bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial Stewardship: Development and Pilot of an Organisational Peer-to-Peer Review Tool to Improve Service Provision in Line with National Guidance
Authors: Oloyede Olaolu , Cramp Emma , Ashiru-Oredope Diane
Published: January 2021

Antimicrobial resistance continues to be a considerable threat to global public health due to the persistent inappropriate use of antibiotics. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs are essential in reducing the growth and spread of antibiotic resistance, in an environment which lacks incentives for the development of new antibiotics. Over the years, a variety of resources have been developed to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship. However, the differences in resources available present a challenge for organisations/teams to establish the best resources to utilise for service provision. A peer review tool was formulated using four national documents on AMS and tested through three phases with feedback. A survey method was used to collect feedback on the validity, feasibility, and impact of the AMS peer review tool. Feedback received was positive from the earlier pilots. The tool was found to be useful at identifying areas of good practice and gaps in antimicrobial stewardship across various pilot sites. Feedback suggests the tool is useful for promoting improvements to AMS programs and highlights that the content and features of the tool are appropriate for evaluating stewardship.
Thermo-Chemical Treatment for Carcass Disposal and the Application of Treated Carcass as Compost
Authors: Lee Jae-In , Cho Eun-Ji , Lyonga Fritz Ndumbe , Lee Chang-Hee , Hwang Sue-Yun , Kim Dock-Hwan , Lee Chang-Gu , Park Seong-Jik
Published: January 2021

A mechanized thermo-chemical treatment system was developed to treat the undecomposed carcass and remediate livestock burial sites. Animal carcasses were thus processed via crushing, mixing, and treatment with quicklime treatment, heat treatment (200–500 °C), and mixing with sawdust. The machinery was applied to two sites where 16,000 chickens and 418 pigs had previously been buried in fiber-reinforced plastic storage bins. No dioxins were detected in the gas discharged during processing, and the concentration of total volatile organic compound, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and styrene were 430.3, 139.0, 18.3, 21.4, and 10.4 μg/m3, respectively, which were below the air pollutant emission standards issued by the Korean Ministry of Environment. Korean standards stipulating the use of treated carcasses as compost (C, N, and P content, heavy metal concentration, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella) were met, but the germination index value was less than 70, not satisfying the criteria. Plant height, leaf length, leaf width, and dry weight of lettuce grown in soil amended with treated carcass product were significantly lower than those grown in low nutrient soil due to the poor germination index of the treated carcass. These results indicate that a composting process is required before the use of the treated carcass as a fertilizer. The addition of zeolite retarded the elution of ammonia from the carcasses and its efficiency was about 87.9%. It is expected that the mechanized thermo-chemical treatment process developed in this study could replace other technologies for the remediation of livestock burial sites.
Experimental Validation on Tissue-Mimicking Phantoms of Millimeter-Wave Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection
Authors: Di Meo Simona , Matrone Giulia , Pasian Marco
Published: January 2021

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among women; to decrease the death rate for this disease, early detection plays a key role. Recently, microwave imaging systems have been proposed as an alternative to the current techniques, but they suffer from poor resolution due to the low frequencies involved. In this paper, for the first time, an innovative millimeter-wave imaging system for early-stage breast cancer detection is proposed and experimentally verified on different breast phantoms. This has the potential to achieve superior resolution for breasts with a high volumetric percentage of adipose tissue, and the merit to overcome the common misconception that millimeter-waves cannot achieve useful penetration depths for biological applications. Three phantoms were prepared according to the dielectric properties of human breast ex vivo tissues in the frequency range [0.5–50] GHz. Two cylindrical inclusions made by water and gelatin or agar, mimicking dielectric properties of neoplastic tissues, were embedded in the phantom at different depths up to 3 cm. Two double ridge waveguides, with mono-modal frequency band equal to [18–40] GHz, were used to synthetize a linear array of 24 elements in 28 positions, acquiring signals with a Vector Network Analyzer. The images were reconstructed by applying the Delay and Sum algorithm to calibrated data. The feasibility of a new imaging system with a central working frequency of about 30 GHz is experimentally demonstrated for the first time, and a target detection capability up to 3 cm within the phantom is shown. The presented results pave the way for a possible use of millimeter-waves to image non-superficial neoplasms in the breast.
A Multiphysics Ray Optics Model for the Propagation of Electromagnetic Waves in Plasmas and the Design of Laser-Based Diagnostics in Nuclear Fusion Reactors
Authors: Spolladore Luca , Wyss Ivan , Rossi Riccardo , Gaudio Pasquale
Published: January 2021

