bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A preliminary Study on the 1:1 Electronic Supervision System and Crime Deterrence of Sex Offenders
Authors:   Korean Association of Public Safety and Criminal Justice, Park MiRang
Published: October 2022

The main purpose of this study is to examine the deterrence of punishment of the 1:1 electronic supervision system. The study was conducted on all subjects of 1:1 electronic supervision, and with the cooperation of the Ministry of Justice, 20 subjects were interviewed and 21 subjects were surveyed. The deterrence of punishment perceived by the subjects of 1:1 electronic supervision was queried and investigated by dividing it into celerity, certainty, and severity. In terms of deterrence of punishment, the 1:1 electronic supervision system did not prove the special deterrece effect. However, it was proved that the deterrence of certainty is greater and clearer for the majority of sex offenders than severity or celerity. In addition, in terms of the celerity of punishment, the concern of the 1:1 electronic supervision was evident. In fact, it was recognized that the selection criteria that reflected the dynamic factor on the evaluation of the corrective effect and risk of the subject were necessary because the period of occurrence of the crime and the period of selecting the subject for 1:1 electronic supervision was too long. Although the system was started with great concerns, it was possible to partially confirm the effect of intensive probation that prioritizes human-centered and individual treatment within those concerns.
In addition, it was confirmed that the unfairness of law enforcement or distrust toward the criminal justice system felt by the subjects weakened the net function of punishment. It could be confirmed once again that trust toward the criminal justice system takes precedence in order to expect the deterrent effect of punishment for special deterrence.
A Study on the Issues of Legalization of Certified Detectives
Authors:   Korean Association of Public Safety and Criminal Justice, Han Jong-Wook
Published: October 2022

Korea is the only OECD member country without detective system, and officially relies on the public investigation agencies for all cases. If a legal detective system is enacted and implemented to resolve disputes smoothly without relying on public power, it will reduce the time and cost of social disputes and further improve people’s satisfaction and quality of life.
Due to the lack of current legislation, there is a problem that personal information infringement and multidimensional human rights infringement can occur in the dard as errand centers and offices are not managed systematically.
In 1999, the National Assembly first attempted to enact a bill on certified detectives, but it was not submitted to the plenary session, and 20 years late, about 10 laws related to detectives legislations were processed or discarded due to the expiration of their term.
In fact, several bills have been tried by the National Assembly to protect the rights and interests of the people by overcoming the limitations of public power that cannot be fully responded to only by law enforcement and investigation by state law enforcement agency and creating future jobs. However, due to negative views on the infringement of personal information and privacy at work and conflicts with existing laws and regulations, it has been difficult to pass the bill.
However, regardless of the ruling and opposition parties, there is no disagreement on the legalization of detectives, but there is a disagreement over which state agency the competent government office should be placed in, which is considered an obstacle to the legalization itself. This paper examines the main issues in the legalization process of certified detectives so far. To this end, from a comparative legal point of view, I would like to examine the cases of advanced foreign countries and propose a plan to legislate detectives suitable for Korea.
Optimized Machine Learning based forecasting model for Solar Power Generation by using Crow Search Algorithm and Seagull Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Kaushaley Shashikant , Shaw Binod , Nayak Jyoti Ranjan
Published: October 2022

Forecasting Solar Power is an important aspect for power trading company. It helps in energy bidding, planning and control. The challenge in forecasting is to predict non-linear data, which can be fulfilled by Computation technique and Machine Learning model. To further enhance the ML model optimization technique is used for training. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is used as a ML model and optimization-based model is developed named as Optimized Artificial Neural Network (OANN). This paper also presents how the computation technique is incorporated in machine learning model, and a comparison is shown between these two models. Two OANN models are developed based on Crow Search Algorithm (CSA-ANN) and Seagull Optimization Algorithm (SOA-ANN). These models are forecasted for a day ahead, three days ahead and a week ahead solar power generation by considering time, irradiation and temperature as input parameter for the model. ANN gives best result for short-term prediction but unable to predict for mid-term and long-term prediction. This demerit of ANN is overcome by SOA-ANN, which is measured with statistical parameters such as Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Square Error (MSE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and Co-relation of determination (R2). The percentage improvement of SOA-ANN is obtained with these statistical parameter as 6.54%, 16.05%, 1.67% and 3.61%. The results associated with CSA-ANN is not much efficient as SOA-ANN, but it can predict better for low frequency values, but its overall performance is poor. SOA-ANN exhibit improved performance over ANN and CSA-ANN for forecasting.
Novavax NVX-COV2373 triggers potent neutralization of Omicron sub-lineages
Authors: Bhiman Jinal N. , Richardson Simone I. , Lambson Bronwen E. , Kgagudi Prudence , Mzindle Nonkululeko , Kaldine Haajira , Crowther Carol , Gray Glenda , Bekker Linda-Gail , Shinde Vivek , Bennett Chijioke , Glenn Gregory M. , Madhi Shabir , Moore Penny L. , Koen Anthonet , Fairlie Lee , Fouche Leon , Bhorat Qasim , Dheda Keertan , Tameris Michele , Masilela Mduduzi , Hoosain Zaheer , Singh Nishanta , Hanley Sherika , Archary Moherndran , Louw Cheryl , Grobbelaar Coert , Lalloo Umesh , Joseph Natasha , Kruger Gertruida
Published: October 2022

