bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Educational Finance in Pre-Covid and Covid-19 Era in Nigeria: What has changed and Way Forward
Authors: ADESUA Veronica Olubunmi , BALOGUN Babatunde Nurudeen , ADELAKUN Iyanuoluwa Samuel 
Published: November 2021

For few decades, education has been receiving financial attention from the government and other concerned personnel in the society owing to the general belief that education is the key that opens great door of sustainable development to any country of the world; it is the major tool for individual, national, socio-economic development, poverty eradication and it should be adequately financed to have desired results. Unfortunately education is still underfunded in Nigeria despite enormous resources invested in it in form of allocations yearly. This has over the years exposed the educational sector of Nigeria to drastic ruin as a result of mismanagement of allocated resources and other functional financial fraudulent acts in the sector. Few years back the world experienced global economic meltdown (recession) which also led the Nigerian education sector to struggle with meeting its financial obligations and while the nation was witnessing this, the unexpected outbreak of coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic occurred forcing the sector to experience extremely lack of finance to keep the sector moving. To justify this insinuations this paper reviewed the financing of the educational system in pre-covid and covid-19 era in Nigeria; what has changed over the years, the challenges associated with the changes and the way forward in form of recommendations.
Synthesis, in silico Studies, and Anticonvulsant Activity of 1,3,4-Oxadiazole Derivatives
Authors: Gatphoh Banylla Felicity Dkhar , Aggarwal Natasha Naval , Kumar Merugumolu Vijay , Revanasiddappa Bistuvalli Chandrashekharappa 
Published: November 2021

The title compounds 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives (C1-5) were synthesized by the cyclization of 4-hydroxy benzhydrazide (1) with various substituted aromatic aldehydes (2) in the presence of ceric ammonium nitrate. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were established based on FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and Mass spectral data. In silico analysis was carried out using the Schrodinger 2018-3 suite device Maestro and docked to the binding site of the Human GABAA receptor (PDB ID:4COF). The toxicity of the compounds was predicted using the LAZAR (Lazy structure-activity relationship) program. The invivo anticonvulsant study was performed by means of a maximal electroshock test and pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures. Compounds C4&C5 showed the highest docking score of −5.676 and −5.277, respectively, and compounds C4&C5 showed the most increased in vivo anticonvulsant activity when compared with the reference drugs in both the PTZ and MES test methods.
HIGHLIGHTS

A new series of 1,3,4-oxadiazoles (C1-C5) were synthesized by reacting aromatic aldehydes and 4-hydroxy benzhydrazide using cerric ammonium nitrate as (CAT) catalyst and characterized by spectral data
All the new compounds were subjected for In-silico analysis and docked to Human GABAA receptor (PDB ID:4COF)
In-vivo anticonvulsant activity was carried out for all the new compounds by using maximal electroshock (MES) and pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) models
Some of the tested compounds C4&C5 displayed promising anticonvulsant activity

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Bio-Inspired Computing-A Dive into Critical Problems, Potential Architecture and Techniques
Authors: Bale Ajay Sudhir , Tiwari Subhashish , Khatokar Aditya , N Vinay , Mohan M S Kiran 
Published: November 2021

The integration and development of electronics in the recent years have impacted a major development on the world and humans, one among that is nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has achieved a greater progress in biomedical engineering in diagnosis and treatment, leading to the introduction of nanomaterials for drug delivery, prostheses and implanting. This work describes the Bio-Nano-tools that are developed based on iron oxide properties, automated tools used in the tumor detection, satin bowerbird optimization (SBO) technique employed in diagnosis of skin cancer. This work also highlights the post introduction development of nanomaterials like combination of nanotechnology with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact, advancement of nanomaterials based on their operations, shapes and characteristics that leading to the growth of nanostructures with operations control properties. The paper also highlights the improvement of silicon neuromorphic photonic processors and parallel simulators in the development of bio inspired computing. We are hopeful that this review article provides future directions in Bio-Inspired Computing.
HIGHLIGHTS

