bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimalisasi Produk “Biofitofiltrasi” dalam Manajemen Kualitas Air pada Akuakultur Semi Intensif Ikan Nila Oreochromis niloticus
Authors: Setiawan Edwin , Hidayati Dewi , Nurhayati Awik Puji Dyah , Abdulgani Nurlita , Ashuri Nova Maulidina , Sa'adah Noor Nailis , Jadid Nurul , Cahyani Nadila Wulan , Azmi Zufar Azzaria , Istighfarotunnisa Aulia , Salsabila Afrilya Dina , Putri Alifia Cahyaning , Samudra Danang , Wijaya Natanael Hari , Esasi Geoloveriana , Ulayya Kharisma Armida , Wulandari Devi Pramesti , Islamiati Kamila , Fania Maitsa Adzro , Irawanto Rony
Published: March 2023

Bisnis ikan Nila segar memiliki potensi ekonomi tinggi di Kota Batu. Sebagai kota ekowisata, permintaan dan konsumsi ikan air tawar segar dalam usaha kuliner memiliki pasar yang besar. Salah satu lokasi untuk budidaya ikan Nila di Kota Batu adalah Dsn.Kajar, Desa Pandanrejo, Kec.Bumiaji. Pembudidaya ikan Nila di desa ini memanfaatkan pekarangan yang tidak terpakai dan saluran irigasi. Untuk menjaga kualitas lingkungan, air menjadi faktor penting karena jika kualitas air menurun maka terjadi penurunan produktivitas ikan. Oleh karena itu, kami memperkenalkan Biofitofiltrasi menggunakan tanaman untuk menjaga kualitas air dalam budidaya ikan Nila. Dua jenis tanaman air dari Famili Alismataceae yakni Daun Tombak dan Melati Air yang berpotensi sebagai penyerap logam berat beracun digunakan. Kegiatan Abmas ini terdiri dari pengenalan Biofitofiltrasi yang melibatkan mahasiswa Kuliah Kerja Nyata dan kerja Praktek kepada warga desa dan pembudidaya ikan, serta praktek pembuatan pot apung bambu dan aplikasinya dalam tambak dan keramba saluran irigasi ikan Nila. Meskipun dari 30 responden hanya 7 responden yang memberikan jawaban lengkap terhadap 4 pertanyaan survei, 100% responden memberikan respon yang sangat positif terkait tingkat pemahaman terhadap sosialisasi yang dilakukan. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa penjelasan dapat dipahami oleh peserta, dan informasi berhasil disampaikan dengan baik. Sehingga, dapat disimpulkan bahwa mahasiswa KKN Abmas telah berhasil memberikan kontribusi bagi masyarakat setempat melalui program ini.
Exploring the current practice of health visitors to assess and support paternal mental health
Authors: Vipham Philippa
Published: March 2023

The importance of identifying and supporting paternal mental health during the perinatal period has been gathering momentum. Health visitors are ideally placed due to their contact with families to assess and support paternal mental health. The aim of this study was to explore health visitors' current practice to assess and support paternal mental health and identify any barriers preventing this in practice. A small-scale, anonymous electronic 12 question survey was conducted. Purposeful sampling method was used to recruit health visitors (n=120) from across three health visiting services provided by UK NHS Trust selected for this study. Survey response rate was low (n=36), limiting the potential to generalise findings to the wider health visiting population. Most respondents were discussing paternal mental health during contacts with families, and four main barriers impeding the assessment of paternal mental health were identified. Respondents identified that paternal mental health training would support their own practice.
Classification of recent and long-term infection among high-risk individuals using HIV-1 rapid recency testing
Authors:   Department of Medical Technology, Khon Kaen Hospital, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand, Phonnamin Daree , Pisuttiman Pornrith ,   Infectious Medical Physician, Department of Medicine, Khon Kaen Hospital, Province, Thailand, Mahem Sirintorn ,   Department of Medical Technology, Khon Kaen Hospital, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand
Published: March 2023

Background: HIV prevention with a significant reduction of new infections is important for epidemic control strategies. Antibody-based tests for recent infection (TRI) that can help distinguish recent from long-term HIV infection have been used since the mid-1990s to estimate population-level HIV incidence. Because the tests are done centrally, test results are not available to providers immediately. Point of care rapid testing for recent HIV infection (RTRI) was used for distinguishing recent from long-term status and estimated HIV incidence for preventing HIV infection. The usefulness of RTRI for recent HIV infection detection can be accelerated prevention of HIV infection transmission. Objectives: To demonstrate RTRI assay utility to distinguish recent from long-term HIV infection among high-risk individuals. Materials and methods: Between September and October 2022, HIV seropositive plasma samples of a high-risk group (N=90) and HIV-negative group (N=90) were collected from the outpatient department of Khon Kaen Hospital. All Specimens were tested by AsanteTM Rapid Recency Assay (ARRA) and classified as negative, recent and long-term infection based on the presence or absence of specific lines (control line [CL], Positive verification line [PVL] and Long-term line ([TL]) by visual reading. Results: Among 90 HIV seropositive plasma samples, 14.4% (13/90) were recent HIV infection and 84.4% (76/90) were long-term HIV infection. There were no significant differences between recent and long-term infections among men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender women (TG), heterosexuals and sex workers. Most of recently infected HIV patients were the MSM/TG group (53.9%, 7/13) and patients aged between 18 and 25 years old (76.9%, 10/13). CD4 count among recent cases was 396.7±278.4 cells/mm3 . ARRA performance has resulted in a sensitivity of 98.89% (95% CI: 93.96-99.97) and specificity of 100.00% (95% CI: 95.98-100.00). Conclusion: ARRA performance showed excellent agreement with high sensitivity and specificity to comparing with a standard algorithm for HIV diagnosis. Its ability to classify new infections is crucial in HIV intervention and prevention strategies.
EARLY OUTCOMES AFTER ADOPTION OF THE DIRECT ANTERIOR APPROACH FOR TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY
Authors: Pawloy K. , Sargeant H.W. , Smith K.A. , Rankin I. , Talukdar P. , Hancock S. , Munro C.
Published: March 2023

