bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Deaf and Hard-Hearing and their Perception of Music
Authors: Bahl Hanshul
Published: December 2020

The qualitative case study investigates how Deaf students participate in music in a number of ways and from a variety of backgrounds, including their own experience of education. The event involved a school that provided a music programme for Deaf children and a questionnaire, interviewings, reports and documents were used to examine them. The students have been particularly interested with music by participating in the fields of sign language, song, instrument playing and vocalisation as part of the school music programme. Perhaps because of shared encounters in their music classes students’ participation with music in the neighbourhood and in the community through spontaneous music events became able to criticise the stereopropes of their family members and the community. The musical interests of the students demonstrated a primarily visual and kinaesthetic awareness of music and an emphasis on repertoire learned through the curriculum of school music. The pleasure in music of the students was decided not always by their hearing ability, but more frequently by their hearing concept. The study’s findings show that music has a presence in the Deaf community.
Combined Use of Antibiotics as a Risk Factor for Health Care–Associated Infections: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Liang , Li Fang-bin
Published: December 2020

BackgroundAntibiotics are among the most frequently prescribed medications. Many studies suggest an increased risk of health care–associated infections (HAIs) among antibiotic users. However，most related studies have focused only on a single type of HAIs, but considering the complexity and extent of the subject, it is necessary to conduct extensive research. We conducted a case-control study to determine the association between antibiotic combination therapy and risk of HAIs. MethodsRetrospective case-control study in a teaching hospital in Northwest China. Cases of 216 patients were diagnosed as HAIs during hospitalization between January 2019 and December 2019. Use antibiotics on admission and before the occurrence of HAIs were compared with 428 patients without HAIs during the same period, and matched by department.ResultsNinety-one of 216 health care–associated infections, 157 of 428 Patients without health care–associated infections prescribed antibiotics on admission and before the occurrence of HAIs. After multi-variable analysis, Compared with patients without HAIs, the OR for antibiotics combination exposure in cases was 5.43 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.62-11.24], and the OR for antibiotics exposure in cases was 0.23 (95% CI 0.12-0.43).Conclusions﻿Combined use of antibiotics increases the risk of HAIs. In addition, Use of antibiotics before the diagnosis of HAIs is conducted associated with HAIs, and is the main protective factor.
Antimicrobial Resistance Properties of Staphylococcus Aureus Isolates From Powdered Packaged Medicinal Plants and Bottle Herbal Distillates
Authors: Mashak Zohreh , Tavakoli-Far Bahareh
Published: December 2020

BackgroundHuman involvement in the production and processing of medicinal plants and herbal distillates caused a potential risk of microbial contamination, particularly with Staphylococcus aureus. The present research was performed to assess the prevalence and phenotypic and genotypic properties of antibiotic resistance of S. aureus bacteria isolated from diverse kinds of powdered packaged medicinal plant and bottle herbal distillate samples. MethodsThree-hundred different powdered packaged medicinal plant and bottle herbal distillate samples produced in traditional conditions were collected and examined by the culture method. Phenotypic and genotypic patterns of antibiotic resistance of S. aureus isolates were examined using disk diffusion and PCR techniques. ResultsThirty out of three-hundred (10%) powdered packaged medicinal plant and bottle herbal distillate samples were contaminated with S. aureus. The prevalence of S. aureus amongst the powdered packaged medicinal plant and bottle herbal distillate samples were 8.33% and 11.11%, respectively. A. citrodora (10%) and R. damascene (10%) powdered packed medicinal plants and A. maurorum (16.66%) bottle herbal distillate had the highest contamination rate with S. aureus. S. aureus isolates harbored the highest prevalence of resistance toward penicillin (93.33%), tetracycline (90%), gentamicin (86.66%), erythromycin (70%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (63.33%) and ciprofloxacin (53.33%). Totally, 13.33% of the S. aureus isolates harbored resistance toward more than 7 antibiotic agents. blaZ (63.33%), tetK (60%), ermA (46.66%), msrA (43.33%), aacA-D (43.33%), and mecA (43.33%) were the most frequent antibiotic resistance genes. ConclusionsPowdered packaged medicinal plant and bottle herbal distillate samples may be sources of multidrug resistant-S. aureus, which poses a hygienic threat concerning the consumption of these therapeutic options in Iran. Nevertheless, further research is compulsory to understand other epidemiological features of S. aureus in powdered packaged medicinal plant and bottle herbal distillate samples.
The Impact of Non-compliance to Standardized Risk-adjusted Protocol in Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer on Recurrence, Progression and Mortality: Lessons to Learn in the Era of COVID-19
Authors: Abushamma Faris , Khayyat Zain , Soroghle Aya , Zyoud Sa’ed H. , Jaradat Ahmad , Akkawi Maha , Aburass Hanood , Qaddumi Iyad K. K. , Odeh Razan , Salameh Husam , Albuheissi Salah
Published: December 2020

