bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE EFFECT OF PROACTIVE PERSONALITY ON CUSTOMER-ORIENTED BEHAVIORS: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF EMPLOYEE CREATIVITY
Authors: Turksoy Selcen Seda , Nisari Mehmet Alper , Akgunduz Yilmaz
Published: September 2022

Purpose - The study explores creativity as a mediator in the impact of proactive personality on customer orientation in light of Allport’s trait theory, 1961. Methodology/Design - The study was conducted in four- and five-star hotels in a destination resort, Cesme, Izmir. The data was obtained via a questionnaire. 194 valid questionnaires were subjected to reliability and validity test. The hypothesized relationships were tested by regression. Findings - The results show that although proactive personality increases hotel employees’ creativity, proactive personality decreases their customer-oriented behavior. In addition, the results show that employee creativity has a partial mediating effect on the relationships between proactive personality and customer orientation. Originality of the research - The results can contribute to the literature on customer orientation in the hospitality industry and assist hoteliers in hiring the right employee. They offer practical implications to encourage the proactive and creative tendencies of their current employees.
Thiol precursors and amino acids profile of white interspecific hybrid Vitis varieties and impact of foliar urea and sulfur supplementation on the concentration of thiol precursors in Vitis sp. Vidal berries
Authors: Nicolle Paméla , Gerzhova Alina , Roland Aurélie , Dagan Laurent , Delpech Stéphane , Gagné Fabien , Pedneault Karine
Published: September 2022

Thiols are a group of highly potent aroma compounds found in many Vitis vinifera wines. In berries, thiols occur as precursors formed from a thiol attached to an amino moiety (e.g., cysteine and glutathione). Foliar sulfur and urea supplementation has been found to increase thiol precursors in V. vinifera berries. However, such data are still scarce for interspecific hybrid Vitis varieties, despite a growing interest in these cultivars. In this study, eight thiol precursors, 21 amino acids and glutathione (GSH) of seven white hybrid Vitis varieties collected in Quebec, Canada, were quantified by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Then, the impact of foliar sulfur and urea supplementation on thiol precursors of fully mature berries was tested on the Vitis sp. Vidal, using a complete randomised block design. Among the analysed thiol precursors, only the precursors of 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol (3MH) were detected, with glutathione-3MH (20-711 μg/kg berry fresh weight) as the main precursor in most studied varieties. Vidal samples had the highest concentrations of glutathione-3MH (313 μg/kg berry fresh weight) and GSH (17 mg/L in juice), but a large variability was found among the biological replicates. The amino acids proline, arginine, glutamine and alanine were the main amino acids found in Vidal, Frontenac blanc, Seyval blanc and Saint-Pepin respectively. Correlation analysis showed no significant relationship between thiol precursor and glutathione/amino acid content in berries. Foliar urea and sulfur supplementation had no impact on thiol precursor concentration in Vidal. However, a trend in a higher content of thiol precursors in berries treated with urea and sulfur compared to the control was observed on one of the two experimental sites.
Prediction of Potential Seagrass Habitat Using Remote Sensing Big Data and Machine Learning
Authors: He Bohao , Zhao Yanghe , Liu Siyu , Ahmad Shahid , Mao Wei
Published: September 2022

Globally, seagrass meadows provide critical ecosystem services. However, seagrasses are globally degraded at an accelerated rate. The lack of information on seagrass spatial distribution and seagrass health status seriously hinders seagrass conservation and management. Therefore, this study proposes to combine remote sensing big data with a new hybrid machine learning model (RF-SWOA) to predict potential seagrass habitats. The multivariate remote sensing data is used to train the machine learning model, which can improve the prediction accuracy of the model. This study shows that a hybrid machine learning model (RF-SWOA) can predict potential seagrass habitats more accurately and effectively than traditional models. At the same time, it has been shown that the most important factors influencing the potential habitat of seagrass in the Hainan region were the distance from land (38.2%) and the depth of the ocean (25.9%). This paper provides a more accurate machine learning model approach for predicting the distribution of marine species, which can help develop seagrass conservation strategies to restore healthy seagrass ecosystems.
Security Issues and Solutions for Connected and Autonomous Vehicle in Sustainable City: A Survey
Authors: Wang Zhendong , Wei Haoran , Wang Jianda , Zeng Xiaoming , Chang Yuchao
Published: September 2022

Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) combines technologies of autonomous vehicle (AV) and connected vehicles (CV) to develop quicker, more reliable and safer traffic. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based CAV solutions play significant roles in sustainable city. The convergence imposes stringent security requirements for CAV safety and reliability. In practice, vehicles are developed with increased automation and connectivity. Increased automation increases the reliance on the sensor-based technologies and decreases the reliance on driver; increased connectivity increases the exposures of vehicles vulnerability and increases the risk for an adversary to implement a cyber-attack. Much work has been dedicated to identifying the security vulnerabilities and recommending mitigation techniques associated with different sensors, controllers, and connection mechanisms, respectively. However, there is an absence of comprehensive and in-depth studies to identify how the cyber-attacks exploit the vehicles vulnerabilities to negatively impact the performance and operations of CAV. In this survey, we set out to thoroughly review the security issues introduced by AV and CV technologies, analyze how the cyber-attacks impact the performance of CAV, and summarize the solutions correspondingly. The impact of cyber-attacks on the performance of CAV is elaborated from both viewpoints of intra-vehicle system and inter-vehicle system. We pointed out that securing the perception and operations of CAV would be the top requirement to enable CAV to be applied safely and reliably in practice. Also, we suggested to utilize cloud and new AI methods to defend against smart cyber-attacks on CAV.
Evidence-Based Regularization for Neural Networks
Authors: Nuti Giuseppe , Cross Andreea-Ingrid , Rindler Philipp
Published: September 2022

