bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dissociation and Combustion of a Layer of Methane Hydrate Powder: Ways to Increase the Efficiency of Combustion and Degassing
Authors: Misyura Sergey Y. , Donskoy Igor G.
Published: August 2021

The interest in natural gas hydrates is due both to huge natural reserves and to the strengthened role of environmentally friendly energy sources conditioned by the deterioration of the global environmental situation. The combustion efficiency increase is associated with the development of understanding of both the processes of dissociation and combustion of gas hydrates. To date, the problems of dissociation and combustion have, as a rule, been considered separately, despite their close interrelation. Usually, during combustion, there is a predetermined methane flow from the powder surface. In the present paper, the combustion of methane hydrate is simulated taking into account the non-stationary dissociation process in the powder layer. Experimental studies on the methane hydrate dissociation at negative temperatures have been carried out. It is shown that due to the increase in the layer temperature and changes in the porosity of the layer over time, i.e., coalescence of particles, the thermal conductivity of the layer can change significantly, which affects the heat flux and the dissociation rate. The flame front velocity was measured at different external air velocities. The air velocity and the vapor concentration in the combustion zone are shown to strongly affect the combustion temperature, flame stability and the flame front velocity. The obtained results may be applied to increase the efficiency of burning of a layer of methane hydrate powder, as well as for technologies of degassing the combustible gases and their application in the energy sector.
Random Trees Are the Cornerstones of Natural Forests
Authors: Zhang Gongqiao , Hui Gangying
Published: August 2021

Natural forests serve as the main component of the forest ecosystem. An in-depth interpretation of tree composition and structure of forest community is of great significance for natural forest conservation, monitoring, management, and near-natural silviculture of plantation forest. In this study, we explored the importance of key tree groups—random trees—in natural communities, compared the similarity between the random trees and the communities. This research studies six stem-mapped permanent plots (100 × 100 m2) of the typical natural forests in three different geographic regions of China. Several variables and their distributions were applied to study community characteristics comprehensively, including species abundance, diameter distribution, spatial pattern, mingling, crowding, and competition. The genetic absolute distance method is used to analyze the similarity between the random trees and the communities. Our results show that the features of random trees are highly consistent with the communities. The study proposes that random trees are the cornerstones of natural forests. Its quantitative advantage explains the key role that random trees play in natural forests. The study could provide a scientific insight into the protection, monitoring, and management of forests.
Spatial Patterns of Non-Structural Carbohydrates in Eucalyptus urophylla× E. grandis under Dry-Season Irrigation with Fertilization
Authors: Kong Jie-Jun , Liu Wen-Quan , Huang Feng , Hua Lei , Yu Fei , He Qian , Su Yan , Li Ji-Yue , Qiu Quan
Published: August 2021

Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) affect tree growth and survival when photosynthesis is impacted by climate change, such as seasonal drought and extreme precipitation. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether Eucalyptus suffers growth limitation under natural conditions and if trees recover under artificial cultivation. In present study, we conducted a field control experiment to compare the NSC storage in Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus grandis trees on fertilization and dry-season irrigation to determine the variations of NSC under drought stress. The results indicated total soluble sugar (TSS) was the primary existing form of NSC. In spatial patterns, NSC concentration showed gradient differences from source organ to sink organ, and finally accumulated in root. The TSS concentration showed a decreased trend with height except leaf, while the trend of starch concentration was contrast. Surprisingly, fertilization and dry-season irrigation had not changed the carbon distribution among all tissues but reduced the TSS concentration in most organs. The fast-growing E. urophylla × E. grandis will consume the assimilates and carbohydrates of storage organs, but maintains the NSC concentration at a certain threshold. Our results help to comprehend the NSC allocation and improve the productivity of E. urophylla × E. grandis plantations in seasonal arid areas.
Relation between Energy Efficiency and GHG Emissions in Drying Units Using Forest Biomass
Authors: Pasa Débora Luana , Dessbesell Luana , de Farias Jorge Antonio , Hermes Dionatan
Published: August 2021

The impacts of climate change are inevitable and driven by increased levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere, requiring mitigation and re-adaptation measures. In this context, this article critically analyzes the influence of drying technology type, forest biomass, and GHG emissions resulting from the energy required for drying agricultural crops, by presenting a case study of tobacco drying. In this study, the influence of increasing the technological level of drying unit (curing units CUs), using E. saligna and E. dunnii firewood and Pinus sp. pellets, was evaluated; considering consumption efficiency, energy efficiency, and concentration of gas emissions (CO, CO2, CXHY and NOX), as well as emission factors in tCO₂-eq. The results showed that when increasing the technological level of the CUs, there is a decrease in fuel consumption and emissions. The reduction can reach 60.28% for the amount of biomass consumed and 67.06% in emissions in tCO₂-eq; for the scenario of a production crop, using a CU with a continuous load (Chongololo) and firewood from E. dunnii. The use of pellets proved to be efficient, with the lowest consumption of biomass and emissions with more technological CUs.
Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Tracers and Development of a Fluorescence Polarization Immunoassay for Rapid Screening of 4,4′-Dinitrocarbanilide in Chicken Muscle
Authors: Zhang Qidi , Zou Ming , Wang Wanyu , Li Jinyan , Liang Xiao
Published: August 2021

