bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Novel Application of New High-Strength Plugging Agent in Baikouquan Oilfield
Authors: Sun Yuanxiu , Zhang Weijie , He Yong , Kong Shaoqi , Liu Yueliang , Han Ruifang
Published: August 2022

The Baikouquan Oilfield is entering middle and later periods of development. Casing failure, caused by the quality of cementing and casing corrosion, affects the normal production of the well. The number of wells in this situation has been increasing in recent years. Some wells with a high aquifer have no way to achieve effective plugging. The conventional measures have short validity periods and low plugging strengths. They cannot meet the requirements of subsequent fracturing operations and long-term production. Therefore, a new type of plugging agent with high strength, temperature resistance, salt resistance and micro-expansion features was designed and developed. The field test was carried out on four wells in the Baikouquan block, including three wells with a strong water-flooded layer and one well with an upper casing leakage point. A field test showed that the leakage formation was successfully plugged under the condition that the oilfield pressure test value was 30 MPa, with a 100% success rate. The average fluid volume decreases by 51.4%, and the average oil volume increases by 270.8%. The average daily oil volume per well increases by 3.2 t/d. The new plugging agent has the characteristics of no regurgitation, fast cementing speed with the new interface, high cementing strength and construction safety. The above advantages are of great significance in reducing the operation cost of oil and water well production and enhancing oil recovery.
Target Speaker Extraction by Fusing Voiceprint Features
Authors: Cheng Shidan , Shen Ying , Wang Dongqing
Published: August 2022

It is a critical problem to accurately separate clean speech in the multispeaker scenario for different speakers. However, in most cases, smart devices such as smart phones interact with only one specific user. As a consequence, the speech separation models adopted by these devices only have to extract the target speaker’s speech. A voiceprint, which reflects the speaker’s voice characteristics, provides prior knowledge for the target speech separation. Therefore, how to efficiently integrate voiceprint features into the existing speech separation models to improve their performance for the target speech separation is an interesting problem not fully explored. This paper attempts to solve this issue to some extent and our contributions are as follows. First, two different voiceprint features (i.e., MFCCs and d-vector) are explored in the performance enhancement for three speech separation models. Second, three different feature fusion methods are proposed to efficiently fuse the voiceprint features with the magnitude spectrograms originally used in the speech separation models. Third, a target speech extraction method which utilizes the fused features is proposed for two speaker-independent models. Experiments demonstrate that the speech separation models integrated with voiceprint features using three feature fusion methods can effectively extract the target speaker’s speech.
Automatic Identification of Landslides Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Yang Shuang , Wang Yuzhu , Wang Panzhe , Mu Jingqin , Jiao Shoutao , Zhao Xupeng , Wang Zhenhua , Wang Kaijian , Zhu Yueqin
Published: August 2022

A landslide is a kind of geological disaster with high frequency, great destructiveness, and wide distribution today. The occurrence of landslide disasters bring huge losses of life and property. In disaster relief operations, timely and reliable intervention measures are very important to prevent the recurrence of landslides or secondary disasters. However, traditional landslide identification methods are mainly based on visual interpretation and on-site investigation, which are time-consuming and inefficient. They cannot meet the time requirements in disaster relief operations. Therefore, to solve this problem, developing an automatic identification method for landslides is very important. This paper proposes such a method. We combined deep learning with landslide extraction from remote sensing images, used a semantic segmentation model to complete the automatic identification process of landslides and used the evaluation indicators in the semantic segmentation task (mean IoU [mIoU], recall, and precision) to measure the performance of the model. We selected three classic semantic segmentation models (U-Net, DeepLabv3+, PSPNet), tried to use different backbone networks for them and finally arrived at the most suitable model for landslide recognition. According to the experimental results, the best recognition accuracy of PSPNet is with the classification network ResNet50 as the backbone network. The mIoU is 91.18%, which represents high accuracy; Through this experiment, we demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of deep learning methods in landslide identification.
Effects of the Operational Parameters in a Coupled Process of Electrocoagulation and Advanced Oxidation in the Removal of Turbidity in Wastewater from a Curtember
Authors: Alcocer-Meneses Paul , Cabrera-Salazar Angel Britaldo , Medina-Collana Juan Taumaturgo , Rosales-Huamani Jimmy Aurelio , Franco-Gonzales Elmar Javier , Reyna-Mendoza Gladis Enith
Published: August 2022

