bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards Predicting Length of Stay and Identification of Cohort Risk Factors Using Self-Attention Based Transformers and Association Mining: Covid-19 as Phenotype
Authors: Alam Fakhare , Ananbeh Obieda , Malik Khalid Mahmood , Odayani Abdulrahman Al , Hussain Ibrahim Bin , Kaabia Naoufel , Aidaroos Amal Al
Published: January 2023

Predicting Length of Stay (LoS) and understanding its underlying factors is essential to minimize the risk of hospital-acquired conditions, improve financial, operational, and clinical outcomes, and to better manage future pandemics. The purpose of this study is to forecast patients’ LoS using a deep learning model and analyze cohorts of risk factors minimizing or maximizing LoS. We employed various pre-processing techniques, SMOTE-N to balance data, and Tab-Transformer model to forecast LoS. Finally, Apriori algorithm was applied to analyze cohorts of risk factors influencing LoS at hospital. The Tab-Transformer outperformed the base Machine Learning models with an F1-score (.92), precision (.83), recall (.93), and accuracy (.73) for discharge dataset, and F1-score (.84), precision (.75), recall (.98), and accuracy (.77) for deceased dataset. The association mining algorithm was able to identify significant risk factors/indicators belonging to lab, X-Ray, and clinical data such as elevated LDH, and D-Dimer, lymphocytes count, and comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes responsible for extending patients LoS. It also reveals what treatments has reduced the symptoms of COVID-19 patients leading to reduction in LoS particularly when no vaccines or medication such as Paxlovid were available.
Biased Stochastic Process of Randomly Moving Particles with Constant Average Velocities
Authors: Guo Tao
Published: January 2023

In a randomly moving particle swarm with fixed kinetic energy, the particle speeds follow the Maxwell distribution. In a certain period, the moving directions of particles in a sub-particle swarm may aggregate. Thus, the movements of the particles have the characteristics of biased stochastic movement. Regarding the biased particle swarm formed by a series of randomly moving particles (with a uniform average velocity c) with a greater probability of moving in a certain direction and the same probability of moving in other directions, there is a certain group velocity u in this direction, while the diffusion rate in other directions is slower than that of unbiased moving particles with the same average speed c. Moreover, the degree of slowing follows the Lorentz-like factor. In this article, the characteristics of this kind of biased random process are deduced starting from a biased random walk by using probability theory, and the expression of the Ito equation is provided. This article is expected to provide a reference to understand the nature of the special relativity effect.
An Integrative Analysis of Chromatin Interactions, Gene Expression and Genomic Variants Identifies 30 Likely Regulatory Variants in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Labani Mahdieh , Beheshti Amin , Argha Ahmadreza , Alinejad Hamid
Published: January 2023

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most frequently diagnosed non-skin cancer in the world. Previous studies showed that genomic alterations represent the most common mechanism for molecular alterations that cause the development and progression of PC. Great efforts have been done to identify common protein-coding genetic variations; however, the impact of non-coding variations including regulatory genetic variants is not still well understood. To gain an understanding of the functional impact of genetic variants, particularly, regulatory variants in PC, we developed an integrative pipeline (AGV) that used whole genome/exome sequences, GWAS SNPs, chromosome conformation capture data, and ChIP-Seq signals to investigate the potential impact of genomic variants on the underlying target genes in PC. We identified 646 putative regulatory variants, of which 30 of them significantly altered the expression of at least one protein-coding gene. Our analysis of chromatin interactions data (Hi-C) revealed that the 30 putative regulatory variants may affect 131 coding and non-coding genes. Interestingly, our study showed the 131 protein-coding genes are involved in disease-related pathways including Reactome and MSigDB in which for most of them targeted treatment options are currently available. Together, our results provide a comprehensive map of genomic variants in PC and revealed their potential contribution to prostate cancer progression and development.
A Tale of 12 Tails: Katanin Severing Activity Affected by Carboxy-Terminal Tail Sequences
Authors: Lindsay K. Alice , Abdelhamid Nedine , Kahawatte Shehani , Dima Ruxandra I. , Sackett Dan L. , Finegan Tara M. , Ross Jennifer L.
Published: January 2023

