bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding the stakeholders’ perspectives on professionalism in healthcare: a cross-cultural analysis
Authors: Khan Junaid Sarfraz , Strivens Janet
Published: September 2022

Background: The growing ability of healthcare systems to diagnose and treat diseases, together with changes in financing and healthcare delivery standards, have pointed out many ethical and professional issues for physicians. The training of devoted professionals with specialized skills is needed for the development of modern medicine and technology.
The objective of the study: To identify the perception of stakeholders (doctors, nurses, students, administrators, and policymakers) in Punjab, Pakistan, and compare their perceptions available in the international literature regarding professionalism in the healthcare sector
Methodology: The study design was qualitative. 530 individuals took part in thirty-eight focus group discussions, with 8-15 participants in each group, in various settings across the province of Punjab. Thematic analysis was undertaken of the transcribed data. The findings were compared with the evidence made available from a scoping review of the literature. The following three questions guided the research:
1. What are the perceptions of doctors, nurses, students, administrators, and policymakers in Punjab, Pakistan, regarding medical professionalism?
2. How does this sense-making of medical professionalism amongst stakeholders in Punjab, Pakistan, compare with the evidence available in the international literature regarding sense-making by stakeholders in other regions of the world?
3. How do the perceptions and understanding of medical professionalism differ amongst various stakeholders within the healthcare delivery system of Punjab, Pakistan?
Results: Four distinct superordinate themes were identified: VALUES-DRIVEN, ADEPT, POTENT LEADER and SUPPORTED. There were greater variations in findings from amongst the stakeholder groups at the subordinate themes and further lower levels of thematic analysis. Conclusion: understanding of medical professionalism varies among stakeholders and depends on context, culture, environment, and many other factors identified in this research
A comparative study of hemolytic and cytotoxic perspectives of saponin from some Egyptian sea cucumber species
Authors: Kandeil Manar A. , Atlam Aalaa A. I.
Published: September 2022

Background
There are intense efforts from pharmaceutical manufacturers to discover novel approaches to find new drug candidates for cancer treatment. Sea cucumber is widely consumed in traditional medicine. Its anticancer potential is associated with the content of a bioactive compound known as saponin. The ultimate goal of this paper is to compare the hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity of six Egyptian sea cucumber extracts. The crude saponins were extracted from the body wall using ethanol. The hemolytic assay confirmed the presence of saponins. The cytotoxicity of extract from Actinopyga mauritiana, Bohadschia marmorata, Holothuria atra, H. leucospilota, H. edulis, and H. polii, was examined by two methods: (i) lethality assay in brine shrimp (Artemia salina) (BSA), and (ii) tetrazolium dye-based colorimetric (MTT) assay in human cancer cell lines such as colorectal carcinoma (HCT-116), epitheliod carcinoma (Hela), epidermoid carcinoma (HEP2), and human prostate cancer (PC3)).
Results
Hemolytic activity was observed in H. atra, H. edulis, B. marmorata, and A. mauritiana, while H. polii and H. leucospilota showed no hemolytic activity. The data in the BSA bioassay showed high and moderate cytotoxic activity of the body wall ethanolic extract. The more effective extracts were H. atra and B. marmorata based on cell lines. The average IC50 of H. atra extract against Hela, HeP2, HCT-116, and PC3 cells were 9.14 ± 0.8, 10.39 ± 0.9, 11.43 ± 1, 17.90 ± 1.5 µg/ml, respectively.
Conclusions
The data confirmed that Egyptian sea cucumber species are an exciting source for discovering anticancer novel drugs.
Sequences behavior and applications
Authors: Drissi Driss
Published: September 2022

Let j be a fixed integer. Let {xn} be a sequence of complex numbers and let Δxj = xj+1−xj. Let 0 < α < 1, first, it is shown that (a) |xn| = O(eϵnα), as n → ∞ for all ϵ > 0, and (b) |Δnxj |1/n → 0 as n → ∞, if and only if there exists a positive constant R such that ∥Δnxj∥ ≤ Rnnn(1− 1/α). Second, we present an extended version of our result [3], where the condition on the growth of the sequence is replaced by the same condition on the Cesàro means Mn(xn) and retaining the conclusion. Applications to the orbits of operators are given. This helps to elucidate and improve former results of Mbekhta-Zemánek, Atzmon and others.
Simulating Chern insulators on a superconducting quantum processor
Authors: Fan Heng , Xiang Zhongcheng , Huang Kaixuan , Zhang Yu-Ran , Liu Tao , Shi Yun-Hao , Deng Cheng-Lin , Liu Tong , Li Hao , Liang Gui-Han , Mei Zheng-Yang , Yu Haifeng , Xue Guangming , Tian Ye , Song Xiaohui , Liu Zhi-Bo , Xu Kai , Zheng Dongning , Nori Franco
Published: September 2022