BackgroundNon-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) is potentially curable or a controllable disease if strict adherence to surveillance protocol is followed. Management and surveillance of NMIBC begin at the time of diagnosis up to few years thereafter based on the risk group category. There is scanty data in the literature evaluating the impact of non-compliance to surveillance protocol on progression, recurrence, and mortality rate. We do believe that this data will add to the literature especially during the COVID-19 pandemic which affects and delays daily elective surgeries. MethodsA retrospective study of two hundred bladder biopsy and resection between 2012-2017. Eighty-eight patients with minimal 3 years follow up data were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on their compliance with the cystoscopy follow up as recommended by the European guidelines. We compared the cystoscopy compliant group to the non-compliant group in view of recurrence, progression, and mortality. In addition, missing variable items during surveillance are calculated in a new scoring model to predict the adverse outcome. ResultsRecurrence rate (RR), progression rate (PR), metastasis rate (MsR) and mortality rate (MR) are significantly higher in non-compliant group, RR: (92.6%) (P<0.001), PR: (54.1%) (P<0.001), MsR: (37.7%) (P<0.001), MR: (23.5%) (P= 0.002) respectively. In subgroup analysis, intermediate and high-risk groups have a PR rate of zero in the compliant group while it is 100% (P<0.001) and 56.4% (P=0.001) in the non-compliant group respectively. Kaplan Meier (KM) graph shows that compliant patients were more likely to be better than non-compliant. ConclusionsNoncompliance to a standardized surveillance protocol in NMIBC is associated statistically and clinically with adverse outcomes in comparison to a compliant group which mandates strict adherence to surveillance guidelines to improve outcomes in NMIBC.
An Effective Gene-Based Rare Variant Association Analysis Pipeline for Case-Control Studies of Disease
Authors: Wen Canhong , Li Ruijia , Cai Jiahui , Tan Haizhu
Published: December 2020

BackgroundIn complex disease studies, genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been successfully used for identifying associated genetic risk loci. In fact, only a small fraction of the apparent heritability can be explained by common variants. Because research efforts have largely focused on common genetic variants, the missing heritability could be mostly due to rare genetic variants. Substantial research efforts have been devoted to developing software for genotype imputation and designing variant binning strategies and statistical methods for rare variant association testing of datasets on GWAS chips. However, few systematic pipelines have been proposed to identify rare disease-related genes. ResultsWe present EGRVA, an Effective Gene-based Rare Variant Association analysis pipeline for genotype imputation, quality control, gene-based functional annotation, statistical analysis, and bioinformatics analysis of identified genes. As a complementary pipeline for rare variant analysis on GWAS chips, EGRVA is relatively straightforward and cost-efficient. Furthermore, we tested the EGRVA pipeline with the preterm birth (PTB) dataset from the GPN-PBR. We focused on the 6 genes identified by EGRVA: FLG, HRNR, PMS1, ATM, OR2AG1 and SLC22A25. We also explored the underlying biological interpretation of these potentially significant genes. ConclusionsAs a complementary pipeline for rare variant analysis on GWAS chips, EGRVA is relatively straightforward and costefficient. The application of the pipeline will contribute to the support of rare variants to explain the missing heritability by effectively discovering genes related to disease.
A Novel Nomogram Containing Acute Radiation Esophagitis Predicting Radiation Pneumonitis in Thoracic Cancer Receiving Radiotherapy
Authors: Tang Wenjie , Li Xiaolin , Yu Haining , Yin Xiaoyang , Zou Bing , Zhang Tingting , Chen Jinlong , Sun Xindong , Liu Naifu , Yu Jinming , Xie Peng
Published: December 2020

BackgroundRadiation-induced pneumonitis (RP) is a non-negligible and sometimes life-threatening complication in patients with thoracic radiation. We initially aimed to ascertain the predict value of acute radiation-induced esophagitis (SARE, grade≥2) to symptomatic RP (SRP, grade≥2) among thoracic cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. Based on that, we also established a novel nomogram model to provide individualized risk assessment for SRP.MethodsPatients with thoracic cancer who were treated with thoracic radiation from Jan 2018 to Jan 2019 in Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute were enrolled prospectively. All patients were followed up during and after radiotherapy (RT) to observe the appearance of esophagitis and pneumonitis. Variables were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis using the logistic regression model, and a nomogram model was established to predict SRP by "R" version 3.6.0.ResultsA total of 123 patients were enrolled (64 esophageal cancer, 57 lung cancer and 2 mediastinal cancer) in this study prospectively. RP grades of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 occurred in 29, 57, 31, 0, 3 and 3 patients, respectively. SRP appeared in 37 patients (30.1%). In univariate analysis, SARE was shown to be a significant predictive factor for SRP (P < 0.001), with the sensitivity 91.9% and the negative predictive value 93.5%. The incidence of SRP in different grades of ARE were as follows: Grade 0-1: 6.5%; Grade 2: 36.9%; Grade 3: 80.0%; Grade 4: 100%. Besides that, the dosimetric factors considering total lung mean dose, total lung V5, V20, ipsilateral lung mean dose, ipsilateral lung V5, and mean esophagus dose were correlated with SRP (all P < 0.005) by univariate analysis. The incidence of SRP was significantly higher in patients whose symptoms of RP appeared early. SARE (HR 34.408, P = 0.001), mean esophagus dose and ipsilateral mean lung dose were still significant in multivariate analysis, and they were included to build a predictive nomogram model for SRP.Conclusions﻿SARE was an easy index that can reflect patients’ radiosensitivity visually, which could be an applicable predictor for SRP in patients receiving thoracic radiation. And the nomogram could assist in accurate prediction to SRP in clinic.
Targeting ACLY Attenuates Tumor Growth and Acquired Cisplatin Resistance in Ovarian Cancer by Inhibiting PI3K/AKT Pathway and Activating AMPK/ROS Pathway
Authors: Wei Xuan , Shi Juanjuan , Lin Qianhan , Ma Xiaoxue , Pang Yingxin , Mao Hongluan , Li Rui , Lu Wei , Wang Yu , Liu Peishu
Published: December 2020

