bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incompatibility Phylogenetic Signals between Double-Digest Restriction Site-Associated DNA Sequencing and Plastid Genomes in Chinese Curcuma (Zingiberaceae)—A Recent Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Diversification Genera
Authors: Liang Heng , Deng Jiabin , Gao Gang , Ding Chunbang , Zhang Li , Yang Ruiwu
Published: February 2022

Curcuma is of high economic value, credited to its medicinal, edible, and ornamental properties, which possess all signatures of adaptability, and rapid radiation, especially species of Curcuma (Chinese Curcuma, a recent Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau diversification genera) scattered in China. However, little is known about the incongruent phylogenetic signals within this genera from different inheritance patterns that will militate against the further development of this genera. In this research, we applied complete chloroplast genome data together with double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing data (ddRAD-seq) strategy to investigate phylogenetic signals of Chinese Curcuma species, clustering using two RAD analysis pipelines (STACKS and pyRAD). Phylogenetic trees were obtained from each locus based on the maximum likelihood (ML) and multispecies coalescent (BEAST) methods. For visual comparison, multi-method and different datasets were used to infer the phylogeny. We discovered inconsistent relationships for the Chinese Curcuma with varying degrees of support using different methods and datasets.
Assessment of Lemon Juice Starter Addition on Secondary Fermented Soy Sauce
Authors: Chang Yun-Hsi , Lim GiGi Chin Wen , Chien Ju-Yun , Hsieh Lu-Sheng , Wu Shinn-Dar , Ciou Jhih-Ying
Published: February 2022

Soy sauce is one of the most popular ingredients for delicious cuisines across the world, and it is made via various fermentation processes using wheat and soybeans. The purpose of this study was to add a lemon juice starter into secondary fermentation soy sauce to produce a new flavor of soy sauce to meet current health awareness and innovation market trends. The results showed that the lactic acid bacteria of the A group (soy sauce/starter culture ratio of 3:1) gradually decreased from 9.89 to 8.32 log CFU/mL by the seventh day, and then to 5.39 log CFU/mL by the 30th day, while they were not detected by the 60th day. Meanwhile, those of the B group (soy sauce/starter culture ratio of 1:1) showed a decrease from 10.39 to 8.58 log CFU/mL by the seventh day, and then to 5.39 log CFU/mL by the 30th day and 4.43 log CFU/mL by the 60th day, while they were not detected by the 90th day. As for yeast, the A group showed a decrease from 10.83 to 9.29 log CFU/mL (or 10.25 to 9.27 log CFU/mL for the B group) by the seventh day. Yeasts were not detected after 30 days in either the A or B group. The acidity and salinity of the lemon-flavored sauce was maintained after secondary fermentation. Sensory evaluation showed that the soy sauce with a lemon juice starter was accepted by consumers and obtained a better result than commercial soy sauce. In conclusion, secondary fermentation with starters contributes to the flavor quality of sauce products. Fruit juice is adjustable in terms of the acidity and salinity of the soy sauce and produces good flavor after secondary fermentation whenever it acts as a starter. The fact that customers favored the innovative lemon-flavored soy sauce indicates that this study is on the right trend.
The Effect of the Kraft Pulping Process, Wood Species, and pH on Lignin Recovery from Black Liquor
Authors: Jardim Juliana M. , Hart Peter W. , Lucia Lucian A. , Jameel Hasan , Chang Hou-min
Published: February 2022

Lignin has shown a great potential to produce fuels, value-added chemicals, and functional materials due to its high-energy density and intrinsic aromatic-based structure. Yet, the lignin precipitation of different biomasses needs investigation because most of the work has been performed on softwood and much less is known about hardwoods. In fact, the lignin from these two wooden biomasses vary in composition and pulping performance, which can reflect on lignin precipitation. Therefore, the present study investigated the precipitation and composition of 40 distinct kraft lignins obtained from pine, acacia, sweetgum, and eucalyptus black liquors. Two lignin fractions were precipitated at different pHs, according to known industrial lignin separation practices (pH = 9.5 and 2.5) from black liquors taken at different levels of pulping. Overall, lignin recovery increased with increasing lignin concentration in the black liquor, i.e., higher amounts of lignin were obtained at higher levels of delignification. In addition, pine lignins showed superior yields than the hardwoods and were around five times purer. Among the hardwoods, lignin recovery increased with the S–G ratio of the native lignin, and eucalyptus showed the best performance by achieving the highest yields and purities. Finally, the present work compared the lignin recovery yield and the purity of softwood and different hardwood lignins in a systematic way, which will increase awareness of this underutilized green material and could potentially increase the interest in establishing new lignin plants across the globe.
The Capillary Waves’ Contribution to Wind-Wave Generation
Authors: Naeser Harald
Published: February 2022