The quantum Hall effect, fundamental in modern condensed matter physics, continuously inspires new theories and predicts emergent phases of matter. Analysing Chern insulators, a lattice version of the quantum Hall effect without external magnetic field, by testing the bulk-edge correspondence remains challenging on quantum simulation platforms. Here we experimentally demonstrate three types of Chern insulators with synthetic dimensions on a programable 30-qubit-ladder superconducting processor. Using a dynamic spectroscopic technique, we directly measure the band structures of the 2D Chern insulator along synthetic dimensions with various configurations of Aubry-André-Harper chains. By monitoring the quantum walks of an excitation initialised at the edge qubit, we observe dynamical localisation of the topologically protected chiral edge states. With these two signatures of topology, our experiments implement the bulk-edge correspondence in the synthetic 2D Chern insulator. Moreover, we simulate two different bilayer Chern insulators on the ladder-type superconducting processor. With the same periodically modulated on-site potentials for two coupled chains, we observe topologically nontrivial edge states with zero Hall conductivity. When the on-site potentials of two coupled chains have opposite signs, we probe a Chern insulator with higher Chern numbers. Our work shows the potential of using superconducting qubits for investigating different intriguing topological phases of quantum matter.
3D-printing-assisted flexible pressure sensor with concentric circles patterns and high sensitivity for health monitoring
Authors: So Hongyun , Lee Jihun
Published: September 2022

In this study, the flexible pressure sensor is fabricated using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with concentric circles pattern (CCP) through a fused deposition modeling (FDM)-type three-dimensional (3D) printer, and poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) as the active layer. Through layer-by-layer additive manufacturing, the CCP surface is generated from a thin cone model with rough surfaces by the FDM-type 3D printer. A novel compression method is employed to convert the cone shape to planar microstructure over glass transition temperature of polylactic acid (PLA) filament. To endow the CCP surface, PDMS is replicated by compressed PLA with conductivity and the PEDOT: PSS is coated by drop-casting. The size of CCPs are controlled by changing printing layer height (PLH), which is one of the 3D printing parameters. Sensitivity enhances as the PLH increases, and the pressure sensor with 0.16-mm PLH exhibits outstanding sensitivity (160 kPa− 1), corresponding linear pressure range (0-0.577 kPa) with good linearity of (R2 = 0.978), compared to other PLHs. This pressure sensor exhibited stable and repeatable operation under various pressures and durability under 4.7 kPa for 2000 cycles. Finally, various health signal motions such as wrist pulse signals, swallowing, and pronunciation of words were demonstrated as an application. These results support the simple fabrication of high sensitive, flexible pressure sensor for human health monitoring.
COVID-19 pandemic and eating disorders in an Italian group of adolescents: a retrospective study
Authors: Straface Elisabetta , de Jacobis Isabella Tarissi , Capriati Teresa , Pretelli Italo , Grandin Annalisa , Mascolo Cristina , Vona Rosa , Gambardella Lucrezia , Cittadini Camilla , Villani Alberto , Marchili Maria Rosaria
Published: September 2022

Background. Social distancing and quarantine imposed by the authority during the COVID-19 pandemic caused restrictions, which had a negative impact on eating behavior, especially among adolescents. We proposed a retrospective study aimed to identify the main indicators/predictors of eating disorders occurring in this pandemic period.
Methods.In this study, a group of 127 pediatric patients (117 females and 10 males) with eating disorders admitted to the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital of Rome (Italy), in the period between August 2019 and April 2021, was analyzed.
Results. We found that 80.3% of patients were at the onset of eating disorders and that 26% of patients had familiarity for psychotic disorders. Often these patients had comorbidities and alterations in blood parameters such as leukocytopenia, neutropenia, hypovitaminosis and hormonal problems that could affect their future.
Conclusions. Based on this study, we suggest that the therapeutic path of patients with eating disorders should guarantee not only psychological treatment, but also that of comorbidities.
A Wound-Friendly Antibacterial Hyaluronic Acid Dressing with On-Demand Removability for Infected Wound Healing
Authors: Hu Datao , Wen Jinpeng , Zhao Xinxin , Liu Kailai , Zhang Yuchen , Bu Yizhuo , Wang Ke
Published: September 2022

Background
Antibacterial activity and on-demand removability are key characteristics governing the effectiveness of clinic wound dressing. However, the excellent tissue adhesion of new dressings is often overemphasized without a detailed discussion of dressing replacement. Besides, the inherent antibacterial ability of dressings is beneficial for promoting the healing of infected wound. Therefore, we rationally design an injectable antibacterial wound dressing with on-demand removability to accelerate infected wound healing.
Method
We design this wound dressing with a simple and feasible method based on the electrostatic self-assembly of hyaluronic acid and ε-polylysine. We investigated the efficacy of the dressing in terms of its microtopography, rheology, self-healing performance, adhesive ability, antimicrobial, hemostatic, on-demand removal properties, and wound healing promotion through various tests.
Results
The prepared dressing possesses injectability, self-healing ability and antibacterial activity, showing NaCl-triggered on-demand dissolution due to the disruption of electrostatic interactions. When used as dressings for healing full-thickness wounds, it could effectively accelerate wound healing by killing bacteria, downregulating inflammation, promoting collagen deposition, enhancing keratinocyte migration and angiogenesis due to its excellent adhesion ability, favorable hemostatic property, and potent antibacterial performance.
Conclusion
All results indicate this dressing is a simple and practical combined dressing for clinical application. This strategy provides a novel idea for developing on-demand removal dressings with antibacterial and injectable properties.
Informal caregivers’ personal needs – investigating the role of individual differences
Authors: Bidenko Katharina , Bohnet-Joschko Sabine
Published: September 2022

