bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Desmatamento na Amazônia e queimadas no Pantanal: certezas construídas pelo presidente da República na Assembleia Geral da ONU
Authors: Rocha Helton Menezio Urtado
Published: June 2022

Neste trabalho, objetivamos analisar o funcionamento da certeza enquanto um efeito de sentido em duas falas do presidente da república, Jair Bolsonaro, na Assembleia Geral da ONU. A partir de um quadro teórico-metodológico construído no diálogo entre a Semântica da Enunciação e a Análise de Discurso francesa, consideramos que a certeza constrói-se na relação entre o dizer e o não-dizer; que o político trabalha nos mecanismos de afirmação da certeza, significando em afirmações de pertencimento (ou não pertencimento) e em filiações interdiscursivas. O objeto de análise serão os acontecimentos enunciativos de que os enunciados sobre a política ambiental, a Amazônia e o Pantanal são a materialização. Mobilizando as noções de cena enunciativa, reescrituração, articulação, determinação e designação, objetivamos compreender: os argumentos do presidente da república em relação à política ambiental, ao desmatamento na Amazônia e às queimadas no Pantanal; como se caracteriza a (re)produção da polarização ideológica; a qual discurso social, político e/ou econômico os dizeres de Bolsonaro se filiam.Palavras-chave: certeza; enunciação; discurso.
Investigations on OFDM-FSO transmission system for UAV-to-Ground Links
Authors: Singh Mehtab , Grover Amit , Kakati Dhiman , Elsayed Ebrahim E
Published: June 2022

The seamless deployment of 5G and beyond future wireless networks requires ultra-high information rate, cost-efficient, easily deployable and scalable, front-haul and backhaul framework. Motivated by the growing interest in the application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to boost conventional cellular mobile networks' coverage and performance, this article proposes a UAV-to-ground terminal communication link based on free-space optics (FSO) technology for front-haul and backhaul network traffic. To enhance the system's traffic carrying capacity, robustness, and spectral efficiency, we propose the integration of orthogonal-frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) in the proposed framework. 20 Gbps 4-ary quadrature amplitude modulated (4-QAM) data signal is transmitted over varying channel conditions. The proposed framework performance is investigated for increasing the range of transmission and divergence angle of the beam. The simulations demonstrate that the proposed 4-QAM-OFDM-FSO framework can provide high information transmission rate for front-haul and backhaul traffic and can be a viable solution for the emerging needs of 5G wireless networks.
Evaluation of risk stratification and sepsis-related mortality in patients with positive blood cultures via procalcitonin, combined with the PIRO system in ED
Authors: Yang Long , Lin Yue , Zhang Xiangqun , Wei Bing , Ye Xinhua , Yang Jun , Song Jianmei , Wang Junyu , Liu Bo
Published: June 2022

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate risk stratification and sepsis-related mortality in patients with positive blood cultures via procalcitonin (PCT) combined with the predisposition，infection, response, and organ dysfunction (PIRO) system in emergency departments (ED). Methods: A total of 1074 patients with positive blood cultures were admitted to Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital ED from December 2017 to October 2020. Their serum PCT was recorded, along with a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis (MEDS) score, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, and PIRO score to predict the prognosis of septic patients with positive blood culture in terms of ICU (Intensive care unit) admission, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) development, and 28-day mortality. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and logistic regression analysis were used to assess the prognostic value of the scoring systems.Results: On admission, 978 patients met the inclusion criteria. PCT, MEDS, APACHE II, and PIRO scores were found to independently predict ICU admission, MODS development, and 28-day mortality (P<0.05), whereas SOFA did not. The AUC values of the PCT, MEDS, APACHE II, and PIRO scores for ICU admission were 0.620, 0.740, 0.780, and 0.751, respectively. For MODS, the AUC values of PCT, MEDS, APACHE II, and PIRO were 0.664, 0.701, 0.761, and 0.811, respectively. In the prediction of 28-day mortality, the AUC values of PCT, MEDS, APACHE II, and PIRO were 0.782,0.745,0.805, and 0.831, respectively. The AUC values combined PCT and PIRO system in predicting MODS and 28-day mortality were better than when predicting ICU admission. Meanwhile, the AUC values of PCT when combined with MEDS, APACHE II, or PIRO score were higher than that of any single predictor. Conclusions: This study indicates that PCT combined with the PIRO scoring system has a higher predictive value and is superior in predicting MODS and 28-day mortality in septic patients with a positive blood culture.
Acute effect of Melon Manis Terengganu peel powder on glycemic response, perceived satiety, and food intake: a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes
Authors: Ong Ying Qian , Harith Sakinah , Shahril Mohd Razif , Shahidan Norshazila , Hapidin Hermizi
Published: June 2022

