bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anesthesia Considerations for Cataract Surgery in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Narrative Review
Authors: Kumar Chandra M. , Palte Howard D. , Chua Alfred W. Y. , Sinha Renu , Shah Shreya B. , Imani Farnad , Jalali Zahra M.
Published: April 2021

: Schizophrenia is ranked among the top 10 global burdens of disease. About 1% of people meet the diagnostic criteria for this disorder over their lifetime. Schizophrenic patients can develop cataract, particularly related to age and medications, requiring surgery and anesthesia. Many concerning factors, including cognitive function, anxiety, behavioral issues, poor cooperation and paroxysmal movements, may lead to general anesthesia as the default method. Antipsychotic agents should be continued during the perioperative period if possible. Topical/regional anesthesia is suitable in most schizophrenic patients undergoing cataract surgery. It reduces potential drug interactions and many postoperative complications; however, appropriate patient selection is paramount to its success. General anesthesia remains the primary technique for patients who are considered unsuitable for the topical/regional technique. Early involvement of a psychiatrist in the perioperative period, especially for patients requiring general anesthesia, is beneficial but often under-utilized. This narrative review summarizes the anesthetic considerations for cataract surgery in patients with schizophrenia.
Presenting the Multi-Objective Optimization Model of Search and Rescue Network
Authors: Billal Md Mashum , Maleki Maryam
Published: April 2021

The Search and Rescue Network (SAR) is a kind of emergency network that pursuit people in need or imminent danger. This paper aims using a priori optimization to demonstrate the optimal assignment of HFDF receivers to the Generalized Search and Rescue (GSAR) network, which is independent of the weighting of the transmitter areas. The mathematical model seeks two objectives, the first one is maximizing the expected number of LOBs for HFDF receivers. The second is providing a fair share number of HFDF receivers allowed to cover the frequency. The result shown the efficiency of presented model ran by CPLEX toolbox of MATLAB 2020 software.
Representations of the Blueberry in Romanian Philately
Authors: Pop Alexandru Leonard , Cioruța Bogdan-Vasile
Published: April 2021

Forest products play a vital role in our lives in many ways we can imagine. Berries, for example, are still an important source of food, being of real use in defining a healthy diet, as well as in natural medicine. But does blueberry have other roles at the community level? Can the blueberry be viewed from another perspective?Here are some questions we aim to answer. In this context, to show that there have been and still are concerns regarding the highlighting of the role of berries in the community, the present study is proposed to analyze their entire Romanian philatelic history. As such, the first approach is limited to the philatelic appearances of the blueberry (postage stamps, “first day of issue” envelopes, maximum postcards, occasional envelopes), appearances identified within the various platforms with philatelic content. The identified philatelic pieces for the reference period 1964-2020, show that there have been and are concerns for the promotion of a healthy diet, a diet that can be thought of in a balanced way by including the consumption of berries, including blueberries.
Classroom Learning Environment and Self-Efficacy in Mathematics of Freshmen Engineering Students of the University of Eastern Philippines
Authors: Salazar Ramil E. , Basierto Riza C.
Published: April 2021

Aims: To determine the classroom learning environment in terms of goal orientation, physical facilities, student-student interaction, teacher-student interaction, method of teaching, and the degree of self-efficacy in mathematics; and establish if there is a significant relationship between their classroom environment and the degree of self-efficacy in mathematics. 

Study Design: Descriptive correlational research design.           

Place and Duration of Study: College of Engineering, University of Eastern Philippines, Catarman, Northern Samar in the school year 2012-2013.

Methodology: Complete enumeration of 260 freshmen students from the College of Engineering courses: Bachelors of Science in Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering enrolled in Mathematics were surveyed using the 50-item Learning Environment Schedule developed by Sunitha and Mathematics Self-efficacy Survey developed by Betz and Hackett. The data gathered were tabulated, analyzed, and treated statistically using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 16.0 Version).

Results: With the total score of 50594 out of 65000 and a mean of 3.89, the respondents found the classroom learning environment in terms of goal; orientation, physical facilities, student-student interaction, teacher-student interaction, and methods of teaching to be favorable; that the total score of 17634 and a mean of 3.61 showed that respondents had much confidence or had high self-efficacy in Mathematics; and that the Pearson r of .187 with the respective significant value of .001, ,000, ,011, and,000, goal orientation, student-student interaction, teacher-student interaction and methods of teaching were found to have a significant relationship with self-efficacy in mathematics; and only physical facilities was not significantly correlated to self-efficacy in mathematics.

Conclusion: Classroom learning environment variables are significantly related to self-efficacy in mathematics.
Nutritional Responses of the Black Cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufn.), Larvae under Toxicity Effects of Five Wild Botanical Extracts from Sinai, Egypt
Authors: Nasr Enas E. , Teleb Samir S. , Abou-Saty Amira I.
Published: April 2021

Aims: To identify the chemical components of five wild Botanical oils (BOs) and their larvicidal influences on the anti-nutritional indices of the 4th instar larvae of Agrotis ipsilon.

Study Design: A comparative study with the randomized design, using five plant Extracts replicated five times.

Place and Duration of Study: Mentha longifolia, Artemisia judaica, Majorana hortensis, Origanum syriacum, and Achillea santolina were collected from the Sinai desert, Egypt. Study procedures were done at the Laboratory of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Egypt, between December 2018 and June 2020.

