bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards gender-inclusive innovation: Assessing local conditions for agricultural targeting
Authors: Lopez Diana E. , Frelat Romain , Badstue Lone B.
Published: March 2022

The importance of gender norms in agricultural innovation processes has been recognized. However, the operational integration of these normative issues into the innovation strategies of agricultural interventions remains challenging. This article advances a replicable, integrative research approach that captures key local conditions to inform the design and targeting of gender-inclusive interventions. We focus on the gender climate across multiple contexts to add to the limited indicators available for assessing gender norms at scale. The notion of gender climate refers to the socially constituted rules that prescribe men’s and women’s behaviour in a specific geographic location—with some being more restrictive and others more relaxed. We examine the gender climate of 70 villages across 13 countries where agriculture is an important livelihood. Based on data from the GENNOVATE initiative we use multivariate methods to identify three principal components: ‘Gender Climate’, ‘Opportunity’ and ‘Connectivity’. Pairwise correlation and variance partitioning analyses investigate the linkages between components. Our findings evidence that favourable economic or infrastructure conditions do not necessarily correlate with favourable gender normative conditions. Drawing from two case-study villages from Nepal, we highlight opportunities for agricultural research for development interventions. Overall, our approach allows to integrate local knowledge about gender norms and other local conditions into the planning and targeting strategies for agricultural innovation.
Kawaii emotions in presentations: Viewing a physical touch affects perception of affiliative feelings of others toward an object
Authors: Okada Yuka , Kimoto Mitsuhiko , Iio Takamasa , Shimohara Katsunori , Nittono Hiroshi , Shiomi Masahiro
Published: March 2022

We investigated how a presenter’s touching behaviors of an object during its explanation affect the observer’s perceived feelings of kawaii, a Japanese word that means “cute,” toward the object and the presenter. We conducted a face-to-face experiment with a robot presenter as well as a web survey experiment with both robot and human presenters. Based on the phenomenon that people more firmly touch an object when their perceived kawaii feeling is overwhelmingly strong, we investigated the effects of touching behavior with emphasized styles. First, we conducted a face-to-face experiment with a robot presenter where participants observed their presentations about an object to explain its characteristics. The results showed that participants who observed the robot’s touch behaviors perceived the object to be more kawaii and thought that the robot also felt the object was more kawaii. On the other hand, the results did not effectively show any increase in the participant’s feelings of kawaii toward the robot or the emphasized touch style. Based on these results, we next conducted a web survey experiment to investigate whether such knowledge about touching effects is applicable for human presenters. The results resembled those obtained when the presenter was a robot, i.e., viewing a touch behavior increased both the presenter’s perceived feelings of kawaii toward the object and the participant’s feelings of kawaii toward it. These results suggest that viewing the touch behaviors of others influenced the perceived emotional feelings toward both presenters and objects.
Overnight admissions to a neonatal intensive care unit in Ethiopia are not associated with increased mortality
Authors: Mediratta Rishi P. , Rajamani Mallika , Ayalew Mulugeta , Shehibo Abdulkadir , Tazebew Ashenafi , Teklu Alemayehu
Published: March 2022

Background

In 2019, 2.4 million neonates died globally, with most deaths occurring in low-resource settings. Despite the introduction of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in these settings, neonatal mortality remains high, and caring for sick neonates around the clock can be challenging due to limited staff and resources.

Objective

To evaluate whether neonatal intensive care admissions during daytime and overnight hours affects in-hospital neonatal mortality.

Methods

A retrospective case-control study was conducted using 2016 chart data at a University hospital in Ethiopia. Cases were defined as neonates who died in the NICU, and controls were defined as neonates who survived. Overnight hours were defined as 17:00 to 07:59, and day hours were defined as 08:00 to 16:59. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to investigate the relationship between time of admission and mortality, along with perinatal characteristics.

Results

A total of 812 neonates, 207 cases and 605 controls, met inclusion criteria. There were 342 admissions during the day and 470 overnight. Neonatal mortality (aOR 1.02, 95% CI [0.64–1.62], p = 0.93) was not associated with overnight admissions after controlling for maternal age, parity, C-section, birthweight, and gestational age, respiratory distress, and admission level of consciousness. Admission heart rate >160 (aOR 0.52, 95% CI [0.30–0.91], p = 0.02) was the only variable significantly associated with overnight admissions.

