bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic Divergence for Seed Yield Enhancing and Quality Traits in Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.]
Authors: Kaur Harpreet , Singh Inderjit , Sethi Sorabh , Bhatia Dharminder , Gill B.S. , Singh Sarvjeet
Published: July 2022

Background: Pigeonpea has remarkable contribution in flourishing the Indian agricultural economy but over the decades, its productivity has remained stagnant. Presence of genetic diversity in breeding population is the key to develop high yielding varieties. Therefore the current study was aimed to explore genetic divergence among pigeonpea genotypes. Methods: A set of 178 pigeonpea germplasm lines were evaluated in randomized block design to assess the genetic divergence and clustering pattern of pigeonpea genotypes. Observations on various yield component traits were recorded. For the estimation of the Fe and Zn content ICP-OES (Perkin Elmer USA) was used. Mahalanobis D2 analysis was carried out to assess the genetic divergence. Result: Wide range of genetic diversity was revealed among lines for eleven traits studied. Mahalanobis D2 analysis grouped all the genotypes into eleven non-overlapping clusters. The inter cluster D2 values indicated that cluster IV and XI (21046.45) were the most diverse and cluster V and cluster VII (60.67) were the less diverse. Out of the eleven characters studied days to maturity, plant height and yield per plot contributed 93.32 per cent of the total divergence. Based on mean performances, cluster XI and cluster II were found to be beneficial for early flowering and early maturity genotypes, cluster V and cluster VII for number of pods per plant and yield per plot, respectively. The highest mean value for grain iron and zinc content was recorded in cluster III rendering simultaneous improvement for these traits. Therefore, trait-wise selection of diverse parents from different clusters would be desirable and beneficial.
¿Cómo comunicarnos en pandemia? Regulación de la discursividad y glotopolítica del COVID-19
Authors: Olave Arias Giohanny , De la Cruz Hernández Iskra
Published: July 2022

En este artículo se analizan comparativamente dos guías publicadas en la coyuntura de la pandemia de la COVID-19. El objetivo es evidenciar los modos de regulación de la discursividad y la orientación de esas intervenciones sobre el lenguaje, desde una perspectiva glotopolítica. La OMS, la OPS y el Gobierno colombiano estuvieron a cargo de estas publicaciones, dirigidas a los sectores responsables de gestionar la emergencia sanitaria. El análisis combina una exploración lexicométrica de las asociaciones y concordancias léxicas, con procedimientos interpretativosinferenciales inductivos. Los resultados muestran que el cambio del discurso del riesgo al discurso del daño reorienta las regulaciones sobre la comunicación hacia el disciplinamiento del decir público y privado. Se concluye que el tipo de lenguaje utilizado por las instituciones de salud pública reemplaza las explicaciones y los análisis requeridos en estas circunstancias, y unifica los puntos de vista a través de un discurso profundamente político que, sin embargo, no parece serlo.
Approaches to Stabilisation
Authors: Herbert Sian
Published: July 2022

This rapid literature review explores how approaches to stabilisation have varied by the donor, local context, and over time. While this paper was framed around a research question on the “Area Based Stabilisation” (ABS) approach, this term is barely used in the literature. Therefore, it is not possible to define an ABS approach or compare it to other approaches. However, there is considerable literature on approaches to stabilisation more generally, with some comparative analysis of approaches by donors and how these are evolving according to the context and some illustrative lessons from their application. As per the question from FCDO, this query also draws on analyses of the following case examples: Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience (RSS) of the Boko Haram-affected areas of the Lake Chad Basin Region; Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan; Area Based Recovery Approach (ABRA) in Iraq; and the Stabilisation Facility for Libya (SFL). As the Stabilisation Unit (2019) emphasises, as the purpose of engaging in stabilisation activities, and the political and conflict contexts, vary so much, it is only possible to draw out some generic/illustrative lessons across cases.
Causal relationship between allergy and seborrheic dermatitis
Authors: Barilo A. A. , Smirnova S. V.
Published: July 2022

Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease associated with overproduction of sebum and activation of the fungal skin microbiota characterized by the presence of erythematous pruritic patches and plaques with greasy scales in areas rich in sebaceous glands.

Aim. To study the spectrum of sensitization to food, pollen, and indoor and fungal allergens in patients with seborrheic dermatitis.

Materials and methods. The study researched features of the spectrum of sensitization to food, pollen, and fungal and indoor allergens in patients with seborrheic dermatitis (n = 40, aged 15–59 years) based on the data of an objective examination and the results of an allergen-specific test, including skin prick testing.

Results. It was determined that the most significant food allergens in seborrheic dermatitis are chicken eggs and grains. The incidence of polyvalent sensitization to food allergens was 40.0%. Additionally, high incidence of sensitization to pollen allergens, most often to weed and poaceae pollen, was revealed in patients with seborrheic dermatitis. Among indoor allergens, the highest incidence of sensitization was determined to house dust and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. Among fungal allergens, the highest incidence of sensitization was detected to Candida albicans. Conclusion. It was found that patients with seborrheic dermatitis are often sensitized to food, pollen, and indoor and fungal allergens. Therefore, allergy can be considered a risk factor for the development of pathology.
Screening of local hyaluronic acid injection modes to increase the efficiency of treating crush injury of soft tissues
Authors: Shperling I. A. , Shulepov A. V. , Shperling N. V. , Kuzmina O. Yu.
Published: July 2022

Aim. To study the state of microcirculation and metabolic activity of the soft tissues in the compression area in experimental crush injury after local hyaluronic acid injection and to determine the effective mode of its application.

