bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attitudes and perceptions of caregivers regarding their presence at induction of anesthesia
Authors: Le Roux Johannes Jacobus , Redelinghuys Cara
Published: January 2022

Background

Caregiver presence at their children's induction of anesthesia is practiced daily around the world. Research exploring the attitudes and perceptions of caregivers regarding this practice is limited within the African context.

Aims

The aim of this study was to describe caregivers' attitudes and perceptions regarding their presence at induction of their children's anesthesia.

Methods

This descriptive, phenomenological, qualitative study was conducted in 2020 at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, a 3200‐bed facility in South Africa. Twenty caregivers of children (2 to 8 years) undergoing elective surgery were recruited. Data were collected through face‐to‐face, in‐depth, semistructured individual interviews using convenience sampling. Interviews ranged between 11 and 55 minutes in duration and were conducted within 24 hours of induction of anesthesia. The audio‐recorded interviews were transcribed and subjected to inductive reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Six themes were developed: Fulfillment of caregiver role, A positive experience, A traumatic experience, Not prepared for the experience, My world is my reality, and Your world is a place different to mine.

Conclusion

A caregiver's perception of the induction process is influenced by multiple factors. A finding specific to our cohort is the interplay between complex multifaceted cultural beliefs and anesthesia of their children. By acknowledging and addressing these beliefs, a caregiver's presence can be tailored to ensure a positive experience for all involved at induction.
Design of Covid‐19 testing queues
Authors: Yang Luyi , Cui Shiliang , Wang Zhongbin
Published: January 2022

In the event of a virus outbreak such as Covid‐19, testing is key. However, long waiting lines at testing facilities often discourage individuals from getting tested. This paper utilizes queueing‐game‐theoretic models to study how testing facilities should set scheduling and pricing policies to incentivize individuals to test, with the goal to identify the most cases of infection. Our findings are as follows. First, under the first‐in‐first‐out discipline (FIFO), the common practice of making testing free attracts the most testees but may not catch the most cases. Charging a testing fee may surprisingly increase case detection. Second, even though people who show symptoms are more likely to carry the virus, prioritizing these individuals over asymptomatic ones (another common practice) may let more cases go undetected than FIFO testing does. Third, we characterize the optimal scheduling and pricing policy. To maximize case detection, testing can be made free but one should also (partially) prioritize individuals with symptoms when testing demand is high and switch to (partially) prioritize the asymptomatic when testing demand is moderately low.
Intersectionality and Social Welfare: Avoidance and Unequal Treatment among Transgender Women of Color
Authors: Butz Adam M. , Gaynor Tia Sherèe
Published: January 2022

This research adds to the emergent literature on intersectionality and public administration through examining how transgender women of color (trans WOC) are interacting with U.S. social welfare offices. It is our contention that trans WOC, facing a compounded set of negative stereotypes derived from racial and gender identities, will be more likely than other transgender identifying persons to: (1) avoid seeking out public welfare benefits and (2) be more likely to report experiencing discriminatory treatment in social welfare offices. Using data from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey we uncover evidence that trans WOC are more likely to avoid social welfare offices and face discrimination in social welfare offices. Scholars and administrators of social welfare programs, including Social Security related benefits, should be aware of the potential for public benefit avoidance and administrative discrimination directed toward historically marginalized groups and prioritize social equity considerations among clients facing compounded intersectional barriers.
The potential role of medicinal mushrooms as prebiotics in aquaculture: A review
Authors: Mohan Kannan , Karthick Rajan Durairaj , Muralisankar Thirunavukkarasu , Ramu Ganesan Abirami , Marimuthu Kasi , Sathishkumar Palanivel
Published: January 2022

Aquaculture industry is one of the major food‐producing sectors in the world that provide nutritional food security for mankind. Fish and crustacean farmers are facing various challenges in treating the rapid spread of infectious diseases in recent times. Numerous strategies, including antibiotics, disinfectants, and other antimicrobial agents, have been applied to protect the cultivable aquatic animals from infectious diseases. These applications lead to the development of antimicrobial resistance, toxicity, and the accumulation of antibiotic residues in cells and organelles of the cultivable edible organisms and the environment. The use of naturally derived compounds, polysaccharides, and functional metabolites has gained immense attention among aquaculturists. Mushrooms and their nutraceutical components have been widely used in various sectors, including food, pharmaceutical, poultry, and aquaculture industries, for their non‐toxic and eco‐friendly properties. To date, there are several reports available on edible and medicinal mushrooms as a dietary ingredient for fish and decapod crustacean culture. The mushroom products such as mycelia, stalk, dry powder, polysaccharides, and extracts have been utilized in aquaculture as growth promoters and immunostimulants, improving the digestive enzyme activity, antimicrobials, and improving the health status of cultivable aquatic animals. This present review elucidates the effectiveness of mushrooms and mushroom‐derived compounds as prebiotics in aquaculture. The challenges and future perspectives of mushroom‐derived bioactive molecules have been discussed in this review.
Intelligence Analysis and Policy Making
Authors: Juneau Thomas , Carvin Stephanie
Published: January 2022

