bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New Perspective on HCl Scavenging at High Temperatures for Reducing the Smoke Acidity of PVC Cables in Fires. II: Some Examples of Acid Scavengers at High Temperatures in the Condensed Phase
Authors: Sarti Gianluca
Published: August 2022

In the European Union, according to Regulation (EU) n. 305/11 (Construction Product Regulation, or CPR), cables permanently installed in buildings need additional classification for acidity, performing EN 60754-2. The research on PVC compounds with low smoke acidity helps to produce cables in the best additional classes for acidity, giving the PVC cables the possibility to be used in medium and high fire risk locations. In this paper, some acid scavengers at high temperatures are tested to verify their possible scavenging mechanism and their efficiency in performing EN 60754-2 at different temperatures.
Growth Response of Tetrapluera tetraptera Schum (Thonn) Seedlings to Organic Fertilizers
Authors: Kilasho Adeola , Oluborode James , Jackson Vincent , Ogwo Chimdi , Ogbuka Chioma , Shomide Patricia , Oyediran Emmanuel
Published: August 2022

The study was carried out to investigate the growth response of Tetrapluera tetraptera to selected organic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers: poultry manure and cow dung of different concentration and mixture were used to raise seedlings from Germination experiment for a period of 12 weeks. Six treatments were used for this research: T1 (control experiment), T2 (10g of poultry manure), T3 (10g of cow dung), T4 (20g of poultry manure), T5 (20g of cow dung), T6 (15g of poultry manure + 15g of cow dung). Growth parameters such as diameter, plant height and number of leaves were measured weekly over a period of twelve (12) weeks. Data obtained were subjected to Anova and mean separated using Duncan multiple range tests. on the height parameter assessed on Tetrapluera tetraptera, the highest plant height mean of 12.20cm was recorded in treatment 6 (15g of poultry manure + 15g of cow dung) while the lowest mean plant height 7.19cm was recorded in treatment 3 (10g of cow dung) . the highest mean stem diameter was recorded in treatment 4 with a value of 0.43mm from while the least was recorded in Treatment 1 with mean value of 0.21 m. also, highest mean number of leaves was recorded treatment 4 (12.81) while the least was observed in T3 (11.01) . The results showed that organic manure has considerable effect on the growth of Tetrapluera tetraptera seedlings and it use should be encouraged. T3 (10g of poultry Manure + 10g of cow dung) was hereby recommended to be the best of all in the growth of Tetrapluera tetraptera.
Анализ динамики эпидемического процесса COVID-19 в мире за неделю с 20.08.2022 г. по 26.08.2022 г.
Authors: Зимирова Анастасия , Поспелов Михаил , Иванова Александра , Дмитриева Людмила , Чумачкова Елена , Карнаухов Игорь , Щербакова Светлана , Кутырев Владимир
Published: August 2022

В обзоре представлен анализ эпидемиологической ситуации в странах мира по COVID-19, за неделю с 20.08.2022 г. по 26.08.2022 г.
Technical elements of social assistance robots that enhance the therapeutic or supportive effectiveness of the cooperative and communicative behavior of children with autism
Authors: Thanopoulou Athanasia
Published: August 2022

Research in recent years shows that the use of robotics can be an important tool in enhancing the cooperation and social interaction of children with autism. According to the literature review, the use of social assistance robots as an aid can bring significant benefits to the development of social skills in children with autism in areas that show underlying deficits. In the present research we will investigate the attitudes of teachers about the basic technical elements of social assistance robots that affect and function therapeutically in enhancing the collaborative and communicative behavior of children with autism. The analysis of the data concerns the effect of robotic tools on enhancing the cooperation and communication skills of children with autism in areas such as, verbal ability, eye contact, reduction of stereotypical behavior of children, imitation.
Protocol for Conducting the InterneT-based Stress test for Social Anxiety Disorder (ITSSAD)
Authors: Huneke Nathan TM , Baldwin David S , Garner Matt
Published: August 2022

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is very common and can be significantly disabling. New treatments are needed as the remission rate for SAD is the lowest of all the anxiety disorders. Experimental medicine models, in which features resembling a clinical disorder are experimentally induced, are a cost-effective and timely approach to explore potential novel treatments for psychiatric disorders. Following the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, there is a need to develop experimental medicine models that can be carried out remotely. We developed a novel procedure to investigate SAD (the InterneT-based Stress test for Social Anxiety Disorder; ITSSAD) that can be carried out entirely online by a single investigator, potentially reducing costs and maximising internal reliability. The procedure involves an anticipatory period followed by a naturalistic social interaction task.
Development of a Group Based Adaptation Skills Training Programme for the Senior Citizens Living in Old Age Homes
Authors: Mathai Aleena , Antony Sojan , Sivakumar P. T.
Published: August 2022

