bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Urban Noise and Surrounding City Morphology Influence Green Space Occupancy by Native Birds in a Mediterranean-type South American Metropolis
Authors: Arévalo Constanza , Amaya-Espinel Juan David , Henríquez Cristian , Ibarra José Tomás , Bonacic Cristián
Published: January 2022

Urban green spaces provide natural habitat for birds in urban landscapes, yet the effects of noise and surrounding urban morphology on bird community structure and distribution are not well understood in Latin America, the second most urbanized region in the world. Santiago of Chile is the single city belonging to the Mediterranean ecosystem in South America and is subject to extensive urbanization as seen throughout Latin America. We examined the role of 65 urban green spaces (6 large: PAR and 59 small: SGS) in harboring native birds during winter 2019, analyzing the quality of green areas in terms of vegetation (i.e. NDVI, native vegetation, and tree cover), exotic bird species, noise levels, and surrounding urban matrix (i.e. building height and cover). Significantly higher noise levels were detected in SGS, along with significantly greater exotic bird (n=4) richness and abundance than PAR, which possessed significantly greater native bird (n=25) richness and abundance. Native birds were more abundant than exotic birds in green spaces with average noise levels < 52 dB and average NDVI > 0.5. Occupancy models indicate that green space occupancy by 50% of modeled native bird species was influenced by maximum noise levels, playing a larger role than vegetation (30%) and the urban matrix (0%). We stress the importance of developing networks of large green spaces in rapidly urbanizing regions, with abundant tree cover, surrounded by smaller urban morphology, and regulating noise levels to ensure the conservation of native bird communities in cities, particularly those that are threatened.
The Applicability of eVTOLs in Emergency Medical Care in Japan
Authors: Nakamoto Aki , Mihara Yusuke , Motomura Tomokazu , Matsumoto Hisashi , Nakano Masaru
Published: January 2022

Background: The present study aims to elucidate the applicability of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that dispatch only a doctor to provide a solution to the operational challenges of utilizing a helicopter to transport a doctor to the patient/s, with such physician-staffed emergency medical helicopters being known as doctor heli (DH), in Japan.Methods: This study conducted interviews with 17 parties related to DHs in five prefectures in Japan to depict challenges of DHs and eVTOL requirements. Subsequently, this study analyzed the Hokusoh DH flight data, as an example, in terms of cases for which flight doctors consider condition assessment and initial treatment provision by a doctor would be particularly effective, to assess the hypothesis that a two-seater is applicable for emergency medical care (EMS) and that eVTOLs help reduce duplicate dispatch requests for DHs as well as the percentage and delayed dispatch time of duplicate requests.Results: Challenges of DHs and eVTOL requirements were identified and classified into six major categories. Data analysis results indicated that two-seater eVTOLs would be particularly effective for trauma, cardiac disease, brain disease cases, and pediatric patient cases and help solve duplicate requests.Conclusions: Two-seater eVTOLs are likely applicable in EMS in Japan.
Ferulic Acid Induces Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Alleviate the Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells and Liver Fibrosis via Cytoskeletal Rearrangement Inhibition and Mir-19b-3p Transfer
Authors: Zhang Rui , Li Wenhang , Jiang Xiandan , Cui Xinyi , You Hongjie , Tang Zuoqing , Liu Wenlan , Wang Jiabo
Published: January 2022

Background: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are effective for treating fibrotic liver. BMSCs contain a variety of proteins and RNAs, which have functions similar to their derived cells, but the specific mechanism is unclear. In a recent study, ferulic acid (FA) was highly effective in treating liver fibrosis. Therefore, we combined BMSCs and FA to treat CCl4-induced fibrosis models. Methods: First, we used BMSCs and FA to treat CCl4-induced fibrosis models and observed their therapeutic effect, investigated the specific mechanism of this combination therapy in liver fibrosis. Second, we created a BMSC/hepatic stellate cell (HSC) co-culture system and used FA to treat activated HSCs. We next used cytochalasin D and angiotensin II to investigate whether BMSCs and FA inactivate HSCs through cytoskeletal rearrangement. MiR-19b-3p was enriched in BMSCs and targeted TGF-β receptor II (TGF-βR2). We transfected miR-19b-3p into HSCs and BMSCs separately and detected whether BMSCs transferred miR-19b-3p to HSCs or inactivated HSCs. Results: We used BMSCs and FA to treat CCl4-induced fibrosis models and found that the combination therapy had better effects than FA or BMSCs alone. The expression of the profibrotic markers α-SMA and COL1-A1 was significantly decreased in HSCs co-cultured with BMSCs and FA treatment. Cytoskeletal rearrangement in HSCs was inhibited, and RhoA/ROCK pathway gene expression was decreased. With angiotensin II treatment, COL1-A1 and a-SMA expression increased, while with cytochalasin D treatment, profibrotic gene expression decreased in HSCs. COL1-A1, α-SMA and RhoA/ROCK pathway genes were decreased in activated HSCs treated with a miR-19b-3p mimic, indicating that miR-19b-3p inactivated HSCs by suppressing RhoA/ROCK signalling. In contrast, profibrotic genes were significantly decreased in BMSCs treated with the miR-19b-3p mimic or a miR-19b-3p inhibitor and FA compared with BMSCs treated with the miR-19b-3p mimic alone.Conclusion: BMSCs attenuated HSC activation and liver fibrosis by inhibiting cytoskeletal rearrangement and delivering miR-19b-3p to activated HSCs, inactivating RhoA/ROCK signaling. FA-based combination therapy showed better inhibitory effects on HSC activation, suggesting that BMSCs and their miRNAs combined with FA are novel antifibrotic therapeutics for treating chronic liver disease.
Induction of Donor-Specific Immune Hypo-Responsiveness Across Major Histocompatibility Complex Barriers in Murine Models of Solid Organ Transplant: Repurposing Extracorporeal Photochemotherapy
Authors: Schneiderman Jennifer , Qiu Longhui , Yeap Xin Yi , Kang Xin , Zheng Feibo , Ye Junsheng , Xie Yan , Wang Jiao-Jing , Sambandam Yuvaraj , Mathew James , Li Lin , Leventhal Joseph , Edelson Richard , Zhang Zheng Jenny
Published: January 2022

