bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NURSING CARE FOR MOTHERS WITH INCOMPLETE ABORTIONS: CASE STUDY
Authors: Fadliyah Lailatul , Puspitaningtyas Danty Indra , Sulpat Emuliana , Ma’rifah Umi
Published: November 2022

Introduction: Incomplete abortion is bleeding in pregnancy before 20 weeks, where some of the products of conception have come out of the uterine cavity through the cervical canal left in the decidua or placenta. Methods: This research uses a case study design. Data collection from assessment to nursing evaluation was carried out in the jasmine room of Dr Soegiri Lamongan Hospital in February 2019. Participant care at the hospital for three days—data collection techniques using interviews, observation, and documentation. Data analysis uses narrative analysis based on the analysis of relevant facts and theories. Results: The assessment of the two participants was the first and second pregnancies, with gestational ages of 12 and 16 weeks, experiencing vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain. There is abdominal tenderness, a pain scale of 5, and uterine contractions on examination. The nursing diagnosis was acute pain associated with uterine contractions and fluid volume deficit related to bleeding (abortion). The evaluation was carried out for 72 hours of reduced pain. The discussion is expected that nurses provide health education about pain and incomplete abortion. Conclusions: The pain and anxiety were reduced after implementing nursing for 72 hours. The reference from this study is for nurses to provide health education related to pain in incomplete abortion.
COMPARISON MEASUREMENT AND CALCULATION OF BRAIN TUMOR IN MRI MODALITIES UTILISING SPIN-ECHO PULSE SEQUENCE T1-WEIGHTED CONTRAST AND DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING APPLICATIONS
Authors: Putri Maizza Nadia , Kusworo Adi  , M.Irwan Katili  , Sidin Hariyanto  , Dwi Rochmayanti
Published: November 2022

Background: Evaluation of brain tumor MRI image results performed by radiologists employing the linear measurement method has several weaknesses and is sensitive to subjectivity. Purpose: To compare the results of measurements and calculations of brain tumors utilizing the linear measurement method on the Siemens 1.5 Tesla MRI modality employing pulse sequence spin echo with T1 contrast weighting compared with the results of measurements and calculations of brain tumors utilizing the active contour segmentation method. Method: An experimental study was conducted on 32 MRI images. Result: The study’s findings indicated that the linear measurement was more significant than the active contour segmentation method (p-value<0,05). The results were obtained by calculating the sensitivity and specificity values of the diagnostic test, which were calculated to be 87.5%. Conclusion: The active contour segmentation method applied to pulse sequence spin-echo T1-weighted contrast can be utilized as an alternative measurement and calculation of brain tumors with a sensitivity and specificity value of 87.5%. Further research suggests developing a Matlab application to compare the results of measurements and calculations of brain tumors on acquiring 3D image magnetic resonance imaging data.
DIFFERENCES IN OSTEOBLAST COUNT AND ITS EFFECT ON ORTHODONTIC MOVEMENT OF DIABETIC MODELS’ TEETH AFTER ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF OLIVE OIL
Authors: Az-Zahra Salwa , Handayani Fani Tuti , Purnama Ryana Budi , Logamarta Setiadi W.
Published: November 2022

Background: In patients with uncontrolled diabetes, an increase in Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) inhibits osteoblast differentiation so that the number of osteoblasts decreases and interferes with bone formation in orthodontic movement. Giving natural ingredients such as olive oil is proven to increase the number of osteoblasts. Purpose: To determine differences in the number of osteoblasts and their effect on the orthodontic movement of diabetic teeth after oral administration of olive oil. Method: 25 male guinea pigs divided into four groups: diabetic guinea pigs treated with olive oil at a dose of 0.7; 1.05; 1.4 ml/day, distilled water, and healthy guinea pigs were given aquadest. Alveolar bone tissue samples were taken on the 15th day after orthodontic application, and then the number of osteoblasts was calculated histologically. Result: In the diabetic model group treated with olive oil doses of 0.7; 1.05; 1.4 ml/day, distilled water, and healthy guinea pigs given aquades were 2.900 ± 0.678; 4.320 ± 0.497; 5.920 ± 0. 460; 0.200 ± 0.200; 1.320 ± 0.415. The study showed that the olive oil treatment group had more osteoblasts than the untreated group. Analysis one way ANOVA showed a very significant difference between the treatment group and the untreated group (p≤0.01), while the LSD test showed a significant difference between groups. The highest number of osteoblasts was found at a dose of 1.4 ml/day. Conclusion: There was an increase in osteoblasts in the orthodontic movement of diabetic teeth after oral administration of olive oil.
FlowerPhenoNet: Automated Flower Detection from Multi-view Image Sequences using Deep Neural Networks for Temporal Plant Phenotyping Analysis
Authors: Das Choudhury Sruti , Guha Samarpan , Das Aankit , Das Amit Kumar , Samal Ashok , Awada Tala
Published: November 2022

