bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental students: a cross-sectional study integrating the pain adaptation model
Authors: de Almeida Manuel Barbosa , Moleirinho-Alves Paula , Oliveira Raúl
Published: March 2024

Aim

This study aimed to assess the prevalence, anatomical distribution, and contributing biological and psychosocial factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among dental students.

Subject and methods

We used the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) to determine the prevalence and anatomical distribution of WMSDs, integrating biological and psychosocial variables, including stress, anxiety, and quality of life levels measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), and World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief Form (WHOQOL-Bref), respectively. We used chi-square tests to analyze differences between the prevalences of independent groups, and binary logistic regression models to identify potential predictors among sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics.

Results

A total of 239 students were contacted to participate and 123 answered the questionnaire, setting the response rate at 51.5%. We excluded 18 for being over 30 years old and 25 for having diagnosed and ongoing musculoskeletal injuries, leaving 80 participants. They were 77.5% women and 22.5% men with 22.69 ± 1.63 years, 1.67 ± 0.08 m, 60.44 ± 10.94 kg and a body mass index (BMI) of 21.46 ± 2.61 kg/m2. A total of 91.3% of the participants reported symptoms in at least one body region in the past year. The neck and lower back (63.8%) were the most frequently affected areas, followed by 40% in the shoulders and 31% in the wrists/hands. Over the period of a week, 23.8% experienced symptoms in the lower back, 21.3% in the cervical region, and 15% in both shoulders and wrists/hands. Additionally, male students are 90% more likely to develop WMSDs in the shoulders, and students with anxiety are 49% more prone to refer WMSDs in lower back region.

Conclusion

High WMSDs rates were observed in dental students in neck, low back, and shoulders. Male students and those with increased levels of anxiety were more likely to develop WMSDs. Further investigation focused on the motor-behavior adaptations and psychosocial determinants underpinning these findings is fundamental to fully understand them, allowing the development and implementation of strategies to prevent and manage WMSDs in dental students.
Validation of Korean Version of the Anger Discomfort Scale
Authors: Kim Jisu , Stead Graham B.
Published: March 2024

This article reports on the validation of the Korean version of the Anger Discomfort Scale (ADS-K) in samples comprising college students and community-based adults living in South Korea (n = 765). The Anger Discomfort Scale (ADS) is a 15-item scale designed to assess levels of discomfort associated with both the experience and expression of anger in interpersonal contexts. For psychometric property testing, survey data were analyzed with advanced multivariate methods, focusing on aspects of validity and reliability. The properties of the total scores are examined by descriptive statistics. The results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis identified the structure of the ADS-K as a well-defined bi-factor model. Correlational analyses indicated that anger discomfort was positively associated with anger suppression, anger expression, trait anxiety, and constructs related to anxiety in interpersonal relationships (e.g., fear of evaluation by others and expectations of negative interpersonal results). Implications for the use of the ADS-K and future directions are suggested.
Multi-start team orienteering problem for UAS mission re-planning with data-efficient deep reinforcement learning
Authors: Lee Dong Ho , Ahn Jaemyung
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we study the Multi-Start Team Orienteering Problem (MSTOP), a mission re-planning problem where vehicles are initially located away from the depot and have different amounts of fuel. We consider/assume the goal of multiple vehicles is to travel to maximize the sum of collected profits under resource (e.g., time, fuel) consumption constraints. Such re-planning problems occur in a wide range of intelligent UAS applications where changes in the mission environment force the operation of multiple vehicles to change from the original plan. To solve this problem with deep reinforcement learning (RL), we develop a policy network with self-attention on each partial tour and encoder-decoder attention between the partial tour and the remaining nodes. We propose a modified REINFORCE algorithm where the greedy rollout baseline is replaced by a local mini-batch baseline based on multiple, possibly non-duplicate sample rollouts. By drawing multiple samples per training instance, we can learn faster and obtain a stable policy gradient estimator with significantly fewer instances. The proposed training algorithm outperforms the conventional greedy rollout baseline, even when combined with the maximum entropy objective. The efficiency of our method is further demonstrated in two classical problems – the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) and the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP). The experimental results show that our method enables models to develop more effective heuristics and performs competitively with the state-of-the-art deep reinforcement learning methods.
The Effectiveness of Concept Maps on Students’ Achievement in Science: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Anastasiou Dimitris , Wirngo Clare Nangsin , Bagos Pantelis
Published: March 2024

