bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Testing the knowledge of Alzheimer's disease via an intervention study among community health service center staff in Jiaxing, China
Authors: Ma Weiwei , Zhu Liping , Tang Jiangang , Diao Wanli , Qian Liqi , Feng Xiaoyang , Zhang Xiaoling
Published: January 2023

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the knowledge status of Alzheimer's disease (AD) among community health service center (CHSC) staff in Jiaxing, China, and to compare the effects of online with offline training.

Methods

A total of 763 people from 12 community health service centers were investigated using a self-created general situation questionnaire and the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). Among the participants, 261 people who were willing to receive training were randomly divided into two groups according to the institution in which they worked to receive online or offline training, respectively.

Results

The average ADKS score was 19.77, and the awareness rate was 65.92%; the results for every field were as follows: treatment and management (81.32%); life impact (77.76%); disease course (75.23%); assessment and diagnosis (68.94%); risk factors (65.05%); symptoms (57.90%); caregiving (44.06%). Education and profession had impacts on the total ADKS scores (P < 0.05). A total of 261 people participated in the training, and there were significant differences in ADKS scores before and after training (P < 0.05). Before the training, there was no significant difference in ADKS score between the two groups; after the training, either (P > 0.05). There were significant differences in the ADKS scores after training in both groups (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Community health service center staff in Jiaxing had limited knowledge of AD, particularly in the “symptom” and “caregiving” dimensions. One instance of training on AD-related knowledge to some degree helped to improve this but still fell short of meeting the national requirements. No significant differences were found between offline and online training effects.
Factors influencing seniors' willingness to pay intention for exercise in the civil sports and recreation centers
Authors: Fang Chin-Yi , Chen Po-Yu , Liao Yung
Published: January 2023

Background

The increasing trend for an older population is a phenomenon that is well recognized around the world. The percentage of senior citizens participating in sports, recreation, and leisure activities is also increasing in order to sustain a healthier society. As long as seniors recognize the importance and benefits of keeping healthy, they would prefer to be active in various sports and fitness activities. The seniors could engage in making decisions about their own health by exercising regularly and by encouraging their similar-age peers. The civil sports and recreation centers (CSRCs) in Taiwan have adopted operating transfer (OT) and are located mainly in metropolitan areas, with programs consisting of indoor sports offering people daily exercise. The major aims of the CSRC are to keep the citizens in good health and not to be the city government's financial burden. The extant literature examines the determinants of general consumer behavior, neglecting studies on older adults. This study aims to explore the factors influencing seniors' willingness to pay (WTP) more for exercise in CSRCs outside of free hours.

Methods

This mixed-method study consists of quantitative and qualitative analyses. For the quantitative component, we invited five experts in the sports industry from the industry and academia to evaluate the validity of the questionnaire. A questionnaire consisting of motivation, exercise involvement, and constraint constructs in the quantitative method was administered to 193 older adults in CSRCs. The collected data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and structural equation model (SEM).

Results

Empirical results indicate that WTP in groups of people aged 75–79, 70–74, and 65–69 years is higher than in the group of people aged 85 years and above. Exercise involvement and motivation had more of a positive impact on seniors' WTP.

Discussions

Developing a regular exercise habits and having social interaction in exercise courses drive female seniors to pay more for body health. The results of this study provide managers of CSRCs with decision-making recommendations: (1) initiate entry-level sports courses, such as quick chair exercise, to cultivate among seniors the habit of exercise; (2) motivate seniors to participate in sports with other seniors in order to enhance their social activity and raise their WTP more for sports consumption outside of free scheduled periods; and (3) recruit seniors as exercise coaches or personal trainers to pass their experiences with other people of their age. In addition to expanding seniors' social connections, it encourages peers to exercise. Managerial implications and future research are also discussed.

Conclusion

This study contributes to exploring the determinants of seniors' WTP intention. Motivation and exercise involvement had a significantly positive impact on seniors' WTP intention.
Comparison of the use of prenatal care services and the risk of preterm birth between pregnant women with disabilities and those without disabilities: A nationwide cohort study
Authors: Tang Meng-Bin , Kung Pei-Tseng , Chiu Li-Ting , Tsai Wen-Chen
Published: January 2023

Objective

The difficulties faced by pregnant women with disabilities in accessing health care may make them less likely to receive prenatal care. The aims of this study were to compare the number of prenatal services and the risk of preterm birth between pregnant women with and without disabilities.

Methods

A total of 2999 pregnant women aged ≥20 years with birth records in 2011–2014 in Taiwan were enrolled. Data were obtained from the Registration File for Physical and Mental Disabilities and the National Health Insurance Research Database. A 1:4 matching between pregnant women with disabilities and those without disabilities was performed. The logistic regression analysis with generalized estimating equations was used to analyze.

Results

The median of prenatal care services used by pregnant women with disabilities was 9.00 (interquartile range, IQR: 2.00). Pregnant women with disabilities used fewer services than those without disabilities (median, 10.00; IQR: 1.00). The disabled group (8.44%) had a significantly higher proportion of preterm births than did the non-disabled group (5.40%). The disabled group was at a 1.30 times higher risk of preterm births than was the non-disabled group.