Canada is a key member of the world's most important international intelligence-sharing partnership, the Five Eyes, along with the US, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia. Until now, few scholars have looked beyond the US to study how effectively intelligence analysts support policy makers, who rely on timely, forward-thinking insights to shape high-level foreign, national security, and defense policy.
Intelligence Analysis and Policy Making provides the first in-depth look at the relationship between intelligence and policy in Canada. Thomas Juneau and Stephanie Carvin, both former analysts in the Canadian national security sector, conducted seventy in-depth interviews with serving and retired policy and intelligence practitioners, at a time when Canada's intelligence community underwent sweeping institutional changes.
Juneau and Carvin provide critical recommendations for improving intelligence performance in supporting policy—with implications for other countries that, like Canada, are not superpowers but small or mid-sized countries in need of intelligence that supports their unique interests.
Governance and Structure
Authors: Juneau Thomas , Carvin Stephanie
Published: January 2022

The Canadian intelligence community’s nominal center, the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister, has limited ability to coordinate the work of the community as a whole, and a limited capacity to coerce and cajole counterparts to work together. This relatively weak central leadership makes it more difficult to manage the activities of the community in a coordinated manner. This contrasts sharply with other national contexts, especially the US, where stronger institutions imply that personalities have a lesser impact on intelligence-policy dynamics. The chapter then examines the impact of structural factors that shape the work of the Canadian intelligence community: dependency on foreign intelligence and lack of a foreign human intelligence service, as well as uncertainty in the face of ongoing reforms and enhanced oversight and review. The chapter concludes with a case study of the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat in the Privy Council Office.
Introduction
Authors: Spinner Samuel J.
Published: January 2022

The Introduction surveys the languages, media, and politics of Jewish primitivism and defines it in relation to modernist primitivism more broadly. Jewish primitivism redirected toward the self the dominant European primitivism that valorized racial and ethnic difference. Further, while typical European primitivism figured European aesthetics and society as challenged by the savage other, the identification of Jewish with primitive identity placed primitive aesthetics in the heart of Europe. Jewish primitivism spanned Yiddish, German, and Hebrew, and extended from central to eastern Europe; it expressed a powerful critique of the aesthetics as well as the politics of Jewish cultural nationalism. The necessity of social and cultural inclusion in Europe is questioned in Jewish primitivism even as the project is premised on that very inclusion. This account of Jewish primitivism reorients the scholarly perspective that views the place of primitivism in discourses on power, race, and colonialism strictly in terms of alterity.
Conclusion
Authors: Spinner Samuel J.
Published: January 2022

The Conclusion considers the meaning of Jewish primitivism in light of the catastrophic destruction of Jewish life in Europe during the First World War and its decimation in the Holocaust. Through a reading of two short texts by the Czech-German-Jewish journalist Egon Erwin Kisch, I show how Kisch exposes the limits of Jewish primitivism as a constructive critical force, compromised by capitalism, by extremist political ideologies, and by violent death. In these stories – one about a search for the Golem of Prague, the other about a search for “Indian Jews” in Mexico – Kisch’s primitivism catalyzes a sense of solidarity with the presumed primitive. It is a solidarity born of the common experience of violence and traumatic loss, but it generates a melancholic humanism that was the end of an aesthetic that, after the Holocaust, no longer had the same meaning.
Seekers of the Face
Authors: Hellner-Eshed Melila
Published: January 2022

Seekers of the Face opens the profound treasure house at the heart of Judaism's most important mystical work: the Idra Rabba (Great Gathering) of the Zohar. This is the story of the Great Assembly of mystics called to order by the master teacher and hero of the Zohar, Rabbi Shim'on bar Yochai, to align the divine faces and to heal Jewish religion. The Idra Rabba demands a radical expansion of the religious worldview, as it reveals God's faces and bodies in daring, anthropomorphic language.
For the first time, Melila Hellner-Eshed makes this challenging, esoteric masterpiece meaningful for everyday readers. Hellner-Eshed expertly unpacks the Idra Rabba's rich grounding in tradition, its probing of hidden layers of consciousness and the psyche, and its striking, sacred images of the divine face. Leading readers of the Zohar on a transformative adventure in mystical experience, Seekers of the Face allows us to hear anew the Idra Rabba's bold call to heal and align the living faces of God.
Introduction
Authors: Hellner-Eshed Melila
Published: January 2022

The work known as the Idra Rabba—the Great Assembly—is a grand story, perhaps the greatest story in the Zohar. The Idra Rabba tells of an emergency assembly convened by Rabbi Shimʿon bar Yoḥai, the Zohar’s hero, to which he summons his disciples, the ḥavrayya (Companions). The gathering takes place in a field, among the trees, at a time beyond time and in a place beyond place. The assembly’s mission is an audacious one: to heal the face of God, and thereby transform and heal the face of the Jewish religion. This is to be done by invoking and manifesting three distinct faces of the Divine, reconfiguring them and realigning them in order to ensure the flow of abundant blessing into the world....
Reflections on Zeʿeir Anpin
Authors: Hellner-Eshed Melila
Published: January 2022

