bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mosques in Japan Responding to COVID-19 Pandemic: Infection Prevention and Support Provision
Authors: Kotani Hitomu , Tamura Mari , Nejima Susumu 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Religious activities tend to be conducted in enclosed, crowded, and close-contact settings, which have a high potential of transmitting the coronavirus disease, 2019 (COVID-19); therefore, religious communities are expected to take appropriate infection prevention measures. Meanwhile, during past disasters, religious communities have provided various types of support to affected people; hence, their role in disaster risk reduction has received much attention. In this study, we aimed to identify the infection prevention measures and support provision implemented by mosques—Islamic institutions managed and operated mainly by foreign Muslims living in Japan—during the one year from January 2020. We collected information from newspaper articles (18 articles on 19 mosques) and interviews with representatives of three mosques. We found that various infection control measures were implemented in mosques—refraining from mass prayers and closing buildings from an early stage (around February 2020); canceling large-scale events during the month of Ramadan; moving some activities online; and ensuring indoor ventilation and safe physical distance even when continuing face-to-face prayer activities. We also found that various types of support were provided by mosques—donating masks to the local government; listening to problems of people affected by COVID-19 regardless of their nationality; providing financial support to them; translating and disseminating information to foreign Muslims; and providing religious meals for them. This study provides actual examples of infection prevention measures taken by mosques in a Muslim-minority society and suggests that mosques appropriately responded to the needs of religious minorities during disasters, including COVID-19.
The association between plasma fatty acid and cognitive function mediated by inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Shen Jingyi , Li Kaifeng , Yu Huiyan , Ding Bingjie , Xiao Rong , Ma Weiwei 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
In this study, we evaluated the cognitive function of 372 Chinese patients (214 males and 158 females; the average age was 57.09 ± 9.00 years) with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), with Plasma fatty acids measured by gas chromatography analysis and inflammatory cytokines determined by immune turbidimetric analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to investigate whether there was a correlation between the plasma fatty acids, plasma inflammatory cytokine levels and cognitive test scores in Chinese patients with T2DM. We found the increasing of body mass index (BMI) might lead to cognitive impairment and induce inflammatory response. Higher saturated fatty acids (SFAs) levels in plasma were linked to cognitive decline, while higher monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) intake might be a protective factor for cognitive function. In addition, most polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) levels stood out as having increasing trends that were positively correlated to cognitive function scores. In our study, we found higher SFAs led to higher proinflammatory factor levels. Apart from that, MUFAs and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-18 (SCD-18) were positively related to hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (P<0.05; P<0.05; P<0.05). Meanwhile, our result also indicated that the increasing of C18:0 might reduce MoCA language skill scores by regulating plasma IL-10 levels. Plasma fatty acids could improve or damage cognitive function by regulating IL-10, which suggested plasma fatty acids could be evaluated as a potential indicator of cognitive function decline in T2DM.
Comparison of the statistics and item analysis of multiple-choice questions between free and tuition-paying admission
Authors: Hosseini S. Mehran , Rahmati Reza , Sepehri Hamid , Tajari Vahid , Habibi-koolaee Mahdi 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background: The purpose of this pilot was to compare the multiple-choice test statistics of medical and dental students' exams between free and tuition-paying.Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted at Golestan University of Medical Sciences in Iran in 2020. The study population included students of medicine and dentistry. A total of 56 exams were selected in two student groups of free and tuition-paying admission in the physiology course. The results of quantitative evaluation of tests were used as the data of this study. The variables included difficulty index, discrimination index, the degree of difficulty, score variance, and Kuder-Richardson correlation coefficient. Results: There were 32 medical and 24 dentistry exams. The cumulative total number of questions in these exams was 437 and 330 multiple choice questions, respectively. The number of medical students participating in the free-tuition and paying-tuition admissions was 1336 and 1076, and for dental students, these numbers were 395 and 235, respectively. There were no significant differences in normalized adjusted exams scores between two admission groups in both medical and dentistry tests. The mean of discrimination index in the free-tuition group was higher than in the paying-tuition group. The interaction between the type of admission and the field of study was significant for the discrimination index. This difference was more in tuition-free dental students than tuition-free medical students and tuition-paying dental students. Conclusion: The type of student admission has no significant effect on student assessments in multiple-choice exams in matched educational conditions.
