bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oral Care Considerations for People with Cystic Fibrosis: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Coffey Niamh , O'Leary Fiona , Burke Francis , Plant Barry , Roberts Anthony , Hayes Martina
Published: August 2022

Background: Cystic Fibrosis is the most common autosomal recessive genetic condition in the Caucasian population. Oral health in adults with Cystic Fibrosis is an area lacking in research, due to their historic low life expectancy. The age profile of people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is increasing, due in part to improved therapies. Further study is needed in order to ascertain their dental needs and improve provision of care to these medically vulnerable individuals.Methods: A cross sectional survey was carried out. A structured, anonymous online questionnaire, with both quantitative and qualitative aspects, was used to obtain information regarding their feelings towards dentists and dental appointments. The final version of the questionnaire was based on a collaborative effort between researchers at Cork University Dental School and Hospital and Cystic Fibrosis patient advocates from Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. The inclusion criteria were people over the age of 18 years with a diagnosis of CF. Participants were recruited via CF Ireland’s mailing list and social media channels. The quantitative portion of the questionnaire underwent statistical analysis using IBM SPSS. The qualitative portion underwent inductive thematic analysis.Results: A total of 71 adults with CF responded to the survey. 54.9% of respondents were unhappy with their teeth. 63.4% felt that CF had an impact on oral health. 33.8% were anxious about attending their dentist. 54.9% felt that dentists should be part of the multidisciplinary team. Respondents believed that CF has impacted on their oral health due to the medications and dietary requirements involved, as well as tiredness and other side effects of CF. Some reasons for being anxious about attending the dentist involve cross infection concerns, issues with the dentist, with tolerating treatment, and with the teeth themselves. They wanted dentists to be aware of the practicalities of dental treatment for people with CF, especially their discomfort with lying back. They also want the dentist to be aware of the impact that their medication, treatment and diet has on their oral health.Conclusions: Over a third of PWCF reported anxiety about attending the dentist. Reasons for this included fear, embarrassment, cross infection concerns and problems with treatment, especially being in the supine position. PWCF want dentists to be aware of the impact that CF can have upon dental treatment and oral health care.
WLAN/WIMAX patch antenna design using artificial neural networks
Authors: AGUNI Lahcen , CHABAA Samira , IBNYAICH Saida , ZEROUAL Abdelouhab
Published: August 2022

In this article, we propose a coplanar waveguide (CPW) antenna for WLAN/WIMAX applications using the artificial neural network (ANN) technique. In order to attain the correct resonant frequencies for WLAN/WIMAX applications, we inserted three slots in the radiating patch to form an inverted U-shaped slot. To achieve antenna performance in the standard WLAN/WIMAX frequency band, we adjusted the position and dimensions of the inverted U-shaped slot. The ANN method helped to better predict the dimensions of the inverted U-shaped slot. To collect the datasets used for training the ANN structure, we wrote a Visual Basic (VB) script in order to control the HFSS simulator using MATLAB. After training the network, the dimensions of the inverted U-shaped slot could easily be predicted for the desired resonant frequencies. The predicted ANN dimensions were used to design the antenna using both CST and HFSS electromagnetic simulators. To better evaluate the CPW antenna performance, we study and discuss the reflection coefficient, radiation pattern, voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), current distribution, gain, and radiation efficiency. A prototype of the proposed antenna was fabricated; the obtained results show |S11| ≤ − 10 dB in the frequency bands of 2.31–2.43 GHz, 3.10–3.44 GHz, and 3.94–5.88 GHz, which make the antenna suitable for WLAN/WIMAX applications.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Respiratory Viral Pathogens with Acute Respiratory Infection in Shanghai, China
Authors: Pan Lifeng , Yuan Yang , Cui Qiqi , Liu Qing , Zou Wenwei , Zhao Bing , Hao Lipeng
Published: August 2022

Objective
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) taken to combat the Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic on the prevalence of respiratory viruses (RVs) of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in Shanghai.
Methods
Samples from patients with ARI were collected and screened for 17 respiratory viral pathogens using TagMan low-density microfluidic chip technology in Shanghai from January 2019 to December 2020. The data of pathogens were analyzed to evaluate the changes of acute respiratory infections between 2019 and 2020.
Results
Here, a total of 2,744 patients were enrolled, including 1,710 patients and 1,034 patients in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The total detection rate of RVs was decreased significantly in 2020. However, the detection rate of RSVB, HPIV3, HPIV4 and HCoV229E were increased in 2020. The increased positive rates of RSVB, HPIV3 resulted in more outpatients in 2020 than in 2019. The detection rates of IFVs were decreased dramatically in different gender, age groups, and seasons in 2020.
Conclusion
The NPIs taken to eliminate COVID-19 had an impact on the prevalence of respiratory viral pathogens, especially the IFVs in the early phases of the pandemic. Partial respiratory viruses resurged with the lifting of NPIs, leading to an increase in ARIs infection.
Factors associated with mental health symptoms among UK autistic children and young people and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Authors: Palmer Melanie , Chandler Susie , Leno Virginia Carter , Mgaieth Farah , Yorke Isabel , Hollocks Matthew , Pickles Andrew , Slonims Vicky , Scott Stephen , Charman Tony , Simonoff Emily
Published: August 2022

