bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
When the Messenger is More Important than the Message: An Experimental Study of Evidence Use in Francophone Africa
Authors: Fillol Amandine , Sween-Cadieux Esther Mc , Larose Marie-Pier , Ventelou Bruno , Kanguem Ulrich Boris Nguemdjo , Kadio Kadidiatou , Dagenais Christian , Ridde Valéry
Published: January 2022

Background: Epistemic injustices are increasingly decried in global health. This study aims to investigate whether the source of knowledge influences the perception of that knowledge and the willingness to use it in francophone African health policy-making context. Methods: The study followed a randomized experimental design in which participants were randomly assigned to one of seven policy briefs that were designed with the same scientific content but with different organizations presented as authors. Each organization was representative of financial, scientific, or moral authority. For each type of authority, two organizations were proposed: one North American or European, and the other African. Results: The initial models show that there was no significative association between the type of authority and the location of the authoring organization and the two outcomes (perceived quality and reported instrumental use). Stratified analyses highlighted that policy briefs signed by the North American/European donor organization were perceived to be of lower quality than policy briefs signed by the African donor organization. For both perceived quality and reported instrumental use, these analyses found that policy briefs signed by the North American/European university were associated with higher scores than policy briefs signed by the African university whereas policy briefs signed by the North American/European regional office or international organization were associated with lower score than those signed by the African regional office of the international organization. Conclusion: The results confirm the significant influence of sources on perceived global health knowledge and the intersectionality of sources of influence. This analysis allows us to learn more about organizations in global health leadership, and to reflect on the implications for knowledge translation practices.
Recovery And The Use Of Postoperative Physical Therapy After Total Hip Or Knee Replacement
Authors: Groot L. , Latijnhouwers D.A.J.M. , Reijman M. , Verdegaal S.H.M. , Vlieland T.P.M. Vliet , Gademan M.G.J.
Published: January 2022

Background: To investigate the relation between recovery and postoperative physical therapy (PT) usage, including the presence of comorbidities, 6 months after total hip or knee arthroplasties (THA/TKA). Methods: Multicenter, observational study in primary THA/TKA patients who completed preoperative and 6 months postoperative assessments. The assessments included questions on PT use (yes/no and duration; long term use defined as ≥12 weeks), comorbidities (musculoskeletal, non-musculoskeletal, sensory comorbidities). Recovery was assessed with the HOOS/KOOS on all 5 subdomains. Logistic regression with long term PT as outcome was performed adjusted for confounding including an interaction term (comorbidity*HOOS/KOOS-subdomain).Results: In total, 1289 THA and 1333 TKA patients were included, of whom 95% received postoperative PT, 56% and 67% received postoperative PT ≥12 weeks respectively. In both THA and TKA group, less improvement on all HOOS/KOOS domain scores was associated with ≥12 weeks of postoperative PT (range Odds Ratios 0.97-0.99). In the THA group the impact of recovery was smaller in patient with comorbidities as non- musculoskeletal comorbidities modified all associations between recovery and postoperative PT duration (Odds Ratios range 1.01-1.05). Musculoskeletal comorbidities modified the associations between Function-in-Daily-Living-and Sport-and-recreation recovery and postoperative PT. Sensory comorbidities only had an effect on Sport-and-recreation recovery and postoperative PT. In the TKA group comorbidity did not modify the associations. Conclusion: Worse recovery was associated with longer duration of postoperative PT suggesting that PT provision is in line with patients’ needs. The impact of physical recovery on the use of long-term postoperative PT was smaller in THA patients with comorbidities. Trial registration: Registered in the Dutch Trial Registry on March 13, 2012. TRIAL ID NTR3348; registration number: P12.047. https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/3197.
Verification of the Geomagnetic Field Models Using Historical Satellite Measurements Obtained in 1964 and 1970
Authors: Soloviev Anatoly , Peregoudov Dmitry
Published: January 2022

In 2019, the WDC for Solar-Terrestrial Physics in Moscow digitized the archive of observations of the Earth’s magnetic field carried out by the Soviet satellites Kosmos-49 (1964) and Kosmos-321 (1970). As a result, the scientific community for the first time obtained access to a unique digital data set, which was registered at the very beginning of the scientific space era. This article sets out three objectives. First, the quality of the obtained measurements is assessed by their comparison with the IGRF reference field model. Secondly, we assess the quality of the models, which at that time were derived from the data of these two satellites and ground-based observations. Thirdly, we propose a new, improved model of the geomagnetic field secular variation based on the scalar measurements of the Kosmos-49 and Kosmos-321 satellites using modern mathematical methods.
Factors Related To Implementation of An Interprofessional Communication Concept In Thoracic Oncology: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Krug Katja , Bossert Jasmin , Möllinger Sophia , Deis Nicole , Unsöld Laura , Siegle Anja , Villalobos Matthias , Hagelskamp Laura , Jung Corinna , Thomas Michael , Wensing Michel
Published: January 2022

