bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Depressive symptoms and its associated factors among secondary school adolescents of Birtamod Municipality, Jhapa, Nepal
Authors: Giri Rachana , Khadka Santosh , Chalise Anisha , Swar Kshitiz , Paudel Shishir
Published: January 2024

Depression is a rising public health concern affecting adolescents’ mental health throughout the world. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its associated factors among adolescents from urban Nepal. The depressive symptoms among 271 randomly selected secondary school adolescents of Britamod Municipality were assessed using Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression were executed to assess the statistical relationship between potential risk factors and depressive symptoms at 5% level of significance. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 42.8% (95% CI: 37.3–49.1%). Multiple logistic regression revealed that female adolescents (aOR: 2.309, 95% CI: 1.233–4.325), adolescents enrolled in higher grades i.e. 10thgrade (aOR: 4.576, 95% CI: 1.482–9.128), studying at private school (aOR: 2.302, 95% CI: 1.184–4.476), not sharing their problems with their friends (aOR: 3.022, 95% CI: 1.477–6.186), presence of perceived academic stress (aOR: 2.388, 95% CI: 1.263–4.518), dissatisfaction with current academic performance (aOR: 2.278, 95% CI: 1.141–4.518), lower perceived family support (aOR: 3.440, 95% CI: 1.276–9.275), and lower self-esteem (aOR: 2.139, 95% CI: 1.061–8.708) had higher odds of experiencing depressive symptoms. There is a high prevalence of depression among Nepalese adolescents. The findings highlight the need for health promotion interventions focusing on mental health awareness, enhancing social support systems, and implementing stress reduction strategies within schools to mitigate the burden of depression among Nepalese adolescents.
MicroRNA-194 regulates parasitic load and IL-1β-dependent nitric oxide production in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of dogs with leishmaniasis
Authors: Costa Sidnei Ferro , Soares Matheus Fujimura , Poleto Bragato Jaqueline , dos Santos Marilene Oliveira , Rebech Gabriela Torres , de Freitas Jéssica Henrique , de Lima Valéria Marçal Felix
Published: January 2024

Domestic dogs are the primary urban reservoirs of Leishmania infantum, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. In Canine Leishmaniasis (CanL), modulation of the host’s immune response may be associated with the expression of small non-coding RNAs called microRNA (miR). miR-194 expression increases in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of dogs with leishmaniasis with a positive correlation with the parasite load and in silico analysis demonstrated that the TRAF6 gene is the target of miR-194 in PBMCs from diseased dogs. Here, we isolated PBMCs from 5 healthy dogs and 28 dogs with leishmaniasis, naturally infected with L. infantum. To confirm changes in miR-194 and TRAF6 expression, basal expression of miR-194 and gene expression of TRAF6 was measured using qPCR. PBMCs from healthy dogs and dogs with leishmaniasis were transfected with miR-194 scramble, mimic, and inhibitor and cultured at 37° C, 5% CO2 for 48 hours. The expression of possible targets was measured: iNOS, NO, T-bet, GATA3, and FoxP3 were measured using flow cytometry; the production of cytokines IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and TGF-β in cell culture supernatants was measured using capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Parasite load was measured using cytometry and qPCR. Functional assays followed by miR-194 inhibitor and IL-1β blockade and assessment of NO production were also performed. Basal miR-194 expression was increased in PBMC from dogs with Leishmaniasis and was negatively correlated with TRAF6 expression. The mimic of miR-194 promoted an increase in parasite load. There were no significant changes in T-bet, GATA3, or FoxP3 expression with miR-194 enhancement or inhibition. Inhibition of miR-194 increased IL-1β and NO in PBMCs from diseased dogs, and blockade of IL-1β following miR-194 inhibition decreased NO levels. These findings suggest that miR-194 is upregulated in PBMCs from dogs with leishmaniasis and increases parasite load, possibly decreasing NO production via IL-1β. These results increase our understanding of the mechanisms of evasion of the immune response by the parasite and the identification of possible therapeutic targets.
Adipose tissue-derived exosomes alleviate particulate matter-induced inflammatory response and skin barrier damage in atopic dermatitis-like triple-cell model
Authors: Roh Yoon Jin , Choi Yong Hee , Shin Sun Hye , Lee Mi-Kyung , Won Yu Jin , Lee Jun Ho , Cho Byong Seung , Park Kui Young , Seo Seong Jun
Published: January 2024

Recently, particulate matter (PM) has been shown to exacerbate atopic dermatitis (AD) by inducing an inflammatory response. Meanwhile, several studies revealed that exosomes derived from adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells promote wound healing and alleviate inflammation via their regenerative and immunomodulatory capacities. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell-derived (ASC)-exosomes in PM-induced AD. An AD-like triple-cell model was established by treating human keratinocytes, dermal fibroblasts, and mast cells with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) and interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1α). The effects of PM and ASC-exosomes on the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and skin barrier proteins were examined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunofluorescence. PM increased pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-1α) and decreased the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, while the mRNA expression of skin barrier proteins (loricrin and filaggrin) decreased. However, when the cells were treated with ASC-exosomes, the PM-induced effects on pro-inflammatory cytokines and skin barrier proteins were reversed. Our results confirmed that PM-induced inflammation and skin barrier damage were alleviated by ASC-exosomes in our AD-like triple-cell model. These data suggest that ASC-exosomes can serve as a therapeutic agent for PM-exacerbated AD.
Core-genome-mediated promising alternative drug and multi-epitope vaccine targets prioritization against infectious Clostridium difficile
Authors: Aiman Sara , Farooq Qurrat ul Ain , Han Zhongjie , Aslam Muneeba , Zhang Jilong , Khan Asifullah , Ahmad Abbas , Li Chunhua , Ali Yasir
Published: January 2024