Numerous approaches address over-fitting in neural networks: by imposing a penalty on the parameters of the network (L1, L2, etc); by changing the network stochastically (drop-out, Gaussian noise, etc.); or by transforming the input data (batch normalization, etc.). In contrast, we aim to ensure that a minimum amount of supporting evidence is present when fitting the model parameters to the training data. This, at the single neuron level, is equivalent to ensuring that both sides of the separating hyperplane (for a standard artificial neuron) have a minimum number of data points — noting that these points need not belong to the same class for the inner layers. We firstly benchmark the results of this approach on the standard Fashion-MINST dataset, comparing it to various regularization techniques. Interestingly, we note that by nudging each neuron to divide, at least in part, its input data, the resulting networks make use of each neuron, avoiding a hyperplane completely on one side of its input data (which is equivalent to a constant into the next layers). To illustrate this point, we study the prevalence of saturated nodes throughout training, showing that neurons are activated more frequently and earlier in training when using this regularization approach. A direct consequence of the improved neuron activation is that deep networks are now easier to train. This is crucially important when the network topology is not known a priori and fitting often remains stuck in a suboptimal local minima. We demonstrate this property by training a network of increasing depth (and constant width): most regularization approaches will result in increasingly frequent training failures (over different random seeds) whilst the proposed evidence-based regularization significantly outperforms in its ability to train deep networks.
Effect of Malondialdehyde-induced Oxidation Modification on Physicochemical Changes and Gel Characteristics of Duck Myofibrillar Proteins
Authors: Zhu Xueshen , Ma Zhenghao , Zhang Xinyu , Huang Xuefang , Liu Junya , Zhuang Xinbo
Published: September 2022

This paper focuses on the effect of malondialdehyde-induced oxidative modification (MiOM) on the gel properties of duck myofibrillar proteins (DMPs). DMPs were first prepared and treated with oxidative modification at different concentrations of malondialdehyde (0, 0.5, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mmol/L). The physicochemical changes (carbonyl and free thiol group content) and gel properties (gel whiteness, gel strength, water holding capacity, rheological properties and mi-cro-structural properties) were then investigated. The results showed that the content of protein carbonyl groups increased with increasing MDA oxidation (P<0.05), while the content of free thiol groups decreased significantly (P<0.05). Meanwhile, there was a significant trend of decrease in gel whiteness; the hardness and water-holding capacity of protein gels increased significantly under the oxidation of low concentration of MDA (0-5 mmol/L), while the hardness of gels decreased under the oxidation of high concentration (10 mM). The storage modulus and loss modulus of oxidized DMPs also increased with increasing concentration; moreover, microstructural analysis confirmed that the gels oxidized at low concentrations were more compact and homogeneous in terms of pore size compared to the high concentration or blank group. In conclusion, moderate oxidation of malondialdehyde was beneficial to improve the gel properties of duck; however, excessive oxidation was detrimental to the formation of dense structured gels.
Entegre Raporlama Çerçevesi'nde Tanımlanan Sermaye Öğelerinin Değer Yaratma Süreci ile İlişkisi: BIST Sürdürülebilirlik Endeksi’nde Bir Araştırma
Authors: KAYA Uğur , ATASEL Oğuz Yusuf
Published: September 2022

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Uluslararası Entegre Raporlama Çerçevesi’nde tanımlanan sermaye öğelerinin, nicel anahtar performans göstergelerini ortaya koyarak değer yaratma süreciyle olan ilişkisini belirlemektir. Araştırma kapsamında Borsa İstanbul (BIST) Sürdürülebilirlik Endeksi’nde yer alan finans sektörü dışındaki işletmelerin 2010-2019 yılları arasında yayımladıkları raporlar incelenmiştir. Sermaye öğelerinin değer yaratma süreciyle ilişkisi panel regresyon modelleri aracılığıyla test edilmiştir. Yapılan analizler sonucunda; işletmelerin değeriyle nicel olarak ölçülen sermaye öğelerinden entelektüel, insan, sosyal ve ilişkisel, finansal sermaye (kar payları) arasında pozitif ilişki bulunmuştur. Ayrıca işletmelerin değeriyle doğal sermaye, üretilmiş sermaye ve finansal sermaye (finansman giderleri) arasında ise negatif bir ilişki tespit edilmiştir.
E-Module Development of Class x Basic Programming Based on Flipbook
Authors: Annasiyah Nur Azwar
Published: September 2022

