bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early combination of albumin with crystalloids administration might be beneficial for the survival of septic patients: a retrospective analysis from MIMIC-IV database
Authors: Zhou Shiyu , Zeng Zhenhua , Wei Hongxia , Sha Tong , An Shengli
Published: March 2021

Background

Fluid therapy is a cornerstone in the treatment of sepsis. Recently, the guidelines have recommended the combined administration that using crystalloids plus albumin for septic patients, but the optimal timing for albumin combined is still unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of timing of albumin combined with 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis.

Methods

We involved septic patients from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database, and these patients were categorized into crystalloids group (crystalloids alone) and early combination group (crystalloids combined albumin at 0–24 h). The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. We used propensity score matching (PSM) to adjust confounding and restricted mean survival time (RMST) analysis was conducted to quantify the beneficial effect on survival due to the combination group.

Results

We categorized 6597 and 920 patients in the “crystalloids alone” and “early combination”, respectively. After PSM, compared to the crystalloids group, the combination group was associated with the increased survival among 28-day (increased survival: 3.39 days, 95% CI 2.53–4.25; P < 0.001) after ICU admission. Patients who received albumin combination at the first 24-h was associated with prolonged LOS in ICU (10.72 days vs. 8.24 days; P < 0.001) but lower risk of 28-day mortality (12.5% vs 16.4%, P = 0.003) than those received crystalloids alone.

Conclusion

In septic patients, receiving albumin combined within the first 24-h after crystalloids administration was associated with an increment of survival in 28 days.
Uniform estimates with data from generalized Lebesgue spaces in periodic structures
Authors: Jang Yunsoo
Published: March 2021

We study various types of uniform Calderón–Zygmund estimates for weak solutions to elliptic equations in periodic homogenization. A global regularity is obtained with respect to the nonhomogeneous term from weighted Lebesgue spaces, Orlicz spaces, and weighted Orlicz spaces, which are generalized Lebesgue spaces, provided that the coefficients have small BMO seminorms and the domains are δ-Reifenberg domains.
A fractional order epidemic model for the simulation of outbreaks of Ebola
Authors: Pan Weiqiu , Li Tianzeng , Ali Safdar
Published: March 2021

The Ebola outbreak in 2014 caused many infections and deaths. Some literature works have proposed some models to study Ebola virus, such as SIR, SIS, SEIR, etc. It is proved that the fractional order model can describe epidemic dynamics better than the integer order model. In this paper, we propose a fractional order Ebola system and analyze the nonnegative solution, the basic reproduction number$R_{0}$R0, and the stabilities of equilibrium points for the system firstly. In many studies, the numerical solutions of some models cannot fit very well with the real data. Thus, to show the dynamics of the Ebola epidemic, the Gorenflo–Mainardi–Moretti–Paradisi scheme (GMMP) is taken to get the numerical solution of the SEIR fractional order Ebola system and the modified grid approximation method (MGAM) is used to acquire the parameters of the SEIR fractional order Ebola system. We consider that the GMMP method may lead to absurd numerical solutions, so its stability and convergence are given. Then, the new fractional orders, parameters, and the root-mean-square relative error$g(U^{*})=0.4146$g(U∗)=0.4146are obtained. With the new fractional orders and parameters, the numerical solution of the SEIR fractional order Ebola system is closer to the real data than those models in other literature works. Meanwhile, we find that most of the fractional order Ebola systems have the same order. Hence, the fractional order Ebola system with different orders using the Caputo derivatives is also studied. We also adopt the MGAM algorithm to obtain the new orders, parameters, and the root-mean-square relative error which is$g(U^{*})=0.2744$g(U∗)=0.2744. With the new parameters and orders, the fractional order Ebola systems with different orders fit very well with the real data.
Proinov type contractions on dislocated b-metric spaces
Authors: Alqahtani Badr , Alzaid Sara S. , Fulga Andreea , Roldán López de Hierro Antonio Francisco
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we improve the Proinov theorem by adding certain rational expressions to the definition of the corresponding contractions. After that, we prove fixed point theorems for these modified Proinov contractions in the framework of dislocated b-metric spaces. We show some illustrative examples to indicate the validity of the main results.
Differentiating IDH status in human gliomas using machine learning and multiparametric MR/PET
Authors: Tatekawa Hiroyuki , Hagiwara Akifumi , Uetani Hiroyuki , Bahri Shadfar , Raymond Catalina , Lai Albert , Cloughesy Timothy F. , Nghiemphu Phioanh L. , Liau Linda M. , Pope Whitney B. , Salamon Noriko , Ellingson Benjamin M.
Published: March 2021

Background

The purpose of this study was to develop a voxel-wise clustering method of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 3,4-dihydroxy-6-[18F]-fluoro-L-phenylalanine (FDOPA) positron emission tomography (PET) images using an unsupervised, two-level clustering approach followed by support vector machine in order to classify the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) status of gliomas.

Methods

Sixty-two treatment-naïve glioma patients who underwent FDOPA PET and MRI were retrospectively included. Contrast enhanced T1-weighted images, T2-weighted images, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images, apparent diffusion coefficient maps, and relative cerebral blood volume maps, and FDOPA PET images were used for voxel-wise feature extraction. An unsupervised two-level clustering approach, including a self-organizing map followed by the K-means algorithm was used, and each class label was applied to the original images. The logarithmic ratio of labels in each class within tumor regions was applied to a support vector machine to differentiate IDH mutation status. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curves, accuracy, and F1-socore were calculated and used as metrics for performance.

