bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship of Number of Depression Episodes with Depression Severity, Treatment Adherence, Stress, Personality, Executive Functions and Decision-Making
Authors: ÇEBİOĞLU Tuğba , KAFADAR Hatice
Published: May 2023

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric disorder that significantly affects the world population. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the number of episodes and severity of depression, treatment adherence, perceived stress, personality, executive functions and decision making in MDD patients. Measurement tools including Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), Perceived Stress Scale (ASO-14), Temperament and Personality Inventory-Revised Form (TCI-R), Wechsler Memory Scale-III/Letter-Number Sequence Subtest (HSD), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Stroop Test TBAG Form (STR) and Iowa Gambling Taskt (IGT) were used in the study. The findings of the study showed that the severity of depression in MDD was not related to the number of episodes (r=-0.051, p>0.05) and treatment compliance (r=-0.082, p>0.05), but there was a significant relationship between the number of episodes and treatment compliance (r=-0.880, p<0.001). As the number of episodes increased, the perceived stress level and the level of knowledge about treatment decreased, whereas reward addiction and novelty seeking among personality traits increased. Executive functions and decision-making functions were also found to be weaker in MDD patients with recurrent episodes. The severity of depression in MDD was not associated with the number of episodes and medication adherence, suggesting that other variables associated with recurrent episodes should be addressed. In cases of recurrent MDD, in addition to factors such as medication adherence, perceived stress and personality, executive functions and decision-making behavior are also influential and should be closely monitored. Thus, it seems necessary to evaluate cognitive intervention options in the follow-up and treatment process of MDD.
Rasch analysis of the International Personality Item Pool Big Five Markers Questionnaire: Is longer better?
Authors: Akhtar Hanif , Sumintono Bambang
Published: May 2023

The 50-item International Personality Item Pool version of the Big Five Markers (IPIP-BFM) is an open-source and widely used measure of the big five personality traits. A short version of this measure (IPIP-BFM-25) has been developed using the classical test theory approach. No study was performed to examine the psychometric properties of a longer and shorter version of IPIP-BFM Indonesia using modern test theory. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Indonesian version of IPIP-BFM as well as IPIP-BFM-25 using Rasch analysis. The analysis was conducted in order to test their dimensionality, rating scale functioning, item properties, person responses, targeting, reliability, and item bias on 1003 Indonesian samples. The findings showed that both IPIP-BFM and IPIP-BFM-25 Indonesia have some adequate psychometric properties, especially regarding category function, item properties, reliability, and item bias. However, the emotional stability and intellect scales did not meet the assumption of unidimensionality, and all items on the scales were too easy to endorse by participants. In general, longer measures outperformed shorter measures in terms of person separation and reliability. Further testing and refinement must be conducted.
Protective role of Nigella sativa oil against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity: a literature review
Authors: Hendriyanto Donny , Helmi Helmi
Published: May 2023

Cisplatin is widely used for the chemotherapy of head and neck cancer. However, it has a significant ototoxicity. Nigella sativa has been scientifically proven to have numerous benefits included to prevent adverse effect of a drug. This literature review aimed to evaluate the protective role of N. sativa oil against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. Relevant publications were searched  from PubMed and Google Scholar databases within the last 10 years. Ototoxicity due to cisplatin can occur through the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. Cisplatin causes endoplasmic reticulum stress, DNA damage, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory processes, resulting in increased apoptosis of cochlear outer hair cells. The active constituents of N. sativa including flavonoids, phenolics and thymoquinone can prevent the cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. Examination of endogenous antioxidants, antiapoptotic, and proinflammatory could be used as primary approach to evaluate the protective role of N. sativa against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity.
A Short Guide on How to Carry Out Validation of Scales Measuring Health Outcomes
Authors: Martins Mesquita Edgar
Published: May 2023

N/a.
Progression of Aftereffects and Effective Counseling Strategies of Violent Crime Victims Reported by Counselors
Authors:   The Association of Korea Counseling Psychology Education Welfare, KIM Tae-Kyoung
Published: May 2023

In this study, focus group interviews were conducted with 14 crime victim counselors for thepurpose of exploring the course of the aftereffects of violent crime and effective counselingstrategies. As a result, the severity of the aftereffects and the progression were determined bywhether or not the injury occurred and the frequency of the victim. The demographic variablesinteracted with other variables to affect recovery. The relationship between victim andperpetrator, the frequency of crime, and the secondary victimization, and stress in the criminaljustice process affected the progression of symptoms. Optimism including ego resilience andcourage were associated with positive prognosis, whereas maladaptive personality traits anddevelopmental trauma were associated with negative prognosis. The amount of perceived socialsupport and changes in the living environment and occupational environment affected theprogression of symptoms. The core counseling strategies were therapeutic alliance,psychoeducation, and stabilization training. The most effective counseling technique wasEMDR-Flash. The implications and limitations of study and future research directions werediscussed.
A Phenomenological Study on Intermediate Counselors' Countertransference Experience
Authors:   The Association of Korea Counseling Psychology Education Welfare, HONG Seon , CHOI Ji-Sun , CHOI Eun-Young
Published: May 2023