In celIs, microtubule location, length, and dynamics are regulated by a host of microtubule-associated proteins and enzymes that read where to bind and act based on the microtubule “tubulin code,” which is predominantly encoded in the tubulin carboxy-terminal tail (CTT). Katanin is a highly conserved AAA ATPase enzyme that binds to the tubulin CTTs to remove dimers and sever microtubules. We have previously demonstrated that short CTT peptides are able to inhibit katanin severing. Here, we examine effects of CTT sequences on this inhibition activity. Specifically, we examine CTT sequences found in nature, alpha1A (TUBA1A), detyrosinated alpha1A, Δ2 alpha1A, beta5 (TUBB/TUBB5), beta2a (TUBB2A), beta3 (TUBB3), and beta4b (TUBB4b). We find that these natural CTTs have distinct abilities to inhibit, most noticeably beta3 cannot inhibit katanin. Two non-native CTT tail constructs are also unable to inhibit – despite having 94% sequence identity with alpha1 or beta5 sequences. Surprisingly, we demonstrate that poly-E and poly-D peptides are capable of inhibiting katanin significantly. An analysis of the hydrophobicity of the CTT constructs indicates that more hydrophobic polypeptides are less inhibitory than more polar polypeptides. These experiments not only demonstrate inhibition, but also likely interaction and targeting of katanin to these various CTTs when they are part of a polymerized microtubule filament.
Newborn Care Practices and Associated Factors Influencing their Health in a Northern Rural Area of India
Authors: Arfin Md Islam , Khan Md Suhail , Khan Anas Ahmad , Narapureddy Bayapa Reddy , Nasir Nazim , Reddy Lingala Kalyan Viswanath , Muzammil Khursheed , Ahmad Irfan , Dawria Adam , Ahmed Faheem , Mohieldin Ali
Published: January 2023

Introduction: In the marginalised countries most neglected health issue is Newborn mortality. A study was undertaken to assess the influence of factors and newborn care practices influencing newborn health in the rural area of Bareilly district. Methodology: The Descriptive cross-sectional study was organized in the rural areas of Bareilly. Study participants were selected based on the mothers who gave birth to a baby during the last six months. The mothers who delivered in that area within six months were included, and using the semi-structured questionnaire, data was collected. Data analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS 2021 version for windows. Results: Mothers initiating early breastfeeding were more commonly 78 (52.3%) observed in the younger mothers at 24-29 years, followed by 48(32.3%) at 30-35 years, the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Delayed bathing was observed in nearly 125 (70.1%) three fourth in the age of 24-29 years, followed by 29 (16.8%) in the age period 30-35 years. It was observed that unsafe cord care practices were observed more among 8(53.4%) nuclear families than 7(46.6%) joint families, and it was found to be statistically insignificant. Conclusion: The practice of essential newborn care still needs to improve in Bareilly; there is a need to create awareness to the mothers and family members on newborn and early neonatal care aspects, such as promoting exclusive and early initiation of breastfeeding and delayed bathing practices.
Efek Radiasi Sinar Gamma pada Pertumbuhan Vegetatif Anggrek Vanda Hibrid
Authors: Hartati Sri , Setiawan Abednego Widya , Sulistyo Trijono Djoko
Published: January 2023

Orchids are one of the most important ornamental plants in the world. The existence of natural orchids in their habitat is approaching extinction rate, so it is necessary to increase the diversity of orchids by crossing them. The Vanda orchid is one of the famous orchids in Indonesia because of its uniqueness. Vanda orchids have a very abundant diversity, so they can increase the potential of orchid plants. This study used a hybrid orchid plant Vanda celebica x Vanda dearei irradiated by Gamma-rays with a dose of 0 Gray, 10 Gray, 20 Gray, 30 Gray, 40 Gray, and 50 Gray. The data obtained from the observations will be analyzed using descriptive methods by observing each plant in various doses of Gamma-ray radiation compared with control treatment and presented in the form of boxplot images. The irradiation dose of hybrid Vanda orchids (Vanda celebica x Vanda dearei) increased the diversity in the parameters of plant height and leaf width. The application of a dose of Gamma-ray irradiation did not cause a significant interaction with the variable number of leaves. The diversity value decreased in the parameters of leaf length and number of roots. Application doses of Gamma-ray irradiation of 10, 20, and 30 Gray can change the leaves into grooves compared to control plants. Mutant plants had lower chlorophyll content than control plants (0 Gray).
SpeedX: Smart Speed Controller Model of Towed Subterranean Imaging System for Resistivity Data Distortion Reduction Using Computational Intelligence
Authors: Relano R-Jay S. , Francisco Kate G. , Concepcion II Ronnie S. , Enriquez Mike Louie C. , Baun Jonah Jahara G. , Janairo Adrian Genevie G. , Vicerra Ryan Rhay P. , Bandala Argel A. , Dadios Elmer P.
Published: January 2023

Land surveying has been one of the core operations in performing underground imaging. It is known that dynamic and continuous resistivity readings were employed through this technique using the array of capacitive electrodes being towed with a light vehicle. However, the main challenge in doing subsurface surveying is the change in speed of the system when there are inevitable obstacles and sloping road surfaces. To address it, this study will develop prediction models using different computational intelligence such as multigene symbolic regression genetic programming (MSRGP), regression-based decision tree (RTree), and feed forward neural network (FFNN) that will result in a smart speed controller system that can maintain the constant speed of the towed subterranean system. The best performing prediction model will be considered as the SpeedX. The expected output is a correction factor that will signal the speed controller in slow down or inclined plane road environment to maintain a constant speed of 1.6667 m/s for avoidance of data distortion on land surveying. Thus, the MSEs for MSRGP, FFNN, and RTree are 0.00163, 0.00178, and 0.00240, respectively. This results in MSRGP as the best performing model and was considered as the SpeedX model. Other evaluation metrics were employed such as the MAE and R2 which signify the advantage of SpeedX. Furthermore, the comparison between the CI-controlled and uncontrolled towed subterranean imaging trailer system, as well as its advantages clearly highlight the advantage of embedded SpeedX in the system.
Speech-Section Extraction Using Lip Movement and Voice Information in Japanese
Authors: Nakamura Etsuro , Kageyama Yoichi , Hirose Satoshi
Published: January 2023

