bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Novel In-Situ Gelled Acid System Based on Inorganic Nanoparticles
Authors: Kalgaonkar Rajendra A. , Sahu Qasim , Baqader Nour
Published: January 2022

Gelled acid systems based upon gelation of hydrochloric acid (HCl) are widely used in in both matrix acidizing and fracture acidizing treatments to prevent acidizing fluid leak-off into high permeable zones of a reservoir. The gelled up fluid system helps retard the acid reaction to allow deeper acid penetration for hydrocarbon productivity enhancement. The in-situ gelation is typically achieved by using crosslinked polymers with the acid. Conventional in-situ crosslinked gelled acid systems are made up of polyacrylamide gelling agent, iron based crosslinker and a breaker chemical in addition to other additives, with the acid as the base fluid. However, the polymer-based systems can lead to damaging the formation due to a variety of reasons including unbroken polymer residue. Additionally, the iron-based crosslinker systems can lead to scaling, precipitation and or sludge formation after the acid reacts with the formation, resulting in formation damage and lowering of hydrocarbon productivity.

In this paper we showcase a new nanoparticles based gelled acid system that overcomes the inherent challenges faced by conventional in-situ crosslinked gelled acid systems. The new system can work in 5 to 20 % HCl up to 300°F. The new system does not contain any polymer or iron based crosslinker that can potentially damage the formation. It comprises nanoparticles, a gelation activator, acidizing treatment additives along with HCl. The new in-situ gelled acid system has low viscosity at surface making it easy to pump. It gels up at elevated temperatures and pH of 1 to 4, which helps with diverting the tail end acid to tighter or damaged zones of the formation. We demonstrate that the viscosification and eventual gelation of the new system can be achieved as the acid reacts with a carbonate formation and the pH rises above 1. As the acid further reacts and continues to spend there by increasing the pH beyond 4, the gel demonstrates reduction of viscosity. This assists in a better cleanup post the acidizing treatment.

Various experimental techniques were used to showcase the development of the nanoparticle based acid diversion fluid. Static and dynamic gelation studies as a function of time, temperature and pH are reported. The gelation performance of the new system was evaluated at temperatures up to 300°F and discussed in the paper. Comparative performance of different types of gelation activators on the gelation profile of the nanoparticles is evaluated. It is also shown that the gelation and viscosity reduction is entirely a pH dependent phenomenon and does not require any additional breaker chemistry, and therefore provides more control over the system performance.

The novelty of the new gelled acid system is that it is based upon nanoparticles making it less prone to formation damage as compared to a crosslinked polymer based system.
Theta Oscillation and Functional Connectivity Alterations Related to Cerebral Small Vessel Disease with Working Memory Impairment
Authors: Gu Yumeng , Dong Qi , Xia Xiaoshuang , Tian Xin , Li Xin
Published: January 2022

Background
Impaired working memory (WM) is an important clinical symptom of cognitive dysfunction associated with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Theta oscillations play an important role in the regulation of learning, WM and synaptic plasticity. Therefore, we speculate that theta oscillation may play an important role in the process of working memory impairment in CSVD.
Methods
Seventy-eight patients with CSVD (mean age 66.18 ± 1.42) and 49 healthy controls (HCs) (mean age 66.53 ± 1.3) were recruited to perform the WM task. Neural oscillations and functional connectivity during the encoding, maintenance, and retrieval phases of WM were evaluated during performance of WM test.
Results
Compared with the control group, the working memory behavior of the CSVD group showed a significantly longer reaction time and lower accuracy rate. The energy density and functional connection (FC) strength of the theta band in frontal region of the CSVD group were significantly lower than those of the control group, and the theta oscillation in the retrieval phase was significantly higher than that in the coding phase. However, there was no significant change in FC strengths among three phases. Both in the two groups, the FC was significantly positively correlated with accuracy and negatively correlated with reaction time (RT).
Conclusion
Our results indicated that CSVD patients have significant working memory impairment, and the lack of theta oscillation in the frontal region and the abnormal functional connection of the brain network may be one of its potential neurophysiological mechanisms.
An explainable model of host genetic interactions linked to COVID-19 severity
Authors: Onoja Anthony , Picchiotti Nicola , Fallerini Chiara , Baldassarri Margherita , Fava Francesca , Study GEN-COVID Multicenter , Colombo Francesca , Chiaromonte Francesca , Renieri Alessandra , Furini Simone , Raimondi Francesco
Published: January 2022

