bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ambiguous no more: Time to de-mystify the Barnett Formula
Authors: Cuthbert J. R.
Published: August 2020

This paper sets out to de-mystify the effects of the Barnett Formula – the mechanism which has delivered the bulk of the funding for Scottish domestic services over the past forty years. There has always been considerable ambiguity about the effects of the formula: with some holding that it is a mechanism which would eventually deliver converging levels of per capita spending in the different countries of the UK: while others held that it protected expenditure differentials. The paper explains why, partly because of the effects of relative population change, both views were correct at different times in the period up to 2015. In particular, at times of austerity, the formula operated to protect relative per capita spending levels in Scotland. Largely by accident, the Barnett Formula delivered some of the features expected in a properly functioning monetary union. After 2015, however, with the introduction of the post referendum fiscal settlement, the position is quite different. While Barnett still plays a part, the overall effect of the new funding system is to place Scotland in a vulnerable position, where it is at much greater risk of falling into a cycle of economic decline relative to the rest of the UK.
PENGARUH NEBULIZER, INFRARED, DAN CHEST PHYSIOTHERAPY PADA ASMA BRONCHIALE
Authors: Amanati Suci , Najizah Fitratun , Istifada Jihan
Published: August 2020

Background : Asthma Bronchiale is an obstruction of the respiratory tract due to narrowing of the airways that are reversible (narrowing can disappear by itself). But there are times when this reversible trait can be lost after getting treatment. Disorders arising from asthma bronchiale itself are shortness of breath, phlegm buildup, and spasms in the respiratory muscles. The therapy used in this case provides a nebulizer modality that helps relieve tightness and thin the sputum, infrared tries to relax reducing muscle spasm, and chest physiotherapy used to decrease breathlesness.

          Research Methods : This research method is experimental, research design uses case studies, and data collection techniques use Pre and Post Test. The sampling technique uses accidental sampling. Examination of breathlesness by using the respiratory rate, thorax expansion by using midline and functional activity by using modified RPE.

Result : The results obtained from this study can be concluded after 4 times intervention the breathlessness was decrease, expantion of thorax was increase and there are improve of index functional.

Conclution : Nebulizer, Infra red, and chest physiotherapy that give into the patient could minimaze the breathless, increase thorax expantion  and inprove functional activity.
KELEKATAN ANAK PADA ORANG TUA DALAM MENINGKATKAN PERKEMBANGAN KOGNITIF DAN HARGA DIRI
Authors: Diananda Amita
Published: August 2020

Parental attachment does unequivocally have a pivotal relationship with emotion. Parent, especially a mom, is the first and foremost person who has the emotion bond with her child. This bond affects the most of the development of a child. The absent of fulfilment of emotion needs in caregiving of a child, such as a feeling of safety, love and/or compassion, attention, and appreciation, will take an innocent child to a stage of susceptibility that will drive him to be a “vulnerable child” that is a child with fragile personality, frail, fearful, lack of contentment and happiness, et cetera. Parental attachment in the period of growth and development can help challenging tasks so as to trigger cognitive development to the fullest and the growing of sense of self-esteem of a child. This research is using a qualitative approach and analysis, while the type of research is library research.
RETRACTED: LncRNA DLX6-AS1 Promotes Malignant Phenotype and Lymph Node Metastasis in Prostate Cancer by Inducing LARGE Methylation
Authors: Zhao Zhifeng , Liang Shuxia , Sun Fuguang
Published: August 2020

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently become recognized as crucial players in cancer cellular events including proliferation, migration, and invasion. Herein, we investigated the potential role of lncRNA DLX6-AS1 in prostate cancer cell malignant behaviors and lymph node metastasis. A differentially expressed lncRNA DLX6-AS1 and its downstream regulatory gene (LARGE) were predicted by analysis in silico. RT-qPCR and western blot analysis results demonstrated that DLX6-AS1 was highly expressed, but LARGE was poorly expressed in prostate cancer tissues and cells. The online website indicated that DLX6-AS1 negatively targeted LARGE expression, which was validated by Pearson correlation analysis and MSP. ChIP, RIP, and RNA pull-down assays further suggested that DLX6-AS1 downregulated LARGE expression through recruitment of DNMT1 to its promoter. We induced DLX6-AS1/LARGE overexpression or knockdown to examine their effects through Edu and Transwell assays, which revealed that DLX6-AS1 overexpression accelerated proliferation, invasion, and migration of prostate cancer cells, and that overexpression of LARGE rescued these effects. Tumors xenografts studies confirmed that DLX6-AS1 promoted lymph node metastasis by regulating LARGE, as evidenced by enhanced expression of MMP-9, uPAR, and cathepsin B. In summary, DLX6-AS1 stimulated prostate cancer malignant progression and lymph node metastasis by inducing DNMT1-mediated LARGE methylation, highlighting a potential therapeutic target against prostate cancer.
Analysis of Flow Characteristic of Transonic Tandem Rotor Airfoil and Its Optimization
Authors: Tao Yuan , Wu Yifei , Yu Xianjun , Liu Baojie
Published: August 2020

