bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biogeochemical Features of the Formation of the Holocene Sediments in Lake Dukhovoe at the Stage of Early Diagenesis in Eastern Baikalia
Authors: Leonova G.A. , Maltsev A.E. , Krivonogov S.K. , Bobrov V.A. , Melenevskii V.N. , Bychinskii V.A. , Bogush A.A. , Kondratieva L.M. , Miroshnichenko L.V.
Published: February 2023

—A 6-meter core of the Holocene sediments in Lake Dukhovoe is studied. The material composition of the core is heterogeneous and has clear bedding. Lacustrine sediments are represented by the upper 293 cm. Each bed of the sediments is subjected to microbiological analysis. A high total number of heterotrophic bacteria is revealed in the upper (0–15 cm) and deeper (110–150 cm) sapropel intervals. Sulfate-reducing bacteria are identified only in Chrysophyceae cysts. The CaO/Fe2O3 ratio shows the degree of “carbonate content” of bottom sediments. It is low in the lake sapropel (0.2), which indicates the geochemical specificity (carbonate-free sapropel). Na, Mg, Al, Si, Al, Ca, Fe, Mn, Zr, and Cr concentrations in sapropel are within the average concentrations for the Earth’s crust, shale, and oceanic pelagic clays, while U and Mo concentrations exceed them. Phytoplankton is enriched in phosphorus (biogenic element) and chalcophile elements (Zn, Cd, Sn, Sb, Hg, Pb, and Cu), which characterize the pollution of the modern atmosphere of the Baikal region. Diagenetic processes result in the transformation of the pore waters, namely an increase in mineralization as compared to lake water, an increase in the concentrations of biogenic components (HCO3-, NH4+, NO3-, and PO43-) and a decrease in SO42-. Pyrite framboid accumulations are revealed in organomineral sediments below the horizon of 200 cm, and iron phosphates represented by vivianite are identified in sapropel.
Estimating Coal Mine Dump Stability from Its Natural Oscillations (Based on Seismic Monitoring at the Kolyvan Anthracite Deposit, Novosibirsk Region)
Authors: Liseikin A.V. , Seleznev V.S. , Emanov A.F. , Solov’ev B.M.
Published: February 2023

—Based on the analysis of the 2017–2021 recordings from the Kharino seismic station (the Altai-Sayan seismic stations network) and the 2002–2019 satellite imagery, the trigger of the July 18, 2020 earth-slide at Elbashinsky waste rock dump of the Kolyvan Anthracite Deposit (Novosibirsk region) has been established. The study of natural oscillations of the mine waste dump allowed estimating its stability and thus contributing to environmental and industrial safety in surface mining of solid minerals.
A Data Science Approach to Uncertainty Evaluation in Fault-Seal Analysis for Exploration Applications in Siliciclastic Reservoirs
Authors: Wilson Paul
Published: February 2023

Fault-seal analysis is used to understand the risk of hydrocarbons leaking out of a trap across bounding faults. There is a broad standard industry workflow for this analysis in clastic rocks, involving building a structural framework of the key seismic horizons and faults, estimating the clay content of the stratigraphy, predicting fault clay content using an algorithm such as shale gouge ratio (SGR), converting the predicted clay content to capillary threshold pressure, and calculating sealing capacity using the reservoir fluid properties. The inputs to the analysis are typically subject to considerable uncertainty that is difficult to understand and evaluate. One approach is to create “end member” scenarios to evaluate the impact of the key uncertainties, but this gives an incomplete picture and only a limited number of scenarios can be run and analyzed in the time typically available. The approach outlined here instead uses an automated workflow that runs hundreds of scenarios with stochastically varying input parameters. Data-science techniques combining domain expertise, mathematics and statistics, and computer coding are used to analyze and build models of the results. The advantages of the approach over a traditional fault-seal analysis workflow are that a wider range of input uncertainties can be considered, and that the results of a large number of realizations can be consolidated and visualized in ways that are specific to the problem being addressed and useful to the geologist undertaking the analysis. A key advantage is that the uncertainty inherent in this type of analysis can be explicitly incorporated, and the impact of the uncertainty clearly understood and communicated to decision-makers. Similar techniques could be applied to other geological analyses where uncertainty is an issue.
Ground subsidence response conditional on large-scale geothermal exploitation in a karst reservoir area of North China
Authors: Yao Yahui , Jia Xiaofeng , Li Shengtao , Zhang Qiuxia , Song Jian , Xiang Hong , Wang Junzhao
Published: February 2023