Objective: The current study examined the mental health symptoms of autistic children and young people and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic in two pre-existing well-characterised cohorts. We explored whether child, family or environmental factors were associated with child and parental mental health symptoms during the pandemic. Method: Participants were parents/carers of autistic children in the ASTAR (N=67, Mage 9 years) and QUEST (N=112, Mage 17 years) cohorts. Early in the UK pandemic, parents completed a brief online survey developed specifically to measure the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that asked about child and parental mental health, infection experience, and changes to education arrangements, family life, housing and finances. Results: More engagement and enjoyment in education provision and going outside was associated with better child and parental mental health. Multivariate multiple linear regression models were used to test the associations between child, family and environmental factors and pandemic-time mental health symptoms. Amongst pre-adolescent autistic children, pre-existing ADHD was a key factor associated with more behavioural/ADHD symptoms during the pandemic. Higher pre-existing parental mental health problems was also associated with more parental mental health symptoms during the pandemic. Financial concerns were also a risk factor for worse parental mental health during the pandemic. Conclusions: Knowledge of pre-existing mental health and pandemic-related stressors may help care planning. Encouraging engagement and enjoyment in education and promoting physical exercise are important intervention targets. Ensuring access to ADHD medication and support is important, especially if this is managed jointly across school and home.
Revealing a conservation challenge towards floodplain disconnection: Decreasing turnover and increasing nestedness of mollusc metacommunities
Authors: Zhang Kun , Jiang Xiaoming , Zheng Peng
Published: August 2022

Floodplain disconnection (FDC) has become a profound threat to many large river floodplains. Despite current researches examining the impacts of FDC on aquatic biodiversity, little is known about how FDC affected freshwater molluscs from multifaceted biodiversity perspectives, especially at long-term temporal scales. We selected the 7 lakes in the Yangtze River floodplain to evaluate how river-lake disconnection impacted taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic alpha and beta diversity of molluscan assemblages during past 60 years. Our results showed that five disconnected lakes (DLs) experienced dramatic decline in species richness (decreased by 62.4%) and functional richness (54.6%) but increases in functional evenness (20.0%) and Δ+ (5.5%) after disconnection. Whereas such temporal changes in the two connected lakes (CLs) were much slighter. Somewhat unexpectedly, the overall taxonomic (increased by 7.0%) and phylogenetic (12.2%) dissimilarities only slightly increased through time, due to opposite changes in the turnover (40%-50% decrease) and nestedness-resultant (100%-110% increase) components through time. The functional nestedness experienced more significant increase (162.0%), leading to relatively considerable increase in functional overall dissimilarity (64.0%). Such opposite changes in multifaceted turnover and nestedness distinctly modified the structure of beta diversity and highlight the conservation priority of CLs keeping relative high levels of biodiversity. The overall correlations between changes in both alpha and beta diversity among different facets were generally weak, indicating the different diversity facets would provide complementary information for biodiversity conservation and restoration. Thus, we recommended incorporating functional and phylogenetic information of species into traditional taxonomy-based approaches in large river floodplains studies.
Ideological homophily and polarization in political Twitter during the 2017 Norwegian election
Authors: Enjolras Bernard , Salway Andrew
Published: August 2022

Ideological homophily on social media has received increased scholarly interest as it is associated to the formation of filter-bubbles, echo-chambers and increased ideological polarization. Yet, there is no necessary linkage between ideological homophily, echo chambers, and polarization. In spite of political interactions on social media taking place to a large extent between like-minded individuals, cross-cutting interactions are also frequent. Using Twitter data, we investigate the extent to which ideological homophily, echo-chambers and polarization occur together and characterize the network of political Twitter users during the 2017 election in Norway. We do not find that, in spite of the presence of some degree of ideological homophily, evidence of echo-chambers in the Norwegian political Twittersphere during the 2017 election. Yet, the retweets network is characterized by a significant degree of polarization across ideological blocs. Our findings support the thesis according to which polarization on social media may have other drivers than the technological deterministic effect of social media affordances enhancing the formation of online echo-chambers.
Plasma S-Klotho level affects the risk of hyperuricemia in the middle-aged and elderly people
Authors: Xie Haitao , Li Ning , Zhou Guowei , Liu Qian , Wang Haiyan , Xu Xiaoqing , He Zhiyuan , Han Jie , Shen Le , Yu Peng , Chen Jiandong , Chen Xiaohu
Published: August 2022

