bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PENGARUH PENAMBAHAN REDISET LQ-1106 TERHADAP KINERJA STRUKTUR CAMPURAN ASPAL PORUS
Authors: Marizka Eza , Fauziah Miftahul , Subarkah
Published: August 2022

Porous asphalt is an asphalt mixture with high porosity to reduce the potential waterlogging and increase the roughness of the road surface. However, porous asphalt mixture has shortcomings in terms of strength and durability. This paper presents laboratory testing results of the effect of adding Rediset LQ-1106 additive on the performance of a porous asphalt mixture. The research was started with the determination of the optimum asphalt content. Then, the test object was made with Rediset LQ-1106 using variations in 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% of the optimum asphalt content and carried out the Marshall test, Immersion Test, Indirect Tensile Strength, Tensile Strength Ratio, and Wheel Tracking. The test results show that adding 1% of Rediset LQ-1106 resulted in the optimum performance of porous asphalt compared to other grade additions. This performance is evidenced by the increase in the mixture stability value by 18.62%, the Indirect Tensile Strength value of 20.14%, the dynamic stability value of 35.88%, and the most negligible deformation speed compared to porous asphalt, which does not use Rediset LQ-1106. However, the Index Retained Strength, and Tensile Strength Ratio tests did not significantly increase performance.
EVALUASI KARAKTERISTIK DAN KEBUTUHAN RUANG PARKIR SEPEDA MOTOR (STUDI KASUS PT TIRTA INVESTAMA WONOSOBO)
Authors: Nurinda Abdi Grisela , Nur Jannah Aisyah
Published: August 2022

Motorcycle parking facilities at PT Tirta Investama (TIV) Wonosobo are relatively new, but its application is felt less comfortable because it is too narrow. Moreover, some motorcycles are not parked in the places that have been provided but parked on the driveway and alleyway, which makes parking access even more limited. This research is aimed to evaluate motorcycle parking facilities. Data collection was carried out by direct survey at the PT TIV motorcycle parking location from 06.00 a.m. to 06.00 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. The evaluation method compares the parking space needed (KRP) with the available Parking Space Unit (SRP). KRP was obtained from parking characteristics by Hobbs (1995) and Indonesian Technical Guidelines for The Implementation of Parking Facilities (1996). The evaluation showed that the parking space (SRP) was lacking because only 168 SRPs were available, but 223 SRPs were needed based on the analysis. In addition, the existing alleyway needs to be widened to comply with the regulations from the Directorate General of Land Transportation. This research also provides an additional design for motorcycle parking buildings that will be carried out according to the needs and available space, which is only sufficient for 206 SRP.
Utilization of the COBIT 2019 framework to identify the level of governance in internet services
Authors: Fernandez Sandhy , Imanullah Muhammad , Fathoni M. Yoka , Pahrizal Pahrizal
Published: August 2022

Information and communication technology services at the University of Muhammadiyah Bengkulu are IT services that support IT needs in all sectors. Of all the IT services that have been implemented at this institution, there is one very crucial service, namely the internet connection service, where this internet connection service is needed by all existing information technology access. In managing this internet connection, a standardized feasibility calculation has not been carried out which results in it not being in accordance with the institutional business needs. Information technology governance is a process that is able to manage investment decisions related to Information Technology within the company in order to achieve the company's current and future needs. To achieve standardized governance, this research uses the COBIT 2019 framework which is the latest version of the development results from COBIT 5. The purpose of this study is to identify the extent to which the value of existing processes for internet connection services is currently and the value of the process achievement that refers to the standard. COBIT 2019 by calculating the maturity level value which represents the level of performance on internet connection services. From the results of the 2019 COBIT Design, LTIK Muhammadiyah Bengkulu University, it is known that those who score above 80 or must reach Capability Level 4 are APO13, BAI10, DSS02, DSS03 and DSS04, for a value of 100 there is APO12.
The Influence of Visual, Auditorial and Kinesthetic Learning Styles on the Learning Achievement of Cancer Fighting Children
Authors: Kafa Satria Kharimul Qolbi
Published: August 2022

Cancer is a dangerous disease with a high mortality rate. From ancient times until now, cancer has various types of cancer of the blood, eye, bone and others. Every human being can get the disease regardless of age, starting from children to adults. Children up to adolescents are school children, so when a child is diagnosed with cancer, it will affect his education. Therefore, this study discusses the effect of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles on the learning achievement of those diagnosed with cancer as children cancer fighters. This research uses experimental methods through 3 types of styles with data sources of interviews, observation and documentation in the form of reports on teaching and learning activities. The data is processed by Anova Variant Analysis. From the results of these calculations, there are effects of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles on the learning achievement of children who fight cancer.
Sentiment-based Chatbot using Machine Learning for Recommendation System
Authors: Hsu I-Ching , Liao An-Hung
Published: August 2022

