bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Maternal COVID-19 infection and associated factors: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Lubeya Mwansa Ketty , Kabwe Jane Chanda , Mukosha Moses , Phiri Selia Ng’anjo , Phiri Christabel Chigwe , Muyovwe Malungo , Price Joan T , Jacobs Choolwe , Kaonga Patrick 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundSince the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, several studies have been conducted to examine associated factors. However, few studies have focused on pregnant women infected with COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with COVID-19 infection among pregnant women at the Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital and Women and Newborn Hospital of the University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted between March and July 2021. Women were recruited as they presented for antenatal care. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire to capture variables of interest (socio-demographic, clinical and obstetric). COVID-19 diagnosis was made using a nasopharyngeal swab by PCR test. Multivariable logistic regression was used to control for confounding and calculate the odds ratios for each explanatory variable and respective 95% confidence intervals.ResultsThe study enrolled 352 participants with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 30.1 years (5.6). One hundred thirty of 352 (36.9%; 95% CI: 31.9 to 42.2) participants had a confirmed positive SARS-CoV-2 test result. At univariable analysis, factors associated with COVID-19 were increased gestational age, education status and maternal HIV serostatus. Women with a secondary level of education were less likely to have COVID-19 infection than those with a primary level of education (AOR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.09–0.63). On the other hand, a one-week increase in gestational age was associated with higher odds of COVID-19 infection (AOR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.06).ConclusionThe results showed that the prevalence of COVID-19 infection among pregnant women was 36.9% and was associated with increased gestational age and a lower level of education. To mitigate adverse maternal outcomes, there is a need to screen for COVID-19 strictly and broadly monitor prenatal women presenting for healthcare.
Active fault tolerant deep brain stimulator for epilepsy using deep neural network
Authors: Senthilvelmurugan Nambi Narayanan , Subbian Sutha 
Published: March 2023

AbstractMillions of people around the world are affected by different kinds of epileptic seizures. A deep brain stimulator is now claimed to be one of the most promising tools to control severe epileptic seizures. The present study proposes Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model-based Active Fault Tolerant Deep Brain Stimulator (AFTDBS) for brain neurons to suppress epileptic seizures against ion channel conductance variations using a Deep Neural Network (DNN). The AFTDBS contains the following three modules: (i) Detection of epileptic seizures using black box classifiers such as Support Vector Machine (SVM) and K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), (ii) Prediction of ion channels conductance variations using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and (iii) Development of Reconfigurable Deep Brain Stimulator (RDBS) to control epileptic spikes using Proportional Integral (PI) Controller and Model Predictive Controller (MPC). Initially, the synthetic data were collected from the HH model by varying ion channel conductance. Then, the seizure was classified into four groups namely, normal and epileptic due to variations in sodium ion-channel conductance, potassium ion-channel conductance, and both sodium and potassium ion-channel conductance. In the present work, current controlled deep brain stimulators were designed for epileptic suppression. Finally, the closed-loop performances and stability of the proposed control schemes were analyzed. The simulation results demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed DNN-based AFTDBS.
Lipid exchange among electroneutral Sulfo-DIBMA nanodiscs is independent of ion concentration
Authors: Eggenreich Loretta , Vargas Carolyn , Kolar Cenek , Keller Sandro 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Polymer-encapsulated nanodiscs enable membrane proteins to be investigated within a native-like lipid-bilayer environment. Unlike other bilayer-based membrane mimetics, these nanodiscs are equilibrium structures that permit lipid exchange on experimentally relevant timescales. Therefore, examining the kinetics and mechanisms of lipid exchange is of great interest. Since the high charge densities of existing anionic polymers can interfere with protein–protein and protein–lipid interactions as well as charge-sensitive analysis techniques, electroneutral nanodisc-forming polymers have been recently introduced. However, it has remained unclear how the electroneutrality of these polymers affects the lipid-exchange behavior of the nanodiscs. Here, we use time-resolved Förster resonance energy transfer to study the kinetics and the mechanisms of lipid exchange among nanodiscs formed by the electroneutral polymer Sulfo-DIBMA. We also examine the role of coulombic repulsion and specific counterion association in lipid exchange. Our results show that Sulfo-DIBMA nanodiscs exchange lipids on a similar timescale as DIBMA nanodiscs. In contrast with nanodiscs made from polyanionic DIBMA, however, the presence of mono- and divalent cations does not influence lipid exchange among Sulfo-DIBMA nanodiscs, as expected from their electroneutrality. The robustness of Sulfo-DIBMA nanodiscs against varying ion concentrations opens new possibilities for investigating charge-sensitive processes involving membrane proteins.
