bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cultural Malpractice and its Associated Factors During Pregnancy, Child Birth and Postnatal Period Among Women’s Who Give Birth Once at Dire Dawa City Administration, Eastern Ethiopia, 2021
Authors: Hailu Mickiale , Mohammed Aminu , Sintayehu Yitagesu , tadesse Daniel , Abera legesse , abdurashid Neil , Solomon Milkiyas , Ali Momina , Dejene Yesuneh , Mellese Dawit , Weldeamaniel Tadesse , Girma Meklit , Mengesha Teshale , Hailemariyam Tekelebirhan , Amsalu Sewmehon
Published: January 2023

Background: Cultural malpractices are defined as traditional practices which negatively affect the physical, sexual, and socio-economic participation of women and children. It is responsible for the annual deaths of 303,000 mothers and 2.7 million newborns globally. In developing countries, it accounts for about 5–15% of maternal deaths. In Ethiopia, about 18% of infant deaths occur due to cultural practice, and 52% of pregnant mothers give birth at home following cultural customs in Dire Dawa city.
Objective: To assess cultural malpractices and associated factors during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period in women who gave birth once in Dire Dawa, 2021.
Methodology: Community-based mixed study was conducted. A total of 624 study participants were selected through a systematic random sampling technique, and a purposive sampling method was used for qualitative data. Data was entered into Epi Data version 4.1 and exported to SPSS version 24 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was done and the degree of association was measured by using the odds ratio with 95% CI and significance was declared at a p-value of < 0.05. The qualitative data was analyzed thematically using ATLAS-ti version 7.
Results: Theoverall prevalence of cultural malpractice during the perinatal period was 74.6% (462). Women over the age of 35 were nearly three times more likely [AOR 2.61, 95% CI, 1.455-4.722] to commit cultural malpractice than women aged 15–24 and 25–34. No ANC follow-up were nearly four times more likely to commit cultural malpractice [AOR 3.577, 95% CI, 1.72-7.408], absence health education were nearly two times more likely to commit cultural malpractice [AOR 1.83, 95%CI, 1.25–2.67], and women whose culture allows harmful traditional practices were nearly two times more likely to commit cultural malpractices than their counterparts [AOR 1.69, 95%CI, 1.29–2.54].
Conclusion and Recommendations: In this study, nearly three-fourths of participants were involved in cultural malpractices during the perinatal period.
Changes in Day 4 and day 0 Neutrophil-lymphocytes ratio in predicting single-dose methotrexate treatment failure for ectopic pregnancies
Authors: Abuduxukuer Rukeyemu , Chen Xiaoyue , Jingyi N , Liu Na , Cai Bailian , Shen Yuting , Li Shuangdi , Li Zhen , Lu Wen
Published: January 2023

Purpose
We aimed to evaluate changes in neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio between the day 4 and day 0 of ectopic pregnancy (EP) patients treated with single-dose methotrexate (MTX). And to further investigate whether the NLR change is an indicator for MTX treatment outcome.
Methods
Totally 406 patients underwent single-dose MTX therapy for EP at Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital from 2013/01/10 to 2019/09/30 were studied. A multivariate model was structured to predict the treatment outcome.
Results
Finally, 281 patients were in the successful treatment group, and their NLR at day 4 dropped 25% when compared with day 0. The success rate was significantly declined when the NLR decreased less than 23% (74.8% vs 58.5%, p = 0.004). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that day 4/day 0 NLR reduced less than 23% (OR:2.09, 95%CI:[1.27–3.44]); hCG decreased no more than 15% (OR:3.17,95% CI: [1.62–6.34] and increased over 15% on day 4 (OR:5.47, 95% CI: [3.05–10.22]) were independent risk factors for single-dose MTX treatment failure. Our final predictive model had a sensitivity of 0.768 and specificity of 0.569 when we chose 3 as the cut-off value. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.712. Patients with a predictive score of ≥ 3 are more likely to fail in a single-dose MTX therapy.
Conclusion
In this study, we concluded that NLR decreased less than 23% on day 4 compared with day 0, a plateau or increased serum hCG on day 4 and hCG value over1000 mIU/ml at day 0 were predictors of single-dose MTX treatment failure.
Tumor recurrence after pathologic complete response in locally advanced gastric cancer after neoadjuvant therapy: case report and literature review
Authors: Xing Yu , Zhang Zi-Li , Ding Zhi-Ying , Song Wei-Liang , Li Tong
Published: January 2023