Conclusions

Pregnant women with disabilities used significantly fewer prenatal care services and had a significantly higher risk of preterm birth than pregnant women without disabilities.
Current state of female pediatric urologists at Societies for Pediatric Urology fellowship accredited programs
Authors: Armon Natalie , Thompson Nora , DaJusta Daniel , Fuchs Molly , Ching Christina B.
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Gender inequities in medicine exist. Urology is a male dominated surgical specialty, with recent census data showing females represent only 10.9% of the workforce. We aimed to characterize the composition of female pediatric urologists across the Societies for Pediatric Urology (SPU) pediatric urology fellowship accredited programs, with particular attention to academic promotion and leadership positions.

Methods

In January 2023, we reviewed the official websites of the 27 pediatric urology programs listed on the SPU website as fellowship accredited programs. We identified pediatric urology surgery attendings, their gender, academic title, and if they were named a director of an internal program or had a hospital leadership position. We identified the program chief and fellow/resident program director. This data was associated with years in practice.

Results

Females represented 27.4% of pediatric urology surgical attendings. Four programs (14.8%) had no female attendings. Female staff were in practice a median shorter time than that of males (6 vs. 16 years, p<0.0001). A significantly higher proportion of females were assistant professors (62.2 vs. 35.2%; p=0.0041) while a significantly higher proportion of men were professors (37.0 vs. 18.9%; p=0.0421). Only one program (3.7%) had a female department/division chief. There was no difference between genders regarding being named a director of a program and/or having an identified hospital position of leadership. Female professors had been in practice a significantly shorter time than male professors (p=0.0003); women with an internal or hospital leadership position had also been in practice a significantly shorter time than males (p<0.001).

Conclusions

Females are represented more in SPU pediatric urology fellowship accredited programs than the overall urology workforce. Fewer female attendings are professors compared to male attendings; however, differences in promotion could be impacted by female attendings being earlier in their career. Hopefully with time, we will see more equal representation amongst genders in pediatric urology programs overall, but especially where we are training the next generation.
Promoting agri-food systems resilience through ICT in developing countries amid COVID-19
Authors: Alam GM Monirul , Khatun Most Nilufa , Sarker Md Nazirul Islam , Joshi Niraj Prakash , Bhandari Humnath
Published: January 2023

An increasing body of literature has demonstrated COVID-19's harmful impact on agri-food systems, which are a major source of livelihood for millions of people worldwide. Information and communication technology (ICT) has been playing an increasing role in enhancing agri-food systems' resilience amid COVID-19. In this study, the PRISMA approach was employed to perform a systematic review of the literature from January 2020 to December 2021 on the overall impact of COVID-19 on agri-food system networks and ICT's role in enhancing agri-food system resilience in developing countries. This study reveals that COVID-19 has posed abundant obstacles to agri-food systems actors, including a lack of inputs, technical support, challenges to selling the product, transportation barriers, and low pricing. These impediments result in insufficient output, unforeseen stock, and revenue loss. COVID-19's restrictions have caused a significant food deficit by disrupting the demand and supply sides of the agri-food system networks. A high number of small-scale farmers have had to deal with food insecurity. As a result of the cumulative effects, actors in the agri-food system are getting less motivated to continue producing. This study also argues that many challenges in the agri-food systems can be overcome using ICTs, including maintaining precise farm management, product marketing, and access to production inputs. To assist stakeholders in coping with, adapting to, and building resilience in the agri-food system networks, this article emphasizes the critical need to turn to and expand the application of advanced agricultural ICTs to meet the world's growing needs for food production and to ensure the resilience and sustainability of farming systems, particularly in the face of a pandemic like COVID-19.
Multitrait Pseudomonas sp. isolated from the rhizosphere of Bergenia ciliata acts as a growth-promoting bioinoculant for plants
Authors: Thakur Rahul , Srivastava Sudhakar , Yadav Saurabh
Published: January 2023

Multifunctional plant growth-promoting bioinoculants are used to enhance growth, harvest yields, and add economic value to agricultural crops. In this study, such bioinoculant, BC-II-20 (Pseudomonas sp.), was isolated from the rhizospheric soil of a medicinal plant Bergenia ciliata from the Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India. After characterization, supplementation with Pseudomonas sp. was used to study growth stimulation in a commercially important medicinal plant, Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegh), and it depicted enhanced physiological growth parameters under controlled conditions. Bacterial seed priming and also supplementation led to early and increased germination and plants displayed better vegetative growth during the entire growth stages. Early initiation of flowers and the appearance of pods occurred in inoculated plants, ultimately leading to the reduction in the life cycle of the plant. At the time of harvesting, there was an increase in the physiological parameters such as shoot length (38%), root length (14%), fresh weight (57%), dry weight (60%), number of panicles, and root branching. Photosynthetic efficiency was also higher, and ultimately, overall plant growth was improved by bacterial inoculation. The eco-friendly and sustainable use of this bioinoculant will provide an alternative to harmful chemical fertilizers and has become increasingly important. In conclusion, we reported a promising bioinoculant having plant growth-promoting traits, which promotes growth and development in A. paniculata and may be applied to other plants also.
Armature Structure Optimization of Annular Multipole Solenoid Valves Based on Electromagnetic Force Distribution
Authors: Fan Yu , Wang Haonan , Xie Liangtao , Hu Nao , Yang Jianguo
Published: January 2023