Tandem blade technology has become an effective method to break the load limit of conventional aerodynamic configurations. To expand the application range of tandem blades, the supersonic tandem blade flow characteristic was studied and an optimal design was conducted by using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver, with an inflow Mach number of 1.2. The main conclusions follow: (1) the tandem blade loss is difficult to control because of the complicated flow structures with supersonic inflow; (2) the forward blade loss dominates the tandem blade overall loss in the whole operating conditions; and (3) the tandem blade profile was optimized by considering the aerodynamic interaction between forward and aft blade. The numerical simulation results show that the total pressure loss declines by 20% at the design point, and the incidence range increases by about 0.5°.
Composition Characteristics of Organic Matter and Bacterial Communities under the Alternanthera philoxeroide Invasion in Wetlands
Authors: Cao Qingqing , Zhang Haijie , Ma Wen , Wang Renqing , Liu Jian
Published: August 2020

The influence of Alternanthera philoxeroide (alligator weed) invasion on wetland organic matter (OM) accumulation and bacterial changes is rarely studied, but is possibly an important step for revealing the invasion mechanism. Thus, the distribution characteristics of light fraction organic carbon and nitrogen (LFOC and LFON), and heavy fractions organic carbon and nitrogen (HFOC and HFON) were analyzed. Sampling was done on two sediment depths (0–15 cm and 15–25 cm) of invaded and normal habitats of two natural wetlands and two constructed wetlands, and bacterial taxa and composition in surface sediments were also analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. In the surface sediments, the LFOC and LFON contents were significantly higher in the constructed wetlands (0.791 and 0.043 g·kg−1) than in the natural wetlands (0.500 and 0.022 g·kg−1), and the contents of the C and N fractions were also prominently higher in the invaded areas than in normal wetland habitats. The OM storage was relatively stable. Proteobacteria (55.94%), Bacteroidetes (5.74%), Acidobacteria (6.66%), and Chloroflexi (4.67%) were the dominant bacterial phyla in the wetlands. The abundance of Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Gemmatimonadetes were significantly higher in the invaded areas than in the normal habitats. The relative high abundance-based coverage estimator (ACE) index in the constructed wetlands and invaded areas suggested the corresponding high bacterial diversity. The significant and positive relationship between Acidobacteria and organic nitrogen concentrations suggested their potential and positive interrelationships. This study demonstrated that the alligator weed invasion could significantly change the compositions of sediment organic matterand bacteria, thus further changing the nutrition cycle and wetland microhabitat.
Multiple-TMD-Based Structural Vibration Control for Pumped Storage Power Plants
Authors: Zhong Tengfei , Feng Xin , Zhang Yu , Zhou Jing
Published: August 2020

The high-frequency resonance in the superstructure of a pumped storage power station (PSPP) due to the generation unit can shorten the service life of the power station structure and even endanger its safety. Although tuned mass dampers (TMDs) have been proved to be effective in controlling structural vibration, their application in PSPPs is rare, as high-frequency vibration control of PSPPs has not been studied. In this paper, a TMD control method is proposed based on PSPP high-frequency vibration and various TMD control strategies, and a set of high-frequency TMD equipment is designed. Results of a series of vibration reduction tests and numerical analyses show that the new TMD device can effectively control the high-order mode of the structure, and the bandwidth of the suppression frequency is extended, which shows the robustness and control efficiency of the device.
CO2 Emission Calculation Method during Construction Process for Developing BIM-Based Performance Evaluation System
Authors: Sun Hongwei , Park Yeongmog
Published: August 2020

Nowadays, global warming is a big challenge for human beings; since the Kyoto Protocol became effective, greenhouse gas emissions have been an important environmental evaluation index in all industries. Construction is a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas emissions in the construction stage are mainly from the construction materials and the construction activities. The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively calculate the carbon dioxide emissions in the construction process, and provide a method of controlling the CO2 emissions effectively by converting into cost. In this study, the authors selected the tunnel construction as the research object, and chose the primary greenhouse gas-CO2 to estimate emissions. The authors did a research based on BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology, to calculate CO2 emission during the construction process. It considered the CO2 emissions from main materials and equipment. Finally, the authors used the recent carbon emission trading price to convert the CO2 emission into cost, and did the economic analysis. The method proposed in this paper can effectively evaluate the CO2 emissions in the construction process; it has a good reference significance for the selection of low-carbon emission materials in the design process, and it provides a case reference and direction for research of low-carbon equipment. By using the EU emissions trading system, the economic conversion of CO2 emissions will provide an economic evaluation index for the CO2 emissions of tunnel construction activities. Meanwhile, based on the method of this study, a BIM-based automated performance evaluation system could be developed.
Automatic Tooth Detection and Numbering Using a Combination of a CNN and Heuristic Algorithm
Authors: Kim Changgyun , Kim Donghyun , Jeong HoGul , Yoon Suk-Ja , Youm Sekyoung
Published: August 2020

