bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimating The Seasonally Varying Effect of Climatic Factors On The District-Level Incidence of Acute Watery Diarrhea Among Under-Five Children of Iran, 2014-2018: A Bayesian Hierarchical Spatiotemporal Model
Authors: Masinaei Masoud
Published: August 2021

Background

Under-five years old acute watery diarrhea (U5AWD) accounts for most diarrheal diseases' burden due to rotavirus infection. It is claimed that many climatic and socioeconomic factors are associated with U5AWD. However, little information is available about the occurrence of U5AWD in Iran and the adjusted effect of potential determinants.
Methods

We collected a dataset containing the seasonal numbers of U5AWD cases at the district level of Iran through MOHME. We calculated the district level Standardized Incidence Ratio and Moran's I values to detect the significant clusters of U5AWD over sixteen seasons from 2014 to 2018. In addition, we examined twelve Bayesian hierarchical models to recognize the strongest in predicting the seasonal number of incidents.
Results

Iran has many hotspots of U5AWD, especially in southeast areas. An extended spatiotemporal model with seasonally varying coefficients and space-time interaction outperformed other models, becoming our proposal in modeling U5AWD. Temperature had a global positive relationship with seasonal U5AWD in districts (IRR: 1.0497, 95% CrI: 1.0254–1.0748), due to its varying effects in winter (IRR: 1.0877, 95% CrI: 1.0408–1.1375) and fall (IRR: 1.0866, 95% CrI: 1.0405–1.1357) seasons. Also, elevation (IRR: 0.9997, 95% CrI: 0.9996–0.9998), piped drinking water (IRR: 0.9948, 95% CrI: 0.9933–0.9964), public sewerage network (IRR: 0.9965, 95% CrI: 0.9938–0.9992), years of schooling (IRR: 0.9649, 95% CrI: 0.944–0.9862), Infrastructure-to-Household Size Ratio (IRR: 0.9903, 95% CrI: 0.986–0.9946), wealth index (IRR: 0.9502, 95% CrI: 0.9231–0.9781) and urbanization (IRR: 0.9919, 95% CrI: 0.9893–0.9944) of districts were negatively associated with seasonal U5AWD incidence.
Conclusions

The development of specific alert systems could be a strategy to predict high-risk areas of U5AWD using climatic inputs. Also, the study anticipates a higher incidence of U5AWD in districts with weaker hygiene and socioeconomic status. Therefore, policymakers should take appropriate preventive actions in such areas.
A Nomogram for Predicting Mammaprint Results in Women with T1-3N0-1M0 Hormone Receptor-Positive and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Lee Young Joo , Hwang Young Sol , Kim Junetae , Ahn Sei-Hyun , Son Byung Ho , Kim Hee Jeong , Ko Beom Seok , Kim Jisun , Chung Il Yong , Lee Jong Won , Lee Sae Byul
Published: August 2021

PurposeWe aimed to develop a prediction MammaPrint (MMP) genomic risk assessment nomogram model for hormone-receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer and minimal axillary burden (N0-1) tumors using clinicopathological factors of patients who underwent an MMP test for decision making regarding adjuvant chemotherapy.MethodsA total of 409 T1-3 N0-1 M0 hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer patients whose MMP genomic risk results were available at Asan Medical Center from 2017 to 2020 were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned to training and validation subsets and logistic regression was performed. ResultsThe primary cohort (n = 409) included 216 (53.1%) T2-3 and 388 (94.8%) N1 patients. No patients were estrogen-receptor-negative or -weak, 175 (42.7%) had a high proliferation index (Ki-67 ≥ 20%), and 225 (55.0%) were premenopausal. Multivariate analysis revealed that the age at diagnosis, progesterone receptor (PR) score, nuclear grade, and Ki-67 were significantly associated with MMP risk results. We developed an MMP low-risk predictive nomogram. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.82 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77 to 0.87). When applied to the validation group, the nomogram was accurate with an area under the curve of 0.77 (95% CI, 0.68 to 0.86).Conclusion Our nomogram, which incorporates four traditional prognostic factors, i.e., age, PR, nuclear grade, and Ki-67, could predict the probability of obtaining a low MMP risk in a cohort of intermediate clinical risk patients. This nomogram can aid the selection of patients who need additional MMP testing.
National Trends in Tobacco Smoke Exposure and its Disruption on Vitamin D Levels Among U.S. Population, 2001-2014
Authors: Yuan Lei , Ni Jingyi
Published: August 2021

