bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mental Health, Information and Being Connected: Qualitative Experiences of social media use during the Covid-19 pandemic from a trans-national sample
Authors: Schoultz Mariyana , Leung Janni , Bonsaksen Tore , Ruffolo Mary , Thygesen Hilde , Price Daicia , Geirdal Amy Østertun
Published: June 2021

Background
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the strict national policies regarding social distancing behavior in Europe, America and Australia, people became reliant on social media as a means for gathering information and a tool for staying connected to family, friends and work. This is the first trans-national study exploring the qualitative experiences and challenges of using social media while in lockdown or shelter in place during the current pandemic.
Methods
This study was part of a wider cross-sectional online survey conducted in Norway, UK, USA and Australia during April/May 2020. The manuscript reports on the qualitative free text component of the study asking about the challenges of social media users during the Covid-19 pandemic in UK, USA and Australia. 1991 responses were included in the analysis. Thematic analysis was conducted independently by two researchers.
Results
Three overarching themes identified were: Emotional/Mental Health, Information and Being Connected. Participants experienced that using social media during the pandemic amplified anxiety, depression, fear, panic, anger, frustration and loneliness. They felt that there was information overload and social media was full of misleading or polarized opinions from which was difficult to switch off. Nonetheless, participants also thought that there was an urge for connection and learning which was positive and stressful and the same time.

Conclusion
Using social media while in shelter in place or lockdown could have a negative impact on the emotional and mental health of some of the population. To support policy and practice in strengthening mental health care in the community, social media could be used to deliver practical advice on coping and stress management. Communication with the public should be strengthened by unambiguous and clear messages and clear communication pathways. We should be looking at alternative ways of staying connected.
Digital Government Strategies for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Pakistan
Authors: Arfeen M. Irfanullah , Saranti Demetrios
Published: June 2021

The research study examines the Digital government strategies of different countries and compare it with the Digital Pakistan Policy 2018. Different countries focus on the different factors/themes as per requirement of their countries and need of their citizens. Therefore, a requirement for re-search that compares the different digital government strategies has been identified. Secondary data on eGovernment strategies of different governments have been examined to investigate best practices in other countries. The qualitative data analysis software program NVivo has been used to facilitate code-based analysis of different digital government strategies. The findings and recommendations can be successfully utilized for the improvement of digital government strate-gies and its alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.
Absorption Power and Cooling Combined Cycle with an Aqueous Salt Solution as a Working Fluid and a Technically Feasible Configuration
Authors: Novotny Vaclav , Szucs David J. , Spale Jan , Tsai Hung-Yin , Kolovratnik Michal
Published: June 2021

Combined systems for power production and thermally activated cooling have a high potential for improving the efficiency and utilisation of thermal systems. In this regard, various configurations have been proposed and are comprehensively reviewed. They are primarily based on absorption systems and the implementation of multiple levels of complexity and flexibility. The configuration of the absorption power and cooling combined cycle proposed herein has wide commercial applicability owing to its simplicity. The configuration of the components is not new. However, the utilisation of aqueous salt solutions, the comparison with ammonia chiller and with absorption power cycles, the focus on parameters that are important for real-life applications, and the comparison of the performances for constant heat input and waste heat recovery are novel. The proposed cycle is also compared with a system based on the organic Rankine cycle and vapour compression cycle. An investigation of its performance proves that the system is suitable for a given range of boundary conditions from a thermodynamic standpoint, as well as in terms of system complexity and technical feasibility. New possibilities with regard to added power production have the potential to improve the economics and promote the use of absorption chiller systems.
High CD169 Monocyte/Lymphocyte Ratio Reflects the Immunophenotyping Disruption and Predicts Oxygen Need in COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Minutolo Antonella , Petrone Vita , Fanelli Marialaura , Iannetta Marco , Giudice Martina , Ait Belkacem Ines , Zordan Marta , Vitale Pietro , Rasi Guido , Paola Sinibaldi-Vallebona , Sarmati Loredana , Andreoni Massimo , Malergue Fabrice , Balestrieri Emanuela , Grelli Sandro , Claudia Matteucci
Published: June 2021

Background: CD169 has been found overexpressed in the blood of COVID-19 patients and identified as a biomarker in the early disease. We have analysed CD169 in blood cells of COVID-19 patients to assess its role as predictive marker of the disease. Methods : The ratio of the CD169 Median median Fluorescence fluorescence Intensity intensity of CD169 between monocytes and lymphocytes (CD169 RMFI ) was analysed by flow cytometry in blood samples of COVID-19 patients (COV) and healthy donors (HD ) and correlated with immunophenotyping, inflammatory markers, cytokines mRNA expression, pulmonary involvement and disease progression. Results: CD169 RMFI increased in COV but not in HD. CD169 RMFI correlated with T-cell differentiation and exhaustion markers as well as with B cells maturation and differentiation. In vitro stimulation of PBMCs of HD with SARS-CoV-2 Spike spike protein induced CD169 RMFI together with IL-6 and IL-10 gene expression. Likewise, CD169 RMFI correlated with blood cytokine mRNA levels, inflammatory markers, and pneumonia severity in patients which that had not received any treatment at sampling. Notably, in untreated patients, CD169 RMFI reflected the respiratory outcome during hospitalization. Conclusion : Considering the immunological role of CD169 and its involvement during the infection and the progression of COVID-19, it could be considered as an early biomarker to evaluate disease progression and clinical outcome.
Lowland Bamboo (Oxytenanthera abyssinica) Deforestation and Subsequent Cultivation Effects on Soil Physico-Chemical Properties in Southwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Tadesse Zebene , Abere Melkamu , Bayu Belayneh , Pan Kaiwen , Mulatu Yigardu , Francis Justine Meta
Published: June 2021

