bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of burned areas with extreme gradient boosting algorithm in a multi-temporal setting (MBAGB)
Authors: Militino Ana , Goyena Harkaitz , Pérez-Goya Unai , Ugarte Maria Dolores
Published: March 2022

Wildland fires are one of the most important disturbances on Earth ecosystems, where the combination of remote sensing data and modern machine learning techniques offer a great potential for detection and monitoring of burned areas. Many algorithms have been developed in parallel to locate burned areas at local and global scales, but more accurate methodologies are still needed to provide precise and valuable information to climate users, environmentalists and public administrations. Gradient boosting-based methodologies have shown a good performance when dealing with segmentation of burned areas.

In this paper, we propose a new method, called MBAGB, based on these methodologies for detecting and mapping burned areas in a multi-temporal setting of satellite imagery.

We illustrate the procedure with the fires occurred in October 2017 in a region covering the North-Central Portugal and the North-West of Spain. Daily satellite images used for the definition of spectral indexes are taken from MODIS satellite products, between September and November 2017. The MBAGB accuracy metrics show the overall goodness of this method, and in particular, a very small number of false negatives in the identification of burned areas.
Respiratory Entrainment of Units in the Mouse Parietal Cortex Depends on Vigilance State
Authors: Jung Felix , Yanovsky Yevgenij , Brankačk Jurij , Tort Adriano BL , Draguhn Andreas
Published: March 2022

Synchronous oscillations are essential for coordinated activity in neuronal networks and, hence, for behavior and cognition. While most network oscillations are generated within the central nervous system, recent evidence shows that rhythmic body processes strongly influence activity patterns throughout the brain. A major factor is respiration, which entrains multiple brain regions at the mesoscopic (local field potential) and single-cell levels. However, it is largely unknown how such respiration-driven rhythms interact or compete with internal brain oscillations, especially those with similar frequency domains. In mice, respiration and theta (θ) oscillations have overlapping frequencies and co-occur in various brain regions. Here we investigated the effects of respiration and θ on neuronal discharges in the mouse parietal cortex during four behavioral states which either show prominent θ (REM sleep and active waking (AW)) or lack significant θ (NREM sleep and waking immobility (WI)). We report a pronounced state-dependence of spike modulation by both rhythms. During REM sleep, θ effects on unit discharges dominate, while during AW respiration has a larger influence, despite the concomitant presence of θ oscillations. In most states, unit modulation by θ or respiration increases with mean firing rate. The preferred timing of respiration-entrained discharges (inspiration versus expiration) varies between states, indicating state-specific and different underlying mechanisms. Our findings show that neurons in an associative cortex area are differentially and state-dependently modulated by two fundamentally different processes: brain-endogenous θ oscillations and rhythmic somatic feedback signals from respiration.
Diverse Functions Associate With Non-Coding Polymorphisms Shared Between Humans and Chimpanzees
Authors: Velazquez-Arcelay Keila , Benton Mary Lauren , Capra John A.
Published: March 2022

Background
Long-term balancing selection (LTBS) can maintain allelic variation at a locus over millions of years and through speciation events. Variants shared between species in the state of identity-by-descent, hereafter “trans-species polymorphisms”, can result from LTBS, often due to host-pathogen interactions. For instance, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus contains TSPs present across primates. Several hundred candidate LTBS regions have been identified in humans and chimpanzees; however, because many are in non-protein-coding regions of the genome, the functions and potential adaptive roles for most remain unknown.
Results
We integrated diverse genomic annotations to explore the functions of 60 previously identified regions with multiple shared polymorphisms (SPs) between humans and chimpanzees, including 19 with strong evidence of LTBS. We analyzed genome-wide functional assays, expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL), genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and phenome-wide association studies (PheWAS) for all the regions. We identify functional annotations for 59 regions, including 58 with evidence of gene regulatory function from GTEx or functional genomics data and 19 with evidence of trait association from GWAS or PheWAS. As expected, the SPs associate in humans with many immune system phenotypes, including response to pathogens, but we also find associations with a range of other phenotypes, including body size, alcohol intake, cognitive performance, risk-taking behavior, and urate levels.
Conclusions
The diversity of traits associated with non-coding regions with multiple SPs support previous hypotheses that functions beyond the immune system are likely subject to LTBS. Furthermore, several of these trait associations provide support and candidate genetic loci for previous hypothesis about behavioral diversity in human and chimpanzee populations, such as the importance of variation in risk sensitivity.
The effects of central cross-section diameter of the rollers on the doubly-curved surface rolling
Authors: Chang Xiang , Fu Wenzhi , Li Mingzhe , Wang Xintong , Yang Weifeng , Deng Yushan
Published: March 2022