Our unit historically performed total hip replacement (THR) through either posterior or anterolateral approaches. In November 2020 a group of 5 consultants transitioned to utilising the Direct Anterior Approach (DAA). Appropriate training was undertaken and cases were performed as dual consultant procedures with intraoperative radiography or robotic assistance.

Outcomes were collated prospectively. These included basic demographics, intraoperative details, complication rates and Oxford Hip Scores.

A total of 48 patients underwent DAA THR over 1 year. Mean age was 67 and ASA 2. Over this time period 140 posterior approach and 137 anterolateral approach THR's were performed with available data. Propensity score matching was performed on a 1:1 basis using BMI, Age, Sex and ASA as covariates to generate a matched cohort group of conventional approach THR (n=37)

Length of stay was significantly reduced at 1.95 days (p<0.001) with DAA compared to Anterolateral and Posterior approach. There was no significant difference with length of surgery, blood loss, Infection, dislocation and periprosthetic fracture rate. There was no significant difference in Oxford Hip Score between any approach at 3 months or 1 year.

The transition to this approach has not made a negative impact despite its associated steep learning curve, and has improved efficiency in elective surgery. From our experience we would suggest those changing to this approach receive appropriate training in a high-volume centre, and perform cases as dual consultant procedures.
Challenges of implementing management accounting innovations: Evidence from the field
Authors: Oyewo Babajide , Tanvir Hussain Syed , Simbi Chipo
Published: March 2023

This study investigates the challenges of implementing innovative management accounting techniques, referred to as strategic management accounting (SMA), the interrelationship among the challenges and the impact of the challenges on SMA usage intensity. From the analysis of survey data obtained from listed manufacturing companies in Nigeria, the result supports the conclusion that SMA implementation challenges are interrelated. However, lack of top management support and low awareness/lack of knowledge are contributory to most of the implementation challenges. The challenges discouraging the intensive use of SMA are the perception that SMA implementation is unnecessary as strategy issues are already integrated in other functions within the organization, high implementation cost and problems relating to information flow between departments within the organization. The current study contributes to knowledge in the sense that it is the first (to the researchers’ knowledge) to examine specifically the interrelationship among SMA implementation challenges in the Nigerian context, thereby drawing attention to the need to consider the challenges to embracing management accounting innovations holistically. Knowledge of SMA implementation challenges could help explain the low adoption rate of SMA in developing countries. Such knowledge might be helpful in providing a robust response to the challenges of implementing management accounting innovations.
Towards self-describing and FAIR bulk formats for biomedical data
Authors: Lukowski Michael , Prokhorenkov Andrew , Grossman Robert L.
Published: March 2023

We introduce a self-describing serialized format for bulk biomedical data called the Portable Format for Biomedical (PFB) data. The Portable Format for Biomedical data is based upon Avro and encapsulates a data model, a data dictionary, the data itself, and pointers to third party controlled vocabularies. In general, each data element in the data dictionary is associated with a third party controlled vocabulary to make it easier for applications to harmonize two or more PFB files. We also introduce an open source software development kit (SDK) called PyPFB for creating, exploring and modifying PFB files. We describe experimental studies showing the performance improvements when importing and exporting bulk biomedical data in the PFB format versus using JSON and SQL formats.
Exploring the content of the STAND-VR intervention: A qualitative interview study
Authors: Healy David , Carr Emma , Conlan Owen , Browne Anne C. , Walsh Jane C.
Published: March 2023