Background: An innovative patient-centred interprofessional communication concept with advanced lung cancer patients (Heidelberg Milestone Communication Approach, MCA) has been developed and implemented. Role changes and interprofessional communication are challenging in a busy outpatient oncology service. The aim of the study was to assess team-related factors associated with its implementation and thoracic oncology teams’ attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration.Methods: Interviews and focus groups on implementation and interprofessional collaboration in the context of MCA were conducted with healthcare staff. The topics were analysed deductively, guided by the Professional Interactions factor of the Tailored Implementation for Chronic Diseases (TICD) framework. In addition, 3 of the 4 subscales of the validated German translation of the University of the West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE-IP-D) were collected prior to implementation of MCA (t0) with follow-up data collections at 4 months (t1), 10 months (t2) and 17 months (t3). Descriptive analysis included calculating subscale sum scores and categorizing each subscale into positive, neutral and negative attitudes. Results: Fifteen staff members participated in the interviews and focus groups. The main interprofessional interaction factors associated with implementation concerned the knowledge of the MCA and the impact of the intervention on team roles, on information sharing and on transfer processes between wards. The survey with 87 staff (44 nurses, 13 physicians, 12 psycho-social staff, 7 therapists, and 11 others) participating at least once (t0: n=20, t1: n=48, t2: n=33, t3: n=25) found heterogeneous attitudes. A positive attitude to ‘Communication and Teamwork’ was indicated by individual sum scores between 10 and 23 (M=17.7, SD=3.0). The majority of the respondents (n=48) had neutral attitudes to ‘Interprofessional Interaction’ with individual sum scores varying between 13 and 45 (positive attitude n=14, negative attitude n=22; M=28.5, SD=5.6). ‘Interprofessional Relationships’ were characterized by primarily positive attitudes (n=80) (neutral: n=6, negative attitude n=1; M=16.0, SD=3.6). There were no differences between collection times.Conclusions: Positive experiences and potential shortfalls in the implementation were observed. Future introductions of interprofessional communication concepts require further activities which should address the attitudes of healthcare professionals towards interprofessional care.Trial registration: DRKS00013469 / Date of registration: 22/12/2017.
Comparison of Alternate Part-time Patching and Pencil Push-up Training for Patients with Intermittent Exotropia
Authors: Song Desheng , Qian Jing , Chen Zhijun
Published: January 2022

Background

To compare the effect of alternate part-time patching and pencil push-up training on control ability in patients with intermittent exotropia.
Methods

Patients (3-7 years of age) with previously untreated intermittent exotropia were randomly assigned to receive alternate part-time patching, pencil push-up training or observation. Control ability was assessed using the Office Control Score. Stereoacuity at 40cm was evaluated with Titmus. Results were compared after 12-weeks follow-up.
Results

Ninety-two patients (28 in patching, 30 in pencil push-up and 34 in observation group) completed baseline and 12-week follow-up assessments. On the basis of 6-point scale, the mean deviation control was significantly better in patching and pencil push-up group after 12 weeks at distance (P=0.002 and 0.026, respectively). Furthermore, there was greater control changes in patching and pencil push-up groups in comparison with observation group from baseline to 12 weeks (P༜0.001;P=0.003, respectively). After 12 weeks of treatment, stereoacuity and stereoacuity changes were not significantly different between either of the intervention group and control group (P=0.140 and 0.393, respectively).
Conclusions

Based on the common office control scales, alternate part-time patching and pencil push-up training were effective treatment strategies for intermittent exotropia.
Identification of an Exosome-Related Signature Associated with Prognosis and Immune Infiltration in Breast Cancer
Authors: Guo Qiaonan , Qiu Pengjun , Pan Kelun , Chen Jianpeng , Lin Jianqing
Published: January 2022

Background: Exosomes are nanosized vesicles, play a vital role in breast cancer (BC) occurrence, development, invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. Nevertheless, studies about exosome-related genes in breast cancer are limited. Besides, the interaction between the exosomes and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in BC are still unclear. Hence, we procced to study the potential prognostic value of exosome-related genes and their relationship to immune microenvironment in BC. Methods: 121 exosome-related genes were provided by ExoBCD database and 7 final genes were selected from the intersection of 33 differential expression genes (DEGs) and 19 prognostic genes in BC. Based on the expression levels of the 7 genes, downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, as well as the regression coefficients, the exosome-related signature was constructed. As a result, the patients in TCGA and GEO database were separated into low- and high- risk groups, respectively. Subsequently, R clusterProfiler package was applied to identify the distinct enrichment pathways between high-risk group and low-risk group. The ESTIMATE method was used to calculate ESTIMATE Score and CIBERSORT was applied to evaluate the immune cell infiltration. Eventually, the different expression levels of immune checkpoint related genes were analyzed between the two risk groups. Results: Results of BC prognosis vary from different risk groups. The low-risk groups were identified with higher survival rate both in TCGA and GEO cohort. The DEGs between high- and low- risk groups were found to enrich in immunity, biological processes, and inflammation pathways. The BC patients with higher ESTIMATE scores were revealed to have better overall survival (OS). Subsequently, CD8+ T cells, naive B cells, CD4+ resting memory T cells, monocytes, and neutrophils were upregulated, while M0 macrophages and M2 macrophages were downregulated in the low-risk group. At last, 4 genes reported as the targets of immune checkpoint inhibitors were further analyzed. The low-risk groups in TCGA and GEO cohorts were indicated with higher expression levels of LAG-3, CD274, TIGIT and CTLA-4. Conclusion: According to this study, exosomes are closely associated with the prognosis and immune cell infiltration of BC patients. These findings may make contributions to improve immunotherapy and bring a new sight for BC treatment strategies.
Relative Contributions of Tropical and Mid-Latitude Signals on Intraseasonal Precipitation Anomalies Over South China in Boreal Winter
Authors: Wang Lu , Jiang Jie , Li Tim
Published: January 2022

