bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the structure of reflective philosophical knowledge
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia), Momdzhyan Karen H.
Published: March 2023

The author draws a distinction between the reflective (epistemic) tradition of philosophiz­ing and the value philosophy, which perceives the world correlating it with the needs and interests of people as well as viewing it through the prism of the man’s value preferences. The author derives this distinction from the difference between denotative judgments about being and prescriptive judgments about the proper. These two types of judgments are claimed to be related but not reducible to each other and not derived from one an­other. The author defends the right of a refleсtive philosophy to speak in the language of verifiable judgments of truth, while opposing the position of cognitive imperialism, which absolutizes the truth and turns it into the substance of the human spirit. The author treats the anthropological and gnoseological interpretations of the reflective philosophy, which limit its subject to the analysis of the man in his praxiological, axiological and gnoseological relation to the world, as insufficient. The article defends the now unfash­ionable substantive understanding of philosophy, according to which its object is not the man, but the world surrounding and embracing us, and its subject is the possible unity of the world considered in the aspects of its integrative wholeness and taxonomic univer­sality. An integrative approach that looks for substantive distinctions and connections be­tween the subsystems of the world, is carried out by natural philosophy, social philoso­phy, and philosophy of consciousness. Philosophical ontology has a different objective. It begins with the axiomatic problem of the existence of the world, the relation between the real and the ideal, and proceeds to verifiable judgments about the referential relations between the various "realms of being”. The world is considered by the discipline of on­tology in a conceptual projection “the separate – the singular – the particular – the univer­sal”, which is different from a conceptual projection “the whole – the part”. The author argues for the importance of the ontological problematics, which is of great methodologi­cal importance for non-philosophical (first of all, social and humanitarian) sciences.
Attention as a condition for moral responsibility
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia), Besedin Artem P.
Published: March 2023

The article analyzes an epistemic condition for moral responsibility. The condition is taken in a dispositional form: the attribution of responsibility is appropriate only if the agent was in an epistemic position suitable for obtaining knowledge relevant to moral re­sponsibility. The choice of a dispositional interpretation of the epistemic condition is jus­tified with the help of four thought experiments showing that the actualist understanding of this condition is unacceptable. The main question of the article concerns this epistemic position. The article presents N. Levy’s criticism of the concept of responsibility that rests on the thesis that we never find ourselves in the epistemic position required for moral responsibility. Two lines of response to Levy’s criticism are briefly considered: the Reasonable Expectation Approach and the Attributionist Approach. With the help of the analysis of a thought experiment, the condition of basic knowledge of a morally significant situation is revealed. Further analysis of this condition exposes the condition of attention for moral responsibility. Attention refers to the ability to redirect one’s cogni­tive resources to different tasks. The moral significance of attention is demonstrated: inat­tention as an excusing factor is investigated, the connection between attention and such phenomena of moral life as care and respect is shown. The article shows that the require­ment of attention implies certain control over attention. The condition of attention pro­vides an answer to Levy’s criticism, according to which we have no control over the psy­chological states leading to actions. This is not the case since control of attention plays this role. In conclusion, the prospects for further research are discussed: the study of the concept of control over attention, the connection of moral responsibility and conscious­ness, and examination of the condition of attention in the context of virtue epistemology.
Skepticism and moral responsibility
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia), Loginov Evgeny V.
Published: March 2023

Skepticism about moral responsibility is one of the most elaborated approaches to this important moral phenomenon in contemporary philosophical literature. In this paper, I use the skeptical approach in general, and specific skeptical arguments in particular, to clarify the connections between the conditions of an appropriate attribution of moral re­sponsibility and the structural elements of this attitude. A distinction is made between moral dogmatism and a critical approach to morality, and a classification is given of the possible outcomes of the latter: skepticism proper, illusionism, and revolutionary ap­proach. The difference between general moral skepticism and skepticism about moral re­sponsibility is defined, and a classification of the types of skepticism about moral respon­sibility is proposed on the basis of which the elements of the structure of attribution of re­sponsibility are questioned. Galen Strawson’s Basic argument, Gideon Rosen’s argument from epistemological regress, and his alethic conception of moral responsibility are ana­lyzed. It is shown that Strawson’s argument unreasonably reduces moral responsibility to a so-called true moral responsibility. It is argued that the epistemic condition of responsi­bility to which the argument from regress is directed can be reduced to a normative con­dition, and thus regress can be avoided. The connection between responsibility and retri­bution, which Rosen postulates, is problematized. It is argued that the control condition binds the moral agent and the agent’s moral factor; the normative condition binds the agent’s moral factor and its moral value. It is argued that the connection between a moral factor and moral value cannot be the object of skepticism about moral responsibility.
Advantages of a psychological approach to personal identity with respect to moral responsibility question
Authors:   Moscow Center for Consciousness Studies (Russia), Mertsalov Andrew V.
Published: March 2023

