bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The potential of the GHQ-12 questionnaire in assessing psychological impairment on a health-care workers population facing Covid-19: an item response theory-based analysis
Authors: Comotti Anna , Fattori Alice , Greselin Francesca , Bordini Lorenzo , Brambilla Paolo , Bonzini Matteo
Published: July 2022

BackgroundThe General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) is a widely used tool, both in clinical and research settings, due to its brevity and easy administration. Researchers often adopt a dichotomous measurement method, considering a total score above or below a certain threshold. This leads to an extreme simplification of the gathered data and therefore to the loss of clinical details.In a multi-step evaluation study aimed at assessing health care workers’ mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic, the GHQ-12 proved to be the most effective tool to detect psychological distress compared to other scales adopted. These results led to deepening the understanding of the GHQ-12 properties through a statistical study, by focusing on items’ properties and characteristics. MethodsGHQ-12 responses were analyzed using Item Response Theory (IRT), a suitable method for scale assessment. Instead of considering the single overall score, in which each item accounts equally, it focuses on individual items’ characteristics. Moreover, IRT models were applied combined with the latent class (LC) analysis, aiming to the determination of subgroups of individuals according to their level of psychological distress. ResultsGHQ-12 was administered to 990 health-care workers and responses were scored using the binary method (0-0-1-1). We applied the 2-PL (two-parameters logistic) model, finding that the items showed different ways of responses and features. The latent class analysis classified subjects into three sub-groups according to their responses to the GHQ-12 only: 47% of individuals with general well-being, 38% expressing signs of discomfort without severity and 15% of subjects with a high level of impairment. Such a result almost reproduces subjects’ classification obtained after administering the six questionnaires of the study protocol.ConclusionsAccurate statistical techniques and a deep understanding of the latent factors underlying the GHQ-12 resulted in a more effective usage of such psychometric questionnaire – i.e. a more refined gathering of data and a significant time and resource efficiency.We underlined the need to maximize the extraction of data from questionnaires and the necessity of them being less lengthy and repetitive.
Clinical efficacy of mandibular complete dentures with a resilient liner: Study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial
Authors: Kimoto Katsuhiko , Kimoto Suguru , Hoshi Noriyuki , Sato Yusuke , Yoneyama Yoshikazu , Takebe Jun , Ichikawa Tetsuo , Murata Hiroshi , Nishimura Masahiro , Minakuchi Shunsuke , Kawai Yasuhiko
Published: July 2022

Background
During restoration of poorly fitting complete dentures (CDs) in edentulous patients, liners are used to reconstruct the concave surfaces of CDs with a new base material. These relining materials are classified as resilient liners (RLs) or non-resilient liners (NRLs), but the clinical effects of and selection criteria for these liners remain unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of relining mandibular CDs using RL and NRL, and to conduct a follow-up study.
Methods
The study is being conducted at eight centers, and a parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT) is underway. One hundred thirty-two edentulous patients with poorly fitting mandibular CDs will be assigned to two groups (with RL or NRL). Participants will receive an RL or NRL for relining their CDs by using an indirect method of dynamic impressions. Data will be recorded at 1 week and 3, 6, and 12 months after denture delivery. The primary outcome will be assessment of the patients’ general satisfaction by using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes will be measured as patient-reported outcomes, including food intake status and oral hygiene-related quality of life. Masticatory performance and the number of sore spots on the oral mucosa will also be recorded. Comparisons between the two groups and within-subject comparisons of pre- and post-intervention measurements will be conducted.
Discussion
For dentists and prosthetic researchers in Japan, this RCT will provide information on the clinical efficacy of RL materials in CD wearers. We are convinced that new evidence regarding the use of RL materials in an aging population will also be useful to dentists in other countries in their routine clinical practice.
Trial registration
: This clinical trial has been registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Center (UMIN000041950).
A first-principles study: single layer TiS2 modified by non-metal doping
Authors: chen shu , Yang Lu , Bao Jinlin , Wang Duo
Published: July 2022

In this paper, the effect of substitutional doping of boron (B), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), and phosphorus (P) at the S-site on the electronic structure of the monolayer TiS2 system is investigated using a first-principles calculation method. The system's stability, electronic structure, and charge transfer were analyzed. By calculating the electron cloud overlap population and formation energy, we confirmed that the system is stable, and the Ti-X bond length of the doped system undergoes different degrees of distortion. The properties of the B, C and N doped system show different properties with different doping concentrations; the bandgap of the O-atom system gradually expands with the rise of the doping rate. The hybridization positions of the impurity and the intrinsic atoms are found by comparing the DOS; combined with the charge density difference, we confirmed the interaction of impurity atoms with the system and revealed the bonding process of different systems.
An integrated mass production of a copepod Acanthocyclops trajani to determine its biochemical composition and evaluate its extract for antimicrobial and anticancer activity
Authors: Hegab Mahmoud H. , Flefil Nasser S. , Abdelhameed Moustafa S. , Shawer Ehab E. , Mohamed Nada A. , Abdelmageed Adel
Published: July 2022

