bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Características imagenológicas de la osteomielitis de los maxilares evaluada con diferentes métodos diagnósticos. Una revisión
Authors: Díaz-Castellón Dirce Fernanda , Llaguno-Rubio Jhoana Mercedes , Medina-Ocampo Paola Eliana
Published: October 2021

La osteomielitis de los maxilares (OM) es una patología infecciosa que compromete a la médula ósea debido a diversas etiologías, principalmente la odontogénica. El diagnóstico de la OM es un reto para el odontólogo, que se basa en la clínica y los exámenes imagenológicos. La radiografía panorámica es el examen imagenológico que se emplea con mayor frecuencia, pero esta tiene algunas limitaciones que han sido mejoradas con la aparición de nuevos métodos imagenológicos, que incluyen la tomografía computarizada (TC), la tomografía computarizada de haz cónico (TCHC), la imagen por resonancia magnética (IRM) y la gammagrafía ósea con radionúclidos. El propósito de esta revisión fue describir las características imagenológicas de la osteomielitis de los maxilares de acuerdo con todos los métodos de diagnóstico radiológico disponibles según la literatura contemporánea, que permitirán al radiólogo tener más conocimiento y mejorar sus informes en la práctica diaria.
Gas/Liquid Two-Phase Flow in Pipes: Slugs, Classical Flow-Map, and 1D Compositional Simulation
Authors: Raimondi Luigi
Published: October 2021

In this paper, I present numerical results of gas/liquid flows in pipelines obtained from a new simulation code. One difference, with respect to other 1D fluid dynamic commercial simulation products, is the use of a compositional approach to the problem: This is rarely found in published articles about gas/liquid flow in the oil and gas industry. It is shown that the algorithm can calculate both pressure and material fast waves generated during the transportation of gas and liquid in pipes. The solution algorithm is based on the application of a two-fluid model to the mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations, which are solved using a mixed implicit-explicit integration schema. Closure equations for the calculation of interface stress are taken from literature articles. A dam-break simulation (i.e., a Riemann initial value problem) is presented as a severe test case for validation of the two-phase flow algorithm. Because the code is able to capture sharp and fast changes in the liquid holdup connected to the formation of pressure waves, it is applied to the simulation of slug flow without the use of steady-state “unit cell” models and slug tracking functions. In this context, the experimental results on pseudoslug formation in inclined pipes at high pressures, published by the Tulsa University Fluid Flow Project (TUFFP), are used to compare simulated results with experimental data. The last part is dedicated to the simulation of some cases taken from a classical flow-map of a fundamental article by Taitel and Dukler (1976). At constant liquid superficial velocity, the formation of liquid slugs and their subsequent termination with the increase of gas flow rate is simulated with details never previously presented.
Evaluation of the Use of Vegetable Oils and Formulations as a Cutting Fluid in the Grinding of AISI 4340 Steel
Authors: Silva Leonardo Roberto , Santos Francisco Vieira dos , de Morais Helane Lúcia Oliveira , Calado Claudinei Rezende
Published: October 2021

Machining processes are responsible for the manufacture of various mechanical components (screws, shafts, gears, bearings and prosthetics). However, the large volume of mineral oil-based cutting fluids consumed in machining processes causes enormous damage to the environment and human health. Therefore, this work evaluated the use of cutting fluids based on vegetable oils (soybean and corn) as a substitute for mineral cutting fluids. The physical-chemical analyses showed that the oils and cutting fluids had their viscosity changed after storage for 600 and 720 hours, indicating changes in their physical-chemical properties. The infrared spectroscopy showed possible signs of oxidation of the fluids after storage, nevertheless, did not affect their performance. The thermal analyses showed that the mineral cutting fluid degraded from (93 °C), while the corn oil (104.7 °C), corn-A5 (110.2 °C), soybean (114 °C), soybean-A5 (122.7 °C), Mix-1 (111.2 °C) and Mix-2 (107.8 °C). The machining parameters evaluated indicated that Mix-1, SN, and CR-A5 are promising candidates to replace mineral cutting fluid in the grinding of metal parts. Given the above, this study compared the physical, chemical and roughness properties of mineral cutting fluid with vegetable oils from soybean, corn and their formulations to find possible promising candidates to replace mineral oils widely used in industrial machining.
A Shell-type Self-assembled Mineralized Adsorbent for Hg(II) Absorption: Synthesis and Performance Studies
Authors: Peng Yang , Zhang Chuxuan , Li Xiaomin , Feng Tianyi , Gong Xun
Published: October 2021

