bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polymer Pro-Drug Nanoparticles for Sustained Release of Cytotoxic Drugs Evaluated in Patient-Derived Glioblastoma Cell Lines and In Situ Gelling Formulations
Authors: Vasey Catherine E. , Cavanagh Robert J. , Taresco Vincenzo , Moloney Cara , Smith Stuart , Rahman Ruman , Alexander Cameron
Published: February 2021

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common, malignant and aggressive brain tumour in adults. Despite the use of multimodal treatments, involving surgery, followed by concomitant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the median survival for patients remains less than 15 months from diagnosis. Low penetration of drugs across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a dose-limiting factor for systemic GBM therapies, and as a result, post-surgical intracranial drug delivery strategies are being developed to ensure local delivery of drugs within the brain. Here we describe the effects of PEGylated poly(lactide)-poly(carbonate)-doxorubicin (DOX) nanoparticles (NPs) on the metabolic activity of primary cancer cell lines derived from adult patients following neurosurgical resection, and the commercially available GBM cell line, U87. The results showed that non-drug-loaded NPs were well tolerated at concentrations of up to 100 µg/mL while tumour cell-killing effects were observed for the DOX-NPs at the same concentrations. Further experiments evaluated the release of DOX from polymer-DOX conjugate NPs when incorporated in a thermosensitive in situ gelling poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PLGA/PEG) matrix paste, in order to simulate the clinical setting of a locally injected formulation for GBM following surgical tumour resection. These assays demonstrated drug release from the polymer pro-drugs, when in PLGA/PEG matrices of two formulations, over clinically relevant time scales. These findings encourage future in vivo assessment of the potential capability of polymer–drug conjugate NPs to penetrate brain parenchyma efficaciously, when released from existing interstitial delivery systems.
Topological-Insulator-Based Gap-Surface Plasmon Metasurfaces
Authors: Aigner Andreas , Maier Stefan , Ren Haoran
Published: February 2021

Topological insulators (TIs) have unique highly conducting symmetry-protected surface states while the bulk is insulating, making them attractive for various applications in condensed matter physics. Recently, topological insulator materials have been tentatively applied for both near- and far-field wavefront manipulation of electromagnetic waves, yielding superior plasmonic properties in the ultraviolet (UV)-to-visible wavelength range. However, previous reports have only demonstrated inefficient wavefront control based on binary metasurfaces that were digitalized on a TI thin film or non-directional surface plasmon polariton (SPP) excitation. Here, we numerically demonstrated the plasmonic capabilities of the TI Bi2Te3 as a material for gap–surface plasmon (GSP) metasurfaces. By employing the principle of the geometric phase, a far-field beam-steering metasurface was designed for the visible spectrum, yielding a cross-polarization efficiency of 34% at 500 nm while suppressing the co-polarization to 0.08%. Furthermore, a birefringent GSP metasurface design was studied and found to be capable of directionally exciting SPPs depending on the incident polarization. Our work forms the basis for accurately controlling the far- and near-field responses of TI-based GSP metasurfaces in the visible spectral range.
Bio-Packaging Material Impact on Blueberries Quality Attributes under Transport and Marketing Conditions
Authors: Bof María Julieta , Laurent Franco Emanuel , Massolo Facundo , Locaso Delia Elisa , Versino Florencia , García María Alejandra
Published: February 2021

Blueberries are highly appreciated for their high antioxidant content but are also particularly susceptible to fungal deterioration. In this work, corn starch and chitosan, byproducts of the fishing industry, as well as active compounds obtained from citrus processing waste were used to obtain active biodegradable film packaging. Blueberries were packed in corn starch–chitosan (CS:CH) films and in active films containing lemon essential oil (LEO) or grapefruit seed extract (GSE). The effects of film packaging on the quality parameters of berries and the fungal incidence of disease during storage were studied and compared to benchmark materials. A conservation assay simulating transport and commercialization conditions was conducted. Blueberries packed in CS:CH films showed antioxidant capacity values closer to those packed in commercial PET containers (Clamshells), preserving 84.8% of the initial antioxidants content. Fruit packed in LEO films exhibited the greatest weight loss and rot incidence, and poor surface color. CS:CH and GSE films controlled the fruit respiration rate and weight loss, therefore they are materials with adequate barrier properties for blueberries conservation. Bags formulated with GSE showed adequate barrier properties to maintain fruit quality attributes without the incidence of rottenness, being an interesting option for blueberries exportation.
Multi-Layered, Corona Charged Melt Blown Nonwovens as High Performance PM0.3 Air Filters
Authors: Zhang Xing , Liu Jinxin , Zhang Haifeng , Hou Jue , Wang Yuxiao , Deng Chao , Huang Chen , Jin Xiangyu
Published: February 2021

