bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Processing of Accelerometry Data with GGIR in Motor Activity Research Consortium for Health
Authors: Guo Wei , Leroux Andrew , Shou Haochang , Cui Lihong , Kang Sun Jung , Strippoli Marie-Pierre Françoise , Preisig Martin , Zipunnikov Vadim , Merikangas Kathleen Ries
Published: December 2022

The Mobile Motor Activity Research Consortium for Health (mMARCH) is a collaborative network of clinical and community studies that employ common digital mobile protocols and collect common clinical and biological measures across participating studies. At a high level, a key scientific goal which spans mMARCH studies is to develop a better understanding of the interrelationships between physical activity (PA), sleep (SL), and circadian rhythmicity (CR) and mental and physical health in children, adolescents, and adults. mMARCH studies employ wrist-worn accelerometry to obtain objective measures of PA/SL/CR. However, there is currently no consensus on a standard data processing pipeline for raw accelerometry data and few open-source tools which facilitate their development. The R package GGIR is the most prominent open-source software package for processing raw accelerometry data, offering great functionality and substantial user flexibility. However, even with GGIR, processing done in a harmonized and reproducible fashion across multiple analytical centers requires a nontrivial amount of expertise combined with a careful implementation. In addition, there are many statistical methods useful for analyzing PA/SL/CR patterns using accelerometry data which are implemented in non-GGIR R packages, including methods from multivariate statistics, functional data analysis, distributional data analysis, and time series analyses. To address the issues of multisite harmonization and additional feature creation, mMARCH developed a streamlined harmonized and reproducible pipeline for loading and cleaning raw accelerometry data via GGIR, merging GGIR, and non-GGIR features of PA/SL/CR together, implementing several additional data and feature quality checks, and performing multiple analyses including Joint and Individual Variation Explained, an unsupervised machine learning dimension reduction technique that identifies latent factors capturing joint across and individual to each of three domains of PA/SL/CR. The pipeline is easily modified to calculate additional features of interest, and allows for studies not affiliated with mMARCH to apply a pipeline which facilitates direct comparisons of scientific results in published work by mMARCH studies. This manuscript describes the pipeline and illustrates the use of combined GGIR and non-GGIR features by applying Joint and Individual Variation Explained to the accelerometry component of CoLaus|PsyCoLaus, one of mMARCH sites. The pipeline is publicly available via open-source R package mMARCH.AC.
Racist State and the State of Race: An Analysis of Instagram Commentary Pertaining to LeBron James
Authors: Frederick Evan , Swim Nicholas , Keaton Ajhanai C.I. , Pegoraro Ann
Published: December 2022

The purpose of this study was to examine the evolution of social media commentary pertaining to LeBron James’ activism efforts during two pivotal moments of state-enacted anti-Blackness violence. Utilizing the lens of critical race theory and critical whiteness studies, we examined user commentary pertaining to James’ two Instagram posts responding to the state-enacted violence against Michael Brown in 2014 and George Floyd in 2020. While responses to LeBron’s activism certainly evolved between 2014 and 2020, it is wise to be skeptical of that newly found support for James’ message and the outrage toward a fundamentally racist society. Superficial rhetoric and virtue signaling are the norm, while progress toward substantive change remains stoic and still, often like the beliefs deeply etched within us.
Supplemental Material: Critical workforce skills for bachelor-level geoscientists: An analysis of geoscience job advertisements
Authors: Shafer G.W. , al. et
Published: December 2022

One-page Microsoft Word document containing search words used to identify job advertisements and a Microsoft Excel file containing additional results not shown in Table 7. 
Andreev Spectroscopy of EuCsFe4As4 Stoichiometric Superconducting Pnictide
Authors: Kuzmichev S. A. , Pervakov K. S. , Vlasenko V. A. , Degtyarenko A. Yu. , Gavrilkin S. Yu. , Kuzmicheva T. E.
Published: December 2022

EuCsFe4As4 pnictide (1144 family) single crystals with a critical temperature of Tc ≈ 36.8 K and optimal superconducting properties in the stoichiometric composition are grown. Multiple-gap superconductivity determined by bulk order parameters $$\Delta _{{\text{L}}}^{{{\text{out}}}}$$, $$\Delta _{{\text{L}}}^{{{\text{in}}}}$$, and $${{\Delta }_{{\text{S}}}}$$ with characteristic ratios $$2\Delta _{{\text{L}}}^{{{\text{out}}}}(0){\text{/}}{{k}_{{\text{B}}}}{{T}_{{\text{c}}}} \approx 5.3$$, $$2\Delta _{{\text{L}}}^{{{\text{in}}}}(0){\text{/}}{{k}_{{\text{B}}}}{{T}_{{\text{c}}}} \approx 3.2$$, and $$2{{\Delta }_{{\text{S}}}}(0){\text{/}}{{k}_{{\text{B}}}}{{T}_{{\text{c}}}} \approx 1.3$$, respectively, is found for the first time below Tc using incoherent multiple Andreev reflection effect spectroscopy. It is shown that the gap structure of EuCsFe4As4 is similar to that of BaFe2 – xNixAs2 superconducting pnictides of the sister 122 family.
Highly Active Bimetallic Single-Atom Alloy PdAg Catalysts on Cerium-Containing Supports in the Hydrogenation of Alkynes to Alkenes
Authors: Rassolov A. V. , Bragina G. O. , Baeva G. N. , Mashkovsky I. S. , Smirnova N. S. , Gerasimov E. Yu. , Bukhtiyarov A. V. , Zubavichus Ya. V. , Stakheev A. Yu.
Published: December 2022