Emotions are part of human mental activities and play an extremely important role in the decision-making process of daily life. Publishing posts in natural language through social websites is part of people’s lives. These posts can reflect the emotion state of users. It is important to study how to use machine learning technology to interpret the sentiment analysis of posts. The research proposed a general framework based on sentiment analysis and machine learning, called Sentiment Analysis and Machine Learning Recommendation Framework (SAMLRF), including data preparation module, sentiment analysis module, recommendation module, human machine module and cloud computing module for a chatbot to facilitate user interaction to make recommendations. To verify the modular function of the proposed SAMLRF, this research develops a Sentiment-based Article Recommendation Linebot (SARL), which provides an API interface for chatbots to activate the system through a webhook mechanism. The performance and accuracy of four machine learning and two deep learning algorithms were compared, including the decision tree, logistic regression, support vector machine and gradient boosting decision tree, simple recurrent neural networks and long short-term memory, operating in Spark cloud computing environments. Experiments show that the decision tree algorithm for sentiment analysis is relatively better in computing performance and test accuracy.
Profiles of GPs with High and Low Physician Empathy: Personal, Professional, and Antibiotic Prescribing Characteristics
Authors: Kristensen Troels , Ejersted Charlotte , Søndergaard Jens , Ahnfeldt-Mollerup Peder , Charles Justin
Published: August 2022

Background: General Practitioner’s (GPs) professional empathy has been hypothesized to have substantial impact on their delivered healthcare and use of medicine. This study compares profiles of personal, professional, and antibiotic prescribing characteristics of GPs with high and low empathy.Methods: We apply an extreme group design and a unique combined set of survey and drug register data. The survey was sent to a stratified sample of 1,196 GPs comprising 30% of the Danish GP population and 464 GPs responded(38,8%). GPs in the top and bottom decile of empathy levels were identified. The applied Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Health Professionals includes 20 items that fall into three factors: perspective taking, compassionate care, walking in patient’s shoes. Total scores, factor scores, and individual item scores were calculated to disentangle the differences between the profiles. All intra- and inter-profile descriptive statistics and differences were bootstrapped to estimate the variability and related confidence intervals (CIs).Results: 61% of GPs in the top decile of the empathy score were female. GPs in this group reported the following person-centered factors as more important for their job satisfaction than the bottom decile: The Patient-physician relationship, interaction with colleagues, and intellectual stimulation. High-empathy scoring GPs prescribed significantly less penicillin than the low-empathy GPs. This was true for most penicillin subcategories. There were no significant differences in age, practice setting (urban vs. rural), practice type (partnership vs. single-handed), overall job satisfaction, or GP’s value of prestige and economic profit for their job satisfaction. The intra profile variation index and CIs show less prescribing uncertainty among GPs with high empathy.Conclusions: This study reveals that high empathy GPs may have different personal, professional, and antibiotic prescribing characteristics than low empathy GPs and have less variable empathy levels as a group. Furthermore, person-centered high empathy GPs on average seem to prescribe less penicillins than low empathy GPs.
Exploring haplotype block structure, runs of homozygosity and effective population size among dairy cattle breeds of India
Authors: Dash Soumya , Singh Avtar , Dixit S.P. , Kumar Avnish , Behera Rajalaxmi
Published: August 2022

The present study investigated the haplotype structure, runs of homozygosity (ROH), effective population size and persistence of gametic phase among three indigenous dairy cattle breeds viz. Sahiwal (n = 19), Tharparkar (n = 17) and Gir (n = 16) using Illumina BovineHD BeadChip assay. The filtered SNPs after quality control ranged from 44% in Sahiwal to 53% in Gir. The highest number of haplotype blocks was observed in Tharparkar (15640) and the lowest in Sahiwal (8027) spanning 17.3% and 7.8% of genome, respectively. The average block length was found close to 26 kb which suggests that multiple recombination events fragmented the ancestral haplotypes into smaller sizes. Gir cattle had the largest number of runs of homozygosity (ROH) regions (1762) followed by Tharparkar (1528) and Sahiwal (1138). Without pedigree information, inbreeding coefficients estimated from ROH (FROH) revealed that Gir had the highest FROH (0.099) proposing more inbreeding rate in this population. Effective population size (Ne) decreased slowly over the last 60 generations and at 13 generations ago; Ne was estimated as 70 for all the three dairy breeds. The highest gametic phase correlation (r = 0.78) was observed for Sahiwal and Tharparkar breed pair suggesting formulation of multi-breed reference population for successful implementation of genomic selection among dairy breeds.
Over-expression of Trigonella foenum-graecum defensin (Tfgd2) and Raphanus sativus antifungal protein (RsAFP2) in transgenic pigeonpea confers resistance to the Helicoverpa. armigera
Authors: Nalluri Nirmala , Karri Vasavi Rama
Published: August 2022

