bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intensified Induction Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anus—A Population-Based Experience from the Danish Anal Cancer Group
Authors: Wind Karen Lycke , Riber Lisbeth , Havelund Birgitte Mayland , Serup-Hansen Eva , Kronborg Camilla , Fode Mette Marie , Jakobsen Anders , Spindler Karen-Lise Garm
Published: June 2021

Locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (LASCCA) has a poor prognosis with a high risk of treatment failure calling for intensified therapy. We present the long-term follow-up of a nationwide cohort of LASCCA treated with intensified induction chemotherapy (ICT). The study included patients with LASCCA (T3-4N0 or T1-4N+) treated with at least one cycle of ICT (cisplatin, ifosfamide, leucoverin, and 5-flourouracil) between 1998–2018. Data were retrospectively collected from medical records, and statistics were performed in STATA 16.1. In total, 166 patients with LASCCA were identified. Following ICT, 157 patients (95%) received primary curative treatment with either radiotherapy (70%), chemoradiotherapy (27%), or abdominal perineal resection (3%). The overall local tumor response rate after ICT was 76% with 20 (13%) achieving complete local tumor response. After the primary treatment, 123 patients (79%) obtained complete response, and 27 underwent salvage surgery due to persistent disease. The median follow-up time was 6 years, local and distant failure rates 22% and 13%, respectively. The 3- and 5-year disease-free survival rates were 70% and 67%, and the 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 76% and 70%, respectively. Intensified ICT regimen could be a supplementary treatment option in the most advanced cases of LASCCA. Prospective randomized trials are needed to investigate this approach further.
Impact of Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease on Survival in Patients with Advanced Stage Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Undergoing Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Chiu Kuo-Chin , Lin Wei-Chun , Chang Chia-Lun , Wu Szu-Yuan
Published: June 2021

Background: To date, no data are available regarding the effect of chronic obstruction pulmonary disease (COPD) and COPD with acute exacerbation (COPDAE) on survival in patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) receiving definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Patients and methods: We enrolled 3986 patients with clinical stage IIIA–IIIB, unresectable lung SCC, who had received standard definitive CCRT, and categorized them into two groups based on their COPD status to compare overall survival outcomes. We also examined the effects of COPD severity (0, 1, or ≥2 hospitalizations for COPDA within 1 year before CCRT). Results: In the inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW)-adjusted model, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) of all-cause death for COPD was 1.04 (1.01, 1.16), compared no COPD in patients with stage IIIA–IIIB lung SCC receiving definitive CCRT. In the IPTW-adjusted model, the aHRs (95% CIs) of 1 and ≥ 2 hospitalizations for COPDAE within 1 year before CCRT were 1.32 (1.19, 1.46) and 1.81 (1.49, 2.19) respectively, compared with no hospitalization for COPDAE. Conclusion: COPD and its severity are significant independent risk factors for all-cause death in patients with stage IIIA–IIIB lung SCC receiving definitive CCRT. Hospitalization for COPDAE within 1 year before CCRT is the significant independent risk factor for lung cancer death in the patients with stage IIIA–IIIB lung SCC receiving definitive CCRT.
Determinants of Smallholders’ Food Security Status in Kalu District, Northern Ethiopia
Authors: Mohammed Abdela , Wassie Solomon Bizuayehu , Teferi Ermias Tesfaye
Published: June 2021

This study analyzed the determinants of rural households’ food security in the Kallu district of the Amhara region, Northern Ethiopia. The study used primary data collected from 395 randomly selected rural households. The study employed descriptive statistics and a binary logit model to estimate the status and determinants of smallholders’ food security, respectively. Of the total sample households, 47.30% are food insecure. The binary logit model results showed that sex and education level of the household head, livestock ownership, credit access, and technology adoption have positive and significant effects on food security, while age and market distance are negatively associated with the probability to be food secure. The results suggest that improving access to marketing and financial services will contribute to improving the food security status of smallholders.
Synthesis of a Novel Photocatalyst MVO4/g-C3N4 (M = La, Gd) with Better Photocatalytic Activity for Tetracycline Hydrochloride Degradation under Visible-Light Irradiation
Authors: Zhu Zhengru , Han Songlin , Cao Yongqiang , Jiang Junchao
Published: June 2021

In this study, novel photocatalysts MVO4/g-C3N4 (M = La, Gd) were prepared by the hydrothermal method, through which different loading amounts of 10–50%MVO4 and g-C3N4 were mixed and ultrasonically oscillated to gain heterojunction catalysts. All the samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, XPS, Us-vis, and PL to ensure the successful integration of LaVO4 and GdVO4 with g-C3N4. The obtained results showed that MVO4/g-C3N4 could effectually improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers during the photodegradation process, thus improving the photodegradation efficiency, while among them, 40%GdVO4/g-C3N4 showed the best photocatalytic performance and degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride, reaching up to 91% for 3 h, which was 3.64 times higher than pristine g-C3N4. From the discussed results above, the possible mechanism of the photodegradation process was put forward. This study supplies a promising method to gain g-C3N4-based photocatalysts for antibiotics removal.
The Use of Citizen Science to Achieve Multivariate Management Goals on Public Lands
Authors: Souther Sara , Randall Vincent , Lyndon Nanebah
Published: June 2021

