bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
İKİ BOYUTLU REKLAMLARDA ORTAM FARKLILIKLARININ HATIRLAMA ÜZERİNDEKİ ETKİSİ
Authors: COŞKUN Engin
Published: October 2022

Reklamcılıkta dijital uygulamaların giderek hız kazandığı günümüzde, markalar birçok farklı yaratıcı uygulamalar geliştirerek, iletişim kanallarını farklılaştırarak, farklı yöntemler deneyerek tüketicilerine ulaşma ve markaya dair optimum düzeyde farkındalık yaratma çabasındadırlar. Bu çabalar içerisinde giderek popüler hale gelen sanal gerçeklik deneyimi ile reklamcılık uygulamaları, metaverse ortamlarında reklamcılık faaliyetleri, mobil uygulamalar üzerinde reklam faaliyetleri ve oyun içi reklamcılık gibi konular yer almaktadır. Bununla birlikte teknolojinin sürekli yeni ortam ve uygulamalara imkân sunmasıyla geliştirilen her uygulamanın da tüketiciler üzerindeki etkisi tartışılır hale gelmektedir. Bu araştırma kapsamında, web ortamında geleneksel bir yapıya dönüşmüş olan iki boyutlu banner tipi reklamların sanal gerçeklik ortamında sunulmasının reklamı hatırlamaya ne yönde bir etkisinin olduğu tartışılmıştır. Bu kapsamda iletişim fakültesinde öğretim gören öğrencilere (N=40) yönelik olarak deneysel bir araştırma dizayn edilmiştir. Deney kapsamında iki boyutlu banner tipi reklamların tümünde var olan metin, görsel ve renk tasarım unsurları kontrol altına alınmış olup ortam/mecra farklılığının gruplar arasında bir fark yaratıp yaratmadığına bakılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda reklamı hatırlama düzeylerinin gruplar arasında metin ve görsel tasarım unsurları kontrol altına alındığında anlamlı bir fark bulunamazken [F(grup) 1=.129, p>0.05; F(grup) 1=.167, p>0.05], renk ile ilgili tasarım unsurları kontrol altına alındığında ise anlamlı bir fark bulunmuştur [F(grup) 1=5.989, p<0.05]. Yapılan ileri testler sonucu kontrol grubunda pozitif yönde bir etki [x̄(web tabanlı-sanal gerçeklik)= 6.761; p<0.05] tespit edilirken deney grubunda ise negatif yönde bir etki [x̄(sanal gerçeklik-web tabanlı)= -6.761; p<0.05] tespit edilmiştir. Dolayısıyla reklama maruz kalan deneklerde web ortamında iki boyutlu banner tipi reklamın sanal gerçeklik ortamında yer alan iki boyutlu banner tipi reklama göre reklamı hatırlama düzeylerinde pozitif yönde bir etki bıraktığı sonucuna varılmıştır
ÇERÇEVELEME ETİĞİ TARTIŞMALARINDA TEMEL KAVRAMLAR
Authors: GÜRAN M. Salih , ÖZARSLAN Hüseyin
Published: October 2022

Günümüz medya toplumunda kültürün yeniden üretilmesinde izler kitle çerçeveleri ile medya çerçeveleri tüm taraflarca etkileşimli olarak kullanılan ana metafor kalıplarıdır. Medya çerçeveleri, her türlü iletişim metninde, ama özellikle kitle iletişim araçlarında içeriği paketlemekte kullanılan retorik ve söylem araçları olarak, gerek güçlü ikna etkileri, gerekse toplumsal iletişimde sorumluluk atfetme, sorunu açıklama, çare önerme gibi ahlaki yargılama işlevlerini yerine getirmekte olduğundan, etik uygulama tartışmalarına konu olmaktadırlar. Çerçeveleme araştırmalarında, çerçeveleme eyleminin etik sorunları bağlamlar ve olaylar örneğinde tartışılırken, çerçevelemenin ahlaki tavır ve yargı belirten işlevleri de yine ayrı örnek olaylar bağlamında incelenmektedir. Ortak kavramsal temelin ötesinde, her iki yaklaşımın sonuçları da ahlakilik tartışmalarına konu olmaktadır.Çerçeveleme ve etik ilişkilerini ele alan teorik ve kavramsal yaklaşımların, “çerçeveleme sorumluluğu” ve temel iletişim ahlakı temelli bir ortak tartışma paydasında karşılaştırılmaları çerçeveleme teorisinin kavramsal gelişimine katkı sağlayacaktır. Bu nedenle çerçevelemenin ahlaki ve etik sorunlarını farklı bağlamlarda ele almış önemli araştırmaları birlikte inceleyen bir literatür analizi gerekli görülmüştür.Çalışma sonucunda, yeni medya devrimiyle birlikte, farklı yapısal ilişkilere ve farklı etkileşim dinamiklerine sahip sosyal medya formlarının gelişmesi ve bunların geleneksel medya yapılarıyla girdikleri ilişkiler temelinde hem medya etiği hem de çerçeveleme araştırmalarında farklı boyutların ve konseptlerin ortaya çıktığı görülmüştür
SOSYAL MEDYANIN SİYASAL KATILIM DAVRANIŞINA ETKİSİ: X, Y VE Z KUŞAKLARI ÜZERİNE BİR İNCELEME
Authors: VARLIK Fırat , ERENDAG SUMER Fulya
Published: October 2022