Pigeonpea is an important food legume crop cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world wherein the Indian subcontinent accounting for over 90 % of global production. It is a rich source of protein and is an important component of a well-balanced diet for the majority of Indians. Its productivity is affected by many insect pests among which Helicoverpa. armigera is the most significant pest in producing severe yield loss. Non-availability of resistant genes in germplasm and constraints with traditional breeding induce the application of a genetic engineering approach to generate insect resistance in pigeonpea. Expression of plant defensins in various crops provided enhanced resistance towards a variety of pests and pathogens. In the current study, two defensins Trigonella foenum-graecum defensin 2 (Tfgd2) and Raphanus sativus antifungal protein 2 (RsAFP2) integrated by a linker peptide was transferred into pigeonpea as a fusion gene by Agrobacterium mediated transformation. Putative transgenic lines were confirmed through PCR and the promising lines were identified in the following generations based upon integration, expression and bioefficiency of the fusion gene.Leaf bioassay conducted against H. armigera larvae showed increased levels of insect resistance compared to the control, where six T2 plants were identified as superior lines showing less than 25 % of leaf damage.Our findings illustrates that Tfgd2–RsAFP2 fusion protein is efficient in imparting protection against the insect pest and the transgenic lines developed in this study could be used for further pigeonpea improvement projects.
A composite blockchain associated event traceability method for financial activities
Authors: Wang Junlu , Li Su , Ji Wanting , Li Dong , Song Baoyan
Published: August 2022

The existing blockchain system mostly adopts the equal mining mode. All bookkeepers (entities) record the ledger books on a single master chain. The data storage is random. Moreover, in complex or classified financial scenarios, master chain data is difficult to be correlated or stored regularly, resulting in low efficiency of storage and query; At the same time, in the existing blockchain system, event traceability is mostly only found in the source block, and the implicit association between entities cannot be identified. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a composite blockchain associated event traceability method. This method firstly constructs the blockchain composite chain storage structure model, proposes the concept of private chain and alliance chain, and realizes the adaptive data association storage in complex or classified scenarios. Secondly, on the basis of obtaining the entity block of event source, auxiliary storage space is established to transfer storage relevant data. A query method of associated entity block based on Apriori algorithm is proposed, and the obtained traceability entity block is constructed to construct the source event association diagram, so as to describe the association relationship between event entities. Finally, a risk assessment system based on reinforcement learning is proposed to realize the risk assessment of traceability entity. Experiments show that the composite blockchain associated event traceability method proposed in this paper can reduce 60% of the storage overhead, improve 90% of the query accuracy and 50% of the security.
Non-Hermitian swallowtail catastrophe revealing transitions across diverse topological singularities
Authors: Jia Hongwei , Hu Jing , Zhang Ruo-Yang , Wang Yixiao , Ouyang Xiaoping , Zhu Yifei , Chan Che Ting
Published: August 2022

Exceptional points are a unique feature in non-Hermitian systems, where eigenvalues and their corresponding eigenstates of a Hamiltonian coalesce. A lot of intriguing physical phenomena arise from the topology of exceptional points, such as “bulk Fermi-arcs” and braiding of eigenvalues. Here we report that a more exotic and structurally richer degeneracy morphology, known as the swallowtail catastrophe in singularity theory, can naturally exist in non-Hermitian systems with both parity-time and pseudo-Hermitian symmetries. The swallowtail exhibits the coexistence and intriguing interactions of degeneracy lines of three different types, including an isolated nodal line, a pair of exceptional lines of order three and a non-defective intersection line, with the latter two types lying entirely on the exceptional surface. Surprisingly, these a priori independent types of singularities are stably connected at a single point, i.e. the vertex of the swallowtail, revealing mutual transitions among them. Moreover, we realized such systems in a non-reciprocal circuit and experimentally observed the degeneracy features of the swallowtail. Based on the frame rotation and deformation of eigenstates, we further demonstrated in theory and experiments that the various transitions are topologically protected. Our findings constitute the first demonstration of a swallowtail structure in band dispersions, en route establishing a whole new family of non-Hermitian topological phases of matter. The transitions across diverse singularities pave new avenues for the development of sensing and absorbing devices.
Absolute frequency metrology of buffer-gas-cooled molecular spectra at the 10-12 accuracy level
Authors: Aiello Roberto , Sarno Valentina Di , Santi Maria Delli , De Rosa Maurizio , Ricciardi Iolanda , De Natale Paolo , Giusfredi Giovanni , Amato Luigi Santamaria , Maddaloni Pasquale
Published: August 2022

