bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
i4mC-Deep: An Intelligent Predictor of N4-Methylcytosine Sites Using a Deep Learning Approach with Chemical Properties
Authors: Alam Waleed , Tayara Hilal , Chong Kil To
Published: July 2021

DNA is subject to epigenetic modification by the molecule N4-methylcytosine (4mC). N4-methylcytosine plays a crucial role in DNA repair and replication, protects host DNA from degradation, and regulates DNA expression. However, though current experimental techniques can identify 4mC sites, such techniques are expensive and laborious. Therefore, computational tools that can predict 4mC sites would be very useful for understanding the biological mechanism of this vital type of DNA modification. Conventional machine-learning-based methods rely on hand-crafted features, but the new method saves time and computational cost by making use of learned features instead. In this study, we propose i4mC-Deep, an intelligent predictor based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) that predicts 4mC modification sites in DNA samples. The CNN is capable of automatically extracting important features from input samples during training. Nucleotide chemical properties and nucleotide density, which together represent a DNA sequence, act as CNN input data. The outcome of the proposed method outperforms several state-of-the-art predictors. When i4mC-Deep was used to analyze G. subterruneus DNA, the accuracy of the results was improved by 3.9% and MCC increased by 10.5% compared to a conventional predictor.
Numerical Analysis on Performance of the Middle-Pressure Jet Grouting Method for Ground Improvement
Authors: Inazumi Shinya , Shakya Sudip , Komaki Takahiro , Nakanishi Yasuharu
Published: July 2021

This study focused on the middle-pressure jet grouting method, which has a complicated development mechanism for the columnar soil-improved body, with the aim of establishing a computer-aided engineering (CAE) system that can simulate the performance on a computer. Furthermore, in order to confirm the effect of middle-pressure jet grouting with mechanical agitation and mixing, a comparative analysis was performed with different jet pressures, the development situation was visualized, and the performance of this method was evaluated. The results of MPS-CAE as one of the CAE systems showed that the cement slurry jet ratio in the planned improvement range, including the periphery of the mixing blade, by the middle-pressure jet grouting together with the mechanical agitation and mixing was increased and a high quality columnar soil-improved body was obtained. It is expected that the introduction of CAE will contribute to the visualization of the ground, and that CAE will be an effective tool for the visual management of construction for ground improvement and the maintenance of improved grounds during the life cycle of the ground-improvement method.
Geriatric Conditions and Functional Disability among a National Community-Dwelling Sample of Older Adults in India in 2017–2018
Authors: Pengpid Supa , Peltzer Karl
Published: July 2021

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of geriatric conditions and their association with disability in older community-dwelling adults in India. The cross-sectional sample consisted of 31,477 individuals (≥60 years) from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave 1 in 2017–2018. Geriatric conditions assessed included injurious falls, impaired cognition, underweight, dizziness, incontinence, impaired vision and impaired hearing. More than two in five participants (44.3%) had no geriatric condition, 32.7% had one, 15.9% two and 7.1% had three or more geriatric conditions; 26.9% were underweight, 14.5% dizziness, 13.7% had impaired vision, 9.6% impaired hearing, 9.3% impaired cognition, 8.2% major depressive disorder, 5.7% injurious falls, 4.0% incontinence, and 7.4% had Activity of Daily Living (ADL) dependencies. In logistic regression analysis, adjusted by sociodemographic factors and the number of chronic conditions, we found a higher number of geriatric conditions, and a higher number of chronic conditions were associated with ADL dependencies. In a model adjusted for sociodemographic factors and the type of chronic conditions, we found that a higher number of geriatric conditions and heart disease, stroke, and bone or joint disorder were positively associated with ADL dependencies. The odds of ADL dependencies increased with impaired cognition, impaired vision, impaired hearing, and major depressive disorder. Impaired cognition, incontinence, impaired vision and major depressive disorder were positively associated with dressing, bathing, eating, transferring, and toileting dependency. In addition, impaired hearing was associated with transferring and toileting dependency. More than half of older adults in India had at least one geriatric condition. The prevalence of geriatric conditions was as high as the prevalence of chronic conditions, which in some cases were associated with disability. Geriatric conditions should be included in health care management.
Questionnaire for Assessing Social Contacts of Nurses Who Worked with Coronavirus Patients during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Dolić Matea , Antičević Vesna , Dolić Krešimir , Pogorelić Zenon
Published: July 2021

(1) Background: The aim of the present study was to develop and validate the psychometric characteristics of a scale measuring nurses’ experiences working with COVID-19 patients. (2) Methods: The participants were 180 Croatian nurses who worked in departments with COVID-19 patients, with a mean age of 36.8 years (ranging from 20 to 48). Research was conducted from March to June 2020. For the purpose of constructing the scale, 10 statements were developed. Factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure and construct validity of the scale. (3) Results: The scale consisted of nine statements divided into a three-factor structure: factor I—stigmatization and mistrusting (four items), factor II—social distancing (four items), and factor III—fear of infection (two items). Cronbach α was calculated to confirm the reliability of the scale: factor I—α = 0.80, factor II—α = 0.76, and factor III—α = 0.70. (4) Conclusion: The nurses’ pandemic-related experiences scale showed good psychometric properties and can be applied in future research as a standardized tool for measuring health care workers’ experience during COVID-19 or other infectious crises.
A Cross-Sectional Study of the Relationship of Timed Up & Go Test with Physical Characteristics and Physical Activity in Healthy Japanese: The Toon Health Study
Authors: Uesugi Yuichi , Maruyama Koutatsu , Saito Isao , Tomooka Kiyohide , Takata Yasunori , Kawamura Ryoichi , Osawa Haruhiko , Tanigawa Takeshi , Naito Yoshihiko
Published: July 2021