Dental panoramic radiography (DPR) is a method commonly used in dentistry for patient diagnosis. This study presents a new technique that combines a regional convolutional neural network (RCNN), Single Shot Multibox Detector, and heuristic methods to detect and number the teeth and implants with only fixtures in a DPR image. This technology is highly significant in providing statistical information and personal identification based on DPR and separating the images of individual teeth, which serve as basic data for various DPR-based AI algorithms. As a result, the mAP(@IOU = 0.5) of the tooth, implant fixture, and crown detection using the RCNN algorithm were obtained at rates of 96.7%, 45.1%, and 60.9%, respectively. Further, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the tooth numbering algorithm using a convolutional neural network and heuristics were 84.2%, 75.5%, and 84.5%, respectively. Techniques to analyze DPR images, including implants and bridges, were developed, enabling the possibility of applying AI to orthodontic or implant DPR images of patients.
HSP70–eIF4G Interaction Promotes Protein Synthesis and Cell Proliferation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Meng , Wei Kai , Qian Baifeng , Feiler Svenja , Lemekhova Anastasia , Büchler Markus W. , Hoffmann Katrin
Published: August 2020

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and features various tumor escape mechanisms from treatment-induced stress. HSP70 plays a critical role in cell protection under stress. eIF4G physiologically regulates the formation of the protein-ribosomal complex and maintains cellular protein synthesis. However, the precise cooperation of both in HCC remains poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that HSP70 expression is positively correlated with eIF4G in tumor specimens from 25 HCC patients, in contrast to the adjacent non-tumorous tissues, and that both influence the survival of HCC patients. Mechanistically, this study indicates that HSP70 and eIF4G interact with each other in vitro. We further show that the HSP70–eIF4G interaction contributes to promoting cellular protein synthesis, enhancing cell proliferation, and inhibiting cell apoptosis. Collectively, this study reveals the pivotal role of HSP70–eIF4G interaction as an escape mechanism in HCC. Therefore, modulation of the HSP70–eIF4G interaction might be a potential novel therapeutic target of HCC treatment.
Expression Patterns of Coagulation Factor XIII Subunit A on Leukemic Lymphoblasts Correlate with Clinical Outcome and Genetic Subtypes in Childhood B-cell Progenitor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Kárai Bettina , Gyurina Katalin , Ujfalusi Anikó , Sędek Łukasz , Barna Gábor , Jáksó Pál , Svec Peter , Szánthó Eszter , Nagy Attila Csaba , Müller Judit , Simon Réka , Vojczek Ágnes , Szegedi István , Tiszlavicz Lilla Györgyi , Kowalczyk Jerzy R. , Kolenova Alexandra , Kovács Gábor T. , Szczepański Tomasz , Dworzak Michael , Schumich Angela , Attarbaschi Andishe , Nebral Karin , Haas Oskar A. , Kappelmayer János , Hevessy Zsuzsanna , Kiss Csongor
Published: August 2020

Background: Based on previous retrospective results, we investigated the association of coagulation FXIII subunit A (FXIII-A) expression pattern on survival and correlations with known prognostic factors of B-cell progenitor (BCP) childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as a pilot study of the prospective multi-center BFM ALL-IC 2009 clinical trial. Methods: The study included four national centers (n = 408). Immunophenotyping by flow cytometry and cytogenetic analysis were performed by standard methods. Copy number alteration was studied in a subset of patients (n = 59). Survival rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Correlations between FXIII-A expression patterns and risk factors were investigated with Cox and logistic regression models. Results: Three different patterns of FXIII-A expression were observed: negative (<20%), dim (20–79%), and bright (≥80%). The FXIII-A dim expression group had significantly higher 5-year event-free survival (EFS) (93%) than the FXIII-A negative (70%) and FXIII-A bright (61%) groups. Distribution of intermediate genetic risk categories and the “B-other” genetic subgroup differed significantly between the FXIII-A positive and negative groups. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed independent association between the FXIII-A negative expression characteristics and the prevalence of intermediate genetic risk group. Conclusions: FXIII-A negativity is associated with dismal survival in children with BCP-ALL and is an indicator for the presence of unfavorable genetic alterations.
Behavioral Changes in Stem-Cell Potency by HepG2-Exhausted Medium
Authors: Balzano Francesca , Garroni Giuseppe , Cruciani Sara , Bellu Emanuela , Dei Giudici Silvia , Oggiano Annalisa , Capobianco Giampiero , Dessole Salvatore , Ventura Carlo , Maioli Margherita
Published: August 2020