Methodology: An analysis of the tested BOs components was done using a Shimadzu GC-9A gas chromatograph. Five sub-lethal concentrations of each plant were prepared (5 replicate/treatment) to evaluate medium lethality against A. ipsilon larvae (20 larvae/replicate). Untreated larvae were used distilled water only as a control. Ten larvae of each treatment were treated with only one LC50 to estimate the effect of different tested BOs on anti-nutritional Activities.

Results: The main component of the M. longifolia and A. judaica oil was Piperitone at 39.79 and 37.55%, respectively; whereas the M. hortensis, O. syriacum, and A. santolina oil was Terpinen-4-ol, Thymol, and Fragranyl acetate at 29.82, 31.21, and 25.67%, respectively. According to LC50 of the tested BOs, the toxicity of A. judaica, M. longifolia, O. syriacum, respectively, were the most effective oils, while M. hortensis and A. santolina oils were the least susceptibilities. The more toxic oils reduced food consumption, causing a significant decrease in relative consumption rate (RCR), growth rate (RGR), and efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI)/digested (ECD). The previous oils also showed a significant increase in metabolic cost (MC) and anti-feeding activities against A. ipsilon larvae compared to M. hortensis and A. santolina.

Conclusion: It is suggested that A. judaica and M. longifolia extracts contain high Piperitone content and could be accepted as toxicants to control A. ipsilon.
Screening of Pearl Millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] Germplam Lines for Drought Tolerance Based on Morpho-physiological Traits and SSR Markers
Authors: Choudhary M. L. , Tripathi M. K. , Tiwari Sushma , Pandya R. K. , Gupta Neha , Tripathi Niraj , Parihar Prerana
Published: April 2021

Aim: The present study was undertaken to analyze genetic diversity among pearl millet genotypes based on drought linked morpho-physiological and microsatellite markers.

Study Design: In the present investigation, 96 pearl millet germplasm lines were screened against drought using different morphological and physiological traits along with SSR markers.

Place and Duration of the Study: The present study was conducted at College of Agriculture, Gwalior, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Gwalior, M.P., India during July 2019 to December, 2020.

Methodology: The study was conducted to record different morphological and physiological traits related to drought tolerance and susceptibility. Thirty five microsatellite markers were also used in laboratory to analyze the variability among pearl millet genotypes under study.

Results: Pearl millet genotypes were grouped according to their morpho-physiological characteristics. Among 35 SSR markers, twenty-two were successfully amplified across all germplasm lines and seven SSR markers were found to be polymorphic and fifteen markers were monomorphic. All seven polymorphic SSR markers were used consequently for amplification of all the 96 germplasm lines. The range of PIC value was 0.0939 to 0.2980 with the average of 0.2274. The highest PIC value was recorded for the markers Xibmsp26 and Xibmsp29 (0.2980), followed by Xibmsp03 (0.2392), Xibmsp29 (0.2392), Xibmsp06 (0.2289) and Xibmsp07 (0.1948) while the lowest for the marker Xibmsp01 (0.0939). The range of major allele frequency value was 0.7604 to 0.9479 with the average of 0.8363. The range of genetic diversity value was 0.0987 to 0.3644 with the average of 0.2665.

Conclusions: According to the morpho-physiological data a total of 22 pearl millet genotypes were found to be grouped distantly from rest of the genotypes. These genotypes had shown their drought tolerance bahaviour however, rests of the genotypes were found to be susceptible against drought.
The Effects of Plant Density on the Productivity of Tomato Hybrids in a Newly Developed Low Cost Naturally Ventilated Greenhouse
Authors: Singh Sanjay Kumar , Shahi B. P. , Singh B. R. , Singh Manoj Kumar , Singh Shalini , Kumar Mukesh
Published: April 2021

Looking into the variations in the design of greenhouses and cost factor, a two-span saw tooth type low cost naturally ventilated greenhouse (NVG) of 250 m2 area was designed and developed. The galvanized iron (GI) framed NVG covered with 200µ ultra-voilet (UV) stabilized plastics sheet, consisted of cross and ridge ventilation, shade net, fogging and drip irrigation systems. Effect of spacing and tomato hybrid on yield and yield attributing traits of tomato were studied under NVG. Twenty-three days old seedlings of four tomato hybrids viz. Rupali, Pusa Hybrid-2, Naveen 2000 and Avinash-2 were transplanted at three different spacing (60 x 60 cm, 45 x 45 cm and 60 x 45 cm) inside the NVG. The results showed that increasing the spacing significantly increased the number of fruits, average fruit weight, fruit yield per plant, yield per unit area (kg/m2) and marketable fruit yield per plant. It was noted that the significantly highest fruit yield was recorded under wider spacing of 60 x 60cm over other spacings. Among the different tomato hybrids, Naveen-2000 significantly produced higher yield (12.55 kg/m2) and yield attributes over other and statistically at par with Avinash (12 kg/m2). The developed NVG was indigenous, simple to erect and performed well for tomato crop production. The efforts will enhance the application of greenhouse in arid and semi-arid regions of India.
Robustness of T-test Based on Skewness and Kurtosis
Authors: Garren Steven T. , Osborne Kate McGann
Published: April 2021