Results

The associations of multiparametric imaging values in each cluster were successfully visualized. Multiparametric images with 16-class clustering revealed the highest classification performance to differentiate IDH status with the AUC, accuracy, and F1-score of 0.81, 0.76, and 0.76, respectively.

Conclusions

Machine learning using an unsupervised two-level clustering approach followed by a support vector machine classified the IDH mutation status of gliomas, and visualized voxel-wise features from multiparametric MRI and FDOPA PET images. Unsupervised clustered features may improve the understanding of prioritizing multiparametric imaging for classifying IDH status.
Immediate and early loading of hydrothermally treated, hydroxyapatite-coated dental implants: a 7-year prospective randomized clinical study
Authors: Arghami Afarin , Simmons David , St. Germain Jeanne , Maney Pooja
Published: March 2021

Background

Existing research on marginal bone stability around hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated implants often lacks adequate long-term follow-up. The purpose of this randomized prospective study was to evaluate the 7-year outcome of patients with immediate and early loaded single-tooth restorations supported by implants with plasma-sprayed, partially HA-coated surfaces. Forty-two patients in need of 50 single implants were treated in in the Postgraduate Periodontics Clinic of Louisiana State University School of Dentistry. Implants were randomly divided into 2 groups: Group A was immediately loaded, and Group B was early loaded. Continuous follow-up with periodic maintenance care and radiographic evaluations was performed. The primary outcome of interest was implant survival, characterized using the Kaplan–Meier method. Secondary study outcome consisted of peri-implant crestal bone level changes. Data on age, sex, bone quality, implant location, length and diameter, and prior augmentation of the site were collected. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine whether the independent variables were associated with bone loss.

Results

One implant failed to maintain stability and was removed at 3 weeks. Thirty-four patients (14 males, 20 females with a total of 42 implants) completed the 7-year follow-up visit. Average age of evaluable patients was 52 in Group A and 55 in Group B. No significant difference was observed regarding sex and age distribution between the 2 groups. No significant difference was detected in the distribution of implant locations, types of bone, implant length, implant diameter, and augmentation status of the bone between the 2 groups. After 7 years of functioning for the 42 implants examined, implant survival rate was 100% for Group A and 95.5% for Group B. The results from this study of 50 implants showed that HA-coated Zimmer Tapered Screw-Vent Implants were clinically effective, with an overall cumulative 7-year survival rate of 98.0%. When comparing radiographic bone levels between 2-year and 7-year follow-ups, no significant differences in bone loss were found between Group A and Group B.

Conclusions

After 7 years in function, implants partially coated with plasma-sprayed and hydrothermally treated HA were clinically predictable when restored in occlusion immediately after or 3 weeks after implant placement.
Are Plantarflexor Muscle Impairments Present Among Individuals with Achilles Tendinopathy and Do They Change with Exercise? A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis
Authors: Hasani Fatmah , Vallance Patrick , Haines Terry , Munteanu Shannon E. , Malliaras Peter
Published: March 2021

Background

Understanding plantarflexor muscle impairments among individuals with Achilles tendinopathy (AT) may help to guide future research and inform clinical management of AT. Therefore, the aim of this review is to evaluate plantarflexor muscle impairments among individuals with AT and whether plantarflexor muscle function changes following resistance training interventions.

Methods

We searched relevant databases including Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid (MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED) and EBSCO (CINAHL Plus and SPORTDiscus) up to September 2020. Studies investigating plantarflexor muscle function were included if they met the following criteria: (1) any study design enabled comparison of plantarflexor muscle function between individuals with and without AT, or the affected and unaffected side of individuals with unilateral AT, and (2) any studies enabled investigation of change in plantarflexion muscle function over time with use of resistance training intervention. We included studies that recruited adults with either insertional or mid-portion AT of any duration. Study selection, quality assessment and data extraction were undertaken independently by two reviewers. Discrepancies were resolved via discussion, or by consulting a third reviewer where necessary. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools specific to each study design were used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. Grading the strength of evidence for each outcome was determined according to the quality and number of studies.

Results

A total of 25 studies (545 participants) met inclusion. Participants’ mean age was 40 ± 7 years old. Six studies were high quality for all domains, while the remaining were susceptible to the risk of bias (e.g. selection criteria, reporting findings). This review identified moderate evidence that individuals with AT have impairment in maximal plantarflexor torque (seven studies including one with a mixed population) on their affected side, compared with the unaffected side. Impairments were modest (9% and 13% [pooled effect divided by mean of the unaffected side scores]) and of uncertain clinical importance. The remaining evidence, primarily among individuals with mid-portion AT, showed conflicting impairments for plantarflexor function (i.e. explosive strength and endurance) between sides. There was limited to very limited evidence for improvement in plantarflexor endurance (7% and 23%) but not power or strength (five studies including one with a mixed population for strength) over time, despite individuals undertaking several weeks of resistance training.