Wharton jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) are able to differentiate into different cell lineages upon stimulation. This ability is closely related to the perfect balance between the pluripotency-related genes, which control stem-cell proliferation, and genes able to orchestrate the appearance of a specific phenotype. Here we studied the expression of stemness-related genes, epigenetic regulators (DNMT1, SIRT1), miRNAs (miR-145, miR-148, and miR-185) related to stemness, exosomes, the cell-cycle regulators p21 (WAF1/CIP1) and p53, and the senescence-associated genes (p16, p19, and hTERT). Cells were cultured in the presence or absence of the human hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2-exhausted medium, to evaluate changes in stemness, differentiation capability, and senescence sensibility. Our results showed the overexpression of SIRT1 and reduced levels of p21 mRNA. Moreover, we observed a downregulation of DNMT1, and a simultaneous overexpression of Oct-4 and c-Myc. These findings suggest that WJ-MSCs are more likely to retain a stem phenotype and sometimes to switch to a highly undifferentiable proliferative-like behavior if treated with medium exhausted by human HepG2 cell lines.
RNA-Binding Protein Rbm24 as a Multifaceted Post-Transcriptional Regulator of Embryonic Lineage Differentiation and Cellular Homeostasis
Authors: Grifone Raphaëlle , Shao Ming , Saquet Audrey , Shi De-Li
Published: August 2020

RNA-binding proteins control the metabolism of RNAs at all stages of their lifetime. They are critically required for the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in a wide variety of physiological and pathological processes. Rbm24 is a highly conserved RNA-binding protein that displays strongly regionalized expression patterns and exhibits dynamic changes in subcellular localization during early development. There is increasing evidence that it acts as a multifunctional regulator to switch cell fate determination and to maintain tissue homeostasis. Dysfunction of Rbm24 disrupts cell differentiation in nearly every tissue where it is expressed, such as skeletal and cardiac muscles, and different head sensory organs, but the molecular events that are affected may vary in a tissue-specific, or even a stage-specific manner. Recent works using different animal models have uncovered multiple post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms by which Rbm24 functions in key developmental processes. In particular, it represents a major splicing factor in muscle cell development, and plays an essential role in cytoplasmic polyadenylation during lens fiber cell terminal differentiation. Here we review the advances in understanding the implication of Rbm24 during development and disease, by focusing on its regulatory roles in physiological and pathological conditions.
The Hippo Pathway Effector YAP1 Regulates Intestinal Epithelial Cell Differentiation
Authors: Fallah Sepideh , Beaulieu Jean-François
Published: August 2020

The human intestine is covered by epithelium, which is continuously replaced by new cells provided by stem cells located at the bottom of the glands. The maintenance of intestinal stem cells is supported by a niche which is composed of several signaling proteins including the Hippo pathway effectors YAP1/TAZ. The role of YAP1/TAZ in cell proliferation and regeneration is well documented but their involvement on the differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells is unclear. In the present study, the role of YAP1/TAZ on the differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells was investigated using the HT29 cell line, the only multipotent intestinal cell line available, with a combination of knockdown approaches. The expression of intestinal differentiation cell markers was tested by qPCR, Western blot, indirect immunofluorescence and electron microscopy analyses. The results show that TAZ is not expressed while the abolition of YAP1 expression led to a sharp increase in goblet and absorptive cell differentiation and reduction of some stem cell markers. Further studies using double knockdown experiments revealed that most of these effects resulting from YAP1 abolition are mediated by CDX2, a key intestinal cell transcription factor. In conclusion, our results indicate that YAP1/TAZ negatively regulate the differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells through the inhibition of CDX2 expression.
Development of a Parametric Regional Multivariate Statistical Weather Generator for Risk Assessment Studies in Areas with Limited Data Availability
Authors: Waheed Saddam Q. , Grigg Neil S. , Ramirez Jorge A.
Published: August 2020

Risk analysis of water resources systems can use statistical weather generators coupled with hydrologic models to examine scenarios of extreme events caused by climate change. These require multivariate, multi-site models that mimic the spatial, temporal, and cross correlations of observed data. This study developed a statistical weather generator to facilitate bottom-up approaches to assess the impact of climate change on water resources systems for cases of limited data. While existing weather generator models have impressive features, this study suggested a simple weather generator which is straightforward to implement and can employ any distribution function for variables such as precipitation or temperature. It is based on (1) a first-order, two-state Markov chain to simulate precipitation occurrences; (2) the use of Wilks’ technique to produce correlated weather variables at multiple sites with the conservation of spatial, temporal, and cross correlations; (3) the capability to vary the statistical parameters of the weather variables. The model was applied to studies of the Diyala River basin in Iraq, which is a case with limited observed records. Results show that it exhibits high values (e.g., over 0.95) for the Nash–Sutcliffe and Kling–Gupta metric tests, preserves the statistical properties of the observed variables, and conserves the spatial, temporal, and cross correlations among the weather variables in the meteorological stations.
A Study of the Optical Properties and Fabrication of Coatings Made of Three-Dimensional Photonic Glass
Authors: Huang Chih-Ling
Published: August 2020

