bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease presenting as Korsakoff syndrome caused by E196A mutation in PRNP gene: A case report
Authors: Zhang Yong-Kang , Liu Jia-Rui , Yin Kang-Li , Zong Yuan , Wang Yu-Zhen , Cao Ye-Min
Published: August 2023

Insulin, a small protein with 51 amino acids synthesized by pancreatic β-cells, is crucial to sustain glucose homeostasis at biochemical and molecular levels. Numerous metabolic dysfunctions are related to insulin-mediated altered glucose homeostasis. One of the significant pathophysiological conditions linked to the insulin associated disorder is diabetes mellitus (DM) (type 1, type 2, and gestational). Insulin resistance (IR) is one of the major underlying causes of metabolic disorders despite its association with several physiological conditions. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is another pathophysiological condition that is associated with IR, hypertension, and obesity. Further, several other pathophysiological disorders/diseases are associated with the insulin malfunctioning, which include polycystic ovary syndrome, neuronal disorders, and cancer. Insulinomas are an uncommon type of pancreatic β-cell-derived neuroendocrine tumor that makes up 2% of all pancreatic neoplasms. Literature revealed that different biochemical events, molecular signaling pathways, microRNAs, and microbiota act as connecting links between insulin disorder and associated pathophysiology such as DM, insuloma, neurological disorder, MS, and cancer. In this review, we focus on the insulin-related disorders and the underlying mechanisms associated with the pathophysiology.
Black Pepper, Dietary Photochemicals in the Prevention of Diseases by Oxidative Stress (A-Review)
Authors: Noel Kevin Jordan , P Keerthivasan , V Srikanth V , Srimathi R.
Published: August 2023

Medicinal plants are widely valued and are of prime concern globally. Scientific exploration on the flora and fauna of the globe increased, identifying drawbacks in synthetic utility of drugs like poor absorption, high dose, low bioavailability, and poor patient compliance. Plant based pharmaceuticals are considered as an alternative therapy and phytochemicals are being approved as drugs. Our interest is to explore on the spice, Black pepper which is classified under safe herb by FDA. The literature studies are collected estimating the efficacy of the spice against a variety of disease conditions like asthma, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, inflammation, cancer, oxidative stress, gastrointestinal secretion, lipid metabolism, etc. In this review, we focussed on the scavenging capacity of black pepper in the abduction of free radicals. Increased in the production of free radicals is linked to causing oxidative stress in the body which is underlying cause for many lifestyle disorders like obesity, diabetes, congestive heart failure, myocardial ischemia, and different forms of cancer such as breast, prostate, lung, endometrial, skin, stomach, etc. This review focuses on the efficacy of black pepper and its relationship with many diseases.
Development in the Modification of Phenolic Resin by Renewable Resources: (A-Review)
Authors: Patel Meet , Yadav Mitali , Raj Mahendrasinh
Published: August 2023

Furfural and cashew nut shell liquid are both renewable resources that can be used for the manufacture of a multitude of useful products. Herein this review is studied to be made concerning the replacement of phenol and aldehyde compounds in the phenolic resin. Cardanol is a phenol-based by-product having an unsaturated alkyl chain and is thus a promising renewable substitute for the development of phenolic resin. This review focuses on the synthesis process of modified phenolic resin by renewable resources, which is further modified by epoxidation, esterification, urea-melamine modification etc. which improved thermal and adhesive and anti-corrosive properties. Mainly phenolic resin is used with natural and synthetic fiber reinforcement and hybrid fiber-reinforced composite, which promote improvements in mechanical properties.
Identification and Validation of Genotoxic Impurity in Ezetimibe by Reverse Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
Authors: Veeraswami Boddu , Ramarao Rayala
Published: August 2023

The method emphasizes identification and validation of potential Genotoxic impurity in pharmaceutical drug substances of Ezetimibe by Reverse Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The impurity was separated by using the Zorbax Rx Octylsilane (C8) HPLC column with 250 cm length and internal diameter of 4.6 mm with pore size 5 μm. The partition of impurity was operated at a significant pH 3.0 was maintained by buffer of 10% potassium dihydrogen phosphate and Acetonitrile with 80:20 ratio and the mobile phase is Acetonitrile with a gradient inflow of 1.5 mL/min. The UV absorption maximum were observed at 258 nm. The proposed approach shows the results of linear boundaries in between 0.16 μg/g to 7.5 μg/g with correlation coefficient is lower than 0.999. The method was further evident by accuracy results are in the region of 98.82% to101.04% for Genotoxic impurity of (5R, 6S)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-((S)-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-hydroxypropyl)-3-(2-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl)-6-(4hydroxyphenyl)di-hydropyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione. The approach was shown acceptable results as per International Council of Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines and the method was operated even at lower concentrations.
Fabrication and Electrochemical Investigation of RGO-NiO Nanocomposite Electrodes for Supercapacitor Applications
Authors: Subramanian Asa Palakkaden , Vidyadharan Anitha Kumary , Gopi Chithra Poomala
Published: August 2023