Recipients of solid organ transplantation (SOT) rely on life-long immunosuppression (IS), which is associated with significant side effects. Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP) is a safe, existing cellular therapy used to treat transplant rejection by modulating the recipient’s own blood cells. We sought to induce donor-specific hypo-responsiveness of SOT recipients by infusing ECP-treated donor leukocytes prior to transplant. To this end, we utilized major histocompatibility complex (MHC) mismatched rodent models of allogeneic cardiac, liver, and kidney transplantation to test this novel strategy. Leukocytes isolated from donor-matched spleens for ECP treatment (ECP-DL) were infused into transplant recipients seven days prior to SOT. Pre-transplant infusion of ECP-DL without additional IS was associated with prolonged graft survival in all models. This innovative approach promoted the production of tolerogenic dendritic cells and regulatory T-cells with subsequent inhibition of T-cell priming and differentiation, along with a significant reduction of donor-specific T-cells in the spleen and grafts of treated animals. This new application of donor-type ECP-treated leukocytes provides insight into the mechanisms behind ECP-induced immunoregulation and holds significant promise in the prevention of graft rejection and reduction in need of global immune suppressive therapy in patients following SOT.
XRE Family Transcriptional Regulator XtrSs Modulates Streptococcus Suis Fitness of Hydrogen Peroxide Stress
Authors: Zhang Yumin , Liang Song , Pan Zihao , Yu Yong , Yao Huochun , Liu Yongjie , Liu Guangjin
Published: January 2022

Streptococcus suis is an important emerging zoonosis that causes economic losses in the pig industry and severe threats to public health. Transcriptional regulators play essential roles in bacterial adaptation to host environments. In this study, we identified a novel XRE family transcriptional regulator in S. suis CZ130302, XtrSs, involved in the bacterial fitness to hydrogen peroxide stress. Based on electrophoretic mobility shift and β-galactosidase activity assays, we found that XtrSs autoregulated its own transcription and repressed the expression of its downstream gene psePs, a surface protein with unknown function in S. suis, by binding to a palindromic sequence from the promoter region. Furthermore, we proved that the deletion of the psePs gene attenuated bacterial antioxidant response. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that XtrSs and PsePs naturally co-existed as a combination in most S. suis genomes. Collectively, we demonstrated the binding characteristics of XtrSs in S. suis and provided a new insight that XtrSs played a critical role in modulating psePs to the hydrogen peroxide resistance of S. suis.
The Study of CFRP Variable Feed Drilling Method Based on Sinusoidal Curve
Authors: Wang Shuaipu , Liang Jie
Published: January 2022

In order to reduce the delamination damage of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) drilling and improve the drilling quality. A variable feed drilling method based on sinusoidal curve was proposed, that is, when the drill at a distance of 1mm from the hole exit, the feed rate of the drill would be reduced according to the rule of sinusoidal curve. The method is compared with the traditional feed drilling by experiment, and the influence of the variable feed drilling on thrust force, delamination factor, surface quality, surface roughness of hole wall and exit hole wall morphology are analyzed. The results show that compared with constant-feed drilling, the variable-feed drilling based on sinusoidal curve reduces the thrust force near the hole exit, and greatly improves the delamination factor, surface quality and hole wall morphology at the exit. But the influence on the hole wall roughness is not particularly obvious.
Neural Substrates Associated With Fatigue Symptom In Fibromyalgia
Authors: Liu Hung-Yu , Lee Pei-Lin , Chou Kun-Hsien , Wang Yen-Feng , Chen Shih-Pin , Lai Kuan-Lin , Lin Ching-Po , Wang Shuu-Jiun , Chen Wei-Ta
Published: January 2022

