bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stress and Coping Among Nursing Students During The Introductory Internships Training
Authors: Lee Chin-Ting
Published: April 2022

Background: Introductory internships are essential in the nursing profession. Nursing students are often new to nursing and caregiving and are learning to deal with many different people and situations. As a result, they are exposed to many types of stress in their internship. Strategies to cope with these stressors are crucial because the stressors can negatively impact the students’ learning and performance. The objective of this study was to examine the stressors in introductory internships and the coping strategies employed by first-time nursing interns. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 266 nursing students from a junior college of medicine, nursing, and management in northern Taiwan. A questionnaire that consisted of the participants’ basic information, a stress of internship scale, and a coping strategies scale was administered to the participants. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22 statistical software.Results: The stress of assignments and workloads was the primary stressor perceived by the interns (2.81 ± 0.79). The overall status of stressors in the internship program was at a moderate level, with a mean of 2.43 (SD = 0.52). However, the students tended to adopt ineffective coping strategies more frequently when they perceived a high level of stress from nursing personnel (r = .12, p < .05), peers (r = .15, p < .05), lack of professional knowledge and skills (r = .14, p < .05), internship environment (r = .15, p < .05) and overall stress of the clinical internship program (r = .17, p < .01).The most common coping strategy used was problem-based coping (3.0 ± 0.48), followed by ineffective coping strategies and emotion-focused coping.Conclusions: The results of this study shed light on the stressors exposed to first-time nursing interns and the coping strategies used by the students. The findings can serve as a reference for college educators and clinical instructors to teach the students how to cope with the stress of their internship through positive and active strategies.
Historical Prevalence of Infectious Diseases and Adaptation to Climate change: does Institution matter?
Authors: MESSONO OMANG OMBOLO , Seabrook Arthur Mveng
Published: April 2022

This study investigates how the historical prevalence of infectious diseases influences vulnerability to climate change through institutional quality. The study uses ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares estimation techniques with data from 145 countries for the period 1990 to 2015. Our study shows that the historical prevalence of infectious diseases influences, directly and indirectly, vulnerability to climate change. First, the historical prevalence of infectious diseases increases vulnerability to climate change. Second, this increasing effect decreases with the protection against expropriation risks. Therefore, countries with a high prevalence of historical infectious diseases should strengthen the protection against expropriation risks to mitigate the historical roots of climate change vulnerability.JEL Classification : B15 ; Q54 ; Q58 ; I10
Spatial Cell Type Enrichment Predicts Mouse Brain
Connectivity
Authors: Sun Shenghuan , Torok Justin , Mezias Christopher , Ma Daren , Raj Ashish
Published: April 2022

A fundamental question in neuroscience is whether and how the brain’s molecular, cellular and cytoarchitectonic properties
govern its inter-regional structural connectivity. Several recent studies have leveraged spatial transcriptomic data to infer
the mouse mesoscale connectome with high accuracy, indicating that there is a strong biological link between whole-brain gene expression and inter-regional connectivity. However, despite the fact that cells are the fundamental biological units forming and maintaining white-matter tracts, the question of whether and which regional cell-type distributions determine patterns of structural connectivity, has received scant attention. Such a link has been previously postulated, but the lack of a comprehensive spatial atlas of cell types in the mouse brain has prevented its direct investigation. Here, we utilize recent advances in whole-brain mapping of a variety of neuronal and non-neuronal subtypes using the Matrix Inversion and Subset Selection (MISS) algorithm to model inter-regional connectivity as a function of regional cell-type composition with various machine learning approaches. Of the different machine learning models we tried, the random forest algorithm was the only method to give excellent performance at predicting both the binary existence or absence of a connection and the connectivity density between region-pairs. Moreover, using feature importance analysis, we found that oligodendrocytes and endothelial cells were the most salient for reconstructing the whole-brain connectome and correlated strongly with several node-level connectome graph metrics. We also found that layer-specific excitatory neurons contributed most for predicting long-range connectivity, while several interneuron subtypes were highly informative for predicting short-range connectivity. Prediction accuracy was similar across two independently sampled sets of cell types, indicating that cell-type distributions are a robust predictor of inter-regional connectivity. Taken together, our results provide the first demonstration of a link between whole-brain cell-type distributions and the structural connections between regions, and provide a road map for examining this relationship in other species, including humans.
The expression of respiratory tract virus in pediatric glomerular disease: a retrospective study of 45 renal biopsy in China
Authors: Lin Li , Li Lu , Cao Yao , Peng Xin , Wu Yi , Yu Ping , Dong LiQun
Published: April 2022