In Ethiopia, bamboo thickets and woodlands play an important role in soil-water conservation and climate change mitigation in arid and semi-arid regions. However, bamboo mass flower-ing, rapid demographic changes and expansion of agricultural investments to bamboo domi-nated areas have led to deforestation and land degradation. In this study, we determined the effects of deforestation and subsequent cultivation on soil physical and chemical properties along a chronosequence of closely located agricultural lands with different ages (1, 3, 5 and 7 years) since converted from natural lowland bamboo forest. Hence, soil samples (n = 90) have been taken from both natural bamboo forests and adjacent agricultural lands at two soil depths (0-20 cm and 20-40 cm). Our result showed that CEC, K+, Ca+, Mg+ and available P were varied significantly with respect to cultivation periods and soil depth, while soil pH and Na+ varied with soil depth (P < 0.001). Soil C and total N contents (g/kg) in 0-20 cm soil layer declined significantly and exponentially with increasing years under cultivation. Conversion of natural bamboo forest to cropland during the past seven-year period significantly increased soil pH with soil depths, while CEC was declined throughout the cultivation period and soil depth. In general, the result revealed that conversion of natural lowland bamboo and subsequent cultivation of soil had negative effects on measured soil physicochemical properties.
Thermal Noise Decoupling of Micro-Newton Thrust Measured in a Torsion Balance
Authors: Cong Lin-xiao , Mu Jian-chao , Liu Qian , Wang Hao , Wang Lin-lin , Li Yong-gui , Qiao Cong-feng
Published: June 2021

The space gravitational wave detection and drag free control requires the micro-thruster to have very low thrust noise within 0.1mHz~100mHz, which poses a great challenge to the ground thrust test. The evaluation and decoupling of thermal noise are the difficulties in the application of torsion balance for most thrusters dissipate heat in the experiment. The research has adopted a calibration scheme of micro-Newton thrust torsion balance. On the basis of Lisa Pathfinder's former research and using ideas inspired from PID control and multi time scale (MTS) for reference, the paper proposes to expand the state space of temperature to be applied on thrust prediction based on fine tree regression (FTR), to subtract the thermal noise filtered by transfer function fitted with z-domain vector fitting (ZDVF). The results show that the thrust amplitude thrust density in diurnal temperature fluctuation is decoupled from 24μN/Hz1/2 to 4.9μN/Hz1/2 at 0.11mHz. And the 1μN square wave modulations of electrostatic fins (ESF) is extracted from the simultaneously ambiguous background of temperature for PTC's heating and cooling. The FTR method is well demonstrated in thermal noise decoupling and can guide the design of thermal control and be extended to other physical quantities for noise decoupling.
Tools for Edible Cities: A Review of Tools for Planning and Assessing Edible Nature-Based Solutions
Authors: Mino Eric , Pueyo-Ros Josep , Škerjanec Mateja , Castellar Joana A. , Viljoen Andre , Istenič Darja , Atanasova Nataša , Bohn Katrin , Comas Joaquim
Published: June 2021

In the last five years, European research and innovation programmes have prioritised the development of online catalogues and tools (handbooks, models, etc.) to facilitate the implementation and monitoring of Nature Based Solutions (NBS). However, only a few catalogues and toolkits within European programmes are directly related to mainstreaming of NBS for food production (i.e., edible NBS). Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to present existing NBS tools through the eyes of productive urban landscapes. We reviewed 32 projects related to NBS and 50 tools were identified and characterised. Then, the 6 tools already available, and providing indicators, were further analysed in terms of their format and knowledge domains. Our main conclusion demonstrates that there is a lack of tools capable of supporting users for planning and implementing edible NBS, calculating the food potential of the city and/or of individual edible NBS, including the needed resources for implementation and operation (water, nutrients, energy), and assessing their urban design value, environmental and socio-economic impacts. And when they do exist, there is a resistance to share the models and equations behind the tools to allow other projects to reuse or validate them, fact which is contrary to Open Science principles stood up by many research public agencies.
Sheep’s and Goat’s Frozen Yoghurts Produced With Ultrafiltrated Whey Concentrates
Authors: Marnotes Natalí Garcia , Pires Arona Figueroa , Díaz Olga , Cobos Angel , Pereira Carlos Dias
Published: June 2021