Particulate matter (PM) and airborne viruses bring adverse influence on human health. As the most feasible way to prevent inhalation of these pollutants, face masks with excellent filtration efficiency and low press drop are in urgent demand. In this study, we report a novel methodology for producing high performance air filter by combining melt blown technique with corona charging treatment. Changing the crystal structure of polypropylene by adding magnesium stearate can avoid charge escape and ensure the stability of filtration performances. Particularly, the influence of fiber diameter, pore size, porosity, and charge storage on the filtration performances of the filter are thoroughly investigated. The filtration performances of the materials, including the loading test performance are also studied. The melt blown materials formed by four layers presented a significant filtration efficiency of 97.96%, a low pressure drop of 84.28 Pa, and a high quality factor (QF) of 0.046 Pa−1 for paraffin oil aerosol particles. Meanwhile, a robust filtration efficiency of 99.03%, a low pressure drop of 82.32 Pa, and an excellent QF of 0.056 Pa−1 for NaCl aerosol particles could be easily achieved. The multi-layered melt blown filtration material developed here would be potentially applied in the field of protective masks.
Forest Changes by Precipitation Zones in Northern China after the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program in China
Authors: Li Han , Xu Fu , Li Zhichao , You Nanshan , Zhou Hui , Zhou Yan , Chen Bangqian , Qin Yuanwei , Xiao Xiangming , Dong Jinwei
Published: February 2021

China launched the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TNSFP) in 1978 in northern China to combat desertification and dust storms, but it is still controversial in ecologically fragile arid and semi-arid areas, which is partly due to the uncertainties of monitoring of the spatial-temporal changes of forest distribution. In this study, we aim to provide an overall retrospect of the forest changes (i.e., forest gain and forest loss) in northern China during 2007–2017, and to analyze the forest changes in different precipitation zones. We first generated annual forest maps at 30 m spatial resolution during 2007–2017 in northern China through integrating Landsat and PALSAR/PALSAR-2 data. We found the PALSAR/Landsat-based forest maps outperform other four existing products (i.e., JAXA F/NF, FROM-GLC, GlobeLand30, and NLCD-China) from either PALSAR or Landsat data, with a higher overall accuracy 96% ± 1%. The spatial-temporal analyses of forests showed a substantial forest expansion from 316,898 ± 34,537 km2 in 2007 to 384,568 ± 35,855 km2 in 2017 in the central and eastern areas. We found a higher forest loss rate (i.e., 35%) in the precipitation zones with the annual mean precipitation less than 400 mm (i.e., the arid and semi-arid areas) comparing to that (i.e., 25%) in the zones with more than 400 mm (i.e., the humid areas), which suggests the lower surviving rate in the drylands. This study provides satellite-based evidence for the forest changes in different precipitation zones, and suggests that the likely impacts of precipitation on afforestation effectiveness should be considered in future implementation of ecological restoration projects like TNSFP.
Time-Series Analysis on Persistent Scatter-Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PS-InSAR) Derived Displacements of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge (HZMB) from Sentinel-1A Observations
Authors: Xiong Siting , Wang Chisheng , Qin Xiaoqiong , Zhang Bochen , Li Qingquan
Published: February 2021

The synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) technique has been applied in monitoring the deformation of infrastructures, such as bridges, highways, railways and subways. Persistent scatterer (PS)-InSAR is one of the InSAR techniques, which utilises persistent scatterers to derive long-term displacements. This study applied time-series methods to post-process the PS-InSAR-derived time-series displacements with the use of 86 Sentinel-1A acquisitions spanning from 6 January 2018 to 27 November 2020. Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and seasonal and trend decomposition using loess (STL) were combined to estimate the seasonal component of the total time-series displacements. Then, a temperature correlation map was generated by correlating the seasonal component with the temperature variation. Results show that the thermal expansion phenomenon is pronounced on the buildings of the Zhuhai–Macao Passenger Terminal as well as the bridge and road connecting to the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), while it is less obviously observed at the main Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB). In addition, sudden changes between subsidence and uplift can be detected through the p-values derived by applying the augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test to the residual signals after removing the linear and seasonal components from the original ones.
Sensor Fusion and Convolutional Neural Networks for Indoor Occupancy Prediction Using Multiple Low-Cost Low-Resolution Heat Sensor Data
Authors: Arvidsson Simon , Gullstrand Marcus , Sirmacek Beril , Riveiro Maria
Published: February 2021

Indoor occupancy prediction is a prerequisite for the management of energy consumption, security, health, and other systems in smart buildings. Previous studies have shown that buildings that automatize their heating, lighting, air conditioning, and ventilation systems through considering the occupancy and activity information might reduce energy consumption by more than 50%. However, it is difficult to use high-resolution sensors and cameras for occupancy prediction due to privacy concerns. In this paper, we propose a novel solution for predicting occupancy using multiple low-cost and low-resolution heat sensors. We suggest two different methods for fusing and processing the data captured from multiple heat sensors and we use a Convolutional Neural Network for predicting occupancy. We conduct experiments to assess both the performance of the proposed solutions and analyze the impact of sensor field view overlaps on the prediction results. In summary, our experimental results show that the implemented solutions show high occupancy prediction accuracy and real-time processing capabilities.
An Intelligent Load Control-Based Random Access Scheme for Space-Based Internet of Things
Authors: Fei Changjiang , Jiang Bin , Xu Kun , Wang Lei , Zhao Baokang
Published: February 2021