The tannery industry during its process generates various polluting substances such as organic matter from the skin and chemical inputs, producing wastewater with a high concentration of turbidity. The objective of this research is to evaluate the most appropriate operational parameters of the coupled process of electrocoagulation and advanced oxidation to achieve the removal of turbidity in wastewater from a tannery in the riparian zone (tannery). This process uses a direct current source between perforated aluminum electrodes of circular geometry submerged in the effluent, which causes the dissolution of the aluminum plates. For our study, an electrocoagulation unit coupled to an ozone generator has been built at the laboratory level, where the influence of five factors (voltage, inlet flow to the reactor, initial turbidity, pH, and ozone flow) has been studied with three levels with regarding turbidity, using the Taguchi experimental methodology. The optimal conditions for the removal of turbidity were obtained at 10 volts, 7.5 pH, 360 L/h of wastewater recirculation flow rate; 2400 mg/h of ozone flow rate; and 1130 NTU of initial turbidity of the sample in 60 min of treatment reaching a removal of 99.75% of the turbidity. Under optimal conditions, the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) was determined, reaching a removal percentage of 33.2% of COD and 39.36% of BOD was achieved. Likewise, the degree of biodegradability of the organic load obtained increased from 0.467 to 0.553.
Research on Dynamic Path Planning of Multi-AGVs Based on Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Bai Yunfei , Ding Xuefeng , Hu Dasha , Jiang Yuming
Published: August 2022

Automatic guided vehicles have become an important part of transporting goods in dynamic environments, and how to design an efficient path planning method for multiple AGVs is a current research hotspot. Due to the complex road conditions in dynamic environments, there may be dynamic obstacles and situations in which only the target point is known but a complete map is lacking, which leads to poor path planning and long planning time for multiple automatic guided vehicles (AGVs). In this paper, a two-level path planning method (referred to as GA-KL, genetic KL method) for multi-AGVs is proposed by integrating the scheduling policy into global path planning and combining the global path planning algorithm and local path planning algorithm. First, for local path planning, we propose an improved Q-learning path optimization algorithm (K-L, Kohonen Q-learning algorithm) based on a Kohonen network, which can avoid dynamic obstacles and complete autonomous path finding using the autonomous learning function of the Q-learning algorithm. Then, we adopt the idea of combining global and local planning by combining the K-L algorithm with the improved genetic algorithm; in addition, we integrate the scheduling policy into global path planning, which can continuously adjust the scheduling policy of multi-AGVs according to changes in the dynamic environment. Finally, through simulation and field experiments, we verified that the K-L algorithm can accomplish autonomous path finding; compared with the traditional path planning algorithm, the algorithm achieved improves results in path length and convergence time with various maps; the convergence time of the algorithm was reduced by about 6.3%, on average, and the path length was reduced by about 4.6%, on average. The experiments also show that the GA-KL method has satisfactory global search capability and can effectively avoid dynamic obstacles. The final experiments also demonstrated that the GA-KL method reduced the total path completion time by an average of 12.6% and the total path length by an average of 8.4% in narrow working environments or highly congested situations, which considerably improved the efficiency of the multi-AGVs.
A New Contraction-Type Mapping on a Vectorial Dislocated Metric Space over Topological Modules
Authors: Olaru Ion Marian
Published: August 2022

One recent and prolific direction in the development of fixed point theory is to consider an operator T:X→X defined on a metric space (X,d) which is an F—contraction, i.e., T verifies a condition of type τ+F(d(T(x),T(y))≤F(d(x,y)), for all x,y∈X, T(x)≠T(y), where τ>0 and F:(0,∞)→R satisfies some suitable conditions which ensure the existence and uniqueness for the fixed point of operator T. Moreover, the notion of F-contraction over a metric space (X,d) was generalized by considering the notion of (G,H)—contraction, i.e., a condition of type G(d(Tx,Ty))≤H(d(x,y)), for all x,y∈X, Tx≠Ty for some appropriate G,H:(0,∞)→R functions. Recently, the abovementioned F-contraction theory was extended to the setup of cone metric space over the topological left modules. The principal objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of vectorial dislocated metric space over a topological left module and the notion of A-Cauchy sequence, as a generalization of the classical Cauchy sequence concept. Furthermore, based on the introduced concept, a fixed point result is provided for an operator T:X→X, which satisfies the condition (G,H)—contraction, where G,H are defined on the interior of a solid cone.
COVID-19-Related Scientific Literature Exploration: Short Survey and Comparative Study
Authors: Adil Bahaj , Lhazmir Safae , Ghogho Mounir , Benbrahim Houda
Published: August 2022

The urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a surge in the related scientific literature. This surge made the manual exploration of scientific articles time-consuming and inefficient. Therefore, a range of exploratory search applications have been created to facilitate access to the available literature. In this survey, we give a short description of certain efforts in this direction and explore the different approaches that they used.
High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning NMR of KcsA in Liposomes: The Highly Mobile C-Terminus
Authors: Howarth Gary S. , McDermott Ann E.
Published: August 2022