This study evaluated the Timed Up & Go test (TUG) among healthy Japanese individuals without walking problems to clarify the relationship of TUG performance with physical characteristics and physical activity according to sex and age groups. In total, 797 men and women (30–84 years old) in Toon City, Ehime Prefecture, were assessed from 2016 to 2017. The survey data for physical characteristics, TUG performance, and physical activity measures were used. After adjusting for age according to TUG time and categorization into sex and age groups (30–64 and 65–84 years), the relationship of TUG performance with physical characteristics and physical activities was confirmed using multiple regression analysis. In men, TUG performance was associated with work and household chores in the 30–64-year age group, whereas it was only associated with skeletal muscle mass among those older than 65 years. In women, TUG performance was associated with height and amount of exercise, regardless of age. In conclusion, TUG performance may be maintained by increasing the amount of physical activity for men through work and housework, and increasing the amount of exercise for women, which may prevent the need for long-term care in the future.
The Biocompatibility of a New Erythritol-and Xyltol-Containing Fluoride Toothpaste
Authors: Cvikl Barbara , Lussi Adrian
Published: July 2021

The basic function of toothpastes is biofilm removal in order to prevent caries and gingivitis. Toothpastes should provide maximal fluoride availability, optimal abrasivity, and ingredients that do not interfere with fluoride release but should have additional beneficial effects. Further, the effect on cells of the oral cavity is of the utmost importance. We investigated several biological parameters of a new toothpaste (AirFlow-AF) that contains fluoride, xylitol and erythritol but no sodium lauryl sulfate and compared them to commercially available toothpastes (Zendium-Ze, Sensodyne-Se, OdolMed-OM, OralB-OB). The half lethal concentration (LC50) as well as the proliferation behavior on gingival (GF), periodontal ligament (PDL), and mouse fibroblast cells (L929) were was tested. The mean LC50 values of AF on GF, PDL, and L929 were 16.2, 10.9, and 9.3, respectively. In comparison, the four other toothpastes showed mean LC50 values of 1.5 (OB), 1.2 (OM), 1.4 (Se), and 27.7 (Ze) on GF. Mean LC50 values on PDL and L929 were 1.0 and 0.2 (OB), 3.7 and 0.9 (OM), 1.2 and 0.6 (Se), and 25.4 and 5.6 (Ze), respectively. Proliferation behavior mainly confirmed the LC50 values. While cells after stimulation with AF returned to almost unimpaired proliferation behavior at 6%, cells were still strongly impaired after stimulation with all tested commercially toothpastes. AF showed high biocompatibility with different cell types.
Loss Weightings for Improving Imbalanced Brain Structure Segmentation Using Fully Convolutional Networks
Authors: Sugino Takaaki , Kawase Toshihiro , Onogi Shinya , Kin Taichi , Saito Nobuhito , Nakajima Yoshikazu
Published: July 2021

Brain structure segmentation on magnetic resonance (MR) images is important for various clinical applications. It has been automatically performed by using fully convolutional networks. However, it suffers from the class imbalance problem. To address this problem, we investigated how loss weighting strategies work for brain structure segmentation tasks with different class imbalance situations on MR images. In this study, we adopted segmentation tasks of the cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem, and blood vessels from MR cisternography and angiography images as the target segmentation tasks. We used a U-net architecture with cross-entropy and Dice loss functions as a baseline and evaluated the effect of the following loss weighting strategies: inverse frequency weighting, median inverse frequency weighting, focal weighting, distance map-based weighting, and distance penalty term-based weighting. In the experiments, the Dice loss function with focal weighting showed the best performance and had a high average Dice score of 92.8% in the binary-class segmentation tasks, while the cross-entropy loss functions with distance map-based weighting achieved the Dice score of up to 93.1% in the multi-class segmentation tasks. The results suggested that the distance map-based and the focal weightings could boost the performance of cross-entropy and Dice loss functions in class imbalanced segmentation tasks, respectively.
Climate Change Impacts on Inflows into Lake Eppalock Reservoir from Upper Campaspe Catchment
Authors: Yilmaz Abdullah Gokhan , Atabay Serter , Amou Assar Kimia Haji , Imteaz Monzur Alam
Published: July 2021