Carbonate karst geothermal resources are widely distributed and have large reserves in North China. Nowadays, the scale of exploitation and utilization of the carbonate karst geothermal resources is gradually increasing. In this work, a geothermal exploitation area where the karst geothermal reservoirs are exploited on a large scale, is selected as the study area, and methods including experiment and numerical simulation are used to study the exploitation-induced ground subsidence problems based on the long-term water level monitoring data of the geothermal reservoir. Through analyses of ground subsidence caused by water level change of the geothermal reservoir, the following conclusions were obtained. The water level drawdown of different types of geothermal reservoirs had different effects on ground subsidence. The maximum ground subsidence of the study area caused by the water level decline of the Jx w carbonate geothermal reservoir was only 0.29 mm/a from 1983 to 2019, which is generally insignificant. In contrast, the same water level change of the N m sandstone geothermal reservoir was predicted to cause 8.9 mm/a ground subsidence. To slow down or even prevent the ground subsidence, balanced production and reinjection are required. From the result of this work, the decline of the water level of the Jx w carbonate geothermal reservoir caused by current large-scale geothermal exploitation will not cause serious ground subsidence. However, attention should be paid to the N m sandstone type geothermal reservoirs as their structures are much more sensitive to the water pressure change.
Gene Teams are on the Field: Evaluation of Variants in Gene-Networks Using High Dimensional Modelling
Authors: Tuna Suha , Gulec Cagri , Yucesan Emrah , Cirakoglu Ayse , Arguden Yelda Tarkan
Published: February 2023

Variation is a key concept in every biological aspect, particularly in medical genetics. In this field, each genetic variant is evaluated mostly as an independent entity in respect of its clinical importance. This approach may be sufficient to detect the pathogenic variants in single-gene disorders. However, in most of the complex diseases, the combination of the variants in specific gene networks, rather than the presence of a certain single variant, predominates. Therefore, in case of a complex disease, the disease status can be evaluated by considering it as the success level of a team composed of certain variants. To assess the feasibility of this approach, we tested the effectiveness of high-dimensional modelling of gene network-restricted variants in distinguishing a disease status. To evaluate the proposed method, we selected two gene networks, mTOR and TGF-β. For each pathway, we generated 400 control and 400 patient group samples. The considered mTOR and TGF-β pathways contain 31 and 93 genes of varying sizes, respectively. We generated Chaos Game Representation images for each gene sequence to obtain 2-D binary patterns. Produced patterns were arranged in succession, and a 3-D tensor structure was achieved for each gene network. Features for each data sample were acquired by exploiting Enhanced Multivariance Products Representation to 3-D data. The features were split as training and testing vectors. The training vectors were employed to train a Support Vector Machines classification model. We managed to achieve more than 96% and 99% classification accuracies for mTOR and TGF-β networks, respectively, using a limited amount of training samples.
Furin-cleavage site is present in a short loop between an antiparallel β-strand in SARS-CoV2 Spike protein at S1/S2 junction
Authors: Bashir Arif , K Rajani , Bashir Fahim , Senapati Sanjib , Fazili Khalid , Shah Naveed
Published: February 2023

Furin cleavage-site (CS) present between the S1/S2 junction in SARS-CoV2 spike (S) protein is critical to drive the fusion of SARS-CoV2 with the host cell. SARS-CoV2 falls in the sarbecovirus lineage that doesn’t comprise of furin CS and therefore makes its origin enigmatic. The available wild-type (Wt) SARS-CoV2 S protein with PDB ID: 6yvb lacks a stretch of amino acid including furin CS as well. All investigators till date have shown this stretch existing in the form of a loop. We are for the first time reporting that this stretch comprises of 14 amino acid residues (677QTNSPRRARSVASQ689), forming an antiparallel β-sheet comprising of PRRAR furin CS. We observed the presence of this antiparallel β-sheet in MERS spike protein as well. While switching over from Wt. SARS-CoV2 with PRRAR furin CS to B.1.1.7 variant with HRRAR furin CS, we found 3% increase in the percentage content of β stands. Interestingly, we found that the change of B.1.1.7 to B.1.617 variant comprising of RRRAR furin CS shifted the percentage secondary structure back to that found in Wt. SARS-CoV2. We anticipate that this β-sheet is used as a docking site by host cell proteases to act on furin-CS. Additionally, we studied the interaction of modeled SARS-CoV2 S protein with transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2), and furin proteases, which clearly highlighted that these proteases exclusively uses furin CS located in β-sheet to cleave the SARS-CoV2 S protein at its S1/S2 junction.
Genomic Profiling of lower-grade gliomas subtype with distinct molecular and clinicopathologic characteristics via altered DNA-damage repair features
Authors: Maimaiti Aierpati , Liu Yanwen , Abulaiti Aimitaji , Wang Xixian , Feng Zhaohai , Wang Jiaming , Mijiti Maimaitili , Turhon Mirzat , Alimu Nilipaer , Wang Yongxin , Liang Wenbao , Jiang Lei , Pei Yinan
Published: February 2023

