bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
INCOME DISTRIBUTION AND ZAKAT CONTRIBUTION IN MALAYSIA
Authors: Mohd Fizol Nur Afiqah , Syahirin Nur Syahirah , Sarnubi Nurul Suhada , Seman Safinatun Najah , Razman Nurul Kauthsar , Johari Fuadah
Published: January 2023

One of the fundamental obligations of every Muslim is to pay Zakat. The asnaf group may receive assistance from Zakat payments and income distribution to survive financial difficulties. This article aims to describe how Malaysian Zakat income and distribution function. The significance of Zakat donations to the community for its economic development is discussed in the first paragraph of this article. The history of the Zakat contribution controversy and Sharia-based theory are then covered. The study's conclusion indicates an imbalance in the distribution of Zakat by the state in Malaysia based on the country's poverty rate. In order to ensure that Zakat's contribution to the community is effective, the article underlines the necessity for a thorough action plan to ensure that no Muslim group is overlooked or marginalised. To fulfil their different obligations and more effectively and efficiently meet the responsibility to donate Zakat, every Muslim community member must honestly collaborate and adhere to the detailed action plan.
IMPACT OF FINTECH ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF FINANCIAL INCLUSION IN MSME IN MATARAM
Authors: Agustina Ahadiah
Published: January 2023

The purpose of writing this article is to find out how much influence fintech (risk andinvestment management, market provisioning, and cashless society) has on financial inclusion(financial knowledge, financial behavior, and financial attitudes) in MSMEs in Mataram city.The research conducted included quantitative research. The population of this study is theMSME industry in Mataram City by focusing on using archival data (archival method). Thisstudy uses descriptive analysis and classical assumption tests. The findings show thatsimultaneously and partially fintech variables (risk and investment management and marketprovisioning) have no effect on financial inclusion (financial knowledge, financial behavior, andfinancial attitudes) while simultaneously and partially, fintech variables (cashless society) affectfinancial inclusion (financial knowledge, financial behavior, and financial attitudes).
THE ROLE OF WAQAF MICRO-AHMAD TAQUIDDIN MANSYUR BANK IN EMPOWERING THE ECONOMY OF THE COMMUNITY OF BONDER VILLAGE, PRAYA BARAT DISTRICT, LOMBOK CENTRAL DISTRICT
Authors: Asnawijaya  , Rahmawati Naili , Hasanah Shofia Mauizotun
Published: January 2023

Berbagai upaya telah dilakukan pemerintah untuk menekankan angka kemiskinan masyarkat, salah satu pendekatan yang dilakukan pemerintah adalah memfasilitasi program pembiayaan yang dilakukan oleh seluruh lembaga perbankan di indonesia, guna membantu para pelaku usaha mikro, kecil dan menengah (UMKM) yang mengalami kendala dalam hal kekurangan modal usaha. Bank tradisonal menawarkan pembiayaan dengan bunga, termasuk riba. Untuk itu, Otoritas Jasa Keuangan menggandeng LAZ BSM (lembaga amil zakat bank syariah mandiri) untuk menciptakan produk keuangan bebas riba yaitu Bank Waqaf Mikro Ahmad Taqiuddin Mansyur. Namun tidak mudah untuk memahami apakah Bank Waqaf Mikro Ahmad Taqiuddin Mansyur berdampak positif bagi perkembangan ekonnomi masyarakat. Jenis dalam penelitian ini menggunakan Metode deskriptif kualitatif, metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah metode observasional, wawancara dan dokumentasin dan teknik analisi data. Hasil  penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Bank Waqaf Mikro Ahmad Taqiuddin Mansyur telah memberikan dampak positif bagi pemberdayaan ekonomi masyarakat. Hal ini dibuktikan dengan sudah diterapkannya tiga konsep antara lain Enabling, Empowering dan Protecting, selain itu masyarakat juga dapat menimba ilmu dari pengelola Bank waqaf mikro tentang kewirausahaan, dan ajaran Islam dari anggota atau kelompok lain.
From Intellectual to Advocacy Movement: Islamic Moderation, the Conservatives and the Shift of Interfaith Dialogue Campaign in Indonesia
Authors: Jati Wasisto Raharjo , Halimatusa'diah Halimatusa'diah , Syamsurijal Syamsurijal , Aji Gutomo Bayu , Nurkhoiron Muhammad , Tirtosudarmo Riwanto
Published: January 2023

The interfaith dialogue campaign takes a new turn after the demise of the authoritarian regime in 1998. While the previous campaign was characterized by the important role of public intellectuals, such as Gus Dur, Romo Mangunwijaya and Th. Sumartana; the new generation of campaigners adopt more community-based advocacy movement. The shift into a new turn specifically refers to two phenomena; 1) change of the modes and practices of interfaith dialogue movement at the society level and 2) the idea of recent interfaith originates more from communities rather than from prominent public intellectuals. These two phenomena basically show the opportunities and challenges for the future of interfaith dialogue campaign. The study uses two methods, namely archival and case study based on the empirical data from Makassar and Yogyakarta in the mid 2022. The findings show that advocating interfaith dialogues through communities as adopted by the new generation of campaigners apparently more effective for young generations than what is experienced before 1998. It generates the recent interfaith dialogue among young people to be intimate. The findings also implies that the religious moderation discourse and campaign recently propagated by the Ministry of Religious Affairs need to be critically assessed. These two findings interestingly show the conservatives’ involvement that eager to join interfaith campaign in order to curb hardliner stigma.
Exploratory Factor Analysis of a French Adapted Version of the Substance Abuse Attitude Survey Among Medical Students in Belgium
Authors: Richelle Lou , Dramaix Michelle , Kacenelenbogen Nadine , Kornreich Charles
Published: January 2023

