bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
β-1,3-glucan Improved Health Status, Stimulated Immunity, and Neutralized Lead and Fipronil Pollutants Toxicity of Nile Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)
Authors: Elmowalid Gamal A. , Ghonimi Wael A. M. , Allah Hossam M Abd Allah M Abd , El-Murr Abdelhakeem , Abdallah Haytham , Abdelwahab Ashraf M.
Published: June 2022

This study was designed to examine the impact of dietary β-1,3-glucan immunomodulatory and mitigating activities against fipronil and lead-induced pollution in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) culture. Two hundred forty catfish were randomly divided into four equal groups: the first served as a control; the second was supplemented with β-1,3-glucan; the third was exposed to fipronil and lead; and the fourth was exposed to a combination of fipronil, lead, and β-1,3-glucan. The health status, haematological, immunological, and histopathological changes were all evaluated. Swelling on the dorsolateral side, spinal column deviation (scoliosis), sluggish movement, skin bleaching, excessive mucus secretion, significant variations in blood indices-related measures, and a 45% death rate were all observed in the third group. There was also a significant decrease in IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, and IgM concentrations, as well as a down-regulation of their corresponding gene expression. In the spleen, there were notable necrotic foci and hemosiderosis; in the intestine, severe enteritis and mucinous degeneration of the lining epithelium were common pathological findings. Fish treated with β-1,3-glucan alone or in combination with fipronil and lead demonstrated improved physiological activity, blood indices, and elevations in IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, and IgM concentrations, as well as up-regulation in their gene expression in splenic tissues, when compared to the third group. The spleen and intestine had normal histological architecture with 5% mortalities. No fish mortalities were observed in the control and β-1,3-glucan alone treated groups. These findings suggest that β-1,3-glucan could be a promising dietary supplement for catfish health, immunity, and as a fipronil and lead pollutant neutralizer in catfish culture.
Spatial Energy Densities of Large-Scale Electricity Generation from Power Sources Worldwide
Authors: Nøland Jonas Kristiansen , Auxepaules Juliette , Rousset Antoine , Perney Benjamin , Falletti Guillaume
Published: June 2022

This paper introduces the concept of the annual energy density of electric power generation, which is proposed as an informative metric to capture the impacts on the environmental footprint. Our investigation covers a wide range of sources based on the installed capacity and compares different regions to establish typical flows of energy densities and evaluate their scalability to meet future net-zero emission goals. Our data analysis is based on publicly available information from different regions. The results of our systematic analysis show that the land use for electric power generation toward 2050 will increase about six times, from about 0.5 % to nearly 3.0 %, based on IEA targets. We investigate worldwide energy densities for ten different types of power generation facilities, two from non-renewable sources (i.e., nuclear and natural gas) and eight from renewable sources (i.e., hydro, solar CSP, solar PV, onshore wind, geothermal, offshore wind, tidal, and wave). In total, our study covers 871 electric power plants worldwide, where not only their energy density has been estimated but also their resulting environmental footprint. Based on the meta-analysis provided, this paper challenges the common notion that solar power is the most energy-dense renewable fuel by showing that hydro supersedes solar in terms of land use in certain regions of the world, depending on the topography.
Effect of Heat inactivation and bulk lysis on Real-Time Reverse Transcription PCR Detection of the SARS-COV-2: An Experimental Study
Authors: Leta Dereje Damesa , Gutema Gadisa Jebessa , Gebremichael Gebremedhin Hagos , Diriba Regasa , Bulti Gutema , Sura Tolewak , Ayana Desta , Chala Dawit , Lenjiso Boki , Bulti Jaleta , Abdella Saro , Hailu Habteyes Tola
Published: June 2022

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of heat inactivation and chemical bulklysis on SARS-CoV-2 detection. Results About 6.2% (5/80) of samples were changed to negative results in heat inactivation at 60°C and about 8.7% (7/80) of samples were changed to negative in heat inactivation at 100°C. The Ct values of heat-inactivated samples (at 60°C, at 100°C, and bulk lysis) were significantly different from the temperature at 56°C. The effect of heat on Ct value should be considered when interpreting diagnostic PCR results from clinical samples which could have an initial low virus concentration. The efficacy of heat-inactivation varies greatly depending on temperature and duration. Local validation of heat-inactivation and its effects is therefore essential for molecular testing.
High-order Nonnegative Blind Source Separation based on Edge Features
Authors: Zhao MingZhan , Zheng Weipeng , Lv Yingli , Du Chunmei , Wang Zhiliang , Xu Xiaojun
Published: June 2022

The edge feature-based Nonnegative Blind Source Separation (NBSS) proposed by us can make up for the shortcomings of the Minimum Volume Simplex (MVS) based algorithm that limits the shape of the scatterplot. In this paper, we design a high-order NBSS algorithm based on edge features. The algorithm adopts the twice projections, which avoids the aliasing phenomenon caused by the direct projection and effectively reduces the time complexity of dimensionality reduction. We searched for the coordinates of the density maximum points in the 2-D space, and gradually merged them into high-dimensional coordinates, which greatly reduced the complexity of the algorithm. Furthermore, we only make Boundedness and Nonnegativity assumptions about the source, which makes the algorithm more widely applicable.
Towards full clinical trial registration and results publication: longitudinal meta- research study in Northwestern and Central Switzerland
Authors: Klatte Katharina , Sluka Constantin , Gloy Viktoria , Heravi Ala Taji , Schönenberger Christof , Jones Nienke , Brunnschweiler Elena , Pauli-Magnus Christiane , Briel Matthias
Published: June 2022