Lower WHO grade II and III gliomas (LGGs) are characterized by widespread genetic and transcriptional heterogeneity, yet little is known about the heterogeneity of the DNA Damage Repair (DDR), its function in tumor biology, coupling with the transcriptome and tumor microenvironment (TM) and its possible impact for tumor development. In this study, the DNA damage repair (DDR) alterations among LGG have been studied via multi-omics data integration. For this, LGG patients have been grouped into distinct subtypes (DDR-activated and the DDR-suppressed subtype) based on different clinicalparameters and molecular characteristics. The differences in gene mutation, immune spectrum, and immune cell infiltration between the two DDR subtypes were compared. We generated DDR subtype features (DDR scores) to implement DDR classification in LGG and confirmed the results using a multi-layer data cohort.The DDR activation subgroup was found to be associated with poorer overall survival based on molecular subtypes, and clinicopathological features of advanced-age and higher-grade were more common in the DDR-activated subgroup. DDR-suppressed subtypes also exhibited more frequent mutations in IDH1. We also found significant upregulation of activated immune cells in the DDR-activated subgroup, which indicates significant influence posed by infiltration of immune cells on tumor progression as well as immunotherapeutic responses. In addition, six DDR genes were selected to construct a DDR signature of LGG, dividing patients into low- and high-risk groups. The QRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of CDK1, CDK2, TYMS, SMC4, and WEE1 were found to be considerably higher for LGG samples compared to normal brain tissue samples (p < 0.05).In conclusion, our work sheds light on the DDR heterogeneity of LGG and advances our knowledge of the molecular pathways in DDR that lead to LGG.
Aerial Image Dehazing Based on Boundary Constraint and Color Correction for Target Detection
Authors: Tang Chaoying , Ren Xue , Wang Biao
Published: February 2023

Detecting objects in aerial images is very important for surveillance, security and military applications. The quality of hazy aerial images is severely degraded because the image acquisition device is far away from the ground target. Due to the small change in scene depth, the atmospheric light estimation is prone to deviation. Therefore, traditional image dehazing methods cannot achieve satisfactory results. In this paper, we design a dehazing algorithm based on boundary constraint and color correction to enhance image details and improve accuracy of target detection. The boundary constraint is used to obtain the medium transmission of the structure layer after image decomposition. The transmission is optimized by the context regularization based on the weighted L1 norm to obtain a dehazed structure layer with clear edges. Then the dehazed structure layer and the enhanced texture layer are combined, and the image brightness is adjusted through blind inverse gamma correction to improve the visual effect. Experiments show that our algorithm can enhance the contrast of aerial images and is better than other methods in improving the accuracy of target detection in hazy aerial images.
Unexpected worker mating and colony-founding in a superorganism
Authors: Li Jilian , Zhuang Mingsheng , Colgan Thomas , Guo Yulong , Zhang Zhengyi , Liu Fugang , Xia Zhongyan , Dai Xueyan , Zhang Zhihao , Li Yuanjian , Wang Liuhao , Xu Jin , Guo Yueqing , Qu Yingping , Yao Jun , Yang Huipeng , Yang Fan , Guo Jun , Brown Mark
Published: February 2023

The emergence of superorganisms in ants, termites, bees, and wasps1 represents a major transition in evolution2. Pre-imaginal caste determination, leading to reproductively dominant queens, which mate, store sperm, and lay fertilized eggs, and lifetime unmatedness of worker castes are key features of these animal societies1. While workers in superorganismal species like honey bees and many ant species have consequently either lost, or retain only vestigial spermathecal structures, workers in the bumble bees, wasps and certain ant subfamilies retain complete spermathecae3,4,5. In the case of bumble bees, the retention of these structures in workers and whether they remain reproductively functional despite 25-40 million years of evolution6, is an evolutionary mystery. Here we show that bumble bee workers have retained queen-like reproductive traits. We demonstrate through artificial insemination experiments that worker spermathecae are functional, and that their gene expression post-insemination mirrors that of queens. Further, we show that inseminated workers can rear colonies and produce female offspring throughout the colony life-cycle, an act previously believed to be the sole domain of queens. Mating experiments identified that social isolation is a trigger for successful mating, with social interactions with brood, workers, or queens inhibiting mating. Subsequent semi-field experiments showed that workers can naturally mate in de-queened colonies and go on to produce queen offspring. In the wild, this may act as a back-up strategy to maintain colonies in response to the early loss of the queen. Our results demonstrate that bumble bee workers retain the ability to function as queens, resolving the paradox of why workers in certain taxa maintain intact spermatheca which never mate, and suggesting that worker lifetime unmatedness is not a pre-requisite for the evolutionary transition to superorganisms. Our finding also provides an exciting new tool to combat global declines in bumble bees through artificial insemination of workers from rare and declining species and could therefore have applications in protecting bumble bee biodiversity.
WITHDRAWN: Creating Value Differently in the Third Sector in Morocco: Analytical Study in the Light of a Non-profit Women's Association for Independent Advocacy
Authors: TAGHZOUTI Abdellatif , ELQOURI Abdelouahed , ASSAIDI Abdelouahid , LAADEM Meryem , KABAK Saad
Published: February 2023

