bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Key Problems of Crop Production in the Context of Sanctions Pressure on the Russian Federation
Authors: Levkina Nataliya
Published: December 2023

Despite the fact that there are not very many direct sanctions against the agroindustrial

complex of the Russian Federation, sanctions imposed against other

industries have a serious negative impact on it. This work is devoted to identifying

the key problems of the agricultural sector on the example of crop production

in the context of increasing sanctions pressure on our country. The main problems

of plant growers are present at all stages of activity: from the supply of necessary

resources to the stage of harvest realization and are associated with the growth

of all types of costs, which leads to a decrease in the profitability of agricultural

producers and a decrease in their purchasing power. The results of the study

can be used for further study of anti-crisis management measures of agricultural

enterprises, as well as improvement of state support measures for domestic

plant growers.
The Loan Portfolio of the Russian Banking Sector in Conditions of Economic Uncertainty
Authors: Mandron V. , Rogovskaya V. , Bespalov R.
Published: December 2023

The article presents the results of the study of the impact of anti-Russian sanctions and uncertainty factors of the economic system on the volume of the loan portfolio and overdue debt, the growth rate of bank assets and loans, the cost of credit risk. A comparative analysis of the growth rates of the loan portfolio of the Russian banking sector for the first half of 2020, 2021 and 2022 was carried out. The. economic effect of the anti-Russian sanctions and structural changes in the economy on the dynamics of problem loans and financial results of the banking sector has been revealed. The growth rate of the loan portfolio is given depending on the form of lending.

The main factors of credit risk occurrence and methods of its management are determined. As a result of the study, conclusions were formed about the further restoration of the Russian banking system and the prospects for the development of the credit market.
Comprehensive Analysis of Prospects and Factors for Growth of Labor Productivity: Past and Present
Authors: Kalyanov Aleksandr
Published: December 2023

The article presents a way to solve modern economic problems in Russia from the point of view of labor productivity. The Russian indicator was compared with data for other countries of the world, as well as in the context of its own history. An analysis of labor productivity in the USSR was carried out and it was proven that the growth of this indicator for the period from 1928 to 1937 correlates with data from the last past decade 2010 – 2019 in Russia. The factors contributing to the growth of labor productivity both at the present stage of development of the domestic economy are shown, and a forecast is made for the next few decades.
Perioperative nursing care for hip arthroplasty patients with concomitant hypertension: A minireview
Authors: Ji Chang-Yue , Yang Li-Ru
Published: December 2023

Hip replacement (HA) is mainly indicated for the elderly, who generally suffer from various underlying diseases such as hypertension. This article provides a review of the key points of perioperative nursing care for patients with hypertension undergoing HA. It analyzes the key points of care during the perioperative period (preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative) and proposes directions for the development of perioperative nursing care for HA. The prognosis for patients can be improved through the modification of traditional medical approaches and the application of new technologies and concepts.
Impact of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers on the mortality in sepsis: A meta-analysis
Authors: Yang Deng-Can , Xu Jian , Jian Li , Yu Yi
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND

The effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) on the mortality of patients with sepsis is not well characterized.

AIM

To elucidate the association between prior ACEI or ARB exposure and mortality in sepsis.

METHODS

The PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for all studies of premorbid ACEI or ARB use and sepsis mortality until November 30 2019. Two reviewers independently assessed, selected, and abstracted data from studies reporting ACEIs or ARBs, sepsis, and mortality. The primary extracted data consisted of premorbid ACEI or ARB exposure, mortality, and general patient data. Two reviewers independently assessed the risk of bias and quality of evidence.

RESULTS

A total of six studies comprising 281238 patients with sepsis, including 49799 cases with premorbid ACEI or ARB exposure were eligible for analysis. Premorbid ACEIs or ARBs exposure decreased the 30-d mortality in patients with sepsis. Moreover, the use of ACEIs or ARBs was associated with approximately a 6% decreased risk of 30-d mortality.

CONCLUSION

The results of this systematic review suggest that ACEI or ARB exposure prior to sepsis may be associated with reduced mortality. Further high-quality cohort studies and molecular mechanism experiments are required to confirm our results.
LiNA OperaScopeTM for microwave endometrial ablation for endometrial polyps with heavy menstrual bleeding: A case report
Authors: Kakinuma Kaoru , Kakinuma Toshiyuki , Ueyama Kyouhei , Shinohara Takumi , Okamoto Rora , Yanagida Kaoru , Takeshima Nobuhiro , Ohwada Michitaka
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND

The procedure for microwave endometrial ablation (MEA) follows established MEA practice guidelines but requires hysteroscopic observation of the uterine lumen before and after MEA. When a luminal uterine lesion is recognized, its removal requires preoperative dilation of the cervix because the outer diameter of a conventional rigid hysteroscope is 8.7 mm. Recently, a fully disposable rigid hysteroscope (LiNA OperaScopeTM) with a narrow diameter (4.4 mm) and forceps capable of extracting endometrial lesions has become available.

