bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Municipal Solid Waste Status in Iran; From Generation to Disposal
Authors: Golhosseini Zeynab , Ghazizade Mahdi Jalili
Published: September 2021

The critical step of policymaking and planning for the local governments to select appropriate waste management methods and accomplish the required programs and projects, is comprehensive information on solid waste generation. Since in the last decade there has not been a comprehensive and integrated study for identifying waste management practices at a nationwide level, so this paper presents an overview of the current solid waste generation, characteristics and disposal method covering all 31 provinces of Iran based on available information and integrated waste management plans. The results show the average of solid waste generation (municipal and rural) throughout the country is 630 grams per capita per day. Although this is 10 percent higher than its level in the past decade, it is still lower than the global average per capita (740 grams per day). Solid waste composition in Iran comprises primarily organic, with 70 percent, followed by paper and plastic that account 7 percent, make up the waste stream. In addition, on average over 90 percent of generated solid waste in Iran is still openly dumped that increase healthy and environmental risk. So it is suggested that due to obtain accurate and reliable data, a comprehensive waste monitoring plan at the national level should be defined and waste composition and generation rate determined and updated through a standard method within certain interval time. According to the data of this research, planning and financial support for source separation can decrease environmental, economic and social problems in current solid waste management systems.
The Effect of Caregiver Key Opinion Leaders on Increasing Caregiver Demand for Evidence-Based Practices to Treat Youth Anxiety: Protocol for a Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Crane Margaret , Atkins Marc S. , Becker Sara J. , Purtle Jonathan , Olino Thomas M. , Kendall Philip C.
Published: September 2021

Background:Research has identified cognitive behavioral therapy with exposures (CBT) as an effective treatment for youth anxiety. Despite implementation efforts, few anxious youth receive CBT. Direct-to-consumer marketing offers a different approach to address the unmet need for youth receiving effective treatments. Involving a local caregiver key opinion leader in direct-to-consumer initiatives may be an effective strategy to increase caregiver demand for CBT. Research indicates that key opinion leaders improve health promotion campaigns, but key opinion leaders have not been studied in the context of increasing caregiver demand for evidence-based treatments.Method:Project CHAT (Caregivers Hearing about Anxiety Treatments) will test the role of key opinion leader participation in conducting outreach presentations to increase caregiver desire to seek CBT for their youth’s anxiety. Caregiver attendees (N = 180) will be cluster-randomized by school to receive one of two different approaches for presentations on CBT for youth anxiety. Both approaches will involve community outreach presentations providing information on recognizing youth anxiety, strategies caregivers can use to decrease youth anxiety, and how to seek CBT for youth anxiety. The researcher-only condition will be co-facilitated by two researchers. In the key opinion leader condition, a caregiver key opinion leader from each local community will be involved in tailoring the content of the presentation to the context of the community, co-facilitating the presentation with a researcher, and endorsing strategies in the presentation that they have found to be helpful. In line with the theory of planned behavior, caregiver attendees will complete measures assessing their knowledge of, attitudes towards, perceived subjective norms about, and intention to seek CBT pre- and post-presentation; they will indicate whether they sought CBT for their youth at three-month follow-up. Results will be analyzed using a mixed method approach to assess the effectiveness of a key opinion leader to increase caregiver demand for CBT.Discussion:This study will be the first to examine the potential of key opinion leaders to increase caregiver demand for CBT. If proven effective, the use of key opinion leaders could serve as a scalable dissemination strategy to increase the reach of evidence-based treatments.Trial registration:This trial was registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04929262) on June 18, 2021. At the time of trial registration, pre/post presentation data had been collected from 17 participants; thus, it was retrospectively registered.
Modeling and Control for an Underwater Vehicle using Dual Quaternions.
Authors: Zamora Angel , Garcia Miguel , Manzanilla Adrian , Muñoz Filiberto , Salazar Sergio , Lozano Rogelio
Published: September 2021

In this work, the analysis of the dynamic general model of an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) based on dual quaternions is presented, then the general dynamic model is reduced to a specific vehicle of 4 DoF, this model eliminates the singularities that exist with the representation of the Euler angle and that the model is more compact than others proposed in the literature [1],[2]. To demonstrate the applicability of the model, three controller strategies are proposed for tracking a trajectory, the first controller is a PD + G, under unknown disturbances it produces a considerable tracking error, the second is an adaptive controller that estimates unknown hydrodynamic parameters, and the third is a robust controller for unknown disturbances and parameter uncertainties. The closed-loop system stability analysis for each controller is based on Lyapunov’s theory, a set of numerical simulations is performedto show the behavior of the vehicle with the proposed controllers. The efficiency of the controllers is shown in Table 2 where it is deduced that the adaptive controller has a better performance. The graphics show that the robust controller has little error tracking and the computational cost is lower.
Spatial Analysis of Seasonal Precipitation Using Various Interpolation Methods in the Euphrates Basin, Turkey
Authors: Katipoğlu Okan Mert
Published: September 2021

