bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bank strength variability and its impact on the system-scale morphodynamics of the upper Amazon River in Brazil
Authors: Brückner Muriel Z.M. , Aalto Rolf E. , Best Jim , de Almeida Renato Paes , Nicholas Andrew P. , Ashworth Philip J. , Ianniruberto Marco
Published: April 2024

Large anabranching rivers form channels in sediments of varying strength, resulting from erosional and depositional processes that act over geological time scales. Although bank strength variability is known to affect channel morphodynamics, its impact on the migration of large sand-bed rivers remains poorly understood. We report the first in situ measurements of bank strength from an ~100-km-long reach of the Solimões River, the Brazilian Amazon River upstream of Manaus. These show that cohesive muds in Pleistocene terraces along the river's right margin have bank strengths as much as three times greater than Holocene floodplain deposits composing the left bank. Image analysis suggests these resistant outcrops determine channel-bar dynamics: channel widening and bar deposition are inhibited, which lowers planform curvature and reduces erosion of the opposing bank. Planform analysis of the 1600-km-long Solimões River between 1984 and 2021 shows that where the channel is associated with Pleistocene terraces, lower rates of bank erosion and bar deposition are evident. Heterogeneity in bank strength is thus a first-order control on the large-scale morphodynamics of the world's largest lowland river.
Public health surveillance through community health workers: a scoping review of evidence from 25 low-income and middle-income countries
Authors: Alhassan Jacob Albin Korem , Wills Odette
Published: April 2024

Background

The last 3 years have witnessed global health challenges, ranging from the pandemics of COVID-19 and mpox (monkeypox) to the Ebola epidemic in Uganda. Public health surveillance is critical for preventing these outbreaks, yet surveillance systems in resource-constrained contexts struggle to provide timely disease reporting. Although community health workers (CHWs) support health systems in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), very little has been written about their role in supporting public health surveillance. This review identified the roles, impacts and challenges CHWs face in public health surveillance in 25 LMICs.

Methods

We conducted a scoping review guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. We exported 1,156 peer-reviewed records from Embase, Global Health and PubMed databases. After multiple screenings, 29 articles were included in the final review.

Results

CHWs significantly contribute to public health surveillance in LMICs including through contact tracing and patient visitation to control major infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, Ebola, neglected tropical diseases and COVID-19. Their public health surveillance roles typically fall into four main categories including community engagement; data gathering; screening, testing and treating; and health education and promotion. The use of CHWs in public health surveillance in LMICs has been impactful and often involves incorporation of various technologies leading to improved epidemic control and disease reporting. Nonetheless, use of CHWs can come with four main challenges including lack of education and training, lack of financial and other resources, logistical and infrastructural challenges as well as community engagement challenges.

Conclusion

CHWs are important stakeholders in surveillance because they are closer to communities than other healthcare workers. Further integration and training of CHWs in public health surveillance would improve public health surveillance because CHWs can provide health data on ‘hard-to-reach’ populations. CHWs’ work in public health surveillance would also be greatly enhanced by infrastructural investments.
Spatial variation and associated factors of inadequate counselling regarding pregnancy danger signs during antenatal care visits among pregnant women in Ethiopia: a Geographically Weighted Regression Model
Authors: Alemayehu Meron Asmamaw , Derseh Nebiyu Mekonnen , Tesfie Tigabu Kidie , Abuhay Habtamu Wagnew , Yismaw Getaneh Awoke , Agimas Muluken Chanie
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Inadequate counselling of pregnant women regarding pregnancy danger signs contributes to a delay in deciding to seek care, which causes up to 77% of all maternal deaths in developing countries. However, its spatial variation and region-specific predictors have not been studied in Ethiopia. Hence, the current study aimed to model its predictors using geographically weighted regression analysis.

Methods

The 2019 Ethiopian Mini Demographic and Health Survey data were used. A total weighted sample of 2922 women from 283 clusters was included in the final analysis. The analysis was performed using ArcGIS Pro, STATA V.14.2 and SaTScan V.10.1 software. The spatial variation of inadequate counselling was examined using hotspot analysis. Ordinary least squares regression was used to identify factors for geographical variations. Geographically weighted regression was used to explore the spatial heterogeneity of selected variables to predict inadequate counselling.

Results

Significant hotspots of inadequate counselling regarding pregnancy danger signs were found in Gambella region, the border between Amhara and Afar regions, Somali region and parts of Oromia region. Antenatal care provided by health extension workers, late first antenatal care initiation and antenatal care follow-up at health centres were spatially varying predictors. The geographically weighted regression model explained about 66% of the variation in the model.

