bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect Of Using Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), Mileage, And Smoking Habits On Hair Lead (Pb) Levels
Authors: Wulandari Devyana Dyah , Rohmah Wardah , Nidianti Ersalina , Santoso Andreas Putro Ragil , Andini Ary
Published: September 2021

Street sweepers, traffic officers, roadside sellers and motorcyclists, including students are subjects who are vulnerable to exposure to vehicle fumes. One of the air pollution generated from motor vehicle fumes is lead (Pb) which is toxic to humans and is accumulative. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between characteristic factors and lead levels in hair using the Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) method. Respondents in this study were 32 male university students. The results showed a significance value of 0.274 (p> 0.05) on the parameter of PPE use, 0.049 (p <0.05) on the mileage parameter, and 0.576 (p> 0.05) on the smoking habit parameter. So it can be concluded that there is no effect of the use of PPE and smoking habits on hair lead levels and there is an effect of mileage on hair lead levels in student respondents.
The Potential of Mango (Mangifera infica L.) Peel of Apple Varieties By Infusion And Maceration In Inhibiting Pseudomonas aeruginosa And Propionibacterium acnes
Authors: Rahmawati Vifin Putri , Rini Chylen Setiyo
Published: September 2021

Plants have many chemical components. The use of natural ingredients as an alternative treatment in dealing with diseases, especially acne. One of them is mango (Mangifera indica L.) varieties of apples obtained at the Larangan Main Market in Sidoarjo. This study aims to determine the potential of infusion and maceration of mango skin varieties in inhibiting Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Propionibactrium acne at various concentrations. This antibacterial potential test was carried out using the diffusion method of the wells. The antibacterial potential is characterized by the formation of a clear zone around the well called the inhibition zone. This study uses 10 concentrations namely 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% and Clindamycin as positive control and aquades as negative control. Based on the results of the Two Way ANOVA test data obtained were not normally distributed, therefore a comparison test was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test with a sign value (α <0.05). This showed that there were significant differences in the use of various concentrations. The maceration extract concentration of 100% is the best concentration to form a zone of inhibition against P. aeruginosa  of 17.9 mm and P. acne bacteria of 13.2 mm. The results of the infusion extract concentration did not form inhibitory zones in both of P. aeruginosa and P. acnes.
The Effectiveness of Sule Honey Comsumption in Increasing Milk Production for Working Mothers Using Breastfeeding Pump Method
Authors: Baroroh Ida , Maslikhah
Published: September 2021

Decreasing milk production is a major problem for working mothers to continue breastfeeding their babies after the maternity leave period is over, besides that the lack of support from people around them, especially family, work place, time to pump breast milk, availability of lactation room greatly affects the consistency of milk production. Breastfeeding mothers need help to make the breastfeeding process more successful, namely by consuming foods that can stimulate milk production. An alternative food ingredient to support the nutritional needs of breastfeeding mother is the consumption of soy milk  (SULE) and honey. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of consumption of Sule Honey in increasing breast milk production in worker mothers using the breast pump method. This study used a Quasi Experimental research design with a design used that is the nonequivalent control group design. This study used two groups, namely the treatment group and the control group. The treatment group, namely 20 worker mothers who breastfeed and use breasfeeding method, were given an intervention, namely giving Sule Honey for 2 weeks and recorded on the observation sheet. The control group is 20 worker mothers who breastfeed and use breastfeeding methode who are given health education about the nutritional needs of nursing mothers.
Anemia In Pregnancy With Stunting In Gayam Village District Gurah Kediri
Authors: Rahayu Dewi Taurisiawati
Published: September 2021

The nutritional status and health of the mother during pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and during breastfeeding was very critical periods for children's growth and development. The aim of this research was to determine the relationship between anemia during pregnancy and the incidence of stunting. The method used in this research was observational correlational analytic, which looking for the relationship between two independent and dependent variables used a cohort-retrospective approach, with the independent variable anemia during pregnancy and the dependent variable the incidence of stunting. The research was conducted from 2 July – 29 August  2020 in Gayam  Village, Kediri Distric used MCH book instrument. Total population was 512 toddlers with judgement sampling technique as many as 88 toddlers consisted of 38 stunting and 50 non-stunting toddlers. Analysis used the Spearman Rho with the results of the Spearman value showed that total of 66 toddlers, 4 (6.1%) of stunting toddlers were found with no history of anemia, 13 (19.7%) of stunting toddlers with a history of mild anemia and 5 (7.6%) of stunting toddlers with a history of moderate anemia. Spearman rho test results p value = 0.000. This mean that the p value <α = 0.05, because the p-value <α, H1 accepted, that there was a relationship between a history of anemia during pregnancy and the incidence of stunting on toddlers. Anemia during pregnancy was very risky for the development of fetus and the development of baby that will beb born can caused stunting.
Variability in weed biological control : effects of foliar nitrogen on larval development and dispersal of the alligatorweed flea beetle, Agasicles hygrophila
Authors: Nathan Harms , James Cronin
Published: September 2021