Random access is one of the most competitive multiple access schemes for future space-based Internet of Things (S-IoT) due to its support for massive connections and grant-free transmission, as well as its ease of implementation. However, firstly, existing random access schemes are highly sensitive to load: once the load exceeds a certain critical value, the throughput will drop sharply due to the increased probability of data collision. Moreover, due to variable satellite coverage and bursty traffic, the network load of S-IoT changes dynamically; therefore, when existing random access schemes are applied directly to the S-IoT environment, the actual throughput is far below the theoretical maximum. Accordingly, this paper proposes an intelligent load control-based random access scheme based on CRDSA++, which is an enhanced version of the contention resolution diversity slotted ALOHA (CRDSA) and extends the CRDSA concept to more than two replicas. The proposed scheme is dubbed load control-based three-replica contention resolution diversity slotted ALOHA (LC-CRDSA3). LC-CRDSA3 actively controls network load. When the load threatens to exceed the critical value, only certain nodes are allowed to send data, and the load is controlled to be near the critical value, thereby effectively improving the throughput. In order to accurately carry out load control, we innovatively propose a maximum likelihood estimation (MLE)-based load estimation algorithm, which estimates the load value of each received frame by making full use of the number of time slots in different states. On this basis, LC-CRDSA3 adopts computational intelligence-based time series forecasting technology to predict the load values of future frames using the historical load values. We evaluated the performance of LC-CRDSA3 through a series of simulation experiments and compared it with CRDSA++. Our experimental results demonstrate that in S-IoT contexts where the load changes dynamically, LC-CRDSA3 can obtain network throughput that is close to the theoretical maximum across a wide load range through accurate load control.
Highly Fast Response of Pd/Ta2O5/SiC and Pd/Ta2O5/Si Schottky Diode-Based Hydrogen Sensors
Authors: Hussain Muhammad , Jeong Woonyoung , Kang Il-Suk , Choi Kyeong-Keun , Jaffery Syed Hassan Abbas , Ali Asif , Hussain Tassawar , Ayaz Muhammad , Hussain Sajjad , Jung Jongwan
Published: February 2021

Herein, the fabrication of a novel highly sensitive and fast hydrogen (H2) gas sensor, based on the Ta2O5 Schottky diode, is described. First, Ta2O5 thin films are deposited on silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) substrates via a radio frequency (RF) sputtering method. Then, Pd and Ni are respectively deposited on the front and back of the device. The deposited Pd serves as a H2 catalyst, while the Ni functions as an Ohmic contact. The devices are then tested under various concentrations of H2 gas at operating temperatures of 300, 500, and 700 °C. The results indicate that the Pd/Ta2O5 Schottky diode on the SiC substrate exhibits larger concentration and temperature sensitivities than those of the device based on the Si substrate. In addition, the optimum operating temperature of the Pd/Ta2O5 Schottky diode for use in H2 sensing is shown to be about 300 °C. At this optimum temperature, the dynamic responses of the sensors towards various concentrations of H2 gas are then examined under a constant bias current of 1 mA. The results indicate a fast rise time of 7.1 s, and a decay of 18 s, for the sensor based on the SiC substrate.
Fusion of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for No-Reference Magnetic Resonance Image Quality Assessment
Authors: Stępień Igor , Obuchowicz Rafał , Piórkowski Adam , Oszust Mariusz
Published: February 2021

The quality of magnetic resonance images may influence the diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Therefore, in this paper, a novel no-reference (NR) magnetic resonance image quality assessment (MRIQA) method is proposed. In the approach, deep convolutional neural network architectures are fused and jointly trained to better capture the characteristics of MR images. Then, to improve the quality prediction performance, the support vector machine regression (SVR) technique is employed on the features generated by fused networks. In the paper, several promising network architectures are introduced, investigated, and experimentally compared with state-of-the-art NR-IQA methods on two representative MRIQA benchmark datasets. One of the datasets is introduced in this work. As the experimental validation reveals, the proposed fusion of networks outperforms related approaches in terms of correlation with subjective opinions of a large number of experienced radiologists.
Consumer Confusion and Green Consumption Intentions from the Perspective of Food-Related Lifestyles on Organic Infant Milk Formulas
Authors: Yang Shao-Ping , Chang Shu-Chun , Liang Ta-Ching , Situmorang Rospita Odorlina P. , Hussain Minhas
Published: February 2021

A sustainable lifestyle and green consumption are becoming popular nowadays due to increased awareness of environmental issues and many incidents regarding food safety. This has triggered the rapid development of the marketing of green products and the promotion of many green brands which causes confusion among consumers. This paper’s purpose is to evaluate the relationship between this consumer confusion and different Food-Related Lifestyles (FRLs) tending towards green consumption, taking as a case study organic infant milk formula. This study was based on an online survey which was conducted with 381 Taiwanese parents and carried out from January to February 2019. Through cluster analysis, this study categorized the different FRLs into three groups, i.e., consumers unfamiliar with food product quality, consumers who value food quality, and consumers who value food practicality. This study found that there is no significant correlation between different levels of consumer confusion and different FRLs. Furthermore, different consumers’ FRLs have significant correlations with green consumption intention. This study also found a positive relationship between consumer confusion and green consumption intention.
Technowomen: Women’s Autonomy and Its Impact on Environmental Quality
Authors: Mujeed Saima , Li Shuangyan , Jabeen Musarrat , Nassani Abdelmohsen A. , Askar Sameh E. , Zaman Khalid , Abro Muhammad Moinuddin Qazi , Sriyanto  , Jambari Hanifah
Published: February 2021

