bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictors of COVID-19 preventive behaviors based on the health belief model among pregnant women
Authors: Bayrami Roghieh , Didarloo Alireza , Masudi Sima , Nournezhad Homeira 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the new coronavirus, and its widespread epidemic has caused many deaths and health, social, and economic consequences in the world. The purpose of this study was to explain self-care behaviors against COVID-19 based on the health belief model (HBM) in pregnant women.
Method
The present study was conducted using a descriptive-analytical approach with the participation of 230 pregnant women referred to health centers in Urmia in 2021. The participants were selected using multi-stage random sampling. The data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire including participants’ demographic characteristics, the HBM items, and items relating to self-care behaviors against COVID-19. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods (frequency, mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation coefficient, and linear regression) in SPSS software (version 25).
Results
The results of this study showed that the rate of self-care behaviors against COVID-19 in the pregnant women participating in the present study was not very favorable. It was also shown that among the constructs of the HBM, awareness, self-efficacy, perceived barriers, and perceived severity were the most important predictors of self-care behaviors with a variance of 24% change among the pregnant women.
Conclusion
Awareness, self-efficacy, perceived barriers, and perceived severity were found in this study as the strongest predictors of self-care behaviors among pregnant women. The results of the study can be useful in planning educational and behavioral interventions to increase the adoption of self-care behaviors against COVID-19 and institutionalize health-promoting behaviors in women.
Watercraft Decontamination Practices to Reduce the Viability of Aquatic Invasive Species Implicated in Overland Transport.
Authors: Mohit Shrisha , Johnson Timothy B. , Arnott Shelley E. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Recreational boating activities enable aquatic invasive species (AIS) dispersal among disconnected lakes, as invertebrates and plants caught on or contained within watercraft and equipment used in invaded waterbodies can survive overland transport. Resource management agencies worldwide recommend decontaminating watercraft and equipment using high water pressure, rinsing with hot water, or air-drying for up to seven days to inhibit this mode of secondary spread. There is a lack of studies on the efficacy of these methods under realistic conditions and considering feasibility for recreational boaters. Hence, we conducted experiments addressing this knowledge gap using AIS present in Ontario, namely zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), banded mystery snails (Viviparus georgianus), spiny waterfleas (Bythotrephes cederstroemi), Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), Carolina fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana), and European frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae). Washing at high pressures of 900-1200 psi removed the most biological material (90%) from surfaces. Brief (<10s) exposure to water at ≥60°C caused nearly 100% mortality among all species tested, except snails. Acclimation to temperatures from 15°C to 30°C before hot water exposure had little effect on the minimum temperature required for no survival. Air-drying durations producing complete mortality were ≥60h for zebra mussels and spiny waterfleas, and ≥6 days among plants, whereas survival remained high among snails after a week of air-drying. Hot water exposure followed by air-drying was more effective than either method separately against all species tested, reducing either the minimum water temperature or air-drying duration necessary. These findings can inform best management strategies against AIS spread.
Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty Following Epikeratophakia: A Novel Two-Stage One-Graft Method To Treat Acute Corneal Hydrops
Authors: Liu Chunyu , Huang Xinyu , Liu Xin , Zhang Yushan , Shen Jiaqi , Zhang Li , Bi Yanlong 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate the clinical effects of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) using a single graft after epikeratophakia for the treatment of acute corneal hydrops.
Methods
This novel surgical procedure was performed on seven eyes of seven patients between 2019 and 2020. The procedure combines a first-stage surgery of epikeratophakia with intracameral sterile air injection and a second-stage surgery of DALK using the same corneal graft for both procedures. Main outcome measures included pre- and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) parameters. Corneal transparency, neovascularization and epithelization were observed at the 1-year follow-up.
Results
Corneal edema resolved rapidly in six of the seven cases. The group mean central corneal thickness was significantly reduced from baseline at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 2 months after the first-stage surgery, respectively (P < 0.0001). At a mean of 2.1±0.7 months after the first-stage surgery, DALK was successfully performed in all cases. Six months later, the central corneal thickness was 611±31 µm and the thickness of the recipient’s residual stroma bed was 20±6 µm at the central corneal area. LogMAR BCVA was improved from 1.74±0.34 at baseline to 0.20±0.11 after DALK (P < 0.0001). No postoperative complications appeared in our case series during one years of observation.
Conclusion
A novel curative effect was found in the treatment of acute corneal hydrops with epikeratophakia followed by DALK using the same corneal graft.