Many patients with fibromyalgia (FM) experience fatigue, but the associated biological mechanisms have not been delineated. We aimed to investigate the neural signatures associated with fatigue severity in patients with FM using MRI. We consecutively recruited 138 patients with FM and collected their clinical profiles and brain-MRI data. We categorized the patients into 3 groups based on their fatigue severity. Using voxel-based morphometry analysis and trend analysis, we first identified neural structures showing volumetric changes associated with fatigue severity, and further explored their seed-to-voxel structural covariance networks (SCNs). Results showed decreased bilateral thalamic volumes were associated with higher severity of fatigue. There was a more widespread distribution of the thalamic SCNs to the frontal, parietal, subcortical, and limbic regions in patients with higher fatigue severity. In addition, increased right inferior temporal cortex volumes were associated with higher severity of fatigue. The right inferior temporal seed showed more SCNs distributions over the temporal cortex and a higher strength of SCNs to the bilateral occipital cortex in patients with higher fatigue severity. The thalamus and the right inferior temporal cortex as well as their altered interactions with cortical and subcortical regions comprise the neural signatures of fatigue in FM.
Structural and computational insights into the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron RBD-ACE2 interaction
Authors: Wang Xinquan , Lan Jun , He Xinheng , Ren Yifei , Wang Ziyi , Zhou Huan , Fan Shilong , Zhu Chenyou , Liu Dongsheng , Shao Bin , Liu Tie-Yan , Wang Qisheng , Zhang Linqi , Ge Jiwan , Wang Tong
Published: January 2022

Since SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) was reported in November 2021, it has quickly spread to many countries and outcompeted the globally dominant Delta variant in several countries. The Omicron variant contains the largest number of mutations to date, with 32 mutations located at spike (S) glycoprotein, which raised great concern for its enhanced viral fitness and immune escape[1-4]. In this study, we reported the crystal structure of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of Omicron variant S glycoprotein bound to human ACE2 at a resolution of 2.6 Å. Structural comparison, molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy calculation collectively identified four key mutations (S477N, G496S, Q498R and N501Y) for the enhanced binding of ACE2 by the Omicron RBD compared to the WT RBD. Representative states of the WT and Omicron RBD-ACE2 systems were identified by Markov State Model, which provides a dynamic explanation for the enhanced binding of Omicron RBD. The effects of the mutations in the RBD for antibody recognition were analyzed, especially for the S371L/S373P/S375F substitutions significantly changing the local conformation of the residing loop to deactivate several class IV neutralizing antibodies.
Sportsman’s Mental State Evaluation and Early Warning Method Using Decision Tree
Authors: Kumar Nitin
Published: January 2022

Aiming at the intelligent needs of psychological state assessment of university students, the text information-based psychological problem identification approach is investigated in the paper. This approach uses the text of student forums within universities as the database and introduces the convolutional neural network (CNN) model in deep learning, which contains a convolutional layer, a pooling layer, and a fully connected layer. After the convolution is completed, the convolution result is de-linearized by the activation function, and then pooling is performed to improve the fitting ability of the network for nonlinearities. For data processing, behavioral features attribute features, content features, and social relationship features are extracted from text information as the input of the CNN by using the decision tree. The psychological lexicon of expertise (LIWC) is used to enhance the efficiency of text word frequency statistics when performing text content extraction. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, simulations are performed in the open dataset of CLPsyh2017 ReachOut Forum, and the FastText method is used as a comparison. The results show that the CNN model achieves an accuracy of 0.71 in the full-sample domain, which is significantly higher than that of the FastText model at 0.64. In the early warning evaluation of mental states, the CNN performance is better than that of FastText.
Kendall Transformation: A Robust Representation of Continuous Data for Information Theory
Authors: Kursa Miron Bartosz
Published: January 2022

Kendall transformation is a conversion of an ordered feature into a vector of pairwise order relations between individual values. This way, it preserves ranking of observations and represents it in a categorical form.
Such transformation allows for generalisation of methods requiring strictly categorical input, especially in the limit of small number of observations, when discretisation becomes problematic.In particular, many approaches of information theory can be directly applied to Kendall-transformed continuous data without relying on differential entropy or any additional parameters. Moreover, by filtering information to this contained in ranking, Kendall transformation leads to a better robustness at a reasonable cost of dropping sophisticated interactions which are anyhow unlikely to be correctly estimated.
In bivariate analysis, Kendall transformation can be related to popular non-parametric methods, showing the soundness of the approach.The paper also demonstrates its efficiency in multivariate problems, as well as provides an example analysis of a real-world data.
Experimental Evidence for Manure-Borne Bacteria Invasion in Soil During a Coalescent Event: Influence of the Antibiotic Sulfamethazine
Authors: Billet Loren , Pesce Stéphane , Martin-Laurent Fabrice , Devers-Lamrani Marion
Published: January 2022

The fertilization of agricultural soil by organic amendment that may contain antibiotics, like manure, can transfer bacterial pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria to soil communities. However, the invasion by manure-borne bacteria in amended soil remains poorly understood, being hardly observed. Here, we assessed the invasions of manure-borne bacteria during a coalescence event between manure and soil, in different soils and in the presence or absence of antibiotics. To this end, microcosms of four different soils were amended or not with manure at an agronomical dose and/or exposed or not to the antibiotic sulfamethazine (SMZ). After one month of incubation, the diversity, structure and composition of bacterial communities of the soils were assessed by 16S rDNA sequencing. The invasion of manure-borne bacteria was still perceptible one month after the soil amendment. The results obtained with the soil already amended in situ with manure six months prior to the experiment suggest that some of the bacterial invaders were established in the community over the long term. Even if differences were observed between soils, the invasion was mainly attributable to some of the most abundant OTUs of manure (mainly Firmicutes). SMZ exposure had a limited influence on soil microorganisms. It was significant in only one soil, where it enhanced the invasion potential of some manure-borne invaders.
Arsenic Induced Gallbladder Cancer Risk in Eastern Part of Indo-Gangetic Plains
Authors: Kumar Arun , Ali Mohammad , Raj Vivek , Kumari Arti , Rachhamala Mahesh , Niyogi Som , Kumar Dhruv , Sharma Ashok , Saxena Amit , Panjawani Ghanish , Jain Preeti , Vidyarthi Ajay , Kumar Mukesh , Niraj Pintoo Kumar , Rahman Md. Samiur , Bishwapriya Akhouri , Kumar Ranjit , Sakamoto Maiko , Kumar Santosh , Singh Manisha , Ghosh Ashok Kumar
Published: January 2022

