bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining the stress, depressive thoughts, and working memory capacities of the university students
Authors: ABO HAMZA Eid , HELAL Ahmed
Published: March 2021

The objective of the study is to measure the capacity of the working memory, and also to investigate its relationship to life stress and depressive thoughts. The study sample consisted of 50 college students studied on Science and Art major. A cognitive task was designed to measure the working memory capacity based on the determinants found in previous research. The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the level of life stress events (high/low) on the task of measuring the working memory capacity. The results also showed that there were no statistically significant differences neither between genders nor between majors on the task of measuring the working memory capacity. Furthermore, the results reported that there was no statistically significant effect of the interaction of the level of life stress (high/low) and gender (male/female) on the task of measuring working memory capacity. Finally, the results reported that there were significant differences in the level of depressive thoughts (high/low) on the task of measuring working memory. The current research concludes that neither the interaction of stressful life events, gender, and academic major, nor the interaction of depressive thoughts, gender, and academic major have an effect on working memory capacity.
Friction lining coefficient of the drive friction pulley
Authors: Krešák Jozef , Peterka Pavel , Ambriško Ľubomír , Mantič Martin
Published: March 2021

Mine hoisting KOEPPE system or friction hoist winch work with traction pulley, the pulley rim grooves are lined. Lining has to provide a higher friction coefficient between the
rope and the traction pulley. The constructors of mine hoisting machines require from the
manufacturers a guaranteed appropriate and stabile value of a friction coefficient at different
pressures between a rope and a friction lining under different external conditions (drought,
moisture, icing, etc.). The paper presents processed measurements performed on the six
samples of the friction lining (G1-G6) made of rubber and the sample of the standard used
friction lining (K25). The samples (G1-G6) differ in the chemical composition of the rubber.
Due to the confidentiality of the material composition of the friction linings the hardness of
the lining material as a discriminator was chosen. The measured values of the friction coefficient of the rubber friction lining samples were compared with the values of the friction
coefficient of the friction lining (K25) usually mounted on friction lining pulley
Processing and properties of Ti-15Zr-15Mo-(1-3)Ag alloys for applications as biofunctional materials
Authors: Torrento Jhuliene Elen , Grandini Carlos Roberto , Correa Diego Rafael Nespeque
Published: March 2021

Titanium (Ti) is employed as a biomaterial because of its superior biocompatibility and favorable mechanical properties that can be changed with the addition of alloying elements, such as zirconium and molybdenum. Silver is an alloying element recognized for its antibacterial action, which can improve the mechanical strength and decrease Young’s modulus of Ti. This work studies the effect of silver addition (1 and 3 wt%) on the crystalline structure, microstructure, Vickers microhardness and Young’s modulus of Ti-15Zr-15Mo (wt%) alloy, targeting for a potential application as a biofunctional material. The ingots were produced by argon arc melting and subsequently subjected to a heat treatment of homogenization, hot-rolling and solubilization heat treatment. Chemical composition indicated good quality on the processing of the alloy. Crystalline structure and microstructure analyzed by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed only titanium’s β phase. Finally, mechanical properties studied by Vickers microhardness and Young’s modulus measurements presented that the addition of low content of silver did not significantly modify the alloy’s mechanical properties, but it can include antibacterial properties on the bulk.
State and Parameter Estimation of a Nonlinear Servo System Handling Noises and Varying Payloads
Authors: Cetin Meric , Beyhan Selami
Published: March 2021

Payload estimators have many parameters, which are trained using the recorded position, velocity and known payload information. To use these payload estimators in the real-time applications, accurate position and velocity information of the system are required. In this paper, first recently proposed sliding-mode observers (SMOs) are designed and compared for velocity estimation of a nonlinear servo system. Second, a parameter estimation based on sliding-mode super-twisting approach is designed to estimate unknown and varying parameter for a class of nonlinear systems. The convergence property of observers is considered using Lyapunov stability method. In the applications, the constant and varying payloads of the servo system have been estimated using the designed method and compared with Extended-Kalman Filter (EKF). In the final section, artificial noises with different SNR are applied to the measurement signal. When the less amplitude of noise signal is applied, second order SMO estimated the states and the payload better than EKF. However, EKF provides much better estimation results than second order SMO for large amplitude of noise signals. For the sake of generalization, second order SMO is a fast and robust observer for small noise cases. In addition, the filtering property of EKF has still importance for large noise cases.
Determinant of Indonesian Banking Profitability: Case Study Dual Banking System
Authors: Achsani Muhammad Nur Faaiz Fathah , Kassim Salina
Published: March 2021