By reducing both the internal and translational temperature of any species down to a few kelvins, the buffer-gas-cooling (BGC) technique has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of ro-vibrational molecular spectra, thus offering unique opportunities for transition frequency measurements with unprecedented accuracy. However, the difficulty in integrating metrological-grade spectroscopic tools into bulky cryogenic equipment has hitherto prevented from approaching the kHz level even in the best cases. Here, we overcome this drawback by an original opto-mechanical scheme which, effectively coupling a Lamb-dip saturated-absorption cavity ring-down spectrometer to a BGC source, allows us to determine the absolute frequency of the acetylene (ν1+ν3) R(1)e transition at 6561.0941 cm-1 with a fractional uncertainty as low as 6∙10-12. By improving the previous record with buffer-gas-cooled molecules by one order of magnitude, our approach paves the way for a number of ultra-precise low-temperature spectroscopic studies, aimed at both fundamental Physics tests and optimized laser cooling strategies.
Sildenafil for congenital heart diseases induced pulmonary hypertension, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Authors: Awad Ahmed K. , Gad Eman Reda , Abdelgalil Mahmoud Shaban , Elsaeidy Ahmed Saad , Ahmed Omar , Elseidy Sheref A
Published: August 2022

Background:
PDE5 inhibitors (PDE5-Is) manifest its effects by inhibiting the PDE5 dependent cGMP hydrolysis, thus increasing cGMP intracellularly which results in vascular smooth muscles relaxation and vasodilatation. PDE 5 inhibitors, such as sildenafil, were first prescribed for angina pectoris then for erectile dysfunction (ED). Recently, sildenafil has been proposed in congenital heart diseases (CHD) induced PAH, which constitute a huge burden on children health and can attribute to fatal complications due to the un-oxygenated blood presents in the systemic circulation. Therefore, our meta-analysis aims to further investigate the safety and efficacy of sildenafil in CHD induced PH.
Methods:
We searched the following electronic databases: PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, WOS, Embase, and Scopus from inception to April 20th, 2022. Randomized controlled trials that assess the efficacy of using sildenafil in comparison to placebo or any other vasodilator drug were eligible for inclusion. The inverse variance method was used to pool study effect estimates using random effect model. Effect sizes are provided in the form of mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Results:
Our study included 14 studies with (n = 849 children) with a mean age of 7.9 months old. Sildenafil showed statistically significant decrease over placebo in mPAP and sPAP with MD -7.42 (95%CI [-13.13, -1.71], P = 0.01) and − 8.02 (95%CI [-11.16, -4.88], P < 0.0001), respectively. Sildenafil revealed a decrease in mAOP and PA/OA ratio over placebo with MD -0.34 (95%CI [-2.42, 1.73], P = 0.75) and MD -0.10 (95%CI [-0.11, -0.09], P < 0.00001), respectively. Regarding post-operative parameters, sildenafil had a statistically significant lower mechanical ventilation time, ICU stay, and hospital stay over placebo with MD -19.43 (95%CI [-31.04, -7.81], P = 0.001), MD -34.85 (95%CI [-50.84, -18.87], P < 0.00001), and MD -41.87 (95%CI [-79.41, -4.33], P = 0.03), respectively. Nevertheless, no difference in mortality rates between sildenafil and placebo with OR 0.25 (95%CI 0.05, 1.30], P = 0.10) or tadalafil with OR 1 (95%CI 0.06, 17.12], P = 1).
Conclusion:
Sildenafil is a well-tolerated treatment in congenital heart diseases induced pulmonary hypertension, as it has proven its efficacy not only in lowering the mPAP and sPAP, but also in reducing the ventilation time, ICU and hospital stay with no difference observed regarding mortality rates.
Adherence to the Nordic Diet and the Risk of Cardiovascular Events in a Non-Nordic Population: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Mirmiran Parvin , Estaki Saghar , Yadegari Anahita , Golzarand Mahdieh , Azizi Fereidoun
Published: August 2022

Background
Although both observational and interventional studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of the Nordic diet on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, the association between adherence to this diet and CVD incidents is unknown. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to investigate the association between adherence to the Nordic diet and the risk of CVD events in non-Nordic adults.
Methods
In the present cohort study, 2918 participants from the third wave of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) were included. All the participants who were free of CVD at baseline were followed up for 10.6 years. The Nordic diet score was assessed by applying a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Patients’ medical records were used to evaluate cardiovascular events, including coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and CVD-related mortality.
Results
During a median follow-up of 10.6 years, 203 subjects experienced cardiovascular events. Participants in the third and fourth quartiles of the Nordic diet had a 46% (HR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.93) and 58% (HR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.62) lower risk of CVD than those in the lowest quartile. Among components of the Nordic diet, each score increase in cereals was associated with a 24% (HR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.67 to 0.87), low-fat milk with a 23% (HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.68 to 0.87), and fish with a 22% (HR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.69 to 0.89) lower risk of CVD.
Conclusion
We found high adherence to the Nordic diet might be beneficial in the prevention of cardiovascular events in the non-Nordic community. The main components of the Nordic diet that indicated an inverse relationship with CVD were cereals, fish, and low-fat milk.
Similarity of shallow and deep earthquakes in seismic moment release
Authors: Cui Xin , Li Zefeng , Hu Yan
Published: August 2022