Background: Ovarian cancer is the most lethal female genital malignancy. Though cisplatin is still the first-line chemotherapy to treat ovarian cancer patients with debulking surgeries, its efficacy is limited due to the high-incidence of cisplatin resistance. ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) has been proved to be a key metabolic enzyme and was related to poor prognosis in various cancer, including ovarian cancer. Nevertheless, there has not been any research elucidating the relationship between ACLY and cisplatin resistance and the mechanism of how it works.Methods: Survival analysis was mainly carried out on the website. Bioinformatic analysis was performed in R/R studio. Proliferative activity was measured by MTT assay and colony formation assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis analysis were performed by flow cytometry. Acquired cisplatin resistant cell line A2780/CDDP was generated from A2780 by exposing to gradually elevated concentration of cisplatin. MTT assay was used to calculate IC50 of cisplatin. Xenograft tumor assay was used test cell proliferation in vivo.Results: Higher expression of ACLY was found in ovarian cancer tissue and related to poor prognosis. Knockdown of ACLY in A2780, SKOV3 and HEY cells inhibited cell proliferation, caused cell cycle arrest by modulating P16/CDK4/CCDN1 pathway and induced apoptosis probably by inhibiting p-AKT activity. Bioinformatic analysis of GSE15709 dataset revealed upregulation of ACLY and activation of PI3K/AKT pathway in acquired cisplatin resistant cells, in line with the results of A2780/CDDP cells generated by us. Knockdown of ACLY could alleviate cisplatin resistance and work synergistically with cisplatin treatment in inducing apoptosis in A2780/CDDP cells, by inhibiting PI3K/AKT pathway and activating AMPK/ROS pathway. ACLY specific inhibitor SB-204990 also showed the same effect. In A2780/CDDP cells, AKT overexpression could destroy cisplatin re-sensitization caused by ACLY knockdown. Conclusions: Knockdown of ACLY attenuated cisplatin resistance by inhibiting PI3K/AKT pathway and activating AMPK/ROS pathway. These findings suggested that combination of ACLY inhibition and cisplatin could be an effective strategy for overcoming cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer.
Orthotopic Liver Transplantation for Primary Intrahepatic Adenosquamous Carcinoma Using A Marginal Graft: the First Case rRport
Authors: Chen Peng , Ma Di , Li Ruokun , Yang Xiaoqun , Tong Hui , Qi Debin , Li Tao
Published: December 2020

Background.Primary intrahepatic adenosquamous carcinoma (iASC) is a very rare subtype of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), with a worse prognosis than adenocarcinoma. Hepatectomy is still the first choice for iASC, and liver transplantation (LT) for iASC has not been previously reported.Case presentationThe young male patient with an unresectable primary iASC underwent a LT using a marginal fatty liver graft. The overall survival of this patient was 16 months, with a recurrence-free survival of 8 months. The patient had a good quality of life with normal liver function until 3 months before death.Conclusions.This is the first case report of LT as treatment of unresectable iASC using a marginal graft. Although the recipient may benefit from LT, LT for iASC should proceed with caution owing to its more aggressive features.
A Qualitative Study to Explore Dietary Knowledge, Beliefs and Practices Among Pregnant Women in a Rural Health Zone in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Authors: Kazenza Benito Maykondo , Horwood Christiane , Haskins Lyn , Mapumulo Sphindile , Mapatano Mala Ali Mala , Mbunga Branly Kilola , Bosonkie Marc Mokanisa , Hatloy Anne , John Vaughn M. , Mutombo Paulin Beya Wa Bitadi
Published: December 2020

BACKGROUNDA nutritious and healthy diet during pregnancy is essential for the health of both mother and baby. Inadequate dietary intake during pregnancy contributes to maternal malnutrition and can have lifelong effects on the health of the child. Maternal malnutrition is common in many low-income countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Kwango province, DRC, has a high prevalence of malnutrition among all population groups, including macro and micronutrient deficiencies among pregnant women. The study aimed to explore the dietary knowledge and practices of pregnant woman in this areaMETHODSThis study adopted a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews (IDIs) with pregnant women and key informants, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with fathers and grandmothers in the community, to explore women’s knowledge and practice about diet during pregnancy. Data was collected between January and April 2018. IDIs were conducted with pregnant women who were recruited at antenatal clinics during their second and third trimester. IDIs were undertaken with selected key informants, who were health workers providing care to pregnant women, and included doctors, nurses, nutritionist and community health workers. All IDIs and FGDs were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and translated to English. Triangulation method and thematic analyses were used.RESULTSOverall, women showed good general knowledge about nutrition and the need for increased and varied foods during pregnancy, but little technical knowledge about nutrients and sources of nutrition. Healthcare facilities, media, NGOs and family members were the main sources of nutritional information. However, women were unable to put this knowledge into practice, primarily due to poverty and poor access to a variety of foods. The Popokabaka community accessed food from farming, fishing and from the market, although purchasing food was frequently unaffordable. Cassava flour was the most common daily food. Food taboos, traditional practices, and late ANC attendance were identified as factors that influenced dietary practices.CONCLUSIONSVarious social, economic and environmental factors within the local community influenced dietary practices among pregnant women in rural DRC. A comprehensive approach is required to improve nutrition, and address food insecurity, cultural practices and improve health outcomes of both mother and child.
Undernutrition and Associated Factors Among School Adolescents in Wonago District Gedeo Zone South Ethiopia
Authors: Shaka Mohammed Feyisso , Kabthymer Robel Hussen , Mohammed Abbas Ahmed
Published: December 2020

