bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The New Silk Road and Sino-Russian relations through the lens of Liberalism, Realism and Neocolonialism
Authors:   Corvinus University of Budapest, Gherasim Ioan Alexandru
Published: January 2022

The rebirth of the Silk Road presents itself as a possible change in the status quo in Central Asia. China’s presents and influence in the region has been increasing in the past decade in the detriment of Russian influence. This paper analyzes the New Silk Road and Sino-Russian relations through the lens of liberalism, realism and neocolonialism. The Belt and Road Initiative presents itself as a revolutionary project however the changes it produces in terms of trade are minimal. Strategic aspects trump the trade related ones. The paper demonstrates that China needs Russia to participate in order to make the project successful while Russia should participate in order to limit China from taking control over the region, thus realism is they school of thought together with neocolonialism.
State-of-the art and perspectives of underwater optical wireless communications
Authors: Leccese Fabio , Schirripa Spagnolo Giuseppe
Published: January 2022

In scientific, military, and industrial sectors, the development of robust and efficient submarine wireless communication links is of enormous interest. Underwater wireless communications can be carried out through acoustic, radio frequency (RF), and optical waves. Underwater optical communication is not a new idea, but it has recently been considered because seawater exhibits a window of reduced absorption both in the visible spectrum and long-wavelength UV light (UV-A). Compared to its bandwidth limited acoustic counterpart, underwater optical wireless communications (UOWCs) can support higher data rates at low latency levels. Underwater wireless communication networks are important in ocean exploration, military tactical operations, environmental and water pollution monitoring. Anyway, given the rapid development of UOWC technology, documents are still needed showing the state of the art and the progress made by the most current research. This paper aims to examine current technologies, and those potentially available soon, for Underwater Optical Wireless Communication and to propose a new perspective using UV-A radiation.
Gesture recognition of sign language alphabet with a convolutional neural network using a magnetic positioning system
Authors: Buchicchio Emanuele , Santoni Francesco , De Angelis Alessio , Moschitta Antonio , Carbone Paolo
Published: January 2022

Gesture recognition is a fundamental step to enable efficient communication for the deaf through the automated translation of sign language. This work proposes the usage of a high-precision magnetic positioning system for 3D positioning and orientation tracking of the fingers and hands palm. The gesture is reconstructed by the MagIK (magnetic and inverse kinematics) method and then processed by a deep learning gesture classification model trained to recognize the gestures associated with the sign language alphabet. Results confirm the limits of vision-based systems and show that the proposed method based on hand skeleton reconstruction has good generalization properties. The proposed system, which combines sensor-based gesture acquisition and deep learning techniques for gesture recognition, provides a 100% classification accuracy, signer independent, after a few hours of training using transfer learning technique on well-known ResNet CNN architecture. The proposed classification model training method can be applied to other sensor-based gesture tracking systems and other applications, regardless of the specific data acquisition technology.
The system of indicators of behavioral risk factors in Russia at the national and regional levels
Authors: Zubkova T. S. , Zamiatnina E. S. , Khalturina D. A.
Published: January 2022

Introduction. Behavioral risk factors are associated with 47% of all-cause mortality in Russia.

The goal of this study was to assess and to select the available data sources on the burden of behavioral risk factors in Russia and its regions.

Methods included collection and systematization of medical, demographic and survey which reflected the burden of behavioral risk factors in Russia.

Results. The spectrum of sources of the data on behavioral risk factors among adults in Russia has significantly expanded in recent years. Rosstat agency provided regional survey data on prevalence of consumption of tobacco and other nicotine-containing products, physical activity, overweight and obesity. The survey results may underestimate alcohol and tobacco consumption due to the sensitivity of these questions. Therefore, the use of morbidity and mortality data is needed well. Detailed regional data on food product consumption in Russia are available, but the list of food groups needs to be updated to reflect current scientific knowledge. At the same time, there is no monitoring of the consumption of table salt and iodine by the Russian citizens. The data from Rosstat surveys on physical activity is available by the regions, and it provides more reliable results in comparison with the reports of sports organizations. Monitoring of behavioral risk factors among children and adolescents in Russia has yet to be organized.

Conclusions. A number of data sources have been identified that can be used to assess the burden of behavioral risk factors in Russia and the regions, and ways to improve such monitoring are proposed.
Risk of Revision After Arthroplasty Associated with Specific Gene Loci
Authors: Brüggemann Anders , Eriksson Niclas , Michaëlsson Karl , Hailer Nils P.
Published: January 2022

Background:

The risk of revision surgery following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) may be influenced by genetic factors. Therefore, we sought to identify genetic variants associated with the risk of revision surgery in a genomewide association study.

