bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increasing challenges of general practitioner-oncologist interaction in end-of-life communication: a qualitative study
Authors: Villalobos Matthias , Korezelidou Anastasia , Unsöld Laura , Deis Nicole , Thomas Michael , Siegle Anja
Published: August 2023

Background
The timely initiation of end-of-life (EOL) conversations followed by advance care planning (ACP) is considerered best practice for patients with advanced cancer and therefore recommended in oncological guidelines. General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in the coordination of EOL-care and often claim that they have also the reponsibility to initiate the necessary conversations. Nonetheless, the content of these conversations are rarely a subject of communication between GPs and oncology specialists but crucial for timely integration of palliative care. The aim of this study is to explore the GPs‘ perspectives on initiation and conduction of EOL-conversations in patients with metastatic lung cancer and how they perceive the interaction with the oncologists of a cancer center.
Methods
Qualitative design with in-depth interviews with GPs that refer patients with metastatic lung cancer to a cancer center; thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke.
Results
We identified three main themes: timing and conduction of EOL-conversations, factors influencing EOL-conversations, and modes of GP-oncologist interaction. All themes showed important and increasing challenges in regard to communication strategies or procedures within the cancer center and between general practitioners and oncologists. Aside from the elucidated challenges of EOL-communication, new problems arise from the difficulties in keeping pace with advances in oncology and the increasing prognostic uncertainty. Additionally, the lack of standardized communication in EOL-topics between GPs and oncologists is underlined. Options in the mode of interaction include written information in reports or digital platforms and direct phone calls.
Conclusions
Because of the growing complexity in modern oncology, strategies for improvement in GP-oncologist interaction have to consider information about therapeutic advances and prognosis of patients. The increasing prognostic uncertainty hazards the adequate provision and conduction of EOL-conversations and thus, the timely integration of palliative care. As a consequence, a trustful personal interaction that includes direct contact via phone calls between GPs and oncologists should be encouraged.
Vaccination with Acinetobacter baumannii adhesin Abp2D provides protection against catheter-associated urinary tract infection
Authors: Hultgren Scott , Timm Morgan , Tamadonfar Kevin , Nye Taylor , Pinkner Jerome , Dodson Karen , Ellebedy Ali
Published: August 2023

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) contribute greatly to the burden of healthcare associated infections. Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative bacterium with high levels of antibiotic resistance that is of increasing concern as a CAUTI pathogen. A. baumannii expresses fibrinogen-binding adhesins (Abp1D and Abp2D) that mediate colonization and biofilm formation on catheters, which become coated with fibrinogen upon insertion. We developed a protein subunit vaccine against Abp1DRBD and Abp2DRBD and showed that vaccination significantly reduced bladder bacterial titers in a mouse model of CAUTI. We then determined that immunity to Abp2DRBD alone was sufficient for protection. Mechanistically, we defined the B cell response to Abp2DRBD vaccination and demonstrated that immunity was transferrable to naïve mice through passive immunization with Abp2DRBD-immune sera. This work represents a novel strategy in the prevention of A. baumannii CAUTI and has an important role to play in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance.
Comparison of the sensitivities of pharmacotherapy-related and disease-specific quality of life measures in response to pharmacist-led pharmaceutical care for cancer outpatients: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Sakthong Phantipa , Soipitak Porntip , Winit-Watjana Win
Published: August 2023

Background
No data was available regarding the sensitivities of pharmacotherapy-related and disease-specific quality of life measures to pharmacist-led pharmaceutical care (PC).
Objective
To compare the sensitivities of two health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures, i.e. the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measure of Pharmaceutical Therapy for Quality of Life (PROMPT-QoL) vs. the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G), in response to pharmacist-led PC for cancer outpatients.
Methods
A randomised controlled trial was conducted on the cancer outpatients of a tertiary Thai hospital. Eligible patients were randomly allocated to a PC group receiving PC interventions or a usual care (UC) group acquiring pharmacist’s ordinary care. The HRQoL of both groups was assessed using the PROMPT-QoL and the FACT-G before and after a session. The data were gathered and the sensitivities of the two measures using standardised mean differences (SMDs) were analysed.
Results
A total of 237 patients in two arms (120 PC vs. 117 UC patients) completed the trial. With PC interventions, all eight PROMPT-QoL domains and 3 out of 4 FACT-G domains were significantly improved. The PROMPT-QoL yielded SMDs ranging from 0.24 to 1.68 that were considered a moderate-to-high sensitivity, whereas the FACT-G provided a moderate sensitivity with SMDs of 0.31–0.64. The average SMDs of four FACT-G domains was 0.50 and SMD of its total score was 0.80. Eight PROMPT-QoL domains had the average SMD of 0.60 and the total score SMD was 1.40.
Conclusions
The PROMPT-QoL is more sensitive to detect HRQoL when delivering pharmacist-led pharmaceutical care to cancer outpatients.
Trial registration TCTR20210809008 on August 9, 2021.
Post-adjuvant chemotherapy, but not preoperative, C-reactive protein/albumin ratio is prognostic factor in stage II-III colorectal cancer patients
Authors: Kong Feifei , Geng Xuan , Liu Ruming , Zhang Wentao , Quan Bin , zhong Yong , Zhu Youlong
Published: August 2023