Prolonged sedentary behaviour has been identified as a potential independent contributor to a number of chronic conditions as well as mortality. The integration of digital technology into health behaviour change interventions has been shown to contribute to increases in physical activity levels, reductions in time spent sedentary, reductions in systolic blood pressure and improvements physical functioning. Recent evidence suggests that older adults could be motivated to adopt a technology such as immersive virtual reality (IVR) due to the added agency it can potentially afford them in their lives through physical and social activities offered in IVR. To date, little research has attempted to integrate health behaviour change content into an immersive virtual environment. This study aimed to qualitatively explore older adults’ perspectives on the content of a novel intervention, STAND-VR, and how it could be integrated into an immersive virtual environment. This study was reported using the COREQ guidelines. Twelve participants aged between 60 and 91 years took part. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed. Reflexive thematic analysis was the chosen method of analysis. Three themes were developed, “Immersive Virtual Reality: The Cover versus the Contents”, “Ironing Out the (Behavioural) Details” and, “When Two Worlds Collide”. These themes offer insights into how retired and non-working adults perceived IVR before and after use, how they would like to learn how to use IVR, the content and people they would like to interact with and finally, their beliefs about their sedentary activity and using IVR. These findings will contribute to future work which aims to design IVR experiences that are more accessible to retired and non-working adults, offering greater agency to take part in activities that reduce sedentary behaviour and improve associated health outcomes and, importantly, offer further opportunity to take part in activities they can ascribe greater meaning to.
The burden of mortality due to injury in Cabo Verde, 2018
Authors: Fernandes Ngibo Mubeta , Mendonça Maria da Luz Lima , Gomez Lara Ferrero
Published: March 2023

External causes continue to be one of the main causes of mortality in the world and Cabo Verde is no exception. Economic evaluations can be used to demonstrate the disease burden of public health problems such as injuries and external causes and support prioritization of interventions aimed at improving the health of the population. The objective of this study was to estimate the indirect costs of premature mortality in 2018 due to injuries and other consequences of external causes in Cabo Verde. Years of potential life lost, years of potential productive life lost and human capital approach were used to estimate the burden and indirect costs of premature mortality. In 2018, 244 deaths were registered due to injury and other consequences of external causes. Males were responsible for 85.4% and 87.73% of years of potential life lost and years of potential productive life lost, respectively. The cost of productivity lost due to premature death caused by injury was 4,580,225.91 USD. The social and economic burden due to trauma was substantial. There is a need for more evidence on the burden of disease due to injuries and their consequences, to support the implementation of targeted multi-sectoral strategies and policies for the prevention, management, and reduction of costs due to injuries in Cabo Verde.
Comparing the nutritional composition of foods and beverages in the Canadian Nutrient File to a large representative database of Canadian prepackaged foods and beverages
Authors: Bernstein Jodi T. , Christoforou Anthea K. , Flexner Nadia , L’Abbe Mary R.
Published: March 2023

Background

Nutrient information used to code dietary intakes in the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) may not be reflective of the current Canadian food supply and could result in inaccurate evaluations of nutrient exposures.

Objective

To compare the nutritional compositions of foods in the CCHS 2015 Food and Ingredient Details (FID) file (n = 2,785) to a large representative Canadian database of branded food and beverage products (Food Label Information Program, FLIP) collected in 2017 (n = 20,625).

Method

Food products in the FLIP database were matched to equivalent generic foods from the FID file to create new aggregate food profiles based on FLIP nutrient data. Mann Whitney U tests were used to compare nutrient compositions between the FID and FLIP food profiles.

Results

In most food categories and nutrients there were no statistically significant differences between the FLIP and FID food profiles. Nutrients with the largest differences included: saturated fats (n = 9 of 21 categories), fiber (n = 7), cholesterol (n = 6), and total fats (n = 4). The meats and alternatives category had the most nutrients with significant differences.

Conclusion

These results can be used to prioritize future updates and collections of food composition databases, while also providing insights for interpreting CCHS 2015 nutrient intakes.
Is there a “price that’s right” for at-home COVID tests?
Authors: Kirby Rebecca Portney , Maimaran Michal , Palamountain Kara M.
Published: March 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the daily lives of individuals across the world as multiple variants continue introducing new complexities. In December 2021, which is when we conducted our study, pressure to resume the normalcy of daily life was mounting as a new variant, Omicron, was rapidly spreading. A variety of at-home tests detecting SARS-CoV-2, known to the general public as “COVID tests,” were available for consumers to purchase. In this study, we conducted conjoint analysis utilizing an internet-based survey by presenting consumers (n = 583) with 12 different hypothetical at-home COVID test concepts that varied on five attributes (price, accuracy, time, where-to-buy, and method). Price was identified as the most important attribute, because participants were very price sensitive. Quick turnaround time and high accuracy were also identified as important. Additionally, although 64% of respondents were willing to take an at-home COVID test, only 22% reported they had previously taken the test. On December 21, 2021, President Biden announced the U.S. government would purchase 500 million at-home rapid tests and distribute them for free to Americans. Given the importance of price to participants, this policy of providing free at-home COVID tests was directionally appropriate.
Workload and emerging challenges of community health workers in low- and middle-income countries: A mixed-methods systematic review
Authors: Astale Tigist , Abebe Tsegereda , Mitike Getnet
Published: March 2023

Background

Community health workers (CHWs) play an important role in improving access to health services to a broader population; particularly to communities living in remote areas. However, the productivity of CHWs is affected by the workload they have. We aimed to summarize and present CHWs’ perceived workload in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods

We searched three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Embase). A search strategy customized for the three electronic databases was developed using the two key terms of the review (CHWs and workload). Primary studies conducted in LMICs that explicitly measured workload of CHWs and published in English were included, without date restrictions. Methodological quality of the articles was assessed by two reviewers independently using mixed-methods appraisal tool. We applied a convergent integrated approach to synthesize the data. This study is registered on PROSPERO, number CRD42021291133.

