bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chloroplast Phylogenomic Analyses Reveal a Maternal Hybridization Event Leading to the Formation of Cultivated Peanuts
Authors: Tian Xiangyu , Shi Luye , Guo Jia , Fu Liuyang , Du Pei , Huang Bingyan , Wu Yue , Zhang Xinyou , Wang Zhenlong
Published: December 2021

Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) offer numerous healthy benefits, and the production of peanuts has a prominent role in global food security. As a result, it is in the interest of society to improve the productivity and quality of peanuts with transgenic means. However, the lack of a robust phylogeny of cultivated and wild peanut species has limited the utilization of genetic resources in peanut molecular breeding. In this study, a total of 33 complete peanut plastomes were sequenced, analyzed and used for phylogenetic analyses. Our results suggest that sect. Arachis can be subdivided into two lineages. All the cultivated species are contained in Lineage I with AABB and AA are the two predominant genome types present, while species in Lineage II possess diverse genome types, including BB, KK, GG, etc. Phylogenetic studies also indicate that all allotetraploid cultivated peanut species have been derived from a possible maternal hybridization event with one of the diploid Arachis duranensis accessions being a potential AA sub-genome ancestor. In addition, Arachis monticola, a tetraploid wild species, is placed in the same group with all the cultivated peanuts, and it may represent a transitional species, which has been through the recent hybridization event. This research could facilitate a better understanding of the taxonomic status of various Arachis species/accessions and the evolutionary relationship among them, and assists in the correct and efficient use of germplasm resources in breeding efforts to improve peanuts for the benefit of human beings.
Stem Cell Basis for Fractal Patterns: Axillary Meristem Initiation
Authors: Wang Ying
Published: December 2021

Whereas stem cell lineages are of enormous importance in animal development, their roles in plant development have only been appreciated in recent years. Several specialized lineages of stem cells have been identified in plants, such as meristemoid mother cells and vascular cambium, as well as those located in the apical meristems. The initiation of axillary meristems (AMs) has recently gained intensive attention. AMs derive from existing stem cell lineages that exit from SAMs and define new growth axes. AMs are in fact additional rounds of SAMs, and display the same expression patterns and functions as the embryonic SAM, creating a fractal branching pattern. Their formation takes place in leaf-meristem boundaries and mainly comprises two key stages. The first stage is the maintenance of the meristematic cell lineage in an undifferentiated state. The second stage is the activation, proliferation, and re-specification to form new stem cell niches in AMs, which become the new postembryonic “fountain of youth” for organogenesis. Both stages are tightly regulated by spatially and temporally interwound signaling networks. In this mini-review, I will summarize the most up-to-date understanding of AM establishment and mainly focus on how the leaf axil meristematic cell lineage is actively maintained and further activated to become CLV3-expressed stem cells, which involves phytohormonal cascades, transcriptional regulations, epigenetic modifications, as well as mechanical signals.
Study on Pain Catastrophizing From 2010 to 2020: A Bibliometric Analysis via CiteSpace
Authors: Luo Huifang , Cai Zongliao , Huang Yanyi , Song Jiating , Ma Qing , Yang Xiangwei , Song Yang
Published: December 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the global scientific output of research on pain catastrophizing and explore the hotspots and frontiers from 2010 to 2020 using bibliometric methods.

Methods: Publications regarding pain catastrophizing published from 2010 to 2020 were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace was used to analyze the number of publications, countries, institutions, journals, authors, cited references, and keywords using standard bibliometric indicators.

Results: A total of 1,576 publications on pain catastrophizing were retrieved from 2010 to December 31, 2020. The number and rate of the annual publications gradually increased totally. Pain (130) was the most productive journal. Meanwhile, Pain ranked first in the frequency (1,432) and centrality (0.31) of the cited journals. The most productive country and institution in this frequency field were the United States (642) and the University of Washington (73), respectively. Jensen MP (34) was the most prolific author, and Sullivan MJL (1,196) ranked first among the cited authors. In the ranking of frequency in the cited references, the first article was a critical review about pain catastrophizing published by Quartana (100). The keyword “Low back pain” had the highest frequency (556). “Total hip” was identified as a frontier research item for 2016–2020.