For forming adsorbents, the stability of cyclic adsorption is as important as the adsorption properties. In this work, A shell-type self-assembled mineralized adsorbent based on Ca-alginate was synthesized for Hg(II) adsorption. The synthesis process consists of gelation of Ca-based spherical polymer template (CAB) and rate-controlled self-assembly mineralization in bicarbonate solution. A shell-type porous crystal layer is proved to be formed on the surface of the organic polymer template by rate-controlled self-assembly mineralization. The single-factor experiment demonstrates that 1% (MCAB-1) is the optimal concentration of bicarbonate. A maximum adsorption capacity, 48 ± 4 mg/g of MCAB-1 was observed at a pH = 5 in batch test, which was 2.67 times that of the unmodified one, CAB, 18 ± 1 mg/g. Long duration (10 h) adsorption tests showed that MCAB-1 exhibited remarkable performance stability and anti-wear ability (43.2 % removal efficiency and 74.3 % mass retention, compared to 2.7 % and 38.6 % of CAB at pH = 3, respectively). The results show that the adsorption and wear resistance of the modified materials are improved obviously.
Copper Chaperone for Superoxide Dismutase Expression is Down-Regulated and Correlated with More Malignant Tumoral Features and Poor Prognosis in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Wen Chun-yong , Shan Chang-liang , Sun Wen-jing , Wan Yuan , Lin Run , Chen Bin , Dai Hai-tao , Tang Ke-yu , Xiang Xian-hong , Yang Jian-yong , Li Nan , Yonghui Huang
Published: October 2021

Background: Up-regulated expression of copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase (CCS) is identified in a multitude of tumors and is closely related to more malignant tumoral biological behaviors. However, little is known about the role of CCS in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to explore the expression pattern and the significance of CCS in human HCC.Methods: Fresh samples of HCC with paired adjacent tissues were obtained from 32 patients who underwent hepatectomy. The expression levels of CCS and representative malignant biomarkers in HCC were investigated by western blotting and immunohistochemistry staining, respectively. The correlation between the expression status of CCS and the activities of selected malignant biomarkers and important drive genes of HCC oncogenesis, patient’s clinicopathological features and prognosis, were analyzed. Additional bioinformatics investigation of dataset retrieved from database were performed to further explore the role of CCS in human HCC. Results: The majority of the HCC tumor (78.1%, 25/32) presented a lower expression of CCS, whereas in the minority of the tumor (22.9%, 7/32) the expression of CCS was determined as higher. Furthermore, it was found that the expression level of CCS was significantly correlated with malignant biomarkers. The expression of CCS was reversely correlated with ES grade and TNM stage to some extent. And there is a significant correlation between the CCS gene and a series of genes in the development and progression of HCC. Patients with higher CCS expression level were prone to have a better prognosis. Conclusion: HCC presented a unique lower expression pattern of CCS which reversely correlated with the more malignant tumoral features and poor prognosis.
Fractional-order Learning Algorithm for PID Neural Network Decoupling Control Based on Sparrow Search Algorithm
Authors: Wu Min , Ding Jie , Yuan Tingting , Xiao Min
Published: October 2021

Research on control of multi-variable system with strong coupling has been a significant issue in industry. To accurately eliminate the coupling between system variables and improve the control effect, decoupling control techniques are investigated. In this paper, a decoupling control scheme based on fractional-order proportion integration differentiation neural network and sparrow search algorithm (SSA-FPIDNN) is proposed, where sparrow search algorithm is employed to derive the optimal initial weights, preventing the weights from falling into the local optimum, while the fractional-order algorithm is used to correct its connection weights to improve control accuracy. Compared with traditional PIDNN, the proposed SSA-FPIDNN has better decoupling control performance, and the tracking time can be reduced significantly. Numerical simulation and engineering examples verified its effectiveness.
Basic Life Support a Necessary Inclusion in The Medical Curriculum. A Multi-University Cross-Sectional Study in Uganda
Authors: Ssewante Nelson , Wekha Godfrey , Iradukunda Angelique , Musoke Phillip , Kanyike Andrew Marvin , Nabukeera Germinah , Wamala Nicholas Kisaakye , Zziwa Wilson , Kamuhangire Lauben , Kajjimu Jonathan , Luggya Tonny Stone , Tagg Andrew
Published: October 2021

Background: Uganda continues to depend on a health system without a well-defined emergency response system. This is in the face of the rising cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest contributed largely to the high incidence of road traffic accidents. Non-communicable diseases are also on the rise further increasing the incidence of cardiac arrest. Medical students are key players in the bid to strengthen the health system which warrants an assessment of their knowledge and attitude towards BLS inclusion in their study curricula.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 among undergraduate medical students across eight public and private universities in Uganda. An online-based questionnaire was developed using Google forms and distributed via identified WhatsApp groups. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression were performed in STATA 15 to assess the association between knowledge of BLS and demographics. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Out of the total 354 entries obtained, 351 were analyzed after eligibility screening. Of these, (n=250, 71.2%) were male less than 25 years (n=273, 77.8%). Less than half (n=150, 42.7%) participants had undergone formal BLS training.Less than a third of participants (n=103, 29.3%) had good knowledge (≥50%) with an overall score of 42.3±12.4%. Age (p=0.045), level of academic progress (p=0.001), and prior BLS training (p=0.033) were associated with good knowledge. Participants with prior training were more likely to have more BLS knowledge (aOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1-2.7, p=0.009). The majority (n=348, 99.1%) believed that BLS was necessary and would wish (n=343, 97.7%) to have it included in their curriculum.Conclusion: Undergraduate medical students have poor BLS knowledge but understand its importance. Current curricula should be revised to accommodate both the theoretical and practical aspects of BLS provision to meet the priority needs of Uganda’s health system.
COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in Mukalla City, Yemen
Authors: Bin-Ghouth Abdulla , Al-Kaldy Khaled Hussien
Published: October 2021