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of concept maps on science achievement among elementary and secondary education students, including low-achieving students. A systematic search located 55 studies about concept mapping in science achievement published in peer-reviewed journals and dissertations between 1980 and 2020. We extracted 58 independent standardized mean difference effect sizes from 55 eligible studies involving 5,364 students from Grade 3 to Grade 12 who used concept maps for learning in physics/earth science, chemistry, and biology that met the specified design criteria. A random-effects model meta-analysis revealed that the mean effect size was moderate for overall science (g = 0.776). The mean effect sizes varied from moderate to large based on the subject area (g = 0.671 for biology; g = 0.590 for chemistry; g = 1.040 for physics and earth science); these differences between groups were not statistically significant (p = 0.220). Concept maps were generally associated with increased science learning across several learning and teaching conditions, and methodological features (low-achieving students, higher teaching guidance, intermediate grades, low- or middle-income countries, journal publications, and late year of publication). However, we found significant heterogeneity in most subsets. Implications for future research and practice recommendations are discussed.
Chlorophyll-a unveiled: unlocking reservoir insights through remote sensing in a subtropical reservoir
Authors: Mpakairi Kudzai S. , Muthivhi Faith F. , Dondofema Farai , Munyai Linton F. , Dalu Tatenda
Published: March 2024

Effective water resources management and monitoring are essential amid increasing challenges posed by population growth, industrialization, urbanization, and climate change. Earth observation techniques offer promising opportunities to enhance water resources management and support informed decision-making. This study utilizes Landsat-8 OLI and Sentinel-2 MSI satellite data to estimate chlorophyl-a (chl-a) concentrations in the Nandoni reservoir, Thohoyandou, South Africa. The study estimated chl-a concentrations using random forest models with spectral bands only, spectral indices only (blue difference absorption (BDA), fluorescence line height in the violet region (FLH_violet), and normalized difference chlorophyll index (NDCI)), and combined spectral bands and spectral indices. The results showed that the models using spectral bands from both Landsat-8 OLI and Sentinel-2 MSI performed comparably. The model using Sentinel-2 MSI had a higher accuracy of estimating chl-a when spectral bands alone were used. Sentinel-2 MSI’s additional red-edge spectral bands provided a notable advantage in capturing subtle variations in chl-a concentrations. Lastly, the –chl-a concentration was higher at the edges of the Nandoni reservoir and closer to the reservoir wall. The findings of this study are crucial for improving the management of water reservoirs, enabling proactive decision-making, and supporting sustainable water resource management practices. Ultimately, this research contributes to the broader understanding of the application of earth observation techniques for water resources management, providing valuable information for policymakers and water authorities.
Benchmarking ANI potentials as a rescoring function and screening FDA drugs for SARS-CoV-2 Mpro
Authors: Zengin Irem N. , Koca M. Serdar , Tayfuroglu Omer , Yildiz Muslum , Kocak Abdulkadir
Published: March 2024

Here, we introduce the use of ANI-ML potentials as a rescoring function in the host–guest interaction in molecular docking. Our results show that the “docking power” of ANI potentials can compete with the current scoring functions at the same level of computational cost. Benchmarking studies on CASF-2016 dataset showed that ANI is ranked in the top 5 scoring functions among the other 34 tested. In particular, the ANI predicted interaction energies when used in conjunction with GOLD-PLP scoring function can boost the top ranked solution to be the closest to the x-ray structure. Rapid and accurate calculation of interaction energies between ligand and protein also enables screening of millions of drug candidates/docking poses. Using a unique protocol in which docking by GOLD-PLP, rescoring by ANI-ML potentials and extensive MD simulations along with end state free energy methods are combined, we have screened FDA approved drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro). The top six drug molecules suggested by the consensus of these free energy methods have already been in clinical trials or proposed as potential drug molecules in previous theoretical and experimental studies, approving the validity and the power of accuracy in our screening method.
Trading-Off Safety with Agility Using Deep Pose Error Estimation and Reinforcement Learning for Perception-Driven UAV Motion Planning
Authors: Kaymaz Mehmetcan , Ayzit Recep , Akgün Onur , Atik Kamil Canberk , Erdem Mustafa , Yalcin Baris , Cetin Gürkan , Ure Nazım Kemal
Published: March 2024

Navigation and planning for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) based on visual-inertial sensors has been a popular research area in recent years. However, most visual sensors are prone to high error rates when exposed to disturbances such as excessive brightness and blur, which can lead to catastrophic performance drops in perception and motion planning systems. This study proposes a novel framework to address the coupled perception-planning problem in high-risk environments. This achieved by developing algorithms that can automatically adjust the agility of the UAV maneuvers based on the predicted error rate of the pose estimation system. The fundamental idea behind our work is to demonstrate that highly agile maneuvers become infeasible to execute when visual measurements are noisy. Thus, agility should be traded-off with safety to enable efficient risk management. Our study focuses on navigating a quadcopter through a sequence of gates on an unknown map, and we rely on existing deep learning methods for visual gate-pose estimation. In addition, we develop an architecture for estimating the pose error under high disturbance visual inputs. We use the estimated pose errors to train a reinforcement learning agent to tune the parameters of the motion planning algorithm to safely navigate the environment while minimizing the track completion time. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed approach yields significantly fewer crashes and higher track completion rates compared to approaches that do not utilize reinforcement learning.
Enhanced electrochemical energy storage devices utilizing a one-dimensional (1D) α-MnO2 nanocomposite encased in onion-like carbon
Authors: Palaniyandy N. , Lakshmi D. , Thenmozhi G. , Kheawhom S. , Musyoka N. N.
Published: March 2024