Laser-based methods are widely used techniques for thermonuclear plasma diagnostics, since they can probe the internal of the plasma, being contactless and non-invasive. The interferometer, the polarimeter and Thomson scattering are the most widespread techniques, providing line-integral information of the electron density and the magnetic field (interferometer–polarimeter) and local information of the electron density and temperature (Thomson scattering). The design of the diagnostics is a fundamental step, which usually requires an iterative process to maximise the performances of the diagnostics and their durability. In the future reactors, such as ITER and DEMO, the working environment will be much challenging, due to the various electro-mechanical, thermal and nuclear loads which may affect the life of the components and degrade the performances of the diagnostics. This work aims to present the modelling of plasma interferometry, polarimetry and Thomson scattering applied to a ray optics code. The model, developed on the COMSOL Multiphysics software, can be easily interfaced with multiphysics problems, allowing the possibility to test the performances of the diagnostics in several conditions.
Siderurgical Aggregate Cement-Treated Bases and Concrete Using Foundry Sand
Authors: Del Angel Gilberto Garcia , Aghajanian Ali , Tamayo Pablo , Rico Jokin , Thomas Carlos
Published: January 2021

Cement-treated bases are soils, gravels or manufactured aggregates mixed with certain quantities of cement and water in order to improve the characteristics of a base or sub-base layer. Due to the exploitation of natural aggregates, it is a matter of importance to avoid shortage of natural resources, which is why the use of recycled aggregates is a practical solution. In this paper we studied the feasibility of the use of untreated electric arc furnace slags and foundry sand in the development of cement-treated bases and slag aggregate concrete with a lower quantity of cement. We analyzed the physical, mechanical and durability characteristics of the aggregates, followed by the design of mixes to fabricate test specimens. With cement-treated bases, results showed an optimal moisture content of 5% and a dry density of 2.47 g/cm3. Cement-treated bases made with untreated slag aggregate, foundry sand and 4% of cement content showed an unconfined compression strength at seven days of 3.73 MPa. For siderurgical aggregate concrete mixes, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and flexural strength tests were made. The results showed that the mixes had good mechanical properties but durability properties could be an issue.
Type and Amount of Legume Protein Concentrate Influencing the Technological, Nutritional, and Sensorial Properties of Wheat Bread
Authors: Belc Nastasia , Duta Denisa Eglantina , Culetu Alina , Stamatie Gabriela Daniela
Published: January 2021

Plant protein concentrates are used to enhance the nutritional quality of bread and to respond to the demand of consumers with respect to increased protein intake. In the present study, bread samples were produced using pea protein concentrate (PP) and soy protein concentrate (SP) substituting wheat flour by 5%, 10%, and 15%. The protein levels were between 1.2- and 1.7-fold (PP) and 1.1- and 1.3-fold (SP) higher than the control bread. The incorporation of 10% and 15% PP allowed for the achievement of a “high protein” claim. Water absorption was correlated with the protein contents of the breads (r = 0.9441). The decrease in bread volume was higher for the PP than SP incorporations, and it was highly negatively correlated with the protein content (r = −0.9356). Soy breads had a softer crumb than pea breads. The total change in crumb colour was higher in the PP than SP breads. The soy breads had an overall acceptability between 6.3 and 6.8, which did not differ (p > 0.05) from the control. PP breads were statistically less liked (p < 0.05). The results underlined that the choice of the type and amount of protein concentrates influenced the bread properties differently.
A Backwards-Tracking Lagrangian-Eulerian Method for Viscoelastic Two-Fluid Flows
Authors: Ingelsten Simon , Mark Andreas , Kádár Roland , Edelvik Fredrik
Published: January 2021

A new Lagrangian–Eulerian method for the simulation of viscoelastic free surface flow is proposed. The approach is developed from a method in which the constitutive equation for viscoelastic stress is solved at Lagrangian nodes, which are convected by the flow, and interpolated to the Eulerian grid with radial basis functions. In the new method, a backwards-tracking methodology is employed, allowing for fixed locations for the Lagrangian nodes to be chosen a priori. The proposed method is also extended to the simulation of viscoelastic free surface flow with the volume of fluid method. No unstructured interpolation or node redistribution is required with the new approach. Furthermore, the total amount of Lagrangian nodes is significantly reduced when compared to the original Lagrangian–Eulerian method. Consequently, the method is more computationally efficient and robust. No additional stabilization technique, such as both-sides diffusion or reformulation of the constitutive equation, is necessary. A validation is performed with the analytic solution for transient and steady planar Poiseuille flow, with excellent results. Furthermore, the proposed method agrees well with numerical data from the literature for the viscoelastic die swell flow of an Oldroyd-B model. The capabilities to simulate viscoelastic free surface flow are also demonstrated through the simulation of a jet buckling case.
Trichoderma Biomass as an Alternative for Removal of Congo Red and Malachite Green Industrial Dyes
Authors: Argumedo-Delira Rosalba , Gómez-Martínez Mario J. , Uribe-Kaffure Ramiro
Published: January 2021

The present study evaluated the removal efficiency of two dyes, Congo red (CR) and malachite green (MG), using either fresh or dry fungal biomass of two species of Trichoderma (T. virens and T. viride) and activated carbon. After 24 h, the CR removal efficiency obtained with fresh biomass was higher than that obtained with activated carbon. For the MG dye, the average removal with activated carbon (99%) was higher than those obtained with dry and fresh biomass of T. viride and T. virens. Experimental results for fresh and dry fungal biomass showed a good correlation with Langmuir isotherms. The adsorption rates of CR and MG by of T. virens and T. viride can be more appropriately described using the pseudo-second-order rate. We found an adsorption capacity of 81.82 mg g−1 for T. virens with MG dye. Results show that fresh or dry biomass of T. virens can represent a simple and cost-effective alternative for removing industrial dyes such as CR and MG.
Interclass Interference Suppression in Multi-Class Problems
Authors: Liu Jinfu , Bai Mingliang , Jiang Na , Cheng Ran , Li Xianling , Wang Yifang , Yu Daren
Published: January 2021