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) Variant of Concern (VOC) and its sub-lineages (including BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, BA.2.12.1) contain spike mutations that confer high level resistance to neutralizing antibodies. The NVX-CoV2373 vaccine, a protein nanoparticle vaccine, has value in countries with constrained cold-chain requirements. Here we report neutralizing titers following two or three doses of NVX-CoV2373. We show that after two doses, Omicron sub-lineages BA.1 and BA.4/BA.5 were resistant to neutralization by 72% (21/29) and 59% (17/29) of samples. However, after a third dose of NVX-CoV2373, we observed high titers against Omicron BA.1 (GMT: 1,197) and BA.4/BA.5 (GMT: 582), with responses similar in magnitude to those triggered by three doses of an mRNA vaccine.These data are of particular relevance as BA.4/BA.5 is dominating in multiple locations, and highlight the potential utility of the NVX-CoV2373 vaccine as a booster in resource-limited environments.
Developmental vitamin D-deficiency produces autism-relevant behaviours and gut-health associated alterations in a rat model
Authors: Eyles Darryl Walter , Tamang Man Kumar , Ali Asad , Pertile Renata , Cui Xiaoying , Alexander Suzanne , Nitert marloes Dekker , Palmieri Chiara
Published: October 2022

Developmental vitamin D (DVD)-deficiency is an epidemiologically established risk factor for autism. Emerging studies also highlight the involvement of gut microbiome/gut physiology in autism. The current study aims to examine the effect of DVD-deficiency on a broad range of autism-relevant behavioural phenotypes and gut health. Vitamin D deficient rat dams exhibited altered maternal care, DVD-deficient pups showed increased ultrasonic vocalizations and as adolescents, social behaviour impairments and increased repetitive self-grooming behaviour. There were significant impacts of DVD-deficiency on gut health demonstrated by alterations to the microbiome, decreased villi length and increased propionate levels. Overall, our animal model of this epidemiologically validated risk exposure for autism shows an expanded range of autism-related behavioural phenotypes and now alterations in gut microbiome that correlate with social behavioural deficits raising the possibility that DVD-deficiency induced ASD-like behaviours are due to alterations in gut health.
Surface Electromyographic Activity of Submental Muscles During Swallow of Masticated Bolus Across Age and Gender
Authors: Krishnan Gayathri , P. GOSWAMI S.
Published: October 2022

Background/Objective: Previous researchers have documented changes in sub mental muscle activity during single liquid swallows across demographic and bolus characteristics. As aging increases fatigue and alters muscle properties, we hypothesized that sub mental muscle performance during swallows of masticated boluses in young and older individuals would be different.
Methods: The potentials were recorded from sub mental muscles of forty seven healthy individuals of 18-40 years and 40-60 years. Each sEMG trace associated with swallow was analysed for its amplitude and temporal measures and were subjected to statistical comparisons across gender, age and bolus volumes.
Results: The results revealed that the measures of sEMG were not significantly different across gender or bolus volume, but was different across the two age groups. The peak sEMG amplitude was lesser in older individuals for ½ cookie and 1 cookie bolus indicating age-associated changes in sub mental muscle performance. The relaxation rate of sub mental muscles was slower for large bolus swallows in older individuals compared to younger, probably as to prevent secondary aspiration.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that sub mental muscle performance changes before 60 years of age with weaker peak contraction without altering the durational aspects of swallow. These subtle changes, if picked up could help understand age-associated decline in swallowing efficiency in typically aging population.
Trapping and manipulating skyrmions in two-dimensional films by surface acoustic waves
Authors: Miyazaki Yu , Yokouchi Tomoyuki , Shiomi Yuki
Published: October 2022

Skyrmions, topologically stable spin structures with particle-like properties, are promising for spintronics applications such as skyrmion racetrack memory. Though reliable control of skyrmion motion is essential for the operation of spintronics devices, the straight motion of skyrmions along the driving force is in general difficult due to an inevitable transverse force originating from their topology. Here, we propose a method of precise manipulation of skyrmions based on surface acoustic waves (SAWs) propagating in two dimensions. Using two standing SAWs, saddle-shape local potentials like quadrupole ion traps are created to trap skyrmions robustly. Furthermore, by tuning the frequencies of the SAWs, we show that trapped skyrmions not only move in straight lines but also move precisely in any direction in a two-dimensional thin film. These results could be helpful for the future design of spintronics devices based on skyrmions.
Transcriptome analysis of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under waterlogging stress and over-expression of HvADH4 gene confers waterlogging tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis
Authors: Luan Haiye , Chen Changyu , Li Hongtao , Wang Yu , Yang Ju , Xu Meng , Shen Huiquan , Yang Hua , Wang Jun , li shufeng
Published: October 2022

