bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An adaptive spark-based framework for querying large-scale NoSQL and relational databases
Authors: Khashan Eman , Eldesouky Ali , Elghamrawy Sally
Published: August 2021

The growing popularity of big data analysis and cloud computing has created new big data management standards. Sometimes, programmers may interact with a number of heterogeneous data stores depending on the information they are responsible for: SQL and NoSQL data stores. Interacting with heterogeneous data models via numerous APIs and query languages imposes challenging tasks on multi-data processing developers. Indeed, complex queries concerning homogenous data structures cannot currently be performed in a declarative manner when found in single data storage applications and therefore require additional development efforts. Many models were presented in order to address complex queries Via multistore applications. Some of these models implemented a complex unified and fast model, while others’ efficiency is not good enough to solve this type of complex database queries. This paper provides an automated, fast and easy unified architecture to solve simple and complex SQL and NoSQL queries over heterogeneous data stores (CQNS). This proposed framework can be used in cloud environments or for any big data application to automatically help developers to manage basic and complicated database queries. CQNS consists of three layers: matching selector layer, processing layer, and query execution layer. The matching selector layer is the heart of this architecture in which five of the user queries are examined if they are matched with another five queries stored in a single engine stored in the architecture library. This is achieved through a proposed algorithm that directs the query to the right SQL or NoSQL database engine. Furthermore, CQNS deal with many NoSQL Databases like MongoDB, Cassandra, Riak, CouchDB, and NOE4J databases. This paper presents a spark framework that can handle both SQL and NoSQL Databases. Four scenarios’ benchmarks datasets are used to evaluate the proposed CQNS for querying different NoSQL Databases in terms of optimization process performance and query execution time. The results show that, the CQNS achieves best latency and throughput in less time among the compared systems.
Seasonality and weather dependance of Acinetobacter baumannii complex bloodstream infections in different climates in Brazil
Authors: Filho Sebastião Pires Ferreira , Pereira Milca Severino , Nobre Rodrigues Jorge Luiz , Guimarães Raul Borges , Ribeiro da Cunha Antônio , Corrente José Eduardo , Campos Pignatari Antônio Carlos , Fortaleza Carlos Magno Castelo Branco
Published: August 2021

Recent studies report seasonality in healthcare-associated infections, especially those caused by Acinetobacter baumannii complex. We conducted an ecologic study aimed at analyzing the impact of seasons, weather parameters and climate control on the incidence and carbapenem-resistance in A. baumannii complex bloodstream infections (ABBSI) in hospitals from regions with different climates in Brazil. We studied monthly incidence rates (years 2006–2015) of ABBSI from hospitals in cities from different macro-regions in Brazil: Fortaleza (Ceará State, Northeast region), Goiânia (Goiás State, Middle-west) and Botucatu (São Paulo State, Southeast). Box-Jenkins models were fitted to assess seasonality, and the impact of weather parameters was analyzed in Poisson Regression models. Separate analyses were performed for carbapenem-resistant versus carbapenem-susceptible isolates, as well as for infections occurring in climate-controlled intensive care units (ICUs) versus non-climate-controlled wards. Seasonality was identified for ABSSI ICUs in the Hospitals from Botucatu and Goiânia. In the Botucatu hospital, where there was overall seasonality for both resistance groups, as well as for wards without climate control. In that hospital, the overall incidence was associated with higher temperature (incidence rate ratio for each Celsius degree, 1.05; 95% Confidence Interval, 1.01–1.09; P = 0.006). Weather parameters were not associated with ABBSI in the hospitals from Goiânia and Fortaleza. In conclusion, seasonality was found in the hospitals with higher ABBSI incidence and located in regions with greater thermal amplitude. Strict temperature control may be a tool for prevention of A. baumanii infections in healthcare settings.
Antimalarial drug resistance in the Central and Adamawa regions of Cameroon: Prevalence of mutations in P. falciparum crt, Pfmdr1, Pfdhfr and Pfdhps genes
Authors: Tuedom Aline Gaelle Bouopda , Sarah-Matio Elangwe Milo , Moukoko Carole Else Eboumbou , Feufack-Donfack Brice Lionel , Maffo Christelle Ngou , Bayibeki Albert Ngano , Awono-Ambene Hermann Parfait , Ayong Lawrence , Berry Antoine , Abate Luc , Morlais Isabelle , Nsango Sandrine Eveline
Published: August 2021