The article defends the thesis that in the context of moral responsibility (MR) as it is un­derstood in modern Strawsonian theories of MR, psychological approach has significant advantages in comparison with competing approaches to personal identity problem: bio­logical approach, substantialism and narrative view. In the Strawsonian theories, two gen­erally accepted necessary conditions of the appropriateness of holding someone responsi­ble are the conditions of moral agency and agency of action. The article shows that for these conditions to be satisfied a person who is to be hold morally responsible now for some past action should stay not only numerically, but also qualitatively identical in re­spect to his quality of will and moral capacities. That raises the problem of personal iden­tity over time in the context of MR. It is shown that psychological approach helps to clar­ify the kind of personal identity that is required for the conditions of moral agency and agency of action to be satisfied, it is compatible with all the Strawsonian theories of MR and copes with much of moral collisions that are usually presented as its problematic con­sequences. It is also shown that the competing approaches to personal identity are either cannot clarify the relevant for MR kind of personal identity, or incompatible with most of the Strawsonian theories of MR and leads to moral collisions. That gives strong reasons to prefer the psychological approach to personal identity in the context of MR.
Bernard Bolzano and the Brentano school
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia), Mironov Dmitry G.
Published: March 2023

The article defines the significance of Bolzano for the Brentano school and explores the sense in which Bolzano could have been an intermediary between late Scholasticism and the Brentano school. The first part of the article discusses the assessment of the Bolzano’s philosophical doctrine, which is offered by Brentano himself and his closest student Marty. Brentano found Bolzano’s pursuit of scientific philosophy commendable, but at the same time criticized him for platonism in the theory of meanings and for distin­guishing the ways of being. Marty, continuing partly to criticize Bolzano, rather posi­tively assessed his doctrine of propositions in themselves. Using the example of the doc­trine of modifying adjectives, it is shown what influence Bolzano had on Marty’s philoso­phy of language. In the second part of the article, the question of Bolzano’s influence on K. Twardowski, A. Meinong and E. Husserl is considered. It is shown that each of these thinkers interpreted Bolzano's doctrine of propositions in themselves in different ways and at the same time not quite correctly. Bolzano’s doctrine of proposition structure is discussed separately and the evaluation of this doctrine proposed by Husserl is analyzed. Bolzano’s insufficient attention to the syntactic complexity of sentences, according to Husserl, was the reason that the Bohemian thinker did not propose a full-fledged theory of meaning and did not investigate the relationship between semantics and ontology. For other students of Brentano, Husserl’s assessment only confirmed that Bolzano did not pay due attention to linguistic synsemantics. The third part answers the question of Bolzano’s mediation between late Scholasticism and the Brentano school: the desire to defend the objectivity of truth and refute subjectivism unites such thinkers as S. Izquierdo and B. Bolzano, and it is on this basis that the continuity between late Scholasticism and the Brentano school can be traced.
John Stuart Mill’s classical phenomenalism
Authors: Savelov Arseniy D.
Published: March 2023

This paper examines the phenomenalism of John Stuart Mill. The analysis of the theory includes consideration of the historical context of the creation of this doctrine. This doc­trine was created in a debate with philosophers whom Mill associated with the intuitive school and in particular with W. Hamilton. It is argued that for Mill the establishment of phenomenalism was in many ways a political project. Then, the author traces the influ­ence that Berkeley and Hartley had on Mill. The relativity of human knowledge and asso­ciationism are two main elements of Mill’s theory. Specific elements of Berkeley’s imma­terialism are given, with which Mill agrees and elements that Mill considers unsuccess­ful. The following are the laws of association of ideas recognized by Mill. After that, the author analyzes Mill’s understanding of matter. Matter is understood as a permanent possibility of sensations. The main arguments in favor of this theory are analyzed. Some of these arguments are criticized. The similarities in Mill’s approach with Hume’s understanding of reality are pointed out. Changes are traced between the presentation of the theory in the 1865 edition and in the 1867 edition. The author also demonstrates the simi­larity between Mill’s theory and the XX century phenomenalism. The phenomenalists of the XX century, like Mill, sought to translate statements about material objects into dispositional statements. The difficulties of interpreting the essence of possible sensations are considered. Further, the main problems arising by the adoption of this theory are ana­lyzed. These difficulties are associated with the acceptance of only dispositions as the fun­damental basis of reality, and from Berkeley Mill also gets the problem of proving the ex­istence of other consciousnesses. The author gives attempts to solve these difficulties from the perspective of Mill’s theory.
Science and EAL teachers’ perspectives and practices in building word knowledge in implementing the new Victorian EAL curriculum
Authors: Filipi Anna , Nguyen Minh Hue , Berry Amanda
Published: March 2023