Federal land management agencies in the US are tasked with maintaining the ecological integrity of over 2 million km2 of land for myriad public uses. Citizen science, operating at the nexus of science, education, and outreach, offers unique benefits to address socio-ecological questions and problems, and thus may offer novel opportunities to support the complex mission of public land managers. Here, we use a case study of an iNaturalist program, the Tribal Nations Botanical Research Collaborative (TNBRC), to examine the use of citizen science programs in public land management. The TNBRC collected 2030 observations of 34 plant species across the project area, while offering learning opportunities for participants. Using occurrence data, we examined observational trends through time and identified five species with 50 or fewer digital observations to investigate as species of possible conservation concern. We compared predictive outcomes of habitat suitability models built using citizen science data and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data. Models exhibited high agreement, identifying the same underlying predictors of species occurrence and, 95% of the time, identifying the same pixels as suitable habitat. Actions such as staff training on data use and interpretation could enhance integration of citizen science in Federal land management.
Extended Variational Message Passing for Automated Approximate Bayesian Inference
Authors: Akbayrak Semih , Bocharov Ivan , de Vries Bert
Published: June 2021

Variational Message Passing (VMP) provides an automatable and efficient algorithmic framework for approximating Bayesian inference in factorized probabilistic models that consist of conjugate exponential family distributions. The automation of Bayesian inference tasks is very important since many data processing problems can be formulated as inference tasks on a generative probabilistic model. However, accurate generative models may also contain deterministic and possibly nonlinear variable mappings and non-conjugate factor pairs that complicate the automatic execution of the VMP algorithm. In this paper, we show that executing VMP in complex models relies on the ability to compute the expectations of the statistics of hidden variables. We extend the applicability of VMP by approximating the required expectation quantities in appropriate cases by importance sampling and Laplace approximation. As a result, the proposed Extended VMP (EVMP) approach supports automated efficient inference for a very wide range of probabilistic model specifications. We implemented EVMP in the Julia language in the probabilistic programming package ForneyLab.jl and show by a number of examples that EVMP renders an almost universal inference engine for factorized probabilistic models.
Community Response to Burn Injuries: Examples from Dhading District of Nepal
Authors: Bist Bimal Singh , Sedain Bhagabati , Shrestha Maheshwar , Tripathi Prativa
Published: June 2021

Burns are one of the most serious global public health challenges, and Nepal is no exception. This study aims to present national and local-level data regarding burn injuries within Nepal. Similarly, this study shows how the trained rural first responders respond to burn injuries at the community level, with an example from the Dhading district of Nepal. Police and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) records were used to describe the national and community-level burn injury patterns. The most common cause of burns was found to be household fire, mainly from cooking. The burn cases are distributed across all ages; however, young age group comprises a notable proportion. Victims who were injured but were still able to move primarily accessed emergency health services by walking to the closest facility. Mainly, burn victims received a dressing and cold sponging service at the primary health center. This study described the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in detail and identified that appropriate training to the community people to respond the burns injuries minimizes the severity of the cases. Lessons learned from this project can be utilized to implement emergency burn injury management for the public and local responders in other rural areas at minimum costs. We recommend establishing burn care instruction in all rural/remote villages and health care centers in Nepal.
Exploring Competing Perspectives on How to Design Open Innovation Program for High School STEM Education: A Case Study
Authors: Lee Sam Youl , Jung Minseo
Published: June 2021

Open innovation (OI) has become an essential business model for big tech companies and innovation ecosystems. However, most STEM high schools in the United States do not have appropriate OI programs for students. This paper explores how various perspectives on open innovation as an emerging trend in the entrepreneurial ecosystem can link with STEM education programs. We use the Q methodology technique with interviews from students and managers of STEM education at C Academy and academic members from a field of open innovation. Twenty-three participants responded to the 35 Q statements derived from preliminary findings of critical issues on a relationship between open innovation and STEM education. Five key perspectives compete, each with a unique view on why STEM education matters and how to renovate the current STEM program for an open innovation-based curriculum and club activities inside and outside high schools. Empirical findings from Q method analysis combined with Promax rotation illustrate five views: (1) civic virtue-driven open innovation, (2) open innovation with imagination from arts and culture, (3) daily life-based open innovation project, (4) critics on conventional STEM education, and (5) community service-driven open innovation. A common area that all five perspectives support is that the government should expand and strengthen support in the design and operation of open innovation education programs in STEM high schools.
Design of Refueling Control System with Multi-ControlTerminal Based on Network
Authors: Zeng Bowen , Zhang Zhongmin , Zhang Xiao , Xiang Jing
Published: June 2021