The spread ofPlasmodium falciparumresistant parasites remains one of the major challenges for malaria control and elimination in Sub Saharan Africa. Monitoring of molecular markers conferring resistance to different antimalarials is important to track the spread of resistant parasites and to optimize the therapeutic lifespan of current drugs. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of known mutations in the drug resistance genesPfcrt,Pfmdr1,Pfdhfr and Pfdhpsin two different epidemiological settings in Cameroon. Dried blood spots collected in 2018 and 2019 from asymptomatic individuals were used for DNA extraction and then thePlasmodiuminfection status was determined byPCR. Detection of SNPs was performed by nested PCR followed by allele-specific restriction analysis (ASRA). The prevalence of each genotype was compared between sites using the Chi square and Fisher’s exact tests. A high prevalence of thePfcrtK76 wild type allele was found in both sites (88.5 and 62.29% respectively; P< 0,0001). The prevalence ofPfmdr1mutations 86Y and 1246Y was respectively 55.83 and 1.45% in Mfou and 45.87 and 5.97% in Tibati, with significant difference between the studied areas (P<0.0001). Overall, thePfdhfrtriple-mutant genotype (51I/59R/108N) was highly prevalent (> 96%), however no SNP was detected at codon 164. InPfdhps, the prevalence of the 437G mutation reached (90%) and was at higher frequency in Mfou (P< 0.0001). Overall, thePfdhpsmutations 540E and 581G were less common (0.33 and 3.26%, respectively). The quadruple resistant genotype (Pfdhfr51I/59R/108N+Pfdhp437G) was found almost 90% of the samples. The wild-type genotype (PfdhfrN51/C59/S108/164I+PfdhpsA437/K540/A581) was never identified and the sextuple mutant (Pfdhfr51I/59R/108N+Pfdhp437G/540E/581G), kwon as super resistant appeared in two samples from Tibati. These findings demonstrate declining trends in the prevalence of mutations conferring resistance to 4-aminoquinolines, especially to chloroquine. However, a high level of mutations inP.falciparumgenes related to SP resistance was detected and this raises concerns about the future efficacy of IPTp-SP and SMC in Cameroon.
Quantifying the effect of Wakefield et al. (1998) on skepticism about MMR vaccine safety in the U.S.
Authors: Motta Matthew , Stecula Dominik
Published: August 2021

Background

Efforts to trace the rise of childhood vaccine safety concerns in the US often suggest Andrew Wakefield and colleagues’ retracted 1998 Lancet study (AW98)–which alleged that the MMR vaccine can cause children to develop autism–as a primary cause of US vaccine skepticism. However, a lack of public opinion data on MMR safety collected before/after AW98’s publication obscures whether anecdotal accounts are indicative of a potentially-causal effect.

Methods

We address this problem using a regression discontinuity framework to study change in monthly MMR injury claims (N = 74,850; from 1990–2019) from the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) to proxy concern about vaccine safety. Additionally, we suggest a potential mechanism for the effect of AW98 on vaccine skepticism, via automated sentiment analyses of MMR-related news stories (N = 674; from 1996–2000) in major television and newspaper outlets.

Results

AW98 led to an immediate increase of about 70 MMR injury claims cases per month, averaging across six estimation strategies (meta-analytic effect = 70.44 [52.19, 88.75], p < 0.01). Preliminary evidence suggests that the volume of negative media attention to MMR increased in the weeks following AW98’s publication, across four estimation strategies (meta-analytic effect = 9.59% [3.66, 15.51], p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Vaccine skepticism increased following the publication of AW98, which was potentially made possible by increased negative media coverage of MMR.

Significance

Childhood vaccine skepticism presents an important challenge to widespread vaccine uptake, and undermines support for pro-vaccine health policies. In addition to advancing our understanding of the previously-obscured origins of US vaccine skepticism, our work cautions that high-profile media attention to inaccurate scientific studies can undermine public confidence in vaccines. We conclude by offering several recommendations that researchers and health communicators might consider to detect and address future threats to vaccine confidence.
Medievalism, peregrination and tourism: The twenty-first-century case of El passo honroso in Hospital del Órbigo, León
Authors: Rañales Ángel M.
Published: August 2021

This article examines how the interaction between El Camino de Santiago and a late medieval re-enactment in the Castilian village of Hospital del Órbigo motivates a new and promising touristic panorama in current and future Spain. While massive tourism to the Mediterranean coast was a productive tool for the regeneration of the country during Francoism, El Camino de Santiago and its discursive power resulted in the proliferation of lesser-known cultural practices that simultaneously enabled a space to refashion autonomic-local identities. The annual celebration of the legacy of the medieval knight Suero de Quiñones nurtures a neomedieval spectacle in this Leonese region: a look at historical memory and a congregation of multiple postmodern medieval remediations. Ultimately, these neomedieval spectacles in Spain are a valuable instrument to recuperate regional-territorial sentiments within national borders that have been historically neglected, particularly during the Francoist era, yet in present times embodied in the incidence of political conservatism and the emergence of ultra-authoritarian legislators.
Authenticity in an insider-in ethnography of post-punk
Authors: Goldhammer Rio
Published: August 2021

Authenticity is a central aim of ethnography, and an insider researcher is best placed to observe behaviour based on existing trust with their participants. As both a scholar of goth and a participant in the goth subculture, upon commencing his research Hodkinson noted his involvement in the scene as becoming ‘part of an extensive research project’ after years of participation. I have been the vocalist for 1919, an original post-punk band, since their reformation in 2014. The original post-punk era is usually considered to have taken place between 1978 and 1984, and was prolific for Yorkshire artists. However, I was born in 1990, and came of age as a music fan in the early 2000s. In simply answering an advert, I would be placed at the centre of a world that had existed before I did, and had survived through a mixture of nostalgia, reverence and advancements in information and communication technology. Hodkinson’s point of entry begs the question: how does someone like me, born in 1990, who although raised in Yorkshire was born in London, become an authentic researcher of 1980s Yorkshire? Not only that, but to be positioned as the kind of insider-in researcher – one who uses their position within a community to observe without the barriers of entry experienced by an outsider anthropologist – like Hodkinson.
Leveraging Fecal Microbial Markers to Improve the Diagnostic Accuracy of the Fecal Immunochemical Test for Advanced Colorectal Adenoma
Authors: Zhang Yuhan , Lu Ming , Lu Bin , Liu Chengcheng , Ma Yiming , Liu Li , Miao Xiaoping , Qin Junjie , Chen Hongda , Dai Min
Published: August 2021

INTRODUCTION:

Fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) detect colorectal adenoma inefficiently. The gut microbiota participates in colorectal cancer development. We aimed to explore fecal microbial signatures for advanced adenomas and evaluate their diagnostic value and complementary capacity to FIT.