This work describes the fabrication of a novel one-dimensional (1D) α-MnO2 nanorods encased in onion-like carbon (or) carbon nano-onions (OLC) via microwave irradiation techniques employing electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD), which is especially beneficial for rapid ion and electron transfer, and great structural stability. The composite of α-MnO2 and OLC demonstrates exceptional performance as an electrode across various electrochemical energy storage systems, including zinc-ion batteries (ZIB), sodium-ion batteries (SIB), and supercapacitors (SC) than the pristine α-MnO2. In SIB systems, the composite exhibits a specific capacity of 266 mAh g−1 at initial cycle with 50% capacity retention over 500 cycles, whereas the pristine electrode delivers only 39% capacity retention. The rapid yet controlled charge transfer kinetics facilitated by OLC addition in the α-MnO2 matrix outperforms as the ZIB cathode with an excellent specific capacity of 476 mAh g−1 with 100% capacity retention, while the pristine sample exhibits 77.5% capacity retention. As a SC electrode, the α-MnO2/OLC composite exhibits better electrochemical properties such as rectangular behavior, increased specific capacitance (792 F g−1), excellent capacity retention at high current densities, and others. The higher surface area that could be offered by the OLC to the α-MnO2 matrix facilitates the improved electrochemistry in the pristine sample and this kind of modification can be a viable solution to overcome the limitations of α-MnO2 for electrochemical energy storage applications. It is important to note that the performance outputs of α-MnO2/OLC composite are far better than the regular carbon (graphite, graphene) in α-MnO2 electrodes. Further, OLC provided with high surface area and ordered morphology can play the role of conductivity booster, structural stabilizer, and electrochemical active material in all the energy storage applications which may give a significant research attention in near future.
Composition of the rumen microbiome and its association with methane yield in dairy cattle raised in tropical conditions
Authors: Fregulia Priscila , Dias Roberto Júnio Pedroso , Campos Mariana Magalhães , Tomich Thierry Ribeiro , Pereira Luiz Gustavo Ribeiro , Neves André Luis Alves
Published: March 2024

Background

Methane (CH4) emissions from rumen fermentation are a significant contributor to global warming. Cattle with high CH4 emissions tend to exhibit lower efficiency in milk and meat production, as CH4 production represents a loss of the gross energy ingested by the animal. The objective of this study was to investigate the taxonomic and functional composition of the rumen microbiome associated with methane yield phenotype in dairy cattle raised in tropical areas.

Methods and results

Twenty-two Girolando (F1 Holstein x Gyr) heifers were classified based on their methane yield (g CH4 / kg dry matter intake (DMI)) as High CH4 yield and Low CH4 yield. Rumen contents were collected and analyzed using amplicon sequencing targeting the 16 and 18S rRNA genes. The diversity indexes showed no differences for the rumen microbiota associated with the high and low methane yield groups. However, the sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) revealed different taxonomic profiles of prokaryotes related to High and Low CH4, but no difference was found for protozoa. The predicted functional profile of both prokaryotes and protozoa differed between High- and Low CH4 groups.

Conclusions

Our results suggest differences in rumen microbial composition between CH4 yield groups, with specific microorganisms being strongly associated with the Low (e.g. Veillonellaceae_UCG − 001) and High (e.g., Entodinium) CH4 groups. Additionally, specific microbial functions were found to be differentially more abundant in the Low CH4 group, such as K19341, as opposed to the High CH4 group, where K05352 was more prevalent. This study reinforces that identifying the key functional niches within the rumen is vital to understanding the ecological interplay that drives methane production.
Real-time motion estimation based video steganography with preserved consistency and local optimality
Authors: Mohamed Hassan , Elliethy Ahmed , Abdelaziz Amr , Aly Hussein
Published: March 2024

This paper introduces a novel steganographic technique for H.264 video that achieves an outstanding performance against state-of-the-art steganalysis techniques while maintaining real-time encoding performance constraints. The proposed technique embeds the secret message by altering the motion vectors (MVs) while preserving their local optimality and consistency feature to withstand the recently emerged steganalysis methods. Thanks to its macro-block (MB) basis architecture, the proposed technique satisfies the real-time constraints, eliminating the need to wait for the whole frame or group of pictures (GOP) and avoiding the need to perform any additional re-encoding step(s). Additionally, altering the MVs is performed in the motion estimation (ME) sub-pixel-refinement stage through a rule-based scheme that ensures each MB’s compatibility for embedding without detection by the aforementioned steganalysis methods. The proposed technique is integrated with the OpenH264 real-time video encoder and evaluated on widely used video sequences. The results prove that the proposed technique achieves a significant security performance against the steganalysis methods while maintaining an acceptable embedding rate, outperforming other state-of-the-art MV-based steganographic methods in real-time constrained environments. The proposed technique adds about $$1-2\%$$