Prevention of Clostridium difficile infection is challenging worldwide owing to its high morbidity and mortality rates. C. difficile is currently being classified as an urgent threat by the CDC. Devising a new therapeutic strategy become indispensable against C. difficile infection due to its high rates of reinfection and increasing antimicrobial resistance. The current study is based on core proteome data of C. difficile to identify promising vaccine and drug candidates. Immunoinformatics and vaccinomics approaches were employed to construct multi-epitope-based chimeric vaccine constructs from top-ranked T- and B-cell epitopes. The efficacy of the designed vaccine was assessed by immunological analysis, immune receptor binding potential and immune simulation analyses. Additionally, subtractive proteomics and druggability analyses prioritized several promising and alternative drug targets against C. difficile. These include FMN-dependent nitroreductase which was prioritized for pharmacophore-based virtual screening of druggable molecule databases to predict potent inhibitors. A MolPort-001-785-965 druggable molecule was found to exhibit significant binding affinity with the conserved residues of FMN-dependent nitroreductase. The experimental validation of the therapeutic targets prioritized in the current study may worthy to identify new strategies to combat the drug-resistant C. difficile infection.
Theory of Planned Behavior applied to the choice of food with preservatives by owners and for their dogs
Authors: Pedrinelli Vivian , Rossi Alexandre , Brunetto Marcio A.
Published: January 2024

Many pet owners make food choices for their pets that are similar to those they make for themselves, and food characteristics such as the presence of preservatives can influence this decision. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a tool used to predict intentions and behavior and can be an important indicator for the pet food industry. The aim of this study was to investigate pet owner behavior regarding food with or without preservatives, based on the behavior prediction of TPB. A questionnaire was distributed with questions related to direct (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) and indirect (behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and intentions) measures for the analysis of TPB. For the statistical analysis the structural equation modeling (SEM) was used. The correlation between owner behavior and the behavior imposed on their dog’s diet was evaluated by paired T test or paired Wilcoxon test according to variables’ adherence or not to normality, respectively. A total of 1,021 answers were evaluated after the inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. The results indicated that TPB was effective in predicting the intentions (r2 = 0.58 for dogs and r2 = 0.59 for owners) and behavior (r2 = 0.58 for dogs and r2 = 0.57 for owners) regarding the intake of diets without preservatives. It was observed that owners are more concerned with the diet of their dogs than their own and they believe that the intake of preservatives can be prejudicial to the health of their dogs (p<0.001). However, owners trust more in pet food manufacturers than human food manufacturers (p<0.001). Therefore, it can be concluded that TPB can be an important tool to understand consumer behavior towards their dog food, and that the industry should intensify its approach on safety of preservatives in pet food, since many owners still believe they can be prejudicial to dogs.
Environmental enrichment improves social isolation-induced memory impairment: The possible role of ITSN1-Reelin-AMPA receptor signaling pathway
Authors: Sowndharya Swamynathan , Rajan Koilmani Emmanuvel
Published: January 2024

Environmental enrichment (EE) through combination of social and non-biological stimuli enhances activity-dependent synaptic plasticity and improves behavioural performance. Our earlier studies have suggested that EE resilience the stress induced depression/ anxiety-like behaviour in Indian field mice Mus booduga. This study was designed to test whether EE reverses the social isolation (SI) induced effect and improve memory. Field-caught mice M. booduga were subjected to behaviour test (Direct wild, DW), remaining animals were housed under SI for ten days and then housed for short-term at standard condition (STSC)/ long-term at standard condition (LTSC) or as group in EE cage. Subsequently, we have examined reference, working memory and expression of genes associated with synaptic plasticity. Our analysis have shown that EE reversed SI induced impairment in reference, working memory and other accompanied changes i.e. increased level of Intersectin 1 (ITSN1), Huntingtin (Htt), Synaptotagmin -IV (SYT4), variants of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf - III), α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor (GluR1) expression, and decreased variants of Bdnf (IV), BDNF, Reelin, Apolipoprotein E receptor 2 (ApoER2), very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), Src family tyrosine kinase (SFKs), Disabled protein (Dab)-1, Protein kinase B (PKB/Akt), GluR2, Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) expression. In addition, SI induced reduction in BDNF expressing neurons in dentate gyrus of hippocampus reversed by EE. Further, we found that SI decreases small neuro-active molecules such as Benzenedicarboxylic acid, and increases 2-Pregnene in the hippocampus and feces reversed by EE. Overall, this study demonstrated that EE is effectively reversed the SI induced memory impairment by potentially regulating the molecules associated with the ITSN1-Reelin–AMPA receptor pathway to increase synaptic plasticity.
Knowledge domains and emerging trends of Genome-wide association studies in Alzheimer’s disease: A bibliometric analysis and visualization study from 2002 to 2022
Authors: Kong Fanjing , Wu Tianyu , Dai Jingyi , Cai Jie , Zhai Zhenwei , Zhu Zhishan , Xu Ying , Sun Tao
Published: January 2024

