bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ERRα confers oncogenesis and cisplatin resistance via transcriptionally activating CCNE2 in breast cancer
Authors: Liu Jiahui , Feng Jinwen , Xuan Junfeng , Huang Ling , Xiao Bin , Zhu Yi , Kuang Zhenzhan , Zhang Weiyun , Song Lijie , Zhou Ye , Ding Chen , Zhang Hongbin , Li Linhai , Sun Zhaohui , Zhou Quan
Published: December 2022

Background: Platinum is widely used in the neoadjuvant and metastatic treatment of breast cancer, but increasingly drug resistance is the main cause of cancer recurrence and treatment failure. Our study aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which upregulation of estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα) induced chemoresistance in breast cancer.
Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to determine the expression of ERRα in breast cancer and adjacent tissues. Functional analyses (in vitro and in vivo) were performed to confirm the role of ERRα in cancerogenesis and cisplatin chemoresistance in breast cancer. RNA-sequencing, ChIP and dual luciferaseassays were performed to identify the mechanisms by which ERRα promotes chemoresistance in breast cancer.
Results: Analyses of ERRα expression among a case-control cohort of 63 annotated tumor specimens demonstrated that ERRα expression was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues. Overexpression of ERRα promoted cell proliferation and metastasis of breast cancer in vitro and in vivo, increased chemoresistant of cisplatin and enhanced the pluripotency; while ERRα knockdown resulted in the opposite effects. We show that ERRα can directly induce CCNE2 expression through binding its promoter region then enhanced the pluripotency of cancer cells and facilitated chemoresistance Overexpression of CCNE2 could reverse the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to cisplatin caused by ERRα depletion, thus resulting in accelerated tumor growth.
Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that ERRα acts as oncogene in breast cancer and promotes cisplatin resistance by regulating the transcription of CCNE2 and may serve as a therapeutic target in breast cancer.
Model Predictive Control of a Modular Multilevel Converter combined with a reduced average switching frequency sorting method
Authors: Proença Laís Ferreira Crispino , Rolim Luis Guilherme Barbosa
Published: December 2022

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has been a subject of increasing interest for power electronics researchers, especially in HVDC applications. However, this paper considers the application scenario of a medium voltage distribution grid-connected MMC, using a model predictive control (MPC) with reduced number of states, as a control strategy to regulate the ac-side and circulating currents. In addition, an improved sorting algorithm is used to implement the task of maintaining the submodules capacitor voltages regulated, which results in a reduction of the average switching frequency. These control strategies are applied to a three-phase five-level MMC, and its performance is analyzed based on simulation results conducted in the environment of circuit simulations PSIM. Besides, an experiment was also carried out with a single-phase MMC prototype, and its results are presented, in order to prove the effectiveness of the control strategies proposed.
Exploring Racial and Economic Disparities in Exposure to Airborne Lead from Industrial Facilities in Kentucky, USA
Authors: Zhang Charlie H. , Sears Clara , Zierold Kristina
Published: December 2022

Background: Exposure to harmful lead is a critical public health concern due to its toxic nature and widespread distribution in the environment. Given the fact that policy solutions in the past several decades have significantly decreased the risks of environmental lead exposure, a remaining threat is toxic lead emissions from industrial facilities. This study examined the racial and economic disparities in proximity to lead-releasing industrial facilities and the concomitant lead exposure in Kentucky in the U.S.
Methods: We applied unique geospatial analysis methods including distance buffer, location quotients, and population-weighted exposures to analyze the spatial patterns of lead-releasing industrial facilities and lead exposure concerning environmental injustice between blacks and whites and between the below-poverty and above-poverty populations. Pearson’s linear correlation and paired samples t-test were performed to examine the statistical significance of racial and economic inequalities measured by distance to polluting facilities, lead concentration, and population-weighted exposure to lead.
Results: We identified a negative correlation between percent of the population that was black and distance to Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) sites (r = -0.240, p <0.001) and opposite results were observed for whites (r = 0.284, p <0.001). Likewise, median household income was positively associated with distance to TRI facilities (r = 0.197, p < 0.001) while poverty rate was inversely related to distance to TRI facilities (p = -0.189, p <0.001). Moreover, blacks and the below-poverty group had larger mean population-weighted lead exposures than whites and the above-poverty group respectively although the mean differences for each pair was statistically insignificant.
Conclusions: Results of this study provide new evidence supporting the environmental injustice proposition that assets low-income and ethnic minorities are more likely to reside in the vicinity of toxic-releasing industrial facilities and are therefore disproportionately exposed to airborne lead. Findings can help promote the need for reduced national ambient air quality standards for lead releases and mitigate environmental injustice.
Knowledge and Practice of Family Planning Among Pregnant Tribal Women in Southern India: An Observational Study
Authors: Muralidhar Kiranmayee , Nishimura Holly , Coursey Kate , Krupp Karl , Jaykrishna Poornima , Srini Vijaya , Madhivanan Purnima
Published: December 2022

