bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Efficient Financial Profitability Performance Analysis of ODHCs Distribution in Turkey in GIS Environment
Authors: AKYEL Elif , ÇORUMLUOĞLU Özşen
Published: May 2022

Increased number of Oral and Dental Health Centers (ODHC) constracted underthe Health Transformation Program (HTP) in Turkey meets an important healthcare service requirement (Islıcık & Yar, 2018). to Evenly distribution of these dental services all over the country facilitates the public access and allows these services to gain continuity. Accesibility to sufficiently distributed dental service centers increases citizens physical and also mental well-beings , which is the therapeutic aspect of providening such public helth servises. Services social contribution is uncountable in terms of health issues for the people of the country. On the other hend they need quite amount og finantial support. Therefore, autorities in the country, especially healt service autority shoult consider running a financial performance analysis plan.
In ODHC system, dentists are the main component for keeping the system running to provide an uninterrapted, continues and regular dental health services. For this reason, in the study, financial performance analyzes of existing ODHCs w.r.t the profitability per dentist were carried out by the help of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Inverse Distance Weighting-IDW analyse technique provided by GIS is used to creat several performans distribution maps were produced w.r.t the several factors per dentist which are effective on the financial performans of ODHCs. For the seak of understandability, two most effective factors and the profitability as target factor are assigned to three primary colors for an effective visial interpretation of the relationship between the these most effective factors in terms of profitability per dentest in GIS enviroment. When the outputs are evaluated, a more understandable results on the relationship between the factors effecting the ODHCs’ financial performance are obtained by this visualiation techniqu for128 public ODHCs in Turkey, and the importance levels of the variables are then revealed in terms of ODHCs financial performances w.r.t. the locational data.
Farklı Meteorolojik İstasyonlara Ait Yağış Değerlerinin Haritalanmasında Etkenliğin Arttırılmasına Dair Bir Uygulama
Authors: DOĞRU Büşra , GÜNGÖROĞLU Cumhur
Published: May 2022

Ekoloji ve arazi planlamalarına dayalı araştırmalarda farklı meteorolojik istasyonlardan alınan yağış değerlerinin araştırma sahasını en yüksek derecede temsil etmesi beklenmektedir. Bu amaçla Schreiber veya CBS tabanlı enterpolasyon teknikleri uygulanmaktadır. Seçilen her bir yöntemin zayıf ve güçlü yönleri bulunabilmektedir. Bu çalışmada 1785 m yükselti farkı bulunan dağlık bir alanda yayılış yapan orman tiplerinin yağışa bağlı yetişme ortamı şartlarının daha yüksek bir doğrulukla karakterize edilebilmesi için, farklı istasyonlara ait yağış miktarlarının sahaya dağılımında etkenliklerinin arttırılması hedeflenmiştir. Bu amaçla Schreiber yönteminin etkenliğinin istasyonların sahaya olan mesafesi ve bulundukları rakıma göre arttırılması sağlanmıştır. Bu çalışmada Schreiber ve IDW yöntemine ait yağış haritaları aynı saha için üretilmiştir. Coğrafik orta merkez uygulaması yaklaşımının geliştirilmesiyle uygulanan Schreiber yöntemine göre saha içerisindeki minimum ve maksimum yağış değerleri arasında 76,5 mm fark bulunurken, IDW yöntemiyle bu farkın 17 mm olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada gerçekleştirilen yöntemin yükselti farkı bulunan yerel dağlık bir arazi için daha uygun olacağı öngörülmüştür.
High efficiency of homemade culture medium supplemented with GDF9-β in human oocytes for rescue in vitro maturation
Authors: Mohsenzadeh Mehdi , Khalili Mohammad Ali , Anbari Fatemeh , Vatanparast Mahboubeh
Published: May 2022

Objective: Optimizing culture media for the incubation of immature oocytes is a vital strategy to increase the oocyte maturation rate during in vitro maturation (IVM) programs. This study evaluated the IVM and fertilization rates of human germinal vesicle (GV) and metaphase I (MI) oocytes using two different maturation media (commercial and homemade) with or without growth differentiation factor 9-β (GDF9-β). supplementation.Methods: Immature oocytes from intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles were collected and assigned to one of two IVM culture media (commercial or homemade; cleavage-stage base). After maturation, MII oocytes were examined under an inverted microscope for the presence of the polar body, zona pellucida (ZP) birefringence, and meiotic spindle (MS) visualization after maturation in four conditions (commercial or homemade medium, with or without GDF9-β. ICSI was done for matured oocytes, and fertilization was confirmed by the visualization of two distinct pronuclei and two polar bodies.Results: No significant differences were found between the two culture media in terms of the time and rate of oocyte maturation or the rate of fertilization (p>0.05). Growth factor supplementation increased the 24-hour maturation rate for both GV and MI oocytes only in homemade medium. The maturation rate after 24 hours was higher for MI oocytes (p<0.05). Similar results were observed for MS visualization and ZP structure in both types of media (p>0.05).Conclusion: Higher rates of oocyte maturation and fertilization were observed after application of homemade medium supplemented with GDF9-β. Therefore, this combination may be recommended as an alternative for clinical IVM programs.
HISTÓRIA DO MOBILIÁRIO:
Authors: Martini Fátima Regina Sans
Published: May 2022

