bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparing the Effects of Short-Term Liuzijue Exercise and Core Stability Training on Balance Function in Patients Recovering From Stroke: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Zhang Ying , Wang Chen , Yang JianZhong , Qiao Lei , Xu Ying , Yu Long , Wang Jie , Ni Weidong , Wang Yan , Yao Yue , Yong ZhiJie , Ding ShanShan
Published: February 2022

Aims

Liuzijue Qigong (LQG) exercise is a traditional Chinese exercise method in which breathing and pronunciation are combined with movement guidance. Breathing is closely related to balance, and LQG, as a special breathing exercise, can be applied to balance dysfunction after stroke. The purpose of this study was to observe the clinical effects of short-term LQG exercise on balance function in patients recovering from stroke.

Methods

Stroke patients were randomly divided into an Intervention Group (IG) (n = 80) and a Control Group (CG) (n = 80). The IG received conventional rehabilitation training plus LQG and the CG received conventional rehabilitation training plus Core Stability Training (CST). All patients received treatment once a day, 5 times a week for 2 weeks. The primary outcome was Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Secondary outcome measures were static standing and sitting balance with eyes open and closed, Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Maximum Phonation Time (MPT), Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and diaphragm thickness and mobility during quiet breath (QB) and deep breath (DB).

Results

Compared with the CG, the IG showed significant improvement in the BBS (10.55 ± 3.78 vs. 9.06 ± 4.50, P = 0.039), MPT (5.41 ± 4.70 vs. 5.89 ± 5.24, P = 0.001), MBI (12.88 ± 6.45 vs. 10.00 ± 4.84, P = 0.003), diaphragmatic mobility during QB (0.54 ± 0.73 vs. 0.33 ± 0.40, P = 0.01) and diaphragmatic mobility during DB (0.99 ± 1.32 vs. 0.52 ± 0.77, P = 0.003), Cop trajectory in the standing position with eyes open (−108.34 ± 108.60 vs. −89.00 ± 140.11, P = 0.034) and Cop area in the standing positions with eyes open (−143.79 ± 431.55 vs. −93.29 ± 223.15, P = 0.015), Cop trajectory in the seating position with eyes open (−19.95 ± 23.35 vs. −12.83 ± 26.64, P = 0.001) and Cop area in the seating position with eyes open (−15.83 ± 9.61 vs. −11.29 ± 9.17, P = 0.002).

Conclusions

The short-term LQG combined with conventional rehabilitation training significantly improved the balance functions of stroke patients. It also improved static standing and sitting balance with the eyes open, diaphragm functions, maximum phonation time and the quality of daily life for stroke patients.

Clinical Trial Registration

http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=25313&htm=4, Identifier: ChiCTR1800014864.
Hearing in Complex Environments: Auditory Gain Control, Attention, and Hearing Loss
Authors: Auerbach Benjamin D. , Gritton Howard J.
Published: February 2022

Listening in noisy or complex sound environments is difficult for individuals with normal hearing and can be a debilitating impairment for those with hearing loss. Extracting meaningful information from a complex acoustic environment requires the ability to accurately encode specific sound features under highly variable listening conditions and segregate distinct sound streams from multiple overlapping sources. The auditory system employs a variety of mechanisms to achieve this auditory scene analysis. First, neurons across levels of the auditory system exhibit compensatory adaptations to their gain and dynamic range in response to prevailing sound stimulus statistics in the environment. These adaptations allow for robust representations of sound features that are to a large degree invariant to the level of background noise. Second, listeners can selectively attend to a desired sound target in an environment with multiple sound sources. This selective auditory attention is another form of sensory gain control, enhancing the representation of an attended sound source while suppressing responses to unattended sounds. This review will examine both “bottom-up” gain alterations in response to changes in environmental sound statistics as well as “top-down” mechanisms that allow for selective extraction of specific sound features in a complex auditory scene. Finally, we will discuss how hearing loss interacts with these gain control mechanisms, and the adaptive and/or maladaptive perceptual consequences of this plasticity.
Deprivation of Dietary Fiber Enhances Susceptibility of Piglets to Lung Immune Stress
Authors: Yang Yi , Jiang Xuemei , Cai Xuelin , Zhang Lijia , Li Wentao , Che Lianqiang , Fang Zhengfeng , Feng Bin , Lin Yan , Xu Shengyu , Li Jian , Zhao Xilun , Wu De , Zhuo Yong
Published: February 2022

