bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First use of antineoplastic agents in women with breast cancer in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Authors: Santos Ranailla Lima Bandeira dos , Osorio-de-Castro Claudia Garcia Serpa , Sobreira-da-Silva Mario Jorge , Pepe Vera Lúcia Edais
Published: February 2023

Context: Breast cancer is the most common cancer, except for non-melanoma skin cancer, among women in Brazil and worldwide. Breast cancer treatment involves surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which is used in 70% of patients. This study analyzes the utilization of antineoplastic agents among women undergoing their first round of chemotherapy in Brazil’s public health system (SUS) in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Methods: Data from the SUS Outpatient Information System’s authorizations for high-complexity outpatient procedures (APACs) billed between January 2013 and December 2019 were extracted, and three datasets were created: all type 1 and type 2 APACs (including all chemotherapy procedures performed); all type 1 APACs; and first type 1 APACs (containing data only for the first round of breast cancer chemotherapy). Names of antineoplastic agents were standardized to enable the subsequent classification of therapy regimens, mitigating limitations related to data quality. Absolute and relative frequencies were used to describe sociodemographic, clinical and treatment characteristics, therapy regimen and supportive drugs.

Results: We analyzed 23,232 records of women undergoing their first round of chemotherapy. There was a progressive increase in the number of procedures over time. Women were predominantly white, lived in the capital and close to the treatment center. Most had stage 3 cancer at diagnosis (50.51%) and a significant proportion had regional lymph node invasion (37.9%). The most commonly used chemotherapy regimens were TAC (docetaxel, doxorubicine, cyclophosphamide) (21.05%) and and cyclophosphamide (17.71%), followed by tamoxifen (15.65%) and anastrozole (12.94%). Supportive drugs were prescribed to 386 women and zoledronic acid was predominant (59.58%).

Conclusion: The findings point to important bottlenecks and possible inequities in access to treatment and medicine utilization for breast cancer patients in Brazil. Efforts to improve breast cancer treatment and prevention should not only focus on interventions at the individual level but address the disease as a public health problem. The study focused on women undergoing their first round of treatment, providing valuable insight into patient and treatment characteristics to inform policy decisions.
A fully-mapped and energy-efficient FPGA accelerator for dual-function AI-based analysis of ECG
Authors: Liu Wenhan , Guo Qianxi , Chen Siyun , Chang Sheng , Wang Hao , He Jin , Huang Qijun
Published: February 2023

In this paper, a fully-mapped field programmable gate array (FPGA) accelerator is proposed for artificial intelligence (AI)-based analysis of electrocardiogram (ECG). It consists of a fully-mapped 1-D convolutional neural network (CNN) and a fully-mapped heart rate estimator, which constitute a complementary dual-function analysis. The fully-mapped design projects each layer of the 1-D CNN to a hardware module on an Intel Cyclone V FPGA, and a virtual flatten layer is proposed to effectively bridge the feature extraction layers and fully-connected layer. Also, the fully-mapped design maximizes computational parallelism to accelerate CNN inference. For the fully-mapped heart rate estimator, it performs pipelined transformations, self-adaptive threshold calculation, and heartbeat count on the FPGA, without multiplexed usage of hardware resources. Furthermore, heart rate calculation is elaborately analyzed and optimized to remove division and acceleration, resulting in an efficient method suitable for hardware implementation. According to our experiments on 1-D CNN, the accelerator can achieve 43.08× and 8.38× speedup compared with the software implementations on ARM-Cortex A53 quad-core processor and Intel Core i7-8700 CPU, respectively. For the heart rate estimator, the hardware implementations are 25.48× and 1.55× faster than the software implementations on the two aforementioned platforms. Surprisingly, the accelerator achieves an energy efficiency of 63.48 GOPS/W, which obviously surpasses existing studies. Considering its power consumption is only 67.74 mW, it may be more suitable for resource-limited applications, such as wearable and portable devices for ECG monitoring.
Candidate genes potentially involved in molting and body size reduction in the male of the horned gall aphid, Schlechtendalia chinensis
Authors: Wei Hongyuan , Xu Xin , Feng Guorui , Shao Shuxia , Chen Xiaoming , Yang Zixiang
Published: February 2023

In general, insects grow (increase in body size) through molting. To the opposite, the body size of the males of the horned gall aphid, Schlechtendalia chinensis, gets smaller after molting and as they age. To understand the molecular bases of this rare phenomenon, transcriptomes were generated from 1–5 days old male and the data were analyzed via a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). A total of 15 partitioned modules with different topological overlaps were obtained, and four modules were identified as highly significant for male body length (p < 0.05). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis suggested that a portion of genes in the four modules are likely involved in autophagy and apoptosis. In addition, a total of 40 hub genes were obtained in the four modules, and among them eight genes were highly expressed in males compared to individuals of other generations of S. chinensis. These eight genes were associated with autophagy and apoptosis. Our results reveal the unique negative growth phenomenon in male S. chinensis after molting, and also suggest that the male S. chinensis with no ability to feed probably decompose their own substances via autophagy and apoptosis to provide energy for life activities such as germ cell development.
Improving the hERG model fitting using a deep learning-based method
Authors: Song Jaekyung , Kim Yu Jin , Leem Chae Hun
Published: February 2023

