bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Three‐stage auction scheme for computation offloading on mobile blockchain with edge computing
Authors: Xia Chengpeng , Wu Yalan , Chen Long , Chen Yawen , Wu Jigang
Published: August 2022

Blockchain has been applied in wide range of fields to guarantee security. However, it has been very challenging for blockchain to flourish in mobile environment with limited resources. Existing studies mainly assume that single mobile user can buy the whole resources from edge servers in mobile blockchain. This paper formulates the problem of maximizing the social welfare for computation offloading in mobile blockchain. A three‐stage auction scheme with approximation ratio of based on group‐buying mechanism is proposed to allocate edge server resources for mobile blockchain applications. In the first stage, the miners are divided into groups, and a Vickrey–Clarke–Groves based auction is proposed to determine the bid of each group for each edge server. In the second stage, a matching algorithm is proposed to match edge servers and Access Points for maximizing the profit of edge servers. In the third stage, the edge server resources are allocated to mobile users for mining base on the results in the above stages. We prove that our auction scheme guarantees truthfulness, individual rationality and budget balance. Simulation results show that, the social welfare of our scheme is improved by 33.78%, 21.84%, 19.69%, and 6.69% for 1000 miners, compared with the existing works.
Diagnostic value of routine dental radiographs for predicting the mandibular canal localization validated by cone‐beam computed tomogram measurements
Authors: Wiechens Bernhard , Brockmeyer Phillipp , Sevinc Tayhan , Hoene Georg , Schliephake Henning , Hahn Wolfram
Published: August 2022

Objectives

To test the hypothesis that routine dental radiographs can be used to draw conclusions regarding the mandibular canal (MC) localization.

Material and Methods

A total of 108 radiographs (36 orthopantomograms [OPTs], 36 lateral cephalograms [LCs], and 36 cone‐beam computed tomograms [CBCTs]) of 36 patients were analyzed. Statistical analysis included all cephalometric parameters obtained by OPTs, LCs, and CBCTs. Potential influencing parameters were calculated using linear and logistic regression with a backward removal algorithm. For predictability of MC localization, parameters were correlated using Pearson's correlation.

Results

The MC ran along the lingual half (n = 24) twice as often as in the buccal half (n = 12) in the population studied. The position was always symmetrical contralaterally. No sex‐specific influence was observed (p = .34). Lingual and buccal MC courses were statistically significantly correlated to increased and decreased jaw angles (LC/OPT), respectively (p = .003; r = −.48/p = .010; r = −.42). An increased jaw angle was significantly correlated with a more cranial MC position (p = .013; r = −.41); a deep and distal bite position was significantly correlated with a caudal and buccal MC position (p = .004; r = −.47/p = .001; r = .57). Moreover, an increase of 1 point in the Hasund score predicted an increased probability of a buccal MC position by 18.6%. The jaw angle analyzed in OPT and LC images were positively correlated (r = .89, p < .001).

Conclusions

Routine dental radiographs provide informative guidance on the location of the MC in the vertical and transverse levels. This finding could be used in the initial consultation and treatment planning to consider more invasive diagnostic methods further down the line.
Fine mapping of QTL for water use efficiency‐related traits on chromosome 9 of Solanum habrochaites in the field
Authors: Groh Amy M. , Kubond Bryce A. , St. Clair Dina A.
Published: August 2022

Fresh water is increasingly limited due to climate change. One way to reduce fresh water use by irrigated agriculture is to breed plants that can produce adequate yields with less water. A wild tomato, Solanum habrochaites, is more water stress tolerant than cultivated tomato, S. lycopersicum L. Our study aimed to fine map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for maturity, yield, and water use efficiency (WUE)‐related traits (shoot dry weight and carbon isotope discrimination, ∆13C) on chromosome 9 in S. habrochaites using a set of 21 sub‐near isogenic lines (sub‐NILs). These sub‐NILs and controls were evaluated in field experiments grown under full and reduced irrigation treatments across 2 yr. Genotype × environment interactions were significant, so the data was separated into subsets of environments for further analyses. Significant QTL were detected for 20 trait–environment combinations. All QTL were partially or completely coincident. The presence of the S. habrochaites allele at QTL was associated with later maturity, lower yields, and greater WUE. However, yield and ∆13C exhibited no or low correlations with each other, suggesting these traits could be selected for improvement independently during breeding. Two of 21 sub‐NILs showed superior performance for WUE and yield compared to controls. These two genotypes may prove useful in breeding programs to improve the WUE of tomato cultivars without negative effects on yield.
Long‐term effects of Pfizer‐BioNTech COVID‐19 vaccinations on platelets
Authors: Zhou Yuqi , Nishikawa Masako , Kanno Hiroshi , Yang Ruoxi , Ibayashi Yuma , Xiao Ting‐Hui , Peterson Walker , Herbig Maik , Nitta Nao , Miyata Shigeki , Kanthi Yogendra , Rohde Gustavo K. , Moriya Kyoji , Yatomi Yutaka , Goda Keisuke
Published: August 2022