Conclusion

Inadequate counselling service regarding pregnancy danger signs in Ethiopia varies across regions and there exists within country inequality in the service provision and utilisation. Prioritisation and extra efforts should be made by concerned actors for those underprivileged areas and communities (as shown in the maps), and health extension workers, as they are found in the study.
Study protocol for a type-II hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial to reach teenagers using mobile money shops to reduce unintended pregnancies in Uganda
Authors: Komasawa Makiko , Sato Miho , Ssekitoleko Robert , Waiswa Peter , Gitta Sheba , Nabugoomu Josephine , Honda Sumihisa , Saito Kiyoko , Aung Myo Nyein
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Unintended teenage pregnancies have become a global public health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. There is a notably high prevalence of unintended pregnancies among unmarried teenagers in Uganda. This study will develop an intervention programme using mobile money shops (vendors) as a platform to deliver sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services to teenagers and assess its effectiveness and scalability in Uganda.

Methods and analyses

This hybrid study comprises two integral components: an intervention study to assess the effectiveness of vendor-mediated intervention and implementation research to evaluate the implementation process. 30 vendors will be recruited for both intervention and control arms in 2 municipalities in Eastern Uganda, which have a high unintended pregnancy prevalence rate among unmarried teens aged 15–19 years. A preintervention and postintervention repeated survey involving 600 participants for each arm will be conducted over 4 months. The primary outcome is the rate of condom users among teenage vendor users. The secondary outcomes include the rate of preference for receiving SRHR services at vendors and knowledge regarding SRHR. A difference-in-differences analysis will be used to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. The Bowen model will be employed to evaluate the implementation design.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of Uganda Christen University and JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development in Japan. The findings will be widely disseminated. This study was registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network in Japan (UMIN000053332) on 12 January 2024.

Trial registration number

UMIN000053332.
MODIFIED SHRINKING TARGET PROBLEM FOR MATRIX TRANSFORMATIONS OF TORI
Authors: YUAN NA , WANG SHUAILING
Published: April 2024

In this paper, we calculate the Hausdorff dimension of the fractal set [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is the standard [Formula: see text]-transformation with [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] is a positive function on [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is the usual metric on the torus [Formula: see text]. Moreover, we investigate a modified version of the shrinking target problem, which unifies the shrinking target problems and quantitative recurrence properties for matrix transformations of tori. Let [Formula: see text] be a [Formula: see text] non-singular matrix with real coefficients. Then, [Formula: see text] determines a self-map of the [Formula: see text]-dimensional torus [Formula: see text]. For any [Formula: see text], let [Formula: see text] be a positive function on [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text]. We obtain the Hausdorff dimension of the fractal set [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is a hyperrectangle and [Formula: see text] is a sequence of Lipschitz vector-valued functions on [Formula: see text] with a uniform Lipschitz constant.
Potentials on the conformally compactified Minkowski spacetime and their application to quark deconfinement
Authors: Kirchbach M. , Vallejo J. A.
Published: April 2024

In this paper, we study a class of conformal metric deformations in the quasi-radial coordinate parametrizing the three-sphere in the conformally compactified Minkowski spacetime [Formula: see text]. Prior to reduction of the associated Laplace–Beltrami operators to a Schrödinger form, a corresponding class of exactly solvable potentials (each one containing a scalar and a gradient term) is found. In particular, the scalar piece of these potentials can be exactly or quasi-exactly solvable, and among them we find the finite range confining trigonometric potentials of Pöschl–Teller, Scarf and Rosen–Morse. As an application of the results developed in the paper, the large compactification radius limit of the interaction described by some of these potentials is studied, and this regime is shown to be relevant to a quantum mechanical quark deconfinement mechanism.
Tetrad extremal field-gauge vector structure
Authors: Garat Alcides
Published: April 2024

In previous works, we have proven that there are local tetrads in four-dimensional curved Lorentzian spacetimes that can be written in terms of two kinds of local structures, the skeletons and the gauge vectors. These tetrads diagonalize locally and covariantly the stress–energy tensors for systems of differential equations of the Einstein–Maxwell kind in the Abelian electromagnetic case, or of the Einstein–Maxwell–Yang-Mills kind when non-Abelian Yang–Mills fields are included, along with suitable Yang–Mills stress–energy tensors. Under local Lorentz transformations, these new tetrads conserve their skeleton-gauge vector structure. In this short paper, we will prove that given any general unit orthogonal tetrad in spacetime, we will be able to construct a new tetrad in the skeleton-gauge vector form. We will prove a theorem stating that the original orthonormal tetrad can be constructed or reexpressed with this same local tetrad skeleton-gauge vector structures. The theorems proved in this paper will enable the demonstration of new results in group isomorphism theorems in the future.
Isotropic compact stars admitting Heintzmann solution in Rastall gravity
Authors: Waseem Arfa
Published: April 2024