Climate change has significant effects on societies and ecosystems. Due to the strong link between climate and the hydrological cycle, water resources is one of the most affected fields by climate change. It is of great importance to investigate climate change effects on streamflows by producing future streamflow projections under different scenarios to create adaptation measures and mitigate potential impacts of climate change. The Upper Campaspe Catchment (UCC), located at North Central Victoria in Australia, is a significant catchment as it provides a large portion of total inflow to the Lake Eppalock Reservoir, which supplies irrigation to the Campaspe Irrigation district and urban water to Bendigo, Heathcote, and Ballarat cities. In this study, climate change effects on monthly streamflows in the UCC was investigated using high resolution future climate data from CSIRO and MIROC climate models in calibrated IHACRES hydrological model. The IHACRES model was found to be very successful to simulate monthly streamflow in UCC. Remarkable streamflow reductions were projected based on the climate input from both models (CSIRO and MIROC). According to the most optimistic scenario (with the highest projected streamflows) by the MIROC-RCP4.5 model in near future (2035–2064), the Upper Campaspe River will completely dry out from January to May. The worst scenario (with the lowest streamflow projection) by the CSIRO-RCP8.5 model in the far future (2075–2104) showed that streamflows will be produced only for three months (July, August, and September) throughout the year. Findings from this study indicated that climate change will have significant adverse impacts on reservoir inflow, operation, water supply, and allocation in the study area.
Assessment of TOPKAPI-X Applicability for Flood Events Simulation in Two Small Catchments in Saxony
Authors: Janabi Firas Al , Ongdas Nurlan , Bernhofer Christian , Reyes Silva Julian David , Benisch Jakob , Krebs Peter
Published: July 2021

Numerical simulations of rainfall-runoff processes are useful tools for understanding hydrological processes and performing impact assessment studies. The advancements in computer technology and data availability have assisted their rapid development and wide use. This project aims to evaluate the applicability of a physically based, fully distributed rainfall-runoff model TOPKAPI-X for the simulation of flood events in two small watersheds of Saxony, Germany. The results indicate that the model was calibrated well for 4.88 km2 Wernersbach catchment (NSE 0.89), whereas 276 km2 Wesenitz catchment calibration was only satisfactory (NSE 0.7). The addition of the second soil layer improved the model’s performance in comparison to the simulations with only one soil layer for Wernersbach (NSE increase from 0.83 to 0.89). During the validation process, the model showed a variable performance. The best performance was achieved for Wernersbach for the year with the highest runoff (NSE 0.95) in the last decade. The lowest performance for the Wernersbach and Wesenitz catchments was 0.64 for both. The reasons for the model’s low performance in some years are discussed, and include: (i) input data quality and data insufficiency, (ii) methods used within the simulations (interpolation, ETP estimation, etc.), and (iii) assumptions made during the calibration (manual calibration, parameter selection, etc.).
RETRACTED: Lyons-Weiler, J.; Thomas, P. Relative Incidence of Office Visits and Cumulative Rates of Billed Diagnoses along the Axis of Vaccination. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 8674
Authors: IJERPH Editorial Office
Published: July 2021

The journal retracts the article “Relative Incidence of Office Visits and Cumulative Rates of Billed Diagnoses along the Axis of Vaccination” cited above [...]
Part I: Dynamics of Recovery: A Meta-Synthesis Exploring the Nature of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Recovery
Authors: Klevan Trude , Bank Rose-Marie , Borg Marit , Karlsson Bengt , Krane Vibeke , Ogundipe Esther , Semb Randi , Sommer Mona , Sundet Rolf , Sælør Knut Tore , Tønnessen Siw Heidi , Kim Hesook Suzie
Published: July 2021

Recovery-oriented care has become a leading vision across countries. To develop services and communities in more recovery-oriented directions, enhanced understandings of recovery in terms of personal and social contexts are important prerequisites. The aim of this study is to explore the nature and characteristics of the experiences of recovery. The method used is a form of qualitative meta-synthesis that integrates the findings from multiple qualitative studies published by one research group. Twenty-eight empirical papers with a focus on recovery as personal and contextual experiences were included in this meta-synthesis. Five meta-themes were developed: (a) being normal, (b) respecting and accepting oneself, (c) being in control, (d) recovery as intentional, and (e) recovery as material and social. The themes describe how recovery encompasses dynamics between personal experiences and contextual dimensions. This meta-synthesis consolidated an understanding of recovery as dynamics of the self and others, and as dynamics of the self and material resources. This understanding of recovery suggests the need to work not only with the person, but also with families, networks, social systems, and local communities, thus developing mental health and substance abuse services in more collaborative, open-ended, and context-sensitive directions.
Relations of Lifestyle Behavior Clusters to Dyslipidemia in China: A Compositional Data Analysis
Authors: Na Xiaona , Chen Yangyang , Ma Xiaochuan , Wang Dongping , Wang Haojie , Song Yang , Hua Yumeng , Wang Peiyu , Liu Aiping
Published: July 2021

Dyslipidemia is associated with lifestyle behaviors, while several lifestyle behaviors exist collectively among some populaitons. This study aims to identify lifestyle behavior clusters and their relations to dyslipidemia. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Wuhai City, China. Cluster analysis combined with compositional data analysis was conducted, with 24-h time-use on daily activities and dietary patterns as input variables. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to compare dyslipidemia among clusters. A total of 4306 participants were included. A higher prevalence of newly diagnosed dyslipidemia was found among participants in cluster 1 (long sedentary behavior (SB) and the shortest sleep, high-salt and oil diet) /cluster 5 (the longest SB and short sleep), relative to the other clusters in both age groups (<50 years and ≥50 years). In conclusion, unhealthy lifestyle behaviors may exist together among some of the population, suggesting that these people are potential subjects of health education and behavior interventions. Future research should be conducted to investigate the relative significance of specific lifestyle behaviors in relation to dyslipidemia.
Efficacy of Interventional Programs in Reducing Acculturative Stress and Enhancing Adjustment of International Students to the New Host Educational Environment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Aljaberi Musheer A. , Alsalahi Abdulsamad , Juni Muhamad Hanafiah , Noman Sarah , Al-Tammemi Ala’a B. , Hamat Rukman Awang
Published: July 2021

