bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of the common differentially expressed genes and pathogenesis between neuropathic pain and aging
Authors: Ye Qingqing , Huang Zhensheng , Lu Weicheng , Yan Fang , Zeng Weian , Xie Jingdun , Zhong Weiqiang
Published: October 2022

Background

Neuropathic pain is a debilitating disease caused by damage or diseases of the somatosensory nervous system. Previous research has indicated potential associations between neuropathic pain and aging. However, the mechanisms by which they are interconnected remain unclear. In this study, we aim to identify the common differentially expressed genes (co-DEGs) between neuropathic pain and aging through integrated bioinformatics methods and further explore the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Methods

The microarray datasets GSE24982, GSE63442, and GSE63651 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and co-DEGs were first identified. Functional enrichment analyses, protein-protein Interaction (PPI) network, module construction and hub genes identification were performed. Immune infiltration analysis was conducted. Targeted transcription factors (TFs), microRNAs (miRNAs) and potential effective drug compounds for hub genes were also predicted.

Results

A total of 563 and 1,250 DEGs of neuropathic pain and aging were screened, respectively. 16 genes were further identified as co-DEGs. The functional analysis emphasizes the vital roles of the humoral immune response and complement and coagulation cascades in these two diseases. Cxcl14, Fblim1, RT1-Da, Serping1, Cfd, and Fcgr2b were identified as hub genes. Activated B cell, mast cell, activated dendritic cell, CD56 bright natural killer cell, effector memory CD8 + T cell, and type 2 T helper cell were significantly up-regulated in the pain and aging condition. Importantly, hub genes were found to correlate with the activated B cell, activated dendritic cell, Gamma delta T cell, central memory CD4 + T cell and mast cell in pain and aging diseases. Finally, Spic, miR-883-5p, and miR-363-5p et al. were predicted as the potential vital regulators for hub genes. Aldesleukin, Valziflocept, MGD-010, Cinryze, and Rhucin were the potential effective drugs in neuropathic pain and aging.

Conclusion

This study identified co-DEGs, revealed molecular mechanisms, demonstrated the immune microenvironment, and predicted the possible TFs, miRNAs regulation networks and new drug targets for neuropathic pain and aging, providing novel insights into further research.
Different dissipation potential and dietary risk assessment of tristyrylphenol ethoxylates in cowpea ecosystem in China
Authors: Li Minjie , Wang Qi , Li Xiaohui , Yue Ning , Jin Maojun , Zheng Lufei , Wang Jing , Jin Fen
Published: October 2022

Tristyrylphenol ethoxylates (TSPEOn) are widely used as inert ingredients in pesticide formulations in the world. However, the information on the dissipation behavior of different homologs TSPEOn in agro-products is lacking. To investigate the dissipation behavior of TSPEOn, a cowpea field experiment treated with TSPEOn at different doses was carried out in Guangdong province, China. Different 24 TSPEO homologs were all detected in cowpea from the field terminal residue experiments, and the total concentrations of TSPEO homologs in cowpea were 40.0–1,374 μg/kg. The dissipation half-lives of 24 TSPEO homologs in soil were 1.51–2.35 times longer than those in cowpea. The long-chain homologs TSPEOn were dissipated faster than the short-chain homologs TSPEOn, suggesting a homolog-specific degradation of the TSPEOn in the cowpea ecosystem. The characteristic bimodal profiles of TSPEOn (n = 6–29) differing from that of the commercial TSPEOn were observed in the cowpea terminal residues experiment, indicating that the long-chain TSPEOn would degrade to short-chain TSPEOn in cowpea and soil. The acute and chronic dietary exposure risks of ΣTSPEOn in cowpea are within acceptable margins for human consumption across different ages and genders. But the health risks to children should be noticed in future.
The synergism of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases with lichenase and their co-immobilization on silica nanospheres for green conversion of lichen biomass
Authors: Cai Lixi , Zheng Ying , Chu Yunmeng , Lin Yuanqing , Liu Lixing , Zhang Guangya
Published: October 2022

Enzyme-assisted valorization of lichenan represents a green and sustainable alternative to the conventional chemical industry. The recently discovered lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are essential components of state-of-the-art enzyme cocktails for lichenin bioconversion. The LPMOs named SpyTag fused LPMOs (AST) from Chaetomium globosum was functionally expressed in E. coli and exhibited 1.25-fold synergism with lichenase, whereas AST alone produced no detectable reducing sugars. HPLC results further confirm that AST does not alter the endogenous hydrolysis mode of lichenase but rather enhances its hydrolysis efficiency by disrupting the long chain of lichenan and releasing more reducing ends. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first report on the synergistic effect of LPMOs and lichenase, which may have great synergistic potential in the conversion of lichen biomass. Furthermore, a novel strategy for the covalently immobilizing AST and lichenase on silica nanoparticles (SNPs) from the cell lysate in a single step was proposed, which exhibited high activity recovery (82.9%) and high immobilization yield (94.8%). After 12 independent runs, about 67.4 % of the initial activity of the immobilized enzymes was retained. The resulted biocatalyst systems exhibited the green and sustainable strategy in the bioconversion of lichen biomass as well as other diverse polysaccharides.
Hyperspectral dimension reduction and navel orange surface disease defect classification using independent component analysis-genetic algorithm
Authors: Li Jing , He Liang , Liu Muhua , Chen Jinyin , Xue Long
Published: October 2022