Aquatic environment is a vast reservoir of bioactive natural products, many of which exhibit structural and chemical properties not found in terrestrial natural products. However, studies on marine medicines have included a very small proportion of aquatic organisms. Copepoda is one of the most diverse groups on earth, yet there are no studies to test Copepoda extract as an anti-cancer agent. Therefore, this study aims to improve the sustainable mass production of the copepod Acanthocyclops trojani to evaluate its crude extract for antimicrobial and anticancer activity. GC-MS analysis of A. trajani extract detected 8 bioactive compounds known for their medicinal uses in several previous studies. The A. trajani crude extract showed activity against bacterial strains; S. aureus, E. coli, E. faecali, K. pneumonia, S. lutea and S. typhi with zones of inhibition of 14, 12, 8, 12, 17 and 12 mm, respectively. In addition, A. trajani crude extract showed moderate growth inhibitory activity against HepG2, A549, HCT and MCF7 cancer cell lines (IC50 = 63.064, 18.377, 46.905 and 21.736, respectively) compared to the activity of staurosporine (control). While the normal cells (THLE2, WI38, FHC and MCF10a) were more sensitive to staurosporine than the A. trajani extract. Based on the Cytotoxicity Selective Index (SI) values, the extract showed a selective effect on the lung and breast cancer cells (A549 and MCF7) (SI = 3.07 and 3.1, respectively). Therefore, A. trajani extract offers the potential for further exploitation in the discovery of a novel antibacterial agent against lung and breast cancer.
Safety of oral administration of Molnupiravir for hospitalized elderly people aged 80 years old or older with Covid-19
Authors: Gonda Kenji , Suzuki Kouichi , Kono Koji , Takenoshita Seiichi
Published: July 2022

Objective: The number of elderly people with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is increasing. In order to reduce the risk of progress of Covid-19, Molnupiravir, an oral small molecule antiviral prodrug active against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, was administered. The targets of administration were 29 elderly people over 80 years old (median 87 years old, range 80-100). We evaluated the efficacy and safety of treatment with Molnupiravir, which we had started oral administration within 24 hours after the onset of signs or symptoms in hospitalized elderly with at least one risk factor for Covid-19 disease confirmed in the laboratory. Molnupiravir 800 mg was administered twice daily for 5 days. Results: There was no death within 30 days and it was effective. Adverse events occurred only in 55% of target patients within 7 days after internal administration, but only nausea was observed, no serious side effects were observed, and thus the drug could be safely administered to the elderly. Early treatment with Molnupiravir reduced the risk of death in the elderly at risk for Covid-19.
Comorbidity genetic risk and pathways impact SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes
Authors: Jaros Rachel , Fadason Tayaza , Cameron-Smith David , Golovina Evgeniia , O'Sullivan Justin
Published: July 2022

Understanding the genetic risk and mechanisms through which SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes and comorbidities interact to impact acute and long-term sequelae is essential if we are to reduce the ongoing health burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we use a de novo protein diffusion network analysis coupled with tissue-specific gene regulatory networks, to examine putative mechanisms for associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes and comorbidities. Our approach identifies a shared genetic aetiology and molecular mechanisms for known and previously unknown comorbidities of SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes. Additionally, genomic variants, genes and biological pathways that provide putative causal mechanisms connecting inherited risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease are identified for the first time. Our findings provide an in depth understanding of genetic impacts on traits that collectively alter an individual’s predisposition to acute and post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes. The existence of complex inter-relationships between the comorbidities we identify raises the possibility of a much greater post-acute burden arising from SARS-CoV-2 infection if this genetic predisposition is realised.
Mechanism of liraglutide-mediated attenuation of palmitic acid-induced lipotoxicity in L6 myoblasts
Authors: KONG Mo-wei , GAO Yu , ZHANG Ai-min , XING En-hong , SUN Li-xin , MA Hui-juan , XING Han-ying
Published: July 2022

Object: L6 cells were cultured to explore the possible mechanism underlying the improvement of insulin resistance by Liraglutide (LR). Methods: Cells were divided into 5 groups—control, high-fat, 10 nmol/L LR + 0.6 mmol/L palmitic acid (PA) (10LR), 100 nmol/L LR + 0.6 mmol/L PA (100LR), and 1000 nmol/L LR + 0.6 mmol/L PA (1000LR). CCK-8 method to detect cell viability, GPO-PAP enzymatic method to detect intracellular triglyceride content, and reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blotting methods to detect fatty acid translocase CD36 (FAT /CD36) and fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) in L6 cells, glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) expression at the mRNA and protein levels, respectively, were performed. Results: We found that after PA intervention for 24 h, the cell viability decreased significantly; the cell viability of the LR group was higher than that of the high-fat group (P < 0.01). After PA intervention, compared with those in the high-fat group, GRP-78, FAT/CD36, FABP4 mRNA [(4.36 ± 0.32 vs 8.15 ± 0.35); (1.00 ± 0.04 vs 2.46 ± 0.08); (2.88 ± 0.55 vs 8.29 ± 0.52), P < 0.01] and protein [(3338.13 ± 333.15 vs 4963.98 ± 277.29); (1978.85 ± 124.24 vs 2676.07 ± 100.64); (3372.00 ± 219.84 vs 6083.20 ± 284.70), both P < 0.01] expression decreased in the LR group. The expression levels of GLUT4 mRNA [(0.75 ± 0.04 vs 0.34 ± 0.03), P < 0.01] and protein [(3443.71 ± 191.89 vs 2137.79 ± 118.75), P < 0.01] increased. Conclusion: Therefore, we conclude that LR can reverse PA-induced cell inactivation and lipid deposition, which may be related to the change in GRP-78, FAT /CD36, FABP4, GLUT4 and other factors.
Experimental and constitutive model study on the mechanical properties of the structural plane of a rock mass under dynamic disturbance
Authors: YU Yongjiang , Yang Yuntao , Liu Jingjing , Wang Pengbo , Zhang Shipeng , Wang Zhenmeng , Zhao Shangqing
Published: July 2022

