bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pharmacist-Led Telemedicine Disease Management Based on Mobile Application for Elderly Patients with Hypertension: A Self-Controlled Case Series Study
Authors: Li Quanzhi , Yang Lijuan , Zheng Tingting , Han Shuang , Yang Shuo , Lin Ping , Liang Jianhua , Zhang Tianjing , Liu Sitong , Zhang Wei , Zhen Jiancun
Published: October 2022

Background
Hypertension is a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases globally. Pharmacists can help patients with hypertension to reduce blood pressure (BP) with telemedicine technology. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a new pharmacist-led telemedicine disease management model based on mobile application for elderly hypertensive patients.
Methods
Elderly patients aged 60–85 years old, diagnosed with hypertension, and taking at least five medications were enrolled in a pharmacist-led telemedicine disease management program for six months, during which patient transmitted BP and blood glucose (BG) to pharmacist via a new telemedicine system, and pharmacists provided interventions such as monitoring indicators, medication therapy management (MTM), medication consultation, and measured HbA1c and blood lipid of patients every three months. If necessary, pharmacists also communicated with community physicians about patients’ medications adjustment plan.
Results
After the six-month intervention, systolic blood pressure (132.30 ± 9.88 vs 134.54 ± 15.59, p = 0.013), LDL-C (1.85 ± 0.77 vs 2.09 ± 0.85, p = 0.001), and HbA1c (6.59 ± 0.98 vs 6.91 ± 1.17, p = 0.009) showed significant reductions in all patients. Moreover, BP control rates (80% vs 63%, p < 0.001) and LDL-C control rates (82% vs 71%,p = 0.002) showed significant improvements, comparing against the baseline. 99.3% patients selected 5 points for satisfaction scores.
Conclusions
This study showed that disease management for elderly patients provided via telemedicine by pharmacists could effectively improve patients’ clinical outcomes such as BP, BG, and blood lipids, and all patients were satisfied with this new telemedicine disease management model. The pharmacist-led telemedicine disease management for elderly patients is feasible.
Trial registration:
ChiCTR, ChiCTR2000033095.Registered on 20 May 2020.
The Spatial Effect of Green Finance on PM2.5 ——Analysis of Mediating Effect Based on Technological Innovation
Authors: Cui Yiniu , Zhong Cheng , Wu Desheng , Cao Jianhong
Published: October 2022

This paper uses technological innovation as a mediating variable, based on 30 provincial panel data in China from 2011 to 2019, and uses the spatial Durbin model to study the spatial effect of green finance on PM2.5. It is found that the development of green finance not only inhibits local PM2.5 emissions, but also drives the development of green finance in the surrounding areas through the spillover effect of green finance, thereby inhibiting PM2.5 emissions in the surrounding areas. Through empirical research, this paper also finds that technological innovation has a significant mediating effect on the reduction of PM2.5 by green finance. At the key stage of green transformation in China, green finance can optimize the allocation of financial resources and provide financial support for technological innovation of enterprises, thereby reducing energy consumption and pollution emissions through technological innovation and ultimately inhibiting PM2.5. This study links green finance and PM2.5 from the perspective of space, and explores the channels to improve air quality in China, which is conducive to accelerating the green transformation of China 's economy and improving the human living environment.
Coastal Dynamic Products Monitoring: Ratioing Strength and Weakness Analysis, ENVI Based Modelling
Authors: Trihatmoko Edy , Sartohadi Junun , Marfai Muh Aris , Pratiwi Elok Surya , Rietdijk Chantalle Elisabeth , Nugraha Satya Budi , Wongsokarto Misdianto , Aji Ananto , Annaufal Muhammad Hafizh , Yulianasari Dwi , Kusumawardani Rini
Published: October 2022

Studies on coastal area changes have attracted more studies over time. Monitoring highly dynamic coastal areas is effective using raster-to-vector modeling methods. This study aimed to demonstrate the ratioing method and evaluate other image-processing in simple raster analysis methods to analyze shoreline changes as coastal dynamics products. The most commonly used methods are change detection analysis, color mapping: density slice, Region of Interest (ROI), and ratioing. However, the existing methods are distinctive in assumptions, which reflect their suitability and effectiveness as the primary method for monitoring the coastal dynamics. As part of simple raster analysis, ratioing is deemed the most accurate in determining shoreline change. It shows clear pixel values with binary codes, i.e., “0” and “1” as sea or water body, and land or non-water, respectively. The lowest initial percentage of Digital Number at the first decline of the histogram is the key to minimize the error value in band ratio. This study thereby employed it to process the Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS and Landsat 5 TM images from 2011 until 2021 and identify the coastal dynamic in Kendal Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia. The results showed that throughout ten years’ sedimentation occurred dynamically in Kendal estuary from 0.84 km to 1.19 km, with average LRR of 6.99 m and 111.77 m for the highest rate.
α1A-Adrenoreceptor blockade attenuates myocardial infarction by modulating the integrin-linked kinase/TGF-β/Smad signaling pathways
Authors: Alrasheed Nawal M. , Alammari Raghad B. , Alshammari Tahani K. , Alamin Maha Abdulrahman , Alharbi Abeer O. , Alonazi Asma S. , Dayel Anfal F. Bin , Alrasheed Nouf M.
Published: October 2022