To evaluate the impact of a new Substance Use Disorder (SUD) education program on medical students' representations, we selected the Substance Abuse Attitude Survey (SAAS) questionnaire, which we adapted to our curriculum and cultural context. To validate this adapted version, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis following the administration of our 29-items bSAAS questionnaire to 657 medical students in Belgium (response rate: 71,1%). 23 items correlated to 3 factors namely "Stereotypes and moralism", "Treatment optimism" and "Specialised treatment" were retained (70% of total variance explained, Cronbach's alpha= 0.80) and constituted the new questionnaire called beSAAS. The factor "Specialised treatment", stood out from previous studies which could be explained by our target population and the impact of the formal, informal, and hidden curriculum in medical education. This study highlighted certain factors influencing stereotypical representations such as age, gender, origin, and personal or professional experience with substance use. Our study allowed us to retain the beSAAS as a good questionnaire to evaluate SUD stigma and highlighted interesting findings to improve SUD training in medicine. Further studies are needed to complete its validity and reliability.
Association of Cognitive Deficit with Glutamate and Insulin Signaling in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Knezovic Ana , Piknjac Marija , Osmanovic Barilar Jelena , Babic Perhoc Ana , Virag Davor , Homolak Jan , Salkovic-Petrisic Melita
Published: January 2023

Cognitive deficit is a frequent non-motor symptom in Parkinson 's disease (PD) with an unclear pathogenesis. Recent research indicates possible involvement of insulin resistance and glutamate excitotoxicity in PD development. We investigated cognitive performance and the brain glutamate and insulin signaling in a rat model of PD induced by bilateral intrastriatal injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Cognitive functions were assessed with Passive avoidance (PA) and Morris Water Maze (MWM) tests. The expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and proteins involved in insulin (IR, pI3K, ERK) and glutamate receptor (AMPAR, NMDAR) signaling was assessed in the hippocampus (HPC), hypothalamus (HPT) and striatum (S) by immunofluorescence, Western blot and ELISA. Three months after 6-OHDA treatment, cognitive deficit was accompanied by decreased AMPAR activity and TH levels (HPC, S), while levels of the proteins involved in insulin signaling remained largely unchanged. Spearman’s rank correlation revealed a strong positive correlation for pAMPAR-PA (S), pNMDAR-pI3K (HPC) and pNMDAR-IR (all regions). Additionally, a positive correlation was found for TH-ERK and TH-pI3K, and a negative one for TH-MWM/errors and pI3K-MWM/time (S). These results suggest a possible association between brain glutamate (but not insulin) signaling dysfunction and cognitive deficit in a rat PD model, detected three months after 6-OHDA treatment.
Relationship of Parents' Economic Conditions and Parenting Patterns with Children’s Development
Authors: Fadilla Anisa Yuniar , Setyoboedi Bagus
Published: January 2023

Background: Each parent has its own parenting style in parenting which is usually influenced by the background they have, both in terms of education, socio-economics, work, customs and others. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the economic conditions of parents and parenting on the development of children.

Methods: This type of research is quantitative research with a correlational research design. The sample in this study was all the population that met all the inclusion and exclusion criteria with a sampling technique using Total Sampling. The independent variable of this research is child development. The dependent variable studied in this study is the economic condition of parents and the intermediate variable in this study is parenting.

Results: The results of this study indicate that there are 62.52% parents with middle economic conditions, 20.83% parents with poor economic conditions and 16.65% parents with affluent economic conditions. For parenting, it was found that 58.3% of parents used democratic parenting, 25% used permissive parenting and 16.7% of parents used authoritarian parenting. In child development, it was found that 70.8% of children had normal development and 29.2% of children had impaired development. The results of the Manova test on the relationship between parents' economic conditions and parenting patterns with child development showed a p-value of 0.650.

Conclusion: The data shows that there is no significant relationship between the economic conditions of parents and parenting patterns with child development.
Establishing the Influence of CaCl2 on the Vulnerability of Cement Slurries to Gas Migration Using the Modified Wellbore Simulation Chamber Apparatus
Authors: Sharifi Naser P. , Vandenbossche Julie M. , Iannacchione Anthony T. , Brigham John C. , Rosenbaum Eilis J.
Published: January 2023