Background
An elevated preoperative C-reactive protein/albumin (CRP/Alb) ratio (CAR) has been reported to be associated with a poor prognosis for various cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, whether the post-adjuvant chemotherapy CAR is a valuable prognostic factor in patients with CRC is not clear.
Methods
A retrospective study was performed in 445 patients with CRC receiving chemotherapy after curative resection. Preoperative and post-adjuvant chemotherapy C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systematic immune-inflammation index (SII), Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), modified Glasgow prognositc score(mGPS) and high-sensitivity modified Glasgow prognostic score (HS-mGPS), were calculated to assess the inflammatory state of subjects. Firstly, the patients were subdivided into two groups by the CAR, NLR, PLR, SII, GPS, mGPS, and HS-mGPS level. Furthermore, subjects were stratified into four groups for each marker according to the longitudinal changes in indicators from preoperative to post-chemotherapy: low group, normalised group, high group and elevated group. The receiver operating characteristic curve analyses and the corresponding areas under the curve (AUCs) was used to compare the prognostic value of different markers. Multivariable analyses for overall survival (OS) were performed to adjust for well-established clinicopathologic factors. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models were used to assess independent prognostic factors.
Results
The post-adjuvant chemotherapy CAR, NLR, PLR and SII had a high aera under the curve value compared with preoperative scores. What’s more, the post-adjuvant chemotherapy CAR had a high aera under the curve value compared with several other systemic inflammation-based prognostic scores. Patients with high post-adjuvant chemotherapy GPS and mGPS had significantly worse OS than patients with low groups.
Conclusion
The post-adjuvant chemotherapy CRP/Alb ratio is a superior predictor of OS in patients undergoing curative resection for colorectal cancer and may help to identify the high-risk patients for treatment decisions.
Natural bamboo powder and coffee ground as low-cost green adsorbents for the removal of rhodamine B and their recycling performance
Authors: Vo Thi Sinh , Hossain Muhammad Mohsin , Kim Kyunghoon
Published: August 2023

Bamboo and coffee, which are abundant and inexpensive, have been used as green adsorbents for the adsorption of industrial dye rhodamine B (RB). Bamboo and coffee are natural sources of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, making them promising green materials for industrial dye removal. The effects of various adsorption conditions, such as contact time, temperature, dose of bamboo powder (BP), coffee ground (CG), initial concentration of RB, and pH values of RB solution, were measured. Consequently, the kinetics of RB adsorption onto bamboo and coffee was in accordance with the pseudo-second-order model, with an activation energy of 29.51 kJ·mol− 1 for bamboo and 27.46 kJ·mol− 1 for coffee. The Langmuir model is well fitted to the whole adsorption period at different temperatures, indicating maximum adsorption capacities of 6.76, 6.96, and 7.64 mg⋅g− 1 (BP) as well as 6.53, 6.80, and 7.51 mg⋅g− 1 (CG) at 30°C, 40°C, and 50°C, respectively. Moreover, the spontaneous nature of the adsorption was based on the negative Gibbs free energy values obtained (i.e., from − 11.09 to − 14.30 kJ⋅mol− 1 [BP] and from − 10.34 to − 13.07 kJ⋅mol− 1 [CG]), revealing that RB adsorption occurred at physical and chemical adsorption states. In addition, the recycling capability of adsorbents was determined in five cycles. Therefore, these materials are promising candidates for low-cost adsorbents.
The loss of progesterone receptor predicts more aggressive biological features and worse outcomes in estrogen receptor-positive and HER2-negative inflammatory breast cancer
Authors: Luo Yunbo , Li Qingyun , Fang Jiang , Pan Chaoying , Zhang Lingxing , Xu Xia , Qiang Shuangqiang , Zhao Xiaobo , Hou Lingmi
Published: August 2023

Objective The loss of progesterone receptor (PR) often predicts worse biological behavior and prognosis in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. However, the impact of PR status on inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) has not been studied for its’ relative low incidence. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to investigate the influence of PR on IBC. Methods Patients with ER + and HER2-negative IBC were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. Pearson’s χ2 test was used to compare the clinicopathological characteristics between patients with estrogen receptor-positive/progesterone receptor-positive (ER+/PR+) and patients with estrogen receptor-positive/progesterone receptor-negative (ER+/PR-). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate the effects of PR status on the breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS) in IBC. Results Overall, 1553 patients including 1157 (74.5%) patients with ER+/PR + and 396 (25.5%) patients with ER+/PR- were analyzed in our study. The patients with ER+/PR- were more likely to be high histological grade (p < 0.001) and liver metastasis (p = 0.045) compared with patients with ER+/PR+. Despite higher chance of receiving chemotherapy (83.6% vs 77.3%, P = 0.008), patients with ER+/PR- showed worse BCSS (5-year BCSS rate, 34.3% vs 51.3%, P < 0.001) and OS (5-year OS rate, 31.3% vs 46.1%, P < 0.001) compared with ER+/PR + phenotype. Multivariate survival analysis showed that patients with ER+/PR- still had worse BCSS (HR:1.764, 95%CI: 1.476–2.109, P < 0.001) and OS (HR:1.67, 95%CI: 1.411–1.975, P < 0.001) than ER+/PR + phenotype. Furthermore, patients with ER+/PR- showed worse outcomes than ER+/PR + phenotype in most subgroups, especially in patients with younger age (≤ 60 years), lower histological grade, lymph node involved and distant metastasis. Conclusions Patients with ER+/PR- had more aggressive biological behaviors and worse outcomes than patients with ER+/PR + in IBC. Stronger treatments maybe needed for IBC patients with ER+/PR-.
Enzyme kinetics of deoxyuridine triphosphatase from western corn rootworm
Authors: Riera-Ruiz Carlos , Moriyama Hideaki
Published: August 2023