BackgroundIn recent times Gallbladder cancer (GBC) incidences increased many folds in India. Majority of GBC cases are being reported from arsenic hotspots identified in Bihar. MethodsIn this prospective study volunteers were selected who underwent surgery in our cancer institute. There were 11 control benign gallbladder cases and 28 confirmed gallbladder cancer cases. Their biological samples such as blood, gallbladder tissue, gallbladder stone, bile and hair samples were collected for arsenic estimation. Moreover, n=512 gallbladder cancer patients blood samples were evaluated for the presence of arsenic to understand exposure level in the population. ResultsA significantly high arsenic concentration (p<0.05) was detected in the blood samples, gallbladder tissue, gallstones, bile and hair samples in comparison to the control group. Moreover, n=512 blood samples of GBC patients had significantly very high arsenic concentration. ConclusionsThe study shows very high arsenic concentration observed in the blood, gallbladder tissue, gallbladder stone, bile and hair samples in GBC cases in comparison to the benign control cases indicates the correlation between chronic arsenic exposure and gallbladder cancer incidences in eastern Indo-Gangetic plains region. The study also makes an attempt to establish the likely correlation/association between arsenic exposure and gallbladder cancer disease.
Visualising Iron Gall Ink Underdrawings In 16th Century Paintings In-Situ By Micro-XRF Scanning (MA-XRF) And LED-Excited IRR (LEDE-IRR)
Authors: Gerken Mareike , Sander Jochen , Krekel Christoph
Published: January 2022

Until today, iron gall ink is classified as an exceptional underdrawing material for paintings. A certain identification is always based on invasive analysis. This article presents a new non-destructive analysis approach using micro-X-ray fluorescence scanning (MA-XRF), LED-excited IRR (LEDE-IRR) using a narrow wavelength-range of infrared radiation (IR) and stereomicroscopy for visualising and identifying iron gall ink underdrawings. To assess possibilities and limits of this non-invasive approach, results were compared to invasive examinations on cross-sections using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX). The approach is tested on panel paintings of Hans Holbein the Elder and Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano. The holistic setup could successfully visualise underdrawing lines made with iron gall inks, which formerly remained invisible by means of conventional IRR. For the first time, a direct access to a formerly invisible type of underdrawing is created, allowing to harness the whole iron gall ink underdrawing for interdisciplinary studies.
Associationj of TSHR Gene Single Neucleotide Intronic Polymorphism with the Risk of Hypothyroid and Hyperthyroid Disorders in Yazd Province.
Authors: Naghibi Fahime , Miresmaili Seyed Mohsen , Javid Amaneh
Published: January 2022

The present study was carried, for the first time, out to evaluate the association of rs2268458 polymorphism, biochemical and environmental factors on hypothyroid and hyperthyroid disorders in thyroid patients and healthy individuals in Yazd province, Iran. In this study, blood samples were collected from a total of 100 cases, including 60 hypothyroid, 20 hyperthyroidism individual cases and 20 normal individuals. DNA was extracted from blood samples and the rs2268458 single neucleotide intronic polymorphism was evaluated using RFLP-PCR. The results have shown that 59 cases were homozygote (TT), 40 cases heterozygote (TC) with one homozygote (CC) case, as follows; A total of 25 (TT) homozygote cases were observed to be hypothyroid females, 20 (TC) heterozygote cases of hypothyroid females, 7 (TT) homozygote male hypothyroid cases and 7 (TC) heterozygote male hypothyroid cases and 1 (CC) homozygote male hypothyroid patient. While, 7 (TT) homozygote hyperthyroid female cases, 8 (TC) heterozygote hyperthyroid female cases,were also observed. According to our study, heterozygote cases (TC) showed less severe symptoms, while homozygote cases (TT) showed no serious symptoms and the (CC) homozygote case (CC) showed severe thyroid abnormality symptoms. So, it can be concluded that the TSHR-related rs2268458 polymorphism is associated with hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism in the male and female polulations of Yazd Province, Iran and C allele can be a risk factor for some physio-biochemical and hormonal imbalance in the thyroid disorder patients.
Design of a Fully Integrated VHF CP-PLL Frequency Synthesizer with an All-Digital Defect-Oriented Built-In Self-Test.
Authors: Kommey Benjamin , Addo Ernest , Yankey Jepthah , Agbemenu Andrew , Tchao Eric , Akowuah Bright
Published: January 2022