A study of a series of single-atom-alloy catalysts Pd1Ag3/Al2O3, Pd1Ag3/CeO2–Al2O3, and Pd1Ag3/CeO2–ZrO2 in the selective hydrogenation of diphenylacetylene (DPA) showed a significant (five-fold) increase in activity for the PdAg3/CeO2–ZrO2 sample in comparison with that of Pd1Ag3/Al2O3. It was especially noted that the increase in activity was not accompanied by a decrease in the selectivity for the target product. This catalytic behavior can be explained by two factors: (1) a more than twofold increase in the dispersity of the PdAg3/CeO2–ZrO2 catalyst and (2) a change in the electronic state of the nanoparticles, as determined from the results of an IR-spectroscopic study of adsorbed CO. The retention of the high selectivity of the synthesized catalysts indicated the stability of the structure of Pd1 monoatomic sites in the catalysts prepared by deposition on Ce-containing supports, which was also confirmed by the IR spectroscopy of adsorbed CO. The experimental results indicate that Ce-containing supports are promising for the synthesis of catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of substituted alkynes.
Background rejection using image residuals from large telescopes in imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope arrays
Authors: Olivera-Nieto L. , Ren H. X. , Mitchell A. M. W. , Marandon V. , Hinton J. A.
Published: December 2022

Identification of Cherenkov light generated by muons has been suggested as a promising way to dramatically improve the background rejection power of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT) arrays at high energies. However, muon identification remains a challenging task, for which efficient algorithms are still being developed. We present an approach in which, rather than identifying Cherenkov light from muons, we simply consider the presence of Cherenkov light other than the main shower image in IACTs with large mirror area. We show that in the case of the H.E.S.S. array of five telescopes this approach results in background rejection improvements at all energies above 1 TeV. In particular, the rejection power can be improved by a factor $$\sim \,3$$

∼

3

–4 at energies above 20 TeV while keeping $$\sim \,90\%$$

∼

90
%

of the original gamma-ray efficiency.
A Knowledge Enforcement Network-Based Approach for Classifying a Photographer’s Images
Authors: Shivakumara Palaiahnakote , Chowdhury Pinaki Nath , Pal Umapada , Doermann David , Ramachandra Raghavendra , Lu Tong , Blumenstein Michael
Published: December 2022

Classification of photos captured by different photographers is an important and challenging problem in knowledge-based and image processing. Monitoring and authenticating images uploaded on social media are essential, and verifying the source is one key piece of evidence. We present a novel framework for classifying photos of different photographers based on the combination of local features and deep learning models. The proposed work uses focused and defocused information in the input images to extract contextual information. The model estimates the weighted gradient and calculates entropy to strengthen context features. The focused and defocused information is fused to estimate cross-covariance and define a linear relationship between them. This relationship results in a feature matrix fed to Knowledge Enforcement Network (KEN) for obtaining representative features. Due to the strong discriminative ability of deep learning models, we employ the lightweight and accurate MobileNetV2. The output of KEN and MobileNetV2 is sent to a classifier for photographer classification. Experimental results of the proposed model on our dataset of 46 photographer classes (46234 images) and publicly available datasets of 41 photographer classes (218303 images) show that the method outperforms the existing techniques by 5%–10% on average. The dataset created for the experimental purpose will be made available upon publication.
Deep Tasks Summarization for Comprehending Mixed Tasks in a Commit
Authors: Kim Taeyoung , Kim Suntae , Ryu Duksan , Cho Jaehyuk
Published: December 2022

In Version Control System (VCS), a developer frequently uploads multiple tasks such as adding features, code refactoring, and fixing bugs, into a single commit and crumbles each task’s summary when writing a commit message. It causes code readers to feel challenged in understanding the developer’s past tasks within the commit history. To resolve this issue, we propose an automatic approach to generating a task summary to help comprehend multiple mixed tasks in a commit and developed tool support named Task summary Generator (TsGen). In our approach, we use the commit with a single task as input and identify the task to sort its elements sequentially. Then we generate feature vectors from each sorted element to train the Neural Machine Translation (NMT) model. Based on the trained NMT model, we generate the feature vector from each task of a commit with multiple tasks and put each of them into the model to provide the task summary. In evaluation, we compared the performance of TsGen with two existing methods for nine open-source projects. As a result, TsGen outperformed CoDiSum and Jiang’s NMT by 52.08% and 28.07% in BiLingual Evaluation Understudy (BLEU) scores. In addition, the human evaluation was carried out to demonstrate that TsGen helps understand mixed tasks in a commit and gained a 0.27 higher preference than the actual commit message.
Weighted Graph Embedding Feature with Bi-Directional Long Short-Term Memory Classifier for Multi-Document Text Summarization
Authors: Mulla Samina , Shaikh Nuzhat F.
Published: December 2022

