bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of White Rot Fungus (Ganoderma sp) as Decomposers on Composting Using Combination of Cattle Feces and Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) as Organic Matter
Authors: Said Muhammad Irfan , Abustam Effendi , Sirajuddin Sitti Nurani , Jamila  , Tensi  , Al Tawaha Abdel Razzaq , Al Tawaha Abdel Rahman M.
Published: January 2022

In Indonesia, cattle feces (CF) and water hyacinth (WH) plants are abundant but have not been widely revealed. The use of microorganisms as decomposers in the fermentation process has not been widely applied, so researchers are interested in studying further. This study was to evaluate the effect of the combination of CF with WH on composting by applying white-rot fungal (WRF) (Ganoderma sp) microorganism as a decomposer. A number of six types of treatment compared to R1(ratio of CF:WH)(25%:75%)+WRF; R2(ratio of CF:WH)(50%:50%)+WRF; R3(ratio of CF:WH)(75%:25%)+WRF; R4(ratio of CF:WH)(25%:75%) without WRF; R5(ratio of CF:WH)(50%:50%) without WRF; R6(ratio of CF:WH)(25%:75%) without WRF. The results showed that the use of WRF decomposers and organic matter (CF and WH) at different ratios affected the properties of compost such as pH value, C-organic, N-organic, C/N ratio, P2O5 and K2O compounds. The WRF decomposer significantly decreases to the pH value, and the C/N ratio, but increases the value of C-organic, N-organic, P2O5 and K2O. The properties of the compost produced are in accordance with the standards set by the Indonesian National Standard (INS) and the regulation of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia. The WRF was needed to consider as a decomposer in producing compost.  Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that the R1(CF: WH)(25%:75%)+WRF) treatment was the best ratio combination to produce compost using WRF (Ganoderma sp) as a decomposer with the best properties.
An Analytic Solution for Riccati Matrix Delay Differential Equation using Coupled Homotopy-Adomian Approach
Authors: AL-Jizani Khalid Hammood , Al-Delfi Jawad Kadhim K.
Published: January 2022

An efficient modification and a novel technique combining the homotopy concept with  Adomian decomposition method (ADM) to obtain an accurate analytical solution for Riccati matrix delay differential equation (RMDDE) is introduced  in this paper  . Both methods are very efficient and effective. The whole integral part of ADM is used instead of the integral part of homotopy technique. The major feature in current technique gives us a large convergence region of iterative approximate solutions .The results acquired by this technique give better approximations for a larger region as well as previously. Finally, the results conducted via suggesting an efficient and easy technique, and may be addressed to other non-linear problems.
Lymphocytes Prediction of Homeostasis Model Assessment of Beta-cells Function (HOMA-B) and C-peptide Level during Pregnancy: New Insight into Beta-cells Proliferation and Insulin Sensitivity
Authors: Hamza Mohammad Ahmad
Published: January 2022

This work aims to detect the associations of C-peptide and the homeostasis model assessment of beta-cells function (HOMA2-B%) with inflammatory biomarkers in pregnant-women in comparison with non-pregnant women. Sera of 28 normal pregnant women at late pregnancy versus 27 matched age non-pregnant women (control), were used to estimate C-peptide, triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxin (T4) by Enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA), fasting blood sugar (FBS) by automatic analyzer Biolis 24i, hematology-tests by hematology analyzer and the calculation of HOMA2-B% and homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity (HOMA2-S%) by using C-peptide values instead of insulin. The comparisons, correlations, regression analysis tests were performed by the software of statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). In pregnant women group, HOMA2-B%, T3, T4, white blood cell (WBC), MID cells, granulocytes (GRAN) increased significantly (p-values˂0.05), while C-peptide level raised about 11% compared to control. Lymphocytes, red blood cells (RBC), platelets (PLT) and hemoglobin (HGB) decreased significantly (p-values˂0.05). Lymphocytes predicted both HOMA2-B% and C-peptide level during pregnancy (R2 =0.516, p ˂0.0004; R2=0.31, p ˂0.009 respectively). Prediction of HOMA2-B% and C-peptide levels by lymphocytes account clarifies that the adaptation in beta-cells might be a part of the defense system mechanism of the body against oxidative stress, and this highlights new insight on the proliferation of beta-cells during pregnancy and insulin sensitivity.
A Case control study to determine Macrophage migration inhibitor, and N-telopeptides of type I bone collagen Levels in the sera of osteoporosis patients
Authors: Farhan Layla Othman , Taha Ekhlass M. , Farhan Ahlam M.
Published: January 2022