Methods:

We investigated a cohort of 1,130 twins from the Swedish Twin Registry treated with TJA. During a mean of 9.4 years of follow-up, 75 individuals underwent revision surgery for aseptic loosening (the primary outcome) and 94, for any reason (the secondary outcome). Genetic information was collected using the Illumina OmniExpress and PsychArray panels, and the Haplotype Reference Consortium served as the reference for gene imputation. Adjusted Cox regression models were fitted to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results:

Nine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) reached genomewide significance for aseptic loosening. The first SNP, rs77149046, located in the endosome-lysosome associated apoptosis and autophagy regulator family member 2 (ELAPOR2) gene, conferred an HR of 5.40 (CI, 3.23-9.02; p = 1.32×10−10), followed by 4 SNPs within the region coding for sodium-dependent taurine and beta-alanine transporter (SLC6A6), with HRs ranging from 3.35 to 3.43. The sixth SNP, rs7853989 (HR, 3.46; CI, 2.33-5.13; p = 6.91×10−10), was located in a region coding for the ABO blood group system. This SNP has been described as predictive for blood type B. Seven significant SNPs were found for the risk of revision for any reason, with the first 4 again being located in the SLC6A6 region. The leading SNP, rs62233562, conferred an HR of 3.11 (CI, 2.19-4.40; p = 1.74×10−10) for revision surgery. Similar HRs were found for SNPs 3:14506680 (p = 1.78×10−10), rs2289129 (p = 1.78×10−10), and rs17309567 (p = 3.16×10−10). The fifth SNP, rs11120968, was located in the calmodulin-binding transcription activator 1 (CAMTA1) gene (HR, 2.34; CI, 1.74-3.13, p = 1.45×10−8).

Conclusions:

We identified 12 unique SNPs associated with an increased risk of revision surgery. Among these, 2 were in ELAPOR2, which is closely linked to bone formation. Another SNP is located in a gene region encoding for the ABO system, which merits further studies of causal relationships.

Level of Evidence:

Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
The Impact of Online Learning Policies on Students' Learning Motivation in the Era of the Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Hanifah Umi , Firdaus Nida Anisah
Published: January 2022

Covid-19 is an epidemic originating from Wuhan, China that spread rapidly throughout the world. Covid-19 spread in Indonesia in early March 2020. The spread of this virus caused losses to many countries in various fields ranging from the economy, tourism, to education. In the field of education, the impact of Covid-19 was forced to make the government change the learning system drastically; all learning activities are carried out online starting from elementary school to college. The purpose of this study is was to describe the impact of online learning policies on the learning motivation of high school students and their equivalents during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study is a qualitative descriptive study. Data collection uses a research questionnaire through a Google form that is distributed to high school students and their equivalents in East Java. Based on the results of the study, respondents revealed more negative impacts than positive impacts. From the results of this research the government is expected to be more mature in determining policies even though it is an emergency policy.
Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Sierra Leone: Impact evaluation of the ‘Improved WASH Services in WAU and WAR Districts’ project
Authors: Vonk Jaynie
Published: January 2022

Between October 2016 and March 2019, the Freetown WASH Consortium, led by Oxfam with Against Hunger, Concern Worldwide and Save the Children as members, carried out the 'Improved WASH Services in Western Area Urban (WAU) and Western Area Rural (WAR) Districts' project. Broadly, the project aimed to improve the availability, accessibility, affordability and sustainability of integrated water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, in alignment with the Government of Sierra Leone's national agenda on Ebola recovery and increased preparedness against possible future outbreaks. This Effectiveness Review evaluates the success of this project to increase the sustainability of water and sanitation systems and services. Using a quasi-experimental, mixed method evaluation design, impact is assessed among individuals, households and communities in intervention and comparison areas. Community-level factors contributing to better individual- and household-level outcomes are explored. Find out more by reading the full report now.
Nonlinear suboptimal attitude control law for near-space hypersonic vehicle: Eigenvalue analysis and weight matrices design
Authors: Mi Peichao , Wu Qingxian , Wang Yuhui
Published: January 2022

This paper considers a nonlinear suboptimal control problem for a near-space hypersonic vehicle's (NSHV's) attitude dynamics. The least-square and stable manifold methods first solve an unconstrained approximately optimal control law corresponding to the nonlinear attitude model. Then, to further meet the dynamic performance requirement of the attitude control system, a novel strategy based on the Koopman operator, symplectic geometric theory, and the stable manifold theorem is proposed to approximate the eigenvalues of the closed-loop nonlinear unconstrained approximated optimal control system. The weight matrices in the optimal performance index, which directly determine the output responses of the nonlinear attitude dynamics, can be appropriately designed according to the eigenvalues. The final control law considers the actuator constraints. The NSHV's closed-loop attitude control system is proved to be locally exponentially stable, and the suboptimality of the control law is analyzed. Numerical simulation demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Mathematical Modelling And Simulation of CH3NH3Pb(I1-Xbrx)3 Based Perovskite Solar Cells For High Efficiency
Authors: Sharma Divya , Mehra Rajesh , Raj Balwinder
Published: January 2022

