bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Active Surveillance of Adverse Events After COVID-19 and Other Vaccinations: a Feasibility Study as Part of the CoVaKo Project
Authors: Lippert Nikoletta , Warkentin Lisette , Kühlein Thomas , Steininger Philipp , Überla Klaus , Hueber Susann , Sebastiao Maria
Published: October 2021

Background: The Corona-Vakzin-Konsortium project (CoVaKo) analyses the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines in a real-world setting and breakthrough infections in Bavaria, Germany. A subproject of CoVaKo aims to identify adverse events of the COVID-19 vaccine and to compare these to adverse events of other vaccines in an online survey. A prior feasibility study was conducted to test study materials for comprehensibility, visual design and motivation to participate and secondly, to test practical implementation and realization in primary care practices and vaccination centres.Methods: A mixed-methods design was used. Three focus groups with general population participants were performed to evaluate the study materials and survey. Second, a test-roll-out was conducted in vaccination centres and primary care practices, which involved implementation and quantitative evaluation of the online survey. Third, interviews were conducted with participating general practitioners and heads of vaccination centres four weeks after the test-roll-out.Results: Parts of the study information and registration form proved incomprehensible in the recruitment material and/or online survey. For example, headings were misleading since the COVID-19 vaccination was overemphasized in the title as compared to other vaccinations. Participants requested more information on the procedure and completion time. In 31 days, 2199 participants who received either a COVID-19 vaccination (99 %) or at least one of the control vaccinations (1 %) registered for the study. Participants (strongly) agreed that the registration process was easy to understand, that all relevant information was provided, the completion time was reasonable and technical framework manageable. Physicians and heads of the vaccination centres perceived the study as easy to integrate into their workflow and most of them were willing to participate in the main study.Conclusions: Our study indicated that capturing adverse events after vaccinations with an online survey is feasible. Testing of materials and surveys provided valuable improvements. Participation of health professionals is important to ensure practicality of the procedures. Flexible adaptation of the study organization to changing structures and requirements is necessary for a successful implementation, especially due to dynamic changes in COVID-19 vaccination strategies.Trial registration: The trial was retrospectively registered at “Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien” (DRKS-ID: DRKS00025881) on Oct 14, 2021.
An Extremely Rare Case of Primary Anterior Mediastinal Tumor
Authors: Shen Cheng , Ma Lin
Published: October 2021

Background: There were very few reports of atypical carcinoid in anterior mediastinum. Atypical carcinoids originating in the mediastinum belong to a neuroendocrine tumor (NET), which is also a very rare clinically aggressive mediastinal tumor. Case presentation: We herein reported a rare case of NET of mediastinal origin and a review of several cases concerning the clinical and pathological features of this disease, which is often misdiagnosed as atypical carcinoid tumor in mediastinum. The tumor was removed by mid-sternal thoracotomy with superior vena cava formation, left common carotid artery resection and artificial blood vessel replacement, left upper lobe wedge resection, left phrenic nerve resection, left vagus nerve resection and partial pericardectomy.Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the sixth atypical carcinoid occurring in mediastinum with proof via histology and IHC. Our findings suggest the difficulty of making a diagnosis before surgery and more cases will need to be reported in order to facilitate the preoperative diagnosis of such a rare tumor.
MRI-guided PET Reconstruction with Adaptive Prior Strength: Study on Image Quality at Different Levels of Statistics
Authors: Cabello Jorge , Anazodo Udunna
Published: October 2021

BackgroundThe combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-anatomical information with positron emission tomography (PET) image reconstruction has been shown to improve PET image quality in terms of spatial resolution and image noise, especially in brain PET imaging. There are different approaches to combine MRI and PET available, being the use of a Bayesian framework the most extended. Generally, the strength of the prior is controlled by a hyperparameter that needs to be tuned depending on the acquired statistics/counts and the desired image quality in the resulting PET image. However, comparisons between methods is scant, and it is not clear how sensitive they are to the different levels of statistics that can be measured in a PET scan. MethodsIn this work we employed maximum a posteriori (MAP) reconstruction with MRI information to guide the PET reconstruction, and evaluated the performance of several prior models and optimization methods with a fixed and adaptive hyperparameter. Different simulated scenarios, and measured data using different radiotracers at different levels of statistics were employed for the evaluation. Comparisons in image quality and quanti cation between methods were performed in different brain cortical and sub-cortical regions. ResultsSimulated data showed that an adaptive hyperparameter consistently outperformed a fixed hyperparameter for every image reconstruction algorithm implemented. The best performance was achieved with a model combining the Bowsher prior weighted by similarity coefficients based on joint entropy between PET and MRI. One-step-late (OSL) and preconditioned gradient ascent (PGA) optimization methods performed similarly at any level of statistics and number of iterations, so long as the hyperparameter was adaptive. ConclusionsResults with simulated and measured data agreed that MAP reconstruction outperformed OSEM reconstruction, especially at low level of statistics, without any need of tuning. High resolution and low noise images were obtained using MAP reconstruction for 5{30 minutes scan times, showing negligible image quality difference for different radiotracers.
Myocardial Infarction as An Independent Predictor of Intramyocardial Hemorrhage in Acute Reperfused Myocardial Ischemic Rats
Authors: Xia Rui , Zhu Tong , Zhang Yu , He Bo , Chen Yushu , Wang Lei , Zhou Yang , Liao Jichun , Zheng Jie , Li Yongmei , Lv Fajin , Gao Fabao
Published: October 2021