The present investigation details the hydrothermal production of RGO-NiO nanocomposite and examines the electrochemical performance of the composite electrode functioning on an adaptable carbon cloth substrate. The RGO-NiO nanostructures display incredible super-capacitive functionality when used in a two-electrode system with a 2 M KOH-PVA electrolyte. This is due to the unique characteristics of RGO, which functions as a flexible and expandable platform for creating NiO nanocrystals with a nanoscopic spherical morphology. Large surface areas in these nanostructures facilitate ion diffusion, which ultimately raises specific capacitance. The nanocomposite electrode as-prepared displays a robust two-electrode structure, a constant potential window between (0V and 0.45V), and specific capacitances of up to 749F/g from CV at a rate of scan of 5mV/s and 366F/g from GCD at 1A/g. 5000 cycles of cyclic stability were examined, and the capacitance retention was 91.23% after successive cycles.
Effect of Ag ion Implantation on the Crystallinity and Optical Property of Spin-coated TiO2 Thin Films
Authors: Kumar Sunil , Sharma Hansraj , Parsad Jagdish , Yadav Jagavendra , Singh Mangej
Published: August 2023

By using the spin coating method, Ag ion implanted TiO2 layers were deposited. These thin films were made on a glass substrate that had been meticulously cleaned. The characterization of synthesized Ag-dopped TiO2 thin films by XRD, UV-Vis spectrometer, and SEM with EDX. The outcomes demonstrated the presence of crystalline anatase phase and smooth surface morphologies in the Ag-TiO2 films that were annealed at 5000C. SEM results are utilized to investigate the surface morphology and element identification that has been verified by EDX analysis. The band gap for undoped TiO2 and silver-dopped TiO2 thin films is suggested by the UV-Vis investigation and we get it 2.88eV, 2.96eV, and 3.16eV subsequently. In addition, the findings showed that compared to undoped TiO2 films, the Ag-doped TiO2 film demonstrated higher photocatalytic activity.
Experimental Investigation of Inhibition on Mild Steel Corrosion in Two Different Acid Mediums by Synthesized Piperazin Derivatives
Authors: Vimala M. , Chandrasekaran V.
Published: August 2023

Corrosion prevention studies show a predominant trend in the recent era. Especially mild steel material was used in many industrial sectors because it has specific properties like malleability and ductility. Corrosion inhibition action of a novel synthesized N-(1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl)-2-[4-furan-2-carbonyl)piperazin-2-yl]acetamide (1,3BFCPA) compound was performed on MS-mild steel material in 1 N HCl and 1 N H2SO4 medium. Using the mass loss data, the inhibitor efficiency has been evaluated on both the acidic and alkaline mediums. The inhibitor shows a maximum inhibitor efficiency on both acidic mediums, but when comparing 1N sulfuric acid, it shows a better efficiency of 90%. Based on surface coverage analysis (ϴ) from mass loss data, adsorption isotherms were interpreted to fit the behavior of the inhibitor over the surface of MS material, which shows a Langmuir adsorption isotherm.
Analytical Method Development and Validation of Quetiapine Fumarate in API and Dosage form by Using RP–HPLC
Authors: Lingareddygari* Siva Sanker Reddy , Ravikrindhi Nageswara Rao
Published: August 2023

RP-HPLC method developed is a simple, precise and functional technique for the calculation of amount of Quetiapine fumarate from marketed tablets and bulk form. The RP-HPLC analysis was carried out on Hyper chrome ODS-BP 5µm column (4.6mm × 200mm) using a mobile phase 0.1% Orthophoshoric acid and Acetonitrile (80:20v/v) with pH 5.5. Quetiapine fumarate quantified by using UV detector at 210nm. The retention time of the Quetiapine fumarate was found to be 2.6 min. The linearity of the drug concentration ranges from 20-400µg/ml. The detection and quantification limits were intended at 3.70µg/ml and 12.35µg/ml. The precision, accuracy, specificity, robustness and degradation studies were validated.
Stereo Vision Controlled Variable Rate Sprayer for Specialty Crops: Part II. Sprayer Development and Performance Evaluation
Authors: Roman Carla , Jeon Hongyoung , Zhu Heping , Campos Javier , Ozkan Erdal
Published: August 2023

Highlights

A real time stereo vision controlled variable rate sprayer for specialty crops was developed.

The stereo vision system of the sprayer detected outdoor trees with similar canopy profiles under travel speeds ranging from 3.2 to 8 km h-1.

Canopy volume measurements of the sprayer were impacted by lateral distances between the sprayer and the tree center and travel speeds.

The sprayer required less than 200 ms from tree canopy detection to spray decisions.

The sprayer achieved spray volume reductions from 72.6% to 80.5% compared to constant rate spray application.