Background:Soluble Klotho (S-Klotho) is an anti-aging protein mainly secreted by the kidneys. Hyperuricemia is prevalent among middle-aged and elderly individuals, which affects the development of various chronic diseases. However, there are relatively few studies investigating the association between plasma S-Klotho levels and hyperuricemia in middle-aged and elderly individuals. This study sought to clarify the relationship between S-Klotho and the risk of hyperuricemia in middle-aged and elderly people.Methods:During 2007-2016, a total of 50,588 people participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Finally, 12,498 middle-aged and elderly people (aged 40-79) completed the soluble Klotho tests and had obtained complete data. S-Klotho was detected by ELISA kit, and the relationship between S-Klotho and hyperuricemia was assessd by multiple logistic regression. Hyperuricemia is defined as serum uric acid levels higher than or equal to 420 mmol/L in men and 360 mmol/L in women.Results:In the middle-aged and elderly, plasma S-Klotho levels were negatively correlated with hyperuricemia, and there was a saturation effect. The inflection point of S-Klotho was 850.9 pg/ml (logarithmic likelihood ratio test <0.001). When plasma S-Klotho <850.9 pg/ml, the prevalence of hyperuricemia in middle-aged and elderly individuals with higher levels of S-Klotho decreased by 27.1% compared with those with low levels of S-Klotho[Q4 vs Q1, OR: 0.729, 95%CI: (0.615, 0.863), P < 0.001]; In different age groups, S-Klotho had a significantly greater effect on hyperuricemia in middle-aged people[Age: 40-65years, Q4 vs Q1, OR(95%CI): 0.64, (0.55, 0.76), P <0.001; Age>65 years: Q4 vs Q1, OR(95%CI): 0.67, (0.53, 0.85), P =0.001)] .When the level of S-Klotho was higher, the risk of hyperuricemia in men was lower than that in women [male: Q4 vs Q1, OR(95%CI): 0.64, (0.53, 0.77), P <0.001; female: Q4 vs Q1 (95%CI):0.66, (0.54, 0.81), P <0.001].Conclusions:In middle-aged and elderly individuals, plasma S-Klotho levels were inversely correlated with hyperuricemia, with a saturation effect. Given the limitations of the research results, the underlying mechanism between S-Klotho and hyperuricemia should be further explored.
When a neglected tropical zoonotic disease emerges in non-endemic countries: Need to proactively fill the unveiled knowledge gaps towards human monkeypox among the Lebanese population
Authors: Youssef Dalal , Abboud Edmond , Kawtharni Malak , Zheim Zahraa , Arrage Nisrine Abou , Youssef Janet
Published: August 2022

Introduction: The ongoing multi-country outbreak of monkeypox (MPX) that emerges in non-endemic areas is a rare and unprecedented event that ignited a widespread public health concern. So far, Lebanon has reported four confirmed cases of MPX. Since good knowledge about the MPX virus and its associated disease is paramount for helping the Lebanese population prepare for a possible outbreak, therefore, it is important to assess their current level of knowledge regarding MPX and to identify its associated factors to highlight gaps in knowledge that should be filled.Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted over the first two weeks of August 2022 among adults aged 18 years and above recruited from all Lebanese provinces using a convenience sampling technique. An anonymous, Arabic, self-reported questionnaire covering all main aspects of knowledge regarding MPX was developed and adapted based on the available literature. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with knowledge level.Results: A total of 793 Lebanese adults participated in the study. The overall level of knowledge level regarding human MPX was poor among the Lebanese population; with only 33.04% of them having a good knowledge level ≥60%. Knowledge gaps and a substantial poor knowledge level were found in the majority of MPX knowledge domains especially those related to the routes of transmission (76.67%), clinical presentation and symptoms (71.63%), treatment (86.25%), and severity of the disease (91.3%). Interestingly, participants have a good knowledge level of the precautionary measures (80.45%), and the response to a suspected infection (65.20%). Female gender, increased age, and living in rural areas were found negatively associated with a good level of knowledge. However, participants with higher educational levels, those working in the medical field, those suffering from chronic disease/immunodeficiency, and participants with moderate/high economic situations were more likely to have a good knowledge score compared to their counterparts.Conclusion: The current study pointed out to poor knowledge level regarding MPX among the Lebanese population with substantial knowledge gaps in the majority of aspects of MPX knowledge. Our findings stress the urgent need to raise awareness and proactively fill the unveiled gaps, especially among less informed groups.
Identifying priority areas using a multispecies approach for the conservation of marine megafauna vulnerable species
Authors: Saüt¹ Maíra Moita , Monteiro¹ Danielle Silveira , Prado² Jonatas Henrique , Pennino³ Maria Grazia , Secchi¹ Eduardo Resende
Published: August 2022

Bycatch is one of the main causes of mortality of marine megafauna over the world. In the coastal waters of southern Brazil, bycatch in gillnet fisheries affects threatened species that use this region as a breeding and feeding area. The identification of hotspot areas of bycatch is necessary to design and prioritize efficient spatial-temporal closures that protect the largest possible number of threatened species of marine megafauna. In this context, the use of a multispecies approach is an important step towards planning effective fisheries management measures. This study has two main objectives: 1) to identify hotspot areas of bycatch in gillnet fisheries for the most threatened marine megafauna species on the continental shelf of Rio Grande do Sul (RS); 2) compare single species and multispecies mapping methods for the identification of these areas. To meet these objectives, data collected by onboard observers during fishing trips in the coastal commercial RS-based gillnet fleet, between 2013 and 2015 and between 2018 and 2020, were analyzed. For the identification of the areas, hierarchical Bayesian spatio-temporal models were implemented, using monospecific and multispecific approaches and a weighting system for the conservation status of the species. Both approaches provide similar results, identifying three bycatch hotspots according to the analyzed time frame. Based on our findings, we propose the creation of specific no-fishing areas in these regions. The suggested spatio-temporal closures would benefit several endangered species, also contributing to the recovery of fish populations.
Downscaling Daily Wind Speed with Bayesian Deep Learning for Climate Monitoring
Authors: Gerges Firas , Boufadel Michel C. , Bou-Zeid Elie , Nassif Hani , Wang Jason T. L.
Published: August 2022