This study is a phenomenological study conducted to deal in depth with counselors'understanding of countertransference, actual experience of countertransference in counseling,coping with it, and the growth of intermediate counselors, focusing on middle-level counselors. Tothis end, in-depth interviews were conducted with middle-level counselors with 4 to 10 years ofcounseling experience, how they experienced countertransference through meetings with clients inthe counseling field, and how they understood and coped with it. Finally, 117 configured semanticunits, 27 sub-themes, and 6 super-topics were derived. Upper themes include triggers that causeloss of balance, inadvertently revealed countertransference, the moment one becomes aware ofcountertransference, developing a counseling sense, using a crisis in a relationship as a therapeuticturning point, and transforming into a seasoned counselor after going through growing pains. Thesignificance of this study is that it presented the meaning of concrete and vivid experiences ofcountertransference through a phenomenological research method, explored the meaning andcharacteristics of countertransference experienced by intermediate counselors, and presentedcounseling implications based on this.
Bioprinting extracellular vesicles as a ‘cell-free' regenerative medicine approach
Authors: Jiao Kexin , Liu Chun , Basu Saraswat , Raveendran Nimal , Nakano Tamaki , Ivanovski Sašo , Han Pingping
Published: May 2023

Regenerative medicine involves the restoration of tissue or organ function via the regeneration of these structures. As promising regenerative medicine approaches, either extracellular vesicles (EVs) or bioprinting are emerging stars to regenerate various tissues and organs (i.e., bone and cardiac tissues). Emerging as highly attractive cell-free, off-the-shelf nanotherapeutic agents for tissue regeneration, EVs are bilayered lipid membrane particles that are secreted by all living cells and play a critical role as cell-to-cell communicators through an exchange of EV cargos of protein, genetic materials, and other biological components. 3D bioprinting, combining 3D printing and biology, is a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing technology that uses computer-aided processes to enable simultaneous patterning of 3D cells and tissue constructs in bioinks. Although developing an effective system for targeted EVs delivery remains challenging, 3D bioprinting may offer a promising means to improve EVs delivery efficiency with controlled loading and release. The potential application of 3D bioprinted EVs to regenerate tissues has attracted attention over the past few years. As such, it is timely to explore the potential and associated challenges of utilizing 3D bioprinted EVs as a novel ‘cell-free’ alternative regenerative medicine approach. In this review, we describe the biogenesis and composition of EVs, and the challenge of isolating and characterizing small EVs - sEVs (< 200 nm). Common 3D bioprinting techniques are outlined and the issue of bioink printability is explored. After applying the following search strategy in PubMed: ‘bioprinted exosomes’ or ‘3D bioprinted extracellular vesicles’, eight studies utilizing bioprinted EVs were found that have been included in this scoping review. Current studies utilizing bioprinted sEVs for various in vitro and in vivo tissue regeneration applications, including angiogenesis, osteogenesis, immunomodulation, chondrogenesis and myogenesis, are discussed. Finally, we explore the current challenges and provide an outlook on possible refinements for bioprinted sEVs applications.
Taeniophyllum rudolfii (Orchidaceae), a new species record for Thailand with a note on its typification
Authors:   PSU-Herbarium, Division of Biological Science, Faculty of Science Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand, Chantanaorrapint Sahut , Chantanaorrapint Amonrat ,   Faculty of Natural Resources, Prince of Songkla University, Hat yai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand, Suddee Somran ,   Forest Herbarium, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, 61 Phahonyothin Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
Published: May 2023

Taeniophyllum rudolfii, previously known only from New Caledonia, was newly discovered in lower montane forest in southern Thailand. A description, line drawings and photographs are provided. In addition, a lectotype is also designated here.
Differential Impact of Fintech and GDP on Bank Performance: Global Evidence
Authors: Yoon Soon Suk , Lee Hongbok , Oh Ingyu
Published: May 2023

Using the World Bank Global Findex Database for 91 countries in 2014, 2017, and 2021, we examine whether fintech levels influence bank performance and whether fintech’s interaction with GDP per capita causes differential effects on bank performance globally. Since fintech levels were already very high for rich countries when the World Bank started providing fintech development statistics in 2014, we estimate AbFintech by regressing fintech levels on GDP per capita by year. AbFintech is the difference between the fintech level and its fitted values. Then, using multiple regression analyses, we investigate the impact of AbFintech on bank performance worldwide, focusing on the differential effects of AbFintech and GDP levels on bank performance. We find AbFintech significantly increases bank performance, primarily in less developed countries. Specifically, AbFintech increases banks’ ROA in the least developed countries and net interest margin in the 75th percentile countries. Also, AbFintech decreases the cost-to-income ratio in the 75th percentile countries, while it increases the ratio in the most developed countries. AbFintech does not affect the ratio of noninterest income to total income, regardless of the level of economic development.
DIGITALESCAPE Project. Aerial Remote Sensing, HBIM and Archaeology for the Preservation and Dissemination of the Cultural Heritage at Risk in the Sierra Sur and Sierra Morena Regions.
Authors: Villarejo Antonio J. Ortiz , Barrado José M. Delgado
Published: May 2023

