bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contrasting effects of land-use intensification on carabid beetles occurring in insular (semi-)natural habitats within arable fields
Authors: Fronville Thibault , Balthasar Cathrina , Raatz Larissa , Wedekind Lorenz , Weiß Lina , Bergholz Kolja
Published: July 2022

The increase of agricultural fields leads to habitat loss and fragmentation of (semi-)natural habitats (SNHs) that provide refuge sites for a variety of taxa. Carabid beetles are reliable biodiversity indicators and provide important ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. However, it still remains unclear how carabid beetles inhabiting SNHs respond to increasing arable field cover as a measure of land-use intensification. We predict that the relationship between arable field cover and carabid beetle abundance and species richness is specific to habitat type and species ecology. We tested our predictions in an intensively used agricultural landscape in northeast Germany and sampled carabid beetles at two different insular SNHs within arable fields: grassland patches of wind turbines (novel SNH) and kettle holes (natural SNH). Our multi-spatial-scale analyses revealed that with increasing arable field cover the proportion of arable species increases for both SNH types. However, we found contrasting relationships in species richness and abundance between the SNHs. At the grassland patches around wind turbines, arable field cover negatively affected arable species´ richness and abundance as well as non-arable species´ richness. In contrast, at kettle holes, arable species richness and abundance increased with arable field cover, while non-arable species were not affected. In summary, our study demonstrates that the effect of land-use intensification on carabid beetles is highly dependent on the specific habitat type and species ecology. Our findings highlight the importance of habitat type for managing SNHs within agricultural landscapes while improving our understanding of how land-use intensification affects carabid beetle diversity.
A simple method for generating arbitrary Gaussian noise and compensating filter properties of a stimulator to measure the frequency response function of a mechanosensory sensillum
Authors: Škorjanc Aleš , Kreft Marko , Benda Jan
Published: July 2022

Gaussian noise is one of the principal inputs used for studying biological systems, especially sensory and neuronal systems. Because of the inherent nonlinearities of these systems, the properties of the noise strongly influence the outcome of the analysis. We show for the case of an insect filiform sensillum, a simple mechanoreceptor with a single sensory cell, that changes in noise amplitude and spectral properties affect the linear transfer function of the sensillum. We then explain how to use the inverse fast Fourier transform to generate Gaussian noise with an arbitrary frequency spectrum, including band-limited white noise with a perfectly sharp roll-off edge. Finally, we demonstrate a straightforward procedure for compensating filter properties of a stimulator in order to produce a proper band-limited Gaussian white noise stimulus. Using this approach one can generate well defined Gaussian noise stimulus that can be adapted to any particular application.
Correlation of Serum and Salivary Lipids and their Degree of Accuracy among Apparently Healthy Primary School Children aged 5-12 Years in Sokoto, Nigeria
Authors: Raji Taibat , Sani Usman Muhammad , Ugege Omoshalewa M. , Onankpa Ben
Published: July 2022

Correlation of serum and salivary lipids has been a recent topic to determine the relationship serum and salivary lipids share, though still at the rudimentary stage, in order to have a better understanding of their relationship, the degree of accuracy, as well a validity test, need to be simultaneously checked. These have not been tested especially in children, as it has been tested in adults in the underdeveloped world, like Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Few studies discussed this entity in children even in the developed world.Objectives: To determine the correlation of serum and salivary lipids and their degree of accuracy as well the validity of the test.Settings and Design: Descriptive and cross-sectional.Materials and Methods: A total of 200 apparently healthy primary school children aged 5-12 years, who had no medical complaints or any major medical condition. The parameters assessed included serum and salivary; total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), and low-density lipoproteins (LDL)Statistical Methods: Correlation and Regression analysis, Validity test, and Receiver Operator Curve (ROC) Results: there was a positive moderate correlation between serum and salivary lipids and for all lipid parameters tested statistically significant (p=<0.001) patterns were observed. Linear regression reveals a corresponding positive linear relationship i.e. the mean values of salivary lipids increases as that of the serum lipids increases. The validity test reveals a very good sensitivity for TC, TG, and LDL, but poor sensitivity for HDL. Specificity was very low for all the lipid parameters except for HDL (87.3%). Positive and negative predictive values had excellent sensitivity for TC, TG and LDL but very poor for HDL. Precision equally showed very good sensitivity for TC, TG, and LDL. The ROC revealed a positive deflection for all tested lipid panels. For TC, a good area under curve was observed at 0.825 as well TG at 0.835. A poor area under curve was observed for HDL at 0.304. and lastly, LDL showed a fair area under the curve at 0.734.Conclusion: Serum lipids correlates moderately with salivary lipids with a good degree of accuracy and can therefore replace the former in screening for lipid profile test and in diagnosing dyslipidaemia in children.
Effect of Green Tea Varnish on the Salivary Parameters of Children Exposed to Second Hand Tobacco Smoke
Authors: Karawia inas
Published: July 2022

