bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Situation Analysis of Uncorrected Refractive Errors In Sub-Saharan Francophone African Countries
Authors: Dougnon Amassagou , Guirou Nouhoum , Bakayoko Seydou , Tounkara Fatoumata Korika , Maiga Sadio , Mathias Dolo , Melançon Carole , Traore Lamine , Toussignant Benoit , Kayentao Kassoum 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background: Uncorrected refractive errors (URE) are a serious public health problem by their magnitude, the multiple consequences they result in, but also by the inability of the countries of French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa (FSSA) to meet the needs of the population. Governance problems, associated with human resources problems, financing problems for care, infrastructure and consumables, led us to initiate this study, the objective of which is to analyze the situation of UREs in FSSA with the stakeholders involved in the eye health system. Materials and Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional survey of eye health actors and stakeholders in all of the French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa countries from March 1st to August 31st, 2020. An online questionnaire was developed and translated into French, and then sent to the targeted eye health stakeholders involved in eye health. The survey and data collection were carried out in two phases: first by collecting information from the eye health officials of the countries which then enabled us to reach all the other actors in the country. Data were entered directly into SPSS 20 software followed by cleaning prior to analysis and presented as percent, mean or median, and standard deviation. Results: A total of 500 questionnaires were sent to the various actors involved in eye health in the 21 countries of French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa. The number of people who opened the questionnaire is 215, of which 151 have completed at least one question.Eye health policy documents existed in countries according to 95% of respondents. In the words of 76.6%, 54.6% and 85.2% of the participants respectively, the mechanisms for describing the tasks of the agents, for reporting to the actors and for collecting data existed. Also, according to respectively 61.5%, 58.8 % and 61.3% of respondents, the following are not effective: existence of documents of standards and procedures, specific allocation of eye health in the budget of the Ministry of Health and the obligation of continuous training.Conclusion: Although policy documents that comply with standards do exist in the French-speaking region of sub-Saharan Africa, several challenges remain to be taken up; in particular the involvement of all stakeholders of the health system, and the strengthening in the areas of governance, financial and human resources, as well as the information and supply system for materials and consumables, hence the need to initiate more targeted research activities.
Hepatic Burdens of PCB and PCDD/F Congeners in Federally Endangered Shortnose Sturgeon and Atlantic Sturgeon from the Hudson River, New York, USA: Burden Patterns and Potential Consequences in Offspring
Authors: Wirgin Isaac , Chambers R. Christopher 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Sturgeon populations worldwide are threatened with extirpation but little is known about their tendency to bioaccumulate contaminants and their sensitivities to environmental burdens of these contaminants. Shortnose sturgeon and Atlantic sturgeon, two species that are federally endangered in the U.S., co-occur in the Hudson River (HR) where high sediment levels of PCBs and PCDD/Fs occur. Previous controlled laboratory studies showed that young life-stages of both species are sensitive to toxicities at low levels of TCDD and PCB126 exposure. The objective here was to measure congener-specific hepatic levels of PCBs and PCDD/Fs in HR specimens in order to determine if in situ bioaccumulation of these compounds was sufficiently high to cause the early life-stage toxicities previously observed. Estimates of hepatic burdens of PCBs and PCDD/Fs were obtained from a small number of specimens of each species collected between 2014 and 2016 and specimens of shortnose sturgeon collected over 30 yr earlier and archived in a museum collection. Several significant patterns emerged. Hepatic levels of legacy PCBs and PCDDs were low in specimens of both species, but typically higher in shortnose than Atlantic sturgeon, a pattern consistent with their habitat use in the HR. Hepatic burdens from archived specimens of shortnose sturgeon tended to be higher than more recently collected ones despite expected reduction in their burdens due to preservation methods. Several inadvertent PCBs congeners were detected, including PCB11, but their possible toxicity to natural populations remains to be determined in future experiments. Levels of select PCDFs congeners, 2,3,7,8-TCDF and 2,3,4,7,8 PeCDF, were elevated in some shortnose sturgeon individuals from the HR. Using Relative Potency (ReP) factors derived from white sturgeon, the observed levels of some hepatic PCDFs in HR shortnose sturgeon may have been sufficiently high to impair recruitment of young life-stages in this ecosystem.