Most patients with gastric cancer are advanced at the time of diagnosis. Therefore, in order to improve the R0 resection rate, increase the PCR rate, and reduce the recurrence rate, different regimens have been tried to improve the perioperative treatment of advanced local gastric cancer. In recent years, immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment. PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors have shown excellent efficacy in various tumors and have become potential therapeutic approaches after surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy. MSI-H/dMMR is a recognized marker for predicting the efficacy of immunotherapy for gastric cancer, and MSI-H/dMMR patients are more suitable for immunotherapy. However, the efficacy of immunotherapy alone in the treatment of gastric cancer is still unsatisfactory. We explore that combined immunosuppressive therapy may be valuable in improving the PCR rate of patients. Here, we report two female patients with gastric cancer defined as clinical stage (CT4N1-2M0), the detection of mismatch repair protein showed: dMMR (equivalent to MSI-H); PD-1 inhibitor combined with SOX (S-1 + oxaliplatin) in perioperative treatment obtained pCR, suggesting that PD-1 inhibitor combined with chemotherapy provides a more strategic choice for comprehensive perioperative treatment of gastric cancer. It is controversial for PCR patients to continue comprehensive chemotherapy or clinical observation after surgery. Surprisingly, two patients underwent clinical observation after surgery but developed different degrees of metastasis at about six months after surgery. Therefore, we reviewed the comprehensive perioperative treatment of two patients, hoping to provide some reference value for clinical decision-making.
Intraoperative transthoracic ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of small hepatectomy-induced pneumothorax
Authors: Li Jun , Huang Zeyong , Yao Weixian , Lv Mingfeng , Huang Suqin , Li Yuhong , Hu Zhiyong
Published: January 2023

Transthoracic ultrasound is widely used in to diagnose and treat lung diseases, such as pneumonia, atelectasis, pneumothorax and pulmonary edema. Recently, intraoperative transthoracic ultrasound was used to promptly identify two cases of early pneumothorax in patients that underwent liver surgery. We documented the process of pneumothorax occurrence and the patient outcomes. Timely discovery and effective real-time monitoring and evaluation of the scope of pneumothorax ensured the smooth completion of the operation and successfully avoided closed thoracic drainage in one case, avoiding further patient trauma. Indeed, intraoperative ultrasound is an effective approach to diagnose and evaluate pneumothorax that does not affect the progress of surgery and is more convenient and sensitive than conventional chest radiography.
Study and evaluating urban sprawl with future prediction (CA Markov model), using Gis and remote sensing
Authors: amine arab nabil
Published: January 2023

The objective of our study is to evaluate the phenomenon of urbanization in the wilaya of Tizi-Ouzou through two distinct methods, the first method is to generate a map of extraction of builtup areas (BAEMOLI) from the calculation of the index of normalized difference of the builtup NDBI OLI, the index of vegetation NDVI OLI and the modified index of normalized difference of the water MNDWI OLI, and the second method is to use the supervised classification has different period 2009 , 2015 and 2021, we start with the first method in order to have a visual overview of the urban growth in the different regions of the wilaya of Tizi-Ouzou, and in knowledge of the limitations of the first method which certainly allows to have an approximate and global overview of the phenomenon to study something which is primordial to have a methodical approach of the phenomenon which rages in the wilaya and these regions, but which unfortunately does not make it possible to make the distinction between the bare grounds and the urban zones, thing which pushed us has used a second complementary method, that of the supervised classification in order to add a more detailed study by quantifying this urbanization, with figures and statistics which make it possible to analyze the phenomenon of urbanization with much more precision In addition to establishing a future projection using the Cellular Automata Markov model, and end up with explanations and interpretations of urban sprawl in six regions of the wilaya of Tizi-Ouzou
Investigation of Hydrological and Hydrogeological Parameters’ Alterations in Rapidly Urbanized Regions: Bornova Case (İZmi̇R, Türki̇Ye)
Authors: ÖZTÜRK BAHADIR , UZELLİ TAYGUN , İŞBUĞA VOLKAN , BABA ALPER
Published: January 2023

One of the most important factors affecting the utilization of land and water is urbanization. Understanding urbanization and its effects on ground systems became more important as the world's population increased and climate changed. The Bornova Region, located in İzmir, Türkiye, which was once used as farmland, is the subject of this study. After the settlement started to happen, excessive urbanization reduced the plain's surface area's permeability as a result of the built-in structures, paved roads, and other surface coverings. GIS-based hydrological models were used to examine the effects of land-use and land cover changes on the Bornova Plain's aquifers over two distinct periods (2004 and 2020). These scenarios were created with ArcSWAT for this work. Using SWAT models, components of the water budget equation were established. The SWAT Models demonstrated that, between 2004 and 2020, the ratios of recharge to precipitation, streamflow to precipitation, and baseflow to total flow decreased by 52%, 26.09%, and 11.86%, respectively, while the ratios of surface runoff to total flow and evapotranspiration to precipitation increased by 20.59% and 15.09%, respectively.
The 100 most-cited publications on Peyronie’s disease: A bibliometric analysis and visualization study
Authors: Chang Degui , Gao Dawei , Shen Yifeng , Tang Bo , Ma Ziyang , Chen Diang , Li Guangsen
Published: January 2023