Conclusions

Plantarflexor impairments appear more common between sides than compared with control groups but given limitations in the literature further exploration of these relationships is needed.

Registration

PROSPERO Database; number CRD42019100747.
Snow removal maintained a high level of physical activity in patients undergoing hemodialysis in heavy snowfall areas
Authors: Sato Yoichi , Iino Noriaki
Published: March 2021

Background

Physical activity is an essential parameter associated with the prognosis of hemodialysis patients. Physical activity has regional characteristics; for example, snow removal is imperative in snowbelts during the winter. This study investigated the effects of removing snow on the physical activity levels of hemodialysis patients living in a snowbelt.

Methods

This study retrospectively examined 28 patients who underwent hemodialysis (age 69.6 ± 15.4 years, 19 males) in Uonuma Kikan Hospital between December 2019 and March 2020. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Patients were divided into a snow remover group and a non-snow remover group. We examined whether there were differences in physical or mental functioning and physical activity between the two groups. We also investigated the factors that influence high levels of physical activity among hemodialysis patients using multivariate linear regression analysis.

Results

The snow remover group had significantly greater grip strength, higher sit-to-stand test scores and gait speed, and a lower prevalence of frailty than the non-snow remover group. The level of physical activity was also significantly higher in the snow remover group. One of the patients in the snow remover group was frail. The univariate linear regression analysis showed that physical activity was related to age, grip strength, sit-to-stand test score, gait speed, and snow removal. In the multivariate linear regression analysis, snow removal and grip strength were significantly associated with a high level of physical activity.

Conclusions

Among hemodialysis patients living in a snowbelt, the snow remover group had significantly better physical functioning and a higher level of physical activity.
Discrete choice experiments or best-worst scaling? A qualitative study to determine the suitability of preference elicitation tasks in research with children and young people
Authors: Rogers Helen J. , Marshman Zoe , Rodd Helen , Rowen Donna
Published: March 2021

Background

Ordinal tasks are increasingly used to explore preferences for health states. This study aimed to determine the suitability of two ordinal preference elicitation tasks (discrete choice experiments (DCE) and best-worst scaling (BWS)) for use with children and young people to generate health state utility values. The study explored children’s understanding, the relationship between their age and level of understanding, and how many tasks they felt they could complete.

Methods

Children aged 11–16 years were recruited from a secondary school in South Yorkshire, UK. Participants were asked to ‘think aloud’ as they completed a computer-based survey that contained both DCE and BWS tasks relating to dental caries (tooth decay) health states. Health states involved descriptions of the impact of tooth decay on children’s daily lives. One-to-one semi-structured interviews were then held with participants, with use of a topic guide. Qualitative data were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.

Results

A total of 33 children (12 male, 21 female) participated, comprising 5–6 children from each school year group. Children expressed a preference for BWS and demonstrated a better understanding of these tasks than DCE. There was no clear relationship between children’s level of understanding and age. Children felt they could manage between 8 and 10 BWS tasks comfortably.

Conclusion

This study suggests that BWS tasks are the most appropriate type of preference elicitation task to value health states for children and young people aged 11–16 years to complete.
Histopathological specialized staining of oral lichen planus-induced fibrotic changes and surgical treatment of associated restricted mouth opening: a case report
Authors: Shudo Atsushi
Published: March 2021

Background

Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory and immune-mediated disease that affects the oral mucosa. Recent findings have suggested that oral lichen planus is often associated with submucosal fibrotic changes. Fibrotic changes in the buccal submucosa may cause restricted mouth opening. This report discusses the histopathological examination (including specialized staining) and surgical treatment for oral lichen planus-induced fibrotic changes.

Case presentation

Here, we describe a 63-year-old woman who had oral lichen planus with fibrotic changes. Her maximum mouth opening distance was approximately 30 mm due to submucosal fibrotic changes, and she exhibited gradual fibrosis progression. Histological examinations were performed to assess the oral lichen planus-induced fibrotic changes. Then, double Z-plasty were performed as treatment for restricted mouth opening. The immunohistochemical staining results were negative for cytokeratin 13 and positive in some layers for cytokeratin 17 and Ki-67/MIB-1. Masson's trichrome staining showed enhanced collagen formation. Postoperative mouth opening training enabled the patient to achieve a mouth opening distance of > 50 mm.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that histopathological examination with specialized staining can aid in the evaluation of oral lichen planus-induced fibrotic changes, and that Z-plasty is effective for the treatment of restricted mouth opening due to oral lichen planus.
Cancer non-stem cells as a potent regulator of tumor microenvironment: a lesson from chronic myeloid leukemia
Authors: Mukaida Naofumi , Tanabe Yamato , Baba Tomohisa
Published: March 2021

