bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health Engagement Living Lab Project: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Study To Advance Self-Care Agency Among Migrant Workers In South Korea
Authors: Kim Youlim , Lee Hyeonkyeong , Kim Sookyung , Kim Junghee
Published: April 2021

Background: Migrant workers struggle to access health services and adapt to a new culture. Self-care agency can be important for health self-management. It is necessary to investigate in detail how migrant workers engage in health promotion behaviors. This study examines the effects of a health engagement program to improve self-care agency using a living lab approach among migrant workers living in South Korea. Methods: Participants included 42 migrant workers from 9 countries, recruited via flyers, posters, and internet bulletins posted by a migrant community organization. This pilot study used a mixed-methods design including a nonequivalent pre-post-test control group and three focus group interviews. During the 12-week period, only the intervention group participants received four workshops addressing healthy physical activity, healthy dietary habits, effective cultural adaptation, stress management, and two outdoor cultural activities. They also participated in focus group interviews after the second, third, and fourth group activities and discussed the benefits of health behaviors and specific ways to implement them in real life. The control group received no intervention. Results: After the 12-week intervention period, participants in the intervention group showed an increase in the levels of self-care agency (U = 82.5, p < .001), health literacy (U = 91.5, p < .001), and acculturation (U = 119.0, p = .010) compared to the control group. As results of qualitative content analysis, various themes were derived for three areas: healthy diet, acculturation, and stress management based on lessons learned from living lab activities, barriers to health behavior practices and methods to overcome barriers.Conclusions: This study demonstrated that interventions using a living lab were effective in increasing migrants’ participation in health promotion activities by strengthening their self-care agency. The qualitative approach was useful in obtaining more comprehensive results on strategies aimed at enhancing health behavior engagement.
Sensorimotor Connectivity is related to Static Postural Control in Older Adults with History of Lateral Ankle Sprain
Authors: Bain Katherine A. , Kosik Kyle B. , Terada Masafumi , Gribble Phillip A. , Johnson Nathan F.
Published: April 2021

Context:

The Sensorimotor Network (SMN) is often overlooked when determining relationships between postural control and sensorimotor function. SMN functional connectivity (FC) represents the temporal synchrony of functionally linked but spatially divergent brain regions. This study aimed to determine the relationship between SMN-FC and static postural control in older adults with a history of lateral ankle sprain (LAS).
Methods

Data were analyzed from twenty older adults (mean age = 67.0±4.3yrs; 13 females) with a history of LAS. The SMN was identified from resting-state MRI data. Bilateral thalamic and post-central gyri regions of interest were identified. Balance was assessed for the involved and non-involved limbs via center of pressure velocity (COPV) in the medial-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) directions.
Results

Contralateral SMN-FC was significantly associated with COPV_ML (r = -0.468, P = .05) and COPV_AP (r = -0.530, P = .02) in the non-involved limb. No significant association was observed between involved limb balance and contralateral SMN-FC (COPV_ML: r= -0.081, P = .75; COPV_AP: r = 0.136, P = .60).
Conclusion

Findings suggest a dissociation between SMN-FC and balance in older adults with a history of LAS. The sensorimotor system’s ability to communicate with itself after injury may have an impact on functional performance, such as balance.
A Novel Intrusion Detection System for RPL Based IoT Networks with Bio-Inspired Feature Selection and Ensemble Classifier
Authors: Pokala Jayaprakash , Lalitha B.
Published: April 2021

Internet of Things (IoT) is the powerful latest trend that allows communications and networking of many sources over the internet. Routing protocol for low power and lossy networks (RPL) based IoT networks may be exposed to many routing attacks due to resource-constrained and open nature of the IoT nodes. Hence, there is a need for network intrusion detection system (NIDS) to protect RPL based IoT networks from routing attacks. The existing techniques for anomaly-based NIDS (ANIDS) subjects to high false alarm rate (FAR). Therefore, a novel bio-inspired voting ensemble classifier with feature selection technique is proposed in this paper to improve the performance of ANIDS for RPL based IoT networks. The proposed voting ensemble classifier combines the results of various base classifiers such as logistic Regression, support vector machine, decision tree, bidirectional long short-term memory and K-nearest neighbor to detect the attacks accurately based on majority voting rule. The optimized weights of base classifiers are obtained by using the feature selection method called simulated annealing based improved salp swarm algorithm (SA-ISSA), which is the hybridization of particle swarm optimization, opposition based learning and salp swarm algorithm. The experiments are performed with RPL-NIDDS17 dataset that contains seven types of attack instances. The performance of the proposed model is evaluated and compared with existing feature selection and classification techniques in terms of accuracy, attack detection rate (ADR), FAR and so on. The proposed ensemble classifier shows better performance with higher accuracy (96.4%), ADR (97.7%) and reduced FAR (3.6%).
Safety of direct oral anticoagulants in older adults with atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of (subgroup analyses from) randomized controlled trials
Authors: Doni Katharina , Bühn Stefanie , Weise Alina , Mann Nina-Kristin , Hess Simone , Sönnichsen Andreas , Pieper Dawid , Thürmann Petra , Mathes Tim
Published: April 2021