There is a global concern about the safety of COVID‐19 vaccines associated with platelet function. However, their long‐term effects on overall platelet activity remain poorly understood. Here we address this problem by image‐based single‐cell profiling and temporal monitoring of circulating platelet aggregates in the blood of healthy human subjects, before and after they received multiple Pfizer‐BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccine doses over a time span of nearly 1 year. Results show no significant or persisting platelet aggregation trends following the vaccine doses, indicating that any effects of vaccinations on platelet turnover, platelet activation, platelet aggregation, and platelet‐leukocyte interaction was insignificant.
A novel optimized routing technique to mitigate hot‐spot problem (NORTH) for wireless sensor network‐based Internet of Things
Authors: Avdhesh Yadav Suman , Poongoodi T.
Published: August 2022

Technological advancements in the area of the Internet of Things have fostered the development of multi‐hop architectures pertaining to applications seeking large network areas. However, while exploiting such applications, the sensor devices being used are made to communicate through multi‐hop routing techniques, burdening the relay nodes. Hence, it leads to a hot‐spot problem, as the nodes passing on the data, that is, relay nodes, consume their energy at a large magnitude. To solve this issue, in this paper, we propose a novel optimized routing technique to mitigate hot‐spot problem (NORTH) for wireless sensor network (WSN)‐based IoT. We employ the tunicate swarm algorithm (TSA) to optimize the cluster‐based routing, specifically the selection of cluster head (CH) of each cluster by using some novel parameters. These parameters include energy status, a distance of a node from the sink and other nodes, load balancing, node proximity, and average energy stock of the network. We investigate two network scenarios, that is, when a sink is placed inside the network and otherwise, to give an optimized solution for every case. Further, to mitigate the hot‐spot problem, the relay node is selected in a cluster with the same mechanism as CH, which performs the task of data forwarding. The simulation analysis of NORTH reveals the supremacy of the proposed work against the recently proposed algorithms, based on various performance metrics, namely, network longevity, stability duration, throughput, and the network's remaining energy.
Utility of rapid on‐site evaluation in procurement of adrenal gland tissue biopsies
Authors: Hojat Seyed Amin , Maheshwari Bhunesh K. , Ravish Nakul A. , Azabdaftari Gissou , Yang Zhongbo
Published: August 2022

Background

While the number of adrenal biopsies has increased due to more “incidentalomas” were detected by widespread use of imaging studies, there have been very limited studies to evaluate the utility of rapid on‐site evaluation (ROSE) in obtaining adequate core needle biopsy (CNB) tissue for diagnosis of adrenal lesions.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed all percutaneous adrenal CNB cases with available ROSE for a 12‐year period in our institute in order to assess the usefulness of ROSE in adrenal CNB sampling.

Results

A total of 83 cases were identified in our database. The majority of cases (52/83, 63%) were diagnosed as metastatic malignancies with the lung being the most common primary site. Adrenal hyperplasia/adenoma was the most common primary adrenal lesion. The concordance between the ROSE interpretations and CNB final diagnoses is 80%. The interpretation errors accounted for majority (11/17, 65%) of the discordant cases.

Conclusion

ROSE assessment during adrenal CNB procedures is a helpful tool for obtaining adequate diagnostic tissue. Pathologists should be familiar with adrenal cytology in order to reduce interpretation errors at ROSE.
Near infrared spectroscopy in peripheral artery disease and the diabetic foot: A systematic review
Authors: Joseph Simon , Munshi Bijit , Agarini Raden , Kwok Ricky Chi Ho , Green Daniel J. , Jansen Shirley
Published: August 2022

With the need for tools that assess microvascular status in diabetic foot disease (DFD) being clear, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a putative method for noninvasive testing of the diabetic foot. The use of NIRS in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has extended to its role in studying the pathophysiology of DFD. NIRS generates metrics such as recovery time, deoxygenation, oxygen consumption (VO2), tissue oxygen saturation (StO2), total haemoglobin (HbT), and oxyhaemoglobin area under the curve (O2HbAUC). NIRS may potentially help the multidisciplinary team stratify limbs as high‐risk, especially in diabetic patients with symptoms masked by peripheral neuropathy. NIRS may be useful for assessing treatment effectiveness and preventing deterioration of patients with PAD.
Inconsistent response of taxonomic groups to space and environment in mediterranean and tropical pond metacommunities
Authors: Gálvez Ángel , Peres‐Neto Pedro R. , Castillo‐Escrivà Andreu , Bonilla Fabián , Camacho Antonio , García‐Roger Eduardo M. , Iepure Sanda , Miralles‐Lorenzo Javier , Monrós Juan S. , Olmo Carla , Picazo Antonio , Rojo Carmen , Rueda Juan , Sahuquillo María , Sasa Mahmood , Segura Mati , Armengol Xavier , Mesquita‐Joanes Francesc
Published: August 2022