Multi-classifiers are widely applied in many practical problems. But the features that can significantly discriminate a certain class from others are often deleted in the feature selection process of multi-classifiers, which seriously decreases the generalization ability. This paper refers to this phenomenon as interclass interference in multi-class problems and analyzes its reason in detail. Then, this paper summarizes three interclass interference suppression methods including the method based on all-features, one-class classifiers and binary classifiers and compares their effects on interclass interference via the 10-fold cross-validation experiments in 14 UCI datasets. Experiments show that the method based on binary classifiers can suppress the interclass interference efficiently and obtain the best classification accuracy among the three methods. Further experiments were done to compare the suppression effect of two methods based on binary classifiers including the one-versus-one method and one-versus-all method. Results show that the one-versus-one method can obtain a better suppression effect on interclass interference and obtain better classification accuracy. By proposing the concept of interclass inference and studying its suppression methods, this paper significantly improves the generalization ability of multi-classifiers.
Using the Supremum Form of Auxiliary Functions to Study the Common Coupled Coincidence Points in Fuzzy Semi-Metric Spaces
Authors: Wu Hsien-Chung
Published: January 2021

This paper investigates the common coupled coincidence points and common coupled fixed points in fuzzy semi-metric spaces. The symmetric condition is not necessarily satisfied in fuzzy semi-metric space. Therefore, four kinds of triangle inequalities are taken into account in order to study the Cauchy sequences. Inspired by the intuitive observations, the concepts of rational condition and distance condition are proposed for the purpose of simplifying the discussions.
Lassa Virus Circulation in Small Mammal Populations in Bo District, Sierra Leone
Authors: Bangura Umaru , Buanie Jacob , Lamin Joyce , Davis Christopher , Bongo Gédéon Ngiala , Dawson Michael , Ansumana Rashid , Sondufu Dianah , Thomson Emma C. , Sahr Foday , Fichet-Calvet Elisabeth
Published: January 2021

Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus LASV, which was first isolated in the rodent Mastomys natalensis in 1974 in Kenema, Sierra Leone. As little is known about the abundance and the presence of LASV in rodents living in the Bo area, we carried out a small mammal longitudinal population survey. A standardized trapping session was performed in various habitats and seasons in six villages over two years (2014–2016) and samples collected were tested for arenavirus IgG and LASV. A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis was performed on sequences identified by PCR. A total of 1490 small mammals were collected, and 16 rodent species were identified, with M. natalensis (355, 24%) found to be the most prevalent species. Forty-one (2.8%) samples were IgG positive, and 31 of these were trapped in homes and 10 in surrounding vegetation. Twenty-nine of 41 seropositive rodents were M. natalensis. We detected four LASV by PCR in two villages, all found in M. natalensis. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the sequences were distributed within the Sierra Leonean clade within lineage IV, distinguishing a Bo sub-clade older than a Kenema sub-clade. Compared to other settings, we found a low abundance of M. natalensis and a low circulation of LASV in rodents in villages around Bo district.
The Network of Cytokines in Brain Metastases
Authors: Fares Jawad , Cordero Alex , Kanojia Deepak , Lesniak Maciej S.
Published: January 2021

Brain metastases are the most common of all intracranial tumors and a major cause of death in patients with cancer. Cytokines, including chemokines, interferons, interleukins, lymphokines, and tumor necrosis factors are key regulators in the formation of brain metastases. They regulate the infiltration of different cellular subsets into the tumor microenvironment and affect the therapeutic outcomes in patients. Elucidating the cancer cell-cytokine interactions in the setting of brain metastases is crucial for the development of more accurate diagnostics and efficacious therapies. In this review, we focus on cytokines that are found in the tumor microenvironment of brain metastases and elaborate on their trends of expression, regulation, and roles in cellular recruitment and tumorigenesis. We also explore how cytokines can alter the anti-tumor response in the context of brain metastases and discuss ways through which cytokine networks can be manipulated for diagnosis and treatment.
In Vivo Optical Metabolic Imaging of Long-Chain Fatty Acid Uptake in Orthotopic Models of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Madonna Megan C. , Duer Joy E. , Lee Joyce V. , Williams Jeremy , Avsaroglu Baris , Zhu Caigang , Deutsch Riley , Wang Roujia , Crouch Brian T. , Hirschey Matthew D. , Goga Andrei , Ramanujam Nirmala
Published: January 2021