METHODS:

Using 16S rRNA sequencing, we studied gut microbiota in feces from 1,546 subjects in a screening setting, including 268 patients with advanced adenomas, 490 patients with nonadvanced adenomas, and 788 healthy subjects. Feature selections were performed using linear discriminant analysis effect size, multivariate association with linear models, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator. The diagnostic performance of microbial signatures and their auxiliary role to FITs and the added value of the Asia-Pacific Colorectal Screening score were evaluated. We applied 0.632+ bootstrapping to adjust the potential overfitting.

RESULTS:

We identified 13 microbial signatures to show the joint diagnostic value for advanced adenoma, with genus Tyzzerella 4 demonstrating the highest adjusted area under the curve (AUC) of 0.545 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.520–0.610). The 13-bacteria increased the adjusted AUC to 0.607 (95% CI, 0.548–0.660). Compared with individual FIT (adjusted AUC = 0.527; 95% CI, 0.519–0.571), 13-bacteria and FITs collectively reached an adjusted AUC of 0.641 (95% CI, 0.579–0.691). At cutoff values yielding specificities of 90% and 80%, the adjusted sensitivities were 28.4% (95% CI, 19.3–36.8) and 41.1% (95% CI, 29.9–49.4), respectively. The Asia-Pacific Colorectal Screening score further boosted the adjusted AUC to 0.706 (95% CI, 0.648–0.750).

DISCUSSION:

In this study using fecal samples from a screening setting, the identified microbial signatures could complement FITs for detecting advanced adenomas. Gut microbiota can act as a promising tool to optimize the current colorectal cancer screening modalities.
“The Metaphysics of Silence” as an Integral Philosophy in Max Picard
Authors: Dobre Catalina Elena
Published: August 2021

Este artículo se propone recuperar un acercamiento peculiar en la comprensión de la realidad a través del concepto del silencio. A pesar de que sobre el silencio hay varías indagaciones, la mayoría relacionadas con la obra de Martín Heidegger, Ludwig Wittgenstein o Merleau-Ponty, este artículo tiene la intención de extender la comprensión de una filosofía del silencio que no sería completa sin la contribución de Max Picard. Siendo este último un pensador original y el autor de una obra peculiar, el objetivo de estas páginas es analizar el silencio, para comprender por qué el filósofo suizo lo entiende como una realidad originaria y positiva y no como una ausencia, creando así una metafísica del silencio como una filosofía integral (en la cual la realidad es entendida como unidad); una filosofía en la cual el silencio une, a través del lenguaje, al hombre con lo divino, creando una relación de complementariedad
Su ritmo pausado resultaba hipnótico. Reseña del libro El sonido de un caracol salvaje al comer. Elisabeth Tova Bailey (2019). (The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, 2016). Trad. Violeta Arranz. Capitán Swing. 141 pp.
Authors: Lanza González Henar
Published: August 2021

Escribir sobre la enfermedad es escribir sobre el tiempo, sobre cómo perder salud es perder velocidad y cómo esto afecta nuestra percepción del tiempo. La incapacidad nos hace tomar conciencia del desfase entre nuestra lentitud y el vertiginoso ritmo del mundo, y ese desfase abre un abismo que separa a la persona enferma del resto. Si esto que nos ralentiza y nos incomunica se prolonga, nos aísla, todo nos sobrepasa sin que queramos ni podamos seguirlo. Enfermar es disponer de un tiempo del que no podemos disfrutar.
El pragmatismo de Deweyan y el desafío de institucionalizar la justicia en circunstancias transitorias
Authors: Ralston Shane J.
Published: August 2021

For the past thirty years, the Transitional Justice (TJ) research program has been undergoing a period of transition, simultaneously expanding and consolidating; in one sense, expanding its scope to encompass the measurement of TJ’s impact and the redefinition of ‘transitional’ to include societies afflicted by deep social and economic injustice; and in a second sense, consolidating its practical approach to the promo-tion of democracy and peace, by developing best practices for institutionalizing TJ. While there have been advances in designing new TJ mechanisms and remedying the concept’s under-theorization, little comparative progress has been made, to date, in offering a guiding framework for TJ’s push to institutionalize. The thesis of this article is that philosophical pragmatism, specifically Deweyan pragmatism, offers a bevy of resources —a virtual tool-kit— for scholars and practitioners wishing to design TJ-friendly institutions within transitional societies.
According to Plato, the “Mortals” of Parmenides, are the Ancestors of the Sophists?
Authors: Cordero Néstor Luis
Published: August 2021

¿Por qué cuando Platón quiere justificar su definición del sofista como un «fabricante de imágenes» (Sofista, 236c), se apoya sobre dos versos auténticos de Parménides (fr. 7.1-2) que aluden, sin duda alguna, al camino recorrido por los «mortales que nada saben» (fr. 6.4)? ¿Quiere acaso sugerir que esos «mortales», que son en realidad «fabricantes de opiniones» (doxaí), son un antecedente de los sofistas, que son «fabricantes de imágenes»?
Hegel’s Concept of Actuality and the Critique of Metaphysics
Authors: Parra Ayala Andrés Felipe
Published: August 2021

