bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Challenges in predicing future high-cost patients for care management interventions
Authors: Crowley Chris , Perloff Jennifer , Stuck Amy , Mechanic Robert
Published: October 2022

Background
To test the accuracy of a segmentation approach using claims data to predict Medicare beneficiaries most likely to be hospitalized in a subsequent year.
Methods
This article uses a 100-percent sample of Medicare beneficiaries from 2017 - 2018. This analysis is designed to illustrate the actuarial limitations of person-centered risk segmentation by looking at the number and rate of hospitalizations for progressively narrower segments of heart failure patients and a national fee-for-service comparison group. Cohorts are defined using 2017 data and then 2018 hospitalization rates are shown graphically.
Results
As the segments get narrower, the 2018 hospitalization rates increased, but the percentage of total Medicare FFS hospitalizations accounted for went down. In all three segments and the total Medicare FFS population, more than half of all patients did not have a hospitalization in 2018.
Conclusions
With the difficulty of identifying future high utilizing beneficiaries, health systems should consider the addition of clinician input and ‘light touch’ monitoring activities to improve the prediction of high-need, high-cost cohorts. It may also be beneficial to develop systemic strategies to manage utilization and steer beneficiaries to efficient providers rather than targeting individual patients.
Exploring differences in level of construction innovation: An empirical analysis in China
Authors: Zhang Ruixue , Chen Ting , Zhang Yuanxin , Wang Zeyu
Published: October 2022

Innovations can overcome constraints posed by resources depletion, increasing environmental and ecological protection concerns. There is considerable amount of innovation that occurs in the construction industry. Accordingly, construction innovation is receiving increasing attention in China. However, the provincial development level of construction innovation remains unclear. To address this gap, the present study employs data-driven measurement for the level of construction innovation. A total of 25 alternative indexes were selected based on the innovation ecosystem theory. Then, text preprocessing, statistical methods, and search statistics were employed to acquire index data. The indexes weights were determined through expert scoring and a cloud model. The quantitative measurement of the level of construction innovation was finally performed. Additionally, the exploratory results were revealed with the analyses of the overall, regional and cluster. The results revealed that overall level of construction innovation in China is not high and regional distribution is uneven. Simultaneously, the level of construction innovation is consistent with local economic strength and it is most sensitive to innovation output in regional level. Moreover, the spatial distribution of the level of construction innovation in China was showed, which similarity with the characteristics of geographical location is. The measurement system this study represents breakthroughs over traditional methods that rely on statistics, cases or questionnaires, which can be applied to other research fields.
Transient stress-constrained topology optimization of structures subjected to impacts
Authors: Wang Chao , Zhou E.L. , Wu Yi , Li Eric , Huang Y.Y.
Published: October 2022

We investigate topology optimization of the elastodynamic structures under impact loading with transient stress constraints. The impact problem is formulated as applying a prescribed loading rate to the boundary up to the maximum loading time. In contrast to existing paradigms that consider dynamic stresses, we places more emphasis on transient behavior. We minimize the volume fraction of the structure while constraining the maximum transient von Mises stress. An additional static compliance constraint is introduced to guarantee the validity of the design. The sensitivity of maximum transient von Mises stress is then derived and validated, in which the discretize-thendifferentiate method is employed for the dynamic problem. A series of benchmark problems are investigated, by which the effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated. The evolution of the maximum stress shows the necessity of highlighting transient behavior in the topology optimization of the structures under impacts.
Lung function decline preceding chronic respiratory failure in spinal muscular atrophy: a national prospective cohort study
Authors: Veldhoen Esther , Wijngaarde Camiel A , Eijk Ruben P.A. van , Asselman Fay-Lynn , Seddiqi Negina , Otto Louise A.M. , Stam Marloes , Cuppen Inge , Wadman Renske , Asperen Roelie Wösten-van , Hulzebos Erik H.J. , Oudenrijn Laura P. Verweij-van den , Bartels Bart , Boezer Jasmijn , Gaytant Michael , Ent Cornelis K. van der , Pol Ludo W. van der
Published: October 2022

Background
Progressive lung function decline, resulting in respiratory failure, is an important complication of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The ability to predict the need for mechanical ventilation is important. We assessed longitudinal patterns of lung function prior to chronic respiratory failure in a national cohort of treatment-naïve children and adults with SMA, hypothesizing an accelerated decline prior to chronic respiratory failure.
Methods
We included treatment-naïve SMA patients participating in a prospective national cohort study if they required mechanical ventilation because of chronic respiratory failure and if lung function test results were available from the years prior to initiation of ventilation. We analyzed Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1), Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) and Maximum Expiratory Pressure (PEmax). We studied the longitudinal course using linear mixed-effects models.
Results
We analyzed 1171 lung function tests from 38 patients with SMA types 1c–3a . At initiation of ventilation median age was 18.8 years (IQR: 13.2–30.1) and median standardized FVC, FEV1 and PEF were 28.8% (95%CI: 23.5; 34.2), 28.8% (95%CI: 24.0; 33.7) and 30.0% (95%CI: 23.4; 36.7), with an average annual decline of 1.75% (95%CI: 0.86; 2.66), 1.72% (95%CI: 1.04; 2.40) and 1.65% (95%CI: 0.71; 2.59), respectively. We did not observe an accelerated decline in the year before initiation of mechanical ventilation. Median PEmax was 35.3 cmH2O (95%CI: 29.4; 41.2) at initiation of mechanical ventilation and relatively stable in the years preceding ventilation.
Conclusions
Patterns of lung function decline cannot predict impending respiratory failure: SMA is characterized by a gradual decline of lung function, without an accelerated deterioration prior to respiratory failure. In addition, PEmax remains low and stable in the years preceding chronic respiratory failure.
Increased Mortality Rate in Infants with Abnormal T-Cell Receptor Excision Circles
Authors: Huang Jenny , Shankar Ashwin , Hurden Isabel , Thomas Ronald , Hill Joseph , Seth Divya , Secord Elizabeth , Poowuttikul Pavadee
Published: October 2022