The objective of this work was the use of goat and sheep liquid whey concentrates (LWCs) produced by ultrafiltration (UF) for the manufacture of frozen yoghurts with or without different concentrations of inulin. In a first step, natural yoghurts using only goat and sheep LWCs as raw material were obtained. One day after production, these yoghurts were used to produce frozen yoghurts with different concentrations of added inulin. The physicochemical charateristics of ewe´s and goat´s yoghurts were significantly different regarding dry matter, protein, fat and minerals. Ewe´s yoghurts were solids while goat´s yoghurts behaved as a viscous liquid. Frozen yoghurts with different levels of inulin addition also presented significant differences concerning physicochemical and microbiological characteristics. Overrun was similar for all formulations except for the one produced with ewe’s LWC containing 5.0% inulin, which presented a significantly higher value. Higher meltdown rates in goat’s whey frozen yoghurts were observed. The survival rates of lactic acid bacteria were lower than data reported for similar products. Concerning sensory acceptance, both products showed encouraging results. It can be considered that the production of frozen yoghurts by using LWCs as main ingredient can be an interesting option to broaden the product’s portfolio of small/medium scale dairy producers.
Reactive Obstacle-Avoidance Systems for Wheeled Mobile Robots based on Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Medina-Santiago A. , Morales-Rosales Luis Alberto , Hernández-Gracidas Carlos Arturo , Algredo-Badillo Ignacio , Pano-Azucena Ana Dalia , Orozco Torres Jorge Antonio
Published: June 2021

Obstacle-avoidance robots have become an essential field of study in recent years. This paper analyzes two cases that extend reactive systems focused on obstacle detection and its avoidance. The scenarios explored get data from their environments through sensors and generate information for the models based on artificial intelligence to obtain a reactive decision. The main contribution is focused on the discussion of aspects that allow comparing both approaches, such as the heuristic approach implemented, requirements, restrictions, response time, and performance. The first case presents a mobile robot that applies fuzzy logic to achieve soft turning basing its decision on depth image information. The second case introduces a mobile robot based on multi-layer perceptron and ultrasonic sensors to decide how to move in an uncontrolled environment. The analysis of both options offers perspectives to choose between reactive obstacle-avoidance systems based on ultrasonic or Kinect sensors, models that infer optimal decisions applying fuzzy logic or artificial neural networks, with key elements and methods to design mobile robots with wheels. Therefore, we show how AI or Fuzzy Logic techniques allow us to design mobile robots that learn from their “ experience ” by making them safe and adjustable for new tasks, unlike traditional robots that use large programs to perform a specific task.
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Among Homeless People Living Rough, in Shelters and Squats: A Large Population-Based Study in France
Authors: Loubière Sandrine , Monfardini Elisabetta , Allaria Camille , Mosnier Marine , Allibert Agathe , Ninove Laetitia , Bosetti Thomas , Farnarier Cyril , Auquier Pascal , Mosnier Emilie , Tinland Aurelie
Published: June 2021

Background: Overcrowded housing, as well as inadequate sanitary conditions, contribute to making homeless people particularly vulnerable to the SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aimed to assess the seroprevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 infection among people experiencing homelessness on a large city-wide scale in France, taking into account different community settings. Methods: A consortium of outreach teams in 48 different locations including streets, slums, squats, emergency or transitional shelters and drop-in centres participated in the inclusion process. All participants consented to receive a validated rapid assay for immunoglobulins M (IgM) and G (IgG) antibodies and to answer a questionnaire on medical health conditions, comorbidities, historic of symptoms compatible with COVID-19, with a retrospective calendar of types of accommodation since COVID-19 crisis. Results: From June 01 to August 05, 2020, 1,156 homeless participants were enrolled in the study and tested. Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM antibodies was 5.6% (95%CI 2.3–7.0), with a range of 2.2% in people living on the streets to 8.1% in people living in emergency shelters (P=0.009). Around one third of the seropositive participants reported symptoms with COVID-19. Compared to the general population in Marseille (3.6%), the homeless population living in the same urban area experienced an significant increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (|z|=3.65 > 1.96). Conclusion: These results highlight the need for organizing regular screening to prevent clusters forming in homeless accommodations and for providing basic resources for health maintenance.
Development of computational thinking with on-line practices in times of pandemic: a possible road?
Authors: Santos Júnior Gilson Pereira dos , Lucena Simone
Published: June 2021

We live in a society in which mobile and digital technologies are increasingly present in our daily lives and we cannot limit ourselves to knowing how to use them. It is important to know how to adapt them, personalize them and program them, if necessary, to solve our problems. Computational thinking is understood as the human ability to teach, humans or machines, to solve problems with the fundamentals of computing. Its development has gained space in education, formal and non-formal, through face-to-face practices. With the pandemic, the challenge arises to develop this skill with young people from high school in a public educational institution through online practices. In this article, we discuss the didactic design, based on the principles of online education, created for the development of computational thinking with online practices. The preliminary results indicate the feasibility of developing computational thinking from the perspective of online education.
El sistema socio-jurídico en la gobernación de yucatán durante la época colonial
Authors: Bolio Ortiz Héctor Joaquín , Bolio Ortiz Juan Pablo
Published: June 2021

