bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Medical Assistance in Dying in Oncology Patients: A Canadian Academic Hospital’s Experience
Authors: Liu Tony , Liu Wei , Leung Aaron , Jia Sangyang , Lee Patsy , Liu Luke , Mutsaers Adam , Miller Sue , Honarmand Kimia , Malik Shiraz , Qu Melody , Ball Ian
Published: December 2022

Background: Medical assistance in dying (MAID) was legislatively enacted in Canada in June 2016. Most studies of patients who received MAID grouped patients with cancer and non-cancer diagnoses. Our goal was to analyze the characteristics of oncology patients who received MAID in a Canadian tertiary care hospital. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients with cancer who received MAID between June 2016 and July 2020 at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). We describe patients’ demographics, oncologic characteristics, symptoms, treatments, and palliative care involvement. Results: Ninety-two oncology patients received MAID. The median age was 72. The leading cancer diagnoses among these patients were lung, colorectal, and pancreatic. At the time of MAID request, 68% of patients had metastatic disease. Most patients (90%) had ECOG performance status of 3 or 4 before receiving MAID. Ninety-nine percent of patients had distressing symptoms at time of MAID request, most commonly pain. One-third of patients with metastatic or recurrent cancer received early palliative care. The median time interval between the first MAID assessment and receipt of MAID was 7 days. Interpretation: Most oncology patients who received MAID at LHSC had poor performance status and almost all had distressing symptoms. The median time interval between first MAID assessment and receipt of MAID was shorter than expected. Only one-third of patients with metastatic or recurrent cancer received early palliative care. Improving access to early palliative care is a priority in patients with advanced cancer. Study registration: We received research approval from Western University’s Research Ethics Board (REB) with project ID number 115367, and from Lawson’s Research Database Application (ReDA) with study ID number 9579.
Reproductive Biology of Fritillaria aurea Schott (Liliaceae), a Rare Species Endemic to Turkey
Authors: Yıldız Faruk , Aslay Meral , Kandemir Ali , Kaya Ozkan
Published: December 2022

Fritillaria aurea, unlike other Fritillaria species, is a narrowly endemic species. It has a brown checkered speckled color on each tepal and also has regular yellow intense colors on the tepals. Its large bell-shaped appearance when the flower is open is one of its most striking ornamental features. However, F. aurea plant numbers are limited in their natural habitats, and their numbers are decreasing day by day; they are even confronted with the risk of extinction owing to the damage resulting from human activities. This detailed investigation of reproductive biology plays a vital role in determining the evolutionary success and survival of F. aurea, largely in determining the effectiveness of their reproductive performance. Our results indicate that the species exhibits a very low partial dichogamy and herkogamy structure, as well as self-incompatible pollination. The flowering period ranges from March to April. Average seed viability, average seed number, and seed germination were determined as 71%, 255, and 45%, respectively. The pollen viability, pollen grains, and stigma receptivity were found as 96%, 392.000, and 85%, respectively. The pollen/ovule ratio (P/O) and self-incompatibility index (SII) in the spontaneous cross-pollination were detected as 1537 and 0, respectively. Flowers of F. aurea were visited by several insect species, mostly honeybees (Apis mellifera); Bombus sp. and Vespa sp. also played a minor role in pollination. To sum up, these results not only lay a solid foundation for further reproductive biology investigations to more broadly reveal the mechanisms of F. aurea endangerment in the future but also provide a reliable theoretical basis for hybridization breeding of parents.
Synthesis, Selective Cytotoxic Activity against Human Breast Cancer MCF7 Cell Line and Molecular Docking of Some Chalcone-Dihydropyrimidone Hybrids
Authors: Mass Eduardo B. , de Lima Carolina A. , D’Oca Marcelo G. M. , Sciani Juliana M. , Longato Giovanna B. , Russowsky Dennis
Published: December 2022

Designed Chalcone-Dihydropyrimidinone hybrid compounds were synthesized expeditiously. The hybridization was performed through the Copper-catalyzed Alkyne-Azide Cycloaddition (CuAAC) from the propargyloxy chalcones and azido-dihydropyrimidinones. The hybrid products were prepared in five steps with a 30–48% overall yield. Most of the compounds showed selective cytotoxicity and lower IC50 values (<10 µM) against MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma) cancer. Cytotoxicity was also observed against OVCAR-3 (ovary, adenocarcinoma), NCI/ADR-RES (ovary, multidrug-resistant adenocarcinoma), and U-251 (brain, glioblastoma) cell lines. The potency of the most active hybrids 9d, 9g, and 9h was greater than the individual parental compounds, suggesting the effectiveness of molecular hybridization on the cytotoxicity. Compounds 9d, 9g, and especially 9h showed high selectivity for breast cancer cells (MCF-7) regarding human keratinocytes (HaCaT). Molecular docking calculations for the 9d, 9g, and 9h hybrids in the active site of estrogen supported the hypothesis that the compounds act as ER-α antagonists, disrupting the cell proliferation process of MCF-7, corroborating the potency and selectivity observed for this tumoral cell line.
Delta De Ritis Ratio Is Associated with Worse Mortality Outcomes in Adult Trauma Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries
Authors: Tsai Ching-Hua , Rau Cheng-Shyuan , Chou Sheng-En , Su Wei-Ti , Hsu Shiun-Yuan , Hsieh Ching-Hua
Published: December 2022