Abstract. A real time variable rate sprayer controlled by a stereo vision system was developed to increase the accuracy of spray applications and reduce the use of crop protection products. The sprayer was designed to detect tree canopies and calculate its volume using depth images from the stereo vision system, and discharge corresponding spray volumes every 200 ms through the embedded software in the graphical user interface. The sprayer was evaluated in an apple orchard at different travel speeds (3.2 to 8.0 km h-1) for its performance in detecting canopy and measuring its volume. In addition, spray volume, deposition, and coverage of the variable rate application of the sprayer were evaluated against a constant rate application. Test results showed that the sprayer detected visually similar tree canopies during the evaluations, although its canopy volume measurements deviated from manually measured canopy volume from 0.11 to 0.83 m3 due to lateral position changes of the sprayer. The sprayer adjusted duty cycles of pulse width modulated valves to accurately spray the intended volume for detected canopies (0.073 to 0.083 L m-3) and only used spray volumes of 19.5% to 26.7% compared to a constant rate spray application (338 L ha-1). The constant rate spray application generally had more spray deposition and coverage in tree canopies than the variable rate sprayer, as expected since its spray volume was approximately 3.7 times higher. However, the mean spray depositions from the constant rate spray application were significantly varied (p=0.05) by tree sizes, while the variable rate spray application achieved statistically equivalent mean spray depositions regardless of tree sizes. The stereo vision controlled sprayer offers a cost-effective real-time variable rate spray option for growers with the potential to perform other tasks by using image processing algorithms while applying crop protection products. Keywords: Automation, Canopy volume, Crop protection, Depth image, Orchard, Precision agriculture, Real-time application.
The History of Psychiatric Epidemiology in Finland: From National Needs to International Arenas, 1900s–1990s
Authors: Myllykangas Mikko , Parhi Katariina
Published: August 2023

summary: Psychiatric epidemiology has significantly influenced public health policies all around the world. This article discusses how Finnish epidemiologists reacted to local needs, which were born in specific circumstances and were controlled by science policy and funding opportunities. The development between the 1900s and 1990s is divided into three stages. The first Finnish studies in the field focused on the prevalence of mental illnesses in the country. The focus was to gain information for service planning, most of all to estimate the need for new hospitals and to set up the national social insurance system. After the Second World War, structural changes and social engineering fueled epidemiological interest. From the 1960s until the late 1980s, psychiatric epidemiology was interconnected with social psychiatry, which held a strong position in Finland. Since the 1990s, Finnish psychiatric epidemiology has been integrated with international epidemiology by using shared methodologies and through participation in transnational studies.
Stephen's Telescopic Imagination: Geography, Astronomy, and Spatial Analytics in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Authors: Hall Jason David
Published: August 2023

ABSTRACT: This essay considers possible sources for Stephen's list of coordinates in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man , suggesting that an intertext with the work of English astronomer Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer (1836-1920) provides not only a credible template but also a mode of imaginative "telescoping" that enables Stephen to develop imaginative "flight" as a complement to empirical, terrestrial observation and experience.
LÉ James Joyce 's Exiles
Authors: Szczeszak-Brewer Agata
Published: August 2023

ABSTRACT: This essay draws connections between exiles in Joyce's texts, LÉ James Joyce 's rescue missions, and twenty-first-century refugees. Joyce's Ulysses , as a meditation on exile understood expansively and inclusively, foreshadows and anticipates the contemporary refugee crises in Ireland, the rest of Europe, and elsewhere. In Ulysses and other works, Joyce links mythological wanderers (Odysseus-Stephen, Telemachus-Bloom) with historical exiles (the Jewish diaspora, Irish emigrants), bringing our attention to the metaphor of contamination in xenophobic rhetoric in turn-of-the-century Ireland. Ulysses and Finnegans Wake attempt to approximate the condition of cultural and linguistic displacement. The multi-lingual, multi-form, and multivoiced narratives echo the lived experiences of displaced people for whom communication often means survival. Nevertheless, the essay calls for a careful use of language about exile and migration. To discuss Joyce's voluntary migrations East in the context of the experiences of the Jewish diaspora in the twentieth century or the refugees from Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan—or now Ukraine—is to diminish the humanitarian crises and suffering of true exile-refugees.
‘Mutual Accommodation’: Clientelist Politics in South African School Education
Authors: Meny-Gibert Sarah
Published: August 2023

ABSTRACT: Whilst most post-apartheid public schools in South Africa remain significantly underfunded, the education budget nevertheless provides a significant injection of jobs and public spending into the provinces–into rural provinces with small economies especially. Based on research in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces, I show how a particular form of clientelist politics has taken root in the post-apartheid school education system–one locally organised around ‘promotional’ posts in schools, and disconnected from a clear state, party, or other organisational ‘centre’. Groups of locally organised unionists operate to secure preferential access to these posts, sometimes through the use or threat of violence, sometimes through collusion with district education officials, or with community members who might benefit from access to meagre school budgets. Attempts by residents to secure livelihood strategies in the context of poverty intersect with local strategies of upward mobility on the part of ordinary teachers, and in turn connect loosely, via patterns of ‘mutual accommodation’ with strategies of elite accumulation amongst senior politicians, administrators, and union leaders. In the case of the education sectors in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces at least, on which this article focuses, this constitutes a fragmented yet interlocking system of unstable governance. In this sense, I suggest that there is much in the dynamics of education governance that offers insight into wider patterns of state-society relations around the local state in South Africa.
Simple, low-cost, and well-performing optical phase-locked loop for frequency and phase locking of semiconductor lasers
Authors: Wang Fangda , Ma Weixin , Mei Feng , Ji Zhonghua , Su Dianqiang , Zhao Yanting , Xiao Liantuan , Jia Suotang
Published: August 2023