Objective: The registration of clinical trials is required by law in Switzerland. We investigated (1) the proportion of pro- and retrospectively registered clinical trials, (2) the availability of results for ethically approved trial protocols, (3) factors associated with increased registration, and (4) reasons for non-registration.Design and Setting: We included all clinical trials with mandatory prospective registration, which were approved by the ethics committee of Northwestern and Central Switzerland between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020. Methods: We extracted relevant trial characteristics from the Swiss Business Administration System for Ethics Committees and systematically searched the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and primary trial registries for corresponding registry entries. We used multivariable logistic regression to examine the association between trial characteristics and registration. We qualitatively assessed reasons for non-registration of trials through an email questionnaire for trial investigators. Results: Of 473 included clinical trials, 432 (91 %) were registered at all and 371 (78%) were prospectively registered. While the percentages of registration and prospective registration of investigator-sponsored trials increased from 85% to 93% and from 70% to 81% over five years, respectively, industry-sponsored trials consistently remained at a high level of prospective registration (92% to 100%). Trials with multiple centres, higher risk category, or methodological support from the local clinical trials unit were independently associated with increased registration rates. Of 103 clinical trials completed before August 2020, results were available for 70% of industry-sponsored trials and 45% of investigator-sponsored trials as peer-reviewed journal publications or in trial registries. Most common reasons for non-registration provided by investigators were lack of time or resources (53%), lack of knowledge (22%), and lack of reminders by the ethics committee (36%).Conclusions: In Northwestern and Central Switzerland about 10% of clinical trials remained unregistered despite the obligation by law. More support for investigators and stricter enforcement by regulators are needed to improve the transparency of investigator-sponsored trials in particular.
The Influence of the River Flood Pulse on Floodplain Periphyton Assemblages
Authors: De Gallardo Kamela , Kaller Michael D. , Rutherford D. Allen , Kelso William E.
Published: June 2022

The Atchafalaya River Basin (ARB) in southcentral Louisiana, USA, is a structurally and biotically diverse floodplain of Atchafalaya River (AR), which is the largest distributary of the Mississippi River. Annual floodplain inundation facilitates the exchange of nutrients and organic material between the AR and its floodplain, giving rise to the high productivity of the river-floodplain system. Production within the ARB is driven by periphytic algae, phytoplankton, and aquatic macrophytes, however, very little is known about periphytic algal assemblages in floodplain systems or how the annual flooding impacts these assemblages. In this study, we use artificial substrate to sample periphytic algae bi-weekly (January 2019 – September 2019) from ARB sites with active river connections and from a permanently-isolated floodplain lake (Lake Verret). Our results showed that annual river flood pulses caused spatiotemporal shifts in periphytic algal assemblages in the ARB. Overall, ARB sites had a higher abundance of algal cells compared with non-ARB sites and community assemblage differed substantially. Specifically, in ARB sites with active river connections, total algal abundance was greater nearer to river inputs, particularly cyanobacteria and centric diatoms, and diatoms dominated the periphyton assemblages year-round. In contrast, the river-isolated lake was dominated largely by chlorophytes. In both isolated and connected systems, sites with heavy macrophyte cover showed increased abundances of euglenoids, chrysophytes, and xanthophytes. Shifts in periphytic algal assemblage due to floodplain alterations, such as the disconnection of a floodplain from its river source, could impact higher trophic levels and should be considered in future wetland management decisions.
Disturbance in Hebbian-like spinogenesis blunted learning-induced modulation in the number and spatial distribution of dendritic spines
Authors: Ferrer-Ferrer Maura , Jia Shaobo , Kaushik Rahul , Aleshin Stepan , Schneeberg Jenny , Mironov Andrey , Safari Motahareh , Frischknecht Renato , Senkov Oleg , Dityatev Alexander
Published: June 2022

Neurotrypsin (NT) is a neuronal trypsin-like serine protease whose mutations cause severe mental retardation in humans. NT is activated by Hebbian-like conjunction of pre- and postsynaptic activities, which promotes the formation of dendritic filopodia via proteolytic cleavage of the proteoglycan agrin. Here, we investigated the functional importance of this mechanism for synaptic plasticity, learning and extinction of memory. We report that juvenile neurotrypsin-deficient (NT-/-) mice exhibit impaired long-term potentiation induced by a spaced stimulation protocol designed to probe the generation of new filopodia and their conversion into functional synapses. Behaviorally, juvenile NT-/- mice show impaired contextual fear memory and have a sociability deficit. The latter persists in aged NT-/- mice, which, unlike juvenile mice, show normal recall but impaired extinction of contextual fear memories. Structurally, juvenile mutants exhibit significantly reduced spine density in the CA1 region, fewer thin spines and no modulation in the number and spatial distribution of dendritic spines following fear conditioning and extinction in contrast to wild-type littermates. Spine loss in NT-/- mice is abrogated by in vivo delivery of adeno-associated virus expressing an NT-generated fragment of agrin, agrin-22, but not by a shorter fragment, agrin-15. Moreover, agrin-22 co-aggregates with pre- and postsynaptic terminals immunopositive for vesicular glutamate transporter 1 and postsynaptic density protein PSD95 and dramatically increases the size of synaptic puncta, suggesting that agrin-22 supports the growth and/or clustering of excitatory synapses in vivo.
Nomogram for Prediction of Prolonged Postoperative Ileus after Colorectal Resection
Authors: Lin Zhenmeng , Li Yangming , Wu Jiansheng , Zheng Huizhe , Yang Chunkang
Published: June 2022