A limited subset of human leukemia cells has a self-renewal capacity and can propagate leukemia upon their transplantation into animals, and therefore, are named as leukemia stem cells, in the early 1990’s. Subsequently, cell subpopulations with similar characteristics were detected in various kinds of solid cancers and were denoted as cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are presently presumed to be crucially involved in malignant progression of solid cancer: chemoresitance, radioresistance, immune evasion, and metastasis. On the contrary, less attention has been paid to cancer non-stem cell population, which comprise most cancer cells in cancer tissues, due to the lack of suitable markers to discriminate cancer non-stem cells from cancer stem cells. Chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells generate a larger number of morphologically distinct non-stem cells. Moreover, accumulating evidence indicates that poor prognosis is associated with the increases in these non-stem cells including basophils and megakaryocytes. We will discuss the potential roles of cancer non-stem cells in fostering tumor microenvironment, by illustrating the roles of chronic myeloid leukemia non-stem cells including basophils and megakaryocytes in the pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukemia, a typical malignant disorder arising from leukemic stem cells.
Gas hydrate identification and distribution in the Mexican Ridges, Mexico
Authors: Reverón Jorge , Tilita Marius , Harrold Toby , Hermoza Wilber , Sodden Caryn , Bonora Massimo
Published: March 2021

We have mapped gas hydrates, free gas, and bottom-simulating-reflector (BSR) distributions in an area of the Mexican Ridges, central Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, revealing the relationship between these three elements and the tectonostratigraphy. The three elements are more visible when the host rock is a high-porosity sandstone because there is a large seismic impedance contrast between the solid gas hydrates above and the free gas below, which manifests itself on the seismic as a BSR. Gas hydrates are identified in the well as higher resistivity sandstone layers with a strong positive amplitude. When the host rock has a higher shale content with lower porosity, the impedance contrast is lower and the BSR is weak or not visible. The study area in Mexican Ridges is an anticline where gas hydrates and free gas are trapped on the crest after migrating through the dipping layers and faults from synclines that are generated in calcareous shale. The main seal is mass transport complex deposits from the Pliocene; when they are not deposited at the crest of the anticline, there is gas escape to the seafloor in the form of a gas chimney. In this way, we established a complete petroleum system for gas hydrates and free gas on the Mexican Ridges.
Galactose-Modified PH-Sensitive Niosomes for Controlled Release and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Target Delivery of Tanshinone IIA
Authors: Hu Xixi , Zhang Jun , Deng Lulu , Hu Hao , Hu Junjie , Zheng Guohua
Published: March 2021

Increasing the drug tumor-specific accumulation and controlling their release is considered one of the most effective ways to increase the efficacy of drugs. Here, we developed a vesicle system that can target hepatoma and release drugs rapidly within tumor cells. This non-ionic surfactant vesicle is biodegradable. Galactosylated stearate has been used to glycosylate the vesicles to achieve liver targeting; replacement of a portion (Chol:CHEMS = 1:1) of cholesterol by cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHEMS) allows for a rapid release of drugs in an acidic environment. In vitro release experiments confirmed that galactose-modified pH-sensitive niosomes loaded with tanshinone IIA had excellent drug release performance in acid medium. In vitro experiments using ovarian cancer cells (A2780), colon cancer cells (HCT8), and hepatoma cell (Huh7, HepG2) confirmed that the preparation had specific targeting ability to hepatoma cells compared with free drugs, and this ability was dependent on the galactose content. Furthermore, the preparation also had a more substantial inhibitory effect on tumor cells, and subsequent apoptosis assays and cell cycle analyses further confirmed its enhanced anti-tumor effect. Results of pharmacokinetic experiments confirmed that the vesicle system could significantly extend the blood circulation time of tanshinone IIA, and the larger area under the curve indicated that the preparation had a better drug effect. Thus, the results of biodistribution experiments confirmed the in vivo liver targeting ability of this preparation. Niosomes designed in this manner are expected to be a safe and effective drug delivery system for liver cancer therapy.
Polarization contrasts and their effect on the gaze stabilization of crustaceans
Authors: Drerup Christian , How Martin J.
Published: March 2021

Many animals go to great lengths to stabilize their eyes relative to the visual scene and do so to enhance the localization of moving objects and to functionally partition the visual system relative to the outside world. An important cue that is used to control these stabilization movements is contrast within the visual surround. Previous studies on insects, spiders and fish have shown that gaze stabilization is achromatic (‘colour blind’), meaning that chromatic contrast alone (in the absence of apparent intensity contrasts) does not contribute to gaze stabilization. Following the assumption that polarization vision is analogous in many ways to colour vision, the present study shows that five different crustacean species do not use the polarization of light alone for gaze stabilization, despite being able to use this modality for detecting predator-like objects. This work therefore suggests that the gaze stabilization in many crustaceans cannot be elicited by the polarization of light alone.
An anti-narcolepsy drug reveals behavioral and fitness costs of extreme activity cycles in arctic-breeding songbirds
Authors: Payette Wesley I. , Hodinka Brett L. , Pullum Keelee B. , Richter Melanie M. , Ashley Noah T.
Published: March 2021