CASE SUMMARY

Here, we report a case of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) complicated by endometrial polyps where MEA was performed after removing endometrial polyps using the LiNA OperaScopeTM device. A 48-year-old woman with three prior pregnancies and three deliveries was referred to our hospital for further examination and treatment after being diagnosed with HMB 2 years earlier. The patient underwent MEA following endometrial polypectomy using LiNA OperaScopeTM. After MEA, endometrial cauterization was again examined using the LiNA OperaScopeTM, and the procedure was completed. No preoperative cervical dilation was performed. The patient’s clinical course was favorable, and she was discharged 3 h after surgery. One month after surgery, menstruation resumed, and both HMB and dysmenorrhea improved markedly from 10 preoperatively to 1 postoperatively, as assessed subjectively using the visual analog scale. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful with no complications.

CONCLUSION

LiNA OperaScopeTM can be a minimally invasive treatment for MEA of HMB with uterine lumen lesions.
Lyophilized recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide: A promising therapy in patients with chronic heart failure
Authors: Kourek Christos , Briasoulis Alexandros , Giamouzis Grigorios , Skoularigis John , Xanthopoulos Andrew
Published: December 2023

Lyophilized recombinant brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is an exogenous peptide synthesized by artificial recombination technology, with a similar structure and similar physiological effects with the endogenous natriuretic peptide secreted by the human body. It’s main mechanism of action is to increase cyclic guanosine monophosphate by binding with its corresponding receptor in the body, regulating, thus, the imbalance of the vascular system and cardiac hemodynamics, improving the heart’s pumping capacity, and inhibiting sympathetic excitability and myocardial remodeling. Moreover, it can promote mitochondrial metabolism and enhance the use of adenosine triphosphate in cardiomyocytes. In the present study, 102 chronic heart failure (HF) patients were randomly assigned to a control and an observation group consisting of 51 patients each. Patients of the control group were treated with standard HF therapy for 3 d including oral metoprolol tartrate tablets, spironolactone, and olmesartanate while patients of the observation group were administered the recombinant human BNP injection for the same time-period, plus the standard HF therapy. The recombinant human BNP group (observation group) demonstrated better physical, emotional, social, and economic scores, as well as cardiac and inflammatory biomarkers such as serum hypersensitive C-reactive protein, N-terminal pro BNP and troponin I levels, compared to the control group. Moreover, cardiac function was also improved, as left ventricular ejection fraction and stroke volume were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group. Interestingly, adverse reactions were not different between the 2 groups. However, these results are not generalizable and the need of large multicenter randomized controlled trials examining the safety and efficacy of recombinant human BNP in HF patients is of major importance.
What to expect from such changes? The business model reconfiguration and the dilemma for business evolution
Authors: Rosa Souza Luz Aruana , Kremer Sott Michele , Faccin Kadígia
Published: December 2023

This case is a fictional narrative based on a real case experienced by the authors throughout their professional career. The Alpha Company (fictitious business name) has been operating in the furniture sector since 2006. In 2015, Alpha's managers faced a great dilemma regarding technology adoption and the transformation of the organization's business model to meet the demands of its customers and increase the company's profitability. The case describes the organizational trajectory of the company, showing the reconfiguration of its business model over the years and the dilemma experienced by managers. At a certain point in the organizational trajectory, the business's evolution and growth depend on an important decision regarding the organizational processes. The primary focus of this case is on business models, including strategic decisions and technological changes. Appropriate theories on business models are drawn from the literature to discuss and address these issues. This case was written for use in classes on organizational strategies and strategic planning at the undergraduate level. The focus of the case aligns well with discussions of business models, strategic decisions, innovation, and technological changes.
Entrepreneurial Habits and Professional Preferences in Students of Business Administration
Authors: Jiménez Barrios Noelia , Arias Gallegos Walter , Rivera Renzo
Published: December 2023

This article presents the description and comparison of entrepreneurial habits and professional preferences in 213 students in the last year of the Business Administration career at three universities in the city of Arequipa. Entrepreneurial Habits Questionnaire and Profile of Professional Preferences were applied and it was found that 30.5% have professional preferences for the administration career and only 14% have a current business. With respect to professional preferences, it was found that UCSM students have a greater vocation for their career (40.5%), compared to students from UNSA (29%) and UCSP (20%). Likewise, students who have started a profitable business have more entrepreneurial habits and there are positive and low relationships between entrepreneurial habits, age, and Realism.
Do women make safer surgeons?
Authors: Dean E
Published: December 2023

Should you put your life in her hands? Erin Dean explores why female surgeons may be safer surgeons than their male counterparts.
The Tooth-ache: imagined by Horace Mayhew, realised by George Cruikshank, 1849
Authors: Isaac Susan
Published: December 2023

We take a look at The Toothache, a stunning comic strip book depicting a Victorian gentleman’s struggle with his toothache.
Dental career pathways in Australia: an overview of dentistry down under
Authors: Ahmed Khaled , Love Robert
Published: December 2023