This study focused on determining the markers of Macrophage migration inhibitor (MIF), as well as the N-telopeptides of type I bone collagen (NTX), and some other parameters (alkaline phosphatase (ALP), vitamin D (Vit D), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and magnesium (Mg), and their correlation with other parameters in osteoporosis. One hundred ten subjects were involved in the current study. There were two groups of patients: group I (30) women with severe osteoporosis and group II (30) women with mild osteoporosis. For comparison, 50 apparently healthy individuals were included as a control. Serum levels of MIF, and NTX were significantly higher in groups I and II as compared to the control group, which indicate that these two parameters were related to disease. Moreover MIF, and NTX were organized in one cluster when applying cluster analysis test to all the studied groups. This indicates that in most of the studied samples the two parameters were related to each other as well as to osteoporosis.  Magnesium showed a significant decrease in its level in both groups as compared to the control. On the other hand, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) showed a significant increase in  its activity in both studied groups as compared to the control. Vitamin D level manifested significant difference between group I and group II, with a significant decrease in  its level when comparing group II with the control group.  The MIF, NTX was highly associated with osteoporosis patients, in addition to Mg and Vit-D. On the other hand, Ca and P levels did not alter in a significant way with osteoporosis which may be considered as a risk factor as long as they are organized in one cluster with MIF, NTX, Mg, and Vit D in all the studied patients. Both markers showed a clear cut-off value using the ROC curve in which the best cutoff value of NTX was 166.8 pg/ml, and the best cutoff value of MIF was 6.6 ng/ml according to ROC analysis.
Investigation of the Nuclear Structure of Some Ni and Zn Isotopes with Skyrme-Hartree-Fock Interaction
Authors: Abbas Shaimaa A , Salman Seham Hassan , Ebrahiem Samira A. , Tawfeek Huda M.
Published: January 2022

The inelastic C2 form factors and the charge density distribution (CDD) for 58,60,62Ni and 64,66,68Zn nuclei has been investigated by employing the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock method with (Sk35-Skzs*) parametrization. The inelastic C2 form factor is calculated by using the shape of Tassie and Bohr-Mottelson models with appropriate proton and neutron effective charges to account for the core-polarization effects contribution. The comparison of the predicted theoretical values was conducted with the available measured data for C2 and CDD form factors and showed very good agreement.
Numerical Simulation and Design Optimization of Large-Scale Geothermal Production Based on a Multiwell Layout in Xianxian Geothermal Field
Authors: Liu Yanguang , Guo Lina , Wang Yan , Liao Yuzhong , Zhao Gui
Published: January 2022

Large-scale geothermal production based on a multiwell layout has been promoted by the development of clean energy. However, the theories about the effects of this geothermal production pattern on the temperature field of geothermal reservoirs are yet to be improved, which hinders the design optimization of the deployment schemes of geothermal wells. This study proposed a 3D geothermal multiwell simulation method covering the heat transfer in wellbores by introducing the geothermal well theory of 1D line elements, thus improving the calculation efficiency without reducing the calculation accuracy. By taking the geothermal development using multiple wells in the Xianxian geothermal field, China, as an example, this study firstly analyzed the evolution of the temperature field in geothermal reservoirs during the geothermal exploitation based on a multiwell layout. Then, it revealed the influencing mechanisms of geothermal multiwell effect, reinjection depth, and well spacing on the thermal breakthrough of exploitation wells. Finally, it proposed an optimized design method for the geothermal development based on a multiwell layout. All these will provide scientific support for the large-scale geothermal production based on exploitation-reinjection combination using multiple wells.
Static and Dynamic Bulk Moduli of Deepwater Reservoir Sands: Influence of Pressure and Fluid Saturation
Authors: Wang Yang , Han De-Hua , Zhao Luanxiao , Li Hui , Long Teng
Published: January 2022

The static bulk modulus of unconsolidated sands is essential for predicting the in situ effective pressure to reduce drilling risks in deepwater reservoirs; however, the dynamic bulk modulus is often more broadly available from seismic or well logging data. Therefore, it is tempting to investigate the relationship between static and dynamic bulk moduli. We perform a series of ultrasonic velocity measurements on 21 deepwater reservoir sands from the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) to study the static and dynamic bulk moduli simultaneously. Both room-dry and brine-saturated ultrasonic velocities are measured under hydrostatic stress conditions to derive the dynamic bulk moduli. Under brine-saturated conditions, if the pore pressure is kept constant, the pore volume change with the confining pressure can be monitored accurately by a digital pump, which is subsequently used to estimate the static bulk modulus. The experimental results suggest that both the static and dynamic bulk moduli decrease upon pressure unloading. The pressure-dependent bulk moduli are modeled using the Hertz-Mindlin contact theory at the critical porosity and combined with the modified Hashin-Shtrikman lower bound for other porosities. The results suggest that the theoretical estimates can serve as the lower bound for the dynamic bulk modulus and the upper bound for the static bulk modulus. Under room-dry conditions, the static-to-dynamic modulus ratio decreases from a value approaching 0.8 to approximately 0.25 with decreasing differential pressure. Moreover, the effects of brine saturation on the relationship between the static and dynamic moduli are investigated using Gassmann’s equation. The brine saturation substantially reduces the difference between the static and dynamic bulk moduli, making the static-to-dynamic modulus ratio approach unity, which may be relevant to the in situ reservoir rock properties.
The Complexity of Moral Responsibility and Its Degrees
Authors:   National Research University “Higher School of Economics”, Iugai Victoria S.
Published: January 2022

