bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intertemporal Elasticity of Substitution with Leisure Margin†
Authors: Yagihashi Takeshi , Du Juan
Published: July 2022

This paper investigates households’ consumption smoothing behavior by estimating the intertemporal elasticity of substitution of consumption (IES) while allowing labor / leisure to vary. To this end, we adopt a utility specification that allows non-separability between consumption and leisure. Using this specification, we define a leisure margin as the gap between the IES that allows leisure to vary and the IES that keeps leisure constant. We find a positive and statistically significant leisure margin throughout the paper and in addition the leisure margin becomes larger when the spouse’s leisure is taken into consideration. This result indicates that family labor supply plays an important role in households’ consumption decisions. We further explore the heterogeneous nature of nonmarket time and show that consumption-leisure substitutability could be explained largely by home production. Our findings demonstrate the importance of time allocation when households make decisions on consumption and saving.JEL code: E21 (Consumption), D91 (Intertemporal household choice), J22 (Time allocation and labor supply)
Accurate delivery of pristimerin and paclitaxel by folic acid-linked nano-micelles for enhancing chemosensitivity in cancer therapy
Authors: Chen Chao , Du Shiyu , Zhong Wu , Liu Kunguo , Qu Lihua , Chu Feiyi , Yang Jingjing , Han Xin
Published: July 2022

Chemoresistance remains a huge challenge for effective treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Previous studies have shown Chinese herbal extracts possess great potential in ameliorating tumor chemoresistance, however, the efficacy is clinically limited mainly because of the poor tumor-targeting and in vivo stability. In this study, a folic acid (FA)-modified nano-herb micelle was developed for codelivery of pristimerin (PRI) and paclitaxel (PTX) to enhance chemosensitivity of NSCLC, in which PRI could synergistically enhance PTX-induced growth inhibition of A549 cancer cell. PTX was firstly grafted with the FA-linked polyethylene glycol (PEG) and then encapsulated with PRI to construct the PRI@FA-PEG-PTX (P@FPP) nano-micelles (NMs), which exhibited improved tumor-targeting and in vivo stability. This active-targeting P@FPP NMs displayed excellent tumor-targeting characteristics without obvious toxicity. Moreover, inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis induced by P@FPP NMs were significantly enhanced compared with the combined effects of the two drugs (PRI in combination of PTX), which associated with epithelial mesenchymal transition inhibition to some extent. Overall, this active-targeting NMs provides a versatile nano-herb strategy for improving tumor-targeting of Chinese herbal extracts, which may help in the promotion of enhancing chemosensitivity of NSCLC in clinical applications.
Can blood lipid profile monitoring warn of adverse psychiatric conditions and suicidal ideation in patients with acne vulgaris under isotretinoin treatment?
Authors: Gürok Neşe Göçer , Gürok Mehmet Gürkan , Demir Betül , Atmaca Murad
Published: July 2022

Previous studies demonstrated that lipids could play a role in suicidal ideation and the pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases. The present study aims to investigate the correlation between variations in serum lipid concentration, a side effect of isotretinoin (ITT), psychiatric symptoms and suicidal ideation in acne vulgaris patients under ITT treatment. Study was completed with 41 acne patients. Patients were analyzed with the socio-demographic and clinical data form, Beck depression inventory (BDI), Beck anxiety inventory (BAI), Beck suicidal ideation scale (BSS), Brief psychiatric rating (BPRS) scale at the beginning and on the third month of treatment. A statistically significant correlation was determined between the BSS scores and total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) parameters at the beginning of treatment and the control date. Thus, it was determined that there was a negative weak correlation between BSS and TC parameters (r:-0.403; p:0.009<0.01), a moderate negative correlation between BSS and TG (r:-0.526; p:0.000<0.01), and a weak negative correlation between BSS and LDL (r:-0.421; p:0.006<0.01). Furthermore, there were statistically significant changes between the BDI and BAI scores at beginning of treatment and the 3rd month (t:-2.257; p:0.016<0.05, t:-3.654; p:0.001<0.01, respectively). Although an increase was observed in BSS and BPRS after the treatment compared to pre-treatment, the increase was not statistically significant. The present study findings revealed that serum lipid levels could be associated with psychiatric side effects in patients under ITT treatment. But, this must not be the unique way to detect the risk, when we consider that serum lipid levels that have been associated with suicidal ideation, depression and several psychiatric diseases have the potential to be an important indicator. In this context, our preliminary results open the doors of a new perspective in this regard, using the concept of blood lipid optimization. These findings need to be considered preliminary and supported by large samples.
Origin identification of Cornus officinalis based on PCA-SVM combined model
Authors: Jin Yueqiang , Liu Bing , Li Chaoning , Shi Shasha
Published: July 2022