It is vital to accurately map the spatial distribution of precipitation, which is widely used in many fields such as hydrology, climatology, meteorology, ecology, and agriculture. In this study, it was aimed to reveal the spatial distribution of seasonal long-term average precipitation in the Euphrates Basin by using various interpolation methods. For this reason, Simple Kriging (SK), Ordinary Kriging (OK), Universal Kriging (UK), Ordinary CoKriging (OCK), Empirical Bayesian Kriging (EBK), Radial Basis Functions (Completely Regularized Spline (CRS), Thin Plate Spline (TPS), Multiquadratic, Inverse Multiquadratic (IM), Spline with Tensor (ST)), Local Polynomial Interpolation (LPI), Global Polynomial Interpolation (GPI), Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) methods have been applied in the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) environment. Long-term seasonal precipitation averages between 1966 and 2017 are presented as input for the prediction of precipitation maps. The accuracy of the precipitation prediction maps created was based on root mean square error (RMSE) values obtained from the cross-validation tests. The method of precipitation by interpolation yielding the lowest RMSE was selected as the most appropriate method. As a result of the study, OCK in spring and winter precipitation, LPI in summer precipitation, and OK in autumn precipitation were determined as the most appropriate estimation method.
ID2 Inhibits Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Malignant Behaviors Through Inhibiting the Activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway
Authors: Peng Wenzhong , Chen Jia , He Ruoxi , Tang Yongjun , Jiang Juan , Li Ying
Published: September 2021

Background: Lung cancer is the most common cancer and one of the main causes of cancer-related deaths, and it manifests as metastatic disease in most cases. Considering frequent gene mutation and/or signaling deregulation in lung adenocarcinoma, identifying novel factors or agents targeting these signaling pathways might be promising strategies for lung adenocarcinoma therapy. Methods: GEO datasets were analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in lung adenocarcinoma. The specific effects of candidate gene overexpression or knockdown on lung adenocarcinoma cell phenotypes were examined. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) are used to connect the genomic and functional information of DEGs. The dynamic effects of candidate gene and signaling pathway agonist on lung adenocarcinoma malignant behaviors were investigated. Finally, clinical lung adenocarcinoma and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were collected and the levels of candidate gene were examined in tissue samples.Results: Inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (ID2) was identified as an aberrantly downregulated gene in lung adenocarcinoma. ID2 overexpression suppressed lung adenocarcinoma cell viability, colony formation capacity, and migration. ID2 overexpression also reduced the protein levels of N-cadherin, MMP2, MMP9, and the phosphorylation of AKT and mTOR. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling agonist exerted opposite effects on lung adenocarcinoma cells to those of ID2 overexpression, and partially reversed the effects of ID2 overexpression. In tissue samples, ID2 protein levels and mRNA expression were also downregulated compared with those in adjacent non-cancerous tissues. Conclusion: ID2 exerts its tumor-suppressive effects on lung adenocarcinoma cell malignant behaviors through inhibiting the activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Restoring ID2 expression in lung adenocarcinoma cells might improve the curative effect of lung adenocarcinoma therapies.
Comparison of Imputation Methods on Retrospective Breast Cancer Data in Tanzania: A Case Study of Muhimbili and Ocean Road Hospitals
Authors: Abassi Rahibu A. , Msengwa Amina S. , Akarro Rocky R. J.
Published: September 2021

Background
Clinical data are at risk of having missing or incomplete values for several reasons including patients’ failure to attend clinical measurements, wrong interpretations of measurements, and measurement recorder’s defects. Missing data can significantly affect the analysis and results might be doubtful due to bias caused by omission of missed observation during statistical analysis especially if a dataset is considerably small. The objective of this study is to compare several imputation methods in terms of efficiency in filling-in the missing data so as to increase the prediction and classification accuracy in breast cancer dataset.
Methods
Five imputation methods namely series mean, k-nearest neighbour, hot deck, predictive mean matching, and multiple imputations were applied to replace the missing values to the real breast cancer dataset. The efficiency of imputation methods was compared by using the Root Mean Square Errors and Mean Absolute Errors to obtain a suitable complete dataset. Binary logistic regression and linear discrimination classifiers were applied to the imputed dataset to compare their efficacy on classification and discrimination.
Results
The evaluation of imputation methods revealed that the predictive mean matching method was better off compared to other imputation methods. In addition, the binary logistic regression and linear discriminant analyses yield almost similar values on overall classification rates, sensitivity and specificity.
Conclusion
The predictive mean matching imputation showed higher accuracy in estimating and replacing missing/incomplete data values in a real breast cancer dataset under the study. It is a more effective and good method to handle missing data in this scenario. We recommend to replace missing data by using predictive mean matching since it is a plausible approach toward multiple imputations for numerical variables, as it improves estimation and prediction accuracy over the use complete-case analysis especially when percentage of missing data is not very small.
A Cross-sectional Examination of the Association Between Parental Distress and the Well-being of Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Diaz Antonio Mendoza , Tully Lucy , Masi Anne , Lin Ping-I , Efron Daryl , Woolfenden Sue , Eapen Valsamma
Published: September 2021