Coverage probabilities of the two-sided one-sample t-test are simulated for some symmetric and right-skewed distributions. The symmetric distributions analyzed are Normal, Uniform, Laplace, and student-t with 5, 7, and 10 degrees of freedom. The right-skewed distributions analyzed are Exponential and Chi-square with 1, 2, and 3 degrees of freedom. Left-skewed distributions were not analyzed without loss of generality. The coverage probabilities for the symmetric distributions tend to achieve or just barely exceed the nominal values. The coverage probabilities for the skewed distributions tend to be too low, indicating high Type I error rates. Percentiles for the skewness and kurtosis statistics are simulated using Normal data. For sample sizes of 5, 10, 15 and 20 the skewness statistic does an excellent job of detecting non-Normal data, except for Uniform data. The kurtosis statistic also does an excellent job of detecting non-Normal data, including Uniform data. Examined herein are Type I error rates, but not power calculations. We nd that sample skewness is unhelpful when determining whether or not the t-test should be used, but low sample kurtosis is reason to avoid using the t-test.
Management of Eleusine indica and Digitaria insularis with Herbicides in Association with Cover Plants
Authors: Ramos Gustavo da Cunha , Santos Paulo Henrique Vieira dos , Schendenffeldt Bruna Ferrari , Hirata Andréia Cristina Silva , Monquero Patricia Andrea
Published: April 2021

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the control of Eleusine indica Gaertn. and Digitaria insularis (L.) Fedde through the combination of soil cover with green manure straw and herbicides applied in pre-emergence.

Study Design: Each weed species was evaluated in different experiments. The experiments were set up in a greenhouse in a completely randomized design and arranged in a factorial scheme (5×4)+2, with four replications.

Place and Duration of Study: Center of Agricultural Sciences, São Paulo, Brazil, from May 2019 to May 2020.

Methodology: Seeds of Digitaria insularis and Eulesine indica were sown at a depth of 1 cm from the soil surface. Then, the pots were watered, and the straw of Cajanus cajan, Sorghum bicolor, Crotalaria juncea, Crotalaria spectabilis, and Crotalaria breviflora was deposited on the surface. The pre-emergence herbicides trifluralin (900 g ai ha−1), pendimethalin (1200 g ai ha−1), clomazone (1000 g ai ha−1), and s-metolachlor (1920 g ai ha−1) were applied one day after the weed seeds were sown. The percentage of weed control was evaluated at 10, 20, and 30 days after emergence (DAE). The plant shoot was cut at 30 DAE and the weight of dry biomass was determined. The control without herbicide and with soil cover crop and no herbicide and no soil cover were also evaluated.

Results: Sorghum bicolor, Cajanus cajan, and Crotalaria breviflora were the most effective in controlling Eleusine indica when no herbicide was applied. Only Sorghum bicolor showed a satisfactory control of Digitaria insularis without the use of chemical management (above 80%). The association of pre-emergence herbicides with soil cover showed high control of weeds.

Conclusion: The results showed that the association between chemical and cultural methods is an effective alternative to control Eulesine indica and Digitaria insularis.
Assessment of Self-care Knowledge on Diabetes and Long-term Complications among Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Guyana
Authors: Boston Cecil , Kurup Rajini , Hadi Sibte , Cummings Emanuel , O'hara Adrian
Published: April 2021

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the level of knowledge regarding self-care and awareness as well as long-term complications among type 2 diabetic patients in Guyana.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and West Demerara Regional Hospital Guyana during the period September 2020 and December 2020.

Results: A total of 200 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who met the inclusion criteria were recruited via advertisement and telephone interviews. The data revealed about 66.5% of participants were deemed to have good knowledge with men accounting for the majority. Diabetic foot and hypertension were commonly seen among participants with complications. Significant association was noted with barrier level of patients with the level of education (p=0.001), ethnicity (0.006) and insurance plan (0.03). Adherence to self-care showed statistically significant association with patient’s level of education (p<0.0001), marital status (0.02), employment status (p<0.0001), insurance plan (0.01) and persons living with multiple persons in the household (p<0.0001). Statistically, significant association was also noted among patient’s self-health feeling with level of education (0.004), employment status (p<0.0001), insurance plan (0.01) and persons living with multiple persons in the household (p<0.0001). There was no statistical difference between the hospital clinics neither between the groups of participants.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the study highlighted gaps in the knowledge of the disease and patient care. Therefore, efforts should be made to enhance patient care by scheduling regular educational sessions and having services such as counselling available to patients.
Role of Immunohistochemistry Versus he Stain in Helicobacter pylori Detection in Gastric Lesions
Authors: Narain Ayushi , Karkuzhali P. , Kumar R.Vinoth , Thanka J.
Published: April 2021