This review aimed to systematically outline and meta-analyze the efficacy of psychoeducational, cultural orientation, socio-cultural, and peer-pairing programs in reducing acculturative stress and enhancing adjustment among international students worldwide. The consulted databases were PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, EBSCO, and ProQuest. Eligibility criteria allowed the inclusion of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental trials without applying language, country, publication type or time restrictions. The quality of the eligible studies was appraised by the RoB2 tool of Cochrane for RCTs and JBI critical appraisal tools for quasi-experimental trials. Data items were collected based on PICO acronym by two investigators and reviewed for accuracy by a third one. The evidence was narratively synthesized and validated by proceeding with a random model meta-analysis using Cochrane RevMan software(Version 5.4). The quality of the pooled evidence from meta-analysis was assessed using the tool of GRADE. Out of 29,975 retrieved records, 14 studies (six RCTs and eight quasi-experimental trials) were included. The psychoeducational program significantly reduced acculturative stress and enhanced adjustment. In contrast, cultural orientation and peer-pairing programs significantly enhanced adjustment, but could not reduce acculturative stress. In meta-analysis, acculturative stress was significantly reduced in the psychoeducational intervention versus controls [overall pooled size effect = −3.89 (95% CI: −5.42, −2.53) at p < 0.001]. Similarly, adjustment was significantly enhanced in the psychoeducation and socio-cultural interventions versus control [overall pooled size effect = 3.10 (95% CI: 2.35, 3.85) at p < 0.001]. In conclusion, the psychoeducational program demonstrated superior efficacy in reducing acculturative stress and enhancing adjustment compared to the other interventional programs. However, socio-cultural programs have still been effective in enhancing adjustment. This systematic review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42018104211).
Environmental Regulations and Corporate Green Innovation in China: The Role of City Leaders’ Promotion Pressure
Authors: Yang Le , Zhang Jiahao , Zhang Yufeng
Published: July 2021

China and other emerging market countries have suffered from the problem of environmental pollution while developing rapidly in the past few decades. In recent years, many countries have introduced strict environmental regulations in order to achieve sustainable development. This paper discusses the relationship between environmental regulations and corporate green innovation from the perspective of regional leaders’ promotion pressure. The empirical results show that direct policy regulation within the region stimulates green innovation on the part of enterprises, and the promotion pressure of city leaders has a further positive moderating effect on the positive correlation between environmental regulations and enterprises’ green innovation. The conclusion of the study proves that a strict environmental policy can promote the effectiveness of an environmental performance appraisal system in the sustainable development plans of cities and enterprises. This paper not only reveals the influence path of official promotion pressure on the sustainable development of enterprises in the administrative area from the micro perspective but also sheds some light that may improve government governance and promote the transformation of enterprises.
A Weakly-Supervised Named Entity Recognition Machine Learning Approach for Emergency Medical Services Clinical Audit
Authors: Wang Han , Yeung Wesley Lok Kin , Ng Qin Xiang , Tung Angeline , Tay Joey Ai Meng , Ryanputra Davin , Ong Marcus Eng Hock , Feng Mengling , Arulanandam Shalini
Published: July 2021

Clinical performance audits are routinely performed in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to ensure adherence to treatment protocols, to identify individual areas of weakness for remediation, and to discover systemic deficiencies to guide the development of the training syllabus. At present, these audits are performed by manual chart review, which is time-consuming and laborious. In this paper, we report a weakly-supervised machine learning approach to train a named entity recognition model that can be used for automatic EMS clinical audits. The dataset used in this study contained 58,898 unlabeled ambulance incidents encountered by the Singapore Civil Defence Force from 1st April 2019 to 30th June 2019. With only 5% labeled data, we successfully trained three different models to perform the NER task, achieving F1 scores of around 0.981 under entity type matching evaluation and around 0.976 under strict evaluation. The BiLSTM-CRF model was 1~2 orders of magnitude lighter and faster than our BERT-based models. Our proposed proof-of-concept approach may improve the efficiency of clinical audits and can also help with EMS database research. Further external validation of this approach is needed.
A Smartphone-Based Crowd-Sourced Database for Environmental Noise Assessment
Authors: Picaut Judicaël , Boumchich Ayoub , Bocher Erwan , Fortin Nicolas , Petit Gwendall , Aumond Pierre
Published: July 2021

