Roberta E , Nayak Sundeep M , Pastorino Ugo , Sverzellati Nicola
Published: January 2022

Lung cancer screening (LCS) by low-dose computed tomography is a strategy for secondary prevention of lung cancer. In the last two decades, LCS trials showed several options to practice secondary prevention in association with primary prevention, however, the translation from trial to practice is everything but simple. In 2020, the European Society of Radiology and European Respiratory Society published their joint statement paper on LCS. This commentary aims to provide the readership with detailed description about hurdles and potential solutions that could be encountered in the practice of LCS.
“Worm within worm”: acute appendicitis containing an adult Ascaris lumbricoïdes
Authors: Niang Ibrahima , Dieng Coumba Khadija , Diouf Papa Malick Dibor , Diop Cheikh Tidiane , Welle Ibrahima Bocar , Ndong Abdourahmane , Dia Serigne Ahma Mbacké , Sarr Papa Balla , Ndiaye Ousmane , Sinake Richard Bazogo , Ba Aissata Ly
Published: January 2022

Appendicitis is the first etiology for abdominal surgical emergency. Ascariasis is the most common helminth infection in tropical countries where it is endemic. The ability of intestinal helminths to wander through the digestive system means that it can end up in the appendix lumen and lead to appendicitis by luminal obstruction. However, this presentation is still rarely described in the literature. In fact, most of the diagnoses of roundworm associated with appendicitis are made retrospectively by the discovery of its eggs on the pathological examination of an appendectomy specimen. We report the case of a 7-year-old patient living in a tropical area who consulted for acute right lower quadrant pain. The ultrasound suspected the diagnosis of appendicitis and also revealed multiple intestinal worms including one in contact with the inflamed appendix. Surgical exploration confirmed appendicitis associated with roundworm partly in the appendicular lumen through a perforation.
Creative disability classification systems
Authors: Παυλή Αντωνία
Published: January 2022

Τα συστήματα ταξινόμησης της αναπηρίας βρίσκονται στον πυρήνα της κοινωνικής πολιτικής ή της πολιτικής για την αναπηρία κάθε κράτους. Μέσω αυτών ένα άτομο χαρακτηρίζεται ως άτομο με αναπηρία και ανάλογα με τη βαρύτητα της αναπηρίας του έχει πρόσβαση σε παροχές του κράτους πρόνοιας. Η μελέτη των συστημάτων ταξινόμησης της αναπηρίας έχει κεντρίσει το ενδιαφέρον πολλών ερευνητών από τον ευρύτερο χώρο των Σπουδών Αναπηρίας. Διεξάγοντας είτε συγκριτικές μελέτες μεταξύ των διαφορετικών κρατών περιγράφοντας τις ομοιότητες και τις διαφορές των υπαρχόντων συστημάτων είτε μελέτες που είναι εστιασμένες στην πολιτική και τη σημασιολογία γύρω από την ανάπτυξη και χρήση των συστημάτων αυτών σε συγκεκριμένα κράτη, αυτό που προκύπτει είναι ένας πλουραλισμός των συστημάτων αξιολόγησης και πιστοποίησης της αναπηρίας. Στην Ελλάδα, η ανάπτυξη ενός συστήματος ταξινόμησης της αναπηρίας, στο πλαίσιο του κράτους πρόνοιας, αναδύθηκε ως διαμάχη που κράτησε σχεδόν είκοσι χρόνια. Ένας παράγοντας που ενίσχυσε την εν λόγω διαμάχη ήταν το ξέσπασμα της οικονομικής κρίσης στα τέλη του 2009 και η μετέπειτα ανακοίνωση των κυβερνητικών αρχών για την ανάγκη ανάπτυξης ενός νέου συστήματος αξιολόγησης και πιστοποίησης της αναπηρίας ως μέρος των πολιτικών λιτότητας που όφειλε το ελληνικό κράτος να υιοθετήσει λόγω της οικονομικής κρίσης. Βασιζόμενη σε μια διεπιστημονική προσέγγιση, στόχος της παρούσας μελέτης είναι να περιγράψει και αναλύσει την ανάπτυξη των συστημάτων ταξινόμησης της αναπηρίας στο πλαίσιο της ελληνικής κοινωνικής πολιτικής από το 1990 έως το 2015. Για τη συλλογή του εμπειρικού υλικού χρησιμοποιήθηκαν μέθοδοι από την ποιοτική μεθοδολογία έρευνας και συγκεκριμένα: συνεντεύξεις με πρόσωπα που είχαν ρόλο-κλειδί στο σχεδιασμό των εν λόγω συστημάτων, γραπτά κείμενα -όπως η ελληνική νομοθεσία, επιστολές του αναπηρικού κινήματος κ.λπ.- και άρθρα εφημερίδων. Τα κύρια ευρήματα της διατριβής αφορούν στα ακόλουθα: Ι) η εμπλοκή των πολιτικών κομμάτων κατά την ανάπτυξη των συστημάτων αξιολόγησης και πιστοποίησης της αναπηρίας, ΙΙ) η εμπλοκή του αναπηρικού κινήματος στη χάραξη πολιτικής, ΙΙΙ) η «δημιουργική» χρήση των στατιστικών από τις κυβερνητικές αρχές κατά τη διαμόρφωση και θέσπιση πολιτικών για την αναπηρία, ΙV) η κατασκευή της αντίληψης περί «μαϊμού-αναπήρων» ως απειλή για την κοινωνία, και V) η ευαλωτότητα των συστημάτων ταξινόμησης της αναπηρίας σε καιρούς λιτότητας.
Αntler artifacts from the Neolithic lakeside settlement Anarghiri IXb, Western Macedonia, Greeece
Authors: Αραμπατζής Χριστόφορος
Published: January 2022