Background: Persuasive evidence suggests that tobacco smoking is endocrine-disrupting and may interfere with vitamin D (VD) endocrine systems, but supporting research is limited and results vary greatly.Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2014, was used to evaluate the trends in tobacco smoke exposure among U.S. general participants aged ≥3 yr (n=49338). We examined the linear association between serum cotinine and 25(OH)D concentrations, as well as relationship between tobacco smoke exposure categories (active, passive, non-smoking) with VD status (deficiency, inadequacy, sufficiency, intoxication), and assessed whether specific gender, age (3-11, 12-19, 20-59, ≥60 yr) or ethnicity/race groups were disproportionately impacted.Results: During 2001-2004, the trends of active smoking rates stabilized between 17.2% to 19.6%. Serum cotinine was significantly and inversely associated with 25(OH)D in adult participants (≥ 20 yr). Tobacco smoke exposure, including both active and passive smoking exposure, was associated with increased risk of VD deficiency in adults. Moreover, active smoking of adults was additionally related to enhanced risk of VD inadequacy. These associations showed somewhat gender difference, with consistent and stronger associations observed in female adults. In contrast, effects of tobacco smoke exposure on VD levels were mostly protective or non-significant among children and adolescents aged 3-19 yr.Conclusion: The percentage of U.S. general population with active smoking exposure stabilized over the 14-yr period and was still high. Tobacco smoke exposure may disrupt vitamin D levels. Our results also provided initial evidence of active smoking exposure on VD intoxication, which needs to be further verified.Implication: Convincing studies have linked tobacco use exposure, including active and passive smoking exposure, to dysfunctional VDES accompanied with declined serum levels of VD metabolites. However, evidence on the association between tobacco smoke exposure and VD status was rather limited, and there were no researches to date that estimated their relationship in children and adolescents. This study analyzed national survey data, to evaluate the national trends in tobacco smoke exposure over a decade, and to comprehensively assess the impacts of tobacco smoke exposure on VD levels across specific gender-, age- and ethnicity/race- groups. The evidence suggests that the prevalence of active smoking exposure stabilized over the 14-yr period and was still high. Moreover, tobacco smoke exposure may disrupt vitamin D levels among general population, with age- and gender- differences observed.
MiR-133b Improves Decidualization of Endometrial Stromal Cells by Targeting KLF12 in Recurrent Implantation Failure
Authors: Mei Fenglin , Kong Chengcai , Wang Yan , Zhuang Jing , Xue Pingping , Qi Hui , Dong Yishan
Published: August 2021

Purpose Impaired decidualization contributes to the infertility in recurrent implantation failure (RIF). Herein, we focused on the function and probable mechanisms of miR-133b in endometrial stromal cells decidualization.Methods miR-133b and KLF12 protein levels in midsecretory endometrial tissues derived from women with and without RIF were measured by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Primary human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) were isolated and cultured for in vitro decidualization assays. Luciferase reporter, qRT-PCR and Western blot assays were used to measure the relationship between miR-133b and KLF12.Results miR-133b was significantly downregulated, whereas KLF12 was upregulated in endometrial tissues from RIF. miR-133b effectively promoted HESCs in vitro decidualization through the modulation of KLF12 expression and the activation of LIF/STAT3 pathway. Conversely, inhibition of miR-133b expression reversed these effects. In addition, the luciferase reporter system demonstrated that miR-133b directly inhibited the expression of KLF12 by interacting with 3’ untranslated region of KLF12.Conclusion Our data suggest that miR-133b promotes HESCs decidualization by targeting KLF12 and reverses the impaired decidualization in RIF.
Riemann-Hilbert Approach of The Complex Sharma-Tasso-Olver Equation and Its N-Soliton Solutions
Authors: Li Sha , Xia Tiecheng , Li Jian
Published: August 2021

In this paper, we use Riemann-Hilbert method to study the N-soliton solutions of the complex Sharma-Tasso-Olver(cSTO) equation. And then, based on analyzing the spectral problem of the Lax pair, the matrix Riemann-Hilbert problem for this integrable equation can be constructed, the N-soliton solutions about this system are given explicitly under the relationship of scattering matrix. At last, under the condition that some specifific parameter values are given, the three-dimensional diagram of the 2-soliton solution and the trajectory of the soliton solution will be simulated.
Digital and Web Content Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities: A case study of Indian open universities
Authors: Kumar Akhilesh
Published: August 2021

The radical development of internet and other Information and Communication Technologies have changed the scenario of education system in general and open and distance learning in particular which was further accelerated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools now a days are pivotal to any Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system. With the growth of ICT based education the issue of accessibility of digital information has also gained the attention of intelligentsia. With the interference of ICT tools, discussions have been taking place about the digital accessibility of web-based information available over websites. Websites of Open Universities are central source of educational and administrative information and learning for a learner enrolled in open and distance learning system. Further the basic promise of an open and distance learning system is providing education for marginalized group too and thus it must be as per the needs of persons with disabilities which has been recommended by United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). An enquiry has been made in present research to study primary accessibility features Screen Reader Access, High Contrast Text, Word Spacing, Text Resize feature and the feature of language change available over websites of Indian Open Universities. It was observed that about 45% of Indian Open University websites lacks any such accessibility features. Remaining 55% open universities of India, mostly were found providing two to four out of these five accessibility mechanisms required for persons with disabilities on any website. As Government of India has developed Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW) which has advised government institutions to confirm their websites in compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) guidelines of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) at ‘AA’ level. The preliminary study revealed that Indian Open Universities has long way to go to make their websites GIGW & WCAG 2.0 complaint in order to ensure digital accessibility in higher education through open and distance learning for persons with disabilities to ensure inclusion in higher education in India.
Total Water Quality And Total Human Health Hazard Indices Approach For Health Risk Evaluation With Oral Intake Pathway of Groundwater of Nitrate And Fluoride From A Rural Region of South India
Authors: Gugulothu Sakram , Subbarao N. , Das Rashmirekha , Duvva Laxman , Dhakate Ratnakar
Published: August 2021