Conclusion: The findings of this bibliometric study provide the current status and trends in the clinical research of pain catastrophizing and may help researchers to identify hot topics and explore new research directions in this field.
Perceived Employability, Academic Commitment, and Competency of University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study of Student Well-Being
Authors: Capone Vincenza , Marino Leda , Park Miriam Sang-Ah
Published: December 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has led to the closure of schools and universities, which forced students to reorganize their daily and academic lives. The pandemic has thus impacted the well-being of students in various ways. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the perceived employability, self-efficacy, ambition, organizational commitment, and career planning of students, as well as mental well-being, student engagement, and academic burnout during the pandemic. A total of 269 Italian university students participated in an online questionnaire. Our results highlight that students experienced high levels of uncertainty about their employability and career planning. In contrast, however, they reported healthy levels of mental well-being and student engagement, high career ambitions, and strong self-efficacy, despite the impact of COVID-19. We suggested that intervention and supportive programs should be offered to students over the long term in order to minimize the negative impact of the pandemic.
Protective Effects and Mechanism of Radix Polygalae Against Neurological Diseases as Well as Effective Substance
Authors: Jiang Ning , Wei Shanshan , Zhang Yiwen , He Wenlu , Pei Haiyue , Huang Hong , Wang Qiong , Liu Xinmin
Published: December 2021

Radix Polygalae (also known as Yuanzhi in China) is the dried rhizome of Polygala tenuifolia Willd. or Polygala sibirica L., which is a famous Chinese herb and has been widely used for centuries in traditional medicines including expectorants, tonics, tranquilizers, antipsychotic, and so on. This article reviews the neuroprotective effects of Radix Polygalae in preclinical models of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, especially anxiety, depression, declining cognition, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Parkinson's disease (PD). The chemical composition of Radix Polygalae as well as the underlying mechanisms of action were also reviewed. We found that Radix Polygalae possesses a broad range of beneficial effects on the abovementioned conditions. The multifold mechanisms of action include several properties such as antioxidant and associated apoptotic effects; anti-inflammatory and associated apoptotic effects; neurogenesis, regeneration, differentiation, and neuronal plasticity improvement; hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA) regulation; neurotransmitter release; and receptor activation (A2AR, NMDA-R, and GluR). Nevertheless, the detailed mechanisms underlying this array of pharmacological effects observed in vitro and in vivo still need further investigation to attain a coherent neuroprotective profile.
A Biopsychosocial-Ecological Framework for Family-Framed Dementia Care
Authors: Podgorski Carol Ann , Anderson Sharon D. , Parmar Jasneet
Published: December 2021

The biopsychosocial model has been applied through collaborative care dementia models to the diagnosis, symptom management, and treatment of dementia with a focus specifically on the person with dementia. Because individuals with dementia are increasingly dependent upon others particularly as the illness advances, dementia care requires the involvement and commitment of others, usually family, along with support from community-based resources. Hence, the quality and effectiveness of a person's dementia care are shaped in large part by the foundation of family relationships and the social and community networks in which they are embedded. While most current dementia care models incorporate biopsychosocial principles and recognize the essential role that family members play as caregivers, they fail to consider a patient's family system and relationships as potential risk factors or social determinants for care outcomes. This paper introduces a biopsychosocial-ecological framework to dementia care that is person-centered and “family-framed” in that it targets factors that influence care considerations at both the individual and relational levels of the social ecological networks that the patient and their family members occupy. We use this model to illustrate how current dementia care practices tend to focus exclusively on the individual patient and caregiver levels but fail to identify and address important relational considerations that cut across levels. We call for the need to add assessment of family relational histories of persons with dementia and family members who care for them in order to better meet the needs of the patient and the caregiver and to prevent harm. This model accentuates the need for interprofessional education on family assessments and caregiver-centered care, as well as interdisciplinary, collaborative models of dementia care that assume more accountability for meeting the needs of family caregivers in addition to those of persons with dementia.
The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Workers in Saudi Arabia: A Year Later Into the Pandemic
Authors: Almalki Atiah H. , Alzahrani Mohammad S. , Alshehri Fahad S. , Alharbi Adnan , Alkhudaydi Samirah F. , Alshahrani Rawan S. , Alzaidi Aseel H. , Algarni Majed A. , Alsaab Hashem O. , Alatawi Yasser , Althobaiti Yusuf S. , Bamaga Ahmed K. , Alhifany Abdullah A.
Published: December 2021

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to healthcare workers worldwide. This study sought to estimate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia, and to identify the factors associated with these psychological disorders.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted from January 21 to March 2, 2021. Physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other healthcare workers from different parts of Saudi Arabia were recruited through snowball sampling. Psychological outcomes were measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Pearson's chi-square test was used to explore the bivariate association between diverse characteristics and each outcome. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with depression, anxiety, and stress.

Results: A total of 501 healthcare workers completed the survey, of whom 60% were female and nearly half were pharmacists. The majority (76.25%) of respondents reported that a family member, friend, or colleague had contracted COVID-19, and more than one-third (36%) knew someone who died due to COVID-19. Overall, the estimated prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and stress were 54.69, 60.88, and 41.92%, respectively. The multivariate analysis revealed that healthcare workers with chronic diseases, nurses, and healthcare workers from the southern region were more likely to suffer from depression and stress. Further, individuals with positive COVID-19 test results showed a greater proportion of depressive symptoms compared to others. In addition, knowing someone who died due to COVID-19 and having a chronic illness were predisposing factors for anxiety.

