bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genomic Revisitation and Reclassification of the Genus Providencia
Authors: Dong Xu , Jia Huiqiong , Yu Yuyun , Xiang Yanghui , Zhang Ying 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Members of Providencia, although typically opportunistic, can cause severe infections in immunocompromised hosts. Recent advances in genome sequencing provide an opportunity for more precise study of this genus. In this study, we first identified and characterized a novel species named Providencia zhijiangensis sp. nov. It has ≤88.23% average nucleotide identity (ANI) and ≤31.8% in silico DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values with all known Providencia species, which fall significantly below the species-defining thresholds. Interestingly, we found that Providencia stuartii and Providencia thailandensis actually fall under the same species, evidenced by an ANI of 98.59% and a dDDH value of 90.4%. By fusing ANI with phylogeny, we have reclassified 545 genomes within this genus into 20 species, including seven unnamed taxa (provisionally titled Taxon1-7), which can be further subdivided into 23 lineages. Pangenomic analysis identified 1,550 genus-core genes in Providencia, with coenzymes being the predominant category at 10.56%, suggesting significant intermediate metabolism activity. Resistance analysis revealed that most lineages of the genus (82.61%, 19/23) carry a high number of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and display diverse resistance profiles. Notably, the majority of ARGs are located on plasmids, underscoring the significant role of plasmids in the resistance evolution within this genus. Three species or lineages (P. stuartii, Taxon 3, and Providencia hangzhouensis L12) that possess the highest number of carbapenem resistance genes suggest their potential influence on clinical treatment. These findings underscore the need for continued surveillance and study of this genus, particularly due to their role in harboring antibiotic resistance genes.
Evidence – Informed Policy Formulation and Implementation: A case study of ‘Clean Air Policy’ in Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Tariq Saira , Zakir Rubeena 
Published: February 2024

Background: There has been an accelerating momentum globally, for the use of scientific research evidence to support public health policy formulation and implementation. Policymakers, nonetheless use a variety of information over and above research evidence in the process. A case study of ‘the Clean Air policy’ was undertaken to explore the Policy makers practices related to Evidence Informed Policy in Punjab, Pakistan.
Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate policy makers’ perceptions regarding ‘evidence’ and how it is gathered and used in policy formulation and implementation processes
Methods: The empirical data was collected by qualitative research techniques. Document review and semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 87 purposively selected policymakers between December’22-October’23. Data Analysis was guided by principals of grounded theory. A conceptual model for Evidence Informed Policy Formulation and Implementation (derived from the Frameworks of Bowen and Zwi and Dodson et al.) was experientially applied to organize the data.
Results: The case study of the ‘Clean Air Policy’ of the Govt. of Punjab highlighted that the policy had been formulated in a structured manner with incorporation of relevant evidence (research and other) at all stages of policy formulation. Policy makers considered ‘evidence’ as an expansive concept not limited to research evidence. Overall, the use of evidence for policy-making and implementation is rooted in complexities inherent to the local context, policymakers understanding and organizational culture and processes.
Conclusion: The study contributed to understanding the arena of Evidence Informed policy practices in Pakistan. Addressing the highlighted challenges can inform strategies for enhancing evidence use in policy processes for improving health system performance.
Role of nano-magnetized Citrus X sinensis (orange) peels for decontamination of pendimethalin from aqueous resources: a comparative study of untreated and carbonaceous orange peels with nano-magnetized peels
Authors: Mubarak Shafaq , Ashraf Bilal , Asghar Amina 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Biosorption is a low-cost, environment friendly wastewater treatment method that involves a simple procedure for the removal of pesticides and their residues from wastewater. In the present investigation, untreated Citrus X sinensis peels (U-CXSP), activated carbon Citrus X sinensis peels (AC-CXSP) and nano-magnetized Citrus X sinensis peels (NM-CXSP) adsorbents were applied for the uptake of pendimethalin (PDM) from aqueous resources. The laboratory-prepared adsorbents were characterized using SEM, EDX, FTIR, VSM and XRD. Biosorption studies were carried out by varying different parameters, i.e., adsorbents dosage (0.1–0.5 g), time of contact (10–70 min), initial concentration of PDM (5–200 ppm), pH and temperature. The results showed that the removal efficiency of U-CXSP was increased from 97 to 114 mg/g for AC-CXSP adsorbent and increased from 97 to 111 mg/g for NM-CXSP adsorbent. Kinetics data obtained from this study well fitted with pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Adsorption isotherms were studied and the adsorption data well fitted with Langmuir and Freundlich models. Order of the adsorption efficiency is observed as follows: AC-CXSP &gt; NM-CXSP &gt; U-CXSP.
Effect of salinity on denitrification, membrane fouling and bacterial community in a fixed-bed biofilm membrane reactor
Authors: An Ning , Ma Lei , Lian Dameng , Wang Shuwei 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

