bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stability Assessment using Adaptive Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Sliding Mode Controlled Power System Stabilizer
Authors: Swain Dipak R , RAY PRAKASH K , Jena Ranjan K , PAITAL SHIBA R
Published: June 2022

The low frequency electromechanical oscillations (LFEOs) in electric power system are because of weaker inter-ties, uncertainties, various faults and disturbances. These LFEOs (0.2-3 Hz.) are less in magnitude and are responsible for lower power transfer, increased losses and also threaten the stability of power system. An adaptive interval type-2 fuzzy sliding mode controlled power system stabilizer (AIT2FSMC-PSS) is presented to neutralize the LFEOs and enhance stability under uncertainties and external disturbances. The AIT2FSMC is a hybridization of type-2 fuzzy logic system (T2FLS) with conventional SMC to lower the chattering effect, enhance the robustness of reaching phase and improve system’s performance. Here, T2FLS is used for estimating the unknown functions of SMC. A robust sliding surface is presented to keep the system in the desired plane and remain stable under disturbance conditions. A modified control law is proposed for selecting the control parameters and Lyapunov synthesis is used to make the error asymptotically converging to zero. The effectiveness of the AIT2FSMC-PSS is accessed in single and multimachine power systems subjected to various uncertainties and disturbances. Again, comparison of performance indices (PIs), Eigen values, damping ratios, oscillating frequencies, integral time absolute error (ITAE), figure of demerit (FD) and frequency domain plots like Bode, root locus and Nyquist plots are also analyzed to access the efficacy of the proposed stabilizer. The simulated responses, comparative study and frequency plots conform the supremacy of the proposed AIT2FSMC-PSS in suppressing the LFEOs with lesser settling characteristics, offer stable performance and assures transient stability of power system as compared to other stabilizers.
Effects of Psychological Capital, Coping Style and Emotional Intelligence on Self-Rated Health Status of College Students in China During COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: yao yongcheng , Jing Xiangzhi , Meng Hongling , Li Yuping , Lu Lingeng
Published: June 2022

Objective To explore the relationship between the self-reported health status, emotional coping style, emotional intelligence and positive psychological state of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The questionnaires of Self-rated Health Measurement Scale (SRHMS), Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS), Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ), Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ)were used for online survey. The study included 367 undergraduates. Results Male undergraduates had significantly higher psychological capital scores than female (P < 0.05), and those without siblings had significantly higher emotional intelligence and psychological capital scores than those with (P < 0.05). The students from urban had significantly higher emotional intelligence scores than those from rural (P < 0.05). Students who spent less than 3 hours online per day had significantly higher self-rated health scores than those spending 6 hours online per day (P < 0.05), and those who spent 3–6 hours online per day was significantly higher psychological capital scores than those who spent more than 6 hours online per day (P < 0.05). The interaction between emotional intelligence, psychological capital and coping styles was statistically significant (β=-0.045,P < 0.05) in health status with coping style ranking the top (β = 21.277). Conclusion: Sex, having siblings or not, birth place and online time per day affected health status, emotional intelligence, and psychological capital in undergraduate students. Coping style is a main positive factor that affects health, which was modified by emotional intelligence and psychological capital. In this pandemic emergency, positive coping style with optimistic emotional perception and understanding is an important measure against the pandemic-induced health problem.
Nutritional stress compromises mosquito fitness and antiviral immunity but enhances dengue virus infection susceptibility
Authors: Yan Jiayue , Kim Chang-Hyun , Chesser Leta , Ramirez Jose Luis , Stone Chris
Published: June 2022

Diet-induced nutritional stress may affect mosquito vectorial capacity through its impact on life history traits, infection susceptibility and immunity. However, how these three factors are affected by both larval and adult nutritional stress remains unclear. Here, we manipulated mosquito diet to create two levels of nutrition at both larval and adult stages and evaluated the effects of low nutrition (nutritional stress) on Aedes aegypti. We demonstrate that larval and adult nutritional stress negatively affected adult size and survival, respectively, and synergistically reduced the fecundity. The ingestion of an infectious blood meal did not independently, but rather interactively affect mosquito survival with nutritional stress, while it both independently and interactively affected fecundity. Mosquitoes that experienced nutritional stress as adults, but not as larvae were more susceptible to dengue virus infection after ingesting an infectious blood meal, but developed lower viral titers than their unstressed counterparts. Smaller mosquitoes were also more likely to become infected. Mosquito immune response to dengue virus infection appears to be suppressed by both larval and adult nutritional stress with distinct involvement of key immune signaling pathways. Overall, our findings demonstrate a crucial role of nutritional stress in mosquito life history traits, infection outcome and immune response which in turn influence vectorial capacity for dengue virus. Since nutrition is often limited in natural settings, our findings underscore the critical role that mosquito nutrition plays in driving the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases.
Enhanced vehicle detection mechanism for traffic management in smart cities
Authors: Tahir Wania , Wagan Raja Asif ASIF , Naeem Bushra , Ahmed Atiq , Hussain Jawad , Baryalai Mehmeed , Mehmood Mirza Aamir , Hussain Shumaila
Published: June 2022