Canker is a common disease of navel oranges that is visible before harvest, and penicilliosis is a common disease occurring after harvest and storage. In this research, the typical fruit surface, canker spots, penicillium spore, and hypha of navel oranges were, respectively, identified by hyperspectral imaging. First, the light intensity on the edge of samples in hyperspectral images was improved by spherical correction. Then, independent component images and weight coefficients were obtained using independent component analysis. This approach, combined with use of a genetic algorithm, was used to select six characteristic wavelengths. The method achieved dimension reduction of hyperspectral data, and the testing time was reduced from 46.21 to 1.26 s for a self-developed online detection system. Finally, a deep learning neural network model was established, and the four kinds of surface pixels were identified accurately.
Inherited heterozygous Fanconi anemia gene mutations in a therapy-related CMML patient with a rare NUP98-HOXC11 fusion: A case report
Authors: Shen Kefeng , Zhang Meilan , Wang Jiachen , Mu Wei , Wang Jin , Wang Chunyan , Xing Shugang , Hong Zhenya , Xiao Min
Published: October 2022

Fanconi anemia (FA) genes play critical roles in the repair of DNA lesions. Non-FA (or underlying FA) patients harboring heterozygous germline FA gene mutations may also face an increased risk of developing bone marrow failure, primary immunodeficiency disease, and hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes. We report a female patient who suffered from ovarian cancer at 50 years of age. During the initial treatment, six cycles of docetaxel and carboplatin (DC) combination chemotherapy were administered followed by two cycles of docetaxel maintenance therapy. Then, she received a routine follow-up every 3 months for the next 3 years, and all the results of the examination and laboratory tests were normal. Unfortunately, at 54 years of age, she developed a secondary cancer of therapy-related (t-) chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (t-CMML). After two courses of a highly intensive induction chemotherapy regimen with DAC (decitabine) and HAA (homoharringtonine, cytarabine), the patient suffered from severe and persistent bone marrow failure (BMF). Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) of a panel of 80 genes was performed on her initial bone marrow aspirate sample and identified PTPN11, NRAS, and DNMT3A somatic mutations. In addition, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) revealed a rare NUP98-HOXC11 fusion. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) verified RAD51C, BRIP1, PALB2, and FANCG heterozygous germline mutations of the FA pathway, which were further confirmed in buccal swab samples by Sanger sequencing. For this patient, we hypothesized that an altered FA pathway resulted in genomic instability, hypersensitivity to DNA-crosslinking agents or cytotoxic chemotherapeutics, and unsuccessful DNA damage repair. Consequently, she developed ovarian cancer and secondary t-CMML and then suffered from BMF and delayed post−chemotherapy bone marrow recovery after several chemotherapy courses. This case highlights the importance of genetic counseling in patients with hematopoietic neoplasms with high clinical suspicion for carrying cancer susceptibility gene mutations, which require timely diagnosis and personalized management.
Real-world experience of emicizumab prophylaxis in young children with hemophilia A: retrospective data from China
Authors: Liu Guoqing , Huang Kun , Li Gang , Zhen Yingzi , Li Zhengping , Chen Zhenping , Wu Runhui
Published: October 2022

Background

As a new non-factor therapy for hemophilia A (HA), real-world study of emicizumab is still scarce. This study aimed to investigate the real-world use of emicizumab in Chinese boys with HA.

Methods

Patients with moderate or severe HA were enrolled at Beijing Children's Hospital. They take emicizumab weekly (3 mg/kg) for a month and then went into a maintenance period with a different dosing regimen. After obtaining platelet-poor plasma at end of the loading period and during the maintenance period, coagulation ability and FVIII inhibitor were determined using human and bovine chromogenic Bethesda assay. Patients' bleeding rates were calculated through patients' records from 24 weeks before to at least 6 months after the switch (to emicizumab).

Result

In total, 13 pediatric patients with HA (severe: moderate = 11:2) were enrolled in this study. The patients' age was 3.51 (0.73–6.65) years. Eight had FVIII inhibitors at enrollment and one of them developed FVIII inhibitors again during the switch. The coagulation level of the maintenance period was 19.6 (13.5–32.8) IU/dL (N = 10). The median dose of each emicizumab injection was 2.7 (1.3–3.8) mg/kg and the monthly consumption of emicizumab was 5.2 (3.2–6.8) mg/kg/month. After switching to emicizumab, reduced annualized bleeding rate (ABR) [0.5 (0–4) vs. 4 (0–18), P < 0.01], annualized joint bleeding rate (AJBR) [0 (0–1.1) vs. 1.0 (0–12), P < 0.01], and annualized spontaneous bleeding rate (ASBR) [0 (0–1) vs. 2.0 (0–18), P < 0.01] were observed. In patients with or without FVIII inhibitor, similar ABR [0.33 (0–4) vs. 0.5 (0–3), P = 0.78], AJBR [0 (0–1.1) vs. 0 (0–0.5), P = 0.63], and ASBR [0 (0–1) vs. 0 (0–1.5), P = 0.73] were also noticed. Five inhibitor-positive patients (at enrollment) all had their inhibitor titer reduced. In addition, all target joints vanished after switching to emicizumab.