Sleep loss impairs cognitive function, immunological responses and general well-being in humans. However, sleep requirements in mammals and birds vary dramatically. In circumpolar regions with continuous summer light, daily sleep duration is reduced, particularly in breeding birds. The effect of an anti-narcolepsy drug (modafinil) to putatively extend wakefulness was examined in two species of closely related arctic-breeding passerine birds: Lapland longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus) and snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis). Free-living adult males were implanted during the nestling phase on day 4 (D4; 4 days post-hatching) with osmotic pumps containing either vehicle or modafinil to extend the active period for 72 h. Nestlings were weighed on D2 and D7 to measure growth rates. Additionally, focal observations were conducted on D6. Male longspurs receiving modafinil made fewer feeding visits and spent less time at the nest but tended to spend more time near the nest than controls. We observed no change in longspur nestling growth rates, but fledging occurred significantly later when males received modafinil, suggesting a fitness cost. In contrast, modafinil had no measurable impact on male or female snow bunting behavior, nestling growth rates or time to fledging. We suggest male longspurs compromise and maintain vigilance at their nests in lieu of sleeping because of the increased predation risk that is characteristic of their tundra nesting habitat. Snow buntings are cavity nesters, and their nests do not require the same vigilance, allowing males to presumably rest following provisioning. These life-history differences between species highlight the role of predation risk in mediating behavioral modifications to prolonged wakefulness in arctic-breeding songbirds.
Molecular Docking Study of Several Antiviral Drugs to Defeat Covid-19
Authors: Tuteja Jasdev S. , Patidar Priti , Mathew Shilpa E. , Prajapati Anil
Published: March 2021

Corona virus is one of the significant pathogens that destructs the human respiratory functioning. Deaths and casualties caused by coronaviruses (CoVs) include the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoV. The aim of the work was to compare several antiviral drugs and find out which is the most active drug that might be used in treatment for COVID -19. In this study Molecular Docking approach was used to determine the binding affinities of 62 antiviral molecules. The study was carried out using Molegro Virtual Docker 6.0 with PDB 2GTB procured from RCSB Protein Data Bank. Simeprevir and Telaprevir were discovered to be most potent having high MolDock and Rerank scores of -225.158, -78.4383 and -209.467, -136.155 respectively. Further studies may be conducted to design more potent analogue and defeat COVID-19.
Assessment of Neuropharmacological Profile of Ethanolic Extract of Lawsonia Inermis Flowers
Authors: Nishat Fathima Syeda Nishat Fathima , G Hemalatha , T Smitha , M Rama
Published: March 2021

On preliminary basis neuropharmacological profile of ethanolic extract of flowers of Lawsonia inermis was carried out. For assessing the activity of flowers on central nervous system locomotor activity using actophotometer, muscle relaxant activity using rotarod apparatus, pentobarbital-induced hypnosis and anticonvulsant activity by maximal electroshock test was performed.  Ethanolic extract of flowers of Lawsonia inermis decreased the motor activity by 48.63 % and showed 49.03% noteworthy muscle relaxation along with 127.73% potentiation of pentobarbital-induced sleeping time and 66.67% decreased the duration of tonic hind leg extension of seizures activity.  The results conclude that the extract of flowers of Lawsonia inermis has significant central nervous system depressant activity. Further investigations are, however, necessary to explore mechanism(s) of action involved in these pharmacological activities.
On the Use of B-Splines as Ritz Variational Basis Functions to Solve the Schrodinger Equation (TISE) for a constrained free Quantum Particle
Authors: Mandyam N Anandaram
Published: March 2021

B-Splines as piecewise adaptation of Bernstein polynomials (aka, B-polys) are widely used as Ritz variational basis functions in solving many problems in the fields of quantum mechanics and atomic physics. In this paper they are used to solve the 1-D stationary Schrodinger equation (TISE) for a free quantum particle subject to a fixed domain length by using the Python software SPLIPY with different sets of computation parameters. In every case it was found that over 60 percent of energy levels had excellent accuracy thereby proving that the use of B-spline collocation is a preferred method.
Long Term UV Continuum and Line Variability in NGC 1275
Authors: Miranda Bryan Rithesh , Doddamani Vijayakumar H , P Vedavathi
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we present our results for the first time on long term emission-line and continuum variability studies using the International Ultraviolet Explorer’s final archive of UV spectroscopic data obtained in the wavelength region from 1150 Å to 3200 Å for NGC 1275, a dust dominated BL Lac characterized by the Rmax and  F-variance parameter. The UV continuum flux variability analysis presented in this paper covers more number of emission-line free continuum windows in the UV region centred at  1710 Å, 1800 Å, 2625 Å, 2875 Å & 3025 Å. We have obtained a higher value of Fvar  ~ 45 % at 1710 Å and a lower value of ~ 30 % at 1800 Å for the IUE's observational period of 1978 - 1989. The Lyα, C IV, C III] and Mg II emission lines have been observed as weaker line features on fewer occasions intermittently.
Hidden Experts in the Crowd: Using Meta-Predictions to Leverage Expertise in Single-Question Prediction Problems
Authors: Wilkening Tom , Martinie Marcellin , Howe Piers D. L.
Published: March 2021

Modern forecasting algorithms use the wisdom of crowds to produce forecasts better than those of the best identifiable expert. However, these algorithms may be inaccurate when crowds are systematically biased or when expertise varies substantially across forecasters. Recent work has shown that meta-predictions—a forecast of the average forecasts of others—can be used to correct for biases even when no external information, such as forecasters’ past performance, is available. We explore whether meta-predictions can also be used to improve forecasts by identifying and leveraging the expertise of forecasters. We develop a confidence-based version of the Surprisingly Popular algorithm proposed by Prelec, Seung, and McCoy. As with the original algorithm, our new algorithm is robust to bias. However, unlike the original algorithm, our version is predicted to always weight forecasters with more informative private signals more than forecasters with less informative ones. In a series of experiments, we find that the modified algorithm does a better job in weighting informed forecasters than the original algorithm and show that individuals who are correct more often on similar decision problems contribute more to the final decision than other forecasters. Empirically, the modified algorithm outperforms the original algorithm for a set of 500 decision problems.