Este artículo nos presenta el panorama social y demográfico de la gobernación de Yucatán durante la época colonial. El objetivo del trabajo es tener una imagen mucho más clara del componente social, cultural y político en el territorio conquistado, así como sus cambios y continuidades durante los siglos XVI, XVII y XVIII. La metodología que se emplea es de corte cualitativo y se sustenta en el método de la larga duración histórica en la cual traza una línea en el tiempo que abarca la época colonial. La hipótesis es que la sociedad yucateca colonial fue heterogénea y se sustentó en diferentes estatutos jurídicos. Los resultados del trabajo nos demuestran que la población en Yucatán sufrió grandes cambios debido a coyunturas como la conquista, guerras, epidemias y calamidades, logrando una recuperación lenta para el siglo XVIII.
La imputación objetiva en el Código Orgánico Integral Penal Ecuatoriano
Authors: Orellana Faz Kelly , Enderica Guin César Alberto
Published: June 2021

En el presente artículo científico, enfocado en el análisis de la teoría de la imputación objetiva aplicada en el Código Orgánico Integral Penal, es un tema que ha sido discutido respecto al momento de la atribución de un resultado típico a la cuenta de un sujeto. El objetivo de la investigación es analizar las diversas teorías que nacen de la imputación objetiva a fin de demostrar la importancia de la dogmática penal, al existir desconocimiento en este campo, ya que esta teoría va más allá de la práctica o la literalidad de la normativa.
Una muestra de la postura en la frontera de Ciudad Juárez ante el matrimonio igualitario
Authors: Solís Mendoza Dirceu Ismael
Published: June 2021

El presente trabajo tuvo la finalidad de analizar la percepción de una muestra de la sociedad en Ciudad Juárez con respecto al prejuicio hacia personas homosexuales y al matrimonio igualitario; puesto que, si bien esta postura no infiere directamente en la creación de leyes que impulsen o frenen la normatividad de estas figuras jurídicas, no debe de pasarse por alto que las personas que provienen de partidos políticos y que conforman los Congresos Federales y Estatales son los que, mediante posturas ideológicas y en ocasiones promesas de campaña, sí tienen el poder para influir en la aprobación de estas leyes.
Hubungan Antara Profil Protein Populasi Vektor Wereng Hijau Nephotettix virescens dan Gejala Penularan Tungro pada Tanaman Padi
Authors: Senoaji Wasis , Rahardjo Bambang Tri , Tarno Hagus
Published: June 2021

Nephotettix virescens is the most effective vector for transmitting tungro disease to rice plants. Two different viral particles cause Tungro transmission. Disease control was often not anticipated in the field, especially when planting is asynchronous, that cause been detected lately. At the cellular level, vector interactions with viruses indicate vector proteins response to viral in the body of vector insects which involved in virus transmission in plants. This study aims to describe the relationship between the differentiation of N. virescens vector protein profiles on the types of tungro symptoms resulting from the transmission to develop techniques for early detection and control of the transmission process. The workflow of this study is screening on vector insects to obtain protein candidates thought to have a role in tungro transmission that had never been previously reported. The results of this study suggested that proteins with estimated molecular weights of 132, 73, and 49 kDa are candidates for proteins that can be used for screening purposes or virulent vector tracing as an early warning alternative to control tungro disease in endemic areas.
PEMANFAATAN TEKNOLOGI CLOUD COMPUTING DALAM REFORMASI BIROKRASI GUNA MEWUJUDKAN KEJAKSAAN YANG PROFESIONAL, KOMUNIKATIF DAN AKUNTABEL
Authors: Sudirdja Rudi Pradisetia
Published: June 2021

Masalah konsumsi tembakau saat ini telah menjadi issu global yang mencakup hampir semua aspek kehidupan baik aspek ekonomi, sosial maupun kesejahteraan masyarakat, khususnya bagi aspek kesehatan karena dampak kerugian kesehatan yang ditimbulkannya. Konsumsi rokok di Indonesia terus mengalami peningkatan yang signifikan. Indonesia merupakan negara ketiga dengan jumlah perokok tertinggi di dunia. Pengendalian konsumsi tembakau secara global telah dituangkan dalam Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) sejak tahun 2003, namun hingga saat ini Indonesia belum melakukan pengesahan terhadap FCTC tersebut. Sebagai bagian dari peradaban masyarakat internasional, maka sudah selayaknya Indonesia mendukung upaya perlindungan masyarakat dari bahaya konsumsi tembakau dengan segera mengesahkan FCTC menjadi Undang-Undang. Hal ini sangat diperlukan mengingat upaya perlindungan kesehatan masyarakat tersebut merupakan bagian dari penegakan Hak Asasi Manusia di bidang kesehatan.
Combination of Atmospheric and Room Temperature Plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis, Genome shuffling and Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) feeding to improve FK506 production in Streptomyces tsukubaensis
Authors: Ye Liting , Ye Ruifang , Hu Fengxian , Wang Guozhu
Published: June 2021