Islamic banking is considered as the perfect alternative of the current conventional financial system.  However, there is still a huge amount of criticisms in terms of its practice, with many claims that Islamic banking and finance simply replaces conventional banking terminology and offers near-identical services to its clients but at a higher cost. The objective of this study is to make a comparative empirical assessment on the determinants of profitability between the Islamic and conventional banks in Indonesia. The panel data regression is applied to analyze the relationship between profitability indicators and both industry and country level characteristics. As far as the author knows, only few studies compare the profitability of Indonesian Islamic banks and conventional banks, especially in using econometrics approach. From the empirical result in the combined model, it is known that conventional banks are more profitable than Islamic banks. Compared to the combined regression, there is no significant difference in terms of significance of the independent variables and its relationship with the dependent variable for the conventional bank regression. Conventional banks are more familiar for the community due to the long operation compared to Islamic banks. Socialization needs to be done with some approach starting from mosques and Islamic schools. The development of supporting industries such as halal industry and halal tourism are also important to increase the demand for Islamic banking product. Beside increasing the demand, efforts to increase the economics of scale is also important with various efforts such as merger or acquisition.
Clostridium difficile infection in the pediatric patients of an oncological hospital: cultivation of anaerobic intestinal flora and treatment
Authors: Shvydkaya Mariya G. , Dzhandarova Dzhamilya T. , Mitrokhin Sergey D.
Published: March 2021

In recent years, the number of infectious diseases caused by Clostridium difficile in the world has grown with a significant increase in relapses and mortality in patients, particularly among cancer patients in hospitals. An increase in the resistance of Clostridium difficile to first-line drugs, namely metronidazole and vancomycin, has also been observed and that makes the search for new methods of treatment and the prevention of this infection even more urgent. In this review, we analyze the recent data on the methods of the cultivation and isolation of the pure bacterial culture of Clostridium difficile and other anaerobic enteropathogens over the course of enterocolitis treatment with antimicrobial drugs in pediatric patients with oncopathology. Novel approaches to the therapy of this infection are discussed.
Sex Differences and Trends in Prevalence of Anxiety, Depression and Vital Exhaustion in Russia / Siberia from 1994 To 2017
Authors: Gafarov Valery , Panov Dmitriy , Gromova Elena , Krymov Eldar , Gagulin Igor , Gafarova Almira
Published: March 2021

Purpose: To determine gender differences in trends of anxiety, depression and vital exhaustion levels in an open population aged 25-64 years over long-term period - 23 years in Russia / Siberia (Novosibirsk).

Methods: Within the framework of the screening in 1994-95 under the WHO MONICA-psychosocial (MOPSY) program (n = 1527, 43% males, mean age 44.85 ± 0.4 years), in 2003-2005 under the international project HAPIEE (n=1650, 34,9% males, mean age 54,25±0,2 years), in 2013-2016 (n=975, 43,8% males, mean age 34,5±0,4 years) and 2016-2017 гг.( n=663, 41,3% years 51,95±0,32 years) within the framework of the budgetary theme No. АААА-А17-117112850280-2, random representative samples of men and women in one of districts in Novosibirsk were examined. Anxiety traits studied by means of the Spielberger test. Depression and vital exhaustion assessed by MOPSY questionnaires.

Results: 2/3 of the female population aged 25-64 years had high level of anxiety traits in 1994. It was highest in the younger age groups. High anxiety was found in less than half of the surveyed men, increasing with age. The maximum values of anxiety were noted in 2003-2005 in both genders. The decrease in the incidence of high anxiety which began in 2013-2016, remained only in the female part of the population aged 35-64y but in men the prevalence of anxiety returned to the levels of 1994.

Depression occurred in more than half of the female population in 1994. The overall prevalence among men was less than 30%. At the same time, the frequency of major D in women was 4-fold higher compared with men (p <0.001). Trends in prevalence in 2017 were mixed: a reduction in moderate levels and an increase in major depression in the youngest and oldest age groups.

The prevalence of high vital exhaustion in 1994 was 14.6% and 31% in men and women 25-64 years, respectively (p <0.001). An increase in high exhaustion from younger to older age groups was noted in both sexes. The downward trend in exhaustion in 2017 persisted only among women. At that moment for the first time men began to report high exhaustion more often than women over 23-year of follow-up (16.9% and 15.6% for men and women 35-64y, respectively; n.s.).

Conclusion: The prevalence of affective states is higher in females in general population. Long-term trends in decreasing the prevalence of anxiety, depression and vital exhaustion were not sustainable and returned to levels of 1994.
Cosmic Implications of Tresino Formation: A Narrated Review
Authors: Mayer Frederick J
Published: March 2021

Tresino formation plays an important role in determining the composition of the universe from late in the early Universe until now. This letter presents a simplified version of our Baryon Phase Transition cosmology to clarify how the composition evolved to become what it is.
Trichoderma: A Complete Tool Box for Climate Smart Agriculture
Authors: Akter Ferdous , Ahmed Md. Giush Uddin , Alam M Firoz
Published: March 2021

The green revolution practiced at a great cost of environment to meet the ever-increasing demands for food and fiber. The indiscriminate use of agrochemicals resulted in a damaged ecosystem, food and water contamination, lost of local cultivar, pesticide tolerance, and disease resistance along with different climate change vulnerability. All these pressurize further on agricultural system to increase its productivity. Short-termed chemical remedy turns into today's hot topics of both environment and health concern. There is an urgent need to develop a sustainable approach for maximum crop production with minimum damage in climate vulnerable zone. Trichoderma are eco-friendly bio-reliance similar to organic and integrated management (IPM) recognized globally. In Bangladesh, the time is to avail Trichoderma as substitute of agrochemicals and fertilizers to combat biotic, abiotic both stresses. This study is for searching beneficial arsenal of Trichoderma to discover the whole tool box to counteract climate threat in rising demand of crop.
Ustalanie momentu powstania przychodu od zaliczki jako narzędzie strategii podatkowej przedsiębiorstw
Authors: Jarczok-Guzy Magdalena
Published: March 2021