Objective
The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, is a highly adapatable insect pest that has evolved resistance to a variety of control strategies including insecticides. It is therefore of interest to examine how housekeeping proteins in WCR have been changed under WCR-controlling strategies. In this study, we focused on one of such proteins in WCR, a ubiquitous enzyme 5'-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase). In the thymidine synthetic pathway, dUTPase hydrolyzes deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) and supplies the substrate, deoxyuridine monophosphate, for the thymidylate synthase (TS). It decreases the cellular content of uracil reducing the uracil misincorporation into DNA. Suppressing the dUTPase activity, therefore, contributes to thymineless death. We investigated enzymatic properties of the dUTPase.
Results
The WCR dUTPase gene (DUT) was synthesized with adding His-tag corespoinding DNA sequence, cloned, and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the protein product was purified. The product of WCR DUT hydrolyzed dUTP and was designated as dUTPase. WCR dUTPase did not hydrolized dATP, dTTP, dCTP, or dGTP. WCR dUTPase was analyzed by size analyzings chromatography and showed a molecular weight corresponding to trimer. The present format can be interpreted as nuclerar trimer type. Possible isomers will be examined once transcriptome analyses are done.
Early identification of lung cancer patients with venous thromboembolism: development and validation of a risk prediction model
Authors: Di Wenjuan , Xu Haotian , Ling Chunhua , Xue Ting
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Venous thromboembolism(VTE) is a leading cause of death in patients with lung cancer. Furthermore, hospitalization of patients with advanced lung cancer for VTE treatment represents a major economic burden on the national public health resources. Therefore, we performed this prospective study to identify clinical biomarkers for the early identification of VTE in lung cancer patients.Methods: This prospective study enrolled 158 patients with confirmed lung cancer, including 27 who were diagnosed with VTE within six months of the follow-up after lung cancer diagnosis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic performancese of all the relevant clinical features and laboratory indicators in identifying lung cancer patients with a higher risk of VTE. A novel risk prediction model was constructed consisting of five clinical variables with the best diagnostic performances and was validated using the receiver operation characteristic(ROC) curves. The diagnostic performances of the new risk prediction model was also compared with the Khorana risk score (KRS) and the Padua risk score (PRS).Results: The VTE group of lung cancer patients (n = 27) showed significantly higher serum levels of fibrin degradation products (FDP), D-dimer, thrombomodulin (TM), thrombin-antithrombin-complex (TAT), α2-plasmin inhibitor-plasmin Complex (PIC), and tissue plasminogen activator-plasminogen activator inhibitor complex (t-PAIC) compared to those in the non-VTE group (n = 131). ROC curve analyses showed that the diagnostic efficacy of the new VTE risk prediction model with TM ≥ 9.75 TU/ml, TAT ≥ 2.25ng/ml, t-PAIC ≥ 7.35ng/ml, history of VTE, and ECOG PS score ≥ 2 was superior than the KRS and the PRS in the early identification of lung cancer patients with a higher risk of VTE.Conclusions: The new risk prediction model showed significantly high diagnostic efficacy in the early identification of lung cancer patients with a high risk of VTE. The diagnostic efficacy of the new risk prediction model was higher than the KRS and the PRS in this cohort of lung cancer patients.
Simulation of ground motions in the Korean peninsula using a model with a GIT-based spectral decomposition algorithm
Authors: Jee Hyun Woo , Han Sang Whan
Published: August 2023

In low to moderate seismic regions such as the Korean peninsula, it is difficult to perform seismic hazard analyses to construct hazard maps and curves because only a limited number of strong ground motion records is available. In this study, to solve such obstacles, ground motions were simulated using a model with a GIT-based spectral decomposition algorithm. The algorithm was adopted to determine the constituent parameters (source effect, path effect, site effect) of the Fourier amplitude spectrum (FAS) while considering Korea’s seismological characteristics. The accuracy of the GIT-based spectral decomposition algorithm for FAS and the ground motion simulation (GMS) model with the calculated FAS values was verified.
Pregnancy complicated with adrenal adenoma causing severe obstetric outcomes: A 20-year experience at a tertiary center
Authors: Zhu Caixia , Cai Shiqin , Zhong Xue , Huang Linhuan
Published: August 2023

Background Adrenal adenoma during pregnancy is rare and the diagnosis is challenging owing to unspecific symdromes and restricted investigation. It’s poorly described obstetric outcomes of patients underwent surgery during pregnancy or only received medicine treatment.
Objective To investigate the association between adrenal adenoma and obstetric outcomes.
Methods A retrospective study was performed. The clinical characteristics, management and obstetric outcome of pregnancies diagnosed as adrenal adenoma over 20 years were reviewed from a teriary hospital.
Results A total of 12 women were diagnosed as adrenal adenoma during pregnancy from to January 2000 to September 2022. Eight women had cortisol-secreting adrenal adenoma, two had over-secrete catecholamine and two primary aldosteronism. The original symptoms adrenal adenoma during pregnancy included hypertension or preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus or pre-pregnancy diabetes mellitus, hypokalemia and ecchymosis. There were four women took adrenalectomy during pregnancy, while 8 women only received medicine therapy. Preterm birth occurred in all cases who received medicine, whereas 1 case suffered from preterm birth in the group underwent surgery. Among the 8 women of medicine group, there were 3 neonatal death.
Conclusions Once simultaneous onset of hypertension, hyperglycemia and hypokalemia during the 1st or 2nd trimester, adrenal adenoma should be investigate by laboratory examination and imaging examination. The maternal and fetal outcome were unpredictive owing to the severity of adrenal adenoma, particular in patients only received medicine treatment. Adrenalectomy should be recommended during the pregnancy.
The Impacts of Crop Diversity Adoption on Rubber Farmers’ Welfare: Evidence from Thailand
Authors: LEEPROMRATH SIRIMAPORN , ZHOU JIAJUN , Zhou De
Published: August 2023