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menghasilkan media e-modul berbasis flipbook pada mata pelajaran pemrograman dasar. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian pengembangan menggunakan model 4-D yang terdiri dari 4 tahap, yaitu: define (pendefinisian), design (desain), develop (pengembangan), dan disseminate (penyebarluasan). Subjek dalam penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas XI jurusan RPL (Rekayasa Perangkat Lunak) di SMK Antartika 1 Sidoarjo. Media yang telah dikembangkan dilakukan validasi oleh ahli media dan ahli materi. Penilaian oleh ahli materi meliputi kelayakan isi, kebahasaan dan penyajian, dan untuk penilaian ahli media meliputi pemakaian, desain, isi dan daya tarik. Hasil uji kelayakan dari ahli media mendapatkan persentase kevalidan 84% dengan kategori “Sangat layak, dapat digunakan dengan revisi kecil”. Hasil uji kelayakan ahli materi mendapatkan persentase kevalidan 79% dengan kategori “Layak”. Setelah media dinyatakan layak maka dilakukan uji coba skala kecil dengan 10 siswa jurusan RPL mendapatkan persentase sebesar 84,4% yang termasuk dalam kategori “Sangat layak, dan dapat digunakan”. Kesimpulan dari penelitian ini yaitu media e-modul berbasis flipbook sangat layak digunakan dalam pembelajaran.
Analysis of spectropolarimetric responses in the visible and infrared for differentiation between similar materials
Authors: Becker Sarah , Sussman Heather , Blundell S. , Vanderbilt Vern , Semyonov Igor
Published: September 2022

Spectropolarimetric research has focused on target detections of materials that have a high degree of contrast from background materials, such as identification of a manmade object embedded in a vegetative background. This study presents an approach using spectropolarimetric imagery in visible, shortwave infrared, and longwave infrared bands to differentiate between similar natural and manmade materials. The method employs Michelson contrast and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) H-test to determine if a distinction can be found in pairwise comparisons of similar and different materials using the Stokes parameters in the visible, shortwave infrared, and longwave infrared bands. Results showed that similar natural and manmade materials were differentiable in spectropolarimetric imagery using the Michelson contrast and ANOVA. This approach provides a way to use spectropolarimetric imagery to distinguish between materials that are similar to each other.
Reuse of Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) as Diluent in Green Emulsion Liquid Membrane (GELM) for Zinc Extraction
Authors: Khalil Afiqah Tasneem Abd , Buddin Meor Muhammad Hafiz Shah , Puasa Siti Wahidah , Ahmad Abdul Latif
Published: September 2022

Zinc (Zn) was identified as one of the most toxic heavy metals and often found contaminating the water sources as a result of inefficient treatment of industrial effluent. A Green Emulsion Liquid Membrane (GELM) was proposed in this study as a method to minimize the concentration of Zn ions in an aqueous solution. Instead of the common petroleum-based diluent, the emulsion is reformulated with untreated waste cooking oil (WCO) collected from the food industry as a sustainable and cheaper diluent. It also includes Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (D2EHPA) as carrier, Span 80 as surfactant, sulfuric acid (H2SO4) as internal phase and ZnSO4 solution as external phase. Such formulation requires a thorough understanding of the oil characteristics as well as the interaction of the components in the membrane phase. The compatibility of WCO and D2EHPA, as well as the external phase pH was confirmed via liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) method. To obtain the best operating conditions for Zn extraction using GELM, the extraction time and speed, carrier, surfactant and internal phase concentrations, and W/O ratio were varied. 95.17% of Zn ions were removed under the following conditions; 0.001M of H2SO4 in external phase, 700 rpm extraction speed for 10 minutes, 8 wt% of carrier and 4 wt% of surfactant concentrations, 1:4 of W/O ratio and 1 M of internal phase concentration.
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Its Impact on the Mother- Infant Gut and Breast Milk Bacteriome
Authors: Valencia-Castillo Sandra Y. , Hernández-Beza Mayte J. , Powell-Cerda Irisbeth , Acosta-Cruz Erika , Rodríguez-Castillejos Guadalupe C. , Siller-López Fernando , Martínez-Montoya Humberto
Published: September 2022