Este artigo trata da História do mobiliário, especificamente da Antiga Grécia. Analisa as características formais, segundo imagens presentes nos acervos museológicos e indica a importância do estudo do mobiliário, o qual se adapta aos padrões e necessidades da sociedade ao longo de diferentes períodos históricos e artísticos. O mobiliário elaborado com conforto e beleza é resultado da mente criativa do designer, apoiada em conhecimento teórico, gosto e sensibilidade, mediante a experiência técnica e prática.
El SEMINARIO MUSICULTURA: EXTENSIÓN Y DIFUSIÓN DE LA INVESTIGACIÓN MUSICAL EN UNA UNIVERSIDAD AL SUR DEL MUNDO
Authors: Soto Silva Ignacio
Published: May 2022

Durante el día 13 de julio de 2021 se realizó el seminario MusiCultura en el marco de las actividades de extensión del programa de profesorado en Educación Musical de la Universidad de Los Lagos. Esta institución regional se encuentra localizada en la zona sur de Chile, específicamente en la región de Los Lagos. Debido a las características del emplazamiento de la institución, la extensión de actividades investigativas y el diálogo disciplinario de campos como la musicología o la educación musical no son actividades particularmente regulares. Rivera-Polo, Rivera-Vargas y Alonso-Cano (2018) señalan —a propósito de un análisis de la creación de universidades regionales en el sur de Chile— que la situación de las instituciones de Educación Superior en las regiones del país muestra una debilidad del sistema educativo nacional. Las universidades regionales forman parte importante de los mecanismos de desarrollo regional (Rivera-Polo, Rivera-Vargas y Alonso-Cano, 2018, p. 428) y su rol social como promotores de discusiones que permitan canalizar las inquietudes de la ciudadanía y darles respuesta a través de la investigación, lo que es fundamental para las ciudades periféricas. En el campo de la musicología y la educación musical, el programa de formación de profesorado en Artes con mención en Música de la Universidad de Los Lagos en conjunto con el programa de la Universidad de Magallanes (en la región del mismo nombre) son los únicos que se imparten en la zona sur austral del país. Esto implica responsabilidades sociales relevantes en cuanto a generar espacios de discusión y reflexión sobre las áreas disciplinares que conforman el plan de estudios de la carrera, así como también respecto a las inquietudes del profesorado que ejerce en la región.
VALORES FEMENINOS: EXPERIENCIAS DEL CUERPO DESDE EL ARTIVISMO EN MAGISTERIO
Authors: Alonso-Sanz Amparo , Ramon Ricard
Published: May 2022

Este artículo presenta una experiencia artivista en la que participan 180 estudiantes de Magisterio. Desde una mirada feminista se reivindica una universidad más humanizada, naturalizada, igualitaria, respetuosa con la diversidad e inclusiva. Para ello, se modelan macetas de barro antropomorfas como forma de enfrentarnos a las experiencias de nuestro cuerpo. Se escriben micro relatos que acompañan a estos objetos. Y se entregan al profesorado y otro personal universitario como transferencia de su aprendizaje. La metodología utilizada es la Investigación Basada en las Artes desde la perspectiva del A/R/tography. El análisis de las reflexiones durante el proceso creativo de la cerámica recoge problemáticas que afectan especialmente al cuerpo de la mujer: asimetría corporal, censura de pezones en redes sociales, estética impuesta por los medios de masas, cicatrices, pigmentación de la piel, vello corporal, hipersexualización infantil, transexualidad y deterioro del cuerpo. El análisis de los relatos ofrece tres categorías temáticas: testimonios de agradecimiento; reconocimiento a profesorado que ejerció de forma singular una docencia sensible; reivindicación de espacios más seguros, arquitecturas más inclusivas y entornos favorecedores de la diversidad. Se concluye que este tipo de acciones resultan efectivas para promover actitudes activas positivas para el cambio social y estructural contra el machismo.
EDITORIAL 32
Authors: Vernia Carrasco Ana Mercedes
Published: May 2022

EDITORIAL 32
En este número, ARTSEDUCA recoge diversidad de investigaciones, experiencias didácticas y pedagógicas, así como artículos de opinión y reportaje, que sitúan al arte en un valor social, cultural y especialmente social. Arte colectivo, comunitario, educación artística para la transformación social, motivación para investigar en la danza, esto solo son una pequeña muestra de lo que investigadores e investigadoras relacionados con el arte y la cultura llevan a cabo para mejorar no solo la educación sino también el mundo en que habitamos. Lenguajes nuevos, antiguos, tecnología, emoción, diversidad y sostenibilidad forman el marco en el que el ARTE se mueve de manera interdisciplinar y transdisciplinar, permitiendo la alfabetización digital, artística, cultural, social y emocional. La carencia de valores que se observa en la educación sumada al aumento de violencia reclama de una necesidad artística en las aulas, en la formación integral, global e institucional.
Current Intake and Infection Status were not Good Predictive Factors of Stunting among Children Aged 6-59 Months in Babakan Madang Sub-District, Bogor District, West Java, Indonesia
Authors: Purnamasari Ruth Desinta , Sartika Ratu Ayu Dewi , Sudarti Trini
Published: May 2022