Conclusion

Emicizumab could reduce bleeds in pediatric patients with/without FVIII inhibitors and eliminate target joints.
Survival for patients with metastatic colon cancer underwent cytoreductive colectomy in the era of rapid development of anticancer drugs: A real-world analysis based on updated population dataset of 2004–2018
Authors: Meng Guangran , Yang Shengtao , Chen Feixiang
Published: October 2022

Objective: Metastatic colon cancer (mCC) poses a great threat to the survival of patients suffering from it. In the past decade, many clinical trials have been carried out to improve the prognosis of patients with mCC. Numerous treatments have emerged, and satisfactory efficacy has been demonstrated in randomized phase III trials in highly selective patients with mCC. Our present study aims to investigate whether these therapeutic advances can be reflected to the broader mCC patients who performed cytoreductive colectomy.

Method: General and prognostic data for patients diagnosed with mCC who underwent cytoreductive colectomy between 2004–2018 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. The hazard ratio (HR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the influence of risk factors on prognosis.

Results: A total of 26,301 patients diagnosed with mCC treated with cytoreductive colectomy were included in this study. The median overall survival was 19 months (range, 17–23). The good prognosis was associated with patients diagnosed at the most recent year, younger age, non-black race, female, married, without previous history of malignancy, no second malignancy onset, descending/sigmoid/splenic flexure colon tumor, normal CEA levels at diagnosis, low primary tumor burden, T1/T2 stage, N0 stage, single organ metastasis, underwent surgical resection of synchronous distant metastatic lymph nodes or organs, a high number of lymph-node examinations, low positive lymph-node ratio and received adjuvant chemotherapy. The proportion of patients surviving for ≥24 months increased from 37% in 2004 to 44.2% in 2016 (p < 0.001), especially in ≤49 years patients [46.8% in 2004 to 57.8% in 2016 (p < 0.001)]. The percentage of patients who died within 3 months decreased between 2004 and 2018 (from 19.6% to 15.7%; p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Over a span of 15 years, the long-term survival has improved in real-world mCC patients who were treated with cytoreductive colectomy, especially among younger patients. However, the median overall survival remains not substantial.
Comparison of gross pathology inspection and 9.4 T magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of radiofrequency ablation lesions in the left ventricle of the swine heart
Authors: Odehnalová Eva , Valíková Lucia , Caluori Guido , Kulík Tomáš , Římalová Veronika , Jadczyk Tomasz , Dražanová Eva , Pavlova Iveta , Pešl Martin , Kubeš Václav , Stárek Zdeněk
Published: October 2022

Aims: Gross pathology inspection (patho) is the gold standard for the morphological evaluation of focal myocardial pathology. Examination with 9.4 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a new method for very accurate display of myocardial pathology. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that lesions can be measured on high-resolution MRI images with the same accuracy as on pathological sections and compare these two methods for the evaluation of radiofrequency (RF) ablation lesion dimensions in swine heart tissue during animal experiment.

Methods: Ten pigs underwent radiofrequency ablations in the left ventricle during animal experiment. After animal euthanasia, hearts were explanted, flushed with ice-cold cardioplegic solution to relax the whole myocardium, fixed in 10% formaldehyde and scanned with a 9.4 T magnetic resonance system. Anatomical images were processed using ImageJ software. Subsequently, the hearts were sliced, slices were photographed and measured in ImageJ software. Different dimensions and volumes were compared.

Results: The results of both methods were statistically compared. Depth by MRI was 8.771 ± 2.595 mm and by patho 9.008 ± 2.823 mm; p = 0.198. Width was 10.802 ± 2.724 mm by MRI and 11.125 ± 2.801 mm by patho; p = 0.049. Estuary was 2.006 ± 0.867 mm by MRI and 2.001 ± 0.872 mm by patho; p = 0.953. The depth at the maximum diameter was 4.734 ± 1.532 mm on MRI and 4.783 ± 1.648 mm from the patho; p = 0.858. The volumes of the lesions calculated using a formula were 315.973 ± 257.673 mm3 for MRI and 355.726 ± 255.860 mm3 for patho; p = 0.104. Volume directly measured from MRI with the “point-by-point” method was 671.702 ± 362.299 mm3.