Niniejszy artykuł przedstawia wpływ stosowania zasad ogólnych oraz nowych regulacji prawnych dotyczących ustalania momentu powstania przychodu podatkowego od otrzymanych zaliczek w podatku dochodowym od osób prawnych oraz osób fizycznych na płynność przedsiębiorstwa. Uproszczenie w przepisach obowiązujących od początku 2015 roku uprawnia podatników stosujących kasy rejestrujące do utożsamiania momentu ewidencjonowania zaliczki z momentem powstania przychodu. Na przykładzie liczbowym zilustrowano wpływ opisanych regulacji na kształtowanie momentu obowiązku podatkowego w podatku dochodowym oraz wykazano, iż wybór sposobu ustalania tego momentu dla otrzymanych zaliczek od osób fizycznych może stanowić narzędzie strategii podatkowej przedsiębiorstwa.
Increasing Skin-to-Skin in a Level IV NICU: A Quality Improvement
Project
Authors: Marsh Kimberly R. , Young Heather L. , Peeples Eric S.
Published: March 2021

Purpose

To evaluate the effect of a bundled intervention on the number of
skin-to-skin (“kangaroo care”) events occurring in a level IV NICU.

Design

A quality improvement effort centering around the introduction of an
intervention bundle intended to safely increase the rate of skin-to-skin
holding. Rates of unplanned extubations were recorded as a balancing measure to
estimate safety.

Sample

All infants admitted to the NICU from December 2017 through September 2019
were included. The “preintervention” period was the 6 months prior to the
initiation of the intervention bundle (December 2017–May 2018).

Results

The absolute number of skin-to-skin holds increased from the
preintervention phase (range 7–28 holds/month, median 11 holds/month) to the
postintervention phase (range 16–100 holds/month, median 55 holds/month). The
total unplanned extubations showed no significant change between the
preintervention and postintervention periods.
CONQUISTAS SOCIAIS AUFERIDAS COM A PROMULGAÇÃO DA CONSTITUIÇÃO FEDERAL DE 1988: UMA REFLEXÃO RETROSPECTIVA DE TRÊS DÉCADAS
Authors: Ribeiro Teles Tayson
Published: March 2021

Neste artigo é feita uma breve reflexão sobre as conquistas sociais trazidas à sociedade brasileira com o advento da Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil de 1988. A metodologia é a exploração bibliográfica, cotejando-se e intercalando-se pensamentos de vários autores. Entende-se ser o momento oportuno, porquanto em 2018 a Constituição pátria atual fez 30 anos de existência, bem como atualmente vivemos no Brasil uma espécie de onda conservadora, com pedidos risíveis por uma intervenção militar constitucional, que inexiste como possibilidade na legislação brasileira, para acabar com a perene corrupção nos poderes pátrios, a eleição de um presidente autoproclamado de direita e, mais recentemente, comemorações pelo golpe militar-civil de 31 de março de 1964, que completou 55 anos em 2019. Precisamos, mais do nunca, ressaltar a importância da democracia, lembrando de um recente período de seu fortalecimento: a promulgação da Constituição Federal de 1988.
PROPRIEDADES DO CONCRETO PRODUZIDO COM RESÍDUO DE VIDRO TEMPERADO
Authors: Vieira de Oliveira Dayane , Alexandre da Silva Mateus , Neves Merlo Marina , Silveira Thebaldi Michael
Published: March 2021

Devido à degradação ambiental provocada pela construção civil, nota-se a preocupação em encontrar materiais alternativos, a fim de poupar recursos naturais e evitar a deposição desordenada de resíduos. Desta maneira, objetivou-se analisar a viabilidade técnica da utilização de resíduos de vidro temperado em substituição ao agregado graúdo em concretos. As substituições em massa da brita pelo vidro seguiram as proporções de 0, 10, 20, 50, 70 e 100%. Analisou-se a granulometria do resíduo de vidro, a consistência do concreto em estado fresco e endurecido, a massa específica do concreto úmido e sua resistência a compressão com 28 dias. A granulometria do vidro se equiparou a da brita, enquanto a consistência do concreto diminuiu com o aumento da substituição da brita pelo resíduo de vidro. Os resultados de massa específica do concreto e a resistência a compressão, não apresentaram variações significativas em relação ao concreto convencional. Portanto, a utilização deste resíduo como agregado graúdo no concreto alcançou resultados técnicos e ecológicos positivos. Contudo, é necessária uma maior compreensão de sua execução, sendo indicado, a priori, apenas para fins não estruturais.
Navigating Bitcoin Panic-Selling using Linear Approach
Authors: Prasetiadi Agi
Published: March 2021