Comparison of the Tidal Signatures in Sporadic E and Vertical Ion Convergence Rate, Using FORMASAT-3/COSMIC Radio Occultation Observations and GAIA Model
Authors: Sobhkhiz-Miandehi Sahar , Yamazaki Yosuke , Arras Christina , Miyoshi Yasunobu , Shinagawa Hiroyuki 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Sporadic E or Es is a transient phenomenon where thin layers of enhanced electron density appear in the ionospheric E region (90-120 km altitude). The neutral wind shear caused by atmospheric tides can lead ions to converge vertically at E-region heights and form the Es layers. This research aims to determine the role of atmospheric solar and lunar tides in Es occurrence. For this purpose, radio occultation data of FORMASAT-3/COSMIC have been used, which provides complete global coverage of Es events. Moreover, GAIA model simulations have been employed to evaluate the vertical ion convergence induced by solar tides. The results show both migrating and non-migrating solar tidal signatures and the semidiurnal migrating lunar tidal signature in Es occurrence. The seasonal variation of the migrating solar tidal components of Es is in good agreement with those in the vertical ion convergence derived from GAIA. Furthermore, some non-migrating components of solar tides, including semidiurnal westward wavenumbers 1 and 3 and diurnal eastward wavenumbers 2 and 3, also significantly affect the Es occurrence rate.
Effects of Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Upper Limb Motor Function After Stroke: Study Protocol for the Pilot of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Yuasa Akiko , Uehara Shintaro , Ushizawa Kazuki , Toyama Takamichi , Gomez-Tames Jose , Hirata Akimasa , Otaka Yohei 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a technique that can noninvasively modulate neural states in a targeted brain region. As cerebellar activity levels are associated with upper limb motor improvement after stroke, the cerebellum is a plausible target of tDCS. However, the effect of tDCS remains unclear. Here, we designed a pilot study to assess: 1) the feasibility of a study that aims to examine the effects of cerebellar tDCS combined with an intensive rehabilitation approach based on the concept of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), and 2) the preliminary outcome of the combined approach on upper limb motor function in patients with stroke in the chronic stage.Methods: This pilot study has a double-blind randomized controlled design. Twenty-four chronic stroke patients with mild to moderate levels of upper limb motor impairment will be randomly assigned to an active or sham tDCS group. The participants will receive 20 min of active or sham tDCS to the contralesional cerebellum at the commencement of 4 hours of daily intensive training, repeatedly for 5 days per week for 2 weeks. The primary outcome is upper limb motor function which will be evaluated using the Action Research Arm Test. Secondary outcomes comprise scores of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for the upper extremity and the Motor Activity Log. Additionally, neurophysiological and neuroanatomical assessments of the cerebellum will be performed using transcranial magnetic stimulation and magnetic resonance imaging. These assessments will be conducted before, at the middle, and after the 2-week intervention, and finally 1 month after the intervention. Any adverse events that occur during the study will be recorded.Discussion: Cerebellar tDCS combined with intensive upper limb training may increase the gains of motor improvement when compared to the sham condition. The present study should provide valuable evidence regarding the feasibility of the design and the efficacy of cerebellar tDCS for upper limb motor function in patients with stroke before a future large trial is conducted.Trial registration: This study has been registered at the Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (jRCTs042200078; https://jrct.niph.go.jp/en-latest-detail/jRCTs042200078). Registered 17 December 2020
Classification of Heart Sounds Associated With Murmur For Diagnosis of Cardiac Valve Disorders
Authors: Dawud Ahmed Ali , Lingaiah Bheema , Jemal Towfik 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background: Now a day, cardiovascular diseases have been a major cause of death in the world. The heart sound is still the primary tool used for screening and diagnosing many pathological conditions of the human heart. The abnormality in the heart sounds starts appearing much earlier than the symptoms of the disease. In this study, the Phonocardiography signal has been studied and classified into three classes, namely normal signal, murmur signal and extra sound signal. A total of 15 features from different domains have been extracted and then reduced to 7 features. The features have been selected on the basis of correlation based feature selection technique. The selected features are used to classify the signal into the predefined classes using multi- class SVM classifier. The performance of the proposed denoising algorithm is evaluated using the signal to noise ratio, percentage root means square difference, and root mean square error. For this work a publically available database for researchers, Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries (PASCAL) and MATLAB 2018a was used to develop the proposed algorithm.Results: Our experimental result shows that the 4th level of decomposition for the Db10 wavelets shows the highest SNR values when using the soft and hard thresholding. The overall accuracy, Sensitivity and Specificity of the developed algorithm is 97.96%, 97.92 % and of 98.0% respectively.Conclusion: even if the proposed algorithm is useful for murmur detection mainly valve-related diseases and the efficiency of the proposed study is increased, future work will intend to generalize the algorithm by using hybrid classifiers on a larger dataset. Since all experiments used the PASCAL datasets, additional experiments will be needed using new datasets to be implemented using the latest mobile phones which can work as an electronic stethoscope or phonocardiogram. In addition, the case of continuous murmur and types of murmur has been included for classification in further studies.