A modified wellbore simulation chamber (MWSC) apparatus was used to perform a series of gas migration tests to identify the vulnerability period of cement slurries containing three different percentages of CaCl2. In addition, the Virtual Cement and Concrete Testing Laboratory (VCCTL) software was used to establish a correlation between the vulnerability period and the fundamental properties of the hydrating slurry, such as the degree of hydration (DoH) and the volume fraction of hydration products. MWSC test results confirmed that as long as the slurry pressure is higher than the formation gas pressure, gas migration does not take place. However, once the slurry pressure drops below the formation gas pressure, gas migration can occur. The incorporation of CaCl2 affects the vulnerability period in two ways. First, CaCl2 increases the strength gain rate of the slurry, thus shortening the time for the slurry pressure to drop below the formation gas pressure. In addition, the incorporation of CaCl2 shortens the time needed for the slurry to develop sufficient rigidity to withstand gas migration. However, the effect of CaCl2 on the latter is significantly higher. The test results show that for the studied cement slurry, the incorporation of 2% CaCl2 reduces the vulnerability period by approximately 40%. It was also shown that regardless of the percentage of CaCl2, all three mixtures developed sufficient rigidity to withstand gas migration when they reached the DoH of approximately 25%. At this hydration stage, the sum of volume fraction of hydration products for all the mixtures was approximately 24%.
Characterization of Hemodialysis Fistulas Experienced Abrupt Thrombosis and Determination of a Proper Follow-up Protocol: A Retrospective Cohort Study and an Interventionist’s Perspective
Authors: Chen Matt Chiung-Yu , Weng Mei-Jui , Chao Lee-Hua
Published: January 2023

Background
Abrupt thrombosis is a form of thrombosis that occurs unexpectedly and without being preceded by hemodialysis fistula (AVF) dysfunction during dialysis. We found that AVFs with a history of abrupt thrombosis (abtAVF) appeared to have more episodes of thrombosis and required more frequent interventions than those without such history. Therefore, we sought to characterize the abtAVFs and examined our follow-up protocols to determine which one is optimal.
Methods
We performed a retrospective cohort study using routinely collected data. The thrombosis rate, AVF loss rate, thrombosis-free primary patency, and secondary patency were calculated. Additionally, the restenosis rates of the AVFs under the follow-up protocol/sub-protocols and the abtAVFs were determined.
Results
The thrombosis rate, procedure rate, AVF loss rate, thrombosis-free primary patency, and secondary patency of the abtAVFs were 0.237/pt-yr, 2.702/pt-yr, 0.027/pt-yr, 78.3%, and 96.0%, respectively. The restenosis rate for AVFs in the abtAVF group and the angiographic follow-up sub-protocol were similar. However, the abtAVF group had a significantly higher thrombosis rate and AVF loss rate than AVFs without a history of abrupt thrombosis (n-abtAVF). The lowest thrombosis rate was observed for n-abtAVFs, followed up periodically under the outpatient or angiographic sub-protocols.
Conclusions
AVFs with a history of abrupt thrombosis had a high restenosis rate, and periodic angiographic follow-up with a mean interval of 103.5 days was presumed appropriate. For selected populations, such as salvage-challenging AVFs, periodic outpatient or angiographic follow-up was mandatory to extend their usable lives for hemodialysis.
Heterogenization of water-soluble porphyrins in Ti/TiO2 nanotubes electrodes: experimental and theoretical insights for atrazine degradation
Authors: Lage Ana Luísa Almeida , Ribeiro Juliana Martins , Magalhães Tairine Fernanda da Silva , de Souza-Fagundes Elaine Maria , Venâncio Mateus Fernandes , Brugnera Michelle Fernanda , Martins Dayse Carvalho da Silva
Published: January 2023

Pollutants’ degradation has been a very important topic in environmental research. The present paper presents an approach to degrade atrazine, an environmentally harmful pesticide. Ti/TiO2 nanotube electrodes modified by porphyrins were prepared for photolysis (PH), photocatalysis (PC), and photoelectrocatalysis (PEC). Manganese- and free base porphyrin were studied, and it was possible to verify the kinetic model more suitable for each system. Unfortunately, Mn-porphyrins had an inhibitory effect on the ATZ degradation activity by Ti/TiO2 nanotubes electrodes. Although the Ti/TiO2-free base porphyrin under the PEC experiment (using surface water from a Brazilian river) did not lead to the best degradation system, we could verify the formed products, which have been not described for other porphyrin-mediated atrazine degradation, are equal or more toxic than the original atrazine. We highlight the importance of verifying the products formed in the degradation systems and determining their toxicities.
Divergent responses of photosynthesis and wood growth to climatic drivers
Authors: Chen Yizhao , Eckes-Shephard Annemarie , Rademacher Tim , Fonti Patrick , LeMoine James , Yu Kailiang , Ju Weimin , Richardson Andrew , Friend Andrew
Published: January 2023

Our understanding of the terrestrial carbon cycle is strongly focussed on C fixation in the leaf, the process of photosynthesis, while the process whereby trees actually sequester C in durable form, i.e., tissue growth, has received much less attention and is neglected in global vegetation models 1,2. Significant uncertainty exists in estimating the response of terrestrial C sequester to climatic change if photosynthesis and growth respond differently to environmental drivers 3. Here we analysed the long-term (1984-2010) annual aboveground growth biomass response (AABIper_area) across North America to temperature and precipitation by combining tree-ring observations and satellite-based tree stem-density variations. We discover a contrasting spatio-temporal pattern of climatic responses between photosynthesis and AABIper_area, resulting in a weak correlation of their inter-annual variations. Moreover, AABIper_area is significantly more strongly limited by climatic variability than is predicted by dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs), with significant consequences for the predicted response to terrestrial C uptake projections. Our findings question current understanding of controls on terrestrial carbon cycling with major implications for future atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
Pomegranate (Molasses, White Peel, Red Peel) effect in reducing Phenylhydrazine-induced Spleen injury and hemolytic anemia incidence
Authors: Soliman Nabil Abbas , Mansour Sherif Wajih , Ammar Mohammed Ahmed , Ammar Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed
Published: January 2023