Published theories and observations have shown that dissipation of gravity waves implies frequency downshifting of wave energy. Hence, for wind-waves, the wind energy input to the highest frequencies is of special interest. Here it is shown that this input is vital, because the direct wind energy input obtained by the air-pressure’s work on most gravity waves is slightly less than what the waves need to grow. Further, the wind’s input of the angular momentum that waves need to grow is found to be absent at most gravity wave frequencies. The capillary waves that appear at the surface of the sea when the wind is blowing solve these problems. To demonstrate this, an extension of linear wave theory is established to study possibilities and limitations for transfer of energy and angular momentum from the wind to waves through these frequencies. The theory describes regular, gravity–capillary waves with constant amplitude under laminar conditions. It includes surface tensions, viscosity, gravity and a wind-generated shear current, and shows that these waves—contrary to most gravity waves—receive more energy from the wind than they dissipate and angular momentum they cannot keep. Hence, the problem of the missing input of energy and angular momentum from wind to gravity waves is solved by transfers through the capillary waves. This implies that capillary waves are vital to obtain growing gravity waves.
Perception of Gluten-Free Bread as Influenced by Information and Health and Taste Attitudes of Millennials
Authors: Magano Nomzamo , du Rand Gerrie , de Kock Henriette
Published: February 2022

Information on what drives consumers to like or dislike bread is needed to provide insight on developing gluten-free (GF) bread, using indigenous and sustainable crops in Africa, such as sorghum and millet. Consumer attitudes toward the health and taste aspects of food are major drivers of food choices. The objectives of this work were (1) to determine the health and taste attitudes (HTAs) and general perceptions of a group of millennial consumers in South Africa (n = 354), concerning GF breads; and (2) to determine whether HTAs affect the acceptability of sensory properties of commercial GF breads, as assessed by consumers (n = 173), under informed and uninformed conditions. Mean scores of the taste factors were higher compared to health factors, indicating a greater taste orientation. The sensory properties of standard wheat breads were preferred over two commercial GF breads, irrespective of the health/taste interests of consumers, or if they were informed/uninformed about the nature of the bread (GF or wheat). Knowledge that bread samples were GF reduced only the acceptability of the aroma of GF bread. GF bread was perceived as healthier, but less tasty. For this group of millennials, the sensory properties of bread was the main driver of choice.
Characterization of Microbiological Quality of Whole and Gutted Baltic Herring
Authors: Huotari Jaana , Tsitko Irina , Honkapää Kaisu , Alakomi Hanna-Leena
Published: February 2022

There is growing interest in Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) and other undervalued, small-sized fish species for human consumption. Gutting or filleting of small-sized fish is impractical; hence, the aim of this study was to explore the suitability of the whole (ungutted) herring for food use. The microbiological quality of commercially fished whole and gutted herring was analysed with culture-dependent methods combined with identification of bacterial isolates with MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry and culture-independent 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Whole and gutted herring had between 2.8 and 5.3 log10 CFU g−1 aerobic mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria and between 2.2 and 5.6 log10 CFU g−1 H₂S-producing bacteria. Enterobacteria counts remained low in all the analysed herring batches. The herring microbiota largely comprised the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria (71.7% to 95.0%). Shewanella, Pseudomonas, and Aeromonas were the most frequently isolated genera among the viable population; however, with the culture-independent approach, Shewanella followed by Psychrobacter were the most abundant genera. In some samples, a high relative abundance of the phylum Epsilonbacteraeota, represented by the genus Arcobacter, was detected. This study reports the bacterial diversity present in Baltic herring and shows that the microbiological quality was acceptable in all the analysed fish batches.
Segmentation of Concrete Cracks by Using Fractal Dimension and UHK-Net
Authors: An Qing , Chen Xijiang , Wang Haojun , Yang Huamei , Yang Yuanjun , Huang Wei , Wang Lei
Published: February 2022

Concrete wall surfaces are prone to cracking for a long time, which affects the stability of concrete structures and may even lead to collapse accidents. In view of this, it is necessary to recognize and distinguish the concrete cracks. Then, the stability of concrete will be known. In this paper, we propose a novel approach by fusing fractal dimension and UHK-Net deep learning network to conduct the semantic recognition of concrete cracks. We first use the local fractal dimensions to study the concrete cracking and roughly determine the location of concrete crack. Then, we use the U-Net Haar-like (UHK-Net) network to construct the crack segmentation network. Ultimately, the different types of concrete crack images are used to verify the advantage of the proposed method by comparing with FCN, U-Net, YOLO v5 network. Results show that the proposed method can not only characterize the dark crack images, but also distinguish small and fine crack images. The pixel accuracy (PA), mean pixel accuracy (MPA), and mean intersection over union (MIoU) of crack segmentation determined by the proposed method are all greater than 90%.
Mean-Payoff Games with ω-Regular Specifications
Authors: Gutierrez Julian , Steeples Thomas , Wooldridge Michael
Published: February 2022