Evaluation of chemical quality of groundwater and associated health hazards is a prerequisite for taking remedial measures elsewhere. A rural region of South India was, thus, chosen for the present study to assess the total quality of groundwater and also to decipher the human health risk zones with respect to adults and children due to the groundwater pollution with nitrate (NO-3) and fluoride (F-) ions. Groundwater samples collected from the study region were determined for various chemical parameters. According to the total water quality index, groundwater quality is suitable for drinking purposes. However, the NO-3 (0.4 to 585.20 mg/L) and F-(0.22 to 5.41 mg/L) ions exceed the drinking water quality limits of 45 mg/L and 1.5 mg/L in 34% and 25% of the groundwater samples, respectively. Nitrate fertilizers appeared as the chief source of NO-3, and the fluoride minerals as the main source of F- in the groundwater body, which are further supported by principal component analysis. Total human health hazard index (THHHI) was observed to be higher than its tolerable limit of 1.0 in 63% and 73% of the groundwater samples in respect of NO-3 and F- of adults and children, respectively. The intensity of human health risk zones of THHHI (>1.0) was 1.37 times higher in children (5.69) than in children (4.15), which cover an area of 71.75% and 66.73%, respectively. Thus, the effective strategic measures were recommended for the protection of groundwater resources from pollution and also for improving the human health conditions.
Digital Mental Health Care in Humanitarian & Crisis Settings: A Mixed-Methods Exploration During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ibragimov Khasan , Palma Miguel , Keane Gregory , Ousley Janet , Crowe Madeleine , Carreno Cristina , Casas German , Mills Clair , Llosa Augusto
Published: August 2021

Background‘Digital Mental Health services,’ or mental health care delivered via internet, computers, mobile phones, tablets, or text messaging services, are an increasingly important way to expand care to underserved groups in low-resource settings. In order to continue providing psychiatric, psychotherapeutic and counselling care during COVID-19-related movement restrictions, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a humanitarian medical organization, abruptly transitioned part of its mental health (MH) activities to digitally supported remote services in 2020 across humanitarian and resource-constrained settings. MethodsFrom June-July of 2020, investigators used a mixed method, sequential explanatory study design to assess MSF staff perceptions of digital MH services provided during the COVID-19 crisis. Preliminary quantitative results influenced qualitative question guide design. Eighty-one quantitative online questionnaires were collected and a subset of 13 qualitative follow-up in-depth interviews (IDI) occurred.ResultsRespondents in 44 countries (6 world regions), mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa (39.5%), the Middle East (18.5%) and Asia (13.6%) participated. Most digital MH interventions depended on audio-only platforms (80%). 30% of respondents reported that more than half of their patients were unreachable using digital interventions, usually because of poor network coverage (73.8%), a lack of communication devices (72.1%), or a lack of a private space at home (67.2%). Nearly half (47.5%) of respondents felt their staff had a decreased ability to provide comprehensive MH care using digital platforms. Most respondents thought MH staff had a negative (46%) or mixed (42%) impression of remote care. Nevertheless, almost all respondents (96.7%) thought digital MH services had some degree of utility, most commonly citing improved access to care (37.7%) and greater time efficiency (32.8%) as reasons for its continued use.ConclusionDigital MH activities were seen as an acceptable alternative to in-person therapeutic interventions in humanitarian settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they were not considered suitable for all patients in the humanitarian contexts studied, especially survivors of sexual or interpersonal violence, pediatric and geriatric cases, and patients with severe MH conditions. Audio-only technologies that lacked non-verbal cues were particularly challenging and made risk assessment and emergency care more difficult. Prior to considering digital MH services, communications infrastructure should be assessed, and comprehensive, context-specific protocols should be developed.
Treatment Device for Neonatal Birth Asphyxia Related Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Authors: Zewdie Rediet , Getachew Lidet , Dubele Geremew , Oluma Ababo , Israel Gedion , Dese Kokeb , Simegn Gizeaddis Lamesgin
Published: August 2021

Background: Birth asphyxia is a leading cause of neonatal brain injury, morbidity and mortality globally. Birth asphyxia leads to multi-organ dysfunction in the neonate and to neurological dysfunction called Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE). Cooling therapy is being used as a means of treatment in developed countries. However, these devices are not affordable for low-resource settings, including Ethiopia. Moreover, many cooling devices do not have a rewarming functionality after cooling therapy. The objective of this project was therefore to design and develop a cost effective and efficient total body cooling and rewarming device.Methods: Our design includes two water reservoirs that operate by pumping cold and warm sterile water to a mattress. After decreasing the core body temperature of the infant to 33.5 0C, the system is designed to maintain this temperature value for 72 hours. Feedback for temperature regulation will is provided by rectal temperature sensor. Once the cooling therapy is completed, the system again rewarms the water inside the matters and gradually increases the neonate temperature to 36.5-37 0C. The device also allows continuous monitoring of infant’s body temperature, mattress temperature reservoir temperature and pulse rate. Results: The prototype was built and undergone through different tests and iterations. The proposed device was tested for accuracy, cost effectiveness and ease to use. 93.2 % accuracy has been achieved for temperature sensor measurement and the prototype was built only with a component cost of less than 200 USD.Conclusion: The proposed devices allow an accurate, regulated and continuous monitoring of temperature of reservoirs, mattress and rectal temperature. was provided using sensors. The device can play a significant role by reducing neonatal brain injury and death due to HIE, especially in low resource settings, where the expertise and the means are in scarce.
Selection of Conventional Process Technologies using Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process
Authors: Fufa Baba Abdissa , Gebru Hailemariam , Addis Bethlehem , Alebachew Sisay , Ayele Abaysew
Published: August 2021

