bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional and Esthetic Rehabilitation of a Child with Early Childhood Caries: a Case Report
Authors: Gahlod Niharika , Sajjanar Arun , Kumar Suryakant , Wasnik Milind , Khekade Sneha
Published: November 2021

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) can be defined as the presence of one or more carious lesions, may or may not be cavitated, and missing teeth due to caries in children up to five years of age. It is multifactorial involving the presence of bacterial plaque, poor oral hygiene, frequency and time of consumption of beverages containing sugar. It has several deleterious effects like it can damage speech, swallowing, feeding, development, esthetics and self-esteem of the child. Therefore, complete oral rehabilitation in such patients is utmost important for their normal growth and development. The current case report involves the oral rehabilitation using different treatment options.
Effect of Amphiphilic Graft Co-Polymer Carrier on Solubility and Dissolution Enhancement of Ambrisentan
Authors: Radke Rahul , Jain Neetesh K.
Published: November 2021

Aim: Ambrisentan is a endothelin type A selective receptor antagonist used in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Ambrisentan is BCS Class II drug haves very poor solubility in water and shows incomplete absorption after oral administration. The present work was aimed to study the effect of amphiphilic graft co-polymer carrier on enhancement of solubility and dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drug ambrisentan. To improve the aqueous solubility of ambrisentan solid dispersion was formulated by using novel carrier amphiphilic graft co-polymer (Soluplus® ).

Materials and Methods: Solid dispersion was prepared by kneading technique by utilizing various ratios of carrier. Obtained solid dispersions ware evaluated for solubility, percentage yield, drug content and in vitro dissolution study. Powder characterization was performed by infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

Results: FTIR spectroscopy shows no interaction between drug and polymer. DSC study showed that endothermic peak of drug was completely disappeared in Solid dispersion suggesting complete miscibility of drug in Soluplus®. XRD study suggest the conversion of crystalline ambrisentan in to amorphous form. All solid dispersions prepared with Soluplus® as a carrier showed increase in solubility. Solubility of ambrisentan was found to be increased 7.17 fold in optimized SD formulation ASD5. In vitro dissolution study showed the faster drug release from SD formulation compare to its pure form. All solid dispersion formulation’s release more than 50% of drug in first 10 min.

Conclusion: This study conclude that the preparation of amphiphilic graft co-polymer based solid dispersion prepared by kneading technique is found to be useful in enhancement the solubility and dissolution rate of ambrisentan.
Effectiveness of Video-assisted Intervention on Perception and Anxiety among Patients Undergoing Robotic Surgery in a Selected Hospital, Mangaluru
Authors: Vineesha P. V. , Imran Syed
Published: November 2021

Background: There are times when a procedure may have benefits, but a patient is unwilling to undergo surgery for their own reasons. Making this choice is their right. Many patients view surgery as a last option, rather than their first choice in treatments. The need for a surgery can be a confusing and frightening prospect and people may have many questions. Robotic assisted surgery has a great future in India, but majority people are not aware about robotic surgery.

Purpose: To focus on the level of anxiety and perception among robotic surgery patients and it has also identified the need for a video assisted intervention for patients undergoing robotic surgery.

Methods: A video assisted intervention on perception(perception rating scale-20 items) and anxiety (State Anxiety Inventory-20 items) among study participants(n=30) undergoing robotic surgery were selected by purposive non probability sampling by means of self administered questionnaire.

Results The perception mean difference pretest-post-test 1(18.80±7.45), pretest-post test 2 (21.83±8.00) and post-test 1- post-test 2 (3.03±7.18). The level of perception has increased from pre-test to post-test 1 and from post-test 1 to post-test 2 and it is statistically significant (p< 0.05). The anxiety mean difference pre-test-post-test 1 (11.27±12.98), pre-test-post test 2 (21.40±13.38) and post-test 1-post-test 2 (10.13±10.89). The level of anxiety has decreased from pre-test to post-test 1, from post-test 1 to post-test 2, and it is statistically significant (p< 0.05).

Conclusion: The findings of the study showed that the video assisted intervention was effective on levels of anxiety and perception among patients undergoing robotic surgery.
Sitagliptin and Acute Pancreatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Mirghani Hyder Osman , S. Shaman S. Shaman Salem Ahmed , Hussain Aljwah Ibrahim Mahmoud
Published: November 2021

Background and Objectives: Sitagliptin is a dipepidyl peptidase inhibitor (DPP-4i) with gentle antidiabetic effects with a lower risk of hypoglycemia. The association with acute pancreatitis is controversial. The current meta-analysis aimed to assess the relationship of sitagliptin and acute pancreatitis.

Methods: The literature in PubMed and Google Scholar was searched for relevant articles published in the last ten years up to September 2021. The keywords sitagliptins, DPP-4i, acute pancreatitis were used with the protean AND or OR. Among the 204 articles retrieved, 24 full-texts were assessed for eligibility and only five studies (Three from the USA, one from Asia, and one from Canada) met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. The author name, year of publication, country, type of study, number of patients, and the duration of the study were reported.