The hERG channel is one of the essential ion channels composing the cardiac action potential and the toxicity assay for new drug. Recently, the comprehensive in vitro proarrhythmia assay (CiPA) was adopted for cardiac toxicity evaluation. One of the hurdles for this protocol is identifying the kinetic effect of the new drug on the hERG channel. This procedure included the model-based parameter identification from the experiments. There are many mathematical methods to infer the parameters; however, there are two main difficulties in fitting parameters. The first is that, depending on the data and model, parametric inference can be highly time-consuming. The second is that the fitting can fail due to local minima problems. The simplest and most effective way to solve these issues is to provide an appropriate initial value. In this study, we propose a deep learning-based method for improving model fitting by providing appropriate initial values, even the right answer. We generated the dataset by changing the model parameters and trained our deep learning-based model. To improve the accuracy, we used the spectrogram with time, frequency, and amplitude. We obtained the experimental dataset from https://github.com/CardiacModelling/hERGRapidCharacterisation. Then, we trained the deep-learning model using the data generated with the hERG model and tested the validity of the deep-learning model with the experimental data. We successfully identified the initial value, significantly improved the fitting speed, and avoided fitting failure. This method is useful when the model is fixed and reflects the real data, and it can be applied to any in silico model for various purposes, such as new drug development, toxicity identification, environmental effect, etc. This method will significantly reduce the time and effort to analyze the data.
The daf-7(e1372) mutation rescues dauer formation defects seen in C. elegans unc-33 mutants
Authors: Samaro Alexia , Cristancho Alejandra , Rivas Alexis , Valtierra Ruby , Beck Skye , Cantu Jason , Miranda Maria , Vacio Arianna , Cardenas Muedano Oscar , Holgado Andrea
Published: February 2023

Collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP2) in humans, UNC-33 in C. elegans, is a molecule that mediates axonal outgrowth and stability. UNC-33/CRMP2 has been hypothesized as a potential drug target for treating Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, which can often be attributed in part to aging. In aging, CRMP2 becomes hyperphosphorylated, which decreases the protein’s functionality, destabilizes the cellular skeleton, and contributes to neurodegeneration. In C. elegans, aging can be slowed by entering dauer diapause; a non-aging developmental stage turned on when the DAF-7/TGFβ signaling pathway is silenced in response to environmental stressors. In our laboratory, we discovered that unc-33 mutants are unable to form dauers in response to environmental stressors, but the mechanism behind this is still unknown. Here, we present a study that investigates whether a mutation in the daf-7 gene which leads to a temperature sensitive constitutive dauer phenotype can rescue phenotypes characteristic of unc-33 mutants. To this end, we created unc-33; daf-7 double mutants and quantified proper dauer formation after exposure to unfavorable environmental conditions. In addition, we tested how the introduction of the daf-7 mutation would affect the locomotion of the double mutants on an agar plate and a liquid medium. Furthermore, we examined axonal elongation of the double mutants using a transgene, juIs76, which expresses GFP in GABAergic motor neurons. Our analysis of unc-33; daf-7 double mutants showed that introducing the daf-7 mutation into an unc-33 mutant rescued dauer formation. However, further studies revealed that the unc-33; daf-7 double mutants had defects in axonal outgrowth of their D-type motor neuron which had been previously seen in unc-33 single mutants and impaired locomotion. Based on these results, we concluded that unc-33 mutants might have a problem suppressing DAF-7 signaling under unfavorable environmental conditions, leading to the activation of reproductive programs and the development of adults instead of dauers.
Systemic regulation of nodule structure and assimilated carbon distribution by nitrate in soybean
Authors: Li Sha , Wu Chengbin , Liu Hao , Lyu Xiaochen , Xiao Fengsheng , Zhao Shuhong , Ma Chunmei , Yan Chao , Liu Zhilei , Li Hongyu , Wang Xuelai , Gong Zhenping
Published: February 2023

Background

The nitrate regulates soybean nodulation and nitrogen fixation systemically, mainly in inhibiting nodule growth and reducing nodule nitrogenase activity, but the reason for its inhibition is still inconclusive.

Methods

The systemic effect of nitrate on nodule structure, function, and carbon distribution in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) was studied in a dual-root growth system, with both sides inoculated with rhizobia and only one side subjected to nitrate treatment for four days. The non-nodulating side was genetically devoid of the ability to form nodules. Nutrient solutions with nitrogen concentrations of 0, 100, and 200 mg L-1 were applied as KNO3 to the non-nodulating side, while the nodulating side received a nitrogen-free nutrient solution. Carbon partitioning in roots and nodules was monitored using 13C-labelled CO2. Other nodule responses were measured via the estimation of the nitrogenase activity and the microscopic observation of nodule ultrastructure.