Background
Melon Manis Terengganu (MMT) peel has a high dietary fiber content, but there is no data examining its health benefits in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes. The objective of the study was to evaluate whether consumption of MMT peel powder improves glycemic response, satiety, and food intake in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes.
Methods
An open-label, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design trial was conducted among adults (n = 30, ages 18–59 y) at risk of type 2 diabetes. They consumed Formulation 3 (formulated MMT peel powder) [A] and control (glucose) [B] with study breakfast based on randomly assigned treatment sequences (AB, BA) established by Research Randomizer (www.randomizer.org). Capillary blood glucose and perceived satiety were determined at baseline (0 min), 30, 60, 90 and 120 min, followed by a post-intervention food intake measurement.
Results
Respondents (n = 30) who consumed Formulation 3 had a significantly lower blood glucose 2-hour incremental area under the curve (iAUC) of 134.7 ± 44.5 mmol/L*min and maximum concentration (CMax) of 7.2 ± 1.1 mmol/L with relative reduction of 26.8% and 13.3% respectively, when compared with control (p < 0.001). However, the two-way repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed no significant time and group*time effects in blood glucose levels after controlling confounding factors (p > 0.05). Besides, significantly lower perceived satiety, energy and fat intake as well as higher fiber intake were also observed in the intervention group compared with the placebo group (p < 0.05). There were no marked side effects associated with the ingestion of the test products.
Conclusions
Short-term consumption of formulated MMT peel powder may have a positive impact on glycemic response (iAUC and CMax), satiety, and food intake in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes with the potential to be utilized as a functional beverage. Medium-to long-term clinical trial is warranted to determine whether taking this formulated MMT peel powder on a daily basis has an influence on health outcomes.
Trial registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05298111. Registered 28/03/2022.
Preparation, characterization and properties of high anti-erosion grouting materials from industrial solid waste
Authors: Gao Yifan , Li Zhaofeng , Xin Gongfeng , Shen Quanjun , Zhang Jian , Liu Xiaolin
Published: June 2022

To address the environmental problems caused by the storage of solid waste and the poor corrosion resistance of Portland cement (PC), high anti-erosion grouting materials (HAGM) were synthesised from red mud (RM), silica fume (SF), carbide slag (CS), and flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGD). The synthesis, structural characterisation, and properties of HAGM were reported, and compared with those of a typical PC. The results showed that the main mineral composition of the HAGM matrix is hydration phases: 68.3 wt.% β-C2S, 21 wt.% C4AF, and 8.4 wt.% C3A. The compressive strength and rheological characteristics of HAGM prepared with 8 wt.% FDG is the best. The hydration of the HAGM led to the formation of ettringite, C3(A, F)H6, aluminum gel, resulted in compressive strength of 16.70 MPa after curing for 28 d. The anti-erosion coefficient K of HAGM after exposure to different erosion solutions for 28 d was greater than 0.99, which indicated better corrosion resistance than PC. This high anti-erosion resulted from the mineral composition of low C3S content and high C4AF content. This study provides a feasible and promising way for the preparation of disaster prevention materials in coastal engineering.
Proteomic analysis to unravel the biochemical mechanisms triggered by Bacillus toyonensis SFC 500-1E under chromium(VI) and phenol stress
Authors: Fernandez Marilina , Callegari Eduardo A. , Paez María D. , González Paola S. , Agostini Elizabeth
Published: June 2022

Bacillus toyonensis SFC 500-1E is a member of the consortium SFC 500-1 able to remove Cr(VI) and simultaneously tolerate high phenol concentrations. In order to elucidate mechanisms utilized by this strain during the bioremediation process, the differential expression pattern of proteins was analyzed when it grew with or without Cr(VI) (10 mg/L) and Cr(VI)+phenol (10 and 300 mg/L), through two complementary proteomic approaches: gel-based (SDS-PAGE) and gel-free (nanoUPLC-ESI-MS/MS).A total of 400 differentially expressed proteins were identified, out of which 152 proteins were down-regulated under Cr(VI) and 205 up-regulated in the presence of Cr(VI)+phenol, suggesting the extra effort made by the strain to adapt itself and keep growing when phenol was added. The major metabolic pathways affected include carbohydrate and energetic metabolism, followed by lipid and amino acid metabolism. Particularly interesting were also ABC transporters and the iron-siderophore transporter as well as transcriptional regulators that can bind metals. Stress-associated global response involving the expression of thioredoxins, SOS response, and chaperones appears to be crucial for the survival of this strain under treatment with both contaminants. This research not only provided a deeper understanding of B. toyonensis SFC 500-1E metabolic role in Cr(VI) and phenol bioremediation process but also allowed us to complete an overview of the consortium SFC 500-1 behavior. This may contribute to an improvement in its use as a bioremediation strategy and also provides a baseline for further research.
Study on the control of high ore pass dust pollution by pre-injection foam dedusting technology in the ore bin
Authors: Zeng Fabin , Jiang Zhongan , Wang Yapeng
Published: June 2022

The impact airflow generated by ore unloading in the chute raises the dust carried by the ore itself and the floating dust and then the dust raised enters the roadway with the airflow and pollutes the environment. In order to minimize the amount of dust entering the roadway and reduce the pollution of unloading dust, we conducted an experimental study of selection of best foam formula and Pre-injection foam dust dedusting technology in ore bin. It was found that the optimal foaming formula was 1.0% SDBS + 0.5% SDS+(0.2%~0.4%)CMEA by the compound experiment using two evaluation criteria of initial foaming amount and foam defoaming rate. When the air pressure is 0.7MPa, the foaming rate of the foam generator is proportional to the gas and liquid flow rate and the best foaming gas and liquid flow ratio is 27.8. Under this circumstance, the foaming rate of the foaming formula is 500 L/min. When the height of foam is controlled at 15 cm, the effect of foam dust removal is the best. The dust emission rate from the foam to the fourth level can reach 60% and the dust fall rate of the third level is 28%, which effectively reduces the dust production and relieves the pressure of the spray hole dust fall at the wellhead.
WITHDRAWN: Messages Targeted to Global Warming’s Six Americas Can Increase Their Issue Engagement
Authors: Roser-Renouf Connie , Myers Teresa Ann , Luong Kate Tran , Maibach Edward Wile
Published: June 2022