Zaman ve mekândan bağımsız olarak kitlesel hareketlerin gerçekleşmesinde kritik bir konumu olan sosyal medya siyasal düşüncelerin paylaşıldığı, siyasi grup ve toplulukların oluşturulduğu, siyasal kampanyaların gerçekleştirildiği ya da siyasilerle doğrudan iletişime geçildiği bir mecra olarak farklı biçimlerde siyasal katılım davranışını gerçekleştirebilmeyi mümkün kılmaktadır. Nitekim, sosyal medyanın kullanıcılarına sunduğu tüm imkânlar onu başlı başına bir siyasal katılım aracı haline getirmektedir. Bu durum sosyal medyayı siyaset ve siyasiler açısından önemli bir konuma yerleştirirken, bireylerin siyasal katlım davranışlarının sosyal medya bağlamında değerlendirilmesini de gerektirmektedir. Bu doğrultuda bu araştırma sosyal medyanın siyasal katılım davranışına etkisini ve bu etkinin X, Y ve Z kuşaklarına göre değişiklik gösterip göstermediğini ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda tasarlanan nicel alan araştırmasında Temmuz 2019-Ağustos 2019 tarihleri arasında uygunluk örneklemi kullanılarak Antalya’da X, Y ve Z kuşaklarından 600 kişi araştırmaya dâhil edilmiştir. Araştırmada veri işleme ve değerlendirme aracı olarak SPSS 22.00 kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın bulguları sosyal medyanın siyasal katılım davranışına etkisinin kuşaklara göre farklılık gösterdiğini ortaya koymuştur. Sosyal medya Z kuşağının siyasal katılım davranışını X ve Y kuşaklarına göre daha fazla etkilemektedir
‘Ota bruxa?’
Authors: Toni Andressa
Published: October 2022

Esta pesquisa revisita a aquisição das sílabas de ataque ramificado CCV (Consoante1+Consoante2+Vogal) em Português Brasileiro, investigando como o molde silábico é categorizado ao longo do desenvolvimento fonológico infantil e por que este desenvolvimento ocorre da forma que ocorre. Para caracterizar o alvo sendo adquirido, um estudo de corpus descreve a variação CCV→CV presente na fala de adultos paulistanos (como em ‘outro’→[ʹo.tʊ]) utilizando dados do Projeto SP2010 (MENDES, 2013). Já para caracterizar o desenvolvimento infantil, conduzimos um experimento de produção e compreensão de fala (mispronunciation detection task). Como arcabouço teórico, o Princípio da Tolerância (YANG, 2016) modela a construção do contraste entre as estruturas CCV-CV, estabelecido com base no adensamento fonológico do Léxico (JUSCZYK, LUCE & LUCE, 1994). O estudo constata que, ao adquirir CCV, a criança adquire uma sílaba fonologicamente pouco densa, foneticamente variável e suscetível a processos de neutralização do contraste CCV-CV. Defendemos que tais características do input levam a uma incorreta generalização de CCV como opcional, tomando CV como uma forma alternante – tanto em contextos átonos (o que é encontrado na fala adulta) como em contextos tônicos (que não ocorre na fala adulta paulistana). A produtividade desta hipergeneralização é capturada pelo Princípio da Tolerância e decorre da alta concentração de CCVs reduzíveis no vocabulário inicial da criança, sendo superada com o crescimento lexical. A hipergeneralização da variação CCV~CV reflete-se no teste de detecção de erros apontando reconhecimento de CV→CCV (‘dente’→‘d[ɾ]ente’), mas não de CCV→CV (‘prato’→’pato’, ‘preto’→’peto’) por crianças que simplificam CCV em sua fala. A maior taxa de detecção de vizinhos CCV-CV no teste (‘prato’→‘pato’ é mais detectado que ‘preto’→‘peto’) aponta a construção do contraste como um ponto-chave no desenvolvimento fonológico. Com isso, argumentamos que a aquisição CCV passa por um momento de incorreta neutralização do contraste estrutural da sílaba.
Studies of Genetic Parameters in Exotic Collections of Fava Bean (Vicia fava L.)
Authors: Dubey Prateek , Aman Mishra Shweta
Published: October 2022

The present investigation “Studies of genetic parameters in exotic collections of fava bean (Vicia fava L.)” was carried out to assess the extent of genetic variability, nature of association, direct and indirect effects of yield contributing characters of seed yield per plant in forty-six genotypes of fava bean at Vegetable Research Farm, Chandra ShekharAzad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur (U.P.) during Rabi 2019-20. The analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among the forty-six fava bean genotypes for seed yield per plant traits indicating the presence of sufficient variability for all the traits under the study. High phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) and genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) recorded for characters like, number of clusters per plant, 100 seed weight, pod length and number of branches per plant. All the traits indicating the presence of high degree of variability and better scope for further crop improvement. The moderate PCV and GCV were observed for number of seeds per pod, plant height and number of pods per plant. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was recorded for days to maturity, number of clusters per plant, 100 seed weight, seed yield per plant, days to 50 per cent flowering, number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod. For all the traits indicating less influence of environment on the expression of these characters and they may be governed by additive gene action so simple selection can be practiced for improvement of these traits along with seed yield. The high significant and positive association of seed yield per plant with 100 seed weight and number of clusters per plant indicates that these characters should be given emphasis while selecting plants for improvement of seed yield. Path analysis revealed that, the characters like 100 seed weight, number of clusters per plant and days to maturity had direct effect on seed yield per plant, indicating a true relationship between them. Therefore, simultaneous selection for above traits is suggested for the improvement of seed yield per plant in fava bean.
Approximate Closed-form Solutions for the Rabinovich System via the Optimal Auxiliary Functions Method
Authors: Ene Remus-Daniel , Pop Nicolina , Lapadat Marioara
Published: October 2022

