bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biogeochemical Causes of Sixty-Year Trends and Seasonal Variations of River Water Properties in a Large European Basin
Authors: Kopáček Jiří , Hejzlar Josef , Porcal Petr , Znachor Petr
Published: March 2021

We evaluated long-term trends and seasonal variations in the major physical-chemical properties of the circum-neutral Slapy reservoir (Vltava, Czech Republic) from 1960 to 2019. Mean annual water temperature increased by 2.1 °C, flow maxima shifted by ~13 days from the early April to mid-March, and the onset of thermal stratification of water column and spring algal peaks advanced by 19 and 21 days, respectively, due to climate warming. Concentrations of major ions, phosphorus (P), and chlorophyll increased from the 1960s to the 1990s–2000s, then decreased due to changing agricultural practices and legislation, intensified wastewater treatment, and decreasing atmospheric pollution. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) decreased from 1960 to the 1990s due to improved wastewater treatment, then began to increase in response to climate change and reduced acidic deposition. Concentrations of water constituents exhibited varying individual long-term and seasonal patterns due to the differing effects of following major processes on their production/removal in the catchment-river system: (1) applications of synthetic fertilizers, liming and farmland draining (NO3–, SO42–, Cl–, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, and HCO3–), (2) wastewater production and treatment (DOC, P, N forms), (3) road de-icing (Cl– and Na+), (4) atmospheric pollution (SO42–), (5) climate change (DOC), and (6) the aging of reservoirs (NH4+). The water pH increased until the early 1990s, then decreased and exhibited pronounced seasonal variations, integrating the effects of changing external acidity sources and in-lake H+ sources and sinks (i.e., microbial CO2 production/consumption and availability and transformations of inorganic N), and changes in water buffering capacity. Anthropogenic and climatic effects, reservoir aging, and changes in water eutrophication thus may significantly affect water pH also in circum-neutral systems.
Research on the Effects of Yttrium on Bismuth Titanate Borosilicate Glass System 
Authors: shaaban Kh. S.
Published: March 2021

Glasses with the chemical composition of 52B2O3 – 12SiO2- 26Bi2O3 – (10 - x)TiO2 - xY2O3, (0 ≤ x ≥ 10)prepared using the melt-quench method. The goal of this study is to investigate the structural, mechanical, and radiation shielding characteristics of these samples. XRD analysis has explored the nature of the glass system. Molar volume obtained reduced while the density denotes increased in the present system. As the molar volume decrease inter-ionic distance, polaron radius, inter-nuclear distance, and Y-Y separation of the investigated glasses decreased. The mechanical characteristics depend on the glass structure of the current glasses sample. Ultrasonic velocities and elastic moduli (experimental and theoretical) for these glasses obtained observed to get enhanced. The radiation shielding efficiency investigated by Phy-X/PSD software. The mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) mean free path (MFP), half-value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), and effective atomic number (Zeff), of glasses, have designed to simulate for gamma photon energies between 0.015 and 15 MeV.
Low-Frequency Earthquakes along the Ryukyu Islands Triggered by Teleseismic Earthquakes
Authors: Kinjo Ayumi , Nakamura Mamoru
Published: March 2021

Tremors and low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs), which occur in the plate interface, can provide useful information about the state of aseismic stress transfer in mega-earthquake fault zones. We estimated the distribution of stress sensitivity in the subducted plate interface by using triggered LFEs. Specifically, we detected LFEs in the Ryukyu Trench triggered by the surface waves of large teleseismic earthquakes by using the waveform records of broadband and short-period seismometers installed in the Ryukyu Arc. We selected a total of 45 teleseismic earthquakes with magnitudes of more than 7.5, which occurred between 2004 and 2017, for the analysis. We could detect the triggered LFEs for five teleseismic earthquakes. Then, we determined the hypocenters of LFEs by using the relative arrival times of LFEs for each station. The LFEs were distributed in the south of Okinawa Island and the Yaeyama area. Moreover, they were distributed around the source fault of the slow slip events. These were almost the same as the position of LFEs accompanying very low-frequency earthquakes (VLFEs). However, the epicenters of the triggered LFEs were concentrated near the locations of the most active LFE clusters accompanying VLFEs. This suggests that the sensitivity for inducing LFEs was higher near the most active clusters of the LFEs accompanying the VLFEs. The amplitudes of the triggered LFEs were proportional to the peak ground velocity of the surface waves. This indicates that the LFEs accompanying VLFEs are activated by stress acceleration in the Yaeyama and Okinawa areas and the triggered LFEs observed in these areas can be a result of the activation of the ambient tremors due to increased stress.
Application of C-reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio (CAR) in Kawasaki Disease
Authors: Wang Zhenquan , Shao Yiping , Rong Xing , Qiu Huixian , Wang Jinxing , Zhang Xuting , Hang Biyao , Xu Zhipeng , Wu Rongozhou , Chu Maoping
Published: March 2021

