bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
METODE PELAKSANAAN PIER JEMBATAN SUNGAI CIPELANG A PADA PROYEK TOL CISUMDAWU SEKSI 6A
Authors: Hidayat Sugiharto Rio
Published: December 2022

Pelaksanaan pekerjaan merupakan tahapan setelah tercapainya pekerjaan dan hasil yang diperoleh dari perencanaan suatu proyek. Pelaksanaan pekerjaan Pier Jembatan Sungai Cipelang A pada proyek pembangunan Jalan Tol Cileunyi Sumedang Dawuan Sta 55+200 merupakan bagian pendukung untuk membantu jalur transportasi. Jembatan merupakan bangunan struktur penghubung jalan . jembatan ini berada diatas sungai cipelang . Sehingga diperlukan perencanaan jembatan. Alat dan bahan hingga metode pelaksanaan yang efektif di lapangan pelaksanaan pembangunan Jembatan dimulai dari struktur bawah yang terdiri dari pondasi bored pile berdiameter 100 cm dengan pengeboran sedalam 30 m dan menggunakan beton kelas B2 atau beton K.350, Pile Cap menggunakan tulangan D16 D19 D25 dengan menggunakan beton kelas C atau beton K.250, Pier menggunakan tulangan D16 D19 D32 dengan menggunakan beton kelas B2 atau beton K.350 dan Pier Head menggunkan tulangan D16 D19 D25 dan menggunakan beton kelas B1 atau beton kelas K.350. Kata Kunci : Jembatan, Metode Pelaksanaan, Struktur.
Pengaruh Pengendalian Intern Kas Terhadap Efektivitas Pengelolaan Kas Pada Senyum Media Stasionery Di Jember
Authors: Darmadji Jessica Shandy , Astuti Diana Dwi , Rachmawati Lia
Published: December 2022

ABSTRACT
This study aims to examine the effect of internal cash control on the effectiveness of cash management at Smile Media Stationery Jember. The independent variables used include: Control Environment (X1), Risk Assessment (X2), Information Systems (X3), Control Procedures (X4), Control Monitoring (X5). The dependent variable is Cash Management Effectiveness (Y). This research uses quantitative descriptive analysis with a case study approach. The population used in this study were all employees of Smile Media Stationery Jember, amounting to 80 people. The sample in this study were 33 employees of Smile Media Stationery Jember who were selected through purposive sampling method. The data collection method used in this study is primary data using questionnaires, interviews, observations and literature studies. The data analysis method used is multiple linear regression analysis, F test, t test, and coefficient of determination, with data quality tests through validity and reliability tests. The results of the analysis show that simultaneously, all independent variables have an influence on the effectiveness of cash management. Meanwhile, it is partially known that the control environment is the only variable that has a significant influence on the effectiveness of cash management.
شِعْريَّةُ القلقِ الوجوديِّ في شعر ابن خفاجة الأندلسي (450 ــ 533هــ)
Authors: Al-Ghasini Zahir , Al-Daoudi Zaher
Published: December 2022

يرمي هذا البحث إلى الوقوف على شِعْريَّةُ القلقِ الوجوديِّ في "قصيدة الجبل" لابن خفاجة الأندلسي (450 ــ 533هــ)، والتي تُعد إحدى أهم اللّوامع الشّعرية في الشعر العربي عامة، وقيمة شعرية ضمن المخزون الشعري في الأدب الأندلسي خاصة، وما تزال تستأثر باهتمام النقاد والمناهج النقدية الحديثة والمعاصرة، وتخلق جدلًا في التّلقي النقديّ، إذ يُقاربها كل ناقد من وجهة نظره النقدية الخاصة، الأمر الذي يكشف قيمة شعرنا العربي القديم مشرقًا ومغربًا، وهو ما اتَّضح لنا عند شاعرِ الطّبيعة الأندلسية الأول، إذ توحَّد بالطبيعة، واستطاع أن يعبر عن أدق تفاصيلها وتقلباتها. لذا؛ فإن هذه القراءة تسعى إلى مقاربة المتن الشعري الأندلسي مقاربة نصية، تكشف عن أبعاد القلق الوجودي في الشعر الأندلسي باتخاذ قصيدة "الجبل" متْنًا وموضوعًا، مُتكئة على المنهج البنيوي التكويني، وطروحات الوجودية وبلورها الفلاسفة الوجوديون؛ ونظَّر لها النقد الحديث، مع انفتاحها على الطروحات العلمية المختلفة بدءًا من علم النفس إلى الأنثروبولوجيا والسيميولوجيا والدراسات اللغوية والثقافية، في محاولة الإجابة عن الطّرح الإشكالي التّالي: ما أبرز المؤثرات السوسيوثقافية لملمح القلق الوجودي في شعر ابن خفاجة؟، كيف يتجلى القلق الوجودي في قصيدة الجبل لابن خفاجة؟ وما إستراتيجياته الشّعرية؟
Practical issues in the use of levilimab, a novel interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Novikov P. , Kuznetsova E. , Nosova N. , Shevtsova T. , Litvinova M. , Logina V. , Moiseev S.
Published: December 2022