Background: In the previous studies, hemorrhage occurred only with the largest infarctions and studies confirmed a moderate correlation between the extent of necrosis and hemorrhage, but the extent of infarction size of these studies was limited. This study was to find the correlations between intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH), myocardial infarction (MI), and myocardial edema (ME) from days 2 to 7 in a 7.0T MR scanner.Methods: The different degrees of myocardial ischemia were induced by occluding different sections of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery (1–3 mm under the left auricle). T2*-mapping, T2-mapping and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) sequences were performed on a 7.0T MR system at day 2 and 7. T2*- and T2-maps were calculated using a custom-made software. All areas were expressed as a percentage of the whole myocardial tissue of the left ventricle. The rats were divided into two groups based on the T2* results; MI with IMH was referred to as the +IMH group, while MI without IMH was referred to as the –IMH group.Results: The final experimental sample consisted of 25 rats in the +IMH group and 10 rats in the –IMH group. For the +IMH group. On day 2, There was a significant positive correlation between IMH size and MI size (r = 0.677, P<0.01), and a positive correlation between IMH size and ME size (r = 0.552, P<0.01). On day 7, There was a significant positive correlation between IMH size and MI size (r = 0.711, P<0.01), while no correlation was found between IMH size and ME size (r = 0.429, P = 0.097). Conclusions: Infarction size prior to reperfusion is a critical factor in determining whether a MI is hemorrhagic or non-hemorrhagic in rats.
Association of red cell distribution width with mortality in cardiac arrest patients: a retrospective analysis based on the MIMIC-IV database
Authors: zhong lei , Jin Yi-yang , Ji Xiao-Wei , Wang Hai-Li , Xie Bo , Yang Xiang-Hong
Published: October 2021

Background

There is a scarcity of studies that covers the relationship between the red cell distribution width (RDW) and the prognosis of cardiac arrest (CA) patients. Moreover, the prognostic value of the changes in RDW during intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization for CA patients is not investigated. This study focuses on the correlation between RDW measures at ICU admission and RDW changes during ICU hospitalization and the prognosis of CA patients.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study is used to collect clinical characteristics of CA patients (>18years) that are on their first admission to ICU with RDW data measured from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV database. The primary outcomes are 30- and 90-day all-cause mortality. A multivariate Cox regression model is applied to test whether the RDW represents an independent risk factor that affects the all-cause mortality of these patients. Meanwhile, the dose-response relationship between the RDW and the mortality is described by the restricted cubic spine (RCS).

Results

A total of 1138 adult CA patients are included in this study. Compared to the survivor group, non-survivors show higher level of RDW. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve indicates that the cumulative survival rate of CA patients at 30 and 90 days decreases gradually as the RDW on ICU admission increases (log-rank test, χ 1 2 =46.460,χ 2 2 =47.210, both p-values<0.001), and rising RDW during ICU hospitalization (ΔRDW>=0.4%) is associated with decreased the 30 and 90 days cumulative survival rates (χ 1 2 =23.700,χ 2 2 =25.390, both p-values<0.001). The multivariate Cox regression analysis shows that increasing RDW at ICU admission (≥13.89%) and rising RDW during ICU hospitalization (ΔRDW>=0.4%) are independent risk factors for death at 30- and 90-day on CA patients. RCS illustrates that there is a non-linear relationship between the RDW on ICU admission and the increased risk of mortality of CA patients at 30 (χ 1 2 =11.990, p-value=0.007) and 90 days (χ 2 2 =12.340, p-value=0.006).

Conclusions

Elevated RDW levels on ICU admission and rising RDW during ICU hospitalization are powerful predictors of all-cause mortality for CA patients at 30 and 90 days, and they can be used as potential clinical biomarkers to predict the bad prognosis of these patients.
Environmental Paraben Exposure and Risk of Thyroid Cancer and Benign Nodules: A Pilot Study
Authors: Wu Nan-Xin , Zhu Sui , liu Chao-Qun , Yan Yan-Hong , Wang Jie , Hong Ao-Bo , Wang Long-Qiang , Zeng Qiang , Sun Jia-Chen , Chen Da , Yang Pan
Published: October 2021