The southern China (SC) exhibits a strong intraseasonal precipitation variability in boreal winter, but so far the relative contributions of the tropical Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and the mid-latitude intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) is unclear. This issue is addressed through a cluster analysis. The result shows that 53% of strong intraseasonal precipitation events are unrelated to the MJO. They are caused by southward propagation of a low-pressure anomaly in the lower troposphere from higher latitudes. Southerly anomalies associated with the low-pressure system transport high mean moisture from South China Sea, leading to moisture accumulation over SC. 47% of the events are accompanied by the MJO, and they can be further divided into two groups: one with enhanced MJO convection over the eastern Indian Ocean (termed as IO group), and the other over the Maritime Continent (termed as MC group). For the IO group, the SC precipitation is triggered by low-level southerly anomalies associated with an anomalous anticyclone over the western North Pacific (WNP) in association with suppressed MJO convection in situ, as well as the upper-tropospheric divergence related to a wave train excited from the MJO convection. For the MC group, both the upper-tropospheric wave train related to MJO and the southward propagation of low-pressure anomaly from higher latitudes in the lower troposphere contribute to trigger the SC precipitation.
Children’s Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Associated Factors: Multi-center Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Gemechu Getahun B. , Habtamu J , Zarihun K
Published: January 2022

Background- Sub- optimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy will lead drug resistance, treatment failure, clinical deterioration, death and failure to thrive in children. Studies conducted among children below 15 years old were limited in Ethiopia in general and in study area in particular. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess status of children’s adherence to ART and associated factors in study area. Methods- We conduct a facility-based cross-sectional study by including total of 282 children <15 years, who received Anti retro viral therapy for at least one month. All children/caregivers who were attending ART clinic during data collection period were consecutively recruited to the study. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed. Result- Out of 282 caregivers included with their children, 226(80.2%) were females (mean age= 38.6 and SD = 12.35) and out of the total children, half (50%) were female and 246(87.2%) were between the ages 5–14 years (mean age= 8.5 and SD = 2.64). Two hundred forty six (87.2%) children had adherence status of ≥95% in the month prior to interview. Children whose caregivers were residing in urban were 3.3 (95% CI: 1.17, 9.63) times more adherent to ART than those whose caregivers were residing in rural. Children whose caregivers were biological parent were 2.37(95% CI: 1.59, 3.3) times more adherent than those whose caregivers were non biological parent. Also children of caregivers who were knowledgeable about ART treatment, were 4.5(95% CI: 1.79, 9.8) times more adherent to ART than their counter partsConclusion and recommendation- Adherence status of children in our study area was comparable. Being biological caregivers, residing in urban and knowledgeable about ART treatment were facilitate adherence to ART. Ongoing education about treatment and further study with multiple adherence assessment method were recommended.
Molecular Characterization of Novel Cucurbit Aphid Borne Yellows Virus Strains Infecting Squash and Watermelon in India
Authors: Krishnan Nagendran , Kumari Shweta , Pandey Koshlendra Kumar , Pandey Sudhakar , Behera Tusar Kanti , Gandhi Karthikeyan , Kenyon Lawrence
Published: January 2022

The pathogen responsible for yellowing and downward rolling of leaves of squash and watermelon plants from Uttar Pradesh state, India, was identified as probably strains of Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV) through RT-PCR using universal Polerovirus primers followed by sequencing. The full-length genome sequences of an isolate from squash (POL-SQ - 5650 nt) and one from watermelon (POL-WM - 5647nt) were determined by sequencing the products from RT-PCR with six sets of primers with overlapping products. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis showed that these isolates had closest identity with a recombinant strain obtained between CABYV and Melon aphid-borne yellows virus (MABYV) reported from Taiwan infecting Luffa aegyptiaca (CABYV-R-TW82) rather than other Asian, American, or European isolates. The deduced amino acid sequences of the P0, P1 and P1-P2 proteins showed >10% variation, whereas the P3, P4 and P3-P5 proteins showed <10% variation when compared to the corresponding proteins of other strains of CABYV worldwide. Thus, according to the Polerovirus species demarcation threshold, these new sequences should be regarded as representing strains of a novel previously undescribed Polerovirus species. However, based on their sequence similarity and phylogenetic grouping with the recombinant strain from Taiwan we suggest these sequences represent recombinant strains of CABYV. These are the first full-length genome sequences for CABYV strains from India and this study adds watermelon as host for CABYV in India.
The Mycotoxin Fumonisin B1 Induces Metabolic and Molecular Perturbations Leading to Cell Death in Arabidopsis Cell Culture
Authors: Lanubile Alessandra , De Michele Roberto , Loi Martina , Fakhari Safieh , Marocco Adriano , Paciolla Costantino
Published: January 2022