Nowadays Road traffic is major issue of developing and under developing countries. With the rampant increase of traffic, the society faces major traffic threats including life threats and environmental threat, thus traffic management is gruesome problem to address. The consequences of poor traffic management include road accidents, jamming of traffic, pollution and many more that can be life threatening. Living in 21 st century with the emergence of technology and applicability of smart cities provides a perfect solution to curb traffic issues. Keeping in view the deadlock and congestion in traffic, this work provides solution by indigently detecting and prioritizing the vehicles and non-vehicles. The research involves implementation and comparison of two state of art algorithms Aggregated channel feature and Point Tracker. Further, the algorithms are enhanced by improving traffic management in terms of identifying category of transport, prioritizing the traffic which contains vehicle and non-vehicles on basis of size of vehicle, type of vehicle, emergency situation and provide the priority to resolve the deadlock. Further, the proposed enhanced point tracker algorithm includes the emergency detection in case of accident and provide an alternative route to neighboring vehicles and non-vehicles. Enhanced ACF has detected true positive rate of 80%, 89%, has detected true positive rate of 69% and 79% having non-vehicle detected with assigned priority. Enhanced point tracker has detected true positive rate of 88%, 94%, and 86% having vehicles, non- vehicles and assigned priority.
Rapid epidemic expansion of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 subvariant during China’s largest outbreaks
Authors: Dai Yeyu Freddie , Dai Bingxi Gabriel , Chen Mu
Published: June 2022

A complete and accurate statistical analysis of cases of contraction with SARS-CoV-2, under the conditions of strict mandatory quarantine and isolation and of a high rate of full vaccination, during the largest COVID-19 outbreaks driven by the Omicron BA.2 subvariant in China are given. SARS-CoV-2 is still new, and little is known about either its directions of variations or its laws of propagation. No country other than China has been able to disclose every case of infection in every epidemic or outbreak since April of 2020. Here, this study reveals that Omicron BA.2 subvariant can still spread very fast and wide in areas with strict “dynamic zero-COVID strategy” in China, that there exist cities twenty fold differences in morbidity rates unrelated to any of the known factors contributing to incidence of infectious diseases, and that Omicron BA.2 subvariant is unpredictable in its virulence, although its severity rate of symptomatic cases is low. This analysis provides first-hand original and valuable information for further research on similar epidemics in the future. This study also raises a discussion about possible correlation related to quantum mechanics, and the quantum evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant may finally bring COVID-19 Pandemic to end. It may bring new thoughts for correction of present epidemiological theory and mathematical models. It may also give other countries time to be better prepared for the coming waves driven by Omicron variant.
Slope stability assessment along Indian Himalayan National Highway NH-154A
Authors: Singh Kanwarpreet
Published: June 2022

The road cut rock slope stability assessment along the Chamba-Bharmour road corridor of NH-154A has been carried out in present study based on the geological and geotechnical investigations as published In Journal Geological Society of India (Singh and Kumar 2020). The type of failure in the rock slopes has been identified using kinematic analysis based on Markland’s test. The factor of safety (FOS) of identified planar and a wedge failures was evaluated using method proposed by Hoek and Bray. Extensive field work has been performed for collecting rock samples and to record input parameters like joint orientations for stereonet plotting. A total of six out of fourteen potentially unstable rock slopes at different locations along the NH-154A have been taken into consideration for their stability analysis. The unstable rock slope sections L3R1, L16R8, L19R14, L27R12, and L29R13 fulfill the criteria for plane failure conditions while L16R8, L25R10, L26R11, L27R12, L29R13 fulfill the criteria for wedge failure. It has been found that the FOS was identified to be less than one for planar failure at two sites while the minimum value of FOS for planar failure at other two sites falls between 1.0–1.2. The FOS of the plane failure at a single site was evaluated as greater than 2. The wedge failures identified at five sites had FOS greater than one. The site specific mitigation and control measures have been evolved for critical rock cut slopes.
Effectiveness of Play Therapy Programme in Promoting Early Child Development of under-5 Children visiting Tertiary Care Hospital in Rural Settings: Study Protocol of A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Patil Manoj Shankarrao , Gaidhane Abhay M , Quazi S Z
Published: June 2022