Background: Although understanding informal caregivers’ personal needs is crucial for providing appropriate support, prior research shows shortcomings in this area. The aim of the current study is to investigate individual differences in informal caregivers' perceived personal needs depending on sociodemographic factors and home care situation.
Methods: The study uses a cross-sectional sample of 1,429 informal caregivers in Germany. They were surveyed by a questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of variance and regression analysis was carried out to investigate determinants of caregivers’ perceived personal needs.
Results: Significant differences in caregivers’ personal needs could be found. Women caregivers have a higher need for support in almost all domains than men do. Young caregivers have higher needs for financial and work-related support. Further, unemployed caregivers need more financial security and social contacts, while employed seek help with combining work and care. The informal caregivers' network and the care recipients' health status are other significant determinants of caregivers’ perceived personal needs.
Conclusions: Informal caregivers need different information and support depending on their individual situation. Understanding their specific needs in different situations is of primary importance to provide optimal support and help caregivers to maintain their own health. Policymakers and service providers could consider the current findings to develop services oriented toward caregivers’ personal needs and communicate them to potential users.
Does Environmental Information Disclosure Promote Green Total Factor Energy Efficiency? Evidence from China
Authors: Liu Xing-Yuan , Wen Hong-Xing , Ding Duo-Dong
Published: September 2022

As a nontraditional environmental regulation, environmental information disclosure (EID) can influence the environmental behaviors of economic agents through information transparency, but research on EID and energy efficiency is still incomplete. Therefore, this study investigates the association between EID policies and green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) enhancement in Chinese prefecture-level cities from the perspective of regional resource endowment characteristics. The study uses the generalized multiperiod DID method and 2004–2019 panel data from 282 prefecture-level cities. Based on a quasi-natural experiment involving the new ambient air quality standards (NAAQSs) introduced in 2012, the study finds that the implementation of this EID policy significantly promotes GTFEE improvement in China’s resource-based cities. Furthermore, the driving mechanism and heterogeneous effects are analyzed: 1. both the optimization of industrial structure and green innovation capability strengthen the improvement effect of the NAAQSs on GTFEE; and 2. both the type of industrial base and the initial public monitoring motivation positively influence the improvement effect of the NAAQSs on GTFEE.
Applicability of Vancomycin, Meropenem and Linezolid in capillary microsamples versus dried blood spots: a validation and pilot study suitable for microsampling in critically ill children
Authors: Xiaoyong Xu , Jinglin Wang , Guangfei Wang , Huimin Zhang , Hong Xu , Zhiping Li
Published: September 2022

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of antimicrobials is extremely useful in critically ill patients. However, it’s a burden for neonate or children with small circulating blood volume. In the present study, we aimed to develop and validate a microsampling TDM platform (including dried blood spots (DBS) and capillary microsamples (CMS)) for the simultaneous quantification of vancomycin, meropenem and linezolid. Paired DBS and CMS samples were obtained from ICU to evaluate its clinical application. Estimated plasma concentrations (EPC) were calculated from DBS concentrations. Agreement between methods was evaluated using Deming regression and Bland–Altman difference plots. Results for microsampling methods validation showed excellent reliability and compatible with the analysis of sample matrix and hematocrit range of the studied population. DBS and CMS results for accuracy and precision were within accepted ranges, samples were stable at room temperature for at least 2 days and 10h, respectively. Hematocrit has no impact on CMS, but sightly impact on DBS measurement. The CMS and DBS antibiotics concentrations correlated well (r > 0.98). The ratio of the drug concentration in DBS samples to that in CMS was 1.39 for vancomycin ,1.34 for meropenem and 0.94 for linezolid. EPC calculated from DBS using individual hematocrit presented comparable absolute values for vancomycin (slope:1.06) and meropenem(slope:1.04), being in mean 98%,99% of the measured CMS concentrations, respectively.Conclusion: This study provides a microsampling TDM platform validated for clinical use for a rapid quantification of three antibiotics in a small volume of blood and is suitable for real-time TDM-guided personalization of antimicrobial treatment in critically ill children.
Outcomes of Health Care Services Provided to Egyptian Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Single Centre Experience from a Developing Country
Authors: Elhabashy Safinaz Adel , Elbarbary Nancy Samir , Hassan Ahmed Abdelhameed , Thabet Rasha Adel
Published: September 2022