Results

Of 632 unique records, 44 met our inclusion criteria, and 43 (20 qualitative, 13 mixed-methods, and 10 quantitative studies) passed the methodological quality assessment and were included in this review. In 97.7% (n = 42) of the articles, CHWs reported that they have a high workload. Having multiple tasks was the most commonly reported subcomponent of workload, followed by lack of transport; which was reported in 77.6% (n = 33) and 25.6% (n = 11) of the articles respectively.

Conclusion

CHWs in LMICs reported that they have a high workload; mainly related to having to manage multiple tasks and the lack of transport to access households. Program managers need to make careful consideration when additional tasks are shifted to CHWs and the practicability to be performed in the environment they work in. Further research is also required to make a comprehensive measure of the workload of CHWs in LMICs.
Non-pharmacological interventions on anxiety and depression in lung cancer patients’ informal caregivers: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Lei Fang , Lee Eunice , Shin Joosun , Lee Shin-Young
Published: March 2023

Background

Lung cancer is one of the common cancers and the leading cause of death. Tremendous caregiving burden of informal caregivers of lung cancer causes psychological disorders, such as anxiety and depression. Interventions for informal caregivers of patients with lung cancer to improve their psychological health, which ultimately leads to patients’ positive health outcomes, are crucial. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to: 1) evaluate the effect of non-pharmacological interventions on the outcomes of depression and anxiety for lung cancer patients’ informal caregivers; and 2) compare the effects of interventions with differing characteristics (i.e. intervention types, mode of contact, and group versus individual delivery).

Methods

Four databases were searched to identify relevant studies. Inclusion criteria for the articles were peer-reviewed non-pharmacological intervention studies on depression and anxiety in lung cancer patients’ informal caregivers published between January 2010 and April 2022. Systematic review procedures were followed. Data analysis of related studies was conducted using the Review Manager Version 5.4 software. Intervention effect sizes and studies’ heterogeneity were calculated.

Results

Eight studies from our search were eligible for inclusion. Regarding total effect for the caregivers’ levels of anxiety and depression, results revealed evidence for significant moderate effects of intervention on anxiety (SMD -0.44; 95% CI, -0.67, -0.21; p = 0.0002) and depression (SMD -0.46; 95% CI, -0.74, -0.18; p = 0.001). Subgroup analyses for both anxiety and depression of informal caregivers revealed moderate to high significant effects for specific intervention types (cognitive behavioral and mindfulness combined with psycho-education interventions), mode of contact (telephone-based interventions), and group versus individual delivery.

Conclusion

This review provides evidence that cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based, telephone-based, individual or group-based interventions were effective for informal caregivers of lung cancer patients. Further research is needed to develop the most effective intervention contents and delivery methods across informal caregivers with larger sample size in randomized controlled trials.
Trends in cigarette consumption across the United States, with projections to 2035
Authors: Leas Eric C. , Trinidad Dennis R. , Pierce John P. , McMenamin Sara B. , Messer Karen
Published: March 2023

Objectives

To make projections of cigarette consumption that incorporate state-specific trends in smoking behaviors, assess the potential for states to reach an ideal target, and identify State-specific targets for cigarette consumption.

Methods

We used 70 years (1950–2020) of annual state-specific estimates of per capita cigarette consumption (expressed as packs per capita or “ppc”) from the Tax Burden on Tobacco reports (N = 3550). We summarized trends within each state by linear regression models and the variation in rates across states by the Gini coefficient. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models were used to make state-specific forecasts of ppc from 2021 through 2035.

Results

Since 1980, the average rate of decline in US per capita cigarette consumption was 3.3% per year, but rates of decline varied considerably across US states (SD = 1.1% per year). The Gini coefficient showed growing inequity in cigarette consumption across US states. After reaching its lowest level in 1984 (Gini = 0.09), the Gini coefficient began increasing by 2.8% (95% CI: 2.5%, 3.1%) per year from 1985 to 2020 and is projected to continue to increase by 48.1% (95% PI = 35.3%, 64.2%) from 2020 to 2035 (Gini = 0.35; 95% PI: 0.32, 0.39). Forecasts from ARIMA models suggested that only 12 states have a realistic chance (≥50%) of reaching very low levels of per capita cigarette consumption (≤13 ppc) by 2035, but that all US states have opportunity to make some progress.