The structure of the transmembrane domain of the pH-activated bacterial potassium channel KcsA has been extensively characterized, yet little information is available on the structure of its cytosolic, functionally critical N- and C-termini. This study presents high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) and fractional deuteration as tools to study these poorly resolved regions for proteoliposome-embedded KcsA. Using 1H-detected HR-MAS NMR, we show that the C-terminus transitions from a rigid structure to a more dynamic structure as the solution is rendered acidic. We make previously unreported assignments of residues in the C-terminus of lipid-embedded channels. These data agree with functional models of the C-terminus-stabilizing KcsA tetramers at a neutral pH with decreased stabilization effects at acidic pH. We present evidence that a C-terminal truncation mutation has a destabilizing effect on the KcsA selectivity filter. Finally, we show evidence of hydrolysis of lipids in proteoliposome samples during typical experimental timeframes.
Research on Antecedents of Residents’ Willingness to Cooperate in Urban Regeneration Projects: Based on an Extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) Model
Authors: Wang Dan , Jiang Shouwen , Liu Bingsheng , Li Xinjian , Yuan Xiaohao
Published: August 2022

Residents’ willingness to cooperate can contribute to the success of urban regeneration projects worldwide. However, limited research has explored factors determining residents’ willingness to cooperate with neighborhood regeneration projects. This study aims to investigate the influence of psychological factors on urban residents’ willingness to comply with neighborhood regeneration projects. To achieve this goal, the study extends the theory of planned behavior by specifying the effects of perceived benefit, perceived risk, and perceived fairness on residents’ compliance intention toward neighborhood regeneration projects. Data from 362 local residents (i.e., homeowners) in China were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results show that perceived benefit, perceived risk, and perceived fairness have significant effects on the attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, which in turn enhance residents’ compliance intention toward neighborhood regeneration projects. In addition, perceived benefit and perceived fairness also exhibit direct positive effects on residents’ compliance intention. This study develops an enriched model to examine the forming mechanisms of residents’ compliance intention under the context of neighborhood regeneration. It also provides more insights to enhance the decision-making regarding strategies of urban regeneration toward better social sustainability. Specifically, measures should be implemented to increase residents’ subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and benefit perception. It is also recommended to foster a favorable attitude and to facilitate fairness perceptions of residents.
The Novel Approach of Catalytic Interesterification, Hydrolysis and Transesterification of Pongamia pinnata Oil
Authors: Inam Summayia , Hanif Muhammad Asif , Rashid Umer , Nadeem Farwa , Alharthi Fahad A. , Kazerooni Elham Ahmed
Published: August 2022

The properties of biodiesel are completely dependent on the fatty acid profile of feedstock oils. Several feedstocks are not in use for biodiesel production because of the presence of unsuitable fatty acids in their oils. The present study was conducted to overcome this problem by the utilization of interesterification and hydrolysis processes. The present study reports biodiesel with much better cold flow properties than previous studies. Fatty acids present in Pongamia pinnata oil were optimized via interesterification and hydrolysis treatment of feedstock prior to alkali-catalyzed transesterification. The physiochemical properties of fuel were evaluated by standard test methods and the results were compared with EN 14214 and ASTM D6751 standards. Biodiesel composition was analyzed by a gas chromatographic analysis. The density, saponification and iodine values of the biodiesel derived from treated and non-treated oil were found to be within the range recommended by the international fuel standards. The acid values of biodiesel produced from non-treated and treated fractions were high (0.7–0.8 mg of KOH/g of oil), as compared to the biodiesel produced from non-treated and treated pure oil. The cloud points and pour points of biodiesel produced from hydrolyzed and interesterified oil were in the range of (8.1 to −9.6 °C) and (2.03 to −12.5 °C), respectively, while those of non-treated oil were in the range of (13.37 to −1.53 °C). These results indicate that treatments of oil specifically improved the low-temperature properties of biodiesel.
Sema4C Is Required for Vascular and Primary Motor Neuronal Patterning in Zebrafish
Authors: Sheng Jiajing , Jiang Boxuan , Shi Ruijun , Shi Linsheng , Liu Dong
Published: August 2022

Endothelial cells (ECs) and neurons share a number of common signaling pathways and molecular mediators to orchestrate directional migration and guide the pattern of the vascular network and nervous system. So far, research concerning the functional coupling between vascular and neuronal pathfinding remains insufficient. Semaphorin4C (sema4C), a member of class 4 semaphorins, is initially described in the nervous system, whose role has been demonstrated in diverse biological developments. The present study focused on the role of sema4C in the vascular and neural development process in zebrafish embryos. It confirmed that sema4C is expressed in both the nervous system and intersegmental vessels (ISVs) in zebrafish embryos by diverse expression analysis. It also showed that the knockdown of sema4C caused a serious pathfinding anomaly both in the ISVs and primary motor neurons (PMNs) of zebrafish embryos. In addition, overexpressing exogenous sema4C mRNA in sema4C morphants remarkably neutralized the defective pattern of the vascular and neural system. Collectively, this report suggests that sema4C acts as a dual guiding factor regulating vascular and neuronal development. These findings elucidate a new molecular mechanism underlying blood vessel and nerve development and might serve as groundwork for future research on functional coupling between both systems.
Chemical Permeation Enhancers for Topically-Applied Vitamin C and Its Derivatives: A Systematic Review
Authors: Liston Lord Sam , Rivas Precious Lorraine , Sakdiset Pajaree , See Gerard Lee , Arce Florencio
Published: August 2022