The metacommunity concept provides a theoretical framework that aims at explaining organism distributions by a combination of environmental filtering, dispersal, and drift. However, few works have attempted a multitaxon approach and even fewer have compared two distant biogeographical regions using the same methodology. We tested the expectation that temperate (mediterranean‐climate) pond metacommunities would be more influenced by environmental and spatial processes than tropical ones, because of stronger environmental gradients and a greater isolation of waterbodies. However, the pattern should be different among groups of organisms depending on their dispersal abilities. We surveyed 30 tropical and 32 mediterranean temporary ponds from Costa Rica and Spain, respectively, and obtained data on 49 environmental variables. We characterized the biological communities of bacteria and archaea (from the water column and the sediments), phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, amphibians and birds, and estimated the relative role of space and environment on metacommunity organization for each group and region, by means of variation partitioning using generalized additive models. Purely environmental effects were important in both tropical and mediterranean ponds, but stronger in the latter, probably due to their larger limnological heterogeneity. Spatially correlated environment and pure spatial effects were greater in the tropics, related to higher climatic heterogeneity and dispersal processes (e.g., restriction, surplus) acting at different scales. The variability between taxonomic groups in the contribution of spatial and environmental factors to metacommunity variation was very wide, but higher in active, compared with passive, dispersers. Higher environmental effects were observed in mediterranean passive dispersers, and higher spatial effects in tropical passive dispersers. The unexplained variation was larger in the tropical setting, suggesting a higher role for stochastic processes, unmeasured environmental factors, or biotic interactions in the tropics, although this difference affected some actively dispersing groups (insects and birds) more than passive dispersers. These results, despite our limitations in comparing only two regions, provide support, for a wide variety of aquatic organisms, for the classic view of stronger abiotic niche constraints in temperate areas compared with the tropics. The heterogeneous response of taxonomic groups between regions also points to a stronger influence of regional context than organism adaptations on metacommunity organization.
Does deterministic coexistence theory matter in a finite world?
Authors: Schreiber Sebastian J. , Levine Jonathan M. , Godoy Oscar , Kraft Nathan J. B. , Hart Simon P.
Published: August 2022

Contemporary studies of species coexistence are underpinned by deterministic models that assume that competing species have continuous (i.e., noninteger) densities, live in infinitely large landscapes, and coexist over infinite time horizons. By contrast, in nature, species are composed of discrete individuals subject to demographic stochasticity and occur in habitats of finite size where extinctions occur in finite time. One consequence of these discrepancies is that metrics of species’ coexistence derived from deterministic theory may be unreliable predictors of the duration of species coexistence in nature. These coexistence metrics include invasion growth rates and niche and fitness differences, which are now commonly applied in theoretical and empirical studies of species coexistence. In this study, we tested the efficacy of deterministic coexistence metrics on the duration of species coexistence in a finite world. We introduce new theoretical and computational methods to estimate coexistence times in stochastic counterparts of classic deterministic models of competition. Importantly, we parameterized this model using experimental field data for 90 pairwise combinations of 18 species of annual plants, allowing us to derive biologically informed estimates of coexistence times for a natural system. Strikingly, we found that for species expected to deterministically coexist, community sizes containing only 10 individuals had predicted coexistence times of more than 1000 years. We also found that invasion growth rates explained 60% of the variation in intrinsic coexistence times, reinforcing their general usefulness in studies of coexistence. However, only by integrating information on both invasion growth rates and species' equilibrium population sizes could most (>99%) of the variation in species coexistence times be explained. This integration was achieved with demographically uncoupled single‐species models solely determined by the invasion growth rates and equilibrium population sizes. Moreover, because of a complex relationship between niche overlap/fitness differences and equilibrium population sizes, increasing niche overlap and increasing fitness differences did not always result in decreasing coexistence times, as deterministic theory would predict. Nevertheless, our results tend to support the informed use of deterministic theory for understanding the duration of species’ coexistence while highlighting the need to incorporate information on species' equilibrium population sizes in addition to invasion growth rates.
Seismic microzoning of the Delhi metropolitan area, India— I: Seismicity modeling
Authors: Gupta Ishwer Datt , Lee Vincent W. , Trifunac Mihailo D.
Published: August 2022

Seismic activity parameters ( and values in a Gutenbdataer–Richter relationship, maximum magnitude , and predominant focal depths ) have been estimated for a grid of square cells of size 0.1° in latitudes and longitudes covering a large region bound by 24°−33°N and 72°−82°E to define input seismicity for microzoning of the Delhi metropolitan area. For this purpose, seven area types of seismic sources are first identified from a detailed seismotectonic evaluation of the region. Two of these sources form part of the Northwestern Himalaya and the remaining five encompass the intraplate area including and surrounding the National Capital Region. The seismic activity parameters are then estimated for each source zone by compiling a comprehensive catalog of 4483 past earthquakes with magnitudes of 2.0 or more covering the 1720–2020 period. All the grid cells in each source are initially assigned the same values of parameters , , and as those for the source zone; whereas parameter has been redefined for each grid cell using the cumulative occurrence rate of earthquakes above the minimum magnitude of completeness for the source zone. To account for possible uncertainties in past earthquake locations, values of the activity parameters thus assigned to all the grid cells in the region are spatially smoothed using an elliptical Gaussian kernel with a major axis along the predominant strike direction for the source zone of each grid cell. The grid cells across the source zone boundaries are also included in the smoothing process to normalize the effects of any subjectivity introduced in defining the source zone boundaries. Our estimations of seismic activity parameters thus obtained can be considered in the development of a robust and physically realistic seismicity model for practical engineering applications, which was made possible by our use of a sufficiently long duration of the earthquake catalog along with complete reporting of data up to magnitudes very close to the expected maximum magnitude in each source zone. We have also estimated the seismic activity parameters for the Hindu Kush subduction zone, which is then idealized by a point source.
Highly Reproducible Flexible Ion‐selective Electrodes for the Detection of Sodium and Potassium in Artificial Sweat
Authors: Rostampour Mohammad , Lawrence David J. , Hamid Zaaferah , Darensbourg Jade , Calvo‐Marzal Percy , Chumbimuni‐Torres Karin Y.
Published: August 2022