This chapter looks at Ze’eir Anpin as the God of Judgment, dual consciousness, Ze’eir Anpin and Gnosis, the dynamic between splitting and healing, and the importance of praying for the life of Ze’eir Anpin.
Arikh Anpin
Authors: Hellner-Eshed Melila
Published: January 2022

This chapter looks at the origins of how the Divine attains a face, especially a skull and a brain.
Following the Leader
Authors: Kuo Raymond C.
Published: January 2022

Nations have powerful reasons to get their military alliances right. When security pacts go well, they underpin regional and global order; when they fail, they spread wars across continents as states are dragged into conflict. We would, therefore, expect states to carefully tailor their military partnerships to specific conditions. This expectation, Raymond C. Kuo argues, is wrong.
Following the Leader argues that most countries ignore their individual security interests in military pacts, instead converging on a single, dominant alliance strategy. The book introduces a new social theory of strategic diffusion and emulation, using case studies and advanced statistical analysis of alliances from 1815 to 2003. In the wake of each major war that shatters the international system, a new hegemon creates a core military partnership to target its greatest enemy. Secondary and peripheral countries rush to emulate this alliance, illustrating their credibility and prestige by mimicking the dominant form.
Be it the NATO model that seems so commonsense today, or the realpolitik that reigned in Europe of the late nineteenth century, a lone alliance strategy has defined broad swaths of diplomatic history. It is not states' own security interests driving this phenomenon, Kuo shows, but their jockeying for status in a world periodically remade by great powers.
Introduction
Authors: Onderco Michal
Published: January 2022

The indefinite extension of the NPT was unexpected because it was not the preferred course of action for most of the countries. The introduction presents the puzzle of extension in light of the contemporary literature. It surveys the existing explanations for indefinite extension. The realist explanation focuses on raw power of the US to coerce recalcitrant parties, but ignores that the US would never be able to coerce all opponents. The institutionalist explanation can explain why the NPT did not end, but it is unrevealing about the length of the extension. The constructivist explanation can provide an explanation about a minimally just solution but cannot explain why other, arguably more just solutions were not adopted. The introduction also offers the plan for the book.
“This Is What Happens When You Become Greedy”
Authors: Onderco Michal
Published: January 2022

This chapter studies the cooperation with Egypt, which allowed the US to co-opt Arab countries and diminish opposition to the extension among the nonaligned countries. The chapter will focus on Egypt’s diplomacy related to Israel’s nuclear program prior to the 1995 NPT Review Conference, the discussions within Egypt held between the Council presidency and the Egyptian foreign ministry (who held opposite preferences, driven by different motivations), and then, ultimately, the negotiations in New York leading to the adoption of the Resolution on the Middle East, one of the key documents that emerged from the conference. For procedural reasons, the US had to enter into negotiations with Egypt on the latter’s acquiescence to the extension of the NPT without a vote. The price Egypt exacted for this was a resolution on the Middle East, negotiated bilaterally between Egypt and the US.
Postextension Politics of the NPT
Authors: Onderco Michal
Published: January 2022

The final chapter looks at the postextension politics of the NPT. In particular, this chapter looks at the interpretation and reinterpretation of the commitments undertaken in 1995. It provides a brief history of the post-1995 policy innovations within the NPT regime, with a focus on the additional commitments adopted in 2000 and 2010. It also looks at how these commitments adopted in 1995 have held up twenty-five years after the passing of the indefinite extension. Chapter 6 closes by looking at the US networked power in 2020, analyzing the degree to which US alliances can (and do) provide support for US nuclear policy today.
Validación alternativa del modelo continuo aleatorio de modelación de un índice de pérdidas por catástrofes con tasa de declaración de siniestros constante desencadenante de los Cat Bonds. Estudio para el caso de inundaciones en España
Authors: Pérez Fructuoso María José
Published: January 2022

A partir del modelo continuo de determinación de un índice de pérdidas por catástrofes para los Cat Bonds, desarrollado por Pérez-Fructuoso (2008 y 2009) y utilizando datos asociados a un conjunto de inundaciones ocurridas en España, se estima el parámetro fundamental del modelo propuesto, tasa instantánea de declaración de siniestros, aplicando una metodología alternativa de Mínimos Cuadrados con Restricciones y se comparan los resultados con los obtenidos utilizando la metodología tradicional de máxima verosimilitud. Adicionalmente, se obtiene la volatilidad que incorpora el proceso de Wiener en el modelo para la estimación realizada de la tasa de declaración y se verifica la bondad del ajuste mediante el cálculo de los correspondientes intervalos de confianza.
Taxonomy and ecology of the Arctic oribatid mite Svalbardia lucens comb. nov. (Acari, Oribatida, Ceratozetidae): resolving a long-standing confusion
Authors: Ermilov Sergey G. , Makarova Olga L. , Behan-Pelletier Valerie M.
Published: January 2022