Objective: To investigate the association between the C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) and coronary artery lesions (CAL), intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance in children with Kawasaki disease (KD).Methods: We retrospectively studied 753 children with KD, categorizing them into the CAL group(n=238) and the No-CAL group(n=515), the IVIG-resistance group(n=61) and the No-IVIG- resistance(n=653) group. The differences in laboratory data, clinical manifestations, the relationship between CAR and CAL as well as IVIG resistance were compared between the two cohort groups.Results: Compared with No-CAL group, KD with CAL had a higher CAR (2.12 vs 1.69, p <0.001). And CAR was significantly higher in KD children with IVIG resistance (2.42 vs 1.85, p<0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that higher CAR was a risk factors of CAL(OR=1.198, p<0.001) and IVIG resistance (OR=1.297, p<0.001), respectively. CAL and IVIG resistance interact with each other. ROC curve analysis performed for the prediction of CAL, the best cut-off point for CAR was 1.80(AUC=0.602, sensitivity 64.7%, specificity 54.8%). When predicting IVIG resistance according to the ROC curve analysis, the optimal cutoff point for CAR was 2.20(AUC=0.621, sensitivity 59.0%, specificity 61.1%).Conclusions: CAR is a valid indicator in KD children. Higher CAR may be helpful in predicting CAL and IVIG resistance in KD.
Filtering high-dimensional methylation marks with extremely small sample size: an application to gastric cancer data
Authors: Chen Xin , Zhang Qingrun , Chekouo Thierry
Published: March 2021

Background: DNA methylations in critical regions are highly involved in cancer pathogenesis and drug response. However, to identify causal methylations out of a large number of potential polymorphic DNA methylation sites is challenging. This high-dimensional data brings two obstacles: first, many established statistical models are not scalable to so many features; second, multiple-test and overfitting become serious. To this end, a method to quickly filter candidate sites to narrow down targets for downstream analyses is urgently needed. Methods: BACkPAy is a pre-screening Bayesian approach to detect biological meaningful clusters of potential differential methylation levels with small sample size. BACkPAy prioritizes potentially important biomarkers by the Bayesian false discovery rate (FDR) approach. It filters non-informative sites (i.e. non-differential) with flat methylation pattern levels accross experimental conditions. In this work, we applied BACkPAy to a genome-wide methylation dataset with 3 tissue types and each type contains 3 gastric cancer samples. We also applied LIMMA (Linear Models for Microarray and RNA-Seq Data) to compare its results with what we achieved by BACkPAy. Then, Cox proportional hazards regression models were utilized to visualize prognostics significant markers with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data for survival analysis. Results: Using BACkPAy, we identified 8 biological meaningful clusters/groups of differential probes from the DNA methylation dataset. Using TCGA data, we also identified five prognostic genes (i.e. predictive to the progression of gastric cancer) that contain some differential methylation probes, whereas no significant results was identified using the Benjamin-Hochberg FDR in LIMMA. Conclusions: We showed the importance of using BACkPAy for the analysis of DNA methylation data with extremely small sample size in gastric cancer. We revealed that RDH13, CLDN11, TMTC1, UCHL1 and FOXP2 can serve as predictive biomarkers for gastric cancer treatment and the promoter methylation level of these five genes in serum could have prognostic and diagnostic functions in gastric cancer patients.
ST-Segment Resolution as a Marker for Myocardial Scar in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Dong Qian , Wen Xuesong , Chang Guanglei , Xia Rui , Wang Sihang , Yang Yunjing , Tao Yi , Zhang Dongying , Shu Qin
Published: March 2021

Objective: To investigate the relationship between ST-segment resolution (STR) and myocardial scar thickness after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).Methods: Forty-two STEMI patients with single-branch coronary artery stenosis or occlusion were enrolled. ST-segment elevations were measured at emergency admission and at 24 h after PCI. Late gadolinium-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR-LGE) was performed 7 days after PCI to evaluate myocardial scars. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the utility of STR to predict the development of transmural (>75%) or non-transmural (<75%) myocardial scars.Results: The sensitivity and specificity of STR for predicting transmural scars were 96% and 88%, respectively, at an STR cut-off value of 40.15%. The area under the curve was 0.92. Multivariate logistic proportional hazards regression analysis disclosed that patients with STR<40.15% had a 112.95-fold higher probability of developing transmural scars compared with patients with STR≥40.15%. STR percentage was negatively correlated with myocardial scar thickness (β=-0.838, P<0.001) and size (β=-0.714, P<0.001).Conclusion: STR<40.15% at 24 h after PCI may provide meaningful diagnostic nformation regarding the extent of myocardial scarification in STEMI patients.
Chloroplast genome and historical biogeography of the three Magnolias
Authors: zhang min , guo shuai , Yanpeng YIN , ZHOU Luojing , Bo REN , Li WANG , SHI Xiaodong , Feixia HOU , Cheng PENG , Xianmei YIN , Jihai GAO
Published: March 2021