Importance: Children are the most vulnerable group exposed to SHS and green tea has been explored for its beneficial effects on improvement of salivary parameters and prevention of oral diseases. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of green tea varnish on the salivary parameters among primary school children aged 10-120 exposed to second hand tobacco smoke. Design: The study was conducted using an intervention study (one group pretest-posttest design). Participant: Stimulated saliva was collected from the 60 children of grade 6 students exposed to SHS at the baseline and after one, three and six months after green tea varnish application. Salivary flow rate, pH, buffering capacity and IgA increased significantly after one and three months of follow up. Results: There were statistical significance differences between baseline and one and three months. values. Concerning TAC, the median value increased after one month. This increase was statistically significant (p = 0.00). Streptococcus mutans count decreased significantly after one and three months. Lactobacilli count decreased significantly after one, three and six months. Conclusion: Green tea varnish has a beneficial effect on salivary parameters of children who were exposed to SHS and succeeded to overcome the parameters variations between children included in the intervention study.
The Solar Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope: On-board intelligence for flare observations
Authors: Varma Manoj , Padinhatteri Sreejith , Sinha Sakya , Tyagi Anurag , Burse Mahesh , Yadav Reena , Kumar Ghanshyam , A Ramaprakash , Tripathi Durgesh , K Sankarasubramanian , K Nagaraju , Vadodariya Koushal , Tadepalli Srikar , Deogaonkar Rushikesh , Olekar Manjunath , Azaruddin Mohamed , Unnikrishnan Amrita
Published: July 2022

Aditya-L1 is India’s first observatory class Solar space mission to study the Sun from Lagrangian 1 position. The Solar Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) is one of the payloads on-board Aditya-L1. SUIT is an off-axis Ritchey-Chretien (RC) telescope, which images the Sun on to a 4k x 4k CCD covering a field-of-view of 1.5Ro with a plate scale of 0.7'/pixel. One of the primary objectives of SUIT is to study the early evolution of solar flares with high time cadence in Near UV wavelength (200 nm – 400 nm). The SUIT on-board intelligence is developed to achieve this objective. The complete intelligence algorithm is divided into several sub-modules each working on a specific aspect of intelligence. These are, HEL1OS flare trigger module: generates flare trigger using HEL1OS hard X-ray data, flare localization module: locates flare on the SUIT full-disc images, Region of Interest (RoI) tracking module: accounts for shift in RoI coordinates caused due to rotation of the Sun, auto-exposure control module: adjusts the exposure time depending upon the flare intensity for better contrast. In this paper, these on-board intelligence modules are explained in detail. The working principles of these modules are tested using available data from various existing missions and also using synthesized data and the obtained results are presented. The modules are implemented in hardware using Actel RTAX 2000S FPGA and are tested using laboratory setup. From the testing, it is found that, flares are successfully localized in a mean time of 40 seconds from the GOES soft X-ray catalog start time. Also, a time cadence of under 3 seconds for a single filter flare RoI images is achieved.
Sex differences in the inflammatory response of the mouse DRG and its connection to pain in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Maguire Aislinn D , Friedman Timothy N , Andrade Dania N Villarreal , Haq Fajr , Dunn Jacob , Pfeifle Keiana , Tenorio Gustavo , Buro Karen , Plemel Jason R , Kerr Bradley J
Published: July 2022

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease with notable sex differences. Women are not only more likely to develop MS but are also more likely than men to experience neuropathic pain in the disease. It has been postulated that neuropathic pain in MS can originate in the peripheral nervous system at the level of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), which houses primary pain sensing neurons (nociceptors). These nociceptors become hyperexcitable in response to inflammation, leading to peripheral sensitization and eventually central sensitization, which maintains pain long-term. The mouse model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a good model for human MS as it replicates classic MS symptoms including pain. Using EAE mice as well as primary mouse DRG neurons cultured in vitro, we sought to characterize the sex differences specifically in peripheral sensory neurons which may underlie the disparities in MS pain. We found sex differences in the inflammatory profile of the EAE DRG, and in the TNFα signaling pathways activated intracellularly in cultured nociceptors. Given that TNFα signaling has been shown to impact on mitochondrial function, this led us to investigate sex differences in the mitochondria’s response to TNFα. Our results demonstrate that male sensory neurons are more sensitive to mitochondrial stress, making them prone to neuronal injury. In contrast, female sensory neurons appear to be more resistant to mitochondrial stress and exhibit an inflammatory and regenerative phenotype that may underlie greater nociceptor hyperexcitability and pain. Understanding these sex differences at the level of the primary sensory neuron is an important first step in our eventual goal of developing sex-specific treatments to halt pain development in the periphery before central sensitization is established.
Associations between polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications with risk of falls among the elderly in Saudi Arabia
Authors: AlHarkan Khalid , Alsousi Safaa , AlMishqab Mujtaba , Alawami Majd , Almearaj Jaffar , AlHashim Hassan , AlAmrad Hassan , Alghamdi Layla , Almansour Abdulelah , AlOmar Reem S.
Published: July 2022