The province of Jaén (Andalusia, Spain), despite being declared the European territory with the largest number of defensive constructions (castles, fortifications, etc.), has few conservation plans, with many remains included on the Red List of Spanish Heritage ly-ing abandoned. This poses a challenge for landscape conservation and the optimal use of the province’s tourism potential. In this paper we present the early implementation of an ongoing methodological approach designed to alleviate this situation. It takes advantage of data from the Sentinel 2A and 2B satellites, HBIM, RPAS, GIS and fieldwork that will be applied across five archaeological case studies. It has been tested for the first time in the village of Magaña. Three main objectives and phases of this methodological approach have been designed:
1. Preparation of an Environmental Risk Chart with which to answer such ques-tions as “How have climate change, anthropic alterations and environmental characteris-tics affected the state of conservation of certain heritage sites?”
2. Preparation of HBIM models to foster monitorisation and conservation policies for the main archaeological remains and improving their protection based on digital and technological tools.
3. Building a Smart Tourism App for mobile devices aimed at promoting smart tourism by digitalising and virtualising tourist itineraries and archaeological remains.
Finally, public administrations will be apprised of the need to implement a conservation policy for cultural assets and their surroundings in a simple, quick and cost-effective man-ner.
Flexibility of Heparin Molecular Chains on Hemocompatibility and Adsorption of Activated Carbon
Authors: Lei Jincan , Wang Haiyan , Dang Qi , Wang Xiang , Li Chungong , Huang Jing , Hou Jingzhou , Fang Kejing , Zhao Shixian
Published: May 2023

Activated carbon (AC) is an effective adsorbent for creatinine removal in hemoperfusion. However, the hemocompatibility and adsorption capacity of AC was required to be improved furthermore. Heparin, a widely used anticoagulant biomacromolecule, could improve the hemocompatibility of the absorbents in different ways based on its molecular weight. Thus, it was necessary to study the surface modification with unfractionated heparin (UFH) or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) on improvement of hemocompatibility and adsorption. In this study, UFH and LMWH were respectively grafted on AC through polyethyleneimine as an intermediate layer. The modification of AC about morphology, mechanical strength and pore structure was characterized by XPS, SEM, TA and BET. It was found that compared with AC, the morphology and mechanical strength AC-UFH and AC-LMWH could be well maintained, but the BET surface was decreased due to the grafting of macromolecules. Furthermore, AC-UFH and AC-LMWH showed the better hemocompatibility on protein adsorption, APTT and platelet activation compared with AC, in which AC-LMWH had lower fibrinogen adsorption and longer APTT than AC-UFH. Besides, it was found that AC, AC-UFH and AC-LMWH had no significant effect on blood cell composition. Finally, the adsorption capacity of adsorbents for creatinine was evaluated. Although there was no significant difference between AC-UFH and AC-LMWH, it was found that heparin could be interacted with creatinine to enhance the adsorption capacity when compared with AC-PEI. This study deepened the understanding of anticoagulation of heparinized surface and provided a theoretical basis for adsorbents in hemoperfusion.
“Omics” Techniques Used in Marine Biofouling Studies
Authors: Dobretsov Sergey , Rittschof Daniel
Published: May 2023

Biofouling is the growth of organisms on wetted surfaces. Biofouling includes micro- (bacteria and unicellular algae) and macrofouling (mussels, barnacles, tube worms, bryozoans, etc.) and is a major problem for industries. However, the settlement and growth of some biofouling species, like oysters and corals, can be desirable. Thus, it is important to understand the process of biofouling in detail. Modern “omic” techniques, metabolomics, metagenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics provide unique opportunities to study biofouling organisms and communities and investigate their metabolites and interactions with the environment. In this review, we analyze the recent publications that employ metagenomic, metabolomic, and proteomic techniques for the investigation of biofouling and biofouling organisms. Specific emphasis is given to metagenomics and proteomics as well as those publications that use a combination of different “omics” techniques. Finally, this review presents the future outlook for the use of “omics” techniques in marine biofouling studies. Like all trans-disciplinary research, environmental “omics” is in its infancy and will advance rapidly as researchers develop the necessary expertise, theory, and technology.
Acaricide Resistance Development in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) Microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) Populations against Amitraz and Deltamethrin on Communal Farms of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality, South Africa
Authors: Dzemo William Diymba , Vudriko Patrick , Ramatla Tsepo , Thekisoe Oriel
Published: May 2023