Magnolia officinalis, M. officinalis subsp.biloba and M. hypoleuca are all typical medicinal plants, belonging to genus Magnolia and Family Magnoliaceae. Their molecular information, particularly genetic difference, were known less. In this study, the platform Illumina HiSeq was used to sequence and assemble a novel cp (chloroplast) genome of M. hypoleuca followed by cp purification. Combined with two published cp rawdata, gene cycles and function annotations were comparably performed for the three plant species. The results indicated that 19 791 019 clean reads was assembled for M. hypoleuca cp, Q30 being 91.33%, and genome 160 051 bp. Its GC content is 39.2%, including 37 tRNAs and 8 rRNAs. The M. hypoleuca had smaller chloroplast genome and more introns (or exons) than M. officinalis and M. officinalis subsp.biloba. And there were respectively 11 and 8 more functional genes in M. hypoleuca cp than that in the other two. Based on cp complete genomes sequences, we constructed the phylogenetic relationship and estimated the divergence time of the three species by ML (Maximum likelihood) method, with other 10 published Magnoliaceae species. The results showed that M. officinalis subsp.biloba and M. officinalis might diverge from M. hypoleuca around 18.98 Ma, then they diverged from each other around 15.00 Ma. Additionally, the middle Miocene warming period might play an important role in the demographic and evolutionary histories of the three Magnolias, which provided a novel insight of the origin and dispersal routes of M. hypoleuca.
Does General Comorbidity Impact the Postoperative Outcomes After Surgery for Large and Giant Petroclival Meningiomas?
Authors: Roux Alexandre , Troude Lucas , Baucher Guillaume , Bernard Florian , Pallud Johan , Roche Pierre-Hugues
Published: March 2021

ObjectiveWe assessed the role of the general condition of the patient in addition to usual anatomical reasoning to improve the prediction of personalized surgical risk for patients harbouring a large and giant petroclival meningiomas.MethodsSingle-center, retrospective observational study including adult patients surgically treated for a large and giant petroclival meningioma between January 2002 and October 2019 in a French tertiary neurosurgical skull-base center by one Neurosurgeon. Inclusion criteria were: 1) histopathologically proven meningioma; 2) larger than 3cm in diameter; 2) located within the upper two-thirds of the clivus, the inferior petrosal sinus, or the petrous apex around the trigeminal incisura, medial to the trigeminal nerve. Clinical and radiological characteristics were gathered preoperatively including ASA score, the modified Frailty Index and the Charlson Comorbidity Index. Post-operative severe neurological and non-neurological complications were collected.ResultsA total of 102 patients harbouring a large and giant petroclival meningioma were included. The rate of postoperative death was 3.0% related to a congestive heart failure (n=1), a surgical site hematoma (n=1), and an ischemic stroke (n=1). A severe neurological impairment was found in 12.8% and a severe non-neurological morbidity was found in 4.0%. The overall rate of severe morbidity and mortality was 15.7% after large and giant petroclival meningioma surgery. The presence of brainstem peri-tumoral edema (adjusted OR, 4.83 [95% CI 1.84–7.52], p=0.028) was independently associated with a history of postoperative severe neurological morbidity. Male gender (adjusted OR, 7.42 [95% CI 1.05–49.77], p=0.044), major cardiovascular morbidity (adjusted OR, 9.5 [95% CI 1.05–86.72], p=0.045), and an ASA score ≥ 2 (adjusted OR, 11.09 [95% CI 1.46–92.98], p=0.038) were independently associated with a history of postoperative severe non-neurological morbidity. A modified Frailty index ≥ 1 (adjusted OR, 3.13 [95% CI 1.07–9.93], p=0.047), and a low neurosurgical experience (adjusted OR, 5.38 [95% CI 1.38–20.97], p=0.007) were independently associated with a history of postoperative overall morbidity and mortality.ConclusionsThis study suggests to add scores assessing the patient general condition in daily practice to improve the selection of patients eligible for surgery. Collaborative international multicenter studies will be necessary to confirm these results and allow their implementation in clinical routine.
Unusual competition of superconductivity and charge-density-wave state in a compressed topological kagome metal
Authors: Yu Fanghang , Ma Donghui , Zhuo Weizhuang , Liu Shiqiu , Wen Xikai , Lei Bin , Ying Jianjun , Chen Xianhui
Published: March 2021

Understanding the competition between superconductivity and other ordered states (such as antiferromagnetic or charge-density-wave (CDW) state) is a central issue in condensed matter physics. The recently discovered layered kagome metal AV3Sb5 (A = K, Rb, and Cs) provides us a new playground to study the interplay of superconductivity and CDW state by involving nontrivial topology of band structures. Here, we present high-pressure electrical transport measurements for CsV3Sb5 with the highest Tc of 2.7 K in AV3Sb5 family. The CDW transition is monotonically suppressed by pressure, while superconductivity is enhanced with increasing pressure up to P1 ≈0.7 GPa, then an unexpected suppression on superconductivity happens until pressure around 1.2 GPa. The CDW is completely suppressed at a critical pressure P2≈2 GPa together with a maximum Tc of about 8 K. In contrast to a common dome-like behavior, the pressure-dependent Tc shows an unexpected double-peak behavior. The unusual suppression of Tc at P1 is linked to a Lifshitz transition of Fermi surface evidenced by quantum oscillation experiment, a sudden enhancement of the residual resistivity and a rapid decrease of magnetoresistance. A possible nearly commensurate CDW state involving the formation of CDW domain wall has been used to account for the Lifshitz transition. Our discoveries indicate an unusual competition between superconductivity and CDW state in pressurized kagome lattice.
Radio-Over-Fiber Dual-Parallel Mach-Zehnder Modulator System for Photonic Generation of Millimeter-Wave Signals Through Two Stages
Authors: Sousa Fabio Barros de , Sousa Fiterlinge M. de , Miranda Igor R. S. , Paschoal Waldomiro , Costa Marcos B. C.
Published: March 2021