This paper presents the design of an on-chip charge pump phase-locked loop (CP-PLL) with a fully digital defect oriented built-in self-test (BIST) for very-high frequency (VHF) applications. The frequency synthesizer has a 40 to 100 MHz tuning range and uses a ring voltage-controlled oscillator for frequency synthesis. The PLL exhibits a phase noise of -132 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz and consumes 1.8 mW on a 3 V supply. The BIST implementation uses fewer external input or output, is capable of efficient fault diagnosis, and is compact, posing a low area overhead. The integrated circuit design was realized in the AMI 0.6µ complementary metal oxide-semiconductor process.
Modelling Outpatients Cost of Wound Dressing in Nigeria: A Prospective Study
Authors: Ogundeji Kolawole Damilare
Published: January 2022

Background: Estimating the direct cost of wound dressing poses a challenge to patients, nurse managers, hospital administrators, health maintenance organisations and other policy makers. This study therefore model the weekly cost of wound dressing in South West NigeriaMethods: A descriptive cross sectional research design was utilized to assess the cost of wound dressing among outpatients’ clinics attendees. An inventory of direct cost of wound dressing per week consisting of cost of materials, lotion and consumables were recorded. The data collection was for period of three months in three selected Teaching Hospitals South West Nigeria. Then modelling weekly cost of wound types was done by regression analysis. The effect of various independent variables such as age, occupation, family size, monthly income, aetiology, diagnosis, wound type, comorbidities, frequency of wound dressing and health insurance coverage on cost of wound dressing per week was considered. Ethical approval was obtained from each of the hospital and Covid-19 precautions were observed.1 USD equalled ₦570Results: The estimated cost of wound dressing per week with no contribution from other variables was found to be ₦36,922- Open wound, ₦6011-Leg ulcer, ₦3768- Cancer wound, ₦2785- Diabetic Foot Ulcer, ₦610-Surgical wound. Only frequency of wound dressing was found to contribute to weekly cost of leg ulcers (P value= 0.003)Conclusions: The estimated cost of various type of wound provides yardstick for determining the weekly cost of wound dressing in Nigeria. Also, frequency of wound dressing is a major determinant of the outpatient cost of dressing. Therefore, it is imperative for nurses to render high quality wound care to match up with the huge financial commitment from patients and families
Optimising Malaria Control Interventions in Mali Based on Epidemiological Surveillance and Rainfall Data
Authors: Mady Cissoko , CISSOKO Mady , Sagara Issaka , Landier Jordi , Guindo Abdoulaye , Sanogo Vincent , Coulibaly Oumou Yacouba , Dembélé Pascal , Dieng Sohkna , Stephane Cedric Batio , Diarra Issa , Magassa Mahamadou H. , Berthé Ibrahima , Katilé Abdoulaye , Traoré Diahara , Dessay Nadine , Gaudart Jean
Published: January 2022

Background In malaria endemic countries, control interventions are performed during the high malaria transmission season using epidemiological surveillance data. One such intervention, seasonal chemoprevention (SMC), consists of the monthly administration of antimalarial drugs to children under 5 years. This study proposes an anticipating approach for adapting the timing of SMC interventions in Mali and the number of rounds. Our primary objective was to select the best approach for anticipating the onset of the high transmission season in the different health districts of Mali based on epidemiological surveillance and rainfall data. Our secondary objective was to evaluate the number of malaria cases, hospitalisations, and deaths in children under 5 years that could be prevented in Mali using the selected approach and the additional cost associated.Method Confirmed malaria cases and weekly rainfall data were collected for the 75 health districts of Mali for the 2014-2019 period. The onset of the rainy season, the onset of the high transmission season, the lag between these two events and the duration of the high transmission season were determined for each health district. Two approaches for anticipating the onset of the high transmission season in 2019 were evaluated. Results In 2014-2019, the onset of the rainy season ranged from W17 April to W34 August and that of the high transmission season from W25 June to W40 September. The lag between these two events ranged from 5 to 12 weeks. The duration of the high transmission season ranged from 3 to 6 months. The best approach anticipated the onset of the high transmission season 2019 in June in 2 districts, July in 46 districts, August in 21 districts and September in 6 districts. Using this approach over the 2014-2019 period would have led to changing the timing of SMC interventions in 36 health districts and would have prevented 43,819 cases, 1,943 hospitalisations and 70 deaths in children under 5 years. The additional cost of using our proposed approach is less than 5% of the current approach. Conclusion Adapting the timing of SMC interventions using our proposed approach would improve the prevention of malaria cases, hospitalisations, and deaths for a reasonable additional cost.
Association between the number of visits during prenatal care and the occurrence of low birth weight in the United States
Authors: Guezo Noelie Marie Aurore , Shayesteh Jahanfar , Inungu Joseph , Ebeh Dandison Nat
Published: January 2022

