bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biochemical and reproductive biomarker analysis to study the consequences of heavy metal burden on health profile of male brick kiln workers
Authors: David Mehwish , Jahan Sarwat , Hussain Javaid , Rehman Humaira , Cloete Karen J. , Afsar Tayyaba , Almajwal Ali , Alruwaili Nawaf W. , Razak Suhail 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe present study aims to assess the effect of a heavy metal burden on general health, biochemical parameters, an antioxidant enzyme, and reproductive hormone parameters in adult male brick kiln workers from Pakistan. The study participants (n = 546) provided demographic data including general health as well as body mass index. Blood was collected to quantitatively assess hematological, biochemical, and reproductive hormone parameters as well as heavy metal concentrations using both atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The data showed that 10% of the brick kiln workers were underweight and 10% obese (P = 0.059), with workers also reporting multiple health issues. Heavy metal concentrations utilizing AAS revealed significantly (p = 0.000) higher levels of cadmium, chromium, and nickel, while PIXE detected more than permissible levels of Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Zn, Ti (p = 0.052), Mn (p = 0.017), Fe (p = 0.055), Co (p = 0.011), Ni (p = 0.045), and Cu (p = 0.003), in the blood of kiln workers. Moreover, a significant increase in platelet count (P = 0.010), a decrease in sodium dismutase levels (p = 0.006), a major increase in reactive oxygen species (p = 0.001), and a reduction in protein content (p = 0.013) were evident. A significant increase in cortisol levels (p = 0.000) among the workers group was also observed. The concentration of LH and FSH increased significantly (p = 0.000), while that of testosterone decreased (p = 0.000) in the worker group compared with controls. A significant inverse relationship was found between cortisol, LH (r =  − 0.380), and FSH (r =  − 0.946), while a positive correlation between cortisol and testosterone was also evident (r = 0.164). The study concludes that increased heavy metal burden in the blood of brick kiln workers exposes them to the development of general and reproductive health problems due to compromised antioxidant enzyme levels, increased oxidative stress conditions, and a disturbing reproductive axis.
Association of 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale scores and health status ratings with burnout among healthcare workers
Authors: Tsou Meng-Ting 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThis cross-sectional study evaluated and quantified the possible association of psychological symptoms and health status ratings on the burnout of healthcare workers from a tertiary medical center. Demographic data were obtained through a questionnaire survey. We evaluated their psychological symptoms using a 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5) and burnout was measured using the Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Health Services Survey. The study began in Nov. 2018 and ended in Nov. 2020. A total of 2813 participants (men = 296, 10.5%; women = 2517, 89.5%) completed the questionnaires between December 2018 and March 2019. The response rate and complete rate were 71.7% and 93.2%. The multivariate analysis showed that, as the BSRS-5 level added, the odds ratio (OR) of burnout increased (BSRS-5 scores 6–9, 10–14, and 15–20; OR = 1.83, 3.23, and 9.15, separately;pvalue < 0.05). Overall, men (≥ 30 years of age) and women staffs with BSRS-5 scores ≥ 6; women with longer working hours (more than 46 h/week), men and women (≥ 30 years of age) working night shifts, and poor health status ratings were highly associated with burnout. The findings highlight the importance of screening for the BSRS-5 scores and health status ratings level for healthcare professionals at high risk of burnout, especially men ≥ 30 years of age and women with stressful working conditions.
Outdoor malaria vector species profile in dryland ecosystems of Kenya
Authors: Kinya Fiona , Mutero Clifford M. , Sang Rosemary , Owino Eunice A. , Rotich Gilbert , Ogola Edwin O. , Wondji Charles S. , Torto Baldwyn , Tchouassi David P. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractOutdoor biting by anopheline mosquitoes is one of the contributors to residual malaria transmission, but the profile of vectors driving this phenomenon is not well understood. Here, we studied the bionomics and genetically characterized populations of An. gambiae and An. funestus complexes trapped outdoors in three selected dryland areas including Kerio Valley, Nguruman and Rabai in Kenya. We observed a higher abundance of Anopheles funestus group members (n = 639, 90.6%) compared to those of the An. gambiae complex (n = 66, 9.4%) with An. longipalpis C as the dominant vector species with a Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite rate (Pfsp) of 5.2% (19/362). The known malaria vectors including An. funestus s.s. (8.7%, 2/23), An. gambiae (14.3%, 2/14), An. rivulorum (14.1%, 9/64), An. arabiensis (1.9%, 1/52) occurred in low densities and displayed high Pfsp rates, which varied with the site. Additionally, six cryptic species found associated with the An. funestus group harbored Pf sporozoites (cumulative Pfsp rate = 7.2%, 13/181). We detected low frequency of resistant 119F-GSTe2 alleles in An. funestus s.s. (15.6%) and An. longipalpis C (3.1%) in Kerio Valley only. Evidence of outdoor activity, emergence of novel and divergent vectors and detection of mutations conferring metabolic resistance to pyrethroid/DDT could contribute to residual malaria transmission posing a threat to effective malaria control.