Growing evidence suggests that dietary fiber enhances short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producing gut microbes, improving lung immunity against invading pathogens via the gut–lung axis. This study investigated the effects of dietary fiber on lung immune stress after challenge with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) containing killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Thirty-six healthy hybrid Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire male piglets (9.7 ± 1.07 kg, 35 ± 3 days) were randomly fed a low fiber (LF) diet formulated with semipurified corn starch, soy protein concentrate, and fishmeal or a high fiber (HF) diet composed of 1,000 g LF diet plus 20 g inulin, and 100 g cellulose. Piglets were housed individually in the metabolism cages with eighteen replicates per group, with one pig per cage. All the piglets received similar levels of digestible energy and lysine and had similar weight gain. After dietary treatment for 28 days, nine piglets per group were intravenously administered CFA (0.4 mg/kg) or an equivalent amount of sterile saline in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. In piglets fed the LF diet, CFA caused lung damage and elevated serum C-reactive protein and relative mRNA expression of genes related to lung inflammation (NLRP3, Casp1, ASC, IL1β, IL18, Bax). Compared with the LF diet, the HF diet increased bacterial diversity and Deferribacteres (p = 0.01) in the phylum level and unidentified_Ruminococcaceae (p = 0.03) and Catenisphaera (p < 0.01) in the genus level. The HF diet improved increased short-chain fatty acids in feces, blood, cecal, and colonic digesta; reduced lung damage; and promoted lung recovery. Overall, dietary fiber deprivation enhanced the risk of piglets to lung immune stress, demonstrating the importance of dietary fiber in gut–lung health.
Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel: Worthy of Further Study in Sarcomas
Authors: Tian Zhichao , Yao Weitao
Published: February 2022

Taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel) play an important role in the treatment of advanced sarcomas. Albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) is a new kind of taxane and has many advantages compared with paclitaxel and docetaxel. Nab-paclitaxel is currently approved for the treatment of advanced breast, non-small cell lung, and pancreatic cancers. However, the efficacy of nab-paclitaxel in sarcomas has not been reviewed. In this review, we first compare the similarities and differences among nab-paclitaxel, paclitaxel, and docetaxel and then summarize the efficacy of nab-paclitaxel against various non-sarcoma malignancies based on clinical trials with reported results. The efficacy and clinical research progress on nab-paclitaxel in sarcomas are also summarized. This review will serve as a good reference for the application of nab-paclitaxel in clinical sarcoma treatment studies and the design of clinical trials.
A Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model for Studying the Biowaiver Risk of Biopharmaceutics Classification System Class I Drugs With Rapid Elimination: Dexketoprofen Trometamol Case Study
Authors: Zhang Xian , Ye Xuxiao , Hu Kuan , Li Wenping , Li Wenqian , Xiao Qingqing , Chen Lin , Yang Jin
Published: February 2022

Biowaiver based on the biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS) has been widely used in the global market for the approval of new generic drug products to avoid unnecessary in vivo bioequivalence (BE) studies. However, it is reported that three out of four formulations of dexketoprofen trometamol (DEX) tablets (BCS class I drug) failed the first BE study. The aim of this study was to determine whether the current biowaiver standard is reasonable for DEX. Thus, we successfully established a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for DEX and examined the effects of dissolution, permeability, and gastric emptying time on DEX absorption under BCS-based biowaiver conditions using sensitivity analyses. Parameter sensitivity analysis showed that the dissolution rate in pH 1.2 media, permeability, and liquid gastric emptying time were sensitive parameters of Cmax. Therefore, gastric emptying variation was introduced into the PBPK model, and virtual BE studys were conducted on original research formulation and the formulation of the boundary dissolution rate (f2 = 50) prescribed by the biowaiver guideline. The virtual BE results showed dissolution rate changes within the biowaiver range will not cause high non-BE ratio, indicate waive of DEX generic drugs would not lead the risk of Cmax when generic products satisfy the requirements of biowaiver guideline. However, the effect of excipients on gastric emptying as a sensitive factor needs to be further studied when the rapid elimination of BCS class I drug is biowaived.
A Narrative Review on Efficacy and Safety of Proton Pump Inhibitors in Children
Authors: Dipasquale Valeria , Cicala Giuseppe , Spina Edoardo , Romano Claudio
Published: February 2022

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most prescribed drugs worldwide and include omeprazole, esomeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole, and rabeprazole. Their use in pediatrics is approved for children older than 1 year, for the short-term treatment of symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), healing of erosive esophagitis, treatment of peptic ulcer disease, and eradication of Helicobacter pylori. PPIs are also considered the standard of care for pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis. Despite the strict range of indications, the use of this class of molecules has increased in all pediatric age ranges. The long-term gastric acid suppression in children has been linked to increased risks of gastrointestinal and lower respiratory tract infections, bone fractures, and allergy. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the mechanism of actions, use (and misuse) in infants and children, and safety of PPIs.
Critical Scaling of Entropy and Thermal Drude Weight in Anisotropic Heisenberg Antiferromagnets: A Thermodynamic Quest for Quantum Criticality
Authors: Ding L. J. , Zhong Y.
Published: February 2022