Background: Early childhood demands for good care, conscious and mindful parenting. The survival through childhood depends on adults who consciously handle the hunger, sickness and socioemotional needs of children. Good care also includes practices of keeping children safe from harm, giving them love, attention, and providing the opportunities to learn. Hospitalization is obviously quite stressful for the child of any age. For years, it has been known that play is an vital element for promoting the normal growth and development of children.Methods: This Randomized Controlled Trial will be implemented through the hospital settings of Acharya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital, Wardha and the enrolled children will be followed at home visits at scheduled intervals over a period of one year from enrolment. Children in intervention arm will receive customized Play Therapy sessions during hospital stay and at scheduled home visits. Assessments will be done for child development parameters through a set of tools and difference in development scores will be compared between intervention and control groups.Discussion: Intervention group is expected to show significant improvements in child development scores compared to control group. The customized play therapy programme will be adapted to different paediatric inpatient settings and attempts will be made to develop a dedicated and safe Play Therapy kit for hospitalized children. Trial registration: Clinical Trial Registry of India Reg. No: CTRI/2022/03/041355 Dated 24/03/2022 http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/regtrial.php?modid=1&compid=19&EncHid=94157.99481
Pulmonary rehabilitation integrated sports into medicine for patients with COPD: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Jing Yuting , Ma Yuying , Zhang Hongxing , Wu Zhenhu , Li Yongwen , Li Haoxuan , Huang Minling , Lin Lin , Xu Yinji
Published: June 2022

BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most common chronic lung disease creating immense burden on social health care systems. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has proven to be effective in patients with COPD. However, exercise training as the basis of PR becomes extremely tedious, occasionally causing loss of perseverance in patients. Therefore, we considered an approach that makes this technique interesting and easier to persist. The aim of this project was to explore an exercise training approach based on PR-integrated sports in medicine to promote the new exercise training approach as a form of group rehabilitation activity in the future.MethodsParticipants were randomly divided into the trial and control groups. The trial group was treated with PR-integrated sports into medicine (plus usual care). All exercise programs were guided by sports coaches with a physical education background. Meanwhile, the control group received traditional PR and home exercises, including walking and swimming. The study lasted for 12 weeks. The primary outcome measure was exercise tolerance using the 6-min walking test and secondary outcomes were the peak oxygen uptake of cardiopulmonary exercise tests, the COPD Assessment Test, and the St. Georges Respiratory Questionnaire. Other evaluated outcomes included changes in postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume at 1st second, forced vital capacity, body fat and muscle composition, and mental status measured using the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scales.DiscussionThis study provides a simple, feasible, repeatable, and fun exercise training approach. To the best of our knowledge, there are no randomized controlled trials in the existing literature on PR-integrated sports into medicine. The protocol shared in our study can be used as a reference for exercise training in patients with COPD.Trial registration Ethical approval (BF2020-236-02) was obtained from the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine Human Research Ethics Committee. All participants signed an informed consent form. ChiCTR- 2100043543 (http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=120298). The registration date is 2021/02/21 and it is the third version.
EDM milling based on a 6-DOF serial robot
Authors: Yue Xiaoming , Chen Zhiyuan , Xu Zuoke , Liu Jing
Published: June 2022

Aiming at the problems of insufficient flexibility and limited size of workpiece in traditional EDM milling, an EDM milling method based on 6-DOF serial robot is proposed in this paper. To realize the rapid adjustment of machining gap, a tool electrode servo motion device was invented and installed at the end of a 6-DOF serial robot and a servo control strategy of tool electrode vertical trajectory fallback was proposed. Then, to achieve the controllable thickness of every layer in EDM milling based on 6-DOF serial robot, the servo control strategy of limited motion of the tool electrode on the basis of vertical servo control and a fix-length compensation method to compensate the tool electrode wear were proposed. Finally, to verify the correctness and effectiveness of servo control strategy and wear compensation of tool electrode, the trapezoidal groove structures on the plane workpiece and cylindrical workpiece were machined by EDM milling based on 6-DOF serial robot, respectively. Also, to verify the machining ability of complex trajectory on the space surface of workpiece of EDM milling based on 6-DOF serial robot, three complex trajectories, such as EDM, Chinese character ‘China’ and ‘Chinese knot’, were designed and machined on the hemispherical workpiece with the radius of 38 mm. The feasibility and effectiveness of EDM milling technology based on 6-DOF serial robot were verified, which has great market application potential.
A Novel Energy-Efficient Routing Probabilistic Strategies For Distributed And Localized Heterogeneous Wsn
Authors: sabri yassine , Najib Elkamoun
Published: June 2022

In the context of geographic routing in wireless sensor networks linked by probabilistic communication channels, energy efficient transmission is important to extend the network lifetime. presents a novel probabilistic forwarding approach for directed data transmission without route discovery. In this model, each message is required to reach the base station successfully with a predefined probability, hence sensor nodes which are located nearer to the base station need to relay messages with a certain relay probability. The relationship between the number of relaying nodes and relay probability is analyzed and the condition for relay probability to guarantee the success probability is obtained. We propose a novel methods profor and enprofor protocols are distributed and localized protocols. They can adapt to a topological change of the network and work robustly against individual node failure.. Simulation examples comparing the energy costs for the different strategies illustrate the theoretical analysis in the cases. With the method proposed it is possible to obtain a significant energy savings (up to ten times) with probabilistic transmission rate and power.
Algal oil recovery from crepe cotton processing effluent using Scenedesmus dimorphus in comparison with activated sludge treatment
Authors: Meher Rajanandini , Sharma Naresh Kumar , Manickam Matheshwaran
Published: June 2022