In recent years, several Japanese companies have attempted to improve the efficiency of their meetings, which has been a significant challenge. For instance, voice recognition technology is used to considerably improve meeting minutes creation. In an automatic minutes-creating system, identifying the speaker to add speaker information to the text would substantially improve the overall efficiency of the process. Therefore, a few companies and research groups have proposed speaker estimation methods; however, it includes challenges, such as requiring advance preparation, special equipment, and multiple microphones. These problems can be solved by using speech sections that are extracted from lip movements and voice information. When a person speaks, voice and lip movements occur simultaneously. Therefore, the speaker’s speech section can be extracted from videos by using lip movement and voice information. However, when this speech section contains only voice information, the voiceprint information of each meeting participant is required for speaker identification. When using lip movements, the speech section and speaker position can be extracted without the voiceprint information. Therefore, in this study, we propose a speech-section extraction method that uses image and voice information in Japanese for speaker identification. The proposed method consists of three processes: i) the extraction of speech frames using lip movements, ii) the extraction of speech frames using voices, and iii) the classification of speech sections using these extraction results. We used video data to evaluate the functionality of the method. Further, the proposed method was compared with state-of-the-art techniques. The average F-measure of the proposed method is determined to be higher than that of the conventional methods that are based on state-of-the-art techniques. The evaluation results showed that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance using a simpler process compared to the conventional method.
Beyond Sentiment Analysis: A Review of Recent Trends in Text Based Sentiment Analysis and Emotion Detection
Authors: Hung Lai Po , Alias Suraya
Published: January 2023

Sentiment Analysis is probably one of the best-known area in text mining. However, in recent years, as big data rose in popularity more areas of text classification are being explored. Perhaps the next task to catch on is emotion detection, the task of identifying emotions. This is because emotions are the finer grained information which could be extracted from opinions. So besides writer sentiments, writer emotion is also a valuable data. Emotion detection can be done using text, facial expressions, verbal communications and brain waves; however, the focus of this review is on text-based sentiment analysis and emotion detection. The internet has provided an avenue for the public to express their opinions easily. These expressions not only contain positive or negative sentiments, it contains emotions as well. These emotions can help in social behaviour analysis, decision and policy makings for companies and the country. Emotion detection can further support other tasks such as opinion mining and early depression detection. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the shift in recent trends from text sentiment analysis to emotion detection and the challenges in these tasks. We summarize some of the recent works in the last five years and look at the methods they used. We also look at the models of emotion classes that are generally referenced. The trend of text-based emotion detection has shifted from the early keyword-based comparisons to machine learning and deep learning algorithms that provide more flexibility to the task and better performance.
Lactoferrin as a Possible Preventive and Therapeutic Agent Against SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Authors: Kobayashi-Sakamoto Michiyo , Maeda Toyonobu , Yusa Junko , Tani Hideki , Kato Yasumasa , Hirose Kimiharu
Published: January 2023

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a major cause of atypical pneumonia worldwide. Elderly individuals and those with underlying illnesses, such as cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, are at a high risk of experiencing severe symptoms and have high mortality rates. There is therefore a major need to develop additional vaccines, effective treatments, and complementary drugs to control this infection. Lactoferrin (LF), a naturally-occurring glycoprotein, is bioactive against viruses and other pathogens. LF has a unique immunomodulatory function and is indispensable for immunity in infants. It is thought to contribute to biological defense in individuals across all generations, not only infants. LF inhibits viral adhesion to host cell surfaces through ionic binding to glycosaminoglycans and/or specific binding to viral structures. Purified LF is cost-effective and orally available as a dietary supplement. Here, we review studies on the protective role of LF against common viral infections. Based on this review, we propose that LF can be a possible prophylactic or therapeutic agent for COVID-19 disease.
Information Seeking and COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors: A Comparison Between Immigrants and the Host Population in Japan
Authors: Teng Yuanyuan , Hanibuchi Tomoya , Nakaya Tomoki
Published: January 2023