Background: Human breast milk is a complex fluid that provides both macronutrients and micronutrients critical for the infant development. Several studies have been focused on the characterization of the human breast milk (HBM) microbiota, nowadays we know it is composed by a rich community of bacteria, viruses, protozoa and anaerobic fungi. However, it is considered that the human microbiome is not static, instead is described as a dynamic living system shaped by several factors like age, demography, malnutrition, sex, diet, sexual behavior, antibiotics and health condition. Previous studies have demonstrated that metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus induces dysbiosis in the gut microbiome in affected individuals. However, how gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects the HBM microbiota remains poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the bacterial diversity through the massive sequencing of the 16S rRNA in Colombian infants breastfed with HBM from GDM and control women.
Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we collected HBM and stool samples from GDM and healthy mother-infant pairs in Pereira (Colombia). The whole DNA was purified and the 16S V3-V4 region was amplified and sequenced. Reads obtained were quality filtered and classified by homology according to the Ribosomal Small Subunit SILVA.
Results: Our results revealed that the most abundant phyla in the collected samples are Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. Interestingly, we found significant differences in the bacterial relative abundances GDM mothers’ gut compared to the control group, notably Bifidobacterium, Serratia and Sutterella were negatively associated to GDM. In the HBM significant differences were observed in Sutterella, Serratia, Lactococcuswere in low RA in GDM whereas Veillonellawas in high RA. On the other hand, in the infant, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Sutterella, Serratia, Streptococcus, and Veillonella had low presence while Lactococcus and Flavonifractor were in significant high abundance in GDM, these differences in the bacterial community structure in GDM mother and their infants could be linked to vitamin K and several forms of vitamin B deficiency, inflammatory disease, and gut bacterial homeostasis.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that gut bacteriome profiles vary between healthy and GDM women, leading to gut bacterial dysbiosis in their infants.
Alginate Co-probiotics Bioencapsulation Facilitates Artemia to Improve Immune Parameters, Gene Expression, Feed Digestibility and Resistance Against Vibrio spp
Authors: Yudiati Ervia , Yulianto Bambang , Sunaryo Sunaryo , Santoso Adi , Suryono Chrisna Adi , Azhar Nuril
Published: September 2022

Alginate is known as an immunostimulant; however, the comprehensive and simultaneous study on its co-activity with Lactobacillus bulgaricus resolves the relationship of feed digestibility, hematological parameters, and upregulation of the regulation of feed digestibility immune-related gene expression, and disease-resistant in Artemia has not been covered. This study aimed to determine the effect of alginate with Lactobacillus bulgaricus bio encapsulated Artemia in Vibrio vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. harveyi challenged. Compared to the non-probiotic alginate, co-probiotic L. bulgaricus activated and improved the mortality rate of 400 ppm alginate from 100% to 30-70% at 36 hours with CMI of 276-702±0.00-101.82 and a mortality reduction of 41.21-74.59±0.05-15.90%. The co-activity of 400 ppm alginate and L. bulgaricus resulted in the higher Phenol Oxidase and Superoxide Dismutase Activity. Beta-glucan and proPO gene expression was also upregulated 233.44% and 185.17%, respectively. The gut evacuation time and fullness have also resulted in better performance than 800 ppm alginate without probiotics. Alginate and L. bulgaricus probiotics have cooperated synergically through pre and probiotic mechanisms. This Artemia bio model defines that this combination will reduce alginate as an immunostimulant and cut off the large-scale utilization in ponds.
Challenges, strategies and consequences for German nursing homes during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative interview study.
Authors: Sander Marco , Dano Richard , Bieber Anja , Dammermann Anna , Fleischer Steffen , Dinand Claudia , Müller Martin , Möhler Ralph , Schultes Kristin , Köpke Sascha , Dichter Martin N.
Published: September 2022

Background
The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic reached Germany between March and May 2020. In order to contain the spread of the virus and particularly protect vulnerable people, the government imposed a lockdown in March 2020. In addition to infection control measures, such as hygiene and social distancing requirements, a general ban on access to nursing homes for relatives and external service providers was issued.
Methods
To investigate the challenges and consequences of the enacted infection prevention measures and specific strategies for nursing homes in Germany, a multicentre cross-sectional qualitative interview study with nursing home managers and ward managers was conducted. Recorded audio data were transcribed, analysed using thematic framework analysis and reflected in peer debriefings.
Results
78 interviews with 40 nursing home managers and 38 ward managers from 43 German nursing homes were conducted. At organisational level, appointing a multi-professional crisis task force, reorganizing the use of building and spatial structures, continuous adaption and implementation of hygiene plans, adapting staff deployment to dynamically changing demands, managing additional communicative demands and relying on and resorting to informal networks were topics identified in response to the challenges posed by the pandemic. At direct care level, changed routines, taking over non-nursing tasks, increased medical responsibility, increased documentation demands, promoting social participation and increased communication demands were identified as topics in dealing with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also various negative consequences were identified, such as psychological stress and negative emotional consequences. Positive emotional consequences such as a newly established team cohesion, the feeling of a calm atmosphere and a stronger sense of connection between nursing staff and residents were also reported.
Conclusions
The results of the described challenges, strategies and consequences allow recommendations as basis for possible approaches and successful adaptation processes in nursing home care in the future. There is also a need for local networks to act in a coordinated way and a need for quantitative and qualitative support for nurses, such as staff support as well as advanced nursing practice, to cope with the challenges of the pandemic.
Oral Manifestations of COVID-19: A Questionnaire-Based Survey of the Mild and Moderate Cases in the Turkish Population
Authors: Ünallı Kamile Esra , Gedik Ecem , Yazar Ezgi , Çandırlı Celal
Published: September 2022