BackgroundAdolescence is a life spanning the age range of 10-19 years characterized by remarkable physical and psychological growth and development. One-third of adult weight and more than one-fifth of adult height is gained during this period of life. This make adolescents the key population group highly vulnerable to malnutrition. This study was aimed to assess the level of undernutrition among school adolescents in Wonago district, Gedeo Zone, South Ethiopia.MethodsA school based cross sectional study was conducted among 443 randomly selected school adolescents of Wonago district. Nutritional status of adolescents was assessed using body mass index for age z-score (BAZ) and height for age z-score. Descriptively, prevalence of thinness and other anthropometric measurements, socio-economic and socio-demographic variables were described. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to assess the factors associated with adolescents’ undernutrition (thinness).ResultsThe finding revealed that, 11.6% of the adolescents were undernourished (thin). The likelihood of being undernourished was decreased by 70% for female adolescents, and adolescents whom the source of drinking water was spring were four times at higher risk of malnutrition. The likelihood of being undernourished was decreased by about 85% for adolescents from households with medium wealth status. Adolescents from families achieving food needed for daily consumption through purchasing and adolescents whose the occupation of their father was merchant were also found to have a higher risk of being undernourished. For adolescents whose the occupation of their mother was farmer, the probability of being undernourished was decreased by about 85%.ConclusionsSignificant number of adolescents in this study were found to be malnourished. Sex of the adolescents, parent occupation, household wealth, source of drinking water and source of family food need were significantly associated with the adolescents’ nutritional status.
The Relationship Between Modified Nordic Diet and Resting Metabolic Rate Among Overweight and Obese Participants: A Cross Sectional Study
Authors: Khalili Ghazaleh , Mirzababaei Atieh , Shiraseb Farideh , Mirzaei Khadijeh
Published: December 2020

Objective: Obesity as a worldwide phenomenon is a multifactorial condition. Healthy diets have effect on obesity related factors like resting metabolic rate (RMR). In present study, we investigate association between adherence to modified Nordic diet and RMR among overweight and obese participants.Methods: We enrolled 404 overweight and obese (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) women aged 18-48 years in this cross-sectional study. For each participant anthropometrics measurements, biochemical tests and blood pressure were evaluated. RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry. RMR/kg was also measured. Modified Nordic diet score was measured using a validated 147-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).Results: Among all participants, the mean and standard deviation (SD) for age and body mass index (BMI) were 36.67 years (SD=9.10) and 31.26 kg/m2 (SD=4.29). There was a significant association between RMR/kg status and age, body mass index (BMI), RMR (P<0.001), respiratory quotient (RQ), fat percentage (P= 0.01), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (P= 0.03), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (P= 0.04), after adjustment for age, BMI, energy intake and physical activity. Participants with the highest adherence to modified Nordic diet had lower odds of hypometabolic status after adjusting for confounders and it was significant (odds ratio (OR) = 3.15, 95% CI= 0.97-10.15, P=0.05).Conclusions: The present results indicate that adherence to modified Nordic diet is associated with lower odds of hypometabolic status in overweight and obese women. However more studies are needed to confirm our findings.
Impact of Minimally Invasive Restorative Techniques on Pregnant Women Oral Health Related Quality of Life: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Adham May M. , Kashlan Mona K. El , Abdelaziz Wafaa E. , Rashad Ahmed S.
Published: December 2020

Background: Women tend to delay dental treatment due to the misconception about the safety of dental procedures during pregnancy which can negatively affect their quality of life. Minimally invasive restorative techniques offer alternatives for caries treatment and can help improve their oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) during this stage.Aim of the study was to compare the effect of chemo-mechanical caries removal method using Papacarie-Duo and Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) on the OHRQoL of pregnant women.Methods: A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in 2019 and included 162 pregnant women visiting public family health centers in Alexandria, Egypt, with mild to moderate dental pain due to caries. Participants were randomly assigned into Papacarie-Duo group(n=82) and ART group (n=80). The outcome variable was percent change in OHRQoL measured by oral health impact profile (OHIP-14). T test/ Mann Whitney U test were used to compare groups and a multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the factors affecting percent change in OHIP-14 scores after 6 months.Results: A significant reduction (P< 0.002) was noted in OHIP-14 between baseline and 6 months indicating improvement in OHRQoL of pregnant women in Papacarie-Duo and ART groups (16.26% and 18.91% respectively) with no significant difference between groups in bivariate analysis (P=0.120). The multiple linear regression model revealed significantly greater reduction in OHIP-14 scores in the Papacarie-Duo than the ART group (regression coefficient= 4.03, 95% confidence interval: 0.652,7.409, P= 0.020).Conclusion: Minimally invasive restorative techniques, such as ART and chemo-mechanical caries removal using Papacarie- Duo can improve the OHRQoL of pregnant women suffering from mild to moderate dental caries.Trial registration: ID NCT04619264 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/); November 6 2020, retrospective registration. (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04619264?term=NCT04619264&draw=2&rank=1)
Lactate dehydrogenase level as an early predictor of transient tachypnea of the newborn duration and complications
Authors: Osefori Mada , Doya Leen Jamel , Nezha Bana , Dayoub Adnan
Published: December 2020