FK506 is a clinically important macrocyclic polyketide with immunosuppressive activity produced by Streptomyces tsukubaensis . However, the production capacity of the strain is very low. To improve production, atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP)mutagenesis was adopted to get the initial strains used in genome shuffling (GS). After three rounds of GS, S. tsukubaensis R3-C4 was the most productive strain, resultingin a FK506 concentration of 335 μg/mL, 2.6 times than that of the originalwild-type strain. Moreover, exogenous DMSO 4 % (v/v) addition could induce efflux of FK506 and increased FK506 production by 27.9% to 429 μg/mL . Finally, analyses of the differences in morphology, fermentation characteristics and specific gene expression levels between S. tsukubaensis R3-C4 and the wild-type strain revealed that R3-C4 strain: has hampered spore differentiation , thicker mycelia and more red pigment, which are likely related to the downregulation of bldD and cdgB expression. In addition, the expression levels of fkbO , fkbP , dahp , pccB and prpE all showed up-regulation at diverse degrees compared to the wild-type S. tsukubaensis . Overall, these results show that a combined approach involving classical random mutation and exogenous feeding canbe applied to increase FK506 biosynthesis andmay be applied also tothe improvement of other important secondary metabolites.
Is Postoperative Non-Weight-bearing Necessary? (INWN) Study protocol for a pragmatic randomised multicentre trial of operatively treated ankle fracture
Authors: Khojaly Ramy Elmahy , Niocaill Ruairi Mac , Shahab Muhammad , Nagle Matthew , Taylor Colm , Rowan Fiachra E. , Cleary May
Published: June 2021

Background:Postoperative management regimes vary following open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of unstable ankle fractures. There is an evolving understanding that extended periods of immobilisation and limitation of weight-bearing may lead to poorer clinical outcomes. Traditional non-weight bearing cast immobilisation may prevent loss of fixation, and this practice continues in many centres. The purpose of this trial is to investigate the safety and efficacy of immediate weight-bearing (IWB) and range of motion (ROM) exercise regimes following ORIF of unstable ankle fractures with a particular focus on functional outcomes and complication rates.Methods:A pragmatic randomised controlled multicentre trial, comparing IWB in a walking boot and ROM within 24 hours versus non-weight-bearing (NWB) and immobilisation in a cast for six weeks, following ORIF of all types of unstable adult ankle fractures (lateral malleolar, bimalleolar, trimalleolar with or without syndesmotic injury) is proposed. All patients presenting to three trauma units will be included. The exclusion criteria will be skeletal immaturity and tibial plafond fractures. The three institutional review boards have granted ethical approval. The primary outcome measure will be the functional Olerud-Molander Ankle Score (OMAS). Secondary outcomes included wound infection (deep and superficial), displacement of osteosynthesis, the full arc of ankle motion (plantar flexion and dorsal flection), RAND-36 Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) scoring, time to return to work and postoperative hospital length of stay. The trial will be reported in accordance with the CONSORT statement for reporting a pragmatic trial, and this protocol will follow the SPIRIT guidance.Discussion:Traditional management of operatively treated ankle fractures includes an extended period of non-weight bearing. There is emerging evidence that earlier weight-bearing may have equivocal outcomes and favourable patient satisfaction but with higher wound-related complications. These studies often preclude more complicated fracture patterns or patient-related factors. To our knowledge, immediate weight-bearing (IWB) following ORIF of all types of unstable ankle fractures has not been investigated in a controlled prospective manner in recent decades. This pragmatic randomised-controlled multicentre trial will investigate immediate weight-bearing following ORIF of all ankle fracture patterns in the usual condition of care. It is hoped that these results will contribute to the modern management of ankle fractures.Trial registration:The trial is retrospectively registered on the 30th of June 2019, ISRCTN - ISRCTN76410775.http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN76410775
Developing the First Pan-Canadian Survey on Patient Engagement in Patient Safety
Authors: Aho-glele Ursulla , Bouabida Khayreddine , Kooijman Allison , CristinaPopescu Ioana , Pomey Marie Pascale , Hawthornthwaite Lisa , Ploquin Jodi , Dunn Susan , Trbovich Patricia , Tétrault Benoit , Sousa Maiana Regina Gomes , Clément Louise , Lungu Nelea
Published: June 2021

Background: Patient safety is a worldwide problem, and the patient contribution to mitigate the risk of patient harm is now recognized as a cornerstone to its solution. In order to understand the nature of integrating patients into patient safety and healthcare organizations and to monitor their integration, a Canadian survey tool has been co-constructed by patients, researchers and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI). This questionnaire has been adapted from the French version of the patient engagement (PE) in patient safety (PS) questionnaire created for the province of Quebec, Canada. Methodology: The pan-Canadian PE in PS survey tool was developed in a five-step process: (1) a literature review and revision of the initial tool developed in the province of Quebec; (2) translation of the French questionnaire into an English version tool; (3) creation of a Canadian expert advisory group; (4) adaptation of the English version tool based on feedback from the expert advisory group (assessment and development of the construct’s dimensions, wording assessment and adaptation for pan-Canadian use, technical testing of the online platform for the survey); and (5) pilot testing and pre-validation of the tool before pan-Canadian use. Results and Conclusion: The pan-Canadian PE in PS survey tool comprises 5 sections: (1) demographic identification of the participants (Q1 to Q5); (2) general questions (Q6 to Q17); (3) the patient engagement process (experience level of participants and organizational incentives for PE in general) (Q18 to Q33); (4) PE in PS processes, such as current activities, strategies, structures, resources and factors (Q34 to Q67); and (5) the context and impact of PE in PS initiatives in Canadian healthcare organizations (CHOs) (Q68 to Q75), including outcome identification, improvement mechanisms and strategies, evaluation mechanisms, and indicators.
Implications for Emergency Response to the Severe Odor Incident Occurred in Source Water: Potential Odorants and Control Strategy
Authors: Guo Qingyuan , Li Zhaoxia , Chen Tianming , Yang Bairen , Ding Cheng
Published: June 2021