Crepe cotton bandages or the surgical cotton fabrics output has risen dramatically in recent years as a result of rising demand from medical experts, particularly in nations like India, which is one of the top five cotton exporters in the world. For the manufacturing of crepe cotton bandages high quality of cotton fibres are used. The effluent released from crepe cotton textile units are distinguished from the other textile effluents by the absence of colouring agents. Suspended particles, COD, dissolved ions, organic carbon, and an alkaline pH characterise this effluent. Several degradation studies of colouring chemicals, organic and inorganic contaminants released from textile effluents have been conducted, but treatment studies on Crepe Cotton Textile Wastewater (CCTW) have been rare, despite their potential environmental threat. Biological treatment of wastewater is an indelible part of any industrial or domestic wastewater treatment plant. Although ASP (activated sludge process) is the most common, and primordial process used to treat wastewater, nevertheless generates ESP (Excess Sludge Produced) is the major disadvantage of this process. Conversely the burgeoning demand for energy has spurred scientists to test the potential of algae for treating wastewater, and energy production as well. Therefore, there is a paucity of knowledge of understanding, and selecting the right ecological, and economical system for effective treatment of cotton processing wastewater till date. In this research article a comparative batch study between activated sludge and microalgae Scenedesmus dimorphus with respect to different dilutions (100%, 50%, 25%, 10%) of CCTW was studied. From the results, it was observed that the strain Scenedesmus dimorphus could deplete > 83%, and > 97% of COD from 25%, and 10% of wastewater batches respectively during the microalgal batch study. On the contrary activated sludge microbes could remove maximum 76.40% of carbon from the initial concentration of 3560 mg/l of COD while cultured in 25% of wastewater. Likewise, the reduction efficiency of nitrate nitrogen (NO− 3-N), ammonia nitrogen (NH+ 4-N), phosphate (PO3 − 4-P) was compared. Simultaneously the growth of S. dimorphus by measuring total chlorophyll showed a 1.28-fold increase in biomass in wastewater as comparison with pure culture medium within 15 days of batch experiment conducted in triplicates. After the batch experiment the total lipid content was estimated from the wet algal biomass with extraction efficiency of 90 ± 1.2%. From this study a significant decrease in organic and inorganic pollutants by Scenedesmus dimorphus was noticed as compare to activated sludge microbes.
Countrywide insecticide resistance monitoring and first report of the presence of knock down resistance east in Niger, West Africa
Authors: Soumaila Hadiza , Hamani Boubé , Arzika Ibrahim Issa , Amadou Soumana , Daouda Abdoulaye , Souleymane Iro , Gouro Samira , Sani Mahamane , Mahamadou Izamné , Kadri Saadou , Salé Noura Mamane , Hounkanrin Wilfried , Mahamadou Boubacar , Zamaka Halima , Labbo Rabiou , Jackou Hadiza , Idrissa Sabiti , Coulibaly Eric , Bahari-Tohon Zilahatou , Mathieu Els , Carlson Jenny , Dotson Ellen , Awolola Taiwo Samson , Flatley Cecilia , Chabi Joseph
Published: June 2022

Background
Mass distribution of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) is the principal malaria vector control strategy adopted by Niger. To better inform on the most appropriate ITNs to distribute, the Niger National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), with the support of the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and its partners, conducted insecticide resistance monitoring in sixteen sites selected across the country.
Methods
The susceptibility of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) to chlorfenapyr and pyrethroid insecticides was investigated in nine sites in 2019 and fifteen sites in 2020, including eightfrom the previous year. The susceptibility status, pyrethroid resistance intensity at 5 and 10 times the diagnostic concentrations, and piperonyl butoxide (PBO) synergism with diagnostic concentrations of deltamethrin, permethrin and alpha-cypermethrin were assessed using WHO bioassays. Two doses (100 and 200 µg/bottle) of chlorfenapyr were tested using the CDC bottle assay method. Species composition and allele frequencies for knock-down resistance (kdr-west and kdr-east) and acetylcholinesterase (ace-1) mutations were further characterized using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Results
High resistance to all pyrethroids tested was observed in all sixteen sites during both years. Pre-exposure to PBO substantially increased susceptibility with average increases in mortality from 30 to 70% for deltamethrin, 0 to 60% for permethrin, and 5 to 70% for alpha-cypermethrin. Susceptibility to chlorfenapyr (100 ug/bottle) was recorded in all sites except in Tessaoua and Magaria where susceptibility was recorded at the dose of 200 ug/bottle. The kdr-e allele, investigated for the first time, was detected in the country. Both kdr-w and kdr-e were present in all 15 sites surveyed in 2020, at frequencies between 0.46–0.81 and 0.41–0.87, respectively. An. coluzzii was the predominant malaria vector species in the 16 sites surveyed for insecticide susceptibility followed by An. gambiae s.s. and An. arabiensis.
Conclusion
The data collected showed high resistance to pyrethroids with the involvement of various resistance mechanisms, which will guide the NMCP in making evidence-based decisions to better adapt vector control strategies and insecticide resistance management in Niger, starting with the introduction of new generation ITNs such as interceptor G2 and PBO ITNs for mass distribution campaigns, by targeting sites where the vector population showed susceptibility to chlorfenapyr or increased mortality using PBO synergism.
Risk factors for failed back surgery syndrome following open posterior lumbar surgery for degenerative lumbar disease
Authors: Xu Wenbo , Ran Bingbing , Zhao Jianhui , Luo Wenqi , Gu Rui
Published: June 2022