Background: Falls are dangerous to the health of older adults and can impact their functional status leading to frailty. The use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) among older adults lead to adverse health outcomes and increase the risk of falls. Polypharmacy is a state in which five medications, or more, are consumed concurrently. Polypharmacy increases the incidence of falls. Beers criteria by American Geriatric Society is one of the many criteria used to detect PIMs. It assesses the appropriateness of drug prescriptions i.e., correct dose, duration, and indications to ensure the safety of these drugs and decrease the hazards of side effects and reduce drug interactions. Method: A total of 387 outpatients aged 60 or older were physically interviewed, the patients were recruited from University Hospital and Family Medicine Center in Khobar city, Saudi Arabia, between the period of November 2021 to March 2022. All Patients were able to walk independently. The survey began by collecting patients’ demographics, medications history, three key questions to detect the risk of falls which was developed by the Center of Disease Control (CDC). Polypharmacy defined as (concurrent use of five or more medications), and PIMs defined as (use of one or more medication in the Beers list) were examined against risk of falls in elderly. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to adjust for confounders. Result: A total of 387 patients participated in the study, 62% were male, most participants belonged in the 60 < 65 years age category (47.80%). Among all patients, 55% had a high risk of falling and 21 % of patients had fell during the past year. Polypharmacy applied to 50.90% of all patients, while Beers criteria positive group applied to 51.42%. Risk of falls and prior falls were associated with polypharmacy both before and after adjustment.Conclusion: The results showed a significant association between risk of falls with polypharmacy and PIM’s, more than half of our study population had a high risk of falls. Of those at a higher risk, one out of five had indeed experienced a fall in the last 12 months. Higher rates of falls were associated with older age, lower educational levels, female gender, and cardiovascular medications.
Association of Neutrophil Serine Proteinases Levels with the Outcomes of Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Li Lingzhi , Han Ziping , Wang Rongliang , Fan Junfen , Zhen Yangmin , Huang Yuyou , Yang Zhenhong , Yan Feng , Liu Ping , Zhao Haiping , Ma Qingfeng , Luo Yumin
Published: July 2022

Background: Neutrophil serine proteinases (NSPs), released by activated neutrophils, are key proteins involved in the pathophysiologic processes of stroke. This study aimed to analyze three NSPs (neutrophil elastase, cathepsin G, and proteinase 3) in relation to acute ischemic stroke (AIS) outcomes and in relation to the outcomes of patients treated with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV-rtPA).Methods: Among 736 patients prospectively recruited at the stroke center from 2018 to 2019, 342 patients diagnosed with confirmed AIS were included. Plasma neutrophil elastase (NE), cathepsin G (CTSG), and proteinase 3 (PR3) concentrations were measured on admission. Endpoints included symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), mortality, and unfavorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale score > 2) at 3 months. In the subgroup of patients received IV-rtPA, 24hΔNIHSS (NIHSSbaseline - NIHSS24hours) and 7dΔNIHSS (NIHSSbaseline – NIHSS7days) were also included as the short-term endpoints. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between NSPs levels and AIS outcomes.Results: Higher NE and PR3 plasma levels were associated with the 3-month mortality and 3-month unfavorable outcome. Higher NE plasma levels were also associated with the risk of sICH after AIS. After adjusting for potential confounders, plasma NE level > 229.56 ng/mL (odds ratio [OR] = 4.503 [2.427-8.355]) and PR3 > 388.77 ng/ml (OR = 2.798 [1.551-5.047]) independently predicted the 3-month unfavorable outcome. Regarding rtPA treatment, patients with NE plasma concentration > 177.22 ng/ml were 6 times more likely to suffer unfavorable outcomes after rtPA treatment (OR = 6.318 [1.861-21.450]). The addition of NE and PR3 to clinical predictors of unfavorable functional outcome after AIS and the outcome after rtPA treatment improved accuracy (lifted AUC from 82.6% to 86.7%, and from 80.6% to 87.2%, respectively), and discrimination as well as reclassification (integrated discrimination improvement = 9.5% and 13.7%, continuous net reclassification improvement = 93.1% and 89.7%, respectively). Conclusions: Plasma NE and PR3 are novel and independent predictors of 3-month functional outcomes after AIS. Plasma NE also possesses predictive value to identify patients with unfavorable outcomes after rtPA treatment. NE is probably an important mediator of the effects of neutrophils on stroke outcomes, which worth further investigation.
Antimicrobial Peptide MPX with Broad-Spectrum Bactericidal Activity Promotes Proper Abscess Formation and Relieves Skin Inflammation
Authors: Zhu Chunling , Zhao Yaya , Zhao Xueqin , Liu Shanqin , Xia Xiaojing , Zhang Shouping , Wang Yimin , Zhang Huihui , Xu Yanzhao , Chen Shijun , Jiang Jinqing , Wu Yundi , Wu Xilong , Zhang Gaiping , Bai Yueyu , Hu Jianhe , Wang Lei , Zhang Xueming
Published: July 2022