Parabens are widely used as preservatives, which have been found to affect thyroid function in toxicological studies. However, population studies on whether they are associated with thyroid tumor remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the relationship between environmental paraben exposure and thyroid cancer and benign nodules. The detectable percentages of methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, and propyl paraben in the urinary samples of 425 study subjects were 99.06%, 95.29% and 92.00%, respectively. In the single pollutant model, we found statistically significant difference between certain parabens and thyroid cancer/ benign nodules. Further, we found the mixture effect of parabens on increased risk of thyroid cancer (OR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.31) and benign nodule (OR =1.33, 95% CI: 0.86, 1.80). The significant gender-associated effects were found in associations with certain parabens and thyroid cancer and benign nodules (Both P for interactions < 0.05). Overall, our results showed that individual exposure of paraben mixtures may be associated with the risk of thyroid cancer and benign nodules, and there were gender differences.
Microencapsulated Multi-functionalized Graphene Oxide Equipped With Chloroquine for Efficient and Sustained Sirna Delivery
Authors: Imani Rana , Prakash Satya , Vali Hojatollah , Presley John F. , Faghihi Shahab
Published: October 2021

A multi-functionalized graphene oxide (GO)-based carrier with conjugation of aminated-polyethylenglycole (PEG-diamine), octaarginine (R8) and folic acid (FA), which also contains chloroquine (CQ), a lysosomotropic agent, is introduced. The cellular uptake mechanisms and intracellular targeting of FA functionalized nanocarriers are examined. The localized releases of CQ and siRNA intracellular delivery are evaluated. Microencapsulation of the nanocarrier complexed with genes in layer-by-layer coating of alginate micro-beads is also investigated. The covalently co-conjugated FA with PEG and R8 provides a stable formulation with increased cellular uptake compared to FA-free carrier. The CQ-equipped nanocarrier shows a 95% release of CQ at lysosomal pH. The localized release of the drug inside the lysosomes is verified which accelerates the cargo discharge into cytoplasm.
Topology optimization for 3D microstructures of viscoelastic composite materials
Authors: Yang Jianglin , Zhang Shiyang , Li Jian
Published: October 2021

Materials with high stiffness and good vibration damping properties are of great
industrial interest. In this paper, a topology optimization algorithm based on the
BESO method is applied to design viscoelastic composite material by adjusting its 3D
microstructures. The viscoelastic composite material is assumed to be composed of a
non-viscoelastic material with high stiffness and a viscoelastic material with good
vibration damping. The 3D microstructures of the composite are uniformly
represented by corresponding periodic unit cells (PUCs). The effective properties of
the 3D PUC are extracted by the homogenization theory. The optimized properties of
the composites and the optimal microscopic layout of the two materials phases under
the conditions of maximum stiffness and maximum damping are given by several
numerical examples.
ANGPLT3 Impacts Proteinuria and Hyperlipidemia in Primary Nephrotic Syndrome
Authors: Zhong Fu , Liu Shurao , Li Yue , Wang Jingzhi , Cui Weijing , Suo Yanhong , Gao Xia
Published: October 2021

Background: It is unclear why primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) patients often have dyslipidemia. Recent studies have shown that angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) is an important regulator of lipid metabolism. In this study, we explored how ANGPTL3 impacts dyslipidemia in PNS development. Methods: We measured the serum levels of ANGPTL3 in PNS patients. Furthermore, the degree of proteinuria and lipid metabolism were examined in angptl3-overexpressing transgenic (angptl3-tg) mice at different weeks of age. Moreover, this study used the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system to create angptl3-knockout (angptl3-/-) mice to observe lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nephrotic mice. Results: There was a significant correlation between the serum level of ANGPTL3 and the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein in PNS patients. With increasing age, angptl3-tg mice exhibited increasingly severe hypertriglyceridemia and proteinuria. The pathological features included rich lipid droplet deposition in hepatocytes and diffuse podocyte effacement in angptl3-tg mice. Compared to wild-type mice, angptl3-/- mice showed significantly lower degrees of lipid dysfunction and proteinuria after stimulation with LPS. The effects of ANGPTL3 on nephrotic dyslipidemia were confirmed in cultured hepatocytes with angptl3 knockdown or overexpression. Finally, significant alterations in lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were observed in liver tissues from Angptl3-/- and wild-type mice stimulated with LPS. Conclusion: ANGPTL3 could be involved in the development of dyslipidemia, as well as proteinuria, in PNS pathogenesis. Inhibiting LPL expression may be why ANGPTL3 induces hyperlipidemia in PNS.
A Spatial Distribution of Organic Carbon Status in Koppal and Yadgir Taluks of Karnataka, India Using GIS and Geostatistics
Authors: Hegde Rajendra , B Mahendra Kumar M , V Niranjana K , V Seema K , A Dhanorkar B
Published: October 2021

Spatial variability of soil organic carbon status is necessary for enhancing crop and soil productivity. In this study, soil samples were collected from Koppal and Yadgir taluk in Northern dry zone and Northeastern dry zone of Karnataka at 320 m grid interval at 0-15 cm depth and assessed for organic carbon and map was prepared under GIS using Arc GIS 10.4 Geo-wizard Kriging method. The results of the study indicated that, soil organic carbon content was medium in 37 per cent and high in 26 per cent of the total area (1,38,298 ha) in Koppal taluk. Whereas in Yadgir taluk, soil organic carbon status was medium in 38 per cent and high in 31 per cent of the total area (1,71,060 ha). The descriptive statistics were positively skewed with positive kurtosis value. The spatial variability study showed a moderate spatial dependence with spherical model. Therefore, the study showed that, most of the soils were medium in fertility status. There is a need of integrated management for sustainable crop production.
Prevalence of Soil-transmitted Helminth Infections Among School-age Children in Ethiopia: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Azage Muluken , Motbainor Achenef , Gedamu Genet , Enbiale Wendemagegne
Published: October 2021