To improve the dynamic response speed of high-speed solenoid valves in electric fuel injection systems of marine diesel engines, a numerical simulation model of the solenoid valve is described in this paper. The accuracy of the simulation model was verified on the test bed of the solenoid valve. The effect of the punch position and the size of the dynamic response of the solenoid valve were investigated by using the distribution law of the electromagnetic force in the armature. The results of the test showed that armature drilling in the inter-yoke zone can optimize the solenoid closing response time, but it has little impact on the solenoid opening response time. From this rule, two groove schemes were further designed. Through comparison and calculation, it can be concluded that the fan groove scheme is better than the trapezoidal groove scheme, and that the opening and closing response times of the solenoid valve should be targeted in order to multi-target optimize the fan groove geometric parameters and the armature thickness. The results show that after optimization, the weight of the motion part is reduced by 21.6%, the opening response time of the solenoid valve is reduced by 11.1%, and the closing response time is reduced by 30.0%. While reducing the oil film damping of the armature motion, the overall dynamic response characteristics of the solenoid valve are improved.
Effectiveness of Digital Health Tools to Prevent Bullying among Middle School Students
Authors: Williams Christopher , Griffin Kenneth , Botvin Caroline , Sousa Sandra , Botvin Gilbert
Published: January 2023

Bullying is a widespread public health problem with significant behavioral and mental health consequences. The current study tested the effectiveness of combining interactive digital material for students, educators, and parents with class sessions to prevent bullying among middle school students. Fourteen middle schools were randomly assigned to intervention and comparison conditions. Both conditions received a classroom-based drug and violence prevention program that taught social skills, self-management skills, and social resistance skills. The intervention condition included class material on bullying and an educational video game for students that reinforced the classroom program; it also included digital material on bullying for parents and school staff. All students completed online pre- and post-test surveys to assess bullying-related behavior, knowledge, and life skills. Results indicated that students in the intervention schools reported significantly less bullying and cyberbullying perpetration and increased life skills knowledge relative to comparison schools. This study provides evidence that a school-based drug abuse and violence prevention program, when enhanced with a set of digital tools for students, parents, and school staff, holds considerable potential for addressing bullying among middle school adolescents.
Searching for Novel Oat Crown Rust Resistance in Diploid Oat Avena strigosa Schreb. Reveals the Complexity and Heterogeneity of the Analyzed Genebank Accessions
Authors: Sowa Sylwia , Mohler Volker , Paczos-Grzęda Edyta
Published: January 2023

Crown rust, one of the most destructive diseases of oat, regularly occurs worldwide and leads to significant yield losses. The constant evolution of the Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae pathogen causes a rapid decline in the effectiveness of currently used crown rust resistance genes, so new ones are urgently needed. In this study, 39 accessions of Avena strigosa Schreb. from ten countries gathered from the Polish National Genebank were evaluated at the seedling stage for crown rust reaction using a detached leaf assay and five isolates of P. coronata with diverse virulence profiles. Ten plants of each accession were tested, and 28 diverse infection profiles (IPs) were defined. One hundred and sixty-eight out of 390 plants revealed an IP of unidentified resistance. Thirty-eight (97%) of the accessions studied showed a heterogeneous infection pattern, none of the accessions displayed homogeneous susceptibility, and one (51887) was homogeneously resistant to all races used. The obtained results confirmed the complexity and heterogeneity of the accessions gathered in the genebanks. A. strigosa preserved as complex populations could be a valuable source of resistance to crown rust and potentially other pathogens. The variability of the analyzed populations was ascertained by a detailed diversity analysis of the transformed resistance/susceptibility data. The averaged resistance rating for the genebank specimens available in the databases may be an obstacle in revealing the beneficial alleles of genes hidden among the plants representing accessions preserved as complex populations. Potential donors of effective resistance may be discovered even in accessions with general susceptibility, which is a promising alternative at a time when making new collections of wild and weedy accessions is under threat from agricultural practice and climate change.
How to Measure the Performance of Farms with Regard to Climate-Smart Agriculture Goals? A Set of Indicators and Its Application in Guadeloupe
Authors: Selbonne Stan , Guindé Loïc , Causeret François , Chopin Pierre , Sierra Jorge , Tournebize Régis , Blazy Jean-Marc
Published: January 2023

