bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toxicity of Glycyl-l-Prolyl-l-Glutamate Pseudotripeptides: Cytotoxic, Oxidative, Genotoxic, and Embryotoxic Perspectives
Authors: Turkez Hasan , Ozdemir Tozlu Ozlem , Tatar Arzu , Arslan Mehmet Enes , Cadirci Kenan , Marinelli Lisa , Yapca Omer Erkan , Cacciatore Ivana , Di Stefano Antonio , Mardinoglu Adil
Published: November 2022

The tripeptide H-Gly-Pro-Glu-OH (GPE) and its analogs began to take much interest from scientists for developing effective novel molecules in the treatment of several disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke. The peptidomimetics of GPEs exerted significant biological properties involving anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and anticancer properties. The assessments of their hematological toxicity potentials are critically required for their possible usage in further preclinical and clinical trials against a wide range of pathological conditions. However, there is so limited information on the safety profiling of GPE and its analogs on human blood tissue from cytotoxic, oxidative, and genotoxic perspectives. And, their embryotoxicity potentials were not investigated yet. Therefore, in this study, measurements of mitochondrial viability (using MTT assay) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release as well as total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assays were performed on cultured human whole blood cells after treatment with GPE and its three novel peptidomimetics for 72 h. Sister chromatid exchange (SCE), micronucleus (MN), and 8-oxo-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) assays were performed for determining the genotoxic damage potentials. In addition, the nuclear division index (NDI) was figured out for revealing their cytostatic potentials. Embryotoxicity assessments were performed on cultured human pluripotent NT2 embryonal carcinoma cells by MTT and LDH assays. The present results from cytotoxicity, oxidative, genotoxicity, and embryotoxicity testing clearly propounded that GPEs had good biosafety profiles and were trouble-free from the toxicological point of view. Noncytotoxic, antioxidative, nongenotoxic, noncytostatic, and nonembryotoxic features of GPE analogs are worthwhile exploring further and may exert high potentials for improving the development of novel disease-modifying agents.
Accuracy of Teledentistry for Diagnosis and Treatment Planning of Pediatric Patients during COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Golsanamloo Ozra , Iranizadeh Sanaz , Jamei Khosroshahi Amir Reza , Erfanparast Leila , Vafaei Ali , Ahmadinia Yalda , Maleki Dizaj Solmaz
Published: November 2022

Teledentistry is a new technology in the dentistry field, which has great benefits during pandemic such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The overall purpose of the study was to assess the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of virtual (mobile phone teledentistry) compared with clinical examinations during COVID-19. The basic design of the study was based on the comparison treatment plans by the students and the gold standard (clinical treatment plan of an expert pedodontist with 10 years of clinical experience). This double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 20 children (aged 6 to 12 years) with a chief complaint of dental caries with or without pain. An appropriate radiograph and five standard intraoral photographs (frontal view occlusion, maxillary occlusal view, mandibular occlusal view, right lateral view, and left lateral view) were prescribed for each patient according to the guidelines of the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry. Then, the treatment plan for the carious teeth was recorded for each patient. Each patient underwent a clinical examination at first and was followed randomly by a virtual examination by two dental students. Then, the clinical and virtual treatment plans were compared with each other, and also with the gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity values were calculated for each group. The accuracy of the diagnosis was measured by applying Cohen’s kappa. Interexaminer reliability was measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach’s alpha. The mean kappa coefficient for the interexaminer agreement (for 24 teeth) was 0.62 in clinical and 0.69 in virtual examinations. The results showed no significant difference in the treatment plans of students and the gold standard (

P
>
0.05

). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 73.22% and 95.8% for clinical and 76.44% and 92.9% for virtual treatment plans showing no significant differences between virtual (mobile phone teledentistry) and clinical examinations (

P
>
0.05

). The intraexaminer reliability of the examiners was found to be 0.92 by calculating the ICC. Then, teledentistry can be considered as a supplement to clinical examinations of pediatric dentistry, finally resulting in better patient management. However, more studies are necessary for teledentistry.
A Factorization Deep Product Neural Network for Student Physical Performance Prediction
Authors: Jiao Xiaoxia
Published: November 2022

As we all know, sports have great benefits for students. However, with more and more learning pressure, students' physical education has not been paid attention to by teachers and parents, so the analysis and prediction of physical education performance have become significant work. This paper proposes a new method (factorization deep product neural network) for PE course score prediction. The experimental results show that, compared with the existing performance prediction methods (LR, SVM, FM, and the DNN), the proposed method achieves the best prediction effect on the sports education dataset. Compared with the traditional optimal methods, the accuracy and AUC of DNN are both improved by 2%. In addition, there is also a significant improvement in accuracy, recall, and F1. In addition, this study found that considering two or more features at the same time has a certain influence on the prediction results of students’ grades. The proposed feature combination method can learn feature combinations automatically, consider the influence of first-order features, second-order features, and high-order features in the meantime, and acquire the relationship information between each feature and performance. Compared with single-feature learning, the proposed method in this paper can enhance prediction accuracy significantly. Moreover, several dimensionality reduction methods are used in this paper, and we found that the PCA model for data processing outperformed all the benchmark models.
Motion Route Planning and Obstacle Avoidance Method for Mobile Robot Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Cui Jichao , Nie Guanghua
Published: November 2022