Background: In Ethiopia, soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STHs) infections remain the leading cause of morbidity among school-age children despite the progress in the implementation of control measures. Study findings regarding prevalence of STH among school-age children have been inconsistent and pooled prevalence of STH infections did not account double or triple infections of STH. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis estimates the pooled prevalence of STH by accounting double or triple infections among school-age children in Ethiopia.Methods: Databases and search engines such as PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched. Based on the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was employed to determine the prevalence of STH infections among school-age children. Published articles in the period between 1980 and 2020 were included in the analysis. Three authors independently extracted all data using a data extraction format sheet. STATA Version 16 statistical software was used for analysis. The Cochran’s Q-test was used to evaluate the heterogeneity of the studies and a random-effects model was done to determine pooled prevalence estimate.Results: The overall pooled estimate of STHs was 33% (95% CI:26-39%). The prevalence did not show statistically differ between before, 32.0% (95% CI:25-39%) and after, 33% (95% CI:26-39%) National NTDs control and elimination programme. The pooled prevalence of ascariasis before and after the implementation of NTDs programme was found to be 18% (12.0%, 24%) and 18% (9.0%, 27.0%), respectively with a total pooled estimate of 18.0% (13.0%, 23.0%). The prevalence of trichuris trichuria was also found to be 8.0% (4.0%, 12.0%) before the programme and 15.0% (4%, 26%) after the programme with a total pooled estimate of 10.0% (5.0%, 14.0%). The prevalence of hookworm was 14.0% (9.0%, 19.0%) before the programme and 9.0% (3.0%, 14.0%) after the programme with a total pooled estimate of 12% (8.0%, 17.0%). Conclusion: The overall polled prevalence of STHs in Ethiopia was found at moderate level based on the WHO classification. The recommended control strategies for STHs infections in school-age children at this level of prevalence such as providing preventive chemotherapy or treat all school-age children (enrolled and non-enrolled) once a year, improving sanitation and water supply and providing health education should be strengthen to mee the target of the national and WHO plan.
Carotid Ultrasonography as a Strategy to Optimize the Management of Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes: A Cohort Study
Authors: Boswell Laura , Serés-Noriega Tonet , Mesa Alex , Perea Verónica , Pané Adriana , Viñals Clara , Blanco Jesús , Giménez Marga , Vinagre Irene , Esmatjes Enric , Conget Ignacio , Amor Antonio J.
Published: October 2021

Background: Although cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality in type 1 diabetes (T1D), the use of cardioprotective drugs is scarce. We aimed to evaluate the impact of carotid ultrasonography (US) on the improvement in cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in T1D.Methods: T1D patients without CVD meeting criteria for lipid treatment according to guidelines (age ≥40 years, nephropathy and/or ≥10 years of diabetes duration with ≥1 additional CVRFs) were included. The carotid-US group (US-G) underwent a standardized US protocol and CVRF assessment; recommendations were made according to subclinical atherosclerosis status. The control group (CG) followed usual clinical practice. Changes in CVRFs, specially statin use and LDL-cholesterol levels, at one year were analysed.Results: A total of 318 patients were included (51.3% female, mean age of 49.1 years and 25.5 years of diabetes duration): 211 in the US-G and 107 in the CG. Participants in the US-G had a higher baseline LDL-cholesterol than controls (114 vs. 102 mg/dL; p<0.001). Lipid-lowering treatment was modified in 38.9% in the US-G and 6.5% in the CG (p<0.001). At 1 year, the US-G was more frequently on statins, had lower LDL-cholesterol and 27% had stopped smoking (p<0.001 for all). Changes were more pronounced in those with plaques (p<0.001). In multivariate analyses adjusted for age, sex and other CVRFs, belonging to the US-G was independently associated with the intensification of lipid-lowering treatment (OR 10.47 [4.06-27.01]).Conclusions: Carotid-US is independently associated with an intensification of lipid-lowering therapy in a high-risk T1D population.
Effect of Annealing Temperature on Structural and, Morphological Properties of Zno Thins Films
Authors: Debbab Moustafa , Ghellai Nassera , Belaoui Meymoun , Yaddadene Chafiaa , Berouaken Malika , Gabouze Noureddine
Published: October 2021