Background: Prolonged postoperative ileus (PPOI) is a major complication in patients undergoing colorectal resection. The aim of this study was to analyze the risk factors contributing to PPOI, and to develop an effective nomogram to determine the risks of this population. Methods: A total of 1,233 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent radical colorectal resection at Fujian Cancer Hospital from March 2016 to August 2021 were enrolled as a training cohort in this study. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to determine the correlation between PPOI and clinicopathological characteristics. A nomogram predicting the incidence of PPOI was constructed. The cohort of 151 patients from Fujian Provincial Hospital were enrolled as a validation cohort. Internal and external validations were used to evaluate the prediction ability by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and a calibration plot. Results: In the training cohort, 125 patients (10.1%) had PPOI after colorectal resection. The independent predictive factors of PPOI were identified, and included gender, age, surgical approach, perioperative fluid overload and postoperative use of opioid analgesics. The AUC of nomogram were 0.788 (95% CI: 0.747-0.829) and 0.812(95% CI: 0.697-0.928) in the training and validation cohort, respectively. The two cohorts of calibration plots showed a good consistency between nomogram prediction and actual observation.Conclusions: A highly accurate nomogram was developed and validated in this study, which can be used to provide individual prediction of PPOI in patients after colorectal resection, and this predictive power can potentially assist surgeons to make the optimal treatment decisions.
Effect of orifice-meter shape on discharge coefficient and head loss through it
Authors: Assran Mohamed H. , shenouda Bakhiet , Mohamed Hassan I.
Published: June 2022

Flow measurements through pipes and open channels are very important for the management of water resources effectively. Orifice meter is a very common and widely used flow measuring device in pipes as it is very cheap and simple compared with other devices, however, there are many parameters that affect its performance. Also, orifice is used as energy dissipation method in water hammer protection devices and hydroelectric power tunnels. So, experimental research is carried out in the Hydraulic Laboratory of Assuit University to study the effect of orifice geometry on the energy loss through it. Due to head losses occurring at the orifice, a coefficient of discharge (Cd) is used to calculate actual discharge from theoretical discharge. The experimental tests are carried out using four different types of orifice plates: circular, square, triangular, and hexagonal. For each one, the cross-sectional area is changed four times. The orifice is installed on a 10 cm diameter transparent pipe. The flow rate is changed ten times for each orifice. A general correlation equation is developed for the coefficient of discharge based on dimensional analysis. The research concludes that the triangular shape achieves high performance with a lower head loss and a higher coefficient of discharge when compared to the other orifice shapes.
Complexity vs linearity: relationships between functional traits in a protist
Authors: Svendsen Nils Alain , Radchuk Viktoriia , Morel-Journel Thibaut , Thuillier Virginie , Schtickzelle Nicolas
Published: June 2022

Background
The mechanisms underlying the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are still poorly understood. Although species richness is commonly used as a biodiversity measure, recent studies showed that functional diversity, i.e. the diversity of functional traits, might be a better proxy. Functional traits are defined as phenotypic traits that affect an organism's performance and shape ecosystem-level processes. The main challenge when using those traits to quantify biodiversity is to choose which ones to measure, since effort and money are limited. As one way of dealing with this, Hodgson et al. (1999) introduced the idea of two types of traits, with soft traits that are easy and quick to quantify, and hard traits that are directly linked to ecosystem functioning but difficult to measure. If a link exists between the two types of traits, then one could use soft traits as a proxy for hard traits for a quick but meaningful assessment of biodiversity. However, this framework is based on two assumptions: (1) hard and soft traits must be tightly connected to allow reliable prediction of one using the other; (2) the relationship between traits must be monotone and linear to be detected by the most common statistical techniques (e.g. GLM, PCA).
Results
Here we addressed those two assumptions by focusing on six functional traits of the protist species Tetrahymena thermophila, which vary both in their measurement difficulty and functional meaningfulness. They were classified as: easy traits (morphological traits), intermediate traits (movement traits) and hard traits (oxygen consumption and population growth rate). We were able to detect a high number (> 60%) of non-linear relationships between the traits, which can explain the low number of significant relationships found using PCA and GLM analysis. In the end, these analyses did not detect any relationship strong enough to predict one trait using another, but that does not imply there are none.
Conclusions
Our results highlighted the need for more complex statistical analyzes than the ones commonly used by the scientific community, to account for all the factors that might blur the relationships between traits (e.g. plasticity, non-linearity), and state about the soft/hard framework.
Reproductive traits and feeding activity of the commercially exploited common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis L. (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) in the western Mediterranean Sea.
Authors: Barciela Alberto Javier Rico , Fernández-Arcaya Ulla , Quetglas Toni , Valls María
Published: June 2022