This paper reports the permeation-enhancing properties and safety of different chemical permeation enhancers (CPEs) on the topical delivery of vitamin C (VC) and its derivatives. A literature search using search keywords or phrases was done in PubMed®, ScienceDirect, and MEDLINE databases. The calculated Log P (cLog P) values were referenced from PubChem and the dermal LD50 values were referenced from safety data sheets. Thirteen studies described the permeation-enhancing activity of 18 identified CPEs in the topical delivery of VC. Correlation analysis between ER and cLog P values for porcine (r = 0.114) and rabbit (r = 0.471) showed weak and moderate positive correlation, while mouse (r = −0.135), and reconstructed human epidermis (r = −0.438) had a negative correlation. The majority (n = 17) of the CPEs belonged to Category 5 of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification or low toxicity hazard. CPEs alone or in combination enhanced permeation (ER = 0.198–106.57) of VC in topical formulations. The combination of isopropyl myristate, sorbitan monolaurate, and polyoxyethylene 80 as CPEs for VC resulted in the highest permeation enhancement ratio.
Detection of Potential Mutated Genes Associated with Common Immunotherapy Biomarkers in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients
Authors: Cao Lei , Cao Zhili , Liu Hongsheng , Liang Naixin , Bing Zhongxing , Tian Caijuan , Li Shanqing
Published: August 2022

Microsatellite instability (MSI), high tumor mutation burden (TMB-H) and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression are hot biomarkers related to the improvement of immunotherapy response. Two cohorts of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were collected and sequenced via targeted next-generation sequencing. Drug analysis was then performed on the shared genes using three different databases: Drugbank, DEPO and DRUGSURV. A total of 27 common genes were mutated in at least two groups of TMB-H-, MSI- and PD-L1-positive groups. AKT1, SMAD4, SCRIB and AXIN2 were severally involved in PI3K-activated, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)-activated, Hippo-repressed and Wnt-repressed pathways. This study provides an understanding of the mutated genes related to the immunotherapy biomarkers of NSCLC.
The Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology by European Childhood Cancer Survivors
Authors: Borgmann-Staudt Anja , Michael Simon , Sommerhaeuser Greta , Fernández-González Marta-Julia , Friedrich Lucía Alacán , Klco-Brosius Stephanie , Kepak Tomas , Kruseova Jarmila , Michel Gisela , Panasiuk Anna , Schmidt Sandrin , Lotz Laura , Balcerek Magdalena
Published: August 2022

CCS often wish to have biological children yet harbour concerns about fertility impairment, pregnancy risks and the general health risks of prospective offspring. To clarify these concerns, health outcomes in survivor offspring born following ART (n = 74, 4.5%) or after spontaneous conception (n = 1585) were assessed in our European offspring study by descriptive and bivariate analysis. Outcomes were compared to a sibling offspring cohort (n = 387) in a 4:1 matched-pair analysis (n = 1681). (i) Survivors were more likely to employ ART than their siblings (4.5% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.501). Successful pregnancies were achieved after a median of one cycle with, most commonly, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using non-cryopreserved oocytes/sperm. (ii) Multiple-sibling births (p < 0.001, 29.7% vs. 2.5%), low birth weight (p < 0.001; OR = 3.035, 95%-CI = 1.615–5.706), and preterm birth (p < 0.001; OR = 2.499, 95%-CI = 1.401–4.459) occurred significantly more often in survivor offspring following ART utilisation than in spontaneously conceived children. ART did not increase the prevalence of childhood cancer, congenital malformations or heart defects. (iii) These outcomes had similar prevalences in the sibling population. In our explorative study, we could not detect an influence on health outcomes when known confounders, such as multiple births, were taken into account.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Pancreatitis
Authors: Walkowska Julia , Zielinska Nicol , Tubbs R. Shane , Podgórski Michał , Dłubek-Ruxer Justyna , Olewnik Łukasz
Published: August 2022