This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, decision analysis.
Avaliação das boas práticas em restaurantes do município de Joinville, Santa Catarina
Authors: Oliveira Renata Carvalho , Da Silveira Rosinei De Assis , Mafra Rafaella
Published: March 2021

Introdução: O aumento da alimentação fora de casa tem relação direta com a expansão dos serviços de alimentação. Por conta dessa expansão, tornam-se necessários estudos que avaliem as condições higiênico-sanitárias e de boas práticas nos estabelecimentos. Objetivo: Avaliar as boas práticas de manipulação de alimentos em restaurantes de Joinville-SC. Método: Coleta de dados realizada por meio da aplicação da lista de verificação de boas práticas para serviços de alimentação (checklist), integrante da Resolução Normativa nº 3 da Diretoria de Vigilância Sanitária do Estado de Santa Catarina, em conformidade com a RDC n° 216/2004 da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária. Resultados: Aplicou-se a checklist em 30 restaurantes, sendo que apenas um foi classificado como plenamente satisfatório, com índice de adequação de 81,8%; dois foram classificados como satisfatórios, com média de 53,0% de conformidades; e os demais 27 estabelecimentos obtiveram índice de adequação inferior a 50,0%, sendo classificados como insatisfatórios. Conclusão: Considerando os resultados, se faz necessário adotar medidas operacionais e corretivas para controle dos pontos críticos. Estas devem ser realizadas e reforçadas pelos nutricionistas que atuam em restaurantes, com o objetivo de reduzir as não conformidades e, consequentemente, os riscos de doenças transmitidas por alimentos.
Associação entre força de preensão manual e indicadores nutricionais em pacientes em tratamento hemodialítico
Authors: Almeida Ellen De Souza , Silva Danielle Cristina Guimarães da , De Almeida Joice Natielle Mariano , Dos Santos Thailane Carvalho
Published: March 2021

Objetivo: Verificar a associação entre a força de preensão manual (FPM) e indicadores nutricionais em pacientes em tratamento hemodialítico do Oeste da Bahia. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo transversal, realizado com pacientes adultos e idosos, cadastrados em uma unidade de hemodiálise do Oeste da Bahia. Foi aplicado questionário estruturado com questões referentes às condições sociodemográficas e realizada análise das variáveis antropométricas, de composição corporal, clínicas e bioquímicas. A FPM foi medida do lado não fistuloso com um dinamômetro hidráulico da marca SAEHAN® (Saehan corporation – SH5001). A análise dos dados foi realizada com o auxílio do software Stata 13.1. Resultados: Foram avaliados 113 pacientes, com predominância do sexo masculino (60,55%) e faixa etária de 35 a 59 anos (57,52%). Foram encontradas associações positivas entre a altura e a FPM, sendo que quanto maior a altura, maior é a força (p = 0,020). O maior peso corporal após sessão de hemodiálise também se apresentou associado à maior FPM (p = 0,002). A medida da prega cutânea tricipital mostrou associação inversa (p = 0,007) e o ângulo de fase foi positivamente associado à FPM (p = 0,018). Conclusão: A força de preensão manual foi associada positivamente a altura, peso corporal após sessão de hemodiálise e ângulo de fase. Em contrapartida, a FPM associou-se negativamente à prega cutânea tricipital.
Pre-hospital use of early warning scores to improve detection and outcomes of sepsis
Authors: Maciver Marina
Published: March 2021

Sepsis is a life-threatening complication from infection. The early detection of sepsis pre-hospital is challenging. Early warning scores (EWS) are used in hospitals to identify deteriorating patients. The pre-hospital setting could be a beneficial extension to the use of EWSs. This review aimed to determine whether EWSs can identify patients with sepsis pre-hospital and predict patient outcomes. Bibliographic databases were searched for studies evaluating the pre-hospital use of EWSs. Studies were screened using eligibility criteria. Two studies examined the ability of pre-hospital EWSs to identify patients with critical illness, showing high sensitivity but low specificity. Four studies determined the prognostic effects of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS). The patients identified by NEWS to be high-risk were associated with worse outcomes. This systematic review demonstrated the successful use of EWSs in the pre-hospital setting, in identifying patients most at risk of deterioration and as a useful tool for decision-making.
Optimising resources: an evidence-based pathway using UrgoStart for community-based patients with wounds
Authors: Milne Jeanette , Nichols Joanne
Published: March 2021

Providing a co-ordinated and strategic approach to the assessment, treatment and management of chronic wounds in healthcare is central to the provision of effective nursing practice and optimisation of resources in community nursing. This article describes a project conducted in Northumberland by a tissue viability team and a district nursing team to implement an evidence-based treatment pathway for patients with leg ulcers. It discusses the multiple positive benefits of this project—to the NHS, nursing staff and patients—and provides detailed information for other nursing teams to implement such a plan.
The tip of the iceberg: an overview of diabetic foot disease
Authors: Wilson Pauline , Patton Declan
Published: March 2021