In this study, a fixed-bed biofilm membrane bioreactor was used to assess denitrification and carbon removal performance, membrane fouling, composition, and the dynamics of microbial communities across 10 salinity levels. As salinity levels increased (from 0 to 30 g/L), the removal efficiency of total nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand decreased from 98 and 86% in Phase I to 25 and 45% in Phase X, respectively. Beyond a salinity level of 10 g/L, membrane fouling accelerated considerably. The analysis of fouling resistance distribution suggested that soluble microbial products (SMPs) were the primary cause of this phenomenon. The irregularity in microbial community succession reflected the varying adaptability of different bacteria to different salinity levels. The relative abundance of Sulfuritalea, Lentimircobium, Thauera, and Pseudomonas increased from 20.2 to 47.7% as the experiments progressed. Extracellular polymeric substances-related analysis suggested that Azospirillum plays a positive role in preserving the structural integrity of the biofilm carrier. The SMP-related analysis showed a positive correlation between Lentimircobium, Thauera, Pseudomonas, and the SMP content. These results suggested that these three bacterial genera significantly promoted the release of SMP under salt stress, which in turn led to severe membrane fouling.
Biochar from waste biomass, its fundamentals, engineering aspects, and potential applications: an overview
Authors: Nadarajah Kannan , Asharp Thusalini , Jeganathan Yanushiya 
Published: February 2024

AbstractEnvironmental pollution control in the growing world is a challenging task for all the countries in order to keep the environmental sustainability. Biochar, a processed carbon material, draws a significant attention in the field of environmental remediation, as of its active functional groups that help remove environmental pollutants to a level insignificant to cause hazardous effects. As such, there is an increasing interest developed to promote highly productive biochar for exploring environmental engineering aspects. There is limited comprehensive literature available for understanding biochar science and its potential applications under an umbrella. This review was set to fill this knowledge gap by discussing key points related to biochar, its novel engineering aspects and potential environmental applications. Therefore, this overview tends to summarize and discuss biochar, its fundamentals, engineering aspects commonly used modifications and the potential applications of biochar in water treatment with an intention of addressing the importance of biochar for environmental remediation process. This overview will be useful for researchers, policy-makers and stakeholders to plan and review relevant scientific works in order to produce customized biochar for future environmental applications.
Risk assessment and classification prediction for water environment treatment PPP projects
Authors: Yang Ruijia , Feng Jingchun , Tang Jiansong , Sun Yong 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Water treatment public–private partnership (PPP) projects are pivotal for sustainable water management but are often challenged by complex risk factors. Efficient risk management in these projects is crucial, yet traditional methodologies often fall short of addressing the dynamic and intricate nature of these risks. Addressing this gap, this comprehensive study introduces an advanced risk classification prediction model tailored for water treatment PPP projects, aimed at enhancing risk management capabilities. The proposed model encompasses an intricate evaluation of crucial risk areas: the natural and ecological environments, socio-economic factors, and engineering entities. It delves into the complex relationships between these risk elements and the overall risk profile of projects. Grounded in a sophisticated ensemble learning framework employing stacking, our model is further refined through a weighted voting mechanism, significantly elevating its predictive accuracy. Rigorous validation using data from the Jiujiang City water environment system project Phase I confirms the model's superiority over standard machine learning models. The development of this model marks a significant stride in risk classification for water treatment PPP projects, offering a powerful tool for enhancing risk management practices. Beyond accurately predicting project risks, this model also aids in developing effective government risk management strategies.
The Fascinating Effects of Flavonoids on Lung Cancer: A Review
Authors: Singh Dhirendra , Dhanawat Meenakshi , Verma Inderjeet , Gupta Sumeet 
Published: February 2024

:
Lung cancer has emerged as one of the most often reported illnesses and leading
causes of mortality worldwide. Inefficient, lack of safety, low therapeutic index, unpleasant effects, and excessive cost have led to a loss of trust in synthetic medications, limiting their use.
Natural compounds have good anticancer potential without unwanted toxic effects. Among
them, flavonoids are the most important compounds. Flavonoids are polyphenolic chemical
compounds abundant in fruits and vegetables and are essential in preventing lung cancer. Their
potent anticancer effects are said to be based on a wide range of biological actions, such as antioxidants, anti-mutagenesis, anti-inflammation, and differentiation induction, preventing cancer cell proliferation through regulating signal transduction pathways, triggering cell cycle arrest, and activating apoptosis or autophagy; anti-invasion; anti-metastasis, altering cancer cell
drug resistance and increasing sensitization to chemotherapy. This review illustrates the most
recent advancements in flavonoids in lung cancer and their associated molecular mechanisms
using information from scientific research studies like in vitro and in vivo clinical trials. It
takes these data into theory and practice.
Self-awareness Regarding Obesity and Specific Therapy in Patients with
Overweight or Obesity and Cardiovascular Diseases from Moscow Region
Authors: Martsevich Sergey Yu. , Lukina Yulia V. , Lerman Olga V. , Kutishenko Natalia P. , Kiselev Anton R. , Drapkina Oxana M. 
Published: February 2024

Objective:
Despite the proven effectiveness of lifestyle interventions and specific medications
in the treatment of obesity, little is known about their use in real-world practice. .