This article aims to highlight an atypical form of entrepreneurship in a solidarity environment, which is related to the creation of income generating activities (IGA) in a non-profit organization context. Therefore, we will try to show that the women’s associative entrepreneurship could be a significant lever of action not only to create income-generating activities, but also as a fertile field to put female entrepreneurs, "co-opted" within a non-profit organization, on a multi-purpose value creation path. Our concern, in this article, is to rethink the traditional model of value management created by IGAs by expanding it through a multidimensional vision, with the example of a specific non-profit organization: the Initiative for the Protection of Women's Rights (IPWR). We seek to identify the value-creating activities of this non-profit organization in an entrepreneurial process, through solidarity projects led by women exposed to violence. This study makes it possible to evolve efficiently and effectively the current and future value creation of non-profit organizations promoting IGAs carried out by abused women. One of the key findings of our study is that through these entrepreneurship initiatives within non-profit organizations, these abused women recovered or gained self-confidence, accepted the idea that their life have a meaning, and felt valued by becoming autonomous both on material and immaterial dimensions. Our research approach is part of an hybrid exploration. Data collection was conducted through field observations, open interviews and documentation.
The SGLT2i-mediated regulation of cardiovascular and safety outcomes among patients with chronic kidney disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Zhou Yi , Wang Fengrong , Wen Feifei , Li Chao , Ye Tingting
Published: February 2023

Backgrounds: To assess the impact of SGLT2i on the cardiovascular and safety outcomes of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Methods: Eligible articles were chosen via a systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane electronic databases. We screened for randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials (RCTs) investigating the outcome of SGLT2i on patients with CKD. The main cardiovascular outcomes were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), which involved non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke and cardiovascular death, cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure. On the other hand, acute renal injury, hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and amputation were considered as safety indicators for this trial. Renal insufficiency was defined as eGFR<90 mL per minute per 1.73m2. In case the heterogeneity outcome index was ≥50%, we conducted sensitivity analysis on relevant data to ensure the reliability of our conclusions.
Results: Overall, 7 articles, involving 26739 total participants, conformed to our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Compared to placebo, SGLT2i significantly modulated cardiovascular outcomes MACE (OR: 0.76 95% CI: 0.68 to 0.86 I2:40.7% P: 0.168), cardiovascular death (OR: 0.83 95% CI: 0.72 to 0.95 I226.4% P: 0.236), and hospitalization for heart failure (OR: 0.67 95% CI: 0.60 to 0.76 I2:0.0% P: 0.538), as well as safety outcomes, such as, acute renal injury (OR: 0.83 95% CI: 0.68 to 1.00 I2:0.0% P: 0.576), hypoglycemia (OR: 0.88 95% CI: 0.73 to 1.07 I2:18.4% P: 0.297), diabetes ketoacidosis (OR: 2.57 95% CI: 1.50 to 4.41 I2:46.3% P: 0.133), and amputation (OR: 1.09 95% CI: 0.87 to 1.36 I2; 0.0% P: 0.703).
Conclusion: In patients with CKD, SGLT2i usage markedly diminished incidences of cardiovascular outcomes MACE, cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure. In addition, it also reduced the related risks of safety outcomes, such as, acute renal injury, hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and amputation. However, since the safety outcome selection was not complete in this trial, further investigations are necessary to assess all safety outcomes among a larger patient population.
DF-Phos: Prediction of Protein phosphorylation Sites by Deep Forest
Authors: Zahiri Zeynab , Mehrshad Nasser , Mehrshad Maliheh
Published: February 2023

Background
Phosphorylation is the most important and studied post-translational modification (PTM), which plays a crucial role in protein function studies and experimental design. Many significant studies have been performed to predict phosphorylation sites using various machine-learning methods. Recently, several studies have claimed that deep learning-based methods are the best way to predict the phosphorylation sites because deep learning as an advanced machine learning method can automatically detect complex representations of phosphorylation patterns from raw sequences and thus offers a powerful tool to improve phosphorylation site prediction.
Results
In this study, we report DF-Phos, a new phosphosite predictor based on the deep forest to predict phosphorylation sites. In DF-Phos, the feature vector taken from the CkSAApair method is as input for a deep forest framework for predicting phosphorylation sites. The results of 10-fold cross-validation show that the deep forest method has the highest performance among other available methods.
Conclusions
We implemented a python program of DF-Phos, which is freely available for non-commercial use at https://github.com/zahiriz/DF-Phos Moreover, users can use it for various PTM predictions.
People, Culture, and Environment of a Middle Holocene in Maros Regency, Indonesia
Authors: Hasanuddin Hasanuddin , Bernadeta Apriastuti K.W. , Supriadi Supriadi , Saiful A. M. , Suryatman Suryatman , Rustan Rustan
Published: February 2023

This research aimed to find the human life and the relationship between culture and environment in Mallawa, Maros Regency (South Sulawesi), Indonesia, in the past. The methods used were survey, excavation, and some analyses, namely radiocarbon dating, residue analysis, technical analysis of artifacts (stones and bones), analysis of the Number of Identified Specimens (NISP), and analysis of Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI). The survey found a cave (“Liang” in the local language) that has two pieces of rock art in the form of hand stencils on its walls. In 2021 an excavation was carried out in Liang (cave) Sumpang Karoro 1. Human skeletons were found at a depth of 85 cm. They were in association with Maros Point artifacts flakes, animal bones, and ochre. The radiocarbon analysis shows that the humans with whom the remains were in association lived in the area around 7424-7260 cal BP. The finds of human skeletons are very important because they represent the few finds of human skeletons from the Holocene period and because the humans from whom the skeletal remains are from may have had the same ancestors as contemporary Australasian peoples. The pollen analysis shows that the site’s environment consisted of open lowland rainforests with bushes far from a coastal watershed.
Linking Entrepreneurial Orientation, Learning Orientation, Organization Structure and the Growth of Government
Authors: Alyammahi Alyaa Hamed , Sarker Abu Elias , Zervopoulos Panagiotis
Published: February 2023