During the rolling of doubly-curved sheet metal surfaces, the flow of metal is very complicated and will affect by the dimension of rolling deformation zone. The dimension of rolling deformation zone is mainly affected by the rolling reduction and the central cross-section diameter of the rollers. In this paper, the influence of central cross-section diameter of the rollers on the longitudinal bending deformation of formed spherical surfaces and the stability of the rolling process is studied combined with the rolling reduction. The current research results show that the larger the central cross-section diameter of the rollers, the more stable the rolling process, and the better the shape accuracy of the formed spherical surface. When the central cross-section diameter of the rollers is relatively small, the longitudinal bending deformation of the formed spherical surface increases with the increase of the central cross-section diameter of the rollers. However, an excessively large roller diameter will restrain the longitudinal bending deformation of the sheet. When the central cross-section diameter of the rollers is relatively large, the longitudinal bending deformation of the formed spherical surface will decrease with the increase of the central cross-section diameter of the rollers. The results in this study can be used as a reference for the design of roller to ensure that the formed doubly-curved surface can obtain greater longitudinal bending deformation and better shape accuracy under the same rolling reduction.
Intestinal Microbiota Composition of Children with Infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C)
Authors: SUSKUN Cansu , KILIC Omer , CIFTDOGAN Dilek YILMAZ , GUVEN Sirin , KARBUZ Adem , PARLAKAY Aslinur OZKAYA , KARA Yalcın , KACMAZ Ebru , SAHIN Aslihan , BOGA Aysun , ISANCLI Didem KIZMAZ , GULHAN Belgin , YUKSEK Saliha KANIK , KIRAL Eylem , BOZAN Gurkan , ARSLANOGLU Mehmet Ozgür , KIZIL Mahmut Can , DINLEYICI Meltem , US Tercan , VARIS Ahmet , KAYA Mucahit , VANDENPLAS Yvan , DINLEYICI Ener Cagri
Published: March 2022

Background: Microbiota composition may play a role in the development, prognosis, or post-infection of COVID-19. There are studies evaluating the microbiota composition at the time of diagnosis and during the course of COVID-19, especially in adults, while studies in children are limited and no study available in children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). This study was planned to evaluate the changes in intestinal microbiota composition in children diagnosed with MIS-C and acute COVID-19 infection and to compare them with healthy children.Methods: In this prospective multicenter study, 25 children diagnosed with MIS-C, 20 with COVID-19 infection, and age and sex matched 19 healthy children were included. Intestinal microbiota composition was evaluated by detailed metagenomic analyses.Results: We observed changes of diversity, richness, and composition of intestinal microbiota in MIS-C cases than in COVID-19 cases and in the healthy controls. The Shannon Index was higher in the MIS-C and COVID-19 groups than the healthy controls (p<0.01). At phylum level, Bacteroidetes abundance have been observed in MIS-C group, while Firmicutes in healthy children. Intestinal microbiota composition changed in MIS-C cases compared to COVID-19 and healthy controls, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii decreased, Bacteroides uniformis, Bacteroides plebeius, Clostridium ramosum, Eubacterium dolichum, Eggerthella lenta, Bacillus thermoamylovorans, Prevotella tannerae and Bacteroides coprophilus were dominant in children with MIS-C. At species level, we observed decreased Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and increased Eubacterium dolichum, Eggerthella lenta, Bacillus thermoamylovorans in children with MIS-C and increased Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Dorea formicigenerasus in COVID-19 group. Discussion: Our study is the first to evaluate the microbiota composition in MIS-C cases. There is a substantial change in the composition of the gut microbiota: (1) reduction of F. prausnitzii in children with MIS-C and COVID-19, (2) an increase of Eggerthella lenta which is related with autoimmunity; (3) the predominance of E. dolichum is associated with metabolic dysfunctions and obesity in children with MIS-C. Alterations of the intestinal microbiota might be part of pathogenesis of predisposing factor for MIS-C. It would be beneficial to conduct more extensive studies on the cause-effect relationship of these changes in microbiota composition and their effects on long-term prognosis.
Function of Shirasu-based materials for acid-promoted hydrolysis of ammonia borane
Authors: Umegaki Tetsuo , Noguchi Daisuke , Fukumoto Tsubasa
Published: March 2022

The present study investigated influence of various treatment on activity of Shirasu-based materials for hydrogen evolution from aqueous ammonia borane solution. Various solution treatments and calcination treatment significantly affected on the morphology, compositions, and activity. The sample with high surface aluminum ratio and low silicon oxide crystalline impurity showed high activity for the hydrogen evolution. The sample treated with treated with ammonia following calcination at 723 K included the highest surface aluminum ratio and the lowest silicon oxide crystals impurity and exhibited the highest activity for the hydrogen evolution.
The Relationship between Marital Satisfaction and Psychological Flexibility in Parenting among Mothers of Chinese Preschool Children: The Mediating Role of Experiential Avoidance
Authors: zhang bingkun
Published: March 2022