For decades, two very similar Arctic oribatid mite species in the family Ceratozetidae—Oromurcia lucens (L. Koch, 1879) and Svalbardia paludicola Thor, 1930—were considered independent taxa and were often confused in the literature. Based on morphological analysis of specimens from the type localities, as well as extensive material from different Arctic regions, we make the following taxonomic proposals: Svalbardia lucens (L. Koch, 1879) comb. nov. (=Svalbardia paludicola Thor, 1930 syn. nov.). Furthermore, we propose that the subfossil Svalbardia rostralis Druk, 1982 (in Kiselev et al. 1982) is a junior subjective synonym (syn. nov.) of S. lucens. We summarize data on distribution and habitat preferences of S. lucens in the Arctic. The frequent occurrence of S. lucens in Pleistocene deposits and its strong dependence on moisture make this species a reliable “type fossil” in paleoclimatic reconstructions.
Nervous system consequences of COVID-19
Authors: Spudich Serena , Nath Avindra
Published: January 2022

Neurological symptoms highlight the need to understand pathophysiologic mechanisms
China falls silent about its recruitment efforts
Authors: Normile Dennis
Published: January 2022

Information about “talent programs” that drew U.S. scrutiny is no longer available
May-Thurner syndrome: an unusual cause of unprovoked deep vein thrombosis of the left lower limb
Authors: Umakanth Suhas , Karnik Swapneel Avinash , Kashyap Alankrith Ramesh , Lakshminarayana Badareesh
Published: January 2022

May-Thurner syndrome, an unprovoked form of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), should be kept in mind in case of DVT with no predisposing factors. We present a case of a 37-year-old male with DVT of left lower limb due to May-Thurner syndrome, treated with anticoagulants with a plan of left common iliac vein (LCIV) stenting and inferior vena cava (IVC) filter later. Venous duplex scan showed features suggestive of May-Thurner syndrome. Hence, we proceeded for CT abdominal aortogram with bilateral lower limb angiogram, which confirmed the above findings. Management of May-Thurner syndrome is a stepwise approach, with initial anticoagulation for dissolution of the thrombus followed by endovenous stenting of the LCIV and concomitant IVC filter.
Serum Cortisol Concentration and COVID-19 Severity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Amiri-Dashatan Nasrin , Koushki Mehdi , Parsamanesh Negin , Chiti Hossein
Published: January 2022

The novel COVID-19 outbreak is a major health threat to human beings with multiorgan injuries. However, its endocrine system manifestations are much less studied. In this study, we aimed to reassess the available findings on the association between cortisol level and severity of COVID-19 infection. We conducted a systematic search on Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases. To pool data, a random-effects model was performed depending on the heterogeneity among studies. Sensitivity analysis was also carried out by removing each study systematically. In addition, subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed depending on the presence of the variables of sex and age. Subsequently, 11 studies (5 observational studies and 6 case reports) were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled analysis on the observational studies showed significantly higher levels of cortisol in patients with severe COVID-19 in comparison with those with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 (standardized mean difference: 1.48 µg/dL; 95% CI (0.51 to 2.46); p=0.003). Assessment of the results of case reports revealed that the patients with severe COVID-19 demonstrated higher cortisol levels than the patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. No publication bias was observed using the Begg's (p=0.08) and Egger's tests (p=0.09). Meta-regression illustrated a significant correlation between cortisol levels with sex. The serum cortisol level seems to be higher in patients with severe COVID-19 infection. This finding could be helpful to detect patients with poor prognosis at early stages of the disease, although age and sex may modify this level.
Serum amyloid A predicts poor functional outcome in patients with ischemic stroke receiving endovascular thrombectomy: a case control study
Authors: Yeh Shin-Joe , Chen Chih-Hao , Lin Yen-Heng , Tsai Li-Kai , Lee Chung-Wei , Tang Sung-Chun , Jeng Jiann-Shing
Published: January 2022

Background

Post-stroke inflammation contributes to poor outcomes, but its impact on patients with stroke receiving endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) remains unknown.

Methods

We enrolled adult patients with stroke who received EVT, with blood sampling immediately before (T1) and after EVT (T2), and at 24 hours after EVT (T3). Non-stroke controls and patients with non-EVT stroke were also enrolled. The medical information, image findings and levels of serum amyloid A (SAA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were analyzed to clarify the association with poor functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale 4–6) at 3 months after stroke.

Results

A total of 93 patients with stroke receiving EVT, 51 non-stroke controls, and 64 with non-EVT stroke were enrolled in this study. The SAA and CRP levels at T1 to T3 in patients with stroke receiving EVT were higher compared with those in controls (all p<0.001), and their levels at T3 were significantly higher than those at T1 (both p<0.0001) while similar to those in patients with non-EVT stroke. The SAA levels at the three time points were significantly associated with poor functional outcome (p=0.003 to 0.009). Furthermore, adding SAA level at T3 significantly improved the basic prediction model for 3-month poor functional outcome by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis (areas under ROC curves from 0.803 to 0.878, p=0.03).