Aims:
To study the awareness of patients about the problem of overweight/obesity, as well as the
clinical practice of non-drug and drug therapy according to the survey

Material and Methods:
Eligible patients were recruited from the prospective outpatient registry of
patients with cardiovascular diseases. The design of the study was a cross-sectional cohort singlecentre.
All of the included patients completed a specifically designed questionnaire. The study included
295 patients (mean age 66.8 ± 11.8 years) with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 25 kg/m2. One
hundred eight (36.6%) individuals were overweight, 124 (42.2%) had first-class obesity, 42 (14.2%)
had second-class obesity, and 21 (7.1%) patients had third-class obesity.

Results:
252 patients (85.4%) were informed of being overweight/obese, and all of them received
non-drug recommendations for the treatment of obesity. Anti-obesity medications (AOM) were
recommended only to 25 (8.5%) patients: 3 – overweight, 11 – obesity class I, 6 obesity class II,
and 5 – obesity class III. Twenty-one (7.1%) patients took the prescribed medications (84% adherence).
The drugs were more often taken by patients with class II and III disease (40.5% and 57.1%
of patients, respectively). Overweight (8.5%) and class I obesity (18.0%) patients took these drugs
less often (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion:
The results of the survey have demonstrated good awareness of patients about their
obesity/overweight and quite frequent use of non-drug obesity therapy. However, the rate of AOM
prescription was extremely low.
Effect of Spaced and Massed Learning Approaches on the Performance of Faculty Members in Medical Education
Authors: Ahmad Rani , Hamed Omyayma , Jamjoom Reda , Park Yoon Soo , Tekian Ara 
Published: February 2024

Introduction. The effectiveness of spaced and massed strategies can be evaluated by examining how educational experts (faculty members) transfer their learning skills to real-life educational contexts, such as with their undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia. It is necessary to consider the respective benefits of these strategies for faculty members to maintain standards and capabilities, fulfilling their learning and development needs.
Aim. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of spaced and massed practice programs for faculty members in transferring their acquired assessment skills to their students. To achieve this goal, we used a mixed methodological approach, integrating both qualitative and quantitative methods into the study design.
Methods. This study was carried out at the Faculty of Medicine, King Abdul-Aziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Focus group discussions were employed for the qualitative approach, while the paired-sample t-test and Chi-square test of independence were used for the quantitative approach.
Results. The results of the focus group discussion indicated that participants from both groups preferred the spaced learning approach, considering the busy schedules of medical doctors and students. In terms of cost effectivity, both group participants preferred the massed learning technique. Two (25%) participants from the spaced technique group and five (62.5%) participants from the massed technique group succeeded in applying all parts of the assessment cycle without significant help from other experts. Three (37.5%) participants in the spaced groups agreed that the pathway of applying the standards was confusing and entailed extra work requirements, while five (62.5%) participants in the massed group responded that it increased the feeling of being overwhelmed. Furthermore, the statistical results did not provide a clear indication of which program faculty members should adopt to facilitate their students in a better way. The lack of statistically significant differences between the findings of both programs suggests that the results do not confirm the superiority of spaced or massed practice, as is often assumed in medical education.
Conclusions. Both spaced and massed learning strategies were found to be broadly effective in transferring assessment skills, with no significant qualitative and qualitative differences. Their effectiveness depended on the specification of modules.
Development and Evaluation of a Community Health Program to Promote Physical Activity Among Vulnerable Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Auerswald Tina , Zwingmann Katharina , Schlesinger Torsten , Müller Katrin 
Published: February 2024

Background
Vulnerable older adults have a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Regular physical activity (PA) can have a positive effect on the health and health-related behavior of this specific target group. However, evidence of the impact and feasibility of community-based PA promotion interventions for vulnerable older adults is still limited.

Objective
The BeTaSen (Bewegungs-Tandems in den Lebenswelten Chemnitzer Seniorinnen und Senioren: ein Beitrag zur kommunalen Gesundheitsförderung) study aims to evaluate the (1) impact as well as the (2) feasibility, acceptance, and usefulness of a 12-month low-threshold PA intervention program for community-dwelling vulnerable older adults.