In this work, we presented a radio-over-fiber (ROF) access network through two modulation stages for the generation of multiple millimeter wave (mm-wave) signals with frequencies of 20GHz, 40GHz, 60GHz and 80 GHz for the transmission rate of 10 Gbps as a function of the variation of link distance and signal power. The specific purpose of the paper was to design and to investigate a RoF system based on the variation of mm-wave frequencies in order to implement a simple and effective system. In stage 1, there are two modulators in parallel (MZMa and MZMb) called dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (DP-MZM) and in stage 2 there is only one modulator (MZMc), connected to three pulse generators: Non-Return-to-Zero (NRZ), Return-to-Zero (RZ). A single-mode fiber (SMF) and Gaussian and an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) were also used to send signals to base stations (BSs). The numerical analyzes of the results of the eye diagrams showed excellent bit error rate (BER) and quality factor (Q-factor) values, which proved the good performance of the proposed ROF DP-MZM system, for the three encoding formats used, which was able to generate 3-tupling mm-wave for multiple wireless accesses.
Fast 6D Object Pose Estimation of Shell Parts for Robotic Assembly
Authors: Hu Haopeng , Gu Weikun , Yang Xiansheng , Zhang Nan , Lou Yunjiang
Published: March 2021

Shell parts which have similar and close inner and outer surfaces are common in industrial manufacturing applications. In view of the 6D pose error compensation of parts in high-precision robotic assembly tasks, this work proposes a fast 6D pose estimation approach tailored for shell parts. With a binocular structured light camera, the proposed approach consists of two phases, namely initial pose estimation phase and local pose estimation phase. In the former one, an initial pose correction and translation offset methods serve to solve the local optimal estimation problem of the iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm. This problem is caused by the poorly assigned initial pose and the similar inner and outer surfaces of shell parts. In the latter one, the voxel sampling and the weighted point-to-plane ICP algorithms are applied to boost the efficiency of the pose estimation approach. With two typical shell parts, a simulation and an experiment of pose estimation are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Experiment results prove that the accuracy of the pose estimation approach is 0:27mm/0:38°, and the runtime is 680ms.
Liquefaction Susceptibility of an Earth Dam Foundation: A Case Study 
Authors: karoui Hatem , Bouassida Mounir
Published: March 2021

Sidi El Barrak earth dam is a compacted earth embankment of height 28 m built in 1999 on a heterogeneous foundation with strong dominance of sandy formations. The dam foundation was subjected to several tests to predict its behavior against the liquefaction risk. Standard penetration test (SPT) results served to evaluate the liquefaction risk in an earthquake occurrence. This article, firstly, presents an interpretation of data collected from SPT tests. Determination of liquefaction risk resulted from the empirical methods proposed by Seed & Idriss, (1985) and Idriss & Boulanger, (2008). Obtained results by those methods showed that, for different earthquake magnitudes equal to 5.25, 6 and 6.75, the risk of liquefaction exists in the pure sand layer located between the ground surface and 15 m depth of the foundation of the earth dam. An UBC3D-PLM constitutive model was adopted for studying the numerical response of sand layer subjected to an earthquake of acceleration equal 0.2 g to estimate its liquefaction risk. Recorded SPT data and laboratory tests results served for the determination of geotechnical parameters of this model. From numerical predictions it revealed that the liquefaction risk is greater for an earthquake characterized by an acceleration equal 0.2g.
HBV Infection Statuses Indicate Different Risks of Synchronous and Metastasis Liver Metastasis in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Zhou Jiaming , Huang Pinzhu , Guo Xiaoyan , Tan Shuyun , Lin Rongwan , Zhan Huanmiao , Wu Xiaofeng , Peng Shaoyong , Li Tuoyang , Huang Mingzhe , Xiao Yuanlv , Wang Jianping , Huang Meijin
Published: March 2021

Background: Previous studies on the effect of HBV infection on CRLM are contrary. This study identified more specific and different impacts of HBV on CRLM.Methods: A total of 3132 CRC patients were analyzed retrospectively and followed up for five years. All patients were divided into three groups: group A, HBsAg positive with HBV infection; group B, HBsAg negative with HBV infection; and group C, no HBV infection. The risk factors for SYN-CRLM, MET-CRLM, 5-year OS, and LDFS were analyzed.Results: A total of 829 patients had CRLM. SYN-CRLM was found in 425 patients. The incidence of SYN-CRLM was 16.95%, 11.60% and 13.50% (P <0.03) in groups A, B, and C, respectively. HBsAg-positive HBV infection increased the risk of SYN-CRLM (P<0.01), with a worse prognosis in group A (P<0.05). MET-CRLM was found in 404 patients. The incidence of MET-CRLM in groups A, B, and C, was 16.51%, 11.53% and 16.50% (P=0.02). HBsAg-negative HBV infection decreased the incidence of MET-CRLM (P=0.02) with a better 5-year LDFS (P=0.01), but was not related to 5-year OS (P=0.15).Conclusion: HBsAg positivity infection increased the risk of SYN-CRLM with poor prognosis. HBsAg-negative infection reduced the risk of MET-CRLM with better LDFS after surgery.
Glide Path Enlargement of Curved Molar Canals Using HyFlex EDM Glide Path File versus PathFile: A Comparative Study of Preparation Time and Postoperative Pain
Authors: Han Yi , Hou Xiao-Mei
Published: March 2021