A phenotype is the composite of an observable expression of a genome for traits in a given environment. The trajectories of phenotypes computed from an image sequence and timing of important events in a plant’s life cycle can be viewed as temporal phenotypes and indicative of the plant’s growth pattern and vigor. In this paper, we introduce a novel method called FlowerPhenoNet which uses deep neural networks for detecting flowers from multiview image sequences for high throughput temporal plant phenotyping analysis. Following flower detection, a set of novel flower-based phenotypes are computed, e.g., the day of emergence of the first flower in a plant’s life cycle, the total number of flowers present in the plant at a given time, the highest number of flowers bloomed in the plant, growth trajectory of a flower and the blooming trajectory of a plant. To develop a new algorithm and facilitate performance evaluation based on experimental analysis, a benchmark dataset is indispensable. Thus, we introduce a benchmark dataset called FlowerPheno which comprises image sequences of three flowering plant species, e.g., sunflower, coleus, and canna, captured by a visible light camera in a high throughput plant phenotyping platform from multiple view angles. The experimental analyses on the FlowerPheno dataset demonstrate the efficacy of the FlowerPhenoNet.
Bilingual Asr Model With Language Identification for Brazilian Portuguese and South-American Spanish
Authors: Farias Felipe , Lobato Wilmer , Cruz William , Amadeus Marcellus
Published: November 2022

This paper documents the development of a special case of multilingual Automatic Speech Recognition model, specifically tailored to attend two languages spoken by the majority of Latin America, Portuguese and Spanish. The bilingual model combines Language Identification and Speech Recognition developed with the Wav2Vec2.0 architecture and trained on several open and private speech datasets. In this model, the feature encoder is trained jointly for all tasks and different context encoders are trained for each task. The model is evaluated separately on two tasks: language identification and speech recognition. The results indicate that this model achieves good performance on speech recognition and average performance on language identification, training on a low quantity of speech material. The average accuracy of the language identification module on the MLS dataset is 66.75%. The average Word Error Rate in the same scenario is 13.89%, which is better than average 22.58% achieved by the commercial speech recognizer developed by Google.
Two-Parameter Exponentially-Fitted Taylor Method for Oscillatory/Periodic Problems
Authors: Wusu Ashiribo Senapon , Olabanjo Olusola Aanu , Mazzara Manuel
Published: November 2022

Classical numerical methods for solving ordinary differential equations often produce less accurate results when applied to problems with oscillatory or periodic behaviour. To adapt them for such problems, they are usually modified using the exponential fitting technique. This adaptation allows for the construction of new methods from their classical counterparts. The new methods are usually more accurate, efficient and suitable for handling the oscillatory or periodic behaviour of the problem. In this work, we construct a two-parameter exponentially-fitted Taylor method suitable for solving oscillatory or periodic problems that possess two frequencies. The construction algorithm is based on a proposed six-step flowchart discussed by authors in related literature. Two standard test problems were used to illustrate the accuracy and performance of the proposed method.
Implementation of Enhanced Recovery After Caesarean Section (ERACS) in Elective Procedure : A Case Report
Authors: Sardimon Sardimon , Yusmalinda Yusmalinda , Jasa Zafrullah Khany , Rahmi Rahmi , Amin Fauzan Bachtiar
Published: November 2022

Background: Enhanced Recovery After Cesarean Section (ERACS) protocol includes every component of the pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative pathway. In the pre-operative phase, the protocol applied to this patient included the shortest possible fasting interval, oral intake of liquid carbohydrate and patient counselling. For intra-operative pathway, the components applied are prevention of hypotension, maintenance of normothermia, optimal uterotonic administration, IONV (intra-operative nausea and vomiting)/PONV (post-operative nausea and vomiting) prophylaxis, multi-modal analgesia and optimization of fluid administration. Post-operatively, the patient was given early nutritional intake, early mobilization, urinary catheter removal, venous thrombo-embolism prophylaxis, multi-modal analgesia and glycemic control. ERACS prove useful for early discharge, improving outcomes such as breastfeeding or reducing post-discharge opioid use.

Case Illustration: A 31-year-old woman came with the chief complaint of fluid discharge since ± 3 hours prior to admission to the hospital. Based on the medical history, physical examination, and laboratory findings, the patient was diagnosed with premature rupture of membranes in a gestational age of 37-38 weeks and had a live, single-headed presentation of the fetus. Patient’s physical status is ASA II and scheduled for elective C-section procedure with spinal anesthesia.

Conclusion: The implementation of the ERACS protocol in this case has been shown to reduce the rate of infection and post operative complications as well as reducing length of stay for the mother.
Determination of HIV Tropism in Patients with Antiretroviral Therapy Failure in Arkhangelsk Region
Authors: Ostankova Yu. V. , Davydenko V. S. , Shchemelev A. N. , Zueva E. B. , Virolainen P. A. , Totolyan Areg A.
Published: November 2022

The aim of the study was to determine the tropism of the human immunodeficiency virus in patients with virological failure of antiretroviral therapy (ART) from the Arkhangelsk Region based on the analysis of the env gene V3 loop nucleotide sequence.