Background: The correlation of respiratory tract virus infection with pediatric glomerular disease paid more attention. However, biopsy-proven pathological evidence of virus infection in children with glomerular disease was rare. This study was aimed to detect whether and which type respiratory virus were present in renal biopsy of glomerular diseases. Methods: We performed the multiplex PCR to detect the broad spectrum of respiratory tract virus in the renal biopsy (n=45) from children with glomerular diseases and specific PCR for verifying their expression. Clinical data were analyzed retrospectively in medical records.Results: In those case series, 45 out of 47 renal biopsy specimens were included, with 37.8% males and 62.2% females. All of the participants had indications that suggest a kidney biopsy. Respiratory syncytial virus was found in 80 percent of the samples. The RSV subtypes were then identified in various pediatric glomerular diseases. There were 16 RSVA positives, 5 RSVB positives, and 15 RSVA/B positives, accounting for 44.4 %, 13.9%, and 41.7%, respectively. 62.5% of RSVA positive specimens were nephrotic syndrome specimens.Conclusions: Respiratory tract virus, particularly respiratory syncytial virus, is expressed in renal tissues in patients with glomerular disease. This study provides new insight into identifying respiratory tract virus in renal tissue, which could help us improve diagnose and treat pediatric glomerular disorders.
Regulated and Unregulated Emission analysis in a LHR engine powered by Diesel/Soyabean biodiesel blends
Authors: Daniel SAMUELRAJ , Sriram Jaichandar , Venu Harish
Published: April 2022

The sustainability of using methyl ester generated from the Soya bean as an important fuel used in a CI engine is investigated in this study. This research also implies that Soya bean methyl ester ( SBME) is a bean ,which provides protein milk and components to various people and chemical industrial applications.In fiscal year 2022, India is expected to utilise over five million metric tonnes of soybean oil. A significant percentage of this volume was brought into the nation from abroad. SBME is mixed with SBME under various volumetric basis of (10-20-30-40-100)% and its characterization were investigated according to ASTM criteria for biodiesel applications. In a single cylinder engine running with (DF100) at average speed (here 1500 rpm), the performance parameters, combustion and emission parameters (regulated and unregulated) properties of the prepared test fuels were evaluated experimentally. As per test findings, the Thermal efficiency(TE), UBHC, CO, and smoke exhausts of a 20 percent SBME + 80 percent SBME fuel blend were comparable to SBME fuel. SBME mixes, on the other hand, resulted in slightly greater Carbondioxide and Nitrogen dioxide emissions. In unregulated emissions, SBME mixtures in SBME shows that a reduction in acetaldehyde and toluene emissions. Inspite of, formaldehyde and acetone discharges were used. As the amount of SBME in the SBME blend increased, so fuel blends were prepared with the proportion of SBME in the mix. SBME had a lower heat release rate and in-cylinder pressure than SBME fuel at heavy load.
Mammalian karyopherins (KPNAs) as potential biomarkers of prognosis and immune invasion in gastric cancer
Authors: Liu Gang , Zhang Cuifeng , Wang Bing , Shi Lianghui , Wu Zehui , Zhao Haiyuan , Zhang Chengxiong , Xin Baoshan , Luo Bin , Zheng Yong , Lu Jiaju , Zhu Lianghui
Published: April 2022

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is among the common malignancies in the world. Studies of the KPNAs proteins’ participation in gastric cancer are still lacking. Materials and methods: The transcript levels and differential expression relating to tumor stage of KPNAs were analyzed through oncomine dataset and the Gene Expression Profile Interaction Analysis dataset. Experimental validation of mRNA and protein of KPNAs in non-malignant gastric mucosal tissues versus gastric cancer tissues was carried out using RT-qPCR, WB, and IHC. The prognostic value of KPNAs was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier Plotter. The association of KPNAs with immune invasion was assessed via the TIMER dataset. Mutations in the KPNAs family of genes were analyzed using the cBioportal dataset. In addition, inter-protein interactions expressed by the KPNAs family factors were analyzed using the String dataset, GeneMANIA. Finally, R software was adopted to analyze GO/KEGG functional enrichment of the KPNAs family factors. Results: The study illustrated that the transcript levels of KPNAs factors were elevated in GC tissues, both in mRNA and protein expression. The increased expression level of KPNA1/4/5/7 was linked to poor OS, FP and PPS. Further, it was noted that all KPNAs were linked to invasion of B-cell and the invasion of CD8+ T-cell was linked to KPNA2/3/4 expression. GO/KEGG enrichment assessment data of the KPNAs family estimated the functional role of the target host genes and biological processes showed that the observed changes were mainly cellular components, and molecular functions. Further, the cBioPortal online tool indicated that overexpression of mRNA was the most frequent alteration. Lastly, the String dataset, GeneMANIA dataset revealed that the KPNAs family factors have interactions in nuclear protein import. Conclusion: The results of the present research work showed that KPNAs might provide novel insights into potential biomarkers of prognosis along with immune invasion in GC.
Alkali salts of amino acids as alkaline additives for neutralization of acidic corrosion inhibitors
Authors: Naundorf Tim , Seddig Tom , Ruf Erik , Kipphardt Helmut , Maison Wolfgang
Published: April 2022