A simplified version of philosophical discussion on any problem could be summarised like this: to explain a phenomenon P theory A is developed, then in response to A theory B is developed, then these theories are modified and give rise to new argument, including ar­guments based on or inspired by some scientific findings and theories from other fields of philosophy. However, in moral responsibility discussion, it is complicated to distinguish one central conflict. Different philosophers write about moral responsibility as a problem of ethical evaluation of an action, and metaphysical conditions do moral responsibility, and criteria of moral agent, and possibility of several agents sharing responsibility for the same action, etc. In this paper, I discuss “Ethics and metaphysics of moral responsibility: that is a rigorous analysis of various theories of moral responsibility turned into in the original systematisation of the conceptual chaos in contemporary debates on moral re­sponsibility. The first part of the paper includes tackling the problem of moral responsibil­ity and a short review of the theories of moral responsibility. In the second part, there are conceptual clarifications of the term “appropriateness” that is the key term for interpreting conditions of moral responsibility. In the paper, I have two pursues. First, to highlight strong and less strong points of analysis of the problem of moral responsibility proposed by E. Loginov, M. Gavrilov, A. Mertsalov and A. Iunusov. Second, to draw an attention to theoretical challenges of moral reactions when it is assumed that moral reactions come in degrees.
Non-Killing as the Primary Act
Authors:   RAS Institute of philosophy, Zubets Olga P.
Published: January 2022

Morality, being understood as a form of value-normative regulation, as a set of norms, com­mandments, ideas, was actively involved in the mechanics of Auschwitz. One of the key concepts of Nazi morality is “humane” killing: the Nazis’ understanding of it as “humane” is connected with an idea of fighting evil, with the fact that its performer morally justifies and motivates it (with the good of others, including the victim), with a method of its realisa­tion, which should be merciful towards both the killer and his victim. In Nazi morality, the “virtuous” person takes the decision to kill on the basis of moral ideology; killing as an ac­tual action, as a given one, turns out to be outside of morality. They reproduce the mistake of Adam, who took the words of god’s truth for a commandment, a law, which is described by Spinoza. Criticizing the single-level position of moral commandments, the author comes to the conclusion that Auschwitz is opposed not by the commandment, not by the moral prohi­bition “Thou shalt not kill”, but by non-killing as an act. Philosophy, having emphasized the fundamental nature of human mortality, is forced by Auschwitz to place the concept of killing at the center and postulate the givenness of non-killing as a primary act – outside of verbal expression, consideration, distinction: as the beginning that makes the language, the thinking and the individual as an acting human possible. This means a turn of moral philoso­phy: from the substantive development of moral ideology and the specification of morality through the nuance of motives, norms and values – back to the givenness of an act, which excludes the differentiation of killing on moral grounds. The act of non-killing is not medi­ated by morality, it is not defined by the fact that killing is evil, but the very fact that it is evil follows from the primacy of the act of not committing killing, from the decision not to kill given in the act of non-killing. Moral philosophy itself is conceived by the author as the thinking of the one who does not kill.
“Hume’s Guillotine” as a Pseudo Problem
Authors:   RAS Institute of philosophy, Gaginsky Alexey M.
Published: January 2022

The is/ought separation, initiated by D. Hume, but only gained popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, occupies a very important place in ethical discourse for it calls into question the possibility of justifying moral norms. At the same time, the Humean distinction rests on a number of ontological assumptions that need to be clarified in order to understand the limits of the principle. In particular, if Hume’s “guillotine” and its subsequent adaptation in metaethics presupposes an ontology of atomic facts, then the is/ought separation will prove problematic in revising the ontological model. The article shows that the common version of Hume’s “guillotine” is a pseudo-problem because it only works within a reductionist method­ology, when a moral judgment is decontextualized and decomposed into atomic components from which nothing is logically derived. A more correct approach to the problem leads to the conclusion that the being and the ought are to be distinguished, but cannot be separated. In this form, Hume’s “guillotine” ceases to be destructive for the ethical systems.
The Function of Ethical Virtues in Aristotle’s Ethics
Authors:   RAS Institute of Philosophy, Platonov Roman S.
Published: January 2022

The article sets a goal to show the function of moral virtue in the practical knowledge of Aristotle. For this purpose: we describe the main meanings of the concept of “arete” in an­cient Greek culture (excellence, compliance with the goal); reconstruct the main steps of Aristotle's research of the act; analyze Aristotle's conceptualization of virtue as a qualitative characteristic of activity. We show the finding of a break between the decision process (ra­tional procedures of search and analysis) and the based on desire and personal preferences choice is the main result of the analysis of the act and the creation of the concept of con­scious choice. Therefore, the very knowledge about human activity is divided into two sub­ject areas – rational and non-rational. This also correlates with the description of the struc­ture of the soul as a form of realization of human nature – the thinking and passionate / voli­tional parts are distinguished in it. In habit, Aristotle sees the possibility of controlling per­sonal preferences and, through this, the act of choice. He sees in habituation the constant work of a person on himself, training in making a choice in accordance with rationally de­fined goals. On this basis, he introduces the concept of “temper” to describe the non-rational component of activity. As a result, he divides the virtues into rational (dianoetic) and moral (ethical). Moral virtues are a cultivated parameter of individual development. It is con­cluded, the conceptualization of moral virtues makes it possible to include education in practical knowledge as a way of working with passions and desires, makes the non-rational part of the act visible.
Margaret Fuller’s Woman in the Nineteenth Century: A Reading
Authors:   MGIMO University, Kizima Marina P.
Published: January 2022