COVID-19 affects significant human activity around the globe, including Bitcoin prices. The Bitcoin price is well known for its volatility, so it is not a big shocker when the panic-selling occurs during the pandemic. However, the mechanism to cope with these breakouts, especially the bearish one, is contentious. The experts give numerous pieces of advice with different conclusions in the end. It is also the same with Machine Learning. Various kernels show different results regarding how the price will move. It depends on the window size, how the data is being preprocessed, and the algorithm used. This paper inspects the best combination that various machine learning can offer with a linear approach to navigate the price prediction based on its depth interval, window size until the algorithms themselves. This paper also proposed a new approach to seeing the prediction range called s-steps ahead prediction using a linear model. The result shows that simple machine learning can herd 99.715% profit even during the bearish breakout.
Dirac 4x1 Wavefunction Recast into a 4x4 Type Wavefunction
Authors: Nyambuya Golden Gadzirayi
Published: March 2021

As currently understood, the Dirac theory employs a 4 x1 type wavefunction. This 4x1 Dirac wavefunction is acted upon by a 4x4 Dirac Hamiltonian operator, in which process, four independent particle solutions result. Insofar as the real physical meaning and distinction of these four solutions, it is not clear what these solutions really mean. We demonstrate herein that these four independent particle solutions can be brought together under a single roof wherein the Dirac wavefunction takes a new form as a 4x4 wavefunction. In this new formation of the Dirac wavefunction, these four particle solutions precipitate into three distinct and mutuality dependent particles that are eternally bound in the same region of space. Given that Quarks are readily found in a mysterious threesome cohabitation-state eternally bound inside the Proton and Neutron, we make the suggestion that these Dirac particles might be Quarks. For the avoidance of speculation, we do not herein explore this idea further but merely present it as a very interesting idea worthy of further investigation. We however must say that, in the meantime, we are looking further into this very interesting idea, with the hope of making inroads in the immediate future.
The Relation between Physiological Parameters and Colour Modifications in Text Background and Overlay during Reading in Children with and without Dyslexia
Authors: Jakovljević Tamara , Janković Milica M. , Savić Andrej M. , Soldatović Ivan , Čolić Gordana , Jakulin Tadeja Jere , Papa Gregor , Ković Vanja
Published: March 2021

Reading is one of the essential processes during the maturation of an individual. It is estimated that 5-10% of school-age children are affected by dyslexia, the reading disorder characterised by difficulties in the accuracy or fluency of word recognition. There are many studies which have reported that colour overlays and background could improve the reading process, especially in children with reading disorders. As dyslexia has neurobiological origins, the aim of the present research was to understand the relationship between physiological parameters and colour modifications in the text and background during reading in children with and without dyslexia. We have measured differences in electroencephalography (EEG), heart rate variability (HRV), electrodermal activities (EDA), and eye movement of the 36 school-age children (18 with dyslexia and 18 of control group) during the reading performance in 13 combinations of background and overlay colours during the reading task. Our findings showed that the dyslexic children have longer reading duration, fixation count, fixation duration average, fixation duration total, and longer saccade count, saccade duration total, and saccade duration average while reading on white and coloured background/overlay. It was found that the turquoise, turquoise O, and yellow colours are beneficial for dyslexic readers, as they achieved the shortest time duration during the reading tasks when these colours were used. Also, dyslexic children have higher values of beta and the whole range of EEG while reading in particular colour (purple), as well as increasing theta range while reading on the purple overlay colour. We have observed no significant differences between HRV parameters on white colour, except for single colours (purple, turquoise overlay and yellow overlay) where the control group showed higher values for Mean HR, while dyslexic children scored higher with Mean RR. Regarding EDA measure we have found systematically lower values in children with dyslexia in comparison to the control group. Based on present results we can conclude that both colours (warm and cold background/overlays) are beneficial for both groups of readers and all sensor modalities could be used to better understand the neurophysiological origins in dyslexic children.
SMADS-mediate Molecular Mechanisms in Sjӧgren's Syndrome
Authors: Sisto Margherita , Ribatti Domenico , Lisi Sabrina
Published: March 2021

There is considerable interest in delineating the molecular mechanisms of action of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), considered as central player in a plethora of human conditions, including cancer, fibrosis and autoimmune disease. TGF-β elicits its biological effects through membrane bound serine/threonine kinase receptors which transmit their signals via downstream signalling molecules, SMADs, which regulate the transcription of target genes in collaboration with various co-activators and co-repressors. Until now, therapeutic strategy for primary Sjӧgren’s syndrome (pSS) has been focused on inflammation, but, recently, the involvement of TGF-β/SMADs signalling has been demonstrated in pSS, although TGFβ family members seems to have ambiguous effects on the function of pSS salivary glands. Based on these premises, this review highlights recent advances in unravelling the molecular basis for the multi-faceted functions of TGF-β in pSS that are dictated by orchestrations of SMADs, and describe TGF-β/SMADs value as both disease markers and/or therapeutic target for pSS.
Forecasting the Spread of COVID-19 and ICU Requirements
Authors: Podder Prajoy , Khamparia Aditya , Mondal M. Rubaiyat Hossain , Rahman Mohammad Atikur , Bharati Subrato
Published: March 2021