BACKGROUND: A decrease in fertility and optimal birth spacing can reduce the risk of infant and maternal mortality. While fertility rates have decreased dramatically in India since the implementation of the national fertility program, fertility remains high among indigenous communities in rural India. This paper examines the determinants of contraceptive knowledge and practice by type (temporary or permanent) among tribal women in rural southern India.
METHODS: A cross sectional survey in Kannada was conducted of 303 married, pregnant tribal women in Mysore, India after obtaining informed consent. Univariate and multivariable analyses were carried out to determine the demographic and psychosocial factors associated with knowledge of contraceptive methods using Stata 14.0.
RESULTS: There was widespread knowledge about female sterilization, while only 39.3% of women reported hearing about one or more forms of temporary contraception, and 36.3% knew where to get them. The largest number of women had heard about copper-Ts (33.0%), followed by oral contraceptive pills (23.8%), condoms (11.9%), and injectables (4.6%). Only 2.7% of women reported ever using any form of temporary contraception. Results from the multivariable logistic regression indicated that knowledge of at least one form of temporary contraception was linked to higher age (AOR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.17), greater number of years of marriage (AOR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.85, 0.96), and last birth in a government facility (AOR: 3.67; 95% CI: 1.99, 6.82).
CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed poor knowledge and utilization of temporary contraceptive methods among a tribal population in rural Mysore, India. Interventions aiming to increase knowledge of contraceptive options are important for birth spacing in this population and should target younger women and those without contact with government health facilities.
Estrogen Receptor-positive Breast Cancer Cells are Sensitized by Piperine to Chemo/Radio Therapy through Lowering the expression of a NHEJ repair protein DNA-PK
Authors: Shaheer Koniyan , Prabhu Swathi , Ali H. Shabeer , Lakshmanan Divya
Published: December 2022

Background
Gamma radiation(γ) and other DNA targeted compounds generate highly lethal DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) inducing the cells to undergo apoptosis. Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), one of the primary DSB repair pathways, plays an important role in providing cancer cells resistance against radio/chemotherapeutic agents resulting in cancer progression and relapse. Downregulating DNA-PK, a key protein in NHEJ could result in the accretion of DSBs, thereby sensitizing the cells towards radiation.
Methods
Cytotoxicity assays, Clonogenic assays, DNA damage assays, Flowcytometry analysis, Confocal Microscopy, immunofluorescence, and Immunoblotting were carried out. Combinatorial index calculations were done using Compusyn Analysis and data analysis was done using one-way ANOVA and two-way ANOVA, where a p-value of ≤ 0.0001 was considered significant.
Results
Here we found that the treatment of MCF7 cells with piperine, lead to the accumulation of DSBs induced by γ-radiation through lowering DNA-PK complex (comprising of DNA-PKcs/Ku70/Ku80), by altering the estrogen receptor (ER) α /β ratio. Piperine lowered DNA-PK mediated NHEJ repair through its transcription factor, ERα. Upregulation of ERβ, a nuclear hormone transcription factor promoting tumor suppression positively correlated with lowered expression of ERα and DNA-PK marked by the accumulation of radiation-induced DSBs and DNA damage response, cell cycle arrest leading to the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis.
Conclusion
Breast Cancer cells may be sensitized to radiation by altering the expression of DNA-PKc Complex, a key dsDNA repair protein machinery through selective estrogen receptor modulation. This study proposes a new strategy for combating acquired radioresistance through estrogen receptor-mediated modulation of the NHEJ pathway.
Subcortical source localization based detection of verbal working memory stages using surface EEG.
Authors: Ranjan Shivani , Kumar Lalan
Published: December 2022

The verbal working memory (vWM) has been widely studied to understand individual’s cognitive development and learning. Role of subcortical structure in vWM features binding is also well established in literature. However, all such studies make use of intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) or fMRI because of their anatomical specificity. Additionally, simultaneous analysis of all subcortical structures, like hippocampus, amygdala, and thalamus, is sparsely present. In this work, subcortical source localization-based dipole activation pattern difference is utilized for detecting vWM stages using surface EEG. The EEG potential is converted into neuroimaging modality using sLORETA method. The EEG data was collected from fifteen healthy subjects for the proposed vWM framework. The localized source current information of targeted subcortical structures is utilized for quantitative comparisons and lateralization analysis to identify the significant subcortical structure during the vWM stages. Source domain performance analysis is compared with sensor domain counterparts in classifying encoding, recall, retrieval, and rest. A consistent improvement is seen in the source domain across all the subjects. In particular, the hippocampus is found to be an active and suitable node for the entire vWM process. Subject variability for memory stages is additionally captured. The findings are relevant in early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Symptom profiles of community cases infected by Influenza, RSV, rhinovirus, seasonal coronavirus, and SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern
Authors: Geismar Cyril , Nguyen Vincent , Fragaszy Ellen , Shrotri Madhumita , Navaratnam Annalan , Beale Sarah , Byrne Thomas , Fong Wing Lam , Yavlinsky Alexei , Kovar Jana , Hoskins Susan , Braithwaite Isobel , Aldridge Robert , Hayward Andrew
Published: December 2022