Conclusion: After more than a year, the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress remains substantial among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia. The findings can help guide efforts to mitigate the psychological impact of the pandemic.
Capturing a Comprehensive Picture of Biological Events From Adverse Outcome Pathways in the Drug Exposome
Authors: Wu Qier , Bagdad Youcef , Taboureau Olivier , Audouze Karine
Published: December 2021

Background: The chemical part of the exposome, including drugs, may explain the increase of health effects with outcomes such as infertility, allergies, metabolic disorders, which cannot be only explained by the genetic changes. To better understand how drug exposure can impact human health, the concepts of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) and AOP networks (AONs), which are representations of causally linked events at different biological levels leading to adverse health, could be used for drug safety assessment.

Methods: To explore the action of drugs across multiple scales of the biological organization, we investigated the use of a network-based approach in the known AOP space. Considering the drugs and their associations to biological events, such as molecular initiating event and key event, a bipartite network was developed. This bipartite network was projected into a monopartite network capturing the event–event linkages. Nevertheless, such transformation of a bipartite network to a monopartite network had a huge risk of information loss. A way to solve this problem is to quantify the network reduction. We calculated two scoring systems, one measuring the uncertainty and a second one describing the loss of coverage on the developed event–event network to better investigate events from AOPs linked to drugs.

Results: This AON analysis allowed us to identify biological events that are highly connected to drugs, such as events involving nuclear receptors (ER, AR, and PXR/SXR). Furthermore, we observed that the number of events involved in a linkage pattern with drugs is a key factor that influences information loss during monopartite network projection. Such scores have the potential to quantify the uncertainty of an event involved in an AON, and could be valuable for the weight of evidence assessment of AOPs. A case study related to infertility, more specifically to “decrease, male agenital distance” is presented.

Conclusion: This study highlights that computational approaches based on network science may help to understand the complexity of drug health effects, with the aim to support drug safety assessment.
Stressful Life Events and Chinese Older People Depression: Moderating Role of Social Support
Authors: Yu Xiao , Liu Shu
Published: December 2021

Aim: This study analyzes the effects of retrospective stressful life events on current depression among Chinese older people and how these effects are moderated by social support. Stressful life events comprise bereavement, divorce, health adversities, accidents, and financial losses due to fraud.

Data and Method: Data were drawn from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) of the 2015 panel, and responses from 9,619 older people aged over 60 years were used. The least-squares regression method was applied to measure the linear effects. Propensity score matching minimized selection bias and enabled the measurement of the net effects of stressful life events. The bias-corrected matching estimator was also used to correct the inexact matching bias from propensity score matching.

Result: Experienced stressful life events and exposure to cumulative stressful life events were found to lead to depression in older people. When older people experienced stressful life events but with more social activities, and higher satisfaction and frequent contact with children, their depressive levels were lower. The results of the propensity score matching showed that stressful life events resulted in depression in older people. Furthermore, individuals with family support were able to moderate stressful life events effects; however, the moderating effects of social activity separately were negligible. In sum, with the moderating role of family support and social activity, the average differences in older people depression caused by stressful life events decreased.

Conclusion: Experiencing stressful life events is detrimental to the psychological health of the older people. Social support, including family support and social activity, has buffered detrimental effects on depression caused by stressful life events.

Interpretations: The study underscores the need to supply effective interventions for the older people who experienced stressful life events. First, society should improve the capability of community care centers to supply mental health services. Second, family members should pay attention to mental condition of older people, and specific support should concord with the needs of Chinese older people. In addition, support suppliers can move from being confined to kinship relationships to close relationships, such as the community partners and neighbors.
Increased Risk of Hospital Admission for Asthma in Children From Short-Term Exposure to Air Pollution: Case-Crossover Evidence From Northern China
Authors: Zhao Yakun , Kong Dehui , Fu Jia , Zhang Yongqiao , Chen Yuxiong , Liu Yanbo , Chang Zhen'ge , Liu Yijie , Liu Xiaole , Xu Kaifeng , Jiang Chengyu , Fan Zhongjie
Published: December 2021

Background:Previous studies suggested that exposure to air pollution could increase risk of asthma attacks in children. The aim of this study is to investigate the short-term effects of exposure to ambient air pollution on asthma hospital admissions in children in Beijing, a city with serious air pollution and high-quality medical care at the same time.

Methods:We collected hospital admission data of asthma patients aged ≤ 18 years old from 56 hospitals from 2013 to 2016 in Beijing, China. Time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional Poisson regression were applied to explore the association between risk of asthma admission in children and the daily concentration of six air pollutants [particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), particulate matter ≤ 10 μm (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3)], adjusting for meteorological factors and other pollutants. Additionally, stratified analyses were performed by age, gender, and season.