Since December 2019, the world is fighting against coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This disease is caused by a novel coronavirus termed as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This work focuses on the applications of machine learning algorithms in the context of COVID-19. Firstly, regression analysis is performed to model the number of confirmed cases and death cases. Our experiments show that autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) can reliably model the increase in the number of confirmed cases and can predict future cases. Secondly, a number of classifiers are used to predict whether a COVID-19 patient needs to be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) or semi-ICU. For this, classification algorithms are applied to a dataset having 5644 samples. Using this dataset, the most significant attributes are selected using features selection by ExtraTrees classifier, and Proteina C reativa (mg/dL) is found to be the highest-ranked feature. In our experiments, random forest, logistic regression, support vector machine, XGBoost, stacking and voting classifiers are applied to the top 10 selected attributes of the dataset. Results show that random forest and hard voting classifiers achieve the highest classification accuracy values near 98%, and the highest recall value of 98% in predicting the need for admission into ICU/semi ICU units.
Historical Changes and Future Trajectories of Deforestation in the Ituri-Epulu-Aru landscape (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Authors: Kabuanga Joël Masimo , Kakonda Onésime Mubenga , Saquali Medhi , Maetripieri Nicolas , Mweru Jean-Pierre Mate , Liama Aimé Balimbaki , Nishuli Radar , Mané Landing
Published: March 2021

The Ituri-Epulu-Aru landscape (IEAL) is experiencing deforestation and forest degradation. This deforestation is at the root of many environmental disturbances in a region characterized by endemism in biodiversity. This article focuses on the triangulation of spatialized prospective scenarios in order to identify future trajectories based on the knowledge of historical dynamics through the diachronic analysis of three satellite images (2003-2010-2014-2016). The scenarios were de-signed in a supervised model implemented in the DINAMICA EGO platform. The three scenarios Business-As-Usual (BAU), Rapid Economic Growth (REG) and Sustainable Management of the Environment (SME), extrapolating current trends, show that by 2061 this landscape will always be dominated forests (+ 84%). Old-growth forests occupy 74.2% of the landscape area in the BAU scenario, 81.4% in the SEM scenario and 61.2% in the REG scenario. The SEM scenario gives hope that restoration and preservation of biodiversity priority habitats is still possible if policy makers become aware of it.
Situational Analysis on Nutritional Status of Adolescent Girls: A Study from Rural Karnataka, India
Authors: M Rubavel , A Jonas Richard , A Winnie Joyce
Published: March 2021

Adolescence is a critical period of life. This is a time of rapid development of the body, brain, and behaviours. They undergo puberty changes and also face difficulties that may affect health throughout life which is a setback for the growth of adolescent girls. It is important to study the nutritional status of adolescent girls. The study has been taken up on the Nutritional aspects of the Adolescent girls to focus on the Socio-Economic conditions of the families, Nutritional intake of the Adolescent Girls, and status of Body Mass Index (BMI) and Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) among the adolescents and to suggest recommendation to improve the Nutritional status of adolescent girls. This study would help to create a positive effect in reducing health problems and bring out strategies to improve the health condition of Adolescent Girls. It would help to create a positive effect on the problem of Maternal Mortality Ratio, Infant Mortality Rate, Neonatal Mortality Rate, and Crude Birth Rate. It may help to reduce the drop-out rate in school as well as in pursuing Higher Education. This study focuses on the situational analysis of the nutritional status of adolescents by measuring the BMI (Body Mass Index) in the rural villages of Karnataka, India, and suggests intervention strategies and proposes policies to enhance the health of the adolescent girls.
Family Health Strategy, Primary Health Care, and Social Inequalities in Mortality Among Older Adults in Bagé, Southern Brazil
Authors: Kessler Marciane , Thumé Elaine , Marmot Michael , Macinko James , Facchini Luiz Augusto , Nedel Fúlvio Borges , Wachs Louriele Soares , Volz Pâmela Moraes , de Oliveira Cesar
Published: March 2021

Objectives. To investigate the role of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) in reducing social inequalities in mortality over a 9-year follow-up period.

Methods. We carried out a population-based cohort study of individuals aged 60 years and older from the city of Bagé, Brazil. Of 1593 participants at baseline (2008), 1314 (82.5%) were included in this 9-year follow-up (2017). We assessed type of primary health care (PHC) coverage and other variables at baseline. In 2017, we ascertained 579 deaths through mortality registers. Hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals modeled time to death estimated by Cox regression. We also tested the effect modification between PHC and wealth.

Results. The FHS had a protective effect on mortality among individuals aged 60 to 64 years, a result not found among those not covered by the FHS. Interaction analysis showed that the FHS modified the effect of wealth on mortality. The FHS protected the poorest from all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.36, 0.96) and avoidable mortality (HR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.25, 0.85).

Conclusions. FHS coverage reduced social inequalities in mortality among older adults. Our findings highlight the need to guarantee universal health coverage in Brazil by expanding and strengthening the FHS to promote health equity.
The Effect of Coal-Fired Power Plant Closures on Emergency Department Visits for Asthma-Related Conditions Among 0- to 4-Year-Old Children in Chicago, 2009–2017
Authors: Komisarow Sarah , Pakhtigian Emily L.
Published: March 2021

Objectives. To investigate the effects of coal-fired power plant closures on zip code–level rates of emergency department visits for asthma-related conditions among 0- to 4-year-old children in Chicago, Illinois.

Methods. We used data on wind, population, PM2.5 (particulates measuring ≤ 2.5 µm in diameter), and zip code–level rates of emergency department visits for asthma-related conditions among 0- to 4-year-old children between 2009 and 2017 in Chicago. The difference-in-differences research design compared rates of emergency department visits in zip codes near 3 coal-fired power plants before and after their closures to rates in zip codes farther away during the same time period.