Accurate description of the mechanical properties and deformation characteristics of the structural plane of a large chamber or slope rock mass under the ultimate stress with periodic stress disturbances is of great significance to ensure the stability and safety of underground rock engineering. By theoretically analyzing the strength effect of the structural face of a rock mass under dynamic disturbance, a criterion for the occurrence of shear damage on the structural face of a compressed rock mass under dynamic disturbance is proposed. The results of the cyclic disturbance kinetic test show that there is a disturbance threshold for the shear failure of the structural plane under different disturbance stresses. When the disturbance stress is lower than the disturbance threshold, Cumulative plastic strain stabilizes with increasing number of cycles; when the disturbance stress is higher than the disturbance threshold, S-shaped curve of cumulative plastic strain versus number of cycles. Revealing the progressive damage process and mechanism of rock structure surface under periodic dynamic disturbance. Based on the perturbation concept theory, the relationship between the accumulated plastic strain and the number of cyclic loading is similar to the relationship between strain and time in the creep curve of rocks, a new nonlinear viscous element is proposed, and the nonlinear element and the deformation element considering structural surface closure and sliding are combined with the Burgers model to form an 8-element nonlinear viscoelastic-plastic creep constitutive model. Using the global optimization algorithm of 1stOpt, the model validation and parameter identification are performed on the experimental data, and the results show that the model curve has a very good agreement with the experimental data. The model can accurately reflect the deformation characteristics of the structural plane of a rock mass under periodic dynamic disturbance. The research results give a new idea to analyze power disturbance-induced geohazards.
Impact of Employee Digital Competence on the Relationship between Digital Autonomy and Innovative Work Behavior: A Systematic Review
Authors: HUU PHAM THANH
Published: July 2022

Innovation has grown up in a digital world and is far more technologically intelligent by the use of social media through the internet to keep in touch with the rest of the world. Information Technology employees are goal-oriented, work-oriented, and have rapid career advancement. Simultaneously, they also raise the value of workforce and organization structure to define a quality and productivity process for their individual benefit and that of their economy and environment. This paper presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to provide a current overview of digital competence research focused on the impact of employees between the relationship of digital autonomy and innovative work behavior from 2015 to the end of 2022 in the field of digital models. By conducting a SLR, we summarize a wide range of sources based on the guidelines recently followed by other systematic review format on the domain of digital educational technology. According to the statement of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, 34 articles were selected from 1430 screened articles by applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Seven types of research methods were categorized from the selected articles. When reviewing these studies, 18 articles were examined under relationship topics and 12 articles reported on impact topics under different tasks. Among the conclusions, the SLR findings provides answers to the questions based on the analysis of selected articles in accordance with the modelled questions. Thus, the in-depth analysis of this review indicates a better understanding of the impact of employees on the relationship between digital autonomy and innovative work behaviour, and this research will benefit for future researchers to determine an appropriate solution for their needs.
Global habitat suitability modeling reveals insufficient habitat protection for a mangrove crab
Authors: Yousefi Masoud , Naderloo Reza
Published: July 2022

Mangrove crabs are important components of mangrove forests however their large scale habitat suitability and conservation received little attention. The Metopograpsus thukuhar/cannicci species complex is a mangrove dwelling species occurs in the Indo-Pacific mangrove forests. Since identifying the complex suitable habitat is critical for its conservation, we modeled global suitable habitats of the complex within marine biogeographic realms and estimated representation of the complex suitable habitats within marine protected areas. We found that the complex’ largest and smallest suitable ranges are located in Central Indo-Pacific and Temperate Southern Africa realms, respectively. Only 12.5 percent of the complex suitable habitat is protected. The highest proportion of protected suitable habitats (22.9%) are located in Western Indo-Pacific realm ecoregion while the lowest proportion of protected suitable habitats (1.38%) were located in Central Indo-Pacific realm. Suitable unprotected habitats of the complex identified in this study have high priority for conservation and should be included in marine protected areas to ensure species conservation. Our results show that species distribution models are practical tools to study marine species distribution across large spatial scales and help marine conservation planning.
Whether seismogenic atmospheric current influences the ionosphere?
Authors: Surkov V. V. , Pilipenko Vyacheslav A.
Published: July 2022