Amino alcohols, typically derived from an oil-based value chain, are frequently used as alkaline additives for neutralization of acidic corrosion inhibitors in industrial metal working fluids. The criterions for selection of these additives have changed in the last decades and are nowadays not only performance driven, but influenced by ecological considerations, toxicity and regulatory standards. We present amino acids as functional, nontoxic, non-hazardous, non-volatile, chemically stable and cheap alkaline additives for common acidic corrosion inhibitors. The resulting mixtures have been evaluated for Co, Ni and Cu-leaching and were analyzed by chip-filter assay, potentiodynamic polarization measurements, electrochemical impedance measurements and gravimetry for corrosion protection of iron and steel in aqueous environment at slightly alkaline pH. Of several amino acids tested, Glu and Tau were found to synergistically interact with several acidic corrosion inhibitors of the carboxylic acid and the phosphonic acid type. Glu had a particularly positive impact on the protective properties of phosphonic acids with low hard water compatibility and served as an antiscalant. Tau had also a positive effect on the anticorrosive properties of several acidic corrosion inhibitors and lead to low levels of Co and Ni-leaching. Glu and Tau might thus serve as commercially and ecologically attractive substitutes for current alkaline additives to acidic corrosion inhibitors.
Maternal Morbidity: Inventory Feasibility and Acceptability of Measurement Tools at the Level of Marrakech-morocco
Authors: Hababa Hanane , Assarag Bouchra
Published: April 2022

The measurement of less severe maternal morbidity represents many challenges for women during pregnancy and postpartum, and for the organization of health services. In order to explore the different aspects of the feasibility and acceptability of implementing morbidity measurement tools at the primary health care network level, a qualitative and quantitative mixed descriptive study was conducted at the level of the primary health care network in the prefecture of Marrakech. The objectives are: (1) to test the tools for measuring maternal morbidity less severe proposed by the WHO and describe the state of play of this morbidity, (2) to study the feasibility and acceptability of integrating these tools into the Pregnancy and Childbirth Surveillance Program inMarrakech, and (3) to validating and proposing a new tool adapted to our Moroccan context. The data were collected by questionnaires administered face-to-face for 257 women in antenatal care and 253 women in postpartum care recruited at the level of ten health centers. Most of the women who participated in the study (55.95% antenatal and 52.17% postpartum care) were not in good health. Of these women, 35.79% had direct complications and 33.85% indirect (medical) complications. In terms of feasibility, the results suggest that the implementation of the tools presents challenges in terms of time, resources and coordination. Regarding the acceptability of the WMOs, the women surveyed perceive it as a useful information tool that promotes communication with health professionals and makes it possible to assess their state of health and ensure their holistic care.
Targeted inhibition of upregulated sodium-calcium exchanger in rat inferior colliculus suppresses alcohol withdrawal seizures
Authors: Akinfiresoye Luli R , Newton Jamila , Suman Shubhankar , Datta Kamal , N'Gouemo Prosper
Published: April 2022

The inferior colliculus (IC) is critical in initiating acoustically evoked alcohol withdrawal-induced seizures (AWSs). Recently, we reported that systemic inhibition of Ca2+ entry via the reverse mode activity of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCXrev) suppressed AWSs, suggesting remodeling of NCX expression and function, at least in the IC the site of AWS initiation. Here, we probe putative changes in protein expression in the IC of NCX isoforms, including NCX type 1 (NCX1), 2 (NCX2), and 3 (NCX3). We also evaluated the efficacy of targeted inhibition of NCX1rev and NCX3rev activity in the IC on the occurrence and severity of AWSs using SN-6 and KB-R943, respectively. We used our well-characterized alcohol intoxication/withdrawal model associated with enhanced AWS susceptibility. IC tissues from the alcohol-treated were collected 3 hours (before the onset of AWS susceptibility), 24 hours (when AWS susceptibility is maximal), and 48 hours (when AWS susceptibility is resolved) following alcohol withdrawal; in comparison, IC tissues from the control-treated group were collected at 24 hours after the last gavage. Analysis shows that NCX1 protein levels were markedly higher 3 and 24 hours following alcohol withdrawal. However, NCX3 protein levels were only higher 3 hours following alcohol withdrawal. The analysis also reveals that intra-IC microinjection of SN-6 (but not KB-R7943) markedly suppressed the occurrence and severity of AWSs. Together, these findings indicate that NCX1 is a novel molecular target that may play an essential role in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of AWSs.
Probiotic ameliorating effects of altered GABA/glutamate signaling in a rodent model of autism
Authors: Bin-Khattaf Rawan M. , Alonazi Mona A. , Al-Dbass Abeer M. , Almnaizel Ahmad T. , Aloudah Hisham S. , Soliman Dina A. , El-Ansary Afaf
Published: April 2022