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and its concomitant impacts have been unevenly shared across society, this is particularly true for children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), who often rely on a network of services and social connections for their well-being. Children with NDD during the COVID-19 pandemic have had worrying trends regarding their worsening well-being and poorer parental mental health. This study’s aim was to test whether these two factors were associated in a survey of Australian parents.Methods: This cross-sectional study of Australian parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (n = 304, ages 2 – 17, 63.8% male) sought to test the association between parental distress (as captured by the Kessler-6 distress scale) and two child outcomes, worsening NDD symptoms and worsening health behaviours (i.e., sleep, diet, exercise, and media use).Results: Parent distress was significantly associated with a worsening of symptoms of NDD and associated mental health comorbidities, and poorer child well-being. These results were significant even when including other variables of interest such as the families’ sociodemographic characteristics, indicating parental distress is a key factor for the well-being of children and parents.Conclusions: Overall, this study found relatively high levels of parental psychological distress, anxiety and poor well-being and demonstrated that parental psychological distress was significantly associated with parent-reported worsening of child diagnostic symptoms as well as poorer child well-being in relation to sleep, diet, exercise, and use of electronics. Together these findings suggest that deteriorating parental mental health (distress) due to COVID-19 is associated with adverse child mental health symptoms and well-being, as indexed by the behaviours described above.
Physico-chemical Characteristics of Pulverized Coals and Their Interrelations- A Spontaneous Combustion and Explosion Perspective
Authors: Mishra Devi Prasad
Published: September 2021

Characteristics of pulverized coals have significant influence on the spontaneous combustion and explosion processes. This paper presents an experimental and theoretical framework on physico-chemical characteristics of coal and analyzes their interrelations from spontaneous combustion and explosion perspectives. The chemical properties, morphology, bulk density, particle size and specific surface area of pulverized coals from nine different coal subsidiaries of India are vividly investigated in five distinct sizes. Moreover, the effects of particle size on bulk density, specific surface area and N2 adsorption capacity of pulverized coals are critically analyzed. The micrographs revealed that the coal particles are mostly irregular in shape with angular outlines and sharp edges. With decrease in particle size, the bulk density of pulverized coals decreased and the specific surface area and N2 adsorption capacity increased. The relationships of bulk density and specific surface area of pulverized coals with particle size are established. Moreover, the specific surface areas determined by both the particle sizing and BET methods are compared and correlation factors between them are determined. This study led to the generation of insightful coal characteristic data which can be used as reference material for furthering researches on spontaneous combustion and explosion involving pulverized coals.
The Impact of Financial Support on Innovation Efficiency of Government Subsidies From the Perspective of DEA-Tobit——An Empirical Study Based on Chinese New Energy Vehicle Enterprises
Authors: Zhang Sha , Chen Fang
Published: September 2021

The new energy vehicle enterprises is a strategic emerging industry in China, so more and more government subsidies to promote innovative development are being accepted by new energy vehicle enterprises. What is the innovation efficiency of new energy vehicle enterprises receiving government subsidies? With the acceleration of the process of global economic financialization, whether financial support can promote the innovation efficiency of government subsidies and how enterprises should allocate financial assets have become issues that need to be deeply considered. Based on the annual report data of China's domestic listed new energy vehicle enterprises from 2015 to 2020, the relationship between government subsidies and enterprise innovation efficiency is empirically tested, and the impact of financial support on enterprise R&D innovation efficiency is investigated. The empirical results show that government subsidies are wasteful and fail to effectively promote R&D innovation, and the innovation efficiency of government subsidies is positively influenced by firm nature and firm age, while the total asset turnover ratio, operating cycle and firm size have a negative impact on innovation efficiency. Further research found that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between financial support and the innovation efficiency of government subsidies. A certain degree of financial support has a positive impact on the innovation efficiency of government subsidies, but excessive financial support has a negative impact on the innovation efficiency of government subsidies. The conclusion provides empirical evidence for the Chinese government to improve the subsidy policy and standardize the development of new energy vehicle enterprises, and has a certain reference value for guiding new energy vehicle enterprises to reasonably allocate financial support.
Exogenous Production of Cold-Active Cellulase From Psychrophilic Actinobacteria With Increased Cellulose Hydrolysis Efficiency
Authors: Palaniappan Sivasankar , Subramaniam Poongodi , Kannan Sivakumar , Al-Qahtani Wahidah H , Selvaraj Arokiyaraj , Rajabathar Jothiramalingam
Published: September 2021

Actinobacteria form the largest phylum consisting of diverse, ecologically unique and biologically active members. The actinobacteria are omnipresent and occur in various habitats such as cold environment, aquatic, desert and terrestrial ecosystems. Though the studies are available on actinobacteria at various habitats very few reports are available on cold tolerant/loving actinobacteria in the Southern Ocean part of the Antarctic Ocean. In this context, the present work was designed to isolate and characterize the actinobacteria in the Polar Front region of the Southern Ocean waters and species of Nocardiopsis and Streptomyces were identified. Among those, the psychrophilic actinobacterium, Nocardiopsis dassonvillei PSY13 was found to have good cellulolytic activity and it was further studied for the production and characterization of cold-active cellulase enzyme. The latter was found to have a specific activity of 6.36 U/mg and a molar mass of 48 kDa with a 22.9-fold purification and 5% recovery at an optimum pH of 7.5 and a temperature of 10 ºC. Given the importance of psychrophilic actinobacteria N. dassonvillei PSY13 can be further exploited for its benefits, meaning that the Southern Ocean harbours biotechnologically important microorganisms that can be further explored for versatile biotechnological and industrial applications.
Cytoplasmic eIF6 Promotes OSCC Malignant Behavior Through AKT Pathway
Authors: Zhao Zechen , Chu Weiming , Zheng Yang , Wang Chao , Yang Yuemei , Xu Teng , Yang Xueming , Zhang Wei , Ding Xu , Li Gang , Zhang Hongchuang , Zhou Junbo , Ye Jinhai , Wu Heming , Song Xiaomeng , Wu Yunong
Published: September 2021