AbstractThis study aims to discover the prevalence of stunting and determine the associations between the history of pulmonary tuberculosis disease with the prevalence of stunting among children under five years of age (6-59 months) in Babakan Madang Sub-District, Bogor District 2019. This study uses a cross-sectional design with a quantitative approach. The sample in this research was 194 children under five obtained by cluster sampling. Data collection was conducted through May 2019. The data collection process includes anthropometric measurements using calibrated microtoise and digital length board, dietary assessment using 1 x 24-h food recall, and a self-administered questionnaire. Data analyses were performed using the chi-square test and independent t-test. The result of this study shows that 35.6% of children under five are being stunted (HAZ ≤ -2.00). The risk factor with a significant correlation with stunting is history of pulmonary tuberculosis disease (p-value 0.044), although careful interpretation is needed in this result due to the limited number of observed cases. However, this study recommends pulmonary tuberculosis disease prevention and improve nutritional education. Keywords: stunting, children under-five, pulmonary tuberculosis disease AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui besaran prevalensi stunting dan membuktikan hubungan antara riwayat penyakit TB paru serta faktor lainnya dengan kejadian stunting pada balita umur 6-59 bulan di Kecamatan Babakan Madang Kabupaten Bogor Tahun 2019. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain studi cross-sectional dengan pendekatan kuantitatif. Sampel pada penelitian ini berjumlah 194 balita yang didapat dengan cara cluster sampling. Pengambilan data dilakukan selama bulan Mei 2019. Proses pengambilan data meliputi pengukuran antropometri menggunakan microtoise dan digital length board yang telah divalidasi, wawancara food recall 1x 24 jam, dan pengisian kuesioner. Analisis data dilakukan dengan uji chi-square dan independent-t.  Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan terdapat 35,6% balita stunting (Z-score PB/U atau TB/U ≤ -2,00). Faktor risiko yang memiliki hubungan signifikan dengan kejadian stunting adalah riwayat penyakit TB paru, meskipun hasil ini memerlukan kehati-hatian dalam interpretasi mengingat sangat terbatasnya jumlah kasus TB paru yang diobservasi. Meskipun demikian, studi ini merekomendasikan upaya pencegahan terhadap penyakit TB paru dan peningkatan edukasi gizi. Kata kunci:  stunting, balita, riwayat TB paru
Emotional Eating among Final Year Undergraduate Female Students of Faculty of Public Health Universitas Indonesia During COVID-19 Pandemic in 2021
Authors: Salsabiela Adinda Safira , Putra Wahyu Kurnia Yusrin
Published: May 2022

Emotional eating is defined as the tendency to excessively consuming food which often high in sugar, salt, and fat levels in response to negative emotions. Uncontrolled emotional eating will increase the risk of eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type II diabetes. This study aims to find out about the relationship between perceived stress, anxiety, academic stressors, social media engagement, COVID-19 infection history in respondent and their family members, and mindfulness with emotional eating among 106 final year undergraduate female students of the Faculty of Public Health Universitas Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. This cross-sectional quantitative study shows that there are about 20,8% of respondents who has an emotional eating tendency. There are significant differences between social media engagement and observing facet (p-value < 0,05) with emotional eating. Young adults should discover more about their triggers and positive coping strategies, to use social media wisely, and to eat mindfully.
Higher-order olfactory neurons in the lateral horn support odor valence and odor identity coding in Drosophila
Authors: Das Chakraborty Sudeshna , Chang Hetan , Hansson Bill S , Sachse Silke
Published: May 2022

Understanding neuronal representations of odor-evoked activities and their progressive transformation from the sensory level to higher brain centers features one of the major aims in olfactory neuroscience. Here, we investigated how odor information is transformed and represented in higher-order neurons of the lateral horn, one of the higher olfactory centers implicated in determining innate behavior, using Drosophila melanogaster. We focused on a subset of third-order glutamatergic lateral horn neurons (LHNs) and characterized their odor coding properties in relation to their presynaptic partner neurons, the projection neurons (PNs) by two-photon functional imaging. We show that odors evoke reproducible, stereotypic, and odor-specific response patterns in LHNs. Notably, odor-evoked responses in these neurons are valence-specific in a way that their response amplitude is positively correlated with innate odor preferences. We postulate that this valence-specific activity is the result of integrating inputs from multiple olfactory channels through second-order neurons. GRASP and micro-lesioning experiments provide evidence that glutamatergic LHNs obtain their major excitatory input from uniglomerular PNs, while they receive an odor-specific inhibition through inhibitory multiglomerular PNs. In summary, our study indicates that odor representations in glutamatergic LHNs encode hedonic valence and odor identity and primarily retain the odor coding properties of second-order neurons.
Electrocorticography is superior to subthalamic local field potentials for movement decoding in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Merk Timon , Peterson Victoria , Lipski Witold J , Blankertz Benjamin , Turner Robert S , Li Ningfei , Horn Andreas , Richardson Robert Mark , Neumann Wolf-Julian
Published: May 2022