Comprehensive mechanistic characterization of mQTLs in an Asian population
Authors: Wang Sijia , Peng Qianqian , Liu Xinxuan , Jing Han , Li Wenran , Gao Xingjian , Luo Qi , Breeze Charles , Li Jiarui , Pan Siyu , Li Guochao , Qian Jiaqiang , Yuan Liyun , Yuan Na , You Chenglong , Du Siyuan , Zheng Yuanting , Yuan Ziyu , Tan Jingze , Wang Jiucun , Zhang Guoqing , Lu Xianping , Shi Leming , Guo Shicheng , Liu Yun , Ni Ting , Wen Bo , Jin Li , Teschendorff Andrew , Liu Fan 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Identification and characterization of methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs) can help elucidate the role of DNA methylation changes as a potential mediator of genetic risk loci. However, mQTLs remain poorly characterized: they have not yet been mapped in the largest ethnic populations, their cell-type specific nature has not been resolved, and the proportion of mQTLs attributed to different molecular mechanisms is unknown. Here we perform the first mQTL-mapping study in a large Han Chinese population, demonstrating that over 80% of mQTLs are shared with those identified in White Caucasians. We further estimate that over 90% of mQTLs are shared between different blood cell-lineages. mQTLs demonstrate a strong enrichment for variants influencing chromatin accessibility. We identify a number of GWAS-linked transcription factor trans-mQTL hotspots associated with eosinophilia, ulcerative colitis and body mass index, and a subset of trans-mQTLs within the NFKB-pathway that may mediate the risk of obesity. In summary, this study significantly expands our understanding of mQTLs and their potential role in mediating disease risk, whilst also contributing the first mQTL-database in an Asian population.
MiR-4458 Regulates Autophagy and Apoptosis By Targeting P53 In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Authors: Yang Jie , Zhang Meng-Yu , Liu Jian-Yu , Ji Xiu-Li , Qu Yi-Qing 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive chronic airway disease of which tobacco smoking is a main risk factor. Numerous studies have revealed that microRNAs participate in the pathogenesis of COPD by regulating cell autophagy and apoptosis. The goal of this study was to elucidate the potential mechanism of miR-4458 in COPD. Methods: Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was employed to measure the levels of miR-4458 in cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-exposed human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients. The effects of miR-4458 on autophagy, cell viability and apoptosis in the CSE-exposed HBECs were assessed by western blot (WB), Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometric analysis. Targetscan and miRDB databases were used to predict the downstream targets of miR-4458.Luciferase reporter assay and rescue experiments were employed to ensure the target gene. Results: MiR-4458 was downregulated in CSE-exposed HBECs and PBMCs of COPD patients. The overexpression of miR-4458 attenuated autophagy and apoptosis in CSE-exposed HBECs, while the downregulation of miR-4458 led to opposite results. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that P53 was a target gene of miR-4458, and luciferase reporter assay further verified this prediction. Rescue experiments showed that miR-4458 regulated cell autophagy and apoptosis via the P53-mediated AKT–mTOR signaling pathway.Conclusions: This study reveals that miR-4458 plays a protective role in CSE-exposed HBECs. MiR-4458 is a promising therapeutic target for COPD treatment.
Micro-morphological Analysis of Foliar Uptake and Retention of Airborne Particulate Matter (PM)-bound Toxic Metals: Implications for Their Phytoremediation
Authors: Gajbhiye Triratnesh , Pandey Sudhir Kumar , Malik Tanzil Gaffar , Kim Ki-Hyun , Khan Mohammed Latif 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
While airborne particulate matter (PM) pollution is a serious problem for urban environments, it can be reduced through uptake by plant leaves. In this study, we investigated and compared the uptake of PM-bound toxic metals by different plant species. Enrichment factor (EF) and correlation analyses across different sample types indicated anthropogenic origins of these toxic metals with airborne source signatures. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses of both leaf surfaces (adaxial and abaxial) suggested that the micro-morphological properties of the leaf surface (e.g., stomata, trichomes, epicuticular wax, and epidermal appendages) control the accumulation of PM and associated metals in plant leaves. Senna siamea leaves showed the most micro-morphological variation as well as the maximum concentration of toxic metals. It was found that foliar uptake of PM-bound toxic metals is affected by leaf surface morphological characteristics. Our results imply that plant speciation strategies can be used to help decrease PM pollution.