Little is known about information seeking and its influence on preventive behaviors among immigrants in Japan, despite their vulnerabilities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study investigated information seeking about COVID-19, and examined differences with compliance with preventive measures between immigrants and the host population in Japan based on an Internet survey conducted in October 2021. We used chi-squared tests to determine the difference in information seeking and preventive behaviors between the two groups, and Poisson regression with robust standard errors to examine the association between information seeking and compliance with preventive measures. Our results show that, although the overall tendencies of information seeking and the preventive behaviors of immigrants were similar to those of the Japanese, significant differences were identified in some behavior: immigrants were more likely to acquire COVID-19 information from social networking services (SNS) and official websites in Japan, and maintain physical distance and ventilation than Japanese locals. Furthermore, immigrants’ sources of information diversified according to their sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., educational level, Japanese language skills, length of residence in Japan, and country or region of origin). Additionally, the effects of information seeking on preventive actions against COVID-19 differed according to the information sources; some information sources (e.g., SNS) had different impacts on preventive behaviors between immigrants and Japanese locals. Obtaining information from traditional media and Japanese official websites increases engagement with all five preventive measures among immigrants and four measures among the Japanese. The study highlights the importance of customized health policies for immigrants according to their behavioral tendencies.
The Effect of Concentration of Flour, Green Mustard Pasta (Brassica Juncea) On The Characteristics of Ice Cream
Authors: Kartika Sholikah Dwi , Saidi Ida Agustini
Published: January 2023

This study aims to determine the effect of the concentration of green mustard flour (Brassica juncea) and green mustard paste on the characteristics of ice cream. The levels are P1 0% Green Mustard Flour and 0% Green Mustard Paste, P2 3% Green Mustard Flour, P3 6% Green Mustard Flour, P4 9% Green Mustard Flour, P5 12% Green Mustard Flour, P6 15% Green Mustard Paste, P7 20% Green Mustard Paste, P8 25% Green Mustard Paste and P9 30% Mustard Paste. The variables measured were organoleptic tests on aroma, taste, color, texture and overall acceptance. The results showed that the concentration of green mustard flour and green mustard paste had a significant effect on organoleptic tests (aroma, taste, color, texture and overall acceptance). The best treatment parameters in this study were ice cream with a concentration of mustard paste 25% (P8) which showed an organoleptic aroma value of 3.3 (slightly typical of mustard greens - not typical of mustard greens), organoleptic taste of 2.9 (no taste typical of mustard greens - slightly taste typical of mustard greens), color organoleptic 3.6 (Slightly green – green), texture organoleptic 3.9 (soft), organoleptic overall reception 3.4 (slightly like – like).
Upaya Guru dalam Meningkatkan Minat Membaca Siswa Kelas Dasar
Authors: Luchiyanti Anjas , Rezania Vanda
Published: January 2023

The purpose of this study is to find out how the teacher's efforts in increasing the reading interest of class III B students at SDN Kejapanan 4. This is still a problem in the learning process that takes place in class III B SDN Kejapanan 4, due to the lack of books, the library is not functioning properly so that it affects the student learning outcomes. Therefore, to overcome these problems, various efforts of teachers in the classroom when teaching are needed so that there is an increase in reading, namely through providing motivation or encouragement, providing more books and various types in the classroom reading corner, and habituation of literacy 15 minutes before learning begins. This research is a descriptive qualitative research through documentation, observation, and interview to teacher of IIIB SDN Kejapanan 4. The results showed that there was still a lack of student interest in reading activities. This can be seen when observing students are more fun playing during breaks than reading and the lack of students in reading repeatedly, students only read occasionally and then close the reading book again.
Menciptakan Keunggulan Bersaing Berkelanjutan Berbasis Sumber Daya Manusia dalam Dunia Pendidikan
Authors: Rahmadani Rahmadani , Qomariah Siti
Published: January 2023

Pandemi Covid-19 mengubah banyak hal termasuk dalam peralihan kegiatan konvensional yang harus dilakukan secara digital. Kementrian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Indonesia menetapkan kebijakan bahwa pendidikan harus tetap diselenggarakan di masa pandemi, namun dengan sistem yang berbeda (study from home) dengan memanfaatkan teknologi (daring).  Perubahahan era sekarang ini memaksa dunia pendidikan untuk merubah paradima lama yang menempatkan manusia bukan hal utama dalam sebuah organisasi tetapi sekarang manusia dianggap sebagai hal penting dalam sebuah organisasi.  paradikma baru  manusia adalah aset penting, sehingga untuk menciptakan keunggulan bersaing di dalam duni pendidikan starategi yang digunakan adalah strategi manajemen sumbar daya manusia. metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode study literatur atau studi pustaka.  Strategi manajemen majemen sumber daya manusia yang baik dan tepat dengan berfokus pada peningkatan kemampuan dan kompetensi dari sumber daya manusianya membuat institusi yang bergerak di dunia pendidikan mampu bersaing dan juga bertahan dengan perubahan kondisi yang ada.  Untuk pembentukan karakter dan kinerja dapat dilakukan dengan penerapan KASAH (Knowledge, Ability, Skill, Attitude, Habit) untuk menuju dalam keunggulan kompetitif.
Representationalism, Naturalism, and the Problem of Content
Authors:   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gusev Alexander A.
Published: January 2023