Mathematical modelling can offer the physical intuitions about the charge transport process inside a solar cells and provide the various elements affecting their performance. In the present paper, (CH3NH3Pb(I1-xBrx)3 based various perovskite solar cells have been mathematically simulated deploying SCAPS simulator. Various Hole Transport layers (HTLs) based on thickness, total defect density and donor density of mixed halide perovskite have been compared using Cd1-xZnxS as an Electron Transport Layer (ETL). Amongst the proffered HTLs, P3HT [Poly(3-hexylthiophene)] executed better and exhibited the PCE of 28.28%. During the simulation, mixed halide perovskite layer with thickness of 700 nm has been found suitable for the effective solar cell design. These mathematically simulated outcomes indicate the optimum efficiency of the solar cell that may further be prompted to design the extremely high efficient solar cells.
Easily Misdiagnosed cblC Deficiency in Adolescents: the Clinical and Metabolic Studies
Authors: Chen Zhehui , Dong Hui , Liu Yupeng , He Ruxuan , Song Jinqing , Jin Ying , Li Mengqiu , Liu Yi , Liu Xueqin , Yan Hui , Qi Jianguang , Wang Fang , Xiao Huijie , Zheng Hong , Kang Lulu , Li Dongxiao , Zhang Yao , Yang Yanling
Published: January 2022

Purpose: Adolescents are easily attacked by potential inherited metabolic disorders. cblC deficiency is the most common type of methylmalonic aciduria in China. The late-onset patients present with varied non-specific symptoms and usually being misdiagnosed. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical features of patients with adolescence-onset cblC deficiency and explore the prevention and control strategies. Methods: Fifty-seven patients (34 males and 23 females) with adolescence-onset cblC deficiency were admitted in our clinic from 2002 to September 2021. The diagnosis was confirmed by metabolic and genetic tests. The clinical and biochemical features, disease triggers, outcome and genotypes-phenotypes correlation were examined.Results: The onset ages ranged from 10 to 25 years old (median age was 12 years). 16 cases (28.0%) presented with symptoms after infection or sports training. 46 patients (80.7%) had neuropsychiatric diseases. 14 patients (24.6%) displayed cardiovascular diseases. Five cases (8.9%) showed pulmonary hypertension. Renal damage was observed in seven cases (12.3%). 23 mutations were identified from the MMACHC gene of 57 patients. 37 patients demonstrated c.482G>A (64.9%) and 16 cases had c.609G>A (26.3%). Among 13 patients that exhibited spastic paraplegia as a main manifestation, 10 patients had c.482G>A (76.9%). Five patients presented with psychotic disorders and spastic paraplegia with c.482G>A. All patients improved after metabolic treatment with cobalamin, L-carnitine, and betaine. 30 school-aged patients returned to school. Two patients were married and had healthy babies.Conclusion: Patients with adolescence-onset cblC deficiency presented with varied neuropsychiatric symptoms or multiple organ damage. Metabolic studies and individualized treatment are keys to improve the outcome of the patients.
A Multilevel Analysis of Trends and Predictors Associated with Teenage Pregnancy and Early Motherhood in Zambia (2001 - 2018)
Authors: Phiri Million , Kasonde Mwewa E. , Moyo Nkuye , Sikaluzwe Milika , Simona Simona
Published: January 2022

IntroductionTeenage pregnancy remains a major social and public health challenge in developing countries especially sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where prevalence rates are still increasing. Even if considerable effort has been made over the years to study determining factors of teenage pregnancy in SSA, few studies have looked at the trends and associated factors over a longer period. Furthermore, no known study has focussed on both individual and contextual factors influencing teenage pregnancy in Zambia. This study, thus sought to fill this gap in knowledge by simultaneously investigating trends of teenage pregnancy and early motherhood as well as its individual and contextual determining factors. MethodsA total pooled weighted sample of 10,010 teenagers (in the age group 15 to 19) from four waves of the Zambia Demographic and Health Surveys (ZDHS) were extracted. Using bivariate analysis, we investigated the trends of teenage pregnancy between 2001 and 2018. Separate multilevel logistic regression models were fitted on pooled teenage pregnancy data in relation to several individual and contextual level factors. Both fixed and random effects were produced. Parameter estimates were produced using Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Methods in BRMS.ResultsResults show that the trends of teenage pregnancy in Zambia have shown an overall decrease of 2% between 2001 and 2018. Almost all the socioeconomic and demographic variables were consistently associated with teenage pregnancy (p < 0.001) in a bivariate analysis across the four ZDHS waves. In multilevel analysis, the odds of being pregnant were higher for teenagers who were aged between 18 and 19 years (AOR = 2.57, 95% CI: 2.20-2.98), employed (AOR= 1.24, 95% CI: 1.06-1.46) married (AOR =8.33, 95% CI: 6.84-10.26) and those with knowledge of fertile period (AOR=1.69, 95% CI: 1.43-2.00). On the other hand, being in higher wealth quintile, 15-17 years of age, exposure to family planning messages and delayed sexual debut were associated with decreased odds of early teenage pregnancy. ConclusionThe study shows that early pregnancy remains a social and public health challenge in Zambia as the country has seen little decrease in the prevalence over the years under consideration. Factors associated with teenage pregnancy and early motherhood include age, marital status, and employment, knowledge of fertility period, wealth quintile, sexual debut and exposure to mass-media family planning messaging. Concerted effort must be made to improve literacy levels, reduce poverty and enhance sexual health promotion through the mass media in view of cultural norms, which may prevent parents and children from discussion sexual education topics thus exacerbate the vice.
Ultrasound Guided Vascular Access in The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Nationwide Survey
Authors: Oulego-Erroz Ignacio , Alonso-Ojembarrena Almudena , Aldecoa-Bilbao Victoria , Bravo Maria Carmen , Montero-Gato Jon , Mosqueda-Peña Rocio , Rodríguez-Núñez Antonio
Published: January 2022