The question of whether earthquake precursors can arise in the ionosphere is of a special interest in geophysics. Despite numerous encouraging reports on seismo-ionospheric effects, the mechanism of the lithosphere-ionosphere coupling during the crust destruction phase was not established. One of hypothesis assumes that a seismogenic current transfers an abnormal electric field from the near-surface atmosphere to the ionosphere prior to an earthquake occurrence. This current can be caused by air ionization due to enhancement of radon gas emission from the soil or upward movement of charged atmospheric aerosols. Here we present a theoretical model of the spatial structure of the electric field driven by a vertical external current in the lower atmosphere. Perturbations of electric fields in the ionosphere are derived in the approximation of the "thin" E-layer. Simple analytical estimates have been obtained that relate the electric fields in the ionosphere and on the ground to the parameters of the external current. The electric field attenuation with altitude is caused by the increase of atmospheric conductivity and the horizontal spreading of current. The estimates obtained enable one to evaluate the feasibility of anomalous variations of electric fields in the ionosphere related to forthcoming earthquakes. The analysis has shown that the suggested hypothesis seems unrealistic, since to explain the relation between the ionospheric anomalies and extrinsic current it is necessary to assume the presence of such large currents and electric fields in the lower atmosphere which were never observed during non-thunderstorm periods.
Role of the intraseasonal IPCO in the absence of typhoons in July 2020
Authors: Li Fei , Li Jianping , Wang Hao , Diao Yina
Published: July 2022

The influence of the intraseasonal Indo-western Pacific convection oscillation (IPCO) on the absence of typhoons in July 2020 over the western North Pacific (WNP) was explored. Our observations analysis revealed an unprecedented absence of typhoons over the WNP in July 2020 even though the necessary conditions such as sea surface temperature (SST) and vertical wind shear met the basic requirements of typhoon formation since it began occurring from 1949. Additionally, significant differences were found in the frequency of typhoons between the different phases of the intraseasonal IPCO; the frequency in the positive phase of the intraseasonal IPCO was significantly higher than that in the negative phase of the intraseasonal IPCO. In July 2020, the intraseasonal IPCO was in a strong negative phase, with the third lowest index in history and had the strongest inhibition effect on convection over the WNP on record, leading to large-scale circulation anomalies. The strongest descending movement on record inhibited the upward transport of water vapor and the development of cumulus convection, thereby reducing the release of latent heat of condensation and making it difficult to form a typhoon warm-core structure. In addition, the geopotential height increased over the WNP, and the western Pacific subtropical high moved southerly, which inhibited typhoon formation. Simultaneously, the South China Sea monsoon trough weakened significantly, with increased negative vorticity anomaly in the response scale, which hindered disturbance generation. The lowest genesis potential index confirmed that the large-scale circulation anomaly caused by the intraseasonal IPCO had an unprecedented restraining effect on typhoon generation, leading to the absence of typhoons over the WNP in July 2020.
Role of actin cytoskeleton in cargo delivery mediated by vertically aligned silicon nanotubes
Authors: Chen Yaping , Yoh Hao Zhe , Shokouhi Ali-Reza , Murayama Takahide , Suu Koukou , Morikawa Yasuhiro , Voelcker Nicolas H. , Elnathan Roey
Published: July 2022

Nanofabrication technologies have been recently applied to the development of engineered nano–bio interfaces for manipulating complex cellular processes. In particular, vertically configurated nanostructures such as nanoneedles (NNs) have been adopted for a variety of biological applications such as mechanotransduction, biosensing, and intracellular delivery. Despite their success in delivering a diverse range of biomolecules into cells, the mechanisms for NN-mediated cargo transport remain to be elucidated. Recent studies have suggested that cytoskeletal elements are involved in generating a tight and functional cell–NN interface that can influence cargo delivery. In this study, by inhibiting actin dynamics using two drugs — cytochalasin D (Cyto D) and jasplakinolide (Jas), we demonstrate that the actin cytoskeleton plays an important role in mRNA delivery mediated by silicon nanotubes (SiNTs). Specifically, actin inhibition 12 h before SiNT-cellular interfacing (pre-interface treatment) significantly dampens mRNA delivery (with efficiencies dropping to 17.2% for Cyto D and 33.1% for Jas) into mouse fibroblast GPE86 cells, compared to that of untreated controls (86.9%). However, actin inhibition initiated 2 h after the establishment of GPE86 cell–SiNT interface (post-interface treatment), has negligible impact on mRNA transfection, maintaining > 80% efficiency for both Cyto D and Jas treatment groups. The results contribute to understanding potential mechanisms involved in NN-mediated intracellular delivery, providing insights into strategic design of cell–nano interfacing under temporal control for improved effectiveness.
Utilizing Machine Learning Algorithms to Predict Subject Genetic Mutation Class from In Silico Models of Neuronal Networks
Authors: Kress Gavin T. , Chan Fion , Garcia Claudia A. , Merrifield Warren S.
Published: July 2022