Need for more old age homes are increasing day by day. Living in an institution demands specific adjustment skills to cope up with the problems. This study aims to develop and test the feasibility of group based adaptation skills training programme for the inmates of old age homes to ensure their wellbeing. The major objectives 1) to study the psychosocial needs and concerns of senior citizens living in old age homes, 2) to develop a group based training programme for inmates of old age homes for enhancing their adaptation skills 3) to test the feasibility of the proposed programme in reducing adaptation difficulty, depression, anxiety and improving the wellbeing. The hypotheses of the study are group based adaptation skill training programme will reduce adaptation difficulty, depression and anxiety and improve well-being among elderly. Quasi-experimental research design will be used in this study. Simple random sampling method will be used in this study. Senior Citizens who live in 22 old ages homes of South zone Bengaluru are selected as population of the study. A male/female, who is 60 years and above living in old age home and with minimum physical and cognitive ability to understand and respond to the questions, which are asked in the interview will be included in the study. Screening will be done using Socio demographic data sheet and Montreal Cognitive assessment. Later the need assessment of senior citizen and collecting suggestions from staff will be done using an in-depth interview schedule. Study would identify the co-therapists from the old age homes suggested by the authorities to support the programme. On the basis of need assessment and review of literature a module will be developed for the group based adaptation skills training programme. Further the experts in the geriatric field will validate the module in a focused group discussion. Then adaptation skill training programme will be provided to the experimental group and pre-and post-assessment (immediately after and three months after the completion of the programme) will be conducted using Geriatric Depression Scale, Geriatric Anxiety Scale, Subjective Wellbeing Inventory and Assessment Scale of Adaptation Difficulty for the Elderly to assess the outcome. Repeated Measures of Analysis of Variance will be used to test the hypotheses. The study would help to develop a structured group based adaptation training programme for elderly living in old age homes.
A novel distance measure considering decision makers’ psychological behaviors and its application in multiple criteria decision making
Authors: Luo Yun , Li Xihua
Published: August 2022

Distance measure is a significant tool to distinguish the difference between two objects, and can be applied to many fields. The existing distance measures have an impediment as it do not take the psychological behaviors of decision-makers into consideration. In this paper, due to this drawback, several novel distance measures combining prospect theory and multi-granular linguistic term sets are proposed based on the classical Euclidean distance and Hamming distance. First, the psychological expectations of decision-makers are used as reference points, and the gains and losses are determined by using multi-granular linguistic term sets. Then the perception distance between decision-makers are calculated in conjunction with prospect value function. The principal advantage of the proposed novel distance measure can not only consider the psychological behaviors of decision-makers, but it also gets more closer to natural language. Finally, numerical examples and case study are conducted to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the novel psychological perception distance measures.
Application of Fuzzy Inference System in Gas Turbine Engine Fault Diagnosis Against Measurement Uncertainties
Authors: Ma Shuai , Wu Yafeng , Zheng Hua , Gou Linfeng
Published: August 2022

In this paper, a novel performance-based fault detection and identification (FDI) strategy for turbofan gas turbine engines is proposed based on a first-order Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) fuzzy inference system. To deal with the problem of ambient condition changes, we use parameter correction to preprocess the raw measurement data, which can reduce the complexity of the FDI system. Also, the power level angle is set to be a scheduling parameter to reduce the rule number of the TSK-based FDI system. The data used to design, train, and test for the proposed FDI strategy are generated using a component-level turbofan engine model. The antecedent and consequent parameters of the proposed TSK-based FDI system are optimized using particle swarm optimization algorithm and ridge regression method. Then a robust structure against measurement biases is proposed by combining a special fuzzy inference system with the TSK-based FDI system. The performances of the first-order TSK-based FDI system and the robust FDI structure are evaluated through comprehensive simulation studies. The comparative studies confirm the superiority of the first-order TSK-based FDI system in terms of accuracy on fault detection, isolation, and identification. The robust structure has a 2%-8% improvement under relatively large measurement bias conditions in terms of successful rate index, which is demonstrated to have excellent robustness against measurement biases. Accuracy against a large scale of bias values and the computation time have been shown through comprehensive case simulations, which indicates that our proposed robust structure has desirable online performance.
Dynamical patterns in gene expression profile after Influenza A virus (IAV) injection: A dynamic mode decomposition approach
Authors: semba Sherehe Joseph , Yang Huijie
Published: August 2022

Background: The records of the interesting genes expressions have stimulated new development of analysis techniques and subsequently understanding the gene co-expressions. However, a simple method to extract the patterns with more preserved information in high-dimensional gene expressions profile is still an open challenge. In this article, the coherent dynamical pattern corresponds to viral recognition receptors were unveiled by employing the Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) to the time-course gene expression profiles. Dynamic mode decomposition executes a lowdimensional spectral decomposition of the records into modes. Results: Each element within a single mode provides a measure of gene’s expression participated in the mode and the gene’s expression phase of oscillation relative to others. The amplitudes quantify modes influence; the associated eigenvalues characterizes the frequency and growth rate of the modes. Using the eigenvalues, dynamic modes and amplitudes, the symptomatic influenza infection individuals are distinguished from the asymptomatic individuals. The symptomatic individuals has one positive real eigenvalue ( βI > 0 ), shows the increase of the receptor response due to the replication of virus. Then, generating exacerbated local immune responses, which results in acute infection and increases pathogenesis. The asymptomatic individuals has two real positive eigenvalues ( βH > 0 )Conclusion: The positive real eigenvalue from the symptomatic individuals shows the increase of the receptor response due to the replication of virus. Then, generating exacerbated local immune responses, which results in acute infection and increases pathogenesis. While the positive eigenvalues from asymptomatic individuals corresponds to the receptors that activates the innate immunity response promoting the viral clearance. Deep understanding of these patterns does not only shed new light on developing the immuno-therapy of influenza A virus but also on emerging acute respiratory distress like a currently novel corona-virus distress-19
Spatio-temporal variation of reference evapotranspiration using different estimation techniques for Western Maharashtra, India
Authors: Khedkar Devidas , Mane M. S.
Published: August 2022

