bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nine ways to score nine lives – identifying appropriate methods to age domestic cats (Felis catus)
Authors: Fleming Patricia A. , Crawford Heather M. , Auckland Clare , Calver Michael C.
Published: March 2021

Accurate determination of chronological age for cats (Felis catus) permits assessment of age at reproduction and growth measures, whilst understanding survivorship enables modelling of population dynamics underpinning many management questions. At present, the relative accuracy of different measures has not been compared, especially in relation to ageing live cats, where options are more limited. We tested relationships between nine ageing methods using a large database of 384 unowned, free‐roaming cats culled as part of wildlife conservation and unowned cat management. Cat heads were cleaned and scored for tooth eruption, development of the canines (root closure, length and width; proportion of pulp determined by radiography), canine tooth cementum lines, tooth wear (canine tip sharpness and breakage, or absence of the P2), diastema distance and closure of two cranial sutures. Tooth eruption is informative for cats up to about 8 months of age and closure of the canine root up to 12 months. In adults with closed‐rooted canine teeth, only the cementum lines and cranial sutures varied; these two sets of measures were strongly correlated. We conclude by developing a predictive table for ageing cat specimens using tooth and skull features. Animals can be aged reliably over the lifespan of the animal from cadaver material, potentially adding valuable information to ecological studies where cats are culled. However, there is no way to reliably age live cats over approximately 8 months of age in the field, after which time full adult dentition is established. Similarly, radiography (to determine pulp volume) has limited use as an ageing tool for cats older than 1–2 years of age. This reduces the number of potential applications for live cats, including, for example, ageing unowned cats in trap–neuter–release programmes.
Questions in a Life‐Sized Board Game: Comparing Caregivers' and Children's Question‐Asking across STEM Museum Exhibits
Authors: Gaudreau Caroline , Bustamante Andres S. , Hirsh‐Pasek Kathy , Golinkoff Roberta Michnick
Published: March 2021

Parkopolis, the life‐sized board game, was designed to promote conversation and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning. We investigated whether this exhibit also prompted questioning. Caregivers' and children's STEM‐related question‐asking was compared between Parkopolis (i.e., experimental group) and a STEM‐themed control exhibit. Groups (N = 197) of children and caregivers visiting two exhibits in a museum were observed. Observations revealed that caregivers and children asked more mathematical questions in Parkopolis than in the control. Caregivers also asked more spatial questions in Parkopolis. In addition, when all STEM‐related question topics (i.e., mathematical, spatial, and scientific thinking) were combined, children asked more STEM‐related questions in Parkopolis than in the control. Finally, children responded to a higher proportion of caregivers' questions in Parkopolis than in the control. Factors that promoted this question‐asking in Parkopolis, such as signage and the interactive nature of the exhibit, can inform the design of other informal learning spaces to promote question‐asking.
MiR‐873‐5p modulates progression of tongue squamous cell carcinoma via targeting SEC11A
Authors: Yao Yao , Liu Xiao‐Qin , Yang Feng‐Ying , Mu Jing‐Wen
Published: March 2021

Objective

To explore the effect of miR‐873‐5p on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) by targeting SEC11A.

Methods

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma tissues were collected and performed by qRT‐PCR and Western blotting to determine the expression of miR‐873‐5p and SPC18. SCC9 and CAL‐27 cells were transfected and divided into Mock, mimic NC, miR‐873‐5p mimic, SEC11A, and miR‐873‐5p mimic + SEC11A groups. Then, a series of experiments including cell count kit 8 (CCK‐8), wound healing, Transwell, and flow cytometry were conducted. Besides, Western blotting was used to detect the expression of SPC18 and EGFR pathway‐related proteins.

Results

MiR‐873‐5p was downregulated while SPC18 was upregulated in TSCC, and miR‐873‐5p was negatively correlated with SPC18. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed SEC11A to be a target of miR‐873‐5p. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of SCC9 and CAL‐27 cells in miR‐873‐5p mimic group were decreased with increased cell apoptosis, presenting with downregulations of SPC18 and EGFR pathway‐related proteins, while cells in SEC11A group manifested totally different changes. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of miR‐873‐5p mimic on TSCC cell growth was abolished by SEC11A overexpression.

Conclusion

Overexpression of miR‐873‐5p may suppress cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, but facilitate apoptosis in TSCC via targeting SEC11A.
Resource-Constrained Scheduling for Multi-Robot Cooperative Three-Dimensional Printing
Authors: Poudel Laxmi , Zhou Wenchao , Sha Zhenghui
Published: March 2021