Background: We aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors for failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) following open posterior lumbar surgery for degenerative lumbar disease (DLD).Method: A multivariate regression analysis was performed for 333 consecutive patients to identify potential risk factors for FBSS. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by the validated North American Spine Society (NASS) Questionnaire and numerical rating scale (NRS) for pain. Demographics, diagnostic characteristics, surgical data, radiographic parameters for each patient were analyzed. Result: 16.8％ of the included patients were classified as FBSS. Univariate analysis showed that age, hypertension, symptom location, intermittent claudication, preoperative pain NRS-leg, HIZ, Modic changes (MCs), surgical strategy and postoperative rehabilitation were related to FBSS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that preoperative NRS-leg (OR:0.80, 95%CI:0.71-0.91, P=0.001), hypertension (OR: 2.22, 95%CI: 1.10-4.51, P=0.027), intermittent claudication with waking distance > 100m (OR: 4.07, 95%CI: 1.75-9.47, P=0.001) and waking distance ≤ 100m (OR: 12.43, 95%CI: 5.54-27.92, P＜0.001), HIZ (OR: 8.26, 95%CI: 4.00-17.04, P＜0.001), MCs (OR: 3.41, 95%CI: 1.73-6.71, P＜0.001), postoperative rehabilitation (OR: 2.63, 95%CI: 1.13-6.12 , P=0.024) were risk factors for FBSS.Conclusion: Open posterior lumbar surgery is an effective treatment for DLD which provide pain reduction and lumbar curve improvement with a considerable satisfaction rate. Lower preoperative NRS-leg, hypertension, intermittent claudication, HIZ, MCs and postoperative rehabilitation are risk factors for FBSS, who can serve as a tool for clinicians to identify at-risk population and provide more effective management to mitigate the doctor-patient contradicts and further occupation of medical resources.
Prognostic significance of tumor-associated neutrophils and circulating neutrophils in glioblastoma, IDH wild-type
Authors: Wang Xuezhen , Li Xiaoxia , Wu Yufan , Hong Jinsheng , Zhang Mingwei
Published: June 2022

Background
Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) in the tumor microenvironment are prognostic biomarkers in many malignancies. However, the prognostic value of TANs in glioblastoma, IDH wild-type remains poorly studied. We analyzed correlations of TANs and peripheral blood neutrophils prior to radiotherapy with overall survival (OS) in glioblastoma.
Methods
RNA-seq expression profiles of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma, IDH wild-type were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and The Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA). TAN infiltration was inferred using CIBERSORTx algorithm. Neutrophil counts prior to radiotherapy in newly diagnosed glioblastoma, IDH wild-type were obtained from the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. The prognostic value of TANs and peripheral blood neutrophils before radiotherapy was investigated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards models. The robustness of these findings was evaluated by sensitivity analysis, and E values were calculated.
Results
A total of 113 and 173 individuals with glioblastoma, IDH wild-type were identified from the TCGA and CGGA cohorts, respectively. High infiltration of TANs was of prognostic of poor OS in TCGA (HR = 1.811,95% CI: 1.048–3.128) and CGGA (HR = 1.572, 95% CI: 1.046–2.365). Levels of peripheral blood neutrophils before radiotherapy (HR = 2.073, 95% CI: 1.077–3.990) were independently associated with poor prognosis. Sensitivity analysis determined that the E-value of high TANs infiltration was 2.38 and 2.52 in the TCGA and CGGA cohorts.
Conclusions
TANs and peripheral blood neutrophil levels before radiotherapy are prognostic of poor outcomes in glioblastoma, IDH wild-type.
The impact of distance education on nursing students course performance in a Sino-foreign cooperative program during the onset of COVID-19: a quasi-experimental study
Authors: Zhang Yu , Zhang Ning , Liu Hongyuan , Kan Yinshi , Zou Yan
Published: June 2022

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 changed many studies’ teaching mode in higher education profoundly, including nursing. This study evaluated the impact of distance education on the course performance of nursing students in a nursing fundamentals course during the epidemic of COVID-19. Methods: This is a comparative prospective and retrospective quasi-experimental study. Nursing students in a Sino-foreign cooperative program were allocated to either an intervention group (distance education, n=48) or control group (face-to-face teaching, n=36). Academic performance, academic self-efficacy, and academic engagement were evaluated for three aspects of learning.Results: Students experiencing distance teaching had worse academic performance (p=0.001) and lower levels of learning behavior self-efficacy (p﹤0.05). The total score of academic engagement (p=0.04) for students experiencing distance teaching were significantly lower than the scores of those students in the control group. Conclusions: In the context of COVID-19, nursing students conducted using distance education had poor course performance.
Developing the functional cotton fabric with N-halamine antibacterial structure based on DA/PEI
Authors: Wan Jiansheng , Li Hong , Cai Xiaoyu , Yan Jun , Liao YongPing
Published: June 2022

