bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Association Between DNA Methylation of CASZ1 Gene and Overweight/obesity in the Chinese Han Population
Authors: Qian Qiyu , Mo Xingbo , Duan Chengcheng , Wang Aili , Xu Tan , Zhang Huan , Zhang Yonghong
Published: October 2020

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the potential association between castor zinc finger 1 (CASZ1) gene methylation and overweight/obesity, and investigate the interaction effects between CASZ1 methylation levels and some environmental factors on overweight/obesity.MethodsThis study included 1,029 individuals. The methylation levels of CpG sites at CASZ1 promoter were measured with bisulfite sequencing method. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between CASZ1 methylation and body mass index (BMI) and overweight/obesity, respectively; while additive scale and multiplicative scale were used to evaluate the interaction effects between methylation levels and environmental factors on overweight/obesity.ResultsThe levels of CASZ1 methylation at CpG51, 70, 72, 98, 157, 165 were associated with BMI after adjustments. There were differences between cases and controls in the levels of DNA methylation at CpG58, 72, 98, 116, 157, 163, 165. Methylations at CpG72, 98, 163, 165 were associated with overweight/obesity after adjustments. The association between methylation levels of CpG98 (Odds ratio=1.06, 95%Confidence interval: 1.02-1.10) and CpG165 (Odds ratio =1.15, 95% Confidence interval: 1.07-1.42) and overweight/obesity was significant after considering multiple testing (P < 0.003). Besides, we found significant additive interaction effects of drinking status and triglyceride level with CpG163 on BMI. ConclusionThe methylation levels of CpG sites in CASZ1 gene, as well as the interactions with some environmental factors, were associated with overweight/obesity in the Chinese Han population.
Anthropogenic sediment starvation forces tidal dominance in a mega-delta
Authors: Vasilopoulos Grigorios , Quan Quan , Parsons Daniel , Darby Stephen , Tri Van , Hung Nguyen , Haigh Ivan , Voepel Hal , Nicholas Andrew , Aalto Rolf
Published: October 2020

The world’s major river deltas provide bountiful ecosystem services to hundreds of millions of people1,2, but there are widespread concerns that their ability to support these critical functions is being threatened by increases in salinity and the extent of tidal zones3, forced by sea-level rise4. Changes in the position of the fluvial-marine interface are governed not only by climate-driven sea-level rise, but by other factors including variations in river discharge and channel geometry5,6. However, the relative contributions of different driving factors to shifting tidal extent remains unconstrained. Here we use new field data and hydrodynamic modelling to quantify the influence of these different driving factors on accelerating tidal extension in the Mekong delta, both for the recent past and projected into the future under a range of policy, regulation and climate change scenarios. Our results indicate that, within the next two decades, tidal extension into the delta will increase by up to 56 km due to channel deepening, primarily driven by anthropogenic sediment starvation, which accounts for almost all (92%) of this incursion. Eustatically rising sea-levels are found to contribute only modestly. These findings will be transferable to other large sediment starved deltas that are facing similar challenges.
COVID-19: Determining the perception, anxiety, and behavior change during a pandemic outbreak in Bangladesh.
Authors: Ripon Rezaul Karim , Mim Sadia sultana , Mulder C.L. C.L.
Published: October 2020

Background: With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak worldwide, many people were advised to maintain specific precautionary measures for not catching the disease. The objectives of this study were to assess the perception, anxiety and behavior change of a population in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: A total of 6400 individuals comprised the population of this study. Subjects were respondents to an online questionnaire that was administered through social media. The questionnaire included items on personal information; nine items about participants' recent behaviors’, 42 items were used to assess how people perceived coronavirus outbreaks. Six out of the 42 items assessed whether participants believed certain actions can reduce their risk of catching corona virus. Anxiety was assessed using a six-item version of the list of valid state-specific concerns [The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)] scale. Data were collected and analyzed by regression analyses on a SPSS program. Results: 60% of participants (n= 3840) reported performing change any avoidance behavior (social event or crowd place, mass transport, go to shop). 64% (n=4096) had carried out any change of any recommended behavior (using mask and tissue, disinfecting used things, washing hands, maintaining social distance, maintaining isolation). 0.3% (n=1920) scored 18 or more on the anxiety scale, suggesting high anxiety. The strongest predictor of behavior change (recommended and avoidance) was "having a chronic illness’’. Participants who had carried out one or more recommended behaviors’ had significantly higher levels of "trust in government” odds ratio: 2.33, 95% CI: 2.07-2.61. Similarly, participants who had carried out one or more avoidance behaviors also had significantly higher levels of "trust in government" (1.90, 1.72-2.10). Conclusion: If the government and health care workers become aware of such findings, measures and policies can be taken to alleviate the resultant sufferings.
Research on Lapping Technology for Beryllium Rotor of ESG
Authors: Ya-Fei Wang , Xue-feng Xiong , Liang Guo , Peng Huang , Chao Tuo , Cong-wu Duan , Chu-quan Deng
Published: October 2020