This paper is devoted to observe the physical attributes of static spherically symmetric isotropic compact stellar candidates in the context of Rastall theory of gravity. In order to inspect the structural composition of compact objects, the Heintzmann ansatz is taken into account. The unknown parameters associated with Heintzmann ansatz are evaluated through matching conditions with derived values of radii and masses of some specific star models. The consistency of the adopted ansatz is analyzed via graphical interpretation of matter variables, equation of state parameter, mass components, energy constraints, causality condition, stellar equation and adiabatic index for several choices of Rastall parameter. It is observed that the stars under consideration manifest stable structures corresponding to Heintzmann ansatz in this framework. Moreover, it is shown that for vanishing Rastall coupling parameter, the standard outcomes of general relativity can be retrieved.
Influence of the meso-/1,9-substituents on the structure, redox and optical properties of triaryldipyrrins
Authors: Wu Jinrong , Lv Xiaojuan , Jiang Tao , Zhang Tao , Qiu Fengxian , Xue Songlin
Published: April 2024

meso-/1,9-substituted triaryldipyrrins were synthesized. The X-ray crystal structure revealed the large 1,9-substituted group increased angle between two 1,9-substituted groups. The absorption and fluorescence properties of obtained triaryldipyrrins showed ICT absorptions and the electron-withdrawing group at 1,9-position induced blue-shifted absorption relative to red-shifted absorption caused by the electron-withdrawing group at meso-position. The optical and redox properties and DFT calculation supported the electron-withdrawing group at 1,9-position displays and exhibited a stronger effect than the electron-withdrawing group at meso-position.
SEDONUT: A Single Event Double Node Upset Tolerant SRAM for Terrestrial Applications
Authors: Prasad Govind , Mandi Bipin , Ali Maifuz
Published: April 2024

Radiation and its effect on neighboring nodes are critical not only for space applications but also for terrestrial applications at modern lower-technology nodes. This may cause static random-access memory (SRAM) failures due to single- and multi-node upset. Hence, this article proposes a 14T radiation-hardened-based SRAM cell to overcome soft errors for space and critical terrestrial applications. Simulation results show that the proposed cell can be resilient to any single event upset and single event double node upset at its storage nodes. This cell uses less power than others. The hold, read, and write stability increases compared with most considered cells. The higher critical charge of the proposed SRAM increases radiation resistance. Simulation results demonstrate that out of all compared SRAMs, only DNUSRM and the proposed SRAM show 0% probability of logical flipping. Also, other parameters such as total critical charge, write stability, read stability, hold stability, area, power, sensitive area, write speed, and read speed of the proposed SRAM are improved by –19.1%, 5.22%, 25.7%, –5.46%, 22.5%, 50.6%, 60.0%, 17.91%, and 0.74% compared with DNUSRM SRAM. Hence, the better balance among the parameters makes the proposed cell more suitable for space and critical terrestrial applications. Finally, the post-layout and Monte Carlo simulation validate the efficiency of SRAMs.
Fairness of Interaction in Ranking under Position, Selection, and Trust Bias
Authors: Ovaisi Zohreh , Saadatpanah Parsa , Sefati Shahin , Ohannessian Mesrob , Zheleva Elena
Published: April 2024

Ranking algorithms in online platforms serve not only users on the demand side, but also items on the supply side. While ranking has traditionally presented items in an order that maximizes their utility to users, the uneven interactions that different items receive as a result of such a ranking can pose item fairness concerns. Moreover, interaction is affected by various forms of bias, two of which have received considerable attention: position bias and selection bias. Position bias occurs due to lower likelihood of observation for items in lower ranked positions. Selection bias occurs because interaction is not possible with items below an arbitrary cutoff position chosen by the front-end application at deployment time (i.e., showing only the top-
k
items). A less studied, third form of bias, trust bias, is equally important, as it makes interaction dependent on rank even after observation, by influencing the item’s perceived relevance. To capture interaction disparity in the presence of all three biases, in this article, we introduce a flexible fairness metric. Using this metric, we develop a post-processing algorithm that optimizes fairness in ranking through greedy exploration and allows a tradeoff between fairness and utility. Our algorithm outperforms state-of-the-art fair ranking algorithms on several datasets.
Languaging Ethics in Technology Practice
Authors: Gray Colin M. , Chivukula Shruthi Sai , Johns Janna , Will Matthew , Obi Ike , Li Ziqing
Published: April 2024