In this study, functional coatings with N-halamine structure were formed on cotton fabrics by dopamine (DA) auto-deposition and DA/Polyethyleneimine (PEI) covalent co-deposition, respectively. SEM、UV-Vis and XPS had confirmed the deposition of DA and DA/ polydopamine (PDA) on the cotton fabrics. When the mass ratio of DA/PEI was 1:1.5, a uniform functional coating was formed. XRD had indicated that the coating and the oxidative sodium hypochlorite solution did not affect the crystal structure of cellulose. The DA/PEI co-deposited modified cotton fabric had excellent antibacterial property after chlorination, and the inactivation rate against E coli and S aureus could reach 100% with a contact time of 30 min. The functional coating on the cotton fabric remained stable after 50 washing cycles. The UPF values and the wrinkle recovery angle (WRA) tests showed that the DA/PEI co-deposited coating imparted great durable press and UV protective properties to the cotton fabric. The breaking strength loss rate of the modified cotton fabrics after chlorination was about 20%, which had little effect on the wearing property.
The Environmental Philips Curve from a Gender Perspective: Empirical Evidence from India
Authors: Shastri Shruti , Mohapatra Geetilaxmi , Giri Arun Kumar
Published: June 2022

The trade-off between environmental degradation and unemployment has been recently termed as Environmental Philips Curve (EPC) .This research attempts to investigate the presence of EPC in the Indian context utilizing time series data for the period 1990-2019. Besides contributing to the meager empirical literature on this issue, the present study makes a novel contribution by introducing a gender dimension to this investigation. In particular, this study investigates whether the nexus between environmental degradation and unemployment is different for men and women. We examine the presence of the EPC by estimating a model that considers growth in CO2 emission as a function of economic growth, trade openness and gender segregated unemployment rates. Our findings based on ARDL, FMOLS and DOLS estimators generate robust evidence for a negative impact of male unemployment rate on growth in CO2 emission that validates the existence of Environmental Philips Curve for male unemployment rate . However, there is no trade-off between environmental quality and women’s employment. In fact, the results point to a favourable effect of reduction in female unemployment on environmental quality. The results of Block Exogeneity test indicate a unidirectional causality from male unemployment rate to environmental degradation. However, bidirectional causal relationship , exists between female unemployment and environmental degradation. The existence of trade-off between environmental quality and male employment suggests that India is yet to find viable technologies that can curtail pollution without compromising the livelihood. An optimistic conclusion emanating from our findings is the existence of a virtuous cycle between female employment and environmental quality. An integrated approach to improve environmental quality and increase women’s economic activity may facilitate a speedy realization of sustainable development goals for India as both the goals compliment and reinforce each other.
A Novel Airbag Aided Differential-drive Capsule Robot Towards Colonoscopy
Authors: Yang Jianlin , Sun Zhijun , Guo Yu
Published: June 2022

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world, which is a serious threat to human health. Endoscopy is the most effective way to screen colorectal cancer. However, it is very difficult to design a robot that can move in a complex colon. Soft robots can adapt to a variety of unstructured environments, and their interaction with humans is more secure. This paper presents a novel differential-drive caterpillar-based robot for colonoscopy, which is expanded by an airbag. Combining the advantages of the soft robot and the wheeled robot, the robot has both the flexibility of the former and the rapidity of the latter. The size of the robot in the contraction state is only ϕ28mm × 35mm and the length of traction module is only 28mm. The robot can be expanded to a diameter of 50mm and has a maximum speed of 5mm/s. The design concept of the robot and its traction module are described in detail. To ensure the stable movement of robot, the controlled output force of the robot caterpillar track is tested by experiments. In addition, the robot is placed in a curved bellow to move, and its motion validity is verified.
Environmental remediation through wastewater management via hybrid nanocomposite matrix – A organized review
Authors: Pal Kaushik , Chakroborty Subhendu , Panda Pravati , Nath Nibedita , Soren Siba
Published: June 2022

Pollution of water is currently a significant worry for scientific communities all over the world, and it is imperative that this problem be solved as quickly as possible. It is today recognized to be one of the most important foci of research worldwide. The present dilemma of clean, fresh waste is being addressed by the subsequent ejection of impurities from polluted water following recycling. There are several effective solutions that have been promoted as a solution to this problem. Even if the present procedures for wastewater treatment degrade a wide variety of effluents efficiently, these protocols still have some kind of restrictions. The most cutting-edge research in this area is being done on the subject of nanotechnology, which has an astounding number of potential uses, one of which is the treatment of wastewater. One of the value-added alternatives utilized for water purification by eliminating the many types of pollutants found in wastewater is the green synthesis of nanocomposites in adsorbents, magnetic separation, photocatalysts and other similar processes. Within the scope of this study, the most significant discoveries of nanocomposites to date that have been made towards the remediation of wastewater are highlighted.
Prediction of inter-chain distance maps of protein complexes with 2D attention-based deep neural networks
Authors: Guo Zhiye , Liu Jian , Skolnick Jeffrey , Cheng Jianlin
Published: June 2022