The compound, 4,4′-dinitrocarbanilide (DNC), is the marker residue of concern in edible tissues of broilers fed with diets containing anticoccidial nicarbazin (NIC). In this study, 25 fluorescein-labeled DNC derivatives (tracers) are synthesized and characterized to develop a rapid fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) for the detection of DNC in chickens using DNC monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The effect of the tracer structure on the sensitivity of the FPIA is investigated. Our results show that after optimization, the half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) and limit of detection (LOD) of the FPIA in the buffer are 28.3 and 5.7 ng mL−1, respectively. No significant cross-reactivity (CR < 0.89%) with 15 DNC analogues is observed. The developed FPIA is validated for DNC detection in spiked chicken homogenates, and recoveries ranged from 74.2 to 85.8%, with coefficients of variation <8.6%. Moreover, the total time needed for the detection procedure of the FPIA, including sample pretreatment, is <40 min, which has not been achieved in any other immunoassays for DNC from literature. Our results demonstrate that the FPIA developed here is a simple, sensitive, specific, and reproducible screening method for DNC residues in chickens.
Impact of Roasted Yellow Split Pea Flour on Dough Rheology and Quality of Fortified Wheat Breads
Authors: Kotsiou Kali , Sacharidis Dimitrios-Diogenis , Matsakidou Anthia , Biliaderis Costas G. , Lazaridou Athina
Published: August 2021

Roasted yellow split pea (YSP) flours were used to substitute wheat flour, at 10–20% (flour basis) in wheat bread formulations. Rheometry showed that roasted YSP flour addition increased elasticity and resistance to deformation and flow of the composite doughs, particularly at 20% substitution; instead, at 10% addition (either raw or roasted YSP flour), there were no effects on dough rheology and bread textural properties. Breads fortified with roasted YSP flour at levels >10% exhibited lower loaf-specific volume and harder crumb compared to control (bread without YSP flour). Moreover, only breads with 20% roasted YSP flour displayed a significantly higher staling extent and rate, compared to control, as assessed by large deformation mechanical testing and calorimetry (starch retrogradation) of crumb preparations. This formulation also showed a large increase in β-sheets and β-turns at the expense of α-helix and random coil conformations in protein secondary structure as assessed by FTIR spectroscopy. Roasting of YSP effectively masked the “beany” and “grass-like” off-flavors of raw YSP flour at 10% substitution. Overall, roasted YSP flour at the 10% level was successfully incorporated into wheat bread formulations without adversely affecting dough rheology, bread texture, and shelf-life, resulting in final products with a pleasant flavor profile.
The Role of Coffee Silver Skin against Oxidative Phenomena in Newly Formulated Chicken Meat Burgers after Cooking
Authors: Martuscelli Maria , Esposito Luigi , Mastrocola Dino
Published: August 2021

Coffee Silver Skin (CSS) is the unique by-product discarded after the roasting of coffee beans. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of two levels of CSS (1.5% and 3%) added as a natural ingredient in new formulations of chicken meat burgers. This is one of the first studies proposing a “formulation approach” to control the emergence of off flavours after meat cooking. Physical, chemical, and sensory analyses were carried out, within the CSS content and the evolution of volatile organic compounds in different samples. Newly formulated chicken burgers could limit food waste, while also becoming a source of fibres, minerals, and bioactive molecules. CSS limited weight losses (after cooking process) to 10.50% (1.5% addition) and 11.05% (3% addition), significantly lower (p < 0.01) than the control (23.85%). In cooked burgers, the occurrence of hexanal was reduced from 55.1% (CTRL T0) to 11.7% (CSS T0 1.5%) to 0 (CSS T0 3%). As for the limitation of off-flavours, CSS also showed good activity, contrasting with the emergence of octanal, alcohols and other markers of lipid oxidation. From the sensory test carried out, the volatile profile of CSS does not seem to impair the flavour of burgers, though at higher percentages hydrocarbons and pyrazines are traceable. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS assay confirmed the protective effect of CSS against oxidation.
Occurrence and Development of Off-Odor Compounds in Farmed Hybrid Catfish (Clarias macrocephalus × Clarias gariepinus) Muscle during Refrigerated Storage: Chemical and Volatilomic Analysis
Authors: Phetsang Hatairad , Panpipat Worawan , Panya Atikorn , Phonsatta Natthaporn , Chaijan Manat
Published: August 2021