Levilimab is a monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-6 receptors and having a potent anti-inflammatory activity. Efficacy and safety of levilimab for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis were established in multicenter, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials AURORA and SOLAR. The authors present two patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were treated successfully with levilimab and discuss various issues of its use in clinical practice.
Anadolu İmam Hatip Lisesi Öğretmenlerinin Örgütsel Vatandaşlık Davranışları Üzerine Bir Araştırma
Authors: ÖZDEMİR Halil , ACUNER Hacı Yusuf
Published: December 2022

Bu çalışmanın temel amacı Anadolu İmam Hatip Liselerinde görev yapan öğretmenlerin örgütsel bağlılık ve örgütsel kimlik algılarının örgütsel vatandaşlık davranışlarına olan etkisini tespit etmektir. Bu kapsamda 2019-2020 eğitim öğretim yılında Türkiye İstatistik Kurumunun Türkiye Bölgeler Sınıflamasında Düzey 1 olarak belirlediği 12 coğrafi bölgeden seçilen, 23 ildeki 1506 Anadolu İmam Hatip Lisesi öğretmeninin görüşüne başvurulmuştur. Araştırma, nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden ilişkisel tarama modelinde tasarlanmıştır. Araştırmada veri toplama araçları olarak “İmam Hatip Okulları Örgütsel Kimlik Algısı Ölçeği”, “Örgütsel Bağlılık Ölçeği” ve “Örgütsel Vatandaşlık Davranışı Ölçeği” kullanılmıştır. Katılımcılardan toplanan veriler; Aritmetik Ortalama, Pearson Korelasyon ve Çoklu Doğrusal Regresyon Analizi ile çözümlenmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre öğretmenlerin örgütsel bağlılık, örgütsel kimlik ve örgütsel vatandaşlık davranışları arasında pozitif yönde anlamlı ilişki olduğu belirlenmiştir. Çoklu doğrusal regresyon analizi sonuçlarına göre öğretmenlerin örgütsel bağlılık ve örgütsel kimlik algılarının örgütsel vatandaşlık davranışları üzerinde etkisinin olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Çalışma bulguları bir bütün olarak değerlendirildiğinde, öğretmenlerin örgütsel kimlik ve örgütsel bağlılığa ilişkin algı düzeylerinin artmasının onların örgütsel vatandaşlık davranışlarının yükselmesine neden olduğu söylenebilir.
Building information modelling-based integrated design process for green building applied in O•PARK2 and potential contribution to carbon neutral construction
Authors: Yang Zi , Shi Da , Leung Chris Kee Wo , Cui Yanxiang , Dai Ji , Wu Victor Yick Nam
Published: December 2022

To achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality targets of mainland China and Hong Kong, carbon reduction in the building sector is a critical task due to its high contribution to total carbon emissions. Decarbonisation approaches in both operation and construction phases should be considered. A building information modelling (BIM)-based integrated design process (IDP) is introduced to connect the design, construction and operation as an entirety from the initial stage of a project to enhance the green building and decarbonisation design. Taking a real case of a Design-Build-Operate project, O•PARK2, this study investigates the benefits and problems in a BIM-based IDP in regard to green building and its potential impact on carbon neutrality during construction. A BIM-based IDP enables decision-making to be based on comprehensive and optimal information, which is well proved by the O•PARK2 project with the BEAM Plus being upgraded from Gold to Platinum. The carbon reduction potential during the construction phase is as high as 45%, which can only be actualised if decarbonisation specialists are involved from the planning phase. Although the BIM-based IDP possesses many unique advantages, the management of its long feedback loop and the complicated procedures should be optimised in the future.
Suicide risk level prediction and suicide trigger detection: a benchmark dataset
Authors: Li Jun , Chen Xinhong , Lin Zehang , Yang Kaiqi , Leong Hong Va , Yu Nancy Xiaonan , Li Qing
Published: December 2022

The increasing number of suicide events in recent years has set off an alarm in society. To prevent suicides, it is important to develop platforms with associated intelligent algorithms, such as those for early suicide ideation detection (SID). In general, entering people’s lives to obtain indicative information for effective SID is prohibitive due to the possible risk of privacy invasion. Social media posts provide valuable information about users’ activities, indicating important hints toward SID in a non-intrusive manner. Although multiple datasets have been collected from social media platforms for efficient SID, they either neglect many suicidal posts by searching for pre-defined keywords, or contain limited information about suicide ideation. In this paper, a newly collected dataset, which expands the coverage of suicidal posts with more fine-grained annotations of suicide risk levels and suicide triggers compared with existing datasets, is presented. Benchmarking results by a popular deep-learning model are analysed to validate the reliability and potential of the collected dataset. Furthermore, multiple application scenarios of the dataset are discussed. The proposed dataset is expected to enhance the research on suicide ideation and behaviours, and have a strong impact on SID and more importantly, suicide prevention to save invaluable lives.
Palliative Care in Neurology: Integrating a Palliative Approach to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Care
Authors: Hogden Anne , Aoun Samar M. , Silbert Peter L.
Published: December 2022