Background: This randomized clinical trial aimed to compare the preparation time and severity of postoperative pain between the HyFlex Electric Discharge Machine (EDM) Glide Path File (GPF) and PathFile.Methods: Eighty patients who were treated by the same specialist were enrolled. After access cavity preparation, the patients were randomly assigned to receive glide path enlargement with either HyFlex EDM GPF or PathFile. ProTaper Next X1 and X2 files were used to prepare the canals. The time of preparation was assessed and the severity of postoperative pain over the next 7 days was recorded. The preparation time and the postoperative pain scores were compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) (P ≤ 0.05).Results: Glide path enlargement was significantly shorter with HyFlex EDM GPF (27.828 ± 2.345 s) than with PathFile (48.942 ± 2.864 s) (P < 0.001). The highest postoperative pain score was recorded on the first day and the pain decreased over time in both groups. GPF group patients reported significantly less postoperative pain than PathFile group patients overall (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Postoperative pain and glide path preparation time could be reduced by using the HyFlex EDM GPF system.Trial registration: PKUSSNCT, PKUSSNCT-17B12, Registered 24 October 2017
Molecular Surveillance of Shiga Toxigenic Escherichia coli in selected beef abattoirs in Osun State Nigeria
Authors: Ayoade Femi , Oguzie Judith , Eromon Philomena , Omotosho Omolola , Ogunbiyi Tosin , Olumade Testimony , Folarino Onikepe , Happi Christian
Published: March 2021

Shiga toxigenic strains of E. coli (STEC) known to be etiological agents for diarrhea were screened for their incidence/ occurrence in selected abattoirs and retail meat sources in Osogbo metropolis of Osun State, Nigeria using a randomized block design. Samples were plated directly on selective and differential media and confirmed serologically using latex agglutination serotyping kit, then, multiplex PCR analysis was used to screen for the presence of specific virulence factors. The results showed a percent occurrence of STEC at the sampled sites ranging from 25.8–46.3%. None of the strains showed any visible agglutination with the O157 latex reagent. Sequence analysis of PCR products was performed on a representative isolate showing the highest combination of virulence genes. This sequence was subsequently submitted to GenBank with accession number MW463885. The sequence showed 100% coverage and 96.46% percentage identity with Escherichia coli O113:H21 (GenBank Accession number: CP031892.1) strain from Canada. From evolutionary analyses, the strain from Nigeria, sequenced in this study, is evolutionarily distant when compared with the publicly available sequences from Nigeria. Although no case of E. coli O157 was found within the study area, percent occurrence of non-O157 STEC as high as 46.3% at some of the sampled sites is worrisome and requires regulatory interventions in ensuring hygienic practices at the abattoirs within the study area.
Integrating Life Cycle Assessment Into Landscape Studies: A Postcard From Hulunbuir
Authors: Wu Susie Ruqun , Liu Xinchao , Wang Lulu , Chen Jiquan , Zhou Peiling , shao changliang
Published: March 2021

ContextConventional life cycle assessment (LCA) has been increasingly criticized for lacking spatial information, especially for agricultural systems where high spatial sensitivity is present.ObjectivesThe objective of this research is twofold: first, to assess the potential environmental impacts and the production efficiency of pastoralism farming, and, second, to identify the influence of the spatial distribution of farms on the environmental impacts, if any. MethodsA cradle-to-gate spatialized agricultural LCA was conducted for 45 farms surveyed from the Hulunbuir Grassland by splitting direct onsite processes from upstream processes, adopting the spatialized characterization factors (SCFs) of IMPACT World+.ResultsContrasting results were observed for different impact categories regarding whether upstream or onsite processes served as the environmental hotspot. While direct onsite animal emissions did not show spatial dependence at the inventory stage, its resulting impact scores demonstrated the most contrasting spatial patterns among various impact categories, depending on whether and how spatial resolution and location were introduced during the LCIA stage.ConclusionsA cradle-to-gate spatialized agricultural LCA was proposed and applied to assess the environmental impacts of pastoralism farming in Hulunbuir Grassland. The overall spatial dependence of the LCA results was weak, if present, it depended on the interactions between spatial variation within the life cycle inventory and the spatial resolution and location of the SCFs. Environmental burden shifting occurred between different impact categories, and it remains a policy challenge as how to increase the production efficiency in the pastoralism system.
Effects of Calcination Temperature and Chemical Modification on the Adsorption of Cd and As(V) by Biochar Derived from Pteris Vittata
Authors: Sugawara Kazuki , Ichio Kouhei , Ichikawa Yumiko , Ogawa Hitoshi , Suzuki Seiichi
Published: March 2021

Phytoremediation can be applied successfully to solve the serious worldwide issue of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) pollution. However, the treatment of biomass containing toxic elements after remediation is a challenge. In this study, we investigated the effective use of biomass resources by converting the As hyperaccumulator P. vittata into biochar to adsorb toxic elements. Plant biomass containing As was calcined at 600 °C, 800 °C, and 1200 °C and its surface structure and adsorption performances for As and Cd were evaluated. Calcination at 1200 °C increased the specific surface area of the biochar, but it did not significantly affect its adsorption capacity for toxic elements. The calcined biochar had very high adsorption capacities of 90% and 95% for As and Cd, respectively, adsorbing 450 mg/g-biochar of both elements. The As adsorption rate was improved by FeCl3 treatment. However, the adsorption capacity for Cd was not significantly affected by the NaOH treatment. In conclusion, it was found that after phytoremediation using P. vittata biomass, it can be effectively used as an environmental purification material by conversion to biochar. Furthermore, chemical modification with FeCl3 improves the biochar’s adsorption performance.
Enhancement of sewage sludge dewaterability by fungal conditioning with Penicillium simplicissimum NJ12: From bench- to pilot-scale consecutive multi-batch investigations
Authors: Tao Neng , Wu Xiu , Zhang Feng , Pi Zilei , Wen Jiaqi , Fang Di , Zhou Lixiang
Published: March 2021