Infrared spectroscopy can quickly and non-destructively extract analytical information from samples. It can be applied to the authenticity identification of various Chinese herbal medicines, the prediction of the mixing amount of defective products, and the analysis of the origin. In this paper, the spectral information of Cornus officinalis from 11 origins was used as the research object, and the origin identification model of Cornus officinalis based on mid-infrared spectroscopy was established. First, principal component analysis was used to extract the absorbance data of Cornus officinalis in the wavenumber range of 551~3998 cm–1. The extracted principal components contain more than 99.8% of the information of the original data. Second, the extracted principal component information was used as input, and the origin category was used as output, and the origin identification model was trained with the help of support vector machine. In this paper, this combined model is called PCA-SVM combined model. Finally, the generalization ability of the PCA-SVM model is evaluated through an external test set. The three indicators of Accuracy, F1-Score, and Kappa coefficient are used to compare this model with other commonly used classification models such as naive Bayes model, decision trees, linear discriminant analysis, radial basis function neural network and partial least square discriminant analysis. The results show that the PCA-SVM model outperforms several other commonly used models in terms of Accuracy, F1-Score, or Kappa coefficient. Using this model to identify the origin of Cornus officinalis, the accuracy rate is 84.8%.
Incidence of Galactic Cosmic Ray Fluxes at Polar and Middle Latitude Regions
Authors: Hanson Esther A. , Okeke Francisca N.
Published: July 2022

Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) incidence on the Earth’s near space environment is of major concern to humankind as it affects space weather. Upon entering Earth’s atmosphere, GCRs collide with atoms and molecules, and subsequently decay into muons and neutrinos which propagates through the earth’s surface. Theory and observations affirm that penetration of GCR from the Heliospheric Magnetic Field (HMF) to Earth’s atmosphere is leveraged by the earth’s magnetic force lines predominant at the polar regions. We used facilities at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland USA and analyzed GCR particles recorded by Neutron Monitors (NM) at Thule, Newark, Mc Murdo and South Pole hosted at Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware, USA. Geomagnetic aa index was obtained from World Data Center for Geomagnetism, Kyoto, Japan. This work investigates the degree to which GCRs are modulated by Geomagnetic activities using Geomagnetic aa-index as a proxy to Geomagnetic activity. We studied GCRs incident at four Neutron Monitor (NM) Stations at; Thule in the Arctic region, McMurdo and South Pole in the Antarctica, and Newark in the Middle Latitude region across five solar cycles timescale (1964 to 2016). We performed Regression Analysis of GCR and Geomagnetic aa-index to observe the impact of geomagnetic activity on GCR flux at the designated regions of the Earth’s surface. Also, we carried out Time Series Analysis to observe GCR intensities at the four NM Stations for the period of study. Results from Regression Analysis revealed a weak association between GCR and Geomagnetic aa index, where Coefficient of Determination R2 is less than 0.5. The Time Series Analysis revealed highest fluxes of GCR at Thule, McMurdo and South Pole as compared to incidence at the Mid-Latitude region in Newark. Our model indicate that GCR fluxes are controlled by Geomagnetic Field structure.
Development of prognosis and diagnosis model for osteosarcoma based on oxidative stress-related genes
Authors: Li Dongli , Ma Tianjun , Wu Hong , Sun Wen , He Mei , Song Qingfeng , Cui Ying
Published: July 2022

The most frequently malignant bone tumor in children and teenagers is osteosarcoma. However, it is unclear how oxidative stress (OS) affects osteosarcoma. The purpose of this investigation was to determine how OS genes affected osteosarcoma development and prognosis. The Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET), GenotypeTissue Expression (GTEx), and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were used to obtain sample gene expression profiles and clinical data for this investigation. Based on distinct OS gene expression patterns, nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) clustering was performed to identify molecular groupings. A multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to build the prognostic model. More thorough estimate of immune cells in malignant tumor tissues and prediction of treatment response. Functional analyses include Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses, and Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA). An in-vitro investigation of OD, a Chinese medication, has been substantial. Using network pharmacology to research the possible therapeutic targets and molecular processes of Oldenlandia diffusa (OD) in the treatment of osteosarcoma, basing on high - and low-risk prognostic risk groups. The diagnostic models were built using multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural networks. To predict the survival of patients with osteosarcoma, a prognostic model and a nomogram were created. OS-related genes were shown to be closely linked to the immune state and predictive survival of osteosarcoma patients, according to the GSVA and Gene functional enrichment analyses. 7 active ingredients and 233 target genes were identified from OD, and 25 of the target genes intersected with osteosarcoma-related genes were thought to be prospective therapeutic targets. Network pharmacological analysis showed that the active ingredients for the treatment of osteosarcoma was closely connected with regulation of immune cells. The diagnostic models were constructed based on a 9-gene signature showing excellent recognition ability of osteosarcoma patients. The interplay between OS-related genes and immunology in the development of osteosarcoma might generate new insights into molecular processes and targeted therapeutics for patients with the disease.
StackBox: An improved framework for precise polyp detection
Authors: Albuquerque Carina , Henriques Roberto , Castelli Mauro
Published: July 2022