Cooperative three-dimensional (3D) printing (C3DP)—a representative realization of cooperative manufacturing (CM)—is a novel approach that utilizes multiple mobile 3D printing robots for additive manufacturing (AM). It makes the make-span much shorter compared with traditional 3D printing due to parallel printing. In C3DP, collision-free scheduling is critical to the realization of cooperation and parallel operation among mobile printers. In the extant literature, there is a lack of methods to schedule multi-robot C3DP with limited resources. This study addresses this gap with two methods. The first method, dynamic dependency list algorithm (DDLA), uses a constraint-satisfaction approach to eliminate solutions that could result in collisions between robots and collisions between robots with already-printed materials. The second method, modified genetic algorithm (GA), uses chromosomes to represent chunk assignments and utilizes GA operators, such as the crossover and mutation, to generate diverse print schedules while maintaining the dependencies between chunks. Three case studies, including two large rectangular bars in different scales and a foldable sport utility vehicle (SUV), are used to demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of the two methods. The results show that both methods can effectively generate valid print schedules using a specified number of robots while attempting to minimize the make-span. The results also show that both methods generate a print schedule with equal print time for the first two case studies with homogeneous chunks. In contrast, the modified GA outperforms the DDLA in the third case study, where the chunks are heterogeneous in volume and require different times to print.
A Survey of Information Cascade Analysis
Authors: Zhou Fan , Xu Xovee , Trajcevski Goce , Zhang Kunpeng
Published: March 2021

The deluge of digital information in our daily life—from user-generated content, such as microblogs and scientific papers, to online business, such as viral marketing and advertising—offers unprecedented opportunities to explore and exploit the trajectories and structures of the evolution of information cascades. Abundant research efforts, both academic and industrial, have aimed to reach a better understanding of the mechanisms driving the spread of information and quantifying the outcome of information diffusion. This article presents a comprehensive review and categorization of information popularity prediction methods, fromfeature engineering and stochastic processes, throughgraph representation, todeep learning-based approaches. Specifically, we first formally define different types of information cascades and summarize the perspectives of existing studies. We then present a taxonomy that categorizes existing works into the aforementioned three main groups as well as the main subclasses in each group, and we systematically review cutting-edge research work. Finally, we summarize the pros and cons of existing research efforts and outline the open challenges and opportunities in this field.
Text Recognition in the Wild
Authors: Chen Xiaoxue , Jin Lianwen , Zhu Yuanzhi , Luo Canjie , Wang Tianwei
Published: March 2021

The history of text can be traced back over thousands of years. Rich and precise semantic information carried by text is important in a wide range of vision-based application scenarios. Therefore, text recognition in natural scenes has been an active research topic in computer vision and pattern recognition. In recent years, with the rise and development of deep learning, numerous methods have shown promising results in terms of innovation, practicality, and efficiency. This article aims to (1) summarize the fundamental problems and the state-of-the-art associated with scene text recognition, (2) introduce new insights and ideas, (3) provide a comprehensive review of publicly available resources, and (4) point out directions for future work. In summary, this literature review attempts to present an entire picture of the field of scene text recognition. It provides a comprehensive reference for people entering this field and could be helpful in inspiring future research. Related resources are available at our GitHub repository: https://github.com/HCIILAB/Scene-Text-Recognition.
The Human and the Inhuman: Ethics and Religion in the Zhuangzi
Authors: Nelson Eric S.
Published: March 2021

One critique of the early Daoist texts associated with Laozi and Zhuangzi is that they neglect the human and lack a proper sense of ethical personhood in maintaining the primacy of an impersonal dehumanizing “way.” This article offers a reconsideration of the appropriateness of such negative evaluations by exploring whether and to what extent the ethical sensibility unfolded in the Zhuangzi is aporetic, naturalistic, and/or religious. As an ethos of cultivating life and free and easy wandering by performatively enacting openness and responsiveness to things in an immanent this-worldly context, the Zhuangzi is oriented toward the relational attunement of disposition and practice rather than toward metaphysics or religion in a transcendent sense. It consequently suggests an immanent anarchic ethics without principles while neither forgetting nor reifying the sacred and the mundane in its playful illumination of the biospiritual dynamics of cultivating life.
Paul Ricoeur: From Hermeneutics to Ethics
Authors: Joy Morny
Published: March 2021

Paul Ricoeur’s early appreciation of hermeneutics introduced a dynamic interaction between a reader and a text. Employing both explanation and understanding, aided by the catalyst of Kantian creative imagination, Ricoeur revitalized hermeneutics from being simply a method of interpreting the literal meaning of a text. Such an openness to the text, as a form of otherness, initiated new insights into human ways of being and acting. In time, however, Ricoeur became disheartened by the unmerited suffering that he witnessed human beings were inflicting on other beings. He qualified his hermeneutic foundations so as to introduce compassion and justice as modes of action towards rejected and mistreated others.
The Yijing and Onto-Generative Hermeneutics: The Theory and Practice of Cheng Chung-Ying’s Philosophy
Authors: Ng On-Cho
Published: March 2021

Chung-ying Cheng has been systematically expounding, expanding, and extending the insights and parameters of Western hermeneutics, producing a new understanding of Chinese philosophy by way of an onto-generative hermeneutics that unravels not only the epistemological workings of the ineluctable human process of interpreting and understanding, but also encapsulates the ontological conditions of which the process is an integral expression. His work functions as the bedrock of a philosophy of culture; the practical expression of Cheng’s onto-generative hermeneutics, construed as a valid and consistent theory of culture, dismisses the ideality of meaning by subjecting all cultural realities to constant reinterpretation, based on a non-foundationalist conception of culture, while squarely rooted in the ontological source of creativity.
Maimonides and Zhu Xi on the Role of Classical Norms in the Pursuit of Human Perfection
Authors: Xiuyuan Dong
Published: March 2021