Arterial Carboxyhemoglobin Levels In COVID-19 Critically Ill Patients
Authors: Paccaud Paul , Castanares-Zapatero Diego , Gerard Ludovic , Montiel Virginie , Wittebole Xavier , Collienne Christine , Laterre Pierre-François , Hantson Philippe 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Objective : Oxidative stress conditions may be responsible for an up-regulation of the expression of heme oxygenase (HO), the enzyme synthesizing carbon monoxide (CO) in cells. Elevated levels of arterial carboxyhemoglogin (aCOHb) have been found in critically ill patients, including those suffering from acute lung injury. We aimed to investigate the changes of aCOHb levels in COVID-19 critically ill patients.Design : Single center retrospective cohort study between March 1 and December 31, 2020.Setting: University teaching hospital with 900 beds including 48 ICU beds.Patients: Consecutive adults requiring ICU admission for severe COVID-19 infection.Measurements and main results : After exclusion of 23 patients who required extracorporeal membranous oxygenation (ECMO), a total of 135 patients was considered, from whom 76 required mechanical ventilation (MV) that was prolonged for more than 20 days in 28 patients. Demographics, laboratory values, treatment and outcomes were recorded. The evolution of aCOHb over time was investigated among survivors and non-survivors and among patients with or without MV. The admission and peak aCOHb values did not differ among survivors or non-survivors. In the patients with MV, there was a significant increase of aCOHb with time, with a biphasic evolution for the patients ventilated for more than 20 days: a parallel increase of aCOHb and PaCO2 followed by a trend to a plateau of aCOHb during PaCO2 recovery.Conclusions : Progressive increase in aCOHb from endogenous source is observed in COVID-19 patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. Decrease of aCOHb appears slower than PaCO2 recovery.
Signatures and Prognostic Values of Related Immune Targets in Tongue Cancer
Authors: Yu Xi , Lv Xiaofei 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Tongue cancer, as one of the most malignant oral cancers, is highly invasive and has a high risk of recurrence. At present, tongue cancer in the advanced stage is not obvious, easy to miss the opportunity of early diagnosis. It is important to find markers that can predict the occurrence and progression of tongue cancer. Bioinformatics analysis plays an important role in the acquisition of marker genes. GEO and TCGA data are very important public databases. In addition to expression data, TCGA database also contains corresponding clinical data. In this study, we screened three GEO datasets included GSE13601, GSE34105 and GSE34106 that met the standard. These data sets were combined using the SVA package to prepare the data for differential expression analysis, and then the LIMMA package was used to set the standard to p<0.05 and |log2 (FC)| ≥1.5. We got 170 DEGs (104, raised 66 downgrade). Besides, the DEseq package was used for differential expression analysis using the same criteria for samples in TCGA database. It ended up with 1589 DEGs (644 up-regulated, 945 down-regulated). By merging these two sets of DEGs, 5 common up-regulated DEGs (CCL20, SCG5, SPP1, KRT75 and FOLR3) and 15 common down-regulated DEGs were obtained. Further functional analysis of the DEGs showed that CCL20, SCG5 and SPP1 is closely related to prognosis and may be a therapeutic target of TSCC.
Is there a demand for “suggestion” and “counter-suggestion” concepts in modern social science?
Authors: Задорожнюк Э.Г. , Задорожнюк И.Е. 