Wind dynamics are extremely complex and have critical impacts on the level of damage from natural hazards, such as storms and wildfires. In the wake of climate change, wind dynamics are becoming more complex, making the prediction of future wind characteristics a more challenging task. Nevertheless, having long-term projections of some wind characteristics, such as daily wind speed, is crucial for effective monitoring of climate change, and for efficient disaster risk management. Furthermore, accurate projections of wind speed result in optimized generation of wind-based electric power. General Circulation Models (GCMs) provide long-term simulations (often till year 2100 or more) of multiple climate variables. However, simulations from a GCM are at a grid with coarse spatial resolution, rendering them ineffective to resolve and analyze climate change at the local regional level. Spatial downscaling techniques are often used to map such global large-scale simulations to a local small-scale region. In this paper, we present a novel deep learning framework for spatial downscaling, specifically for forecasting the daily average wind speed at a local station level using GCM simulations. Our framework, named Wind Convolutional Neural Networks with Transformers, or WCT for short, consists of multi-head convolutional neural networks, followed by stacked transformers, and an uncertainty quantification component based on Bayesian inference. Experimental results show the suitability of WCT when applied on four wind stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, United States. Moreover, we use the trained WCT on future GCM simulations to produce local-scale daily wind speed projections up to year 2100.
Novel ZnO Nanoparticles for Rapid Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes: Synthesis and Kinetics
Authors: B Sreelekshmi P , Pillai Reshma R , S Unnimaya , L Anju A , Parameswaran Meera Ayyappan , Parameswaran Meera Ayyappan
Published: August 2022

The removal of persistent dye pollutants from wastewater streams has drawn a lot of interest from the scientific community because photocatalysis is the most widely used practical strategy for addressing environmental contamination. Transition-metal oxides are seen to be the most prospective catalysts for efficient and environmental friendly wastewater treatment because of their significant photocatalytic activity, excellent solubility, and durability. In this study, we describe the simple, eco-sustainable and cost effective synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles and their use as photocatalysts to break down organic dyes like Congo red (CR) and Malachite Green (MG) in aqueous media. In aqueous solution at ambient temperature, ZnO nanoparticles showed outstanding photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 98.9% for the MG dye and 92.8% for the CR dye. The kinetics of photodegradation were also investigated and followed a pseudo-first-order mechanism, with rate constants of 0.0204 min− 1 MG and 0.0123 min− 1 for CR in accordance with the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. Excellent recycling properties were displayed by ZnO nanoparticles for both dyes and the combined effects of their high adsorption capacity and photodegradation of organic dyes make them an extremely effective and affordable catalyst.
GNet4FL: Effective Fault Localization via Graph Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Qian Jie , Ju Xiaolin , Chen Xiang
Published: August 2022

Fault localization aims to efficiently locate faults when debugging programs , reducing software development and maintenance costs. Spectrum-based fault location (SBFL) is the mainstream fault location technology, which calculates and ranks the suspicious value of each program entity with a specific formula by counting the coverage information of all the program entities and execution results of test cases. However, previous SBFL techniques suffered from low accuracy due to the sole use of execution coverage. This paper proposed an approach GNet4FL based on the graph convolutional neural network. GNet4FL first collects static features based on code structure and dynamic features based on test case results. Then, GNet4FL uses GraphSAGE to obtain node representation of source codes and performs feature fusion on an entity consisting of multiple nodes, which preserves the topological information of the graph. Finally, the representation of each entity is input to the multi-layer perceptron for training and ranking entities. The results show that GNet4FL successfully located 160 out of 262 faults, outperforming the three state-of-the-art methods, 94,42,14 higher in Top-1, and having close results to Grace with less cost. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of each component (i.e., graph neural network , pruning, and dynamic features) of GNet4FL on the results. We found that they all have a positive impact on our proposed approach.
Genetic screening for hypertension and COVID-19 reveals functional variant of SPEG associated with severe COVID-19 in female
Authors: Cheng Zhong-shan , Luo Yusi , Zhang Ke , Li Wei , Wu Guo-Feng , Yang Xiao-Meng , Guo Ming-Yang , Chen Fang , Shen Hu-Yan , Zhang Ping-Ping , Gao Han , Nie Ying , Wu Jia-Hong , Mou Rong , Shen Xiang-Chun
Published: August 2022