PurposeOur objective was to assess the safety of long-term intake of DOACs in older adults with atrial fibrillation (AF). MethodsWe included RCTs in elderly (≥65 years) patients with AF. A systematic search in MEDLINE and EMBASE was performed on 9/11/2020. For determination of risk of bias, the RoB-2 tool was applied. We pooled outcomes using random-effects meta-analyses. The quality of evidence was assessed using GRADE.ResultsTen RCTs with a total of 61,948 patients were identified. Seven RCTs included patients with AF-only and three with AF who received PCI and additional antiplatelet-therapy. Two RCTs compared apixaban with either warfarin or aspirin, three edoxaban with either placebo, aspirin, or Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), two dabigatran with warfarin and three rivaroxaban with warfarin. DOACs probably reduce mortality in elderly patients with AF-only (HR 0.89 95%CI 0.78 to 1.02). We did not find any RCT that reported mortality in elderly AF-PCI patients. Low-dose DOACs likely reduce bleeding compared to VKAs (HR ranged from 0.47 to 1.01). High-dose edoxaban reduces major or clinically relevant bleeding (MCRB) compared to VKAs (HR 0.82 95%CI 0.73 to 0.93) but high-dose dabigatran or rivaroxaban increase MCRB (HR 1.15 95%CI 1.02 to 1.30).Conclusion We found that low-dose DOACs probably decrease mortality in AF-only patients. Moreover, apixaban and edoxaban are associated with fewer MCRB compared to VKAs. For dabigatran and rivaroxaban, the risk of MCRB varies depending on dose.
Spatial variation and comprehensive health risk assessment of microbial indoor air quality in microenvironments of North Delhi
Authors: Kumar Pradeep , Singh A. B. , Singh Rajeev
Published: April 2021

The high airborne microbial concentration of indoor areas may be responsible for adverse indoor air quality linked with adverse respiratory and general health effects in the form of Sick building syndromes. The current study aimed to isolate and characterize seasonal (winter and spring) levels of culturable bio-aerosols from indoor air and their impact on human health by using an epidemiological health survey. After culturing, microorganisms were identified by standard macro and microbiological protocols followed by biochemical testing and molecular techniques. Sampling results show that bacterial aerosol concentration in the winter season varies from (300–3650 CFU/m) and fugal aerosols (300–4150 CFU/m3) in different microenvironments. However, in spring bacterial aerosols ranged (450–5150 CFU/m3) and fungi (350–5070 CFU/m3). Aspergillus and Cladosporium were major recorded fungi however, Staphylococcus, Streptobacillus, and Micrococcus were major bacterial genera among all the sites. Analysis of the questionnaire survey represented that headache (28%) and allergies (20%) were major indoor health problems followed by others. Major outcomes of the current study suggested that the elevated levels of bioaerosols are a major risk factor and causing various respiratory health problems. The observed dynamics of this study will help the inhabitants to take precautionary actions to avoid hazardous bioaerosols.
High Visibility Conditions in a Sunset Environment
Authors: Iizuka Tatsuya , Kawamorita Takushi , Takenaka Choku , Tsuji Hajime , Kanai Hiroyuki , Hirai Toshihiro , Suzuki Hiroo , Handa Tomoya , Ishikawa Hitoshi
Published: April 2021

Purpose: There is no standard for high-visibility safety clothing for general pedestrians, nor is it widely used. Therefore, this study investigated visibility in order to examine the standards for high-visibility safety clothing for general pedestrians. Methods: Twenty normal participants (mean age, 22.4 ± 4.4 years) without ocular disease, except for refractive errors, were studied. All participants had normal visual acuity in corrected vision. This study assumed sunset conditions in Japan. The light source was set up in a dark room, and the illuminance in front of the visual target was set to 300 lx. We investigated the visibility of 142 patterns of black and yellow combination samples with different spatial frequencies, pattern types, angles, and color ratios. Results: The highest visibility was found at 5.0 cycles per degree of the stripe pattern at the spatial frequency, yellow ratio of 75%, and a stripe angle of 165°. Conclusions: Under sunset conditions, the brightness decreased when black was combined with yellow. However, it forms a two-color pattern and becomes more conspicuous. The highest visibility was obtained by arranging black and yellow in a diagonal stripe pattern. We predict that establishing clothing standards based on the results of this study will help design safety clothing with increased visibility.
Case Report: Adenocarcinoma Of The Appendix Presenting As A Cervical Polyp.
Authors: De Smedt Emilie , Pouseele Bram , Vindevoghel Koen , Storme Nathalie
Published: April 2021

