bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association between ambient air pollutants and meteorological factors with SARS-CoV-2 transmission and mortality in India: an exploratory study
Authors: Aggarwal Sumit , Balaji Sivaraman , Singh Tanvi , Menon Geetha R. , Mandal Sandip , Madhumathi Jayaprakasam , Mahajan Nupur , Kohli Simran , Kaur Jasmine , Singh Harpreet , Rade Kiran , Panda Samiran 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a serious public health concern worldwide. Certain regions of the globe were severely affected in terms of prevalence and mortality than other. Although the cause for this pattern is not clearly understood, lessons learned from previous epidemics and emerging evidences suggest the major role of ecological factors like ambient air pollutants (AAP) and meteorological parameters in increased COVID-19 incidence. The present study aimed to understand the impact of these factors on SARS-CoV-2 transmission and their associated mortality in major cities of India.

Methods
This study used secondary AAP, meteorological and COVID-19 data from official websites for the period January-November 2020, which were divided into Pre-lockdown (January-March 2020), Phase I (April to June 2020) and Phase II (July to November 2020) in India. After comprehensive screening, five major cities that includes 48 CPCB monitoring stations collecting daily data of ambient temperature, particulate matter PM2.5 and 10 were analysed. Spearman and Kendall’s rank correlation test was performed to understand the association between SARS-CoV-2 transmission and AAP and, meteorological variables. Similarly, case fatality rate (CFR) was determined to compute the correlation between AAP and COVID-19 related morality.

Results
The level of air pollutants in major cities were significantly reduced during Phase I compared to Pre-lock down and increased upon Phase II in all the cities. During the Phase II in Delhi, the strong significant positive correlation was observed between the AAP and SARS-CoV-2 transmission. However, in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai AAP levels were moderate and no correlation was noticed. The relation between AT and SARS-CoV-2 transmission was inconclusive as both positive and negative correlation observed. In addition, Delhi and Kolkata showed a positive association between long-term exposure to the AAP and COVID-19 CFR.

Conclusion
Our findings support the hypothesis that the particulate matter upon exceeding the satisfactory level serves as an important cofactor in increasing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and related mortality. These findings would help public health experts to understand the SARS-CoV-2 transmission against ecological variables in India and provides supporting evidence to healthcare policymakers and government agencies for formulating strategies to combat the COVID-19.
α-Synuclein-mediated neurodegeneration in Dementia with Lewy bodies: the pathobiology of a paradox
Authors: Simon Christopher , Soga Tomoko , Okano Hirotaka James , Parhar Ishwar 
Published: November 2021

AbstractDementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is epitomized by the pathognomonic manifestation of α-synuclein-laden Lewy bodies within selectively vulnerable neurons in the brain. By virtue of prion-like inheritance, the α-synuclein protein inexorably undergoes extensive conformational metamorphoses and culminate in the form of fibrillar polymorphs, instigating calamitous damage to the brain’s neuropsychological networks. This epiphenomenon is nebulous, however, by lingering uncertainty over the quasi “pathogenic” behavior of α-synuclein conformers in DLB pathobiology. Despite numerous attempts, a monolithic “α-synuclein” paradigm that is able to untangle the enigma enshrouding the clinicopathological spectrum of DLB has failed to emanate. In this article, we review conceptual frameworks of α-synuclein dependent cell-autonomous and non-autonomous mechanisms that are likely to facilitate the transneuronal spread of degeneration through the neuraxis. In particular, we describe how the progressive demise of susceptible neurons may evolve from cellular derangements perpetrated by α-synuclein misfolding and aggregation. Where pertinent, we show how these bona fide mechanisms may mutually accentuate α-synuclein-mediated neurodegeneration in the DLB brain.
Does microcredit use helps farmers win battle against food insecurity: evidence from Jimma zone of Southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Berhanu Amanuel , Amare Abayineh , Gurmessa Birki , Bekele Yadeta , Chalchisa Tamiru 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background
Lack of access to credit precludes smallholder farmers from making investment that generates greater level of income, consumption and wealth. To reverse this limit, Oromia Credit and Saving Share Company has been providing microcredit for rural households for the last two decades in the study area. Yet, there is limited knowledge on the impact of this microcredit service on rural household food security in Jimma zone. Therefore, this research aims at generating location-specific data on the impact of microcredit utilization on household food security in the study area. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to select 360 sample households. Data were generated through household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interview. Both descriptive and econometric data analysis techniques (binary logit model and Propensity score matching) were used.