Background
The role of α1A-adrenoceptor inhibition or its relationship with integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)/small mothers against decapentaplegic (Smad) signaling pathways in attenuating myocardial infarction (MI) is unclear.
Objectives
To investigate whether tamsulosin, an α1A-adrenoceptor blocker, attenuates MI via modulation of an ILK-related TGFβ/Smad pathway.
Methods
Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats (150−250 g) were randomly divided into four groups: 1) control group, which received a 0.9% NaCl solution orally for 21 days; 2) tamsulosin-treated group, which received tamsulosin (0.8 mg/kg) for 21 days; 3) isoproterenol (ISO)-treated group, which received 0.9% NaCl for 21 days and ISO (150 mg/kg, ip) injected on days 20 and 21 to induce MI; and 4) tamsulosin + ISO group, treated with tamsulosin for 21 days followed by two ISO injections on two consecutive days. The heart/body weight ratios and cardiac and fibrotic biomarker levels were subsequently measured. ILK, TGF-β1, p-Smad2/3, and collagen III protein expression levels were determined using biomolecular methods.
Results
Tamsulosin significantly attenuated the relative heart-body index (p < 0.5) and creatine kinase (CK)-MB levels (p < 0.01) compared to the ISO control group. While ISO produced superoxide anions and enhanced oxidative damage, tamsulosin treatment significantly prevented this damage via antioxidant defenses, increasing glutathione and superoxide dismutase levels (p < 0.05) and decreasing lipid peroxide oxidation levels (p < 0.01). Data revealed that tamsulosin reduced expression of TGF-β/p-Smad2/3 and enhanced ILK expression.
Conclusion
Tamsulosin may exert a cardioprotective effect by modulating the ILK-related TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. Thus, tamsulosin may be a useful therapeutic approach for preventing MI.
Degradation of atrazine in river sediment by dielectric barrier discharge plasma (DBDP) combined with a persulfate (PS) oxidation system: Response surface methodology, degradation mechanisms and pathways
Authors: Lu Hongyu , Gao Wei , Deng Chengxun , Liu Xiaowei , Li Weiping , Yu Zhimin , Ding Haitao , Zhang Ling
Published: October 2022

Single degradation systems based on dielectric barrier discharge plasma (DBDP) or persulfate (PS) oxidation cannot achieve the desired goals (high degradation efficiency, high mineralization rate and low product toxicity) of degrading atrazine (ATZ) in river sediment. In this study, DBDP was combined with a PS oxidation system (DBDP/PS synergistic system) to degrade ATZ in river sediment. A Box–Behnken design (BBD) design including five factors (discharge voltage, air flow, initial concentration, oxidizer dose and activator dose) and three levels (-1, 0 and 1) was established to test a mathematical model by response surface methodology (RSM). The results confirmed that the degradation efficiency of ATZ in river sediment was 96.5% in the DBDP/PS synergistic system after 10 min of degradation. The experimental total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency results proved that 85.3% of ATZ is mineralized into CO2, H2O and NH4+, which effectively reduces the possible biological toxicity of the intermediate products. Active species (sulfate (SO4•−), hydroxy (•OH) and superoxide (•O2−) radicals) were found to exert positive effects in the DBDP/PS synergistic system and illustrated the degradation mechanism of ATZ. The ATZ degradation pathway, composed of 7 main intermediates, was clarified by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This study indicates that the DBDP/PS synergistic system is a highly efficient, environmentally friendly, novel method for the remediation of river sediment containing ATZ pollution.
Detecting symmetry fractionalization in gapped quantum spin liquids by magnetic impurities
Authors: Lu Shuangyuan , Lu Yuan-Ming
Published: October 2022

We study the Kondo effect of spin-1/2 magnetic impurities in gapped Z2 spin liquids on two-dimensional lattices. We find that if the impurity is placed at a high-symmetry location, a nontrivial spinon fractionalization class of the impurity site symmetry group will necessarily lead to a non-Kramers doublet in the Kondo screening regime, protected by associated crystalline symmetries. This is in sharp contrast to a featureless screening phase in the usual Kondo effect. We demonstrate this symmetry-protected topological degeneracy by an exactly solvable model and by the large-N theory. Based on this effect, we discuss how thermodynamic measurements in the limit of dilute magnetic impurities can be used to detect symmetry fractionalization in gapped Z2 spin liquids.
High Concentration Heightens Risk for Power Lithium-ion Battery Supply Chains Globally
Authors: Miao Youping , Liu Lili , Xu Kaihua , Li Jinhui
Published: October 2022

Global low-carbon contracts, along with the energy and environmental crises, have promoted the rapid development of the new-energy vehicle industry and encouraged the rapid development of the power battery industry. As the current first choice of power battery, lithium-ion batteries have overwhelming advantages. However, the explosive growth of the demand for power lithium-ion batteries is likely to cause crises such as resource shortages and supply-demand imbalances, hindering the future of the low-carbon world. This study adopts qualitative and quantitative research methods to comprehensively evaluate the global power lithium-ion battery supply and demand risks by analyzing the global material flow of these batteries. Based on data availability, we use qualitative research on the world reserves and mine production of critical raw materials and quantitative dynamic material flow analysis for the shipment, installation, and global consumption of the batteries. The results show that each process in the power lithium-ion battery industry is highly concentrated, but each within different countries or regions, creating significant risks for the raw material supply, battery shipping, and market demand sides. The comprehensive results show that the supply risk of power lithium-ion batteries is very high.
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 serves as a novel therapeutic target for acral melanoma
Authors: Tanaka Yuka , Ito Takamichi , Kaku-Ito Yumiko , Tanegashima Keiko , Tsuji Gaku , Kido-Nakahara Makiko , Oda Yoshinao , Nakahara Takeshi
Published: October 2022