Conclusion

Being admitted overnight to the NICU in Gondar, Ethiopia was not associated with increased mortality, consistent with a constant level of care, regardless of the time of admission. Further qualitative and implementation research are needed to understand contextual factors that have affected these data.
Depth and benthic habitat influence shallow and mesophotic predatory fishes on a remote, high-latitude coral reef
Authors: Brown Kristy , Monk Jacquomo , Williams Joel , Carroll Andrew , Harasti David , Barrett Neville
Published: March 2022

Predatory fishes on coral reefs continue to decline globally despite playing key roles in ecosystem functioning. Remote atolls and platform reefs provide potential refugia for predator populations, but quantitative information on their spatial distribution is required to establish accurate baselines for ongoing monitoring and conservation management. Current knowledge of predatory fish populations has been derived from targeted shallow diver-based surveys (<15 m). However, the spatial distribution and extent of predatory fishes on outer mesophotic shelf environments has remained under described. Middleton Reef is a remote, high-latitude, oceanic platform reef that is located within a no-take area in the Lord Howe Marine Park off eastern Australia. Here we used baited remote underwater stereo video to sample predatory fishes across lagoon and outer shelf habitats from depths 0–100 m, extending knowledge on use of mesophotic depths and habitats. Many predatory fish demonstrated clear depth and habitat associations over this depth range. Carcharhinid sharks and Carangid fishes were the most abundant predators sampled on Middleton Reef, with five predatory fishes accounting for over 90% of the predator fish biomass. Notably, Galapagos shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis) and the protected black rockcod (Epinephelus daemelii) dominated the predator fish assemblage. A higher richness of predator fish species was sampled on reef areas north and south of the lagoon. The more exposed southern aspect of the reef supported a different suite of predator fish across mesophotic habitats relative to the assemblage recorded in the north and lagoonal habitats, a pattern potentially driven by differences in hard coral cover. Biomass of predatory fishes in the more sheltered north habitats was twice that of other areas, predominantly driven by high abundances of Galapagos shark. This work adds to the growing body of literature highlighting the conservation value of isolated oceanic reefs and the need to ensure that lagoon, shallow and mesophotic habitats in these systems are adequately protected, as they support vulnerable ecologically and economically important predator fish assemblages.
Ethical, regulatory, and practical barriers to COVID-19 research: A stakeholder-informed inventory of concerns
Authors: Sisk Bryan A. , Baldwin Kari , Parsons Meredith , DuBois James M.
Published: March 2022

Introduction

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has caused death and economic injury around the globe. The urgent need for COVID-19 research created new ethical, regulatory, and practical challenges. The next public health emergency could be worse than COVID-19. We must learn about these challenges from the experiences of researchers and Research Ethics Committee professionals responsible for these COVID-19 studies to prepare for the next emergency.

Materials and methods

We conducted an online survey to identify the ethical, oversight, and regulatory challenges of conducting COVID-19 research during the early pandemic, and proposed solutions for overcoming these barriers. Using criterion-based, convenience sampling, we invited researchers who proposed or conducted COVID-19 research to complete an anonymous, online survey about their experiences. We administered a separate but related survey to Institutional Review Board (IRB) professionals who reviewed COVID-19 research studies. The surveys included open-ended and demographic items. We performed inductive content analysis on responses to open-ended survey questions.

Results

IRB professionals (n = 143) and researchers (n = 211) described 19 types of barriers to COVID-19 research, related to 5 overarching categories: policy and regulatory, biases and misperceptions, institutional and inter-institutional conflicts, risks of harm, and pressure of the pandemic. Researchers and IRB professionals described 8 categories of adaptations and solutions to these challenges: enacting technological solutions; developing protocol-based solutions; disposition and team management; establishing and communicating appropriate standards; national guidance and leadership; maintaining high standards; prioritizing studies before IRB review; and identifying and incorporating experts.

Discussion and conclusions

This inventory of challenges represents ongoing barriers to studying the current pandemic, and they represent a risk to research during future public health emergencies. Delays in studies of a pandemic during a pandemic threatens the health and safety of the public. We urge the development of a national working group to address these issues before the next public health emergency arises.
Human Muse cells reduce myocardial infarct size and improve cardiac function without causing arrythmias in a swine model of acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Yamada Yoshihisa , Minatoguchi Shingo , Baba Shinya , Shibata Sanae , Takashima Satoshi , Wakao Shohei , Okura Hiroyuki , Dezawa Mari , Minatoguchi Shinya
Published: March 2022

Background

We recently reported that multilineage-differentiating stress enduring (Muse) cells intravenously administered after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), selectively engrafted to the infarct area, spontaneously differentiated into cardiomyocytes and vessels, reduced the infarct size, improved the left ventricular (LV) function and remodeling in rabbits. We aimed to clarify the efficiency of Muse cells in a larger animal AMI model of mini-pigs using a semi-clinical grade human Muse cell product.

Method and result

Mini-pigs underwent 30 min of coronary artery occlusion followed by 2 weeks of reperfusion. Semi-clinical grade human Muse cell product (1x107, Muse group, n = 5) or saline (Vehicle group, n = 7) were intravenously administered at 24 h after reperfusion. The infarct size, LV function and remodeling were evaluated by echocardiography. Arrhythmias were evaluated by an implantable loop recorder. The infarct size was significantly smaller in the Muse group (10.5±3.3%) than in the Vehicle group (21.0±2.0%). Both the LV ejection fraction and fractional shortening were significantly greater in the Muse group than in the Vehicle group. The LV end-systolic and end-diastolic dimensions were significantly smaller in the Muse group than in the Vehicle group. Human Muse cells homed into the infarct border area and expressed cardiac troponin I and vascular endothelial CD31. No arrhythmias and no blood test abnormality were observed.