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that plasma levels of SAA at an early stage are significant predictors for poor functional outcomes at 3 months in patients with stroke receiving EVT, indicating the substantial role of systemic inflammation in shaping stroke outcomes following EVT.
Almost Kenmotsu (k,μ)′-manifolds of dimension three and conformal vector fields
Authors: Wang Yaning
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we prove that the only almost Kenmotsu [Formula: see text]-manifold of dimension three admitting a non-Killing conformal vector field is the product space [Formula: see text]. All conformal vector fields on this product are determined.
Thermo-Mechanical Transient Flexure of Glass-Carbon-Kevlar-Reinforced Hybrid Curved Composite Shell Panels: An Experimental Verification
Authors: Sahu Pruthwiraj , Sharma Nitin , Dewangan Hukum Chand , Panda Subrata Kumar
Published: January 2022

The time-dependent deflection values of the flat/curved hybrid fibre (Glass–Carbon–Kevlar)-reinforced composite panels under the influence of the mechanical loading (UDL and SDL) and the elevated thermal environment are analyzed in this research. To compute the numerical responses, a higher-order kinematic model is prepared considering the effect of single/double curvature of the shell panel. The weak form of the governing equation is established through the variational technique. The steady-state deflections are obtained by solving the discrete form of governing equation of transient vibrations using finite element method (FEM) by employing Newmark’s time integration method in MATLAB environment. The isoparametric Lagrangian element (nine-noded) is adopted to discretize the system equation of the hybrid panels. The validity of the numerical solutions, computed using the experimental hybrid composite properties, is verified with the experimental (in-house) results as well as with the benchmark results available in the published literature. Finally, the parametric study of dynamic deflection characteristics of hybrid composite shallow shell panels is carried out by varying the parameters such as curvature ratio, support conditions, hybrid schemes and type of loading in the elevated thermal environment and the results are discussed in detail.
Pressure variations in the northern part of the Danish Central Graben, North Sea
Authors: Vejbæk Ole Valdemar
Published: January 2022

The overpressure variation in the Cenozoic–Jurassic succession in the northern part of the Danish Central Graben may broadly be divided into three major compartments. An upper hydrostatically pressured unit comprises the post-mid Miocene–recent succession down to
c
. 1200 m depth in the northern and
c
. 700 m in the southern parts of the Danish Central Graben. The second compartment comprises the mid-Miocene smectite-rich clays down to and including the upper Cretaceous chalk. There the Paleogene–Lower Miocene succession provides the seal. The third compartment constitutes the Jurassic succession with pressure above hydrostatic that may exceed twice that seen at the upper Chalk level. Pressure levels can be estimated using the Eaton approach for the second compartment that are in agreement with pressure data. Modelling of the transient pressure development in the Cretaceous–mid-Miocene succession broadly complies with the Eaton estimates and shows that the main overpressure build-up has occurred within the last 10 myr. The overpressure in this succession may be mapped using methods that exploit correlations between fluid pressure and the degree of consolidation, while that in the Jurassic cannot. However, the lateral variation in the Upper Jurassic overpressure correlates broadly with the maturity of the Upper Jurassic source rock, allowing the pressure variation to be mapped.

Thematic collection:
This article is part of the Geopressure collection available at:
https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/geopressure
Optimization of Enterprise Financial Management and Decision‐Making Systems Based on Big Data
Authors: Ren Shaomin
Published: January 2022

Based on information asymmetry theory, principal‐agent theory, and risk management theory, this paper analyzes the mechanism of the impact of big data on financial decision‐making, analyzing four dimensions: how big data enhances the information base for forecasting, how big data improves the relevance of decision‐making, how big data builds new competitive advantages, and how big data promotes dynamic decision‐making. Secondly, through the analysis of specific implementation cases of enterprise big data in financial decision‐making, we focus on the real problems faced in management and the effect of solving problems through big data platform. The enterprise realizing the integration of business and finance not only can better lead business expansion, but also can improve the management level within the enterprise, which is conducive to the improvement of core competitiveness. The integration of industry and finance is essentially achieved through the application of various financial management modules to the business operations of enterprises, including budget management, capital management, fixed asset management, and financial accounting. If we want to implement the whole process of financial integration, it is impossible to achieve this manually, and we must first build a powerful information system as a guarantee. Under the guidance of theories of information asymmetry, stakeholders, and management information systems, Internet finance enterprises should build their own integrated business finance system based on the demand for business finance integration in the Internet finance industry, to enhance the matching of business finance data of Internet finance enterprises, improve the efficiency of enterprise management, and realize business finance integration. Finally, through the research of this paper, we hope to provide reference for other similar enterprises to apply big data for financial decision‐making. Through the application of big data, higher economic benefits are achieved in procurement management, production control, capital budget, and investment decision compared with the previous ones. It is concluded that in the era of big data, massive data can be used to serve enterprise decision‐making in depth, which can break the business and financial barriers, improve the efficiency and quality of decision‐making, optimize the organizational structure and personnel, and enhance the prediction and early warning capability. The application of big data tools has become the key to assisting financial decision‐making and enhancing enterprise value.
Effect of Cooking Method on Vitamin C Loses and Antioxidant Activity of Indigenous Green Leafy Vegetables Consumed in Western Uganda
Authors: Kinyi Hellen W. , Tirwomwe Michael , Ninsiima Herbert Izo , Miruka Conrad O.
Published: January 2022