Acral melanoma (AM) is a rare, life-threatening skin cancer. Since AM bears unique features, existing therapies for other types of malignant melanomas have limited effects and the establishment of effective treatments for AM is strongly desired. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is frequently elevated in tumors and contributes to tumor progression, so it is considered a promising therapeutic target for tumors. This study was established to evaluate the potential of HER3-targeted therapy to treat AM by investigating the expression and function of HER3 in AM. HER3 expression was immunohistochemically analyzed in AM lesions of 72 patients and the relationship between HER3 expression and patient survival was analyzed. HER3 was also measured in AM cell lines. To investigate its function, HER3 was inhibited by siRNA and its effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis/survival, anchorage-independent growth, and underlying signals were assessed. HER3 was expressed in patients’ AM tissues with various intensities. Disease-free survival was significantly shorter in HER3-positive patients than in HER3-negative ones. In vitro analyses revealed that HER3 is more highly expressed in AM cell lines than in normal epidermal melanocytes. AM cells were also shown to be sensitive to the cytotoxic part of a HER3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate. Inhibition of HER3 did not affect cell proliferation, whereas it decreased the anchorage-independent growth of AM cells. HER3 affects the nuclear translocation of Yes-associated protein (YAP) to regulate anchorage-independent growth. HER3 is expressed in AM and involved in regulating anchorage-independent growth of AM cells through YAP signaling. HER3 may thus serve as a novel therapeutic target for AM.
Variovorax durovernum nov. sp., a novel species isolated from an infected prosthetic aortic graft in a human
Authors: Alcolea-Medina Adela , Payne Lara , Snell Luke B , Alder Chris , Turnbull Jake D. , Charalampous Themoula , Bryan Lisa , Klein John L , Edgeworth Jonathan D , Batra Rahul , Goodman Anna L
Published: October 2022

Variovorax durovernum nov. sp.was isolated from an infected, prosthetic endovascular graft explanted from a shepherd. Variovorax durovernum nov.sp. was isolated from blood agar, chocolate and MacConkey agar incubated at 37°C in an aerobic environment after 48h of incubation. Variovorax durovernum nov sp. is an aerobic, Gram-negative, motile, curved rod. Whole genome sequence (WGS) and targeted 16S sequencing was performed to retrieve nucleotide sequences representing the 16S rRNA gene of the isolate. The 16S gene were compared with all available Variovorax species.The 16S rRNA gene of Variovorax isolates differed by a minimum of 6 SNPs (99.6% identity) for V. paradoxus and 7 SNPs for V. boronicumulans (99.5%). The phylogeny of 16S gene placed Variovorax durovernum nov.sp. in a monophyletic cluster with closest relative being V. boronicumulans. The fatty acid profile consisted of 10:0 3OH (9.90%), Sum In Feature 3 (16:1 ω7c/16:1 ω6c - 16.36%), 16:0 (24.23%), 17:0 cyclo (13,35%), and Sum in Feature 8 (18:1 ω7c, 18:1 ω6c).In silico DNA-DNA hybridisation between the isolate and other Variovorax species was estimated at 32.1% for V. boronicumulans and 31.9% for V. paradoxus. Based on these results, Variovorax durovernum nov. sp. was designated as a novel species within the Variovorax genus, identified as the first case of human pathology caused by any Variovorax sp.
Investigation of Expression Levels of Transcription Factor Genes in Native Sheep Breeds of Turkey
Authors: ARSLAN Korhan , Daldaban Fadime , Bayram Davut , Sohel Mahmodul Hasan , Akyüz Bilal , Çınar Mehmet Ulaş
Published: October 2022

This study, it was aimed to investigate the expression levels of transcription factor (TF) genes (MYF6, MYOD1, MYF5, MYOG) and proteins associated with muscle growth in the longissimus dorsi (LD) and gluteal (GL) muscles in sheep. For this purpose, two fat-tailed sheep breeds (Akkaraman (n = 10), İvesi (n = 10)) and two thin-tailed sheep breeds (Kivircik (n = 10) and Karayaka (n = 10)) from Turkey's native sheep breeds were examined. The expression level of RNAs and proteins isolated from fresh tissues and MYF6, MYOD1, MYF5, MYOG proteins were analyzed. As a result of the statistical analysis, in the LD tissue, respectively, MYOG and MYF5 genes in the Karayaka sheep breed; MYOD1 gene in Akkaraman sheep breed; MYF5 gene in Awassi sheep breed were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). In GL tissue, respectively, MYOG and MYF6 genes in Akkaraman sheep breed; MYOD1 gene in Karayaka sheep breed; MYF6 gene in Akkaraman and Awassi sheep breed were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). In the present study, it was found that the MYOG (fold change 6.87) and MYOD1 (fold change 15.41) genes were upregulated in the GL muscle of the fat-tailed Akkaraman sheep breed. In addition, in the thin-tailed Karayaka sheep breed, down-regulation of MYOD1 (fold change − 0.22) gene in LD muscle and up-regulation of MYOD1 (fold change 6.67) gene in GL muscle was found. As a result, it can be considered that MYOG and MYOD1 genes as candidate genes in molecular selection studies for our fat-tailed and thin-tailed indigenous breeds in terms of muscle development.
Modeling minimum miscibility pressure using multiple mixing cells: Comparison of injection of gases enriched with Naphta, LPG, and NGL
Authors: Rashidi Mohammad Amin , Khademahmadi Mohammad Reza , Kazemzadeh Yousef , Riazi Masoud
Published: October 2022