Photonic crystals employ optical properties based on optical, physical, chemical, and material science. Nanosilica particles have a high specific surface area and are widely used in nanotechnology research and biomedical applications. In this study, nanosilica particles were fabricated by sol–gel methods, and the particle sizes of the silica nanoparticles were 280, 232, and 187 nm, based on dynamic light scattering. The silica nanoparticle suspension solution was heated to boiling for fast evaporation processing for self-assembly to fabricate three-dimensional photonic glass for structural color coatings. The sample had an adjustable structural color (red: 640 nm, green: 532 nm, and blue: 432 nm). The microstructures of various structure-colored samples were arranged, but there was a disordered solid arrangement of silica nanoparticles. These were not perfect opal-based photonic crystals. Compared to opal-based photonic crystals, the arrangement of silica nanoparticles was a glassy structure with a short-range order. Due to the accumulation of silica nanoparticle aggregates, samples displayed a stable colloidal film, independent of the viewing angle. In our study, the fast solvent evaporation in the self-assembly process led to the formation of a colloidal amorphous array, and it fitted the requirement for non-iridescence. Non-iridescent photonic glass with various colors was obtained. This type of color coating has wide potential applications, including reflective displays, colorimetric sensors, textiles, and buildings.
A Systematic Review of Cerebral Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Chronic Neurological Diseases—Actual Applications and Future Perspectives
Authors: Bonilauri Augusto , Sangiuliano Intra Francesca , Pugnetti Luigi , Baselli Giuseppe , Baglio Francesca
Published: August 2020

Background: The management of people affected by age-related neurological disorders requires the adoption of targeted and cost-effective interventions to cope with chronicity. Therapy adaptation and rehabilitation represent major targets requiring long-term follow-up of neurodegeneration or, conversely, the promotion of neuroplasticity mechanisms. However, affordable and reliable neurophysiological correlates of cerebral activity to be used throughout treatment stages are often lacking. The aim of this systematic review is to highlight actual applications of functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a versatile optical neuroimaging technology for investigating cortical hemodynamic activity in the most common chronic neurological conditions. Methods: We reviewed studies investigating fNIRS applications in Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) as those focusing on motor and cognitive impairment in ageing and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) as the most common chronic neurological disease in young adults. The literature search was conducted on NCBI PubMed and Web of Science databases by PRISMA guidelines. Results: We identified a total of 63 peer-reviewed articles. The AD spectrum is the most investigated pathology with 40 articles ranging from the traditional monitoring of tissue oxygenation to the analysis of functional resting-state conditions or cognitive functions by means of memory and verbal fluency tasks. Conversely, applications in PD (12 articles) and MS (11 articles) are mainly focused on the characterization of motor functions and their association with dual-task conditions. The most investigated cortical area is the prefrontal cortex, since reported to play an important role in age-related compensatory mechanism and neurofunctional changes associated to these chronic neurological conditions. Interestingly, only 9 articles applied a longitudinal approach. Conclusion: The results indicate that fNIRS is mainly employed for the cross-sectional characterization of the clinical phenotypes of these pathologies, whereas data on its utility for longitudinal monitoring as surrogate biomarkers of disease progression and rehabilitation effects are promising but still lacking.
Adaptive State Fidelity Estimation for Higher Dimensional Bipartite Entanglement
Authors: Wu Jun-Yi
Published: August 2020

An adaptive method for quantum state fidelity estimation in bipartite higher dimensional systems is established. This method employs state verifier operators which are constructed by local POVM operators and adapted to the measurement statistics in the computational basis. Employing this method, the state verifier operators that stabilize Bell-type entangled states are constructed explicitly. Together with an error operator in the computational basis, one can estimate the lower and upper bounds on the state fidelity for Bell-type entangled states in few measurement configurations. These bounds can be tighter than the fidelity bounds derived in [Bavaresco et al., Nature Physics (2018), 14, 1032–1037], if one constructs more than one local POVM measurements additional to the measurement in the computational basis.
A Novel Multilevel DC-Link Three-Phase T-Type Inverter
Authors: Alnamer Saddam Shueai , Mekhilef Saad , Mokhlis Hazlie , M. L. Tan Nadia
Published: August 2020