Fumonisin B1 (FB1) is a fungal toxin produced by Fusarium spp. able to exert pleiotropic toxicity in plants. FB1 is known to be a strong inducer of the programmed cell death (PCD); however, the exact mechanism underling the plant-toxin interactions and the molecular events that lead to PCD are still unclear. Therefore, in this work we provided a comprehensive investigation of the response of the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana at the nuclear, transcriptional, and biochemical level after the treatment with FB1 at two different concentrations, namely 1 and 5µM during a time-course of 96 h. FB1 induced oxidative and nitrosative bursts and a rapid cell death in Arabidopsis cell cultures, which resembled a HR-like PCD event. Different genes involved in the regulation of PCD, antioxidant metabolism, photosynthesis, resistance, and sugar transport were upregulated, especially during the late treatment time and with higher FB1 concentration. Among the antioxidant enzymes and compounds studied, only glutathione appeared to be highly induced in both treatments, suggesting that it might be an important defense molecule induced during FB1 exposure. Collectively, these findings highlight the complexity of the defense network of A. thaliana and provide important information for the understanding of the physiological, molecular, and biochemical responses to counteract FB1-induced toxicity.
Anlotinib Combined with Temozolomide Therapy for Recurrent Glioblastoma (IDH-wt and TERTp-mut) After Standard Treatment
Authors: Wang Tianwei , Liao Zhijun , Wang Ruizhi , Ye Ming , Liao Keman , Bai Yongrui , Gao Meimei , Jiang Zhao , Qiu Yongming , Huang Renhua
Published: January 2022

Purpose

IDH1-wt glioblastoma patients with TERTp-mut had the worst prognosis, and no effective management strategy was established after tumor recurrence. The median overall survival (OS) of recurrent GBM patients who only received supportive therapy was approximately 1.0 month. We reported survival outcomes of recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) treated with anlotinib combined with temozolomide therapy (ACTT), and to explore the management strategy of rGBM.
Methods

The clinical data of 14 rGBM patients treated with ACTT was collected. Therapeutic efficacy and adverse effects were evaluated in every 2 months of treatment. We also included 16 patients treated with bevacizumab (Bev), 22 with TMZ, 28 with re-operation, 21 with re-irradiation, and 75 with supportive care to make comparison. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare the survival of ACTT group versus other treatment groups.
Results

Fourteen rGBM patients treated with ACTT were enrolled. After 2-month of ACTT, the overall response and disease control rate were 50.0% and 92.9%, respectively. The 6-months PFS rate was 78.6%, and the 1-year survival rate was 50.0%. The median PFS and OS in ACTT group were 11.0 and 13.0 months, respectively. The median PFS and OS in Bev-group was 4.0 and 8.0 months. The patients treated with ACTT had better PFS than that in Bev-group. And compared to all the others treatment groups, ACTT could prolong survival.
Conclusion

The treatment regimen of ACTT maybe reliable, safe, and effective for rGBM. The patients can gain survival benefits from ACTT, and prolonged survival were observed compared with other treatment regimens.
Longitudinal Evaluation of Trifocal and Extended Depth of Focus Lenses Implantation using Standard Automated Perimetry Parameters
Authors: Abe Ricardo Y , Silva Maíra Gomes Barbosa da , Alves Thiago Nogueira , Hida Wilson Takashi
Published: January 2022

Purpose: To evaluate reliability and global indices parameters from standard automated perimetry (SAP) in normal eyes undergoing phacoemulsification cataract surgery with implantation of trifocal or extended depth of focus intraocular lens (IOL).Methods: Prospective comparative study. Comparison of trifocal IOL AcrySof IQ PanOptix® and extended depth of focus intraocular lens (EDOF) Tecnis Symfony® IOL. Patients underwent SAP pre- and postoperatively. Reliability indices (false negative rate - FN, false positive rate – FP), global indices (foveal sensitivity threshold, visual field index - VFI, standard pattern deviation – PSD, mean deviation MD) and test duration were analyzed.Results: A total of 23 eyes from 13 patients were in the trifocal IOL group and a total of 22 eyes from 14 patients were in the EDOF group The following results were obtained by analyzing pre- and postoperative SAP of EDOF IOL: the rate of change of FN was 1.95/1.41% (p=0.61); FP 1.64/1.27 (p=0.60); MD -1.60/-1.08dB (p=0.15); foveal sensitivity was 34.5/33.9dB (p=0.41); VFI 98.5/98.4% (p>0.99); PSD 1.85/1.86 (p=0.07); and for test duration 305.81/298.36s (p=0.35); all respectively. Analysis of pre- and postoperative parameters of trifocal IOL was: the rates of change of FN 1.22/1.83% (p=0.29); FP 1.65/1.48% (p=0.95); MD -1.55/-1.37dB (p=0.19) ; foveal sensitivity 33.9/34.9dB (p=0.47) ; VFI 98.6/98.3% (p=0.62); PSD 1.58/2.05 (p=0.02); and test duration 297.17/298.57s (p=0.87); all respectively. Conclusion: We identified a change in the PSD parameters in the trifocal IOL group. No other significant changes were identified in SAP parameters after implantation of trifocal AcrySof IQ PanOptix® and EDOF Tecnis Symfony® IOL. Longitudinal evaluation showed no changes in SAP after Trifocal and EDOF IOL implantation in normal subjects.
Transcriptomics Analysis and Candidate Genes Associated With Xinjiang Jujubes in Response to Alternaria Alternata Infection
Authors: Fan Yingying , Zhang Ruili , Liu Xiaoqin , Ma Yushan , Wang Yan , Liu Fengjuan , He Weizhong , Wu Aibo , Wang Cheng
Published: January 2022