In this study, the effects of pomegranate molasses, white peel extract, and red peel extract on male rats with phenylhydrazine -induced anaemia are discussed. Reduced body weight, haemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, red cell count, and red blood cell survival were the results of phenylhydrazine-induced anaemia. Adult haemoglobin type A, MPV, basophils, PDW, normal adult haemoglobin type A2, eosinophils, PDW, and PCT. Initial hemolysis due to fragility, complete hemolysis due to osmotic fragility, Adult haemoglobin type A, normal adult hemoglobin , MCHC, RDW-CV, PCT, and PDW, as well as eosinophils. In the histopathology analysis of the spleen, the PHZ exposed group had a higher incidence of macrophages carrying cellular debris as a result of degeneration inside the white pulp and red pulp with edematous gaps. Additionally, PHZ provided a magnified view of the final field that demonstrated the presence of macrophages inside the white pulp along with vacuolization and necrotic regions. A magnified view of the last field inside the red pulp is also shown, revealing a significant amount of necrotic cells, bleeding, and sporadic apoptotic cells. There was an increase Body Weight, G6PD, Hemoglobin Concentration, Heamatocrit, Red Cell Count, Red Blood Cell Survival, PDW, Normal Adult Hemoglobin Hb A2, MPV, MCHC, Basophils, Hemoglobin Adult Hb A, RDW, PCT, Eosinophils. The splenic parenchyma in the red and white pulps of PHZ-exposed rats receiving molasses pomegranate treatment showed a lesser degree of recovery and the presence of apoptotic cells along with bleeding and vacuolization. Strong antioxidants in molasses, white peel, and red peel of pomegranates preserve haematological and spleen tissue.
Electron irradiation degradation on Silicon Schottky diode interface
Authors: Uğurel Erkan , Aydoğan Şakir
Published: January 2023

Au/n-Si/Au-Sb Schottky diode was fabricated, and electron irradiation was applied to the diode at 25 gray and 50 gray doses. The effects of irradiation on the electrical characteristics of the 450 oC annealed diode were analyzed by means of current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V), conductance-voltage (G-V) and capacitance-frequency (C-f) measurements before and after irradiation. With increasing irradiation, changes were observed in the ideality factor, barrier height, series resistance, dielectric constant and diffusion potential values depending on the dose used. The n value was found to be 1.231, 1.306, and 1.350 before irradiation, after 25-gray, and after 50-gray irradiation, respectively. The Φb before irradiation was 0.742 eV. Depending on 25 and 50 gray irradiations, it was calculated as 0.768 eV and 0.761 eV, respectively. In addition, there was a decrease in leakage current by irradiation. Depending on the increasing dose, while the capacitance and donor concentration of the diode decreased, there was an increase in the diffusion potential and Fermi energy level. It has been observed that the diode deviates from ideality due to defects in the diode interface depending on irradiation. It has been observed that electron irradiation causes changes in the electrical properties of the Au/n-Si/Au-Sb Schottky diode.
Experimental observation of fixed lines in a particle accelerator
Authors: Franchetti Giuliano , Bartosik Hannes , Schmidt Frank
Published: January 2023

The motion of systems with linear restoring forces
and recurring nonlinear perturbations is of central importance in physics:
when a system's natural oscillation frequencies and the frequency of the
nonlinear restoring forces satisfy certain algebraic relations,
the dynamics becomes resonant.
Such a resonant dynamics is of interest in a broad range of applications and
happens at any scale, from electron cyclotron resonances observed in plasma
physics [1] to condensed-matter physics [2] and to the
planetary motion of the solar system [3].
In accelerator physics [4], the understanding of resonances and nonlinear dynamics is
crucial to avoid particle loss.
Here, we report on an experiment performed at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS)
to investigate a second order
coupled resonance by measuring the position of a particle beam at
discrete locations around the accelerator.
Despite instrumental noise, we have constructed the ``Poincar\'e surface of section'' [5], which is described by the Arnold resonant tori [6], and found convincing
evidence of a ``fixed line structure'' generated by the resonance.
Delivering adaptive online learning using electronic health data: A feasibility and acceptability study with emergency trainees
Authors: Janssen Anna , Coggins Andrew , Tadros James , Quinn Deleana , Shetty Amith , Shaw Tim
Published: January 2023