Results

Elevated concentrations of nitrate applied on the non-nodulating side caused a decrease in the number of bacteroids, fusion of symbiosomes, enlargement of the peribacteroid spaces, and onset of degradation of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate granules, which is a form of carbon storage in bacteroids. These microscopic observations were associated with a strong decrease in the nitrogenase activity of nodules. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that the assimilated carbon is more likely to be allocated to the non-nodulating roots, as follows from the competition for carbon between the symbiotic and non-symbiotic sides of the dual-root system.

Conclusion

We propose that there is no carbon competition between roots and nodules when they are indirectly supplied with nitrate, and that the reduction of carbon fluxes to nodules and roots on the nodulating side is the mechanism by which the plant systemically suppresses nodulation under nitrogen-replete conditions.
A reinterpretation of the gap fraction of tree crowns from the perspectives of computer graphics and porous media theory
Authors: Zhu Yunfeng , Li Dongni , Fan Jiangchuan , Zhang Huaiqing , Eichhorn Markus P. , Wang Xiangjun , Yun Ting
Published: February 2023

The gap fraction (GF) of vegetative canopies is an important property related to the contained bulk of reproductive elements and woody facets within the tree crown volume. This work was developed from the perspectives of porous media theory and computer graphics techniques, considering the vegetative elements in the canopy as a solid matrix and treating the gaps between them as pores to guide volume-based GFvol calculations. Woody components and individual leaves were extracted from terrestrial laser scanning data. The concept of equivalent leaf thickness describing the degrees of leaf curling and drooping was proposed to construct hexagonal prisms properly enclosing the scanned points of each leaf, and cylinder models were adopted to fit each branch segment, enabling the calculation of the equivalent leaf and branch volumes within the crown. Finally, the volume-based GFvol of the tree crown following the definition of the void fraction in porous media theory was calculated as one minus the ratio of the total plant leaf and branch volume to the canopy volume. This approach was tested on five tree species and a forest plot with variable canopy architecture, yielding an estimated maximum volume-based GFvol of 0.985 for a small crepe myrtle and a minimal volume-based GFvol of 0.953 for a sakura tree. The 3D morphology of each compositional element in the tree canopy was geometrically defined and the canopy was considered a porous structure to conduct GFvol calculations based on multidisciplinary theory.
Chitosan oligosaccharide as a plant immune inducer on the Passiflora spp. (passion fruit) CMV disease
Authors: Zhang Liqun , Yu Lu , Zhao Zhi , Li Pei , Tan Shuming
Published: February 2023

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), one of the main viruses, is responsible for Passiflora spp. (passion fruit) virus diseases, which negatively affect its planting, cultivation, and commercial quality. In this study, a laboratory anti-CMV activity screening model for Passiflora spp. CMV disease was first established. Then, the effects of different antiviral agents of chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), dufulin (DFL), and ningnanmycin (Ning) on CMV virulence rate in Passiflora spp. were determined. The virulence rate and anti-CMV activity in Passiflora spp. treated with COS were 50% and 45.48%, respectively, which were even better than those of DFL (66.67% and 27.30%, respectively) and Ning (83.30% and 9.17%, respectively). Field trials test results showed COS revealed better average control efficiency (47.35%) against Passiflora spp. CMV disease than those of DFL (40.93%) and Ning (33.82%), indicating that COS is effective in the control of the Passiflora spp. CMV disease. Meanwhile, the nutritional quality test results showed that COS could increase the contents of soluble solids, titratable acids, vitamin C, and soluble proteins in Passiflora spp. fruits as well as enhance the polyphenol oxidase (PPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) activity in the leaves of Passiflora spp. seedlings. In addition, the combined transcriptome and proteome analysis results showed that COS mainly acted on the Brassinosteroids (BRs) cell signaling pathway, one of plant hormone signal transduction pathway, in Passiflora spp., thus activating the up-regulated expression of TCH4 and CYCD3 genes to improve the resistance to CMV disease. Therefore, our study results demonstrated that COS could be used as a potential plant immune inducer to control the Passiflora spp. CMV disease in the future.
Humans, fish, spiders and bees inherited working memory and attention from their last common ancestor
Authors: Earl Brian
Published: February 2023

All brain processes that generate behaviour, apart from reflexes, operate with information that is in an “activated” state. This activated information, which is known as working memory (WM), is generated by the effect of attentional processes on incoming information or information previously stored in short-term or long-term memory (STM or LTM). Information in WM tends to remain the focus of attention; and WM, attention and STM together enable information to be available to mental processes and the behaviours that follow on from them. WM and attention underpin all flexible mental processes, such as solving problems, making choices, preparing for opportunities or threats that could be nearby, or simply finding the way home. Neither WM nor attention are necessarily conscious, and both may have evolved long before consciousness. WM and attention, with similar properties, are possessed by humans, archerfish, and other vertebrates; jumping spiders, honey bees, and other arthropods; and members of other clades, whose last common ancestor (LCA) is believed to have lived more than 600 million years ago. It has been reported that very similar genes control the development of vertebrate and arthropod brains, and were likely inherited from their LCA. Genes that control brain development are conserved because brains generate adaptive behaviour. However, the neural processes that generate behaviour operate with the activated information in WM, so WM and attention must have existed prior to the evolution of brains. It is proposed that WM and attention are widespread amongst animal species because they are phylogenetically conserved mechanisms that are essential to all mental processing, and were inherited from the LCA of vertebrates, arthropods, and some other animal clades.
Folktales as indigenous pedagogic tools for educating school children: A mixed methods study among the Nso of Cameroon
Authors: Wiysahnyuy Lilian F. , Valentine Ngalim Banfegha
Published: February 2023