Materials and methods. We used blood plasma samples obtained from 76 HIV-infected persons from the Arkhangelsk Region with virological failure of antiretroviral therapy. The nucleotide sequences of the HIV env gene C2-V3-C3 region were studied by PCR followed by sequencing. The genotype of the studied strains was determined based on the analysis of their phylogenetic relations with reference sequences from the international GenBank database, as well as using specialized programs. To predict viral tropism, the Garrido rule and the online bioinformatic tool Geno2Pheno[coreceptor] were used. The Geno2Pheno[coreceptor] algorithm, determines the false positive rate (FPR) based on the analysis of the env gene V3 loop nucleotide sequence. Results and discussion. Significantly lower representation of R5X4/X4-tropic HIV variants in long-term infected persons with subsubtype A6 virus compared to subtype B virus has been shown. For all FPR cut-off algorithms, a significant correlation between subtype and HIV tropism was observed (p=0.0014 and p=0.013 for FPR 10 % and FPR 20 %, respectively). While among subtype B strains, at least 57 % were identified as R5X4/X4-tropic variants (for an FPR of 10 %), including two strains classified as X4-tropic; among HIV subsubtype A6 even at an FPR of 20 %, the frequency of R5X4/X4-tropic samples only slightly exceeded 22 %. It can be assumed that the dynamics of changes in HIV tropism depends on the virus subtype. Significant differences in the distribution of amino acid residues of the V3 region sequences in the examined group between R5-tropic and R5X4/X4-tropic strains of subsubtype A6 for positions 18 (χ2=7.616, p=0.0058), 21 (χ2=7.281, p=0.007), 24 (χ2=5.587, p=0.0181), and 34 (χ2=5.144, p=0.0233) have been demonstrated. Among the R5X4/X4-tropic strains of the A6 subsubtype, amino acid substitutions were registered at positions 6, 19, 21, 26, 29, 30, which were not found in the R5-tropic A6 strains. The high occurrence frequency of a number of mutations previously described as presumably associated with resistance to maraviroc and similar drugs may indicate a natural polymorphism characteristic of the A6 subsubtype, which does not correlate with resistance to CCR5 co-receptor antagonists.
Improvement of Approaches to the Verification of the Vaccine Strain Francisella tularensis 15 NIIEG during Long-Term Storage
Authors: Sayapina L. V. , Osina N. A. , Naryshkina E. A. , Fedorov A. V. , Krasnov Ya. M. , Davydov D. S. , Bondarev V. P.
Published: November 2022

The aim of the study was to improve the methods for verifying the vaccine strain Francisella tularensis 15 NIIEG during long-term storage under current conditions.

Materials and methods. The paper summarizes the results of studying the phenotypic and genetic properties of lyophilized cultures of the vaccine strain F. tularensis 15 NIIEG (1953, 1966, 1969, 1987, 1990, 2003, 2012 and 2013) stored at SCEMAP for a period of one to 60 years.

Results and discussion. Previous studies have revealed that freeze-dried cultures of F. tularensis 15 NIIEG generally had the characteristics of the vaccine strain, with the exception of deviations from the regulatory requirements for residual virulence and specific safety. The stability of preservation of deletions in the pilA and pilE genes (the region of differentiation RD19) and the genes encoding lpp lipoprotein (RD18) in the vaccine strain, which was stored for various periods of time in a lyophilized state, has been confirmed. The vaccine-strain-specific mutation C178404T (by the genome of F. tularensis LVS strain, GenBank NCBI no. CP009694) has been identified, and an approach to determine it has been developed. The data obtained are promising as regards using the above deletions in the RD18/RD19 regions in combination with the C178404T mutation to assess the authenticity of the vaccine strain using molecular genetic methods. Thus, the conducted retrospective analysis of the data on the cultures of tularemia microbe vaccine strain from the 1940s to 2013 and the gathered experimental data, made it possible to supplement the uniform requirements for the manufacture, study, maintenance, storage and movement of F. tularensis 15 NIIEG vaccine strain with new evidence. Based on the results obtained, the authors have drawn a draft methodological recommendations of the federal level “Vaccinal strain Francisella tularensis 15 NIIEG: order of handling”.
The Effectiveness of MALDI ToF Mass Spectrometry in Identification of Francisella tularensis Strains
Authors: Syngeeva A. K. , Ostyak A. S. , Kulikalova E. S. , Mazepa A. V. , Naumova K. V. , Balakhonov S. V.
Published: November 2022

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of MALDI‑ToF mass spectrometry in the identification of collection and newly isolated strains of tularemia pathogen using the database “Protein profiles of mass spectra of microorganisms belonging to I–II pathogenicity groups for the MALDI Biotyper software”.

Materials and methods. We investigated 142 strains of Francisella tularensis, including 59 collection strains and 83 newly isolated ones. Bacteriological, molecular-genetic and proteomic research methods were used to identify them. The acquisition of mass spectra, analysis, generation and expansion of reference libraries were performed on a mass analyzer “Microflex LT” using FlexControl v. 3.3, FlexAnalysis v. 3.3, and MALDI Biotyper 3.0 software packages. The cluster analysis was performed using the BioNumerics 7.6 software.