Background: The differential diagnosis of a vaginal mass after hysterectomy is broad. Malignancies of the genital tract or metastasis from another primary tumor should be excluded. Appendiceal carcinoma is a rare cause, case reports are limited.Case presentation: A 77-year-old woman with a history of vaginal hysterectomy presented with a 12-month history of vaginal pressure. The vaginal mass, penetrating trough the cervix, is resected (vaginal approach). A Microscopic examination of the removed tissue revealed an adenocarcinoma of the appendix. Right hemicolectomy, resection of the vaginal vault and resection of the regional lymph nodes showed no residual tumor.Conclusions: Full diagnostic work-up of a vaginal mass should be performed to avoid unexpected malignancy. Transvaginal resection was in this case feasible and safe.
Evaluation of Antitumor Potential of an Anti-Glypican-1 Monoclonal Antibody in Preclinical Lung Cancer Models Reveals a Distinct Mechanism of Action
Authors: Li Minghua , Wang Yanhong , Lin Xiaoyang , Yang Haiqiang , Zhang Xiaolin , Bai Yun , Li Xiankun , Zhang Lulu , Cheng Feng , Cao Chuanhai , Zhou Qingyu
Published: April 2021

Emerging evidence has revealed the distinct role of glypican-1 (GPC1) in mediating cellular signal transduction crucial to tumor progression through its function as a co-receptor/modulator for heparin-binding growth factors. The main objective of this study was to investigate the antitumor effect of a novel mouse anti-human GPC1 monoclonal antibody (anti-GPC1 mAb) on non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and associated molecular mechanisms. Results of the in vitro study showed that anti-GPC1 mAb profoundly inhibited the anchorage-independent growth of A549 and H460 NSCLC cells and exhibited relatively high cytotoxic activities towards CCD-19Lu lung fibroblasts, A549/CCD-19Lu and H460/CCD-19Lu coculture spheroids. In the transwell indirect co-culture system, anti-GPC1 mAb treatment significantly decreased the expression of phospho-Src (Tyr416), phospho-Akt (Ser473) and β-catenin in the co-cultured CCD-19Lu lung fibroblasts, and the expression of phospho-MEK (Ser217/221) and phospho-p90RSK (Ser380) in co-cultured A549 cells. When anti-GPC1 mAb was administered to tumor-bearing mice either through tail-vein injection once every 72 hours for 8 doses or through intraperitoneal injection once a week for 3 doses and then once every 10 days for 2 more doses, the inhibitory effect of anti-GPC1 mAb on the growth of orthotopic A549 lung tumors was not statistically significant. Nonetheless, results of Western blot analysis showed significant decrease in the phosphorylation of FGFR1 at Tyr766, Src at Tyr416, ERK at Thr202/Tyr204, RSK at Ser380, GSK3α at Ser21 and GSK3β at Ser9 in tumor samples obtained from tumor-bearing mice receiving the extended-interval dosing of anti-GPC1 mAb. These data implicate that anti-GPC1 mAb treatment impairs the interaction between tumor cells and tumor associated fibroblasts by attenuating the paracrine FGFR signal transduction. In conclusion, although anti-GPC1 mAb alone is not sufficient to inhibit lung tumor growth in vivo, the relatively potent cytotoxicity of anti-GPC1 mAb in lung fibroblasts and its potential inhibitory effect on the paracrine FGFR signal transduction warrant further studies on the combined use of this mAb with targeted therapeutics to improve therapeutic outcomes in lung cancer.
An exploratory method to determine the plant characteristics affecting the final yield: A study on Echium amoenum Fisch. & C.A. Mey. under different fertilizers application and plant densities
Authors: Jahan Mohsen , Amiri Mohammad B. , Moghaddam Parviz Rezvani
Published: April 2021

Background: Employing of advanced statistical methods to quantify agricultural information has helped to carry out targeted planning to alleviate the problems of farmers, researchers and policy section. One of these exploratory methods, is multivariate statistical analysis that examines and models the relationship between variables. Considering the importance of Echium amoenum and its use growing trend in traditional medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, also the lack of information on the correlations between its yield and morpho physiological traits, the objective of this study was to determine the causality path in which the Echium amoenum characteristics affects the yield of Echium amoenum as regards of application of organic and chemical fertilizers under different plant densities.Results: The employed method revealed that organic fertilizers increased flower yield compared with the control. The flower yield as a result of application of compost, vermicompost and cattle manure were increased by 25, 28, and 27 percent compared with the control, respectively. The results of multiple regression showed that variables of plant height, shoot dry weight, flower number per plant were the main factors affected the flower yield. The relative contribution of shoot dry weight was 16 and 25 percent more than plant height and flower number per plant, respectively. Conclusions: Causality analysis identified that shoot dry weight per plant had indirect effect on flower yield in different paths, as mainly was imposed through plant height considering the path coefficients. this study suggests that optimum production of Echium amoenum with application of ecological inputs along with effective agronomical managements of the causal paths of flower yield forming, including increase in shoot yield and plant height could be achieved through an ecological cropping system with reduced costs and no health concerning due to agrochemicals residual.
Cancer Survival in Saudi Arabia 2005-2009: Analysis of the Population-based Saudi Cancer Registry
Authors: Aseafan Mohamed , Devol Edward , AlAhwal Mahmoud , Souissi Riad , Sindi Reham , AlEid Haya , Bazarbashi Shouki
Published: April 2021