Background:
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) comprise a heterogeneous group of pathological conditions, mainly of genetic origin, characterized by stereotyped behavior, marked impairment in verbal and nonverbal communication, social skills, and cognition. Excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) imbalances have been recorded as an etiological mechanism of ASD. Furthermore, GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in adult life is known to be much lower in both patients and rodent models of ASD.
Methods:
In the present study, forty young male western Albino rats, 3–4 weeks in age, weighing about 60–70 g were used. The animals were randomly assigned into six experimental groups; each of them included eight rats. Group (I) serves as control orally given phosphate-buffered saline. Groups (II, III) serve as a rodent model of ASD, orally administered a neurotoxic dose of PPA. The rats in the three therapeutic groups (IV, V, and IV) received the same doses of PPA followed by 0.2 g/kg body weight of pure Bifidobacterium infantis, the probiotic mixture of (ProtexinR), and pure Lactobacillus bulgaricus respectively for three weeks. Selected variables related to oxidative stress, glutamate excitotoxicity, and gut bacteria were measured in the six studied groups.
Results:
Both pure or mixed Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were effective in ameliorating glutamate excitotoxicity as an autistic feature developed in the PPA-induced rodent model. Their therapeutic effects were mostly through, the correction of oxidative stress, restoring the depleted GABA neurotransmitter, and up-regulating the gene expression of GABA receptors. Pure Bifidobacterium was the most effective followed by the mixture of probiotics, and finally lactobacillus.
Conclusion:
Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli could be used either independently or in combination as psycho-biotics to ameliorate oxidative stress and glutamate excitotoxicity as two confirmed etiological mechanisms through the gut-brain axis.
Prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting after gynaecological day surgery under remimazolam general anesthesia：A randomized double-blind controlled study
Authors: YI Fuxia , xiao Hongyi , Zhu Teng , Man Yan , Ji Fanceng
Published: April 2022

Purpose: To observe the effect of different antiemetic drugs for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting(PONV)after gynaecological day surgery under remimazolam general anesthesia.Methods:192 patients were selected for gynaecological day surgery and randomly divided into three groups: droperidol group (DD group) , tropisetron group (DT group) and control group (DC group).Flurbiprofen axetil 50mg and dexamethasone 5mg were given intravenously before induction of anesthesia, and 2 minutes later droperidol 1mg was given intravenously to the DD group, tropisetron 5mg to the DT group and saline (5ml) to the DC group. Induction of anesthesia: remimazolam 6mg/kg/h was continuously pumped to sleep, mivacurium 0.2mg/kg and alfentanil 20ug/kg were slowly pushed, 3 minutes later intubation was performed to control breathing. Maintenance of anesthesia: 40ug/kg/h of alfentanil, 1mg/kg/h of remimazolam continuous infusion. After awakening and extubation, the patient was transferred to the PACU. PONV were recorded in the PACU and an electronic questionnaire was pushed 24 h after surgery.Results: The incidence of PONV within the PACU was significantly lower in the DD (14.5%)and DT(26.7%) groups than in the DC(50%) group (p<0.01),there was no significantly difference between the DT and DD groups. There were no significant difference in the incidence of PONV in 24 h after surgery between the three groups(DD:DT:DC=44.5%:45.1%:63.8%,p>0.05).Conclusions: Droperidol or tropisetron combined with dexamethasone is superior to dexamethasone alone for the prevention of PONV in the PACU after remimazolam combined with alfentanil anesthesia, with no significant difference in the incidence of PONV in 24 h after surgery.
Dynamic characteristics reconfiguration of fixture-workpiece system for vibration suppression in milling of thin-walled workpieces based on MR damping fixture
Authors: Ma Junjin , Li Yunfei , Zhang Dinghua , Zhao Bo , Pang Xiaoyan
Published: April 2022

Milling of the low rigidity and large deformation thin-walled workpiece is a critical challenging task due to the obvious machining vibration, which greatly affects the machining accuracy, surface quality of the final part. Compared with the conventional methods, this paper focuses on suppressing the machining vibration of the flexible workpiece by the MR damping fixture. A novel dynamic characteristics reconstruction strategy of MR damping fixture-workpiece system is proposed to improve the system dynamic characteristics of milling system considering the effect of material removal. Then, the fixture-workpiece system dynamic characteristics reconstruction model is established, in process, the time-varying modal parameters in different conditions are iteratively identified and the stable depth of cut is obtained in any moment. Based on this, the control currents of MR damping fixture are calculated to offset the change of the damping and stiffness properties of the milling system caused by material removal. Subsequently, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method are validated by several experiments. Experimental results show that compared with the initial machining state, the dynamic properties of the fixture-workpiece system are reconstructed by the MR damping fixture, and the vibration response is reduced by 30%~70% and the machined surface is improved effectively.
Similarities in cardiometabolic risk factors among random male-female pairs: A large observational study in Japan
Authors: Nakaya Naoki , Nakaya Kumi , Tsuchiya Naho , Narita Akira , Sone Toshimasa , Kogure Mana , Hatanaka Rieko , kanno Ikumi , Metoki Hirohito , Obara Taku , Ishikuro Mami , Hozawa Atsushi , Kuriyama Shinichi
Published: April 2022