Este artículo presenta una reconstrucción argumentativa del primer capítulo de la tercera sección de la Doctrina de la Esencia de la Ciencia de la Lógica de Hegel, el cual lleva como título “Lo Absoluto”. Su hipótesis es que la crítica de la metafísica contenida en este capítulo no solo aboga por una ontología relacional del proceso, sino que también establece implícitamente una distinción entre una teoría de lo absoluto de primer orden y una de segundo orden. La teoría de lo absoluto de primer orden tiene como objetivo una exposición de lo absoluto libre de contradicciones analíticas. Por su parte, la teoría de lo absoluto de segundo orden no solo expone en qué consiste lo absoluto, sino que pretende también incluir el pensamiento y la teoría de lo absoluto en lo absoluto mismo.
Voltaire, Diderot, and Russian History in the 18th Century
Authors: Ratto Adrián
Published: August 2021

En las primeras páginas de la Histoire de l’empire de Russie sous Pierre le Grand, publicada entre 1759 y 1763, Voltaire presenta una serie de reflexiones acerca del método que se debería seguir al escribir un trabajo histórico y de las características que debería tener un historiador ideal. El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar en qué medida el texto se ajusta a la metodología que Voltaire se propone seguir. Se intenta mostrar que el autor se aleja por momentos de la misma, poniendo en riesgo el plan de la obra. Por otra parte, el artículo pone de relieve ciertas diferencias ideológicas y epistemológicas entre Voltaire y Diderot a propósito de la historia rusa, algo que puede resultar llamativo, en la medida en que sus textos son colocados, en general, bajo las mismas categorías historiográficas. En un plano más general, el texto arroja algunas luces acerca de la teoría de la historia en el siècle des Lumières.
Introduction to the Theme of the Exclusion of Women in Public Space. A Relation between Some European Thinkers and the Indigenous World of Ecuador
Authors: Nieves Loja Gerardo Miguel
Published: August 2021

Este artículo trata de la marginación de la mujer de los espacios públicos y políticos en Europa y en el mundo indígena de Ecuador. Esta situación de exclusión y marginación se origina en pensadores como Locke, Rousseau, Kant y Hegel, quienes se encargaron de justificar epistemológicamente la exclusión de la mujer de los asuntos públicos en todos los ámbitos; es decir, redujeron el actuar de la mujer al espacio de lo privado, a lo doméstico, a los asuntos de la familia. Sin embargo, es interesante constatar que algunos filósofos fueron sensibles al tema de lo femenino, es el caso de Condorcet y Stuart Mill, aunque su gran aporte no logró cambiar la mentalidad de la época.
Anthelmintic efficacy of tuba (Croton tiglium L.) seeds on the gastrointestinal parasites of native chickens (Gallus domesticus)
Authors: Abon April Corazon
Published: August 2021

The efficacy of capsulized Croton tiglium L. (CCT) seeds on the gastrointestinal parasites of native chickens (Gallus domesticus) was tested in experiments. A total of thirty-six free-range native chickens naturally infected with gastrointestinal parasites were divided into four treatment groups (positive control of levamisole+niclosamide, 200 mg, 300 mg and 400 mg CCT seeds) following a completely randomized design (CRD). Prior to treatment and on the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th days after treatment, the fecal egg count per gram was measured using the mc master technique. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to statistically analyze all the data obtained. Using Least Significant Differences (LSD), significant differences between treatments were compared. On the day twelve after treatment, percent efficacy of capsulized Croton tiglium seeds on Ascaridia galli/Heterakis gallinarum at 200 mg and 400 mg was highly effective. The comparative cost analysis of the four treatments showed that the use of C. tiglium seeds resulted in a lower cost compared to the commercial dewormer. Commercial anthelmintic was more costly compared to the cost of capsulized C. tiglium seeds on T4 (400mg CCT) by 89. 67 %. The findings indicate the ability of Croton tiglium seeds in native chickens (Gallus domesticus) particularly against Ascaridia galli/Heterakis gallinarum as an alternative anthelmintic.
Regularization based discriminative feature pattern selection for the classification of Parkinson cases using machine learning
Authors: Kaliyan Kamalakannan , Ganesan Anandharaj
Published: August 2021

Objectives

This paper focuses on developing a regularization-based feature selection approach to select the most effective attributes from the Parkinson’s speech dataset. Parkinson’s disease is a medical condition that progresses as the dopamine-producing nerve cells are affected. Early diagnosis often reduces the effect on the individuals, minimizes the advancement over time. In recent times, intelligent computational models are used in many complex cases to diagnose a clinical condition with high precision. These models are intended to find meaningful representation from the data to diagnose the disease. Machine learning acts as a tool, gears up the model learning process through a mathematical baseline. But, not in all cases, machine learning will be demanded to perform optimally. It comes with a few constraints, mainly the representation of the data. The learning models expect a clean, noise-free input, which in-turns produces better discriminative patterns over different categories of classes.

Methods

The proposed model identified five candidate features as predictors. This feature subset is trained with different varieties of supervised classifiers to trace out the best-performing model.