BACKGROUND
A myriad of symptoms associated with COVID−19 have been reported in the literature. It's currently unclear if these symptoms are part of a normal clinical pattern directly induced by SARS-CoV−2 infection or are secondary to the patient's compromised systemic condition, given the probability of coinfections, immunosuppression, and treatment-related adverse effects (4). The aim of this research was to find answers to the question"What is the prevalence of oral symptoms in COVID−19 patients?“.
METHODS
A questionnaire was designed to detect and identify changes in the oral mucosa in patients with COVID−19 infection. During their follow-up at the Gölcük State Hospital COVID Outpatient Clinic, clinicians and an academic specialist performed a face-to-face survey of the patients. Participants were informed about the purpose of the study and their consent to participate in the study was obtained along with their signatures on the questionnaire form. The data was collected between April 12 and May 22, 2020, and it was analyzed, archived, and processed anonymously.
RESULTS
This survey included 306 COVID−19 patients in total. The results revealed that only 29.4% of respondents had complaints of oral aphthae and ulcers and 18.94% experienced oral pain; with the most commonly reported symptom being xerostomia (67,6%). There was a widespread distribution of reported symptoms with varying incidences and locations.
CONCLUSION
Analyzing the data this study procured, one still can’t conclusively determine whether the oral manifestations develop secondary to COVID−19.
Assessment of different experimental setups to determine viral filtration efficiency of face masks
Authors: Filipić Arijana , Fric Katja , Ravnikar Maja , Kogovšek Polona
Published: September 2022

As a result of the pandemic COVID -19 many new materials and masks came on the market. To determine their suitability, several standards specify which properties to test, including bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE), while none describe how to determine viral filtration efficiency (VFE), a property that is particularly important in times of pandemic. Therefore, we focused our research on evaluating the suitability and efficiency of different systems for determining VFE. Here, we evaluated the VFE of 6 mask types (e.g., a surgical mask, a respirator, material for mask production and cloth masks) with different filtration efficiencies in four experimental setups and compared the results with BFE results. The study included 17 BFE and 22 VFE experiments with 73 and 81 mask samples tested, respectively. We have shown that the masks tested had high VFE (>99% for surgical masks and respirators, ≥98% for a material and 87-97% for cloth masks) and that all experimental setups provided highly reproducible and reliable VFE results (coefficient of variation < 6%). Therefore, the VFE tests described in this study can be integrated into existing standards for mask testing.
An implementation evaluation of the physical activity counseling in in-patients with major depressive disorder (PACINPAT) randomized controlled trial
Authors: Cody Robyn , Kreppke Jan-Niklas , Fischer Xenia , Faude Oliver , Beck Johannes , Brand Serge , Hatzinger Martin , Imboden Christian , Kügerl Nadine , Lang Undine E. , Mans Sarah , Maurer Reto , Mikoteit Thorsten , Oswald Anja , Rhodius Lilja-Sophie , Schweinfurth Nina , Wechsler Laura , Gerber Markus
Published: September 2022

Background
The physical activity counseling for in-patients with major depression (PACINPAT) randomized controlled trial was launched to tackle physical inactivity in in-patients with major depressive disorder. Evidence shows that despite potential treatment effects, physical inactivity is prevalent in this population. To contribute to the assessment of the impact of this in-person and remote, theory-based, individually tailored intervention, the aim of this study is to evaluate its implementation.
Methods
This implementation evaluation was conducted within a multi-center randomized controlled trial according to the Process Evaluation Framework by the Medical Research Council including the analysis of reach, dose, fidelity and adaptation. Data were collected from the implementers and the participants randomized to the intervention group of the trial.
Results
The study sample comprised 95 physically inactive in-patients (mean age: 42 years, 53% women) with diagnosed major depressive disorder. The intervention reached the intended population. The intervention dose varied between early dropouts and study completers with both low and high participation rates. Differences in the attendance groups were recognizable in the first two counseling sessions. Fidelity of the in-person counseling content was partly achieved and adapted, whereas that of the remote counseling content was well achieved. Participants reported satisfaction with the intervention and the implementers. Adaptations were made to content, delivery mode and dose.
Conclusion
The PACINPAT trial was implemented in the intended population, in varying doses and with adaptations made to in-person counseling content and remote counseling dose. These findings are key to understanding outcome analyses, further developing interventions and contributing to implementation research.
Trial registration:
ISRCTN, ISRCTN10469580, registered on 3rd September 2018, https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN10469580
High-harmonic generation in polycrystalline CdTe nano-films via macroscopic investigations
Authors: Long Zhe , Yang Hang , Tian Kan , Lin Sen , He Linzhen , Zhao Dewei , Li Yang , Wu Han , Chen Zi-Yu , Wu Lili , Wang Qi Jie , Liang Houkun
Published: September 2022

Bright high harmonics generation (HHG) in CMOS-compatible nano-films can provide new opportunities for integrated coherent ultra-violet sources and attosecond photonic devices. Up to now, most HHG studies have been limited to single crystals. Polycrystalline materials, which consist of many grains separated by grain boundaries and normally have random crystallographic orientations, have rarely been explored for HHG. Understanding and predicting the HHG properties in polycrystalline nano-films are important owing to its merits of low cost and diversified properties, but challenging due to their complicated electronic structures. Here, we for the first time experimentally discover the correspondence between HHG in polycrystalline matters and macroscopic material parameters, to the best of our knowledge. Bright and long-term stable harmonics extending to 25th orders are demonstrated in polycrystalline cadmium telluride (CdTe) nano-films. It is found that the HHG strengths in the transmission and the reflection behave differently as a function of the material thickness in the range from 6 nm to 4 μm, which is highly correlated to the measured macroscopic conductivity. This work provides a simple gauge to study and predict HHG in complicated polycrystalline and amorphous nano-systems, and paves the way for novel strong-field nanophotonics based on polycrystalline nano-films.
Genetic and phenotypic variations of Productive Performance of two different plumage-color strains of Japanese quail
Authors: Elkhaiat Ibrahim , Eid Yahya , Ghobish Magda , El-Kassas Seham , Alagawany Mahmoud , Ragab Mohamed
Published: September 2022