Sudden odor incidents occurring in the source water have been a severe problem for water suppliers. In order to apply emergency control measures effectively, it is necessary to identify the target compounds responsible for odor incidents rapidly. The present work identified the odorants and explored emergency disposal mechanisms for sudden and severe odors in the QT River's drinking water source (HZ city, China). Medicinal, chemical, septic, and musty odors with strong intensities were detected in the source water. The effect of conventional treatments of drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) on odors' removal was limited, which was evident by the presence of medicinal, chemical, and musty odors with moderate intensities in the effluent of DWTP. Total seventeen odorants were identified successfully in the source water of QT River and the effluent of DWTP. The measured OAVs and reconstituting the identified odorants explained 87%, 87%, 89%, and 94% of medicinal, chemical, septic, and musty odors, respectively, in the source water of the QT River and 90%, 87%, and 88% of medicinal, chemical, and musty odors in the effluent. Styrene, phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 2-tert-butylphenol, and 2-methylphenol were associated with the medicinal odor, while propyl sulfide, diethyl disulfide, propyl disulfide, and indole were related to the septic odor. Geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) were responsible for the musty odor, and cyclohexanone, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, and nitrobenzene were involved with the chemical odor. Based on the characteristics of identified odorants, powdered activated carbon (PAC) was applied to control the odors in the QT River. The results indicated that the medicinal, chemical, septic, and musty odors could be removed entirely after adding 15 mg/L PAC, which effectively controlled emergency odor problems. Overall, the study would offer a scientific basis and operational reference for emergency odor management and control in DWTP with similar complicated odor incidents.
Co-metabolic biodegradation of 4-bromophenol in mixture of pollutants system by Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus A6
Authors: Sahoo Mitali Madhusmita , Raut Sangeeta , Davery Achlesh , Sahoo Naresh Kumar
Published: June 2021

Brominated phenols are listed as priority pollutants, and are the key components of paper pulp wastewater together with nitrophenol and chlorophenol. However, the biodegradation of bromophenol in a mixed substrate system is very scanty. In the present investigation, simultaneous biodegradation kinetics of three substituted phenols (4-bromophenol, 4-BP; 4-nitrophenol, 4-NP; and 4-chlorophenol, 4-CP) were investigated using Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus A6. A 23 full factorial design was applied with varying 4-BP and 4-CP from 75–125 mgl− 1and4-NP from 50–100 mgl− 1. Almost complete degradation of this mixture of substituted phenols was achieved at an initial concentration combination of 125, 125, and 100 mgl− 1of 4-CP, 4-BP, and 4-NP, respectively in 68 h. Statistical analysis of the results revealed that among the three variables, 4-NP had the most prominent influence on both degradations of 4-CP and 4-BP. While the concentration of 4-CP had a strong negative interaction effect on the biodegradation of 4-NP. Irrespective of the concentration levels of these three substrates, 4-NP was preferentially biodegraded over 4-CP and 4-BP. Further, 4-BP biodegradation rates were found to be higher than that of 4-CP followed by 4-NP. Besides, the variation of biomass yield coefficient of the culture was investigated at different initial concentration combinations of these substituted phenols. Although the actinomycetes consumed 4-NP at a faster rate, the biomass yield was very poor. This revealed that the microbial cells were more stressed when grown on 4-NP compared to 4-BP and 4-CP. Overall, this study revealed the prospective of A. chlorophenolicus A6 for the degradation of 4-BP in mixed substrate systems.
Recognition of Benign and Malignant Breast Ultrasound Images Based on Deep Transfer Learning
Authors: wu kaiwen , Xu Bo , Wu Ying
Published: June 2021

Manual recognition of breast ultrasound images is a heavy workload for radiologists and misdiagnosis. Traditional machine learning methods and deep learning methods require huge data sets and a lot of time for training. To solve the above problems, this paper had proposed a deep transfer learning method. the transfer learning models ResNet18 and ResNet50 after pre-training on the ImageNet dataset, and the ResNet18 and ResNet50 models without pre-training. The dataset consists of 131 breast ultrasound images (109 benign and 22 malignant), all of which had been collected, labeled and provided by UDIAT Diagnostic Center. The experimental results had shown that the pre-trained ResNet18 model has the best classification performance on breast ultrasound images. It had achieved an accuracy of 93.9%, an F1score of 0.94, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.944. Compared with ordinary deep learning models, its classification performance had been greatly improved, which had proved the significant advantages of deep transfer learning in the classification of small samples of medical images.
Effect of Some Bacterial and Fungal Bioagents for Management of Root-knot Nematode and Soil Born Fungus in Cucumber under Protected Conditions
Authors: Patil Jaydeep Ashok , Yadav Saroj , Ram Sewak
Published: June 2021