Residue-residue distance information is useful for predicting the tertiary structures of protein monomers or the quaternary structures of protein complexes. Many deep learning methods have been developed to predict intra-chain residue-residue distances of monomers accurately, but very few methods can accurately predict inter-chain residue-residue distances of protein complexes. We develop a new deep learning method CDPred (i.e., Complex Distance Prediction) based on the 2D attention-powered residual network architecture to address the gap. CDPred predicts the inter-chain distance maps of dimers (homodimers or heterodimers) from the features extracted from multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) and the intra-chain distance maps of predicted tertiary structures of monomers. Tested on two homodimer test datasets, CDPred achieves the precision of 61.56% and 43.26% for top L/5 inter-chain contact predictions (L: length of the monomer in homodimer), respectively, which is substantially higher than DeepHomo’s 37.40% and 23.08% and GLINTER’s 48.09% and 36.74%. And tested on the two heterodimer test datasets, the top L/5 inter-chain contact prediction precision (L: length of the shorter monomer in heterodimer) of CDPred is 47.59% and 22.87% respectively, which surpasses GLINTER’s 23.24% and 13.49%. Moreover, we demonstrate that the residue-residue co-evolutionary features calculated from multiple sequence alignments by a deep learning language model are more informative for the inter-chain contact prediction than the traditional statistical optimization approach of maximizing direct co-evolutionary signals, and large intra-chain distances in the intra-chain distance maps of monomers are more useful for the inter-chain distance prediction than small intra-chain distances.
Electroless deposition of silver on aminated graphene oxide coated cotton fabric to develop high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding
Authors: Akram Saba , Javid Amjed , Ashraf Munir
Published: June 2022

Endowing conductive textiles for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding with dominant absorption mechanism is highly demanding. In this study, we propose a facile method of silver electroless plating on aminated graphene oxide (NH2-GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) based cotton fabric for remarkable EMI shielding performance. The successful formation of silver-plated fabrics was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). EMI shielding performance and surface resistance were studied by vector network analyzer (VNA) and four-probe digital multimeter respectively. Antibacterial activity and hydrophobicity of modified fabrics were also evaluated. Our results showed that all fabrics have good antibacterial activity, and the highest antibacterial activity was shown by silver/rGO fabric about 99.99%. Silver-plated aminated GO-based fabric exhibits low surface resistance and its EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) reaches 49 dB at 7 GHz with 1.2 mm thickness as amination of GO provides more functional groups for silver electroless plating. Moreover, these modified fabrics have higher SEA rather than SER that verifying the absorption characteristic of material. Thus, the remarkable EMI shielding performance of silver-plated NH2-GO fabrics tends to make significant progress in eliminating electromagnetic radiations pollution from our environment.
Feasibility of a smartphone application as a personalized treatment tool for adolescents with overweight: an explorative qualitative study
Authors: Desmet Maurane , Franssen Sieske , Varol Tugce , Fillon Alicia , Thivel David , Roefs Anne , Braet Caroline
Published: June 2022

Background: The present study is the first step of a 3-year European project in which a tailored smartphone application will be developed and tested as a potential tool in the personalized treatment of children and adolescents with overweight. Methods: In this study, 10 focus groups (n = 48 participants) were conducted in Belgium, The Netherlands and France with adolescents with overweight (12-16 years; n = 30) and parents of adolescents with overweight (n = 18) to investigate their perceptions on (un)healthy behavior, the drivers of these behaviors, and the needs of an eHealth application for weight loss. A thorough thematic analysis was performed using Nvivo12. Results: Results show that adolescents with overweight have a well-articulated perspective on (un)healthy behavior and their needs. Parents underestimate their own influence on the (un)healthy behavior of their children and report difficulties in healthy lifestyle parenting, which makes their role as a coach rather ambiguous. Concerning the needs of an eHealth application, both parents and adolescents formulated some challenging expectations regarding the content and the format including information, monitoring and motivation increasing features. The results of this analysis will form the basis for designing a personalized eHealth application, which will be tested in a next phase. Conclusions: We can conclude that adolescents have a well-articulated perspective on healthy and unhealthy behavior and their needs, whereby a new app could be of great help. It could function as a day-by-day diary and as a supportive coach.
Therapeutic intervention based on analysis by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of intrauterine microbiome improves pregnancy outcomes of IVF patients: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Iwami Nanako , Kawamata Miho , Ozawa Naoko , Yamamoto Takahiro , Watanabe Eri , Mizuuchi Masahito , Moriwaka Osamu , Kamiya Hirobumi
Published: June 2022