Results and discussion. The possibility of identifying tularemia pathogen has been assessed using the extended database for MALDI Biotyper 3.0 “Protein profiles of mass spectra of microorganisms belonging to I–II pathogenicity groups for the MALDI Biotyper software”. During identification to the species level, the significance of mass spectrometry results for collection strains and newly isolated ones was 91.5 % and 97.6 %, respectively. In determining the genus appurtenance, the reliability of identification was 100 %. Thus, the MALDI‑ToF mass spectrometry method allows for accurate species and genus identification of F. tularensis strains. Based on the cluster analysis of 66 F. tularensis strains in BioNumerics 7.6 software using «Pearson correlation» and the UPGMA algorithm, the possibility of subspecies differentiation has been evaluated. Due to the similarity of protein profiles of F. tularensis strains, a clear differentiation into subspecies could not be achieved. It is necessary to use other options for sample preparation, new generation devices with higher resolution, as well as apply additional approaches and analysis tools for successful subspecific differentiation.
Rhamnose-Positive Strains of Plague Agent: Virulence and Epidemiological Significance
Authors: Sludsky A. A. , Devdariani Z. L.
Published: November 2022

The aim of the review is to show the groundlessness of the unconditional assessment of rhamnose-positive strains of plague pathogen as avirulent for most species of carriers and humans and having no epidemiological significance. The main carriers of rhamnose-positive strains are several species of voles and the Mongolian pika. The vast majority of experts are of the opinion that rhamnose-positive (“vole`s” and “pika`s”) strains of Yersinia pestis are avirulent or weakly virulent for many species of warm-blooded animals and humans, and therefore have no epidemiological significance. However, in a series of experiments on infecting marmots, ground squirrels, and large gerbils with rhamnose-positive strains, some of the experimental animals fell ill acutely and died from the plague. In nature, rhamnose-positive strains have been isolated from carcasses of relatively resistant red marmots. When evaluating the epidemiological significance of rhamnose-positive strains, such an important criterion as the presence or absence of effective factors and pathways of pathogen transmission in foci of the vole and pika types is omitted. Voles and pikas are not eaten; therefore, the contact route of infecting humans in these foci is impossible. The second way of transmission of the pathogen to humans – vector-borne – is difficult due to the lack of migration of vole fleas from burrows to the surface and their low efficiency as vectors. Nevertheless, cases of human infection with rhamnose-positive strains of the plague agent in the Caucasus and Mongolia give grounds to assert that at least some rhamnose-positive strains have a sufficiently high virulence and are capable of causing infectious process in humans as well. Therefore, epidemiological surveillance in the foci of plague of the vole and pika types cannot be totally abandoned. It can be conducted according to an abbreviated scheme.
Antibiotic Resistance of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolated from Patients with Urinary Tract Infections at the Urological Inpatient Facility of the Saratov Clinical Hospital
Authors: Kazantsev A. V. , Proskuryakova M. V. , Kazakova E. S. , Osina N. A. , Shvidenko I. G. , Mikerov A. N.
Published: November 2022

The aim of the work was to study the profile of antibiotic resistance of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from patients with urinary tract infections in the urological inpatient facility of the clinical hospital in the Saratov city, depending on appurtenance to phylogenetic groups and subgroups, as well as O-serogroups.

Materials and methods. We assessed sensitivity/resistance to 25 different antibacterial drugs in 102 strains of uropathogenic E. coli. The studies were carried out using the disk diffusion method. The production of extended spectrum beta-lactamases was evaluated by the double disk method. Carbapenemase output was determined using the CIM test. The PCR method was applied to determine appurtenance to phylogenetic groups and subgroups, O-serogroups, as well as the frequency of occurrence of the mcr‑1, mcr‑2, mcr‑3, mcr‑4, mcr‑5 genes encoding the proteins that mediate the development of resistance to colistin.

Results and discussion. It has been established that all strains of uropathogenic E. coli are more or less resistant to antibacterial drugs. All studied 102 strains showed resistance to 23 antibacterial drugs from 8 functional groups. The resistance of uropathogenic E. coli had certain differences depending on belonging to phylogenetic groups and subgroups, O-serogroups. Strains of uropathogenic E. coli with high resistance (up to 100 %) belonged to the B23 phylogenetic group, the main representatives of which are cultures of the most common O-25 serogroup. The production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases has been phenotypically confirmed for 69 (67.6 %) strains. No carbapenemaseproducing cultures were found in the study. The mcr‑1 and mcr‑2 genes encoding resistance to colistin have been identified in 3 uropathogenic E. coli strains (2.9 %).
Experience in Using Mobile Laboratory for Monitoring and Diagnostics in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Authors: Kas’yan Zh. A. , Anh Le Thi Lan , Sharova I. N. , Cuong Vo Viet , Oglodin E. G. , Toan Trinh Van , Golubev S. N. , Proskuryakova M. V. , Anh Bui Thi Lan , Hau Hoang Duc , Huong Dang Thi Viet , Giang Pham Thi Ha , Nghia Duong Van , Nga Bui Thi Thanh , Lyapin M. N. , Shcherbakova S. A.
Published: November 2022