Based on some geometrical properties of the Rabinovich system the closed-form solutions of the equations has been established. Moreover the Rabinovich system is reduced to a nonlinear differential equation depending on an auxiliary unknown function. The approximate analytical solutions are built using the Optimal Auxiliary Functions Method (OAFM). A good agreement between the analytical and corresponding numerical results has been performed. The accuracy of the obtained results emphasizes that this procedure could be successfully applied for more dynamical systems with these geometrical properties.
Practical guidance for numerical modeling in FUNWAVE-TVD
Authors: Torres Marissa , Lam Michael-Angelo , Malej Matt
Published: October 2022

This technical note describes the physical and numerical considerations for developing an idealized numerical wave-structure interaction modeling study using the fully nonlinear, phase-resolving Boussinesq-type wave model, FUNWAVE-TVD (Shi et al. 2012). The focus of the study is on the range of validity of input wave characteristics and the appropriate numerical domain properties when inserting partially submerged, impermeable (i.e., fully reflective) coastal structures in the domain. These structures include typical designs for breakwaters, groins, jetties, dikes, and levees. In addition to presenting general numerical modeling best practices for FUNWAVE-TVD, the influence of nonlinear wave-wave interactions on regular wave propagation in the numerical domain is discussed. The scope of coastal structures considered in this document is restricted to a single partially submerged, impermeable breakwater, but the setup and the results can be extended to other similar structures without a loss of generality. The intended audience for these materials is novice to intermediate users of the FUNWAVE-TVD wave model, specifically those seeking to implement coastal structures in a numerical domain or to investigate basic wave-structure interaction responses in a surrogate model prior to considering a full-fledged 3-D Navier-Stokes Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. From this document, users will gain a fundamental understanding of practical modeling guidelines that will flatten the learning curve of the model and enhance the final product of a wave modeling study. Providing coastal planners and engineers with ease of model access and usability guidance will facilitate rapid screening of design alternatives for efficient and effective decision-making under environmental uncertainty.
Globalization and the Paradigm of Islamic Law Implementation in Aceh
Authors: Murdani Danial
Published: October 2022

Abstract

This paper aims to identify and describe the global challenges that have influenced the Islamic law implementation in Aceh. Further, this article analyses Aceh's Islamic sharia law implementation paradigm based on these global challenges. This article is qualitative research with a descriptive analysis approach. The study found that the challenges of globalization that influenced the Islamic sharia law implementation in Aceh have multi-dimension issues. Those multi-dimension issues are privatization of religion, a decrease in family relationships, demographic revolution, the emergence of an artificial environment, the threat of species extinction and dangers to the climate and tropical forests, the emergence of new moral standards, appearance of innovations such as synthetic food, crime-based technology, knowledge-based education, and other disasters. Based on these global challenges, the Islamic sharia law implementation in Aceh needs a new paradigm. A new paradigm has to be connected with values, problems, and responsive and anticipative methods of Islamic sharia implementation. Implementing Islamic values constitutes the mission of protecting human rights, including protecting religion, life, property,  generation, reason, honor, and the environment.

Keywords: Globalization, Islamic Sharia, Islamic law implementation in Aceh
Modeling tuberculosis transmission flow in China
Authors: Wang Li , xu Chengdong , Hu Maogui , Wang Jinfeng , Qiao Jiajun , Chen Wei , Zhu Qiankun , Wang Zhipeng
Published: October 2022

Background: China has the third largest number of TB cases in the world, and the average annual floating population in China is more than 200 million, the increasing floating population across regions has a tremendous potential for spreading infectious diseases, however, the role of increasing massive floating population in tuberculosis transmission is yet unclear in China.
Methods: 14,027 tuberculosis flow data were derived from the new smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis cases in China. Spatial interaction model was used to model the tuberculosis flow and the regional socioeconomic factors.
Results: Tuberculosis transmission flow presented spatial heterogeneity. The Pearl River Delta in southern China and the Yangtze River Delta along China’s east coast presented as the largest destination and concentration areas of tuberculosis inflows. Socioeconomic factors were determinants of tuberculosis flow. Some impact factors showed different spatial associations with tuberculosis transmission flow. A 10% increase in per capita GDP was associated with 2.1% decrease in tuberculosis outflows from the provinces of origin, and 0.5% increase in tuberculosis inflows to the destinations and 18.9% increase in intraprovincial flow. Per capita net income of rural households and per capita disposable income of urban households were positively associated with tuberculosis flows. A 10% increase in per capita net income corresponded to 3.6% increase in outflows from the origin, 12.8% increase in inflows to the destinations and 47.9% increase in intraprovincial flows. Tuberculosis incidence had positive impacts on tuberculosis flows. A 10% increase in the number of tuberculosis cases corresponded to 1.1% increase in tuberculosis inflows to the destinations, 2.0% increase in outflows from the origins, and 2.2% increase in intraprovincial flows.
Conclusions: Tuberculosis flows had clear spatial stratified heterogeneity and spatial autocorrelation, regional socio-economic characteristics had diverse and statistical significant effects on tuberculosis flows in the origin and destination, and income factor played an important role among the determinants.
Very low incidence of HIV-infection and decreasing incidence of sexually transmitted infections among PrEP users in 2020 after introduction of coverage by health insurance in Germany
Authors: Schmidt Daniel , Kollan Christian , Bartmeyer Barbara , Bremer Viviane , Schikowski Tim , Friebe Martin , Schellberg Sven , Scholten Stefan , Bickel Markus , Hanhoff Nikola , Rüsenberg Robin , Schewe Knud , group NEPOS study
Published: October 2022