Host quality can have dramatic effects on performance of biological control agents but its importance is understudied. We used a combination of field measurements and laboratory experiments to determine the range of foliar nitrogen (FN) that larvae of the alligatorweed flea beetle (Agasicles hygrophila) are exposed to in the field and its importance to larval development and dispersal. Seasonal variability in FN was assessed at field sites spanning southern to northern Louisiana every 2–3 weeks during the growing season for four years. In a series of laboratory experiments, alligatorweed FN was manipulated to examine its influence on larval development and survival (under different temperature regimes), adult biomass, and dispersal of the biological control agent, A. hygrophila. Foliar nitrogen and rearing temperature had strong independent effects on larval development rate. We demonstrated that increasing nitrogen in leaf tissues shortens larval A. hygrophila developmental time and increases survival to adulthood, regardless of exposure temperature during development. It also suggests that foliar nitrogen may have important effects on biological control of alligatorweed, particularly as a result of seasonal variation in temperature and plant nutrition at field sites and could contribute to observed variation in A. hygrophila efficacy in the field.
A Randomized, Controlled Study on the Safety and Efficacy of Maraviroc and/or Favipiravir vs Currently Used Therapy in Severe COVID-19 Adults. “COMVIVIR” Trial.
Authors: Pérez-García Adolfo , Villalobos-Osnaya Alma , Hernández-Medel Maria Luisa , Perez-Navarro Lucia Monserrat , Medina-Hernandez Elba O. , Cabrera-Orejuela Diana Sofia , Espinoza-Garcia Ana Maria , Leon-Hernandez Mireya , Mayor Arianna Rodriguez-Cal Y , Serrano-Loyola Raul , Guerrero-Avendaño Guadalupe Mercedes Lucia , Reyes-Teran Gustavo , de Oca Gonzalo Salgado-Montes , Avila-Rios Santiago , Lopez-Alvarenga Juan Carlos , Mummidi Srinivas , Hernandez-Ruiz Joselin
Published: September 2021

Multiple studies have established that hyperinflammatory response induced by SARS CoV-2 is a main cause of complications and death in infected subjects. Such dysfunctional immune response has been described as a dysregulated and exacerbated production of cytokines and chemokines that attracts and activates inflammatory cells, which start and sustain pulmonary and systemic damage, thus causing complications that lead to multi organ failure and death. Therefore, we suggest that blocking key inflammation receptors could help to reduce migration and activation of T cells, monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils, thus mitigating the cytokine dysregulation and averting severe complications and death. Importantly, the optimum treatment for COVID-19 severe patients should combine a modulator of the immune response plus a direct antiviral drug against SARS-CoV-2, in order to address both the hyperinflammatory effects of the immune dysregulation and the viral load. Methods: Maraviroc (MVC), a CCR5 antagonist, and Favipiravir (FPV), an antiviral, will be evaluated single and combined, added to the treatment currently used at the Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga for severe COVID-19 patients. One hundred patients will be allocated in four arms [Current treatment only (CT), CT+MVC, CT+FPV, CT+MVC+FPV]. Percentage of patients free of mechanical ventilation or death at day 28, immunophenotyping and viral load will be compared between groups. Discussion: New immune focused therapies are targeting strong inflammation mediators such as IL-6 and IL1-β; nevertheless, to our best knowledge, only one study explores chemotaxis control. The use of a drug therapy that addresses both the regulation of the immune response and the inhibition of viral replication could at the same time, help to alleviate the hyperinflammatory condition and reduce the time of the viral clearance process, therefore improving treatment outcomes.
Dynamic interaction of BRCA2 with telomeric G-quadruplexes underlies telomere replication homeostasis
Authors: Lee Junyeop , Sung Keewon , Joo So Young , Jeong Jun-Hyeon , Kim Seong Keun , Lee Hyunsook
Published: September 2021

BRCA2-deficient cells undergo telomere shortening upon collapse of stalled replication forks, particularly during lagging-strand telomere synthesis. The molecular mechanism underlying fork collapse remains unclear. Here we find that the BRCA2 C-terminus, which includes an OB-fold, specifically interacts with G-quadruplex (G4) structures generated during lagging-strand telomere replication. We demonstrate that BRCA2 associates with G-triplex (G3)-derived intermediates using electrophoretic mobility shift assay and single-molecule FRET. These G3 intermediates form during direct interconversion between parallel and non-parallel G4 structures. Intriguingly, MRE11 nuclease can resect G4-forming telomere sequences, a function that is inhibited by BRCA2. BRCA2 depletion consistently resulted in increased telomeric damage, which was relieved by MRE11 knockdown. These data suggest that BRCA2 interaction with telomeric G4 prevents MRE11-mediated resection. The specific interaction between BRCA2 and G4 therefore contributes to telomere stability and genome integrity.
Identification of factors regulating the gene expression of alcohol dehydrogenases in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Xie Jinghe , Qiu Yaqi , Zhang Shuai , Ma Keqing , Ou Yimeng , Wang Bailin , Gu Weili , Chen Honglin , Duan Yuyou
Published: September 2021

Background

Excessive alcohol consumption has been documented to increase the risk of liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. Accordingly, a broad interest pointed to alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs), which display essential roles in alcohol metabolism. Despite the relevance of ADHs expression and the prognosis of HCC has been estimated, so far, limited research concerning the factors that are responsible for the regulation of ADHs expression has been reported.
Methods