Purpose: T-Cell Receptor Excision Circles based newborn screening (TREC-NBS) allows for early detection and improved disease outcome in infants with primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDD). The utility of abnormal TREC-NBS in infants without PIDD is not well studied. To determine the value of abnormal TREC-NBS in predicting mortality and morbidity in infants without PIDD.
Methods: 365,207 newborn screens in the database from October 2011 to December 2014 were reviewed. 467 newborns had an abnormal TREC-NBS either during the initial or repeat screen. 1,390 newborns with normal TREC-NBS served as matched controls based on gestational age, birth weight, neonatal intensive care unit status (NICU), and race. Any infant with a PIDD diagnosis was excluded. Demographic data was obtained through NBS, birth certificates, and death certificates records from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) databases.
Results: Overall, infants with positive TREC-NBS had higher mortality (14.6% versus 3.3% in controls) even when PIDD is ruled-out. Transient positive TREC-NBS was not associated with higher mortality, but unresolved or late TREC-NBS was associated with higher mortality. More Black infants had positive TREC-NBS than infants of other races. Children with positive TREC-NBS were more likely to have NICU stays and have low Apgar scores. Infants with unresolved or late TREC-NBS were more likely to have congenital anomalies.
Conclusion: Infants with positive TREC-NBS may be at a higher risk of morbidity and mortality and should be carefully followed, especially if discharged home before a repeat screen can be completed.
Improvement of phenolic compounds production in callus cultures of Cereus hildmannianus (K.) Schum. by elicitation
Authors: Santos Éverton da Silva , Cabral Marcia Regina Pereira , Silva Thaila Fernanda Oliveira da , Machado Maria de Fátima Pires da Silva , Mangolin Claudete Aparecida , de Oliveira Arildo José Braz , Gonçalves Regina Aparecida Correia
Published: October 2022

Cereus hildmannianus (Cactaceae) is a medicinal plant with various pharmacological and industrial applications. Plant biotechnology is an attractive approach for specialized metabolites production under controlled conditions, with the elicitation process being considered a highly effective strategy for increasing the production of bioactive compounds. In this regard, the present study investigated the effects of elicitors, sucrose (S, 1–8 g L− 1), UV-C light (UV-C, 10–80 min), salicylic acid (SA, 50–200 µmol), and jasmonic acid (JA, 50–200 µmol), on the profile of esterase isozymes, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents, antioxidant activity (FRAP, DPPH, and ABTS), and the dereplication method by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS). The isozyme profile was not significantly changed. The greatest accumulations of total phenolics were observed in callus tissues induced with 100 µmol JA (390.8), 200 µmol SA (355.5), 20 min UV-C (182.9), and 6 g L− 1 S (122.1 µg mg− 1 DW); the greatest concentrations of total flavonoids were observed following culture with 200 µmol SA (89.8) and 2 g L− 1 S (28.4 µg mg− 1 DW). Furthermore, the dereplication study allowed putative identification of thirty-six compounds (thirty phenolic and organic acids, and six flavonoids). The greatest antioxidant activities were obtained with callus tissues induced with 100 µmol JA, 200 µmol SA, 80 min UV-C, and 1 g L− 1 S. The elicitors were able to alter the production of phenolic compounds in callus cultures of C. hildmannianus. These results are promising for the clean and sustainable bioproduction of bioactive molecules for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical purposes, prioritizing the conservation of the species.
Global digital elevation models for terrain morphology analysis in mountain environments: insights on Copernicus GLO-30 and ALOS AW3D30 for a large Alpine area
Authors: Trevisani Sebastiano , Skrypitsyna T. N. , Florinsky I. V.
Published: October 2022