Background: The widespread adoption of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and digital technologies provides an opportunity to tailor online learning for healthcare providers. This is because EMRs contain a rich source of information on an individual’s clinical activities, providing an opportunity to tailor online learning for healthcare providers. There is increasing interest in the use of EMR data to understand performance and support continuous and targeted education for healthcare providers. Further current approaches to online learning do not link training to an individual’s clinical practice. This study aimed to address this gap by seeking to understand the feasibility and acceptability of personalising an online learning program using EMR data.Methods: The intervention was an adaptive online microlearning program consisting of a library of questions covering topics related to best practice management of common emergency department presentations. Study participants consisted of early career doctors undergoing training in emergency care. The study consisted of three design cycles which iteratively changed aspects of the intervention based on an end of cycle evaluation, in order to optimise the intervention. At the end of each cycle, an online survey and analysis of learning platform metrics were used to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the program. Within each cycle participants were recruited and enrolled in the adaptive program for six weeks, with new cohorts of participants in each cycle.Results:A total of 75 individuals participated in the study: 21 in design cycle one, 36 in design cycle two and 18 in design cycle three. Across each cycle, all participants triggered at least one question from their EMR data, with the majority triggering one question per week. The majority of participants in the study indicated the online program was engaging, and the content felt aligned with clinical practice.Conclusions:EMR data provides a rich source of information for supporting continuous professional development activities for healthcare providers. The use of EMR data to deliver an adaptive online learning program for emergency trainees is both feasible and acceptable. Further research is required on the optimal design of such a program to ensure training is closely aligned with clinical practice.
Long-term aerobic exercise and exercise memory effect: The role of exercise intensity
Authors: Li Xinnan , Ma Kai , Yang Junjian , He Zhonghui , Qian Junwei
Published: January 2023

Long-term aerobic exercise can improve the level of declarative memory and procedural memory, especially under different intensity exercise, the improvement effect of declarative memory is more obvious.This study adopted a mixed design, selected 569 college students as the research objects, through 8 weeks of different intensity of exercise intervention, to explore the effect of post-exercise memory effect. The changes of declarative memory and procedural memory before and after exercise in the low-intensity exercise group, the moderate-intensity exercise group and the control group were respectively measured. The results showed that the medium-intensity aerobic exercise had a selective positive influence on the memory effect of college students after exercise, and it did not change with the change of gender.
Efficacy, safety, and tolerability of antimicrobial agents for complicated intra- abdominal infection: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Kong Wenqiang , Deng Ting , Li Shiqin , Shu Yunfeng , Wu Yanyan
Published: January 2023

Background Which antimicrobial agents provide the optimal efficacy, safety, and tolerability for the empirical treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infection (cIAI) remains unclear but is paramount in the context of evolving antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, updated meta-analyses on this issue are warranted. Methods We systematically searched 4 major electronic databases from their inception through October 2022. Randomized controlled trials examining antimicrobial agents for cIAIs treatment were included. Two reviewers independently assessed the quality of included studies utilizing the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool as described in Cochrane Collaboration Handbook and extracted data from all manuscripts according to a predetermined list of interests. All meta-analyses were conducted using R software. The primary outcome was clinical success rate in patients with cIAI. Results Forty-five active-controlled trials with low to medium methodological quality and involving 14,267 adults with cIAI were included in network meta-analyses. The vast majority of patients with an APACHE II score < 10 had low risk of treatment failure or death. Twenty-one regimens were investigated. In the network meta-analyses, cephalosporin-based regimens were more effective and better tolerated than tigecycline with regard to clinical success rate (odds ratio [OR] = 1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00 ~ 1.70) and discontinuation due to adverse events (OR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.44 ~ 1.00). No statistically significant differences were found among antimicrobial agents regarding microbiological success rates and all-cause mortality. A statistically significant trend was observed favoring carbapenems, which exhibited fewer discontinuations because of adverse events when compared with tigecycline (OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.42 ~ 1.00). In pairwise meta-analyses, compared with tigecycline, carbapenems (2,315 participants, OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.00 ~ 1.75,I2 = 24.0%) were associated with superior clinical success rate. These results were of borderline statistical significance. Compared with tigecycline, carbapenems (2,304 participants, OR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.45 ~ 0.91;I2 = 48.5%) were associated with significantly reduced risk of serious adverse events. According to the surface under the cumulative ranking curve analysis, cephalosporin-based regimens were more likely to be optimal among all treatments in terms of efficacy, and tigecycline was more likely to be worst regimen in terms of safety and tolerability. Conclusion This study suggests that cephalosporin-based regimens are optimal for the empiric treatment of patients with cIAIs and that tigecycline should be prescribed cautiously considering safety and tolerability concerns. However, it should be noted that data currently available for antimicrobial agent’ effectiveness, safety, and tolerability pertain mostly to lower-risk patients with cIAIs.
A postmortem MRI study of cerebrovascular disease and iron content at end-stage of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome
Authors: Wang Jun Yi , Sonico Gerard J. , Salcedo-Arellano Maria Jimena , Hagerman Randi J. , Martínez-Cerdeño Verónica
Published: January 2023

Brain changes at end-stage of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) are largely unknown due to mobility impairment. We conducted a postmortem MRI study of FXTAS to quantify cerebrovascular disease, brain atrophy, and iron content and examined their relationships using principal component analysis (PCA). Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) was observed in 4/17 FXTAS cases among which one was confirmed by histologic staining. Compared with seven control brains, FXTAS cases showed higher ratings of T2-hyperintensities (indicating cerebral small vessel disease) in the cerebellum, globus pallidus, and frontoparietal white matter and significant atrophy in cerebellar white matter, red nucleus, and dentate nucleus. PCA of FXTAS cases revealed negative associations of T2-hyperintensity ratings with anatomic volumes and iron content in the white matter, hippocampus, and amygdala, that were independent from highly correlated number of regions with ICH and iron content in subcortical nuclei. Post hoc analysis confirmed PCA findings and further revealed increased iron content in the white matter, hippocampus, and amygdala in FXTAS cases than controls after adjusting for T2-hyperintensity ratings. These findings indicate that both ischemic and hemorrhagic brain damage may occur in FXTAS, with the former marked by demyelination/iron depletion and atrophy and the latter, ICH and iron accumulation in basal ganglia.
The Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Psychological Preparedness for Disaster Threat Scale
Authors: Görgün Ceren Türkdoğan , Şen İlknur Koçak , McLennan Jim
Published: January 2023