In this paper, the process parameters such as the diameter of the cups, the rotation speed of the cups, and the lapping pressure are optimized through the simulation analysis of the lapping process parameters in the four cup lapping action and the analysis of the statics of the beryllium rotor. A four cup lapping platform for a beryllium rotor was built, and the four-axis motion control was realized through a programming method based on LabVIEW. Cups with three surface materials were developed by using vapor deposition and other methods, and lapping experiment were conducted for cups with different materials and granularity. Finally, a beryllium rotor with a surface roughness of 80nm was obtained through the design and processing of the process route, and an ultra-precision lapping process for the ESG beryllium rotor was obtained.
Epidemiological study on the relationship among menopausal condition, bone fragility, and knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Sasaki Eiji , Chiba Daisuke , Ota Seiya , Kimura Yuka , Sasaki Shizuka , Yamamoto Yuji , Oishi Maika , Iino Kaori , Ando Masataka , Kumagai Mika , Tsuda Eiichi , Ishibashi Yasuyuki
Published: October 2020

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) occurs more often in middle-aged females. While this age-group experiences comorbid osteoporosis with menopause, its influence on KOA has not been clarified. This epidemiological study aimed to investigate the relationship between menopausal conditions, bone mineral density (BMD), and KOA. Methods: A total of 518 female volunteers who participated in the Iwaki cohort study were enrolled and divided into groups (pre- and post-menopause). Antimullerian hormone (AMH) was measured as a predictive marker for menopause in the pre-menopausal subjects. Weight-bearing anterior-posterior knee radiographs were classified by Kellgren-Lawrence grade, and grade ≥ 2 was defined as definitive KOA (DKOA). Early KOA (EKOA) was defined by Luyten’s criteria, and BMD was measured at a distal radius. The relationship between menopausal condition, BMD, and KOA was analyzed by ROC and regression analysis. Results: Fifty-two participants (10.0%) were diagnosed with EKOA and 204 (39.4%) with DKOA. A total of 393 (75.9%) females began menopause, and the prevalence of DKOA was up to 48.1% and >12.0% in pre-menopause females (p < 0.001, Odds ratio: 6.79). From the ROC analysis in pre-menopausal females, cut-off value of AMH for detecting EKOA was 0.08 ng/ml (AUC: 0.712, p5%CI: 0.527 to 0.897, p-value: 0.025, Odds ratio: 8.28). Regression analysis showed that lower AMH was related to EKOA (p=0.035, Odds ratio: 5.55) and DKOA (p=0.032, Odds 1.59), and lower BMD and high turnover bone metabolism were correlated with DKOA. Conclusions: KOA increased after menopause and was correlated with lower BMD. Furthermore, reduction in AMH was a valuable biomarker for the detection of EKOA.
Study of Parents’ KAP regarding their Children’s Oral Health and the Factors that Influence Children’s Risk of Dental Caries
Authors: Xu Lili , Tian Jing , Wang Huiyu , Shao Changhui , Wu Yibo , Yang Zaimu , Guo Dingding , Liu Xinyan , Xiao Jiaqing
Published: October 2020

Background: Caries can harm children’s physical health, mental health, and overall development. To understand the factors that influence children’s risk of dental caries and the status of dental caries among children in Beijing, China, aged 3–5 years and to determine parents' KAP regarding their children’s oral health.Methods: The research subjects were parents who accompanied their children to a hospital for dental examination, and parents who attended community-based oral-health consultations. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software.Results: Overall, 41.4% of the children had dental caries. The parents had high demand for dental-caries-related knowledge, and were willing to receive such knowledge from a variety of sources. Logistic regression models showed that factors that impact children’s caries were the mother’s educational background, whether parents regularly acquire oral-health knowledge, and whether children have a dental examination each year.Conclusion: In Beijing, approximately half of the children aged 3–5 years have dental caries. Parents have good knowledge and attitudes regarding their children’s oral health, but their associated actions are insufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to provide parents with assistance regarding managing children’s oral health.
Effect of AK098656 on association of hypertension with coronary stenosis severity in coronary heart disease patients
Authors: Wang Xin , Wu Ya-li , Zhang Yuan-yuan , Ke Jing , Zhang Bao-yu , Ma Yan , Yang Long-yan , Zhao Dong
Published: October 2020

Background: AK098656 may be an adverse factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), especially in patients with hypertension. This study aimed to analyze the effect of AK098656 on CHD and CHD with various complications.Methods: A total of 117 CHD patients and 27 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. Plasma AK098656 expression was determined using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Student’s t-test was used to compare AK098656 expression levels in different groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to quantify the discrimination ability between CHD patients and health controls and between CHD and CHD+complications patients. The relationship between AK098656 and coronary stenosis was analyzed using Spearman’s correlation.Results: AK098656 expression was remarkably higher in CHD patients than in healthy controls (P=0.03). The ROC curve revealed an effective predictive AK098656 expression value for CHD risk, with an AUC of 0.656 (95% CI: 0.501–0.809). Moreover, AK098656 expression was increased in CHD+complications patients compared to CHD patients alone (P=0.005), especially in patients with hypertension (CHD+HHTN, P=0.030). The ROC curve revealed a predictive AK098656 prognostic value for discriminating between CHD and CHD+HHTN patients, with an AUC of 0.666 (95% CI: 0.528–0.805). There was no significant difference in AK098656 expression in CHD patients with diabetes mellitus compared to CHD patients alone. In addition, AK098656 expression in CHD patients was positively correlated with stenosis severity (R=0.261, P=0.006).Conclusion: AK098656 expression was significantly increased in patients with CHD, especially those with hypertension, and its expression level was positively correlated with the degree of coronary stenosis. This implied that AK098656 may be a risk factor for CHD and can potentially be applied in clinical diagnosis or provide a novel target for treatment.
Scalable additive manufacturing via integral image formation
Authors: Kim Seok , Handler Jordan , Cho Young Tae , Barbastathis George , Fang Nicholas
Published: October 2020

