bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Cost Reduction Potential of CCUS Cluster Projects in China: A Case Study
Authors: Liu Muxin , Zhang Yueze , Liang Xi
Published: March 2022

Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) have garnered extensive attention as a target of carbon neutrality in China. The development trend of international CCUS projects indicates that the cluster construction of CCUS projects is the main direction of future development. The cost reduction potential of CCUS cluster projects has become a significant issue for CCUS stakeholders. The Pearl River Mouth Basin, adjacent to Guangdong province, is a suitable region for CCUS cluster project construction. To assess the cost reduction potential of CCUS cluster projects, we selected three coal-fired power plants in the coastal area of Guangdong as research targets. We initially assessed the costs of building individual CCUS projects for each plant and subsequently designed a CCUS cluster project for these plants. By comparing individual costs and CCUS cluster project costs, we assessed the cost reduction potential of CCUS cluster projects. The results show that CCUS cluster projects can significantly reduce costs by sharing pipelines and storage facilities. Furthermore, we conducted a simulation for the scenario of a larger designed capture capacity for each plant. We found that as the capture scale increases, the cost reduction potential is higher in the future, considering large-scale CCUS cluster projects.
Unbalance Between Working Memory Task-Activation and Task-Deactivation Networks in Epilepsy: Simultaneous EEG-fMRI Study
Authors: Qin Yun , Jiang Sisi , Yang Lili , Yao Dezhong , Luo Cheng
Published: March 2022

Working memory (WM) is one cognitive function, involving emergent properties of theta oscillation and large-scale network interactions. The synchronization of WM task-related networks in brain enhanced working memory performance. However, how these networks regulated WM processing was not well known, and the alteration of the interaction among these networks may play an important role in the patients with cognitive dysfunction. In this study, we used simultaneous EEG-fMRI to examine the features of theta oscillation and the functional interactions among activation/deactivation networks during n-back WM task in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). The results showed that there was more enhancement of frontal theta power along with WM load increasing in IGE, and the theta power was positively correlated with the accuracy of the WM tasks. Moreover, fMRI activations/deactivations correlated with n-back tasks were estimated, and we found that IGE group had increased and widespread activations in high-load WM task, including frontoparietal activation network, and the task-related deactivation areas, such as the default mode network, primary visual and auditory networks. In addition, the result of network connectivity demonstrated decreased counteraction between activation network and deactivation network, and the counteraction was correlated with the higher theta power in IGE. These results indicated the important role of the interactions between activation and deactivation networks during WM process, and the unbalance among them may imply the pathophysiological mechanism of cognitive dysfunction in generalized epilepsy.
A Novel Method to Detect the Early Warning Signal of Covid-19 Transmission
Authors: Li Mingzhang , Ma Shuo , Liu Zhengrong
Published: March 2022

Background: Infectious illness outbreaks, particularly the corona-virus 19 pandemics in recent years, have wreaked havoc on human society, and the growing number of infected patients has put a strain on medical facilities. It’s necessary to forecast early warning signals of potential outbreaks of Covid-19, which would facilitate the health ministry to take some suitable control measures timely to prevent or slow the spread of Covid-19. However, since the intricacy of Covid-19 transmission, which connects biological and social systems, it is a difficult task to predict outbreaks of Covid-19 epidemics timely.Results: In this work, we developed a new model-free approach, called, the landscape network entropy based on Auto-Reservoir Neural Network (ARNN-LNE), for quantitative analysis of Covid-19 propagation, by mining dynamic information from regional networks and short-term high-dimensional time-series data. Through this approach, we successfully identified the early warning signals in six nations or areas based on historical data of Covid-19 infections.Conclusion: Based on the newly published data on new Covid-19 disease, the ARNN-LNE method can give early warning signals for the outbreak of Covid-19. It’s worth noting that ARNN-LNE only relies on small samples data, Thus, it has great application potential for monitoring outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Citric Acid Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as Contrast Agent for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Alzoubi F. Y. , Jabaly H. N. Al , Noqta O. A. Abu , Al-Khateeb H. M. , Alqadi M. K. , Bououdina Mohamed
Published: March 2022

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were synthesized at varying pH (8 to 12) then subsequently coated with citric acid by co-precipitation as potential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. The X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed that the structure of the as-synthesized powders is pure nanocrystalline magnetite Fe3O4 phase. FTIR analysis of citric acid-coated IONPs indicated the presence of peaks at 1357.70 and 1533.97 cm− 1, thus confirming the binding of citric acid on the surface of magnetite nanoparticles. Zeta potential measurements indicated that the citric acid-coated IONPs presents much-improved stability compared to bare IONPs; the Zeta potential absolute value is almost three times higher. Finally, citric acid-coated IONPs as a contrast agent for MRI clearly demonstrates their excellent ability to shorten T2 and T1 relaxation times by more than 94.7% and 67.9%, respectively. These results reveal that the citric acid-coated IONPs are excellent candidates for potential biomedical application primarily as MRI contrast agents.
Label-Free Proteome Profiling for Lymphatic Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Chen Baolin , Li Jiayang , Jiang Yan , Luo Chengmin , Bao Yuxiang , Li Taolang , Cheng Xiaoming , Lv Junyuan
Published: March 2022