In this digital era, there is a tremendous increase in the volume of data, which adds difficulties to the person who utilizes particular applications, such as websites, email, and news. Text summarization targets to reduce the complexity of obtaining statistics from the websites as it compresses the textual document to a short summary without affecting the relevant information. The crucial step in multi-document summarization is obtaining a relationship between the cross-sentence. However, the conventional methods fail to determine the inter-sentence relationship, especially in long documents. This research develops a graph-based neural network to attain an inter-sentence relationship. The significant step in the proposed multi-document text summarization model is forming the weighted graph embedding features. Furthermore, the weighted graph embedding features are utilized to evaluate the relationship between the document’s words and sentences. Finally, the bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) classifier is utilized to summarize the multi-document text summarization. The experimental analysis uses the three standard datasets, the Daily Mail dataset, Document Understanding Conference (DUC) 2002, and Document Understanding Conference (DUC) 2004 dataset. The experimental outcome demonstrates that the proposed weighted graph embedding feature + BiLSTM model exceeds all the conventional methods with Precision, Recall, and F1 score of 0.5352, 0.6296, and 0.5429, respectively.
Interrogating Settled Terrains of State Capacity: Explaining Governance Reforms in a Low-Capacity Milieu
Authors: JHA HIMANSHU
Published: December 2022

Under what conditions do policy paradigms succeed in historically weak states? To answer these questions, this paper examines the subnational case of Bihar in India. The existing literature portrays Bihar as lacking capacity. Yet, between 2005 and 2010, astounding improvements have taken place in sectors of transparency and accountability and law & order. How do we explain this? This paper shows that ideas are consequential in initiating changes in policy paradigms.
Graphitic Carbon Nitride Incorporated Europium Molybdate Composite as an Enhanced Sensing Platform for Electrochemical Detection of Carbendazim in Agricultural Products
Authors: Sakthinathan Subramanian , Keyan Arjunan Karthi , Vasu Dhanapal , Vinothini Sivaramakrishnan , Nagaraj Karuppiah , Mangesh V. L. , Chiu Te-Wei
Published: December 2022

The widespread use of carbendazim insecticides has caused substantial concerns to human health due to their coexistence, high toxicity, and persistence. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a carbendazim detection more important for the protection of both humans and the environment safety. A graphitic carbon nitride/europium molybdate (g-C3N4/EuMoO4) composite was fabricated using a simple coprecipitation method and utilized for the selective detection of carbendazim. The glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was fabricated withg-C3N4/EuMoO4composite electrode (GCE/g-C3N4/EuMoO4) was simple, affordable, and offers an excellent platform for the detection of carbendazim. The structure formation was validated by suitable microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Under optimal conditions, the GCE/g-C3N4/EuMoO4electrode showed excellent electrochemical properties for the detection of carbendazim with a low detection limit (0.04μM) (S/N = 3), a large linear response range of 50–400μM, and high sensitivity (1.41μAμM−1cm−2). The findings demonstrated that the developed method can be used to analyze food samples. Theg-C3N4/EuMoO4demonstrates greater sensitivity toward the electrochemical detection of carbendazim compared with the previous sensors. The GCE/g-C3N4/EuMoO4electrode was utilized to detect carbendazim in real samples, and the results were satisfactory. Furthermore, the GCE/g-C3N4/EuMoO4modified electrode offers several interesting properties, stability, reproducibility, repeatability, low cost, and practical applications.
Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Transplant Complicated by Kidney Allograft Torsion and Pseudoaneurysms of the Y-Allograft: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Tan Sarah L. , Tan Rachel Y. P. , Cehic Gabrielle , Wu Michael , Kanellis John , Barbara Jeffrey
Published: December 2022

Background. We report and review the literature of two rare complications of simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT) occurring in one patient. Case Report. A 39-year-old man with dialysis-dependent kidney failure secondary to type 1 diabetes mellitus underwent successful SPKT in October 2018. Three months later, he presented with an acute kidney injury (AKI) and returned to dialysis. Kidney scintigraphy showed a central photopenic region, and angiograms showed absent flow in the kidney transplant artery without treatable thrombus and the incidental finding of two pseudoaneurysms of the pancreatic Y-graft. He remained dialysis-dependent for three weeks before spontaneous partial recovery of allograft function; repeat kidney scintigraphy showed significant improvement in perfusion. However, in April 2019 he was readmitted with a sudden deterioration in kidney allograft function again necessitating haemodialysis. Repeat imaging confirmed that the kidney allograft had shifted from the left iliac fossa to the midline. He underwent surgical exploration, during which torsion of the kidney allograft was confirmed and a nephropexy was performed. The kidney allograft was originally implanted in the left retroperitoneum via a midline transperitoneal approach, which likely predisposed it to torsion. The pseudoaneurysms of the pancreatic Y-graft were managed conservatively, and surveillance imaging demonstrated that they remained stable in size. The patient regained reasonable kidney allograft function (estimated glomerular filtration rate, eGFR, of 45 mL/min) and maintained normal pancreatic allograft function. Conclusion. Kidney allograft torsion should be considered post-SPKT in patients with AKI and absent arterial flow. Although most case reports describe surgical management of pseudoaneurysms post-SPKT, our case demonstrates successful conservative management.
Sestrin2 Overexpression Ameliorates Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Apoptosis via Inhibiting mTOR Pathway in HepG2 Cells
Authors: Hu Huiling , Luo Zhijun , Liu Xiuli , Huang Lisi , Lu Xiaoxia , Ding Rui , Duan Chaohui , He Yuqing
Published: December 2022