Results: There were five studies. The total number of patients were 729808 with 6459 events. The studies showed no increased rate of acute pancreatitis following sitagliptin use, odd ratio, 0.79, 95% CI, 0.29-2.15, a significant heterogeneity was observer, I2 for heterogeneity=98%, P-value, <001, the P-value for overall effect was 0.65 and the chi-square, 160.15.

Interpretation and Conclusion: Sitagliptin use is not associated with acute pancreatitis.
Effect of Prone Positioning on Oxygen Saturation in COVID-19 Patients in Sri Aurobindo Hospital, Indore
Authors: Misra Anand , Pal Akshay , Pawar Rajni
Published: November 2021

Background: Physiotherapeutic intervention body positioning have been observed to increase oxygen saturation.  In COVID-19 patients, we intended to investigate how the prone position worked in conjunction with conventional respiratory physiotherapy. The objective was to determine the effect of prone position along with conventional respiratory physiotherapy on SpO2 of COVID-19 patients in Aurobindo hospital, Indore district.

Methods: The Ministry of Health, Government of India, authorized the rules for collecting data from infected patients. In this study, 400 patients between the ages of 20 and 80 years old were recruited from Sri Aurobindo Hospital in the Indore district, all of them had a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and required oxygen treatment. SpO2 data was collected as a baseline. Patients were helped into the prone position after baseline data collection and conventional respiratory physiotherapy. Clinical data was obtained again after using the prone posture in conjunction with conventional respiratory physiotherapy. To demonstrate the various prone variations, a patient information sheet was supplied. At 0 and 60 minutes after the exercise, oxygen saturation was measured.

Results: Between April 2020 to June 2020, we assessed SpO2 of 400 Patients pre and post prone position along with conventional respiratory physiotherapy. Prone positioning was feasible. Oxygenation was significantly improved from supine to prone position. The data were processed for mean and standard deviation. It was analyzed that there was difference in pre to post value of mean, from 95.685 to 98.123 with standard deviation from 1.645to 1.445. The result shows significant improvement in SpO2 after applying prone positioning in patients infected with COVID-19. The findings suggest that prone positioning is both possible and beneficial in increasing blood oxygenation in awake COVID-19 patients. Further study is needed to find the technique's potential value in terms of enhancing overall respiratory and global outcomes.

Conclusion: The difference between the saturation of the two position was significant.
A Comparative Study to Evaluate the Effect of Blood Flow Restriction Therapy and Retro Walking on Pain, Strength of Muscles and WOMAC Score in Patients of Osteoarthritis of Knee
Authors: Gurjalwar Indrani , Patil Deepali
Published: November 2021

Aim: To assess the impact of blood flow restriction and retro walking in knee osteoarthritis subjects.

Study Design: It was a comparative study. All the participants who meet inclusion criteria gave a written consent and were allocated to Group A or Group B randomly by chit method and the pre and post test scores were derived. The scores obtained in the two groups were compared and the results were derived.

Place and Duration of the Study: This study was conducted in musculoskeletal sciences division, RNPC Sawangi, Wardha, for 12 months

Methodology: A total of 150 samples were chosen. Using the chit method, they were divided into two groups at random, Group A and Group B. Blood Flow Restriction Training was given to Group A, while retro walking training was given to Group B. The training lasted 15 days. After 15 days, the pain, strength, and WOMAC score were tested again.

Result: Out of 150 patients 75 were placed in each group, where p=.0001. Significant increase was seen in mean of group I and II in pre ad post-test NPRS score, Quadricep and hamstrings muscle strength and WOMAC score. Analysis showed significant improvement in both the groups.

Conclusion: Both the interventions included in this study, have been shown to help individuals with osteoarthritis reduce pain, enhance strength, and improve their WOMAC score. Both the interventions are easy to practice and can be easily performed by the older population. When these two interventions were compared blood flow restriction therapy was proved to be better than retro walking.
Accuracy of Impression Material During COVID-19 after Sterilization- In vitro Study
Authors: Alhaddad Abdulrahman Jafar
Published: November 2021

Aims: The goal of this research is to assess the effect of steam autoclave sterilization due to the impact of Covid-19 on the accuracy of the elastomer impression materials.

Study Design: In vitro study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of oral and Maxillofacial Prosthodontics, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah; Saudi Arabia, between June 2021 and November 2021.

Methodology: The following materials were used in this study: fully dentate master cast, metal trays, elastomer impression material (addition silicon), type IV stone. Forte impressions made using the metal tray and elastomer impression materials. The impressions were separated equally into two groups: Control group (C.G), untreated impressions. Sterilized group (S.G): Impressions were sterilized by using the steam autoclave. To make stone castings for each group, they were poured with type IV stone. The traveling microscope was used to evaluate the impression material's dimensional accuracy and detail reproduction with and without autoclave sterilization.

Results: The cross-arch distance (X) of the master model was measured (41.29 mm), While the cross arch distance (X) in the control group (C.G) of the untreated impressions  had a mean and standard deviation  of 41.492 ± 0.150 mm. In the tested group  (S.G) : the sterilized impression, we found the cross-arch distance (X) had a mean and standard deviation of 41.628 ± 0.223 mm. The master model's Anteroposterior distance (A-P) was measured (21.12 mm). For the control group  (C.G) : we found the mean and standard deviation value reading of the A-P distance were 20.899 ± 0.79 mm. For (S.G) group: we found the mean and standard deviation reading of the A-P distance were 19.992± 0.482 mm.