Epilepsy affects an estimated 50 million patients across the globe making it the fourth most common neurological disorder. Up to 40% of patients have uncontrolled seizures, yet incur approximately 80% of the cost. Anti-epileptic drugs commonly result in resistance and reversion to uncontrolled drug resistant epilepsy and are commonly associated with significant adverse effects. This has led to a trial-and-error system in which physicians spend months to years attempting to identify the optimal therapeutic approach. The primary reason for this is that the diagnostic system for patients with epilepsy commonly has minimal predictive capacity for treatment efficacy and tolerability because it fails to account for the multifactorial nature of epilepsy and the effects of unique patient biology. Therefore, the investigators hypothesize that by increasing the diagnostic precision of patients with epilepsy by characterizing electrophysiology using a novel approach, better initial predictions for optimal therapy can be made. Several studies have shown that genomic data alone can be predictive of effective therapeutic approaches in some patients. Thus, in order to assess the predictive power of electrophysiological data in silico, a multitude of machine learning strategies were implemented to attempt to predict a subject’s genetically defined class in an in silico model using brief electrophysiological recordings obtained from microelectrode arrays. This study found that various machine learning algorithms excel in using electrophysiological data from isogenic neurons to accurately predict genetic class. This indicates it is possible for machine learning algorithms to use electrophysiological data to predict clinically valuable metrics such as optimal therapeutic approach.
Robotic Capital - Skill Complementarity
Authors: Battisti Michele , Gatto Massimo Del , Gravina Antonio Francesco , Parmeter Christopher
Published: July 2022

Relying upon an original (country-sector-year) measure of robotic capital, we study the extent of complementarity/substitutability between robots and workers at different skill levels. Relying on nonparametric analysis, we estimate country-sector elasticity of substitution patterns, over the 1995-2009 period, between robots and skilled/unskilled labor. We show that: i) robotization tends to increase the relative substitutability of unskilled labor; ii) this tendency strengthened from the beginning of ’00s; iii) both the tendency and its increase have been more pronounced in OECD, compared to Non-OECD countries and in Manufacturing, compared to Non-Manufacturing; iv) substantial heterogeneity exists.
Integration of transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall. in response to cold stress in the Changbai Mountains
Authors: Zhang Qingyi , Li Yue , Sun Li , Chu Shuangyan , Xu Hongwei , Zhou Xiaofu
Published: July 2022

Cold stress is one of the abiotic stresses that affect plant growth and development, as well as life and geographical distribution important. For researching how plants react to low temperature stress, Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall. (R. chrysanthum) growing in Changbai Mountains of China is an essential study subject. R. chrysanthum was cold-treated at 4°C for 12 h (cold-stress group-CS, and controls-CK), combined with transcriptomics (RNA-seq) and proteomics (iTRAQ) techniques, to investigate the response mechanisms of R. chrysanthum response to cold stress. Cold stress resulted in the discovery of 12,261 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 360 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Correlation of proteomic and transcriptome data, proteome regulation of distinct subcellular localization, and gene/protein functional groupings are all part of the investigation. The combined analysis showed that 6,378 DEPs matched the corresponding DEGs when the control was compared with the cold-treated samples (CK vs CS). The analysis identified 54 DEGs-DEPs associated with cold stress. cold-tolerant DEGs-DEPs were enriched with hydrolase activity, acting on glycosyl bonds, carbon-oxygen lyase activity and ferric iron binding. Seven potential DEGs-DEPs with significant involvement in the cold stress response were identified by co-expression network analysis. These findings identify the synergistic effect of DEGs-DEPs as the key to improve the cold tolerance of R. chrysanthum and provide a theoretical basis for further studies on its cold resistance subsequently.
A study of the factors associated with emergency department visits in advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care
Authors: Dumnui Netsakao , Nagaviroj Kittiphon , Anothaisintawee Thunyarat
Published: July 2022

Purpose: Several studies demonstrated that cancer patients visited the emergency department (ED) frequently. This indicates unmet needs and poor-quality palliative care. We aimed to determine the factors that contribute to ED visits in this population.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted between January and December, 2019. The trial ended when the patients died, were referred to other palliative programs, or the study ended date. All patients age > 18 years old were included. Patients were excluded if they died before discharge, were referred to other programs, or had an incomplete record. The Poisson regression analysis was done to investigate the factors associated with ED visits. The multiple logistic regression included variables with a P value < 0.15 from the univariate analysis.Results:Among a total of 227 patients, 93 visited the ED and 134 did not. Mean age was 65.5 years. Most prevalent cancers were colorectal(18.5%), lung(16.3%), and hepatobiliary(11.9%). At the end, 146 patients died, 45 were alive, nine were referred to other programs, and 27 were lost to follow-up. In univariate analysis, patients with >100 days from palliative consultation (IRR 0.3; 95%CI0.11, 0.80; p-value 0.02) were less likely to attend the ED. PPS 50-90% (IRR 1.56;95%CI 1.02,2.39; p-value 0.03) increased the ED visits. In the multivariate analysis, those two factors remained associated with ED visits:>100 days from the palliative consultation (IRR 0.27; 95%CI0.10, 0.73; p-value 0.01) and PPS 50-90% (IRR 1.76; 95%CI1.14, 2.72; p-value 0.01).Conclusions:Involving palliative three months before death in cancer patients may reduce ED visits.
A Robust Clustering-based Lossless Data Compression Technique for Air Quality Monitoring System
Authors: Ghose Banani , Rehena Zeenat
Published: July 2022