The article is devoted to the problems of representational theories of percep­tion, which were identified by C. Travis in a 2004 work entitled “The Silence of the Senses”. Representationalism plays an important role in contemporary dis­cussions around the problem of a naturalistic explanation of conscious mental states. Travis attempted to demonstrate the inconsistency of the basic assumptions underlying representationalism. If his argumentation does undermine the founda­tions of representationalism, then the naturalization project loses the possibility of representationalist theories. The author analyzes in detail one of Travis’s main arguments – “the argument from looks”. It is shown that the main responses to this argument miss the mark, as they either misinterpret Travis's idea itself or lead to a distorted version of representationalism that loses its advantage in the context of explaining conscious experience. The author comes to the conclusion that Travis' critique of representationalism should be considered not just as a refuta­tion of some of the theses of the representationalists, but as a metaphilosophical signal indicating the need to clarify (a) what the methodology of the modern philosopher of perception should be and (b) what theoretical obligations imposes on him the dominant naturalistic paradigm of our time.
Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, 12/1, Goncharnaya str., Moscow, 109240, Russian Federation
Authors:   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Krushanov Alexander A.
Published: January 2023

The Artificial Intelligence systems have already become a reality. The work on their development is going very successfully, and therefore this reality requires monitoring and reflection, moreover, understanding not only how artificial intel­ligence can be developed, but also what the price can be, the consequences of the widespread use and applying of such technology. In the article, this theme is considered in the context of the work of K. Schwab, who put forward the idea that a new, Fourth, industrial revolution is beginning today. It is in this context that the phenomenon of AI and its applications is being raised and considered to­day. Therefore, the Fourth industrial revolution itself is considered in the row with other industrial revolutions that are singled out today. In the course of re­viewing the history of industrial revolutions, the author shows that now Schwab’s concept looks somewhat unfinished. The first three industrial revolutions have some main distinguishing features, the Fourth industrial revolution so far looks like it consists of equivalent components. In accordance with this, it is shown that the dominant discovery in the Fourth industrial Revolution is still present, and these are developments in the field of AI. An important question of the arti­cle is how to save people in the context of the industrial expansion of AI. In this regard, the theme of universal basic income discussed today is considered. Ac­cording to the author, this tool alone is not enough for people to go through the introduction of robots and AI painlessly. The author draws attention to the fact that people who are unemployed, but at the same time have a basic income, will be threatened by an overly comfortable home environment, leading to degradation.
Ecology of the Digital Environment as an Attempt to Respond to the Civilizational Challenges of the Digital Age
Authors:   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Petrova Ekaterina V.
Published: January 2023

The article is devoted to the analysis of the impact of digital technologies on the brain, consciousness and human nature as a whole. According to the author, this kind of impact is one of the most serious civilizational challenges of the dig­ital age. In her analysis, the author relies on the ecological approach as a holistic interdisciplinary methodological principle. The most important part of this ap­proach is the ecology of the digital environment. The digital environment in the article is considered as a new environment for a person, a new Umvelt, that is, the immediate environment that affects his inner world. Therefore, signs and stimuli that arise in the process of digital communication have such a signif­icant impact on cognitive processes. The communication situation of modern man is paradoxical in a certain sense: despite the ever-increasing complexity of technology, the communication process itself is impoverished and standard­ized. This negatively affects the evolution of the brain, as the emergence of new neural connections is not stimulated. The way out of this situation can be a pur­poseful stimulation of the development of critical thinking. Within the frame­work of an integrated ecological approach, the author relies on an ecological ap­proach to the visual perception of J. Gibson and the concept of Umwelt J. von Uexküll, substantiating a much broader theoretical applicability of environmental science than it is accepted in classical biological ecology. The author comes to the conclusion that the ecology of the digital environment contributes to find­ing answers to the civilizational challenges of the digital era and becomes the main weapon in the fight against the information and environmental crisis.
Perspectives and challenges of health promotion in Latin America
Authors: Arroyo Hiram V
Published: January 2023

The global health promotion movement has been institutionalized for 35 years (1986-2001) since the First International Conference on Health Promotion in Ottawa, Canada. This essay establishes how the health promotion perspective has reshaped the nature, scope and perspectives of health, highlighting the urgency of approaching health from a more political and social vision. Health promotion should now deserve greater recognition by governmental, institutional, private and community authorities. Governments must politically reposition it as a proposal for social and human development. In tandem, higher education institutions should continue to exercise academic-professional leadership to promote training, research and social community linkages in the field of health promotion. Enhancing sustained effortsof regional health promotion networks and maintaining a healthy environments approach are the pillars to promoting participation along with political, social and community mobilization for health, equity and sustainable development.
Current enzyme-mediated insecticide resistance status of Aedes aegypti populations from a dengue-endemic city in southern Mexico
Authors: Solís-Santoyo Francisco , Rodríguez Américo D , Black William , Saavedra-Rodríguez Karla , Sánchez-Guillén Daniel , Castillo-Vera Alfredo , González-Gómez Rebeca , López-Solis Alma Delia , Penilla-Navarro Rosa Patricia
Published: January 2023