Background:Over the past few decades, there has been a substantial increase in our understanding of Peyronie's disease (PD), improving our ability to diagnose and treat the disorder clinically. The goal of this study is to disclose the development trend of the PD field and provide resources for academics. It does this by providing the 100 most-cited publications in the field and conducting bibliometrics and visualization analysis on them.Methods:The SCI-E of WoSCC provided us with the top 100 most-cited publications in PD research, from which we took the following information: year of publication, annual citations, nation/region, institution, journal, author, and keywords. VOSviewer (version 1.6.18) was used for visual analysis to evaluate the keywords.Results:Through a standardized search, we ultimately found 1,019 papers in the field of PD research, from which we extracted the 100 works that had received the highest citations. The articles published between 1949 and 2016 have been cited between 73 and 338 times. The United States is a major contributor to PD research. The University of California, Los Angeles, is the institution with the largest number of articles. Levine LA, Lue TF, Gelbard MK and others are among the most authoritative authors in the field. Sixteen journals published the top 100 cited articles, with the Journal of Urology being the most influential in the field, with 47 publications. Erectile dysfunction (n=19) is the keyword with the highest frequency, indicating that PD-related erectile dysfunction is the leading focus of research in this field. Most of the keywords that have appeared in the past decade are related to the clinical treatment of PD. Therefore, we think the frontier of future research will be to maximize the improvement of male erectile function in the therapeutic therapy of PD.Conclusion:Our study uses bibliometrics and visualization analysis of the most important articles in the field of PD research to show the current state of research in this area, depict the history of research trends, and provide a forecast for the future growth of PD.
Transferability of Rice Yield and Seed Quality Gene Tagged Markers to Peanut (Arachis hypogaeaL.): A Way Ahead in Groundnut Improvement
Authors: Sukrutha B , Akkareddy Srividhya , Vemireddy LN , AR Nirmal Kumar
Published: January 2023

Background The progress in tagging/mapping of genes in crops likeArabidopsis, rice, maize etc. is far ahead when compared to the major legume cropsviz. groundnut, chickpea, redgram, greengram, soyabean etc., even in the post release period of legume genome sequence databases. This can be attributed mainly to low level of available molecular genetic diversity in these crops. Methods The study of transferability of Rice yield gene tagged markers to Peanut was carried out by employing17 diverse groundnut genotypes. ANOVA revealed significant differences for six yield and seven seed quality traits studied which indicates availability of ample amount of variability among the genotypes. Molecular analysis was conducted to analyse the transferability of known rice yield, grain size and micronutrient content (Fe and Zn) controlling gene tagged markers (GTMs) to peanut by using 45 GTMsthat targets 24 known functional genes. Results Of 45 markers, 31 (76%) were transferable to peanut, denotes very high conservation at functional regions. The extent of amplification of rice GTMs at individual groundnut genotype level was observed from 79.17% for the cultivated varieties (2n = 4x) Nithya Haritha, Greeshma, Prasuna, Kalahasti, Narayani and with a wild genotype,Arachis villosa(2n = 2x) to 91.67% for Dheeraj variety. The analysis on transferable efficiency of individual rice GTM revealed that 17 markers belong to 14 rice genes showed amplification among all the 17groundnut genotypes (100%) under study. Conclusions Hence, focusing research on the available knowledge of functionally characterized genes of molecular model crops and vast list of annotated orthologous genes present in ‘Omics’ databases, widens the scope to tag the genes at molecular level and thereby to improve the cropslike groundnutthat has meager progress in gene tagging;by pyramiding of desirable genes with high veracity.
Imaging in pediatric presacral tumors with intraspinal extension: Lessons from a series of six cases
Authors: A Ebinesh , Prakash Anjali , Ashta Aanchal , Garg Anju , Verma Abhishek , Padaliya Prerna
Published: January 2023

Presacral space is a potential space between the rectum anteriorly and lumbosacral spine posteriorly containing derivatives from various primitive germ cell types which serve as origin to a myriad of tumors. Imaging plays a vital role in diagnosis, characterization, assessing extent and evaluation of spread. We present a series of six cases of pediatric presacral tumors with intraspinal extension. The series comprises of an immature sacrococcygeal teratoma (Altman type II), a malignant sacrococcygeal teratoma (Altman type IV), a neuroblastoma, a rhabdomyosarcoma, a clear cell sarcoma and an Ewing’s sarcoma of the ilium which can be broadly categorized as tumors of germ cell, neuroblastic, mesenchymal, osteogenic origin. In spite of overlapping imaging features, careful retrospective observation revealed few distinctive features that would aid in optimal characterization of tumors with a fair degree of certainty.In summary, the salient imaging features that aid in differentiation are the epicentre of the tumor, pattern and degree of bone involvement, status of sacral foramina and neural elements and internal characteristics such as presence of fat, calcification, hemorrhage, necrosis, etc.
Pattern and Outcome of Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Addis Ababa Burn Emergency and Trauma Hospital
Authors: Mamo Dirijit , Aklog Etsegenet , Gebremedhin Yemane
Published: January 2023