Conclusion: Steam autoclave sterilization of the elastomer impression material should be considered carefully, especially when fabricating fixed partial dentures. If the impression material is to be used in making diagnostic castings, conventional steam autoclave sterilization of the elastomers impression material may be sufficient for patients.
Isolation, Identification and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Escherichia coli Isolated from Raw Meat from Modake and Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
Authors: Damilola Wilkie Eunice , Olufunke Oluduro Anthonia , Vivian Ezeani Chidinma , Teniola Sotala Toyosi
Published: November 2021

The study reported isolation, identification and antibiotic susceptibility of Escherichia coli isolated from raw meat from Modakeke and Ile-ife, Osun State, Nigeria, with the view to determining the antibiogram profiling of the bacterial isolates. 

In this study, five samples of fresh meat were collected from different abattoirs in Ile-Ife and Modakeke, Osun State. Isolates of Escherichia coli were isolated, identified morphologically based on their growth on nutrient agar and subjected to antibiotic susceptibility test on Mueller Hinton agar. The mean microbial load from the meat samples ranged from 8.85 x 102cfu/ml to 5.77 x 104cfu/ml. A total of 69 E. coli isolates were recovered from the meat sampled. All the isolates appeared cream, translucent, entire, convex, circular, smooth and glistering. The isolates were identified as Gram negative rods, non-motile, lactose fermenters, positive for indole test and negative for citrate utilization test. All the E. coli isolates were resistant to augmentin, ceftriazone, nitrofurantoin and gentamycin. 98.55% of E. coli isolated was resistant to amoxillin and the least resistant was recorded in ofloxacin (8.70%). However, 91.30% of the E. coli isolates was sensitive to ofloxacin, 81.16% to ciprofloxacin and 36.23% to pefloxacin while none was sensitive to augmentin, ceftriazone, nitrofurantoin and gentamycin. A total of 19 different multiple antibiotic resistance patterns were observed among the isolates. Thirty isolates (43.48%) showed multiple antibiotic resistance to 5 and 10 different antibiotic types each.

The study concluded that occurrence of E. coli infection is high in the study area with high level of multiple antibiotic resistance.
Effects of Remittances on Income Inequality in Bangladesh: A Macroeconomic Analysis
Authors: -Nessa Hazera-Tun
Published: November 2021

This study attempts to examine the effects of remittances on income inequality in Bangladesh over the period of 1990 to 2016. The study period has been chosen based on data availability at macro level. To serve the purpose, Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration technique is applied since unit root test confirms a combination of variables some which are stationary at level and others become stationary after first difference. The error correction model estimated by reparametrizing the ARDL model after having confirmation about the existence of long run relationship through bound test. An inverted U-shaped relationship between the remittances and income inequality has been found by the study. Remittances increase income inequality in short run and decrease income inequality in the long run.  In the long run an increase in remittances by 1 per cent reduces the income inequality by 11 per cent on an average. The adjustment coefficient has the expected negative sign at 1 per cent level of significance which ensure a monotonically convergent adjustment towards the equilibrium with the speed of 21.65 per cent. Among other control variables, private credit increases income inequality in the long run and decrease it in the short run. Exchange rate and inflation either have very negligible effects or no significant effects both in short run and in long run. Based on the findings, it could be suggested that the country should take proper steps to encourage investment of remittances in productive activities to accumulate capital which could ensure the path of accruing the beneficial impacts of remittances on income inequality in the long run.
3D Programmable Metamaterials Based on Reconfigurable Mechanism Modules
Authors: Liu Weiqi , Jiang Hanqing , Chen Yan
Published: November 2021

Mechanical metamaterials are of tremendous research interest due to their unconventional properties that arise from unit microstructure. Shape‐reconfiguration is an effective method to realize programmability on various properties for different tasks of a structure or system, while existing researches focus on multiple degree‐of‐freedom (DOF) systems or limited configurations that morph along a single kinematic path. Here, starting from a one‐DOF Wohlhart polyhedron module, its interesting topological transformation is explored along multiple motion paths through kinematic bifurcations, accompanied by tunable mechanical properties, including Poisson's ratio, chirality, and stiffness. Furthermore, these modules are tessellated into 3D metamaterials to harness their reconfigurability to independently program the Poisson's ratios in orthogonal planes within a wide range of negative Poisson's ratio, positive Poisson's ratio, and even zero Poisson's ratio. This work opens up avenues for the design of programmable metamaterials based on the perspective of kinematic bifurcation generating from single DOF systems, which can readily be applied in shape‐morphing systems in various fields, such as flexible metamaterials, morphing architectures, and deployable structures.
Nanomaterial Functionalization Modulates Hard Protein Corona Formation: Atomistic Simulations Applied to Graphitic Materials
Authors: al‐Badri Mohamed Ali , Smith Paul , al‐Jamal Khuloud T. , Lorenz Christian D.
Published: November 2021