Background: Spousal similarities exist in several cardiometabolic risk factors and have been noted in previous studies that used public biobank information from two countries. This study aimed to challenge the influence of genetic factors and determine the influence of the environment on cardiometabolic risk factors by using random male-female pairs rather than spouse pairs.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 5391 spouse pairs from Japan; data were obtained from a large biobank study. For pairings, women of the same age were randomly shuffled to create new male-female pairs of the same age as the original spouse pairs. Similarities in cardiometabolic risk factors between the random male-female pairs were analysed using the Pearson's correlation or age-adjusted logistic regression analyses.Results: The mean ages of the men and women were 63.2 and 60.4 years, respectively. No significant similarities were noted in cardiometabolic risk factors, including the continuous risk factors (anthropometric traits, blood pressure, glycated haemoglobin level, and lipid traits); lifestyle habits (smoking, drinking, and physical activity); or diseases (hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome) between the random male-female pairs. The age-adjusted correlation coefficients ranged from -0.002 for triglycerides to 0.071 for total cholesterol. The age-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for current drinkers was 0.94 (0.81−1.09); ever smokers, 0.99 (0.83−1.18); hypertension, 1.07 (0.93−1.23); and type 2 diabetes mellitus, 1.08 (0.77−1.50). Conclusion: In this study, no similarities in cardiometabolic risk factors were noted among the random male-female pairs. As spouse pairs may share environmental factors, intervention strategies targeting lifestyle habits and prevent lifestyle-related diseases may be effective.
Directed evolution for soluble and active periplasmic expression of bovine enterokinase in Escherichia coli
Authors: Lee Weiluo , Pradhan Subhas , Zhang Cheng , Venanzi Niccolo , Li Weina , Goldrick Stephen , Dalby Paul A.
Published: April 2022

Bovine enterokinase light chain (EKL) is an industrially useful protease for accurate removal of affinity-purification tags from high-value biopharmaceuticals. However, recombinant expression in Escherichia coli produces insoluble inclusion bodies, requiring solubilisation, refolding, and autocatalytic activation to recover functional enzyme. Error-prone PCR and DNA shuffling of the EKL gene, T7 promotor, lac operon, ribosome binding site, and pelB leader sequence, yielded 321 unique variants after screening ~ 6500 colonies. The best variants had > 11,000-fold increased total activity in lysates, producing soluble enzyme that no longer needed refolding. Further characterisation identified the factors that improved total activity from an inactive and insoluble starting point. Stability was a major factor, whereby melting temperatures > 48.4°C enabled good expression at 37°C. Variants generally did not alter catalytic efficiency as measured by kcat/Km, which improved for only one variant. Codon optimisation improved the total activity in lysates produced at 37°C. However, non-optimised codons and expression at 30°C gave the highest activity through improved protein quality, with increased kcat and Tm values. The 321 variants were statistically analysed and mapped to protein structure. Mutations detrimental to total activity and stability clustered around the active site. By contrast, variants with increased total activity tended to combine stabilising mutations that did not disrupt the active site.
The impact of atypical hyperplasia at the margins of breast-conserving surgery on the outcomes of breast cancer in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Deng Heran , Zhang Jing , Hu Tingting , Li Qian , Yang Yaping , Liu Jieqiong , Wu Jiannan
Published: April 2022

Purpose Women with atypical hyperplasia (AH) is associated with a higher risk of future breast cancer. However, whether AH found at margins in patients with breast-conserving surgery (BCS) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) needs re-excision is not well-defined. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of atypical hyperplasia at the surgical margins on the local recurrence and survival outcomes in breast cancer patients treated with NAC and BCS.Methods A retrospective analysis comparing patients who treated with NAC and BCS with AH at the margins to those without AH was performed. Results 323 patients were included in this study. The 5-year rates of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) were 6% and 4.5% in patients with and without AH, respectively. Distant-metastasis-free survival (DMFS) at 5 years was 81.2% in the AH group, and 88.1% in the no-AH group. No significant differences were observed among the two groups in terms of IBTR, DMFS, or OS. Conclusion Our study suggests that AH involved at the surgical margins of BCS in patients who received NAC does not increase the risk of ipsilateral breast cancer, and there is insufficient evidence for surgeon to further resect AH found at the margins of BCS in these patients.
The partner’s experiences of childbirth in countries with a highly developed clinical setting: A scoping review
Authors: Schmitt Nadine , Striebich Sabine , Meyer Gabriele , Ayerle Gertrud M.
Published: April 2022

Background: In Western countries, it is common practice for a woman to be supported by a trusted person during childbirth, usually the other parent. Numerous studies have shown that this has a positive effect both on the woman’s satisfaction with the birth process and on physical outcomes. However, there is little research on the birth experience of partner’s and their wellbeing.Methods: Both a systematic literature search in three databases and a manual search were conducted, for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies from Western countries examining the experiences of support people present at a birth.Results: A total of 35 studies were included. Only one study included same-sex partners (the other studies addressed fathers’ experiences only) and only one validated questionnaire was identified. Four major themes were found to influence partners’ birth experiences: (1) intense feelings, (2) role of support, (3) staff support, and (4) becoming a father. Conclusions: Support people may feel very vulnerable and stressed in this unfamiliar situation. They need emotional and informal support from staff, want to be actively involved, and play an important role for the birthing woman. To promote good attachment for parents, systematic exploration of the needs of support people is essential for a positive birth experience. Because of the diversity of family constellations, all support people should be included in further studies, especially same-sex partners.
Mesenchymal stem cell bioenergetics and apoptosis are associated with risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely low birth weight infants
Authors: Hazra Snehashis , Li Rui , Vamesu Bianca M. , Jilling Tamas , Ballinger Scott W , Ambalavanan Namasivayam , Kandasamy Jegen
Published: April 2022