Conclusion

Muse cell product might be promising for AMI therapy based on the efficiency and safety in a mini-pig AMI.
Social contagion of academic behavior: Comparing social networks of close friends and admired peers
Authors: Shin Huiyoung
Published: March 2022

Peer relations become significant socializing agents for diverse behaviors during adolescence. This study investigated relationship selection and social influence of early adolescents’ close friends and admired peers with regard to academic behavioral engagement. A stochastic actor-based model of social network analysis was used to examine classroom social networks across 2 waves (Mage = 11.46; N = 542) based on peer nominations. Adolescents were asked to nominate their “close friends they hang around with and talk to the most” and peers that they “admire, respect, and want to be like” Results indicated that adolescents who were similar in academic engagement more often became friends. Also, close friends’ and admired peers’ academic engagement contributed to adolescents’ own academic engagement over time. The results suggest that both close friends and admired peers are important channels for social contagion of academic behavior and that examining social relations beyond friends are important for advancing our understanding of peer social influence during adolescence.
An improved nucleic acid sequence-based amplification method mediated by T4 gene 32 protein
Authors: Nai Yi Heng , Doeven Egan H. , Guijt Rosanne M.
Published: March 2022

The uptake of Nucleic Acid Sequence-Based Amplification (NASBA) for point of care testing may be hindered by a complexity in the workflow due the requirement of a thermal denaturation step to initiate the cyclic isothermal amplification before the addition of the amplification enzymes. Despite reports of successful enhancement of other DNA and RNA amplification methods using DNA and RNA binding proteins, this has not been reported for NASBA. Here, three single-stranded binding proteins, RecA, Extreme Thermostable Single-stranded binding protein (ET SSB) and T4 gene gp32 protein (gp32), were incorporated in NASBA protocol and used for single pot, one-step NASBA at 41 °C. Indeed, all SSBs showed significantly improved amplifications compared with the 2-step process, but only gp32 showed no non-specific aberrant amplification, and slightly improved the time-to-positivity in comparison with the conventional NASBA. For synthetic HIV-1 RNA, gp32 was found to improve the time-to-positivity (ttp) by average of 13.6% of one-step NASBA and 6.7% of conventional NASBA for the detection of HIV-1 RNA, showing its potential for simplifying the workflow as desirable for point of care applications of NASBA.
Incidence, severity, and preventability of adverse events during the induction of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a tertiary care pediatric hospital in Mexico
Authors: Vázquez-Cornejo Edmundo , Morales-Ríos Olga , Hernández-Pliego Gabriela , Cicero-Oneto Carlo , Garduño-Espinosa Juan
Published: March 2022

Healthcare-associated adverse events represent a heavy burden of symptoms for pediatric oncology patients. Their description allows knowing the safety and quality of the care processes in countries with limited resources. This study aimed to describe the incidence, types, severity, and preventability of adverse events occurring in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during the induction phase in a tertiary care pediatric hospital in Mexico. This study analyzed a cohort based on medical records of between 2015 and 2017. Initially, information on patients and adverse events was collected; subsequently, two pediatric oncologist reviewers independently classified adverse events, severity and preventability. Agreement between reviewers was evaluated. Adverse events incidence rates were estimated by type, severity, and preventability. One-hundred and eighty-one pediatric patients pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were studied. An overall adverse events rate of 51.8 per 1000 patient-days was estimated, involving 81.2% of patients during induction. Most adverse events were severe or higher (52.6%). Infectious processes were the most common severe or higher adverse event (30.5%). The presence of adverse events caused 80.2% of hospital readmissions. Of the adverse events, 10.5% were considered preventable and 53.6% could be ameliorable in severity. Improving the safety and quality of the care processes of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia is possible, and this should contribute to the mitigation and prevention of adverse events associated morbidity and mortality during the remission induction phase.
Auto-segmentation and time-dependent systematic analysis of mesoscale cellular structure in β-cells during insulin secretion
Authors: Li Angdi , Zhang Xiangyi , Singla Jitin , White Kate , Loconte Valentina , Hu Chuanyang , Zhang Chuyu , Li Shuailin , Li Weimin , Francis John Paul , Wang Chenxi , Sali Andrej , Sun Liping , He Xuming , Stevens Raymond C.
Published: March 2022

The mesoscale description of the subcellular organization informs about cellular mechanisms in disease state. However, applications of soft X-ray tomography (SXT), an important approach for characterizing organelle organization, are limited by labor-intensive manual segmentation. Here we report a pipeline for automated segmentation and systematic analysis of SXT tomograms. Our approach combines semantic and first-applied instance segmentation to produce separate organelle masks with high Dice and Recall indexes, followed by analysis of organelle localization based on the radial distribution function. We demonstrated this technique by investigating the organization of INS-1E pancreaticβ-cell organization under different treatments at multiple time points. Consistent with a previous analysis of a similar dataset, our results revealed the impact of glucose stimulation on the localization and molecular density of insulin vesicles and mitochondria. This pipeline can be extended to SXT tomograms of any cell type to shed light on the subcellular rearrangements under different drug treatments.
Field evaluation of the enhanced MM3-COPRO ELISA test for the diagnosis of Fasciola hepatica infection in sheep
Authors: Mezo Mercedes , González-Warleta Marta , Castro-Hermida José Antonio , Martínez-Sernández Victoria , Ubeira Florencio M.
Published: March 2022