Results
The results reveal that educational level, family size; land size and non/off-farm income of the households influenced microcredit utilization positively, whereas livestock ownership and farm income negatively influenced it. The analysis of food security status indicate that large proportion of households are food secure. The Propensity score matching result expose that microcredit utilization has generated a positive and significant impact on household food security.

Conclusions
Efforts towards scaling out services of microcredit institutions should target improving financial literacy of the rural poor and their current financial need on the basis of other resources such as land and livestock they owned with the ultimate goal of ensuring household food security. It is also imperative to realize the labour force capacity of the households in the process of expanding credit service.
The effect of different soft-tissue management techniques for alveolar ridge preservation: a randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: Papace Colline , Büsch Christopher , Ristow Oliver , Keweloh Martin , Hoffmann Jürgen , Mertens Christian 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Purpose
For alveolar ridge preservation, various treatment protocols have been described. While most studies focus on the effect of the bone graft material, the aim of this study was to analyze the influence of different soft-tissue management techniques on the soft and hard tissue.

Methods
A total of 20 maxillary extraction sockets were grafted with an anorganic xenogenic bone graft and then randomly treated with either a combined epithelialized-subepithelial connective tissue graft (CECG) or a porcine collagen matrix (CM) placed in labial and palatal tunnels. Measurements of soft-tissue thickness were performed at tooth extraction (T0), implant insertion (T1) and second stage surgery (T2).

Results
In the CECG group, gingival thickness was 1.18 ± 0.56 mm (T0), 1.29 ± 0.26 mm (T1) and 1.2 ± 0.32 mm (T3). In the CM group, the measurements were 1.24 ± 0.50 mm (T0), 1.6 ± 0.6 mm (T1) and 1.7 ± 1.06 mm. Thus, there was an overall increase in gingival thickness from T0 to T2 of 0.02 ± 0.66 mm (CECG) compared to 0.46 ± 0.89 mm (CM). The thickness of keratinized soft-tissue was 3.91 ± 1.11 mm (CECG) and 4.76 ± 1.48 mm (CM) before extraction and 3.93 ± 1.17 mm (CECG) and 4.22 mm ± 1.26 mm (CM) at implant follow-up. Mean peri-implant probing depths were 3.15 ± 1.39 mm (CECG) and 3.41 ± 0.99 mm (CM).

Conclusions
After ridge preservation, comparable soft-tissue parameters were observed in both groups, whether treated with a collagen matrix or a combined autologous connective tissue graft.
Transparency of peer review: a semi-structured interview study with chief editors from social sciences and humanities
Authors: Karhulahti Veli-Matti , Backe Hans-Joachim 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background
Open peer review practices are increasing in medicine and life sciences, but in social sciences and humanities (SSH) they are still rare. We aimed to map out how editors of respected SSH journals perceive open peer review, how they balance policy, ethics, and pragmatism in the review processes they oversee, and how they view their own power in the process.

Methods
We conducted 12 pre-registered semi-structured interviews with editors of respected SSH journals. Interviews consisted of 21 questions and lasted an average of 67 min. Interviews were transcribed, descriptively coded, and organized into code families.