What are the available career pathways in dental surgery in Australia?
Effect of arum manis mango peel extract on cholesterol and triglyceride levels in dyslipidemic Sprague-Dawley rats
Authors: Saputra Taufik , Naufal Haidar Satya , Utomo Astika Widy , Widyastiti Nyoman Suci , Kurniawan Muhammad Farhan , Azizah Arfianty Nur
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND Dyslipidemia is characterized by an increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride (TG) levels and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Cholestyramine as an antidyslipidemia has several side effects, so an alternative is needed. Pectin is a natural substance with a mechanism of action similar to that of cholestyramine. Mango peel is one of the sources of pectin, containing 10–15% of this substance. This study aimed to prove the effect of arum manis mango (Mangifera indica L.) peel extract on LDL, HDL, and TG levels in dyslipidemic Sprague-Dawley rats.

METHODS 25 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups. All groups were given high-fat diet for the first 18 days, followed by standard feed (negative control group), cholestyramine (Sequest®) 80 mg/200 g body weight (standard treatment group), and mango peel extract (M-90 [90 mg/day], M-180 [180 mg/day], and M-360 [360 mg/day] groups) for the next 15 days. LDL and HDL levels were analyzed using the cholesterol oxidase-phenyl aminopyrazolone method and TG level using the glycerol-3-phosphate-oxidase-phenol-aminophenazone method.

RESULTS The M-360 group reduced the LDL level (p = 0.015), while the standard treatment group increased the HDL level (p = 0.042). Although significant TG level changes were found in the negative control, standard treatment, and M-360 groups (p = 0.042), the mean differences of LDL, HDL, and TG levels between groups were not significantly different (p = 0.245, 0.328, and 0.454, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS M. indica peel extract reduced LDL and TG levels at 360 mg/day.
Disputas discursivas en torno al desarrollo sostenible de los océanos: la pesca de arrastre de camarón en Costa Rica / Discursive Contestations around the Sustainable Development of the Oceans: Shrimp Trawling in Costa Rica
Authors: Obando-Campos Alexa , Latorre Sara
Published: December 2023

resumen: Desde 2013, la paralización de la pesca de arrastre de camarón en Costa Rica ha generado una importante conflictividad, entre un sector social que exige el cierre total de la pesquería por sus impactos socioambientales, y otro que aboga por su aprovechamiento sostenible en favor del desarrollo socioeconómico. Esta conflictividad ilustra cómo los océanos están siendo cada vez más problematizados como espacios de preocupación ambiental y, en general, sobre qué es un océano sostenible. Se analiza cómo los diversos actores involucrados en este conflicto, a través de prácticas discursivas, problematizan la degradación y el agotamiento de los sistemas marino-costeros en Costa Rica, y cómo este proceso genera una nueva reconfiguración de la gobernanza con consecuencias sociomateriales desiguales para sus habitantes. Se muestra cómo el discurso, que logró su institucionalización, posicionó sus ideas sobre la sostenibilidad del golfo de Nicoya, relacionadas con nuevos recursos económicamente rentables y sostenibles, al mismo tiempo que estigmatizó el recurso camarón y la pesca de arrastre como actividad productiva. Esta nueva reconfiguración ha tenido como principales perdedores a los actores más vulnerables: los pescadores asalariados y sus familias, profundizando las relaciones desiguales de clase y criminalizando sus medios de vida. abstract: Since 2013, the cessation of shrimp trawling in Costa Rica has produced a significant conflict between fishing-related actors supporting the total closure of the fishery due to its socio-environmental impacts, and others advocating for its sustainable use to foster socioeconomic development. This conflict illustrates how the oceans are increasingly contested as spaces of environmental concern and, more generally, about what is considered to be a sustainable ocean. Through discursive practices, we analyze how the various actors involved in this conflict contested the degradation and depletion of coastal environments in Costa Rica, and how this process reconfigured governance, with unequal socio-material consequences. It shows how the discourse that institutionalized these new forms of governance framed new economically profitable activities in the Gulf of Nicoya as sustainable, while at the same time positioning the shrimp resource and its trawling as a productive activity that was unsustainable. The reconfigured governance has most negatively affected the most vulnerable actors, namely salaried fishermen and their families, by exacerbating unequal class relations and criminalizing their livelihoods.
What's the Time, Anna Wulf? Crisis, Temporality and Feminist Untimeliness in Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook
Authors: Waters Melanie
Published: December 2023

Abstract: When Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook was first published in 1962, it was instantly lauded as a timely novel. In this essay, I investigate what is timely about The Golden Notebook through an analysis of the novel's complex temporality. Taking the book's phenomenal critical legacy as a signal indication that its timeliness is yet to be exhausted, I explore how Lessing's provocative figurations of time illuminate the ideological and representational structures that confine Lessing and her characters. In doing so, I also gesture, speculatively, toward how these structures might be subverted in the future.
Queer Mrs. Ramsay, or Virginia Woolf's Geomorphic Family
Authors: Bagocius Benjamin
Published: December 2023