In order to improve the motion route planning effect and obstacle avoidance effect of mobile robots, this paper combines the deep learning theory to analyze the motion route planning and obstacle avoidance process of mobile robots. According to the obstacle avoidance trajectory and constraints, this paper establishes a safe distance model for obstacle avoidance, then analyzes the braking process of the robot, and designs an improved safety model for obstacle avoidance. This model integrates two relatively mature safety models, complements their advantages and disadvantages, and comprehensively considers robot safety and the utilization of the motion path. According to the simulation test research, the robot based on deep learning proposed in this paper has a good motion route planning effect and obstacle avoidance effect and can effectively improve the autonomous motion effect of the robot.
Patient- and Health-System-Related Barriers to Treatment Adherence for Patients with Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in the Philippines: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Endo Yutaka , Jaramillo Jahn , Yadav Rajendra Prasad Hubraj
Published: November 2022

Purpose. In the Philippines, drug-resistant tuberculosis (DRTB) is a growing concern. Healthcare workers face challenges in retaining patients with DRTB in care. This study intends to understand their perspectives on the factors that influence patient treatment outcomes and to propose potential programmatic solutions for strengthening care services for the patients. Methods. A mixed-methods study was conducted in the Philippines between December 2017 and March 2018 to understand the major barriers for healthcare workers to provide quality care to DRTB patients across the care continuum. In the quantitative phase, healthcare workers participated in an online survey; in the qualitative phase, in-depth interviews were conducted with a select number of the survey respondents to better understand their survey responses. Results. 272 healthcare workers participated in the survey, and of those, 11 were interviewed. Survey results identified economic constraints, patient perceptions of care, family-related concerns, and limited accessibility to healthcare services as the major patient-related barriers across the care continuum. Major health-system-related barriers were insufficient human resources, lack of financial and political support, and limited knowledge about DRTB by healthcare providers. Interviews revealed more elaborate, contextualized, and nuanced aspects of each of the major challenges. The elaborated patient-related barriers included expenses needed during treatment (e.g., transportation); fear of being stigmatized by family, community, or healthcare staff; worries about adverse drug reactions from medication; a lack of family support; and the location of patients’ homes. The health-system-related barriers revealed through interviews included the limited capacities of facility staff to provide DRTB care due to insufficient human resources; the shortage of funds to support treatment completion (e.g., transportation allowance and food package for patients, service vehicles and mobile phone costs for outreach actions at the facility level); and discrimination by healthcare staff against patients with DRTB attributed to the staff’s limited knowledge and experiences of treating the patients. Conclusion. This study identified the main barriers for DRTB facility staff in the Philippines from the perspectives of providers. Further exploration of the barriers and best practices in facilities may be useful for improving DRTB care in the Philippines.
A Retrospective Study: Quick Scoring of Symptoms to Estimate the Risk of Cardiac Arrest in the Emergency Department
Authors: Xu Yaoke , Zhang Hua , Zhao Zongxuan , Wen Kaifeng , Tian Ci , Zhai Qiangrong , Bai Yi , Li Shu , Ge Hongxia , Li Xiaodan , Zhou Qidi , Ma Qingbian
Published: November 2022

Purpose. At present, not enough is known about the symptoms before cardiac arrest. The purpose of this study is to describe the precursor symptoms of cardiac arrest, focusing on the relationship between symptoms and cardiac arrest, and to establish a quick scoring model of symptoms for predicting cardiac arrest. Patients and Methods. A retrospective case-control study was carried out on cardiac arrest patients who visited the emergency department of Peking University Third Hospital from January 2018 to June 2019. Symptoms that occurred or were obviously aggravated within the 14 days before CA were defined as warning symptoms. Results. More than half the cardiac arrest patients experienced warning symptoms within 14 days before cardiac arrest. Dyspnea (

p
<
0.001

) was found to be associated with cardiac arrest; syncope and cold sweat are other symptoms that may have particular clinical significance. Gender (

p
<
0.001

), age (

p
<
0.001

), history of heart failure (

p
=
0.006

), chronic kidney disease (

p
=
0.011

), and hyperlipidemia (

p
=
0.004

) were other factors contributing to our model. Conclusions. Warning symptoms during the 14 days prior to cardiac arrest are common for CA patients. The Quick Scoring Model for Cardiac Arrest (QSM-CA) was developed to help emergency physicians and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel quickly identify patients with a high risk of cardiac arrest.
Comparing Conventional and Deep Feature Models for Classifying Fundus Photography of Hemorrhages
Authors: Aziz Tamoor , Charoenlarpnopparut Chalie , Mahapakulchai Srijidtra
Published: November 2022