The article analyzes the book on the equality of women “Woman in the Nineteenth Cen­tury” (1845) written by Margaret Fuller (1810–1850), an outstanding American romantic, to elaborate the ideas she had expressed in the essay “The Great Lawsuit: Man versus Men. Woman versus Women” (1843). The author compares these two works and shows their com­mon conceptual ground, as well as the development of Fuller’s views that grew in scope and radicalism. The book is analyzed in its cultural and historical context as a religious and philosophical work that gave a unique expression to the ideas of American Transcendental­ism: Fuller was the first to apply its fundamental principle of self-reliance to women and created in the cultural discourse the image of “woman thinking”, complementing thus the image of “man thinking” elaborated in the works of Emerson and other transcendentalists. The author shows that Fuller’s ethical conception drew on the moral philosophy of Im­manuel Kant, Christianity, mystical teachings (Swedenborg), utopian socialism (Fourier), Goethe, European romanticism and points out that transcendental moral universalism was Fuller’s basic premise. The article demonstrates that in her book Fuller combined ethical theory with a criticism of the social reality, norms and morals in the USA as unjust (particu­larly concerning women’s rights, slavery, rights of the underprivileged) and stressed the sig­nificance of justice as a moral value. A special attention is drawn to the peculiarities of the book as a publicistic work, in which Fuller develops her ethical ideas through forms of liter­ary expression: sermon, artistic imagination (characters, dialogues), works by other writers in a discussion on the place of women in the history of cultures.
J.J. Spalding and Neology in the Context of Disciplinary Formalizing of Philosophical Theology
Authors:   Рeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Kryshtop Ludmila
Published: January 2022

The article concerns the formation process of philosophical theology. Today, the emergence of philosophical theology is often ascribed only to the 20th century. It is especially popular in this context to recall Wilhelm Weischedel and his fundamental work Der Gott der Philosophen. The author of the article draws attention to the earlier stages of the formation of this discipline, in particular to the work of Friedrich Schleiermacher and the age of German Enlightenment that preceded him. She comes to conclusion that it is in German Enlightenment, namely in the works of representatives of such a philosophical and theological trend as Neology, that one should see those background that later served as the foundation for the formation of philosophical theology. In this regard, the most interesting are the works of Johann Joachim Spalding (1714–1804). Neology in general and the works of Spalding are scarcely studied at the moment. Most of the available researches on this significant thinker consider his anthropological views based primarily on his fundamental work The Destiny of Man, while his other significant works have sliped out of sight. As a result, our knowledge about the philosophical and theological views of Spalding is one-sided and the importance of this thinker for the subsequent development of theology is greatly underestimated. This article examines Spalding from a new perspective – as a forerunner of the emergence of philosophical theology, and thus contributes to clarifying the essence of philosophical theology as such and the history of its formation, as well as to the study of the philosophy and theology of the age of German Enlightenment.
Does Meister Eckhart understand what he thinks?
Authors:   National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University), Kirsberg Igor
Published: January 2022

The article is devoted to the philosophical analysis of the new edition of the sermons of Meister Eckhart, published in Germany. Using the new translation of Eckhart's “Die rede der unterscheidunge” the author discusses a possibility of research of Eckharts legacy not by opposing thought or understanding to mysticism, but rather by clarifying the specificity, distinction and coordination within his thought, understanding and feeling. The arguments supporting the understanding of Eckhart as thinker in grounding him as a representative of European thought without any signs of mysticism are rejected in the article, for the necessary link between thought and cognitivity as well as the incompatibility of thought with mysticism have not been proved. The article demonstrates the other manner of reasoning, proving a possibility of non-cognitive thought, in some extracts from Eckhart at least, which as an expression of feeling (his faith) is compatible in principle with mysticism. Therefore the elaboration of the question whether Eckhart’s thought was indeed cognitive and emotionally expressive seems to be basic for describing his religious uniqueness and solving the problem of his status as thinker. The author’s emphasis on the non-cognitive nature of Eckhart's thought opens up a new perspective for interpreting the legacy of the German mystic, it may serve as an incentive for further research in Russian Eckhart studies.
Ontological Models of the Divine: Classical Theism vs. Theistic Personalism
Authors:   Voronezh State Medical University, Gasparov Igor
Published: January 2022