This study aimed to investigate whether changes in the De Ritis ratio (DRR) can be used to stratify the mortality risk of patients with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This retrospective study reviewed data for 1347 adult trauma patients (134 deaths and 1213 survival) with moderate-to-severe TBI between 1 January 2009, and 31 December 2020, from the registered trauma database. The outcomes of the patients allocated into the two study groups were compared based on the best Delta DRR (ΔDRR) cutoff point. The first and second DRR of patients who died were significantly higher than those of patients who survived. Elevation of DRR 72–96 h later was found for patients who died, but not for those who survived; the ΔDRR of the patients who died was significantly higher than that of those who survived (1.4 ± 5.8 vs. −0.1 ± 3.3, p = 0.004). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that ΔDRR was a significant independent risk factor for mortality in these patients. Additionally, a ΔDRR of 0.7 was identified as the cutoff value for mortality stratification of adult trauma patients at high risk of mortality with moderate-to-severe TBI.
Novel Decision Tool for More Severe α-Thalassemia Genotypes Screening with Functional Loss of Two or More α-Globin Genes: A Diagnostic Test Study
Authors: Siqueira Patricia F. R. , Fleury Marcos K. , Pontes Robéria M. , Silva Renata S. P. , Costa Elaine S. , Land Marcelo G. P.
Published: December 2022

After the exclusion of iron deficiency and β-thalassemia, molecular research for α-thalassemia is recommended to investigate microcytic anemia. Aiming to suggest more efficiently the molecular analysis for individuals with a greater chance of having a symptomatic form of the disease, we have developed and validated a new decision tool to predict the presence of two or more deletions of α-thalassemia, increasing considerably the pre-test probability. The model was created using the variables: the percentage of HbA2, serum ferritin and mean corpuscular volume standardized by age. The model was trained in 134 patients and validated in 160 randomly selected patients from the total sample. We used Youden’s index applied to the ROC curve methodology to establish the optimal odds ratio (OR) cut-off for the presence of two or more α-globin gene deletions. Using the OR cut-off of 0.4, the model’s negative predictive value (NPV) was 96.8%; the cut-off point accuracy was 85.4%; and the molecular analysis pre-test probability increased from 25.9% to 65.4% after the use of the proposed model. This tool aims to assist the physician in deciding when to perform molecular studies for the diagnosis of α-thalassemia. The model is useful in places with few financial health resources.
Entanglement Renyi Entropy of Two Disjoint Intervals for Large c Liouville Field Theory
Authors: Tsujimura Jun , Nambu Yasusada
Published: December 2022

Entanglement entropy (EE) is a quantitative measure of the effective degrees of freedom and the correlation between the sub-systems of a physical system. Using the replica trick, we can obtain the EE by evaluating the entanglement Renyi entropy (ERE). The ERE is a q-analogue of the EE and expressed by the q replicated partition function. In the semi-classical approximation, it is apparently easy to calculate the EE because the classical action represents the partition function by the saddle point approximation and we do not need to perform the path integral for the evaluation of the partition function. In previous studies, it has been assumed that only the minimal-valued saddle point contributes to the EE. In this paper, we propose that all the saddle points contribute comparably but not necessarily equally to the EE by dealing carefully with the semi-classical limit and then the q→1 limit. For example, we numerically evaluate the ERE of two disjoint intervals for the large c Liouville field theory with q∼1. We exploit the BPZ equation with the four twist operators, whose solution is given by the Heun function. We determine the ERE by tuning the behavior of the Heun function such that it becomes consistent with the geometry of the replica manifold. We find the same two saddle points as previous studies for q∼1 in the above system. Then, we provide the ERE for the large but finite c and the q∼1 in case that all the saddle points contribute comparably to the ERE. In particular, the ERE is the summation of these two saddle points by the same weight, due to the symmetry of the system. Based on this work, it shall be of interest to reconsider EE in other semi-classical physical systems with multiple saddle points.
Entropy and Information Theory in Acoustics
Authors: Li Yuxing
Published: December 2022

Acoustics is one of the most studied fields in the 21st century, encompassing underwater acoustics, architectural acoustics, engineering acoustics, physical acoustics, environmental acoustics, psychological acoustics, signal processing in acoustics, and so on [...]
How, Why and When Tsallis Statistical Mechanics Provides Precise Descriptions of Natural Phenomena
Authors: Robledo Alberto , Velarde Carlos
Published: December 2022