The goal of this study was to examine the changes in chemical parameters, major volatile compounds, and sensory aspects in farm-raised hybrid catfish (i.e., dorsal, lateral line and ventral muscles) during a 15-day period of refrigerated storage. Trichloroacetic acid-soluble peptides, free fatty acid, total volatile base-nitrogen (TVB-N), and non-heme iron levels in all muscles increased as storage time proceeded. The levels of trans-1,10-dimethyl-trans-9-decalol (geosmin) and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) were higher than their thresholds, which was connected to a stronger earthy odor. The concentrations of geosmin and 2-MIB in all muscles increased, although there was a consistent trend of earthy odor throughout storage; this phenomenon could be attributed to the masking effect of other off-odors. During storage, the largest lipid oxidation was found in ventral muscle, as measured by peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. During storage, the formation of the most volatile products increased in the lateral line and ventral muscle, whereas the dorsal muscle had the lowest concentration. As storage time proceeded, the strength of spoiled, fishy, rancid, and overall off-odor intensity of all tested muscles tended to rise. Those alterations were linked to higher levels of TVB-N and trimethylamine, as well as all other volatile lipid oxidation products (e.g., hexanal, propanal, 2,4 heptadienal, 1-octen-3-ol, octanal, nonanal, trans-2-heptenal, and 1-hexanol).
Modeling Shallow Landslide Susceptibility and Assessment of the Relative Importance of Predisposing Factors, through a GIS-Based Statistical Analysis
Authors: Conforti Massimo , Ietto Fabio
Published: August 2021

Shallow landslides are destructive hazards and play an important role in landscape processes. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the shallow landslide susceptibility and to investigate which predisposing factors control the spatial distribution of the collected instability phenomena. The GIS-based logistic regression model and jackknife test were respectively employed to achieve the scopes. The studied area falls in the Mesima basin, located in the southern Calabria (Italy). The research was based mainly on geomorphological study using both interpretation of Google Earth images and field surveys. Thus, 1511 shallow landslides were mapped and 18 predisposing factors (lithology, distance to faults, fault density, land use, soil texture, soil bulk density, soil erodibility, distance to streams, drainage density, elevation, slope gradient, slope aspect, local relief, plan curvature, profile curvature, TPI, TWI, and SPI) were recognized as influencing the shallow landslide susceptibility. The 70% of the collected shallow landslides were randomly divided into a training data set to build susceptibility model and the remaining 30% were used to validate the newly built model. The logistic regression model calculated the landslide probability of each pixel in the study area and produced the susceptibility map. Four classification methods were tested and compared between them, so the most reliable classification system was employed to the shallow landslide susceptibility map construction. In the susceptibility map, five classes were recognized as following: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high susceptibility. About 26.1% of the study area falls in high and very high susceptible classes and most of the landslides mapped (82.4%) occur in these classes. The accuracy of the predictive model was evaluated by using the ROC (receiver operating characteristics) curve approach, which showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.93, proving the excellent forecasting ability of the susceptibility model. The predisposing factors importance evaluation, using the jackknife test, revealed that slope gradient, TWI, soil texture and lithology were the most important factors; whereas, SPI, fault density and profile curvature have a least importance. According to these results, we conclude that the shallow landslide susceptibility map can be use as valuable tool both for land-use planning and for management and mitigation of the shallow landslide risk in the study area.
Editorial of Special Issue “Natural and Artificial Unsaturated Soil Slopes”
Authors: Vassallo Roberto , Comegna Luca , Valentino Roberto
Published: August 2021

Natural and artificial slopes are frequently constituted, at least in part, by soils in unsaturated conditions [...]
Literature as a Pedagogical Tool in Medical Education: The Silent Patient Case
Authors: Daher-Nashif Suhad
Published: August 2021

The arts have seen increasing use in medical education over the last 4 decades. Literature in particular is now frequently used as an educational tool in different medical humanities programmes. This paper analyses Alex Michaelides’ novel The Silent Patient with the goal of examining the professional issues presented in this psychological thriller and how the novel’s themes can be used to prompt discussion among medical students about professionalism and ethics in psychiatric settings. Following Strauss and Corbin’s qualitative procedure for conventional content analysis, this study employs content analysis of the literary text. The process of analysis began with open coding in which codes were assigned to all relevant sentences and paragraphs addressing professionalism in working with silent patients in psychiatry. These codes were then analysed to identify five major themes: multidisciplinary teamwork; therapy for the therapist; patient-centred care for silent patients; communication with silent patients; professional challenges in working with silent patients. The paper concludes that The Silent Patient novel represents important issues related to ethics and professionalism in working with silent patients in psychiatric settings. The novel can be used as a creative tool to guide discussion surrounding these issues. The paper argues that although the impact of its use is short-term, literature can make a significant contribution by provoking thought and discussion about professional and ethical aspects of practising medicine and caring for patients.
Job Insecurity in the COVID-19 Pandemic on Counterproductive Work Behavior of Millennials: A Time-Lagged Mediated and Moderated Model
Authors: Yiwen Fei , Hahn Juhee
Published: August 2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the market environment for the information technology (IT) industry changed dramatically, presenting companies with numerous obstacles in day-to-day management activities and changing business needs. Previous studies found that job insecurity due to COVID-19 significantly impacted millennials. Our research explored the effect of job insecurity on counterproductive work behavior among millennial employees during the COVID-19 period, using moral disengagement as a mediating variable, and psychological capital and negative emotions as moderating variables. In this study, 298 employees working in Chinese IT companies completed the questionnaire survey. We collected data from employees over three different time intervals (baseline, three weeks later, and six weeks later) to mitigate the issues of common method bias and single-source data. We analyzed the collected data using SPSS25.0 and Amos24.0 for structural modeling. Our research results indicate that job insecurity is positively associated with counterproductive work behavior, and moral disengagement plays a mediating role. In addition, psychological capital moderates the relationship between job insecurity, moral disengagement, and counterproductive work behavior. Negative emotions also moderate the mediating effect of moral disengagement between job insecurity and CWB.
Environmental Risk Characterization of an Antiretroviral (ARV) Lamivudine in Ecosystems
Authors: Omotola Elizabeth Oyinkansola , Genthe Bettina , Ndlela Luyanda , Olatunji Olatunde Stephen
Published: August 2021

Antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other viral infections are among the emerging contaminants considered for ecological risk assessment. These compounds have been reported to be widely distributed in water bodies and other aquatic environments, while data concerning the risk they may pose to unintended non-target species in a different ecosystem (environment) is scanty. In South Africa and other developing countries, lamivudine is one of the common antiretrovirals applied. Despite this, little is known about its environmental impacts as an emerging contaminant. The present study employed a battery of ecotoxicity bioassays to assess the environmental threat lamivudine poses to aquatic fauna and flora. Daphnia magna (filter feeders), the Ames bacterial mutagenicity test, Lactuca sativa (lettuce) germination test, and the Allium cepa root tip assay were conducted, testing lamivudine at two concentrations (10 and 100 µg/L), with environmental relevance. The Daphnia magna toxicity test revealed a statistically significant response (p << 0.05) with a mortality rate of 85% on exposure to 100 µg/L lamivudine in freshwater, which increased to 100% at 48-h exposure. At lower concentrations of 10 µg/L lamivudine, 90% and 55% survival rates were observed at 24 h and 48 h, respectively. No potential mutagenic effects were observed from the Ames test at both concentrations of lamivudine. Allium cepa bioassays revealed a noticeable adverse impact on the root lengths on exposure to 100 µg/L lamivudine. This impact was further investigated through microscopic examination, revealing some chromosomal aberration in the exposed Allium cepa root tips. The Lactuca sativa bioassay showed a slight adverse impact on both the germination rate of the seeds and their respective hypocotyl lengths compared to the control. Overall, this indicates that lamivudine poses an ecological health risk at different trophic levels, to both flora and fauna, at concentrations previously found in the environment.
Future Challenges for Physical Therapy during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study on the Experience of Physical Therapists in Spain
Authors: Palacios-Ceña Domingo , Fernández-de-las-Peñas César , Florencio Lidiane L. , Palacios-Ceña María , de-la-Llave-Rincón Ana I.
Published: August 2021

This qualitative exploratory study addressed the perspectives of Spanish physical therapists (PTs) regarding (a) the organization of their work during the first wave of the pandemic; (b) their role within the intensive care units (ICUs); (c) management of COVID-19 survivors; (d) potential future challenges identified for the physical therapy profession. Thirty PTs who had worked at a National Public Hospital in Madrid during the first COVID-19 outbreak were recruited by purposeful sampling and snowball techniques. In-depth interviews and researcher field notes were used to collect data. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. An inductive thematic analysis was used to identify emerging themes. After identifying 1110 codes, four themes emerged. Throughout the first wave of the pandemic, the role and work of PTs in hospitals experienced a change. These changes took place at their organizational level, affecting the distribution of PTs in the hospital, and the role of PTs in front-line COVID units such as ICUs, as well as direct management of outpatients at the onset of the pandemic, and after discharge from the ICUs. This situation has led to PTs foreseeing challenges and developing new expectations concerning their role and the physical therapy profession in the future.
Identification of Network Promoters in a Regional and Intersectoral Health Promotion Network: A Qualitative Social Network Analysis in Southern Germany
Authors: Fleuren Tobias , Thiel Ansgar , Frahsa Annika
Published: August 2021

Health in all policies is a key approach to promote health and calls for cooperation between diverse levels of government and different sectors. In this paper, we analyze how a network called ‘Healthy Region Plus’ in Southern Germany addresses intersectoral cooperation at city and county levels. We aim to analyze the different roles of actors involved in the network based on the promoter model. We conducted two socio-material network mappings based on the Net-map approach by Schiffer and Hauck. The analysis followed three steps: data visualization, descriptive analysis of network properties, and interpretation of findings. Our findings reveal a complex intersectoral cooperation structure, with county and city level clusters, with network members who act as diverse power, expert, process, or relationship promoters. We also identified certain relevant sectors not to be part of the network. We discuss that the success of the network depends on the members’ active participation in and their outreach beyond the existing network, between city and county levels, and across sectors to promote health and build health-promoting structures in the region.
Is Experience the Best Teacher? Knowledge, Perceptions, and Awareness of Wildfire Risk
Authors: Spano Giuseppina , Elia Mario , Cappelluti Onofrio , Colangelo Giuseppe , Giannico Vincenzo , D’Este Marina , Lafortezza Raffaele , Sanesi Giovanni
Published: August 2021