Sestrin2 is a highly conserved stress-inducible protein, acting as a crucial part in regulating homeostasis in response to various stress conditions in the cell. However, the role of Sestrin2 in regulating cell apoptosis related to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has not been fully investigated. Our study presented here aims to reveal the effect of Sestrin2 in tunicamycin (TM)-induced cell apoptosis related to ER stress and its underlying molecular mechanisms. The results demonstrated that Sestrin2 expression was significantly upregulated correlated with ER stress responses in TM treated HepG2 cells. Sestrin2 overexpression obviously alleviated ER stress with the determination of ER stress-related proteins expression. In addition, Sestrin2 overexpression inhibited cell apoptosis with the examination of apoptosis-related proteins and TUNEL assay. However, Sestrin2 knockdown further promoted the ER stress-mediated cell apoptosis. The further mechanistic study revealed that Sestrin2 overexpression inhibited TM-induced mTOR pathway activation. Taken together, our current study indicated that Sestrin2 overexpression ameliorates ER stress-induced apoptosis via inhibiting mTOR pathway in HepG2 cells.
Method for Determining the Location of Highway Passenger Transportation Hubs Using POI Data and the Dijkstra Algorithm in Large City
Authors: Li Hui , Tong Pei , Zhang Xu
Published: December 2022

In order to reduce the impact of highway passenger transportation hubs on urban internal traffic operations and improve the efficiency of external travel, a method to determine the location of such hubs based on POI data and the Dijkstra algorithm is proposed. Firstly, the process of connecting the starting point of travel in the city to the urban road node and the highway exit is analyzed. Taking the minimum total time cost as the objective function, the mathematical model of the location method of a highway passenger transportation hub is established. Then, an algorithm for solving the mathematical model is proposed. In the solution method, the concept of “equivalent distance” is introduced into the Dijkstra algorithm to calculate the shortest path for passengers traveling on the urban road network. Weighted random numbers are generated to simulate the choice of highway exits when intercity coaches carrying passengers leave the city. Finally, Zhengzhou City is taken as an example for application analysis. The calculation is carried out using a script written in Python. The calculation results of the proposed method are compared with the results of the

P

-median model and the current locations of hubs. The results show that the proposed method consumes less time than the

P

-median method. The total time cost is also lower, which can reduce the time for passengers to leave the city. The location of the highway passenger transportation hub is closer to the periphery of the city and highway nodes, which conforms to the engineering practice and development trend of hub location so as to reduce its impact on urban internal traffic.
The Use of Mebendazole in COVID-19 Patients: An Observational Retrospective Single Center Study
Authors: Galal Mostafa W. , Ahmed Mahmoud , Shao Yanqiu , Xing Chao , Ali Wael , Baly Abd Elhamid , Elfiky Abdallah , Amer Khaled , Schoggins John , Sadek Hesham A. , Gobara Zeinab N.
Published: December 2022

Background. An in-silico screen identified mebendazole with potential antiviral activity that could be a repurposed drug against SARS-CoV-2. Mebendazole is a well-tolerated and cheap antihelminthic agent that is readily available worldwide and thus could be a therapeutic tool in the fight against COVID-19. Methods. This is an observational retrospective study of PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients who received mebendazole with the intention-to-treat. The study included an inpatient cohort (157 inpatients) and an outpatient cohort (185 outpatients). Of the 157 inpatients and 185 outpatients, 68 (43.3%) and 94 (50.8%) received mebendazole, respectively. Patients who presented within the same timeframe but did not receive mebendazole were used as controls. Patients received standard-of-care treatment including remdesivir, dexamethasone, and anticoagulants as deemed necessary by the treating physician. The following clinical outcomes were evaluated: for the inpatient cohort, length of stay (LOS) at the hospital, need for ventilation (combined invasive and noninvasive), and mortality; for the outpatient cohort, time to symptom resolution, need for hospitalization, and mortality. Results. For the inpatient cohort, the median age did not differ between the treatment and control groups; 62 (56, 67) vs. 62 (56, 68),P, and there was a comparable proportion of males in both groups; 43 (63%) vs. 55 (62%),P=0.85. The hospital LOS was 3.5 days shorter in the treatment group compared to the control group (P<0.001). There were fewer patients who required invasive or noninvasive ventilation in the treatment group, 2 (2.9%) vs. 7 (7.9%), and the mortality rate is lower in the treatment group, 3 (4.4%) vs. 8 (9.0%), though the differences did not reach statistical significance. For the outpatient cohort, the median age was lower in the treatment group compared with the control group; 40 (34, 48) vs. 48 (41, 54),P<0.001. There was a comparable proportion of males between both groups; 50 (53%) vs. 52 (57%),P=0.59. Patients in the treatment group were 3.3 days closer to symptom resolution (P<0.001). There were numerically fewer patients requiring hospitalization in the treatment group compared with the control group, 3 (3.2%) vs. 6 (6.6%), though this did not reach statistical significance (P=0.33). Conclusion. In this retrospective observational study, the use of mebendazole in COVID-19 patients was associated with shorter hospitalizations in the inpatient cohort and shorter durations of symptom resolution in the outpatient cohort. The findings from this small observational study are hypothesis-generating and preclude drawing conclusions about clinical efficacy. Further studies are needed to examine the role of mebendazole in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Verbal Reasoning Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Luca Antonina , Donzuso Giulia , D’Agate Concetta , Terravecchia Claudio , Cicero Edoardo Calogero , Mostile Giovanni , Sciacca Giorgia , Nicoletti Alessandra , Zappia Mario
Published: December 2022