Respiratory viruses that were suppressed through previous lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic have recently started to co-circulate with SARS-CoV-2. Understanding the clinical characteristics and symptomatology of different respiratory viral infections can help address the challenges related to the identification of cases and the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 variants' evolutionary patterns.
Flu Watch (2006-2011) and Virus Watch (2020-2022) are household community cohort studies monitoring the epidemiology of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, seasonal coronavirus, and SARS-CoV-2, in England and Wales.
This study describes and compares the proportion of symptoms reported during illnesses infected by common respiratory viruses. The SARS-CoV-2 symptom profile increasingly resembles that of other respiratory viruses as new strains emerge. Increased cough, sore throat, runny nose, and sneezing are associated with the emergence of the Omicron strains. As SARS-CoV-2 becomes endemic, monitoring the evolution of its symptomatology associated with new variants will be critical for clinical surveillance.
Disruption of mitochondrial respiration and the monoamine neurotransmitter system in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Fišar Zdeněk , Hroudová Jana , Zvěřová Martina , Jirák Roman , Vaněčková Manuela , Raboch Jiří
Published: December 2022

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and disturbances in neurotransmitter systems. Depression is a common comorbidity of AD, and the disruption of monoaminergic neurotransmission may be involved in the pathophysiology of AD. Assessment of mitochondrial dysfunction was performed by measuring mitochondrial respiratory rate; changes in monoamine neurotransmission were evaluated by measuring mitochondrial monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) activity and serotonin transporter (SERT) activity in platelets. The decreases in the maximum capacity of the electron transport system and a decrease in the respiratory reserve capacity compared to controls was significant in intact platelets of AD patients but not in vascular dementia (VD) patients, indicating some specificity of these biomarkers for AD. In permeabilized platelets, parameters of mitochondrial respiration were not significantly altered in AD, suggesting that the reduction observed in intact platelets may be due to impaired availability of respiratory chain enzyme substrates. MAO-B activity and SERT activity were not significantly different between controls and AD and VD patients. The association of biochemical parameters with cognitive decline and comorbid depression in subjects with AD and VD showed the applicability of mitochondrial respiration in intact platelets, but not MAO-B activity and SERT activity, as a blood biomarker of AD.
Exposure to Oral Contraceptives Alters Human Endometrial Stem Cells Culture Media Metabolomics
Authors: Rochetti Raquel Cellin , Cordeiro Fernanda Bertuccez , Costa Livia do Vale Teixeira da , Fraietta Renato , Perkel Kayla Jane , Ferreira Fernando Prado , Turco Edson Guimaraes Lo
Published: December 2022

PURPOSE: Endometrial plasticity relies on endometrial mesenchymal stem cells (EnMSC), while the influence of oral contraceptives (OCs) in these cells is unknown.
OBJECTIVES: Investigate the influence of OCs in EnMSC metabolism by culture media analysis.
METHOD: The EnMSC were collected from menstrual shedding and cultured for three passages. Culture media was collected at the end of each passage for further metabolomics.
RESULTS: The OC and non-OC groups differed significantly in their metabolites profile, indicated by 15 metabolites with discriminant power for sample classification.
CONCLUSIONS: Altered metabolomic profiling may be an effect of OC hormonal properties on EnMSC metabolism.
Dose Regimen Optimization of PD-L1 Inhibitor and Nab-paclitaxel in Patients with NSCLC: a Quantitative Systems Pharmacology analysis
Authors: Chen-yu	Wang  , Di-hong	Yang  , Xiao-min	Niu  , Lu	Han  , Wang Wen , Roman	Filimonov  , Shah Sajid	 Ali , Xin-yang	Weng  , Jiao Zheng
Published: December 2022

Introduction: Combining immune checkpoint inhibitor and chemotherapies provides more benefits than traditional treatment options in patients with NSCLC. However, some patients still have no clinical benefits. Clinical accessible biomarkers are necessary to predict clinical outcomes and optimize dose strategies. The study aimed to investigate accessible biomarkers that can predict clinical outcomes and optimize dosing strategies of atezolizumab and nab-paclitaxel combination therapy in patients with NSCLC by quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP).
Methods: The model was developed based on a published QSP model of triple-negative breast cancer using the SimBiology toolbox in MATLAB. The model included four compartments. With the model, we generated a virtual patient cohort to conduct in silico virtual clinical trials and used available data from real clinical trials (IMpower131) for model calibration and validation.
Results: The final QSP model predictions are consistent with clinically reported efficacy endpoints. CD8+ and CD4+ T cell densities in tumor are significantly affected by the response status. Roc analysis further implicating their potential to be predictive biomarkers for this double combination regimen. Virtual clinical trial simulation shows reduced nab-paclitaxel doses from 100 mg/m2 to 75 mg/m2 would leads to lower ORR but was higher than atezolizumab monotherapy. Three atezolizumab dosing strategies combined with nab-paclitaxel showed comparable efficacy. to compare different schedules of the two drugs for simulated therapeutic optimization.
Conclusion: This study provides a QSP model, which can be used to generate virtual patient cohorts and conduct virtual clinical trials. Our findings demonstrate its potential for making efficacy predictions for immunotherapies and chemotherapies, identifying predictive biomarkers, and guiding future clinical trial designs.
Performance of wheat as influence to irrigation scheduling and organic manures
Authors: Verma Hanuman Prasad Verma HP , Sharma OM Prakesh Sharma OP , Yadav Lala Ram Yadav LR , Sharma Amar Chand Shivran AC , Meena Satya Narayan Meena SN , Ashwal Subash Ashwal S , Dhakad Uditi Dhakad U
Published: December 2022