We employed a multifaceted computational strategy to identify the genetic factors contributing to increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection from a Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) dataset of a cohort of 2000 Italian patients. We coupled a stratified k-fold screening, to rank variants more associated with severity, with training of multiple supervised classifiers, to predict severity on the basis of screened features. Feature importance analysis from tree-based models allowed to identify a handful of 16 variants with highest support which, together with age and gender covariates, were found to be most predictive of COVID-19 severity. When tested on a follow-up cohort, our ensemble of models predicted severity with good accuracy (ACC=81.88%; ROC_AUC=96%; MCC=61.55%). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and clustering of patients on important variants orthogonally identified two groups of individuals with a higher fraction of severe cases. Our model recapitulated a vast literature of emerging molecular mechanisms and genetic factors linked to COVID-19 response and extends previous landmark Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). It revealed a network of interplaying genetic signatures converging on established immune system and inflammatory processes linked to viral infection response, such as JAK-STAT, Cytokine, Interleukin, and C-type lectin receptor signaling. It also identified additional processes cross-talking with immune pathways, such as GPCR signalling, which might offer additional opportunities for therapeutic intervention and patient stratification. Publicly available PheWAS datasets revealed that several variants were significantly associated with phenotypic traits such as “Respiratory or thoracic disease”, confirming their link with COVID-19 severity outcome. Taken together, our analysis suggests that curated genetic information can be effectively integrated along with other patient clinical covariates to forecast COVID-19 disease severity and dissect the underlying host genetic mechanisms for personalized medicine treatments.
Study of the Electrochemical Dissolution Behavior of Nitinol Shape Memory Alloy in Different Electrolytes for Micro-ECM Process
Authors: Sethi Abhijeet , Acharya Biswesh Ranjan , Saha Partha
Published: January 2022

Nickel-Titanium alloy (Nitinol) is an excellent shape memory alloy (SMA) for Micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) particularly in biomedical applications owing to its three excellent features like shape memory effect (SME), superelasticity, and biocompatibility. The fabrication of micro features on Nitinol SMAs through conventional machining has been challenging due to its temperature-dependent material transformation properties. Micro electrochemical machining (micro-ECM), a nonconventional machining method for conductive material irrespective of strength and hardness has the potential for microfeature fabrication on Nitinol. This study presents the investigation on electrochemical dissolution behavior of Nitinol in different electrolytes for micro-ECM. The influence of electrolytes on the nature of dissolution of Nitinol has been studied by fabricating microchannels in three levels of parameters containing applied voltage and electrolyte concentration. The first three electrolytes were all aqueous neutral electrolytes i.e. sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium nitrate (NaNO3), and sodium bromide (NaBr). For profound analysis of dissolution behavior and its influence on machining performance, potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) tests of Nitinol were performed in aqueous NaCl, aqueous NaNO3, and aqueous NaBr solutions. The PDP tests that are conducted here are cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The three aqueous solutions were utilized for microchannel fabrication in Nitinol through micro ECM in three levels of parameters out of which aqueous NaNO3 was successful in fabricating microchannel. Then nonaqueous electrolyte of ethylene glycol-based NaNO3 has been used to fabricate microchannels with lower depth overcut (DOC), width overcut (WOC), and length overcut (LOC) with respect to aqueous NaNO3 electrolyte.
The New Approaches Based on Ant Colony Optimization and Greedy Search Algorithm for Solving Hierarchical Chinese Postman Problem with Stochastic Travel Times
Authors: Sökmen Özlem Çomaklı , yılmaz mustafa
Published: January 2022

Hierarchical Chinese postman problem (HCPP), a variant of the Chinese postman problem, aims to find the shortest tour or tours by passing through the arcs classified according to precedence relationship. HCPP, which has a wide application area in real-life problems such as shovel snow and routing patrol vehicles where precedence relations are important, belongs to the NP-hard problem class. In real-life problems, travel time between the two locations in city traffic varies due to reasons such as traffic jam, weather conditions, etc. Therefore travel times are uncertain. In this study, HCPP is handled with the chance-constrained stochastic programming approach, and a new type of problem, hierarchical Chinese postman problem with stochastic travel times, is introduced. Due to the NP-hard nature of the problem, the developed mathematical model with stochastic parameter values cannot find proper solutions in large size problems within the appropriate time interval. Therefore, two new solution approaches, a heuristic method based on the Greedy Search (GSA) algorithm and a meta-heuristic method based on ant colony optimization (ACO) are proposed in this study. These new algorithms were tested on modified benchmark instances and randomly generated problem instances with as many as 817 edges. The performance of algorithms was compared in terms of solution quality and computational time.
Mineral composition of wheat species as influenced by different fertilizer sources and different weed control practices
Authors: Bulut Sancar
Published: January 2022

This research was carried out to determine the effects of agronomic practices on the mineral composition of organically-grown wheat species. In terms of all nutrients evaluated, the mineral content of wheat showed significant differences according to crop years, varieties, weed control methods and fertilizer sources. As the average of all factors, the Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, Zn, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni and Pb contents of the ground wheat grain were; 3.93, 42.8, 79.6, 0.549, 11.34, 0.012, 0.140, 0.194, 3.71 and 0.269 mg / kg, respectively. According to the wheat varieties, the Kırik was superior in terms of Cu, Fe, Se, Zn, Co and Cr, and the Dogu-88 was superior in terms of Mn, Cd, and Ni. The effect of weed control methods on mineral content was variable. According to fertilizer sources, the highest mineral content was obtained from the control plots without fertilizer treatments. The lowest mineral contents were obtained from chemical fertilization, cattle manure and organic fertilizer applications. There was no significant increase in the mineral content of wheat with organic fertilization, however, organic agriculture still preserves its place in terms of healthy food. As a result, it has been determined that the values obtained for all mineral elements were not at a level that pose a risk on the environment, human and animal health according to WHO.
Complete Genomic Sequencing of Canine Distemper Virus With Nanopore Technology During an Epizootic Event
Authors: Lanszki Zsófia , Tóth Gábor E. , Schütz Éva , Zeghbib Safia , Rusvai Miklós , Jakab Ferenc , Kemenesi Gábor
Published: January 2022