The increase in oil production from hydrocarbon reservoirs has always been of interest due to the increase in global oil consumption. One of the effective and useful methods for enhancing oil recovery from hydrocarbon reservoirs is gas injection. Injectable gas can be injected into two modes of miscible and immiscible, but in order to inject more efficiently and efficiently, different factors, including Minimum Miscibility Pressure (MMP) in the gas near-miscible injection mode should be investigated and determined. In order to investigate the minimum miscible pressure, different laboratory and simulation methods have been prepared and developed. In this method, the theory of multiple mixing cells is used to simulate, calculate and compare the minimum miscible pressure in gas injection enriched with Naptha, LPG, and NGL. Also vaporizing and condensing process is also considered in the simulation. The constructed model is presented with a new algorithm. This modeling has been validated and compared with laboratory results. The results showed that dry gas enriched by NAFTA due to having more intermediate compounds at lower pressure (16 MPa) is miscible. In addition, dry gas, due to very light compounds needs higher pressures (20 MPa) than all enriched gases for miscibility. Therefore, to enrich gas, Naptha can be a good option for injecting rich gas into oil reservoirs.
Multinuclear 1D & 2D NMR with 19F-Photo-CIDNP hyperpolarization in a microfluidic chip with broadband microcoil
Authors: Gomez M. Victoria , Baas Sander , Velders Aldrik H
Published: October 2022

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most powerful molecular characterization and quantification techniques available today, yet two major persistent factors limit more wide-spread applications of NMR: the poor sensitivity, and the intricate complex and expensive hardware required for sophisticated NMR experiments. We present a microfluidic NMR-chip in which the 25 nL detection volume can be efficiently illuminated with laser-diode light that enhances the sensitivity by orders of magnitude via the photo-CIDNP hyperpolarization principle, allowing rapid detection of samples in the lower picomole range. The chip is further equipped with a single planar microcoil operating in broadband mode that allows different Larmor frequencies to be addressed simultaneously, permitting advanced hetero-, di- and trinuclear, 1D and 2D NMR experiments. The NMR chips with photo CIDNP and broadband capabilities address two of the major limiting factors of NMR, by enhancing sensitivity as well as reducing cost and hardware complexity, and the performance is compared to state-of-the-art instruments.
Estimating household contact matrices structure from easily collectable metadata
Authors: Dall'Amico Lorenzo , Kleynhans Jackie , Gauvin Laetitia , Tizzoni Michele , Makhasi Mvuyo , Wolter Nicole , Language Brigitte , Wagner Ryan , Cohen Cheryl , Tempia Stefano , Cattuto Ciro
Published: October 2022

The ability of developing accurate models plays a pivotal role in understanding infectious diseases dynamics and designing effective measures for epidemic mitigation. Contact matrices are of crucial importance to quantify the interaction between age groups, but their estimation is a rather time and effort consuming task. In this article we show that they can reliably be estimated combining a context-independent model with easily collectable data, such as co-presence and an age activity parameter. The proposed model is tested on high resolution proximity data collected in a rural and an urban village in South Africa. Given its simplicity and interpretability, we expect our method to be easily applied to other contexts as well and we identify relevant questions that need to be addressed during the data collection procedure.
Designing Planar Frequency Diverse Arrays in Space-Frequency Domain
Authors: Hasheminasab Maryam , Cheldavi Ahmed , Kishk Ahmed
Published: October 2022

Antenna arrays benefit from spatial diversity, which allows controlling the pattern specifications in space. Adding frequency diversity to the arrays initiates opportunity to control the beams in the Space-Time domain. Frequency Diverse Array (FDA) has a Range-Angle dependent pattern; therefore, the array's spatial and time behavior should be designed simultaneously for optimum performance. Due to the lack of simple array factor formulations for non-regular configurations, array geometry design has not been the primary concern in many current studies. Due to coherency between frequency and spatial distribution in FDAs, the spatial and time behavior of the pattern is correlated. Frequency diversity of the FDA leads to time-variant beam in steering and auto-scanning beam in CW applications. The present study in addition of SLL discusses two important scanning array parameters; the pattern periodicity and stability in each scan round. In this study using some symmetry rules, a straightforward formulation for the array factor is obtained and used to achieve a stable and periodic scanning beam, suggesting a novel joint space-frequency allocation scheme for the FDA. The approach allows the location and frequency of elements to be designed in the frequency-space plane that minimizes the error function, which is defined based on the time and spatial behavior of the array. Using these concepts, two arrays are designed, and their results are compared with other planar configurations. This study paves the way for a new approach to design FDAs.
Goodness-of-fit two-phase sampling designs for time-to-event outcomes: a simulation study based on New York University Women’s Health Study for breast cancer
Authors: Lee Myeonggyun , Chen Jinbo , Zeleniuch-Jacquotte Anne , Liu Mengling
Published: October 2022