A field experiment was conducted under loamy sand soil during two consecutive rabi seasons of 2014-15 and 2015-16 at Agronomy Farm, S.K.N. of College of Agriculture, Jobner, India. The treatments comprising five irrigation scheduling methods viz. Irrigation at critical stages (I1), 0.9 IW/CPE ratio (I2), 0.6 IW/CPE ratio at vegetative phase + 0.8 IW/CPE ratio at reproductive phase (I3), 0.6 IW/CPE ratio at vegetative phase + 1.0 IW/CPE ratio at reproductive phase (I4) and 0.8 IW/CPE ratio at vegetative phase + 1.0 IW/CPE ratio at reproductive phase (I5) were assigned in main plots and four does of organic manures i.e. Control (M0), FYM at 15 t/ha (M1), VC at 6 t/ha (M2) and FYM at 7.5 t + VC at 3 t/ha (M3) were applied in sub plots and replicated four times in split plot design. Wheat variety “Raj-4037” was used as a test crop. Results indicated that irrigation applied at 0.9 IW/CPE ratio recorded the maximum values of grain yield and soil moisture parameters (Moisture content before irrigation and 1/3 bar) and proved significantly superior over I1, I4and I3. The highest moisture depletion pattern from soil was obtained with I2. Results also indicated that application of FYM at 7.5 t + VC at 3 t/harecorded significantly higher grain yield, quality parameters (NPK content and uptake) and soil moisture parameters (Moisture content before irrigation and 1/3 bar) which is found at par with M2proved superior over rest of the treatments. The highest moisture depletion pattern from soil was obtained with M0. Scheduling of irrigation to wheat at 0.8 IW/CPE at vegetative phase + 1.0 IW/CPE ratio at reproductive phase and application of FYM at 7.5 t + VC 3 t/ha is recommended as this practice brought about significantly higher yield, nutrient content and uptake and moisture content.
Integration of parasitoid, Encarsia formosa Gahan in greenhouse whitefly management programme in tomato under protected environment
Authors: Ronika  , Sood Ajay K. , Kaushik Ekta , Kumar Surjeet
Published: December 2022

Encarsia formosa, an endoparasitoid of greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum was incorporated in its management programme in tomato grown under protected environment. Whitefly management programme comprised mass trapping of greenhouse whitefly adults by using yellow sticky traps, potassium (K) nutrition (125% RDF), inoculative release of E. formosa, preventive use of insecticides and natural products comprising soil application of imidacloprid (0.009%), foliar application of azadirachtin (0.0003%) and alternate application of Tamarlassi(10%) and cow urine (5%), and need based curative use of chemical insecticides. The integrated measures proved efficacious in checking population build-up of T. vaporariorum. The evaluated treatments as preventive measures resulted in adult population to vary from 0.01 to 1.51 adults /leaf, being well below the economic threshold level of 5 adults/ leaf. Population was minimum in soil application of imidacloprid (0.009%) followed by foliar application azadirachtin (0.0003%) and alternate application of Tamarlassi (10%) and cow urine (5%). Fruit yield was significantly higher in the treatment comprising alternate foliar application of Tamarlassi(10%) and cow urine (5%) followed by the yield obtained in soil application of imidacloprid (0.009%).
True incidence of dislocation and associated risk factors in patients with a femoral neck fracture operated with an uncemented hemiarthroplasty
Authors: Olesen Britt Aaen , Närhi Susanne Faurholt , Jensen Thomas Giver , Overgaard Søren , Palm Henrik , Sørensen Michala Skovlund
Published: December 2022

Background
Several factors might be associated with risk of dislocating following uncemented hemiarthroplasty (HA) due to femoral neck fracture (FNF). Current evidence is limited with great variance in reported incidence of dislocation (1-15%). Aim of this study was to identify the true cumulative incidence of first-time dislocation following HA and to identify the associated risk factors.
Methods
We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients receiving an HA (BFX Biomet stem, posterior approach) at Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg, in 2010-2016. Patients were followed until death or end of study (dec 2018). Dislocation was identified by code extraction from the Danish National Patient Registry. Variables included in the multivariate model was defined pre-analysis to include: age, sex and variables with a p-value <0.1 in univariate analysis. A regression model was fitted for 90 days dislocation as the assumption of proportional hazard rate (HR) was not met here after.
Results
We identified 772 stems and 58 stems suffered 90 dislocations during the observation period resulting in a 7% (CI 5-9) incidence of dislocation 90 days after index surgery. 55 of the 58 stems (95%) experienced the first dislocation within 90 days after surgery. Only absence of dementia was identified as an independent protective factor in the cause-specific model (HR 0.46 (CI 0.23-0.89)) resulting in a 2.4-fold cumulative risk of experiencing a dislocation in case of dementia. Several other variables such as age, sex, various medical conditions, surgery delay and surgical experience were eliminated as statistical risk factors. We found a decrease in survival probability for patients who experienced a dislocation during follow-up.
Conclusions
The incidence of first-time dislocation of HA (BFX Biomet stem, posterior approach) in patients with a hip fracture is found to be 7% 90 days after surgery. Due to the non-existing attribution bias, we claim it to be the true incidence. Dementia was among several variables identified as the only risk factor for dislocation. In perspective, we may consider treating patients with cognitive impairment by other methods than HA.
Synthesis and Diagnosis of Some New Heterocyclic Compounds from Mefenamic Drug and Study of Their Possible Biological Activity
Authors: Lihumis Hala Shkyair , Mubarak Hayfaa A. , A.Alameri Ameer , Aowda Saadon Abdullah
Published: December 2022