Fasciolosis is a severe zoonosis responsible for major economic losses in livestock. The enhanced MM3-COPRO test (eMM3-COPRO) and the commercial version BIO K 201 (Bio-X Diagnostics, Rochefort, Belgium) are widely used as immunodiagnostic tools for the specific detection of coproantigens released byFascioladuring the late prepatent and patent stages of infection. However, performance of the eMM3-COPRO has never been evaluated under field conditions. To address this gap, a large number of ovine faecal samples, collected in a region where fasciolosis is endemic (Galicia, NW Spain), were analyzed. Two groups of sheep flocks were selected according to theFasciolainfection status: ‘Fasciola-free’ and ‘Fasciola-infected’ flocks. ‘Fasciola-free’ flocks were seronegative flocks with no history of fasciolosis detected by either coproscopy or necropsy in the last 5 years. Faecal samples from these sheep were used to calculate a cut-off value for infection (OD = 0.021). The cut-off was calculated using a bootstrap resampling method that enables estimation of the sampling distribution of the statistical parameters without making assumptions about the underlying data distribution. ‘Fasciola-infected’ flocks were characterized by high seroprevalence, a history of fasciolosis and periodical treatment with flukicides. Samples from these flocks were used to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of the eMM3-COPRO relative to coproscopy, which although limited by poor sensitivity is the only reference test available for diagnosing fasciolosisin vivo. To overcome this limitation, all animals classified positive by eMM3-COPRO were treated with triclabendazole and then retested. The eMM3-COPRO displayed higher sensitivity than coproscopy, as it detected coproantigens in all samples with positive coproscopy and in 12% of samples with negative coproscopy. The test also proved highly specific as coproantigens disappeared after the treatment. The eMM3-COPRO was less time consuming than coproscopy, particularly when the procedure involved numerous samples, and showed promise as a tool for monitoring flukicide efficacy.
Entropy-based discrimination between translated Chinese and original Chinese using data mining techniques
Authors: Liu Kanglong , Ye Rongguang , Zhongzhu Liu , Ye Rongye
Published: March 2022

The present research reports on the use of data mining techniques for differentiating between translated and non-translated original Chinese based on monolingual comparable corpora. We operationalized seven entropy-based metrics including character, wordform unigram, wordform bigram and wordform trigram, POS (Part-of-speech) unigram, POS bigram and POS trigram entropy from two balanced Chinese comparable corpora (translated vs non-translated) for data mining and analysis. We then applied four data mining techniques including Support Vector Machines (SVMs), Linear discriminant analysis (LDA), Random Forest (RF) and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) to distinguish translated Chinese from original Chinese based on these seven features. Our results show that SVMs is the most robust and effective classifier, yielding an AUC of 90.5% and an accuracy rate of 84.3%. Our results have affirmed the hypothesis that translational language is categorically different from original language. Our research demonstrates that combining information-theoretic indicator of Shannon’s entropy together with machine learning techniques can provide a novel approach for studying translation as a unique communicative activity. This study has yielded new insights for corpus-based studies on the translationese phenomenon in the field of translation studies.
Carryover effects of feeding bulls with an omega-3-enriched-diet—From spermatozoa to developed embryos
Authors: Kalo Dorit , Reches Dan , Netta Noam , Komsky-Elbaz Alisa , Zeron Yoel , Moallem Uzi , Roth Zvi
Published: March 2022

The impact of omega-3 nutritional manipulation on semen cryosurvival and quality post thawing is controversial. Our aim was to examine how feeding bulls with omega-3 supplementation from different sources affects the spermatozoa quality parameters. Fifteen Israeli Holstein bulls were fed for 13 weeks with a standard ration top-dressed with encapsulated-fat supplementation: fish or flaxseed oil or saturated fatty acids (control). Ejaculates were collected before, during, and after the feeding trial. Frozen–thawed samples were evaluated by a flow cytometer for spermatozoa viability, mitochondrial membrane potential, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), acrosome membrane integrity, DNA fragmentation, phosphatidylserine translocation, and membrane fluidity. Both fish and flaxseed oil treatment resulted in lower ROS levels vs. control groups, during and after the feeding trial. Fewer spermatozoa with damaged acrosomes were observed in the fish oil group after the feeding trial. The spermatozoa membrane fluidity was altered in both the fish and flaxseed oil groups throughout the feeding trial, but only in the flaxseed oil group after the feeding trial. The proportion of spermatozoa with fragmented DNA was lower in the flaxseed oil group after the feeding trial. The spermatozoa fertilization competence did not differ between groups however, blastocyst formation rate was higher in the fish and flaxseed oil groups relative to the control. This was associated with differential gene expression in the blastocysts. Overall, the omega-3-enriched food improved the spermatozoa characteristics; this was further expressed in the developing blastocysts, suggesting a carryover effect from the spermatozoa to the embryos.
Job burnout among Israeli healthcare workers during the first months of COVID-19 pandemic: The role of emotion regulation strategies and psychological distress
Authors: Khouri Marlyn , Lassri Dana , Cohen Noga
Published: March 2022