Confronted with the cultural and political crises of the 12th century, Maimonides and Zhu Xi both focused on classical norms, restoring the systems, respectively, of the Law and the Propriety to reconstruct an ideal order of social and individual life. Both thinkers treat classical norms as an irreplaceable path to the fulfillment of human nature, and their codifications of the systems mentioned share a set of intellectualistic motifs and features. Comparing the approaches of Maimonides and Zhu Xi to classical norms, we reach an understanding of the convergence and divergence of these two great philosophers of the High Middle Ages within their own historical contexts.
The Middle Way Without a Middle: A Dialogue between the Confucian Zhongyong 中庸 and the Rabbinic Derech Haemtza
Authors: Zhang Ping
Published: March 2021

This paper discusses two concepts of the Middle Way: The Rabbinic Derech HaEmtza and the Confucian Zhongyong. The two concepts are similar to Aristotelian Mean in many ways but also differ from it in that they tend to move away from a fixed middle point. Given their similarities, the concepts are explored in two parts: Part One reveals a clear connection between the Golden Mean and the Golden Rule by a comparative reading of two main texts on the Middle Way; i.e., Pirki Avoth 2:1 and the first part of Zhongyong. Part Two discusses different approaches of the two traditions towards the Middle Way based on additional classical texts from the two traditions. While Confucianism tends to view this notion as manifest in internal feelings and virtues, Rabbinic Judaism attaches it more to concrete actions.
Confucianism Before Confucius: The Yijing and the Rectification of Names
Authors: Kim Halla
Published: March 2021

A substantial reason behind the Confucian canonization of the Yijing can be located in some underlying patterns of thinking common to both the Yijing and The Analects; especially relevant here is the doctrine of rectification of names (zhengming 正名). In particular, I analyze the fundamental structure of the Yijing by means of the names and symbols standing in unique semantic/semiotic relations to the world, and I go on to suggest that this is what is importantly entailed by the doctrine of the rectification of names when the latter is understood by means of the perlocutionary function of the prescriptive language.
Finding Hope and Certainty: Wang Bi’s Commentaries on the Yijing
Authors: Hon Tze-Ki
Published: March 2021

In this article, I analyze Wang Bi’s (226–249) essays in General Comments on the Changes of the Zhou (Zhouyi Lueli 《周易略例》). I argue that these essays reveal Wang Bi’s unique approach to finding hope and certainty in an ever-changing world. Taking trigrams and hexagrams as symbols of forces that shape our life, Wang Bi creates a philosophical framework that includes two components: (1) a dynamic ontology that stresses the codependence of part and whole, and (2) an attitude of life that views contingency as a reinvigorating force rather than a devastating force.
James of Viterbo on Seminal Reasons as inchoationes formarum
Authors: Gossiaux Mark
Published: March 2021

This article examines James of Viterbo’s theory of seminal reasons as inchoate forms (inchoationes formarum). James intends this theory to explain how the eduction (eductio) of substantial forms from the potency of matter does not entail that such forms are created ex nihilo. Substantial forms that come to be in generation preexist in matter as forms in potency. The form in potency is an inchoation of, or aptitude or propensity for, the form that comes to be in act. Generation is thus understood by James to be a modal change, for the form in potency and the form in act are one and the same thing (res); they differ only with regard to their mode of being. James’s theory of inchoate forms is a development of Bonaventure’s theory of seminal reasons, but reformulated with the help of Simplicius and Averroes.
Could Cambridge Analytica Have Delivered Donald Trump’s 2016 Presidential Victory? An Anthropologist’s Look at Big Data and Political Campaigning
Authors: Laterza Vito
Published: March 2021

I first provide some context about Cambridge Analytica’s (ca) activities, linking them to ca parent company, scl Group, which specialised in “public relations” campaigns around the world across multiple sectors (from politics to defence and development), with the explicit aim of behavioural change. I then analyse in more detail the claims made by mathematician and machine learning scholar David Sumpter, who dismisses the possibility that ca might have successfully deployed internet psychographics (e.g. online personality profiling) in the winning 2016 Trump presidential campaign in the US. I critique his arguments, pointing at the need to focus on the bigger picture and on the totality of ca methods, rather than analysing psychographics in isolation. This is followed by a section where I use ca whistleblower Christopher Wylie’s 2019 memoir to show the important role that in-depth qualitative research and methods akin ethnographic immersion might have played in building ca big data capabilities. I provide an angle on big data that sees it as complementary, rather than in opposition to, human insight that comes from qualitative immersion in the social realities targeted by ca. The concluding section discusses additional questions that should be explored to gain a deeper understanding of how big data is changing political campaigning, with an emphasis on the important contribution that anthropology can make to these crucial debates.
The effect of socioeconomic status on informal caregiving for parents among adult married females: evidence from China
Authors: Wang Yi , Li Jiajia , Ding Lulu , Feng Yuejing , Tang Xue , Sun Long , Zhou Chengchao
Published: March 2021

Background

Married female caregivers face a higher risk of an informal care burden than other caregivers. No study has explored the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on the intensity of informal care provided by married female caregivers in China. The purpose of this study is to empirically examine how the SES of married female caregivers affects the intensity of the informal care they provide for their parents/parents-in-law in China.