Background: Transient tachypnea of the newborn(TTNB) is a common cause of respiratory distress in the postnatal period. It is rarely associated with serious complications that need intensive care. Prediction of the complications during the first hours of hospitalization is very difficult, so the purpose of the current study is to investigate the relationship between lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level in blood and the course of Transient tachypnea of the newborn (the duration of hospitalization, and the incidence of complications).Material and methods: In a cross-sectional study design included 120 neonates with Transient tachypnea of the newborn who had referred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Tishreen University Hospital over 1 year period from January 2018 to January 2019. The neonates were classified according to Lactate dehydrogenase measurement as normal or high lactate dehydrogenase level in blood.Results: The results showed that there was a significant relationship between the level of lactate dehydrogenase and the duration of hospitalization, the incidence of complications, and the frequency of complications.Conclusions: lactate dehydrogenase might be useful for clinicians to predict the duration of hospitalization and the incidence of complications in neonates with TTNB.
Classification of SSVEP-based BCIs using Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Soltani Hamideh , Einalou Zahra , Maghooli Keivan
Published: December 2020

In recent years, brain-computer communication systems have been regarded as a new way of communication for humans. One of the applications of brain-computer communication is the development of systems which facilitates communication. To this end, it is necessary to extract the visually evoked signals from the EEG signal and classify it. In this research, common methods such as wavelet transform are applied in order to extract features. However, genetic algorithm, as an evolutionary method, is used to select features. Finally, after selecting features, the classification was done using the two approaches support vector machine and Bayesian method. Five features were selected and the accuracy of Bayesian classification was measured to be 80% with dimension reduction, and 78% without dimension reduction. Ultimately, the classification accuracy reached 90.4% using SVM classifier. The results of the study indicate a better feature selection and the effective dimension reduction of these features, as well as a higher percentage of classification accuracy in comparison with other studies.
Single-Shot Lightweight Model For The Detection of Lesions And The Prediction of COVID-19 From Chest CT Scans 
Authors: Ter-Sarkisov Aram
Published: December 2020

We introduce a lightweight model based on Mask R-CNN with ResNet18 and ResNet34 backbone models that segments lesions and predicts COVID-19 from chest CT scans in a single shot. The model requires a small dataset to train: 650 images for the segmentation branch and 3000 for the classification branch, and it is evaluated on 21292 images to achieve a 42.45% average precision (main MS COCO criterion) on the segmentation test split (100 images), 93.00% COVID-19 sensitivity and F1-score of 96.76% on the classification test split (21192 images) across 3 classes: COVID-19, Common Pneumonia and Control/Negative. The full source code, models and pretrained weights are available on https://github.com/AlexTS1980/COVID-Single-Shot-Model.
Caveolin-1 Genetic Polymorphisms Interact with Fatty Acid Types to Modulate Metabolic Syndrome Risk
Authors: Abaj Faezeh , Mirzaei Khadijeh
Published: December 2020

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is related with all-cause mortality. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) has been widely studied in dyslipidemia, and several studies have indicated that Cav-1 genetic variations may correlate with dietary intake of fatty acids. The aim of the current study was therefore to evaluate the interaction of Cav-1 rs3807992 with types of dietary fatty acid in MetS risk factor status Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 404 overweight and obese females. Dietary intake was obtained from a 147-item FFQ. The CAV-1 genotype was measured using the PCR-RFLP method. Anthropometric values and serum levels (TC, LDL, HDL, TG, FBS) were measured by standard methods. Results: It was observed that the (AA+AG) group had significantly higher BMI, WC and DBP (P=0.02, P=0.02 and P=0.01, respectively) and lower serum LDL, HDL and TC (P < 0.05) than the GG group. It was found that A allele carriers were at higher odds of MetS (P= 0.01), abdominal obesity (P=0.06), increased TG concentration (P=0.01), elevated blood pressure (BP) (P=0.01), increased glucose concentration (P=0.45), and decreased HDL-cholesterol concentration (P=0.03). Moreover, the interaction of Cav-1 and SFA intake was significant in terms of MetS (P=0.01), LDL (P=0.03), DBP (P=0.01) and LDL/HDL (P=0.05). Additionally, the (AA+AG) group was significantly related to PUFA intake in terms of MetS (P=0.04), TG (P=0.02), glucose (P=0.02) and HOMA-IR (P= 0.01). Conclusions: Higher PUFA consumption might attenuate the Cav-1 rs3807992 associations with MetS, and individuals with greater genetic predisposition appeared to have a higher risk of MetS, associated with higher SFA consumption To date, studies on this polymorphism have been animal studies and have not been performed on healthy and obese human society For the first time , this study provides information on the interaction of different fatty acids with the Caveolin gene, which is functionally effective in lipid metabolism
The role of perforating artery pedicled neurotrophic flap in the treatment of compound tissue defect of tibia with Ilizarov technique
Authors: Zhang Yu-bo , Wu Yuan-jian , Zhang Wen-jun , Zhang Tao , Lou Tengfei , Han Pei
Published: December 2020