Vegetable crops quality lose commences right along the rout of harvesting, transportation, storage, and delivery to consumers. A pairwise comparison of the criteria with respect to the goal was performed based on the food technology experts’ suggestions. Considering the economic feasibility and personal skill, fermentation (29.0%) taken greatest weight followed by hot water treatment technique (27.3%). Likewise, those techniques for tomato preservation in different ways like solar dryer (SD), cold house storage (CHS), and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) account 20.7%, 15.6% and 7.3% respectively. This research finding could benefit small to large holding farmers, retailers and investors intended to work on tomato processing sector for supporting the sustainable development intent.
Silencing of CMTM6 Inhibits the Proliferation and Migration of SiHa Cervical Cancer Cells by Inhibiting MAPK Signaling
Authors: Huang Xiaoting , Liu Wei , Liu Chunshan , Wang Baiyao , Ren Anbang , Hu Jijie , Liu Jinquan , Yuan Yawei , Li Mingyi
Published: August 2021

Background: CKLF like MARVEL transmembrane domain containing 6 (CMTM6) is an important programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) regulator. CMTM6 was identified as an immune checkpoint inhibitor，that regulates tumor T cell activity in vivo and in vitro. The function of CMTM6 in cervical cancer, however, remains unclear. In addition, whether CMTM6 participates in ovarian cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is unknown.Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect CMTM6 expression in cervical cancer tissues and non-cancerous adjacent tissues. CMTM6 was knocked down and overexpressed, respectively, in the human SiHa cell line. Transwell and wound healing assays were used to assess cell migration and cell invasion. Western blotting was used to detect phosphorylated (p)-C-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)1/2, total (t)-JNK1/2, p-p38, t-p38, and EMT-related protein levels in Siha cells. In vivo lung transplantation tumor models were used to determine if CMTM6 upregulation in ovarian cancer cells could promote metastasis.Results: CMTM6 showed higher expression in human ovarian cancer tissues than in adjacent non-cancerous tissues. In vitro assays showed that CMTM6 promoted ovarian cancer cell invasion, migration, proliferation, and EMT via MAPK JNK/p38 signaling pathway activation. Stimulating CMTM6-overexpressing cells with MAPK JNK/p38 signaling antagonists reduced SiHa cell metastasis, invasion, proliferation and EMT. In a mouse model of lung metastasis, CMTM6 increased the metastasis of ovarian cancer. Conclusion: CMTM6 activates MAPK JNK/p38 signaling to enhance the EMT and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells. These results suggest CMTM6 as a molecular target for the prevention and treatment of ovarian cancer metastasis.
Prediction of Daily Streamflow Using Various Kernel Function Based Regression: A Case Study in India
Authors: Kumar Manish , Elbeltagi Ahmed , Srivast Ankur , Kumari Anuradha , Ali Rawshan , Pande Chaitanya , Bajirao Tarate Suryakant , I Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul , Kushwaha Daniel Prakash
Published: August 2021

River daily discharge estimation and modeling considers an important step for scheduling and planning different water resources for sustainable socio-economic development. In the current work, four techniques of Gaussian processes regression (GPR): Polynomial Kernel, Radial Basis Function Kernel, Normalized Polynomial Kernel, and PUK Kernel, were used to model the daily discharge. Hydrological-datasets containing daily-stage (m) and discharge (m3/sec) were gathered over the period from 2004-2013. The datasets were divided into two sections: (i) models training containing 70% (2004-2010) of the total data and (ii) remaining 30% (2011- 2013) were for testing. Comparing all the four developed models, our findings show that the superlative model was the PUK-Kernel model with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.96, MAE of 36.70 m3/s, RMSE of 90.92 m3/s, RAE of 17.50 %, RRSE of 26.05 % in the training period. Whereas, it performed equally well in the testing period with r = 0.97, MAE = 44.84 m3/s, RMSE = 95.05 m3/s, RAE = 17.98 %, RRSE = 24.94 % in the testing period. Our findings can be included that GPR-PUK was more accurate and stable than other models, and can be used to help water-users, decision-makers, development-planners for managing water resources and achieving sustainable development.
Pulmonary Artery Catheterization was not Associated with Survival Benefits in Critically Ill Patients with Cardiac Disease: An Analysis of the MIMIC-IV Database
Authors: Wu Jie , Zhou Shiyu , Hu Hongbin , Zhang Yuan , An Sheng , Sha Tong , Li Lulan , Zhang Yaoyuan , Huang Qiaobing , Chen Zhongqing , An Shengli , Zeng Zhenhua
Published: August 2021