1
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2
%

overhead beyond the encoder running time. The source code is publicly available here: https://github.com/HassanMohamedGit/OpenH264-RealTime-steg.
Contrasting packing modes for tubular assemblies in chlorosomes
Authors: Miloslavina Yuliya A. , Thomas Brijith , Reus Michael , Gupta Karthick Babu Sai Sankar , Oostergetel Gert T. , Andreas Loren B. , Holzwarth Alfred R. , de Groot Huub J. M.
Published: March 2024

The largest light-harvesting antenna in nature, the chlorosome, is a heterogeneous helical BChl self-assembly that has evolved in green bacteria to harvest light for performing photosynthesis in low-light environments. Guided by NMR chemical shifts and distance constraints for Chlorobaculum tepidum wild-type chlorosomes, the two contrasting packing modes for syn-anti parallel stacks of BChl c to form polar 2D arrays, with dipole moments adding up, are explored. Layered assemblies were optimized using local orbital density functional and plane wave pseudopotential methods. The packing mode with the lowest energy contains syn-anti and anti-syn H-bonding between stacks. It can accommodate R and S epimers, and side chain variability. For this packing, a match with the available EM data on the subunit axial repeat and optical data is obtained with multiple concentric cylinders for a rolling vector with the stacks running at an angle of 21° to the cylinder axis and with the BChl dipole moments running at an angle ß ∼ 55° to the tube axis, in accordance with optical data. A packing mode involving alternating syn and anti parallel stacks that is at variance with EM appears higher in energy. A weak cross-peak at -6 ppm in the MAS NMR with 50 kHz spinning, assigned to C-181, matches the shift of antiparallel dimers, which possibly reflects a minor impurity-type fraction in the self-assembled BChl c.
Changing prices after the reform of local public services: remunicipalization versus privatization
Authors: Albalate Daniel , Bel Germà , González-Gómez Francisco , Hernández-Gutiérrez José C. , Picazo-Tadeo Andrés J.
Published: March 2024

Privatization and remunicipalization have been used as alternative options to reform the delivery of local public services; in both cases, mainly because of disappointment with the service performance, although ideological preferences might also play a role. The drivers and effects of water privatization have been widely studied, whereas little empirical evidence is available for remunicipalization, particularly regarding its effects. Using a sample of Spanish municipalities, this paper assesses the change in the price of urban water following remunicipalization as compared to privatization. The main finding is that remunicipalization leads to smaller increases in price; this outcome is, however, due to a few atypical municipalities with abnormally low prices before the policy reform. Once these influential observations are controlled for, whether the reform consists of remunicipalization or privatization makes no difference regarding price changes. It is also found that remunicipalization is much more likely in cities governed by extreme left-wing parties.
Normal science: not uncritical or dogmatic
Authors: Schindler Samuel
Published: March 2024

When Kuhn first published his Structure of Scientific Revolutions he was accused of promoting an “irrationalist” account of science. Although it has since been argued that this charge is unfair in one aspect or another, the early criticism still exerts an influence on our understanding of Kuhn. In particular, normal science is often characterized as dogmatic and uncritical, even by commentators sympathetic to Kuhn. I argue not only that there is no textual evidence for this view but also that normal science is much better understood as being based on epistemically justified commitment to a paradigm and as pragmatic in its handling of anomalies. I also argue that normal science is an example of what I call Kuhn’s program of revisionary rational reconstruction.
Carbon pricing and aggregate macroeconomic performance in the Eurozone: a contribution to the climate policy debate using the EU ETS and Macroeconomic Performance Index
Authors: Olasehinde-Williams Godwin
Published: March 2024

This article contributes to the carbon pricing debate by providing new evidence on the aggregate macroeconomic effect of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) in the Eurozone. To this end, a novel macroeconomic performance index is created to capture the overall economic performance of the Eurozone countries. The index is a weighted aggregation of key macroeconomic variables—GDP growth rate, inflation rate, employment rate, exchange rate, and long-term inflation rate—for the 19 member countries of the group. The effect of the EU ETS on this macroeconomic performance index is then empirically examined while controlling for the effects of physical capital accumulation, human capital accumulation and regulatory quality. A panel framework covering the period 2005–2022 is set up to achieve this objective and the relationship is examined using panel method of moments quantile regression with fixed effects, as well as fixed and random effects regressions of Driscoll and Kraay. A number of important revelations are made. Firstly, the behavior of the macroeconomic performance index constructed clearly reflects the economic reality of the Eurozone, with downward spikes visible in periods corresponding with the economic crisis of 2007–2009, the Eurozone debt crisis of 2010/2011, the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2016, and periods around the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Hence, a case is made for the use of the macroeconomic performance index as a superior aggregate measure of the overall economic performance in empirical research. Secondly, a statistically significant negative effect of the EU ETS on aggregate macroeconomic performance in the Eurozone is confirmed. This shows that there are significant economic costs associated with the use of carbon pricing as a means of lowering pollution. Thirdly, the findings further show that the negative impact gradually decreases (in absolute values) from lower to higher quantiles. Overall, higher carbon prices cause greater economic disruption when macroeconomic performance is relatively poor but have less damaging effect when aggregate economic performance is relatively strong. Policy recommendations based on the study findings are also provided.
Microwave pretreatment of wastewater sludge technology—a scientometric-based review
Authors: Li Yuxuan , Campos Luiza C. , Hu Yukun
Published: March 2024