Background
Waterlogging is one of the major abiotic stresses in barley and greatly reduces grain yield and quality. To explore the mechanism controlling waterlogging tolerance in barley, physiological, anatomical and transcriptional analysis were performed in two contrasting barley varieties viz. Franklin (susceptible) and TX9425 (tolerant).
Results
Compared to Franklin, more adventitious roots, aerenchymas and higher antioxidant enzymes activities were found in TX9425. 3064 and 5693 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in TX9425 after 24 h and 72 h waterlogging treatment, respectively, while 2297 and 8462 DEGs were identified in Franklin. The results suggested that TX9425 is less affected by waterlogging stress after 72 h treatment. The DEGs were mainly enriched in energy metabolism, hormone regulation, ROS scavenging, cell wall modifying enzymes and so on. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) plays an important role in response to waterlogging stress. We found that HvADH4 was significantly up-regulated under waterlogging stress in TX9425. The transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing HvADH4 displayed higher activities of antioxidant enzymes and more tolerant to waterlogging than wild type (WT).
Conclusions
The current results provide valuable information that will be of great value for the exploration of new candidate genes for barley molecular breeding in waterlogging tolerance.
Use of a Novel Pressure Distribution System for Severely Ill Neonates: A Clinical Pilot Study Carried out by the PREPICare Consortium
Authors: Schlüer Anna-Barbara , Müller Adrian Yves , Fromme Nicolas Philip , Camenzind Martin , Riener Robert , Rossi René Michel , Aufdenblatten Barbara Brotschi
Published: October 2022

Background: Pressure Injuries are not exclusively an adult phenomenon; various risk factors contribute to a high prevalence rate of 43% in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care population. Effective preventive measures in this population are limited.
Methods: We performed a pilot study to analyze the distribution and localization of support surface interface pressures in neonates in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The hypothesis was that pressure redistribution by a novel air mattress would reduce pressure peaks in critical neonates. The measurements were conducted in a 27-bed level III PICU between November and December 2020. This included measuring pressure distribution and pressure peaks for five neonates positioned on either a state-of-the-art foam mattress or a new prototype air mattress.
Results: We confirmed that the pressure peaks were significantly reduced using the prototype air mattress, compared with the state-of-the-art foam mattress. The reduction of mean pressure values was 9%–29%, while the reduction of the highest 10% of pressure values was 23%–41%.
Conclusions: The journey to an effective, optimal, and approved product for severely ill neonates to reduce Pressure Injuries is challenging. However, a crucial step was completed by this pilot study with the first pressure measurements in a real-world setting and the successful realization of a decrease in pressure peaks obtained using a prototype air mattress.
Anomalous conductance quantization of a one-dimensional channel in monolayer WSe2
Authors: Luican-Mayer Adina , Boddison-Chouinard Justin , Bogan Alex , Barrios Pedro , Lapointe Jean , Watanabe Kenji , Taniguchi Takashi , Pawlowski Jaroslaw , Miravet Daniel , Bieniek Maciej , Hawrylak Pawel , Gaudreau Louis
Published: October 2022

Among quantum devices based on 2D materials, gate-defined quantum confined 1D channels are much less explored, especially in the high mobility regime where many body interactions play an important role. We present results of measurements and theory of conductance quantization in a gate-defined one dimensional channel in a single layer of transition metal dichalcogenide material WSe2. In the quasi-ballistic regime of our high mobility sample, we report conductance quantization steps in units of e2/h for a wide range of carrier concentrations. Magnetic field measurements show that as the field is raised higher conductance plateaus move to accurate quantized values and then shift to lower conductance values while the e2/h plateau remains locked. Based on microscopic atomistic tight-binding theory, we show that in this material, valley and spin degeneracies result in 2 e2/h conductance steps for non-interacting holes, suggesting that symmetry breaking mechanisms such as valley polarization dominate the transport properties of such quantum structures.
The potential impact of autoimmune diseases family history in IgG4-Related Disease: a case control study
Authors: Sun Rui Jie , Liu Zheng , Lu Hui , Peng Yu , Li Jieqiong , Nie Yuxue , Li Jingna , Peng Linyi , Zhou Jiaxin , Fei Yunyun , Zeng Xiaofeng , Zhang Wen
Published: October 2022