Up to now, probing the quantum phase transition (QPT) and quantum critical (QC) phenomena at finite temperatures in one-dimensional (1D) spin systems still lacks an in-depth understanding. Herein, we study the QPT and thermodynamics of 1D spin-1/2 anisotropic Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chains by Green’s function theory. The quantum phase diagram is renormalized by the anisotropy (∆), which manifests a quantum critical point (QCP) hc = 1 + ∆ signaling the transition from gapless Tomonaga–Luttinger liquid (TLL) to gapped ferromagnetic (FM) state, demonstrated by the magnetic entropy and thermal Drude weight. At low temperatures, it is shown that two crossover temperatures fan out a QC regime and capture the QCP via the linear extrapolation to zero temperature. In addition, around QCP, the QC scaling is performed by analyzing the entropy and thermal Drude weight to extract the critical exponents (α, δ, and β) that fulfill the Essamm–Fisher scaling law, which provides a novel thermodynamic means to detect QPT for experiment. Furthermore, scaling hypothesis equations with two rescaled manners are proposed to testify the scaling analysis, for which all the data points fall on a universal curve or two independent branches for the plot against rescaled field or temperature, implying the self-consistency and reliability of the obtained critical exponents.
Influence of High Energy Diet and Polygenic Predisposition for Obesity on Postpartum Health in Rat Dams
Authors: Leuthardt Andrea S. , Bayer Julia , Monné Rodríguez Josep M. , Boyle Christina N.
Published: February 2022

It is estimated that 30% of pregnant women worldwide are overweight or obese, leading to adverse health effects for both mother and child. Women with obesity during pregnancy are at higher risk for developing both metabolic and mental disorders, such as diabetes and depression. Numerous studies have used rodent models of maternal obesity to understand its consequences on the offspring, yet characterization of changes in the dams is rare, and most rodent models rely solely on a high fat diet to induce maternal obesity, without regarding genetic propensity for obesity. Here we present the influence of both peripartum high energy diet (HE) and obesity-proneness on maternal health using selectively bred diet-resistant (DR) and diet-induced obese (DIO) rat dams. Outbred Sprague-Dawley rats were challenged with HE diet prior to mating and bred according to their propensity to gain weight. The original outbred breeding dams (F0) were maintained on low-fat chow during pregnancy and lactation. By comparison, the F1 dams consuming HE diet during pregnancy and lactation displayed higher gestational body weight gain (P < 0.01), and HE diet caused increased meal size and reduced meal frequency (P < 0.001). Sensitivity to the hormone amylin was preserved during pregnancy, regardless of diet. After several rounds of selective breeding, DIO and DR dams from generation F3 were provided chow or HE during pregnancy and lactation and assessed for their postpartum physiology and behaviors. We observed strong diet and phenotype effects on gestational weight gain, with DIO-HE dams gaining 119% more weight than DR-chow (P < 0.001). A high-resolution analysis of maternal behaviors did not detect main effects of diet or phenotype, but a subset of DIO dams showed delayed nursing behavior (P < 0.05). In generation F6/F7 dams, effects on gestational weight gain persisted (P < 0.01), and we observed a main effect of phenotype during a sucrose preference test (P < 0.05), with DIO-chow dams showing lower sucrose preference than DR controls (P < 0.05). Both DIO and DR dams consuming HE diet had hepatic steatosis (P < 0.001) and exhibited reduced leptin sensitivity in the arcuate nucleus (P < 0.001). These data demonstrate that both diet and genetic obesity-proneness have consequences on maternal health.
Salt-Specific Gene Expression Reveals Elevated Auxin Levels in Arabidopsis thaliana Plants Grown Under Saline Conditions
Authors: Cackett Lee , Cannistraci Carlo Vittorio , Meier Stuart , Ferrandi Paul , Pěnčík Aleš , Gehring Chris , Novák Ondřej , Ingle Robert A. , Donaldson Lara
Published: February 2022

Soil salinization is increasing globally, driving a reduction in crop yields that threatens food security. Salinity stress reduces plant growth by exerting two stresses on plants: rapid shoot ion-independent effects which are largely osmotic and delayed ionic effects that are specific to salinity stress. In this study we set out to delineate the osmotic from the ionic effects of salinity stress. Arabidopsis thaliana plants were germinated and grown for two weeks in media supplemented with 50, 75, 100, or 125 mM NaCl (that imposes both an ionic and osmotic stress) or iso-osmolar concentrations (100, 150, 200, or 250 mM) of sorbitol, that imposes only an osmotic stress. A subsequent transcriptional analysis was performed to identify sets of genes that are differentially expressed in plants grown in (1) NaCl or (2) sorbitol compared to controls. A comparison of the gene sets identified genes that are differentially expressed under both challenge conditions (osmotic genes) and genes that are only differentially expressed in plants grown on NaCl (ionic genes, hereafter referred to as salt-specific genes). A pathway analysis of the osmotic and salt-specific gene lists revealed that distinct biological processes are modulated during growth under the two conditions. The list of salt-specific genes was enriched in the gene ontology (GO) term “response to auxin.” Quantification of the predominant auxin, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and IAA biosynthetic intermediates revealed that IAA levels are elevated in a salt-specific manner through increased IAA biosynthesis. Furthermore, the expression of NITRILASE 2 (NIT2), which hydrolyses indole-3-acetonitile (IAN) into IAA, increased in a salt-specific manner. Overexpression of NIT2 resulted in increased IAA levels, improved Na:K ratios and enhanced survival and growth of Arabidopsis under saline conditions. Overall, our data suggest that auxin is involved in maintaining growth during the ionic stress imposed by saline conditions.
Patterns of Domain-Specific Learning Among Medical Undergraduate Students in Relation to Confidence in Their Physiology Knowledge: Insights From a Pre–post Study
Authors: Roeper Jochen , Reichert-Schlax Jasmin , Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia Olga , Klose Verena , Weber Maruschka , Nagel Marie-Theres
Published: February 2022