Conceptualized by the Food and Agriculture Organization in 2010, climate-smart agriculture aims to simultaneously tackle three main objectives. These are increasing food security, building the resilience of agricultural systems for adaptation to climate change and mitigation of GHG. As much research focuses on one of these three objectives, our understanding of how agricultural systems address these three challenges simultaneously is limited by the lack of a comprehensive evaluation tool. In order to fill this gap, we have developed a generic evaluation framework that comprises 19 indicators that we measured in a sample of 12 representative farms of the North Basse-Terre region in Guadeloupe. The evaluation revealed clear differences in the performance of these farming systems. For example, nutritional performance varied from 0 to 13 people fed per hectare, the average potential impact of climatic conditions varied from 27% to 33% and the GHG emissions balance varied from +0.8 tCO2eq·ha−1 to +3.6 tCO2eq·ha−1. The results obtained can guide the design of innovative production systems that better meet the objectives of climate-smart agriculture for the study region. The evaluation framework is intended as a generic tool for a common evaluation basis across regions at a larger scale. Future prospects are its application and validation in different contexts.
Plant Synthetic Promoters: Advancement and Prospective
Authors: Khan Ahamed , Nasim Noohi , Pudhuvai Baveesh , Koul Bhupendra , Upadhyay Santosh Kumar , Sethi Lini , Dey Nrisingha
Published: January 2023

Native/endogenous promoters have several fundamental limitations in terms of their size, Cis-elements distribution/patterning, and mode of induction, which is ultimately reflected in their insufficient transcriptional activity. Several customized synthetic promoters were designed and tested in plants during the past decade to circumvent such constraints. Such synthetic promoters have a built-in capacity to drive the expression of the foreign genes at their maximum amplitude in plant orthologous systems. The basic structure and function of the promoter has been discussed in this review, with emphasis on the role of the Cis-element in regulating gene expression. In addition to this, the necessity of synthetic promoters in the arena of plant biology has been highlighted. This review also provides explicit information on the two major approaches for developing plant-based synthetic promoters: the conventional approach (by utilizing the basic knowledge of promoter structure and Cis-trans interaction) and the advancement in gene editing technology. The success of plant genetic manipulation relies on the promoter efficiency and the expression level of the transgene. Therefore, advancements in the field of synthetic promoters has enormous potential in genetic engineering-mediated crop improvement.
Pathways and Drivers of Gross N Transformation in Different Soil Types under Long-Term Chemical Fertilizer Treatments
Authors: Li Guihua , Yu Weishui , Meng Fanhua , Zhang Jianfeng , Lu Changai
Published: January 2023

Microbial-mediated nitrogen (N) dynamics is not only a key process for crop productivity, but also a driver for N losses. Therefore, a better understanding of N dynamics and controlling factors in different soil types is needed to better manage N fertilization in crop fields. To achieve this, a 15N tracing approach was used to quantify simultaneously occurring N transformation rates in four agricultural trials (>20 years chemical fertilizer application) with contrasting climatic and edaphic types (three upland soils and one paddy soil). The results showed that recalcitrant soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization was the main source of NH4+ at all the sites, with rates ranging from 0.037 in fluvo-aquic soil to 3.096 mg kg−1 day−1 in paddy red soil. Autotrophic nitrification (ONH4) was the predominant NO3− production mechanism in the black and fluvo-aquic soils, whereas it was negligible in the upland and paddy red soils. Nitrification capacity, as an indicator of nitrate leaching risk, was in the order: upland red soil (1%) < paddy red soil (8%) < black soil (235%) < fluvo-aquic soil (485%), implying a high nitrate leaching risk in the last two soils. However, high microbial immobilization (41%) and abiotic adsorption (6%) decreased NO3− leaching in black soil. The partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) showed that SOC, temperature and pH were the main factors controlling nitrate immobilization, N mineralization and nitrification. In summary, even under similar chemical fertilization conditions, N transformation dynamics are expected to differ with respect to soil type. Therefore, N management strategies should be adjusted to soil type to control N losses and increase crop yield.
Socioeconomic and Environmental Impact Assessment of Different Power-Sourced Drip Irrigation Systems in Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Ul Hussan Iftkhar , Nadeem Muhammad , Yamin Muhammad , Ali Sikandar , Omar Muhammad Mubashar , Ahmad Shaheer , Zulfiqar Mamoona , Mahmood Tallat
Published: January 2023

This research investigated the best economically viable power source with the least environmental impact and socially acceptable for the maize crop. Maize is one of the key economic crops in Pakistan. Solar-, electric-, and diesel-powered drip irrigation systems (DIS) were considered for comparative study. We selected 45 sites of maize crop to collect the data, with an area of 1–3 ha, from three divisions. For economic viability, the benefit:cost ratio, life cycle cost, and payback period were calculated, and CO2 emissions were calculated to assess the environmental impact. The SPSS model was used for one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc and chi-squared tests to check the significance level between all power sources. It was found that the B-C of electric power, solar, and diesel drip irrigation systems was 1.65, 1.52, and 1.44, respectively. Solar, diesel, and electricity power DIS have CO2 emissions of 0.02, 0.730, and 1.106 tons/ha, respectively. The research concludes that solar power and electric power are the best sources for the environment and economically, respectively. It is recommended that solar power DIS be subsidized, which will help to lower CO2 emissions and reduce the electricity shortfall in Pakistan.
Pet Loss in an Urban Firestorm: Grief and Hope after Colorado’s Marshall Fire
Authors: Irvine Leslie , Andre Casara
Published: January 2023