Helicobacter pylori are a spiral campylobacter like bacteria which infects the stomach causing chronic active gastritis. This can result in peptic ulcer disease, gastric adenocarcinoma, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. In 1989, studies involving 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and others revealed that the bacterium does not come under the genus Campylobacter. Hence the bacterium was classified under a unique genus named Helicobacter. This term is taken from the Greek language with helix meaning - "spiral" or "coil" and pylori meaning- gatekeeper (pylorus of stomach). This bacterium is said to penetrate the pylori or mucoid lining of the stomach. When infected during the early stages of life, people develop intense inflammation that may be followed by atrophic gastritis which serves as a risk factor for gastric ulcer, gastric cancer or both. Being infected during later stages of life changes the gastric system leading to duodenal ulcer. The present study analyzes the role of Immunohistochemistry versus Hematoxylin and Eosin and special stains in detecting Helicobacter pylori in gastric lesions.
Effectiveness of Self-Administered Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation with Self-Neural Mobilization Technique in TrapeziusMyalgia: Single Subject Research
Authors: Bhatnagar Aashi , Dass Bodhisattva , Hotwani Rinkle
Published: April 2021

Background:Trapezitis or the inflammation of the trapezius muscle is the most common condition leading to a pain and spasm in the cervical region. This is often referred to as trapeziusmyalgia. Individuals having long working hours on desktop are the most subjected to develop this condition. It could result in slight discomfort to sever pain which may lead to suboccipital muscle tightness as well.

Investigations: On the day of examination patient presented with severe pain and spasm in the muscles of upper back and neck. The range of motion was found to be reduced for cervical region on examination with goniometer. No radiological findings were available with the patient.

Case Presentation: A 23 years old female patient presented with a complaint of pain in right upper back and at times in the left upper back with intermittent radiation in the arm. Presenting with a history of pain on prolonged sitting, studying.

Discussion: Self proprioception neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching technique along with self neural mobilization was the main physiotherapeutic intervention. The outcome measures for pain and tightness showed significant improvement.

Conclusion: Self PNF stretching was found to be effective in patients with severe pain referring to arms along with the tightness, when traditional mode of treatment cannot be performed due to presence of extremely painful condition.
Comparison of Efficacy and Safety of Atorvastatin Versus Combination of Atorvastatin - Ezetimibe in Newly Diagnosed Dyslipedemic Patients
Authors: Philip Sanitha , Elizabeth Arul Amutha
Published: April 2021

Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is an established risk factor for atherosclerotic disease, particularly coronary artery disease (CAD); therefore, management of high serum LDL-C levels is the most important goal in the treatment of dyslipidemia. Since therapy with statins alone fails to achieve the targeted LDL-C values with lesser side effects it is better to try a combination therapy having high efficacy and safety profile. This study compared the efficacy and safety of the combination of Atorvastatin 10 mg +Ezetimibe 10 mg versus Atorvastatin 10 mg alone in lowering LDL-C in newly diagnosed dyslipidemic patients. Besides, it compared the efficacy of the two drugs in lowering the TC, TG, and TC/HDL-C and LDL/HDL-C ratio. We also compared the increase in HDL-C in the two groups at the end of 12 weeks. This study was conducted on 60 hypercholesterolemic patients in SreeBalaji Medical College Hospital. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of 30each. Group 1 was given Atorvastatin 10 mg +Ezetimibe 10 mg while Group 2 was given Atorvastatin 10 mg. The Lipid Profile, biochemical and hematological tests, clinical examination were done on Day 0, 6th week, and 12th week and these results were compared the group and between groups from 0 to 6th week and 6th week to 12th week and 0 to 12th week. The results from our study indicated that Combination therapy with Atorvastatin 10 mg + Ezetimibe 10 mg is superior to Atorvastatin 10 mg alone in reducing LDL-C, TC, TC/HDL-C ratio and raising the HDL-C levels at the end of 12 weeks. Thus the study implies that combination therapy is superior to monotherapy in the high-risk group of dyslipidemia patients.
Antimicrobial Activities of Mint Lemonade Plant Extracts from Salt and Heavy Metal Stressed Plants
Authors: Khan Asima , Ali Qurban , Javeid Muhammad Awais , Malik Arif
Published: April 2021

Aim of present research was to evaluate the anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant and multi-stress activities of a medicinal plant Mint Lemonade plant extract. Fresh mint was purchased from the nearest market. The samples were cleaned with distilled led water and its leaves, stem and roots were separated them all. The material was dried in shade at room temperature (24ºC). The three types of extracts were prepared for each sample of mint plantviz, ethanol, n-hexane and water. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of ethanolic, n-haxene and aqueous mint extract was determined on Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas, Aeromonas hydrophila, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavous and Rhizopus stolonifer respectively. From the results of the antibacterial and antifungal activities it was clear that the aqueous extract showed no inhibitory effect on test these microorganisms. In ethanolic extract of antibacterial activity Escherichia coli showed the maximum zone of inhibition with diameters of 3.90 cm at 50 µl dose. Bacilluscereus showed the zone of inhibition diameter 4.9 cm. Pseudomonas showed the maximum zone of inhibition in diameter 3.86mm.Aeromonas hydrophila expressed the maximum zone of inhibition in diameter 3.86mm. The n-hexane extracts antibacterial activity of E. coli, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas and Aeromonas hydrophila showed the zone of inhibition 3.86 cm, 4.5 cm, 7.90 mm and 4.71 cm respectively, while the positive control showed inhibition zone about 0.0 cm. The antifungal activity in n-haxene extract showed the maximum result in Aspergillus flavous 18 cm of the area of inhibition. In ethanol extracts antifungal activity showed the maximum result in Aspergillus flavous 4.8 cm of the zone of inhibition. The inhibitory action of mint plant extracts indicated that the plant may be used as potential antibacterial agent.
Expression of Calretinin in Carcinoma Breast in Correlation with Various Histological and Molecular Subtypes
Authors: Hansini M. B. Sri , Ganapathy Hemalatha
Published: April 2021