Abstract: Widely regarded as a prototypical Victorian woman, Mrs. Ramsay in Virginia Woolf's novel To the Lighthouse might also be read as embodying a surprisingly queer subjectivity. Drawing from the geological sciences and queer vitalist thought, I attend to Woolf's language for limning Mrs. Ramsay less gendered as a woman and more queered as a subject of lights and darks in motion. Woolf's father Leslie Stephen uses a similar lexicon to describe mountains in his acclaimed mountaineering tracts. Woolf borrows Stephen's mountaineering vocabulary to narrate queer subjectivities as more geological than gendered and thus loosens subjectivities from heteropatriarchal orthodoxy.
"I'm a girl. But now I'm a boy too": Dildonics and Prosthetic Gender in Ernest Hemingway's The Garden of Eden
Authors: Pastor Aaren
Published: December 2023

Abstract: This essay rereads Ernest Hemingway's The Garden of Eden as a dildonic text using Paul Preciado's theorization of dildonics and prosthetic gender. Catherine Bourne's (un)becoming(s) in the published and manuscript versions of the novel are a depiction of a body authoring itself, supplemented by numerous dildos or dildonic operations: fingers, hair, clothes, and visits to Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights . Rereading Hemingway in the aftermath of the nonidentitary grammar of Preciado's dildonics creates another field of play for the Hemingway industry and the Hemingway reader: Hemingway as theorist of prosthetic gender.
"Recalling this": Language and Irony in Nadine Gordimer's My Son's Story
Authors: Makkar Jap-Nanak Kaur
Published: December 2023

Abstract: This essay interprets Nadine Gordimer's My Son's Story in relation to the history of irony, focusing particularly on the ideas of Paul de Man. By considering Gordimer's engagement with theory in essays she wrote during the novel's composition, I argue that she acquired an appreciation for the notion that language mediates one's relationship to reality; such a principle lets her develop the novel's ironic conceit. The effect of the novel is to shift attention away from ethical conundrums posed by oppression to problems of representation: an effect that helps us to understand certain features of theory.
The Aftermath of November 13: The Beginning and End of a "Culture of War"
Authors: Audoin-Rouzeau Stéphane
Published: December 2023

Abstract: After the 13 November Terrorist attacks in Paris, a series of reactions at the heart of the political sphere and in the media made it possible to diagnose a "culture of war" comparable to a model developed in relation to the situation that prevailed in France at the outset of World War I, a century earlier. According to this model, a country is "at war" when the enemy is explicitly defined as a "barbarian." Additionally, the "heroism" of certain categories of individuals involved in discussions of the situation at hand—political leaders such as presidents, police, medical personnel and first responders—is emphasized. But the victims are also foregrounded as well, and presented as having "sacrificed themselves," along the same lines as voluntary combatants. Finally, an explicit call for a "Sacred Union" or for "national unity" informs the discourse of those in power, and particularly that of the President of the Republic. One comes to understand the extent to which, in the case of a grave crisis to which political leaders are obliged to ascribe meaning, the reference to 1914-18 continues to occupy a place of privilege in French political culture.
The Scientific and Cultural Uses of Sealed Evidence
Authors: Pelsez Elisabeth
Published: December 2023

Abstract: The collections of the future Museum and Memorial of Terrorism (MMT)are mainly made up of court evidence from cases of terrorism that have been definitively judged. Thanks to a partnership with the Parisian courts of justice competent to judge the perpetrators of terrorist attacks, over 1,200 items have already been handed over. This flow will continue over the coming months until the MMT opens in 2027. Seized as evidence to establish the truth during the criminal investigation and confiscated during the trial, the seals were to be destroyed as they were no longer useful for judicial purposes. The Museum and Memorial du Terrorisme (MMT) gives them a new lease of life as part of an unprecedented heritage initiative. The MMT aims to retrace the history of terrorism over the last fifty years. This period has been punctuated by numerous trials (in the last four years, 78 criminal cases have been tried). Serving as a source of inspiration for researchers and even artists, the scientific and cultural uses of judicial seals are proving to be a fascinating exploration of their unsuspected richness.
The Oslo July 22 Center's New Site and Exhibit: A Place for Remembrance and Education
Authors: Fahre Lena
Published: December 2023

Abstract: The 22 July Centre was established in 2015 as a temporary information centre in the Highrise-building. It opened on 22 July 2011, four years after the terrorist attack in Oslo and Utøya. The National Support group and AUF were among the initiators of the Centre. Since 1 July 2019, the 22 July Centre is a governmental body under the Ministry of Education. When the new Governmental building is completed, The Centre will be permanently relocated in the Highrise building. From the earliest conception of the Memorial Museum of societies facing terrorism, the role of victims or bereaved themselves has been central in the development of the project. Following this line, the 22 of July Centre has focused on the role the bereaved and survivors might play. In the following paper, different aspects on building a new site and a place for remembrance and education for and together with bereaved and survivors of will be discussed.
Impact of a tilted coverslip on two-photon and STED microscopy
Authors: Le Bourdellès Guillaume , Mercier Luc , Roos Johannes , Bancelin Stéphane , Nägerl U. Valentin
Published: December 2023