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye-related pathology creating abnormalities and causing visual impairment, proper treatment of which requires identifying irregularities. This research uses a hemorrhage detection method and compares the classification of conventional and deep features. Especially, the method identifies hemorrhage connected with blood vessels or residing at the retinal border and was reported challenging. Initially, adaptive brightness adjustment and contrast enhancement rectify degraded images. Prospective locations of hemorrhages are estimated by a Gaussian matched filter, entropy thresholding, and morphological operation. Hemorrhages are segmented by a novel technique based on the regional variance of intensities. Features are then extracted by conventional methods and deep models for training support vector machines and the results are evaluated. Evaluation metrics for each model are promising, but findings suggest that comparatively, deep models are more effective than conventional features.
Healthcare-Seeking Behavior and Associated Factors for Newborn Danger Signs among Mothers Who Gave Birth in the Last 12 Months in Anlemo District
Authors: Abute Idris Zeyene , Tolu Feyissa Garumma , Tesfaye Elilo Legesse , Selamu Jifar Markos , Mecha Aregash
Published: November 2022

Background. Healthcare-seeking behavior is referred to as any action taken by individuals who believe they have a health problem or are ill in order to find an appropriate remedy. The aim of this is to assess healthcare-seeking behavior on newborn danger signs and associated factors among mothers who gave birth in the last 12 months in the Anlemo district. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Anlemo district from June 15th, 2019 to July 16th, 2019. Data were collected from 421 randomly selected mothers through a face-to-face interview. Data were cleaned and entered into Epi-Data version 3.1, and then, exported to SPSS version 22.0 for analysis. Binary logistic regression withpvalues less than 0.25 was entered into a multivariable logistic regression for analysis. Finally, adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals at apvalue of <0.05 were considered as a statistically significant association with the outcome variable. Results. Among mothers whose newborns faced newborn danger signs, 34.5% (95% CI: 28.7, 40.5%) sought medical attention for newborn danger signs. When mothers were faced with neonatal danger signs, the multivariable logistic regression model identified three independent variables that were associated with their healthcare-seeking behavior. Mothers who had a college degree or above were 6.34 times more likely than mothers who could not read or write to seek medical care (AOR = 6.34, 95% CI: 1.23–32.69). Mothers or healthcare seekers who did not travel a long distance (less than 5 kilometers) to acquire healthcare were 2.53 times more likely than mothers who traveled a long distance (AOR = 2.53, 95% CI: 1.05–6.08), which had a significant association with the dependent variable. Conclusions. In this study, the proportion of mothers seeking care for newborn danger signs was low, and the mothers’ education, time to reach the nearest health facility, and place of delivery were factors of statistical significance with the dependent variable.
Target Recognition Technology of Multimedia Platform Based on a Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Liu Jie , Zhang Jiamin
Published: November 2022

With the rapid development of the Internet, network media, as a new form of information dissemination, has penetrated into people’s daily life. In recent years, with the rapid transformation of Chinese social structure and the rise of self-media platforms, various social contradictions have been highlighted in the form of online public opinion. Especially on online multimedia platforms, the spread of online public opinion is more rapid, which can easily lead to social hotspots. In order to effectively supervise the public opinion information on the Internet, it is necessary to identify the target of the information on the multimedia platform and effectively screen the information, so as to control the network public opinion in the development stage. Aiming at the above problems, we propose a multitarget retrieval method based on a convolutional neural network, which uses multitarget detection algorithm to locate multitarget regions and extract regional features and uses cosine distance as a similarity measure for multitarget recognition. In view of the slow feature extraction speed of VGG model, a lightweight mobile network model is proposed to replace the original VGG model on the mobile phone to reduce the retrieval time and realize the recognition of specific targets on the multimedia platform, and it is applied to the verification of image recognition on the multimedia platform. The results show that the algorithm proposed in this paper has great advantages in multitarget recognition tasks.
Application and Analysis of Big Data Mining in the Foreign Affairs Translation System
Authors: Zhang Chaowei
Published: November 2022