Η διατριβή πραγματεύεται τα κεράτινα τέχνεργα από το Νεολιθικό οικισμό Ανάργυροι IXb που βρίσκεται στην περιοχή των Τεσσάρων Λιμνών στη Δυτική Μακεδονία από το δεύτερο μισό της 6ης χιλιετίας ως και το τέλος της 5ης χιλιετίας π.Χ. Η παρούσα έρευνα συμβάλλει στην κατανόησή της εκμετάλλευσης και επεξεργασίας του κεράτου στους νεολιθικούς παραλίμνιους οικισμούς της Δυτικής Μακεδονίας εξετάζοντας το μεγαλύτερο ως ανακαλυφθέν σύνολο κεράτινων τέχνεργων στην Ελλάδα. Στόχος της έρευνας είναι η διαμόρφωση μιας τυπολογίας των τέχνεργων που θα λειτουργήσει ως βάση για τη μελέτη αντίστοιχων συνόλων στη γύρω περιοχή, η ανακατασκευή των σταδίων κατασκευής τους αλλά και η έρευνα για τις προτιμήσεις σχετικά με την επιλογή της πρώτης ύλης και τις τεχνολογικές επιλογές ανάμεσα στις διάφορες οικιστικές φάσεις.
Investigations into the development of chronic degenerative valve disease in dogs
Authors: Ελένη Βλουμίδη
Published: January 2022