The Spatio-temporal variability of reference evapotranspiration (ET0) was analysed using different estimation techniques with limited data over western Maharashtra, India. Sixteen ET0models were compared with FAO 56 Penman-Monteith (P-M) method, out of that eight climate-based methodsviz., Soil Conservation Service Blaney-Criddle, Thornthwaite, Hargreaves-Samani, Pan evaporation, Jensen-Haise, Priestly-Taylor, Turc, and Radiation were selected, and four linear regression (LR) and four artificial neural networks (ANN) models were developed. The LR and ANN modelsviz., Model1 (evaporation), Model2 (maximum and minimum temperature), Model3 (maximum and minimum temperature, bright sunshine hours), Model4 (maximum and minimum temperature, maximum and minimum humidity, bright sunshine hours). Resulting LR and ANN models showed satisfactory performance and can be accepted to predict ET0values. The inverse distance weighting technique used for mapping, and the Mann-Kendall and linear regression methods are used for analysing trends of ET0. The map of P-M method showed that the values of ET0increase from central part towards south-east and relatively more ards north-east of study area. Among climate based methods, it was observed that none of methods shown close in spatial distribution pattern of ET0with P-M method, whereas the maps of LR and ANN models showed close approach to P-M method. It was observed that there was decreasing trend of ET0using P-M method for all stations as well as the more complex methods which require temperature, radiation and humidity data showed decreasing trends of ET0for most of the stations Whereas the methods which requiring only temperature data showed no or increasing trends of ET0. Hence, it was concluded that trends of ET0depends on type of meteorological data used for calculation under current global scenario.
Anthracycline therapy for breast cancer-induced arrhythmias: a meta-analysis of a single-arm trial
Authors: Ran Tao , Chen Jinyao , Zhang Min , Cheng Yu , Mao Min , Xiang Rui , Zuo Zhong , Chang Jing , Han Baoru , Ma Kanghua
Published: August 2022

Introduction: As of 2020, breast cancer has become the leading cause of cancer incidence worldwide, and chemotherapy based on anthracycline is an important component of breast cancer treatment. Anthracycline-based drugs are known to cause cardiac toxicity and arrhythmia in breast cancer treatment. This is the first clinical quantitative analysis to accurately assess the incidences of arrhythmia and arrythmia subtypes and abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) changes, providing data to support clinical drug use and drug monitoring. Methods: We systematically searched CNKI, VIP, Wanfang and other Chinese databases, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and other English databases.The random effect model or fixed effect model was used to calculate the incidence of combined arrhythmias in breast cancer patients and the associated heterogeneity. STATA16 was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 37 articles were included in this study, including 5705 breast cancer patients treated with anthracyclines, of whom 2257 developed arrhythmias. Meta-analysis showed that the incidence of anthracycline-associated arrhythmias in breast cancer patients was 0.41 (0.37, 0.44). Subgroup analysis showed that the incidence of QT-QTc interphase change was 0.08 (0.05, 0.11), that of P wave change was 0.10 (0.05, 0.15), that of ST-T segment change was 0.19 (0.15, 0.23), and that of QT-QTc interphase change was 0.08 (0.05, 0.11). The incidence of low voltage abnormalities was 0.05 (0.03, 0.08). In addition, according to the subgroup analysis of arrhythmia subtypes, the incidence of conduction block was 0.04 (0.02, 0.05), the incidence of heart rate changes was 0.12 (0.10, 0.15), the incidence of premature beats was 0.09 (0.07, 0.11), and the incidence of atrial fibrillation was 0.04 (0.00, 0.12). Conclusion: The overall incidence of anthracycline-associated arrhythmias in breast cancer treatment was 0.41. ST-T segment was the most common ECG change. The results of this study are of great significance for guiding postoperative chemotherapy for and monitoring of breast cancer patients. Trial registration: The study has been registered in the international prospective register of systematic reviews(PROSPERO). Registration No.: CRD42022321213.
Identification of a de novo mutation of FOXG1gene and comprehensive analysis for molecular factors in Chinese FOXG1-related Rett syndrome
Authors: WU JIN , Lu Guanting , Zhang Yan , Xia Huiyun , He Xiaoyan , Xu Pei , Wu Lianying , Li Ding , Ma Liya , Peng Qingling
Published: August 2022