Polyp detection through colonoscopy is a widely used method to prevent colorectal cancer. The automation of this process aided by artificial intelligence allows faster and improved detection of polyps that can be missed during a standard colonoscopy. In this work, we propose implementing different object detection algorithms for polyp detection. To improve the mean average precision (mAP) of the detection, we combine the baseline models through a stacking approach. The experiments demonstrate the potential of this new methodology, which can reduce the workload for oncologists and increase the precision of the localization of polyps. Our proposal achieves an mAP of 0.86, translated into an improvement of 34.9% compared to the best baseline model and 28.8% with respect to the weighted boxes fusion ensemble technique.
Generating the General Linear Group of degree two over a field of Integer modulo 3, GL2(Z3) and deriving its properties
Authors: Ajiboye Ayomide Ayomikun
Published: July 2022

The General Linear Group of degree two over a field of Integer modulo 3, GL2(Z3) and Special Linear Group of degree two over a field of Integer modulo 3, SL2(Z3) are generated. The order of GL2(Z3), SL2(Z3) and the order of each of the elements of GL2(Z3) are determined. The inverse of each of the elements of the General Linear Group of degree two over a field of Integer modulo 3, GL2(Z3) is investigated. General linear group is important for representation.
Exploring telediagnostic procedures in child neuropsychiatry: addressing ADHD diagnosis and autism symptoms through supervised machine learning
Authors: Grazioli Silvia , Crippa Alessandro , Rosi Eleonora , Candelieri Antonio , Ceccarelli Silvia Busti , Mauri Maddalena , Manzoni Martina , Mauri Valentina , Trabattoni Sara , Molteni Massimo , Colombo Paola , Nobile Maria
Published: July 2022

Recently there has been an increase in telemedicine applied to child neuropsychiatry, such as the use of online platforms to remotely collect anamnestic and behavioral information. In the present proof-of-concept study, we aimed to understand to what extent information provided by parents and teachers through online questionnaires overlaps with clinicians’ diagnostic conclusions on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Moreover, we intended to explore a possible role played by autism spectrum disorders (ASD) symptoms in this process. We examined parent-and teacher-rated questionnaires collected remotely and an on-site evaluation of intelligence quotients from 342 subjects (18% females), aged 3 to 16 years, referred for suspected ADHD. A machine learning model (decision tree, DT) was built to simulate the clinical process of classifying ADHD/non-ADHD. Differences in ASD symptoms in the DT-identified classes were tested to address their role in performing a diagnostic error using the DT model. The DT identified the decision rules adopted by clinicians to classify ADHD diagnosis and proved accurate in 82% of our subjects. The caregiver-reported ADHD core symptom severity proved the most discriminative information for clinicians during the diagnostic decision process. However, ASD symptoms were a confounding factor when ADHD severity had to be established. Telehealth procedures proved effective in obtaining an automated output regarding a diagnostic risk, reducing the time delay between symptom detection and diagnosis. However, this should not be considered as an alternative to on-site procedures but as automated support for clinical practice, enabling clinicians to allocate more resources to the most complex cases.
Decision-making and ageing: everyday life situations under risk and under ambiguity
Authors: Gaubert Fanny , Borg Céline , Roux Jean-Christophe , Chainay Hanna
Published: July 2022

Cognitive modifications over ageing can affect decision making competence (DMC). As it is a core ability in autonomy preservation, our study aims to investigate its changes in old adults and to determine if they are linked to the deterioration of executive functions and working memory. For this purpose, 50 young adults and 50 old adults were assessed with executive, working memory and DMC tasks. The latter comprised the Iowa Gambling task (IGT) and a scenarii task based on daily life-inspired situations, under risk and under ambiguity conditions. Results revealed lower performances in old adults compared to young adults for updating, inhibition and working memory tasks. The IGT failed to distinguish the two groups of age, but the scenarii task did it, as young adults were more risk and ambiguity seekers than old adults. Moreover, updating and inhibition capacities appeared to influence DMC.
High Vector Diversity and Malaria Transmission Dynamics in Five Sentinel Sites in Cameroon
Authors: FONDJO Etienne , TOTO Jean-Claude. , TCHOUAKI Magellan , WOLFANG E. EKOKO , PATCHOKE Salomon , MENZE Benjamin , NJEAMBOSAY Boris , ZEUKENG Francis , TABUE Raymond , MANDENG Elyse , NDILLE Emmanuel Elanga , KOPYA Edmond , BINYANG Jerome Achille , NDO Cyrille , TENE-FOSSOG Billy , TEDJOU Armel , NCHOUTPOUEN Emmanuel , TCHOUINE Frederic , ACHU Dorothy , AMBROSE Kelley , HEDJE Judith , KOUAMBENG Celestin , CARLSON Jenny , ZOHDY Sarah , Chabi Joseph
Published: July 2022