Background: Information on the patterns of admission, outcome, and associated factors of intensive care unit patients is critical for evaluating healthcare programs. However, this information is scarce in developing countries. Analyzing the pattern of intensive care unit admission helps officials develop better strategies for improved resource allocation, resulting in an overall reduction of poor outcomes.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess patterns of admission, outcome, and associated factors among patients admitted to the intensive care unit in Addis Ababa hospital from 2017 to 2019.
Methodology: A two-year retrospective study of 268 admitted patients was done. A Systematic random sampling technique was employed to get the required samples from the database. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Data was entered into Epi-info version 3.5.3 and exported to SPSS Version 24 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the association between dependent and independent variables and P-value <0.05 at 95% CI was declared as statistically significant.
Results: Out of 268 charts reviewed, 193 (73.5%) were male and 75 (26.5%) were females. The mean age of the patients was 32.6 years. The most common reasons for admission were trauma 163(53.4%), followed by medical 66(24.6%). Moreover, traumatic brain injury accounts 146(82.5%) of trauma cases, followed by limb injury 40(14.9%). Regarding their outcome 94(35.1%) of patients transferred to their respective wards, and 91(34.1%) were discharged. The overall mortality was 58(21.6%). In Bivariate analyses, Glasgow coma score, admission category, pre-referral care, and age were significantly associated with death. In multivariate analysis, Glasgow coma score 3-8, admission category, and pre-referral care were factors associated with increased risk of death.
Conclusion: The majority of admissions were Trauma-related. Road traffic accidents were the major cause of injury (3.5%), and traumatic brain injuries constituted the highest percentage. of admissions.
Hygienic Practice During Complementary Feeding and Associated Factors Among Mothers With Children Aged 6-24 Months in Borecha Woreda South Western Ethiopia: Community Based Crossectional Study
Authors: Birdida Rabira Tariku , Kush Efrem Negash , Alemu Fikadu Tolesa , Malka Erean Shigign
Published: January 2023

Introduction:Complementary feeding is a critical time of transition in the life of infant and complementary foods should be hygienically prepared, stored and fed with clean hands, dishes and utensils to prevent diseases. However, Prevalence and risk factors of hygienic complementary feeding practice is not well addressed in Ethiopia especially in study area.Objective: To assess hygienic practices and associated factors during complementary feeding among mothers with children aged 6 to 24 months in Borecha Woreda, Buno Bedele Zone, South Western Ethiopia, 2022.Methods:Community based cross sectional study design with multi-stage sampling technique was employed. The study was conducted on 536 mothers with children aged 6-24 months in the Borecha Woreda from March 1stto April 1st, 2022. Data were collected using interviewer administered structured questionnaire. Data were coded, cleaned, edited and entered into Epi-Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 20.0 for further analysis. Both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted. Moreover, Crude (for bivariate) and adjusted (multivariable) odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals was computed to assess the association between independent factors and outcome variables. A p-value < 0.05 was considered as level statically significance.Result:Among 536 respondents, 350 (65.3%) of study participants had poor hygienic practice during complementary feeding. The risk of poor practice among more than 30 years old were about two times [AOR: 1.8 (with 95% CI 1.11, 2.90)] higher than those of less than 25 years old women. Mother whose husband has primary or above education level has a reduction of 50% [AOR: 0.5 (with 95% CI 0.50 (0.31, 0.83)] in the odds of having a poor hygiene care practices during complementary feeding compared to counterpart. The odds of poor hygiene practice among mother with poor knowledge of hygienic care were 2.71 times [AOR: 2.71(95%CI; 1.60, 4.61)] higher than those knowledgeable.Conclusion:The prevalence of poor hygienic practice during complementary food preparation and handling of mothers in Borecha Woreda is high as compared to other studies. Therefore, improving hygiene practice of complementary food preparation requires the responsibility of policy makers, community and family.
Influence of probiotic bacteria feed supplementation on hypopharyngeal glands morphometric measurements of honeybee workers Apis mellifera L
Authors: Hassan Ashwak Abdel-Moneim , Elenany Yasser Essam
Published: January 2023

More scientific study and methods that are compatible with the environment are needed in modern beekeeping to increase the productivity and well-being of honeybees. The goal of the current study set out to investigate the possible effects of probiotics previously isolated from the honeybee intestinal tract and soybean patties on nurse worker bee development, particularly of the hypopharyngeal gland (HPG). More royal jelly can be produced by larger HPGs than by smaller ones. Probiotics and soya beans were administered in the experiment in four separate treatment groups, with control colonies serving as the comparison group. The results showed that there was a significant increase in hypopharyngeal gland morphometric parameters of bees in the experimental group fed probiotic bacteria and soya bean patty. While Control nurse worker bees fed sugar syrup for only two weeks had the smallest hypopharyngeal gland morphometric parameters. The highest HPG diameter 14.89 ± 0.097 µm and surface area 0.065 ± 0.001µm2 were observed in bees group fed with both probiotic and soya patty. Addition the same trend was observed in all morphometric parameter with bees group fed with probiotic bacteria. Thus, the use of probiotics as a natural alternative tool boosted the development of Apis mellifera nurse workers' HPG that will positively affect the beekeepers’ economy by providing a higher yield of royal jelly production.
Whose Cultural Ecosystem Service Values Matter?: Exploring Power Inequities in Diverse Mangrove Communities
Authors: Scott Cinda P. , Mach Leon , Lucas Katherine M. , Myers Anna E.
Published: January 2023