Results
SSH editors saw anonymized peer review benefits to outweigh those of open peer review. They considered anonymized peer review the “gold standard” that authors and editors are expected to follow to respect institutional policies; moreover, anonymized review was also perceived as ethically superior due to the protection it provides, and more pragmatic due to eased seeking of reviewers. Finally, editors acknowledged their power in the publication process and reported strategies for keeping their work as unbiased as possible.

Conclusions
Editors of SSH journals preferred the benefits of anonymized peer review over open peer and acknowledged the power they hold in the publication process during which authors are almost completely disclosed to editorial bodies. We recommend journals to communicate the transparency elements of their manuscript review processes by listing all bodies who contributed to the decision on every review stage.
System bias correction of short-term hub-height wind forecasts using the Kalman filter
Authors: Xu Jingjing , Xiao Ziniu , Lin Zhaohui , Li Ming 
Published: November 2021

AbstractWind energy is a fluctuating source for power systems, which poses challenges to grid planning for the wind power industry. To improve the short-term wind forecasts at turbine height, the bias correction approach Kalman filter (KF) is applied to 72-h wind speed forecasts from the WRF model in Zhangbei wind farm for a period over two years. The KF approach shows a remarkable ability in improving the raw forecasts by decreasing the root-mean-square error by 16% from 3.58 to 3.01 m s−1, the mean absolute error by 14% from 2.71 to 2.34 m s−1, the bias from 0.22 to − 0.19 m s−1, and improving the correlation from 0.58 to 0.66. The KF significantly reduces random errors of the model, showing the capability to deal with the forecast errors associated with physical processes which cannot be accurately handled by the numerical model. In addition, the improvement of the bias correction is larger for wind speeds sensitive to wind power generation. So the KF approach is suitable for short-term wind power prediction.
Assessing the role of short-term weather forecasts in fire manager tactical decision-making: a choice experiment
Authors: Rapp Claire E. , Wilson Robyn S. , Toman Eric L. , Jolly W. Matt 
Published: November 2021

AbstractBackgroundWeather plays an integral role in fire management due to the direct and indirect effects it has on fire behavior. However, fire managers may not use all information available to them during the decision-making process, instead utilizing mental shortcuts that can bias decision-making. Thus, it is important to evaluate if (and how) fire managers use information like weather forecasts when making tactical decisions. We explore USDA Forest Service fire manager confidence in relative humidity, precipitation, and wind models. We then use a choice experiment where key weather attributes were varied to explore how sensitive fire managers were to changes in specific weather variables when choosing to directly or indirectly attack a fire that is transitioning to extended attack.ResultsRespondents were less confident in the accuracy of wind and precipitation forecasts than relative humidity or weather forecasts more generally. The influence of weather information on the decision depended on the framing used in the choice experiment; specifically, whether respondents were told the initial strategy had been to directly or indirectly attack the fire. Across conditions, fire managers generally preferred to indirectly attack the fire. Decisions about the tactics to apply going forward were more sensitive to time in season when the fire was occurring and wind and precipitation forecasts than to other attributes.ConclusionsThe results have implications for the design of decision support tools developed to support fire management. Results suggest how fire managers’ use of fire weather information to evaluate forecast conditions and adjust future management decisions may vary depending on the management decision already in place. If fire weather-based decision support tools are to support the use of the best available information to make fire management decisions, careful attention may be needed to debias any effect of prior decisions. For example, decision support tools may encourage users to “consider the opposite,” i.e., consider if they would react differently if different initial decision with similar conditions were in place. The results also highlight the potential importance of either improving wind and precipitation forecast models or improving confidence in existing models.
Mediating role of avoidance of trauma disclosure and social disapproval in ICD-11 post-traumatic stress disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder: cross-sectional study in a Lithuanian clinical sample
Authors: Kvedaraite Monika , Gelezelyte Odeta , Karatzias Thanos , Roberts Neil P. , Kazlauskas Evaldas 
Published: November 2021

Background
ICD-11 includes a new diagnosis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), resulting predominantly from reoccurring or prolonged trauma. Previous studies showed that lack of social support is among the strongest predictors of PTSD, but social factors have been sparsely studied in the context of the ICD-11 definition of PTSD and CPTSD.