As the most common malignant tumor, the incidence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has been significantly increased over the past few years. Approximately 30%-90% of patients with PTC present with cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM) at the time of initial diagnosis or follow-up, which has a serious impact on survival and prognosis. Six PTC N0 samples and six PTC N1b samples were collected. Proteins from the samples were analyzed by label-free quantitative proteomics. The bioinformatics of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) was annotated with bioinformatic tools. The protein expression levels of the hub genes were verified using the HPA databases. Finally, we used the GEPIA database to perform survival analysis for the hub genes. A total of 1407 proteins were quantified under highly stringent criteria with fold change ≥ 2.0 and P < 0.05, and 95 DEPs were significantly changed between groups. Identified from the Cytoscape, the top 10 hub genes included FN1、CFL1、LGALS3、ANXA1、TIMP1、TPI1、MAPK1、HSPA9、ACTR2 and S100A11. We determined the hub genes expression in thyroid normal and cancer tissues using the HPA database. The expression of FN1 and ANXA1were closely related to disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) prognosis in PTC patients based on GEPIA database. These results revealed the pathways and mechanisms of LNM in PTC, thus providing a new perspective for the study of PTC with LNM. Together, these hub genes may have some clinical value in diagnosing PTC patients with LNM.
Online Selection of a Physician by Patients: The Impression Formation Perspective
Authors: Huang Zhengwei , Duan Chen , Yang Yanni
Published: March 2022

Background: With the rapid development of online healthcare communities, an increasing number of physicians provide services in the online healthcare communities that enable patients to consult online. However, it is difficult for patients to determine the professional level of doctors before consultation and diagnosis because of information asymmetry. A wealth of information about physicians is displayed in their profile as a new means to help patients evaluate and select quickly and accurately. Objective: This research explores how the profile information presented in the online healthcare communities affects patients' impression formation, especially the perception of professional capital (i.e., status capital and decisional capital). The impression further affects their consultation intention, partially mediated by the initial trust. Toulmin’s model of argumentation is used to understand the strength of the argument presented in physicians’ homepage information and divide it into claim, data, and backing. Methods: This study conducts an internet experiment and recruits 386 subjects on the internet to explore the effect of impression formation on online selection behavior by a patient. Results: The results show that the strength of argument has a significant positive association with the perception of professional capital. Perceptions of professional capital are highest when a fully composed argument (claim/data/backing) is included in a profile, with claim/data being the next highest and claim only the lowest. Recommendations from connections have the strongest impact. The professional capital perception, in turn, influences patients’ selection decisions, which is partially mediated by initial trust.Conclusions: This study is of great significance to the implication for theory and practice. On the one hand, this research contributes to the online health community literature and suggests that the perception of professional capital on physicians be pre-presumed and built on the basis of the information before in-person interactive online. On the other hand, this study is helpful to understand the effect of various components included in the profile information on perceiving physicians’ ability, and not all information is of the same importance.
A Novel RAC2 Mutation Causing Combined Immunodeficiency
Authors: Zhang Liang , Lv Ge , Peng Yu , Yang Lu , Chen Junjie , An Yunfei , Zhang Zhiyong , Tang Xuemei , Li Zhihui , Zhao Xiaodong
Published: March 2022

Purpose
Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 2 (RAC2) acts as a molecular switch and has crucial roles in cell signaling and actin dynamics. A broad spectrum of genetic RAC2 mutations can cause various types of primary immunodeficiency, with complete penetrance. Here, we report a novel heterozygous missense mutation in RAC2 and the associated phenotypes in a Chinese family.
Methods
Immunological phenotype was detected by flow cytometry. T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and K-deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs) were assessed by real-time quantitative PCR. Gene mutations were detected by whole-exome sequencing (WES) and confirmed by Sanger sequencing.
Results
The proband was an 11-year-old girl who presented with recurrent respiratory infections, bronchiectasis, persistent Epstein-Barr virus viremia, infectious mononucleosis, encephalitis, and cutaneous human papillomavirus infections. Laboratory analyses revealed increased serum IgG and decreased IgM levels, reduced naïve CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, an inverted CD4+/CD8+ ratio, and low TREC and KREC numbers. WES identified a c.44G > A mutation in RAC2 resulting in a p.G15D substitution. The proband’s father suffered with recurrent respiratory infections and bronchiectasis, while her sister was apparently healthy, other than cutaneous human papillomavirus infections, despite both sharing the same mutation as the proband.
Conclusions
Our findings broaden the clinical and genetic spectra of RAC2 mutations and underline the importance of RAC2 gain-of-function mutations with complete or incomplete penetrance.
Natural Selection Under Conventional and Organic Cropping Systems Affect Root Architecture in Spring Barley
Authors: Siddiqui Md. Nurealam , Schneider Michael , Barbosa Marissa B. , Léon Jens , Ballvora Agim
Published: March 2022