The advent of super-resolution microscopy has opened up new avenues to unveil brain structures with unprecedented spatial resolution in the living state. Yet, its application to live animals remains a genuine challenge. Getting optical access to the brain in vivo requires the use of a ‘cranial window’, whose mounting greatly influences image quality. Indeed, the coverslip used for the cranial window should lie as orthogonal as possible to the optical axis of the objective, or else significant optical aberrations occur. In this work, we assess the effect of the tilt angle of the coverslip on STED and two-photon microscopy, in particular, image brightness and spatial resolution. We then propose an approach to measure and reduce the tilt using a simple device added to the microscope, which can ensure orthogonality with a precision of 0.07°.
Temporal structured illumination and vision-transformer enables large field-of-view binary snapshot ptychography
Authors: Chen Ziyang , Zheng Siming , Wang Wenzhe , Song Jinqi , Yuan Xin
Published: December 2023

Ptychography, a widely used computational imaging method, generates images by processing coherent interference patterns scattered from an object of interest. In order to capture scenes with large field-of-view (FoV) and high spatial resolution simultaneously in a single shot, we propose a temporal-compressive structured-light Ptychography system. A novel three-step reconstruction algorithm composed of multi-frame spectra reconstruction, phase retrieval, and multi-frame image stitching is developed, where we employ the emerging Transformer-based network in the first step. Experimental results demonstrate that our system can expand the FoV by 20× without losing spatial resolution. Our results offer huge potential for enabling lensless imaging of molecules with large FoV as well as high spatial-temporal resolutions. We also notice that due to the loss of low-intensity information caused by the compressed sensing process, our method so far is only applicable to binary targets.
113Gbps rainbow visible light laser communication system based on 10λ laser WDM emitting module in fiber-free space-fiber link
Authors: Luo Zhiteng , Lin Xianhao , Lu Zhilan , Shi Jianyang , Shen Chao , Li Ziwei , Zhang Junwen , He Zhixue , Chen Hui , Yu Shaohua , Chi Nan
Published: December 2023

With the advent of the sixth-generation mobile communication standard (6 G), the visible light communication (VLC) technology based on wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology can effectively solve the problem of shortage of spectrum resources and insufficient channel capacity. This paper introduces one of our technical achievements, namely the construction of a near-real-time visible light laser communication (VLLC) system based on WDM, which includes a self-designed 10-λ fully-packaged visible light laser emission module, 1 m multimode fiber – 0.175 m free space – 1 m multimode fiber optical transmission link, and receiver array. In the transmitter system, we adopt adaptive discrete multitone (DMT) modulation technique combined with Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) modulation scheme to obtain maximum spectral efficiency (SE). In the receiving system, we utilize the sparse-structured reservoir computing post-equalization algorithm to achieve superior equalization performance on the basis of the traditional post-equalization algorithm. The experimental results indicate that this quasi-real-time communication system has achieved a signal transmission rate of 113.175Gbps. To the best of our knowledge, this work has set a record in the field of high-speed visible light laser communication. Therefore, the laser communication system constructed by this work, with its flexibility in deployment and high-speed performance, demonstrates the significant potential application of visible light laser communication in data center interconnection and high-speed indoor access networks.
Broad and flat supercontinuum source (ranging from wavelengths 2.5μm to 8μm) using honeycomb microstructured fiber
Authors: mishra vikas , Varshney Ravi , KUMAR SANJEET
Published: December 2023

Supercontinuum of electromagnetic waves plays a great role in various applications such as attaining of broadband source, frequency comb, ultrafast amplification, etc. In this paper, we designed chalcogenide Ge11.5As24Se64.5 honeycomb basis based photonic crystal fiber to produce mid-IR supercontinuum by passing 30 fs laser through it. We have optimized the geometrical and pump pulse parameters such that the broad and efficient supercontinuum can be achieved. The obtained spectrum is very broad (from 2 micron to 8 micron). Beyond 5 micron, it becomes difficult to attain broadening and flatness in previously reported results. But our designed structure with proper material selection and optimized parameters lead to flatness and broadening beyond 5 micron (upto 8 micron). Also, the required PCF length was half of the previously reported PCF length. We here demonstrate the variation of supercontinuum with various pump and design parameters such as input pump peak power, its pulse width and modal effective area (nonlinear coefficient is dependent on modal effective area) etc.
Method to determine whether sleep phenotypes are driven by endogenous circadian rhythms or environmental light by combining longitudinal data and personalised mathematical models
Authors: Skeldon Anne C. , Rodriguez Garcia Thalia , Cleator Sean F. , della Monica Ciro , Ravindran Kiran K. G. , Revell Victoria L. , Dijk Derk-Jan
Published: December 2023

Sleep timing varies between individuals and can be altered in mental and physical health conditions. Sleep and circadian sleep phenotypes, including circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, may be driven by endogenous physiological processes, exogeneous environmental light exposure along with social constraints and behavioural factors. Identifying the relative contributions of these driving factors to different phenotypes is essential for the design of personalised interventions.