Canine distemper virus (CDV) endangers a wide range of wild animal populations and can cross species barriers, representing a significant conservational and animal health risk around the globe. During spring to autumn 2021, according to our current estimates a minimum of 50 wild live red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) died of CDV in Hungary, with CDV lesions. Oral, nasal and rectal swab samples were RT-PCR screened for Canine Distemper Virus from red fox carcasses. To investigate in more detail the origins of these CDV strains, 19 complete genomes were sequenced with a pan-genotype CDV-specific amplicon-based sequencing method developed by our laboratory and optimized for Oxford Nanopore Technologies platform. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete genomic sequences and separately the hemagglutinin gene sequences revealed the role of the Europe lineage of CDV as a causative agent for the current epizootic. Here we highlight the growing importance of fast developing rapid sequencing technologies to aid rapid response activities during epidemics or epizootic events. We also emphasize the urgent need for improved surveillance of CDV, considering the epizootic capability of enzootic strains as reported in the current study. For such future efforts, we provide a novel NGS protocol, which facilitates future genomic surveillance studies.
Fused Ultrasound And Electromyography-Driven Neuromuscular Model To Improve Plantarflexion Moment Prediction Across Walking Speeds
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Fragnito Natalie , Franz Jason R. , Sharma Nitin
Published: January 2022

Background: Improving the prediction ability of a human-machine interface (HMI) is critical to accomplish a bio-inspired or model-based control strategy for rehabilitation interventions, which are of increased interest to assist limb function post neurological injuries. A fundamental role of the HMI is to accurately predict human intent by mapping signals from a mechanical sensor or surface electromyography (sEMG) sensor. These sensors are limited to measuring the resulting limb force or movement or the neural signal evoking the force. As the intermediate mapping in the HMI also depends on muscle contractility, a motivation exists to include architectural features of the muscle as surrogates of dynamic muscle movement, thus further improving the HMI's prediction accuracy. Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate a non-invasive sEMG and ultrasound (US) imaging-driven Hill-type neuromuscular model (HNM) for net ankle joint plantarflexion moment prediction. We hypothesize that the fusion of signals from sEMG and US imaging results in a more accurate net plantarflexion moment prediction than sole sEMG or US imaging. Methods: Ten young non-disabled participants walked on a treadmill at speeds of 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25, and 1.50 m/s. The proposed HNM consists of two muscle-tendon units. The muscle activation for each unit was calculated as a weighted summation of the normalized sEMG signal and normalized muscle thickness signal from US imaging. The HNM calibration was performed under both single-speed mode and inter-speed mode, and then the calibrated HNM was validated across all walking speeds. Results: On average, the normalized moment prediction root mean square error was reduced by 14.58 % (p = 0.012) and 36.79 % (p < 0.001) with the proposed HNM when compared to sEMG-driven and US imaging-driven HNMs, respectively. Also, the calibrated models with data from the inter-speed mode were more robust than those from single-speed modes for the moment prediction.Conclusions: The proposed sEMG-US imaging-driven HNM can significantly improve the net plantarflexion moment prediction accuracy across multiple walking speeds. The findings imply that the proposed HNM can be potentially used in bio-inspired control strategies for rehabilitative devices due to its superior prediction.
18F-FDG and 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT for Evaluating Periprosthetic Joint Infection and Aseptic Loosening in Rabbit Models
Authors: Wang Yiqun , Li Yu , Han Liang , Wang Jun , Zhang Cong , Guan Zhiwei , Zhang Dongyun , Chang Yan , Huan Yong , Tian Jiahe
Published: January 2022

Purpose

We built a loosening model based on the original infection model of rabbit and evaluated the performance characteristics of 18F-FDG and 68Ga-FAPI in infection and loosening.
Methods

After surgery, the rabbits were divided into four groups, six in the control group and 10 in the loosening, S. aureus and S. epidermis groups. PET/CT and serological examination were performed every two weeks for three times. After sacrificed, micro-CT, tissue culture, pullout test and scanning electron microscope were performed.
Results

As for 18F-FDG, performances of control and loosening groups were similar. SUVmax of S. aureus had been consistently in the high range than that of S. epidermis. As for 68Ga-FAPI, control group had the lowest SUVmax in the second week and increased gradually. SUVmax of loosening group began exceed control group since the second week. SUVmax of S. aureus in the second week was the lowest among four group and raised as the number of weeks increased and equalled to SUVmax of S. epidermis in the sixth week. Linear regressions between SUVmax and serology showed that 18F-FDG was positively correlated with CRP and IL-6 while 68Ga-FAPI revealed negative and positive correlation with CRP and IL-6 in the second and sixth week. Besides, both SUVmax and MTV of 18F-FDG or 68Ga-FAPI were negatively correlated with BV/TV and BS/TV.
Conclusion