Ethics as embodied by technology practitioners resists simple definition—particularly as it relates to the interplay of identity, organizational, and professional complexity. In this article, we use the linguistic notion of
languaging
as an analytic lens to describe how technology and design practitioners negotiate their conception of ethics as they reflect upon their everyday work. We engaged 12 practitioners in individual co-creation workshops, encouraging them to reflect on their ethical role in their everyday work through a series of generative and evaluative activities. We analyzed these data to identify how each practitioner reasoned about ethics through language and artifacts, finding that practitioners used a range of rhetorical tropes to describe their ethical commitments and beliefs in ways that were complex and sometimes contradictory. Across three cases, we describe how ethics was negotiated through language across three key zones of ecological emergence: the practitioners’ “core” beliefs about ethics, internal and external ecological elements that shaped or mediated these core beliefs, and the ultimate boundaries they reported refusing to cross. Building on these findings, we describe how the languaging of ethics reveals opportunities to definitionally and practically engage with ethics in technology ethics research, practice, and education.
Facial Soft-biometrics Obfuscation through Adversarial Attacks
Authors: Carletti Vincenzo , Foggia Pasquale , Greco Antonio , Saggese Alessia , Vento Mario
Published: April 2024

Sharing facial pictures through online services, especially on social networks, has become a common habit for thousands of users. This practice hides a possible threat to privacy: the owners of such services, as well as malicious users, could automatically extract information from faces using modern and effective neural networks. In this article, we propose the harmless use of adversarial attacks, i.e., variations of images that are almost imperceptible to the human eye and that are typically generated with the malicious purpose to mislead Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). Such attacks have been instead adopted to (1) obfuscate soft biometrics (gender, age, ethnicity) but (2) without degrading the quality of the face images posted online. We achieve the above-mentioned two conflicting goals by modifying the implementations of four of the most popular adversarial attacks, namely FGSM, PGD, DeepFool, and C&W, in order to constrain the average amount of noise they generate on the image and the maximum perturbation they add on the single pixel. We demonstrate, in an experimental framework including three popular CNNs, namely VGG16, SENet, and MobileNetV3, that the considered obfuscation method, which requires at most 4 seconds for each image, is effective not only when we have a complete knowledge of the neural network that extracts the soft biometrics (white box attacks) but also when the adversarial attacks are generated in a more realistic black box scenario. Finally, we prove that an opponent can implement defense techniques to partially reduce the effect of the obfuscation, but substantially paying in terms of accuracy over clean images; this result, confirmed by the experiments carried out with three popular defense methods, namely adversarial training, denoising autoencoder, and Kullback-Leibler autoencoder, shows that it is not convenient for the opponent to defend himself and that the proposed approach is robust to defenses.
Chitosan and Its Derivative‐Based Nanoparticles in Gastrointestinal Cancers: Molecular Mechanisms of Action and Promising Anticancer Strategies
Authors: Shokati Eshkiki Zahra , Mansouri Fatemeh , Karamzadeh Amir Reza , Namazi Abolfazl , Heydari Hafez , Akhtari Javad , Tabaeian Seidamir Pasha , Akbari Abolfazl
Published: April 2024

Gastrointestinal cancers account for a significant health concern as the existing treatment modalities, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, exhibit considerable drawbacks, including a high probability of recurrence, insufficient drug specificity, and severe adverse effects. Hence, novel therapeutic approaches and enhanced tissue‐specific targeting are required. Nanomedicine is a field of medicine that uses nanoscale carriers for targeting and administering drugs or diagnostic agents to particular tissues. In the field of nanomedicine, chitosan nanoparticles are well‐established delivery technologies used as polymeric carriers. Chitosan is a natural carbohydrate that is biocompatible, biodegradable, polycationic, and mucoadhesive. Chitosan has shown promise in the administration of chemotherapeutic drugs, gene therapy, and immunotherapy for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers. The limited water solubility of chitosan is one of its major disadvantages as a drug delivery system. Thus, solubility may be increased by chemically treating chitosan. Chitosan derivatives improve the activity, selectivity, biocompatibility, and therapeutic dose reduction of anticancer drugs when used in hydrogel, emulsion, surfactant formulations, and nanoformulation. Chitosan and its derivatives have shown effectiveness in nanoparticle production and exhibit unique surface properties, enabling them to interact selectively with gastrointestinal tumors through both active and passive targeting mechanisms. This review focuses on the molecular signaling pathways of chitosan nanoparticles and their derivatives as potential anticancer agents. The potential of future chitosan applications in gastrointestinal cancers is additionally highlighted.
Taylor-Spotted Cat Optimization (Taylor-SCO): An Energy-Efficient Cluster Head Selection Algorithm with Improved Trust Factor for Data Routing in WSN
Authors: Kalburgi Shivaraj , Manimozhi M.
Published: April 2024