Background The aim of this research is to present our experience with the combined use of pedicled neurotrophic flap and distraction osteogenesis in management of complex lower extremity injuries with composite bone and soft tissue defects and assess the functional and cosmetic results of this method.Methods Between 2008 and 2016, soft tissue coverage with pedicled neurotrophic flap followed by distraction osteogenesis using Ilizarov external fixator was performed in 25 patients for reconstruction of segmental bone defects of lower extremity complicated by massive loss of soft tissue. There were 16 men and 9 women: their mean age was 39 years (23 to 57) at the time of surgery. The soft tissue defect after radical debridement ranged from 5 × 9 cm2 to 11 × 14 cm2, and the average size of segmental defect was 5.02 (2.5 to 7.5) cm.Results The distally based sural neurovascular flap was performed in 13 patients, and the greater saphenous neurocutaneous perforator flap in 12 patients. All flaps survived completely without complications. The bone defects were corrected by a mean lengthening of 6.74 (4.5 to 9.5) cm. The function was judged to be excellent in 12 patients and good in 13 patients. Bone results were graded as excellent in 18 patients and good in 7 patients. Complications observed in the process of the treatment included pain, pin tract infections (PTI), ankle midfoot joints stiffness, and nonunion of docking sites. All the cases achieved successful limb salvage and satisfactory function recovery without recurrence of infection.Conclusions The combined technique of a perforator artery pedicled neurotrophic flap and distraction osteogenesis should be considered to be an effective alternative approach in the salvage treatment of the massively traumatized and chronically infected lower extremity.
Dissolution-reprecipitation vs. solid-state diffusion in electrum: Examples from metamorphosed Au-bearing, volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits
Authors: Liu Haiming , Beaudoin Georges
Published: December 2020

Native Au-Ag alloys (electrum) are the predominant precious metal host in Au-bearing volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits. The chemical composition and distribution of electrum records crystal growth and post-crystallization processes. In this study, we present detailed textural and compositional data of electrum from the Ming (Canada) and Boliden (Sweden) Au-bearing VMS deposits.

Electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses of electrum enable characterization of chemical zoning in heterogeneous electrum grains. Electrum from Ming exhibits Ag-rich cores, in gradational contact with an outer Au-rich transition zone also enriched in S, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Pb, which is in sharp contact with Ag-rich rims. The textural observations, coupled with in situ LA-ICP-MS data, highlight that the electrum zoning arises from a complex interaction between fluid facilitated solid-state diffusion (SSD) within the grain and coupled dissolution and reprecipitation (CDR) reactions at the grain interface, in response to changing fluid composition and extrinsic parameters, such as temperature, pH, and redox state at Ming. Electrum from Boliden, in contrast, shows an Au-rich core in contact with a gradually increasing Ag-rich rim enriched in Se, Bi, Sb, Te, Sn, S, and Zn, which indicates the formation by fluid facilitated SSD reactions. The different local re-equilibrium caused by SSD from two deposits are attributed to different transport ligands and effects of physicochemical parameters of fluids (e.g., pH and fO2), resulting in different compositional zoning patterns within the electrum. The long-lived metamorphic events that affected the occurrence and compositions of electrum at both VMS deposits, probably provided the elevated temperature and deformation to allow pervasive fluids to remobilize trace metals in electrum, which resulted in the complex chemical zoning in electrum. This study provides insights from in situ, textural and chemical analyses to understand the formation of complex chemical zoning in electrum in metamorphosed VMS deposits.
Innovations in the insurance market of a developing country: Case of Ukraine
Authors: Yehorycheva Svitlana , Fysun Iryna , Hudz Tetiana , Palchuk Oksana , Boiko Natalia
Published: December 2020

Modern insurance business, including in developing countries, is associated with the introduction of innovations. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the features of the insurance market’s innovation in Ukraine by reviewing the literature and analytical data on the market as a whole and its individual participants. The results show that innovations implemented in the insurance market can be classified according to certain characteristics, which provides opportunities for its empirical study. The analysis reveals that the peculiarities of the innovative development of the Ukrainian insurance market are determined by many factors, among which digitalization and increased risks due to the COVID-19 pandemic are the main ones today. Based on the analysis of leading insurance companies’ practice, it is concluded that they implement only a limited amount of innovations, mainly of incremental and combinatorial types, and do not actively use modern communication channels with consumers. The results highlight the need for insurance and FinTech companies to cooperate in the innovation ecosystem, which is still being formed in the Ukrainian insurance market. The study also considers the possibility of using a system of indicators to assess the innovativeness of insurance companies.
DETERMINATION OF CHEMICAL PROFILE OF Eugenia dysenterica ICE CREAM USING PS-MS AND HS-SPME/ GC-MS
Authors: Silva Mauro , Freitas Lucas , Mendonça Henrique , Souza Amauri , Pereira Hebert , Augusti Rodinei , Lacerda Inayara , Melo Júlio , Araújo Raquel
Published: December 2020

The incorporation of Cerrado fruits in food products such as ice cream has many advantages because it represents a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds. Given the demand for less laborious methods to analyze food, the paper spray ionization mass spectrometry technique was applied for the first time for a rapid characterization of the chemical components found cagaita ice cream. PS-MS in positive and negative ionization modes were used. The profile of volatile compounds was determined by headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Fingerprints obtained through PS-MS identified various classes of compounds, such as flavones, anthocyanins, sugars, organic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids, fatty acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, lignin, and phenylpropanoid. The use of both fibers enabled the extraction and identification of 18 volatile compounds in cagaita, and 16 of them were also identified in cagaita ice cream. The most common volatile compound found in both cagaita and ice cream was 3-carene monoterpene. Considering the effect of processing on cagaita constituents, 89% of the volatile compounds remained in the ice cream. Also, 78% of the fruit chemical compounds analyzed by PS-MS were found in the product. Thus, the results indicate that most of the fruit compounds remained in the ice cream after processing.
SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, DFT MODELING AND IN VITRO ANTIMYCOBACTERIAL ACTIVITY ASSAYS OF A SILVER(I)-ISONIAZID COMPLEX
Authors: Paris Junior José , Cavicchioli Maurício , Machado Rachel , Pavan Fernando , Nakahata Douglas Hideki , Corbi Pedro , Costa Adão , Pereira Douglas , Massabni Antonio
Published: December 2020