Research Focus

The promotion of domain-specific knowledge is a central goal of higher education and, in the field of medicine, it is particularly essential to promote global health. Domain-specific knowledge on its own is not exhaustive; confidence regarding the factual truth of this knowledge content is also required. An increase in both knowledge and confidence is considered a necessary prerequisite for making professional decisions in the clinical context. Especially the knowledge of human physiology is fundamental and simultaneously critical to medical decision-making. However, numerous studies have shown difficulties in understanding and misconceptions in this area of knowledge. Therefore, we investigate (i) how preclinical medical students acquire knowledge in physiology over the course of their studies and simultaneously gain confidence in the correctness of this knowledge as well as (ii) the interrelations between these variables, and (iii) how they affect thedevelopmentof domain-specific knowledge.

Method

In a pre–post study, 169 medical students’ development of physiology knowledge and their confidence related to this knowledge were assessedviapaper-pencil questionnaires before and after attending physiology seminars for one semester. Data from a longitudinal sample ofn= 97 students were analyzed using mean comparisons, regression analyses, and latent class analyses (LCAs). In addition, four types of item responses were formed based on confidence and correctness in the knowledge test.

Results

We found a significant and large increase in the students’ physiology knowledge, with task-related confidence being the strongest predictor (apart from learning motivation). Moreover, a significantly higher level of confidence at t2 was confirmed, with the level of prior confidence being a strong predictor (apart from knowledge at t2). Furthermore, based on the students’ development of knowledge and confidence levels between measurement points, three empirically distinct groups were distinguished: knowledge gainers, confidence gainers, and overall gainers. The students whose confidence in incorrect knowledge increased constituted one particularly striking group. Therefore, the training of both knowledge and the ability to critically reflect on one’s knowledge and skills as well as an assessment of their development in education is required, especially in professions such as medicine, where knowledge-based decisions made with confidence are of vital importance.
The Possible Role of Body Temperature in Modulating Brain and Body Sizes in Hominin Evolution
Authors: Lingam Manasvi
Published: February 2022

Many models have posited that the concomitant evolution of large brains and body sizes in hominins was constrained by metabolic costs. In such studies, the impact of body temperature has arguably not been sufficiently addressed despite the well-established fact that the rates of most physiological processes are manifestly temperature-dependent. Hence, the potential role of body temperature in regulating the number of neurons and body size is investigated by means of a heuristic quantitative model. It is suggested that modest deviations in body temperature (i.e., by a couple of degrees Celsius) might allow for substantive changes in brain and body parameters. In particular, a higher body temperature may prove amenable to an increased number of neurons, a higher brain-to-body mass ratio and fewer hours expended on feeding activities, while the converse could apply when the temperature is lowered. Future studies should, therefore, endeavor to explore and incorporate the effects of body temperature in metabolic theories of hominin evolution, while also integrating other factors such as foraging efficiency, diet, and fire control in tandem.
Social Networks Addiction (SNA-6) – Short: Validity of Measurement in Mexican Youths
Authors: Salas-Blas Edwin , Merino-Soto César , Pérez-Amezcua Berenice , Toledano-Toledano Filiberto
Published: February 2022

The excessive use of social networks needs to be addressed, and this phenomenon needs to be measured for the purpose of evaluation, prevention, and intervention among adolescents and young people. The objective of the study was to adapt and psychometrically validate the Brief Scale of Addiction to Social Networks (SNA-6) among Mexican adolescents and young adults. The participating sample consisted of 2,789 students from 6 public educational campuses in Cuernavaca (Morelos, Mexico). Data collection was carried out through a web platform to strictly maintain anonymity, voluntary participation, and confidentiality. Data analysis first focused on the detection of possible response biases (random intercept model and careless/insufficient effort), the quality of the response structure partial credit model (PCM), dimensionality (CFA and invariance), and the relationship with external variables. It was found that when the range of efficient response options was limited to less than five, reliability was high (0.91), and unidimensionality was maintained. Response biases slightly affected the dimensional structure of the instrument. Measurement invariance reached scalar invariance in the sex, age, and campus groups. The association with sensation seeking and depression, controlling for sex and age covariates, was statistically significant, small, and theoretically consistent. Implications of the results are discussed.
Ethical Conflict and Knowledge Hiding in Teams: Moderating Role of Workplace Friendship in Education Sector
Authors: Xing Shuo
Published: February 2022