Objectives

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive decline in cognitive and behavioral function. Studies have shown that genetic factors are one of the main causes of AD risk. genome-wide association study (GWAS), as a novel and effective tool for studying the genetic risk of diseases, has attracted attention from researchers in recent years and a large number of studies have been conducted. This study aims to summarize the literature on GWAS in AD by bibliometric methods, analyze the current status, research hotspots and future trends in this field.

Methods

We retrieved articles on GWAS in AD published between 2002 and 2022 from Web of Science. CiteSpace and VOSviewer software were applied to analyze the articles for the number of articles published, countries/regions and institutions of publication, authors and cited authors, highly cited literature, and research hotspots.

Results

We retrieved a total of 2,751 articles. The United States had the highest number of publications in this field, and Columbia University was the institution with the most published articles. The identification of AD-related susceptibility genes and their effects on AD is one of the current research hotspots. Numerous risk genes have been identified, among which APOE, CLU, CD2AP, CD33, EPHA1, PICALM, CR1, ABCA7 and TREM2 are the current genes of interest. In addition, risk prediction for AD and research on other related diseases are also popular research directions in this field.

Conclusion

This study conducted a comprehensive analysis of GWAS in AD and identified the current research hotspots and research trends. In addition, we also pointed out the shortcomings of current research and suggested future research directions. This study can provide researchers with information about the knowledge structure and emerging trends in the field of GWAS in AD and provide guidance for future research.
A patient-centred and multi-stakeholder co-designed observational prospective study protocol: Example of the adolescent experience of treatment for X-linked hypophosphataemia (XLH)
Authors: Saraff Vrinda , Boot Annemieke M. , Linglart Agnès , Semler Oliver , Harvengt Pol , Williams Angela , Bailey Karen M. A. , Glen Fiona , Davies Elin Haf , Wood Sue , Greentree Stephen , Rylands Angela J.
Published: January 2024

The importance of patient centricity and keeping the patient at the heart of research design is now well recognised within the healthcare community. The involvement of patient, caregiver and clinician representatives in the study design process may help researchers to achieve this goal and to ensure robust and meaningful data generation. Real-world data collection allows for a more flexible and patient-centred research approach for gaining important insights into the experience of disease and treatments, which is acutely relevant for rare diseases where knowledge about the disease is more likely to be limited. Here, we describe a practical example of a patient-centric, multi-stakeholder approach that led to the co-design of a prospective observational study investigating the lived experience of adolescents with the rare disease, X-linked hypophosphataemia. Specifically, we describe how the knowledge and expertise of a diverse research team, which included expert physicians, research and technology specialists, patients and caregivers, were applied in order to identify the relevant research questions and to ensure the robustness of the study design and its appropriateness to the population of interest within the context of the current clinical landscape. We also demonstrate how a structured patient engagement exercise was key to informing the selection of appropriate outcome measures, data sources, timing of data collection, and to assessing the feasibility and acceptability of the proposed data collection approach.
TenseMusic: An automatic prediction model for musical tension
Authors: Barchet Alice Vivien , Rimmele Johanna M. , Pelofi Claire
Published: January 2024

The perception of tension and release dynamics constitutes one of the essential aspects of music listening. However, modeling musical tension to predict perception of listeners has been a challenge to researchers. Seminal work demonstrated that tension is reported consistently by listeners and can be accurately predicted from a discrete set of musical features, combining them into a weighted sum of slopes reflecting their combined dynamics over time. However, previous modeling approaches lack an automatic pipeline for feature extraction that would make them widely accessible to researchers in the field. Here, we present TenseMusic: an open-source automatic predictive tension model that operates with a musical audio as the only input. Using state-of-the-art music information retrieval (MIR) methods, it automatically extracts a set of six features (i.e., loudness, pitch height, tonal tension, roughness, tempo, and onset frequency) to use as predictors for musical tension. The algorithm was optimized using Lasso regression to best predict behavioral tension ratings collected on 38 Western classical musical pieces. Its performance was then tested by assessing the correlation between the predicted tension and unseen continuous behavioral tension ratings yielding large mean correlations between ratings and predictions approximating r = .60 across all pieces. We hope that providing the research community with this well-validated open-source tool for predicting musical tension will motivate further work in music cognition and contribute to elucidate the neural and cognitive correlates of tension dynamics for various musical genres and cultures.
Towards high-throughput parallel imaging and single-cell transcriptomics of microbial eukaryotic plankton
Authors: Grujčić Vesna , Saarenpää Sami , Sundh John , Sennblad Bengt , Norgren Benjamin , Latz Meike , Giacomello Stefania , Foster Rachel A. , Andersson Anders F.
Published: January 2024