This narrative review examines connections between neurology, specialist palliative care, and an integrated palliative approach to care for people living with neurodegenerative conditions. To illustrate the complexities of including palliative care in the management of neurodegenerative conditions, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is used as a case study. Challenges to co-ordinated ALS care and smooth care transitions between multiple services and healthcare professionals are discussed, including the timing of palliative care delivery in ALS; the education and training needs of healthcare professionals; and misperceptions of palliative care held by healthcare professionals, patients, and families. The benefits of adopting an integrated palliative approach to care for patients, families, and healthcare professionals are clarified. To enhance this, a family perspective is given on experiences of ALS neurology and palliative services, the challenges they faced, and aspects of care that facilitated the patient’s preferences for the time they had left. This review concludes that a palliative approach integrated into the care plan of people with ALS from the time of diagnosis can optimise quality of life by relieving symptoms; providing emotional, psychological, and spiritual support pre-bereavement; minimising barriers to a comfortable end of life; and supporting the family post-bereavement. These outcomes can only be achieved if palliative care knowledge and expertise are extended beyond the domain of specialist palliative care services to include the full scope of health and community-based care. These challenges and potential actions are common for several neurodegenerative pathologies, and recommendations are made for enhancing the training of neurology health professionals within the wider community.
Activities of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine under martial law: shortcomings and areas for improvement
Authors: Kukuruz O. V.
Published: December 2022

The article shows the essence of the concept of “martial law”, the grounds on which it is introduced in various countries, including Ukraine. The role of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the imposition of martial law in Ukraine is outlined. The legal acts adopted by the parliament during martial law are analyzed. It was found that the People’s Deputies of Ukraine in the martial law of 2022 paid considerable attention to the formation of domestic and foreign policies of the state, the new content of which was by reason of the military aggression of the Russian Federation. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted important political documents, such as appeals to the world community, which deal with war crimes of the Russian Federation and the genocide of the Ukrainian people. In addition, a number of amendments to laws have been adopted. Among them: added grounds for restricting the formation and activity of political parties; the rules of procedure in cases on administrative lawsuits banning a political party have been determined.

The author emphasizes that some issues should have been resolved much earlier. For example, scholars have repeatedly pointed to the statements and actions of some public figures and representatives of political parties that posed a threat to the foundations of Ukraine’s national security. Public authorities, which had to respond to such warnings and take appropriate decisions, including suspending the state registration of such organizations, justified their inaction by the lack of an appropriate prosecution mechanism. The article noted that timely response to the problems could protect the country from many bad events and facilitate increase the level of national security and defense.

Analysis of the role of parliament in the imposition of martial law and its activities in these conditions proved: there is a difference between the rules approved by law and the rules that are actually applied in practice (imaginary constitutionalism); procedures provided for the adoption of laws are violated (political instrumentalization of law); socio-political problems are partially regulated (politicization of law-making); changes in laws are often made, which indicates their low quality (inflation of law).

The article recommends that People’s Deputies of Ukraine strictly adhere to the procedures provided by law and pay more attention to the mechanisms of implementation of legal norms, as their absence leads to the impossibility of implementing legal acts and, consequently, to reducing the role of law in society.

Key words: parliament, martial law, imaginary constitutionalism, political instrumentalization of law, politicization of law-making, inflation of law
International legal assistance to Ukraine in the fight against russian aggression
Authors: Skrypniuk Oleksandr
Published: December 2022

The article examines the issue of international assistance to Ukraine in the fight against Russia’s large-scale aggression. This aggression caused the biggest crisis of the system of international security, international law, and international relations after World War II and caused the destruction of the modern international order. At first, Russia’s actions caused a certain disunity in the democratic world. But the treacherous attack and the start of a full-scale war in the center of Europe rallied the leading states of NATO and the European Union. The main and consistent provider of aid to Ukraine is the United States of America and Great Britain. In total, US aid for the first three months of the war amounted to more than 50 billion dollars. Great Britain became a locomotive and an example for the old Europe in the defense and protection of democratic values.

The next group of countries that came forward in defense of Ukraine and uncompromising support in the fight against the aggressor were Poland and the Baltic countries. The collective provider of aid to Ukraine is the European Union, NATO, the G7 countries, the IMF and other world, continental and regional organizations and associations. Thanks to military and technical assistance, Ukraine managed to contain the enemy and stabilize the front.

In the article, considerable attention is paid to the problems of financial and economic, humanitarian, legal assistance in the investigation of crimes against the civilian population and assistance in the protection of cultural values, etc. A special and important direction of assistance is the support of Ukrainian refugees abroad (according to UN data, as of May 2022, there were 10 million of them) and assistance to displaced persons in the middle of the country.

Key words: aggression, military-technical, financial, legal, humanitarian aid, states, international and European organizations.
The effectiveness and quality of legislation is the focus of the reconstruction of Ukraine
Authors: Onishchenko Natalia
Published: December 2022

ntroduction: It is an axiomatic position that high-quality and effective legislation is needed at all stages of our lives: from working conditions to leisure conditions; economic factors; social programs; modern education and in many other areas in the context of human life. However, even in doctrinal sources today it is not so easy to find the essential provisions, criteria, “filling” the category of “quality of legislation”. It should be noted at once that many researchers of the doctrine identify the categories of “effectiveness” and “quality” of legislation. Although, on closer inspection it becomes clear that these are close but not identical phenomena of social reality.