Ethical conflicts arise when there is no unity between the team members and shared ethical priorities. This study aimed to identify the relationship between ethical value unity, team knowledge hiding, the relationship between the lack of shared ethical priorities and the team knowledge hiding. Workplace friendship was taken as a moderating variable to check its regulating role between the ethical conflicts and the team knowledge hiding. Data of this study were collected from the staff working in different colleges and universities. There are a total of 480 responses collected through convenience sampling technique and analyzed under a five-point Likert scale. The partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique is used in this study. The key reason was that this approach has the fewest requirements for data normality and is a better tool for evaluating exploratory connections empirically. The output of the measurement model assessment confirms that all measurement scales are reliable. The result indicates that there was a significant and positive relationship between ethical value congruence and knowledge hiding. It was also established that there was a relationship between lack of shared ethical priorities and knowledge hiding. Workplace friendship moderated the relationship between ethical conflicts and team knowledge hiding. This study extends the literature on ethical conflict and knowledge hiding behavior. This study highlights that one of the main reasons for knowledge hiding behavior at the team level in the organization is which helps the business practicians for a design of an effective strategy to mitigate the knowledge hiding behavior in the organization.
Does Health Consciousness Matter to Adopt New Technology? An Integrated Model of UTAUT2 With SEM-fsQCA Approach
Authors: Mustafa Sohaib , Zhang Wen , Shehzad Muhammad Usman , Anwar Aliya , Rubakula Gelas
Published: February 2022

Every emerging technology has its pros and cons; health-conscious users pay more importance to healthy and environment-friendly technologies. Based on the UTAUT2 model, we proposed a comprehensive novel model to study the factors influencing consumers’ decision-making to adopt the technology. Compared to prior studies that focused on linear models to investigate consumers’ technology adoption intentions and use behavior. This study used a Structural Equation Modeling-fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (SEM-fsQCA) approach to account for the complexity of customers’ decision-making processes in adopting new technology. We collected valid responses from 830 consumers, analyzed them, and evaluated them using a deep learning SEM-fsQCA technique to capture symmetric and asymmetric relations between variables. We have extensively incorporated a health-consciousness attitude as a predictor and mediator to understand better the decision-making toward technology adoption, specifically 5G technology. All the factors tested in our model are statistically significant except the economic factors. Health-consciousness attitude (HCA) and behavioral intention (BI) found significant predictors and valid mediators in the process of 5G technology adoption.FsQCA provided six configurations to achieve high 5G adoption. The findings have significant practical ramifications for telecom corporations, advertisers, government officials, and key policymakers. Additionally, the study added substantial theoretical literature to technology adoption, particularly the adoption of 5G technology.
Release and Demand of Public Health Information in Social Media During the Outbreak of COVID-19 in China
Authors: Tang Songjia , Wu Xiaoxin , Chen Jingjing , Lu Fangfang , Zhang Zhihao , Xu Yingying , Zhang Jufang
Published: February 2022

Information release is a key to the macro-economy during the outbreak of the Coronavirus Diosease-2019 (COVID-19). To explore the relationship between information supply by the government and public information demand in the pandemic, this study collected over 4,000 posts published on the most popular social media platform, i.e., WeChat. Many approaches, such as text mining, are employed to explore the information at different stages during the pandemic. According to the results, the government attached great importance to the information related to the pandemic. The main topics of information released by the government included the latest situation of the pandemic, announcements by the State Council, and prevention policies for COVID-19. Information mismatch between the public and Chinese governments contributed to the economic depression caused by the pandemic. Specifically, the topics of “the latest situation” and “popular scientific knowledge regarding the pandemic” have gained the most attention of the public. The information demand of the public has changed from the pandemic itself to the recovery of social life and industrial activities after the authority announced the control of the pandemic. However, during the recession phase, the information demand has shifted to asymptomatic infections and global pandemic trends. By contrast, some of the main topics provided by the government, such as “How beautiful you are,” were excessive because the public demand is insufficient. Therefore, severe mismatches existed between information release of the government and public information demand during the pandemic, which impeded the recovery of the economy. The results in this study provide strategical suggestions of information release and opinion guidance for the authorities.
Do Residents and Healthcare Providers Differ in Preference for Family Doctor Contract Service? Evidence From a Discrete Choice Experiment
Authors: Zhang Jiao , Xu Lingzhong , Qin Wenzhe , Xu Aijun
Published: February 2022

Objective

Few are known on how and to what extent residents and healthcare providers have different preferences for family doctor contract service (FDCS). This study aimed to elicit and compare the residents' and healthcare providers' preferences for FDCS through a discrete choice experiment (DCE).

Methods

Residents and healthcare providers recruited for the DCE were asked to choose repeatedly between two hypothetical service plans, which differed in six attributes: cost, service package, service delivery, type of service, accessibility of medicine, and level of healthcare team. We use mixed logit regression models to determine preferences for potential attributes.

Results

A total of 2,159 residents and 729 healthcare providers completed valid DCE questionnaires. The mixed logit model results suggested that cost, service package, service delivery, type of service, accessibility of medicine, and level of healthcare team all had a significant impact on residents' and healthcare providers' preference. The level of healthcare team was the most important characteristic of FDCS to both residents and healthcare providers, followed by types of service. They have different preferences on the cost and way of service delivery.