In this longitudinal observation, 68Ga-FAPI showed greater sensitivity than 18F-FDG in detecting diseases, and 68Ga-FAPI had not intestinal and muscular uptake. MTV of 68Ga-FAPI were larger than 18F-FDG, which meant that 68Ga-FAPI had the potential to define the scope of lesions more accurately. Finally, SUVmax could not differentiate loosening and infection in 68Ga-FAPI, further study about diagnostic criteria was warranted.
Mechanistic Basis of Arsenic Induced Carcinogenesis: Differential miRNA Expression
Authors: John Placheril J. , Kumar Navneet
Published: January 2022

Arsenic, a toxic metalloid, provokes many detrimental consequences to human health. It is prevalent in earth's crust and poses a major threat to humans globally. Inorganic arsenic exposure occurs mainly via drinking water or food and is metabolized in mammals to form organic metabolites/ end products. Chronic exposure to arsenic causes lung, skin and urinary bladder cancers and increases the risks of liver, kidney and prostate cancers. Arsenic-induced ROS generation, disturbances in several signaling pathways, DNA repair inhibition, chromosomal aberrations, and epigenetic changes including alterations in DNA methylation, histone modifications and differential miRNA expression profiles are involved in cancer progression, and malignant transformation. However, details of arsenic-induced carcinogenesis and molecular mechanisms involved are still remaining obscure. MicroRNAs are post-transcriptional gene expression regulators and themselves may act as oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Differential miRNA expression is implicated in several human cancers. This review covers general mechanistic basis of arsenic-induced carcinogenesis, explores recent in-vitro, in-vivo and cohort studies on differential miRNA expression profiles and shares associated molecular mechanistic data on miRNA dysregulation and their functional consequences leading to arsenic induced tumorigenesis, metastasis and cancer, also discusses the future directions.
Brain Computer Interface-EEG based Imagined Word Prediction Using Convolutional Neural Network Visual Stimuli for Speech Disability
Authors: Chinta Babu , M Moorthi
Published: January 2022

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is one of the fast-growing technological trends, which finds its applications in the field of the healthcare sector. In this work, 16 electrodes of Electroencephalography (EEG) placed according to the 10-20 electrode system are used to acquire the EEG signals. A BCI with EEG based imagined word prediction using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is modeled and trained to recognize the words imagined through the EEG brain signal, where the CNN model Alexnet and Googlenet are able to recognize the words due to visual stimuli namely, up, down, right, left and up to ten words. The performance metrics are improved with the Morlet Continuous wavelet transform applied at the pre-processing stage, with seven extracted features such as mean, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis, bandpower, root mean square, and Shannon entropy. Based on the testing, Alexnet transfer learning model performed better as compared to Googlenet transfer learning model, as it achieved an accuracy of 90.3%, recall, precision, and F1 score of 91.4%, 90%, and 90.7% respectively for seven extracted features. However, the performance metrics decreased when the number of extracted features was reduced from seven to four, to 83.8%, 84.4%, 82.9%, and 83.6% respectively. This high accuracy further paves the way to future work on cross participant analysis, plan to involve a larger number of participants for testing and to enhance the deep learning neural networks to create the system developed to be suitable for EEG based mobile applications, which helps to identify what the words are imagined to be uttered by the speech-disabled persons.
The Effects of Inorganic Arsenic On Apoptosis and Autophagy in Human Hepatic Sellate Cells
Authors: Huang Fei , Hui Yu , Li Ang , Tayier Rishalaiti , Yaermaimaiti Dilinaer , Ding Guanxin , Wu Shunhua
Published: January 2022

Endemic arsenism is a major disease concern in China, with arsenic poisoning and induced potential lesions key issues on a global level. The liver is the main target organ where arsenic is metabolized; chronic exposure to arsenic-induced liver fibrosis is also closely related to autophagy, however, the exact mechanisms are remain unclear. In this study, we explored the effects of NaAsO2 on apoptosis and autophagy in human hepatic stellate cells(HSC). We established a fibrosis model in the HSC line, LX-2 which was exposed to NaAsO2 for 24h, 48h, and 72h. Cells were then transfected using an autophagy double-labeled RFP-GFP-LC3 adenoviral plasmid. Laser confocal microscopy indicated significant infection efficiencies and autophagy in LX-2. Flow cytometry was also used to investigate the effects of different NaAsO2 doses on apoptosis. NaAsO2 treatment upregulated the expression of autophagic markers, including microtubule-associated protein light chain A/B(LC3), ubiquitin binding protein(SQSTM-1/P62), autophagy related genes(ATGs), recombinant human autophagy effector protein (Beclin-1), and B cell lymphoma-2(BCL-2), but downregulated mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR). Also, α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA) expression was significantly upregulated in all NaAsO2 groups. Furthermore, mTOR silencing via 3-methyladenine(3-MA) altered NaAsO2 induced autophagy, LC3, Beclin-1, and SQSTM-1/P62 expression were all upregulated in both NaAsO2 and 3-MA-iAs groups. Altogether, NaAsO2 induced HSC autophagy via apoptotic pathways. 3-MA inhibited LX-2 activity and reduced NaAsO2-induced autophagy which may inhibit fibrosis progression caused by this toxin.
Fermatean Hesitant Fuzzy Sets with Medical Decision Making Application
Authors: Kirişci Murat
Published: January 2022