PCA-Based Analysis Applied to Germanium-On-Nothing: Revealing Buried Sub-Surface Structures and Analyzing Defects From Nanoscale Surface Topography
Authors: Jeong Jaewoo , Kim Taeyeong , Lee Bong Jae , Lee Jungchul 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Empty Space in Germanium (ESG) or Germanium-on-Nothing (GON) are unique self-assembled germanium structures with multiscale cavities of various morphologies. Due to their simple fabrication process and high-quality crystallinity after self-assembly, they can be applied in various fields including micro-/nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, and precision sensors, to name a few. In contrast to their simple fabrication, inspection is intrinsically difficult due to buried structures. Today, ultrasonic atomic force microscopy and interferometry are some prevalent non-destructive 3-D imaging methods that are used to inspect the underlying ESG structures. However, these non-destructive characterization methods suffer from low throughput due to slow measurement speed and limited measurable thickness. To overcome these limitations, this work proposes a new methodology to construct a principal-component-analysis based database that correlates surface images with empirically determined sub-surface structures by interpolating the surface topography from the database and determining the buried sub-surface structure. Since the acquisition rate of a single nanoscale surface micrograph is up to a few orders faster than a thorough 3D sub-surface analysis, the proposed methodology would provide an exploitable and decisive advantage over the currently prevalent methods. Also, an empirical destructive test essentially resolves the measurable thickness limitation. We also demonstrate the practicality of the proposed methodology by applying it to GON devices to selectively detect and quantitatively analyze surface defects. Compared to state-of-the-art deep learning-based defect detection schemes, our method is much effortlessly finetunable for specific applications. In terms of sub-surface analysis, this work proposes a fast, robust, and high-resolution methodology which could potentially replace the conventional exhaustive sub-surface inspection schemes.
Sudanese emergency departments: a study to identify the barriers to a well-functioning triage
Authors: Ibrahim Bayan E. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background:
Triage system is a sorting system that categorizes patients on the basis of the severity of their condition and the availability of the resources in the emergency department. There has been little attention in the public literature to triage systems in Sudan. The aim of this study was to explore the triage system and identify the barriers in its application in hospitals in Sudan.
Methods:
A cross-sectional hospital based study was conducted at eight hospitals in Khartoum during December 2020. A multi-stage cluster sampling was applied. Data were obtained by interviewing emergency department staff using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences to find the association between various variables by chi-square test.
Results:
Most of the respondents stated that the triage system was deficient. Most of the participants of this study agreed that the role played by the administration in taking legislative decisions is crucial in improving the triage system. Among the factors found to be significant to a well-functioning triage system were, the need for substantial capital expenditure, p-value: 0.026, prudent legislative decisions, p-value: 0.026, adequate training of staff on means of performing efficient triaging, p-value: 0.017 and raising the awareness of the staff on the correct application of triage guidelines, p-value: 0.007.
Conclusion:
Currently there is no formal triage system in the State of Khartoum and has yet to be established. Policy making by administrators will play an important role in its implementation. It is suggested that prompt executive orders on improving the current triage system in Khartoum, should be carried out sooner than later, as the ripple effects of a well-functioning triage will decrease the average length of stay, mortality and morbidity rates and will eventually increase the patient’s satisfaction.