The timing of the human sleep-wake cycle has been modelled as an interaction of a relaxation oscillator (the sleep homeostat), a stable limit cycle oscillator with a near 24-hour period (the circadian process), man-made light exposure and the natural light-dark cycle generated by the Earth’s rotation. However, these models have rarely been used to quantitatively describe sleep at the individual level. Here, we present a new Homeostatic-Circadian-Light model (HCL) which is simpler, more transparent and more computationally efficient than other available models and is designed to run using longitudinal sleep and light exposure data from wearable sensors. We carry out a systematic sensitivity analysis for all model parameters and discuss parameter identifiability.

We demonstrate that individual sleep phenotypes in each of 34 older participants (65-83y) can be described by feeding individual participant light exposure patterns into the model and fitting two parameters that capture individual average sleep duration and timing. The fitted parameters describe endogenous drivers of sleep phenotypes.

We then quantify exogenous drivers using a novel metric which encodes the circadian phase dependence of the response to light. Combining endogenous and exogeneous drivers better explains individual mean mid-sleep (adjusted R-squared 0.64) than either driver on its own (adjusted R-squared 0.08 and 0.17 respectively).

Critically, our model and analysis highlights that different people exhibiting thesamesleep phenotype may havedifferentdriving factors and opens the door to personalised interventions to regularize sleep-wake timing that are readily implementable with current digital health technology.
Bullying victimization among in-school adolescents in Sierra Leone: A cross-sectional analysis of the 2017 Sierra Leone Global School-Based Health Survey
Authors: Osborne Augustus , James Peter Bai , Bangura Camilla , Tom Williams Samuel Maxwell , Kangbai Jia Bainga , Lebbie Aiah
Published: December 2023

Adolescent bullying victimization is recognized as a public health and mental health problem in many countries. However, data on bullying victimization’s prevalence and risk factors is scarce in sub-Saharan Africa Sierra Leone. This research aimed to determine bullying victimization prevalence and its associated factors among Sierra Leonean school-going adolescents. The Sierra Leone 2017 Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS) dataset was analyzed. The outcome variable was the respondent’s self-report of bullying victimization ("How many days in the previous 30 days were you bullied?"). Descriptive, Pearson chi-square and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. The regression analysis yielded adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and a significance level of p 0.05. Bullying victimization was prevalent among 48.7% of the in-school adolescents. Adolescents who drank alcohol [aOR = 2.48, 95% CI = 1.50–4.10], who reported feelings of loneliness [aOR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.07–2.14] and who had attempted suicide [aOR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.03–2.87] were also more likely to be bullied. Also, school truancy [aOR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.24–1.88] among teenagers was associated with an increased risk of being bullied. Our findings suggest that bullying is a widespread problem among Sierra Leonean school-aged youth, and alcohol drinking, loneliness, suicide attempt and school truancy are potential risk factors. In light of the aforementioned causes of bullying in schools, policymakers and school administrators in Sierra Leone need to develop and execute anti-bullying policies and initiatives that target the underlying risk factors of bullying among teenagers.
Alterations in RNA editing in skeletal muscle following exercise training in individuals with Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Mercer Heather Milliken , Nair Aiswarya Mukundan , Ridgel Angela , Piontkivska Helen
Published: December 2023

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease behind Alzheimer’s Disease, currently affecting more than 10 million people worldwide and 1.5 times more males than females. The progression of PD results in the loss of function due to neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation. The etiology of PD is multifactorial, including both genetic and environmental origins. Here we explored changes in RNA editing, specifically editing through the actions of the Adenosine Deaminases Acting on RNA (ADARs), in the progression of PD. Analysis of ADAR editing of skeletal muscle transcriptomes from PD patients and controls, including those that engaged in a rehabilitative exercise training program revealed significant differences in ADAR editing patterns based on age, disease status, and following rehabilitative exercise. Further, deleterious editing events in protein coding regions were identified in multiple genes with known associations to PD pathogenesis. Our findings of differential ADAR editing complement findings of changes in transcriptional networks identified by a recent study and offer insights into dynamic ADAR editing changes associated with PD pathogenesis.
Youth Ending the HIV Epidemic (YEHE): Protocol for a pilot of an automated directly observed therapy intervention with conditional economic incentives among young adults with HIV
Authors: Stoner Marie C. D. , Ming Kristin , Wagner Danielle , Smith Louis , Patani Henna , Sukhija-Cohen Adam , Johnson Mallory O. , Napierala Sue , Neilands Torsten B. , Saberi Parya
Published: December 2023

Background

Young adults have a disproportionately high rate of HIV infection, high rates of attrition at all stages of the HIV care continuum, and an elevated probability of disease progression and transmission. Tracking and monitoring objective measures of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence in real time is critical to bolster the accuracy of research data, support adherence, and improve clinical outcomes. However, adherence monitoring often relies on self-reported and retrospective data or requires additional effort from providers to understand individual adherence patterns. In this study, we will monitor medication-taking using a real-time objective measure of adherence that does not rely on self-report or healthcare providers for measurement.