The Saudi Cancer Registry reported in 2007 the 5-year observed survival for the most common cancer sites for the years 1994-2004. In this report we looked at the cancer survival in the period 2005-2009 and evaluated the trend over the 15 years period from 1994-2009. Cases of the top 14 cancer sites reported by the population based Saudi Cancer Registry from 1 January 2005 to December 31, 2009 were submitted for survival analysis. The vital status of those patients was collected. Analysis of survival for the above period was compared with the prior reported 2 periods (1994-1999, 2000-2004). In addition, analysis was done according to age, sex, disease stage and the province. Data of 25,969 patients of the commonest cancer sites were submitted. Of those 14,146 (54%) had complete demographic data available and vital status was reported. The observed 5-year survival for the 14,146 patients analyzed was 66%. Thyroid cancer had the highest 5- year observed survival of 94% (standard Error (SE) 0.0062), followed by Breast (72%, SE 0.0085). In hematological malignancies, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma had the highest 5-year survival of 86% (SE 0.0116). Survival rates has improved in most of the cancers sites for the studied periods except for lung, uterine and Hodgkin’s lymphoma which plateaued. Our study confirms a steady improvement in the 5-year observed survival over time for the majority of cancers. Our survival data were comparable to western countries. This data should be used by policy makers to improve on cancer care in the kingdom.
Distribution of Artificial Thrombi Candidates Through Patient-Specific Aortic-Arch Phantoms under Pulsatile Flow Conditions
Authors: Testaguzza Marco , Benhassine Mehdi , Frid Haroun , Gebhart Laurence , Boudjeltia Karim Zouaoui , Vanrossomme Axel , Coussement Gregory
Published: April 2021

Ischemic Stroke is the most frequent type of stroke and is subject to many studies investigating prevention means. Avoiding the difficulties and ethical problems of experimental in-vivo research, in-vitro testing is a convenient way of studying in controlled conditions the morphological impact and mechanical aspects of emboli dynamics. This in-vitro study was performed with two realistic silicone aortic-arch phantoms submitted to physiological pulsatile flow conditions. In the in-vitro test bed, using automatic image tracking and analysis, it was made possible detecting and tracking artificial spherical emboli candidates circulating in the anatomic aortic-arch models under a realistic based-patient blood flow profile. The emboli trajectories as well as their repartition in the different supra-aortic branches are presented for the two aortic-arch geometries obtained from CT scans. Through a statistical analysis performed with several artificial emboli sizes, the experimental study shows that the repartition percentages of the emboli closely follow the flowrate repartition percentages for both aortic-arch models, suggesting that higher flowrates lead to higher concentrations of emboli in a given artery. Sets of human thrombi were also injected and the repartition percentages have been established, giving the same trend as for artificial emboli.
The effectiveness of benzbromarone versus febuxostat in gouty patients: a retrospective study
Authors: Liu Dongmei , Zhou Binbin , Li Zhen , Zhang Zhuojun , Dai Xiaojuan , Ji Zongfei , Chen Huiyong , Sun Ying , Jiang Lindi
Published: April 2021

Background Benzbromarone and febuxostat have different mechanisms in reducing serum urate. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of benzbromarone versus febuxostat in reducing serum urate in gouty patients classified with different types of hyperuricemia remain unclear.Methods In this retrospective study from January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2020, subjects were retrieved if they were newly treated with benzbromarone 25mg daily or febuxostat 20mg daily with 24-hour urinary uric acid and 24-hour urinary creatinine measured. Baseline data and follow-up information after 28 ± 3 days treatment were collected from medical records. Subjects were classified into four types according to their 24-hour urinary uric acid and fractional excretion of uric acid.Results A total of 73 subjects with gout were finally enrolled. Among them, 50 were treated with benzbromarone. The percent changes in serum urate from the baseline were -33.71 ± 13.59% in benzbromarone group and -29.45 ± 10.62% in febuxostat group without significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.188). In subgroup analysis, no differences were found between the two groups among subjects classified as renal underexcretion, the combined type, or “normal” type. In patients with eGFR ≥ 70 mL/min/1.73m2, the rate of serum urate lowering was higher in those treated with benzbromarone than febuxostat. Renal function did not change significantly from the baseline for both drugs.Conclusion Benzbromarone 25mg daily and febuxostat 20mg daily had comparable effectiveness in lowering serum urate among different types of hyperuricemia. Benzbromarone was more effective than febuxostat in lowering serum urate in subjects with eGFR ≥ 70 mL/min/1.73m2.
Free Thoracodorsal Artery Polyfoliate Perforator Flaps for Repairing Multiple Soft Tissue Defects in the Hand
Authors: Ding Wenquan , Xue Jianbo , Zhou Yingling , He Lingfeng , Wang Xiaofeng
Published: April 2021

