bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Promotion Incentive, Population Mobility and Public Service Expenditure
Authors: Yu Jiali , Xia Mengfan , Yang Shangguang , Zhu Jinyue
Published: February 2023

Improving the level of public service expenditure is the basic condition to meet people’s growing yearning for a better life in a new era. This study aims to examine the influence of promotion incentive and population mobility on public service expenditure. With the panel data of 30 provinces (excluding Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) in China from 2010 to 2018, a fixed effect model was employed to conduct the empirical research first, and then analyze the heterogeneity of the impact. In addition, the robustness was examined by substituting core explanatory variables and explained variables and using the spatial econometric model. Results indicated that promotion incentive and population mobility had significant negative effects on public service expenditure (medical care, education, culture, sports and media, social security and employment). By replacing the explained variables and the core explanatory variables and using the spatial economic model, the research conclusion was still stable and reliable. In different regions, promotion incentive and population mobility had different effects on different types of public service expenditure. In addition, it was revealed that the improvement of the urbanization level, economic development level, population density, residents’ education level and the proportion of tertiary industry had a significant positive impact on public service expenditure. The findings in this study can provide useful references for policy makers to allocate public service expenditure.
Potential Role of Biochar on Capturing Soil Nutrients, Carbon Sequestration and Managing Environmental Challenges: A Review
Authors: Elkhlifi Zouhair , Iftikhar Jerosha , Sarraf Mohammad , Ali Baber , Saleem Muhammad Hamzah , Ibranshahib Irshad , Bispo Mozart Daltro , Meili Lucas , Ercisli Sezai , Torun Kayabasi Ehlinaz , Alemzadeh Ansari Naser , Hegedűsová Alžbeta , Chen Zhuqi
Published: February 2023

Biochar (BC) properties and its influences within agricultural soil health and environmental ecosystems largely depend on feedstock, residence time and pyrolysis conditions. The organic and inorganic contaminants from soil can be removed using BC as an adsorbent. Additionally, soil amendment with BC is known to improve overall soil quality, microbial and enzymatic activities and soil organic carbon content with nutrient retention and availability. Moreover, one of the great impacts of BC is its capability to capture soil nutrients and sequestrate carbon. The physicochemical properties of biochar could be affected by the feedstocks and pyrolysis conditions (temperature, duration, activation method, etc.). This review paper summarizes the recent research studies on the composition of BC that controls carbon presence in soil, as well as BCs role in improving soil fertility and carbon sequestration, which has not been reported in detail yet. The main finding of the present work revealed that the high pyrolytic temperatures in BC production may have negative impacts on phyto-availability of essential nutrients. Depending on the feedstock raw material and pyrolysis process used for producing BC, it has different capacities for releasing nutrients in the soil. An economically feasible method of producing newly engineered biochar, with more controlled pyrolysis and C-based materials, for suitable agriculture needs to be developed. Further investigation should be carried out to optimize the production procedure and its application to local farming community for sustainable agriculture.
Study of the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Air Quality: A Case Study in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Authors: Chereches Ioan Aurel , Arion Iulia Diana , Muresan Iulia C. , Gaspar Ferenc
Published: February 2023

Many concerns are arising now regarding the effects of the pollution on inhabitants, especially in agglomerated areas. It is known that mobility is a major factor that generates threatening pollution that negatively affects the health and the comfort of residents. The present study focuses on this sensitive subject by observing the impact of reducing mobility on air quality. There are various studies on this topic, but this analysis addresses a gap in the literature, by covering a very active area, in terms of development and attractiveness for new inhabitants. The research study was carried on Cluj-Napoca city (Romania), by measuring the concentration of SO2, NO2, O3, PM10, PM2.5 from five different air monitoring stations from Cluj County during 2019–2021. During the entire period, the concentrations of the measured pollutants regarding the air quality were far below the legally accepted limits, with some short time peaks generated by other human factors. Road vehicle traffic generates pollution, but they are not the only elements that have to be taken into consideration when the quality of life is regarded, so the lawmakers have a more complex task to comply when deliberating on this matter. It concludes that it is necessary to develop on the existing air quality measuring network stations, because it is necessary to increase the number and the quality of the measurements.
The Effect of Entrepreneurship Education on Entrepreneurial Intention: Mediation of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and Moderating Model of Psychological Capital
Authors: Wang Xin-Hai , You Xiang , Wang Hsuan-Po , Wang Bo , Lai Wen-Ya , Su Nanguang
Published: February 2023