Background. The aim of this study was to assess verbal reasoning (VR) functioning in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and healthy controls (HCs). Methods. The non-demented PD patients and HCs matched by age and global cognition were enrolled in this study. VR was assessed with the verbal reasoning test (VRT), total score, and subsets. Results. Eighty-seven PD patients (51 men; mean age

63.8
±
7.9

years) and 87 HCs (46 men; mean age

63.7
±
8.0

years) were enrolled. At univariate analysis, PD patients presented a significantly lower score in the VRT subset classification (

12.3
±
2.1

) than HCs (

12.9
±
1.7

) with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70–0.98;

p
=
0.003

). The strength of association was also confirmed at multivariate analysis (OR = 0.8, 95% CI 0.70–0.98;

p
=
0.003

). Moreover, in PD patients, a statistically significant positive correlation was found between VRT-classification and MoCA scores (

r
=
0.330

;

p
=
0.002

). Conclusions. PD patients presented lower VR performance than HCs.
Colistin Resistance and Management of Drug Resistant Infections
Authors: Sharma Juhi , Sharma Divakar , Singh Amit , Sunita Kumari
Published: December 2022

Colistin resistance is a globalized sensible issue because it has been considered a drug of the last-line resort to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections. The product of the mobilized colistin resistance (mcr) gene and its variants are the significant causes of colistin resistance, which is emerging due to the frequent colistin use in veterinary, and these genes circulate among the bacterial community. Apart from mcr genes, some other intrinsic genes and proteins are also involved in colistin resistance. Researchers focus on the most advanced genomics (whole genome sequencing), proteomics, and bioinformatics approaches to explore the question of colistin resistance. To combat colistin resistance, researchers developed various strategies such as the development of newer drugs, the repurposing of existing drugs, combinatorial treatment by colistin with other drugs, a nano-based approach, photodynamic therapy, a CRISPRi-based strategy, and a phage-based strategy. In this timeline review, we have discussed the development of colistin resistance and its management in developing countries.
Analysis of Negative Reviews of Orthopedic Oncology Surgeons: An Investigation of Reviews from Healthgrades, Vitals, and Google
Authors: Qubain Leeann , Richman Evan H. , Eaton Vincent , Brinkman Joseph C. , Goulding Krista M.
Published: December 2022

Background. Physician review websites (PRWs) are increasing in usage and popularity. Our purpose is to characterize one-star reviews of orthopedic oncology surgeons to understand factors in healthcare that contribute to patient satisfaction. Methods. Orthopedic oncology surgeons were randomly selected from the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society. A search for one-star reviews was performed on Google Reviews, Healthgrades, and Vitals.com. Reviews were classified as clinical or nonclinical. Statistical analyses were performed regarding the frequency of reviews and complaints for each category. Results. Of the 7,733 reviews discovered, 908 (11.7%) were identified as one-star reviews. Of 907 usable complaints, 362 (40.8%) were clinical and 545 (59.2%) were nonclinical. The most common nonclinical complaints included bedside manner (65%) and limited time with providers (19%). The most common clinical complaints included complications (26%) and disagreements with the treatment plan (26%). There were 120 surgical and 221 nonsurgical reviews. Surgical patients had a higher rate of clinical complaints. Nonsurgical patients had a higher rate of total complaints. Conclusion. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study examining PRWs regarding orthopedic oncology surgeons. Most one-star reviews were due to nonclinical complaints from nonsurgical patients. The most common factors are bedside manner, limited time with provider, phone communication issues, and rude/unprofessional conduct.
High Prevalence of Prediabetes and Associated Risk Factors in Urban Areas of Pontianak, Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Budiastutik Indah , Kartasurya Martha I. , Subagio Hertanto W. , Widjanarko Bagoes
Published: December 2022

Uncontrolled prediabetes can develop into Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The incidence of T2DM among adults in Pontianak, Indonesia was reported remarkably high. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the risk factors for prediabetes in adults living in urban areas of Pontianak, Indonesia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 5 subdistricts of Pontianak. A total of 506 adults underwent screening to obtain subjects with fasting blood glucose (FBS) of ≤124 mg/dL and aged >30 years. Blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) were measured. Interview using a structured questionnaire were performed to obtain data on predictor variables (age, sex, education, income, health insurance, tobacco use, history of hypertension, gout, high cholesterol level, frequency of exercise per week, and diabetic education). The prevalence of prediabetes among subjects was significantly high (76.4%). Subjects were predominantly above 40 years, female, had low income, low education level, and had health insurance. About a third of the subjects had a history of hypertension, gout, and high cholesterol level, respectively. The exercise frequency was mostly less than 3 times/week, and the BMI was mainly classified as overweight and obese. The result of spearman’s rho correlation showed that age (r = 0.146;

p
=
0.022

) and BMI (r = 0.130;