In Japanese quails, plumage color mutations resulted in many quail’s varieties. Therefore, identifying the genetic and phenotypic variations between the available quail’s varieties could be effective to determine the appropriate egg/meat producing quail variety that suits the breeders’ demand. Thus, the present study aimed to detect the phenotypic differences between two different quail varieties, brown (BB) and white (WW) feathered quails, and their reciprocal crosses (BW & WB) over two successive generations. Body weights, carcass traits, and egg weights and quality were considered as basic phenotypic parameters for comparison. Genetically, the phenotypic differences were ascertained with the microsatellite markers used. Generally, small numbers of alleles (NA& Ne) were detected for the three microsatellites. However, among all quail’s populations, WW and WB had the greatest numbers but with lower heterozygosity levels (HO &He) compared to the BB and BW. This was confirmed with the positive high values of FIS. In conclusion: The phenotypic variations among BB, WW, BW and WB varieties were genetically ascertained with the genetic diversity analysis. Crossing is effective in improving quail’s performance. This investigation might provide a scientific basis for assessing and using the genetic resources of BB, WW, BW and WB in further genetic improvement program.
Inequality Thresholds, Institutional Quality and Employment in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs)
Authors: Alancıoğlu Erdal , Miçooğulları Seyit Ali
Published: September 2022

This study investigates the dynamic relationship between institutional quality, income inequality and employment level in 19 Central and Eastern European countries during the period 2004–2015. Three indicators of institutional quality and three indicators of income inequality were used to examine this relationship. The institutional quality indicators used include corporate governance, economic governance and political governance indices while the income inequality indicators include the Gini coefficient, the Atkinson index and the Palma ratio. In the study, in which the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation technique was employed, it was found that an increase in institutional quality unconditionally results in an increase in employment level. The income inequality threshold levels that should not be exceeded in order to maintain the positive effect of institutional quality on employment level were calculated. Furthermore, it has been determined that inequality thresholds depend on the institutional quality and income inequality indicator used. Specifically, in the study, it was determined that for institutional quality to have a sustained positive impact on employment, i) the Palma ratio in the corporate governance specification should not exceed 0.875; ii) the Atkinson index in the economic governance specification should not exceed 0.311; and iii) the Atkinson index and Palma ratio shSould not exceed 0.258 and 1.333, respectively, in the political governance specification.
Jel Classifications: E24, C23
Difference in total N and its associated-aggregate N following cropland restoration in a karst region, Southwest China
Authors: Wen Li , Li Dejun , Xiao Kongcao , Tang Haiming , Xiao Xiaoping , Li Chao
Published: September 2022

Cropland restoration has been reported as one of the most effective measures for soil total nitrogen (N) accumulation in karst degraded regions. However, the patterns of N associated-aggregate and its contribution to net soil N accumulation following cropland conversion remain poorly understood. The experiment included four treatments with one control and three restoration strategies, that is: maize-soybean rotation cultivation (control), sugarcane, mulberry and forage grass cultivation. Soil samples were selected to determine the soil aggregate amount and its associated N content and stock across 0–30 cm soil layer. Macro-aggregate (>2 mm) was the predominant aggregate fraction in all cropland use types and had the highest N stock. Forage grass cultivation substantially enhanced total N stock in bulk soil and aggregate fractions. Bulk soil N stocks were positively correlated with N content and stock aggregate-associated. The increase in N stock in forage grass soil was primarily attributed to the increased N stock within macro-aggregates, which is further attributed to the increased N content within macro-aggregates. Soil C:N ratio in macro-aggregate, 2–1 mm and micro-aggregate (<0.25 mm) but not in bulk soil was significantly changed following cropland conversion. Overall, forage grass cultivation replaced maize-soybean cultivation was suggested as an ecological restoration model to enhance soil N sequestration potential, owing to its role in increasing N stock of aggregate in the karst degraded region of Southwest China.
Impact of non-genetic factors on clinical mastitis incidence in Murrah buffaloes
Authors: Jaglan Komal , Sukhija Nidhi , George Linda , Alex Rani , Verma Archana
Published: September 2022