Conclusions

This study provides new evidence on how and to what extent residents and healthcare providers have different preferences for FDCS by determining their perception of various service attributes. These findings suggested that the optimal design and improvement of FDCS plans should consider not only residents but also healthcare providers' preferences to maximize contract service uptake.
National Strategies for Preventing and Managing Non-communicable Diseases in Selected Countries
Authors: Gassner Lucia , Zechmeister-Koss Ingrid , Reinsperger Inanna
Published: February 2022

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide and are responsible for a high burden of disease. Many countries have developed national strategies for the management and prevention of NCDs to improve the care of chronically ill people or prevent NCDs. This article aims to provide an overview of national NCD strategies from selected countries and their implementation. The focus was on cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes type II, and depression. A comprehensive, structured hand search was conducted in various databases and websites for national strategies on the 4 NCDs. According to pre-defined criteria, 18 strategies from 8 countries (Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Finland, Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia) were selected. The included NCD strategies differ considerably in terms of level of detail, structure and implementation. All strategies include information on planned activities, but only a few provide detailed information on these interventions, including their evaluation. A structured approach from the macro to the micro level seems crucial for a comprehensive, coordinated overall policy. Strategies should be evaluated regularly using appropriate methods to measure target achievement. For the prevention and management of NCDs, it is important to start in early childhood and to adequately consider the social determinants of health with a “Health in All Policies” approach.
Governing Ethical AI Transformation: A Case Study of AuroraAI
Authors: Leikas Jaana , Johri Aditya , Latvanen Marko , Wessberg Nina , Hahto Antti
Published: February 2022

How can the public sector use AI ethically and responsibly for the benefit of people? The sustainable development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in the public sector requires dialogue and deliberation between developers, decision makers, deployers, end users, and the public. This paper contributes to the debate on how to develop persuasive government approaches for steering the development and use of AI. We examine the ethical issues and the role of the public in the debate on developing public sector governance of socially and democratically sustainable and technology-intensive societies. To concretize this discussion, we study the co-development of a Finnish national AI program AuroraAI, which aims to provide citizens with tailored and timely services for different life situations, utilizing AI. With the help of this case study, we investigate the challenges posed by the development and use of AI in the service of public administration. We draw particular attention to the efforts made by the AuroraAI Ethics Board in deliberating the AuroraAI solution options and working toward a sustainable and inclusive AI society.
Embodied Gambling—Investigating the Influence of Level of Embodiment, Avatar Appearance, and Virtual Environment Design on an Online VR Slot Machine
Authors: Oberdörfer Sebastian , Schraudt David , Latoschik Marc Erich
Published: February 2022

Slot machines are one of the most played games by players suffering from gambling disorder. New technologies like immersive Virtual Reality (VR) offer more possibilities to exploit erroneous beliefs in the context of gambling. Recent research indicates a higher risk potential when playing a slot machine in VR than on desktop. To continue this investigation, we evaluate the effects of providing different degrees of embodiment, i.e., minimal and full embodiment. The avatars used for the full embodiment further differ in their appearance, i.e., they elicit a high or a low socio-economic status. The virtual environment (VE) design can cause a potential influence on the overall gambling behavior. Thus, we also embed the slot machine in two different VEs that differ in their emotional design: a colorful underwater playground environment and a virtual counterpart of our lab. These design considerations resulted in four different versions of the same VR slot machine: 1) full embodiment with high socio-economic status, 2) full embodiment with low socio-economic status, 3) minimal embodiment playground VE, and 4) minimal embodiment laboratory VE. Both full embodiment versions also used the playground VE. We determine the risk potential by logging gambling frequency as well as stake size, and measuring harm-inducing factors, i.e., dissociation, urge to gamble, dark flow, and illusion of control, using questionnaires. Following a between groups experimental design, 82 participants played for 20 game rounds one of the four versions. We recruited our sample from the students enrolled at the University of Würzburg. Our safety protocol ensured that only participants without any recent gambling activity took part in the experiment. In this comparative user study, we found no effect of the embodiment nor VE design on neither the gambling frequency, stake sizes, nor risk potential. However, our results provide further support for the hypothesis of the higher visual angle on gambling stimuli and hence the increased emotional response being the true cause for the higher risk potential.
Understanding the Past-Present-Future Hydrogeologic System Through Numerical Groundwater Modeling of South Bengal Basin, India
Authors: Sikdar Pradip Kumar , Banerjee Sumanta , Chakraborty Surajit
Published: February 2022