The recent implementation of The Victorian Curriculum F-10: EAL requires content teachers who teach EAL students to be familiar with the revised EAL curriculum for the purposes of planning and developing approaches to assist learners’ development in English. In the literature and in curriculum frameworks, word knowledge is considered an important aspect of EAL students’ learning. However, little is known about what pedagogical practices teachers across the curriculum perceive as being important, and use, in developing EAL students’ vocabulary. In this study, we investigated linguistically responsive vocabulary teaching in a Year 7 science class. Our aim was to elucidate teachers’ perceptions and practices in teaching vocabulary in science. The qualitative case study drew on principles of linguistically responsive instruction (LRI), which refers to practices for meeting the needs of students in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. Analysis of interview and classroom data from an EAL teacher and a science teacher revealed a range of LRI practices for developing word knowledge based on understanding the distinction between conversational and academic language, language learning principles, responsive teacher talk, plurilingual awareness, and the importance of social interaction for learners. We offer recommendations for a whole school approach to LRI, adaptation to online LRI, and curriculum development.
Harper, H. & Feez, S. (2020). An EAL/D handbook: Teaching and learning across the curriculum when English is an additional language or dialect. PETAA.
Authors: Veliz Leonardo
Published: March 2023

An EAL/D handbook: Teaching and learning across the curriculum when English is an additional language or dialect. 
Harper, H. & Feez, S.
PETAA, 2020
Prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease among pregnant women in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Authors: Cepero Andrea Alexandra Lopez , Cameron Stephanie , González Mariana , Sierra Deborah Santos , Inostroza-Nieves Yaritza
Published: March 2023

Background: In Puerto Rico (PR), the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVDRF) in women is high. CVDRF during pregnancy are a threat to maternal and child health. Little is known about CVDRF among pregnant women in PR.
Methods: Cross-sectional study using data from pregnancy charts (n=264; no prior pregnancies) from an outpatient clinic in PR. CVDRF included: pre-pregnancy obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and hypertension, and gestational diabetes and hypertension. Age was categorized as: 21-25y, 26-30y, and 31-35y. Analyses included adjusted logistic and multinomial regressions.
Results: Obesity pre-pregnancy was the most prevalent CVDRF (23.5%). Women of 31-35y (vs. 21-25y) had higher odds of T2D/gestational diabetes (OR=4.66; 95% CI=1.18, 18.4) and were more likely to experience 2+ CVDRF (RRR=2.73; 95% CI=1.10, 6.80).
Discussion: Pregnant women in PR experienced CVDRF and these were more prevalent among women of older age. Studies are needed to confirm our findings and monitor the health of women at high risk of CVD during postpartum.
Social Desirability and Central Tendency Bias in the Survey and Variation of Life Satisfaction
Authors: Klement Johannes
Published: March 2023

Although life satisfaction is an empirically well-studied happiness concept, there are still
open questions regarding the variation in life satisfaction and the influence of variables
not included in data sets such as the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). In this
article, I use data from the SOEP to examine the extent to which the variation in life
satisfaction is influenced by biases resulting from the design of the life satisfaction survey.
Using a variety of methodological approaches, including distributional analysis, descriptive
statistics, Markov transition probabilities and logistic regression, I examine the extent to
which possible biases due to central tendency or social desirability affect the variation in
life satisfaction. This leads me to the following conclusions:
1. People who are interviewed in the presence of an interviewer are more satisfied with
their lives than people who are interviewed in writing without an interviewer. This
suggests that people express themselves more positively about their well-being in
the presence of others.
2. On the 11-point life satisfaction scale, defined as a whole number between 0 and
10, respondents prefer to choose points 5 and 8, which are the mid-points of the
scale, and they choose them more often than other points. This is important for
adaptation research: it suggests that people prefer to report life satisfaction that
is balanced between good and bad, leaving room for improvement even in satisfied
states. Social desirability and central tendency bias have a stronger influence on
the variation of life satisfaction than many of the happiness correlates examined. In
terms of growth in life satisfaction, point 8 seems to be the maximum on average.
A higher value is implausible based on the results of the study.
SDSCF Tracker: An improved deep learning-based approach to execute target tracking
Authors: GAUTAM AAYUSHI , Singh Sukhwinder
Published: March 2023

SDSCF tracker is a novel tracking via detection-based framework developed to address the problem of background clutter and reduced ID switches caused during tracking process. The entire mechanism is divided in three stages namely: detection stage followed by segmentation and tracking. Initially, the input sequence is fed to the improved YOLO-Lite detector to extract the primary bounding boxes. After the detection has been performed, all the objects inside the frames undergo segmentation to eliminate the redundancy and background clutter. By integrating instance segmentation post-detection and prior to tracking, the computational parameters reduce drastically for each frame. Next, the correlation filter-based tracker along with DeepSort performs object tracking. DeepSort performs very well on the frames containing detections even through lengthier stages of occlusion however, fails in case of similar looking objects resulting in ID switches. Correlation filter-based tracker counters the problem and keeps the track of each target even if it remains undetected in detection stage. New IoU’s for bounding boxes tracked by correlation tracker and bounding boxes tracked by DeepSort are computed and based on new IoU obtained, decision is made weather the target ID from DeepSort or correlation tracker is to be considered thereby preventing ID switching. Experimental evaluation carried out on MOT15, MOT16 and MOT17 shows that the proposed framework reduces the amount of ID switches by almost 53 % achieving highest MOTA and MOTP of 69.6% and 84.7% respectively.
BASALT refines binning from metagenomic data and increases resolution of genome-resolved metagenomic analysis
Authors: Qiu Zhiguang , Lian Chun-Ang , Yuan Li , Lin Bin , Chen Jie , Mu Rong , Qiao Xuejiao , Zhang Liyu , Xu Zheng , Fan Lu , Zhang Yunzeng , Wang Shanquan , Li Junyi , Cao Huiluo , Li Bing , Liu Yong-Xin , Shi Lili , Tian Yonghong , Ni Jinren , zhang Tong , Zhou Jizhong , Zhuang Weiqin , Yu Ke
Published: March 2023