Materials and methods. The experiments were carried out on 178 male Wistar rats aged 4–4.5 months and weighing 280–340 g. The study design included anesthesia, modeling of crush injury (CI), local injection of 1.75% hyaluronic acid (HA) solution into the compression area, systemic intravenous injection of 0.9% sodium chloride solution daily for 3 days, and a study of microcirculation and metabolism of the soft tissues in the damaged area 3, 7, 14, and 28 days after the injury.

Results. Early (3 hours after the injury) local application of HA for CI improved microcirculation, increased oxygen consumption, and activated oxidative metabolism in the skeletal muscles, which helped reduce the severity of destructive processes in the damaged area. The most effective injection mode was two-fold administration of HA: 3 hours after the compression cessation and additionally 24 hours after the injury.

Conclusion. In the crush injury, early local intramuscular injection of HA into the damaged area in the first few hours after the cessation of compression is a sanogenetically substantiated method for correcting traumatic ischemia of the muscles.
Evolution of paradigms in the study of depression: from a unitary concept to a biopsychosocial model and interdisciplinary approaches
Authors: Kornetov A. N.
Published: July 2022

The review is devoted to the consideration of the history of paradigms in the study of depressive disorders in terms of modern understanding of depression in psychiatry and clinical and medical psychology and its correlation with the biopsychosocial model in medicine. The review also contains works devoted to the study of the prevalence and comorbidity of depressive disorders and their relationship with suicidal behavior. The existing limitations in the study of depressive disorders in psychiatry and clinical psychology and the issues of interdisciplinary integration and interdisciplinary barriers are considered in detail. The review includes publications indexed in the Web of Science, Scopus, Russian Science Citation Index, and PubMed databases. Depression is a major medical and psychological problem due to its widespread prevalence in the general population, in primary care, among patients with various chronic somatic symptom disorders who receive treatment in community and specialized hospitals and clinics, and among clients of psychological centers and social services. In 1996, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, based on the materials of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, published estimates and prognosis for the prevalence of depressive disorders around the world. According to their data, depression in 1990 was ranked 4th in terms of the severity of the leading causes of the burden of the disease, and according to the baseline scenario of development, by 2020 it should have been ranked 2nd after coronary artery disease. The review is focused on the need to revise the baseline scenario of development and start a new discussion on the study of depressive disorders under new conditions, such as the psychological state of society during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, as well as on the eve of healthcare transition to the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases.
Mechanisms of vascular aging
Authors: Stakhneva E. M. , Kashtanova E. V. , Polonskaya Ya. V. , Shramko V. S. , Ragino Yu. I.
Published: July 2022

Vascular aging plays a key role in morbidity and mortality in the elderly. With age, the vasculature undergoes changes characterized by endothelial dysfunction, wall thickening, decreased elongation, and arterial stiffness. The review focuses on the main cellular and molecular mechanisms of aging, including oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, increased arterial stiffness, and molecular genetic aspects. Their role in the pathogenesis of diseases associated with aging is considered. Some of the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes include increased expression and activation of matrix metalloproteinases, activation of transforming growth factor β1 signaling, increased levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α, and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP), and activation of proinflammatory signaling pathways. These events can be caused by vasoactive agents, such as angiotensin II and endothelin-1, the levels of which increase with aging. For prevention of cardiovascular diseases, it is important to understand the mechanisms underlying age-related pathophysiological changes in the blood vessels.
Features of vasoactive substance regulation in chorionic villi in women with spontaneous abortion and active cytomegalovirus infection
Authors: Andrievskaya I. A. , Ishutina N. N. , Dovzhikova I. V. , Prikhodko N. G. , Kutepova O. L.
Published: July 2022

The aim of the study was to assess the levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1), placental growth factor (PlGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in tissue extracts in comparison with the histologic examination of the endometrium and chorionic villi in women with spontaneous abortion and active cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

Materials and methods. 81 women at 7–9 weeks of pregnancy were examined: of them, 51 women were CMVseropositive with active infection and after spontaneous abortion, and 30 patients were CMV-seronegative, healthy women after therapeutic abortion. Immunoglobulins (Ig) M and G to CMV and CMV IgG avidity were measured in the blood plasma; sFlt1, PlGF, and VEGF-A were determined in extracts of chorionic villi by enzyme immunoassay. CMV DNA was detected in mononuclear cells of peripheral blood, urine, and chorionic villi by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A histologic examination of the endometrium and chorionic villi was carried out.

Results. In chorionic villus extracts of women with spontaneous abortion and active CMV infection, the concentration of sFlt1 was 3.25 times higher (p < 0.001), and the levels of PlGF and VEGF-A were 1.31 (p < 0.001) and 2.16 times lower (p < 0.001) than in healthy women. A strong negative correlation was established between the levels of sFlt1 and PlGF (r = –0.702; p < 0.001) and VEGF-A (r = –0.858; p < 0.0005), and a positive correlation was revealed between PlGF and VEGF-A levels (r = 0.860; p < 0.001). According to the data of the histologic examination, a lag in decidual transformation of uterine vessels, trophoblast invasion, growth and differentiation of villi, and formation of fetal circulation was detected.