The limit of validity of ordinary statistical mechanics and the pertinence of Tsallis statistics beyond it is explained considering the most probable evolution of complex systems processes. To this purpose we employ a dissipative Landau–Ginzburg kinetic equation that becomes a generic one-dimensional nonlinear iteration map for discrete time. We focus on the Renormalization Group (RG) fixed-point maps for the three routes to chaos. We show that all fixed-point maps and their trajectories have analytic closed-form expressions, not only (as known) for the intermittency route to chaos but also for the period-doubling and the quasiperiodic routes. These expressions have the form of q-exponentials, while the kinetic equation’s Lyapunov function becomes the Tsallis entropy. That is, all processes described by the evolution of the fixed-point trajectories are accompanied by the monotonic progress of the Tsallis entropy. In all cases the action of the fixed-point map attractor imposes a severe impediment to access the system’s built-in configurations, leaving only a subset of vanishing measure available. Only those attractors that remain chaotic have ineffective configuration set reduction and display ordinary statistical mechanics. Finally, we provide a brief description of complex system research subjects that illustrates the applicability of our approach.
Decentralized Blockchain Network for Resisting Side-Channel Attacks in Mobility-Based IoT
Authors: Olanrewaju Rashidah Funke , Khan Burhan Ul Islam , Kiah Miss Laiha Mat , Abdullah Nor Aniza , Goh Khang Wen
Published: December 2022

The inclusion of mobility-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices accelerates the data transmission process, thereby catering to IoT users’ demands; however, securing the data transmission in mobility-based IoT is one complex and challenging concern. The adoption of unified security architecture has been identified to prevent side-channel attacks in the IoT, which has been discussed extensively in developing security solutions. Despite blockchain’s apparent superiority in withstanding a wide range of security threats, a careful examination of the relevant literature reveals that some common pitfalls are associated with these methods. Therefore, the proposed scheme introduces a novel computational security framework wherein a branched and decentralized blockchain network is formulated to facilitate coverage from different variants of side-channel IoT attacks that are yet to be adequately reported. A unique blockchain-based authentication approach is designed to secure communication among mobile IoT devices using multiple stages of security implementation with Smart Agreement and physically unclonable functions. Analytical modeling with lightweight finite field encryption is used to create this framework in Python. The study’s benchmark results show that the proposed scheme offers 4% less processing time, 5% less computational overhead, 1% more throughput, 12% less latency, and 30% less energy consumption compared to existing blockchain methods.
Experimental and Finite Element-Based Investigation on Lateral Behaviors of a Novel Hybrid Monopile
Authors: Kim Jeongsoo , Jeong Yeon-Ju , Park Joonsang , Lee Ju-Hyung , Kwak Taeyoung , Kim Jae-Hyun
Published: December 2022

A monopile is the most conventional structure foundation for offshore wind turbines (OWTs) in the world. However, the Korean offshore wind industry has mostly been using the jacket type of foundation. The main reason for the current situation in Korea is that most of the marine soil consists of weak layers of sand and clay. Thus, the monopile foundation depth has to be deep enough to satisfy the intended serviceability design requirement of the monopile and the rotation limit at the seabed; a conventional monopile design concept alone might be insufficient in Korean offshore conditions, or otherwise could be very expensive, e.g., resulting in a rock socket installation at the tip of the monopile. The main objective of this paper is to introduce a novel hybrid monopile that is composed of a monopile and a supplemental support with three buckets, followed by assessing the lateral resistance of the hybrid system through physical experiments and finite element (FE) simulations. Namely, 1/64.5 small-scaled monopile and hybrid physical models with a monopile diameter of 7 m for a 5.5 MW OWT were loaded monotonically. The results show that the hybrid monopile improves the lateral bearing capacity regarding the initial lateral stiffness and ultimate load. The FE analyses of the corresponding physical models were also implemented to support the results from the physical model test. The numerical results, such as the structural member forces and soil deformation, were analyzed in detail. Additionally, a case study using FE analysis was conducted for the 5.5 MW OWT hybrid monopile support installed in a representative Korean weak soil area. The results show that the hybrid monopile foundation has a larger lateral resistance and stiffness than the monopile.
Fast Quasi-Static Time-Series Simulation for Accurate PV Inverter Semiconductor Fatigue Analysis with a Long-Term Solar Profile
Authors: Liu Yunting , Tolbert Leon M. , Kritprajun Paychuda , Dong Jiaojiao , Zhu Lin , Ollis Thomas Ben , Schneider Kevin P. , Prabakar Kumaraguru
Published: December 2022

Power system simulations with long-term data typically have large time steps, varying from one second to a few minutes. However, for PV inverter semiconductors in grid-connected applications, the minimum thermal stress cycle occurs over the fundamental grid frequency (50 or 60 Hz). This requires the time step of the fatigue simulation to be approximately 100 μs. This small time step requires long computation times to process yearly power production profiles. In this paper, we propose a fast fatigue simulation for inverter semiconductors using the quasi-static time-series simulation concept. The proposed simulation calculates the steady state of the semiconductor junction temperature using a fast Fourier transform. The small thermal cycling during a switching period and even over the fundamental waveform is disregarded to further accelerate the simulation speed. The resulting time step of the fatigue simulation is 15 min, which is consistent with the solar dataset. The error of the proposed simulation is 0.16% compared to the fatigue simulation results using the complete thermal stress profile. The error of the proposed method is significantly less than the conventional averaged thermal profile. A PV inverter that responds to a transactive energy system is simulated to demonstrate the use of the proposed fatigue simulation. The proposed simulation has the potential to cosimulate with system-level simulation tools that also adopt the quasi-static time-series concept.
How Does the Water Conservation Function of Hulunbuir Forest–Steppe Ecotone Respond to Climate Change and Land Use Change?
Authors: Ma Pu , Lyu Shihai , Diao Zhaoyan , Zheng Zhirong , He Jing , Su Derong , Zhang Jingru
Published: December 2022