The aim of this research was to investigate the validity and reliability of a Turkish version of the 26-item Australian Psychological Preparedness for Disaster Threat Scale (PPDTS). A cross-sectional study involving 530 university students and staff at Giresun University was conducted to establish the psychometric properties of the PPDTS. Content analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach alpha values for reliability were used to analyze the data. Content analysis showed that one item needed to be dropped as it was not related to environmental threats to Turkish communities. The exploratory factor analysis indicated that 66% of the total variance was explained by three factors: (i) knowledge and management of the external situational environment, (ii) management of one’s emotional and psychological response, and (iii) management of one’s social environment. The confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable overall goodness of fit for the three-factor model: CFI (0.908), RMSEA (0.074) for the 21 item scale. Cronbach's α coefficients of the subscales were 0.91, 0.93, and 0.83 respectively, while for the whole scale it was 0.95. Four items from the original PPDTS were deleted in the course of the analyses. It was concluded that the Turkish version (PPDTS-T21) is a valid and reliable assessment tool for the evaluation of levels of psychological readiness for disaster threats to Turkish communities and will be useful in policy making for community preparedness for disaster events.
Multimodal 7T Imaging reveals enhanced functional coupling between Salience and Frontoparietal networks mediating aberrant intertemporal choice but intact microstructural architecture and diffusion connectivity in young adult tobacco cigarette smokers.
Authors: Francis Alan , Sebille Sophie , Gabrieli Susan Whitfield , Camprodon Joan
Published: January 2023

BACKGROUND:
Deficits in intertemporal choice (ITC) are an important predictor of tobacco use and relapse rates. Cigarette smoking is associated with disrupted brain network dynamics in cognitive resting networks including the Salience (SN) and Fronto parietal (FPN). Unified multimodal methods [Resting state connectivity analysis, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), and cortical thickness analysis] were employed to test the hypothesis that smokers have deficits in inter temporal choice and these deficits may be due to alterations in white matter (WM) microstructure and connectivity, functional connectivity and cortical thickness (CT).
METHODS:
Multimodal analyses of previously collected 7 Tesla MRI data via the Human Connectome Project were performed on 22 smokers (average number of daily cigarettes was 40 ± 4) and 22 age- and sex-matched nonsmoking controls. First, subjects scores on the delay discounting test were analyzed. Functional connectivity analysis was used to examine SN-FPN interactions between smokers and nonsmokers. The anatomy of these networks was then assessed using DTI and CT analyses while microstructural architecture of WM was analyzed using NODDI.
RESULTS:
Smokers scored significantly lower on all the items within delay discounting task (DD)] except for tasks: subjective value for $4K at 6 months and subjective value for $4K at 1-year tasks where we observed a trend. Seed-based connectivity analysis revealed significantly enhanced within network [p = 0.001 FDR corrected] and between network functional coupling of the salience and R-FP networks in smokers [p = 0.004 FDR corrected]. Functional coupling scores were inversely correlated with DD scores in nonsmokers. The total number of cigarettes smoked strongly correlated with FagerstrÖm Test for Nicotine Dependence scores. Whole brain diffusion analysis revealed no significant differences between smokers and nonsmokers in Fractional Anisotropy, and Mean diffusivities and in neurite orienting and density. There were also no significant differences in CT in the hubs of these networks.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our results demonstrate that tobacco cigarette smoking is associated with steeper devaluation of delayed rewards mirrored in enhanced functional connectivity, but anatomy is largely intact in young adults. Whether these reductions are pre-existing, transient or permanent is not known. The observed disrupted salience in resting state networks may be the reason for steeper discounting in smokers which may contribute to difficulties in quitting and/or facilitating relapse.
Osteoimmunology in rheumatoid arthritis: a comparison between conventional therapies and biologics
Authors: Krüger Gabriella Stefenoni , Silva Cláudio José , Teodoro Reginado Botelho , Michelin Márcia Antoniazi
Published: January 2023