BackgroundMalaria remains one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in Cameroon. To inform vector control intervention decision making, malaria vector surveillance was conducted monthly from October 2018 to September 2020 in five selected sentinel sites (Gounougou and Simatou in the North, Bonabéri, Mangoum and Nyabessang in the South).MethodsHuman landing catches (HLCs), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps, and pyrethrum spray catches (PSCs) were used to assess vector density and species composition, human biting rate (HBR), endophagic index, indoor resting density (IRD), parity, sporozoite infection rates, entomological inoculation rate (EIR), and Anopheles vectorial capacity. ResultsA total of 139,322 Anopheles mosquitoes from 21 species were collected across all sites and methods. Out of the 21 species, eleven were implicated in malaria transmission including An. gambiae s.l., An. funestus s.l., An. nili, An. moucheti, An. paludis, An. demeilloni, An. pharoensis, An. ziemanni, An. multicinctus, An. rufipes, and An. marshallii. Anopheles gambiae s.l. remains the major malaria vector (71% of the total Anopheles) collected across all sites, though An. moucheti and An. paludis had highest sporozoite rates in Nyabessang. The mean indoor HBR of Anopheles ranged from 11 bites/person/night (b/p/n) in Bonabéri to 104 b/p/n in Simatou, while outdoors, it varied from 24.2 b/p/n in Mangoum to 98.7 b/p/n in Simatou. Anopheles gambiae s.l. was actively biting until at least 8:00 a.m., and similarly for An. moucheti in Nyabessang. The mean Anopheles IRD was 17.1 females/room, and the parity rate was 68.9%. The monthly mean EIRs recorded was 46.1 infective bites/person/month (ib/p/m) in Gounougou, 91.2 ib/p/m in Simatou, 38.2 ib/p/m in Mangoum, 28.4 ib/p/m in Nyabessang, and 19.9 ib/p/m in Bonabéri. Anopheles gambiae s.l. was confirmed as the main malaria vector with the highest vectorial capacity in all sites based on sporozoite rate, except in Nyabessang. ConclusionThese findings highlight the high malaria transmission occurring in Cameroon and will support the National Malaria Control Program to design evidence-based malaria vector control strategies, effective and integrated vector control interventions deployment to reduce malaria transmission and burden in Cameroon, where several Anopheles species could potentially maintain year-round transmission.
Association of cortical and subcortical microstructure with disease severity: impact on cognitive decline, and language impairments in frontotemporal lobar degeneration
Authors: Ding Wencai , Ren Peng , Yi Liye , Si Yao , Yang Fan , Li Zhipeng , Bao Hongbo , Yan Shi , Zhang Xinyu , Li Siyang , Liang Xia , Yao Lifen
Published: July 2022

Background: Cortical and subcortical microstructural modifications are critical to understanding the pathogenic changes in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) subtypes. In this study, we investigated cortical and subcortical microstructure underlying cognitive and language impairments across behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), and nonfluent variant of primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) subtypes.Methods: The current study characterized 170 individuals with 3T MRI structural and diﬀusion-weighted imaging sequences as portion of the Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Neuroimaging Initiative study: 41bvFTD, 35 nfvPPA, 34 svPPA, and 60 age-matched cognitively unimpaired controls. To determine the severity of the disease, clinical dementia rating plus national Alzheimer's coordinating center behavior and language domains sum of boxes scores were used; other clinical measures, including the Boston naming test and verbal fluency test, were also evaluated. We computed surface-based cortical thickness and cortical and subcortical microstructural metrics using tract-based spatial statistics and explored their relationships with clinical and cognitive assessments.Results: Compared with controls, those with FTLD showed substantial cortical mean diffusivity alterations extending outside the regions with cortical thinning. Tract-based spatial statistics revealed that anomalies in subcortical white matter diffusion were widely distributed across the frontotemporal and parietal areas. Patients with bvFTD, nfvPPA, and svPPA exhibited distinct patterns of cortical and subcortical microstructural abnormalities, which appeared to correlate with disease severity, and separate dimensions of language functions.Conclusions: Our findings imply that cortical and subcortical microstructures may serve as sensitive biomarkers for the investigation of neurodegeneration-associated microstructural alterations in FTLD subtypes.
A Neurodynamic Approach for Solving Robust Linear Programming under the Polyhedral Uncertainty Set
Authors: Hu Jin , He Li , Peng Yiheng , Zeng Chunna
Published: July 2022

This paper converts the robust linear programming under the polyhedral uncertainty set to standard linear programming. After eliminating the parameter uncertainty, we design a projection neural network to address the problem. The equilibrium point of the neural network model is theoretically proved to be stable in the Lyapunov sense and globally convergent to the optimal solution to robust linear programming. Two numerical examples are provided to illustrate the validity and performance of the proposed approach.
Severity of small-for-gestational age and morbidity and mortality among very preterm neonates
Authors: Minor Kathleen , Bianco Katherine , Sie Lillian , Druzin Maurice , Lee Henry , Leonard Stephanie
Published: July 2022