The scarcity of water resources is becoming a global focus, and water conservation has become one of the most crucial service functions in the water security and sustainable development of ecosystems. Hulunbuir forest–steppe ecotone, as an important water conservation area in the northeastern provinces of China, plays an irreplaceable role in Northeastern China. However, the water yield and water conservation are rarely understood in the ecotone. In this study, the InVEST model was employed to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of water yield and water conservation from 2000 to 2020. Meanwhile, we explored the response of water conservation to climatic factors and human disturbance. The results demonstrated that water yield and water conservation presented a decreasing trend in the first decade and then increased. The land use transfer obvious from 2000 to 2010, and most vegetation types were converted into unused land. This transition intensified reduction of water conservation. The main factor affecting the water conservation was climate Precipitation had the greatest impact on water conservation. The findings of this study have great and important implications for regional sustainable water resource management and ecological protection policies and provide a convenient method for evaluating water conservation in other areas that are lacking climate, hydrology, and geological data.
Predicting Growth of Individual Trees Directly and Indirectly Using 20-Year Bitemporal Airborne Laser Scanning Point Cloud Data
Authors: Soininen Valtteri , Kukko Antero , Yu Xiaowei , Kaartinen Harri , Luoma Ville , Saikkonen Otto , Holopainen Markus , Matikainen Leena , Lehtomäki Matti , Hyyppä Juha
Published: December 2022

Reviewing forest carbon sinks is of the utmost importance in efforts to control climate change. This study focuses on reporting the 20-year boreal forest growth values acquired with airborne laser scanning (ALS). The growth was examined on the Kalkkinen research site in southern Finland as a continuation of several earlier growth studies performed in the same area. The data for the study were gathered with three totally different airborne laser scanning systems, namely using Toposys-I Falcon in June 2000 and Riegl VUX-1HA and miniVUX-3UAV in June 2021 with approximate point densities of 11, 1360, and 460 points/m2, respectively. The ALS point cloud was preprocessed to identify individual trees, from each of which different features were extracted either for direct or indirect growth measurement. In the direct method, the growth value is predicted based on differences of features, whereas in the indirect method, the growth value is obtained by subtracting the results of two independent predictions of different years. The growth in individual tree attributes, such as growth in height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and stem volume, were calculated for direct estimation. Field reference campaigns were performed in the summer of 2001 and in November 2021 to validate the obtained growth values. The study showed that long-term series growth of height, DBH, and stem volume are possible to record with a high-to-moderate coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.90, 0.48, and 0.45 in the best-case scenarios. The respective root-mean-squared errors (RMSE) values were 0.98 m, 0.02 m, and 0.17 m3, and the biases were −0.06 m, 0.00 m, and 0.17 m3. The direct method produced better metrics in terms of RMSE-% and bias, but the indirect method produced better best-fit lines. Additionally, the mean growth values for height, diameter, and stem volume intervals were compared, and they are presumed to be usable even for forest modelling.
Using Tree Height, Crown Area and Stand-Level Parameters to Estimate Tree Diameter, Volume, and Biomass of Pinus radiata, Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus nitens
Authors: Gonzalez-Benecke Carlos A. , Fernández M. Paulina , Gayoso Jorge , Pincheira Matias , Wightman Maxwell G.
Published: December 2022

Accurate estimates of tree diameter, height, volume, and biomass are important for numerous economic and ecological applications. In this study, we report exponential equations to predict tree DBH (cm), stem volume over bark (VOB, m3), and total above-stump biomass (TASB, kg) using three varying levels of input data for Pinus radiata D. Don, Eucalyptus globulus Labill., and Eucalyptus nitens (H.Deane & Maiden) Maiden planted trees. The three sets of input data included: (1) tree height (HT, m), (2) tree HT and ground projected living crown area (CA, m2), and (3) tree HT, CA, and additional stand parameters. The analysis was performed using a large dataset covering the range of distribution of the species in central Chile and included stands of varying ages and planting densities. The first set of equations using only HT were satisfactory with Adj-R2 values ranging from 0.78 to 0.98 across all species and variables. For all three species, estimation of DBH, VOB, and TASB as a function of HT improved when CA was added as an additional independent variable, increasing Adj-R2 and reducing RMSE. The inclusion of stand variables, such as age and stand density, also resulted in further improvement in model performance. The models reported in this study are a robust alternative for DBH, VOB, and TASB estimations on planted stands across a wide range of ages and densities, when height and CA are known, especially when input data are derived from remote sensing techniques.
Aerodynamic Effects of Knitted Wire Meshes—CFD Simulations of the Flow Field and Influence on the Flow Separation of a Backward-Facing Ramp
Authors: Harmening Jan Hauke , Devananthan Harish , Peitzmann Franz-Josef , el Moctar Bettar Ould
Published: December 2022