Results. We found that emergency department visits for asthma-related conditions among 0- to 4-year-old children decreased by 12% in zip codes near the 3 coal-fired power plants following their closures relative to rates in zip codes farther away during the same period. The crude and age-specific rates of emergency department visits decreased by 2.41 visits per ten thousand inhabitants and 35.63 visits per ten thousand children aged 0 to 4 years, respectively.

Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate that closing coal-fired power plants can lead to improvements in the respiratory health of young children.
AN ALTERNATIVE CREDIT GUARANTEE SCHEME FOR FINANCING MSEs IN ISLAMIC BANKING
Authors: Hamidi M. Luthfi , Salahudin Fikri
Published: March 2021

The objective of this paper is to propose a model for a financing guarantee scheme (FGS) funded by the voluntary sector (through zakat, infaq, and sadaqah, or ZIS funds) to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We argue that the existing credit guarantee scheme (CGS) relies on government funding, but that in the current Covid-19 pandemic it is experiencing unstable financial capability. Hence, the sustainability of the CGS program is questionable. We employ the input-output (I-O) approach to identify the expected impact if the proposed FGS is applied. We further substantiate the proposal with seven Indonesian Syariah experts’ opinions, of whom five suggest that the alternative scheme is acceptable. The simulation using I-O shows that if IDR1 trillion (out of IDR10 trillion from ZIS funds in 2019) is disbursed through the scheme, this will increase economic growth by 0.0117%, representing economic activities worth IDR1.235 trillion, and creating 2,151 new jobs. We further discuss the implications of the findings for the Islamic banking industry in the future and for regulators.
IMPACT OF ISLAMIC BANKING INCLUSION ON SME EMPLOYMENT GROWTH IN NIGERIA
Authors: Sabiu Tasiu Tijjani , Abduh Muhamad
Published: March 2021

Despite the considerable resources devoted to SMEs by Islamic banks worldwide, and Nigeria in particular, there has been no rigorous empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of Islamic banking inclusion on employment growth in SMEs globally. This study fills this gap by analysing the effectiveness of access to Islamic banking financing in promoting MSME's growth in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria. We focus on the impact of the credit lines facilitated by Jaiz Bank Plc in fostering firms’ growth measured in terms of employment. A survey based on a quasi- experimental approach was employed and the data were collected by means of a questionnaire distributed to a sample of 385 MSMEs' beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of Islamic bank financing in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria. Using difference-in-difference and propensity score matching techniques to deal with selection bias, the study found significant positive effects on MSMEs’ employment growth. In addition, the paper highlights the important role of Islamic bank financing in mitigating the unemployment crisis in Nigeria. The paper recommends that improvement of the Islamic banking system by employing PLS financing, especially Musharaka, could foster MSMEs' financial inclusion and job creation.
Do autistic adults spontaneously reason about belief? A detailed exploration of alternative explanations
Authors: Wu Ruihan , Lim Jing Tian , Ahmed Zahra , Acem Ensar , Chowdhury Ishita , White Sarah J
Published: March 2021

Background: Some autistic individuals with good compensatory skills may circumvent diagnosis, but still struggle with mentalizing. This missed or delayed identification can deprive them of the opportunity to receive necessary support and interventions. Thus, more sensitive assessment techniques are needed that are not susceptible to compensation. One such promising assessment, Southgate et al. (2007)'s anticipatory looking paradigm, has presented exciting yet inconclusive evidence surrounding spontaneous mentalizing in autism. The present study therefore aimed to advance this paradigm by addressing some alternative explanations and scrutinizing the claims that have been made in the literature, through implementing a multi-trial design with shorter trials, matched true-belief conditions, and both high and low inhibitory demand false-belief conditions. We also sought to inspect if any group differences were related to group-specific patterns of attention on key events. Methods: Seventeen autistic adults were compared with nineteen neurotypical adults on an adapted implicit mentalizing task and a well-established explicit mentalizing task. One-sample t -tests were used to compare performance to chance on the implicit task, a mixed-design ANOVA was conducted to examine main effects of group, time and belief and their interactions, and t -tests were used to further explore gaze patterns. Results: The two groups were comparable in the explicit mentalizing task, indicating sophisticated mentalistic reasoning; however, the autism group did not show anticipatory looking behaviour in the implicit mentalizing task, indicating that they struggled to mentalize the protagonist's beliefs. Surprisingly, there was no group difference in attention distribution during any of the key event. Limitations: Our true-belief conditions may also trigger mentalizing; future studies should therefore create a mentalizing-free baseline matched with the false-belief scenario. Conclusions: Our findings further document that although many autistic individuals perform well in explicit tasks, they struggle to spontaneously mentalize in implicit tasks, consistent with their everyday social difficulties. We ruled out some alternative theoretical explanations for this pattern of performance, leading to a better understanding of mentalizing difficulties. We also presented evidence that autistic adults may process information from social cues in the same way as neurotypical adults, but this information is not then used to update mental representations.
Effect of Social Media Usage on Research Competences and Completion during COVID-19: Case of Pre-Service Health Sciences Researchers
Authors: Asghar Muhammad Zaheer , Arif Seema , Hakkarainen Pirita Seitamaa , Khan Junaid Sarfraz
Published: March 2021