We demonstrate a simple, low-cost, and well-performing optical phase-locked loop (OPLL) circuit with ADF4007 as the phase frequency detector chip to achieve frequency and phase locking of two semiconductor lasers in both short and long terms. The measured short term performances, determined by fast feedback, show that the spectral width of the beat signal is low, around 1 Hz, and the residual phasing error is 0.04rad2. The measured long term performances, determined by slow feedback, show that the drift of the central frequency of the beat signal is within 1.1(1) Hz in 2 h, and the derived Allan deviation is less than 0.4 Hz within all integration times of up to 1000 s. The phase noise measurement shows a suppression of phase noise of the beat signal from free running to closed-loop OPLLs in a Fourier frequency of 10 Hz–20 kHz. These measurements show that the OPLL circuit we modified can fit most scientific experiments requiring a fixed frequency difference and phase coherence.
Near-noiseless and small-footprint phase sensitive optical parametric amplifier using AlGaAs-on-insulator waveguides
Authors: Xie Zhuang , Jia Shuaiwei , Shao Wen , Han Xiaotian , Su Yulong , Meng Jiacheng , Gao Duorui , Wang Wei , Xie Xiaoping
Published: August 2023

Phase sensitive amplifiers (PSAs) based on optical parametric amplification feature near noiseless amplification, which is of considerable benefit for improving the performance of optical communication systems. Currently, the majority of research on PSAs is carried out on the basis of highly nonlinear fibers or periodically poled lithium niobite waveguides, with the impediments of being susceptible to environmental interference and requiring complex temperature control systems to maintain quasi-phase matching conditions, respectively. Here, a near-noiseless and small-footprint PSA based on dispersion-engineered AlGaAs-on-insulator (AlGaAsOI) waveguides is proposed and demonstrated theoretically. The phase-dependent gain and the phase-to-phase transfer function of the PSA are calculated to analyze its characteristics. Furthermore, we investigate in detail the effects of linear loss, nonlinear coefficient, and pump power on the PSA gain and noise figure (NF) in AlGaAsOI waveguides. The results show that a PSA based on an AlGaAsOI waveguide is feasible with a maximum phase sensitive gain of 33 dB, achieving an NF of less than 1 dB over a gain bandwidth of 245 nm with a gain of >15dB, which completely covers the S + C + L band. This investigation is worthwhile for noiseless PSAs on photonic integrated chips, which are promising for low-noise optical amplification, multifunctional photonic integrated chips, quantum communication, and spectroscopy, and as a reference for low-noise PSAs depending on the third-order nonlinearity, χ(3), of the waveguide material.
Rapid and high-precision displacement sensing based on the multiple mode dip areas in a SNAP microresonator
Authors: Dong Yongchao , Li Yongkang , Wang Jiebo , Huang Shihao , Zhang Shuai , Wang Han
Published: August 2023

Whispering gallery mode (WGM) microresonators offer significant potential for precise displacement measurement owing to their compact size, ultrahigh sensitivity, and rapid response. However, conventional WGM displacement sensors are prone to noise interference, resulting in accuracy loss, while the demodulation process for displacement often exhibits prolonged duration. To address these limitations, this study proposes a rapid and high-precision displacement sensing method based on the dip areas of multiple resonant modes in a surface nanoscale axial photonics microresonator. By employing a neural network to fit the nonlinear relationship between displacement and the areas of multiple resonant dips, we achieve displacement prediction with an accuracy better than 0.03 µm over a range of 200 µm. In comparison to alternative sensing approaches, this method exhibits resilience to temperature variations, and its sensing performance remains comparable to that in a noise-free environment as long as the signal-to-noise ratio is greater than 25 dB. Furthermore, the extraction of the dip area enables significantly enhanced speed in displacement measurement, providing an effective solution for achieving rapid and highly accurate displacement sensing.
SpeckleCam: High-resolution Computational Speckle Contrast Tomography for Deep Blood Flow Imaging
Authors: Maity Akash , Veeraraghavan Ashok , Sabharwal Ashutosh , Sharma Manoj
Published: August 2023

Laser speckle contrast imaging is widely used in clinical studies to monitor blood flow distribution. Speckle contrast tomography, similar to diffuse optical tomography, extends speckle contrast imaging to provide deep tissue blood flow information. However, the current speckle contrast tomography techniques suffer from poor spatial resolution and involve both computation and memory intensive reconstruction algorithms. In this work, we present SpeckleCam, a camera-based system to reconstruct high resolution 3D blood flow distribution deep inside the skin. Our approach replaces the traditional forward model using diffuse approximations with Monte-Carlo simulations-based convolutional forward model, which enables us to develop an improved deep tissue blood flow reconstruction algorithm. We show that our proposed approach can recover complex structures up to 6 mm deep inside a tissue-like scattering medium in the reflection geometry. We also conduct human experiments to demonstrate that our approach can detect reduced flow in major blood vessels during vascular occlusion.
Multi-mode microcavity frequency engineering through a shifted grating in a photonic crystal ring
Authors: Lu Xiyuan , Sun Yi , Chanana Ashish , Javid Usman A. , Davanco Marcelo , Srinivasan Kartik
Published: August 2023