Ultrasound guided percutaneous vascular access (USG-PVA) is recommended by international practice guidelines but information regarding its use in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is lacking. Our objective was to assess neonatologist’s perceptions and current implementation of USG-PVA in Spain. This was a nationwide online survey. The survey was composed of 37 questions divided in 4 domains: 1) neonatologist’s background, 2) NICU characteristics, 3) personal perspectives about USG-PVA and clinical experience in USG-PVA. One hundred and eighty survey responses from 59 NICUs (62% of Spanish NICUs) were analyzed. Most neonatologist (81%) perceive that competence in USG-PVA is indispensable or very useful in clinical practice. However, 64 (35.5%) have never used USG-PVA in real patients. Among neonatologists with some experience in USG-PVA most perform less than 5 procedures per year (59% in venous access and 80% in arterial access) and a 38% and 60% have never used USG for venous and arterial access respectively in very low birth weight infants (VLBWI). Spanish neonatologists report that residents/fellows training in USG-PVA is absent (52.2%) or unstructured (32%) in their units. The lack of adequate training is identified by a 60% of neonatologists as the most important barrier for implementation of USG-PVA and 87% would recommend that future neonatologists receive formal training. In conclusion, Spanish neonatologists perceive that USG-PVA is important in clinical practice but, currently these techniques are largely underused. Our results indicate that specific training in USG-PVA should be implemented in the NICU.
Dearomative [4 + 3] cycloaddition of furans with vinyl-N-triftosylhydrazones by silver catalysis: stereoselective access to oxa-bridged seven-membered bicycles
Authors: Liu Zhaohong , Yang Yong , Jiang Xinyu , Song Qingmin , Zanoni Giuseppe , Liu Shaopeng , Bi Xihe
Published: January 2022

The first example of dearomative [4 + 3] cycloaddition between furans and vinyl-N-sulfonylhydrazones as vinylcarbene precursors is reported. The merger of silver catalysis and easily decomposable vinyl-N-triftosylhydrazones enabled the efficient synthesis of a variety of skeletally and functionally diverse oxa-bridged seven-membered bicyclic compounds with complete and predictable stereoselectivity. The combination of experimental studies and DFT calculations disclosed that the silver-catalyzed reaction proceeds via a concerted [4 + 3] cycloaddition mechanism, rather than the generally accepted cyclopropanation / Cope rearrangement pathway by rhodium catalysis.
Effects of Mesoscale Eddies On Intraseasonal Variability of Intermediate Water East of Taiwan
Authors: Ren Qiang , Yu Fei , Nan Feng , Li Yuanlong , Wang Jianfeng , Liu Yansong , Chen Zifei
Published: January 2022

The variability of intermediate water (IW) east of Taiwan was investigated utilizing 17 months of long-term, continuous and synchronous measurements of temperature, salinity and current from mooring sites deployed at 122ºE/23ºN from January 2016 to May 2017. For the first time, we prove that the intraseasonal variability in the IW within significant periods of ~80 days was caused by mesoscale eddies propagating westward from the Subtropic Counter Current (STCC) area. The correlation coefficients between sea level anomalies (SLAs) and the Kuroshio, and between SLAs and the minimum salinity in the intermediate layer, were 0.63 and 0.52, respectively. The anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies from the STCC, increased (decreased) the speed of the Kuroshio as well as increase (decrease) the temperature and salinity in the 400–600 m in east of Taiwan. Combines Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic (AVISO) products data, showed that temperature and salinity increased (decreased) in the intermediate layer due to the downward (upward) vertical movement of the water mass by anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies. Anticyclonic eddies strengthened the Kuroshio and benefitted SCSIW flowing through the Luzon Strait to enhance salinity, while cyclonic eddies weakened the Kuroshio and favored relatively low-salt NPIW, in the area east of Taiwan.
Feasibility of Establishing a Core Set of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health Indicators in Humanitarian Settings: Results from a Multi-Methods Assessment in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Emina Jacques , Etinkum Rinelle , Aissaoui Anya , Gbomosa Cady Nyombe , Elamurugan Kaeshan , Lakshmi Kanya , Mowafi Ieman Mona El , Kobeissi Loulou
Published: January 2022