A message-testing experiment assessed the effectiveness of targeted video messages in changing six audience segments’ climate change understanding and concern. Participants viewed one of four short videos addressing their segment’s informational needs, as identified by survey data on their segment’s climate change beliefs. Segments that are skeptical about climate change were targeted with videos on the scientific consensus and climate science. Segments that are unconcerned about climate change were targeted with a video on climate change impacts, and segments that are concerned were targeted with a video about climate solutions. Comparisons to controls, who did not view a video, revealed changes in issue understanding in response to the videos, and viewers of a message targeted to their segment’s informational needs were five percentage points more likely to move to a more engaged audience segment than viewers of untargeted messages. Implications for communicating with each of the six segments are discussed.
Provision of labour analgesia and its related barriers among maternal health care providers in Kenya: An institution-based descriptive survey.
Authors: Ouma Gabriel , Orango Omenge , Were Edwin , Omwodo Kimbley
Published: June 2022

Background: Although pain relief is a key component of modern obstetric care, it remains a poorly established service in sub-Saharan countries, such as Kenya. Maternal health care providers have an extensive role to play in meeting the analgesic needs of women, during childbirth. This study sought to examine the practice of labour pain relief and its deterrents among Kenyan maternal health care providers.Methods: This was an institution based, cross-sectional, descriptive survey. The study population included midwives, obstetricians, and anaesthesiologists working at the second largest tertiary facility in Kenya. A structured, self- administered questionnaire was used. The patterns of analgesic provision during labour, knowledge, attitude, and perceived barriers to labour pain management were described.Results: One hundred and seventeen respondents participated in the study, with a response rate of 97.5%. The prevalence of routine labour analgesia provision was 61.5%. The most common pharmacological method prescribed was non-opioids (13.4 %). Regional analgesia was provided by 4 (3.6%) of the respondents. Sex, cadre, and years of experience were significantly associated with the routine provision of labour analgesia. The majority of maternal healthcare providers (53.0%) had poor knowledge of labour pain management. Almost all (93.9%) of the respondents had a positive attitude towards the provision of labour analgesia. The non-availability of drugs and equipment (58.1%), lack of clear protocols and guidelines (56.4%), and absence of adequate skilled personnel (55.6%) were reported as the health system factors that hindered the provision of labour analgesia.Conclusions: More than half of maternal health care providers routinely relieved labour pain. Epidural analgesia is still relatively underutilized. There is a need for the development of institutional labour pain management protocols, to meet the analgesic needs of women during childbirth.
FEM Analysis and Verification of Pinless Friction Stir Spot Welding of Cu and Al with Zn Interlayer: Effect of Shoulder Diameter and Spot Pass
Authors: abdollahzadeh amin , Bagheri Behrouz , Vaneghi Alireza Heidari , Shamsipur Ali , Mirsalehi Seyyed Ehsan
Published: June 2022

A three-dimensional model for the pinless friction stir spot welding (P-FSSW) of copper-aluminum alloy with zinc interlayer was developed by the ABAQUS/Explicit. The distribution of temperature and stress at the joint zone, at three different shoulder diameters (including 16, 18, and 20 mm) and spot pass-number (including 1 to 3 pass), were simulated and verified by experimental measurements. Microstructural characteristics of the joint interfaces and phase evolution were analyzed by scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The numerical and experimental results showed a good agreement and it was found that with increasing shoulder diameter, heat generation by friction and plastic deformation was improved, while the stress was decreased. Mechanical measurements indicated that the best result of 7.45 kN was achieved for a shoulder diameter of 16 mm and three spot pass. From XRD analyses of the fracture surfaces, the Al2Cu, CuZn5, and CuZn2 intermetallic phases were detected in the joint interfaces. The simulation results showed that the axial compressive stresses experience the lowest values when the shoulder diameter is 16 mm. The fracture surface analysis showed the ductile fracture for weld sample joined under optimal welding condition namely shoulder diameter of 16 mm after three spot pass.
A new approach of modelling bottom edge cutting in four-axis roughing of blisk and its application on feedrate optimization
Authors: Zhao Jie , Chang Zhiyong
Published: June 2022