In the present work, a silver(I) complex with the antimycobacterial drug isoniazid (inh) is described. Elemental and thermogravimetric analyses confirmed a 1:1 metal:ligand ratio for the silver-isoniazid (Ag-inh) complex with molecular composition AgC6H7N3O·NO3. Infrared (IR) analysis suggests a bidentate coordination of isoniazid to silver by the nitrogen of the NH2 group and by the oxygen of the C=O group, and also confirms the presence of free nitrate anion. Coordination by the NH2 group was reinforced by NMR measurements. Computational simulations using the density functional theory (DFT) reinforced that the ligand coordinates to the silver atom by the NH2 and C=O groups. The silver complex presented a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC90) of 0.78 μg/mL against the standard Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv. The data reported herein warrants further investigation on Ag-inh complex as a potential agent against tuberculosis.
BASIC CONCEPTS OF SELF-ORGANIZED PHENOMENA IN CHEMICAL SYSTEMS
Authors: Silva-Dias Leonardo
Published: December 2020

We present the main concepts of nonlinear dynamics and thermodynamics of irreversible processes to introduce chemistry students to the topic of self-organized phenomena. This task is performed by theoretically describing the emergence of self-sustained oscillations, waves, and stationary patterns/Turing patterns in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, through the Oregonator model. We carefully developed such a description, which resulted in long algebraic deductions and rich supplementary material. Considering that, we encourage the use of this material in undergraduate and graduate advanced physical chemistry classes.
Evaluation of Logistics 4.0 Potentials Based On Transportation Safety and Security for a Logistics Company
Authors: GÖÇMEN Elifcan
Published: December 2020

Transportation sector faces growing pressure to handle the global trends while meeting the customer demands. Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) is one of these challenges and gained attraction by the researchers and practitioners of all sectors in recent years and expected to continue its challenging effect in the next decades. This revolution is named as Logistics 4.0 in the context of Industry 4.0 implications in logistics. This era prompts the logistics companies to transit to smarter facilities. In this paper, the problem is denoted as selection of the optimum logistics service provider (LSP) for a logistics firm regarding transportation safety, security, quality and cost criteria based on fourth industrial revolution. The LSP selection problem is to choose the appropriate LSP to meet the increasing demands and provide the good or service in the logistics chain. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is one of the most widely used multi-criteria decision making methods (MCDM) is proposed to identify and rank the LSPs, and Fuzzy approach is also developed to obtain most important criteria and best LSPs. Safety and security criteria is obtained as two important criteria in the fuzzy approach with the percentage for selection of best LSP is % 83.7 while security is the most important criteria in the AHP with 0,568 score. Computational results are promising for the decision makers in terms of both solution simplicity and usefulness for logistics sector.
Malatya İli Trafik Kaynaklı Hava Kirleticilerinin Emisyon Envanteri
Authors: BEHCET Rasim , YAKIN Ahmet
Published: December 2020

Malatya ili coğrafik konum nedeniyle karasal iklime sahiptir. İklim şartlarından dolayı kış ayları soğuk ve uzun sürmektedir. Özellikle bu aylarda, evlerden, iş yerlerinden, fabrikalardan, taşıtlardan; atmosfere atılan kirletici emisyonlar fazla görülür. Türkiye’nin Nüfus yoğunluğu bakımından 27. sırada bulunan Malatya ili, trafik yoğunluğu bakımından da oldukça kalabalık bir yerleşim yeridir. Trafik yoğunluğu beraberinde hava kirliliğini de getirmektedir. Hava kirliliği çevre ve canlılar üzerinde olumsuz etkiler oluşturur. İnsanlığın temel görevlerinden biride, canlıların yaşam alanı olan çevreyi korumaktır. Bu çalışmada, Malatya ilini çevreleyen yollarda seyreden taşıtların sayımları yapılarak trafik yoğunluğu belirlenmiş ve trafik kaynaklı hava kirleticileri hesaplanarak, emisyon envanteri oluşturulmuştur. Çalışma sonuçlarından elde edilen verilere göre Malatya ilinde atmosfere verilen toplam emisyon miktarları içindeki CO miktarı 768.22 ton yıl-1, NOx miktarı 153.73 ton yıl-1, PM miktarı 13.99 ton yıl-1 ve VOC miktarı 121.79 ton yıl-1 şeklinde yaklaşık olarak bulunmuştur. Malatya ilinde taşıt kaynaklı hava kirliliğinin azaltılması için, taşıtlarda kullanılan fosil yakıtlar yerine alternatif yakıtların kullanılması kısa mesafelerde taşıt kullanımı yerine yürümenin teşvik edilmesi ile sağlanabilir.
Molecular Characterization of the Coat Protein Genome of Alfalfa Mosaic Virus (AMV) Isolates from Alfalfa in Van Province
Authors: USTA Mustafa , GÜLLER Abdullah
Published: December 2020