Methods

The data for this study were drawn from 8 waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). The respondents were married women whose parents/parents-in-law needed care and lived in the same city as them. SES was defined based on four indicators: education, economic status, employment status, andhukou(China’s household registration system). Informal caregivers were divided into three categories: non-caregivers (0 h/week), low-intensity caregivers (less than 10 h/week), and high-intensity caregivers (10 h/week and above). Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relation between SES and the likelihood of a low- and high-intensity caregiving among married female caregivers, adjusting for age, family characteristics and survey wave.

Results

Of the 2661 respondents, high-intensity and low-intensity caregivers accounted for 16.35 and 21.27%, respectively. The multinomial logistic regression results showed that the likelihood of being a high-intensity caregiver versus (vs. a non-caregiver) increased as the caregiver’s educational attainment increased (p < 0.05), and that high economic status was related to the likelihood of being a high-intensity caregiver, but this relationship was only significant at the 10% level. Urban females were 1.34 times more likely than their rural counterparts to provide low-intensity care vs. no care (p < 0.05) and were 1.33 times more likely to provide high-intensity care vs. no care (p < 0.05). Employed females were 1.25 times more likely than those unemployed females to provide low-intensity care vs. no care (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Differences in SES were found between high-intensity caregivers and low-intensity caregivers. Women with high educational attainment and urbanhukouwere more likely to provide high-intensity informal care, and women who were employed and had urbanhukouwere more likely to provide low-intensity care.
APE1 may influence CD4+ naïve T cells on recurrence free survival in early stage NSCLC
Authors: Li Yanping , Zhao Xiaolong , Xiao He , Yang Bo , Liu Jie , Rao Wen , Dai Xiaoyan , Li Mengxia , Dai Nan , Yang Yuxin , Wang Dong
Published: March 2021

Background

It was demonstrated that multifunctional protein APE1 (Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1) is closely related to tumor immune microenvironment in a number of investigations, Meanwhile, the abundance of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has been shown as a prognosis indicator in some researches. However, it remains unclear whether APE1 is involved in the process of TILs affecting the prognosis of patients. To this end, we investigated the associations between APE1 and TILs in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and explored whether APE1 would influence the associations of CD4+ T cells infiltration with the prognosis of patients.

Methods

Genome-wide expression datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) public database under accession number GSE68465, GSE30219, GSE31210 and GSE50081. MCPcounter and CIBERSORT analysis was conducted to evaluate the abundance of TILs in 1006 NSCLC patients of GEO database. Spearman correlation tests were used to evaluate correlations between abundance of various TILs and APE1 expression. RFS (recurrence free survival) was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and the Cox proportional-hazards model. The expression level of APE1 and tumor-infiltrating CD4+ T cells was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Results

The results showed that the abundance of CD4+ naïve T cells was negatively associated with the APE1 expression. CD4+ naïve T cells infiltration was a favorable prognostic factor for RFS, however, there was no effect of CD4+ T cells infiltration on RFS in patients with high APE1 expression. Subsequently, it was further confirmed that CD4+ T cells infiltration was negatively associated with the APE1 expression level in 108 NSCLC tissue samples; high CD4+ T cells infiltration was associated with longer RFS in low APE1 expression group but not in APE1 high expression group.

Conclusion

These results suggested that APE1 may affect the relationship between CD4+ T cells infiltration and prognosis in NSCLC. This study provides new insights into predictors of outcome in patients with NSCLC, and suggests that combining immunotherapy and APE1-targeted therapy may be a promising treatment for NSCLC.
Mindful Melody: feasibility of implementing music listening on an inpatient psychiatric unit and its relation to the use of as needed medications for acute agitation
Authors: Scudamore Trevor , Liem Annette , Wiener Mark , Ekure Nekpen Sharon , Botash Christopher , Empey Derek , Leontieva Luba
Published: March 2021

Background

In this quality improvement project, we set out to study the effectiveness and feasibility of using music as an adjunct or replacement for pharmacologic agitation management on an inpatient psychiatric unit. We hypothesized music intervention would not only assist in de-escalation/calming of agitated patients, but also reduce overall administration of PRN medications on the unit.

Method

The project included 172 volunteer participants over 6 months: Three months without music available and 3 months with a music de-escalation option. During the latter period, patients were given the option of selecting a preferred music genre and provided with wireless headphones for up to 30 min. The number of as needed (PRN) medications administered for agitation and anxiety (including oral, sublingual, and intramuscular routes) was compiled from raw data using pharmacy records. Patients and nurses were provided with self-report surveys regarding the music intervention.