This research proposes a four-level T-type inverter that is suitable for low-power applications. The presented topology outranks other types of inverters in terms of a smaller number of semiconductor devices, absence of passive components such as clamping diodes and flying capacitors, low switching and conduction losses, and high efficiency. The proposed topology is free from voltage deviation and unbalanced voltage occurrences that are present in other multilevel converters having clamping diodes or flying capacitors. The proposed inverter can extend to N levels using unequal dc-link voltage sources for medium-voltage application. The inverter employs the simple fundamental frequency staircase modulation technique. Moreover, this paper presents a current commutation strategy to prevent the occurrences of short circuit and minimizing the number of required switching devices and switching transitions, resulting in improving the efficiency of the inverter. This paper also analyses the theoretical converter losses showing lower switching and conduction losses when compared to existing four-level inverters. The experimental validation of the proposed inverter shows its operating feasibility and a low output voltage THD.
Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Dynamics in Fire-Affected Larch Forests in the Russian Far East
Authors: Bryanin Semyon , Kondratova Anjelica , Abramova Evgeniya
Published: August 2020

Russian boreal forests hold a considerable carbon (C) stock and are subjected to frequent surface fires that unbalance C storage and ecosystem function. Although postfire ecological changes aboveground are well understood, biological C flows (e.g., decomposition in the postfire period) remain unclear. We present the results of a long-term field litterbag experiment on needle litter decomposition in typical Larix gmelinii boreal forests in the Russian Far East. For 3 years, we measured mass loss, C and nitrogen (N) concentrations, lignin and manganese dynamics, respiration intensity and enzyme activity in decaying needles, and environmental conditions (temperature and litter moisture). The decomposition rate at 850 days was 0.435 and 0.213 yr−1 in a control forest and in a forest 15 years after a surface fire, respectively. Early stages of needle decay did not differ among sites, whereas decomposition slowed in later stages in burned forest relative to the control (p < 0.01). This was supported by hampered respiration, slow lignin accumulation in decaying needles, and low peroxidase activity in burned forest. We found no direct N release, and decaying litter immobilization was more pronounced in the control forest. In the later stages, we revealed restrained mass loss and associated C release from larch litter in burned forest. Slow and delayed N release may alter organic matter accumulation, the N cycle, and regeneration of the fire-disturbed larch ecosystem. Our investigations highlight hampered C flow from aboveground litter to soil humus even decades after surface fire in a larch ecosystem. Given the climate-induced increase of fire activity, C retained in the litter layer represents a pool that is more vulnerable to the next fire event.
Consortium Blockchain Smart Contracts for Musical Rights Governance in a Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) Use Case
Authors: Kapsoulis Nikolaos , Psychas Alexandros , Palaiokrassas Georgios , Marinakis Achilleas , Litke Antonios , Varvarigou Theodora , Bouchlis Charalampos , Raouzaiou Amaryllis , Calvo Gonçal , Escudero Subirana Jordi
Published: August 2020

Private and permissioned blockchains are conceptualized and mostly assembled for fulfilling corporations’ demands and needs in the context of their own premises. This paper presents a complete and sophisticated end-to-end permissioned blockchain application for governance and management of musical rights endorsed by smart contract development. In a music industry use case, this disclosed solution monitors and regulates conflicting musical rights of diverse entities under a popular permissioned distributed ledger technology network. The proposed implementation couples various and distinct business domains across the music industry organizations and non-profit blockchain associations.
Effects of Cooking Cycle Times of Marinating Juice and Reheating on the Formation of Cholesterol Oxidation Products and Heterocyclic Amines in Marinated Pig Hock
Authors: Guo Xiuyun , Zhang Yawei , Qian Ye , Peng Zengqi
Published: August 2020

In this work the effects of cooking cycle times of marinating juice and reheating on the formation of cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) and heterocyclic amines (HAs) in marinated pig hock were investigated. After the 12th cycle, the total content of COPs was 3.3, 2.0, and 2.0 times higher than that after the 1st cycle in the skin, subcutaneous fat, and lean meat, respectively. The total content of HAs was 5.8, 6.0, and 5.6 times higher than that after the 1st cycle in the skin, subcutaneous fat, and lean meat, respectively. Notably, more COPs were present in the lean meat than in the skin and subcutaneous fat, whereas the content of HAs in the skin was the highest. Compared with the unreheated samples, the total content of COPs and HAs in all tissues increased after reheating at 95 °C for 30 min or at 121 °C for 25 min, but no significant difference was found between different reheating conditions.
Fractional-Order Derivatives Defined by Continuous Kernels: Are They Really Too Restrictive?
Authors: Sabatier Jocelyn
Published: August 2020

In the field of fractional calculus and applications, a current trend is to propose non-singular kernels for the definition of new fractional integration and differentiation operators. It was recently claimed that fractional-order derivatives defined by continuous (in the sense of non-singular) kernels are too restrictive. This note shows that this conclusion is wrong as it arises from considering the initial conditions incorrectly in (partial or not) fractional differential equations.
Prioritization of Medical Errors in Patient Safety Management: Framework Using Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets
Authors: Kalender Zeynep Tugce , Tozan Hakan , Vayvay Ozalp
Published: August 2020