The role of women in economic development and the global environment is vital for progressing them towards the United Nations sustainable development goal (SDG-5) that emphasized the need to empower women in every walk of life. The study examines women’s autonomy in the sustainable development agenda under China’s open innovation system from 1975 to 2019. The study employed an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, vector autoregressive (VAR) Granger causality, and innovation accounting matrix to estimate parameters. The existing data are summarized and collated in the context of China to explain as a correlational study. The results show that women’s autonomy moderated with technology spills over to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and substantiate the hump-shaped relationship between them. The increased spending on research and development (R&D) activities, patent publications, and renewable energy consumption empowers women to be equipped with the latest sustainable technologies to improve environmental quality. The pollution haven hypothesis verifies a given country, where trade liberalization policies tend to increase polluting industries to set up their plants that engaged in dirty production that exacerbate GHG emissions. The causality estimates confirmed that technological innovations and renewable energy consumption leads to women’s autonomy. In contrast, females’ share in the labor force participation rate leads to an increase in renewable energy consumption. Thus, it is evident that there is a positive role of women in the country’s sustainable development.
Changing Role of Users—Innovating Responsibly in Digital Health
Authors: Iakovleva Tatiana , Oftedal Elin , Bessant John
Published: February 2021

Despite the recognition of the importance of stakeholder inclusion into decisions about new solutions offered to society, responsible innovation (RI) has stalled at the point of articulating a process of governance with a strongly normative loading, without clear practical guidelines toward implementation practices. The principles of RI direct us to involve the user early in the innovation process. However, it lacks direction of how to involve users and stakeholders into this process. In this article, we try to understand how to empower users to become a part of innovation process though empirical cases. Based on 11 cases of firms innovating in digital health and welfare services, we look on firm practices for user integration into their innovation process, as well as how the user’s behavior is changing due to new trends such as availability of information and digitalization of services. We try to explore this question through lenses of responsible innovation in the emerging field of digital healthcare. Our findings indicate that users are not a homogenous group—rather, their willingness to engage in innovative processes are distributed across a spectrum, ranging from informed to involved and, at extreme, to innovative user. Further, we identified signs of user and stakeholder inclusion in all our cases—albeit in different degrees. The most common group of inclusion is with involved users, and firms’ practices varying from sharing reciprocal information with users, to integration through focus groups, testing or collecting a more formative feedbacks from users. Although user inclusion into design space is perceived as important and beneficial for matching with market demands, it is also a time-consuming and costly process. We conclude with debating some policy impacts, pointing to the fact that inclusion is a resource-consuming process especially for small firms and that policy instruments have to be in place in order to secure true inclusion of users into the innovation process. Our article sheds light on RI practices, and we also suggest some avenues for future research to identify more precisely whom to include, when to include and at what stage of the innovation process.
The Role of Founder-CEO, Human Capital and Legitimacy in Venture Capital Financing in China’s P2P Lending Industry
Authors: Zheng Hui , Piao Xuexu , Park Sangmoon
Published: February 2021

The paper investigates factors to financing from venture capital (VC) in the Peer to Peer (P2P) lending industry of China. We focus on the signal effects of founder-CEOs, human capital, and legitimacy on venture capital investment. An important issue for entrepreneurship research is how to reduce t information asymmetry between entrepreneurs and potential investors. This paper builds on the signal theory to explain how new ventures can signal their qualities and promising businesses to potential investors to obtain external investment. By using a total of 2388 new ventures in China’s P2P lending industry, this paper analyzed the effects of factors on VC investment. We found that the founder-CEO status and the legitimacy of third-party signals are crucial to obtain the support of venture capital. We found that the CEO’s international experience has positively significant on VC financing, but the industry experience of CEOs is insignificant to get VC investment. The results indicate that new venture should pay more attention to build the ways of signaling and legitimacy of new venture to get external resource providers.
Transphobic Violence in Educational Centers: Risk Factors and Consequences in the Victims’ Wellbeing and Health
Authors: Gallardo-Nieto Elena Maria , Espinosa-Spínola María , Ríos-González Oriol , García-Yeste Carme
Published: February 2021

School violence and bullying re worrying problems due to their growing prevalence and severe consequences for adolescent and youth health and wellbeing. Sociocultural factors can contribute to, complicate, and increase the cases of violence in classrooms and spaces related to educational centers. Transphobic violence in this article is defined as the type of violence suffered by transgender and nonbinary adolescents and youth as a manifestation of the problem of discrimination and hate against gender and sexual diversity. This work intends to study the complex sociocultural dynamics of violence detected in educational contexts affecting transgender and nonbinary adolescents and youth identified by recent high- impact studies. At the same time, we aim to fill the gap in the scientific literature on transphobic violence and articulate successful strategies to prevent and combat it. In this review, transphobic violence is defined as the violence affecting transgender adolescents and youth, continuous in time, influenced by peers, and taking place in spaces or realities related to educational centers. The reviewed studies point at the complexity of this kind of violence due to the combination of socio-personal factors and its variety in manifestations. Furthermore, we study the consequences of transphobic violence for the wellbeing and health of transgender and nonbinary adolescents and youth to deepen the knowledge of their mental health repercussions. We end by providing suggestions for how this problem can be prevented in educational environments, grounded on scientific evidence in the materialization of a transformative approach.
TOPSIS Method Based on Correlation Coefficient under Pythagorean Fuzzy Soft Environment and Its Application towards Green Supply Chain Management
Authors: Zulqarnain Rana Muhammad , Xin Xiao Long , Siddique Imran , Asghar Khan Waseem , Yousif Mogtaba Ahmed
Published: February 2021