Jinxed byIncantation? Contemporary Chinese Netizens’ Reactions to a Horror Film
Authors: Wang Aiqing 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIncantationis a horror film released in the Republic of China (Taiwan) in March 2022, which is inspired by a real-life story and features a woman’s rescue of her six-year-old daughter after the latter is cursed by an abhorrent deity with occult powers. This film is adulated as one of the scariest Taiwanese films and attained prodigious commercial success. Nonetheless, in mainland China,Incantationis regarded as more of a contentious film than a fearsome one: audiences’ prevalent feedback is that they feel jinxed and offended, as indicated by their complaints on social media platforms as well as reviewing and question-and-answer websites. The primary reason lies in that the film’s heroine breaks the fourth wall and addresses audiences directly, which is further intensified by the film’s mockumentary shooting style and found-footage technique. In this research, I explore the rationale behind Chinese audiences’ negative and emotional comments onIncantationfrom a viewer’s perspective, by means of investigating their self-initiated comments and user-generated responses in China’s cyberspace, focusing on feedback posted on Weibo, Douban and Zhihu. Data cumulated from these sources manifest Chinese netizens’ mindset concerning contentious religious/supernatural discourse in cyberspace as well as their rationality towards superstitious constructs.
Discussion of options to increase the control drum worth in fast reactor
Authors: Mei Huaping , Chen Chao , Li Taosheng 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
The control drum is usually placed in the periphery of the active zone of the reactor core, and the control drum worth is generally small. This paper discusses different schemes to improve the control drum worth by the combination of neutron reflectors and absorbers, and the design optimization of the drums under the condition that external dimensions of the drums and positions of the drums relative to the core are fixed. The results show that BeO as the reflector, B4C and Gadolinium as the neutron absorber can obtain relatively higher drum worth. In addition, the control drum worth can also be appropriately improved by using a double-layer combination of moderator material and neutron absorber material, but it cannot be effectively improved by enlarging the central angle of the neutron absorber sector.
Survival benefits with EPIC in addition to HIPEC for low grade appendiceal neoplasms with pseudomyxoma peritonei: a propensity score matched study
Authors: Hayler Raymond , Lockhart Kathleen , Barat Shoma , Cheng Ernest , Mui Jasmine , Shamavonian Raphael , Ahmadi Nima , Alzahrani Nayef , Liauw Winston , Morris David 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Objectives
Appendiceal cancer is a rare malignancy, occurring in roughly 1.2 per 100,000 per year. Low grade appendiceal neoplasams (LAMN) in particular can lead to pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP), and respond poorly to systemic chemotherapy. Standard treatment includes cytoreduction surgery (CRS) with addition of heated intraoperative peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Several centres include early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) however; the literature is mixed on the benefits. We aim to examine the benefits of additional EPIC through a propensity-matched analysis.

Methods
Patients with LAMN with PMP who underwent cytoreductive surgery at St George hospital between 1996 and 2020 were included in this retrospective analysis. Propensity score matching was performed with the following used to identify matched controls; sex, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, peritoneal cancer index (PCI) and morbidity grade. Outcomes measured included length of stay and survival.