Purpose of the article: the purpose of this article is to emphasize the mutual compliance and consistency of the categories of “efficiency” and “quality” of legislation. Substantiation of the fact that the legislation is effective at a certain stage of human life. It may not reproduce all the features and characteristics of the category of “quality” legislation. The above is confirmed by the illustration on the optimization of the legislative activity of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Conclusions. Thus, the issue of efficiency and quality of legislation contains theoretical concepts, such as: 1) understanding that these categories of scientific reality are close but not identical concepts; consideration and understanding of effectiveness as a mandatory but not the only factor, an indicator of the quality of legislation; 2) determining the quality of law, as achieved “maxima” in specific conditions (time, space) for the regulation of social relations; 3) emphasizing that the obligatory property of “quality” is the public utility, prolonged in time, which can be a positive vector of influence on the constant steady trend of changing legislative requirements; 4) a proposal to study the theoretical component of the quality of legislation with consideration of practical factors, including optimization, legislative activity of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (context of increasing the institutional capacity of committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine).

Key words: efficiency of legislation, quality of legislation, resource security of legislation, legislative process, optimization of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
A remark on the Riemann hypothesis
Authors: Abe Yukitaka
Published: December 2022

We prove that if the number of nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function which are not on the critical line is finite, then every nontrivial zero is on the critical line.
SISTEM INFORMASI PERTUKARAN PELAJAR UNTUK MENDUKUNG KURIKULUM MERDEKA BELAJAR - KAMPUS MERDEKA
Authors: Budi Harijanto  , Deddy Kusbianto  , Timor Albertha Ratna
Published: December 2022

Merdeka Belajar - Kampus Merdeka (MBKM), merupakan kebijakan Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, yang bertujuan mendorong mahasiswa untuk menguasai berbagai keilmuan yang berguna untuk memasuki dunia kerja. Salah satu program yang perlu dipersiapkan perguruan tinggi adalah pertukaran pelajar. Program pertukaran pelajar diharapkan dapat meminimalisir permasalahan ketimpangan fasilitas sarana prasarana pelaksanaan pendidikan di Indonesia. Dengan dilakukannya pembuatan rancangan Sistem Informasi Pertukaran Pelajar untuk mendukung kurikulum Merdeka Belajar - Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) dengan tujuan dapat mengetahui informasi-informasi tentang MBKM khususnya pada kegiatan pertukaran pelajar di Politeknik Negeri Malang. Sistem yang dibangun dapat memudahkan mahasiswa lebih mudah memperoleh informasi tentang pertukaran pelajar untuk kegiatan MBKM dan dengan adanya sistem ini pengontrolan kegiatan pertukaran pelajar dapat berjalan secara efektif. Metode yang digunakan untuk sistem informasi ini yaitu Extreme Programming yang digunakan untuk tahapan pembuatan sistem dan metode pengujian yang digunakan adalaha Metode Blackbox dan metode UAT (User Acceptence Test) dengan cara memberikan kuisioner kepada user yang terlibat. Dari hasil akurasi perhitungan pengujian UAT didapatkan hasil prosentase sebesar 91% dan hasil perhitungan UAT untuk tingkat kelayakan pengguna mendapatkan hasil 90,7%, sehingga dapat dikatakan bahwa sistem yang dibuat secara keseluruhan mudah untuk dipahami dan layak digunakan oleh user maupun pengguna dan sistem yang dibuat telah mampu memberikan hasil yang “sangat baik”.
Apoptosis regulation by the tyrosine-protein kinase CSK
Authors: Fortner Andra , Chera Alexandra , Tanca Antoanela , Bucur Octavian
Published: December 2022

C-terminal Src kinase (CSK) is a cytosolic tyrosine-protein kinase with an important role in regulating critical cellular decisions, such as cellular apoptosis, survival, proliferation, cytoskeletal organization and many others. Current knowledge on the CSK mechanisms of action, regulation and functions is still at an early stage, most of CSK’s known actions and functions being mediated by the negative regulation of the SRC family of tyrosine kinases (SFKs) through phosphorylation. As SFKs play a vital role in apoptosis, cell proliferation and survival regulation, SFK inhibition by CSK has a pro-apoptotic effect, which is mediated by the inhibition of cellular signaling cascades controlled by SFKs, such as the MAPK/ERK, STAT3 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. Abnormal functioning of CSK and SFK activation can lead to diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurological manifestations. This review describes apoptosis regulation by CSK, CSK inhibition of the SFKs and further explores the clinical relevance of CSK in important pathologies, such as cancer, autoimmune, autoinflammatory, neurologic diseases, hypertension and HIV/AIDS.
A data-driven spatial approach to characterize the flood hazard
Authors: Mostafiz Rubayet Bin , Rahim Md Adilur , Friedland Carol J. , Rohli Robert V. , Bushra Nazla , Orooji Fatemeh
Published: December 2022

Model output of localized flood grids are useful in characterizing flood hazards for properties located in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA—areas expected to experience a 1% or greater annual chance of flooding). However, due to the unavailability of higher return-period [i.e., recurrence interval, or the reciprocal of the annual exceedance probability (AEP)] flood grids, the flood risk of properties located outside the SFHA cannot be quantified. Here, we present a method to estimate flood hazards that are located both inside and outside the SFHA using existing AEP surfaces. Flood hazards are characterized by the Gumbel extreme value distribution to project extreme flood event elevations for which an entire area is assumed to be submerged. Spatial interpolation techniques impute flood elevation values and are used to estimate flood hazards for areas outside the SFHA. The proposed method has the potential to improve the assessment of flood risk for properties located both inside and outside the SFHA and therefore to improve the decision-making process regarding flood insurance purchases, mitigation strategies, and long-term planning for enhanced resilience to one of the world's most ubiquitous natural hazards.
Rescue in vitro maturation may increase the pregnancy outcomes among women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection
Authors: Qin Dan-Yu , Jiang Hua-Hua , Yao Qing-Yun , Yao Wen , Yuan Xiao-Qiong , Wang Yi , Deng Tao-Ran , Du Yao-Yao , Ren Xin-Ling , Guo Na , Li Yu-Feng
Published: December 2022

Introduction

To investigate whether rescue in vitro maturation (R-IVM) improves the reproductive outcomes among women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) after one oocyte retrieved cycle.