This study focuses on the quality evaluation of two of the best 1 arc-second public global digital elevation models (DEMs), Copernicus GLO-30 DEM and ALOS AW3D30 DSM, from the perspective of their capability to represent the terrain morphology of a complex alpine landscape, located in the alpine Trentino Province, in the Italian Alps. The analysis is performed on an area of 6210 km2, considering a reference DEM derived from a high resolution and accurate airborne Lidar DEM. The quality assessment includes, in addition to a conventional analysis of error statistics on a pixels-by-pixel basis, an ad-hoc analysis on the capability to represent the fine-scale morphology and local roughness. The quality analysis is performed considering the influence of local morphology and of the different land covers. The findings show that the two global DEMs have comparable overall quality, but the relative performances change according to local landscape characteristics. Copernicus DEM performance is on average better than ALOS in correspondence of urbanized areas as well in areas without vegetation cover, with gentle slopes and relatively low short-range roughness. ALOS DEM performance is slightly better than Copernicus in rougher terrain and steeper slopes. In general, both DEMs have poor performances in steep slopes, with a limited capability to describe correctly local morphology. The adoption of these global DEMs for terrain analysis and modelling of earth surface processes should be performed carefully, taking into account the impact of different land covers and of local morphology, including surface roughness.
Outcomes of two different treatment modalities in mild to moderate keratoconus
Authors: Khalafallah Ahmed M , Abdelkader Mohamed F. , Sabry Ahmed M , Khairat Yahia M , Abdelghany Ahmed A
Published: October 2022

Purpose:
To describe visual and refractive outcomes of intrastromal corneal ring segments (ICRS) and toric implantable collamer lenses (TICL) implantation in cases of mild and moderate keratoconus.
Methods:
A prospective descriptive interventional case series. 40 eyes were allocated into two groups. First group (20 eyes) was treated with corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) 1 month after ICRS implantation and the second group was treated using TICL after 1 year of CXL.
Results:
Both groups showed statistically significant improvement in spherical equivalent, cylindrical refraction, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) over the follow-up period.
Conclusion:
Both ICRS and TICL are effective in treatment of mid and moderate keratoconus with more predictable visual results with TICL.
Experimental study on pollution release and sediment scour of sewage sediments in drainage pipe considering incubation time
Authors: Zhang Yijie , Zhang Jian , Zhu David Z. , Qian Yu
Published: October 2022

The pollution release and the anti-scourability characteristics of the pipe sewage sediments can directly determine the blockage status of pipeline and treatment burden at the terminal (sewage treatment plant). In this study, the sewer environment under different buried depths was designed to explore the impact of incubation time on the physicochemical characteristics, pollution release effect and anti-scouring ability of the silted sediment in the drainage pipe. The results show that, incubation time, sediment matrix, temperature and dissolved oxygen can affect microbial activity, but temperature has a greater influence. These factors affect microbial activity and loosen the superstructure in the sediment. In addition, by measuring the indexes of nitrogen and phosphorus in the overlying water, it was found that the sediment incubated for a certain time can release pollutants to the overlying water, and the release amount was obviously affected by high temperature (e.g., 35 ℃). After a certain time (e.g., 30 days), biofilms appear on the sediment surface, and the anti-scourability of sediment was significantly improved, which was reflected in the increase of the median particle size of sediment left in the pipe.
The Smoothing Method for DNA Methylome Analysis Identifies Highly Accurate Epigenomic Signatures in Epigenome-Wide Association Studies
Authors: Oussalah Abderrahim , Trégouët David-Alexandre , Guéant Jean-Louis
Published: October 2022

Background: The genome-wide assessment of the DNA methylome has revolutionized our comprehension of epigenome alterations linked to complex human traits and diseases. The ability of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) to translate into biologically meaningful results relies on detecting epigenomic signatures with a high level of statistical certainty. However, the classical analyses of EWAS are prone to statistical inflation and bias, leading to spurious associations, particularly in case series with small sample sizes, such as those analyzing patients with rare inherited disorders. Based on the co-methylation pattern of CpG dinucleotides within the CpG islands, we propose the smoothing method at the genome-wide level through a sliding window approach to calculate and visualize data from EWAS to decipher the most informative epigenetic alterations of EWAS with a high degree of accuracy.
Results: The smoothing method is a simple method that identifies epigenomic signatures with a high degree of certainty while controlling the risk of spurious findings outside the significant loci at a genome-wide level. We have systematically compared the smoothing method with a classical supervised approach in several EWAS settings, including two monogenic epigenetic diseases (epi-cblC and primary constitutional MLH1epimutation) and epigenetic predictors of aging. In the latter example, we showed that the smoothing method remained efficient even after applying an 80% reduction of the original sample size.
Conclusions:
The smoothing method for DNA methylation analyses is based on the biological correlate of the epigenome structure and identifies highly accurate epigenomic signatures in DNA methylation analyses. Its application to several settings of epigenome-wide analyses confirmed its usefulness for deciphering the most informative epigenomic signatures with a high degree of certainty while controlling the risk of spurious findings outside the significant loci at a genome-wide level.
Our results suggest revisiting EWAS by applying the smoothing method to already available datasets to re-analyze and potentially identify highly accurate epigenomic signatures that could translate into biologically meaningful results.
Substance Abuse among Commercial Bus Drivers in Umuahia, Abia State, South-Eastern Nigeria: an uncontrolled “epidemic” with attendant road traffic crashes
Authors: Oluyemisi Akande Roseline , Olufunminiyi Akande Joel , Babatunde Olaniyan Akintunde , Olajumoke Ajayi Adeola , Amos Ajayi Akindele , Olabisi Ige Roseline , Shittu Saliu Ajedotun , Akande Abayomi , Olatunji Muideen Babatunde
Published: October 2022