In many low and middle-income countries, schools are sites of cross-cultural contact and conflict due to a mismatch between the learning priorities and pedagogical practices used in children’s homes and those they encounter in school. The alien nature of school as a learning context contributes to several negative outcomes. It hampers children’s acquisition of academic skills, limits their parents’ engagement in their schooling and prevents schools from benefiting from the learning resources and pedagogical practices available in the local context. To prevent this, many low and middle-income countries are considering the feasibility of incorporating local cultural activities into the school curriculum as a means of bridging the cultural divide between schools and the communities they serve. This research aims to inform these decisions through a case study of stakeholders’ views towards the integration of a specific indigenous pedagogic tool, folktales into school settings in Cameroon, Central Africa. Qualitative data were gathered from 20 teachers and 15 parents in Kumbo, the capital of the Nso Kingdom where traditional child-rearing customs remain strong. A thematic analysis of the data revealed that most parents told their children folktales as one component in an indigenous participatory pedagogy designed to stimulates some cognitive skills and enhance moral development among children. Most teachers and parents believed that there were many potential importance of integrating folktales into schools as a traditional pedagogy for schoolteachers’ professional practice. All teachers reported that they used folktales during lessons and/or pupils’ free time. Like parents, teachers both narrated folktales and invited children to narrate them though some parents indicated that it was not necessary. This pattern of findings supports the conclusion that folktales provide invaluable pedagogic values and prospects for schools and formal education in general. Caution should be exercised in any attempt to generalize these findings because the sample and the geographical site were limited. However, this study suggests that folktales may be a readily available indigenous pedagogic tool that has both a high level of acceptability among teachers and parents and can be effective in bridging the cultural divide between schools and communities in many low and middle-income countries.
The effect of nonlinear pedagogy on the acquisition of game skills in a territorial game
Authors: Chow Jia Yi , Meerhoff Laurentius A. , Choo Corliss Zhi Yi , Button Chris , Tan Benjamin Su-Jim
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Nonlinear Pedagogy (NP), underpinned by Ecological Dynamics, provides a suitable pedagogical approach for practitioners (e.g., Physical Educators, coaches) to encourage exploratory learning that is learner-centered even in Traditional Sporting Games (TSG) that could be represented by invasion or territorial-like games. NP involves the manipulation of constraints which form boundaries for interacting components to self-organize, facilitating the emergence of goal-directed behaviours. Key pedagogical principles relating to representativeness, manipulation of constraints, awareness of focus of attention instructions, task simplification and the functional role of noise can encourage exploratory learning that helps develop 21st century competencies. This is in contrast to a Linear Pedagogy (LP) approach that is more teacher-centered and focuses on repetition in practices to promote movement form consistency in enhancing the acquisition of movement skills. Little is known about the effectivity of NP in the learning and transfer of invasion games. The aims of this study were to: (a) determine the impact of NP on the teaching and learning of an invasion game in the Physical Education (PE) context; (b) examine the transferability of game skills to other games in the same game category (i.e., floorball as a territorial game in this study).

Methods

224 (between 12 to 13 years old) students underwent a 10-week intervention program to learn to play an invasion game (football) with either a NP or LP approach (i.e., repetitive and prescriptive drills).

Results

Performance outcome data were measured during Pre, Post, Retention, Transfer test 1 (larger playing area) and Transfer test 2 (floorball). Significant improvements in several performance outcome and game play measures in football was observed for the NP condition. Fewer improvements in the same measures were found for the LP condition.

Discussion

Evidence for transfer of learning for NP was not as strong as anticipated although there was still some potential for encouraging transfer of learning. The key findings from this study further challenge the “one-size fits all” philosophy in the teaching of PE. Both LP and NP approaches would have a role to play in supporting teaching and learning which could be context dependent.
Study of a set of reading precursors among Chilean children with Down syndrome
Authors: Arango Paulina S. , Escobar Jose P. , Orellana Pelusa , Aparicio Andrés , Strasser Katherine , Rosas Ricardo , Tenorio Marcela
Published: February 2023