Chemical acaricides are widely used to control ticks and tick borne pathogens on cattle. However, prolonged and indiscriminate use of these chemicals inevitably leads to selection of resistant ticks. In-vitro bioassays (adult and larval immersion tests) were conducted to assess amitraz and del-tamethrin resistance in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus populations from communal farms of the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality of South Africa. Data generated on percentage inhibi-tion of oviposition (% IO) revealed that all the tick populations assessed showed resistance (% IO≤ 95%) to at least one of the acaricides. All six tick populations assessed for efficacy (% IO≥ 95% at the DD) with deltamethrin were resistant (% IO≤ 95%) and only one of six tick populations as-sessed for efficacy with amitraz was susceptible. Based on resistance ratios, the adult immersion test detected amitraz and deltamethrin resistance in three and five of the six tick populations re-spectively. With the larval immersion test, deltamethrin and amitraz resistance (Larval mortality < 90 % at the DD) was detected in all four, and three of four R. (B.) microplus populations assessed respectively. This data is critical for the design of an effective and sustainable tick control strategy on the communal farms.
Rethinking Notions of Energy Efficiency in a Global Context
Authors: Moriarty Patrick , Honnery Damon
Published: May 2023

Energy efficiency is, in principle, a simple idea: an output of human value, for example, vehicle-km traveled, divided by the needed input energy. Efficiency improvements are regarded by many as an important means of mitigating not only climate change, but also other environmental problems. Accordingly, many countries have efficiency ratings for appliances and efficiency standards for road vehicles. Despite the vast number of articles published on energy efficiency, few question whether it is a useful or accurate measure in its present form. This review addresses this lack, by a critical review of the literature, not only in energy efficiency, but in other areas of research, such as ‘energy services’, that can help broaden the scope of this idea, both geographically and conceptually. These shortcomings are illustrated in case studies of road passenger transport and buildings. The main findings are that energy efficiency inevitably has an ethical dimension, that feedbacks are more widespread than generally considered, and that conventional efficiency measures omit important energy input items, particularly those concerned with mining of the materials needed for renewable energy plants. Finally, the key results of this review are summarized, and its limitations are discussed, as is the future research needed to overcome these shortcomings.
Re-think Data Strategy and Integration for Artificial Intelligence: Concepts, Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Aldoseri Abdulaziz , Al-Khalifa Khalifa N , Hamouda Abdelmagid S.
Published: May 2023

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more prevalent across industries as diverse as healthcare, finance, and transportation. Artificial intelligence is based on the analysis of large data sets and requires a continuous supply of high-quality data. However, using data for AI is not without its challenges. This paper comprehensively reviews and critically examine the challenges of using data for AI, including data quality, data volume, privacy and security, bias and fairness, interpretability and explainability, ethical concern, and technical expertise and skills. This paper examines e these challenges in details and offers advices on how companies can address them. By understanding and addressing these challenges, organizations can harness the power of AI to make smarter decisions and gain a competitive advantage in the digital age.
Cosine Similarity Measures of (m, n)-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Sets and Their Applications in Plant Leaf Diseases Classification
Authors: Rajput Arpan Singh , Shukla Shailja , Thakur Samajh Singh
Published: May 2023

This article introduces ten similarity measures that utilize cosine and cotangent functions to compare (m,n)-rung orthopair fuzzy sets, this a super class of q-rung orthopair fuzzy sets. Further, we applied our established weighted similarity measures to medical diagnosis, pattern recognition,and building material problems and also presented the comparison between established measures with the existing cosine and cotangent measures of q-rung orthopair, pythagorean and intuitionistic fuzzy sets. Lastly, we considered a numerical example that demonstrates the effective and scientific application of these similarity measures in plant leaf disease classification. Furthermore, we present graphical interpretations to demonstrate the effectiveness of our established measures.
Integration of the Wang & Mendel Algorithm into the Application of Fuzzy Expert Systems to Intelligent Clinical Decision Support Systems
Authors: Casal-Guisande Manuel , Cerqueiro-Pequeño Jorge , Bouza-Rodríguez José-Benito , Comesaña-Campos Alberto
Published: May 2023

Intelligent systems are increasingly present in various areas of society, gaining special relevance in healthcare environments. In this work, grounded on previous developments proposed by the authors, the evolution and improvement of a novel intelligent system focused on the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is addressed. To do this, starting from two packages of information of a heterogeneous nature, and deploying a set of Machine Learning classification algorithms, focused each of them on different levels of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), as well as a set of cascaded expert systems, it is possible to obtain a series of risk metric pairs (Statistical Risk, Symbolic Risk) for each AHI level, understood as a warning forecast associated with the early detection of the pathology. The risk indicators of each pair are subsequently aggregated by means of a symbolic inference system, whose knowledge base was determined using the automatic rule generation approach proposed by Wang and Mendel. At the output of each inference system, a risk indicator is obtained for each AHI level, the Apnea Risk, whose interpretation makes it possible to discriminate between patients who could suffer OSA and those who do not, as well as to generate the appropriate recommendations. For the initial tests of the system, the design and development of a specific software artifact was carried out using data from 4,400 patients from the Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital in Vigo, obtaining when applied to the test set AUC values within the range 0.74–0.88, which invites optimism and points to the benefits expected from the architecture of the proposed intelligent system.
Prospective Comparative Analysis of Zero-Heat-Flux Thermometer (SpotOn®) Compared with Tympanic Thermometer and Bladder Thermometer in Extremely Aged Patients Undergoing Lower Extremity Orthopedic Surgery
Authors: Park Chunghyun , Kim Taeyeun , Oh Soojeong , Bang Yun-Sic
Published: May 2023