Conclusion. The mechanisms of spontaneous abortion in women with active CMV infection include an imbalance of pro- and anti-angiogenic factors, which causes impaired placental development and uteroplacental circulation.
Evaluation of the cytotoxic activity and toxicity of a tropolone derivative with a potential antitumor effect
Authors: Kit O. I. , Minkin V. I. , Lukbanova E. A. , Sayapin Yu. A. , Gusakov E. A. , Sitkovskaya A. O. , Filippova S. Yu. , Komarova E. F. , Volkova A. V. , Khodakova D. V. , Mindar M. V. , Lazutin Yu. N. , Engibaryan M. A. , Kolesnikov V. E.
Published: July 2022

The aim. To study the toxicity of 2-(6,8-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-chloroquinoline-2-yl)-5,6,7-trichloro-1,3-tropolone in vitro and in vivo.

Materials and methods. 2-(6,8-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-chloroquinoline-2-yl)-5,6,7-trichloro-1,3-tropolone was synthesized using a method for expanding the o-quinone cycle during the reaction between 5-nitro-2,6,8-trimethyl4-chloroquinoline and 3,4,5,6-tetrachloro-1,2-benzoquinone while boiled in dioxane. An in vitro experiment was carried out in the human A549 cell line. Cell viability was assessed using the MTT colorimetric assay by reducing the optical density of the experimental samples compared with the control ones. Acute toxicity was studied on 20 BALB/c Nude male mice. The test compound was administered once orally as a suspension in 1% starch gel at three doses: 0.0055 (group 1), 0.055 (group 2) and 0.55 mg / g (group 3). The control group (group 4) received a placebo.

Results. We synthesized a new compound, 2-(6,8-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-chloroquinoline-2-yl)-5,6,7-trichloro-1,3-tropolone. Its structure was established by 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. The yield was 19.8 g (52%), the melting point was 205–207 ºС, bright yellow crystals (benzene) were observed. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 2-(6,8-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-chloroquinoline-2-yl)-5,6,7-trichloro-1,3-tropolone was 0.21 ± 0.01 μM, which was significantly lower (р < 0.05) than the IC50 of cisplatin (3.84 ± 0.23). Following the in vivo experiment, no toxic effect of tropolone was detected when administered once at a dose of 0.0055, 0.055, and 0.55 mg / g.

 

Conclusion. 2-(6,8-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-chloroquinoline-2-yl)-5,6,7-trichloro-1,3-tropolone demonstrated cytotoxic effects on the A549 cell line at a lower IC50 than cisplatin which is widely used in treatment of cancers, including lung cancer. Insolubility of 2-(6,8-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-chloroquinoline-2-yl)-5,6,7-trichloro-1,3-tropolone in water and the absence of its toxic effect in the studied modes determine the scope of its application for further study of cumulative and antitumor effects.
A Study of Support Vector Regression-Based Fuzzy c-Means Algorithm on Incomplete Data Clustering
Authors: Shi Maolin , Wang Zihao ,   School of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University 301, Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province 212013, China,   Zhonghui Rubber Technology Co., Ltd. Yuqi Industrial Zone, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214183, China,   International School of Information Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology No.2 Linggong Road, Ganjingzi District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province 116024, China
Published: July 2022

Support vector regression-based fuzzy c-means algorithm (SVR-FCM) clusters data according to their relationship among attributes, which can provide competitive clustering results for the dataset having functional relationship among attributes. In this paper, we study the performance of SVR-FCM on incomplete data clustering. The conventional incomplete data clustering strategies of fuzzy c-means algorithm (FCM) are first applied to SVR-FCM, and a new strategy named MIS strategy is designed to assist SVR-FCM handle incomplete data as well. A number of synthetic datasets are used to study the effect of data missing rate and missing attribute numbers on the performance of SVR-FCM based on different incomplete data clustering strategies. Several engineering datasets are used to test the performance of the current and proposed incomplete data clustering strategies for SVR-FCM. The results indicate that SVR-FCM can provide better clustering results than FCM for the dataset having functional relationship among attributes even if it has missing values, and the proposed MIS strategy can assist SVR-FCM to achieve the best clustering results for most datasets.
A Modified Disturbance-Rejection Approach in Networked Control Systems Based on Adaptive Model Predictive Control and Equivalent-Input-Disturbance
Authors: Li Meiliu , She Jinhua , Liu Zhen-Tao , He Wangyong , Wang Feng , Zhao Juan , Ohyama Yasuhiro ,   School of Automation, China University of Geosciences No.388 Lumo Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430074, China,   Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Control and Intelligent Automation for Complex Systems No.388 Lumo Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430074, China,   Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Technology for Geo-Exploration, Ministry of Education No.388 Lumo Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430074, China,   School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Technology 1404-1 Katakura, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0982, Japan
Published: July 2022