In processing of medical images, noise plays a challenging role. So, reduction of noise is important, with the data that is analyzed in our review, it is shown that noise reduction can be achieved using Gradient and Feature Adaptive Contour (GFAC) model, with effective results
There are many algorithms that are used for skin cancer detection, as highlighted in our review. Amongst all the methods, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm shows impressive results when compared to other models in terms of feature extraction in dermoscopy images
Satin bowerbird optimization (SBO) algorithm helps in improving the CNN efficiency. The optimal justification of the hyper parameter numbers in convolutional neural network (CNN) for skin cancer diagnosis can be achieved using an SBO algorithm
Hybrid Control using Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization and Integral Backstepping Control of Grid-connected Doubly Fed Induction Generator
Authors: Chetouani Elmostafa , Errami Youssef , Obbadi Abdellatif , Sahnoun Smail 
Published: November 2021

We proposed an analysis of a hybrid control of active and reactive power for a doubly-fed induction generator for variable velocity wind energy injection into the electrical grid using a combination of adaptive particle swarm optimization and integral backstepping control in this paper. The stability of the Lyapunov function is utilized to establish the latter. Six controllers are developed as part of the proposed control process: The first is concerned with the maximum PowerPoint. The stator powers are managed by the second and third regulators, which are performed by the optimal PI controller using adaptive particle swarm optimization. The DC link voltage is kept constant by the fourth controller. The fifth and sixth are employed to pilot the rotor powers and ensure that the power factor is maintained to 1. These three controllers are synthesized by using the nonlinear integral backstepping control. These control strategies show excellent results compared to field-oriented control under a variable wind speed profile and changing generator settings in a Matlab/Simulink environment. According to the test findings, using integral backstepping, the overshoot of the DC-link voltage is decreased by 99.16 %. Furthermore, the particle swarm optimization reduces its time to reach the equilibrium state to 4.3 m s and demonstrates robustness against parameter generator changes.
HIGHLIGHTS

The regulation of the produced power by the wind energy conversion system (WECS) based on a doubly-fed induction generator is becoming increasingly important to researchers. This system is modeled and simulated in the Matlab/Simulink software environment to apply the proposed control
In order to extract the maximum power from the variable wind source, a maximum power point tracking method is developed based on the PI controller
For piloting the wind energy system conversion (WECS) based on a DFIG, a combination of the integrated Backstepping controller and adaptive PSO is proposed and realized in this paper
Robustness tests are established by adjusting the generator parameters, and a comparative study is conducted to verify the superiority of the suggested control over the indirect vector control

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Effect of Pursed-Lip Breathing using a Windmill Toy Model on Breathing Efficiency in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients
Authors: Jansang Sarawut , Tungsukruthai Parunkul , Srisuma Sorachai , Sriyakul Kusuma , Krajarng Aungkana , Kietinun Somboon 
Published: November 2021

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third-highest cause of death in the world, also true in Thailand. There are various methods to treat COPD such as medication and non-drug therapies for respiratory rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of pursed-lip breathing (PLB) by using a windmill toy in COPD patients. The participants in this randomized controlled trial study were 60 to 75 years old. The total number of 46 participants were equally divided into 2 groups: The intervention group and the control group (23 participants each). The intervention group used breathing training through a windmill toy, whereas the control group received training in standard breathing patterns. The training was performed over sessions in 1 week. Lung function, respiratory muscle strength, and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) were recorded at baseline, and between 6 - 12 weeks (follow-up). The intervention group and the control group improved significantly in lung function and muscle strength (p < 0.05). In addition, 6MWT in the intervention group increased significantly when compared to the control group (p < 0.05) at week 12. In conclusion, the PLB using a windmill toy is a new form of breathing training that is effective in promoting the strength of the muscles used for breathing, lung performance, and cardiovascular function in COPD patients.
HIGHLIGHTS