In this study, using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and RegNetwork database, we predicted potential factors consisting of DNA methylation, gene copy number variations, transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) that might impact ADHs gene expression in HCC.
Results

We found that DNA methylation induced the down-regulated expression of ADH1B. Of note, our results implicated that gene copy number variation might not have effects on ADHs expression. Regarding TFs, we speculated that NFYA modulated ADH1C, E2F1 and TFAP2A regulated ADH6 expression based on their expression and prognostic value. Moreover, miR-185 and miR-561 might elicit the repression of ADH4, and miR-105 might impair ADH6 expression.
Conclusion

This study revealed that multiple factors, including DNA methylation, TFs and microRNAs, affect the expression of ADH family members, which provided new insights into discovering promising HCC-suppressive targets.
Three-Stage Wind Turbine Assessment Method: Condition Monitoring, Failure Prediction, And Health Assessment
Authors: Qi Yongsheng , Jing Tongmei , Ren Chao , Gao Xuejin
Published: September 2021

To improve the wind turbine shutdown early warning ability, we present a generalized model for wind turbine (WT) prognosis and health management (PHM) based on the data collected from the SCADA system. First, a new condition monitoring method based on kernel entropy component analysis (KECA) was developed for nonlinear data. Then, an aggregate statistic T was designed to express the state change of the monitoring parameters. As the features were submerged because of the diversity and nonlinearity of SCADA data, an enhanced generalized regression neural network (GRNN) method—KECA-GRNN—for failure prediction was developed by adding KECA for feature extraction to improve the predictive performance. Finally, the results of the KECA-GRNN model were visualized by a bubble chart, which made the health assessment results of the WT more intuitive. Similarly, the fusion residual was defined to analyze the health trend of the WT, and the health status of the WT was represented by two visualization methods—bubble chart and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. Furthermore, they were evaluated using SCADA data that were collected from a wind farm. Observations from the results of the model indicated the ability of the approach to trend and assess turbine degradation before known downtime occurrences.
Treatment Regimens and Survival Outcomes of Primary Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of Breast Compared with Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma: A Large Propensity Score Matching Study
Authors: Li Qingfang , Zhou Yuwen , Zhao Yunuo , Ma Xuelei
Published: September 2021

Purpose The role of treatment regimens in Neuroendocrine carcinoma of breast (NECB) is not well defined. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical characteristics, treatment regimens and prognosis of NECB compared to infiltrating ductal breast carcinomas(IDCB).Method NECB and IDCB patients diagnosed between January 1,2004 and December 12,2016 were enrolled in the researches from the SEER registries. A propensity score matching (PSM) with ratio of 1:5 was performed to correct the selection bias. The Kaplan-Meier curves was used in the analysis of variables. The Cox model was adopted to calculate univariate and multivariate analysis.Results Compared to IDCB, NECB patients were elder white females. The NECB group demonstrated a significantly poorer survival compared to IDCB group in both disease-specific survival (DSS) (p<0.0001) and overall survival (OS) (P<0.0001). In univariate survival analysis, NECB patients were associated with poorer survival compared with IDCB patients. In multivariate survival analysis, earlier T stage, age <60, black race and absence of distant metastasis were independently associated with better DSS and OS after adjusting all variables. In both univariate and multivariate analysis, chemotherapy and surgery were independently associated with better survival. Conclusion NECB were a kind of rare and aggressive breast neoplasm with advanced disease stage and pooper prognosis compared to IDCB. Our outcomes supplied sufficient evidence that surgery and chemotherapy contribute to better survival of NECB patients.
Operationalising Community Resilience to Climate Change in Developing Countries: A Grounded Delphi Method (GDM) Approach
Authors: Ogah Alima , Crosbie Tracey , Ralebitso-Senior Theresia Komang
Published: September 2021

Background

Climate change and its impact have taken centre stage in contemporary political economic discourse. Climate change is posing complex problems that far outweighs the solutions suggested by the conventional analytical tools used for guiding responses to major environmental challenges. This is particularly the case in developing countries like Nigeria. Unsurprisingly the concept of community resilience towards climate change has received a great deal of attention from researchers and policy makers. However, community resilience is a contested concept, which leads to disagreement about the methods of achieving it. The nature of community resilience makes the measurement of the efficiency of the policies designed to increase community resilience problematic, particularly in developing countries where limited funds must be prioritised.
Methods

The research presented uses a Grounded Delphi Method (GDM) to identify how experts in Nigeria define community resilience and reach a consensus on its measurement in Nigeria’s context and other developing nations. The data collection involved three rounds of Delphi with a panel of 21 experts, the first round employed semi-structured interviews, following the exploratory Delphi approach, and subsequent rounds employed online surveys.
Findings:

The findings indicate that there is a process of stages that communities need to go through to become resilient to climate change. These begin with coping with climate change, followed by adaptation to climate change with the final stage being transformation in the face of climate change. Twenty indicators are identified categorised under eight elements that are suitable for measuring community resilience at the different stages of this process. It is interesting to note that the experts in Nigeria who participated in the study excluded notions of transformation in their conceptualisation of community resilience illustrating a potential gap in their perceptions of the requirements for how communities can become fully resilient.
Conclusion