Conclusion: Measurements obtained from gross pathology inspection and MRI are fully comparable. The advantage of MRI is that it is a non-destructive method enabling repeated measurements in all possible anatomical projections.
16S rRNA gene-based assessment of common broiler chicken sampling methods: Evaluating intra-flock sample size, cecal pair similarity, and cloacal swab similarity to other alimentary tract locations
Authors: Weinroth Margaret D. , Oakley Brian , Ramírez Gustavo A. , Reyes Arquimides , Harris Caitlin E. , Buhr R. Jeff
Published: October 2022

16S rRNA gene sequencing for characterization of microbiomes has become more common in poultry research and can be used to both answer specific research questions and help inform experimental design choices. The objective of this study was to use 16S rRNA gene sequencing to examine common sampling practices in broiler chicken studies such as: the required number of birds selected from a flock to adequately capture microbiome diversity, the differences between cecal pairs within the same bird, and whether cloacal swabs are representative of other alimentary tract (AT) locations. To do this, nine market age broilers were euthanized and immediately sampled in ten AT locations: crop, gizzard, proventriculus, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecal samples from each pouch, colon, and cloacal swab. DNA was extracted and subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing. Each location within the broiler AT hosts distinct microbial communities. When each sampling location was considered, it was found that sampling after 2.8 birds (range 2–4) resulted in less than 10% new amplicon sequencing variants (ASV) being added while sampling after 7.6 birds (range 6–10) increases new observed ASVs by less than 1%. Additionally, when cecal pairs from the same bird were evaluated, it was found that cecal pair mates are an adequate replication if interested in the total cecal microbiome but may be less useful if a rare lineage is of interest. Furthermore, when compared to other AT locations, the cecal microbiome was enriched in Firmicutes and Bacteroides while several lineages, most notably Lactobacillus, were under-represented. Finally, when cloacal swabs were compared to other AT locations, community similarity exhibited a direct distance relationship, i.e., the more aborad samples were the more similar they were to the swab. These findings indicate that while cloacal swabs can approximate overall changes in microbiome composition, they are not adequate for inferring changes to specific taxa in other parts of the AT tract—even those that are highly abundant within the microbial community. These data provide new insights guiding appropriate sample size selection within flocks and add to the consensus data regarding cecal pair similarity and destructive versus non-destructive sampling methods.
The role of plant hormones on the reproductive success of red and brown algae
Authors: Uji Toshiki , Mizuta Hiroyuki
Published: October 2022

Seaweeds or macroalgae are important primary producers that serve as a habitat for functioning ecosystems. A sustainable production of macroalgae has been maintained by a diverse range of life cycles. Reproduction is the most dynamic change to occur during its life cycle, and it is a key developmental event to ensure the species’ survival. There is gradually accumulating evidence that plant hormones, such as abscisic acid and auxin, have a role on the sporogenesis of brown alga (Saccharina japonica). Recent studies reported that 1-aminocylopropane-1-carboxylic acid, an ethylene precursor, regulates sexual reproduction in red alga (Neopyropia yezoensis) independently from ethylene. In addition, these macroalgae have an enhanced tolerance against abiotic and biotic stresses during reproduction to protect their gametes and spores. Herein, we reviewed the current understanding on the regulatory mechanisms of red and brown algae on their transition from vegetative to reproductive phase.
Mapping the knowledge domain of financial decision making: A scientometric and bibliometric study
Authors: Guo Lin , Cheng Junlong , Zhang Zhishuo
Published: October 2022

Based on a 12-year bibliographic record collected from the Web of Science (Thomson Reuters) database, the present study aims to provide a macroscopic overview of the knowledge domain in financial decision making (FDM). A scientometric and bibliometric analysis was conducted on the literature published in the field from 2010 to 2021, using the CiteSpace software. The analysis focuses on the co-occurring categories, the geographic distributions, the vital references, the distribution of topics, as well as the research fronts and emerging trends of financial related decision making. The steady increase of papers published year by year demonstrated the increasing interest on this topic at the international level. The scientometric analysis of the literature showed that financial decision, investment decision, and financing decision stood out of the crowd of the research on FDM, suggesting their important role in FDM and its research. The results of citation burst analysis predicted the focus of topics, i.e., the impact of individual differences such as financial literacy, gender and age on FDM in the coming years. Different from the traditional approach of literature review, this bibliometric analysis offers a scientometric approach to reveal the status quo and the development trend of FDM by macro and quantitative means. In addition, future research directions for the field are recommended.
Social insurance and earnings management: Too rich to be good
Authors: Bai Yunxia , Zhang Bofu
Published: October 2022

We examine the relationship between social insurance contributions and earnings management for publicly listed firms in China. Our empirical results show that the social insurance contributions burden significantly reduces the degree of earnings management by reducing the level of free cash flow. Additionally, the negative relation between social insurance contributions burden and earnings management is more pronounced when the internal and external social insurance pressures are high and when the firms are large non-state-owned enterprises. We also discuss the heterogeneity among firms for different financing constraints, external financing environment, regional marketization, and internal and external corporate governance. Finally, we further find that under the dual collecting system, although the social security administration is a better collecting agency, the local tax bureau acting with full responsibility is more effective than the collecting system.
Validity of social–emotional screening tool for newborns and infants: The effects of gender, ethnicity and age
Authors: Antoniou Faye , Al-Khadim Ghadah S.
Published: October 2022