Based on the expansion of scientific and technological capabilities, the trend of global integration has further strengthened, and the relations between countries have become closer and closer. Therefore, the foreign affairs translation system plays a very important role. Many scientific and technological projects have carried out research and analysis around the foreign affairs translation system. Nowadays, the wide variety of data and the complexity of languages in various countries force the processing structure of the foreign affairs translation system to be changed to adapt to the development of big data. In this context, this article studies the foreign affairs translation system based on big data mining technology and designs the application of a new foreign affairs translation system model. The results of the experiment are as follows: (1) The development status of big data mining technology and the problems existing in the current foreign affairs translation system are analyzed, and the research direction of the experiment is determined. The foreign affairs translation system is analyzed according to big data mining technology, which determines the technical guarantee for the research of this article. (2) In keeping with the traditional effective foreign affairs translation system, this article uses big data mining algorithm analysis, the fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm, and the BP neural network algorithm to identify and analyze the problems of the foreign affairs translation model about data analysis ability technology, which quickly and accurately analyzes the problems of the system and optimizes and improves according to the specific problems.
Acute Inflammatory Pericarditis following First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine (AstraZeneca)
Authors: Alshaikh Mohammed , Muharib Abdullah , Alshehri Radhi , Alshoaibi Abdulaziz , Qattea Mohammed , AlOtaiby Shahad
Published: November 2022

Background. Clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine reported the safety and efficacy of mRNA vaccines (AstraZeneca) to help control the disease. Few previous reports have shown various side effects associated with COVID-19 vaccines that vary in severity. The possibility of pericarditis and myocarditis has been observed in people who have received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine which we are reporting. Acute inflammatory pericarditis can be a rare presentation after receiving the first dose of this vaccine, and it is enriching to share such rare presentations in the era of COVID-19 for better management and outcomes after vaccination. Case Presentation. This is a case of acute inflammatory pericarditis with a small pericardial effusion after receiving the first dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in a healthy adult patient who had no other symptoms suggestive of other viral illness in addition to the negative COVID-19 PCR. A 48-year-old healthy male presented nine days after receiving the first dose of COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine. The symptoms started three days after the vaccine, when he complained of progressive retrosternal chest pain with low-grade fever and generalized fatigue, followed by exertional dyspnea after a few days. The diagnosis of acute inflammatory pericarditis with small pericardial effusion was established, and the patient was accordingly treated. One week later, the patient showed significant clinical improvement with the resolution of his pericardial effusion. After 39 days, there was a significant radiological resolution of signs of acute pericarditis. Conclusion. The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak is still under investigation, and guidelines are regularly modified since we are continuously learning about this novel disease, although multiple vaccines have been shown to be effective against COVID-19. However, we report a case of unique clinical manifestation that has not been reported widely in the literature, after receiving the first dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, and that it may help raise awareness of the possible diagnosis and the possibility of inflammatory pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination.
An Efficient Searchable Symmetric Encryption Scheme for Smart Grid Data
Authors: Xiong Hongyan , Wu Ting , Qi Yongxing , Shen Yanzhao , Zhu Yani , Zhang Peng , Dong Xinfeng
Published: November 2022

In recent years, the combination of power systems and IoT (Internet of things) has become a new generation of smart grid. Cloud computing is used to provide storage and computing services for smart grid data due to its convenience. Generally, searchable encryption technology is considered a feasible solution to guarantee data security and support search function. Li proposed a searchable symmetric encryption scheme based on pseudo-random function for smart grid data in 2019. In this paper, we propose a more efficient and more secure searchable symmetric encryption scheme for smart grid data. The scheme improves the search efficiency by introducing the Bloom filter and changing the structure of the index. Specifically, we first narrow the search scope and then perform a second search, which eliminates the false positive caused by the introduction of the Bloom filter. At the same time, we assign an ID to each piece of data (a row of data) in a tabular dataset, store the hash value of the ID (adding salt) in the index, and the search results are returned by the server contain none of the ID information, which improves security. Experiments on real data show that our scheme is 52% more efficient than the previous scheme.
Gastric Cancer-Circulating Tumor Cells Isolation by Folic Acid Immunolipid Magnetic Beads and Clinical Application
Authors: Chen Yuanwen , Xu Ping , Qiu Weiqing , Zhu Hongyi , Qian Changlin , Shen Huojian , Zhang Jie
Published: November 2022

CTCs plays a significant role in tumor prognosis, treatment and metastasis diagnosis, but CTCs isolation and enrichment with low concentrations is a critical step in early diagnosis and needs to be studied urgently. In this study, the use of folic acid-modified lipid magnetic spheres was used to separate GC-CTCs, and the correlation between CTCs counts and parameters, indicators, and prognosis recorded in clinical patients with gastric cancer was investigated. In our study, it was found that there were 26 benign patients with no CTC detected in their peripheral blood. Among 40 gastric cancer patients, CTC was detected, that is, CTC positive in 35 cases (the positive rate was 87.5%). At the same time, by analyzing the parameters recorded in clinical patients, it was found that the CTC positive was related to clinical stage, but not with patient age, histopathological type, and pathological grade. In addition, we also confirmed that the folic acid lipid magnetic spheres prepared by us can effectively separate GC-CTCs, and confirmed that the CTCs level was correlated with clinical stage, and the degree of progression is related to the clinical stage of gastric cancer patients: Samples with high CTC detection had shorter PFS. This study proves that folic acid lipid magnetic spheres can effectively separate gastric cancer CTCs, which is a reliable auxiliary means for the comprehensive diagnosis.
The Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Platform Based on Raspberry-Like Au@Au Nanoparticles for Sensitive Estriol Detection
Authors: Jiang Chuan , Shi Jianzhong
Published: November 2022