This paper presents an adaptive compensation control strategy for packet losses, time delays, and exogenous disturbances in a networked control system. The structure consists of five parts: a plant, a Luenberger observer, an equivalent-input-disturbance (EID) estimator, an adaptive model predictive controller (AMPC), and a network. The AMPC in the local main control room produces an adaptive tracking gain, which can ensure the effective tracking of the reference signal in the presence of uncertainty and time delays in the plant. The EID estimator at the local site compensates for packet losses and exogenous disturbances through an independently designed state observer and a low-pass filter. A practical application case results show the effectiveness of the presented method compared with the conventional EID approach.
Impact of Intelligent Development on the Total Factor Productivity of Firms – Based on the Evidence from Listed Chinese Manufacturing Firms
Authors: Huang Jian , Wei Jiangying ,   Social Sciences Research & Management Division, Huaqiao University No.668 Jimei Avenue, Jimei District, Xiamen 361021, China,   Institute of Quantitative Economics, Huaqiao University No.668 Jimei Avenue, Jimei District, Xiamen 361021, China
Published: July 2022

The new industrial revolution featuring artificial intelligence (AI) as its core is flourishing globally. However, there are many controversies surrounding the impact of AI on productivity owing to the different understandings of its development. Thus, this study adopts a text mining method to construct indicators for measuring the intelligent development of enterprises based on the information obtained from the annual reports of listed Chinese manufacturing companies from 2009 to 2019. To explore the impact of intelligent development on the total factor productivity (TFP) of enterprises, fixed-effect regression and panel threshold models are employed to empirically prove its overall and threshold effects. The result reveals that the impact of intelligent development on TFP of enterprises is significantly positive at the aggregate level. Regarding the stage characteristics, “Solow’s paradox” exists in the development of intelligence. The effect of intelligence development on TFP is not significant at its early stage; moreover, the rapid development of intelligence exerts a “promotion effect.” However, at the extreme stage (when intelligent development crosses the critical value), it exerts a negative effect on the TFP of enterprises.
CNN-GRUA-FC Stock Price Forecast Model Based on Multi-Factor Analysis
Authors: Yang Shuying ,   School of Computer Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology No.391 Bin Shui Xi Dao Road, Xiqing District, Tianjin 300384, China, Guo Haiming , Li Junguang
Published: July 2022

To predict stock prices, this paper proposes a CNN-GRUA-FC model based on multi-factor analysis for time series forecasting. First, we use the random forest algorithm to evaluate the importance of the factor series, selecting the factor series of greater importance as the input of the subsequent prediction model. We then use the convolutional neural network (CNN) to extract the spatial characteristics of stock data for prediction, taking advantage of the gated recurrent unit (GRU) neural network to extract the dynamic characteristics of stock data and make prediction. Additionally, we combine an attention mechanism with the GRU neural network (GRUA) to improve its prediction performance. Finally, the prediction results of the two different sub-models are passed through the fully connected (FC) layer to obtain the final predictions. The results show that the prediction accuracy of the CNN-GRUA-FC prediction model proposed in this paper is higher than that of other models.
Influence of China’s Population Aging on Household Consumption – Based on the Data from China Family Panel Studies
Authors: Chen Lizhen , Zhao Xindong ,   School of Economics and Finance, Huaqiao University No.269, Chenghua North Road, Quanzhou, Fujian 362021, China,   Institute of Quantitative Economics, Huaqiao University No.668, Jimei Avenue, Xiamen, Fujian 361021, China
Published: July 2022

Based on the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS2016) data, this study empirically tests the impact of population aging on household consumption. The results show that population aging promotes the basic living consumption expenditure of most households and inhibits the enjoyment or development consumption expenditure of most households. At the same time, low-level consumer families are more affected by population aging and income than high-level consumer families. Moreover, the impact of population aging on developmental consumption varies among families with different income levels, especially in medical and health expenditures. The higher the family income level, the smaller the impact. Finally, this study puts forward suggestions such as improving the social security mechanism, improving the level of education, releasing the consumption potential of the elderly, improving the consumption level, and promoting consumption upgrading.
Does Value-Based Care Threaten Joint Arthroplasty Access for Vulnerable Patient Populations?
Authors: Lin Eugenia , Bozic Kevin J. , Ibrahim Said , O’Connor Mary I. , Nelson Charles L.
Published: July 2022

Health-care expenses have been projected to increase from 17.7% of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014 to 19.6% in 2024. The unsustainable increase in health-care costs has contributed toward support for value-based health care (VBHC) reform. Contemporary VBHC reform programs relevant to orthopaedic surgery include the voluntary Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiatives (BPCI and BPCI-Advanced) and the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program, a mandatory bundled payment program.

The purported benefits of transitioning from volume-based reimbursement to value-based reimbursement include moving from a fragmented provider-centered care model to a patient-centered model, with greater care coordination and alignment among providers focused on improving value. VBHC models allow innovative strategies to proactively invest resources to promote value (e.g., the use of nurse navigators) while eliminating unnecessary resources that do not promote value. However, major concerns regarding VBHC include the absence of medical and socioeconomic risk stratification as well as decreased access for higher-risk patients.