The pancreas is a glandular organ that is responsible for the proper functioning of the digestive and endocrine systems, and therefore, it affects the condition of the entire body. Consequently, it is important to effectively diagnose and treat diseases of this organ. According to clinicians, pancreatitis—a common disease affecting the pancreas—is one of the most complicated and demanding diseases of the abdomen. The classification of pancreatitis is based on clinical, morphologic, and histologic criteria. Medical doctors distinguish, inter alia, acute pancreatitis (AP), the most common causes of which are gallstone migration and alcohol abuse. Effective diagnostic methods and the correct assessment of the severity of acute pancreatitis determine the selection of an appropriate treatment strategy and the prediction of the clinical course of the disease, thus preventing life-threatening complications and organ dysfunction or failure. This review collects and organizes recommendations and guidelines for the management of patients suffering from acute pancreatitis.
An Extended Instruction Set for Bioinformatics’ Multiple Sequence Alignment
Authors: Gkogkidis Anargyros , Tsoukas Vasileios , Kakarountas Athanasios
Published: August 2022

Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA) is one of the most fundamental methodologies in Bioinformatics and the method capable of arranging DNA or protein sequences to detect regions of similarity. Even on cutting-edge workstations, the MSA procedure requires a significant amount of time regarding its execution time. This paper demonstrates how to utilize Extensa Explorer by Tensilica (Cadence) to create an extended instruction set to meet the requirements of some of the most widely used algorithms in Bioinformatics for MSA analysis. Kalign showed the highest acceleration, reducing Instruction Fetches (IF) and Execution Time (ET) by 30.29 and 43.49 percent, respectively. Clustal had acceleration of 14.2% in IF and 17.9% in ET, whereas Blast had 12.35% in IF and 16.25% in ET.
Airside Thermal Performance of Louvered Fin Flat-Tube Heat Exchangers with Different Redirection Louvers
Authors: Saleem Arslan , Kim Man-Hoe
Published: August 2022

The performance of heat exchangers is severely limited by airside thermal resistance. The effect of redirection louvers (RLs) on the airside thermal performance of a compact flat-tube louvered fin heat exchanger was investigated. A steady-state 3D numerical analysis was conducted for different fin configurations by varying the number of RLs (NRL = 1, 2, 3, and 5). Conjugate heat transfer analysis was performed at the low Re (50–450) for domestic and transport air-conditioning applications. Geometric parameters such as louver pitch, louver angle, fin pitch, and flow depth were set as 1.7 mm, 27°, 1.2 mm, and 20 mm, respectively. The effective heat transfer fin surface areas of different fin configurations were also kept identical for a comparative analysis. The influence of the RLs on the airside thermal–hydraulic performance was analysed by exploring the local and average Nusselt numbers, pressure drop, Colburn j factor, friction factor f, performance evaluation criteria (PEC), and flow efficiency of different fin configurations. The numerical results revealed that the asymmetric fin configuration with two RLs (NRL = 2) showed the best heat transfer performance for the entire Re range. It resulted in a 33% higher average Nusselt number, causing a 24% higher pressure drop compared to NRL=5. At low flow velocities (Re < 75), NRL = 3 showed better PEC; however, at high flow velocities (Re > 75), NRL = 1 outperformed other fin configurations. Finally, it was noted that increasing the number of RLs reduced the amplitude of the wavy-shaped flow formed between the neighbouring louvered fin, consequently deteriorating the flow efficiency.
A PID Control Method Based on Internal Model Control to Suppress Vibration of the Transmission Chain of Wind Power Generation System
Authors: Zhou Chenyang , Shen Yanxia
Published: August 2022

Vibrations occur in the wind turbine drivetrain due to the drivetrain’s elasticity and gear clearance. Typically, the PID control method is used to suppress elastic vibration, while the method with the disturbance suppression function is used to suppress nonlinear gear clearance vibration. The purpose of this paper is to propose an equivalent PID control method based on the internal model control (IMC) for suppressing vibration caused by the wind turbine drivetrain’s elasticity and gear clearance. The equivalent PID controller can suppresses elastic vibration; the IMC controller can suppresses gear clearance vibration. First, the vibration principle of the two-mass wind turbine drivetrain with clearance is discussed. After analyzing the nonlinear characteristics of the gear clearance, the nonlinear clearance system is decomposed into a linear unit and a nonlinear bounded disturbance unit. To suppress nonlinear bounded disturbances, a disturbance suppression method based on IMC is proposed; simultaneously, an equivalent PID controller based on IMC is designed to resolve the vibration issue caused by the wind turbine drivetrain’s elasticity. The simulation experimental results show that the clearance vibration is suppressed by the original IMC method. The PID controller obtained by the IMC equivalent transformation can suppress the elastic vibration.
Medication Adherence among Patients with Chronic Diseases in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alosaimi Khulud , Alwafi Hassan , Alhindi Yosra , Falemban Alaa , Alshanberi Asim , Ayoub Nahla , Alsanosi Safaa
Published: August 2022