Background information:
The unprecedented depletion of the productive workforce has been majorly attributed to road traffic crashes (RTCs). The attendant consequences of this depletion have been found to constitute a serious public health challenge across the globe, with the use of psychoactive substances among drivers implicated in every three out of five motor vehicle accidents. Hence, this study assessed the pattern and explored the determinants of substance abuse among commercial bus drivers in Umuahia, Abia State.
Methods
A descriptive cross-sectional design was used for the study. A total of 400 commercial bus drivers were recruited from selected motor parks in Abia-state, using a multistage sampling technique. The data was analyzed with IBM SPSS, and the level of significance was set at 0.05.
Results
The mean age of the respondents was 40.03 ± 10.50 years. The proportion of respondents who had ever used a psychoactive substance was 74.3%. The most commonly abused substances among drivers include alcohol (51%), cigarettes (27%), and alcoholic herbal mixtures (16%). The study participants had poor knowledge (54.5%) and poor perception (63.2%) about pyschoactive substance abuse. Among the factors found to be significantly associated with substance use among respondents were ethnicity (p = 0.002), religion (p = 0.009) and monthly income (p = 0.013) of the respondents, poor knowledge (p < 0.001) and poor perception (p < 0.001). However, this study found religion (p = 0.031; OR = 5.469; CI = 1.170 to 25.555), knowledge (p < 0.001; OR = 4.21; CI = 2.201 to 8.287) and perception (p < 0.001; OR = 9.828; CI = 15.572 to 65.052) as determinants of substance use abuse.
Conclusion
Religion, along with poor knowledge and poor perception, were the major determinants of substance abuse among commercial bus drivers. Targeting commercial bus drivers for educational interventions as well as using religious leaders as conveyor belts may therefore reduce the use of psychoactive substances among them.
Chronological measurement of cytotoxic CD8 T cell activity using a bioluminescence-based cell viability assay
Authors: Hayashi Ryota , Nakatani Hayato , Kawahata Hinami , Fujie Ryonosuke , Kurowarabe Kaoru , Hayasaka Haruko
Published: October 2022

Purpose
Cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) are an effector subset of activated CD8 T cells that play important role in the antitumor immune response. Although CTL cytotoxicity has been studied in vitro using various experimental protocols in which responder CTLs are added to kill the target tumor cells, methodologies for monitoring CTL activity in chronological order have not been fully developed. We attempted to develop a method for measuring CTL activity is measured using a real-time luminometer.
Methods
Splenocytes from B16-F10-bearing mice were harvested and cultured with mouse melanoma B16-F10 or Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate the efficiency of CTL expansion in terms of the frequency of CD44+ and CD62L− cells in CD8+ cell subsets. CTL activity was assessed using a firefly luciferase-based bioluminescence method with splenic CD8 cells as the responder and luciferase-expressing cells as the target.
Results
The in vitro coculture of B16-F10-bearing spleen cells with B16-F10 cells produced a higher percentage of CTLs than with LLC cells, indicating that B16-F10-specific CTLs proliferated from tumor-bearing spleen cells. According to the time-lapse analysis the bioluminescence signal of luciferase-expressing B16-F10 cells was inhibited after 48 h by in vitro cultured CD8 cells derived from melanoma B16-F10-bearing mouse spleens, suggesting that B16-F10-reactive CTLs suppressed the target cell growth.
Conclusion
This simple bioluminescence-based assay is a useful method for monitoring the time course of CTL activity on the growth inhibition of luciferase-expressing cells.
Fine-mapping and candidate gene analysis of the Mcgy1 locus responsible for gynoecy in bitter gourd (Momordica spp.)
Authors: zhong jian , Cui Junjie , Liu Jia , Zhong Chunfeng , Hu Fang , Dong Jichi , Cheng Jiaowen , Hu Kailin
Published: October 2022

Gynoecy plays an important role in high-efficiency hybrid seed production, and gynoecious plants are excellent materials for dissecting sex differentiation in Cucurbitaceae crop species, including bitter gourd. However, the gene responsible for gynoecy in bitter gourd is unknown. Here, we first identified a gynoecy locus designated Mcgy1 using the F2 population (n=291) crossed from the gynoecious line S156G and the monoecious line K8-201 via bulked segregant analysis with whole-genome resequencing and molecular marker linkage analysis. Then, a large S156G×K8-201 F2 population (n=5,656) was used for fine-mapping to delimit the Mcgy1 locus into a 292.70-kb physical region on pseudochromosome MC01, which did not include any homologous gynoecy genes previously reported in Cucurbitaceae species. Furthermore, a novel gene, MC01g1681, which encodes a cytidine triphosphate synthase, was considered the underlying gene of Mcgy1 on the basis of the results of RNA sequencing, multiple genomic sequence variation and expression analyses. In addition, transcriptome analysis of S156G and its monoecious near-isogenic line S156 revealed the potential molecular mechanisms of the formation of gynoecy in bitter gourd. Our findings provide a new insight into inheritance modes of gynoecious plants in Cucurbitaceae species and a theoretical basis for breeding gynoecious bitter gourd lines by the use of molecular markers.
Genomic Profiling of lower-grade gliomas subtype with distinct molecular and clinicopathologic characteristics via altered DNA-damage repair features
Authors: Maimaiti Aierpati , Liu Yanwen , Wang Xixian , Feng Zhaohai , Wang Jiaming , Xie Zhihao , Mijiti Maimaitili , Turhon Mirzat , Alimu Nilipaer , Liang Wenbao , Jiang Lei , Pei Yinan
Published: October 2022