The article examines two accounts of the divine that are popular in contemporary analytic theology and philosophy of religion: classical theism and theistic personalism, in the context of the discussion of whether it is possible to consider God as a person. The main purpose of the article is to show the difference of ontological models underlying these accounts. The article consists of three main sections. The first discusses some taxonomies of ontological models of the divine in general. It is shown that classical theism and theistic personalism are the two most interesting attempts to conceptualize the nature of theism. The second section analyzes the debate in contemporary analytic theology and philosophy of religion concerning the formula “God is a person”. It is demonstrated that, on the one hand, the acceptance or rejection of this formula is often seen as a watershed between the classical theism and theistic personalism, while, on the other hand, proponents of both positions do not deny that personal properties can be ascribed to God, which raises the problem of distinguishing between these accounts of the divine. The third section offers a solution to this problem in terms of different ontological paradigms within which the positions of classical theism and theistic personalism are formulated. The the main claim of the paper is that theistic personalism seems consider God as one of concrete individuals as opposed to abstract objects, while classical theism regards Him as the supreme being in which there is no real division into substratum and properties, nor any composition of properties. In conclusion, it is shown that in some of its meanings the term “person” applies to God both from the perspective of classical theism and from the perspective of theistic personalism. The suggested distinction between classical theism and theistic personalism is supposed to shed more light on the nature of theism.
Divine Laws and Miracles of Nature: Natural Theology of the Russian modern spiritualist Movement in the late XIXth – early XXth century
Authors:   Russian State University for the Humanities, Razdyakonov Vladislav
Published: January 2022

Russian spiritualism movement of the 19th – early 20th century remains an understudied area of current scientific research. Its philosophical and theological aspects deserve more attention due to its marginal role on the epistemological borders between science and religion. The article aims to reveal the Russian spiritualists’ vision of the relationship between God and nature and for the first time overviews and analyses debates in Russian spiritualism about the problems of the philosophy of religion. The article considers spiritualists’ insight in the essence of “miracle” and “law”, interpretation of evolution as a teleological process; evaluation of different Divine Attributes and their role in theological criticism, and also spiritualists’ solution to the Problem of Evil and Suffering. The natural theology of modern spiritualism constitutes part of the general intellectual movement aimed to bring into harmony both scientific and religious worldviews in the second half of the 19th century. Works of both foreign and Russian spiritualists demonstrate that the sacralization of laws and “naturalization” of miracles were used by spiritualists to preserve the religious worldview at the time when monism and evolutionism established itself as the central ontological and main historical programmes in natural science. Still, the detailed analysis of philosophical aspects of Russian spiritualism challenges its widely-known characteristic as “synthesis” of science and religion and its simplistic characterization as being pantheistic in its nature. The article for the first time puts emphasis on the theistic current in Russian spiritualism and also highlights the key theme of its interaction with Russian philosophical thought – the survival of human personality. It encourages discussions on the role of engagement between spiritualistic movement and Russian religious philosophy at the turn of the 19th сentury.
Crosstalk among strenuous exercise, IL-6 and S-Protein Based Vaccines for COVID-19 may explain the rare adverse effects of myocarditis and thrombosis in recently vaccinated young people. A prospective observational study.
Authors: Elkazzaz Mahmoud Ramadan , Alshuwaier Ghareeb , Ahmed Amr Kamal
Published: January 2022

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a type of interleukin that functions as both a pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine. It is encoded by the IL6 gene in humans. Both COVID-19 infection and S-Protein Based Vaccines for COVID-19 were found to induce the production of proinflammatory IL-6, and also, strenuous exercise was found to induce IL-6 secretion by the skeletal muscles via lactate. Exercise causes skeletal muscle cells to release IL-6, and it raises the plasma concentration of IL-6 100 times higher than at rest . Exercise-induced IL-6 release is highly correlated with exercise intensity and duration; thus, IL-6 is regarded as an energy sensor released by contracting muscles. but It was found that rare adverse effects such as myocardial infarction and coagulation abnormalities , are rarely associated with S-Protein Based Vaccines for COVID-19. Recently, it was showed in a study that most patients who experienced myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccine were young male youth aged 16 to 29 years had the highest incidence of myocarditis. Interestingly, It was observed that IL-6 was linked to adverse effects such as thrombosis and myocarditis, both of which are similar to that was caused by COVID-19 infection, and that S-Protein Based Vaccines for COVID-19. Here, we propose a testable hypothesis that strenuous exercise could be a risk and cofactor helping in the existing of these adverse effects in young people such as myocarditis and thrombosis via induction the secretion of proinflammatory IL-6. In our prospective observational study we will assess the possible correlation among the strenuous exercise , IL-6, myocarditis and thrombosis. The study will be multi-center and will involve young patient who will be vaccinated with first ,second and third dose of S-Protein Based Vaccines for COVID-19 (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine). Pfizer and BioNTech have successfully developed the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, which consists of the full-length S glycoprotein with the K986P and V987P mutation sites. Also, Moderna's mRNA-1273 vaccine contains the coding sequence for a S glycoprotein stabilized by a pair of proline substitutions (K986P/V987P), a transmembrane anchor, and an intact S1-S2 cleavage site
SEFSD: An Effective Deployment Algorithm for Fog Computing Systems
Authors: Chen Huan , Chang Wei-Yan , Chiu Tai-Lin , Chiang Ming-Chao , Tsai Chun-Wei
Published: January 2022

Fog computing aims to mitigate data communication delay by deploying fog nodes to provide servers in the proximity of users and offload resource-hungry tasks that would otherwise be sent to distant cloud servers. In this paper, we propose an effective fog device deployment algorithm based on a new metaheuristic algorithm–search economics–to solve the optimization problem for the deployment of fog computing systems. Compared with conventional metaheuristic algorithms, the proposed algorithm is unique in that it first divides the solution space into a set of regions to increase search diversity and then allocates different computational resources to each region according to their potentials. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, we compare it with several classical fog computing deployment algorithms. The simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm provides lower network latency and higher quality of service than the other deployment algorithms evaluated in this study.
The Effect of Posterior Draw During Graft Fixation of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Lee Sung-Sahn , Cho Jin-Ho , Heo Jae Won
Published: January 2022