Results

The average weekly PRN medication administrations decreased significantly during the 3 months with music for both haloperidol (8.46 [+/− 1.79, p < 0.05] to 5.00 [+/− 1.44, p < 0.05] administrations/week) and olanzapine (9.69 [+/− 2.32, p < 0.05] to 4.62 [+/− 1.51, p < 0.05] administrations/week), compared to the 3 months prior to music implementation. There was a non-significant increase in administration of lorazepam (3.23 [+/− 1.09, p < 0.05] to 6.38 [+/− 2.46, p < 0.05] average administrations/week). The patient survey responses were 96% positive (non-neutral; either agree or strongly agree with calming effect). Nurses agreed that the project was easy to implement; 56% agreed that music helped to calm patients down. Other exploratory outcomes included observed reductions in average length of hospital stay and number of seclusion events.

Conclusion

Music may play a significant role in reducing the utilization of PRN agitation medications on acute inpatient psychiatric units. More studies are needed to expand on these findings and explore the effect of PRN music on other therapeutic outcomes.

Trial registration

Protocol registration NCT04514432, retrospectively registered on 08/13/2020.
Exploring patterns in psychiatric outpatients’ preferences for involvement in decision-making: a latent class analysis approach
Authors: Mundal Ingunn , Lara-Cabrera Mariela Loreto , Betancort Moisés , De las Cuevas Carlos
Published: March 2021

Background

Shared decision-making (SDM), a collaborative approach that includes and respects patients’ preferences for involvement in decision-making about their treatment, is increasingly advocated. However, in the practice of clinical psychiatry, implementing SDM seems difficult to accomplish. Although the number of studies related to psychiatric patients’ preferences for involvement is increasing, studies have largely focused on understanding patients in public mental healthcare settings. Thus, investigating patient preferences for involvement in both public and private settings is of particular importance in psychiatric research. The objectives of this study were to identify different latent class typologies of patient preferences for involvement in the decision-making process, and to investigate how patient characteristics predict these typologies in mental healthcare settings.

Methods

We conducted latent class analysis (LCA) to identify groups of psychiatric outpatients with similar preferences for involvement in decision-making to estimate the probability that each patient belonged to a certain class based on sociodemographic, clinical and health belief variables.

Results

The LCA included 224 consecutive psychiatric outpatients’ preferences for involvement in treatment decisions in public and private psychiatric settings. The LCA identified three distinct preference typologies, two collaborative and one passive, accounting for 78% of the variance. Class 1 (26%) included collaborative men aged 34–44 years with an average level of education who were treated by public services for a depressive disorder, had high psychological reactance, believed they controlled their disease and had a pharmacophobic attitude. Class 2 (29%) included collaborative women younger than 33 years with an average level of education, who were treated by public services for an anxiety disorder, had low psychological reactance or health control belief and had an unconcerned attitude toward medication. Class 3 (45%) included passive women older than 55 years with lower education levels who had a depressive disorder, had low psychological reactance, attributed the control of their disease to their psychiatrists and had a pharmacophilic attitude.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight how psychiatric patients vary in pattern of preferences for treatment involvement regarding demographic variables and health status, providing insight into understanding the pattern of preferences and comprising a significant advance in mental healthcare research.
The impact of food insecurity on HIV outcomes in Senegal, West Africa: a prospective longitudinal study
Authors: Benzekri Noelle A. , Sambou Jacques F. , Ndong Sanou , Diallo Mouhamadou Baïla , Tamba Ibrahima Tito , Faye Dominique , Sall Ibrahima , Diatta Jean Philippe , Faye Khadim , Cisse Ousseynou , Sall Fatima , Guèye Ndèye Fatou Ngom , Ndour Cheikh T. , Sow Papa Salif , Malomar Jean Jacques , Hawes Stephen E. , Seydi Moussa , Gottlieb Geoffrey S.
Published: March 2021

Background

Understanding the impact of food insecurity on HIV outcomes is critical for the development and implementation of effective, evidence-based interventions to address food insecurity and improve the HIV care cascade. We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study to determine the impact of food insecurity on HIV outcomes in Senegal, West Africa.

Methods

HIV-infected individuals presenting for care and initiation of ART through the Senegalese National AIDS program in Dakar and Ziguinchor were eligible for enrollment. Data were collected using interviews, clinical evaluations, laboratory analyses, and chart review at enrollment, month 6, and month 12. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between food insecurity and HIV outcomes.

Results

Among the 207 participants in this study, 70% were female and the median age was 37 years. The majority (69%) were food insecure at enrollment, 29% were severely food insecure, and 38% were undernourished. Nearly a third (32%) had no formal education, 23% practiced agriculture, and 40% owned livestock. The median daily food expenditure per person was $0.58. The median round trip transportation time to clinic was 90 min (IQR 30–240). The median cost of transportation to clinic was $1.74. At month 12, 69% were food insecure, 23% were severely food insecure, and 14% were undernourished. At month 12, 43% had not disclosed their HIV status; food insecurity was associated with non-disclosure of HIV-status due to fear of stigmatization and feelings of shame. Severe food insecurity was a strong predictor of loss to follow-up (OR 3.13 [1.08–9.06]) and persistent severe food insecurity was associated with virologic failure (OR 5.14 [1.01–26.29]) and poor adherence to ART 8.00 [1.11–57.57]. Poor nutritional status was associated with poor immunologic recovery (OR 4.24 [1.56–11.47]), virologic failure (OR 3.39 [1.13–10.21]), and death (OR 3.35 [1.40–8.03]).