Bacteria have developed antibiotic resistance during the large-scale use of antibiotics, and multidrug-resistant strains are common. The development of new antibiotics or antibiotic substitutes has become an important challenge for humankind. MPX is a 14 amino acid peptide belonging to the MP antimicrobial peptide family. In this study, the antibacterial spectrum of the antimicrobial peptide MPX was first tested. The antimicrobial peptide MPX was tested for antimicrobial activity against the gram-positive bacterium S. aureus ATCC 25923, the gram-negative bacteria E. coli ATCC 25922 and Salmonella CVCC 541, and the fungus Candida albicans ATCC 90029. The results showed that MPX had good antibacterial activity against the above four strains, especially against E. coli, for which the MIC was as low as 15.625 μg/mL. The study on the bactericidal mechanism of the antimicrobial peptide revealed that MPX can destroy the integrity of the cell membrane, increase membrane permeability, and change the electromotive force of the membrane, thereby allowing the contents to leak out and mediating bacterial death. A mouse acute infection model was used to evaluate the therapeutic effect of MPX after acute infection of subcutaneous tissue by S. aureus. The study showed that MPX could promote tissue repair in S. aureus infection and alleviate lung damage caused by S. aureus. In addition, skin H&E staining showed that MPX treatment facilitated the formation of appropriate abscesses at the subcutaneous infection site and facilitated the clearance of bacteria by the skin immune system.The above results show that MPX has good antibacterial activity and broad-spectrum antibacterial potential and can effectively prevent the invasion of subcutaneous tissue by S. aureus, providing new ideas and directions for the immunotherapy of bacterial infections.
The effect of cellular nuclear function alteration on the pathogenesis of shoulder adhesive capsulitis. An immunohistochemical study on Lamin A/C expression
Authors: Candela Vittorio , Peruzzi Barbara , Leopizzi Martina , Porta Natale , Maio Valeria Di , Rocca Carlo Della , Gumina Stefano
Published: July 2022

Background: The network of intermediate filament proteins underlying the inner nuclear membrane forms the nuclear lamina. A and B-type lamins are the major components of the nuclear lamina. Lamins have been associated with important cellular functions: DNA replication, chromatin organization, differentiation of the cell, apoptosis and in maintenance of nuclear structure. Little is known regarding the etiopathogenesis of adhesive capsulitis (AC); recently, a dysregulating fibrotic response starting from a subpopulation has been described within the fibroblast compartment that suddenly turns on an activated phenotype.Considering the key role of A-type lamin in the regulation of cellular stability and function we performed an immunohistochemical analysis to compare the lamin A/C expression between patients with AC and healthy controls.Materials and methods: Twenty-six patients [12M-14F, mean age (SD): 52.3 (6.08)] were enrolled. Tissue samples excised from the rotator interval were analysed for lamin A/C expression by immunohistochemistry. Controls were represented by samples obtained by normal rotator interval excised from patients submitted to shoulder surgery [6M-9F, mean age (SD): 57.1 (5.3)]. The intensity of staining was graded, and an H-score was assigned. Statistical analysis was performed.Results: The expression of lamin A/C was found to be significantly lower in the fibroblasts of patients with adhesive capsulitis when compared to controls (intensity of staining: p: 0.005; H-score: 0.034); no differences were found regarding the synoviocytes (p>0.05). Considering only patients with AC, lamin A/C intensity staining was found to be significantly higher in samples where acute inflammatory infiltrate was detected (p: 0.004). No significant changes in levels of lamin A/C expression were documented between the mild and severe adhesive capsulitis severity groups.Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that the activity of lamin A/C in maintaining nuclear structural integrity and cell viability is decreased in patients with adhesive capsulitis. The timing of the pathogenetic process is the key factor for cell functionality which is maintained in the early stages of the disease; on the contrary, the clinical severity of adhesive capsulitis plays a marginal role on nuclear stability.Level of Evidence: III
Impact of patterns of language use and socio-economic status on a constructed response Situational Judgment Test (SJT)
Authors: Pan Xuan , Huang Vivian , Laumbach Sonia , Copeland H. Liesel , Akinola Modupeola , Rosenbaum Daryl , MacIntosh Alexander
Published: July 2022

The study explored the impacts of patterns of language use (PLU) and socio-economic status (SES) on Casper, a constructed-response situational judgment test (SJT). 10,266 applicants from two U.S. medical schools were grouped into self-reported balanced bilinguals, unbalanced bilinguals, English monolinguals, and English as a Second Language (ESL) students. A multicomponent SES composite was used to assess the degree of socioeconomic disadvantage. Results from a hierarchical regression analysis showed that after accounting for demographic variables, both PLU and SES were significant factors on applicants’ Casper performance. Bilingualism was associated with better Casper performance compared to English monolinguals and ESL students. No significant effect of speaking English as a native language was found on applicants’ Casper performance. English monolinguals and ESL students performed equivalently on Casper. Finally, high SES was associated with better Casper performance than low SES, and the impact of SES on Casper held the same across all four language groups. These findings provide evidence that socio-cultural factors, such as PLU and SES have important impacts on SJT performance. Further research is needed to understand the role of differences in language construction across socio-cultural factors on constructed-response SJT performance.
White matter tracts alterations underpinning reward and conflict processing
Authors: Mallahzadeh Arashk , Tahvilian Mahdi , Shafie Mahan , Sadeghi Mohammad , Moslemian Golsa , Barzin Pouria , Bemanalizadeh Maryam , Aarabi Mohammad Hadi , Mayeli Mahsa
Published: July 2022

BackgroundReinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) is proposed as a neurobiological system that eventually led to emotion and motivation-based constructs of personality. Traditionally segmented into the behavioral activation system (BAS) and the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), RST is commonly used to describe personality and behavior. Although there have been studies linking gray matter alterations with BIS/BAS subscales, the role of white matter (WM) integrity is yet controversial. We aimed to investigate the specific WM tracts associated with BIS/BAS scores.Methods224 healthy participants (mean age=39.14 ± 20.23, 80 (35.7%) females) were evaluated using the BIS/BAS questionnaire from the LEMON database. Diffusion MRI connectometry (dMRI) was used to investigate the WM correlates of BIS/BAS subscales. Multiple regression models with the covariates of age and gender were fitted to address the correlation of local connectomes with BIS/BAS components.ResultsdMRI connectometry revealed that the QA value of the splenium of the corpus callosum, right cerebellum, middle cerebellar peduncle, and superior cerebellar peduncle, had a significant negative correlation with ‌each BIS/BAS subscale. In contrast, the QA value in the body of the corpus callosum, left cingulum, and right cingulum showed a positive correlation with BIS/BAS subscales.ConclusionThe integrity of WM in certain tracts may contribute to behavioral activation and inhibition. This finding expands the findings on the neural networks associated with risk-taking and reward-seeking behaviors.
Presentation of the Simple and Accurate Models for Estimating the Individual Hydrogen Bonds Energies of Watson-Crick Base Pairs
Authors: Barkhoda Asyeh , Nowroozi Alireza , Housaindokht Mohammad Reza
Published: July 2022

In the present study, a couple of simple models were presented to estimate the energy of individual hydrogen bonds in traditional base pairs. In this regard, formamide and formamidine dimers and a set of their derivatives with different functional groups such as F, Cl, Br, CH3, CN, ethynyl, nitroso, and vinyl were considered. All of these structures are optimized by M06-2X and MP2 methods in conjunctions with 6-311 + + G(d,p) basis set. The computational results showed that the hydrogen bond energy in the first method is higher than the MP2 and also the NHN interactions are stronger than the corresponding NHO ones. Moreover, the relationships between the energy hydrogen bonds and all of the geometrical, topological, and molecular orbitals descriptors were also explored. The absolute values of the correlation coefficient (R2) indicated the best linear relationships between the electron density at the hydrogen bond critical point (ρ(r)) and the energy of NHN (R2 = 0.98) and NHO (R2 = 0.82) hydrogen bonds. Based on these equations, it was found that the orders of calculated individual HB energies of the Watson-Crick base pairs are completely similar to the compliance constant model of Gruenberg. Finally, the energy of individual bonds in a set of usual base pairs was evaluated and compared with their complexation energies. The slight difference between ƩEHB and ΔEComp reflects the high accuracy of the proposed models and equations.
Synthesis and evaluation anticancer activity of new 1,4-dihydropyrano[2,3- c]pyrazoles derivatives by novel Bismuth-metal organic framework as efficient and reusable nanocatalyst
Authors: Jasim Saade Abdalkareem , Al-Awsi Ghaidaa Raheem Lateef , Qasim Maytham T. , Tukhtaev Jamshid , Al-Gazally Moaed E.
Published: July 2022

Novel Bismuth-metal organic framework (Bi-MOF) with high thermal stability, narrow size distribution and high crystallinity were synthesized by efficient ultrasound assisted inverse micelle. TEM with EDS elemental mapping confirmed the homogenous distribution of related element in final structures. According to the FTIR and different configurations of linker the suggested structures was proposed for Bi-MOF nanostructures. New 1,4-dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles derivatives were synthesized using novel Bi-MOF and their anticancer properties were evaluated based on MTT method. The results of catalytic activity of Bi-MOF proved that it synthesizes 1,4-dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles derivatives with higher efficiency in a shorter time than previous reported methods. In the study of anticancer properties, a clear relationship between structure and derivatives and their anticancer properties were observed.
Epidemiology and disease burden among hospital-acquired pneumonia/ventilator-associated pneumonia patients in a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Chen Guan-Jhou , Chen Shih-Han , Tien Kuei-Lien , Pan Sung-Ching , Chen Yee-Chun
Published: July 2022

Background
Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) are one of the major healthcare-associated infection but its burden and financial impact are lesser studied comparing to ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The study aims to investigate the disease burden, etiology and the outcome among HAP/VAP patients in Taiwan.
Methods
This is a retrospective study conducted in a teaching hospital in Taiwan. We enrolled patients with HAP/VAP during 1st Jan. 2018 to 31st Dec. 2018. The definition of HAP/VAP was based on definition proposed by the Taiwan Centers of Disease Control and the hospital-wide data was audited prospectively by Center for Infection Control of the hospital. Patients with HAP were further categorized as non-ventilated HAP (nvHAP) and ventilated HAP (vHAP). The burden of HAP/VAP was estimated and the clinical outcomes were compared between nvHAP and vHAP.
Results
In total, 152 episodes of HAP and 8 episodes of VAP were identified. The incidence of HAP was 0.22 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.19–0.26) per 1,000 patients-days while that of VAP was 0.27 (95% CI, 0.12–0.53) per 1,000 ventilator-days. The mortality was similar between vHAP and nvHAP in our cohort (55.6% vs. 62.6%, respectively, p = 0.58). However, vHAP was associated with higher length of hospital stay (56 vs. 37 days, p < 0.001) and medical expenses (787,621 vs. 455,347 New Taiwan Dollar, p < 0.001).
Conclusions
The study provides the infection incidence density of HAP and VAP in a tertiary care hospital. Due to the disease burden and the medical cost, prevention and treatment of HAP and VAP are an important element of infection control.
Extracellular volume fraction derived from routine chest dual-energy CT for the characterization of breast tumor: Comparison with apparent diffusion coefficient and validation against histopathological findings
Authors: Wang Xiaoxia , Du Lihong , Cao Ying , Chen Huifang , Shi Jinfang , Zeng Xiangfei , Lan Xiaosong , Huang Haiping , Lin Meng , Zhang Xiaoyue , Zhang Jiuquan
Published: July 2022