Passive flow control techniques are needed to reduce flow separation and enhance aerodynamic performance. In this work, the effect of a knitted wire mesh on the flow separation of a backward-facing ramp was numerically investigated for a Reynolds number of 3000. A grid independence study and a RANS turbulence model sensitivity analysis were conducted. The CFD simulations exhibited counter-rotating streamwise vortices emerging from the knitted wire mesh, and the reattachment length was significantly reduced. A variation of the knitted wire rows revealed a maximum reduction of the reattachment length of 25.7% for the case of four rows. A comparison with a different knitted wire mesh geometry yielded a decreased reattachment length reduction.
Artisanal Household Milk Pasteurization Is Not a Determining Factor in Structuring the Microbial Communities of Labneh Ambaris: A Pilot Study
Authors: Abi Khalil Reine , Couderc Christel , Yvon Sophie , Jard Gwenaelle , Sicard Delphine , Bigey Frédéric , El Rammouz Rabih , Abi Nakhoul Pierre , Eutamène Hélène , Tormo Hélène , Ayoub Marie-José
Published: December 2022

Labneh Ambaris is a traditional Lebanese dairy product traditionally made using raw goat’s milk in earthenware jars, but recently the use of artisanally pasteurized milk was introduced for safety reasons. In this study, 12 samples of labneh Ambaris were studied, six made using raw goat’s milk and six others using artisanally pasteurized goat’s milk. These samples were collected during fermentation and their microbial compositions were analyzed. The 16S V3–V4 and the ITS2 regions of the rDNA were sequenced by DNA metabarcoding analyses for the identification and comparison of bacterial and fungal communities, respectively. The samples had high microbial diversity but differences in samples microbiota were unrelated to whether or not milk was pasteurized. The samples were consequently clustered on the basis of their dominant bacterial or fungal species, regardless of the milk used. Concerning bacterial communities, samples were clustered into 3 groups, one with a higher abundance of Lactobacillus helveticus, another with Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens as the dominant bacterial species, and the third with Lentilactobacillus sp. as the most abundant species. Species belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family were detected in higher abundance in all raw milk samples than in artisanally pasteurized milk samples. As for fungal communities, the samples were clustered into two groups, one dominated by Geotrichum candidum and the other by Pichia kudriavzevii.
Discrimination of Pesticide Residue Levels on the Hami Melon Surface Using Multiscale Convolution
Authors: Yu Guowei , Ma Benxue , Li Huihui , Hu Yating , Li Yujie
Published: December 2022

Pesticide residues directly or indirectly threaten the health of humans and animals. We need a rapid and nondestructive method for the safety evaluation of fruits. In this study, the feasibility of visible/near-infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy technology was explored for the discrimination of pesticide residue levels on the Hami melon surface. The one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) model was proposed for spectral data discrimination. We compared the effect of different convolutional architectures on the model performance, including single-depth, symmetric, and asymmetric multiscale convolution. The results showed that the 1D-CNN model could discriminate the presence or absence of pesticide residues with a high accuracy above 99.00%. The multiscale convolution could significantly improve the model accuracy while reducing the modeling time. In particular, the asymmetric convolution had a better comprehensive performance. For two-level discrimination, the accuracy of lambda-cyhalothrin and beta-cypermethrin was 93.68% and 95.79%, respectively. For three-level discrimination, the accuracy of lambda-cyhalothrin and beta-cypermethrin was 86.32% and 89.47%, respectively. For four-level discrimination, the accuracy of lambda-cyhalothrin and beta-cypermethrin was 87.37% and 93.68%, respectively, and the average modeling time was 3.5 s. This finding will encourage more relevant research to use multiscale 1D-CNN as a spectral analysis strategy for the detection of pesticide residues in fruits.
An Extension on the Local Convergence for the Multi-Step Seventh Order Method with ψ-Continuity Condition in the Banach Spaces
Authors: Darvishi Mohammad Taghi , Al-Obaidi R. H. , Saxena Akanksha , Prakash Jaiswal Jai , Raj Pardasani Kamal
Published: December 2022

The local convergence analysis of the multi-step seventh order method to solve nonlinear equations is presented in this paper. The point of this paper is that our proposed study requires a weak hypothesis where the Fréchet derivative of the nonlinear operator satisfies the ψ-continuity condition, which thereby extends the applicability of the method when both Lipschitz and Hölder conditions fail. The convergence in this study is considered under the hypotheses on the first-order derivative without involving derivatives of the higher-order. To find a subset of the original convergence domain, a strategy is devised here. As a result, the new Lipschitz constants are at least as tight as the old ones, allowing for a more precise convergence analysis in the local convergence case. Some concrete numerical examples showing the performance of the method over some existing schemes are presented in this article.
Transcriptomics Analysis Reveals a More Refined Regulation Mechanism of Methylation in a Drought-Tolerant Variety of Potato
Authors: Bi Zhenzhen , Wang Yihao , Li Pengcheng , Li Chengju , Liu Yindu , Sun Chao , Yao Panfeng , Liu Yuhui , Liu Zhen , Bai Jiangping
Published: December 2022