Given the environmental and socioeconomic challenges of monoculture rubber plantation, FAO emphasized the use and protection of crop diversity which also has been proposed for sustainable development of rubber industry in Thailand. But the adoption of such technology is relatively low that makes rubber crop diversity highly controversy in Thailand. With 2,159 observations at rubber household level collected in 2012–2014, present study investigated the impacts of crop diversity adoption on rubber farmers’ net income in Thailand with use of propensity score matching models. The study found that rubber crop diversity adoption had statistically significant negative impacts on the net income of rubber farmers. And the rubber crop diversity farmers got lower net income of [-11,785.29, -10,887.21] baht per person than monoculture rubber farmers. As the rubber crop diversity system usually grants environmental benefits to the local eco-systems which are exactly the positive externalities and non-rewarded in the market, more incentives and supports are necessary to steam up rubber crop diversity adoption and the sustainability of rubber industry in Thailand.
Numerical study on improving the efficiency of MoTe 2 -based heterojunction solar cell with Sb 2 S 3 as hole transport layer
Authors: Rahman Md. Arifur , Haque Md. Dulal , Ali Md. Hasan , I Abu Zafor Md. Touhidul
Published: August 2023

In this study, SCAPS-1D simulator was used to investigate the performance of a solar cell structure based on Molybdenum Telluride (MoTe2) with Antimony Sulfide (Sb2S3) Hole Transport Layer (HTL). The motivations behind choosing MoTe2as an absorber layer for its higher optical absorption efficiency, cost-effectiveness, reliable and stable operation. The comparative study of this introduced (Al/FTO/CdS/MoTe2/Sb2S3/Pt) and baseline solar cell (Al/FTO/CdS/MoTe2/Pt) has been implemented. Various photovoltaic parameters like open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, fill factor, and efficiency have been investigated varying absorber and HTL thickness, doping density, rare surface recombination velocity, defect density, series as well as shunt resistance, temperature and capacitance-voltage (C-V). The determined values of performance parameters of Voc, Jsc,FF, and η are 0.95 V, 38.15 mA/cm2, 81.09% and 29.35% respectively for baseline solar cell. The proposed solar cell performance of η, Voc,Jsc,and FF was found 40.33%, 1.13 V, 40.78 mA/cm2, and 87.63% respectively after optimizing absorber thickness of 0.5 µm and doping concentration of \({ 5\times 10}^{16}\)cm− 3. The implantation of Sb2S3layer contributes to improve the performances by diminishing carrier recombination losses. The present research results indicate the feasible way for obtaining a lower-cost, and higher-efficiency MoTe2−based SC with Sb2S3HTL layer.
Towards time-resolved multi-property measurements by filtered Rayleigh scattering: diagnostic approach and verification
Authors: Doll Ulrich , Kapulla Ralf , Dues Michael , Steinbock Jonas , Melnikov Sergey , Röhle Ingo , Migliorini Matteo , Zachos Pavlos K.
Published: August 2023

The use of multiple perspective views is a possible pathway towards the combined measurement of multiple time-resolved flow properties by filtered Rayleigh scattering (FRS). In this study, a six view observation concept is experimentally verified on a aspirated pipe flow. The concept was introduced in our previous work and it has the ability to simultaneously measure high-accuracy time-averagedandtime-resolved three-component velocity, pressure and temperature fields. To simulate time-resolution, multi-view FRS data at a single optimised excitation frequency is selected and processed for multiple flow properties. Time-averaged and quasi time-resolved FRS results show very good agreement with differential pressure probe measurements and analytical temperature calculations and lie within ±2 m/s of complementary laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) velocity measurements for all operating points. The introduction of a multistage fitting procedure for the time-resolved analysis leads to a significant improvement of the precision by factors of 4 and 3 for temperature and axial velocity, and 17 for pressure. Moreover, both processing methods show their capacity to resolve flow structures in a swirling flow configuration. It is demonstrated that the developed multi-view concept can be used to determine multiple flow variables from a single-frequency measurement, opening the path towards time-resolved multi-parameter measurements by FRS.
Effect of Bank Lending on Agricultural Output in Nigeria From 1981 – 2021 (Auto-regresive Distribution Approach)
Authors: SALISU Temitope Quadri , ALAMU Olamilekan Kabir
Published: August 2023

Lending plays a vital role in expediting agricultural modernization and encouraging farmer involvement in the development process. By alleviating financial constraints, lending offers the motivation to embrace new technologies that might otherwise be adopted at a slower pace. This study investigates the effect of bank lending on agricultural activities in Nigeria from 1981 - 2021 using a secondary form of analysis. Different diagnostic tests were carried out, which include descriptive statistics, a pear wise correlation matrix, unit root test, co-integration test, and an auto regressive distributed model (ARDL). The result of the study shows that commercial bank lending to agriculture and interest rates have a positive and statistically significant effect on agricultural output in Nigeria. The study recommends that the government should strengthen financial institutions, which are the credit agencies, in order to ensure efficient disbursement of funds to agricultural and manufacturing sectors and ensure that funds are not misappropriated for other purposes, in order to boost economic growth.
Pure Platelet-Rich Plasma promotes Semaphorin3A expression: a novel insight to ameliorate intervertebral disc degeneration in vitro
Authors: Huang Jie , Lian Shi-lin , Han Jia-heng , Zhang Yan , Lu Zheng-cao , Rozi Rigbat , Liu Jiang , Ding Yu
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Platelet-rich plasma(PRP) has been proven to have therapeutic potential for intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). Pure PRP (P-PRP) with the exclusion of leukocytes has been proved to be a better choice for mitigating IVDD, while the potential mechanism is unclear. Sema3A, an inhibitor of innervation and angiogenesis, plays a vital role in maintaining the homeostasis of IVDD. However, it was seldom studied whether PRP prevents IVDD by modulating Semaphorin3A (Sema3A). The purpose of this study is to elucidate the effect of P-PRP on Sema3A in the progress of IVDD in vitro. Methods: Nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) isolated from 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawle rats were exposed to 10ng/ml IL-1β, and then treated with P-PRP or leukocyte platelet-rich plasma (L-PRP) in vitro, followed by measuring cell proliferation, apoptosis and microstructures, inflammatory gene and Sema3A expression, as well as anabolic and catabolic protein expression by immunostaining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The concentration of growth factors in P-PRP was higher than that of L-PRP, while the concentration of inflammatory elements was lower. The proliferation of NPCs was enhanced by P-PRP and the apoptosis level was alleviated after the intervention of IL-1β. The expression levels of anabolic genes and aggrecan, collagen II were elevated. On the contrary, the expression levels of catabolic or inflammatory genes including MMP-3, ADAMTS-4 were decreased. The Sema3A activity was promoted after intervention of P-PRP, while the expression levels of CD31 and NF200 were down regulated. Conclusions: P-PRP improved the function of NPCs in IVDD by modulating the NF-κB signaling pathway and promoting Sema3A expression, which may provide a new insight for IVDD treatment. The translational potential of this article: The study elucidates the potential mechanism of PRP reveals novel insights into the role of Sema3A in the progression of IVDD and provides a new therapeutic target for the treatment of IVDD.
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stock Returns: Evidence from the Palestine Exchange
Authors: ALASHI Mohammed , Madi Hisham , Shaeen Nisreen , Swirki Hani
Published: August 2023