Rationale: Oxidant stress contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. Mitochondrial function regulates oxidant stress responses as well as pluripotency and regenerative ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which are critical mediators of lung development. Objective: To test whether differences in endogenous MSC mitochondrial bioenergetics, proliferation and survival are associated with BPD risk in ELBW infants. Findings: Umbilical cord-derived MSCs of ELBW infants who later died or developed moderate/severe BPD had lower oxygen consumption and aconitase activity but higher extracellular acidification - indicative of mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidant stress vs. MSCs from infants who survived with no/mild BPD. Hyperoxia-exposed MSCs from infants who died or developed moderate/severe BPD also had lower PINK1 expression but higher TOM20 expression and numbers of mitochondria/cell, indicative of decreased mitophagy. Finally, these MSCs were noted to proliferate at lower rates but undergo more apoptosis in cell cultures when compared to MSCs from infants who survived with no/mild BPD. Conclusions: These results indicate that mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction and mitophagy deficit induced by oxidant stress may lead to depletion of the endogenous MSC pool and subsequent disruption of lung development in ELBW infants at increased risk for BPD.
Better Living through Coordination Chemistry: A descriptive study of a prolific papermill that combines crystallography and medicine
Authors: Bimler David
Published: April 2022

The organised, production-line creation of fake papers by “papermills”, injecting fabricated results into the scientific literature, has become a problem in many domains of biomedical research. Here we propose that at least 800 publications in crystallography and exotic-chemistry journals, from the period 2015-2022, are also the work of a prolific papermill specialising in imaginary Metal-Organic Frameworks and their wholly invented therapeutic applications. The mill is characterised by recycled images, and by oddities of wording in Methods sections, but its most obvious hallmarks appear in Reference sections, with citations to irrelevant research from remote fields of science. One purpose of these irregularities is presumably to manipulate the researchers’ performance indicators. We argue that a paper’s References deserve closer scrutiny from journal editors and publishers than they routinely receive.
Early detection of variants of concern via funnel plots of regional reproduction numbers
Authors: Milanesi Simone , Rosset Francesca , Colaneri Marta , Giordano Giulia , Pesenti Kenneth , Blanchini Franco , Bolzern Paolo , Colaneri Patrizio , Sacchi Paolo , De Nicolao Giuseppe , Bruno Raffaele
Published: April 2022

Tools to early detect the emergence of a new variant of concern are essential to develop strategies that contain epidemic outbreaks and their health-economic-social consequences. For example, knowing in which region a variant of concern appears or starts spreading enables prompt actions to circumscribe the diffusion area. This paper presents ‘funnel plots’ as a statistical method that can quickly identify regions of a country where the reproduction number is anomalous with respect to the national one, thus triggering cross-cutting research, while keeping false alarms under control. COVID-19 data demonstrate the efficacy of the method in the early detection of Delta and Omicron variants in India, South Africa, England, and Italy, as well as a malfunctioning episode of the diagnostic infrastructure in England.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) Insecurity in Unhoused Communities of Los Angeles, California
Authors: Portillo Lourdes Johanna Avelar , Kayser Georgia , Ko Charlene , Vasquez Angelica , Gonzalez Jimena , Avelar Diego Jose , Alvarenga Nayib , Franklin Meredith , Chiang Yao-Yi
Published: April 2022

Background: Access to water and sanitation is a basic human right; however, in many parts of the world, communities experience water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) insecurity. While WaSH insecurity is prevalent in many low and middle-income countries, it is also a problem in high-income countries, like the United States, as is evident in vulnerable populations, including people experiencing homelessness. Limited knowledge exists about the coping strategies unhoused people use to access WaSH services. This study, therefore, examines WaSH access among unhoused communities in Los Angeles, California, a city with the second-highest count of unhoused people across the nation. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a snowball sampling technique with 263 unhoused people living in Skid Row, Los Angeles. We calculated frequencies and multivariate analyses to describe (1) How unhoused communities cope and gain access to WaSH services in different places? Moreover, (2) What individual-level factors contribute to unhoused people’s ability to access WaSH services?Results: Our findings reveal that access to WaSH services in Los Angeles is most difficult at night. Reduced access to overnight sanitation resulted in 19% of the sample population using buckets inside their tents and 28% openly defecating in public spaces. Bottled water and public taps are the primary drinking water source, but 6% of the sample reported obtaining water from fire hydrants, and 50% of the population stores water for night use. Unhoused people also had limited access to water and soap for hand hygiene throughout the day, with 17% of the sample relying on hand sanitizer to clean their hands. Shower and laundry access was also among the most limited services reducing people’s ability to maintain body hygiene practices and limiting employment opportunities. Our regression models suggest that access to WaSH is not homogenous. Community differences exist, with the odds of having difficulty accessing sanitation services being two times greater for those living outside of Skid Row (95% CI: 1.08-6.37) and three times greater for people who have been unhoused for more than six years compared to people who have been unhoused for less than a year (95% CI: 1.36-8.07).Conclusion: Overall, this study suggests a need for more permanent and 24-hour accessible WaSH services for unhoused communities living in Skid Row, including restrooms, drinking water, water and soap for hand hygiene, showers, and laundry services.
Qualitative and quantitative detection of Sudan I and II adulterated in chili powders by front-face synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy：Aggregation-induced emission in solid food
Authors: Liu Zhao-Xi , Tan Jin
Published: April 2022