IntroductionObjectives of this study, as part of a nation-wide HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) evaluation project, were to determine the incidence of infections with HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis A/B/C in persons using PrEP, and to describe the health care funded PrEP use in Germany. Additionally, factors associated with chlamydia/gonorrhea and syphilis infections were assessed.MethodsAnonymous data of PrEP users were collected at 47 HIV-specialty centers from 09/2019-12/2020. Incidence rates were calculated per 100 person years (py). Using longitudinal mixed models, we analyzed risk factors associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs).Results4620 PrEP users were included: 99.2% male, median age 38 years (IQR 32-45), 98.6% men who have sex with men (MSM). The median duration of observation was 451 days (IQR 357-488), totaling 5132 py.Four HIV infections were diagnosed, incidence rate 0,078/100py (95% CI 0.029-0.208). For two suboptimal adherence was reported and in the third case suboptimal adherence and resistance to emtricitabine was observed. One infection was likely acquired before PrEP start.Incidence rates were 21.6/100py for chlamydia, 23.7/100py for gonorrhea, 10.1/100py for syphilis and 55.4/100py for any STI and decreased significantly during the observation period. 65.5% of syphilis, 55.6% of chlamydia and 50.1% of gonorrhea cases were detected by screening of asymptomatic individuals. In a multivariable analysis among MSM younger age, PrEP start before health insurance coverage and daily PrEP were associated with greater risk for chlamydia/gonorrhea. Symptom triggered testing and a history of STI were associated with a higher risk for chlamydia/gonorrhea and syphilis. A significantly lower risk for chlamydia/gonorrhea and syphilis was found for observations during the covid-19 pandemic period.ConclusionsWe found that HIV-PrEP is almost exclusively used by MSM in Germany. A very low incidence of HIV-infection and decreasing incidence rates of STIs were found in this cohort of PrEP users. The results were influenced by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Rollout of PrEP covered by health insurance should be continued to prevent HIV infections. Increased PrEP availability to people at risk of HIV infection through the elimination of barriers requires further attention. Investigation and monitoring with a longer follow-up would be of value.
Absence of microbiome triggers extensive changes in the transcriptional profile of Hermetia illucens during larval ontology
Authors: Auger Laurence , Bouslama Sidki , Deschamps Marie-Hélène , Vandenberg Grant , Derome Nicolas
Published: October 2022

Black soldier fly larvae (BSF, Hermetia illucens) have gained much attention for their industrial use as biowaste recyclers and as a new source of animal proteins. The functional effect that microbiota has on insect health and growth performance remains largely unknown. This study clarifies the role of microbiota in BSF ontogeny by investigating the differential genomic expression of BSF larvae in axenic conditions (i.e., germfree) relative to non-axenic (conventional) conditions. We used RNA-seq to measure differentially expressed transcripts between axenic and conventional condition using DESeq2 at day 4, 12 and 20 post-hatching. Gene expression was significantly up or down-regulated for 2476 transcripts mapped in gene ontology functions, and axenic larvae exhibited higher rate of down-regulated functions. Up-regulated microbiota-dependant transcriptional gene modules included the immune system, the lipid metabolism, and the nervous system. Expression profile showed a shift in late larvae (day 12 and 20), exposing a significant temporal effect on gene expression. These results provide the first evidence of host functional genes regulated by microbiota in the BSF larva, further demonstrating the importance of host-microbiota interactions on host ontology and health. These results open the door to optimization of zootechnical properties in alternative animal protein production, biowaste revalorization and recycling.
Volatiles from the endophytic bacteria Bacillus sp. T6 confer Verticillium resistance in cotton
Authors: Zhang Lin , Wang Yu , Lei Shengwei , Zhang Hongxin , Liu Ziyang , Yang Jianwei , Niu Qiuhong
Published: October 2022

Background: Verticillium wilt, caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae, leads to significant losses in cotton yield worldwide. Biocontrol management is a promising way to suppress verticillium wilt. The purpose of the study is to obtain and analyze the endophytic bacteria with Verticillium wilt-resistant activities from the root of the cotton Gossypium barbadense ‘Xinhai15’ and to explore the interactions between soil and plants.
Results: An endophytic bacterium Bacillus sp. T6 was obtained from the Verticillium wilt-resistant cotton Gossypium barbadense ‘Xinhai15’, which showed significant antagonistic abilities against cotton Verticillium wilt. The bioassay results showed that the strain possessed strong antagonistic abilities that inhibited V. dahliae spore germination and mycelial growth without contact, and thus, it was speculated that the active factor of the bacteria might be volatile compounds. A total of 46 volatile substances were detected via headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The pure product verification experiment confirmed that the styrene produced by the TW11 strain was the main virulence factor. Transcriptome analysis showed that following styrene induction, 247 genes in V. dahliae, including four hydrolase genes, eight dehydrogenase genes, 11 reductase genes, 17 genes related to transport and transfer were upregulated. Additionally, 72 genes, including two chitinase genes, two protease genes, five transport-related genes, and 33 hypothetical protein genes, were downregulated. The quantitative real-time PCR results confirmed that the expression of the four genes VDAG_02838, VDAG_09554, VDAG_045572, and VDAG_08251 was increased by 3.18, 78.83, 2.71, and 2.92 times, respectively, compared with the uninduced control group.
Conclusions: The research provides a new reference for the development and application of the volatile compounds of endophytic bacteria as new biocontrol agents for the control of Verticillium wilt and as biological preservatives for agricultural products.
New Tetracyclic Systems Integrated Thienopyridine Scaffold As An Anti-Dementia Lead: In Silico Study And Biological Screening
Authors: Mahmoud Zeinab , Mohamed Lamia W. , Mohamed Khaled O. , Sayed Hadeer S. , Fattah May A. Abd El , El-Malah Afaf
Published: October 2022