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) has inexpensive, small, and less energy sensor nodes, which are allocated in random ways in particular areas for measuring the phenomenon or events in that field. In recent days, WSN has played a vital role in various applications, like industrial monitoring, medical treatments, agricultural monitoring, and military operations. However, the security challenges and network lifetime are the main issues in the existing methods. In order to overcome these issues, the Taylor-Spotted Cat Optimization (Taylor-SCO) approach is devised in this paper. Here, the Cluster Heads (CHs) are selected based on the developed optimization method, named Taylor CSO. Moreover, the delay, distance, and energy parameters are considered for effective Cluster Head Selection (CHS). Here, route maintenance is also done for increasing network lifetime and reducing complexities. In addition, the Modified K-Vertex Disjoint Paths Routing (KVDPR) model is established for routing. The modification of KVDPR is carried out using several factors, such as link reliability, throughput, and various trust factors. Moreover, the developed Taylor-SCO algorithm is developed by combining the Spotted Hyena Optimizer (SHO), Cat Swarm Optimization (CSO) algorithm, and Taylor series. The Taylor-SCO achieved better performance with energy consumption, trust, and throughput of 0.00037 J, 0.51, and 793160 kbps.
Analysis of COVID-19 Disease Model: Backward Bifurcation and Impact of Pharmaceutical and Nonpharmaceutical Interventions
Authors: Ullah Ibad , Ali Nigar , Haq Ihtisham Ul , Ahmad Imtiaz , Albalwi Mohammed Daher , Ali Biswas Md. Haider
Published: April 2024

The SEIQHR model, introduced in this study, serves as a valuable tool for anticipating the emergence of various infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 and illnesses transmitted by insects. An analysis of the model’s qualitative features was conducted, encompassing the computation of the fundamental reproduction number, R0. It was observed that the disease-free equilibrium point remains singular and locally asymptotically stable when R0<1, while the endemic equilibrium point exhibits uniqueness when R0>1. Additionally, specific conditions were outlined to guarantee the local asymptotic stability of both equilibrium points. Employing numerical simulations, the graphical representation illustrated the influence of model parameters on disease dynamics and the potential for its eradication across different noninteger orders of the Caputo derivative. In essence, the adoption of a fractional epidemic model contributes to a deeper comprehension and enhanced biological insights into the dynamics of diseases.
State of the Art of Modelling and Design Approaches for Ejectors in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell
Authors: Antetomaso Christian
Published: April 2024

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has a promising future in the power generation and transportation fields. Recirculation of unused anodic gases is fundamental to achieve a high-performance energy system, and this is usually attained employing ejectors or pumps. With respect to the latter, ejectors present no moving parts, thus resulting in both higher overall efficiency of the system and lower maintenance cost. Their main drawback is represented by the narrow optimal operative range: the entrainment ratio (ER) greatly depends on primary pressure, working pressure, and operative condition in general. In the last decade, numerous authors focused their efforts on fully comprehending and correctly simulating their working principles and analyzing how geometrical parameters influence ER and design different geometries to enlarge the operative range. The aim of this paper is to present in an ordered and clear manner the state of the art of ejector design, both from simulative (turbulence model, single or multiphase stream, etc.) and empirical (commonly used “rule of thumb”) points of view.
Mechanical Characteristics of Tailings in Different Depositional Zones: A Case Study of Caijiagou Tailings Pond in Shaanxi, China
Authors: Zhang Longfei , Hu Zaiqiang , Li Hongru , She Haicheng , Qin Qiuxiang , Wang Xiaoliang
Published: April 2024

This study examines the widespread practice of upstream tailings dam construction in metallurgical mines in China, conducting comprehensive testing and research on tailings from various depositional zones of the Caijiagou tailings pond. Analysis of the test results from three types of tailings reveals a systematic relationship between the mechanical characteristics of tailings and their depositional zones: the farther from the dam, the finer the tailings particles, categorized as silty clay tailing, silt tailing, and sandy silt tailing. Consistent patterns were observed in the consolidated‐drained shear strength and consolidated‐undrained effective shear strength of these tailings. Among these, sandy silt tailing exhibited the highest strength, whereas silty clay tailing displayed the lowest. The dynamic stress–strain relationships of all three tailings types are described using the Hardin equivalent viscous‐elastic model, where the initial dynamic shear modulus and the maximum dynamic shear stress in the model increased with effective confining pressure. The damping ratios exhibited a three‐stage trend with increasing dynamic strain: gradual increase, rapid growth, and then gradual stabilization. Under various consolidated stress conditions, the ratio of the damping ratio to the maximum damping ratio versus the reduction in dynamic shear modulus showed a favorable linear relationship. Under vibration conditions, the dynamic shear stress corresponding to tailings failure increased with higher effective confining pressure and consolidated stress ratio. Finally, this study summarizes the parameters and indicators related to the saturated tailings of iron mines used in the research. Our work provides a foundation and reference for the design of tailings dams and the development and utilization of abandoned tailings ponds.
Isolation and Identification of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus from Farmed Mink in Shandong, China
Authors: Meng Xiangshu , Sun Jian , Yao Mengfan , Sun Yue , Xu Han , Liu Chao , Chen Han , Guo Jie , Nie Xiaoxuan , He Longbin , Zhao Zongzheng , Li Nan , Wang Zekun , Wang Jianke
Published: April 2024