Fermatean fuzzy set idea obtained by combining fermatean fuzzy sets and hesitant fuzzy sets can be used in practice to simplify the solution of complicated multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems. Initially, the notion of fermatean hesitant fuzzy set is given and the operations related to this concept are presented. Aggregation operators according to fermatean hesitant fuzzy sets are given and basic properties of these operators are studied. To choose the best alternative in practice, a novel MCDM method that is obtained with operators has been created. Finally, an example of infectious diseases was examined to indicate the effectiveness of the suggested techniques.
“Can We Break Through the Identity Dilemma?”: The Multiple Governance, Identities Conflict, and Self-Managements for Chinese PWUD.
Authors: Song Apei , Ren Zhongyuan
Published: January 2022

Background: Exploring why the national drug policy failed is an important issue. Based on it, this study considers both the drug governance system and the voice of people who use drugs (PWUD) to analysis drug policy effects and the lives of PWUD in the Chinese context. Methods: This study takes PWUD living in urban communities as the research participants. Using qualitative research data, exploring how individual using drug experiences are identified and classified by structural forces and how individuals manage their daily life. Results: The study finds that law enforcement agencies (Narcotics Control Office (NCO), Police Station , and Community Assistance Group (CAG)) have different attitudes toward PWUD and generate different managements, forming multiple governance models, and then shaping the multiple identity dilemma. PWUD perceive the dilemma, and they adopt the strategies of spatial isolation (hidden flow), disconnection from experience (temporal isolation), and instrumental cooperation to continuously re-adjust and achieve identity recovery from the bottom-up. Conclusion/importance: Through evaluating the effectiveness of self-management strategies, this research integrates the Chinese drug rehabilitation situation, expands the specific performance of law enforcement system, and presents the limitations and positive value of self-management strategies.
Application of 2D Resistivity Modelling to Delineate Lamproites in Parts of North‑Eastern Dharwar Craton
Authors: Jonnalagadda Ravi , Mathur Ram Raj
Published: January 2022

Geophysical methods have extensively been used in exploration of Lamproite bodies. Lamproites are significant source rocks of primary diamond deposits other than Kimberlites. The Eastern Dharwar Craton is unique in the way that it hosts numerous Precambrian Lamproites confined to the crescent-shaped Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Cuddapah Basin and its north-western and north-eastern margins. In the present study electrical method was used as a tool for delineation of Lamproite bodies in contrast with country rocks in Gundrapally, Vattikode and Marepally regions in parts of the North Eastern Dharwar Craton in Telangana State, India. The electrical profiling method was conducted in different direction to identify the variation of the lithology of the area due to the anisotropic nature and smaller size of the 2-D intrusive bodies adopting the Wenner electrode configuration. The electrical properties of the Lamproites tended to change with their composition due to weathering and the presence of Olivine and K-Al rich composition. The electrical response on the Lamproite pipes is shows a decrease in resistivity concerning the country-rock in the area.
Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy With Ologen Implant
Authors: El-Hayes Ali Abd El-Hakam Ali , Eldemerdash Ashraf Ali , Mandour Sameh Saad , Mazar Hesham Mohamed El
Published: January 2022

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy with ologen implant versus endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy with silicon tube implantation.Background: Chronic dacryocystitis is an inflammatory disorder of the lacrimal sac that is mostly accompanied by partial or total nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Watering and discharge are the most common symptoms, however some cases can escalate to serious ocular and extraocular complications. It can result in severe ocular morbidity and loss of productivity at work, as it can temporarily obscure vision, prevent a person from concentrating on their task, and be socially uncomfortable. The goal of this research is to find a way to reduce recurrence after DCR surgery.Methods: We conducted a prospective controlled study to evaluate effectiveness of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy with ologen implant versus endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy with silicon tube implantation. A total of 40 patients underwent primary endoscopic DCR surgery in Menoufia University Hospital from march 2020 till march 2021. A total of 20 cases did endoscopic DCR using ologen implant (group A) and the other 20 cases did endoscopic DCR using silicon tube (group B). Results: The success rate, which was evaluated by MUNK score and syringing test, was compared between both groups also rate of complications like epistaxis, implant complications and post surgery synechiae was compared. Success rates was 75% in ologen group and 85%in the other group. Epistaxis, infection and post sugery synechiae were statistically in significant between the two groups but implant complications was more in ologen group than the other group.Conclusion: Endoscopic DCR with ologen implantation is not superior to endoscopic DCR with silicon stenting due to the challenging ologen implantation procedure and the high cost relative to silicon stenting.
Energy Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis in conjunction with Scanning Electron Micrography to establish nematodes as bioindicators in marine fish environment
Authors: Yadav Anita , Kapoor Neerja , Arif Amin , MALHOTRA SANDEEP K
Published: January 2022