Conclusion

While ideal targets may be out of reach for most US states within the next decade, every US state has the potential to lower its per capita cigarette consumption, and our identification of more realistic targets may provide a helpful incentive.
Combined non-psychoactive Cannabis components cannabidiol and β-caryophyllene reduce chronic pain via CB1 interaction in a rat spinal cord injury model
Authors: Eeswara Anjalika , Pacheco-Spiewak Amanda , Jergova Stanislava , Sagen Jacqueline
Published: March 2023

The most frequently reported use of medical marijuana is for pain relief. However, its psychoactive component Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) causes significant side effects. Cannabidiol (CBD) and β-caryophyllene (BCP), two other cannabis constituents, possess more benign side effect profiles and are also reported to reduce neuropathic and inflammatory pain. We evaluated the analgesic potential of CBD and BCP individually and in combination in a rat spinal cord injury (SCI) clip compression chronic pain model. Individually, both phytocannabinoids produced dose-dependent reduction in tactile and cold hypersensitivity in male and female rats with SCI. When co-administered at fixed ratios based on individual A50s, CBD and BCP produced enhanced dose-dependent reduction in allodynic responses with synergistic effects observed for cold hypersensitivity in both sexes and additive effects for tactile hypersensitivity in males. Antinociceptive effects of both individual and combined treatment were generally less robust in females than males. CBD:BCP co-administration also partially reduced morphine-seeking behavior in a conditioned place preference (CPP) test. Minimal cannabinoidergic side effects were observed with high doses of the combination. The antinociceptive effects of the CBD:BCP co-administration were not altered by either CB2 or μ-opioid receptor antagonist pretreatment but, were nearly completely blocked by CB1 antagonist AM251. Since neither CBD or BCP are thought to mediate antinociception via CB1 activity, these findings suggest a novel CB1 interactive mechanism between these two phytocannabinoids in the SCI pain state. Together, these findings suggest that CBD:BCP co-administration may provide a safe and effective treatment option for the management of chronic SCI pain.
Deep learning models for hepatitis E incidence prediction leveraging meteorological factors
Authors: Feng Yi , Cui Xiya , Lv Jingjing , Yan Bingyu , Meng Xin , Zhang Li , Guo Yanhui
Published: March 2023

Background

Infectious diseases are a major threat to public health, causing serious medical consumption and casualties. Accurate prediction of infectious diseases incidence is of great significance for public health organizations to prevent the spread of diseases. However, only using historical incidence data for prediction can not get good results. This study analyzes the influence of meteorological factors on the incidence of hepatitis E, which are used to improve the accuracy of incidence prediction.

Methods

We extracted the monthly meteorological data, incidence and cases number of hepatitis E from January 2005 to December 2017 in Shandong province, China. We employ GRA method to analyze the correlation between the incidence and meteorological factors. With these meteorological factors, we achieve a variety of methods for incidence of hepatitis E by LSTM and attention-based LSTM. We selected data from July 2015 to December 2017 to validate the models, and the rest was taken as training set. Three metrics were applied to compare the performance of models, including root mean square error(RMSE), mean absolute percentage error(MAPE) and mean absolute error(MAE).

Results

Duration of sunshine and rainfall-related factors(total rainfall, maximum daily rainfall) are more relevant to the incidence of hepatitis E than other factors. Without meteorological factors, we obtained 20.74%, 19.50% for incidence in term of MAPE, by LSTM and A-LSTM, respectively. With meteorological factors, we obtained 14.74%, 12.91%, 13.21%, 16.83% for incidence, in term of MAPE, by LSTM-All, MA-LSTM-All, TA-LSTM-All, BiA-LSTM-All, respectively. The prediction accuracy increased by 7.83%. Without meteorological factors, we achieved 20.41%, 19.39% for cases in term of MAPE, by LSTM and A-LSTM, respectively. With meteorological factors, we achieved 14.20%, 12.49%, 12.72%, 15.73% for cases, in term of MAPE, by LSTM-All, MA-LSTM-All, TA-LSTM-All, BiA-LSTM-All, respectively. The prediction accuracy increased by 7.92%. More detailed results are shown in results section of this paper.

Conclusions

The experiments show that attention-based LSTM is superior to other comparative models. Multivariate attention and temporal attention can greatly improve the prediction performance of the models. Among them, when all meteorological factors are used, multivariate attention performance is better. This study can provide reference for the prediction of other infectious diseases.
A survey of elastase-producing bacteria and characteristics of the most potent producer, Priestia megaterium gasm32
Authors: AlShaikh-Mubarak Ghadah A. , Kotb Essam , Alabdalall Amira H. , Aldayel Munirah F.
Published: March 2023

Ninety-one elastase-producing bacterial isolates were recovered from different localities of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Elastase from the best isolate Priestia megaterium gasm32, from luncheon samples was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity using DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B and Sephadex G-100 chromatographic techniques. The recovery was 17.7%, the purification fold was 11.7x, and the molecular mass was 30 kDa. Enzymatic activity was highly repressed by Ba2+ and almost completely lost by EDTA, but it was greatly stimulated by Cu2+ ions, suggesting a metalloprotease type. The enzyme was stable at 45°C and pH 6.0–10.0 for 2 hours. Ca2+ ions considerably enhanced the stability of the heat-treated enzyme. The Vmax and Km against the synthetic substrate elastin–Congo red were 6.03 mg/mL, and 8.82 U/mg, respectively. Interestingly, the enzyme showed potent antibacterial activity against many bacterial pathogens. Under SEM, most bacterial cells showed loss of integrity, damage, and perforation. SEM micrographs also showed a time-dependent gradual breakdown of elastin fibers exposed to elastase. After 3 hours, intact elastin fibers disappeared, leaving irregular pieces. Given these good features, this elastase may be a promising candidate for treating damaged skin fibers with the inhibition of contaminating bacteria.
Whole genome analysis of Neisseria meningitidis isolates from invasive meningococcal disease collected in the Czech Republic over 28 years (1993–2020)
Authors: Honskus Michal , Krizova Pavla , Okonji Zuzana , Musilek Martin , Kozakova Jana
Published: March 2023