Brain signal decoding promises significant advances in the development of clinical brain computer interfaces (BCI). In Parkinson’s disease (PD), first bidirectional BCI implants for adaptive deep brain stimulation (DBS) are now available. Brain signal decoding can extend the clinical utility of adaptive DBS but the impact of neural source, computational methods and PD pathophysiology on decoding performance are unknown. This represents an unmet need for the development of future neurotechnology. To address this, we developed an invasive brain-signal decoding approach based on intraoperative sensorimotor electrocorticography (ECoG) and subthalamic LFP to predict grip-force, a representative movement decoding application, in 11 PD patients undergoing DBS. We demonstrate that ECoG is superior to subthalamic LFP for accurate grip-force decoding. Gradient boosted decision trees (XGBOOST) outperformed other model architectures. ECoG based decoding performance negatively correlated with motor impairment, which could be attributed to subthalamic beta bursts in the motor preparation and movement period. This highlights the impact of PD pathophysiology on the neural capacity to encode movement vigor. Finally, we developed a connectomic analysis that could predict grip-force decoding performance of individual ECoG channels across patients by using their connectomic fingerprints. Our study provides a neurophysiological and computational framework for invasive brain signal decoding to aid the development of an individualized precision-medicine approach to intelligent adaptive DBS.
Proteomic analysis of differential anther development from sterile/fertile lines in Capsicum annuum L.
Authors: Pei Hongxia , Xie Hua , Wang Xuemei , Yan Xiujuan , Wang Baike , Feng Haiping , Zhao Yunxia , Gao Jingxia , Gao Jie
Published: May 2022

Background

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a major cash crop throughout the world. Male sterility is an important characteristic in crop species that leads to a failure to produce functional pollen, and it has crucial roles in agricultural breeding and the utilization of heterosis.

Objectives

In this study, we identified many crucial factors and important components in metabolic pathways in anther and pollen development, and elucidated the molecular mechanism related to pollen abortion in pepper.

Methods

Pepper pollen was observed at different stages to detect the characteristics associated with male sterility and fertility. The phytohormone and oxidoreductase activities were detected in spectrophotometric and redox reaction assays, respectively. Proteins were extracted from male sterile and fertile pepper lines, and identified by TMT/iTRAQ (tandem mass tags/isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) and LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer) analysis. Differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were analyzed based on Gene Ontology annotations and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database according to |fold change)| > 1.3 and P value < 0.05. DAPs were quantified in the meiosis, tetrad, and binucleate stages by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM).

Results

In this study, we screened and identified one male sterile pepper line with abnormal cytological characteristics in terms of pollen development. The peroxidase and catalase enzyme activities were significantly reduced and increased, respectively, in the male sterile line compared with the male fertile line. Phytohormone analysis demonstrated that the gibberellin, jasmonic acid, and auxin contents changed by different extents in the male sterile pepper line. Proteome analysis screened 1,645 DAPs in six clusters, which were mainly associated with the chloroplast and cytoplasm based on their similar expression levels. According to proteome analysis, 45 DAPs were quantitatively identified in the meiosis, tetrad, and binucleate stages by PRM, which were related to monoterpenoid biosynthesis, and starch and sucrose metabolism pathways.

Conclusions

We screened 1,645 DAPs by proteomic analysis and 45 DAPs were related to anther and pollen development in a male sterile pepper line. In addition, the activities of peroxidase and catalase as well as the abundances of phytohormones such as gibberellin, jasmonic acid, and auxin were related to male sterility. The results obtained in this study provide insights into the molecular mechanism responsible for male sterility and fertility in pepper.
Challenges of sperm cryopreservation in transferring heat adaptation of corals across ocean basins
Authors: Howells Emily J. , Hagedorn Mary , Van Oppen Madeleine J.H. , Burt John A.
Published: May 2022

Reef-building corals live very close to their upper thermal limits and their persistence is imperiled by a rapidly warming climate. Human interventions may be used to increase the thermal limits of sensitive corals by cross-breeding with heat-adapted populations. However, the scope of breeding interventions is constrained by regional variation in the annual reproductive cycle of corals. Here we use cryopreservation technology to overcome this barrier and cross-breed conspecific coral populations across ocean basins for the first time. During regional spawning events, sperm samples were cryopreserved from populations of the widespread Indo-Pacific coral,Platygyra daedalea, from the southern Persian Gulf (maximum daily sea surface temperature of 36 °C), the Oman Sea (33 °C), and the central Great Barrier Reef (30 °C). These sperm samples were thawed during a later spawning event to test their ability to fertilize freshly spawned eggs ofP. daedaleacolonies from the central Great Barrier Reef. Average fertilization success for the Persian Gulf (9%) and Oman Sea (6%) sperm were 1.4–2.5 times lower than those for the native cryopreserved sperm from Great Barrier Reef (13–15%), potentially due to lower sperm quality of the Middle Eastern sperm and/or reproductive incompatibility between these distant populations. Overall, fertilization success with cryopreserved sperm was low compared with fresh sperm (>80%), likely due to the low motility of thawed sperm (≤5%, reduced from 50% to >90% in fresh sperm). To evaluate whether cross-bred offspring had enhanced thermal tolerance, the survival of larvae sired by Persian Gulf cryopreserved sperm, Great Barrier Reef cryopreserved sperm, and Great Barrier Reef fresh sperm was monitored for six days at ambient (27 °C) and elevated (33 °C) temperature. Against expectations of thermal tolerance enhancement, survival of larvae sired by Persian Gulf cryopreserved sperm was 2.6 times lower than larvae sired by Great Barrier Reef fresh sperm at 33 °C (27% versus 71%), but did not differ at 27 °C (77% versus 84%). This lack of enhanced thermal tolerance was unlikely due to outbreeding depression as survival was equally poor in larvae sired by Great Barrier Reef cryopreserved sperm. Rather, follow-up tests showed that cryoprotectant exposure during fertilization (0.1% DMSO) has a negative effect on the survival ofP. daedalealarvae which is exacerbated at elevated temperature. Collectively, our findings highlight challenges of breeding corals for enhanced thermal tolerance using cryopreserved sperm, which may be overcome by methodological advances in the collection and preservation of high-quality motile sperm and minimizing the exposure time of eggs to cryoprotectants.
Automatic detection of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi in blood smears using a machine learning approach applied to mobile phone images
Authors: Morais Mauro César Cafundó , Silva Diogo , Milagre Matheus Marques , Oliveira Maykon Tavares de , Pereira Thaís , Silva João Santana , Costa Luciano da F. , Minoprio Paola , Junior Roberto Marcondes Cesar , Gazzinelli Ricardo , de Lana Marta , Nakaya Helder I.
Published: May 2022