Στους σκύλους η χρόνια εκφυλιστική βαλβιδοπάθεια (CDVD) είναι η πιο κοινή καρδιακή διαταραχή και η πιο συχνή αιτία καρδιακής ανεπάρκειας που παρατηρείται στην κλινική πράξη. Η αιτιολογία του CDVD είναι άγνωστη, ωστόσο πρόσφατες έρευνες έχουν επικεντρωθεί στους μοριακούς μηχανισμούς που μπορεί να εμπλέκονται στην ανάπτυξη της νόσου. Η παρούσα διατριβή διερευνά την επίδραση των μηχανικών ερεθισμάτων στη μιτροειδική βαλβίδα του σκύλου τόσο σε μοριακό όσο και σε κλινικό επίπεδο. Σε μοριακό επίπεδο, τα ενδιάμεσα βαλβιδικά κύτταρα σκύλου (VICs) εξήχθησαν με επιτυχία από τον ιστό της βαλβίδας και αποδείχθηκε ότι εκφράζουν πρωτεΐνες που σχετίζονται τόσο με τις συσταλτικές όσο και με τις συνθετικές ιδιότητες της βαλβίδας. Επομένως χαρακτηρίστηκαν ως μυοϊνοβλάστες. Επιπλέον, καμία αλλαγή στον φαινότυπο μετά την κατάψυξη και την απόψυξη δεν ήταν εμφανής υποδηλώνοντας ότι η κατάψυξη δεν είχε καμία επίδραση στην ακεραιότητα και στις συσταλτικές, συνθετικές και μεταβολικές ιδιότητες των κυττάρων. Αυτό αποδείχθηκε με τη διατήρηση της έκφρασης της ακτίνης-άλφα λείων μυών (ASMA), της προλυλ-4-υδροξυλάσης (4-HP) και της κρεατινικής κινάσης Β (CK-B) αντίστοιχα. Τα VIC της μιτροειδούς (MVICs) είχαν μεγαλύτερες συσταλτικές και συνθετικές ιδιότητες από τα τριγλώχινα VICs (TICs), που αποδεικνύεται από υψηλότερη έκφραση ASMA και 4-HP. Αυτή η διαφορά ήταν πιθανό να είναι συνέπεια της έκθεσης σε υψηλότερες πιέσεις καθ' όλη τη διάρκεια του καρδιακού κύκλου. Αποδείχθηκε επίσης ότι τα MVIC σκύλων τόσο από φυσιολογικές όσο και από ασθενείς βαλβίδες ανταποκρίνονται στη μηχανική διάταση με υπερτροφία, αυξάνοντας την παραγωγή πρωτεΐνης ανά μονάδα κυττάρου. Επιπλέον, τα MVIC τόσο των φυσιολογικών όσο και των νοσούντων βαλβίδων χάνουν τον συσταλτικό φαινότυπο τους ως απόκριση στη μηχανική διάταση, που υποδεικνύεται από την πτώση της έκφρασης ASMA. Αποδείχθηκε επίσης ότι τα MVIC των άρρωστων γερμανικών ποιμενικών σκύλων ήταν πιο ανθεκτικά στη διάταση από τα MVIC των κανονικών και άρρωστων λαγωνικών. Σε κλινικό επίπεδο δεν παρατηρήθηκαν βαριές βλάβες υπερηχοκαρδιογραφικά στις μιτροειδείς βαλβίδες των λαγωνικών, ανεξάρτητα από την ηλικία και την κατάσταση εκπαίδευσης των σκύλων. Αυτό υποδηλώνει ότι οι μιτροειδής βαλβίδες των λαγωνικών είναι πιο ανθεκτικές στα μηχανικά ερεθίσματα. Ωστόσο, αυτοί οι σκύλοι αναπτύσσουν ανεπάρκεια μιτροειδούς με την προχωρημένη ηλικία, πιθανώς λόγω αλλαγών στη γεωμετρία της καρδιάς.
Proactive measures to eradicate Malaysia’s poverty in IR4.0 era: a shared prosperity vision
Authors: Darmalinggam Darshana , Kaliannan Maniam , Dorasamy Magiswary
Published: January 2022

Background: In the country’s shared prosperity vision, Malaysia aspires to uplift the bottom 40% household income group (B40) by addressing wealth and income disparities. By 2030, the nation seeks to eradicate poverty through the provision of employment opportunities and career progression plans. A grey area between the nation’s aspirations and actions in practice can be observed because the goals have not been achieved despite numerous efforts aimed at the upliftment of the B40 group. The nation is still way behind its targeted outcomes despite various policies being implemented, which could be attributed to the mismatch between government policies and that of organisational practice. Thus, this study explores the rationale of strategic government intervention in managing B40 talent in the IR4.0 era.

Methods: A general qualitative inquiry method that used 11 semi-structured interviews was carried out with representatives of Malaysia’s policy makers’, training providers, and trainees. All Interview questions centred around measures, importance and outcomes of B40 youth training from a multi-stakeholder perspective. Data were thematically analysed in five stages using NVivo.

Results: Training, which includes IR4.0 era digital skills, is the key to uplifting the B40 youth to eradicate poverty. Proactive measures are imperative in the success of B40 youth training towards poverty eradication.