Purpose - This study investigates the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on the daily stock returns of Palestine Exchange-listed companies.
Design/methodology/approach - The study employs panel-data regression models to determine the effect of the daily increase in the number of confirmed and fatal COVID-19 cases on the daily stock returns of 46 firms listed on the Palestine Exchange from 10 June 2020 to 31 December 2021.
Findings – The study reveals that the daily increase in COVID-19-related fatalities has a significant negative impact on the stock returns of Palatine. Additionally, the study indicates that the daily confirmed COVID-19 cases have a significant and positive impact on stock returns. While the daily count of COVID-19 death cases had a notable adverse effect on stock returns, the daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exhibited a significant and positive influence on stock market returns, particularly for banks and industry sectors. Within the industrial sector, the COVID-19 outbreak had the most significant effect on the Palestine Exchange.
Research limitations/implications – The recovery of the Palestine Exchange stock market during COVID-19 can be attributed to investors' trust in the government's efforts to combat COVID-19.
Originality/value – This is the first study to examine the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on stock performance in Palestine, thereby making a significant contribution to the extant body of COVID-19 research
Color tunability of NaLaMgWO6:Mn4+, Tb3+ phosphor and its potential application in temperature sensor and wavelength detector
Authors: Liu Huirao , Yang Xiaoliang , Xiao Siguo
Published: August 2023

Dual emission NaLaMgWO6:Mn4+,Tb3+ phosphors have been synthesized. Excited by 487nm, NaLaMgWO6:Mn4+,Tb3+ phosphor shows red Mn4+ emission and green Tb3+ emission. By adjusting the ratio of Mn4+/Tb3+ doping concentration, the phosphor can change its emssion color from red to green. Moreover, at a certain temperature the luminescence intensity ratio of Tb3+/Mn4+ exhibits a monotonic relationship with the excitation wavelength in the range of 293-348 nm, and under a certain wavelength excitation the luminescence intensity ratio of Mn4+/Tb3+ also shows a monotonic relationship with the temperature, making the phosphor possible to be used in optical temperature sensing and wavelength detection.
Exploring Adverse Events Of Remdesivir In Covid-19 Patients: A Comprehensive Global Analysis
Authors: Malvade Pratik V. , Palve Atish S. , Navale Abhijit S. , Musmade Prajwal S. , Muntode Prasad J. , Joshi Rohit S. , Kadam Suraj R. , Ghogare Sudarshan
Published: August 2023

Background The emergence of COVID-19, stemming from SARS-CoV-2, has triggered a global pandemic, urging rapid therapeutic interventions. Remdesivir, a nucleotide analog prodrug, garnered attention for its potential against COVID-19 due to in vitro efficacy against coronaviruses. This study reviews Remdesivir's adverse effects in COVID-19 patients.Methodology: While Remdesivir shows promise, recent studies raise efficacy concerns. Adverse drug event (ADE) documentation is vital due to limited pre-pandemic ADE data. WHO VigiBase® analysis (2015–2020) and COVID-19 ADE studies were undertaken, focusing on age, severity, region, and organ impact. 1086 ADEs emerged from 439 case reports by July 19, 2020, in VigiBase®, reducing to 1004 after duplicates were removed. ADEs primarily related to COVID-19 patients (92.5%), notably from the Americas (67.7%). Mainly in males above 45, ADEs were serious (82.5%). Key ADEs encompassed elevated hepatic enzymes (32.1%), renal damage (14.4%), increased creatinine levels (11.2%), and respiratory failure (6.4%).Conclusion Liver and kidney function deterioration emerged as frequent ADEs, underscoring the need for vigilance during Remdesivir treatment. These findings align with regulatory documents. In sum, COVID-19 has prompted swift therapeutic responses, with Remdesivir being explored as a potential treatment. This study sheds light on associated ADEs, highlighting the importance of monitoring and informed decision-making.
An optimization of bin packing and vehicle routing in the fast-food supply chain for last mile delivery
Authors: Paul Tonmoy
Published: August 2023