Background: Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 6 (eIF6), also known as integrin β4 binding protein, is involved in the formation and translation of ribosomes and acts as an anti-association factor. It is also essential for the growth and reproduction of cells, including tumor cells. Yet, its role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unclear. Methods: The expression characteristics of eIF6 in 233 samples were comprehensively analyzed by immumohistochemical staining (IHC). Effects of eIF6 over-expression and knockdown on cell proliferation, migration and invasion were determined by CCK-8, wound healing and Transwell assays. Western blot, immunofluorescence (IF) and co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) were performed for mechanism verification.Results: We found that cytoplasmic eIF6 was abnormally highly expressed in OSCC tissues, and its expression was associated with tumor size and the clinical grade. Amplification of eIF6 promoted the growth, migration, and invasion capabilities of OSCC cell lines in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Through Western blot analysis, we further discovered that eIF6 significantly promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) in OSCC cells, while depletion of eIF6 can reverse this process. Mechanistically, eIF6 promotes tumor progression by activating the AKT signaling pathway. By performing co-immunoprecipitation, we discovered a direct interaction between endogenous eIF6 and AKT protein in the cytoplasm. Conclusion: This was the first report on the role and mechanism of eIF6 in OSCC. These results demonstrated that eIF6 could be a new therapeutic target in OSCC, thus providing a new basis for the prognosis of OSCC patients in the future.
Cost Analysis of Deploying Femtocells in Speed Trains in Nigeria to Improve Indoor Coverage and Capacity of LTE Network
Authors: Eze Raphael , Ahaneku Mamilus , Nwawelu Udora , Amoke Douglas
Published: September 2021

The cost analysis of deployment of femtocells in speed trains along Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge railway line to improve the coverage and capacity of Long Term Evolution (LTE) network for 5000 commuters using that route daily is presented in this paper. Additional cost will include the cost of femtocells procurement, license, installation, backhaul, operation & maintenance. The cost analysis is carried out using techno-economic model to determine the business viability of embarking on such a project by LTE network providers in Nigeria. The estimated capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX) as well as the projected revenues accrues from this project form the cash outflows and cash inflows are used to simulate the net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) in MS Excel environment on a discount rate and tax rate of 22%, and 30%, respectively to determine the feasibility of the investment. The results of their NPV values which are positive show that the macro-femtocell arrangement in speed train plying Abuja-Kaduna railway route is cost effective for a life time of 10 years and is feasible up to an IRR 53% which exceeds the estimated discount rate of 22%. The value of the payback period indicates that it will not take long for any LTE network provider in Nigeria to recover their investment. The result of the NPV sensitivity analysis shows how various cost and non-cost parameters affect the cost-effectiveness of such investment.
Retrospective Analysis of Bladder Cancer Morphology and Depth of Invasion Under Cystoscopy
Authors: chen Hu , hong Yang , yu Bai , ruiqian Li , Jun Li , hongyi Wu , ziyong Wang , Haiyang Jiang , Chongjian Zhang , ying Bi , qilin Wang
Published: September 2021

Background: The pathological diagnosis of bladder cancer workup relies on cystoscopy, however, due to sampling restriction, the depth of local invasion is often understaged. Methods: A total of 386 patients with bladder urothelial carcinoma underwent follow-up. The data collected included age, sex, tumor size, surgical options, histologic grade, invasive depth, lymph node metastasis, and oncological outcomes, and the patients were divided into coral-like and crumb-like groups. These data were analyzed with the chi-square test, binary logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier analysis, univariable and multivariable logistic regression and Spearman correlation test. Results: Bladder tumor morphology was moderately correlated with invasion depth (ρ=0.492, p<0.001; Spearman correlation), which was associated with invasion status (HR = 8.27; 95% CI: 4.3–15.79, p<0.001). Tumor morphology was not an independent factor for OS but was associated with PFS. Outer invasion depth was an independent factor that was significantly associated with inferior OS and PFS. Conclusions: Tumor morphology (coral-like and crumb-like) under cystoscopy was related to the depth of invasion. The outer invasive depth of BC was an independent factor that was significantly associated with inferior OS and PFS.
Effect of the Plant Probiotic Bacteria on TIA Biosynthesis Pathway Gene Expression Profiling, Vinblastine and Vincristine Content in the Root of Catharanthus Roseus
Authors: Ahmadzadeh Maryam , Keshtkar Amir Hossein , Moslemkhany Kobra , Ahmadzadeh Masoud
Published: September 2021