This research provides a method of prioritising specific, measurable indicators to inform policies designed to reduce the impacts of climate change by supporting community resilience in the context of developing countries with limited funding.
Could Screw/Hook Insertion at the Apical with Rib Head Dislocation Effectively Retract the Corresponding Rib Head from Spinal Canal in Dystrophic Scoliosis Secondary to Type 1 Neurofibromatosis?
Authors: Li Song , Mao Saihu , Ma Yanyu , Shi Ben-long , Liu Zhen , Zhu Ze-zhang , Qiao Jun , Qiu Yong
Published: September 2021

Background. Rib head dislocation (RHD) in dystrophic scoliosis of type 1 neurofibromatosis (DS-NF1) is a unique disorder caused by skeletal dystrophy and scoliotic instability. No particular surgical manipulation is mentioned in the literature to instruct the spine surgeons to effectively obtain more migration of the dislocated rib head without resection. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of screw/hook insertion at vertebrae with RHDs on the retraction of penetrated rib head from spinal canal.Methods. 37 neurologically intact patients with DS-NF1 and concomitant 53 RHDs undergoing scoliosis surgery without rib head excision were retrospectively reviewed. We used pre and postoperative whole-spine radiographs to determine the Cobb angle and the vertebral translation (VT), and the CT scans to evaluate the intraspinal rib length (IRL) and rib-vertebral angle (RVA). The dislocated ribs were stratified into two groups according to the presence of screw/hook insertion at vertebrae with RHD: screw/hook group and non-screw/hook group. Results. 37 dislocated ribs with screws/hooks insertion at corresponding vertebrae were assigned into the screw/hook group and the remaining 16 dislocated ribs consisted of the non-screw/hook group. In the screw/hook group, the correction rates of Cobb angle and VT were significantly higher than the non-screw/hook group after surgery (58.7±16.0% vs. 30.9±12.4%, p=0.003; 61.8±18.8% vs. 35.1±16.6%, p=0.001; respectively). Similarly, more correction rates of IRL and RVA were found in the screw/hook group than the non-screw/hook group (63.1±31.3% vs. 30.1±20.7%, p=0.008; 17.6±9.7% vs. 7.2±3.6%, p=0.006; respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the correction rates of Cobb angle, VT and RVA contributed significantly to correction of IRL (β=0.389, 0.939 and 1.869, respectively; p=0.019, 0.001 and 0.002, respectively).Conclusion. Screw/hook insertion at dystrophic vertebrae with RHDs contributed significantly to the degree of retraction of penetrated rib head from spinal canal. This effectiveness is mediated by more corrections of VT and RVA.
A novel CRISPR activation mouse enables modelling of aggressive lymphoma and interrogation of venetoclax resistance.
Authors: Herold Marco , Deng Yexuan , Diepstraten Sarah , Potts Margaret , Heidersbach Amy , Kueh Andrew , Pal Martin , Giner Göknur , Wilcox Stephen , Tai Lin , Strasser Andreas , Haley Benjamin , Zhao Quan , Kelly Gemma
Published: September 2021

CRISPR technologies have advanced cancer modelling in mice, but CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) methods have not been thoroughly exploited in this context. Here we establish a CRISPRa mouse (dCas9a-SAMKI/+) for inducing gene expression in vivo and in vitro. Using dCas9a-SAMKI/KI primary lymphocytes, we induced B cell restricted genes in the T cell lineage and vice versa, demonstrating the power of this system. Next, to model double hit lymphoma (DHL), we transactivated pro-survival BCL-2 in Eµ-MycT/+;dCas9a-SAMKI/+ haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Lethally-irradiated mice transplanted with these cells rapidly developed lymphomas expressing high BCL-2. Unlike standard Eµ-Myc lymphomas, BCL-2-expressing lymphomas were highly sensitive to the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax. Finally, we performed genome-wide activation screens in these lymphoma cells and found a dominant role for the BCL-2 family protein A1 in venetoclax resistance. This demonstrates the power of our CRISPRa model for mimicking disease and provides insights into potential resistance mechanisms towards targeted therapies.
An Assessment of Small Wetland Ecohydrological Dynamics Using Sentinel-2 MSI Derived Spectral Indices in Semi-Arid Environments of South Africa
Authors: Thamaga Kgabo Humphrey , Dube Timothy , Shoko Cletah
Published: September 2021