This paper discusses a network-based refueling control system with multiple control terminals that achieves the control input and display of near-aircraft position, refueling station, and centralized console. The system can achieve the closed-loop control of the refueling input flow, automatic control of the fixed refueling amount, and collection of environmental parameters, such as pipeline pressure, according to the refueling aircraft model. Moreover, the system can dynamically display parameter information of the refueling process in real time on three terminals. To meet the requirements of system functions and the real-time performance of tasks, this study selected the LPC2378 controller with the ARM core. The controller uses the µC/OS-II embedded real-time operating system as the software operating platform. To achieve the special requirements of the explosion-proof system, the explosion-proof 485 bus was employed to communicate with the display control unit (DCU) of the intrinsically safe contact aircraft stand and refueling station. The communication adopts the dual-redundant Ethernet communication and full-duplex 485 communication. To avoid the influence of external equipment on the control circuit, the power isolation method was adopted to ensure the stability of the system. After comprehensive debugging of hardware and software, we deem that the system has good performance and can be applied in engineering.
Design of Experiments Applied to Francis Turbine Draft Tube to Minimize Pressure Pulsations and Energy Losses in Off-Design Conditions
Authors: Favrel Arthur , Lee Nak-joong , Irie Tatsuya , Miyagawa Kazuyoshi
Published: June 2021

This paper proposes an original approach to investigate the influence of the geometry of Francis turbines draft tube on pressure fluctuations and energy losses in off-design conditions. It is based on Design of Experiments (DOE) of the draft tube geometry and steady/unsteady Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of the draft tube internal flow. The test case is a Francis turbine unit of specific speed Ns=120 m-kW which is required to operate continuously in off-design conditions, either with 45% (part-load) or 110% (full-load) of the design flow rate. Nine different draft tube geometries featuring a different set of geometrical parameters are first defined by an orthogonal array-based DOE approach. For each of them, unsteady and steady CFD simulations of the internal flow from guide vane to draft tube outlet are performed at part-load and full-load conditions, respectively. The influence of each geometrical parameter on both the flow instability and resulting pressure pulsations, as well as on energy losses in the draft tube, are investigated by applying an Analysis of Means (ANOM) to the numerical results. The whole methodology enables the identification of a set of geometrical parameters minimizing the pressure fluctuations occurring in part-load conditions as well as the energy losses in both full-load and part-load conditions while maintaining the requested pressure recovery. Finally, the results of the CFD simulations with the final draft tube geometry are compared with the results estimated by the ANOM, which demonstrates that the proposed methodology also enables a rough preliminary estimation of the draft tube losses and pressure fluctuations amplitude.
Evaluation of the Impact of Timber Truck Configuration and Tare Weight on Payload Efficiency: An Australian Case Study
Authors: Brown Mark W.
Published: June 2021

The forest industry tends to plan, and model transportation costs based on the potential payload benefits of increased legal gross vehicle weight (GVW) by deploying different configurations, while payload benefits of a configuration can be significantly influenced by the vehicle design tare weight. Through this research the relative benefit of increased legal GVW of different configurations is compared across Australia over a 13-year period from 2006 to 2019, by examining data collected post operation across multiple operations. This approach is intended to offer realistic insight to real operations not influenced by observation and thus reflect long-term operating behaviour. The inclusion of the three most common configuration classes in Australian forestry over a 13-year period has also allowed the exploration of load management between configurations and potential trends over time. When considering the legal GVW and the tare weight impacts across the fleets, the semi-trailer has an 8 t payload disadvantage compared to B-Doubles and 19.6 t disadvantage compared to road trains.
Competing Conventions with Costly Information Acquisition
Authors: Rozzi Roberto
Published: June 2021

We consider an evolutionary model of social coordination in a 2 × 2 game where two groups of players prefer to coordinate on different actions. Players can pay a cost to learn their opponent’s group: if they pay it, they can condition their actions concerning the groups. We assess the stability of outcomes in the long run using stochastic stability analysis. We find that three elements matter for the equilibrium selection: the group size, the strength of preferences, and the information’s cost. If the cost is too high, players never learn the group of their opponents in the long run. If one group is stronger in preferences for its favorite action than the other, or its size is sufficiently large compared to the other group, every player plays that group’s favorite action. If both groups are strong enough in preferences, or if none of the groups’ sizes is large enough, players play their favorite actions and miscoordinate in inter-group interactions. Lower levels of the cost favor coordination. Indeed, when the cost is low, in inside-group interactions, players always coordinate on their favorite action, while in inter-group interactions, they coordinate on the favorite action of the group that is stronger in preferences or large enough.
Suffering in the Race for Happiness
Authors: Nir Bina
Published: June 2021

The utopian notion that there is a time and place where perfect happiness exists is deeply rooted in Western thought and alienates people from life in the here and now. Happiness is perceived as the purpose of life. Moreover, happiness and suffering are presented as opposites that are contingent upon a person’s actions. For thousands of years, happiness and the avoidance of suffering have been presented as the motives behind every action, and the conceptual basis for this still exists in contemporary discourse and culture. The roots of this perception can be found, inter alia, in the culture’s religious texts. In this paper, we use the genealogical method to interrogate the religious and constitutive texts of Western culture and to examine the origins of the perception that happiness is the purpose of life and that it constitutes the opposite of suffering. The genealogical method enables us to deconstruct the causal relationship that lies at the core of this premise. Genealogy deals with the past, but its main purpose is the understanding and critique of contemporary reality; exposing the roots of our cultural past reduces the control of necessity over our lives.
Genetic Analyses and Genome-Wide Association Studies on Pathogen Resistance of Bos taurus and Bos indicus Cattle Breeds in Cameroon
Authors: Abanda Babette , Schmid Markus , Paguem Archile , Iffland Hanna , Preuß Siegfried , Renz Alfons , Eisenbarth Albert
Published: June 2021