Frequency engineering of whispering-gallery resonances is essential in microcavity nonlinear optics. The key is to control the frequencies of the cavity modes involved in the underlying nonlinear optical process to satisfy its energy conservation criterion. Compared to the conventional method that tailors dispersion by cross-sectional geometry, thereby impacting all cavity mode frequencies, grating-assisted microring cavities, often termed as photonic crystal microrings, provide more enabling capabilities through mode-selective frequency control. For example, a simple single period grating added to a microring has been used for single frequency engineering in Kerr optical parametric oscillation (OPO) and frequency combs. Recently, this approach has been extended to multi-frequency engineering by using multi-period grating functions, but at the cost of increasingly complex grating profiles that require challenging fabrication. Here, we demonstrate a simple approach, which we term as shifted grating multiple mode splitting (SGMMS), where spatial displacement of a single period grating imprinted on the inner boundary of the microring creates a rotational asymmetry that frequency splits multiple adjacent cavity modes. This approach is easy to implement and presents no additional fabrication challenges compared to an un-shifted grating, and yet is very powerful in providing multi-frequency engineering functionality for nonlinear optics. We showcase an example where SGMMS enables OPO across a wide range of pump wavelengths in a normal-dispersion device that otherwise would not support OPO.
How race, sex and age interact in association with COVID-19 outcomes over time: An analysis of Michigan data
Authors: Nguemeni Tiako Max Jordan , Browne Alyssa
Published: August 2023

Background

COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minorities compared to White people. Studies have not sufficiently examined how sex and age interact with race/ethnicity, and potentially shape COVID-19 outcomes. We sought to examine disparities in COVID-19 outcomes by race, sex and age over time, leveraging data from Michigan, the only state whose Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS) publishes cross-sectional race, sex and age data on COVID-19.

Methods

This is an observational study using publicly available COVID-19 data (weekly cases, deaths, and vaccinations) from August 31 2020 to June 9 2021. Outcomes for descriptive analysis were age-standardized COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates, case-fatality rates by race, sex, and age, and within-gender and within-race incidence rate ratios and mortality rate ratios. We used descriptive statistics and linear regressions with age, race, and sex as independent variables.

Results

The within-sex Black-White racial gap in COVID-19 incidence and mortality decreased at a similar rate among men and women but the remained wider among men. As of June 2021, compared to White people, incidence was lower among Asian American and Pacific Islander people by 2644 cases per 100,000 people and higher among Black people by 1464 cases per 100,000 people. Mortality was higher among those aged 60 or greater by 743.6 deaths per 100,000 people vs those 0–39. The interaction between race and age was significant between Black race and age 60 or greater, with an additional 708.5 deaths per 100,000 people vs White people aged 60 or greater. Black people had a higher case fatality rate than White people.

Conclusion

COVID-19 incidence, mortality and vaccination patterns varied over time by race, age and sex. Black-White disparities decreased over time, with a larger effect on Black men, and Older Black people were particularly more vulnerable to COVID-19 in terms of mortality. Considering different individual characteristics such as age may further help elucidate the mechanisms behind racial and gender health disparities.
Anchialine pool shrimp (Halocaridina rubra) as an indicator of sewage in coastal groundwater ecosystems on the island of Hawaiʻi
Authors: Marrack Lisa C. , Beavers Sallie C.
Published: August 2023

Groundwater is a primary pathway for wastewater and other pollutants to enter coastal ecosystems worldwide. Sewage associated pathogens, pharmaceuticals, and other emerging contaminants pose potential risks to marine life and human health. Anchialine pool ecosystems and the endemic species they support are at risk and provide an opportunity to sample for presence of contaminants prior to diffusion in the marine environment. In this study, we tested the potential use of nitrogen isotopes in the tissues of a dominant anchialine pool grazing shrimp (Halocaridina rubra), as a bioindicator for sewage in groundwater flowing through their habitats. Water quality parameters and shrimp tissue isotopes (N and C) were collected from pools exposed to a range of sewage contamination along the West Hawai‘i coastal corridor from 2015 to 2017. Data were used to test for spatial and temporal variability both within and among pools and to examine the relationship between stable isotopes and water quality parameters. Within 22 pools, mean δ15N from whole tissue samples ranged between 2.74‰ and 22.46‰. Variability of isotope values was low within individual pools and within pool clusters. However, δ15N differed significantly between areas and indicated that sewage is entering groundwater in some of the sampled locations. The significant positive relationship between δ15N and dissolved nitrogen (p<0.001, R2 = 0.84) and δ15N and phosphorus (p<0.001, R2 = 0.9) support this conclusion. In a mesocosm experiment, the nitrogen half-life for H. rubra tissue was estimated to be 20.4 days, demonstrating that the grazer provides a time-integrative sample compared to grab-sample measurements of dissolved nutrients. Ubiquitous grazers such as H. rubra may prove a useful and cost-effective method for δ15N detection of sewage in conjunction with standard monitoring methods, enabling sampling of a large number of pools to establish and refine monitoring programs, especially because anchialine habitats typically support no macroalgae.
COVID-19 health information sources and their associations with preventive behaviors: A typological study with older residents in Seoul, South Korea
Authors: Jang Yuri , Jung Jieun , Park Nan Sook , Kim Miyong T. , Chung Soondool
Published: August 2023