Learning to read for children with Down syndrome is relevant because of the impact this ability has on learning and the development of autonomy. Previous research has described reading development in this population, but it is not clear if the process and precursors are the same in a transparent language like Spanish. This study explores performance in a set of precursors (phonological awareness, visual recognition, vocabulary, letter knowledge and verbal reasoning) in 42 children with Down syndrome between 6:0 and 10:11 years. We hypothesized that the participants would have a lower performance than previously reported with children with typical development, particularly in tasks of phonological awareness, because the method for reading instruction in Chile with this population is usually the global method. Our results show that the precursors improve with age, that there are differences in performance between the skills assessed, and the ceiling effect was not observed as would be expected for children with typical development for the abilities assessed at these ages, which suggests that in the children assessed the precursors are not consolidated at these ages. These results suggest that the stimulation of phonological awareness and other reading precursors in children with Down syndrome is important for reading development.
Adaptation and initial psychometric study of the anxiety and fear of COVID-19 scale in the United Kingdom population
Authors: Morgado-Toscano Cristina , Allande-Cussó Regina , Fagundo-Rivera Javier , Navarro-Abal Yolanda , Climent-Rodríguez Jose Antonio , Gómez-Salgado Juan
Published: February 2023

Objective

The aim of the study was the initial psychometric study to validate the anxiety and fear of COVID-19 (AMICO) assessment scale in the general population of the United Kingdom population.

Materials and methods

A descriptive, cross-sectional, psychometric validation and descriptive study was conducted, performing univariate and bivariate analyses, as well as exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

Results

The sample was 658 people living in the United Kingdom over 16 years. Of the total, 80.5% were female, with a mean age of 48.25 years (SD = 14.861). A mean score for the AMICO scale of 4.85 (SD = 2.398) was obtained, with a range of scores from 1 to 10. The study of percentiles and quartiles allowed for the identification of three proposed levels of anxiety.

Conclusion

The AMICO_UK scale is reliable to measure the presence of anxiety and fear related to the COVID-19 disease in the United Kingdom population. The majority of the United Kingdom population presented low levels of anxiety and fear at the time the scale was administered.
Patterns of mental healthcare provision in rural areas: A demonstration study in Australia and Europe
Authors: Salinas-Perez Jose A. , Gutierrez-Colosia Mencia R. , Garcia-Alonso Carlos R. , Furst Mary Anne , Tabatabaei-Jafari Hossein , Kalseth Jorid , Perkins David , Rosen Alan , Rock Daniel , Salvador-Carulla Luis
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Mental healthcare systems are primarily designed to urban populations. However, the specific characteristics of rural areas require specific strategies, resource allocation, and indicators which fit their local conditions. This planning process requires comparison with other rural areas. This demonstration study aimed to describe and compare specialized rural adult mental health services in Australia, Norway, and Spain; and to demonstrate the readiness of the healthcare ecosystem approach and the DESDE-LTC mapping tool (Description and Evaluation of Services and Directories of Long Term Care) for comparing rural care between countries and across areas.

Methods

The study described and classified the services using the DESDE-LTC. The analyses included context analysis, care availability, placement capacity, balance of care, and diversity of care. Additionally, readiness (Technology Readiness Levels - TRL) and impact analyses (Adoption Impact Ladder - AIL) were also assessed by two independent raters.

Results

The findings demonstrated the usability of the healthcare ecosystem approach and the DESDE-LTC to map and identify differences and similarities in the pattern of care of highly divergent rural areas. Day care had a greater weight in the European pattern of care, while it was replaced by social outpatient care in Australian areas. In contrast, care coordination was more common in Australia, pointing to a more fragmented system that requires navigation services. The share between hospital and community residential care showed no differences between the two regions, but there were differences between catchment areas. The healthcare ecosystem approach showed a TRL 8 (the tool has been demonstrated in a real-world environment and it is ready for release and general use) and an AIL of 5 (the target public agencies provided resources for its completion). Two experts evaluated the readiness of the use of DESDE-LTC in their respective regional studies. All of them were classified using the TRL.

Discussion

In conclusion, this study strongly supports gathering data on the provision of care in rural areas using standardized methods to inform rural service planning. It provides information on context and service availability, capacity and balance of care that may improve, directly or through subsequent analyses, the management and planning of services in rural areas.
Learning from humans to build social cognition among robots
Authors: Coucke Nicolas , Heinrich Mary Katherine , Cleeremans Axel , Dorigo Marco
Published: February 2023

Self-organized groups of robots have generally coordinated their behaviors using quite simple social interactions. Although simple interactions are sufficient for some group behaviors, future research needs to investigate more elaborate forms of coordination, such as social cognition, to progress towards real deployments. In this perspective, we define social cognition among robots as the combination of social inference, social learning, social influence, and knowledge transfer, and propose that these abilities can be established in robots by building underlying mechanisms based on behaviors observed in humans. We review key social processes observed in humans that could inspire valuable capabilities in robots and propose that relevant insights from human social cognition can be obtained by studying human-controlled avatars in virtual environments that have the correct balance of embodiment and constraints. Such environments need to allow participants to engage in embodied social behaviors, for instance through situatedness and bodily involvement, but, at the same time, need to artificially constrain humans to the operational conditions of robots, for instance in terms of perception and communication. We illustrate our proposed experimental method with example setups in a multi-user virtual environment.
A Blessing in Disguise: From Fish Venom to Novel Medicines
Authors: Lopes-Ferreira Mônica , Disner Geonildo Rodrigo , Falcão Maria Alice Pimentel , Lima Carla
Published: February 2023