Background: Reliable and rigorously collected sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (SRMNCAH) data in humanitarian settings are often sparse and variable in quality across different humanitarian settings. To address this gap in quality data, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a core set of indicators for monitoring and evaluating SRMNCAH services and outcomes and assessed their feasibility in four countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with the goal of aggregating information from global consultations and field-level assessments to reach consensus on a set of core SRMNCAH indicators among WHO partners. Methods: The feasibility assessment in DRC focused on the following constructs: relevance/usefulness, feasibility of measurement, systems and resources, and ethical issues. The multi-methods assessment included five components; a desk review, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, facility assessments, and observational sessions. Results: The findings suggest that there is widespread support among stakeholders for developing a standardized core list of SRMNCAH indicators to be collected among all humanitarian actors in DRC. There are numerous resources and data collection systems that could be leveraged, built upon, and improved to ensure the feasibility of collecting this proposed set of indicators. However, the data collection load requested from donors, the national government, international and UN agencies, coordination/cluster systems must be better harmonized, standardized, and less burdensome. Conclusions: Despite stakeholder support in developing a core set of indicators, this would only be useful if it has the buy-in from the international community. Greater harmonization and coordination, alongside increased resource allocation, would improve data collection efforts and allow stakeholders to meet indicators’ reporting requirements.
Economic Burden of Inpatient Wound Dressing in Nigeria: Implication for Catastrophic Household Expenditure
Authors: Ogundeji Kolawole Damilare , Risenga Patrone Rebecca , Thupayagale-Tshweneagae Gloria
Published: January 2022

Background: The literature is replete with family impoverishment resulting from out of pocket healthcare financing on the Africa continent. In Nigeria the healthcare insurance scheme is evolving and requires wider coverage. The aim of this study is to examine catastrophic household expenditure emanating from daily or alternate day wound dressing.Methods. The study was based on a descriptive cross-sectional research design to investigate the economic burden of daily or alternate day wound dressing among hospitalized patients in selected teaching hospitals in south west Nigeria. The inclusion criteria focused on inpatients about to be discharged or already spent minimum of four weeks in hospital. The data collection instrument was pre-tested with a coefficient of stability of 0.774. Respondents were selected via convenience sampling while an interview administered questionnaire was used to elicit information on wound care from patients in medical surgical wards. Covid-19 protocols were strictly adhered to and ethical approval was sought from each hospital.Results: The result revealed that the mean age of the respondents was 44.95 ± 16.12. Two-thirds were men who are artisans and traders with only secondary school education. Over 70% of the respondents have between 5 and 10 family members, more than 50% earn less than ₦50000 per month. The majority have no comorbidities (79.5%), about 50% were on daily dressing which required 1–5 moderate or major dressing packs per week. The length of hospital stay for the majority of the respondents (85.3%) was less than 11 weeks.Conclusions: The daily or alternate day wound dressing requires a financial input beyond the coping capacity of the indigenous Nigerian families. The Nigerian government should scale up coverage of health insurance scheme to cover artisans, small traders and other low income earners to reduce the incidence of catastrophic household expenditure.
Facile Fabrication of Amino-Functionalized MIL-68(Al) Metal-organic Framework for Effective Adsorption of Arsenate (As(V))
Authors: Rahmani Alireza , Shabanloo Amir , Zabihollahi Solmaz , Salari Mehdi , Leili Mostafa , Khazaei Mohammad , Alizadeh Saber , Nematollahi Davood
Published: January 2022

An amino-functionalized MIL-68(Al) metal-organic framework (amino-MIL-68(Al) MOF) was synthesized by solvothermal method and then characterized by FESEM, XRD, FTIR, EDX-mapping, and BET-BJH techniques. In order to predict arsenate (As(V)) removal, a robust quadratic model (R2 > 0.99, F-value = 2389.17 and p-value < 0.0001) was developed by the central composite design (CCD) method and then the genetic algorithm (GA) was utilized to optimize the system response and four independent variables. The results showed that As(V) adsorption on MOF was affected by solution pH, adsorbent dose, As(V) concentration and reaction time, respectively. Predicted and experimental As(V) removal efficiencies under optimal conditions were 99.45 and 99.87 %, respectively. The fitting of experimental data showed that As(V) adsorption on MOF is well described by the nonlinear form of the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic. At optimum pH 3, the maximum As(V) adsorption capacity was 74.29 mg/g. Thermodynamic studies in the temperature range of 25 to 50 °C showed that As(V) adsorption is a spontaneous endothermic process. The reusability of MOF in ten adsorption/regeneration cycles was studied and the results showed high reusability of this adsorbent. The highest interventional effect in inhibiting As(V) adsorption was related to phosphate anion. The results of this study showed that amino-MIL-68(Al) can be used as an effective MOF with a high surface area (> 1000 m2/g) and high reusability for As(V)-contaminated water.
H3.3K27M Mutation Promotes The Migration and Invasion of Glioma Cells By Activating β-Catenin/USP1 Signaling
Authors: Sun Zhiyuan , Zhu Yufu , Feng Xia , Liu Xiaoyun , Zhou Kunlin , Shi Hengliang
Published: January 2022