Whether DNA methylation modification affects the gene transcription and expression of potatoes under drought stress is still unknown. In this study, we used comparative transcriptomics to explore the expression pattern of related genes of the drought-tolerant variety Qingshu 9 (Q) and the drought-sensitive variety Atlantic (A) under drought stress and DNA methylation inhibitor treatment. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the number of DEGs between the two varieties’ responses to mannitol and 5-azad C, especially when they were co-treated with two reagents, and the gene expression of Q was more sensitive to mannitol after two hours. Furthermore, we found that these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in DNA replication, transcription, translation, carbohydrate metabolism, photosynthesis, signal transduction, and glutathione metabolism. These results indicate that the difference in the background of methylation leads to the difference in drought resistance of the two varieties. The complexity of the DNA methylation of variety Q might be higher than that of variety A, and the method of methylation regulation is more refined. This study systematically expands the understanding of the molecular mechanism wherein DNA methylation regulates the response to drought stress.
Molecular and Physiological Evaluation of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes for Stay Green under Drought Stress
Authors: Zada Ahmad , Ali Ahmad , Binjawhar Dalal , Abdel-Hameed Usama , Shah Azhar , Gill Shahid , Hussain Irtiza , Abbas Zaigham , Ullah Zahid , Sher Hassan , Ali Iftikhar
Published: December 2022

Water availability is considered as the main limiting factor of wheat growth illuminating the need of cultivars best adapted to drought situations for better wheat production and yield. Among these, the stay-green trait is thought to be related to the ability of wheat plants to maintain photosynthesis and CO2 assimilation, and a detailed molecular understanding of this trait may help in the selection of high-yielding, drought-tolerant wheats. The current study, therefore, evaluated the physiological responses of the selected wheat genotypes under pot-induced water stress conditions through different field capacities. The study also focused on exploring the molecular mechanisms involved in drought tolerance conferred due to the stay-green trait by studying the expression pattern of the selected PSI-associated light-harvesting complex I (LHC1) and PSII-associated LHCII gene families related to pigment-binding proteins. The results revealed that the studied traits, including relative water content, membrane stability index and chlorophyll, were variably and negatively affected, while the proline content was positively enhanced in the studied wheats under water stress treatments. Molecular diagnosis of the selected wheat genotypes using the expression profile of 06 genes, viz. TaLhca1, TaLhca2, TaLhca3, TaLhcb1, TaLhcb4 and TaLhcb6 that encodes for the LHCI and LHCII proteins, indicated variable responses to different levels of drought stress. The results obtained showed the relation between the genotypes and the severity of the drought stress condition. Among the studied genotypes, Chirya-1 and SD-28 performed well with a higher level of gene expression under drought stress conditions and may be used in genetic crosses to enrich the genetic background of common wheat against drought stress.
Characterizing Macrophages Diversity in COVID-19 Patients Using Deep Learning
Authors: Flores Mario A. , Paniagua Karla , Huang Wenjian , Ramirez Ricardo , Falcon Leonardo , Liu Andy , Chen Yidong , Huang Yufei , Jin Yufang
Published: December 2022

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has affected the lives of billions and killed millions of infected people. This virus has been demonstrated to have different outcomes among individuals, with some of them presenting a mild infection, while others present severe symptoms or even death. The identification of the molecular states related to the severity of a COVID-19 infection has become of the utmost importance to understanding the differences in critical immune response. In this study, we computationally processed a set of publicly available single-cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-Seq) data of 12 Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid (BALF) samples diagnosed as having a mild, severe, or no infection, and generated a high-quality dataset that consists of 63,734 cells, each with 23,916 genes. We extended the cell-type and sub-type composition identification and our analysis showed significant differences in cell-type composition in mild and severe groups compared to the normal. Importantly, inflammatory responses were dramatically elevated in the severe group, which was evidenced by the significant increase in macrophages, from 10.56% in the normal group to 20.97% in the mild group and 34.15% in the severe group. As an indicator of immune defense, populations of T cells accounted for 24.76% in the mild group and decreased to 7.35% in the severe group. To verify these findings, we developed several artificial neural networks (ANNs) and graph convolutional neural network (GCNN) models. We showed that the GCNN models reach a prediction accuracy of the infection of 91.16% using data from subtypes of macrophages. Overall, our study indicates significant differences in the gene expression profiles of inflammatory response and immune cells of severely infected patients.
Phytoremediation Potential and Physiological Mechanisms Underlying Metallic Extraction of Suaeda glauca, Artemisia desertorum, and Atriplex canescens
Authors: Li Changming , Gao Tianpeng , Wang Xueying , Qu Shipeng , Yang Yingli , Zuo Mingbo , Wang Juan , Wang Haoming , Zhou Guixiang , Liu Yubing
Published: December 2022