Noise is a major source of pollution with a strong impact on health. Noise assessment is therefore a very important issue to reduce its impact on humans. To overcome the limitations of the classical method of noise assessment (such as simulation tools or noise observatories), alternative approaches have been developed, among which is collaborative noise measurement via a smartphone. Following this approach, the NoiseCapture application was proposed, in an open science framework, providing free access to a considerable amount of information and offering interesting perspectives of spatial and temporal noise analysis for the scientific community. After more than 3 years of operation, the amount of collected data is considerable. Its exploitation for a sound environment analysis, however, requires one to consider the intrinsic limits of each collected information, defined, for example, by the very nature of the data, the measurement protocol, the technical performance of the smartphone, the absence of calibration, the presence of anomalies in the collected data, etc. The purpose of this article is thus to provide enough information, in terms of quality, consistency, and completeness of the data, so that everyone can exploit the database, in full control.
The Mediating Effect of Life Satisfaction on Relation between Perceived Physical Attractiveness and Health-Promoting Lifestyle in Korean Adults
Authors: Kim Hye-Ryoung , Yang Hwa-Mi
Published: July 2021

Physical attraction, perceived in terms of satisfaction with body image and interpersonal relationships, can be an essential factor in an individual’s emotional and social well-being. However, empirical studies that link physical attraction to health are limited. This study explores the mediating effect of life satisfaction on the relation between perceived physical attractiveness and lifestyle of health, making an effort to reach an optimal state in physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual domains in Korean adults. Four hundred fifty-nine adults in a community setting participated in this cross-sectional study. The results showed positive associations among physical attractiveness, life satisfaction, and health-promoting lifestyle after adjusting for age, gender, marital status, education, and job status. Life satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between perceived physical attractiveness and a higher lifestyle of health (z = 2.80, p = 0.005). For health promotion and disease prevention, positive psychology can be a suitable strategy. Physical attractiveness and life satisfaction can be important keys to maintain health-promoting lifestyle behavior.
Smog Avoidance Investment While Improving Air Quality: Health Demand or Risk Aversion? Evidence from Cities in China
Authors: Zhao Jichun , Wang Hongbiao , Guo Jianxin
Published: July 2021

Atmospheric pollution control policies have achieved remarkable progress in China since 2013, and the smog protective equipment market has experienced a great boom during the same period. From the perspectives of the health production efficiency hypothesis and the time discount rate hypothesis, this study investigates the relationship between household expenditures on air pollution avoidance and health care, and individuals’ self-assessed health based on network survey data from 17 cities in China. Using the treatment effect model to control the potential endogenous selection problems, we explain the paradox of the growing smog avoidance investment coexisting with improving air quality. First, smog avoidance investment and household medical expenditures do not have substitution effects, while the perception of pollution intensity, pollution protection knowledge, and future health preferences significantly promote smog avoidance investment and medical expenditures. Second, air pollution avoidance investment greatly increases the probability that urban residents rate their health as “good” and “very good”. The results indicate that the time preference hypothesis can explain the pollution avoidance investment behavior and health demands of Chinese urban residents well. The hidden social welfare loss caused by air pollution may still be underestimated, even though short-term avoidance costs are included in the evaluation of pollution impacts. It is necessary to optimize environmental regulations and policies to consistently improve the ecological environment.
Reopening of Schools in the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Quality of Life of Teachers While Coping with This New Challenge in the North of Spain
Authors: Idoiaga Mondragon Nahia , Berasategi Sancho Naiara , Dosil Santamaria Maria , Ozamiz-Etxebarria Naiara
Published: July 2021

Background: This study aims to analyze how teachers perceived their quality of life when coping with the reopening of schools after their closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study was carried out with a total sample of 1633 teachers from the Department of Education of the Basque Autonomous Community (Northern Spain), all of the professionals working in different educational centers, from preschool education to university studies, with the average age of 42.02 years (SD = 10.40). Main Outcome Measures: For this purpose, the Spanish version of the WHOQOL-BREF was used. Results: The highest values of perceived quality of life were found in the dimension of psychological health, followed by the dimension of physical health, the social relations dimension, and finally, the environmental dimensions. The results also revealed significant differences depending on gender, age, having a chronic illness, or living with someone who has a chronic illness, employment security, and educational sector. Conclusion: The study shows that it is important to attend to teachers’ health and quality of life, especially older teachers, those with a chronic illness, caregivers, those with job insecurity, and those who teach in preschool education.
The WOMEN-UP Solution, a Patient-Centered Innovative e-Health Tool for Pelvic Floor Muscle Training: Qualitative and Usability Study during Early-Stage Development
Authors: Anglès-Acedo Sònia , López-Frías Lorena , Soler Vicenç , Alonso Joan , Kastelein Arnoud , Graaf Boris , Vodegel Eva. , Tervo Jaana , Baban Adriana , Espuña-Pons Montserrat ,   on behalf of the WOMEN-UP Consortium
Published: July 2021

e-Health may enhance self-management of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI). It is crucial to involve patients in planning, developing and monitoring the optimal e-Health solution. This research aims to describe patient-centered innovation in an early developmental stage of the WOMEN-UP solution. We conducted a qualitative study through a self-developed questionnaire in 22 women with SUI, to define system requirements from a patient’s perspective. The first prototype of the WOMEN-UP solution was developed. It was tested by 9 patients in a usability study (think-aloud protocol and retrospective interviews). Patient preferences regarding the possible use of an e-Health solution with serious games for PFMT were: (1) to receive feedback about PFMT; (2) convenient home-use; (3) increasing motivation; (4) available in medical centers. Identified usability aids (31) reassured our design-development plan, which considered the biofeedback and serious games as key factors. Patient’s perspective detected some unexpected issues related to the calibration and serious games, involving a change in the ongoing development to get an improved WOMEN-UP solution; the value of patient-centered innovation during the development of an e-Health solution for PFMT (WOMEN-UP solution). To identify patients’ unmet needs, we proposed a longitudinal approach for the future eHealth-related patient-centered innovations.
Requirements of a Group Intervention for Adolescents with Internet Gaming Disorder in a Clinical Setting: A Qualitative Interview Study
Authors: Wendt Lisa Marie , Austermann Maria Isabella , Rumpf Hans-Jürgen , Thomasius Rainer , Paschke Kerstin
Published: July 2021