This paper investigates basic reproductive parameters, ecology and population structure of the common cuttlefish. A total of 1217 individuals were sampled monthly from both the offshore bottom trawl and the inshore trammel net fishery off the Mallorca Island (western Mediterranean) during 2017–2019. Mean size of individuals and sex-ratio differed between depths, with males and females being more abundant inshore and offshore waters respectively. The estimated size at first maturity (L50) was 87 mm for females and 78 mm for males. S. officinalis has a continuous reproduction throughout the year with a spawning peak between March and June, and the temporal distribution of maturity stages by sex reflected the precocious maturation of males. Ovary development analysis showed an asynchronous oocyte development and a mean total fecundity of 158 ± 14 eggs/female. The stomach fullness was found to decrease during reproductive development while the vacuity index followed the opposite trend, indicating a lessening of the feeding activity during gonadal growth for both sexes. The feeding activity was higher in females compared to males, which was probably related to the higher energetic cost associated with reproduction. While the digestive gland index (DGI) in females did not decrease during the course of sexual maturation, depleted values of DGI were observed in spawning males reflecting sexual differences in allocation strategy at this stage. Those results suggested that common cuttlefish fulfil the cost of reproduction through both current food intake and accumulated somatic reserves.
Evaluation of the Efficiency of traditional chitosan, Nano chitosan and chitosan nanocomposites for strengthening aged papyrus paper
Authors: Salim Eman , Mohamed W.S. , Sadek Rasha
Published: June 2022

Cellulose based materials, such as papyrus sheets and paper, which are the most common types of writing supports for works of art in many museums and archive. They are subjected to different types of deterioration factors that may lead to many conservation problems. Consolidation treatment one of the most common conservation treatments, which should have perform after much testing to select the appropriate consolidants This research aims to evaluate the resistance of traditional chitosan, nanochitosan, and chitosan /zinc oxide nanocomposite as an eco-friendly papyrus strengthening. Untreated and treated papyrus was thermally aged and characterized via Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Antimicrobial activity of the papyrus specimens was also determined against four tested pathogenic bacteria by disc diffusion method. MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. The results revealed that chitosan nanocomposite showed a remarkable enhancement of papyrus tensile properties and presence of ZnO prevents the effects of biodeterioration.
Influence of the Electrolyte concentration and amount on the Performance of Textile Electrodes in Electrostimulation: a systematic study
Authors: Euler Luisa , Guo Li , Persson Nils-Krister
Published: June 2022

Background: Textile-based stimulation electrodes are a fast-growing research area. With their advantages including reusability and the possibility for integration into garments, textile electrodes open up new possibilities that are not yet feasible today, e.g. various self-administrated treatments and rehabilitation based on neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). So far, most research has shown that textile-based stimulation electrodes perform more reliable when wetted with an electrolyte. However, there is no systematic investigation about which type and amount of electrolyte to use. Methods: In this study, double-layered textile electrodes have been produced by machine knitting with a size of 3x3 cm2. The electrodes were wetted step-wise with a liquid amount from 5 µL up to 320 µL; four levels of sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations, i.e. 0.9 %, 1.5 %, 5 % and 35 %, plus pure deionized water as a reference liquid were chosen. The study analyzed the behavior of the skin-electrode impedance when changing the moisture content and NaCl concentration. In addition, equivalent circuits were modelled for deeper insights into the mechanisms causing an impedance change.Results: Results showed that the impedance was greatly influenced by the liquid amount with amounts of 5 µL already significantly reducing the impedance compared to dry electrodes, caused by a substantial reduction in resistance. The reactance, on the other hand, was only partly influenced by the liquid amount showing a reduction upon higher liquid amounts only within a range of 5 – 40 µL. Further, a significant influence on the impedance by the presence of ions was found where the skin-electrode system wetted with saline NaCl solution were showing generally lower impedances than systems wetted with deionized water. However, within this, no remarkable influence of the NaCl concentration could be observed. Conclusion: Impedance was found to be very sensitive to the moisture content in the system, it is recommended to introduce standardizations for impedance testing of wet textile electrodes with precisely controlled electrolyte volumes and liquid migration properties to make independent studies of textile electrodes more comparable.
Seismic fragility curves for the Italian RC residential buildings based on non-linear dynamic analyses
Authors: Manfredi Vincenzo , Masi Angelo , Nicodemo Giuseppe , Digrisolo Andrea
Published: June 2022