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial incurable neurodegenerative disorder. To date, cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI) are the mainstay line of treatment to ameliorate the symptoms of AD. Tacrine and donepezil are considered two important cornerstones as anti-dementia drugs with potent inhibitory effects. Accordingly, novel series of hexahydrobenzo-thienocyclopentapyridines, octahydrobenzo-thienoquinolines, hexahydrocyclopenta-(thienoquinoline/thienodipyridine) and octahydropyrido-thienoquinolines were efficiently synthesized from readily available reagents e.g. cyclohexanones, cyclopentanone, and 1-methylpiperidin-4-one to afford fourteen new compounds. All new compounds were screened against their acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase and β-amyloid protein inhibition. In acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay, compound 3,7-Dimethyl-1,2,3,4,7,8,9,10-octahydrobenzo[4, 5]thieno[2,3-b]quinolin-11-amine (2h) showed IC50 value 9.24 ± 0.01 µM x10− 2 excelling tacrine itself. Compound 1,7-Dimethyl-1,2,3,4,7,8,9,10-octahydrobenzo[4, 5]thieno[2,3-b]quinolin-11-amine (2e) possessed excellent IC50 values 0.58 ± 0.02 µM x10− 2 and 0.51 ± 0.001 µM x10− 4 for both the butyrylcholinesterase and β-amyloid protein inhibition assays, sequentially. In silico ADME studies were investigated for the promising members (octahydrobenzo-thienoquinolines 2c, 2d, 2e, 2h, 2i, and octahydropyrido-thienoquinolines 4e) and all the results were illustrated. A comparative docking study was conducted between the promising members and both tacrine and donepezil in both acetyl and butyryl choline active sites. The results revealed extra binding patterns and good agreement with the biological results.
A ten-gene retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)/choroid complex diagnosis signature for age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Li Heyan , Dong Li , Zhou Wen Da , Wu Haotian , Li Yi-Fan , Zhang Ruiheng , Wei Wen-Bin
Published: October 2022

Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a multifactorial disease in the elderly with a prominent genetic basis. This study aimed to apply machine learning method to develop a novel diagnostic model for AMD based on gene biomarkers in RPE/choroid complex, which may be potential therapeutic targets.
Methods: We collected RPE/choroid tissue gene expression profiles of AMD and normal patients from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database as training and validation cohorts. After differential expression analysis and the selection of gene biomarkers by random forest algorithms, selected genes were applied to the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression to construct a diagnostic model in the training cohort. The diagnostic ability of the model was further tested in the validation cohort. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and immune cell assessment were also conducted for further analyses.
Results：A noval diagnostic model based on ten genes (BMPR2, CNOT3, CRLF1, FXYD6, HRASLS5, KRTDAP, NUDT16L1, PI16, PLAGL1, SART1) was constructed in the training cohort. The AUC in the training cohort reached 0.908 (95% CI: 0.823-0.975), while it remained 0.809 (95% CI: 0.522-0.889) in the validation cohort. According to the GSEA analysis, glutathione metabolism and phototransduction pathway are the two shared enriched pathways in the training and validation cohorts. Functional enrichment analysis and immune cell evaluation demonstrated that AMD was significantly correlated with both adaptive and innate immune cells, and the levels of neutrophil in the high-risk group were significantly higher than that in the low-risk group in both training and validation datasets
Conclusion: We identified and validated a novel ten-gene-based diagnostic model with high accuracy for AMD. The current study provided a promising tool to be used as a precise and cost-effective non-invasive test in clinical practice.
Measuring Vulnerability to Assess Households Resilience to Flood Risks in Karonga District, Malawi
Authors: Mwalwimba Isaac Kadono , Manda Mtafu Zeleza , Ngongondo Cosmo
Published: October 2022

Many parts of Malawi are prone to natural hazards with varying degrees of risk and vulnerability. This study aimed to quantify vulnerability of the households to flood risks in Karonga District in northern Malawi, specifically in Group Village Headman (GVH) Matani Mwakasangila of Traditional Authority Kilupula. The study used cross-sectional survey and data was collected using a structured questionnaire. This study applied Flood Vulnerability Index and statistical methods to quantify and analyse vulnerability of households in the aspect of exposure, susceptibility and resilience characteristics. Proportional Odds Model also known as Ordered Logistic Regression was used to identify factors that determine vulnerability of households to flood risks. The results show that households headed by females and elders of age (at least 61 years) were the most vulnerable to flood disasters. Households with houses built of mud, thatched and very old with no protective wall were more and most vulnerable to flood disaster in the area. The model also was used to model vulnerability in the respect of exposure, susceptibility and resilience of households to floods. The level of vulnerability was increasing with an increase in the number of households exposed and susceptible to floods. With an increase in resilience to flood disasters, vulnerability level was decreasing. Post analysis was also considered to have predictive margins of vulnerability levels among the villages in GVH Matani Mwakasangila. The likelihoods of vulnerability levels were not significantly different among the villages. However, villages with more exposed, susceptible and not resilience households were most vulnerable to floods in GVH Matani. Therefore, this study recommends that indigenous people and most vulnerable (women and elders) should be included in both Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) planning and implementation. Their representation should also play a major role, including leadership in national DRR arrangement as a way of increasing resilience to flood disasters.
On the non-linearity of radon-induced lung cancer
Authors: Rosenberger Albert , Bickeböller Heike , Christiani David C , Liu Geoffrey , Schabath Matthew B , Duarte Luisa F. , Marchand Loic Le , Haiman Christopher , Landi Teresa , Consonni Dario , Field John K , Davies Michael P.A. , Albanes Demetrios , Tardon Adonina , Fernández-Tardón Guillermo , Rennert Gad , Rennert Hedy , Amos Christopher I , Hung Rayjean J
Published: October 2022