BackgroundBlack spot disease, caused by Alternaria altrenata, is one of the most destructive diseases of jujube worldwide. To better understand the resistance mechanisms of jujube to A. altrenata infection to be able to improve disease control and resistance breeding. Two different cultivars, Zizyphus jujuba Mill. var. Jun jujube (susceptible) and Zizyphus jujuba Mill. var. Hui jujube (resistant), were tested. ResultsIn this study, we identified 2235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the disease-resistant cultivar and 4958 in the susceptible cultivar. To better understand these DEGs, the datasets were analyzed using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) database. Most of them were associated with plant phytohormone synthesis and signal transduction, flavonoid synthesis, and glutathione metabolism. The expression of 6 DEGs associated with disease resistance were detected by real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), consistent with the results of Illumina transcriptome sequencing. Moreover, the expression level of the six DEGs differently in Jun jujube and Hui jujube, verified they are defense response factors. Conclusions﻿The present study identified several candidate resistance genes and signal transduction pathways that may contribute to black spot disease resistance in jujube, which will assist the investigation of resistance mechanisms in the response of jujube to A. altrenata infection.
Association Between Decreased Srpk3 Expression And An Increase In Substantia Nigra Alpha-Synuclein Levels In An MPTP-Induced Parkinson’s Disease Mouse Model
Authors: Seo Min Hyung , Yeo Sujung
Published: January 2022

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is known as the second most common neurodegenerative disease, which is caused by destruction of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) of the brain; however, the reason for the death of dopaminergic neurons remains unclear. An increase in α-synuclein (α-syn) is considered an important factor in the pathogenesis of PD. In the current study, we investigated the association between PD and serine/arginine-rich protein specific kinase 3 (Srpk3) in MPTP-induced parkinsonism mice model and in SH-SY5Y cells treated with MPP+. Srpk3 expression was significantly downregulated, while tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) decreased and α-synuclein (α-syn) increased after 4 weeks of MPTP intoxication treatment. Dopaminergic cell reduction and α-syn increase were demonstrated by inhibiting Srpk3 expression by siRNA in SH-SY5Y cells. Moreover, a decrease in Srpk3 expression upon siRNA treatment promoted dopaminergic cell reduction and α-syn increase in SH-SY5Y cells treated with MPP+. These results suggest that the decrease in Srpk3 expression due to Srpk3 siRNA caused both a decrease in TH and an increase in α-syn. This raises new possibilities for studying how Srpk3 controls dopaminergic cells and α-syn expression, which may be related to the pathogenesis of PD. Our results provide an avenue for understanding the role of Srpk3 during dopaminergic cell loss and α-syn increase in the SN. Furthermore, this study could support a therapeutic possibility for PD in that the maintenance of Srpk3 expression inhibited dopaminergic cell reduction.
Development of Core Outcome Sets for Clinical Trials in Temporomandibular Disorders
Authors: Ferreira Natália dos Reis , Marto Carlos Miguel , Oliveira Aleli Tôrres , Rodrigues Maria João , DosSantos Marcos Fabio
Published: January 2022

Background

Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) is a generic term applied to describe musculoskeletal disorders that affect the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the masticatory muscles and the related structures. TMD comprises two groups of disorders, namely intra-articular TMD and masticatory muscle disorders. There is still difficulty in establishing the effectiveness of different therapeutic modalities for TMD with robust evidence, despite the large volume of publications in the area. The lack of outcomes standardization may represent a limiting factor in the search for scientific evidence.
Objective

This study aims to develop a core outcome sets (COS) for clinical trials in intra-articular TMD and masticatory muscle disorders.
Methods

The protocol for determining the COS-TMD will consist of three phases: 1. Synthesis of TMD Management Intervention Outcomes. The identification of outcomes will be carried out through a systematic review, which will include randomized clinical trials that evaluated the effectiveness of interventions used in TMD management. 2. Through a two-round international Delphi survey, the list of outcomes will be scored by three panels of stakeholders. 3. A representative sample of key stakeholders will be invited to participate in a face-to-face meeting where they can discuss the results of the Delphi survey and determine the final core set.
Conclusions

The implementation of this protocol will determine the COS-TMD, which will be made available for use in all TMD clinical studies. The use of COS when planning and reporting TMD clinical trials will reduce the risk of publication bias and enable proper comparison of results found by different studies.
Structural, FTIR, Optical and Dielectric Properties of Zn1-xAlxO Ceramics For Advanced Applications
Authors: Sedky Ahmed , Ali Atif Mossad , Algarni H.
Published: January 2022