Lower maternal marital satisfaction in families with preschool children in China puts mothers at risk of having lower parenting psychological flexibility. Improving mothers' marital satisfaction may be effective in enhancing their psychological flexibility in parenting and thus raising physically and mentally healthier preschool children. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between maternal marital satisfaction and psychological flexibility in parenting and the mechanism of maternal experiential avoidance. 365 mothers of Chinese preschool children in 3 kindergartens have participated in this study and completed the Chinese version of the Olson Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (Version II), and the Chinese version of the Psychological Flexibility in Parenting Questionnaire. The total number of valid questionnaires is 335. Whether mothers live alone with her husbands or live with at least one elderly parent most of the time, or whether it is the first marriage of mothers or the second marriage, the results have showed that there are no significant differences in mothers' scores for marital satisfaction, experiential avoidance, parenting psychological flexibility and cognitive dissociation, commitment to action, and acceptance on either type of family residence structure and family structure characteristics. In addition, higher maternal marital satisfaction is associated with higher psychological flexibility in parenting, and maternal marital satisfaction also influences psychological flexibility in parenting through maternal experiential avoidance. In traditional Chinese practices, the idea that men manage external affairs while women take care of families influences family relationships, especially during the preschool years when mothers, as the primary caregivers of children, devote much of their time and energy to raising children and caring for their families, while their own needs are compressed and confined without limits. Moreover, mothers in modern society expect to advance in their careers at the same time, so they are often in a situation where family and themselves are out of balance. Therefore, fathers should spend as much time as possible with their children and wives and participate in more family activities, which will not only help their wives relieve physical and mental stress, enhance their marital satisfaction and maintain good psychological flexibility in parenting, but also enhance their happiness as fathers and promote the healthy physical and mental development of their preschool children.
Study on the Migration and Transformation of Inorganic Minerals During In-Situ Oil Shale Mining
Authors: Li Qingyu , Lu Laijun , Zhao Quansheng , Hu Shuya
Published: March 2022

Oil shale has become an important exploration target due to global oil shortages. The process of in-situ exploitation of oil shale requires a large amount of heat, which is bound to destroy the underground environment and make the original tight impervious layer or weak permeable layer become a loose permeable layer, thus affecting groundwater. In this paper, the release of inorganic minerals from oil shale, oil shale ash and surrounding rock to groundwater during in-situ mining has been simulated by laboratory experiments, and its mechanism has been discussed. The results showed that both ambient temperature and reaction time affected the release of anions and cations. Ca2+ is the main cation in aqueous solution at 20 ℃ and 50 ℃, and Na+ is the main cation in aqueous solution at 80 ℃ and 100 ℃. HCO3− is the main anion in the aqueous solution under different reaction conditions. Different from other ions, the content of Ca2+, Mg2+, and HCO3− decreased with increasing reaction temperature. With increasing temperature and the progress of the reaction, the water chemical types in the three aqueous solutions change. The hydrochemical type of oil shale ash-aqueous solution changes from HCO3-Na + K to SO4·HCO3-Na + K at 80 ℃ and 100 ℃. The results show that the release of inorganic minerals from oil shale to groundwater cannot be ignored due to the heat released during the in-situ exploitation of oil shale.
Study on local shear mechanism in direct shear test of rough rock joints based on DEM
Authors: Huan Jiuyang , Zhang Zhiqiang , He Mingming , Li Ning , Hu Mengdie
Published: March 2022

Rough joints widely exist in natural rock mass, and their shear mechanical properties control the safety and stability of rock mass. In the existing studies, the contribution of different protrusions to resisting shear stress is not mentioned. In this study, the local shear mechanism of different protrusions of rough joints in the shear process were well presented by combining quantitative and qualitative results using the discrete element method (DEM). Firstly, Barton's 10 standard roughness joint profiles were digitized. Rough joints were established using the modified smooth joint model (MSJM). The direct shear tests of joint specimens under constant normal stress were successfully conducted based on servo mode. Secondly, according to the test results, the law of shear stress was discussed. Then, the failure mode of joint specimen was discussed in detail based on the crack tracking module and force chain analysis. Next, the relationship between the number of cracks and shear stress was investigated. Finally, the variation law of average stress in different 10 segments of joints during shear was tracked based on the measuring circle function. The contribution of local joint segments in resisting shear stress is quantitatively described by 3 stress indexes.
HIV Prevalence And Associated Risk Factors Among Young Tertiary Student Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) In Nairobi, Kenya: A Respondent-Driven Sampling Survey
Authors: Mwaniki Samuel Waweru , Kaberia Peter Mwenda , Mugo Peter Mwangi , Palanee-Phillips Thesla
Published: March 2022

Background: Young men who have sex with men (MSM), are a key population at higher risk of HIV infection yet they are underrepresented in research. We conducted a bio-behavioral survey to estimate HIV prevalence and associated risk factors among tertiary student MSM (TSMSM) in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods: Between February and March 2021, 248 TSMSM aged ≥18 years who reported sex with another man in the past year participated in a respondent-driven sampling (RDS) based cross-sectional survey. Participants completed an electronically self-administered behavioral survey and provided a blood sample for HIV antibody testing, alongside urine, anorectal and oropharyngeal swabs for pooled testing of sexually transmitted infections using a multiplex nucleic acid amplification test. RDS-Analyst v.0.72 and Stata v.15 software were used for data analysis. Differences in proportions were examined using chi-square (X2) test, and unweighted multivariate logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with HIV infection. Results: HIV prevalence among study participants was 8.3%, whereas the weighted prevalence was 3.6% (95 % CI: 1.3% - 6.0%). Median ages of participants and at self-reported first anal sex with a man were 21 and 18 years, respectively. Majority (89.3%) of TSMSM owned a smart phone, 46.5% had ever used a geosocial networking app for MSM such as Grindr ® and 55.8% usually met sex partners online. Almost three-quarters (71.3%) had >1 male sex partner in the year before the survey. A third (34.3%) did not use condoms with their last sex partner, 21.2% received money from their last sex partner and 40.9% had taken alcohol/another drug during their last sexual encounter. HIV infection was associated with studying in private institutions (adjusted odds ratio/AOR=6.0; 95% CI: 1.2-30.0, p=0.027), preferring a sex partner of any age – younger, same or older (AOR=5.2; 95 CI: 1.1-25.2, p=0.041), last sex partner being >25 years (AOR=6.4; 95% CI: 1.2-34.6, p=0.030), meeting the last sex partner online (AOR=4.2; 95% CI; 1.1-17.0, p=0.043) and testing positive for Neisseria gonorrhea (AOR=7.8; 95% CI: 2.0-29.9, p=0.003).Conclusions: HIV prevalence among TSMSM in Nairobi is alarmingly high, demonstrating a need for tailored prevention and control interventions for this young key population.
Spatiotemporal mapping of malaria incidence in Sudan using routine surveillance data
Authors: Elagali Ahmed , Ahmed Ayman , Makki Nada , Ismail Hassan , Ajak Mark , Alene Kefyalew Addis , Weiss Daniel , Mohammed Abdalla Ahmed , Abubaker Elmustafa , Cameron Ewan , Gething Peter , Elagali Asmaa
Published: March 2022