In this work, thins films of zinc oxide were deposited on n-type silicon substrates by chemical electrodeposition. The effect of annealing temperature from 200 ° C to 600 ° C, with a step of 100 ° C, on the structural and morphological properties of ZnO layers has been studied. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and contact angle measurements were used to characterize the morphology and structure of ZnO without and with annealing. The XRD patterns of unannealed ZnO thins films indicate the presence of three intense peaks along (100), (002) and (101) planes, while for the annealed ZnO layers the XRD patterns show also the three major peaks but the intensity of these peaks is increased except for a temperature of 600 ° C where is decreased. The comparison of the XRD patterns of the ZnO layers without and with annealing, reveal a shift in the 2θ diffraction angle, the calculation of the crystallinity confirms the obtained results. The contact angle measurements indicate that the ZnO layers without and with annealing at 200 °C are hydrophobic, the surface of the ZnO layer becomes hydrophilic at annealing temperatures exceeding 300 ° C. Finally, SEM images show the change in structure from a sand rose shape to a granular structure, confirming the XRD and contact angle results.
The experiences of young people with intellectual disability when transitioning to life after school: A systematic scoping review protocol
Authors: Mogensen Lise Ludwig , Sharp Nicole , McDonald Jenny , Drake Gabrielle
Published: October 2021

Background: An increasing body of evidence suggests that transitioning from school to adult life can be challenging for young people with intellectual disability. Transition from secondary school includes preparation of students before leaving school and may continue several years into adult life. Transition challenges may include isolation, mental health problems, and reduced participation in employment and tertiary education. Some literature indicate links between poor post-school outcomes, and ineffective collaboration between school systems, disability services, and employers. Yet, consolidated evidence to understand how young people themselves experience transition from school is needed. The aim of this scoping review is to draw together current literature reporting what is important to young people with intellectual disability about transitioning to life after school. Methods: Using the Joanna Briggs scoping review methodology, a systematic strategy will identify peer-reviewed qualitative research and grey literature reporting the voices of young people with intellectual disability to better understand personal experiences of transition to life after school. The review will explore scope and foci of topics, identify gaps in current evidence, and highlight approaches and methods used by investigators to include young peoples’ own views.Database searches for relevant qualitative research will include ERIC via Proquest, Ovid MEDLINE, selected EbscoHost databases, and Web of Science. Non-indexed and grey literature such as policies and reports will be searched via TROVE, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, and Google (with URL control and by crawling key agency websites). Studies will be selected using a three-step process: i) managing search results and removing duplicates, ii) title and abstract screening by two independent reviewers, and iii) full text review of included articles against inclusion criteria by two independent reviewers. Data will be tabulated, and presented in a narrative summary, aligning with the objectives and scope of this review.Discussion: Review findings will inform policy makers, educators and disability support organisations of transition experiences of young people with intellectual disability. Their identification of transition challenges and enablers will inform the design and implementation of participatory transition processes, ensuring that future guidelines reflect the views of those they intend to support.Registration with OSF DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/YHCDG
Analysis of Measurement Changes in the Pelvic Incidence According to Pelvic Rotation using a 3-dimensional Model
Authors: Lee Ki Young , Lee Jung-Hee , Im Sang-Kyu , Lee Won Young
Published: October 2021

Background: Pelvic incidence (PI) is used as a key parameter in surgical correction of adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients. However, there is a limitation to reflecting the exact center or inclination of 3-dimentional anatomical structures in a 2-dimensional (2D) sagittal radiographs, and these can lead to the measurement errors. Therefore, we evaluated whether there is a change in PI measurement according to the actual rotation of the pelvis, and conducted a study on a more accurate method of measuring PI in a 2D sagittal radiograph.Methods: From 2014 to 2015, 30 patients who visited our outpatient clinic were analyzed retrospectively. CT scan images including the lower lumbar spine, pelvis, and both femurs in DICOM format were imported to Mimics Research 17.0 (Materialise NV, Belgium), Solidworks (Dassault systems, France), and AutoCAD 2014 (AUTODESK, US), and the changes in PI according to vertical and horizontal pelvic rotations were evaluated.Results: The average PI according to the horizontal pelvic rotations measured on AutoCAD with 0º, 5º, 10º, 15º, 20º, 25º, 30º, 35º, and 40º was 48.8º, 48.7º, 48.3º, 47.8º, 46.9º, 45.6º, 44.0º, 42.2º, and 39.9º, respectively. The PI of an acceptable error of 6º on radiographs was 35º in the horizontal pelvic rotation. The average PI according to the vertical pelvic rotations measured on AutoCAD with 0º, 5º, 10º, 15º, 20º, 25º, 30º, 35º, and 40º was 48.8º, 49.0º, 49.5º, 50.2º, 51.3º, 52.7º, 54.4º, 56.6º, and 59.4º, respectively. The PI of an acceptable error of 6º on radiographs was 30º in the vertical pelvic rotation. Conclusions: This study revealed that the PI value could differ from the actual anatomical value due to the horizontal and vertical rotation of the pelvis while acquiring the radiograph. In whole-spine lateral radiographs, errors in PI measurement may occur due to rotation of the pelvis or nonvertical projection of X-rays. In the standing pelvic lateral radiographs, placing the overlapping femoral heads at the center and obtaining the straight sacral endplate as much as possible by referring to CT or magnetic resonance imaging would be a more accurate measurement method to define the PI.
Forming Limit Diagrams of Perforated St12 Steel Sheets
Authors: Sehhat M. Hossein , Mahdianikhotbesara Ali , Hadad Mohammadjafar
Published: October 2021