It is well known that potentiometric sensors provide a versatile, cost‐effective, and efficient platform for wearable applications. Unfortunately, mass production and commercialization of such devices is often constrained by the requirement of a calibration step, which is due to the poor sensor‐to‐sensor reproducibility and the need of conditioning the electrodes in the analyte before use. Herein, we fabricated calibration‐free flexible sensors including ion‐selective electrode and reference electrode by integrating single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with poly(3‐octylthiophene) (POT) and applying on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. The developed sodium and potassium ion‐selective electrodes (ISEs) display excellent repeatability, selectivity, stability as well as high sensor‐to‐sensor reproducibility, with a standard deviation of as low as 1.0 mV in artificial sweat microliter samples volume.
Analysis and control of the mechanism of coal pillar sloughing in the shallow buried thick coal seam
Authors: Zhang Jie , Wu Jianjun , Yang Sen , Bai Wenyong
Published: August 2022

In northern Shaanxi province, the coal seam deposit conditions are generally characterized by large thickness and shallow depth of burial, the phenomenon of coal pillar sloughing is serious in the process of working face retrieval, which brings great potential danger to mine safety production. In this paper, by monitoring the stress and damage of the coal pillar in the field section, the stress changes and damage degree of the working face in different mine stages are determined. A new mechanical model of coal pillar in a thick coal seam is constructed and the stress changes and structural breakage law of each section are obtained, the stress transfers mechanism of overburden structure and the stress damage to coal pillar during the mining process of upper and lower section comprehensive mining working face is analyzed. The stress, microscopic damage, and the degree of sloughing in the coal pillar were significantly reduced by monitoring through the top plate hydraulic cracking pressure relief control program. The results of the study show that the extent of sloughing coal pillar and internal damage is closely related to the length of key block B of the masonry beam formed by the overlying rock layer and the position of the break line, by changing the orientation of the overlying masonry beam rock layer and the position and length of the tendency to break line, the sloughing coal pillar is effectively controlled and its stress and damage are reduced. We have achieved good results in control of the sloughing in the Hanjiawan coal mine and similar mines in northern Shaanxi.
Advanced security model for multimedia data sharing in Internet of Things
Authors: Dhar Shalini , Khare Ashish , Singh Rajani
Published: August 2022

Sharing a file that contains multimedia data among the different peers of wireless Internet of Things (IoT) networks has several challenges. One of the main challenges is their centralized system, which leads to high‐security risk and low user reachability. One solution could be to simply change the system to a decentralized network by using the blockchain network to store these files. However, it may solve the low user reachability and security problem at the cost of low latency, longer response time, scalability and privacy issues. Therefore, this article uses the advanced blockchain scheme and distributes InterPlanetary File System. We also presented the system framework and its working. Finally, we do the security analysis of our proposed system and found that it has strong potential to solve most of the security challenges that traditional system faces. Moreover, our proposed approach can be applied to any file‐changing wireless IoT network that needs to exchange multimedia data such as healthcare data, IoT data in wearable devices, traffic data in smart cities, etc.
Large‐scale evaluation efforts and their implications for the field
Authors: Azzam Tarek
Published: August 2022

The BUILD initiative is part of the Diversity Program Consortium, which the National Institutes of Health funded to increase diversity in biomedical research. This chapter aims to identify implications for the field from the multisite evaluation of BUILD initiative programs by reviewing the work undertaken by the authors of the other chapters in this issue. Given the complexities involved in multisite evaluations, innovative approaches and methods were used to balance the needs of each site with the overall objectives of the broader initiative. These approaches included a flexible orientation to the evaluation, mixed‐methods designs that prioritized understanding the context before measuring it, and innovative analytic techniques (e.g., meta‐analysis) to recognize the uniqueness of each site while providing insights about their cumulative impact. The BUILD initiative evaluation also offered many other valuable lessons about engaging stakeholders, focusing on use, and responding to changing priorities over time.
Advice from local/site evaluators: How to manage “up” within a large‐scale initiative
Authors: Hwalek Melanie , Honoré Matt , Brown Shavonnea
Published: August 2022