Autochthonous taurine and later introduced zebu cattle from Cameroon differ considerably in their resistance to endemic pathogens with little to no reports of the underlying genetic make-up. Breed history and habitat variations are reported to contribute significantly to this diversity worldwide, presumably in Cameroon as well, where locations diverge in climate, pasture, and prevalence of infectious agents. In order to investigate the genetic background, the genotypes of 685 individuals of different Cameroonian breeds were analysed by using the BovineSNP50v3 BeadChip. The variance components including heritability were estimated and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed. Phenotypes were obtained by parasitological screening and categorised in Tick-borne pathogens (TBP), gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN), and onchocercosis (ONC). Estimated heritabilities were low for GIN and TBP (0.079 (se = 0.084) and 0.109 (se = 0.103) respectively) and moderate for ONC (0.216 (se = 0.094)). Further than revealing the quantitative nature of the traits, GWAS identified putative trait-associated genomic regions on five chromosomes, including the chromosomes 11 and 18 for GIN, 20 and 24 for TBP, and 12 for ONC. The results imply that breeding for resistant animals in the cattle population from Northern Cameroon might be possible for the studied pathogens; however, further research in this field using larger datasets will be required to improve the resistance towards pathogen infections, propose candidate genes or to infer biological pathways, as well as the genetic structures of African multi-breed populations.
Sensory Reactivity Phenotype in Phelan–McDermid Syndrome Is Distinct from Idiopathic ASD
Authors: Tavassoli Teresa , Layton Christina , Levy Tess , Rowe Mikaela , George-Jones Julia , Zweifach Jessica , Lurie Stacey , Buxbaum Joseph D. , Kolevzon Alexander , Siper Paige M.
Published: June 2021

Phelan–McDermid syndrome (PMS) is one of the most common genetic forms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While sensory reactivity symptoms are widely reported in idiopathic ASD (iASD), few studies have examined sensory symptoms in PMS. The current study delineates the sensory reactivity phenotype and examines genotype–phenotype interactions in a large sample of children with PMS. Sensory reactivity was measured in a group of 52 children with PMS, 132 children with iASD, and 54 typically developing (TD) children using the Sensory Assessment for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (SAND). The SAND is a clinician-administered observation and corresponding caregiver interview that captures sensory symptoms based on the DSM-5 criteria for ASD. Children with PMS demonstrated significantly greater hyporeactivity symptoms and fewer hyperreactivity and seeking symptoms compared to children with iASD and TD controls. There were no differences between those with Class I deletions or sequence variants and those with larger Class II deletions, suggesting that haploinsufficiency of SHANK3 is the main driver of the sensory phenotype seen in PMS. The syndrome-specific sensory phenotype identified in this study is distinct from other monogenic forms of ASD and offers insight into the potential role of SHANK3 deficiency in sensory reactivity. Understanding sensory reactivity abnormalities in PMS, in the context of known glutamatergic dysregulation, may inform future clinical trials in the syndrome.
Building a Flower: The Influence of Cell Wall Composition on Flower Development and Reproduction
Authors: Cruz-Valderrama José Erik , Bernal-Gallardo Judith Jazmin , Herrera-Ubaldo Humberto , de Folter Stefan
Published: June 2021

Floral patterning is a complex task. Various organs and tissues must be formed to fulfill reproductive functions. Flower development has been studied, mainly looking for master regulators. However, downstream changes such as the cell wall composition are relevant since they allow cells to divide, differentiate, and grow. In this review, we focus on the main components of the primary cell wall—cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectins—to describe how enzymes involved in the biosynthesis, modifications, and degradation of cell wall components are related to the formation of the floral organs. Additionally, internal and external stimuli participate in the genetic regulation that modulates the activity of cell wall remodeling proteins.
Neurological Phenotype of Mowat-Wilson Syndrome
Authors: Cordelli Duccio Maria , Di Pisa Veronica , Fetta Anna , Garavelli Livia , Maltoni Lucia , Soliani Luca , Ricci Emilia
Published: June 2021