Mastitis brings on economic losses, declined milk production, uplifted treatment costs and accelerated culling in buffaloes. Also, being multi-etiological in nature, control of mastitis is challenging in dairy animals. Hence, knowing the risk factors governing clinical mastitis incidence in buffalo might help in minimizing its occurrence. So, the present study was undertaken in 96 adult Murrah buffaloes to investigate the effect of parity, period of calving, season of calving and level of milk production on incidence of clinical mastitis using logistic regression in SAS v 9.3. The data of mastitis incidence was collected over a period of eighteen years (1997–2014) from Health record register of Livestock Research Centre of the institute. The incidence of mastitis was maximum in second parity (7.65%) followed by parity five and above (7.41%). Parity and period of calving had significant effects (p < 0.05) on mastitis incidence. The odds ratio for incidence of mastitis of animals in parity (5 and above) was highest (3.832), in comparison to first lactation. The animals calving during the period (2004–2007), exhibited maximum incidence of clinical mastitis (14.75%). Higher mastitis incidence in higher parity animals may be due to the compromised immune system and widened teat canal. Therefore, proper management of animals especially for advanced pregnant animals is recommended for reducing incidence of mastitis.
How well do nurses know their patients? Agreement between patients’ degree-of-worry and nurses’ estimation of patients’ degree-of-worry – an observational study
Authors: Gamst-Jensen Hejdi , Trondarson Tordis , Kallemose Thomas , Poulsen Ingrid
Published: September 2022

Aim
To assess the agreement between patients’ self-reported degree-of-worry (DOW) and nurses’ evaluation of patients’ DOW.
Design
An observational cohort study with patients and their primary nurses.
Methods
Between February 22 to March 27, 2021 data collection among patients and their nurses in an emergency department was carried out. Patients ≥18 years, cognitively intact and Danish or English speaking were eligible to participate. Nurses regardless of seniority and gender were eligible for participation. The single-item degree-of-worry measure, “how worried are you about the condition you are here today on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is minimally worried and 10 is maximum worried” as well as information on gender, age, co-morbidity, triage level, and medical reason for encounter was collected from patients. The corresponding nurses were asked; “how worried do you think your patient is about the condition he/she is there today on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is minimally worried and 10 is maximum worried?” Nurses also supplied data on gender, age, seniority as a registered nurse and in the ED. Agreement between patients’ self-reported degree-of-worry and nurses’ evaluation of patients’ degree-of-worry was assessed with weighted Cohen’s Kappa.
Results
A total of 194 patient-nurse pairs were included for analysis. The agreement between patients’ DOW and nurses’ evaluation of patients’ DOW categorized as DOWlow, DOWmiddle, and DOWhighwas in total agreement in n=85 pairs (43.8%) of the ratings, which corresponds to a weighted Cohen’s Kappa of 0.19 (0.08 to 0.30; p<0.001).
Conclusion
Nurses estimate of their patients’ DOW was in very poor agreement. This indicates that nurses are not able to assess the patient’s DOW to a satisfactory level. This result is troubling as it may have serious consequences for patient care as it indicates that the nurses do not know their patients’ perspectives.
Patient or Public Contribution
Patients were consulted and contributed in regard to the development of the DOW scale – for the current study participants gave informed consent to participation, only.
Comparison of sedation efficacy and safety between dexmedetomidine and propofol during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: A prospective, randomized, single-blinded trial
Authors: Zhang Wenyou , Wang Liangrong , Zhu Na , Wu Wenzhi , Liu Haiyan
Published: September 2022

Background
Propofol-balanced sedation is widely used in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures, but sedation-related adverse events (SRAEs) commonly occur. The combination of dexmedetomidine with opioids and benzodiazepines has provided effective sedation with a superlative degree of safety during different clinical scenarios. The aim of this study was to compare sedation efficacy and safety between dexmedetomidine and propofol with a balanced administration of opioids and benzodiazepines during ERCP procedures.
Methods
Forty-one patients were randomly divided into two groups, the dexmedetomidine (DEX) group and the propofol (PRO) group. As premedication, all participants received an intravenous bolus dose of 0.02 mg•kg− 1 midazolam and 0.2 µg•kg− 1 sufentanil. Patients in the DEX group received an additional bolus of 0.6 µg•kg− 1 dexmedetomidine over 2 min followed by a dexmedetomidine infusion at 1.2 µg•kg− 1•h− 1, whereas the PRO group received a 1–2 mg•kg− 1 propofol bolus over 30 s followed by a propofol infusion at 2–3 mg•kg− 1•h− 1. The primary outcome was the incidence of hypoxemia (SpO2 < 90% for > 10 s) during ERCP.
Results
All patients achieved the targeted sedation level with the Ramsay Sedation Scale ≥ 4. When compared with the PRO group, the incidence of hypoxemia was significantly reduced in the DEX group. Respiratory depression (respiratory rate of < 10 bpm•min− 1) was more frequently observed among PRO patients than DEX patients. During procedures, endoscopists’ and patients’ satisfaction scores were comparable between groups, as were patients’ pain and amnesia scores.
Conclusions
Dexmedetomidine provided satisfactory sedation safety with no downstream effects on sedation efficacy when performing ERCP in comparison with propofol in combination with opioids and benzodiazepines.
Trial registration:
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry- ChiCTR2200061468. Date of registration: 25/6/2022.
Differences in Regional Anesthesia Utilization by Hospital Region in the United States
Authors: Beletsky Alexander , Currie Morgan , Helwany Muhammad , Shen Jonathan , Brooks Hunter , Desilva Mahesh , Winston Nutan , Gabriel Rodney A.
Published: September 2022