Background: Lower WHO grade II and III gliomas (LGGs) are characterized by widespread genetic and transcriptional heterogeneity, yet little is known about the heterogeneity of the DNA Damage Repair (DDR), its function in tumor biology, coupling with the transcriptome and tumor microenvironment (TM) and its possible impact for tumor development.
Methods: In this study, we analyzed gene expression profiles downloaded from TCGA, CGGA, and GEO databases. The DNA damage repair (DDR) alterations among LGG have been studied via multi-omics data integration. For this, LGG patients have been grouped into distinct subtypes (DDR-activated and the DDR-suppressed subtype) based on different clinicalparameters and molecular characteristics. The differences in gene mutation, immune spectrum, and immune cell infiltration between the two DDR subtypes were compared. We generated DDR subtype features (DDR scores) to implement DDR classification in LGG and confirmed the results using a multi-layer data cohort. In addition, the characteristics of DDR subtypes predicted by immunotherapy responses and their roles in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIM) were explored.
Result: The DDR activation subgroup was found to be associated with poorer overall survival based on molecular subtypes, and clinicopathological features of advanced-age and higher-grade were more common in the DDR-activated subgroup. DDR-suppressed subtypes also exhibited more frequent mutations in IDH1. We also found significant upregulation of activated immune cells in the DDR-activated subgroup, which indicates significant influence posed by infiltration of immune cells on tumor progression as well as immunotherapeutic responses. In addition, six DDR genes were selected to construct a DDR signature of LGG, dividing patients into low- and high-risk groups. Within the IMvigor210 cohort, there were fewer CR/PR groups in the high-score patients, as well as concomitant shorter survival times. CR/PR group had higher DDR characteristics scores compared to the SD/PD group. QRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of CDK1, CDK2, TYMS, SMC4, and WEE1 were found to be considerably higher for LGG samples compared to normal brain tissue samples (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: In conclusion, our work sheds light on the DDR heterogeneity of LGG and advances our knowledge of the molecular pathways in DDR that lead to LGG.
An Evaluation Model of Autonomy Levels in Manufacturing and its Features
Authors: Mo Fan , Monetti Fabio Marco , Torayev Agajan , Rehman Hamood Ur , Alberola Jose A. Mulet , Minango Nathaly Rea , Nguyen Hien Ngoc , Maffei Antonio , Chaplin Jack C.
Published: October 2022

Modern manufacturing has to cope with dynamic and changing circumstances. Market fluctuations, the effects caused by unpredictable material shortages, highly variable product demand, and worker availability all require system robustness, flexibility, and resilience. To adapt to these new requirements, manufacturers should consider investigating, investing in, and implementing system autonomy.
Autonomy is being adopted in multiple industrial contexts, but divergences arise when formalising the concept of autonomous systems. To develop an implementation of autonomous manufacturing systems it is essential to specify what autonomy means, how autonomous manufacturing systems are different from other autonomous systems, and how autonomous manufacturing systems are identified and achieved through the main features and enabling technologies.
With a comprehensive literature review, this paper provides a definition of autonomy in the manufacturing context, infers the features of autonomy from different engineering domains, and presents a five-level model of autonomy -- associated with maturity levels for the features -- to ensure the complete identification and evaluation of autonomous manufacturing systems. The paper also presents the evaluation of a real autonomous system that serves as a use-case and a validation of the model.
Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination among parents of children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in Saudi Arabia.
Authors: saad Ali Jawad Al , Alhassan Ghadeer Mohammed , Albedaiwi Maryam Saleh , Alqattan Fatimah Fathi , Alessa Fatimah Ali , Abdulmohsen Hawra Wasel
Published: October 2022

Background: Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination may be less common among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. This study aimed to explore the beliefs and willingness of parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders about COVID-19 vaccine and understand how certain factors influencing the vaccine decision-making process differ between them and other parents’ groups.
Methods: A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted between August to November 2021. 400 parents from all 6 major regions in Saudi Arabia participated in an Arabic online survey and shared their beliefs about the new COVID-19 vaccination for their children.
Results: The Cronbach alpha for Arabic version score was 0.71. 381 participants were eligible to answer the survey (95.2%) from 400 participants. The total number of parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorder was 158 (41.5%). 85 (53.8%) of them were ready to vaccinate their children with COVID-19 vaccine. While 36 (22.8%) were hesitant, the rest 37 (23.4%) did not want to vaccinate their children at all. Only a small number 16 (10.1%) have beliefs of vaccines as a cause of their child’s neurodevelopmental disorder. A total of 79 out of 131 responses were received from both parents’ groups. Fear of long-term side-effects was the most common reason reported by 41 responders out of 64 (64.06%) from parents of healthy children and 38 responders out of 67 (56.71%) from parents of diagnosed children. Another reason reported by parents of younger children in both groups was the child’s age. Having a healthcare relative worker was significantly associated with the vaccine decision making (p < .001).
Conclusion: Although the majority of the respondents were willing to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, there are a number of parents around 45.14% who strongly refuse vaccination or are undecided about it yet. More information about the importance and safety of the vaccine should be accessible to those parents.
Ten years of online incident reporting and learning using CPiRLS: implications for improved patient safety.
Authors: Thomas Mark , Swait Gabrielle , Finch Rob
Published: October 2022