Published: November 2021

Рассматриваются некоторые идеи Б.Ф. Поршнева, изложенные в его статье 50-летней давности «Контрсуггестия и история», характеризуется их место в истории идей от-носительно динамики социальных изменений, анализируемой, в частности, в трудах отечественных ученых прошлого. Обосновывается настоятельность введения в глоссарий современных социальных наук концепта «суггестия» и понятия «контрсуггестия», показана их релевантность на широком историческом материале и полях взаимодействия социальных субъектов. Отмечено, что суггестия и противостоящая ей контрсуггестия пронизывают массовые настроения и влияют на все общественные отношения, особенно в кризисные моменты. Обращается внимание на феномен инфодемии, усугубляющей, по заключению Всемирной организации здравоохранения, проявления пандемии коронавируса, а также на его корреляцию с суггестией.
The article considers a number of ideas by B.F. Porshnev set forth 50 years ago in his article "Counter-suggestion and History", as well as its role in the history of ideas, especially in connection to the dynamics of social changes analyzed, in particular, in the works by Russian historians. The urgency of introducing the concept of "Suggestion" and the notion of "Сounter- Suggestion" into the glossary of modern social sciences is justified, as well as their relevance is shown in a wide range of historical material and fields of interaction of social subjects. It is noted that Suggestion and opposing Сounter-Suggestion permeate mass moods and affect all social relations, especially in crisis moments. Attention is drawn to the phenomenon of infodemia, which, according to the World Health Organization, exacerbates the manifestations of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as its correlation with suggestion.
"An appanage prince of a pattern of developed socialism has emerged". The interests of the ruling regional elites of the USSR in the later 20th c.
Authors: Никифоров Ю.С. 
Published: November 2021

В статье реконструируются интересы правящих региональных элит СССР конца 1960-х – 1980-х гг. Анализируются связи и противоречия в описании интересов региональных элит. Корпус источников составили впервые вводимые в научный оборот документы фонда (Ф. 100) РГАНИ; мемуары; данные устной истории. Были проанализированы основные виды властных интересов, включая установление личных неформальных контактов. Была выявлена структура интересов региональной власти в позднем СССР, включавшая декларируемые и скрытые интересы.
The article reconstructs the interests of the ruling regional elites of the USSR in the late 1960s - first half of the 1980s. The relations and contradictions in the description of the interests of regional elites are analyzed. The corpus of research sources was made up of archival documents, the documents of the foundation (F.100) of the Russian State Institute of Scientific Research and Entrepreneurship; memoirs; oral history data obtained during interviews. The main types of power interests, including the establishment of personal informal contacts, were analyzed and systematized. The study revealed the structure of the interests of regional authorities in the late USSR, which included 2 interconnected blocks - declared and hidden interests.
The image of the capital in the letters of the high clergy of the Despotate of Epirus in 1215-1230
Authors: Денисов С. 
Published: November 2021

Статья посвящена дистрибуции образа византийской столицы Константинополя среди городов Эпирского царства в 1215–1230 гг., отраженной в письмах местных архиереев. Данный процесс был тесно связан с политическими претензиями правителя царства Феодора I Дуки (1215–1230) и состоял в поочередном наделении столичным статусом Арты и Фессалоники, что подразумевало использование в их отношении эпитетов, характерных для Константинополя. Вместе с тем архиереи рассматривали эту практику как временную меру, что было связано с сохранением идеи о Константинополе, как о главном византийском городе, который легитимировал власть императора.
Article is devoted to the distribution of image of Byzantine capital, Constantinople, among cities in the State of Epirus in 1215–1230, that was described in the epistles of local high clergy. This process was closely tied to political ambitions of the Epirote ruler Theodore I Doukas (1215–1230) and consisted of alternate attribution of the rank of capital to Arta and Thessaloniki that implied using for them terms common for Constantinople. At the same time clergy interpreted this practice as temporary measure that was caused by preservation of idea about Constantinople as the main Byzantine city, which legitimized the power of emperor.
Chancellor ambitions of Alfred Von Waldersee: personal diary as a historical source
Authors: Власов Н.А. 