The use of windmill toys is a new form of breathing exercise that is effective in strengthening
Using innovative models applied in medicine and public health to promote prevention of severe disease
The greatest benefit of pulmonary function training is that patients have a better quality of life and longer life
Knockdown of SNW1 ameliorates brain microvascular endothelial cells injury by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation
Authors: Tao Zhen , Guo Hongwei , Tang Jigang , Cheng Ming 
Published: November 2021

IntroductionSNW domain containing 1 (SNW1), as a splicing factor to regulate the activity of transcription factors, has been reported to be involved in multiple disease processes, including neuroblastoma. Whereas, the latent function and concrete mechanism of SNW1 in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) have not been clarified.Material and methodsBMECs were induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), and high fat (HF)-fed rats were established. After SNW1 knockdown or NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) overexpression, SNW1 and NLRP3 expressions were monitored via RT-qPCR, Western blot, or immunohistochemistry assays. Also, cell viability, apoptosis, and cholesterol efflux were determined via CCK-8, flow cytometry, and related kits; IL-18 and IL-3 levels were also certified by ELISA kits; and NLRP3 inflammasomes and cholesterol efflux-related proteins were identified by Western blot in vitro and in vivo.ResultsWe discovered that ox-LDL or HF-feeding significantly elevated SNW1 and NLRP3 expressions, and prominently induced BMECs injury in BMECs or rat brain tissues. Subsequently, our data confirmed that SNW1 knockdown markedly accelerated cholesterol efflux and viability, and prevented apoptosis and NLRP3 inflammasomes, which also could be reversed by NLRP3 overexpression in ox-LDL-induced BMECs. In addition, we showed that SNW1 knockdown could signally induce cholesterol efflux and repress NLRP3 inflammasome activation in HF-fed rats.ConclusionsWe demonstrated that SNW1 knockdown has a great protection effect on the dysfunction of BMECs by inhibiting NLRP3. So, SNW1 might be a therapeutic target for BMECs injury.
Wogonoside: Anti-human colon cancer activities and survey of HMG-CoA ‎reductase inhibition properties with molecular modeling
Authors: Liu Jiamiao , Tan Huifang , Zeng Qing 
Published: November 2021

IntroductionThe biological activities and interactions of wogonoside in the presence of HMG-COA reductase were investigated using the molecular docking study as a versatile theoretical approach. Wogonoside showed a considerable binding affinity to the enzyme with a docking score of -7.582 kcal/mol.Material and methodsThe in vitro cytotoxic and anti- colon ‎ carcinoma effects of biologically synthesized Wogonoside ‎against GP5d, MDST8‎, HCA-46‎, HT115, LS174T, and COLO 320DM cancer cell lines were ‎assessed.ResultsThe results indicated that the compound makes hydrophobic contacts with essential residues of the catalytic domain of the enzyme. Therefore, wogonosid could be considered as a potential inhibitor for HMG-COA reductase. The IC50 of the Wogonoside were 105, 198, 173, 382, 71, and 183 µg/mL against GP5d, ‎MDST8‎, HCA-46‎, HT115, LS174T, and COLO 320DM cancer cell lines. The anti-colon‎ ‎carcinoma properties of the Wogonoside could significantly remove GP5d, MDST8‎, HCA-46‎, ‎HT115, LS174T, and COLO 320DM cancer cell lines in a time and concentration-dependent ‎manner by MTT assay. ‎ConclusionsIt appears that the anti-human colorectal carcinoma effect of recent nanoparticles is due to their antioxidant effects. We have obtained results for the HMG-CoA Reductase enzyme at the micromolar level. In our study, inhibition result of on HMG-CoA reductase showed lower values 28.70±4.73 micromolar.
The distress and needs of Chinese patients with pituitary adenoma: a preliminary survey
Authors: Shen Meifen , Sheng Guixiao , Yang Yan , Wu Chao , Ma Chen , Yang Li , Huang Yulun 
Published: November 2021