Sudan dyes are commonly found adulterants in chili related products. In this work, the unusual fluorescent behaviors of Sudan I and II in solid state were observed for the first time which are attributed to aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Taking advantage of their solid-state AIE properties, front-face synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (FFSFS) was applied for the rapid and non-destructive determination of Sudan I or II in chili powders. For each dye, 90 adulterated chili powders containing 1–50 mg/g Sudan I or II were prepared. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were achieved by principal component analysis – linear discriminant analysis (PCA–LDA) and partial least square regression (PLSR), respectively. The built models were validated by full cross-validation, five-fold cross-validation and external validation. The sensitivity and specificity in discrimination were both 100%. For PLSR prediction, the coefficients of determination (R2) were greater than 0.96. The relative errors of prediction (REP) were 15.2% and 11.6% for Sudan I and II, respectively. AIE-based FFSFS offers a new route for the application of fluorescence spectroscopy in food authentication.
MiR-519a/522-5p from pancreatic cancer-secreted exosomes promotes tumor invasion by enhancing Warburg effect
Authors: Feng Shi , Chen Ruihan , Huang Haitao , Lin Yimou , Jiang Jingyu , Cui Jinlong , Ling Qi , Liang Tingbo
Published: April 2022

Background
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis. Exploring novel serum biomarkers and the underlying mechanism is crucial for the early diagnosis and precise therapy of PDAC.
Methods
Exosomes were isolated from serum samples of 92 PDAC patients and 44 healthy subjects. Serum exosomal microRNAs (exo-miRNAs) were detected by small RNA sequencing, verified by qRT-PCR, and their diagnostic performance and prognostic value were evaluated. In vitro experiments and orthotopic tumor mouse models were conducted to investigate the effect of miR-519a/522-5p on PDAC. Integrated transcriptomics and metabolomics were used to explore the underlying mechanism of miR-519a/522-5p.
Results
Compared to the healthy control, all three PDAC subgroups (stage I-III) displayed a specific deregulated serum exo-miRNA profile. A panel of 3 serum exo-miRNAs (let-7g-3p, miR-490-5p, and miR-519a/522-5p) was established as novel diagnostic biomarkers for PDAC, which exhibited high sensitivity and specificity in clinical cohort. Among the three exo-miRNAs, miR-519a/522-5p was found to be an independent prognostic factor for PDAC and associated with tumor features particularly invasion/metastasis. In vitro and in vivo experiment confirmed that miR-519a/522-5p promoted invasiveness/metastasis of PDAC cells. Moreover, miR-519a/522-5p could be effectively delivered via exosomes and increased the invasiveness of recipient PDAC cells. Multi-omics analysis showed a comprehensive miR-519a/522-5p-regulated molecular network, in which glycolysis played a central role. We further validated that miR-519a/522-5p enhanced glycolysis by targeting sestrin2.
Conclusion
Serum exo-miRNAs could be novel and promising candidates for precise diagnosis and treatment of PDAC. Tumor-derived exo-miR-519a/522-5p promotes PDAC cellular invasiveness by enhancing Warburg effect.
Why Do We Share Fake News? A Cognitive Behaviour Analysis on the Use of Social Media in Global South Context
Authors: Samya Shashwata Sourav Roy , Tonmoy MD. Shaleh Islam , Rabbi MD. Forhad
Published: April 2022

The world has been hit by the COVID - 19 epidemic, prompting us to release vaccines at breakneck speed. As much as this elicited an outpouring of joy from us, it also elicited a slew of worries and anxieties. So much so that many have been led astray by false information spread throughout their various social media platforms. It didn't take long for us to realize how quickly these "news" circulated among peers and friends. This led us to work on this project, in which we attempted to identify adequate links between the propagation of these misinformation and the factors that may be connected with our respondents being fed lies from sources they believe to be trustworthy based on personal ties. In order to find our targeted outcomes, we used a cognitive method. A total of 202 replies were chosen for the final round, in which respondents were presented with falsified news and then asked how they would react to news being shared or posted with someone with whom they have a personal connection. The Likert Chart Scale was our primary method of data collection, with Yes/No responses serving as a backup. The findings do provide us with some insight into the people who believed in our fabricated news, as well as how they would behave in a situation where the source of similar hoax news came from people who have a respectable place in their lives.
Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Optimization and Multiphase Analysis of Polygon PEM Fuel Cells
Authors: Jabbary Ali , Pourmahmoud Nader , Abdollahi Mir Ali Asghar
Published: April 2022

This article presents new PEM fuel cell models with hexagonal and pentagonal designs. After observing cell performance improvement in these models, we optimized them. Inlet pressure and temperature were used as input parameters, and consumption and output power were the target parameters of the multi-objective optimization algorithm. Then we used artificial intelligence techniques, including deep neural networks and polynomial regression, to model the data. Next, we employed the RSM (Response Surface Method) method to derive the target functions. Furthermore, we applied the NSGAII multi-objective genetic algorithm to optimize the targets. Compared to the base model (Cubic), the optimized Pentagonal and Hexagonal models averagely increase the output current density by 21.819% and 39.931%, respectively.
Amphistomiasis due to Explanatum explanatum (Digenea) in native cattle of Kerman Province, Iran
Authors: Zarandi Mehdi Borhani , Faridi Ashkan , Halajian Ali , Moghaddas Elham , Ahmadi Amin
Published: April 2022