Results:In the single-pollutant models, higher levels of PM2.5, SO2, and NO2were significantly associated with increased risk of hospital admission for asthma in children. The strongest effect was observed in NO2at lag06 (RR= 1.25, 95%CI: 1.06-1.48), followed by SO2at lag05 (RR= 1.17, 95%CI: 1.05–1.31). The robustness of effects of SO2and NO2were shown in two-pollutant models. Stratified analyses further indicated that pre-school children (aged ≤ 6 years) were more susceptible to SO2. The effects of SO2were stronger in the cold season, while the effects of NO2were stronger in the warm season. No significant sex-specific differences were observed.

Conclusions:These results suggested that high levels of air pollution had an adverse effect on childhood asthma, even in a region with high-quality healthcare. Therefore, it will be significant to decrease hospital admissions for asthma in children by controlling air pollution emission and avoiding exposure to air pollution.
An Overview of the Biological Features, Distribution, and Conservation of a Critically Endangered Riverine Catfish, Bagarius bagarius (Hamilton, 1822), in the Natural Waters of Bangladesh
Authors: Saha Shuva , Nasren Shamima , Pandit Debasish , Mian Sohel
Published: December 2021

Bagarius bagarius (Hamilton, 1822) is widely distributed in South and Southeast Asian countries, including Bangladesh. This species is economically important as a game and food fish. The abundance of this fish is declining around the world, especially in Bangladesh, due to a variety of meteorological and mostly anthropogenic factors, which is potentially generating concern among the conservationists. Therefore, this species has already been declared a critically endangered species by IUCN Bangladesh. Although there is no specific conservation initiative for B. bagarius in Bangladesh, various measures are there to conserve fisheries resources, which may have an impact on conserving B. bagarius in this country. This study reviews the biology and ecology with its distribution throughout the country as well as the world, threats, conservation measures, and finds out the gaps in research on this fish. Moreover, this review suggests a suitable conservation framework to improve the conservation strategy for this critically endangered fish that can be replicated in other countries for the same purpose.
Causes of Death during the First COVID-19 Pandemic Wave in Italy: A Comparison with Some European Countries
Authors: Grande Enrico , Marcone Giulia , Scuro Alessia , Bracci Tania , Cinque Simona , Crialesi Roberta , Frova Luisa , Marchetti Stefano , Navarra Simone , Orsi Chiara , Pappagallo Marilena , Simeoni Silvia , Grippo Francesco
Published: December 2021

Studies comparing cause-of-death patterns across countries during the COVID-19 outbreak are still lacking although such studies would contribute to the understanding of the direct and indirect effect of the virus on mortality. In this report, we compare the mortality pattern observed in Italy during the first pandemic wave (March–April 2020) with that of some European countries. We calculated cause-specific, age-standardized mortality ratios (SMR) for Spain, England, and Sweden for the two mentioned months from 2016 to 2020, using already published data. Although Italy presented the highest crude overall mortality rate (267 per 100,000 population), age-adjusted ratios showed that all-cause and COVID-19 mortality in Italy were higher than in Sweden but lower than in the other two countries. Some causes had a similar increase in 2020 compared to previous years in all countries, i.e., endocrine diseases (especially diabetes), dementia and Alzheimer’s (in general mental disorders), and hypertensive heart diseases. Conversely, respiratory diseases, in particular pneumonia and influenza, increased to a greater extent in Italy. This latter result could be, in part, related to the underreporting of COVID-19 on death certificates during the first period of the pandemic, when Italy was the first European country severely hit by the virus.
Low Temperature and High-Pressure Study of Bending L-Leucinium Hydrogen Maleate Crystals
Authors: Skakunova Kseniya , Rychkov Denis
Published: December 2021

The polymorphism of molecular crystals is a well-known phenomenon, resulting in modifications of physicochemical properties of solid phases. Low temperatures and high pressures are widely used to find phase transitions and quench new solid forms. In this study, L-Leucinium hydrogen maleate (LLHM), the first molecular crystal that preserves its anomalous plasticity at cryogenic temperatures, is studied at extreme conditions using Raman spectroscopy and optical microscopy. LLHM was cooled down to 11 K without any phase transition, while high pressure impact leads to perceptible changes in crystal structure in the interval of 0.0–1.35 GPa using pentane-isopentane media. Surprisingly, pressure transmitting media (PTM) play a significant role in the behavior of the LLHM system at extreme conditions—we did not find any phase change up to 3.05 GPa using paraffin as PTM. A phase transition of LLHM to amorphous form or solid–solid phase transition(s) that results in crystal fracture is reported at high pressures. LLHM stability at low temperatures suggests an alluring idea to prove LLHM preserves plasticity below 77 K.
Development of Planning and Operation Guidelines for Strategic Grid Planning of Urban Low-Voltage Grids with a New Supply Task
Authors: Wintzek Patrick , Ali Shawki Alsayed , Zdrallek Markus , Monscheidt Julian , Gemsjäger Ben , Slupinski Adam
Published: December 2021