Methods

Between January 2019 and December 2020, 2602 women who underwent ICSI in the Reproductive Medicine Center of Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, China, were included in our retrospective cohort study. There were 2112 women undergoing only ICSI and 490 women with R-IVM followed by ICSI. The intermediate reproductive outcomes and pregnancy outcomes were assessed, including the number of normally fertilized embryos, number of cleaved embryos, number of good-quality embryos, number of day-3 available embryos, number of embryos cultured past day-3, number of blastocysts, number of available blastocysts, biochemical pregnancy, miscarriage, clinical pregnancy and live birth. The perinatal outcomes were also assessed, including preterm birth and birth weight. The abovementioned outcomes were also calculated for in vivo matured and R-IVM oocytes separately in women undergoing ICSI with R-IVM group.

Result(s)

Compared with the women who underwent only ICSI, those who underwent ICSI with R-IVM had higher numbers of MII oocytes, normally fertilized embryos, cleaved embryos, day-3 available embryos, embryos cultured past day-3, and higher oocyte maturation rate, available embryo rate than women undergoing only ICSI. Additionally, we found that women undergoing ICSI with R-IVM had an increased chance of clinical pregnancy (adjusted OR=1.50, 95% CI: 1.17–1.93) and cumulative live birth (adjusted OR=1.35, 95% CI: 1.07–1.71). After propensity score matching (PSM), the cumulative live birth rate was 60.1% for women undergoing ICSI with R-IVM versus 54.9% for women undergoing only ICSI (OR=1.24, 95% CI: 0.94–1.63). The reproductive outcomes were also significantly different when calculated for in vivo matured and R-IVM oocytes separately in women undergoing ICSI with R-IVM group. All live births from R-IVM embryos were healthy and without malformations or complications.

Conclusion

R-IVM may improve the reproductive outcomes of women undergoing ICSI. It may also provide a reference for the safety of R-IVM. This study maybe support a routine application of R-IVM among patients who intend to undergo ICSI.
Hepatic incidentaloma: An asymptomatic ectopic thyroid tissue
Authors: Di Stefano Claudia , Guarnotta Valentina , Barbaccia Maria , Paratore Rosario , La Monica Roberta , Lo Casto Antonio , Midiri Massimo , Gruttadauria Salvatore , Giordano Carla , Richiusa Pierina
Published: December 2022

An ectopic thyroid is a form of thyroid dysgenesis in which the entire thyroid gland or parts of it may be located in another part of the body than the usual place. The most frequent location is the base of the tongue. Although most cases are asymptomatic, symptoms related to tumor size and its relationship with surrounding tissues, hormonal dysfunction, and seldom malignancy may also occur. Here, we describe the case of an asymptomatic woman who was thyroidectomized 19 years previously for a toxic goiter and treated with conventional L-thyroxine therapy, until we enacted a progressive reduction of dosage of the replacement therapy. Incidentally, because of occasional abdomen discomfort, she was hospitalized in our Division of Endocrinology as there was ultrasound evidence of a large mass in the liver dislocating and imprinting the choledochal duct in the pre-pancreatic site, the gallbladder, and the cystic duct, which could not be dissociated from the contiguous hepatic parenchyma and was in very close proximity to the second duodenal portion and the head of the pancreas. Imaging techniques, such as TC, MR, TC/PET, and 131I scintigraphy, confirmed the large lesion with a diameter on the axial plane of about 8 × 5.5 cm and a cranio-caudal extension of about 6 cm. The impossibility of surgical debulking and/or radiometabolic 131I therapy, in the absence of compression symptoms, led to the multidisciplinary decision of a clinical and instrumental follow-up of this rare lesion.
Incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus in the United Arab Emirates; comparison of six diagnostic criteria: The Mutaba’ah Study
Authors: Bashir Maryam M. , Ahmed Luai A. , Elbarazi Iffat , Loney Tom , Al-Rifai Rami H. , Alkaabi Juma M. , Al-Maskari Fatma
Published: December 2022

Background

For more than half a century, there has been much research and controversies on how to accurately screen for and diagnose gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). There is a paucity of updated research among the Emirati population in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The lack of a uniform GDM diagnostic criteria results in the inability to accurately combine or compare the disease burden worldwide and locally. This study aimed to compare the incidence of GDM in the Emirati population using six diagnostic criteria for GDM.

Methods

The Mutaba’ah study is the largest multi-center mother and child cohort study in the UAE with an 18-year follow-up. We included singleton pregnancies from the Mutaba’ah cohort screened with the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at 24–32 weeks from May 2017 to March 2021. We excluded patients with known diabetes and with newly diagnosed diabetes. GDM cumulative incidence was determined using the six specified criteria. GDM risk factors were compared using chi-square and t-tests. Agreements among the six criteria were assessed using kappa statistics.