Concentrated Growth Factors in Combination with Particulate Bio-Oss Graft: A Pilot Study on Beagle Dog Alveolar Bone Deficient
Authors: Chen Fei , Luo Qiang , Wang Lin , Pan Shao-xia , Xue Peng 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background: Alveolar bone related defect has emerged as a major challenge for clinician. Previous studies reported that concentrated growth factors (CGF), an autogenous product derived from venous blood, could enhance healing of grafts via releasing various growth factors. Methods: This study was designed to investigate the osteogenesis of CGF gel accompanied with Bio-Oss in canine alveolar defect socket model. CGF gel were prepared via variable speed centrifugation. Immunohistochemical staining and semi-quantitative analysis were performed to evaluate the content of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the CGF gel and red blood cell (RBC) layer. The decay rate of TGF-β1 and VEGF were determined by ELISA assay. Next, mixture of Bio-Oss and CGF gel was implanted as graft to the alveolar defect socket. Three different fluorescent dyes and toluidine blue staining were utilized to track osteogenic progress, and mineral apposition rate (MAR) was calculated. Results: In the CGF gel, TGF-β1 occupied the dominant content with a higher decay rate than that of VEGF. Whereas, the concentration of TGF-β1 released from CGF gel still raised up rapidly within 14 days. In the animal study, combination of Bio-Oss and CGF gel not only accelerated wound healing, but also succussed to activate and sustain the bone formation at defect site represented as a higher MAR (2.21 ± 0.52 µm/day vs 1.43 ± 0.41 µm/day, Bio-Oss group and 1.04 ± 0.26 µm/day, control groups, P < 0.05). Conclusions: combination of Bio-Oss and CGF gel could promote osteogenesis and might provide a promising strategy against alveolar bone defect.
A Study of The Relationship Between Bioclimatic Comfort Zones And Land Use: The Case of Sivas Province (Turkey)
Authors: Karakuş Can Bülent , Demiroglu Demet 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
The aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between bioclimatic comfort zones and land use in Sivas province. In this context, the relationship between the climatic data of 1990 and 2018 and the land use data of Sivas province belonging to the same years was evaluated as seasonal and annual periods. The bioclimatic comfort zones in the study area were determined depending on environmental climatic parameters (ECP) [temperature (T), relative humidity (RH) and wind speed (WS)] and bioclimatic indices [Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET), Thermo Hygrometric Index (THI), and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI)]. The values of the environmental climate parameters of Sivas province for the relevant years were obtained from 9 meteorological stations, the height of which varies between 1121 m and 1528 m. With the help of the Geographical Information System (GIS), the spatial distribution of the bioclimatic comfort zones determined depending on the environmental climate parameters and bioclimatic indices were created. Land use maps of the study area for reference years were obtained by using CORINE land cover data. The relationship between bioclimatic comfort zones and land use was also determined with the help of GIS. According to the results of this study; It was determined that the land use type in which the bioclimatically comfortable areas overlap in Sivas province differs according to the used parameter/indexes, years and annual periods.
Masquelet Technique Combined with Tissue Flap Transplantation in The Treatment of Infectious Complex Tissue Defect: A Clinical Analysis
Authors: REN Zun , ZHANG Yubo , DU Jiafei , CAI Weijie , CHENG Pengfei , XU Zhengyu , HAN Pei 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background: Infectious complex tissue defects have been described as injuries with composite infectious bone defects and extensive soft tissue damage, which are still austere challenges for orthopedists all around the world. The study retrospectively evaluated the Masquelet technique combined with the tissue flap transplantation for the treatment of infectious complex tissue defects and assess key factors of success in this technique.Methods: From December 2016 to December 2019, 22 patients of infectious complex tissue defects were recruited for the study. All the cases experienced a two-stages treatment. Thorough debridement, stabilization of fracture by external fixation and implantation of a cement spacer mixed with antibiotics in the first stage. Simultaneously, suitable tissue flaps were designed and transplanted for the soft tissue defect. 6-8 weeks later, after the elimination of the infection, the cement spacer was removed carefully from the induced membrane and cancellous bone was grafted into the site of bone defect. The average duration of follow-up was 21 months.Results: Infection was eliminated after the first stage intervention without recurrence. All the transplanted tissue flaps were survived. Bone union was achieved in all patients in a period of 16-31 weeks following the second stage surgery. According to the Paley fracture healing score, 17 patients showed excellent results and 5 patients displayed good results regarding bone outcomes. When considering functional outcomes, 14 patients exhibited excellent results and 8 patients displayed good results.Conclusions: This study showed evidences that Masquelet technique combined with tissue flap transplantation was an effective method to repair the infectious complex tissue defects. We also demonstrate that a complete soft-tissue envelope plays an important role in the formation of the induced membrane which promote bone union and in the anti-infection treatment.