Breast carcinoma is the second most common cancer following lung cancer. The incidence of cancer accounts for 24.2% and cancer death is about 15% among females. There are various prognostic and predictive factors for assessing the patient encountering carcinoma breast. Among the various prognostic factors, histological subtype and molecular subtype play a key role. The calretinin expression in carcinoma breast was seen in high-grade breast carcinomas and basal like subtype of carcinoma breast. Calretinin expression was predominantly noted in high grade II and III carcinomas as in other studies and other histological subtypes like metastatic carcinomas which are considered high grade tumours. The present study aimed to correlate the various clinicopathological parameters with the calretinin expression. The expression of Calretinin was seen mainly in grade II and grade III IDC- NST and metaplastic carcinomas. Among the molecular subtypes, the Basal like subtype and the Luminal B subtype showed calretinin expression. The calretinin expression was associated with tumours with a high proliferative index with Ki67 index >14%. This implies the importance of prognostic significance of calretinin expression, as cases with a high proliferative index are likely to have poor prognosis.
Teamwork Conflicts; Medical Errors and Patient Safety as Perceived by Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study of Selected Hospitals in Hail City; Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alshammari Hamoud F. , Algahtan Fahad D. , Alsaedi Bandar , Aldhmadi Badr K. , Dayrit Richard D.
Published: April 2021

Patient safety is a global problem and one of the key elements of the quality of health care systems. The human factor is a major risk factor leading to medical errors that affect patient safety. To explore the impact of this factor on patient safety in the hospitals located in the Ha'il city in Saudi Arabia; the perceptions of nurses working in governmental hospitals were assessed using a self-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were presented for the studied variables. Significant differences between the categories of the respondents’ characteristics in relation to risk factors were assessed using the Mann-Whitney test; the Kruskal-Wallis and the Spearman rank correlation test. Only 50% of the factors tested were perceived as moderate risk factors that were negatively affecting patient safety in Ha'il hospitals; namely: ‘Poor teamwork among medical staff’; ‘Unqualified medical staff’ and ‘Miscommunication among medical staff’. The substantial differences among demographic characteristics of the study sample in relation to the human resources risk factors causing medical errors was identified at P<0.05. Although the human risk factors were ranked as low to moderate; attention to and concern for all risk factors is needed by policymakers and hospital managers in order to improve patient safety in the healthcare settings in the Ha'il city in KSA.
Effects of sea‐level rise and storm‐enhanced flooding on Pacific harbour seal habitat: A comparison of haul‐out changes at the Russian and Eel river estuaries
Authors: Backe Karen , Hines Ellen , Nielsen Karina J. , George Doug , Twohy Elinor , Lowry Mark
Published: April 2021

Patterns and changes in the distribution of coastal marine mammals can serve as indicators of environmental change that fill critical information gaps in coastal and marine environments. Coastal habitats are particularly vulnerable to the effects of near‐term sea‐level rise.

In California, Pacific harbour seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) are a natural indicator species of coastal change because of their reliance on terrestrial habitats, abundance, distribution, and site fidelity. Pacific harbour seals are marine top predators that are easily observed while hauled out at terrestrial sites, which are essential for resting, pupping, and moulting.

Although increasing inundation from recent sea‐level rise and storm‐driven flooding has changed the Californian coastline, little is known about the effect of future sea‐level rise and increased storm frequency and strength on harbour seal haulout site availability and quality in California.

Harbour seal habitat was modelled at two sandbar‐built estuaries under a series of likely sea‐level rise and storm scenarios. The model outputs suggest that, over time, habitat at both estuaries decreased with increasing sea level, and storm‐enhanced water levels contributed significantly to habitat flooding. These changes reflect pressures on coastal habitats that have an impact on human and natural systems.
Impact of ground Ajwa (Phoenixdactylifera L.) seeds fortification on physical and nutritional properties of functional cookies and chocolate sauce
Authors: Abushal Suzan A. , Elhendy Hassan A. , Abd El Maged Enass M. , Darwish Amira M.G.
Published: April 2021

Background and objectives

Date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seeds are rich in dietary fibers, lipids, minerals, and their application mainly incorporated to achieve green economy. The present study aimed to contribute agro‐waste reduction, enhance nutritional value, and extend shelf life in parallel with consumer acceptance by producing functional cookies and chocolate sauce fortified with ground Ajwa seeds (GAS) with 5, 10, and 15% levels substituting wheat flour or cocoa powder, respectively.

Findings

GAS fortification significantly increased fiber content of cookies to cover 15% of required daily values (DV%) in GAS15. On the other hand, it lowered moisture content by 57% comparing to control GAS0, which extended fortified cookies shelf life. Cookie dough Farinograph and Extensograph properties were negatively affected by the fortification of ground Ajwa seeds, and chocolate sauce showed decreased viscosity from 470 (control) to 116 cP (GASC15). Sensory evaluation indicated that panelists accepted the functional cookies and chocolate sauce.