Objective: Autoimmune comorbidities may be associated with IgG4-Related Disease (IgG4-RD), here we aimed to determine the correlation of AID family history and IgG4-RD in a Chinese cohort.
Methods: This case-control studyidentified 628 cases of IgG4-RD in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Patients were classified into two groups, with AID family history group (AID-pos) and without AID family history group (AID-neg). We viewed the potential value of AID family history on IgG4-RD by comparing the differences between the two groups. In addition, Cox regression analysis estimated confidence intervals (CI) and hazard ratio (HR) for IgG4-RD risk.
Results: 93 (14.8%) IgG4-RD patients had AID family history. Compared with AID-neg group, baseline data analysis revealed that AID-pos group patients had an earlier age of IgG4-RD onset (50.4 ± 14.8 vs. 54.2 ± 12.6, p=0.014*), a higher percentage of antinuclear antibody (ANA) positivity (38.9% vs 22.7%, p=0.0277*) and IgG4-related thyroiditis (10.9% vs 2.4%, p=0.001*), were prone to comorbid with other AID (16.1% vs 6.2%, p=0.0238*). Cox analysis found that younger age (HR 0.97 [95%CI 0.94-0.99], p=0.0384*) and higher proportions of baseline peripheral eosinophils (HR 1.1 [95%CI 1.02-1.2], p=0.0199*) increased the risk of unfavorable prognosis for AID-pos IgG4-RD patients.
Conclusions: 14.8% of IgG4-RD patients had AID family history, with younger age of disease onset age and higher frequency of ANA positivity, indicating that IgG4-RD may share genetic background with other AID.
COVID-19 Mortality Risk Prediction using Clinical and Laboratory Examination: Machine Learning Approach for Implementation
Authors: Barough Siavash Shirzadeh , Safavi-Naini Seyed Amir Ahmad , Siavoshi Fatemeh , Tamimi Atena , Ilkhani Saba , Akbari Setareh , Ezzati Sadaf , Hatamabadi Hamidreza , Pourhoseingholi Mohamad Amin
Published: October 2022

Background and Aim: We aimed to propose a mortality risk prediction tool to facilitate COVID-19 patient management and allocation for the frontline physician on admission day.
Methods: We used a dataset of confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to three general hospitals in Tehran. Clinical and laboratory values on admission were gathered. Different machine learning methods were used to assess the risk of in-hospital mortality, including logistic regression, k-nearest neighbor (KNN), gradient boosting classifier, random forest, support vector machine, and deep neural network (DNN). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and Boruta feature selection methods were used for feature selection. The proposed model was selected using the area under the receiver operator curve (AUC). Furthermore, a dataset from the fourth hospital was used for external validation.
Results: 5320 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were enrolled in the study with a mean age of 61.6± 17.6 years and a fatality rate of 17.24% (N=917). All methods showed fair performance with AUC>80%, except for the KNN method. The feature selection method selected ten laboratories and eight clinical features. Our proposed DNN and LASSO feature selection methods showed AUC scores of 83.4% and 82.8% in internal and external validation, respectively. Furthermore, our imputer worked fairly when two out of ten laboratory parameters were missing (AUC=81.8%).
Conclusion: We worked intimately with healthcare professionals to provide a tool that can solve real-world needs. Our proposed model showed promising results and confirms the potential of ML methods for use in clinical practice as a decision-support system. Future studies are warranted to investigate barriers to the implementation of ML tools.
Alcohol Consumption and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Effects on Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Zheng Tingting , Wang Xuan , Kamili Kamila. , Luo Chaodi , Hu Yi , Wang Danni , Wang Boxiang , Gao Pengjie , Tian Gang
Published: October 2022

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multisystem disease which is regarded as a separate risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD).Moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to reduce all-cause mortality in patients with NAFLD. Participants of ten rounds of the continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES:1998-2018) were included in this study. Participants with an HSI score more than 36 were considered to have NAFLD, which was determined using the Hepatic Steatosis Index (HSI) model. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on CKD in both male and female populations. Subgroup analysis was performed after classifying patients with NAFLD by using the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index.There were 17040 participants that qualified to take part in the study.The logistic regression analysis model showed that moderate alcohol consumption was a protective factor for CKD in male NAFLD patients, with an unadjusted OR: 0.37 (0.22,0.65), and P <0.001. After further adjustment for diabetes mellitus, ALT, AST, AKP, BUN, UA, HSI, TC and HDL-c, the association persisted. However, the association was not significant in female patients with NAFLD. Among men with low-fiber-risk, moderate alcohol consumption remained a protective factor for CKD (OR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.12-0.84, P=0.02), but the association was not significant in the high-fiber-risk group. Interestingly, patients with NAFLD who were at high risk of fibrosis showed a significant trend in favor of consuming more than or equal to 1.4 drinks per day (OR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.13-0.87, P=0.03).In female patients, both moderate alcohol consumption and excessive alcohol consumption were not significantly associated with CKD in either the low-risk group or the high-risk group. Taken together, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower prevalence of CKD in men with NAFLD.
Impact of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) on pregnancy and newborn outcome
Authors: Sero Leyla , Okur Nilufer , Tunçel Duygu , Talay Mehmet Nur , Aydın Mustafa Fırat
Published: October 2022