BackgroundLow birth weight (LBW) is one of the major child and infant health issues in the United States, standing as one of the main causes of child and infant mortality. While the importance of prenatal visits regarding pregnancy outcomes is recognized, its relationship with birth weight is still a matter of debate.ObjectivesThis study examines the relationship between the number of prenatal visits and low birth weight among children born in the United States in 2017.Study designData from the CDCs Online Birth Databases are used for this study. 3,864,754 registered children born in the U.S. in 2017 are included in the analyses. The databases also include information on maternal characteristics, pregnancy history and prenatal care characteristics, pregnancy risk factors, delivery characteristics, and infant characteristics. The outcome variable is low birth weight, defined as weight at birth lower than 2500 grams. The independent variable is the number of prenatal visits grouped in three categories (no visit, 10 visits or less, and more than 10 visits. Confounding and covariates include prematurity and plurality among others. Multiple logistic regression modeling was used, reporting unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios with corresponding 95% confidence intervals.ResultsData from the CDCs Online Birth Databases are used for this study. 3,864,754 registered children born in the U.S. in 2017 are included in the analyses. The databases also include information on maternal characteristics, pregnancy history and prenatal care characteristics, pregnancy risk factors, delivery characteristics, and infant characteristics. The outcome variable is low birth weight, defined as weight at birth lower than 2500 grams. The independent variable is the number of prenatal visits grouped in three categories (no visit, 10 visits or less, and more than 10 visits. Confounding and covariates include prematurity and plurality among others. Multiple logistic regression modeling was used, reporting unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios with corresponding 95% confidence intervals. ConclusionThis study reveals that the number of prenatal visits has an inverse relationship with low birth weight, even when confounding and other factors are accounted for. These findings are compatible with the notion that the more a woman goes for prenatal visits, the more likely it is to detect risks of negative pregnancy outcomes.
Acute Kidney Injury in Critical Care COVID-19 Patients on Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: The Potential Preventive Role of Dexamethasone
Authors: Vega Olynka Vega
Published: January 2022

Background.

A high incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) has been reported in COVID-19 patients in critical care units and those undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). The introduction of dexamethasone as treatment for severe COVID-19 has improved mortality, but its effects in other organs remain under study.
Methods.

In this prospective observational cohort study, we evaluated the incidence of AKI in critically ill COVID-19 patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, and the association of dexamethasone treatment with the incidence, severity, and outcomes of AKI. The association between dexamethasone treatment and AKI was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression. The association of the combination of dexamethasone treatment and AKI on mortality was evaluated by Cox-regression analysis.
Results.

We included 552 patients. AKI was diagnosed in 311 (56%), of which 196 (63%) corresponded to severe (stage 2 or 3) AKI, and 46 (14.8%) received renal replacement therapy (RRT). Two hundred and sixty-seven (48%) patients were treated with dexamethasone. This treatment was associated to lower incidence of AKI (OR 0.34, 95%CI 0.22-0.52, p<0.001) after adjusting for age, body mass index, laboratory parameters, SOFA score, and vasopressor use. Dexamethasone treatment significantly reduced mortality in patients with severe AKI (HR 0.63, 95%CI 0.41-0.96, p=0.032).
Conclusions.

The incidence of AKI is high in COVID-19 patients under IMV. Dexamethasone treatment is associated with a lower incidence of AKI and a lower mortality in the group with severe AKI.
Relevance of Informal Arts Education on Formal Visual Arts Education in Southeast Nigeria
Authors: Ibenegbu Christopher Ifeanyi
Published: January 2022

The existence of informal arts education centres has raised a lot of controversy in arts education and practice in Nigeria. Often people do not regard the products of these informal arts centres as artists. They regard them as artisans even though most of them are being trained by formal artists and are being imbibed by their artistic traditions. It is, therefore, pertinent to investigate these informal arts centres and assess their existence and their influence on formal arts centres. This study was, therefore, designed to explore the assessment of informal arts education and its influence on formal art education in southeast Nigeria. The research questions were on the: educational relevance of informal arts education on formal art education, the influence of arts education on formal art education and on whether informal and formal art education can co-exist. The questionnaire was used to elicit vital information from the respondents. The findings revealed that the existence of informal arts education is relevant to formal art education, informal arts education influences formal art education and informal arts education can co-exist with formal art education. The paper recommended that the Ministries of Education should encourage and ensure that the formal art schools and informal arts centres co-exist.
Effect of Folic Acid Conjugated Silver Nanoparticles in Treatment of RA like Adjuvant Arthritis in Rats.
Authors: Elbeialy Adel Abbas
Published: January 2022

Objective: Nanomedicine has become one of the promising research areas, opening new horizons in disease diagnosis and treatment. Recent years have witnessed a surge in the development of nanomedicine for combating rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common autoimmune arthritis. RA is characterized by progressive inflammation and persistent synovitis, leading to joint destruction, functional incapability, and ultimately disability. Although there has been a tremendous evolution in disease assess­ment and treatment, many patients still fail to attain remission. Therefore, developing new drugs that specifically target inflamed joints and simultaneously attenuate other possible damages to healthy tissues is indispensable. This study was done to evaluate the potential of folic acid conjugated silver nanoparticles (FA-AgNPs) as RA therapy.Methods: In the CFA-arthritic rat model, FA-AgNPs & methotrexate were administered for 8 consecutive weeks. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by measuring paw volume, ESR, CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels. For safety concerns, CBC, liver, and renal function tests were evaluated. Joints histological assessment was also carried out.Results: FA-AgNPs significantly reduced paw volume, paw weight, ESR, CRP, RF, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels compared with arthritic non-treated rats, demonstrating good anti-inflammatory activity. Likewise, histology of tarsal joints depicted comparatively lesser inflammatory cellular infiltration and diminished cartilage erosions. Methotrexate displayed comparable results. In contrast to methotrexate, FA-AgNPs showed normal CBC & significantly improved liver and renal function tests. Conclusion: FA-AgNPs exhibited substantial anti-arthritic activity. This notable anti-arthritic potential of FA-AgNPs was as good as the current standard treatment of MTX with higher biosafety.
A Viscous Velocity Potential/Stream Function
Authors: Amoloye Taofiq O
Published: January 2022