Methods

The Youth Ending the HIV Epidemic (YEHE) study will pilot a novel automated directly observed therapy-conditional economic incentive (aDOT-CEI) intervention to improve ART adherence among youth with HIV (YWH) in California and Florida who have an unsuppressed HIV viral load. The aDOT app uses facial recognition to record adherence each day, and then economic incentives are given based on a participant’s confirmed adherence. We will enroll participants in a 3-month pilot study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the aDOT-CEI intervention using predefined metrics. During and after the trial, a subsample of the pilot participants and staff/providers from participating AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) clinics will participate in individual in-depth interviews to explore intervention and implementation facilitators and barriers.

Discussion

YEHE will provide data on the use of an aDOT-CEI intervention to improve adherence among YWH who are not virologically suppressed. The YEHE study will document the feasibility and acceptability and will explore preliminary data to inform a trial to test the efficacy of aDOT-CEI. This intervention has the potential to effectively improve ART adherence and virologic suppression among a key population experiencing health disparities.

Trial registration

The trial registration number isNCT05789875.
Hexavalent chromium removal from aqueous medium by ternary nanoadsorbent: A study of kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamic mechanism
Authors: Uddin Md Nashir , Saha Ganesh Chandra , Hasanath Md Abul , Badsha M. A. H. , Chowdhury Mohaiminul Haider , Islam Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul
Published: December 2023

Although many studies have focused on chromium removal from aqueous media by ternary Nano adsorbents, still the integrated kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamic mechanisms of chromium removal remain unknown. Thus in this study, we have synthesized a novel ternary oxide nanocomposite comprising iron, manganese, and stannous (Fe2O3-MnO2-SnO2) in a facile method as a promising adsorbent for the removal of Cr(VI) from an aqueous medium. The Fe2O3-MnO2-SnO2 system was firstly characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA, BET, and SEM/EDX. The effect of parameters, for instance, pH, temperature, initial Cr(VI) intensity, and adsorbent dose, have been examined to optimize the Cr(VI) adsorption performance. The adsorption of Cr(VI) onto Fe2O3-MnO2-SnO2 nanoadsorbent is associated with an adsorption/reduction mechanism. Using an initial Cr(VI) intensity of 50 mg L-1, 200 rpm agitation, 2.5-g L-1 of adsorbent, pH 2, 90 minutes adsorption time, and 298 K temperature, a maximum adsorption capability of 69.2 mg Cr(VI) g-1 for Fe2O3-MnO2-SnO2 was obtained. Models of pseudo-2nd-order kinetics and Langmuir’s isotherm were best suited to the investigated data. Besides, thermodynamic parameters show that Cr(VI) adsorption onto Fe2O3-MnO2-SnO2 was random and dominated by entropy. The reusability of Fe2O3-MnO2-SnO2 was found to be consistently high (remaining above 80% for Cr(VI)) over four adsorption-desorption cycles. Chromium adsorption from the tannery wastewater was achieved 91.89% on Fe2O3-MnO2-SnO2. Therefore, Fe2O3-MnO2-SnO2 nanoparticles, being easy to be synthesized, reusable and having improved adsorption capability with higher surface area, could be a desirable option for removing Cr(VI) from aqueous environments.
The electronic and optical properties of Cs2BX6 (B = Zr, Hf) perovskites with first-principle method
Authors: Zhao Yang-Yang , Sheng Si-Yuan
Published: December 2023

The electronic structures and absorption properties of Cs2BX6 halide compounds are investigated with first principle calculation and exchange correlation functional of GGA-PBE. Pressure and halogen ion doping are employed to regulate band gap. All materials suffer transition from indirect to direct band gap semiconductors but with different phase transition pressure. Structural and band structure calculating results show that the value of phase transition pressure is mainly determined by the volume of octahedron. When the volume of vacancy octahedron is much less than B-ion octahedron, the lowest band point of B-d orbitals transforms to Γ point, then the indirect semiconductors transform into direct band gap semiconductors. Calculating results of optical absorption implied that the systems have obvious blue shift, which result in the optical properties reduced. Based on suitable band gap and higher absorption coefficient, Cs2ZrI4Br2 can be an ideal candidate for perovskites solar cells.
Health providers readiness in managing intimate partner violence in public health institutions, Ethiopia
Authors: Teshome Lidiya , Adugna Haweni , Deribe Leul
Published: December 2023

Introduction

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a worldwide public health problem and major human and legal rights abuses of women. It affects the physical, sexual, and psychological aspects of the victims therefore, it requires complex and multifaceted interventions. Health providers are responsible for providing essential healthcare services for IPV victims. However, there is a lack of detailed information on whether or not health providers are ready to identify and manage IPV. Therefore, this study aimed to assess health providers’ readiness and associated factors in managing IPV in public health institutions at Hawassa, Ethiopia.