Results

The results are validated through accuracy, precision, recall, and receiver’s operational characteristic curves. The proposed regularization- based feature selection model outperformed the benchmark algorithms by attaining 100% accuracy on most of the classifiers, other than linear discriminant analysis (99.90%) and naïve Bayes (99.51%).

Conclusions

This paper exhibits the need for intelligent models to analyze complex data patterns to assist medical practitioners in better disease diagnosis. The results exhibit that the regularization methods find the best features based on their importance score, which improved the model performance over other feature selection methods.
Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging analysis in the characteristics of Wilson’s disease: A case report and literature review
Authors: Wang Yun , Jia Zejin , Lyu Yuelei , Dong Qian , Li Shujuan , Hu Wenli
Published: August 2021

Wilson’s disease (WD) is an inherited disorder of copper metabolism. Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been reported to provide evidence of the extent and severity of brain lesions. However, there are few studies related to the diagnosis of WD with multimodal MRI. Here, we reported a WD patient who was subjected to Sanger sequencing, conventional MRI, and multimodal MRI examinations, including susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) and arterial spin labeling (ASL). Sanger sequencing demonstrated two pathogenic mutations in exon 8 of the ATP7B gene. Slit-lamp examination revealed the presence of Kayser–Fleischer rings in both eyes, as well as low serum ceruloplasmin and high 24-h urinary copper excretion on admission. Although the substantia nigra, red nucleus, and lenticular nucleus on T1-weighted imaging and T2-weighted imaging were normal, SWI and ASL showed hypointensities in these regions. Besides, decreased cerebral blood flow was found in the lenticular nucleus and the head of caudate nucleus. The patient recovered well after 1 year and 9 months of follow-up, with only a Unified Wilson Disease Rating Scale score of 1 for neurological symptom. Brain multimodal MRI provided a thorough insight into the WD, which might make up for the deficiency of conventional MRI.
Follow up: palmitic acid ester of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and palmitic acid diester of 11-hydroxy-THC – unsuccessful search for additional THC metabolites
Authors: Kraemer Michael , Hess Cornelius , Maas Alexandra , Madea Burkhard , Bilkei-Gorzo Andras , Nidadavolu Prakash
Published: August 2021

Objectives

In a previous investigation we searched for the occurrence of palmitic acid ester compounds of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its primary metabolite 11-hydroxy-delta9-THC (11-OH-THC) in human body fluids and tissues (THC palmitic acid monoester [THC-Pal] and 11-OH-THC palmitic acid diester [11-OH-THC-DiPal]). As those esters could not be detected in various human body fluids (e.g. blood) or tissues (e.g. adipose tissue) we extended the investigation analyzing adipose tissue samples of mice previously given synthetic THC or a cannabis extract.

Methods

In total, 48 adipose tissue samples previously tested positive for THC by means of a liquid chromatographic triple quadrupole mass spectrometric (LC-QQQ-MS) method were analyzed for the presence of THC-Pal and 11-OH-THC-DiPal by means of LC-QQQ-MS.

Results

THC-Pal and 11-OH-THC-DiPal were not detected among the adipose tissue samples analyzed despite the presence of high THC concentrations within the adipose tissue. THC concentrations in adipose tissue were in a range of approximately 7–2,595 ng/g (median: 468 ng/g, average: 704 ng/g).

Conclusions

A (site-specific) synthesis of 11-OH-THC palmitic acid monoesters (11-hydroxy-delta9-THC-1-palmitate and 11-palmitoyloxy-delta9-THC) still remains to be done. After synthesis of these monoesters, their presence in the body fluids and tissues after THC administration should be investigated.
Pharmacogenetics of common SNP affecting drug metabolizing enzymes: comparison of allele frequencies between European and Malaysian/Singaporean
Authors: Bakar Nur Salwani
Published: August 2021

Compared to Europe, data on genetic variation in genes transcribing drug metabolizing enzymes among Asian is limited due to ethnic diversity. Here we compare frequencies for clinically relevant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) commonly observed in drug metabolizing enzymes between European and Malaysian/Singaporean. Minor allele frequencies (MAF) for the indicated SNPs for European, South Asian and East Asian populations were obtained from the NCBI website (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/snp). The SNP prevalence among Malaysian/Singaporean was characterized from gene association studies. Generally, some SNPs in CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 do not show good agreement between the two populations as to the MAF value obtained. CYP2D6*4 tends to be more common among European, whereas CYP2D6*10 is more common in Malays and Chinese among Singaporean. Regardless of different phenotype, MAF of CYP2D6*4 for Indians is similar to that seen by the European. Singaporeans show smaller MAF for CYP2C19*17 but higher CYP2C19*2 frequencies as opposed to European ones. Following growing attention to the contribution of CYP3A4/5, N-acetyltransferases (NAT2), thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) and uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases (UGT)2B7 in predicting drug response across Europe, there are limited pharmacogenetics (PGx) studies examining the gene-drug interaction among Malaysian/Singaporean. To better understand the heterogeneity of the drug response, PGx studies for the abovementioned enzymes between ethnics in Malaysian/Singaporean should be identified.
Addressing the standardisation of internal standards and preservative used in human bio fluids for NMR analysis: a method optimization
Authors: Abd Aziz Fatimatuzzahra’ , Ibrahim Baharudin , Murugaiyah Vikneswaran , Sarriff Azmi
Published: August 2021

Objectives

A database comprising multivariate data in developing a model from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis using human bio fluids are necessary to have reproducibility and reliability of the data. To achieve reproducibility of the data, standardised experiments, including internal standard and preservative used should be attained, especially for samples such as human bio fluids to hinder the variation among samples. The aim of the study was to optimise in commonly used human bio fluids (serum and urine) for a suitable internal standard and preservative used in extended storage samples for NMR analysis.