This manuscript presents a scientometric review of recent advances in microwave pretreatment processes for sewage sludge, systematically identifying existing gaps and prospects. For this purpose, 1763 papers on the application of microwave technology to sludge pretreatment were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) using relevant keywords. These publications were then analyzed using diverse scientometric indices. The results show that research in this field encompasses applications based on the non-thermal effects of microwaves, enhanced effectiveness of anaerobic digestion (AD), and the energy balance of this pretreatment system. Overcoming existing technical challenges, such as the cleavage of extracellular polymers, reducing microwave energy consumption, understanding the non-thermal effects of microwaves, promoting AD of sludge in combination with other chemical and physical methods, and expanding the application of the technology, are the main scientific focuses. Additionally, this paper thoroughly examines both the constraints and potential of microwave pretreatment technology for wastewater treatment.
Sitagliptin elevates plasma and CSF incretin levels following oral administration to nonhuman primates: relevance for neurodegenerative disorders
Authors: Li Yazhou , Vaughan Kelli L. , Wang Yun , Yu Seong-Jin , Bae Eun-Kyung , Tamargo Ian A. , Kopp Katherine O. , Tweedie David , Chiang Cheng-Chuan , Schmidt Keith T. , Lahiri Debomoy K. , Tones Michael A. , Zaleska Margaret M. , Hoffer Barry J. , Mattison Julie A. , Greig Nigel H.
Published: March 2024

The endogenous incretins glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) possess neurotrophic, neuroprotective, and anti-neuroinflammatory actions. The dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitor sitagliptin reduces degradation of endogenous GLP-1 and GIP, and, thereby, extends the circulation of these protective peptides. The current nonhuman primate (NHP) study evaluates whether human translational sitagliptin doses can elevate systemic and central nervous system (CNS) levels of GLP-1/GIP in naive, non-lesioned NHPs, in line with our prior rodent studies that demonstrated sitagliptin efficacy in preclinical models of Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD is an age-associated neurodegenerative disorder whose current treatment is inadequate. Repositioning of the well-tolerated and efficacious diabetes drug sitagliptin provides a rapid approach to add to the therapeutic armamentarium for PD. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of 3 oral sitagliptin doses (5, 20, and 100 mg/kg), equivalent to the routine clinical dose, a tolerated higher clinical dose and a maximal dose in monkey, were evaluated. Peak plasma sitagliptin levels were aligned both with prior reports in humans administered equivalent doses and with those in rodents demonstrating reduction of PD associated neurodegeneration. Although CNS uptake of sitagliptin was low (cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)/plasma ratio 0.01), both plasma and CSF concentrations of GLP-1/GIP were elevated in line with efficacy in prior rodent PD studies. Additional cellular studies evaluating human SH-SY5Y and primary rat ventral mesencephalic cultures challenged with 6-hydroxydopamine, established cellular models of PD, demonstrated that joint treatment with GLP-1 + GIP mitigated cell death, particularly when combined with DPP-4 inhibition to maintain incretin levels. In conclusion, this study provides a supportive translational step towards the clinical evaluation of sitagliptin in PD and other neurodegenerative disorders for which aging, similarly, is the greatest risk factor.
A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based intervention on individuals with physical disabilities in China
Authors: Liang Lu-yin , Shek Daniel T. L.
Published: March 2024

Individuals with physical disabilities (PD) face many quality of life challenges. In this study, a randomized controlled trial was conducted to investigate the impact of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on the psychological morbidity (indexed by depression and anxiety), emotional well-being (indexed by mindfulness and self-compassion), and health-related quality of life (QOL) among individuals with PD in China. A total of 512 participants with PD were randomly allocated to either the MBI group or the control group. Participants in the experimental group received an eight-week MBI in four sequential stages with different mindfulness meditation exercises. Results showed that participants who underwent MBI exhibited significantly fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, elevated levels of mindfulness and self-compassion, and enhanced health-related QOL compared to those who did not receive the treatment after intervention. The study yielded promising results for using MBI in promoting the well-being of individuals with PD in China. Suggestions for future research are also highlighted.
Inter-district and Wealth-related Inequalities in Maternal and Child Health Service Coverage and Child Mortality within Addis Ababa City
Authors: Mekonnen Wubegzier , Dechassa Worku , Melesse Desalegn Y. , Tejedor-Garavito Natalia , Nilsen Kristine , Getachew Theodros , Mulu Shegaw , Wondrad Naod
Published: March 2024