Single-cell transcriptomics has the potential to provide novel insights into poorly studied microbial eukaryotes. Although several such technologies are available and benchmarked on mammalian cells, few have been tested on protists. Here, we applied a microarray single-cell sequencing (MASC-seq) technology, that generates microscope images of cells in parallel with capturing their transcriptomes, on three species representing important plankton groups with different cell structures; the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa sp. Both the cell fixation and permeabilization steps were adjusted. For the ciliate and dinoflagellate, the number of transcripts of microarray spots with single cells were significantly higher than for background spots, and the overall expression patterns were correlated with that of bulk RNA, while for the much smaller diatom cells, it was not possible to separate single-cell transcripts from background. The MASC-seq method holds promise for investigating "microbial dark matter”, although further optimizations are necessary to increase the signal-to-noise ratio.
The association between water intake and future cardiometabolic disease outcomes in the Malmö Diet and Cancer cardiovascular cohort
Authors: Carroll Harriet A. , Ericson Ulrika , Ottosson Filip , Enhörning Sofia , Melander Olle
Published: January 2024

The aim of this study was to explore the longitudinal association between reported baseline water intake and incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and type 2 diabetes in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Cohort (n = 25,369). Using cox proportional hazards models, we separately modelled the effect of plain and total (all water, including from food) water on CAD and type 2 diabetes risk, whilst adjusting for age, sex, diet collection method, season, smoking status, alcohol intake, physical activity, education level, energy intake, energy misreporting, body mass index, hypertension, lipid lowering medication, apolipoprotein A, apolipoprotein B, and dietary variables. Sensitivity analyses were run to assess validity. After adjustment, no association was found between tertiles of plain or total water intake and type 2 diabetes risk. For CAD, no association was found comparing moderate to low intake tertiles from plain or total water, however, risk of CAD increased by 12% (95% CI 1.03, 1.21) when comparing high to low intake tertiles of plain water, and by 17% (95% CI 1.07, 1.27) for high versus low tertiles of total water. Sensitivity analyses were largely in agreement. Overall, baseline water intake was not associated with future type 2 diabetes risk, whilst CAD risk was higher with higher water intakes. Our findings are discordant with prevailing literature suggesting higher water intakes should reduce cardiometabolic risk. These findings may be an artefact of limitations within the study, but future research is needed to understand if there is a causal underpinning.
Recognition of food images based on transfer learning and ensemble learning
Authors: Bu Le , Hu Caiping , Zhang Xiuliang
Published: January 2024

The recognition of food images is of great significance for nutrition monitoring, food retrieval and food recommendation. However, the accuracy of recognition had not been high enough due to the complex background of food images and the characteristics of small inter-class differences and large intra-class differences. To solve these problems, this paper proposed a food image recognition method based on transfer learning and ensemble learning. Firstly, generic image features were extracted by using the convolutional neural network models (VGG19, ResNet50, MobileNet V2, AlexNet) pre-trained on the ImageNet dataset. Secondly, the 4 pre-trained models were transferred to the food image dataset for model fine-tuning. Finally, different basic learner combination strategies were adopted to establish the ensemble model and classify feature information. In this paper, several kinds of experiments were performed to compare the results of food image recognition between single models and ensemble models on food-11 dataset. The experimental results demonstrated that the accuracy of the ensemble model was the highest, reaching 96.88%, which was superior to any base learner. Therefore, the convolutional neural network model based on transfer learning and ensemble learning has strong learning ability and generalization ability, and it is feasible and practical to apply the method to food image recognition.
A study of the coupling between the digital economy and regional economic resilience: Evidence from China
Authors: Gu Jingshan , Liu Zongting
Published: January 2024

The contemporary economic landscape has placed significant emphasis on the digital economy and economic resilience, progressively emerging as pivotal focal points for examining the high-quality development of economic systems. However, there remains to be more research on several critical topics. This includes the characteristics of coordinated development between the digital economy and economic resilience systems and their interdependence. In response, this study formulates a comprehensive evaluative framework for digital economy development and regional economic resilience, grounded in the intrinsic mechanisms of both domains. It conducts a thorough evaluation employing entropy weight-TOPSIS methodology. Additionally, leveraging coupling theory, a coordination model’s coupling degree serves as the foundational framework for scrutinizing the symbiotic advancement of the digital economy and economic resilience, along with their interdependent nature. The research sample comprises data from 31 provinces and municipalities in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) from 2011 to 2020. Spatial autocorrelation and Geodetector methodologies probe the evolutionary traits and driving factors underlying the coordinated developmental relationship between these two systems. The findings indicate an upward trajectory in China’s annual comprehensive development index for digital economy development (from 0.233 to 0.458) and regional economic resilience (from 0.393 to 0.497). The coupling and coordination between the two systems, measured from 0.504 in 2011 to 0.658 in 2020, demonstrate a consistent growth pattern with an average annual increase of 3.01%. These levels exhibit continuous improvement, with comprehensive economic zones manifesting hierarchical results within the coupling range of [0.5, 0.8]. Notably, agglomeration development evinces a pronounced spatial positive correlation, while local Moran scattering points are primarily concentrated in localized migration leaps. Factors such as foreign-funded enterprises’ total import and export volume, online payment capability, and fiber-optic cable length greatly influence the coupling relationship. In contrast, other variables exhibit a lower and more fluctuating degree of weighted impact. This study establishes a foundation for the synergistic and effective development of the digital economy and economic resilience within the Chinese region. Simultaneously, it offers valuable insights for research of related subjects in global contexts.
Association of ABO blood group, Rh phenotype and MN blood group with susceptibility to COVID-19
Authors: Lu Genjie , Chen Wei , Lu Yangfang , Yu Qilin , Gao Li , Xin Shijun , Zhou Guanbao
Published: January 2024