Nutrient quality and maturity status of frass fertilizer from nine edible insects
Authors: Beesigamukama Dennis , Subramanian Sevgan , Tanga Chrysantus M. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractGlobally, there is growing interest to recycle organic waste using insect larvae into high-quality frass fertilizer through circular economy approach. This paper presents the first comparative report on the nutrient concentrations, fertilizing indices, nutrient supply potentials and compost maturity of nine edible insect frass fertilizers. Our results revealed that frass fertilizers from all the insect species had adequate concentrations and contents of macronutrients [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K)], secondary nutrients (calcium, magnesium, and sulphur) and micro-nutrients (manganese, copper, iron, zinc, boron, and sodium). The fertilizing indices of the frass fertilizers were above 3. However, black soldier fly (BSF) frass fertilizer had significantly higher N (20–130%) and K (17–193%) concentrations compared to others. The P concentration of Gryllus bimaculatus frass fertilizer was 3–800% higher compared to those of frass fertilizers from other insect species. The potential N and K supply capacities of BSF frass fertilizer was 19–78% and 16–190% higher, respectively. The P supply capacity of cricket frass fertilizer was 17–802% higher compared to others. The highest seed gemination rate (> 90%) and germination index (267%) were observed in seeds treated with BSF frass fertilizer. Frass fertilizer obtained from the other eight insect species showed medium to high phytotoxicity. These findings demonstrate that insect frass fertilizers are promising alternatives to existing commercial fertilizers (i.e., mineral, and organic) for improved soil health and crop yield.
Open label safety and efficacy pilot to study mitigation of equine recurrent uveitis through topical suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 mimetic peptide
Authors: Plummer Caryn E. , Polk Timothy , Sharma Jatin , Bae Sanghyo Sarah , Barr Olivia , Jones Amari , Kitchen Holly , Wilhelmy Michelle , Devin K. , Clay Smith W. , Kolaczkowski Bryan D. , Larkin Joseph 
Published: May 2022

AbstractEquine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a painful and debilitating autoimmune disease and represents the only spontaneous model of human recurrent uveitis (RU). Despite the efficacy of existing treatments, RU remains a leading cause of visual handicap in horses and humans. Cytokines, which utilize Janus kinase 2 (Jak2) for signaling, drive the inflammatory processes in ERU that promote blindness. Notably, suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1), which naturally limits the activation of Jak2 through binding interactions, is often deficient in autoimmune disease patients. Significantly, we previously showed that topical administration of a SOCS1 peptide mimic (SOCS1-KIR) mitigated induced rodent uveitis. In this pilot study, we test the potential to translate the therapeutic efficacy observed in experimental rodent uveitis to equine patient disease. Through bioinformatics and peptide binding assays we demonstrate putative binding of the SOCS1-KIR peptide to equine Jak2. We also show that topical, or intravitreal injection of SOCS1-KIR was well tolerated within the equine eye through physical and ophthalmic examinations. Finally, we show that topical SOCS1-KIR administration was associated with significant clinical ERU improvement. Together, these results provide a scientific rationale, and supporting experimental evidence for the therapeutic use of a SOCS1 mimetic peptide in RU.