Energy Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis (EDXMA) has been used as the non-invasive technique on Indian helminthes to explore the role of nematode parasites as bioindicators in the marine ecosystem of Central West coast of India for the first time. The investigation incorporates assertions on the possible benefit of such technology to elucidate bioremediating prospects that could be helpful to establish helminth parasites as a tool representing Bioindicators. The accumulation of Sulphur and Iron were analysed from a raphidascaridoid roundworm, Rostellascaris spinicaudatum (Malhotra and Anas) parasitizing marine catfish, Arius maculatus from the Central west coast of India at Goa. Quantitatively, the cuticle on oral armature comprised as much as ten times more Sulphur than iron content in the roundworm under study. However, only Carbon and Oxygen were detected over caudal papillae, where no metals or other elements were recorded.
Aspirin with Low-Dose Ticagrelor or with Low-Dose Rivaroxaban for Secondary Prevention: A Cost Per Outcome Analysis
Authors: Tsaban Gal , Alnsasra Hilmi , Nasasra Aref El , Abu-Salman Amjad , Abu-Dogosh Ala , Weissberg Itay , Golan Yael Ben-Baruch , Barrett Orit , Westreich Roi , Aboalhasan Enis , Azuri Joseph , Hammerman Ariel , Arbel Ronen
Published: January 2022

Introduction: Secondary prevention of cardiovascular events among patients with diagnosed cardiovascular disease and high ischemic risk poses a significant challenge in clinical practice. The combinations of aspirin with low dose (LD) Ticagrelor or LD-Rivaroxaban have shown superiority in preventing major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) than aspirin treatment alone. The comparative value for money of these two regimens remains unexplored.Methods: We analyzed each regimen's annual cost needed to treat (CNT) by multiplying the annualized number needed to treat (aNNT) by the annual cost of each drug. The aNNTs were based on outcome data from PEGASUS TIMI-54 and COMPASS trials. Scenario analyses were performed to overcome variances in terms of population risk. Costs were based on 2021 US prices. The primary outcome was defined as CNT to prevent one MACE across the two regimens. Secondary value analysis was performed for myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and CV death as separate outcomes. Results: The aNNTs to prevent MACE with LD-Ticagrelor and with LD-Rivaroxaban were 229 [95% confidence interval (CI):141-734] and 147 (95%CI:104-252), respectively. At an annual cost of 3,618$ versus 4,308$, the corresponding CNTs were 828,478$ (95%CI:510,111$-2,655,471$) with LD-Ticagrelor and 633,270$ (95%CI:448,028$-1,085,607$) with LD-Rivaroxaban. LD-Rivaroxaban.Conclusion: Combining aspirin with LD-Rivaroxaban provides better value for money than with LD-Ticagrelor for secondary prevention of MACE.
On Maintenance and Metabolisms in Soil Microbial Communities
Authors: Dijkstra Paul , Wu Weichao , Dippold Michaela , Schwartz Egbert , Hungate Bruce , Megonigal Patrick , Thomas Scott , Seymour Cale , Martinez Ayla
Published: January 2022

Biochemistry is an essential yet often undervalued aspect of soil ecology, especially in soil C cycling. We assume based on tradition, intuition or hope that the complexity of biochemistry is confined to the microscopic world, and can be ignored when dealing with whole soil systems. This opinion paper draws attention to patterns caused by basic biochemical processes that permeate the world of ecosystem processes. From these patterns, we can estimate activities of the biochemical reactions of the central C metabolic network and gain insights into the ecophysiology of microbial biosynthesis and growth and maintenance energy requirements; important components of Carbon Use Efficiency (CUE).The biochemical pathways used to metabolize glucose vary from soil to soil, with mostly glycolysis in some soils, and pentose phosphate or Entner-Doudoroff pathways in others. However, notwithstanding this metabolic diversity, glucose use efficiency is high and thus substrate use for maintenance energy and overflow respiration is low in these three soils. These results contradict current dogma based on four decades of research in soil ecology. We identify three main shortcomings in our current understanding of substrate use efficiency: 1) in numeric and conceptual models, we lack appreciation of the strategies that microbes employ to quickly reduce energy needs in response to starvation; 2) production of exudates and microbial turnover affect whole-soil CUE more than variation in maintenance energy demand; and 3) whether tracer experiments can be used to measure the long-term substrate use efficiency of soil microbial communities depends critically on the ability of non-growing cells to take up tracer substrates, how biosynthesis responds to these substrates, as well as on how cellular activities scale to the community level.To move the field of soil ecology forward, future research must consider the details of microbial ecophysiology and develop new tools that enable direct measurement of microbial functioning in intact soils. We submit that 13C metabolic flux analysis is one of those new tools.
Causal and Putative Pathogenic Mutations Identified in 38.6% of Children with Primary SRNS in South Africa
Authors: Nandlal Louansha , Winkler Cheryl A. , Bhimma Rajendra , Cho Sungkweon , Nelson George W. , Haripershad Sudesh , Naicker Thajasvarie
Published: January 2022