Targeting a tumor’s metabolic dependencies is a clinically actionable therapeutic approach; however, identifying subtypes of tumors likely to respond remains difficult. The use of lipids as a nutrient source is of particular importance, especially in breast cancer. Imaging techniques offer the opportunity to quantify nutrient use in preclinical tumor models to guide development of new drugs that restrict uptake or utilization of these nutrients. We describe a fast and dynamic approach to image fatty acid uptake in vivo and demonstrate its relevance to study both tumor metabolic reprogramming directly, as well as the effectiveness of drugs targeting lipid metabolism. Specifically, we developed a quantitative optical approach to spatially and longitudinally map the kinetics of long-chain fatty acid uptake in in vivo murine models of breast cancer using a fluorescently labeled palmitate molecule, Bodipy FL c16. We chose intra-vital microscopy of mammary tumor windows to validate our approach in two orthotopic breast cancer models: a MYC-overexpressing, transgenic, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) model and a murine model of the 4T1 family. Following injection, Bodipy FL c16 fluorescence increased and reached its maximum after approximately 30 min, with the signal remaining stable during the 30–80 min post-injection period. We used the fluorescence at 60 min (Bodipy60), the mid-point in the plateau region, as a summary parameter to quantify Bodipy FL c16 fluorescence in subsequent experiments. Using our imaging platform, we observed a two- to four-fold decrease in fatty acid uptake in response to the downregulation of the MYC oncogene, consistent with findings from in vitro metabolic assays. In contrast, our imaging studies report an increase in fatty acid uptake with tumor aggressiveness (6NR, 4T07, and 4T1), and uptake was significantly decreased after treatment with a fatty acid transport inhibitor, perphenazine, in both normal mammary pads and in the most aggressive 4T1 tumor model. Our approach fills an important gap between in vitro assays providing rich metabolic information at static time points and imaging approaches visualizing metabolism in whole organs at a reduced resolution.
System Chemistry in Catalysis: Facing the Next Challenges in Production of Energy Vectors and Environmental Remediation
Authors: Alessandri Ivano , Vassalini Irene
Published: January 2021

Most of the catalytic processes that assist the production of either renewable energy vectors or degradation of environmental pollutants rely on the interplay among different factors that can be purposely regulated, in order to improve the overall efficiency of reactions. This perspective analyzes some recent examples of ‘systemic catalysts’, which are based on the modification of the reaction microenvironment and exploitation of concurrent/parasitic reactions or different types of chemical looping, in order to bypass some drawbacks that cannot be easily circumvented by standard approaches. Innovative extensions of those concepts and strategies might inspire new breakthroughs in a variety of key catalytic cycles characterized by high complexity.
Delta Radiomics Analysis for Local Control Prediction in Pancreatic Cancer Patients Treated Using Magnetic Resonance Guided Radiotherapy
Authors: Cusumano Davide , Boldrini Luca , Yadav Poonam , Casà Calogero , Lee Sangjune Laurence , Romano Angela , Piras Antonio , Chiloiro Giuditta , Placidi Lorenzo , Catucci Francesco , Votta Claudio , Mattiucci Gian Carlo , Indovina Luca , Gambacorta Maria Antonietta , Bassetti Michael , Valentini Vincenzo
Published: January 2021

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of Delta Radiomics analysis in the prediction of one-year local control (1yLC) in patients affected by locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) and treated using Magnetic Resonance guided Radiotherapy (MRgRT). A total of 35 patients from two institutions were enrolled: A 0.35 Tesla T2*/T1 MR image was acquired for each case during simulation and on each treatment fraction. Physical dose was converted in biologically effective dose (BED) to compensate for different radiotherapy schemes. Delta Radiomics analysis was performed considering the gross tumour volume (GTV) delineated on MR images acquired at BED of 20, 40, and 60 Gy. The performance of the delta features in predicting 1yLC was investigated in terms of Wilcoxon Mann–Whitney test and area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). The most significant feature in predicting 1yLC was the variation of cluster shade calculated at BED = 40 Gy, with a p-value of 0.005 and an AUC of 0.78 (0.61–0.94). Delta Radiomics analysis on low-field MR images might play a promising role in 1yLC prediction for LAPC patients: further studies including an external validation dataset and a larger cohort of patients are recommended to confirm the validity of this preliminary experience.
Correlating Capsaicinoid Levels and Physicochemical Proper-ties of Kimchi and Its Perceived Spiciness
Authors: Yoon So-Ra , Dang Yun-Mi , Kim Su-Yeon , You Su-Yeon , Kim Mina K. , Ha Ji-Hyoung
Published: January 2021

Capsaicinoid content, among other factors, affects the perception of spiciness of commercial kimchi. Here, we investigated whether the physicochemical properties of kimchi affect the spicy taste of capsaicinoids perceived by the tasting. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to evaluate the capsaicinoid content (mg/kg) of thirteen types of commercial kimchi. The physicochemical properties such as pH, titratable acidity, salinity, free sugar content, and free amino acid content were evaluated, and the spicy strength grade was determined by selected panel to analyze the correlation between these properties. Panels were trained for 48 h prior to actual evaluation by panel leaders trained for over 1000 h according to the SpectrumTM method. Partial correlation analysis was performed to examine other candidate parameters that interfere with the sensory evaluation of spiciness and capsaicinoid content. To express the specific variance after eliminating the effects of other variables, partial correlations were used to estimate the relationships between two variables. We observed a strong correlation between spiciness intensity ratings and capsaicinoid content, with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.78 at p ≤ 0.001. However, other specific variables may have influenced the relationship between spiciness intensity and total capsaicinoid content. Partial correlation analysis indicated that the free sugar content most strongly affected the relationship between spiciness intensity and capsaicinoid content, showing the largest first-order partial correlation coefficient (rxy/z: 0.091, p ≤ 0.01).
Effects of Red Rice or Buckwheat Addition on Nutritional, Technological, and Sensory Quality of Potato-Based Pasta
Authors: Cappa Carola , Laureati Monica , Casiraghi Maria Cristina , Erba Daniela , Vezzani Maurizio , Lucisano Mara , Alamprese Cristina
Published: January 2021