Additive manufacturing techniques are used to fabricate functional microstructures with customised mechanical and chemical properties. One common technique is projection microstereolithography, which has recently been developed to support smaller features, larger build areas, and/or faster speeds. The limitation of such systems is that they typically utilise a single-aperture imaging configuration, which restricts their ability to produce microstructures in large volumes owing to the tradeoff between image resolution and image field area. In this paper, we propose an integral lithography technique based on integral image reconstruction coupled with a planar lens array. The individual microlenses in the planar lens array maintain a high numerical aperture and are employed to create digital light patterns that can expand the printable area by the number of microlenses (10^3-10^4). The proposed lens array-based integral imaging system can simultaneously scale up and scale down incoming image fields, thereby allowing for the scalable stereolithographic fabrication of three-dimensional features that surpass the resolution-to-area scaling limit. We extend the printing capability of integral lithography to fabricate deterministic nonperiodic structures through the rotational overlapping or stacking of multiple exposures with controlled angular offsets. The proposed system provides new possibilities for producing periodic and deterministic aperiodic microarchitectures spanning four orders of magnitude from micrometres to centimetres. These microarchitectures can be applied to biological scaffolds, chemical reactors, functional surfaces, and metastructures.
Should Open Surgery or Conservative Management be the Choice for Treatment of Ectopic Pregnancy during COVID-19 Pandemic in a Resource-Poor Setting? A Case Series from India.
Authors: Pednekar Rahi , Mahajan Niraj N , Tirkey Deepika , Kulkarni Geeta , Pandey Ankita , Mahale Smita , Gajbhiye Rahul
Published: October 2020

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Buerger's disease: autoimmune disease involving multiple hypersensitivity types
Authors: Zheng Ping , Wang Wanchao
Published: October 2020

Buerger’s disease is an autoimmune disease? And what is the immunological pathogenesis？It has not been deeply researched but still attracts the attention of scholars. In our early study we reported that TAO may be an autoimmune disease involving hypersensitivity Type III & Type IV. In this study we further explored the immune pathogenesis of TAO based on initial research. We detected humoral immunity (Ig E) in 28 cases using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antigen-antibody complex depositing on the vessel wall in 18 cases, and anti-vessel antibodies in 28 cases using three kinds of immune-labeling techniques (immunofluorescence labeling, immunoenzymatic staining and immuno-gold-silver staining). The result shows Ig E levels were significantly high (P<0.01). As high as 86% of anti-vessel antibodies in serum were found (P<0.001), and the auto-antibodies against the vessel were combined directly with vascular collagen. Antigen-antibody complexes deposited on the vascular wall. These findings further confirm TAO is an autoimmune disease involving multiple hypersensitivity reactions. This is mainly Type III hypersensitivity and type II in addition to type IV. The elevated Ig E suggest that TAO may a type I hypersensitivity involved.
A Novel Automated Method for COVID-19 Infection and Lung Segmentation using Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Mishra Shreyas
Published: October 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic first originated in Wuhan, China and has spread to every country in the world. Without a viable cure in the near future, there is an urgent need for rapid diagnosis of COVID-19, faster test results and automated segmentation of infected region in the lungs. The aim of this paper is to assist in the rapid detection and segmentation of COVID-19 patients using deep learning techniques. This paper proposes a method for automatic segmentation of the lung and infected regions of COVID 19 patients using lung CT scan dataset. This has been done using a modified U-Net model along with different cross validation folds. The region of infection which is segmented will contain the lesion, which if identified in the early stages can be beneficial during treatment of the person. This can help doctors to determine the severity of the infection and suggest treatments based on it. A comparative analysis of the proposed architectures has been done against recently published results which proves the superiority of our models in terms of dice similarity coefficients.
Homologies between SARS-CoV-2 and allergen proteins may direct T cell-mediated heterologous immune responses
Authors: Balz Kathrin , Chen Meng , Kaushik Abhinav , Cemic Franz , Heger Vanessa , Renz Harald , Nadeau Kari , Skevaki Chrysanthi
Published: October 2020

The outbreak of the new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a public health emergency. Asthma does not represent a risk factor for COVID-19 in several published cohorts. We hypothesized that the SARS-CoV-2 proteome contains T cell epitopes, which are potentially cross-reactive to allergen epitopes. We aimed at identifying homologous peptide sequences by means of two distinct complementary bioinformatics approaches. Pipeline 1 included prediction of MHC Class I and Class II epitopes contained in the SARS-CoV-2 proteome and allergens along with alignment and elaborate ranking approaches. Pipeline 2 involved alignment of SARS-CoV-2 overlapping peptides with known allergen-derived T cell epitopes. Our results indicate a large number of MHC Class I epitope pairs including known as well as de novo predicted allergen T cell epitopes with high probability for cross-reactivity. Allergen sources, such as Aspergillus fumigatus, Phleum pratense and Dermatophagoides species are of particular interest due to their association with multiple cross-reactive candidate peptides, independently of the applied bioinformatic approach. In contrast, peptides derived from food allergens, as well as MHC class II epitopes did not achieve high in silico ranking and were therefore not further investigated. Our findings warrant further experimental confirmation along with examination of the functional importance of such cross-reactive responses.
Coping and Mental Health in Early Adolescence during COVID-19
Authors: Hussong Andrea M. , Midgette Allegra J. , Thomas Taylor E. , Coffman Jennifer L. , Cho Su
Published: October 2020