Introduction: The management of chronic illnesses commonly includes a long-term pharmacological approach. Although these medications effectively control disease, their full benefits are often not realized because approximately 50% of patients do not take their medications as prescribed. Medication adherence has become a big concern to clinicians and healthcare systems in Saudi Arabia and worldwide because of growing evidence associating nonadherence with adverse outcomes and higher costs of care. Despite it being a well-recognized problem, few studies have investigated medication adherence in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aims to gain a better perspective on medication adherence among patients with chronic diseases in Saudi Arabia. Method: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with chronic diseases in the Makkah region, Saudi Arabia, from 1 May to 31 July 2021. Patients aged 18 years and above who were taking prescribed or over-the-counter medications were included. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the participants’ characteristics, and categorical variables were reported as frequencies and percentages. A Chi-square test was used to test the relations between variables. Results: In total, 239 participants were included in the study. Females represented 62% of the participants. In terms of the history of chronic diseases, 44% had hypertension, 40% had diabetes mellitus, 21% had heart diseases and 9% had asthma. Nearly half (49%) of participants did not follow up regularly with a primary healthcare center and 42% said that they had forgotten to take their medications in the past. However, most of the participants (78%) stated that they took their medicine as instructed by their doctor or pharmacist, and 61% took their medications on time. The majority of participants (85%) said that the pharmacist explained the method of using the medications and the instructions for use, while 30% thought that the medications they took were too much. In regard to the reasons for medication nonadherence, having no specific reasons for medication nonadherence was the most common cause for nonadherence in our study. The relationship between patients taking medications as instructed by a healthcare provider (the doctor or pharmacist) and the healthcare provider giving clear instructions to patients about medication use was significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Failure to adhere is a significant problem that not only affects the patient but also the healthcare system. Additional research is needed to monitor medication adherence and identify factors contributing to this problem to provide successful strategies to improve medication adherence in Saudi Arabia.
You Are Not Alone: The (In)Visible Homeless and the Role of Social Workers and Related Professionals
Authors: Munté-Pascual Ariadna , Redondo-Sama Gisela , De Vicente Irene , Matulic Virginia
Published: August 2022

The scientific literature has already shown that health information is a factor that contributes to reduce health disparities, improving the situation of vulnerable groups, such as homeless people. However, less is known about the ways that health information has been spread by social workers and related professionals to homeless people in the first moments of the COVID-19 pandemic. This work analyses some social work actions related to health information addressed to homeless people and to identify its impact during the lockdown in Barcelona. This qualitative study is based on semi-structured interviews with social workers and related professionals involved in developing interventions related to health information with homeless people in Barcelona. The data analysis is based on the communicative methodology to identify exclusionary and transformative dimensions. The results show the improvement in the health information of homeless people during the pandemic through the design and development of actions facilitated and promoted by some social workers and related professionals. The findings demonstrate the role that some social workers and related professionals have played in the improvement of health information of homeless people during the lockdown in Barcelona.
Pharmacists’ Knowledge, and Insights in Implementing Pharmacogenomics in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alhaddad Zahra Abdulathim , AlMousa Hissah Abdullatif , Younis Nancy S.
Published: August 2022

Background: Pharmacogenomics (PGx) and personalized medicine embrace the potential to optimize drug treatment and improve the patient’s quality of life. Pharmacists’ roles include contributing to genetic testing, patient counseling, and pharmacotherapies selection for superior treatment outcomes. The aim of this study is to assess the pharmacists’ knowledge, insight, and self-confidence toward PGx testing, identify their future preferred education patterns, and determine the barriers to pharmacogenomic testing implementation. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a previously validated questionnaire among pharmacists working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The questionnaire was designed in seven major categories, consisting of 26 questions. Results: A total of 671 pharmacists participated in this survey. As for knowledge, only 29.8% of pharmacists had good knowledge regarding PGx, while 42.9% had poor knowledge levels. Respectable PGx knowledge was significantly higher among outpatient dispensing pharmacists (33.6%; p = 0.049) and among pharmacists who had completed PGx testing-related training or education (40.3%; p = 0.001). Considering perception, it was positive among 50% of pharmacists and negative among 19.8%. With regard to self-confidence, it was high among 39.2% of male pharmacists (p = 0.042), among 43% of clinical pharmacists (p = 0.006), and among 44.8% of pharmacists who had extra credentials (p = 0.001). The utmost favored continuing-education learning approaches were workshops or seminars. The barriers to the implementation of PGx testing included a lack of testing devices, clinical guidelines, training or education, and personnel. Conclusion: The present study revealed that pharmacists in KSA had inadequate knowledge and understanding of PGx. Nevertheless, the majority established that PGx is a valuable tool for augmenting drug efficacy and safety.
What Types of Exercise Are Best for Emotional Intelligence and Logical Thinking?
Authors: Skurvydas Albertas , Lisinskiene Ausra , Majauskiene Daiva , Valanciene Dovile , Dadeliene Ruta , Istomina Natalja , Sarkauskiene Asta , Buciunas Gediminas
Published: August 2022

