bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cultural representation in three various cover designs of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Authors: Dhiwangkara Tresnadian , Ruslianti Atikah
Published: April 2023

This study aims to look at the cultural representations within the cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone from three different countries, namely the United Kingdom, the United States, and Indonesia, and how the cultures of three countries influence the focuses represented on the cover. Using cultural semiotic theory by Yuri Lotman, this research uses a descriptive-analytical method to analyze the visual and verbal texts synchronicly and diachronicly on the basis of temporal context to see the relationship between the culture and the focuses. This study indicates several cultural representations on each cover that can only be seen when these focuses are analyzed with their diachronic aspects. Some of the focuses only appears on one cover and not on the two other covers because there are no correlations between the focus it represents and the culture of that country, so the cover chooses to display other focuses which do have cultural and historical correlations with the country. These cultures are represented and contributed to influence the focuses displayed on the cover. The influence on each focuses could take the form through its pose and portrayal, size comparison, visibility, location, color, and also the style of the illustration itself. 

Keywords: Cultural Representation, Cover Design, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone
Positive politeness in Enola Holmes movie script
Authors: Mujahidah Nisrina , Sumiati Ati
Published: April 2023

The objectives of the study are to find the positive politeness strategies in a movie written by Jack Thorne. It is a descriptive qualitative study with data of the study were the dialogues in a movie script from Harry Bradbeer. The writer uses Brown and Levinson’s politeness strategy. This study focus on analyzing the types of positive politeness strategies used the most and what context behind the use of the strategies. The writer has found 107 data which mostly applied by Enola Holmes as the youngest character in the story. Meanwhile, the most widely used type of strategy is Strategy 12 because at that time, people in the Victorian era prioritized manners towards others, they tried to include the other person in the conversation so that no one felt left out. The study expected to use as part of learning positive politeness strategies and provide a reference for further research.
Morphological process found in Fore language in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Fatkhiyati Nurrahma
Published: April 2023

This study is aimed at finding out what morphological processes and morphological rules represented in Fore Language in Papua New Guinea. The data were morphophonemic and taken from “Laboratory Manual for Morphology and Syntax” Seventh Edition written by Merrified et.al., and published in 2003 about Fore Language of Papua New Guinea. The data consist of pronoun markers including first singular (1s), second singular (2s), third singular (3s), and first plural (1p). The Item-and-Process was used to analyze the morphophonemic data. The researcher found that to construct the person markers in Fore Language, the underlying form of the words should be substituted, inserted, or deleted after attached to the underlying form of the suffix. The rests of the findings will be discussed further.

Keywords: morphological process; fore language; person marker; morphophonemic; item-and-process
Implementation of Sea Highway Policy
Authors: Krisdiyanti Faizah Fakriyah , Rianto Budi , Lubis Lunariana , Yuliansyah
Published: April 2023

The concept of the sea toll program as the transportation of marine logistics with the aim of connecting major ports in the archipelago so that it is hoped that the existence of this sea toll will be able to connect ports to remote areas. This study examines the implementation of the policy of the Minister of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia Number PM 23 of 2019 concerning Tariffs for Transporting Goods at Sea to Carry out Public Service Obligations carried out by the Tanjung Perak Main Port Authority. This study aims to describe and analyze the implementation of the sea toll policy at the Tanjung Perak Surabaya Main Port Authority Office along with the inhibiting and supporting factors. This research uses qualitative research methods with a case study approach with data collection techniques through interviews, observations, and documentation. This research uses qualitative research methods with a case study approach with data collection techniques through interviews, observations, and documentation. The results of the study using George Edward III's theory of public policy implementation show that the implementation of the Sea Toll Policy has been carried out well by the Tanjung Perak Surabaya Main Port Authority Office. The supporting factors are resources, bureaucratic structure and SOPs at the Tanjung Perak Main Port Authority Office which are already good to ensure the smooth operation of the sea toll, while the inhibiting factor is the imbalance of backloads on the sea toll route at the main port of Tanjung Perak, Surabaya.
The Tongren-Ophthalmology Research Association of Clinical Evaluation - Uveal Melanoma (TRACE-UM): Objectives, Design, Current Results, and Outlook
Authors: Zhao Hanqing , Luo Jingting , Zhao Xun Feng , Liu Yueming , Li Yang , Wei Wen-Bin
Published: April 2023

Purpose
Tumor metastasis is the leading cause of death in uveal melanoma. To date, there is no effective treatment for metastatic uveal melanoma. We present a novel research paradigm, Tongren-Ophthalmology Research Association of Clinical Evaluation - Uveal Melanoma (TRACE-UM), designed to identify new risk factors, biomarkers and molecular mechanisms for uveal melanoma metastasis.
Methods
TRACE-UM utilizes real-world data of patients treated at a Chinese tertiary center. Sources of data include clinical information, tumor tissue and blood samples collected at diagnosis and follow-up visits. Bulk RNA sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing were performed to explore molecular mechanisms and biomarkers of tumor metastasis. Artificial intelligence computation was employed to build metastasis prediction models using clinical and imaging data. Spatial transcriptome sequencing technology was incorporated to analyze the mechanisms of vascular mimicry.
Results
We recruited consecutive patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma from August 2014 to January 2020. Demographic and clinical data on 1166 patients and pathological data on 203 patients were collected. TRACE-UM has thus far contributed to two areas of research: (1) clinical prediction models were constructed to predict the risk of metastasis after treatment; (2) the molecular mechanism of metastasis was preliminarily elucidated.
Conclusion
TRACE-UM provides a unique clinical database and biobank repository collection initiative. Using this large real-world data set, we explored metastatic mechanisms, biomarkers and validated them through cellular and animal experiments. TRACE-UM has the potential to serve as an infrastructure for future clinical trials.
Reversing Frailty in Older Adults: A Scoping Review
Authors: Fonka Aurélie Tonjock , Lewis Krystina B. , Lalonde Michelle , Backman Chantal
Published: April 2023