Background: We think reduction forced toward the posterior side during graft fixation could be helpful in reducing the side-to-side difference (STSD) after ACL reconstruction. The purpose of our study was to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes of graft fixation with or without a posterior draw during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery.Methods: Among 110 patients who underwent primary arthroscopic ACL reconstruction between January 2017 and August 2020, 76 patients underwent surgery without a posterior draw (non-draw group) and 34 patients underwent ACL reconstruction with posterior draw (draw group). Results of the Lachman test, pivot-shift test, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) index, Lysholm score, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score, and STSD on stress radiography were compared between the two groups.Results: The postoperative WOMAC index, Lysholm score, and IKDC subjective score were similar with the draw group. Postoperative STSD (non-draw group vs draw group, 2.4 ± 2.2 vs 2.0 ± 2.2, P = 0.319) and change of STSD (preoperative STSD vs postoperative STSD, 3.5 ± 3.5 vs 4.3 ± 4.4, P = 0.295) were not superior in the draw group.Conclusion: Graft fixation with a posterior draw was not helpful in enhancing postoperative stability during ACL reconstruction. Postoperative clinical outcomes were also not superior in the draw group.Study design: Level III, retrospective comparative study.
α-synuclein C-terminal Truncation Modulates Its Cytotoxicity and Aggregation by Promoting Its N-terminal Interactions With Membrane and Chaperone
Authors: Zhang Cai , Pei Yunshan , Zhang Zeting , Xu Lingling , Liu Xiaoli , Jiang Ling , Pielak Gary , Zhou Xin , Liu Maili , Li Conggang
Published: January 2022

α-synuclein (α-syn) is the main protein component of Lewy bodies, the major pathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease (PD). C-terminal truncated forms of α-syn are found in the brain of PD patients, and reduce cell viability, as well as tend to form fibrils. Nevertheless, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of C-terminal truncation on the cytotoxicity and aggregation of α-syn. The N-terminal domain of α-syn interacts with membranes and molecular chaperones, and these interactions are critical for the protein’s physiological function and its pathological effects in PD. Here, we use nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a co-flotation assay, dynamic light scattering, and thioflavin T fluorescence to show that the truncation alters α-syn conformation, resulting in a new attractive interaction of the N-terminus with membranes and molecular chaperone, protein disulfide isomerase (PDI). Remarkably, the truncated protein is more toxic to mitochondria than full-length protein and diminishes the effect of PDI on α-syn fibrillation. Our findings reveal a modulatory role for the C-terminus in the cytotoxicity and aggregation of α-syn by interfering the interaction of the N-terminus with membrane and chaperone.
Midline Mandibulotomy Approach For Oral Cavity And Oropharynx Tumors: Long-Term Experience In A Single Institution
Authors: López-Arcas José M , Vadillo Juan Manuel , Castillo José L Del , Lara Patricia A , Cebrián José L. , Ruiz-Sánchez Beatriz , Aragoneses Juan M.
Published: January 2022

Purpose: To describe our clinical experience with the use of the midline mandibulotomy approach for oral cavity and oropharynx tumors. Methods: Charts were reviewed retrospectively for 67 consecutive patients who underwent mandibulotomies over a 15-year period (2002-2017) as part of their treatment for oral and oropharyngeal malignancies, with an average follow-up of 57.7 months. Results: Sixty-seven patients underwent a mandibulotomy. There were 59 males (88%) with a mean age of 56.9 years and eight females (12%) with a mean age 56.5 years. The approach was a midline mandibulotomy in 50 patients (74.6%), a paramedian mandibulotomy in 10 patients (14.9%), and a posterior mandibulotomy in seven (10.44%: angle 1 (1.5%), body 5 (7.5%), and ramus 1 (1.5%). In the group of patients undergoing median or paramedian mandibulotomies, adequate exposure of the lesion was achieved in all cases with a significant lower rate of complications (13,4%) (p<0.005) compared to the posterior mandibulotomy group (37,5%) .Conclusions: The results of the study confirm that the anterior mandibulotomy approach provides excellent exposure for oral and oropharyngeal tumors, with a significant lower complication rate compared to the posterior mandibulotomy approach.Until minimally invasive Robotic technology is not widespread, conventional techniques such as midline mandibulotomy approaches, with “modern-times” refinements still have their place in head and neck oncology surgery
Does the El Niño-Southern Oscillation Impact on the Indian Summer Monsoon 1-Dimensional?
Authors: Thandlam Venugopal , Hasibur Rahaman , Rutgersson Anna , Sahlee Erik , M Ravichandran , S.S.V.S Ramakrishna
Published: January 2022