Background
Sub-cohort sampling designs such as a case-cohort study play a key role in studying biomarker-disease associations due to their cost effectiveness. Time-to-event outcome is often the focus in cohort studies, and the research goal is to assess the association between the event risk and risk factors. In this paper, we propose a novel goodness-of-fit two-phase sampling design for time-to-event outcomes when some covariates (e.g., biomarkers) can only be measured on a subgroup of study subjects.
Methods
Assuming that an external model, which can be the well-established risk models such as the Gail model for breast cancer, Gleason score for prostate cancer, and Framingham risk models for heart diseases, or built from preliminary data, is available to relate the outcome and complete covariates, we propose to oversample subjects with worse goodness-of-fit based on an external survival model and time-to-event. With the oversampled cases and controls, the inverse sampling probability weighting method is used to estimate the log hazard ratio of both incomplete and complete covariates. Based on real data, we conducted extensive simulations to evaluate the efficiency gain of our proposed GOF two-phase sampling designs over case-cohort study designs.
Results
Through extensive simulations based on a dataset from the New York University Women’s Health Study, we showed that the proposed GOF two-phase sampling designs were unbiased and generally had higher efficiency compared to the standard case-cohort study designs.
Conclusion
In cohort studies with rare outcomes, an important design question is how to select informative subjects to reduce sampling costs while maintaining statistical efficiency. Our proposed goodness-of-fit two-phase design provides efficient alternatives to standard case-cohort designs for assessing the association between time-to-event outcome and risk factors. This method is conveniently implemented in standard software.
Effects of living patterns on duration sleep and mental health status of elderly people
Authors: xian xiaobing , Ye Mengliang
Published: October 2022

Background
As the global population is aging, China has also entered an aging society at this stage. Numerous studies have shown that sleep disorders and mental health problems are more serious in the elderly compared to adults. This study aims to explore the effects of living patterns on the sleep duration and mental health status of older adults in China.
Methods
A total of 5,899 participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2018 baseline study were included in this study. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 25.0, and logistic regression models were used to analyze the effects of two living patterns, living with and without children, on sleep duration, and mental health of older adults.
Results
This study shows not living with children were significant for napping 31–60 min/day and > 60 min/day (OR = 1.137,P < 0.05; OR = 1.185,P < 0.05), indicating that most older adults can get longer naps without living with children. The findings of short sleep (< 7h/day) were significant when not living with children (OR = 0.896, P < 0.05). Different living patterns were positively correlated with depressive symptoms (OR = 1.139, P < 0.05), indicating that compared with "not living with children", "living with children" had a lower depression score and was less likely to acquire depressive symptoms; Not significant in happiness, life satisfaction, no correlation can be drawn.
Conclusions
Living patterns were significantly associated with sleep duration, mental health status of Chinese older adults.
Equivalent running leg lengths require prosthetic legs to be longer than biological legs during standing
Authors: Zhang-Lea Janet H. , Tacca Joshua R. , Beck Owen N. , Taboga Paolo , Grabowski Alena
Published: October 2022

We aimed to determine a method for prescribing a standing prosthetic leg length (ProsL) that results in an equivalent running biological leg length (BioL) for athletes with unilateral and bilateral transtibial amputations (UTTA and BTTA, respectively). We measured standing leg length of ten non-amputee (NA) athletes, ten athletes with UTTA, and five athletes with BTTA. All athletes performed treadmill running trials from 3 m/s to their maximum speed. We calculated standing and running BioL and ProsL lengths and assessed the running-to-standing leg length ratio (Lratio) at three instances during ground contact: touchdown, mid-stance, and take-off. Athletes with UTTA had 2.4 cm longer standing ProsL than BioL length (p = 0.030), but up to 3.3 cm and 4.1 cm shorter ProsL than BioL length at touchdown and mid-stance, respectively, at speed 3-11.5 m/s. At touchdown, mid-stance, and take-off, athletes with BTTA had 0.01–0.05 lower Lratio at 3 m/s (p < 0.001) and 0.03–0.07 lower Lratio at 10 m/s (p < 0.001) in their ProsL compared to the BioL of NA athletes. During running, ProsL were consistently shorter than BioL. To achieve equivalent running leg lengths at touchdown and take-off, athletes with UTTA should set their running-specific prosthesis height so that their standing ProsL length is 2.8–4.5% longer than their BioL length, and athletes with BTTA should set their running-specific prosthesis height so that their standing ProsL lengths are at least 2.1–3.9% longer than their presumed BioL length. Setting ProsL length to match presumed biological dimensions during standing results in shorter legs during running.
Symplectic Encoders for Physics-Constrained Variational Dynamics Inference
Authors: Bacsa Kiran , Lai Zhilu , Liu Wei , Chatzi Eleni , Todd Michael
Published: October 2022

We propose a new variational autoencoder (VAE) with physical constraints capable of learning the dynamics of Multiple Degreeof Freedom (MDOF) dynamic systems. Standard variational autoencoders place greater emphasis on compression thaninterpretability regarding the learned latent space. We propose a new type of encoder, based on the recently developedHamiltonian Neural Networks, to impose symplectic constraints on the inferred a posteriori distribution. In addition to deliveringrobust trajectory predictions under noisy conditions, our model is capable of learning an energy-preserving latent representationof the system. This offers new perspectives for the application of physics-informed neural networks on engineering problemslinked to dynamics.
Inhibition of proliferation of human osteosarcoma cell line (MG63) by ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi L.) plant extract
Authors: Anusha Bande , Darshan V. M Datta , Andallu Bondada
Published: October 2022