In contrast to rural distribution grids, which are mostly “feed-in oriented” in terms of electrical power, urban distribution grids are “load oriented”, as the number of customer connections and density of loads in urban areas is significantly higher than in rural areas. Taking into account the progressive electrification of the transport and heating sector, it is necessary to assess the required grid optimization or expansion measures from a conventional, as well as an innovative point of view. This is necessary in order to be able to contain the enormous investment volumes needed for transforming the energy system and aligning the infrastructures to their future requirements in time. Therefore, this article first explains the methodological approach of allocating scenarios of the development of electric mobility and heat pumps to analyzed grids. The article continues with describing which power values need to be applied and which conventional and innovative planning measures are available for avoiding voltage band violations and equipment overloads within the framework of strategic grid planning. Subsequently, the results of grid planning studies are outlined and evaluated with an assessment model that evaluates capital as well as operational costs. On this basis, planning and operation guidelines for urban low-voltage grids are derived. The main result is that low-voltage grids can accommodate charging infrastructure for electric mobility, as well as heat pumps to a certain degree. In addition, it is concluded that conventional planning measures are not completely avoidable, but can be partially avoided or deferred through dynamic load management.
Deep Learning on Synthesized Sensor Characteristics and Transmission Spectra Enabling MEMS-Based Spectroscopic Gas Analysis beyond the Fourier Transform Limit
Authors: Elaraby Samar , Abuelenin Sherif M. , Moussa Adel , Sabry Yasser M.
Published: December 2021

Miniaturized Fourier transform infrared spectrometers serve emerging market needs in many applications such as gas analysis. The miniaturization comes at the cost of lower performance than bench-top instrumentation, especially for the spectral resolution. However, higher spectral resolution is needed for better identification of the composition of materials. This article presents a convolutional neural network (CNN) for 3X resolution enhancement of the measured infrared gas spectra using a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer beyond the transform limit. The proposed network extracts a set of high-dimensional features from the input spectra and constructs high-resolution outputs by nonlinear mapping. The network is trained using synthetic transmission spectra of complex gas mixtures and simulated sensor non-idealities such as baseline drifts and non-uniform signal-to-noise ratio. Ten gases that are relevant to the natural and bio gas industry are considered whose mixtures suffer from overlapped features in the mid-infrared spectral range of 2000–4000 cm−1. The network results are presented for both synthetic and experimentally measured spectra using both bench-top and miniaturized MEMS spectrometers, improving the resolution from 60 cm−1 to 20 cm−1 with a mean square error down to 2.4×10−3 in the transmission spectra. The technique supports selective spectral analysis based on miniaturized MEMS spectrometers.
Strength of Chemically Stabilized Sewage Sludge—Some Inferences from Recent Studies
Authors: Lim Sin Mei , He Linqiao , Goh Siang Huat , Lee Fook Hou
Published: December 2021

Although there has been a substantial body of research on the chemical stabilization of sewage sludge, most of these results are project-specific and relate mainly to the use of new binders and sewage sludge from specific sources. In this sense, much of the work to date is context-specific. At present, there is still no general framework for estimating the strength of the chemically treated sludge. This paper proposes one such general framework, based on data from some recent studies. An in-depth re-interpretation of the data is first conducted, leading to the observation that sludge, which has coarse, hard particulate inclusions, such as sand, premixed into it, gives significantly higher strength. This was attributed to the hard coarse particles that lower the void ratio of treated soil, are much less susceptible to volume collapse under pressure, and contribute to the strength through frictional contacts and interlocking. This motivates the postulation of a general framework, based on the premise that coarse, hard particulate inclusions in the sludge which do not react with the binders can nonetheless contribute to the strength of the treated soil. The overall void ratio, defined as the volume of voids in the cementitious matrix normalised by the overall volume, is proposed as a parameter for quantifying the combined effect of the coarse particulate inclusions and the cementitious matrix. The binder-sludge ratio is another parameter which quantifies the strength of the cementitious matrix, excluding the hard particulate inclusions. Back-analysis of the data suggests that the significance of the binder-sludge ratio may diminish as the content of hard particulate inclusions increases.
Online Health Information Seeking Behavior: A Systematic Review
Authors: Jia Xiaoyun , Pang Yan , Liu Liangni Sally
Published: December 2021