Virus-like symptoms were observed in alfalfa plants (Medicago sativa L.) grown in Van province of Turkey in 2019. The symptoms observed were dwarfing, mosaic pattern and yellowing of leaves, rosetting, and decreasing in leaf sizes. Genomic RNA of 19 symptomatic and non-symptomatic alfalfa leaves were extracted for the detection of virus RNA using virus-specific primer pair by RT-PCR. Of the 19 alfalfa leaf specimens, the six yielded the expected 700 bp DNA band in severely symptomatic alfalfa specimens. Two of them randomly selected were inserted into a plasmid vector. Obtained recombinant plasmids were sequenced in both directions. According to the results of the sequence analysis, it was revealed that the virus in infected alfalfa was the Alfalfa mosaic virus. The sequence data were recorded into the GenBank with access numbers MT210179 and MT210178 and denominated as Alakoy Y9 and Alakoy Y1 isolates, respectively. According to the phylogenetic tree created with 16 AMV sequences registered in the GeneBank for both sequences, the AMV CP gene sequence indicated the highest similarity with USA (JN256023), Brazil (FJ858265), and Puglia (Y09110) isolate and the lowest with Korea isolate (KY348844), at the nucleotide level. It was also revealed that both sequences show 98.45% nucleotide similarity with 7 nucleotide exchanges. According to the literature research results, this is the first report and molecular analysis of Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) in Medicago sativa L. in Van province of Turkey.
Arpa Üretim İşleme ve Pazarlama Yapısının Değerlendirilmesi
Authors: TAŞCI Rahmi , BAYRAMOĞLU Zeki
Published: December 2020

Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, Konya ilinde bitkisel üretim faaliyetleri içinde arpa üretimine yer veren tarım işletmeleri, arpa alım satımı yapan tüccarlar, yem ve malt fabrikalarının yapısal özelliklerini ortaya çıkarmaktır. Bu amaca yönelik olarak anket uygulaması ve araştırmacının gözlemlerinden elde edilen veriler ile arpanın üretim, pazarlama ve işleme yapısı bütüncül olarak GZFT analizi yapılarak değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışmada kullanılan GZFT analizi, bir faaliyetin güçlü ve zayıf yönlerini, fırsat ve tehditleri analiz eden bir stratejik planlama metodudur. Arpa için yapılan GZFT analizi sonucunda ön plana çıkan kriterler; arpanın güçlü yanları; yem, gıda, malt ve biyoenerji alanında kullanılabilir olması, zayıf yanları; üreticiler tarafından genellikle kendi hayvanlarının beslenmesinde kullanıldığı için çeşit algısı oluşmaması ve diğer bitkiler gibi önem verilmemesi, fırsatları; hayvancılık yatırımları arttıkça, arpaya olan talebin artacak olması ve tehditleri ise arpa üretim alanlarının yıldan yıla azalması şeklinde belirlenmiştir. Türkiye’nin artan nüfusuna paralel olarak, nüfusun önümüzdeki yıllarda dengeli beslenebilmesi için ihtiyaç duyulacak hayvansal besin miktarı ve bu hayvansal besini temin etmek amacıyla mevcut hayvan sayısının da artması beklenmektedir. Bu hayvanları istenen düzeyde besleyebilmek için ihtiyaç duyulacak yem maddeleri ve karma yem miktarları göz önüne alındığında, özellikle yem hammaddesi olarak kullanılan arpanın, tarımsal üretim planlamasındaki öneminin göz ardı edilmemesi gerekir. Yeni geliştirilen arpa çeşitlerinin üreticilerden beklenilen değeri görebilmesi ve arpanın istenilen satış fiyatına ulaşabilmesi için; arpa pazarlama zincirinde bulunan tüccar ve karma yem fabrikalarının arpa satın alırken, buğdayda olduğu gibi kalite kriterine göre fiyatlandırma yapabileceği bir alım sisteminin oluşturulması ve yeni geliştirilen arpa çeşitlerinin iklim ve toprak ihtiyaçlarına uygun bölgelere yayımının yapılması önerilir.
Nitrate and biochemical oxygen demand change in a typical Midwest stream in the past two decades
Authors: Alam Md Shahin , Han Bangshuai , Gregg Amy , Pichtel John
Published: December 2020

Nitrate and organic contamination from Midwest rivers, including the White River at Muncie, IN, has been an on-going concern and contributes to the hypoxic zone in the Gulf. Despite rich data, recent water quality changes have rarely been investigated. This study employed 16 years of continuous monitoring data, including biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), and nitrate–nitrite as nitrogen (NN) from five sites near Muncie, and analyzed the water quality trend and pollution sources. A novel approach, Weighted Regression on Time, Discharge and Seasons (WRTDS) that allows for the representation of long-term water quality patterns by considering seasonal variance and discharge-related effects over time, is adopted. Flow-normalized BOD and NN concentration and flux both increased, and DO concentration and flux decreased. However, the changes vary among sites. Muncie wastewater treatment plant and combined sewage outflows (CSOs) contribute remarkably to NN pollution during low-flow seasons. Urban and agricultural runoff, and CSOs impact BOD levels. Agricultural runoff contribution to BOD is increasing in recent years. Seasonal patterns of nitrate and BOD in the river are also analyzed. The results are helpful for watershed managers to re-think conservation practices and have indications to water quality management beyond the study area.