Water presence within small wetlands serve as a determining factor influencing biodiversity productivity and wetland functionality. Small wetlands remain largely unprotected hence, they are more sensitive to frequent exposure to environmental modifications, and are less resilient to changing rainfall patterns, climate change and variability, droughts and changing land use practices. Accurate and up to date spatial and temporal information on changes in surface water and inundation extent becomes imperative for the proper management of these wetlands. Therefore, this study sought to extract and monitor wetland ecohydrological dynamics (surface water and inundation extent) using monthly Sentinel-2 MSI remotely sensed datasets. These dynamics were assessed for the period between July 2020 and June 2021 using the modified normalised difference water index (MNDWI), normalised difference moisture index (NDMI) and normalised difference phenology index (NDPI) derived from Sentinel-2 MSI data. The results showed that the rainy season (Dec 2020 – Feb 2021) had a larger-water coverage extent (10948 m2 (0.05%) to 31594 m2 (0.13%)) when compared to the dry season (July 2020: 19157 m2 (0.04%) and June 2021:14429 m2 (0.03%)). The extent of surface area declined during the dry period due to less rainfall (0.20 mm) and decreased actual evapotranspiration (9.90 mm – 10.43 mm). Further, the NDPI showed a high concentration of wetland vegetation between the months of October 2020 and April 2021. In contrary, higher moisture content was observed between December 2020 to April 2021. The increase in vegetation concentration and moisture content reflects the spatial extent of inundation extent. Wetland water extent, soil moisture, and vegetation condition were assessed with high overall accuracies, ranging between 70.83% and 97.36%. Overall, the results indicate that small wetlands are characterised with significant variations in levels of inundation and productivity throughout the year.
1, 3-Thiazolidine-4-Ones: Copper Nickel Oxide Bimetallic Nanoparticle Catalyzed Synthesis, Anticancer Potential and Molecular Modeling Studies
Authors: Sawant Ramesh L. , Sawant Manisha R. , Wadekar Jyoti B. , Ukirde Rushikesh D. , Barkade Ganesh D. , Rajbhoj Anjali S.
Published: September 2021

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Olfactory responses of Trissolcus mitsukurii to plants attacked by target and non-target stink bugs suggest low risk for biological control
Authors: Rondoni Gabriele , Chierici Elena , Giovannini Lucrezia , Sabbatini-Peverieri Giuseppino , Roversi Pio Federico , Conti Eric
Published: September 2021

Field release of classical biocontrol agents requires prior risk assessment to ensure that non-target effects are averted. No-choice and choice bioassays can provide basic information on the physiological host range of the candidate agent. However, other experimental methods, like olfactometer bioassays of host-plant complexes, can depict more realistically the likelihood that the released biocontrol agent localizes non-targets in the field. Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is native to Asia and invasive in North America and Europe, where it represents a major threat for crops. The Asiatic egg parasitoid Trissolcus mitsukurii (Ashmead) is adventive in Italy and exhibits high parasitization ability on H. halys. In the light of evaluating T. mitsukurii for H. halys biocontrol, its physiological host range has been already partially explored. Here, we investigated the ability of the parasitoid to exploit odours associated with H. halys or with the following non-targets: Arma custos F., Dolycoris baccarum L., Eurydema ventralis Kolenati, and Nezara viridula L. (all Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Specifically, using a Y-tube olfactometer, we tested the response of parasitoid females to plants bearing naturally laid eggs, to physogastric females or eggs of the different species. We observed that T. mitsukurii is only attracted by plants challenged by eggs of H. halys or N. viridula, while it is not attracted by physogastric females or eggs alone. Remarkably, T. mitsukurii was almost repelled by plants bearing eggs of the beneficial A. custos. Our results usefully contribute to a more valuable assessment of the potential non-target risks in case of parasitoid release.
Meteorological drought analysis using copula theory for the case of upper Tekeze river basin, Northern Ethiopia
Authors: Yisehak Biniyam , Shiferaw Henok , Girma Atkilt , Girmay Zenebe , Kidane Rahwa
Published: September 2021

Meteorological drought is a climate-related natural disaster. It indicates a shortage of precipitation over a long period, usually for a season or a year. This study was initiated to analyze meteorological drought using copula theory. Long-year (1982–2020) rainfall and soil moisture data were used to analyze standardized precipitation index (SPI) and standardized soil moisture index (SSI), respectively. The best-fit copula family was selected to construct the joint probability distribution (JPD) of SPI and SSI. Multivariate standardized drought index (MSDI) at 3-, 6-, and 12-month timescales were analyzed using the MSDI toolbox. The non-parametric Mann-Kendall (M-K) statistical test was used for trend detection. The result shows the newly developed MSDI captured all extreme drought events with the highest severity (-3.21) that occurred during the observation period compared to SPI and SSI. MSDI shows the famine caused by the drought of 1984 and 1985 remains well known to the world, with the drought duration and severity of 10 months and 18.7 years, respectively and its joint return period was 33.0 years. The result of the M-K and Sen’s Slope estimator statistical tests shows a positive trend for all drought timescales in the basin. The extreme drought captured by the MSDI most frequently occurred in the basin. This implicated that meteorological drought analysis using multiple indices is better than a single index. The results of this study will help devise drought adaptation and mitigation strategies in the basin and beyond.
Stellate Ganglion Block Successfully Treats Long COVID/PASC: A Case Series
Authors: Liu Luke D , Duricka Deborah L
Published: September 2021