Currently, majority of the FOXG1-related Rett syndrome have been identified in Europeans and North Americans, and relatively few Chinese cases were reported. We identified ade novononsense mutation ofFOXG1in a female child with Rett syndrome out of 73 Chinese children with neurodevelopmental disorders in our cohort. In order to have a comprehensive view of FOXG1-related disorders in China, relevant published reports were browsed and twelve cases with FOXG1 mutations or copy number variants (CNVs) involvingFOXG1gene were involved in the analysis eventually. Feeding difficulties, seizures, delayed speech, corpus callosum hypoplasia and underdevelopment of frontal and temporal lobes occurred in almost all cases. Out of the 12 cases, eight patients (66.67%) had single-nucleotide mutations (SNMs) ofFOXG1gene and four patients (33.33%) had CNVs involvingFOXG1(3 microdeletions and 1 microduplication). FOXG1 was the crucial pathological factor for FOXG1-related Rett disorder, which could be further regulated by the regulatory elements located in the intergenic region (FOXG1-PRKD1). Further analysis indicated thatPRKD1might be a contributor to the FOXG1-related Rett syndrome, which interacted with the upstream factors to regulate the expression of FOXG1, even MECP2 and CDKL5. This reanalysis might promote the existed knowledge about the molecular etiology and be helpful for diagnosis, treatment and gene therapy of FOXG1-related disorders in the future.
The Location Selection of Logistics Center in City Based on Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Huang Yingyi , Wang Xinyu , Li Tianci , Chen Hongyan
Published: August 2022

The location selection of logistics center has great significance to improve the efficiency of regional logistics and optimize the structure of logistics system. The paper constructs a multi-factor constrained P-median site selection model to optimize the location of logistics centers to improve the efficiency of logistics and optimize the structure of the logistics system in a region. With the comparison of the results of the utility of the optimized layout points solved by the particle swarm algorithm and the immune genetic algorithm, it conclude that the optimal fitness value obtained by the particle swarm algorithm is relatively lower than the other one. It is proved that the particle swarm algorithm of the P-median site selection model under this multi-factor constraint has some reference value for multi-logistics center site selection planning.
Analysis on the Characteristics of Patients Late for Appointment Slots in a Thoracic Surgery Clinic
Authors: Guo Yuan , Zhang Tianqing , Du Chunlin , Feng Chenchen , Mamun Abdullah Al , Zhang Xinli
Published: August 2022

Background: With the development of internet-assisted medical services, in the outpatient time slot-based online appointment system, patients’ late arrival has a negative impact on the output of medical services. Identifying the characteristics of late-arriving outpatients helps identify intervention strategies and management mechanisms against late arrival.Methods: In this study, the demographic information and appointment-based visit information of 29,337 patients in the Thoracic Surgery Clinic in 2019 were retrieved from the hospital information system of a Class A tertiary hospital in China, covering nine fields. After excluding those with missing information, valid data from 9,378 patients were obtained. The patients who were on time for visits constituted the control group. The SPSS 24.0 software was used to conduct statistical tests and regression analysis of patients with late arrival (P <0.05). Results: Univariate test showed that there were seven characteristics that affected patients’ late arrival, including gender, place of origin, visit type, weekday of visit, booking method, the level of specialist and visit time slot. Multivariate analysis showed a total of six combined characteristics: gender, age, visit type, weekday of visit, booking method and level of specialist. Patients had the highest rate of late arrival on Mondays, reaching 34.6%. Among the morning slots of the day, the rate of late arrivals during 08:30-09:00 was the highest, reaching 78.1%; and among the afternoon slots, the rate of late arrivals during 13:00-13:30 was the highest, reaching 65.7%. The group of late-arriving patients on Mondays were characterised by the time slot of visit, visit type and payment type, while the group of late-arriving patients in the two peak slots were characterised by booking method, payment type, weekday of visit and level of specialist.Conclusion: Patients who arrived later than the booked time slots are characterized by some features, such as being female, showing ‘morning-market’ feature and residing in a short distance. This study discussed the possible interventions for late arrival and the recommended strategies for making appointments based on the above characteristics.
Genome-wide de novo identification and expression profiling of the BURP-containing gene family in a hybrid poplar indicate their crucial roles in poplar developmental gradient, response to abiotic stresses and fungal pathogens
Authors: Yang Jian-Kun , Cui Kuo , Ma De-Zhi , Li Jia-Zhe , Cha Xin-You , Zhang Yue , Lei Jia-Min , Deng Jun-Jie , Zhang Rong-Shu
Published: August 2022