Background
Safety Incident (SI) reporting and learning via incident reporting systems (IRS) is used to identify areas for patient safety improvement. The Chiropractic Patient Incident Reporting and Learning System (CPiRLS) was launched in 2009 and is currently available to all UK chiropractors and members of the European Chiropractors Union (ECU). The primary aim was to analyse the SIs submitted to CPiRLS over a 10-year period to identify key areas for patient safety improvement.
Method
All SIs on CPiRLS were extracted and analysed over a 10-year period (April 2009 to March 2019). Frequency statistics were used to describe 1) the level of SI reporting and learning by the chiropractic profession 2) the nature of the reported SIs including levels of patient harm. Key areas for patient safety improvement were identified following review of the database and consideration by an expert panel.
Results
A total of 268 SIs were recorded on the database over the 10-year period, of those, 85% originated from the UK. Evidence of learning was documented in 143 (53.4%) SIs. The largest subcategory of SIs related to post-treatment distress or pain, n = 71 (26.5%). Twenty-nine (10.8%) of all SIs involved a (potential) trip or fall with an additional eight SIs relating to syncope. A total of 26 (9.7%) SIs represented some type of rib distress or pain with 14 suggesting a rib fracture was likely to have occurred. Twenty-two (8.2%) SIs related to (potentially) missing a potential serious underlying pathology. Fourteen (5.2%) SIs involved disruption in the continuity of care. Six key areas of patient safety improvement were identified following review of the data and consideration of the expert panel.
Conclusion
Under-reporting of SIs is apparent on CPiRLS, however, an upward trend was identified over the 10-year period. Several key areas for patient safety improvement have been identified that need to be disseminated to the chiropractic profession including through the development of safer practice notices. Improved reporting practice needs to be facilitated to improve the value and validity of reporting data. CPiRLS is important in identifying key areas for patient safety improvement and should be reviewed periodically.
Microbial Bowel Infections-Induced Biochemical and Biological Abnormalities among Young Egyptian Swimmers: Associated Risk Factors Affecting Swimming Performance Running title: Swimmers’ Microbial Bowel Infections and Swimming Performance
Authors: Hassanein Faika , Awwad Zeinab M. , Abdel-Salam Hussin , Salem Mohamed , Shehata Amany I. , Masoud Inas M.
Published: October 2022

Swimmers’ personal hygiene affects the spread of microbes in swimming pools. The present study aimed to determine the incidence of microbial infections among young Egyptian swimmers and its impact on biochemical parameters, and swimming performance. From January 2020 to June 2021, 528 public club swimmers were examined cross-sectionally. Swimmers were divided into two groups according their scores in the competition (group1 with high score and group 2 with low score). Stool samples, biochemical parameters and complete blood picture were assessed. Biological measures were evaluated directly after swimming. Microbial infections were 54% for intestinal parasitosis, 2.8% for H. pylori. Blastocystis spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. infected 24.1% and 23.3% of swimmers, respectively. Infection rates among swimmers’ groups varied according to gender, age, swimming duration and frequency. Infected swimmers with cryptosporidiosis had higher ALT, WBCs, and differential cells but lower AST levels. The results revealed high prevalence of Blastocystis spp., Cryptosporidium spp., and microsporidia. Swimming habits, frequency, and duration influenced the infectious status that induced anemia, abnormal blood pressure and heart rate. Giardiasis, showed reduction in the biochemical markers including ferritin, lactoferrin, iron and transferrin among group2 as compared to group1. Thus, raising swimmers’ hygiene awareness and targeting health education is obliged.
Exfoliation Procedure-Dependent Optical Properties of Solution Deposited MoS2 Films
Authors: Stevenson Peter , Busch Robert , Sun Lirong , Austin Drake , Jiang Jie , Miesle Paige , Susner Michael , Conner Benjamin , Jawaid Ali , Becks Shannon , Mahalingam Krishnamurthy , Velez Michael , Torsi Riccardo , Robinson Joshua , Rao Rahul , Glavin Nicholas , Pachter Ruth , Vaia Richard , Kennedy W , Vernon Jonathan
Published: October 2022