Catharanthus roseus is the sole resource of vinblastine and vincristine, which are two of the biggest concerns of TIAs because of their powerful anticancer activities. Increasing the concentration of these alkaloids in various organs of the plant is one of the important goals in C. roseus breeding programs. Plant probiotic bacteria (PBB) act as biotic elicitors and can induce the synthesis of secondary products in plants. The purpose of this research is to study the individual and combined effects of P. fluorescens and A. brasilense on expression of the TIA biosynthetic pathway genes (G10H, DAT, T16H and CrPRX) using qRT-PCR and the content of vinblastine and vincristine alkaloids using HPLC method in roots of C. roseus. P. fluorescens drastically increased the content of vinblastine and vincristine alkaloids, compared to the control in the roots, up to 174 and 589 (µg/g), respectively. According to the molecular analysis, bacterium significantly increased the expression of more genes in the TIA biosynthetic pathway compared to the control. P. fluorescens increased the expression of the final gene of the biosynthetic pathway (CrPRX) 47.9 times compared to the control. Therefore, the findings indicate the coordination of transcriptional and metabolic outcomes. The same result was also observed for A. brasilense. According to the results, it can be concluded that, the seed priming and root of the seedling treatments of probiotic bacteria can be used as a good tool in the enhancement of alkaloid contents in medicinal plants, as it provides an eco-friendly approach.
Transforaminal Percutaneous Endoscopic Discectomy in the Treatment of Adolescent Lumbar Disc Herniations With Posterior Ring Apophysis Separation
Authors: zheng changkun , Liao Zhong
Published: September 2021

Objective: To assess the efficacy of transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic discectomy in the treatment of adolescent lumbar disc herniations with posterior ring apophysis separation Methods: Overall 23 cases of adolescent lumbar disc herniations with posterior ring apophysis separation were treated with the procedure of transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic discectomy between January 2016 and December 2019. Preoperative and postoperative (6 week, 6 month and 12 month) clinical outcome data (back and leg VAS and Macnab criteria) were collected along with clinical assessments of motor strength (graded 0-5).Results All patients were discharged to home on the same day of surgery. The average leg Visual Analog Scale improved from 8.7 ± 1.5 to 2.0± 0.5 (p < 0.005). Fifteen patients had excellent outcomes, six had good outcomes, two had fair outcomes, and no had poor outcomes, according to the Macnab criteria. Ten of eleven patients had excellent or good outcomes, for an overall success rate of 91.3%. No patients required reoperation. There were no incidental durotomies, infections, vascular or visceral injuries. There was 1 complication, a case of leg numbness caused by ganglion injury. The numbness improved after 3 weeks. After 2 months, it was obvious that the total area of numbness in the legs had become smaller. At last follow-up, the patient had no pain, and only a few areas with numbness remained and did not affect the patient’s activities of daily living. Conclusion:Transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic discectomy achieve satisfactory results for adolescent lumbar disc herniations with posterior ring apophysis separation.
Projecting The Impact of Human Activities And Climate Change On Water Resources In The Transboundary Sre Pok River Basin
Authors: Pradhan Pragya , Pham Trang Thi Huyen , Shrestha Sangam , Ho Loc , Park Edward
Published: September 2021

This study aims to project the compound impacts of climate change and human activities, including agriculture expansion and hydropower generation, on the future water availability in the Sre Pok River Basin. The five regional climate models (RCMs): ACESS, REMO2009, MPI, NorESM, CNRM were selected for the future climate projection under two scenarios i.e., RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. Our results reveal that the future annual rainfall is expected to decrease by 200 mm whereas the average temperature is expected to increase by 0.69°C to 4.16°C under future scenarios. The future water availability of Sre Pok River Basin was projected using soil and water assessment tool (SWAT). Next, the CROPWAT model was used to examine the irrigation water requirement and the HEC-ResSim model to simulate the hydropower generation of Buon Tuar Sarh reservoir. The future simulation indicates the decrease in future water availability, increasing demand for irrigation water and decreases in hydropower generation for the future periods. The irrigated areas are increases from 700 ha to 1500 ha as per the provincial development plan. This study also examines the present and future drought conditions of Sre Pok River via streamflow drought index (SDI). Our results expect to contribute toward supporting the planning and management of water resources for agriculture and to efficiently cope with drought conditions in the studied basin and beyond.
Impacts of Obesity On Absenteeism and Indirect Costs Among Working Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis From The EpiDoc Study
Authors: Destri Kelli , Alves Joana , Gregório Maria João , Dias Sara Simões , Canhão Helena , Rodrigues Ana Maria
Published: September 2021

Background

Obesity leads to poor health outcomes and may adversely affect work productivity. Here, we aimed to investigate the association between obesity and absenteeism and to assess its indirect costs.
Methods

The study population included individuals actively working at baseline from the Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases Cohort (EpiDoC), a large Portuguese population-based prospective study. Body mass index was measured at baseline and in two follow-up interviews. Absenteeism in each wave of the EpiDoC was assessed by the question “Did you have a sick leave in the previous 12 months? yes/no”, followed by “How many days did you miss work due to sickness in the previous twelve months?”. Association between obesity and absenteeism was estimated with the negative binomial regression model, and indirect costs were computed by the human-capital approach.
Results