Background Despite the existence of evidence-based guidelines for the care of children with diabetes, widespread gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice remain. Aim of the work: To evaluate the current health care services provided to patients with type 1 diabetes registered in Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetology Unit (PADU), Children's hospital of Ain-Shams University, in terms of metabolic control and complications encountered. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 672 patients attending PADU. Patients' data was extracted from their records including baseline and follow up examination and investigations. Results Mean age of studied patients is 12.63 ± 3.41 years, mean BMI is 20.11 ± 4.03 (kg/m2) with a median diabetes duration of 5.54 ± 3.07 years. Mean HbA1c of all patients was 8.75 ± 1.94%, with 86.9% of patients having HbA1c > 7%. The mean number of blood glucose monitoring is 2.43 ± 0.64 times/day and mean insulin dose is 1.17 ± 0.27 u/kg/day. Regarding microvascular complications 6.7% had nephropathy ,4.9% had peripheral neuropathy, no retinopathy and 10.85% had hyperlipidemia. Patients with more than 5-year-diabetes duration have significantly higher cholesterol level (167.58 ± 38.02 versus 163.23 ± 35.54 mg/dl), higher LDL (100.23 ± 29.49 versus 95.70 ± 28.11 mg/dl), and lower number of SMBG (2.24 ± 0.66 versus 2.58 ± 0.57 times/day, p < 0.05 for all). Conclusion These results are a testimony of the reality managing diabetes by dynamic teams striving to achieve recommended standards of care for pediatric diabetes in an environment with limited resources.
Predicting and Understanding Human Action Decisions during Skillful Joint-Action using Supervised Machine Learning and Explainable-AI
Authors: Auletta Fabrizia , Kallen Rachel W. , Bernardo Mario di , Richardson Michael
Published: September 2022

This study investigated the utility of supervised machine learning (SML) and explainable artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for modeling and understanding human decision-making during multiagent task performance. Long short-term memory (LSTM) networks were trained to predict the target selection decisions of expert and novice players completing a multiagent herding task. The results revealed that the trained LSTM models could not only accurately predict the target selection decisions of expert and novice players but that these predictions could be made at timescales that preceded a player’s conscious intent. Importantly, the models were also expertise specific, in that models trained to predict the target selection decisions of experts could not accurately predict the target selection decisions of novices (and vice versa). To understand what differentiated expert and novice target selection decisions, we employed the explainable-AI technique, SHapley Additive explanation (SHAP), to identify what informational features (variables) most influenced model predictions. The SHAP analysis revealed that experts were more reliant on information about target direction of heading and the location of co-herders (i.e., other players) compared to novices. The implications and assumptions underlying the use of SML and explainable-AI techniques for investigating and understanding human decision-making are discussed.
Comprehensive Analysis of Cuproptosis-Related lncRNAs in Immune Infiltration and Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Liu Chunhua , Wu Simin , Lai Liying , Liu Jinyu , Guo Zhaofu , Ye Zegen
Published: September 2022

Background
Being among the most common malignancies worldwide, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts now as the fourth primary reason for cancer death. The regulation of cell death is the most crucial step in tumor progression and has become a crucial target for nearly all therapeutic options. Cuproptosis is a lately discovered copper-dependent method of apoptosis regulation. However, its primary function in carcinogenesis is still unclear.
Results
We developed a signature consisted of four cuproptosis-related lncRNAs (AL133243.2, AL031985.3, AL137127.1, and SNHG18). Compared to the low-risk group, the high-risk group exhibited a poorer outcome. The cuproptosis-related lncRNA signature can estimate HCC patients’ fate independently. Tumorigenesis and immunological-related pathways were primarily enhanced in the high-risk group, as determined by GSEA. Immunotherapy and standard chemotherapy medications such as erlotinib and lapatinib were more suitable for low-risk patients, whereas sunitinib, paclitaxel, gemcitabine, and imatinib were more suitable for high-risk patients.
Conclusion
The prognostic signature may forecasting HCC patients’ prognosis and establishes the fundamental function of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs in HCC. Cuproptosis-related lncRNAs may perform an important part in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), making them a promising treatment for HCC patients.
Development of short tandem repeat (STR) and derived cleaved amplified polymorphic (dCAPS) markers for distinguishing species and varieties of the genus Panax in Vietnam
Authors: Dinh Xuan Tu , Mai Xuan Cuong , Nguyen Minh Ly
Published: September 2022

In this study, we developed a protocol for the authentication of P. vietnamensis var. vietnamensis (Ngoc Linh ginseng) by combining two molecular markers: short tandem repeat (STR) and derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (dCAPS). STR markers: Pvm30 and Pvm31 were found in the chloroplast genome of P. vietnamensis var. vietnamensis. These markers were able to accurately identify P. stipuleanatus, P. vietnamensis var. fuscidiscus, and P. ginseng. P. vietnamensis var. vietnamensis and P. vietnamensis var. langbianensishad a high similarity of chloroplast genomic sequence (99.96%) leading to STR markers could not distinguish these two ginseng varieties. Therefore, dCAPS marker: PvmdCAPS was applied to compensate for the defect of the STR markers. From the alignment result of the matK coding sequences of these two varieties, PvmdCAPS primers were designed at the position of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at the 248th nucleotide and had the ability to discriminate between these two Panax varieties. In summary, the combination of STR and dCAPS was used to distinct Panax species in Vietnam, especially P. vietnamensis var. vietnamensis.
An On-demand Photonic Ising Machine with Simplified Hamiltonian Calculation by Phase-encoding and Intensity Detection
Authors: Ouyang Jiayi , Liao Yuxuan , Ma Zhiyao , Kong Deyang , Feng Xue , Zhang Xiang , Dong Xiaowen , Cui Kaiyu , Liu Fang , Zhang Wei , Huang Yidong
Published: September 2022