As important component of gas turbine engines, Blisks are complex in shape. The blisks are often rough machined in a four-axis machine tool with an end-mill, and the end-mill is fully engaged into the material to be removed. Because of the complex cutter motion in four-axis machining, the bottom edge of the end-mill is involved in cutting with a high possibility, resulting in undesirable cutting force increase, tool deflection and quick tool wear. To address this technical challenging, an analytical method to identify and evaluate the bottom edge cutting in four-axis machining is proposed in this work. The addition in cutting force caused by the bottom cutting edge are taken into consideration to precisely evaluate the overall cutting force. A feedrate optimization model is then established. The verification shows that the cutting force could be controlled by optimizing the feedrete without losing machining efficiency.
Antibacterial performance of curcumin loaded polycyclodextrin-coated zinc oxide nanomaterials in photodynamic therapy against Enterococcus faecalis
Authors: Gholibegloo Elham , Akbari Tayebeh , Torshabi Maryam , Saberi Sogol , Foroumadi Alireza , Shahabi Sima , khoobi mehdi
Published: June 2022

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a high potential strategy for the treatment of microbial infections in endodontics. In this study, a novel antibacterial agent was designed and prepared based on the two morphologies of zinc oxide nanomaterials (NMs) as ZnO nanosphere (ZnOS) and ZnO nanorod (ZnOR). Their surfaces were coated with carnosine (CAR)-functionalized polycyclodextrin (ZnO@PCD-CAR) for higher payload of curcumin (CUR) as a photosensitizer (PS). This system was characterized using FT-IR, XRD, TGA, FE-SEM, zeta potential analysis and UV-visible spectroscopy. The colony forming unit (CFU) assay was carried out to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of the nanoformulations againts Enterococcus faecalis (E. Faecalis). The target products (ZnOS@PCD-CAR/CUR and ZnOR@PCD-CAR/CUR) exhibited a light stability approximately by 2.9 and 2.8 fold, respectively, higher than the free CUR. Compared to the bare CUR, these materials indicated more stability againts pH variations. ZnOS@PCD-CAR/CUR and ZnOR@PCD-CAR/CUR NMs-mediated aPDT, significantly declined the count of E. Faecalis strains about 1.5 and 2 log (P < 0.05). Due to the high CUR loading, proper stability and significant inhibitory effects against E. Faecalis, ZnO@PCD-CAR/CUR could be considered as a promising antimicrobial agent in aPDT for efficient treatment of root canal infections.
Purification and Characterization of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Chitinase with Antifungal and Insecticidal properties
Authors: Aktas Cigdem , Ruzgar Damla , Gurkok Sumeyra , Gormez Arzu
Published: June 2022

This study aimed to determine the ability of bacteria to produce the chitinase enzyme, purify and characterize the enzyme from the isolate with the best activity, and determine the use of this purified enzyme as a biocontrol agent. The chitinolytic bacterium was identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The chitinase enzyme was purified 1.4 times at a 30% ammonium sulfate concentration with a yield of 40.7%. Following partial purification, the enzyme was purified by ion-exchange chromatography using HiPrep Q XL 16/10 column and HiPrep ™ 26/10 desalting column with 25.34% and 18.12% yields, respectively. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was calculated as 52 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The optimum temperature of the enzyme was determined to be 50°C, and the optimum pH was 7.0. While Fe2+ most induced the activity, it was most inhibited by Zn2+ at a 5 mM concentration. Km and Vmax values of the enzyme for colloidal chitin were calculated as 1.6419 mg/ml and 16.129 U/mg, respectively. The purified chitinase was used as a biocontrol agent against the fungus Fusarium oxysporum and potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata. The enzyme was shown to be effective in reducing the growth of fungus and causing disruption of the chitin structure of potato beetle.
The burden of depression among Indian adolescents: A study on cross-sectional data
Authors: Jha Ravi Prakash , Dhamnetiya Deepak , Bhattacharyya Krittika , Patel Priyanka , Shri Neha , Singh Mayank
Published: June 2022

Background: Depression has been identified as a leading cause of disability, and studies suggest that people who have experienced depression at a young age are more likely to have depression throughout their lives. This study aims to assess the prevalence and determinants of depression among adolescents in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states of India which holds the majority of adolescents in the country.Method: We have utilized data from Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults (UDAYA) survey which was conducted in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh among 10-19 years old in 2016. Descriptive statistics, Bivariate analysis and multinomial logistic regression analysis were used to fulfill the objective of this study. Results: Prevalence of depression was found to be higher among married female adolescents 49.6% (aged 15-19 years) in comparison to unmarried males 36% (10-19 years) and female adolescents 42.4% (10-19 years). Among adolescent males who ever seriously consider attempting suicide was 8.44 times (RR: 8.44; CI: 4.5-15.81) more likely to have minimal to mild depression and 22.74 times (RR: 22.72; CI: 7.74-66.7) more likely to have moderate to severe depression. Also, Adolescent males who were substance users were 2.35 times (RR: 2.35; CI: 1.24-4.43) more likely to have moderate to severe depression. Adolescent unmarried females who were not currently attending school was 39% more likely (RR: 1.39; CI: 1.06-1.83) to have moderate to severe depression; whereas adolescent unmarried females who ever attempt suicide was 42.21 times (RR: 42.21; CI: 26.39-67.51) more likely to have moderate to severe depression. For married adolescent females having premarital relationship (RR: 1.78; CI: 1.25-2.54), substance use in family (RR: 1.85; CI: 1.28-2.67), faced physical violence (RR: 1.59; CI: 1.09-2.34), faced emotional violence (RR: 1.93; CI: 1.31-2.82), faced dowry related abuse (RR: 3.33; CI: 2.43-4.57) and ever attempted suicide (RR: 56.85; CI: 26.57-121.66) were significant predictors of facing moderate to severe depression. Conclusion: Results highlight the need of targeting adolescents’ behaviour and depressive symptoms especially in rural areas. Further, this study raises the prevalent issues such as violence, lack of freedom, suicidal ideation which adversely impacts the mental health of adolescents and draws our attention towards the urgent need of addressed.
Early and off-season Biological control of Medfly with entomopathogenic nematodes: from laboratory experiments to successful field trials
Authors: Kapranas Apostolos , Chronopoulou Anna , Peters Arne , Antonatos Spyros , Lytra Ioanna , Milonas Panagiotis , Papachristos Dimitrios
Published: June 2022

The Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Diptera; Tephrititade) is an important pest of citrus and other deciduous fruit trees. There is a need for sustainable pest management tools and the use of entomopathogenic nematodes have been explored for controlling the stages of medfly that occur in the soil. We have investigated further this approach by assessing the efficacy of commercially available entomopathogenic nematodes applied early on-season or off-season when the medfly populations are passing through their annual bottleneck period, aiming at reducing their population before the growing season. In laboratory experiments, the efficacy of commercial strains of Steinernema carpοcapsae, Steinernema feltiae and Heterοrhabditis bacteriοphοra and H. downesi at doses of (1.5 x 106 IJs/m2) and 2.5 x 106 IJs/m2, at 15C° and 25C° was assessed and Steinernema feltiae was found to result in up to 70% reduction of adult medfly emergence at a dose of 2.5 x 106 IJs/m2 and lower temperatures, confirming its superiority over other commercially available species. Further trials in citrus groves in Corinthos, Greece in Spring 2021 (early season) and Autumn 2021 (off-season) confirmed that a single application of S. feltiae at moderate dose regimes can provide about 62–65% suppression of adult medlfies. Therefore, a single, moderate dose application of entomopathogenic nematodes early or off-season, which is more economical feasible can provide significant suppression of overwintering medflies and can be safely integrated with other tools for medfly management.
Wolbachia infection dynamics in a natural population of the pear psyllid Cacopsylla pyri (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) across its seasonal generations
Authors: Serbina Liliya Štarhová , Gajski Domagoj , Malenovský Igor , Corretto Erika , Schuler Hannes , Dittmer Jessica
Published: June 2022

Wolbachia is one of the most abundant intracellular symbionts of arthropods and has profound effects on host biology. Wolbachia transmission and host phenotypes often depend on its density within the host, which can be affected by multiple biotic and abiotic factors. However, very few studies measured Wolbachia density in natural host populations. Here, we describe Wolbachia in the pear psyllid Cacopsylla pyri from three populations in the Czech Republic. Using phylogenetic analyses based on wsp and multilocus sequence typing genes, we demonstrate that C. pyri harbours three new Wolbachia strains from supergroup B. A fourth Wolbachia strain from supergroup A was also detected in parasitised immatures of C. pyri, but likely came from a hymenopteran parasitoid. To obtain insights into natural Wolbachia infection dynamics, we quantified Wolbachia in psyllid individuals from the locality with the highest prevalence across an entire year, spanning several seasonal generations of the host. All tested females were infected and Wolbachia density remained stable across the entire period, suggesting a highly efficient vertical transmission and little influence from the environment and different host generations. In contrast, we observed a tendency towards reduced Wolbachia density in males which may suggest sex-related differences in Wolbachia-psyllid interactions.
Classification of Materials and Medicines in Hospital Inventory Management: A Multi-Criteria Analysis
Authors: Assis Amanda G. , Santos Ana Flavia A. dos , Santos Lucas A. dos , Costa João F. , Souza Ricardo P.
Published: June 2022

Background: In hospital environment, to achieve an optimum level of operations and service, it is necessary to define adequate inventory control. Stocks can be managed, amongst other ways, through inputs classification, which is generally done based on a single criterion, such as monetary value, which does not encompass the nature and challenges of a hospital's inventory management. Thus, the present study aims to propose a multi-criteria decision support model to help classify the stock of materials and medicines at a university hospital in Natal-RN.Methods: Methodologically, the study followed 3 stages: i) preliminary; ii) modelling and choice; and iii) finalization, having within these stages specific steps that were followed. The first phase identified the actors of the process, objectives, criteria and alternatives, in which 5 criteria and 48 alternatives were established; the second phase was the choice and execution of the multicriteria decision method to solve the problem. We chose to use the Flexible and Interactive Tradeoff (FITradeoff) method for the classification problem. Finally, in the third phase, an analysis of the sensitivity of the developed model as well as validation of the results with decision makers was carried out.Results: From the total of 48 medicines and hospital medical materials selected for the study, the classification of 34 of these alternatives to a single class was obtained through modelling and the other 14 alternatives were destined to two possible classes; moreover, the sensitivity analysis performed showed the robustness of the results.Conclusions: The classification of materials and medicines developed according to the reality of the stock made it possible to make purchasing decisions based on the perspectives of the presented model, optimizing the stock of materials and medicines at the university hospital. The proposed model can be used as a basis for the development of other multicriteria models considering multiple criteria simultaneously.
Newly reported chloroplast genome of Sinosenecio albonervius Y. Liu & Q. E. Yang and comparative analyses with other Sinosenecio species
Authors: Peng Jing-Yi , Zhang Xiao-Shuang , Zhang Dai-Gui , Wang Yi , Huang Xian-Han , Kuang Tian-Hui , Deng Tao , Zhou Qiang
Published: June 2022