Every day, scientists make discoveries that help improve human health and wellness. Many medicines are discovered in nature, like toxins from animals. We decided to study a fish called Copper Joe toadfish (Thalassophryne nattereri) and found that a small molecule in the fish’s venom, called TnP, can help damaged organs and tissues. However, before any molecule can be used in humans, it must be tested on laboratory animals. These tests are called pre-clinical trials and are important to prove that a treatment is safe for humans. Our study tested TnP in zebrafish and found that it is safe and has no toxic effects on the developing fish. In the future, scientists can continue researching TnP, and hopefully, someday, it will be developed into a medicine to help thousands of people around the world who are suffering from diseases that cause inflammation.
Gravitational orbits in the expanding Universe revisited
Authors: Vavryčuk Václav
Published: February 2023

Modified Newtonian equations for gravitational orbits in the expanding Universe indicate that local gravitationally bounded systems like galaxies and planetary systems are unaffected by the expansion of the Universe. This result is derived for the space expansion described by the standard FLRW metric. In this paper, the modified Newtonian equations are derived for the space expansion described by the conformal cosmology (CC) metric. In this metric, the comoving and proper times are different similarly as the comoving and proper distances. As shown by Vavryčuk (Front. Phys. 2022), this metric is advantageous, because it properly predicts the cosmic time dilation, and fits the Type Ia supernova luminosity observations with no need to introduce dark energy. Surprisingly, the solution of the equations for gravitational orbits based on the CC metric behaves quite differently than that based on the FLRW metric. In contrast to the common opinion that local systems resist the space expansion, they expand according to the Hubble flow in the CC metric. The evolution of the local systems with cosmic time is exemplified on numerical modelling of spiral galaxies. The size of the spiral galaxies grows consistently with observations and a typical spiral pattern is well reproduced. The theory predicts flat rotation curves without an assumption of dark matter surrounding the galaxy. The theory resolves challenges to the ΛCDM model such as the problem of faint satellite galaxies, baryonic Tully-Fisher relation or the radial acceleration relation. Furthermore, puzzles in the solar system are successfully explained such as the Faint young Sun paradox or the Moon’s and Titan’s orbit anomalies.
Sport-for-employability as an innovative practice in addressing youth underemployment in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Burnett Cora
Published: February 2023

Youth unemployment reflects the lack of economic growth and prosperity for many nations in sub-Saharan Africa where the average age of the population is estimated to be 24 years in 2050. The study generates insights informed by preliminary findings of an ambitious 6-month government-funded “youth employment program” in South Africa. The paper reports on qualitative data emanating from two field visits per organization providing the baseline of this national project as the researcher had been tasked to develop the monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) system. About 4,000 of this population are from Special Olympics and comprise of youth with complex needs, while the baseline focus on 45 youth as part of the unified leadership initiative (partnering with a mainstream individual). The MEL system allows for a mixed-method approach, but the paper draws on narrative data obtained during field visits where 10 managers were interviewed and 47 youth interns (42.5% men and 57.5% women) took part in focus group discussions. The interview and focus group questions explored their work-related histories and profiles, current involvement with a structured program, experiences, perceptions, expectations, and pragmatic recommendations. Emerging themes and analysis report five main themes that refer to (i) personal employment histories, (ii) local embeddedness, (iii) a typology of work, (iv) program benefits, and (v) enablers and goal setting. Contextual realities shaped the agency of all research participants, but promising results show positive outcomes of soft skills associated with the level of employability and job-seeking strategies.
Individual and Contextual Factors Associated With Malaria Among Children 6–59 Months in Burkina Faso
Authors: Sere Ibrahima Stephane , Bado Aristide Romaric
Published: February 2023

Objective: This study aims to understand the individual and contextual factors associated with malaria among children aged 6–59 months in Burkina Faso.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used secondary data extracted from the Burkina Faso Malaria Indicator Survey 2017–2018. Descriptive analysis was used to analyse socio-demographic characteristics. We performed a multilevel logistic regression model to highlight individual and contextual factors of children’s exposure to malaria.

Results: Our analysis included 5,822 children aged 6–59 months. Of these, 15% had a positive rapid diagnostic test. Factors associated with malaria among children 6–59 months were age, maternal education, household wealth, rural residence, and region. The variability in malaria exposure was 16% attributable to the strata level and 23% to the primary sampling unit level. Some factors, such as the family’s socio-economic status, access to hospital care, and place of living, were positively associated withs malaria cases in children.

Conclusion: The study identified some individual and contextual determinants of malaria among children aged 6–59 months in Burkina Faso. Taking them into account for the design and implementation of policies will undeniably help in the fight against malaria in Burkina Faso.
Long-Term Visit-To-Visit Blood Pressure Variability and Risk of Diabetes Mellitus in Chinese Population: A Retrospective Population-Based Study
Authors: Zhou Rui , Li Fu-Rong , Liu Kuan , Huang Rui-Dian , Liu Hua-Min , Yuan Ze-Lin , Zheng Jia-Zhen , Zou Meng-Chen , Wu Xian-Bo
Published: February 2023

Objectives: To examine the association between visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BPV) and incident diabetes mellitus (DM) risk in a Chinese population.