Metagenomic binning is an essential technique for genome-resolved characterization of uncultured microorganisms in various ecosystems but hampered by the low efficiency of binning tools in adequately recovering metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). Here, we introduce BASALT (Binning Across a Series of Assemblies Toolkit) for binning and refinement of short- and long-read sequencing data. BASALT employs multiple binners with multiple thresholds to produce initial bins, then utilizes neural networks to identify core sequences to remove redundant bins and refine non-redundant bins. Using the same assemblies generated from Critical Assessment of Metagenome Interpretation (CAMI) datasets, BASALT produced up to twice as many MAGs as VAMB, DASTool, or metaWRAP. Processing assemblies from a lake sediment dataset, BASALT produced ~30% more MAGs than metaWRAP, including 21 unique class-level prokaryotic lineages. Functional annotations revealed that BASALT could retrieve 47.6% more non-redundant opening-reading frames than metaWRAP. These results highlighted the robust handling of metagenomic sequencing data of BASALT.
Finite element modeling and simulation of vacuum brazing processes with a focus on cycle-dependent component distortion
Authors: Tillmann Wolfgang , Henning Tim , Wojarski Lukas , Timmer Christian , Ontrup Finn
Published: March 2023

For the production of high-strength connections by brazing, it is very important to control component distortion and the gap size that depends on it. In particular, nickel-based filler metals will form brittle phases at larger gaps which extraordinarily reduce the joint strength. Thus, a model using fi nite element analysis was developed in Ansys Workbench to calculate the cycle-dependent component deformation of brazing assemblies during the joining process. At first, this cpaper describes the most important aspects to consider when simulating thermal radiation in a vacuum furnace from a constructive point of view. Furthermore, a new model strategy is shown which keeps the calculation times moderate by a clever choice of supports and boundary conditions. It could be shown that the component deformation during heating can be easily kept in the elastic range and can be almost completely eliminated by using a geometry-dependent soaking time. In contrast, high cooling rates were shown to result in thermally induced stresses well above the elastic yield limit, causing signifi cant component deformation. With further cooling, the deformation decreases signifi cantly, but it depends on the initial stress, the geometry and the cooling rate if the deformation can be completely leveled out during the shrinkage of the component. In addition, it was shown that the distortion of the component is highly aff ected by the local position in the heating chamber. As a result of the analyses, the simulation results were used to design a
fi xture for vertical positioning which signifi cantly reduced the distortion of the brazed component.
UV-A and UV-B combined with PAR intensity change in plant growth, total phenol, flavonoid, antioxidative and essential oil composition of Pelargonium graveolens
Authors: Jadidi Maryam , Mumivand Hasan , Nia Abdollah Ehtesham , Shayeganfar Alireza , Maggi Filippo
Published: March 2023

Background
Different wavelengths of solar radiation incident on earth [herein: Photosynthetically Active Radiation )PAR(,Ultra Violet-A )UV-A( and Ultra Violet-B (UV-B)] and their spectral balance not only have an impact on plants′ growth, morphology and physiology, but also have been shown to be important for the quality and quantity of secondary metabolites produced by plants.
Material and Methods
In this outdoor study we addressed the effects of PAR intensity and UV on the growth, yield, antioxidative, phenolic, flavonoids and essential oil production of Pelargonium graveolens L’Hér. The experiment was performed as split plots in a randomized complete block design with three replications. During the growth, two PAR intensities (ambient PAR and reduced PAR) and four UV treatments (ambient UV, enhanced UV-A, enhanced UV-B and enhanced UVA + B) were applied.
Results
High PAR intensity declined the length and width of leaf, the height of plant and fresh weight of aerial part, but increased dry weight of aerial part. Enhanced UV-B irradiation was associated with reduced plant height, leaf expansion and fresh and dry weight of aerial part. Interestingly, negative influence of enhanced UV-B radiation on morphology and growth of plant was largely alleviated by high PAR intensity. The amount of total phenols and flavonoids, antioxidant activity and essential oil production of P. graveolens strongly increased with both enhanced UV-B irradiation and high PAR. On the contrary, UV-A radiation did not significantly influence total phenols, flavonoids, antioxidant activity and essential oil. Moreover, the combination of high PAR intensity and enhanced UV-B led to further increases in total flavonoid content and the antioxidant capacity. Both high PAR intensity and enhanced UV-B increased the percentage of geraniol in essential oil, leading to a slight reduction of C/G ratio.
Conclusions
Considering that the lower C/G ratio is the most important indicator of the high economic value of rose geranium essential oil, reducing C/G ratio under enhanced UV-B radiation and/or high PAR is likely to be favorable. Overall, we conclude that PAR and UV-B irradiation, as two important environmental factors, have positive effects on the quality and quantity of rose geranium secondary metabolites.
Rapid Design of Top-Performing Metal-Organic Frameworks with Qualitative Representations of Building Blocks
Authors: Chen Wei , Comlek Yigitcan , Pham Thang , Snurr Randall
Published: March 2023