Recent rapid changes in the global climate and warming temperatures increase the demand for local and regional weather forecasting and analysis to improve the accuracy of seasonal forecasting of extreme events such as droughts and floods. On the other hand, the role of ocean variability is at a focal point in improving the forecasting at different time scales. Here we study the effect of Indian Ocean mean sea level anomaly (MSLA) and sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) on Indian summer monsoon rainfall during 1993-2019. While SSTA and MSLA have been increasing in the southwestern Indian Ocean (SWIO), these parameters' large-scale variability and pre-monsoon winds could impact the inter-annual Indian monsoon rainfall variability over homogeneous regions. Similarly, antecedent heat capacitance over SWIO on an inter-annual time scale has been the key to the extreme monsoon rainfall variability from an oceanic perspective. Though both SSTA and MSLA over SWIO have been influenced by El Niño-southern oscillation (ENSO), the impact of SWIO variability was low on rainfall variability over several homogeneous regions. However, rainfall over northeast (NE) and North India (NI) has been moulded by ENSO, thus changing the annual rainfall magnitude. Nevertheless, the impact of ENSO on monsoon rainfall through SWIO variability during the antecedent months is moderate. Thus, the ENSO influence on the atmosphere could be dominating the ocean part in modulating the inter-annual variability of the summer monsoon. Analysis shows that the cooler (warmer) anomaly over the western Indian Ocean affects rainfall variability adversely (favourably) due to the reversal of the wind pattern during the pre-monsoon period.
Intravitreal Conbercept Combined With Dexamethasone for Macular Edema Following Central Retinal Vein Occlusion: Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Xu Haifeng , Wu Peipei , Zhang Panpan , Chu Wenjuan , Xu Jing , Li Longfei
Published: January 2022

Background: To compare the efficacy and safety of intravitreal injections of Conbercept alone and combined with dexamethasone (DEX) for macular edema (ME) following central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).Methods: This was a prospective, single-masked, randomised, controlled clinical trial. 65 eyes of 65 patients with ME following CRVO were randomised into groups to receive intravitreal injections of 0.5 mg Conbercept plus 0.2 mg DEX or 0.5 mg Conbercept alone on day 0 followed by repeat injections as indicated during a 12-month follow-up period. The primary outcome measure was the change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline to month 12. Secondary outcome measures included decrease in central retinal thickness (CRT) from baseline to month 12, injection frequency and interval and percentage of patients who gained more than 15 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters or achieved a CRT of < 250 μm at month 12.Results: Both groups showed significant and comparable BCVA improvements and CRT decreases at the final follow-up. The Conbercept + DEX group received fewer intravitreal injections; the third and fourth intravitreal injections were performed later compared to the Conbercept group (P < 0.01). No major complications occurred after intravitreal injections.Conclusions: Conbercept, alone or with DEX, can improve visual acuity and reduce CRT in ME following CRVO without serious adverse events. The treatment interval was longer and injection frequency lower in the Conbercept + DEX group.Trial registration: The study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry at 5 July 2017. (http://www.chictr.org.cn, 05/07/2017Registerion Number: ChiCTR-INR-17011877)
Outdoor Vector Biting, Feeding on Animal and Pyrethroid Resistance Potential Drivers of Persistent Malaria Transmission in Zanzibar
Authors: Musiba Revocatus Musyangi , Tarimo Brian B. , Monroe April , Msaky Dickson , Ngowo Halfan , Mihayo Kimberly , Limwagu Alex , Chila Godlove T. , Shubis Gasper K. , Ibrahim Ahmada , Greer George , Mcha Juma H. , Abbas Faiza , Ali Abdullah , Okumu Fredros O , Kiware Samson
Published: January 2022

Background:Low-level of malaria transmission persist in Zanzibar despite high coverage of core vector control interventions. This study was carried out in hot-spot shehias to better understand entomological factors that may contribute to residual malaria transmission in Zanzibar. Methods:A total of 135 households were randomly selected from six sites and consented to participate with 20-25 households per site. Mosquito vector surveillance was carried out indoors and outdoors from 6:00PM–7:00AM using miniaturized double net trap (DN-MiniTM). Additional collections were done indoors using mouth aspirators to retrieve resting mosquitoes from wall and ceiling surfaces, and outdoors using resting bucket and pit traps. All collected mosquitoes were morphologically and genetically (PCR) analysed in the laboratory. All collected anopheline and blood-fed mosquitoes were analysed for sporozoite infection and blood meal host preferences by Circumsporozoite Protein ELISA and blood meal ELISA respectively. The differences between indoor and outdoor mosquito biting rates were analysed using generalized linear mixed models. Levels of resistance to commonly used insecticides were quantified by WHO susceptibility tests.Results:Out of 704 malaria vectors collected across 135 households, PCR analysis shows that 98.60% were Anopheles arabiensis, 0.6% Anopheles merus and 0.6% Anopheles gambiae.s.s. Sporozoite ELISA analysis indicates that all mosquitoes were negative for the malaria parasite. The results show that more An. arabiensis were collected outdoor (~85%) compared to indoor (~15%). Furthermore, large numbers of An. arabiensis were caught in outdoor resting sites, where the pit trap (67.2%) collected more mosquitoes compared to the outdoor DN-Mini trap (32.8%). Nearly two-thirds (60.7%) of blood-fed mosquitoes had obtained blood meals from non-human hosts. Mosquitoes displayed non-uniform susceptibility status and resistance intensity among the tested insecticides across the study sites to all WHO recommended insecticides across the study sites.Conclusion:This study suggests that in contexts such as Zanzibar, testing of novel techniques to complement indoor protection and targeting outdoor biting and/or resting mosquitoes, may be warranted to complement existing interventions and contribute to malaria elimination efforts. The study highlights the need to implement novel interventions and/or adaptations of strategies that can target outdoors biting mosquitoes.
Clinical reasoning pattern used in oral health problem solving – A case study in Indonesian undergraduate dental student
Authors: Chrismawaty Bernadetta Esti , Emilia Ova , Rahayu Gandes Retno , Ana Ika Dewi
Published: January 2022