The aim was to present the experience of using mobile laboratory for monitoring and diagnostics (MLMD) during the epizootiological monitoring of the northern provinces of Vietnam. MLMD was transferred by Federal Service for Surveillance in the Sphere of Consumers Rights Protection and Human Welfare to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as part of implementation of cooperation programs on combating infectious diseases. The use of MLMD made it possible to obtain new information on the circulation of pathogens of natural-focal infectious diseases on the territory of Vietnam. It also provided the necessary conditions for conducting research using methods of express diagnostics, bacteriological analysis, performing a full cycle of work – from the receipt of samples to the disinfection and destruction of infected material in compliance with the requirements of biological safety in the field. The effectiveness of using mobile laboratories in response to the emergencies of sanitary and epidemiological nature, both to strengthen stationary laboratory bases and to organize diagnostic studies in remote regions, has been shown. The use of MLMD for the diagnosis of COVID‑19 has been an effective component of countering the new coronavirus infection in Vietnam and significantly increased the volume of testing in the country.
Snow-covered region improvements to a support vector machine-based semi-automated land cover mapping decision support tool
Authors: O'Neill Francis , Lasko Kristofer , Sava Elena
Published: November 2022

This work builds on the original semi-automated land cover mapping algorithm and quantifies improvements to class accuracy, analyzes the results, and conducts a more in-depth accuracy assessment in conjunction with test sites and the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). This algorithm uses support vector machines trained on data collected across the continental United States to generate a pre-trained model for inclusion into a decision support tool within ArcGIS Pro. Version 2 includes an additional snow cover class and accounts for snow cover effects within the other land cover classes. Overall accuracy across the continental United States for Version 2 is 75% on snow-covered pixels and 69% on snow-free pixels, versus 16% and 66% for Version 1. However, combining the “crop” and “low vegetation” classes improves these values to 86% for snow and 83% for snow-free, compared to 19% and 83% for Version 1. This merging is justified by their spectral similarity, the difference between crop and low vegetation falling closer to land use than land cover. The Version 2 tool is built into a Python-based ArcGIS toolbox, allowing users to leverage the pre-trained model—along with image splitting and parallel processing techniques—for their land cover type map generation needs.
Designing Novel Hard-Coating Free Erosion-Corrosion Resistant Nano-Composite(s) for Oilfield Applications: From Pump Liners to Washpipe Sleeves
Authors: Roy Ting , Ben Naceur Kamel , Koyanagi Yoshihiko , Furusho Chihiro , Meissner Siggi , Ardic Hifzi , Roy Indranil
Published: November 2022

Rapid frequency and mean time between failures (MTBF), affecting the overall performance of components such as pump liners, entire fluid ends and washpipe sleeves deployed in aggressive & abrasive environments, presents innovation opportunities to mitigate and improve failure intervals. In-depth review of the needs of collaborating end-users, warranted design of Ultra-Hard-Coating free (CVD, PVD, DLC, HVOF etc.), erosion-corrosion resistant nano-composite(s) (CRn-C) for oilfield-applications.

Given our vast experience with Ultra-Hard-Coatings on a softer metal-matrix, wherein dynamic surface force due to impinging hard-particulates like grains of sand enveloped in a fluid (slick-water) creates hydrodynamic-forces acting on the particulates resulting in fracture of Hard- Coatings at a microscopic length-scale, commonly characterized as erosion. Breach of the coating and subsequent entry of corrosive-fluids between the coating and softer metal-substrate causes crevice-corrosion leading to catastrophic failures.

To help bridge this challenging "Technology-gap", here we present the design of nano- composites wherein the base-material is a corrosion resistant alloy (CRA) having multi- nano- phase inclusions, with loadings up-to 90%.
Invisible gold in the Archean detrital sulphides of the Witwatersrand tailings dumps: A large and under-exploited gold resource
Authors: Chingwaru Steve , Heyden Bjorn Von der , Tadie Margreth
Published: November 2022

The tailings dumps originating from gold mining in South Africa’s Witwatersrand still contain notable gold endowments. Most tailings reprocessing operations target a native gold fraction using re-milling and carbon-in-leach extraction; however, up to 50-70% of the remaining gold is still not recoverable and instead reports to a discard stream along with abundant sulphides. The mineralogical deportment of this unrecoverable gold requires detailed investigation. Using in situ laser ablation mineral chemistry measurements, we show that this gold that is ‘invisible’ to conventional recovery is hosted preferentially in pyrite and arsenian pyrite. Importantly, complementary optical and electron microscopies reveal that the rounded detrital forms of these minerals contain the highest gold concentrations (0,01–2730 ppm), showing some similarity to values reported for sulphides from primary orogenic gold deposits found in surrounding Archean-aged granite-greenstone belt remnants. We suggest that detrital auriferous sulphides have been overlooked by historical primary and secondary beneficiation, and thus represent a large (up to 420 tons) and under-exploited Au resource currently residing in easily-mined (surficial) Witwatersrand tailings dumps. We further suggest that targeted re-mining of sulphide mineral fraction has the potential to improve gold recovery, recuperate ‘sweetener’ by-product metals (e.g., Cu, Co, Ni) and directly eliminate heavy metal pollution and acid mine drainage issues associated with surficial tailings dumps.
Preoperative Blood Urea Nitrogen-to-Serum Albumin Ratio for the Prediction of In-hospital Mortality in Patients who Underwent Emergency Surgery for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection
Authors: Wu Qingsong , Lin Jianling , Xie Linfeng , Qiu Zhihuang , Tang Mirong , Chen Liangwan
Published: November 2022