Background: In Yemen the epidemiology of COVID19 is uncertain. Yemen received the first batch of AstraZeneca vaccine in April 2021 and the vaccine campaign starts officially on 20 April 2021 with limited utilization. Media play a negative role about AstraZeneca vaccine safety and efficacy.Objectives: to investigate the acceptance of People and health workers in Mukalla city in Hadharmout (at eastern Yemen) toward the COVID-19 vaccine.Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study to collect data from a convenience sample of health workers and other people during the first week of April 2021. Results: A total of 321 persons agree to participate in the study. Only 9% of the participants and 22% of health workers have knowledge about the COVID19 vaccine, only 15% of people and 26% of health workers agree to get the vaccine while 241 participants (75%) hesitated to get the vaccine. The most reasons for vaccine hesitancy were: the vaccine were arrived to Yemen of bad quality (69%), while 48% of hesitated participants said that the vaccine is unsafe, other reasons for unacceptance the vaccine are: regional believes (38%), other countries stop the vaccine (37%) while 16% of refused participants said that the reason is that the virus is subject to mutation so no need to vaccinate. Conclusions: Lack of knowledge about COVID-19 vaccine and high level of vaccine hesitancy were reported, the most frequent reasons for not accepted the vaccine are: bad quality of the vaccine and doubts about vaccine safety.
A Techno-Economic Investigation on Hydrogen Utilization as a Long-term Energy Storage Solution for Microgrids
Authors: Islam Sharika Manjuma , Ferdous Sambit Al , Bhuyan A.M Shamsur Rahman , Sultana Syeda Maria , Sarker Sunit , Jamal Taskin
Published: October 2021

The study aims to demonstrate a standalone PV-Hydrogen-battery microgrid's technical and economic merits in a developing country. Besides having fossil fuel resources, enough renewable energy resources have been deployed in the microgrid to create a sustainable system. The primary renewable energy resource explored is the solar PV system. The diesel-powered generators are integrated to support the system stability in high PV penetration scenarios. In such cases, energy storage options are integrated to store excess electricity, provide sufficient days of autonomy, system stability and virtual inertia. Li-ion based batteries and Hydrogen have received widespread acceptance as a potential renewable energy storage solution for coping with the variability nature of renewable energy resources. In this study, the system is optimized based on the seasonal load and real-life market information. The results reveal that a diesel-PV-Hydrogen-battery microgrid is an efficient and cost-effective configuration for remote communities in Bangladesh.
Microwave-assisted periodate oxidation as a rapid and efficient alternative to oxidize bacterial cellulose wet membrane
Authors: de Vasconcelos Luisa Macedo , Vasconcelos Niédja Fittipaldi , Lomonaco Diego , Rosa Morsyleide de Freitas , Rodriguez-castellon Enrique , Andrade Fábia Karine , Vieira Rodrigo Silveira
Published: October 2021

Bacterial cellulose (BC) membrane is a biopolymer whose excellent properties allow several applications (especially in the biomedical field, due to its high purity). Chemically, BC presents a structure susceptible to be modified to direct new functionalities according to the desired application. The microwave-assisted chemical modification (via NaIO4) of the wet BC membrane is the innovation of this work to reduce reaction times, favoring oxidation on the membrane surface, and preserving its physical and mechanics properties. The wet BC membrane was oxidized in the absence of light at 90 ºC for 30 minutes. Periodate concentration (0.75% or 1%, w/v) and heating method (microwave or water bath) in the oxidation reaction were evaluated. Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies confirmed the oxidation of hydroxyls to aldehyde groups in the cellulose structure. Using 1% (w/v) periodate, the degree of oxidation of microwave oxidized membranes was 51.1% higher than that of water bath oxidized membranes. Thermal analysis of oxidized bacterial cellulose (OxBC) showed a 13% reduction in degradation temperature compared to BC, remaining stable up to 250°C. Microwave OxBC showed crystallinity close to that of BC, indicating that this heating method did not affect the crystal structure of cellulose. The microwave heating method promotes less damage to the nanofibrillar structure of OxBC by providing that the oxidation reaction occurs preferentially on the surface of the wet membrane (outer layers), preserving more internal structures, in which it tends to maintain the physical and mechanical properties of the BC membrane.
Should RECOVERY have used Response Adaptive Randomization? Evidence from a simulation study
Authors: Sirkis Tamir , Bowden Jack , Jones Benjamin
Published: October 2021