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Data-driven patient stratification and drug target discovery by using medical information and serum proteome data of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients
Authors: Natsume-Kitatani Yayoi , Itoh Mari N , Takeda Yoshito , Kuroda Masataka , Hirata Haruhiko , Miyake Kohtaro , Shiroyama Takayuki , Shirai Yuya , Noda Yoshimi , Adachi Yuichi , Enomoto Takatoshi , Amiya Saori , Adachi Jun , Narumi Ryohei , Muraoka Satoshi , Tomonaga Takeshi , Kurohashi Sadao , Cheng Fei , Tanaka Ribeka , Yada Shuntaro , Aramaki Eiji , Wakamiya Shoko , Chen Yi-An , Higuchi Chihiro , Nojima Yosui , Fujiwara Takeshi , Nagao Chioko , Takeda Toshihiro , Matsumura Yasushi , Mizuguchi Kenji , Kumanogoh Atsushi , Ueda Naonori
Published: August 2023

Medical information is valuable information obtained from humans regarding the phenotype of diseases. Omics data is informative to understand diseases at biomolecular level. We aimed to detect patient stratification patterns in a data-driven manner and identify candidate drug targets by investigating biomolecules that are linked to phenotype-level characteristics of a targeted disease. Such data integration is challenging because the data types of them are different, and these data contain many items that are not directly related to the disease. Hence, we developed an algorithm, subset binding, to find inter-related attributes in heterogeneous data. To search for potential drug targets for intractable IPF (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis), we collected medical information and proteome data of serum extracellular vesicles from patients with interstitial pneumonia including IPF. Our approach detected 20 proteins linked with IPF characteristics, whose expression intensities were confirmed to be high in fibrotic areas of human lung tissues. Furthermore, ponatinib, which inhibits these proteins, suppressed EMT (epithelial mesenchymal transition) in vitro. This workflow paves the way for data-driven drug target discovery even for intractable diseases whose mechanisms of pathogenesis are not fully understood.
Magnesio-ferri-hornblende, ☐Ca2(Mg4Fe3+)[(Si7Al)O22](OH)2, a new member of the amphibole supergroup
Authors: Zhang Yongmei , Gu Xuexiang , Li Ting , Fan Guang , Zhang Yingshuai , Wang Tao , Wang Jialin
Published: August 2023

Magnesio-ferri-hornblende, ideally ☐Ca2(Mg4Fe3+)[(Si7Al)O22](OH)2, is a new mineral of the amphibole supergroup from the Husite granitic complex related to skarn-type Fe-Cu mineralization in the Western Tianshan, Xinjiang, northwestern China. The new species and the new name have been approved by the IMA-CNMNC (2021-100). Magnesio-ferri-hornblende is dark green to green-black with a vitreous luster and a pale gray-green to gray-white streak. It occurs mostly as subhedral-columnar crystals with lengths of 0.5 to 3 mm and shows well-developed {110} cleavage. It has a Mohs hardness of ~5 and a Vickers microhardness of 389–448 kg/mm2 (VHN load in 100 g) and is brittle with a conchoidal fracture. The measured and calculated densities are 3.275(6) and 3.204 g/cm3, respectively. In transmitted plane-polarized light, magnesio-ferri-hornblende is strongly pleochroic, X = pale yellow, Y = yellowish brown, Z = dark yellowish green. It is biaxial (–), α = 1.651(2), β = 1.658(2), γ = 1.662(2), 2V (meas) = 73 (1)° to 82 (1)°, and 2V (calc) = 73.9 (1)°, dispersion is r > v, medium to strong. The orientation is Y||b, X^a = 31.5° (β obtuse), Z^c = 16.5° (β acute).

Magnesio-ferri-hornblende is monoclinic, space group C2/m, a = 9.8620(3), b = 18.1060(5), c = 5.30810(10) Å, β = 104.8480(10)°, V = 916.17(4) Å3, Z = 2. The seven strongest lines in the powder X-ray diffraction pattern are [d in Å(I)(hkl)]: 8.397(52)(110), 3.383(41)(150), 2.717(100)(151), 2.597(84)(061), 2.545(61)(202), 1.854(49)(172), and 1.519(62)(622). Analysis by a combination of electron microprobe and Mössbauer spectroscopy gave SiO2 47.37, TiO2 1.51, Al2O3 7.07, Fe2O3 3.86, FeO 11.62, MgO 12.77, CaO 11.22, SrO 0.15, MnO 0.39, Na2O 1.54, K2O 0.78, Cl 0.15, F 0, H2Ocalc 2.01, Cl≡O –0.03, sum 100.41 wt%. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 24 (O+OH+F+Cl) with (OH+F+Cl) = 2 apfu is A(☐0.62Na0.23K0.15)Σ1.00B(Ca1.76Na0.21Mn0.02Sr0.01)Σ2.00C(Mg2.79Fe1.422+Fe0.433+Ti0.17 Al0.16Mn0.03)Σ5.00T(Si6.94Al1.06)Σ8.00O22W(OH1.96Cl0.04)Σ2.00. The crystal structure of magnesio-ferri-hornblende was refined to an R1 of 3.95% using 2185 data (>2σ) collected with MoKα X-radiation. The A site is dominantly occupied by ☐ where A(Na+K+2Ca) ≤0.5. TAl is ordered at the T(1) site. M(1) and M(3) are dominantly occupied by Mg2+, and M(2) is occupied by both Mg2+ and high-charged cations. The new mineral occurs most commonly in the porphyry-skarn Fe-Cu-Mo-Au- and hydrothermal Aumineralized granitoids with high oxygen fugacity but is rare or absent in barren intrusions. Its finding has important significance for magma fertility discrimination and can potentially be used in regional exploration for porphyry-skarn ore systems.
The 34S/32S homogeneity of Chemical Vapor Transport (CVT) Reaction-synthesized pyrites
Authors: Liu Li , Fu Bin , Ding Xing , Gu Jing
Published: August 2023