We report here the structural, FTIR, optical and dielectric properties of Zn1−xAlxO with x = 00.00 < x ≤ 0.20)). The wurtzite structure is conformed to all samples and the lattice constants, crystallite diameter, porosity and average crystalline size are generally decreased. The residual stress is compressive for pure samples, but it is changed to tensile for the doped samples. Interestingly, Debye temperature and elastic modulus are increased as x increases to 0.10, followed by a decrease at x = 0.20. Two different energy gaps Egh and Egl are apparent for each sample, corresponding of two transition absorption peaks. Interestingly, the ΔE = (Egh – Egl) ~ 0.60 for all samples. Further, the residual dielectric constant is decreased by increasing x to 0.10, followed by a sharp increase at x = 0.20 while the opposite behavior for (N/m*). The dielectric constant ε′ is slightly increased as x increases to 0.025, followed by a sharp increase as x increases to 0.20, as well as the ac conductivity σ/. The conduction is electronic for x ≤ 0.025 samples, but it is changed to hole with an increase of x to 0.20. The binding energy Wm was decreased as x increases to 0.20, but there is no exact trend against x for the behaviors of minimum hopping distance Rmin and density of localized states N. In addition, the density of states at Fermi level N (EF) has an optimum value at 195 KHz for all samples. The F-factor for solar cell design is increased as x increases to 0.10, but it is almost constant at x = 0.20. The Cole-Cole plot is a straight line for x = 0.00, a semicircle arc for x = 0.025 and a complete semicircle for x ≥ 0.05. The impedance resistance of grain Z\(g) and grain boundaries Z\(gb) are gradually decreased by increasing x to 0.20. These outcomes indicate that the addition of Al to ZnO shifts the mechanical, optical, and dielectric medium to higher values, which is strongly recommended for the design of optoelectronic and solar cell instruments.
Changes in Retinal Vasculature and Thickness After Femtosecond Laser-assisted Cataract Surgery and Conventional Cataract Surgery Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Authors: Zhang Hong , Tan Liangzhang , Tian Fang , Gong Xue , Chen Lu , Ma Zhiqiong , Liang Jingli , Li Xiaorong
Published: January 2022

Purpose To assess the changes in retinal vasculature and thickness after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).Methods Fifty-six eyes of 56 patients with age-related cataract were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into FLACS or conventional phacoemulsification surgery (CPS) due to the choice of operation. Vessel density (VD) and thickness at the macular area and optic nerve head (ONH) were checked by OCTA at baseline and at 1 day, 1 month and 3 months after cataract surgery.Results In the FLACS group: The radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) density displayed a significant reduction during the follow-up (P < 0.05), even when the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was not significantly changed. There was a significant negative correlation between the changes in RPC density and femtosecond laser-assisted pre-treatment time (FLAPT) at 1 day and 1 month after cataract surgery respectively (both P < 0.05). At 3 months postoperatively, the macular thickness had a significant increase in all regions (all P < 0.05). In the CPS group, the retinal VD and thickness did not show statistically significant changes in all regions during the follow-up (all P > 0.05). However, the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was significantly improved in both groups postoperatively (both P < 0.001).Conclusions OCTA provided a promising analysis of retinal vascular alterations, demonstrating the reduction of RPC density and the increase of macular thickness after FLACS. However, these changes had no effect on the improvement of visual acuity after cataract surgery.
Analysis of Voltage Rise Phenomena in Electrical Power Network With High Concentration of Renewable Distributed Generations
Authors: AKINYEMI AYODEJI , Musasa Kabeya , Davidson Innocent
Published: January 2022

The increasing penetration levels of Renewable Distributed Generation (RDG) into power system have proven to bring both positive and negative impacts. The occurrence of under voltage at the far end of a conventional Distribution Network (DN) may not raise concern anymore with RDGs integration into the power system. However, a high penetration of RDG into power system may cause problems such as voltage rise or over-voltage and reverse power flows at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC) between RDG and DN. This research paper presents the voltage rise and reverse power flow effects in power system with high concentration of RDG. The analysis is conducted on a sample DN, i.e., IEEE 13-bus test system, with RDG by considering the most critical scenario such as low power demand and peak power injection to DN from RDG. The Simulations are carried out using MATLAB/Simulink software, a mathematical model of a distribution grid, integrating RDG is developed for studying the effects of voltage rise and bidirectional flow of power. Furthermore, a control strategy is proposed to be installed at PCC of the DN to control/or mitigate the voltage rise effects and to limit the reverse power flow when operating in a worst critical scenario of minimum load and maximum generation from RDG. The proposed control strategy also mitigates the voltage-current harmonic signals, improve the power factor, and voltage stability at PCC. Finally, recommendations are provided for the utility and independent power producer to counteract the effects of voltage rise at PCC. The study demonstrated that, PCC voltage can be sustained with a high concentration of RDG during a worst-case scenario without a reverse power flow and voltage rise beyond grid code limits.
Synergetic Effect of Physical Activity and Fruit-vegetable Intake on the Decreasing of Cognitive Decline in Older Taiwanese
Authors: Wang Richard Szewei , Wang Bing-Long , Huang Yu-Ni , Wan Thomas T.H.
Published: January 2022