Background: It is not clear whether pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) placement is beneficial for critically ill patients with heart disease. This study aims to investigate the association of PAC use with 28-day mortality in that population.Methods: The MIMIC-IV database was employed to identify critically ill patients with cardiac disease with or without PAC insertion. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Multivariate regression was modeled to examine the association between PAC and outcomes. Additionally, we examined the effect modification by cardiac surgeries. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to validate our findings.Results: No improvement in 28-day mortality was observed among the PAC group compared to the non-PAC group (odds ratio=1.18, 95% CI=1.00-1.38, P=0.049). When stratified by cardiac surgeries, the results were consistent. Patients in the PAC group had fewer ventilation-free days and vasopressor-free days than those in the non-PAC group after surgery stratification. In surgical patients, PAC insertion was not associated with the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI), and was associated with a higher daily fluid input (mean difference=0.13, 95% CI=0.05-0.20, P=0.001). In non-surgical patients, the PAC group had a higher risk of AKI occurrence (odds ratio=1.94, 95% CI=1.32-2.84, P=0.001).Conclusion: PAC placement was not associated with survival benefits in critically ill patients with cardiac diseases, either in surgical and non-surgical patients.
Remote Patient Monitoring for COVID-19 Patients: Comparisons and Framework for Reporting
Authors: Joyce David , De Brún Aoife , Symmons Sophie Mulcahy , Fox Robert , McAuliffe Eilish
Published: August 2021

BackgroundRemote patient monitoring (RPM) has been implemented for COVID-19 patients by various health services at speed, without the opportunity to learn one from another. A lack of standardised reporting has hindered evaluation of RPM.AimsThe aims of this overview of RPM for COVID-19 patients are twofold: (1) to provide tabulated, descriptive information for a range of implementations to facilitate familiarization, learning and comparison; and based on this(2) to develop a framework for reporting to improve reporting consistency as a first step towards the development of reporting guidelines for RPM.MethodA rapid review of the literature for RPM for COVID-19 patients was conducted seeking studies that provided details of a specific implementation of RPM with sufficient information to compare one with another. The content of these articles was then reviewed and synthesised to a tabular format under common headings to facilitate ready comparison and to highlight omissions in reporting. Reporting consistencies and inconsistencies between the studies were then considered to develop a framework for reporting.ResultsThe studies suggested key common characteristics outlined under four headings: context, technology, process, and metrics. These were further divided into subheadings to provide a consistent tabular format to aid familiarization. Consideration of consistencies and inconsistencies in reporting suggests the following criteria be used for reporting: Dates, Rationale, Patients, Medical team, Technology provider, Communication mode, Patient equipment, Patient training, Staff training, Markers, Data Input Frequency, Thresholds for Escalation, Discharge and Metrics for: RPM Enrollment, Escalation, Patient acceptance, Staff acceptance, and Patient adherence.
Developmentof 84 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for the three-spot swimming crab (Portunus sanguinolentus) by using RAD appoach Guidong Miao1,2,3 Feng Wang1,2,3 Jihua Guo1,2,3, Pei Zhang1,2,3 Hongyu Ma4
Authors: Miao Guidong , Wang Feng , Guo Jihua , Zhang Pei , Ma Hongyu
Published: August 2021

The three-spot swimming crab (Portunus sanguinolentus) is one of most important large size economic crab in China. In this study, we first isolated and characterized a set of 84 SNP loci in P. sanguinolentus. 10 pairs of primers PCR products were sequenced and a total of 3181bp high-quality DNA sequences were obtained from which 84 polymorphic SNP loci were identifed and 84 SNP loci were identified and accurated genotyped. The average frequency of SNP loci was one locus every 38 base pairs in P. sanguinolentus genome. Of these 84 SNP loci, each had bi-alleles with the minor allele frequency ranging from 0.0167 to 0.5000. The observed heterozygosity varied from 0.0333 to 0.7143, while the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.0333 to 0.5085 per locus. 51 loci showed low variation (HO ≤ 0.3) and fourteen SNP loci showed high variation (HO ≥ 0.5). Among 84 SNP loci, 11 loci showed significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium. The SNP markers developed herein will provide valuable information for elucidating population genetic diversity, population dynamics, and conservation genetics of this germplasm resource and other related crab species.
The Role of Bystander Effect in Ultraviolet A Induced Photoaging
Authors: Hansda Surajit , Ghosh Gargi , Ghosh Rita
Published: August 2021