Inequities and unequal power dynamics in the use and distribution of benefits that mangrove forests provide threaten vulnerable coastal regions, communities, and society. Assessing these inequities is challenging as there are difficulties in comprehending and conveying Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES). CES are often contextualized as intrinsically derived, are seen as providing important non-monetary benefits or are lumped into a theoretical bucket for everything that does not fit into established categories or that cannot be easily quantified. Comprehending and conveying CES with nuance and establishing quantifiable benefits is even more difficult when considering different cultural values held within a community. We assessed perceptions of the cultural value of mangrove ecosystems in Bocas del Toro (BDT), Panamá via semi-structured interviews of individuals from culturally diverse groups utilizing two merged conceptual frameworks to highlight the coevolution of differential power dynamics with respect to CES. Three major CES themes were identified: mental health benefits, sense of identity, and inequity. Our findings reveal complex relationships between residents’ appreciation for mangrove environments and long-standing power inequities suggesting the need for CES studies to holistically consider different cultural values within communities. Importantly, our study supports the need for understanding sub-group and ethno-racial understandings of mangrove CES and illuminates the need for more equitable mangrove governance throughout BDT to ensure the protection of mangroves and their cultural benefits to all. Future studies should continue to explore CES frameworks that advance knowledge of locally derived CES benefits and that are inclusive of power and equity dynamics.
In silico Assessment of Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 (DPP-4) Inhibiting Potential of a few Bioactive Compounds Present in Black Rice Bran for Effective Management of Postprandial Hyperglycemia
Authors: Bhuyan Pranjal , Ganguly Mausumi
Published: January 2023

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are a class of prescription medicines that are used to control hyperglycemia in adults with type 2 diabetes. DPP-4 inhibitors lower blood sugar by helping the body increase the level of the hormone insulin after meals. In recent years many phenolic compounds, isolated from folk medicinal plants with anti- diabetic activity, are proved to show potent inhibitory effects against DPP- 4 enzyme. Black rice bran extract, which is rich in phenols, produces hyperglycemic effect on experimental animals. The present study was designed to evaluate molecular interactions existing between the major bioactive compounds present in black rice bran and DPP-4 enzyme. Molecular docking, binding energy calculation, evaluation of ADMET properties and Molecular Dynamics simulation for 50 nanoseconds were carried out to reveal the nature and stability of the enzyme-ligand complex formed due to such interactions. The results obtained indicate that out of the six bioactive compounds chosen, C3G (cyanidin 3-O-glucoside) and FLS (6´-O-feruloylsucrose) have the highest docking scores and they can produce stable complexes with DPP-4 which might lead to its inactivation. Therefore, it can be concluded that black rice bran extract may produce antidiabetic activity by inhibiting the DPP-4 enzyme. Moreover, the pharmacokinetic studies reveal that the compounds chosen are safe and produce no hepatotoxicity. This preliminary theoretical study can provide a strong base for further studies towards the development of lead molecules for new antidiabetic drugs with lower side effects.
An Artificial Neural Network Model for Short Term Traffic Flow Prediction in Two Lane Highway in Khulna Metropolitan City, Bangladesh
Authors: Shaik Md. Ebrahim , Islam Monirul , Kobir Md. Ripon , Furkan Kazi
Published: January 2023

Short Term traffic flow prediction is one of the most major topics of research in traffic engineering field. It's incredibly useful in the design of a more modern transport network that can manage traffic signals and reduce congestion. Short Term traffic flow is a challenge that a third-world country like Bangladesh is all too familiar with. Khulna Metropolitan City, like the other cities of Bangladesh, is gradually becoming more aware of this situation. The Khulna-Jashore National Highway (N-7), which runs through the city and provides it a linear shape, serves as the backbone of the Khulna Metropolitan City traffic flow. This study developed an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for the Short Term Traffic Flow Prediction in Two Lane Highway in Khulna Metropolitan City, Bangladesh. From March 1, 2021, through June 30, 2021, data was collected during 600–900 and 1200–1500 h. Extremely good quality electronic cameras were utilized to record the vehicles on the full designated length. In the regression graphs, the network outputs were displayed with targets for the training, validation, and test sets. The various speed level parameters for which the fit is reasonable for all data sets, with R values of 0.98426 in each case. The various traffic volume parameters for which the fit is reasonable for all data sets, with R values of 0.96758 in each case. The model's superiority is indicated by its low mean squared error values. This study provides an opportunity to provide a suitable alternative for Short Term traffic flow forecasting in Khulna Metropolitan City with traffic flow conditions for two-lane undivided highways.
Characterization of size segregated fungal bioaerosols in and around a Sugar Mill of Western Uttar Pradesh, India
Authors: Tyagi Swati , Srivast Arun
Published: January 2023