The current worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has elicited widespread concerns and stress. Arguably, healthcare workers are especially vulnerable to experience burnout during these times due to the nature of their work. Indeed, high prevalence of burnout was found among healthcare workers during the outbreak. However, the individual differences predicting burnout among healthcare workers during the pandemic have been understudied. The aim of the current study was, therefore, to identify risk and protective factors contributing to the severity of burnout among healthcare workers, above and beyond levels of current psychological distress. The survey was distributed online during the period April 13–28, 2020, approximately two months after the first COVID-19 case was identified in Israel. Ninety-eight healthcare workers completed an online survey administered cross-sectionally via the Qualtrics platform that included questionnaires assessing habitual emotion regulation strategies (i.e., trait worry, reappraisal, and suppression), psychological distress, COVID-19 related concerns, and burnout. A hierarchical linear regression analysis revealed that only trait worry and psychological distress were significant predictors of job burnout among healthcare workers. These findings highlight the role of maladaptive emotion regulation tendencies, specifically trait worry, in job burnout among healthcare workers. These findings have implications for both the assessment and treatment of healthcare workers. We discuss potential mechanisms and implications for practice.
Prevalence of and factors associated with hypertension, diabetes, stroke and heart attack multimorbidity in Botswana: Evidence from STEPS 2014 survey
Authors: Ntiyani Nchidzi , Letamo Gobopamang , Keetile Mpho
Published: March 2022

Background

Botswana, like other Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries is currently undergoing demographic and epidemiological transitions which are shown by an increase in chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their associated risk factors. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of and factors associated with hypertension, diabetes and stroke/heart attack multimorbidity in Botswana. The definition of multimorbidity used in this study is the presence of two or more NCDs in an individual.

Methods

This study used secondary data derived from the Botswana WHO STEPS 2014 survey. The survey employed a nationally representative multi-stage sampling design. The study sample consisted of 3527 respondents aged 20–69 years of age who had successfully completed the questionnaire and met the inclusion criteria. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess factors associated with multimorbidity. All comparisons were considered to be statistically significant at 5% level. Statistical tests were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.

Results

Prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and stroke/heart attack multimorbidity was estimated to be at 3.5% in the sampled population. The odds of reporting multimorbidity were highest among females (AOR = 9.73, 95% CI = 8.30–11.42) than males and among respondents aged 35–49 (AOR = 1.20, 95% C.I. = 1.10–1.31) and 50–69 years (AOR = 1.52, 95% C.I. = 1.23–1.67) than individuals aged 20–24 years. Moreover, the odds of multimorbidity were significantly higher among married (AOR = 15.92, 95% C.I. = 13.40–18.92) and living together (AOR = 6.68, 95% C.I. = 5.72–7.81) couples; and individuals who reported that they earn an average annual household income of BWP ≥20 000 (AOR = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.84–2.75) compared to their counterparts. Behavioural risk factors significantly associated with higher odds of multimorbidity were obesity (AOR = 6.79, 95% C.I. = 6.20–7.90), physical inactivity (AOR = 4.41, 95% C.I. = 3.65–5.31) and hazardous alcohol consumption (AOR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.23–1.81). On the other hand the odds of reporting multimorbidity were significantly low among individuals with sufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables (AOR = 0.47, 95% C.I. = 0.39–0.56) and non-tobacco users (AOR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.49–0.68).

Conclusion

Multimorbidity was more common among females, the elderly people and was associated with obesity, poor fruit and vegetable intake, and tobacco use. Strategies to combat NCDs and multimorbidity should be aimed to target early stages of life since behavioural factors and lifestyles that increase the likelihood of disease are entrenched in earlier stages of life.
Kaizer Hill (Modi‘in), a pre-pottery neolithic a quarry site – the terraced slopes
Authors: Goren-Inbar Naama , Belfer-Cohen Anna , Grosman Leore , Herzlinger Gadi , Agam Aviad
Published: March 2022