IntroductionIt is necessary to investigate the current psychological distress and needs status of patients with pituitary adenoma in China.Material and methodsPatients with pituitary adenoma treated in our hospital from May 2019 to December 2019 were included. The psychological distress and needs scale for pituitary adenoma patients was used to investigate the psychological distress and needs of patients. Besides, univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to analyze the influencing factors.ResultsA total of 254 valid questionnaires were included. The total psychological distress and need score of patients with pituitary adenoma was (23.89±18.41) and (21.91±20.03) points respectively. There were significant differences on the psychological distress score in different occupational status, personal income, types of pituitary adenomas, size of pituitary adenoma, invasiveness, endocrine level and history of surgery (all p<0.05). The size of pituitary adenoma, endocrine level and pituitary adenoma type were the influencing factors of patients' psychological distress(all p<0.05). There were significant differences on the need score in different age, occupational status, personal income, types of pituitary adenomas and endocrine level(all p<0.05). Endocrine level, other rare types of pituitary adenoma and age were the influencing factors of patients' needs (all p<0.05).ConclusionsOur study is one of the few studies focused on the psychological distress and needs status of Chinese patients with pituitary adenoma. Medical staff should pay attention to the psychological distress of patients with large, rare type of pituitary adenomas and abnormal endocrine level, and take corresponding interventions to alleviate their psychological distress.
Effects and safety of intraoperative intermittent pneumatic compression for preventing postoperative venous thromboembolism: a meta-analysis
Authors: Yang Yanping , Li Jianhua 
Published: November 2021

IntroductionIntermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) has been used for venous thrombosis (VTE) prevention. It’s necessary to evaluate the effects and safety of intraoperative use of IPC devices in the prevention of VTE in surgical patients.Material and methodsTwo authors independently searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, MedLine, EMbase, China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies on the use of IPC in surgical patients up to June 10, 2021. The Cochrane Collaborations risk of bias tool and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) were used for quality assessment. RevMan 5.3 software were used for statistical analyses.ResultsA total of 13 studies including seven RCTs and six retrospective cohort studies involving 6673 surgical patients were included, 1883 patients underwent IPC intervention. The synthesized RCT results indicated that IPC was beneficial to the reduce the incidence of DVT (RR0.30, 95%CI0.22~0.40, P<0.001) and VTE (RR0.51, 95%CI0.27~0.95, P=0.03). The synthesized results from retrospective cohort studies indicated that IPC is beneficial to the reduce the incidence of DVT (RR0.63, 95%CI0.42~0.96, P=0.03) and PE (RR0.34, 95%CI0.16~0.72, P=0.005). No significant publication biases were found for all synthesized outcomes (all p>0.05).ConclusionsIPC seems to be safe and effective in the prevention and management of intraoperative VTE. Limited by sample size, this conclusion still needs to be further confirmed by large-sample, multi-center, high-quality clinical studies.
Intravitreal injections during the COVID-19 pandemic era
Authors: Celik Dulger Selda , Citirik Mehmet , Bahadir Camgoz Esra , Yasin Teke Mehmet 
Published: November 2021

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and changes in the number of patients receiving intravitreal injections (IVIs) at a tertiary hospital during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as compared to the pre-pandemic period.
Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 3,211 patients with retinal disease, who received IVIs of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) between January and May 2020. This 5-month period was divided into a pre-pandemic and a pandemic period. Clinical and demographic data were collected and were compared between the patients in each period. All COVID-19 infection precautions were implemented to minimize the potential transmission of COVID-19 to both healthcare workers and patients.
Results: A total of 3,211 IVIs were administered to patients with diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusion, and other retinal conditions. Diabetic retinopathy was the most common indication for treatment in the pre-pandemic as well as pandemic periods. Bevacizumab (Avastin, Roche) was the most common IVI type, followed by aflibercept (Eylea, Bayer). Of 3,211 IVIs, 2,943 (91.7%) were administered during the pre-pandemic period and 268 (8.3%) during the pandemic period. There was a statistically significant decrease in injections between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods, with an overall reduction of 90.8% in IVIs (P < 0.05). No cases of confirmed transmission of COVID-19 orcomplications associated with IVIs were recorded.
Conclusions: This study showed that the number of IVIs and patient visits decreased significantly, by more than 10-fold, during the lockdown period. These findings show that COVID-19 has turned the management of sight-threatening eye diseases into a challenging process and must be addressed if future healthcarerestrictions are imposed.
Comparison of CSV-1000 and Metrovision contrast sensitivity tests in normal eyes
Authors: Tahkor Abolfazl , Heravian Shandiz Javad , Azimi Khorasani Abbas , Ansari Moghadam Alireza 
Published: November 2021