The last five years have seen a leap in the development of information technology and social media. Seeking health information online has become popular. It has been widely accepted that online health information seeking behavior has a positive impact on health information consumers. Due to its importance, online health information seeking behavior has been investigated from different aspects. However, there is lacking a systematic review that can integrate the findings of the most recent research work in online health information seeking, and provide guidance to governments, health organizations, and social media platforms on how to support and promote this seeking behavior, and improve the services of online health information access and provision. We therefore conduct this systematic review. The Google Scholar database was searched for existing research on online health information seeking behavior between 2016 and 2021 to obtain the most recent findings. Within the 97 papers searched, 20 met our inclusion criteria. Through a systematic review, this paper identifies general behavioral patterns, and influencing factors such as age, gender, income, employment status, literacy (or education) level, country of origin and places of residence, and caregiving role. Facilitators (i.e., the existence of online communities, the privacy feature, real-time interaction, and archived health information format), and barriers (i.e., low health literacy, limited accessibility and information retrieval skills, low reliable, deficient and elusive health information, platform censorship, and lack of misinformation checks) to online health information seeking behavior are also discovered.
Multivariate Analysis and Machine Learning Approach for Mapping the Variability and Vulnerability of Urban Flooding: The Case of Tangier City, Morocco
Authors: Bouramtane Tarik , Kacimi Ilias , Bouramtane Khalil , Aziz Maryam , Abraham Shiny , Omari Khalid , Valles Vincent , Leblanc Marc , Kassou Nadia , El Beqqali Omar , Bahaj Tarik , Morarech Moad , Yameogo Suzanne , Barbiero Laurent
Published: December 2021

Urban flooding is a complex natural hazard, driven by the interaction between several parameters related to urban development in a context of climate change, which makes it highly variable in space and time and challenging to predict. In this study, we apply a multivariate analysis method (PCA) and four machine learning algorithms to investigate and map the variability and vulnerability of urban floods in the city of Tangier, northern Morocco. Thirteen parameters that could potentially affect urban flooding were selected and divided into two categories: geo-environmental parameters and socio-economic parameters. PCA processing allowed identifying and classifying six principal components (PCs), totaling 73% of the initial information. The scores of the parameters on the PCs and the spatial distribution of the PCs allow to highlight the interconnection between the topographic properties and urban characteristics (population density and building density) as the main source of variability of flooding, followed by the relationship between the drainage (drainage density and distance to channels) and urban properties. All four machine learning algorithms show excellent performance in predicting urban flood vulnerability (ROC curve > 0.9). The Classifications and Regression Tree and Support Vector Machine models show the best prediction performance (ACC = 91.6%). Urban flood vulnerability maps highlight, on the one hand, low lands with a high drainage density and recent buildings, and on the other, higher, steep-sloping areas with old buildings and a high population density, as areas of high to very-high vulnerability.
Restorative Practice in the Criminal Justice System: Examining a Restorative Reasoning Programme in a Women’s Prison
Authors: Rees Ella , Hobson Jonathan
Published: December 2021

This paper is an analysis of a six-week Restorative Reasoning Programme that took place with 13 women in a UK women’s prison. It is an exploratory evaluation based on an adapted version of the QUALIPREV scheme. This two-stage evaluation examines both the processes of the programme, in terms of how well it ran, as well as the outcomes of the programme, in terms of how effective it was in supporting the women to address problem behaviours. Data comprise interviews with the two programme designers and facilitators and with two Prison staff responsible for activities and training; the programme materials used during the scheme; session evaluation forms; and post-programme self-completion reflections from the women engaged in the programme. Overall, the scheme had a range of positive impacts for the women: many expressed a change in attitude, including being more open for discourse and discussion around the harm they may have caused, being more willing to consider the repair needed in their personal relationships, and in some cases seeking subsequent referrals for further restorative work.
Approximation Properties of Chebyshev Polynomials in the Legendre Norm
Authors: Niu Cuixia , Liao Huiqing , Ma Heping , Wu Hua
Published: December 2021

In this paper, we present some important approximation properties of Chebyshev polynomials in the Legendre norm. We mainly discuss the Chebyshev interpolation operator at the Chebyshev–Gauss–Lobatto points. The cases of single domain and multidomain for both one dimension and multi-dimensions are considered, respectively. The approximation results in Legendre norm rather than in the Chebyshev weighted norm are given, which play a fundamental role in numerical analysis of the Legendre–Chebyshev spectral method. These results are also useful in Clenshaw–Curtis quadrature which is based on sampling the integrand at Chebyshev points.
On Two Problems Related to Divisibility Properties of z(n)
Authors: Trojovský Pavel
Published: December 2021

The order of appearance (in the Fibonacci sequence) function z:Z≥1→Z≥1 is an arithmetic function defined for a positive integer n as z(n)=min{k≥1:Fk≡0(modn)}. A topic of great interest is to study the Diophantine properties of this function. In 1992, Sun and Sun showed that Fermat’s Last Theorem is related to the solubility of the functional equation z(n)=z(n2), where n is a prime number. In addition, in 2014, Luca and Pomerance proved that z(n)=z(n+1) has infinitely many solutions. In this paper, we provide some results related to these facts. In particular, we prove that limsupn→∞(z(n+1)−z(n))/(logn)2−ϵ=∞, for all ϵ∈(0,2).
A Parallel Approach of the Enhanced Craig–Bampton Method
Authors: Pařík Petr , Kim Jin-Gyun , Isoz Martin , Ahn Chang-uk
Published: December 2021