Bench- and pilot-scale successive multi-batch trials were conducted to investigate the performance and sustainability of fungal conditioning with Penicillium simplicissimum NJ12 for improving sludge dewatering. The dominant factors affecting the sludge dewaterability improvement by P. simplicissimum NJ12 were also identified. Fungal treatment with P. simplicissimum NJ12 at a volume fraction of 5% of the inoculum greatly improved the sludge dewaterability. This improvement was characterized by sharp decreases in the specific resistance to filtration from 1.97 × 1013 to 3.52 × 1011 m/kg and capillary suction time from 32 to 12 s within 3 days. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that a marked decrease (58.8%) in the protein content in slime extracellular polymeric substances and an increase in the zeta potential of the sludge (from − 35 to − 10 mV) were the most important factors that improved the dewaterability of sludge after fungal treatment. Consecutive processes of fungal treatment could be realized by recirculating the fungal-treated sludge with a recycling rate of 1:2 (Vbiotreated sludge/Vtotal sludge). The treatment effectiveness was maintained only over three successive cycles, but replenishment with fresh P. simplicissimum NJ12 would be provided periodically at set batch intervals. These findings demonstrate the possibility of P. simplicissimum NJ12-assisted fungal treatment for enhancing sludge dewatering.
Deployment of Workforce in Global Health: What are the Priorities for China?
Authors: Ma Xuejiao , Ding Wei , Qian Yingjun , Lu Shenning , Wang Bei , Xu Qiuli , Wang Duoquan , Guan Yayi , Xiao Ning , Zhou Xiaonong
Published: March 2021

BackgroundChina has increasingly emerged as an important player in global health. However, compared to the developed countries, China still lacks the sufficient human resources for global health engagement with limited necessary qualified capacity. The priorities for the deployment of Chinese workforce in global health engagement remains unclear. This study aims to identify the priorities of the deployment of Chinese global health workforce by exploring the core competencies for Chinese global health workforce, factors influencing the deployment and the approach of deployment. MethodA total of 148 key stakeholders from 10 provinces in China conducting global health program during the recent 3 years were selected as the study sample. A structured questionnaire was developed to collect the data on four aspects, including the general information, core competencies, factors influencing deployment, and the deployment way. The questionnaire was distributed to the respondents through an online survey tool. All original data was exported to Microsoft Excel 2010 to calculate the frequency and percentage of every option. The descriptive analysis was made on the priorities of deployment of Chinese global health workforce. ResultsMore than half of respondents 51.4% (76/148) regarded “communication” as the most important competency of Chinese global health workforce while a large portion of Chinese Embassies 50.0% (6/12) and international organizations 75.0% (12/16) believed that “professional skills” was the paramount. In addition, 58.1% (86/148) of the participants agreed that incentive factors (salary, professional title, etc.) are the first factors influencing the deployment, whereas, a majority of 75% (12/16) international organization stakeholders emphasized “security” as the foremost factor. Furthermore, 60.8% (90/148) thought that staff should be deployed align with the needs of global health program implementation. ConclusionThe study shows the priorities of the deployment of Chinese global health workforce, including strengthening the competency of communication and professional skills, stressing the personal security and incentives, and catering to the program implementation.
Promoting helpful attention and interpretation patterns to reduce anxiety and depression in young people: Weaving scientific data with young peoples’ lived experiences
Authors: Lau Jennifer , Watkins-Muleba Rebecca , Lee Isabelle , Pile Victoria , Hirsch Colette
Published: March 2021

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression are common, disabling and frequently start in youth, underscoring the need for effective, accessible early interventions. Promoting adaptive cognitive patterns could reflect “active ingredients” in the treatment and/or prevention of youth anxiety and depression. Here, we described and compared different therapeutic techniques that equipped young people with a more flexible capacity to use attention and/or promoted a tendency to positive/benign (over threatening/negative) interpretations of uncertain situations. We also consulted young people with lived experiences on how effective these strategies are used in daily life and their views on whether additional techniques could be used to promote resilient cognitive patterns.METHODS: We searched electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and PsycARTICLES) for studies containing words relating to: intervention; youth; anxiety and/or depression and attention and/or interpretation, and selected studies which sought to reduce self-reported anxiety/depression in youth by explicitly altering attention and/or interpretation patterns. Ten young people with lived experiences of anxiety and depression and from diverse backgrounds were invited to give their views on our findings.RESULTS: Two sets of techniques, each targeting different levels of responding with different strengths and weaknesses were identified. Cognitive bias modification training (CBM) tasks were largely able to alter attention and interpretation biases but the effects of training on clinical symptoms was more mixed. In contrast, guided instructions that teach young people to regulate their attention or to evaluate alternative explanations of personally-salient events, reduced symptoms but there was little experimental data establishing the intervention mechanism. Young people reported on additional strategies that could be targeted to promote adaptive cognitive patterns. DISCUSSION: CBM techniques target clear hypothesised mechanisms but require further co-design with young people to make them more engaging and augment their clinical effects. Guided instructions benefit from being embedded in clinical interventions, but lack empirical data to support their intervention mechanism, underscoring the need for more experimental work. Young peoples’ feedback suggest that combining complimentary techniques within multi-pronged “toolboxes” to develop resilient thinking patterns in youth is empowering.
Decreasing hospital burden of COVID-19 during the first wave in Regione Lombardia: an emergency measures context
Authors: Grosso Francesca Maria , Presanis Anne Margaret , Kunzmann Kevin , Jackson Chris , Corbella Alice , Grasselli Giacomo , Andreassi Aida , Bodina Annalisa , Gramegna Maria , Castaldi Silvana , Zanella Alberto , Salmoiraghi Marco , Castrofino Ambra , Castillo Gabriele Del , Crottogini Lucia , Tirani Marcello , Cereda Danilo , De Angelis Daniela
Published: March 2021