The purpose of this article is to develop a research framework for clearly understanding the factors that propel the growth of government. Based on an extensive review of literature, it is found that despite the call for small governments by the proponents of neo-liberal market ideology, the growth of government remains unabated. Extant literature in business management and public sector entrepreneurship stipulates that entrepreneurial orientation in tandem with learning orientation and organizational structure plays critical roles in augmenting the growth of government. The new research framework will serve as a springboard for vigorous empirical research in any context.
Barriers to Diagnosis of Postpartum Depression among Younger Black Mothers
Authors: Dwarakanath Megana , Hossain Fahmida , Balascio Phoebe , Moore Mikaela C. , Hill Ashley V. , De Genna Natacha M.
Published: February 2023

Objective: The objective of this study was to qualitatively examine coping mechanisms and desired supports in pregnant and birthing Black and biracial adolescent and young adult women during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method: Black and biracial participants ages 16-23 were recruited for virtual individual semi-structured interviews. Participants (n=25) were asked about pre- and post-natal experiences with the healthcare system, effects of the pandemic, and participants’ experiences of or desires for ideal care within the healthcare system. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded for qualitative analysis using nVivo. Discussions around postpartum mental health evolved organically when asked about how participants were coping postpartum.
Results: Nearly half the interviewees reported mental health symptoms consistent with postpartum depression (PPD). Of the 11 interviewees who reported mental health symptoms consistent with PPD, 2 were afraid to disclose their symptoms to a healthcare provider due to fear of child protective services involvement and their belief they would be treated unfairly because of their race.
Conclusion: Clinicians who care for Black and biracial adolescent and young adult mothers must be particularly attuned to structural barriers for appropriate screening and treatment of postpartum depression. Expanding investigations of intersectional influences on young mothers’ perinatal health and PPD are needed.
Comparison of end-of-survival below-knee and above-knee amputations with demographic, comorbidity and hematological parameters
Authors: Hançerli Cafer Özgür , DOĞAN NECATİ
Published: February 2023

Introduction: In this study, it was aimed to establish mortality predictive parameters with a higher contribution to mortality by comparing the demographic data, comorbid factors and hematological values of patients who underwent below-knee and above-knee amputation at the end of survival.
Materials and Methods: Eighty-seven patients who were amputated with the diagnosis of diabetic foot between March 2014 and January 2022 and resulted in mortality due to natural causes during follow-up were included in the study. Those who were amputated below the knee were named Group 1 (50 patients), and those who were amputated above the knee were named Group 2 (37 patients). The patients' age, gender, side, comorbid diseases, ASA score, anesthesia type, time to surgery, total hospital stay, CCI (Charlson comorbidity index), ex time and hematological values at the time of first admission were compared in both groups and statistical analysis was performed.
Results: Group 1 and Group 2 had similar distribution in terms of age, gender, side of operation, number of comorbid diseases, time to surgery and CCI (p>0.05). Group 2's mean ASA score, rate of admission to general anesthesia, total hospital stay and crp level were statistically higher than Group 1 (p<0.05). Ex time, albumin value and HgA1c level were statistically lower in Group 2 compared to Group 1 (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in hemogram, wbc, % lymphocyte, % neutrophil, creatinine and Na values of both groups at the time of first application (p>0.05).
Conclusions: It was seen that high ASA score, low albumin value and high crp value were significant predictors of high mortality. Creatinine level and HgA1c value were quite unsuccessful in predicting mortality.
Levels of evidence: Level 3, Retrospective comparative study
A multibody kinematic system approach for the design of shape-morphing mechanism-based metamaterials
Authors: de Jong Pier , Schwab A. , Mirzaali Mohammad J. , Zadpoor Amir A.
Published: February 2023

A shape-morphing structure can deform in many different ways and match different target shapes. This versatility is of great advantage for many applications but can also introduce challenges in terms of predicting the envelope of possible matching behaviors. Here, we present a method to assess the shape-matching behavior of shape-morphing structures. The developed technique utilizes a multibody systems approach wherein the structure is represented using a collection of nodes and their associated constraints. Such a representation preserves the kinematic properties of the original structure while allowing for a rigorous treatment of the shape-morphing behavior of the underlying metamaterial. This approach enables us to perform 3D simulations for a multitude of structures and target shapes. We assessed the utility of the proposed method by applying it to a wide range of sample shape-morphing structures. A modular system of joints and links was also 3D printed for the experimental realization of the systems under study. Both our simulations and the experiments performed using the modular system confirmed the ability of the presented technique to capture the true shape-morphing behavior of complex shape-morphing metamaterials.
Financial anxiety, financial self-efficacy, and general social supports: Reliability of assessments
Authors: Dickson Tara , Mulligan Edward P.
Published: February 2023