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has become an important health concern in a significant proportion of adolescents. Intervention studies in this age group are scarce, mostly follow quantitative designs, and rarely consider adolescents’ experiences. This study aimed to evaluate the requirements for a group therapy program for adolescents with IGD. A qualitative interview study was conducted in a German clinic for addictive disorders in childhood and adolescence with nine participants (seven IGD patients (12–18 years, M = 15.86, SD = 1.95) and two psychotherapists). The semi-structured interviews addressed helpful contents, general conditions, and suggestions for alterations for an effective group intervention. Data were analyzed using content structuring qualitative analysis. Patient interview data resulted in 234 codings with eight main categories. Expert interview data yielded 151 codings with six main categories. The following treatment components were described as effective by the participants and experts: psychoeducation, emotion management, behavior analysis and modification, social skills training, parent participation, and relapse prevention. Additionally, adolescents emphasized the importance of group functionality for coherence, feedback and rewards, content presentation, physical activity and fun. The results are a valuable addition to findings from quantitative studies on IGD interventions and an interesting starting point for further representative studies.
New Structural Economic Analysis of Anti-COVID-19 Pandemic Model of BEST Region
Authors: Wu Fang , Hu Qi , Zhu Chenming , Wang Haitao , Yu Qian , Sun Huaping
Published: July 2021

The successful anti-COVID-19 pandemic model of BEST region (Beijing-Seoul-Tokyo) includes China, Japan and South Korea, which benefit from its well-functioning organizational ecosystem and specific anti-COVID-19 pandemic strategies. Under the premise of an efficient market, the capable organizations of China, Japan and South Korea will play the dynamic function of coordination and organic connection. They will also help improve the governance efficiency of facilitating state in different stages of fighting against the pandemic. This article follows the analytical logic of the new structural economics, taking the factor endowment and its structure as the starting point for the analysis, through the comparative advantage operation mode determined by the market, and based on the collaborative anti-COVID-19 pandemic perspective of the government, the market and various social organizations, to build a framework for the facilitating state-efficient market-capable organization. The key to the success of the anti-COVID-19 pandemic method in China, Japan and South Korea is organically coordinated between government, market and organizations. Based on the effective promotion of micro-organizations, governments organize resource integration and implement macro-control of the market. A dynamic balance between economic governance and pandemic prevention and control has been achieved by optimizing the endowment structure of resources, improving infrastructure and reducing system costs.
Analysis of Anthropometric and Body Composition Profile in Male and Female Traditional Rowers
Authors: Penichet-Tomas Alfonso , Pueo Basilio , Selles-Perez Sergio , Jimenez-Olmedo Jose M.
Published: July 2021

The anthropometric profile has a fundamental role in rowing performance and young talent detection. The objective of this study was to analyze the anthropometric profile, body composition, and somatotype in traditional rowers, and to analyze which variables can be used as predictors of rowing performance. Twenty-four rowers competing at national level participated in this study, thirteen men and eleven women. Significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed in the height of male rowers (large effect size, d = 1.8) and in body mass (very large effect size, d = 2.4). Also, muscle mass reached a higher percentage in male rowers (d = 3.7), whereas the sum of seven skinfolds (d = 2.0) and body fat percentage (d = 2.0) reached higher values in female rowers, all their difference being significant (p < 0.001) with very large effect size. The somatotype of male rowers was ecto-mesomorph (1.8-4.5-3.0), and the somatotype of female rowers was in the balanced mesomorph (2.8-3.8-2.6). A very strong correlation between height (r = 0.75; p = 0.002) and rowing performance was found in male rowers. Body mass (r = 0.70; p = 0.009) and muscle mass (r = 0.83; p = 0.001) showed also very strong correlation in female rowers. Finally, height was the best predictor of performance for male rowers (R2 = 0.56, p < 0.003) and muscle mass for female rowers (R2 = 0.68, p < 0.002). The anthropometric profile of male and female traditional rowers showed differences to be considered in training programs and talent selection.
RSPCN: Super-Resolution of Digital Elevation Model Based on Recursive Sub-Pixel Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Zhang Ruichen , Bian Shaofeng , Li Houpu
Published: July 2021