Multi-player mean-payoff games are a natural formalism for modelling the behaviour of concurrent and multi-agent systems with self-interested players. Players in such a game traverse a graph, while attempting to maximise a (mean-)payoff function that depends on the play generated. As with all games, the equilibria that could arise may have undesirable properties. However, as system designers, we typically wish to ensure that equilibria in such systems correspond to desirable system behaviours, for example, satisfying certain safety or liveness properties. One natural way to do this would be to specify such desirable properties using temporal logic. Unfortunately, the use of temporal logic specifications causes game theoretic verification problems to have very high computational complexity. To address this issue, we consider ω-regular specifications. These offer a concise and intuitive way of specifying system behaviours with a comparatively low computational overhead. The main results of this work are characterisation and complexity bounds for the problem of determining if there are equilibria that satisfy a given ω-regular specification in a multi-player mean-payoff game in a number of computationally relevant game-theoretic settings.
Genotype-Phenotype Correlation in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: New Variant p.Arg652Lys in MYH7
Authors: Antoniutti Guido , Caimi-Martinez Fiama Giuliana , Álvarez-Rubio Jorge , Morlanes-Gracia Paula , Pons-Llinares Jaume , Rodríguez-Picón Blanca , Fortuny-Frau Elena , Torres-Juan Laura , Heine-Suner Damian , Ripoll-Vera Tomas
Published: February 2022

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disease characterised by increased left ventricle (LV) wall thickness caused by mutations in sarcomeric genes. Finding a causal mutation can help to better assess the proband’s risk, as it allows the presence of the mutation to be evaluated in relatives and the follow-up to be focused on carriers. We performed an observational study of patients with HCM due to the novel p.Arg652Lys variant in the MYH7 gene. Eight families and 59 patients are described in the follow-up for a median of 63 months, among whom 39 (66%) carry the variant. Twenty-five (64%) of carriers developed HCM. A median maximum LV wall thickness of 16.5 mm was described. The LV hypertrophy was asymmetric septal in 75% of cases, with LV outflow tract obstruction in 28%. The incidence of a composite of serious adverse cardiovascular events (sudden death, aborted sudden death, appropriate implantable cardiac defibrillator discharge, an embolic event, or admission for heart failure) was observed in five (20%) patients. Given the finding of the p.Arg652Lys variant in patients with HCM, but not in controls, with evident segregation in patients with HCM from eight families and the location in an active site of the protein, we can define this variant as likely pathogenic and associated with the development of HCM.
DNA Double-Strand Break Repairs and Their Application in Plant DNA Integration
Authors: Shen Hexi , Li Zhao
Published: February 2022

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are considered to be one of the most harmful and mutagenic forms of DNA damage. They are highly toxic if unrepaired, and can cause genome rearrangements and even cell death. Cells employ two major pathways to repair DSBs: homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ). In plants, most applications of genome modification techniques depend on the development of DSB repair pathways, such as Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (AMT) and gene targeting (GT). In this paper, we review the achieved knowledge and recent advances on the DNA DSB response and its main repair pathways; discuss how these pathways affect Agrobacterium-mediated T-DNA integration and gene targeting in plants; and describe promising strategies for producing DSBs artificially, at definite sites in the genome.
Correction: King et al. Surface-Rupturing Historical Earthquakes in Australia and Their Environmental Effects: New Insights from Re-Analyses of Observational Data. Geosciences 2019, 9, 408
Authors: King Tamarah R. , Quigley Mark , Clark Dan
Published: February 2022

The authors would like to correct the published article [...]
Antihypertensive Medications for Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Awaludin Adila , Rahayu Cherry , Daud Nur Aizati Athirah , Zakiyah Neily
Published: February 2022

Background: Hypertension in pregnancy causes significant maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. A comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs for severe hypertension during pregnancy is needed to make informed decisions in clinical practice. This systematic review aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of antihypertensive drugs in severe hypertension during pregnancy. Methods: A systematic review using the electronic databases MEDLINE (PubMed) and Cochrane Library was performed until August 2021. The risk-of-bias 2 tool was used to assess the risk-of-bias in each study included. Meta-analysis was conducted to assess heterogeneity and to estimate the pooled effects size. Results: Seventeen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and 11 were included in the meta-analysis. Nifedipine was estimated to have a low risk in persistent hypertension compared to hydralazine (RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.23–0.71) and labetalol (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.52–0.97). Dihydralazine was associated with a lower risk of persistent hypertension than ketanserin (RR 5.26, 95% CI 2.01–13.76). No difference was found in the risk of maternal hypotension, maternal and fetal outcomes, and adverse effects between antihypertensive drugs, except for dihydralazine, which was associated with more adverse effects than ketanserin. Conclusions: Several drugs can be used to treat severe hypertension in pregnancy, including oral/sublingual nifedipine, IV/oral labetalol, oral methyldopa, IV hydralazine, IV dihydralazine, IV ketanserin, IV nicardipine, IV urapidil, and IV diazoxide. In addition, nifedipine may be preferred as the first-line agent. There was no difference in the risk of maternal hypotension, maternal and fetal outcomes, and adverse effects between the drugs, except for adverse effects in IV dihydralazine and IV ketanserin.
Predictors of Medical Students’ Views toward Research: Insights from a Cross-Cultural Study among Portuguese-Speaking Countries
Authors: Correia Gustavo , Pereira Margarida , Gomes Andreia , Bragança Maria do Rosário , Weber Silke , Ferreira Maria Amélia , Ribeiro Laura
Published: February 2022