Objective: Evaluate the association between small for gestational age (SGA) severity and morbidity and mortality in a contemporary, unselected population of very preterm infants. Study Design: This secondary analysis of a California statewide database evaluated singleton infants born during 2008-2018 at 24-32 weeks’ gestation, with a birthweight <15th percentile. We analyzed neonatal outcomes in relation to weight for gestational age (WGA) and symmetry of growth restriction. Results: An increase in WGA by one z-score was associated with decreased major morbidity or mortality risk (aRR 0.73, 95% CI 0.68-0.77) and other adverse outcomes. The association was most pronounced for WGA percentile <3 and did not differ by fetal growth restriction diagnosis. Symmetric growth restriction was not associated with neonatal outcomes after standardizing for gestational age at birth. Conclusions: Increasing SGA severity, particularly below the 3rd WGA percentile, had a significant impact on neonatal outcomes among very preterm infants.
Functional discovery of targetable dependencies in recurrent glioblastoma
Authors: Singh Sheila , Chokshi Chirayu , Tieu David , Brown Kevin , Venugopal Chitra , Rossotti Martin , Chan Katherine , Tong Amy , Kuhlmann Laura , Liu Lina , Brakel Benjamin , Shaikh Vaseem , Maich William , Suk Yujin , Mobilio Daniel , Savage Neil , Aghaei Nikoo , Subapanditha Minomi , McKenna Dillon , Ignatchenko Vladimir , Salamoun Joseph , Wipf Peter , Sharlow Elizabeth , Provias John , Lu Jian-Qiang , Murty Naresh , Lazo John , Kislinger Thomas , Henry Kevin , Lu Yu , Moffat Jason
Published: July 2022

Resistance to genotoxic therapies and tumor recurrence are hallmarks of glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive brain tumor. Here, we explore the functional drivers of post-treatment recurrent GBM. By conducting genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens in patient-derived GBM models, we uncover distinct genetic dependencies in recurrent tumor cells that were absent in their patient-matched primary predecessors, accompanied by increased mutational burden and differential transcript and protein expression. These analyses map a multilayered genetic response to drive tumor recurrence, identifying protein tyrosine phosphatase 4A2 (PTP4A2) as a novel modulator of self-renewal, proliferation and tumorigenicity at GBM recurrence. Mechanistically, genetic perturbation or small molecule inhibition of PTP4A2 represses axon guidance activity through a dephosphorylation axis with roundabout guidance receptor 1 (ROBO1), exploiting a functional dependency on ROBO signaling. Importantly, engineered anti-ROBO1 single-domain antibodies also mimic the effects of PTP4A2 inhibition. We conclude that functional reprogramming drives tumorigenicity and dependence on a multi-targetable PTP4A2-ROBO1 signaling axis at GBM recurrence.
Quality of life following medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction combined with medial tibial tubercle transfer in patients with recurrent patellar dislocation: a retrospective comparative study
Authors: Hao Kuo , Feng Ao , Kong Lingce , Wang Fei
Published: July 2022

Background: Because the patients undergoing medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLr) combined with medial tibial tubercle transfer (TTT) procedure are usually young and active, the quality of life (QoL) is also an important prognostic factor for patients recurrent patellar dislocation. Assessing QoL can provide more useful and accurate evidence for the effects of of this procedure. This study aimed to evaluate QoL following MPFLr combined with TTT, compared with isolated MPFLr (iMPFLr).Methods: Fifty-one patients who underwent iMPFLr + TTT and forty-eight patients who underwent iMPFLr were included. Clinical evaluation included QoL (EQ-5D-5L and EQ-5D VAS), functional outcomes (Kujala, Lysholm and Tegner activity scores), physical examinations (patellar apprehension test and range of motion) and redislocation rates. Radiological evaluation included patellar tilt angle and bisect offset. These preoperative and postoperative results were compared between groups at baseline and the final follow-up. The paired and independent t tests were used for the data following a normal distribution. Otherwise, the Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyze the differences. Categorical variables were compared by chi-square or Fisher exact test.Results: All of the QoL (EQ-5D-5L and EQ-5D VAS), clinical results and radiological outcomes significantly improved in both groups at the final follow-up, with no significant differences between groups. There was no significant difference in five dimensions of EQ-5D at the final follow-up, although percentages of people with problems of mobility and pain/discomfort were higher in the MPFLr + TTT group. Female patients had lower EQ-5D index and EQ-5D VAS compared with male patients in both groups at the final follow-up, but there was only a significant difference in the EQ-5D VAS. Conclusions: Both MPFLr + TTT and iMPFLr groups obtained similar and satisfactory improvements in the QoL, clinical results and radiological outcomes, indicating that MPFLr combined with TTT is a safe and effective procedure, which can significantly improve the QoL for patients with recurrent patellar dislocation in cases of pathologically lateralised TT. However, female patients obtained lower QoL than males.
ASLADS: A Secure LightweightAuthentication and Data TransmissionScheme for smart IoT devices
Authors: Sidharthan Krishnendu Thaliyassery , Nair Piyoosh Purushothaman
Published: July 2022