With the advent of the IoT and Big data, there is an enormous supply of datasets, which are captured by the sensors installed in the relevant places. For the air pollution monitoring system, several sensors provide a huge dataset. They continuously capture pollutant concentration as well as the meteorological factors to form the voluminous, multivariate time-series dataset, which includes both. Those sensors are paired with low-capacity batteries and limited memory, transmission, and computational components. Transmitting the high volume data to the monitoring system deployed in the cloud demands high energy dissipation and higher bandwidth. The single solution for all these constraints is data compression. Data compression reduces the volumes of the datasets. The reduced volume of data saves energy and it is easier to transmit the compressed data through the limited bandwidth. In this paper, a lossless data compression algorithm is proposed. On successful implementation of the algorithm, the data is compressed with absolutely no data loss. To evaluate the efficiency of the algorithm, its performance is compared with some classical and several state-of-the-art compression schemes. The experimental results show that the proposed compression algorithm outperforms the classical as well as state-of-the-art models concerning the performance evaluating parameters like Compression Ratio, Compression Factor, and most importantly Power Saving.
CCNB1IP1 stabilizes MYCN through suppression of Fbxw7-mediated degradation and facilitates the growth of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma
Authors: Zhai Bo , Zhou Yang , Yan Hui , Zhou Qiang , Wang Penggao , Yang Fang , Yuan Ziqiao , Zhou Yunjiang
Published: July 2022

MYCN amplification is the most common genetic alteration and generally represents a negative prognosis for neuroblastoma (NB) patients. However, given the challenge of directly targeting MYCN, indirect strategies to modulate MYCN by interfering with its cofactors is attractive in NB treatment. Here, we showed that the cyclin B1 interacting protein 1 (CCNB1IP1) was highly expressed in MYCN-amplified (MYCN-AM) NB cell lines and patient-derived tumor tissues and closely associated with poor prognosis. Phenotypic studies confirmed that CCNB1I1P facilitated the proliferation and tumorigenicity of NB cells in cooperation with MYCN. Mechanistically, MYCN directly transactivated CCNB1IP1, which in turn attenuated the ubiquitination and degradation of MYCN protein, thus forming a positive feedback loop. Specifically, CCNB1IP1 competed with F box/WD-40 domain protein 7 (Fbxw7) for MYCN binding and enabled MYCN-mediated tumorigenesis in a C-terminal domain-dependent manner. Our research will provide new prospects for precise treatment of MYCN-AM NB based on MYCN-CCNB1IP1 interaction.
An enhanced YOLOv5 based on Color Harmony Algorithm for object detection in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle captured Images
Authors: Singh Chandra Has , Jain Kamal
Published: July 2022

Recent improvements in robotics and computer vision enable new camera-equipped drone applications. Aerial Object Detection (OD) is one. Despite recent advances, computer vision OD remains difficult. Due to UAVs' fast speed, different views, and fluctuating altitudes, objects in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photos are heterogeneous, fluctuate in size, and are dense, making OD challenging with existing algorithms. Existing object recognition algorithms perform worse on UAV images because OD in aerial images is more difficult than in ground-taken images. If a generic object detection technique is used to drone-captured images, its performance will be drastically degraded owing to the fact that varied surroundings with complicated background and the size of objects are at the core of this phenomena. In this work, an object detection model CHA-YOLOv5 is proposed. In the proposed system the detection module is optimized using the Color Harmony Algorithm, as it determines the prediction head from the available three prediction heads. CHA-YOLOv5 accurately predicts several bounding boxes per grid cell. The proposed model has been trained using several images from challenging contexts. The experimental results show that the objects are identified accurately using the proposed improved network model in this study. It achieved precision 98.675%, pecall 97.8023%, mAP 97.23%, F1 score 98.50%. Our system outperformed the YOLOV5, ResNet50, VGG19, and InceptionNet V3.
Vertical umbilical incision achieves better cosmesis than circumumbilical incision in transumbilical laparotomy in neonates and young infants
Authors: Tomita Hirofumi , Shimojima Naoki , Shimotakahara Akihiro , Tamada Ikkei , Ishikawa Miki , Hashimoto Makoto , Tsukizaki Ayano , Miyaguni Kazuaki , Hirobe Seiichi
Published: July 2022

Purpose: The transumbilical approach is widely used for minimally invasive surgery in children. We compared herein the postoperative cosmesis between two types of transumbilical approach, one involving a vertical incision and the other involving a circumumbilical incision.Methods: Patients with a transumbilical laparotomy before age 1 year were prospectively enrolled between January 2018 and December 2020. A vertical or circumumbilical incision was chosen at the surgeon’s discretion. A questionnaire about the appearance of the umbilicus was completed by the patients’ guardians at postoperative month 6 to assess satisfaction and determine the visual analog scale score. Patients receiving a relaparotomy via another site were excluded.Results: Forty patients were enrolled; 24 patients received a vertical incision while 16 received a circumumbilical incision. The incision length was significantly shorter in the vertical incision group (median: 2.0; range: 1.5–3.0 cm vs. median: 2.75; range: 1.5–3.6 cm) (P = 0.001). The patients’ guardians reported significantly higher satisfaction (P = 0.002) and higher scores on the visual analog scale (P = 0.046) in the vertical incision group (n = 22) than in the circumumbilical incision group (n = 15).Conclusion: A vertical umbilical incision can provide better, postoperative cosmesis than a circumumbilical incision.
Compact Tri-Band Antenna With Double Winding Structures for 3G/4G/5G Base Station Applications
Authors: R PRASANNA , P Saravanan , S Rajarajan
Published: July 2022