In sub-Saharan Africa, urban areas generally have better access to and use of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services than rural areas, but previous research indicates that there are significant intra-urban disparities. This study aims to investigate temporal trends and geographic differences in maternal, newborn, and child health service utilization between Addis Ababa’s poorest and richest districts and households. A World Bank district-based poverty index was used to classify districts into the top 60% (non-poor) and bottom 40% (poor), and wealth index data from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) was used to classify households into the top 60% (non-poor) and bottom 40% (poor). Essential maternal, newborn, and child health service coverage was estimated from routine health facility data for 2019–2021, and five rounds of the EDHS (2000–2019) were used to estimate child mortality. The results showed that service coverage was substantially higher in the top 60% than in the bottom 40% of districts. Coverage of four antenatal care visits, skill birth attendance, and postnatal care all exceeded 90% in the non-poor districts but only ranged from 54 to 67% in the poor districts. Inter-district inequalities were less pronounced for childhood vaccinations, with over 90% coverage levels across all districts. Inter-district inequalities in mortality rates were considerable. The neonatal mortality rate was nearly twice as high in the bottom 40% of households' as in the top 60% of households. Similarly, the under-5 mortality rate was three times higher in the bottom 40% compared to the top 60% of households. The substantial inequalities in MNCH service utilization and child mortality in Addis Ababa highlight the need for greater focus on the city’s women and children living in the poorest households and districts in maternal, newborn, and child health programs.
SNP Markers Associated with Some Root, Stolon, and Tuber Traits in Tetraploid Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) Grown Under Diverse Growing Systems
Authors: Yousaf Muhammad Farhan , Demirel Ufuk , Naeem Muhammad , Naawe Eric Kuopuobe , Caliskan Mehmet Emin
Published: March 2024

Numerous loci, environmental factors, and their interactions have an impact on the phenotypic diversity of several significant traits in plants. One approach put forth in recent years for genetic research and finding quantitative trait loci (QTLs) responsible for the specific trait is association mapping. The purpose of the current study was to pinpoint the genetic underpins of significant underground traits in potato. A panel of 192 diverse tetraploid potato genotypes from different countries were grown under different growing conditions (i.e., aeroponics and pot) to study root, stolon and tuber traits. Significant differences (P ≤ 0.01) were found between the genotypes for all examined traits, and the heritability (H2) of the traits ranged from 0.74 to 0.94. Genotyping was carried out using the SolCAP 25K array. 21,226 polymorphic SNPs were used for association mapping of underground traits. A GWASpoly R package was implemented for the marker-trait associations, and 78 genomic regions were found associated with the traits under investigation.. The history of potato breeding was reflected in LD patterns. The identified SNPs have their putative gene functions related to the root and stolon architecture and tuber growth (i.e., WRKY transcription factor, MAPK, the GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (i.e., GTPCHI), Glutathionyl-hydroquinone reductase, and pyrophosphate—fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase subunit alpha (PFPase). The results of the present study provides a framework that could be helpful for future potato breeding programs to increase tuber production and reduce the challenges of feeding the world's population in the years to come.
Culpability and Moral Vice
Authors: Lamond Grant
Published: March 2024

This paper raises four queries about Simester’s defective engagement with reason account of culpability found in his Fundamentals of Criminal Law: (1) the characterisation of the account in terms of moral ‘vices’; (2) the basis for identifying a vice as a ‘moral’ vice; (3) what is involved in an agent manifesting ‘insufficient care and concern’ for the interests of others; and (4) whether the account is an account of culpability generally, or is instead an account of criminal culpability, i.e., the type of culpability necessary for criminal conviction.
Technology and the Situationist Challenge to Virtue Ethics
Authors: Tollon Fabio
Published: March 2024

In this paper, I introduce a “promises and perils” framework for understanding the “soft” impacts of emerging technology, and argue for a eudaimonic conception of well-being. This eudaimonic conception of well-being, however, presupposes that we have something like stable character traits. I therefore defend this view from the “situationist challenge” and show that instead of viewing this challenge as a threat to well-being, we can incorporate it into how we think about living well with technology. Human beings are susceptible to situational influences and are often unaware of the ways that their social and technological environment influence not only their ability to do well, but even their ability to know whether they are doing well. Any theory that attempts to describe what it means for us to be doing well, then, needs to take these contextual features into account and bake them into a theory of human flourishing. By paying careful attention to these contextual factors, we can design systems that promote human flourishing.
Evaluation of the histologic and immunohistochemical (CD34, glutamine synthetase) findings in idiopathic non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (INCPH)
Authors: Büyük Melek , Berker Neslihan , Bakkaloğlu Doğu Vurallı , Şenkal İbrahim Volkan , Önal Zerrin , Güllüoğlu Mine
Published: March 2024

Aim

Idiopathic non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (INCPH) is a vascular disorder of uncertain origin. Diagnosis can be challenging on liver biopsy. Despite diverse histomorphologic findings documented in literature, studies on the frequency of these findings are lacking. This study aims to assess both the histomorphologic features and the immunoexpression patterns of CD34 and glutamine synthetase (GS) in liver biopsies and searched for their contribution to the pathologic diagnosis of INCPH.