Developing the skills and interest in scientific research of medical students is crucial to ensuring effective healthcare systems. As such, in this study, we aimed to assess Portuguese-speaking medical students’ attitudes and perceptions toward scientific research and clinical practice, and how they are influenced by individual characteristics and regional indicators. A total of 455 first-year students from three medical schools in three countries (Portugal, Brazil, and Angola) participated in this study by completing a questionnaire. Portuguese students attributed the most importance to scientific skills and were the most confident in their ability to perform these skills. Angolan students were the most motivated to perform research and integrate it into the curriculum, despite having the most negative attitudes and perceiving themselves as having less ability to perform scientific skills. Brazilian students had the least positive attitudes toward science. In Portugal, attitudes depended on gross domestic product (GDP), while in Angola, they were influenced by the type of secondary school attendance. Portuguese students’ perceptions of scientific skills were related to sex, GDP, type of secondary school, and participation in research. In Brazilian and Angolan students, perceptions were associated with age and research participation, respectively. The findings support the need to promote skills and positive attitudes toward scientific research in future physicians, fostering physician-scientists and improving patient care.
Territorial Resilience of Metropolitan Regions: A Conceptual Framework, Recognition Methodologies and Planning Response—A Case Study of Wuhan Metropolitan Region
Authors: Zhang Mengjie , Peng Chong , Shu Jianfeng , Lin Yingzi
Published: February 2022

As the key link and spatial form of urbanization in China, metropolitan region development has become a strategic frontier issue in the field of regional planning and territorial resilience. This paper defines the essence of territorial resilience of metropolitan regions, analyses the capacity of the system and its elements, and builds a regional planning framework. An evaluation indicator system is constructed to evaluate the territorial resilience level and identify the limiting factors in the Wuhan metropolitan region by utilizing the grey correlation model and the obstacle degree model. The results show that the resilience of Wuhan metropolitan region forms an overall pattern of one core area and four sub-regions in the east, west, north and south. According to the different limiting factors of resilience, cities can be divided into three types: cities limited by both policy and spatial resource factors, cities with lagging socioeconomic factors, and cities with insufficient innovation factors. This paper proposes planning response strategies to enhance resilience from two spatial levels. At the regional level this can be done by building a gradually balanced urban system, establishing three areas based on the degree of resilience factor agglomeration, while at the urban level it can be accomplished by maintaining ecological security, promoting economic agglomeration development and constructing innovation networks.
Improving Timely Access to Diagnostic and Treatment Services for Lung Cancer Patients in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: Priority-Setting through Nominal Group Techniques
Authors: Lubuzo Buhle , Hlongwana Khumbulani W. , Ginindza Themba G.
Published: February 2022

Background: Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, and it disproportionately affects low-income countries (LICs), where over 58% of cases occur. It is an important public health concern, given its poor healthcare outcomes, yet it is under-researched compared to other cancers. Lung cancer is also very difficult for primary care physicians to diagnose. In many settings, health researchers and clinicians’ resort to engaging in collaborative efforts to determine the best way to implement evidence into routine clinical practice. Methods: This was a grounded theory study comprising seven experts providing oncological services. A Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was used to articulate ideas, identify key problems and reach consensus on the order of priorities for the identified problems. Results: The study findings revealed that access to healthcare facilities providing oncology services and diagnosis was the major barrier to lung cancer care. This was further exacerbated by the manner in which health systems are configured in South Africa. The priorities for the health providers were focused on the lack of specialized resources, whereby referral of patients suspected to have lung cancer was delayed and compounded by the limited availability of treatment. Conclusion: The inadequacy of supportive systems for access to healthcare services negates the government efforts to curb the rising lung cancer-related fatalities in South Africa.
Heart Failure Care: Testing Dyadic Dynamics Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM)—A Scoping Review
Authors: Uchmanowicz Izabella , Faulkner Kenneth M. , Vellone Ercole , Siennicka Agnieszka , Szczepanowski Remigiusz , Olchowska-Kotala Agnieszka
Published: February 2022