Data-driven materials design often encounters challenges where systems require or possess qualitative (categorical) information. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an example of such material systems. The representation of MOFs through different building blocks makes it a challenge for designers to incorporate qualitative information into design optimization. Furthermore, the large number of potential building blocks leads to a combinatorial challenge, with millions of possible MOFs that could be explored through time consuming physics-based approaches. In this work, we integrated Latent Variable Gaussian Process (LVGP) and Multi-Objective Batch-Bayesian Optimization (MOBBO) to identify top-performing MOFs adaptively, autonomously, and efficiently without any human intervention. Our approach provides three main advantages: (i) no specific physical descriptors are required and only building blocks that construct the MOFs are used in global optimization through qualitative representations, (ii) the method is application and property independent, and (iii) the latent variable approach provides an interpretable model of qualitative building blocks with physical justification. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, we considered a design space with more than 47,000 MOF candidates. By searching only ~ 1% of the design space, LVGP-MOBBO was able to identify all MOFs on the Pareto front and more than 97% of the 50 top-performing designs for the CO2 working capacity and CO2/N2 selectivity properties. Finally, we compared our approach with the Random Forest algorithm and demonstrated its efficiency, interpretability, and robustness.
Application of adaptive moving object detection and edge calculation in Police Physical Education Training app course
Authors: Zhen Lifang
Published: March 2023

Nowadays, the theoretical knowledge and computer skills of digital signal processing are increasing year by year, the mode of combining moving target detection industry and edge computing gradually occupies an important position in the research process of processing and pattern recognition in various application fields. For moving target detection and edge algorithm, this paper proposes a technical method based on Gaussian mixture background model and filtering, which combines moving target detection and edge calculation. This method changes the learning rate mechanism of the traditional weight in the background model updating, so that the background model can be continuously effective. Then the motion information and centroid position information of the detected moving target are taken as the initial input data of the filter, so that the filter can start tracking the target. Finally, by analyzing and understanding the development history of Chinese police sports, analyzing the current situation of police sports teaching and training in Chinese public security colleges, we find the problems existing in police sports teaching and training in public security colleges, and use target detection and edge algorithm. Carry out actual calculation in the police sports teaching app, adjust the curriculum objective system of police sports teaching, update the teaching content, reform the teaching methods, reposition the police sports teaching curriculum, build a high-quality teaching team, fully improve the theoretical system of police sports quality education in public security colleges, and cultivate a large number of compound and applied public security talents with strong comprehensive quality and ability.
Biochar supported nanoscale zero-valent iron for the kinetics removal and mechanism of decabromodiphenyl ethane in the sediment
Authors: Lu Cong , Zhao Xuan , Qiao Zhihua , Luo Kailun , Zhou Shanqi , Fu Mengru , Peng Cheng , Zhang Wei
Published: March 2023

The extensive applications of decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), a novel brominated flame retardant, have induced its accumulation in sediment, which may have a great negative impact on the ecological environment. In this work, the biochar/nano-zero-valent iron materials (BC/nZVI) was synthesized to remove DBDPE in the sediment. Batch experiments were carried out to investigate the influencing factors of the removal efficiency, and kinetic model simulation and thermodynamic parameter calculation were performed. The degradation products and mechanisms were probed. The results indicated that the addition of 0.10 g·g− 1 BC/nZVI to the sediment with an initial concentration of 10 mg·kg− 1 DBDPE could remove 43.73% of DBDPE during 24 h. The water content of the sediment was a critical factor in the removal of DBDPE, which was optimal at 1:2 of sediment to water. The removal efficiency and reaction rate were enhanced by increasing dosage, water content, and reaction temperature or decreasing initial concentration of DBDPE based on the fitting results of the quasi-first-order kinetic model. Additionally, the calculated thermodynamic parameters suggested that the removal process was a spontaneously and reversibly endothermic reaction. The degradation products were further determined by GC-MS, and the mechanisms were presumed that DBDPE was debrominated to produce octabromodiphenyl ethane (octa-BDPE). This study provides a potential remediation method for highly DBDPE-contaminated sediment by using BC/nZVI.
Does Nebulized Unfractionated Heparin Cause changes in derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios in severe COVID-19 pneumonitis?
Authors: Thompson Cecily W. , Robinson Stacey-Ann M. , McIntosh Jevonne J. , Risden Jodian S. , White Dwayne R. , Morgan Keri S. , Beecher Tamara S.
Published: March 2023