BURP domain-containing proteins are a plant-specific protein family with diverse functions in plant development and response to stress. Overexpression of certain BURP genes were confirmed to improve crop yield or resistance to abiotic stress in multiple plant species. However, detailed expression profiling of BURP genes has never been reported for wood plant. In this study we report the characterization and organ-specific expression profiling of 27PdPapBURPgenes identified in thede novogenome of an important Chinese hybrid poplar cultivar ‘Shanxin yang’ (Populus davidiana×P. albavar.pyramidalis). Constitutive expression profile suggested that 11 BURP genes had important roles in poplar secondary growth, nine were important for root maintenance and seven were specifically active in the young developing tissues of poplar. Organ-specific expression profiling ofPdPapBURPgenes under each treatment among salt, alkali, desiccation stress, the infecting of five major soil-borne plant fungal pathogens and the inducing of three stress-related plant hormone demonstrated differential regulation pattern of eachPdPapBURPgene. Regulation patterns ofPdPapBURPgene expression showed highest diversity in poplar root during fungal infection. Comparative motif analysis with previously reported BURP proteins suggested particular importance of the motifs specific to the PG1-β phylogenic subclass for poplar development and short repeated peptide sequences were one of the important structural bases for stress-resistant/stress-responsive functions of BURP proteins. This study is a thorough discovery of BURP genes in hybrid poplar. Our results present important information for understanding the growth and stress-response mechanisms of woody plants involving the BURP genes and provide profound insights into improving woody plant growth and stress/pathogen resistance.
Association of circulating tumor cell-white blood cell clusters with survival outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer after curative intent surgery
Authors: Xu Yifan , Zhang Qianlong , Xu Zhou , Xie Qingfeng , Ding Wenfu , Liu Hao , Deng Haijun
Published: August 2022

Background
The analysis of CTC-associated white blood cell (CTC-WBC) clusters represented the progress in the liquid biopsy of malignant tumors, however, related research in patients with colorectal cancer is still absent.
Methods
To explore associations between CTC-WBC clusters and the prognosis of these patients, we conducted an independent cohort of 329 colorectal cancer patients after curative intent surgery and pre-operative CTC detection in Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China between January 1, 2017, and September 31, 2019. The primary cohort referred to patients with CTC-WBC clusters positive. The control cohort was defined as those with exclusively CTCs positive. CTCs were enriched and distinguished by The CanPatrol™ system (SurExam, China). The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to compare the progressive-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between two groups. The COX regression model was used to assess the predictive value of CTC-WBC clusters.
Results
63 patients presented CTC-WBC clusters positive (CTC-WBC group) and 266 patients showed solely CTCs (CTC group). The number of CTCs was significantly different between two groups (P < 0.001) and the rest of clinical characteristics were not markedly associated with the presence of CTC-WBC clusters. Kaplan-Meier curves of PFS and OS exhibited that the CTC-WBC group had significantly shorter PFS (P = 0.011), while not for OS. The multivariate model further suggested that the CTC-WBC clusters (Hazard Ratio = 1.89, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.02–3.51, P = 0.042) was an independent predictor for the PFS of in post-operation CRC patients.
Conclusion
The CTC-WBC cluster is significantly associated with recurrence after operation in CRC patients. This finding facilitates the evaluation of this indicator in tumor progression.
Factors Associated with Cancer Prevention/Risk Reduction Behaviors among Latinos in Indiana
Authors: Rawl Susan M. , Maupome Gerardo , Golzarri-Arroyo Lillian , Parker Erik , O’Leary Heather A. , Espinoza-Gutarra Manuel R. , Valenzuela Robin E. , Malloy Caeli , Haunert Laura , Haggstrom David A.
Published: August 2022

Purpose: Improving understanding of behaviors that increase or reduce cancer risk for different Hispanic groups is a public health priority; such knowledge is sparse in new gateway immigration locations such as Indiana. The aims of this study were to: 1) describe cancer beliefs and cancer preventive/risk reduction behaviors (physical activity, tobacco, and alcohol use) among Hispanic adults; 2) examine differences in cancer beliefs and preventive behaviors by country of birth, socioeconomic status, and area of residence (urban vs. rural); and 3) determine predictors of engagement in cancer prevention and risk reduction behaviors in this population.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey targeted adult Indiana residents who identified as Latino, Hispanic, or Spanish recruited using Facebook-targeted advertising. Complete survey data from 1520 respondents were analyzed using descriptive, unadjusted, and adjusted models. Results: The majority of respondents believed they were unlikely to get cancer but held many other fatalistic beliefs about cancer. Only 35.6% of respondents had received the HPV vaccine, 37.6% reported they were currently smoking cigarettes, and 64% reported occasional or frequent drinking of alcohol. Respondents spent an average of 3.55 days per week engaged in moderate exercise. Differences were observed by country of birth, income, and education but not by rural residence status. Predictors of cancer risk/risk reduction behaviors were identified. Conclusion: The Hispanic population in Indiana is diverse and effective interventions for cancer prevention should be culturally targeted based on country of birth and individually tailored based on cancer-related beliefs.
Epidemiology of hand, foot, and mouth disease and genetic characteristics of Coxsackievirus A10 in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province from 2016–2020
Authors: Wang Jitao , Liu Hongyan , Cao Zijun , Xu Jihong , Guo Jiane , Zhao Lifeng , Wang Rui , Xu Yang , Gao Ruihong , Gao Li , Zuo Zhihong , Xiao Jinbo , Lu Huanhuan , Zhang Yong
Published: August 2022