The research of the Kaizer Hill site (the Hilltop and its Terraces), recognized as a Pre Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) quarry site, involved studies of the rock damage associated with the quarrying activities as well as of the recovered material remains, mostly chipped stone artifacts. We present here the results of our on-site explorations (excavations, surveys and surface-collections), focusing on the findings deriving from the Terraces. Diverse rock damage patterns were identified and described, portraying systematic rock mass-exploitation through quarrying fronts, natural rock joints and fissures enlargement, drilling and chiseling. There are multiple indications that the local bedrock (Bi’na Formation, Turonian) comprising flint and limestone was quarried under a systematic quality evaluation, leaving residual flint unsuitable for exploitation. Of interest to note that nearly all of the flint artifacts excavated and collected on the Terraces were made on raw material transported from the Hilltop (Mishash Formation, Campanian), knapped in-situ, on the quarried rock surfaces of the slopes. The flint tools bear witness to intensive use involving mainly boring and drilling. The dominant tool type is the flint axe for which a variety of waste products related to its production were found in-situ, enabling the reconstruction of axe reduction sequence. Similar axes and waste products were found in many PPN sites indicating that there was a common, widely-used scheme of making flint axes during the PPN. Interestingly, besides the flint waste, there were also limestone waste products typical of the last shaping and thinning stages of axe production, indicating that limestone axes were shaped technologically similar to the flint ones, contrary to what has been assumed before. Rare findings, such as obsidian pieces, originating from much further a-field indicate ties with other PPN communities, near and/or far. Overall, this study provides unique and novel insights on Levantine PPN lifeways.
Association between hematocrit and the 30-day mortality of patients with sepsis: A retrospective analysis based on the large-scale clinical database MIMIC-IV
Authors: Luo Mengdi , Chen Yang , Cheng Yuan , Li Na , Qing He
Published: March 2022

This research sought to ascertain the relationship between hematocrit (HCT) and mortality in patients with sepsis. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of septic patients who were hospitalized between 2008 and 2019 in an advanced academic medical center in Boston, Massachusetts, registered in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database, We analyzed basic information including gender, age, race, and types of the first admission, laboratory indicators including HCT, platelets, white blood cells, albumin, bilirubin, hemoglobin, and serum creatinine, and 30-day mortality. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was utilized to analyze the relationship between HCT and 30-day mortality in patients with sepsis. Results: This research recruited 2057 patients who met the research requirements from 2008 to 2019. According to the HCT level, it was classified into the low HCT level, the regular HCT level, and the high HCT level. The 30-day mortality rate was 62.6%, 27.5%, and 9.9% for patients with the low HCT level, the regular HCT level, and the high HCT level, respectively (p < 0.05). The multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis displayed that compared with patients with the regular HCT level, the 30-day mortality of patients with the low HCT level increased by 58.9% (hazard ratio = 1.589, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.009–2.979, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The low HCT level is an independent risk factor for the increase of the 30-day mortality in patients with sepsis and can be used as a significant predictor of the clinical outcome of sepsis.
COVID-19 reinfection in Liberia: Implication for improving disease surveillance
Authors: Akpan Godwin E. , Bawo Luke , Amo-Addae Maame , Kennedy Jallah , Wesseh C. Sanford , Whesseh Faith , Adewuyi Peter , Sanvee-Blebo Lily , Babalola Joseph , Sesay Himiede W. W. , Yeabah Trokon O. , Jackson Dikena , Shannon Fulton , Umeokonkwo Chukwuma David , Nyenswah Abraham W. , Macauley Jane , Jallah Wilhelmina
Published: March 2022

COVID-19 remains a serious disruption to human health, social, and economic existence. Reinfection with the virus intensifies fears and raises more questions among countries, with few documented reports. This study investigated cases of COVID-19 reinfection using patients’ laboratory test results between March 2020 and July 2021 in Liberia. Data obtained from Liberia’s Ministry of Health COVID-19 surveillance was analyzed in Excel 365 and ArcGIS Pro 2.8.2. Results showed that with a median interval of 200 days (Range: 99–415), 13 out of 5,459 cases were identified and characterized as reinfection in three counties during the country’s third wave of the outbreak. Eighty-six percent of the COVID-19 reinfection cases occurred in Montserrado County within high clusters, which accounted for over 80% of the randomly distributed cases in Liberia. More cases of reinfection occurred among international travelers within populations with high community transmissions. This study suggests the need for continued public education and surveillance to encourage longer-term COVID-19 preventive practices even after recovery.
A Factor H-Fc fusion protein increases complement-mediated opsonophagocytosis and killing of community associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Sage Megan A. G. , Cranmer Katelyn D. , Semeraro Michele L. , Ma Shelby , Galkina Elena V. , Tran Y. , Wycoff Keith L. , Sharp Julia A.
Published: March 2022

Staphylococcus aureus employs a multitude of immune-evasive tactics to circumvent host defenses including the complement system, a component of innate immunity central to controlling bacterial infections. With antibiotic resistance becoming increasingly common, there is a dire need for novel therapies. Previously, we have shown that S. aureus binds the complement regulator factor H (FH) via surface protein SdrE to inhibit complement. To address the need for novel therapeutics and take advantage of the FH:SdrE interaction, we examined the effect of a fusion protein comprised of the SdrE-interacting domain of FH coupled with IgG Fc on complement-mediated opsonophagocytosis and bacterial killing of community associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus. S. aureus bound significantly more FH-Fc compared to Fc-control proteins and FH-Fc competed with serum FH for S. aureus binding. FH-Fc treatment increased C3-fragment opsonization of S. aureus for both C3b and iC3b, and boosted generation of the anaphylatoxin C5a. In 5 and 10% serum, FH-Fc treatment significantly increased S. aureus killing by polymorphonuclear cells. This anti-staphylococcal effect was evident in 75% (3/4) of clinical isolates tested. This study demonstrates that FH-Fc fusion proteins have the potential to mitigate the protective effects of bound serum FH rendering S. aureus more vulnerable to the host immune system. Thus, we report the promise of virulence-factor-targeted fusion-proteins as an avenue for prospective anti-staphylococcal therapeutic development.
Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta associated with improved survival in hemorrhagic shock
Authors: Harfouche Melike N. , Madurska Marta J. , Elansary Noha , Abdou Hossam , Lang Eric , DuBose Joseph J. , Kundi Rishi , Feliciano David V. , Scalea Thomas M. , Morrison Jonathan J.
Published: March 2022