In this study, new heterocyclic derivatives were prepared. The most available Mefenamic acid (M) has been reacted with thionyl chloride to get (M1 compound). (M1) compound treated with hydrazine carboxamide to get (M2) derivative then a ring closer reaction has been made to compound (M2) by NaOH solution to get the 1,2,4-triazole-3-or ring compound (M3). Compound (M)reaction with phenylhydrazine hydrate to give (M4) compound then a ring closer reaction have been made using carbon disulfide and hydrazine hydrate in basic media to get (M5). Compound (M1) was treated with 3-aminopropanoic acid to get (M6) compound. (M7) the compound has been synthesised by reacting the (M6) compound with benzaldehyde in the presence of acetic anhydride to get an oxazine ring (M7 compound). The synthesized compounds' antibacterial activity and antioxidant activity (M1-M7) were examined using the (DPPH) technique. The compounds show substantial antioxidant activity equivalent to the well-known (ascorbic acid) (IC50 = 31.95 g/mL) employed.
Serum Concentration of Coeliac Disease Antibodies in Patients with Vulgar Psoriasis
Authors: Tomić Lucija , Pondeljak Nives , Mužević Marina Vekić , Mosler Elvira Lazić
Published: December 2022

Introduction: Vulgar psoriasis and coeliac disease are both multisystemic diseases. The association of psoriasis and enteropathy with histological changes similar to celiac disease was already described, and additionally it has been found that a gluten-free diet improves psoriatic changes.
Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between coeliac disease antibodies and psoriasis.
Participants and Methods: The study included 112 participants, 60 with psoriasis in experimental group, and 52 healthy subjects in control group. The experimental group was subdivided in subgroup of patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (N=17), and subgroup of patients with psoriasis only (N=43). After informed consents were obtained, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score were evaluated. Laboratory tests included assessment of anti-deaminated gliadin peptide antibodies (anti-DGPA), anti-gliadin antibodies (anti-GA), and anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (anti-tTA).
Results: Positive anti-GA of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA class were found more frequently and in higher serum concentrations in patients with psoriasis in comparison to healthy controls. The same was established for anti-tTA of IgG class, as well as anti-DGPA of IgA class.
Conclusion: There is relationship between positivity to coeliac disease antibodies and psoriasis, in particular concerning antigliadin antibodies. Further studies are necessary to determine the nature, pathophysiology, and the meaning of these findings.
Learning Safe Behaviour via Justified Human Preferences and Hypothetical Queries
Authors: Kazantzidis Ilias , Norman Timothy J. , Du Yali , Freeman Christopher T.
Published: December 2022

Although reinforcement learning is a powerful paradigm for agent sequential decision-making, it cannot be used in its traditional form in most safety-critical environments. Human feedback can enable an agent to learn a good policy while avoiding unsafe states, but at the cost of human time. We present JPAL-HA, a model for safe learning in safety-critical environments that is grounded on two novel ideas: (i) human preferences over a choice of actions are augmented with justifications such as one action is preferred because the other is unsafe; and (ii) we use these justifications to guide the generation of future queries over hypothetical actions to enable the agent to more effectively map out unsafe regions. Our algorithm comes with experimental safety and performance guarantees during training, and so offers a practical tool for users to train their agent safely and according to the level of safety their application requires. We evaluate it using a modified version of the Island Navigation environment from the AI Safety Gridworlds. We show that it significantly improves safety compared to existing human-in-the-loop safe reinforcement learning approaches and outperforms state-of-the-art learning algorithms in terms of sample efficiency. Further, we evaluate our method with people training a mobile robot, demonstrating that a diverse group of people can complete training in only a few minutes and that hypothetical actions not only improve safety, but also slightly decrease the training time and keep it to admissible levels.∗
Built Environments and Implication on Gender Identities in Gede Archaeological Site
Authors: Muthegethi David Maina
Published: December 2022