The protein corona is an obstacle to exploiting exotic properties of nanomaterials in clinical and biotechnological settings. The atomic‐scale dynamic formation of the protein corona at the bio‐nano interface is impenetrable using conventional experimental techniques. Here, molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the effect of graphene‐oxide (GO) functionalization on apolipoprotein‐cIII (apo‐c3) adsorption. An analysis pipeline is developed, encompassing binding energy calculations to protein structure analyses employing uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) dimensionality reduction and clustering. It is found that apo‐c3 is denatured by GO adsorption, driven by the large energetic contributions of electrostatic interactions; enthalpic contributions of such binding events outweigh the intraprotein bond enthalpy required to maintain the protein tertiary structure. Through denaturing and exposing buried hydrophobic residues, the protein backbone is stabilized by forming β‐bridges, which serve as binding motifs for protein–protein interactions that drive further protein aggregation on the nanomaterial surface. In contrast, adsorption on double‐clickable azide‐ and alkyne‐double functionalized GO (C2GO), apo‐c3 largely retains its tertiary structure. Binding with the nanomaterial surface is dominated by weaker van der Waals interactions that are dispersed over the protein surface, where charged protein residues are sterically hindered by azide functional groups. The apo‐c3 C‐terminus remains unchanged upon C2GO adsorption, conserving its lipid‐binding function.
Systematically Controlling Acceptor Fluorination Optimizes Hierarchical Morphology, Vertical Phase Separation, and Efficiency in Non‐Fullerene Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Zhang Xiaohua , Li Guoping , Mukherjee Subhrangsu , Huang Wei , Zheng Ding , Feng Liang‐Wen , Chen Yao , Wu Jianglin , Sangwan Vinod K. , Hersam Mark C. , DeLongchamp Dean M. , Yu Junsheng , Facchetti Antonio , Marks Tobin J.
Published: November 2021

Non‐fullerene acceptor (NFA) end group (EG) functionalization, especially by fluorination, affects not only the energetics but also the morphology of bulk‐heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cell (OSC) active layers, thereby influencing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and other metrics of NFA‐based OSCs. However, a quantitative understanding of how varying the degrees of NFA fluorination influence the blend morphological and photovoltaic properties remains elusive. Here a series of three A‐DAD‐A type NFAs (D = π‐donor group and A = π‐acceptor EG) which systematically increase the degree of EG fluorination and comprehensively investigate the resulting blends with the polymer donor PM6 in terms of optical properties, electronic structure, film crystallinity, charge carrier transport, and OSC performance is reported. The results indicate that the most highly fluorinated NFA, BT‐BO‐L4F, achieves an optimal BHJ hierarchical morphology where enhanced NFA molecule intermolecular π–π stacking and optimal vertical phase gradation are achieved in the BHJ blend. These factors also promote optimum NFA‐cathode contact, more balanced electron and hole mobility, and suppress both monomolecular and bimolecular recombination. As a result, both the short‐circuit current density and fill factor in this OSC series progressively increase with increasing EG fluorine density, and the resulting PCEs increase from 9 to 16.8%.
Correlation and regression models of tomato yield in response to plant growth by different bacterial inoculants and inoculation methods
Authors: Sanam Tulja , S Triveni , Nerella Sridhar Goud , Ningoji Santosh Nagappa , Desai Suseelendra
Published: November 2021

The focus of this research is to evaluate the performance of Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Azotobacter, and Azospirillum for their plant growth abilities in vitro and in vivo. The best performing bacterial isolates from preliminary screening (in vitro) were able to produce indole acetic acid (IAA) and gibberellic acid (GA3) of 0.25–22.63 and 5.9–31.8 μg ml–1, respectively, eight best isolates were further tested for their efficacy in promoting crop growth and yield of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) by different application methods namely seed coating, soil application, and seedling root dip method. The factorial data analysis provided evidence that the interaction of bacterial isolates and different inoculation procedures together generated better yield in the greenhouse pot experiment. The findings suggest that the inoculation of Azospirillum strain ASP25 by seedling root dip method produced greater yields. Correlation and regression models hypothesize that all the variables are positively correlated with yield at P < .01 and growth variables like number of fruits per plant (r2 = .886), shoot length (r2 = .695), and root volume (r2 = .554) at P ≤ .0001 contribute to the yield parameter individually and by multiple regression model all the plant growth variables together increased fruit yield per plant by 89% (r2 = .899). These results demonstrate that a high yield is always linked to a healthy vegetative development. However, as technology in agriculture progresses, the proposed method points to the usage and development of computer applications to estimate crop output.
Statistical linkage between coastal El Niño–Southern Oscillation and tropical cyclone formation over the western North Pacific
Authors: Song Jinjie , Klotzbach Philip J. , Duan Yihong
Published: November 2021