Introduction: Pandemic has proved to be a game-changer for higher education. The emerging context of using different social media tools for timely completion of their graduate and postgraduate research is evident among health sciences pre-service researchers during the pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with health sciences preservice researchers (n=410) enrolled in postgraduate health sciences programs of the Pakistani universities. The Vitae (2011) framework was considered to measure research competences of the pre-service researchers with the factors of personal effectiveness (PE), research knowledge and intellectual abilities (KI), research and governance (RG), and researcher's engagement and influence (EI) to disseminate research. Conclusions explicitly focused on using Social Media are drawn from the Structure Equation Model obtained via Smart PLS.Results: The findings have highlighted that preservice health sciences researchers used different forms of social media to support their research completion during COVID-19. Multimedia tools helped pre-service researchers to share information through audio, video, and image sharing service on various networks. Information management tools such as google docs and monkey surveys were useful for data collection during COVID-19.Conclusion: This study implicated that different forms of social media tools helped health sciences pre-service researchers develop their research competences, such as personal effectiveness, research governance, and research engagement, which ultimately influenced them to complete their research tasks on time in pandemics.
Characterization and Phylogeny of Fungi from Industrial Wastewater Using Highly Conserved Multiple Gene Loci
Authors: Ezeonuegbu Blessing Amaka , Machido Dauda Abdullahi , Whong Clement Z. , Japhet Wisdom S. , Yaro Clement Ameh , Batiha Gaber El-Saber
Published: March 2021

The aim of this study was isolation and molecular characterization of fungi from untreated industrial effluent by multigene phylogenetic analyses. The Fungi isolated were characterized based on PCR amplification and genomic sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), partial β-tubulin (Ben A), calmodulin (CaM), and DNA-directed RNA polymerase second large subunit (RPB2) genes, along with morphological characterization and species diversity. Fungal DNA extraction kits and primers sets for the selected genes were purchased and used following the manufacturer’s instructions. The obtained sequences were subjected to BLAST analysis and the corresponding fungal isolates were assigned species names after comparison with representative sequences available in GenBank. All the sequences from this study were deposited in GenBank and the accession number assigned. Phylogenetic trees of the fungal isolates were drawn for each gene by the Maximum Likelihood method using MEGA 7.0 software. Fifteen (15) Fungi species belonging to four genera of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium and Trichoderma with Aspergillus as the predominant genus were identified.
Value of SERCA2a as a Biomarker for the Identification of Patients With Advanced Heart Failure Requiring Circulatory Support
Authors: Ezzitouny Meryem , Lletí Esther Roselló , Portolés Manuel , Lázaro Ignacio Sánchez , Vives Miguel Angel Arnau , Tarazón Estefania , Cayuela Carolina Gil , Edo Silvia Lozano , Vilella Raquel López , Bonet Luis Almenar , Dolz Luis Martínez
Published: March 2021

Background: Heart failure (HF) alters the nucleo-cytoplasmic transport of cardiomyocytes and reduces SERCA2a levels, essential for intracellular calcium homeostasis. We consider in this study whether the molecules involved in these processes can differentiate those patients with advanced HF and the need for mechanical circulatory support (MCS) as a bridge to recovery or urgent heart transplantation from those clinically stable and who are transplanted in an elective code. Material and method: Blood samples from patients with advanced HF were analyzed by ELISA and the plasma levels of Importin5, Nucleoporin153 kDa, RanGTPase-Activiting Protein 1 and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2 + ATPase were compared among patients that need MCS and patients without MCS. Results: SERCA2a showed significantly lower levels in patients who had MCS compared to those who did not require it (0.501 ± 0.530 ng / mL and 1,123 ± 0.661 ng / mL p = 0.01, respectively). By constructing the ROC curve with the SERCA2a values ​​(area under the curve of 0.812 ± 0.085, with a p of 0.004 and a 95% confidence interval between 0.646 and 0.979), we have established a cut-off point of 0.84 ng / mL with sensitivity of 92%, specificity of 62%, negative predictive value of 91% and positive predictive value of 67%. Conclusion: Patients with advanced HF and need for MCS have significantly lower levels of SERCA2a than stable patients without need for MCS. More studies are needed to validate these results. Trial registration: retrospectively registered
Soufeng Sanjie Formula Alleviates Collagen-induced Arthritis in Mice by Inhibiting Th17 Cell Differentiation
Authors: Hua Di , Yang Jie , Meng Qinghai , Ling Yuanyuan , Wei Qin , Wang Zhigang , Wei Qingyun , Chen Jiao , Ye Juan , Han Xuan , Su Kelei , Kong Weikang , Xu Chao , Cao Peng , Hu Chunping
Published: March 2021