Background: Educational debt continues to increase across the health professions. Financial self-efficacy and generalized social supports are suggested as possible ways to mitigate the financial anxiety that results from high levels of debt. Assessment tools have not been evaluated for reliability among any group of health professions students. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of tools measuring financial anxiety, financial self-efficacy, and general social support in a graduate health profession student population.
Methods: The Financial Anxiety Scale, Financial Self-Efficacy Scale, and General Social Support Scale was completed by 510 physical therapist students. Item response theory was used to assess reliability and item fit for each assessment.
Results: The Financial Anxiety Scale, Financial Self-Efficacy Scale, and General Social Support Scale are reliable measures and demonstrate good item fit among the population of physical therapist students in the United States.
Conclusions: Because the results of an item response theory analysis are not dependent on the population studied, the assessments may be reliable among other health professions students. The Financial Anxiety Scale and Financial Self-Efficacy Scale provide a large amount of test information for physical therapist students. The General Social Support Scale, by contrast, may be best utilized as a screening tool for those who have very low levels of general social supports.
Changing Arctic landscapes in a changing climate: thermokarst evolution in polygonal tundra
Authors: Khattak Ahmad Jan , Hamm Alexandra
Published: February 2023

Ice wedges are ubiquitous features in high-latitude permafrost regions and are vulnerable to warming. Rapid changes in Arctic polygonal tundra landscapes due to melting of ice wedges, a process known as thermokarst, have significant impacts on infrastructure as well as hydrology. Despite the increased attention in recent field and modeling studies, models generally used for global climate predictions often lack the representation of thermokarst processes, leading to unreliable projections about the impact of warming on Arctic ecosystems. Here we use an integrated permafrost thermal hydrology model to simulate thermokarst evolution in six Arctic locations across a range of climates and landscapes using projected RCP8.5 climate scenario. Our model shows that widespread landscape changes will continue in the Arctic during the 21st century. These changes are likely to be more rapid (2–3 times) in warm and/or ice-rich permafrost than in cold and/or ice-poor permafrost regions. This suggests that local permafrost temperatures and ground ice will play a determining role in the future tundra landscape evolution. There is therefore a need to represent thermokarst processes in large-scale models to better understand how rising temperatures may alter Arctic tundra landscapes, which will have severe implications for its ecosystem.
Early Fever in Patients with Primary Intracerebral Hemorrhage is Associated with Worse Long-Term Functional Outcomes: A Prospective Study
Authors: Tseng Wen-Che , Chiu Yi-Hsiang , Chen Yun-Chang , Chen Hsin-Shui , Hsiao Ming-Yen
Published: February 2023

Background
Primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) accounts for 85% of ICH cases and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Fever can cause secondary injury after ICH; however, relevant studies have reported inconsistent results regarding the effects of fever on functional outcomes after ICH. This study examined the effects of early fever on the prognosis of ICH, particularly on long-term functional outcomes.
Methods
This prospective study recruited patients with primary ICH at a tertiary medical center between 2019 and 2021. Early fever was defined as a tympanic body temperature of ≥ 38°C upon admission. Barthel Index (BI) and modified Rankin scale (mRS) were examined at 1 year after ICH. A BI of ≤ 60 or mRS of ≥ 4 was considered as indicating severe disability.
Results
We included 100 patients, and early fever was significantly associated with less functional independence at 1 year post-ICH, as determined using the mRS (p = 0.048; odds ratio [OR] = 0.23), and with severe functional dependency at 1 year post-ICH, as determined using the BI (p = 0.043; OR = 3) and mRS (p = 0.045; OR = 3). In addition, patients with early fever had a longer length of hospital stay (p = 0.002; 95% confidence interval = 21.80–95.91).
Conclusions
Fever is common among patients with primary ICH. Our data indicate a significant association between early fever and worse functional outcomes in ICH survivors at 1 year after ICH. Additionally, patients with early fever had a significantly longer length of hospital stay after ICH.
Temporal Modeling and Analysis to the Variations and Trending of Haze in China
Authors: Wang Yi , Pu Liming , Yang Miao , Liu Mingxing , Peng Hao , Liang Jian
Published: February 2023

The country's rapid industrialization and urbanization have aggravated air pollution. Especially in recent years, the haze problem in China has attracted increasing attention from government officials, industry leaders, academic researchers and the public. To this end, five typical Chinese cities were picked to analyze and reveal the haze evolution so that providing prior knowledge for multiple regions of China. Time series data of Particulate Matter 2.5, i.e., PM2.5, which is deemed as the major contributor to haze formation, are investigated for haze trending and variation analyses. Additionally, the main variables which are closely related to the concentration of PM2.5, including both meteorological and chemical factors, are identified. The daily and monthly averages of PM2.5 concentrations are evaluated and analyzed in terms of time series analysis methods, including the seasonal decomposition and Auto-regression Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) methods. More importantly, qualitative analysis about the influence of Chinese policies on atmospheric environment and air pollution control are discussed.
Relapse of Acute Severe Malnutrition after Discharge from Outpatient Treatment Program in Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Erkiso Hinsarmu Amano , Amante Tariku Dingeta , Birhanu Abdi , Tukeni Kedir Negesso , Roba Kedir Teji
Published: February 2023