This study investigates the modulation of tropical cyclone (TC) formation over the western North Pacific (WNP) by coastal El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). There is a significant inverse relationship between WNP TC frequency during July–October from 1961 to 2019 and simultaneous Niño 1+2 sea surface temperature anomalies. TC formation is significantly suppressed and enhanced over the subtropical and equatorial WNP during coastal El Niño, respectively, while TC formation exhibits opposite‐signed anomalies during La Niña. This north–south dipolar pattern during coastal ENSO is distinct from the pattern observed in basin‐wide ENSO events. Additional analyses show that coastal ENSO influences WNP TC formation through modulation of the large‐scale environment. Changes in mid‐level moisture and low‐level vorticity appear to be the primary large‐scale influences on TC formation during both coastal ENSO phases. These changes can be further linked to the anomalous large‐scale circulation over the WNP during coastal ENSO.
Terpenoid composition and antioxidant activity of extracts from four chemotypes of Cinnamomum camphora and their main antioxidant agents
Authors: Luo Qingyun , Tian Zhengfeng , Zheng Tiefeng , Xu Sun , Ma Yuandan , Zou Shuzhen , Zuo Zhaojiang
Published: November 2021

Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl can produce an abundance of terpenoids, and has four main chemotypes: linalool, eucalyptol, camphor, and borneol. Antioxidant activity and the chemical composition of extracts from the four chemotypes were investigated during spring (May), summer (July), and autumn (November) with the aim of developing natural antioxidants using suitable chemotypes of C. camphora in suitable seasons, together with their main terpenoids. The main antioxidant terpenoids were identified. The four chemotype extracts showed strong scavenging activity against 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid) (ABTS) free radicals as well as O2–· and ·OH in July, due to the fact that their terpenoid content was at its highest during this month. Among the four chemotypes, the strongest scavenging activity was mainly detected in the linalool chemotype extracts, which had the highest terpenoid content. Among the ten main terpenoids in C. camphora extracts, ocimene, linalool, β‐pinene, longifolene and eucalyptol showed stronger scavenging activity against DPPH free radicals, and ocimene exhibited the strongest scavenging activity. Extracts from the four chemotypes of C. camphora and their main terpenoids have the potential for development as natural antioxidants, with summer as the best season, linalool chemotypes as the optimum choice, and ocimene as the optimum compound. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
LC–MS/MS method for determination of kansuinine a in rat plasma and its application to a rat pharmacokinetic study
Authors: Jiang Xianglan , Liu Qingwang , Xue Shiyang
Published: November 2021

Kansuinine A is a macrocyclic jatrophane diterpene isolated from the plant Euphorbia kansui Liou. It exhibits many pharmacological activities including cytoxic, antitumor, antiallergic and proinflammatory effects. In the present study, a simple and sensitive LC–MS/MS method was established and validated for the determination of kansuinine A in rat plasma. After methanol‐mediated protein precipitation, chromatographic separation was achieved on an Acquity BEH C18 column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 μm) using acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water as mobile phase by gradient elution. Kansuinine A and IS were quantified in negative multiple reaction monitoring mode with ion transitions at m/z 731.1–693.2 for kansuinine A and m/z 723.2–623.1 for IS. The method showed excellent linearity over the range 1–500 ng/ml. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions (relative standard deviation) were 2.13–4.28 and 3.83–7.67%, respectively, whereas accuracy (relative error) ranged from −4.17 to 3.73%. The extraction recovery, stability and matrix effect met the requirement of the regulations issued by the US Food and Drug Administration. The validated method was successfully applied to the pre‐clinical pharmacokinetic study of kansuinine A in rats after oral administration (20 mg/kg) and intravenous administration (2 mg/kg). This study provides valuable reference for the further study of E. kansui liou, especially for the drug development and clinical application of kansuinine A.
Outcome presence and regulatory fit: Competing explanations for the advantage of gains and losses over non‐gains and non‐losses
Authors: Praxmarer‐Carus Sandra , Wolkenstoerfer Stefan , Dijkstra Arie
Published: November 2021

This research studies goal framing, which focuses on the communication of either the potential benefits associated with performing an action or the potential negative consequences of not doing so. Several studies report that messages presenting gains and losses are more persuasive than those presenting non‐gains and non‐losses. The literature has mostly explained this advantage with regulatory fit. This article notes that two theories can explain the advantage, namely, regulatory fit and feature positivity (outcome presence). However, the former explanation has received significantly more attention in the framing literature than the latter. We also explain that it is difficult to distinguish the two effects empirically because regulatory fit within the message and outcome presence coincide. Consequently, demonstrating an advantage of gains and losses over non‐gains and non‐losses, which many studies have, is not sufficient to support any of the effects. Previous studies have neither discussed the competing explanations nor tried to distinguish them. This article explains that the two theories make different predictions with regard to a moderator and the critical mediators. We use the different predictions to obtain more insights into the relevance of the competing explanations. This article conducts two experiments and studies the moderating effect of premessage regulatory focus and the mediating effects of processing fluency and outcome imagination. We conclude that the framing literature should devote more attention to outcome presence.
Heart on the left, diaphragm on the right: A case of congenital diaphragmatic eventration
Authors: Naz Sidra , Jaiswal Vikash , Joshi Amey , Jarullah Furqan Ahmad , Jain Esha , Neupane Asmita
Published: November 2021