For decades, the archaeological work of the Swahili Civilization has mainly concentrated on exploring city-state economic and political dynamics. This paper explores how gender roles were formed, maintained, negotiated, and re-negotiated through time and space in Gede City. Unlike other Swahili city-states, Gede was located around two miles away from the shores of the Indian Ocean. Nonetheless, the city was characterized by security walls, stone houses, mosques, and tombs typical of Swahili City states such as Kilwa. The study employed several data collection methods: archival research, a survey, a re-examination of collected materials, and excavation of the Gede archaeological site. Since the study aimed to examine gender roles across different social classes, three areas were excavated based on their spatial distribution. Thus, the areas were roughly categorized as belonging to elite, middle-class, and lower-class structures. These structures were located in the inner, second, and outer walls of Gede City, respectively. Key findings show that gender identities differed considerably along classes in Gede archaeological site. For instance, the women of the elites and middle class were active participants in Gede's international trade through the production and consumption of imported goods. This participation corresponded with the commercialization of Gede households, especially in elite' areas where they hosted international traders. On the other hand, in middle-class houses, women concentrated on running light industries to supply goods to the urban community. Thus, they were able to afford exotic goods like their elite counterparts. Lastly, the gender roles of the lower class entailed subsistence-gendered roles with little participation in Gede formal commerce. Interestingly, gender roles in Gede were dynamic in nature and response to cultural diffusion, the spread of Islam, the intensification of trade, the diversification of subsistence patterns, and urbanization. Therefore, these findings demonstrate the centrality of gender in the reconstruction of the social lives of the Swahili Civilization.
Neonatal hemolytic disease due to anti-A1 accompany fetomaternal transfusion: A case report
Authors: He Yanjing , Wang Qiushi
Published: December 2022

Background: A neonatal with severe anemia（HB:48g/L）was detected before blood transfusion. A major crossmatch-incompatible result was found with a AB donor and the further some of random 8 donors. To diagnosis the reason of anemia and the mismatched, a series serological tests were detected.
Case presentation: The AB positive neonatal was born by B positive mother and AB dad. The neonatal DAT was negative, but the elution was positive with A1 cell and negative with A2 cell. In his mother serum, titer 1024 anti-A were checked out in saline tube, after treated by DTT, titer 64 anti-A1 and 2 anti-A were checked out. The neonatal was diagnosis with Hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDFN). His mother red cell showed a weak agglutinated with anti-A under microscopy. Then was diagnosis as fetomaternal hemorrhage (FMH) through the Kleihauer-Betke test and flow cytometry. A2B red blood were given combine with phototherapy, the neonatal HB was 108g/L on the day 11 before discharged.
Conclusions: This is a rare case concurrent FMH and HDFN. The massive red cell of fetus entried maternal blood because of FMH, and then AB fetus red blood tiggered the high titer anti-A1 IgG and caused HDFN.
Bargaining Power of African Countries in the World Health Organisation: A Simulated Economic Analysis of its Effectiveness
Authors: Patrick ABADOMA MOUNPOU Iskandar , Donatien EZE EZE
Published: December 2022

This paper proposes levers for improving the bargaining power of African region countries at the World Health Organisation. Using data from World Health Assembly reports, and economics approaches, the paper first calculates the Bargaining Power Index (BPI) of these countries using the Shapley-Shubik method. It also proceeds to a series of simulations by assigning weighting coefficients to each Bargaining Power Index dimension, and finally analyses the correlation among BPI and these dimensions. Results show that (a) African region has the lowest BPI in the organisation regardless of the weight assigned to each dimension thus materializing its obvious inability to maximise the likelihood of asserting its preferences by making its voice heard. However, better prospects are possible when the BPI is disaggregated into its two components: The Economic Power Index and the Decision Power Index, and when the elements of these components are improved.
JEL Code: C18, C71, D7, I1
A New Method for Predicting Hurricane Rapid Intensification Based on Co-occurring Environmental Parameters
Authors: Narayanan Anushka , Balaguru Karthik , Xu Wenwei , Leung L. Ruby
Published: December 2022

Tropical cyclones (TCs) that undergo Rapid Intensification (RI) can pose serious socioeconomic threats and can potentially result in major damaging impacts along coastal areas. Considering the complexity of various physical mechanisms that play a role in RI and its relatively low probability of occurrence, predicting RI remains a major operational challenge. In this study, we propose a simple deterministic binary classification model based on the co-occurrence of environmental parameters (MCE) to predict an RI event. More specifically, the model determines the possibility of RI based on a simple count of the number of environmental predictors deemed favorable and unfavorable. We compare our model results to logistic regression (LR) and decision tree (DT) models, well-trained using the same set of environmental predictors. Results reveal that at an RI threshold of 30kt, the MCE exhibits a critical success index (CSI) score of 0.233 which is 14% higher than DT and LR model performances. When tested at multiple RI thresholds, the MCE displays relatively higher skill scores across multiple metrics. By simultaneously evaluating the favorability of predictors, the MCE is able to comparatively reduce the number of false alarms predicted when certain predictors are unfavorable towards RI. Interpreting these model results to gain a physical understanding of how co-occurring environmental parameters can affect RI, we highlight future directions for using models based on the MCE approach to understand and predict TC RI as well as other meteorological extremes.
Comparative Analysis of Cryptocurrency Price Prediction Using Deep Learning
Authors: Zakhwan Muhammad , Rafik Mohamed , Shah Noraisyah Mohamed , Khairuddin Anis Salwa Binti Mohd
Published: December 2022