Aims
To analyse the factor structure of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) in a Lithuanian clinical sample and to evaluate the mediating role of social and interpersonal factors in the relationship between trauma exposure and ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD.

Method
The sample comprised 280 adults from out-patient mental health centres (age, years: mean 39.48 (s.d. = 13.35); 77.5% female). Trauma-related stress symptoms were measured with the ITQ. Social disapproval was measured with the Social Acknowledgment Questionnaire (SAQ) and trauma disclosure using the Disclosure of Trauma Questionnaire (DTQ).

Results
ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD prevalence among the participants in this study was 13.9% and 10.0% respectively. Results indicated that avoidance of trauma disclosure mediated the relationship between trauma exposure and PTSD as well as CPTSD, whereas social disapproval mediated only the relationship between trauma exposure and CPTSD.

Conclusions
The findings suggest that disclosure of traumatic experiences and support from closest friends and family members might mitigate the effects of traumatic experiences, potentially reducing the risk of developing CPTSD.
Neural basis of acoustic species recognition in a cryptic species complex
Authors: Gupta Saumya , Alluri Rishi K. , Rose Gary J. , Bee Mark A. 
Published: November 2021

ABSTRACT
Sexual traits that promote species recognition are important drivers of reproductive isolation, especially among closely related species. Identifying neural processes that shape species differences in recognition is crucial for understanding the causal mechanisms of reproductive isolation. Temporal patterns are salient features of sexual signals that are widely used in species recognition by several taxa, including anurans. Recent advances in our understanding of temporal processing by the anuran auditory system provide an opportunity to investigate the neural basis of species-specific recognition. The anuran inferior colliculus consists of neurons that are selective for temporal features of calls. Of potential relevance are auditory neurons known as interval-counting neurons (ICNs) that are often selective for the pulse rate of conspecific advertisement calls. Here, we tested the hypothesis that ICNs mediate acoustic species recognition by exploiting the known differences in temporal selectivity in two cryptic species of gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis and Hyla versicolor). We examined the extent to which the threshold number of pulses required to elicit behavioral responses from females and neural responses from ICNs was similar within each species but potentially different between the two species. In support of our hypothesis, we found that a species difference in behavioral pulse number thresholds closely matched the species difference in neural pulse number thresholds. However, this relationship held only for ICNs that exhibited band-pass tuning for conspecific pulse rates. Together, these findings suggest that differences in temporal processing of a subset of ICNs provide a mechanistic explanation for reproductive isolation between two cryptic treefrog species.
Maze Pattern at Nanometer-Scale in a Mixed Langmuir Monolayer of Fatty Acids
Authors: Ishikawa Takamasa , Noguchi Mika , Kato Kosuke , Kuramori Miyuki , Narita Takayuki , Oishi Yushi 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
We investigated the morphology of binary monolayers of palmitic acid and behenic acid using atomic force microscopic observations. The monolayers exhibited a phase-separated morphology composed of meandering domains with a width of nanometer order, which is probably due to fixation of the monolayer morphology at a stage on the way to phase separation.
Simple and Fast Synthesis of Ni/NiO-loaded Carbon Nanotubes for the Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Feng Chuanqi , Xin Bingwei , Li Hongliang , Geng Bijiang 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
At present, there are still challenges in the efficient synthesis of catalysts for water splitting hydrogen evolution. We propose herein a high-efficiency strategy to simply and quickly synthesize composites of Ni/NiO and carbon nanotubes. The Ni/NiO-loaded carbon nanotubes are prepared by oxidative combustion of ethanol over a metal-based catalyst and exhibit excellent catalytic performance for alkaline water splitting hydrogen evolution with 129 mV overpotential to offer a current density of 10 mA cm−2. Meanwhile, the Ni/NiO-loaded carbon nanotubes also exhibit good stability. The Ni/NiO-loaded carbon nanotubes obtained by the simple and fast preparation thus could be a promising electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution rection.
Don’t blink: inattentional blindness in radiology report interpretation
Authors: Kates Malcolm M. , Perche Patrick O. , Beyth Rebecca J. , Winchester David E. 
Published: November 2021