Wildfires represent a natural phenomenon with detrimental effects on natural resources and human health. A better knowledge, perception, and awareness of wildfire risk may help communities at risk of exposure to prevent future events and safeguard their own lives. The aim of this study is to explore differences between individuals with and without previous wildfire experience, in terms of (1) subjective and advanced wildfire knowledge, (2) self-reported perceptions, (3) level of information, (4) self-protection measures, and (5) importance of community involvement. As a second step, we investigated differences in the same variables, focusing more deeply on a group of individuals with previous wildfire experience, classifying them according to fire-related employment (fire-related workers vs. non-workers) and wildland–urban interface (WUI) proximity (WUI residents vs. non-WUI residents). The Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to establish differences between the pairs of subsamples. Our results partially confirmed our hypothesis, that direct experience leads individuals to have a greater preparedness on the topic of wildfires. Perception of knowledge is reflected only at a shallow level of expertise, and, therefore, no relevant within-group differences related to fire-related employment or to WUI proximity were detected. Moreover, available information was perceived to be insufficient, thus we report a strong need for developing effective communication to high-risk groups, such as homeowners and fire-related workers.
Dental Caries Status among Yi Preschool Children in Yunnan Province, China: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Zhou Ni , Ding Hui , Liu Juan , Chen Jieyi , Zhang Shinan , Chu Chun-Hung
Published: August 2021

Background: The Yi ethnic group is the sixth largest minority in China. The aim of this study was to investigate dental caries status among Yi preschool children in the Yunnan province, China. Method: This cross-sectional study invited 5-year-old Yi children using multistage cluster sampling. Two trained and calibrated dentists examined the children in kindergartens. The children’s dental caries experience was assessed using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) index. Visual plaque on an indexed tooth of each six sextants was recorded and the oral hygiene status was assessed using the Visible Plaque Index. Parents completed questionnaires that surveyed their educational attainment. The questionnaires also collected information about the children’s demographics, snacking habits, oral-health-related behaviors and dental visit experiences. The associations between caries experiences and potential factors were analyzed using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Results: All 452 invited children (249 boys, 55%) participated in this study with a response rate of 100%. Dental caries prevalence rate was 83%. The mean dmft score and decayed teeth score were 5.2 ± 4.4 and 5.1 ± 4.4, respectively. Almost half of the children (n = 211, 47%) had visible plaque on four or more of the six sextants. Most (n = 366, 81%) of the children had not visited a dentist in the prior 12 months. Regression analysis found the children’s caries experience was associated with their dental visit experience. Conclusion: The great majority of the Yi preschool children experienced dental caries and almost all of the cavities were not restored. Their oral hygiene was poor and visible plaque was commonly found on their teeth.
Predictors of Undiagnosed Diabetes among Middle-Aged and Seniors in China: Application of Andersen’s Behavioral Model
Authors: Mou Chaozhou , Xu Minlan , Lyu Juncheng
Published: August 2021

Undiagnosed diabetes is a threat to public health. This study aims to identify potential variables related to undiagnosed diabetes using Andersen’s behavioral model. Baseline data including blood test data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were adopted. First, we constructed health service related variables based on Andersen model. Second, univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression were used to analyze the relations of variables to undiagnosed diabetes. The strength of relationships was presented by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Finally, the prediction of multiple logistic regression model was assessed using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the ROC curve (AUC). According to diagnosis standards, 1234 respondents had diabetes, among which 560 were undiagnosed and 674 were previously diagnosed. Further analysis showed that the following variables were significantly associated with undiagnosed diabetes: age as the predisposing factor; medical insurance, residential places and geographical regions as enabling factors; having other chronic diseases and self-perceived health status as need factors. Moreover, the prediction of regression model was assessed well in the form of ROC and AUC. Andersen model provided a theoretical framework for detecting variables of health service utilization, which may not only explain the undiagnosed reasons but also provide clues for policy-makers to balance health services among diverse social groups in China.
Living in Roma Settlements in Greece: Self-Perceived Health Status, Chronic Diseases and Associated Social Determinants of Health
Authors: Petraki Ioanna , Kalpourtzi Natasa , Terzidis Agapios , Gavana Magda , Vantarakis Apostolos , Rachiotis Georgios , Karakosta Argiro , Sypsa Vana , Touloumi Giota ,   Hprolipsis Study Group
Published: August 2021