Published: November 2021

Жизнь и деятельность графа Альфреда фон Вальдерзее (1832–1904), одного из ведущих представителей военно-политической элиты Германии конца XIX в., до сих пор остается слабо изученной. Цель настоящего исследования – выяс-нить, может ли его личный дневник дать однозначный ответ на вопрос о нали-чии у него канцлерских амбиций. Обращаясь к исследованиям культурологов, социологов и психологов, автор делает вывод о том, что дневник отражает в первую очередь представления человека о самом себе, его идентичность. Вальдерзее крайне неохотно писал о тех своих действиях, которые плохо со-относились с образом «идеального офицера». Таким образом, ссылка на днев-никовые записи не является однозначным аргументом в пользу отсутствия у Вальдерзее канцлерских амбиций.
The life and activities of Alfred Graf Waldersee – one of the most influential military-political leaders of the German empire in the late XIXth century – remain understudied. The goal of the present article is to assess whether his personal diary can provide us a definitive answer about Waldersee’s chancellor ambitions. The main conclusion after consulting the writings of cultural scientists, social scientists and psychologists dealing with diaries is that a diary reflects primarily the self-image of a person, his/her identity. Waldersee was very reticent in describing his actions not corresponding with the image of an “ideal officer”. Therefore, the diary entries cannot prove the absence of ambitions for chancellorship by Waldersee.
Monastic Education in Late Antiquity: New Concepts, New Approaches
Authors: Ведешкин М.А. , Волкова Н.П. 
Published: November 2021

В статье представлена рецензия на сборник Monastic Education in Late Antiquity: The Transformation of Classical 'Paideia' (под ред. Л. Ларсен и С. Рубенсона). Отмечается как методологическая новизна подхода авторов, включенных в сборник статей, так и противоречивость некоторых суждений и выводов.
The article presents a review of the collective volume Monastic Education in Late Antiquity: The Transformation of Classical 'Paideia,' edited by L. Larsen and S. Rubenson. It emphasizes both the methodological novelty of the approaches of the authors and the controversial nature of some of their judgments and conclusions.
Modelling climate change impact on water resources of the Upper Indus Basin
Authors: Ougahi Jamal H. , Cutler Mark E. J. , Cook Simon J. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Climate change has implications for water resources by increasing temperature, shifting precipitation patterns and altering the timing of snowfall and glacier melt, leading to shifts in the seasonality of river flows. Here, the Soil & Water Assessment Tool was run using downscaled precipitation and temperature projections from five global climate models (GCMs) and their multi-model mean to estimate the potential impact of climate change on water balance components in sub-basins of the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) under two emission (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) and future (2020–2050 and 2070–2100) scenarios. Warming of above 6 °C relative to baseline (1974–2004) is projected for the UIB by the end of the century (2070–2100), but the spread of annual precipitation projections among GCMs is large (+16 to −28%), and even larger for seasonal precipitation (+91 to −48%). Compared to the baseline, an increase in summer precipitation (RCP8.5: +36.7%) and a decrease in winter precipitation were projected (RCP8.5: −16.9%), with an increase in average annual water yield from the nival–glacial regime and river flow peaking 1 month earlier. We conclude that predicted warming during winter and spring could substantially affect the seasonal river flows, with important implications for water supplies.
Optimum parameters for humic acid removal and power production by Al–air fuel cell electrocoagulation in synthetic wastewater
Authors: Wei Wei , Gong Haoyang , Sheng Lin , Zhou Dong , Zhu Shuguang 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Although humic acid (HA) is a complex natural organic matter, it can potentially harm the environment and human health. In this study, aluminum–air fuel cell electrocoagulation (AAFCEC) was used to remove HAs from water while generating electricity. Initial pH, electrolyte concentration, HA concentration electrode distance and external resistance were investigated to determine the power generation and removal efficiency. The results showed that the better performance of power generation has been acquired in the alkaline solution and larger electrolyte concentration and short electrode distance. Further, Al–Ferron complexation timed spectrophotometry was used to determine the Al speciation distribution in the solution under different parameters. The power density of the cell reached 313.47 mW/cm2 for the following conditions: 1 g/L NaCl concentration, 3 cm electrode distance, 20 Ω external resistor, and pH 9. After about an hour of electrolysis, the optimum removal rate of HA was above 99%. The results demonstrated that the AAFCEC is an efficient and eco-friendly water treatment process, and it could be further developed and disseminated in the rural areas and households.