Background: Tumor aggressiveness and therapeutic response are influenced not only by cancer cells but also by the extracellular matrix in tumor microenvironment, which can be quantified by extracellular volume (ECV) fraction derived from dual-energy CT (DECT). We aimed to investigate the feasibility of using routine chest DECT-derived ECV fraction for the characterization of breast tumor, compared to apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and validated against histopathological findings.Methods: The ECV fraction and ADC value were retrospectively assessed in patients with breast tumor using routine chest DECT and breast MRI, respectively. The diagnostic performance in predicting the histopathological characteristics [benign vs. malignant, invasive carcinoma vs. ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)], immunohistochemical biomarker status and pathological complete response (pCR) status. Histopathological sections (H&E staining) were analyzed to assess histopathological ECV by digital image analysis. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to correlate between DECT-derived ECV and histopathological ECV fractions.Results: This study included 271 patients, with 314 breast lesions (61 benign and 253 malignant). The ECV fraction and ADC value showed comparable area under the curve (AUC) for distinguishing benign from malignant lesions (0.777 and 0.822, p = 0.123) and invasive carcinoma from DCIS (0.640 and 0.727, p = 0.115). There were significant differences in ECV fraction between different hormone receptor and Ki67 states (p = 0.001 ~ 0.014), while ADC values only differed among various Ki67 states (p < 0.001). The ECV fraction was lower (p = 0.007), while the ADC value was higher (p = 0.013) in the pCR than in the non-pCR group, with an AUC value of 0.748 and 0.730 (p = 0.887), respectively. There was a positive correlation between DECT-derived ECV and histopathological ECV fractions (r = 0.615, p < 0.01).Conclusions: Routine chest DECT-derived ECV fraction is a viable quantitative imaging biomarker for the characterization of breast tumor.
Prevalence and Risk factors for Sarcopenia in Thai Patients with Rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Kieattisaksopon Suppavich , Narongroeknawin Pongthorn , Muangpaisan Weerasak , Varothai Narittaya , Katchamart Wanruchada
Published: July 2022

Background Sarcopenia is characterized by loss of muscle mass and strength, and/or decreased physical performance leading to increased all-cause mortality. We studied the prevalence and risk factors for sarcopenia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) Method A prospective cross-sectional study of 182 adult patients with RA. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia: 2019 Consensus Update on Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Treatment. The body impedance analyzer was used to estimate body composition. Hand grip dynamometer and six-meter walk test were performed to evaluate muscle strength and physical performance, respectively. Results Number (26.4%) patients had sarcopenia. Sarcopenia was common in females, older age, lower body mass index (BMI), and poorer nutritional status. Advanced age [hazard ratio (HR) 1.07 (95% CI 1.02–1.11), p = 0.002], low BMI [HR (95% CI) 0.81 (0.72–0.90), p < 0.001], high disease activity [HR (95% CI) 1.64 (1.22–2.12), p = 0.045], and depression [HR (95% CI) 1.18 (1.01–1.37), p = 0.04] were independently associated with sarcopenia.Conclusion Sarcopenia was found to be common in Thai RA, and its independent risk factors are age, disease activity, BMI, and depression. Well-controlled disease activity may be beneficial for preventing or minimizing sarcopenia and improving patient outcomes.
Backbone amides are key determinants of Cl− selectivity in CLC ion channels
Authors: Leisle Lilia , Lam Kin , Dehghani-Ghahnaviyeh Sepehr , Fortea Eva , Galpin Jason , Ahern Christopher , Tajkhorshid Emad , Accardi Alessio
Published: July 2022

Chloride homeostasis is tightly regulated in cellular compartments by dedicated channels and transporters. Whereas CLC-type channels select for Cl− over other anions, all other ‘chloride’ channels are indiscriminate in their anionic permeability. Pore-lining side chains are thought to determine Cl− selectivity in CLC channels. However, orientation and functional roles of these side chains is not conserved among CLCs. All CLC pores are lined by backbone amides in a conserved structural arrangement, suggesting a role of mainchain groups in selectivity. We replaced pore-lining residues in the CLC-0 and bCLC-k channels with their respective α-hydroxy acid counterparts using nonsense suppression method. This exchanges peptide-bond amides with ester-bond oxygens, incapable of hydrogen-bonding with permeating anions. Backbone substitutions functionally degrade inter-anion discrimination in a site-specific manner. These effects depend on the presence of a glutamate side chain that competes with ions permeating through the pore. Molecular dynamics simulations show that ion energetics within the bCLC-k pore are primarily determined by interactions with backbone amides. Insertion of an α-hydroxy acid significantly alters ion selectivity and global pore hydration. We propose that backbone amides are conserved determinants of Cl− specificity in CLC channels in a mechanism reminiscent of that described for K+ channels.
Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 clinical isolates
Authors: Kawaoka Yoshihiro , Uraki Ryuta , Halfmann Peter , Iida Shun , Yamayoshi Seiya , Furusawa Yuri , Kiso Maki , Ito Mutsumi , Iwatsuki-Horimoto Kiyoko , Mine Sohtaro , Kuroda Makoto , Maemura Tadashi , Sakai Yuko , Ueki Hiroshi , Li Rong , Liu Yanan , Larson Deanna , Fukushi Shuetsu , Watanabe Shinji , Maeda Ken , Pekosz Andrew , Kandeil Ahmed , Webby Richard , Wang Zhongde , Imai Masaki , Suzuki Tadaki
Published: July 2022