The Chemical Vapor Transport (CVT) Reaction is an important and efficient method of synthesizing pyrite crystals. CVT-grown pyrites have been comprehensively investigated for physical properties and elemental chemical compositions. However, the isotopic compositions have not been investigated. In this study, four series of pyrite crystals (PY3, PY4, PY5, and PY6) were synthesized using the CVT method, with PY5 undoped and the others doped with nickel. The synthesized crystals were characterized qualitatively with confocal laser Raman microspectroscopy and quantitatively by EMPA, LA-ICP-MS, SIMS, and IRMS. The synthetic products are irregular polycrystalline aggregates or cubic and octahedral monocrystals, with characteristic Raman bands at ~344 cm–1, ~380 cm–1/377 cm–1, ~427 cm–1/430 cm–1, and S/Fe weight and atomic ratios of 1.15–1.17 and 2.01–2.04, respectively, indicative of pyrite. The pyrites contain traces of inevitable impurities such as Si and Br. The nickel contents of Ni-doped pyrites are heterogeneous, 39–27 300 ppm for PY3, 24–21 700 ppm for PY4, and 57–2610 ppm for PY6. By comparison, the δ34S values obtained by SIMS are relatively homogeneous (PY3 = 17.3 ± 0.9‰, PY4 = 17.7 ± 0.8‰, PY5 = 17.9 ± 0.8‰, PY6 = 17.7 ± 0.6‰, ±2SD), and are consistent with IRMS δ34S values (17.8 ± 0.2‰ for PY3, 18.3 ± 0.9‰ for PY4, 18.2 ± 0.3‰ for PY5, 18.1 ± 0.1‰ for PY6, ±2SD). The homogeneity of 34S/32S suggests that CVT has the potential to synthesize reference materials for the determination of sulfur isotopic composition of pyrite using in situ techniques. Additionally, we also investigated the matrix effects of nickel in pyrite on the measurement of 34S/32S by SIMS, and a preliminary equation of Δ34S (‰) = –0.59 × Ni (wt%)0.27 (R2 = 0.3), where Δ34S is the discrepancy between in situ and bulk δ34S values, was derived for calibration.
FİKRİ MÜLKİYET HUKUKUNUN DABUS’LA İMTİHANI: YAPAY ZEKÂ SİSTEMLERİ BULUŞ SAHİBİ OLARAK KABUL EDİLEBİLİR Mİ?
Authors: BORA ÇINAR Sevda
Published: August 2023

Yapay zekâ teknolojilerinin gelişimiyle birlikte insan egemen pek çok alanda, tasarımcısını aşan düzeyde özgün ürün ve hizmetler ortaya çıkarabilen yapay zekâ sistemlerine her gün bir yenisi daha eklenmektedir. Yapay zekâ sistemlerinin hukuken kişi olarak tanınmaması ve ortaya çıkan ürün ve hizmetlerin ise sistem sahipleriyle doğrudan bir bağı kurulamaması neticesinde, fikri mülkiyet hukuku, sahipsiz haklar sorunuyla yüzleşmek zorunda kalan hukuk alanlarından ilki olmuştur. Çalışmamızda öncelikle, bir yapay zekâ sistemi olan DABUS’un çıktısı olduğu iddia edilen ve dolayısıyla DABUS’un “buluşu yapan” olarak işaret edildiği patent başvuruları ve bu başvurulara ilişkin ilgili ülkelerin tartışma ve soruna yaklaşımları incelenmiştir. Sonrasında uluslararası boyutta etki ve kapsam olarak hızla artan yapay zekâ sistemlerinin hukuki nitelik tartışmaları, “buluşçu yapay zekâ” çerçevesinde fikri mülkiyet hukuku boyutuyla ele alınmıştır. Yalnızca fikri mülkiyet hukuku açısından değil, yapay zekâ sistemlerinin etkin olduğu her alanda belirsizliklerin giderilmesi adına teknolojilerin hukukileşmesi sürecine hız verilmesi gerektiğini gösteren bu tartışmalar, gelişimin engellenmesinin aksine hem hukukun hem de teknolojinin geliştirilmesi için bir fırsat olarak değerlendirilmelidir
Impact of trust and justice on willingness to cooperate with the police: Evidence from Indonesian millennials
Authors: Anwar Syahrul , Sandi Marta M.
Published: August 2023

Millennial generation is known as a generation active in social, political, and technological activities. Therefore, this generation highly values the aspect of justice to promote trust and willingness to collaborate, especially with the police. In this regard, this study aims to explain the correlation between trust and willingness to collaborate with the police. This study also explains the relationship of trust and the willingness of the millennial generation to collaborate with the police with procedural justice and distributive justice as moderating factors. The study involved survey data from 340 millennials who have been served by the police in West Java, Indonesia. Furthermore, data were analyzed using the Hayes Process Macro Model 2 through SPSS to test the study hypotheses. This study showed that trust have a positive impact on willingness to collaborate with the police (Coef = 0.4346, p < 0.05). Furthermore, procedural justice positively moderated the correlation between trust and willingness to cooperate with the police (Coef = 0.0920, p < 0.05). Procedural justice was found to strengthen the correlation between trust of millennials and willingness to collaborate with the police. Meanwhile, distributive justice did not moderate the correlation between trust in police and willingness to collaborate with the police (Coef = –0.0571, p > 0.05). This study is useful in developing knowledge concepts regarding factors that can improve the willingness of the millennial generation to collaborate with the police.
Microbial contamination analysis of drinking water from bulk dispensers and fast-food restaurants in the Eastern Coachella Valley, California
Authors: Hile Thomas Dama , Dunbar Stephen G. , Sinclair Ryan G.
Published: August 2023