Self-care behaviors are essential for the effective treatment of heart failure (HF), and poor self-care may lead to adverse clinical events in patients with HF. A growing body of literature addresses the need to analyze the characteristics of both patient and caregiver since they are in mutual, long-term interaction, and their reactions to events are dependent on each other. One of the most common approaches for analyzing data on HF self-care dyads is the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review to answer the following question: what did we learn from HF dyadic studies based on the APIM approach? Medline, Academic Search Ultimate, and CINAHL Complete databases were searched, using the terms “dyad,” “dyadic,” and “heart failure,” for studies published between 2009 and April 2021. Fifteen studies were reviewed from a pool of 106 papers. Studies using the APIM approach revealed interrelated patient and caregiver characteristics that influence self-care and explain many complex dyadic behaviors. Our analysis provided evidence that (1) APIM is a useful analytical approach; (2) a family-oriented approach can improve the functioning of a patient with HF; and (3) social support from caregivers significantly enhances patients’ adaptation to illness.
Evaluation of the Effect of a Live Interview in Journalism Students on Salivary Stress Biomarkers and Conventional Stress Scales
Authors: Roca Delfina , Escribano Damián , Franco-Martínez Lorena , Contreras-Aguilar Maria D. , Bernal Luis J. , Ceron Jose J. , Rojo-Villada Pedro A. , Martínez-Subiela Silvia , Tvarijonaviciute Asta
Published: February 2022

A career in journalism can be very stressful, as journalists frequently have to deal with uncontrolled situations such as conducting live interviews. Therefore, training is essential during their career, both for the development of communication skills and for the improvement of the real and effective capacity to perform the tasks of their professional activity. The aim of this study was to assess the levels of stress in students before and after a practical training in a professional television set using subjective (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Likert scale) and objective (salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase) methods. The results indicate that a live interview produces stress in the students as revealed by increased concentrations of cortisol and alpha amylase in saliva. Furthermore, students with lower initial concentrations of these biomarkers obtained better grades in evaluation, suggesting that greater control of anticipatory stress could be associated with a better activity performance.
Development and Content Validation of a Comprehensive Health Literacy Survey Instrument for Use in Individuals with Asthma during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Hasenpusch Claudia , Matterne Uwe , Tischer Christina , Hrudey Ilona , Apfelbacher Christian
Published: February 2022

Individuals with chronic conditions have been faced with many additional challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individual health literacy (HL) as the ability to access, understand, evaluate, and apply pandemic-related information has thus become ever more important in these populations. The purpose of this study was to develop and content-validate a comprehensive HL survey instrument for people with asthma based on an integrated framework, and on previous surveys and other instruments for use in the general population and vulnerable groups. Beside HL, assumed determinants, mediators, and health outcomes were embraced in the framework. A mixed-method design was used. A comprehensive examination of the available literature yielded an initial pool of 398 single items within 20 categories. Based on content validity indices (CVI) of expert ratings (n = 11) and the content analysis of cognitive interviews with participants (n = 9), the item pool was reduced, and individual items/scales refined or modified. The instrument showed appropriate comprehensibility (98.0%), was judged relevant, and had an acceptable CVI at scale level (S-CVI/Ave = 0.91). The final version comprises 14 categories measured by 38 questions consisting of 116 single items. In terms of content, the instrument appears a valid representation of behavioural and psychosocial constructs pertaining to a broad HL understanding and relevant to individuals with asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular monitoring of these behavioural and psychosocial constructs during the course of the pandemic can help identify needs as well as changes during the course of the pandemic, which is particularly important in chronic disease populations.
Housing Experience in Gated Communities in the Time of Pandemics: Lessons Learned from COVID-19
Authors: Asfour Omar S.
Published: February 2022

Gated communities constitute an important component of the contemporary city in many countries, and the adequacy of such communities as a housing option has attracted the attention of researchers and policy makers from various backgrounds. However, it is unclear how gated communities will be perceived and reconsidered following the COVID-19 pandemic and whether this type of community will become more common. Thus, this study aims to investigate housing experience of gated community residents during the pandemic with reference to the urban context of Saudi Arabia. To this end, the residents of a selected gated community were surveyed using a structured questionnaire to identify the urban and architectural design factors that have affected their housing experience during the pandemic compared to that of the residents of non-gated communities. It was concluded that despite the criticism gated communities have received, they offered a safer and more controlled housing environment during the pandemic from the residents’ point of view, which may create additional housing demands for this type of residential community in the future. This requires further investigation for ascertaining how this may affect the housing market dynamics and strategies.
Principles of Judo Training as an Organised Form of Physical Activity for Children
Authors: Kowalczyk Monika , Zgorzalewicz-Stachowiak Małgorzata , Błach Wiesław , Kostrzewa Maciej
Published: February 2022