Background:In recent years, the prevalence of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by enteroviruses other than enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) has gradually increased. The pathogen spectrum of HFMD also continues to change. In this study, we analyzed the epidemiological characteristics of HFMD and the genetic characteristics of the coxsackievirus A10 (CVA10) virus identified in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province.Methods:The epidemiological data from 2016–2020 on HFMD in Taiyuan City was collected from the China Information System For Disease Control and Prevention. The throat swab specimens of 2701 HFMD cases were tested, theVP1regions of CVA10 RNA were amplified using RT-PCR, and phylogenetic analysis of CVA10 was performed. The study results were analyzed using Pearson's Chi-Square Test.Results:Children aged 1–5 years accounted for the majority (81.65%) of all HFMD cases, and the average annual incidence is higher in boys than in girls. Of the 2,701 specimens collected, 1,439 (53.28%) were positive for human enterovirus (EV). The positivity rates of EV-A71, CVA16, and other EVs were 15.22% (219/1439), 28.77% (414/1439), and 56.01% (806/1439), respectively. The proportion of specimens positive for other EVs was significantly higher than that of EV-A71 and CVA16. CVA10 is one of the important viruses of other EVs. A total of 52 CVA10 strains were used for phylogenetic analysis based on theVP1region. Of the 52 CVA10 strains, 31 were from this study, and 21 were downloaded from GenBank. All CVA10 sequences could be assigned to seven genotypes (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G), and genotype C was further divided into C1 and C2 subtypes. Of the 31 CVA10 strains identified in this study, only one belonged to subtype C1 and the remaining 30 belonged to C2.Conclusions:This study emphasized the importance of strengthening the surveillance of the HFMD pathogen spectrum in order to understand the mechanisms of pathogen variation and evolution, so as to provide a scientific basis for HFMD prevention, control, and vaccine development.
An Integrated Clustering and BERT Framework for Improved Topic Modeling
Authors: George Lijimol , Sumathy P
Published: August 2022

Topic modelling is a machine learning technique that is extensively used in Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications to infer topics within unstructured textual data. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is one of the most used topic modeling techniques that can automatically detect topics from a huge collection of text documents. However, the LDA-based topic models alone do not always provide promising results. Clustering is one of the effective unsupervised machine learning algorithms that are extensively used in applications including extracting information from unstructured textual data and topic modeling. A hybrid model of Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) in topic modeling with clustering have been studied in detail. As the clustering algorithms are computationally complex, the complexity increases with the higher number of features, the PCA, t-SNE & UMAP-based dimensionality reduction methods are also performed. Finally, a unified clustering-based framework using BERT and LDA is proposed as part of this study for mining a set of meaningful topics from the massive text corpora. The experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the cluster-informed topic modeling framework using BERT and LDA by simulating user input on benchmark datasets. The experimental results show that clustering would help infer more coherent topics and hence this unified clustering and BERT-LDA based approach can be effectively utilized for building topic modeling applications.
The climate change distress and impairment scale: Introduction of the measure and first findings on pro-environmental behavior
Authors: Hepp Johanna , Klein Sina A , Horsten Luisa K , Urbild Jana , Lane Sean P
Published: August 2022

Governmental agencies and the medical and psychological professions are calling for a greater focus on the negative mental health effects of climate change (CC). As a first step, the field needs measures to distinguish non-pathological levels of affective/emotional distress over CC from resulting impairment that requires further scientific and diagnostic attention and may require treatment in the future. To this end, we constructed theclimate change distress and impairment scale, which distinguishes CC distress (spanning anger, anxiety, and sadness) from impairment. In four studies (N = 1699), we developed and validated English and German versions of the scale. Across samples, we observed moderate to high levels of distress and low to moderate levels of impairment. In three English-speaking samples, younger individuals and women were most affected by CC distress, whereas this was not the case in a German-speaking sample. We demonstrate convergent validity with previous measures and discriminant validity for general negative affectivity and depressive and generalized anxiety disorder symptoms, which underlines that CC distress is not in itself pathological. Employing a fully incentivized social dilemma paradigm, we further demonstrate that CC distress and (to a lesser degree) CC impairment predict pro-environmental behavior, outlining them as possible drivers of climate-change mitigation efforts.
Variation in sexual size dimorphism and fit to Rensch's rule in 45 species of Costa Rican hummingbirds
Authors: Avalos Gerardo , Triana Felipe , Klank Jeremy
Published: August 2022

According to Rensch’s rule, in species where males are the larger sex, increasing body size is coupled with increased sexual size dimorphism (SSD), whereas in species where females are larger, SSD decreases with body size. We describe the variation in SSD for body mass and its fit to Rensch´s rule in 45 species of Costa Rican hummingbirds. We examine SSD in body mass, bill length, and wing size and their fit to Rensch´s rule in nine species of hummingbirds for which we have detailed data. We expected that physiological constraints will limit the variation in SSD since hummingbirds have high metabolic rates, high dependence on energy-dense food, and high costs imposed by small size and hovering flight; these factors scale with body size and elevation. Large species should be physiologically capable of withstanding greater variation in SSD compared to small species, which are more energetically limited. Hummingbirds showed mixed allometry and fit Rensch's rule (slope of the RMA regression male vs female body mass = 0.8630). Eighty percent of the species showed male-biased allometry for SSD in body mass. Average variation in SSD was 12% and varied regardless of size. Physiological limitations act on hummingbirds as a group affecting SSD, independently of body size. SSD differences in body size, bill length, and wing area could influence ecological performance, sexual displays, food resource access, and foraging behavior. The SSD mixed allometry, and the positive relationship between the standard deviation of body mass, wing chord, and wing area with hummingbird size found only in males (9 species), suggests that selective pressures act differentially on the sexes and influence sexual niche segregation. Future research should examine intersexual variation in morphology, and quantify intersexual habitat use, niche segregation, and interspecific and intraspecific competitive interactions, targeting species located at the extremes of the Rensch's rule scatterplot.
The characterization of Docimian white marble (Dokimeion-Phrygia/İscehisar-Turkey) and its significance for architectural materials in ancient times
Authors: Çelik Mustafa Yavuz
Published: August 2022