The current longitudinal study examines changes in overall mental health symptomatology from before to after the COVID-19 outbreak in youth from the southeastern United States as well as the potential mitigating effects of self-efficacy, optimism, and coping. A sample of 105 parent-child dyads participated in the study (49% boys; 81% European American, 1% Alaska Native/American Indian, 9% Asian/Asian American; 4% Black/African American; 4% Latinx; and 4% other; 87% mothers; 25% high school graduate without college education; 30% degree from 4-year college; 45% graduate or professional school). Parents completed surveys when children were aged 6-9, 8-12, 9-13, and 12-16, with the last assessments occurring between May 13, 2020 and July 1, 2020 during the COVID-19 outbreak. Children also completed online surveys at ages 11-16 assessing self-efficacy, optimism, and coping. Multi-level modeling analyses showed a within-person increase in mental health symptoms from before to after the outbreak after controlling for changes associated with maturation. Symptom increases were mitigated in youth with greater self-efficacy and (to some extent) problem-focused engaged coping, and exacerbated in youth with greater emotion-focused engaged and disengaged coping. Implications of this work include the importance of reinforcing self-efficacy in youth during times of crisis, such as the pandemic, and the potential downsides of emotion-focused coping as an early response to the crisis for youth.
IEF2C: A novel AI-powered framework for suspected COVID-19 patient detection and contact tracing in smart cities
Authors: Rahman Mohammad Azazur , Mahmud Md. Tareq , Rahman Md. Obaidur
Published: October 2020

Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has found as a climacteric pandemic that spreads from human-to-human through contiguity. It is not possible to control the virus properly because its vaccine has not been discovered yet. As of now, various contact tracing approaches are being taken to contain the spread of the virus by breaking its transmission chain. Recently, few technologies are being exploited for contact tracing such as geological location, Bluetooth and google maps. Governments of some countries have already launched contact tracing applications to identify the close contact people of COVID-19 positive patients.However, these methods may not be effective without a huge amount of testing facility since the tracing action starts when a COVID-19 testing result is found positive. In this paper, we have proposed a novel AI-powered data management framework for smart city named IoT-to-Edge-to-Fog-to-cloudlet-to-Cloud (IEF2C) data management framework which will be exploited to identify the COVID-19 suspected patients in smart cities and also be used to inform the surrounding people about the suspected patient. The proposed framework is isolated into five layers which have different tasks such as data collection, processing, authentication and storage. The framework will bring all the citizens under a common platform as well as will ensure the user and device mobility. It will mitigate the information gap by helping concerned authorities and users to take proper steps in such a pandemic era.
Bulimia nervosa: relato de caso
Authors: Costa Thalles Ferreira , Rodrigues Simone Alves Pereira , Vidotti Marcia Zucchi
Published: October 2020

Este trabalho tem a finalidade de descrever um relato de caso clínico sobre uma patologia psiquiátrica, a bulimia. O relato do caso tem como intuito facilitar o diagnóstico da situação clínica, além de discernir de outros distúrbios alimentares, visto que a descrição do caso clínico pode fornecer referências das características da doença, além do prognóstico. Por meio deste caso busca-se familiarizar a comunidade médica com os achados do exame clínico em pacientes com tal patologia, e ainda demonstrar possível o diagnóstico apenas de forma clínica.Descritores: Bulimia Nervosa; Diagnóstico; Transtornos da Alimentação e da Ingestão de Alimentos; Transtornos Mentais.ReferênciasSadock BJ, Sadock VA, Ruiz P. Compêndio de psiquiatria: ciência do comportamento e psiquiatria clínica. 11. ed. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2017.American Psychiatric Association. Manual diagnóstico e estatístico de transtornos mentais- DSM. 5. ed. Porto Alegre: Artmed, 2014.Silva TAB, Vasconcelos FMN, Ximenes RCC, Sampaio TPA, Sougey EB. As terapias cognitivo-comportamentais no tratamento da bulimia nervosa: uma revisão. J bras psiquiatr. 2015;64(2):160-68.Ludewig AM, Rech RR, Halpern R, Zanol F, Frata B. Prevalência de sintomas para transtornos alimentares em escolares de 11 a 15 anos da rede municipal de ensino da cidade de Nova Petrópolis, RS. Rev AMRIGS. 2017;61(1):35-9.Hercowitz A. Transtornos alimentares na adolescência. Pediatr Mod. 2015;51(7).
Early Performance of Jujube Drying and Multipurpose Cultivars in the Southwestern United States
Authors: Yao Shengrui , Heyduck Robert , Guldan Steven , Sapkota Govinda
Published: October 2020