Background
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum albumin (SA) are related to mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases, such as acute aortic dissection. However, there are no data on the relationship between BUN-to-albumin ratio (BA-R) and mortality in patients with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of BA-R for the prediction of in-hospital mortality in patients who underwent emergency surgery for ATAAD.
Methods
Patients who were diagnosed with ATAAD and underwent emergency surgery within 48 h of onset at our hospital between January 2015 and December 2021 were included in this study. The primary endpoint of this study was postoperative in-hospital mortality (POIM). The data of the survivors and non-survivors were retrospectively compared. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between BA-R and POIM.
Results
A total of 557 patients with ATAAD were enrolled in this study. Of these, 505 survived and 52 did not. The preoperative BA-R of the non-survivor group was significantly higher than that of the survivor group (0.27 [0.18, 0.46] vs. 0.12 [0.10, 0.16] mmol/g; P < 0.001). Univariate regression analysis showed that preoperative BA-R ≥ 0.155 mmol/g, serum creatinine level ≥ 96.3 µmol/mL, SA level < 37.05 g/L, D-dimer level ≥ 8.21 µg/mL, age ≥ 56 years, myocardial ischemia, cerebral ischemia, and aortic clamp time ≥ 49.6 min were risk factors for POIM. In addition, multivariable regression analysis showed that preoperative BA-R ≥ 0.155 mmol/g was a risk factor for POIM (odds ratio, 6.815 [3.582–12.964]; P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that the cut-off point for preoperative BA-R was ≥ 0.155 mmol/g (area under the curve = 0.874). The sensitivity and specificity of preoperative BA-R in predicting the POIM of patients who underwent emergency surgery for ATAAD were 84.6% and 71.3%, respectively (95% confidence interval, 0.829–0.919; P < 0.001).
Conclusion
Preoperative BA-R is a simple, rapid, and potentially useful prognostic indicator of POIM in patients with ATAAD.
Biological properties and antifungal activity of Acalypha wilkesiana, Mitracarpus hirtus, Senna alata on Candida strains isolated from hospital stool samples in Southern Benin
Authors: KLOTOE Jean Robert , FAH Lauris , FANOU Brice Armand , DEGUENON Esther , AGBODJENTO Eric , ASSOGBA Phénix , TOHIO Freed , DOUGNON Victorien , LOKO Frédéric
Published: November 2022

Candidiasis is one of the opportunistic diseases that occur following HIV/AIDS infection. Currently, the management of candidiasis is problematic due to the emergence of resistance to classical antifungal drugs. The search for alternative solutions for the discovery of new bioactive molecules is necessary. This study aims to explore the antifungal properties of Mitracarptus hirtus, Acalypha wikesian and Senna alata on Candida strains isolated from stools of people living with the acquired immunodeficiency virus and collected in some hospitals in Benin and then confirmed by molecular biology techniques at the Research Unit in Microbiology and Pharmacology of natural substances. The strains were tested for different resistance factors. The main phytochemical groups of the plants were searched by staining methods from the dry matter of the studied plants. The determination of total polyphenols and the evaluation of the antioxidant activity of the extracts by the DPPH radical scavenging test were carried out by spectrophotometric methods. The in vitro antifungal activity of the aqueous and hydroethanol extracts of these plants was then evaluated on the strains. The antifungal test data revealed that of the three plants tested, only Mitracarptus hirtus showed inhibitory activity on the growth of the reference strain of Candida albicans ATCC 90028. The hydroethanol extract of this plant was active on all clinical strains with a better effect at the concentration of 100 mg/ml. The data obtained also highlighted the richness in total polyphenols and the anti-free radical activity of the plant extracts studied. This study proved particularly the anti-candidus properties of the hydro-ethanolic extract of the leafy stem of Mitracarptus hirtus. Further studies will generate data on the in vivo efficacy and mechanism of action of the anti-candidosis effect of Mitracarptus hirtus.
Risk Factors of Breast Cancer Determination: a Comparative Study on Different Feature Selection Techniques
Authors: Maalej Zainab , Rejab Fahmi Ben , Nouira Kaouther
Published: November 2022

Purpose: Choosing the relevant features is important to provide a better understanding of the data and improve the prediction performance. Thus, the main aim of this paper is to identify the risk factors of breast cancer.
Methods: focusing on two different datasets: Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) and Breast Cancer Coimbra (BCC), we perform a comparative study of various feature selection methods: Filter Methods, Wrapper Methods and Embedded Methods. In addition, this work investigates the stability of these techniques when perturbation on datasets is added. Artficial Neural Network, Random Forest, SVM, Logistic Regression and Decision Tree are used for classification. Results: The results are compared when using all the features and when using only the top ranked. The classification performances are comparable in either cases. Furthermore, we found that invasive, glucose, resistin, insulin, leptin, age, adiponectin, BMI and HOMA are the most relevant features that promote breast cancer.
Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that the identified feature selection methods can efficiently determine the risk factors of breast cancer.
Survey of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes in Jerash Province of Jordan
Authors: Al-ameiri Nofal Suleiman Mohammad
Published: November 2022