The correlation coefficient between two variables is an important aspect of statistics. The accuracy of assessments of correlation relies on information from a set of discourses. Data collected in statistical studies are often full of exceptions. Pythagorean fuzzy soft sets (PFSS) are a parametrized family of extended Pythagorean fuzzy sets (PFS). They comprise a generalization of intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets which may be used to accurately assess deficiencies and uncertainties in evaluations. PFSS can accommodate uncertainty more competently than intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets and are the most important strategy when dealing with fuzzy information in decision-making processes. Herein, the concept and characteristics of correlation coefficients and the weighted correlation coefficients in PFSS are discussed. We also introduce the Pythagorean fuzzy soft weighted average (PFSWA) and Pythagorean fuzzy soft weighted geometric (PFSWG) operators and discuss their desirable characteristics. A prioritization technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) under the PFSS environment based on correlation coefficients and weighted correlation coefficients will be introduced. Through the proposed methodology, a technique for decision-making is developed. Additionally, an application of the proposed TOPSIS technique is presented for green supplier selection in green supply chain management (GSCM). The practicality, efficacy, and flexibility of the proposed approach is proved through comparative analyses, drawing upon existing studies.
Fuze Effect: A Landmine in the Way of Sustainable Development of FinTech—The Lessons from the Peer-To-Peer Risk Outbreak
Authors: Sun Na , Song Liangrong , Sun Yan
Published: February 2021

Based on the data of peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms, employing the ARIMAX model and analyzing the risk outbreak process of P2P platforms, we find that the risk outbreak of P2P is a spreading process from weak to strong along the “qualification chain” of the platforms. This risk outbreak process along the qualification chain is dubbed the “fuze effect” in this paper as the process is similar to that of the fuze detonating explosives. This finding implies that the real risk comes from the uneven quality of P2P platforms, which is different from the dominant opinion that of their “credit enhancement services”. Our further study suggests that the fuze effect comes from deadweight cost caused by market competition. This study is of significance for risk prevention in emerging industries such as FinTech; that is, for the sake of sustainable development of emerging industries, the government must be vigilant about the fuze effect.
A Novel Meshing Method Based on Adaptive Size Function and Moving Mesh for Electromagnetic Finite Element Analysis
Authors: Zhang Chunfeng , An Siguang , Wang Wei , Lin Dehui
Published: February 2021

A moving meshing algorithm with mesh adaptive size function was proposed in this paper with regard to the modeling speed and solution accuracy of electromagnetic equipment in the optimization design process. In the proposed method, a mesh size function that considers curvature, feature size, and distance gradient restrictions is constructed, which can obtain high quality meshes and avoid excessive iteration; when the finite element mesh domain is deformed, only the mesh nodes close to the moving boundary are allowed to move, and the theory of force-balance is used combined with the second-order boundary projection algorithm to perform iterative optimization of the mesh node positions. The proposed method has the advantages of keeping the original mesh structure and minimum mesh deformation as well as speed up the convergence, save time in the finite element meshing, and ensure the quality of the generated mesh. Then, the proposed method was applied to a 37 kw motor for electromagnetic analysis, and the results obtained proved the accuracy of the algorithm; finally, the effectiveness of the mesh movement algorithm in three-dimensional space was tested by moving the sphere inside the cylinder.
Anti-HEV IgG Avidity Testing: Utility for Diagnosing Acute and Resolved Genotype 3 Infections
Authors: Minosse Claudia , Lapa Daniele , Coppola Antonio , Rapagna Federica , D’Offizi Gianpiero , Taibi Chiara , Lionetti Raffaella , Capobianchi Maria Rosaria , McPhee Fiona , Garbuglia Anna Rosa
Published: February 2021

European Association of the Study of the Liver (EASL) guidelines specify HEV RNA, as well as anti-HEV IgG and IgM as positive markers for acute HEV infection. HEV RNA assay sensitivity limitations may lead to false negative test results in patients with low levels of viremia. Moreover, anti-HEV IgM positivity is not a reliable indicator for distinguishing between acute and resolved infections given the ability of this antibody to persist several months after a resolved infection. Our study aims were to assess HEV IgG avidity for diagnosing acute and resolved infections, regardless of the anti-HEV IgM serostatus, and examine assay reliability when evaluating different genotype 3 (GT3) HEV subtypes. Patient serum samples (n = 104) were tested for HEV IgG avidity by utilizing the DIA.PRO kit on a DSX automated instrument. Among patients identified with acute HEV infections, 32 were infected with GT3: GT3c (n = 5), GT3e (n = 8), 3f (n = 17) and GT3-unsubtyped (n = 2). Avidity sensitivity was 91.2% and specificity was 100%. For patients with long-lasting anti-HEV IgM persistence, an Avidity Index >70% was observed. Thus, the DIA.PRO avidity assay may be utilized to distinguish between recently acquired and resolved HEV GT3 infections. However, for equivocal results (Avidity Index > 40–70%), HEV RNA molecular testing will be required to confirm a recent infection.
Mammalian Orthoreovirus (MRV) Is Widespread in Wild Ungulates of Northern Italy
Authors: Arnaboldi Sara , Righi Francesco , Filipello Virginia , Trogu Tiziana , Lelli Davide , Bianchi Alessandro , Bonardi Silvia , Pavoni Enrico , Bertasi Barbara , Lavazza Antonio
Published: February 2021