The occurrence of earthquakes at depths greater than 60 km is an enigma in earthquake science, as rocks at greater depths are anticipated to be ductile. Over the past decades, seismologists have reported a variety of rupture characteristics that are distinguishable among shallow (0–60 km), intermediate-depth (60–300 km) and deep-focus (300–700 km) earthquakes. However, their underlying physical mechanisms remain enigmatic. Using machine learning, we show that the previously observed differences in earthquake moment release processes are caused by the Earth’s depth-dependent elastic properties. Despite the presentation of medium rigidity, earthquakes with different generation mechanisms unanimously have similar moment release processes. Our results support a constant strain drop hypothesis, that is, the ratio of coseismic slip to the characteristic rupture length remains largely unchanged for earthquakes at all depths and mechanisms. This finding contests the conventional stress drop hypothesis, leading to a revised definition of earthquake self-similarity. In particular, the moment release invariant property predicts distinct depth- and rigidity-dependencies of critical earthquake parameters, such as rupture duration, geometric scale, and stress drop. These results have broad implications for understanding earthquake physics and assessing seismic hazards.
Land subsidence prediction model based on its influencing factors and machine learning methods
Authors: li fengkai , Liu Guolin , Tao Qiuxiang , Zhai Min
Published: August 2022

Land subsidence has caused huge economic losses in the Beijing plains (BP) since 1980s. Building land subsidence prediction models that can predict the development of land subsidence is of great significance for improving the safety of cities and reducing economic losses in Eastern Beijing plains. The pattern of evolution of land subsidence is affected by many factors including groundwater level in different aquifers, thicknesses of compressible layers, and static and dynamic loads caused by urban construction. First, we used the small baseline subset Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SBAS-InSAR) technology on 47 ENVISAT ASAR images and 48 RADARSAT‐2 images and used Persistent Scatterers Interferometric Aperture Radar (PS-InSAR) technology on 27 Sentinel-1 images to obtain the land subsidence monitoring results from June 2003 to September 2018. Second, the accuracy of the InSAR monitoring results were validated by using leveling benchmark land subsidence monitoring results. Finally, we built land subsidence rate prediction models and land subsidence gradient prediction models by combining land subsidence influencing factors and four machine learning methods including support vector machine (SVM), Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT), Random forest (RF) and Extremely Randomized Trees (ERT). The findings show: (1) The InSAR monitoring results revealed that the maximum land subsidence rate reached − 110.7 mm/year, -144.4 mm/year and − 136.8 mm/year during the 2003–2010, 2011–2015 and 2016–2018 periods, respectively. (2): The InSAR monitoring results agreed well with the leveling benchmark monitoring results with the Pearson correlation coefficients of two monitoring results were 0.97, 0.96 and 0.95 during the 2003–2010, 2011–2015 and 2016–2018 periods, respectively. (3): We found that the land subsidence prediction based on ERT method is the optimal model among four land subsidence prediction models and that the prediction performance of land subsidence prediction model based on ERT method will be greatly improved when apply this prediction model in sub study areas where the land subsidence mechanism is similar owning to the similar hydrogeological parameters.
Landscape composition influences colony growth in the tropical Asian stingless bees (Tetragonula fuscobalteata)
Authors: Wayo Kanuengnit , Leonhardt Sara D. , Chuttong Bajaree , Chelong Isma-ae , Bumrungsri Sara
Published: August 2022

Context
Pollination is an important ecosystem service for both crop and wild plants. In recent decades, many pollinators have been experiencing population declines due to land-use changes and intensified agriculture. However, effects of anthropogenic landscapes on bee pollinators in the tropics are still little investigated.
Objectives
We analyzed the effects of landscape composition on the colony weight as well as foraging activity and patterns of the tropical Asian stingless bee species Tetragonala fuscobalteata which is a vital generalist pollinator in Southeast Asia.
Methods
Twenty-eight colonies were established and monitored over a year in 19 mixed fruit orchards located along a gradient of human land-use intensity.
Results
Our results revealed that the colonies gained weight and increased their foraging activity over time across diverse landscapes including forest, agricultural, and urbanized areas, indicating that this bee species can well adapt to anthropogenic landscapes. Interestingly, T. fuscobalteata colonies also gained weight rapidly in orchards located in predominately agricultural landscapes with e.g. high proportions of rubber and oil palm plantations as well as in fruit orchards (such as rambutan, durian, coconut, banana). This positive effect was possibly due to mass flowering crops providing abundant resources, i.e., pollen and nectar, for a limited time. We also show that T. fuscobalteata foragers could rely on urbanized land (probably ornamental plants and some crops in home gardens and backyards) and wild plants in surrounding forest patches during non-flowering periods of crops.
Conclusions
Our findings thus indicate that the combined floral resource availability provided by heterogeneous anthropogenic landscapes, including agricultural fields, urbanized areas and forests, can sustain generalist pollinators.
The significance of structural stigma towards transgender people in health care encounters across Europe: Health care access, gender identity disclosure and discrimination in health care as a function of national legislation and public attitudes
Authors: Falck Felicitas , Bränström Richard
Published: August 2022