Jujube cultivars have been imported into the United States for more than 100 years, but cultivar trials have been limited. To accurately recommend cultivars for each region, trials have to be conducted. We have set up jujube cultivar trials at the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Alcalde (2015, USDA hardiness zone 6a), Los Lunas (2015, 7a), and Leyendecker (2017, 8a) Centers with over 35 cultivars at each site with two replicates and a complete random block design. We reported the early performance of fresh-eating cultivars in 2019. Here we report the performance of 19 drying and multipurpose jujube cultivars. Between 40% and 100% of jujube trees produced a few fruit to more than 100 fruit in the planting year, depending on cultivar and location. Trees were more upright at Los Lunas than at Alcalde. ‘Kongfucui’ (KFC) was the most productive cultivar at Alcalde with 13.3 kg/tree in 2019, followed by ‘Chaoyang’, ‘Jinkuiwang’ (JKW), ‘Pitless’, and ‘Lang’. The yield at Los Lunas was lower than Alcalde for the first 3 years after planting; however, ‘Jinsi 2’, ‘Jinsi 4’, ‘Jixin’, ‘Sherwood’, ‘Sihong’, and ‘Xiangzao’ produced higher yields at Los Lunas than Alcalde in 2019. All cultivars produced higher yields and contained higher soluble solids at Leyendecker than Alcalde and Los Lunas at similar ages. ‘JKW’ was the most vigorous and productive cultivar at Leyendecker. ‘JKW’, ‘Xiangzao’, and ‘Lang’ produced more than 3.0 kg/tree in their second year after planting. ‘JKW’ yielded 12.3 kg/tree in its third year after planting. Among the three locations, drying cultivars are not recommended for commercial production at Alcalde. However, home gardeners can plant multipurpose and early-drying cultivars at Alcalde. Leyendecker produced the best dry fruit with larger fruit size, rich color, and meaty fruit; dry fruit quality was acceptable in most years at Los Lunas except 2019. We preliminarily recommend some drying and multipurpose cultivars for each location. As trees mature and produce more fruit, we will fine-tune the cultivar recommendations. We also discuss the jujube cultivar zoning information in New Mexico and fruit uses.
Lifecycle cost optimization of pipeline projects
Authors: Al-Khomairi Abdulrahman , Jung BongSeog , Elsebaie Ibrahim
Published: October 2020

Lifecycle cost optimization for a pipeline network with medium-sized pipes is performed considering steady and unsteady flow conditions. Genetic algorithms are used to generate a wide range of hydraulically acceptable solutions and search for the most economical solutions. The impact of each cost component on the total cost is determined in this study. The decision variables include the pipe diameter, pipe material, pipe pressure rating, surge tank size and operational and maintenance costs over the project service life. A real-case project is presented to crosscheck the suggested procedure. Significant cost variations are observed, even between equally acceptable designs. Furthermore, the operational cost has a deterministic effect on the parameters of the optimum solution. Compared to conventional design wisdom that focuses on reducing the pipe diameter as much as possible to reduce the project cost, this approach demonstrates that significant savings in pipeline project costs can be achieved by carefully investigating all possible design alternatives under steady and unsteady flow conditions.
Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) factors associated with growth between birth and 1 year of age in children in Soweto, South Africa: results from the Soweto Baby WASH study
Authors: Momberg D. J. , Voth-Gaeddert L. E. , Ngandu B. C. , Richter L. , May J. , Norris S. A. , Said-Mohamed R.
Published: October 2020

Interventions to reduce undernutrition and improve child growth have incorporated improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) as part of disease transmission prevention strategies. Knowledge gaps still exist, namely, when and which WASH factors are determinants for growth faltering, and when WASH interventions are most effective at improving growth. This study drew cross-sectional data from a longitudinal cohort study and used hierarchical regression analyses to assess associations between WASH factors: water index, sanitation, hygiene index, and growth: height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ), weight-for-height (WHZ) at 1, 6, and 12 months postpartum among infants a priori born healthy in Soweto, Johannesburg. Household access to sanitation facilities that were not safely managed was associated with a decrease in HAZ scores at 1 month (β = −2.24) and 6 months (β = −0.96); a decrease in WAZ at 1 month (β = −1.21), 6 months (β = −1.57), and 12 months (β = −1.92); and finally, with WHZ scores at 12 months (β = −1.94). Counterintuitively, poorer scores on the hygiene index were associated with an increase at 1 month for both HAZ (β = 0.53) and WAZ (β = 0.44). Provision of safely managed sanitation at household and community levels may be required before improvements in growth-related outcomes are obtained.
Analysis of critical parameters of flow and solute transport in porous media
Authors: Agarwal Pooja , Sharma Pramod Kumar
Published: October 2020

Groundwater has immense importance when it comes to sustaining agricultural and domestic water demand. However, improper use of groundwater has led to drastic increase in its contamination. For efficient management of groundwater it is important to have a thorough understanding of parameters that influence the groundwater flow and solute transport. In this study, HYDRUS-1D/2D software is used to analyse the effect of critical parameters that influence the behaviour of solute in groundwater flow and its transport under different soil conditions. Also, single porosity and dual porosity approaches are discussed with their respective sensitive parameters. Parameter variations are illustrated in the forms of concentration contours of the solute spread and the breakthrough curves obtained over the flow period. The results of this work can be useful in analysing flow and solute behaviour in the vadose zone.
Predictive Value of Sirtuins in Acute Myocardial Infarction - Bridging the Bench to the Clinical Practice
Authors: Junior Arquimedes G. , de Almeida Thiago L. , Tolouei Sara E.L. , dos Santos Andreia F. , dos Reis Lívero Francislaine A.
Published: October 2020