Indigenous green leafy vegetables are known to contain high levels of antioxidants and are recommended in the management of chronic diseases. However, their consumption has received lower patronage. This is partly attributed to farmers replacing the growing of indigenous green leafy vegetables with their exotic counterparts and scarce information on their nutritional benefits. This study explored the effect of cooking methods (boiling and steaming for 10 minutes) on the antioxidant activity of Amaranthus dubius, Solanum nigrum, and Curcubita maxima. Spectrometry was used to evaluate the reducing power and antihemolytic activity. Titration via the 2,6-indophenol method was used for measuring vitamin C and replacement titration for hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity. Cooking the vegetables by steaming or boiling caused up to 99% reduction in the vitamin C concentration of the cooked vegetables. The antioxidant activity of the cooked vegetables varied across the species assessed and cooking method used. Steaming retained and in some instances promoted the antioxidant activity of the vegetables. The study concludes that cooking by either steaming or boiling alters the antioxidant activity of indigenous vegetables.
Progress on the Mechanism of Visceral Hypersensitivity in Nonerosive Reflux Disease
Authors: Xu Cao , Niu Xiaoping
Published: January 2022

Nonerosive reflux disease (NERD) is the most common type of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Its clinical symptoms can recur, and clinical treatment is often ineffective, causing patients severe economic and psychological burden. In recent years, studies that have explored in-depth the pathogenesis of NERD have found that visceral hypersensitivity (VH) plays an important role. VH refers to the phenomenon that viscera react strongly to nociceptive stimuli or produce a negative reaction to physiological stimuli due to the decrease of one’s visceral pain threshold. Studies have found that the VH mechanism in NERD primarily includes abnormal neurotransmitters, the activation of acid-sensitive receptors, and abnormal psychological factors—all of which we review in this article.
Dialectical Analysis of Comparative Pedagogy Based on Multiple Intelligences Evaluation
Authors: Liu Ningning , Jiang Ruige , Tai Xiaoxia
Published: January 2022

As a common and mature algorithm, the neural network algorithm has been widely used in many industries throughout the country. The traditional dialectical analysis method for multiple intelligences evaluation in comparative education cannot meet the dialectical needs with different characteristics, the information big data model of multiple intelligences evaluation based on neural network algorithm has been gradually applied to several evaluation systems of comparative education. This paper studies the application of neural network algorithms in the dialectical analysis of comparative education in China and puts forward multiple intelligences evaluation model based on neural network algorithm, which can realize the intelligent evaluation of comparative education according to the characteristics of teaching behavior. At the same time, the idea of random big data acquisition is combined with digital feature analysis based on neural network algorithm and particle swarm optimization algorithm. Finally, the experimental results show that the dialectical analysis model of comparative education based on multiple intelligences evaluation of neural network algorithm can efficiently process the education data with tracking intelligence, which achieves a new breakthrough in the multiple intelligences evaluation of comparative education in China and saves a lot of time for the dialectical analysis process.
Sustainability of Mahogany Production in Plantations: Does Resource Availability Influence Susceptibility of Young Mahogany Plantation Stands to Hypsipyla robusta Infestation?
Authors: Darko C. B. , Opuni-Frimpong E. , Owusu S. A. , Kyere B. , Storer A. J.
Published: January 2022