This paper introduces a compact triband antenna fed by a coplanar waveguide (CPW) for 3G/4G/5G base station applications with an ability to attain reversibility of transformer operation. The newly presented design provides Step-up and step-down transformer operation with double winding structures on either side of the central resonator. The antenna design is attained through methodical design procedures accompanied by thorough analysis for the development of prototypes rapidly. The proposed compact triband antenna performance is evaluated for both with and without windings in the antenna structure. The proposed design without the winding structure achieves a dual band of operation whereas the design with a winding structure achieves tri-band operation with improved S11 performance and very less VSWR. Two prototypes of triband UWB antenna with double winding structures of high design specifications are fabricated and tested to validate the proposed design principle. The effectiveness of the projected design is evident from the excellent association between simulated and measured results. It is shown that the proposed design is very effective with low cost and the fabricated prototypes of the antenna with double winding structures are very compact with the dimensions of 18.6 X 15.6 mm2 achieving three frequency bands of operations at 2.9 GHz,
Unsteady Triple Diffusive Convection Embedded with Darcy-Brinkman Three Temperature Model
Authors: Shukla Shushant , Gupta Urvashi , Wanchoo R. K.
Published: July 2022

The theory of the binary nanofluid layer heated and soluted from below under the effect of local thermal non-equilibrium has been investigated by applying the technique of superposition of basic feasible modes with one term residual method. The so-called Darcy-Brinkman model for the top-heavy distribution of nanoparticles has been employed. A three-temperature LTNE model, assuming one-temperature field for the solid matrix, one for the base fluid, and one for the suspended nano-sized particles is employed incorporating the effects of Brownian and thermophoretic diffusions. Numerical computations are carried out with the software Mathematica (version 12.0). The novelty of the problem lies in the fact that destabilizing influence of nanoparticles and solute is countered with the stabilization due to the presence of Darcy-Brinkman porous medium. Further, the four LTNE parameters also have the balancing effect on the system.
Spatial analysis of provincial and district trends in stunting among children under five years from 2001 to 2016
Authors: Nepali Sajama , Simkhada Padam , Thapa Balaram
Published: July 2022

Background
The average prevalence of stunting reported by the Nepal Demographic Health Survey from 2001 to 2016 only reports the prevalence of stunting at the national level and provincial and district level information is missing. Also, no previous study has reported a provincial trend in stunting from 2001 to 2016. This study for the first time presents the spatial trend of stunting among children under five years for 7 provinces and 77 districts of Nepal over 15 years using Demographic Health Survey Global Positioning System coordinates, Demographic Health Survey indicators, and geospatial covariates.
Methods
This is a secondary analysis of data from Nepal Demographic Health Survey from 2001 to 2016. The study population was children under five years. The outcome variable was stunting, which was analyzed as per districts and provinces. Sample weight was applied to calculate the percentage of stunting and 95% confidence interval for all survey years. The geographic dataset was used to provide information about the latitude and longitude of the survey cluster. Poisson-based model was used during the purely spatial analysis in SatScan for identification of clusters with stunting caseload.
Results
The reduction in the prevalence of stunting among children under five years has not been equal when disaggregated for district and provincial level data. In 2001, 57 districts had a prevalence of stunting among children above or equal to 50%, which has reduced over time except for districts in Karnali province. In 2016, 16 districts had a prevalence of stunting above or equal to 50%. Jumla (91.7%) and Kalikot (77.8%) still had the highest prevalence of stunting as of 2001. Among 7 provinces, the prevalence of stunting is found highest in Karnali for all subsequent survey years. Sudurpaschim and Madhesh provinces also had a high proportion of stunted children. The highest reduction in the prevalence of stunting was noted for Province Bagmati (by 30%) and Gandaki (by 28%).
Conclusions
The inequalities in childhood stunting persisted at the district and provincial levels although a good decline was noted at the national level. This calls for rigorous attention to be provided to districts and provinces with a high prevalence of stunting, and being prioritized for a targeted intervention
The Temporal and spatial endophytic fungal community of Huperzia serrata: diversity and relevance to huperzine A production by the host
Authors: Shen Zhuhui , Liu Xubing , Wang Yanli , Yang Jia , Yao Kai , Huo Qingmiao , Fu Yanping , Wei Yahui , Guo Bin
Published: July 2022