In the present paper, Fragility Curves (FCs) of Reinforced Concrete (RC) structural types representative of the existing Italian building stock have been derived through an analytical approach. The proposed methodology is based on Non-Linear Dynamic Analyses (NLDAs) encompassing all the steps required to bring about reliable as well realistic fragility results. First, prototype building types have been selected by considering the main attributes affecting the seismic vulnerability of existing RC buildings, that is: age of construction (i.e. ‘50s, ‘70s and ‘90s), number of storeys (i.e. 2, 4 and 6 storeys), arrangement in elevation of infills (i.e. Bare-, Infilled-, Pilotis-frame) and design level (i.e. seismic or gravity loads). A simulated design has been used for detailing the building types at hand, whose non-linear dynamic response has been computed by using a large set of signals. The signals have been purposely selected in order to approach the elastic design spectra provided in the Italian seismic code for different return periods, being able to take into account also record-to-record variability and soil-amplification effects. A specific relationship between the considered engineering demand parameter (i.e. inter-storey drift ratio) and all damage levels proposed in the EMS-98 scale have been defined on the basis of empirical data and expert judgement. A set of FCs in terms of peak ground acceleration are finally derived and compared to point out the role of the considered vulnerability attributes.
Domes and Semi-Capsulesas Model Systems for Infrared Microspectroscopy of Biological Cells
Authors: Solheim Johanne Heitmann , Brandsrud Maren Anna , Kong Beibei , Banyasz Akos , Borondics Ferenc , Micouin Guillaume , Lossius Stine , Sulé-Suso Josep , Blumel Reinhold , Kohler Achim
Published: June 2022

It is well known that infrared microscopy of micrometer sized samples suffers from strong scattering distortions, attributed to Mie scattering. The state-of-the-art preprocessing technique for modelling and removing Mie scattering features from infrared absorbance spectra of biological samples is built on a meta model for perfect spheres. However, non-spherical cell shapes are the norm rather than the exception, and it is therefore highly relevant to evaluate the validity of this preprocessing technique for deformed spherical systems. Addressing these cases, we investigate both numerically and experimentally the absorbance spectra of 3D-printed individual domes, rows of up to five domes, two domes with varying distance, and semi-capsules of varying lengths as model systems of deformed individual cells and small cell clusters. We find that coupling effects between individual domes are small, corroborating previous related literature results for spheres. Further, we point out and illustrate with examples that, while optical reciprocity guarantees the same extinction efficiency for top vs. bottom illumination, a scatterer's internal field may be vastly different in these two situations. Finally, we demonstrate that the ME-EMSC model for preprocessing infrared spectra from spherical biological systems is valid also for deformed spherical systems.
TYPHOIDYNE : Microspot Multi-Antigen Arrays Enzyme Immunoassay - The synergistic effects of species-specific and genus conserved antigens towards an improved definitive and differential diagnosis of typhoid fever
Authors: Khan Khairunnisa Abdul Lateef , Kader Zainoodin Sheik Abdul
Published: June 2022

Typhoid fever is a neglected re-emerging and potentially fatal infectious disease caused by S.Typhi. The disease is characterized by illness of multi-organ system and acquired through faecal-oral route by consumption of contaminated food and water. The disease is endemic in developing countries but alarming number of cases linked to domestic sources have been reported in industrialised countries. The clinical presentations of typhoid fever is highly variable and often overlap with other acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI). Culture isolation is the gold standard for the diagnosis of typhoid. However, culture isolation is time-consuming, laborious with variable sensitivity and often limited to secondary or tertiary laboratory facilities. On the other hand, serological interference has been recognized as a major drawback in the reported diagnostic kits for typhoid fever. Hence, accurate, rapid and cost-effective diagnostic test are required for early life saving treatment and effective epidemiological intervention. This present study report the development of TYPHOIDYNE EIA using arrays of multi-antigen for definitive and differential diagnosis of typhoid fever. Multiple antigens were comprised of whole cell protein (WCP), cell surface protein(CSP) and surface depleted-whole cell protein(sdWCP) derived from differentially extracted whole cell bacterial proteins of S.Typhi and S.spp . Sensitivity and specificity of TYPHOIDYNE EIA were evaluated using panel of sera consisting of typhoid patient, typhoid vaccinated subject, healthy subject and subject with other diseases. The performance of the test was encouraging with sensitivity of 97.3% and specificity of 100%. The positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the assay were 100% and 97%, respectively. Multi-antigens derived from species-specific and genus conserved play an important role in profiling heterogenicity in typhoid immune response that lead to excellent synergistic effect in differential and definitive diagnosis of typhoid fever. This preliminary report showed that TYPHOIDYNE EIA successfully detected and differentiated typhoid cases, typhoid vaccinated individuals, typhoid carriers and healthy individuals. To our knowledge, this is the first report to describe the successful use of multi-antigens based microspot arrays enzyme immunoassay to characterize the heterogenicity of immune response and their application in diagnosis of typhoid fever.
Establishing pertinence between Sorting Algorithms prevailing in n log (n) time
Authors: Choudhury Manan Roy , Dutta Anurag
Published: June 2022