Mammalian orthoreoviruses (MRVs) are emerging infectious agents that may affect wild animals. MRVs are usually associated with asymptomatic or mild respiratory and enteric infections. However, severe clinical manifestations have been occasionally reported in human and animal hosts. An insight into their circulation is essential to minimize the risk of diffusion to farmed animals and possibly to humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of likely zoonotic MRVs in wild ungulates. Liver samples were collected from wild boar, red deer, roe deer, and chamois. Samples originated from two areas (Sondrio and Parma provinces) in Northern Italy with different environmental characteristics. MRV detection was carried out by PCR; confirmation by sequencing and typing for MRV type 3, which has been frequently associated with disease in pigs, were carried out for positive samples. MRV prevalence was as high as 45.3% in wild boars and 40.6% in red deer in the Sondrio area, with lower prevalence in the Parma area (15.4% in wild boars). Our findings shed light on MRV occurrence and distribution in some wild species and posed the issue of their possible role as reservoir.
The Role of ND10 Nuclear Bodies in Herpesvirus Infection: A Frenemy for the Virus?
Authors: Jan Fada Behdokht , Reward Eleazar , Gu Haidong
Published: February 2021

Nuclear domains 10 (ND10), a.k.a. promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies (PML-NBs), are membraneless subnuclear domains that are highly dynamic in their protein composition in response to cellular cues. They are known to be involved in many key cellular processes including DNA damage response, transcription regulation, apoptosis, oncogenesis, and antiviral defenses. The diversity and dynamics of ND10 residents enable them to play seemingly opposite roles under different physiological conditions. Although the molecular mechanisms are not completely clear, the pro- and anti-cancer effects of ND10 have been well established in tumorigenesis. However, in herpesvirus research, until the recently emerged evidence of pro-viral contributions, ND10 nuclear bodies have been generally recognized as part of the intrinsic antiviral defenses that converge to the incoming viral DNA to inhibit the viral gene expression. In this review, we evaluate the newly discovered pro-infection influences of ND10 in various human herpesviruses and analyze their molecular foundation along with the traditional antiviral functions of ND10. We hope to shed light on the explicit role of ND10 in both the lytic and latent cycles of herpesvirus infection, which is imperative to the delineation of herpes pathogenesis and the development of prophylactic/therapeutic treatments for herpetic diseases.
COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Health Care Workers in the United States
Authors: Shekhar Rahul , Sheikh Abu Baker , Upadhyay Shubhra , Singh Mriganka , Kottewar Saket , Mir Hamza , Barrett Eileen , Pal Suman
Published: February 2021

Background: Acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine will play a major role in combating the pandemic. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are among the first group to receive vaccination, so it is important to consider their attitudes about COVID-19 vaccination to better address barriers to widespread vaccination acceptance. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study to assess the attitude of HCWs toward COVID-19 vaccination. Data were collected between 7 October and 9 November 2020. We received 4080 responses out of which 3479 were complete responses and were included in the final analysis. Results: 36% of respondents were willing to take the vaccine as soon as it became available while 56% were not sure or would wait to review more data. Only 8% of HCWs do not plan to get vaccine. Vaccine acceptance increased with increasing age, education, and income level. A smaller percentage of female (31%), Black (19%), Lantinx (30%), and rural (26%) HCWs were willing to take the vaccine as soon as it became available than the overall study population. Direct medical care providers had higher vaccine acceptance (49%). Safety (69%), effectiveness (69%), and speed of development/approval (74%) were noted as the most common concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccination in our survey.
Optimized Detoxification of a Live Attenuated Vaccine Strain (SG9R) to Improve Vaccine Strategy against Fowl Typhoid
Authors: Kim Nam-Hyung , Ko Dae-Sung , Ha Eun-Jin , Ahn Sunmin , Choi Kang-Seuk , Kwon Hyuk-Joon
Published: February 2021

The live attenuated vaccine strain, SG9R, has been used against fowl typhoid worldwide, but it can revert to the pathogenic smooth strain owing to single nucleotide changes such as nonsense mutations in the rfaJ gene. As SG9R possesses an intact Salmonella plasmid with virulence genes, it exhibits dormant pathogenicity and can cause fowl typhoid in young chicks and stressed or immunocompromised brown egg-laying hens. To tackle these issues, we knocked out the rfaJ gene of SG9R (named Safe-9R) to eliminate the reversion risk and generated detoxified strains of Safe-9R by knocking out lpxL, lpxM, pagP, and phoP/phoQ genes to attenuate the virulence. Among the knockout strains, live ΔlpxL- (Dtx-9RL) and ΔlpxM-9R (Dtx-9RM) strains induced remarkably less expression of inflammatory cytokines in chicken macrophage cells, and oil emulsion (OE) Dtx-9RL did not cause body weight loss in chicks. Live Dtx-9RM exhibited efficacy against field strain challenge in one week without any bacterial re-isolation, while the un-detoxified strains showed the development of severe liver lesions and re-isolation of challenged strains. Thus, SG9R was optimally detoxified by knockout of lpxL and lpxM, and Dtx-9RL and Dtx-9RM might be applicable as OE and live vaccines, respectively, to prevent fowl typhoid irrespective of the age of chickens.
Urbanization under a Changing Climate–Impacts on Hydrology
Authors: Valeo Caterina , He Jianxun , Kasiviswanathan Kasiapillai S.
Published: February 2021