Diabetic foot disease is the leading cause of lower-extremity amputation globally and imposes a significant burden for healthcare services and patients alike. The main pathology is ulceration, due to neuropathy or peripheral arterial disease. The most frequent sign is ulceration on the foot. Ulceration needs to be referred to the multidisciplinary diabetic foot team promptly for a comprehensive management plan to be developed. Delay in referral is associated with poor outcomes. Management of diabetic foot ulceration is multifaceted, including offloading, revascularisation, infection control, debridement, glycaemic control and wound care. Management plans need to be patient focused and developed collaboratively across primary and secondary care settings.
Prehospital osmotherapy in isolated traumatic brain injury: a systematic review
Authors: Williams Gareth Vaughan
Published: March 2021

Background:

Isolated traumatic brain injury (TBI) accounts for 30% of injury-related deaths globally, with significant cost to individual health, lifestyle and the economy. Despite advances in prehospital trauma care, frontline paramedics have limited options to manage cerebral oedema and herniation. Prehospital osmotherapy could limit cerebral oedema and subsequent secondary brain injury, but uncertainties remain of its benefit to patient outcomes.

Aim:

This study aimed to explore whether prehospital osmotherapy such as hypertonic saline (HTS) could improve mortality and neurological outcomes in adults with severe isolated TBI compared with other products.

Methods:

Multiple electronic databases (PubMed, MAG Online Library, EMBase and Cochrane Library) were searched to investigate the impact of prehospital osmotherapy on mortality and neurological outcome.

Findings:

9005 articles were identified, with six articles fully meeting the research aim. The majority of literature was high quality with an overriding consensus that administration of prehospital HTS or other hyperosmolar products had limited benefit to patient mortality and neurological outcome in isolated TBI.

Conclusion:

High-quality literature demonstrated that there is no current strong argument to adopt prehospital osmotherapy for isolated TBI. Paramedics should prioritise managing hypoxia and hypotension, which have proven impacts on long-term mortality and neurological outcomes. Future research should focus on the benefits of the expansion of rapid sequence intubation to advanced paramedics and appropriate analgesia (ketamine) for paramedics to enhance isolated TBI management in UK paramedic practice. However, paramedics should not disregard the importance of fundamental basic resuscitation skills in isolated TBI.
Phytophagous insects and predatory arthropods in soybean and zinnia
Authors: Anggraini Erise , Nur anisa Wida , Herlinda Siti , Irsan Chandra , SUPARMAN Suparman , Suwandi Suwandi , Umar harun Muhammad , GUNAWAN BAMBANG
Published: March 2021

Abstract. Anggraini E, Anisa WN, Herlinda S, Irsan C, Suparman S, Suwandi S, Harun MU, Gunawan B. 2021. Phytophagous insects and predatory arthropods in soybean and zinnia. Biodiversitas 22: 1405-1414. In Indonesia, soybean is the third most important commodity after rice and corn. Cultivation technique such as planting hedgerows was expected to attract and retain natural enemies of pest predators. This study was conducted to determine the phytophagous insects and predatory arthropods species in soybean (Glycine max L.) and zinnia (Zinnia sp., hybrids) plants as refugia. This study utilized three methods i.e., visual observation, pitfall trap, net-trap in both soybean and zinnia planting areas. All collected insects were carried to the laboratory for observation and identification using insect determination key book. Insect identification was based on their morphological characteristics. The results study showed that phytophagous and predatory arthropods were found in both soybean and zinnia plantations in Agro-Techno Center (ATC), Sriwijaya University, Indonesia. There were 11 species of phytophagous and 5 species of entomophagous insects identified at soybean cultivation. Meanwhile, 5 species of phytophagous and 9 species of predatory arthropods including five spider species found, namely Pardosa distincta, Oxyopes javanus, Lycosa pseudomonas, Pardosa sp. and Drapetisca socialis at zinnia cultivation area. However, chi-square analysis (at alpha 0.05), confirmed that there was no significant difference between predatory arthropods in soybean and Zinnia the results indicate that soybean is might be suitable to be planted as refugia for predatory arthropods.
Morphological characteristics of Indonesian Rubus flowers
Authors: Normasiwi Suluh , Andi Salamah  , Muhammad Imam Surya
Published: March 2021

Abstract. Normasiwi S, Salamah A, Surya MI. 2021. Morphological characteristics of Indonesian Rubus flowers. Biodiversitas 22: 1441-1447. Rubus spp. are woody or herbaceous plants that can be used for fruit, ornamental and medicinal purposes. The increasing use of Rubus as a commercial species is highly dependent on the formation of high-quality genetic material. However, the lack of basic biological knowledge is one of the limiting factors in this development. This research aims to describe the morphological characters of Indonesian Rubus flowers at Cibodas Botanical Garden, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia. From January to June 2020, we observed nine Rubus species with five replications, namely R. alceifolius, R. chrysophyllus, R. ellipticus, R. fraxinifolius, R. linneatus, R. moluccanus, R. pyrifolius, R. rosifolius, and Rubus sp (Blackberry) in Cibodas Botanical Garden, Indonesia. The results showed variations in the characteristics of the pistil, stamens, torus shape, and duration of flowering stages between species. The mean value of the stamen-pistil ratio for R. pyrifolius was highest among other species (8.27), and R. fraxinifolius was the lowest (0.16). Furthermore, a correlation analysis between stamens and pistils for nine Rubus species was relatively positive (r = 0.598), similarly distinctly positive between pistils and fruits with r = 0.763. Flower development duration takes ranging 10-12 days from initiation to anthesis, depending on the species.
Indigeneous Streptomyces spp. isolated from Cyperus rotundus rhizosphere indicate high mercuric reductase activity as a pontential bioremediation agent
Authors: Rahayu Hanum Mukti , Putri Wahyu Aristyaning , Khasanah Anis Uswatun , SEMBIRING LANGKAH , Purwestri Yekti Asih
Published: March 2021