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus, recently named Bandavirus dabieense, belongs to the genus Bandavirus of family Phenuiviridae, and it causes SFTS in humans with clinical symptoms including fever, thrombocytopenia, gastrointestinal symptoms, and leukocytopenia. However, there are few reports on the pathogenesis of SFTSV in animals. This study first isolated the SFTSV strain SD22‐2 from sick‐farmed mink. Viral metagenomics was used to detect SFTSV nucleotide in the clinical specimens obtained from symptomatic minks. Then, we isolated the virus using Vero and DH82 cells, and Real‐Time Quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR), indirect immunofluorescence assay, transmission electron microscopy, and Western blotting identified it. Meanwhile, phylogenetic analysis based on partial L, M, and S segment sequences indicated that the mink‐origin SFTSV strain SD22‐2 belonged to genotype D and was genetically close to the HB2016‐003 strain isolated from humans. Taken together, we isolated and identified an SFTSV from farmed mink that may be the reservoir hosts of SFTSV. We should pay more attention to farmed minks and biosecurity practices, and active surveillance at fur farms must be reviewed and enhanced.
A Review on Enzymatic Response to Salt Stress and Genomic/Metagenomic Analysis of Adaptation Protein in Hypersaline Environment
Authors:   university Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, Oyewus Habeebat Adekilekun , Muhammad Muhammad ,   Federal University Dutse, PMB 7156, Jigawa State Nigeria, Wahab Roswanira Abdul ,   University Technology Malaysia 81310, UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia., Huyop Fahrul ,   University Technology Malaysia 81310, UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.
Published: April 2024

Microorganisms adapted to conditions of high salinity (low water activity) provide an understanding on how the problem of maintaining an efficient cell integrity under high osmotic stress conditions that had been tackled naturally. Almost all microbes adapting to extreme situations either by intracellularly amass inorganic ions (K+) to counterbalance high salt concentration or by synthesizing and accumulating certain organic solutes called compatible solutes that confer protection without affecting cell functions and this process may be chloride ion dependent in some microorganisms. However, the use of culture-independent method like genomic or metagenomics shields more light on the microbial diversity, gene structure and regulation as well as discovery of novel genes that led to understanding of their adaptation mechanism and roles in extreme environments. Therefore, microbes that survive this natural attenuation aimed at acclimatizing with the extreme environments could serve as the sources of biotechnologically essential molecules with an extensive array of uses.
The effect of Phyllanthus niruriand Catharanthus roseuson Macrophage Polarization in Breast Cancer Mice Model
Authors:   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia, Sakti Sefihara Paramitha , Sari Fikriya Novita ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia, Rachmawati Farida ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia, Widyarti Sri ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia, Rahayu Sri ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia, Soewondo Aris ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia, Jatmiko Yoga Dwi ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia, Rifa’i Muhaimin ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia
Published: April 2024

Cancer death cases have increased yearly, and there are estimated to be 21.6 million cancer cases in 2030. Studies of herbal compounds for cancer treatment alternatives are essential because cancer treatment is relatively expensive and has adverse effects. Phyllanthus niruri (Pn) and Catharanthus roseus (Cr) are plants that are known as herbal medicines. Combining the two plants is expected to prevent and enhance the immune system in breast cancer cases. This study aims to analyze the anti-cancer and immunomodulatory effects of P. niruri and C. roseus extract (PCE) in modulating macrophage polarization in breast cancer mice. Experimental animals are divided into six groups and there is healthy control (normal mice), cancer (DMBA-induced mice), cancer mice with cisplatin administration, cancer mice with PCE administration with three different doses, including dose 1 (500 mg/kg Pn + 15 mg/kg Cr), dose 2 (1000 mg/kg Pn + 75 mg/kg Cr), and dose 3 (2000 mg/kg Pn + 375 mg/kg Cr). The mice were injected with DMBA once a week for six weeks to induce cancer in mice. The breast cancer mice model was administered with PCE orally for 14 days. The expression of CD11b+IL-10+ and CD11b+IFN-γ+ demonstrated macrophage polarization. The results showed that breast cancer induction using DMBA increased the level of IL-10 and decreased the level of IFN-γ significantly compared to the normal group (p < 0.05). In specific doses, administration of PCE could reduce IL-10 levels and increase the level of IFN-γ significantly (p < 0.05). PCE can modulate the polarization of macrophages by suppressing the M2-like macrophage and increasing the M1-like macrophage. The ability of PCE to modulate macrophage polarization indicates that the combination of P. niruri and C. roseus has activity as an anti-cancer.
Agronomical Performances of Gajah Mungkur Mutant Rice Varieties Under Drought Stress
Authors:   Department of Agricultural Production, Politeknik Negeri Jember, Jember68121, Indonesia, Rahmawati Dwi , Dewi Azri Kusuma ,   Plant Mutation Breeding Group, Center for Isotopes and Radiation Application, National Nuclear Energy Agency, Jakarta12440, Indonesia, Mufikasari Venti Yanti ,   Department of Agricultural Production, Politeknik Negeri Jember, Jember68121, Indonesia, Wilujeng Elly Daru Ika ,   Department of Agricultural Production, Politeknik Negeri Jember, Jember68121, Indonesia, Adnan Moch. Rosyadi ,   Department of Agricultural Production, Politeknik Negeri Jember, Jember68121, Indonesia
Published: April 2024