Objective. To identify the enzyme-mediated insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti in Tapachula, Mexico. Materials and methods. Biochemical assays were undertaken to determine the enzyme levels in mosquitoes from 22 sites collected in 2018 and 2020 in Tapachula. Results of 2018 were correlated with the resistance to insecticides pub­lished. Results. Mosquitoes had higher levels than those of the susceptible strain in 2018 and 2020 respectively of α-esterases in 15 and 12 sites; β-esterases in 7 and 6 sites; glutathione-S-transferases in 11 and 19 sites; ρNPA-esterases in 21 and 17 sites; and cytochromes P450 in 20 and 22 sites. In mosquitoes of 2018, there was a moderate correlation between previously documented Malathion resistance ratios and the insensitive acetylcholinesterase (r=0.459, p= 0.03). Conclusions. The elevated enzyme levels found indicate its contribution to the resistance to pyrethroids and organo­phosphates already published in mosquitoes from Tapachula. Bioassays using enzyme inhibitors resulted in greater mor­tality, confirming that metabolism contributes to resistance.
DE based Resource Allocation for D2D assisted NOMA Systems
Authors: Jia Jie , Tian Quanzhen , Du An , Chen Jian , Wang Xingwei
Published: January 2023

The explosion of wireless network services forces us to seek new technologies and resource allocation schemes. Three joint resource allocation frameworks for device-to-device (D2D) communication in non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) assisted multi-cell systems are proposed. D2D can reduce the access pressure of base station (BS) equipment, and NOMA can multiplex network spectrum resources, and the integration of them can further improve the performance of multi-cell networks. We investigate the joint user association, resource block (RB) assignment, and power allocation problem in multi-cell systems with the aim of maximizing the sum rate of D2Ds. To solve this mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) problem, we propose three differential evolution (DE) algorithms. First, we invoke the coevolution DE-based resource allocation (CDRA) framework which encodes the RB assignment and power allocation into the same individual for evolution. Second, we invoke the iteration-combining DE-based resource allocation (IDRA) framework, which adopts two-steps DE algorithm to solve optimal power allocation and RB assignment scheme iteratively. Last, we invoke the power-repairing DE-based resource allocation (PDRA) framework, which combines a similar joint RB assignment and power allocation as CDRA, where power repair is added after each iteration. Simulation results demonstrate that: \romannumeral1) the integration of D2D and NOMA techniques is capable of enhancing the achievable sum rate of D2Ds; \romannumeral2) the proposed three proposed frameworks for multi-cell NOMA networks can effectively optimize the objective function. However, comparing with CDRA and IDRA, PDRA performs better in terms of convergence speed and maximum D2D rate.
Convergence analysis of flow direction algorithm and its improvement
Authors: Li S. P. , ye wenwen
Published: January 2023

Flow Direction Algorithm (FDA) is a new physics-based optimization algorithm for solving global optimization problems. Although the FDA has shown effectiveness in many areas, there has been a lack of rigorous theoretical guarantees. This paper first proves that FDA is globally convergent with probability 1 by establishing a Markov process model. Furthermore, to enhance the FDA's exploration and exploitation abilities, we propose an improved FDA algorithm (IFDA) by introducing random opposition-based learning and an adaptive neighbour generation strategy. Finally, extensive experiments are investigated on some representative benchmark functions with several state-of-the-art algorithms, demonstrating the proposed algorithm's efficiency and effectiveness.
Interval fractional programming: Optimality and its application to portfolio optimization
Authors: Pokharna Nisha , Tripathi Indira P.
Published: January 2023

In this paper, the notion of d-invexity is generalized to the class of interval optimization problems. An interval fractional programming problem is studied and for this problem, the KKT optimality conditions are established. The sufficient optimality conditions are derived under the d-invexity assumption. A real-world application of the results developed in the paper is shown in the context of portfolio optimization. Also, a comparative study of different methods for solving the interval fractional programming problem available in the literature and the method discussed in this paper is presented by means of a portfolio optimization problem. Throughout the paper, non-trivial examples are presented at appropriate places to provide better insight into the results derived.
An automated system to maintain the departmental activities over cloud: An android application approach
Authors: Murad Saydul Akbar , Adhikary Apurba , Hossain Md. Bipul , Raha Avi Deb , Azmil Zafril Rizal M , Ahsan Md. Shamim , Miah M. Saef Ullah , Muza Abu Jafar Md
Published: January 2023