Methods

Serum and urine samples were collected from healthy human subjects. The experiment was divided into two parts, part one to evaluate 2,2,2,2-tetradeutero-4,4-dimethyl-4-silapentanoic acid (TSP) and 4,4-dimethyl-4-silapentane-1-ammonium trifluoroacetate (DSA) as the optimal internal standard for the serum and urine samples. The second part investigated the effects of preservatives in the serum and urine samples on extended storage.

Results

Overall, TSP and DSA are suitable to be used as an internal standard in human urine samples. However, DSA is a superior internal standard in serum samples for NMR analysis. For the effect of preservative, the results indicated that human serum and urine samples could be stored without addition of preservative in −80 °C, as no changes in NMR fingerprinting have been observed during storage in the absence or presence of the preservative.

Conclusions

The findings suggest the use of DSA and TSP as an internal standard in serum and urine samples, respectively. Storage of serum and urine samples without any addition of preservative for an extended period has no effect on the metabolites changes. By having a standardised method, it will offer a considerable saving in both operator and spectrometer time and most importantly produce reproducible and reliable data.
Pharmacokinetics of solid lipid Boswellia serrata particles in healthy subjects
Authors: Kulkarni Preeti D. , Damle Neena D. , Hingorani Lal , Bhaskar Vaidhun H. , Ghante Minal R. , Patil Anand , Gurjar Murari , Gota Vikram
Published: August 2021

Objectives

The anti-inflammatory activity of Boswellia serrata extracts (BSE) is well known. BSE comprises boswellic acids (BA) such as 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA) and 11-keto-boswellic acid (KBA) as major constituents. One of the limitations of BAs is their poor oral bioavailability. The aim of the study was to prepare solid lipid particles of Boswellia serrata extract (SLBSP) to enhance the bioavailability of BAs.

Methods

The pharmacokinetic profile of BAs was studied in 10 healthy human volunteers following a single oral dose of 333 mg of SLBSP. Pharmacokinetic blood samples were collected at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 12 h post drug administration. Plasma KBA and AKBA levels were measured using a validated LC-MS/MS method. Pharmacokinetics parameters were estimated using Pheonix WinNonlin (Build 6.4.0.768) software.

Results

Ten healthy human volunteers were included and peak plasma concentration was achieved in 1.5 and 2.3 h for AKBA and KBA respectively. Maximum plasma concentration (C
max) was 8.04 ± 1.67 ng/mL for AKBA and 23.83 ± 4.41 ng/mL for KBA whereas the corresponding area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) was 136.7 ± 56.77 ng/mL*h and 165.7 ± 24.5 ng/mL*h respectively. The elimination half-life (t
1/2) of AKBA and KBA was 6.8 ± 3.0 h and 2.45 ± 0.3 h respectively.

Conclusions

The SLBSP formulation of BSE showed enhanced oral bioavailability of BAs compared with historically reported data of unformulated BSE.
Interpretation of melperone intoxication: post-mortem concentration distribution and interpretation of intoxication data
Authors: Dziadosz Marek , Bolte Katarina , Rosenberger Wolfgang , Klintschar Michael , Teske Jörg
Published: August 2021

Objectives

Since melperone abuse with lethal intoxication is common, expert opinions based on therapeutical and lethal concentration ranges can be considered as important. Because there is a lack of information about fatalities caused by melperone mono-intoxications and data on tissue samples with concentration distribution, the aim of this work is the examination of lethal concentration ranges of melperone and drug quantification in different matrices.

Methods

An LC-MS/MS method was applied for analyses performed in blood and tissue samples. Quantification based on standard addition and sample preparation on liquid–liquid extraction with 1-chlorobutane. An appropriate tissue homogenization was performed ahead of extraction with an IKA Ultra-Turrax-Tube-Drive®. A Luna 5 µm C18 (2) 100 Å, 150  × 2 mm analytical column was used for chromatographic separation and the elution was performed with two mobile phases consisted of A (H2O/methanol = 95/5, v/v) and B (H2O/methanol = 3/97, v/v) both with 10 mM ammonium acetate and 0.1% acetic acid.

Results

A multi-drug LC-MS/MS analytical method developed was applied successfully for melperone quantification in different post-mortem matrices. No analytical problems could be identified during method development and analyses of real samples. The melperone lethal concentration calculated in femoral blood of the drug mono-intoxication investigated was 10 mg/L. Melperone concentration distribution was presented for the first time.

Conclusions

The lethal reference concentration of melperone in femoral blood of 17.1 mg/L pointed out in different reference lists should be used with caution. Instead, a lower lethal melperone concentration should be considered. The post-mortem concentration distribution of the drug presented could be helpful in the interpretation of cases where no blood samples are available.
Long-term consumption of Moringa oleifera-supplemented diet enhanced neurocognition, suppressed oxidative stress, acetylcholinesterase activity and neuronal degeneration in rat’s hippocampus
Authors: Adebayo Olusegun G. , Wopara Iheanyichukwu , Aduema Wadioni , Ebo Oloruntoba T. , Umoren Elizabeth B.
Published: August 2021

Objectives

This study investigates protection against oxidative stress and memory enhancing potential of long-term consumption of Moringa oleifera leaves.