Exposure to low doses of the radioactive gas radon, as found indoors in dwellings, has been consistently shown to be a risk factor for lung cancer (LC). The linear-no-threshold hypothesis (LNT) is often applied to estimate excess odds ratios or population attributable risks, albeit this LNT assumption remains debated. We investigate the profile of radon-induced LC-risk in a sample of 8,927 cases and 5,562 controls of the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO), contributed by studies with sufficient exposure heterogeneity. Spatial indoor-radon exposure in the residential area (sIR) obtained from the national surveys were linked to the participants’ residential geo-location. Parametric linear- and spline-functions were fitted within framework of logistic regression. We observed a U-shaped dose-risk relation, with the lowest risk exposure level (LRE) being 57.6 Bq/m³ (95%.CI: 56.1–59.2 Bq/m³). The risk of overall-LC at 25 Bq/m³ (OR = 1.31, 95%-CI: 1.01–1.59) was comparable to that at 100 Bq/m³ (OR = 1.34, 95%-CI: 1.20–1.45). Regarding histological subtypes, we observed the strongest risk for small-cell LC, and weak association for squamous-cell LC with no association below 58 Bq/m³. Our results showed a U-shaped risk-profile for radon-induced LC risk at very low exposure levels (sIR < 200 Bq/m³), lowest in areas of mean indoor radon levels of about 58 Bq/m³. Risk profiles differ between histological subtypes, and sex, age and smoking behaviour modify the lowest risk thresholds. sIR is a useful proxy for radon exposure, and the linearity-no-threshold assumption in this data seems not optimal for the dose-response relation of sIR less than 200 Bq/m³.
Last dental visit and severity of tooth loss: a machine learning approach
Authors: Bomfim Rafael Aiello
Published: October 2022

To investigate the time of last dental visit associated with severe tooth loss and presence of functional dentition (FD) and use a machine learning approach to predict those at higher risk of tooth loss in adults and older adults. We analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 88,531 Brazilian individuals aged 18 and over. Tooth loss was the outcome by; 1) functional dentition and 2) severe tooth loss. Structural Equation models were used to find the time of last dental visit associated with the outcomes. Moreover, machine learning was used to train and test predictions to target individuals at higher risk for tooth loss. For 65,803 adults, more than two years of last dental visit was associated with lack of functional dentition. Age was the main contributor in the machine learning approach, with an AUC of 90%, accuracy of 90%, specificity of 97% and sensitivity of 38%. For older adults, more than two years of last dental visit was associated with higher severe loss. Conclusions. More than two years of last dental visit appears to be associated with a severe loss and lack of functional dentition. The machine learning approach had a good performance to predict those individuals.
Advancements in the dominion of fate and transport of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the environment- A Bibliometric study
Authors: Ashraf Maliha , Ahammad Shaikh Ziauddin , Chakma Sumedha
Published: October 2022

The study on Fate and Transport of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products, PPCPs (FTP) in the environment has received special attention for more than two decades pertaining to a threat to ecology and human health even at low concentrations due to their synergistic effects and long-range transport. The research aims to provide an inclusive map of the scientific background of FTP research over the last 25 years, from 1996 to 2020 to identify the main characteristics, evolution, salient research themes, trends, and valuable directions for future studies. Bibliometric networks were synthesized and analyzed for a total of 577 journal articles extracted from the Scopus database. Consequently, seven major themes of FTP research were identified as follows: (i) PPCPs Category; (ii) Hazardous Effects; (iii) Occurrence of PPCPs; (iv) PPCPs in Organisms; (v) Remediation; (vi) Fate and Transport Governing Processes and (vii)Assessment in the Environment. The themes gave an in-depth picture of the sources of PPCPs and their transport and fate processes in the environment which originated majorly from STP and sediment/soils/groundwater/oceans acting as its major sink. The article provided a rigorous review of the research landscape in the FTP study conducted during the specified years and its prominent highlight pattern may serve basis of real-time guidance to lead future research areas and a tool for policymakers and practitioners to handle the ever-increasing concentration of Emerging Contaminants (ECs) in the environment.
Optogenetic Early Life Pain leads to cortical hyperexcitability, nociceptive hypersensitivity and repetitive behavior
Authors: Tegeder Irmgard , Vogel Alexandra , Ueberbach Timo , Wilken-Schmitz Annett , Jungenitz Tassilo , Schmid Tobias , Buchmann Guilia , Brandes Ralf , Schwarzacher Stephan , Mittmann Thomas
Published: October 2022