Background: Individuals 65 years or older are presumably more susceptible to becoming frail, which increases their risk of multiple adverse health outcomes. Reversing frailty has received recent attention; however, little is understood about what it means and how to achieve it.
Thus, the purpose of this scoping review is to summarize and synthesize the evidence regarding the impact of interventions on frail older adults, to determine whether the intervention (s) resulted in frailty reversal.
Methods: We followed Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage scoping review approach and conducted searches in CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science. We hand-searched the reference list of included studies and conducted a grey literature search. Two independent reviewers completed the title, abstract screenings, and full-text review using the eligibility criteria, and independently extracted approximately 10% of the studies. We critically appraised studies using Joanna Briggs critical appraisal checklist/tool, and we used a descriptive and narrative method to synthesize and analyze data.
Results: Of 7499 articles, thirty met the criteria and three studies were identified in the references of included studies. Seventeen studies (56.7%) framed frailty as a reversible condition, with 11 studies (36.7%) selecting it as their primary outcome. Reversing frailty varied from either frail to pre-frail, frail to non-frail, and severe to mild frailty. We identified different types of single and multi-component interventions each targeting various domains of frailty. The physical domain was most frequently targeted (n=32, 97%). Interventions also varied in their frequencies of delivery, intensities, and durations, and targeted participants from different settings, most commonly from community dwellings (n=23; 69.7%).
Conclusion: Some studies indicated that it is possible to reverse frailty. However, this depended on how the researchers assessed or measured frailty. The current understanding of reverse frailty is a shift from a frail or severely frail state to at least a pre-frail or mildly frail state. To gain further insight into reversing frailty, we recommend a concept analysis. Furthermore, we recommend more primary studies considering the participant’s lived experiences to guide intervention delivery.
Effects of Payment Mechanisms in Community Mental Health Centres in Chile: A Qualitative Analysis.
Authors: Toro-Devia Olga , Alvarado Rubén , Jeria Mercedes , Razzouk Denise , Salvador-Carulla Luis
Published: April 2023

Background
In Chile, as in Latin America, the Mental Health Community Centre (CSMC) is essential to the new community care model. Chile's national mental health plan indicates that the payment mechanisms to the CSMC have been misaligned with the care model by encouraging an individual response to the detriment of an approach to recovery and social integration. Nevertheless, evidence needs to be available describing the effects of the payment mechanisms on CSMCs. The psychiatric deinstitutionalization reforms are subordinated to the financial structure of the health system that could introduce non-aligned incentives, which have yet to be studied. We want to understand better the effects of payment mechanisms on the operation of CSMCs in Chile. This research aims to have a knowledge base to interpret better how payment mechanisms are a potential incentive or disincentive for the community model of mental health.
Methods
Qualitative study using Grounded Theory. Through theoretical sampling, 25 experts were interviewed with informed consent. The inclusion criteria consider the experts representing the payer, provider, and users.
Results
The experts identified seven payment mechanisms for CSMCs in Chile. Its implementation is heterogeneous. Clinical achievements, proximity, coverage, and context of care are described. We identified fifteen adverse effects that contravene the objectives of the community model of mental health. We proposed elements to design payment mechanisms consistent with the community mental health model.
Conclusions
The payment mechanisms can act adversely on several components of the CSMC, contravening the objectives of the community mental health model. It is possible to identify a mix of better-articulated payment mechanisms by listening to the experience of those who pay for, provide, and use these services.
Agrobacterium-mediated genetic Transformation system of somatic embryo in Walnut (Juglans regia L.)
Authors: Zhang Pu , Chang Yingying , Lei Xiashuo , Song Xiaobo , Li Baoxin , Pei Dong
Published: April 2023