Trachyspermum ammi L. (TA), popularly called ajwain, is a well-known spice plant, fruit pods that are used in Indian traditional medicine. Fruits of this plant were scientifically investigated for medicinal properties, but no studies are reported on the vegetative parts of the plant. Hence, the present investigation is aimed to evaluate the aerial parts of TA plant for anti-proliferative and antioxidant effects. Methanolic extract (Me) of TA was subjected to sequential fractionation using the solvents in the increasing order of polarity viz. hexane (He), dichloromethane (Dcm), ethyl acetate (Ea), n-butanol (n-Bu), and water (Aq). Phytochemical analyses, DPPH radical scavenging assay, and in vitro antiproliferative activity on the MG63 osteosarcoma cell line (MTT assay) were performed. Preliminary phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of reducing, non-reducing sugars, amino acids, tannins, phenols, terpenoids, and saponins. Ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest amount of total phenolics (367.9 ± 0.02), followed by n-Bu (287.5 ± 0.04), Dcm (193.56 ± 0.07), Me extract (190.14 ± 0.07), Aq (142.2 ± 0.02) and He (80.74 ± 0.01) fractions. Ethyl acetate fraction exhibited higher DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 116.74 µg/ml) followed by n-Bu (IC50 = 133.81 µg/ml) fraction with a significant correlation to the higher amount of phenolics and flavonoids. However, maximum antiproliferative activity was exhibited by hexane fraction on MG 63 human osteosarcoma cell line which can be attributed to the presence of thymol, a monoterpenoid phenol present in ajwain. The current study indicates that the aerial parts of Trachyspermum ammi Linn. can be considered as potential antioxidants and therapeutic against osteosarcoma.
Across their range, Common Ravens (Corvus corax) are quite precise when replying contact calls
Authors: Keegan Mark
Published: October 2022

An essential signal for social animals is to establish presence or absence of conspecifics. This investigation looked for instances of the Common Raven contact call "aww" [ɒ:] being answered by one or more other ravens at a distance. The data was gleaned from the entirety of raven recordings -- 5435 recordings, mostly audio, but also audio with video -- held by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library, from 1954 Manitoba to 2022 Morocco. The main finding was ravens sent from 1 to 6 “aww”, and replying ravens tended, to a statistically significant degree, to match this number. This precision suggests not only a strong awareness of quantity of sounds, but the raven's awareness of the minds of its fellow ravens.
The complete mitochondrial genome of Wellcomia compar (Spirurina: Oxyuridae) and its genome characterization and phylogenetic analysis
Authors: Huo Chunmao , Bao Fengyun , Long Hong , Qin Tingyang , Zhang Shibin
Published: October 2022

Wellcomia compar (Spirurina: Oxyuridae) is a pinworm which parasitizes in the caecum and colon of animals, and it`s host is mainly porcupines. Despite the importance of pinworms as a pathogen, there is still little knowledge about this pinworm. Parasitic diseases are one of the main diseases that affect the growth and health of animals. Clarifying the species of parasites that animals are infected with is an important reference value for the control of parasitic diseases. This study sequenced for the first time the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of the pinworm Wellcomia compar that had been sampled from Chinese porcupines, then conducted phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated coding sequences (CDS) of 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs) by maximum likelihood (ML) and MrBayes inference (BI), to ascertain the taxonomic and phylogenetic information of W. compar. The complete mt genome (GenBank no. MW059037) is 14,373 bp in size and contains 36 genes, including 12 PCGs, 2 ribosomal RNA, and 22 transfer RNA genes. In addition to the 28 intergenic regions, there was only one non-coding region (NCR) and one overlapping region. The mt genes of Oxyuridomorpha were compared and found to be more similarly characterized in W. compar and Wellcomia siamensis. Furthermore, the phylogenetic tree indicated that W. comparformed a sister group with W. siamensis. This study reports from Chinese porcupine the first complete W. compar mt genome sequence, and provides genetic markers for investigating the taxonomy, population genetics, and phylogenetics of pinworms from different hosts, and has implications for the diagnosis, prevention, and control of parasitic diseases in porcupines and other animals.
The crystal structure of a simian Foamy Virus receptor binding domain provides clues about entry into host cells
Authors: Fernández Ignacio , Dynesen Lasse Toftdal , Coquin Youna , Pederzoli Riccardo , Brun Delphine , Haouz Ahmed , Gessain Antoine , Rey Félix , Buseyne Florence , Backovic Marija
Published: October 2022