Conclusions: This study contributes to the existing literature and helps practitioners by addressing the current gap in Malaysia’s aspirations versus organisational practice. Stakeholders should formulate proactive strategies to ensure that the right trainees are matched with the right training providers and government policies. A linkage between government policies and industry requirements needs to be established as opposed to the present discontinuity. A structured training needs analysis should be applied through a collaboration between industries and governments. Then, B40 individuals commonly found in lower-level positions can be pooled into the career pathway towards a shift into M40.
Reducing sources of variance in experimental procedures in in vitro research
Authors: Fischer Igor , Martinez-Dominguez Maria Victoria , Hänggi Daniel , Kahlert Ulf
Published: January 2022

Background: Lack of reproducibility in preclinical research poses ethical and economic challenges for biomedical science. Various institutional activities by society stakeholders of leading industrialised nations are currently underway with the aim of improving the situation. Such initiatives are usually concerned with high-level organisational issues and typically do not focus on improving experimental approaches per se. Addressing these is necessary in order to increase consistency and success rates of lab-to-lab repetitions.

Methods: In this project, we statistically evaluated repetitive data of a very basic and widely applied lab procedure, namely quantifying the number of viable cells. The purpose of this was to assess the impact of different parameters and instrumentations which may constitute sources of variance in this procedure.

Conclusion: By comparing the variability of data acquired under two different procedures, featuring improved stringency of protocol adherence, our project attempts to identify the sources and propose guidelines on how to reduce such fluctuations. We believe our work can contribute to tackling the repeatability crisis in biomedical research.
Comparing natural hydrogels to self-assembling peptides in spinal cord injury treatment: a systematic review
Authors: Mojtabavi Kurosh , Gholami Morteza , Ghodsi Zahra , Mahmoodi Narges , Shool Sina , Kargar-Soleimanabad Saeed , Yazdanpanah Niloufar , Vaccaro Alexander R. , Rahimi-Movaghar Vafa
Published: January 2022

Background: In many cases, central nervous system (CNS) injury is unchanging due to the absence of neuronal regeneration and repair capabilities. In recent years, regenerative medicine, and especially hydrogels, has reached a significant amount of attention for their promising results for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) currently considered permanent. Hydrogels are categorized based on their foundation: synthetic, natural, and combination. The objective of this study was to compare the properties and efficacy of commonly used hydrogels, like collagen, and other natural peptides with synthetic self-assembling peptide hydrogels in the treatment of SCI. 

Methods: Articles were searched in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. All studies from 1985 until January 2020 were included in the primary search. Eligible articles were included based on the following criteria: administering hydrogels (both natural and synthetic) for SCI treatment, solely focusing on spinal cord injury treatment, and published in a peer-reviewed journal. Data on axonal regeneration, revascularization, elasticity, drug delivery efficacy, and porosity were extracted.

Results: A total of 24 articles were included for full-text review and data extraction. There was only one experimental study comparing collagen I (natural hydrogel) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) in an in vitro setting. The included study suggested the behavior of cells with PEG is more expectable in the injury site, which makes it a more reliable scaffold for neurites.

Conclusions: There is limited research comparing and evaluating both types of natural and self-assembling peptides (SAPs) in the same animal or in vitro study, despite its importance. Although we assume that the remodeling of natural scaffolds may lead to a stable hydrogel, there was not a definitive conclusion that synthetic hydrogels are more beneficial than natural hydrogels in neuronal regeneration.
A novel method for measuring sublingual temperature using conventional non-contact forehead thermometer
Authors: Mahabala Chakrapani , Dakappa Pradeepa H. , Gupta Arjun R.
Published: January 2022

Background: Sublingual temperature measurement is a quick and accurate representation of oral temperature and corresponds closely with core temperature. Sub-lingual temperature measurement using non-contact infrared thermometers has not been studied for this purpose and if accurate they would be a reliable and convenient way of recording temperature of a patient very quickly. The aim of the study was to evaluate the utility of recording sublingual temperature using an infrared non-contact thermometer and establish its accuracy by comparing the readings with tympanic thermometer recordings.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in 29 patients (328 paired recordings from sublingual and tympanic sites simultaneously). Subjects were requested to keep their mouth closed for five minutes before recording the temperature. Sublingual recordings were performed for each patient at different times of the day using an infrared thermometer. The infrared thermometer was quickly brought 1cm away from the sublingual part of the tongue and the recordings were then done immediately. Readings were compared with the corresponding tympanic temperature.