Considering that individuals’ health information can enable their adoption of health behaviors, we examined the use of health information sources related to COVID-19 and its association with preventive behaviors in a sample of older residents in Seoul, South Korea (N = 400, M age = 76.1 years). Latent profile analysis of 12 sources of health information representing conventional media, online sources, interpersonal networks, and health professionals or authorities yielded a 4-group typology: limited, moderate/traditional, moderate/digital, and diverse. In a multivariate model with the diverse group as a reference, the limited group (B = −4.48, SE = 1.14, p < .001) and the moderate/digital group (B = −2.73, SE = 0.76, p < .001) were associated with lower adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Our findings support the heterogeneity in the use of health information sources and the hypothesis that groups with restricted sources of health information would report less desirable behaviors. The findings also underscored the importance of proper use of digital health information. Efforts should be made not only to help older adults with low education access diverse sources of health information, including digital sources, but also to empower them to build digital and health literacy.
The efficacy and safety of sodium tanshinone ⅡA sulfonate injection in the treatment of unstable angina pectoris: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wu Xiaoqi , Fan Maoxia , Wei Sining , Guo Dong
Published: August 2023

Objective

To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Sodium tanshinone ⅡA sulfonate injection (STS) in the treatment of unstable angina pectoris (UAP).

Methods

CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase were searched by computer. The research covers the clinical randomized controlled trials of STS in the treatment of unstable angina pectoris published from the establishment of the library to January 31, 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data and evaluated the risk of research bias, and then conducted meta-analysis with RevMan5.3 software.

Results

A total of 37 randomized controlled trials were included, involving 3926 patients in total. Meta analysis results showed that, compared with conventional western medicine alone, STS combined with conventional western medicine could reduce the frequency (SMD = -2.61, 95%CI[-4.27, -0.96], P = 0.002) and duration (SMD = -4.01, 95%CI[-6.18, -1.84], P = 0.0003) of angina pectoris, improve ECG efficacy (OR = 3.61, 95%CI[2.79, 4.68], P<0.00001) and clinical symptom efficacy (OR = 4.02, 95%CI[3.32, 4.87], P<0.00001), reduce TG(SMD = -0.60, 95%CI[-1.04, -0.16], P = 0.008), TC(SMD = -3.86, 95%CI[-6.37, -1.34], P = 0.003), and LDL-C(SMD = -1.54, 95%CI[-2.67, -0.42], P = 0.007), decrease plasma viscosity(SMD = -1.02, 95%CI[-1.58, -0.47], P<0.0003), whole blood low shear viscosity(SMD = -0.85, 95%CI[-1.21, -0.49], P<0.00001), whole blood high shear viscosity(SMD = -0.82, 95%CI[-1.44, -0.20], P = 0.009), and erythrocyte aggregation index(SMD = -1.00, 95%CI[-1.75, -0.25], P = 0.009), and bring down CRP(SMD = -1.39, 95%CI[-1.91, -0.86], P<0.00001). The incidence of adverse reactions in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group (OR = 2.26, 95%CI[1.06, 4.85], P = 0.04). Neither of the two groups suffered from abnormal liver and kidney function during the study process.

Conclusion

STS combined with routine treatment has a definite clinical efficacy and certain safety in the treatment of UAP, but it needs to be further confirmed by high-quality and low-bias randomized controlled trials in the future.
Developing a South African curriculum for education in neonatal critical care retrieval: An initial exploration
Authors: Williams W. , Theron E , Khan W , Stassen W
Published: August 2023

Background

Owing to limited or centralised neonatal critical care resources, the interfacility transfer of neonates is inevitable. In many high-income settings, dedicated Critical Care Retrieval Services (CCRS) with additional education and training undertake neonatal critical care retrieval (CCR). In South Africa, however, these transfers are mostly conducted by advanced paramedics with limited education in neonatal care, and this may lead to high adverse event rates. In SA, a shortage of skilled neonatal interfacility transport services has been identified as one of the top ten avoidable causes of under-5 mortality. In order to address this gap in neonatal transfer education for paramedics in South Africa, the aim of this study is to develop a curriculum for neonatal critical care retrieval in South Africa.

Methods

Using Kern’s approach to curriculum development, a general and targeted needs assessment was conducted through semi-structured interviews with experts in the field and a focus group discussion with a prospective student group. Interviews were preceded and informed by a literature review and retrospective chart review of neonates who underwent CCR in SA over a one-year period. Audio recordings of interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to inductive-dominant content analysis. Finally, qualitative codes were expanded into course outcome and a curriculum map was developed.

Results

Six experts in neonatal critical care and retrieval participated in semi-structured interviews with a mean duration of 59 minutes. Following transcription and analysis, 372 codes were developed. Seven prehospital providers (prospective students) who are involved in neonatal transfers in South Africa participated in a focus group discussion with a duration of 91 minutes. The audio recording was transcribed and analysed with 97 codes extracted. The main categories were: Current status of neonatal CCR in South Africa; learning and education in neonatal CCR; and proposed curriculum structure. The proposed curriculum structure described 13 broad course outcomes to be delivered as a blended postgraduate programme. Participants noted that funding, employer buy-in and internet resources would be required. The targeted prospective student group should be all Advanced Life Support (ALS) providers with a change in their scope of practice on completion.