The EpiDoC included 4338 working adults at baseline. Prevalence of obesity among these individuals was 15.2% at baseline, and rate of absenteeism was 22.7%. Obesity was associated with a 31% increase in absenteeism incidence rate ratio (P < 0.01), with obese individuals missing 3.8 more days per year than those with normal weight (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 3.1–4.5). This number is higher in women (4.6 days per year; 95%CI: 3.6–5.6), and obese women with white collar professions were 82% (P < 0.01) more likely to miss work. Extrapolating to the entire working population, absenteeism due to obesity incurred an additional cost of €236 million per year.
Conclusion

Obesity is an independent risk factor for absenteeism among working adults, leading to high economic costs. These findings suggest improved food and nutrition policies are needed to control the obesity epidemic and reduce the associated economic burden.
Photoinactivation Efficiency of Cationic Porphyrin Derivatives Against Multidrug-Resistant Wound Pathogens
Authors: AKBIYIK Ayşe , TAŞLI Hüseyin , TOPALOĞLU Nermin , ALPTÜZÜN Vildan , PARLAR Sülünay , KAYA Selçuk
Published: September 2021

The photoinactivation efficiency of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) with cationic porphyrin derivatives (CPDs) against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strain was assessed.
MDR bacterial strains including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were used. The CPDs named PM, PE, PN, and PL were synthesized as a photosensitizer (PS). A diode laser with a wavelength of 655 nm was used as a light source. Photoinactivation efficiency of the combinations formed with different energy density (50, 100, and 150 J/cm²) and PS concentrations (ranging from 3.125 µM and 600 µM) on each bacterial strain were evaluated. Toxicity of the aPDT combinations that showed a strong photoinactivation on the bacterial strains and dark toxicity of PSs and were evaluated on fibroblasts cells. In the aPDT experiments, survival reductions of up to 5.80 log₁₀ on E. coli, 5.90 log₁₀ on P. aeruginosa, 6.11 log₁₀ on K. pneumoniae and 6.78 log₁₀ on A. baumannii were obtained. There was an increase in the photoinactivation efficiency in parallel with increasing the energy density, and the best effect seen at an energy density of 150 J/cm2. PL did not show any toxic effect on fibroblasts. However, other PSs were toxic in fibroblasts at high concentrations. In this research, which reflected the results of in vitro experiments, aPDT provided potent photoinactivation against MDR clinical isolates. The research results lead to an in vivo wound model study of aPDT with CPD infected with an MDR clinical isolate.
Automated Fist Assembly Line Design
Authors: Xiao Zhang
Published: September 2021

In many industries, assembly lines are automated to reduce production cost. Utilizing industrial robots which are superior to humans in repetitive and dangerous operations. This paper presents an automated and flexible FIST assembly line concept which consists of layout of plant, timing and options for each action. ‘L’ shaped connected stations states in which sequence the closure products are being assembled. It is through line balancing that optimal number of stations, cycle time and efficiencies are approved. Besides, financial analysis, to which ROI, TBO and TCO are critically correlated, are elaborated accordingly as well.
Environmental Regulation, Foreign Direct Investment and China's High-Quality Economic Development
Authors: Wu He , Yang Huachao , Liang Wei
Published: September 2021

As China's economy shifts from a rapid development stage to a high-quality development stage, it is important to know how different FDI characteristics affect high-quality economic development. Furthermore, under the constraints of environmental regulations, will these impacts change? The dual-fixed spatial Durbin model and panel data of 30 provinces in inland China from 2005 to 2018 were used for analysis. This study finds that (1) under the constraints of environmental regulations, the scale of FDI, export orientation, and technology spillover capacity have a significant positive impact on China's high-quality economic development, but without the constraints of environmental regulations, only the technological spillover capability of FDI has such a significant positive impact. (2) FDI with strong technology spillover capabilities not only promotes local development but also plays a significant role in promoting high-quality economic development in surrounding areas through spillover effects. (3) Compared with secondary industry, tertiary industry plays a stronger role in promoting the high-quality development of China's economy. (4) The areas with high quality economic development are concentrated in the eastern coastal cities. The outdated economic and scientific research and technology in the central and western regions means that they lack the ability to learn advanced technologies from FDI.
Urinary Phthalate Metabolites in Pregnant Women: Occurrences, Predictors, and Association with Maternal Hormones
Authors: Wu Wei , Ma Zhili , Yang Fang , Wu Ping , Zhang De-xin , Zeng Rong , Sun Dan-ling , Cao Liu
Published: September 2021