The surface envelope glycoprotein (Env) of all retroviruses mediates virus binding to cells and fusion of the viral and cellular membranes. A structure-function relationship for the HIV Env that belongs to the Orthoretrovirus subfamily has been well established. Structural information is however largely missing for the Env of Foamy viruses (FVs), the second retroviral subfamily. FV Envs lack sequence similarity with their HIV counterpart. We present the X-ray structure of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of a simian FV Env at 2.6 Å resolution, revealing two subdomains and an unprecedented fold. We have generated a model for the organization of the RBDs within the trimeric Env which indicates that the upper subdomain is important for stabilization of the full-length Env, and have demonstrated that residues K342, R343, R359 and R369 in the lower subdomain play key roles in the interaction of the RBD and viral particles with heparan sulfate.
Evaluation of the efficacy of aspirin combined with low doses of clopidogrel in the treatment of symptomatic intracranial artery stenosis in the elderly
Authors: Song Haixia , Zhang Bin , Liu Shan , Shi Zhichao , Wang Ziyun , Lu Haili , Yao Jie , Chen Juan
Published: October 2022

Background
Symptomatic intracranial artery stenosis (ICAS) is a significant worldwide economic and great threat to public health. Currently, little is known about the accurate status of the efficient and tolerable dose of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) as the mainstay treatment for ICAS. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of aspirin plus clopidogrel in small doses for the treatment of symptomatic ICAS in the elderly.
Methods
This research included 142 older adults with symptomatic ICAS who were enrolled between April 2013 and April 2018. They were split into two groups: 73 patients in the lower dose group who received 75 mg of aspirin daily and 50 mg of clopidogrel daily, and 69 patients in the usual group who received 100 mg of aspirin daily and 75 mg of clopidogrel daily.
Results
Ages of 142 patients ranged from 60 to 81, with a mean of 70.9 ± 6.4. 58 participants were with IS and 84 were with TIA. A total of 132 patients were followed up. The low-dose group had a lower recurrence risk of ischemic stroke (IS) or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) than the conventional group at 1-year and 2-year follow-up, as well as a reduced frequency of adverse events and gastrointestinal injury (P < 0.05). Furthermore, after the 1-year follow-up, patients with severe symptomatic ICAS had a greater recurrence risk of IS and TIA than patients with mild symptomatic ICAS in both groups (P > 0.05).
Conclusion
The efficacy and safety of low-dose aspirin combined with clopidogrel were significantly better than those of ordinary dose within 24 months in elderly patients with symptomatic ICAS. However, the small size of this study limits the validity of the results.
How do healthcare providers use national audit data for improvement?
Authors: Antonacci Grazia , Whitney Julie , Harris Matthew , Reed Julie E.
Published: October 2022

Background:
Substantial resources are invested by Health Departments worldwide in introducing National Clinical Audits (NCAs). Yet, there is variable evidence on the NCAs’ effectiveness and little is known on factors underlying the successful use of NACs to improve local practice.
This study explores: (i) features of NCA reports, local feedback characteristics and actions undertaken following the feedback underpinning the effective use of NCA feedback to improve local practice; (ii) observed changes in local practice following the NCA feedback in England and Wales.
Methods:
Front-line staff perspectives on a single NCA (the National Audit of Inpatient Falls -NAIF 2017) were gathered through interviews. An inductive qualitative approach was used. Eighteen participants were purposefully sampled from 7 of the 85 participating hospitals in England and Wales. Analysis was guided by constant comparative techniques.
Results:
Regarding the NAIF annual report, interviewees valued performance benchmarking with other hospitals, the use of visual representations and the inclusion of case studies and recommendations. Participants agreed that feedback should target front-line healthcare professionals, be straightforward and focused, and be delivered through an encouraging and honest discussion. Interviewees highlighted the value of using other relevant data sources alongside NAIF feedback and the importance of continuous data monitoring. Participants believed that engagement of front-line staff in the audit and following improvement activities was critical. Leadership, ownership, management support and communication at different organisational levels were perceived as enablers, while staffing level and turnover, and poor quality improvement (QI) skills, were perceived as barriers to improvement. Observed changes in practice included increased awareness and attention to patient safety issues and greater involvement of patients and staff in falls prevention activities.
Conclusions:
There is scope to improve the use of NCAs by front-line staff. NCAs should not be seen as isolated interventions but should be fully embedded and integrated into the QI strategic and operational plans of NHS trusts.
The use of NCAs could be optimised, but knowledge of them is poor and distributed unevenly across different disciplines. More research is needed to provide guidance on key elements to consider throughout the whole improvement process at different organisational levels.
Risk Assessment for Artificial Intelligence Applications in Manufacturing
Authors: Jaekel Frank-Walter , Nieto Maria Teresa Alvela , Scholz Julia-Anne , Bode Dennis
Published: October 2022

This paper proposes an approach for assessing the risk associated with the deployment of models based on artificial intelligence methods in manufacturing environments. A technique for defining deployment scenarios, identifying perturbations of the models in the training and deployment phase under particular conditions, and an estimation of the damage associated with the model output is developed. As a result, measures for minimizing the risks are assessed under consideration of the likelihoods. For validation purposes, two real manufacturing scenarios are defined, and possible errors of their existing models are weighted by their likelihood, allowing consistent risk assessment across various manufacturing domains. In particular, the robustness of two artificial-intelligence-based models to changing industrial environments and fluctuating product properties are assessed.
Bifunctional integration of La-Ni diatomic sites with optical and catalytical activity for efficient CO2 photoreduction
Authors: Zhou Min , Wang Zhiqing , Mei Aohan , Yang Zifan , Chen Wen , Ou Siyong , Qi Kun , Ma Jingyuan , Wang Shengyao , Chen Keqiang , Reiss Peter , Liu Yueli
Published: October 2022