Based on planned behavior theory (TPB), this study aims to explore the direct or indirect impacts of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions through entrepreneurial self-efficacy and explore the moderating role of psychological capital. Sample data were collected by sending online electronic questionnaires to university students in some universities in Guangxi. A structural equation model was used to test the 757 valid sample data. The results showed that: (1) college students of different genders and those with or without family business experience have significant differences in terms of their entrepreneurial intentions; (2) entrepreneurship education has a significant positive impact on entrepreneurial intentions; (3) entrepreneurial self-efficacy plays a complete mediating role; and (4) higher psychological capital can positively regulate the impact of entrepreneurial self-efficacy on entrepreneurial intention. The findings help explain the need for entrepreneurship education. In order to increase students’ participation in entrepreneurship education courses, different innovative technology-based curricula and educational methods can be used at higher educational levels. In addition, this study constructs a mediation and moderation model influencing entrepreneurial intention based on TPB, which further tests and enriches the research perspective of this theory from the perspective of positive psychology.
Performance of Enhanced Problematic Soils in Roads Pavement Structure: Numerical Simulation and Laboratory Study
Authors: Abdullah Gamil M. S.
Published: February 2023

The deficiency of high-quality soils in Saudi Arabia’s southern and northern regions, as well as along the Arabian Gulf coasts, is regarded as one of the most common issues with the construction of roads. High compressibility, low shear strength, substantial volume change (particularly in Sabkha), and low bearing capacity are the most typical issues with these problematic soils. In this study, finite element simulations were performed using the Plaxis 3D software v20 to simulate the performance and study the critical responses (fatigue, rutting strains, and damage ratio) of an enhanced pavement structure with a geogrid reinforcement resting on the naturally problematic Sabkha subgrade. A normal asphalt concrete layer, a base layer of Sabkha soil stabilized with Foamed Sulfur Asphalt (FSA), and a sand dune subbase layer comprised the pavement structure. For each layer, the model’s input parameters were a mix of laboratory and literature data. The simulation was performed on a pavement structure without reinforcement and on another section enhanced with a geogrid positioned at various locations to determine the ideal placement for lowering the important responses such as fatigue, rutting stresses, and damage ratio. The nonlinear behavior of an FSA–Sabkha base, sand subbase layer, and Sabkha subgrade was simulated using the hardening soil model, whereas the asphaltic concrete layer and geogrid material were simulated using the linear elastic model. The findings of the simulations demonstrated that placing geogrid reinforcement at the top of the subgrade layer resulted in the greatest reduction in horizontal tensile (fatigue) and vertical compressive (rutting) strains, as well as vertical displacement (32.71%, 13.2%, and 14.2%, respectively). In addition, geogrid reinforcement greatly reduced the fatigue damage ratio (33% to 55%), although the reduction in the rutting damage ratio was slightly lower (14% to 30%). The simulation results were validated using a wheel tracking machine and it was clear that there is a reasonable agreement between the results.
Electric Vehicle Charging System in the Smart Grid Using Different Machine Learning Methods
Authors: Mazhar Tehseen , Asif Rizwana Naz , Malik Muhammad Amir , Nadeem Muhammad Asgher , Haq Inayatul , Iqbal Muhammad , Kamran Muhammad , Ashraf Shahzad
Published: February 2023

Smart cities require the development of information and communication technology to become a reality (ICT). A “smart city” is built on top of a “smart grid”. The implementation of numerous smart systems that are advantageous to the environment and improve the quality of life for the residents is one of the main goals of the new smart cities. In order to improve the reliability and sustainability of the transportation system, changes are being made to the way electric vehicles (EVs) are used. As EV use has increased, several problems have arisen, including the requirement to build a charging infrastructure, and forecast peak loads. Management must consider how challenging the situation is. There have been many original solutions to these problems. These heavily rely on automata models, machine learning, and the Internet of Things. Over time, there have been more EV drivers. Electric vehicle charging at a large scale negatively impacts the power grid. Transformers may face additional voltage fluctuations, power loss, and heat if already operating at full capacity. Without EV management, these challenges cannot be solved. A machine-learning (ML)-based charge management system considers conventional charging, rapid charging, and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies while guiding electric cars (EVs) to charging stations. This operation reduces the expenses associated with charging, high voltages, load fluctuation, and power loss. The effectiveness of various machine learning (ML) approaches is evaluated and compared. These techniques include Deep Neural Networks (DNN), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Decision Tree (DT) (DNN). According to the results, LSTM might be used to give EV control in certain circumstances. The LSTM model’s peak voltage, power losses, and voltage stability may all be improved by compressing the load curve. In addition, we keep our billing costs to a minimum, as well.
Nesting Elterman Model and Spatiotemporal Linear Mixed-Effects Model to Predict the Daily Aerosol Optical Depth over the Southern Central Hebei Plain, China
Authors: Li Fuxing , Li Mengshi , Zheng Yingjuan , Yang Yi , Duan Jifu , Wang Yang , Fan Lihang , Wang Zhen , Wang Wei
Published: February 2023