Abstract. Rahayu HM, Putri WA, Khasanah AU, Sembiring L, Purwestri YA. 2021. Indigenous Streptomyces spp. isolated from Cyperus rotundus rhizosphere indicate high mercuric reductase activity as a potential bioremediation agent. Biodiversitas 22: 1519-1526. The purification and characterization of mercuric reductase of four indigenous Streptomyces spp. from Cyperus rotundus L. rhizosphere in mercury-contaminated area have been investigated. Cell-free extract was obtained by disrupting cells using sea sand at 4 °C followed by centrifugation. Mercuric reductase was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis, and chromatography column (DEAE Sepharose anion column chromatography). The determination of optimum pH and temperature of mercuric reductase activity was measured based on the number of NADPH2 oxidized to NADP per mg protein per minute using a spectrophotometer. The molecular weight of mercuric reductase was determined using SDS-PAGE. Result showed that the highest specific activity of mercuric reductase was recorded from Streptomyces spp. BR28. The optimum pH and temperature of cell-free extract enzyme mercuric reductase were 7.5 and 80 °C, respectively. The enzyme was purified to 431.87-fold with specific activity 21918.95 U/mg protein. SDS PAGE showed that the molecular weight of mercuric reductase in Streptomyces spp. BR 28  ranged from 50 kDa to 75 kDa. It can be concluded that Streptomyces isolates contain mercuric reductase and have potential as mercury bioremediation agent to overcome mercury contamination in the environment.
Fucoxanthin identification and purification of brown algae commonly found in Lombok Island, Indonesia
Authors: Sulistiyani Yeni , SABDONO AGUS , AFIATI NORMA , HAERUDDIN HAERUDDIN
Published: March 2021

Abstract. Sulistiyani Y, Sabdono A, Afiati N, Haeruddin. 2021. Fucoxanthin identification and purification of brown algae commonly found in Lombok Island, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 1527-1534. Fucoxanthin is a significant carotenoid pigment found in brown algae. Fucoxanthin is the most human-exploited pigment in brown algae due to its health benefits such as antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, fucoxanthin has been mass-produced on an industrial scale as a food supplement. This work focused on identifying, purifying and comparing the fucoxanthin yield diversity at one study site quantitatively. Three brown algae commonly found in Lombok waters have been studied in this work: Sargassum cf. granuliferum, Sargassum polycystum, and Sirophysalis trinodis. Fucoxanthin was successfully identified using HPLC methods, TLC and Spectra absorption analysis. Using HPLC, fucoxanthin was identified at 450 nm wavelength, with a retention time of 3.088-3.095 min. Based on the TLC result, the Rf value of fucoxanthin is 0.46-0.47, while the spectra absorption maxima are 447.6-448.4 nm. The highest fucoxanthin yield was found in S. polycystum, followed by S. cf. granuliferum and Sirophysalis trinodis with 3.01 ± 0.01 mg/g, 2.21 ± 0.002 mg/g, and 0.95 ± 0.01 mg/g, respectively.
Molecular identification of a new isolate of actinobacteria ATIS61 and characterization of the protease activities
Authors: AMFAR FADHLIAH , Fitri Lenni , SUHARTONO SUHARTONO
Published: March 2021

Abstract. Amfar F, Fitri L, Suhartono. 2021. Molecular identification of a new isolate of actinobacteria ATIS61 and characterization of the protease activities. Biodiversitas 22: 1564-1569. Protease is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of peptide bonds in protein. Actinobacteria are one of bacterial groups that is able to produce protease. Actinobacteria are Gram-positive bacteria and mostly aerobic. This study aimed to identify protease-producing actinobacteria ATIS61 isolate using 16S rRNA gene and to characterize the protease activity. This study was experimental research, consisted of amplification and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, and protease activity test. The 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that ATIS61 isolate was closely related to Nocardia sp. strain 335427 with a 99.88% similarity and the result of phylogenetic tree construction was related to Nocardia farcinica strain ARS8 with Bootstrap 94%. Protease activity test showed the highest activity was on the eighth day of incubation at 0.115 U/mL. Protease activity based on temperature showed the highest activity at 40°C of 0.156 U/mL and the stability of protease towards temperature was stable at 40°C and 50°C. Protease activity showed that the highest protease activity was at pH 8 of 0.096 U/mL and the highest protease stability was also at pH 8. The addition of HgCl2 showed that it could inhibit protease activity with a value of 0.059 U/mL.