Chagas disease is a life-threatening illness caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The diagnosis of the acute form of the disease is performed by trained microscopists who detect parasites in blood smear samples. Since this method requires a dedicated high-resolution camera system attached to the microscope, the diagnostic method is more expensive and often prohibitive for low-income settings. Here, we present a machine learning approach based on a random forest (RF) algorithm for the detection and counting of T. cruzi trypomastigotes in mobile phone images. We analyzed micrographs of blood smear samples that were acquired using a mobile device camera capable of capturing images in a resolution of 12 megapixels. We extracted a set of features that describe morphometric parameters (geometry and curvature), as well as color, and texture measurements of 1,314 parasites. The features were divided into train and test sets (4:1) and classified using the RF algorithm. The values of precision, sensitivity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the proposed method were 87.6%, 90.5%, and 0.942, respectively. Automating image analysis acquired with a mobile device is a viable alternative for reducing costs and gaining efficiency in the use of the optical microscope.
Influence of DNA extraction kits on freshwater fungal DNA metabarcoding
Authors: Matsuoka Shunsuke , Sugiyama Yoriko , Nagano Mariko , Doi Hideyuki
Published: May 2022

Background

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a common technique for efficient biodiversity monitoring, especially of microbes. Recently, the usefulness of aquatic eDNA in monitoring the diversity of both terrestrial and aquatic fungi has been suggested. In eDNA studies, different experimental factors, such as DNA extraction kits or methods, can affect the subsequent analyses and the results of DNA metabarcoding. However, few methodological studies have been carried out on eDNA of fungi, and little is known about how experimental procedures can affect the results of biodiversity analysis. In this study, we focused on the effect of DNA extraction method on fungal DNA metabarcoding using freshwater samples obtained from rivers and lakes.

Methods

DNA was extracted from freshwater samples using the DNeasy PowerSoil kit, which is mainly used to extractmicrobial DNA from soil, and the DNeasy Blood & Tissue kit, which is commonly used for eDNA studies on animals. We then compared PCR inhibition and fungal DNA metabarcoding results; i.e., operational taxonomic unit (OTU) number and composition of the extracted samples.

Results

No PCR inhibition was detected in any of the samples, and no significant differences in the number of OTUs and OTU compositions were detected between the samples processed using different kits. These results indicate that both DNA extraction kits may provide similar diversity results for the river and lake samples evaluated in this study. Therefore, it may be possible to evaluate the diversity of fungi using a unified experimental method, even with samples obtained for diversity studies on other taxa such as those of animals.
Sexual dimorphism in shell size of the land snail Leptopoma perlucidum (Caenogastropoda: Cyclophoridae)
Authors: Phung Chee-Chean , Choo Ming-Huei , Liew Thor-Seng
Published: May 2022

Sexual dimorphism in the shell size and shape of land snails has been less explored compared to that of other marine and freshwater snail taxa. This study examined the differences in shell size and shape across both sexes of Leptopoma perlucidum land snails. We collected 84 land snails of both sexes from two isolated populations on two islands off Borneo. A total of five shell size variables were measured: (1) shell height, (2) shell width, (3) shell spire height, (4) aperture height, and (5) aperture width. We performed frequentist and Bayesian t-tests to determine if there was a significant difference between the two sexes of L. perlucidum on each of the five shell measurements. Additionally, the shell shape was quantified based on nine landmark points using the geometric morphometric approach. We used generalised Procrustes and principal component analyses to test the effects of sex and location on shell shape. The results showed that female shells were larger than male shells across all five measurements (all with p-values < 0.05), but particularly in regards to shell height and shell width. Future taxonomic studies looking to resolve the Leptopoma species’ status should consider the variability of shell size caused by sexual dimorphism.
Environmental Effect of KPO-Fire in Niger Delta and Future Health Implication
Authors: Fyneface Amadi Chikadibia , Ngowari Aleruchi-Didia Tarila , Eedee Konne Felix , Ugochukwu Nyenke Clement
Published: May 2022