Aerosol optical depth (AOD), an important indicator of atmospheric aerosol load, characterizes the impacts of aerosol on radiation balance and atmospheric turbidity. The nesting Elterman model and a spatiotemporal linear mixed-effects (ST-LME) model, which is referred to as the ST-Elterman retrieval model (ST-ERM), was employed to improve the temporal resolution of AOD prediction. This model produces daily AOD in the Southern Central Hebei Plain (SCHP) region, China. Results show that the ST-ERM can effectively capture the variability of correlations between daily AOD and meteorological variables. After being validated against the daily Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) AOD, the correlation coefficient between daily retrieved AOD from ST-ERM and MAIAC observations in 2017 reached 0.823. The validated Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (Ef) of daily MAIAC AOD and ST-ERM-retrieved AOD is greater than or equal to 0.50 at 72 of the 95 stations in 2017. The relative error (Er) is less than 14% at all the stations except for Shijiazhuang (17.5%), Fengfeng (17.8%), and Raoyang (30.1%) stations. The ST-ERM significantly outperforms the conventional meteorology–AOD prediction approaches, such as the revised Elterman retrieval model (R-ERM). Thus, the ST-ERM shows great potential for daily AOD estimation in study regions with missingness of data.
Integrating Subjective–Objective Weights Consideration and a Combined Compromise Solution Method for Handling Supplier Selection Issues
Authors: Chang Kuei-Hu
Published: February 2023

The development of artificial intelligence and the recent COVID-19 pandemic as well as the emergence of other diseases has led to dramatic changes in the overall supply chain development. The choice of a suitable supplier will be the key to ensuring sustainable development of the company and the normal operation of the overall supply chain. However, the evaluation data of the supplier selection contains both qualitative and quantitative data simultaneously. In addition, the evaluation information provided by experts often includes some incomplete and hesitant information. These reasons lead to the complexity of supplier selection. Traditional supplier selection calculation methods ignore the objective weight considerations and thus lead to biased assessment results. The main goal of this study is to overcome the limitations of conventional supplier selection methods, fully consider the subjective and objective weights of the evaluation criteria and deal with incomplete information for providing more correct supplier ranking results. A stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method, the 2-tuple linguistic representation method, and the combined compromise solution (CoCoSo) were applied in this study to solve the problem of supplier selection. To verify the rationality and correctness of the proposed method, the third-party logistics supplier selection was used as the illustrated example in the numerical validation section. The simulation results confirm that the proposed method can effectively deal with supplier selection with unclear information and can provide more reasonable supplier ranking results.
An Advanced Decision Tree-Based Deep Neural Network in Nonlinear Data Classification
Authors: Arifuzzaman Mohammad , Hasan Md. Rakibul , Toma Tasnia Jahan , Hassan Samia Binta , Paul Anup Kumar
Published: February 2023

Deep neural networks (DNNs), the integration of neural networks (NNs) and deep learning (DL), have proven highly efficient in executing numerous complex tasks, such as data and image classification. Because the multilayer in a nonlinearly separable data structure is not transparent, it is critical to develop a specific data classification model from a new and unexpected dataset. In this paper, we propose a novel approach using the concepts of DNN and decision tree (DT) for classifying nonlinear data. We first developed a decision tree-based neural network (DTBNN) model. Next, we extend our model to a decision tree-based deep neural network (DTBDNN), in which the multiple hidden layers in DNN are utilized. Using DNN, the DTBDNN model achieved higher accuracy compared to the related and relevant approaches. Our proposal achieves the optimal trainable weights and bias to build an efficient model for nonlinear data classification by combining the benefits of DT and NN. By conducting in-depth performance evaluations, we demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposal by achieving good accuracy over different datasets.
Structural Relationship between Cerebral Gray and White Matter Alterations in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy
Authors: Wang Chencai , Sanvito Francesco , Oughourlian Talia C. , Islam Sabah , Salamon Noriko , Holly Langston T. , Ellingson Benjamin M.
Published: February 2023

Patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) undergo adaptive supraspinal changes. However, it remains unknown how subcortical white matter changes reflect the gray matter loss. The current study investigated the interrelationship between gray matter and subcortical white matter alterations in DCM patients. Cortical thickness of gray matter, as well as the intra-cellular volume fraction (ICVF) of subcortical whiter matter, were assessed in a cohort of 44 patients and 17 healthy controls (HCs). The results demonstrated that cortical thinning of sensorimotor and pain related regions is associated with more severe DCM symptoms. ICVF values of subcortical white matter underlying the identified regions were significantly lower in study patients than in HCs. The left precentral gyrus (r = 0.5715, p < 0.0001), the left supramarginal gyrus (r = 0.3847, p = 0.0099), the left postcentral gyrus (r = 0.5195, p = 0.0003), the right superior frontal gyrus (r = 0.3266, p = 0.0305), and the right caudal (r = 0.4749, p = 0.0011) and rostral anterior cingulate (r = 0.3927, p = 0.0084) demonstrated positive correlations between ICVF and cortical thickness in study patients, but no significant correlations between ICVF and cortical thickness were observed in HCs. Results from the current study suggest that DCM may cause widespread gray matter alterations and underlying subcortical neurite loss, which may serve as potential imaging biomarkers reflecting the pathology of DCM.
The Tomimatsu–Sato Metric Reloaded
Authors: Batic Davide
Published: February 2023