Background: Measuring contrast sensitivity (CS) allows a better understanding of the visual performance of the human eye. This study aimed to examine the correlation and agreement between the results of two sinewave grating-based CS measurement methods, Metrovision and CSV-1000, in normal eyes.
Methods: This cross-sectional, comparative study was performed between December 2018 and April 2019, at an optometry clinic. Subjects underwent comprehensive ocular examinations, which included pupil reflexes, subjective refraction, external eye examinations, smooth pursuit eye movement assessment, the cover–uncover test, and detailed slit-lamp examination of the anterior and posterior segments. Metrovision and CSV-1000 were employed to assess CS under photopic conditions. The correlation and agreement of the results of the two tests were evaluated.
Results: CS was measured for 104 normal eyes for 3, 6, 12, and 18 cycles per degree (cpd) spatial frequencies (participants’ mean age ± standard deviation: 37.3 ± 26.4 years). The CSV-1000 measurements were significantly higher for the 3 and 6 cpd spatial frequencies (both P = 0.01); however, at higher spatial frequencies, CS scores were similar. The highest and lowest differences between the two tests were recorded for the 3 cpd spatial frequency and 18 cpd spatial frequency, respectively. Except for the 3 cpd spatial frequency, in both eyes, the findings correlated significantly between the CSV-1000 and Metrovision (P < 0.05). The narrowest and widest limits of agreement between the two tests were found for the 12 and 3 cpd spatial frequencies, respectively.
Conclusions: The CSV-1000 method estimated CS higher than the Metrovision method, mostly at lower spatial frequencies. Furthermore, the agreement between the two methods was greater at higher spatial frequencies than at lower frequencies. This should be kept in mind when using the two methods interchangeably in visual screening.
The potential retinal hazards of curing light use for dentists
Authors: Putnam Nicole M , Thomas Sara , Liao Grace , Bennett Emily , Breen Anne , Hueners Miranda , Korsten Lexi , Mills James , Mohsin Ibrahim , Poole Miles , Rookstool Shelby , Siddiqui Hala , Sommerfield Kelsie , Kozlowski Roni E , Mitchell John C , Mills Denise , Kozlowski Michael Robert 
Published: November 2021

Background: Many recent studies have focused on the potential hazards of blue light exposure to ocular health. One group with a unique blue light exposure risk is dentists, who use curing lights that emit intense blue light during restorative procedures. During these procedures, dentists often experience brief ocular exposure to these lights. The purpose of the present study was to explore whether such exposures may have an effect on the vision and ocular health of dentists.
Methods: A group of 12 dentists who had experienced curing light exposure over a period of 10 or more years were compared to a group of eight control subjects with no such exposure. The subjects were tested for visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. Their retinas were examined using fundus imaging and optical coherence tomography. Macular pigment optical density was measured. The likelihood that brief blue light exposure could lead to ocular effects was further explored by subjecting a retinal pigment epithelial cell (RPE) line to such exposures.
Results: Although no visual defects or ocular pathologies were found in either group, the dentist group differed from the control group in having increased macular thickness (P < 0.02), a higher incidence of macular vessel tortuosity (P < 0.05), and greater variance in their macular pigment optical density values (P < 0.01). RPE cells that received blue light exposure similar to those sustained by dentists demonstrated a change in physiology.
Conclusions: Retinal changes were found in dentists, which, while not pathological in themselves, are associated with some retinal pathologies. Further studies are necessary to determine whether these signs correlate with the degree of curing light exposure and to determine whether they eventually develop into pathological conditions.