BUilding Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD), an initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), provides grants to undergraduate institutions to implement and study innovative approaches to engaging and retaining students from diverse backgrounds in biomedical research. The NIH awarded BUILD grants to 10 higher education institutions in multiple states, including funding for local evaluations. This chapter presents findings from an online survey and interviews with 15 local evaluators from nine of the 10 BUILD sites. Participants shared their perspectives on the role of professional local evaluators in national evaluations, ideal national–local multisite evaluation partnerships, and the ways that funders can support these partnerships to maximize impact. They argued for customized technical assistance and other support for local evaluations; the importance of including local results in national evaluation findings; the value of local evaluators’ subject‐matter expertise; and the potential for funders to act as central organizing entities in national–local evaluation partnerships.
Theoretical and conceptual frameworks across local evaluation efforts in a nationwide consortium
Authors: Christie Christina A. , Wright Carmel R.
Published: August 2022

This paper describes the theoretical and conceptual frameworks used to guide the site‐level evaluations of Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) programs, part of the Diversity Program Consortium (DPC), funded by the National Institutes of Health. We aim to provide an understanding of which theories informed the evaluation work of the DPC and how the frameworks guiding BUILD site‐level evaluations are conceptually aligned with one another and with the consortium‐level evaluation.
A meta‐analysis approach for evaluating the effectiveness of complex multisite programs
Authors: Crespi Catherine M. , Cobian Krystle P.
Published: August 2022

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) created the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) initiative to incentivize undergraduate institutions to create innovative approaches to increasing diversity in biomedical research, with the ultimate goal of diversifying the NIH‐funded research enterprise. Initiatives such as BUILD involve designing and implementing programs at multiple sites that share common objectives. Evaluation of initiatives like this often includes statistical analyses that combine data across sites to estimate the program's impact on particular outcomes. Meta‐analysis is a statistical technique for combining effect estimates from different studies to obtain a single overall effect estimate and to estimate heterogeneity across studies. However, it has not been commonly applied to evaluate the impact of a program across multiple different sites. In this chapter, we use the BUILD Scholar program—one component of the broader initiative—to demonstrate the application of meta‐analysis to combine effect estimates from different sites of a multisite initiative. We analyze three student outcomes using a typical “single‐stage” modeling approach and a meta‐analysis approach. We show how a meta‐analysis approach can provide more nuanced information about program impacts on student outcomes and thus can help support a robust evaluation.
Low bone mineral density and its related factors in adults with congenital heart disease in Vietnam: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Truong Thanh‐Huong , Thi Nguyen Mai‐Ngoc , Kim Ngoc‐Thanh , Thi Nguyen Thuy‐Hoa , Do Doan‐Loi , Le Thanh‐Tung , Le Hong‐An
Published: August 2022

Background and Aims

Recent studies have highlighted the increased risk of low bone mineral density (BMD) in adults with cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about BMD in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD), particularly in developing countries. We hypothesized that factors related to BMD would lead to a high prevalence of low BMD in adults with CHD. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of low BMD and its related factors in Vietnamese adults with CHD.

Methods

We conducted a cross‐sectional study of 73 adults diagnosed with CHD in Vietnam. Low BMD was classified based on their site‐specific Z‐scores and T‐scores at the posteroanterior lumbar spine and left proximal femur. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate factors related to low BMD.

Results

Low BMD was confirmed in one‐third of the adults with CHD. There were trends of more bone loss in certain parts of the body than in others, with the prevalence of low BMD at the sites of the lumbar vertebrae (L1‒L4) and left proximal femur (femoral neck, trochanteric femur, and intertrochanteric area) of 43.9%, 31.8%, 28.8%, 33.3%, 8.8%, 1.5%, and 6.1%, respectively. The prevalence of low BMD in the lumbar spine was significantly higher than that in the left proximal femur (34.3% vs. 2.9%, p < 0.001). Moreover, the prevalence of low BMD was significantly higher in adults with CHD than in those without polycythemia and vitamin D deficiency (55.6% vs. 20.9%, p = 0.001 and 46.2% vs. 19.4%, p = 0.002, respectively). A stratified multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that low BMD was associated with polycythemia (odds ratio: 4.72; 95% confidence interval: 1.64–13.58, p = 0.004).

Conclusions

Low BMD is common among adults with CHD in Vietnam and related to polycythemia.
Prevalence and associations of depression, anxiety, and stress among people living with HIV: A hospital‐based analytical cross‐sectional study
Authors: Opoku Agyemang Sampson , Ninonni Jerry , Bennin Lydia , Agyare Elizabeth , Gyimah Leveana , Senya Kafui , Birikorang Emmanuel , Quarshie Emmanuel Nii‐Boye , Baddoo Nyonuku Akosua , Addo Stephen Ayisi , Obiri‐Yeboah Dorcas
Published: August 2022

Background and Aims

An important but much less researched burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Sub‐Saharan Africa includes the associated mental health outcomes of living with the virus. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress, and describe some of the socio‐demographic associations among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Ghana.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Simple random sampling was used to recruit 395 PLHIV who access HIV‐related services at the antiretroviral therapy clinic. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale‐21 was used to assess prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress. Frequencies and percentages were used to estimate the prevalence and multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate sociodemographic factors associated with depression, anxiety, and stress.