In this work, we derive exact analytic formulae for the inner and outer surfaces representing the boundary of the ergoregion appearing in the Tomimatsu–Sato (TS) metric. Exact expressions for the radii of the ergoregion in prolate spheroidal coordinates and in Boyer-Lindquist coordinates are obtained. We also found that in addition to the ring-shaped naked singularity, there is an event horizon placed in the inner region inside the aforementioned curvature singularity. In comparing our results with previous studies, we also uncovered and corrected several errors in the literature. Finally, we provide tables of numerical values for the inner and outer boundaries of the ergoregion for different values of the rotational parameter. We hope this study will be a useful resource for all researchers interested in the Tomimatsu–Sato metric.
Neil Gehrels–Swift Observatory’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope Observations of Small Bodies in the Solar System
Authors: Bodewits Dennis , Xing Zexi , Saki Mohammad , Morgenthaler Jeffrey P.
Published: February 2023

The Neil–Gehrels Swift Observatory has added extensively to our understanding of small bodies in our solar system through its capabilities to rapidly respond to short-live events such as outbursts and collisions, through its near-ultraviolet coverage, and by its ability to track time-dependent changes through monitoring campaigns. These capabilities have enabled many significant studies, including the onset and evolution of different sources of water in comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd), the unprecedented changes in the rotation period of comet 41P/Tuttle–Giacobini–Kresák, near-UV spectroscopic observations of asteroids that can help us understand how their properties evolve over time, and the first observations of the aftermath of a collision between a 100 m sized asteroid and the large primitive asteroid 596 (Scheila). In this review paper, we will highlight some of the observational results of Swift-UVOT in the field of small-body research.
CAR-T Cells with Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) Provide Anti-Cancer Capacity with Better Proliferation, Rejuvenated Effector Memory, and Reduced Exhausted T Cell Frequencies
Authors: Gulden Gamze , Sert Berranur , Teymur Tarik , Ay Yasin , Tiryaki Nulifer Neslihan , Mishra Abhinava K. , Ovali Ercument , Tarhan Nevzat , Tastan Cihan
Published: February 2023

The development of genetic modification techniques has led to a new era in cancer treatments that have been limited to conventional treatments such as chemotherapy. intensive efforts are being performed to develop cancer-targeted therapies to avoid the elimination of non-cancerous cells. One of the most promising approaches is genetically modified CAR-T cell therapy. The high central memory T cell (Tcm) and stem cell-like memory T cell (Tscm) ratios in the CAR-T cell population increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Therefore, it is important to increase the populations of CAR-expressing Tcm and Tscm cells to ensure that CAR-T cells remain long-term and have cytotoxic (anti-tumor) efficacy. In this study, we aimed to improve CAR-T cell therapy’s time-dependent efficacy and stability, increasing the survival time and reducing the probability of cancer cell growth. To increase the sub-population of Tcm and Tscm in CAR-T cells, we investigated the production of a long-term stable and efficient cytotoxic CAR-T cell by modifications in the cell activation-dependent production using Phytohemagglutinin (PHA). PHA, a lectin that binds to the membranes of T cells and increases metabolic activity and cell division, is studied to increase the Tcm and Tscm population. Although it is known that PHA significantly increases Tcm cells, B-lymphocyte antigen CD19-specific CAR-T cell expansion, its anti-cancer and memory capacity has not yet been tested compared with aCD3/aCD28-amplified CAR-T cells. Two different types of CARs (aCD19 scFv CD8-(CD28 or 4-1BB)-CD3z-EGFRt)-expressing T cells were generated and their immunogenic phenotype, exhausted phenotype, Tcm–Tscm populations, and cytotoxic activities were determined in this study. The proportion of T cell memory phenotype in the CAR-T cell populations generated by PHA was observed to be higher than that of aCD3/aCD28-amplified CAR-T cells with similar and higher proliferation capacity. Here, we show that PHA provides long-term and efficient CAR-T cell production, suggesting a potential alternative to aCD3/aCD28-amplified CAR-T cells.
COVID-19: The Ethno-Geographic Perspective of Differential Immunity
Authors: Abdullah Usman , Saleh Ned , Shaw Peter , Jalal Nasir
Published: February 2023