Phthalate have been detected in human urine and may cause endocrine disruption. However, research on the prediction of exposure and the association with thyroid hormones during gestation is limited. We recruited 463 pregnant women and collected urine and blood samples, and questionnaire data at initial maternity examination. We analyzed ten phthalate metabolites: mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP), mono-methyl phthalate (MMP), mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), mono-n-octyl phthalate (MOP), mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP), as well as metabolite of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP): mono (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate, and mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate. Multivariable generalized estimating equation models and liner mixed models were used to predict urinary biomarker concentrations and assessed associations between phthalate exposure and thyroid hormones. We observed negative associations between phthalate metabolites and old age (MMP, MnBP), and physical activity (MiBP, MOP). Positive associations with lower education (MEP, MOP), living near the road (MEP, MnBP, ∑DEHP), living space (MiBP, MnBP, ∑DEHP), consuming more puffed food (MEP, MBzP), and take-out food (MEP, MnBP,∑DEHP). MnBP (percent change [%△] = 4.25; 95% CI = 0.32, 8.18) and ∑DEHP (%△=5.12; 95% CI = 1.25, 8.99) were positively associated with thyroid stimulating hormone, and this suggested MEP and MnBP were inversely associated with free thyroxine (%△=-1.26; 95% CI=-2.34, -0.18) and total triiodothyronin (%△=-2.62; 95% CI=-3.17, -2.07). Our findings suggest that lower consumption of puffed food, cosmetics use and moderate physical activity were predictive of lower phthalate biomarker concentration. Certain phthalate esters are associated with altered thyroid hormone levels.
Diverse Upregulated Transcripts During Conidiation of the Aphid-Obligate Fungal Pathogen Conidiobolus Obscurus (Entomophthoromycotina)
Authors: Zhang Lvhao , Wang Xiaojun , Yu Wangyin , Yang Tian , Zhou Xiang , Zhou Xudong
Published: September 2021

Filamentous fungi in the order Entomophthorales are the main natural regulators of insect populations. Conidiation is crucial for entomopathogenic fungi to explore host resources due to the multifunction of conidia such as growth, infection, and stress resistance; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying the conidial functions in Entomophthorales is unknown. This study analyzed the differentially expressed transcriptomic patterns in three conidiation stages (pre-conidiation, emerging conidiation, and post-conidiation, respectively) of the aphid-obligate pathogen Conidiobolus obscurus (Entomophthoromycotina). The emerging conidiation stage vs. pre- or post- conidiation stage had 3,091 and 3,235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), respectively, wherein 2,915 upregulated DEGs were putatively related to the conidial functions. A weighted gene co-expression network analysis showed that 772 hub genes in conidiation, which were related to cuticular component degradation, oxidative phosphorylation, ribosomal biogenesis, cell wall/membrane biosynthesis, MAPK signaling pathway, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and other metabolic processes. This implied that the conidia of Entomophthorales have abundant transcripts with various functions to favor a quick response to the surrounding environment and effectively explore the host resources.
Oral and Skin Lesions Among Yemeni Khat Abusers While Chewing and After Quitting：Crosse-Sectional Survey
Authors: Albarmaqi Rowida A. , Kuang Yi-Qun , Li Yu-Ye , Gholais Noha Saleh
Published: September 2021

Background: Khat chewing is a routine practice in Yemen. Associations between Khat chewing and various adverse oral-dental health conditions have been recorded, however, adverse skin health evidence is still lacking. Objective: To investigate the difference between oral and skin symptoms and signs while chewing Khat and after quitting chewing among Yemeni khat abusers. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 300 Yemeni Khat ex-chewer participants in china. Khat chewing status data, a range of oral and skin symptoms and signs, and other pertinent variables were collected using self-administered questionnaires by WeChat. The mean differences between oral and skin symptoms and signs while chewing Khat and after quitting chewing were investigated using the Paired Samples t-test. Result: Of the 300 Yemeni who participated in the study, 255(85%) were men and 45(15%) were women. The oral symptoms and signs mean while chewing was 0.26, 0.022 (standard deviation [SD], whereas that after quitting chewing Khat was 0.10 (mean), 0.269 (standard deviation [SD], t (12.00), P=0.00. The skin symptoms and signs mean while chewing was 0.13, 0.28 (standard deviation [SD], whereas that after quitting chewing Khat was M=0.06, 0.21(standard deviation [SD], t (9.407), P=0.00. Conclusions: There is a statistically significant difference between the mean oral and skin symptoms and signs while chewing and after quitting, whereas long-term Khat chewing negatively affects oral and skin health.
Travelling Wave and Turing Patterns in Subdiffusive Autocatalytic Systems
Authors: Kumar Uttam , Subramanian Pushpavanam
Published: September 2021

In this work, we analyse autocatalytic reactions in complex and disordered media which are governed by subdiffusion. The mean square displacement of molecules here scale as tγ where 0<γ<1. These systems are governed by fractional partial differential equations. Two systems are analysed i) in the first a logistic growth expression is used to represent the growth kinetics of bacteria. Here the system dynamics is governed by a single variable. ii) the second system is a two variable cubic autocatalytic system in a porous media. Here each reactant is involved in the autocatalytic generation of the other. These systems have multiple steady states. They exhibit traveling waves moving from an unstable steady state to a stable steady state. The minimum wave velocity has been obtained from phase plane analysis analytically for the first system. In addition, the two variable system also shows Turing patterns in selected regions of parameter space. The stability boundary for Turing patterns for subdiffusive system is found to be the same as that for regular diffusive systems obtained by Seshai et al. [1]. System behaviour as predicted by the stability analysis is verified using a robust implicit numerical method based on L1 scheme.
Devising a Selection Strategy for the Jamunapari Goat for Improving Lactation Performance
Authors: Dige Mahesh Shivanand , Rout P. K. , Bhusan S. , Gowane G. R.
Published: September 2021