Data is the new fuel. With the expansion of global technology, the increasing living standards, and modernization, data values have caught a great height. Nowadays, nearly all top MNCs feed on data. Now, storing all this data is a prime concern for all of them, which is relieved by the Data Structures, the systematic way of storing data. Now, once these data are stored and charged in secure vaults, it’s time to utilize them most efficiently. Now, many operations need to be performed on these massive chunks of data, like searching, sorting, inserting, deleting, merging, and so more. In this paper, we would be comparing all the major sorting algorithms, that have prevailed to date. Further, work has been done and inequality in the dimension of time between the three Sorting algorithms, operational in \(n{log}\left(n\right)\) time, Merge, Quick, and Heap, that have been discussed in the paper have been proposed.
Evaluation of Paranasal Sinus Volumes in Pediatric Headache
Authors: Demir Kubra Irday , Cicek Tugce Kucukoglu , Delibas Vedat , Dilek Okan , Alagoz Sedat , Ozdas Talih , Kuran Gokhan
Published: June 2022

Purpose: In our study, it was aimed to research whether there is a relationship between headache and sinus volumes, by measuring sinus volumes from paranasal sinus computed tomography (PNSCT) radiological imaging of patients in the pediatric age group who applied with the complaint of headache and whose etiology could not be determined.Methods: A total of 81 patients, of which 53 pediatric patients who applied to the … Hospital Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic between 1 January 2019 - 31 December 2020 with complaints of headache and underwent PNSCT, and 28 pediatric patients who did not have complaints of headache and had current PNSCT were included in the study. Results: In our study, the mean age of Group I with headache was 13.7 ± 3.4 years and consisted of a total of 53 individuals, of which 35 were women (66%), and 18 were men (34%). The mean age of Group II, which is the control group, was 13.89 ± 3.1 years and consisted of 28 individuals, of which 8 were females (28.6%) and 20 were males (71.4%). The sinus Group 1’s and Group 2’s volumes of were compared, and it was found that the sinus volumes in Group 1 were lower than in Group 2. Conclusion: Our study shows that small paranasal sinus volumes may be involved in the etiology of headache, and no other study has been found in the literature showing this etiology in the pediatric age group.
Ice Sheet Expansion in the Cretaceous Greenhouse World
Authors: Wang Tianyang , He Songlin , Ding Lin , Zhang Qinghai , Cai Fulong , Wang Chao , Xie Jing , Li Guobiao , Sheng Jiani , Li Zhenyu , Ma Xuesong , Yue Yahui
Published: June 2022

Globally elevated temperatures during the Cretaceous extreme greenhouse climate interval were punctuated by the Valanginian Weissert event, which was characterised by a positive carbon isotope excursion, global cooling, and a glacial event approximately at 135 Ma. The inability to disentangle ocean temperature and continental ice volume trends hinders our understanding of these climate fluctuations in deep-time. We investigated the ocean temperature–ice sheet dynamics of glaciation events that occurred in the Cretaceous greenhouse world. New clumped isotope and δ18O data from sits in the Tethyan Ocean show that seawater temperatures decreased by 5°C–6°C, consistent with the development of glacial periods, and maximum ice volumes about half the size of present-day Antarctica. This cooling event provides a counter-example to other Mesozoic climate transitions driven by changes in atmospheric greenhouse gas contents. Our results suggest a robust coupling between mid-latitude seawater temperatures and polar ice volume as atmospheric CO2 contents decline.
Effects of different grains on bacterial diversity and enzyme activity associated with digestion of starch in the foal stomach
Authors: Li Xiao Bin , Huang Xin Xin , Li Qian , Li Xuan Yue , Li Jia Hao , Li Chao , He Lin Jiao , Jing Hong Xin , Yang Kai Lun
Published: June 2022

BackgroundAlthough the stomach in horses contributes largely to their health, the microbiota in the stomach of the horse being very complex remain largely unknown. Grains are the main energy source for these animals and energy is derived through enzymatic hydrolysis of grains into glucose or their microbial fermentation into VFA. However, the mechanism through which these ingested grains are chemically digested as well as the effect of these grains on the stomach remains elusive. This study explored the effects of feeding different grains (corn, oats, and barley) on bacterial diversity, structure, and composition in the foal’s stomach content. Furthermore, the effects of different grains on the vitality of starch digestion-related stomach enzymes were investigated.ResultsNo significant differences were observed (P > 0.05) in the bacterial rarefaction curves of OTUs and diversity of the stomach microbiota in all foals. This study also revealed the statistical differences for Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Fibrobacteres, Lactobacillaceae, Streptococcaceae, unidentified_Clostridiales, Prevotellaceae, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, unidentified_Cyanobacteria, unidentified_Clostridiales, Lactococcus, Sphingomonas, Lactobacillus_hayakitensis, Lactobacillus_equigenerosi, and Clostridium_perfringens. The linear discriminant analysis effect size analysis revealed 7 bacteria at each classification level. The functional analysis of species information by using FAPROTAX software was able to predict 35 functions, and the top 5 functions were chemoheterotrophy, fermentation, animal_parasites_or_symbionts, nitrate_reduction, and aerobic_chemoheterotrophy. The study also revealed statistical differences for pH, glucose concentration, β-amylase, maltase, and amylase.ConclusionsThe different grains had no significant effect on the microbial diversity of the gastric fluid of the foal. However, the relative bacterial abundances differed significantly in response to different diets. Particularly, oats fed to the foals significantly increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Lactobacillaceae, Lactobacillus, and Lactobacillus_hayakitensis. The grain had no significant effect on the pH of the stomach content, glucose concentration, and enzyme viability in the foal.
Conservation genomics and species distribution models motivate proactive and collaborative conservation in an era of rapid change
Authors: Sagatelova Maria , Rodriguez-Pena Rosa A. , Rodhouse Thomas J. , Lonneker Jeffrey , Sherrill Kirk R. , Wolfe Andrea D.
Published: June 2022