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the agent behind the worst global pandemic of the 21st century (COVID-19), is primarily a respiratory-disease-causing virus called SARS-CoV-2 that is responsible for millions of new cases (incidence) and deaths (mortalities) worldwide. Many factors have played a role in the differential morbidity and mortality experienced by nations and ethnicities against SARS-CoV-2, such as the quality of primary medical health facilities or enabling economies. At the same time, the most important variable, i.e., the subsequent ability of individuals to be immunologically sensitive or resistant to the infection, has not been properly discussed before. Despite having excellent medical facilities, an astounding issue arose when some developed countries experienced higher morbidity and mortality compared with their relatively underdeveloped counterparts. Hence, this investigative review attempts to analyze the issue from an angle of previously undiscussed genetic, epigenetic, and molecular immune resistance mechanisms in correlation with the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 and varied ethnicity-based immunological responses against it. The biological factors discussed here include the overall landscape of human microbiota, endogenous retroviral genes spliced into the human genome, and copy number variation, and how they could modulate the innate and adaptive immune systems that put a certain ethnic genetic architecture at a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection than others. Considering an array of these factors in their entirety may help explain the geographic disparity of disease incidence, severity, and subsequent mortality associated with the disease while at the same time encouraging scientists to design new experimental approaches to investigation.
EDA-E7 Activated DCs Induces Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Immune Responses against HPV Expressing Cervical Cancer in Human Setting
Authors: Feng Juan , Liu Yongliang , Zhuang Na , Chai Zixuan , Liu Limei , Qian Cheng , Li Jiatao , Shan Juanjuan
Published: February 2023

Cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Targeting human papillomavirus (HPV) viral oncoproteins E6 and E7 is a new strategy for cervical cancer immunotherapy and has been associated with resolution of HPV-induced lesions. How to efficiently induce T cell target killing of HPV infected cervical cancer is of great potential benefit for cervical cancer treatment. Fusion protein containing the extra domain A (EDA) from fibronectin, a natural ligand for Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and HPVE7 (EDA-E7) has been shown to efficiently induce dendritic cells maturation and trigger specific antitumor CD8+ T cells response in mice. In this study, we constructed EDA-E7 fusion protein of human origin and tested its function in dendritic cell maturation as well as antitumor T cell response. We found that EDA-E7 could be efficiently captured by human PBMC derived dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro and induce DCs maturation. Importantly, this effect could work in synergy with the TLR ligand anti-CD40 agonist, polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [poly (I:C)], R848, and CpG2216. EDA-E7 matured DCs could activate T cells and trigger an anti-tumor response in vitro. Single cell RNA sequencing and T cell targeted killing assay confirmed the activation of T cells by EDA-E7 matured DCs. Therefore, therapeutic vaccination with EDA-E7 fusion protein maybe effective for human cervical carcinoma treatment.
Augmenting Vaccine Efficacy against Delta Variant with ‘Mycobacterium-w’-Mediated Modulation of NK-ADCC and TLR-MYD88 Pathways
Authors: Jaiswal Sarita Rani , Saifullah Ashraf , Arunachalam Jaganath , Lakhchaura Rohit , Tailor Dhanir , Mehta Anupama , Bhagawati Gitali , Aiyer Hemamalini , Biswas Subhrajit , Khamar Bakulesh , Malhotra Sanjay V. , Chakrabarti Suparno
Published: February 2023

Mycobacterium-w (Mw) was shown to boost adaptive natural killer (ANK) cells and protect against COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic. As a follow-up of the trial, 50 healthcare workers (HCW) who had received Mw in September 2020 and subsequently received at least one dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (Mw + ChAdOx1 group) were monitored for symptomatic COVID-19 during a major outbreak with the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 (April–June 2021), along with 201 HCW receiving both doses of the vaccine without Mw (ChAdOx1 group). Despite 48% having received just a single dose of the vaccine in the Mw + ChAdOx1 group, only two had mild COVID-19, compared to 36 infections in the ChAdOx1 group (HR-0.46, p = 0.009). Transcriptomic studies revealed an enhanced adaptive NK cell-dependent ADCC in the Mw + ChAdOx1 group, along with downregulation of the TLR2-MYD88 pathway and concomitant attenuation of downstream inflammatory pathways. This might have resulted in robust protection during the pandemic with the delta variant.
Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Uptake in the Rio Grande Valley: Results from a Pilot Community-Based Educational and School-Based Vaccination Program and Its Expansion
Authors: Rodriguez Ana M. , Do Thuy Quynh N. , Eyada Mostafa F. , Chen Lu , Schmeler Kathleen M. , Montealegre Jane R.
Published: February 2023

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a safe and effective strategy for reducing HPV morbidity and mortality. Schools have become an increasingly attractive setting for delivering vaccinations and supporting vaccination health literacy and decisional support. This study assesses the effectiveness of a community-based, physician-led HPV education campaign (starting in 2016) and onsite middle school-based HPV vaccination program across six school districts (2017, 2019, 2020) in a rural, medically underserved Texas area (Rio Grande Valley). Pre- and post-intervention HPV vaccination rates were tracked against the 2016 National Immunization Survey—Teen target rates (initiation: 49.3%; completion: 32.9%). Summary statistics were stratified by gender, school district, and grade level. The study reached 19,951 students who received HPV vaccines directly or indirectly through our program (10,289 females; 9662 males) (August 2016–August 2022). Of those, 2145 students (1074 females; 1071 males) were vaccinated directly through our program. The overall HPV up-to-date (UTD) rates were 58.8%. The overall median age at HPV vaccine initiation and HPV-UTD (range) was 11 years (9–21) and 12 years (9–20). The overall median interval between HPV vaccine doses (range) was 291 days (146–2968). Recommending HPV vaccine initiation at younger ages increases HPV vaccine completion and providing access to HPV vaccines encourages on-time vaccination and completion.
Generation of Transgenic Sperm Expressing GFP by Lentivirus Transduction of Spermatogonial Stem Cells In Vivo in Cynomolgus Monkeys
Authors: Wang Shengnan , Duan Yanchao , Chen Bingbing , Qiu Shuai , Huang Tianzhuang , Si Wei
Published: February 2023