Conclusion

Severity and duration of food insecurity are important factors in understanding the relationship between food insecurity and HIV outcomes. Our findings highlight the importance of nutritional status, socioeconomic opportunity, and self-stigmatization in the complex pathway between food insecurity and HIV outcomes. Interdisciplinary, multisectoral efforts are needed to develop and implement effective interventions to address food insecurity among people living with HIV.
Geographic reach and nutritional quality of foods available from mobile online food delivery service applications: novel opportunities for retail food environment surveillance
Authors: Brar Keshbir , Minaker Leia Michelle
Published: March 2021

Background

Online Food Delivery Services (OFDS) have rapidly expanded in North America, but their implications for geographic access to food and potential dietary outcomes of their use are poorly understood. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which OFDS may geographically expand retail food environments. A secondary objective is to evaluate the healthfulness of foods available on mobile OFDS in a large Canadian city using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015).

Methods

Retailers’ distance from delivery location was assessed on a large ODFS platform using 24 randomly selected urban postal codes in Ontario, Canada (n = 480 retailers). Distance to the first 10 and the last 10 listed retailers in each postal code was examined in relation to a) city population, b) city population density, and c) whether retailers appeared first or last. Second, to determine the healthfulness of food items available, menus of twelve retailers (n = 759 menu items) from four popular OFDS platforms available in Mississauga, Ontario, were coded using the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies-2015, and Food Patterns Equivalents Database-2015. Coded items were used to derive HEI-2015 scores.

Results

Delivery distances from the sample of postal codes in Ontario ranged from 0.3 km to 9.4 km (mean 3.7 km), and the total number of retailers available to each postal code ranged from 33 to 472. Substantial, positive correlations existed between total number of retailers available and both city population (r = 0.71), and population density (r = 0.51). HEI-2015 scores for retailers’ full menus were typically low, and ranged from 19.95 to 50.78 out of 100.

Conclusions

OFDS substantially increases geographic access to foods prepared away from home (by up to 9 km and 472 restaurants). Food offerings on OFDS applications do not meet healthy eating recommendations. Given the projected continued rapid expansion of OFDS, particularly in the midst of a global pandemic, surveillance and future research on OFDS and population dietary health is warranted.
Does socio-economic status influence the effect of multimorbidity on the frequent use of ambulatory care services in a universal healthcare system? A population-based cohort study
Authors: MBUYA-BIENGE Cynthia , SIMARD Marc , GAULIN Myles , CANDAS Bernard , SIROIS Caroline
Published: March 2021

Background

Frequent healthcare users place a significant burden on health systems. Factors such as multimorbidity and low socioeconomic status have been associated with high use of ambulatory care services (emergency rooms, general practitioners and specialist physicians). However, the combined effect of these two factors remains poorly understood. Our goal was to determine whether the risk of being a frequent user of ambulatory care is influenced by an interaction between multimorbidity and socioeconomic status, in an entire population covered by a universal health system.

Methods

Using a linkage of administrative databases, we conducted a population-based cohort study of all adults in Quebec, Canada. Multimorbidity (defined as the number of different diseases) was assessed over a two-year period from April 1st 2012 to March 31st 2014 and socioeconomic status was estimated using a validated material deprivation index. Frequents users for a particular category of ambulatory services had a number of visits among the highest 5% in the total population during the 2014–15 fiscal year. We used ajusted logistic regressions to model the association between frequent use of health services and multimorbidity, depending on socioeconomic status.

Results

Frequent users (5.1% of the population) were responsible for 25.2% of all ambulatory care visits. The lower the socioeconomic status, the higher the burden of chronic diseases, and the more frequent the visits to emergency departments and general practitioners. Socioeconomic status modified the association between multimorbidity and frequent visits to specialist physicians: those with low socioeconomic status visited specialist physicians less often. The difference in adjusted proportions of frequent use between the most deprived and the least deprived individuals varied from 0.1% for those without any chronic disease to 5.1% for those with four or more chronic diseases. No such differences in proportions were observed for frequent visits to an emergency room or frequent visits to a general practitioner.

Conclusion

Even in a universal healthcare system, the gap between socioeconomic groups widens as a function of multimorbidity with regard to visits to the specialist physicians. Further studies are needed to better understand the differential use of specialized care by the most deprived individuals.
Pregnancy Does not Affect the Prognoses of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Patients With Lung Metastases
Authors: Xi Chuang , Zhang Qian , Song Hong-Jun , Shen Chen-Tian , Zhang Guo-Qiang , Sun Jian-Wen , Qiu Zhong-Ling , Luo Quan-Yong
Published: March 2021

Context

Pregnancy-related hormones may stimulate thyroid cancer growth, but whether pregnancy affects the prognoses of patients with lung metastases from differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC-LM) after surgery and radioiodine therapy is unclear.

Objective

To assess the impact of pregnancy on DTC-LM through the comparison of prognoses between female patients with DTC-LM who did and did not become pregnant after surgery and radioiodine therapy.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the records of 124 female patients aged 16 to 35 years who underwent surgery and radioiodine therapy for DTC-LM. These patients were divided into pregnancy group (n = 37) and nonpregnancy group (n = 87) according to whether they became pregnant after surgery and radioiodine therapy, regardless of whether they had a pregnant history before treatment.