Photonic Ising machine is a new paradigm of optical computing, which is based on the characteristics of light wave propagation, parallel processing and low loss transmission. Thus, the process of solving the combinatorial optimization problems can be accelerated through photonic/optoelectronic devices. In this work, we have proposed and demonstrated the so-called Phase-Encoding and Intensity Detection Ising Annealer (PEIDIA) to solve arbitrary Ising problems on demand. The PEIDIA is based on the simulated annealing algorithm and requires only one step of optical linear transformation with simplified Hamiltonian calculation. With PEIDIA, the Ising spins are encoded on the phase term of the optical field and only intensity detection is required during the solving process. As a proof of principle, several 20-dimensional Ising problems have been solved with high ground state probability (0.98 within 1000 iterations for the antiferromagnetic cubic model, > 0.99 within 4000 iterations for two random spin-glass models, respectively).
Defining hospital surge capacities and regional breakpoints for mass critical casualties: the national MassCare indicator
Authors: AUBRION Antoine , EID Yassine , Lefevre-Scelles Antoine , Laquievre Antoine , VILLEDIEU Florence , REICHLING Anais , CORBIN Céline , MACREZ Richard , MORELLO Remy , GUITTET Lydia
Published: September 2022

Background
This study proposes a method for a national indicator of mass care capacities in crisis situations (MassCare).
Methods
MassCare was based on national recommendations, expert working groups, national administrative databases.
Results
MassCare corresponds to the number of patients who can be treated immediately and simultaneously by each primary care unit, according to the NATO triage scale. Experts distinguished 3 determinants: (A) primary care unit; (B) adult or child patient, (C) working or nonworking hours. For each, the maximum MassCare (Tmax) can be estimated using national administrative databases for each hospital. Then, several surveys of hospital panels are conducted to determine the available parts of facilities, β1 at time 0 (T0) and β2 at time + 3h (T3):
T0-MassCare-AXBXCX=β1 *Tmax-MassCare-AXBXCX
Thus, the structural capacities at T0 and T3 are estimated for each hospital with the average β observed in the panel. For critical surgical patients, the MassCare indicator is derived from the minimum of surgeons, anesthetists or nurse anesthetists, and operating rooms. For emergency department, the MassCare capacity is 2 severe patients per doctor and 2 nurses. The accessible capacities at one hour of transport from the crisis site define District-MassCare.
Conclusion:MassCare is a new metric method integrated in the National Crisis Guide.
A new distributed earthquake early warning communication protocol based on messaging
Authors: Ismail Fatma , Abdel-Kader Hala Mohamed , Soliman M. Sami , Hossam Aya
Published: September 2022

One of the most dangerous disasters in the world is an earthquake. Earthquake early warning systems should provide reliable warnings as fast as possible with the fewest false and missed warnings. Social networks, distributed networks, and real-time systems have become the most important components of the new computer era, the Internet of Things (IoT). This research presents the existing development status of an earthquake early warning system (EEWS) and proposes an open system communication protocol based on instant messaging via a distributed network for earthquake early warning by using Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) as a lower layer. Approximately all current EEWS use a centralized approach but these systems suffer from a problem of a single point of failure. This proposed system not only reduces the communication time but also make the system more robust and reliable where if one or more node fails, a whole system can still survive and the system is open so it can easily communicate with other systems.
The experience of living alone as an older woman in the UK during the Covid pandemic: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Authors: Forward Cat , Fox Pauline , Khan Hafiz. T. A.
Published: September 2022

Background and Objectives
More people are living alone across the life course: in later life this can have implications for practical and psychosocial support. The Covid pandemic emphasised the importance of this when the UK government restricted movement outside of households to limit the spread of disease. This had important ramifications regarding social contact and practical support. The objectives of this study were to explore the experience of older women living alone during this time, with a focus on health and wellbeing.
Research Design and Methods
This study used an Interpretative Phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with seven women (aged 65+), living alone in the UK. Interviews were carried out between May and October 2020. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the transcripts.
Results
Findings show that life course events shaped how living alone was experienced in later life. Convergences and divergences in lived experience were identified. Three superordinate themes emerged from the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Productivity, Ownership, and Interconnectedness.
Discussion and Implications
Findings highlight the importance of life course events in shaping the experience of later life. They also provide a better understanding of the lived experience of living alone as an older woman, increasing knowledge of this group and how living alone can affect health and wellbeing. Implications for research and practice are discussed, such as the importance of recognising the specific support needs for this group in later life, and the need for further knowledge about groups whose needs are not met by standard practice.
Electricity Generation Scheduling of Thermal- Wind-Solar Energy Systems
Authors: Kaur Gurpreet , Dhillon Jaspreet Singh
Published: September 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Effect of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the Adsorption of Basic Red 12 Dye by Trimellitic Anhydride Isothiocyanate-Cross Linked Chitosan Hydrogel
Authors: Mohamed Nadia A. , Almarshed Mawaheb S. , Al-Harby Nouf F.
Published: September 2022