One of the unique characteristics of sheet metals is their formability, which is determined by the forming limit diagrams. These diagrams specify the maximum deformation limit before part’s failure. For several applications of metal sheets, they have to be in the perforated format. Existence of holes in the perforated sheets may adversely deteriorate the forming limit of metal sheets. In this study, the effect of perforated sheets’ hole size and hole layout on their formability are investigated. Several specimens of St12 steel with 0.6 mm thickness, different widths, two various hole sizes of 2 and 4 mm, and two layouts of triangular and square were prepared. The specimens were tested using Nakajima test (stretch with a hemispherical punch) to generate the forming limit diagrams. It was observed that both the diameter and layout of the punched holes have a significant effect on the formability of the perforated sheets. The perforated sheets with triangular hole layout showed higher forming limits due to their larger ligament ratios.
Simultaneous All-optical 1's Complement Cum Division-by-two Schemes
Authors: Gayen Dilip Kumar , Chattopadhyay Tanay
Published: October 2021

Odd and even number detection is an important mathematical operation. Generally when any number divisible by 2 then it is called even number, otherwise it is odd number. Division by 2 can be easily obtained by putting a point before least significant bit (LSB) of any binary number. As an example a number (27)10 = (11011)2 when divided by 2 its result will be (1101.1)2 = (13.5)10. Hence when we find the fractional bit as logic-1 we can say that the number is odd, otherwise it is even. This operation can be obtained by using a demultiplexer. Here we have developed an optical circuit which can divide any binary integer number by 2, apart from that its 1’s complement can also be obtained from the circuit. Both of the result can be obtained simultaneously. Terahertz optical asymmetric demultiplexer (TOAD) based generally switch assumes a vital part to plan this n-bit circuit. Numerical simulations are done to urge the exhibition of the circuit.
Beehives Possess Their Own Distinct Microbiomes
Authors: Santorelli Lorenzo A. , Wilkinson Toby , Abdulmalik Ronke , Rai Yuma , Creevey Christopher J. , Huws Sharon , Gutierrez-Merino Jorge
Published: October 2021

Honeybees use plant material to manufacture their own food. These insect pollinators visit flowers repeatedly to collect nectar and pollen, which are shared with other hive bees to produce honey and beebread. While producing these products, beehives accumulate a tremendous amount of microbes, including bacteria that derive from plants and different parts of the honey bees’ body. In this study, we conducted 16S rDNA metataxonomic analysis on honey and beebread samples that were collected from 15 beehives in the southeast of England in order to quantify the bacteria associated with beehives. The results highlighted that honeybee products carry a significant variety of bacterial groups that comprise bee commensals, environmental bacteria and pathogens of plants and animals. Remarkably, this bacterial diversity differs amongst the beehives, suggesting a defined fingerprint that is affected, not only by the nectar and pollen gathered from local plants, but also from other environmental sources. In summary, our results show that every hive possesses their own distinct microbiome, and that honeybee products are valuable indicators of the bacteria present in the beehives and their surrounding environment.
Genomic Biosurveillance Detects A Sexual Hybrid in the Sudden Oak Death Pathogen
Authors: Hamelin Richard , Bilodeau Guillaume , Heinzelmann Renate , Hrywkiw Kelly , Capron Arnaud , Dort Erika , Dale Angela , Giroux Emilie , Carleson Nick , Grünwald Niklaus , Feau Nicolas , Kus Stacey
Published: October 2021

Invasive exotic pathogens pose a threat to trees and forest ecosystems worldwide1, hampering the provision of essential ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water purification2. Hybridization is a major evolutionary force that can drive the emergence of pathogens3. Phytophthora ramorum, an emergent pathogen that causes the sudden oak and larch death, spreads as reproductively isolated divergent clonal lineages. Sexual recombination has never been reported in this pathogen under natural conditions and laboratory crosses have yielded unfit progenies, suggesting postzygotic barriers to hybridization. Here we report the discovery in a plant nursery of novel variants of P. ramorum that are the result of homoploid hybridization via sexual recombination between North American and European lineages of the pathogen. We show that these hybrids are viable, can infect plants and produce spores for long-term survival and propagation. Genome sequencing revealed novel genotypic combinations, not present in the parental lineages, at 54,515 single nucleotide polymorphism loci. More than 6000 of the novel genotypes at these loci are predicted to have a functional impact in genes associated with host infection, including effectors, carbohydrate-active enzymes and proteases. We also observed post-meiotic mitotic recombination that could generate additional genotypic and phenotypic variation and contribute to homoploid hybrid speciation. Our study highlights the importance of plant pathogen biosurveillance to detect novel variants and inform management and control.
Adaptation to Climate Change among Farmers in Drought-Hit Region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Authors: Khan Imtiaz Alam , Rafiq Muhammad , Saqib Shahab E. , Ullah Raza , Atiq Muhammad
Published: October 2021