Background: Hand injury is commonly associated with multiple soft tissue defects. Polyfoliate flaps grafting is the optimal approach for multiple wounds.To confirm the feasibility of clinical using of free thoracodorsal artery polyfoliate perforator flaps for repairing multiple soft tissue defects in the hand. Methods: Fifteen patients with hand soft tissue defects that were repaired using free thoracodorsal artery polyfoliate perforator flaps from January 2015 to February 2018 was retrospectively analysed. The survival rate, the operative time, the appearance and sensory recovery of the flaps, and hand function were evaluated. Results: The flaps of all 15 patients survived. Vascular crisis occurred in one patient, and the flap was saved after exploratory operation. The 15 patients were followed up for 12-26 months. Sensation in the flaps was partially recovered in all 15 patients. The wound in the donor area was closed directly with sutures. Obvious scar hyperplasia was noted in three patients. A puffed appearance in the recipient area was noted in four patients.To obtain a more satisfactory appearance, revision of the flap was performed once in these four patients. The Total Active Movement (TAM) evaluation system was used to assess the results, which were considered excellent in seven patients, good in six patients, fair in two patients, and poor in none of the patients. Ten of the 15 patients returned to their primary jobs. Conclusion: Free thoracodorsal artery polyfoliate perforator flaps are appropriate for repairing multiple soft tissue defects in the hand, offer a satisfactory appearance, require a short operative time, and have little impact on the function and aesthetics of the donor site.
Rejuvenation triggers nuclear activity in nearby galaxies
Authors: Navarro Ignacio Martin , Shankar Francesco , Mezcua Mar
Published: April 2021

Galaxies, forming and evolving within their host dark matter haloes, are the end-product of a balance between gas cooling, star formation and feedback. Energy/Momentum feedback, in particular from active galactic nuclei (AGN), is believed to play a crucial role in the evolution of galaxies by gradually quenching their star formation. In the local Universe many galaxies with an AGN are indeed observed to reside in the so-called green valley, usually interpreted as a transition phase from a blue star formation epoch to a red quenched state. We use data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to show that such an interpretation requires substantial revision. Optically-selected nearby AGN galaxies follow exponentially declining star formation histories, as normal galaxies of similar stellar and dark matter halo mass, reaching in the recent past (~0.1 Gyr ago) star formation rate levels consistent with a quiescent population. However, we find that local AGN galaxies have experienced a sudden increase in their star formation rate, unfolding on timescales similar to those typical of AGN activity, suggesting that both star formation and AGN activity were triggered simultaneously. We find that this quenching process followed by an enhancement in the star formation rate is common to AGN galaxies and more pronounced in early type galaxies. Our results demonstrate that local AGN galaxies are not a transition type between star-forming and quiescent galaxies as previously postulated, but simply galaxies experiencing a recent gas accretion episode.
Investigating Causal Relations Between Circulating Metabolites and Alzheimer’s Diseases: a Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Huang Shu-Yi , Yang Yu-Xiang , Zhang Ya-Ru , Kuo Kevin , Li Hong-Qi , Shen Xue-Ning , Chen Shi-Dong , Chen Ke-Liang , Dong Qiang , Tan Lan , Yu Jin-Tai
Published: April 2021

BackgroundMetabolomics is a promising approach that can be used to understand pathophysiological pathways of Alzheimer disease (AD). However, the relationships between metabolism and AD are poorly understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the causal association between circulating metabolites and risk of AD by combining metabolomics with genomics through two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. MethodGenetic associations with 123 circulating metabolic traits were utilized as exposures. A large summary statistics data from International Genomics of Alzheimer’s Project was used in primary analysis, including 21,982 AD cases and 41,944 controls. Validation was further performed using family history of AD data from UK Biobank (27,696 cases of maternal AD, 14,338 cases of paternal AD and 272,244 controls). We utilized the inverse-variance weighted method as primary analysis and four additional MR methods (MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier) for sensitivity analyses. ResultsWe found one-fold increased risk of developing AD per standard deviation increase in the levels of circulating ApoB (odd ratio (OR)=3.18; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.52–6.66, P=0.0022) and glycoprotein acetyls (OR=1.21; 95% CI: 1.05–1.39, P=0.0093), serum total cholesterol (OR=2.73; 95% CI: 1.41-5.30, P=0.0030), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (OR=2.34; 95% CI: 1.53-3.57, P=0.0001). Whereas glutamine (OR=0.81; 95% CI: 0.71-0.92, P=0.0011) were significantly associated with lower risk of AD. We also detected causal effects of several different composition of LDL fractions on increased AD risk, which has been verified in validation. However, we found no association between circulating high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and AD. ConclusionsOur findings provided robust evidence supporting causal effects of circulating glycoprotein acetyls, ApoB, LDL cholesterol, and serum total cholesterol on higher risk of AD, whereas glutamine showed the protective effect. Further research is required to decipher the biological pathways underpinning associations.
Effect of Alteration on the Geochemistry and Mechanical Properties of Granite from Pingjiang, Hunan Province, China
Authors: Ren Minghao , Wang Wei , Huang Zhiquan , Li Shanggao , Wu Qi , Yu Huaichang , Yuan Guangxiang , Sargent Paul
Published: April 2021