H3.3K27M is a newly identified molecular pathology marker in glioma and is especially correlated with the malignancy of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). In recent years, accumulating research has revealed that other types of glioma also contain the H3.3K27M mutation. However, the role of H3.3K27M in high-grade adult glioma, which is the most malignant glioma, has not been investigated. In this study, we focused on exploring the expression and function of H3.3K27M in high-grade adult glioma patients. We found that H3.3K27M is partly highly expressed in high-grade glioma tissues. Then, we introduced H3.3K27M into H3.3 wild-type glioma cells, U87 cells and LN229 cells. We found that H3.3K27M did not regulate the growth of glioma in vitro and in vivo; however, the survival of mice with transplanted tumors was significantly reduced. Further investigation revealed that H3.3K27M expression mainly promoted the migration and invasion of glioma cells. Moreover, we certified that H3.3K27M overexpression enhanced the protein levels of ꞵ-catenin and p-ꞵ-catenin, the protein and mRNA levels of ubiquitin-specific protease 1 (USP1), and the protein level of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). Importantly, the ꞵ-catenin inhibitor XAV-939 significantly attenuated the upregulation of the aforementioned proteins. Overall, the H3.3K27M mutation is present in a certain proportion of high-grade glioma patients and facilitates a poor prognosis by promoting the metastasis of glioma by regulating the ꞵ-catenin/USP1/EZH2 pathway.
WITHDRAWN: Control of the COVID-19 System by Vaccination Using a New Control Engineering Technique
Authors: Ali Hazem Ibrahim , Mhmood Ali Hassan
Published: January 2022

In this work, a novel control engineering method is proposed to achieve a control strategy by vaccination for the COVID-19 epidemic. A proper mathematical model with vaccination control is developed for the COVID-19 system based on the Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered (SEIR) epidemiological model after conducting some analyses and assumptions that reflect the COVID-19 features. Then, the proposed control law is designed using the feedback linearization approach and the H-infinity control framework. In addition, a model reference control is incorporated to ensure that satisfactory time responses are obtained. The Black Hole Optimization (BHO) technique is used to attain the optimality of the proposed control method. Following that, the reported statistics and vaccination plan of the Lombardy region of Italy are utilized to assess the effectiveness of the proposed control law. Ultimately, the simulation results illustrate that the proposed control law can effectively control the COVID-19 system and correctly perform the vaccination plan by tackling the system’s nonlinearity and uncertainty and realizing elegant asymptotic tracking characteristics with reasonable control effort.
Use of Space by Black-and-Gold Howler Monkeys (Alouatta caraya) in an Urban Environment in Paraguay.
Authors: Duffy Xander , Wellian Jake , Smith Rebecca L.
Published: January 2022

As urbanisation continues to reduce the available habitat for wildlife some species, such as the black-and-gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) in Pilar, southwest Paraguay, are making their homes in anthropogenic environments. Understanding an animal's home range is an important first step to understanding its ecological needs, an essential requirement for robust conservation plans. In this study we determined the home ranges and core areas of five groups of urban dwelling A. caraya using Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) Analysis. We used a Spearman’s Correlation to explore the relationship between home range size and group size. All five groups had home ranges of less than 10 ha and used core areas of less than 1ha. Group size had no significant relationship to home range size. We provide the first estimates of home range for A. caraya in an urban environment in Paraguay. Though the home ranges of the urban A. caraya in Pilar, Paraguay fall at the smaller end of the spectrum of range sizes in Alouatta they are not abnormal for a species in this genus.
Numerical Modelling of Carrier Transport in Organic Field Effect Transistors
Authors: Hussien Salma A. , Abdullatif Sameh O.
Published: January 2022

Organic field effect transistors (OFETs), used in the fabrication of nano-sensors, are one of the most promising devices in the field of organic electronics, because of their light weight, flexible and low fabrication cost. However, the optimization of such OFETs is still in an early stage due to the very limited analytical as well as numerical models presented in the literature. This research presses to demonstrate a numerical carrier transport model based on finite element method (FEM), to investigate the I-V characteristic of OFETs. Two various organic semiconductor materials have been included in the study, polyaniline and pentacene, where a micro-scale as well as a nano-scale models have been presented. OFETs have been studied in terms of channel length, dielectric thickness, and doping level impact. We nominated the threshold voltage, the on/off current ratio, the sub threshold swing, and the field effect mobility’s as the main output evaluating parameters. The numerical model has shown the criticality of the doping effect on tuning the device flowing drain current, to exceed 300 μA saturation current, along with threshold voltage of -0.1 V under a channel length of 30 nm. Additionally, the study highlights the effectiveness of the polyaniline over pentacene as nano-channel length OFET, due to the boosted conductivity of polyaniline with respect to pentacene.
Utility of Indocyanine Green Videoangiography with FLOW 800 Analysis in Brain Tumor Resection - Venous Protection Tchnique
Authors: sun yue , Wang Zilan , Jiang Fan , Yang Xingyu , Tan Xin , Chen Zhouqing , Liu Yanfei , Zhu Yun , Wang Zhong
Published: January 2022