Medical errors negatively affect patients, healthcare professionals, and healthcare establishments. Therefore, all healthcare service members should be attentive to medical errors. Research has revealed that most medical errors are caused by the system, rather than individuals. In this context, guaranteeing patient safety and preventing medical faults appear to be basic elements of quality in healthcare services. Healthcare institutions can create internal regulations and follow-up plans for patient safety. While this is beneficial for the dissemination of patient safety culture, it poses difficulties in terms of auditing. On the other hand, the lack of a standard patient safety management system, has led to great variation in the quality of the provided service among hospitals. Therefore, this study aims to create an index system to create a standard system for patient safety by classifying medical errors. Due to the complex nature of healthcare and its processes, interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy logic is used in the proposed index system. Medical errors are prioritized, based on the index scores that are generated by the proposed model. Because of this systematic study, not only can the awareness of patient safety perception be increased in health institutions, but their present situation can also be displayed, on the basis of each indicator. It is expected that the outcomes of this study will motivate institutions to identify and prioritize their future improvements in the patient safety context.
Quality of Life in Orthodontic Cancer Survivor Patients—A Prospective Case–Control Study
Authors: Mitus-Kenig Maria , Derwich Marcin , Czochrowska Ewa , Pawlowska Elzbieta
Published: August 2020

Background: The aim of the study was to compare the quality of life (QoL) of cancer survivors with a control group of healthy subjects before, during, and after the orthodontic treatment. Methods: Consecutive cancer survivors (40 people) who were looking for orthodontic treatment between 2008 and 2015 were enrolled into the study. Healthy orthodontic patients matched for age (±4 years), sex, and malocclusion served as controls. The 14-item version of the Oral Health Impact Profile was used to assess the effect of orthodontic treatment on QoL before, during, and after the orthodontic treatment. Results: There were no significant differences between both groups regarding the cast model, cephalometric analysis, and photographic documentation analysis. There was a significant worsening of QoL after the onset of the orthodontic treatment with a significant improvement after the treatment. Male cancer survivor patients reported significantly lower QoL during the treatment time, which was not observed in the male control group. Conclusions: The outcome of orthodontic treatment in cancer survivors did not differ from the healthy orthodontic patients. The orthodontic treatment had an impact on the oral health quality of life both in the cancer and the control groups with a significantly higher impact in male cancer survivor patients.
Development and Validation of a Rating Scale of Pain Expression during Childbirth (ESVADOPA)
Authors: Navarro-Prado Silvia , Sánchez-Ojeda María Angustias , Martín-Salvador Adelina , Luque-Vara Trinidad , Fernández-Gómez Elisabet , Caro-Morán Elena
Published: August 2020

One of the most representative symptoms during childbirth is pain, which is one of the most prominent concerns of pregnant women. There are different instruments to assess pain, all of which require interrupting the woman, thus interfering with the intimacy of childbirth. This study seeks to develop and validate a rating scale of the expression of childbirth pain that does not require the mother’s attention and respects her privacy during labor. The study was conducted at a regional hospital in a border town in southern Spain between November 2018 and September 2019. Scale items were developed following a review of the scientific literature, and experts judged the content validity. After a pilot test, the scale was psychometrically evaluated. The psychometric tests consisted of internal consistency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and determination of the content, construct, and convergent validity. The scale was evaluated by 36 experts in the field and was then applied to 55 women during the active phase of childbirth. The final version of the Rating Scale of Pain Expression during Childbirth (in Spanish, Escala de Valoración de la Expresión del Dolor durante el Trabajo de Parto—ESVADOPA) consists of six items in two dimensions. The scale had a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.78, and the content validity measured by Aiken’s V co-efficient was also 0.78. The exploratory factor analysis yielded two dimensions that explained 68.08% of the total variance. For convergent validity, a comparison was made with the visual analogue scale, yielding a medium–high value of 0.641. As indicated by the internal consistency and by the content and construct validity outcomes, the ESVADOPA successfully measures pain expression during childbirth and represents a suitable tool for pain expression during birth without the need for intervention or the need for the mother to speak the same language as the midwife.
Ecosystem Services of Mangrove Forests: Results of a Meta-Analysis of Economic Values
Authors: Getzner Michael , Islam Muhammad Shariful
Published: August 2020

Mangrove forests are paramount for sustaining and enhancing ecosystem services benefitting both local and regional communities, and the global environment. Scholars have long studied the values of ecosystem services of mangrove forests. However, the number of recent primary studies monetizing ecosystem services is rather limited. This paper ascertains the values of ecosystem services of 66 primary valuation studies with a total of 250 observations. The results indicate that the range of values is substantially wide. This range cannot be explained sufficiently by the various differences of the studies, as the explanatory power of the econometric estimations is low. Main influential factors on the values of ecosystem services are the elicitation methods, the types of ecosystem services considered, and the conservation status of the respective mangrove forest as Ramsar site. The results stress the significant economic values of ecosystem services of mangrove forests and the importance for conservation management. However, the results also caution against a direct transfer of benefits between sites. The substantial variety of site and country specifics warrants the implementation of separate, original valuation studies.
Parental Perspectives and Experiences in Relation to Lifestyle-Related Practices in the First Two Years of a Child’s Life: A Qualitative Study in a Disadvantaged Neighborhood in The Netherlands
Authors: Bektas Gülcan , Boelsma Femke , Baur Vivianne E. , Seidell Jacob C. , Dijkstra S. Coosje
Published: August 2020