Results

The 5- and 10-year progression-free survival rates were 94.52% and 63.22% in pregnancy group versus 89.82% and 58.13% in nonpregnancy group. The 5- and 10-year cumulative overall survival rates of pregnancy group were 97.30% and 85.77% versus 93.50% and 81.95% in nonpregnancy group (all P > 0.05). The median time of follow-up in the pregnancy and nonpregnancy groups was 82 months (25-136 months) and 68 months (13-133 months), respectively. Non–radioiodine-avid LM and primary tumors needing repeated resection were independent predictors of poor progression-free survival for patients in pregnancy group.

Conclusion

Pregnancy does not affect the prognoses of patients with DTC-LM after surgery and radioiodine therapy. Non–radioiodine-avid LM and repeated primary tumor surgeries are independent risk factors for poor prognoses of pregnant patients.
Development of iot furniture platform connected to smart home and application
Authors: Yoon Chun Byung
Published: March 2021

Background/Objectives: A practical use of sterilizer to prevent the inside of closet and drawer from going moldywill be expected to increase demand in sterilizer for earrings and accessories.Methods/Statistical analysis: Application design and software are developed in consideration of user convenience connected with IoT platform. Major performance and function are defined, including materialization of unit function, hardware platform and instrument development, and development of embedded S/W and mobile application.Findings: Application connected to closing and opening device based on IoT is developed not only to remotely monitor open and shut the door in closet or drawer but also to switch device remotely which controls ion generator and humidity but also to operate alarm device in case of opening door of closet or drawer forcibly.Improvements/Applications: Application as a smart lock for security can be expected in office, closet, and drawers. A practical use of sterilizer to prevent the inside of closet and drawer from going moldy is expected to using as a sterilizer for earrings and accessories.
Dual Solutions in the Boundary Layer Flow and Heat Transfer in the Presence of Thermal Radiation with Suction Effect
Authors: Nur Aisyah Azeman Siti , . .
Published: March 2021

The dual solutions in the boundary layer flow and heat transfer in the presence of thermal radiation is quantitatively studied. The governing partial differential equations are derived into a system of ordinary differential equations using a similarity transformation, and afterward numerical solution obtained by a shooting technique. Dual solutions execute within a certain range of opposing and assisting flow which related to these numerical solutions. The similarity equations have two branches, upper or lower branch solutions, within a certain range of the mixed convection parameters. Further numerical results exist in our observations which enable to discuss the features of the respective solutions.
Dynamical Integrated Framework Development of Solid Waste Management in Malaysia
Authors: Zulkipli Faridah , Mohd Nopiah Zulkifli , Ezlin Ahmad Basri Noor , Jack Kie Cheng
Published: March 2021

The paper is an illustrated of the framework development on dynamical integrated solid waste management in Malaysia. The framework is consisted of four stages. First stage is an essential study done by authors for understanding the solid waste management process and identifying the related issues by engaging an expert of the field and previous studies. Second stage is highlighted the important of predicting an adequate quantity of the waste generation in Malaysia. The prediction process applied a multilinear regression analysis. Third stage presented a development of integrated dynamical solid waste management model using system dynamics simulation. In the final stage, a user interface is constructed for assisting an operational level to monitor the progression of their performance on strategic plan. This summary conceptual framework represents the holistic framework which significantly assist the operational department for monitoring the solid waste management process efficiently and comprehensively.
Measuring Anxiety Level of Failure Science Students in Performing Calculus Subject
Authors: A. Wahab J. , F. Mohamad Razi N. , M. H. Mohammad Hamzah M. , Z. Azmi A. , H. Nasrudin N.
Published: March 2021

Nowadays, mathematics has become an important subject in various fields. In UiTM Tapah Campus, Calculus is one of the compulsory subject must be taken by science student. However, majority of the students not enjoyable to enroll this subject and have negative thought that slowly becomes obstacle to them to graduate on time due to failure in this subject. Anxiety has been identified as the main reason among failure students. Thus, a set of questionnaire to measure anxiety level among them been constructed consists of three main section (General Information, Test Anxiety, Mathematics Anxiety) and been distributed through Google form in order to get the response from students. The data have been analyzed using IBM SPSS (V23). Several selection of data analysis method was used to answer the objectives for this study which are reliability test, descriptive statistics and ANOVA. Findings shows that student with lower grade (E or F) tended to have higher math and test anxiety compared to higher grade students (D and D+). Thus, lecturers can focus on the most affected students and give them the most exposure to mathematical activities.  It also benefits university to achieve university target in Graduate on Time (GoT) students’ percentage.
Cobalt (II) and Nickel (II) Complexes with Schiff Base Ligand Derived From 4-Amino Antipyrine: Synthesis, Spectral, Characterization and Thermal Studies
Authors: Razzaq Ibrahim Al-Faris Ahmed , Mahdi Sachit Alkoofee Wafaa , . .
Published: March 2021