Nematodes are devastating of crop plants in agricultural production and certainly contributing significantly to net reduction in crop yield. A general survey to the whole country of Jordan was done and only one comprehensive survey in one province (Karak Province) was previously done. Therefore, this study aimed at conducting a comprehensive survey for plant-parasitic nematodes in Jerash Province in the Northern part of Jordan. Results revealed widespread distribution of different nematode species throughout Jerash province, and only 5.4% of soil samples were not infested with the plant-parasitic nematodes. All percentages of symptoms of cereal hosts were lower than the other hosts. Root galling in vegetables was 68% compared to cereals with only 9%. Several genera of nematodes were identified in this study in which Meloidogyne and Pratylechus were detected almost in all samples collected with 92% for Meloidogyne spp. and 81% for Pratylenchus followed by Helicotylenchus, Xiphinema, and Longidorus. The outcomes of this investigation are relevant by enhancing the basic knowledge of plant parasitic nematodes in Jerash.
Co-composting of cattle manure and wheat straw covered with a semi-permeable membrane: Organic matter humification and bacterial community succession
Authors: Song Yingjin , Li Ruiyi , Wang Yuxin , Hou Yu , Chen Guanyi , Yan Beibei , cheng zhanjun , Mu Lan
Published: November 2022

Semi-permeable membrane covered composting is one of the most commonly used composting technologies in northeast China, but its humification process is not yet well understood. This study employed a semi-permeable membrane-covered composting system to detect the organic matter humification and bacterial community evolution patterns over the course of agricultural waste composting. Variations in physicochemical properties, humus composition and bacterial communities were studied. The results suggested that membrane covering improved humic acid (HA) content and degree of polymerization (DP) by 9.28% and 21.57%, respectively. Bacterial analysis indicated that membrane covering reduced the bacterial richness and increased the bacterial diversity. Membrane covering mainly affected the bacterial community structure during thermophilic period of composting. RDA analysis revealed that membrane covering may affect the bacterial community by altering the physicochemical properties such as moisture content. Correlation analysis showed that membrane covering activated the dominant genera Saccharomonospora and Planktosalinus to participate in the formation of HS and HA in composting, thus promoting HS formation and its structural complexity. Membrane covering significantly reduced microbial metabolism during the cooling phase of composting.
Neural Network Prediction of Porosity and Permeability of Shaly Gas Sandstone Reservoir Using NMR Data
Authors: Hamada Ghareb , Abushanab Mahmoud
Published: November 2022

Petrophysical evaluation of shaly gas sand reservoirs is one of the most difficult problems. These reservoirs usually produce from multiple layers with different permeability and complex formation, which is often enhanced by natural fracturing. In this study, we propose a new model to predict porosity and permeability using derived data from NMR. The developed Neural Network (NN) model uses the NMR T2 pin values, and density and resistivity logs to predict porosity, and permeability for two test wells. The NN trained model has displayed good correlation with core porosity and permeability values, and with the NMR derived porosity and permeability in the test wells. This work focuses on determination of porosity (DMR) from combination of density porosity and NMR porosity and permeability from NMR logs using Bulk Gas Magnetic Resonance Permeability (KBGMR). Neural network (NN) technique is used to predict formation porosity and permeability using NMR and conventional logging data. Predicted porosity and permeability have shown a good correlation with core porosity and permeability in the studied shaly gas sand reservoir.
Conditioning of Matrix Functions of Quasi-triangular Matrices
Authors: Al-Mohy Awad
Published: November 2022

The area of matrix functions has received growing interest for a long period of time due to their growing applications.Having a numerical algorithm for a matrix function, the ideal situation is to have an estimate or bound for the error returned alongside the solution.Condition numbers serve this purpose; they measure the first order sensitivity of matrix functions to perturbations in the input data.We have observed that the existing crude condition number leads most of time to inferior bounds of relative forward errors for matrix functions of triangular and quasi-triangular matrices. We propose a condition number of matrix functions exploiting the structure of triangular and quasi-triangular matrices and derive an algorithm for exact computation of the condition number and another one for its estimation. The computational cost of the new condition number is no bigger than the existing unstructured one. Finally, our numerical experiment shows that the new condition number captures the behavior of the numerical algorithms and provides reasonable sharp bounds for the relative forward errors.
Effect of Aerobic Combined with Resistance Training on Obese Women After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectom
Authors: Yun Hezhang , Sun Yaowei , teng Jin , Su Yuhui , Sang Qian , Zhang Wenbo , Zhao Haotian , Liu Chang , Song Yafeng , Hua Meng
Published: November 2022

Objective

This study aims to explore the effect of exercise on obese female patients after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectom.

Methods

Sixteen obese women after weight loss were randomly divided into the exercise group (EG,n = 8) and the control group (CG,n = 8).The EG received aerobic combined resistance training for 4 weeks, 3 times a week (training every other day) for 70 minutes, while the CG did not participate in any exercise.The dietitian for each subject formulated the diet plan according to their postoperative diet management.