Clear Cell Carcinoma Arising from Abdominal Wall Endometriosis – A Report on Two Cases and Literature Review
Authors: Bahall Vishal , De Barry Lance , Rampersad Arlene 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background: Malignant transformation of abdominal wall endometriosis is extremely rare. Clear cell carcinoma and endometrioid carcinoma are the two most prevalent histological subtypes of malignant endometriosis. To date, approximately thirty cases of clear cell carcinoma arising from abdominal wall endometriosis have been described worldwide.Case Presentation: We report two cases of clear cell carcinoma developing postoperatively in the anterior abdominal wall in women with a history of extensive endometriosis. Histopathology of the resected abdominal wall tumor demonstrated benign endometriosis contiguous with features of clear cell carcinoma. These histological features satisfied Sampson’s criteria which are required for diagnosing malignant endometriosis. Both patients were successfully managed with platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy following cytoreductive surgery. Conclusion: Clear cell carcinoma arising from abdominal wall endometriosis is a rare, highly aggressive cancer with a propensity to recur or metastasize. Due to the limited publications on this clinical entity, there are no clearly established protocols regarding adjuvant treatment, and an evaluation of prognostic factors is lacking. Clinicians must have a high index of suspicion for malignant endometriosis of the abdominal wall, particularly in patients with an abdominal wall mass, prior abdominal surgery, and long-standing endometriosis. By presenting our case, we expect to raise awareness and study of this rare endometriosis-related neoplasm.
Towards Dielectric Relaxation At A Single Molecule Scale
Authors: Stetsovych Vitalii , Feigl Simon , Vranik Radovan , Wit Bareld , Rauls Eva , Nejedly Jindrich , Samal Michal , Stary Ivo , Müllegger Stefan 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Dielectric relaxation lies at the heart of well-established techniques of dielectric spectroscopy essential to diverse fields of research and technology. We report an experimental route for increasing the sensitivity of dielectric spectroscopy ultimately towards the scale of a single molecule. We use the method of radio frequency scanning tunneling microscopy to excite a single molecule junction based on a polar substituted helicene molecule by an electric field oscillating at 2-5 GHz. We detect the dielectric relaxation of the single molecule junction indirectly via its effect of power dissipation, which causes lateral displacement. From our data we determine a corresponding relaxation time of about 300 ps – consistent with literature values of similar helicene derivatives obtained by conventional methods of dielectric spectroscopy.
Detection and Identification of Potentially Infectious Gastrointestinal and Respiratory Viruses at Workplaces of Wastewater Treatment Plants With Viability qPCR/RT-qPCR
Authors: Stobnicka-Kupiec Agata , Gołofit-Szymczak Małgorzata , Cyprowski Marcin , Górny Rafał L. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
This study aimed to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the prevalence of the most common respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses in the air, surface swab, and influent/effluent samples collected in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Application of qPCR/RT-qPCR assays combined with PMA dye pretreatment allowed detecting the potentially infectious and disintegrated viral particles in collected samples. In the air at workplaces in WWTPs, the most frequent isolation with the highest concentrations (reaching up to 103 gc/m3 of potentially infectious intact viral particles) were observed in case of adenoviruses (AdVs) and rotaviruses (RoVs), followed by noroviruses (NoVs). Viruses were significantly more often detected in the air samples collected with Coriolis®μ impinger, than with MAS-100NT impactor. The temperature negatively (Spearman correlation: –1 < R < 0; p < 0.05), while RH positively (0 < R < 1; p < 0.05) affected airborne concentrations of potentially infectious viral particles. In turn, the predominant viruses on studied surfaces were RoVs and NoV GII with concentrations of potentially infectious virions up to 104 gc/100 cm2. In the cases of SARS-CoV-2 and presumptive SARS-CoV-2 or other coronaviruses, their concentrations reached up to 103 gc/100 cm2. The contamination level of steel surfaces in WWTPs was similar to this on plastic ones. This study revealed that the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses at workplaces in WWTPs is important for proper exposure assessment and needs to be included in risk management in occupational environment with high abundance of microbial pollutants derived from wastewater.