Background: Sinosenecio B. Nordenstam (Asteraceae) currently comprises 44 species. To investigate the interspecific relationship, several chloroplast markers, including ndhC-trnV, rpl32-trnL, matK, and rbcL, are used to analyze the phylogeny of Sinosenecio. However, the chloroplast genomes of this genus have not been thoroughly investigated. We sequenced and assembled the Sinosenecio albonervius chloroplast genome for the first time. A detailed comparative analysis was performed in this study using the previously reported chloroplast genomes of three Sinosenecio species.Results: The results showed that the chloroplast genomes of four Sinosenecio species exhibit a typical quadripartite structure. There are equal RNA genes among annotated, but total and protein-coding genes differ. Per genome, 49-56 simple sequence repeats and 99 larger repetitive sequences were identified. Thirty codons were identified as biased usage in the chloroplast genome of S. albonervius based on 54 protein-coding genes. Among 18 protein-coding genes, 46 potential RNA editing sites were discovered. By comparing these chloroplast genomes' structures, inverted repeat regions and coding regions were more conserved than single-copy and non-coding regions. The junctions among inverted repeat and single-copy regions showed difference. Several hot spots of genomic divergence were detected, which can be used as new DNA barcodes for species identification. Phylogenetic analysis of the whole chloroplast genome showed that the interspecific relationship of four Sinosenecio species could be reflected.Conclusions: The complete chloroplast genome of Sinosenecio albonervius was revealed in this study, which included a comparison of Sinosenecio chloroplast genome structure, variation, and phylogenetic analysis for related species. These will help future research on Sinosenecio taxonomy, identification, origin, and evolution to some extent.
Genome-Wide Editing Provides Insights into Role of Unsaturated Fatty Acids in Low Temperature Growth of the Psychrophilic Yeast Metschnikowia australis W7-5
Authors: Wei Xin , Zhang Miao , Chi Zhe , Liu Guang-Lei , Chi Zhen-Ming
Published: June 2022

It has been confirmed that Fad12 (∆12 fatty acid desaturase) and Fad15 (∆15 fatty acid desaturase) were responsible for the synthesis of linoleic acid (C18:2, ∆9,12) and linolenic acid (C18:3, ∆9,12,15), respectively. In order to know their function in cold growth of the psychrophilic yeast Metschnikowia australis W7-5, the FAD12 gene and FAD15 gene were deleted, respectively. The intracellular linoleic acid percentage of the obtained Δfad12 mutant was decreased from 27.1–1.5% while the percentage of C18:1 fatty acid was increased from 28.3–55.7%. The growth rate of the Δfad12 mutant was significantly reduced when it was cultured at 5 ℃ and 25 ℃ compared with that of the wild type strain W7-5 under the same conditions. But at 15°C, the mutant grew as well as its wild type strain W7-5. Although C18:3 fatty acid of the Δfad15 strain were not detected, there was no significant difference between the growth of Δfad15 and that of the W7-5 strain at different temperatures. After the FAD12 gene was supplemented, the growth at different temperatures and intracellular fatty acid compositions of the supplementing strain were restored compared to those of the strain W7-5. These results suggested that only linoleic acid synthesized by the psychrophilic yeast, not linolenic acid synthesized, played an important role in adaptation to low temperature (5°C) and high temperature (25°C) of the psychrophilic yeast, Meanwhile, it was found that cell wall in the mutant Δfad12 grown at 5 and 25°C was also negatively affected after the mutant could not synthesize C18:2 fatty acids. This caused the reduced cell growth rate of the mutant Δfad12 grown at 5 and 25°C.
M1A regulator ALKBH1 and TRMT10B as potential prognostic bio markers and related to the tumor immune microenvironment in pan creatic adenocarcinoma
Authors: Li Jiahao , Li Luohong , Huang Sike , Wang Hongyi , Liao Yuxuan , Zhou Dawei , Zhang Zhen
Published: June 2022

Background
N1-methyladenosine (m1A) RNA methylation is crucial in carcinogenesis and tumorous molecular pathogenesis. However, the detailed pathogenic mechanism of m1A regulators in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) has not been comprehensively researched. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of m1A in PAAD prognosis and tumor microenvironment (TME).
Methods
The relationship between m1A regulators and the PAAD prognosis was analyzed with the cBioportal database. RNA-seq transcriptome was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases for differential expression analysis. The role of m1A regulators in the PAAD TME was analyzed wthe ith TISIDB database and R software. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichmanalysesysis were performed by The Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID).
Results
In PAAD, we discovered 10 m1A regulators correlated to poor prognosis and were all upregulated. While up-regulated ALKBH1 and TRMT10B were associated with a better prognosis in PAAD patients. Further research found that ALKBH1 and TRMT10B significantly upregulated the infiltrating level of immune cells, especially CD4 + T cells. Additionally, they also affected the expression of immunomodulators, including CD276, TMEM173, TNFSF9, etc. Finally, GO and KEGG enrichment analysis proved that ALKBH1 and TRMT10B influenced the PAAD development by regulating the RNA polymerase II.
Conclusion
Promoted expression of ALKBH1 and TRMT10B was significantly related to a better prognosis in PAAD, the possible mechanism of which might associate with the alternation of the TME. ALKBH1 and TRMT10B were potential prognosis biomarkers and possible immunotherapeutic targets for PAAD.
A Swamp Forest Streptomyces sp. KF15 with Broad Spectrum Antifungal Activity against Chilli Pathogens Exhibits Anticancer Activity on HeLa cell line
Authors: Bhat Meghashyama Prabhakara , Nayaka Sreenivasa , Kumar Raju Suresh
Published: June 2022