Background: Health professionals in carrying out clinical practice are known to use various combinations of knowledge and skills, such as critical thinking, clinical reasoning, clinical judgment, problem-solving, and decision-making. Most of these skills are acquired during undergraduate education, clinical training and honed through professional practice. Aims: This study aims to observe the clinical reasoning patterns of undergraduate dental students when solving oral health problems from hypothetical cases. Furthermore, assessing their structure of knowledge through a concept map defined by a SOLO taxonomy. Material and method: This qualitative study employed the think-aloud method and the result was assessed through verbal protocol analyses. Five respondents from the final year dental undergraduate student were agreed to participate. A unique hypothetical clinical scenario was used as a trigger. The audio data were transcribed, interpreted, and categorized as a clinical reasoning pattern; and the concept maps created were assessed by SOLO Taxonomy as knowledge structures. Result: A hypothetico-deductive, an elaborated hypothetico-deductive, and an inductive or deductive reasoning model were found to be applied by the participants when solving problems. The reasoning used reflects the knowledge possessed. The variability of the structure of knowledge assessed by the concept map reflected the acquired knowledge during the pedagogical stage, which in turn have an effect on clinical reasoning patterns.Conclusion: It concluded that undergraduate dental student applies clinical reasoning patterns according to their level of knowledge structure. It is suggested to improve dental education, whether curriculum, teaching and learning methods, instructional methods, or dental environment, which emphasize critical thinking and clinical reasoning in order to provide optimal dental health services.
Volumetric ultrasound localization microscopy of the whole brain microvasculature
Authors: Couture Olivier , Heiles Baptiste , Hingot Vincent , Serroune Hicham , Maresca David , Pezet Sophie , Pernot Mathieu , Tanter Mickael , Chavignon Arthur , Bergel Antoine
Published: January 2022

Technologies to visualize whole organs across scales in vivo are essential for our understanding of biology in health and disease. To date, only post-mortem techniques achieve cellular resolution across entire organs. 2D ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) suffers from reprojection issues and out-of-plane motion preventing complex blood flow quantification and fast volumetric imaging. Here, we demonstrate for the first time in vivo volumetric ULM. We developed a complete methodological pipeline including a dedicated 3D acquisition sequence, localization, tracking, motion correction and realignment algorithms, as well as post-processing quantification of cerebral blood flow. We illustrate the power of this approach, by revealing the whole rat brain vasculature at a resolution of 12 μm, and cerebral blood flows ranging from 1 to 120 mm/s. Our results pave the way to the investigation of in vivo vascular processes across the mammalian brain in health and disease, in a wide range of contexts and models.
Residue Dissipation, Degradation Dynamics, and Dietary Risk Assessment of Mandipropamid in Ginseng Under Field Application
Authors: Hou Zhiguang , Hou Xingang , Wei Li-Ping , Cao Zhanwen , Lu Zhou , Liu Hanju , Lu Zhongbin
Published: January 2022

Mandipropamid, a new fungicide for oomycete disease, has a strong effect on the blight of many crops and has been registered for the treatment of ginseng blight in China. However, no maximum residue limit (MRL) of mandipropamid has been identified for ginseng, and there have been few related studies. We established and verified the analysis method of mandipropamid in ginseng using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The method has good linearity and accuracy in the range of 0.002–0.5 mg/kg. The average recovery of mandipropamid was 87.4–101.6%, and the standard deviation was 1.1–10.1. The degradation dynamics showed that the half-life of mandipropamid in ginseng plant and soil was 13.8–28.0 and 9.8–27.4 d, respectively. After the recommended dose of mandipropamid was applied once, the residual content of mandipropamid in fresh ginseng, dried ginseng, red ginseng, ginseng plant, and ginseng soil was <0.01–0.185, <0.01–0.265, 0.085–1.544, 0.075–4.800, and <0.01–0.014 mg/kg, respectively. The dietary risk assessment of mandipropamid on ginseng showed that the risk quotient value was far less than 100%, indicating that the recommended dose of mandipropamid does not cause unacceptable risks to humans. Mandipropamid in ginseng plants and soil rapidly degraded following first-order kinetics models. After the recommended dose of mandipropamid was applied once, it did not cause unacceptable risks to humans. This study not only provides a reasonable spray dosage of mandipropamid to ginseng, but also offers a reference for the establishment of MRLs in China.