Invasive meningococcal disease belongs among the most dangerous infectious diseases in the world. Several polysaccharide conjugate vaccines against serogroups A, C, W and Y are available and two recombinant peptide vaccines against serogroup B (MenB vaccines) have been developed: MenB-4C (Bexsero) and MenB-fHbp (Trumenba). The aim of this study was to define the clonal composition of the Neisseria meningitidis population in the Czech Republic, to determine changes in this population over time and to estimate the theoretical coverage of isolates by MenB vaccines. This study presents the analysis of whole genome sequencing data of 369 Czech N. meningitidis isolates from invasive meningococcal disease covering 28 years. Serogroup B isolates (MenB) showed high heterogeneity and the most common clonal complexes were cc18, cc32, cc35, cc41/44, and cc269. Isolates of clonal complex cc11 were predominately serogroup C (MenC). The highest number of serogroup W isolates (MenW) belonged to clonal complex cc865, which we described as exclusive to the Czech Republic. Our study supports the theory that this cc865 subpopulation originated in the Czech Republic from MenB isolates by a capsule switching mechanism. A dominant clonal complex of serogroup Y isolates (MenY) was cc23, which formed two genetically quite distant subpopulations and which showed constant representation throughout the observed period. The theoretical coverage of isolates by two MenB vaccines was determined using the Meningococcal Deduced Vaccine Antigen Reactivity Index (MenDeVAR). Estimated Bexsero vaccine coverage was 70.6% (for MenB) and 62.2% (for MenC, W, Y). For Trumenba vaccine, estimated coverage was 74.6% (for MenB) and 65.7% (for MenC, W, Y). Our results demonstrated sufficient coverage of Czech heterogeneous population of N. meningitidis with MenB vaccines and, together with surveillance data on invasive meningococcal disease in the Czech Republic, were the basis for updating recommendations for vaccination against invasive meningococcal disease.
Non-invasive and objective tear film breakup detection on interference color images using convolutional neural networks
Authors: Kikukawa Yasushi , Tanaka Shin , Kosugi Takuya , Pflugfelder Stephen C.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Dry eye disease affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is one of the most common causes for visits to eye care practitioners. The fluorescein tear breakup time test is currently widely used to diagnose dry eye disease, but it is an invasive and subjective method, thus resulting in variability in diagnostic results. This study aimed to develop an objective method to detect tear breakup using the convolutional neural networks on the tear film images taken by the non-invasive device KOWA DR-1α.

Methods

The image classification models for detecting characteristics of tear film images were constructed using transfer learning of the pre-trained ResNet50 model. The models were trained using a total of 9,089 image patches extracted from video data of 350 eyes of 178 subjects taken by the KOWA DR-1α. The trained models were evaluated based on the classification results for each class and overall accuracy of the test data in the six-fold cross validation. The performance of the tear breakup detection method using the models was evaluated by calculating the area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic, sensitivity, and specificity using the detection results of 13,471 frame images with breakup presence/absence labels.

Results

The performance of the trained models was 92.3%, 83.4%, and 95.2% for accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, respectively in classifying the test data into the tear breakup or non-breakup group. Our method using the trained models achieved an AUC of 0.898, a sensitivity of 84.3%, and a specificity of 83.3% in detecting tear breakup for a frame image.

Conclusions

We were able to develop a method to detect tear breakup on images taken by the KOWA DR-1α. This method could be applied to the clinical use of non-invasive and objective tear breakup time test.
Etiology of gender incongruence and its levels of evidence: A scoping review protocol
Authors: Rojas Saffie Juan Pablo , Eyzaguirre Bäuerle Nicolás
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Gender Incongruence refers to the discordance between biological sex and gender identity. Although it is possible to find literature reviews about the etiology of Gender Incongruence, almost all of these correspond to non-systematic narrative reviews, so they do not make explicit the methodology used in the collection and analysis of sources, even less its levels of evidence. In order to remedy this, we will conduct a scoping review to answer the question: what are the factors associated with gender incongruence and what level of evidence is there for each factor in the scientific literature?

Methods and analysis

We will conduct a scoping review according to the methodology specified in the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis (Chapter 11) and the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Four databases will be reviewed to identify papers that match our search criteria, followed by a screening of titles and abstracts, the complete reading of those articles that have not been excluded, and the coding of these using the data extraction instrument developed for this research (see S1 Appendix). Data extracted will be analyzed in terms of frequency counts of factors, types of factors and levels of evidence for each factor. Results will be presented in tabular or diagrammatic forms supported by a narrative summary.