Background: COVID-19 a multisystemic disorder caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus with deleterious and often fatal effects on respiratory function. Many therapeutic but expensive options have been presented. Unfractionated heparin is widely available and has been shown to have antiviral properties in vitro (by inhibiting the interaction of the spike protein of the coronavirus with ACE2), as well as anti-inflammatory, mucolytic and anticoagulant effects.
Objective: To conduct a retrospective cohort study on COVID-19 patients admitted to an isolation ward in Jamaica to determine if nebulized unfractionated heparin delivered to patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonitis would influence the derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), a predictor of infection severity that was routinely measured.
Methods: Study participants were hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonitis, confirmed by polymerase chain reaction, between August 4, 2021 and November 13, 2021 and managed by anaesthesiologists. All had SpO2 < 92% on room air at admission. Patients received a standard COVID-19 care management protocol, as per the national guidelines of Jamaica. Seventeen patients with median (range)age 53 (35-67) years received nebulized unfractionated heparin (the study group); and seventeen patients with median (range) age 53 (38-67) years were not given nebulized unfractionated heparin (the control group). Derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios were observed daily over a 15-day period and tabulated and charted using stacked line graphs and box plots to compare changes in the variable between the groups.
Results: The demographics and illness severity were comparable for the groups. Stacked line graphs of the dNLR in each group indicated a more rapid decline in the group treated with nebulized unfractionated heparin than in the control group. Univariate analysis using box plots of serial dNLR changes showed larger interquartile ranges, longer whiskers, higher means and medians in the control group than in the study group.
Conclusions: Participants treated with nebulized unfractionated heparin had a sharper decline in dNLR than patients who did not receive this therapy. There was a less varied, more predictable serial dNLR response in the study group than in the control group. Larger studies should explore the clinical implications of this finding.
Boron alleviates the aluminum toxicity in buckwheat by regulating antioxidant defense system and maintaining osmotic balance
Authors: Ge Jiahao , Wang Qi , Xu Xiaoying , Lei Xinhui , Tao Jincai , Gao Feng , Gao Xiaoli , Yang Pu , Gao Jin Feng
Published: March 2023

Aluminum (Al) pollution in acidic soils has become a serious environmental problem worldwide. Boron can help plants mitigate aluminum phytotoxicity in acidic soils, but its underlying mechanism in buckwheat remains completely unknown. In this study, the buckwheat germination and greenhouse pot experiments were carried out under the conditions of four Al concentrations (0, 5, 10, and 15 mM) and four boron concentrations (0, 10, 30, and 50 µM). This research aimed to investigate the mitigation effect of exogenous boron on the Al toxicity of buckwheat and reveal the mechanism from the aspects of growth characteristics, antioxidant enzyme system, and osmotic regulation. The results showed that boron supply reduced the accumulation of Al in buckwheat roots, increased the antioxidant enzyme activity and the content of osmotic adjustment substances in roots and leaves, reduced the Al damage to root and leaf cells, maintained the osmotic balance of the cells, improved the root activity and the content of leaf photosynthetic pigment, ultimately leading to a significant increase in buckwheat biomass. In conclusion, different levels of boron treatment increased the tolerance of buckwheat root and leave to Al toxicity, and had a promoting effect on the growth of buckwheat. Therefore, applying boron is a promising green remediation technique to improve crop tolerance in Al-contaminated acidic soil.
Significance of metastatic lymph nodes ratio in overall survival for patients with resected Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Lin Xiaoping , Yao Jianfeng , Huang Baoshan , Chen Tebin , Huang Rongfu
Published: March 2023

Background: TNM stage is widely applied to classify lung cancer and the foundation of clinical decisions. However, increasing studies have pointed out that this staging system is not precise enough especially for the N status. In this study, we aim to build a convenient survival prediction model that incorporated the current items of lymph node status.
Methods: We collected data of resectable NSCLC(IA-IIIB) patients from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2006-2015). X-tile program was applied to calculate the optimal threshold of metastatic lymph nodes ratio (MLNR). Then, independent prognostic factors were determined by multivariable cox regression analysis and enrolled to build a nomogram model. The calibration curve as well as the concordance index(C-index ) were selected to evaluate the nomogram. Finally, patients were grouped based on their specified risk points and divided into three risk levels. The prognostic value of MLNR and examined lymph nodes number (ELNs) were presented in subgroups.
Results: 40853 NSCLC patients after surgery were finally enrolled and analyzed. Age, metastatic lymph nodes ratio, histology type, adjuvant treatment, and AJCC 8th T stage were deemed as independent prognostic parameters after multivariable cox regression analysis. Nomogram was built using those variables and its efficiency in predicting patients’ survival was better than the conventional AJCC stage system after evaluation. Our new model has a significant higher concordance index(C-index) (training set,0.683 v 0.641, respectively; P<0.01; testing set, 0.676 v 0.638, respectively; p<0.05). Similarly, the calibration curve shows the nomogram was in better accordance with the actual observation in both cohorts. And then, after risk stratification, we found MLNR is more reliable than ELNs in predicting overall survival(OS).
Conclusions: We developed a nomogram model for NSCLC patients after surgery. This novel and useful tool outperforms the widely used TNM staging system and could benefits clinicians in treatment options and cancer control.
Excess mortality and COVID-19 lockdowns: Results from mixed-effects modelling for Thailand
Authors: Lacaza Rutcher , Lapitan Pamela , Kochhar Nishtha , Tan Elaine S. , Thomas Milan
Published: March 2023