Materials and methods

Hematoxylin–eosin, CD34, and GS-stained liver needle biopsy sections of 16 patients clinically diagnosed with INCPH were retrospectively analyzed. Histologic findings such as portal vein narrowing, obliteration, or loss were grouped as major findings, while portal vein herniation, hypervascularized portal tracts, and periportal abnormal vessels were grouped as minor findings, and their frequency were evaluated. Periportal endothelial CD34 stained areas were measured via ocular micrometer. The distribution of GS immunoexpression was evaluated. Eighteen healthy liver donor biopsies were evaluated as controls.

Results

In INCPH cases, 58% of portal tracts showed major findings, compared to 15% in the control group (p < 0.001). Minor findings were observed in 16% of INCPH cases and 7% of controls (p = 0.014). The number of portal tracts with histologic findings is significantly higher in INCPH than in control liver biopsies. Abnormal portal tract distribution, like being close to each other, was seen in 75% of INCPH cases but not in controls (p < 0.001). Nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH) was present in 31% of cases. Periportal CD34 expression was higher in INCPH, and affected areas were larger than in controls (p < 0.001). Irregular GS staining, i.e. GS staining with patchy distribution in zone 3, and/or periportal and zone 2 hepatocytes, was found in 62% of INCPH cases, while controls showed the usual pattern (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

In the biopsy diagnosis of INCPH, in addition to the presence of major histologic findings and the amount of portal tracts displaying these features, the expression of endothelial CD34 in periportal areas, and irregular hepatocellular GS expression can also be considered as supporting feature.
Potential Cause-and-Effect Relationship between Gut Microbiota and Childhood Neuroblastoma: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis
Authors: Chu Jing
Published: March 2024

Objectives

To analyze the potential causal-effect of gut microbiota (GM) on neuroblastoma (NB) risk using a Mendelian randomization (MR) study.

Methods

A two-sample MR study was conducted using summary statistics of the GM from the largest available meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies conducted by the MiBioGen consortium. Pooled statistics for childhood NB were obtained from the IEU Consortium release data (1627 cases and 3254 controls). Inverse variance-weighted, weighted median, MR-Egger, and weighted mod were used to examine the causal relationship between GM and childhood NB. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genes of positive GM were extracted using the PLINK program, and correlations between key SNP genes and tumor-regulated genes were analyzed. Functional enrichment analysis and transcription factor prediction were performed.

Results

Inverse variance weighted (IVW) results indicated that Erysipelotrichia exerted a protective effect against childhood NB (odds ratio = 0.371, 95% Confidence interval: 0.173 - 0.795, P = 0.011) and that Oscillospira exerted a risk effect against childhood NB (odds ratio = 2.378, 95% Confidence interval: 1.121 - 5.043, P = 0.024), indicating the association of GM with childhood NB. Further screening analysis using the IVW test revealed a reliable causal relationship between Erysipelotrichia and NB. Two SNP genes (MUC4 and PELI2) of Erysipelotrichia were extracted and analyzed. Both key genes were significantly associated with tumor-regulated genes, enriched in several pathways associated with tumor progression, and correlated with several upstream transcription factors.

Conclusions

It was observed that Erysipelotrichia is causally associated with NB using a two-sample MR study. Furthermore, the discovery of two SNP genes, MUC4 and PELI2, provides potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of NB.
18F-FDG PET/CT metabolism multi-parameter prediction of chemotherapy efficacy in locally progressive gastric cancer
Authors: Jin Luqiang , Zhang Linghe , Fu Liping , Song Fahuan , Cheng Aiping
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This study aimed to use an 18F-FDG PET/CT multiparametric quantitative analysis to determine the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally progressive gastric cancer.

Materials and methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 34 patients with pathologically identified gastric cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery. Chemotherapy regimens were followed and 18F-FDG PET/CT was conducted. We ascertained multiparamaters of the target lesions pre- and post-treatment and determined the ideal cutoff values for the percentage change in biomarkers. Independent factors were evaluated using binary logistic regression. A response classification system was used to explore the association between metabolic and anatomical responses and the degree of pathological remission.

Results

Binary logistic regression analysis showed that Lauren bowel type and change in total lesion glycolysis >45.2% were risk predictors for the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy; total lesion glycolysis demonstrated the best predictive efficacy. The categorical variable system of the two-module response (metabolic and anatomical response) group had a higher predictive accuracy than that of the single-module response (metabolic or anatomical response) group.