Methods

Male Wistar rat were fed with mixture of M. oleifera-supplemented diets (MOSD) partitioned in 1, 5, 10, and 20% continuously for 12 weeks. Object recognition test (ORT) and Morris water maze (MWM) was used for assessing neurocognition. Changes in body weight, Lipid peroxidation (MDA), Glutathione (GSH), Catalase (CAT) and Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was assayed in the brain tissue. Histomorphometric of the hippocampus was also examined.

Results

The diets progressively increase the body weigh after the 12 weeks, improved spatial (MWM) and non-spatial (ORT) memory performance, protect against oxidative stress, inhibit AChE activity and suppresses neuronal degeneration in the hippocampus when stained with Cresyl violent stain.

Conclusions

Conclusively, long-term consumption of MOSD shows strong protection against oxidative stress and hippocampal degeneration and improves neurocognition with dose dependent effect.
An evidence-based cesarean section suggested for universal use
Authors: Stark Michael
Published: August 2021

Objectives

This article suggests a unified way to perform Cesarean sections. Even in the same departments, different modifications are in use. Therefore, one cannot rely on the early or late outcome of the procedure as long as all the surgical steps are not standardized.

Methods

The Misgav Ladach (Stark) Cesarean Section presented here is an evidence-based operation. Its basic principles are a modified Joel-Cohen abdominal incision, one-layer continuous suturing of the uterus using a big needle, leaving peritoneum open, closing fascia continuously and a few Donati skin sutures.

Results

This method has been subjected to scores of comparative studies with other methods in use, proving its advantages over them concerning duration, blood loss, febrile morbidity, need for analgesics, and costs.

Conclusions

It is suggested that this method should be used as the standardized universal method which will enable comparison between obstetricians and institutions, and offer the parturient the best possible outcome.
Thorium-based CANDU qualification as plutonium burner
Authors: Neacşa R. , Rizoiu A. , Prisecaru I.
Published: August 2021

Converting the weapon grade Plutonium from the U.S.A., Russia, U.K. etc. to Mixed OXide fuel and using it in power reactors was seen as a feasible way to both dispose Plutonium and produce energy. Using Thorium-based fuels in CANDU has been investigated since early 1980’s, they were designed and tested in Canada as mixed ThO2
-UO
2 (both LEU and HEU) and mixed ThO2
-PuO
2, (both reactor- and weapons-grade) ([1]). In this respect, Thorium might also be seen as a valuable driver for weapon grade Plutonium annihilation. Our goal was to investigate ThO2
-PuO
2 MOX in the aim to propose a suitable fuel for the existing and future CANDU units in Romania. Both weapon grade and reactor grade Plutonium were considered as fissile drivers for Thorium. Since this is only an exploratory study, some key design parameters such as fuel pellet density and ThO2
/PuO
2 ratio were considered to span over a certain range imposed by MOX fuel fabrication technology and limited Plutonium availability. Eighteen fuel compositions were considered and cell calculations were performed for 37 and 43-element bundles using several computer codes.
Desired Affordances of Scholarly E-Articles: Views from Scholars Based on Open-Ended Answers
Authors: Talja Sanna , Tenopir Carol , Late Elina
Published: August 2021

E-journals are constantly evolving and adding new features, however, scholars’ views of desired features of scholarly e-articles have not received much attention. Scholars’ opinions were studied as part of two scholarly reading surveys conducted in Finland in 2016 and internationally in 2018. Respondents were asked “What features would you like to see in e-scholarly articles in the future” and “How have your reading practices changed in the last few years and how do you expect them to change”. A qualitative thematic analysis of 588 open-ended comments to these questions was performed. Themes discussed in open ended comments concern availability and accessibility; readability, searchability, findability, and discoverability; sharing and collaboration affordances; and seamlessness between reading and writing. Respondents also discussed affordances such as more visual materials, more interactivity, easier export of references, links to original research data, open commenting, open peer review, possibility to update articles, links to authors’ social media sites, and templates for secondary and meta-analysis. Users’ discussion of affordances for finding, discovering, sharing, and handling information provide insights to publishers, libraries, and web designers.
Movement acts in breakdown situations: How a robot's recovery procedure affects participants' opinions
Authors: Schulz Trenton , Soma Rebekka , Holthaus Patrick
Published: August 2021

Recovery procedures are targeted at correcting issues encountered by robots. What are people’s opinions of a robot during these recovery procedures? During an experiment that examined how a mobile robot moved, the robot would unexpectedly pause or rotate itself to recover from a navigation problem. The serendipity of the recovery procedure and people’s understanding of it became a case study to examine how future study designs could consider breakdowns better and look at suggestions for better robot behaviors in such situations. We present the original experiment with the recovery procedure. We then examine the responses from the participants in this experiment qualitatively to see how they interpreted the breakdown situation when it occurred. Responses could be grouped into themes of sentience, competence, and the robot’s forms. The themes indicate that the robot’s movement communicated different information to different participants. This leads us to introduce the concept of movement acts to help examine the explicit and implicit parts of communication in movement. Given that we developed the concept looking at an unexpected breakdown, we suggest that researchers should plan for the possibility of breakdowns in experiments and examine and report people’s experience around a robot breakdown to further explore unintended robot communication.
Abnormal structure and properties of copper–silver bar billet by cold casting
Authors: Wang Yaoli , Song Kexing , He Jilin , Yang Ran , Zhou Yanjun , Cao Jun , Cheng Chu
Published: August 2021