Accurate mortality data are critical for understanding the impact of COVID-19 and learning lessons from crisis responses. But official statistics risk undercounting deaths due to limited testing and underreporting, especially in developing countries. Thailand has experienced four COVID-19 waves and used a color-coded, province-level system for lockdowns. To account for deaths directly and indirectly caused by COVID-19, this paper uses mixed-effects modelling to estimate counterfactual deaths from January 2020 to December 2021 and construct a monthly time series of provincial excess mortality. The model reveals that excess mortality was much higher than official figures, with the largest undercounting for males and the elderly. Then, recently developed panel regression methods are used to characterize the correlations among restrictions, mobility, and excess mortality. The findings suggest that lockdowns stemmed excess mortality with a three-month lag.
The Prophylactic Effect of Topical Ketorolac Tromethamine on Macular Thickening after Phacoemulsification in Diabetic Patients
Authors: Mohammad-Rabei Hossein , Sabbaghi Hamideh , Emamverdi Mehdi , Karimi Saeed , Ramezani Alireza , Nikkhah Homayoun , Kheiri Bahareh , Yaseri Mehdi , Sheibani Kourosh , Bahreini Razieh
Published: March 2023

Background: To determine the prophylactic effect of ketorolac tromethamine0.5% in preventing post-phacoemulsification macular thickening. This randomized clinical trial. patients randomized 1:1 to receive either topical ketorolac three times a day or a placebo.
Methods: A total of 101 eyes of 101 diabetic patients who were scheduled for phacoemulsification and had normal macular contour and thickness enrolled consecutively. The topical ketorolac and placebo were prescribed on the day before surgery and continued up to 4 weeks after surgery. Patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a history of intravitreal injection in less than three months, a history of macular photocoagulation in less than 6 months, and any other concomitant ocular pathologies were excluded. Central macular thickness (CMT) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was recorded in the follow-ups of 6, 12, and 24 weeks after the surgery and compared with the controls.
Results: 49 eyes in the case group and 52 eyes in the control group were analyzed.Mean BCVA was significantly improved in both groups at all follow-ups (P<0.001 for all). There was no statistically significant difference regarding the BCVA in different time points except week 12 (P=0.028) among the study group. In the case and control groups, CMT was increased at all follow-ups (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference when comparing the two groups regarding the mean of CMT at any time point postoperatively (P>0.05 for all).
Conclusion: Based on our findings, topical ketorolac tromethamine 0.5% is not effective in the prevention of post-phacoemulsification macular thickening in diabetic patients.
Trail registration: The study protocol was registered into www.clinicaltrial.gov with the RCT registration number NCT03551808. ( May 2018 )
A Tropic and Subtropics 2oC Difference Affecting the Spatiotemporal Distribution of Small Demersal Fish Assemblages - Central Western Taiwan Example
Authors: Chen Kuo-Shu , Chen Chiee-Young , Chang Yi , Chen Hsu-Sen , Chen Meng-Hsien
Published: March 2023

Two OR3 research vessel cruises were conducted at seven nearshore sites from north to south in the western coastal waters off Taiwan in May (late spring) and November (late autumn) 2019 in order to gain insights into the 2oC difference in the tropical-subtropical fish fauna. Totally, 37 families, 72 genera, and 99 taxas were recorded for the 1,809 fishes. Three fish assemblages, the North, South, and Fall-Zhuoshui River (ZRf) groups, were identified as eurythermal, stenothermal, and croaker communities. Their dominants, in rank order, were Tarphops oligolepis, Liachirus melanospilosa, Ostorhinchus fasciatus, and Trachinocephalus myops for the Northern eurythermal group, Arnoglossus tenuis, Eubleekeria splendens, and O. pleuron for the Southern stenothermal group, and Johnius taiwanensis, Chrysochir aureus, and Pennahia macrocephalus for the croaker-ZRf group. Their distribution was markedly correlated with the bottom water temperature, seafloor grain size and concentration of suspended solids. The influence of a 2oC difference on the tropic and subtropics demersal fish that could foresee the climate change of rising temperatures shaping fish communities. A flatfish, Liachirus melanospilos was distributed northward by 0.5oN and is suggested to be considered as an ecological indicator of the tropicalization of subtropical marine ecosystems in the future.
A massive interacting galaxy 525 million years after the Big Bang
Authors: Boyett Kit , Trenti Michele , Leethochawalit Nicha , Calabro Antonello , Metha Benjamin , Roberts-Borsani Guido , Dalmasso Nicolo , Yang Lilan , Santini Paola , Treu Tommaso , Jones Tucker , Henry Alaina , Mason Charlotte , Morishita Takahiro , Nanayakkara Themiya , Roy Namrata , Wang Xin , Fontana Adriano , Merlin Emiliano , Castellano Marco , Paris Diego , Bradac Marusa , Marchesini Danilo , Mascia Sara , Pentericci Laura , Vanzella Eros , Vulcani Benedetta
Published: March 2023