This work investigates the effects of red rice (R) or buckwheat (B) flour addition on nutritional, technological, and sensory quality of potato-based pasta (gnocchi). Three gluten-free (GF) and three conventional (C) samples were produced in an industrial line without any addition or with 20% R or B. R and B addition significantly (p < 0.05) reduced starch content and increased fat amount and ready digestible starch fraction (potential higher glycemic impact). R addition significantly (p < 0.05) worsened GF pasta structure, increasing solid loss in cooking water (5.4 ± 1.2 vs. 4.1 ± 0.5 g/100 g pasta) and reducing product firmness (408 ± 13 vs. 108 ± 2 N). B addition resulted in intermediate consistency (243 ± 8 N), despite the highest total fiber content and weight increase during cooking. Similar trends were found in C samples, indicating a better texturizing capacity of B in comparison to R. Samples without any addition were the most liked (C = 67.4 and GF = 60.6). Texture was the major contributor to liking: uniform structure and firm texture were positive predictors of liking, whereas a granular and coarse matrix contributed negatively. The outcomes of this research can be useful in developing GF potato-based pasta for consumers focused on healthier foods and for industries willing to better valorize their products.
Confirmation of Paternity despite Three Genetic Incompatibilities at Chromosome 2
Authors: Doniec Andrzej , Łuczak Wojciech , Wróbel Maria , Januła Miłosz , Ossowski Andrzej , Grzmil Paweł , Kupiec Tomasz
Published: January 2021

DNA testing in cases of disputed paternity is a routine analysis carried out in genetic laboratories. The purpose of the test is to demonstrate similarities and differences in analyzed genetic markers between the alleged father, mother, and a child. The existence of differences in the examined loci between the child and the presumed father may indicate the exclusion of biological parenthood. However, another reason for such differences is genetic mutations, including chromosome aberrations and genome mutations. The presented results relate to genetic analyses carried out on three persons for the purposes of disputed paternity testing. A deviation from inheritance based on Mendel’s Law was found in 7 out of 53 STR-type loci examined. All polymorphic loci that ruled out the paternity of the alleged father were located on chromosome 2. Additional analysis of 32 insertion–deletion markers (DIPplex, Qiagen) and sequencing of 94 polymorphic positions of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) type (Illumina, ForenSeq) did not exclude the defendant’s biological paternity. A sequence analysis of STR alleles and their flanking regions confirmed the hypothesis that the alleles on chromosome 2 of the child may originate only from the mother. The results of the tests did not allow exclusion of the paternity of the alleged father, but are an example of uniparental maternal disomy, which is briefly described in the literature.
Risk of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss in the Ukrainian Population Using a Combined Effect of Genetic Variants: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Loizidou Eleni M. , Kucherenko Anastasia , Tatarskyy Pavlo , Chernushyn Sergey , Livshyts Ganna , Gulkovskyi Roman , Vorobiova Iryna , Antipkin Yurii , Gorodna Oleksandra , Kaakinen Marika A. , Prokopenko Inga , Livshits Ludmila
Published: January 2021

We assessed the predictive ability of a combined genetic variant panel for the risk of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) through a case-control study. Our study sample was from Ukraine and included 114 cases with idiopathic RPL and 106 controls without any pregnancy losses/complications and with at least one healthy child. We genotyped variants within 12 genetic loci reflecting the main biological pathways involved in pregnancy maintenance: blood coagulation (F2, F5, F7, GP1A), hormonal regulation (ESR1, ADRB2), endometrium and placental function (ENOS, ACE), folate metabolism (MTHFR) and inflammatory response (IL6, IL8, IL10). We showed that a genetic risk score (GRS) calculated from the 12 variants was associated with an increased risk of RPL (odds ratio 1.56, 95% CI: 1.21, 2.04, p = 8.7 × 10−4). The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis resulted in an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.64 (95% CI: 0.57, 0.72), indicating an improved ability of the GRS to classify women with and without RPL. Ιmplementation of the GRS approach can help define women at higher risk of complex multifactorial conditions such as RPL. Future well-powered genome-wide association studies will help in dissecting biological pathways previously unknown for RPL and further improve the identification of women with RPL susceptibility.
A Comparative Analysis of Student and Practising Nurses’ Health Literacy Knowledge in Ghana
Authors: Koduah Adwoa Owusuaa , Amoah Padmore Adusei , Nkansah Jacob Oppong , Leung Angela Y. M.
Published: January 2021