Pain in early life may affect cortical development and risk of chronic pain. We developed an optogenetic Cre/loxP mouse model of "early-life-pain" (ELP) using mice with transgenic expression of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) under control of the Advillin (Avil) promoter, that drives expression of ChR2 in peripheral somatosensory neurons. Avil-ChR2 (Cre+) and ChR2-flfl control mice were exposed to blue light in a chamber once daily from P1-P5 together with their Cre-negative mother. ELP caused cortical hyperexcitability at P8-9 as assessed via multi-electrode array recordings that coincided with reduced expression of synaptic genes (RNAseq) including Grin2b, neurexins, piccolo and voltage gated calcium and sodium channels which would agree with activity-dependent synaptic pruning. Young adult Avil-ChR2 mice presented with nociceptive hypersensitivity upon heat or mechanical stimulation, which did not resolve up until one year of age. The persistent "pain" phenotype was reflected by capsaicin hypersensitivity in primary sensory neurons of aged mice as assessed by calcium imaging. Avil-ChR2 mice had no disadvantages in Maze tests of anxiety, social interaction and spatial memory, and multiple dimensions of cognitive behavior in IntelliCages. But they stood out by a high rate of repetitive nosepokes, and repetitive corner returns irrespective of success, suggesting inflexibility. Hence, optogenetic early life pain leads to pain in adult mice and repetitive behavior but without cognitive or social deficits.
Risk factors and longitudinal changes of dyslipidemia among adult Chinese HIV-1 Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Li Xiuxia , Song Xiaojing , Han Yang , Qiu Zhifeng , Cao Wei , Li Taisheng
Published: October 2022

Background Despite an apparent decline in mortality of HIV-infected individuals due to the broad utilization of antiretroviral therapy (ART), life-long treatment is required accompanying with various metabolic abnormalities. Data about the epidemiology and the dynamic change of dyslipidemia in HIV-1 patients receiving antiretroviral therapy was restricted in Asian countries. The purpose was to explore the specific situation of dyslipidemia in adult Chinese HIV-1 Patients upon a multicenter clinical trial. Methods We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis on patients enrolled in two large multicenter clinical trials across China and patients followed in the clinic of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH). Demographic data and clinical parameters were collected, risk factors and longitudinal changes of lipid profiles under different clinical settings associated with HIV-1 infection were analyzed. The definition of dyslipidemia was made based upon the National Cholesterol Education Program, Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP) III guidelines. Results A total of 1942 patients were enrolled. The median follow-up was 6 years. At baseline, the concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were 4.1 ± 0.96 mmol/L, 1.24 (interquartile ranges [IQR] 0.87–1.8) mmol/L, 1.11 ± 0.33 and 2.38 ± 0.78 mmol/L, respectively. The rate of hypercholesterolemia, hyperglyceridemia, high LDL-C and low HDL-C were 11.38%, 28.16%, 45.66% and 9.29%, respectively. The overall prevalence of dyslipidemia was 69.3%, which raised to 84.3% after antiretroviral therapy, substantially higher. Risk factors of CD4/CD8 ratio less than 0.3 and viral load over 105copies/mL for all types of dyslipidemia as well as a negative correlation between HDL-C concentration and CD8 + CD38 + percentage were found. Besides, regimens including efavirenz (EFV) and tenofovir (TDF) performed better lipid profiles. Longitudinal analysis revealed that both the rate of abnormal lipid indexes and concentration of lipid changed steeply in the first 6 months after ART initiation. Conclusions The prevalence of dyslipidemia was high in HIV-1 patients and elevated after antiretroviral therapy, mainly represented as high TG and low HDL-C, associating with advanced stage of HIV-1 infection. Lipid changed remarkably in the initial stage after ART therapy.
The effect of iron (III) hydroxide sucrose complex (Ranofer) and other iron preparations on body iron store in long term hemodialysis patients – A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Gan Chye Chung , Mansor Nurul Azwani Nadia , Lim Soo Kun
Published: October 2022

Background:
Intravenous iron is important in the management of iron deficiency and renal anemia among hemodialysis patients. Iron sucrose is one of the commonly used iron preparations in Malaysia. Our study objective is to assess the iron status changes in hemodialysis patients who have been initiated on intravenous (IV) iron-(III)-hydroxide-sucrose-complex (Ranofer) and other IV iron preparations (non-Ranofer) under real-world clinical settings over a six-month observation period.
Methods:
A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the effectiveness and safety profiles of IV-Ranofer and IV-non-Ranofer on body iron stores in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients across dialysis centers in Selangor from 01.01.2017 to 31.08.2020. Two-hundred-twenty subjects were included in the final analysis. Clinical response is defined as an improvement on serum ferritin > 100 microgram/L and TSAT > 20% at any point within the period of 6-months.
Results:
Of the 220-subjects, 124 (56.4%) achieved clinical response, in which the Ranofer group recorded 56 (51.9%) and the non-Ranofer group recorded 68 (60.7%) respectively, with no difference in between groups (p = 0.185). However, hypotension (10.2% vs 1.8%, p < 0.01), and headache (6.5% vs 0.9%, p < 0.05), occurred more frequently in Ranofer group compared to non-Ranofer group. Seventy-eight (72.9%) in the Ranofer group and 79 (70.5%) subjects in the non-Ranofer group managed to sustain Hb ≥ 10 g/dL at the end of the study (p = 0.69).
Conclusions:
Ranofer provides similar efficacy compared with other iron preparations for ESKD undergoing long-term hemodialysis in Malaysia. Ranofer is well-tolerated for the patients on hemodialysis. Hypotension and headache were observed to be slightly higher in the Ranofer group, however, the severity and the cause-effect relationship could not be ascertained due to the retrospective nature of this study. The adverse events were expected, and these outcomes were expected to be similar to other iron preparations in the real clinical setting. This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the local ethical committees.
A Novel Method for Alloy Materials Design via Sample Data Transfer Machine Learning
Authors: Xie Jianxin , Jiang Lei , Zhang Zhihao , Hu Hao , He Xingqun , Fu Huadong
Published: October 2022