The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most dynamic and exciting developments in information and communications technology. On one hand, the outbreak of IoT helps to ease the daily life of end users. On the other hand, the transmission of large amounts of private information transmitted through a network brings serious security and privacy concerns. The limited availability of resources like computing resources, memory, and power resources remain major challenges for implementing security in IoT. In this paper, we propose a highly secure lightweight authentication and data transmission scheme for smart IoT devices that acts as a countermeasure against various security vulnerabilities of the IoT environment and also meets the resource requirements of the IoT. The scheme uses Silicon Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) technology to uniquely identify each edge node in the IoT. We rely on the Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) for secure data transmission. All the methods in the proposed scheme are based on symmetric and lightweight cryptographic techniques which helps to reduce the comput- ing power and energy requirement of the scheme. The proposed scheme is shown to be secure against various well-known attacks. Moreover, the proposed scheme achieves significantly lower energy consumption (57% to 86%), storage cost (42% to 61%), communication cost (53% to 73%) and computational cost (57% to 86%) as compared to other existing schemes.
Knowledge and attitude regarding monkeypox virus among physicians in Saudi Arabia, a cross-sectional study
Authors: Alshahrani Najim Z. , Algethami Mohammed R. , Alarifi Abdullah M , Alzahrani Faris , Sheerah Haytham Abdulwhab , Abdelaal Abdelaziz , Sah Ranjit , Rodriguez-Morales Alfonso J.
Published: July 2022

Objectives
The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes towards monkeypox infection among physicians, a frontline healthcare worker group, in Saudi Arabia.
Methods
A cross-sectional, online survey assessing knowledge and attitudes towards monkeypox infection on multiple-item scales was sent to physicians in Saudi Arabia. The associations between independent factors and either knowledge or attitude were assessed.
Results
The final analysis included 398 participants. Approximately 57% of the participants were under 30 years old, and 56.8% were male. Only 18.6% of the surveyed participants had ever received information about monkeypox in their medical education. A substantial proportion of assessed physicians lack knowledge regarding the endemicity of monkeypox, its transmission, clinical differences with smallpox, chickenpox, and influenza, as well as the clinical evolution and the main associated findings. In addition, there is a significant knowledge gap between the therapeutic management of monkeypox and its vaccination. Such poor knowledge is influenced by various factors.
Conclusions
Physicians' knowledge and attitudes regarding monkeypox infection are inadequate. Training and knowledge assessment is important, as demonstrated by previous epidemics and pandemics such as Zika and COVID-19, especially when studies show significant improvement in related and specific knowledge.
On the nanoscale structural evolution of solid discharge products in Lithium-Sulfur batteries using neutron, x-ray and electron techniques
Authors: Prehal Christian , von Mentlen Jean-Marc , Talian Sara Drvarič , Vizintin Alen , Dominko Robert , Amenitsch Heinz , Porcar Lionel , Freunberger Stefan , Wood Vanessa
Published: July 2022

Insufficient understanding of the mechanism that reversibly converts sulfur into lithium sulfide (Li2S) via soluble polysulfides (PS) hampers the realization of high performance lithium-sulfur (Li-S) cells. Typically Li2S formation is explained by direct electroreduction of a PS to Li2S; however, this is not consistent with the size and shape of the insulating Li2S deposits. Here, we use operando small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) and operando small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to track the growth and dissolution of solid deposits from atomic to sub-micron scales during charge and discharge. Stochastic modelling based on the SANS data allows quantification of the chemical phase evolution during discharge and charge. We show that the deposit is comprised of nanocrystalline Li2S and smaller, solid short-chain PS particles, which we argue are likely Li2S2. Our data are consistent with solid Li2S2 precipitating from solution and then being converted in the solid-state to Li2S, probably via direct electroreduction and chemical diffusion through the Li2S2 particle network. Solution-mediated Li2S2 precipitation, therefore, controls the Li2S/Li2S2 aggregate structure. Discharge capacity and rate capability in Li-S battery cathodes are limited by mass transport rather than electron transport through a thin passivating surface film. The found mechanism also explains why in practice not all S is converted to Li2S; a certain amount of Li2S2 remains as a second solid phase.
Drought-Induced Changes in The Flowering Capacity, Anthesis Quality and Seed Set in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Authors:   Department of Plant Science, Kulliyyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia, Salleh Mohd Syahmi , Nordin Mohd Shukor ,   Department of Plant Science, Kulliyyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia, Puteh Adam ,   Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia, Shahari Rozilawati ,   Department of Plant Science, Kulliyyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia, Zainuddin Zarina ,   Department of Plant Science, Kulliyyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia, Ab-Ghaffar Mohamad Bahagia ,   Industrial Crop Research Centre, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, 13200 Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, Shamsudin Noraziyah Abd Aziz ,   Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
Published: July 2022