The purpose of the present study was to test the measurement invariance of the baby pediatric symptom checklist (BPSC) across gender and age as a means to provide for valid comparisons in point estimates across groups. A secondary goal involved confirming the earlier identified factor structure and re-examining the presence of differentially item functioning in the BPSC across grouping variables. Participants were 601 children (322 boys and 279 girls) aged below 1 year (n = 294) and 1 year to 12 months (n = 307). Data were collected as part of the National Health Interview Survey in 2020. Results related to gender indicated satisfying all five levels of measurement and structural invariance. When testing measurement invariance across age groups, a few modifications were necessary. Specifically, partial metric invariance was satisfied after freeing slope estimates of items 1 and 2, partial scalar after freeing intercept terms of items 6 and 10, and partial residual invariance through freeing error terms of items 2 and 12. These non-invariant estimates, however, provide support for partial invariance and do not invalidate the comparison of latent means. The BPSC can be used for the valid assessment of social–emotional skills in infants up to the age of 18 months.
Dual-Brain Psychology: A novel theory and treatment based on cerebral laterality and psychopathology
Authors: Schiffer Fredric
Published: October 2022

Dual-Brain Psychology is a theory and its clinical applications that come out of the author's clinical observations and from the Split-brain Studies. The theory posits, based on decades of rigorous, peer-reviewed experiments and clinical reports, that, in most patients, one brain's cerebral hemisphere (either left or right) when stimulated by simple lateral visual field stimulation, or unilateral transcranial photobiomodulation, reveals a dramatic change in personality such that stimulating one hemisphere evokes, as a trait, a personality that is more childlike and more presently affected by childhood maltreatments that are usually not presently appreciated but are the proximal cause of the patient's symptoms. The personality associated with the other hemisphere is much more mature, less affected by the traumas, and less symptomatic. The theory can be applied to in-depth psychotherapy in which the focus is on helping the troubled side to bear and process the traumas with the help of the therapist and the healthier personality. A person's symptoms can be evoked to aid the psychotherapy with hemispheric stimulation and the relationship between the dual personalities can be transformed from conflicted and sabotaging to cooperating toward overall health. Stimulating the positive hemisphere in most therapy patients rapidly relieves symptoms such as anxiety, depression, or substance cravings. Two randomized controlled trials used unilateral transcranial photobiomodulation to the positive hemisphere as a stand-alone treatment for opioid cravings and both revealed high effect sizes. The theory is supported by brain imaging and rTMS studies. It is the first psychological theory and application that comes out of and is supported by rigorous peer-reviewed experimentation.
An SEM-ANN approach to evaluate public awareness about COVID, A pathway toward adaptation effective strategies for sustainable development
Authors: Sohail Muhammad Tayyab , Yang Minghui , Maresova Petra , Mustafa Sohaib
Published: October 2022

This study was conducted to evaluate public awareness about COVID with aimed to check public strategies against COVID-19. A semi structured questionnaire was collected and the data was analyzed using some statistical tools (PLS-SEM) and artificial neural networks (ANN). We started by looking at the known causal linkages between the different variables to see if they matched up with the hypotheses that had been proposed. Next, for this reason, we ran a 5,000-sample bootstrapping test to assess how strongly our findings corroborated the null hypothesis. PLS-SEM direct path analysis revealed HRP -> PA-COVID, HI -> PA-COVID, MU -> PA-COVID, PM -> PA-COVID, SD -> PA-COVID. These findings provide credence to the acceptance of hypotheses H1, H3, and H5, but reject hypothesis H2. We have also examined control factors such as respondents' age, gender, and level of education. Age was found to have a positive correlation with PA-COVID, while mean gender and education level were found to not correlate at all with PA-COVID. However, age can be a useful control variable, as a more seasoned individual is likely to have a better understanding of COVID and its effects on independent variables. Study results revealed a small moderation effect in the relationships between understudy independent and dependent variables. Education significantly moderates the relationship of PA-COVID associated with MU, PH, SD, RP, PM, PA-COVID, depicts the moderation role of education on the relationship between MU*Education->PA-COVID, HI*Education->PA.COVID, SD*Education->PA.COVID, HRP*Education->PA.COVID, PM*Education -> PA.COVID. The artificial neural network (ANN) model we've developed for spreading information about COVID-19 (PA-COVID) follows in the footsteps of previous studies. The root means the square of the errors (RMSE). Validity measures how well a model can predict a certain result. With RMSE values of 0.424 for training and 0.394 for testing, we observed that our ANN model for public awareness of COVID-19 (PA-COVID) had a strong predictive ability. Based on the sensitivity analysis results, we determined that PA. COVID had the highest relative normalized relevance for our sample (100%). These factors were then followed by MU (54.6%), HI (11.1%), SD (100.0%), HRP (28.5%), and PM (64.6%) were likewise shown to be the least important factors for consumers in developing countries struggling with diseases caused by contaminated water. In addition, a specific approach was used to construct a goodness-of-fit coefficient to evaluate the performance of the ANN models. The study will aid in the implementation of effective monitoring and public policies to promote the health of local people.
Perinatal intimate partner violence and postpartum contraception timing among currently married women in Southern Ethiopia: A multilevel Weibull regression modeling
Authors: Abota Tafesse Lamaro , Gashe Fikre Enqueselassie , Deyessa Negussie
Published: October 2022

Background

Adopting contraception on time is a critical intervention for postpartum women, but violence exposure around pregnancy may interfere with postpartum contraceptive use behaviors. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the time duration of the first modern contraceptive adoption and its individual-and community-level predictors among postpartum women in the Wolaita zone, South Ethiopia.