One of the challenges in material design is to rapidly develop new materials or improve the performance of materials by utilizing the data and knowledge of existing materials. Here, a novel method of alloy material design via data transfer learning is proposed to efficiently design new alloys using existing data. A new type of aluminum alloy with ultra strength and high toughness (so-called E2 alloy) previously developed by the authors is used as an example, and an optimal three-stage solution-aging treatment process (which is very difficult to design by trial-and-error method, T66R process for short) was rapidly designed based on 1053 pieces of heat treatment process data of AA7xxx series commercial high-strength aluminum alloy and a total of 29 groups of experimental data of E2 alloy. It overcomes the bottleneck of expensive theoretical calculations and more than millions of possible process combinations in the experimental trial-and-error space in the process design of complex alloy heat treatment. Compared with the common T6 process in the aluminum industry, the T66R process can increase the ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the E2 alloy simultaneously, from 715 ± 6 MPa and 8.4 ± 0.4% to 767 ± 6 MPa and 13.4 ± 0.5%, respectively. The results of microstructure characterization indicate that employing the optimal T66R process, the amount of micron-scale insoluble phases in the E2 alloy is sharply reduced, and the number of nano-precipitates is significantly increased, which leads to the simultaneous improvement of the strength and plasticity of the alloy. This study shows that transferring the existing alloy data is an effective method to design new alloys.
Correlation between the morphology of the biceps groove and injuries to the biceps pulley and the long head tendon of the biceps
Authors: Tang Xiaoye , Zhang Jialu , Zhang Jiechao , He Yong
Published: October 2022

Purpose: The morphometric parameters of the osseous structures of the biceps groove were measured to investigate their correlation with the structural injury of the trochlear and the long head tendon of the biceps.
Methods: A total of 126 patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery had their biceps tendons and bicipital groove morphologies prospectively evaluated on a 3D reconstruction model of the humeral head. The width of groove, depth of groove, opening angle, medial wall angle, and inclination angle of the bicipital groove were measured for each patient. During the surgery, the type of injury to the biceps pulley and the degree of biceps longus tendon injury were assessed. The correlations of these injury assessments with bicipital groove measurements were analyzed.
Results: The average width of groove was 12.52 mm ± 2.11 mm. The average depth was 4.88 mm ± 1.38 mm. The average inclination angle was 26.27° ± 8.10°. The average opening angle was 89.77° ± 18.40°. The average medial wall angle was 40.57° ± 7.93°. Significant biceps pulley structural injury was observed in 66 patients, and their Martetschlager classifications were as follows: type I injury in 12 patients, type II injury in 18 patients, and type III injury in 36 patients. The Lafosse grades of long head tendon injury were as follows: 72 cases were grade 0 injury, 30 cases were grade I injury, and 18 cases were grade II injury. We found no significant correlation between the opening width, depth, inclination angle, opening angle, and medial wall angle of bicipital groove and injuries of the pulley and the long head of the biceps tendon. Conclusion:This study does not find a correlation between the injury of the pulley or the long head of the biceps tendon and bicipital groove morphology.
Measurement of Fines Particle Concentrations and estimation of Air Quality Index (AQI) over Northeast Douala, Cameroon
Authors: Mezoue Cyrille A. , Ngangmo Yannick C. , Choudhary Arti , Nguiya Severin , Lenouo Andre , Monkam David
Published: October 2022

The paucity of data regarding air quality monitoring and pollutant emissions from various sources in the city of Douala, allowed us to initiate a measuring campaign at the main road entrance of the university campus. Using the OC 300 Laser Dust Particle, fines particles concentrations are monitored during one week from Monday to Sunday. The instrument used detects four (04) different sizes of particles: PM10, PM5, PM2.5, and PM1. The daily average concentrations measured ranged from 9.47 ± 0.26 to 50.14 ± 2.42 µg.m− 3 for PM1.0 ; 13.13 ± 0.38 to 86.65 ± 3.96 µg.m− 3 for PM2.5 ; 13.60 ± 0.40 to 100.56 ± 4.20 µg.m− 3 for PM5 and 14.52 ± 0.42 to 114.59 ± 4.60 µg.m− 3 for PM10. Exceptions made from PM5 and PM1.0 which were not in relation to the WHO (World Health Organization) guideline values, the level of PM10 and PM2.5 are higher than the WHO standards. The air quality index (AQI) is between very poor and poor during this measurement campaign, indicating that residents of the study region are highly exposed. Through the use of correlation studies, it has been demonstrated that the predominant source of fine particles in the studied region is vehicular activity. As a result, traffic density is the most significant factor causing the different air pollution levels seen in the tested areas.
Developing a blueprint for theoretical assessment of Biochemistry of phase I MBBS students
Authors: Dutta Atanu Kumar , Goswami Kalyan
Published: October 2022

Here we have systematically developed a blueprint for Biochemistry theory assessment of phase I MBBS students in India which we have been using for both formative and summative assessments for the past two academic years. The blueprint has ensured the content and construct validity and fairness of the assessment.