Background
Plants maintain the steady-state balance of the mutually beneficial symbiosis relationship of their endophytic fungi through secondary metabolites. Meanwhile endophytic fungi can serve as biological inducers to promote the biosynthesis and accumulation of valuable secondary metabolites in host plants through a variety of ways. The composition and structure of endophytic fungal community are affected by many factors, including tissues, seasons and so on. We studied the community diversity, temporal and spatial pattern of endophytic fungi isolated from the roots, stems and leaves of Huperzia serrata in different seasons. The correlation between endophytic fungi and huperzine A content in plants was analyzed.
Results
A total of 7005 operational taxonomic units were isolated, and all strains were identified as 14 phyla, 54 classes, 140 orders, 351 families, 742 genera. Alpha diversity analysis showed that the diversity of endophytic fungi in stem and leaf was higher than that in root, and the diversity in summer (August) was lower than that in other months. NMDS analysis showed that the endophytic fungal communities of leaves, stems and roots were significantly different, and the root and leaf communities were also different between four seasons. Through correlation analysis, it was found that 33 genera of the endophytic fungi of Huperzia serrata showed a significant positive correlation with the content of huperzine A (p < 0.05), of which 13 genera (Strelitziana、Devriesia、Articulospora、Derxomyces、Cyphellophora、Trechispora、Kurtzmanomyces、Capnobotryella、Erythrobasidium、Camptophora、Stagonospora、Lachnum、Golubevia) showed a highly significant positive correlation with the content of huperzine A (p < 0.01). These endophytic fungi may have the potential to promote the biosynthesis and accumulation of huperzine A in plant.
Conclusions
This report is the first time to analyze the diversity of endophytic fungi in tissues of Huperzia serrata from different seasons, which proves that there is variability in different tissues and seasonal distribution patterns. These findings provide references to the study of Endophytic Fungi of Huperzia serrata.
Effects of a minimally invasive technique for patients diagnosed with different classifications of tennis elbow: A randomized control trial
Authors: Ge Lin-Pu , Cheng Feng , Zhang Rui-Kun , Chen Zhi-Neng , Yao Xin-Miao , Xie Yue-Peng , Li Gui-Jin , Liu Xiao-Qian
Published: July 2022

Background
Tennis elbow has long been one of the most controversial subjects in orthopaedics. Many scholars thought the use of open or arthroscopic surgery was reserved for patients with refractory symptoms. Therapy with percutaneous acupotomy performed under local anaesthesia also removes degenerated tissue, releases strain, and therefore provides an alternative treatment option to surgical excision.
Purpose
The aim of this single-blinded randomized control trial was to examine the long-term clinical effectiveness of a nonsurgical percutaneous release technique (acupotomy) and the current standard of care (steroid injection) in people diagnosed with a refractory tennis elbow.
Methods
Ninety patients with refractory symptoms were included. The intervention period was 6 weeks. According to the classification, 38 patients had extra-articular tennis elbow, 36 patients had intraarticular tennis elbow, and 16 patients had mixed type tennis elbow. Forty-five patients were randomly assigned to treatment with percutaneous release by acupotomy according to their classified condition, and 45 patients were randomly assigned to treatment with steroid injection alone. The visual analogue scale (VAS), a tenderness assessment, a grip assessment, and the Nirschl staging system were used for outcome evaluation at pretreatment and the posttreatment timepoints at 1, 6, 12, 24 and 48 weeks.
Results
During the first weeks, there were no differences observed between the groups. By 6, 24 and 48 weeks, significant differences were observed between the two groups. The acupotomy group scored significantly better in nearly all outcome measures than the corticosteroid group.
Conclusions
For patients with lateral epicondylitis, acupotomy is just as effective as corticosteroid injections in the short term (< 6 weeks). In the long term, acupotomy has greater efficacy and is associated with a lower rate of recurrence than corticosteroid injections in the management of lateral epicondylitis.
An Endoscopic treatment for male short segment posterior urethral stricture
Authors: Pang Kun , Zhu Zuobin , Xu Hao , Hao Lin , Shi Zhenduo , Dong Yang , Zhu Guangyuan , Pan Deng , Ma Yuyang , Han Conghui
Published: July 2022

Objective
To introduce a new sequential sheath urethral dilatation (SSUD) method to treat male short segment posterior urethral stricture (MSS-PUS).
Methods
67 male patients who had a MSS-PUS were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of two groups: group A (SSUD) and group B (Cold knife internal urethrotomy, CIU). Baseline information, including age, diabetes status, location of urethral stricture, preoperative ultrasound post-void residual (PVR) measurement, preoperative maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), and preoperative International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) were collected and compared between groups. The operation time, postoperative length of hospital stay, indwelling catheter size, success rate, operative complications, recurrence, postoperative PVR, Qmax, and IPSS were evaluated and compared between the two groups.
Results
There was no significant difference in the baseline data, postoperative data, the complication, recurrence rates, postoperative length of hospital stay and postoperative PVR measurements between the two groups (p > 0.05), but the difference in immediate success rate, operative time, indwelling catheter size, postoperative Qmax and postoperative IPSS was statistically significant (p < 0.05).
Conclusion
We introduced a new SSUD method to treat MSS-PUS. The immediate success rate, operation time, and surgical effect were better than the CID procedure.