Background: Exposure to sunlight, mainly UVA, leads to typical changes in the features of the skin known as photoaging. UVA irradiation induces the expression of proteases that are responsible for the degradation of the extracellular matrix proteins to results in photoaging; it also downregulates the expression of proteins that are needed for the skin structure. Since, it is known that cells in the neighborhood of irradiated cells, but not directly exposed to it, often manifest responses like their irradiated counterparts, it is important to evaluate if these bystander cells too, can contribute to photoaging. Methods and Results: UVA induced cell cycle arrest have been associated with photoaging, from flow cytometry analysis we found that there was an induction of cell cycle arrest at the G1/S phase in the UVA-bystander cells. The expression of some key photoaging marker genes likes, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-9), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), collagen1 and elastin were assessed from qRT-PCR. Upregulation of MMP-1 and COX-2, downregulation of collagen1 and elastin, along with suppression below normal expression for MMP-3 and MMP-9 was observed in the UVA-bystander A375 cells. Conclusion: Our findings for the first time suggest the contribution of UVA-bystander cells to the process of photoaging.
ELK1-induced upregulation of long non-coding TNK2-AS1 promotes the progression of acute myeloid leukemia by EZH2-mediated epigenetic silencing of CELF2
Authors: Guo Dongfang , Zhang Airong , Suo Meifang , Wang Ping , Liang Yile
Published: August 2021

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the commonest hematological malignancy in the world. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have been suggested as key regulators of cancer development and progression in AML. As a member of lncRNA family, the biological role and mechanisms of tyrosine kinase non receptor 2 antisense RNA 1 (TNK2-AS1) in AML is still unclear. The expression of TNK2-AS1 was measured by using RT-qPCR in AML cell lines. The changes in TNK2-AS1 shRNA-transfected HL-60 and THP-1 cell proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation were detected by using CCK-8, EdU, flow cytometry, Western blot and NBT assays. Molecular control of TNK2-AS1 on CUGBP Elav-like family member 2 (CELF2) and ETS domain-containing protein-1 (ELK1) on TNK2-AS1 was assessed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), RT-qPCR, Western blot and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. TNK2-AS1 expression was upregulated in AML cell lines and negatively correlated with survival patients. Knockdown of TNK2-AS1 markedly reduced AML cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis and differentiation. Likewise, TNK2-AS1 knockdown significantly suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, the upregulation of TNK2-AS1 was activated by transcription factor ELK1. Beside, we uncovered that TNK2-AS1 exerted tumor-promoting effect through silencing CELF2 via binding with EZH2, thus activating PI3K/Akt pathway in AML cells. Elevated expression of TNK2-AS1 was induced by ELK1 and facilitated AML progression by suppressing CELF2 expression via EZH2-mediated epigenetic silencing, suggesting TNK2-AS1 may be a promising therapeutic target and prognostic marker for AML patients.
Dynamics of Spatial Epidemic Model with Infected Population Repulsion
Authors: Yan Meng , Zhang Qingshan
Published: August 2021

In this paper, we are concerned with the spatial epidemic model with infected-taxis in which the susceptible individuals could avoid the infected ones. The spatial pattern for the resulted model is investigated under homogeneous Neumann boundary condition. We gain the condition for spatial pattern induced by diffusion term and infected-taxis term. Moreover, we obtain the condition for the occurrence of pattern formations induced by infected-taxis, in which the diffusion-driven Turing instability case is excluded. We give numerical examples to support the theoretical scheme.
Fuzzy logic-based energy management strategy for a novel mechatronics-electro-hydraulic power coupling electric vehicle
Authors: Yang Jian , Zhang Tiezhu , Hong Jichao , Zhang Hongxin , Zhao Qinghai , Meng Zewen
Published: August 2021

In order to solve the troubles of electric peak torque and enhance the energy efficiency of electric vehicles, a novel mechatronics-electro-hydraulic power coupling electric vehicle (MEH-PCEV) with low energy consumption is proposed. The hydraulic system and the motor are integrated into a device to simplify the structure, taking the pure electric vehicle as a reference. Simultaneously, a fuzzy logic-based optimization method is proposed for real-time adjustment of the electric torque based on the original rule control strategy. Compared with the pure electric vehicle, the proposed methods can substantially enhance energy utilization and the recovery efficiency of electric energy. Ultimately, the actual driving cycle is analyzed using data acquisition capacity, with the authentic speed as the input signal. The verification results on real-world vehicles demonstrate the consumption rate of the battery state of charge and the electric torque are improved by 7.32% and reduced by 22.24%, respectively. Moreover, this research is expected to provide a reference for the development and engineering applications of the mechatronics-electro-hydraulic coupling systems.
Response Process of The Winter Soil Moisture of Different Vegetation Types to Rainfall Events in Karst Slope Land
Authors: Yuan Ershuang , zhou qiuwen , Yan weihong , peng dawei , wang yalin
Published: August 2021

Understanding the response process of the soil moisture of different vegetation types to rainfall in karst regions in winter is of great significance to the implementation of various ecological restoration projects. However, at present, the related research is mainly focused on nonwinter seasons, so there is less winter research. Therefore, in this study, in Guanling County, Anshun City, southwestern Guizhou Province, four types of vegetation, grassland, arable land, shrubland, and forestland, were selected as sample plots, and the degree、time and speed responses of the soil moisture of the vegetation types to rainfall were calculated using the time series data of the soil moisture of different vegetation types. The results showed that among the four kinds of vegetation in karst regions in winter, the response degree of the grassland soil moisture to rainfall was largest, response duration was longest, and response speed was fastest. Also, the increment of the soil moisture in the adjacent arable land soil layers significantly changed. In addition, in light rain events, only the soil moisture of the grassland and arable land responded. Overall, in this study, quantitative indices were used to illustrate the response process of soil moisture to rainfall for different vegetation types under the humid climate type of the mid-subtropical zone in pure limestone slope lands, thus enriching relevant knowledge systems and providing more scientific bases for the implementation of ecological restoration projects in karst areas.
Diet Induces the Difference of Gut Fungal Communities between Anser erythropus Wintering at Shengjin and Caizi Lakes, China
Authors: Liu Gang , Gong Zhizhong , Feng Jiahui , Xu Na
Published: August 2021