The effect of alteration on the geochemistry and mechanical properties of granite from Pingjiang, Hunan Province, China was investigated. Six weathered and 14 hydrothermally altered samples in three footrills (PD2, PD3, and PD4) were collected for mechanical tests and major and trace element analysis. The results show that the relationship between mechanical strength and the degree of alteration, irrespective of whether this is due to weathering or hydrothermal alteration, can be described by an exponential equation. This implies that the mechanical strength decreases rapidly even at low degrees of alteration. Granite Na2O, CaO, K2O, and SiO2 contents were lowered due to weathering, whereas Fe2O3T contents increased significantly due to Fe2+ oxidation. Based on the hypothesis that Al and Zr are immobile during the hydrothermal alteration, the mobility indexes of various elements were calculated for the hydrothermally altered samples. In general, TiO2, K2O, Fe2O3T, Th, Hf, Co, Ni, and V contents were unaffected by hydrothermal alteration; Na2O, Sr, Nd, Sm, and Pb contents were lowered by hydrothermal alteration; and SiO2, Rb, Cr, U, Zn, Mn, and Cs contents were increased due to reactions with the hydrothermal fluids. Even immobile elements, such as Sm, Nd, V, and Cr, were mobilized by high-temperature hydrothermal fluids. To assess the degree of hydrothermal alteration, a new model is required that can account for the effects of the different mineral components.
Assessment of the spatio-temporal variability of the added value on precipitation of convection-permitting simulation over the Iberian Peninsula using the RegIPSL regional earth system model
Authors: Shahi Namendra Kumar , Polcher‬ Jan , Bastin Sophie , Pennel Romain , Fita Lluís
Published: April 2021

In this study, we have assessed the added value on the spatio-temporal distribution of the precipitation of convection-permitting simulation (3km) compared to the parent coarser-scale parameterized convection simulation (20km) with the high-resolution observational datasets i.e. SPREAD (5km) and IBERIA01 (10km) over the Iberian Peninsula in all four seasons during 2000-2009. Both simulations are evaluation runs based on ERA-Interim reanalysis and performed with the RegIPSL regional earth system model in the frame of the European Climate Prediction system (EUCP) H2020 project and COordinated Regional climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX). We have not found significant improvement in the convection-permitting simulation compared to the parent coarser-scale simulation for the seasonal mean precipitation of the Iberian Peninsula except the spatial variation over mountainous peaks. The kilometer-scale simulation significantly underestimates the observed seasonal mean precipitation over the western parts of the Iberian Peninsula compared to the coarser-scale simulation, which may be attributed to a change of local dynamics in the kilometer-scale simulation with a weakening and southward shifts of the westerly winds and also an enhancement of warm and dry southerly winds over the Iberian Peninsula. However, the added value of kilometer-scale simulation over the driving coarser-scale simulation is obtained for various indices; in the representation of the spatio-temporal distribution of the wet-day precipitation frequency and intensity, and the extreme/heavy precipitation events for each season at both resolutions i.e. downscaled and upscaled. It has also been noted that the spatio-temporal distribution of precipitation for all metrics used varies between the two observational datasets for all seasons.
Addiction-related behavioral problems increase during the first six months of the Covid-19 pandemic
Authors: Maraz Aniko , Katzinger Eva , Yi Sunghwan
Published: April 2021

Background and aims: In this study we aimed to assess multiple addiction-related behaviours simultaneously for an extended period of time during the Covid-19 pandemic and their relation to distress. Methods: Data were collected every three days from Amazon’s MTurk between 26.03.2020 and 02.10.2020 in cohorts of 25 participants resulting in a total sample of 1430 US adults (60% men, mean age 36.6 years, SD = 11). General distress and Covid-19 related fear were assessed as well as self-reported frequency of eight potentially addictive behaviours: shopping (compulsive buying), alcohol, smoking, legal substances, illegal substances, gambling, gaming and overeating. Results: We found a positive relationship between time and the frequency of each self-reported addiction-related behaviour (𝜏 = 0.15 - 0.23, all p<0.001), and their frequency is linearly related to the intensity of (Covid-19-related and general) distress (𝜏 = 0.12 - 0.28, all p<0.001). Most popular activities were gaming and compulsive buying, and the relative frequency of the behaviours remained about the same during the data collection period. Discussion: It is possible that people seek substitutes when other coping mechanisms (e.g. social recreation) are hindered depending on their level of distress. Conclusion: Given the evidence for the increasing frequency of addiction-related excessive behaviours and their relevance to distress, special attention needs to be paid to reduce potential harmful effects of maladaptive coping during and after this demanding period.
Food Supply, Starvation, and Food As a Weapon in the Camps and Ghettos of Romanian-Occupied Bessarabia and Transnistria, 1941-44
Authors: Shapiro Paul A.
Published: April 2021

The Romanian regime of wartime leader Ion Antonescu concentrated the Jews of Bessarabia and Bukovyna in transit camps and ghettos, and then deported them to the Romanian-administered territory between the Dnister and Buh rivers, in southwestern Ukraine. Of approximately 160,000 Romanian Jews deported to “Transnistria,” only 50,000 survived the ordeal. The Romanians, with local Volksdeutsch and Ukrainian collaborators, also massacred and were otherwise responsible for the death of approximately 150,000 local Ukrainian Jews, including the large Jewish community of Odesa. While not comparable to the Jews in number, deported Romanian Roma and local Roma were also subjected to physical brutality, forced labour, and incarceration.