Malaria is a serious threat to global health, with over 95% of the cases reported in 2020 by the World Health Organization in African countries, including Sudan. Sudan is a low-income country with a limited healthcare system and a substantial burden of malaria. The epidemiology of malaria in Sudan is rapidly changing due to factors including the rapidly developing resistance to drugs and insecticides among the parasites and vectors, respectively; the growing population living in humanitarian settings due to political instability; and the recent emergence of Anopheles stephensi in the country. These factors contribute to changes in the distribution of the parasites species as well as malaria vectors in Sudan, and the shifting patterns of malaria epidemiology underscore the need for investment in improved situational awareness, early preparedness, and a national prevention and control strategy that is updated, evidence based, and proactive. A key component of this strategy is accurate, high-resolution endemicity maps of species-specific malaria. Here, we present a spatiotemporal Bayesian model, developed in collaboration with the Sudanese Ministry of Health, that predicts a fine-scale (1 km × 1 km) clinical incidence and seasonality profiles for Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax across the country. We use monthly malaria case counts for both species collected via routine surveillance between January 2017 and December 2019, as well as a suite of high-resolution environmental covariates to inform our predictions. These epidemiological maps provide a useful resource for strategic planning and cost-effective implementation of malaria interventions, thus informing policymakers in Sudan to achieve success in malaria control and elimination.
The 50 Most-Cited Publications in Research of Physical Therapy in Osteoarthritis
Authors: Lai Jieyu , Cai Zijun , Ding Yilan , Wang Weiyang , Ye Ruixi , Xiao Wenfeng , Li Yusheng , Zhang Jinglue
Published: March 2022

Background
This study is a bibliometric review of the literature, in order to identify and analyze the 50 most-cited publications in the field of physical therapy in osteoarthritis.
Methods
A three-step approach was applied in all databases from Web of Science in order to identify the 50 most-cited publications. Related information of the 50 most-cited studies was collected for further analysis, including title, authorship, geographic origin, journal of publication, year of publication, impact factor, and citation numbers.
Results
The 50 most-cited articles were cited from 970 to 174 times with a mean citation of 287.42 and published from 1989 to 2018 in 24 different journals. Overall, 24 countries contributed to 50 articles and the most productive country was United States with 18 articles and highest sum citations and H-index. A large part of 50 most-cited articles came from Arthritis and Rheumatism, which published 6 articles. Most of the studies focused on exercise therapy in osteoarthritis (n = 36) and randomized controlled clinical trials were reported most (n = 31). The most productive period was from 2001 to 2005. In total, 9 authors published more than two articles.
Conclusion
This bibliometric analysis is meant to provide a list of milestones in researches of physical therapy in osteoarthritis. Our study identified the most influential articles in the field of physical therapy in osteoarthritis and gave researchers an insight into the development of physical therapy in osteoarthritis.
Checkered Regression
Authors: Achab Mastane
Published: March 2022

This paper introduces the checkered regression model, a nonlinear generalization of logistic regression. While the decision boundary of logistic regression consists of a single hyperplane, our method is shown to tessellate the feature space by any given number of hyperplanes. In order to fit the model’s parameters to some labeled data, we describe a classic empirical risk minimization framework based on the cross entropy loss. A multiclass version of our approach is also proposed.
A Note on the Length of Some Simple Continued Fraction
Authors: Ayadi khalil , BECHIR CHIHEB BEN
Published: March 2022

In this note we give the length of the simple continued fraction for some rational numbers as well as for values of quotients of sequences having special progression kind.
MTHFR 677C>T (rs1801133) variant is associated with homocysteinemia but not with clinical severity in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease
Authors: Silvestre Guilherme da Silva , Carrara Iriana Moratto , Flauzino Tamires , Lozovoy Marcell Alysson Batisti , Cecchini Rubens , Reiche Edna Maria Vissoci , Simão Andrea Name Colado
Published: March 2022