Factors which are associated with cognitive decline among elders include physical activity and the intake of fruit and vegetable, however, long-term effects and the concurrence of physical activity and fruit-vegetable intake are unknown. The present study explores this potential synergy for the mitigation of cognitive decline among a cohort of older Taiwanese in a 16-year longitudinal study. Five population-based surveys from the Taiwan Longitudinal Survey on Aging (1995–2015) involving 4,440 respondents over 53 years old in 1999 were studied. Trends in decrease of cognitive decline were observed for 16 years. Cognitive function was assessed using the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ). Adjustments made on regression analysis included demographic, socioeconomic, health behavioral, and disease status covariates. The risk of cognitive decline decreased 63% when high physical activity group and high intake of fruit-vegetable group were combined (OR :0.37, 95% CI: 0.23–0.59). More physical activity was combined with greater fruit-vegetable intake, cognitive decline among older Taiwanese was mitigated. This indicates that there may be a synergistic effect of physical activity and fruit-vegetable intake on mitigating cognitive decline. Synergistic personal behavior is a safe, effective, and economical approach to health in later life.
Prognostic Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets Identification Among CXC Chemokines in the Colon Adenocarcinoma Microenvironment
Authors: Wang Heng , Guo ChangQing , Luo Jun , Li Quan , Fu BuQing , Jiang Wei
Published: January 2022

Background: COAD is among the most prevalent malignancy, with a very high incidence rate. Crosstalk between cancer and interstitial cells significantly affects cancer development, modulated partly by chemokines production. When present in the tumor microenvironment, CXC chemokines have been shown to regulate tumor cell activity and influence immune cell transport, resulting in anti-tumor immune mechanisms and influencing the outcomes of the patient; nonetheless, the CXC chemokines expression levels in COAD, as well as their prognostic significance, have not yet been established.Methods: This study used UALCAN, GeneMANIA, STRING, TRRUST, cBioPortal, TIMER, and GEPIA,Results: The expression of CXC1/2/3/5/6/11/12/13/14/16/17 in COAD patients was shown to be significantly correlated with the pathological stage. A considerably improved prognosis was observed in patients with low transcriptional levels of CXCL9/10/11. Differentially expressed CXC chemokines exert roles that are predominantly correlated with the chemokine signaling pathway and interactions of cytokine–cytokine receptors. Our findings indicated that the transcriptional factors, including SP1, RELA, and NFKB1 are essential for the production of CXC chemokines. Furthermore, we discovered a substantial association between the CXC chemokines production and infiltration of 6 kinds of immune cells (CD8+ T cells, dendritic cells, B cells, CD4+ T cells, neutrophils, and macrophages,). Conclusions: These findings might be useful in identifying prognostic indicators and immunotherapeutic targets for colon cancer.
A Novel Tool to Enhance The Lubricant Efficiency On Induction Heat-Assisted Incremental Sheet Forming of Ti-6Al-4V Sheets
Authors: Li Weining , Essa Khamis , Li Sheng
Published: January 2022

For heat-assisted single point incremental sheet forming (SPIF) works of Ti-6Al-4V sheets, the use of lubricant has shown significant effects on surface quality and geometric accuracy at higher temperatures. Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) is a common lubricant widely used in SPIF works, however, it usually indicates ineffective performance at high temperatures. This article has studied different lubricants of MoS2 lubricants and proposed a novel mixture of MoS2 to provide better surface quality and improve geometric accuracy. A forming tool with a ball-roller and water channel was designed to enable the MoS2 mixture to pass through the tool tip, allowing easy application of the lubricant on the localised area and reduce the thermal expansion on the ball-roller. Surface roughness analysis has revealed that the water-cooling MoS2 mixture performed well in reducing friction effects and achieved better geometric accuracy. Forming forces measurements, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX) and micro-hardness tests also indicated that a higher strain hardening behaviour was detected for the water-cooling MoS2 mixture.
Design of Testability Structures With Security For Machine Intelligence Based Cryptosystem
Authors: Sowmiya G , Malarvizhi S.
Published: January 2022

During testing utmost all appropriate and suitable strategy needs to be established for consistent fault coverage, improved controllability and observability. The scan chains used in BIST allows some fine control over data propagations that is used as a backdoor to break the security over cryptographic cores. To alleviate these scan-based side-channel attacks, implementing a more inclusive security strategy is required to confuse the attacker and to ensure the key management process which is always a difficult task to task in cryptographic research. In this work for testing AES core Design-for-Testability (DfT) is considered with some random response compaction, bit masking during the scan process. In the proposed scan architecture, scan-based attack does not allow finding out actual computations which are related to the cipher transformations and key sequence. And observing the data through the scan structure is secured. The experimental results validate the potential metrics of the proposed scan model in terms of robustness to the scan attack and penalty gap that exists due to the inclusion of scan designs in AES core. Also investigate the selection of appropriate location points to implement the bit level modification to avoid attack for retrieving a key.
How Large Fraction of A Population Must be Vaccinated before A Disease is Controlled?
Authors: Halamicek Robin , Schubert Dirk W , Nilsson Fritjof
Published: January 2022