Methods: Data comes from China Health and Nutrition Survey (n = 15,084). BPV was estimated as the average real variability (ARV) using at least three BP measurements from the year preceding the event and was divided into quartiles. Participants were also categorized into 9 groups on the basis of combinations of systolic BPV (SBPV) and diastolic BPV (DBPV) tertiles. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used.

Results: During a median follow-up of 16.8 years, 1,030 (6.8%) participants developed diabetes (incidence rate: 4.65/1,000 person-years). The HRs (95% CIs) for the highest quartile (vs. the lowest quartile) of SBPV and DBPV were 1.60 (1.30–1.97) and 1.37 (1.13–1.67), respectively. Participants with both highest SBPV and DBPV tertile had an ≈89% higher risk of DM (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.47–2.42) compared with those in the both SBPV and DBPV tertile 1 group.

Conclusion: Higher SBP ARV and DBP ARV were independently associated with increased risk of incident DM, which was augmented when both presented together.
Women and Leadership in the Jordanian Armed Forces
Authors: Al-Serhan Amani , Saada Raeda , Alsayyed Niveen
Published: February 2023

Ever since gaining approval to be admitted to the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF), Jordanian women have become more visible in this sector. Women were recruited in various fields across the military, including administrative posts, education, and human resources. There is a noticeable gap in the number of women reaching leadership positions despite the quality of their work and their tremendous contributions in this sector. The present study aims to explore the correlation between military culture and environment and women’s perceptions of leadership by drawing on quantitative data from female personnel at Al-Hussein Medical Center (HMC). A five-point Likert scale was adopted in the current questionnaire to test the extent of agreement with question items suggested for each aspect of work culture and environment construct. The results demonstrate that women at HMC perceive their work culture and environment positively, which in turn reflects their positive perceptions about their quality of work and their ability to lead. The female participants at HMC demonstrate positive perceptions of gender that challenge prevailing gender norms through gaining necessary support and opportunities for career advancement. The study results imply that supportive work environments have a greater impact on women’s aspirations to become leaders.
Absence of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in Italian Lagomorph Species Sampled between 2019 and 2021
Authors: De Sabato Luca , Ianiro Giovanni , Filipello Virginia , Arnaboldi Sara , Righi Francesco , Ostanello Fabio , Giammarioli Monica , Lavazza Antonio , Di Bartolo Ilaria
Published: February 2023

The zoonotic hepatitis E virus genotype 3 (HEV-3) causes most autochthonous human hepatitis E cases in Europe, which are due to the consumption of raw or undercooked food products of animal origin. Pigs and wild boars are considered the main reservoirs of this genotype, while rabbits are the reservoir of a distinct phylogenetic group named HEV-3ra, which is classified within the HEV-3 genotype but in a separate clade. Evidence for the zoonotic potential of HEV-3ra was suggested by its detection in immunocompromised patients in several European countries. HEV-3ra infection was found in farmed and feral rabbit populations worldwide and its circulation was reported in a few European countries, including Italy. Furthermore, Italy is one of the major rabbit meat producers and consumers across Europe, but only a few studies investigated the presence of HEV in this reservoir. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of HEV in 328 Italian hares and 59 farmed rabbits collected in 3 Italian macro-areas (North, North-Central, and South-Central), between 2019 and 2021. For this purpose, liver samples were used to detect HEV RNA using broad-range real-time RT-PCR and nested RT-PCR. Using 28 liver transudates from hares, the ELISA test for anti-HEV IgG detection was also performed. Neither HEV RNA nor anti-HEV antibodies were detected. Further studies will be conducted to assess the HEV presence in Italian lagomorphs to establish the role of this host and the possible risk of transmission for workers with occupational exposure, to pet owners and via food.
The Effects of Phytase and Non-Starch Polysaccharide-Hydrolyzing Enzymes on Trace Element Deposition, Intestinal Morphology, and Cecal Microbiota of Growing–Finishing Pigs
Authors: Liu Fenfen , Li Jing , Ni Hengjia , Azad Md. Abul Kalam , Mo Kaibin , Yin Yulong
Published: February 2023