The gut microbiota play major roles in host nutrition and metabolism, and even potential to cause serious disease for animals and human, however, the knowledge of waterbirds’ gut fungal communities are quite limited at present. In this paper, the gut fungal communities and infer the potential pathogens isolated from the feces of Anser erythropus wintering at Shengjin Lake (SJ) and Caizi Lake (CZ) were investigated based on ITS gene region by using high-throughput sequencing. 1,302,562 valid tags corresponding to 2,102 OTUs were retained from 20 fecal samples, including 10 samples per lake. The OTUs from SJ geese represented seven phyla and 27 classes, seven phyla and 28 classes were identified from CZ samples. Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Zygomycota and Rozellomycota were the dominant gut fungal phyla in this study, accounted for 61.60%, 35.60%, 1.84%, and 0.30% of the OTUs, respectively. The alpha diversity indices showed significantly different between the geese from SJ and CZ. The Anser erythropus mainly ate Poaceae spp. at SJ, while Carex spp. component was identified at CZ, suggesting that the variations in fungal community between the two lake geese might be induced by different diets. We also observed a fungal pattern with a higher number of significant correlations to bacterial genus, and Ceratobasidium, Tomentella, Paurocotylis, Tuber, Podospora and Mortierella were core fungal genus in the two lake geese. Nine potential pathogenic species were identified in the guts across all samples of Anser erythropus at SJ and CZ, it also showed the relative abundance of potential pathogen was significantly higher from SJ samples than that from CZ samples. These findings expanded our knowledge on the gut fungi for waterbirds, indicating the fungi are highly sensitive to diet at two lakes and should pay more attention to the potential pathogenic species of Anser erythropus.
Design and Self-Consistent Schrodinger-Poisson Model Simulation of Ultra-Thin Si-Channel Nanowire FET
Authors: Verma Chhaya , Singh Jeetendra
Published: August 2021

Since at the regime of nanometer, the quantum confinement effects are observed and the wave nature of electrons is more dominant. Therefore, the classical approach of current formulation in mesoelectonics and nanoelectronics results in inaccuracy as it does not consider the quantum effect, which is only applicable for the bulk electronic device. For accurate modeling and simulation of nanoelectronics, device atomic-level quantum mechanical models are required. In this work, an ultra-thin (3 nm diameter) Silicon- channel Cylindrical Nanowire FET (CNWFET) is designed and simulated by invoking non-equilibrium green function (NEGF) formalism and self-consistent Schrodinger-Poisson’s equation model. Then impact variation of temperature, oxide thickness, and metal work function variation in the proposed NWFET is investigated to analyze the distinct performance parameters of the device e.g. threshold voltage (Vth) drain induced barrier lowering (DIBL), sub-threshold swing (SS), and ION/IOFF ratio. The designed device exhibits reliable results and shows a SS of 57.8 mV/decade and ION to IOFF ratio of order 109 at room temperature.
Impact of the Staffing Structure of Intensive Care Units and High Care Units on In-Hospital Mortality Among Patients with Sepsis: A Retrospective Analysis of Japanese Nationwide Claims Data
Authors: Nishimoto Kota , Umegaki Takeshi , Kamibayashi Takahiko
Published: August 2021

Background: Critical care in Japan is provided in intensive care units (ICUs) and high care units (HCUs), which are categorized based on their fulfillment of different staffing criteria. Under Japan’s medical fee reimbursement system, units with higher staffing levels are eligible to receive higher reimbursements. However, the different staffing structure of these units may affect the quality of care and patient outcomes. This study aimed to analyze the impact of ICU/HCU staffing structure on in-hospital mortality among septic patients in Japan’s acute care hospitals using a nationwide claims database.Methods: We conducted a large-scale multicenter retrospective cohort study of adult septic patients (aged ≥18 years) who received critical care in acute care hospitals throughout Japan between April 2018 and March 2019. Patients were categorized into three groups according to the type of unit in which they received critical care: Type 1 ICUs (fulfilling stringent staffing criteria such as experienced intensivists and high nurse-to-patient ratios), Type 2 ICUs (fulfilling less stringent criteria), and HCUs (fulfilling the least stringent criteria). A Cox proportional hazards regression model was constructed with in-hospital mortality as the dependent variable and the ICU/HCU groups as the main independent variable of interest. Other covariates included age, emergency or non-emergency admission, major diagnostic categories, mechanical ventilation, noninvasive positive airway pressure ventilation, oxygen therapy, and renal replacement therapy.Results: We analyzed 2411 patients (178 hospitals) in the Type 1 ICU group, 3653 patients (422 hospitals) in the Type 2 ICU group, and 4904 patients (521 hospitals) in the HCU group. When compared with the HCU group, the adjusted hazard ratios for in-hospital mortality were 0.74 (95% confidence interval: 0.71–0.77; P<0.001) for the Type 1 ICU group and 0.83 (0.80–0.85; P<0.001) for the Type 2 ICU group. Emergency hospital admission had the highest hazard ratio for in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio: 4.78; P<0.001).Conclusions: ICUs that fulfill more stringent staffing criteria were associated with lower in-hospital mortality in septic patients than HCUs after adjusting for confounders. Optimizing the staffing structure of these units may contribute to the improvement of patient outcomes.
Complete Terahertz Polarization Control With Broadened Bandwidth via Dielectric Metasurfaces
Authors: Wang Dacheng , Sun Song , Feng Zheng , Tan Wei
Published: August 2021