A chitosan hydrogel cross-linked with the least amount of trimellitic anhydride isothiocyanate (H1) and filled with 0.6 wt% of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs) (H1/SWCNTs) was synthesized. Its structure was proven via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum, X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. The adsorption capacity for Basic red 12 (BR 12) dye onto H1/SWCNTs at pH 7 and 25°C was 14.80 mg g-1 with a percent removal efficiency of 37.66% which were greater by 1.8 times than that obtained onto the parent hydrogel H1 (8.21 mg g-1and 20.90%, respectively). Its sorption capacity slightly enhanced with decreasing adsorption solution pH. The optimum adsorption capacity of 15.62 mg g-1 and the % removal efficiency of 39.76% were observed at pH 10 and 25°C. The adsorption of BR 12 dye by H1/SWCNTs at different temperatures and different dye solutions pH fitted to kinetic models of the pseudo-second order and the intraparticle diffusion. The adsorption isotherm for BR 12 dye by H1/SWCNTs fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model indicating the monolayer nature of adsorption. BR 12 dye adsorption onto H1/SWCNTs is an exothermic process. Thus, inclusion of SWCNTs into the matrices of functionalized chitosan hydrogel H1 improved its features. It is a suitable way to obtain a favorable composite having a highly performance adsorbing characteristic for cationic dyes removal.
Household Catastrophic Health Expenditure for COVID-19 during March-August 2021, in South India: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Rajalakshmi Elumalai , Sasidharan Akhil , Bagepally Bhavani Shankara , Kumar Muthusamy Santhosh , Manickam Ponnaiah , S Selva Vinayagam T , P Sampath , K Parthipan
Published: September 2022

Background
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased the utilisation of healthcare services. Such utilization could lead to higher out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) and catastrophic health expenditures (CHE). We estimated OOPE and the proportion of households that experienced CHE by conducting a cross-sectional survey of 1200 randomly selected COVID-19.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey was conducted by telephonic interviews of 1200 randomly selected COVID-19 patients who tested positive between 1 March and 31 August 2021. We collected household-level information on demographics, income, expenditure, insurance coverage, direct medical and non-medical costs incurred toward COVID-19 management. We estimated the proportion of CHE with a 95% Confidence interval. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association between the number of severe COVID-19 and CHE.
Results
The mean OOPE per household was INR 122,221 (92,744 to 51,698) [US$1,643 (1,247 to 2,040)]. Among households, 61.7% faced OOPE, and 25.8% experienced CHE due to COVID-19. The odds of facing CHE were high among the households; with a family member over 65 years [OR = 2.89 (2.03 to 4.12)], with a comorbid individual [OR = 3.38 (2.41 to 4.75)], in the lowest income quintile [OR = 1.82 (1.12 to 2.95)], any member visited private hospital [OR = 11.85 (7.68 to 18.27)]. The odds of having CHE in a household who have received insurance claims [OR = 5.8 (2.81 to 11.97)] were high. Households having one severe COVID-19 and more than one increased the risk of CHE by four-times [AOR = 4.33 (2.13–8.34)] and five-times [AOR = 5.10 (2.42–10.74)] respectively.
Conclusion
COVID-19 severity increases household OOPE and CHE. Strengthening the public healthcare and health insurance with higher health financing is indispensable for financial risk protection of households with severe COVID-19 from CHE.
Effect of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles on the storability of onion (Allium cepa L.) seeds under ambient condition
Authors: Khan Subhadip , Dayal Abhinav , Thomas Neha , Shukla Pradeep Kumar
Published: September 2022

TiO2nanoparticles are highly stable, ecofriendly in nature, having low cost, act as a photo catalyst also having antimicrobial properties. Considering the effect of TiO2nanoparticles on seeds, a study was conducted during March 2022 to June 2022 at Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, SHUATS, Prayagraj (U.P). In this study onion seeds of variety Nasik Red N-53 were collected to investigate the effect of TiO2nanoparticles on the seedling characters as well as on the biochemical characters under storage in ambient conditions. Onion seeds were treated with different concentration of TiO2nanoparticles (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130 and 140 ppm) along with control and stored in two containers; viz. tin container (C1) and aluminum foil pouch (C2). All the seedling parameters were evaluated every month during storage. The experiment was conducted in factorial CRD with 4 replications. The experimental result showed that the storage containers influenced the seedling characters of onion. Seeds stored in aluminum foil pouch (C2) exhibited highest seedling characters and highest enzymatic activities throughout the storage period and exhibited lowest moisture per cent (8.05%) and lowest electrical conductivity (0.970 dSm− 1) as compared to tin container at the end of 3 months of storage. A significant difference was observed with the seed treatments. Seed treated with TiO2nanoparticles @40ppm (T4) for 2 hours performed better in terms of seedling characters; viz. germination per cent, speed of germination, first count per cent, root length, shoot length, seedling length, fresh weight, dry weight, vigour indices, seed density and enzymatic activities; viz. dehydrogenase activity and catalase activity and recorded lowest moisture per cent (8.04%) and lowest electrical conductivity (0.951 dSm− 1) as compared to control after 3 months of storage. The study concluded that seed treated with TiO2@40 ppm and stored in aluminum foil pouch can be used to expand the storability of onion seeds under ambient condition.
Optimal Causal Access in Geo-Replicated Storage Systems
Authors: Lima Stanley , Araujo Filipe , Guerreiro Miguel de Oliveira , Correia Jaime , Bento Andre , Barbosa Raul
Published: September 2022