The agriculture sector is the most important, however, most vulnerable to climate change in Asia and the Pacific. Droughts are one of the leading sources of disaster risks that can alter yield levels and cause sizeable productivity losses in agricultural products. In response, the farmers are adopting several climate risk management strategies. Therefore, this study aims to find out farmers’ preferences for climate change adaptation strategies and their potential determinants. Data were collected from randomly selected 200 farmers in District Nowshehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A multivariate probit model was used to assess the impacts of various factors on farmers’ decisions to adopt a particular adaptation strategy. The findings of the study revealed that rainwater harvesting, change in the planting dates, soil conservation, ponds building, and terraces with spillways were the dominant adaptation strategies found to combat the ill effects of droughts in the study area. Furthermore, the study highlighted the potential role of socio-economic attributes in the adoption of these adaptation strategies. The findings suggested that the government may extend its support to these farmers in making ponds and providing them the storage of water facilities.
Cloud Integrated with LoRa Watermeter Network: A Water Expense Repository
Authors: Bhola Biswaranjan , Kumar Raghvendra , Long Hoang Viet , Priyadarshini Ishaani , Son Nguyen Thi Kim
Published: October 2021

Water management system towards the country is the biggest challenge to distribute the water to each corner of the country and keeps track of all the information to store it centrally which helps the government in analyzing and predicting the water situation of the country. For implementing the above things the crucial barriers are electrification and network spread all over the country which is a difficult task. The main purpose of this suggested work is to design a wide area network using low power consumption called the LoRa network. Using this network the resultant value of the water meter can transmit to the cloud to make a secure centralized repository system which helps the government as well as different business organizations a lot. The proposed work explains the whole architecture of the end-to-end communication system from water meter to cloud as well as defines all the components for managing end-user and applications. Due to low power consumption the whole communication system, and water meter, can be powered through solar energy through which electrification supply is not required. Hence using the explained technique we can efficiently monitor and collect information from every corner of a country efficiently to manage the consumption of drinking water which helps society a lot.
Complete mitochondrial genome of Cultellus attenuatus and its phylogenetic implications
Authors: Li Haikun , Yu Ruihai , Ma Peizhen , Li Chunhua
Published: October 2021

The complete mitochondrial genome of Cultellus attenuates, a new aquaculture species, was sequenced and compared with mitogenomes from seven species of Heterodonta bivalve mollusk in GenBank. The mitochondrial genome of C. attenuatus is 16888 bp in length and contains 36 genes, including 12 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs and 22 transfer RNAs, and all genes are encoded on the same strand. In comparison with C. attenuates, the mitochondrial genes of Sinonovacula constricta from the same family were not rearranged, but those of six other species from different families were rearranged to different degrees. The largest noncoding region of C. attenuatus is 1173 bp in length and has an A + T content of 68.24%, located between nad2 and trnK. The results of phylogenetic analysis show that C. attenuates and S. constricta belonging to Cultellidae cluster into one branch while two species of Solenidae (Solen grandis and Solen strictus) cluster as their sister taxa. In conclusion, we used the mitochondrial genome data to demonstrate the closest relationship between C. attenuatus and S. constricta in Heterodonta. These data not only contribute to the understanding of the phylogenetic relationship of Heterodonta but also serve as a resource for the development of genetic markers in aquaculture.
Do Host-Consumed Resources Increase Endoparasitic But Decrease Ectoparasitic Infections?
Authors: Shayhorn Brin , Ramsay Chloe , Medina Kristi , Sauer Erin , Rohr Jason R.
Published: October 2021

Habitat loss and disease outbreak play a major role in the decline of biodiversity. Habitat degradation is often associated with reduced food resources, which can lead to less investment in host immunity and increased infections. However, pathogens use host resources for replication and pathogen traits, such as infecting hosts internally or short generation times, might allow pathogens to rapidly capitalize on host-consumed nutrients. Thus, it is unclear whether increased food consumption by hosts should reduce or amplify pathogen levels. We conducted experiments on Cuban treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) to test how food availability affects infection levels of Ranavirus and the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which are both associated with mass die-offs of amphibians. Given that Ranavirus is an endoparasite with a much shorter generation time than the ectoparasitic Bd, we postulated that Ranavirus might be able to capitalize on host-consumed resources more quickly than Bd. We hypothesized that increased food availability to hosts might reduce Bd infections more than Ranavirus infections. As predicted, augmenting food access decreased Bd infection intensity, but increased Ranavirus infection intensity. Future work should assess whether pathogen traits, such as generation time and endo- versus ectoparasitism, generally affect whether food resources more positively benefit hosts or pathogens.
Adsorption Mechanism of High-Concentration of Ammonium onto Chinese Natural Zeolite by Experimental Optimization and Theoretical Computation
Authors: Liu Pan , Liu Yongjun , Zhang Aining , Liu Zhe , Liu Xingshe , Yang Lu
Published: October 2021