Walnut (Juglans regia L.), also known as English or Persian Walnut, is a critical germplasm resource with significant ecological and economic value. Traditional walnut breeding strategies usually require a long time, and the breeding efficiency is poor. However, biotechnology has the potential to overcome the limitations of conventional breeding and accelerate germplasm improvement. This study established and optimized efficient Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation conditions for walnut. Somatic embryo (SE) of the walnut cultivar 'ZL-6' was induced as the transgenic recipient material. The Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV3101 was utilized to introduce plant expression vectors containing YFP and GUS reporters for the somatic embryogenesis transformation. This study systematically evaluated the impact of different factors on the transformation efficiency of somatic embryogenesis (SE), including the duration of preculture for SE, Agrobacterium cell density, and inoculation duration in the transformation system. The orthogonal test showed that the preculture for SE was a critical limiting factor for efficient Agrobacterium-mediated delivery. At the same time, the effects of Agrobacterium cell density and inoculation duration on transformation efficiency were not significant. The optimal Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation conditions for ‘ZL-6’walnut SE was: preculture of SE for about one month to reach the competent state, and Agrobacterium cell density with an OD600 = 0.6 inoculating for 15 min. This Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for walnut provides a platform for genetic improvement of core germplasm and further verification of gene function.
A Comprehensive and Bias-Free Machine Learning Approach for Risk Prediction of Preeclampsia with Severe Features in a Nulliparous Study Cohort
Authors: Lin Yun , MALLIA Daniel , CLARK-SEVILLA Andrea , CATTO Adam , LESHCHENKO Alisa , YAN Qi , Haas David , WAPNER Ronald , PE'ER Itsik , RAJA Anita , SALLEB-AOUISSI Ansaf
Published: April 2023

Objective
Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity, with consequences during and after pregnancy. Because of its diverse clinical presentation, preeclampsia is an adverse pregnancy outcome that is uniquely challenging to predict and manage. In this paper, we developed machine learning models that predict the onset of preeclampsia with severe features or eclampsia at discrete time points in a nulliparous pregnant study cohort.
Materials and Methods
The prospective study cohort to which we applied machine learning is the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-be (nuMoM2b) study, which contains information from eight clinical sites across the US. Maternal serum samples were collected for 1,857 individuals between the first and second trimesters. These patients with serum samples collected are selected as the final cohort.
Results
Our prediction models achieved an AUROC of 0.72 (95% CI, 0.69–0.76), 0.75 (95% CI, 0.71–0.79), and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.74–0.80), respectively, for the three visits. Our initial models were biased toward non-Hispanic black participants with a high predictive equality ratio of 1.31. We corrected this bias and reduced this ratio to 1.14. The top features stress the importance of using several tests, particularly for biomarkers and ultrasound measurements. Placental analytes were strong predictors for screening for the early onset of preeclampsia with severe features in the first two trimesters.
Conclusion
Experiments suggest that it is possible to create racial bias-free early screening models to predict the patients at risk of developing preeclampsia with severe features or eclampsia nulliparous pregnant study cohort.
Cotrimoxazole induced Sweet Syndrome case report -A dermatological emergency
Authors: Varghese Anjaly Mary , Kandra Naga Vishnu , Keelu Raj Kumar , Uppala Praveen Kumar , Uttaravelli Upendrarao , Somarouthu Venkata Saibaba , Balijepalli Murali Krishna
Published: April 2023

Background : Sweet syndrome is an uncommon immune mediated allergic reaction, presenting with acute pyrexia, leukocytosis and erythematous skin lesions with dense neutrophilic dermal infiltration. SS is seen as adverse reaction to some drugs, microbial infections, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren syndrome, Hashimoto thyroiditis, dermatomyositis and is associated with certain myeloproliferative or haematological neoplasms.
Results: A female, aged 43 years came to the hospital with high fever and erythematous, pus filled plaques and nodules on face, neck, shoulders and extremities, after taking tablet Cotrimoxazole 480mg twice daily for 12 days for urinary tract infection. The diagnosis of Sweet syndrome was arrived upon from the reports of biopsy showing predominant neutrophilic infiltrate and relevant laboratory tests. Treatment included oral prednisone and the symptoms resolved in 2 months.
Conclusion: As the precise aetiology of Sweet's syndrome is still unknown, vigorous efforts must be made to explore the aetiology of Sweet's syndrome for better diagnosis and treatment. Innovative and effective treatment strategies like targeted therapy may be potentially beneficial to such patients.
Corneal astigmatism in different ethnic groups in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Authors: Kleij Jeroen van , Smit Derrick , Bhika Raquel
Published: April 2023

Objectives To determine whether corneal astigmatism magnitude is equivalent amongst individuals of African black, Mixed race and Caucasian descent in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Methods Observational, retrospective study including 117 African black, 156 Mixed race and 100 Caucasian participants. Corneal astigmatism parameters were obtained using a Pentacam corneal topographer. Ethnicity was self-reported. Data were collected during an earlier prospective study. All the participants had clinically normal eyes. Results Corneal astigmatism magnitude was equivalent among the three groups. The astigmatism magnitude was − 0.7 (0.7) (median (Interquartile range)) in African blacks, -0.8 (0.7) in Mixed race and − 0.7 (0.6) D in Caucasians. No difference was found for J0 (p = 0.24) and J45 (p = 0.99). Astigmatism type differed between the three groups (p = 0.008). With the rule astigmatism was most prevalent in Caucasians (80.1%), followed by African blacks (71.3%) and Mixed race (65.3%). Corneas were steeper in Caucasians and mixed race, compared to African blacks (p = 0.001). K1, K2 and Kmax respectively, were 42.4, 43.2 and 43.7 for the African black, 43.2, 44 and 44.8 for the Mixed race and 43.2, 43.8 and 44.5 D for the Caucasian group. Thinnest point of the cornea in African blacks, Mixed race and Caucasians were 500 (39), 510 (40), and 534 (45) µm (p < 0.001). Conclusion Astigmatism magnitude is comparable between ethnic groups in South Africa. Hence, we suggest that astigmatism is not influenced by ethnicity. Corneal power and thinnest point differed between the three ethnic groups
Functions of serine from the phosphorylated pathway on growth, male gametogenesis, and metabolism in Marchantia polymorpha
Authors: Hirai Masami , Wang Mengyao , Tabeta Hiromitsu , Ohtaka Kinuka , Kuwahara Ayuko , Nishihama Ryuichi , Ishikawa Toshiki , Toyooka Kiminori , Sato Mayuko , Wakazaki Mayumi , Akashi Hiromichi , Tsugawa Hiroshi , Shoji Tsubasa , Okazaki Yozo , Yoshida Keisuke , Sato Ryoichi , Ferjani Ali , Kohchi Takayuki
Published: April 2023