Referred to as Docimium marble, Docimian marble, Synnadic marble, or Phrygium marble, the white marble quarried at Dokimeion (İscehisar-Afyon, in central Phrygia, Asia Minor) extracted by the Romans for its fine-grained white quality and it was used extensively for sculpture and sarcophagi in ancient times. In this study, Docimian white marble, which has been of international importance since ancient times, was investigated. In the first stage, the characterization study was conducted, and in the second stage, the importance of Docimian white marble in the Roman period was expressed, it is using in the architectural artifacts, sarcophagi, and sculptures were explained. For this purpose, a multi-analytical study was conducted using the techniques of chemical analysis (major and trace elements), mineralogical-petrographic analysis (XRD, optical and scanning electron microscopy), and maximum grain size measurement (MGS). XRD analyses in agreement with optical microscope analyses revealed that calcite is the main component of the Docimian white marble samples. Maximum grain size (MGS) values were measured from 18.5 to 1009.5 µm on the Docimian white marble. The Docimian white marble has the advantage of low porosity (0.7%), low water absorption by weight (0.02%), and good compressive strength after frost (59 MPa) also it has a good uniaxial compressive strength (70 MPa) property. The abundance of some trace elements such as Sr and Mn can be up to 109 and 74 ppm, respectively, in Docimian white marbles, and it is approximately confirmed the data of the other studies.
Fruit Development, Maturation, Ripening, and Senescence: A Biochemical Basis for Horticultural Terminology1
Authors: Gortner Willis A. , Dull Gerald G. , Krauss Beatrice H.
Published: August 2022

The terminology used to describe developmental stages of fruits is often confusing or even misleading. “Mature” and “ripe” are often used synonymously. We find reference to “green” fruit, based on skin or peel color, used interchangeably with “unripe”, the latter without referring to pigmentation but rather to a state of non-palatability. We see in the literature such words used synonymously as “overripe” and “senescent” in describing a fruit in a very late stage of development. Such terms as “early maturity”, “optimum maturity”, or “full maturity” leave some doubt as to what stage is actually under consideration. At best, different authors are not always referring to the same stage, even when dealing with the same fruit.
Effect of Cytokinins on Apple Shoot Development from Axillary Buds
Authors: Williams Max W. , Stahly E. A.
Published: August 2022

Cytokinins applied to axillary buds of apple shoots overcame apical dominance. Axillary buds on actively growing apple shoots produced spurs and lateral branches when treated with cytokinins. Buds on shoots that had not received sufficient chilling to break rest were also induced to grow with cytokinins.
Optimum Tree Density for Apple Orchards1
Authors: Cain John C.
Published: August 2022

Orchard density is considered as the fraction of land covered by trees at any time. Using a generalized expression for tree spread as a function of age, a general expression is derived for mean lifetime orchard density for trees of various sizes. These curves show maxima with tree sizes of 10 to 15 ft for orchard lifetimes of 24 to 40 years. Evidence is presented showing a significant negative correlation between tree size and production per unit of tree area. This regression applied to mean lifetime orchard density values shows that maximum lifetime production can be expected from trees whose final “hold spread” is 10 to 12 ft when spaced in the row at this distance with a fixed alley clearance of 8 ft.
Regulation of Growth, Flowering and Fruit Abscission with 2-Chloroethanephosphonic Acid1
Authors: Edgerton L. J. , Greenhalgh W. J.
Published: August 2022

The new growth regulator 2-chloroethanephosphonic acid (Ethrel)3 was applied to apple and peach branches or young trees at several stages of development from prebloom to harvest. Application at 1000 to 2000 ppm during the prebloom to early postbloom stages on several apple cultivars virtually eliminated all fruit with little or no phytotoxicity. Peach foliage and shoots were more sensitive to the chemical. Vegetative growth was checked and flower bud formation promoted in some cases. From one week after bloom to 4 weeks after bloom, fruit set could be reduced but it was not possible to eliminate the fruit in all cases without phytotoxicity. Application from then until a few weeks before maturity had little effect on abscission. Fruit abscission at maturity was promoted with application of Ethrel.
Influence of Growth Retardants on Growth, Nutrient Content, and Yield of Tomato Plants Grown at Various Fertility Levels1
Authors: Knavel Dean E.
Published: August 2022

Tomato transplants were grown at different fertility levels in mixtures of peat moss-turface and peat moss-perlite. Growth retardants, Cycocel and Alar, were applied to young plants when they attained the 3 true leaf stage. Cycocel was more effective in reducing growth than was Alar, regardless of the fertility level. Alar was effective in reducing growth of plants in both growing media. Cycocel treated plants were more drought resistant than were the Alar-treated plants. Plants treated with either Cycocel or Alar were more drought resistant and darker green in color than control plants. Chlorophyll content was measured on Alar-treated and control plants. Alar-treated plants contained more chlorophyll, and their leaves had more palisade cells than plants of the control.