JWST observations confirmed the existence of galaxies as early as 300 million years and with a higher number density than what was expected based on galaxy formation models and Hubble Space Telescope observations. Yet, sources confirmed spectroscopically so far in the first 500 million years have estimated stellar masses below 5×108 M⊙, limiting the signal to noise ratio for investigating substructure. Here, we present a high-resolution spectroscopic and spatially resolved study of a rare bright galaxy at a redshift z = 9.3127±0.0002 (525 million years after the Big Bang) with an estimated stellar mass of (2.5+0.7 −0.5) × 109 M⊙, forming 25+3 −4 Solar masses per year and with a metallicity of about one tenth of Solar - lower than in the local universe for the stellar mass but in line with expectations of chemical enrichment in galaxies 1-2 billion years after the Big Bang. The system has a morphology typically associated to two interacting galaxies, with a two-component main clump of very young stars (age less than 10 million years) surrounded by an extended stellar population (130 ± 20 million years old, identified from modeling of the NIRSpec spectrum) and an elongated clumpy tidal tail. The observations acquired at high spectral resolution identify oxygen, neon and hydrogen emission lines, as well as the Lyman break, where there is evidence of substantial absorption of Lyα. The [O II] doublet is resolved spectrally, enabling an estimate of the electron number density and ionization parameter of the interstellar medium and showing higher densities and ionization than in analogs at lower redshifts. For the first time at z > 8, we identify evidence of absorption lines (silicon, carbon and iron), with low confidence individual detections but signal-to-noise ratio larger than 6 when stacked. These absorption features suggest that Lyα is damped by the interstellar and circumgalactic medium. Our observations provide evidence of rapid and efficient built up of mass and metals in the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang through mergers, demonstrating that massive galaxies with several billion stars are present at earlier times than expected.
Prediction and Suppression of Chaotic Flutter in Wind Turbines
Authors: Meehan Paul Anthony
Published: March 2023

Chaotic motion in a fluttering wind turbine blade is investigated using an efficient analytical predictive model that is then used to suppress the phenomenon. Flutter is a dynamic instability of an elastic structure in a fluid, such as an airfoil section of a wind turbine blade. It is presently modelled using generalised two degree of freedom coupled modes of a blade airfoil section (pitch and plunge) combined with local unsteady aerodynamics, based on flutter derivatives and a continuous bilinear lift curve under damping. The mode coupling causes instability and limit cycle behaviour due to a Hopf bifurcation that may lead to period doubling and chaotic behaviour after the critical flutter speed. New closed form conservative analytical conditions for blade flutter chaos are identified and discussed for the wind turbine section taking into account the blade geometry and optimal design of the wind turbine. These predictions are numerically verified for a range of conditions including stall slope and damping. The results confirm that blade flutter chaos can occur due to nonlinearities in the aerodynamics i.e. due to a bilinear lift law. This phenomenon is then suppressed to unrealistically high wind speeds and/or eliminated by quantified variation of system parameters using the predictive model. The results show that small changes in tip speed ratio (-15%) and stall slope factor (-17%) can eliminate or suppress chaotic flutter while in general larger changes in dynamic parameters (ie mass, stiffness, damping) are required to achieve the same, by detuning the coupled plunge and pitch natural frequencies or damping out overlapping parametric resonances. General insight is also provided into the occurrence and suppression of airfoil flutter chaos in aeroelastic structures like wind turbines.
Color Stability of Nanohybrid and Microhybrid Composites in Common Yemeni Immersion Media Including Qishr, Coffee, and Qat: A Laboratory-Based Study
Authors: Al-Shami Ahlam Mohammad , Alshami Mohammad Ali , Al-Kholani Abdulwahab I. , Al-Sayaghi Amat Alkhaliq
Published: March 2023

Background:This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the color stability of microhybrid and nanohybrid restorative composites after exposure to immersion media common in Yemen for different periods.Methods:Two composite materials, nanohybrid Tetric N-Ceram and microhybrid Te-Econom Plus, were investigated. Six groups of 30 cylindrical specimens (n = 5/group; diameter, 10 mm; thickness, 2 mm; shade A2) of each restorative material were immersed for 1 week in distilled water, qat solution, Yemeni coffee, traditional Yemeni coffee (qishr), red tea, and Dilsi cola. Color changes were evaluated by colorimetry. The color data and pH were measured before immersion and after 1, 3, and 7 d. Three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by one-way ANOVA and Scheffé test was used for statistical analysis.Results:Tetric N-Ceram showed lesser discoloration than did Te-Econom Plus. Qat, coffee, and red tea caused highly significant discoloration compared with Dilsi cola and distilled water (p < 0.05). The role of low pH in discoloration depended on the colorant.Conclusions:Nanohybrid Tetric N-Ceram composites are more resistant to discoloration than are microhybrid Te-Econom Plus composites. Qat and coffee had the highest effect on composite discoloration. These findings will aid in selecting composite materials and patient instruction. Trial registration: NA