Background: When it comes to central nervous system tumor resection, preserving vital venous structures to avoid devastating consequences such as brain edema and hemorrhage is important. Wheras, in clinical practice, it is difficult to obtain clear and vivid intraoperative venous visualization and blood flow analysis.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients underwent brain tumor resection through the application of indocyanine green videoangiography (ICG-VA) integrated with FLOW 800 from February 2019 to December 2020 and presented our clinical cases to demonstrate the process of venous preservation. Galen vein, sylvian vein and superior cerebral veins were included in our cases.Results: Clear documentations of the veins from different venous groups were obtained via ICG-VA integrated with FLOW 800, which semiquantitatively analyzed the flow dynamics. ICG-VA integrated with FLOW 800 enabled us to achieve brain tumor resection without venous injury and obstructing the venous flux.Conclusions: ICG-VA integrated with FLOW 800 is an available method for venous preservation, though further comparison between ICG-VA integrated with FLOW 800 and other techniques of intraoperative blood flow monitoring is needed.
Night-eating, Overweight/obesity and Sleep Quality
Authors: Eid Shireen Walid , Brown Rhonda , Maloney Shane , Birmingham Carl Laird
Published: January 2022

PurposeImpaired sleep has been reported to be a consequence of overweight/obesity. However, sleep-disrupting behaviour that tend to coexist with overweight/obesity are also independent risk factors for impaired sleep such as night-eating, alcohol use, insufficient physical activity (PA), electronic device use and stress/affective distress. Thus, it is unclear whether night-eating and measures of body fatness will still predict sleep quality once concurrent behaviour and affective state are taken into account. MethodsOnline questionnaires asked participants about sleep quality, night-eating, alcohol use, electronic device use and stress/affective distress at T1 (baseline) and T2 (3-months later). Height, weight and waist and hip circumference was measured at T1 and objective physical activity (PA) was assessed over 24-hours (using actigraphy) in 161 participants at T1 and T2. ResultsAt T1, night-eating was related to poorer subjective sleep quality, longer sleep onset latency, lower sleep efficacy, more sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction and obesity category was related to daytime dysfunction after controlling demographics and covariates. At T2, high BMI predicted lower sleep efficacy after controlling T1 sleep components, demographics and covariates. ConclusionNight-eating and obesity category were associated with multiple impairments in sleep quality, but only high BMI predicted sleep quality at T2. Thus, night-eating and measures of body fatness predicted sleep quality components at T1 and T2 even after co-existing behaviour and emotional states were taken into account.Level of EvidenceLevel III, evidence obtained from well-designed cohort.
Unraveling microRNA Mediated Gene Regulation in Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. by High-throughput Sequencing based Small-RNA Profiling.
Authors: Ranjith Gouri Priya , Satheesan Jisha , Sabu K K
Published: January 2022

Centella asiatica is a widely spread herb mostly found in the tropics having extensive medicinal values. Here, we report for the first time, transcriptome-wide characterization of miRNA profile from the leaves of C. asiatica using high-throughput Illumina sequencing. We identified 227 conserved and 109 putative novel miRNAs. Computational screening revealed potential mRNA targets for both the conserved and novel miRNAs encoding diverse transcription factors and enzymes involved in plant development, disease resistance, metabolic and signaling pathways. Gene ontology annotation and KEGG analysis revealed the miRNA targets to be involved in a wide range of metabolomic and regulatory pathways. The differential expression of the miRNA encoding genes in diverse tissues was determined by real-time PCR analysis. We also found that gene expression levels of miR156, 159 and 1171 was reduced in salicylic acid treated axenic shoot cultures of C. asiatica compared to its control. Furthermore, RLM-RACE experiments mapped miRNA-mediated cleavage at two of the mRNA targets. The present study represents the large-scale identification of microRNAs from C. asiatica and contributes to the base for the up-coming studies on miRNA-mediated gene regulation of plant secondary metabolite pathways in particular.
IMPLEMENTASI SIG UNTUK INVENTARISASI DAERAH RESIKO LONGSOR DAN UPAYA MITIGASINYA
Authors: Saputri Amelia Indah , Wahyudin Sinta Ayudeana , Setiawan Bagus
Published: January 2022

Indonesia merupakan wilayah yang rawan terhadap bencana longsor. Terjadinya bencana longsor ini dapat menyebabkan dampak yang besar seperti kerusakan dan kerugian akibat baik materil maupun non materil. Tersedianya informasi yang lengkap dan akurat dalam pengendalian pemanfaatan lahan dikawasan rawan bencana longsor dalam pengembangan suatu wilayah menjadi hal yang sangat penting dalam meminimalisir adanya korban jiwa dan kerugian-kerugian baik fisik, sosial maupun ekonomi. Informasi tersebut harus disebarkan kepada masyarakat sebagai sistem peringatan dini dalam upaya mitigasi bencana. Identifikasi karakteristik daerah rawan longsor diperlukan sebuah pemetaan risiko kawasan rawan longsor dalam upaya mitigasi bencana dapat dilakukan menggunakan Sistem Informasi Geografis (SIG). hasil dalam penelitian ini menunjukkan perlunya identifikasi bencana secara detail karena pada dasarnya, suatu kawasan yang terancan bencana belum tentu tiap masyarakatnya memiiki tingkat risiko bencana yang sama. Pemetaan dapat dilakukan dengan pengkusteran maupun dengan identifikasi setiap bangunan dalam kawasan rawan berdasarkan tingkat risiko terhadap bencana tanah longsor.
Orthodontics on sale: fixed appliances on E-commerce platforms
Authors: Kamarudin Yasmin , Zakaria Nor Nadia , Xinhui Violette Ong
Published: January 2022

Introduction

The sale of orthodontic materials, considered as medical devices, is regulated in order to protect patients. The availability of orthodontic products on e-commerce platforms, however, may go unregulated and compromise patient safety.