Background

Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) is controversial as a hemorrhage control adjunct due to lack of data with a suitable control group. We aimed to determine outcomes of trauma patients in shock undergoing REBOA versus no-REBOA.

Methods

This single-center, retrospective, matched cohort study analyzed patients ≥16 years in hemorrhagic shock without cardiac arrest (2000–2019). REBOA (R; 2015–2019) patients were propensity matched 2:1 to historic (H; 2000–2012) and contemporary (C; 2013–2019) groups. In-hospital mortality and 30-day survival were analyzed using chi-squared and log rank testing, respectively.

Results

A total of 102,481 patients were included (R = 57, C = 88,545, H = 13,879). Propensity scores were assigned using age, race, mechanism, lowest systolic blood pressure, lowest Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), and body region Abbreviated Injury Scale scores to generate matched groups (R = 57, C = 114, H = 114). In-hospital mortality was significantly lower in the REBOA group (19.3%) compared to the contemporary (35.1%; p = 0.024) and historic (44.7%; p = 0.001) groups. 30-day survival was significantly higher in the REBOA versus no-REBOA groups.

Conclusion

In a high-volume center where its use is part of a coordinated hemorrhage control strategy, REBOA is associated with improved survival in patients with noncompressible torso hemorrhage.
Positive and negative spontaneous self-talk and performance in gymnastics: The role of contextual, personal and situational factors
Authors: Santos-Rosa Francisco J. , Montero-Carretero Carlos , Gómez-Landero Luis Arturo , Torregrossa Miquel , Cervelló Eduardo
Published: March 2022

The purpose of this study was to analyse whether contextual (perception of motivational climate and positive and negative spontaneous self-talk in sports), personal (positivity) and situational variables (positive and negative spontaneous self-talk employed in competition and precompetitive anxiety) predict performance in a competition of ensembles of rhythmic gymnastics. 258 female gymnasts between ages14 and 20 (M= 15.24,SD= 1.46) participated in the study, completing pre- and post-competition measures. The results of the path-analysis showed that both the task-involving climate and positivity predicted positive self-talk in sport. This predicted self-confidence which, in turn, positively predicted positive situational self-talk in competition. For its part, the perception of an ego-involving climate positively predicted the use of both negative and positive self-talk in sport. Negative self-talk in sports predicted negative situational self-talk in competition and somatic and cognitive anxiety. In turn, cognitive anxiety positively predicted negative situational self-talk. Finally, performance was positively predicted by positive situational self-talk and negatively by negative situational self-talk. These results explain the functioning of spontaneous self-talk at different levels of generality and its relationship with sports performance.
Adrenomedullin and its receptors are expressed in mouse pancreatic β-cells and suppresses insulin synthesis and secretion
Authors: Dong Yuanlin , Ruano Simone Hernandez , Mishra Akansha , Pennington Kathleen A. , Yallampalli Chandrasekhar
Published: March 2022

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with defective pancreatic β-cell adaptation in pregnancy, but the underlying mechanism remains obscure. Our previous studies demonstrated that GDM women display increased plasma adrenomedullin (ADM) levels, and non-obese GDM mice show decreased serum concentrations of insulin and the number of β-cells in pancreas islets. The aims of this study is to examine if ADM and its receptors are expressed in female mouse pancreas, and if so, whether insulin secretion is regulated by ADM in mouse β-cell line, NIT-1 cells and isolated mouse pancreatic islets. Present study shows that ADM and its receptor components CRLR, RAMPs are present in mouse pancreatic islets and co-localized with insulin. The expressions of ADM, CRLR and RAMP2 in islets from pregnant mice are reduced compared to that of non-pregnant mice. NIT-1-β cells express ADM and its receptor mRNA, and glucose dose-dependently stimulates expressions. Furthermore, ADM inhibits NIT-1-β cell growth, and this inhibition is reversed by ADM antagonist, ADM22-52. The glucose-induced insulin secretion was suppressed by ADM in NIT-1-β cells and isolated pancreatic islets from pregnant mice. These inhibitory effects are accompanied by upregulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress biomarker genes in NIT-1-β cells. This study unveils that reduced ADM and its receptors may play a role in β-cell adaptation during pregnancy, while increased plasma ADM in GDM may contribute to the β-cells dysfunction, and blockade of ADM may reverse β-cell insulin production.
Wind and route choice affect performance of bees flying above versus within a cluttered obstacle field
Authors: Burnett Nicholas P. , Badger Marc A. , Combes Stacey A.
Published: March 2022