Famine and starvation did not cause all Jewish and Roma deaths in Bessarabia and Transnistria. Mass executions exacted a huge toll. So did exposure to the elements, exhaustion, and typhus. Still, while there was no famine in the region, starvation was a permanent presence. Romanian authorities controlled the food supply and denied it to their targeted victims. This article describes the steps taken by Romanian occupation authorities to isolate Jews and Roma; to limit the flow of food supplies to them; to prevent them from accessing food in local markets; and to prevent help that might have been offered by those local civilians who took pity on the starving victims. Official documentation and testimonies of both officials and survivors provide a vivid picture of the consequences. Specific cases reveal factors that made the situation in one locality better or worse than that in another, or that caused a situation to improve or deteriorate. Variations notwithstanding, however, all sources lead to the conclusion that Romania’s goal was to eliminate the Jews and reduce the Roma population. This made starvation, the use of “food as a weapon,” an acceptable element of state policy.
Hunger Habitus: State, Society, and Starvation in Twentieth-Century Bengal
Authors: Mukherjee Janam
Published: April 2021

This article offers a brief summary of the complex factors leading to the famine in Bengal in the 1940s and discusses its longer-term impacts—the afterlife, so to speak—of famine. This episode of starvation claimed as many as five million lives in Bengal, and had long lasting social, political, and economic consequences. Several different paradigms emerged that impacted the socio-political landscape of Bengal in the midst of the famine. Famine studies often focus on causality and on peaks of starvation deaths. However, periods of mass starvation such as the famine in Bengal do not simply end when mass starvation ends. Rather, famine inscribes itself into a famine society in elaborate fashion, impacting post-famine societies in abiding ways for generations to come.
Stalin’s Faminogenic Policies in Ukraine: The Imperial Discourse
Authors: Hrynevych Liudmyla , Sorokowski (trans.) Andrew
Published: April 2021

Because Stalin’s policy of famine creation in the early 1930s has been viewed through the prism of communist theory and practices, scholars have paid less attention to the imperial/colonial discourse of the period. This essay attempts to show the suitability of applying theoretical models of dependence and imperialism to analyze the dynamics and consequences of the collectivization of agriculture and the Holodomor (the mass deaths through starvation in Ukraine). The pressure applied to all regions of the USSR, resulting from the “communist experiment,” was in Soviet Ukraine supplemented and intensified, and, at some points, determined by a system of centre-periphery relations, characterized by political domination, control, the subordination of regional political elites to the centre, and the exploitation of economic resources. The appropriation of sovereignty over the Ukrainian republic by the central government in Moscow included establishing full control over Ukraine’s food resources, such as determining grain harvesting and distribution. The ongoing exploitation of Ukrainian economic resources and the anti-Ukrainian terror caused the Ukrainian famine of 1928-29. These also became significant factors in the onset of the 1932-33 Holodomor.
Karl Schlögel: Toward a Holistic View of Ukraine
Authors: Bilenky Serhiy
Published: April 2021

Review Essay:

Of Karl Schlögel. Ukraine: A Nation on the Borderland. Translated by Gerrit Jackson, Reaktion Books, 2018. 288 pp. Illustrations. Further Reading. £25.00, cloth.
Review of Samuel Charap and Timothy J. Colton. Everyone Loses: The Ukraine Crisis and the Ruinous Contest for Post-Soviet Eurasia.
Authors: Mueller Wolfgang
Published: April 2021

Book review of Samuel Charap and Timothy J. Colton. Everyone Loses: The Ukraine Crisis and the Ruinous Contest for Post-Soviet Eurasia. The International Institute for Strategic Studies / Routledge, 2017. Adelphi 56, no. 460. 212 pp. Maps. Notes. Index. $23.95, paper.
Review of Olha Rudakevych, translator. A Novel about a Good Person. By Emma Andiievska.
Authors: Chernetsky Vitaly
Published: April 2021

Book review of Olha Rudakevych, translator. A Novel about a Good Person. By Emma Andiievska, edited and with an introduction by Marko Robert Stech, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies P, 2018. xiv, 224 pp. $29.95, paper.
MODELING THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTELLECTUAL POTENTIAL STARTAP "SUMKATOUR" IN THE FIELD OF TOURISM
Authors: Kasian O. , Taraniuk K. , Taraniuk L.
Published: April 2021

The article assesses how small businesses in the tourism sector tend to develop under modern conditions. Using world experience as a guide, the article analyzes the current state of the tourism industry in Ukraine. The goals for promoting tourism in Sumy in general, and the management system of the startup «SUMKA-tour» in particular, are based on our having viewed the components in an integrated way, which means organizing new ways in which tourism companies, businesses, and museums can work together. The technique is based on the complex approach of reorganizing components of the current organizational and economic systems in place. This technique is based on the SMART method based on the MVP approach. This MVP approach will provide different opportunities for different channels to attract users and develop the customer base, which in turn will increase the demand for tourism in region and subsequence services. Therefore promoting the development of transport infrastructure, will significantly raise attractiveness and investment in the territory. The article foresees new methods and models for rationalizing production and economic systems. The article considers the successive measures that the management system puts into practice in stages, and these substantiate the formation of the startup "SUMKA-tour" while minimizing cost. The tasks to be performed by the logistics system of the enterprise are defined. The prospects for innovations in tourist activities are stated. An updated system has been created that combines business processes and new tech and web opportunities with improved incentives for the companies that are part of the startup. The article also models the intellectual potential of the startup " SUMKA-tour". It is a proposal to update current organization systems and economic policies. Is brought on by a general consensus that innovation and new technologies will help facilitate growth and work for small businesses in the tourism industry. The main idea driving this system is its logistic system, and the logistic data that we have gathered for the city of Sumy is firmly based on our research there.
Continuity as Interrelation of Different Stages of School Teaching
Authors: Shatskaia Mariia Nikolaevna
Published: April 2021