The aim of our study was to determine whether EI and LT vs. intuitive thinking (CRT score) are related to participation in professional sports, independent exercise, and exercise at a gym/health center compared with no exercise. We selected 20 of the most popular types of exercise in Lithuania among respondents who exercise independently or at a gym/health center, and we ranked these types of exercise according to the participants’ emotional intelligence and logical thinking. We studied 4545 women and 1824 men aged 18–74 years with a focus on whether emotional intelligence and logical thinking are related to type of exercise. Participation in any exercise was significantly related to emotional intelligence in men and women. Women in professional sports solved the lowest number of logic tasks. Women who exercise independently or at a gym/health center had better logical thinking than those who do not exercise. Among men, logical thinking was not associated with the type of exercise. We found the tendency for a negative correlation between EI and LT in the 20 most popular types of exercise. Emotional intelligence correlated positively with participation in MVPA. The highest emotional intelligence was in women who participate in dance or Pilates and in men who participate in martial arts, wrestling, boxing, or yoga. Logical thinking was the highest in men who participate in triathlon and in women who perform CrossFit. Men who practice martial arts or track and field and women who participate in cycling were in the top five for emotional intelligence and logical thinking.
Burden of Food Insecurity and Mental Health Symptoms among Adults with Cardiometabolic Conditions during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Camacho-Rivera Marlene , Albury Jonathan , Chen Karen , Ye Zachary , Islam Jessica Y.
Published: August 2022

Our study objectives were to (1) identify the national prevalence and patterns of food insecurity among adults with and without a history of CMCs and (2) determine associations between food insecurity and mental health outcomes among adults with CMCs during the early COVID-19 pandemic period (April–June 2020). We computed prevalence ratios with Poisson regression using the robust estimation of standard errors to identify disparities in the report of food insecurity across demographic groups and by CMC history. Among adults with CMCs, we estimated associations between food insecurity and self-reported mental health symptoms using multinomial logistic regression. Overall, people with CMCs were more likely to be older, White, without employment in the past 7 days, and from the South or an urban environment. We found that the determinants of food insecurity among individuals with cardiometabolic conditions include having: <60 years of age, female sex, Black or Hispanic race/ethnicity, an educational degree lower than a baccalaureate, a household income of <$100,000, and either Medicaid, Indian Health Insurance, or no insurance. Individuals with CMCs and food insecurity also had significantly higher odds of adverse mental health symptoms. The continued clinical screening of food insecurity and mental health, as well as public health interventions, targeted toward individuals with CMCs, should be prioritized as we move through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Living in Confinement, Stopped in Time”: Migrant Social Vulnerability, Coping and Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in France
Authors: De Jesus Maria , Moumni Zoubida , Sougui Zara Hassan , Biswas Neeharika , Kubicz Raquel , Pourtau Lionel
Published: August 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed health and social inequities among migrant populations. Less empirical evidence exists about the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on migrants. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the first lockdown in France between March and May 2020 on migrants’ lives and livelihoods. We adopted a social vulnerability framework to conceptualize how the pandemic and the consequential lockdown in France contributed to a ‘compounded crisis’ for asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. This crisis encompassed health, protection, and socio-economic challenges for migrants and exposed the shortcomings of existing government policies that exclude migrants and do not address the root causes of health inequities. The study draws on in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with 75 asylum seekers and undocumented migrants during the pandemic lockdown in the French regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Île-de-France. The findings of this paper highlight the importance of implementing a cohesive pandemic response approach that views health as a fundamental inclusive right for all human beings and all policies as health policies to promote well-being for all.
Approaches for Management and Valorization of Non-Homogeneous, Non-Recyclable Plastic Waste
Authors: Gazzotti Stefano , De Felice Beatrice , Ortenzi Marco Aldo , Parolini Marco
Published: August 2022

The environmental accumulation of plastic wastes has become one of the most discussed topics in the scientific community. The development of new strategies to tackle this issue is of crucial importance, and different approaches are being investigated to effectively reduce plastic waste generated by improper or inefficient disposal. In addition to the efforts addressing the development of biodegradable plastics, the research is currently focused on the development of innovative recycling approaches. Indeed, although most plastic materials are potentially recyclable, only 15% of the worldwide plastic waste is currently recycled, while the remaining 85% is usually incinerated to recover thermal energy or landfilled. The hurdles to efficient recycling come from improper management of end-of-life plastic goods. Moreover, the highly heterogeneous nature and versatility of plastic and polymeric materials have led to the development of multilayered materials, composites, blends and many other different species, whose management and/or reprocessing to yield high-value products is extremely challenging. Thus, although these materials are extremely valuable from an industrial point of view, they add a high degree of complexity to the recycling process because each one of them is different from the other, but they cannot be separated efficiently. The aim of the present review is to return a comprehensive overview of environmental and management issues related to the complex and heterogeneous mixture of plastic waste that is generated at the end of the sorting procedures in Italian plastic recycling plants, the so-called ‘Plasmix’. This review lists the difficulties and limitations related to the management of non-recyclable Plasmix and highlights the strategies for the proper, sustainable and valuable use of this plastic waste.
Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Employees with Mental Disorders or Musculoskeletal Diseases after Sickness-Related Absence: Validation of the German Version of the Return-to-Work Self-Efficacy Scale
Authors: Hansmann Marieke , Beller Johannes , Maurer Friederike , Kröger Christoph
Published: August 2022