Results: The non-contact sublingual temperature correlated very closely with tympanic temperature (r=0.86, p<0.001). The mean difference between the infrared sublingual and tympanic temperature was 0.21°C (standard deviation [SD]:0.48°C, 95% confidence interval [CI] of 0.16-0.27). The intra-class correlation co-efficient (ICC) between core and sublingual temperatures was 0.830 (95% CI: 0.794 to 0.861) p<0.001. The sensitivity of sublingual IR (infrared) temperature of 37.65°C was 90% and specificity was 89% for core temperature >38°C.

Conclusions: This innovative modification of using the forehead infrared thermometer to measure the sublingual temperature offers an accurate, rapid and non-contact estimation of core temperature.
skater: an R package for SNP-based kinship analysis, testing, and evaluation
Authors: Turner Stephen D. , Nagraj V.P. , Scholz Matthew , Jessa Shakeel , Acevedo Carlos , Ge Jianye , Woerner August E. , Budowle Bruce
Published: January 2022

Motivation: SNP-based kinship analysis with genome-wide relationship estimation and IBD segment analysis methods produces results that often require further downstream process- ing and manipulation. A dedicated software package that consistently and intuitively imple- ments this analysis functionality is needed.

Results: Here we present the skater R package for SNP-based kinship analysis, testing, and evaluation with R. The skater package contains a suite of well-documented tools for importing, parsing, and analyzing pedigree data, performing relationship degree inference, benchmarking relationship degree classification, and summarizing IBD segment data.

Availability: The skater package is implemented as an R package and is released under the MIT license at https://github.com/signaturescience/skater. Documentation is available at https://signaturescience.github.io/skater.
Exploring experiences of supports for suicide bereavement in Ireland: protocol for a national survey
Authors: O'Connell Selena , Ruane-McAteer Eimear , Daly Caroline , O’Connor Clíodhna , Tuomey Fiona , McDonnell Laura , Arensman Ella , Andriessen Karl , Griffin Eve
Published: January 2022

Background

A suicide death impacts upon the wellbeing of close family members and friends but has also been shown to affect many people outside of this immediate circle. This will be the first large-scale national study of adults bereaved or affected by suicide in Ireland, using a cross-sectional online survey. The overarching aim will be to gain insight into the experiences of supports received by people bereaved or affected by suicide and to identify the barriers to engagement following their loss.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey will be conducted among adults in Ireland who have been bereaved or affected by suicide. This project will seek to represent people with different demographics and backgrounds in the Irish population using a multifaceted approach to survey recruitment. A range of validated measures will be used to examine participants’ current wellbeing and grief experience. A combination of closed and open-ended questions will provide participants the opportunity to share their individual experiences, the services and supports available to them, and barriers and enablers to accessing supports.

Results

Quantitative data will be analysed using descriptive statistics. Chi-squared tests will be used to compare subgroups within categorical data items, and multivariable regression models will be used to examine differences in psychosocial and physical wellbeing across key groups. Qualitative content analysis will be used for qualitative responses to open-ended questions.

Conclusions

The survey will provide an in-depth understanding of the psychosocial and mental health impacts of suicide bereavement in Ireland; insight into the range of informal and formal supports accessed; and will identify unmet needs and challenges of accessing appropriate and timely supports. The findings will inform current national actions aimed at ensuring the standardisation and quality of the services and supports for those bereaved or affected by suicide.
Mobile Payment Services, Government Involvement, and Mobile Network Operator Performance
Authors: Dong Yan , Song Sining , Zou Fan
Published: January 2022