This study examined student and practising nurses’ health literacy knowledge, and its correlates in Ghana. It was underpinned by an adapted version of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) conceptual framework of health literacy. We used convenience and snowball sampling techniques to collect data from 876 nurses (477 student nurses and 399 practising nurses) in a cross-sectional survey from February 2019 to June 2019. The respondents were drawn from all the former ten administrative regions of Ghana. Approximately 75.4% of the respondents had heard of health literacy. However, health literacy knowledge was generally low (average score of 6.6 out of 20) among both groups, with student nurses (average score of 5.8 out of 20) having significantly lower scores than practising nurses (average score of 7.4 out of 20). Factors associated with health literacy knowledge among student nurses included gender (male, B = −0.499, p < 0.01), trust in others (B = −0.874, p < 0.001), cultural values (B = 0.276, p < 0.001), year of study (B = 0.244, p < 0.05), and frequency of curative care use (B = −0.236, p < 0.05). For practising nurses, trust (B = −1.252, p < 0.01), cultural values (B = 0.357, p < 0.01), and working experience (B = 0.612, p < 0.01) were associated with their health literacy knowledge. Thus, responses targeted at gaps in health literacy knowledge of student and practising nurses must be sensitive to personal characteristics (e.g., gender), social values (e.g., issues of trust, and cultural beliefs and practices), as well as factors relating to nursing education and experience.
An Analysis of the Relationship between the Modified Theory of Planned Behavior and Leisure Rumination of Korean Employees
Authors: Kim Young-Jae , Kang Seung-Woo
Published: January 2021

An increasing trend among employees has been to engage in leisure activities, which has been proven to be an effective method of overcoming work stress. As a result, employees are doing “Other Things” (i.e., non-work activities) as a way to relieve stress. Based on the existing studies on rumination, this study considered doing “Other Things” as a new concept of “leisure rumination” and identified its influence as a means to help employees recover from work stress. Accordingly, this study provided basic data on the meaning of leisure activities and leisure rumination in office workers who suffer from failure to recover from work stress using partial least squares structural equation modeling. This study was conducted on employees residing in the Seoul metropolitan area and the Gyeongsang-do district in November 2019 through a structured questionnaire. The results of this study verified the significance of leisure rumination and the possibility of it being utilized as a practical research tool for leisure activities. Our findings may be considered when planning interventions for work addiction and burnout through leisure rumination.
Emerging Health and Education Issues Related to Internet Technologies and Addictive Problems
Authors: Lopez-Fernandez Olatz
Published: January 2021

This timely editorial paper outlines some of the main emerging research on technological topics on health and education approaches to Internet use-related problems before and during the beginning of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Background: The aim is to provide a brief overview to facilitate a rapid comprehensive and practical approach to these new trends to promote research, interventions, education, and prevention. Methods: The rapid review includes an analysis of both health and education technologies studies on Internet use-related addiction problems included in the Special Issue “Internet and Smartphone Use-Related Addiction Health Problems: Treatment, Education and Research” to extract recent findings and a few reflections about the development of the field before and during the first wave of the COVID-19. Results: Main findings highlighted studies which tended to be empirical, with a relational type associating specific addictive problems with individual and a few contextual factors in adult populations. Psychometric studies about scales are prevalent, but predictive and mixed methods ones are starting to emerge, together with reviews about conceptualisation, measure, treatment, and prevention. Conclusions: From the arrival of Internet, our societies have converged in a global culture which has impacted health and educational domains. Internet use-related addiction problems have globally emerged and common knowledge, advances, and strategies exist to overcome challenges which are starting to be tested, and prevention interest has arisen in a pandemic situation with global health problems holistically tackled.
Have Policies Tackled Gender Inequalities in Health? A Scoping Review
Authors: Crespí-Lloréns Nuria , Hernández-Aguado Ildefonso , Chilet-Rosell Elisa
Published: January 2021

Gender is recognized as one of the most relevant determinants of health inequalities. This scoping review sought to identify and analyse policies, either implemented or formulated as proposals, which aimed to reduce gender inequalities in health. We searched Medline, Web of Science, and Scielo. Of 2895 records, 91 full text articles were analysed, and 33 papers were included. Of these papers, 22 described the process of formulation, implementation, or evaluation of policies whose aim was to reduce gender inequalities in health; six focused on recommendations, and the remaining five dealt with both issues. Our review showed that the policies aimed at reducing gender inequalities in health, either implemented or formulated as proposals, are scarce. Moreover, despite some success, overall progress has been slow. The studies show failures in design and particularly in the implementation process. We found a lack of awareness and capacity in the policy-making progress, under-financing, bureaucratization, shortage of relevant data, and absence of women’s participation in decision-making. Therefore, an emphasis on the design and implementation of gender-sensitive policies seems essential to advance gender equality in health. This scoping review gathers evidence to support the design of such policies and recommendations that can facilitate their implementation.
Inculcation of Green Behavior in Employees: A Multilevel Moderated Mediation Approach
Authors: Saleem Maria , Qadeer Faisal , Mahmood Faisal , Han Heesup , Giorgi Gabriele , Ariza-Montes Antonio
Published: January 2021