Findings

The present review will help to map the factors associated with incongruence between biological sex and gender identity, specifying their levels of evidence. This evidence-based knowledge will be useful for clinicians evaluating gender incongruence, especially given that international guidelines recommend careful assessment of factors that may interfere with the clarity of gender identity development and decision making.
Clinical isolates of Candida auris with enhanced adherence and biofilm formation due to genomic amplification of ALS4
Authors: Bing Jian , Guan Zhangyue , Zheng Tianhong , Zhang Zhijie , Fan Shuru , Ennis Craig L. , Nobile Clarissa J. , Huang Guanghua
Published: March 2023

Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen and a new global threat to human health. A unique morphological feature of this fungus is its multicellular aggregating phenotype, which has been thought to be associated with defects in cell division. In this study, we report a new aggregating form of two clinical C. auris isolates with increased biofilm forming capacity due to enhanced adherence of adjacent cells and surfaces. Unlike the previously reported aggregating morphology, this new aggregating multicellular form of C. auris can become unicellular after treatment with proteinase K or trypsin. Genomic analysis demonstrated that amplification of the subtelomeric adhesin gene ALS4 is the reason behind the strain’s enhanced adherence and biofilm forming capacities. Many clinical isolates of C. auris have variable copy numbers of ALS4, suggesting that this subtelomeric region exhibits instability. Global transcriptional profiling and quantitative real-time PCR assays indicated that genomic amplification of ALS4 results in a dramatic increase in overall levels of transcription. Compared to the previously characterized nonaggregative/yeast-form and aggregative-form strains of C. auris, this new Als4-mediated aggregative-form strain of C. auris displays several unique characteristics in terms of its biofilm formation, surface colonization, and virulence.
Potential valorisation of steel slag waste as an alternative material for pavement layers
Authors: Lakusic Stjepan
Published: March 2023

This paper aims to investigate the feasibility of using steel slag waste as an alternative material for pavement layers (sub-base and base layers). This waste is stored and landfilled at a steel production site in JORF LASFAR, city of El Jadida, Morocco. Samples of the waste were collected and underwent standard tests to determine its physical, chemical, mineralogical, and geotechnical properties. Furthermore, the steel slag waste cannot be used alone in pavement layers because of the low fraction of fine aggregates. Additionally, a sterile raw material (rock crushing waste) was used with the steel slag waste to obtain the required particle size distribution. Five mixtures of steel slag (SS) and sterile (ST) were formulated using the following proportions (% SS: % ST): M1 (30:70), M2 (40:60), M3 (50:50), M4 (60:40), and M5 (70:30). Geotechnical and mechanical standard tests were conducted on each mixture, including the M4 and M5 mixtures, to determine whether they met the required properties for a material used in the base layer. M2 to M5 mixtures also had the necessary properties for the sub-base layer. Finally, a sizing study was performed to obtain the thickness of pavement layers containing the formulated mixtures, which were found to be close to those of conventional materials.
IMPORT AT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES OF THE ALTAI TERRITORY: ANALYSIS, ASSESSMENT, PROSPECTS
Authors: Borodin V.A. , Shamkov A.Yu.
Published: March 2023

An assessment of the situation with import substitution at manufacturing enterprises in the Altai Territory based on an analysis of the effectiveness of foreign purchases carried out by these enterprises is the purpose of writing this article.

The authors used the results of studies by Russian and foreign authors on the strategy and tactics of the behavior of enterprises in matters of importing raw materials, materials, technological equipment and technologies under the sanctions regime introduced by the countries of the European Union and the United States in the period 2017-2022, as well as statistical data from Rosstat and Office of the Federal State Statistics Service for the Altai Territory and the Republic of Altai, materials of the Altai Branch of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and data from a survey of industrial enterprise managers.

Using the example of manufacturing enterprises in the region, the actual situation with import supplies is shown at the present time, an assessment is made of the situation with import substitution at innovatively active enterprises. It that as a result of the import substitution policy, the dependence of has been established manufacturing enterprises on foreign supplies has decreased. Nevertheless, work in this direction now needs to be increased, especially, in the opinion of the interviewed heads of Barnaul enterprises, especially modern technologies and equipment based on the formation and implementation of federal programs for the dynamic development of mechanical engineering.
ANALYSIS OF HEALTH SYSTEM INDICATORS IN THE CONTEXT OF HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Authors: Boyko N.V. , Shvakov E.E.
Published: March 2023

The article analyzes the indicators of the health care system as one of the subsystems that form and ensure the effective use of human capital. The globalization of socio-economic and political processes, the acceleration of informatization, the introduction of new technologies, high speed of thinking require a revision and expansion of the theory of human capital. The most relevant paradigm shift in the development of the theory of human capital is observed in the current socio-economic and political conditions associated with the need to address the global issues of the human pandemic (COVID-19), in the context of rapid response and aggravation of the situation in the healthcare system of Russia and the world as a whole. As a result of the analysis of the indicators of the health care system, using a ranking system of statistical indicators, based on the presented rating of the regions of the Russian Federation, the authors propose a cluster approach to the distribution of regions of the Russian Federation, which allows us to pay attention to the problems of forming human capital in a number of districts, to identify the overall dynamics of development indicators of the healthcare system in Russia. Show the need to develop a modern health care system as a system that ensures the preservation and improvement of the efficiency of human capital use.
ASSESSMENT OF THE FINANCIAL SECURITY OF A COMPANY WITH STATE PARTICIPATION
Authors: Prikhodko E.A. , Zheleznyak M.E.
Published: March 2023

An assessment of the economic, including financial, security of an organization plays an indispensable role in making managerial decisions that affect the process of formation and development of regional and national markets for goods, works and services. The economic security of an organization has rather unstable development trends, so analysts tend to describe options for ensuring it not only for short-term prospects for the development of production, but also to look further a year or several years ahead. The use of analytical procedures in assessing the level of financial security helps specialists to analyze indicators of economic security, and the manager to coordinate the activities of the organization, orienting production to improve indicators in places where financial risks are most affected.