Background: Complex disease caused by root-knot nematode and Fusarium fungus in cucumber is the most destructive disease under polyhouse conditions. The study was conducted to determine the potential of biocontrol agents viz. Trichoderma viride, Pseudomonas fluorescence, Purpureocillium lilacinum against root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum disease complex on cucumber.Results: All bioagents were taken @ 0.3 and 0.5 g/kg soil and liquid formulation of bioagents, @ 0.5 and 1 ml/ kg soil, Chemical checks as well as untreated check were also maintained. The bio-agents were mixed with the potted soil treatment wise. All the treatments significantly improved the plant growth parameter, viz., shoot length, root length, fresh shoot weight, fresh root weight, dry shoot weight and dry root weight as compared to untreated check. However, maximum improvement in plant growth parameter was recorded in case of carbofuran followed by higher dose of liquid formulation of bioagents. Among bioagents, liquid formulation of bioagents was significantly improved the plant growth parameter, viz., shoot length (147.3), fresh shoot weight (55.6), dry shoot weight (22.51) and dry root weight (4.50) and most effective in suppressing root knot nematode galling (43) and final population in soil (131) and fungus wilt incidence (25 %) at 30th day of after germination followed by P. lilacinum T. viride and P. fluorescence. Conclusion: The results suggest that the liquid formulation of bioagents was more effective in suppression of root-knot nematode and fungus complex disease than the powder formulations of bioagents. More studies should be needed in future to evaluate the efficacy of bioagents as seed treatments and soil applications under field conditions.
Prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni infection among children in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Bisetegn Habtye , Eshetu Tegegne , Erkihun Yonas
Published: June 2021

Background
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by mainly Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma hematobium. The disease is very common in Africa including Ethiopia. Schistosoma mansoni is a major public health problem in Ethiopia especially among children. This review is aimed to indicate the prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni among children at national and regional level.
Methods and material:
The PRISMA guidelines were followed. Electronic search of PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE and Google search were carried out using key terms. Articles published from the proceeding of professional associations such as Ethiopian medical laboratory association, Ethiopian public health association and annual national research conferences were searched to find eligible studies. Data was extracted independently by two investigators, and pooled using a random effects model. Data was extracted using Microsoft excel and final analyzed using STATA version 12. Quality of included studies was assessed using JBI quality assessment criteria.
Result
Over all 41 studies involving 15968 children were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni infection was 37.75% (95%CI:29.97–45.53). High heterogeneity was observed with I2 of 99.3%, p = 0.000. According to subgroup analysis, the pooled prevalence was high in SNNPR (46.27%: 95%CI: 21.77–70.77) followed by Amhara region (41.9%: 95%CI: 28.45–54.54) Tigray region (38.14%: 95%CI:24.22–52.05) and Oromia region (26.54%: 95%CI: 16.89–36.20). Year from 2011 to 2015 contribute for the highest prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni among children (44.46% (95%:30.88–58.03).
Conclusion
This study revealed 37.75% Schistosoma mansoni infection among children. High prevalence of schistosomes among children highlights the importance of improving and implementing appropriate control strategies such as mass drug administration in Ethiopia.
Spatial Modeling of River Bank Shifting and Associated LULC Changes of the Kaljani River in Himalayan Foothills
Authors: Hasanuzzaman Md. , Gayen Amiya , Haque Sk. Mafizul , Shit Pravat Kumar
Published: June 2021

Channel dynamics is an inherent characteristic of the river in the floodplain region. The river bankline shifting and associate land use land cover (LULC) change is not only geomorphological but also an environmentally vital hazardous issue. It is a significant impact on the ecosystem and human life. GIS-based, DSAS and CA-Markov models are efficient to accurately measure historical and predictionevaluation of the relation between channel shifting and LULC change. In this study, forty-eight years (1972-2020) of earth observatory data have been used to demarcate the channel bank position and LULC change detection along the Kaljani River at the eastern Himalayan foothill. During 1998-2008, very high erosion rate on both bankline, which are about -4.48 m/y and -3.48 m/y at the left and right, respectively compared the others time frame. The overall result of the predicted bankline represents that the bulky expansion will occur along the left bank and sediment accretion will take place at the right bank. Among the three zones, both banks of zone ‘A’ (lower part of the river) is the worst affected part in the past, present, and future time. The LULC change of all six classes from 1972 to 1998 was very high when compared with the change between 1998 and 2020. Moreover, the long profile, hypsometric curve value, and the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) value have been a significant help in understanding and identification of consequences reasons. The level of accuracy is validated by the observed bankline positions (2020) with predicted bankline (2020) and observed LULC (2020) to predicted LULC (2020) empirically with RMSE and statistical test. Therefore, the output of the prediction not only serves as the spatial guidelines for monitoring future trends of channel shifting and land use planning management.
Technical Methodologies for The Assessment of the Impacts of Reclamation Projects on Marine Ecology
Authors: Ouyang Yurong , Wu Lin , Dai Juanjuan , Wu Yaojian , Cai Ling , Li Qingsheng , Wu Jianwei , Jiang Shang
Published: June 2021