Background The Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) trial is aimed at addressing the urgent need to find effective treatments for patients hospitalised with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. The trial has had many successes, including discovering that dexamethasone is effective at reducing COVID-19 mortality, the first treatment to reach this milestone in a randomised controlled trial. Despite this, it continues to use standard or `fixed’ randomization (FR) to allocate patients to treatments. We assessed the impact of implementing response adaptive randomization (RAR) within RECOVERY using an array of performance measures, to learn if it could be beneficial going forward. This design feature has recently been implemented within the REMAP-CAP trial.Methods Trial data was simulated to closely match the data for patients allocated to either standard care or dexamethasone in the RECOVERY trial from March-June 2020, representing two out of five arms tested throughout this period. Two forms of FR and two forms of RAR were tested. Randomization strategies were performed at the whole trial level as well as within three pre-specified patient subgroups defined by patients’ respiratory support level.ResultsRAR strategies led to more patients being given dexamethasone and a lower mortality rate in the trial. Subgroup specific RAR reduced mortality rates even further. RAR did not induce any meaningful bias in treatment effect estimates, but reduced statistical power compared to FR, with subgroup level adaptive randomizations exhibiting the largest power reduction.ConclusionsUsing RAR within RECOVERY could have resulted in fewer deaths in the trial. However, a larger trial would have been needed to attain the same study power. This could potentially have prolonged the time to full approval of the drug, unless RAR itself led to an increased recruitment rate. Deciding how to balance the needs of patients within a trial and future patients who have yet to fall ill is an important ethical question of our time. RAR deserves to be considered as a design feature in future trials of COVID-19 and other diseases.
Gut Microbiota Composition and Functional Prediction in Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion
Authors: Cui Ying , Zou Li , Ye Qian , Li Dandan , Wu Huiming , He Ling
Published: October 2021

Objective The changes of microbial community in pregnant women, let alone those of patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), remain unclear. We analyzed the differences of gut mircobiota (GM) between RSA patients and pregnant women to find the possible mechanism of RSA. MethodsWe enrolled 30 RSA patients (RSA group) and 30 pregnant women who terminated their pregnancy and did not have a history of spontaneous abortion (NR group) in our hospital from June 2020 to August 2020, and fecal samples were obtained to analyze the GM using 16S rDNA V3–V4 sequencing.ResultsAt the phylum level, we found that there is no significant difference in composition of GM between RSA and NR. But at the genus level, compared with NR, Roseburia significantly decreased (P<0.01), and Ruminococcus significantly increased in RSA patients (P<0.05). Further analysis indicated that Klebsiella (P<0.05) was significantly increased, Prevotella.9 (P<0.05) and Roseburia (P<0.05) were significantly decreased in RSA2 group (BMI>23.9 in RSA). Moreover, Agathobacter (P<0.01) was significantly increased in NR2 group (no delivery in NR). Functional prediction indicated that GM may interfere with RSA through membrane transport, carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism and other pathways.ConclusionDecreased Roseburia in GM of pregnant women maybe related to RSA. Our results provide the basis for in-depth studies of the composition of gut microbial communities in RSA.
Illuminating Health Aspects for Immigrant Thai Women Living in Swedish Transnational Marriages
Authors: Pongthippat Weerati , Östlund Gunnel , Darvishpour Mehrdad , Kijsomporn Jureerat , Gustafsson Lena-Karin
Published: October 2021

Background: Based on their migrant status, women experience discrimination, facing major risks including sexual exploitation, trafficking, and violence which all affect health.This study explores critical health incidents of marriage migration and their consequences experienced by immigrant Thai women in everyday life.Methods: A qualitative explorative approach with in-depth interviews. 40 immigrant Thai women having or having had a Swedish spouse. Critical incident technique was used to collect and analyse data in combination with content analysis.Results: The women reported 438 critical health incidents in five main areas: Psychological health dilemmas with consequences such as detrimental insecurity, loss of human value and devastating grief. Sociocultural health dilemmas leading to exploitation, insecurity, feelings of betrayal and rage. Physiological health dilemmas leading to economic strain, emotional strain, and physical pain. Developmental health dilemmas are affected by the process of ageing and facing threatening incidents related to deteriorating health. Spiritual health dilemmas including critical incidents in which the women intensified their dependence on faith and karma. Discussion: Women in marriage migration face major health dilemmas while adapting to their new country. Healthcare providers should be concerned about migrated women’s complex situations, as these affect both health and welfare.
A Sensitive, Robust Method for Determining nNatural and Synthetic Hormones in Surface and Waste Waters by Continuous Solid Phase Extraction–Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Chafi Safae , Ballesteros Evaristo
Published: October 2021

One recent trend in Analytical Chemistry is to develop economical, fast green methods using minimal amounts of solvents to determine a variety of analytes spanning a wide range of physicochemical properties. In this work, we developed a sensitive, selective method for the simultaneous determination of thirteen natural and synthetic hormones present at the nanogram-per-liter level in various types of water by using continuous solid phase extraction in combination with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The target analytes were preferentially sorbed on an Oasis HLB sorbent column and eluted with acetone for derivatization with a mixture of N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide and trimethylchlorosilane in a household microwave oven at 200 W for 4 min. Under optimum conditions, the ensuing method exhibited good linearity (r ≥ 0.998), good precision (RSD ≤ 7%), high recoveries (92–103%) and low detection limits (0.01–0.3 ng L− 1). The method outperforms existing alternatives in robustness, sensitivity, throughput, flexibility —it allows both estrogens, progestogens and androgens to be determined simultaneously— and compliance with the principles of Green Chemistry. It was successfully used to analyze various types of water samples (mineral, tap, well, pond, swimming pool, river and waste) that were found to contain four estrogens (estrone, 17β-estradiol, 17α-ethinylestradiol and hexestrol), two progestogens (testosterone, dihydrotestosterone) and one progestogen (progesterone) at concentrations ranging from 3.0 to 110 ng L− 1.
Uncovering The Mechanism of Shiwuwei Luodimingmu Wan On Cataract Via Network Pharmacology
Authors: Zhang Zhanhao , Wang Yuliang , Lu Hongyan , He Yongjun , Wang Li , Zheng Jianwen , Jin Tianbo
Published: October 2021