A beneficial root system is crucial for efficient nutrient uptake and stress tolerance. Therefore, it is critically important to evaluate the root system variation for breeding crop plants towards stress adaptation. We phenotyped root architectural traits of naturally adapted populations from organic and conventional cropping systems under hydroponic and field trails. Long-term natural selection under these two cropping systems resulted a microevolution in root morphological and anatomical traits. Barley lines developed under organic system possessed longer roots with narrow root angle, larger surface area, increased root mass density, and a thinner root diameter with an increased number of metaxylem vessels. In contrast, lines adapted to the conventional system tend to have a shorter and wider root system which possess a larger root volume with thicker diameter, but has fewer metaxylem vessels. Allometry analysis established a relationship between root traits and plant size among barley genotypes, which specify that root angle could be a good candidate among studied root traits to determine root-borne shoot architecture. Further, multivariate analyses showed a strong tendency towards an increased variability of the root morphological and anatomical traits in the organically adapted population. Our data indicates a significant differences in root phenotypes between conventional and organic populations, which could be useful in comparative genomics and breeding.
The Role Of Mindfulness In Quality Of Life Of Persons With Spinal Cord Injury: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Bhattarai Muna , Smedema Susan , Hoyt William , Bishop Malachy
Published: March 2022

Background. Quality of life is considered the most overarching psychosocial adaptation outcome following the rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injury. Literature suggests that the quality of life of persons with spinal cord injury is determined by many personal and psychological factors. This study aimed to identify the direct and indirect effect of mindfulness on the quality of life of persons living with spinal cord injury. Methods. Participants consisted of 231 members of three spinal cord injury organizations in the United States: United Spinal Association, North American Spinal Cord Injury Consortium, and Paralyzed Veterans of America-Wisconsin Chapter. The participants completed a set of standardized self-report questionnaires in an online Qualtrics survey. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed to identify the contribution of mindfulness to quality of life, controlling for sociodemographic and injury-related factors. A serial mediation analysis was performed to examine the indirect effect of mindfulness on quality of life. Results. In the hierarchical regression analysis, sociodemographic and injury-related factors (i.e., age, gender, race, marital status, education, employment, level and completeness of injury, comorbidities, frequency of hospitalization, pain intensity, and functional limitation) and mindfulness explained 59% variance on quality of life of the participants with spinal cord injury. Mindfulness uniquely contributed to the higher quality of life above and beyond sociodemographic and injury-related variables. In the serial mediation analysis, pain and functional limitation did not significantly mediate the relationship between mindfulness and quality of life. However, the indirect effects of mindfulness on functional limitation and quality of life through pain were significant. Conclusion. The findings underscore the vital role of mindfulness in improving the quality of life of persons with spinal cord injury. Implications of these findings for future research and clinical practice are discussed.
Adapting A Dental Anxiety Measure To Consider Previous Dental Trauma And Provide Higher Quality Care
Authors: Tajirian Margaret , Juarez Benjamin , Martinez Tomas
Published: March 2022

Background: The aim of this study was to improve upon the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) by developing the empathy-based International-Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (I-MDAS). This measure was produced and utilized to compare the dental experiences and anxiety levels of international patients versus national patients in the United States. Methods: The I-MDAS is composed of the International scale and the original MDAS scale. Of 465 participants, 41.3% comprised the national population and 58.7% comprised the international population. Information about demographics, past negative dental experiences, and current dental anxiety was collected. Results: There was no significant difference in dental anxiety levels between the international and national populations. The new measure shows evidence of validity and reliability. There was a significant and positive relationship between the International scale items and the MDAS scale items, indicating the criterion validity of the I-MDAS. In comparison to the MDAS, content validity was also strengthened by expanding the inquired topics in the new measure. The Cronbach’s alpha values show that the I-MDAS is reliable for clinical applications. Further, there was a significant difference in I-MDAS scores for women compared to men and nonbinary groups.Conclusions: The I-MDAS improves upon the MDAS by providing dentists with a tool for encouraging empathy. Dental clinicians across nations can use the I-MDAS to provide more personalized dental care. Trial registration: Not applicable
Prevalence of Hospital Acquired Infection and Associated Factors Among Patients Admitted, at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital Getachew Melakie 1, Embialle Mengistie2, Tesfaye Ashenafi3, Busera Seman4 1′ 2’3 Hawassa University Dep
Authors: Melakie Getachew , Mengistie Embialle , Ashenafi Tesfaye , Seman Busera
Published: March 2022