Thermoregulation is important for maintaining homeostasis of our body. It can be easily broken under anesthesia. An appropriate method to measure the core body temperature is needed, especially for elderly patients because the efficiency of thermoregulation gradually decreases with age. The aim of this study was to examine the accuracy and feasibility of using of SpotOn® sensor in lower extremity orthopedic surgery in elderly patients aged over 80 years by comparing a SpotOn® sensor with two other reliable minimal-invasive methods: a tympanic membrane thermometer and a bladder thermometer. This study enrolled 45 patients aged over 80 years who were scheduled to undergo a lower extremity surgery. Body temperature was measured using a SpotOn® sensor, tympanic membrane thermometer and bladder thermometer. Agreements between the SpotOn® sensor and the other two methods were assessed using Bland and Altman plots for repeated measures adjusted for unequal numbers of measurements per patient. Compared with TempBladder, bias and limits of agreement for TempZHF were 0.07℃ ± 0.58℃. Compared with TempTympanic, bias and limits of agreement for TempZHF were -0.28℃ ± 0.61℃. 3M SpotOn® sensor using ZHF method for patients aged over 80 years undergoing lower extremity surgery shows feasible measurement value and sensitivity.
Comparative Transcriptomics of Multi-Stress Responses in Pachycladon cheesemanii and Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Dong Yanni , Gupta Saurabh , Wargent Jason J. , Putterill Joanna , Macknight Richard C. , Gechev Tsanko S. , Mueller-Roeber Bernd , P. Dijkwel Paul
Published: May 2023

The environment is seldom optimal for plant growth and changes in abiotic and biotic signals, including temperature, water availability, radiation and pests, induce plant responses to optimise survival. The New Zealand native plant species and close relative to Arabidopsis thaliana, Pachycladon cheesemanii grows under environmental conditions that are unsustainable for many plant species. Here we compare the responses of both plant species to different stressors (low temperature, salt and UV-B radiation) to help understand how P. cheesemanii can grow in such harsh environments. The stress transcriptomes were then determined and comparative transcriptome and network analyses discovered similar and unique responses within species between different stresses, and between the two plant species. A number of widely studied plant stress processes were highly conserved in A. thaliana and P. cheesemanii. However, in response to cold stress, Gene Ontology terms related to glycosinolate metabolism were only enriched in P. cheesemanii. Salt stress was associated with alteration of the cuticle and proline biosynthesis in A. thaliana and P. cheesemanii, respectively. Anthocyanin production may be a strategy to cope with UV-B radiation stress in P. cheesemanii only. These results allowed us to construct broad stress response pathways in A. thaliana and P. cheesemanii and identify possible novel plant strategies that help mitigate environmental stress.
Research on Construction and Application of Ocean Circulation Spatial-Temporal Ontology
Authors: Zhang Hao , Zhang Anmin , Zhang Liuyang , Liu Shuai
Published: May 2023

Ocean circulation serve as the primary channels for transporting material and energy flows throughout the entire ocean system, which plays a crucial role in shaping Earth’s climate, weather patterns, and marine ecosystems. The ocean movements have far-reaching impacts on both the environment and human life. An effective method for semantically modeling the ocean circulation is urgently required to be established. To achieve a unified description of ocean circulation at the semantic level, this paper introduces the theory and methodology of ocean ontology, which is developed through an analysis of domain knowledge in ocean circulation. We focus on analyzing the concepts, temporal relationships, and spatial relationships of ocean circulation. By defining classes, properties, relationships, instances, and constraint conditions within the logical structure of an ontology, it is feasible to formalize the expression of conceptual elements and their relationships. Additionally, semantic inference rules are established to finalize the construction of the ocean circulation ontology. The effectiveness of ontology construction has been verified through practical examples. Furthermore, a specialized knowledge base framework has been developed upon the ontology description of ocean circulation. Some examples of knowledge base queries have been articulated and verified. The results demonstrate that this ontology can effectively represent the relevant knowledge in the domain of ocean circulation and provide a meaningful strategy for investigating semantic integration and knowledge sharing in this field.
Impacts of the Plastics From Waste Personal Protective Equip-Ment in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Cubas Anelise Leal Vieira , Moecke Elisa Helena Siegel , Provin Ana Paula , Dutra Ana Regina De Aguiar , Machado Marina Medeiros , Gouveia Isabel
Published: May 2023