Congenital Diaphragmatic Eventration (DE) requires a prompt diagnosis to avert the potentially life‐threatening complications. Herein, a 5‐month‐old male presented with recurrent respiratory infections due to a right‐sided diaphragmatic eventration. Misdiagnosed from previous medical visits, timely surgical intervention by thoracoscopic plication of the diaphragm was crucial for our patient's survival.
The Significant Influence of a Second Metal on the Antiproliferative Properties of the Complex [Ru(η6−C10H14)(Cl2)(dmoPTA)]
Authors: Kordestani Nazanin , Abas Elisa , Grasa Laura , Alguacil Andres , Scalambra Franco , Romerosa Antonio
Published: November 2021

Complexes [Ru(η6−C10H14)(Cl2)(HdmoPTA)](OSO2CF3) (1), [Ru(η6−C10H14)(Cl2)(dmoPTA)] (2) and [Ru(η6−C10H14)(Cl2)‐μ‐dmoPTA‐1κP:2κ2N,N’‐MCl2] (M=Zn (3), Co (4), Ni (5), dmoPTA=3,7‐dimethyl‐1,3,7‐triaza‐5‐phosphabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and spectroscopic techniques. The crystal structures of 1, 3 and 5 were obtained by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The antiproliferative activity of the complexes was evaluated against colon cancer cell line Caco‐2/TC7 by using the MTT protocol. The monometallic ruthenium complexes 1 and 2 were found to be inactive, but the bimetallic complexes 3, 4 and 5 display an increased activity (IC50 3: 9.07±0.27, 4: 5.40±0.19, 5: 7.15±0.30 μM) compared to cisplatin (IC50=45.6±8.08 μM). Importantly, no reduction in normal cell viability was observed in the presence of the complexes. Experiments targeted to obtain information on the possible action mechanism of the complexes, such as cell cycle, ROS and gene expression studies, were performed. The results showed that the complexes display different properties and action mechanism depending on the nature of metal, M, bonded to the CH3NdmoPTA atoms.
Investigation of liquid marble shell using X‐ray: shell thickness and effective surface tension
Authors: Singha Pradip , Nguyen Nhat‐Khuong , Nguyen Van Thuong , Sreejith Kamalalayam Rajan , Tran Du Tuan , Nguyen Anh V. , Nguyen Nam‐Trung , Ooi Chin Hong
Published: November 2021

Liquid marble is a non‐wetting droplet encapsulated by micro‐ or nano‐sized hydrophobic particles. Recently, liquid marble has been emerging as a tool for digital microfluidics. Thus, a detailed understanding of the fundamentals of liquid marble is essential. The shell of a liquid marble has an opaque and fuzzy appearance which hinders in‐depth investigation using conventional optical microscopy. We used X‐ray computerized microtomography (CMT) to generate an image with a visible interface between the core liquid and the shell to overcome this problem. The interface facilitates accurate measurement of the shell thickness and the effective surface tension. This work investigates the effect of liquid marble preparation methods and liquid marble volumes on shell thickness and effective surface tension. We found that increasing the revolution speed during liquid marble preparation increases shell thickness. A liquid marble shell has a uniform packing when the revolution speed is 200–300 rpm. We also found that the effective surface tension of liquid marbles decreases with increasing volume. This could be due to a stronger effect of gravitational force for a large liquid marble. The findings from this work could provide a new insight into the characterization of liquid marble and open up a new direction of fundamental research of liquid marble shell.
Adjoint recurrent neural network technique for nonlinear electronic component modeling
Authors: Naghibi Zohreh , Sadrossadat Sayed Alireza , Safari Saeed
Published: November 2021

In this paper, a novel method is presented for dynamic behavioral modeling of nonlinear circuits. The proposed adjoint recurrent neural network (ARNN) model is an extension of the existing recurrent neural network (RNN) technique which adds derivative information to the training data set. This addition makes training more efficient while using fewer data in comparison with the conventional RNN method with the same accuracy. Also, formulation of proposed ARNN model makes it suitable for parallel computation. Therefore, the proposed technique makes the training process much more efficient than RNN by using derivative information and parallelization. Additionally, the proposed model is much faster compared to conventional models present in existing simulation tools. The validity and accuracy of the proposed model is illustrated through macromodeling of a commercial NXP's 74LVC04A device and a five‐stage complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor (CMOS) receiver device.
Toward a function‐first framework to make soil microbial ecology predictive
Authors: Hicks Lettice C. , Frey Beat , Kjøller Rasmus , Lukac Martin , Moora Mari , Weedon James T. , Rousk Johannes
Published: November 2021

Soil microbial communities perform vital ecosystem functions, such as the decomposition of organic matter to provide plant nutrition. However, despite the functional importance of soil microorganisms, attribution of ecosystem function to particular constituents of the microbial community has been impeded by a lack of information linking microbial function to community composition and structure. Here, we propose a function‐first framework to predict how microbial communities influence ecosystem functions. We first view the microbial community associated with a specific function as a whole and describe the dependence of microbial functions on environmental factors (e.g., the intrinsic temperature dependence of bacterial growth rates). This step defines the aggregate functional response curve of the community. Second, the contribution of the whole community to ecosystem function can be predicted, by combining the functional response curve with current environmental conditions. Functional response curves can then be linked with taxonomic data in order to identify sets of “biomarker” taxa that signal how microbial communities regulate ecosystem functions. Ultimately, such indicator taxa may be used as a diagnostic tool, enabling predictions of ecosystem function from community composition. In this paper, we provide three examples to illustrate the proposed framework, whereby the dependence of bacterial growth on environmental factors, including temperature, pH, and salinity, is defined as the functional response curve used to interlink soil bacterial community structure and function. Applying this framework will make it possible to predict ecosystem functions directly from microbial community composition.
Optimization of nutritional and functional qualities of local complementary foods of southern Ethiopia using a customized mixture design
Authors: Ayele Dagem Alemayehu , Teferra Tadesse Fikre , Frank Jan , Gebremedhin Samson
Published: November 2021