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease. Soufeng sanjie formula (SF), which is composed of scolopendra (dried body of Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans L. Koch), scorpion (dried body of Buthus martensii Karsch), astragali radix (dried root of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge), and black soybean seed coats (seed coats of Glycine max (L.) Merr), and is a traditional Chinese prescription for treating RA. However, the mechanism of SF in treating RA remain unclear. This study was aim to investigate the anti-arthritic effects of SF in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model and explore the mechanism by which SF alleviates arthritis in CIA mice.Methods: For in vivo studies, female DBA/1J mice were used to establish the CIA model, and either SF (183 or 550 mg/kg/d) or methotrexate (MTX, 920 mg/kg, twice/week) was orally administered to the mice from the day of arthritis onset. After administration for 30 d, degree of ankle joint inflammatory infiltration and serum levels of IgG and inflammatory cytokines were determined. The balance of Th17/Treg cells in the spleen and lymph nodes was analyzed using flow cytometry. Furthermore, the effect of SF on Th17 cells differentiation in vitro was investigated in Th17 polarization.Results: SF decreased the arthritis score, ameliorated paw swelling, and reduced synovial hyperplasia in the joints of CIA mice. In addition, SF decreased the levels of bovine collagen-specific IgG and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-17A) and increased the level of IL-10 in the sera of CIA mice. Moreover, SF treatment rebalanced the Th17/Treg ratio in the spleen and lymph nodes of CIA mice. In vitro, SF treatment reduced Th17 cell generation and IL-17A production and inhibited the expression of RORγt, IRF4, and Il-17A under Th17 polarization conditions.Conclusions: Our results suggest that SF exhibits anti-arthritic effects and restores Th17/Treg homeostasis in CIA mice by inhibiting Th17 cell differentiation.
Polydiacetylene Vesicles Acting as Colorimetric Sensor for the Detection of Plantaricin LD1 Purified From Lactobacillus Plantarum LD1
Authors: Yadav Manoj Kumar , Tiwari Santosh Kumar
Published: March 2021

The interaction of antimicrobial peptides with membrane lipids plays a major role in numerous physiological processes. Bacteriocins are antimicrobial peptides known to kill target cells by pore formation and membrane disruption. In this study, polydiacetylene (PDA) vesicles were applied as artificial membrane for detection of plantaricin LD1 purified from Lactobacillus plantarum LD1. Plantaricin LD1 (200 µg/ml) was able to change the color of PDA vesicles from blue to red with colorimetric response CR % 30.26 ± 0.59. Nisin (200 µg/ml), used as control, also changed the color of the vesicles with CR % 50.56 ± 0.98 validating the membrane-acting nature of these bacteriocins. The PDA vesicles treated with nisin and plantaricin LD1 showed increased infrared absorbance at 1411.46 cm-1 and 1000-1150 cm-1 indicated the interaction of bacteriocins with phospholipids and fatty acids, respectively. Further, microscopic examination also suggested the disruption of bacteriocin-treated vesicles indicating the interaction of bacteriocins. These findings suggest that the PDA vesicles may be used as bio-mimetic sensor for the detection of bacteriocins produced by several probiotics in food and therapeutic applications.
Dominating the Structural, Microstructural and Magnetic Features of Li+ Substituted Strontium Hexaferrite (Sr1-xLi2xFe12O19)
Authors: Hessien Mahmoud , El-Bagoury Nader , Mahmoud M. H. H. , Alsawat M. , ALanazi Abdullah , Rashad M. M.
Published: March 2021

Lithium ion substituted hexagonal strontium ferrite (Sr1-xLi2xFe12O19, where x= 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) powders have been felicitously fabricated using tartrate precursor scheme. The impact of the Li+ content, as well as the annealing temperature on the phase evolution, microstructure and magnetic performance, was commanded by X-ray diffraction profile (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Single phase hexagonal ferrite was consummated at a Li+ ratio of 0.2 and different annealing temperatures, from 1000 to 1200oC for 2h. An impurity α-Fe2O3 phase was noted at a high Li+ concentration of 0.4 and 0.6 at all temperatures. The crystallo-aspects characteristics were altered with Li+ content and annealing temperature. The microstructure of pure hexagonal ferrite sample visualized platelet like structure. A fine spherical shape displayed with platelet shape by enhancing the Li+ content up to 0.4 and 0.6. EDX analysis emphasized Fe, Sr, O, and Li atoms spread between the plate and spherical shapes. Good saturation magnetization (Ms=60.88 emu/g) was realized for Li+ content of 0.2 as the results of increasing the thickness of the nanoplatelet structure.
Ultralow loss topological metamaterial in the visible spectrum
Authors: Zhao Jing , Chen Huan , Song Kun , Xiang Liqin , Zhao Qian , Shang Chaohong , Wang Xiaonong , Shen Zhijie , Wu Xianfeng , Hu Yajie , zhao xiaopeng
Published: March 2021

Optical metamaterials give birth to the control and regulation of light. However, because of strong energy dissipation and fabrication difficulty in metals, low-loss isotropic three dimentional negative index metamaterials (NIMs) in the visible spectrum has long been regarded as an extremely challenging. Here we report an ultralow loss isotropic topological metamaterials for visible light. The ball-thorn-shaped meta-clusters with symmetrical structure consisting of dielectric and topological silver layer was proposed, the surface plasma resonance is formed inside a cluster unit with a height of two atomic layers, resulting in an optimized silver coating thickness about 1 nm. We invented a unique technique for preparing ultralow loss isotropic clusters and three-dimensional large area samples. The negative refractive index and the inverse Doppler effect of green and red light is measured by the prism method for the first time. This molecular crystals NIMs break through noble metal important energy losses and manufacturing difficulties.