The first two years of a child’s life are a critical period in preventing several lifestyle-related health problems. A qualitative study was conducted to explore parental experiences and perspectives in relation to lifestyle-related child-rearing practices in order to minimize risk factors at an early stage. Data were collected through interviews (n = 25) and focus groups (n = 4) with parents of children aged 0–2 years, in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Results showed that parents were often uncertain about a number of lifestyle-related practices. Ambiguity also appeared regarding the parents’ intentions to engage in certain practices and what they were able to achieve in everyday life. In addition, parents experienced strong sociocultural influences from their family, which interfered with their ability to make their own decisions on lifestyle-related practices. Parents also expressed a need for peer-support and confirmation of their practices. Future studies should focus on supporting parents in their parental practices during the first two years of their child’s life. Any such study should take into account the specific sociocultural context accompanying lifestyle-related parental practices.
Associations Between School Characteristics and Classroom Radon Concentrations in Utah’s Public Schools: A Project Completed by University Environmental Health Students
Authors: Davis Elizabeth A. , Ou Judy Y. , Chausow Cheyenne , Verdeja Marco A. , Divver Eleanor , Johnston James D. , Beard John D.
Published: August 2020

Radon (²²²Rn), a radioactive gas, is the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. Classroom radon concentrations in public schools in our target area had never been measured or had not been measured in many years. We had university students, primarily enrolled in environmental health courses, measure radon concentrations in 2289 classrooms in 66 of Utah’s public schools and identify school characteristics associated with classroom radon concentrations. The geometric mean (GM) classroom radon concentration was 31.39 (95% confidence interval (CI): 27.16, 36.28) Bq/m3 (GM: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.98 pCi/L). Thirty-seven (2%) classrooms in 13 (20%) schools had radon concentrations at or above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended action level of 148 Bq/m3 (4.0 pCi/L). Number of classrooms had a u-shaped association with classroom radon concentrations. The year the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system was installed was inversely associated with having classroom radon concentrations at or above the EPA’s recommended action level. Number of classrooms and number of students had u-shaped associations with having classroom radon concentrations at or above the EPA’s recommended action level. Classroom radon concentrations decreased when schools’ HVAC systems were on. Replacing HVAC systems and turning/keeping them on may be effective radon mitigation strategies to prevent radon-associated lung cancer, especially for small and large schools.
Insights from Experiences on Antiplatelet Drugs in Stroke Prevention: A Review
Authors: Signorelli Salvatore Santo , Platania Ingrid , Tomasello Salvatore Davide , Mangiafico Marco , Barcellona Giuliana , Di Raimondo Domenico , Gaudio Agostino
Published: August 2020

Reduction of hazard risk of cerebral ischemic event (stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA)) represents the hard point to be achieved from primary or secondary preventive strategy in the best clinical practice. However, results from clinical trials, recommendations, guidelines, systematic review, expert opinions, and meta-analysis debated on the optimal pharmacotherapy to achieve the objective. Aspirin and a number of antiplatelet agents, alone or in combination, have been considered from large trials focused on stroke prevention. The present review summarizes, discusses results from trials, and focuses on the benefits or disadvantages originating from antiplatelet drugs. Sections of the review were organized to show both benefits or consequences from antiplatelet pharmacotherapy. Conclusively, this review provides a potential synopsis on the most appropriate therapeutic approach for stroke prevention in clinical practice.
Assessment of Mental Health Factors among Health Professionals Depending on Their Contact with COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Wańkowicz Paweł , Szylińska Aleksandra , Rotter Iwona
Published: August 2020

It seems that the medical personnel in contact with patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at an especially high risk of adverse psychological effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the mental health factors among healthcare workers by quantifying the severity of anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders during the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, while taking into account coexisting diseases. The study involved 441 healthcare professionals including 206 healthcare workers at emergency wards, infectious wards, and intensive care units. The control group consisted of 235 healthcare workers working in wards other than those where individuals from the study group worked. Regression adjusted by age, gender, the occurrence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and cigarette smoking showed the elevated risk of anxiety on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale (OR = 1.934; p < 0.001), depression on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scale (OR = 2.623; p < 0.001), and sleep disorders on the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scale (OR = 3.078; p < 0.001). Our study showed that healthcare workers who are exposed to SARS-CoV-2-infected patients at emergency wards, infectious wards, and intensive care units are at a much higher risk of showing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders than healthcare workers working in other wards.