Commercially produced complementary foods are inaccessible to rural households in Ethiopia. This study aimed to optimize the nutritional and functional properties of local complementary foods using flours of the following locally available crops: maize, red kidney bean,kocho, and pumpkin fruit. Ten formulations were generated using a customized mixture design. A five‐point hedonic scale was used for the determination of organoleptic properties, and standard methods were used for the analyses of nutritional composition and functional properties. The flours were mixed in the range of 20%–30% forkocho, 10%–25% for pumpkin fruit, 10%–40% for red kidney bean, and 15%–30% for maize. Optimal nutritional and functional properties were obtained using 33.5%kocho, 22.5% maize, 17.5% pumpkin, and 26.5% red kidney bean. Optimal values for functional properties were 0.86 g/ml, 5.94 ml/g, 4.14 ml/g, 2.96 g/g, 5.0 ml/g, and 1225.3 cP for bulk density, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, swelling capacity, swelling index, and viscosity, respectively. All formulations were within acceptable limits with scores ranging from 3.00 to 4.32 on a scale of 5. The inclusion of 25% pumpkin fruit flour and other ingredients between 20% and 30% increased the pro‐vitamin A carotenoid and vitamin E contents of the composite flours. Aside from optimization, a higher concentration of limiting amino acids was achieved with 40% kidney beans and 15%–25% of the other ingredients. The mineral contents improved with increasing pumpkin, kidney bean, andkocho. To sum up, the nutrient quality, energy density, and functional quality of complementary foods can be optimized at a low cost using local ingredients.
Early soft and flexible fusion of electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging via double coupled matrix tensor factorization for multisubject group analysis
Authors: Chatzichristos Christos , Kofidis Eleftherios , Van Paesschen Wim , De Lathauwer Lieven , Theodoridis Sergios , Van Huffel Sabine
Published: November 2021

Data fusion refers to the joint analysis of multiple datasets that provide different (e.g., complementary) views of the same task. In general, it can extract more information than separate analyses can. Jointly analyzing electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measurements has been proved to be highly beneficial to the study of the brain function, mainly because these neuroimaging modalities have complementary spatiotemporal resolution: EEG offers good temporal resolution while fMRI is better in its spatial resolution. The EEG–fMRI fusion methods that have been reported so far ignore the underlying multiway nature of the data in at least one of the modalities and/or rely on very strong assumptions concerning the relation of the respective datasets. For example, in multisubject analysis, it is commonly assumed that the hemodynamic response function is a priori known for all subjects and/or the coupling across corresponding modes is assumed to be exact (hard). In this article, these two limitations are overcome by adopting tensor models for both modalities and by following soft and flexible coupling approaches to implement the multimodal fusion. The obtained results are compared against those of parallel independent component analysis and hard coupling alternatives, with both synthetic and real data (epilepsy and visual oddball paradigm). Our results demonstrate the clear advantage of using soft and flexible coupled tensor decompositions in scenarios that do not conform with the hard coupling assumption.
Pharmacists as members of an interdisciplinary pulmonary embolism response team
Authors: Groth Christine M. , Acquisto Nicole M. , Wright Colin , Marinescu Mark , McNitt Scott , Goldenberg Ilan , Cameron Scott J.
Published: November 2021

Introduction

Pulmonary embolism response teams (PERTs) were developed to assist with diagnosis, risk stratification, and management of intermediate and high‐risk pulmonary embolism (PE) and have been shown to reduce 90‐day mortality. The pharmacist's role on the PERT is not well defined.

Objectives

Describe the pharmacist's role as a PERT member and determine if pharmacists can improve time to anticoagulation and promote use of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) instead of unfractionated heparin (UFH).

Methods

A retrospective, observational study of adult patients with massive or submassive PE between January 2014 and May 2020. Patient demographics, clinical variables, anticoagulation treatment/timing, and pharmacist activities during PERT response were evaluated. Patients were divided into three groups for comparisons (pre‐PERT vs post‐PERT with a pharmacist vs post‐PERT without a pharmacist). Wilcoxon rank‐sum or Kruskal‐Wallis test and chi‐squared analysis were used for continuous and categorical data, respectively.