Conclusion

This study described the need for additional education in neonatal critical care retrieval due to the limitations in the current and past education systems. This study provides a curriculum structure with course outcomes that can be used as a basis for the development of a complete curriculum for education in neonatal CCR, with the potential to greatly reduce adverse event rates.
Leveraging insect-specific viruses to elucidate mosquito population structure and dynamics
Authors: Hollingsworth Brandon D. , Grubaugh Nathan D. , Lazzaro Brian P. , Murdock Courtney C.
Published: August 2023

Several aspects of mosquito ecology that are important for vectored disease transmission and control have been difficult to measure at epidemiologically important scales in the field. In particular, the ability to describe mosquito population structure and movement rates has been hindered by difficulty in quantifying fine-scale genetic variation among populations. The mosquito virome represents a possible avenue for quantifying population structure and movement rates across multiple spatial scales. Mosquito viromes contain a diversity of viruses, including several insect-specific viruses (ISVs) and “core” viruses that have high prevalence across populations. To date, virome studies have focused on viral discovery and have only recently begun examining viral ecology. While nonpathogenic ISVs may be of little public health relevance themselves, they provide a possible route for quantifying mosquito population structure and dynamics. For example, vertically transmitted viruses could behave as a rapidly evolving extension of the host’s genome. It should be possible to apply established analytical methods to appropriate viral phylogenies and incidence data to generate novel approaches for estimating mosquito population structure and dispersal over epidemiologically relevant timescales. By studying the virome through the lens of spatial and genomic epidemiology, it may be possible to investigate otherwise cryptic aspects of mosquito ecology. A better understanding of mosquito population structure and dynamics are key for understanding mosquito-borne disease ecology and methods based on ISVs could provide a powerful tool for informing mosquito control programs.
Analysis of Trace Mineral Elements and Microorganisms in Two Hot Springs in Jazan Region of Saudi Arabia
Authors: AL-FAIFI ZARRAQ , BOSLY HANAN , SHARMA MUKUL , KHEMIRA HABIB , ABADA EMAD , ALMALKI GHALIAH , M. ABU-TAWEEL2 GASEM , MODAFER YOSRA
Published: August 2023

Thermal springs have hydrothermal or volcanic activity, which causes the water to boil up and dissolve any metal that may be present there. It helps in recovery to reduce stress, promote sleep, boost blood circulation, relieve pain and heal skin problems. However, they consist of some heavy and trace metals and some non-metals, such as Mg, Mo, Na, As, Hg, Cd, Ni, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Co, Ti, Cr and Pb are present. These hot springs are also known to exhibit natural microbiota, which is helpful in maintaining the public health and preventing consumer outbreaks with the advancement of research, microbiological monitoring of hot spring water can be done by utilizing high throughput sequencing. Taking these facts in concern, the present work, hot spring samples were collected from different locations of Al-Harth and Alarda hot springs, Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. The samples collected were analyzed for trace minerals and microbiological activity. These samples were found to exhibit the temperature range from 60 to 70 ºC and an average pH of 6.5 to 8.5. Almost all the samples had shown the presence of trace elements with electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids (TDS) ranged from 0.02 to 0.045 dms and 27 to 43 mg/L, respectively. Scattergun metagenomic analysis was performed to determine the microbiological content. The preliminary study reports the microbiome (bacteria, archea and viruses) of alarath hot spring water employing whole-genome high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics. Bacterial species detected were members of the phyla 64% Proteobacteria, 20% Actinobacteria, 6.3% unclassified, 2.2% Deinococcus thermus, 1.4 Firmcutes and 1.6% others. Fecal indicator bacteria, i.e. Escherichia coli or enterococci, were not detected in any samples examined in this study. Both archaeal DNA (0.4%) and viral DNA (0.009%) were found.
Electrochemical Performance of Flower-like ZnO Nanostructure Crystal for Supercapacitor Electrode Applications
Authors: S Nelson Amirtharaj , M Mariappan , V Beaula premavathi
Published: August 2023

straightforward, easy and low-cost process using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a templated sonochemical production  method was used to prepare ZnO nanostructures with the appearance of flowers. The morphological characteristics of ZnO materials  have a more significant impact on variables like the CTAB template and sonochemical reaction time. The advantage of the flower-like  ZnO materials is the more active reaction centre, which improves redox processes and results in outstanding electrochemical attributes like greater specific capacitance, excellent rate capability and better cyclic stability. The specific capacitance of the flower-shaped ZnO  nanostructures (ZnO-2) from the cyclic voltammetric (CV) analysis was found to be 425 F g–1 at a scan rate of 5 mV s–1 and the charge/discharge study renders the specific capacitance is 426 F g–1 at a current density of 1 Ag–1. After 3000 CV cycles at a scan rate  of 100 mV s–1, 89% of the initial capacitance still was retained in the long-term cyclic stability analysis. The distinctive flower-like ZnO  nanostructures can be extended more for supercapacitor device applications.
RAPD Analysis, Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Derived from Aerva lanata Flower, Characterization and Antimicrobial Screening
Authors: GANESAN THAMARAISELVI , MUTHUKRISHNAN SURIYAVATHANA MUTHUKRISHNAN , † BRAIVY ANTO † BRAIVY ANTO , MANIKANDAN MATHAIYAN MANIKANDAN MATHAIYAN , SOBIYA PRADEEP KUMAR SOBIYA PRADEEP KUMAR , R. JAYAPRAAKASH R. JAYAPRAAKASH , M.SUGANYA M.SUGANYA
Published: August 2023