The enhanced Craig–Bampton (ECB) method is a novel extension of the original Craig–Bampton (CB) method, which has been widely used for component mode synthesis (CMS). The ECB method, using residual modal compensation that is neglected in the CB method, provides dramatic accuracy improvement of reduced matrices without an increasing number of eigenbasis. However, it also needs additional computational requirements to treat the residual flexibility. In this paper, an efficient parallelization of the ECB method is presented to handle this issue and accelerate the applicability for large-scale structural vibration problems. A new ECB formulation within a substructuring strategy is derived to achieve better scalability. The parallel implementation is based on OpenMP parallel architecture. METIS graph partitioning and Linear Algebra Package (LAPACK) are used to automated algebraic partitioning and computational linear algebra, respectively. Numerical examples are presented to evaluate the accuracy, scalability, and capability of the proposed parallel ECB method. Consequently, based on this work, one can expect effective computation of the ECB method as well as accuracy improvement.
A Systematic Review on Comparative Analyses between Ureteroscopic Lithotripsy and Shock-Wave Lithotripsy for Ureter Stone According to Stone Size
Authors: Jung Hae Do , Hong Youna , Lee Joo Yong , Lee Seon Heui
Published: December 2021

Background and Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to analyze the treatment outcomes of shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) and ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL) according to the ureteral stone size. Materials and Methods: In this systematic review, relevant articles that compared SWL and URSL for treatment of ureteral stones were identified. Articles were selected from four English databases including Ovid-Medline, Ovid-EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of controlled Trials (Central), and Google Scholar. A quality assessment was carried out by our researchers independently using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). A total of 1325 studies were identified, but after removing duplicates, there remained 733 studies. Of these studies, 439 were excluded, 294 were screened, and 18 met the study eligibility criteria. Results: In randomized control trial (RCT) studies, URSL showed significantly higher SFR than SWL (p < 0.01, OR= 0.40, 95% CI 0.30–0.55, I² = 29%). The same results were shown in sub-group analysis according to the size of the stone (<1 cm: p < 0.01, OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.25–0.63; >1 cm: p < 0.01, OR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.19–0.74, I² = 55%; not specified: p < 0.01, OR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.25–0.72, I² = 70%). In the non-RCT studies, the effectiveness of the URSL was significantly superior to that of SWL (p < 0.01, OR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.21–0.52, I² = 83%). Retreatment rate was significantly lower in URSL than in SWL regardless of stone size (p < 0.01, OR = 10.22, 95% CI 6.76–15.43, I² = 54%). Conclusions: Meta-analysis results show that SFR was higher than SWL in URSL and that URSL was superior to SWL in retreatment rate. However, more randomized trials are required to identify definitive conclusions.
High-Temperature Corrosion Performance of FeAl-Based Alloys Containing Carbon in Molten Salt
Authors: Kumar Munish , Kant Ravi , Chand Suresh , Prakash Ujjwal , Sehgal Shankar , Saxena Kuldeep Kumar , Davim Joao Paulo , Prakash Chander
Published: December 2021

Corrosion behavior of FeAl-based alloys containing carbon produced through arc melting in argon atmosphere has been studied at 500 °C to 700 °C. The samples were tested in the aggressive environment of molten salts (80%V2O5/20%Na2SO4). The corrosion behavior was observed by weight change method and the layer products formed were examined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The different phase components were observed in the surface layer after the test in Fe-22Al alloy. A protective Al2O3 layer was confirmed for Fe-22Al alloy containing carbon only. However, an additional TiO layer was also observed in Fe-22Al alloy containing carbon with Ti addition. The microstructural and XRD examinations revealed that this additional TiO layer protects better against penetration of corrosive media. The corrosion resistance behavior of FeAl-based alloys were addressed on the basis of microstructural evidence.
Basic Tool Design Guidelines for Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Alloys
Authors: Hoyos Elizabeth , Serna María Camila
Published: December 2021

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding process that has multiple advantages over fusion welding. The design of tools for the FSW process is a factor of interest, considering its fundamental role in obtaining sound welds. There are some commercially available alternatives for FSW tools, but unlike conventional fusion welding consumables, their use is limited to very specific conditions. In this work, equations to act as guidelines in the design process for FSW tools are proposed for the 2XXX, 5XXX, 6XXX, and 7XXX aluminum series and any given thickness to determine: pin length, pin diameter, and shoulder diameter. Over 80 sources and 200 tests were used and detailed to generate these expressions. As a verification approach, successful welds by authors outside the scope of the original review and the tools used were evaluated under this development and used as case studies or verification for the guidelines. Variations between designs made using the guidelines and those reported by other researchers remain under 21%.
Exploring the Link between Leaky-Gut-Related Markers and Metabolic Health in a Large Dutch Adult Population
Authors: Hoshiko Hiroyuki , Feskens Edith J. M. , Oosterink Els , Ariens Renata M. C. , Mes Jurriaan J. , de Wit Nicole J. W.
Published: December 2021