On a global scale, urbanization and climate change are two powerful forces that are reshaping ecosystems and their inhabitants [...]
Satellite Imageries and Field Data of Macrophytes Reveal a Regime Shift of a Tropical Lake (Lake Ziway, Ethiopia)
Authors: Damtew Yohannes Tefera , Verbeiren Boud , Awoke Aymere , Triest Ludwig
Published: February 2021

Lake Ziway is one of the largest freshwater lakes located in the central Ethiopian rift valley. The lake shoreline is dominated by macrophytes which play an important role in immobilizing run-off pollution, stabilize sediments and support biodiversity. Monitoring the spatio-temporal changes of great lakes requires standardized methods. The aim of this study was to assess the current and long-term trends of macrophyte distribution, surface water area and the water level of Lake Ziway using remote sensing images from 1986 to 2016 with additional hydro-meteorological data. A supervised image classification with classification enhancement using Normalized Difference Aquatic Vegetation Index (NDAVI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was applied. The classification based on NDAVI revealed eight target classes which were identified with an overall producer’s accuracy of 79.6%. Contemporary open water and macrophyte fringes occupied most of the study area with a total area of 407.4 km2 and 60.1 km2, respectively. The findings also revealed a regime shift in the mean water level of the lake and a decline in macrophyte distribution. The long-term water surface area of Lake Ziway also decreased between 1986 and 2016. The changes in water level could be explained by climate variability in the region and strong anthropogenic disturbance. A decline in water level was also associated with lowered surface water area, lakeward retreated macrophyte fringes and enhanced landward encroachment of mudflats, and resulted in a succession of macrophytes with semi-terrestrial vegetations.
The Impact of Methane Seepage on the Pore-Water Geochemistry across the East Siberian Arctic Shelf
Authors: Guseva Natalia , Moiseeva Yulia , Purgina Darya , Gershelis Elena , Yakushev Evgeniy , Semiletov Igor
Published: February 2021

East Siberian Arctic Shelf, the widest and the shallowest shelf of the World Ocean, covering greater than two million square kilometers, has recently been shown to be a significant modern source of atmospheric methane (CH4). The CH4 emitted to the water column could result from modern methanogenesis processes and/or could originate from seabed deposits (pre-formed CH4 preserved as free gas and/or gas hydrates). This paper focuses primarily on understanding the source and transformation of geofluid in the methane seepage areas using ions/trace elements and element ratios in the sediment pore-water. Six piston cores and totally 42 pore-water samples were collected in the East Siberian Sea and the Laptev Sea at water depths ranging from 22 to 68 m. In the active zones of methane release, concentrations of vanadium, thorium, phosphorus, aluminum are increased, while concentrations of cobalt, iron, manganese, uranium, molybdenum, copper are generally low. The behavior of these elements is determined by biogeochemical processes occurring in the pore-waters at the methane seeps sites (sulfate reduction, anaerobic oxidation of methane, secondary precipitation of carbonates and sulfides). These processes affect the geochemical environment and, consequently, the species of these elements within the pore-waters and the processes of their redistribution in the corresponding water–rock system.
Memorias - II SIMPOSIO INTERNACIONAL DE INVESTIGACIONES DE LA UNIVERSIDAD DEL QUINDIO
Authors: Autores Varios
Published: February 2021

La Revista de Investigaciones de la Universidad del Quindío (RIUQ) es el órgano oficial de difusión de la vicerrectoría de investigaciones de la Universidad del Quindío. La revista publica artículos originales de investigación, artículos técnicos, revisiones de literatura, revisiones de tema, comunicaciones breves e informes de casos que a juicio del Comité Editorial sean de interés. La revista cubre todas las áreas del conocimiento, por ende se cataloga como interdisciplinaria.
CA125 test result, test-to-diagnosis interval, and stage in ovarian cancer at diagnosis: a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records
Authors: Funston Garth , Mounce Luke TA , Price Sarah , Rous Brian , Crosbie Emma J , Hamilton Willie , Walter Fiona M
Published: February 2021

Background

In the UK, the cancer antigen 125 (CA125) test is recommended as a first-line investigation in women with symptoms of possible ovarian cancer.

Aim

To compare time between initial primary care CA125 test and diagnosis, tumour morphology, and stage in women with normal (<35 U/ml) and abnormal (≥35 U/ml) CA125 levels prior to ovarian cancer diagnosis.

Design and setting

Retrospective cohort study using English primary care and cancer registry data.

Method

Associations between CA125 test results and test-to-diagnosis interval, stage, and ovarian cancer morphology were examined.