Results

The prevalence estimates of depression, anxiety, and stress among PLHIV were 28.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 24.4–33.3), 40.8% (95% CI = 36.0–45.8), and 10.6% (95% CI = 7.9–14.1), respectively. Females reported higher prevalence of depression (32.2%; 95% CI = 27.2–37.7), anxiety (44.0%; 95% CI = 38.4–49.6), and stress (12.6%; 95% CI = 9.4–17.0) compared to depression (17.5%; 95% CI = 11.1–26.4), anxiety (30.9%; 95% CI = 22.5–40.7), and stress (4.1%; 95% CI = 1.2–10.4) among males. PLHIV without a regular partner were about 0.63 increased odds of experiencing anxiety compared to those with a regular partner (AOR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.40–1.00: p = 0.049). PLHIV without formal education were about 0.49 and 0.44 increased odds to experience anxiety and stress, respectively compared to those with tertiary education.

Conclusions

Generally, the levels of stress, anxiety, and depression are high among PLHIV, but disproportionately higher among females. Mental health assessment and management should be integrated into the HIV care services. There should be capacity building for health care workers to offer differentiated service delivery based on mental health care needs of PLHIV.
Invisible doppelgänger and body image disorders in right superior parietal lobule stroke, a case series
Authors: Kumral Emre , Çetin Fatma E. , Dere Birgül , Özdemir Hüseyin N.
Published: August 2022

Autoscopic phenomena or an “invisible doppelgänger” refer to the illusory reduplication of one's own body. Body image disorder involves distorted perception or decreased body awareness. In the literature, feeling of presence (FOP) is rarely presented with a circumscribed cerebral pathology due to acute vascular lesions, and concomitant FOP and disorders of the body image or the body schema (BIBS) have rarely been reported. We present three cases of both FOP and BIBS disorders. All patients reported the two types of symptoms almost simultaneously: The first patient had the symptom of somatoparaphrenia characterized by deny ownership of the hand and feeling that it does not belong to her, the second patient had the sign of fading limb presented with misuse of his left hand when it was not under visual control and could not mentally represent and locate this part of the body in space, and the third patient had autotopagnosia; he was unable to localize any touched area below the elbow and knee. All patients had right parietal ischemic lesions involving the superior parietal lobule, and two patients had an adjacent additional precuneal involvement. Based on the cases presented here, it is plausible that BIBS may develop in addition to FOP, especially in lesions involving the superior parietal lobule and precuneus.
Injectable extracellular matrix hydrogels contribute to native cell infiltration in a rat partial nephrectomy model
Authors: Kushige Hiroko , Amano Yuki , Yagi Hiroshi , Morisaku Toshinori , Kojima Hideaki , Satou Akiko , Hamada Ken‐ichi , Kitagawa Yuko
Published: August 2022

Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) hydrogels have cytocompatibility, and are currently being investigated for application in soft tissues as a material that promotes native cell infiltration and tissue reconstruction. A dECM hydrogel has broad potential for application in organs with complex structures or various tissue injury models. In this study, we investigated the practical application of a dECM hydrogel by injecting a kidney‐derived dECM hydrogel into a rat partial nephrectomy model. The prepared dECM hydrogel was adjustable in viscosity to allow holding at the excision site, and after gelation, had an elastic modulus similar to that of kidney tissue. In addition, the migration of renal epithelial cells and vascular endothelial cells embedded in dECM hydrogels was observed in vitro. Four weeks after injection of the dECM hydrogel to the partial excision site of the kidneys, infiltration of renal tubular constituent cells and native cells with high proliferative activity, as well as angiogenesis, were observed inside the injected areas. This study is the first to show that dECM hydrogels can be applied to the kidney, one of the most complex structural organs and that they can function as a scaffold to induce angiogenesis and infiltration of organ‐specific renal tubular constituent cells, providing fundamental insights for further application of dECM hydrogels.
Nonlinear optical properties DFT calculations of polyacethylene and copolymers models substituted with aldimines chromophores as side chains
Authors: Benchehaima Fatima‐Zohra , Springborg Michael , Rahal Majda Sekkal
Published: August 2022

Aldimine derivatives chromophores grafted on polyacetylene oligomers were first designed to investigate the nonlinear optical (NLO) response of the resulting materials using CAMB3LYP method. The effects of different factors such as the chain length separating the substitutions as well as the configurations and the orientations of these latter, were examined and discussed. In a second part of this paper, NLO responses, in particular the static hyperpolarizabilities of polyvinyl oligomers substituted by aldimine chromophores via carboxylic groups and by pyrrolidone groups were calculated for different configurations. The stability and the hydrogen bonding in each oligomer were also discussed.
Screen‐printed electrode‐based homogeneous electrochemical aptasensor for mercury (II) based on reduced graphene oxide and exonuclease III‐driven cyclic reaction
Authors: Lv Zeping , Zhang Mingli , Jin Huali , Huang Yawei , Wei Min
Published: August 2022