Hypsipyla robusta Moore (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), like many other moth species, shows selectivity when choosing host plants for its eggs. Four Meliaceae species (Khaya grandifoliola, K. ivorensis, Swietenia macrophyla, and Entandrophragma cylindricum) were established in a moist semideciduous forest in Ghana to study this selectivity at 12 and 21 months after planting. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) at aP-value of 0.05 was used to test the significance of differences in infestation by H. robusta between the species. H. robusta attacks were recorded by month 12 after planting in the field, and only Khaya spp. was attacked, with attacks evident on 15.5% of K grandifoliola and 6.6% K. ivorensis. Saplings in blocks closer to an older H. robusta infested K. grandifoliola stand had more infestation compared to saplings further away. The mean percentage of K. grandifoliola attacked was 38.9%, 38.9%, 13.3%, and 7.4% in 4 different plots located increasingly further away from the older infested plantation. A similar trend was found in K. ivorensis with 28.4%, 7.1%, 0.0%, and 0.0% in the plots located increasingly further away from the infested stand. These results indicate a higher number of shoot borer attacks at the edge of the plantation and in proximity to other infested plantations. After 21 months, the fastest-growing species and the fastest-growing individuals within the species were the most infested. K. grandifoliola recorded the fastest growth and most attacks followed by K. ivorensis and S. macrophylla. E. cylindricum recorded the least growth and no H. robusta infestation. After 21 months, the mean percentages of trees attacked were 59.1%, 23.7%, 5.6%, and 0.0% for K. grandifoliola, K. ivorensis, S. macrophylla, and E. cylindricum, respectively. Within species, the fastest-growing saplings experienced the most attacks. A positive correlation was observed between the plant size and H. robusta attacks (R2 = 0.76). Attacks resulted in the death of the apical shoot and the proliferation of multiple shoots in only the Khaya spp., with K. ivorensis recording a lower number of shoots than K. grandifoliola. These proliferated shoots were also attacked, and a positive correlation was observed between the number of proliferated shoots and H. robusta attacks (R2 = 0.84). These findings will assist plantation developers, forest managers, and investors in mahogany plantations to devise integrated pest management strategies to reduce the impact of Hypsipyla attacks on their plantations.
A Gaussian Process Classification and Target Recognition Algorithm for SAR Images
Authors: Yang Na , Zhang Yongtao
Published: January 2022

Synthetic aperture Radar (SAR) uses the relative movement of the Radar and the target to pick up echoes of the detected area and image it. In contrast to optical imaging, SAR imaging systems are not affected by weather and time and can detect targets in harsh conditions. Therefore, the SAR image has important application value in military and civilian purposes. This paper introduces the classification of Gaussian process. Gaussian process classification is a probabilistic classification algorithm based on Bass frame. This is a complete probability expression. Based on Gaussian process and SAR data, Gaussian process classification algorithm for SAR images is studied in this paper. In this paper, we introduce the basic principle of Gaussian process, briefly analyze the basic theory of classification and the characteristics of SAR images, provide the evaluation index system of image classification, and give the SAR classification model of Gaussian process. Taking Laplace approximation as an example, several classification algorithms are introduced directly. Based on the two classifications, we propose an indirect multipurpose classification method and a multifunction classification method for two-pair two-Gaussian processes. The SAR image algorithm based on the two categories is relatively simple and achieves certain results.
MicroRNAs in Obesity-Associated Disorders: The Role of Exercise Training
Authors: Silveira Andre , Gomes João , Roque Fernanda , Fernandes Tiago , de Oliveira Edilamar Menezes
Published: January 2022

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic affecting over 13% of the adult population and is defined by an excess of body fat that predisposes comorbidities. It is considered a multifactorial disease in which environmental and genetic factors interact, and it is a risk marker for cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle modifications remain the mainstay of treatment for obesity based on adequate diet and physical exercise. In addition, obesity is related to cardiovascular and skeletal muscle disorders, such as cardiac hypertrophy, microvascular rarefaction, and skeletal muscle atrophy. The discovery of obesity-involved molecular pathways is an important step to improve both the prevention and management of this disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of gene regulators which bind most commonly, but not exclusively, to the 3′-untranslated regions of messenger RNAs of protein-coding genes and negatively regulate their expression. Considerable effort has been made to identify miRNAs and target genes that predispose to obesity. Besides their intracellular function, recent studies have demonstrated that miRNAs can be exported or released by cells and circulate within the blood in a remarkably stable form. The discovery of circulating miRNAs opens up intriguing possibilities for the use of circulating miRNA patterns as biomarkers for obesity and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the recent discoveries of the role played by miRNAs in the obese phenotype and associated comorbidities. Furthermore, we will discuss the role of exercise training on regulating miRNAs, indicating the mechanisms related to these alterations.
Effectiveness of an Internet-Based Self-Help Intervention versus Public Mental Health Advice to Reduce Worry during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pragmatic, Parallel-Group, Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Heckendorf Hanna , Lehr Dirk , Boß Leif
Published: January 2022

Introduction: The mental health burden for the general population due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been highlighted. Evidence on effective, easily accessible public health interventions to reduce worry, a major transdiagnostic risk-factor for, e.g., anxiety and depression, is scarce. Objective: In a pragmatic randomized controlled trial, we aimed to assess whether an internet cognitive-behavioral self-help intervention could reduce worry more than public mental health advice in the general population. Methods: Eligible internet users above the age of 18 were recruited from the German general population and randomly assigned, to either get.calm-move.on (GCMO), a 10-day unguided, internet-based self-help intervention, or mental health advice waiting group (MHA-W, receiving officially endorsed mental health recommendations). The primary outcome was level of worry, using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), 2 weeks after randomization. Baseline assessment and 2-month and 6-month follow-ups were conducted. The trial was registered at the German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS00021153). Results: Between April 7, 2020 and December 11, 2020, we randomly assigned 351 individuals to receive either GCMO (n = 175) or MHA-W (n = 176). Participants receiving GCMO (PSWQ = 46.6; change –10.3) reported significantly less worrying at post-intervention (F1,219 = 12.9; p < 0.001; d = 0.38) than MHA-W controls (PSWQ = 51.6; change –5.1). Improvements were also seen on most secondary outcomes, including symptoms of anxiety and depression, general well-being, resiliency, and emotion regulation skills. Improvements made from baseline were stable until the 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: This internet-based self-help intervention providing cognitive-behavioral techniques to cope with the threatening pandemic situation is effective in reducing worry in the general population and should complement existing and potentially effective mental health recommendations.
Female Reproductive Ageing and Chromosomal Abnormalities in a Large Series of Women Undergoing IVF
Authors: Kouvidi Elisavet , Zachaki Sophia , Tsarouha Haralampia , Pantou Amelia , Manola Kalliopi N. , Kanavakis Emmanuel , Mavrou Ariadni
Published: January 2022