Results
A total of 224 patients were identified of which 52 received HIPEC alone. Propensity matching was performed to identify 52 matched patients who received HIPEC + EPIC. Those receiving HIPEC + EPIC were younger at 54.3 vs. 58.4 years (p=0.044). There was a median survival benefit of 34.3 months for HIPEC + EPIC (127.3 vs. 93.0 months, p=0.02). Median length of stay was higher in those who received EPIC (25.0 vs. 23.5 days, p=0.028).

Conclusions
In LAMN with PMP, the addition of EPIC to HIPEC with CRS improves overall survival in propensity score matched cases but results in prolonged hospitalisation. The use of EPIC should still be considered in selected patients.
Energieeffizienzmaßnahmen im Industriebestand
Authors: Theisinger Lukas , Georg Frank Michael , Borst Fabian , Weigold Matthias 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Im Rahmen des BMWK-geförderten Forschungsverbundprojektes „ETA im Bestand“ wurde eine Simulationsbibliothek zur Identifikation und Bewertung von Energieeffizienzmaßnahmen entwickelt. Im Zuge dieser Arbeit werden die Funktionalität der Simulationsbibliothek sowie Grundmodelle dargestellt und an einer Produktionshalle aus der metallverarbeitenden Industrie angewandt. Die Anwendung verdeutlicht, dass durch die bereitgestellte Funktionalität erhebliche Energieeffizienzpotenziale identifiziert werden können.
A Simple Method to Calculate the Void Ratio of Very Loose Silts and Silty Sands in Torsional Shear Hollow Cylinder Testing
Authors: Fanni Riccardo , Reid David , Fourie Andy 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
The determination of the critical state locus (CSL) via triaxial testing has become a key input to the current state of practice to characterize the liquefaction susceptibility of tailings. However, an accurate estimate of void ratio is required to infer the CSL and allow correlation of the expected in situ state to element laboratory testing. This is an issue of particular importance for the loose moist tamped specimens generally used for CSL testing, which undergo significant volumetric collapse during saturation—a volume change that is difficult to measure using conventional test techniques. The torsional shear hollow cylinder (TSHC) device has been adopted in the past to investigate the effect of cross-anisotropy on the strength of soils, although studies on tailings in the TSHC are limited. The void ratio in previous TSHC testing programs appear to have been based on initial dimension measurements, with or without the adoption of internal instrumentation. However, as silty sands and sandy silts prepared in a loose state experience collapse during saturation, this may introduce an unquantifiable error in void ratio if the initial dimensions method is adopted and volumetric change due to saturation is not properly considered. A procedure is proposed in this paper that provides simple steps and calculations to enable the determination of void ratio in the TSHC apparatus in specimens that undergo significant volumetric collapse on saturation. This method is potentially more accurate than methods based on initial dimensions measurements to infer void ratio and does not require costly internal instrumentation.
The Forces Generated by Agonist Muscles during Isometric Contractions Arise from Motor Unit Synergies
Authors: Del Vecchio Alessandro , Marconi Germer Carina , Kinfe Thomas M. , Nuccio Stefano , Hug François , Eskofier Bjoern , Farina Dario , Enoka Roger M. 