The BA.2 sublineage of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has become dominant in most countries around the world; however, the prevalence of BA.4 and BA.5 is increasing rapidly in several regions. BA.2 is less pathogenic in animal models than previously circulating variants of concern (VOC). Compared with BA.2, however, BA.4 and BA.5 possess additional substitutions in the spike protein, which play a key role in viral infectivity, raising concerns that the infectivity and pathogenicity of BA.4 and BA.5 are higher than those of BA.2. Here, we evaluated the replicative ability and pathogenicity of authentic BA.4 and BA.5 isolates in wild-type Syrian hamsters and human ACE2 (hACE2) transgenic hamsters. In contrast to recent data with a recombinant chimeric virus possessing the spike protein of BA.4/BA.5 in the background of a BA.2 strain, we observed no obvious differences among BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 isolates in growth ability or pathogenicity in hamsters, and less pathogenicity compared to a previously circulating Delta (B.1.617.2 lineage) isolate. In addition, in vivo competition experiments revealed that BA.5 outcompeted BA.2 in hamsters, whereas BA.4 and BA.2 exhibited similar fitness. These findings suggest that BA.4 and BA.5 have similar pathogenicity to BA.2 in rodents and that BA.5 possesses viral fitness superior to that of BA.2. Our study highlights the importance of using authentic isolates when evaluating virological features.
Choriocarcinoma syndrome of primary pulmonary choriocarcinoma after lung lobe resection: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Chen Chen , Li Yi , Liu Zhenjun , Ji Juan , Zhao Pei
Published: July 2022

Introduction:
Primary pulmonary choriocarcinoma (PPC) is extremely rare, especially in males. It is characterized by a poor response to therapy and shortened survival times. Here, we report a PPC case that was complicated by choriocarcinoma syndrome (CS) and present a review of the literature.
Case presentation:
A 59-year-old man with a 30-pack-year smoking history was referred to our hospital because of haemoptysis and chest pain. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) showed multiple bilateral pulmonary nodules and multiple metastases throughout the body. The patient underwent single-port thoracoscopic wedge resection of the right lung upper lobe. Histological examinations verified the diagnosis of choriocarcinoma. Three days after the operation, the patient developed massive haemoptysis. A bronchoscopic examination showed bleeding from the bilateral main bronchus. Despite management in the intensive care unit (ICU), the patient died two weeks after surgery.
Conclusions
For advanced choriocarcinoma cases, minimally invasive or even non-invasive procedures are more suitable to avoid inducing CS. When patients with a high tumour mass and elevated tumour markers, we need to be alert to the occurrence of CS. Surgery and modified chemotherapy, based on the physical condition of the patient, may currently be the best therapy for PPC.
Beamspace maximum likelihood algorithm based on sum and difference beams for elevation estimation
Authors: chen Sheng , Zhao Yongbo , Hu Yili , Pang Xiaojiao
Published: July 2022

Beamspace super-resolution methods for elevation estimation in multipath environment has attracted significant attention, especially beamspace maximum likelihood (BML) algorithm. However, the difference beam is rarely used in super-resolution methods, especially in low elevation estimation. The target airspace information in the difference beam is different from the target airspace information in the sum beam. And the use of difference beams will not significantly increase the complexity of the system and algorithms. Thus, this paper applies the difference beam to the beamformer to improve the elevation estimation performance of BML algorithm. And the direction and number of beams can be adjusted according to the actual needs. The theoretical target elevation angle root mean square error (RMSE) and the computational complexity of proposed algorithms are analyzed. Finally, our computer simulations and real data processing results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
A Compact Half Dumbbell shaped MIMO antenna for LTE, WLAN and WiMAX Applications
Authors: G Haridoss , J JENCY RUBIA , Kavitha S.
Published: July 2022

Mobile communication acts an inevitable part in modern communication technology. LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the most recent mobile connectivity standard, offering high data rates, increased channel bandwidth, and reduced multipath fading. The purpose of this manuscript is to design a compact half dumbbell shaped antenna which supports Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output for LTE, WiMAX and WLAN application. The designed half dumbbell antenna involves of two “Half Dumbbell” shaped patch with slot and revised pound plane is elevated with dual stub in the pounded plane. Dual stubs embedded in the pound plane minimize mutual coupling between radiating components, while a slot on the radiating element increases bandwidth for triple band characteristics. High isolation is achieved using two thin stubs in the pound plane. It has simple structure and compact size of 52 X 22 mm 2 . From the analysis report the Return loss reflects good compatible between replicated and determined outcomes. This design gives an efficiency of more than 85% over the operating bands of MIMO antenna.
Barrierepotenziale von Schulhöfen durch Analysebeispiele identifizieren lernen
Authors: Bükers Frederik , Heemsoth Tim
Published: July 2022