Conclusions

Using 18F-FDG PET/CT multiparametric quantitative analysis, Lauren bowel type and change in total lesion glycolysis >45.2% were independent predictors of the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Additionally, the dual-module assessment demonstrated high predictive efficacy.
Tensor Tomography on Negatively Curved Manifolds of Low Regularity
Authors: Ilmavirta Joonas , Kykkänen Antti
Published: March 2024

We prove solenoidal injectivity for the geodesic X-ray transform of tensor fields on simple Riemannian manifolds with $$C^{1,1}$$

C

1
,
1

metrics and non-positive sectional curvature. The proof of the result rests on Pestov energy estimates for a transport equation on the non-smooth unit sphere bundle of the manifold. Our low regularity setting requires keeping track of regularity and making use of many functions on the sphere bundle having more vertical than horizontal regularity. Some of the methods, such as boundary determination up to gauge and regularity estimates for the integral function, have to be changed substantially from the smooth proof. The natural differential operators such as covariant derivatives are not smooth.
Covariant Derivatives on Homogeneous Spaces: Horizontal Lifts and Parallel Transport
Authors: Schlarb Markus
Published: March 2024

We consider invariant covariant derivatives on reductive homogeneous spaces corresponding to the well-known invariant affine connections. These invariant covariant derivatives are expressed in terms of horizontally lifted vector fields on the Lie group. This point of view allows for a characterization of parallel vector fields along curves. Moreover, metric invariant covariant derivatives on a reductive homogeneous space equipped with an invariant pseudo-Riemannian metric are characterized. As a by-product, a new proof for the existence of invariant covariant derivatives on reductive homogeneous spaces and their the one-to-one correspondence to certain bilinear maps is obtained.
Mixed signals of environmental change and a trend towards ecological homogenization in ground vegetation across different forest types
Authors: Kermavnar Janez , Kutnar Lado
Published: March 2024

Forest ground vegetation may serve as an early warning system for monitoring anthropogenic global-change impacts on temperate forests. Climate warming may induce a decline of cool-adapted species to the benefit of more thermophilous plants. Nitrogen deposition has been documented to potentially result in soil eutrophication or acidification, which can increase the proportion of species with higher nutrient requirements and species impoverishment caused by competitive exclusion. Abiotic forest disturbances are changing the light conditions in the forest understorey environment. In this resurvey study, we tested the magnitude and direction of change in alpha (species richness) and beta (within-site dissimilarity) diversity and composition of forest ground vegetation in forests of different types in Slovenia over fifteen years. Using plant-derived characteristics (Ellenberg-type indicator values) and by testing a priori predictions concerning expected effects of environmental drivers, we show that the magnitude and direction of forest ground vegetation diversity and floristic changes varies greatly between forest sites. Divergent responses at different sites resulted in low net change of alpha and beta diversity and a weak overall environmental signal. The largest decrease in species number was observed in lowland oak-hornbeam forests, which were also among the sites with the greatest compositional shifts. Changes in beta diversity did not show any consistent trend, and anticipated floristic convergence was not confirmed when all sites were considered. Thermophilization was mainly detected in montane beech sites and alpine spruce forests whereas eutrophication signal was most significant on nutrient-poor sites. Vegetation responses were strongly dependent on initial site conditions. Shrinkage of ecological gradients (process of ecological homogenization) suggests that sites positioned at the ends of the gradients are losing their original ecological character and are becoming more similar to mid-gradient sites that generally exhibit smaller changes. Our results point to the importance of local stand dynamics and overstorey disturbances in explaining the temporal trends in forest ground vegetation. Ground vegetation in Slovenian forests is changing in directions also dictated by multiple regional and global change drivers.
A case of young male with recurrent acute pancreatitis caused by an intrapancreatic gastric duplication cyst
Authors: Miyamoto Sayaka , Ishii Yasutaka , Serikawa Masahiro , Tatsukawa Yumiko , Nakamura Shinya , Ikemoto Juri , Tamura Yosuke , Uemura Kenichiro , Arihiro Koji , Oka Shiro
Published: March 2024

Gastric duplication cyst (GDC) is a rare gastrointestinal malformation that frequently occurs in the greater curvature of the gastric antrum or corpus. Herein, we reported a case of intrapancreatic GDC found as a result of recurring pancreatitis. A 15-year-old man experienced repeated episodes of acute pancreatitis and was found to have a cystic lesion in the pancreatic tail. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a 20-mm cystic lesion with an enhanced thick wall. Endoscopic ultrasonography revealed an anechoic cyst with a three-layered wall. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP) revealed a connection between the cyst and the main pancreatic duct (MPD), and the duplication of the MPD. ERP showed the pancreatic duct stenosis downstream of the cyst. Although preoperative diagnosis was difficult, distal pancreatectomy was performed to prevent recurrence of pancreatitis. Pathological examination revealed that the cystic lesion was circumferentially surrounded by the pancreatic parenchyma. The epithelial lining of the cyst was crypt epithelium containing the fundic or pyloric glands and surrounded by a smooth muscle layer. The final diagnosis was intrapancreatic GDC.