The years 2019 to 2022 are being marked by the pandemic resulting from a viral infection, COVID-19. The demand and use of PPE has never been so high and it is often discarded without considering the correct disposal route and the environmental impact that this type and volume of waste can generate. The aim of this study was to analyze the increased demand for PPE used during the pandemic and, consequently, the generation of these wastes. In addition to this analysis, it is extremely important to raise the discussion about the treatment of these residues and the possibilities of more ecological personal protection equipment, such as biodegradable or reusable ones. The extensive use of PPE, which is mostly plastics and is not easily degraded, mainly leads to its accumulation in landfills but, if disposed of incorrectly, it could reach marine environments, contributing to the formation of microplastics in the oceans. Therefore, this article also aims to relate these themes to the Sustainable Development Goals, as efficient management aligned with sustainable development goals is essential to mitigate these anticipated problems and ensure a more sustainable future.
The Convergence of Discrete Models for Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation in Dark Solitons Motion
Authors: Li Yazhuo , Luo Qian , Feng Quandong
Published: May 2023

We firstly present two popular space discretization models of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation in dark solitons motion : the Direct-Discrete model and the Ablowitz-Ladik model. Applying the midpoint scheme to the space discretization models, we get two time-space discretization models: the Crank-Nicolson method and the New-Difference method. Secondly, we demonstrate that the solutions of the two space discretization models converge to the solution of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation. Also, we prove that the convergence order of the two time-space discretization models are O(h2+τ2) in discrete L2-norm error estimates. Finally, the numerical experiments agree well with the proven theoretical results.
Cryptococcal Infection Is the Leading Cause of Death among HIV-Infected Sepsis Patients in Central Ethiopia
Authors: Tufa Tafese Beyene , Orth Hans Martin , Wienemann Tobias , Jensen Björn-Erik Ole , Mackenzie Colin R , Boulware David R , Luedde Tom , Torsten Fedlt
Published: May 2023

Cryptococcosis is a leading cause of death among people with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. Limited diagnostic and therapeutic options significantly impair treatment options in Africa. We investigated the burden of cryptococcosis and related mortality among people with HIV and suspected sepsis in Ethiopia. We conducted a prospective cohort at 1) Adama Hospital Medical College and 2) Asella Referral and Teaching Hospital from September 2019 to November 2020. We enrolled adult HIV-infected patients presenting with suspected sepsis and assessed 28-day survival. We performed blood cultures and cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) testing. In total, 82 participants were enrolled with a median age of 35 years and 61% being female. Overall, 11(13%) had positive CrAg tests, of which 5 had Cryptococcus detected in blood cultures. Despite high-dose fluconazole (1200mg/d) monotherapy in patients with positive CrAg tests, the 28-day mortality was 64%(7/11), being significantly higher than in CrAg-negative patients (9%(6/71); p<0.001). Cryptococcosis is the leading cause of mortality among HIV-infected sepsis patients. CrAg screening in HIV-infected patients attending emergency department can minimize the cryptococcosis missing case irrespective of CD4 count and viral load. These findings warrant the need of a bundle approach for diagnosis of HIV-infected persons presenting with sepsis in low- and middle-income countries.
Intriguing Self-optimization: Gradient Sign and Fractional Order Gradient
Authors: Tan Sunfu , Pu Yifei
Published: May 2023

The gradient descent algorithm has become the standard algorithm for computing the extreme values of functions, but for multivariate functions this algorithm is mostly ineffective. This is because the convergence rate of each element is inconsistent in most cases. However, in this paper, we found that the gradient sign is a self-optimizing operator, ensuring that the convergence rate is consistent across all elements. This also explains, from an optimization perspective, the success of the Fast Gradient Sign Method (FGSM) in generating adversarial samples that are indistinguishable from the normal input, but can easily fool neural networks. We also found that the fractional order gradient is also self-optimizing, and that the convergence speed of this algorithm can be controlled by adjusting the order of the gradient. Experiments suggest that this algorithm not only generates adversarial samples faster than other algorithms, but that a single source image can generate many such samples. This algorithm is also more effective than others at generating adversarial samples from simple images.
Investigating Anaerobic Digestion of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes) Sourced from Hartbeesport Dam in South Africa
Authors: Rashama Charles , Malambo Trevor S , Christian Riann , Matambo Tonderayi S
Published: May 2023

The biodegradability of water hyacinth for biogas and biofertiliser production was studied under mesophilic conditions. The effects of water hyacinth pre-treatments were also included in this investigation. It was found that water hyacinth has a low biodegradability of 27% when monodigested while at a 3:1 ratio with cow manure, the biodegradability increases to 46%. At this elevated biodegradability, the water hyacinth biomethane potential was 185 LCH4/kgVS, while that of cow manure was 216 LCH4/kgVS. The Gompertz kinetic model had superior parameters than the Logistic model for most of the water hyacinth-cow manure combined substrate digestion. Based on the Gompertz model, the lag phase and daily maximum methane production rate were 5.5 days and 22.9 ml /day respectively for the 3:1 codigestion (R2 of 0.99). These values were 6.7 days and 15.2 ml/day respectively, in the case of water hyacinth monodigestion (R2 = 0.996). The dominant microbial species detected in the digestates were Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. A few microbial species were indigenous to water hyacinth but a more diverse consortia which is key to efficient substrate biodegradation, came from cow manure. The digestate contained ammonium nitrogen at 68 mg/kg with phosphorous and potassium at 73 and 424 mg/kg respectively. Nitrogen was lower but phosphorous and pottasium were comparable to previously studied digestates of other substrates. Only water hyacinth pretreated through aerobic composting proved to unlock a higher methane yield that matched a 3:1 codigestion with cow manure. Other pretreatments induced better biodegradation performance than that observed on untreated water hyacinth but this improvements were not as good as that of the 3:1 codigestion scheme. It was concluded that water hyacinth sourced from the Hartbeespoort dam, could be treated through anaerobic digestion to recover biogas and biofertilizer. However, more experiments are required to fully understand and harness the optimisation opportunities available in applying this technology to manage water hyacinth.
Heteroaromatization of Coumarin Part I: Design, Synthesis, Re-Actions, Antitumor Activities of Novel of Chromen-3-Yl-Pyridine and Chromen-3-Yl-Naphthyridine Derivatives
Authors: Abdelwahab Ashraf hassan fekry
Published: May 2023