Serine is an important precursor of various biomolecules. Here, we investigated the role of the phosphorylated pathway of serine biosynthesis in a non-vascular plant Marchantia polymorpha by analyzing knockout mutants of MpPGDH, a single gene encoding the first committed enzyme 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PGDH), to assess functions of this pathway in relation to those of the other two pathways. Growth phenotypes of the mutants indicated that serine supply from the phosphorylated pathway in the dark was crucial for vegetative growth. Sperm formation required serine from this pathway, while egg formation did not depend on it. Knockout of MpPGDH in the maternal genome disrupted sporophyte development. When the mutants were grown in high CO2 where the photorespiratory glycolate pathway for serine biosynthesis is inhibited, thallus growth was suppressed and not fully recovered to wild-type level by exogenous serine supplement, suggesting that serine homeostasis involving both the phosphorylated and glycolate pathways was essential. Metabolome and lipidome analyses indicated that the phosphorylated pathway mainly influenced the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the amino acid and nucleotide metabolism, and lack of serine significantly perturbed lipid metabolism. Our results indicate the importance of serine from the phosphorylated pathway for sperm formation, sporophyte development, and metabolism in M. polymorpha.
Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome: a nationwide Colombian pediatric series
Authors: Espitaleta Zilac , Domínguez-Vargas Alex , Villamizar-Martínez Johanna , Carrascal-Guzmán Martha , Guerrero-Tinoco Gustavo , Silva-Diaz Diana , Baquero Richard , Pinto-Bernal Claudia , González-Chaparro Luz , Rojas-Rosas Luisa , Amado-Niño Pilar , Castillo-Arteaga Mariángel , Alvarez-Gomez Yeferson , Arguello-Muñoz Laura , Morales-Camacho William , León-Guerra Oscar , Egea Eduardo , Galeano-Rodriguez Ricardo , Quintero-Gómez Ana , Aroca-Martínez Gustavo , Musso Carlos G.
Published: April 2023

Background Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare complement-mediated kidney disease with genetic predisposition and represents up to 10% of pediatric hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) cases. Few studies have evaluated aHUS in Latin American population. We studied a Colombian pediatric cohort to delineate disease presentation and outcomes.Methods A multicenter cohort of 27 Colombian children with aHUS were enrolled between 2010 to 2019. Patients were grouped by age at onset. Clinical features were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Fisher exact tests. Renal biopsy was performed on six patients who were suspected of having other renal diseases before aHUS diagnosis.Results Most patients were male (70%). The onset of aHUS occurred frequently before age 4 years (60%) and followed gastroenteritis as the main triggering event (52%). Age groups were comparable in clinical presentation, disease severity, treatment, and outcomes. Pulmonary involvement (67%) was the main extrarenal manifestation. A higher frequency was observed in the 1–7 age group (p = 0.01). Renal biopsies were as follows: three had membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) type I, one MPGN type III, one C3-glomerulonephritis, and one rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. Genetic screening was available in five patients and identified 2xCFHR5, 2xMCP, and 1xADAMTS-13/THBD mutations. A total of 15 relapses were seen, of which 8 (72%) occurred in the 1–7 age group. The renal outcome was not significantly different regardless of age group.Conclusion In our cohort, we observed a relatively high frequency of extrarenal involvement at first presentation represented by pulmonary manifestations. The renal prognosis at initial presentation was worse than in previous reports.
Copy number variations in a Chinese series of patients with DiGeorge syndrome-related hypoparathyroidism
Authors: Jiang Yue , Wang Yabing , Yang Jing , Jiang Yan , Li Mei , Xia Weibo , Xing Xiaoping , Nie Min , Wang Ou
Published: April 2023