As an important secretion during pregnancy, estriol is closely related to fetal growth. Thus, it is very important to develop ultrasensitive and non-invasive detecting approaches for monitoring the concentration of estriol. Here, we provide a non-invasive, fast and sensitive Surface-enhanced
Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) detection platform that consist of spiky Au@Au nanoparticles (NPs) for fingerprint analysis of estriol. Based on the “lightning rod effect” and high scattering performance of the composite Au@Au structure, the detection sensitivity can be improved. Even
so, the lower scattering cross section of estriol makes it impossible to be directly detected. Considering that, the azo reaction strategy is introduced into our system to improve the molecular scattering cross section, further enhance the detection sensitivity of estriol by forming the N=N
bond. As a result, estriol can be detected to nanomolar level, which fully meets the detection requirements of estriol’s actual physiological range. We believe that this work not only provides an effective scope for the hypersensitive detection of estriol, but also provides an idea for
improving the scattering cross section of biomarkers by using the analyte manipulating approach, which is very important for the monitoring of human health indicators.
Adsorption Kinetics and Adsorption Thermodynamic Properties of Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) Building Materials in Black Soil
Authors: Ma Xiaohang , Zhang Jun , Wang Zonghua , Xu Yingzhe , Deng Minjie
Published: November 2022

The adsorption of organic pollutants by soil has an important impact on their migration, transformation and bioavailability. Black soil is rich in organic matter that plays an essential role in adsorption, which indicates that black soil may have a high adsorption capacity for DBP.
The significant DBP adsorption capacity of black soil was discovered through research into the adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic properties of DBP in black soil. This finding was consistent with pseudo-second-order kinetics. The adsorption was chemical adsorption, and intramolecular diffusion
was a critical control step in the adsorption process. The adsorption equilibrium time was 24 h. Analyzing the effects of temperature, pH, ionic strength and other conditions, it was found that reducing the temperature promoted the adsorption of DBP. When the pH was 7, the adsorption capacity
was the greatest. The capacity of DBP to adsorb was boosted by the rise in ionic strength, which also hindered DBP adsorption once it reached a certain threshold.
Bifunctional Oxidation Catalysis of New Titanium-Silicon Molecular Sieve (HTS-1) Based on the Reaction of Allyl Alcohol and Hydrogen Peroxide
Authors: Liu Xuanyan , Jing Yidan , She Yuanyuan , Liu Jun , Hu Wenwei , Yin Dulin
Published: November 2022

The HTS-1 (Hollow Titanium silicalite molecular sieve) catalyst with bifunctional catalysis showed superior catalytic activity in the epoxidation of olefins and the oxidation of alcohols. The competitive oxidation law of enols in the HTS-1/H2O2 oxidation system
was studied. The effects of various reaction conditions, such as the reaction temperature, solvent, catalyst type, and the amount of additive, were examined. The results indicated that the HTS-1 catalyst preferentially catalyzes AA epoxidation to produce glycidol (GLY) efficiently and selectively
using polar proton solvent and proper temperature. Using alkaline additives can greatly improve the catalytic activity of HTS-1 and selectivity of glycidol. Under optimal conditions, the conversion of AA can rate to 77%, and the selectivity of GLY can also achieve 91%.
Trends in Pregnancy Rates in an Urban Adolescent Clinic Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Fitzgerald Shannon L. , Davis Shannon , Dahlberg Suzanne , Waddicor Kathleen , Gordon Catherine M.
Published: November 2022

We examined COVID-19 pandemic-related changes on reproductive health care delivery and pregnancy rates in an adolescent clinic. Through a retrospective data collection as part of quality improvement project, we compared the number of pregnancies, visit percentages for newly diagnosed pregnancies, and number/percentage of long acting reversible contraception (LARC) visits. The percentage of visits for newly diagnosed pregnancies during the first 3 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-June 2020) increased significantly relative to pre-pandemic percentages while the absolute number of new pregnancies only trended upward. Over the same timeframe, the total number of LARC visits decreased, although they consisted of a higher percentage of all in-person visits than pre-pandemic. After the first few months of the pandemic, these values returned to pre-pandemic levels. The substantial increase in the rate of new pregnancies during the first 3 to 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the importance of prioritizing access to reproductive health care services for adolescents and young adults.
Resolution of Fever in the Pediatric Emergency Department and Bacteremia
Authors: Baker Alexandra H. , Monuteaux Michael C. , Michelson Kenneth A. , Neuman Mark I.
Published: November 2022