Published: March 2023

The purpose of our study was to identify the low-dimensional latent components, defined hereafter as motor unit modes, underlying the discharge rates of the motor units in two knee extensors (vastus medialis and lateralis, eight men) and two hand muscles (first dorsal interossei and thenars, seven men and one woman) during submaximal isometric contractions. Factor analysis identified two independent motor unit modes that captured most of the covariance of the motor unit discharge rates. We found divergent distributions of the motor unit modes for the hand and vastii muscles. On average, 75% of the motor units for the thenar muscles and first dorsal interosseus were strongly correlated with the module for the muscle in which they resided. In contrast, we found a continuous distribution of motor unit modes spanning the two vastii muscle modules. The proportion of the muscle-specific motor unit modes was 60% for vastus medialis and 45% for vastus lateralis. The other motor units were either correlated with both muscle modules (shared inputs) or belonged to the module for the other muscle (15% for vastus lateralis). Moreover, coherence of the discharge rates between motor unit pools was explained by the presence of shared synaptic inputs. In simulations with 480 integrate-and-fire neurons, we demonstrate that factor analysis identifies the motor unit modes with high levels of accuracy. Our results indicate that correlated discharge rates of motor units that comprise motor unit modes arise from at least two independent sources of common input among the motor neurons innervating synergistic muscles.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTIt has been suggested that the nervous system controls synergistic muscles by projecting common synaptic inputs to the engaged motor neurons. In our study, we reduced the dimensionality of the output produced by pools of synergistic motor neurons innervating the hand and thigh muscles during isometric contractions. We found two neural modules, each representing a different common input, that were each specific for one of the muscles. In the vastii muscles, we found a continuous distribution of motor unit modes spanning the two synergistic muscles. Some of the motor units from the homonymous vastii muscle were controlled by the dominant neural module of the other synergistic muscle. In contrast, we found two distinct neural modules for the hand muscles.
Phenotypic and genotypic evaluation of ESBL- and AmpC-producing Escherichia coli isolated from chicken distributed in Birjand, East of Iran
Authors: Arefinejad A. , Khodadadi M. , Zeinali T. , Yousefi M. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe aims of the present study were to detect Escherichia coli in chicken distributed in Birjand, to investigate the prevalence of ESBL and AmpC beta-lactamases producers among them, and to identify their antibiotic resistance patterns. The study was conducted on 150 chicken samples, and the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were determined by the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method. Phenotypic identification of ESBL and AmpC was performed by the combined disk test (CDT). The specific genes of ESBL and AmpC beta-lactamases were detected using two multiplex PCR (m-PCR) assays. According to our results, 116 out of 150 chicken samples were contaminated with E. coli. Moreover, the highest resistance of E. coli isolates was observed to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (46%), ampicillin (40%), and amoxicillin (29.33%). In the molecular confirmation step, among 17 (11.33%) beta-lactamase producers, five samples contained the blaCTX-M14 gene (3.33%), two samples contained blaDHA (1.33%) and blaCTX-M3 gene (1.33%), and just one sample carried blaCMY-2 gene (0.66%). The blaSHV and blaTEM genes were not detected in any strains isolated from the chicken samples. This study showed the contamination of chicken with antibiotic-resistant E. coli. Therefore, it is recommended that veterinarians be more precautious in prescribing antibiotics.
Evaluation of effectiveness of low level laser therapy in accelerating orthodontic tooth movement-An in vivo study
Authors: Kalia Ajit , Bobade Sayali , Nene Salil , Mirdehghan Nasim , Patil Vasu , Khan Azmat Azha 
Published: March 2023

To assess the acceleration of tooth movement in canine retraction and to assess the interleukin 1β level in Gingival Crevicular Fluid. 0.022 slot MBT brackets, 0.018 inch stainless steel arch wire, Low level laser (Gallium-Aluminium-Arsenide Laser), ELISA kit, Micro-capillary tube, Digital Vernier calliper, Dontrics gauge, NiTi closed coil springs Open labelled split mouth, non-experimental interventional institutional based study. By coin toss method, each of the participant’s mouth was randomly assigned either to the laser therapy (group 1) and 40 reference sites (group 2). On the experimental site orthodontic treatment with fixed appliance, a combination with low level laser therapy (Gallium-Aluminium-Arsenide laser) to the canine on the days 3,7,14 and then every 15 days for 2 months was initiated. Then 5µL of Gingival Crevicular Fluid (GCF) was collected to analyse the interleukin 1β levels using the ELIZA kit. The measurements were made with the help of a digital Vernier calliper. The laser group showed a significant greater reduction in the canine to molar distance than the site treated with conventional technique. The interleukin 1 β levels raised significantly for the site treated with laser as compared to the other. We observed that: Increased inflammatory response in the form of raised interleukin levels and Faster distalization of the canine when adjunct with low level soft tissue laser. The entire data was statistically analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21.0, IBM Corporation, USA) for MS Windows. In Statistics, unpaired t-test is a used to compare equality of two population means and F-test is used to compare the equality of two population variance using that the samples were drawn from different populations. There was a clinically appreciable amount of retraction seen resulting in faster space closure between the canine and the first permanent molar in the group that had low level laser than the other group that was treated by the conventional therapy. We also observed a considerable rise in the interleukin 1 β levels in the laser group.