A novel disposable and portable electrochemical aptasensor based on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was constructed for the detection of mercury (II) (Hg2+) using methylene blue (MB) as the signal tag and exonuclease III‐induced cyclic reaction as signal amplification strategy. RGO was utilized as a carrier to immobilize MB‐DNA, and screen‐printed electrode (SPE) was used as the substrate electrode. The whole reaction was carried out in a homogeneous system, and finally, the target was detected directly in the solution using SPE, which did not require multiple fixation steps and simplified the experimental process. Under the optimized conditions, the developed electrochemical aptasensor had a wide linear range of 0.01–300 nmol L−1 with a low detection limit of 0.009 nmol L−1 and was successfully used for the determination of Hg2+ in tap water samples. Furthermore, the aptasensor exhibited good stability and high selectivity. It had good application prospects in the detection of harmful substances in food.
The hepato‐cardiac disorders in Tibetan residents with hepatic echinococcosis: A case–control echocardiography study
Authors: Zhou Mi , Xu Da , Zhang Wenjun , Wang Yi , Zuo Mingliang , Wang Siming , Liu Ting , Zhang Junqing , Yin Lixue , Guo Zhiyu , Liu Jun , Tan Jing
Published: August 2022

Background

Clinical guidelines indicate that chronic highland exposure could induce pulmonary hypertension; chronic hepatic disease may affect cardiac structure and functions. However, the simultaneous impact of hepatic echinococcosis (HE) and chronic highland exposure on cardiac structure and function in Tibetan residents are under‐investigated.

Methods

One hundred and twenty patients with HE, 23 healthy high‐altitude migrants with a mean residence time of 7.15 ± 1.12 years, and 46 healthy Tibetan permanent residents were enrolled in this study. All participants received comprehensive transthoracic echocardiography.

Results

High‐altitude migrants have a relatively lower pulmonary artery flow velocity (PV) and a slightly higher pulmonary artery mean pressure (PAMP) than the Tibetan permanent residents. Patients with HE presented relatively smaller dimensions of the main pulmonary artery and branches and a bigger right atrium and right ventricular cavity size than the two control groups. PV, PAMP and numbers of detectable tricuspid regurgitation jet velocity (TRJV), right ventricular fractional area change (RV_FAC), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), the ratio of tricuspid inflow velocities at early diastole to tricuspid annular early diastolic excursion velocity (RV_E/e′) and right ventricular myocardial performance index (RV_MPI) were increased in patients with HE compared to the two control groups. Similarly, decreased LVEF and Impaired left ventricular diastolic function were identified in patients with HE compared to the two control groups.

Conclusions

Patients with HE presented with impaired biventricular contractile performance and diastolic dysfunction.
Between the enhanced power graph and the commuting graph
Authors: Cameron Peter J. , Kuzma Bojan
Published: August 2022

The purpose of this note is to define a graph whose vertex set is a finite group , whose edge set is contained in that of the commuting graph of and contains the enhanced power graph of . We call this graph the deep commuting graph of . Two elements of are joined in the deep commuting graph if and only if their inverse images in every central extension of commute. We give conditions for the graph to be equal to either of the enhanced power graph and the commuting graph, and show that automorphisms of act as automorphisms of the deep commuting graph.
Innovative treatments for epilepsy: Venom peptides, cannabinoids, and neurostimulation
Authors: Lima Larissa Silva de , Loyola Vinícius , Bicca João Victor Montenegro Luzardo , Faro Lucas , Vale Camilla Lepesqueur Costa , Lotufo Denucci Bruna , Mortari Márcia Renata
Published: August 2022

Antiepileptic drugs have been successfully treating epilepsy and providing individuals sustained seizure freedom. However, about 30% of the patients with epilepsy present drug resistance, which means they are not responsive to the pharmacological treatment. Considering this, it becomes extremely relevant to pursue alternative therapeutic approaches, in order to provide appropriate treatment for those patients and also improve their quality of life. In the light of that, this review aims to discuss some innovative options for the treatment of epilepsy, which are currently under investigation, addressing strategies that go from therapeutic compounds to clinical procedures. For instance, peptides derived from animal venoms, such as wasps, spiders, and scorpions, demonstrate to be promising antiepileptic molecules, acting on a variety of targets. Other options are cannabinoids and compounds that modulate the endocannabinoid system, since it is now known that this network is involved in the pathophysiology of epilepsy. Furthermore, neurostimulation is another strategy, being an alternative clinical procedure for drug‐resistant patients who are not eligible for palliative surgeries.
Raman spectrum of MXene Ti2C under planar symmetrical strain: First‐principles calculations
Authors: Ding Mingquan , Liu Huijun , Jiang Hongtai , Huang Mingde , Tan Xuexin , Li Yanghai , Wang Weiliang , Zhang Shaolin , Huang Haiming
Published: August 2022