This study investigated the effects of supplementing phytase and non-starch polysaccharide-degrading enzymes (NSPases) to corn–soybean meal-based diet on the growth performance, trace element deposition, and intestinal health of growing–finishing pigs. Fifty pigs were randomly assigned into the control (basal diet), phytase (basal diet + 100 g/t of phytase), β-mannanase (basal diet + 40 g/t of β-mannanase), β-glucanase (basal diet + 100 g/t of β-glucanase), and xylanase (basal diet + 100 g/t of xylanase) groups. The results show that the supplementation of phytase and NSPases had no impacts (p  >  0.05) on the growth performance of pigs. Compared with the control group, pigs fed with xylanase had higher (p < 0.05) Zn concentrations in the ileum and muscle and those fed with phytase had higher (p < 0.05) Zn concentrations in the ileum. Phytase and xylanase supplementation decreased (p < 0.05) fecal Zn concentrations in pigs compared with the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, phytase, β-mannanase, β-glucanase, and xylanase supplementation up-regulated (p < 0.05) the FPN1 expression, whereas xylanase up-regulated (p < 0.05) the Znt1 expression in the duodenum of pigs compared with the control group. Moreover, phytase, β-glucanase, and xylanase supplementation up-regulated (p < 0.05) the jejunal Znt1 expression compared with the control group. The intestinal morphology results show that the phytase, β-mannanase, and xylanase groups had increased villus heights (VHs), an increased villus height–crypt depth ratio (VH:CD), and decreased crypt depths (CDs) in the duodenum, whereas phytase, β-mannanase, β-glucanase, and xylanase groups had decreased VH and VH:CD, and increased CD in the jejunum compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Pigs fed with exogenous enzymes had decreased bacterial diversity in the cecum. The dietary supplementation of NSPases increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes and decreased spirochaetes (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, dietary NSPase treatment decreased (p < 0.05) the opportunistic pathogens, such as Treponema_2 and Eubacterium_ruminantium. Moreover, the relative abundances of Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014 and Lachnospiraceae were enriched in the β-glucanase and β-mannanase groups (p < 0.05), respectively. In conclusion, phytase and xylanase supplementation may promote zinc deposition in pigs. Additionally, the supplementation of NSPases may improve the gut health of pigs by modulating the intestinal morphology and microbiota.
Replacing Concentrate with Yeast- or EM-Fermented Cassava Peel (YFCP or EMFCP): Effects on the Feed Intake, Feed Digestibility, Rumen Fermentation, and Growth Performance of Goats
Authors: Gunun Pongsatorn , Cherdthong Anusorn , Khejornsart Pichad , Wanapat Metha , Polyorach Sineenart , Kaewwongsa Walailuck , Gunun Nirawan
Published: February 2023

The goal of this study was to improve the nutritional value of cassava peel by using yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or effective microorganisms (EM), then use it as a replacement for concentrate, and examine the effects on the feed intake, feed digestibility, rumen fermentation, and growth performance of goats. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design (RCBD), and the dietary treatments were (1) concentrate, (2) replacement of the concentrate by yeast-fermented cassava peel (YFCP) at 50% and (3) replacement of the concentrate by EM-fermented cassava peel (EMFCP) at 50%. Twelve goats were given concentrate based on their treatments at a rate of 1.5% of their body weight. Rice straw was used as roughage and fed freely. It was found that the crude protein (CP) content of the cassava peel from 2.1% to 13.7–13.8% after 14 days of fermentation. Moreover, there were no significant differences between the treatments in terms of the feed intake, feed digestibility, ruminal pH, blood urea nitrogen concentration, volatile fatty acid profile, overall average daily gain, and feed efficiency. However, the cost of the feed per gain decreased when the YFCP or EMFCP was used instead of the concentrate. Based on the results of this experiment, it was possible to conclude that yeast or EM might be utilized as microorganisms to increase the nutritional value of cassava peel. Moreover, YFCP or EMFCP can replace concentrate by up to 50% without an impact on the feed intake, feed digestibility, rumen fermentation characteristics, and the growth performance; whereas, it can reduce the feed cost per gain up to 32%.
Acupoint Catgut Embedding Improves Lipid Metabolism in Exercise-Induced Fatigue Rats via the PPAR Signaling Pathway
Authors: Song Yue , Shi Xiaoyu , Gao Zhenzhen , Li Ran , Tian Jiamin , Cao Xiaodong , Yang Bin , Zhao Shihua , Yang Ying
Published: February 2023

To improve the phenomenon of exercise-induced fatigue that often occurs during horse racing, we previously studied the improvement in exercise tolerance by acupoint catgut embedding preconditioning in an exercise-induced fatigue rat model. We found that acupoint catgut embedding pretreatment effectively improved animal exercise tolerance. Here, by combining transcriptomics and metabolomics, we aimed to explore the underlying mechanisms of this improvement. We used blood biochemical detection combined with ELISA to detect triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and glucose (GLU), arachidonic acid (AA), and free fatty acid (FFA) content and found that acupoint embedding can correct FFA, AA, TG, LDH, and AST in the blood. We used RT-qPCR to measure the expression of genes in tissue from the quadriceps femoris muscle. We found that solute carrier family 27 member 2 (Slc27a2), fatty acid binding protein 1 (Fabp1), apolipoprotein C3 (Apoc3), and lipoprotein lipase (Lpl) genes in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway were important. The regulation of lipid metabolism through the PPAR signaling pathway was important for improving the exercise endurance of rats in our exercise-induced fatigue model. Therefore, we conclude that acupoint catgut embedding can not only promote body fat decomposition and reduce lactic acid accumulation but also promote the repair of tissue damage and liver damage caused by exercise fatigue. Acupoint catgut embedding regulates the PPAR signaling pathway by upregulating Lpl expression and downregulating Slc27a2, Fabp1, and Apoc3 expression to further improve body fat metabolism.