A leaky gut can trigger chronic inflammation and poses a primary risk for metabolic diseases. This study established a relationship between intestinal integrity (leaky gut) and metabolic health in a general population. Leaky-gut markers (LGMs) were studied in a large population of Dutch adults with a broad spectrum of metabolic health. This study enrolled 500 individuals selected within the NQplus cohort study (n = 2048) by stratified randomization, based on waist circumference, fasting glucose, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol to obtain a representative and balanced population in terms of metabolic health parameters, sex (male/female), and age (<54/≥54 years). LGMs—zonulin, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), and soluble CD14 (sCD14)—were measured in EDTA plasma or serum. Zonulin was most strongly associated with metabolic health. Zonulin and LBP were most strongly associated with the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP). The quartile analysis for zonulin and LBP showed that most metabolic health parameters and CRP levels increased from Q1 to Q4, with significant differences between quartiles, except for markers related to glucose homeostasis (glucose and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)). Associations between LGMs and metabolic health parameters in this large Dutch adult population indicate that LGMs are valuable markers for identifying people at risk of a leaky gut and subsequent chronic inflammation linked to metabolic disorders.
Metabolomics Insights into Chemical Convergence in Xanthomonas perforans and Metabolic Changes Following Treatment with the Small Molecule Carvacrol
Authors: Jibrin Mustafa Ojonuba , Liu Qingchun , Guingab-Cagmat Joy , Jones Jeffrey B. , Garrett Timothy J. , Zhang Shouan
Published: December 2021

Microbes are natural chemical factories and their metabolome comprise diverse arrays of chemicals. The genus Xanthomonas comprises some of the most important plant pathogens causing devastating yield losses globally and previous studies suggested that species in the genus are untapped chemical minefields. In this study, we applied an untargeted metabolomics approach to study the metabolome of a globally spread important xanthomonad, X. perforans. The pathogen is difficult to manage, but recent studies suggest that the small molecule carvacrol was efficient in disease control. Bacterial strains were treated with carvacrol, and samples were taken at time intervals (1 and 6 h). An untreated control was also included. There were five replicates for each sample and samples were prepared for metabolomics profiling using the standard procedure. Metabolomics profiling was carried out using a thermo Q-Exactive orbitrap mass spectrometer with Dionex ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and an autosampler. Annotation of significant metabolites using the Metabolomics Standards Initiative level 2 identified an array of novel metabolites that were previously not reported in Xanthomonas perforans. These metabolites include methoxybrassinin and cyclobrassinone, which are known metabolites of brassicas; sarmentosin, a metabolite of the Passiflora-heliconiine butterfly system; and monatin, a naturally occurring sweetener found in Sclerochiton ilicifolius. To our knowledge, this is the first report of these metabolites in a microbial system. Other significant metabolites previously identified in non-Xanthomonas systems but reported in this study include maculosin; piperidine; β-carboline alkaloids, such as harman and derivatives; and several important medically relevant metabolites, such as valsartan, metharbital, pirbuterol, and ozagrel. This finding is consistent with convergent evolution found in reported biological systems. Analyses of the effect of carvacrol in time-series and associated pathways suggest that carvacrol has a global effect on the metabolome of X. perforans, showing marked changes in metabolites that are critical in energy biosynthesis and degradation pathways, amino acid pathways, nucleic acid pathways, as well as the newly identified metabolites whose pathways are unknown. This study provides the first insight into the X. perforans metabolome and additionally lays a metabolomics-guided foundation for characterization of novel metabolites and pathways in xanthomonad systems.
Contact Engineering Approach to Improve the Linearity of Multilevel Memristive Devices
Authors: Andreeva Natalia , Mazing Dmitriy , Romanov Alexander , Gerasimova Marina , Chigirev Dmitriy , Luchinin Victor
Published: December 2021

Physical mechanisms underlying the multilevel resistive tuning over seven orders of magnitude in structures based on TiO2/Al2O3 bilayers, sandwiched between platinum electrodes, are responsible for the nonlinear dependence of the conductivity of intermediate resistance states on the writing voltage. To improve the linearity of the electric-field resistance tuning, we apply a contact engineering approach. For this purpose, platinum top electrodes were replaced with aluminum and copper ones to induce the oxygen-related electrochemical reactions at the interface with the Al2O3 switching layer of the structures. Based on experimental results, it was found that electrode material substitution provokes modification of the physical mechanism behind the resistive switching in TiO2/Al2O3 bilayers. In the case of aluminum electrodes, a memory window has been narrowed down to three orders of magnitude, while the linearity of resistance tuning was improved. For copper electrodes, a combination of effects related to metal ion diffusion with oxygen vacancies driven resistive switching was responsible for a rapid relaxation of intermediate resistance states in TiO2/Al2O3 bilayers.