Background: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); It was more devastating in people with comorbidities such as advanced age and immunodeficiency. Another group affected by COVID-19 was pregnant women. Immunological changes during pregnancy and conditions such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia that occur during pregnancy also have effects on the fetus.
Objective: We aimed to analyze the effects of PCR-proven COVID-19 infection during pregnancy on fetus and newborn.
Study Design: Data from pregnant women with COVID-19 symptoms or a history of contact with people with COVID-19 who were infected with PCR-proven COVID-19 virus between December 2019 and October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical and laboratory data of pregnant women were analyzed. Death data associated with -19 were evaluated. Clinical and laboratory findings of newborns related to COVID-19 and mortality data related to COVID-19 were recorded.
Results: 327 pregnant women whose births were terminated by continuing their follow-up in our hospital were evaluated. 185 (56.6%) of the pregnant women had at least one COVID-19-related symptom. Thoracic computed tomography of ten cases included COVID-19 findings. Fifty-three (16.2%) pregnant women were over 35 years old. No significant difference was found between pregnancy over 35 years of age and maternal death. The rate of hospitalization in the intensive care unit of mothers with diabetes was statistically higher (p=0.034). The mortality rate was higher in preeclamptic mothers (p=0.029).
A total of 34 infants died; 21 died in the intrauterine period and 13 died in the postnatal period. 5 of the neonatal deaths were due to COVID-19.
Conclusion: While COVID-19 infection in pregnancy seriously affects mortality and morbidity in pregnant women, it also causes mortality and morbidity on the fetus.
Surviving the COVID-19 Pandemic: Navigating the Recovery of Breast Imaging Services in a Safety-Net Hospital
Authors: Porembka Jessica H. , Seiler Stephen J. , Ozcan Berat Bersu , Evans W. Phil , Tiro Jasmin , Dogan Basak E.
Published: October 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of COVID-19 on county safety-net breast imaging services and describe the steps taken to actively manage and mitigate delays.
Methods: This was an IRB exempt retrospective review of our county-safety net Breast Imaging practice analyzed for 4 distinct time-periods: 1) “Shut-down period”: March 17, 2020 to May 17, 2020; 2) “Phased reopening”: May 18, 2020 to June 30, 2020; 3) “Ramp-up”: July 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020; and 4) “Current state”: October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021. These time-periods were compared to identical time-periods 1 year prior.
Results: Our safety-net practice sustained significant volume losses during the first 3 time-periods with a 99% reduction in screening mammography in the shut-down period. Cancers diagnosed decreased by 17% in 2020 (n=229) compared to 2019 (n=276). By implementing multiple initiatives that targeted improved access to care, including building community-hospital partnerships and engagement through outreach events, a community education roadshow and community health, we were able to recover and significantly exceed our pandemic screening volumes by 48.1% (27,279 vs 18,419) from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021 compared to the identical time-period 1-year prior, and exceed our pre-pandemic screening volume by 17.4% (27,279 vs 23,234) compared to the identical time-period 2-years prior.
Conclusion: We present a roadmap for community outreach and optimized navigation, which helped maintain patient engagement and continue breast imaging services to low-income and minoritized women, as a guide for other safety-net practices.
Genetic dissection of root architecture in Ethiopian sorghum landraces
Authors: Bantte Kassahun , Menamo Temesgen Matiwos , Borrell Andrew K. , Mace Emma , Jordan David R. , Tao Yongfu , Hunt Colleen
Published: October 2022

The root system architecture (RSA) of crop plants influences adaptation to water-limited conditions and determines the capacity of a plant to access soil water and nutrients. Four key root traits (number, angle, length and dry mass) were evaluated in a diversity panel of 1,171 Ethiopian sorghum landraces using purpose-built root chambers. Significant genetic variation was observed in all studied root traits, with nodal root angle ranging from 16.4° to 26.6°, with a high repeatability of 78.9%. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) identified a total of 22 genomic regions associated with root traits which were distributed on all chromosomes except chromosome SBI-10. Among the 22 root genomic regions, 15 co-located with RSA trait QTL previously identified in sorghum, with the remaining seven representing novel RSA QTL. The majority (85.7%) of identified root angle QTL also co-localized with QTL previously identified for stay-green in sorghum. This suggests that the stay-green phenotype might be associated with root architecture that enhances water extraction during water stress conditions. The results open avenues for manipulating root phenotypes to improve productivity in abiotic stress environments via marker-assisted selection.
End of life in patients attended by pediatric palliative care teams: What factors influence the place of death and compliance with family preferences?
Authors: Cantero Maria José Peláez , Asencio Jose Miguel Morales , Mingorance Álvaro Navarro , Rodriguez Aurora Madrid , Tolmo Ángela Tavera , Sánchez Olga Escobosa , Alba Ricardo Martino
Published: October 2022

Purpose
Each year more than 8 million children worldwide require specialized palliative care, yet there is little evidence available in pediatrics on the characteristics of the end of life in this context. Our aim is analyse the characteristics of patients who die in the care of specific pediatric palliative care teams.
Methods
Ambispective, analytical observational, multicenter study between 1 January and 31 December 2019. 14 specific pediatric palliative care teams participated.
Results
164 patients, most of them suffering from oncologic, neurologic and neuromuscular processes. The follow-up time was 2.4 months. The parents voiced preferences in respect of place of death for 125 of the patients (76.2%). The place of death for 95 patients (57.9%) was the hospital and 67 (40.9%) was home. The existence of a palliative care team for over 5 years is more likely to be related to families voicing preferences and their fulfillment. Longer follow-up times by pediatric palliative care teams were observed in families with whom preferences regarding place of death were discussed and in patients who died at home. Patients who did not receive home visits, when the pediatric palliative care team did not provide full care and when preferences regarding place of death were not discussed with parents were more likely to die in hospital.
Conclusions
Advance planning of end-of-life care is one of the most important aspects of pediatric palliative care. The provision of services by the teams and the follow-up time are related with parents expressed preferences and the place of death.
Traits and anthocyanin genetic characteristics of the progeny of crosses between white 2 azalea 'Rhododendron hybridum Hot' and pink Rhododendron pulchurum 'Wan Xia'
Authors: Jiang Baoxin , Wang Qinghao , Yang Guoxia , Xie Xiaohong , Farooq Muhammad Ahsan Farooq Muhammad Ahsan , Zhou Weijun , Wu Yueyan , Jia Yonghong
Published: October 2022