p
=
0.041

) significantly correlated with prediabetes incidence. Moreover, the chi-square analysis demonstrated that health insurance ownership (OR = 4.473; 95% CI 1.824–10.972;

p
≤
0.001

), history of hypertension (OR = 3.096; 95% CI 1.542–6.218;

p
=
0.001

), and history of gout (OR = 2.419; 95% CI 1.148–5.099;

p
=
0.018

), were associated with prediabetes incidence. For all these significant risk predictors except BMI, the significant associations were found only among female subjects after specific sex analysis. Moreover, multivariate logistic regression showed that health insurance ownerships (OR = 5.956; 95% CI 2.256–15.661;

p
≤
0.001

) and history of hypertension (OR = 3.257; 95% CI 1.451–7.311;

p
=
0.004

), and systolic blood pressure (OR = 2.141; 95% CI 1.092–4.196;

p
=
0.027

) were the risk factors for prediabetes. It is concluded that the prevalence of prediabetes is probably high especially among urban people in Pontianak, Indonesia. Health insurance ownership and hypertension may have an important role in prediabetes management. The risk factors might be different between male and female.
Development and Validation of a Prognostic Nomogram for Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Xie Bin , Chen Xi , Deng Qi , Shi Ke , Xiao Jian , Zou Yong , Yang Baishuang , Guan Anqi , Yang Shasha , Dai Ziyu , Xie Huayan , He Shuya , Chen Qiong
Published: December 2022

Purpose. To establish an effective and accurate prognostic nomogram for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Patients and Methods. 62,355 LUAD patients from 1975 to 2016 enrolled in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were randomly and equally divided into the training cohort (n = 31,179) and the validation cohort (n = 31,176). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses screened the predictive effects of each variable on survival. The concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were used to examine and validate the predictive accuracy of the nomogram. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to estimate overall survival (OS). Results. 10 prognostic factors associated with OS were identified, including age, sex, race, marital status, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM stage, tumor size, grade, and primary site. A nomogram was established based on these results. C-indexes of the nomogram model reached 0.777 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.773 to 0.781) and 0.779 (95% CI, 0.775 to 0.783) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The calibration curves were well-fitted for both cohorts. The AUC for the 3- and 5-year OS presented great prognostic accuracy in the training cohort (AUC = 0.832 and 0.827, respectively) and validation cohort (AUC = 0.835 and 0.828, respectively). The Kaplan–Meier curves presented significant differences in OS among the groups. Conclusion. The nomogram allows accurate and comprehensive prognostic prediction for patients with LUAD.
Comparative Analysis of the Efficiency of Medicinal Plants for the Treatment and Prevention of COVID-19
Authors: Kamkin Viktor , Kamarova Aidana , Shalabayev Baurzhan , Kussainov Assyltas , Anuarbekov Marat , Abeuov Serik
Published: December 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has once again prompted people to resort to the remedies of folk and alternative medicine. Medicinal plants, because of their chemical composition, pharmacological properties, and the action of biologically active substances, can stop and relieve the symptoms of the disease. The purpose of the work is a comparative flora analysis of medicinal plants to identify the most prospective plant and further production of a remedy for the avoidance, treatment, and rehabilitation of COVID-19. The search for prospective medicinal plants was performed by analyzing the literature in online databases: Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and PubMed, including official WHO media sites. According to recent studies related to COVID-19, a significant number of medicinal plants with anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and immunostimulatory effects have been identified. A comparative study of nine medicinal plants was conducted to determine the most suitable medicinal plant to treat coronavirus infection. According to the results of the comparative analysis, Chamaenerion angustifolium Seg. showed itself as the most prospective medicinal plant with the greatest pharmacological effect compared with other types of medicinal plants. Its therapeutic properties allow physiological relief of 18 symptoms of coronavirus infection. It is advisable to conduct further clinical trials for the treatment and rehabilitation of COVID-19 using preparations from this plant.
Is Celiac Disease (CD) Prevalent in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Olfati Hamide , Ghoshouni Hamed , Ebrahimi Narges , Mohammadi Aida , Ghajarzadeh Mahsa
Published: December 2022

Background. Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease, and its prevalence reported variously in different studies. The goal of this study is to evaluate the pooled prevalence of CD in subjects with MS. Methods. PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar along with gray literature were systematically searched. The search included all relevant studies which were published up to October 2022. Two researchers independently searched all databases and also references of included studies. Results. We found 8211 articles by literature search, and after deleting duplicates, 5594 remained. Fifteen articles remained for meta-analysis. Totally, 31418 patients were evaluated, and the total number of possible/confirmed cases was 124. Studies were published between 2004 and 2020, and the most published studies were from Italy. Five studies provided information regarding controls. The total number of controls was 22394, of whom 22 had CD. Mean age ranged from 35 to 55 years. The pooled prevalence of CD in MS patients was 0 (

I

2

=
88.2

%,

p
<
0.001

). The pooled odds of CD in subjects with MS are 0.46 (95% CI: 0.19-1.1) (

I

2

=
0

,

p
=
0.9

). Conclusion. The pooled prevalence of this systematic review showed that CD is not prevalent in MS cases.
Concrete Production and Curing with Recycled Wastewater: A Review on the Current State of Knowledge and Practice
Authors: Agwe Tobby Michael , Tibenderana Philip , Twesigye-Omwe Moses N. , Mbujje Joel Webster , Abdulkadir Sholagberu Taofeeq
Published: December 2022