The quaternary hydrogeologic system of the South Bengal Basin in India with low natural topographic gradients, such as deltas and floodplains, is complex. This research elaborates the hydrogeologic system in and around the twin megacities of Kolkata and Howrah located on this complex delta of the South Bengal Basin and the rapid urbanization pattern during the past 30 years to understand the past, present (2016), and future (2030) behavior of the aquifer system and the advective flow paths of contaminants (wastewater, arsenic, and heavy metals) through hydrogeological simulations and field data. The groundwater model has been calibrated and validated by using the observed and simulated head. The root mean square error of the model is 1.07 m. The built-up area has increased from 142 to 243 km2 between 1985 and 2016, resulting in over-pumping of groundwater. About 93% of the available groundwater is abstracted, and as a result, the piezometric surface is declining at a rate of 13–37 cm/year and the groundwater trough in Kolkata is expanding at the rate of 8.60 km2/year. At places, the confined aquifer is behaving as an unconfined one, increasing the threat of land subsidence. The water quality is deteriorating in parts of Kolkata city where the groundwater is contaminated with wastewater, arsenic, and heavy metals, particularly in boroughs VIII and X. Contaminants from industrial sites may reach the strainer depth (100–120 m bgl) of pumping wells within a period of 20–25 years. The maximum simulated drawdown with respect to the predevelopment head is 22 m. If over-pumping continues, then simulation indicates that the head may drop by another 1.94–2.20 m by 2030. All this may endanger the health and well-being of millions of people living in the area in the near future.
Melatonin Promotes in vitro Development of Vitrified-Warmed Mouse GV Oocytes, Potentially by Modulating Phosphorylation of Drp1
Authors: Qin Jianpeng , Guo Shichao , Yang Jinyu , Qazi Izhar Hyder , Pan Bo , Lv Tianyi , Zang Shengqin , Fang Yi , Zhou Guangbin
Published: February 2022

Previous studies have shown that melatonin can mitigate cryopreservation-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in oocytes; however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether melatonin can improve the mitochondrial function during in vitro maturation of vitrified-warmed mouse germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes by modulating phosphorylation of dynamin related protein 1 (Drp1). Vitrification/warming procedures resulted in the following: (1) After cryopreservation of mouse GV oocytes, the phosphorylation level of Drp1 at Ser616 (p-Drp1 Ser616) in metaphase II (MII) oocytes was increased (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the rates of in vitro maturation, cleavage and blastocyst formation after parthenogenetic activation were decreased (P < 0.05). (2) In MII oocytes, the expression levels of translocase of the mitochondrial outer membrane 20 (TOMM20), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, and mRNA levels of mitochondrial biogenesis-related genes (Sirt1, Pgc-1α, Tfam) were all decreased (P < 0.05), and (3) Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, early apoptosis level, Cytochrome C release and mRNA levels of pro-apoptotic related genes (Bax, Caspase9, Caspase3) in MII oocytes were all increased (P < 0.05). The results of this study further revealed that negative impacts of GV oocyte cryopreservation were mitigated by supplementation of warming and in vitro maturation media with 10−7mol /L melatonin or 2 x 10−5mol/L Mdivi-1 (Drp1 inhibitor). Therefore, we concluded that 10−7mol/L melatonin improved mitochondrial function, reduced oxidative stress and inhibited apoptosis by regulating phosphorylation of Drp1, thereby enhancing in vitro development of vitrified-warmed mouse GV oocytes.
Hypoglycemia Impairs the Heat Shock Protein Response: A Risk for Heat Shock in Cattle?
Authors: Atkin Samuel A. , Moin Abu Saleh Md , Atkin Stephen L. , Butler Alexandra E.
Published: February 2022

Background

Heat stress (HS) in cattle is a major debilitating problem, affecting health and milk yield. Physiologically, HS has been shown to lower blood glucose levels to 2.5 mmol/l (45 mg/dl) and results in upregulation of heat shock proteins (HSPs), eliciting the heat shock response (HSR) of which HSP90, 70 and 27 have been shown to be protective. However, it is unclear if the HSP response is blunted by decreased glucose, thereby preventing adaptive mechanisms. To address this question, this exploratory reverse translational study on the effects of hypoglycemia on the HSP pathway was undertaken.

Methods

A human prospective, study in healthy control individuals (n = 23) was undertaken. Subjects underwent hyperinsulinemic-induced hypoglycemia [≤2.0 mmol/L (36 mg/dl)] with blood sampling at baseline, at hypoglycemia and for a 24-h post-hypoglycemia follow-up period. Proteomic analysis of the heat shock-related protein pathway, the pathway associated with HS in cattle, was performed.

Results

In response to hypoglycemia, HS pathway proteins were significantly decreased (p < 0.05): HSP70 and HSP27 (at hypoglycemia); DnaJ homolog subfamily B member 1 (DNAJB1), Stress-induced-phosphoprotein 1 (STIP1) and the ubiquitin pathway proteins, Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (UBE2L3) and Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 N (UBE2N) (at 30-min post-hypoglycemia); HSP90 (at 2-h post-hypoglycemia). STIP1, UBE2L3, and UBE2N remained suppressed at 24-h.