Although much of the literature on pets in disasters associates the failure to evacuate pets with a weak or absent human–animal bond, rapid-onset disasters challenge the foundations of that claim. Colorado’s Marshall Fire, which occurred on 30 December 2021, took the lives of more than 1000 pets. The fire began in open grassland and quickly became an “urban firestorm” when it spread into densely populated areas. Due to the timing of the fire’s onset, owners could not return home to rescue their pets. Although first responders, volunteers, and other evacuees rescued some animals, many died inside their homes. Analysis of qualitative interviews with a small sample of pet owners whose animals died in the fire reveal the factors that prevented owners from rescuing their pets. Through analysis of traditional and social media, and emergency notifications, this research presents a timeline of events on the day of the fire and examines pitfalls in evacuation notification. Participant observation and field conversations provide insight into the impact of the fire on veterinary clinics. The study concludes with suggestions intended to reduce future mass deaths of animals.
Possible Association of Bovine Gammaherpesvirus 6 with Pulmonary Disease in a Cow
Authors: Headley Selwyn Arlington , Dall Agnol Alais Maria , Oliveira Thalita Evani Silva , Bon Vinícius Rodrigues , Scuisato Gabriela Sanches , Xavier Ana Aparecida Correa , Yasumitsu Carolina Yuka , Alfieri Alice Fernandes , Alfieri Amauri Alcindo
Published: January 2023

Bovine gammaherpesvirus 6 (BoGHV6), previously known as bovine lymphotropic virus, is a member of the Macavirus genus, subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae. Other members of the genus Macavirus include viruses that produce malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) in mammalian hosts, collectively referred to as the MCF virus (MCFV) complex, and the porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus (PLHV). However, the current role of BoGHV6 in the development of diseases and/or disease syndromes remains uncertain and controversial. This paper investigated the participation of BoGHV6 in the development of pulmonary disease in a cow with interstitial pneumonia by histopathology and molecular testing. Tissue antigens of common viral agents of respiratory diseases and Mycoplasma bovis were not identified by immunohistochemistry. Additionally, molecular assays designed to amplify common bacterial and viral pathogens of pulmonary disease did not amplify the nucleic acids of these agents. However, a pan-PCR assay amplified the DNA of the herpesvirus polymerase gene, while the specific BoGHV6 nested-PCR assay amplified the partial fragment of the BoGHV6 polymerase gene derived from the pulmonary tissue with interstitial pneumonia. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the BoGHV6 strain herein identified had 99.8% nucleotide (nt) sequence identity with reference strains of BoGHV6, but only 72.2–73.5% and 67.9–68.6% nt identity with reference strains of MCFV and PLHV, respectively. Consequently, these results suggest that BoGHV6 was associated with the pulmonary disease observed in this cow.
Intralaboratory Validation of a Kinetic Turbidimetric Assay Based on Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) for Assessing Endotoxin Activity in Cow Milk
Authors: Flórez Pablo , de Castro María , Rodríguez David , Gonzalo-Orden José Manuel , Carvajal Ana
Published: January 2023

Mastitis, one of the most common diseases in dairy cattle, causes severe losses in the dairy sector worldwide and affects animal welfare. The disease is characterized by an inflammatory reaction of the mammary gland and is mainly caused by bacterial infections, including both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The release of endotoxins associated to bacterial lysis is a weighty factor in the clinical course of Gram-negative associated mastitis and should be taken into consideration when using antibiotics in the treatment of these infections. Therefore, endotoxin detection in milk samples would be of help in the management of bovine mastitis. With this aim, we have validated a kinetic turbidimetric assay based on Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) for the quantification of endotoxins in milk samples. The assay was adapted to this particular matrix by incorporating filtration and dilution of the milk samples in the procedure. Our results demonstrate the robustness and usefulness of the assay, which allows the identification of coliform mastitis in milk samples from affected cows and the quantification of endotoxin activity in bulk and commercial milk samples. Further studies are required to evaluate the performance of the assay in mastitis milk samples associated to Gram-negative bacteria other than Escherichia coli as well as during the clinical course of these Gram-negative mastitis or after their treatment with antibiotics.
Use of Systemic Antibiotics in Patients with COVID-19 in Colombia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Valladales-Restrepo Luis Fernando , Delgado-Araujo Ana Camila , Echeverri-Martínez Luisa Fernanda , Sánchez-Ríos Verónica , Machado-Alba Jorge Enrique
Published: January 2023