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a non-transmissible condition with high prevalence, morbidity,
and mortality. Different strategies for the management of AMI are employed worldwide, but its early diagnosis
remains a major challenge. Many molecules have been proposed in recent years as predictive agents in the early
detection of AMI, including troponin (C, T, and I), creatine kinase MB isoenzyme, myoglobin, heart-type fatty
acid-binding protein, and a family of histone deacetylases with enzymatic activities named sirtuins. Sirtuins may
be used as predictive or complementary treatment strategies and the results of recent preclinical studies are promising.
However, human clinical trials and data are scarce, and many issues have been raised regarding the predictive
values of sirtuins. The present review summarizes research on the predictive value of sirtuins in AMI. We
also briefly summarize relevant clinical trials and discuss future perspectives and possible clinical applications.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Caspase Expression in Molt-4 Leukemia Cells Via GSK-3α/Β and ERK1/2 Signaling Pathways as a Therapeutic Strategy
Authors: Fathi Ezzatollah , Vietor Ilja
Published: October 2020

Background:

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered an interesting tool in cell
therapy due to their unique features such as self-renewal, multi-potency, and pluripotency. The multifunctional
properties of these cells are being investigated in many studies. The current research examined
the influence of MSCs on the Molt-4 cell line as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
cells.

Methods:

MSCs were cultured, characterized, and co-cultured with Molt-4 cells in a trans-well system.
Then, cultured Molt-4 alone and Molt-4 co-cultured with MSCs (10:1) were collected on day
7 and subjected to western blotting for protein expression assessment. Telomerase activity as well
as cell senescence, were investigated by PCR-ELISA TRAP assay and β-galactosidase activity measurement,
respectively.

Results:

It was found that MSCs resulted in a significant increase in the pro-caspase-8 and
cleaved-caspase 8 and 9 expression levels. Furthermore, protein expression levels of GSK-3α/β
and ERK1/2 were significantly decreased. The results also showed that MSCs caused significant decreases
and increases in telomerase and β-galactosidase enzyme activity of Molt-4 cells, respectively.

Conclusions:

It was concluded that MSCs co-cultured with Molt-4 cells could be involved in the
promotion of Molt-4 cell apoptosis and cell senescence via caspase-8, 9 cascade and GSK-3α/β
and ERK1/2 signaling pathways.
An Overview of Recent Development in Visible Light-mediated Organic Synthesis over Heterogeneous Photo-nanocatalysts
Authors: Mohamed Yasser Mahmoud A. , Attia Yasser A. , Nazer Hossam A. El , Solum Eirik Johansson
Published: October 2020

The implementation of heterogeneous photo-nanocatalysts in organic syntheses has been investigated
greatly in the last decade as a result of the increasing demand to achieve the organic reactions via the use of green
approaches and through the availability of visible light source. Herein, the presented results describe the basic
concepts and state-of-the-art of fundamental insight into key features that influence the catalytic performance in
organic reactions to investigate and optimize a broad range of catalyzed organic transformations, that benefit the
researchers in academia and chemical industry fields.
A Case of Quinacrine-induced Psychosis: Case Report
Authors: Pedapudi Anangamanjari , Stewart Jonathan , Patel Ankita
Published: October 2020

Background:

Quinacrine is an older antimalarial drug that remains in use for a variety
of illnesses including treatment-resistant giardiasis.

Case Presentation:

We report a patient with no prior psychiatric history who developed mild, prodromal
psychiatric symptoms when treated with quinacrine for treatment-resistant giardiasis. Symptoms
resolved when the drug was stopped, recurred with greater severity (requiring involuntary
psychiatric hospitalization) when restarted and promptly resolved again when the drug was finally
stopped.

Conclusion:

Although quinacrine remains in use today, providers may be unaware of its potential
for serious neuropsychiatric toxicity.
Effect of Students' Emotions on their Positive Psychology: A Study of Higher Education Institutions
Authors: Grover Rajat , Aggarwal Arun , Mittal Amit
Published: October 2020

Background:

In the higher education sector, anticipating and fostering positive emotions manifest the view of positive psychology is considered as an essential practice.

Aims:

The present study aims to identify and statistically validate the different types of students’ emotional indicators.

Methods:

A survey was carried out in three cities, namely Mumbai, Pune, and Chandigarh of India. A total of 566 valid survey responses were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated six sets of emotions measurement indicators, namely anger, disgust, happiness, positive emotions, sadness, and fear for measuring students’ emotions.

Results:

Further, the results of path analysis showed that happiness, positive emotions, sadness, disgust, and fear had positive effect on positive psychology.

Conclusion:

Overall, this study highlights the imperativeness of students’ emotional measurement, and the study results provide a deep understanding of both positive and negative emotions measurement, which may further support the overall development of the students, especially in higher education institutions.
PERAN WHISTLE BLOWING SYSTEM DALAM MEMODERASI PENERAPAN E-FILLING DAN SANKSI PERPAJAKAN TERHADAP KEPATUHAN WAJIB PAJAK
Authors: Syafitri Mariska Intan Dwi , Rosharlianti Zulfa
Published: October 2020