Metal complexes of the Schiff base ligand, synthesized via condensation p-dimethylamino benzaldehyde with Bis (4-aminoantipyrine) benzene 1, 4-diamine which has synthesized from condensation 1, 4-phenylene diamine and 4-aminoantipyrine, are synthesized from chloride salts of Co (II) and Ni(II) with ligand in ethanol. The metal complexes and ligand are characterized on the basis of elemental analyses, melting point, molar conductance, UV –Visible, FTIR and thermogravimetric analysis. The molar conductance data reveal that the metal chelates of the ligand with Co (II) and Ni (II) are electrolytes. The present results suggested that the Schiff base ligand as tetradentate is coordinated with metal ions through the four nitrogen atoms.
Biosynthesis and antioxidation of nano-selenium using lemon juice as a reducing agent
Authors: Wen Su , Hui Yang , Chuang Wang
Published: March 2021

Nano-selenium was synthesized using lemon juice as a reducing agent. The experiments showed that pH value affected greatly the shape and the size of the prepared nano-selenium. At pH 9, lemon juice could reduce 50 mmol/L of selenite ions to nano-selenium with particle size between 50 and 90 nm, which was spherical and well dispersed. Lemon juice acted as both a reducing agent and a stabilizer in the synthesis of nano-selenium, in which the chemical interaction between biomolecules and the nano-selenium surface was the basis for the stable existence of nano-selenium. The selenite concentration influenced the formation of nano-selenium, and a low selenite concentration was beneficial to obtain small particles. The achieved nano-selenium exhibited a strong antioxidant activity positively related to concentration. The comparative study showed that the antioxidation of nano-selenium is weaker than that of vitamin C but higher than that of lemon juice.
Modeling of dry reforming of methane for hydrogen production at low temperatures using membrane reactor
Authors: Lu Cheng-Yang , Chein Rei-Yu
Published: March 2021

The hydrogen removal and carbon formation effects in dense palladium (Pd)-based membrane reactors for dry reforming of methane (DRM) performance is numerically analyzed in this study. The steady-state membrane reactor operation is described using a three-dimensional, heterogeneous, non-isothermal mathematical model. Based on the numerical simulation results for reaction temperature and pressure varied in the 400–600 °C and 1–30 atm ranges, methane conversion and hydrogen yield were found enhanced using the membrane reactor. However, carbon formation, which affects catalyst activity and limits the benefits of using a membrane reactor is also enhanced. A parametric study using reaction pressure as the primary parameter for the membrane reactor operation found that the CH4 conversion, hydrogen yield, H2 recovery, and carbon formation can be enhanced by increasing the reaction temperature, inlet CO2/CH4 ratio, and sweep gas flow rate. With the enhanced H2 removal, carbon formation is also enhanced. Because membrane permeance is inversely proportional to the membrane thickness, membrane thickness can be used as a parameter to control the carbon formation under given operating conditions.
Riemann problem and limits of solutions to the isentropic relativistic Euler equations for isothermal gas with flux approximation
Authors: Zhang Yu , Zhang Yanyan
Published: March 2021

We are concerned with the vanishing flux-approximation limits of solutions to the isentropic relativistic Euler equations governing isothermal perfect fluid flows. The Riemann problem with a two-parameter flux approximation including pressure term is first solved. Then, we study the limits of solutions when the pressure and two-parameter flux approximation vanish, respectively. It is shown that, any two-shock-wave Riemann solution converges to a delta-shock solution of the pressureless relativistic Euler equations, and the intermediate density between these two shocks tends to a weighted δ-measure that forms a delta shock wave. By contract, any two-rarefaction-wave solution tends to a two-contact-discontinuity solution of the pressureless relativistic Euler equations, and the intermediate state in between tends to a vacuum state.
Sicherheitsempfinden und Viktimisierungserfahrungen von Geflüchteten
Authors: Treskow Laura , Johanningmeier Louisa
Published: March 2021

Das Streben nach Sicherheit gilt als ein Grundbedürfnis des Menschen. Es erscheint daher plausibel, dass Menschen ihr Herkunftsland verlassen, wenn ihre Sicherheit offensichtlich bedroht ist bzw. eine solche Bedrohung befürchtet wird. Theoretische Überlegungen zum Sicherheitsempfinden gehen von einer Beeinflussung durch individuelle Erfahrungen und sozialräumliche Bedingungen aus. Die vorliegende Analyse fokussiert das subjektive Sicherheitsempfinden von Migranten

Es sind stets Personen aller Geschlechter gleichermaßen gemeint; aus Gründen der besseren Lesbarkeit wird im Folgenden nur die männliche Form verwendet, nichtsdestoweniger beziehen sich die Angaben und Ausführungen auf Angehörige aller Geschlechter. Wird zwischen den Geschlechtern unterschieden, ist dies gesondert ausgeführt.

mit Fluchthintergrund in ihrem Alltagsleben in Deutschland, wobei der Einfluss verschiedener individueller Faktoren (u. a. Viktimisierung vor, während und nach der Flucht) auf das Sicherheitsempfinden im Fokus steht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Zufriedenheit mit der aktuellen Lebenssituation den stärksten positiven Einfluss auf das Sicherheitsempfinden hat.