Background
Regional anesthesia (RA) has demonstrated distinct advantages over general anesthesia, including decreased infection risk, lower rates of complications, and improved patient satisfaction. As such, the rate of RA utilization has been increasing, particularly among outpatient orthopedic surgeries like total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty. However, no studies have examined utilization rates as a function of hospital region.
Methods
A national hospital database (Hospital Corporation of American, HCA) was queried for patients 18 years or older that received selected surgical procedure codes between January 2016 and June 2021. The included CPT codes were for total knee arthroplasty (TKA), total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA), anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), carpal tunnel release, total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of the ankle, and arteriovenous (AV) fistula creation. Regional anesthesia was defined as any form of neuraxial and/or peripheral nerve blocks. Basic summary statistics were utilized to calculate the rates of RA, and chi-squared analysis were calculated to determine significant differences in the rate of RA utilization.
Results
A total of 52068 patients were included, of which 2114 (4.06%) received RA. With respect to RA utilization by procedure, the greatest RA rates were for TSA (5.8%), TKA (4.5), and ACLR (3.6%), whereas the lowest RA rate was for TAH (1.1%). For the TKA cohort, the Midwest has a significantly greater utilization rate than the South or West (10.9% vs. 4.8% or 3.1%, p < 0.001). The Midwest also have the highest utilization rate in the ACLR cohort (8.1%, p < 0.001), TAH cohort (16.7%, p < 0.001) and AV fistula cohort (6.4%, p < 0.001). For the carpal tunnel cohort, the West had the highest utilization rate (11.8% vs. 8.1%, 1.1%, 0%, p < 0.001). The West region also had the highest utilization rate for the ankle ORIF cohort (7.8%, p < 0.001). No significant differences were found by region for TSA (p = 0.312).
Conclusion
Significant variations in RA utilization rates were found by region, with the West having the highest utilization for ankle ORIF and carpal tunnel, and the Midwest having the highest rate for TKA, ACLR, TAH, and AV fistula.
KLF5 and p53 comprise an incoherent feed-forward loop directing cell-fate decisions following stress
Authors: Yang Yizeng , Bhargava Dharmendra , Chen Xiao , Zhou Taicheng , Dursuk Gizem , Jiang Wenpeng , Wang Jinshen , Zong Zhen , Katz Sharyn , Lomberk Gwen , Urrutia Raul , Katz Jonathan
Published: September 2022

In response to stress, cells make a critical decision to arrest or undergo apoptosis, mediated in large part by the tumor suppressor p53. Yet the mechanisms of these cell fate decisions remain largely unknown, particularly in normal cells. Here, we define an incoherent feed-forward loop in non-transformed human squamous epithelial cells involving p53 and the zinc-finger transcription factor KLF5 that dictates responses to differing levels of cellular stress from UV irradiation or oxidative stress. In normal unstressed human squamous epithelial cells, KLF5 complexes with SIN3A and HDAC2 to repress TP53, allowing cells to proliferate. With moderate stress, this complex is disrupted and TP53 is induced; KLF5 then acts a molecular switch for p53 function by transactivating AKT1 and AKT3, which direct cells towards survival. By contrast, severe stress results in KLF5 loss, such that AKT1 and AKT3 are not induced, and cells preferentially undergo apoptosis. Thus, in human squamous epithelial cells, KLF5 gates the response to UV or oxidative stress to determine the p53 output of growth arrest or apoptosis.
HMGB1 mediates lipopolysaccharide-induced macrophage autophagy and pyroptosis
Authors: Shang Jiawei , Zhao Feng , Cao Yongmei , Ping Feng , Wang Wei , Li Yingchuan
Published: September 2022

Autophagy and pyroptosis of macrophages play important protective or detrimental roles in sepsis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. High mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) is associated with both pyroptosis and autophagy. lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an important pathogenic factor involved in sepsis. Lentivirus-mediated HMGB1 shRNA was used to inhibit the expression of HMGB1. Macrophages were treated with acetylation inhibitor (AA) to suppress the translocation of HMGB1 from the nucleus to the cytosol. Autophagy and pyroptosis-related protein expressions were detected by Western blot. The levels of caspase-1 activity were detected and the rate of pyroptotic cells was detected by flow cytometry. LPS induced autophagy and pyroptosis of macrophages at different stages, and HMGB1 downregulation decreased LPS-induced autophagy and pyroptosis. Treatment with acetylation inhibitor (anacardic acid) significantly suppressed LPS-induced autophagy, an effect that was not reversed by exogenous HMGB1, suggesting that cytoplasmic HMGB1 mediates LPS-induced autophagy of macrophages. Anacardic acid or an anti-HMGB1 antibody inhibited LPS-induced pyroptosis of macrophages. HMGB1 alone induced pyroptosis of macrophages and this effect was inhibited by anti-HMGB1 antibody, suggesting that extracellular HMGB1 induces macrophage pyroptosis and mediates LPS-induced pyroptosis. In a word, HMGB1 plays different roles in mediating LPS-induced autophagy and triggering pyroptosis according to subcellular localization.