This article identifies the benefits and potential unintended consequences of VBHC reform, with a focus on joint arthroplasty. We also discuss some potential strategies to promote innovation and improve value without compromising access for vulnerable patients.
Spontaneous Lumbar Curve Correction Following Vertebral Body Tethering of Main Thoracic Curves
Authors: Catanzano Anthony A. , Newton Peter O. , Bastrom Tracey P. , Bartley Carrie E. , Parent Stefan , Miyanji Firoz , Hoernschemeyer Daniel G. , Alanay Ahmet , Blakemore Laurel , Neal Kevin , Lonner Baron , Haber Lawrence , Shah Suken A. , Yaszay Burt ,   on behalf of the Harms Non-Fusion Study Group Investigators
Published: July 2022

Background:

Growth modulation through anterior vertebral body tethering (AVBT) has emerged as a fusionless option for the treatment of progressive scoliosis. When tethering the main thoracic curve, the compensatory thoracolumbar/lumbar curve must correct indirectly as a result. The present study evaluated the response of these lumbar curves following AVBT of the main thoracic curves.

Methods:

Patients who underwent thoracic AVBT and who had a minimum follow-up of 2 years were included. Magnitudes of the thoracic and lumbar curves were recorded preoperatively and at the first-erect and 2-year postoperative visits. Lumbar curves were further stratified according to their lumbar modifier (A, B, or C). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and repeated-measures ANOVA were performed to compare correction rates, and the Pearson coefficient was utilized to determine the correlation between the tethered thoracic curve and uninstrumented lumbar curve magnitudes.

Results:

A total of 218 patients were included. Thoracic curve correction was 40% at the first-erect visit and 43% at 2 years (p = 0.012). Lumbar correction was 30%, 26%, and 18% at the first-erect visit (p < 0.001 for all compared with preoperatively) and minimally changed at 31%, 26%, and 24% at 2 years for lumbar modifiers A, B, and C, respectively. A total of 118 patients (54%) showed thoracic curve improvement between the first-erect and 2-year visits. In a subgroup analysis, these patients had a correction in lumbar curve magnitude from preoperatively to the first-erect visit of 30%, 22%, and 16% for lumbar modifiers A, B, C, respectively, that increased to 42%, 34%, and 31% at 2 years, with strong correlation to thoracic correction at 2-year follow-up (r = 0.557, p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

Although there was immediate lumbar correction following AVBT of a main thoracic curve, further improvement following initial correction was only observed among patients with growth modulation of the thoracic curve. Considering all patients, the uninstrumented lumbar curve corrected 30% at 2 years and the instrumented thoracic curve corrected 40%. As indications for AVBT are refined, these data will provide insight into the response of the uninstrumented lumbar curve.

Level of Evidence:

Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Spectrophotometric Method Combined with HPLC for Bisphenol F Determination in Plastic Bottled Water and Thermal Paper
Authors: Habib Narjes Mohanad , Al-Tameemi Maha , Tofah Mohanad Lateef , Salman Nahlah Kadhim , Abdulkareem Hawraa Mahmood
Published: July 2022

Based on the diazotization-coupling reaction, a new, simple, and sensitive spectrophotometric method for determining of a trace amount of (BPF) is presented in this paper. Diazotized metoclopramide reagent react with bisphenol F produces an orange azo-compound with a maximum absorbance at 461 nm in alkaline solution. The experimental parameters were optimized such as type of alkaline medium, concentration of NaOH, diazotized metoclopramide amount, order additions, reaction time, temperature, and effect of organic solvents to achieve the optimal performance for the proposed method. The absorbance increased linearly with increasing bisphenol F concentration in the range of 0.5-10 μg mL-1 under ideal conditions, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9931 and a detection limit of 0.15 μg mL-1. The effect of different temperatures and different extraction time was studied on the leaching out and the data indicates that as time and temperature rising, the concentration of BPF leached out of all thermal papers increased. To confirm that extracts from thermal papers contained BPF, samples containing the analytic were subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-UV detector) analysis. The analysis was carried out on a C18 column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile/water (55/45v:v), and the detection was conducted spectrophotometrically at 230 nm. The retention time of standard BPF was determined to be 5.649 min and the peak eluting time for most thermal papers extract was at 5.6 minutes, demonstrating that BPF was present in the thermal papers. The method was applied to quantify the proposed analyses in a variety of samples with excellent results.
Seroprevalence, trends, and risk factors of hepatitis B and C among family replacement blood donors; a 7-year retrospective study at Sunyani Municipal Hospital, Ghana
Authors: Osei-Boakye Felix , Nkansah Charles , Appiah Samuel Kwasi , Derigubah Charles Angnataa , Mensah Kofi , Apandago Abraham Azumah , Boateng Vida Animah , Norsi Obed Gadufia , Kogh-Nuu Dominic
Published: July 2022