Cataract is one of the most common eye diseases. The purpose of this study was to screen the active components and potential targets of Shiwuwei Luodimingmu Wan, then to explore the mechanism of Shiwuwei Luodimingmu Wan in the treatment of cataract through network pharmacology. Information about the chemical constituents and their targets of herbs in Shiwuwei Luodimingmu Wan was collected from traditional Chinese medicine system pharmacology (TCMSP) database. Cataract related genes were searched in Pubmed-Gene database and Genecards database. Then, the possible protein-protein interactions (PPIs) were derived from STRING database. Next, compound-target-diseases network was constructed using Cytoscape software. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed using DAVID. Furthermore, we evaluated binding potential of key targets and compounds through molecular docking. There were 102 active components including quercetin, baicalein and kaempferol in Shiwuwei Luodimingmu Wan and 28 potential targets related to cataract. More importantly, these genes are involved in several pathways associated with cataract. Docking results showed that core compound (quercetin) had certain affinity with MAPK14. This study revealed that the ability of Shiwuwei Luodimingmu Wan to produce clarity of vision may was achieved through quercetin to affect multiple targets and pathways.
Obesity, Pregnancy and Lifestyle Clinic: Evaluation and Outcomes
Authors: Schulte Rhea , Monaghan Abby , Rane Vinita
Published: October 2021

Background: Increasing numbers of women are entering pregnancy with an elevated body mass index (BMI). Elevated maternal BMI is associated with a number of adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes, however attention to diet and lifestyle during the antenatal period has been shown to reduce the rate of many of these complications. The Obesity, Pregnancy and Lifestyle (OPAL) clinic was started at the Northern Hospital in July 2018 to provide specialised antenatal care to women with Class III obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2). Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of women with a BMI ≥ 40kg/m2 delivering a singleton pregnancy at the Northern Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, between January 2019 and April 2020, comparing obstetric and neonatal outcomes of women who attended the OPAL clinic (n=60) to those who received standard antenatal care (n=121). Statistical analysis performed using χ2, Fisher’s Exact Test, Student’s T-test and Mann-Whitney (rank sum) test with a significance level of 0.05.Results: Compared to similar women in standard antenatal care, women who attended the OPAL clinic are more likely to be younger (mean age 29 vs 32, p = 0.001), to be primiparous (OR 2.65 (1.33-5.28), p = 0.005) and to be born in Australia or New Zealand (OR 0.47 (0.22-1.03), p = 0.057).OPAL women also attended a significantly higher number of antenatal appointments (9 vs 8, p=0.017) and had a lower median gestational age of delivery (38.3 vs 38.5, p=0.024).Conclusions: These results suggest that the OPAL clinic has achieved increased engagement of women with class III obesity in antenatal care. However, significant demographic differences indicate there is a subset of women still not receiving specialist care despite best intentions, indicating clinic processes are in need of review. Future research should focus on the patient experience of women attending the OPAL clinic.
Role of GNPS on the Enhancement of Proton Therapy of Breast Tumor Using MCNPX Simulation
Authors: hosseinimotlagh seyede nasrin , niknam nasrin , parang zohreh
Published: October 2021

Background: The beam therapy plays an important role in the treatment of cancer, which is the most common and successful form of treatment used after surgery. In proton therapy, proton beam (PB) particles irradiate the tumor. To enhance the treatment of breast tumor it is possible to inject gold nanoparticles (GNPS) into the tumor at the same time as irradiating the PB. The aim of this paper is the simulation of the treatment of breast tumors by using PBs and injecting GNPS with different concentrations, simultaneously. Therefore, we introduce the breast phantom (BP), then we irradiate it with a proton pencil beam, which is also injected with GNPS at the same time. In order to show the enhancement of the absorbed dose in the tumor, we use MCNPX.2.6 code. Results: The findings of our simulations show that the location of the Bragg's peak within the tumor shifts to higher depths with increasing energy. Also, by injecting GNPS in different amounts of 10, 25, 50 and 75 mg / ml with simultaneously irradiation of the PB, the rate of absorbed dose increases up to 1.75% compared to the non-injected state. Our results also show that the optimal range of proton energy that creates Bragg peaks within the tumor is between 52 to 65 MeV, which causes the creation of spread out of Bragg peak. It should be noted that the amount of absorbed dose is affected by quantities such as total stopping power, average Coulomb scattering angle, CSDA range and straggling range. Conclusion: This work offers new insights based on the use of GNPS in the treatment of breast cancer through proton therapy and indicates that the addition of GNPS is a promising strategy to increase the killing of cancer cells while irradiating fast PBs. In fact, the results of this study confirm the ability of GNPS to enhance treatment by increasing the absorbed dose in breast tumors using proton therapy.
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Infection Control Measures Among HealthCare Workers at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH) in Riyadh, KSA
Authors: Alshathri najod
Published: October 2021