Background
According to the minority stress theory, stigma affects the health of marginalized populations. Previous stigma research has focused on the health effects of individual and interpersonal stigma, paying less attention to structural factors. Laws on legal gender recognition affect the lives of transgender individuals in unique ways. The fact that these laws and population attitudes vary greatly between Europe countries, offer a unique opportunity to study the role of structural stigma in the lives of transgender individuals. Little is known about how transgender specific structural stigma relates to individual health determinants. Consequently, the aim of this study was to explore the association between structural stigma and access to transgender health care, gender identity disclosure in health care and experiences of discrimination in health care across 28 European countries.
Methods
By using multilevel regression, we combined data on health seeking behavior, transgender identity disclosure to health care providers and experiences of discrimination in health care from 6,771 transgender individuals participating in the 2012 European Union Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender survey with a structural stigma measure, consisting of population attitudes towards transgender individuals as well as national legislation on gender recognition. Reasons to refrain from seeking care and discrimination in health care were assessed by categorizing countries as low or high in structural stigma and using Chi-square statistics.
Results
Country-level structural stigma was negatively associated experiences of seeking psychological or medical health care for being transgender and positively associated with concealment of being transgender to health care providers. Identity concealment was associated with a lower likelihood of exposure to discrimination in the health care setting across countries regardless of their level of structural stigma. The most prevalent reasons to forgo transgender related health care were shared between low and high structural stigma country groups and centered around fear.
Conclusion
The results highlight the importance of changing stigmatizing legislation and population attitudes to promote access to transgender related health care as well as openness of being transgender towards providers. Measures to decrease discrimination in the health care setting are warranted in high as well as in low structural stigma countries.
Ag-NPs coating influence on TiO2-NTs photocatalytic performances on Amido Black staining
Authors: Trabelsi Khaled , Jemai Safa , Jery Atef El , Sassi Syrine , Guesmi Ahlem , Khezami Lotfi , Hajjaji Anouar , Gaidi Mounir , Bessais Brahim
Published: August 2022

In this work, the photocatalyst activity of a nanohybrid system based on Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) coated on TiO2-NTs structure is investigated. The Ag NPs decoration was performed with a simple and low cost photoreduction process. The Ag NPs size has been tuned through the photoreduction time. Several analyses and testing were carried out to determine the prepared samples' structural, optical, and morphological properties and their photocatalytic capabilities using SEM, TEM, XRD, PL, and UV spectrometer. The amido black staining dye was used as the organic pollutant. A high photodegradation efficiency is obtained and showed a 96.4% after 270 min for the 10 min Ag photo-reduced sample. A significant reaction rate of about 0.0122 min, which was higher than other samples. These results proved that this heterojunction could be successfully used for other applications such as photo-electrochemical solar cells, hydrogen generation, biosensors, gas detection, and more.
Assessing multiple limiting factors of seasonal biomass production and N content in a grassland with a year-round production
Authors: Oyarzabal Mariano , Oesterheld Martín
Published: August 2022

There is little evidence on the extent that multiple factors simultaneously limit ecosystem function of grasslands with year-round production. Here we test if multiple factors simultaneously limit grassland functioning in different seasons (i.e., more than one factor at a time), and how they interacted with N availability. In a Flooding Pampa grassland, we ran a separate factorial experiment in spring, summer, and winter with several treatments: control, mowing, shading, P addition, watering (only in summer), and warming (only in winter), each of them crossed by two nitrogen treatments: control and N addition. Grassland functioning was assessed by aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), green and standing dead biomass and N content at species group level. Out of 24 potential cases (three seasons by eight response variables), 13 corresponded to just one limiting factor, 4 to multiple limiting factors, and the other 7 to no evidence of limitation. In conclusion, grassland functioning in each season was most often limited by just one factor, while multiple limiting factors were rarer. Nitrogen was the prevailing limiting factor. In grasslands, the multiple factors hypothesis was tested broadly only with nutrient manipulations. Our study expands our knowledge to limitations imposed by factors associated to disturbance and stress, as mowing, shading, water availability and warming in grasslands with year-round production.
Perceptions, Barriers and Enablers on Salt Reduction in Malaysia Out of Home Sectors (MyOH): From Point of View of the Policy Makers and Food Industries
Authors: Harun Zaliha , Shahar Suzana , You Yee Xing , Manaf Zahara Abdul , Majid Hazreen Abdul , Chin Chia Yook , Haron Hasnah , Michael Viola , He Feng J , Brown Mhairi K
Published: August 2022