Crude oil discovery and exploration in the Niger Delta of Nigeria which includes Delta, Bayelsa, Abia, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa-Ibom, Imo, Edo and Ondo States of Nigeria, has led to significant economic growth of the nation especially in the creation of job opportunities also the generation of revenue. Unfortunately, Oil thefts have become the idea that replaced the most crisis and agitations in the Niger Delta communities against the perceived neglect of the areas. This had resulted to widespread operation of illegal oil bunkering activities called Kpofire. Kpofire, as described by the Niger deltans, is a process of burning crude oil by illegal oil operatives or thieves at isolated locations called bunkering sites or dumpsites in order to extract refined petroleum products. The design for the extraction of the petroleum products involves the sections of steaming and collection. These sections are connected by a very long pipe. Heat is applied to the steaming section using wood from the mangroves that is called ‘Ngala’ or ‘Agala’, thereafter, crude oil is used. The products extracted are fuel, kerosene and diesel. One of the major problems of Kpofire is the introduction of soot into the environment. Soot is a product is uncontrolled and incomplete combustion or pyrolisis of materials that contain carbon. The highest constituent of soot is the Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The Niger Delta people are faced with daily environmental challenges such as inadequate housing facilities, contaminated drinking water sources, barren lands for agriculture, dead rivers for fishing activities and poor health conditions, soot, which has become a gradual but huge challenge in many Niger Delta communities, has been shown to play a huge role in respiratory, skin, and reproductive health conditions.  However, vulnerability is seen more in babies and children (particularly because their respiratory organs are not matured enough), the elderly, and people with preexisting health conditions, also heart or lung diseases (such as asthma). High exposure to PAH at prenatal stages is linked to a low IQ and lead to increased behavioral problems in the early-age child and childhood asthma. A collective effort is needed to put a stop this menace called kpofire in order to avoid environmental pollution thereby endangering the health of the people of Niger Delta.
Effect of Bio-Fertilizers and Sulphur on Growth and Yield of Lentil (Lens culinaris M.)
Authors: Aparna Boyina , Dawson Joy
Published: May 2022

A field experiment was conducted during Rabi season (2021-2022) at Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, SHUATS, Prayagraj (U.P.). The soil of experimental plot was sandy loam in texture. The treatments consisted of Rhizobium 20 g/kg + Sulphur 10 kg/ha, Rhizobium 20 g/kg + Sulphur 20 kg/ha, Rhizobium 20 g/kg + Sulphur 20 kg/ha, PSB 15 g/kg + Sulphur 10 kg/ha, PSB 15 g/kg + Sulphur 20 kg/ha, PSB 15 g/kg + Sulphur 30 kg/ha, VAM 15 g/kg +Sulphur 10 kg/ha, VAM 15 g/kg +Sulphur 20 kg/ha, VAM 15 g/kg +Sulphur 30 kg/ha. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design, with 9 treatments replicated thrice. Results revealed that the highest plant height (34.03 cm), number of nodules (11.10), plant dry weight (12.25 g/plant), number of pods per plant (163.1), number of seeds per pod (2.00), test weight (23.95g), seed yield (1.97 t/ha) and stover yield (3.75 t/ha) were significantly influenced with application of PSB 15 g/kg + Sulphur 30 kg/ha. Higher gross returns (INR 108455.00/ha), net returns (INR 75505.00/ha) and B:C ratio (2.29) were also recorded with application of PSB 15 g/kg + Sulphur 30 kg/ha.
Epidemiology of Pathogenic Free-living Amoeba
Authors: Maryanti Esy , Haslinda Lilly
Published: May 2022

Free-living amoeba (FLA) is a free living parasitic organism which have the capability to infect human and attack various vital organs e.q., the central nervous system, eyes, skin, nose, lungs and kidneys; depending on which organ is reached. When it comes to the central nervous system, this disease is very fatal and potentially lethal because the diagnosis of FLA infection is often overlooked. The genera that can infect humans are Acanthamoeba spp., Naegleria spp. (Naegleria fowleri) and Balamuthia (Balamuthia mandrillaris). This amoeba is widespread in nature and can be found in environmental abandoned waters such as water in swimming pools, rivers, lakes, baths, tubs and water tanks. The mode of transmission or transmission by this free-living amoeba can be accidentally by way of inhalation while swimming, or entering through the mouth or entering through broken skin. Children and young adults are at risk of infection. Diagnosis is made by microscopic examination, namely direct examination to find trophozoites and cysts in specimens such as cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue or by culture. In addition, serological and molecular tests such as PCR can also be performed.
Procalcitonin as a Biomarker and Risk Stratification Tool in COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Shah O. M. , Alaouabda N.
Published: May 2022

Background: COVID-19 is a systemic disease with a highly variable clinical course, ranging from being asymptomatic to manifestations like bilateral interstitial pneumonia, and multi-organ failure.

Aims & Objectives: To evaluate whether Procalcitonin can act as a biomarker for risk stratification and identify patients at risk for clinical deterioration-critical disease.

Study Design: This was a prospective cohort study.

Place and Duration of Study: Medical High Care & Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital Ayr, UK between January 2021, and March 2021.

Methodology: The patients were classified into two groups, Low Procalcitonin (PCT) group (<0.5 μg/L) and High Procalcitonin (PCT) group (>0.5 μg/L) at 48 hr. of admission to the unit. Primary outcomes compared were requirement of invasive ventilation, multi-organ failure, antibiotic consumption, and mortality. Continuous variables were analyzed using two-sample unpaired t test while categorical variables were compared using Fisher’s exact test. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 40 COVID-19 patients were included in the study, with 23 patients in the low PCT group and 17 patients were included in the high PCT group. The mean PCT at 48 hrs in the low PCT group was 0.327±0.098 μg/L, whereas in the high PCT group, it was 2.862±1.409 μg/L, the differences being statistically significant (p<0.0001). 56.52% patients(n=13) had multi-organ failure & mortality remained 26.09% in the Low PCT group whereas 94.12% of the patients (n=16) developed multi-organ failure & the mortality was 70.59% in the high PCT group, differences being statistically significant. Also, significant differences were noted in the usage of antibiotics between the two groups.