Dual-atom catalysts possess a significant potential for promoting CO2 photoreduction to lucrative solar fuels. However, the precise construction of the diatomic sites that simultaneously foster light absorption and catalytic activity is a formidable challenge, as both processes follow distinct pathways in the photocatalyst. Herein, a facile electrostatic-driven self-assembling approach is employed to realize a bifunctional architecture of a diatomic LaNi-Phen (Phenanthroline)/covalent organic framework (COF-5) photocatalyst. The La site acts as an optically active center for the photoinduced generation of carriers, while the Ni site serves as the catalytically active center for highly selective CO2-to-CO reduction enabled by directional charge transfer via COF-5. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and in-situ characterization reveal the efficient synergistic effect of the La-Ni double-atomic sites, leading to decreased reaction energy barriers of *COOH intermediate and enhanced CO2-to-CO conversion. As a result, in the absence of any additional photosensitizers, a 15.2 times enhancement of the CO2 reduction rate (605.8 µmol·g− 1·h− 1) over that of pristine COF-5 colloid (39.9 µmol·g− 1·h− 1) and an improvement in CO selectivity to 98.2% are achieved. This work presents a novel strategy for integrating optically and catalytically active centers, which results in a diatomic synergy effect enabling high-performance photocatalytic CO2 reduction.
Environmental toxins and molar incisor hypo-mineralisation among children: A cohort study
Authors: Winkler James R. , Dixon Barbara L. , Singh Ishita , Soto Ray , Qiu Yuqing , Zhang Yue , Porucznik Christina A. , Stanford Joseph B.
Published: October 2022

Environmental toxins are known to have many impacts on growth and development in humans, starting in utero. Alterations in amelogenesis, caused by chemical and physical trauma that occur during the antenatal, perinatal and postnatal time periods, can result in developmental defects in deciduous and permanent tooth enamel. These defects can be clinically visible and result in a variety of morphological and functional problems in the dentition. Since enamel does not remodel after formation, it may be used as a permanent record of insults during organ development. A cohort of children from the Utah Children’s Project (N = 356) that had full phenotyping, comprehensive medical and family histories and available biospecimens were given extraoral and intraoral examinations. Standardized intraoral photographs were taken of the teeth and viewed by standardised examiners and the dental observations were recorded on a range of findings, including: tooth morphology, caries, restorations, colorations, attrition, erosion, fractures and hypomineralization. Perinatal maternal urine samples were assessed for the concentration of fluoride, phenols and phthalates, including bisphenol A (BPA). Pairwise statistical analyses were done to correlate the dental findings with one another and the presence of environment chemicals found in the urine samples. Hypomineralization was the most common finding and was strongly correlated with tooth attrition. The hypomineralization observed was consistent with molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) described in other human populations. In animal studies, BPA concentration has been correlated with increased levels of MIH. No significant correlations were seen between dental findings and the presence of environmental chemicals in prenatal urine, but the number of samples available for the assessment was limited (n = 35).
Developing a plant-based yoghurt recipe that has the same high-quality characteristics as conventional yoghurt
Authors: Adeyanju Adeyemi Ayotunde , Adejuyitan Johnson A. , Ogunsimiro Oluwabukola , Adebowale Olalekan J. , Akinsanola Bolanle
Published: October 2022

Interest in using plant-based milk to make yoghurt has increased in recent times due to the prevalence of lactose intolerance and the exorbitant cost of importing milk in the majority of sub-Saharan African nations. In this study, the qualitative characteristics of yoghurt made from tigernut, soybean, and powder milks were examined and compared with yoghurt made from whole powder milk (cow milk) as the control. Tigernut, soybean, and powder milk were used to make five distinct milk formulations, which were subsequently fermented with Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus to make yoghurt. The yoghurt samples' proximate composition, physicochemical characteristics, total phenolic content, radical-scavenging ability, and microbial loads as well as sensory attributes were assessed. The study showed that the proximate composition and physicochemical properties of the yoghurt samples were within acceptable limits. The total phenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging capacity of the plant-based yoghurts were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than 100% powder milk yoghurt by 161–273% and 42–106%, respectively. The sensory attributes showed that while 100% powder milk yoghurt was the most preferred, plant-based yoghurt formulations were able to achieve good ratings in most of the measured qualities. Therefore, Soybean and tigernut milks can be utilized to make yoghurt with the same high-quality characteristics as conventional yoghurt.
Demonstration of solute-specific synergism in binary solvents
Authors: Ali Habib , Goswami Debabrata
Published: October 2022

The structure and solvation behaviour of binary liquid mixtures of Methanol (MeOH) and N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) are explored by ascertaining their intermolecular interactions with either Rhodamine-B (RhB) or Rhodamine101 (Rh101) dye through steady-state absorption, emission, and two-photon induced fluorescence. Specifically, in the present investigation, we examine the strong synergistic solvation observed for the combinations of hydrogen bond donating (MeOH) and accepting (DMF) solvent pairs. Solvatochromism causes the solvatochromic probe molecules to sense increased polarity compared to their bulk counterparts. The origin of synergism was explained in terms of solute-solvent and solvent-solvent interactions in binary solvent mixtures interactions, as evidenced by probe dependence. The solvation behaviour of the Methanol and DMF binary solvent mixture shows strong probe dependence, with Rh101 showing synergism while RhB does not.