Small, fragmented plant populations with low genetic diversity are susceptible to deterministic and stochastic events that can affect long-term persistence of species. Penstemon lemhiensis Keck (Plantaginaceae) is a rare endemic with small, scattered populations across Idaho and Montana threatened by cumulative impacts of biological invasion, drought, and altered fire regimes. When contextualized by an understanding of range-wide distributions under different environmental change scenarios, conservation genetics can be leveraged to motivate proactive conservation action among collaborating stakeholder groups. We applied a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach across eight populations and 93 individuals of P. lemhiensis. Genetic differentiation among populations followed an isolation-by-distance pattern and ranged from low to moderate (FST = 0.095–0.280). Values of inbreeding were low, and often negative (FIS = -0.039-0.032), indicating outbreeding within populations. Population structure analyses identified six ancestral populations and admixture across all individuals. We contextualized these findings by fitting bioclimatic niche models to past, present, and future climate regime scenarios. Habitat connectivity peaked mid-Holocene and nearly disappeared in the future scenario. Genetic analyses and species distribution models indicated that the species may experience drastic range contraction and accelerated isolation and inbreeding in future. We identified a core area in the Upper Big Hole Valley, Montana most likely to persist as suitable habitat. The National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and US Forest Service were identified as key stakeholders in that valley. We outline a proactive collaborative conservation strategy that aim to maintain wild P. lemhiensis populations.
Accumulation of arsenic and other metals in soil and human consumable foods of Meherpur district, southwestern Bangladesh and associated health risk assessment
Authors: Rahman Md. Shazzadur , Reza A.H.M. Selim , Siddique Md. Abu Bakar , Akbor Md. Ahedul , Hasan Mehedi
Published: June 2022

Groundwater contaminated with arsenic is a significant environmental health concern worldwide because of the potential health risk due to ingestion of agricultural products produced to irrigate arsenic-contaminated water. Besides arsenic, heavy metals like Cr, Cd, Pb, Co, and Ni pollution in agricultural soil and foods worldwide has increased in short order. Metals are indefatigable environmental pollutants that cause adverse effects on human health and the main entrance of those toxic metals in the human body through drinking or consuming contaminated foods and water. In this research, we have determined arsenic and other metals concentration in soil and food samples associated with health risk with possible multivariate statistical approaches like principal component and cluster analysis to identify the probable origin. The outcome of soil pollution measurement indices like contamination factor, geo-accumulation index, and enrichment factor revealed that the soil sample is strongly contaminated by arsenic, which is considered an anthropogenic activity. Two rice grains (R-1, R-3) and drumstick (Sajna) exceed the Indian standard of arsenic concentration (As- 1.1 mg/kg) in food. Compared with WHO, all the samples exceeded the WHO limit except Red amaranth in Cu and Pb, Guava in Cr, Cd, and Pb, and Drumsticks in Cu and Cd for food samples. Arsenic and Cd show the highest transfer factor in the soil to food sample. The high value of bioaccumulation index and translocation coefficient indicate that metals absorb in plant tissue both from soil and supplied contaminated water. In the case of daily ingestion of metals, all highly toxic metals like As, Ni, and Pb represent high concentrations and exceed the daily ingestion limit (As- 3µg kg-1day-1, Ni- 1.3µg kg-1day-1, and Pb- 3.57 µg kg-1day-1) developed by FAO/WHO and EFSA. From the potential hazard quotient, values of As and Pb indicate that residents are at high health risk. The results of carcinogenic risk for harmful metals indicate that for rice grain, the values of As, Pb, and Cd are greater than 10 − 6, which suggest that the inhabitant of the investigated area are at very high carcinogenic risk according to USEPA.
Multi-port real-time observation for ultrafast intracavitary evolution dynamics
Authors: Du Yufan , liao Chen , Lei Zihui , Zhang Chi , Zhao Luming , Zhang Xinliang
Published: June 2022

Recent advance of real-time spectral measurements offers a promising route for revealing the underlying mechanisms of transient phenomena, and successfully provides direct experimental evidence for soliton-related theoretical predictions. However, as current real-time spectrum measurement focuses on the single-port observation of laser, the continuous evolution intracavitary process with short duration cannot be fully and truly characterized. To alleviate this restriction, we present a new conceptual approach for the intracavitary process, where spectra from multi-ports of a mode-locked fiber laser are collected in time division multiplexed sequence to realize synchronous real-time observation. The sinusoidal evolution of spectral beating process caused by the non-equilibrium state between intracavitary nonlinear devices is clearly observed and matched well with the simulation. Furthermore, the intracavitary evolutions of Kelly sidebands and peaks induced by self-phase modulation are obvious asynchronous with the soliton. This work may open up possibilities for real-time observation of various intracavitary nonlinear dynamics in photonic systems.
Detecting inappropriate total duration of antimicrobial therapy using semi-automated surveillance
Authors: Broek Annemieke K. , Court Jara R. , Groot Thomas , Hest Reinier M. , Visser Caroline E. , Sigaloff Kim C.E. , Schade Rogier P. , Prins Jan M.
Published: June 2022