We aimed to assess the self-perceived health status and the presence of chronic diseases of adult Roma living in settlements in Greece, and to explore associated social determinants of health. Data were derived from the Hprolipsis Health Survey. Multivariable regression models were applied. In total, 534 adults, 287 women, and 247 men were recruited from twelve Roma settlements in four prefectures. Although 62% of the participants perceived their health status as good/very good, about half of them had been diagnosed with at least one chronic disease. Several structural and intermediary social determinants of health were found to be significantly associated with the health outcomes; prefecture, settlement type, sex, age group, living with a partner, presence of depression symptoms, food insecurity, and alcohol consumption were associated with self-perceived health status; settlement type, sex, age group, presence of anxiety symptoms, food insecurity and number of persons living in the house with the presence of a chronic disease. This is one of the few studies assessing the self-perceived health status and presence of chronic diseases in Roma settlements in Greece and investigating the associated social determinants of health in the world. Community-based participatory action research and health literacy programs are needed to mitigate health inequalities in Roma settlements.
Analysis of Altitude Hypoxia Training and In-Flight Hypoxia Events among the Helicopter Aircrews
Authors: Chiang Kwo-Tsao , Chu Hsin , Tu Min-Yu , Lin You-Jin , Lin Sing-Hong , Wen Yu-Hsin , Lai Chung-Yu
Published: August 2021

All aircrews are required to undertake the altitude hypoxia training and be familiarized with the hypobaric effect on their physiological regulation. Due to the characteristics of the helicopter aircrafts, few researches have reported in-flight hypoxia events among the helicopter aircrews. The main goal of this study was designed to compare the hypoxia symptoms of helicopter aircrews between the altitude hypoxia training and during flight. We developed a questionnaire to collect the details of chamber flights and in-flight hypoxia events in 2019. All data were managed by the SPSS software and two-tailed 0.05 alpha level was considered as a significant level. Of the 213 study participants, there were eight (3.8%) cases that experienced hypoxia symptoms during the flight. The top five symptoms that appeared both in the last and current altitude hypoxia trainings were visual impairment (20.7%), difficulty concentrating (12.7%), tiredness (12.2%), cognitive impairment (8.0%), and air hunger (5.2%). Meanwhile, the frequency of those symptoms above was not significantly different from the last or current training compared with those in-flight hypoxia events. The survey unveiled a series of consistency correlations of hypoxia symptoms between the chamber flights and in-flight environment for the helicopter aircrew group.
Relationship between Physical Fitness and Match Performance Parameters of Chile Women’s National Football Team
Authors: Villaseca-Vicuña Rodrigo , Otero-Saborido Fernando Manuel , Perez-Contreras Jorge , Gonzalez-Jurado Jose Antonio
Published: August 2021

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between the level of physical fitness and the physical performance parameters recorded by GPS in official FIFA matches of the Chilean women’s senior national football team in the period 2018–2020. Twenty-six female field players (age (mean ± SD) 26.8 ± 3.3 years, height 157.8 ± 21.5 cm, weight 58.9 ± 4.9 kg) participated in the study. Physical fitness variables were assessed: muscular strength, countermovement jump (CMJ), speed, agility and aerobic fitness. Physical performance variables were recorded by GPS in 26 official FIFA matches. The most notable associations with significant statistical significance (p < 0.001) were those observed between neuromuscular variables such as time to run 10 m (T10; r = −0.629) and jump (CMJ; r = 0.502) and the number of accelerations; aerobic fitness showed a highly significant relationship with meters run per minute (M/M; r = 0.589). The findings of this study provide evidence of how the level of physical fitness (neuromuscular and aerobic) relates to physical performance parameters recorded in official competitions.
The Environmental and Social Determinants of Health Matter in a Pandemic: Predictors of COVID-19 Case and Death Rates in New York City
Authors: De Jesus Maria , Ramachandra Shalini S. , Jafflin Zoe , Maliti Imani , Daughtery Aquilah , Shapiro Benjamin , Howell William C. , Jackson Monica C.
Published: August 2021

Our research objective was to determine which environmental and social factors were predictive of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case and death rates in New York City (NYC), the original epicenter of the pandemic in the US, and any differential impacts among the boroughs. Data from various sources on the demographic, health, and environmental characteristics for NYC zip codes, neighborhoods, and boroughs were analyzed along with NYC government’s reported case and death rates by zip code. At the time of analysis, the Bronx had the highest COVID-19 case and death rates, while Manhattan had the lowest rates. Significant predictors of a higher COVID-19 case rate were determined to be proportion of residents aged 65 years plus; proportion of residents under 65 years with a disability; proportion of White residents; proportion of residents without health insurance; number of grocery stores; and a higher ozone level. For COVID-19 death rates, predictors include proportion of residents aged 65 years plus; proportion of residents who are not US citizens; proportion on food stamps; proportion of White residents; proportion of residents under 65 years without health insurance; and a higher level of ozone. Results across boroughs were mixed, which highlights the unique demographic, socioeconomic, and community characteristics of each borough. To reduce COVID-19 inequities, it is vital that the NYC government center the environmental and social determinants of health in policies and community-engaged interventions adapted to each borough.
The Impact of the Introduction of Index Futures on the Daily Returns Anomaly in the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange
Authors: Truong Loc Dong , Friday H. Swint
Published: August 2021