Background: Relapse is one of the difficulties in managing severe acute malnutrition in children under the age of five. The evidence on post-discharge outcomes following initial recovery from severe acute malnutrition is still limited. As a result, the purpose of this study was to determine the magnitude of relapse after cure for severe acute malnutrition from the Outpatient Treatment Program and associated factors in children aged 6-59 months in Eastern Ethiopia.
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 223 children aged 6 to 59 months after discharge from an outpatient treatment program and stabilization center for severe acute malnutrition in the past one year. Primary data collected from mothers/caregivers in the Kurfa Chelle district were identified through health management information system reports and outpatient or stabilization center registration. The children's anthropometric, socioeconomic, and feeding practices were collected and analyzed, the data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and exported to STATA version 14.2. The Adjusted Odds Ratio was calculated to identify associated factors, and a p-value of 0.05 at the 95% confidence interval was considered statistically significant.
Results: Out of 223 study participants according to this study, 11.36% of children recovered and relapsed in the previous year, 95% CI: (4.50%, 29.06%). Presences of Edema on admission (OR=10.02; 95% CI: 10.02 (1.6 - 15), drinking water from a spring source (OR=15.9; CI (2.2 - 18.3), and children living in food insecure households (OR=1.85; 95% CI (1.23, 2.80) were identified as risk factors for relapse after cure from severe acute malnutrition.
Conclusion: Within three months of discharge, the magnitude of relapse after cure for severe acute malnutrition is 11.36%. As a result, community-based screening and therapeutic interventions should be strengthened in order to closely monitor the household care for children discharged from the health facility after being cured of SAM, with special attention paid to children from food insecure households and using unprotected sources.
Co-infection of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and Clostridium perfringens type A enhances disease severity in weaned pigs
Authors: Lee Duri , Jang Guehwan , Min Kyeng-Cheol , Lee Inn Hong , Won Hokeun , Yoon In-Joong , Lee Changhee
Published: February 2023

Clostridium perfringens constitutes the normal gut microbiome in pigs; however, it can potentially cause pre- and post-weaning diarrhea. Nevertheless, the importance of this bacterium as a primary pathogen of diarrhea in piglets needs to be better understand, and the epidemiology of C. perfringens in Korean pig populations is unknown. To study the prevalence and typing of C. perfringens, 203 fecal samples were collected from diarrheal piglets in 61 swine farms during 2021–2022 and examined for the presence of C. perfringens and enteric viruses, including porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). We determined that the most frequently identified type of C. perfringens was C. perfringens type A (CPA; 31.5%). Among them, the single-infection of CPA (46.9%) and co-infection of CPA with PEDV (45.3%) were most common in diarrheal samples. Furthermore, we conducted animal experiments to investigate the clinical outcomes of single- and co-infections of highly pathogenic (HP)-PEDV and CPA in weaned piglets. Our results illustrated that the pigs infected with HP-PEDV or CPA showed no or mild diarrhea without mortality. However, the animals co-inoculated with HP-PEDV and CPA underwent more severe diarrheal symptoms when compared to those of the single-infection pigs. Additionally, CPA promoted PEDV replication in co-infected piglets with evidence of high viral titers in the feces. A histopathological examination revealed more severe villous atrophy in the small intestine of co-infected pigs than in single-infection pigs. There were obvious synergistic clinical implications between PEDV and CPA co-infection in weaned piglets.
Evaluating a Web-based Training Curriculum for Disseminating Best Practices for the Care of Newborns with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome in a Rural Hospital, the NOWS-NM Program
Authors: Pratt-Chavez Heather , Brakey Heidi Rishel , Sanders Sarah G. , Patel Juhee , Ozechowski Tim , Stoffel Chloe , Sussman Andrew L. , Marquez Jessie , Smith David R. , Kong Alberta S.
Published: February 2023

Background
The incidence of neonatal opiate withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) in the US has grown dramatically over the past two decades. Many rural hospitals not equipped to manage these patients transfer them to hospitals in bigger cities.
Methods
We created a curriculum, the NOWS-NM Program, a mobile/web-based curriculum training in best practices. To evaluate the curriculum, we conducted pre- and post-surveys of NOWS knowledge, attitudes, and care practices, plus post-curriculum interviews and focus groups.
Results
Fourteen participants completed both pre- and post-curriculum surveys. They indicated an increase in knowledge and care practices. A small number of respondents expressed negative attitudes about parents of infants with NOWS at pre-test, the training curriculum appeared to have no impact on such attitudes at post-test. Sixteen participants participated in focus groups or interviews. Qualitative data reinforced the positive quantitative results and contradicted the negative survey results, respondents reported that the program did reduce stigma and improve provider/staff interactions with patients.
Conclusions
This curriculum demonstrated positive impacts on NOWS knowledge and care practices. Incorporating focus on core concepts of trauma-informed care and self-regulation in future iterations of the curriculum may strengthen the opportunity to change attitudes and address the needs expressed by participants and improve care of families and babies with NOWS.
Dietary Preferences and quality of life among dialysis patients in Pune: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Kaskar Sehlaa , Bansal Ariti , Gokhale Devaki
Published: February 2023