Synthesis of a novel series of chromen-3-yl-pyridine moieties. IR, NMR, and MS spectroscopy were used to confirm the structure of these novel compounds and study of antitumor activity of these compounds. The structure activity relationship investigation demonstrated that 2,4-diamino-5-(3-methoxyphenyl)-7-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)-1,8-naphthyridine-3-carbonitrile (16), was more effective and naphthyridine-3-carbonitrile derivatives 17, 18 and pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative 12, while compounds 5a,b, 9c, 11, 13 and 14 were moderate activity for antitumor activities.
Applying Logarithmic Transformation, Sine Wave and Amplitude: An Emerging Global Pattern of Economic Growth and Human Development
Authors: Saniel Demetria May
Published: May 2023

The complex adaptive systems (CAS) research study investigates into the theoretical link of a sustained economic growth as a critical pathway to lift people out of poverty and improve their quality of life. The results show a left-skewed global behavior of an economy-driven human development of 189 countries with 20% or 27 countries obtaining low human development; 80% or 162 countries obtaining medium to very high human development of which 21.16% or 39 countries with medium HDI, 53 or 28.04% or 53 countries with high HDI, and 31.22% or 59 countries with very high HDI. Using the Log (GDP) for visual transformation, closer investigation into the scatterplot diagram reveals that there are also bimodal patterns where countries in the high amplitude and low amplitude groups obtained different human development outcomes despite less or more on economic growth variances mirror on the government policy priorities resulting in four differentiating conditions. Very few countries experience virtuous cycles where both growth and human development are successful; few countries with vicious cycles where both are weak; and many countries with lopsided conditions where the economy is strong but human development is weak, or conversely ones where human development is strong but the economy is weak. The global pattern of economy and human development illustrated by an upward sinusoid or sine wave refutes the conventional linear approach. Uniquely and most importantly, the sinusoidal wave illustrates a decreasing amplitude and decreasing periods as countries manifest apparently complex behaviors that emerge as a result of often nonlinear spatio-temporal interactions among a large number of component systems at different levels of organizations and governments leading to an emergence of a behavior characterizing of a complex adaptive system.
Childhood Asthma Management Practices in Rural Nigeria: Exploring the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Caregivers in Oyo State
Authors: Akinso Oyindamola , Adhikari Atin , Yin Jingjing , Chopak-Foss Joanne , Shah Gulzar
Published: May 2023

Background: Caregivers of asthmatic children have poor knowledge of proper asthma man-agement practices in Nigeria. The objective of this study was to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practice behaviors of caregivers in the management of asthma in children under age 5 in Oyo State, Nigeria, using the Health Belief Model. Methods: While a mixed method was used in the original research, this brief describes the quantitative method used in this study to evaluate caregiver’s asthma management practices A 55-item questionnaire investigating childhood asthma knowledge, attitude, and practice was administered during child welfare clinic visits to 118 caregivers. To gain insights into caregivers’ beliefs about asthma management practice behavior, focus group discussions were conducted among two groups of 10 caregivers. Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Version 25.0. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 and 95% CI. Result: More than 70% of caregivers knew that asthma is associated with airway inflammation and about 90% knew that Flu infections triggered asthma attacks in their children. Overall, 70% of caregivers from the focus group discussions found preventive measures including avoidance of common triggers like dust and smoke, wearing warm clothes in cold weather, environmental sanitation, regular visits to the clinic, and medication adherence helpful. Similarly, caregivers reported the use of quick-to-relieve OTC drugs rather than seeking medical attention. Caregivers with higher income (OR = 3.0; 95% CI = 1.558-5.778; P = 0.001) were 3.0 times more likely to practice proper asthma behavior than those with a lesser income. Conclusion: Despite having moderate knowledge of asthma, caregivers of asthmatic children had wrong perceptions and inadequate knowledge about preventive and treatment options. An optimal public health approach is needed to identify and target underserved communities that suffer poorer asthma outcomes and improve caregivers’ knowledge and skills in asthma management practices. The need to pay more attention to the proper management of childhood asthma among caregivers in underserved populations cannot be overemphasized.
Ransomware Detection using Machine Learning: Survey
Authors: Raizza Amjad , Algarni Abdulmohsen
Published: May 2023