Mowat-Wilson Syndrome (MWS) (OMIM # 235730) is a rare disorder due to ZEB2 gene defects (heterozygous mutation or deletion). The ZEB2 gene is a widely expressed regulatory gene, extremely important for the proper prenatal development. MWS is characterized by a specific facial gestalt and multiple musculoskeletal, cardiac, gastrointestinal, and urogenital anomalies. The nervous system involvement is extensive and constitutes one of the main features in MWS, heavily affecting prognosis and life quality of affected individuals. This review aims to comprehensively organize and discuss the neurological and neurodevelopmental phenotype of MWS. First, we will describe the role of ZEB2 in the formation and development of the nervous system by reviewing the preclinical studies in this regard. ZEB2 regulates the neural crest cell differentiation and migration, as well as in the modulation of GABAergic transmission. This leads to different degrees of structural and functional impairment that have been explored and deepened by various authors over the years. Subsequently, the different neurological aspects of MWS (head and brain malformations, epilepsy, sleep disorders, and enteric and peripheral nervous system involvement, as well as developmental, cognitive, and behavioral features) will be faced one at a time and extensively examined from both a clinical and etiopathogenetic point of view, linking them to the ZEB2 related pathways.
Witnessing and Waiting in Walt Whitman’s Democratic Arts of Attention
Authors: Hirsch Alexander Keller
Published: June 2021

What is often overstated by democratic theorists enthralled by the poetic vision of Walt Whitman is the extent to which he excised the self in order to exalt a world where the sensed and the sensing collapse into reversibility. Throughout “Song of Myself,” I argue, Whitman experiments with an arts of attention—which he describes as “witnessing and waiting”—that adapts the self to the surplus vitality immanent to perceptual and sensual experience. I contrast this with democratic theories of “relational surrender” that stress self-sacrifice as the precondition for democratic sovereignty. In particular, I contrast Whitman’s poetics of touch with Elaine Scarry’s theory of beauty, which favors what she calls “opiated adjacency,” a vivid pleasure experienced in self-loss. By contrast, Whitman discloses a vision of democracy that emphasizes “cleaving things asunder,” a sense of intensified awareness that forms in spaces of proximity that are also spaces of separation.
Patterns of the Expanding City: An Algorithmic Interpretation of Otto Wagner’s Work
Authors: Bereczki Zoltán
Published: June 2021

Central Europe witnessed an urban boom at the beginning of the 20th century. By that time, the leading state of the area was Austria-Hungary, with Vienna as its capital. Before the First World War, even larger expansion of the cities was predictable. Otto Wagner, a leading architect of the empire and an expert in urban planning and architectural theory, published his vision about the future of the evolution of cities in 1911. In this book, he formulates clear rules about how a city should sustainably expand in a controlled manner. In this article, these rules of the inherited patterns are systematised and turned into recursive algorithms to simulate the urban growth controlled by them and the resulting patterns. The algorithms are tested on 1911 Vienna and, as comparison, on 2021 Miskolc, a medium-sized city in Hungary with different geographic surroundings. In the article, the resulting patterns are presented in 2D and 3D.
Statistical Modeling of Fine Sediments Dredged Using a Variable Area Dredging Suction Head to Improve Water Quality
Authors: Provost Leigh A. , Weaver Robert , Kachouie Nezamoddin N.
Published: June 2021

The changing climate affects the agricultural lands, and, in turn, the changes in agricultural lands alter the watershed. A major concern regarding waterbodies is the increased sedimentation rates due to climate change. To improve the water quality, it is crucial to remove fine sediments. Using current environmental dredging methods is challenging because of the sediment volumes that must be dredged, the absence of nearby disposal sites, and the shoreline infrastructure at the dredging locations. To address these issues, we used a surgical dredging method with a variable area suction head that can easily maneuver around the docks, pilings, and other infrastructures. It can also isolate the fine grain material to better manage the dredged volumes in the seabed where nutrients are typically adhered. To this end, a statistical analysis of the dredged samples is essential to improve the design efficiency. In this work, we collected several samples using a variable area suction head with different design settings. The collected samples using each design setting were then used to model the distributions of the different grain sizes in the dredged sediments. The proposed statistical model can be effectively used for the prediction of sediment sampling outcomes to improve the gradation of the fine sediments.
Racial and Sex Differences between Urinary Phthalates and Metabolic Syndrome among U.S. Adults: NHANES 2005–2014
Authors: Ghosh Rajrupa , Haque Mefruz , Turner Paul C. , Cruz-Cano Raul , Dallal Cher M.
Published: June 2021

Phthalates, plasticizers ubiquitous in household and personal care products, have been associated with metabolic disturbances. Despite the noted racial differences in phthalate exposure and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), it remains unclear whether associations between phthalate metabolites and MetS vary by race and sex. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 10,017 adults from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (2005–2014). Prevalence odds ratios (POR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for the association between 11 urinary phthalate metabolites and MetS using weighted sex and race stratified multivariable logistic regression. Higher MCOP levels were significantly associated with increased odds of MetS among women but not men, and only remained significant among White women (POR Q4 vs. Q1 = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.24, 2.29; p-trend = 0.001). Similarly, the inverse association observed with MEHP among women, persisted among White women only (POR Q4 vs. Q1 = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.80; p-trend = 0.003). However, ΣDEHP metabolites were associated with increased odds of MetS only among men, and this finding was limited to White men (POR Q4 vs. Q1 = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.35; p-trend = 0.06). Among Black men, an inverse association was observed with higher MEP levels (POR Q4 vs. Q1 = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.77; p-trend = 0.01). The findings suggest differential associations between phthalate metabolites and MetS by sex and race/ethnicity.
Evaluation of Fluoride Adsorption Mechanism and Capacity of Different Types of Bone Char
Authors: Sawangjang Benyapa , Induvesa Phacharapol , Wongrueng Aunnop , Pumas Chayakorn , Wattanachira Suraphong , Rakruam Pharkphum , Punyapalakul Patiparn , Takizawa Satoshi , Khan Eakalak
Published: June 2021