Background
Hepatitis B and C cause chronic infections which develop into liver-related sequelae, like cirrhosis and liver carcinoma. This study determined the prevalence, trends, and risk factors of HBV and HCV among family replacement blood donors.
Methods
A retrospective review of primary data on blood donors screened between January 2015 and December 2021 was conducted at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital. The data were assessed for seroprevalence, trends, and odds ratios using SPSS.
Results
Of 6847 donors, the majority were males (88.1% [6033]), ≤ 24 years (27.4% [1874]), of the O blood type (69.8% [4776]), and Rh-positive (89.9% [6154]). Seroprevalences of HBV and HCV were 3.2% and 1.9%, respectively, with more males infected with both HBV and HCV (3.4% vs 2.0%). Male donors were 2.842 times (CI: 1.500-5.385, p = 0.001) and 2.399 times (CI: 1.116–5.157, p = 0.025) more susceptible than females to HBV and HCV, respectively. In the rainy season, donors were 1.489 times (CI: 1.017–2.180, p = 0.041) more susceptible to HCV. HBV and HCV showed declining trends over the period (slope: -0.5464, p ≤ 0.001 vs slope: -0.6179, p ≤ 0.001).
Conclusion
Gender was significantly associated with both HBV and HCV, while season was significantly associated with HCV. The male gender and rainy season were significant determinants of both infections. The seroprevalence of HBV was higher than HCV despite the significant decline in both HBV and HCV seroprevalences. We, recommend health authorities intensify health education among males and during the rainy season. Also, local variations in the seroprevalence of these infections call for upgrade and standardisation in serological testing for blood donors across Ghanaian blood centres.
Comparison of Total and Hidden Blood Loss in Patients Undergoing Single-Level Open and Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion
Authors: Peng Yu-jian , Fan Zhi-ying , Wang Qian-liang , Dai Jun , Zhang Qian-zhong-yi , Cao Jun-yin , Liu Xiao-feng , Yan Jun
Published: July 2022

urpose: This study aimed to compare total blood loss (TBL) and hidden blood loss (HBL) in patients undergoing single-level open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (O-TLIF) and unilateral biportal endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (ULIF).Methods: A total of 28 patients who underwent ULIF and 30 patients who underwent O-TLIF from March 2020 to October 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. The Nadler’s formula was employed to estimate the patient’s blood volume (PBV), Gross’s formula to estimate TBL, and Sehat’s formula to estimate HBL. The obtained data were then analyzed with independent t test、chi-squared test, and analysis of covariance.Results: TBL and measured blood loss (MBL) in ULIF group (360.00±245.74 ml, 117.43±83.09 ml) was significantly lower than O-TLIF group (542.29±233.25ml, 306.30±108.98ml). Nevertheless, the HBL in ULIF group was higher than that in O-TLIF group (242.57±242.49 ml vs 235.99±236.53 ml), however this was not statistically significant. (P=0.917). The HBL was 67.38± 25.63% of TBL in ULIF group and 43.52±17.39% of TBL in O-TLIF group. Patients in ULIF group had lower TBL and MBL, shorter duration of drainage, lower postoperative anemia, and shorter postoperative hospital stay compared to those in O-TLIF group.Conclusions: Perioperative HBL should not be neglected in patients undergoing ULIF or O-TILF, as it accounts for a large percentage of TBL in both groups. ULIF is associated with lower TBL and MBL, postoperative anemia, shorter postoperative hospital stays compared with O-TLIF.
TEDC2 correlated with prognosis and immune microenvironment in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Fang Likui , Yu Wenfeng , Zhu Pengfei , Yu Guocan , Ye Bo
Published: July 2022

Tubulin epsilon and delta complex 2 (TEDC2) is a protein coding gene which function is poorly identified yet. This study aimed to identify the role of TEDC2 in prognosis and immune microenvironment of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases, the mRNA expression of TEDC2 was upregulated in LUAD tissues compared to normal tissues. The protein level of TEDC2 was also higher in LUAD in the Human Protein Atlas. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that high TEDC2 level could distinguish LUAD patients from normal subjects. In addition, the impact of TEDC2 expression on prognosis was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses, and the results suggested that high TEDC2 expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis and was the independent prognostic factor in LUAD. GO and KEGG pathway analyses indicated the co-expressed genes of TEDC2 were mainly related to mitotic cell cycle processes. Importantly, high expression of TEDC2 indicated low infiltration of immune cells, especially dendritic cells and B cells. TEDC2 was also positively correlated with immune checkpoints such as PDCD1, LAG3 and CD276. Taken together, this study preliminarily revealed the clinical significance of TEDC2 in LUAD and provided novel insights into the role of TEDC2 in immune microenvironment.
Fitness Dependent Optimizer for IoT Healthcare using Adapted Parameters: A Case Study Implementation
Authors: Aladdin Aso M. , Abdullah Jaza M. , Salih Kazhan Othman Mohammed , Rashid Tarik A. , Sagban Rafid , Alsaddon Abeer , Bacanin Nebojsa , Chhabra Amit , Vimal S. , Banerjee Indradip
Published: July 2022