Rhododendron is a world-famous ornamental flower with an abundance of genetic resources for producing different flower color varieties through breeding. However, the lack of genetic knowledge involved mechanisms behind the flower color formation have hindered the breeding process. In this study, a cross was made between the female pink Rhododendron pulchurum 'WanXia' and the male white 'Rhododendron hybridum Hot'. A total of 61 hybrid progenies with four different flower colors including white, pink, rose and red were produced and analyzed to identify the inheritance pattern of flower color as well as their genetic diversity in the whole group. The results of the combined qualitative and quantitative trait analysis disclosed that the germplasm resources in the hybrid progeny plants were genetically enriched, which can provide an excellent germplasm for screening and breeding new Rhododendron varieties. The anthocyanin-3-O-glucoside (Cy3G) contents of hybrid progeny petals were measured using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The total anthocyanin (TA) contents were calculated by first developing a linear equation (y=36.52x-59.18, R2=0.998) with anthocyanin-3-O-glucoside (Cy3G) specimens. The results revealed that TA was positively and significantly correlated with the color parameter a* values as the flower color of the hybrid progeny was gradually deepened from white to red. The value of parameter L* was gradually decreased, while a*, C* and TA contents were gradually increased. L* displayed to be both significantly and negatively correlated with a*, C*and TA contents. From the trait characteristics of each progeny plants, it was observed that No.52 Pink azalea has the highest pedicel length and petal number, while No.37 Red 2 azalea has the highest corolla lobe length, corolla lobe width and TA content. Our findings indicate that it may be feasible to breed Rhododendron varieties with new flower colors based on width and TA content. In conclusion, our outcomes propose that there is probability to produce Rhododendron varieties with new flower colors by crossing and screening hybrid progenies.
Feeling alone in pandemic lockdown. Psychological correlates of perceived loneliness in college students before and during the COVID-19 stay-at-home period: A longitudinal study
Authors: Conti Chiara , Lanzara Roberta , Rosa Ilenia , Müller Markus M. , Porcelli Piero
Published: October 2022

Background: Loneliness is increasingly acknowledged as a serious public health issue. This longitudinal study aimed to assess the extent to which psychological distress and alexithymia can predict loneliness among Italian college students before and one year after the COVID-19 outbreak.
Methods: A convenience sample of 177 psychology college students were recruited. Loneliness (UCLA), alexithymia (TAS-20), anxiety symptoms (GAD-7), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), and somatic symptoms (PHQ-15) were assessed before the COVID-19 outbreak and one year after the spread of COVID-19 worldwide.
Results: After controlling for baseline covariation, lonely students showed significantly higher levels of psychological distress and alexithymia over time. Feelings of loneliness one year after pandemic-related, forced stay-at-home were significantly and independently predicted at 41% by depression and alexithymic traits both before and one year after the lockdown period.
Conclusions: College students with higher levels of depression and alexithymic traits both before and one year after the lockdown were more at risk of suffering from perceived loneliness and may constitute the target sample for psychological support and intervention.
Spectroscape: Real-time Query and Visualization of a Spectral Archive of Millions of Tandem Mass Spectra
Authors: Lam Henry , Wu Long , Hoque Ayman
Published: October 2022

In proteomics, spectral archives organize the enormous amounts of publicly available peptide tandem mass spectra by similarity, offering opportunities for error correction and novel discoveries. Here we adapted an indexing algorithm developed by Facebook for organizing online multimedia resources to tandem mass spectra, and achieved practically instantaneous retrieval and spectrum clustering of approximate nearest neighbors in a large spectral archive. An interactive web-based graphical user interface enables the user to view a query spectrum in its clustered “neighborhood,” which facilitate contextual validation of peptide identifications and exploration of the dark proteome.
A conceptual framework to develop a patient-reported questionnaire on the cystic fibrosis care pathway in France: the ExPaParM collaborative study
Authors: Pougheon Dominique , Fanchini Agathe , Lombrail Pierre , Rault Gilles , Chansard Audrey , Breton Nicolas Le , Frenod Cecile , Milon Fanny , Heymes-Royer Christine , Segretain David , Silber Marion , Therouanne Sophie , Haesebaert Julie , Llerena Cathy , Michel Philippe , Reynaud Quitterie
Published: October 2022