Educational institutions nowadays follow different administrative approaches to fulfil different departmental administrative tasks. A department of an educational institution has a lot of things to do and manage for the students and teachers. The department has to post notices on the bulletin board, keep information about students, record attendance in class, manage students’ attendance rate and results, and so on. Most educational institutions in many countries rely on paper-based administration, which requires a lot of staff and man-hours. Therefore, we have proposed an Android application for department management that has two panels, namely an admin panel and a user panel. Our proposed Android application can be used to upload messages, enrol courses and students, record attendance, set attendance percentages, and calculate results. To access the proposed Android application, a user must create an account, while a specific email and password are provided for the admin panel, i.e., teachers. The users can only see the provided information, while the administrators can modify all kinds of data in the proposed application. The administrators have the ability and permission to upload messages, record attendance, formulate attendance percentage, calculate results and perform other department specific activities. We have developed our proposed application using various technologies like Java, Firebase and Recycler Window. This Android application reduces the effort for the user and saves time for students and teachers. We strongly believe that our proposed Android application will usher in a new era in managing departmental activities in educational institutions.
Neural signatures of voluntary action with long-range intentions
Authors: Chen Xiaosheng , Chen Jingjing , Reed Phil , Zhang Dan
Published: January 2023

Long-range intentions are a vital feature of real-world voluntary action, but have not been extensively studied in relation to their neural correlates. The current study adopted a procedure instead that previous highly repeatable and single decision point paradigms, in which voluntary action (generated by a random ratio (RR), yoked random interval (RI) reinforcement schedule) could be compared with a yoked condition in which participants responded to an external cue. Participants were required to reach the highest reward rates they could in the RI schedule, which offered an indicator of the extent to which long-range intentions have been formed. A classical RP amplitude occurred preceding participants’ keypress action in the current study. EEG amplitudes and EEG variability decreased significantly prior to voluntary action, compared to externally triggered action. These results extend previous findings regarding voluntary action arising from a particular set of long-range intention-based processes, rather than the outcome of stochastic neural fluctuations. Notably, EEG amplitudes decreased significantly differently prior to higher RI-reward rates (i.e., higher plane of long-range intentions formed). The novel experimental paradigm suggests a possible contribution of long-range intentions on the neural activities stage prior to voluntary action.
Ecology, Behavior and Bionomics: Functional response of Heterotermes tenuis Hagen (Insecta: Blattaria: Isoptera) in forests of the Colombian Orinoquía
Authors: SALAZAR LUIS RICARDO SALAZAR , SALAZAR-SALAZAR LUIS RICARDO , PINZÓN-FLORIAN OLGA PATRICIA
Published: January 2023

Background
The functional traits of insects and, in particular, those associated with termites have not been widely studied. Some studies present purely taxonomic approaches and overestimate interspecific variation and ignore intraspecific variation. Likewise, it is unknown how the functional morphological traits of termites are modified as a result of disturbances, in this case, the change in land use. Therefore, in order to contribute to the understanding of the response mechanisms of termites against land use change and its implications in intraspecific variation, we carried out morphological medition of 38 functional morphological traits (FMT) of the worker and soldier caste of xylophagous species Heterotermes tenuis (Hagen, 1858) in four periods of Pinus caribaea plantation (Morelet, 1851) and gallery forest relicts. Comparisons between relict forest and plantations were made using non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis, PERMANOVA and multinomial models.
Results
The intraspecific variation of 16 traits of the 38 studies presented lower values ​​both in plantations and in gallery forests. Traits related to general body size are not considered useful due to their observed variation. Likewise, a more significant effect of the type of land use was observed than the plantation ages in the greater size of the workers, while the results were not conclusive in the military caste.
Conclusions
The results suggested a homogenization of the TMF of the worker caste of H. tenuis in the pine plantations, most likely, but not only related to an increase in the softwood food supply of P. caribaea.
Optimizing the prebiotic profile of donor human milk for preterm infants: a protocol for the Matching Donor Human Milk On Maternal Secretor Status (MMOMSS) pilot randomized controlled trial
Authors: Brockway Merilee (Meredith) , Alshaikh Belal , Festival Jannette , Arrieta Marie-Claire , Azad Meghan
Published: January 2023

Background: Breastfeeding is the most important factor shaping the infant gut microbiome, providing human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) that serve as prebiotics for commensal gut bacteria. Donor human milk (DHM) is considered the best alternative when mothers own milk is not available. HMO profiles are highly variable among mothers and there is currently no "matching" process to optimize provision of DHM to recipient infants. The strongest factor influencing HMO composition is maternal secretor status, determined by the expression of a specific gene (α-1, 2-fucosyltransferase-2, FUT2). About 20% of the population are non-secretors and the impact of feeding DHM from secretor donors to infants of non-secretor mothers is not well understood. We aim to explore if matching DHM based on maternal secretor status impacts the development of the gut microbiome in preterm infants.
Methods: This is a pilot, randomized, controlled trial of 60 mother-infant dyads, comparing microbial composition of preterm infants (<34 weeks gestation) who receive DHM matched to their mother’s secretor status to infants who receive standard issue (non-matched) DHM. Enrolled mothers will be randomized to either the intervention (n=30) or control group (n=30). Infants of mothers assigned to the intervention group will receive "matched" DHM based on maternal secretor status. Infant fecal samples will be collected weekly until discontinuation of DHM or discharge/transfer from the unit. Samples of mother’s own milk and DHM will also be collected to analyze HMO and nutrient content. Microbial DNA will be analyzed using shallow shotgun sequencing to identify microbial population structures and functional capacity. Microbial composition from intervention and control groups will be compared to determine differences in diversity and taxonomy. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research will be used to assess clinical feasibility of the trial in the NICU environment.
Discussion: This research could better inform how milk banks and neonatal intensive care units provide DHM to preterm infants. Additionally, it will expand our understanding of the prebiotic effects of HMOs on the infant microbiome and may inform future prebiotic/probiotic supplementation regimens.
Trial Registration: Registration on ClinicalTrials.gov was completed on October 17, 2019, and updated on February 11, 2022, with the Identifier: NCT04130165
A novel strategy to characterize the pattern of β-lactam antibiotic-induced drug resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Hillyer Trae , Benin Bogdan M. , Sun Chuanqi , Aguirre Noah , Willard Belinda , Sham Yuk Yin , Shin Woo Shik
Published: January 2023