Antibiotics are frequently prescribed to patients with COVID-19. The aim was to determine the pattern of use of systemic antibiotics in a group of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Colombia between 2020–2022. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study designed to identify antibiotics prescription patterns for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 treated in eight clinics in Colombia. The AWaRe tool of the World Health Organization (WHO) was used to classify the antibiotics. A total of 10,916 patients were included. The median age was 57 years, and 56.4% were male. A total of 57.5% received antibiotics, especially ampicillin/sulbactam (58.8%) and clarithromycin (47.9%). Most of the antibiotics were classified as Watch (65.1%), followed by Access (32.6%) and Reserve (2.4%). Men (OR: 1.29; 95%CI: 1.17–1.43), older adults (OR: 1.67; 95%CI: 1.48–1.88), patients with dyspnea (OR: 1.26; 95%CI: 1.13–1.41), rheumatoid arthritis (OR: 1.94; 95%CI: 1.17–3.20), and high blood pressure at admission (OR: 1.45; 95%CI: 1.29–1.63), patients treated in-hospital (OR: 5.15; 95%CI: 4.59–5.77), patients admitted to the ICU (OR: 10.48; 95%CI: 8.82–12.45), patients treated with systemic glucocorticoids (OR: 3.60; 95%CI: 3.21–4.03) and vasopressors (OR: 2.10; 95%CI: 1.60–2.75), and patients who received invasive mechanical ventilation (OR: 2.37; 95%CI: 1.82–3.09) were more likely to receive a systemic antibiotic. Most of the patients diagnosed with COVID-19 received antibiotics, despite evidence showing that bacterial coinfection is rare. Antibiotics from the Watch group predominated, a practice that goes against WHO recommendations.
Stress Activated MAP Kinases and Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5 Mediate Nuclear Translocation of Nrf2 via Hsp90α-Pin1-Dynein Motor Transport Machinery
Authors: Ishii Tetsuro , Warabi Eiji , Mann Giovanni E.
Published: January 2023

Non-lethal low levels of oxidative stress leads to rapid activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which upregulates the expression of genes important for detoxification, glutathione synthesis, and defense against oxidative damage. Stress-activated MAP kinases p38, ERK, and JNK cooperate in the efficient nuclear accumulation of Nrf2 in a cell-type-dependent manner. Activation of p38 induces membrane trafficking of a glutathione sensor neutral sphingomyelinase 2, which generates ceramide upon depletion of cellular glutathione. We previously proposed that caveolin-1 in lipid rafts provides a signaling hub for the phosphorylation of Nrf2 by ceramide-activated PKCζ and casein kinase 2 to stabilize Nrf2 and mask a nuclear export signal. We further propose a mechanism of facilitated Nrf2 nuclear translocation by ERK and JNK. ERK and JNK phosphorylation of Nrf2 induces the association of prolyl cis/trans isomerase Pin1, which specifically recognizes phosphorylated serine or threonine immediately preceding a proline residue. Pin1-induced structural changes allow importin-α5 to associate with Nrf2. Pin1 is a co-chaperone of Hsp90α and mediates the association of the Nrf2-Pin1-Hsp90α complex with the dynein motor complex, which is involved in transporting the signaling complex to the nucleus along microtubules. In addition to ERK and JNK, cyclin-dependent kinase 5 could phosphorylate Nrf2 and mediate the transport of Nrf2 to the nucleus via the Pin1-Hsp90α system. Some other ERK target proteins, such as pyruvate kinase M2 and hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-1, are also transported to the nucleus via the Pin1-Hsp90α system to modulate gene expression and energy metabolism. Notably, as malignant tumors often express enhanced Pin1-Hsp90α signaling pathways, this provides a potential therapeutic target for tumors.
Cannabidiol (CBD) Supports the Honeybee Worker Organism by Activating the Antioxidant System
Authors: Skowronek Patrycja , Strachecka Aneta
Published: January 2023

In the experiment, we tested the effect of 30% CBD oil on the activity of the antioxidant system (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione), the level of total antioxidant capacity, and the concentrations of ions (calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus) in honeybee workers in the hive test. For this purpose, we prepared hives containing all stages of the development of honey bees and started the experiment by adding 200 marked, one-day old bees to each colony (intended for hemolymph collection). In the test, we created three groups (two colonies per group): (1) Experimental with CBD oil mixed with sugar syrup (CSy); (2) experimental with CBD oil on textile strips (CSt); and (3) control with pure sugar syrup only (C). Every week, we collected hemolymph from the marked bees. In the experiment, all antioxidant enzyme activities were higher for the experimental groups CSy and CSt compared to group C. The highest concentrations/levels were obtained for the CSy group. Concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus ions were also higher for the experimental groups compared to the C group (the highest concentration for the CSy group). We conclude that CBD oil positively contributes to stimulating the antioxidant system of honeybees.
Design of Robust Sensing Matrix for UAV Images Encryption and Compression
Authors: Jiang Qianru , Bai Huang , He Xiongxiong
Published: January 2023