In this era of globalization, preventing organizations from undermining and degrading the environment has become a great challenge, especially when considering that organizations are among the major contributors to environmental deterioration. As a result, scholars have recently begun to focus on understanding the key determinants of employee green behavior (EGB), a nascent field within the area of sustainable development and organizational behavior. This study extends the emerging discussion over EGB by investigating how green behavior can be inculcated into employees’ mindsets and under what conditions this can best be accomplished. The present research examines the relationship between ethical leadership and EGB by the mediating mechanisms of green psychological climate, employees’ harmonious environmental passion, and employees’ environmental commitment, through the underpinnings of social learning theory. Further, the study examines the contingency effects of leaders’ pro-environmental attitudes to determine how leaders with ethical attributes and pro-environmental attitudes can create a green psychological climate that ultimately leads to EGB through employees’ harmonious environmental passion and employees’ environmental commitment. The approach to implementing theory development is deductive as the research employed a quantitative research design and survey administration with a time-lagged approach. Multi-level data were collected from 400 respondents working in public and private sector hospitals and universities in Pakistan. The analysis was conducted in MPlus. The results show positive and statistically significant effects of ethical leadership on EGB through the serial mediations of a green psychological climate and employees’ harmonious environmental passion, and a green psychological climate and employees’ environmental commitment. Moreover, the leaders’ pro-environmental attitude contingency strengthens the indirect impact of ethical leadership on EGB. This research provides several managerial implications through which organizations can strategically concentrate on EGB, including saving energy by turning off unused lights, reducing waste, and recycling.
Crisis Management Art from the Risks to the Control: A Review of Methods and Directions
Authors: Abdalla Mohammed , Alarabi Louai , Hendawi Abdeltawab
Published: January 2021

A crisis is an exceptional event that causes damage and negative impacts on organizations. For this reason, crisis management is considered as a significant action needed to follow crisis causes and consequences for preventing or avoiding these exceptional events from occurring again. Studies have devoted their efforts to proposing methods, techniques, and approaches in the crisis management direction. As a result, it is critical to provide a consolidated study that has an integrated view of proposed crisis management methods, crisis impacts, and effective response strategies. For this purpose, this paper first highlights the proposed techniques used in crisis management and presents the main objective behind each technique. Second, the risks and impacts resulting from a crisis are highlighted. Finally, crisis response strategies are discussed. The major contribution of this study is it can guide researchers to define research gaps or new directions in crisis management and choose the proper techniques that cope with their research problems or help them discover new research problems.
Molecular Subtyping and Precision Medicine for Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Froeling Fieke , Casolino Raffaella , Pea Antonio , Biankin Andrew , Chang David ,   on behalf of Precision-Panc
Published: January 2021

Substantial progress in recent years has dramatically increased our knowledge of the molecular basis of cancer, revealing new potential therapeutic targets and paving the way for effective personalised medicine for the treatment of many tumour types. However, pancreatic cancer has been lagging behind in this success and continues to be one of the most lethal solid malignancies. Its molecular heterogeneity and the unselected design of the majority of clinical trials to date can in part explain the reason for our failure to make a significant change in the survival outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer. A changing paradigm in drug development is required to validate the new molecular taxonomy and to rapidly translate preclinical discovery into clinical trials. Here, we review the molecular subtyping of pancreatic cancer, the challenges in identifying effective treatment regimens according to defined low-prevalence molecular subgroups and we illustrate a new model of translational therapeutic development that was established in the U.K. (Precision-Panc) as a potentially effective solution to improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer.
Three-Dimensional Quantification of Bone Mineral Density in the Distal Femur and Proximal Tibia Based on Computed Tomography: In Vitro Evaluation of an Extended Standardization Method
Authors: Babel Hugo , Omoumi Patrick , Cosendey Killian , Cadas Hugues , Jolles Brigitte M. , Favre Julien
Published: January 2021

While alterations in bone mineral density (BMD) are of interest in a number of musculoskeletal conditions affecting the knee, their analysis is limited by a lack of tools able to take full advantage of modern imaging modalities. This study introduced a new method, combining computed tomography (CT) and computational anatomy algorithms, to produce standardized three-dimensional BMD quantification in the distal femur and proximal tibia. The method was evaluated on ten cadaveric knees CT-scanned twice and processed following three different experimental settings to assess the influence of different scans and operators. The median reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)) ranged from 0.96 to 0.99 and the median reproducibility (precision error (RMSSD)) ranged from 3.97 to 10.75 mg/cc for the different experimental settings. In conclusion, this paper presented a method to standardize three-dimensional knee BMD with excellent reliability and adequate reproducibility to be used in research and clinical applications. The perspectives offered by this novel method are further reinforced by the fact it relies on conventional CT scan of the knee. The standardization method introduced in this work is not limited to BMD and could be adapted to quantify other bone parameters in three dimension based on CT images or images acquired using different modalities.
The Double Life-Saving Approach of Abdominal Radical Trachelectomy during Pregnancy for Early-Stage Cervical Cancer—An Overview of the Literature and Our Institutional Experience
Authors: Stanca Mihai , Ciobanu Victoria , Gheorghe Mihai , Kiss Szilard Leo , Cozlea Alexandra Lavinia , Căpîlna Mihai Emil
Published: January 2021