To determine whether a lack of response to antipyretics was associated with bacteremia, we performed a cross-sectional study involving children with an initial temperature ≥38°C presenting to a pediatric emergency department (ED) from 2012 to 2020 who received an antipyretic and had a blood culture obtained. We assessed the association of resolution of fever at specific time points after antipyretic administration with bacteremia adjusting for age, complex chronic condition, blood culture source, type of antipyretic, and height of temperature. Among 6319 febrile children, 242 (3.8%) had bacteremia. The adjusted odds ratio of bacteremia was 1.6 (95% confidence interval: 1.2-2.2) among children who remained febrile at 180 minutes and 1.7 (1.2-2.4) among children who remained febrile at 240 minutes. Among febrile children presenting to a tertiary care ED for whom a blood culture was obtained, the response to an antipyretic varies based on the presence or absence of bacteremia.
Political Regimes and Informal Social Insurance
Authors: López-Cariboni Santiago
Published: November 2022

Deliberate non-enforcement of the law has been analyzed as a policy tool to redistribute income. I show that it also responds to political incentives for the provision of insurance, resembling two well-known dimensions of social policy design. I analyze data from a large informal program of social insurance in the world: informal access to electricity service. Transmission and distribution losses (TDL) in the electricity sector are counter-cyclical because non-compliance and theft increase during economic crises. By exploiting variation in political institutions, I capture political motivations for the provision of informal insurance. Using a panel of 110 developing countries (1970–2014) and instrumental variables for business cycles and regime type, I show that unlike highly entrenched autocrats, democracies tolerate increases in electricity losses during negative income shocks. This paper expands the literature on “forbearance” showing how the provision of informal insurance varies across the developing world.
Complexifying Individualism Versus Collectivism and West Versus East: Exploring Global Diversity in Perspectives on Self and Other in the Gallup World Poll
Authors: Lomas Tim , Diego-Rosell Pablo , Shiba Koichiro , Standridge Priscilla , Lee Matthew T. , Case Brendan , Lai Alden Yuanhong , VanderWeele Tyler J.
Published: November 2022

A wealth of research has suggested the West tends toward individualism and the East toward collectivism. We explored this topic on an unprecedented scale through two new items in the 2020 Gallup World Poll, involving 121,207 participants in 116 countries. The first tapped into orientations toward self-care versus other-care (“Do you think people should focus more on taking care of themselves or on taking care of others?”). The second enquired into self-orientation versus other-orientation (“Which of the following is closest to your main purpose in life? Being good at what you do in your daily life, Caring for family and close friends, or Helping other people who need help?”). We anticipated that self-care and self-orientation would index individualism (hence be higher in the West), while other-care and other-orientation would index collectivism (hence be higher in the East). However, contrary to expectation, there was greater self-care in the East (45.82%) than in the West (41.58%). As predicted though, there was greater self-orientation in the West (30.20%) than in the East (23.08.%). Greater self-care in the East invites one of two interpretations. Either these items: (a) index individualism and collectivism as anticipated, so in some ways the East is more individualistic and the West less individualistic than assumed; or (b) do not index individualism and collectivism as anticipated, so the concepts are more complex than often realized (e.g., collectivism may involve prioritizing self-care over other-care). Either way, the findings help complexify these concepts, challenging common cross-cultural generalizations in this area.
Modeling and interactive simulation of measures against infection transmission
Authors: Abadeer Mina , Magharious Sameh , Gorlatch Sergei
Published: November 2022

In this paper we develop an approach to modeling and simulating the process of infection transmission among individuals and the effectiveness of protective counter-measures. We base our approach on pedestrian dynamics and we implement it as an extension of the Vadere simulation framework. In order to enable a convenient simulation process for a variety of scenarios, we allow the user to interact with the simulated virtual environment (VE) during run time, for example, by dynamically opening/closing doors for room ventilation and moving/stopping agents for re-positioning their locations. We calibrate and evaluate our approach on a real-life case study—simulating COVID-19 infection transmission in two kinds of scenarios: large-scale (such as the city of Münster, Germany) and small-scale (such as the most common indoor environments—classrooms, restaurants, etc.). By using the tunable parameters of our modeling approach, we can simulate and predict the effectiveness of specific anti-COVID protective measures, such as social distancing, wearing masks, self-isolation, schools closing, etc.
Simulation modeling assessment and improvement of a COVID-19 mass vaccination center operations
Authors: Jerbi Abdessalem , Masmoudi Faouzi
Published: November 2022