Objective

The present study aimed to investigate the sale of fixed orthodontic appliances on a local and global e-commerce platform.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional analysis of orthodontic materials sold on Shopee and Amazon was conducted using a specific keyword search for brackets, arch wires and ligatures. After deleting duplicates and irrelevant search results, the top 50 products for each keyword search were analysed. Product name, the type of product, seller, cost, star rating, the number of reviews, the number of sales, shipping location and brand identification were recorded. Brand registration with a medical device regulatory authority was checked. Collected data were tabulated in Google (spread)sheet to derive descriptive statistics and frequency tables.

Results

A total of 800 search results were screened. Three hundred and forty-eight relevant results were identified, approximately two-thirds of which originated from Shopee. Ligatures generated the highest search outcome in both Shopee (39%) and Amazon (80%). Fixed orthodontic materials sold on Shopee resulted in a larger number of reviews, higher star ratings and a lower cost per item compared to those supplied by Amazon. Products on Amazon were more likely to have brand identification (97%) compared to Shopee (5%). None of the identifiable brands on Shopee were registered with regulatory bodies, whereas eight products listed on Amazon were registered. A large portion of shipping locations originated from China for both e-commerce platforms.

Conclusions

Orthodontic brackets, arch wires and ligatures are more readily available on Shopee compared to Amazon. The quality and safety of these products cannot be assured as the majority of the products were either not clearly labelled or their registration was not identified under the regulation of medical devices.
Reconstructing the graviton
Authors: Bonanno Alfio , Denz Tobias , Pawlowski Jan M. , Reichert Manuel
Published: January 2022

We reconstruct the Lorentzian graviton propagator in asymptotically safe quantum gravity from Euclidean data. The reconstruction is applied to both the dynamical fluctuation graviton and the background graviton propagator. We prove that the spectral function of the latter necessarily has negative parts similar to, and for the same reasons, as the gluon spectral function. In turn, the spectral function of the dynamical graviton is positive. We argue that the latter enters cross sections and other observables in asymptotically safe quantum gravity. Hence, its positivity may hint at the unitarity of asymptotically safe quantum gravity.
Water-food-energy nexus for transboundary cooperation in Eastern Africa
Authors: Elsayed Hamdy , Djordjevic Slobodan , Savic Dragan , Tsoukalas Ioannis , Makropoulos Christos
Published: January 2022

Establishing cooperation in transboundary rivers is challenging especially with the weak or non-existent river basin institutions. A nexus-based approach is developed to explore cooperation opportunities in transboundary river basins while considering system operation and coordination under uncertain hydrologic river regimes. The proposed approach is applied to the Nile river basin with a special focus on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), assuming two possible governance positions: with or without cooperation. A cooperation mechanism is developed to allocate additional releases from the GERD when necessary, while a unilateral position assumes that the GERD is operated to maximize hydropower generation regardless of downstream users' needs. The GERD operation modes were analysed considering operation of downstream reservoirs and varying demands in Egypt. Results show that average basin-wide hydropower generation is likely to increase by about 547 GWh/year (1%) if cooperation is adopted when compared to the unilateral position. In Sudan, hydropower generation and water supply are expected to enhance in the unilateral position and would improve further with cooperation. Furthermore, elevated low flows by the GERD are likely to improve the WFE nexus outcomes in Egypt under full cooperation governance scenario with a small reduction in GERD hydropower generation (2,000 GWh/year (19%)).
The Role of Natural Products in Treatment of Depressive Disorder
Authors: Noori Tayebeh , Sureda Antoni , Sobarzo-Sánchez Eduardo , Shirooie Samira
Published: January 2022

Depressive disorder is one of the most common psychiatric syndromes that, if left untreated,
can cause many disturbances in a person's life. Numerous factors are involved in depression,
including inflammation, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), GABAergic system, hypothalamic–
pituitary–adrenal (HPA) Axis, monoamine neurotransmitters (serotonin (5-HT), noradrenaline,
and dopamine). Common treatments for depression are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors,
tricyclic antidepressants, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, but these drugs have several side effects
such as anxiety, diarrhea, constipation, weight loss, and sexual dysfunctions. These agents only
reduce the symptoms and temporarily reduce the rate of cognitive impairment associated with depression.
As a result, extensive research has recently been conducted on the potential use of antidepressant
and sedative herbs. According to the available data, herbs used in traditional medicine can
be significantly effective in reducing depression, depressive symptoms and improving patients' performance.
The present study provides a summary of biomarkers and therapeutic goals of depression
and shows that natural products such as saffron or genipin have antidepressant effects. Some of the
useful natural products and their mechanisms were evaluated. Data on various herbs and natural isolated
compounds reported to prevent and reduce depressive symptoms is also discussed.