During the investigation, soil actinomycetes were isolated from Kathlekanu swamp forest and the crude ethyl acetate extract from the potent isolate KF15 was analyzed with GC-MS and HPTLC to identify bioactive metabolites. The crude extract was examined for in-vitro antifungal activity on pathogens of chilli; MTT cytotoxicity assay was performed against HeLa cell line to determine the anticancer potential. The isolate Streptomyces sp. KF15 exhibited antagonistic activity against fungal pathogens by inhibiting growth and altering growth pattern with increased antimicrobial activity in dose-dependent manner. GC-MS revealed many bioactive compounds and HPTLC depicted metabolite fingerprint. The IC50 of 99.85µg/ml indicated the high potential of KF15 extract to prevent proliferation of HeLa cells. Therefore, the findings of this study indicate that, the crude extract from Streptomyces sp. KF15 contains antifungal and anticancer metabolites; further study on purification could help in controlling many fungal diseases as well as cervical cancer in humans.
In silico mutagenesis and modeling of decoy peptides targeting CIB1 to obscure its role in triple-negative breast cancer progression
Authors: Shahab Muhammad , Liang Chaoqun , Duan Xiuyuan , Wadood Abdul , Junaid Muhammad , Almuqri Eman Abdullah , Zheng Guojun
Published: June 2022

Breast cancer is a common malignancy in women which is a diverse disease. In women, 287,850 and males, 2710 cases are reported in 2022. Breast cancer is the most often diagnosed disease in women and one of the leading causes of cancer mortality. Approximately 10-20% of all new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the United States in 2017 were triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs), which lack the expression of estrogen receptors (ER), and progesterone receptors (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Calcium integrin-binding protein1 lacks a suitable pocket that could be used to create a chemical inhibitor, and because the breast cancer-causing protein is nearly identical to its necessary, wild-type counterparts, it was thought to be druggable. At the present, peptide inhibitors were designed against CIB1. The crystal structure CIB1 in complex with peptide inhibitor UNC10245092 was retrieved from the protein databank. The protein directly blocks interaction with RAF and diminishes signaling through the RAF– MEK–ERK signaling pathway. The goal of this study is to design novel peptides from the reference peptide (UNC10245092) through residue scan methodology. The top five designed peptides (based on binding free energies) were subjected to molecular dynamics simulations using AMBER to evaluate stability. Our results indicate that amongst the top five selected peptides, mutant 2nd mutant have strong interactions with CIB1 than the reference peptide (UNC10245092) and have the potency to prevent the binding of RAF and CIB1.
Multi-domain Feature Fusion Neural Network for Electrocardiogram Classification
Authors: Jiao Nan , Sun Zhanquan
Published: June 2022

Electrocardiogram (ECG) is of great significant in detecting cardiovascular disease. With the continuous development of computerized ECG interpretation technology, artificial intelligence method shows potential in realizing high accuracy of arrhythmia auto classification. Recently, many research studies information mining of ECG signals from time domain to time-frequency domain. However, current models of automatic arrhythmia detection extract the features in time-domain and time-frequency domain separately, and merge the features of multi-domain in the last layer. The information of middle layers of multi-domain is not used fully. In this study, we develop an ECG classifier based on Multiple Domain Features Fusion Network with Lead Attention (MDFF-LA), which can realize feature fusion in multi-domain. MDFF-LA can extract features in time domain and frequency domain features respectively. In the process of feature extraction in multi-domain, the feature weight of one domain is optimized and adjusted through the attention module generated by the other domain. In the proposed model, feature fusion is operated at multi stages to fully integrate information of multi domain. Finally, we conduct comprehensive experiments on three multi lead ECG databases to test the performance. The results demonstrate that the fusion features in multi domain extracted by MDFF-LA can obtain more valuable information, which can provide supported diagnosis for clinicians in practical.
Gender Norms Do Not Persist But Converge Across Time
Authors: Singla Shikhar , Mukhopadhyay Mayukh
Published: June 2022