This study aims to evaluate the genetic potential of the Jamunapari goat and formulate a new selection strategy for improving the lactation traits. The data set included 4049 phenotypic records for lifetime milk yield at 90 days (MY90) and 140 days (MY140), total milk yield (TMY), and lactation length (LL) obtained from the progeny of 83 sires and 1643 dams between 1990 and 2019. Animal model employing average information restricted maximum likelihood (AIREML) was used to estimate genetic parameters for milk yield traits and LL. The direct additive heritability estimates for lifetime lactation traits, that used repeatability model were 0.10 ± 0.03, 0.08 ± 0.03 and 0.12 ± 0.02 for MY90, MY140 and TMY, respectively, while it was low for LL (0.06 ± 0.02). The repeatability estimates were moderate ranging from 0.17 to 0.22 for milk yield traits and LL, indicating persistent performance over the parities. Animal permanent environment influence (c2) was significant in milk yield attributes, whereas additive maternal genetic effects were absent. As the early selection criteria based on first parity records is essential, we analysed the data for the first parity separately and obtained moderate h2 estimates viz. 0.26 ± 0.05, 0.26 ± 0.06 and 0.25 ± 0.06 for MY90, MY140 and TMY, respectively. These estimates augurs further positive scope of selection in Jamunapari goats for higher milk yield. High and positive genetic correlation of MY90 with MY140 (0.97 ± 0.01) and TMY (0.91 ± 0.05) revealed the scope of using MY90 as the selection criterion.Based on these results, we recommend use of MY90 as a single trait selection criterion for genetic improvement of all lactation traits in Jamunapari goat.
Wiener Gain and Deep Neural Networks: A Well-Balanced Pair For Speech Enhancement
Authors: Ribas Dayana , Miguel Antonio , Ortega Alfonso , Lleida Eduardo
Published: September 2021

This paper proposes a Deep Neural Network (DNN)-based Wiener gain estimator for speech enhancement. The proposal is in the framework of the classical spectral-domain speech enhancement algorithms. In this case, we used the Optimal Modified Log-Spectral Amplitude (OMLSA), but consider that this proposal could fit many alternative speech estimation algorithms. We determined the best usage of the DNN approach at learning a robust instance of the Wiener gain estimator according to the characteristics of the SNR estimation and the gain function. To design a DNN architecture adjusted for the speech enhancement task, we study various configuration issues frequently used in DNN-based solutions, including speech representations, residual connections, and causal vs. non-causal designs. Thus, we provide conclusions for the use of DNN architectures with the enhancement purpose. Experiments show that the proposal provides results on the state-of-the-art. But beyond the objective quality measures, there are examples of noisy vs. enhanced speech available for listening to demonstrate in practice the skills of the method in real audio.
ErbB2 Expression on Left Ventricular Epicardial Endothelial Cells and CD105+ Cells is Decreased in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus.
Authors: deKay Joanne T. , Carver Joshua , Shevenell Bailey , Kosta Angela M. , Tsibulnikov Sergey , Certo Emily , Sawyer Douglas B. , Ryzhov Sergey , Robich Michael P.
Published: September 2021

Background

We investigated the cell surface expression of ErbB receptors on left ventricular (LV) epicardial endothelial cells and CD105+ cells obtained from cardiac biopsies of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG).
Methods

Endothelial cells and CD105+ non-endothelial cells were freshly isolated from LV epicardial biopsies obtained from 15 subjects with diabetes mellitus (DM) and 8 controls. The expression of ErbB recepotrs was examined using multiparametric flow cytometry. Human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) and LV epicardial CD105+ non-endothelial cells were used to determine the effect of high glucose on ADAM10-dependent cleavage of ErbB receptors.
Results

We found that diabetes mellitus (DM) and high levels of hemoglobin A1C are associated with reduced expression of ErbB2 on both endothelial cells and CD105+ non-endothelial cells. To determine if the expression of ErbB2 receptors is regulated by glucose levels, we examined the effect of high glucose in HMEC-1 and LV epicardial CD105+ non-endothelial cells, using a novel flow cytometric approach to simultaneously determine the total level, cell surface expression, and phosphorylation of ErbB2. Incubation of cells in the presence of 25 mM D-glucose resulted in decreased cell surface expression of ErbB2. We also found high expression of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10 (ADAM10) on both endothelial cells and CD105+ non-endothelial cells. Inhibition of ADAM10 prevented the high glucose-dependent decrease in the cell surface expression of ErbB2.
Conclusions

We suggest that high glucose depresses ErbB receptor signaling in endothelial cells and cardiac progenitor cells via the promotion of ADAM10-dependent cleavage of ErbB2 at the cell surface, thus contributing to vascular dysfunction and adverse remodeling seen in diabetic patients.