Objectives
Evaluation of the appropriateness of the duration of antimicrobial treatment is a cornerstone of antibiotic stewardship programs, but it is time-consuming. Furthermore, it is often restricted to antibiotics prescribed during hospital admission. This study aimed to determine whether mandatory prescription-indication registration enables reliable semi-automated assessment of the duration of antibiotic therapy, including post-discharge duration.
Methods
Antibiotic prescription and admission data, from 1-6-2020 to 31-12-2021, were electronically extracted from the Electronic Medical Record of two hospitals using mandatory indication registration. All consecutively prescribed antibiotics of adult patients who received empiric therapy in the first 24 hours of admission were merged to calculate the total length of therapy (LOT) per patient, broken down per registered indication. Endpoints were the accuracy of the data, evaluated by comparing the extracted LOT and registered indication with the clinical notes in 400 randomly selected records, and guideline adherence of treatment duration. Data were analysed using a reproducible syntax, allowing semi-automated surveillance .
Results
A total of 3,466 antibiotic courses were analysed. LOT was accurately retrieved in 96% of the 400 evaluated antibiotic courses. The registered indication did not match chart review in 17% of antibiotic courses, of which only half affected the assessment of guideline adherence. On average, in 44% of patients treatment was continued post-discharge, accounting for 60% (± 19%) of their total LOT. Guideline adherence ranged from 26 to 75% across indications.
Conclusions
Mandatory prescription-indication registration data can be used to reliably assess total treatment course duration, including post-discharge antibiotic duration, allowing semi-automated surveillance.
Estimation of soil erosion in the Balason River Basin using RUSLE modelling of the Darjeeling Himalayan region, India
Authors: ROY DIPESH , MITRA RAJIB
Published: June 2022

Globally soil erosion is a frequent concern for the environment, which has an adverse effect on the agricultural outputs as well as the economy. The physical set-up and the development of different land-use practices across the watershed with time have a greater effect on soil degradation. The study has been conducted with employing the RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) modelling in the Balason River Basin (BRB) (basin area: 367.42 km2) of the Darjeeling Himalayan region to predict the actual or predicted and potential soil loss with the incorporation of remote sensing (RS) and GIS techniques. The input factors were the rainfall erosivity (R factor), soil erodibility (K factor), slope length and steepness (LS factor), cover and management (c factor), and support practice (P factor). The study depicted the region into five predicted and potential in both soil erosion-wise categorized. The outcome of the work reflects that the actual soil loss in the BRB ranges from 0 to 1054.41 t ha− 1 year− 1, while the potential soil loss varies from 0 to 6125.56 t ha− 1 year− 1. In the study area, the central and northernmost portions are in the extremely very high potential soil loss zone, while the lower course of this watershed is in the low anticipated soil loss zone. It also proposed scientific soil conservation practices, which are mainly required for the areas with high soil erosion rate. The study will be immensely beneficial in identifying areas of high soil erosion risk, where the government must speed effective preservation procedures.
Structural and developmental dynamics of Matrix Associated Regions in Drosophila melanogaster genome
Authors: Sureka Rahul , Avvaru Akshay Kumar , Sowpati Divya Tej , Pathak Rashmi Upadhyay , Mishra Rakesh Kumar
Published: June 2022

BackgroundEukaryotic genome is compartmentalized into structural and functional domains. One of the concepts of higher order organization of chromatin posits that the DNA is organized in constrained loops that behave as independent functional domains. Nuclear Matrix (NuMat), a ribo-proteinaceous nucleoskeleton, provides the structural basis for this organization. DNA sequences located at base of the loops are known as the Matrix Attachment Regions (MARs). NuMat relates to multiple nuclear processes and is partly cell type specific in composition. It is a biochemically defined structure and several protocols have been used to isolate the NuMat where some of the steps have been critically evaluated. These sequences play an important role in genomic organization it is imperative to know their dynamics during development and differentiation. ResultsHere we look into the dynamics of MARs when the preparation process is varied and during embryonic development of D. melanogaster. A subset of MARs termed as “Core-MARs” present abundantly in pericentromeric heterochromatin, are constant unalterable anchor points as they associate with NuMat through embryonic development and are independent of the isolation procedure. Euchromatic MARs are dynamic and reflect the transcriptomic profile of the cell. New MARs are generated by nuclear stabilization, and during development, mostly at paused RNA polymerase II promoters. Paused Pol II MARs depend on RNA transcripts for NuMat association. ConclusionsOur data reveals the role of MARs in functionally dynamic nucleus and contributes to the current understanding of nuclear architecture in genomic context.