Background: Infections acquired in healthcare facilities have become an increasingly challenging issue worldwide. The prevention of infectious diseases is a critical issue since healthcare workers develop acquired infections while providing services to patients. However, infection prevention and control are challenging, especially in healthcare facilities. Thus, this study aimed to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices among healthcare workers in King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH). Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at KKESH, total of 285 healthcare workers, including physicians, nurses, optometrists, radiographers, and ophthalmic assistants were investigated. A close-ended, self-administered questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward infection control prevention measures. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. Chi-squared was computed to identify associations between factors within the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of infection prevention.Results: The study showed that 81% of respondents had good knowledge, 82% had a positive attitude, and only 59% had safe infection prevention practices. Doctors were more knowledgeable than other staff, and nurses showed a high level of positive attitude and safe practices. There was a statistically significant correlation between age, occupation, education, and years of experience with infection prevention practices among healthcare providers (P<0.05). The availability of infection prevention guidelines was associated with excellent knowledge, a positive attitude, and safe practices.Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that most healthcare workers had adequate knowledge and displayed a positive attitude, but practices toward infection control were not sufficient. Therefore, regular training, that contain educational programs, should be supported to maintain the highest level of practice.
Modified Double-tract Reconstruction in Terms of Postoperative Quality of Life in Patients With Early Esophagogastirc Junction Adenocarcinoma After Proximal Gastrectomy
Authors: Chang Xusheng , Luo Tianhang , Li Xu , Cui Hangtian , Gong Xiao , Zhang Jinghui , Yin Kai
Published: October 2021

Background Increased reflux symptoms limited clinical application of proximal gastrectomy (PG) in the patients with early adenocarcinoma of esophagogastirc junction (AEG). The purpose of this study is to describe a method of modified double-tract reconstruction (DTR) after PG, and to evaluate the feasibility, safety, surgical outcomes, postoperative gut function and nutritional status post operation. Methods Prospective cohort data of 25 patients with early AEG who presented to a single tertiary hospital from Jan 2019 to Jun2019 and underwent DTR after PG were analyzed respectively. The data of this prospective cohort included: clinicopathologic characteristics, surgical outcomes, time to first flatus and defecation, Visick Score, degrees and extent of remnant gastritis, Los Angles Classification in 1-year follow-up.Results The mean operation time was 206.54±75.44 min; estimated blood loss was 128.85±48.38 ml; length of proximal and distal resection margin were 2.53±0.83 and 4.86±1.49 cm; and number of retrieved lymph nodes reached 23.54±8.04. The postoperative complication rate was 8% (n = 2), which were both treated by conservative management. The postoperative gut function improved gradually and the volume of postoperative daily intake could reach over 700ml on 6th POD. The levels of albumin and prealbumin returned to normal status and weight loss also remained steadily at 3-month after operation. The rate of reflux symptoms was 12% (n = 3), which were classified as Visick grade II at 1-year follow-up after operation. ConclusionThe short-term outcome of this modified DTR was satisfied, which could improve the nutrition status and quality of life post operation.Trial registrationChiCTR, ChiCTR 1900024826. Registered 29 July 2019. https://www.chictr.org.cn/searchproj.aspx?title=&officialname=&subjectid=&secondaryid=&applier=&studyleader=ðicalcommitteesanction=&sponsor=&studyailment=&studyailmentcode=&studytype=0&studystage=0&studydesign=0&minstudyexecutetime=&maxstudyexecutetime=&recruitmentstatus=0&gender=0&agreetosign=&secsponsor=®no=ChiCTR1900024826®status=0&country=&province=&city=&institution=&institutionlevel=&measure=&intercode=&sourceofspends=&createyear=0&isuploadrf=&whetherpublic=&btngo=btn&verifycode=&page=1
Tuning the Optoelectronic Properties of Cross Conjugated Small Molecules Using Benzodithiophene As a Core Unit With Favorable Photovoltaic Parameters
Authors: Majeed Sana , Rehman Shafiq Ur , Zia Anjum , Iqbal Javed
Published: October 2021