Abstrak: Peran Whistle Blowing System Dalam Memoderasi Penerapan E-Filling Dan Sanksi Perpajakan Terhadap Kepatuhan Wajib Pajak. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui peran Whistle Blowing System dalam Memoderasi penerapan E-Filling dan Sanksi Perpajakan terhadap Kepatuhan Wajib Pajak. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah Wajib Pajak Orang Pribadi yang terdaftar di Kantor Pelayanan Pajak Pratama Serpong. Teknik pengambilan sampel dengan random sampling dan penentuan jumlah sampel menggunakan rumus slovin dan diperoleh 108 responden. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan kuesioner yang telah diuji validitas dan reliabilitasnya. Teknik analisis data menggunakan regresi berganda dan analisis regresi moderasi. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa penerapan e-filing dan sanksi perpajakan berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kepatuhan wajib pajak. Sedangkan Whistle Blowing mampu memoderasi pengaruh penerapan e-filing dan sanksi perpajakan terhadap kepatuhan wajib pajak.Kata kunci: Penerapan e-Filing, Sanksi Pajak, Kepatuhan Wajib Pajak, Whistle Blowing
Überlegungen zu Thomas Bauer
Authors: Berger Lutz
Published: October 2020

Forschungsfragen: 1. Bestand im Vorderen Orient in der untersuchten Epoche eine
Ambiguitätstoleranz wie von Bauer beschrieben?
2. Warum verfügten die Menschen in vorderorientalischen
Gesellschaften der untersuchten Epoche über große
Ambiguitätstoleranz?
3. Ist Ambiguitätstoleranz ein spezifisch vorderorientalisches
Phänomen?
4. Warum ist die ehedem große Ambiguitätstoleranz im
Vorderen Orient verloren gegangen?
Indexicality and Enregisterment as Theoretical Approaches to the Sociolinguistic Analysis of Romance Languages
Authors: Hoinkes Ulrich
Published: October 2020

Social indexicality and enregisterment are basic notions of a theoretical model elaborated in the United States, the aim of which is to describe the relationship
between the use of language variation and patterns of social behavior at the level of formal classification. This analytical approach is characterized by focusing
on the interrelation of social performance and language awareness. In my contribution, I want to show how this modern methodology can give new impetus to the study
of today’s problem areas in Europe, such as migration and language or urban life and language use. In particular, I am interested in the case of Catalan, which has
been studied for some time by proponents of the North American enregisterment theory. This leads me to indicate that explicit forms of social conduct, such as language
shift or the emblematic use of linguistic forms, can be interpreted with regard to the social indexicality of Catalan. I thus analyze them in a way which shows that
authenticity and integration in Catalan society can be achieved to a considerable extent by practicing forms of linguistic enregisterment.
Young People’s Attitude Toward Positive Psychology Interventions: Thematic Analysis
Authors: Michel Toni , Tachtler Franziska , Slovak Petr , Fitzpatrick Geraldine
Published: October 2020

Background

Digital instantiations of positive psychology intervention (PPI) principles have been proposed to combat the current global youth mental health crisis; however, young people are largely not engaging with available resources.

Objective

The aim of this study is to explore young people’s attitudes toward various PPI principles to find ways of making digital instantiations of them more engaging.

Methods

We conducted an explorative workshop with 30 young people (aged 16-21 years). They rated and reviewed 29 common PPIs. Ratings and recorded discussions were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

Some interventions were conflicting with young people’s values or perceived as too difficult. Participants responded positively to interventions that fit them personally and allowed them to use their strengths.

Conclusions

Values, context, strengths, and other personal factors are entangled with young people’s attitudes toward digital instantiations of PPI principles.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Web-Based COVID-19 Symptom Checkers: Comparison Study (Preprint)
Authors: Munsch Nicolas , Martin Alistair , Gruarin Stefanie , Nateqi Jama , Abdarahmane Isselmou , Weingartner-Ortner Rafael , Knapp Bernhard
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND

A large number of web-based COVID-19 symptom checkers and chatbots have been developed; however, anecdotal evidence suggests that their conclusions are highly variable. To our knowledge, no study has evaluated the accuracy of COVID-19 symptom checkers in a statistically rigorous manner.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the diagnostic accuracies of web-based COVID-19 symptom checkers.

METHODS

We identified 10 web-based COVID-19 symptom checkers, all of which were included in the study. We evaluated the COVID-19 symptom checkers by assessing 50 COVID-19 case reports alongside 410 non–COVID-19 control cases. A bootstrapping method was used to counter the unbalanced sample sizes and obtain confidence intervals (CIs). Results are reported as sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC).

RESULTS

The classification task between COVID-19–positive and COVID-19–negative for “high risk” cases among the 460 test cases yielded (sorted by F1 score): Symptoma (F1=0.92, MCC=0.85), Infermedica (F1=0.80, MCC=0.61), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (F1=0.71, MCC=0.30), Babylon (F1=0.70, MCC=0.29), Cleveland Clinic (F1=0.40, MCC=0.07), Providence (F1=0.40, MCC=0.05), Apple (F1=0.29, MCC=-0.10), Docyet (F1=0.27, MCC=0.29), Ada (F1=0.24, MCC=0.27) and Your.MD (F1=0.24, MCC=0.27). For “high risk” and “medium risk” combined the performance was: Symptoma (F1=0.91, MCC=0.83) Infermedica (F1=0.80, MCC=0.61), Cleveland Clinic (F1=0.76, MCC=0.47), Providence (F1=0.75, MCC=0.45), Your.MD (F1=0.72, MCC=0.33), CDC (F1=0.71, MCC=0.30), Babylon (F1=0.70, MCC=0.29), Apple (F1=0.70, MCC=0.25), Ada (F1=0.42, MCC=0.03), and Docyet (F1=0.27, MCC=0.29).