Problem definition: Recent developments in mobile payment services (MPS) have shown an increasing role of mobile-government (m-government) initiatives in improving the market performance of mobile network operators (MNOs) and financial inclusion. High costs and operational challenges have discouraged MNOs from fully committing to the development of MPS, but government involvement under m-government may increase MNO user bases by providing the scale and scope necessary to incentivize MNOs. Academic/practical relevance: Extant research on mobile payment has ignored the role of governments as important stakeholders in the mobile financial ecosystem. Our research contributes to the literature by examining the role of governments as business partners in MPS launches and the effect of government involvement on MNO user bases. Methodology: Using a unique proprietary data set from the mobile network industry, we design a quasi-experiment to examine the causal effects of government involvement in MPS on MNOs’ total mobile connections. More importantly, we adopt a changes-in-changes (CIC) estimation approach to further establish nonlinear treatment effects of government involvement based on MNO size and MPS type. Results: We find that government involvement expands MNO user bases beyond MPS launches. Such effects increase with MNO size and MPS variety, favoring larger MNOs and, to a certain degree, MNOs with diverse offerings of government-involved MPS. Government involvement in MPS launches also directly benefits MNOs with microloan services. In addition, government regulations and policies to encourage financial inclusion can also expand MNO user bases. Managerial implications: Governments play a critical role in promoting technologies and financial services both as a regulator and as a business partner. To improve market performance, MNOs should take advantage of the scale and scope of government services by partnering with government agencies in launching MPS. MNOs should also embrace government policies and regulations to increase user bases.
RESOURCE REVIEW
Authors: Veigas Debby
Published: January 2022

Debby Veigas continues our resource review column, which will provide a synopsis and brief analysis of a recently published resource that may be of interest to neuroscience nurses; a full reference is provided for those who wish to read the text
The epistemological complexity of ideal care: long-term care professionals’ perspectives
Authors: Hämäläinen Antti
Published: January 2022

The article elaborates what aspects of knowledge eldercare workers describe concerning everyday long-term care practices. The article utilises a thematic analysis of Finnish long-term care workers’ semi-structured interviews (n = 25), and in doing so, it contributes to the discussion concerning the epistemological basis of care. The analysis specifies four aspects of knowledge in long-term care work: objective/objectifying, particular, corporeal and tacit. In line with existing literature on knowledge and care, the findings indicate that rational-technical epistemological approaches are insufficient when complex and fluid care relations are concerned. Moreover, cognitive impairments and other particularities of eldercare provide previously under-researched epistemological perspectives for consideration.
Cost-efficient and reliable annular optical fiber temperature sensor
Authors: Zhao Sinian , Zhou Xue , Chen Xiaoyu , Wang Qiming , Liu Bin , Wang Fang , Yan Xin , Cheng Tonglei , Zhang Xuenan
Published: January 2022

In this paper, an annular winding structure made of single-mode optical fiber is proposed as the core of a cost-efficient and reliable annular optical fiber temperature sensor (AOFTS). The sensor is mainly due to the multi-mode interference effect to achieve real-time response to external temperature changes. The experimental results show that the average temperature sensitivity of the sensor is about 255.5 pm/°C in the temperature range of

−

20

∘

C

−

110

∘

C

; it has higher sensitivity at low temperatures. At

−

20

∘

C

, the sensitivity of the AOFTS reaches 450 pm/°C. The sensor has the advantages of simple fabrication, low fabrication cost, strong stability, and good reproducibility and repeatability. It has great application prospects in the field of low-temperature detection.
Dual-modality digital holographic and polarization microscope to quantify phase and birefringence signals in biospecimens with a complex microstructure
Authors: Lam Van K. , Phan Thuc , Ly Khanh , Luo Xiaolong , Nehmetallah George , Raub Christopher B.
Published: January 2022

Optical phase and birefringence signals occur in cells and thin, semi-transparent biomaterials. A dual-modality quantitative phase and polarization microscope was designed to study the interaction of cells with extracellular matrix networks and to relate optical pathlength and birefringence signals within structurally anisotropic biomaterial constructs. The design was based on an existing, custom-built digital holographic microscope, to which was added a polarization microscope utilizing liquid crystal variable retarders. Phase and birefringence channels were calibrated, and data was acquired sequentially from cell-seeded collagen hydrogels and electrofabricated chitosan membranes. Computed phase height and retardance from standard targets were accurate within 99.7% and 99.8%, respectively. Phase height and retardance channel background standard deviations were 35 nm and 0.6 nm, respectively. Human fibroblasts, visible in the phase channel, aligned with collagen network microstructure, with retardance and azimuth visible in the polarization channel. Electrofabricated chitosan membranes formed in 40 µm tall microfluidic channels possessed optical retardance ranging from 7 to 11 nm, and phase height from 37 to 39 µm. These results demonstrate co-registered dual-channel acquisition of phase and birefringence parameter maps from microstructurally-complex biospecimens using a novel imaging system combining digital holographic microscopy with voltage-controlled polarization microscopy.
Routing and secret key assignment for secure multicast services in quantum satellite networks
Authors: He Xinyi , Li Lin , Han Dahai , Zhao Yongli , Nag Avishek , Wang Wei , Wang Hua , Cao Yuan , Zhang Jie
Published: January 2022