The aim was to identify causal mutations in genes implicated in steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) within a South African population. We enrolled 119 children with primary NS; 71 SRNS and 48 steroid-sensitive NS. All children with SRNS underwent kidney biopsy. We first genotyped the NPHS2 gene for the p.V260E variant in all NS cases (n= 119) and controls (n= 219). To further identify additional variants, we performed whole-exome sequencing and interrogated ten genes (NPHS1, NPHS2, WT1, LAMB2, ACTN4, TRPC6, INF2, CD2AP, PLCE1, MYO1E) implicated in SRNS/FSGS in 56 SRNS cases and 29 controls; we also performed exome sequencing on two patients carrying the NPHS2 p.V260E mutation as positive controls. The overall detection rate of pathogenic mutations in children with SRNS was 27/70(38.57%): 15(21.43%) carried the NPHS2 p.V260E mutation and 12(17.14%) carried a pathogenic mutation in the heterozygous state in INF2 (n=8), CD2AP (n=3) or TRPC6 (n=1) genes. NPHS2 p.V260E homozygosity was specifically associated with biopsy-proven FSGS, accounting for 23.81% of Black children (15 of 63) with SR-FSGS. No causal mutations were identified in NPHS1, WT1, LAMB2, PLCE1, MYO1E and ACTN4. We report four novel variants in INF2, PLCE1, ACTN4 and TRPC6.Conclusion: The NPHS2 p.V260E mutation is a prevalent cause of SR-FSGS among Black South African children occurring in 23.81% of children with SRNS. Screening all Black African children presenting with NS for NPHS2 p.V260E will provide a precision diagnosis of SR-FSGS and inform clinical management.
Determinants of Therapy Failure Among Adults on First-line Antiretroviral Therapy in Asmara, Eritrea: A Multicenter Retrospective Matched Case-control Study
Authors: Mengistu Samuel Tekle , Ghebremeskel Ghirmay Ghebrekidan , Ghebrat Hermon Berhe , Achila Oliver Okoth , Yohannes Nahom Asmerom , Ghebrenegus Amon Solomon , Gebretsadik Filimon , Yeibyo Naod , Andegiorgish Amanuel Kidane , Mesfn Araya Berhane , Leake Negassi
Published: January 2022

Background Information on treatment failure (TF) in People living with HIV in data-poor jurisdictions is necessary to counter the rapidly escalating epidemic of TF to first-line combined anti-retroviral therapies (cART) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In this study, we examined the risk factors associated with TF in Asmara, Eritrea.Methods: A multicenter, retrospective 1:2 matched (by age and gender) case-control study was conducted in four major hospitals in Asmara, Eritrea on adults aged >15 years who were on treatment for at least 6 months. Cases were patients with viral load ≥1000 copies/mL anytime between 2019-2021 and/or patients switched to second line cART. Controls were randomly selected from patients on first-line ART with viral load < 1000 copies/mL. Data was extracted using a checklist from the master data set and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors for TF. All p-values were 2-sided and the level of significance was set at p < 0.05 for all analyses.Results: Of the 1068 participants, 585 (54.7%) were females. The median age at treatment initiation was 46 years (interquartile range (IQR): 39–51). Median time to combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) failure was 37 months (IQR =24–47). In multivariate analysis factors associated with increased likelihood of virologic failure (VF) were the type of initially used nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) backbone ( (Zidovudine+Lamivudine (AZT+3TC): adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.70; 95% Confidence interval (CI): 1.65-4.41, p-value<0.001), (Abacavir+lamivudine (ABC+3TC): aOR: 4.73; 95%CI: 1.18-18.92, p-value=0.028), and (Stavudine+Lamivudine (D4T+3TC): aOR: 5.00; 95% CI: 3.03-8.20, p-value<0.001), prior exposure to ART (aOR: 2.28; 95%CI:1.35–3.86; p=0.002), record of sub-optimal drug adherence (aOR: 3.08; 95%CI: 2.22–4.28; p<0.001), ambulatory/bedridden at presentation (aOR:1.61; 95%CI: 1.12-4.28; p-value=0.010), presence of comorbidities (aOR: 2.37; 95%CI: 1.36-4.10, p-value=0.002), duration of cART (<5 years: aOR: 5.90; 95% CI: 3.95-8.73, p-value<0.001), and use of SMX-TMP prophylaxis ( aOR : 2.00, 95%CI, 1.44-2.78, p-value<0.001). Conclusion: Our findings underscore the importance of optimizing cART adherence, diversification of cART regimens, and interventions directed at enhancing early HIV diagnosis, prompt initiations of treatment and improved patient focused monitoring of treatment response.
Feature Data-driven Reinforced Fuzzy Radial Basis Function Neural Network Classifier With the Aid of Preprocessing Techniques and Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Park Sang-Beom , Oh Sung-Kwun , Pedrycz Witold
Published: January 2022