Background: High salt intake is a major cause of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. The out-of-home sectors have been identified as one of the contributors of high salt intake in the population. The National Salt Reduction Policy of Malaysia was initiated in 2015; however, out-of-home sectors are yet to be emphasized and perception by policy makers and the food industries towards salt reduction are yet unknown. This study aimed to determine the perceptions, barriers and enablers towards salt reduction in the out-of-home sector in Malaysia, as well as among the policy makers and the food industries. Methods: This is a qualitative study via semi-structured in-depth interview (IDI) and focus group discussion (FGD) involving several stakeholders consisting of policy makers from five ministries, five non-government organizations (NGOs), food science/food technology researchers from five regions (West, North, East, South of Peninsular and East Malaysia/ Borneo) as well as the food industries. The IDI and FGD sessions were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically using Nvivo software version 12. Result: All participants agreed that salt intake in Malaysia is high and leads to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Lack of awareness, poor eating culture and behavior, and frequent eating out were among the causes of high salt intake. Awareness campaign and education, sodium content labelling and product reformulation were strategies that have been implemented by the government; whilst for the food industries, some of them have tried to reduce salt and labelled the sodium content on their food products. However, there were several barriers including perceived poor consumer acceptance, lack of knowledge and resources, challenges in reformulation, as well as unavailability of guidelines and salt targets. Hence, several enablers have been suggested, which include prioritizing salt reduction strategy, creating more awareness, collaboration and engagement, research and technology particularly for reformulation and shelf-life stability, incentives, and salt tax. Conclusion: Salt reduction efforts of out-of-home sector in Malaysia could be achieved through several measures or enablers that can overcome the barriers currently faced by the stakeholders, especially the policy makers, food industries and the consumers themselves. This study will benefit the policy makers to improve the salt reduction policy of out-of-home sectors and highlight the concerns among the food industries on the policy.
Unintended Consequences of COVID-19 Public Policy Responses on Renewable Energy Power: Evidence from OECD Countries in the EU
Authors: Li Yuan , Meng Ye , Zhong Hua
Published: August 2022

Starting from 2020, governments around the world have continued to implement many types of public polices in response to the COVID-19 outbreaks. The dramatic public policies have substantially changed production and consumption activities, thereby temporarily lowing electricity use and greenhouse gas emissions. This study argues that the pandemic-induced public policies unintendedly slow down the transformation of renewable energy use in the EU, since the decline of greenhouse gas emissions led by the lockdowns helps the countries reduce the total emission temporarily. We employ a fixed-effect model to investigate the effects of different types of COVID-19 public policy responses on electricity production, consumption, and net import in 12 OECD countries in the EU, and mainly focus on the electricity production share from renewable energy source. Among several public policy responses, the stringent lockdown policies such as workplace closing, stay at home requirements, and restrictions on gathering size have negative and statistically significant impacts on electricity generation and consumption. Further, the countries with stringent lockdown policies are more likely to import electricity from other countries to mitigate the electricity shortage in their domestic markets. Importantly, we find the lockdown events have negative and statistically significant effects on the share of renewable energy use for the electricity production, while increase the share of fossil fuel use for the electricity production. In opposite, economic support policies such as income support, debt relief and economic stimulus programs can help reduce the share of fossil use for the electricity production and decrease the net import of electricity from other countries. Our results indicate that the public polices in response to the COVID-19 outbreaks have mixed effects on the transition to renewable energy power in the EU, suggesting that the current decline of greenhouse gas emissions comes from the reduction of electricity use led by the lockdown events instead of the adoption of renewable energy use and discourage the transformation of renewable energy source.
Snake venom-defined fibrin architecture dictates fibroblast survival and differentiation
Authors: Wang Zhao , Lauko Jan , Kijas Amanda , Gilbert Elliot , Turunen Petri , Yegappan Ramanathan , Zou Dongxiu , Mata Jitendra , Rowan Alan
Published: August 2022

Fibrin is commonly used as a natural hydrogel for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture but is poorly defined. We demonstrate a novel snake venom-controlled fibrin system with tunable architectural and mechanical properties. Employing the snake venom-derived protein ecarin, which rapidly activates the thrombin precursor prothrombin, we establish a tunable fibrin system with a broader range of pore sizes, compared to the existing thrombin-initiated system. By controlling the coagulation factor XIII (FXIII)-induced crosslinking, the mechanical properties are precisely tuned. This fibrin system allows independent control of pore size (1–13 μm) and stiffness (0.2–1 kPa), providing a defined platform for biophysical studies. We show that fibrin architecture influences fibroblast survival, spreading phenotype, and differentiation. A fine fibrin architecture is a key prerequisite for fibroblast differentiation, whilst a coarse architecture induces cell loss and disengages fibroblast’s sensitivity towards TGF-β1. These results have biophysical and translational implications for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
PLCG2 variant p.P522R - associated with healthy aging- may reduce the aging of the human immune system
Authors: Diks Annieck M. , Teodosio Cristina , de Mooij Bas , Groenland Rick J. , Naber Brigitta A.E. , de Laat Inge F. , Vloemans Sandra A. , Rohde Susan , de Jonge Marien I. , Lorenz Linda , Horsten Debbie , Dongen Jacques J.M. van , Berkowska Magdalena A. , Holstege Henne
Published: August 2022