Conclusion

GAS can partially substitute wheat flour in cookies or cocoa powder in chocolate sauce to improve the nutritional quality with no significant effects on the sensorial acceptability.

Significance and Novelty

Reduction of agro‐waste by utilizing Ground Ajwa seeds (GAS) enhanced nutritional value by increasing fiber content, extended shelf life, and gained panelists acceptance which paves the way for other fortification in food applications.
The microRNA miR‐33 is a pleiotropic regulator of metabolic and developmental processes in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Clerbaux Laure‐Alix , Schultz Hayley , Roman‐Holba Samara , Ruan Dan Fu , Yu Ronald , Lamb Abigail M. , Bommer Guido T. , Kennell Jennifer A.
Published: April 2021

Background

miR‐33 family members are well characterized regulators of cellular lipid levels in mammals. Previous studies have shown that overexpression of miR‐33 in Drosophila melanogaster leads to elevated triacylglycerol (TAG) levels in certain contexts. Although loss of miR‐33 in flies causes subtle defects in larval and adult ovaries, the effects of miR‐33 deficiency on lipid metabolism and other phenotypes impacted by metabolic state have not yet been characterized.

Results

We found that loss of miR‐33 predisposes flies to elevated TAG levels, and we identified genes involved in TAG synthesis as direct targets of miR‐33, including atpcl, midway, and Akt1. miR‐33 mutants survived longer upon starvation but showed greater sensitivity to an oxidative stressor. We also found evidence that miR‐33 is a negative regulator of cuticle pigmentation and that miR‐33 mutants show a reduction in interfollicular stalk cells during oogenesis.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that miR‐33 is a conserved regulator of lipid homeostasis, and its targets are involved in both degradation and synthesis of fatty acids and TAG. The constellation of phenotypes involving tissues that are highly sensitive to metabolic state suggests that miR‐33 serves to prevent extreme fluctuations in metabolically sensitive tissues.
Molecular crosstalk in tracheal development and its recurrence in adult tissue regeneration
Authors: Kiyokawa Hirofumi , Morimoto Mitsuru
Published: April 2021

The trachea is a rigid air duct with some mobility, which comprises the upper region of the respiratory tract and delivers inhaled air to alveoli for gas exchange. During development, the tracheal primordium is first established at the ventral anterior foregut by interactions between the epithelium and mesenchyme through various signaling pathways, such as Wnt, Bmp, retinoic acid, Shh, and Fgf, and then segregates from digestive organs. Abnormalities in this crosstalk result in lethal congenital diseases, such as tracheal agenesis. Interestingly, these molecular mechanisms also play roles in tissue regeneration in adulthood, although it remains less understood compared with their roles in embryonic development. In this review, we discuss cellular and molecular mechanisms of trachea development that regulate the morphogenesis of this simple tubular structure and identities of individual differentiated cells. We also discuss how the facultative regeneration capacity of the epithelium is established during development and maintained in adulthood.
The Rise of Black Feminist Intellectual Thought and Political Activism in Perinatal Quality Improvement: A Righteous Rage about Racism, Resistance, Resilience, and Rigor
Authors: Scott Karen A.
Published: April 2021

In this description of her work in perinatal quality improvement, obstetrician and crunk public health scholar Dr. Karen A. Scott describes the ways in which perinatal quality improvement has typically prioritized the deaths or near deaths of Black women at the exclusion of the lived experiences of Black women and people as patient, community, and content experts. Drawn into the work to apply a Black women‐centered and liberatory analytic, Dr. Scott turned to Black feminist anthropology to transform perinatal quality improvement ethics and theories of change. The work of Leith Mullings, particularly her excursus on the Sojourner Syndrome, was at the center of Dr. Scott's approach to abating Black perinatal death and redesigning perinatal quality improvement.
Novel MEAF6‐SUZ12 fusion in ossifying fibromyxoid tumor with unusual features
Authors: Killian Katherine , Leckey Bruce D. , Naous Rana , McGough Richard L. , Surrey Lea F. , John Ivy
Published: April 2021

Ossifying fibromyxoid tumor (OFMT) is a rare soft tissue neoplasm of uncertain differentiation that has the capacity for local recurrence and metastasis. Many OFMTs, including typical, atypical, and malignant tumors, have demonstrated recurrent gene fusions. The fusion partners reported to date share a common core function in that they play either a direct or indirect role in processes influencing histone modification. Herein, we report an OFMT with unusual morphology and non‐specific immunoprofile harboring a novel MEAF6‐SUZ12 fusion. A 34‐year‐old male presented with a slowly growing mass in the right antecubital fossa. Excision demonstrated a 6.9 cm partially encapsulated, tan‐white, lobulated, and calcified lesion. Microscopic evaluation demonstrated cytologically bland spindle to ovoid cells arranged in a haphazard manner within a fibromyxoid background containing dense collagen, often with sclerotic nodules, and randomly distributed ossification. The tumor cells were diffusely positive for CD34 while essentially negative for S100, desmin, MUC4, SOX10, AE1/3, SMA, and EMA. Next‐generation sequencing studies (sarcoma gene fusion next‐generation sequencing panel with subsequent Sanger confirmation) performed on formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue detected a fusion product between MEAF6 exon 4 (NM_001270875) and SUZ12 exon 2 (NM_001321207.1). The proposed mechanism of pathogenesis in OFMT, namely epigenetic dysregulation, is reinforced by the fact that both of these partner genes are involved in histone modification.
A tribute to Edward Perry Glenn (1947–2017), who created a legacy of environmental assessment and applications within hydrological processes
Authors: Nagler Pamela L. , Chew Matthew K. , Fitzsimmons Kevin , van Riper Charles
Published: April 2021