This discusses a case study on Fitness Dependent Optimizer or so-called FDO and adapting its parameters to the Internet of Things (IoT) healthcare. The reproductive way is sparked by the bee swarm and the collaborative decision-making of FDO. As opposed to the honey bee or artificial bee colony algorithms, this algorithm has no connection to them. In FDO, the search agent's position is updated using speed or velocity, but it's done differently. It creates weights based on the fitness function value of the problem, which assists lead the agents through the exploration and exploitation processes. Other algorithms are evaluated and compared to FDO as Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) in the original work. The key current algorithms—The Salp-Swarm Algorithms (SSA), Dragonfly Algorithm (DA), and Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) have been evaluated against FDO in terms of their results. Using these FDO experimental findings, we may conclude that FDO outperforms the other techniques stated. There are two primary goals for this chapter: first, the implementation of FDO will be shown step-by-step so that readers can better comprehend the algorithm method and apply FDO to solve real-world applications quickly. The second issue deals with how to tweak the FDO settings to make the meta-heuristic evolutionary algorithm better in the IoT health service system at evaluating big quantities of information. Ultimately, The target of this chapter's enhancement is to adapt the IoT healthcare framework based on FDO to spawn effective IoT healthcare applications for reasoning out real-world optimization, aggregation, prediction, segmentation, and other technological problems.
Contrast-enhanced MRI in women with endometrial cancer: dynamic versus single-phase acquisitions
Authors: Lee Myoung Seok , Moon Min Hoan , Kim Taek Min , Jang Siwon , Oh Sohee , Cho Jeong Yeon
Published: July 2022

Background: The 2019 ESUR guidelines for endometrial cancer recommend performing either dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (CE MRI) or single-phase CE MRI. However, no study has directly compared these options. Therefore, this study compared dynamic versus single-phase CE MRI for the evaluation of myometrial invasion in women with endometrial cancer.Methods: This retrospective, single-institution comparative study was conducted among women with surgically proven endometrial cancer, including 30 consecutive women with single-phase CE MRI and 30 age- and pathologic stage-matched women with dynamic CE MRI. Three readers independently compared dynamic and single-phase CE MRI in terms of the tumor-myometrium signal intensity (SI) difference ratio, depth of myometrial invasion, image quality, and image number. Pathologic findings served as a reference standard for the depth of myometrial invasion.Results. The estimated mean SI difference ratios of dynamic CE MRI and single-phase CE MRI fell within an equivalence margin of 0.05 (90% confidence intervals; -0.0497 to 0.0165, -0.0226 to 0.0403, -0.0429 to 0.0433, respectively, for readers A, B, and C). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the detection of deep myometrial invasion was not significantly different between the acquisitions (P=0.3315, P=0.3345, and P=0.8593, respectively). Single-phase CE MRI showed significantly better image quality than dynamic CE MRI (P=0.0143, P=0.0042, and P=0.0066, respectively), while the median number of images for dynamic CE MRI was 2.4 times higher than that for single-phase CE MRI.Conclusions. Single-phase acquisition may be a better option for CE MRI in women with endometrial cancer than dynamic acquisition.
Genetic services in a resource-constrained African setting – diagnostic odysseys, limited testing strategies and the need for exome sequencing
Authors: Wiener Emma , Buchanan James , Lombard Zane , Krause Amanda
Published: July 2022

Background: Exome sequencing is recommended as a first-line investigation for the diagnosis of developmental disorders (DD). It is uncertain if this recommendation can be translated to a low-resource setting, due to a dearth of research into current diagnostic practices in such settings.Results: A file audit performed on 934 patients presenting to a medical genetics clinic in South Africa showed that 83% of patients presented with DD. Patients could be divided into three groups, representing distinct diagnostic pathways. Patient Group A (18%; mean test cost $131) had genetically confirmed aneuploidies. Patient Group B (25%; mean test cost $140) presented with clinically recognizable conditions however only 39% received a genetic diagnostic confirmation. Patient Group C – the largest group (57%; mean test cost $337) – presented with rare, less recognizable conditions and 92% remained undiagnosed after available testing was performed.Conclusions: Patients with DD are the largest group of patients seen in medical genetics clinics in South Africa. Diagnostic testing approaches are limited, so where clinical features are not distinct, the diagnostic yield is low. A significant proportion of these patients would benefit from first-line exome sequencing, from a time, diagnosis and cost perspective, reducing their individual diagnostic odysseys.
Climate Double Whammy: Assessing the Combined Climate Risks of
Overseas Power Projects
Authors: Li Xia , Gallagher Kevin , Chen Xu
Published: July 2022

This study deploys new data and examines the combined climate risks−i.e., the
combination of facilities’ climate change exposures and climate change impact−of
bilaterally-financed global power projects from the world’s three biggest economies:
the U.S., China, and Japan. We find a positive association between climate change
impacts and climate change exposures across these overseas power projects.
Specifically, coal power plants have significantly higher climate change impacts and
climate change exposures. Although hydropower projects can have low climate
change impacts, they have high climate change exposures compared to most other
fuel types. Projects financed by the U.S., China, and Japan have similar climate change
impacts and exposures. Greenfield foreign direct investment projects have lower
combined climate risks than projects financed by development finance institutions.
Association between Quality of Life with Depressive Symptoms, Anxiety, Stress, and Emotional Distress in Peruvian Cancer Patients: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Villarreal-Zegarra David , Malaquias-Obregon Sofía C. , García-Serna Jackeline , Vilela-Estrada Ana L. , Cabrera-Alva Milagros , Copez-Lonzoy Anthony
Published: July 2022