Purpose: Lactobacillus -dominated microbiota (LDM, defined as >90% Lactobacillus species composition) in the endometrium was reported to be associated with favorable reproductive outcomes. We investigated in this study whether 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing technology analysis of the uterine microbiota improves pregnancy outcomes.Methods: The prospective cohort study consisted of 195 women with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) (defined as at least three previous failed in vitro fertilization (IVF)-embryo transfer (ET) attempts) and was carried out between March 2019 and April 2021 at our fertility center. Analyses of endometrial microbiota by 16S rRNA gene sequencing were suggested to all patients who had failed three or more ETs. One hundred and thirty-one patients underwent microbial 16S rRNA biomarker analysis (study group) before additional transfers, while 64 patients with a history of RIF proceeded to ET without endometrium analysis (control group). The primary outcome was the cumulative clinical pregnancy rate after two additional ETs. Main results: Abnormal endometrial microbiota was detected in 30 patients (22.9%). All but one of those 29 patients received antibiotics corresponding with the detected bacteria and probiotic treatment. As results, the cumulative clinical pregnancy rate (study group: 64.5% vs. control group: 33.3%, p=0.005) and the ongoing pregnancy rate (study group: 55.1% vs. control group: 32.8%, p=0.020) were both significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Personalized treatment recommendations based on the 16S rRNA analysis of the uterine microbiota can improve IVF outcomes of patients who have been experiencing RIF. Study funding/competing interest(s): None applicable.Trial registration number: a trial registration number is only required for clinical trials. the University hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trial Registry in Japan, UMIN000036050 Date of registration: March 1 st , 2019
The necessity of incorporating non-genetic risk factors into polygenic risk score models
Authors: Dam Sipko van , Folkertsma Pytrik , Forte Jose Castela , Vries Dylan H. , Gannamani Rahul , Wolffenbuttel Bruce H.R.
Published: June 2022

The growing public interest in genetic risk scores for various health conditions may inspire preventive health action. However, these risk scores can be deceiving as they do not consider other, easily attainable risk factors, such as sex, BMI, age, smoking habits, parental disease status and physical activity. We show improved performance in identifying the 10% most at-risk individuals for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and coronary artery disease (CAD) by including these common risk factors. Incidence in the highest risk group increases from 3.2- and 4.2-fold to 5.8 for T2D, when comparing the genetics-based model, common risk factor-based model and combined model, respectively. Similarly, we see an increase from 2.9- and 2.4-fold to 5.0-fold risk for CAD. Importantly, we show that genetic and common risk factors capture different risks. As such, it is paramount that all these variables are considered when reporting risk, unlike current practice with available genetic tests.
Insights into the deriving of rhizosphere microenvironments and its effects on the growth of authentic Angelica sinensis seedlings under continuous monoculture
Authors: Gong Xiaofang , Zhu Ying , Peng Yinan , Guo Zengxiang , Zhou Jianping , Yang Hui , Wang Zhiye
Published: June 2022

Purpose: Continuous monoculture leads to deterioration of soil microenvironment, which can severely threat the quality and efficiency of Angelica sinensis (A. sinensis), especially for seedlings production. However, little attention has been paid to investigate how continuous monocropping affects the growth of A. sinensis seedling, rhizosphere microbial populations, and nutrient status. Methods: A field experiment consisting of two different planting patterns - raising A. sinensis seedlings in reclamation alpine uncultivated meadow (RW) and 1-year continuous monoculture (CC), was carried out at Min County, Gansu province, China. Result: The results showed that compared with RW, the growth rate and valid quantity of A. sinensis seedlings were significantly reduced by 195.4 % and 36.7% in CC, respectively. Continuous monocropping significantly increased the rhizosphere soil pH value during the growing season, ranging from 6.18 to 7.10, while reducing the content of SOM, total N, available P and K. Glomalin, AMF spores and the number of actinomycetes, ammonifying and azotobacter were also decreased by CC. The CC treatment significantly increased the abundance of fungi. And the diversity and richness of bacterial and fungal flora in CC were lower than RW. Furthermore, the composition and structure of flora also changed that the abundance of beneficial bacteria and decreased fungi while the abundance of pathogenic bacteria and pathogens increased in CC. Thus, CC appeared to completely upend the relationship between soil nutrient availability and microbial activity. Conclusion: The results illustrated that continuous monoculture led to changes in the flora of bacteria and fungi, decreased the abundance of beneficial bacteria, and increased the abundance of harmful pathogenic bacteria and pathogens. The function of microbial population has changed from "bacteria-dominated" to "fungi-dominant". We concluded that continuous monoculture significantly reduced the growth and the efficiency of A. sinensis seedlings, deteriorated the rhizosphere soil microenvironment by increasing pH and decreasing nutrient availability, as well as altering the function of interactions between soil nutrients and microbial populations, thereby resulting in an unsuitable microenvironment for A. sinensis seedlings growth.