Safe drinking water is a fundamental requirement for human life. The deterioration of water quality primarily involves microbiological hazards, since most evident water-related health problems are the result of microbial contamination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial contamination of drinking water from three sources: water vending machines (WVMs), soda fountains (SFs), and tap water (TW) in the Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV) using physico-chemical parameters, conventional cultivable methods, including IDEXX technology and molecular methods. A total of 72 samples were analyzed and results indicated heterotrophic plate counts (HPCs) bacteria in 20% of samples from WVMs, 25% of samples from SFs, 33.3% of TW samples, and 76% of swab samples. Results also demonstrated 20% of WVM, 88% of swab samples, 41% of SF, and 50% of TW samples had total coliforms. Our qPCR indicated the presence of genetic materials of all six selected microorganisms (Salmonella spp, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis) used as indicators of pathogenic microorganisms in water from WVMs, SFs, and TW, and were represented at different concentrations and predominance.
Effect of planting and irrigation management strategies on growth, yield and water productivity of indica rice in Iran
Authors: Pool Mahsa Rahimi , Akbari Nodehi Davood , Asadi Reza , Bagheri Ali , Shahmiri Fazl Shirdel
Published: August 2023

One of the most important problems for rice production is the high water need of this plant. Therefore, the use of modern technologies to increase water-saving in paddy fields is critical to global food security. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of different planting methods and irrigation systems on growth, yield and water productivity in rice. The experiment was arranged as a split-plot in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental treatments included the main plot assigned to three planting methods (transplanting at puddled bed [TPB], transplanting at non-puddled bed [TNPB], and direct-seeded rice [DSR]) and the sub-plot assigned to three irrigation systems (continuous flooding irrigation (CFI), alternate wetting and drying [AWD], and drip irrigation [DI]). The results showed that the highest grain yield (3962.7 kg.ha−1) and more-water-saving (17.3%) was achieved in the TPB treatment. Total water productivity for TPB, TNPB, and DSR methods were calculated to be 0.56, 0.43, and 0.34 kg.m−3, respectively. Grain yield in CFI (3457.6 kg.ha−1) and AWD (3410.3 kg.ha−1) systems was significantly higher than DI treatment (3150.7 kg.ha−1), while no significant difference was observed between CFI and AWD treatments in terms of rice production. However, the AWD system increased water-saving by 24.8% compared with CFI. Our results highlight that combined application of AWD system and TPB method has a great potential to reduce total water input without negatively affecting yield.
Variabilidade Espaço-Temporal da Precipitação Pluviométrica na Região Hidrográfica da Calha Norte, Estado do Pará, Brasil
Authors: Cordeiro Adria Lorena de Moraes , Silva Fabíola Souza da , Silva Addyson Macedo , Costa Carlos Eduardo Aguiar de Souza , Santana Laila Rover
Published: August 2023

A intensificação das precipitações pluviométricas na região amazônica pode contribuir para eventos extremos como enchentes, grandes secas, inundações e alterações nas estações do ano. Diante disso, o objetivo desse trabalho foi analisar as variações de precipitação pluviométrica em nível espacial e temporal na Região Hidrográfica da Calha Norte (Pará). Os dados pluviométricos utilizados na pesquisa correspondem a série de dados diários do período de 1990 a 2021, adquiridos por meio do produto Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS). Para analisar a variabilidade mensal, os dados de precipitação diária foram agrupados em dados mensais e posteriormente, foi realizado a distribuição espacial da precipitação por meio do método Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW). A análise da duração dos períodos secos e úmidos foi realizada por meio do cálculo do Índice de Anomalia da Chuva (IAC). Observa-se que a precipitação variou de 1391,51 mm a 2610,30 mm, as quais ocorreram nos anos de 1992 e 2008, respectivamente. Em fevereiro, ocorre um aumento da precipitação na parte sul da Calha Norte, apresentando valores de precipitação de até 286 mm, os menores valores de precipitação se concentram no noroeste da área. Verifica-se que a região amazônica, especificamente a Calha Norte, apresenta grande variação na distribuição espacial e temporal da precipitação.
Percepções dos Consumidores em Relação à Carne Cultivada
Authors: Boscardin Mariele , Dorr Andrea Cristina
Published: August 2023

A carne cultivada tem sido apontada como uma possibilidade de atender à crescente demanda por proteína animal e reduzir o impacto ambiental. Entretanto, alcançar a aceitação do consumidor tem sido um desafio. Diante disso, o objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a evolução do debate acadêmico e a percepção dos consumidores em relação à carne cultivada, a partir da literatura científica. Metodologicamente, realizou-se uma pesquisa bibliométrica com o auxílio do Software Bibliometrix (RStudio Software). Como base de dados foi utilizada o Scopus considerando as seguintes palavras chaves "Cultured Meat” OR "Synthetic Meat" AND “Consumer” OR “Perception” sendo selecionados, documentos em formato de artigos, publicados na língua inglesa, sem delimitação temporal. A partir desta busca e refinamento, resultaram 25 documentos. Trata-se de um tema bastante inovador no campo científico, sendo que a primeira publicação surge a partir de 2015 e ganha maior expressividade em 2022. Posteriormente, se realizou uma análise sistemática de 23 artigos, a partir de critérios de exclusão de documentos que não atendiam aos objetivos pretendidos. Como resultado, se constatou que o bem-estar animal, preocupação ambiental e curiosidade são os principais fatores propulsores ao consumo desse alimento. Por outro lado, a neofobia alimentar, ou seja, relutância em provar alimentos novos é o fator inibidor da intensão de consumir carne cultivada. Conclui-se, portanto, que a sociedade, está moderadamente preparada para consumir este produto, embora novos estudos sejam importantes para identificar o perfil dos consumidores.