Methods

A community-based prospective follow-up study was conducted among 1,292 postpartum women nested in 38 “Kebles” (clusters) using multistage-clustered sampling techniques. A multilevel Weibull regression model was employed to investigate predictors of time-to-method initiation after childbirth using STATA Version 14. Kaplan-Meier curve and Wilcoxon log-rank test were used to estimate time-to-modern contraceptive use across different variables. All variables with p-values <0.05 were considered for multivariate analysis. Adjusted time ratios (ATR) with 95 % CI were computed using Weibull accelerated failure time models.

Results

Of the respondents, 62% (95% CI: 59.1–64.5) had started the first modern contraception within a year after childbirth. The restricted mean survival time-to-postpartum modern contraceptive use was 6.28 months. Being a rural dweller (aTR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.06–1.99) and living in the middle household wealth quintiles (aTR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.02–1.19) predicted longer time duration to adopt first modern contraception by 44 and 10%, respectively. The women from the community with a high early marriage (aTR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.01–1.28) took longer time to initiate modern postpartum methods. Furthermore, women who had no history of perinatal abuse took less time than those who had a history of abuse to start postpartum contraception (aTR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.66–0.78).

Conclusion

Rural residence, poor household wealth status, history of perinatal abuse, and a high rate of early marriage in the community are predicted to lengthen the time duration to start modern postpartum contraception. Thus, community-level women's empowerment, particularly among rural women and integration of intimate partner violence screening into family planning counseling throughout the continuum of care will likely to improve postpartum contraception timing.
Options for states to constrain pricing power of health care providers
Authors: Gudiksen Katherine L. , Murray Robert B.
Published: October 2022

Health care is becoming increasingly unaffordable for both individuals and employers and prices vary in nearly incomprehensible ways that do not correlate with quality. In many areas, consolidation of insurers and providers resulted in market failure that needs policy interventions. With federal gridlock, state policymakers are seeking options for controlling health care costs in markets where competition has failed. In this article, we discuss a spectrum of options that policymakers have to more directly control healthcare prices: (1) establishing a cost-growth benchmark, (2) creating a public option, (3) capping or establishing a default out-of-network payment rate for health care services, (4) creating affordability standards that authorize the insurance commissioner to reject contracts with excessive rate increases, (5) creating global budgets for hospital-based care, (6) capping excessive prices and/or tiering allowed rate updates, and (7) creating a population-based payment model. We provide a roadmap for state policymakers to consider these options, review the experiences with states who have tried these models, and discuss additional design considerations that policymakers should consider with any of these models. In the 1970's and 1980's, during a time of rapid growth in health care prices and spending, states took a decisive leadership role in developing regulatory models to curb the growth in health care costs and improve affordability for their citizens. It is time for states to lead the nation once again in addressing the current health care cost and affordability crisis in the U.S.
Artificial Intelligence and Social Networks Can Help to Protect the Famous Dugong
Authors: Mannocci Laura , Carcaillet Frédérique , Chaumont Marc , Givord-Coupeau Bérénice , Iovan Corina , Mouquet Nicolas , Raffard Emma , Ravera Julie , Peyre Yoorana , Ponce Apolline , Vigliola Laurent , Villon Sébastien , Mouillot David
Published: October 2022

Large land and ocean mammals, like elephants and whales, play essential roles in the environment but are severely threatened by human activities. Images taken from planes can be used to spot these animals from the air. However, these species are difficult to observe because they are rare and move a lot, so unfortunately there are not many images collected from planes that contain these species. Fortunately, however, people share many photos and videos of large animals on social networks because these animals are attractive. These images have been used by researchers to train a computer program to recognize an endangered ocean mammal: the dugong. The program found up to 79% of the dugongs present in images collected by a plane flying around the main island of New Caledonia, which is in the Pacific Ocean. The goal is to use this program to automatically count and map dugongs in New Caledonia.
Design and evaluation of a prototype solar energy driven onion curing system using CFD modeling
Authors: Zewdie Tewodros A. , Delele Mulugeta A. , Fanta Solomon W. , Vanierschot Maarten , Alemayehu Melkamu , Alemayehu Getachew , Adgo Enyew , Assaye Hirut , Verboven Pieter , Nicolai Bart M.
Published: October 2022