Purpose: Large genic copy number variations (CNVs) that are rare in the general population have been identified as pathogenic variations in many human diseases. Microdeletion of chromosome 22 leads to DiGeorge syndrome-1 (DGS-1), however, research on the influence of CNVs on the phenotype of DGS-1 related hypoparathyroidism (HP) is still lacking. To understand the CNV profiles in whole genome and their correlation with HP related phenotype in a series of DGS-1 related HP patients by CNV-sequencing.
Methods: CNVs were detected by low-depth whole genome sequencing. The clinical data were collected retrospectively. The HP related phenotype were compared between DGS-1 patients with and without CNV other than 22q11 deletion. Meanwhile, the incidence of CNVs and phenotype were also compared between patients with DGS-1 and idiopathic hypoparathyroidism (IHP) matched in their gender and age.
Results: A total of 34 DGS-1 patients were enrolled in this CNV analysis, of whom 4 were adult-onset. The pathogenic CNV in 22q11 was confirmed in 32 (94.1%) cases. Moreover, 15 (44.1%) patients carried 22 CNVs other than 22q11.2. There was no significant difference in phenotype between patients with and without CNVs (≥100kb) other than 22q11, as well as the incidence of CNVs between DGS-1 and IHP patients.
Conclusion: In our study, there seemed to be a relatively high percentage (44.1%) of patients who carried CNVs (≥100kb) other than 22q11.2, which may be related to the phenotype of DGS-1. Further analyses on larger DGS-1 related HP series, especially with normal controls from different races should be performed.
Real-world experience: Effect of Apixaban on INR, More confusion to providers with inadvertent lab
Authors: Elkholy Emad , Brashi Rafal , Batrafi Raghad , Alhadrami salma , Almutawakkil Braah , Atallah Hashim , Mekkawy Mohammed , Shalaby Ghada , elragaal mahmoud
Published: April 2023

Background: Factor X inhibition can cause the prolongation of PT by acting on the common pathway factors. Although, Expensive and less available “calibrated anti-FXa” predicts DOAC plasma level had better than prothrombin time (PT) and the international normalized ratio (INR). Consecutive reports raise more attention to (PT/INR) abnormalities in clinical scenarios for the minority of patients on DOACs. This study focuses on studying the magnitude of the Apixaban effect on INR elevation, which may be of clinical significance.
Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective, observational analysis of adult patients who received at least 30 days of Apixaban. This study's primary outcome is to test the association between Apixaban use and significant INR elevation
Results: Five hundred Fifty-two patients have screened in the study .194 patients meet our study aim criteria, Apixaban use was associated with a significant rise in INR levels after Apixaban (1.54 ± 2.59) compared to the previous values (1.03 ± 0.62) P <0.001. The mean rise was 0.58 (95% CI: 0.34-0.82, p<0.001). Multiple linear regression showed insignificance of all other tested variables, like Age, Polypharmacy, Use of CYP inhibitors, baseline INR, or renal function.
Conclusion: Apixaban use is associated with a significant increase in INR in non-hospitalized patients, although the clinical outcomes of this observation are still understudied.
Although routine monitoring of INR for Apixaban is generally unadvised, it is pivotal for practitioners to understand the magnitude of this phenomenon, more research is warranted to describe the clinical importance and guidance for those coagulation assays in daily practice.
A lesson from a magnificent eruption: year 2021, La Palma, Canary Islands
Authors: Marques Fernando , Catalao Joao , Soler Vicente
Published: April 2023

The exceptionally dynamic eruption of La Palma in 2021 represents a unique window to look deep into the lithosphere and the mechanics of an eruptive process. Magma ascent is powered by overpressure (dynamic/lithostatic pressure > 1), meaning that thermodynamically estimated pressure cannot be directly converted to depth. The problem is that the amount of overpressure is still unknown. We use classical rock mechanics and fluid flow laws to analyse geophysical and thermodynamic data, and infer high values of overpressure (> 1.5). A large pressure gradient between surface vents and magma reservoirs was established in the early days of eruption, which violently sucked magma from the deeper sources and greatly increased magma velocity that induced brittle behaviour of the lithosphere at depths of 40 km (deepest earthquake). Supersonic explosions and lava fountains hundreds of meters tall were the surface witness of the inferred high overpressure. The non-acknowledgement of significant overpressure in the volcanic process has two undesirable effects: (1) the lithospheric structure, magma ponding levels, volumes, and plumbing system may be misplaced by several kilometres; (2) it hampers the understanding of the mechanics of the whole process and, therefore, of a better knowledge of hazard and risk.
Copula-based Risk Aggregation with Trapped Ion Quantum Computers
Authors: Zhu Daiwei , Shen Weiwei , Giani Annarita , Majumder Saikat Ray , Neculaes Bogdan , Johri Sonika
Published: April 2023

Copulas are mathematical tools for modeling joint probability distributions. In the past 60 years they have become an essential analysis tool on classical computers in various fields. The recent finding that copulas can be expressed as maximally entangled quantum states has revealed a promising approach to practical quantum advantages: performing tasks faster, requiring less memory, or, as we show, yielding better predictions. Studying the scalability of this quantum approach as both the precision and the number of modeled variables increase is crucial for its adoption in real-world applications. In this paper, we successfully apply a Quantum Circuit Born Machine (QCBM) based approach to modeling 3-and 4-variable copulas on trapped ion quantum computers. We study the training of QCBMs with different levels of precision and circuit design on a simulator and a state-of-the-art trapped ion quantum computer. We observe decreased training efficacy due to the increased complexity in parameter optimization as the models scale up. To address this challenge, we introduce an annealing-inspired strategy that dramatically improves the training results. In our end-to-end tests, various configurations of the quantum models make a comparable or better prediction in risk aggregation tasks than the standard classical models.
Cases of paternal inheritance and recombination of mictochondria in peas (Pisum L.)
Authors: Bulgakova Vera S. , Shatskaya Natalia V. , Kosterin Oleg E. , Vasiliev Gennadiy V.
Published: April 2023