When organising judo training for children, it is essential to ensure maximum safety, and use an appropriate training methodology adapted to the age of the youngest judo athletes. This paper aims to review the current literature containing judo training principles and safety-related considerations for preschool (4–6 years) and school-age (7–12 years) children as an organised physical activity. Data were collected until October 2021 from eight international scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, UpToDate, Web of Science, Cochrane, EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar). In the overviews, we found various times and frequencies of judo training for children. In preschool, the training time was 30–60 min with a frequency of 2–3 times per week, whereas in the school-age group, the training time was extended from 45 to 90 min 3–4 times per week. The most common injuries included upper arm injuries, followed by those of the lower limbs. In the future, it would be an advantage to systematise the methodology of judo training as an organised form of physical activity that can complement the daily dose of exercises recommended by the World Health Organization for maintaining children’s general health.
Reduced n-3 and n-6 PUFA (DHA and AA) Concentrations in Breast Milk and Erythrocytes Phospholipids during Pregnancy and Lactation in Women with Obesity
Authors: Chamorro Rodrigo , Bascuñán Karla A. , Barrera Cynthia , Sandoval Jorge , Puigrredon Claudia , Valenzuela Rodrigo
Published: February 2022

Obesity during pregnancy is a worrying public health problem worldwide. Maternal diet is critical for fatty acid (FA) placental transport and FA content in breast milk (BM). We evaluated FA composition in erythrocytes phospholipids (EP) and BM in pregnant women with (OBE, n = 30) and without (non-OBE, n = 31) obesity. Sixty-one healthy women were evaluated at their 20–24th gestational week and followed until 6th month of lactation. Diet was evaluated through a food frequency questionnaire. FA composition of EP and BM was assessed by gas-liquid chromatography. The OBE group showed lower diet quality, but total n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), ALA, EPA, and DHA dietary intake was similar between groups. N-3 PUFA, ALA, DHA, and the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio in EP were lower at the 6th lactation month in the OBE group. In BM, the arachidonic acid (AA) concentration was lower at the end of the lactation, and DHA content showed an earlier and constant decline in the OBE group compared to the non-OBE group. In conclusion, n-3 PUFA and AA and DHA levels were reduced in EP and BM in pregnant women with obesity. Strategies to increase n-3 PUFA are urgently needed during pregnancy and lactation, particularly in women with obesity.
Analysis of Online Consultations and Emergent Treatments of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics during the COVID-19 Epidemic
Authors: Wang Fushi , Qiao Weiwei , Wang Fei , Meng Liuyan
Published: February 2022

Background: The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the characteristics of online consultations and emergent dental treatments and analyze the status of diseases related to operative dentistry and endodontics (ODE) during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: Online consultations were collected from 3 February to 21 April 2020. The electronic medical record system was accessed to collect clinical diagnoses and emergent dental treatments from 9 January to 21 April 2020. Results: A total of 2419 patients visited us and received treatments 2 weeks before the lockdown. The number of patients decreased to 537 during the 76 days of the lockdown. Among them, dental examinations accounted for the majority of visits (88.83%). After 7 April, the outpatient number increased to 36.79 ± 6.63 per day, but the proportion of dental examinations and treatments did not change significantly. A total of 1218 online consultations were completed before the lockdown. The most common dental problem was pulpitis (48.1%). After 7 April, consultations surged from 23.15 ± 8.54 to 44.43 ± 12.63 per day. Consultations related to pulpitis, apical periodontitis, or dental caries remained stable. Conclusions: Correct understanding, active treatments, and appropriate psychological interventions for the ODE staff during the COVID-19 epidemic are necessary. Our results may provide references to arrange staff and treat patients more efficiently for future epidemics.
Dental Consequences of Vitamin D Deficiency during Pregnancy and Early Infancy—An Observational Study
Authors: Beckett Deanna M. , Broadbent Jonathan M. , Loch Carolina , Mahoney Erin K. , Drummond Bernadette K. , Wheeler Benjamin J.
Published: February 2022

Vitamin D (25OHD) status during pregnancy is closely correlated with foetal and new-born 25OHD. Calcification for primary teeth begins from the fourth month of intrauterine life and from birth for permanent teeth. Dental consequences of severe 25OHD deficiency are well documented; however, consequences are less documented for milder degrees of 25OHD deficiency. This study examined the dental consequences of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency during gestation and infancy in a cohort of 81 New Zealand children. Pregnancy and birth data for the children and their mothers and 25OHD status during gestation, birth and at five months were obtained, and dental examinations were conducted. Associations between 25OHD and enamel defects or caries experience were investigated. Of the 81 children, 55% had experienced dental caries and 64% had at least one enamel defect present. Vitamin D insufficiency (25OHD < 50 nmol/L) at all timepoints was not associated with enamel defect prevalence, but during third trimester pregnancy it was associated with an increased caries risk IRR of 3.55 (CI 1.15–10.92) by age 6. In conclusion, maternal 25OHD insufficiency during the third trimester of pregnancy was associated with greater caries experience in primary dentition. No association was found between early life 25OHD and enamel defect prevalence or severity.
Older Adults’ Perceptions and Recommendations Regarding a Falls Prevention Self-Management Plan Template Based on the Health Belief Model: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Vincenzo Jennifer L. , Patton Susan K. , Lefler Leanne L. , McElfish Pearl A. , Wei Jeanne , Curran Geoffrey M.
Published: February 2022

Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among older adults. Self-management plans have been used in different contexts to promote healthy behaviors, but older adults’ perceptions of a falls prevention self-management plan template have not been investigated. Using mixed methods, we investigated older adults’ perceptions and recommendations of a falls prevention self-management plan template aligned with the Health Belief Model. Four focus groups (n = 27, average age 78 years) were conducted using semi-structured interview guides. Participants also ranked the written plan on paper with respect to each item by the level of importance, where item 1 was the most important, and 10 was the least important. Focus groups were transcribed and analyzed. Descriptive statistics were calculated for item rankings. Older adults felt that the plan would raise awareness and help them to engage in falls prevention behaviors. Participants recommended adding graphics and using red to highlight the risk of falling. Participants opined that ranking the items by level of importance was challenging because they felt all items were important. ‘What might happen to me if I fall’ was ranked as the most important item (average 2.6), while ‘How will I monitor progress’ was the least important (average = 6.6). Considering that older adults need support to engage in falls prevention, future research should investigate the impact of implementing an individually tailored falls prevention self-management plan on older adults’ engagement in falls prevention behaviors and outcomes of falls and injuries.
Hybrid Deep Feature Generation for Appropriate Face Mask Use Detection
Authors: Aydemir Emrah , Yalcinkaya Mehmet Ali , Barua Prabal Datta , Baygin Mehmet , Faust Oliver , Dogan Sengul , Chakraborty Subrata , Tuncer Turker , Acharya U. Rajendra
Published: February 2022

Mask usage is one of the most important precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, hygiene rules enforce the correct use of face coverings. Automated mask usage classification might be used to improve compliance monitoring. This study deals with the problem of inappropriate mask use. To address that problem, 2075 face mask usage images were collected. The individual images were labeled as either mask, no masked, or improper mask. Based on these labels, the following three cases were created: Case 1: mask versus no mask versus improper mask, Case 2: mask versus no mask + improper mask, and Case 3: mask versus no mask. This data was used to train and test a hybrid deep feature-based masked face classification model. The presented method comprises of three primary stages: (i) pre-trained ResNet101 and DenseNet201 were used as feature generators; each of these generators extracted 1000 features from an image; (ii) the most discriminative features were selected using an improved RelieF selector; and (iii) the chosen features were used to train and test a support vector machine classifier. That resulting model attained 95.95%, 97.49%, and 100.0% classification accuracy rates on Case 1, Case 2, and Case 3, respectively. Having achieved these high accuracy values indicates that the proposed model is fit for a practical trial to detect appropriate face mask use in real time.
Going Online?—Can Online Exercise Classes during COVID-19-Related Lockdowns Replace in-Person Offers?
Authors: Füzéki Eszter , Schröder Jan , Reer Rüdiger , Groneberg David A. , Banzer Winfried
Published: February 2022

Germany experienced a 6-month second lockdown (November 2020–April 2021) during the COVID-19 pandemic, which included the closure of all physical activity (PA) facilities. The use of online exercise classes (OECs) was promoted by public health and exercise organizations. Using the present cross-sectional online survey, we assess the use of and opinion towards OECs in Germany during the second lockdown. We used contingency tables and the Chi2 test to calculate the frequency of awareness and use of OECs according to PA status, well-being and demographic data, and conducted a binary logistic regression with OEC awareness or use and dichotomized independent predictors. The associations between opinion and activity status, frequency of use, educational attainment, age and body mass index were calculated using Spearman correlations. A total of 993 datasets were analyzed in detail. Of the 785 (79.1%) participants reporting awareness of OECs, 536 tried them, and 262, 188 and 85 used them <1 per week, 1–2 per week and ≥3 per week, respectively. The users were typically active, female participants with poorer mental well-being. The opinions towards OECs varied according to participant characteristics, such as activity status, BMI and age. Overall, regular OEC use was quite limited, and, as such, cannot replace in-person exercise opportunities. Keeping physical activity facilities open and safe must be prioritized in the ongoing pandemic.
Thirty-Year Urbanization Trajectories and Obesity in Modernizing China
Authors: Du Wenwen , Wang Huijun , Su Chang , Jia Xiaofang , Zhang Bing
Published: February 2022