Adaptation in secondary schools acts as an indispensable stage in the life of every student. The present article examines, above all, the definition of continuity and its functions. It also describes the system of requirements for the work to ensure continuity.
Concept of Plea Agreement
Authors: Sakaeva Elvira Zinurovna , Musina Elina Eduardovna
Published: April 2021

The article examines the concept of plea agreement under the clause 61, article 5 of the Russian Federation Code of Criminal Procedure. The author came to a conclusion that the analyzed term “plea agreement” doesn’t reflect the idea of the term defined, thus does not provide common understanding.
AN EXAMPLE OF CALCULATION OF A FAULT TREE WITH LOGIC LOOPS
Authors: Sorokoletov Y. P.
Published: April 2021

Aim. In the course of fault tolerance analysis of complex technical systems using the method of fault tree-based methods, logic loops may occur when, from the point of view of fault tree structure, the system sustains itself. The recursion in the fault tree structure disrupts the logical equation and does not allow performing the calculation and associated analysis. A complex system is understood as one performing a multitude of functions, fault tolerant through a number of redundancy techniques, having intersystem communications and high level of integration of hardware and software components. This paper looks into a particular case of solving the problem of logical recurrence of a fault tree that occurred during an aircraft’s power supply system analysis for compliance with airworthiness requirements and aviation regulations.

Method. The paper reviews known ways of solving the set task (both manual and automatic), describes the advantages and disadvantages, applicability and ultimately provides a comparative evaluation based on the results of calculation of occurrence probability of certain aircraft power supply system failures. The method of solving the problem of fault tree recurrence presented in this paper is based on identifying recursive elements in the tree’s structure with subsequent reduction of the cyclic connections to a converging spiral by modelling the initial state of the analyzed system.

Results. The calculation of the fault tree under consideration is performed both by means of the method presented in this paper, and the most applicable in the particular case known methods of resolving recurrence. Additionally, comparative results of calculation of other special situations are shown. They are not considered in this paper but demonstrate the distinctive features of different methods. The calculations show that the methods yield the most diverging results in cases when the system is redundant and has feedbacks.

Conclusions. The method presented in the paper has been tested as part of an aircraft’s power supply system fault tolerance analysis. The developed method in some cases enables manual resolution of the logic loop problem in the fault tree without a significant increase of computational resources while preserving the analytical solution (minimum fault tree cross sections). On the other hand, this solution may cause a fast growth of the fault tree size in cross-system analysis. In special cases, antithetical events like «operability» and «failure» may become mixed-up in the fault tree structure, which will entail the requirement to use complementary operator inversion and subsequently a manifold increase of the computation time. Another limitation of the method may stem from situations when it is impossible to identify the «initial» and «normal» states of the system under analysis. Given the above, the author classifies the presented method as an engineering method of limited applicability.
The Patient Motivation Pyramid and Patient-Centricity in Early Clinical
Development
Authors: Iersel Thijs van , Courville Jocelyn , Doorne Cathalijne van , Koster Remco A. , Fawcett Christina
Published: April 2021

Background:

It has been recognized that patients should be involved in the design of
clinical trials. However, there is a lack of agreement on what patient-centricity means.

Methods:

In this article, a Patient Motivation Pyramid based on Maslow’s theory of human motivation
is introduced as a tool to identify patient needs. This pyramid is used to make a comprehensive
overview of options to implement a patient-centric trial design. The Pyramid with the described options
can help to identify patient-centric activities suitable for given drug development. The current
article further describes the potential benefits of patient-centric trial designs with an emphasis on
early clinical development. Especially in early clinical development, during which trials have many
assessments per patient, and the safety and clinical efficacy are uncertain, patient-centric trial design
can improve feasibility. Finally, we present three case examples on patient-centric trial design.
The first example is seeking patient input on the trial design for a First-in-Human trial which includes
patients with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura. The second example is the use of a
video-link for home dosing. The final example is the use of digital medicine in a decentralized trial
in heart failure patients.

Results:

A comprehensive overview of patients’ needs can be accomplished by building a Patient
Motivation Pyramid as a tool. Patient input can lead to improved endpoints, improved feasibility,
better recruitment, less dropout, less protocol amendments, and higher patient satisfaction. The use
of digital medicine can lead to a trial design with much less visits to the clinical research center in
early clinical development and in a later development phase, even to a complete virtual trial.

Conclusion:

We recommend using the Patient Motivation Pyramid as a structural approach for
identifying elements of patient-centricity. Secondly, we recommend starting using patient-centric
approaches in an early phase of the medicine’s lifecycle.