The productivity of the rice plant is commonly influenced by both genotype and environmental factors. One common environmental factor that leads to harvest failure is drought, often caused by low rainfall. Therefore, the development of drought-tolerant varieties should be implemented to obtain optimum productivity under an unfavorable environment. One of the canonical approaches for achieving this is genetic manipulation, such as by gamma radiation-induced mutation. This study aimed to determine the drought tolerance and quantitative characteristics of mutant rice varieties generated from gamma radiation. The methodology used was a split-plot design with two factors, including drought as the first factor consisting of three groups namely control, mid-level, and high-level. The second factor was rice genotypes, which consisted of six genotypes comprising PMG 07/PsJ, PMG 08/ PsJ, and PMG 09/ PsJ (mutant varieties), Gajah Mungkur (parental background), Limboto (drought-tolerant), and IR 20 (drought-susceptible). The data were statistically examined using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and further analyzed with Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) with a significance level of 5%. The results showed that high-level drought significantly affected plant height during both the vegetative and mature stages. Among the mutants, PMG 08/PsJ exhibited better vegetative growth under dry conditions, retaining a relatively higher height. Drought also had a negative impact on the number of tillers and productive tillers. The PMG 08/PsJ mutant had a slightly higher number of tillers under drought cultivations. On the other hand, PMG 09/PsJ was found to have a relatively more filled grain number per panicle. Leaf rolling and dryness index showed similar trends in all varieties, while drought treatments imposed a delay on the flowering and harvesting age. Although the results demonstrated no substantial improvement over the parental lines, the selected mutant lines provided several beneficial agronomical features such as maintenance of plant height, tiller number, and shorter life cycles under severe drought. These characteristics could serve as valuable genetic resources for breeding programs focused on developing drought-resistant rice varieties for challenging environments.
Chemical Compounds and Antibacterial Activity of Thymus VulgarisLeaves’ Ethanolic Extract AgainstSalmonella typhimurium
Authors:   Doctoral ProgramofMedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia, Abousouh Emad Khaleefah , Endharti Agustina Tri ,   Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia, Santoso Sanarto ,   Department of Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia, Santosaningsih Dewi ,   Dr. Saiful Anwar Hospital, Malang 65145, Indonesia
Published: April 2024

Invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella is an important pathogen that causes life-threatening bloodstream infections. Antibiotic resistance in non-typhoidal Salmonella has emerged as a result of the increasing use of antibiotics; therefore, an alternative source of therapeutic agents is required. This study aimed to investigate the active compound and antibacterial activity of Thymus vulgaris leaves’ ethanolic extract against Salmonella typhimurium. Thin-layer chromatography was performed to identify the active compound in the ethanolic extract of T. vulgaris leaves. The antibiotic effect of the extract was carried out by agar dilution assay using the following concentrations: 0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, 10.0%, 12.5%, and 15.0% (w/v). Thymol and carvacrol were detected in the thin-layer chromatography. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the extract was 10.0% (w/v). In conclusion, T. vulgaris leaves’ ethanolic extract demonstrated antimicrobial activity against S. typhimurium. Further investigation is required to analyze the role of thymol and carvacrol as active compounds against S. typhimurium.
A Preliminary Survey on Geospatial Distribution of Aedes albopictusand Aedes aegyptiMosquitoes Found in Different Urban and Rural Locationsof Southern West Bengal, India
Authors:   Department of Zoology, Vidyasagar College for Women, Kolkata 700006, West Bengal, India, Majumdar Anasuya , Mahata Amit ,   Department of Zoology, Vidyasagar College for Women, Kolkata 700006, West Bengal, India, Bag Shampa ,   Department of Zoology, Ananda Mohan College, Kolkata 700009, West Bengal, India
Published: April 2024