Effect of Different Screen Types on Head Loss in Deep Wells Used for Irrigation
Authors: ORHAN Nuri 
Published: March 2023

This research was carried out with the help of a deep well simulator, which is commonly utilized for irrigation studies. In this study, flow types based on Reynolds number, well drawdown, head losses, and cost changes of these head losses were analyzed for four different sieve types used in wells. In addition, the flow types and head losses for the types of screen used were examined as per the theoretical calculations.
Theoretically, the turbulent head loss among types of screens was calculated at the highest (0.37 m) in the bridge slot screen (ST4) and at least (0.028 m) in the round slot (ST3). The drawdown is the sum of the head losses for deep wells. Among the well-types, the maximum drawdown (113.46 cm) was measured within the bridge slot well type (WT4), and the minimum drawdown (50.37 cm) was measured in the horizontal slot oblong well type (WT2). The least head loss per unit flow rate in the wells was measured in the well, which was formed with a horizontal oblong slot (WT2) screen. Here, gravel and screen hole position affected the percentage of clogging in the screens. Overclogging of the screens caused the narrowing of the opening area, increased flow velocity and turbulent head loss, and increased drawdown.
It has been revealed that the use of a horizontal oblong slot screen minimizes the head loss in the wells, depending on the physical properties of the gravel used in this study. One of the most important factors to be considered in well designs is the compatibility of the screen type depending on the physical properties of the gravel. Even the change of the geometric shape among the screen types having similar apertures changed the blockage of the gravel, causing the head loss to change. The well-designers should pay attention to the selection of gravel depending on the screen type or the selection of the screen depending on the type of gravel used.
Antifungal Effect of Ginger Essential Oil Spray on Candida albicans Adhering to Self-Cure Acrylic Plates
Authors: Azizi Zahra , Mahdavi Omran Saeid , Sheikhzadeh Sedigheh , Gholinia Hemmat , Gharekhani Samane 
Published: March 2023

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ginger essential oil spray for elimination of Candida albicans (C. albicans) adhering to self-cure acrylic plates.
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 120 self-cure acrylic discs were contaminated with C. albicans and randomly divided into four main groups: exposure to ginger essential oil, nystatin (positive control), distilled water (negative control), and no exposure. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ginger oil and nystatin was determined by the microdilution test. The stability of C. albicans was determined by culturing the samples of treated acrylic plates and comparing the mean number of remaining colonies. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Dunn test with Bonferroni correction. P<0.05 was considered significant
Results: The MIC of ginger essential oil and nystatin was found to be 1560µg/mL and 4µg/mL, respectively. The differences between the mean count of C. albicans colonies before (10175±10730.25) and after the exposure to ginger essential oil (542.86±464.81) and nystatin (257.14±247.67) was statistically significant (P<0.001). The mean number of C. albicans colonies after spraying with nystatin was not significantly different compared with ginger essential oil (P=0.204). The efficacy of nystatin and ginger essential oil at each time was significantly more than distilled water (P<0.001). At 10 and 15min, there was no significant difference between nystatin and ginger essential oil groups (P=0.05).
Conclusion: Ginger essential oil spray was found to be a simple and effective method for elimination of C. albicans adhering to acrylic discs.