Nonhuman primates (NHPs) have been considered as the best models for biomedical research due to their high similarities in genomic, metabolomic, physiological and pathological features to humans. However, generation of genetically modified NHPs through traditional methods, such as microinjection into the pronuclei of one-cell embryos, is prohibitive due to the targeting efficiency and the number of NHPs needed as oocyte/zygote donors. Using spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) as the target of gene editing, producing gene-edited sperm for fertilization, is proven to be an effective way to establish gene editing animal disease models. In this experiment, we used ultrasound to guide the echo dense injection needle into the rete testis space, allowing the EGFP lentivirus to be slowly injected at positive pressure from the rete testis into seminiferous tubules. We found Thy1 can be used as a surface marker of cynomolgus monkey SSCs, confirming that SSCs carry the GFP gene. Finally, we successfully obtained transgenic sperm, with a similar freezing and recovery rate to that of WT animals.
Algorithm for Appropriate Design of Hydroelectric Turbines as Replacements for Pressure Reduction Valves in Water Distribution Systems
Authors: Bideris-Davos Admitos A. , Vovos Panagis N.
Published: February 2023

Gravity flow water distribution systems (WDSs) are used to permit water flow from an input point of highest elevation (source) to the terminal points of a system (consumers). In such WDSs, typically, there is no need for external power to maintain the flow due to the typical high gradients that exist. However, those gradients cause high water velocity and pressure to some network areas that could potentially lead to pipes bursting. Currently, the only means to regulate pressure within allowable range are Pressure Reduction Valves (PRVs). They are installed at various locations, but they cannot utilize the existing hydropower potential in terms of electrical energy production. This paper provides a methodology for hydro-turbines dimensioning, so that they mimic PRV operation in terms of pressure regulation while producing power efficiently. This includes an algorithmic process within which the proper turbine design and performance prediction are initially determined, and then, via an interconnection between EPANET and MATLAB, the hydraulic behavior of their operation within the water network is modeled and simulated. The methodology has been tested with simulations of a typical urban WDS. The results indicate that the produced turbine geometries mimic PRV action at the respective locations with more than 1% accuracy during 70% of the time (2% maximum error), while producing electric energy with hydraulic efficiency over 60%.
Living with Floods Using State-of-the-Art and Geospatial Techniques: Flood Mitigation Alternatives, Management Measures, and Policy Recommendations
Authors: Chakrabortty Rabin , Pal Subodh Chandra , Ruidas Dipankar , Roy Paramita , Saha Asish , Chowdhuri Indrajit
Published: February 2023

Flood, a distinctive natural calamity, has occurred more frequently in the last few decades all over the world, which is often an unexpected and inevitable natural hazard, but the losses and damages can be managed and controlled by adopting effective measures. In recent times, flood hazard susceptibility mapping has become a prime concern in minimizing the worst impact of this global threat; but the nonlinear relationship between several flood causative factors and the dynamicity of risk levels makes it complicated and confronted with substantial challenges to reliable assessment. Therefore, we have considered SVM, RF, and ANN—three distinctive ML algorithms in the GIS platform—to delineate the flood hazard risk zones of the subtropical Kangsabati river basin, West Bengal, India; which experienced frequent flood events because of intense rainfall throughout the monsoon season. In our study, all adopted ML algorithms are more efficient in solving all the non-linear problems in flood hazard risk assessment; multi-collinearity analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient techniques have been used to identify the collinearity issues among all fifteen adopted flood causative factors. In this research, the predicted results are evaluated through six prominent and reliable statistical (“AUC-ROC, specificity, sensitivity, PPV, NPV, F-score”) and one graphical (Taylor diagram) technique and shows that ANN is the most reliable modeling approach followed by RF and SVM models. The values of AUC in the ANN model for the training and validation datasets are 0.901 and 0.891, respectively. The derived result states that about 7.54% and 10.41% of areas accordingly lie under the high and extremely high flood danger risk zones. Thus, this study can help the decision-makers in constructing the proper strategy at the regional and national levels to mitigate the flood hazard in a particular region. This type of information may be helpful to the various authorities to implement this outcome in various spheres of decision making. Apart from this, future researchers are also able to conduct their research byconsidering this methodology in flood susceptibility assessment.
Flood Mitigation Performance of Permeable Pavements in an Urbanised Catchment in Melbourne, Australia (Elizabeth Street Catchment): Case Study
Authors: Arora Meenakshi , Chopra Ishitha , Nguyen Minh , Fernando Priyaga , Burns Matthew , Fletcher Timothy
Published: February 2023