The subject of research in the article is the process of assessing the financial security of an organization with state participation using analytical audit procedures. The study discusses the author's approach to assessing financial security, which allows you to identify areas of damage to financial security and focus on areas of increased risk. The research methodology is based on the application of general scientific methods of analysis, such as the synthesis of the obtained data, comparison and others, as well as specific analytical procedures.
SOCIAL TAX DEDUCTION FOR SPORTS: PREVENTION OF INCIDENTS WITH FISCAL AUTHORITIES
Authors: Samsonov I.I. , Larina A.S. , Blinova Yu.V.
Published: March 2023

The article is devoted to the study of the topical issue of granting a social tax deduction to citizens on the income of individuals for physical education and health services as a method of activating the population for physical culture and sports. Familiarization with the list of physical culture and sports organizations, individual entrepreneurs operating in the field of physical culture and sports as the main activity, which is one of the conditions for obtaining a social tax deduction, revealed the presence of educational organizations of various types. In this connection, the above raises doubts about the receipt by citizens of a social tax deduction for the physical culture and health services provided to him, and this is due to the fact that one of the conditions for its provision by the fiscal authorities is violated. We assume that the situation may worsen from January 1, 2023, when, in accordance with the adopted law on the harmonization of legislation on education and on physical culture and sports, the civil law status of “sports schools” will be massively transformed from a physical culture and sports to an educational organization. The authors, having studied the current legislation of the Russian Federation, come to the conclusion that it is necessary both to revise the requirements for the formation of a list of organizations engaged in which a citizen can receive a social tax deduction for socially significant expenses, and to establish tax benefits for organizations.
PsychoEducation Tensor as a Model of Cognitive Physics
Authors: Sheppard Joseph Zalman
Published: March 2023

The PsychoEducation Tensor (PET)® is a 4x4 diamond-shaped skew-hermitian tensor transformational matrix describing 16 elementary brain processes. The PET divides into a 7-element metacognitive component called EM-Path, represented by colours and letters, and a 9-element cognitive component called EM-Core, represented by numbers. The PET® describes a set of Vygotskian-like elementary mental processes that constitute an integrated model of cognitive architecture. The elements are organized according to the scientific literature on mind wandering and spontaneous cognitions. The PET® was designed as a psychoeducational tool to help reduce psychological distress and mental perplexity. The PET® further integrates with dual complementary classical and quantum models of physics. Moreover, the PET® interfaces with dual physical stimuli environments and socially constructed propositional narratives. The PET® may also serve as a Minimalist program for cognitive architecture. EM-Theory claims that dual conceptual and knowledge consciousnesses are chiral and complementary (Lahav & Neemeh).
Finding Morals in Gene Therapy Design
Authors: Mockler Eric
Published: March 2023

How can society find ease in technological innovation? The ability to edit the human genome brings potent, yet frightening degrees of freedom to the healthcare industry. Human values should be well-defined in the therapeutic design process. A wide range of perspectives may inform these values through distinct research methods— conceptual, technical, and empirical investigation. [4]
A duplicação de sujeito via pronome no português brasileiro
Authors: Gasque de Souza Karoline
Published: March 2023

O objetivo deste artigo é compreender como a construção com sintagma nominal sujeito adjacente ao pronome correferente é usada em português brasileiro (PB). O pioneiro trabalho de Pontes (1987) a considera como deslocamento à esquerda de sujeito e outros autores seguem a autora (cf., p. ex., CALLOU et al., 2002[1993]; DUARTE, 1995; MORAES; ORSINI, 2003), porém há alguns que diferenciam as construções com deslocamento à esquerda de sujeito das construções com redobro de sujeito (cf. COSTA; DUARTE; SILVA, 2004; QUAREZEMIN, 2018; 2019). Neste trabalho, investigamos as ocorrências da construção encontradas em uma amostra de corpus de língua falada pelos aspectos prosódicos, sintáticos e informacionais/discursivos. Os resultados mostram que a construção é frequente e que a maioria das ocorrências não registra pausa entre o sintagma nominal e o pronome. Ao contrapor as construções com pausa prosódica com as sem pausa, descobrimos que os referentes destas podem veicular informação nova, enquanto os referentes daquelas não podem. Diante disso, as construções sem pausa são inovadoras, pois não possuem necessariamente propriedades de tópico e precisam ser consideradas como uma possibilidade de manifestação do sujeito no português brasileiro atual, a duplicação do sujeito via pronome.