Background

Previous studies have reported that the susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is related to ABO blood group, but the relationship with Rh phenotype and MN blood group is unknown. China had adopted a strict control policy on COVID-19 until December 5, 2022, when local communities were liberalized. Therefore, we aimed to explore the correlation between ABO blood group, Rh phenotype, MN blood group and susceptibility to COVID-19 based on the time sequence of infection during the pandemic.

Methods

A total of 870 patients who were routinely hospitalized in Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital from March 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023 were randomly selected to enroll in this study. Patients were divided into susceptible group and non-susceptible group, according to the time of their previous infection. The demographics and clinical information of the enrolled participants were collected from electronic medical records. The association of ABO blood group, Rh phenotype and MN blood group with susceptibility to COVID-19 was analyzed.

Results

A total of 650 cases (74.7%) had been infected with COVID-19, with 157 cases (18.0%) in the second week and 252 cases (29.0%) in the third week, reaching the peak of infection. Compared with the non-susceptible group, the susceptible group had no statistically significant differences in ABO blood group and Rh phenotype, but the proportion of N+ was higher (75.6% vs 68.9%, P = 0.030) and the proportion of MM was lower (24.4% vs 31.1%, P = 0.030). Consistent with this, ABO blood group and Rh phenotype were not significantly associated with susceptibility to COVID-19 (P>0.05), while N+ and MM were associated with susceptibility to COVID-19 (OR: 1.432, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.049, 1.954, P = 0.024; OR: 0.698, 95% CI: 0.512, 0.953, P = 0.024, respectively), after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, basic disease, and vaccination status in multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Conclusion

Our study showed that ABO blood group and Rh phenotype may not be related to the susceptibility to COVID-19, but MN blood group may be associated with the susceptibility to COVID-19.
Effects of Bafa Wubu and He-Style Tai Chi exercise training on physical fitness of overweight male university students: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Niu Yantao , Buranarugsa Rojapon , Kuhirunyaratn Piyathida
Published: January 2024

This study aimed to compare the effects of 12-week Bafa Wubu Tai Chi (BW-TC) and traditional He-style Tai Chi (TH-TC) exercise training on physical fitness parameters in overweight university students and to compare the differences in their effects. A total of 81 overweight male university students were randomly assigned to the BW-TC group (N = 27), the TH-TC group (N = 27), and the control group (CG, N = 27). Upper limb grip strength, wall squat, sitting and reaching, 6-minute walk, single-leg stance, and Y-balance were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks of Tai Chi training. There were no significant differences in demographic characteristics and assessment parameters among the groups at baseline (p>0.05). Both BW-TC and TH-TC performed Tai Chi exercise program training lasting 12 weeks, with three sessions per week, each lasting 60 minutes intervention. The changes in mean scores for the sit-and-reach test were 3.11 cm and 4.52 cm, for the wall squat test were 27.56 s and 36.85 s, and for the 6-minute walk test were 22.93 m and 63.22 m, and Y-balance (p<0.05) significantly increased in both BW-TC and TH-TC groups, while the mean score of single-leg stance significantly decreased (p<0.05). Additionally, compared to the BW-TC group, the TH-TC group showed a significant increase in lower limb strength (13.89 s, p = 0.048) and the distance of the Y-balance test in the left posterior medial direction (4.04 cm, p = 0.031). BW-TC and TH-TC interventions effectively improved physical fitness in overweight university students. However, TH-TC showed superior results in lower limb strength improvement.

Trial registration number: ChiCTR2200059427 (https://www.chictr.org.cn).
Incidence, pathogens and antimicrobial resistance of blood and cerebrospinal fluid isolates from a tertiary neonatal unit in South Africa: A 10 year retrospective review
Authors: Thomas Reenu , Ondongo-Ezhet Claude , Motsoaledi Nini , Sharland Mike , Clements Michelle , Velaphi Sithembiso
Published: January 2024

Objective

To determine trends in incidence, etiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture confirmed infections in hospitalized infants in a large tertiary neonatal unit in South Africa.

Methods

Single-center, retrospective review of laboratory records of bacteria and fungi, and their susceptibility profiles, isolated from blood and CSF of infants hospitalized in the neonatal unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa, from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2019. Laboratory data on isolates and their antimicrobial susceptibilities were collected. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Corynebacteria and Bacillus spp. were excluded. Patient-level clinical and laboratory data were not available.