significant security threats to Ransomware attacks provide serious security hazards to personal and corporate data and information. The owners of computer-based resources suffer serious verification and privacy violations, monetary losses, and reputational damage due to a successful ransomware assault. As a result, it is reported critically, accurately, and swiftly identifying ransomware. Numerous methods have been proposed for ransomware, each with pros and cons. The main objective of this study is to discuss current trends and potential future debates on automated ransomware detection. The document includes an overview of ransomware, a timeline of assaults, and details on their background. It also provides a comprehensive study of existing methods for identifying, avoiding, minimizing, and recovering from ransomware. An analysis of studies between 2017 and 2022 is another advantage of the study. This provides readers with up-to-date knowledge of the most recent developments in ransomware detection. It also highlights advancements in methods for combating ransomware attacks. In conclusion, this study highlights unanswered concerns and potential research challenges in ransomware detection.
Hierarchical Network-Based Tracklets Data Association for Multiple Extended Targets Tracking With Intermittent Measurements
Authors: Jiang Kaiyi , Li Yiguo , Ma TianLi , Li Lin
Published: May 2023

The main problem in pursuing multiple extended targets tracking is distinguishing the origins of the measurements. The association of measurements to the possible origins within the target’s extent is difficult, especially for the occlusions or the detection blind zone which cause the intermittent measurements. To solve the problem, a hierarchical network-based tracklets data association algorithm is proposed. At the low level, the min cost network flow model is used to extract possible tracklets from the divided measurement set. At the high-level, the trajectories are estimated from the tracks produced by the previous low level network. The experimental results show that the hierarchical network-based tracklets data association algorithm outperforms the JPDA and RFS-based method when the measurement is intermittently unavailable.
Population Aging and Household Tourism Consumption——An Empirical Study Based on China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) Data
Authors: Cai Xing , Zhang Yinhe
Published: May 2023

The ever deepening population aging has brought opportunities and challenges to the continued expansion of tourism consumption in China. In this article, the impact of population aging on household tourism consumption was studied from both theoretical and empirical aspects. First, the micro mechanisms of the impact of population aging on household tourism consumption were analyzed, which include economic condition mechanism, intergenerational care mechanism, health status mechanism and Internet use mechanism. Subsequently, the impact of population aging on household tourism consumption and its impact mechanisms were tested, and the heterogeneity analysis was conducted, by using the data of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2014, 2016 and 2018. The main conclusions of the article are as follows: (1) Population aging has a significant negative impact on household tourism consumption, and a series of robustness test results such as endogenous treatment support this finding. (2) The results of the impact mechanism test show that population aging has a negative mediating effect on household tourism consumption by reducing household economic conditions. The moderating effect of intergenerational care on the effect of population aging on household tourism consumption is insignificant. Health status of the elderly and Internet use have a significant positive moderating effect on the impact of population aging on household tourism consumption. (3) The results of the heterogeneity analysis show that the negative impact of population aging on household tourism consumption in urban areas is greater than that in rural areas, and the negative impact of population aging on household tourism consumption of families with the old-old elderly is greater than that of falimies with the young-old elderly. The conclusions of this article provide important references for activating tourism consumption in China in the context of population aging.
Hydrogen Sulfide Ameliorates SARS-CoV-2–Associated Lung Endothelial Barrier Disruption
Authors: Escaffre Olivier , Szaniszlo Peter , Törő Gabor , Villas Caitlyn L. , Servantes Brenna J. , Lopez Ernesto , Juelich Terry L. , Levine Corri B. , McLellan Susan L. F. , Cardenas Jessica C. , Freiberg Alexander N. , Módis Katalin
Published: May 2023

Recent studies have confirmed that lung microvascular endothelial injury plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of COVID-19. Our group and others have demonstrated the beneficial effects of H2S in several pathological processes and provided a rationale for considering the therapeutic implications of H2S in COVID-19 therapy. Here, we evaluated the effect of the slow-releasing H2S donor, GYY4137, on the barrier function of a lung endothelial cell monolayer in vitro, after challenging the cells with plasma samples from COVID-19 patients or inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus. We also assessed how the cytokine/chemokine profile of patients’ plasma, endothelial barrier permeability, and disease severity correlated with each other. Alterations of barrier permeability after treatments with patient plasma, inactivated virus, and GYY4137 were monitored and assessed by electrical impedance measurements in real-time. We present evidence that GYY4137 treatment reduced endothelial barrier permeability after plasma challenge and completely reversed the endothelial barrier disruption caused by inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus. We also showed that disease severity correlated with the cytokine/chemokine profile of the plasma but not with barrier permeability changes in our assay. Overall, these data demonstrate that treatment with H2S-releasing compounds has the potential to ameliorate SARS-CoV-2–associated lung endothelial barrier disruption.