We demonstrate terahertz dielectric metasurfaces with anisotropic multipoles within the framework of the generalized Huygens principle, in which the interference among these multipoles achieves giant phase shift with broadened bandwidth and high transmission coefficients. More importantly, owing to the anisotropic design, various phase delays between π/2 and 3π/2 are obtained, which convert the incident linearly polarized terahertz wave into right/left-handed circularly polarized light, elliptically polarized light and cross polarized light. Both simulation and experimental results verify complete terahertz polarization control with the ellipticity ranging from 1 to -1, which paves a way for polarization–related applications of terahertz meta-devices.
The Acceptability of Integrated Healthcare Services for HIV and Non-Communicable Diseases: Experiences from Patients and Healthcare Workers in Tanzania
Authors: Shayo Elizabeth H , Kivuyo Sokoine , Seeley Janet , Bukenya Dominic , Karoli Peter , Mfinanga Sayoki Godfrey , Jaffar Shabbar , Hout Marie-Claire
Published: August 2021

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has risen sharply alongside a continuing high burden of communicable diseases. An integrated approach to HIV and NCD care offers the potential to strengthen disease control programmes. We used qualitative methods to explore patient and care provider experiences and perspectives on the acceptability of integrated care for HIV-infection, diabetes, and hypertension in Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in selected health facilities in Dar-es-Salaam and Coastal regions which had started to provide integrated care and management for HIV, diabetes, and hypertension (i.e., from a single clinic for patients with one or more of these conditions). In-depth interviews were conducted with care providers and patients at three time points: at enrolment (i.e., just prior to the patient receiving integrated care), at mid-line and at study end 8-10 months later. A minimum of 12 care providers and 16 patients were sampled for each time point. Observation was also carried out in the respective clinics at pre- and mid-line phase. The Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA) underpinned the structure and interpretation of the findings using five constructs: Affective attitude, Self-efficacy, Perceived effectiveness, Ethicality, and Intervention coherence.Results: Patients and care providers revealed a positive attitude towards the integrated care delivery model at the mid-line and at study end time points. High acceptability was related to increased exposure to service integration in terms of satisfaction with the clinic setup, seating arrangements and medical care services provided. Satisfaction also centred on the patients’ freedom to move from one service point to another, and to discuss the services and their own health status amongst themselves. Adherence to medication and scheduling of clinic appointments appeared central to the patient-provider relationship as an aspect in the provision of quality services. Stakeholders reported benefits of integration which included multi-condition health education, patient time and cost saving, and the care team ability to detect undiagnosed disease conditions due to enhanced opportunity and ability to screen patients. Conclusion: The study reveals a continued high level of acceptability of the integrated care model among both patients and care providers. Further studies on integrated care are warranted in different settings to generate greater scientific evidence to inform health and health systems policy and practice.
Study on Time Characteristics of Coupling Discharge in Pulsed Laser Induced Double-TIG Welding
Authors: Xu Xinkun , Yang Huanyu , Liu Liming
Published: August 2021

Based on the dynamic behavior of laser keyhole, the time characteristics of coupling discharge of heat source in pulsed laser induced double-TIG welding (LIDTW) are studied. The behaviors of arc plasma and laser keyhole were directly observed by high-speed camera and auxiliary illumination source. The physical characteristics of arc plasma were analyzed by spectrometer and arc quality analyzer. A physical model is established to reveal the regulation mechanism of time characteristics of coupling discharge. It is found that after laser pulse action the coupling discharge between keyhole plasma and double-arc plasma does not end immediately, and its time depends on the existence time of keyhole. During hybrid welding, when the combined force of arc pressure and Marangoni force can overcome the gravity, the liquid metal is forced out of the keyhole and the keyhole remains open. Improving the electron density of arc plasma and arc voltage and reducing the diameter of arc conductive channel by selecting appropriate parameters to is the key to prolong the existence time of keyhole, which is beneficial to improve the welding penetration. The coupling enhancement of double-arc electromagnetic field in LIDTW can effectively suppress keyhole backfill and increase the duty ratio of coupling discharge. When the total current intensity is 200 A, compared with laser induced single-TIG welding (LISTW), the existence time of keyhole in LIDTW increases by 77 %, the duty ratio of coupling discharge increases by 12 %, and the weld penetration increases by 29.2 %.