Purpose: Hospital acquired infection (HAI) is an infection acquired a major global concern of wellbeing, affecting the quality of care in the health care setting. Routine surveillance of infection is an important part of infection prevention (IP) and quality assurance in hospitals. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of HAI at inpatients, in Hawassa university comprehensive specialized hospital (HUCSH). Method and materials: A weekly based cross-sectional study was conducted at inpatients in HUCSH. All eligible inpatients admitted for at least three days on the day of survey were included. The study was conducted from June 28/2021 to August 23/2021. Environmental health professionals and nurses collected the data according to the Centers for Disease Control through observational assessment documented by physician. Coded and cleaned data from Epi-data version 3.5 were transferred to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to determine the prevalence of HAIs and associations between independent and dependent variables. . Results: A total of 413 patients were included in this survey, the median age of the participants was 26 years (interquartile range:3 month to 80 years). A total of 352 (85.2%) patients diagnosed with non-fatal disease during the survey. There were 49 patients with HAI, with a mean prevalence of 11.9 %. Coagulate negative staphylococcus (CONS) 27.27%), and E. coli (27.27) were the most frequently reported HAI-causing pathogens from the result of culture. The association of patients admission diagnosis (admit with rapidly fatal disease and ultimately fatal disease), length of hospital stay (more than five days of hospital stay) and absence of running tap water at patients room with the occurrence of HAI were statistically significant. Conclusion: Surgical site infections (SSI) and blood stream infection (BSI) were the most common types of HAIs. The proportion of HAIs among wards, indicated a large variability. Therefore, Hospital management and health care workers (HCWs) should give more attention on the practice of infection prevention (IP) in order to achieve a reduced prevalence of HAIs in the study setting.
The dual neural influences of oxytocin administration in autistic youth: Socially-specific versus non-specific changes to brain activity during early stages of perception
Authors: Korisky Adi , Goldstein Abraham , Gordon Ilanit
Published: March 2022

Recent discoveries have highlighted the effects of oxytocin (OT) on social behavior and perception among autistic individuals. However, a gap persists in the literature regarding the potential effects of OT and the neural temporal dynamics due to OT administration. We explored the effect of OT on autistic individuals using magnetoencephalography (MEG), focusing on M100, M170, and M250, social perception-related components that tend to show atypical patterns in autistic individuals. Twenty-five autistic adolescents participated in this randomized, double-blind MEG study. Autistic individuals arrived at the lab twice and received an acute dose of intranasal OT or placebo in each session. During the scans, participants were asked to identify pictures of social and non-social stimuli. Additionally, 23 typically developing (TD) adolescents performed the same task in the MEG as a benchmark that allowed us to better charachterize neural regions-of-interest and behavioral results for this age-group in this task. A source-model beamformer analysis revealed that OT enhanced neural activity for social stimuli in frontal regions during M170. Additionally, in each of the preselected time windows, OT increased activation in the left hemisphere, regardless of the content of the presented stimuli. We suggest that OT increased the processing of social stimuli through two separate mechanisms. First, OT increased neural activity in a nonspecific manner, allowing increased allocation of attention toward the stimuli. Second, OT enhanced M170 activity in frontal regions only in response to social stimuli. These results reveal the temporal dynamics of the effects of OT on early stages of social and non-social perception in autistic adolescents.
Integrating Variant Functional Annotation Scores Have Varied Abilities To Improve Power Of Genome-Wide Association Studies
Authors: Gao Jianhui , Espin-Garcia Osvaldo , Paterson Andrew D. , Sun Lei
Published: March 2022

Functional annotations have the potential to increase power of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) by prioritizing variants according to their biological function, but this potential has not been well studied. We comprehensively evaluated all 1,132 traits in the UK Biobank whose SNP-heritability estimates were given "medium" or "high" labels by Neale’s lab. For each trait, we integrated GWAS summary statistics of close to 8 million common variants (minor allele frequency > 1%) with either their 75 individual functional scores or their meta-scores, using three different data-integration methods. Overall, the number of new genome-wide significant findings after data-integration increases as a trait SNP-heritability estimate increases. However, there is a trade-off between new findings and loss of baseline GWAS findings, resulting in similar total numbers of significant findings between using GWAS alone and integrating GWAS with functional scores, across all 1,132 traits analyzed and all three data-integration methods considered. Our findings suggest that, even with the current biobank-level sample size, more informative functional scores and/or new data-integration methods are needed to further improve power of GWAS of common variants.
Mapping the flat glass value-chain: A material flow analysis and energy balance of UK production
Authors: Hartwell Rebecca , Coult Graham , Overend Mauro
Published: March 2022