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has already caused more than 5 million casualties despite hard restrictions and relatively high vaccine coverage in many countries. The crucial question is therefore, how large vaccination rate and how severe restrictions are required to terminate the spread of the decease, assuming that the vaccine efficiency and the basic reproduction ratio (R0) are known? To answer this question, a mathematical equation was applied to visualize the required vaccination level as function of vaccine efficiency, restriction efficiency and basic reproduction ratio (R0). In addition to the modelling study, Covid-19 data from Europe was collected during 19/11-26/11 (2021) to assess the relation between vaccination rate and incidence. The analysis indicates that a vaccination rate of ~92% (2 doses) is required to stop Delta (B.1.617.2) without severe restrictions, under conditions like those in Europe late November 2021. A third vaccine dose, improved vaccines, higher vaccination rates and/or stronger restrictions will be required to force Omicron (B.1.1.529) to expire without infecting a large fraction of the population.
Simultaneous Experimental Analysis of Oil Content And Molecular Composition of Shale Fractions
Authors: Zhang Bowei , Zhang Juhe
Published: January 2022

The important research content and basis of exploration and development is to evaluate the reservoir property, oil bearing property, fluidity and compressibility of shale reservoir.The key of exploration and development is to evaluate the oil-bearing and fluidity of shale reservoir.In this paper, the "shale oil content and fine components synchronous experimental analysis device" is used. Five temperature ranges of 30 ℃-90 ℃, 90 ℃-150 ℃, 100 ℃- 200 ℃, 150 ℃-250 ℃ and 250 ℃-300 ℃ were adopted. The heating rate of each temperature segment was 25 ℃ / min, and the final temperature was kept constant for 5 min. The oil content of shale (pyrolysis S1) was cut into five fractions.Simultaneous determination of oil content and molecular composition of shale fractions,and the external standard method was used to evaluate the oil content and fluidity.The results show that the five fractions of shale are mainly composed of nC1-nC9 gas, nC10-nC15 gasoline, nC12-nC20 kerosene, nC15-nC22 diesel oil and nC18-nC26 heavy oil of the first member of Qingshangkou formation in Songliao basin.There are differences in the fractionation and oil content characteristics of samples with different maturity in different wells.The parent material, properties and quality of crude oil are reflected in shale. The higher the maturity of shale oil is, the more light components are, the larger the light / heavy ratio parameter value of (gasoline + kerosene + diesel) and heavy oil is, the better the fluidity is, and the easier to exploit effectively.
The Climate Change Response of Pacific Ocean Squids
Authors: Wang Jintao , Boenish Robert , Li Yunkai , Chen Xinjun
Published: January 2022

Climate change is proving to be a driving factor reshaping the distribution and altering the movement of marine species, dynamics of which are crucial for sustainable development and marine resources management. However, how Pacific Ocean squids – boasting the salient biological features of a one-year life span and strong adaptive abilities, and which support more than 25% of global squid catches – respond to climate change is overlooked. We address this knowledge gap by constructing spatio-temporal generalized additive mixed models based on hundreds of thousands of digitized Chinese squid-jigging logbooks covering three Pacific stocks of two squid species (Ommastrephes bartramii and Dosidicus gigas) spanning 2005 – 2018. Here we show the relationships between environmental variables and local abundance of squids (reflected by response curves) track changes in climate; the squid biomass peaks and troughs coinciding with La Niña and El Niño events, respectively are moderate in contrast to the effects of directional climate change. We find substantial poleward shifts by squids inhabiting low latitude and middle latitudes. These findings have broad implications both for food security and open ocean ecosystem dynamics.
Analysis of Uniform Film Thickness and Stationarypoints for the Thin Film Flow of Carreau Fluid Model in the Presence of Surface Tension Gradient
Authors: Ashraf Hameed , Parveen Abida , Rehman Hamood Ur , Asjad Muhammad Imran , Almutairi Bander N. , Inc Mustafa , Almohsen Bandar
Published: January 2022

This article addresses the analysis of the uniform film thickness and stationary points forthe Carreau thin fluid film flow. The flow of fluid on a vertically upward moving cylinder takesplace in the presence of a surface tension gradient. The resulting non-linear and inhomogeneousordinary differential equation is solved for the series form solution using Adomian decompositionmethods (ADM). Stokes number St, inverse capillary number C, Weissenberg number W e andfluid behavior index n emerged as flow control parameters. The analysis showed that thepositions of stationary points transferred towards the surface of the cylinder by the increase ofSt and C while towards the fluid-air interface by the increase of n. W e delineated vice versaeffects on positions of stationary points for the shear thickening fluid film and shear thinningfluid film. The width of uniform film thickness reduces by an increment in the St and Cwhereas it increases by an increment in the n. The width of shear thickening uniform filmthickness increases whilst shear thinning uniform film thickness decreases as the W e increases. A comparison between the linearly viscous fluid and Carreau fluid is also made.