The development of high-precision large-area optical coatings and devices comprising low-dimensional materials hinges on scalable solution-based manufacturability with control over exfoliation technique-induced effects. As such, it is critical to understand the influence of technique-induced transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) optical properties that impact the design, performance, and integration of advanced optical coatings and devices. Here, we examine the optical properties of semiconducting MoS2 films from the exfoliation formulations of four prominent approaches: solvent-mediated exfoliation, chemical exfoliation with phase reconversion, redox exfoliation, and native redox exfoliation. The resulting MoS2 films exhibit distinct refractive indices (n), extinction coefficients (k), dielectric functions (ε1 and ε2), and absorption coefficients (α). For example, a large index contrast of Δn ≈ 2.3 is observed. These exfoliation procedures and related chemistries produce different exfoliated flake dimensions, chemical impurities, carrier doping, and lattice strain that influence the resulting optical properties. First principles calculations further confirm the impact of lattice defects and doping characteristics on MoS2 optical properties. Overall, incomplete phase reconfiguration (1T to 2H), lattice vacancies, intraflake strain, and Mo oxidation largely contribute to the observed differences in the MoS2 optical properties. These findings highlight the need for controlled technique-induced effects as well as the opportunity for continued development of, and improvement to, liquid phase exfoliation methodologies. Such chemical and processing-induced effects present compelling routes to engineer exfoliated TMDC optical properties toward the development of next-generation high-performance mirrors, narrow bandpass filters, and wavelength-tailored absorbers.
Regiodivergent ZnO-NP-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Synthesis of Substituted Quinolines and Application of N-Oxide via Late-Stage Diversification
Authors: Kumar Atul , Kumar Navaneet , Bhadoria Deepak , Kumar Rajesh
Published: October 2022

An efficient regiodivergent ZnO-NP catalyzed decarboxylative protocol for the direct synthesis of 3-arylquinolines and 2,3-diarylquinolines with readily available cinnamic acids and arylazides via C-H functionalization and C-C/C-N bond formation has been developed. In this work, the regioselectivity can be rationally tuned via the perfect choice of reaction solvents; 3-substituted quinolines were obtained when ethylene glycol was used as the solvent, whereas the use of AcOH as solvent afforded 2,3-disubstituted quinolines. The reaction is simple, gram-scale synthesis, environmentally friendly, and proceeds under very mild conditions with a range of functionalities in good to excellent yields. Furthermore, this strategy’s synthetic utility provided a practical approach for the C-H activation of 3-substituted quinoline via N-oxide through the C-C, C-O, C-S, and C-N bond formation and late-stage functionalization (LSF) of drug molecules and natural products were also performed.
A Biochemical Assay Provides Better Diagnosis for Active Malaria Infection
Authors: Okeke Ifeanyichukwu , Cosmas Okeke , Chinonso Peter , Chinelo Victoria
Published: October 2022

Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium parasite and it is the most deadly parasitic disease affecting humanity. Detection of this microscopic organism using currently available techniques in the face of reducing quality of testing reagents is increasingly becoming quite challenging especially in low prevalent settings and low density infections. The absence of a particular detection method devoid of shortcomings and pitfalls of significant order prompted the development of a simple biochemical in vitro diagnostic technique for malaria detection known as AfinUrimal. In this study we examined the efficacy of AfinUrimal in detecting malaria using stained blood microscopy method as the reference standards for detecting active infection on 397 patients with febrile illness in Jos, Nigeria in the year 2022. Sensitivity/specificity of AfinUrimal method against stained blood microscopy method was 99.42/92.0% respectively. The analysis showed that biochemical detection of malaria infection using AfinUrimal provides greater sensitivity and specificity useful for diagnostic, epidemiological and research purposes.
Skp2-ubiquitinated MLKL degradation confers cisplatin-resistant in non-small cell lung cancer cells
Authors: Liu haidan , Zhou Huiling , Zhou Li , Guan Qing , Hou Xuyang , Wang Cong , Liu Lijun , Wang Jian , Yu Xinfang , Li Wei
Published: October 2022

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most prevalent type of cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death. Chemotherapic resistance is a major obstacle in the treatment of NSCLC patients. Here, we found that E3 ligase Skp2 is overexpressed, accompanied by the downregulation of necroptosis-related regulator MLKL in human NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of Skp2 inhibited viability, anchorage-independent growth and xenograft tumor growth of NSCLC cells. We also found that Skp2 protein is inversely correlated with MLKL protein in NSCLC tissues. Moreover, in cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cells, Skp2 protein level is increased, accompanied by a significant increase of MLKL ubiquitination and a decrease of MLKL protein level. Accordingly, the inhibition of Skp2 partially restores MLKL and sensitizes NSCLC cells to cisplatin both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, Skp2 interacts with MLKL and promotes the ubiquitination and degradation of MLKL, which participates in cisplatin resistance in NSCLC cells. Our results provide evidence of a Skp2-dependent mechanism regulating MLKL degradation and involving in cisplatin-resistant in NSCLC cells, suggesting that targeting Skp2-ubiquitinated MLKL degradation may overcome NSCLC chemoresistance.
Chiral Phosphoric Acid-Catalyzed Enantioselective Phosphinylation of 3,4-Dihydroisoquinolines with diarylphosphine oxides: Access to cyclic chiral α-amino diarylphosphine oxides
Authors: Guo Yongbiao , gao Zhenhua , Duan Yanan , Xiao Junhua
Published: October 2022

A chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed enantioselective phosphinylation of 3,4-dihydroisoquinolines with diarylphosphine oxides has been developed for the efficient and practical construction of a family of chiral α-amino diarylphosphine oxide with a diverse range of functional groups. The phosphine products are suitable for transforming to several kinds of chiral (thio)ureas, which might be employed as chiral ligands or catalysts with potential applications in asymmetric catalysis. Control and NMR tracking experiments show that the reaction proceeds via the intermediacy of tert-butyl 1-(tert-butoxy)-3,4-dihydroiso-quinoline-2(1H)-carboxylate, followed by C-P bond formation. Furthermore, computational studies elucidated that the hydrogen at C-8 position of 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline along with imine hydrogen enables formation of the key transition-state that determines the stereoselectivity in the formation of C-P bond during the whole catalytic process.
Next Location Recommendation: A Multi-context Features Integration Perspective
Authors: Wei Xuemei , Liu Chunli , Liu Yezheng , Li Yang , Zhang Kai
Published: October 2022