Drought stress significantly reduces grain yield (GY) due to poor spikelet fertility and anthesis quality. Aim of this study was to understand the changes of flowering capacity, anthesis quality traits and seed set in the re-watered drought stressed modern high yielding drought susceptible rice cultivar, IR64 at heading (DSH) and booting (DSB) stages. The well-watered plants served as control of the experiment. Results obtained suggest that spikelet moisture content at above 80% was required to maintain optimum anthesis process in rice. Anthesis process in DSH plant was suspended when leaf relative water content (LRWC) dropped to below than 70%. Effects of drought stress on the spikelet moisture were irreversible as compared to the leaf rolling and LRWC. Hence, seed set was failed to occur at the upper rachis branches of the DSH plant. Anthesis process in the re-watered drought stress plants was resumed on the third day after re-watering with about 50% and 80% of anthers managed to dehisce in the DSH and DSB plants. Consequently, percentage of spikelet fertility and seed set in the DSH and DSB plants were increased towards the lower parts of the panicle. The GY, number of seeds, spikelet fertility, and harvest index however were significantly lower in the DSH plant (0.30 g, 13, 16.40% and 14.81) as compared to DSB plant (1.34 g, 57, 59.14% and 48.30), respectively. In addition, all interrelated traits involved in the flowering process of rice could be collectively termed as the anthesis quality traits due to their significant correlation with the grain yield and other yield components.
Sex-related Differences of Excoecaria agallocha L. with a View to Defence and Growth
Authors:   Department of Botany, University of Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal 741235, India, Kader Abdul , Sinha Sankar Narayan ,   Department of Botany, University of Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal 741235, India
Published: July 2022

Excoecaria agallocha is a dioecious mangrove species, reported to have various medicinal properties. This study compares the gender-related biological activities between the sexes of E. agallocha in accordance with morpho-biochemical parameters which indicate their fitness over various environmental stresses as well as some information about the investment of their resources over defence and growth. For this investigation, mature sun leaves of E. agallocha were collected from each sex from three different ecological regions like Bokkhali, Jharkhali, and Kolkata, West Bengal. The comparative study found that leaf of female plants yielded more compounds than males and also resulted in higher anti-bacterial, reducing power, total antioxidant, and lipid peroxidation activities. Female leaves also showed higher concentrations of biochemical constituents like chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total carotenoids, total phenolic compounds and total protein content than male leaves. However, leaf area of all-male leaves in all sites was found to be greater than female leaves. The differences in growth rate and secondary metabolite content-based defences between sexes suggest that females invest resources in defences or resistance (Relative electrolytic leakages and TBARS content), whereas male invests their resources in growth (Leaf area) or tolerance. The present study strongly suggests that the female plant’s yields are more beneficial in terms of medicinal properties as compared to the male plant.
A Checklist of the Herpetofauna of Nusa Kambangan Island, Central Java, Indonesia
Authors:   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, East Java, Indonesia, Kurniawan Nia , Septiadi Luhur ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan 10330, Bangkok, Thailand, Fathoni Muhammad ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, East Java, Indonesia, Kadafi Ahmad Muammar ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, East Java, Indonesia,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Palangka Raya, Palangka Raya 74874, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, Marhendra Agung Pramana Warih ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, East Java, Indonesia
Published: July 2022

An inventory of herpetofauna species from western part of Nusa Kambangan Island, Central Java, Indonesia, is presented. There are 43 herpetofauna species reported (16 amphibians and 27 reptiles). This study confirmed new distribution record and list some of threatened species. In light of the imminent human disturbances on Nusa Kambangan Island, a conservation plan is urgently needed.
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURE LIPIDS CARRIERS FOR SOLUBILITY ENHANCEMENT OF CURCUMIN
Authors:   Department of Pharmaceutics, Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Wardha, (Maharashtra), India., Havelikar Ujwal , Deshmukh Abhiram ,   Department of Pharmaceutics, Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Wardha, (Maharashtra), India., Ghorpade Kabirdas ,   Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services Limited, Hyderabad, (Telangana), India., Singh Neha ,   CSIR, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, (Telangana), India (CCMB)., Tupperwar Nitin ,   CSIR, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, (Telangana), India (CCMB)., Chandak Mahesh ,   Department of Pharmaceutics, Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Wardha, (Maharashtra), India.
Published: July 2022

Low solubility of the drug limits its biological application so there is need to enhance the solubility and hence bioavailability of the drug. This review contains discussion about the formulation of nanostructured lipid carriers is one of the best method to increase the solubility hence bioavailability of the drug.
UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME SCHEME: AN ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVE AND APPROACH
Authors:   Associate Professor Department of Economics, St. Anthonys College, Shillong., Singh Rajput Kishor
Published: July 2022

Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a fixed income every adult - rich or poor, working or idle - receives from government. A universal basic income is, like many rights, unconditional and universal: it requires that every person should have a right to a basic income to cover his or her needs, just by virtue of being a citizen of the country. One of the basic premises of the UBI is universality. This paper tries to argue in favour of its application to the specified group of unemployed people, instead of the whole population. This is particularly important in the backdrop of recent trend of jobless growth in Indian economy and the huge financial implications it will have if applied to whole population.
AÇIK KAPI POLİTİKASINDAN SINIR DUVARI PROJESİNE: TÜRKİYE’NİN SINIR POLİTİKASININ DÖNÜŞÜMÜ
Authors: ÖZBEY Kerem
Published: July 2022