Background Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune-mediated disease that affects the peripheral joints and is characterized by chronic systemic inflammation with systemic bone mineral density loss. Susceptibility to osteoporosis occurs due to systemic inflammation, as well as chronic corticosteroid use. The biologic and target-specific disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) act effectively blocking systemic inflammation. We hypothesized that patients receiving biologic and target-specific DMARDs have higher bone mineral density, exhibit lower serum pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, and require lower corticosteroid doses than those receiving conventional therapy.
Methods To test this hypothesis, we conducted a quantitative, descriptive, observational, cross-sectional and prospective clinical trial by collecting data from eligible patients. The participants were divided into three groups according to DMARD class (conventional synthetic, biologic, and target-specific DMARDs). The main inflammatory mediators of osteoporosis secondary to rheumatoid arthritis (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6), Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints, calculated using C-reactive protein, bone mineral density, bone turnover biomarker C-terminal telopeptide, and glucocorticoid dose were assessed in the three groups. Analysis of variance and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient were used to compare the results among groups. Trial Registration Number - Certificate of Presentation for Ethical Consideration (CAAE): 46069821.4.0000.8667, 07/15/2021.
Results TNF-α and IL-6 levels did not show significant correlation with any variable, such as DAS28-CRP, CTX, and bone mineral density of the lumbar spine, total femur, and femoral neck. The prednisone dose was significantly positively correlated with CTX and DAS28-CRP.
Conclusion Among patients with Rheumatoid arthritis treatment with any disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs achieving low disease activity or remission decrease circulating cytokine levels and low bone resorption.
Improvement of levan production in Zymomonas mobilis ATCC 31821 under osmotic pressure stress via Adaptive Laboratory Evolution (ALE)
Authors: Bagoghli Norouz , Moghimi Hamid , Giyahchi Minoo
Published: January 2023

The main idea of the current study was to increase the production of levan in Zymomonas mobilis ATCC 31821 using the Adaptive Laboratory Evolution (ALE) approach which benefits from the principles of Darwinian evolution. In this study, ALE was used to improve the production of levan in Z. mobilis through the serial passage by gradually increasing KCl concentration. The morphological changes were assessed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Levan and ethanol production were evaluated using phenol-sulfuric acid and dichromate calorimetric methods, respectively. Production of levan in high osmotic pressure adapted strains was higher compared to the wild-type strain so levan production in the final evolved strain was 6 g l− 1 (10 times more than the ancestor strain). SEM images showed that adapted strains changed morphologically from rod to round shape. ALE had no adverse effect on ethanol production in evolved strains. These results suggested that ALE can play an essential role in the semi-rational metabolic engineering of industrial strains and compared to rational genetic engineering, provides broad insights into the genetic manipulation of microbial systems to improve the desired phenotype.
Association between DVWA gene polymorphisms and knee osteoarthritis in the North Chinese Han population
Authors: Zhang Dejian , Liu Xiaomeng , Min Hongwei , Liu Kemin , Qu Tiebing , mu huijuan
Published: January 2023

Objective
Previous studies have shown that knee arthritis is a disease influenced by environmental and genetic factors. In this paper, we mainly investigate the association between SNPs in the DVWA gene region and the susceptibility to KOA in north Chinese Han people.
Methods
We performed two-center cross-sectional observational study that included 103 Chinese Han patients with KOA and 128 healthy Chinese Han volunteers. We investigated four SNPs (rs11718863, rs7639618, rs7651842 and rs7639807) in the DVWA gene region and extracted the genes using QIAamp DNA Mini Kit. We amplified the target gene fragment and sequenced the genotype.The corresponding frequency were counted and the counting results were statistically analyzed.
Results
The patient group was significantly older than the control group, and the difference was statistically significant(P < 0.001). There were no statistically significance between-group differences in gender, height, weight, or BMI (P > 0.05, respectively). The chi-square test was used to analyze the four SNPs of DVWA gene, and rs11718863 and rs7639618 polymorphism was statistically different between the two groups(P = 0.04, P = 0.04, respectively). The rs11718863 and rs7639618 was consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Logistic regression analysis showed that KOA risk was significantly increased in the rs11718863 TT genotype (3.31, 95%CI 1.32, 8.34, P = 0.011) and the rs7639618 TT genotype (OR 2.86 ,95% CI 1.16, 7.04, P = 0.023). After age adjustment, the same result was observed in the rs11718863 SNP(OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.04, 7.43, P = 0.041), and the risk of KOA disappeared in the rs7639618 SNP (OR 1.50, 95% CI 0.79, 2.86, P = 0.217). The rs7651842 and rs7639807SNP were monomorphic for the T and C allele respectively.
Conclusions
We found that the rs11718863 SNP was associated with KOA. The TT genotype and T allele were the highest risk factors for the development of KOA in the north Chinese Han population.
Study of weak solutions for a p(x)-Kirchhoff type variation-inequality problems arising from financial problems
Authors: Li Jia , Bai Xuelian
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we study variation-inequality initial-boundary value problems with variable parameter Kirchhoff operators. We constructed a map suitable for the Leray-Schauder principle in which the existence of solution is proved. The uniqueness and stability of the solution are also analyzed under a smallness condition on the parameter of Kirchhoff operators.
Mathematics Subject Classification 2010: 35K99, 97M30.
YTHDF1 promotes radio-resistance and regulates the repair of DNA double-strand breaks in ESCC
Authors: Shen Feng , Liu Shiyi , Zhang Wei , Han Tingting , Hu Yuhua , Huang Junxing , Guo Qing
Published: January 2023