The vibrational, electronic and Raman properties of monolayer Ti2C under planar symmetrical strain excited by two commonly used laser lines (532 and 633 nm) are investigated by first‐principles calculations. By analyzing the phonon spectrum, the stability of strained monolayer Ti2C is obtained. The strained Ti2C is found to have the same point group symmetry and thereby the same Raman‐active modes as unstrained Ti2C, but their Raman peaks exhibit notable red (blue) shift characteristic with symmetrical tensile (compressive) strain. We also discussed the polarization angle dependent Raman intensity in parallel and perpendicular configuration as a guide for experimental characterization in terms of the locations and magnitudes of maxima and found that the locations of maxima for the Eg (A1g) mode are dependent (independent) of the laser wavelength and the strain. The variation of the polarization direction averaged Raman spectra versus strain can be further explained by the characteristics of light absorbance.
Identification of iron compounds in chrysotile from the Balangero mine (Turin, Italy) by micro‐Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Fornasini Laura , Raneri Simona , Bersani Danilo , Mantovani Luciana , Scognamiglio Valentina , Di Giuseppe Dario , Gualtieri Alessandro F.
Published: August 2022

Chrysotile, one of the six regulated asbestos minerals, is classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The Balangero mine (Turin, Italy) was the largest asbestos mine in Europe, providing extraction of chrysotile fibers until 1990. Chrysotile from Balangero is currently of great interest in fibers toxicity studies focused on the understanding of the mechanisms that induce lung malignancies. One of the crucial factors in the biochemical reactions is the presence of Fe at the fibers surface. Surface reactivity is responsible for the generation of reactive oxygen species, which play an important role in asbestos cyto‐genotoxicity. Moreover, the dissolution of Fe‐bearing phases in the acidic environment of the lysosomes might be considered as possible release of hazardous Fe ions in the lungs. Here, chrysotile from Balangero was characterized by micro‐Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope‐energy dispersive system (SEM‐EDS) analysis to identify the Fe‐bearing impurities associated with asbestos fibers. Micrometric crystals were recognized as Fe oxides, carbonates, and sulfides. Uncommonly reported phases in asbestos minerals were also identified, mainly as mackinawite (Fe(II)S), in different forms. The nature of the Fe compounds containing both Fe(II) and Fe(III) species was verified by micro‐Raman spectroscopy combined with SEM‐EDS analysis.
Influence of thermal processing on the quality of hawthorn: Quality markers of heat‐processed hawthorn
Authors: Guo Wenyan , Bai Jing , Zhang Qingning , Duan Kunfeng , Zhang Panpan , Zhang Jianghua , Zhao Jing , Zhang Wei , Kong Dezhi
Published: August 2022

Hawthorn and its derived products are used worldwide as foods as well as complementary medicine. During the preparation of hawthorn, heating and thermal processing are frequently reported. The thermal processing will change the medicinal purposes and modify the efficacy of hawthorn. However, details including the chemical profile shifting and quality markers of heat‐processed hawthorn have not been well understood. In this study, we analyzed the hawthorn samples processed at different temperatures and different times by ultraviolet visible absorption spectrum and liquid–mass spectrometry technologies combined with multivariate statistical analysis. It was revealed for the first time that thermal processing could greatly change the ultraviolet–visible absorption spectra and chemical profiles of hawthorn even with heat treatment at 130°C for 10 min. And the ultraviolet visible absorption spectrum, especially the ratio value (RA500 nm/400 nm), was a descriptive and qualitative indicator of heating degree for the thermal processing at the macroscopic level. Several components, such as hyperoside, chlorogenic acid, quercetin, and apigenin, decreased or increased in content during the processing, and they could be utilized as the chemical quality markers. The proposed quality markers for heat‐processed hawthorn will be helpful for further optimizing the processing conditions of hawthorn.
Stable Optical Frequency Comb Distribution Enabled by Hollow‐Core Fibers
Authors: Feng Zitong , Marra Giuseppe , Zhang Xi , Fokoua Eric R. Numkam , Sakr Hesham , Hayes John R. , Poletti Francesco , Richardson David J. , Slavík Radan
Published: August 2022

Over the last two decades, optical frequency combs (OFCs) have enabled some of the most accurate measurements in physics. Distributing light from OFCs via optical fibers could make these high‐accuracy measurement tools available more widely, from a few dedicated metrology laboratories to other laboratories and industry. However, the performance of distributed OFCs is strongly limited by impairments of standard single mode fiber (SMF), most notably its thermal sensitivity of chromatic dispersion, for which no compensation technique has been shown to date. To overcome this limitation, use of a new class of optical fiber is suggested here: a hollow core fiber (HCF), which offers more than an order of magnitude lesser such impairment. The measured OFC frequency stability of the optical mode and mode spacing reaches 1.8 × 10−19 and 1.5 × 10−17 at a few thousand seconds, respectively, after transmitting through 7.7 km of HCF. To the best of knowledge, this is the best ever performance for km‐lengths of fiber‐based OFC distribution. Besides, other HCF advantages over SMF in this application are discussed. Specifically, HCFs offer over an order of magnitude lower thermal sensitivity of propagation delay, several orders of magnitude lower optical nonlinearity, and almost ten times lower chromatic dispersion.