Background:
The objective of the study was to elaborate a conceptual framework related to the domains of patient experience along the cystic fibrosis (CF) pathway from the patients and parents of children with CF to inform the design of a patient-reported experience questionnaire.
Method:
A collaborative research group including patients and parents with clinicians and academic researchers was set up. They identified the situations along the CF pathway from diagnosis to paediatric care, transition to adult care and adult follow-up, transfer to transplant centres and follow-up after transplantation. Participants were recruited by partner CF centres in metropolitan France and overseas departments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim and subjected to an inductive analysis conducted in duos of researchers/co-researchers using NVivo®. The conceptual framework was discussed with the research group and presented to the CF centres during two video conferences. The protocol obtained a favourable opinion from the Ethics Evaluation Committee of INSERM (IRB00003888 - no. 20–700).
Results:
The analysis led to a conceptual framework composed of domains of the CF journey, each divided into several items. 1/ CF care: Management of care by the CF centre team; in-hospital care; quality of care in the community; therapeutic education and self-management support; at-home care; new therapies and research; procreation; 2/ Transplant care: management of transplant and CF care; coordination with other specialties; education and self-management support; at-home care; procreation; new therapies and research; 3/ Turning points along the journey : diagnosis of CF, transition to adult care, transfer to transplantation; 4/ Social life with CF: housing, employment and education, social relations, social welfare and family finances. The number of patients included and the diversity of situations made it possible to achieve a sufficient richness and saturation of codes by domain to develop patient experience questionnaires.
Conclusion:
This conceptual framework, resulting from the participants’ experience, will inform the design of a patient-reported experience tool, whose construct will be tested during the next phase of the ExPaParM project to assess its fidelity, intelligibility, and ability to report patient experience of the CF journey.
Durvalumab plus tremelimumab for the treatment of advanced neuroendocrine neoplasms of gastroenteropancreatic and lung origin: the phase II DUNE trial (GETNE 1601)
Authors: Capdevila Jaume , Hernando Jorge , Teule Alex , Lopez Carlos , Garcia-Carbonero Rocío , Benavent Marta , Custodio Ana , Garcia-Alvarez Alejandro , Cubillo Antonio , Alonso Vicente , Carmona-Bayonas Alberto , Alonso-Gordoa Teresa , Crespo Guillermo , Jimenez-Fonseca Paula , Blanco Montserrat , Viudez Antonio , Casta Adelaida La , Sevilla Isabel , Segura Angel , Llanos Marta , Landolfi Stefania , Nuciforo Paolo , Manzano Jose Luis
Published: October 2022

Single immune checkpoint blockade in advanced neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) shows limited efficacy; dual checkpoint blockade may improve treatment activity. Dune is a non-randomized controlled multicohort phase II clinical trial evaluating durvalumab plus tremelimumab activity and safety in advanced NENs.
This study included 123 patients presenting between 2017 and 2019 with typical/atypical lung carcinoids (Cohort (C) 1), G1/2 gastrointestinal (C2), G1/2 pancreatic (C3) and G3 gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) (C4) NENs; who progressed to standard therapies. Patients received 1500 mg durvalumab and 75 mg tremelimumab for up to 13 and 4 cycles (every 4 weeks), respectively. The primary objective was the 9-month (m) disease control rate (DCR) for C1-3 and 9-m overall survival (OS) rate for C4.
Median follow-up was 16.5 m; 9-m DCR was 25.9%/35.5%/25% for C1, 2, and 3 respectively. The 9-m OS rate for C4 was 36.1%. Benefit in C4 was observed regardless of differentiation and Ki67 levels. PD-L1 combined scores did not correlate with treatment activity. Safety profile was consistent with that of prior studies.
In conclusion, durvalumab plus tremelimumab was safe in NENs and showed modest survival benefit in G3 GEP-NENs; with one-third of these patients experiencing a prolonged OS.
in-situ observation of the decomposition process of woodchips in subcritical- and supercritical water by neutron imaging
Authors: Yoshida Koji , Abe Jun , Matsumoto Yoshihiro , MIshima Kenji
Published: October 2022

in-situ observation of the decomposition process of woodchips (cedar and Quercus acutissima) in subcritical- and supercritical water was performed by neutron imaging experiment. The woodchips and D2O were sealed into a stainless tube, and the tube was heated up to 500ºC by a block heater designed for neutron imaging. The neutron imaging experiment was performed in BL22 RADEN of J-PARC MLF. The decomposition processes of the woodchips in D2O solvent were visualized clearly in time-lapse images. The outside of woodchips was partially broken at 300ºC. The woodchips have a porous structure at 450ºC, and D2O penetrates the pores. The skeleton of the woodchips remains even at 500ºC. These results will be useful for the development of biomass processing technology using high-temperature and high-pressure water.
On the Utility of the Thermal-Pseudo Mechanical Model’s Residual Stress Prediction Capability for the Development of Friction Stir Processing
Authors: Balusu Kranthi , Choi Kyoo Sil , Das Hrishikesh , Samanta Avik , Upadhyay Piyush , Jana Saumyadeep , Soulami Ayoub
Published: October 2022