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) is characterized by atherosclerotic lesions involving non-cardiac and non-cerebral arteries and disturbances in the axial vessels and at the microcirculatory level, which may lead to critical ischemia of lower limbs. Conflicting results have been reported about the role of the MTHFR 677 C > G (rs1801133) variant on the susceptibility to PAOD. The aim was to evaluate the association between the MTHFR 677C > T variant with susceptibility and severity of PAOD and with serum levels of homocysteine (Hcy). A case-control study enrolled 157 patients with PAOD and unrelated 113 controls from Southern Brazil. The clinical severity of the PAOD was assessed by Fontaine classification and anatomoradiological categories by Inter-Society Consensus for the Management of Peripheral Arterial Disease (TASC). The MTHFR 677C > T was genotyped using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Hcy levels were determined using chemiluminescence in microparticles assay. The PAOD patients showed higher Hcy than controls but the values did not differ according to Fontaine and TASC categories. The MTHFR 677C > T variant was not associated with PAOD, the clinical stage, and the anatomoradiological categories. However, patients carrying the TT genotype (recessive model) or CT + TT genotypes (dominant model) presented higher levels of Hcy than those carrying other genotypes. In conclusion, the T allele of MTHFR 677C > T variant was associated with hyperhomocysteinemia in PAOD patients, but not in controls. Our data suggested a possible interaction between MTHFR 677C > T variant and the presence of other genetic, epigenetic and environment factors associated with PAOD on modulation of the Hcy metabolism.
D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson And Two Dimensional Möbius Image Registration
Authors: Tufail M. Y. , Gul S.
Published: March 2022

The process for the alignment of two images such that their appearances resemble is called the image registration. Image registration is widely studied in several fields such as remote sensing, computer vision, morphophonemics, medical imaging, etc. The field of image registration is inspired by the pioneer work of D’Arcy Thompson. In his seminal book, On Growth and form, he presented the idea of image transformation, between species. Over the past several years his book has been used as justification for the study of diffeomorphic deformations of images of different objects, a field that is now extremely well studied, particularly for the registration of medical images. Thompson’s examples are hand-drawn, and consist of a two dimensional outline of an animal (or part of an animal) and a grid superimposed on it. The deformation to another animal form is demonstrated by the picture of the new form and what is intended to be the same grid pushed forward so that the smoothness of the deformations can be clearly seen. This smoothness is one of the essential requirement for the diffeo-morphic image registration. Thompson, in his book, mentioned isogonal transformations for his several examples. Nowadays an isogonal transformation is termed as conformal transformation. Thompson’s principal point was that the deformations between closely related species should be simple. It has been suggested that this idea of simplicity can be interpreted in modern parlance as being examples of low dimensional groups. Clearly, the infinite dimensional diffeomorphism group or the conformal group would not be simple, but the six dimensional Möbius group (a subgroup of conformal group) would be. His claims of conformally-related change between species were investigated further by Rus-sian scientist Petukhov, who used Thompson’s grid method as well as computing the cross-ratio (which is an invariant of the Möbius group, a finite-dimensional subgroup of the group of conformal diffeomorphisms) to check whether sets of points in the images could be related by a Möbius transformation. Thmpson’s examples and Petukhov’s investigation motivated us to explore Möbius group. This Möbius group is the composition of four simple transformations that are scaling, rotation, translation and inversion. In this paper we present the image registration using Möbius diffeomorphisms. We present the novel idea for the selection of initial guess that plays a key role for the optimisation. The optimisation is based on the gradient descent algorithm with and without the labelled points (landmarks). Numerical examples illustrate the ability of the method to perform Möbius registration.
Silicosis With Sarcoid-like Reaction Complicated by End-stage Renal Failure From Exposure to Bentonite Cat Litter: a Case Report
Authors: Hubska Joanna , Shahnazaryan Urszula , Rosłon Marek , Szczepankiewicz Benedykt , Nikoforow Kostiantyn , Pisarek Marcin , Barnaś Małgorzata , Ambroziak Urszula
Published: March 2022

BackgroundBentonite cat litter is one of the most popular types of litter used in cat litter boxes worldwide. One of its components is crystalline silica, which when inhaled is a risk factor for silicosis. While silicosis is considered an occupational lung disease, it seems that individuals with no occupational exposure, such as cat owners, may also be affected. In this case report we present an unusual case of chronic silicosis with sarcoid-like reaction complicated by end-stage renal failure from exposure to bentonite cat litter. Case presentationA 44-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with end-stage renal failure, productive cough and decreased exercise tolerance. On evaluation, a transbronchial lung biopsy was performed. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the presence of silicon in the lung tissue specimen, as well as in the patient’s cat litter. A detailed patient’s history excluded occupational exposure to crystalline silica, however she acknowledged that she had owned 9 cats at home. In a 44m2 apartment, she had had 9 cat litter boxes, which all had been filled with bentonite cat litter for 18 years. After an extensive workup, a diagnosis of chronic silicosis with sarcoid-like reaction complicated by end-stage renal failure from exposure to bentonite cat litter was made. Renal deterioration appeared to result from chronic hypercalcemia, which was a consequence of extra-renal overproduction of calcitriol in activated alveolar macrophages, frequently seen in granulomatous diseases.ConclusionsOur patient had an abnormally large and longtime exposure, but similar health complications may occur, for example, in workers in the zoological industry. It seems reasonable to consider our case report as a strong call for bentonite cat litter manufacturers to place on the packaging information on potential health complications, along with a recommendation to use protective masks when cleaning the litter box.
Comparison of the Predictive Ability of Clinical Frailty Scale and Hospital Frailty Risk Score to Determine Long-Term Survival in Critically Ill Patients: A Multicentre Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Subramaniam Ashwin , Ueno Ryo , Tiruvoipati Ravindranath , Srika Velandai , Bailey Michael , Pilcher David
Published: March 2022