Return-to-work self-efficacy (RTW-SE) is an important predictor of the duration until employees return to work after a sickness-related absence. The aim of the present validation study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the German RTW-SE scale. Data were obtained from three independent samples of employees who were in outpatient care due to mental disorders or musculoskeletal diseases (n1 = 301, n2 = 103, n3 = 104). Confirmatory factor analyses showed an inadequate fit for a one-factor solution and an acceptable fit for a two-factor model that distinguished by item-wording direction. To test whether the two factors represent substantively different dimensions of the construct or rather a statistical item-wording effect, two subscales were formed based on item-wording direction. As the subscales were not differentially associated with external measures, the one-factor solution may be considered appropriate. The scale showed good to excellent internal consistency values over time and across samples, had low retest reliability indices, and indicated construct validity based on moderate to high associations with cognitive and disease-related variables. The results further demonstrated the scale’s sensitivity to change. The RTW-SE baseline score predicted physical performance and pain-related psychological impairment after orthopedic rehabilitation. In multiple regression analysis, RTW-SE remained a significant predictor of pain-related psychological impairment but not physical performance, partially demonstrating the predictive validity of the scale. The German version of the RTW-SE scale demonstrated satisfactory results regarding its validity and reliability.
Factors Associated with Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia during COVID-19
Authors: Kuroda Yujiro , Sugimoto Taiki , Satoh Kenichi , Suemoto Claudia K. , Matsumoto Nanae , Uchida Kazuaki , Kishino Yoshinobu , Sakurai Takashi
Published: August 2022

(1) Background: Preventive measures to control the spread of COVID-19 are essential, but they often cause social isolation and diminish the physical and mental health of older adults. In cognitively impaired individuals, the pandemic has worsened behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Here, we explored the factors contributing to the worsening of BPSD during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: Potential patients were identified at a memory clinic in Japan between June 2017 and June 2021. Eligible patients had a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia during the study period. The outcome was BPSD, as assessed by using the Dementia Behavioral Disorders Scale. Information on patients’ lifestyle habits and use of care services was obtained for use as primary explanatory variables; multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between BPSD and care services use or lifestyle habits. The model was adjusted for sociodemographic factors, and the interaction terms of the pandemic period with lifestyle and service use were included to evaluate the effects of COVID-19. (3) Results: We identified 977 participants with MCI and 1380 with dementia (MCI group: 69.8% age 75 years or older, 54.2% female; dementia group: 79.8% age 75 years or older, 64.8% female). After adjustment for possible confounders, significantly worse BPSD was demonstrated in those who used daycare services during COVID-19 (both MCI and dementia patients; p = 0.007 and p = 0.025 respectively) and in those with poor nutritional function (dementia patients; p = 0.040). (4) Conclusions and Implications: During COVID-19, poor nutritional status and use of daycare services were associated with BPSD in those with cognitive decline. These findings indicate the need to fully examine the quantity and quality of care services for people with cognitive decline during emergencies and to continue to provide effective services.
Antiproliferative Effects of Cynara Cardunculus in Colorectal Cancer Cells Are Modulated by the Circadian Clock
Authors: Fuhr Luise , Basti Alireza , Brás Teresa Silva , Duarte Maria F. , Relógio Angela
Published: August 2022

The circadian clock generates 24 h rhythms in behavioural, cellular and molecular processes. Malfunctions of the clock are associated with enhanced susceptibility to cancer, worse treatment response and poor prognosis. Clock-controlled genes are involved in cellular processes associated with tumour development and progression including metabolism of drugs and the cell cycle. Cynara cardunculus, a plant of the Asteraceae family, has been reported to have antiproliferative effects on breast cancer cells. Here, we used the human colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line HCT116 and its knockout variants for different core-clock genes (BMAL1, PER2, NR1D1), to investigate the treatment effect of C. cardunculus lipophilic leaf extract under different clock scenarios. Our results show a direct effect of C. cardunculus on the circadian phenotype of the cells, as indicated by alterations in the phase, amplitude, and period length of core-clock gene oscillations. Furthermore, our data indicate a role for the circadian clock in sensitivity to C. cardunculus treatment. In particular, the treatment inhibited proliferation and induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in a clock knockout-specific manner, in CRC cells. These results point to a potential effect of C. cardunculus lipophilic leaf extracts as a modulator of the circadian clock, in addition to its anti-proliferative properties.