Permeable pavement (PP) systems have been shown to provide onsite stormwater management as well as contaminant removal benefits. Therefore, significant research has taken place in recent years to analyse the performance of these structures in terms of the volume of stormwater harvested and the water quality improvements at small scales. However, there is limited understanding of their performance for reducing stormwater runoff volume to prevent natural disasters, such as catchment-scale flooding. With larger flooding events projected to occur more frequently as a result of urbanisation and climate change, PP systems have the potential to mitigate loss by reducing peak flows and runoff volumes. Therefore, this research investigates the performance of PP at the catchment scale under a range of design rainfall and land-use scenarios. Results indicate that the integration of permeable pavements in urban settings is effective in mitigating surface flooding in an urbanised catchment in Melbourne, Australia by reducing the peak flows by 7–16%. However, in practice, flood reduction ability can markedly decrease with time due to the clogging of pavements. Our results provide preliminary data to show that the integration of permeable pavements into the existing urban landscape can reduce the risk of flooding by providing areas for water to infiltrate if maintained properly. These results are envisioned to assist councils and stormwater managers with the option evaluation of the water-sensitive urban design systems and selecting the appropriate stormwater management measures.
A Novel Merging Method for Generating High-Quality Spatial Precipitation Information over Mainland China
Authors: Zhao Na
Published: February 2023

Accurate estimation of precipitation is critically important for a variety of fields, such as climatology, meteorology, and water resources. However, the availability of precipitation measurements has proved to be spatially inadequate for many applications. In this study, to acquire high-quality precipitation fields with enhanced accuracy and a fine-scale spatial resolution of 1 km × 1 km, we developed a new data fusion method by establishing an energy function model using the downscaled Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals (IMERG) precipitation product and high-density station observation in mainland China. Our merging approach was inspired by the interdisciplinary research framework integrating the methods in the fields of image processing, earth science, and machine learning. Cross-validation analyses were performed for the monthly precipitation over the period 2009–2018. It was found that the results of the newly developed method were more accurate than the original IMERG products in terms of root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), correlation coefficient (CC), and Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE). The merging precipitation results exhibit consistent spatial patterns with the original IMERG products, yet have good agreement with station observations. The gauge observations were the major source of the prediction skill of precipitation for the proposed method, and the downscaled-IMERG precipitation products added additional spatial details in the final merging results. Results indicate that the proposed merging method can reproduce the spatial details of the precipitation fields as well as enhance their accuracy. In addition, the time evolution of the error index indicates that the improvement in the merged result was stable over time, with KGE improving by 14% on average. The developed approach provides a promising way of estimating precipitation with high spatial resolution and high accuracy, which will benefit hydrological and climatological studies.
Transformer Based Water Level Prediction in Poyang Lake, China
Authors: Xu Jiaxing , Fan Hongxiang , Luo Minghan , Li Piji , Jeong Taeseop , Xu Ligang
Published: February 2023

Water level is an important indicator of lake hydrology characteristics, and its fluctuation significantly affects lake ecosystems. In recent years, deep learning models have shown their superiority in the long-time range prediction of hydrology processes, while the application of deep learning models with the attention mechanism for lake water level prediction is very rare. In this paper, taking Poyang Lake as a case study, the transformer neural network model is applied to examine the model performance in lake water level prediction, to explore the effects of the Yangtze River on lake water level fluctuations, and to analyze the influence of hyper-parameters (window size and model layers) and lead time on the model accuracy. The result indicated that the transformer model performs well in simulating the lake water level variations and can reflect the temporal water level variation characteristics in Poyang Lake. In the testing stage, the RMSE values were recorded in the range of 0.26–0.70 m, and the NSE values are higher than 0.94. Moreover, the Yangtze River inflow has a great influence on the lake water level fluctuation of Poyang Lake, especially in flood and receding periods. The contribution rate of the Yangtze River in RMSE and NSE is higher than 80% and 270%, respectively. Additionally, hyper-parameters, such as window size and model layers, significantly influence the transformer model simulation accuracy. In this study, a window size of 90 d and a model layer of 6 are the most suitable hyper-parameters for water level prediction in Poyang Lake. Additionally, lead time may affect the model accuracy in lake water level prediction. With the lead time varied from one to seven days, the model accuracy was high and RMSE values were in the range of 0.46–0.73 m, while the RMSE value increased to 1.37 m and 1.82 m with the lead time of 15 and 30 days, respectively. The transformer neural network model constructed in this paper was the first to be applied to lake water forecasting and showed high efficiency in Poyang Lake. However, few studies have tried to use transformer model coupling with the attention mechanism for forecasting hydrological processes. It is suggested that the model can be used for long sequence time-series forecasting in hydrological processes in other lakes to test its performance, providing further scientific evidence for the control of lake floods and management of lake resources.
Why Flexibility Deserves to Be Further Considered as a Standard Component of Physical Fitness: A Narrative Review of Existing Insights from Static Stretching Study Interventions
Authors: Bouguezzi Raja , Sammoud Senda , Markov Adrian , Negra Yassine , Chaabene Helmi
Published: February 2023