Cryptocurrency is branded as a digital currency, an alternative exchange currency system with significant ramifications for the economies of rising nations and the global economy. In recent years, cryptocurrency has infiltrated almost all financial operations; hence, cryptocurrency trading is frequently recognised as one of the most popular and promising means of profitable investment. Lately, with the exponential growth of cryptocurrency in-vestments, many Alternative Coins (Altcoins) resurfaced as to mimic the fiat currency. Altcoins prediction, as the name suggests the alternative coins from the traditional cryptocurrency which is Bitcoin (BTC). There are several methods to forecast cryptocurrency prices namely Technical Analysis and Fundamental Analysis which has been widely used in forecasting fiat and stock prices. With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and Deep Learning algorithms provide a different perspective on how investors can estimate the trend or the movement of prices. In this thesis, as cryptocurrency price are time-dependent, Recur-rent Neural Network (RNN) is presented due to RNN’s nature that is well suited for Time Series Analysis (TSA). The topology of proposed RNN model consists of 3 stages which are model groundwork, model development and testing and optimisation. The RNN architecture are extended to two different models specifically Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU). There are 4 hyperparameters that will affect the accuracy of the deep learning model in predicting cryptocurrency price. Hyperparameters tuning set the basis of optimising the model to improve the accuracy of cryptocurrency prediction. Hyperparameters listed in this project are limited to number of epochs, adaptive optimisation algorithm, dropout rate, and batch size. Next, the models are tested with data of different coins listed in the cryptocurrency market with different input features to find out the effect on the accuracy and robustness of the model in predicting the cryptocurrency price. This research demonstrates that GRU has the best accuracy in forecasting the cryptocurrency prices based on the values of Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and Executional Time, scoring 2.2201, 0.8076 and 200s using intra-day trading strategy Open, High, Low, Close Price (OHLC) as input features.
Blockchain Applications in Smart-Grids: A Review
Authors: Tariq Salman , Shaaban Mohamed , Mokhlis Hazlie , Mansor Nurulafiqah Nadzirah
Published: December 2022

With the advent of Blockchain (BC) technology, there is significant momentum to leverage the benefits of decentralization offered by BC and apply it in various disciplines, including medical, financial, identity authentication, asset management, etc. The application of BC in electrical energy grids is receiving considerable attention. Nonetheless, the rush to prioritize BC applications in energy trading (ET) aspects is masking its vast genuine potential. While the latter leaves many other fronts untapped, it provides new opportunities for BC applications in electrical energy systems that require further exploration. This paper reviews BC applications in four main smart grid (SG) areas, including Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading (P2P-ET). The limitations of the BC technology, hindering its immediate adoption in SG operations, are also discussed.
JOHN LOCKE’UN SİYASET FELSEFESİ ANLAYIŞINDA DİRENME HAKKI
Authors: ORMANOĞLU Derya , ÇİRKİN Furkan
Published: December 2022

Liberalizmin kurucularından biri olarak görülen John Locke, günümüz anayasal demokrasilerini anlamak açısından hala en önemli düşünürlerden biridir. Locke’un genel felsefesi, doğuştan ya da rasyonel bir a priori bilgiden ziyade deneyimlere ve insanın sonradan yaratmasına dayanmaktadır. Locke’a göre nasıl ki boş bir levha olarak dünyaya gelip daha sonra o levhayı dolduruyorsak siyaset felsefesi alanındaki kavramlar da bu şekilde görülmektedir. Orta Çağ sonrası sekülerizm düşüncesi altında, iktidara mutlak itaat fikrinin ortadan kalkması nedeniyle, Locke’un aydınlanmış insan aklına yönelik mantıklı açıklamalar getirmesi büyük önem taşımaktadır. Locke’a göre devlet doğal bir olgu değildir, devleti daha sonradan bireyler toplanıp kendi iradeleriyle bir toplum sözleşmesi yapmak suretiyle kurmuşlardır. Hatta Locke’un en ayırt edici ve önemli düşüncesi olan mülkiyet hakkı bile aslında insanların bir boş toprak parçasını emekle ihya etmesi sonucunda oluşmaktadır. Yani Locke, mülkiyet hakkının meşruiyet temelini bile a priori bir bilgiye ya da tanrısal herhangi bir kaynağa dayandırmak istememektedir. Aksine Locke, bunu emek-mülkiyet ilişkisi ile açıklamaktadır. Tüm siyaset felsefesinde bireyi merkeze alan Locke’a göre toplum sözleşmesiyle kurulan devletin temel amacı da bireylerin doğal haklarını korumaktan ibarettir. Bu felsefeden hareketle direnme hakkı, en temel ve doğal insan haklarından biridir. Her konuda, empirist mantıkla açıklamalar getiren Locke’un direnme hakkını, en temelde, insanın doğasından kaynaklanan haklarına dayandırması ve burada yer yer boşluklar bırakması ise önemli bir çelişki barındırmaktadır. Aslında kendisi de zengin bir burjuva aileden gelen Locke’un tüm felsefesi, en başta mülkiyet hakkı olmak üzere burjuvazinin tüm zenginliklerini korumak ve güvence altına almak için kurulduğunu iddia ettiği devletin bu amacından olası bir sapma yaşaması durumunda direnme hakkının kullanılması ile yeniden hizaya getirilmesi gerektiği fikrinden ibarettir.
Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Babies with Neonatal Jaundice in Ghana
Authors: Adiiboka Frederick
Published: December 2022