Im Zentrum des Beitrags steht mit „Ab in die Pause!“ eine Lernumgebung der inklusionsorientierten Lehrer*innenausbildung, die den Lernort Schulhof in den Fokus der Barrierefreiheit stellt. Der Prämisse folgend, dass der Schulhof als prädestinierter Ort informellen Lernens für eine heterogene Schüler*innenschaft zugänglich und nutzbar respektive barrierefrei sein sollte, wird die Fähigkeit zur Identifikation von potenziellen Barrieren materiell-räumlicher Art als Komponente professioneller Kompetenz seitens der Lehrkraft begründet. Es wird dargelegt wie eben diese Fähigkeit mittels eines Vorgehens im Sinne des beispielbasierten Lernens gelingen kann und es werden ausgewählte Evaluationsergebnisse einer ersten Erprobung präsentiert. Abschließend werden Chancen und Grenzen des Vorgehens aufgezeigt, ehe auch Vorschläge für künftige Forschung skizziert werden.
 
Abstract
The article presents with "Off to the playground!" a learning environment that focuses on the accessibility of school playgrounds. Following the premise that the school playground is a predestined place of informal learning, it should be barrier-free and accessible for heterogeneous users, and teachers should take care of this. Accordingly, the article justifies the identification of potential barriers as a component of professional teacher competence. It explains how such an ability can be promoted within a learning environment in the sense of example-based learning. The article ends with a presentation of selected evaluation results of a first testing and highlights the potentials and limitations of the approach before it proposes suggestions for future research.
Teleworking Experience of Education Professionals vs. Management Staff: Challenges Following Job Innovation
Authors: Raisiene Agota Giedre , Rapuano Violeta , Raisys Simonas Juozapas , Lučinskaite-Sadovskiene Rita
Published: July 2022

The article deals with the problem of teleworking. Due to the constraints of the pandemic, the education sector has undergone a dramatic change, with teachers and students en masse moved to work from home. In the past, digital solutions have gradually penetrated the education sector, but the pandemic has turned the process into social innovation in the broad sense and performance innovation in the narrow sense. The latter aspect is addressed in this article. The paper aims to reveal the effect of the transition to teleworking on employees in the education sector. Based on the survey results, the study reports experiences of higher education and college professors, secondary schools and vocational schools' teachers and managerial staff in terms of personal well-being, management quality, and performance. The paper is novel in terms of the scope of the study: it analyses the teleworking issue in different educational institutions. In addition, the study compares the experiences of education staff and managers. There is a lack of such research in the scientific literature in the education sector. The research confirms that telecommuting managers experienced less shock and fatigue than professors and teachers. In addition, university professors proved to be the best prepared to work in innovative ways, but they also rated the performance of their managers' management work the worst among all educational institutions. Meanwhile, while teachers in secondary schools rated telework the most negatively, they rated the ability of their leaders to lead the team in extraordinary conditions the best. The research results can be useful for education leaders and policymakers as well as for researchers dealing with the topics of teleworking, teachers' job performance, employee fatigue, and leadership competencies.
Business Innovation Management: a General Overview to Virtuous Leadership
Authors: Ozkan Sema Alimoglu , Ardic Kadir
Published: July 2022

The concept of leadership continues to develop as a concept that still maintains its importance. In the most general sense, leadership shapes employees’ behaviours and facilitates all processes to achieve common goals and objectives. In today's innovative and rapidly changing business world, practical and good leadership is an important study topic in management studies. Effective and good leadership, also known as positive leadership, motivates ineffective employees, develops their skills, improves negative attitudes and behaviours and copes with stress and burnout. Positive Psychology is the newly advancing field of organisational behaviour sciences. Positive leadership highly addresses its relevance with positive character traits as defined virtue. Virtues, which are the source of well-being and glorify people's feelings, thoughts and behaviours, manifest as business ethics principles in business life. The virtues play an influential and vital role in various leadership styles, such as ethical, spiritual and transformational leadership. On the other hand, these leadership styles do not extensively define the core characteristics of a virtuous leader. In this direction, over the past decade, numerous virtuous leadership theories and models have recently developed that cite virtues as essential and indispensable. A review of previous studies revealed a gap in the literature on virtuous leadership. The problem of this study is that virtuous leadership has been examined in primarily ethical literature. This study aims to conceptualise by examining the prominent approaches of virtuous leadership according to the current literature. Traditional literature scrutiny is used as the research method in the paper. Studies are scattered in the relevant literature. This paper summarises the existing virtuous leadership literature and brings out a literature review. The study provides an overview of virtuous leadership theories and models among the definitions and classifications listed in Table 1 and also presents virtues-relevant leadership theories in the literature. Thence, it is expected to contribute to management, leadership and organisational behaviour. The research is a current study in terms of the subject discussed.