The motion of fluids presents interesting phenomena including flow separation, wakes, turbulence etc. The physics of these are enshrined in the continuity equation and the NSE. Therefore, their studies are important in mathematics and physics. They also have engineering applications. These studies can either be carried out experimentally, numerically, or theoretically. Theoretical studies using classical potential theory (CPT) have some gaps when compared to experiments. The present publication is part of a series introducing refined potential (RPT) that bridges these gaps. It leverages experimental observations, physical deductions and the match between CPT and experimentally observed flows in the theoretical development. It analytically imitates the numerical source/vortex panel method to describe how wall bounded eddies in a three-dimensional cylinder crossflow are linked to the detached wake eddies. Unlike discrete and arbitrary vortices/sources on the cylinder surface whose strengths are numerically determined in the panel method, the vortices/sources/sinks in RPT are mutually concentric and continuously distributed on the cylinder surface. Their strengths are analytically determined from CPT using physical deductions starting from Reynolds number dependence. This study results in the incompressible Kwasu function which is a Eulerian velocity potential/stream function that captures vorticity, boundary layer, shed wake vortices, three-dimensional effects, and turbulence. This Eulerian Kwasu function also theorizes streaklines. The Lagrangian form of the function is further exploited to obtain flow pathlines.
WITHDRAWN: Curved, Expanded, Inclined and Mirror-Symmetric Diffraction Patterns of 2D-Cross-Grating--- Rotating Grating Around Three Axes (2)
Authors: Peng Hui
Published: January 2022

The orientation-dependence of the interference/diffraction patterns of the 1D-double slit/1D- grating and 2D-cross-double slit/2D-cross-grating experiments have been studied experimentally and theoretically. However, the above experiments were limited to certain orientations, namely rotating around either one axis or two axes. In this article, the 3-axis-rotation apparatus is introduced, which can rotate CW and CCW the 1D-double slit/2D-cross-double slit and 1D-grating/2D-cross-grating, respectively, 00-3600 around three axes independently and sequentially. By this apparatus, the orientation-dependence of the diffraction patterns is systematically studied. The experiments are performed straightforwardly and intuitively. We show the mirror-symmetry of the diffraction patterns of the 2D-cross-grating for certain orientations. Then we show that the photons, before landing on the detector/screen, behave as particles. The above observed phenomena provide the comprehensive information to theoretical study of the double slit/cross-grating experiments. We suggest that the complete mathematical model should contain three rotation angles as parameters. Furthermore, the phenomena have potential applications.
Characteristics and nomogram for primary lung lepidic adenocarcinoma
Authors: Tang Hui , Wang Yingyi , Bai Chunmei
Published: January 2022

Background: Lepidic adenocarcinoma (LPA) is an infrequent subtype of invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma (ADC). However, the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of LPA have not been elucidated.Methods: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database of 4087 LPA patients were retrospectively analyzed and compared with non-LPA pulmonary ADC to explore the clinicopathological and prognosis features of LPA. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were performed to identify independent survival predictors for further nomogram development. The nomograms were validated by using the concordance index, receiver operating characteristic curves, and calibration plots, as well as decision curve analysis, in both the training and validation cohorts.Results: Compared with non-LPA pulmonary ADC patients, those with LPA exhibited unique clinicopathological features, including more elderly and female patients, smaller tumor size, less pleural invasion, and lower histological grade and stage. Multivariate analyses showed that age, sex, marital status, primary tumor size, pleural invasion, histological grade, stage, primary tumor surgery, and chemotherapy were independently associated with overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with LPA, while race was the only independent prognostic factor for OS, not for CSS. The nomograms showed good accuracy compared with the actual observed results and demonstrated improved prognostic capacity compared with TNM stage.Conclusions: Patients with LPA are more likely to be older and female. Smaller tumor size, lower histological grade and stage are the clinicopathological features of LPA, which may indicate a good prognosis. The constructed nomograms accurately predict the long-term survival of LPA patients.
HULTIG-C: NLP Corpus and Services in the Cloud
Authors: Pais Sebastião , Cordeiro João , Jamil Muhammad
Published: January 2022

Nowadays, the use of language corpora for many purposes has increased significantly. General corpora exist for numerous languages, but research often needs more specialized corpora. The Web’s rapid growth has significantly improved access to thousands of online documents, highly specialized texts and comparable texts on the same subject covering several languages in electronic form. However, research has continued to concentrate on corpus annotation instead of corpus creation tools. Consequently, many researchers create their corpora, independently solve problems, and generate project-specific systems. The corpus construction is used for many NLP applications, including machine translation, information retrieval, and question-answering. This paper presents a new NLP Corpus and Services in the Cloud called HULTIG-C. HULTIG-C is characterized by various languages that include unique annotations such as keywords set, sentences set, named entity recognition set, and multiword set. Moreover, a framework incorporates the main components for license detection, language identification, boilerplate removal and document deduplication to process the HULTIG-C. Furthermore, this paper presents some potential issues related to constructing multilingual corpora from the Web.
Когнитивные особенности эффективных и неэффективных диагностов – будущих педагогов-психологов
Authors:   ФГБОУ ВО “Московский педагогический государственный университет”, Пучкова Е.Б. , Суховершина Ю.В. ,   ФГБОУ ВО “Московский педагогический государственный университет”
Published: January 2022