Background: Phospholipase C gamma 2 (PLCγ2) is encoded by the PLCG2 gene. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (p.P522R) associates with protection against several dementia subtypes and with increased likelihood of longevity. Cell lines and animal models indicated that p.P522R is a functional hypermorph. We aimed to confirm this in human peripheral immune cells. Methods: We compared effects of p.P522R on immune system function between carriers and non-carriers (aged 59-103y), using in-depth immunophenotyping, functional B-cell and myeloid-cell assays, and in vivo SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Results: As expected, effects of p.P522R on immune cell function were small. Immune cell numbers in p.P522R carriers better resembled a younger reference cohort than those of non-carriers. Moreover, carriers expressed lower levels of FcεRI on several immune cell subsets and elevated CD33 levels on classical monocytes. Upon B-cell stimulation, PLCγ2 phosphorylation and calcium release were increased in carriers compared to non-carriers. Normalized ROS production in myeloid cells was higher upon PLCγ2-dependent stimulation, but lower upon PLCγ2-independent stimulation. Carriers and non-carriers had similar serological responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Conclusion: Compared to non-carriers, immune profiles from carriers more closely resembled those from younger individuals, suggesting that p.P522R associates with resilience against immunological aging.
Use of digital sports bands as new approach for physiology education through aware of self-care health
Authors: Castro Patricio A , Martínez Fernando , Vejar Carla , Campos Jorge , Fuentealba Jorge
Published: August 2022

Background: The understanding and integration of human physiology is essential for health professionals. However, several studies have shown that there still several difficulties associate to this subject. Therefore, the search for new strategies to improve the integration of learning of this discipline is a relevant educational goal. Remarkably, William T Porter, a physiologist, stated in 1901 that personal experience is essential for learning this area of science. Since then, multiple experience-based strategies have been implemented to address this educational goal. Methods: In proposal, we used sports digital bands (wearable) that allow the recording of physiological variables such as heart rate, number of steps, among others. Thus, the students recorded their own variables, establishing functional correlations associated with the integration of the contents of physiology. Additionally, using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) we measured the auto report level of physical activity of each student (n=28). The intervention was carried out during the development of the academic semester, while we were in confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our objective was a virtual work complement with a practical activity remotely guided. Results: Our results indicate that the use of these tools help to increase the integration of physiology concepts but corresponding to self-care in health was the most important aspect highlighted by the students. Conclusions: wearable can help to establish essential practical and personal experience which can be directly associated with bodily processes, resulting in improve the arduous work of teaching and learning human physiology even in a remote work context using an appropriate guide.
Crocin attenuates pro-inflammatory cytokines and lipid proxidasion in rat brain following local injection with Ethidium bromide
Authors: Fatemi Rouholah , Farbood Yaghoub , Fathimoghadam Hadi , Ghadiri Ataalah
Published: August 2022

Background: Crocin, as a natural based agent, has much anti inflammation and antioxidant properties that has widely applied to reduce problems related to neurodegenerative deficits. Objective: We investigated the effects of Crocin on brain cytokines and Malondialdehyde concentrations in an animal model of demyelization with Ethidium Bromide (EB). Material and Methods: Female Wistar rats were induced by a single injection of 10 μl of 0.1%EB into the Cisterna and assigned in to 7 groups; Control and treatment (3groups received 5,10 & 20mg/kg crocin for 21 days). The levels of TNFα, IL-6, IL-1and MDA were analyzed by paired t-test and ANCOVA with Post-hoc test. Results: TNFα, IL-1, IL-6 and MDA were reduced after 21 days of crocin administration, but significant changes were observed only in crocin 10 mg/kg (p<0.05). Conclusion: It can be concluded that crocin can attenuate the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines and lipid proxidation after induction of brain demyelization.
Decoupling climate impact of wastewater infrastructure and water stress alleviation across 300 cities in China is challenging yet plausible by 2030
Authors: Chen Shaoqing , Zhang Linmei , Liu Beibei , Yi Hang , Su Hanshi , Kharrazi Ali , Jiang Feng , Lu Zhongming , Crittenden John , Chen Bin
Published: August 2022

Urban wastewater treatment and reuse are crucial for achieving water sustainability. Yet, pathways of realizing water–climate synergies in the planning of wastewater infrastructure remain unclear. In this paper, we examine the nexus of urban water stress and climate impact resulting from the expansion of wastewater infrastructures across over 300 cities in China. We demonstrate how the effect of alleviating urban water stress from wastewater treatment and reclaimed water reuse has been highly uneven across cities, costing the country a 183% increase in life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions during 2006–2015. Decoupling the climate impact of wastewater infrastructure from significant water stress is plausible by 2030, potentially leading to up to 35% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. However, given the growing demand for water reuse and investment in the diffusion of low-carbon technologies at each life-cycle stage of wastewater systems, this decoupling would be a challenging endeavor.