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in a secondary pandemic of individuals suffering from pernicious symptoms termed “Long COVID” or PASC. In spite of significant societal impact, the condition remains mysterious and effective treatment remains elusive. Individuals experience debilitating symptoms including fatigue, “brain fog,” loss or altered smell and/or taste, anxiety and depression. Most of these symptoms are included in the “sickness behavior response” initiated from the brainstem when levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines are high. Ordinarily a feedback loop prevents excessive production of these cytokines, however the SARS-CoV-2 virus has demonstrated the ability to induce the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), likely due to imbalance between ACE1 and ACE2 activity. Persistent sympathetic drive causes increased cytokine release, which interferes with the feedback loop that ends “sickness behaviors.” The stellate ganglion is a paravertebral collection of sympathetic nerves located in the cervical region that provides a convenient entry point to reduce activity of the SNS using local anesthetic blockade. The stellate ganglion block (SGB) has a well-established safety and efficacy profile for a variety of conditions involving the SNS. In this case report series, we treated three consecutive “Long COVID” patients with SGB. All three patients reported significant and durable improvement in symptoms including fatigue, “brain fog,” and smell and taste derangements. Our findings provide evidence implicating dysautonomia as the main etiology of Long COVID/PASC symptoms and suggest that SGB is an effective intervention for this condition with the potential to change the course of the second COVID pandemic, “Long COVID”/PASC.
Step-by-step mechanism insights into TiO2/Ce2S3 S-scheme photocatalyst for enhanced aniline production with water as proton source
Authors: Xu Feiyan , Meng Kai , Cao Shuang , Jiang Chen-Hui , Chen Tao , Xu Jingsan , Yu Jiaguo
Published: September 2021

Exploring new heterostructured photocatalysts for photocatalytic hydrogenation reaction with water as proton source and investigating the corresponding intrinsic step-by-step mechanism are of great interests. Here we develop a novel S-scheme heterojunction through theoretical design and implemented by solvothermal growth of Ce2S3 nanoparticles onto electrospun TiO2 nanofibers. The low-dimensional (0D/1D) heterostructure unveils enhanced photocatalytic activity for aniline production by nitrobenzene hydrogenation with water as proton source. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate the electrons transfer from Ce2S3 to TiO2 upon hybridization due to their Fermi level difference and creates an internal electric field at the interface, driving the efficient separation of the photoexcited charge carriers, which is authenticated by in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy along with femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The step-by-step reaction mechanism of the photocatalytic nitrobenzene hydrogenation to yield aniline is revealed by in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, associated with DFT computational prediction.
3D microstructure and critical current properties of ultra-fine-grain Ba(Fe,Co)2As2 bulk superconductors
Authors: Shimada Yusuke , Tokuta Shinnosuke , Yamanaka Akinori , Yamamoto Akiyasu , Konno Toyohiko. J
Published: September 2021

In iron-based superconductors, randomly oriented grain boundaries have a strong influence on the transport properties via intrinsic weak-link and flux pinning mechanisms. Herein we report the critical current density (Jc) and the three-dimensional microstructure of polycrystalline bulk Co-doped Ba122 superconductors, with highly dense grain boundaries (grain size smaller than 50 nm), produced by high-energy milling. Three-dimensional electron microscopy revealed that the anomalous growth of secondary particles (aggregation) and the inter-aggregation structures were significantly different in the samples with finer grains, which may have extrinsically limited Jc. These important microstructural features were quantified as two parameters—local thickness and total pore length—by reconstructing the three-dimensional structure of the superconducting phase using the adaptive thresholding method. The results obtained in this study suggest that understanding and controlling the microstructural formation process by sintering are instrumental for improving the Jc properties of 122 polycrystalline materials consisting of ultrafine grains.
Power optimisation using intelligent Clock gating dedicated for block RAM cascading technique in FPGA design.
Authors: singh gurwinder , Rattan Munish , Walia Gurjot Kaur
Published: September 2021

The current trend is the combination of chip size reduction and an increase in the number of circuits on chips has provided significant growth in battery consumption and critical energy efficiency leading to growth in the emerging Low Power Electronics sector. Our paper is committed to optimizing the power by eliminating cascading in block RAM. It dominates the amount of power dissipated in SOCs (System on Chips). High-level integration (HLS) allows hardware designers to think logically and not worry about low-level, cyclical details. It arranges the capability to quickly access the slot of design and the tradeoff between resource utilization and operation. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FP- GAs) show significant progress in measuring speed and capacity to create a platform for the use of digital circuits. In the design of the FPGA, integration tools are used that perform various mitigation and improvement strategies. Integration tools utilize the RTL representation of a project with time constraints and generate a network list of the same level. Today, the advanced Xilinx Vivado Design Suite is used for FPGA design as a blending tool. In some cases, the Xilinx Vivado is unable to meet the required designer delays and power constraints. Therefore the primary goal of this paper is to optimize the power in design constraints in the Xilinx Vivado software.
Making drawings speak through mathematical metrics
Authors: Sueur Cédric , Martinet Lison , Beltzung Benjamin , Pelé Marie
Published: September 2021

Figurative drawing is a skill that takes time to learn, and evolves during different childhood phases that begin with scribbling and end with representational drawing. Between these phases, it is difficult to assess when and how children demonstrate intentions and representativeness in their drawings. The marks produced are increasingly goal-oriented and efficient as the child’s skills progress from scribbles to figurative drawings. Pre-figurative activities provide an opportunity to focus on drawing processes. We applied fourteen metrics to two different datasets (N = 65 and N = 345) to better understand the intentional and representational processes behind drawing, and combined these metrics using principal component analysis (PCA) in different biologically significant dimensions. Three dimensions were identified: efficiency based on spatial metrics, diversity with colour metrics, and temporal sequentiality. The metrics at play in each dimension are similar for both datasets, and PCA explains 77% of the variance in both datasets. These analyses differentiate scribbles by children from those drawn by adults. The three dimensions highlighted by this study provide a better understanding of the emergence of intentions and representativeness in drawings. We have already discussed the perspectives of such findings in Comparative Psychology and Evolutionary Anthropology.
Optimal strategies to screen health care workers for COVID-19 in the US: a cost-effectiveness analysis
Authors: Maya Sigal , Padda Guntas , Close Victoria , Wilson Trevor , Ahmed Fareeda , Marseille Elliot , Kahn James G.
Published: September 2021