We consider a setting where applications, such as websites or games, need causal access to objects available in geo-replicated cloud data stores. Common ways of implementing causal consistency involve hiding objects while waiting for their dependencies or waiting for server replicas to synchronize. To minimize delays and retrieve objects faster, applications may try to reach different server replicas at once. This entails a cost because providers charge for each reading request, including reading misses where the causal copy of the object is unavailable. Therefore, latency and cost are conflicting goals, which we control by selecting where to read and when. We formulate this challenge as a multi-criteria optimization problem and propose five non-dominated reading strategies to solve it, four of which are Pareto optimal. We validate these solutions on the following real cloud storage services: AWS S3, DynamoDB and MongoDB. Savings of as much as 50% on reading costs, with no significant or even a positive impact on latency, demonstrate that both clients and cloud providers could benefit from richer services compatible with these retrieval strategies.
Microearthquakes in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Zone, Mexico: Evidence from Buried Active Faults in Tesistán Valley, Zapopan.
Authors: Quinteros-Cartaya Claudia Beatriz , Solorio-Magaña Guillermo , Núñez-Cornú Francisco Javier , Escalona-Alcázar Felipe , Núñez Diana
Published: September 2022

A temporary seismic network installed in September 2017 in La Primavera Caldera, next to the Guadalajara Metropolitan Zone (GMZ), recorded numerous events, ML ≤ 3.8, corresponding to background seismicity and swarms observed for four months. In this study, we located 188 tectonic microearthquakes from September 2017 to 1st January 2018, mainly in Tesistán Valley, north of GMZ. In addition, we identified 11 clusters of similar events from a spatio-temporal analysis and waveform cross-correlations. The microseismicity array suggests the possibility of synthetic faults; these are NE-SW and N-S oriented faults crossing Tesistán Valley, whose seismogenic depths are close to 10 km. Furthermore, most ML≥ 2.5 events and some clustered events are located in northeastern Tesistán, close to the NNE-SSW fault corresponding to the eastern edge of the Zapopan Graben, a structure evidenced by 2015-2016 seismicity. Moreover, seismicity recorded during 2020 by a recent local seismic network installed in Zapopan reaffirm that frequent microseismicity is related to active faults that cross Zapopan and Guadalajara cities. This seismicity in the northeast boundary of Jalisco Block is closely related to faults formed by Cenozoic deformation events that might be reactivated due to crustal arrangements. Our results demonstrate the existence of continuous seismicity in GMZ that, unfortunately, was not monitored for a more extended period. Active faults and the possibility of synthetic structures is a hypothesis that requires ongoing studies and seismic monitoring and thus contributes to assessing the seismic hazard in the GMZ, which is a crucial factor for urban planning.
Forensic seismologiy for an underwater explosion vis- à-vis the ROKS Cheonan Sinking
Authors: Kim So Gu
Published: September 2022

For a very shallow underwater explosion, spectral analysis is preferable to cepstral analysis to find characteristics of a bubble pulse and reverberation effects. Time-domain analyses show bubble pulses and bubble jets as well as positive polarities of the first P-wave arrivals on the vertical component, and spectral analyses also clearly reveal the bubble pulse and reverberation effects. The ROKS Cheonan sinking was a shallow underwater explosion that occurred near the surface showing a bubble jet characteristic resulting in splitting the ship into two pieces including a bubble pulse. The findings of a bubble jet and a toroidal bubble deformation including a bubble pulse are highlighted in this study. The ROKS Cheonan sinking took place off the Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea of the Korean Peninsula at a depth of about 8 m in the sea depth of 44 m on March 26, 2010. The explosive charge weight was estimated at 136 kg TNT using the seismological analyses and boundary element method. The 136 kg TNT is equivalent to one of the abandoned land control mines (LCM) that were deployed near the Northern Limited Lines (NLL) in the Yellow Sea by the South Korean Navy in the late 1970s.
Epidemiologic Survey Around Dog Bites, Plateau State, Central Nigeria
Authors: LE LOGYANG , MP OLABODE , HALIRU H , UA RAYANNU , MB Mohammad Bolajoko
Published: September 2022