Results

There were 8,319 significant isolates, giving an infection rate of 14.3/1000 patient-days. Infection rates increased from 12.0 to 15.7/1000 patient-days (estimated average yearly change 0.6[95%CI, 0.5–0.7];p = <0.001). Gram-negative infection rates increased from 4.3 to 10.8/1000 patient-days (estimated average yearly change 0.7[95%CI,0.6–0.8];p = <0.001). The 2 most commonly isolated Gram-negative organisms were Acinetobacter baumannii (44%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (39%). Carbapenem resistance was seen in 31% of all Gram-negatives and increased over time (estimated average yearly change 4.8%[95%CI,4.2%-5.3%];p<0.001). Gram-positive infection rates decreased (estimated average yearly change -0.1[95%CI,-0.2– -0.05];p = <0.001). Staphylococcus aureus was the most common Gram-positive isolated. Rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus decreased from 91% to 55%(estimated average yearly change -2.8%[95%CI,-3.5%–2%],p< 0.001). Rates of fungal isolates decreased (estimated average yearly change -0.06[95%CI,-0.1 –-0.02]);p = 0.007). Candida parapsilosis (52%) and Candida albicans (35%) were the most common fungi isolated.

Conclusions

There has been a marked overall increase in rates of blood and/or CSF infections, with an absolute increase in Gram-negative infections observed, replacing Gram-positive and fungal pathogens. Extended spectrum beta-lactamase Gram-negative isolates are being replaced by carbapenem resistance, with around one third of all significant Gram-negative isolates now carbapenem resistant. Research into hospital based novel treatment and prevention interventions for neonatal sepsis should be urgently prioritized.
Examining the New York Times coverage of the crisis at the southern border in Biden’s America
Authors: Chattopadhyay Sumana
Published: January 2024

With Biden’s election in 2020, the United States and the world anticipated a major shift in US immigration policy and a different approach to the US–Mexico border crisis. This study examines how media covered this through a textual analysis of 40 news stories published by the New York Times (NYT) between November 2020 and November 2021. It identifies four categories of content: ‘the Biden presidency – an era of hope and positive change’; ‘causes and complexities of the southern border crisis’; ‘critique of the Biden presidency’ and ‘migrant journeys, of confusion, suffering and hope’. Subcategories are also developed for these categories. The findings indicate that though violence in Central America is still a primary driver leading to a migrant surge at the US southern border, climate crises and the COVID-19 pandemic are two major events causing more migrations from Central America as well as bringing in new migrants to the United States from other countries around the world. The study shows that though the NYT does not portray the migrants negatively and offers some context about the causes of the crisis and a critique of the Biden administration’s handling of the crisis, the reporting lacks a long-term perspective about the deeper causes of the crisis.
Research inquiries for digital diaspora and digital diasporic media
Authors: Yu Sherry S. , Parke Jul Jeonghyun
Published: January 2024

Diaspora and diasporic media have been studied consistently. As research subjects, however, their transition to, or creation on, digital platforms makes it increasingly ambiguous to distinguish digital diaspora from digital diasporic media. This study examines literature on digital diaspora and digital diasporic media and explores this ambiguity by looking at how these two research subjects have been conceptualized and methodologically approached. Referring to Candidatu, Leurs and Ponzanesi’s typology of digital diaspora research, this study concludes that the ambiguity is associated with shifting research paradigms in both internet and digital diaspora studies. The study further offers new insights that digital diaspora and digital diasporic media diverge on the projects each pursues and the nature of content each delivers, but converge on ‘media’ in the age of social media and the increasingly transcultural initiatives of these media. The study also offers the areas of further research that emerge from this ambiguity.
The first record of ostrich feather louse (Struthiolipeurus struthionis) collected from farmed ostriches (Struthio camelus) in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Perveen Nighat , Muzaffar Sabir Bin , Al-Sabi Mohammad Nafi Solaiman , Hamdan Layaly , Aldarwich Adnan , Iliashevich Daniil , Mohteshamuddin Khaja , Sparagano Olivier Andre , Willingham Arve Lee
Published: January 2024

Background and Aim: Ostrich (Struthio camelus) farming in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a relatively new field of farming. Farmed ostriches are susceptible to ectoparasite infestation, which affects their production. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of ectoparasites on ostriches raised on a farm in Abu Dhabi Emirate.

Materials and Methods: The feathers of 42 ostriches (26 females and 16 males) were collected and morphologically examined for ectoparasites. In total, 283 lice (89 males and 194 females) were collected from birds. However, there were no ticks or other ectoparasites. Lice were preserved in 1.5 mL tubes containing 70% ethanol and were later identified using taxonomic keys. The prevalence, mean intensity of infection, and mean abundance were estimated.

Results: One louse species, Struthiolipeurus struthionis was identified. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of S. struthionis in ostriches raised in the UAE with an overall prevalence of 88%. The prevalence of lice was significantly higher in July (100%) than that in May (66.7%). Likewise, the mean intensity and abundance of lice were significantly higher in June (10.6 and 9.94, respectively) than in May (3.25 and 2.2, respectively).

Conclusion: The high prevalence of lice poses a serious risk to ostrich farming by negatively affecting the health and productivity of ostriches.