The sparse representation error (SRE) exists when the images are represented sparsely. The SRE is particularly large in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) images due to the disturbance of the harsh environment or the instability of its flight, which will bring more noise. In the compressed sensing (CS) system, the projected SRE in the compressed measurement will bring a significant challenge to the recovery accuracy of the images. In this work, a new SRE structure is proposed. Following the new structure, a lower sparse representation error (LSRE) is achieved by eliminating groups of sparse representation. With the proposed LSRE modeling, a robust sensing matrix is designed to compress and encrypt the UAV images. Experiments for UAV images are carried out to compare the recovery performance of the proposed algorithm with the existing related algorithms. The results of the proposed algorithm reveal superior recovery accuracy. The new CS framework with the proposed sensing matrix to address the scenario of UAV images with large SRE is dominant.
Absorption Variation with Particle Size of Recycled Fine Aggregates Determined by the Electrical Method
Authors: Sosa Eva , Carrizo Leandro , Zega Claudio , Zaccardi Yury Villagrán
Published: January 2023

The scarcity of fine natural aggregates and the negative environmental impact of their extraction make it necessary to find new sources of aggregates for the construction industry. The use of recycled aggregates (RA) derived from waste concrete crushing is a viable option for reducing non-renewable raw material consumption. The quality of these aggregates is lower than that of natural aggregates. In particular, the water absorption (WA) of the fine fraction of RA is a topic of constant debate due to the limitations of the standardized practices for determining it. Several methods have previously been proposed concerning this. Among these, the electrical conductivity method has the highest potential for effective WA determination. However, the influence of particle size and shape on the measurement remains unknown. In this study, the electrical conductivity method is applied to determine the WA of different particle size ranges in both natural and recycled aggregates. The results show that the paste content is the main variable that influences the WA of RA, whereas the size and shape of particles have no discernible influence on the measurements made using the electrical conductivity method. The present work expands upon previous studies by demonstrating the universality of the method irrespective of the particle size.
Three-Dimensional Stability Analysis of Ridge Slope Using Strength Reduction Method Based on Unified Strength Criterion
Authors: Wang Jianxiu , Liu Pengfei , Si Pengfei , Li Huboqiang , Wu Fan , Su Yuxin , Long Yanxia , Cao Ansheng , Sun Yuanwei , Zhang Qianyuan
Published: January 2023

Ridge slopes often occur in highway or railway engineering. The initial stress distribution of a ridge slope is important for the original slope and an excavation slope. In this paper, a wire-frame model of ridge slope was established. Numerical simulations on the 3D stability analysis were performed using the strength reduction method based on unified strength theory. The influences of ridgeline dip angle α, flank slope angle β, and slope height H on the deformation and failure mode of ridgeline slopes were analyzed. When α was small, cracking failure easily occurred at the front edge of the ridge slope and the area near the ridge line. When α was large, shear failure was prone to occur at the trailing edge of the ridge slope. Under the same reduction coefficient, the larger the flank slope angle β, the larger the slope displacement of the ridge. The plastic zone gradually concentrated near the ridge. When H was small, the displacement mainly occurred at the trailing edge of the slope, and the slopes were generally prone to cracking damage at the trailing edge. The front edge of the slope experienced a large displacement when the height of the ridge slope increased. The bottom of the flank slope was also displaced, and a plastic zone was observed at the foot of the slope. When the excavation slope ratio of the ridge slope was small, the plastic zone was mainly located on the side slope. When the excavation rate increased, the plastic zone appeared on the excavation slope surface, and its stability decreased significantly.
Automatic Docking Trajectory Design-Based Time-Varying-Radius Dubins for Unmanned Surface Vessel
Authors: Zhang Meiyan , Cai Wenyu , Chen Hao
Published: January 2023

Facing the demand of efficient automatic docking for USV, this paper proposes a new kind of iterative varying-radius Dubins curve design. Due to the special mobility of dockyards, one novel trajectory optimization problem considering time optimum is modeled first. Then, we use the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm to solve such a complex problem. In addition to the global exhaustive search algorithm and ACO-based solution, a novel distributed local path planning algorithm named ADTA-TRD is proposed to obtain the solution of the above optimization problem restricted by the local perception of the USV. In essence, this paper draws lessons from the idea of the circular arc segment and straight line segment in the traditional Dubins curve, and consequently, the smoothness of the derived automatic docking trajectory can be guaranteed. Finally, the performance of proposed automatic docking path planning method is verified through simulation results and an actual sea trial.
Omni Wheel Arrangement Evaluation Method Using Velocity Moments
Authors: Hijikata Masaaki , Miyagusuku Renato , Ozaki Koichi
Published: January 2023