Results

A total of 2,546 women were included with a mean age of 30.5 ± 6.0 years. Mean gravidity was 3.5 ± 2.1, and mean body mass index (BMI) at booking was 27.7 ± 5.6 kg/m2. GDM incidence as diagnosed by any of the six criteria collectively was 27.1%. It ranged from 8.4% according to the EASD 1996 criteria to 21.5% according to the NICE 2015 criteria. The two most inclusive criteria were the NICE 2015 and the IADPSG criteria with GDM incidence rates of 21.5% (95% CI: 19.9, 23.1) and 21.3% (95% CI: 19.8, 23.0), respectively. Agreement between the two criteria was moderate (k = 0.66; p < 0.001). The least inclusive was the EASD 1996 criteria [8.4% (95% CI: 7.3, 9.6)]. The locally recommended IADPSG/WHO 2013 criteria had weak to moderate agreement with the other criteria, with Cohen’s kappa coefficient ranging from (k = 0.51; p < 0.001) to (k = 0.71; p < 0.001). Most of the GDM risk factors assessed were significantly higher among those with GDM (p < 0.005) identified by all criteria.

Conclusions

The findings indicate discrepancies among the diagnostic criteria in identifying GDM cases. This emphasizes the need to unify GDM diagnostic criteria in this population to provide accurate and reliable incidence estimates for healthcare planning, especially because the agreement with the recommended criteria was not optimal.
A novel risk model based on white blood cell-related biomarkers for acute kidney injury prediction in patients with ischemic stroke admitted to the intensive care unit
Authors: Liu Shengyuan , Li Min , Yang Yuxing , Chen Yiguo , Wang Wei , Zheng Xiaoyu
Published: December 2022

Background

Conventional systemic inflammatory biomarkers could predict prognosis in patients with ischemic stroke (IS) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in patients with IS admitted to ICU, but few studies have used systemic inflammatory biomarkers to predict AKI in critically ill patients with IS. This study aimed to establish a risk model based on white blood cell (WBC)-related biomarkers to predict AKI in critically ill patients with IS.

Methods

Data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV) for a training cohort, and data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD) for a validation cohort. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the significant predictors of WBC-related biomarkers on AKI prediction, and a risk model was established based on those significant indicators in multivariate logistic regression. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was utilized to obtain the best cut-off value of the risk model. The Kaplan–Meier curve was used to evaluate the prognosis-predictive ability of the risk model.

Results

The overall incidence of AKI was 28.4% in the training cohort and 33.2% in the validation cohort. WBC to lymphocyte ratio (WLR), WBC to basophils ratio (WBR), WBC to hemoglobin ratio (WHR), and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) could independently predict AKI, and a novel risk model was established based on WLR, WBR, WHR, and NLR. This risk model depicted good prediction performance both in AKI and other clinical outcomes including hemorrhage, persistent AKI, AKI progression, ICU mortality, and in-hospital mortality both in the training set and in the validation set.

Conclusion

A risk model based on WBC-related indicators exhibited good AKI prediction performance in critically ill patients with IS which could provide a risk stratification tool for clinicians in the ICU.
Soil texture influences soil bacterial biomass in the permafrost-affected alpine desert of the Tibetan plateau
Authors: Shao Ming , Zhang Shengyin , Niu Bin , Pei Yu , Song Sen , Lei Tianzhu , Yun Hanbo
Published: December 2022

Under warm climate conditions, permafrost thawing results in the substantial release of carbon (C) into the atmosphere and potentially triggers strong positive feedback to global warming. Soil microorganisms play an important role in decomposing organic C in permafrost, thus potentially regulating the ecosystem C balance in permafrost-affected regions. Soil microbial community and biomass are mainly affected by soil organic carbon (SOC) content and soil texture. Most studies have focused on acidic permafrost soil (pH < 7), whereas few examined alkaline permafrost-affected soil (pH > 7). In this study, we analyzed soil microbial communities and biomass in the alpine desert and steppe on the Tibetan plateau, where the soil pH values were approximately 8.7 ± 0.2 and 8.5 ± 0.1, respectively. Our results revealed that microbial biomass was significantly associated with mean grain size (MGS) and SOC content in alkaline permafrost-affected soils (p < 0.05). In particular, bacterial and fungal biomasses were affected by SOC content in the alpine steppe, whereas bacterial and fungal biomasses were mainly affected by MGS and SOC content, respectively, in the alpine desert. Combined with the results of the structural equation model, those findings suggest that SOC content affects soil texture under high pH-value (pH 8–9) and that soil microbial biomass is indirectly affected. Soils in the alpine steppe and desert are dominated by plagioclase, which provides colonization sites for bacterial communities. This study aimed to highlight the importance of soil texture in managing soil microbial biomass and demonstrate the differential impacts of soil texture on fungal and bacterial communities in alkaline permafrost-affected regions.
Dual roles and potential applications of exosomes in HCV infections
Authors: Yin Yiqian , Zhao Yuxue , Chen Qiaoqiao , Chen Yiwen , Mao Lingxiang
Published: December 2022