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused more than 6.4 million deaths worldwide and is still spreading among global populations. The prevalent comorbidity between hypertension and severe COVID-19 suggests common genetic factors may affect the outcome of both diseases. As both hypertension and severe COVID-19 demonstrate sex-specific prevalence, common genetic factors among the two diseases may display gender-based differential associations. By evaluating COVID-19 association signals of 172-candidate hypertension single nucleotide polymorphisms derived from more than one million European individuals in two severe COVID-19 genome-wide association studies from UK BioBank with European ancestry, we revealed one functional cis expression quantitative trait locus of SPEG (rs12474050) associating with both hypertension and severe COVID-19 in female. The risk allele of rs12474050*T is correlated with lower SPEG expression in muscle-skeletal, heart-atrial appendage, and heart-left ventricle; among these tissues the SPEG expression is higher in female than in male COVID-19 patients. Further analysis revealed SPEG is mainly expressed in cardiomyocytes in heart and is upregulated upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, with significantly higher folder change of SPEG expression observed in female compared to male COVID-19 patients. Taken together, our analyses strongly suggest the involvement of SPEG in both hypertension and severe COVID-19 in female, which provides new insights for sex-specific effect of severe COVID-19 in female.
Is Intraoperative MRI Use in Malignant Brain Tumor Surgery a Health Care Burden? A Matched Analysis of MarketScan Database
Authors: Sharma Mayur , Wang Dengzhi , Palmisciano Paolo , Ugiliweneza Beatrice , Woo Shiao , Nelson Megan , Miller Donald , Savage Jesse , Boakye Maxwell , Andaluz Norberto , Mistry Akshitkumar M. , Chen Clark C. , Williams Brian J.
Published: August 2022

Background
Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) is a useful adjunct for resection of primary malignant brain tumors (MBTs). The aim of our study is to investigate the impact of iMRI on health care utilization in patients who underwent craniotomy for resection of MBTs.
Materials and methods
MarketScan database were queried using the ICD-9/10 and CPT 4th edition, from 2008 to 2020. We included patients ≥ 18 years of age who underwent a craniotomy with at-least one year follow-up. Outcomes were length of stay (LOS), discharge disposition, hospital/emergency room (ER) re-admissions, outpatient services, medication refills and corresponding payments.
Results
Of 6,640 patients who underwent craniotomy for MBTs, 465 patients (7%) had iMRI used during the procedure with 0.7% per year increase in iMRI use during the study period. Patients without iMRI use had higher complications at index hospitalization compared to those with iMRI use (19% vs 14%, p = 0.04). There was no difference in the ER admission rates among the patients who underwent surgery with and without iMRI use at 6-months and 1-year after the index procedure. In terms of post-discharge payments, no significant differences were noted among the patients without and with iMRI use at 6-months ($81,107 vs. $ 81,458, p = 0.26) and 1-year ($132,657 vs. $ 118,113, p = 0.12).
Conclusion
iMRI use during craniotomy for MBT gradually increased during the study period. iMRI did not result in higher payments at index hospitalization, 6-months, and 1-year after the index procedure.
A Bayesian-Network-Based Quantum Procedure for Failure Risk Analysis
Authors: Carrascal Gines , Botella Guillermo , Barrio Alberto , Kremer David
Published: August 2022

Studying the propagation of failure probabilities in interconnected systems such as electrical distribution networks is traditionally performed by means of Monte Carlo simulations. In this paper, we propose a procedure for creating a model of the system on a quantum computer using a restricted representation of Bayesian networks. We present examples of this implementation on sample models using Qiskit and test them using both quantum simulators and IBM Quantum hardware. The results show a correlation in the precision of the results when considering the number of Monte Carlo iterations alongside the sum of shots in a single quantum circuit execution.
Vertical dispersal of Aedes albopictus within multi-storey buildings in downtown Shanghai, China
Authors: Jin Shuqing , Fan Jian , Cao Hui , Zhang Zhendong , Leng Peien , Gao Qiang
Published: August 2022

Background: Shanghai has a large number of high-rise apartment and office buildings, but the effects of these high-rise spaces on the vertical dispersal, oviposition and blood feeding behaviour of Aedes albopictus are unknown.Methods: In six multi-storey building blocks in downtown Shanghai, 174 mosq-ovitraps (MOT) were placed both indoors and outdoors for Ae. albopictus collection at different vertical heights from the 1st to 6th floors. Collections were made for 4 months. Human landing catch (HLC) for Ae. albopictus monitoring was also conducted on 6 consecutive days on six floors of two buildings among those mentioned above to study the feeding behaviour of Ae. albopictus at different heights. Results: MOT and HLC collected Ae. albopictus at all monitored heights. The vertical distribution, oviposition pattern and biting behaviour varied significantly among the seven heights (1st–6th floor and 8th floor) (mosq-ovitrap index (MOI): F = 5.640, P < 0.001; HLC: F = 15.111, P < 0.001). The MOI at low heights (1st + 2nd floors) was significantly higher than that at medium (3rd + 4th floor, P < 0.001) and high heights (5th + 6th floors, P < 0.001), and there was no significant difference in the MOI for the 3rd–6th floors. The outdoor MOIs were significantly higher than indoor MOIs at all heights (outdoor 23.09% vs. indoor 9.58%, t = −5.139, P < 0.001). Ae. albopictus HLC density on the ground floor was significantly higher than that on all other heights (5.04 vs. 0.13, 0.29, 0.58, 0.79 and 1.50 per half hour, P < 0.05), while no difference was detected among the heights above the ground floor (P > 0.05).Conclusions: Ae. albopictus is more common near the ground level, but it can easily disperse to higher floors in the multi-storey buildings of urban Shanghai. No significant differences in Ae. albopictus density were detected within the 3rd–6th floors by MOT or HLC. This suggests that Ae. albopictus might also disperse to areas higher than the 6th floor and seek hosts there. Ae. albopictus prefers to oviposit outdoors; however, Ae. albopictus was also able to inhabit, oviposit and engage in blood feeding behaviour indoors on different floors. The three-dimensional dispersal pattern of Ae. albopictus in urban areas could facilitate arbovirus transmission and increase the difficulty of dengue control.
Fusion of Wavelet Decomposition and N-BEATS for improved Stock Market Forecasting
Authors: Singhal Vatsal , Neeraj Neeraj , Mathew Jimson , Agarwal Mayank
Published: August 2022