Objectives: Medical errors attributable to inattentional blindness (IAB) may contribute to adverse patient outcomes. IAB has not been studied in the context of reviewing written radiological reports. This cross-sectional, deception-controlled study measures IAB of physicians towards an unexpected stimulus while interpreting written radiological reports. Methods: Physicians and residents from multiple fields were asked to interpret four radiology text reports. Embedded in one was an unexpected stimulus (either an abnormally placed medical exam finding or a non-medical quote from the popular television show Doctor Who). Primary outcomes were differences in detection rates for the two stimuli. Secondary outcomes were differences in detection rates based on level of training and specialty. Results: The unexpected stimulus was detected by 47.8% (n = 43) of participants; the non-medical stimulus was detected more often than the medical stimulus (75.0% vs  21.7%, odds ratio 10.8, 95% confidence interval 4.1–28.7; p < 0.0001). No differences in outcomes were observed between training levels or specialties. Conclusion: Only a minority of physicians successfully detected an unexpected stimulus while interpreting written radiological reports. They were more likely to detect an abnormal non-medical stimulus than a medical stimulus. Findings were independent of the level of training or field of medical practice. Advances in knowledge: This study is the first to show that IAB is indeed present among internal medicine, family medicine, and emergency medicine providers when interpreting written radiology reports.
Impact of COVID Pandemic and Hybrid teaching on Final year MBBS students’ End of clerkship Exam performance
Authors: Aaraj Sahira , Farooqui Fareeha , Saeed Nadia , Khan Sabeen 
Published: November 2021

Background & Objectives: The novel coronavirus (SAR-CoV-2) pandemic has revolutionized medical education worldwide. Most medical schools have adopted the online teaching and assessments. Students attending modified clerkships and assessments under the stress of the pandemic, perform and score differently when compared to normal clerkships. We aimed to identify the impact of COVID-19 on final year MBBS students’ EOC (End of Clerkship) examination by comparing them with their scores prior to the COVID and with scores of the previous final year.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Shifa College of Medicine. Final year MBBS students’ scores of years 2019 and 2020 were included. Students’ EOC MCQ and OSCE scores were compared in pre-COVID and COVID affected rotations of the same year and with the previous year (2019). Data were analyzed in SPSS version 21, means scores were calculated, and one-way ANOVA was applied. Pearson correlation was calculated for correlation assessment of MCQ and OSCE scores.
Results: There were 118 students. The mean EOC, OSCE, and MCQ scores in rotations one to four were 72.8±6.4, 73.3±8.1, 71.6±7.4, 72.7±6.7 and 44.4±8, 47.2±8.4, 46.1±8.2, 48.8±8.1, respectively. One-way ANOVA results before and after COVID lockdown were statistically insignificant (p=0.3) for OSCE and significant for MCQ in the final year class of 2020 (p=0.001). The Pearson correlation assessment between MCQ and OSCE scores (n=416) had a significant positive correlation (r=0.42, p=0.000). The overall comparison between scores of the final year class of 2019 and 2020 showed significant improvement in Surgery and Obstetrics/Gynae scores in 2020.
Conclusion: During the COVID pandemic, the final year students’ performance in EOC MCQ and OSCE over all remained unaffected.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.1.4645
How to cite this:Aaraj S, Farooqi F, Saeed N, Khan S. Impact of COVID Pandemic and Hybrid teaching on Final year MBBS students’ End of clerkship Exam performance. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(1):113-117. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.1.4645
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.