This study investigated the impact of the introduction of the VN30-Index futures contract on the daily returns anomaly for the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE). Daily returns of the VN30-Index for the period 6 February 2012 through 31 December 2019 are used in this study to ascertain the new VN30-Index futures contract influence on the day-of-the-week anomaly observed in the HOSE. To test this effect, ordinary least square (OLS), generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity [GARCH (1,1)] and exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity [EGARCH (1,1)] regression models were employed. The empirical results obtained from the models support the presence of the day-of-the-week effect for the HOSE during the study period. Specifically, a negative effect was observed for Monday. However, the analysis revealed that the day-of-the-week effect was only present in stock returns for the pre-index futures period, not for the post-index futures period. These findings suggest that the introduction of the VN30-Index futures contract had a significant impact on the daily returns anomaly in Vietnam’s HOSE, providing evidence that the introduction of the index futures contract facilitated market efficiency.
The Spatial Concentration and Dispersion of Homicide during a Period of Homicide Increase in Brazil
Authors: Chainey Spencer P. , Gomes de Almeida Franklin Epiphanio
Published: August 2021

This study applies the principles of measuring micro-place crime concentration and the spatial dispersion of crime increase to the geographic unit of cities in Brazil. We identify that a small number of cities account for a large cumulative proportion of homicides, and that during a period of homicide increase 30 cities out of 5570 accounted for the equivalent national increase in homicides. The majority of the 30 cities were not established high homicide cities but instead were new emerging centers of homicide that neighbor high homicide cities. We suggest the findings can be used to better target effective programs for decreasing homicides.
Improving Urban Land Cover Classification with Combined Use of Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 Imagery
Authors: Hu Bin , Xu Yongyang , Huang Xiao , Cheng Qimin , Ding Qing , Bai Linze , Li Yan
Published: August 2021

Accurate land cover mapping is important for urban planning and management. Remote sensing data have been widely applied for urban land cover mapping. However, obtaining land cover classification via optical remote sensing data alone is difficult due to spectral confusion. To reduce the confusion between dark impervious surface and water, the Sentinel-1A Synthetic Aperture Rader (SAR) data are synergistically combined with the Sentinel-2B Multispectral Instrument (MSI) data. The novel support vector machine with composite kernels (SVM-CK) approach, which can exploit the spatial information, is proposed to process the combination of Sentinel-2B MSI and Sentinel-1A SAR data. The classification based on the fusion of Sentinel-2B and Sentinel-1A data yields an overall accuracy (OA) of 92.12% with a kappa coefficient (KA) of 0.89, superior to the classification results using Sentinel-2B MSI imagery and Sentinel-1A SAR imagery separately. The results indicate that the inclusion of Sentinel-1A SAR data to Sentinel-2B MSI data can improve the classification performance by reducing the confusion between built-up area and water. This study shows that the land cover classification can be improved by fusing Sentinel-2B and Sentinel-1A imagery.
Multicellular Human Cardiac Organoids Transcriptomically Model Distinct Tissue-Level Features of Adult Myocardium
Authors: Kerr Charles M. , Richards Dylan , Menick Donald R. , Deleon-Pennell Kristine Y. , Mei Ying
Published: August 2021

Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have been widely used for disease modeling and drug cardiotoxicity screening. To this end, we recently developed human cardiac organoids (hCOs) for modeling human myocardium. Here, we perform a transcriptomic analysis of various in vitro hiPSC-CM platforms (2D iPSC-CM, 3D iPSC-CM and hCOs) to deduce the strengths and limitations of these in vitro models. We further compared iPSC-CM models to human myocardium samples. Our data show that the 3D in vitro environment of 3D hiPSC-CMs and hCOs stimulates the expression of genes associated with tissue formation. The hCOs demonstrated diverse physiologically relevant cellular functions compared to the hiPSC-CM only models. Including other cardiac cell types within hCOs led to more transcriptomic similarities to adult myocardium. hCOs lack matured cardiomyocytes and immune cells, which limits a complete replication of human adult myocardium. In conclusion, 3D hCOs are transcriptomically similar to myocardium, and future developments of engineered 3D cardiac models would benefit from diversifying cell populations, especially immune cells.
Longitudinal and Transverse Relaxivity Analysis of Native Ferritin and Magnetoferritin at 7 T MRI
Authors: Strbak Oliver , Balejcikova Lucia , Kmetova Martina , Gombos Jan , Kovac Jozef , Dobrota Dusan , Kopcansky Peter
Published: August 2021

Magnetite mineralization in human tissue is associated with various pathological processes, especially neurodegenerative disorders. Ferritin’s mineral core is believed to be a precursor of magnetite mineralization. Magnetoferritin (MF) was prepared with different iron loading factors (LFs) as a model system for pathological ferritin to analyze its MRI relaxivity properties compared to those of native ferritin (NF). The results revealed that MF differs statistically significantly from NF, with the same LF, for all studied relaxation parameters at 7 T: r1, r2, r2*, r2/r1, r2*/r1. Distinguishability of MF from NF may be useful in non-invasive MRI diagnosis of pathological processes associated with iron accumulation and magnetite mineralization (e.g., neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and diseases of the heart, lung and liver). In addition, it was found that MF samples possess very strong correlation and MF’s relaxivity is linearly dependent on the LF, and the transverse and longitudinal ratios r2/r1 and r2*/r1 possess complementary information. This is useful in eliminating false-positive hypointensive artefacts and diagnosis of the different stages of pathology. These findings could contribute to the exploitation of MRI techniques in the non-invasive diagnosis of iron-related pathological processes in human tissue.
Novel Nested-Seq Approach for SARS-CoV-2 Real-Time Epidemiology and In-Depth Mutational Profiling in Wastewater
Authors: Avgeris Margaritis , Adamopoulos Panagiotis G. , Galani Aikaterini , Xagorari Marieta , Gourgiotis Dimitrios , Trougakos Ioannis P. , Voulgaris Nikolaos , Dimopoulos Meletios-Athanasios , Thomaidis Nikolaos S. , Scorilas Andreas
Published: August 2021