Background: To assess the dietary preference and quality of life among dialysis patients in Pune.
Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 127 dialysis patients aged 18-70 through a one-on-one interview to record data on demographic, biochemical, diet preference, and quality of life. The anthropometric and biochemical parameters were recorded with the help of patient reports from the four dialysis centers. A kidney disease quality of life questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life.
Result: The mean age of the dialysis patients was 49.1 + 12.9, comprising of males (81.9%). 49.6% of the participants belonged to the normal weight category, followed by the underweight category. No association was noted between diet preference and quality of life, but a significant difference between BMI and personal appearance was observed. Serum calcium levels were highest (64.29 + 1.0) in individuals in the high category of the effect of kidney disease compared to low serum calcium levels (20.89 + 14.71) in the low category of the same.
Conclusion: The present study found an association between anthropometric data and the KDQOL symptom list and the KDQOL domain, such as the effect of kidney disease and calcium levels. The mean for the disease burden was the lowest, implying poor quality of life among dialysis patients. Therefore, providing nutrition education and counseling for dialysis patients is crucial. A detailed dialysis care plan must address all patient requirements, including medication, dietary changes and modifications, & malnutrition screenings.
Analysis of the Relationship between Short Tandem Repeats and Lactation Performance of Xinjiang Holstein Cows
Authors: LI Yongqing , LIU Li , ABULA Zunongjiang , CAO Lijun , FAN Yikai , HU Bo , ZHANG Shujun
Published: February 2023

Microsatellite markers, also known as short tandem repeats (STRs), are important for marker-assisted selection to detect genetic polymorphism, and they are uniformly distributed in eukaryotic genomes. To analyze the relationship between microsatellite loci and lactation traits of Holstein cows in Xinjiang, 175 lactating cows with similar birth dates, the same parity, and similar calving dates were selected, and 10 STR loci closely linked to quantitative trait loci were used to analyze the correlation between each STR locus and 4 lactation traits (daily milk yield, milk fat percentage, milk protein percentage, and lactose percentage). All loci showed different degrees of genetic polymorphism. The average values of observed alleles, effective alleles, expected heterozygosity, observed heterozygosity, and polymorphic information content of the 10 STR loci were 10, 3.11, 0.62, 0.64, and 0.58, respectively. Chi-square and G-square tests showed that all populations of loci were in accordance with the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Analysis of the correlation between STR locus genotype and lactation performance in the whole lactation period showed 3 loci (namely, BM143, BM415, and BP7) with no significant correlation with all lactation traits, 2 loci (BM302 and UWCA9) related to milk yield, 3 loci (BM103, BM302, and BM6425) related to milk fat percentage, 2 loci (BM302 and BM6425) related to milk protein percentage, and 3 loci (BM1443, BM302, and BMS1943) related to lactose percentage. The microsatellite loci selected in this study showed rich polymorphism in the experimental dairy cow population and were related to the lactation traits, which can be used for the evaluation of genetic resources and early breeding and improvement of Holstein dairy cows in Xinjiang.
An analysis of prenatal diagnosis of 1408 fetuses with Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy family history
Authors: Chunxiao Hua , Liu Lina , Xiangdong Kong
Published: February 2023

Objective: In order to support clinical genetic counseling, investigate the best diagnostic method, and effectively manage the birth of DMD/BMD children in the Chinese population, this study analyzes the prenatal genetic diagnosis results of 1408 fetuses with high risk of DMD/BMD.
Background: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) both are types of Pseudohypertrophic muscular dystrophy, a severe X-linked genetically inherited disease. Since currently there is no effective treatment for DMD/BMD, it is crucial to carry out an accurate prenatal diagnosis in order to prevent the birth of children who have the terrible condition.
Methods: Probands from the 1316 pedigrees were subjected to multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), next generation sequencing (NGS) and Sanger sequencing to attain the diagnosis, followed by carrier screening of their mothers. The1408 fetuses with high risk were subjected to prenatal diagnosis, and the results were verified with short tandem repeat (STR) linkage analysis.
Results: Among all 1408 fetuses, 282 fetuses were identified as male patients, 219 fetuses were female carrier, and the rest were normal. In addition, gonadal mosaicism was observed in11 mothers.
Conclusions: For pregnancies with a high risk of DMD/BMD, prenatal diagnosis can serve as a foundation for reproductive intervention, helping to prevent the birth of children who will probably develop DMD/BMD. A precise and rapid prenatal diagnosis can be obtained using STR linkage analysis, MLPA, NGS and Sanger sequencing.