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAb) is an urgent public health threat, according to the CDC. This pathogen has few treatment options and causes severe nosocomial infections with > 50% fatality rate. Although previous studies have examined the proteome of CRAb, there have been no focused analyses of dynamic changes to β-lactamase expression that may occur due to drug exposure. Here, we present our initial proteomic study of variation in β-lactamase expression that occurs in CRAb with different β-lactam antibiotics. Briefly, drug resistance to Ab (ATCC 19606) was induced by the administration of various classes of β-lactam antibiotics, and the cell-free supernatant was isolated, concentrated, separated by SDS-PAGE, digested with trypsin, and identified by label-free LC-MS-based quantitative proteomics. Peptides were identified and evaluated using a 1789 sequence database of Ab β-lactamases from UniProt. Importantly, we observed that different antibiotics, even those of the same class (e.g. penicillin and amoxicillin), induce non-equivalent responses comprising various Class C and D serine-β-lactamases, resulting in unique resistomes. These results open the door to a new approach of analyzing and studying the problem of multi-drug resistance in bacteria that rely strongly on β-lactamase expression.
Influence of mean arterial pressure on the decision to terminate CRRT and in-hospital mortality: A single-center prospective study
Authors: Yoon Jakyung , Jang Gum Sook , Kim Da Woon , Kim Hyo Jin , Song Sang Heon , Seong Eun Young , Rhee Harin
Published: January 2023

Background
We hypothesized that a low mean arterial pressure (MAP) at CRRT initiation would influence the early death or withdrawal of CRRT and in-hospital mortality.
Methods
This prospective cohort study collected data for CRRT patients seen at the Third Affiliated Hospital from January 2016 to December 2020. We collected MAP data at the initiation of CRRT, reasons for CRRT termination, and in-hospital mortality data. We divided the patients into four groups based on quartiles of the initial MAP and analyzed its influence on early death/withdrawal of CRRT.
Results
A total of 2,346 patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) were included in this study. The median age of the participants was 68.0 (57.0–76.0) years, and 62.4% were male. CRRT was discontinued in 49.9% of our patients after renal recovery or HD transition; in 48.8%, CRRT was terminated by death (36.6%) or withdrawal (12.2%). An initial low MAP (Q1, MAP ≤ 69 mmHg and Q2, MAP ≤ 77.1 mmHg) was associated with a 1.3-fold greater risk of death/withdrawal during CRRT. Older age, a higher SOFA score, and oliguria at the time of CRRT initiation also predicted death/withdrawal during CRRT.
Conclusions
In patients on CRRT, a lower MAP at CRRT initiation was closely associated with a higher probability of terminating CRRT due to death/withdrawal, and it was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality.
Prevalence of respiratory infections during the 2018-2020 period in the paediatric population of primary care centres in Central Catalonia
Authors: Reyes María José Macías , Vidal-Alaball Josep , Suwezda Eduardo Alejandro , Catalina Queralt Miro , Riba Maria Homs , Comellas Anna Ruiz
Published: January 2023

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, policies such as social distancing, hand washing and the use of masks were implemented which could play an important role in the reduction of infectious diseases. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted to observe the prevalence of respiratory infections in children under 15 years of age during the 2018-2020 period in Primary Care centres in Central Catalonia. In 2020, there was a 44.35 decrease in total consultations for respiratory infections compared to 2019. All respiratory infections exhibited a significant decrease except influenza, which increased by 41.76%. Children between the ages of 6 and 12 had the highest prevalence of influenza (87.68%), and the SARS-CoV-2-19 infection was most frequent (4.06%) among those between the ages of 12 and 15. Compared to urban centres, rural centres presented a higher prevalence of all infections except influenza and SARS-CoV-2. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decrease in the number of consultations for respiratory infections in the paediatric population, except for influenza, which increased in cases in January and February 2020. No differences were found between sexes, although differences were found in the distribution of the different age groups.