Background: The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is the most commonly used frailty measure in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The hospital frailty risk score (HFRS) was recently proposed for the quantification of frailty. We aimed to compare the HFRS with the CFS in critically ill patients in predicting long-term survival up to one year following ICU admission. Methods: In this retrospective multicentre cohort study from 16 public ICUs in the state of Victoria, Australia between 1st January 2017 and 31st June 2018, ICU admission episodes listed in the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Adult Patient Database registry with a documented CFS, which had been linked with the Victorian Admitted Episode Dataset and the Victorian Death Index were examined. The HFRS was calculated for each patient using ﻿the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes that represented pre-existing conditions at the time of index hospital admission. Descriptive methods, Cox proportional hazards and area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) were used to investigate the association between each frailty score and long-term survival up to 1 year, after adjusting for confounders including sex and baseline severity of illness on admission to ICU (Australia New Zealand risk-of-death, ANZROD). Results: 7,001 ICU patients with both frailty measures were analysed. The overall median (IQR) age was 63.7 (49.1-74.0) years; 59.5% (n=4,166) were male; the median (IQR) APACHE II score 14 (10-20). Almost half (46.7%, n=3,266) were mechanically ventilated. The hospital mortality was 9.5% (n=642) and 1-year mortality was 14.4% (n=1,005). HFRS correlated weakly with CFS (Spearman’s rho 0.13 (95%CI: 0.10-0.15) and had a poor agreement (kappa=0.12, 95%CI: 0.10-0.15). Both frailty measures predicted 1-year survival after adjusting for confounders, CFS (HR=1.26, 95%CI: 1.21-1.31) and HFRS (HR=1.08, 95%CI: 1.02-1.15). The CFS had better discrimination of 1-year mortality than HFRS (AUROC 0.66 vs 0.63 p<0.0001).Conclusion: Both HFRS and CFS independently predicted up to 1-year survival following an ICU admission with moderate discrimination. The CFS was a better predictor of 1-year survival than the HFRS. Trial Registration: Not applicable
Bioactive metabolites of edible mushrooms efficacious against androgenic alopecia: Targeting SRD5A2 using computational approach
Authors: Tiwari Abhay , Kumar Sushil , Choudhir Gourav , Singh Garima , Gangwa Upanshu , Sharma Vasudha , Srivas Rupesh K. , Sharma Satyawati
Published: March 2022

IntroductionAndrogenic alopecia (AGA), the scalp hair loss, occurs due to the hyperactivity of steroid 5α-reductase2 (SRD5A2), which metabolizes testosterone into 5α-dihydroxytestosterone. Finasteride, an FDA-approved drug-producing many side effects, is a commonly used competitive inhibitor for SRD5A2 to treat AGA. As a number of mushrooms species have been used to treat patients having hair loss problems since ancient times, in the present paper, the bioactive metabolites in mushrooms were computationally screened to assess SRD5A2 inhibitory properties and compared with Finasteride.MethodologyA virtual screening approach in conjunction with molecular dynamics simulation and MMPBSA methods have been applied to identify potential inhibitors against SRD5A2. SwissADME tool and AutoDock Vina were used to screen the library of 156 bioactive mushroom metabolites. All MD simulations were carried out using GROMACS 5.1.4 suite and GROMOS96 43a1 force field. The stability of SRD5A-ligand complexes was determined in terms of RMSD, RMSF, Rg, SASA, and hydrogen bonding. The binding energy of complexes was calculated using MMPBSA.Results and ConclusionVirtual screening and MD simulation studies revealed that out of the 156 metabolites, three bioactives, i.e., Zhankuic acid A (-11.5 kcal/mol), Sterenin M (-10.4 kcal/mol), Melleolide K (-10.2 kcal/mol), and drug Finasteride (-4.3 Kcal/mol) having the least binding energy are the potential inhibitors of SRD5A2. These molecules also exhibited stable interaction with SRD5A2 during MD simulation. This study will pave the way for the experimental evaluation and validation of medicinal potentials of screened mushrooms compounds to treat androgenic alopecia.
Two types of anesthesia and Hemodynamic changes in Patients over 60 years of age who need artificial femoral head replacement: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Ke Weiqi , WANG Yuting , GUO Xukeng , HUANG Ronghua , ZHANG Xiangdong , WANG Weikai , JI Xuan , ZHUANG Shaohui
Published: March 2022