Background: The aim of this study is to quantify the hospital burden of COVID-19 during the first wave and how it changed over calendar time; to interpret the results in light of the emergency measures introduced to manage the strain on secondary healthcare. Methods: This is a cohort study of hospitalised confirmed cases of COVID-19 admitted from February-June 2020 and followed up till 17th July 2020, analysed using a mixture multi-state model. All hospital patients with confirmed COVID-19 disease in Regione Lombardia were involved, admitted from February-June 2020, with non-missing hospital of admission and non-missing admission date.Results: The cohort consists of 40,550 patients hospitalised during the first wave. These patients had a median age of 69 (interquartile range 56-80) and were more likely to be men (60%) than women (40%). The hospital-fatality risk, averaged over all pathways through hospital, was 27.5% (95% CI 27.1-28.0%); and steadily decreased from 34.6% (32.5-36.6%) in February to 7.6% (6.3-10.6%) in June. Among surviving patients, median length of stay in hospital was 11.8 (11.6-12.3) days, compared to 8.1 (7.8-8.5) days in non-survivors. Averaged over final outcomes, median length of stay in hospital decreased from 21.4 (20.5-22.8) days in February to 5.2 (4.7-5.8) days in June.Conclusions: The hospital burden, in terms of both risks of poor outcomes and lengths of stay in hospital, has been demonstrated to have decreased over the months of the first wave, perhaps reflecting improved treatment and management of COVID-19 cases, as well as reduced burden as the first wave waned. The quantified burden allows for planning of hospital beds needed for current and future waves of SARS-CoV-2.
Needs Assessment of Family With Neonates Hospitalized in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Razzaghi Sedigheh , Pasha Yadollah Zahed , hajian-Tilaki Karimollah , valizadeh Sousan , Arzani Afsaneh
Published: March 2021

Background: The neonate’s birth and subsequent hospitalization cause families to experience various needs. Assessing the family needs can lead identify the real needs of parents, provide qualitative services and implement family-centered care by nurses. The aim of this study was to assess the needs of families with neonates hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 360 parents of neonates admitted to NICU in northern Iran in 2018- 2019. Data were collected by demographic questionnaire of parents and neonates and NICU Family Needs Inventory (NFNI) of Ward with 5 dimensions of proximity, assurance, information, comfort and support. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. Results: The most important dimensions of family needs, proximity to infant (93.59%), information (90.53%), assurance (89.18%), comfort (86.70%) and support (80.78%).Comparison indicated that the dimensions of need including assurance of multiparous parents (P<0.001) and comfort in parents with term infants (P<0.02) were significantly more than the rest. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the most important dimension of family needs is proximity to infants. Therefore, it is recommended that the relevant authorities should take effective measures to provide parent-infant proximity.
A Novel Zero-Watermarking Scheme Based on NSCT-SVD and Blockchain for Video Copyright
Authors: Wu Xiangqi , Ma Peng , Jin Zihan , Wu Yuxuan , Ou Wei , Han Wenbao
Published: March 2021

With the advent of information era, issues about video copyright continue to emerge. In the grey industrial chain of piracy, the film industry is a major disaster area so far. The current protection schemes for video copyright are inefficient and costly so that video industry still has to face the infringement. Research on a simple and efficient protection technology of video copyright is urgent. To address the inefficiency and irregularity of the current protection schemes for video copyright, this paper proposes a simple and efficient protection scheme for video copyright based on zero-watermarking and blockchain. The results show that the proposed key-frames extraction method of proposed scheme performs well and achieves low-cost protection of video copyright in pratical environment. In addition, video zero-watermarking algorithm of proposed scheme works well with blockchain. Proposed scheme improves some extent on the database centralization and evidential difficulties of traditional video zero-watermarking schemes, and it is more reliable, simpler and more effective than traditional video zero-watermarking schemes.
Human Blastocyst is Susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 Infection based on Protein Level Examination of Key Entry Factors in Human Oocytes and Early Embryos
Authors: liu xingping , Ma Bing-xin , Zhou Li-quan
Published: March 2021