Wheeled omnidirectional mobile robots have been developed for industrial and service applications. Conventional research on Omni wheel robots has mainly been directed toward point-symmetric wheel arrangements. However, more flexible asymmetric arrangements may be beneficial to prevent tipping over or to make the robot more compact. Asymmetry can also be the result of a motor/wheel failure in a robot with a redundant configuration; in this case, it may be possible to continue operations, but with an asymmetrical arrangement. For controlling such asymmetric arrangements, it is necessary to consider the moment of propulsive force generated by the wheels. Since it is difficult to measure the propulsive force accurately, in this work we model propulsive forces as being proportional to the ground speed of the wheels. Under this assumption, we estimated the robot’s behavior in an asymmetric wheel configuration by considering the balance of the velocity moment, which is the moment of the wheel’s ground speed. By verifying the robot’s behavior with various wheel configurations, we confirmed experimentally that the sum of the velocity moments affects the straightness of the robot and allows us to improve the design of asymmetric wheel arrangements and control during wheel failures.
Effects of Fermented Onion on Gut Health in Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS)-Induced Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Rats
Authors: Sangpreecha Neeracha , Chanmuang Saoraya , Park Kyung-Hee , Sangar Madhuri , Sharma Divya , Song Doyoung , Park Yun-Ja , Sung Hea-Mi , Promyo Kitipong , Ham Kyung-Sik
Published: January 2023

Onion is a well-known health-beneficial vegetable. However, fresh onion is high in FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) which may be problematic for IBD. Fermentation of onion may help to lower FODMAP problems and increase the availability of bioactive compounds, especially quercetin. We investigated the effect of fermented onion on DSS-induced IBD in rats. Rats were divided into six groups and treated orally with saline as a control and negative control (DSS), probiotics, low and high doses of fermented onion, or fresh onion extract for 3 weeks. After two weeks, rats were given drinking water containing 0.2% DSS for 5 days, except for the control followed by two days of regular water. The colonic histomorphology, immunity, oxidative stress, short-chain fatty acids, and biochemical analysis showed improved IBD conditions in the fermented onion groups. In contrast, the consumption of fresh onion appeared to exacerbate the IBD condition. These results suggest that the consumption of a high dose of fermented onion can ameliorate IBD symptoms.
Electroluminescence as a Tool to Study the Polarization Characteristics and Generation Mechanism in Silicon PV Panels
Authors: Zhang Yanfu , Wang Ruinan , Wang Fangbin , Zhu Darong , Gong Xue , Cheng Xiuzhi
Published: January 2023

Electroluminescence is a defect detection method commonly used in photovoltaic industry. However, the current research mainly focuses on qualitative analysis rather quantitative evaluation, since there exists some shortcomings, such as fuzzy edges, unclear texture, etc., in the obtained electroluminescence images. Electroluminescence polarization imagery is a new method for defect detection in photovoltaic modules, which can effectively make up for the aforementioned deficiencies. In this paper, the polarization characteristics and formation mechanism of silicon solar panels was investigated based on the principle of electroluminescence. Firstly, the polarization imaging mechanism of electroluminescence of photovoltaic modules was studied. Then, an electroluminescence polarization experimental platform was built, and the polarized electroluminescence images of photovoltaic panels were obtained and preprocessed with Gaussian filter. Finally, the influence of view angle, bias voltage and other factors on the polarization characteristics was discussed. The results show that the electroluminescence of photovoltaic modules has polarization characteristics, and the degree and angle of polarization are related to the view angle and bias voltage; the degree of polarization of photovoltaic panel electroluminescence increases with the angle of view, and first increases then rapidly decreases with bias voltage.
MIMO Over-the-Air Computation for Distributed Estimation
Authors: Park Pangun , Shin Hyejeon , Di Marco Piergiuseppe
Published: January 2023

MIMO over-the-air computation (MIMO-AirComp) is a recently proposed technique that leverages the superposition property of the multiple access channel to compute the target multifunction of various applications. This article presents how the MIMO-AirComp principle can be applied to the state estimation problem using distributed sensing data. The representative target function is explicitly formulated as a nomographic function matched to the structure of the multiple access channel with the proper processing function. The proposed framework efficiently computes the target multifunction by coordinating local preprocessing at each node, aggregation through the wireless channel, and postprocessing at the fusion center. We analyze and demonstrate that the proposed approach significantly improves the computation throughput for the distributed estimation application. Specifically, the proposed MIMO-AirComp framework outperforms the conventional separated communication and computation approach when the network system relies on noisy measurements obtained by the densely deployed sensors.
A Crossrate-Based Approach for Reliability-Based Multidisciplinary Dynamic System Design Optimization
Authors: Lu Li , Wu Yizhong , Zhang Qi , Qiao Ping
Published: January 2023

In practical applications, the multidisciplinary dynamic system design optimization (MDSDO)-based solution is limited by uncertainty, which causes random variation in the physical design variable in the static discipline and the equation of state in the dynamic discipline. To address the lack of reliability of the MDSDO solution, a crossrate-based MDSDO approach (C-MDSDO), consisting of the MDSDO stage and a reliability assessment stage, is proposed in this paper. In the reliability assessment stage, a sub-optimization problem based on the crossrate of the objective reliability index sample trajectory is designed to obtain the shifting vector, which is employed to obtain a sufficiently reliable solution. In addition, the proposed approach adopts a sequential problem-solving framework that avoids nested optimization and a reliability assessment. One numerical case and two engineering cases were employed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the reliability of the proposed solutions significantly improved.