Investigating how the accuracy of teacher expectations of pupil performance relate to socioeconomic and genetic factors
Authors: Barry Ciarrah-Jane Shannon , Davies Neil M. , Morris Tim T. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractTeacher expectations of pupil ability can influence educational progression, impacting subsequent streaming and exam level. Systematic discrepancies between teacher expectations of pupil achievement may therefore have a detrimental effect on children’s education. Associations between socioeconomic and demographic factors with teacher expectation accuracy have been demonstrated, but it is not known how teacher expectations of achievement may relate to genetic factors. We investigated these relationships using nationally standardized exam results at ages 11 and 14 from a UK longitudinal cohort study. We found that teacher expectation of achievement was strongly correlated with educational test scores. Furthermore, the accuracy of teacher expectation was patterned by pupil socioeconomic background but not teacher characteristics. The accuracy of teacher expectation related to pupil’s genetic liability to education as captured by a polygenic score for educational attainment. Despite correlation with the polygenic score, we found no strong evidence for genomewide SNP heritability in teacher reporting accuracy.
Pseudotyped Bat Coronavirus RaTG13 is efficiently neutralised by convalescent sera from SARS-CoV-2 infected patients
Authors: Cantoni Diego , Mayora-Neto Martin , Thakur Nazia , Elrefaey Ahmed M. E. , Newman Joseph , Vishwanath Sneha , Nadesalingam Angalee , Chan Andrew , Smith Peter , Castillo-Olivares Javier , Baxendale Helen , Charleston Bryan , Heeney Jonathan , Bailey Dalan , Temperton Nigel 
Published: May 2022

AbstractRaTG13 is a close relative of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing 96% sequence similarity at the genome-wide level. The spike receptor binding domain (RBD) of RaTG13 contains a number of amino acid substitutions when compared to SARS-CoV-2, likely impacting affinity for the ACE2 receptor. Antigenic differences between the viruses are less well understood, especially whether RaTG13 spike can be efficiently neutralised by antibodies generated from infection with, or vaccination against, SARS-CoV-2. Using RaTG13 and SARS-CoV-2 pseudotypes we compared neutralisation using convalescent sera from previously infected patients or vaccinated healthcare workers. Surprisingly, our results revealed that RaTG13 was more efficiently neutralised than SARS-CoV-2. In addition, neutralisation assays using spike mutants harbouring single and combinatorial amino acid substitutions within the RBD demonstrated that both spike proteins can tolerate multiple changes without dramatically reducing neutralisation. Moreover, introducing the 484 K mutation into RaTG13 resulted in increased neutralisation, in contrast to the same mutation in SARS-CoV-2 (E484K). This is despite E484K having a well-documented role in immune evasion in variants of concern (VOC) such as B.1.351 (Beta). These results indicate that the future spill-over of RaTG13 and/or related sarbecoviruses could be mitigated using current SARS-CoV-2-based vaccination strategies.
Continuous non‐singular terminal sliding‐mode control of permanent magnet spherical actuator for trajectory tracking based on a modified nonlinear disturbance observer
Authors: Wen Yan , Liu Zhongyang , Wang Qunjing , Li Guoli 
Published: May 2022

AbstractMulti‐degree‐of‐freedom permanent magnet spherical actuators (PMSAs) are highly nonlinear, coupled, and multivariable systems that are subject to different types of disturbances including unknown payloads, unmodelled dynamics, frictions, and other external disturbances, which adversely affect the trajectory tracking performance of a system. In this paper, a disturbance‐observer‐based continuous non‐singular terminal sliding‐mode control (NDOB‐CNTSMC) strategy is developed for a PMSA to enhance its trajectory tracking performance. Firstly, a nonlinear disturbance observer (NDOB) with a parameter design method is proposed to suppress uncertainty and reject disturbance in a PMSA trajectory tracking control system. Secondly, a continuous non‐singular terminal sliding‐mode controller (CNTSMC) is presented to compensate for the effect of the disturbance observation error and unobservable disturbances. The stability of the proposed control strategy is proved by the Lyapunov theorem. Both simulation and experimental results have shown that the control strategy proposed in this research can effectively address the issues of the inaccuracy of modelling and various disturbances and improve the trajectory tracking precision of the PMSA.