Glass is one of the UK’s eight energy-intensive industries. As such, it is under scrutiny to decouple growth in production from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The energy input associated with glass production can be reduced by using recycled glass (cullet) in new glass production, which enables lower furnace operating temperatures and reduces demand for primary raw materials. However, efficient systems for flat glass collection are yet to be established in the UK, resulting in a limited supply of cullet available for the flat glass markets and missed environmental opportunities. This study identifies the existing supply-chain inefficiencies of the UK glass industry in three stages. Firstly, the mass flows of materials within the three main glass sectors: container glass, flat glass and glass wool, are mapped from natural resource through to primary application and subsequent endof-life management based on a reference year of annual production figures. The map is presented in the form of a Sankey diagram which draws attention to several opportunities for increasing resource efficiency; namely in the stark contrast in glass collection rates between the flat and container glass industry. Using the collected data on the annual mass flows of materials in the UK flat glass sub-sector, the energy (MJ) and GHG emission (CO2-eq) saving potential of enhanced end-of-life collection methods are assessed, based on three alternative recovery scenarios. These scenarios consider the use of alternative distributions of recovered flat glass cullet in the three primary glass sub-sectors. The emission savings resulting from each recovery scenario is evaluated, based on the estimated tonnage yield of finished flat glass products. It is shown that together with improved manufacturing yield, the reutilization of end-of-life flat glass as cullet in new production could reduce the annual emissions of the UK flat glass value-chain by up to 18%. Finally we review the existing barriers to recycling different glass types based on acceptability criteria and available take-back infrastructure, and thus find that the advancement of improved recycling rates will rely on establishment of the business opportunity and/or supporting policy for efficient systems of flat glass collection.
Primary Healthcare meta-evaluation in Brazil: Lessons learned from the external assessment of the program to improve primary healthcare access and quality.
Authors: Barca Danila Augusta Accioly Varella , Rocha Paulo de Medeiros da , Martiniano Cláudia Santos , Melo Lygia Maria de Figueiredo , de Souza Marize Barros , Rocha Nadja de Sá Pinto Dantas , Junior Osvaldo de Góes Bay , Pinheiro Themis Xavier de Albuquerque , Coelho Ardigleusa Alves , Uchôa Severina Alice da Costa
Published: March 2022

Introduction: The Primary Healthcare Access and Quality Improvement Program (PMAQ-AB) implemented in 3 evaluation cycles (2011-2019) represents a turning point in the performance assessment of Primary Healthcare (PHC) in Brazil.Methods: A cumulative meta-evaluation of the PMAQ-AB External Assessment (Avaliação Externa do PMAQ-AB - AE/PMAQ-AB) using the qualitative Case Study method. The matrix of indicators was prepared based on the 4 principles of the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluations (utility, feasibility, propriety and accuracy) articulated to each of the 6 stages of the evaluation proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Triangulation of collection methods (document analysis, interview and focus group) and participants (managers, professionals and evaluators) and Bardin’s content analysis were implemented.Results: The “Involvement of Stakeholders” presented agreement in the instances of the Unified Health System, expanding adhesion of the municipalities in the cycles, credibility of the evaluator and conciliation by the federal government in the interests of certification of the municipalities and of research by the universities as strengths; while the absence of users in the decision-making processes of formulating and executing the program as a weakness. The “Program Description” was positive in the consistency of the AE/PMAQ-AB with the National Primary Care Policy/2011. The “Assessment Design” portrayed the Brazilian PHC and construction of comparable standards and certification criteria. The use of information technology, logistics and guidelines for training the interviewers gave the collection homogeneity, pointing to the usefulness and feasibility. The “Systematization and Analysis of Evidence” had the online validation systems, offer of micro data, availability of electronic reports to stakeholders as strengths, but there were weaknesses in the methodology transmission to municipal managers, incipient strategies of technical empowerment for interpreting and applying the results, in turn negatively impacting the “Justification of Conclusions” dimension. The utility of AE/PMAQ-AB prevailed in “Sharing Lessons Learned” for an assessment culture in management, services, and academia. Conclusion: The meta-evaluation presents a systemic view of the AE/PMAQ-AB, helping managers and professionals in the PHC assessment process. It raises awareness of user engagement in policy and program assessments, making them more plural, participatory and democratic.
Development and characterization of chitosan and beeswax coated biodegradable corn husk and sugarcane bagasse-based cellulose paper.
Authors: Bhardwaj Aastha , Sharma Nitya , Alam Tanweer , Sharma Vasudha , Sahu J.K. , Hamid Hinna , Bansal Vasudha , Alam sarwar
Published: March 2022

This research focuses on the development of paper from lignocellulosic agricultural wastes, viz., corn husk (CH), which is an underexplored material and sugarcane baggase (SB), in varying proportions, through soda pulping and enhancement of their functionalities through chitosan and chitosan-beeswax emulsion coatings. Fiber digestion conditions were as follows: 100°C (30 min); 100–162°C (90 min) and 162°C (90 min); followed by blowing, quenching and then refining of both treated CH and SB pulp to a Canadian Standard Freeness (CSF) of 400–450 mL. The handsheets of 80 GSM (grammage) were prepared as per the standard ISO-5269/1 and were tested for their mechanical and barrier properties as per standard methods of ISO. Handsheets developed from the blend of SB and CH (50:50) and SB fibers (100%) were found to have better mechanical strength (in terms of burst, tensile and tear strength) in comparison to CH fibers (100%). The effect of coatings on mechanical, water resistance, micro-structural, and biodegradable properties of the cellulose papers were also assessed. The chitosan coating significantly improved (p < 0.05) the mechanical properties of papers, the barrier properties against water vapor, moisture and air were also enhanced (up to 85%). Papers coated with beeswax–chitosan emulsion had the longest absorbency time, followed by chitosan-coated and uncoated papers. The results advocated for beeswax–chitosan emulsion as the best among the coatings tested, for aforementioned cellulose papers to enhance their barrier properties.
Spectral Efficiency Of QPSK In A Coherent WDM System With Component Crosstalk
Authors: Mukherjee Pinakpani , Sarkar Santu , Das Nikhil R.
Published: March 2022