Keywords: lice, ostrich parasites, prevalence, Struthiolipeurus struthionis, United Arab Emirates.
Phenotypic characteristics of environmental Pseudomonas aeruginosa:
an in vitro study on epidemiological aspects
Authors: Gajdács Márió , Urbán Edit , Pallós Péter , Márta Adrienn , Matusovits Danica , Kárpáti Krisztina , Battah Basem , Hetta Helal F. , Khusro Ameer , Dordevic Dani , Kushkevych Ivan
Published: January 2024

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most commonly isolated species
among non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria, both from clinical samples and
from environmental sources. The survival of the species in harsh conditions
is ensured by the production of a protective biofilm; assessment of
biofilm-forming capacity aids future pathogen eradication strategies. The
aim of our present study was to assess the relationship between antibiotic
resistance, biofilm-forming capacity and other phenotypic virulence factors
in environmental P. aeruginosa isolates. One hundred and fourteen (n = 114)
isolates were included in the study, which were obtained from various
geographical regions and environmental origins. Antimicrobial
susceptibility testing was carried out using standard protocols.
Biofilm-forming capacity and pyocyanin pigment production were tested using
microtiter plate-based methods. Swarming, swimming and twitching motility,
and siderophore-production were assessed using agar-plate based
methodologies. Resistance in environmental isolates were highest for
levofloxacin/ciprofloxacin 49.12% (n = 56), ceftazidime 42.98% (n = 49) and
cefepime 35.96% (n = 41), while lowest for colistin 0% (n = 0);
overexpression of RND-type efflux pumps was seen in 33.33% (n = 33) of
isolates. 21.93% (n = 25) met the criteria to be classified as multidrug
resistant (MDR). 17.54% (n = 20) of isolates were weak/non-biofilm
producers, while (25.45%, n = 29) and (57.01%, n = 65) were moderate and
strong biofilm producers, respectively. No significant differences were
noted in biofilm-formation (OD570 values non-MDR [mean ± SD]: 0.396 ± 0.138
vs. MDR: 0.348 ± 0.181; p > 0.05) or pyocyanin pigment production (OD686
values non-MDR: 0.403 ± 0.169 vs. MDR: 0.484 ± 0.125; p > 0.05) between
MDR and non-MDR environmental P. aeruginosa. Highest motility values were
observed for swarming motility, followed by swimming and twitching
motility; no relevant differences (p > 0.05) in motility were noted in
the context of MDR status or biofilm-formation in the tested isolates. P.
aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen with high medical importance, being
a causative agent of recalcitrant infections, which are becoming difficult
to treat with the onset of MDR. Further studies are warranted to assess
biofilm-forming capacity, and to provide insights into the mechanisms
underlying biofilm-formation both in isolates of clinical and environmental
origins.
A Novel Score Based on Controlled Attenuation Parameter Accurately Predicts Hepatic Steatosis in Individuals With Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: A Derivation and Independent Validation Study
Authors: An Zi-Ming , Liu Qiao-Hong , Ye Xin-Jian , Zhang Qian , Pei Hua-Fu , Xin Xin , Yuan Jie , Huang Qian , Liu Kun , Lu Fang , Yan Zhi-Han , Zhao Yu , Hu Yi-Yang , Zheng Ming-Hua , Feng Qin
Published: January 2024

INTRODUCTION:

In metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease, the diagnostic efficacy of controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) was not very accurate in evaluating liver fat content. The aim of this study was to develop a score, based on CAP and conventional clinical parameters, to improve the diagnostic performance of CAP regarding liver fat content.

METHODS:

A total of 373 participants from 2 independent Chinese cohorts were included and divided into derivation (n = 191), internal validation (n = 75), and external validation (n = 107) cohorts. Based on the significant difference index between the 2 groups defined by the magnetic resonance imaging–proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) in derivation cohort, the optimal model (CAP-BMI-AST score [CBST]) was screened by the number of parameters and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). In the internal and external validation cohorts, the AUROC and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to compare the diagnostic performance of CBST with that of CAP.

RESULTS:

We constructed the CBST = −14.27962 + 0.05431 × CAP − 0.14266 × body mass index + 0.01715 × aspartate aminotransferase. When MRI-PDFF was ≥20%, ≥10%, and ≥5%, the AUROC for CBST was 0.77 (95% CI 0.70–0.83), 0.89 (95% CI 0.83–0.94), and 0.93 (95% CI 0.88–0.98), which was higher than that for CAP respectively. In the internal validation cohort, the AUROC for CBST was 0.80 (95% CI 0.70–0.90), 0.95 (95% CI 0.91–1.00), and 0.98 (95% CI 0.94–1.00). The optimal thresholds of CBST were −0.5345, −1.7404, and −1.9959 for detecting MRI-PDFF ≥20%, ≥10%, and ≥5%, respectively.