The utility of flexibility as a standard component of physical fitness has recently been questioned, sparking a heated debate among scientists. More specifically, it has recently been proposed to retire flexibility as a major component of physical fitness and as a result de-emphasis stretching from exercise prescriptions. The aim of this narrative review was to summarize and discuss the most recent evidence related to the chronic effects of static stretching (SS) on muscle strength, muscle power, muscle hypertrophy, and injury prevention in healthy individuals. A literature search was conducted using the electronic databases PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to November 2022. We only considered studies written in English that addressed the chronic effects of SS exercises on flexibility, muscle strength, muscle power, muscle hypertrophy, or injury prevention in healthy individuals. With reference to the existing knowledge, we concluded that flexibility deserves to be further considered as a standard component of physical fitness. This is based on the findings that in addition to flexibility, long-term SS training induces positive effects on muscle strength, muscle power, and muscle hypertrophy, irrespective of age and sex. There are also indications that long-term SS training could mitigate the risk of injury, although this remains a debatable topic. Furthermore, promising evidence shows that combining resistance training with SS exercises constitutes an effective approach benefiting muscle strength and hypertrophy more than resistance training alone. In conclusion, we would not support the recent suggestion that flexibility should be retired as a standard component of physical fitness and we would advocate for a continuous emphasis on the prescription of stretching exercises.
Modern problems of public administration in the field of agriculture
Authors:   Department of Management, Moscow University for the Humanities, Makhalina Oksana Mikhailovna , Koltunova Anastasiya Mikhailovna ,   Moscow University for the Humanities
Published: February 2023

The article considers the role of public administration in the field of agriculture. The existing problems of public administration in the field of agriculture in modern social conditions are identified and analyzed. The proposals to improve the mechanisms for the implementation of the State Program were made.
Content and goals of the legal education for minors as a way to prevent crime
Authors:   Faculty of Law, Moscow University for the Humanities, Sholik Ekaterina Gennadievna
Published: February 2023

In the conditions of anomie, an increase in crime is traditionally observed. This condition especially affects minors. The younger generation rejects old values, while new ones have not yet been formed for them, and, as a result, they live in a kind of vacuum. Therefore, it is important to study the values, interests, and views of minors in order to develop proposals aimed at the successful socialization of adolescents in difficult conditions.
General issues of observance and protection of human rights in criminal procedure
Authors:   Faculty of Law, Moscow University for the Humanities, Fadeev Anton Georgievich
Published: February 2023

The author considers general issues of observance and protection of rights in criminal procedure. Particular attention is paid to the participation of the prosecutor in the trial with jurors. It is indicated that in this case, the prosecutor acts as a guarantor of the rule of law and observance of the rights of citizens in court. The problem of such participation is identified and its solution is proposed.
Nitrofurantoin failure in males with an uncomplicated urinary tract infection: a primary care observational cohort study
Authors: Platteel Tamara N , Beets Marijn T , Teeuwissen Hendrik A , Doesschate Thijs ten , van de Wijgert Janneke HHM , Venekamp Roderick P , van de Pol Alma C
Published: February 2023

Background

Nitrofurantoin is the first-choice antibiotic treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in males according to the Dutch primary care UTI guideline. However, prostate involvement may be undetected and renders this treatment less suitable.

Aim

To compare the nitrofurantoin failure fraction with that found with use of other antibiotics in adult males diagnosed by their GP with an uncomplicated UTI, as well as GP adherence to the Dutch primary care UTI guideline.

Design and setting

Retrospective observational cohort study using routine healthcare data for males seeking care at GP practices participating in the Julius GP Network from 2014 to 2020.

Method

Medical records were screened for signs and symptoms of complicated UTIs, antibiotic prescriptions, and referrals. Treatment failure was defined as prescription of a different antibiotic within 30 days after initiation of antibiotic therapy and/or acute hospital referral. The effects of age and comorbidities on failure were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Most UTI episodes in males were uncomplicated (n = 6805/10 055 episodes, 68%). Nitrofurantoin  was prescribed in 3788 (56%) of uncomplicated UTIs, followed by ciprofloxacin (n= 1887,  28%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (n= 470,  7%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (n= 285, 4%). Antibiotic failure occurred in  25% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 23 to 26), 10% (95% CI = 9 to 12), 20% (95% CI = 16 to 24), and 14% (95% CI = 10 to 19) of episodes, respectively. The nitrofurantoin failure fraction increased with age. Comorbidities, adjusted for age, were not associated with nitrofurantoin failure.

Conclusion

Nitrofurantoin failure was common in males with uncomplicated UTI and increased with age.