Cycocel-treated plants contained more N, P, Ca, and Mg, but less K than the control plants. Alar-treated plants contained more N and P than did the control plants and more K than control plants when grown in peat moss-perlite. In only 1 of 3 experiments did Alar-treated plants contain less Ca than control plants, but the chemical had no effect on the Mg content of the plants’ stems and leaves.

A single spray of Alar at 2500 ppm increased yields of early fruits in 1 of 3 experiments. In this experiment, both early fruit number and weight were increased, but the fruits were smaller than those from Cycocel treated and control plants. Growth retardants and fertility rates used in these studies had no effect on total yields, although interactions existed between growth retardants and nutrient rates in their effect on nutrient uptake.
Some Biochemical Effects in Apple Leaf Tissue Associated with the Use of Simazine and Amitrole1
Authors: Solecka Maria , Profic Hanna , Millikan D. F.
Published: August 2022

Simazine at both 4 and 8 lb./A and amitrole at 2 lb./A, alone and in combination, altered the protein and RNA content of apple leaf tissue. Initially, simazine increased the protein content, but this effect progressively diminished until late June when it became nonexistent. Similarly, the use of amitrole caused an early season increase in protein content, later changing to a marked decrease. Greatest effects occurred in the total and globulin fractions while the soluble fraction was affected only slightly and this was limited to the first 6 weeks of growth.

Total RNA also was affected. This effect occurred in mid-May when simazine was stimulatory and amitrole acted as a depressant. These same effects persisted until late June when simazine at 4 lb./A and amitrole strongly decreased the RNA content. Enhanced action due to the simultaneous use of both chemicals did not occur, but there was evidence that the depressing effect due to amitrole was moderated when used with simazine, particularly in the period when shoot expansion ceased.
The Effect of Cultural Practices on the Suitability of Cabbage for Once-Over Harvest1
Authors: Miller C. H. , Splinter W. E. , Wright F. S.
Published: August 2022

The effects of cultural practices on the yield and uniformity of 2 cabbage varieties were studied during a 3-year period. There was no advantage of using more than 60 lb. of N per acre. Most uniform plants, as measured by variance of head weights, were produced on plots transplanted at a shallow or medium depth although greater yields were usually produced on the deeply transplanted plots. Largest yields of cabbage were produced by plants designated as large at transplanting. There were no important uniformity differences between plant sizes. Spacing of plants 9 inches apart in the row instead of 12 or 15 inches resulted in larger yields. In all experiments, the hybrid variety ‘Emerald Cross’ was equal to or superior to the non-hybrid ‘Round Dutch’. These experiments suggest that the best combination of conditions for once-over harvest is use of large plants of a hybrid variety fertilized with 60 lb. of N per acre and transplanted 9 inches apart in the row at a medium depth.
Comparison of Sampling Methods for the Determination of Seasonal Changes in the Nutrient Content of Apple Leaves1
Authors: Zeiger D. C. , Konsler T. R.
Published: August 2022

In studies of seasonal trends in apple leaf nutrients, 5 different seasonal leaf sampling methods using the same shoots of young and old apple trees have been compared with a sampling of mid-shoot leaves on different shoots each sampling date to determine whether there would be any differences in leaf P, K, Ca and Mg trends. Sampling methods resulted in significant interaction with the check only in data for leaf concentration of Ca. The methods which were compared with the check had average seasonal leaf concentrations of P, K, Ca and Mg which differed significantly from the check in a few instances. They also produced slightly to considerably lower coefficients of variation than the check in 78 of 100 possible comparisons. This makes such methods very desirable as alternative sampling procedures where they do not otherwise vary from the standard.
The Effect of Flower Age, Time of Day and Variety on Pollen Germination of Onion, Allium cepa L.1
Authors: Mann Lorraine P. , Woodbury George W.
Published: August 2022

Onion pollen of 2 different parents, B12115C and B2215C, was collected at 9:00 am and 2:30 pm from flowers at approximately 1, 3, and 6 days after anthesis. This was germinated in hanging drops of a sucrose-gelatin medium. The percentage of pollen germination from B12115C was significantly higher than the percentage from B2215C. There was no significant difference in germination between pollen collected and germinated in the morning versus pollen collected and germinated in the afternoon. The results also show a linear relationship between pollen age and pollen germination. The ability to germinate declined rapidly after the first day and approached zero by the sixth day after anthesis. Hand pollination and style studies indicate that onion pollen tubes are capable of growing the entire length of the style, a distance of approximately 4 mm, in 24 hr.