Gender equality is a fundamental human right, considered essential for the creation of a just society and a key ingredient of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. A key determinant of gender inequality in terms of the gender wage gap and other dimensions are the attitudes and stereotypes associated with women. Here, we investigate the evolution of gender norms for 160 years in the US.
Socioeconomists have posited two fundamental and widely debated theories on the evolution of cultural norms across time. One school argues that cultural norms (including gender norms) should converge across time as economies become more advanced and globalised and technological progress allows for easier information sharing. The other school states that cultural traits are highly persistent, passed down from generation to generation and will remain divergent across regions.
To test these theories quantitatively, researchers need data on attitudes measured at appropriate levels of granularity, at a high frequency and over a long time series. However, no such data currently exists. Here we propose an unsupervised machine learning methodology to measure attitudes at the document level. We apply this methodology to 193 million pages of local newspaper text to produce localised attitudes towards women on four different dimensions: career vs family, attitudes towards abortion, attitudes towards feminism/suffrage, and violence against women.
We establish five novel facts on the evolution of attitudes across time with these measures. (i) Attitudes are less persistent than the existing literature hypothesises. (ii) The persistence of attitudes varies considerably across different regions and dimensions. (iii) Attitudes exhibit cyclical patterns. (iv) Regional variation in attitudes decreases considerably over time and has fallen between 64% to 79%. (v) A decrease in transport costs that allows for easier information sharing is associated with a homogenisation of the norms.
Our paper calls for more research on whether similar patterns exist across countries and the causal factors that make culture converge.
The Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases among Hospitalized HIV Positive Patients at Lira Regional Referral Hospital, Northern Uganda: Retrospective Chart Review 2016-2020
Authors: Bernard Omech , Bosco Opio , Bony Aloka , Kiweewa Francis , link Abby , Donggo Pamela , P'Olak Kennedy Amone-
Published: June 2022

Background: Non-communicable diseases(NCDs) are increasing rapidly in sub-Sahara Africa including Uganda. Knowledge of the effect of long-term antiretroviral therapy(ART) and emergence of NCDs on hospital utilization remain scant. This study aimed to assess the burden of major NCDs and predictors of mortality among hospitalized HIV positive patients in the medical wards at Lira regional referral hospital in Northern Uganda.Method: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional chart review of hospitalized patients from the male and female medical wards between 2016 and 2020. The prevalence of NCDs was estimated and status at discharge determined. Binary and multi-variable regression analyses were performed to determine predictors of mortality with statistical significance set at 0.05 p-value. Results: A total of 445 patient files were examined, with 49 percent (n=218) of them revealing HIV status. Males made up 53% of the total number of patients studied (n=226). In HIV positive patients, the prevalence of at least one NCD, two NCDs, and three or more NCDs multi-morbidity was 73 percent, 16 percent, and 2 percent, respectively. In HIV negative controls, the prevalence of at least one NCD, two NCDs, and three or more NCDs was 62 percent, 28 percent, and 6 percent, respectively, compared to HIV positive controls. Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, chronic lung disease, liver diseases, and mental disorders were found in 19.52 percent (CI: 14.67-25.49) of HIV positive patients versus 36.99 percent (CI: 30.06-44.50), 4.4.65 percent (CI: 02.51-08.51) versus 22.65 percent (CI: 17.57-29.74 p-value= 0.001), 13.55 percent (CI: 09.56-18.87) versus 9. 56 percent (CI: 05.99-14.89), 04.65 percent (02.51-08.47) versus 5.62(03.03-10.18), 27.91 percent (22.27-34.32) versus 29.53 (23.48-36.41), and 26.63 percent (21.10-33.02)versus 06.82 (03.89-11.68,p-value-=<0.001). In HIV patients, being middle-aged (40-50 years) was the sole independent predictor of mortality.Conclusion. HIV positive inpatients had a lower prevalence of major NCDs than HIV negative inpatients, albeit, this was not statistically significant except for diabetes mellitus and mental disorders. Increasing age is a significant predictor of mortality in hospitalized HIV positive patients. Prioritizing screening infrastructure and service capacity to reduce the burden of NCDs in PLHIV is critically important.
The Effect of Therapeutic Klotho Protein on Cell Viability in HT-29 Cell Line
Authors: Sariboyaci Ayla Eker , Uysal Onur , Soykan Merve Nur , Gunes Sibel
Published: June 2022

Several studies have shown that klotho protein plays an important role in tumorigenesis concerning cell viability, proliferation, senescence, survival, autophagy, and resistance to antitumor therapies. From the literature, there is no study has been analyzed that the klotho protein induces cytotoxic effects on human colorectal adenocarcinoma or healthy colon cells. We aimed to investigate the anticancer effects of klotho protein against the human colon adenocarcinoma cells and the selectivity using healthy colon cells by adding exogenously klotho protein to the medium of HT-29 cancer and the CCD 841 CoN healthy cell lines and analyzing its effect on cell viability and apoptosis process. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the human klotho protein was analyzed by WST-8 assay. Annexin V-PI flow cytometric analysis and AO-PI fluorescent staining techniques were used to test the effect of klotho protein on cancer and healthy colon cells for measuring the percentage of cells undergo apoptotic. Our results have firstly demonstrated that klotho had a cytotoxic effect against colorectal adenocarcinoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. Annexin V-PI flow cytometric and AO-PI fluorescent analyses found that klotho induced quantitative and morphological changes that indicate the apoptotic induction in the human colorectal adenocarcinoma. This study results proved for the first time that klotho may be an effective potential therapeutic agent that may be used in adjuvant therapy in human colorectal adenocarcinoma because it does not affect selectively healthy colon cells and but leading cancer cells to apoptosis.