Background
Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. In Peru, cancer represented 20% of deaths nationwide between 1986 and 2015, where the types of cancer with the highest incidence include prostate, breast, and stomach cancer. Cancer diagnosis is a complex communicative process that is associated with the idea of ​​death and suffering, especially those in advanced stages. Regarding the psychological factor, cancer is associated with an increase in depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress. These represent an obstacle to recovery from the disease and can affect the quality of life of cancer patients. This study aims to determine the association between quality of life and depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, and emotional distress in Peruvian cancer patients.
Method
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 500 literate National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases cancer patients over 18 years of age. Additionally, descriptive statistical analyses and Poisson association measures of mental health and quality of life factors were performed.
Results
A prevalence of anxious symptoms (27.5%), depressive symptoms (20.4%), symptoms of moderate-severe stress (83.2%), and emotional discomfort (57.4%) has been identified. Regarding the Poisson regression model, cancer patients with 12 or more years of education were less likely to have emotional distress symptoms. Cancer patients with a low or average mental quality of life are twice as likely to present signs of moderate or severe stress. Notably, neither the type of cancer or the clinical stage presented significant values ​​for any of the mental health problems, mental quality of life, and physical quality of life. The comorbidity sub-analysis has identified that as the number of comorbid mental health problems increases, the probability of having a low mental quality of life and physical quality of life increases.
Conclusions
Emotional distress and stress are factors associated with the quality of life of cancer patients. Other covariates such as high educational level are factors related to mental health problems. Likewise, the results directly affect the development of public policies and effective health strategies in this type of population.
EEG SignalsAnalysis and Modeling for Machine Learning Techniques in IoMT based Wearable in Healthcare
Authors: Kapoor Bhaskar
Published: July 2022

Electroencephalographic (EEG) data analysis frequently involves visual signal evaluation, feature extraction, and model development. Improved descriptive and prognostic models of brain states and illnesses have already been produced, in part thanks to computer-aided nonlinear feature extraction from EEG. However, in this discipline, there aren't many effective tools that are publicly available for scientific study of EEG and would enable researchers to compare the findings of their work with those of other researchers. There is a need for a shared framework for the analysis, extraction, and visualisation of EEG records, especially given the wide variety of EEG analysis methods that have been presented. This study aims to introduce such a framework, known as EEGFrame, and its Java implementation. The analysis is currently supported by the framework.
Fluorescent Probe combined with Novel Rapid Microbial Analyzer for Detection of Contaminated Pathogen in Coconut
Authors: Cui Qian , Zhong Yongjie , Deng Fuming , Wang Buhua , Zhang Ling , Wu Jiajia , Wang Peng , Wan Liudang , Wang Keling , Fang Lingchen , Dai Rui , Zhang Han , Huang Jiaomei , Wan Yi
Published: July 2022

Food safety is facing great challenges for preventing foodborne diseases caused by pathogenic pollution, especially in resource-limited area. The rapid detection technique of microorganisms, such as immunological method and molecular biological method, plays a crucial key in the timely bioanalysis and disease treatment strategies. However, it is difficult for these methods to simultaneously meet the criteria of simple operation, high specificity and sensitivity, as well as low cost. Herein, we introduced a Rapid Microbial Analyzer (RMA) that can provide a strong signal with high signal-to-noise ratio via embodying the metabolic features of microbial enzyme target and selective fluorescent substrate. The technique is confirmed high accuracy for the detection of E. coli in the coconut water with a limit of detection of 1 CFU/mL, and could severe as an acute pathogenic detection tool. This device provides a one-step strategy for bacterial detection and is a great leap in the development of easy to operate instrumentation, and could be a great aid for global pathogenic monitoring.
The G9a/CHCHD2/Sirt1 regulatory module acts on RNase H1 to control R-loop formation at rDNA sites
Authors: Li Le , Wu Yequn , Dai Kui , Wang Qing , Ye Shiqi , Shi Qipeng , Chen Zhenfei , Huang Yi-Chun , Zhao Weiwei , Li Lijia
Published: July 2022

R-loops are both regulators in many cellular processes and threats to genome integrity. Understanding the mechanism underlying regulation of R-loops is very important. Inspired by the findings of RNase H1-mediated R-loop formation, we focus our interest on the regulation of RNase H1 recruitment and expression. Here we report that G9a not only boosts the recruitment of RNase H1 to reduce R-loop accumulation at the rDNA site, but also positively regulates RNase H1 expression, whereas CHCHD2 prevents RNase H1 from being recruited to rDNA site and acts as a repressive transcription factor to inhibit the expression of RNase H1 to increase R-loop formation. We also found that G9a methylated the promoter of the RNase H1 gene, which inhibited the binding of CHCHD2. By contrast, when G9a was knocked down, the recruitment of CHCHD2 and Sirt1 to the RNase H1 promoter increased, which co-inhibited the RNase H1 transcription. Furthermore, G9a could directly bind CHCHD2, possibly decreasing free CHCHD2. Sirt1 could interact with CHCHD2 and functioned as a repressor suppressing transcription of the RNase H1 gene. Knockdown of Sirt1 led to binding of more G9a to the RNase H1 promoter. Taken together, we demonstrate that G9a regulates the expression of RNase H1 to maintain the steady-state balance of R-loops by suppressing CHCHD2 and Sirt1 corepressors being recruited to the target gene promoter.