The digital elevation model (DEM) is known as one kind of the most significant fundamental geographical data models. The theory, method and application of DEM are hot research issues in geography, especially in geomorphology, hydrology, soil and other related fields. In this paper, we improve the efficient sub-pixel convolutional neural networks (ESPCN) and propose recursive sub-pixel convolutional neural networks (RSPCN) to generate higher-resolution DEMs (HRDEMs) from low-resolution DEMs (LRDEMs). Firstly, the structure of RSPCN is described in detail based on recursion theory. This paper explores the effects of different training datasets, with the self-adaptive learning rate Adam algorithm optimizing the model. Furthermore, the adding-“zero” boundary method is introduced into the RSPCN algorithm as a data preprocessing method, which improves the RSPCN method’s accuracy and convergence. Extensive experiments are conducted to train the method till optimality. Finally, comparisons are made with other traditional interpolation methods, such as bicubic, nearest-neighbor and bilinear methods. The results show that our method has obvious improvements in both accuracy and robustness and further illustrate the feasibility of deep learning methods in the DEM data processing area.
Using Geomatic Techniques to Estimate Volume–Area Relationships of Watering Ponds
Authors: Marín-Comitre Ubaldo , Gómez-Gutiérrez Álvaro , Lavado-Contador Francisco , Sánchez-Fernández Manuel , Alfonso-Torreño Alberto
Published: July 2021

Watering ponds represent an important part of the hydrological resources in some water-limited environments. Knowledge about their storage capacity and geometrical characteristics is crucial for a better understanding and management of water resources in the context of climate change. In this study, the suitability of different geomatic approaches to model watering pond geometry and estimate pond-specific and generalized volume–area–height (V–A–h) relationships was tested. Terrestrial structure-from-motion and multi-view-stereo photogrammetry (SfM-MVS), terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), laser-imaging detection and ranging (LIDAR), and aerial SfM-MVS were tested for the emerged terrain, while the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) was used to survey the submerged terrain and to test the resulting digital elevation models (DEMs). The combined use of terrestrial SfM-MVS and GNSS produced accurate DEMs of the ponds that resulted in an average error of 1.19% in the maximum volume estimation, comparable to that obtained by the TLS+GNSS approach (3.27%). From these DEMs, power and quadratic functions were used to express pond-specific and generalized V–A–h relationships and checked for accuracy. The results revealed that quadratic functions fit the data particularly well (R2 ≥ 0.995 and NRMSE < 2.25%) and can therefore be reliably used as simple geometric models of watering ponds in hydrological simulation studies. Finally, a generalized V–A power relationship was obtained. This relationship may be a valuable tool to estimate the storage capacity of other watering ponds in comparable areas in a context of data scarcity.
Inhibitory Effect of Avenanthramides (Avn) on Tyrosinase Activity and Melanogenesis in α-MSH-Activated SK-MEL-2 Cells: In Vitro and In Silico Analysis
Authors: Park Jun-Young , Choi Hyun-Ju , Park Tamina , Lee Moon-Jo , Lim Hak-Seong , Yang Woong-Suk , Hwang Cher-Won , Park Daeui , Kim Cheorl-Ho
Published: July 2021

Melanin causes melasma, freckles, age spots, and chloasma. Anti-melanogenic agents can prevent disease-related hyperpigmentation. In the present study, the dose-dependent tyrosinase inhibitory activity of Avenanthramide (Avn)-A-B-C was demonstrated, and 100 µM Avn-A-B-C produced the strongest competitive inhibition against inter-cellular tyrosinase and melanin synthesis. Avn-A-B-C inhibits the expression of melanogenesis-related proteins, such as TRP1 and 2. Molecular docking simulation revealed that AvnC (−7.6 kcal/mol) had a higher binding affinity for tyrosinase than AvnA (−7.3 kcal/mol) and AvnB (−6.8 kcal/mol). AvnC was predicted to interact with tyrosinase through two hydrogen bonds at Ser360 (distance: 2.7 Å) and Asn364 (distance: 2.6 Å). In addition, AvnB and AvnC were predicted to be skin non-sensitizers in mammals by the Derek Nexus Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship system.
Tlr2 Gene Deletion Delays Retinal Degeneration in Two Genetically Distinct Mouse Models of Retinitis Pigmentosa
Authors: Sánchez-Cruz Alonso , Méndez Andrea C. , Lizasoain Ignacio , de la Villa Pedro , de la Rosa Enrique J. , Hernández-Sánchez Catalina
Published: July 2021

Although considered a rare retinal dystrophy, retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the primary cause of hereditary blindness. Given its diverse genetic etiology (>3000 mutations in >60 genes), there is an urgent need for novel treatments that target common features of the disease. TLR2 is a key activator of innate immune response. To examine its role in RP progression we characterized the expression profile of Tlr2 and its adaptor molecules and the consequences of Tlr2 deletion in two genetically distinct models of RP: Pde6brd10/rd10 (rd10) and RhoP23H/+ (P23H/+) mice. In both models, expression levels of Tlr2 and its adaptor molecules increased in parallel with those of the proinflammatory cytokine Il1b. In rd10 mice, deletion of a single Tlr2 allele had no effect on visual function, as evaluated by electroretinography. However, in both RP models, complete elimination of Tlr2 attenuated the loss of visual function and mitigated the loss of photoreceptor cell numbers. In Tlr2 null rd10 mice, we observed decreases in the total number of microglial cells, assessed by flow cytometry, and in the number of microglia infiltrating the photoreceptor layers. Together, these results point to TLR2 as a mutation-independent therapeutic target for RP.
Protective Effect of Memantine on Bergmann Glia and Purkinje Cells Morphology in Optogenetic Model of Neurodegeneration in Mice
Authors: Shuvaev Anton N. , Belozor Olga S. , Mozhei Oleg I. , Khilazheva Elena D. , Shuvaev Andrey N. , Fritsler Yana V. , Kasparov S.
Published: July 2021