Mining activities have led to serious environmental (soil erosion, degradation of vegetation, and groundwater contamination) and human health (musculoskeletal problems, diarrheal conditions, and chronic diseases) issues at desert mining areas in northwest China. Native plant species grown naturally in desert regions show a unique tolerance to arid and semiarid conditions and are potential candidates for soil phytoremediation. Here, an ex situ experiment involving pot planting of seedlings of three native plant species (Suaeda glauca, Artemisia desertorum, and Atriplex canescens) was designed to explore their phytoremediation potential and the underlying physiological mechanism. For Zn and Cu, the three plants were all with a biological accumulation coefficient (BAC) greater than 1. For Cd, Ni, and Pb, Atriplex canescens had the highest bioaccumulation concentrations (521.52, 862.23, and 1734.59 mg/kg), with BAC values (1.06, 1.30, 1.25) greater than 1, which indicates that Atriplex canescens could be a broad-spectrum metal extraction plant. Physiological analysis (antioxidation, extracellular secretions, photosynthesis, and hydraulics) showed that the three desert plants exploited their unique strategy to protect against the stress of complex metals in soils. Moreover, the second growing period was the main heavy metal accumulation and extraction stage concomitant with highest water use efficiency (iWUE). Taken together, the three desert plants exhibited the potent heavy metal extraction ability and physiological and ecological adaptability to a harsh polluted environment in arid desert areas, providing potential resources for the bioremediation of metal-contaminated soils in an arid and semiarid desert environment.
Relationship between Job Burnout, Depressive Symptoms, and Career Choice Regret among Chinese Postgraduates of Stomatology
Authors: Yang Lu , Yan Li , Zhong Xiaogang , Long Huiqing , Chen Fangchun , Jin Xin
Published: December 2022

A qualified Chinese dental postgraduate requires at least eight years of training. The huge academic burden, strict clinical requirements, and high workload increases the risk of job burnout, depression symptoms, and career choice regret of dental postgraduates, which may cause one to waver in their choice of a career as a doctor. Therefore, we aimed at assessing the relationship between job burnout, depressive symptoms, and career choice regret among Chinese dental postgraduates. The Chongqing Stomatological Association conducted an online cross-sectional study among 558 dental postgraduates in China, with an average age of 22.54 ± 2.44. Demographic information, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the 2-item Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders scale, and career choice regret scale were included in the questionnaire. About 41.0% of dental postgraduates experienced job burnout, 44.1% had depressive symptoms, and 41.6% reported career choice regret. Logistic regression analysis indicated the risk factors for job burnout were time worked/studied per week, depressive symptoms, and career choice regret. Job burnout and career choice regret was significantly related to depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). Risk factors for career choice regret were gender, postgraduate entrance examination score, daily hours of sleep, job burnout, and depressive symptoms. Such results suggest that job burnout, depressive symptoms, and career choice regrets are prevalent among dental postgraduates. Accurate measures should be taken to change this situation.
Health Literacy of People with Intellectual Disabilities: How Meaningful Is the Social Context for a Target Group-Oriented Model of Health Literacy?
Authors: Vetter Nils Sebastian , Ilskens Karina , Seidl Norbert , Latteck Änne-Dörte , Bruland Dirk
Published: December 2022

Health literacy is primarily understood as an individual construct. People with intellectual disabilities still seem to be a “hidden” population in health literacy research. A target-orientated health literacy approach for this population is needed for developing precise and effective interventions that consider social context dimensions. Therefore, the following research question was answered: Which dimensions influence the health literacy of people with intellectual disabilities? A secondary data analysis containing 38 guided interviews with people with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities was conducted. The analysis followed the content analysis by Schreier (2012). Six main dimensions were inductively outlined, which are “interpersonal relationship”, “organizations and communities”, “healthcare system”, “education”, “digital interaction spaces”, “politics”, and “cultural contexts”. All these dimensions influence people with intellectual disabilities on an individual level regarding their level of health literacy. The importance of these single dimensions becomes clear, although for now, the link between all these dimensions is not yet considered. In future research, the focus should be on how to develop interventions considering social context dimensions. Furthermore, analyzing the connection between those dimensions seems promising.
Investigating the Effects of Personality on the Safety Behavior of Gold Mine Workers: A Moderated Mediation Approach
Authors: Yang Li , Bashiru Danwana Sumaiya , Issahaku Fadilul-lah Yassaanah , Matloob Sundas , Zhu Junqi
Published: December 2022

Based on prior research on the relationship between personality and safety behavior, we construct a moderated mediation model that tests the effects of each of the Big Five personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, and neuroticism) on the safety behavior of gold miners in Ghana. The model included safety competency as a mediator between the five personality traits and safety behavior. Management commitment to safety was used as a moderator to test the strength of the mediation of safety competency. Data was collected from 344 individuals employed across six large-scale gold mining companies in Ghana using a questionnaire survey. Amos 26 was used to conduct confirmatory factor analysis. The hypotheses were tested using Hayes PROCESS macros models 4 and 7 on SPSS 26. Findings show that openness and extraversion have an insignificant direct influence on safety behavior. Neuroticism negatively affects safety behavior. In contrast, conscientiousness and agreeableness positively affect safety behavior. Mediation analysis revealed that safety competency partially mediates the relationships between (1) conscientiousness and safety behavior and (2) agreeableness and safety behavior. The relationship between extraversion and safety behavior is fully mediated by safety competency. Additionally, we discovered that management safety commitment has a significant conditional indirect effect (Index of moderated mediation = 0.168 95% CI = [0.122;0.222]) on the relationship between conscientiousness and safety behavior through safety competency. Management safety commitment also significantly moderated (Index of moderated mediation = 0.075 95% CI = [0.021;0.120]) the relationship between agreeableness and safety behavior through safety competency.
Influences of Intense Physical Effort on the Activity of the Autonomous Nervous System and Stress, as Measured with Photoplethysmography
Authors: Martínez-González-Moro Ignacio , Albertus Cámara Inés , Paredes Ruiz María-José
Published: December 2022