Multicast is an important service type in both terrestrial and space communication networks but has security issues because more than one destination node can receive information. Point-to-point quantum key distribution can be achieved end-to-end over long distances by using a quantum satellite (e.g., Micius) as a relay node. Hence, how to provide secret keys for remote multicast services and efficiently distribute secret keys between the source node and multiple destination nodes for long-distance secure multicast services (SMSs) has become a critical problem. In this paper, a quantum satellite network with a special node structure is designed to complete point-to-multipoint key distribution, and a point-to-multipoint satellite relay scheme is proposed. The weight information of the link is dynamically described by the method of auxiliary topology, and a satellite relay tree is constructed. Finally, this paper proposes a satellite relay algorithm for multicast services to route and allocate key resources to solve the problem of long-distance point-to-multipoint key relay and improve the success probability of multicast service requests. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can improve the success probability of SMS requests by about 51.32% in a static scenario and 17.33% in a dynamic scenario.
Reducing g(2)(0) of a parametric down-conversion source via photon-number resolution with superconducting nanowire detectors
Authors: Sempere-Llagostera S. , Thekkadath G. S. , Patel R. B. , Kolthammer W. S. , Walmsley I. A.
Published: January 2022

Multiphoton contributions pose a significant challenge for the realisation of heralded single-photon sources (HSPS) based on nonlinear processes. In this work, we improve the quality of single photons generated in this way by harnessing the photon-number resolving (PNR) capabilities of commercial superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs). We report a 13 ± 0.4% reduction of g(2)(τ = 0), even with a collection efficiency in the photon source of only 29.6%. Our work demonstrates the first application of the PNR capabilities of SNSPDs and shows improvement in the quality of an HSPS with widely available technology.
Color curved hologram calculation method based on angle multiplexing
Authors: Wang Di , Li Nan-Nan , Li Zhao-Song , Chen Chun , Lee Byoungho , Wang Qiong-Hua
Published: January 2022

In this paper, a method of color curved hologram calculation based on angle multiplexing is proposed. The relationship between the wavelength, center angle and sampling interval of the curved holograms is analyzed for the first time by analyzing the reconstruction process of the curved holograms with different wavelengths. Based on this relationship, the color curved holograms are calculated by compensating phase to the complex amplitude distribution of the planar holograms. To eliminate the chromatic aberration, the curved holograms of different objects with the same color channel are respectively used for angle multiplexing and phase compensation, and then the color composed curved hologram is generated. Different color objects without chromatic aberration can be reconstructed by bending the composed curved hologram into different central angles. The experimental results verify the feasibility of the proposed method. Besides, the application of the proposed method in augmented reality display is also shown.
Feed-forward neural network as nonlinear dynamics integrator for supercontinuum generation
Authors: Salmela Lauri , Hary Mathilde , Mabed Mehdi , Foi Alessandro , Dudley John M. , Genty Goëry
Published: January 2022

The nonlinear propagation of ultrashort pulses in optical fibers depends sensitively on the input pulse and fiber parameters. As a result, the optimization of propagation for specific applications generally requires time-consuming simulations based on the sequential integration of the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation (GNLSE). Here, we train a feed-forward neural network to learn the differential propagation dynamics of the GNLSE, allowing emulation of direct numerical integration of fiber propagation, and particularly the highly complex case of supercontinuum generation. Comparison with a recurrent neural network shows that the feed-forward approach yields faster training and computation, and reduced memory requirements. The approach is generic and can be extended to other physical systems.