The fluoride adsorption capacity of three types of bone char (BC), including cow BC (CBC), chicken BC (CKBC), and pig BC (PBC), was examined. At the optimum charring conditions (temperature and time), PBC had the highest hydroxyapatite (HAP) content (0.928 g-HAP/g-BC), while CBC had the highest specific surface area (103.11 m2/g-BC). CBC also had the maximum fluoride adsorption capacity (0.788 mg-F/g-HAP), suggesting that fluoride adsorption capacity depends more on the specific surface area of the BC than the HAP content. The adsorption data of CBC, CKBC, and PBC fit well with the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir isotherm. The maximum fluoride adsorption capacity of BC reached the maximum value when the solution had a pH of approximately 6.0. Lastly, the highest fluoride desorption occurred when the BCs were soaked in solutions with a pH higher than 11.0.
Precautionary Behaviors during the Second and Third Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparative Study in the Latin American Population
Authors: Meda-Lara Rosa Martha , Juárez-Rodríguez Pedro , Carrasco-Tapias Nayib Ester , Barrales-Díaz Claudio Rodolfo , Palomera-Chávez Andrés , González-Díaz Esteban , Llantá-Abreu María del Carmen , Lorenzana-Montenegro Lucia , Herrero Marta , Moreno-Jiménez Bernardo
Published: June 2021

The population’s behavioral responses to containment and precautionary measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have played a fundamental role in controlling the contagion. A comparative analysis of precautionary behaviors in the region was carried out. A total of 1184 people from Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, and Guatemala participated through an online survey containing a questionnaire on sociodemographic factors, precautionary behaviors, information about COVID-19, concerns, maintenance of confinement, and medical symptoms associated with COVID-19. Cubans reported the highest scores for information about COVID-19. Colombians reported less frequent usage of precautionary measures (e.g., use of masks), but greater adherence to confinement recommendations in general, in contrast to the low levels of these behaviors in Guatemalans. Chileans reported greater pandemic-related concerns and the highest number of medical symptoms associated with COVID-19. These findings allow a partial characterization of the Latin American population’s responses during the second and third phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the importance of designing and managing public health policies according to the circumstances of each population when facing pandemics.
Short-Term Touch-Screen Video Game Playing Improves the Inhibition Ability
Authors: Qiu Boyu , Chen Yanrong , He Xu , Liu Ting , Wang Sixian , Zhang Wei
Published: June 2021

There is mixed evidence regarding whether video games affect executive function. The inconsistent results in this area may have to do with researchers’ conceptualizations of executive function as a unified construct or as a set of independent skills. In the current study, 120 university students were randomly assigned to play a video game or to watch a screen record of the video game. They then completed a series of behavioral tasks to assess the shifting, updating and inhibiting subcomponents of executive function. Scores on these tasks were also used as indicators of a component-general latent variable. Results based on analysis of covariance showed that, as predicted, the inhibition subcomponent, but not the updating or the shifting subcomponent, was significantly enhanced after gaming. The component-general executive function was not enhanced after gaming once the results were controlled for other subcomponents. The results were unrelated to participants’ self-reported positive and negative affect. The findings add key evidence to the literature on executive function and potentially contribute to the therapeutic use of video games to maintain executive function in the aged population.
Developing the First Telenursing Service for COVID-19 Patients: The Experience of South Korea
Authors: Heo Hyunsook , Lee Kyungyi , Jung Eunhee , Lee Hyangyuol
Published: June 2021

This study aimed to examine the process of establishing a telenursing service for COVID-19 patients with mild or no symptoms admitted to a community treatment center (CTC). The process of establishing the service was reviewed, and the degree of satisfaction with the provided service was investigated based on the medical records the patients submitted at their discharge from the CTC. A total of 113 patients were admitted; the patients themselves entered the self-measured vital signs and symptoms of COVID-19 infection to the electronic questionnaires and mobile application. The nurses implemented remote nursing based on the patients’ input data. The educational materials, including the video for self-measuring vital signs and the living guidelines, were prepared and arranged in advance. The telenursing protocol regarding the whole process from the patients’ admission to their discharge was used and applied to five other CTCs. The non-contact counseling service’s satisfaction and convenience scores were 4.65 points and 4.62 points, respectively, out of 5 points. The non-contact nursing counseling service played an important role in monitoring patients’ medical conditions during the spread of COVID-19. This experience of establishing telenursing services to the CTC provides a clear direction to innovate healthcare services in future disasters.
Ambient Air Pollutions Are Associated with Vitamin D Status
Authors: Yang Chenlu , Li Dankang , Tian Yaohua , Wang Peiyu
Published: June 2021