Статья посвящена изучению влияния когнитивных особенностей студентов выпускных курсов (будущих педагогов-психологов) на качество принятия диагностического решения. В начале испытуемые решали психодиагностические задачи, моделирующие реальные случаи из диагностической практики педагога-психолога. По успешности решения психодиагностических задач (правильность решения за установленное время) испытуемые, принимающие участие в эксперименте, были разделены на две группы – эффективных и неэффективных диагностов. Затем в этих группах было проведено психодиагностическое обследование когнитивной сферы студентов-диагностов. На основе статистического анализа полученных данных установлено, что у педагогов-психологов с высоким и низким уровнем успешности в решении психодиагностических задач имеются значительные (статистически значимые) отличия в когнитивной сфере. Из этого следует, что особенности когнитивной сферы диагностов оказываются влияние на качество принятия диагностического решения.
Hemocyte proteome of the Lake Baikal endemic Eulimnogammarus verrucosus (Crustacea: Amphipoda) sheds light on immune-related proteins
Authors: Zolotovskaya Elena , Nazarova Anna , Saranchina Alexandra , Mutin Andrei , Drozdova Polina , Lubyaga Yulia , Timofeyev Maxim
Published: January 2022

Hemocytes are cells circulating in the hemolymph and playing an important role in crustacean immunity. These cells not only function as phagocytes but also express immune compounds to the hemolymph. Here we obtained hemocyte proteome of the endemic amphipod (Amphipoda, Crustacea) Eulimnogammarus verrucosus from Lake Baikal, the first hemocyte proteome of an amphipod, using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A total of 1152 unique proteins were discovered with LC-MS/MS. We discovered both proteins directly involved in the immune response, such as pattern recognition proteins (C-type lectins), and compounds with antimicrobial activity (ctenidin and anti-lipopolysaccharide factor/scygonadin). Moreover, hemocyanins which may act as a phenoloxidase and C-type lectins were among the most diverse protein groups in the hemocyte proteome. The obtained data can be useful for further studies of immune components and mechanisms in Baikal amphipods.
Proliferation activity in the polyps of Cassiopea xamachana: where the planuloid buds grow
Authors: Khabibulina Valeriia , Starunov Viktor
Published: January 2022

Polyps of the Cassiopeidae family possess a unique type of asexual reproduction by producing free-swimming buds — planuloids. The process of planuloid development and transformation to polyp has been described earlier, however, the source of tissue formation is still poorly studied. Using the method of EdU incorporation we have analyzed DNA synthesis activity during planuloid formation and growth in Cassiopea xamachana. We revealed the active proliferation zone at the early stage of bud formation. This zone continued to function during planuloid growth, providing the formation of polyp structures, and preserved in polyp calyx after metamorphosis. Its proliferation activity varied at different growth stages, whereas the localization remained relatively the same.
Effect of precipitation and sediment concentration on the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus in the Pasikhan River
Authors: Ebrahimi Eisa , Asadi Hossein , Rahmani Mohammad , Farhangi Mohammad Bagher , Ashrafzadeh Afshin
Published: January 2022

Natural and anthropogenic factors influence the entry of pollutants into surface waters and their accumulation in aquatic ecosystems. This study aimed to investigate precipitation and sediment concentration on the outflow of different forms of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) in three primary land-use types along the Pasikhan River, the biggest river entering the Anzali Wetland in the Southern Caspian sea. Water sampling was performed on a monthly basis during the time bracket of 2017–2018. Different forms of P including total, soluble, particulate, total reactive, and dissolved reactive, and total Kjeldahl N, soluble N, particulate N, and were determined in the water samples. Total phosphorus and total Kjeldahl nitrogen contents lay within the range of 2.2–4.7 and from 0.14 to 0.33 mg l−1, respectively, downstream of the river. The highest monthly outflow of P from the watershed at the Agriculture station was recorded in October. Substantial conformity was found between the monthly trends of and and the trend of precipitation. The results indicated that sediment load intensified after an increase in the rainfall rate, leading to elevated N and P concentrations in the river water, mainly as particulate phosphorus and soluble nitrogen. It can also be inferred from the result that the concentration of N and P is directly related to the sediment concentration increase due to the rainfall. Increasing levels of nutrients such as N and P in the Pasikhan River can cause eutrophication in the Anzali Wetland, which needs conservative measures for reducing these elements' dynamic in the watershed.
SPECIFICATION A MODEL FOR STUDY OF POLITICAL RATIONALITY
Authors: Garcí­a Lirios Cruz
Published: January 2022

The objective of this document has been to conceptually analyze Sustainable Development. In this sense, seven concepts were chosen, based on their similarities and differences, to interpret the nature-society relationship in terms of the equitable availability of resources between species and generations. This conceptual analysis of Sustainable Development will allow us to glimpse theories, diagnoses and interventions to promote rational lifestyles favorable to the conservation of the environment.