Next location recommendation aims to mine users’ historical trajectories to predict their potentially preferred locations in the next moment. Although previous studies have explored the idea of incorporating location or social contextual information for recommendation, they still suffer from several major limitations: (1) not fully considering the semantic associations between locations, (2) not considering the heterogeneity in preferences of socially linked users, (3) not fully utilizing contextual information from distinctive sources to further improve the recommendation performance. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-context-based next location recommendation model that incorporates location context, trajectory context, and social context to obtain comprehensive users’ preferences while allowing for interactions between contexts. Specifically, we first develop an efficient method combining both high-order location graphs and location semantic graphs to characterize subtle associations between locations. Then we explore the social contextual information and introduce the location subgraph which considers heterogeneous preferences among friends. Finally, we use the LSTM and geo-dilated LSTM to capture the spatio-temporal associations between users’ trajectories and integrate various contextual information to improve model performance. Extensive experiments on three real datasets show that our model has superior results in the next location recommendation task over other baselines.
Effect of digital rectal examination on prostate specific antigen levels among patients with lower urinary tract symptoms in Uganda
Authors: Musinguzi Brian , Ndunda Balaam , Muhumuza Joshua , Kamabu Fiston Kinyamaniyi , Hakizimana Theoneste , Osman Mohamud Jelle , Okedi Xaviour Francis
Published: October 2022

Introduction Prostatic cancer is a major contributor to mortality among men globally. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a screening investigation for cancer of the prostate. The combination of serum PSA and digital rectal examination (DRE) allows early detection of prostate cancer. Studies have revealed that DRE causes an elevation in serum PSA levels. This rise following DRE may be mistaken for the rise associated with malignancy. Most clients in our setting come to the urology clinic as referrals from primary physicians when DRE has been done. There is a significant knowledge gap regarding whether the PSA change following DRE is significant enough to warrant withholding PSA measurement in these patients that come after having DRE; the reason this study was done. Methods This was a single centre prospective longitudinal study done at Ishaka Adventist hospital in which an interviewer administered questionnaire was filled for each patient that consented. After filling the questionnaire, a venous blood sample was drawn, DRE done and 1-hour later, another blood sample drawn. Total PSA was measured for both samples and data analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results Data for 102 participants was analyzed, whose mean age was 61.85 ± 12.73 years. The paired samples T test revealed a small mean increase in PSA following DRE (0.40 ng/ml) that was not significant (p = 0.061). The number of patients whose clinical decision would be affected (changed) by the PSA measured after DRE was 3 (2.9%, CI = 0.0%-6.9%) if cutoff was 3 ng/ml and 2 (2.0%, CI = 0.0%-4.9%) at 4 ng/ml cutoff. The confidence intervals in both scenarios included 0.0%, suggesting that there would be no significant effect on the clinical decision if the PSA was done post DRE. Conclusion. DRE can be used in screening and clinical assessment of prostate cancer without fear of interfering with PSA result interpretation and patient management.
Use of Fourier Phase Characteristics and Effective Stress Analyses: A Result for the ESG6 Blind Prediction Steps 2&3
Authors: Nozu Atsushi
Published: October 2022

This article describes the methods employed by the author and the results for the ESG6 Blind Prediction Steps 2&3. The target event for Step 2 was an M5.9 earthquake in the Aso region, Japan. To simulate ground motions at the target site “KUMA”, the author used the site-effect substitution method. The Fourier amplitude spectrum was estimated from the spectral ratio between KUMA and a nearby station JMA. The Fourier phase spectrum was approximated by the spectrum of another event at KUMA. Comparison between the estimated and recorded ground motions after the blind prediction revealed that, except for the error in the arrival time, the estimated ground motions were fairly consistent with the observed ground motions, indicating the effectiveness of the site-effect substitution method when the rupture process of the target event is simple and the soil nonlinearity at the target site is not significant. The target events for Step 3 were the M6.5 foreshock and the M7.3 mainshock of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence. To simulate ground motions at KUMA, the author used a similar method to estimate the Fourier amplitude spectrum, however, the author simply used the Fourier phase spectrum at JMA for the target events. Then, the author conducted effective stress analyses using a program called “FLIP”. The parameters were determined from the PS logging results, N values and fine particle content. Comparison between the estimated and recorded ground motions after the blind prediction indicated that, although the estimated ground motions captured the main phases of the recorded ground motions, the low frequency components were overestimated and the high frequency components were underestimated. The strong soil nonlinearity considered in the effective stress analyses was the main cause of the discrepancy between the estimated and observed ground motions. One explanation for this result could be that the nonlinear soil behavior at KUMA during the foreshock and the mainshock was not a strong one. Another explanation could be that the effect of soil nonlinearity was already included in the records at JMA and the effect of soil nonlinearity was double counted in the results submitted by the author.