Spinocerebellar ataxias are a family of fatal inherited diseases affecting the brain. Although specific mutated proteins are different, they may have a common pathogenetic mechanism, such as insufficient glutamate clearance. This function fails in reactive glia, leading to excitotoxicity and overactivation of NMDA receptors. Therefore, NMDA receptor blockers could be considered for the management of excitotoxicity. One such drug, memantine, currently used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, could potentially be used for the treatment of other forms of neurodegeneration, for example, spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA). We previously demonstrated close parallels between optogenetically induced cerebellar degeneration and SCA1. Here we induced reactive transformation of cerebellar Bergmann glia (BG) using this novel optogenetic approach and tested whether memantine could counteract changes in BG and Purkinje cell (PC) morphology and expression of the main glial glutamate transporter—excitatory amino acid transporter 1 (EAAT1). Reactive BG induced by chronic optogenetic stimulation presented increased GFAP immunoreactivity, increased thickness and decreased length of its processes. Oral memantine (~90 mg/kg/day for 4 days) prevented thickening of the processes (1.57 to 1.81 vs. 1.62 μm) and strongly antagonized light-induced reduction in their average length (186.0 to 150.8 vs. 171.9 μm). Memantine also prevented the loss of the key glial glutamate transporter EAAT1 on BG. Finally, memantine reduced the loss of PC (4.2 ± 0.2 to 3.2 ± 0.2 vs. 4.1 ± 0.3 cells per 100 μm of the PC layer). These results identify memantine as potential neuroprotective therapeutics for cerebellar ataxias.
The Potential Role of FREM1 and Its Isoform TILRR in HIV-1 Acquisition through Mediating Inflammation
Authors: Kashem Mohammad Abul , Li Hongzhao , Liu Lewis Ruxi , Liang Binhua , Omange Robert Were , Plummer Francis A. , Luo Ma
Published: July 2021

FREM1 (Fras-related extracellular matrix 1) and its splice variant TILRR (Toll-like interleukin-1 receptor regulator) have been identified as integral components of innate immune systems. The potential involvement of FREM1 in HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus 1) acquisition was suggested by a genome-wide SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) analysis of HIV-1 resistant and susceptible sex workers enrolled in the Pumwani sex worker cohort (PSWC) in Nairobi, Kenya. The studies showed that the minor allele of a FREM1 SNP rs1552896 is highly enriched in the HIV-1 resistant female sex workers. Subsequent studies showed that FREM1 mRNA is highly expressed in tissues relevant to mucosal HIV-1 infection, including cervical epithelial tissues, and TILRR is a major modulator of many genes in the NF-κB signal transduction pathway. In this article, we review the role of FREM1 and TILRR in modulating inflammatory responses and inflammation, and how their influence on inflammatory responses of cervicovaginal tissue could enhance the risk of vaginal HIV-1 acquisition.
Global Deletion of 11β-HSD1 Prevents Muscle Wasting Associated with Glucocorticoid Therapy in Polyarthritis
Authors: Webster Justine M. , Sagmeister Michael S. , Fenton Chloe G. , Seabright Alex P. , Lai Yu-Chiang , Jones Simon W. , Filer Andrew , Cooper Mark S. , Lavery Gareth G. , Raza Karim , Langen Ramon , Hardy Rowan S.
Published: July 2021

Glucocorticoids provide indispensable anti-inflammatory therapies. However, metabolic adverse effects including muscle wasting restrict their use. The enzyme 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) modulates peripheral glucocorticoid responses through pre-receptor metabolism. This study investigates how 11β-HSD1 influences skeletal muscle responses to glucocorticoid therapy for chronic inflammation. We assessed human skeletal muscle biopsies from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis for 11β-HSD1 activity ex vivo. Using the TNF-α-transgenic mouse model (TNF-tg) of chronic inflammation, we examined the effects of corticosterone treatment and 11β-HSD1 global knock-out (11βKO) on skeletal muscle, measuring anti-inflammatory gene expression, muscle weights, fiber size distribution, and catabolic pathways. Muscle 11β-HSD1 activity was elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and correlated with inflammation markers. In murine skeletal muscle, glucocorticoid administration suppressed IL6 expression in TNF-tg mice but not in TNF-tg11βKO mice. TNF-tg mice exhibited reductions in muscle weight and fiber size with glucocorticoid therapy. In contrast, TNF-tg11βKO mice were protected against glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy. Glucocorticoid-mediated activation of catabolic mediators (FoxO1, Trim63) was also diminished in TNF-tg11βKO compared to TNF-tg mice. In summary, 11β-HSD1 knock-out prevents muscle atrophy associated with glucocorticoid therapy in a model of chronic inflammation. Targeting 11β-HSD1 may offer a strategy to refine the safety of glucocorticoids.