Results

The HC decreased more in the CG than in the EG, with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). The decrease in BF%,TF, and VFA in the EG was greater than that in the CG, and the difference was significant.(P < 0.05). The BRM decreased more in the CG than in the EG, with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). The HR, SBP and DBP in the EG were lower than those in the pre-test, and HR decreased significantly after exercise, while those in the CG showed an upward trend. The range of changes before and after FBG in the CG was higher than that in the EG, and there was a very significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01), while the HDL-C in the CG decreased significantly compared with the pre-test, while the EG showed an upward trend, and there was a very significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). The 6MWT, STS and ACT of the two groups were significantly higher than those of the pretest, and the improvement of 6MWT and STS EG was higher than that of the CG.

Conclusions

Aerobic combined resistance training can (1) improve body weight proportion, reduce body fat content and slow down the loss of protein and skeletal muscle. (2) maintain the relative stability of FBG and has a specific effect on improving hypoglycemia.The increase of HDL-C level after weight loss surgery is related to exercise. (3) plays a positive role in the decrease of heart rate and blood pressure after weight loss surgery.
The cell developmental atlas of human embryonic temporomandibular joint
Authors: Zhu Qianqi , Tan Miaoying , Wang Chengniu , Chen Yufei , Wang Chenfei , Zhang Junqi , Gu Yijun , Guo Yuqi , Han Jianpeng , Li Lei , Jiang Rongrong , Fan Xudong , Xie Huimin , Wang Liang , Gu Zhifeng , Liu Dong , Shi Jianwu , Feng Xingmei
Published: November 2022

Background: The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a complex joint consisting of the mandibular condyle, temporal articular surface, and articular disc. The functions of mastication, swallowing and articulation are accomplished by the movements of the TMJ. To date, the TMJ has been studied more extensively, but the study of the TMJ is limited by the type of TMJ cells, their differentiation, and their interrelationship during growth and development is unclear. The aim of this study is to establish a molecular cellular developmental atlas of the human TMJ by single-cell RNA sequencing, which will contribute to understanding and solving.
Results: We performed a comprehensive transcriptome analysis of TMJ tissue from 3- and 4-month-old human embryos using single-cell RNA sequencing. A total of 15,624 cells were captured and the gene expression profiles of 15 cell populations in human TMJ were determined, including 14 known cell types and a previously unknown cell type named "transition state cells (TSCs)". Immunofluorescence assays confirmed that TSCs are not the same cell cluster as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Pseudotime trajectory and RNA velocity analysis showed that MSCs transformed into TSCs, and TSCs further differentiated into tenocytes, hypertrophic chondrocytes and osteoblasts. In addition, chondrocytes were detected only in 4-month-old human embryonic TMJ.
Conclusions: Our study provides an atlas of the earlier cellular development of human embryonic TMJ tissue, which will contribute to a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of TMJ tissue during repair and ultimately help to solve clinical problems.
Pre-COVID resting-state brain activity in the fusiform gyrus prospectively predicts social anxiety alterations during the pandemic
Authors: Gong Qiyong , Li Qingyuan , Zhang Xun , Yang Xun , Pan Nanfang , He Min , Suo Xueling , Wang Song , Li Xiao
Published: November 2022

Persistent social anxiety (SA) has been reported to be associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but the neurobiopsychological mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the neurofunctional markers for the development of SA during the pandemic and the potential roles of COVID-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in the brain-SA alterations link. Before the COVID-19 pandemic (T1), 100 general college students underwent baseline brain resting-state magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral tests for SA. During the period of community-level outbreaks (T2), these students were recontacted to undergo follow-up assessments of SA and COVID-related PTSS. Whole-brain correlation analyses and prediction analyses found that pre-pandemic spontaneous neural activity (measured by fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations) in the right fusiform gyrus (FG) was positively linked with SA alterations (T2 – T1) during the pandemic. Moreover, mediation analyses revealed a mediating role of COVID-specific PTSS in the association of right FG activity with SA alterations. Importantly, our results persisted even after adjusting for the effects of pre-pandemic family socioeconomic status, other stressful life events, and general anxiety. Overall, our study provides fresh evidence for neurofunctional markers of COVID-induced aggravation of SA and may help individuals vulnerable to SA exacerbation benefit from targeted clinical interventions.
Mites as a natural weapon against soil-borne fungal diseases
Authors: Shen Haoyang , Maeda Masayuki , Nagamine Tadashi , Wang Xueding , Shiratori Yutaka , Senoo Keishi
Published: November 2022

Crop diseases caused by soil-borne fungal pathogens are threatening worldwide biodiversity and food security, but the unavoidable chemical inputs used thus far for fungal pathogen control have led to environmental issues and the emergence of chemical resistance in pathogens. Here we show that native soil mesofauna can be used as a natural weapon against soil-borne fungal diseases. We found that the widespread soil mesofauna fungivores, represented by mites, naturally provide agricultural soils with resistance to fungal pathogens through fungal grazing. Furthermore, we found that such a preexisting resistance in soils can be artificially enhanced by modifying the belowground habitat of mites and thus exploited for the control of various soil-borne fungal diseases of crops. Our findings demonstrate that incorporating native mesofauna into the ‘environment dimension’ within the soil-borne ‘disease triangle’ and mesofauna grazing into ‘soil suppressiveness’ leads to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of soil-borne fungal diseases and opens a new direction for their control.