Method

Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted through a simple random sample of 424 health providers. Data was collected with an anonymous questioners using physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey (PREMIS) tool. Linear regression analysis was used to examine relationships among variables. The strength of association was assessed by using unstandardized β with 95% CI.

Results

The mean score of perceived provider’s readiness in managing IPV was 26.18± 6.69. Higher providers age and providers perceived knowledge had positive association with provider perceived readiness in managing IPV. Whereas not had IPV training, absence of a protocol for dealing with IPV management, and provider attitude had a negative association with provider perceived readiness in managing IPV.

Conclusion and recommendation

This study reviled that health providers had limited perceived readiness to manage IPV. Provision of training for providers and develop protocol for IPV managements have an important role to improve providers readiness in the managements of IPV.
Identifying patient preferences for diabetes care: A protocol for implementing a discrete choice experiment in Samoa
Authors: Rivara Anna C. , Galárraga Omar , Selu Melania , Arorae Maria , Wang Ruiyan , Faasalele-Savusa Kima , Rosen Rochelle , Hawley Nicola L. , Viali Satupaitea
Published: December 2023

In Samoa, adult Type 2 diabetes prevalence has increased within the past 30 years. Patient preferences for care are factors known to influence treatment adherence and are associated with reduced disease progression and severity. However, patient preferences for diabetes care, generally, are understudied, and other patient-centered factors such as willingness-to-pay (WTP) for diabetes treatment have never been explored in this setting. Discrete Choice Experiments (DCE) are useful tools to elicit preferences and WTP for healthcare. DCEs present patients with hypothetical scenarios composed of a series of multi-alternative choice profiles made up of attributes and levels. Patients choose a profile based on which attributes and levels may be preferable for them, thereby quantifying and identifying locally relevant patient-centered preferences. This paper presents the protocol for the design, piloting, and implementation of a DCE identifying patient preferences for diabetes care, in Samoa. Using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, formative data from a literature review and semi-structured interviews with n = 20 Samoan adults living with Type 2 diabetes was used to design a Best-Best DCE instrument. Experimental design procedures were used to reduce the number of choice-sets and balance the instrument. Following pilot testing, the DCE is being administered to n = 450 Samoan adults living with diabetes, along with associated questionnaires, and anthropometrics. Subsequently, we will also be assessing longitudinally how preferences for care change over time. Data will be analyzed using progressive mixed Rank Order Logit models. The results will identify which diabetes care attributes are important to patients (p < 0.05), examine associations between participant characteristics and preference, illuminate the trade-offs participants are willing to make, and the probability of uptake, and WTP for specific attributes and levels. The results from this study will provide integral data useful for designing and adapting efficacious diabetes intervention and treatment approaches in this setting.
Computed tomography evaluation of skeletal muscle quality and quantity in people with morbid obesity with and without metabolic abnormality
Authors: Oh Eunsun , Cho Nam-Jun , Kang Heemin , Kim Sang Hyun , Park Hyeong Kyu , Kwon Soon Hyo
Published: December 2023

We investigated the differences in quantity and quality of skeletal muscle between metabolically healthy obese (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) individuals using abdominal CT. One hundred and seventy-two people with morbid obesity who underwent bariatric surgery and 64 healthy control individuals participated in this retrospective study. We divided the people with morbid obesity into an MHO and MUO group. In addition, nonobese metabolic healthy people were included analysis to provide reference levels. CT evaluation of muscle quantity (at the level of the third lumbar vertebra [L3]) was performed by calculating muscle anatomical cross-sectional area (CSA), which was normalized to patient height to produce skeletal muscle index (SMI). Muscle quality was assessed as skeletal muscle density (SMD), which was calculated from CT muscle attenuation. To characterize intramuscular composition, muscle attenuation was classified into three categories using Hounsfield unit (HU) thresholds: -190 HU to -30 HU for intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT), -29 to +29 HU for low attenuation muscle (LAM), and +30 to +150 HU for normal attenuation muscle (NAM). People with morbid obesity comprised 24 (14%) MHO individuals and 148 (86%) MUO individuals. The mean age of the participants was 39.7 ± 12.5 years, and 154 (65%) participants were women. MUO individuals had a significantly greater total skeletal muscle CSA than MHO individuals in the model that adjusted for all variables. Total skeletal muscle SMI, SMD, NAM index, LAM index, and IMAT index did not differ between MHO and MUO individuals for all adjusted models. Total skeletal muscle at the L3 level was not different in muscle quantity, quality, or intramuscular composition between the MHO and MUO individuals, based on CT evaluation. MHO individuals who are considered “healthy” should be carefully monitored and can have a similar risk of metabolic complications as MUO individuals, at least based on an assessment of skeletal muscle.