Suspended particles of biological origin that comprising of virus, animal debris, fungal spores known as bioaerosols have become a major concern in the past decades. The present study reports the concentration and size distribution of fungal bioaerosol in around a sugar mill situated in the Muzaffarnagar region of Uttar Pradesh, India. The sampling was performed in the winter months when the mill used to be operational mode. The highest mean fungal concentration was observed at the cutter site (4022 ± 321 cfu/m3) and lowest at storage site (832 ± 85 cfu/m3). The maximum and minimum concentration of fungal bioaerosol was observed during January (3090 ± 174 cfu/m3) and March (629 ± 69 cfu/m3) respectively. During the entire sampling period the fine fraction of fungal bioaerosol was observed to be significantly high at all the sites, whereas coarse fraction was lower. The association between fine and coarse fractions of bioaerosols showed a very strong positive relationship. The levels of fungal bioaerosol and their association with the meteorological parameters in sugar mill were also conducted. A positive association with the relative humidity and wind speed were observed at significant level p<0.05 whereas a negative relation was observed with temperature at p < 0.05. The lifetime average daily dose was calculated for both inhalation and dermal, among them LADDinhalation is ~5 times over LADDdermal. The health risk index was observed as <1 for both inhalation and dermal route whereas HIinhalation value was 105 times higher than the HIdermal value. The dominant fungus found in the air of examined dwellings was Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp., Cladosporium spp., and Alternaria spp., which occurred predominantly at all the sites during the months of the sampling period.
Quality of life and its associated factors among women diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse in Gynecology outpatient department Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples region public referral hospitals, Ethiopia 2022
Authors: Tefera Zewdu
Published: January 2023

Background Pelvic organ prolapse is an important public health issue influences millions of adult women’s lives; through limitations on physical, social, and sexual activities as well as psychological distress. However, there were no reports on the quality of life for women with pelvic organ prolapse in Ethiopia. Therefore this study amid to assess the magnitude of quality of life and its associated factors among women diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse in Gynecology outpatient department Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples region public referral hospitals; Ethiopia. Method An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples region of public referral hospitals from May1-July 4, 2022 among 419 diagnosed women with pelvic organ prolapse. A validated tool was used to collect the data. The collected data were entered into EPI data version 3.1 and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was computed. The p-value of < 0.05 was used to declare the final statistical significance. Result A total of 409 women with pelvic organ prolapse were included in the study, giving a response rate of 97.6%. The overall poor quality of life was 57.5%. Regarding the quality of life domains; personal relationships (73.6%), were highly affected, and sleep/energy (24.2%) was the least affected domain. Stage III/IV prolapse (AOR = 4.61, 95% CI: 2.51, 8.48), menopause (AOR = 3.59, 95% CI: 1.85, 6.97), unmarried women(widowed, divorced) (AOR = 3.81, 95% CI: 2.02, 7.19), low-income level (AOR = 7.48, 95% CI: 3.67, 15.24), and longer duration of prolapse (AOR = 8.8, 95% CI: 4.81, 16.11), were significantly associated with poor quality of life. Conclusion More than half of women with pelvic organ prolapse had a poor quality of life. Stage III/IV prolapse, longer duration of prolapse, low-income level, menopause women, and unmarried women are statistically significant factors for the quality of life of women with POP. Therefore, Ethiopian Ministry of health with their stakeholders should develop an early detection and treatment strategy, and financial support for women with pelvic organ prolapse.
Evaluation of the Reasons for Health and Safety Risks in Agriculture by Integration of ANP and PROMETHEE Methods
Authors: AKSÜT Güler , Eren Tamer
Published: January 2023

Background: Agriculture serves humanity as one of the most important professions. In Turkish agriculture, a structure in which small family businesses are more concentrated in agricultural production in rural areas is dominant. Health and safety is the most critical concern as those working in the sector often perform their activities in a dangerous, stressful and disturbing environment. All employees have the indisputable right to return to their families safely. For this employee's right, safety and health measures should be taken in the work areas. For this reason, this study it is aimed to list the factors that cause exposure to risks in the sector.
Methods: Multi-Criteria Decision Making Methods were used in the study. The weights of the criteria were calculated by the ANP method. The ranking of the alternatives was carried out with the PROMETHEE method.
Results: Alternatives that cause exposure to risks in the agricultural sector are lack of awareness and knowledge, insufficient professional information, education/literacy level; age, gender, and child employee; inadequacy of appropriate personal protective equipment, transportation, accommodation, and working conditions.
Conclusions: Occupational health and safety experts, ergonomists, doctors, engineers, manufacturers, IoT developers, and international organizations should cooperate to prevent employee health and safety risks.
Demographic examination of Brown hare (Lepus europaeus) stocks with special reference during birth and survival in Eastern Hungary
Authors: Majzinger István , Farkas Péter , Kusza Szilvia
Published: January 2023

The aim of the research was to demographically examine a brown hare population, in particular to analyze the age structure, the time of birth and the survival pattern by hunting bag. The data collection was carried out between 2014-2016 in Eastern Hungary. A total of 169 organ samples were examined. In the studied area, the majority of the samples were under 1 year old and 1-2 year olds. The older age group occured 4.1-18.6% in the hunting bag. Nearly half of the hares under one year of age were individuals 4 to 7 months of age at the time of the hunts, which coincided with the time of dispersion of the individuals. Survival rates of hares under one year of age were found to be lower than those of older individuals in all cases. Overall, the age-specific survival probability of males is considered to be more balanced than that of females between years. Studies have shown that the age composition and survival patterns of stocks vary from year to year.
Comparison of the performance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA qRT-PCR testing based on expectorated and drooled saliva samples
Authors: Kay Olivia , Futschik Matthias Erwin , Turek Elena , Chapman David , Carr Simon , Sudhanva Malur , Klapper Paul , Cox Tony , Hill Michael , Cole-Hamilton Joanna , Marks Peter , Tunkel Sarah , Peto Tim , Davies Lindsey , Fowler Tom
Published: January 2023