Background:Artificial femoral head replacement is one of the most effective methods for treatment of severe diseases of femoral joint in the elderly. The ideal anesthetic effect is one of the key elements for the success of the operation because it brings fast recovery. However, the multiple comorbidities of the elder patients make them too weak to tolerate the hemodynamic changes after anesthesia. Objective:To compare the post-anesthetic hemodynamic changes between combined lumbar plexus and sciatic nerve block(CLPSB) and combined spinal and epidural anesthesia(CSEA) in elderly patients undergoing unilateral artificial femoral head replacement.Methods:We reviewed records of the patients who aged over 60 years old (age 62-103 years) and received unilateral artificial femoral head replacement. 477 patients were included and divided into CLPSB group (n=90) and CSEA group (n=387). The primary outcome was comparison of the hemodynamic changes after anesthesia, including the SBP, diastolic blood pressure DBP, MAP and (HR). The second outcome was the comparison of the vasopressor used during the surgery.Results:We established three models to compare the two anesthesia methods on hemodynamic changes.All three models exhibit that changes of MAP (∆MAP) after CSEA were higher than that after CLPSB(β= 6.88, 95% CI: 4.33 - 9.42, P < 0.0001), with significant difference, which indicated that CSEA causes higher fluctuation of MAP. Concurrently, the use of vasopressors increased by 137% (OR=2.37, 95%CI: 1.24-4.53, P=0.0091) in the CSEA group, which is statistically significant. However, the changes of HR (∆HR) between the CLPSB and CSEA was not significant(β= 0.50, 95% CI: 1.62 - 2.62, P = 0.6427). Conclusions:Both CLPSB and CSEA are ideal anesthesia methods for patients receiving femoral head eplacement, though CLPSB is more suitable for elderly patients with advanced hemodynamic stability.
Partial Wave Direct Method Solution to Phase Problem
Authors: Pullooru Bhanumoorthy
Published: March 2022

We cast crystal diffraction as a boundary value problem with Maxwell-Schr\"odinger equation as the governing partial differential equation.Unitcell defined boundary conditions determine definite momentum eigen series in spherical basis to include precision angles as additional data measurable in a stationary spherical polar polar coordinate system with polar axis always aligned along direct beam in the experiment.Orbital structure of individual atoms is contained in angle dependence and thus in the precision angles of position and momentum vectors.Partial wave version of Parseval relation becomes probability conservation law.We show that polar angles and azimuthal angles respectively determine signs and phases of partial wave sub-amplitudes and give rise to solution to phase problem.
The Association Between DNA Methylation of 6p21.33 and AHRR in Blood and Coronary Heart Disease in Chinese Population
Authors: Zhu Liya , Zhu Chao , Wang Jinxin , Yang Rongxi , Zhao Xiaojing
Published: March 2022

Background: Early detection could significantly improve the prognosis of coronary heart disease (CHD). In-invitro diagnostic technique may provide a solution when sufficient biomarkers could be identified. Pertinent associations between blood-based aberrant DNA methylation and smoking, the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and CHD have been robustly demonstrated and replicated, but that studies in Chinese populations are rare. The blood-based methylation of aryl-hydrocarbon receptor repressor (AHRR) cg05575921 and 6p21.33 cg06126421 has been associated with cardiovascular mortality in Caucasians. Here, we aim to investigate whether the AHRR and 6p21.33 methylation in the blood is associated with CHD in the Chinese population.Methods: In this case-control study,180 CHD patients and 184 controls were enrolled. Methylation intensities of 19 CpG sites, including AHRR cg05575921, 6p21.33 cg06126421, and their flanking CpG sites, were quantified by mass spectrometry. The association between methylation intensities and CHD was estimated by logistic regression analyses adjusted for covariant.Results: Compared to the controls, lower methylation of 6p21.33_CpG_4.5/cg06126421 was independently associated with increased odds of CHD patients with heart failure and early cardiac dysfunction (OR per -10% methylation = 1.59 and 1.65; p = 0.012 and 0.020 by multiple testing corrections, respectively). No association between blood-based AHRR methylation and CHD was found.Conclusions: 6p21.33 methylation exhibits a significant association with CHD. The combination of 6p21.33 methylation and conventional risk factors might be an intermediate step towards the early detection of CHD.
Stability of topological purity under random local unitaries
Authors: Oliviero Salvatore Francesco Emanuele , Leone Lorenzo , Zhou You , Hamma Alioscia
Published: March 2022

In this work, we provide an analytical proof of the robustness of a form of topological entanglement under a model of random local perturbations. We define the notion of topological purity and show that, in the context of quantum double models, this quantity does detect topological order and is robust under the action of a random shallow quantum circuit.
Coordinación interorganizacional humanitaria colombiana para mujeres refugiadas venezolanas
Authors: Arcand Sébastien , Caicedo-Muñoz Silvia , Sionnière Jade
Published: March 2022

Las crisis migratorias, el aumento de mujeres refugiadas y el rol de la ayuda humanitaria a poblaciones afectadas por situaciones excepcionales implica generar, en organizaciones humanitarias, estudios de género en la gestión de las crisis migratorias en contextos extremos, a partir de su coordinación eficaz.
Este artículo analiza cualitativamente la coordinación interorganizacional por medio de las estructuras relacionales internas y externas de los diferentes retos de una ONG colombiana que alberga y recibe mujeres venezolanas refugiadas, en la perspectiva de los estudios de implementación de políticas públicas de tercera generación.
Los resultados permiten proponer un modelo de análisis interorganizacional para la gestión de la ayuda humanitaria en crisis migratorias de mujeres refugiadas con la participación de múltiples partes interesadas (Estados, ONG, organizaciones internacionales).
Consciencia y percepción de la violencia en mujeres en situación de prostitución
Authors: Juárez-Moreno Mariana , Rangel-Flores Yesica Yolanda , Salazar-Flores Olivia
Published: March 2022