Rabies is a zoonotic viral fatal disease of warm-blooded animals and occurs due to the bites of animals like dogs, cats, hyenas, jackals against their victims. Rabies remains threat to more than half of the world’s population, killing more than 59,000 people yearly mostly in Asia and Africa whilst most of the victims are children. Domestic dogs are responsible for causing over 99% of all human cases. Rabies can be transmitted through biting, scratching wounds, licking of broken skin and mucous membrane from rabid animal saliva to humans and other animals. In this study, ten farmers were randomly chosen and participated from the list of willing farmers from 5 local government areas LGAs, making a total of 50 farmers from the Berom, Tarok and Fulani communities in Plateau state. The population of those farmers who had no form of education combine with those who had least form of education 29(58%) are higher than those who attended secondary and tertiary 21(42%). 36(72%) revealed that ruminants have been the major victim of dog bites cases in the various communities and only 8(16%) said dogs are the most victims. 25(50%) of the respondents says animal can survive and live a normal life after bitten by a dog and 40(80%) believe that human can survive and live a normal life after bitten by a dog. Only 25(50%) of the respondents take their human victims of dog bites to the hospital for proper medical attention; 13(52%) of them had no idea on what to do with their human victims to dog bites before visits to the hospital, 5(20%) wash and dress the wounds of dog bites only and 6(28%) of the respondents’ resorts to using traditional methods of caring to dog bites wounds before hospital visits. In conclusion, this present study revealed that dog bite is an indiscriminate public health menace in both humans and animals, with ruminants being the most affected. Majority of the farmers had no idea on what to do with the wounds of dog bite on humans and their animals and this require for more public enlightenment/awareness about the fatality of the disease, its transmission and how the virus persists amongst human and animal populations. The dangers and risks, dog bites pose to the public health in any given community must be clearly explained to the public across all communities in the state and the whole country.
A Novel Deep Encrypted Network Traffic Discriminator in Software Defined Network (SDN)
Authors: Mohammadi Negin , Shirmarz Alireza
Published: September 2022

Nowadays, Internet users are rising and need to be supplied with an adoptable quality of service (QoS). Network traffic classification is one of the essential functions that can lead the internet service provider (ISP) to provide required network resources rationally. In facing new flows, the network traffic classification accuracy improvement can play a critical role in network performance, QoS, and security improvement. In this paper, we propose a novel classification model, including (1) a deep autoencoder and (2) a classifier to improve the network traffic classification accuracy in facing new network flows. The deep autoencoder is designed and evaluated in this article with the mean square error (MSE) metric. The proposed deep autoencoder has advanced the model to extract the effective features from the training set more accurately than other methods like the manual method or shallow neural network model. Three distinct classifiers are considered to be added to the deep autoencoder and make it more accurate. The transfer learning is used to add the distinct classifiers, namely logistic regression, random forest, decision tree, and Support Vector Machine (SVM), as a layer to the proposed model. The proposed deep classification model is evaluated with accuracy and f-score measures. The simulation results show that the proposed model has more accuracy and f-score than Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The UNB ISCX VPN-nonVPN dataset is used for training and testing the model. Software Defined Network (SDN) architecture is used for the proposed model to be deployed because this architecture has made the network more programmable and flexible than the traditional closed networks.
Gender Representations in Biology Textbooks for Secondary Schools in China
Authors: Yang Daihu , Zhou Minghui
Published: September 2022

The gender gap, which is thought to mediate students’ future career trajectory, remains an issue in science education communities over the past decades. Although many factors can contribute to the gender gap in science, textbooks are one of important factors considering their empowering role in shaping students’ attitudes toward gender and projecting their own gender roles in science. How gender is represented in visual matters in biological science textbooks is rarely charted. This study intended to explore the extent to which the illustrations in six biological science textbooks for secondary schools advocate an egalitarian gender ideology by mapping the ratio of female-to-male and enquiring how males and females were rendered through the three dimensions of representational, compositional and interactive meaning of social semiotic theory. The findings reveal that the textbooks appear to be gender neutral at face value since the social semiotic analysis of the individuals in the illustrations suggests that males and females are portrayed impartially. However, the textbooks persist in a sexist ideology through the way in which the quantitative inequality of the two sexes, successful role models and research activities as well as the subtle and nuanced strategies employed by the textbooks to downplay successful female role models and to portray women in more assistant and subordinate roles in professional activities. The gendered message delivered in the textbooks has the potential to disempower female students’ career aspiration and influence their perceptions of their roles in science in relation to their gender.
Menstrual cycle brain plasticity: Ultra-high field 7T MRI reveals changes in human medial temporal lobe volume in female adults
Authors: Zsido Rachel , Williams Angharad , Barth Claudia , Serio Bianca , Kurth Luisa , Beyer Frauke , Witte A. Veronica , Villringer Arno , Sacher Julia
Published: September 2022

Fluctuations in ovarian hormones influence the risk of depression and Alzheimer's disease, which is twice as high in females. How ovarian hormones affect brain structural plasticity in regions involved in memory and affective cognition, however, remains unclear. Detailed menstrual cycle phenotyping in health may therefore allow for differentiating early processes of cognitive decline from normal aging and offer insights into mechanisms contributing to dementia and depression. We performed longitudinal mapping of medial temporal lobe subregion morphology at 6 timepoints across the menstrual cycle in vivo using a dense-sampling protocol, ultra-high field neuroimaging and individually-derived segmentation analysis in 27 healthy participants (19-34 years). We found positive associations between estradiol and parahippocampal cortex volume, progesterone and subiculum and perirhinal Area 35 volumes, and an estradiol*progesterone interaction with CA1 volume. We confirmed volumetric changes were not driven by hormone-related water or blood-flow changes. We provide open access to the data and analytical pipeline. This resource provides a blueprint for examining shared dynamics of the brain and ovarian function to develop sex-specific strategies for identifying and treating brain disorders that affect memory and cognition.