This paper presents an analytical method to investigate the impact of component crosstalk on the spectral efficiency (SE) of generalized quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation format by computing its bit error rate (BER) over additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. For this purpose we consider a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) receiver system and the desired signal is coherently detected in presence of any arbitrary number of independent and identical (i.i.d.) crosstalk sources. The analysis exploits characteristic function method and examines the bandwidth expenses of the system while subjected to crosstalk sources. The theory is verified for single interferer case with the previous work reported in literature. The approach is useful for accurate and time-saving BER (thus SE) assessment and monitoring in the network/system, which can improve the reach and efficiency of the WDM system. It is observed from the result that crosstalk level and number of active interferers perform a vital role to determine the spectral efficiency of the system. In this context the study of the protection ratio i.e. the minimum crosstalk level required to obtain a fixed BER, is essential for any particular signal to noise ratio (SNR). The power budgeting of the network under component crosstalk is also discussed in terms of spectral efficiency and interference penalty.
Assessing Knowledge of First Aid Management of Burns Amongst Syrian Private University Students.
Authors: Alistwani Dima , Addin Rowida Alaa , Ammar Ali
Published: March 2022

Background:Burn related injuries (BRIs) are relatively common, mostly accidental, and highly preventable forms of injury. First aid management of BRIs can have a significant impact on the outcome and morbidity of these injuries, yet there seems to be an inadequacy in the knowledge related to burn management worldwide. Hence, our study aimed to delineate the level of knowledge and awareness of burn first aid treatment (BFAT) amongst undergraduate students, and the impact training courses had on that knowledge.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among students of the Syrian Private University using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of: socio-demographic characteristics and questions assessing their knowledge of first aid. The statistical study was conducted using SPSS software. The demographic characteristics were described, and the sample distribution was described according to the study variables that measure students' awareness of burns measures. The averages of the independent groups were also compared using parametric tests (T-Test Independent Samples, One way ANOVA).Results:The students obtained an average score (4.79, ±1.467) in knowledge of first aid burn treatment, as there was an insufficient degree of awareness among the participants. Gender, college, and parents' educational level were not statistically significant factors, whereas students with better economic level and students with higher school years and those who received training achieved higher mean scores of knowledge (P-value <0.05).Conclusions:The majority of students had insufficient general knowledge about first aid for burns, highlighting the need to incorporate this topic into the curriculum. In addition, awareness should be spread in the community through multimedia and formal training sessions, both of which are necessary to raise awareness and reduce the incidence of burn-related injuries.
Genomic Patterns of Divergence in the Early and Late Steps of Speciation of the Deep-Sea Vent Thermophilic Worms of the Genus Alvinella
Authors: Thomas–Bulle Camille , Bertrand Denis , Nagarajan Niranjan , Copley Richard , Corre Erwan , Hourdez Stéphane , Bonnivard Eric , Claridge-Chang Adam , Jollivet Didier
Published: March 2022

Background: The transient and fragmented nature of the deep-sea hydrothermal environment made of ridge subduction, plate collision and the emergence of new rifts is currently acting to the separation of vent populations, local adaptation and is likely to promote bursts of speciation and species specialization. The tube-dwelling worms Alvinella pompejana called the Pompeii worm and its sister species Alvinella caudata live syntopically on the hottest part of deep-sea hydrothermal chimneys along the East Pacific Rise. They are exposed to extreme thermal and chemical gradients, which vary greatly in space and time, and thus represent ideal candidates for understanding the evolutionary mechanisms at play in the vent fauna evolution. Results: In the present study, we explored genomic patterns of divergence in the early and late steps of speciation of these emblematic worms using transcriptome assemblies and the first draft genome to better understand the relative role of geographic isolation and habitat preference in their genome evolution. Analyses were conducted on allopatric populations of Alvinella pompejana (early stage of separation) and between A. pompejana and its syntopic species Alvinella caudata (late stage of speciation). We first identified divergent genomic regions and targets of selection as well as their position in the genome over collections of orthologous genes and, then, described the speciation dynamics by documenting the annotation of the most divergent and/or positively selected genes involved in the isolation process. Gene mapping clearly indicated that divergent genes associated with the early stage of speciation, although accounting for nearly 30% of genes, are highly scattered in the genome without any island of divergence and not involved in gamete recognition or mito-nuclear incompatibilities. By contrast, genomes of A. pompejana and A. caudata are clearly separated with nearly all genes (96%) exhibiting high divergence. This congealing effect however seems to be linked to habitat specialization and still allows positive selection on genes involved in gamete recognition, as a possible long-duration process of species reinforcement. Conclusion: Our analyses pointed out the non-negligible role of natural selection on both the early and late stages of speciation in the emblematic thermophilic worms living on the walls of deep-sea hydrothermal chimneys. They shed ligth on the evolution of gene divergence during the process of speciation and species specialization over a very long period of time.
The influence of Urbanisation on Phytodiversity and some edaphic properties in urban and peri-urban riverine fresh water wetlands of Bamenda Municipality
Authors: Azinwie Asongwe Godswill , Bame Irene B , Orock Ayuk , Tellen Valatine , Bumtu Pascal , Tening Aaron
Published: March 2022