Background: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in health care facilities poses a challenge against pandemic control. Health care workers (HCWs) have frequent and high-risk interactions with COVID-19 patients. We undertook a cost-effectiveness analysis to determine optimal testing strategies for screening HCWs to inform strategic decision-making in health care settings.
Methods: We modeled the number of new infections, quality-adjusted life years lost, and net costs related to six testing strategies including no tests. We applied our model to four strata of HCWs, defined by the presence and timing of symptoms. We conducted sensitivity analyses to account for uncertainty in inputs.
Results: When screening recently symptomatic HCWs, conducting only a PCR test is preferable; it saves costs and improves health outcomes in the first week post-symptom onset, and costs $83,000 per quality-adjusted life year gained in the second week post-symptom onset. When screening HCWs in the late clinical disease stage, none of the testing approaches is cost-effective and thus no testing is preferable, yielding $11 and 0.003 new infections per 10 HCWs. For screening asymptomatic HCWs, antigen testing is preferable to PCR testing due to its lower cost.
Conclusions: Both PCR and antigen testing are beneficial strategies to identify infected HCWs and reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in health care settings. IgG testing clinical value depends on test timing and immunity characteristics, however is not cost-effective in a low prevalence setting. As the context of the pandemic evolves, our study provides insight to health-care decision makers to keep the health care workforce safe and transmissions low.
UK5099 inhibits macrophage activation independent of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier mediated metabolism
Authors: Ran Linyu , Zhang Song , Zhao Pei , Zhou Jiaqi , Gan Haiyun , Jeon Ryounghoon , Li Qiang , Herrmann Joerg , Wang Feilong
Published: September 2021

Glycolysis is essential for the classical activation of macrophages (M1), but how glycolytic pathway metabolites engage in this process remains to be elucidated. Glycolysis culminates in the production of pyruvate, which can be transported into the mitochondria by the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) followed by conversion to citrate and utilization in the TCA cycle. Alternatively, pyruvate can be metabolized to lactate under aerobic conditions, which had been considered to be the dominant route in the setting of classical macrophage activation. However, based on studies that used UK5099 as a MPC inhibitor and showed reduction in key inflammatory cytokines, the mitochondrial route has been considered to be of significance for M1 activation as well. Herein, using a genetic depletion model, we found that MPC is dispensable for metabolic reprogramming and the activation of M1. While UK5099 reaches maximal MPC inhibitory capacity at approximately 2–5µM, higher concentrations are required to inhibit inflammatory cytokine production in M1 and this is independent of MPC expression. Apart from MPC inhibition, UK5099 at high doses impairs glutamate oxidation, mitochondrial membrane potential and HIF-1α stabilization. Taken together, UK5099 inhibits inflammatory responses in M1 macrophages due to effects other than MPC inhibition.
Meta-Material Enhanced Spatial Mode Decomposition
Authors: Jones Aaron , Wang Mengyao , Zhang Xuecai , Cooper Samuel , Chen Shumei , Mow-Lowry Conor , Freise Andreas
Published: September 2021

Acquiring precise information about the mode content of a laser is critical for multiplexed optical communications, optical imaging with active wave-front control, and quantum-limited interferometric measurements. Hologram-based mode decomposition devices allow a fast, direct measurement of the mode content, but they have limited precision due to cross-coupling between modes. Here we report the first proof-of-principle demonstration of mode decomposition with a meta-surface, resulting in significantly enhanced precision. A mode-weight fluctuation of 0.6ppm (-62 dB) can be measured with 1 second of averaging at a Fourier frequency of 80 Hz, an improvement on the state-of-the-art by more than three orders of magnitude. The improvement is attributable to the reduction in cross-coupling enabled by the exceptional phase accuracy of the meta-surface. We show a systematic study of the limiting sources of noise, and we show that there is a promising path towards complete mode decomposition with similar precision.
Testing Susceptibility of M. tuberculosis to Second Line Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs Using the XDR Test in Clinical Trials and International Professional Testing Cycles
Authors: Domotenko L. V. , Morozova T. P. , Khramov M. V. , Shepelin А. P.
Published: September 2021