Amphistomiasis is caused by different species of trematodes in the family paramphistomatidae and is one of the neglected parasitic diseases of livestock. Amphistomiasis has a wide geographic distribution, especially in subtropical and tropical regions. Although adult stage of most of the amphistomes are seen in the rumen and reticulum of ruminants, but sometimes can be seen in bile ducts too. A few parasites were collected from the bile ducts of a native cattle from the Kerman slaughterhouse, Kerman Province, southeastern Iran, and samples were studied by histomorphological as well as, Scanning Electron Microscopy. The worms were identified as Explanatum explanatum using identification keys and SEM. This trematode has been identified in livestock from only two other provinces of Iran but this is the first report of it in Kerman Province. Specific epidemiological studies with exact slaughter inspections are needed to recognize the extent of the parasite prevalence in native animals of Iran.
Hand-assisted laparoscopic resection versus total laparoscopic gastric surgery for primary gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs): An analysis from a high-volume institution
Authors: Zhao Ya-Jun , Qiu Yong-Qiang , Zhong Li-Ying , Zheng Wen-Ze , Zhuang Lv-Ping , Wei Zhong , Ning Zhong-Liang
Published: April 2022

Background: Laparoscopic resection of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) is technically feasible and associated with favorable outcomes. We compared the clinical efficacy of hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HLS) and total laparoscopic surgery (TLS) for gastric GISTs.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 69 consecutive patients diagnosed with a gastric GIST in a tertiary referral teaching hospital from December 2016 to December 2020. Surgical outcomes were compared between two groups.Results: Fifty-three patients (TLS group: n = 36; HLS group: n = 17) were included. The mean age was 56.9 and 58.1 years in the TLS and HLS groups, respectively. The maximum tumor margin was significantly shorter in the HLS group than in the TLS group (2.3 ± 0.9 . vs. 3.0 ± 0.8 cm; P = 0.004). The operative time of the HLS group was significantly shorter than that of the TLS group (70.6 ± 19.1 min vs. 134.4 ± 53.7 min; P < 0.001). The HLS group had less intraoperative blood loss, a shorter time to first flatus, and a shorter time to fluid diet than the TLS group (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between the groups in the incidence or severity of complications within 30 days after surgery. Recurrence or metastasis occurred in four cases (HLS group; n = 1; TLS group; n = 3). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that compared with TLS, HLS for gastric GISTs has the advantages of simpler operation, shorter operative time, and faster postoperative recovery.
Effects of receiver diversity on bit error rate of underwater optical wireless communication systems in weak oceanic turbulence
Authors: GÖKÇE Muhsin Caner , BAYKAL YAHYA , ATA YALÇıN
Published: April 2022

The receiver spatial diversity techniques are employed in underwater optical wireless communication (OWC) systems to mitigate oceanic turbulence, improving the bit error rate performance. In this paper, we consider an OWC system employing a binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulated Gaussian beam at the transmitter and employing receiver spatial diversity at the receiver. The techniques for receiver spatial diversity systems considered in the study are selection combining (SC), equal gain combining (EGC), and the maximum ratio combining (MRC). The bit error rate (BER) performance of the OWC system operating in weak oceanic turbulence is investigated by calculating the Gaussian beam’s turbulence-induced scintillation index and the received optical intensity. It is found that the receiver spatial diversity techniques, especially EGC and MRC, are very effective for reducing the BER of an OWC system in weak oceanic turbulence.
Bond Strength Evaluation of Polymer Modified Cement Mortar Incorporated with Polypropylene Fibers
Authors: Abdulrahman Payam Ismael , Bzeni Dillshad
Published: April 2022

Bond strength is the adhesion between an overlay and a substrate mortar, it is the key parameter ensuring the durability and having a monolithic system. A proper bond is essential to resist any stresses at the interface associated with volume-changes, freeze-thaw cycles, and vibrations, etc. Polymer-modified cement mortar (PCM) is one of the most well-known adhesive materials, used widely as a binding agent in the engineering construction. Two forms of PCM were investigated in this study. These products are known commercially as Sika MonoTop®-620, which is a form of repair material for concrete structures, and DCP Cemfix 2CS, which is occasionally used as an adhesive to connect the tiles to the concrete base. The effect of polypropylene fiber with volume fractions of 0, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 percent was investigated using three different water-to-binder ratios. A total of 24 distinct mixes were made. The compressive strength, flexural strength and bond strength of the materials were all determined. The bond strength of each mix was assessed using the Slant-Shear and Pull-off test methods. The bond strength values derived by Slant-Shear and Pull-off tests had a high correlation, it was about 85%. Furthermore, bond strength was connected with the material's compressive and flexural strength with a relation of 95% and 86% with Slant-Shear, also 80% and 76% with Pull-off, respectively.