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes severe liver diseases, including hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, which have high morbidity and mortality. Antibody targeting receptor-mediated HCV infections have limited therapeutic benefits, suggesting that the transmission of HCV infections is possibly mediated via receptor-independent mechanisms. Exosomes are membrane-enclosed vesicles with a diameter of 30–200 nm, which originate from the fusion of endosomal multivesicular bodies with the plasma membrane. Accumulating evidence suggests that exosomes have a pivotal role in HCV infections. Exosomes can transfer viral and cellular bioactive substances, including nucleic acids and proteins, to uninfected cells, thus spreading the infection by masking these materials from immunological recognition. In addition, exosomes originating from some cells can deliver antiviral molecules or prompt the immune response to inhibit HCV infection. Exosomes can be used for the diagnosis of HCV-related diseases, and are being presently evaluated as therapeutic tools for anti-HCV drug delivery. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the dual roles and potential clinical applications of exosomes in HCV infections.
Comparative analysis of scalp and gut microbiome in androgenetic alopecia: A Korean cross-sectional study
Authors: Jung Da-Ryung , Yoo Hye-Young , Kim Min-Ji , Singh Vineet , Park Sung-Ha , Jeong Minsoo , Park Byoung-Jun , Shin Jae-Ho
Published: December 2022

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a non-scarring and progressive form of hair loss occurring in both men and women. Although genetic predisposition and sex steroid hormones are the main causes, many factors remain unknown, and various extrinsic factors can negatively affect the lifespan of hair. We investigated skin–gut axis microorganisms as potential exogenous factors causing AGA, through comparative analyses of the scalp and gut microbiome in individuals with and without AGA in a Korean cohort. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we characterized the scalp and gut microbiomes of 141 individuals divided into groups by sex and presence of AGA. Alpha diversity indices in the scalp microbiome were generally higher in individuals with AGA than in healthy controls. These indices showed a strong negative correlation with scalp-inhabitant bacteria (Cutibacterium and Staphylococcus), indicating that the appearance of non-inhabitant bacteria increases as hair loss progresses. No significant differences in diversity were observed between the gut microbiomes. However, bacterial functional differences, such as bile acid synthesis and bacterial invasion of epithelial cells, which are related to intestinal homeostasis, were observed. The networks of the scalp and gut microbiome were more complex and denser with higher values of the network topology statistic coefficient values (i.e., transitivity, density, and degree centrality) and more unique associations in individuals with AGA than in healthy controls. Our findings reveal a link between skin–gut microorganisms and AGA, indicating the former’s potential involvement in the latter’s development. Additionally, these results provide evidence for the development of cosmetics and therapeutics using microorganisms and metabolites involved in AGA.
High-resolution surface electromyographic activities of facial muscles during mimic movements in healthy adults: A prospective observational study
Authors: Mueller Nadiya , Trentzsch Vanessa , Grassme Roland , Guntinas-Lichius Orlando , Volk Gerd Fabian , Anders Christoph
Published: December 2022

Objectives

Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a standard tool in clinical routine and clinical or psychosocial experiments also including speech research and orthodontics to measure the activity of selected facial muscles to objectify facial movements during specific facial exercises or experiments with emotional expressions. Such muscle-specific approaches neglect that facial muscles act more as an interconnected network than as single facial muscles for specific movements. What is missing is an optimal sEMG setting allowing a synchronous measurement of the activity of all facial muscles as a whole.

Methods

A total of 36 healthy adult participants (53% women, 18–67 years) were included. Electromyograms were recorded from both sides of the face using an arrangement of electrodes oriented by the underlying topography of the facial muscles (Fridlund scheme) and simultaneously by a geometric and symmetrical arrangement on the face (Kuramoto scheme). The participants performed a standard set of different facial movement tasks. Linear mixed-effects models and adjustment for multiple comparisons were used to evaluate differences between the facial movement tasks, separately for both applied schemes. Data analysis utilized sEMG amplitudes and also their maximum-normalized values to account for amplitude differences between the different facial movements.

Results

Surface electromyography activation characteristics showed systematic regional distribution patterns of facial muscle activation for both schemes with very low interindividual variability. The statistical significance to discriminate between the different sEMG patterns was good for both schemes (significant comparisons for sEMG amplitudes: 87.3%, both schemes, normalized values: 90.9%, Fridlund scheme, 94.5% Kuramoto scheme), but the Kuramoto scheme performed considerably superior.

Conclusion

Facial movement tasks evoke specific patterns in the complex network of facial muscles rather than activating single muscles. A geometric and symmetrical sEMG recording from the entire face seems to allow more specific detection of facial muscle activity patterns during facial movement tasks. Such sEMG patterns should be explored in more clinical and psychological experiments in the future.
The role of autophagy and ferroptosis in sensorineural hearing loss
Authors: Sun Ying , Zou Shengyu , He Zuhong , Chen Xiong
Published: December 2022

Hearing loss has become a common sensory defect in humans. Because of the limited regenerative ability of mammalian cochlear hair cells (HCs), HC damage (caused by ototoxic drugs, aging, and noise) is the main risk factor of hearing loss. However, how HCs can be protected from these risk factors remains to be investigated. Autophagy is a process by which damaged cytoplasmic components are sequestered into lysosomes for degradation. Ferroptosis is a novel form of non-apoptotic regulated cell death involving intracellular iron overloading and iron-dependent lipid peroxide accumulation. Recent studies have confirmed that autophagy is associated with ferroptosis, and their crosstalk may be the potential therapeutic target for hearing loss. In this review, we provide an overview of the mechanisms of ferroptosis and autophagy as well as their relationship with HC damage, which may provide insights for a new future in the protection of HCs.
Intra- and peri-tumoral radiomics for predicting the sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer based on preoperative mammography and MRI
Authors: Cheng Yuan , Xu Shu , Wang Haotian , Wang Xiaoyu , Niu Shuxian , Luo Yahong , Zhao Nannan
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate values of intra- and peri-tumoral regions in the mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image for prediction of sentinel lymph node metastasis (SLNM) in invasive breast cancer (BC).