Pea has been hitherto considered to have strict maternal inheritance of mitochondria, as most of flowering plants. Using a CAPS marker we detected a case of paternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the second generation of a cross between a wild and a cultivated representatives of the common pea (Pisum sativum L.). Heteroplasmy for mitochondrial and plastid DNA was detected in arrays of high throughput sequence reads and confirmed by analysis of CAPS markers in an accession of Pisum fulvum Sm. and probable heteroplasmy for mtDNA marker was detected in an accession of the wild P. sativum subsp, elatius. A case of mtDNA recombination in one of accessions of the same subspecies from Turkey was observed as a ca 13 km long insert originating from a distant evolutionary lineage. Thus, three phenomena described in this work, occasional paternal leakage of mitochondria, naturally occurring heteroplasmy and recombination of diverged mitochondrial genomes in pea, elucidated microevolutionary processes which shaped diversity in this important crop.
DREG： A large-scale biological knowledge graph for Drug Repurposing
Authors: Feng Xin , Ma Zhansen , Xin Yongxian , Yu Cuinan , Xin Ruihao
Published: April 2023

Background: Developing new drugs involves significant costs. However, repurposing existing drugs can identify potential application areas for treating new diseases. Current drug repurposing methods often require strong domain knowledge and numerous biological experiments. The knowledge graph approach which leverages existing drug research and development knowledge has emerged as a promising alternative.
Results: This paper introduces the DREG (Drug Repurposing Entity Knowledge graph) model, which is based on a large-scale knowledge graph. By aggregating multiple related knowledge networks, the model extracts association information between known drug and disease entities. It then calculates entity similarity to predict unknown drug-disease relationships. The DREG model's performance, with an MRR index of 0.308 and Hits@10 of 0.628, surpasses that of the best-performing model by 4.7% (MRR) and 18.1% (Hits@10). The DREG model's effectiveness rate in quantitative experiments can reach 80%. The recommended results have clinical value, as some are already undergoing clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov and the China Clinical Trial Center.
Conclusion: The DREG model can predict candidate drugs for repurposing, reducing the scope of human expert evaluation and treating new diseases.
Development of Machine Learning-Based Personalized Predictive Models for Early Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in HBV-Related Cirrhosis Patients with Low Levels of Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein
Authors: Xu Yuan , Xu Jing-Yao , Hu Hui , Zhang Bei , Zhou Fan , Yang Xinlei , Xiao Ouyang
Published: April 2023

Background: The continuous increase in the incidence of HCC in China is an urgent issue, and early diagnosis and treatment are crucial. This study aims to create personalized predictive models by combining machine learning technology with demographic, medical history, and non-invasive biomarker data. These models will enhance the decision-making capabilities of clinical doctors for liver cell carcinoma (HCC) in HBV-related cirrhosis patients with low levels of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP).
Methods: A total of 6,980 patients were included for further analysis treated between January 2012 and December 2018 were assessed. The laboratory test and clinical data before treatment were gathered. The significant risk factors were selected, and the relative risk of each variable affecting HCC diagnosis was calculated with machine learning and univariate regression analysis. Finally, in order to establish machine learning models, the data set was partitioned into a validation set (20%) and training set (80%) at random.
Results:.This study identified 12 independent risk factors for HCC by using Gaussian naïve Bayes (GNB), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), random forest (RF), and least absolute shrinkage and selection operation (LASSO) regression models. Multivariate analysis showed that males, age >60 years, alkaline phosphate (ALP) >150 U/L, AFP >25 ng/mL, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) >5 ng/mL, and fibrinogen (Fbg) >4 g/L were risk factors, while hypertension, calcium <2.25 mmol/L, potassium ≤3.5 mmol/L, direct bilirubin (DB) >6.8 μmol/L, hemoglobin (HB) <110 g/L, and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) >40 U/L were protective factors in HCC patients. Based on these factors, a nomogram was constructed and showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.746 (sensitivity=0.710, specificity=0.646), which was significantly higher than AFP AUC of 0.658 (sensitivity=0.462, specificity=0.766). Compared with several machine learning algorithms, XGBoost model had an AUC of 0.832 (sensitivity=0.745, specificity=0.766) and independent validation AUC of 0.829 (sensitivity=0.766, specificity=0.737), which performed the highest level in both the test set and the training set.
Conclusions: The proposed XGBoost for classifying HCC in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis with low-level AFP demonstrated promising ability for individualized prediction of HCC cases.
Efficacy and Adverse Effects of Remdesivir in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Hariri Bassem Al , Barman Manish , Haider Vajeeha , Nashwan Abdulqadir J. , Alharafsheh Ahmad , Salehi Aram , Illahi Memon Noor , Mohamedali Mohamed Gaafar
Published: April 2023