DISCUSSION:

The CBST score can accurately evaluate liver steatosis and is superior to the CAP.
REPRESENTASI KEKERASAN TERHADAP PEREMPUAN DALAM EKRANISASI NOVEL SEPERTI DENDAM, RINDU HARUS DIBAYAR TUNTAS
Authors: Febrianto Diki , Tjahjandari Lily
Published: January 2024

Violence against women through narratives and scenes becomes one of the interesting discussions, especially in the novel adapted into the film Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas. This research aims to uncover the representation of violence against women in the adaptation process from novel to film. This research is qualitative with a descriptive method. The approach used in this research is to look at the narrative aspects of the novel, relationships, and correlations of violence against women. Violence against women in film uses the concepts of cinematography, vehicle transfer, and narrative, in building visuals of violence against women. The results of this study show the representation of violence against women through Iteung and Rona Merah. Iteung shows the relationship between her childhood and the formation of masculine character in adolescence. This also shows the ecranisation in the form of reduction in the film. Rona Merah provides an image as an object of sexual violence who experiences psychological disorders as a form of trauma in the past. New media other than film are the caricatures on the tailgate of a truck, which are closely related to the problems of men and women.
RAZOR A Lightweight Block Cipher for Security in IoT
Authors: Singh Dheeraj , Kumar Manoj , Yadav Tarun
Published: January 2024

Rapid technological developments prompted a need to do everything from anywhere and that is growing due to modern lifestyle. The Internet of Things (IoT) technology is helping to provide the solutions by inter-connecting the smart devices. Lightweight block ciphers are deployed to enable the security in such devices. In this paper, a new lightweight block cipher RAZOR is proposed that is based on a hybrid design technique. The round function of RAZOR is designed by mixing the Feistel and substitution permutation network techniques. The rotation and XOR based diffusion function is applied on 32-bit input with 8 branches and branch number 7 to optimize the security. The strength of RAZOR is proved against differential, linear, and impossible differential attacks. The number of active S-boxes in any 5-round differential characteristic of RAZOR is 21 in comparison to the 10, 6, 4, 7, and 6 for PRESENT, Rectangle, LBlock, GIFT, and SCENERY respectively. RAZOR provides better security than the existing lightweight designs. The average throughput of 1.47 mega bytes per second to encrypt the large files makes it a better choice for software oriented IoT applications.
Wideband Antennas of Passive Seekers for Anti Radiation Missiles
Authors: Gupta Amit Kumar , Jain Tapan Kumar , Kothari Ashwin G , Chakravarthy Mada
Published: January 2024

Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) is a fundamental element of Air Power application by means of in protecting friendly air attackers and destroying the enemy’s ability to defend against air attack. Most of the SEAD operation even today relies on Anti-radiation missile (ARM) which is an air-to-surface tactical missile designed to detect, seek, attack and destroy opponent’s radar. Passive seeker of ARM is a miniaturized ESM receiver which is capable of extracting the necessary angular data from the enemy radar emissions. Single head passive seeker covering wide frequency range from L to Ku band is the preferred choice. Wideband antennas have been designed and utilized for Direction Finding applications of ESM/ELINT receivers for ground, air and ship borne platforms. Unlike these platforms, there are several restrictions for passive seeker based compact ESM receiver for missile borne platform specially air to surface missile where lesser diameter is one of the preferred design parameter. This review paper mainly discusses the existing wideband antennas such as spiral, log-periodic, printed circuit vivaldi and all-metal vivaldi antennas and the comparison of their various parameters for passive seeker. The paper also suggests their suitability with respect to their placement on the missile for three configurations: concealed inside the radome, flush-mounted and conformal antenna based. The paper also brought about the specific test facility required for testing and evaluation of passive seeker to characterize it with missile radome which is the most challenging and time consuming task. Among the three passive seeker configuration discussed, conformal antenna based passive seeker using all-metal Vivaldi is the best option avoiding radome aberration correction which is being utilized in the present third generations of ARM. The second commonly and established passive seeker configuration is concealed inside the radome using spiral antennas where handling radome aberration correction is a limitation.
Resepsi Pemustaka Terhadap Repositori Perpustakaan Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo (UMSIDA)
Authors: Khumairo Bulqis
Published: January 2024

Penelitian ini mengkaji tentang bagaimana pemahaman dan penerimaan pemustaka terhadap Repositori Perpustakaan UMSIDA. Penelitian ini menggunakan teori analisis resepsi. Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk mengetahui resepsi pemustaka terhadap repositori perpustakaan UMSIDA. Penelitian ini bersifat deskriptif dan metode yang digunakan yaitu kualitatif dengan teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan observasi langsung dan wawancara yang terdiri dari 6 orang informan. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa resepsi pemustaka terhadap repositori Perpustakaan UMSIDA menghasilkan dua kesimpulan yaitu pertama pemahaman pemustaka sudah mengetahui repositori dari pustakawan, langsung berkunjung ke ruang digital, teman, serta dosen pembimbing. Maka berdasarkan hasil tersebut pemahaman pemustaka terhadap repositori perpustakaan UMSIDA menunjukkan posisi Hegemoni Dominan. Kedua, dimana informan menunjukkan hasil bahwa pemustaka mau menggunakan repositori Perpustakaan UMSIDA karena memuat informasi yang banyak, lengkap, dan update dalam 5 tahun terakhir, kemudahan dalam akses yang bisa dimanapun dan kapanpun untuk elib. Akan tetapi, ada kendala dalam akses repositori seperti jaringan, ketidaktersedianya kata kunci dalam pencarian, serta tidak dapat diakses dari luar jaringan untuk eskripsi. Maka berdasarkan hasil tersebut penerimaan atau pemaknaan mahasiswa terhadap repositori perpustakaan UMSIDA menunjukkan posisi Negosiasi.