Aedes mosquitoes are globally known to transmit various arboviral diseases including Dengue fever. Historically considered an urban disease, Dengue fever has been reported in rural areas of different countries also. Two important species, Aedes aegypti, and Aedes albopictus, are rapidly spreading and invading new locations in India and risking human health more frequently each year. Since vector control has been proven to be the most effective measure to prevent such disease, knowing the vectors more, would help design successful methods to fight against the disease. In this survey, a cross-sectional inspection was conducted to look for the existence of Aedes spp. at 420 locations including urban and rural areas of 15 districts in Southern West Bengal, India, Morphological identification of collected specimens, comparative analyses of vector distribution and their breeding habitats, between districts, rural and urban locations as well as between different physiographic regions in this area were performed. The study revealed that sixty-four percent of the urban locations inspected and 22% of the rural locations inspected were positive for Aedes spp. Despite the region’s physiographic, climatic, and anthropogenic diversity, the districts shared a similar pattern of species distribution - A. albopictus was found in both rural and urban locations of all the districts while A. aegypti was observed in only urban locations of thirteen districts. In some locations, both species were found to be co-existing in the same habitat containers. Mean larval density and mean container index were both higher in urban habitats than in rural areas though few rural locations showed significantly high density of larval population. The current findings of this survey thus provide a comprehensive picture of Aedes distribution in the said area and may in turn act as a foundation for more effective surveillance to characterize these vectors and to identify potential dengue outbreak hotspots in Southern West Bengal.
An Overview of Natural Inert Dust Utilization Against Stored-Product Pests as Part of Integrated Pest Management
Authors:   Department of Plant Pest and Disease, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar90245, Indonesia, Mario M. Bayu , Patasik William Yeremia ,   1 Department of Plant Pest and Disease, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar90245, Indonesia, Tang Muh. Ridha Taqwa ,   1 Department of Plant Pest and Disease, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar90245, Indonesia, Muhammad Mukhti ,   1 Department of Plant Pest and Disease, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar90245, Indonesia, Rosyada Amrina ,   1 Department of Plant Pest and Disease, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar90245, Indonesia, Jamal Ahmad Arisandi ,   1 Department of Plant Pest and Disease, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar90245, Indonesia, Nurwahida Nurwahida ,   1 Department of Plant Pest and Disease, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar90245, Indonesia, Kafle Lekhnath ,   Department of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Republic of China (Taiwan, Abdelgaleil Samir A. M. ,   Department of Pesticide Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria21526, Egypt, Brugman Eirene ,   1 Department of Plant Pest and Disease, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar90245, Indonesia, Fernando Ito ,   Department of Plant Pests and Diseases, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang65145, Indone-sia 65145
Published: April 2024

Natural inert dust has been used as a grain protectant since the ancient Aztecs of Mexico to this modern era. Natural inert dust is divided into three groups: the first group includes sand, kaolin, paddy husk ash, wood ash, and clay; the second group includes mineral dust; and the third group includes natural silicas such as diatomaceous earth and zeolite. Natural inert dust has a unique mechanism for killing insect pests. Inert dust particles penetrate the insects’ exoskeleton, causing dehydration through the cuticle. Relative humidity is a crucial factor affecting the efficacy of inert dust application. Inert dust has been traditionally used by farmers, which impacts the insects, such as decreasing population, no insect resistance, and being environmentally friendly. Problems of using inert dust include visible residues on grain, airborne dust, reduced flowability, bulk density reduction, and adverse effects on downstream processing machinery. Moreover, inert dust is a very light product, thus it may cause human respiratory illness. The inert dust can be applied to the smaller or larger storage containers. Natural silica can be readily integrated into modern agriculture as a pest management solution.
In Vitro Study of Garcinia dulcis (Roxb.) Kurz Leaves Extract against Hepatitis C Virus
Authors:   Department of Parasitology, Immunology, and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Swadaya Gunung Jati, Apriyanto Dadan Ramadhan , Hartat Sri ,   Research Center for Chemistry, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Puspiptek, Serpong 15310, Indonesia, Wahyuni Tutik Sri ,   Natural Product Medicine Research and Development, Institute of Tropical Disease, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia, Lusida Maria Inge ,   Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia
Published: April 2024

Garcinia dulcis is a plant commonly used in traditional medicine in tropical regions. It has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-malaria properties. Despite its potential benefits, studies on its effectiveness as an antiviral are limited. This study investigated the antiviral properties of G. dulcis leaf extract against the JFH-1 strain genotype 2a as a treatment for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Huh7it-1 cells infected with the HCV genotype 2a strain JFH-1 were used to determine the antiviral effect of methanol extracts of G. dulcis leaves (GD-LE). GD-LE antiviral activity was investigated using a focus-forming assay for anti-HCV and 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay for cytotoxicity. A time-of-addition study of anti-HCV was also performed to determine the mode of action of GD-LE. The results showed that GD-LE inhibited HCV replication with an IC50 of 17.06 µg/mL without giving any toxicity to the cells. The mode-of-action of GD-LE was found to inhibit HCV replication in the co-addition and post-infection stages. These findings suggest that GD-LE could be a promising candidate for anti-HCV treatment. However, further study regarding GD-LE bioactive compound isolation needs to be done to prepare an effective antiviral.