Purpose
Saliva has been considered a suitable sample material for SARS-CoV-2 testing but uncertainty remained regarding the sensitivity and reliability of different saliva collection methods for community mass testing. This study aimed to investigate the potential utility of expectorated saliva (ES) and drooled saliva (DS) through a large cohort study.
Methods
ES and DS samples were collected in a two-stage non-randomized prospective cohort study. Their utility for SARS-CoV-2 RNA qRT-PCR testing was assessed by comparison with results for combined throat and nose (CTN) swabs. A total of 2,878 subjects were recruited, from which 2,747 were evaluable for statistical analyses.
Results
Using CTN swab-based results as reference,DS- and ES-based tests showed the same high level of concordance (98% vs 98%) or specificity (99% vs 99%). Sensitivity seemed to be higher for DS than for ES (93% vs 80%) but not significantly once viral concentration was taken into account. Multivariable analysis indicated however an inferior sensitivity of saliva-based testing for female compared to male subjects with low viral burden. Assuming no false positive qRT-PCR results, an unbiased comparison showed no significant difference in sensitivity between saliva- and swab-based testing.
Conclusion
SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing based on saliva showed high diagnostic accuracy and can be considered an alternative where swabbing may not be tolerated or operationally feasible. Drooled saliva yielded the same diagnostic performance compared to expectorated saliva and may present a preferred option with reduced aerosol risk and increased compliance. Observed sex-specific difference in detection performance however warrant further investigations.
Biomedical Text Readability and Cognitive Burden after Hypernym Substitution with Fine-Tuned Large Language Models
Authors: Swanson Karl , He Shuhan , Calvano Josh , Chen David , Telvizian Talar , Schwell Jacob , Jiang Lawrence , Chong Paul
Published: January 2023

We aimed to study the simplification of biomedical text via large language models (LLMs). Specifically, we finetuned three language models to perform substitutions of complex words and word phrases for their respective hypernym in biomedical definitions. This process was then evaluated by readability metrics, and two measures of sentence complexity: the measure of lexical diversity (MLTD), and mean dependency distance (MDD) scoring. A sample of 1,000 biomedical definitions in the National Library of Medicine’s Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) was processed with three approaches, each with a different language models and analysis revealed an increase in FK score and a reduction in reading grade level across all metrics. Reading scores improved from a pre-processed collegiate reading level to a post-processed US high-school level. An inter-approach comparison showed that our GPT-J-6b approach had the best improvement in MLTD and MDD. This study demonstrates the merit of hypernym substitution in improving the readability and improving measures cognitive burden of biomedical content for the general public.
Feasibility and Tolerability of Surface Guided Radiotherapy in Breath-Hold Liver Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy
Authors: Turna Menekşe , Küçükmorkoç Esra , Rzazade Rashad , Canoğlu Mehmet Doğu , Küçük Nadir , Çağlar Hale Başak
Published: January 2023

Background: Intra-fractional motion is one of the main challenges in SBRT. Breath-hold (BH) technique minimizes the tumor motion. However, reproducibility and consistency are critically important. Surface tracking systems integrated into treatment enable motion tracking with three-dimensional camera technology. Surface guidance was integrated with Varian EDGE and used at multiple treatment sites since 2018 in our department. After four years of experience, in this study, we aim to publish patient-reported outcomes (PROMs), feasibility, and tolerability of surface guidance (SGRT) with breath-hold SBRT in a specific subgroup: liver metastases.
Methods: Patients with liver metastasis treated with breath-hold and SGRT were evaluated prospectively. Two-step, seven-question surveys were applied after CT simulation and treatment. Treatment duration and BH number were recorded. In addition, factors that can affect the SGRT and treatment time were evaluated.
Results: Between April 2021- May 2022, 41 patients were treated in 171 fractions. According to the PROMs, previous training was beneficial, and holding breath is tolerable. Patients have a little stress about taking an active role in the treatment. Karnosky performance status (KPS), age, lung volume, or any condition affecting lung capacity, previous BH history, and being a native speaker are not correlated with treatment time and BH with SGRT tolerability. Only female patients have better BH performance with SGRT treatments than male patients (p: 0,02).
Conclusion: SGRT applications in BH are tolerable and feasible in liver SBRT treatments. There is no specific subgroup that cannot be tolerated with this method.
Groundwater Potential Modelling and Aquifer Zonation of a Typical Basement Complex Terrain: A Case Study
Authors: Ogundana Ayodeji K , Falae Philips Omowumi
Published: January 2023