A number of factors have combined to put excessive pressure on the finite available freshwater resources. These include increasing population, rapid urbanization, industrialization, changed land pattern usage and land cover, change in the overall ecological system, and increased temperature and unscientific compromises in the extraction of water are at alarming threshold putting pressure on the finite available freshwater resources. As a result, many countries have been stressed or are at the verge of being stressed. The problem is worsened day by day by prolonged drought, unchecked discharge of untreated or partially treated wastewater to the freshwater reservoirs and lack of proper water quality control measures and management. Many initiatives such as Zero Liquid Discharge of industrial wastewater into freshwater bodies such as reservoirs, lakes, and ponds, and the use of recycled wastewater for irrigation and domestic purposes have started to be embraced as measures to put a check on the fast depleting freshwater resources for sustainable socio‐economic development. The construction industry is the second largest consumer of freshwater just after agriculture. Concreting alone consumes, annually, over one trillion m3 of freshwater globally while the concept of the use of wastewater and/or recycled water in the concrete‐making processes is yet to be adopted. Hence, this paper presents a general review of the current state of knowledge and practice on concrete production and curing using recycled wastewater from industrial, commercial, and domestic activities. An extensive review of the existing literature revealed that recycled water is fit for concrete production and curing purposes. The observations made are based on the assessment of wastewater quality parameters and their impacts on some selected concrete properties such as initial setting time and compressive strength. Due to scanty research on the impacts of varying concentrations of different ingredients in any questionable water on selected properties of reinforced concrete and its durability, thus, further research is recommended.
Food Safety Practices and Associated Factors in Food Operators: A Cross-Sectional Survey in the Students’ Cafeteria of Woldia University, North Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Abegaz Silamlak Birhanu
Published: December 2022

The food safety issue is often overlooked in countries where food shortages, natural disasters, political tensions, and other major concerns dominate government and media agendas. As a result, the current study sought to assess food safety practices and associated factors among food handlers at Woldia University’s student cafeteria. An institutional cross-sectional study was conducted between May and July 2021, and a sample of 291 subjects was recruited through a simple random sampling technique. Questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews, and observation methods were used as data collection tools. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 software. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine the effect of various factors on the outcome variable and control for confounding effects.

p
<
0.05

was considered statistically significant. However, some variables are significant even at

p
<
0.001

. The results were described by frequencies and percentages. The current study found that the factors of not having had food hygiene training (

AOR
=
2.111

, 95%

CI
=

1.029
−
4.428

), less than or equal to one year of work experience (

AOR
=
3.070

, 95%

CI
=

2.020
−
10.246

), poor knowledge (

AOR
=
1.285

, 95%

CI
=

0.125
−
0.849

) and poor attitude (

AOR
=
1.190

, 95%

CI
=

1.361
−
9.393

), not keeping cooked food at a safe temperature (

AOR
=
3.037

, 95%

CI
=

1.021
−
12.096

), failure to respect the safety of cooking utensils and surfaces (

AOR
=
2.022

, 95%

CI
=

1.551
−
9.689

), insufficient cleanliness of eating areas (

AOR
=
2.430

, 95%

CI
=

1.983
−
6.217

), not covering hair when cooking food (

AOR
=
5.903

, 95%

CI
=

2.243
−
9.621

), and not washing hands before starting to handle food (

AOR
=
10.019

, 95%

CI
=

4.031
−
24.063

) were statistically associated with unhygienic food handling practices. The results of this study indicated that the state of food safety practices was poor. Therefore, food safety assurance must comply with modern food safety frameworks such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). In addition, addressing knowledge and skill gaps among food handlers, regular inspection services, and effective enforcement of food safety regulations are extremely essential. Finally, future studies should focus on enumerating bacteria and protozoa in unsanitary foods and utensils.
Attenuation of Liver Injury via Bicyclol–Bovine Serum Albumin Nanopreparation using a Green Synthetic Approach
Authors: Liu Yanchao , Jia Mengqi , Gao An , Huang Xucong , Li Xiaojing , Guo Lingyi , Wu Zhenghua , Yu Yuan , Fan Guorong
Published: December 2022

Bicyclol (BIC) is a traditional antihepatitis drug that is used to treat chronic hepatitis B infections by improving liver function and reducing transaminase levels. Because the extensive use of BIC for treating liver injury is limited by its poor bioavailability, the course of treatment with oral BIC lasted for >6 months. This study aimed to develop a nano‐BIC injection to improve its bioavailability and anti‐hepatitis efficacy. We used a green synthetic approach to prepare BIC‐bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles (BIC‐NPs). Moderate protein denaturation is required to release free thiol groups in the intramolecular reactions of BSA, which may form an intermolecular disulfide network to stabilize the BIC–BSA nanoassembly. Our results showed that the administration of BIC‐NPs in rats resulted in a 2.42‐fold increase in drug concentration in plasma. Further, nano‐BIC injection showed high bioavailability and rapidly achieved therapeutic concentrations. BIC can restore mitochondrial function by scavenging reactive oxygen species. Moreover, we observed that 70 nm NPs can accumulate in the liver, and the nano‐BIC injection protected mice from methotrexate‐induced liver injury. This study provides an improved strategy for developing a liver‐protecting agent to meet various clinical needs of patients.
Button Battery-Induced Necrotizing Keratoconjunctivitis: Case Report
Authors: Koosha Nima , Babaei Leila , Pourazizi Mohsen
Published: December 2022