Introduction: Remdesivir is an antiviral medication approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to combat COVID-19 infection in hospitalized patients. Although the adverse effects of Remdesivir are mainly unknown, data from randomized controlled trials have demonstrated its deleterious impact on several organ systems.
Purpose: This study aims to describe the safety and efficacy of Remdesivir administration in a cohort of 586 patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Qatar for COVID-19-related reasons.
Methods: A retrospective study of 586 patients admitted with a diagnosis of COVID-19 and treated with Remdesivir were compared to 200 patients with COVID-19 who did not receive Remdesivir.
Results: The rate of mechanical ventilation admission to the intensive care unit was comparable across the two groups (2.35% vs. 2%, p =.75). Death rates were comparable between the two groups (0.02% vs. 0.03%, p =.43). There was a mean reduction in heart rate within the first three days of antiviral therapy. Negligible variations in serum AST, ALT, ALP, and eGFR levels were detected. Remdesivir-treated patients had a significantly shorter hospital stay.
Conclusion: Based on the limited data available regarding the adverse effects of Remdesivir, it is prudent to exercise caution by evaluating baseline parameters and avoiding concomitant use of potential cardio-, nephro-, or hepatotoxic drugs when using Remdesivir in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Direct C-H bond activation using visible light and a donor-acceptor polymer with tunable valence band
Authors: Li Xin-Hao , Zhang Shi-Nan , Li Qi-Yuan , Lin Yun-Xiao , Xia Si-Yuan , Xu Dong , Chen Jie-Sheng
Published: April 2023

Currently, converting hydrocarbons into high-value-added products through photocatalytic selective activation under mild conditions is attractive and challenging, motivating research efforts to explore inexpensive and efficient photocatalysts. Here, we report a donor-acceptor polymer with tunable valence band to trigger direct photocatalytic C-H bond activation for selective oxidation, halogenation and coupling reactions using visible light and air without the assistance of any sacrificial additives. Apart from the fast charge separation driven by donor-acceptor pairs, both experimental and theoretical results have demonstrated that the downshifted valence band of the polymer photocatalyst dominated the enhanced oxidation power to accelerate C-H bond activation. resulting in the best-in-class catalytic performance of paraxylene oxidation with high aldehyde selectivity (> 99%), outperforming the state-of-the-art metal-free homogeneous catalysts in the literature by a factor of 4.
Motivational Drivers for Health Professionals in a Large Quality Improvement Collaborative Project in Brazil: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Silva Eliane Pereira , Saturno-Hernández Pedro Jesus , Freitas Marise Reis , Gama Zenewton André Silva
Published: April 2023

Background
The success of quality improvement collaborative projects in healthcare depends on the engagement of professionals working in patient care, but the factors that modulates their motivation in these projects are still unclear. The objective of this study was to analyze barriers and facilitators to motivation of health professionals in a large project for implement evidence-based infection prevention practices in intensive care units of Brazilian hospitals.
Methods
This qualitative study was based on content analysis of semi-structured in-depth interviews with health professionals participating in the quality improvement collaborative project “Improving patient safety on a large scale in Brazil” involving 116 Brazilian hospitals. We randomly selected hospitals and conducted the interviews via videoconference with health professionals who participated in the project. The final sample size was defined using the principle of saturation. Data were encoded using the NVivo software, and analyses were based on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior model and the Model for Understanding Success in Quality.
Results
We interviewed 28 health professionals from 12 hospitals in the five regions of Brazil. The barriers found were the non-involvement of senior managers, demand for immediate results, lack of supplies, excessive bureaucracy for changes, work overload, lack of work hours’ time allowed for the project, resistance of experienced healthcare professionals, belief that improvement increases workload, difficulty in engaging the night shift professionals, little involvement of physicians, lack of knowledge about quality improvement and collection of indicators. An active participation of senior managers in the rounds, institutional policy of continuous improvement, quality improvement team constant presence in the unit, team leader enthusiasm, understanding the reason for changes, teamwork, participating in change tests, learning in practice, celebrate small results and feedback on results were facilitators to motivation.
Conclusion
This study reinforced the importance of customizing large projects, involving the modulators of motivation, intervening in factors identified as barriers and facilitators, and verifying the interactions in the microsystem to ensure maximum motivation during collaborative projects.
Thermal Profile Modeling and Microstructural Evolution in Laser Processing of Inconel 625 Plates
Authors: Lawson Stephanie , Ghayoor Milad , Tabei Ali , Pasebani Somayeh
Published: April 2023

Thermal modeling is used in additive manufacturing laser processes to predict microstructural evolution of the materials under specified process conditions and parameters. The objective of this study was to develop, analyze and compare two predictive models: an analytical model and a numerical model for laser processing of materials of Inconel 625. These models were compared with experimental results for thermal profiling, and the effect of thermal profiles on microstructure of the experimental samples was explored. The three approaches; analytical modeling, numerical modeling, and experimental results were evaluated against thermal profile histories and correlated to microstructural evolution in laser processing. Maximum temperatures in the thermal profile of both models were shown in good agreement when compared to the experimental results. Cooling curves were also correlated with microstructure in terms of grain size, morphology, orientation, and texture evolution, with findings that match previously reported results. This research validates the proposed numerical model for examining optimal laser processing conditions for IN625 through both thermal history and microstructure comparison with experimental results using literature derived thermo-physical material properties.
Risk factors and clinical outcomes of cytomegalovirus diseases in hematologic malignancy patients without hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation: a case-control study
Authors: Yang Jinyoung , Lee Young Ho , Ko Jae-Hoon , Huh Kyungmin , Cho Sun Young , Chung Doo Ryeon , Peck Kyong Ran , Jung Chul Won , Kang Cheol-In
Published: April 2023