Bees flying through natural landscapes frequently encounter physical challenges, such as wind and cluttered vegetation, but the influence of these factors on flight performance remains unknown. We analyzed 548 videos of wild-caught honeybees (Apis mellifera) flying through an enclosure containing a field of vertical obstacles that bees could choose to fly within (through open corridors, without maneuvering) or above. We varied obstacle field height and wind condition (still, headwinds or tailwinds), and examined how these factors affected bees’ flight altitude, ground speed, and side-to-side casting motions (lateral excursions). When obstacle fields were short, bees flew at altitudes near the midpoint between the tunnel floor and ceiling. When obstacle fields approached or exceeded this midpoint, bees tended to increase their altitude, but they did not always avoid flying through obstacles, despite having the freedom to do so. Bees that flew above the obstacles exhibited 40% faster ground speeds and 36% larger lateral excursions than bees that flew within the obstacle fields. Wind did not affect flight altitude, but bees flew 12–19% faster in tailwinds, and their lateral excursions were 19% larger when flying in headwinds or tailwinds, as compared to still air. Our results show that bees flying through complex environments display flexibility in their route choices (i.e., flying above obstacles in some trials and through them in others), which affects their overall flight performance. Similar choices in natural landscapes could have broad implications for foraging efficiency, pollination, and mortality in wild bees.
Clinical outcome of FIGO 2018 stage IB3/IIA2 cervical cancer treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical surgery due to lack of radiotherapy equipment: A retrospective comparison with concurrent chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Zeng Jing , Sun Peisong , Ping Quanhong , Jiang Shan , Hu Yuanjing
Published: March 2022

This study aimed to assess neoadjuvant chemotherapy’s clinical outcomes such as efficacy, toxicity, and survival outcomes followed by radical hysterectomy ((NACT-RS) among women with cervical cancer stage IB3 and IIA2, by comparing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and NACT-RS. The study retrospectively reviewed patients with (2018 FIGO) stage IB3 and IIA2 cervical cancer who received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by NACT-RS or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). The outcome measures were the 5-year survival and complication rates between the two groups. The median follow-up was 75 months. In total, 218 patients had stage IIA2, 136 patients had stage IB3, 201 patients received CCRT, and 153 patients received preoperative NACT-RS. In the CCRT group, the incidence of early complications (myelosuppression, gastrointestinal and urinary) was higher compared with that in the NACT-RS group (76.1 vs. 26.1%; p < 0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference between the two study groups concerning late complications. Five-year PFS was 79.9% and 85.5% in the NACT-RS and CCRT groups, respectively (p = 0.093). Five-year OS was 86.9% and 85.5% in the NACT-RS and CCRT groups, respectively (p = 0.97). In the multivariate clinicopathologic characteristics analysis for OS, initial tumor size > 4.3 cm (HR 5.11; p < 0.001), AC/ASC (HR 1.89; p = 0.02), histologic grade 2–3 (HR 2.25; p = 0.04), and 2018 FIGO stage IIA2 (HR 8.67; p < 0.001) were independent risk factors. The survival of patients with stage IB3 and IIA2 cervical cancer treated with NACT-RS was similar to that of patients treated with CCRT without increasing side effects.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BMI: Its changes in relation to socio-demographic and physical activity patterns based on a short period
Authors: Akter Tahmina , Zeba Zebunnesa , Hosen Ismail , Al-Mamun Firoj , Mamun Mohammed A.
Published: March 2022

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly a major threat to the world. The preventive strategies designed to minimize the virus transmission by remaining at home, being isolated, and keeping social distance, which would substantially reform people’s lifestyle, physical activity, eating habits, etc. Consequently, those measures might create a disturbance in weight management and overweight. Therefore, how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the physical activities of individuals and its impacts on the Body Mass Index (BMI) is explored herein.

Methods

An online-based cross-sectional study collected data from 338 Bangladeshi adults in November 2020. The questionnaire included socio-demographics, health-related variables, physical activity-related variables, and diet measurement. Inferential statistics (i.e., chi-square test, McNemar test) were used to measure the associations between BMI and studied variables with a consideration of two scenarios (‘before’ and ‘during’ the pandemic inception), wherep<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Results showed that the prevalence of overweight was 30.5% ‘before’ the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased to 34.9% ‘during’ the pandemic; that means 4.4% of the participants significantly gained weight after the pandemic inception. There was no significant role of socio-demographic (e.g., gender, age, current residence, occupation) or physical activity-related factors (e.g., unavailability of outdoor space, not performing regular physical exercise, exercising with a partner) in changing the BMI status after the pandemic inception. However, following a proper diet plan during the COVID-19 pandemic was observed to decrease BMI status significantly.

Conclusions

The present study suggests that a minor portion of the participants reported increasing their overweight status after the pandemic inception, whereas having a proper diet plan during the pandemic can significantly decrease BMI status. Therefore, the importance of the appropriate diet plan should be considered while implementing any policies.