This paper investigates the thermal-pseudo mechanical (TPM) model’s residual stress prediction capability for its utility in developing friction stir processing (FSP). Specifically, two FSP tests under different processing conditions were conducted, and the corresponding simulations were carried out to verify if the TPM model can predict residual stresses for various tool radii and workpiece materials. The model was successful in predicting residual stresses for one of the tests but failed to work for the other test. Further simulations under different FSP conditions prove that the TPM model works for cast aluminum alloys in addition to wrought aluminum alloys. However, there is only a range of tool radii for which the TPM model is applicable, and the large FSP tool used is the reason for the model’s failure on one of the tests. As a solution, this paper suggests modifications to the TPM model based on calibration to the FSP test temperatures. The calibrated TPM model still cannot predict the effect of the tool radii on the residual stresses; however, the effect on residual stresses due to changes in the process parameters, such as the tool traverse & rotation speeds and the clamping conditions, can be predicted.
Deliver bad news – a cross-sectional study of the communication strategies used by physicians at the Maputo Central Hospital, Mozambique
Authors: Schmauch Natália Ubisse , Rêgo Francisca , Pinto Emilia , Castro Luísa , Sacarlal Jahit , Rêgo Guilhermina
Published: October 2022

Background: Physician communication with the patient and the family is an indispensable tool both on the disease diagnosis and prognosis, and also through all the follow-up, improving patients’ quality of life. This is even more important in case of terminal disease and the patient has palliative needs. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify which bad news communication strategies doctors use in services that provide palliative care.
Methods: A cross-sectional, quantitative, and analytical study was developed with the physicians that worked at the departments that provide palliative care at the Maputo Central Hospital, Mozambique. A total of 121 doctors participated in this study. An existing questionnaire with 17 questions, already translated to Portuguese, was used, based on the Setting-Perception-Invitation-Knowledge-Emotions-Strategy(SPIKES) protocol, and complemented with socio-demographic questions. A question about the participants’ opinion regarding the inclusion of how to communicate bad news in hospital training was also added.
Results: Of the 121 doctors, 62 (51.2%) were male and 110 (90.9%) were general practitioners. The participants had a median age of 36 years old and medians of 8 years of clinical practice and of 3 years of work in the current service. The majority of the participants considered that they have an acceptable or good level of bad news communication skills and believed that they do it in a clear and empathic way, paying attention to the patients' requests and doubts; however, most were not aware of the existing tools to assist them in this task and pointed that this topic should be addressed in the undergraduate medical course and in hospital training.
Conclusions: This study adds new information about the bad news communication strategies used by doctors in the context of palliative care at the Maputo Central Hospital. Since palliative care are still being implemented in Mozambique, it is important to use protocols suitable to the reality of the country to allow the improvement in the conduct and attitudes of doctors towards patients and family members.
High proportion of Circulating CD8+CD28- senescent T cell in an independent predictor of distant metastasis in Nasopharyngeal Cancer after radiotherapy
Authors: Xu XiaoTian , Wei FangZe , Xiao Lin , Wu Runye , Wei BaoJun , Huang ShengKai , Yi JunLin , Cui Wei
Published: October 2022

Background: Nasopharyngeal Cancer is a kind of epithelial carcinoma, and common in east and southeast Asia. Distant metastasis after radiotherapy remains the main cause of treatment failure and immune system function.
Methods: To explore the immune-related prognostic factors, in our study we explored the immune cells in peripheral blood from total 332 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, in these immune cells, we include the CD8+CD28− T cells which is a unique T cells immunosenescent subset increased in human peripheral blood with increasing age and declining immune function. We first divided our cohort into training and validation cohort, and utilized flow cytometry to investigate the immune cells in peripheral blood of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Based on the results and clinical information, we utilized Cox regression and LASSO regression model to screen the PFS and DMFS prognostic factors in training cohort and used validation cohort to verify the results.
Results: Based on the prognostic factors we built nomograms to predict PFS and DMFS after radiotherapy and validated. Post treated EBV and the proportion of CD8+CD28-T cells were selected to predict PFS. Post treated EBV, the proportion of CD8+CD28-T cells and N stage were selected to predict DMFS. We also explored the expression in the different stage and the correlation between the proportion of CD8+CD28-T cells and systemic inflammation, post-treated immunosuppression.
Conclusion: All nomograms model we build have good predictive value. Proportion of CD8+CD28-T cells is a candidate prognostic biomarker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Flat-Band Ferromagnetism in Pb2Sb2O7 by Self-Doped Mechanism
Authors: HASE Izumi , Higashi Yoichi , Eisaki Hiroshi , Kawashima Kenji
Published: October 2022

Electron systems with strong geometrical frustration have flat bands, and their unusual band dispersion is expected to induce a wide variety of physical properties. However, for such properties to emerge, the Fermi level must be pinned within the flat band. In this study, we performed first-principles calculations on the pyrochlore oxide Pb2Sb2O7 and theoretically clarified that the self-doping mechanism induces pinning of the Fermi level in the flat band in this system. Therefore, a very high density of states is realized at the Fermi level, and the ferromagnetic state becomes the ground state by a flat-band mechanism, even though the system does not contain any magnetic elements. This compound has the potential to become a new platform to project the properties of flat-band systems in the real world.