We report a case of a 2-year-old girl who presented to the ocular emergency department with a button battery retained in the inferior fornix of the left eye for more than 48 hours. The child developed necrotizing keratoconjunctivitis, which was treated with antibiotics, amniotic membrane graft, prompt removal of button battery, and other supportive measures.
Traditional Chinese Medicine: An Exogenous Regulator of Crosstalk between the Gut Microbial Ecosystem and CKD
Authors: Sun Xian , Sun Wei , Huang Yiting , Chen Jie
Published: December 2022

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is often accompanied by an imbalance in the gut microbial ecosystem. Notably, the imbalanced gut microbiota and impaired intestinal barrier are the keys to the crosstalk between the gut microbial ecosystem and CKD, which was the central point of previous studies. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown considerable efficacy in the treatment of CKD. However, the therapeutic mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In this review, we explored therapeutic mechanisms by which TCM improved CKD via the gut microbial ecosystem. In particular, we focused on the restored gut microbiota (i.e., short-chain fatty acid- and uremic toxin-producing bacteria), improved gut-derived metabolites (i.e., short-chain fatty acid, indoxyl sulfate, p-Cresyl sulfate, and trimethylamine-N-oxide), and intestinal barrier (i.e., permeability and microbial translocation) as therapeutic mechanisms. The results found that the metabolic pattern of gut microbiota and the intestinal barrier were improved through TCM treatment. Moreover, the microbiota-transfer study confirmed that part of the protective effect of TCM was dependent on gut microbiota, especially SCFA-producing bacteria. In conclusion, TCM may be an important exogenous regulator of crosstalk between the gut microbial ecosystem and CKD, which was partly attributable to the mediation of microbiota-targeted intervention.
Amalgamation and Optimization of FAEE Biodiesel Fuel from Croton macrostachyus hochst. ex Delile Seed oil Utilizing Solid Calcium Oxide-Chicken Eggshell Squander as a Heterogeneous Catalyst
Authors: Solomon Yigrem , Girma Ermias , Ramayya Ancha Venkata
Published: December 2022

Identification of better yielding nonedible feedstocks and process improvements with locally prepared chemicals is the way forward for improving biodiesel economic viability. Synthesis of fatty acid ethyl ester (FAEE) biodiesel from Croton macrostachyus hochst. ex delile (C. M.) seed oil is investigated through the transesterification method including oil extraction and CaO-chicken eggshell waste as a heterogeneous catalyst and ethanol, which has not yet been investigated earlier. The effects of catalyst load from 2% to 6% (w/w) of the weight of oil, ethanol to oil ratio from 9 : 1 to 12 : 1(v/v), reaction temperature from 60 to 80

℃

, and reaction time variation from 0.45 to 2 hr have been explored. The yield has been investigated, with the oil content of the C. M. seed being 46.85% realized through the solvent extraction route. The central composite design (CCD) using a design expert is employed to investigate the effects of different process parameters for biodiesel synthesis and to find the optimum conditions for maximizing the yield. The conversion to biodiesel via the calcium oxide-heterogeneous catalyzed transesterification route has achieved 91% yield under the optimum conditions. The optimum result predicted by the model is found to be 91.036% at a catalyst loading of 5.802 wt.%, reaction temperature of 76.117

℃

, a reaction time of 1.969 hr, and ethanol to oil molar ratio of 11.55 with a desirability value of 1.000. The FTIR spectrum confirms the composition and functional groups of synthesized biodiesel under optimum reaction conditions. Physicochemical properties of synthesized C. M. biodiesel are determined, and the results when compared with the biodiesel standard specifications are within the range prescribed. The result showed that C. M. could be a very viable feedstock for the biodiesel industry, which could be exploited as an alternative fuel source.
Efficacy of a Combined Intramedullary, Periarticular Injection, and Intraarticular Tranexamic Acid Application on Postoperative Bleeding in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Case-Matched Study
Authors: Hongnaparak Theerawit , Iamthanaporn Khanin , Tuntarattanapong Pakjai , Yuenyongviwat Varah
Published: December 2022

Background. Topical tranexamic acid (TXA) has been widely used to reduce postoperative blood loss following total knee replacement (TKA). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of combined intramedullary, periarticular injection, and intraarticular TXA application in patients who underwent TKA as compared to those who did not. Methods. This was a retrospective case-matched study of 111 patients. We evaluated the transfusion rate and postoperative drainage of 56 patients who underwent TKA using combined topical tranexamic acid application (directly pushed into the femoral intramedullary canal and tibia base, with periarticular soft tissue injection and injected into the knee cavity via a drain tube) and the control group of 55 patients. Results. In the control and TXA groups, 7.14% and 1.81% of the patients received blood transfusions, respectively (

p
=
0.176

). The closed-suction drainage output at 0–8 h and total drainage output were significantly lower in the TXA group than those in the control group (

p
<
0.001

). Conclusion. Application of topical TXA with the combined method (intramedullary, periarticular injection, and intraarticular) in TKA decreases postoperative suction drainage and may reduce the need for postoperative blood transfusion.