Apelin Alleviated Neuroinflammation And Promoted Endogenous Neural Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation After Spinal Cord Injury in Rats
Authors: Liu Qing , Wang Xiao , Gu Chengxu , Guo Qixuan , Li Xikai , Zhang Chunlei , Zhang Naili , Zhang Luping , Huang Fei 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes devastating neurological damage, including secondary injuries dominated by neuroinflammation. The role of apelin, an endogenous ligand that binds the G protein-coupled receptor angiotensin-like receptor 1, in SCI remains unclear. Thus, our aim was to investigate the effects of apelin in inflammatory responses and activation of endogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) after SCI.Methods: Apelin expression was detected in normal and injured rats, and roles of apelin in primary NSCs were examined. In addition, we used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as a carrier to prolong the effective duration of apelin and evaluate its effects in a rat model of SCI.Results: Co-immunofluorescence staining suggested that apelin was expressed in both astrocytes and neurons. Following SCI, apelin expression decreased from 1–14 d and was re-upregulated at 28 d. Apelin promoted NSC proliferation and differentiation into neurons and oligodendrocytes. In vivo, lentiviral-transfected iPSCs were used as a carrier to prolong the effective duration of apelin. Transplantation of transfected iPSCs in situ immediately after SCI reduced activation of microglia and A1 astrocytes, facilitated recovery of motor function, and promoted the proliferation and differentiation of endogenous NSCs in rats.Conclusion: Apelin alleviated neuroinflammation and promoted the proliferation and differentiation of endogenous NSCs after SCI, suggesting that it might be a promising target for treatment of SCI.
The Accuracy of Blood Pressure Monitoring Using the Senbiosys Ring: A Study on Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography and Patients in the Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Haddad Serj , Schukraft Sara , Boukhayma Assim , Barison Anthony , Faucherre Yannick , Cook Stéphane , Caizzone Antonino 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
The study NCT04379986 aims at evaluating the performance of the Senbiosys technology in monitoring blood pressure (BP) values for elderly patients: 25 patients undergoing coronary angiography, aged 68.92 ± 6.41 years, and 10 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), aged 71.90 ± 8.56 years. The technology is based on pulse wave analysis (PWA) of low-power photoplethysmography (PPG) from the SBF2003 ring. The PPG recordings are processed by the PPG-based blood pressure monitoring (PPG-BPM) algorithm 1 to generate systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) estimates. For the SBP, the mean difference ± standard deviation between the reference arterial line and the PPG-BPM values is 0 ± 5.06 mmHg for the patients undergoing coronary angiography and 0 ± 7.46 mmHg for the patients in the ICU. For the DBP, the mean difference ± standard deviation between the reference arterial line and the PPG-BPM values is 0 ± 1.85 mmHg for the patients undergoing coronary angiography and 0 ± 4.17 mmHg for the patients in the ICU. The results show that the accuracy of our algorithm is within the 5 ± 8 mmHg ISO/ANSI/AAMI protocol requirement.
Evaluation of Input Geological Parameters and Tunnel Strain for Strain-softening Rock Mass Based on GSI
Authors: Cui Lan , Sheng Qian , Xu Chen , dong youkou 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
The regression analysis method is being widely adopted to analyse the tunnel strain, most of which ignore the strain-softening effect of the rock mass and also fail to consider the influence of support pressure, initial stress state, and rock mass strength classification in one fitting equation. This study aims to overcome these deficiencies with a regression model used to estimate the tunnel strain. A group of geological strength indexes (GSI) are configured to quantify the input strength parameters and deformation moduli for the rock mass with a quality ranging from poor to excellent. A specific numerical procedure is developed to calculate the tunnel strain around a circular opening, which is validated by comparison with those using existing methods. A nonlinear regression model is then established to analyse the obtained tunnel strain, combining twelve fitting equations to relate the tunnel strain and the factors including the support pressure, the GSI, the initial stress state, and the critical softening parameter. Particularly, three equations are for the estimation of the critical tunnel strain, the critical support pressure, and the tunnel strain under elastic behaviour, respectively; and the other nine equations are for the tunnel strain with different strain-softening behaviours. The relative significance between the GSI, the initial stress and the support pressure on the tunnel strain is assessed.