Conclusion

Heat stress in cattle reduces blood glucose that, in turn, may blunt the HS pathway protective response, including HSP 90, 70, 27 and the ubiquitin proteins, leading to adverse outcomes. Monitoring of blood glucose in susceptible cattle may allow for earlier intervention and may also identify those animals at greatest risk to ensure that milk yield is not compromised.
Can Implicit Measures Augment Suicide Detection in Youth? The Feasibility and Acceptability of the Death Implicit Association Test among Pediatric Medical Inpatients
Authors: Mournet Annabelle M. , Powell Daniel S. , Lanzillo Elizabeth C. , McBee-Strayer Sandra , Bergdoll Emory , Glenn Catherine R. , Millner Alexander , Pao Maryland , Nock Matthew K. , Horowitz Lisa M. , Bridge Jeffrey A.
Published: February 2022

Background: Medically ill youth are at increased suicide risk, necessitating early detection. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of administering the Death Implicit Association Test (Death IAT) to pediatric medical inpatients. Methods: Participants completed measures including the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) and the Death IAT. Results: Over 90% of participants found the Death IAT to be acceptable and more than 75% of participants were comfortable completing the task. There was a small, but statistically significant, improvement from pre-survey to post-survey reports of mood (t(174) = 3.02, p = 0.003, d = 0.15). Participants who endorsed a past suicide attempt on the ASQ had significantly higher “suicide” trial D-scores than those without a past suicide attempt (Wilcoxon W = 1312; p = 0.048; d = 0.61). Conclusions: Implementing an IAT measure among pediatric medical inpatients was feasible and acceptable. In exploratory analyses, “suicide” trial IAT D-scores were associated with past suicide attempts, suggesting future studies should examine whether implicit measures may be useful in hospital settings to augment detection of youth suicide risk.
Estimating Volume Loss for Shield-Driven Tunnels Based on the Principle of Minimum Total Potential Energy
Authors: Wang Gan , Fang Qian , Du Jianming , Yang Xiaoxu , Wang Jun
Published: February 2022

Volume loss is an important method to estimate ground movement during tunnelling. However, volume loss is usually estimated by empirical methods, especially for volume loss at the tunnel face, which is a three-dimensional problem. Based on the principle of minimum total potential energy, we proposed a semi-analytical method to predict the volume loss at the tunnel face and ground surface. The proposed method provides a more direct way of estimating volume loss at the tunnel face from an energy point of view. Moreover, a new deformation mechanism was designed to describe the ground movement before the tunnel face. Based on the proposed method, we investigated the influence of the support pressure, tunnel diameter, and tunnel depth on the volume loss at the tunnel face, and other parameters related to surface subsidence. The volume loss at the tunnel face decreased with the increase in the support pressure ratio and the slurry weight. The volume loss at ground surface was generally smaller than the volume loss at the tunnel face due to the soil compression during ground movement. The bigger the tunnel diameter, the bigger the volume loss at the tunnel face. However, the volume loss at ground surface may not increase with the increase in tunnel depth, because of the soil arching effect. Moreover, the deeper the tunnel, the more obvious the influence of the support pressure ratio on volume loss. Similarly, the bigger the tunnel diameter, the more obvious the influence of the slurry weight on the volume loss.
Person Re-Identification via Pyramid Multipart Features and Multi-Attention Framework
Authors: Bayoumi Randa Mohamed , Hemayed Elsayed E. , Ragab Mohammad Ehab , Fayek Magda B.
Published: February 2022

Video-based person re-identification has become quite attractive due to its importance in many vision surveillance problems. It is a challenging topic due to the inter/intra changes, occlusion, and pose variations involved. In this paper, we propose a pyramid-attentive framework that relies on multi-part features and multiple attention to aggregate features of multi-levels and learns attention-based representations of persons through various aspects. Self-attention is used to strengthen the most discriminative features in the spatial and channel domains and hence capture robust global information. We propose the use of part-relation attention between different multi-granularities of features’ representation to focus on learning appropriate local features. Temporal attention is used to aggregate temporal features. We integrate the most robust features in the global and multi-level views to build an effective convolution neural network (CNN) model. The proposed model outperforms the previous state-of-the art models on three datasets. Notably, using the proposed model enables the achievement of 98.9% (a relative improvement of 2.7% on the GRL) top1 accuracy and 99.3% mAP on the PRID2011, and 92.8% (a relative improvement of 2.4% relative to GRL) top1 accuracy on iLIDS-vid. We also explore the generalization ability of our model on a cross dataset.
The Reversible Methylation of m6A Is Involved in Plant Virus Infection
Authors: Yue Jianying , Wei Yao , Zhao Mingmin
Published: February 2022

In recent years, m6A RNA methylation has attracted broad interest and is becoming a hot research topic. It has been demonstrated that there is a strong association between m6A and viral infection in the human system. The life cycles of plant RNA viruses are often coordinated with the mechanisms of their RNA modification. Here, we reviewed recent advances in m6A methylation in plant viruses. It appears that m6A methylation plays a dual role during viral infection in plants. On the one hand, m6A methylation acts as an antiviral immune response induced by virus infection, which inhibits viral replication or translation through the methylation of viral genome RNAs. On the other hand, plant viruses could disrupt the m6A methylation through interacting with the key proteins of the m6A pathway to avoid modification. Those plant viruses containing ALKB domain are discussed as well. Based on this mechanism, we propose that new strategies for plant virus control could be designed with competitive antagonists of m6A-associated proteins.