Methods

This study included 208 patients with invasive BC between Spe. 2017 and Apr. 2021. All patients underwent preoperative digital mammography (DM), digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) and diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) scans. Radiomics features were extracted from manually outlined intratumoral regions, and automatically dilated peritumoral tumor regions in each modality. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to select key features from each region to develop radiomics signatures (RSs). Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated to evaluate performance of the RSs.

Results

Intra- and peri-tumoral regions of BC can provide complementary information on the SLN status. In each modality, the Com-RSs derived from combined intra- and peri-tumoral regions always yielded higher AUCs than the Intra-RSs or Peri-RSs. A total of 10 and 11 features were identified as the most important predictors from mammography (DM plus DBT) and MRI (DCE-MRI plus DWI), respectively. The DCE-MRI plus DWI generated higher AUCs compared with DM plus DBT in the training (AUCs, DCE-MRI plus DWI vs. DM plus DBT, 0.897 vs. 0.846) and validation (AUCs, DCE-MRI plus DWI vs. DM plus DBT, 0.826 vs. 0.786) cohort.

Conclusions

Radiomics features from intra- and peri-tumoral regions can provide complementary information to identify the SLNM in both mammography and MRI. The DCE-MRI plus DWI generated lower specificity, but higher AUC, accuracy, sensitivity and negative predictive value compared with DM plus DBT.
Multi-party semi-quantum private comparison based on the maximally entangled GHZ-type states
Authors: Wu WanQing , Guo LingNa , Xie MingZhe
Published: December 2022

The goal of semi-quantum privacy comparison (SQPC) is to use a small amount of quantum capabilities to compare private information for equality. In recent years, research on semi-quantum privacy comparison protocol has made some achievements. However, most of SQPC protocols can merely compare the private information of two parties, and the research of multi-party SQPC protocols are still scarce. If the number of participants is more than two, the protocol needs to be executed multiple times. Therefore, we proposed a multi-party semi-quantum private comparison protocol based on the maximally entangled GHZ-type state, which has the capability to compare the equality of n parties by executing the protocol once. What is more, the transmission of participant’s encrypted information is not through the classical channel, which improves the security of the protocol. Finally, the security analysis shows that outsider attacks, dishonest participants attacks and semi-honest TP attacks are all invalid for this protocol.
Analysis of BRCT5 domain-containing proteins reveals a new component of DNA damage repair in Arabidopsis
Authors: Vladejić Jovanka , Yang Fen , Dvořák Tomaštíková Eva , Doležel Jaroslav , Palecek Jan J. , Pecinka Ales
Published: December 2022

The integrity of plant genetic information is constantly challenged by various internal and external factors. Therefore, plants use a sophisticated molecular network to identify, signal and repair damaged DNA. Here, we report on the identification and analysis of four uncharacterized Arabidopsis BRCT5 DOMAIN CONTAINING PROTEINs (BCPs). Proteins with the BRCT5 domain are frequently involved in the maintenance of genome stability across eukaryotes. The screening for sensitivity to induced DNA damage identified BCP1 as the most interesting candidate. We show that BCP1 loss of function mutants are hypersensitive to various types of DNA damage and accumulate an increased number of dead cells in root apical meristems upon DNA damage. Analysis of publicly available sog1 transcriptomic and SOG1 genome-wide DNA binding data revealed that BCP1 is inducible by gamma radiation and is a direct target of this key DNA damage signaling transcription factor. Importantly, bcp1 plants showed a reduced frequency of somatic homologous recombination in response to both endogenous and induced DNA damage. Altogether, we identified a novel plant-specific DNA repair factor that acts downstream of SOG1 in homology-based repair.
High-throughput detection of a large set of viruses and viroids of pome and stone fruit trees by multiplex PCR-based amplicon sequencing
Authors: Costa Larissa Carvalho , Atha Benjamin , Hu Xiaojun , Lamour Kurt , Yang Yu , O’Connell Mary , McFarland Clint , Foster Joseph A. , Hurtado-Gonzales Oscar P.
Published: December 2022

A comprehensive diagnostic method of known plant viruses and viroids is necessary to provide an accurate phytosanitary status of fruit trees. However, most widely used detection methods have a small limit on either the number of targeted viruses/viroids or the number of samples to be evaluated at a time, hampering the ability to rapidly scale up the test capacity. Here we report that by combining the power of high multiplexing PCR (499 primer pairs) of small amplicons (120-135bp), targeting 27 viruses and 7 viroids of fruit trees, followed by a single high-throughput sequencing (HTS) run, we accurately diagnosed the viruses and viroids on as many as 123 pome and stone fruit tree samples. We compared the accuracy, sensitivity, and reproducibility of this approach and contrast it with other detection methods including HTS of total RNA (RNA-Seq) and individual RT-qPCR for every fruit tree virus or viroid under the study. We argue that this robust and high-throughput cost-effective diagnostic tool will enhance the viral/viroid knowledge of fruit trees while increasing the capacity for large scale diagnostics. This approach can also be adopted for the detection of multiple viruses and viroids in other crops.