The present article introduces the concept of ecological assessment of reclamation projects. In addition, considering the impact of reclamation projects on marine ecosystems, we built a framework that takes into account structure, function, and ecosystem services for the assessment of the impact of reclamation projects on marine ecology. Moreover, this study explored different technical methods for ecological assessment of reclamation projects, with an emphasis on those that evaluate the impacts of reclamation on the structure of marine ecosystems. The present research provides technical support for the recognition and diagnosis of marine ecology problems that are the result of reclamation projects, introduces a guideline for the development of ecological restoration projects, assists in protecting coastal wetland ecosystems, promotes the scientific and reasonable management and control of reclamation, and helps maintaining the regional marine ecological security pattern.
A Methodological Approach to Evaluate Structural Building Projects Through the Environmental Economic Index
Authors: Orozco José Manuel Romo , Contreras Julio , Armenta José Ramón Corona , Mendoza Luis Fernando Morales
Published: June 2021

The construction industry has a relevant social and economic function and has become fundamental to achieving the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This industry contributes significantly to global CO2 emissions due to embodied and operating energy. There are methodologies to evaluate them, but they lack integration with other variables. In the case of buildings and assessing safety and costs, environmental assessment needs to be incorporated; current methodologies are complex to implement and, in general, costly in terms of economic and human resources. This research proposes the Environmental Economic Index (EEI) to evaluate structural building projects and support decision-making, obtained from a simplified methodology. In the case study, located in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, the same building structure was designed to subject to different operational loads and lateral forces, with structural concrete and structural steel. For this building, the concrete structure subject to seismic actions had a better result when estimating the EEI and comparing it with the other structural alternatives. The contribution of this work is to develop a simplified methodology to evaluate structural projects in the design phase, which integrates economic, environmental, and safety variables and supports decision-making in designers and real estate developers.
Spousal Associations of Serum Metabolomic Profiles by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Authors: Rashid Karema Al , Goulding Neil , Taylor Amy , Lumsden Mary Ann , Lawlor Deborah A , Nelson Scott M
Published: June 2021

Background: Phenotype-based assortative mating is well established in humans, with the potential for further convergence through a shared environment. To assess the correlation within infertile couples of physical, social, and behavioural characteristics and 155 circulating metabolic measures. Methods: Cross sectional study at a tertiary medical center of 326 couples undertaking IVF. Serum lipids, lipoprotein subclasses, and low-molecular weight metabolites as quantified by NMR spectroscopy (155 metabolic measures). Multivariable and quantile regression correlations within couples of metabolite profiles.Results: Couples exhibited statistical correlations of varying strength for most physical, social, and behavioural characteristics including age, height, alcohol consumption, education, smoking status, physical activity, family history and ethnicity, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.22 to 0.73. There was no evidence of within couple associations for BMI and weight, where the correlation coefficients were -0.03 (95%CI -0.14, 0.08) and 0.01 (95%CI -0.10, 0.12), respectively. Within spousal associations of the metabolite measurements were all positive but with weak to modest magnitudes, with the median correlation coefficient across all 155 measures being 0.12 (range 0.01 to 0.37 and interquartile range 0.10 to 0.18). With just four having associations stronger than 0.3: docosahexaenoic acid (0.37, 95%CI 0.22, 0.52), omega-3 fatty acids (0.32, 95%CI 0.20, 0.43) histidine (0.32, 95%CI 0.23, 0.41) and pyruvate (0.32, 95%CI 0.22, 0.43). Conclusions: Infertile couples exhibit spousal similarities for a range of demographic and serum metabolite measures, supporting initial assortative mating, with diet-derived metabolites suggesting possible subsequent convergence of their individual metabolic profile.
Performance Evaluation of Publish-Subscribe Systems in IoT Using Energy-Efficient and Context-Aware Secure Messages
Authors: Junior Norisvaldo Ferraz , Silva Anderson AA , Guelfi Adilson E , Kofuji Sergio T
Published: June 2021

Background: The Internet of Things (IoT) enables the development of innovative applications in various domains such as healthcare, transportation, and Industry 4.0. Publish-subscribe systems enable IoT devices to communicate with the cloud platform. However, IoT applications need context-aware messages to translate the data into contextual information, allowing the applications to act cognitively. Besides, end-to-end security of publish-subscribe messages on both ends (devices and cloud) is essential. However, achieving security on constrained IoT devices with memory, payload, and energy restrictions is a challenge. Contribution: Messages in IoT need to achieve both energy efficiency and secure delivery. Thus, the main contribution of this paper refers to a performance evaluation of a message structure that standardizes the publish-subscribe topic and payload used by the cloud platform and the IoT devices. We also propose a standardization for the topic and payload for publish-subscribe systems. Conclusion: The messages promote energy efficiency, enabling ultra-low-power and high-capacity devices and reducing the bytes transmitted in the IoT domain. The performance evaluation demonstrates that publish-subscribe systems (namely, AMQP, DDS, and MQTT) can use our proposed energy-efficient message structure on IoT. Additionally, the message system provides end-to-end confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity between IoT devices and the cloud platform.