Nanoparticles and plant phytochemicals are receiving great interest between materials and drug discovery research. Hence, this research work synthesised the zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnONP) using Pashanabheda (Aerva lanata), which is employed as an antiurolithiatic in Ayurveda. The Amaranthaceae member Aerva lanata flower was selected as the source due to the diversity of genetic alterations which displays in response to different environmental and geographical conditions. A.lanata flower aqueous extract was used to synthesis zinc oxide nanoparticles, which were then characterised by UV, FTIR, XRD, and scanning electron microscopy. Due to flower’s chemical make-up and abundance of functional groups, the derived ZnO nanoparticles were found to be effective at bio-reduction and capping. Antibacterial assay against B. subtilis, S. aureus, K. pneumonia and Pseudomonous using ZnONp of A. lanata flower exhibited excellent inhibition zones between 11 mm and 18 mm for 100 μg/ml. concentration.
Development and Validation of Chemometric Assisted UV Spectroscopic Methods for the Simultaneous Determination of Amitriptyline Hydrochloride and Propranolol Hydrochloride in Marketed Formulation
Authors: PALUR KEERTHISIKHA , CHARAN ARCHAKAM SREENIVASA , PATAKAM PRIYANKA , ORUPALLI KAVYA , YADAVALI PADMAJA , POTHAPALA YOGESWAR , DIVITI RANGANAYAKULU
Published: August 2023

The present work discusses the development and validation of chemometric assisted UV spectroscopic methods for analyzing two  drugs amitriptyline hydrochloride and propranolol hydrochloride in their marketed formulation. The developed methods are two  prominent chemometric models namely, principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares regression (PLS) on which  several research articles have been published for their immense contribution in the quantification of multi-component formulations.  Linearity of the UV spectroscopic method was in the concentration ranges of 3-15 μg/mL of amitriptyline hydrochloride and 5-45 μg/mL of propranolol hydrochloride. The PCR and PLS chemometric models were established by employing fourteen mixtures as a calibration set and five mixtures as a validation set and were executed in the wavelength range of 240-320 nm with data interval of 5 nm. The  statistical parameters obtained from both the methods revealed their validity and hence allows their suitability for analysis in regular  quality control laboratories.
An Efficient One-Pot Synthesis of Octahydroquinazolinone Derivatives Using Magnetic Cobalt Ferrite Catalyst
Authors: MANDLE U. M. , Rathod S. B. , KOLATE N. S. , NANAWARE P. A. , RANE V. S. , AMBLE P. A. , LOHAR K. S. , Shinde B. L.
Published: August 2023

In this work, octahydroquinazolinone derivatives were synthesized using magnetic cobalt ferrite nanoparticles using oxalate precursor method. The XRD pattern and IR spectrum confirmed the formation of single segment cubic spinel cobalt ferrite. The average size of the crystallites was determined to be 26.599 nm, while the lattice constant was found to be 8.365 Å. A fine spherical CoFe2O4 particles with some quantity of aggregation may be observed within the SEM and TEM images. Nano spinel cobalt ferrite nanoparticles is a easily synthesized, non-toxic, less expensive, effortlessly magnetically recoverable and green catalyst for the synthesis of octahydroquinazolinone derivatives through the condensation of aromatic aldehydes with urea or thiourea and dimedone. The advantages of this technique are quick reaction time, ease of product isolation and high yields.
Enhanced Acetone Gas Sensing Properties of Al-Doped ZnO Thin Films Developed by Sol-Gel Dip Coating Method
Authors: RAJAN C. , PASUPATHY N. , MURUGESAN R. , GOBINATH J.
Published: August 2023

The acetone sensing capabilities of pure and Al-doped ZnO thin films developed by the sol-gel dip coating technique were examined inthis study. An investigation was conducted to examine the impact of Al doping concentration on the structural, morphological and sensing characteristics of the films. The results showed that acetone gas detection in ZnO thin films might be enhanced by doping with Al. In particular, when exposed to 10 ppm of acetone at room temperature, the response of 3 at% Al-doped ZnO thin film was the highest, achieving 53% and showed a fast response time of 6 s and a recovery time of 32 s. The researchers conducted additional investigations into the selectivity of acetone in the film when exposed to various interfering gases. The results revealed that acetone exhibited a favourable level of selectivity. The results presented herein demonstrate the effectiveness of sol-gel dip-coated thin films of Al-doped ZnO in the context of acetone gas sensing applications.
Impact of Ablation Based Self Blast Nozzles on Load Break Switch Current Interruption Performance
Authors: Roren Paul , Niayesh Kaveh
Published: August 2023

In this contribution, SF6 free ablation assisted medium voltage load break switchgear, has been investigated. In these switches, gases generated by the arc polymer interactions are trapped in expansion chambers and are released back onto the arc at the current zero crossing. This increases the current interruption capability of the switch without the use of additional mechanical parts, as opposed to using a puffer to blow on the arc. Existing self-blast research, in medium voltage load break switchgear, has focused on blowing axially or tangentially onto the arc in a cylindrical arcing channel. More geometries are possible. In this paper, alternative self-blast blow-position and the presence of obstructions in the arcing channel have been investigated experimentally and with cold flow simulation. It has been determined that blowing right onto the arc centre is not optimal for cooling the arc, and that the presence of an obstruction in the arc channel is beneficial to arc interruptions.