Conclusion: We concluded that Procalcitonin levels could be used reliably for risk stratification and raised PCT values would help identify a subgroup of COVID-19 patients with increased likelihood of critical disease and poor outcome.
Antidotes and their Mechanism of Action: A Systematic Review
Authors: Komatineni Deva Tulasi , Kolli Udaya Ratna , Elsheep Mohammed Bashir Abazar Elmamoon Ball , Balineni Varshitha Reddy , Gundla Keerthi Sri , Saeed Yousif Osman Salih , Chimakurthy Jithendra , Pingili Ravindra Babu
Published: May 2022

An antidote is a therapeutic agent that counteracts the hazardous effects of a medicine or toxin, according to the International Programmed of Chemical Safety. Antidotes have been defined as agents that alter the poisonous substance's kinetics or interfere with its impact at receptor sites. This could be due to the poison being prevented from being absorbed, bound, and neutralized immediately, antagonizing its end-organ impact, or inhibiting conversion to more hazardous metabolites. The kind of toxin eaten, the anticipated amount taken by the individual, the route of exposure, clinical toxicity characteristics, half-life, and pharmacokinetics, as well as the risk versus benefit of administering the antidote, all influence the length of antidotal therapy. An infusion may be necessary if the antidote has a short half-life, especially if poisoning symptoms return. To treat the negative effects of toxins, it is required. Occasionally, that intervention is necessary. may entail the use of pharmacological antagonists, also referred to as an antidote The most common poisons, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, include Acetylcysteine, naloxone, atropine, and deferoxamine are some of the most widely used antidotes.
Pandemic COVID-19 and Macroeconomic Indicators: A Study of the Structural Factors Exacerbating Palestine's Economic Crisis
Authors: Badwan Nemer
Published: May 2022

This paper explored and examined the impact of the (COVID-19) pandemic for the following period from March 2020 to February 2022 on selected macroeconomic indicators and variables in Palestine, as well as its economic impact and structural factors that exacerbate the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic issue, are examined in this paper. This study uses data from the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) and the World Bank to assess the link between the exchange rate, crude oil price, inflation, and economic growth in Palestine using Johansen-Juselius multivariate cointegration techniques. The findings show that a combination of falling oil prices, high inflation, exchange rate, and spillovers from the (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak triggered the economic downturn in Palestine, which not only reduced demand for oil products but also halted economic activity when social distancing policies were implemented. The government responded to the situation by assisting companies and a limited number of homes afflicted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As a result, the report recommends that the government invest inadequate digital infrastructure to ease the shift from face-to-face business operations to "digital or online" business activities, which can assist the digital economy to expand.
Photocatalytic Efficiency of Titanium Dioxide for Dyes and Heavy Metals Removal from Wastewater
Authors: Sagadevan Suresh , Fatimah Is , Egbosiuba Titus Chinedu , Alshahateet Solhe F. , Lett J. Anita , Weldegebrieal Getu Kassegn , Le Minh-Vien , Johan Mohd Rafie
Published: May 2022

The hazardous toxicity of dye materials, even in low concentrations, harms ecological systems. It releases a large number of contaminants into the water, resulting as waste water. Dyes prevent the process of photosynthesis by obstructing light passage, lowers the oxygen levels dissolved in the water. Also, a good number of the dyes and heavy metals are carcinogenic and mutagenic to human beings. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a promising technology for removing organic, inorganic, and microbial pollutants from water and wastewater. It is preferable to other conventional wastewater treatment approaches due to its benefit, such as low cost, environmental friendliness, ability to proceed at ambient temperature and pressure conditions, and to completely degrade pollutants into environmentally safe products with suitable measures. The titanium oxide (TiO2) is one of the most promising material that has gained enormous importance in the field of energy and environmental applications. The unique physicochemical properties of TiO2 make it one of the best candidates among existing photocatalysts. This review provides an overview of strategies employed to augment its catalytic performance as well as the impact of different operational parameters on the removal proficiency of various organic and inorganic pollutants in water and wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2022 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Recent Progress of Metal Sulfide Photocatalysts for Solar Energy Conversion
Authors: Zhu Qiaohong , Xu Qing , Du Mengmeng , Zeng Xiaofei , Zhong Guofu , Qiu Bocheng , Zhang Jinlong
Published: May 2022

Artificial photosynthetic solar‐to‐chemical cycles enable an entire environment to operate in a more complex, yet effective, way to perform natural photosynthesis. However, such artificial systems suffer from a lack of well‐established photocatalysts with the ability to harvest the solar spectrum and rich catalytic active‐site density. Benefiting from extensive experimental and theoretical investigations, this bottleneck may be overcome by devising a photocatalytic platform based on metal sulfides with predominant electronic, physical, and chemical properties. These tunable properties can endow them with abundant active sites, favorable light utilization, and expedited charge transportation for solar‐to‐chemical conversion. Here, it is described how some vital lessons extracted from previous investigations are employed to promote the further development of metal sulfides for artificial photosynthesis, including water splitting, CO2 reduction, N2 reduction, and pollutant removal. Their functions, properties, synthetic strategies, emerging issues, design principles, and intrinsic functional mechanisms for photocatalytic redox reactions are discussed in detail. Finally, the associated challenges and prospects for the utilization of metal sulfides are highlighted and future development trends in photocatalysis are envisioned.
Revealing the Structural Coloration of Self‐Assembled Chitin Nanocrystal Films
Authors: Narkevicius Aurimas , Parker Richard M. , Ferrer‐Orri Jordi , Parton Thomas G. , Lu Zihao , van de Kerkhof Gea T. , Frka‐Petesic Bruno , Vignolini Silvia
Published: May 2022