Evidence on the effect of ambient air pollution on vitamin D is limited. This study aimed to examine the association of air pollution exposure with serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) using UK Biobank health datasets. A total of 448,337 subjects were included in this analysis. Land Use Regression was applied to assess individual exposures to particulate matter with diameters ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5), ≤10 µm (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Linear regression models evaluated the associations between air pollutants and serum vitamin D levels after adjustment of a series of confounders. All analyzed air pollutants were negatively associated with serum vitamin 25OHD levels. After adjusting for potential confounders, a 10 μg/m3 increase in concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, NOx, and NO2 was associated with −9.11 (95%CI: −13.25 to −4.97), −2.47 (95%CI: −4.51 to −0.43), −0.56 (95%CI: −0.82 to −0.30), and −1.64 (95%CI: −2.17 to −1.10) nmol/L decrease in serum vitamin 25OHD levels, respectively. Interaction analyses suggested that the effects of air pollution were more pronounced in females. In conclusion, long-term exposures to ambient PM2.5, PM10, NOx, and NO2 were associated with vitamin D status in a large UK cohort.
Sleep Quality and Performance in Professional Athletes Fasting during the Month of Ramadan
Authors: Lipert Anna , Kozłowski Remigiusz , Rasmus Paweł , Marczak Michał , Timler Małgorzata , Timler Dariusz , Kaniecka Ewa , Nasser Abedelmajid , Ghaddar Mohammad , Ghaddar Ali
Published: June 2021

Background: Maintaining physical performance during Ramadan Diurnal Fasting (RDF) is a challenge for professional athletes. The literature shows that sleep disturbances experienced by athletes during RDF are associated with reduced physical performance. The effect of sleep quality on physical performance, and the effect of work status on physical performance during RDF among athletes, besides engaging in trainings, have been little investigated. This study aims to evaluate the effect of RDF on the physical performance of professional athletes taking into consideration their sleep quality and work status. Methods: Professional medium-distance male runners (n = 32) participated in our study in the summer of 2019. Data about socio-demographics, training characteristics, sleep quality (Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index: PSQI), physical performance (Cooper Test; Harvard step test) were collected before and during Ramadan. Student’s-test and Welch and Wilcoxon tests were used for data analysis. Results: Both quality of sleep and physical performance of athletes deteriorated during Ramadan. People with better quality of sleep had better physical fitness/performance both before and during RDF. Athletes who worked beside trainings achieved worse physical fitness test results and had worse quality of sleep. Conclusions: Policies aimed to improve physical performance in RDF should consider the quality of sleep and the work status of athletes.
Nurse-Coordinated Blood Pressure Telemonitoring for Urban Hypertensive Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Choi Woo-Seok , Kim Nam-Suk , Kim Ah-Young , Woo Hyung-Soo
Published: June 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has put hypertensive patients in densely populated cities at increased risk. Nurse-coordinated home blood pressure telemonitoring (NC-HBPT) may help address this. We screened studies published in English on three databases, from their inception to 30 November 2020. The effects of NC-HBPT were compared with in-person treatment. Outcomes included changes in blood pressure (BP) following the intervention and rate of BP target achievements before and during COVID-19. Of the 1916 articles identified, 27 comparisons were included in this review. In the intervention group, reductions of 5.731 mmHg (95% confidence interval: 4.120–7.341; p < 0.001) in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 2.342 mmHg (1.482–3.202; p < 0.001) in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were identified. The rate of target BP achievement was significant in the intervention group (risk ratio, RR = 1.261, 1.154–1.378; p < 0.001). The effects of intervention over time showed an SBP reduction of 3.000 mmHg (−5.999–11.999) before 2000 and 8.755 mmHg (5.177–12.334) in 2020. DBP reduced by 2.000 mmHg (−2.724–6.724) before 2000 and by 3.529 mmHg (1.221–5.838) in 2020. Analysis of the target BP ratio before 2010 (RR = 1.101, 1.013–1.198) and in 2020 (RR = 1.906, 1.462–2.487) suggested improved BP control during the pandemic. NC-HBPT more significantly improves office blood pressure than UC among urban hypertensive patients.
Microbial Source Tracking Approach to Investigate Fecal Waste at the Strawberry Creek Watershed and Clam Beach, California, USA
Authors: Corrigan Jeremy A. , Butkus Steven R. , Ferris Michael E. , Roberts Jill C.
Published: June 2021