In developing countries like Ethiopia, where the time of harvesting coincides with the dry season, farmers cure onion bulbs naturally on the field. Field curing generally takes longer than artificial curing and results in more losses and reduced quality of the bulbs due to increased risks for infestations and uncontrolled suboptimal drying conditions. Large-scale artificial curing systems are expensive and electrical energy supply is limited in rural areas. A CFD model was employed to design an alternative and sustainable onion curing system that can be deployed on the field in rural areas. The developed CFD model was validated by comparing the predicted air velocity, temperature, and mass loss to measured values on a prototype curing system operated on a field in Ethiopia. A good agreement between the model and experimental value was observed for the time profiles of temperature at different positions in the bulk of onions during curing, expressed by a root mean square error of 1.1°C in the temperature range from 28 to 47°C, 0.16 m s−1 in the velocity range from 0.1 to 2.5 m s−1, and 0.565% for the mass loss that ranged up to 6.35%. The developed model was used to assess the air velocity, temperature, and relative humidity distribution in order to get an insight into the uniformity of curing of onion bulbs using the develop alternative curing system. For all of the examined curing durations, the drying air temperature variation inside 80% of the porous medium was < 3°C. In the remaining 20% of the porous medium, a temperature variation of up to 6°C was observed. Thus, the newly designed and developed curing system was found to cure the onion bulbs uniformly. Moreover, its performance was evaluated experimentally and the onions were cured to a desirable level of curing for long-term storage within a total curing duration of 48 h. It is vital to consider bulb shrinkage, particularly in the neck, in order to further improve the model mass loss prediction.
Review: Climate change resilience disconnect in rural communities in coastal Kenya. A rhetoric communication discord proliferated by COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ngare Innocent O. , Gikonyo Salome W. , Gathuku George N. , Ogutu Emma A.
Published: October 2022

The world has been hit by consequential pandemics in the past two millennia. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken center stage, paralyzing vulnerable communities in the global south impacted by unprecedented climate vagaries. The focus of this study is COVID-19 and climate resilience communication rhetoric. In this context, we embed this study in response to the resilience of rural livelihoods to the COVID-19 crisis and climate resilience education communication rhetoric. We posit our review based on the following questions: Has COVID-19 worsened the climate resilience pathway for rural communities in coastal Kenya? Is the COVID-19 pandemic a proxy for climate resilience in rural livelihoods? How does COVID-19 communication rhetoric undermine climate resilience for vulnerable coastal communities in Kenya? Through a resilient theoretical paradigm, we enclose our view based on the existing literature along with climate resilience and COVID-19 proliferation. In light of the current state of COVID-19, the focus has shifted to the pandemic that will cover climate resilience. From the review, climate resilience pathway has been impacted by corona virus with noted funding response variations, in addition, even with the corona virus pandemic, climate resilience communication should be on-going rather than sporadic. Increasing the discursive process about climate change challenges is critical among Kenyan coastal communities. We recommend inclusion of climate resilience communication in existing policy frameworks as a salient solution to notable information discourse bottlenecks.
Integrated analysis of lncRNA-mediated ceRNA network involved in immune regulation in the spleen of Meishan piglets
Authors: Shi Jing , Xu Chao , Wu Zhengchang , Bao Wenbin , Wu Shenglong
Published: October 2022

Meishan pigs are a famous local pig breed in China, with high fertility and early sexual maturity, and stronger immunity compared to other breeds. The spleen is the largest lymphoid organ in pigs and performs essential functions, such as those relating to immunity and haematopoiesis. The invasion of many pathogenic microorganisms in pigs is associated with spleen damage. Long non-coding RNAs participate in a broad range of biological processes and have been demonstrated to be associated with splenic immune regulation. However, the expression network of mRNAs and lncRNAs in the spleen of Meishan pigs remains unclear. This study collected spleen tissues from Meishan piglets at three different ages as a model, and mRNA and lncRNA transcripts were profiled for each sample. Additionally, 1,806 differential mRNAs and 319 differential lncRNAs were identified. A complicated interaction between mRNAs and lncRNAs was identified via WGCNA, demonstrating that lncRNAs are a crucial regulatory component in mRNA. The results show that the modules black and red have similar mRNA and lncRNA transcription patterns and are mainly involved in the process of the immune defense response. The core genes (DHX58 and IFIT1) and key lncRNAs (TCONS-00002102 and TCONS-00012474) of piglet spleen tissue were screened using the ceRNA network. The expression of these genes is related to the immune response of pigs. Our research may contribute to a further understanding of mRNA and lncRNA expression in the spleen of piglets, and provide new ideas to improve the disease resistance of piglets.
The Companion Pandemic to COVID-19: The Use of Informal Practices to Access Public Healthcare Services in the European Union
Authors: Horodnic Adrian V. , Williams Colin C. , Drugă Răzvan Ionuț
Published: October 2022

Objectives: The objective of this paper is to evaluate the use of informal payments and personal connections to gain preferential access to public health services during the COVID-19 pandemic and to propose effective policy measures for tackling this phenomenon.

Methods: Using data from 25,744 patients in the European Union, six different scenarios are analyzed in relation to making informal payments and/or relying on personal connections to access public healthcare services. To evaluate the propensity to engage in informal practices in healthcare, probit regressions with sample selection and predicted probabilities are used. Robustness checks are also performed to test the reliability of the findings.

Results: For each scenario, a statistically significant association is revealed between the propensity to make informal payments and/or rely on personal connections and the asymmetry between the formal rules and the patients’ personal norms and trust in public authorities.