This issue of Hydrological Processes is dedicated to Dr. Edward P. Glenn, a frequent contributor to the journal, who suddenly passed away in late 2017. The articles within this volume are by a number of his former co‐authors and others who have been greatly influenced by his professional work on hydrological processes.
Long‐term outcome of urea cycle disorders: Report from a nationwide study in Japan
Authors: Kido Jun , Matsumoto Shirou , Häberle Johannes , Nakajima Yoko , Wada Yoichi , Mochizuki Narutaka , Murayama Kei , Lee Tomoko , Mochizuki Hiroshi , Watanabe Yoriko , Horikawa Reiko , Kasahara Mureo , Nakamura Kimitoshi
Published: April 2021

Urea cycle disorders (UCDs) are inherited metabolic disorders with impaired nitrogen detoxification caused by defects in urea cycle enzymes. They often manifest with hyperammonemic attacks resulting in significant morbidity or death. We performed a nationwide questionnaire‐based study between January 2000 and March 2018 to document all UCDs in Japan, including diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes. A total of 229 patients with UCDs were enrolled in this study: 73 males and 53 females with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD), 33 patients with carbamoylphosphate synthetase 1 deficiency, 48 with argininosuccinate synthetase deficiency, 14 with argininosuccinate lyase deficiency, and 8 with arginase deficiency. Survival rates at 20 years of age of male and female patients with late‐onset OTCD were 100% and 97.7%, respectively. Blood ammonia levels and time of onset had a significant impact on the neurodevelopmental outcome (P < .001 and P = .028, respectively). Hemodialysis and liver transplantation did not prevent poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. While treatment including medication, hemodialysis, and liver transplantation may aid in decreasing blood ammonia and/or preventing severe hyperammonemia, a blood ammonia level ≥ 360 μmol/L was found to be a significant indicator for a poor neurodevelopmental outcome. In conclusion, although current therapy for UCDs has advanced and helped saving lives, patients with blood ammonia levels ≥ 360 μmol/L at onset often have impaired neurodevelopmental outcomes. Novel neuroprotective measures should therefore be developed to achieve better neurodevelopmental outcomes in these patients.
Synthesis of novel polycarbonate‐based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers compatibilizers with octadecyl side chains and their application in PC/PP blends
Authors: Zhang Yu , He Jingwei , Liu Fang
Published: April 2021

With the aim to improve the compatibility of polycarbonate (PC)/polypropylene (PP) blends, a novel aromatic polycarbonate diol (PCDL) was synthesized by the transesterification reaction, then a series of polycarbonate‐based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers compatibilizers (TPU‐Gx) with octadecyl side chains were successfully prepared by introducing different content of PCDL and glyceryl monostearate (2,3‐Dihydroxypropyl octadecenoate; GMS). The structures of synthesized products were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy. Thermogravimetry results showed that all TPU‐Gx had good thermal stability. The effects of TPU‐Gx on the compatibilization of PC/PP blends were investigated in the aspect of morphology, mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties. The results showed that all TPU‐Gx could enhance the interfacial adhesion between PC/PP and improve the mechanical properties of PC/PP blends. Among them, the addition of TPU‐G1.5 containing 6.0 wt% PCDL and 1.5 wt% GMS made PC/PP/TPU‐G1.5 blends show the highest impact strength, which increased by 54.1% when compared with that of pure PC/PP blends.
Signals from the Dutch national spontaneous reporting system: Characteristics and regulatory actions
Authors: van Hunsel Florence , de Jong Emma , Gross‐Martirosyan Liana , Hoekman Jarno
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The aim of the study is to characterise safety signals based on the Dutch spontaneous reporting system (SRS) and to investigate the association between signal characteristics and Product Information (PI) update stratified by approval type: centrally authorised products (CAPs) versus nationally and decentralised authorised products (NAPs).

Methods

This study evaluates the full cohort of signals disseminated from the Dutch SRS in the period from 2008 to 2017. Each retrieved signal was characterised on a number of aspects. The signal management process from signal generation to a potential PI update was analysed in four steps: (1) signal characterisation; (2) proposed actions by the Dutch national competent authority (NCA) for the signals; (3) presence of PI update (yes/no) and association with signal characteristics; (4) timing from the moment the signal was issued to PI update. For step 1–3 we stratified products in CAPs and NAPs.

Results

Of all signals, 88.7% led to a proposed regulatory action by the NCA. Signals from the Dutch SRS for CAPs versus NAPs more often concerned biologicals, important medical events, class effects and shorter periods since marketing authorization. We detected PI updates for 26.2% of CAP signals and 61.3% of NAP signals.