Chromosomal abnormalities are often detected in women with reproductive problems. This study aimed to investigate the presence and type of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood of women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and their possible association with advanced maternal age (AMA). A total of 1,837 women undergoing IVF between 2016 and 2019 were enrolled in the study. Women were further divided in AMA (≥35 years) and younger women (<35 years). Chromosomal abnormalities were detected by peripheral blood karyotyping using standard cytogenetic techniques. Chromosomal abnormalities were detected in 13.5% of the enrolled women; 1.1% had autosomal abnormalities including reciprocal translocations, inversions, Robertsonian translocations, and a supernumerary marker chromosome, while 12.4% had X chromosome abnormalities. The frequency of chromosomal abnormalities was significantly higher in AMA women than in younger ones (17.4% vs. 3.9%, p < 0.05). Women of AMA exhibited X chromosome mosaicism with a frequency of 16.1%, and mosaic karyotypes with 2 and 3 aneuploid cell lines were more frequently detected. X chromosome mosaicism is the most common karyotypic aberration in women undergoing IVF and has 6-fold increased incidence in AMA women compared to younger ones. The present study verifies previous observations that low-level peripheral blood X chromosome mosaicism and the number of aneuploid cell lines observed in women of AMA could be an indication of aneuploidy and poor quality of oocytes contributing to infertility.
Can Renal Parameters Predict the Mortality of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients?
Authors: Zolotov Eli , Sigal Anat , Havrda Martin , Jeřábková Karolína , Krátká Karolína , Uzlová Nikola , Rychlík Ivan
Published: January 2022

Introduction: Our study aimed to analyze whether renal parameters can predict mortality from COVID-19 disease in hospitalized patients. Methods: This retrospective cohort includes all adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 disease who were consecutively admitted to the tertiary hospital during the 4-month period (September 1 to December 31, 2020). We analyzed their basic laboratory values, urinalysis, comorbidities, length of hospitalization, and survival. The RIFLE and KDIGO criteria were used for AKI and CKD grading, respectively. To display renal function evolution and the severity of renal damage, we subdivided patients further into 6 groups as follows: group 1 (normal renal function), group 2 (CKD grades 2 + 3a), group 3 (AKI-DROP defined as whose s-Cr level dropped by >33.3% during the hospitalization), group 4 (CKD 3b), group 5 (CKD 4 + 5), and group 6 (AKI-RISE defined as whose s-Cr level was elevated by ≥50% within 7 days or by ≥26.5 μmol/L within 48 h during hospitalization). Then, we used eGFR on admission independently of renal damage to check whether it can predict mortality. Only 4 groups were used: group I – normal renal function (eGFR > 1.5 mL/s), group II – mild renal involvement (eGFR 0.75–1.5), group III – moderate (eGFR 0.5–0.75), and group IV – severe (GFR <0.5). Results: A total of 680 patients were included in our cohort; among them, 244 patients displayed normal renal function, 207 patients fulfilled AKI, and 229 patients suffered from CKD. In total, a significantly higher mortality rate was found in the AKI and the CKD groups versus normal renal function – 37.2% and 32.3% versus 9.4%, respectively (p < 0.001). In addition, the groups 1–6 divided by severity of renal damage reported mortality of 9.4%, 21.2%, 24.1%, 48.7%, 62.8%, and 55.1%, respectively (p < 0.001). The mean hospitalization duration of alive patients with normal renal findings was 9.5 days, while it was 12.1 days in patients with any renal damage (p < 0.001). When all patients were compared according to eGFR on admission, the mortality was as follows: group I (normal) 9.8%, group II (mild) 22.1%, group III (moderate) 40.9%, and group IV (severe) 50.5%, respectively (p < 0.001). It was a significantly better mortality predictor than CRP on admission (AUC 0.7053 vs. 0.6053). Conclusions: Mortality in patients with abnormal renal function was 3 times higher compared to patients with normal renal function. Also, patients with renal damage had a worse and longer hospitalization course. Lastly, eGFR on admission, independently of renal damage type, was an excellent tool for predicting mortality. Further, the change in s-Cr levels during hospitalization reflected the mortality prognosis.