Geçmişten günümüze sınırlar ve sınırları ifade etme biçimleri değişiklik göstermiştir. Bu çalışma, Türkiye’nin sınır politikasının dönüşümünü anlamayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaçla, Türkiye’nin 2011 yılında Suriye’de başlayan iç savaşla birlikte uyguladığı açık kapı politikasından hem Suriyeli hem de Afgan göçmenlere karşı uyguladığı sınır duvarı projesine odaklanılmıştır. Açık kapı politikasının ne tür etkilerinin ve sonuçlarının olduğu, açık kapı politikasından hangi gerekçelerle vazgeçildiği, sınır duvarı projelerine neden başvurulduğu, sınır duvarlarının inşasında nelerin etkili olduğu, Türkiye’de toplumsal tepkilerin ve değişen siyasal eğilimlerin göç ve sınır politikalarına nasıl yansıdığı, bu çalışmanın temel sorunsalını oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada, göç, kaçakçılık, suç ve terör nedeniyle Türkiye’nin açık kapı politikası yerine güney ve doğu bölgelerinde sınır duvarları inşa ettiği gözlenmiştir. Türkiye’de kaçak göçmenlere yönelik toplumsal tepkilerin artması ve siyasal iktidarın milliyetçi parti ve aktörlerle ittifak kurması, açık kapı politikasının çöküşünün ve sınır duvarı projelerinin yükselişinin kaynağını oluşturmuştur.
A Review on Soft Hand Rehabilitation Robot
Authors: Chen Zhe , Zhan Fangfang , Jiang Jingang , Wu Dianhao , Sun Jianpeng
Published: July 2022

Background:

In China, there are more than 2 million patients with hand function impairment caused by trauma and stroke each year. Since the hand is an important sensory and motor organ of the human body, the loss of hand function will seriously affect people's daily activities and work. The current hand function rehabilitation robots are mainly rigid. The rigid robot has the problems of fixed rehabilitation track, high rigidity, and poor comfort. To solve this series of problems, soft hand function rehabilitation robots have been vigorously developed.

Objective:

To introduce the classification, advantages and disadvantages, and development trend of existing soft hand rehabilitation robots. To provide for other researchers to understand its development status and future development trends.

Method:

The various products and patents of soft hand rehabilitation robots are summarized, and thestructural features, merits, and demerits of typical soft hand rehabilitation robots are introduced.

Results:

By analyzing a variety of soft hand function rehabilitation robots, the characteristics and thecurrent problems of soft hand function rehabilitation robots are determined, the development trend of soft hand function rehabilitation robots has been prospected, the current research status of soft hand function rehabilitation robots are discussed and the prospects are carried out.

Conclusion:

Because the rate of increase in patients with hand function loss is much greater than that of rehabilitation physicians, many patients cannot receive timely and effective treatment. Therefore, hand function rehabilitation robots have received people’s attention. Compared with rigid rehabilitation robots, soft hand function rehabilitation robots have diverse rehabilitation trajectories, high comfort, and low rigidity, so it is very necessary to develop soft hand function rehabilitation robots. In the future, soft hand function rehabilitation robots will inevitably develop towards simplification of structure, more comfortable wearing, economical, diversified functions, better curative effect, and safer development.
Factorial Equivalence and Validation of three Versions of the Body Shape Questionnaire
Authors: Dodeen Hamzeh , Nassar Yahya
Published: July 2022

Background:

Body image refers to a person’s perceptions, thoughts, or feelings about their own body, which affect their psychological health considerably, particularly their body shape dissatisfaction. Body image dissatisfaction was observed to be highly correlated with eating disorders, with psychological functioning, and with quality of life. Such dissatisfaction has grown worldwide, especially among young people, which has increased psychological interest in its assessment and studying.

Objectives:

One commonly used scale to study and assess body shape dissatisfaction is the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) by Cooper et al. This study aimed to compare the three widely used versions of the BSQ (the BSQ-34, BSQ-14, and BSQ-8C) in terms of validity, reliability, and usability and then to recommend the most appropriate version. The study also aimed to cross-validate the scales to identify their factor structure and psychometric properties.

Methods:

In total, 402, 326, and 373 students from a public university in the United Arab Emirates responded to the BSQ-34, BSQ-14, and BSQ-8C, respectively. The three scales were evaluated through several statistical procedures and tests, including reliability and exploratory factor analysis. The convergent validity and the discriminant validity of the scales were assessed by correlating them with appropriate scales.

Results:

The three scales demonstrated high internal reliability. The results indicated the existence of a three-factor solution for the BSQ-34. The BSQ-14 produced one factor that explained more than 60% of the variance. As for the BSQ-8C, one factor which explained 55.10% of the variance was extracted. While the results showed that the three BSQ scales had high and acceptable levels of convergent validity, the discriminant validity showed that the BSQ-14 is better than the other two scales.

Conclusion:

The findings confirmed the superiority of the version BSQ-14 over the other two versions in terms of their psychometric properties. With 14 items, the scale is not as lengthy as the BSQ-34, which requires more time and effort, nor is it as short as the BSQ-8C, which may exclude some aspects of the construct. Thus, the study recommends using the BSQ-14 to assess body dissatisfaction among young participants.