Results

A total of 573 patients were included (mean age 63.2 ± 15.6 years, 54% male, 78% submassive PE); 137 in the pre‐PERT and 436 in the post‐PERT groups. Within the post‐PERT group, 305 patients (70%) had a pharmacist as a member of the PERT, of which 222 (73%) had a documented pharmacotherapy‐related intervention/activity. Most (n = 178, 58%) involved a pharmacist facilitating ordering/administration of an anticoagulant/thrombolytic. Median time from diagnosis to anticoagulation was significantly reduced in the post‐PERT groups (pre‐PERT: 104 minutes [IQR 124.5], post‐PERT with a pharmacist: 63 minutes [IQR 84], post‐PERT without a pharmacist: 75.5 minutes [IQR 113], P = .0001). More patients in the post‐PERT groups received LMWH compared to UFH when a pharmacist was involved vs without a pharmacist (69.5% vs 53.3%, P = .0019) and major bleeding events were reduced (pre‐PERT: 14.6%, post‐PERT with a pharmacist: 4.6%, and post‐PERT without a pharmacist: 9.9%, P = .0013)

Conclusion

Pharmacists have an active role on the PERT and their involvement was associated with a shorter diagnosis to anticoagulation time, increased LMWH use, and fewer major bleeding events.
AGER gene variant as a risk factor for juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Authors: Bakutenko Ivan Yurievich , Haurylchyk Irena Dmitrievna , Sechko Elena Vladimirovna , Tchitchko Alexei Mihajlovich , Batyan Galina Mihajlovna , Sukalo Alexander Vasil'evich , Ryabokon Nadezhda Ivanovna
Published: November 2021

Background

The AGER gene encodes a cell surface multiligand receptor of advanced glycation end‐products that is also capable of binding other molecules and is involved in numerous pathways related to inflammation, apoptosis, immunity and so on. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether the AGER rs1035798 (G>A) intronic polymorphism, showing an association with multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis in adults, is related to juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods

Caucasian children from the Belarusian population were enrolled in the study. In total, there were 201 cases with JIA, 37 with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus, 222 children with the articular syndrome of non‐autoimmune etiology (positive control for JIA) and 365 negative controls (children without any autoimmune or inflammatory diseases). Genomic DNA samples from the patients and controls were genotyped by a real‐time polymerase chain reaction.

Results

A marked association of the homozygous AA rs1035798 genotype with JIA (p = 5 × 10−4) was found. Allele A was also associated with JIA (p = 0.0058), as well as with the articular syndrome of non‐autoimmune etiology (p = 0.0264). The highest frequencies of the AA genotype were found in the subgroups of JIA patients with polyarthritis or severe oligoarthritis. The AA genotype patients also had the smallest mean age of the JIA onset.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that the AGER rs1035798 AA genotype is a risk factor for JIA in Belarusian children. They also suggest a link between the AGER AA genotype and the risk of JIA early onset and severity. However, the functional relevance of the rs1035798 polymorphism is still unclear.
Characterization of real‐world treatment practices and outcomes among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated in a Finnish tertiary center
Authors: Ranti Juha , Perkonoja Katariina , Kauko Tommi , Loponen Heidi , Joensuu Emmi I. , Järvinen Tiina M.
Published: November 2021

Objectives

We conducted this retrospective study to characterize the change in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treatment patterns between 2005 and 2019, to understand the treatment sequencing across the course of the disease, and to investigate how targeted agents and prognostic testing were implemented into the patient care.

Methods

This study included adult patients with CLL treated at the Hospital District of Southwest Finland during the study period. Data were collected from the Turku University Hospital data lake.

Results

In total, 122 and 60 patients received first‐ and second‐line treatments for CLL, respectively. The shift from conventional chemoimmunotherapy to targeted treatments in recent years (2014–2019) was observed. The median overall survival times were not reached in patients treated with targeted agents compared to conventional standard treatments in first‐ and second‐line settings and improved toward the end of the study period. Prognostic testing increased during the study follow‐up and patients with unmutated immunoglobulin heavy‐chain variable showed significantly poorer overall survival and time‐to‐next‐treatment outcomes than patients with mutated immunoglobulin heavy‐chain variable.

Conclusions

This real‐world study implicated added value of targeted chemo‐free therapies as reported in randomized clinical trials, and highlighted the necessity of prognostic testing in order to improve treatment selection and patient outcomes.
Needlestick and sharps injuries among secondary and tertiary healthcare workers, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Makeen Anwar M. , Alharbi Abdullah A. , Mahfouz Mohammed S. , Alqassim Ahmad Y. , Ismail Ahmed A. , Arishi Haider M. , El‐Setouhi Maged A. , Horner Ronnie D. , Muaddi Mohammed A.
Published: November 2021

Aim

The study aimed to assess the incidence of needlestick and sharps injuries among healthcare workers (HCWs) in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia, as well as to determine whether there exists an association between hospital level and needlestick and sharps injuries rate.

Design

A cross‐sectional survey was conducted among 609 randomly selected HCWs from nine general hospitals.

Methods

A self‐administered questionnaire, which covered the structure and process of injection safety, was used for data collection.

Results

The overall needlestick and sharps injuries incidence rate was 24%. The needlestick and sharps injuries rates were 30% and 14% in secondary and tertiary hospitals, respectively. HCWs working in tertiary hospitals were 61% less likely to have needlestick and sharps injuries than those employed in secondary hospitals. This was mainly the impact of better and continuous training. High safety level maintenance and health education provision are vital in such settings.