Stock market forecasting is one of the most exciting areas of time series forecasting both for the industry and academia. Stock market is a complex, non-linear and non-stationary system with many governing factors and noise. Some of these factors can be quantified and modeled, whereas some factors possess a random walk behavior making the process of forecasting challenging. Various statistical methods, machine learning, and deep learning techniques are prevalent in stock market forecasting. Recently, there has been a paradigm shift towards hybrid models, showing some promising results. In this paper, we propose a technique that combines a recently proposed deep learning architecture N-BEATS with wavelet transformation for improved forecasting of future prices of stock market indices. This work uses daily time series data from five stock market indices, namely NIFTY 50, Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Nikkei 225, BSE SENSEX, and Hang Seng Index (HSI), for the experimental studies to compare the proposed technique with some traditional deep learning techniques. The empirical findings suggest that the proposed architecture has high accuracy as compared to some traditional time series forecasting methods and can improve the forecasting of non-linear and non-stationary stock market time series.2010 MSC: 00-01, 99-00
A Stable Low Power Dissipating 9T SRAM For Implementation of 4x4 Memory Array with High Frequency Analysis
Authors: joy ancy , Kuruvilla Jinsa
Published: August 2022

Today’s high speed data processing and memory storage operations demand immediate data write and retrieval to meet up to benchmark. To act as a volatile or nonvolatile data storage for electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops the Static Random-Access Memory (SRAM) has been perfect choice for industrialists. So memory usage is significant and more than 65% of electronic devices uses memory as its heart. Nevertheless, memory turns out to be a leading factor affecting speed, power and data retention in a handheld system. The urge for optimization in power is all time relevant. The proposed system is designed to optimize a single bit memory cell of conventional static random access memory and hence developed a stable system with low power consumption and obtained significantly low Power-Delay-Product (PDP) by varying operating frequencies in MHz range. Also, a comparative analysis of a 4x4 SRAM array is carried out between 6T SRAM cell and 9T SRAM cell. Here62.83% power reduction is obtained in the proposed system as compared with the existing system at an operating frequency of 2GHz. In this paper, a power reduction of 62.273% is obtained for the array structure. The power dissipation and Power Delay Product [PDP] of the single bit 9T SRAM cell is also lower than the conventional 6T SRAM. Thus, the paper implements the proposed scheme of SRAM into an array along with all connecting peripherals.
Stress analysis of the lower lumbar spine three-joint complex according to different pelvic incidences
Authors: Lai Qi , Yin Jun , Chen Shaofeng , Zhang Zizhen , Yang Jie , Wan Zongmiao
Published: August 2022