(1) Background: Cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer encountered during pregnancy, with a frequency of 0.8–1.5 cases per 10,000 births. It is a dire condition endangering patients’ lives and pregnancy outcomes, and jeopardizing their fertility. However, there is a lack of current evidence and consensus regarding a standard surgical technique for pregnant patients who suffer from this condition during pregnancy. The study aims to comprehensively update all published data, evaluating the obstetrical and oncological results of pregnant patients who underwent abdominal radical trachelectomy during early stages of cervical cancer. (2) Methods: A literature search on the Medline, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases was performed, including all articles in question up to July 2020. This study presents an overview of the literature and our institutional experience. (3) Results: A total of 25 cases of abdominal radical trachelectomy were performed during pregnancy for early cervical cancer, including the five cases managed by the authors. Of these, 81% (19 patients) gave birth to live newborns through elective C-section, and 19% (6 patients) experienced miscarriage shortly after the procedure. None of the 25 patients (100%) reported disease recurrence. (4) Conclusions: The results of the current study were satisfactory. However, abdominal radical trachelectomy does not represent the current standard of care for cervical cancer during pregnancy, but it could play an important role if more evidence on its effectiveness will be provided.
Differences in the Influence of Microclimate on Pedestrian Volume According to Land-Use
Authors: Kim Heechul , Hong Sungjo
Published: January 2021

Identifying how the urban environment affects pedestrian volume is a traditional urban planning topic. Recently, because of climate change and air pollution, interest in the effects of urban microclimates has been increasing. However, it is unclear whether the effects of microclimate on pedestrian volume can vary depending on the urban environment. This study determines whether microclimate’s influence on pedestrian volume differs according to land-use in the urban environment in Seoul, Korea. We constructed eight models with microclimate factors (temperature, precipitation, and PM10) as independent variables, using pedestrian volume as the dependent variable. We classified the models according to season and land-use and conducted a negative binomial regression analysis. The results confirmed that the effect of microclimate on pedestrian volume varies by land-use. A summary of the results is as follows. First, residential areas had more microclimate factors that significantly affected pedestrian volume compared to commercial areas. Second, for microclimate variables that had significant influences in commercial areas, the size of their influence was greater in commercial than in residential areas. Third, the influence of microclimatic factors on pedestrian volume in mixed-use areas has intermediate characteristics between residential and commercial areas.
Immobilization of Heavy Metals in Boroaluminosilicate Geopolymers
Authors: Rożek Piotr , Florek Paulina , Król Magdalena , Mozgawa Włodzimierz
Published: January 2021

Boroaluminosilicate geopolymers were used for the immobilization of heavy metals. Then, their mechanical properties, phase composition, structure, and microstructure were investigated. The addition of borax and boric acid did not induce the formation of any crystalline phases. Boron was incorporated into the geopolymeric network and caused the formation of N–B–A–S–H (hydrated sodium boroaluminosilicate) gel. In the range of a B/Al molar ratio of 0.015–0.075, the compressive strength slightly increased (from 16.1 to 18.7 MPa), while at a ratio of 0.150, the compressive strength decreased (to 12 MPa). Heavy metals (lead and nickel) were added as nitrate salts. The loss of the strength of the geopolymers induced by heavy metals was limited by the presence of boron. However, it caused an increase in heavy metal leaching. Despite this, heavy metals were almost entirely immobilized (with immobilization rates of >99.8% in the case of lead and >99.99% in the case of nickel). The lower immobilization rate of lead was due to the formation of macroscopic crystalline inclusions of PbO·xH2O, which was vulnerable to leaching.
Investigation on the Microstructure of ECAP-Processed Iron-Aluminium Alloys
Authors: Behrens Bernd-Arno , Brunotte Kai , Petersen Tom , Relge Roman
Published: January 2021

The present work deals with adjusting a fine-grained microstructure in iron-rich iron-aluminium alloys using the ECAP-process (Equal Channel Angular Pressing). Due to the limited formability of Fe-Al alloys with increased aluminium content, high forming temperatures and low forming speeds are required. Therefore, tool temperatures above 1100 °C are permanently needed to prevent cooling of the work pieces, which makes the design of the ECAP-process challenging. For the investigation, the Fe-Al work pieces were heated to the respective hot forming temperature in a chamber furnace and then formed in the ECAP tool at a constant punch speed of 5 mm/s. Besides the chemical composition (Fe9Al, Fe28Al and Fe38Al (at.%—Al)), the influences of a subsequent heat treatment and the holding time on the microstructure development were investigated. For this purpose, the average grain size of the microstructure was measured using the AGI (Average Grain Intercept) method and correlated with the aforementioned parameters. The results show that no significant grain refinement could be achieved with the parameters used, which is largely due to the high forming temperature significantly promoting grain growth. The holding times in the examined area do not have any influence on the grain refinement.