In a recent study, cross conjugated molecules (BDT-C1 to BDT-C6) based on Benzo [1,2-b:4,5-bʹ] (BDT) as core units linked with different acceptor moieties are designed for encouraging photovoltaic applications. The optoelectronic study has been conducted by density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP 6-31G (d, p) basis set combination by equating them with recently reported cross conjugated reference (BDT-CR) molecule and to study basic parameters such as frontier molecular orbital , density of states, reorganization energy, maximum absorption, dipole moment, transition density matrix (TDM) and open-circuit voltage (VOC). Six new cross conjugated molecules (BDT-C1 to BDT-C6) with modified acceptor moieties are designed to evaluate their photophysical behavior in photovoltaic cells and the optoelectronic analysis of designed molecules indicates that among all cross conjugated molecules, BDT-C3 molecule exhibited the lowest bandgap value (1.83 eV) and broad absorption (747 nm) spectrum in dichloromethane (DCM) due to extended conjugation in molecule than BDT-CR. TDM results reveal the easy dissociation of exciton due to the transfer of electron density in a diagonal direction from donor to acceptor moieties. The lowest value of electron mobility (0.0030 eV) and hole mobility (0.0027 eV) of BDT-C4 indicates its excellent electron and hole transfer behavior. The newly architecture molecule BDT-C5 displayed the highest VOC value of 1.75 eV concerning PC61BM. All above-mentioned outcomes reflects that our newly architecture cross conjugated molecules are suitable applicants for photovoltaic cells and can exhibit wonderful results in the quest of power conversion efficiency (PCE).
Burden of Risk Factors For Human Immunodeficient Virus Among Women of Reproductive Age In Sierra Leone: A 2019 Nationwide Survey
Authors: Kawuki Joseph , Kamara Kassim , Sserwanja Quraish
Published: October 2021

Background and aim: For over 40 years of the HIV/AIDS global epidemic, no effective cure nor vaccine is yet available, making the current control strategies focused on curbing new infections through risk reduction. The study aimed to determine the burden (prevalence) of HIV risk factors and their associated socio-demographics among women of reproductive age in Sierra Leone. Methods: We used weighted data from the Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDHS) of 2019 for 12,005 women aged 15-49 years. Multistage sampling was used to select study participants. Exposure to HIV risk factors was considered if a woman reported at least one of the following; having multiple sexual partners, transactional sex, non-condom use for the unmarried, and having other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We, then, conducted multivariable logistic regression to explore the associated socio-demographics. All the analyses were done using SPSS (version 25). Results: Of the 12,005 women, 38.1% (4577/12005) (95% confidence interval (CI): 37.3-39.0) had at least one of the four risk factors. Women of 15 to 19 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.34, 95% CI: 1.00-1.80) and 20 to 34 years (AOR=1.25, 95% CI: 1.05-1.49) had more odds of having HIV risk factors compared to those of 35 to 49 years. Urban residents (AOR=1.49, 95% CI: 1.17-1.89) and those from the Northwestern region (AOR=1.81, 95% CI: 1.26-2.60) were also more likely to encounter HIV risk factors compared to their respective counterparts. Moreover, unmarried women (AOR=111.17, 95% CI: 87.55-141.18) and those working (AOR=1.38, 95% CI: 1.14-1.67) also had higher odds of having HIV risk factors, compared to their respective counterparts. Sex of household head and parity were also significant associates.Conclusions: More than a third of women in Sierra Leone had encountered at least one HIV risk factor, and this was associated with age, place of residence, region, marital status, working status, household head and parity. There is a need for strengthening HIV/AIDS education programs, laws and policies targeting the young, working, unmarried and urban-resident women.
Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Maize Ear Heterosis During the Inflorescence Meristem Differentiation Stage
Authors: Shi Xia , li Weihua , Guo Zhanyong , Wu Mingbo , Zhang Xiangge , Yuan Liang , Qiu Xiaoqian , Xing Ye , Sun Xiaojing , Xie Huiling , Tang Jihua
Published: October 2021

Background: Heterosis is widely used in many crops and is important for global food safety. Maize is one of the most successful crops to take advantage of heterosis. Gene expression patterns have an effect with the development of maize ear. However, the mechanisms of heterosis on transcriptional-level control are only partly understood. Results: In this study, we sampled inflorescence meristem (IM) ears from the single-segment substitution maize (Zea mays) line lx9801hlEW2b, containing a heterotic locus hlEW2b associated with ear width, the receptor parent lx9801, the test parent Zheng58, and their corresponding hybrids, Zheng58 × lx9801hlEW2b and Zheng58 × lx9801. After RNA-sequence and a transcriptomic analysis, 1638 genes were identified in at least one hybrid with nonadditively expressed patterns and different expression levels between the two hybrids. A functional analysis showed that these genes were enriched in development-related processes, which are potentially associated with heterosis. In particular, 2263 (12.89%) and 2352 (14.65%) genes showed allele-specific expression (ASE) in Zheng58 × lx9801 and Zheng58 × lx9801hlEW2b, respectively. The ASE genes of Zheng58 × lx9801hlEW2b were significantly enriched in biological processes related to biosynthesis and catabolism, which implied that strong material metabolism was the basis for heterosis formation. Additionally, several critical genes involved in auxin metabolism and IM development were differentially expressed in hybrids with nonadditive expression or ASE patterns. Alterations in the expression abundance levels of these genes may lead to auxin homeostasis variations in IM and affect the transcription of core genes (such as WUS and KNOX) that control IM development.Conclusion: Our research suggest that nonadditive expression and ASE may fine-tune the expression levels of crucial genes controlling auxin metabolism and ear development to optimal states, and transcriptional variation may play important roles in maize ear heterosis. The results provide new information that increases our understanding of the relationship between transcriptional variation and heterosis formation during maize ear development, which may be helpful in clarifying the genetic and molecular mechanisms of heterosis.
Deep Superpixel-Based Network For Blind Image Quality Assessment
Authors: Yang Guangyi , Zhan Yang , Wang Yuxuan
Published: October 2021