Background
Pelvic incidence is closely related to degeneration of the facet joint and intervertebral disc and is related to the orientation of the facet joints. Currently, very few studies have been conducted on the force analysis of the three-joint complex in patients with different pelvic incidence measurements under different sports postures. We designed this study to better assess the influence of pelvic incidence on the stress of the lumbar three-joint complex. Finite element analysis can provide a biomechanical basis for the relationship between different pelvic incidences and degenerative diseases of the lower lumbar spine.
Methods
We developed three nonlinear finite element models of the lumbar spine (L1-S1) with different pelvic incidences (27.44°, 47.05°, and 62.28°) and validated them to study the biomechanical response of facet joints and intervertebral discs with a follower preload of 400 N, under different torques (5 Nm, 10 Nm, and 15 Nm), and compared the stress of the three-joint complex of the lower lumbar spine (L3-S1) in different positions (flexion-extension, left-right bending, and left-right torsion).
Results
In the flexion position, the stress of the disc in the low pelvic incidence model was the largest among the three models; the stress of the facet joint in the high pelvic incidence model was the largest among the three groups during the extension position. During torsion, the intradiscal pressure of the high pelvic incidence model was higher than that of the other two models in the L3/4 segment, and the maximum von Mises stress of the annulus fibrosus in the L5/S1 segment with a large pelvic incidence was greater than that of the other two models. In the flexion and extension position, range of movement (ROM) of the high pelvic incidence model was higher than that of the other two models in the L4/5 and L5/S1 segment.
Conclusions
The stress and ROM of the lower lumbar facet joints and fibrous annulus of individuals with a high pelvic incidence is greater than that of individuals with a low pelvic incidence or a normal pelvic incidence. Therefore, people with high PI are more likely to develop lumbar degenerative diseases, such as lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spondylolisthesis.
A Comparison of type I error and power rates in procedures used determining test dimensionality
Authors: GÜLER Gül , ÇIKRIKÇI Nükhet
Published: August 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Type I Error findings and power rates of the methods used to determine dimensionality in unidimensional and bidimensional psychological constructs for various conditions (characteristic of the distribution, sample size, length of the test, and interdimensional correlation) and to examine the joint effect of the conditions (effect of the interaction of conditions) as well as the main effect of each condition. The simulative data were generated for the study using the SAS program. Within the scope of the study, the data were analyzed using the DIMTEST T statistic and the Dimensionality DETECT IDN index, which is one of the non-parametric methods. The Nonlinear Factor Analysis (NOHARM) method was preferred from among parametric methods. As a result of the study, it was noted that the most consistent results in making the unidimensionality decisions belong to the Nonlinear Factor Analysis method showing standard normal distribution according to the shape of the distribution. When the power study results were examined, it was noted that the DIMTEST T statistic gave more accurate results in conditions with large samples, consisting of data with standard normal distribution. On the other hand, while results of the DETECT IDN index and Nonlinear factor analysis were more internally consistent, it was noted that in conditions where the sample size was 1000 and above, the DIMTEST T statistic also made the right decisions in determining dimensionality.
Enhanced Larvicidal Activity of New 1,2,4-Oxadiazoles against Aedes aegypti Mosquitos: QSAR and Docking Studies
Authors: da Silva Aluízio , Navarro Daniela Maria , Santos Geanne , de Aguiar Júlio César , de França Karla , Tébéka Iris Raquel , dos Anjos Janaína , da Silva João Bosco , Kanis Luiz , Srivastava Rajendra , Neves Filho Ricardo Antônio , Ramos Mozart
Published: August 2022

The worldwide emergence of viral diseases such as Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya, West Nile and Yellow Fever urge the search for solutions to eliminate their common vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito. This paper describes the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) and docking studies of a series of nine 3-(3-aryl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)propionic acids (AOPA), 1-9, previously published by our group. Additionally, three new 1,2,4-oxadiazoles, 10-12, have also been synthesized, characterized and studied. The QSAR and docking studies of all compounds, 1-12, clearly indicate that larger hydrophobic substituents such as biphenyl groups attached on position 3 in 1,2,4-oxadiazoles improve the larvicidal activity. It is worthwhile to mention that nanocapsulation of compounds 10-12 were necessary to help their dissolution in water and these three new 1,2,4-oxadiazoles also exhibited approximately equal or higher larvicidal activities compared to the former prototypes at stage L4.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Gender Mainstreaming Implementation in 2020 in Batu City, East Java
Authors: Noviryani Mely , Sukesi Keppi , Minarti Sri
Published: August 2022

The study aims to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender mainstreaming (PUG) imple­mentation in Batu City and how the local government res­ponds to it. Focus Group discussion (FDG) with local government is run to obtain data. By using seven elements commonly used to evaluate PUG implementation, this study shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has remarkably impacted PUG implementation. No specific policies have yet been made within the PUG framework. PUG institutions are also not involved in the COVID-19 task force. There have been efforts to respond to pandemics’ impact in some sectors but not all in PUG. Human resources have not been explicitly prepared in dealing with women’s problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget is reallocated so that even routine activities cannot be fully carried out. Community partici­pation is also helpful in tackling the pandemic, although it has not specifically responded to the impact on PUG. The study shows the importance of integrating a disas­ter perspective in the monitoring and evaluation of PUG. It demonstrates the importance of integrating a disaster per­spective in PUG and crucial gender-disaggregated data related to disaster impacts.
Protein Lysine Methyltransferases Inhibitors
Authors: Li Ying , Ding Lei , Ren Shuang , Zhang Wen , Rao Guo-Wu
Published: August 2022

Protein lysine methylation is a significant protein post-translational modification (PTMs), and has a key function in epigenetic regulation. Protein lysine methyltransferase (PKMTs) mainly catalyze the lysine methylation of various core histones, but also catalyze a few non-histone proteins. It has been observed that aberrant activity of PKMTs has been found in many cancers and other diseases, and some PKMTs inhibitors have been discovered and progressed to clinical trials. This field developed rapidly and has aroused great interest. In this paper, we reviewed the biochemical and biological activities of PKMTs and their association with various cancers. Selective small-molecule inhibitors including their chemical structure, structure-activity relationship, and in vitro/vivo studies are also be described with the aim of providing ideas for the discovery highly potent, selective PKMTs inhibitors.
Nano-carrier Polyamidoamine Dendrimer G4 Induces Mitochondrialdependent
Apoptosis in Human Multidrug-resistant Breast Cancer Cells
through G0/G1 Phase Arrest
Authors: Ding Baoyue , Gao Jianqing , Zhang Jie , Wu Zhaoyong , Zhan Shuyu , Li Mingjuan , Wang Yang , Xu Hang
Published: August 2022

Background:

Multidrug-resistant tumor cells have special drug detoxiﬁcation/inactivation mechanisms. The terminal amino groups of the polyamidoamine (PAMAM-NH2), which is cytotoxic to tumor sensitive cells, may have no cytotoxicity in tumor resistant cells with mechanism different from tumor sensitive cells.