Conclusion: To tackle informal practices in healthcare, policy measures are required to reduce the asymmetry between the formal rules and personal norms by raising trust in public authorities.
Comparison of Different Modeling Techniques for Flemish Twitter Sentiment Analysis
Authors: Reusens Manon , Reusens Michael , Callens Marc , vanden Broucke Seppe , Baesens Bart
Published: October 2022

Microblogging websites such as Twitter have caused sentiment analysis research to increase in popularity over the last several decades. However, most studies focus on the English language, which leaves other languages underrepresented. Therefore, in this paper, we compare several modeling techniques for sentiment analysis using a new dataset containing Flemish tweets. The key contribution of our paper lies in its innovative experimental design: we compared different preprocessing techniques and vector representations to find the best-performing combination for a Flemish dataset. We compared models belonging to four different categories: lexicon-based methods, traditional machine-learning models, neural networks, and attention-based models. We found that more preprocessing leads to better results, but the best-performing vector representation approach depends on the model applied. Moreover, an immense gap was observed between the performances of the lexicon-based approaches and those of the other models. The traditional machine learning approaches and the neural networks produced similar results, but the attention-based model was the best-performing technique. Nevertheless, a tradeoff should be made between computational expenses and performance gains.
Identity Management and Authentication of a UAV Swarm Based on a Blockchain
Authors: Han Pengbin , Sui Aina , Wu Jiang
Published: October 2022

In recent years, with the continuous development of UAV technology, the application of the UAV swarm in the military has been a global focus of research. Although it can bring a series of benefits in autonomous cooperation, the traditional UAV management technology is prone to hacker attacks due to many security issues, such as a single point of failure brought by centralized management and the lack of reliable identity authentication. This paper studies the advantages and the recent advances of the blockchain in UAV swarm, proposes a blockchain-based UAV swarm identity management model (B-UIM-M), and establishes a distributed identity authentication scheme based on the distributed identity identifier (DID) under this model. Moreover, to ensure the safe transmission of UAV communication data, a secure communication architecture based on blockchain and a set of secure transmission protocols were designed, combined with cryptography. In the current military field, there is no similar application case of the UAV swarm identity management model and distributed identity authentication. The feasibility and security of the proposed scheme are proved through experiments and security analyses.
Kinetic and Kinematic Characteristics of Setting Motions in Female Volleyball Players
Authors: Cabarkapa Damjana V. , Cabarkapa Dimitrije , Fry Andrew C. , Whiting Shay M. , Downey Gabriel G.
Published: October 2022

While being an integral part of both the offensive and defensive segments of the game, the biomechanical parameters of setting motions remain understudied in the scientific literature. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine differences in kinetic and kinematic characteristics between: (a) three types of setting motions (i.e., front, middle, back); (b) two types of setting approaches (i.e., stationary, step-in); and (c) proficient (PRO) and non-proficient (N-PRO) volleyball players. Twenty recreationally active females performed five stationary and five step-in setting approaches to Zone 4–2 in a randomized order. Uni-dimensional force plate sampling at 1000 Hz and high-definition camera recording at 30 fps were used to obtain kinetic and kinematic variables of interest. The total number of setting attempts performed by each subject was 30, accounting for a grand total of 600 attempts. PRO setters had less knee flexion, shoulder flexion, and ankle dorsiflexion at the initial concentric phase of the volleyball setting motion when compared to the N-PRO setters. Moreover, significantly greater peak concentric and landing forces, impulse, rate of force development, and vertical jump height were observed for PRO setters compared to N-PRO setters, while no significant differences were found between different setting targets and approaches.
The Mechanics of Bioinspired Stiff-to-Compliant Multi-Material 3D-Printed Interfaces
Authors: Frenkel Dolev , Ginsbury Eran , Sharabi Mirit
Published: October 2022

Complex interfaces that involve a combination of stiff and compliant materials are widely prevalent in nature. This combination creates a superior assemblage with strength and toughness. When combining two different materials with large stiffness variations, an interfacial stress concentration is created, decreasing the structural integrity and making the structure more prone to failure. However, nature frequently combines two dissimilar materials with different properties. Additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing have revolutionized our engineering capabilities concerning the combination of stiff and compliant materials. The emergence of multi-material 3D-printing technologies has allowed the design of complex interfaces with combined strength and toughness, which is often challenging to achieve in homogeneous materials. Herein, we combined commercial 3D-printed stiff (PETG) and compliant (TPU) polymers using simple and bioinspired interfaces using a fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer and characterized the mechanical behaviors of the interfaces. Furthermore, we examined how the different structural parameters, such as the printing resolution (RES) and horizontal overlap distance (HOD), affect the mechanical properties. We found that the bioinspired interfaces significantly increased the strain, toughness, and tensile modulus compared with the simple interface. Furthermore, the more refined printing resolution elevated the yield stress, while the increased overlap distance mostly elevated the strain and toughness. Additionally, 3D printing allows the fabrication of other complex designs in the stiff and compliant material interface, allowing various tailor-designed and bioinspired interfaces. The importance of these bioinspired interfaces can be manifested in the biomedical and robotic fields and through interface combinations.