The goal in a blind image quality assessment (BIQA) method is to simulate the process of evaluating images by human eyes and accurately assess the quality of the image. Although many methods effectively identify degradation, they do not fully consider the semantic content in images resulting in distortion. In order to fill this gap, we propose a deep adaptive superpixel-based network, namely DSN-IQA, to assess the quality of image based on multi-scale and superpixel segmentation. The DSN-IQA can adaptively accept arbitrary scale images as input images, making the assessment process similar to human perception. The network uses two models to extract multi-scale semantic features and generate a superpixel adjacency map. These two elements are united together via feature fusion to accurately predict image quality. Experimental results on different benchmark databases demonstrate that our method is highly competitive with other methods when assessing challenging authentic image databases. Also, due to adaptive deep superpixel-based network, our method accurately assesses images with complicated distortion, much like the human eye.
Successful Laparoscopic Sigmoid Transposition for Cervicovaginal Agenesis in Presence of Functional Uterus; a Case Series
Authors: Alborzi Saeed , Najarkolaee Elnaz Hosseini , Askary Elham , Alborzi Soroush , Chamanara Kefayat , Zahiri Ziba , Poordast Tahereh
Published: October 2021

Background
This study has been designed to investigate the long-term outcomes of laparascopic sigmoid cervicovaginoplasty in patients with congenital cervicovaginal atresia with a functional uterus and stepwise description of surgery.
Methods
Seven patients with cervicovaginal atresia with a functional uterus, underwent laparoscopic sigmoid cervicovaginoplasty surgery, between 2016 and 2020. All subjects underwent a successful surgery with no major complications. Mean follow-up duration was 25.9 months (2-48 months). All the patients had regular menstrual cycles. The average length of vagina was 8.9 cm (7.6-10.5 cm). In one patient, proximal stenosis of neovagina was observed 12 months after surgery.
Results
The mean age and BMI of the patients were 18y (12-27y) and 19.7 (17.6-22.4). The average time period between the initiation of disease symptoms and the operation was 52.28 months (2-156 months). We had no significant post-operative short term complication. We did not perform hysterectomy in our patients either at the time of first surgery or as a result of a complication. None of our patients complained of signs of low anterior resection syndrome. Two subjects had sexual activities without dyspareunia, post coital bleeding, or malodor vaginal discharge.
Conclusion
Sigmoid cervicovaginoplasty is a safe and effective procedure with satisfactory long term outcomes. This surgery eliminates the psychological burden of hysterectomy in these patients. Through preserving the uterus, patients may have a chance of possible future pregnancy if abdominal cerclage is performed.
Renal Cell Carcinoma Whole-Slide Image Classification and Search Using Deep Learning
Authors: Safarpoor Amir , Shafiei Sobhan , Gonzalez Ricardo , Parwani Anil , Tizhoosh Hamid
Published: October 2021

Background: The size of whole slide images (WSIs) in digital pathology can vary from millions to billions of pixels. Accordingly, training state-of-the-art deep learning models with WSIs may not be feasible due to existing memory and computational constraints. In addition, not all WSI pixels may contain useful information about the scanned biopsy sample, e.g., background, debris, and artifact pixels. Furthermore, distilling expressive features from WSIs is a challenging task as there is generally no region-of-interest annotation in real-world archives. Hence, many methods focus on patch processing which can result in improper representation.

Methods: Unlike the patching approach, we propose a novel framework for learning and the creation of unique, meaningful, and compact features that are critical for indexing kidney cancer WSIs. In this method, a deep convolutional neural network is trained on low magnification patches. Then, slide-level features are extracted from the feature maps at low magnification using the same deep model by considering tissue location and the corresponding filter responses. This procedure enables us to represent a large image using a small set of features.

Results: We used data from the publicly available TCGA dataset to train our model, and it was assessed by both the TCGA and an additional external test cohort of 141 patients from the Ohio State University. We achieved state-of-the-art performance for WSI image search and classification in Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) subtypes on both datasets.

Conclusions: Our study depicted that deep neural networks can be used to learn morphological patterns required for accurately representing large whole-slide images. These features can be applied to build WSI search engines to help reducing inter- and intra-observer variability.
DFT Study of Pt/TiO2 Single Atom Catalyst with Oxygen Vacancy Rich Surface
Authors: Zhang Yongkang , Wang Yuhang , Wang Fengping
Published: October 2021

The titanium dioxide (TiO2) surface is suitable as a substrate for single-atom catalysts(SACs). As a common defect on TiO2, oxygen vacancy may have significant impact on the adsorption and activity of the adatoms. This work aims to investigate whether titanium dioxide containing surface oxygen vacancies is more suitable as a base material for SACs. This paper calculates the changes in the adsorption energy of Pt atoms and the energy of the d-band center on the perfect surface and the surface containing oxygen vacancies. With respect to perfect surface, the surface containing oxygen vacancies fixes Pt atom more firmly, and increases the center energy of the d-band of Pt, thereby improving the performance of Pt atom as SACs. Consequently, the (110) surface of Rutile TiO2 with oxygen vacancies may be the best substrate for SACs.