Background: The autonomic nervous system, which is composed of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, is closely related to the cardiovascular system. The temporal variation between each of the intervals between the consecutive “R” waves of an electrocardiogram is known as heart rate variability. Depending on the type of activity, both systems can be activated, and also influence the interval between “R” waves. Currently, with advancements in technology and electronic devices, photoplethysmography is used. Photoplethysmography detects changes in the intensity of reflected light that allow differentiation between systole and diastole and, therefore, determines the heart rate, its frequency and its variations. In this way, changes in the autonomic nervous system can be detected by devices such as the Max Pulse®. Objective: To determine whether the information provided by Max Pulse® on autonomic balance and stress is modified after intense physical exercise, thereby determining whether there is a relationship with body composition, and also whether there are differences with respect to gender. Materials and Methods: Fifty-three runners (38.9% female) with a mean age of 31.3 ± 8.1 years participated in the study. Two measurements (before and after intense physical effort) were performed with the Max Pulse® device. The flotoplethysmography measurement lasted 3 min, and was performed in the supine position. The exercise test was performed on a treadmill. It was initiated at a speed of 6 and 7 km/h for women and men, respectively. Subjects indicated the end of the test by making a hand gesture when unable to continue the test. Results: Autonomic nervous system activity and mental stress values decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in men and women, while autonomic nervous system balance decreased only in women. Physical stress increased (p < 0.05) in both sexes. Conclusions: Intense exercise causes changes in variables that assess autonomic nervous system balance and stress, as measured by a device based on photoplethysmography. The changes are evident in both sexes, and are not related to body composition.
Validity and Reliability of the Parental Health Literacy Questionnaire for Caregivers of Children Aged 0 to 3 Years in China
Authors: Yin Anxin , Bai Guannan , Jiang Hong , Xiao Xia , Zhang Xinwen , Gu Huaiting , Zheng Min , Li Mu
Published: December 2022

Caregivers’ health literacy plays a vital role in the quality of parenting and significantly impacts children’s physical and psychological health. However, the instruments to assess the health literacy of caregivers of children aged 0 to 3 years are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese Parental Health Literacy Questionnaire (CPHLQ) in China. We conducted a cross-sectional study. Six hundred and thirty-four caregivers of children aged 0 to 3 years were recruited from Shandong, Yunnan, and Shaanxi Provinces, representing the eastern, central, and western regions of China, between November 2020 and January 2021. The reliability was evaluated by internal consistency reliability and split-half reliability. The construct validity was determined by confirmatory factor analysis. Social determinants of parental health literacy were assessed by multivariate linear regression model. Results showed that CPHLQ had satisfactory reliability and acceptable construct validity. Mothers compared to other types of caregivers, higher education levels, and nuclear or extended families compared to other family compositions were significantly associated with higher parental health literacy. The study further demonstrated that CPHLQ is a reliable and valid instrument to measure the health literacy of caregivers of children aged 0 to 3 years in the Chinese population. It can be used as an evaluation tool for intervention research, to inform policy-making and future health education interventions of improving caregivers’ health literacy.
The Predictive Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation of Adolescents with Chronic Disease and Their Parents in Adolescents’ Quality of Life: A Pilot Study
Authors: Cserép Melinda , Szabó Brigitta , Tóth-Heyn Péter , Szabo Attila J. , Szumska Irena
Published: December 2022

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate cognitive emotion regulation in adolescents with chronic illness and their parents. Methods: Eighty-five young people (mean = 15.86 years, standard deviation = ± 1.42, girls 65.88%) with chronic illnesses (inflammatory bowel disease n = 40 or type 1 diabetes n = 45), and their parents (mean = 46.06 years, 87.06% mother) completed the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) for themselves and the Inventory of Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents (ILC) questionnaire adolescent and parent version. We conducted two hierarchical linear regression analyses with “enter” method. The CERQ scales and the diagnosis of chronic disease were chosen as independent variables, and the total ILC score in the first analysis and the ILC proxy score in the second analysis were chosen as dependent variables. Results: Among adolescents, cognitive emotion regulation strategies such as self-blame, positive reappraisal, and catastrophizing have been proven to be predictors of their own quality of life; however, parental self-blame was also found to be a predictor of adolescents’ quality of life. Parental rumination and positive refocusing have been shown to be predictors of how parents rate their child’s quality of life. Conclusions: The present study sheds light on cognitive emotion regulation strategies in adolescents with chronic illness and their parents that have a significant impact on the development of young people’s quality of life.