Assessment of heavy metals and potential health risks associated with the consumption of vegetables grown on the roadside soils
Authors: Mabood Fazal , Hadi Fazal , Jan Amin Ullah , Ditta Allah , Islam Ziaul , Siddiqui Manzer H. , Ali Hayssam M. , Sabagh Ayman EL 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Vegetables cultivated near roads absorb toxic metals from polluted soil, which enter into the human body through the food chain and cause serious health problems to humans. The present study investigated the contamination level of lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni) in soils and vegetables grown along the roadside of District Swat, Pakistan, and the health risks associated with the consumption of the tested vegetables have been investigated. The plant samples were collected from the cultivated field within a 120-meter range from the roadside. Spinacia oleracea, Allium cepa, Rumex dentatus, and Trachyspermum ammi were selected based on their importance as vegetables. In results, Pb concentration was higher in plants located at the distance between 0-10 m away from the roadside than the WHO permissible limit. In such plants, Pb concentration was higher than Ni. Rumex dentatus contained the highest concentration of Pb among the tested vegetables while Ni concentration was highest in Trachyspermum ammi as compared to other plants. Concentration and accumulation of both the metals decreased in soil and plants with increasing distance from the road. Similarly, target hazard quotient values noted for Pb and Ni were greater than unity, which shows that there is a potential risk associated with the consumption of tested vegetables near the road. Moreover, the values of target cancer risk were greater than 0.0001, which shows that there is a risk of cancer with the consumption of tested vegetables. In conclusion, the consumption of the tested vegetables was very dangerous as it may lead to higher risks of cancer.
A Novel Biological Approach to Copper Nanoparticles Synthesis: Characterization and its Application Against Phytopathogenic Fungi
Authors: Abboud Mohamed A. AL 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
In nanotechnology, fungi have been identified as excellent candidates for the synthesis of nanoparticles, thus presenting a cleaner alternative to produce new materials with a wide range of potential applications in biomedicine and industry. In this respect, A novel biological approach Penicillium olsonii have demonstrated excellent synthesis capacity to produce copper nanoparticles (CuNPs). Their properties were determined by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectrum, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images. UV-Vis spectra with characteristic absorption peak was observed at 565nm. Biomolecules mediating the synthesis and stabilizing the nanobactericides was studied with FTIR that showed different functional groups. SEM investigations confirmed that size of CuNPs were varied from 6-26 nm. The antifungal activity of CuNPs was evaluated by testing against three phytopathogenic fungi including Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani and Curvularia curvulatat with growth inhibition 86.25, 32.92 and 68.42%, respectively at 200ppm. F. oxysporum was more affected by CuNPs followed by C. curvulata and F. solani. The present work demonstrated that it is possible to perform the biogenic synthesis of CuNPs using P. olsonii as appropriate fungicide.
Affine connection representation of gauge fields
Authors: Man Zhao-Hui 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
There are two ways to unify gravitational field and gauge field. One is to represent gravitational field asprincipal bundle connection, and the other is to represent gauge field as affine connection. Poincaré gauge theoryand metric-affine gauge theory adopt the first approach. This paper adopts the second. In this approach:(i) Gauge field and gravitational field can both be represented by affine connection; they can be described by aunified spatial frame.(ii) Time can be regarded as the total metric with respect to all dimensions of internal coordinate space andexternal coordinate space. On-shell can be regarded as gradient direction. Quantum theory can be regarded as ageometric theory of distribution of gradient directions. Hence, gauge theory, gravitational theory, and quantumtheory all reflect intrinsic geometric properties of manifold.(iii) Coupling constants, chiral asymmetry, PMNS mixing and CKM mixing arise spontaneously as geometricproperties in affine connection representation, so they are not necessary to be regarded as direct postulates in theLagrangian anymore.(iv) The unification theory of gauge fields that are represented by affine connection can avoid the problem thata proton decays into a lepton in theories such as SU(5).(v) There exists a geometric interpretation to the color confinement of quarks.In the affine connection representation, we can get better interpretations to the above physical properties,therefore, to represent gauge fields by affine connection is probably a necessary step towards the ultimate theory ofphysics.