Backgrounds: This study aims to evaluate the risk factors and prognosis for CMV diseases in hematologic malignancy patients without HSCT.
Methods: We performed a case-control study (1:2) between 2012 and 2022. Adults with pathologic-confirmed CMV diseases (n=60) among hematologic malignancy patients were matched and compared to whom without CMV disease.
Results: Lymphoma was the most common underlying malignancy, and gastrointestinal tract involvement was the most common CMV disease. In the case group, high-dose steroid administration and transfusion within one month before diagnosis were higher (p<0.001). Steroid administration (aOR=5.78; 95% confidence interval: 1.25–26.68, p=0.024), red blood cell transfusion within one month (aOR=14.63; 2.75–77.76, p=0.002), low BMI (aOR=13.46, 2.07–87.45, p=0.006), and hypoalbuminemia (aOR=26.48, 5.93–118.17, p<0.001) were independent risk factors associated with CMV disease. The 30-day mortality was higher in the case group and CMV disease was significantly associated with all-cause mortality (aOR=14.41, 3.23–64.31, p<0.001).
Conclusions: In hematologic malignancy patients without HSCT, risk factors for CMV organ disease included high-dose steroid administration and RBC transfusion within one month, low BMI, and hypoalbuminemia. Overall mortality was significantly higher with CMV disease, and CMV disease occurrence was a significant risk factor for mortality.
Automatic Recommendation of Contents and Reinforcement Activities to Facilitate the Autonomous Learning in a Data Structure and Programming Course
Authors: Plaza Laura , Araujo Lourdes , López-Ostenero Fernando , Martínez-Romo Juan
Published: April 2023

Autonomous learning is increasingly recognized as an effective approach for achieving academic success, particularly in e-learning environments. It offers students greater flexibility, engagement, and motivation. A valuable tool for facilitating autonomous learning and tailoring materials and reinforcement activities to students' needs is a recommendation system based on their questions, doubts, and concerns expressed in the course forum. In this study, we propose the use of advanced natural language processing techniques to design and implement a recommender that supports students in autonomous learning. When a student posts a query in the course forum, our recommender system provides links to other discussion threads where related questions have been raised and additional activities to reinforce the study of topics that have been challenging. We have developed a content-based recommender that utilizes an algorithm capable of extracting key phrases, terms, and embeddings that describe the concepts in the student query and those present in other conversations and reinforcement activities with high precision. The recommender considers the similarity of the concepts extracted from the query and those covered in the course discussion forum and the exercise database to recommend the most relevant content for the student. Our results indicate that we can recommend both posts and activities with high precision (above 80%) using key phrases to represent the textual content.
Opportunities and Challenges in Clinical Learning of Midwifery Students in Public Universities of Tigray Region, Ethiopia, 2020: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Abreha Tomas Amare , W/tensay Kidisti Tesfay , Gebre Merhawi Birhane , Abrha Birhanu Abadi , Haile Gebrhud Berihu
Published: April 2023

Background: Clinical learning focuses on real problems in the context of professional practice in which learners are motivated by its relevance and active participation. Studies showed that midwifery students were challenged by the absence of a variety of cases in non-teaching hospitals, overcrowded teaching hospitals, absence of objective-based evaluation methods, and lack of supervision from clinical instructors. If the theory learned in class was applied in practice, it is helpful to produce skillful and competent midwifery professionals. The aim of this study was exploring opportunities and challenges for midwifery students in the clinical learning environment.
Methods: the study was conducted in public Universities of Tigray, Ethiopia. Phenomenology study design and purposive sampling technique were employed; four focused group discussions and five key informant interviews were conducted. Data was collected using an open-ended guide, transcribed verbatim, entered into ATLAS ti7 software, and translated. Then codes and themes were derived from the transcribed data, and finally analyzed thematically.
Results: a total of 33 participants in which 28 in four focused group discussions and five key informant interviews participated in this study. Based on the result, midwifery students were getting opportunities to practice when they were assigned to non-teaching hospitals, working with close supervision, having smooth relationships with staff, receiving constructive feedback, and evaluated based on their skills. Whereas, they were challenged by aggressive staff, poor follow up, overcrowded teaching hospitals, low usage of skills lab, and short time for clinical practice.
Conclusion: Midwifery students have positive attitude, and were getting opportunities to practice while they were assigned to a very conducive clinical learning environment with supportive and skillful clinical instructors/ preceptors.
However, they have negative attitude, and were challenged to work due to the poor attention given to midwifery students’ clinical learning. It is recommended that midwifery students have to practice in skills lab before they assigned for clinical practice and clinical instructors have to be integrated to teaching hospitals so as to educate students while their hands-on.