Results

In total, 456 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the 12 months after having a CA125 test. Of these, 351 (77%) had an abnormal, and 105 (23%) had a normal, CA125 test result. The median test-to-diagnosis interval was 35 days (interquartile range [IQR] 21–53) for those with abnormal CA125 levels, and 64 days (IQR 42–127) for normal CA125 levels. Tumour morphology differed by CA125 result: indolent borderline tumours were less common in those with abnormal CA125 levels (n = 47, 13%) than those with normal CA125 levels (n = 51, 49%) (P<0.001). Staging data were available for 304 women with abnormal, and 77 with normal, CA125 levels. Of those with abnormal CA125 levels, 35% (n = 106) were diagnosed at an early stage, compared to 86% (n = 66) of women with normal levels. The odds of being diagnosed with early-stage disease were higher in women with normal as opposed to abnormal CA125 levels (odds ratio 12.2, 95% confidence interval = 5.8 to 25.1, P<0.001).

Conclusion

Despite longer intervals between testing and diagnosis, women with normal, compared with abnormal, CA125 levels more frequently had indolent tumours and were more commonly diagnosed at an early stage in the course of the disease. Although testing approaches that have greater sensitivity might expedite diagnosis for some women, it is not known if this would translate to earlier-stage diagnosis.
ANALISIS PEMBIAYAAN PERBANKAN SYARIAH DI INDONESIA PERIODE 2010 – 2018
Authors: Iriawan Shalihul Aziz Widya , Nikmah Milkhatin
Published: February 2021

This study aims to analyze whether Sharia Bank Indonesia Certificates and third party funds have a significant effect on Sharia banking financing for the period 2010 - 2018. This research is a quantitative study, with samples of Sharia Banking Quarterly Financial Statements for the period 2010 - 2018. The type of data used is secondary data from Bank Indonesia sharia banking statistics. The analytical method used is multiple linear regression, the classic assumption test, and the hypothesis test (F test and t test), the analytical tool used is SPSS V20. The results showed that Bank Indonesia Sharia Certificates had no significant effect on Sharia Banking Financing, while Third Party Funds had a significant effect on Sharia Banking Financing. Simultaneously SBIS and DPK have a significant effect on Sharia Banking Financing for the period 2010 - 2018. With these findings, Sharia Banking is advised to be cautious in conducting financing so that the level of risk of non-performing financing can be minimized, besides that Islamic Banking must maintain liquidity and fund stability if At any time funds are taken by customers as third parties, banks are still able to maintain liquidity emissions in Indonesia.
PENERAPAN TRANSPARANSI , AKUNTABILITAS, SERTA KESESUAIANNYA PADA LAPORAN KEUANGAN UMKM DI KOTA SEMARANG
Authors: Tyas Dheasey Amboning
Published: February 2021

Usaha Mikro Kecil dan Menengah (UMKM) merupakan salah satu aspek penting dari perekonomian suatu negara ataupun daerah tidak terkecuali di Indonesia. UMKM mampu menyerap tenaga kerja yang cukup besar, sehingga memberi peluang bagi UMKM untuk dapat berkembang dan bersaing. UMKM memiliki peranan cukup besar di dalam pembangunan ekonomi nasional,hal ini terlihat dari kontribusinya terhadap Produk Domestik Bruto (PDB) Indonesia. UMKM seringkali mengabaikan pencatatan dan pelaporan keuangan mereka, dikarenakan lebih fokus pada kegiatan operasional semata. Laporan keuangan berperan sangat penting, disamping sebagai acuan bagi pemilik usaha dalam pengambilan keputusan, juga terutama untuk memperoleh gambaran kondisi kinerja keuangan perusahaan, untung atau rugi, sehingga pelaku usaha dapat membuat rencana kedepannya agar usahanya lebih berkembang.Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui bagaimana pemahaman, penerapan  serta model implementasi penulisan laporan keuangan yang sesuai dengan Transparansi dan Akuntabilitas. Pengambilan data menggunakan metode purposive sampling yang kemudian data diuji dengan alat analisis SEM. Dari penelitian yang telah dilakukan, terdapat kesesuaian yang diharapkan di UMKM.
Pemetaan Model Pengembangan Ekowisata Rejoso Mangrove Conservation dengan Metode Business Model Canvas
Authors: Rosyidi Khafizh
Published: February 2021

The development of ecotourism based on coastal and marine potential is an appropriate alternative development pattern. Ecologically and economically the coastal and marine areas are very potential to be developed for the prosperity of the community. Mangrove forest is one of the potentials in the coastal area of Rejoso District, Pasuruan Regency with an area of 400,275.40 m2 located in two villages, namely Patuguran Village and Jarangan Village. Rejoso Mangrove Conservation (RMC) as a local resource which is a potential new tourist destination located at the mouth of the Rejoso coastal river. Business Model Canvas (BMC) is one of the relevant methods for answering the needs in creating a RMC ecotourism model design. The results showed that RMC Ecotourism was a diversified type. The main value offered by RMC Ecotourism is fishing tourism services and mangrove forest conservation education. BMC can make it easier for managers to see business integrity more concisely. In addition, the canvas model can also be a reliable media for compiling a series of changes and strategies for running the business.