Copper alloy rod billet with 20% silver was prepared using homemade three-chamber vacuum cold-type vertical continuous casting equipment. The variation rules of the microhardness, eutectic ratio, and size and distribution of silver particles precipitated in the primary α-Cu phase at the end of the continuous casting alloy rod blanks were studied using a microhardness tester and scanning electron microscope. The obtained results show that when the cold-type vertical continuous casting speed is 120 mm·min−1, there is obvious reverse segregation of solute element near the end of the prepared ∅7.8 mm copper–silver alloy rod blank. From the end of the continuous casting alloy rod blank to 5 mm from the end, the Cu–Ag eutectic structure in the copper–silver alloy increases from 13.4 to 15.9%, and the size of Ag particles precipitated in the primary α-Cu phase increases from 100 to 350 nm. The microhardness increases from 56 HV0.05 to 85 HV0.05. When the distance from the end exceeds 5 mm, the microstructure and properties of the continuous casting alloy rod blank are basically stable.
Comprehensive technical review of the high-efficiency low-emission technology in advanced coal-fired power plants
Authors: Lee Soonho , Kim Jongho , Tahmasebi Arash , Jeon Chung-Hwan , Liu Yangxian , Yu Jianaglong
Published: August 2021

Advancements in supercritical (SC), ultrasupercritical (USC), and advanced USC coal-fired power plants have been achieved through the development of enhanced materials utilized in advanced steam cycles and through the deployment of advanced emission control systems. These are referred to as high-efficiency low-emission (HELE) technologies, which may solve numerous issues associated with coal-based power generation. There is a clear global transition from subcritical to advanced power plant types and significant R&D work on HELE technologies. Therefore, this comprehensive review covers the latest HELE technology deployment in major coal-consuming countries and their R&D roadmaps to advance HELE technologies. In spite of the various advantages of HELE technologies, there have been numerous technical challenges relevant to achieving the HELE steam conditions and deploying low emission control technologies in the HELE systems. Hence, this review covers the technical challenges and the relevant recent research by using various coal combustion test facilities. The current focus for the progression from USC boilers to advanced USC boilers is a successful demonstration of the developed high-performance alloys under the advanced steam conditions. This review covers the current status of research and development of advanced USC (A-USC) materials and challenges based on the major material research programs.
Sperm whales in the Neolithic Mediterranean: a tooth from the sanctuary of Monte d'Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy)
Authors: Melis Maria Grazia , Zedda Marco
Published: August 2021

The exceptional find of the tooth of a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) at Monte d'Accoddi adds to the documentation on the possible presence, and exploitation by humans, of cetaceans in the prehistoric Mediterranean. The dating (3638–3378 BC) appears to make it the oldest cetacean find in Sardinia.
Design Beku: Toward Decolonizing Design and Technology through Collaborative and Situated Care-in-Practices
Authors: Ray Murray Padmini , Bagalkot Naveen L. , Srivatsa Shreyas , Anthony Paul
Published: August 2021

Increasingly there is a design impulse to “solve” problems for communities in India, especially through technological imaginations and interventions imported from elsewhere that are often irrelevant and unsuited to their context. As public goods, such as education, heritage, health care, and the like, in India shift from ideals of social equity to profit-making, designers engaged in “development” face an important question about their role in the change-making process, with ethical and political implications.

In response to this question, we describe our efforts as a newly formed collective, Design Beku, which emerged from our desire to explore if and how technology and design can be decolonial, local, and ethical. Informed by cross-disciplinary theoretical and methodological underpinnings, we present a series of autoethnographic accounts by the collective’s founding members, woven together to describe our experiences, influences, learnings, and reflections on the life of the collective so far. Through articulating the commonalities and differences across our projects, we highlight how co-design becomes for us a care-in-practice, an onto-epistemology enabling us to align with local matters of concern to collaboratively evolve systemic solutions, enabled by but not led by technology. We believe the most powerful critique and challenge to the fascism of corporate and politically motivated technological regimes is by responding through community-centric design practice. We hope that our experiences and reflections will find resonance with other practitioners working within the larger context of the themes articulated by the call for this special issue.
COVID-19 and the Global Political Economy: Same as it Never Was?
Authors: Campbell-Verduyn Malcolm , Linsi Lukas , Metinsoy Saliha , van Roozendaal Gerda
Published: August 2021

This introductory article outlines how Global Political Economy and the nuanced perspectives of scholars from this interdiscipline navigate claims about the origins and consequences of, as well as responses to, the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging social scientific assessments have tended to understand the pandemic as either an entirely novel crisis (“everything has changed”) or one merely extending preexisting economic and political tensions (“nothing has changed”). Early analyses of political-economic aspects of the crisis assembled in this collection instead highlight both patterns of continuity and change—and the importance of situating changes within prepandemic continuities—that have emerged during the first year of the global pandemic. This introductory article brings together suggestions by and for Global Political Economy scholars, as well as social scientists more generally, for further researching key dynamics shaping the global political economy in the COVID-19 era as it keeps unfolding and evolving.