Methods
For our population-based prospective observational cohort study, a total of 120 vulnerable older adults (aged 75 years or older) in the area of Chemnitz (Germany) will be recruited to participate in (1) weekly neighborhood-based low-threshold PA meetings with trained mentors (activity tandems) and (2) monthly exercise meetings led by trained exercise instructors. Within the intervention, participants will be encouraged to perform the PA independently. Participants will complete assessments, which will include questionnaires as well as objective measurements of their physical, cognitive, and psychosocial health at 3 different time points (baseline, 6 months after the start, and 6 months after the end of the intervention). Additionally, a process evaluation will be performed, including questionnaires and qualitative interviews, involving the participants, mentors, and municipal project partner representatives.

Results
The BeTaSen project process began in October 2021, with the start of data collection and intervention in August 2022 in the first neighborhoods of the city of Chemnitz. A total of 86 participants were recruited at the time of submission of the manuscript. Longitudinal results are expected by 2025.

Conclusions
This study’s results will provide insights on (1) the PA behavior of vulnerable older adults as well as the impact of PA interventions on health-related outcomes such as cognitive, physical, and psychosocial health, and (2) the feasible and useful components of community-based PA interventions. Thus, this pilot study contributes to future recommendations and provides a basis for further research, such as the development of feasible and sustainable target group–specific interventions in community settings.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)
DERR1-10.2196/51462
Use of Extrinsic Motivators to Improve the BMI of Obese or Overweight Adolescents: Systematic Review (Preprint)
Authors: Gonçalves Ana , Simões Pedro Augusto , Sousa-Pinto Bernardo , Taveira-Gomes Tiago 
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing at an alarming rate in children and adolescents worldwide. Given the dimensions of the problem, the treatment of childhood obesity is considered extremely important. Current evidence indicates that behavioral and cognitive behavioral strategies combined with diet and physical activity approaches may assist in reducing adolescent obesity.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the use of extrinsic motivators for improving the BMI of obese or overweight adolescents.

METHODS

The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) overweight or obese adolescents, (2) intervention using extrinsic motivators, and (3) outcome variables related to weight status. The exclusion criterion was the presence of an associated chronic disease. The search process was conducted in PubMed and Web of Science (last searched on April 23, 2023). The risk of bias was evaluated independently by 2 authors using Cochrane tools (RoB2 [randomized controlled trials], ROBINS-I, and ROBINS-E).

RESULTS

From 3163 studies identified, 20 articles (corresponding to 18 studies) were included in the analysis. The studies differed in terms of study design, sample size, follow-up duration, outcomes reported, and extrinsic motivators used. Most of the studies had videogames or apps as interventions. Of the 18 studies, 9 (50%) reported a statistically significant decrease in BMI. The most used extrinsic motivators were “motivation” (n=13), “feedback” (n=10), and “rewards” (n=9). Among the motivators, “reminders” (100%) and “peer-support” (80%) appeared to have high impacts on BMI reduction.

CONCLUSIONS

The heterogeneity of the included studies made analysis difficult. No study evaluated extrinsic motivators in isolation. Most of the studies had a moderate or high risk of bias. The extrinsic motivators “reminders” and “peer-support” appeared to be useful. Further studies are needed, and these should include well-designed randomized controlled trials and studies involving homogeneity in BMI measures, consistent extrinsic motivator definitions, and longer durations to better understand the long-term impacts of extrinsic motivators on weight management success.
TelegramBOT para votar acuerdos en el Consejo Técnico de Facultad de Medicina
Authors: Barradas Culebro Gustavo 
Published: February 2024

Se describe la implementación de BOTs de la aplicación Telegram para la votación de acuerdos llevados a cabo en el H. Consejo Técnico de la Facultad de Medicina de la UNAM, mediante dispositivos de uso cotidiano, como son teléfonos celulares, tabletas o computadoras, en las sesiones llevadas a cabo en la modalidad virtual, presencial o híbrida, la cual permite contar con la legalidad y participación de sus consejeros al emplear herramientas de licencia pública como son Debian, Apache, PHP, Bootstrap y PostgreSQL.
Auditors’ Risk Perception of Process Control Deficiencies: A Discrete Choice Experiment
Authors: Laghmouch Manal , Lizin Sebastien , Mendling Jan , Depaire Benoît , Jans Mieke 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT
In risk-based auditing, data-driven analyses are often used to automatically detect process deficiencies. This introduces a challenge: the number of deficiencies is too large to inspect manually. Current approaches addressing this challenge neglect integrating the risk dimension or rely on auditors to manually integrate it. This study aims to increase the effectiveness of such data-driven analysis approaches by including the risk dimension when presenting process deficiencies for further inspection. We investigate how the deficiency type and the affected control activity are associated with perceived risk. We run a discrete choice experiment with 58 auditors interpreting deficiencies that occur in a procure-to-pay or an order-to-cash process and find that (1) deficiencies of type “missing” or deficiencies related to asset-decrementing activities are perceived as the riskiest, (2) the control activity contributes 75 percent of the risk perception, and (3) external and internal auditors share a similar risk perception.