Geophysical exploration using Vertical Electrical Resistivity (VES) techniques has been employed to study the groundwater potential and vulnerability of selected locations. The objective is to investigate nature and groundwater yielding potential of the area under investigation and to understand roles of various geophysical parameters in groundwater potential of the area and their effective characterisation of hydrogeological units. The juxtaposition of contour maps which show variations in hydrogeological parameters in a continuum manner is worthwhile. The results have really shown that the general trend of groundwater potential within the study area is low as indicated from the hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity and porosity. The generated groundwater potential map of the area can be used in designing appropriate groundwater exploration and management within the area and can serve as a roadmap for further expansion of the research work.
The mechanism of IL-1β-mediated Piezo1 regulating chondrocyte autophagy and apoptosis through PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway
Authors: Chen Wanzhuo , Lu Xinzhe , Wang Wenzhe , Zhang Haining
Published: January 2023

For the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA), the classical view is that chondrocyte apoptosis is associated with and may cause age-related joint degeneration. Recent observations indicate that Piezo1, a mechanical stress channel expressed in articular cartilage, plays a key role in this process. We wanted to investigate whether other conditions activate the expression of Piezo1 in chondrocytes. Therefore, we simulated OA to investigate whether Piezo1 gene expression and channel function were affected by the inflammatory factor, interleukin-1β, and the role of Piezo1 in the regulation of autophagy and apoptosis of chondrocytes. After primary culture of human chondrocytes, the primary chondrocytes were treated with different concentrations of IL-1β. It was found that IL-1β up-regulated the expression of Piezo1 in human chondrocytes. After Piezo1 activation, we analyzed the expression of autophagy and apoptosis of chondrocytes, and investigated whether the downstream PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway mediated the autophagy and apoptosis of chondrocytes. IL-1β activates Piezo1 to inhibit chondrocyte autophagy and promote chondrocyte apoptosis, represented by up-regulation of related proteins c-caspase 3, Bax expression and down-regulation of Bcl2, LC3, p62 expression. Piezo1-siRNA inverted this step. Inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway reduces Piezo1 inhibition of chondrocyte autophagy and activation of chondrocyte apoptosis. Therefore, IL-1β-mediated Piezo1 inhibition of chondrocyte autophagy and promotion of chondrocyte apoptosis through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is considered a novel pathogenesis of osteoarthritis.
Research on Network Security Situation Awareness based on Netlogo
Authors: Zhou Yanling , Cao Jing , Zhang Yunxiang
Published: January 2023

Data security has become an increasingly important issue for Internet users due to recent data security incidents. Network threat characteristics are the most important factors in network security situation awareness. With the characteristic data of network threats, network managers can analyze, predict, and prevent network threat events. Honeypot is a kind of active defense technology against security threats. It is a decoy system which attracts attackers and has loopholes. It observes the security situation of the whole network through the perception system, and makes judgment, analysis and rescue of network security events in time according to the observed data. It can predict possible future network security events, so as to make timely plans. Because, honeypot is an active network security tool, the network attack data collected by honeypot has high research and utilization value. This paper mainly carries on the detailed research from three aspects, namely the honeypot research, the network security situation assessment and the network security situation prediction. And a network security situation assessment model based on honeypot technology is proposed. In this model, the PSO algorithm is optimized by optimizing the inertia weight, limiting the maximum particle velocity and increasing the interparticle force. The honeypot system proposed in this paper is a network security awareness system integrating probe, honeypot and management terminal. It studies the network security situation awareness problem based on the honeypot system. At the same time, in the aspect of network security situation assessment, the risk value of network attack situation is constructed according to the type and danger degree of honeypot attack. Combined with the improved PSO algorithm, the highest risk data in the historical attack data and the corresponding time are obtained. In the aspect of network security situation prediction, artificial neural network is used to predict the risk value of network attack situation in the next time period. The experimental results show that the improved PSO algorithm has fast convergence speed and can output the highest risk value faster; the predicted value of artificial neural network is close to the true value, which can realize the prediction of risk value well.
Effect of forest species on soil nutrient stocks in derived savannah ecosystem, in Abeokuta, southwest Nigeria
Authors: Azeez J. O. , Onasanya O. O. , Bankole G. O. , Salaudeen G. T.
Published: January 2023

The study aims to determine the impact of forest tree species of on some soil properties and soil nutrient stocks. Triplicate soil samples were collected from mono species tree clusters consisted of Gmelina arborea, Bambusa vulgaris, Treculia africana, were selected with arable crop farm, fadama and organic farm and analyzed for some soil chemical properties and nutrient stocks at 0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, 40–60 cm and 60-80cm using standard procedures. Results indicated that soil organic matter under the different tree types are concentrated between 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm. There was increase in soil pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, hydraulic conductivity and bulk density at 20–40 and 40–60 cm depths. Soil nutrient stocks (sulphate, phosphate and nitrates) are concentrated at depths 20–40 cm and 40–60 cm. On the average soils accumulated 75.57 Mg PO43− ha− 1, 56.19 Mg SO42− ha− 1 and 37.57 Mg NO3− ha− 1. Soils under tree plantations had higher nutrient stocks compared with the non-tree landuse, with Bambusa vulgaris having the highest accumulation of nutrients. Tree species improved soil properties and nutrient stocks than the non-tree land use. Treculia africana and Bambusa vulgaris had higher soil nutrient stocks than other landuse.