Objective ACE2, TMPRSS2 and NRP1 are key factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, we used immunofluorescence to examine the expression patterns of ACE2, TMPRSS2 and NRP1 in human oocytes and different stages of preimplantation embryos to investigated the susceptibility to be infected by SARS-CoV-2.Methods We collected human GV oocytes and different stages of early embryos donated by patients and then performed immunofluorescence followed by confocal microscopy for signals of ACE2, TMPRSS2 and NRP1 proteins in these oocytes and embryos.Results We found that ACE2 was abundant in both inner cell mass and trophectoderm at blastocyst stage, while TMPRSS2 was mainly enriched in trophectoderm. Both of the two factors had faint signal in cleavage embryos and oocytes. In contrast, NRP1 was barely detectable in oocytes or any stage of early embryos. Conclusion Taken together, we propose that human blastocysts, instead of human oocytes and other stages of early embryos, are susceptible to be infected by SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, specific attention should be paid to manipulation of human blastocysts in assisted reproductive technology.
Impact of Air-Sea Coupling on the Climate Change Signal Over The Iberian Peninsula
Authors: VARA ALBA DE LA , Cabos William , Sein Dmitry V. , Teichmann Claas , Jacob Daniela
Published: March 2021

In this work we use a regional ocean-atmosphere coupled model (RAOCM) and its stand-alone atmospheric component to gain insight into the impact of atmosphere-ocean coupling on the climate change signal over the Iberian Peninsula (IP). The IP is a well suited location for this study as high-resolution models are required to realistically reproduce its current and future climate. We find that under the RCP8.5 scenario, the generalized 2-m air temperature (T2M) increase by the end of the 21st century (2070-2099) in the atmospheric-only simulation is tempered by the coupling. The impact of coupling is specially seen in summer, when the warming is stronger. Precipitation shows regionally-dependent changes in winter, whilst a drier climate is found in summer. The coupling generally reduces the magnitude of the changes. Differences in T2M and precipitation between coupled and uncoupled simulations are caused by changes in the Atlantic large-scale circulation and in the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, the differences in projected changes of T2M and precipitation with the RAOCM under the RCP8.5 and RCP4.5 scenarios are tackled. Results show that in winter and summer T2M increases less and precipitation changes are of a smaller magnitude with the RCP4.5. Whilst in summer changes present a similar regional distribution in both runs, in winter there are some differences in the NW of the IP due to differences in the North Atlantic circulation. The differences in the climate change signal from the RAOCM and the driving Global Coupled Model shows the added value of regionalization in terms of higher resolution over the land and ocean.
Association of Hepatic Steatosis and Metabolic Dysfunction With Incident Cardiovascular Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study
Authors: Jeong Seogsong , Oh Yun Hwan , Choi Seulggie , Chang Jooyoung , Kim Sung Min , Son Joung Sik , Lee Gyeongsil , Kim Won , Park Sang Min
Published: March 2021

Background/purpose: Metabolic dysfunction (MD)-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is new clearer nomenclature with positive diagnostic criteria on the basis of hepatic steatosis and MD, involving exclusion criteria for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 333,389 participants who received health examination between 2009 and 2010 from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Hepatic steatosis was defined using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey-derived NAFLD scoring system. Participants were followed over 5-6 years from the index date of health examination to 31 December 2015 for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The Cox proportional hazards regression was adopted to determine adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for CVD according to the presence of hepatic steatosis, MD, and MAFLD.Results: This study included 179,437 men and 153,952 women with a median age of 57 years. Hepatic steatosis with MD (aHR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.89-2.13) and without MD (aHR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.10-1.54) significantly increased the risk of CVD compared to no steatosis without MD (reference). However, steatosis revealed no significant difference in the risk of CVD compared to no steatosis among participants with one metabolic dysfunction (aHR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.91-1.30). In participants with steatosis, the presence of one and ≥2 metabolic dysfunctions had aHR of 1.25 (95% CI, 0.87-1.79) and 1.71 (95% CI, 1.22-2.41) compared to no MD, respectively.Conclusion: MAFLD was significantly associated with increased CVD risk and had better predictive performance for CVD risk compared to hepatic steatosis or metabolic dysfunction alone.
Low-Cost Alternative Biodiesel Production Apparatus Based on Household Food Blender for Continuous Biodiesel Production for Small Communities
Authors: Wongjaikham Wijittra , Wongsawaeng Doonyapong , Ratnitsai Vareeporn , Kamjam Manita , Ngaosuwan Kanokwan , Kiatkittipong Worapon , Hosemann Peter , Assabumrungrat Suttichai
Published: March 2021

Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) are sustainable biofuel that can alleviate high oil cost and environmental impacts of petroleum-based fuel. A modified 1,200 W high efficiency fruit blender was employed for continuous transesterification of various refined vegetable oils and waste cooking oil (WCO) using sodium hydroxide as a homogeneous catalyst. The following factors have been investigated on their effects on FAME yield: baffles, reaction volume, total reactant flow rate, methanol-oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration and reaction temperature. Results indicated that the optimal conditions were: 2,000 mL reaction volume, 50 mL/min total flow rate, 1% and 1.25% catalyst concentration for refined palm oil and WCO, respectively, 6:1 methanol-to-oil molar ratio and 62 - 63oC, obtaining yield efficiency over 96.5% FAME yield of 21.14 ´ 10-4 g.J-1 (for palm oil) and 19.39 ´ 10-4 g.J-1 (for WCO). All the properties of produced FAMEs meet the EN 14214 and ASTM D6751 standards. The modified household fruit blender could be a practical and low-cost alternative biodiesel production apparatus for continuous biodiesel production for small communities in remote areas.