The development of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 has been a turning point in the international effort to control this disease. However, vaccine development is only the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination process. Correct planning of mass vaccination is important for any policy to immunize the population. For this purpose, it is necessary to set up and properly manage mass vaccination centers. This paper presents a discrete event simulation model of a real COVID-19 mass vaccination center located in Sfax, Tunisia. This model was used to evaluate the management of this center through different performance measures. Three person’s arrival scenarios were considered and simulated to verify the response of this real vaccination center to arrival variability. A second model was proposed and simulated to improve the performances of the vaccination center. Like the first model, this one underwent the same evaluation process through the three arrivals scenarios. The simulation results show that both models respond well to the arrival’s variability. Indeed, most of the arriving persons are vaccinated on time for all the studied scenarios. In addition, both models present moderate average vaccination and waiting times. However, the average utilization rates of operators are modest and need to be improved. Furthermore, both simulation models show a high average number of persons present in the vaccination center, which goes against the respect of the social distancing condition. Comparison between the two simulation models shows that the proposed model is more efficient than the actual one.
Successful Black Mathematics Teachers Building Collectivity, Autonomy, and Mathematics Expertise of Their Black Girls
Authors: Marshall Brittany L. , Rosado Aziel O. , Battey Dan
Published: November 2022

Background:

Traditional mathematics logics lead to inequities that reproduce narratives such as the myths of racialized and gendered hierarchies of mathematical ability (Hottinger, 2016; Martin, 2009). Black girls sit at the bottom of both racialized and gendered hierarchies; however, research over the past decade has provided evidence that Black teachers challenge these hierarchies for their Black students. Therefore, we show how two teachers work against these logics to create space for their Black girl students to flourish as learners and producers of mathematics.

Focus of Study:

This research documents the logics that lead to supportive spaces for Black girls in two Black mathematics teachers’ classrooms: What are the supportive logics of successful mathematics teachers who support Black girls’ achievement in middle school classrooms?

Setting:

This research was a secondary analysis of videos collected as part of the Gates-funded Understanding Teaching Quality (UTQ) project.

Case Study Selection:

The study used MANOVA to quantitatively select teachers based on change in mathematics achievement. Two teachers were selected based on number and percentage of Black girls in the top 5% of change in achievement across the dataset. Although not part of the selection criteria, both mathematics teachers identified as Black.

Research Design:

The study used a case study design to describe the mathematics practices and the logics that they supported for the two successful Black mathematics teachers.

Data Collection and Analysis:

The dataset included four lessons per teacher with two cameras for each lesson. Open coding was used to identify the practices used by teachers drawing on logics as an orienting concept.

Findings:

Interestingly, both classrooms were fairly procedural in their mathematics focus; however, the classrooms challenged logics of individualism, racialized and gendered hierarchies of mathematics ability, and carceral pedagogy. Teachers supported Black student autonomy in terms of both behavior and intellectual contribution, and specifically positioned Black girls as experts and highlighted collective responsibility for peers’ mathematics learning.

Conclusions:

Although the classrooms did not display the cultural competence or sociopolitical consciousness foundational to culturally relevant pedagogy, the Black teachers did challenge traditional logics found in mathematics classrooms. Through a focus on collectivity, autonomy, and competence, the relational ways in which teachers positioned Black girls ran counter to logics that too often frame them as incapable mathematically.
Material flow analysis and characteristics of multiple-source organic solid wastes from a perspective of ecological network analysis: A case study in Hefei, China
Authors: Zhang Yulin , Zhou Chuncai , Du Jiao , Wang Min , Wu Wentao , Liu Guijian
Published: November 2022

The numerous resources are consumed and a large number of multiple-source organic solid wastes are discharged during urban metabolic, which put pressures to environment. This study combined material flow analysis and ecological network analysis to comprehensively analyse the metabolism of multiple-source organic solid waste in Hefei. Analysing current metabolic characteristics of urban multiple-source organic solid waste and relationships between the components of metabolic system can help urban environmental management. The internal material flows of the system were analysed by a metabolic network containing 5 nodes and 18 pathways, which revealed metabolic characteristics of multiple-source organic solid waste in Hefei. The study showed that the metabolic system of multiple-source organic solid waste was relatively stable though distribution of internal flows changed in 8 years. The metabolic environment and agricultural sector covered a relatively large weight in this model. The control and exploitation relationships dominated the metabolic system. The urban metabolic mechanism reflected in this research can improve efficiency of urban metabolic resource, optimize waste management and provide data support for sustainable urban development. This study provided scientific guidance for metabolic research in Hefei and similar cities in China’s rapid economic development.
Comparison of Lanolin and Human Milk Treatment of Painful and Damaged Nipples: A Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Perić Olivera , Pavičić Bošnjak Anita , Mabić Mirela , Tomić Vajdana
Published: November 2022

Background:

Painful and damaged nipples are frequently associated with breastfeeding cessation in the early postpartum period. The results of researchers’ studies utilizing different treatments have been inconclusive.

Research Aim:

To compare the intensity of nipple pain and the healing of damaged nipples during the first 10 days postpartum using either lanolin or human milk treatments.