The objective of the study: to evaluate the commercial XDR test for susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis to second line anti-tuberculosis drugs in clinical trials and as part of annual professional testing cycles coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO).Subjects and Methods. Cultures of M. tuberculosis (n = 90) freshly isolated on egg media from clinical samples collected in tuberculosis patients were tested using the Bactec MGIT 960 system and the XDR test under identical conditions. Well-studied strains of M. tuberculosis (n = 216) obtained from the WHO supranational laboratories were repeatedly cultured on Middlebrook 7H10 medium before the study. The drug susceptibility of the cultures was assessed using the XDR test by the nitrate reductase method.Results. A high concurrence (96.7-100%) of the results was shown when testing susceptibility of 90 M. tuberculosis isolates to kanamycin, amikacin, capreomycin and ofloxacin using the XDR test and the Bactec MGIT 960 system with comparable test periods. The use of the XDR test for drug susceptibility testing of 216 M. tuberculosis strains in eleven annual professional testing cycles coordinated by the WHO supranational laboratories provided the results consistent with the consensus one for kanamycin, capreomycin, ofloxacin and amikacin in 98.6, 99.4, 99.4, and 99.0% of cases, respectively. For moxifloxacin and levofloxacin additionally incorporated to the XDR test, completely identical results were obtained.
Sarcoidosis and COVID-19
Authors: Dobin V. L. , Panin I. V.
Published: September 2021

The review analyzes 21 publications on sarcoidosis pathogenesis, clinical course, treatment characteristics (sarcoidosis in the COVID-19 era), and prognostic aspects during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mutual funds behavior and risk-adjusted performance in Nigeria
Authors: Odutola Omokehinde Joshua
Published: September 2021

The paper investigates the behavior of mutual funds and their risk-adjusted performance in the financial markets of Nigeria between April 2016 and May 31, 2019, using descriptive statistics, as well as CAPM, Jensen’s alpha, and other risk-adjusted portfolio performance measures such as Sharpe and Treynor ratios, as well as Fama decomposition of return. The descriptive tests revealed that 80.77% of the funds were superior to market returns, while 13.46% were riskier. The market and the fund returns behaved abnormally with asymptotic and leptokurtic characteristics as their skewness and kurtosis varied from the normal requirements. Diagnostically, the normality test by Jacque-Berra showed that the return was not normally distributed at a 1% significance level. The market was more aggressive relative to the funds. The average risk-free rate was 6.75% above the market’s return. The risk-adjusted portfolio returns measured by Sharpe and Treynor ratios showed that 67.31% of the funds underperformed the market compared to 40.38% that outperformed the market using Jensen’s alpha. Fama decomposition of return revealed that the fund managers are risk-averse with 48% superior selection ability and rationally invested over 85% of investors’ funds in schemes with fixed income securities at a given risk-free return that cushioned the negative effects of the systematic and idiosyncratic risks and consequently threw the total returns into positive territories. Overall, the fund managers possessed 52% of inferior selection abilities that only earned 33% of superior risk-adjusted returns and hence, failed to achieve the desired diversification in the relevant period.
Evaluation of rural water supply sustainable operation and management based on cyclic correction framework – a case study of Chongqing, China
Authors: Fan Linlin , Li Yalong , Luo Wenbing , Qiao Wei , Li Wei , Liu Fengli , Liu Yaning
Published: September 2021

After the construction of rural water supply projects, how to make them sustainably operated and managed has become the focus and difficulty of the current and future work of rural water supply. In order to evaluate the operation and management of rural water supply projects, a comprehensive indicator system of rural water supply projects sustainable operation and management was established, and a combinational evaluation model based on a cyclic correction framework was used in 13 pilot districts of Chongqing, China. The APH method was used to calculate the weight of each index. The two indexes with the highest weights are ‘establishment of management agency (0.1436)’ and ‘assurance level of operating funds (0.1382)’. Compared with the traditional individual evaluation model, the cyclic correction framework can effectively reduce the systematic deviation and random error in the evaluation process and make the research conclusion more reliable. The ranks of the districts in the main urban metropolitan part are higher, while the districts in the southeast and northeast of Chongqing are ranked relatively low. The top five districts were Rongchang, Yubei, Banan, Liangping, and Tongliang. In the future, the sustainable operation and management of rural water supply projects should be improved by enhancing the ability of the management agencies of rural water supply projects and increasing funding for project operation management.
Experimental investigation of dehumidification process regulated by the photothermoelectric system
Authors: Almutairi Khalid , Irshad Kashif , Algarni Salem , Ali Amjad , Islam Saiful
Published: September 2021

To decrease indoor relative humidity and have relaxing environments, small dehumidifiers are widely used in tropical climatic. Due to the benefits of eco-friendly, small size and silence operation, the thermoelectric dehumidifier has gained interest but has limited practical application due to poor efficiency. Therefore, this study investigates the dehumidification characteristics of the thermoelectric module powered by a photovoltaic system for the production of fresh water under real climatic conditions. The performance of a novel prototype named as the Photo-Thermoelectric Dehumidifier (PVTE-D) was investigated both numerically and experimentally in different combinations of airflow rate and input power. The results obtained from the experiment suggested that the water condensate collection was increased by increasing the input power from a PV panel to the TE-D. In the month of May, the maximum water condensate collection of 1,852.3 mL/hr was attained at the input supply of 6 A and 5 V to the PVTE-D system. In the majority of cases, when the airflow rate is below 0.013 kg/s, maximum collections of water condensate have been achieved. This study provides a detailed understanding of the optimally suitable structural parameters of the PVTE-D under different operating conditions and reveals a novel configuration for higher water condensation capacity.