CONCLUSIONS

We found that the number of correctly assessed COVID-19 and control cases varies considerably between symptom checkers, with different symptom checkers showing different strengths with respect to sensitivity and specificity. A good balance between sensitivity and specificity was only achieved by two symptom checkers.
Aquaporins (version 2020.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database
Authors: Bill Roslyn , Conner Alex C. , Kitchen Philip , Salman Mootaz
Published: October 2020

Aquaporins and aquaglyceroporins are membrane channels that allow the permeation of water and certain other small solutes across the cell membrane, or in the case of AQP6, AQP11 and AQP12A, intracellular membranes, such as vesicles and the endoplasmic reticulum membrane [17]. Since the isolation and cloning of the first aquaporin (AQP1) [21], 12 additional mammalian members of the family have been identified, although little is known about the functional properties of one of these (AQP12A; Q8IXF9) and it is thus not tabulated. The other 12 aquaporins can be broadly divided into three families: orthodox aquaporins (AQP0,-1,-2,-4,-5, -6 and -8) permeable mainly to water, but for some additional solutes [5]; aquaglyceroporins (AQP3,-7 -9 and -10), additionally permeable to glycerol and for some isoforms urea [16], and superaquaporins (AQP11 and 12) located within cells [14]. Some aquaporins also conduct ammonia and/or H2O2 giving rise to the terms 'ammoniaporins' ('aquaammoniaporins') and 'peroxiporins', respectively. Aquaporins are impermeable to protons and other inorganic and organic cations, with the possible exception of AQP1 [16]. One or more members of this family of proteins have been found to be expressed in almost all tissues of the body [reviewed in Yang (2017) [27]]. AQPs are involved in numerous processes that include systemic water homeostasis, adipocyte metabolism, brain oedema, cell migration and fluid secretion by epithelia and loss of function mutations of some human AQPs, or their disruption by autoantibodies further underscore their importance [reviewed by Verkman et al. (2014) [24], Kitchen et al. (2105) [16]]. Functional AQPs exist as homotetramers that are the water conducting units wherein individual AQP subunits (each a protomer) have six transmembrane helices and two half helices that constitute a seventh 'pseudotransmembrane domain' that surrounds a narrow water conducting channel [17]. In addition to the four pores contributed by the protomers, an additional hydrophobic pore exists within the center of the complex [17] that may mediate the transport of gases (e.g. O2, CO2, NO) and cations (the central pore is the proposed transport pathway for cations through AQP1) by some AQPs [8, 15]. Although numerous small molecule inhibitors of aquaporins, particularly APQ1, have been reported primarily from Xenopus oocyte swelling assays, the activity of most has subsequently been disputed upon retesting using assays of water transport that are less prone to various artifacts [6] and they are therefore excluded from the tables [see Tradtrantip et al. (2017) [23] for a review].
Motilin receptor (version 2020.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database
Authors: Davenport Anthony P. , Sanger Gareth
Published: October 2020

Motilin receptors (provisional nomenclature) are activated by motilin, a 22 amino-acid peptide derived from a precursor (MLN, P12872), which may also generate a motilin-associated peptide. Activation of these receptors by endogenous motilin released from endocrine cells within the mucosa of the duodenum during fasting, induces propulsive phase III movements, part of the gastric migrating motor complex, and promotes the sensation of hunger. Drugs and other non-peptide compounds which activate the motilin receptor may generate a more long-lasting ability to increase cholinergic activity within the upper gut, to promote gastrointestinal motility; this activity is suggested to be responsible for the gastrointestinal prokinetic effects of certain macrolide antibiotics (often called motilides; e.g. erythromycin), although for many of these molecules the evidence is sparse. Relatively high doses of these compounds may induce vomiting and in humans, nausea.
ГРАФОВАЯ МОДЕЛЬ ТРАФИКА В ПОДСИСТЕМАХ КОММУТАЦИИ СНК
Authors: Жезлов К.А. , Беляев А.А. , Путря Ф.М.
Published: October 2020

В представленной работе рассматривается проблема моделирования трафика в подсистемах коммутации СнК. Для ее решения предложена методика описания трафика в виде графа потоков данных, которая позволяет описывать однозначно воспроизводимые тестовые сценарии, направленные на выявление проблем производительности, и является элементом методики анализа эффективности подсистем коммутации СнК.
РАЗРАБОТКА ПОВЕДЕНЧЕСКИХ МОДЕЛЕЙ КОНДЕНСАТОРОВ И ДРОССЕЛЕЙ С УЧЕТОМ ЧАСТОТНЫХ СВОЙСТВ ДИЭЛЕКТРИЧЕСКОЙ И МАГНИТНОЙ ПРОНИЦАЕМОСТИ ДИЭЛЕКТРИКОВ И МАГНЕТИКОВ
Authors: Дмитриков В.Ф. , Исаев В.М. , Куневич А.В.
Published: October 2020

Разработаны высокочастотные модели конденсаторов и дросселей на основе электрических эквивалентных схем, параметры которых выражены через электрофизические величины либо через частотно-зависимую диэлектрическую проницаемость диэлектрика и магнитную проницаемость магнитопровода. Результаты моделирования подтверждаются измерениями импедансов конденсатора с диэлектриком на основе сегнетоэлектрика и дросселя с сердечником из нанокристаллического сплава на основе железа ГМ-414.