Methods:

This single-blind randomized controlled trial included participants ( N = 206) who were primiparous with painful and damaged nipples. Participants were recruited from the tertiary teaching hospital within the first 72 hr after delivery and randomized to the intervention group with lanolin ( n = 103) and a human milk control group ( n = 103). Data were collected in the maternity ward, 3 and 7 days after randomization. The primary outcome was nipple pain intensity and quality measured 3 and 7 days after randomization by the McGill Pain Questionnaire – short form. The nipple damage self-assessment questionnaire was used for the assessment of nipple healing. Breastfeeding self-efficacy, breastfeeding duration, and exclusivity were assessed as secondary outcomes.

Results:

Participants in both groups reported a statistically nonsignificant reduction in pain (quality and intensity of pain) as well as improved nipple healing 7 days after randomization. Participants in the lanolin group exclusively breastfed their infants 3 days after randomization—significantly more often than participants in the control group ( p = .026). The study did not reveal any statistically significant differences for other secondary outcomes.

Conclusion:

Both lanolin and human milk are equally effective in treating painful and damaged nipples. Registered with Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04153513)
Implementation of semi-active suspension control methods in a full car model and a comparative study in terms of ride comfort and road holding
Authors: Büyükköprü Mert , Uzunsoy Erdem , Mouton Xavier
Published: November 2022

Semi-active suspension systems are becoming increasingly common in the automotive industry due to their low energy consumption and cost advantages. A significant milestone in semi-active suspension control is the emergence of the skyhook control method. Then, the active driven damper method was introduced to bring the semi-active control closer to the optimum limit of the system. Later, power driven damper was introduced to reduce the jerk of the active driven damper and skyhook. The active and power-driven damper are mixed with skyhook control to be optimal throughout the entire frequency range. However, the methods mentioned above have been developed using the quarter car model, and no comparative studies have been found on the full car model effectiveness and the application of the methods, realistically. In this study, the above methods, which have been used in the literature, frequently, were compared first, on the quarter car model to reveal the system response characteristics. Then, a curved regular grid road profile and a high-fidelity full car model were used to compare the centralised skyhook continuous and four quarter car approaches.
Aircraft parameter estimation using a novel hybrid Luus–Jaakola/Hooke–Jeeves neural-network based optimization technique
Authors: Pal Tamas , Kaushik Mrinal
Published: November 2022

The neural network–based aircraft parameter estimation techniques have gained prominence in the last decade. Neuro–Gauss–Newton (NGN) technique is a widely used neural network–based algorithm. Although the NGN technique is useful for aircraft parameter estimation, it has some limitations. The present study is motivated by the limitations of the NGN method in estimating aircraft parameters, and hence, a new hybrid Luus–Jaakola/Hooke–Jeeves (LJ/HJ) method is proposed. The hybrid LJ/HJ method is based on two direct search methods: the Luus–Jaakola (LJ) method and the Hooke–Jeeves (HJ) method. In the hybrid LJ/HJ method, a global search of the minima of the error cost function is performed using the Luus–Jaakola method in the first phase. After that, the final solution is obtained using the Hooke–Jeeves method. The parameters estimated by the hybrid LJ/HJ method are compared with those estimated using the NGN method. The results obtained from the hybrid method are accurate, and unlike gradient-based optimization methods, the convergence issues are not observed during the estimation of parameters.
‘Acquired idiotism’, by Frederik Lange (1883)
Authors: Schioldann Johan
Published: November 2022

The little-known writing by Frederik Lange translated in this Classic Text belongs to what can be called the prolegomenal history of the construction of the concept of schizophrenia. It describes one effort to capture the convergence of certain words of diverse coinage (dementia praecox, acquired idiocy, hebephrenia, heboidophrenia, etc.) with some newly accepted concepts (e.g. the temporalization of madness and the view that adolescence was an independent period of life), and with some old behaviours (which for centuries had been called madness, the portmanteau soon to be rebaptized as psychosis). This convergence culminated in the work of Kraepelin, who was to call it ‘dementia praecox’. Lange’s transitional efforts and pangs can be sensed as he struggles to describe a new form of madness that affects young people.
Animal magnetism in Italy during the nineteenth century: the conflicting relationship with the Catholic Church
Authors: Mazzagatti Roberto , Belingheri Michael , Paladino Maria Emilia , Dell’Orto Nicolò , Riva Michele Augusto
Published: November 2022

This article explores the relationship between the Catholic Church and animal magnetism. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Catholic Church had first tried to stem the rise of animal magnetism in a vague manner, but after a few decades, it eventually put a genuine veto in place. This measure was founded upon the dangers to morality and faith arising from the progressive polarization of the original doctrine in forms related to esotericism. Among the causes of the condemnation by the Congregation of the Holy Office, the primary ones were the naturalist interpretation of the miracles described in the Gospels and in the New Testament, and the possibility of falling under the control of a demonic spirit.