Cephalexin removal by persulfate activation using simulated sunlight and ferrous ions
Authors: García Perdomo Carlos M. , Ramírez Minota Paula A. , Zúñiga-Benítez Henry , Peñuela Gustavo A. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
This study presents the main results related to the use of activated persulfate (PS) in the elimination of the beta-lactam antibiotic cephalexin (CPX). Experiments were done using K2S2O8 and simulated sunlight. A face-centered central composite experimental design was used to analyze the effects of the solution pH and the PS concentration on the reaction, and to determine the optimized conditions that favor the CPX elimination. The results indicated that the removal of CPX is promoted by an acidic pH and under the higher evaluated PS dose (7.5 mg L−1). CPX total removal was achieved in 30 min. The analysis of the effect of the pollutant initial concentration indicated that a pseudo-first-order kinetics model can be used to describe the reaction. Likewise, the use of Fe2+ ions for PS activation (in the dark) was evaluated and established that a higher concentration of ions favors the pollutant removal. Control tests and under the presence of scavenger agents indicated that both HO• and SO4−• radicals would be present in the solution and promote the CPX elimination. The assessment of the solution dissolved organic carbon, nitrates and sulfates was also carried out, and indicated that a portion of the organic matter was mineralized.
Model predictive control based on artificial intelligence and EPA-SWMM model to reduce CSOs impacts in sewer systems
Authors: El Ghazouli Khalid , El Khatabi Jamal , Soulhi Aziz , Shahrour Isam 
Published: November 2021

AbstractUrbanization and an increase in precipitation intensities due to climate change, in addition to limited urban drainage systems (UDS) capacity, are the main causes of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) that cause serious water pollution problems in many cities around the world. Model predictive control (MPC) systems offer a new approach to mitigate the impact of CSOs by generating optimal temporally and spatially varied dynamic control strategies of sewer system actuators. This paper presents a novel MPC based on neural networks for predicting flows, a stormwater management model (SWMM) for flow conveyance, and a genetic algorithm for optimizing the operation of sewer systems and defining the best control strategies. The proposed model was tested on the sewer system of the city of Casablanca in Morocco. The results have shown the efficiency of the developed MPC to reduce CSOs while considering short optimization time thanks to parallel computing.
An investigation into the role of treatment performance and soil characteristics of soil-based wastewater treatment systems
Authors: Baykuş N. , Karpuzcu M. , Yurtsever A. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Soil-based onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) are becoming more important for the treatment and disposal of wastewater in areas that do not have central wastewater collection and treatment systems. However, there are concerns that OWTS may have adverse effects on public health and environment. The purpose of this study is to treat wastewater using a natural soil column in order to evaluate treatment system performance. Wastewater was applied to two different natural soils at different flow rates of 9, 18 and 36 L/day. The treatment performances of wastewater and geotechnical properties of the natural soils were examined. As a result of this study, the percentage of COD and SS removal in wastewater after soil column filtration ranged from 36.2% to 80.5% and 84.4% to 97.9% respectively. pH values of wastewater after the filtration were measured at between 7.75 and 8.12. TP and TN removal rates were found in the range of 23.9–76.8% and 12.4–83.0%, respectively. The column effluent water was classified as both ‘high hardness class’ in terms of hardness and ‘polluted water’ in terms of conductivity. Column effluent water was found in ‘low, medium, and high hazard’ classes in terms of SAR. Whereas the PL values of the natural soils were found to increase by up to 4.8% in the filtration area, specific gravity decreased by nearly 1.1%. The values of LL, PI, maximum dry density, optimum water content, and permeability changed depending on the soil type. The UCS of the natural soils after wastewater filtration decreased by about 5.9%. It was concluded that natural soils have positive effects on treatment of wastewater in a short time.