Neonatal jaundice is a public health concern responsible for a relatively high rate of infant morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is prudent to put in place effective risk-reduction strategies and detect and treat new born jaundice effectively. Optimum nutrition has been shown to be crucial to health and well-being. This study, therefore, sought to investigate the nutritional status of babies that report to three referral hospitals in Ghana (Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital and the Tamale Teaching hospital). It was a multi-center nested, case-control study involving 120 cases and 120 controls of neonates in the three referral hospitals in Ghana. The study revealed that babies with neonatal jaundice in Ghana mostly have a normal nutritional status, even though they lose about 5% of their birth weight. More mothers of healthy babies (88.3%) did exclusive breastfeeding, compared with mothers of babies with neonatal jaundice (76.7%). It was also revealed that the three referral hospitals implemented the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative’s ten steps to successful breastfeeding as a measure to prevent suboptimal feeding, which could lead to an increase in bilirubin levels. Assessment and interventions to prevent weight loss should therefore be paramount for babies with neonatal jaundice. Keywords: Malnutrition, Neonatal jaundice.
Results of Unintentional Injuries among Preschool Children Enrolled in Day-care Centers from Selected Villages around Gaborone, Botswana
Authors: Mmachere Mareka Kedibonye Tsaone
Published: December 2022

This study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study qualitative and quantitative designs to gather data through structured interviews, questionnaires over a certain period in time in the past (retrospective) and the present (concurrent), and then analyze the results. The study was undertaken in the selected villages around Gaborone Botswana, situated in the south of the country. Its final focus was to publish the research results from a research survey done on unintentional injuries among preschool children enrolled in day-care centers from selected villages around Gaborone, Botswana. The population consisted of 47-day care centers in the selected villages around Gaborone which are all situated in Mogoditshane/Thamaga Subdistrict. A sample of 45 care centers was drawn using Yamane formula. Data were then collected through auditing, structured interviews, and questionnaires. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program was used to analyze the data. The summary of the results of the current study show that: i) Males are more likely to get injured than females ii) Older children are more likely to sustain UI (iii) UI are sustained in the late afternoons iv) UI are more likely to be sustained in the early and late part of the week v) Season or term of study is not a factor of UI vi) Amount of time spent at school is a factor of UI (Davis, Godfrey & Rankin 2013).The findings indicate that there are factors that can have a negative influence on the occurrence of unintentional injuries in day care centers. It is suggested that a supportive teaching programme in the form of a workshop for service providers, teachers and parents should be designed, that will support the system of unintentional injury prevention program for preschool children in day care centers in order to prevent unintentional injuries in the selected villages around Gaborone, Botswana. Keywords: Contributing factors to unintentional injuries, Day care centers / pre-schools/ preprimary units, Interventions on unintentional injury prevention, Unintentional injuries, Unintentional injuries prevention, the Prevalence of unintentional injuries in childcare settings.
Estimating the Biological Age and the Magnitude of Lifestyle Determinants of Ageing among Nigerian Adults
Authors: Adelowo Abiodun Bamidele
Published: December 2022

Considering the various limitations of using chronological age, biological age estimation is becoming increasingly recognized as one of the novel public health and clinical strategies for preventing and controlling the rising global prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and for achieving healthy ageing. The objectives of this study are to estimate the biological age and compare it to the chronological age of Nigerian adults. Also, to score the magnitude of some of the lifestyle determinants of biological age among the study population. This cross-sectional study uses simple random sampling technique to select 82 Nigerian adults for the study, while standardized instruments were used to collect data. The P value for the study was set at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the study noticed poor mean Mediterranean Diet Adherence (MDAQ) score of 7.0 ± 2.28 and mean International Physical Activity (IPAQ) score of 1.3 ± 0.51. There was also suboptimal mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score of 5.9 ± 3.01, mean Perceive Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4) score of 6.3 ± 2.79, and mean Social Connectedness Scale (SCS) score of 15.2 ± 4.13. Furthermore, the estimated biological age of the respondents (45.9 years, ±10.31), was higher than their chronological age (43.2 years, ±8.92). The study concluded that the magnitudes of the lifestyle determinants of ageing are high enough to result in accelerated biological ageing among the study population. Such development, if not mitigated, may result in a significant increase in the prevalence of NCDs and premature deaths in the near future. Keywords: Accelerated Ageing, Biological Age, Chronological Age, Lifestyle determinants of ageing, Health Promotion Intervention.
Assessment of Utilization of Standing Order in the Management of Patients by Community Health Extension Workers in Ekiti State, Nigeria
Authors: Adepoju Rasheed Adeyemi
Published: December 2022

Engagement and training of community health extension workers was the strategy adopted by Nigeria to solve the problem of the dearth of skilled health workers at the primary health care level. This group of health workers were trained to use standing orders in the management of the patient at this level of care. The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent of utilization of standing order among community health extension workers. The research was cross-sectional in nature, and it used a self-applied structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed between March and April 2022. There were 265 respondents with age ranges between 23 and 58 years, and the majority (86.7%) were females. 98.1% possessed a copy of the standing order, and 88.5% and 9.9% kept their standing orders in health facilities and home, respectively. 62.3% used it regularly, 19.6% occasionally, 8.3% sometimes and 9.8% rarely used it. Reasons given for not using standing orders included- waste of time, patients who think I am not competent, and not containing new drugs. Regular utilization of standing order is low, and there is a need to educate the community extension workers on the importance of standing order at the primary health care level. Keywords: Standing order, Standardization, Utilization.