Clam Beach is located in Northern California, USA, and is listed as an impaired waterway by the federal government. The scope of this study was to investigate this beach and surrounding watershed to determine, if possible, the source of the impairment by conducting an 11-h beach study and 8-week watershed study. We used traditional fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and microbial source tracking (MST) methods to help identify source(s) of the FIB. Our study was focused on four possible contributors: human, ruminant, canine, and bird. A total of 169 samples were collected, analyzed, and compared to the California Department of Health single sample maximum (SSM) objective. In the beach study, 29 (44%) samples exceeded at least one SSM objective, which would have resulted in a resample per state regulations for recreational primary contact use. MST methods showed that the most abundant marker detected was bird, in 65% of the samples, but varied by sample location, which is likely due to a natural population of nearshore birds regularly observed along Clam Beach. The watershed study highlighted the potential influence from ruminants throughout the region, while humans did not appear to be a significant contributor. Health risk to humans appears to be low.
Spanish Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Wisconsin Gait Scale
Authors: Estrada-Barranco Cecilia , Abuín-Porras Vanesa , López-Ruiz Javier , Sanz-Esteban Ismael , Molina-Rueda Francisco , Cano-de-la-Cuerda Roberto
Published: June 2021

Introduction: the Wisconsin Gait Scale (WGS) has been shown to be a valid and quick tool for analyzing gait in post-stroke people in the clinical setting. Its widespread use has led to versions of the scale in other languages, but so far there has been no version in Spanish. Objective: to conduct a cross-cultural adaptation of the WGS for use in the Spanish-speaking population and to analyze the content validity. Materials and methods: the Spanish version was obtained using the double translation method and back translation method, followed by a review by an expert committee. This expert committee evaluated the content validity index (CVI) for each item on the version obtained and for the entire scale (scale content validity index (S-CVI)). The item content validity index (I-CIV) was calculated as the number of experts whose score had been 3 or 4 divided by the total number of experts. To obtain the S-CVI, the middle of the I-CVI was calculated for all the items on the scale. Results: the Spanish version of the WGS was obtained after the expert committee evaluation. The CVI was excellent for its general assessment (0.91), excellent for 85.7% of its items (≥0.78), and good for 14.3% of the CVI (≥0.72). Conclusions: the Spanish version of the WGS was developed through a process of cross-cultural adaptation from its original English version, and, according to an expert committee, it had an excellent content validity.
Concentrations, Distribution, and Pollution Assessment of Metals in River Sediments in China
Authors: Lian Guoqi , Lee Xinqing
Published: June 2021

This study conducted a review on the concentrations, spatial distribution and pollution assessment of metals including As, Hg, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in 102 river sediments in China between January 2008 and July 2020 based on the online literature. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and potential ecological risk index (RI) were used for the pollution assessment of the metals. The results showed that the ranges of metals were: 0.44 to 250.73 mg/kg for As, 0.02 to 8.67 mg/kg for Hg, 0.06 to 40 mg/kg for Cd, 0.81 to 251.58 mg/kg for Co, 4.69 to 460 mg/kg for Cr, 2.13 to 520.42 mg/kg for Cu, 39.76 to 1884 mg/kg for Mn, 1.91 to 203.11 mg/kg for Ni, 1.44 to 1434.25 mg/kg for Pb and 12.76 to 1737.35 mg/kg for Zn, respectively. The median values of these metals were descending in the order: Mn > Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > Ni > Co > As > Cd > Hg. Compared with the SQGs, As and Cr manifested higher exceeding sites among the metals. Metals of river sediments manifested a significant spatial variation among different regions, which might be attributed to the natural weathering and anthropogenic activity. The mean Igeo values of the metals presented the decreasing trends in the order: Cd > Hg > Zn > Cu > As > Pb > Ni > Co > Cr > Mn. Cd and Hg manifested higher proportions of contaminated sites and contributed most to the RI, which should be listed as priority control of pollutants. Southwest River Basin, Liaohe River Basin, and Huaihe River Basin manifested higher ecological risks than other basins. The study could provide a comprehensive understanding of metals pollution in river sediments in China, and a reference of the control of pollutant discharge in the river basins for the management.
Trends in Nursing Research on Infections: Semantic Network Analysis and Topic Modeling
Authors: Won Jongsoon , Kim Kyunghee , Sohng Kyeong-Yae , Chang Sung-Ok , Chaung Seung-Kyo , Choi Min-Jung , Kim Youngji
Published: June 2021

Background: Many countries around the world are currently threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and nurses are facing increasing responsibilities and work demands related to infection control. To establish a developmental strategy for infection control, it is important to analyze, understand, or visualize the accumulated data gathered from research in the field of nursing. Methods: A total of 4854 articles published between 1978 and 2017 were retrieved from the Web of Science. Abstracts from these articles were extracted, and network analysis was conducted using the semantic network module. Results: ‘wound’, ‘injury’, ‘breast’, “dressing”, ‘temperature’, ‘drainage’, ‘diabetes’, ‘abscess’, and ‘cleaning’ were identified as the keywords with high values of degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and closeness centrality; hence, they were determined to be influential in the network. The major topics were ‘PLWH’ (people living with HIV), ‘pregnancy’, and ‘STI’ (sexually transmitted infection). Conclusions: Diverse infection research has been conducted on the topics of blood-borne infections, sexually transmitted infections, respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, and bacterial infections. STIs (including HIV), pregnancy, and bacterial infections have been the focus of particularly intense research by nursing researchers. More research on viral infections, urinary tract infections, immune topic, and hospital-acquired infections will be needed.