The effects of long-term urbanization changes in obesity are unclear. Data were obtained from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) 1989–2018. A multidimensional urbanicity index was used to define the urbanization level for communities. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify distinct urbanization change trajectories. Gender-stratified multilevel models were used to investigate the association between urbanization trajectories and weight/BMI, through the PROC MIXED procedure, as well as the risk of being overweight + obesity (OO)/obesity (OB), through the PROC GLIMMIX procedure. A total of three patterns of the trajectory of change in urbanization were identified in 304 communities (with 1862 measurements). A total of 25.8% of communities had a low initial urbanization level and continuous increase (termed “LU”), 22.2% of communities had a low–middle initial urbanization level and constant increase (termed “LMU”), and 52.0% of communities had a middle–high initial urbanization and significant increase before 2009, followed by a stable platform since then (termed “MHU”). During the 30 follow-up years, a total of 69490 visits, contributed by 16768 adult participants, were included in the analysis. In the period, weight and BMI were observed in an increasing trend in all urbanization trajectory groups, among both men and women. Compared with LU, men living in MHU were related to higher weight, BMI, and an increased risk of OO (OR: 1.46, 95%CI: 1.26 to 1.69). No significant associations were found between urbanization trajectories and OB risk in men. Among women, the associations between urbanization and all obesity indicators became insignificant after controlling the covariates. Obesity indicators increased along with urbanization in the past thirty years in China. However, the differences among urbanization trajectories narrowed over time. More urbanized features were only significantly associated with a higher risk of obesity indicators in Chinese men. The effects of urbanization on obesity among women were buffered.
Healthcare Workers’ SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Uncertainty-Related Stress, Resilience, and Coping Strategies during the First Week of the World Health Organization’s Alert
Authors: Temsah Mohamad-Hani , Alenezi Shuliweeh , Alarabi Mohammed , Aljamaan Fadi , Alhasan Khalid , Assiri Rasha , Bassrawi Rolan , Alshahrani Fatimah , Alhaboob Ali , Alaraj Ali , Alharbi Nasser S. , Alrabiaah Abdulkarim , Halwani Rabih , Jamal Amr , Abdulmajeed Naif , Alfarra Lina , Almashdali Wafa , Al-Eyadhy Ayman , AlZamil Fahad , Alsubaie Sarah , Barry Mazin , Memish Ziad A. , Al-Tawfiq Jaffar A.
Published: February 2022

Background: As the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged and spread globally at an alarming speed, healthcare workers’ (HCWs) uncertainties, worries, resilience, and coping strategies warranted assessment. The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe psychological impact on HCWs, including the development of Post-Traumatic Stress symptoms. Specific subgroups of HCWs, such as front-line and female workers, were more prone to poor mental health outcomes and difficulties facing stress. Methods: The responses to an online questionnaire among HCWs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) were collected from 1 December 2021 to 6 December 2021, aiming to assess their uncertainties, worries, resilience, and coping strategies regarding the Omicron variant. Three validated instruments were used to achieve the study’s goals: the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), the Standard Stress Scale (SSS), and the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS)—Short Form. Results: The online survey was completed by 1285 HCWs. Females made up the majority of the participants (64%). A total of 1285 HCW’s completed the online survey from all regions in KSA. Resilient coping scored by the BRCS was negatively and significantly correlated with stress as scored by the SSS (r = −0.313, p < 0.010). Moreover, intolerance of uncertainty scored by the IUS positively and significantly correlated with stress (r = 0.326, p < 0.010). Increased stress levels were linked to a considerable drop in resilient coping scores. Furthermore, being a Saudi HCW or a nurse was linked to a significant reduction in resilient coping ratings. Coping by following healthcare authorities’ preventative instructions and using the WHO website as a source of information was linked to a considerable rise in resilient coping. Conclusions: The negative association between resilient coping and stress was clearly shown, as well as how underlying intolerance of uncertainty is linked to higher stress among HCWs quickly following the development of a new infectious threat. The study provides early insights into developing and promoting coping strategies for emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Operation Status Comparison Monitoring of China’s Southeast Asian Industrial Parks before and after COVID-19 Using Nighttime Lights Data
Authors: Wu Mingquan , Ye Huichun , Niu Zheng , Huang Wenjiang , Hao Pengyu , Li Wang , Yu Bo
Published: February 2022

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on many industries around the world. Internationally-funded enterprises have been greatly affected by COVID-19 prevention and control measures, such as border controls. However, few studies have examined the impact of COVID-19 on internationally-funded enterprises. To this end, this paper considered 12 of China’s industrial parks situated in Southeast Asia, while comparing the operation status before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 based on remote sensing of nighttime lights (NTL). The NTL is generally used as a proxy for economic activity. First, six parameters were proposed to quantify and monitor the operation status based on NTL data. Subsequently, these parameters were calculated for the parks and for 10 km buffer zones surrounding them to analyze the differences in operating conditions. The results showed that (1) despite the negative impact of COVID-19, 9 out of the 12 parks had a mean NTL greater than 1, indicating that these parks are in better operating condition in 2020 than 2019; (2) 7 out of the 10 km buffer zones around the parks showed a decline in mean NTL. Only three parks showed a decline in mean NTL. The impact of COVID-19 on surrounding areas was greater than the impact on parks.