The morbidity and mortality of esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) patients is high in China for which radical radiotherapy remains the frontline treatment. Radio-resistant patients show high rates of relapse and poor overall survival (OS). In this study, we report high YTHDF1 expression in ESCA patients that is associated with radio-resistance and poor OS. Accordingly, YTHDF1 silencing improved the radio-sensitivity of ESCC cells. Bioinformatics, m6A sequencing, KEGG and GO analysis, and m6A-IP-qPCR validations revealed a positive correlation between AURKA and YTHDF1. AURKA was subsequently found to positively regulate NHEJ promoting radio-resistance. From these data, we speculate that YTHDF1 binds to AURKA to upregulate NHEJ, promoting radio-resistance. Clinical specimens were collected and the role of YTHDF1 and AURKA during radio-resistance in vivo were investigated. These data reveal new predictors of radiotherapy efficacy and highlight novel and effective interventions to reverse radio-resistance.
Contrasting Response Mechanism and Ecological Stress of Net Primary Productivity in the Juncture Region of Semi-arid and Sub-humid — A case study from the Loess Plateau, China
Authors: Wang Chunsheng , Zhang Rui , Chang Lili
Published: January 2023

Net Primary Productivity (NPP) is a crucial parameter for estimating the sustainability of the Earth’s carrying capacity in the terrestrial ecosystem process. With the intensification of global change, the overall function and structure of ecosystems in the Loess Plateau have changed to different extents. Based on long-time series images downloaded from the Google Earth Engine (GEE) and meteorological data, we introduced the deep regression models to process Hadoop and creatively proposed the ecological stress evaluation models from the perspective of vegetation productivity. The main research contents are as follows: (1) From 2000 to 2019, the annual NPP maintained a fluctuating increasing trend (with a value of 4.57 (g∙m2·y–1)). From the perspective of spatial distribution, the NPP gradually increased in the region from semi-arid to the sub-humid; (2) The annual temperature and annual Precipitation have the highest positive control effect on NPP change. Semi-arid regions are mainly controlled by precipitation, temperature, and other related factors, while sub-humid regions are mainly controlled by solar radiation and other factors. Finally, the main controlling factors of NPP change were different under different soil conditions; (3) Spatio-temporal pattern of NPP and ecological stress are approximately the same. The ecological stress effect is significantly different in ecological functional regions and land uses; (4) Predictive value of 2020–2030 shows that the growth of NPP slowed down compared with previous years, and the areas with extreme ecological stress in the study area continued to decrease. This study provided a new approach for the protection, restoration and governance of national land space eco-environment in the Loess Plateau. Which afford a valuable reference for further study on how to realize ecosystem restoration and protection in the juncture region of semi-arid and sub-humid.
Curtobacterium uspiensis sp. nov., an endophytic bacterium isolated from Citrus sinensis (sweet orange) in Brazil
Authors: Araújo Welington Luiz , Belmonte Uirá Camilo Furlan , Dourado Manuella Nóbrega , Garrido Leandro Maza , Yara Ricardo , Azevedo Lúcio
Published: January 2023

Endophytic bacteria were isolated from Citrus plants and based on the similarity of 16S rRNA gene sequence, 20 isolates were included in the genus Curtobacterium in the family Microbacteriaceae, class Actinobacteria. Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) analysis indicated that these strains formed four clusters with low variability that were separated from Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens. The isolates were Gram-positive, non-motile, non-spore forming, pale-yellow to orange-pink colonies. Analysis of eleven isolates showed that the major fatty acids of these strains were anteiso-C15:0, anteiso-C17:0 and iso-C16:0 and MK-9 and MK-8 as the major isoprenoid quinone, supporting the affiliation into Curtobacterium genus. The similarity of 16S rRNA gene between these isolates ranged from 99.9 to 100%, suggesting that this endophytic population present a low variability and similarity to species with validity published names within this genus, forming a distinct group in the phylogenetic tree. The DNA–DNA relatedness values to closest species were less than 48% for ER1/6T, suggesting that this strain does not belong to already described species. Analysis of the ER1/6T genome detected genes predicted to be involved in secondary metabolites synthesis, such as siderophore Desferrioxamine-like, bacteriocin Lactococcin 972-like, and terpene C50 carotenoid-like. Based on genome sequencing, the G + C content of the strain ER1/6T was 72.2%. Therefore, the polyphasic taxonomic characterization demonstrated that the strains ER1/6T, ER1.4/2, SR4/1 and SR4/8 dominant in the citrus tissues, represent a new species of the genus Curtobacterium, for which the name Curtobacterium uspiensis sp. nov. is proposed, with strain ER1/6T = CBMAI 2131 as the type strain.
Application of instrumental investigations of cosmic-ray muon arrival time measurements to human brain processing of subjective temporal order
Authors: Tanaka Hiroyuki K.M.
Published: January 2023

Since the 18th century, it has been widely accepted that causal order is independent from notions of time. Recent neurological experiments have shown that it is possible to violate subjective temporal order between motor-driven events and sensory events. This violation, subjective temporal order reversal, has been explained by the recalibration of the timeline to keep causality. However, subjective temporal order could also be violated between non-causal events. Therefore, it might be more appropriate to base a new approach upon another trivial condition. In this work, a condition called theconsistency of event sharingis employed. An event shared by 2 individuals (A and B) at the same location must be consistent between these individuals (e.g., if A shakes B's hand, the moment when A touches B's hand is exactly the same moment when B touches A's hand). First, the timeline recalibration was defined and formulated in an instrument-muon system under this condition. Then, theconsistency of event sharingrule was applied to prior neurological experiments. As a result, it was found that this condition sufficiently explains the reversed subjective causal order.