AimsIn urban areas, human activities result to the discharge of a variety of chemical substances to the environment, playing a substantial role in soil quality, plant species diversity and human security. In order to suggest appropriate management strategies that ensures soil quality, their sustainable utilization and human security in the midst of urbanization, this study assesses the relationship between macrophyte diversity and some soil characteristics of wetlands in Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon at different stages of urbanization. It examines (i) macrophyte diversity and soil characteristics of wetlands adjacent urban and peri-urban areas. MethodsPlant communities were sampled for species composition and relative abundance, using the Braun-banquet method. Species richness was evaluated using the Simpson’s diversity index. Twenty-one soil samples (0 - 25 cm depth) were also randomly collected within the wetlands and analyzed for their physico-chemical characteristics using standard methods. The hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to group the area under managing units. ResultsFrom the results, 50 macrophytes species distributed in 28 families were documented in the area. The species observed were mostly emergent herbaceous plants (grasses) with only few shrubs and trees. The Simpson indices of diversity were 0.94 and 0.96 for the urban and control sites, respectively. The soils were slightly acidic. Sand, pH-H2O, pH-KCl, Na were consistently least variable across the three sites. Two significant clusters representing a combination of urban and peri urban/rural were formed from the hierarchical dendrograms for classification of the chemical variables for the surface soils wetlands with associations to plants species. The Mann-Whitney U test, revealed a significant lower (P <0.05) concentration of the chemical constituents of the control site and the urban sites indicating contamination.ConclusionIntensification and extension of urbanisation is reducing the diversity of the wetlands of the Bamenda municipality warranting monitoring.
Characterization of codon usage pattern and evolutionary changes of Human Enterovirus 71 in China
Authors: Chen Li , Sun Penghui , Jin Wangjie , Han Yanjiang , Huang Shun , Wang Meng
Published: March 2022

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a common etiological agent of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in children, which caused large outbreaks in mainland China in 2008. However, the genetic information of EV71 strains circulating in China is limited. Here, we performed a systematic evolutionary and codon usage bias analysis of EV71. The result shows that the overall extent of codon usage bias in EV71 is low (ENc = 56.696), and natural selection, mutation pressure, nucleotide compositions and host shape the codon usage patterns of EV71, with natural selection being more important than the others. We also found EV71 breaking out in large scale in 2008, the codon usage pattern of the virus isolated from China has change a lot compare the previous isolates, and after 2008, three different codon usage patterns were popularized in China. In the end, we've confirmed that C2 isolates has outbreak in China before 2000 through codon usage analysis for the first time. In conclusion, our results provide useful insights into the evolutionary relationships of EV 71.
Withdrawal of Inhaled Corticosteroids from COPD Patients with Mild or Moderate Airflow Limitation: Primary Care Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial Reveals High Prevalence of Suspected Undiagnosed Asthma
Authors: Harries Timothy H , Gilworth Gill , Corrigan Christopher J , Murphy Patrick B , Hart Nicholas , Thomas Mike , White Patrick
Published: March 2022

BackgroundInhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are frequently prescribedoutsideguidelines to COPD patients with mild or moderate airflow limitation and low exacerbation risk, despite little evidence of benefit and risk of adverse effects. This trial explored thefeasibilityof ICS withdrawalfrompatients with mild/moderate COPD in primary care.MethodsOpen, feasibility trial. Outcome measures included prevalence of suitable participants, sensitivity and specificity of their identification,their willingness to accept open randomisation to ICS withdrawal for up to 6 months or continuation with usual care.Results392 (13%) of 2967COPD patients from 20 practices (209,618 total population)identifiedas eligible for ICS withdrawalby algorithm electronic record search.Following individual record review, 243 (62%)deemedineligible because of (a)one severeor two moderate COPD exacerbations in previous year (86, 22%); (b)severe airflow limitation (65, 17%); (c) asthma (15, 4%); (d)other causes (77, 20%). Remainder (149)invited for assessment.61 attended and all agreed to randomisation to ICS withdrawal or usual care. At baseline assessment, 10 exhibitedairflow reversibility (forced expiratory volume (FEV)1 reversibility>12% and 200ml) which was a safety exclusion criterion, 2 had suffered ≥2 moderate exacerbations in prior year,7 had severe airflow limitation,2 had normal spirometry.40 were randomised.During ensuing 6 months, 1 patient died and another was lost to follow-up. 18 (45%) of the 38 (10 withdrawal, 8 usual care) exhibited previously undocumented FEV1variability consistent with asthma,supported bysignificant associations in ICS withdrawal group between FEV1 variability andelevated fractional exhaled nitric oxide (p=0.04), atopic history (p=0.01), elevated symptom score (p=0.04),poorerquality of life (p=0.04).ConclusionIdentifyingpatients with mild/moderate COPD suitable for ICS withdrawal was difficult because of poor recording of suitability criteria (undocumented exacerbations, unreliable lung function). Open, randomisation to ICS withdrawal or usual care was acceptableFollow-upretention at 6 months was excellent.Nearly 50% of participants with mild/moderate COPD and no previously recorded bronchodilator reversibility, demonstrated FEV1 variability during follow-up. In patients with mild/moderate COPD considered suitable for ICS withdrawal in primary care, surveillance of variability should be undertaken over at least 6 months. Trial registrationEudraCT Number: 2016-001876-31. Date registered: 5th August 2016.
Ultrafast Optical Control of Surface and Bulk Magnetism in Magnetic Topological Insulator/Antiferromagnet Heterostructure
Authors: Liu Peiwen , Eckberg Chris , Pan Lei , Zhang Peng , Wang Kang L. , Lüpke Gunter
Published: March 2022

Optical control of the magnetic properties in topological insulator systems is an important step in applying these materials in ultrafast optoelectronic and spintronic schemes. In this work, we report the experimental observation of photo-induced magnetization dynamics in the magnetically doped topological insulator (MTI)/antiferromagnet (AFM) heterostructure composed of Cr-(Bi,Sb)2Te3/CrSb. Through proximity coupling to the AFM layer, the MTI displays a dramatically enhanced magnetism, with robust perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. When subjected to intense laser irradiation, magnetism in the bulk of the MTI is strikingly weakened by laser-induced heating of the lattice, whereas the surface magnetism is enhanced due to the strengthening Dirac-hole-mediated exchange coupling as demonstrated by an unconventional pump-fluence-dependent exchange-bias effect. Through theoretical analyses, the sizes of exchange coupling energies are estimated in the MTI/AFM bilayer structure. The fundamentally different mechanisms supporting the surface and bulk magnetic order in MTIs allow a novel and distinctive photo-induced transient magnetic state with antiparallel spin configuration, which broadens the understanding of the magnetization dynamics of MTIs under ultrashort and intense optical excitation.
Compare the physicochemical properties of engineered polymer-functionalized silver nanoparticles and evaluate their biological properties against Porphyromonas gingivalis
Authors: zhang meng , Lo Edward CM.
Published: March 2022

Background: Nano silver (AgNPs) is a broad-spectrum antibacterial nanomaterial and many polymer-functionalized AgNPs (P-AgNPs) have been developed to optimize the biological properties of AgNPs and some possess good potential for commercial application. However, no horizontal study compares the differences in physicochemical and biological properties among various P-AgNPs, and provides evidence for the selection of polymer and optimization of AgNPs. Methods: Two AgNPs with similar nano-size but opposite surface charges were synthesized and functionalized by seven polymers. Their physicochemical properties were detected by UV-Vis, DLS, TEM and ICP-OES. Their biological properties against Porphyromonas gingivalis and human gingival fibroblast were investigated by MIC determination, time-dependent antibacterial assay, antibiofilm activity, and cell viability assay. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF), AgNO3 and metronidazole were used as the positive controls.Results: Comparative analysis found that there was no significant difference between P-AgNPs and AgNPs in nano-size and surface charge. For antibacterial property, in negatively charged AgNPs, only polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-functionalized AgNPs-1 showed significant lower MIC values than AgNPs-1 (0.79 vs 4.72 μg/ml). In positively charged AgNPs, the MIC values of all P-AgNPs (0.34-4.37 μg/ml) were lower than AgNPs-2 (13.89 μg/ml), especially the PVP- and Pluronic127-AgNPs-2 (1.75 and 0.34 μg/ml). For antibiofilm property, the PVP-AgNPs-1 (7.86 μg/ml, P=0.002) and all P-AgNPs-2 (3.425-31.14 μg/ml, P<0.001) showed great antibiofilm effect against Porphyromonas gingivalis biofilm at 5* to 10* MIC level. For cytotoxicity, all negatively charged AgNPs and PVP-AgNPs-2 showed no cytotoxicity at MIC level, but significant cytotoxicity was detected at 2.5*-10* MIC levels. Conclusions: Polymer functionalization only minimally alters the physical properties of AgNPs, but modifies their surface chemical property, which is closely related to their biological property. The antibacterial and antibiofilm properties and cytotoxicity of AgNPs can be significantly optimized to varying degrees by some polymer functionalization, especially using PVP. However, none of the AgNPs studied has low cytotoxicity at the antibiofilm concentration levels.