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxic effects of PAMAM-G4-NH2 on human multidrug-resistant breast cancer cells (MCF-7/ADR cells) and identify the possible molecular mechanisms.

Methods:

The cytotoxicity of PAMAM-G4-NH2 (10-1000 μg/mL) against MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADR cells was detected. Then, MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADR cells were treated with PAMAM-G4-NH2 (10, 100 and 1000 μg/mL), and apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), activities of caspase-3, -8 and -9 and cell cycle distribution were determined.

Results:

Within 48 h, the cell viabilities in MCF-7/ADR cells after treatment with PAMAM-G4-NH2 were significantly higher than that in MCF-7 cells in the concentration range of 200-500 μg/mL (P < 0.05). Viabilities of MCF-7/ADR cells treated with PAMAM-G4-OH and PAMAM-G4-COOH for 48 and 72 h were much higher than that of MCF-7/ADR cells treated with PAMAM-G4-NH2. Treated with high concentration (1000 μg/mL) of PAMAM-G4-NH2 for 24 h, the apoptosis ratio, ROS levels, as well as caspase-3 and -9 activities in MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADR cells increased, while MMP decreased, and the cells were arrested in the G0/G1 phase.

Conclusion:

PAMAM-G4-NH2 induced concentration-dependent cytotoxicity in MCF-7/ADR cells via G0/G1 arrest, and acted through the mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway, which was similar to those in tumor sensitive cell, MCF-7 cells. The results suggest that PAMAM-G4-NH2, instead of PAMAM-G4-OH and PAMAM-G4-COOH, can be used as a carrier for drug delivery, concomitantly, it can also induce apoptosis in multidrug-resistant cancer cells in combination with the loaded drug through multiple apoptotic pathways.
Phytochemical Composition of Urtica dioica Essential Oil with Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Properties: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies
Authors: Chira Ahlem , Rekik Imen , Rahmouni Fatma , Amor Ichrak Ben , Gargouri Bochra , Kallel Choumous , Jamoussi Kamel , Allouche Noureddine , Feki Abdelfattah El , Kadmi Yassine , Saoudi Mongi
Published: August 2022

Background:

Urtica dioica (Urticaceae) has outstanding medicinal and pharmacological
properties. This investigation was aimed to assess the chemical composition, the total polyphenol and
flavonoid content, antioxidant, anti-proliferative, and anti-inflammatory effects of Urtica dioica essential
oil (UDEO).

Methods:

GC/MS analysis was performed to assess the chemical composition, standard antioxidative
test, the DPPH assay, the reducing power assay, as well as the anti-proliferative capacities of UDEO
against HeLa cell lines using the MTT test. In addition, the anti-inflammatory activities of UDEO were
evaluated using paw thickness measurements in rats with carrageenan-induced paw edema and pathologic
evaluation of inflammation in paw sections.

Results:

GC/MS analysis revealed benzene dicarboxylic acid (14.69%), β-linalool (9.79%), phytol
(9.52%), menthol (6.65%), borneol (6.45%), 3-Eicosene (E) (6.10%), 1-8 cineole (5.60%) and camphor
(5.36%) as the major components of UDEO.
In vitro results showed that UDEO contained 191 ± 2.04 mg GAE/g of polyphenols and 83.59 ± 4.7 mg
CE/g of flavonoids. In addition, the UDEO showed a radical scavenging activity with IC50 = 0.14 ±
0.003 mg/mL and a ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (optical density = 0.556). A side from
the UDEO's antioxidant properties, our findings revealed a reduction in ROS generation in the HeLa
cell line. Furthermore, the anti-proliferative activity of UDEO is accompanied by a cytotoxicity effect
(IC50 at 3.20 μg ml-1).
Data from inflammation models revealed that UDEO has an anti-inflammatory effect. The pretreatment
with UDEO or Indomethacin (Ind) reduced significantly the volume of edema induced by Carr, the
level of C-reactive protein (CRP), the reactive thiobarbituric acid (TBARS), the conjugated dienes
(CD), the carbonyl proteins (CP) and the advanced protein oxidation products (AOPP). Furthermore, it
restored the hematology parameters such as white blood cells (WBC), lymphocytes (LYM), and platelets
(PLT). In addition, it increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase
(SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). In UDEO-treated rats, the histopathological
examinations of the paws revealed little infiltration of inflammatory cells.

Conclusion:

The decrease in paw edema and human cell lines HeLa cytotoxicity showed that UDEO
possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which could be attributed to the high amount
of phenolic and flavonoid contents.