Considering the lack of effective treatments against COVID-19, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is emerging as a cost-effective approach for real-time population-wide SARS-CoV-2 monitoring. Here, we report novel molecular assays for sensitive detection and mutational/variant analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Highly stable regions of SARS-CoV-2 RNA were identified by RNA stability analysis and targeted for the development of novel nested PCR assays. Targeted DNA sequencing (DNA-seq) was applied for the analysis and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 mutations/variants, following hexamers-based reverse transcription and nested PCR-based amplification of targeted regions. Three-dimensional (3D) structure models were generated to examine the predicted structural modification caused by genomic variants. WBE of SARS-CoV-2 revealed to be assay dependent, and significantly improved sensitivity achieved by assay combination (94%) vs. single-assay screening (30%–60%). Targeted DNA-seq allowed the quantification of SARS-CoV-2 mutations/variants in wastewater, which agreed with COVID-19 patients’ sequencing data. A mutational analysis indicated the prevalence of D614G (S) and P323L (RdRP) variants, as well as of the Β.1.1.7/alpha variant of concern, in agreement with the frequency of Β.1.1.7/alpha variant in clinical samples of the same period of the third pandemic wave at the national level. Our assays provide an innovative cost-effective platform for real-time monitoring and early-identification of SARS-CoV-2 variants at community/population levels.
GATNNCDA: A Method Based on Graph Attention Network and Multi-Layer Neural Network for Predicting circRNA-Disease Associations
Authors: Ji Cunmei , Liu Zhihao , Wang Yutian , Ni Jiancheng , Zheng Chunhou
Published: August 2021

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a new class of endogenous non-coding RNAs with covalent closed loop structure. Researchers have revealed that circRNAs play an important role in human diseases. As experimental identification of interactions between circRNA and disease is time-consuming and expensive, effective computational methods are an urgent need for predicting potential circRNA–disease associations. In this study, we proposed a novel computational method named GATNNCDA, which combines Graph Attention Network (GAT) and multi-layer neural network (NN) to infer disease-related circRNAs. Specially, GATNNCDA first integrates disease semantic similarity, circRNA functional similarity and the respective Gaussian Interaction Profile (GIP) kernel similarities. The integrated similarities are used as initial node features, and then GAT is applied for further feature extraction in the heterogeneous circRNA–disease graph. Finally, the NN-based classifier is introduced for prediction. The results of fivefold cross validation demonstrated that GATNNCDA achieved an average AUC of 0.9613 and AUPR of 0.9433 on the CircR2Disease dataset, and outperformed other state-of-the-art methods. In addition, case studies on breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma showed that 20 and 18 of the top 20 candidates were respectively confirmed in the validation datasets or published literature. Therefore, GATNNCDA is an effective and reliable tool for discovering circRNA–disease associations.
Hepatic Proteomic Analysis of Selenoprotein T Knockout Mice by TMT: Implications for the Role of Selenoprotein T in Glucose and Lipid Metabolism
Authors: Li Ke , Feng Tiejun , Liu Leyan , Liu Hongmei , Huang Kaixun , Zhou Jun
Published: August 2021

Selenoprotein T (SELENOT, SelT), a thioredoxin-like enzyme, exerts an essential oxidoreductase activity in the endoplasmic reticulum. However, its precise function remains unknown. To gain more understanding of SELENOT function, a conventional global Selenot knockout (KO) mouse model was constructed for the first time using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique. Deletion of SELENOT caused male sterility, reduced size/body weight, lower fed and/or fasting blood glucose levels and lower fasting serum insulin levels, and improved blood lipid profile. Tandem mass tag (TMT) proteomics analysis was conducted to explore the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the liver of male mice, revealing 60 up-regulated and 94 down-regulated DEPs in KO mice. The proteomic results were validated by western blot of three selected DEPs. The elevated expression of Glycogen [starch] synthase, liver (Gys2) is consistent with the hypoglycemic phenotype in KO mice. Furthermore, the bioinformatics analysis showed that Selenot-KO-induced DEPs were mainly related to lipid metabolism, cancer, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway, complement and coagulation cascades, and protein digestion and absorption. Overall, these findings provide a holistic perspective into SELENOT function and novel insights into the role of SELENOT in glucose and lipid metabolism, and thus, enhance our understanding of SELENOT function.