Background Natural zeolite, abundant hierarchically porous structure aluminosilicate mineral, have high affinity to ammonium in solution. A considerable amount of literature has been published on the removal of ammonium in waters by zeolite, but mainly focused on the low-content and even trace ammonium. Few literatures were reported about the natural zeolite as adsorbent to remove high-level of ammonium in coal chemical wastewater. Therefore, adsorption mechanism of high-concentration ammonium in aqueous solution using Chinese natural zeolite was disclosed by the strategy of experimental optimization combining with Molecular Dynamics simulation. ResultsThe natural zeolite presented unique adsorption performances for high- ammonium distinguish from that of low ammonium, which were characterized as exhibiting faster adsorption rate, greater loading capacity and apparent desorption. The hybrid physical-chemical adsorption as the mechanism was induced from the adsorption kinetics and isotherm study in 4000 mg-N/L solution. Besides to the electrostatic attraction between the framework and guest ammonium exchanged by metal cations in the zeolite framework, the existence of the chemical bonding and hydrogen bonding forces was supported experimentally from the ion exchange capacity (IEC) investigation by the great disequilibrium between the total exchanged metal cations and ammonium. Moreover, the above were confirmed theoretically by the calculated results in the perspective of bonding strength in MD simulation. Considering comprehensively, we concluded physisorption dominated the initial adsorption stage as multilayer adsorption and chemisorption governed the subsequent adsorption process as monolayer form. Besides, the putative explanation for the desorption-occurrence was given that most ammonium concentrated in the channel openings physically, and transferred into the bulk solution preferentially through the mesopores and macropores. Conclusions Overall, we have demonstrated that the Chinese natural zeolite had the potential to capture high-concentration ammonium in wastewater remediation effectively. Considering with several research thinking comprehensively, this investigation enriched the adsorption mechanism research, and provided a novel insight for designing a workable approach for rapidly alleviating subsequent water decontamination processes using low-cost abundant minerals.
Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Composite Membrane with Polyamidoamine Dendrimers for Efficient Separation of CO2/H2 and CO2/N2
Authors: zhao yaxin , Tian Huafeng , ouyang yuge , Xiang Aimin , Luo Xiaogang , Shi Xingwei
Published: October 2021

Although polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membranes are commonly used for CO2 separation, there is still large development space in mechanical properties and high selectivity of the gas separation process. In this study, the gas separation performance and mechanical properties of the (PVA/Cu2+) substrate membranes were improved by introducing polyamidoamine (PAMAM). PAMAM had an important effect on the gas adsorption and separation performance of the membrane. In addition, the gas adsorption and separation properties of the PVA/Cu2+/PAMAM membrane (PPCm) were analyzed and studied when the inlet gas pressure and the species of mixed gases were variable. The results showed that the crystallinity and mechanical properties of the membrane with the PAMAM had been significantly improved. Young’s modulus of PPCm with 30% PAMAM was 132% higher than that of the PVA/Cu2+ composite membrane without PAMAM. In addition, efficient separation efficiency and high selectivity of the gas separation process were observed. The separation factors of the PPCm for CO2/H2 and CO2/N2 were about three times higher than that of the PVA/Cu2+ substrate membranes. These results suggested that the introduction of PAMAM was promising for CO2 separation and permeation.
Consequences of Quarantine During the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Intake and Body Weight: A Systematic Review
Authors: Penna Paula Moreira , Oliveira Nathallia Maria Cotta e , Castro Luiza Carla Vidigal , Hermsdorff Helen Hermana Miranda
Published: October 2021

Background: Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, some authorities have implemented measures to control the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), such as quarantine. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the results of the studies that investigated changes in eating habits, food intake, and body weight during the COVID-19 quarantine. Methods: This review followed the recommendations of the PRISMA protocol and has registration in the PROSPERO under number CRD42020212491. Searches used databases PubMed, Medline, Scielo, and Lilacs. Two authors conducted the selection process blindly and independently using the Rayyan software (QCRI). Of 5,248 papers, we included 28 studies. Results: Most of the included studies in this review presented data on changes in food intake (n = 22). These changes were especially towards the adoption of unhealthy eating habits such as an increase in the consumption of snacks and sweets; and a decrease in the intake of vegetables, fruits, fish, and dairy products (n = 21). Concerning body weight, the main change was towards weight gain (1.5 to 4.5 kg), which was positively associated with age (elderly); socioeconomic level (average socioeconomic level); increase of the intake of snacks, sweets, fried foods, and fast foods; and low consumption of vegetables. Besides, weight gain was inversely associated with physical activity and positively associated with sedentary time (n = 14).Conclusion: In this sense, the summarized evidence points to a change in eating habits, food intake, and body weight, as well as a relevant association between unhealthy eating choices and weight gain during quarantine. The COVID-19 quarantine caused an interruption in the routine of daily life, which generated an impact on mental health, 3 eating habits, and physical activity. This review showed that during the quarantine some individuals changed their eating habits, mainly towards the adoption of unhealthy habits and gained weight.