Los estudios de género han planteado la necesidad de discutir de fondo las implicaciones de la prostitución a la luz de los derechos humanos de las mujeres. La teoría abolicionista se posiciona desde la defensa de la dignidad de las personas y, sin criminalizar a quienes se encuentran en situación de prostitución, visibiliza esta como una práctica que debería erradicarse, pues constituye una de las estrategias más terribles de explotación y violencia contra las mujeres. El objetivo de esta investigación fue comprender las percepciones que tienen las mujeres sobre las violencias que viven en sus cuerpos en el acto de la prostitución y las estrategias que implementan para resistir o establecer límites en estos encuentros eróticos desiguales y violentos. La investigación, de tipo cualitativo, con alcance descriptivo, se apoyó en once entrevistas a mujeres que actualmente se encuentran en situación de prostitución. Sobre las transcripciones se aplicó análisis de contenido. Los resultados muestran que todas han terminado en la prostitución tras haber buscado otras opciones de ingreso y la ven como una situación temporal de la que saldrán para insertarse en otras actividades de trabajo o estudio. Como no perciben la violencia que permea los espacios en los que se consumen sus servicios, sus estrategias para la contención de los riesgos son limitadas y asumen visiones mercantilistas sobre su cuerpo sin considerar que hay una desigualdad de poderes en la interacción con los hombres depredadores.
Tráfico de migrantes en la frontera México-Estados Unidos
Authors: Andrade Rubio Karla Lorena , Trejo Guzmán Nelly Paulina , Mora Vásquez Alberto
Published: March 2022

El tráfico de migrantes en la frontera México-Estados Unidos es un fenómeno originado hace más de un siglo, que fue ocasionado por la implementación de políticas restrictivas de control fronterizo. El objetivo de este artículo es llevar a cabo una revisión de las investigaciones que han abordado esta temática. Se utilizaron tres criterios de selección: 1. Las investigaciones que parten de datos anecdóticos, información periodística o de informes oficiales; 2. Los estudios sustentados en los testimonios de migrantes victimizados, y 3. Los trabajos que examinan la voz de mujeres y niños que trafican migrantes. Finalmente, se contraponen dos conceptualizaciones de esta actividad, una protagonizada por las redes sociales de los migrantes y otra por la demanda laboral. Mientras algunos académicos describen a los traficantes como personajes oscuros ligados al crimen organizado, otros investigadores presentan una imagen más amable de estos. Concluimos que la aproximación metodológica utilizada constituye el principal elemento diferenciador de la conceptualización del tráfico de migrantes.
Naciones nómadas feministas de riesgo cero para mujeres migrantes o en situación de emergencia humanitaria
Authors: J-A Juanena Coro
Published: March 2022

Desde hace un tiempo se ha venido señalando la necesidad de incluir el enfoque de participación y la perspectiva de género en los proyectos de intervención humanitaria dirigido a mujeres y niñas en situación de crisis; sin embargo, hasta el momento no hay una herramienta efectiva que se hayan creado al respecto. En este ensayo se presenta como instrumento de acción humanitaria la propuesta de Naciones Nómadas Feministas de Riesgo Cero o lugares seguros de enunciación, capaz de construir una respuesta válida y efectiva a las necesidades de esta “comunidad de sobrevivientes”.
Partiendo de la teoría crítica poscolonial y decolonial, se reflexiona sobre el discurso que justifica la creación de estos tipos de espacios y se analizan, a su vez, los beneficios que este instrumento aporta a las mujeres y niñas que se encuentran en esta condición, además de proporcionar inestimables ventajas a los programas de ayuda humanitaria a la hora de hacerlos más efectivos. Finalmente, se reflexiona sobre las implicaciones de este cambio discursivo en los programas de la respuesta humanitaria internacional.
Vulnerabilidad y reconfiguraciones familiares. Experiencias de personas con familiares desaparecidos en Tamaulipas
Authors: Salazar Serna Karla , Mendoza Rivas Luis Alberto , Raesfeld Lydia
Published: March 2022

Los anteriores dos sexenios gubernamentales en México se caracterizaron por la generación de entornos violentos sin precedentes, siendo el delito de desaparición una de las expresiones más graves de esta violencia, tanto por la complejidad de sus implicaciones como por su alarmante proliferación, al registrar más de 85 mil personas desaparecidas. El presente artículo expone un análisis a partir de un estudio cualitativo que tiene como objeto conocer las principales reconfiguraciones que han ocurrido en familias que han sido afectadas por la desaparición de uno o más integrantes en Tamaulipas, uno de los Estados más afectados por este delito en los últimos años. Entre los principales hallazgos se expone la vulnerabilidad padecida bajo el territorio tamaulipeco, las múltiples consecuencias que provoca la desaparición de un ser querido sobre las familias y la permanencia de la vulnerabilidad ante la continuidad de escenarios de violencia e impunidad.