Conclusions

The Dutch SRSs remains an important source of signals. There are some notable differences in the characteristics of signals for CAPs versus NAPs. Signals for NAPs more frequently led to PI updates.
Trends in strong opioid prescribing in Ireland: A repeated cross‐sectional analysis of a national pharmacy claims database between 2010 and 2019
Authors: Norris Brid A. , Smith Amelia , Doran Stephen , Barry Michael
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Significant increases in opioid utilisation have been reported in many countries in recent decades. This study investigated strong opioid prescribing in Irish General Medical Services (GMS) patients over a 10‐year period.

Methods

A retrospective repeated cross‐sectional analysis of a national pharmacy claims database between January 2010 and December 2019 was conducted. Strong opioid prescribing in GMS patients was evaluated, including by route of administration, age (16–64 years and ≥65 years) and gender. Measures of consumption included prescribing prevalence and defined daily dose (DDD)/1000 population/day. Prevalence ratios (PRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and percentage and absolute changes were determined.

Results

Strong opioid prescribing prevalence increased from 14.43% in 2010 to 16.28% in 2019, with the greatest increase in the ≥65 years age group. Tramadol was the most frequently prescribed product, constituting 63.9% of total strong opioid prescribing. The prescribing prevalence of oxycodone increased from 0.95% in 2010 to 2.68% in 2019 (PR 2.81, 95% CI 2.76, 2.87), with steep increases in oxycodone‐naloxone since it became available (PR 5.23, 95% CI 4.98, 5.50). The prescribing prevalence of tapentadol increased from 0.18% to 1.58% between 2012 (first complete year available for reimbursement) and 2019 (PR 8.79, 95% CI 8.43, 9.16). Strong opioid prescribing was highest in females aged ≥65 years.

Conclusions

This study found an overall increase in strong opioid prescribing in Ireland between 2010 and 2019, particularly in older adults. Tramadol was the most frequently prescribed product, with oxycodone and tapentadol prescribing increasing markedly over the study period.
Tough and flexible conductive triple network hydrogels based on agarose/polyacrylamide/polyvinyl alcohol and poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate
Authors: Azar Mina Ghafouri , Dodda Jagan Mohan , Bělský Petr , Šlouf Miroslav , Vavruňková Veronika , Kadlec Jaroslav , Remiš Tomáš
Published: April 2021

Herein, we demonstrate a simple and cost‐effective way to fabricate conductive triple network hydrogels based on agarose (Ag), polyacrylamide (PAM) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with a combination of physical–chemical crosslinked networks. The conductivity was generated by doping poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) into the triple network matrix of Ag‐PAM‐PVA. All hydrogels were homogeneous in the swollen state and incorporation of PEDOT:PSS did not influence the morphology significantly on a microscale, (light microscopy and cryogenic low‐vacuum SEM). On the nanoscale, small‐angle X‐ray scattering showed some differences between hydrogels with/without PEDOT:PSS and also between double/triple networks. The tensile and compressive properties were enhanced at a lower concentration of PEDOT:PSS, with a maximum tensile strength of 0.47 MPa, at an elongation of 119%. Fortunately, all hydrogels have shown conductivity in the range of 0.3−1.5 mS cm−1 which is comparable with the conductivity of skin tissues and hence they can be conveniently optimized for use in biosensors or other devices related to skin/internal tissues. © 2021 Society of Industrial Chemistry.
Robust covariance estimation for high‐dimensional compositional data with application to microbial communities analysis
Authors: He Yong , Liu Pengfei , Zhang Xinsheng , Zhou Wang
Published: April 2021

Microbial communities analysis is drawing growing attention due to the rapid development fire of high‐throughput sequencing techniques nowadays. The observed data has the following typical characteristics: it is high‐dimensional, compositional (lying in a simplex) and even would be leptokurtic and highly skewed due to the existence of overly abundant taxa, which makes the conventional correlation analysis infeasible to study the co‐occurrence and co‐exclusion relationship between microbial taxa. In this article, we address the challenges of covariance estimation for this kind of data. Assuming the basis covariance matrix lying in a well‐recognized class of sparse covariance matrices, we adopt a proxy matrix known as centered log‐ratio covariance matrix in the literature. We construct a Median‐of‐Means estimator for the centered log‐ratio covariance matrix and propose a thresholding procedure that is adaptive to the variability of individual entries. By imposing a much weaker finite fourth moment condition compared with the sub‐Gaussianity condition in the literature, we derive the optimal rate of convergence under the spectral norm. In addition, we also provide theoretical guarantee on support recovery. The adaptive thresholding procedure of the MOM estimator is easy to implement and gains robustness when outliers or heavy‐tailedness exist. Thorough simulation studies are conducted to show the advantages of the proposed procedure over some state‐of‐the‐arts methods. At last, we apply the proposed method to analyze a microbiome dataset in human gut.
Weighted exponential inequality for differentially subordinate martingales
Authors: Brzozowski Michał
Published: April 2021

The paper contains a study of weighted exponential inequalities for differentially subordinate martingales, under the assumption that the underlying weight satisfies Muckenhoupt’s condition$$A_{\infty }$$A∞. The proof exploits certain functions enjoying appropriate size conditions and concavity. The martingales are adapted, uniformly integrable, and càdlàg - we do not assume any path-continuity restrictions. Because of this generality, we need to handle jump parts of processes which forces us to construct a Bellman function satisfying a stronger condition than local concavity. As a corollary, we will establish some new weighted$$L^p$$Lpestimates for differential subordinates of bounded martingales.