The structural coloration of arthropods often arises from helicoidal structures made primarily of chitin. Although it is possible to achieve analogous helicoidal architectures by exploiting the self‐assembly of chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs), to date no evidence of structural coloration has been reported from such structures. Previous studies are identified to have been constrained by both the experimental inability to access sub‐micrometer helicoidal pitches and the intrinsically low birefringence of crystalline chitin. To expand the range of accessible pitches, here, ChNCs are isolated from two phylogenetically distinct sources of α‐chitin, namely fungi and shrimp, while to increase the birefringence, an in situ alkaline treatment is performed, increasing the intensity of the reflected color by nearly two orders of magnitude. By combining this treatment with precise control over ChNC suspension formulation, structurally colored chitin‐based films are demonstrated with reflection tunable from blue to near infrared.
Synthesis of Quinolines and 2‐Functionalized Quinolines by Difluorocarbene Incorporation
Authors: Jiang Ben‐Jie , Zhang Song‐Lin
Published: May 2022

A general method is developed to allow de novo construction of quinolines and C2‐functionalized quinolines from ortho‐alkenyl anilines in the presence of a difluorocarbene precursor. This method exploits a crucial reactivity of in‐situ generation of isocyanides from condensation of primary aniline with difluorocarbene. Subsequent α‐addition of isocyanide by neighbouring alkenyl group constructs the quinoline ring. Furthermore, when a combination of difluorocarbene precursor and Se are present, selenoisocyanate intermediates are tentatively generated that upon nucleophilic addition by ortho‐alkenyl produce 2‐SeH quinolines. In the presence of a second nucleophile such as anilines, competing nucleophilic addition of anilines to the selenoisocyanate is preferred, generating selenourea intermediate. Further nucleophilic addition of the ortho‐alkenyl to selenourea followed by elimination of H2Se produces 2‐aminoquinolines. This allows one‐step multi‐component modular preparation of various C2‐functionalized quinolines from readily available starting compounds. This method shows good yields, scope and chemoselectivity. It is operationally convenient and friendly without manipulating unpleasant isocyanides. The difluorocarbene‐enabled primary amine to isocyanide conversion may be exploited to develop other interesting reactions.

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Boosted Spontaneous Formation of High‐Aspect Ratio Nanopeaks on Ultrafast Laser‐Irradiated Ni Surface
Authors: Nakhoul Anthony , Rudenko Anton , Maurice Claire , Reynaud Stéphanie , Garrelie Florence , Pigeon Florent , Colombier Jean‐Philippe
Published: May 2022

The capacity to synthesize and design highly intricated nanoscale objects of different sizes, surfaces, and shapes dramatically conditions the development of multifunctional nanomaterials. Ultrafast laser technology holds great promise as a contactless process able to rationally and rapidly manufacture complex nanostructures bringing innovative surface functions. The most critical challenge in controlling the growth of laser‐induced structures below the light diffraction limit is the absence of external order associated to the inherent local interaction due to the self‐organizing nature of the phenomenon. Here high aspect‐ratio nanopatterns driven by near‐field surface coupling and architectured by timely‐controlled polarization pulse shaping are reported. Electromagnetic coupled with hydrodynamic simulations reveal why this unique optical manipulation allows peaks generation by inhomogeneous local absorption sustained by nanoscale convection. The obtained high aspect‐ratio surface nanotopography is expected to prevent bacterial proliferation, and have great potential for catalysis, vacuum to deep UV photonics and sensing.
Monolayer MXene Nanoelectromechanical Piezo‐Resonators with 0.2 Zeptogram Mass Resolution
Authors: Tan Dongchen , Cao Xuguang , Huang Jijie , Peng Yan , Zeng Lijun , Guo Qinglei , Sun Nan , Bi Sheng , Ji Ruonan , Jiang Chengming
Published: May 2022

2D materials‐based nanoelectromechanical resonant systems with high sensitivity can precisely trace quantities of ultra‐small mass molecules and therefore are broadly applied in biological analysis, chemical sensing, and physical detection. However, conventional optical and capacitive transconductance schemes struggle to measure high‐order mode resonant effectively, which is the scientific key to further achieving higher accuracy and lower noise. In the present study, the different vibrations of monolayer Ti3C2Tx MXene piezo‐resonators are investigated, and achieve a high‐order f2,3 resonant mode with a ≈234.59 ± 0.05 MHz characteristic peak due to the special piezoelectrical structure of the Ti3C2Tx MXene layer. The effective measurements of signals have a low thermomechanical motion spectral density (9.66 ± 0.01 ) and an extensive dynamic range (118.49 ± 0.42 dB) with sub‐zeptograms resolution (0.22 ± 0.01 zg) at 300 K temperature and 1 atm. Furthermore, the functional groups of the Ti3C2Tx MXene with unique adsorption properties enable a high working range ratio of ≈3100 and excellent repeatability. This Ti3C2Tx MXene device demonstrates encouraging performance advancements over other nano‐resonators and will lead the related engineering applications including high‐sensitivity mass detectors.