In this study, reinforced fuzzy radial basis function neural networks (FRBFNN) classifier driven by feature extracted data completed with the aid of effectively preprocessing techniques and evolutionary optimization, and its comprehensive design methodology are introduced. An Overall structure of the reinforced FRBFNN comprises the preprocessing part, the premise part and the consequence part of fuzzy rules of the network. In the preprocessing part, four types of preprocessing algorithms such as principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), combination of PCA and LDA (Hybrid PCA) and fuzzy transform (FT) are considered. To extract feature data suitable to characterize signal data, the feature extraction of information data is carried out through the dimensionality reduction done by the preprocessing technique, and then the reduced data are used as the input to the FRBFNN classifier. In the premise part of fuzzy rules of the network, the number of fuzzy rules is determined according to the number of clusters by fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering. The fitness values of individual fuzzy rules are obtained based on data distribution. In the consequence part of fuzzy rules of the network, the parameters of connection weights located between the hidden layer and the output layer of FRBFNN classifier are estimated by means of the least square estimation (LSE). Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is exploited for structural as well as parametric optimization in the FRBFNN classifier. The parameters to be optimized by PSO are related to six factors such as the determination of whether to use data preprocessing, the type of data preprocessing technique, the number of input variables reduced by the preprocessing technique, fuzzification coefficient (FC) and the number of fuzzy rules used in fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering, and the type of connection weights. By using diverse benchmark dataset obtained from UCI repository, the classification performance of the reinforced FRBFNN classifier was evaluated. Through a variety of classification algorithms existed in the Weka data mining software (Weka), the classification performance of the reinforced FRBFNN classifier was compared as well. The superiority of the proposed classifier is demonstrated through Friedman test. Furthermore, we assessed the classification performance of the reinforced FRBFNN classifier applied to black plastic wastes spectral data acquired from Raman and Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) equipment for the practical application of the material sorting system of the black plastic wastes.
Investigation of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Kinetics of Soy Protein Isolate: Laboratory And Semi-Industrial Scale
Authors: Pozdnyakov Nikita , Shilov Sergey , Lukin Alexandr Mikhailovich , Bolshakov Maxim , Sogorin Evgeny
Published: January 2022

Soy protein isolate is a worthy substitute for meat protein. However, its low level of digestibility limits its spread to new market niches. This problem can be solved by enzymatic hydrolysis of soy protein to peptides. Several research teams have already been solving this problem, but their results were obtained under laboratory conditions and do not provide information about the reproducibility of the results on an industrial scale.

In this paper, we have compared the results of laboratory and semi-industrial experiments of enzymatic hydrolysis of protein. Also the kinetics of the reaction under different conditions is shown, and the final product is characterized.
The obtained results of semi-industrial experiments can form the basis of industrial regulations for the production of soy protein hydrolysate as an easily digestible form of dietary protein for athletes and patients with digestive disorders.
Differences in Incidence and Risk Factors of Infertility Between Couples Who Desire a First and Second Child: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Zhu Chenfeng , Yan Li , He Chuqing , Wang Yang , Wu Jiahao , Chen Luting , Zhang Jian
Published: January 2022

Background: With the implementation of the two-child policy in China, more couples expressed their desire to have a child. We conducted this study to evaluate the incidence and risk factors of infertility in couples intending to have a first child and second child.Methods: Couples who presented to the pre-pregnancy clinical centers were enrolled from 2013 to 2017. Participants were categorized into “first child intention” and “second child intention” groups based on the number of children they already had. Couples were followed up every three months until pregnancy or 12 months. Data regarding the sociodemographic characteristics, history of reproduction and gynecology, history of male disease, and laboratory and imaging examination results were collected. Odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated and adjusted for potential confounding factors.Results: The overall infertility incidence was 16.95% (369/2177). The infertility incidence of “first child intention” and “second child intention” was 19.30% (355/1839) and 4.14% (14/338). The study showed great differences in infertility risk factors between two groups. Risk factors for “first child intention” infertility included advanced age (>35 years), abnormal body mass index (BMI), longer menstrual durations, endometrial polyps, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), salpingostomy, and history of mycoplasma. However, in “second child intention” group, clinical risk factor was slightly different, such as leiomyoma, higher age (>40 years).Conclusion: The incidence and risk factors of infertility are significantly different between “first child intention” group and “second child intention” group. Early and targeted intervention for couples in different groups at high risk can help reduce infertility and social burden.
Discursive Positioning of Intimate Partners: A Structural-Relational Approach to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Authors: NWAFOR CHARLES CHIBUIKE
Published: January 2022

Purpose: This study is about the discursive positioning of intimate partners: A structural-relational approach to intimate partner violence. The study attempts to uncover the story lines of the IPV narratives, the social force of the discursive acts of the narratives, the enacted positions, and the (de) legitimization of rights and duties of the positions of the referents in the narratives. Method: the study adopts the random sampling method in which two IPV narrative were randomly selected from one pseudo named male and female victims. The narratives were in the form of documented transcripts which is in line with Harre and Van lagenhoove (1999) accounting positioning that allows a retrospect study of social actors positioning of this kind. The study also adopted the Halliday’s transitivity process to substantiate the positioning works in the narrative and the mechanism with which these acts are tied to the social structure. Results: The findings of the study revealed that the declarations of the narratives indicates the evaluative and normative underlying judgment on the deontic powers to say and do something in the moral space of intimate partner relations. Conclusion: a socio-constructionist study of this nature reveals the relationship between the narrative referents point of view about actions, point of actions and line of life as regards the moralities of social behaviour in the moral space of intimate partner relationship and how it triggers tendencies for IPV.