Field test‐based research on current sharing characteristics of multicolumn parallel arresters
Authors: Fan Youping , Zhang Peng , Wang Zijiang , Shang Ben , Zeng Zian , Yu Wenxiang , Wang Dianlang 
Published: May 2022

AbstractA converter station is the hub of a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission project, and the neutral bus arrester on its rectifier side has the most complex operation condition. The ideal operating condition of a multicolumn parallel arrester is the equipartition of energy generated when the system is impacted. When this condition is not achieved, individual arrester units with lower residual voltage absorb more energy than their tolerance level, which leads to breakdown failure of the arrester and forced outage of the DC system, resulting in significant economic losses. In this paper, the influence of the internal structure, assembly technology, and installation mode of a multicolumn parallel arrester on the operation status of an arrester is analysed, the quality control measures are summarized, and suggestions for site maintenance are given first. Then, the current sharing characteristics of large capacity multicolumn parallel arresters under different current waveforms, different current amplitudes and different temperatures are studied through experiments. The results show that the impact current waveform has little influence on the current non‐uniformity coefficient and generally does not exceed the standard value; under long duration current shock, the current deviation coefficient (CDC) may increase or decrease with increasing temperature. The above conclusions provide a practical basis and theoretical basis for the study of multicolumn parallel arrester operation condition monitoring methods, such as the selection of state characteristics and the formulation of monitoring criteria.
Low‐carbon operation of a multi‐energy system with hydrogen‐based vehicle applications
Authors: Mei Jie , Lee Christopher H.T. , Kirtley James L. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractIn order to cope with the challenges of improving energy efficiency, increasing the integration of renewable energy, and achieving carbon emission reduction, multi‐energy systems have received more and more attention in recent years and have been developing rapidly. Traditionally, different energy infrastructures are usually scheduled and operated independently, which leads to inefficient use of energy and waste of resources. By integrating into a multi‐energy system, different energy infrastructures can be coupled and optimized into one unit. In this article, from a low‐carbon point of view, the optimal scheduling of a real multi‐energy system with hydrogen‐based vehicle applications is proposed. The simulation results show that the proposed optimal scheduling can help quantify the daily operation cost and carbon emissions and achieve considerably operating cost saving and carbon reduction by reasonably arranging and utilizing all the devices in the system.
Scaling relations ofz∼ 0.25–1.5 galaxies in various environments from the morpho-kinematics analysis of the MAGIC sample
Authors: Mercier W. , Epinat B. , Contini T. , Abril-Melgarejo V. , Boogaard L. , Brinchmann J. , Finley H. , Krajnović D. , Michel-Dansac L. , Ventou E. , Bouché N. , Dumoulin J. , Pineda J. C. B. 
Published: May 2022

Context.The evolution of galaxies is influenced by many physical processes, which may vary depending on their environment.Aims.We combineHubbleSpace Telescope (HST) and Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) data of galaxies at 0.25  ≲  z  ≲  1.5 to probe the impact of environment on the size-mass relation, the main sequence (MS) relation, and the Tully-Fisher relation (TFR).Methods.We perform a morpho-kinematics modelling of 593 [O II] emitters in various environments in the COSMOS area from the MUSE-gAlaxy Groups In Cosmos survey. The HST F814W images are modelled with a bulge-disk decomposition to estimate their bulge-disk ratio, effective radius, and disk inclination. We use the [O II]λλ3727, 3729 doublet to extract the galaxies’ ionised gas kinematics maps from the MUSE cubes, and we model those maps for a sample of 146 [O II] emitters, including bulge and disk components constrained from morphology and a dark matter halo.Results.We find an offset of 0.03 dex (1σsignificant) on the size-mass relation zero point between the field and the large structure sub-samples, with a richness threshold ofN = 10 to separate between small and large structures, and of 0.06 dex (2σ) withN = 20. Similarly, we find a 0.1 dex (2σ) difference on the MS relation withN = 10 and 0.15 dex (3σ) withN = 20. These results suggest that galaxies in massive structures are smaller by 14% and have star formation rates reduced by a factor of 1.3 − 1.5 with respect to field galaxies atz ≈ 0.7. Finally, we do not find any impact of the environment on the TFR, except when usingN = 20 with an offset of 0.04 dex (1σ). We discard the effect of quenching for the largest structures, which would lead to an offset in the opposite direction. We find that, atz ≈ 0.7, if quenching impacts the mass budget of galaxies in structures, these galaxies would have been affected quite recently and for roughly 0.7 − 1.5 Gyr. This result holds when including the gas mass but vanishes once we include the asymmetric drift correction.
Hands-On Time in Simulation-Based Ultrasound Training – A Dose-Related Response Study
Authors: Mahmood Oria , Jørgensen Rikke Jeong , Nielsen Kristina Rue , Konge Lars , Russell Lene 
Published: May 2022

AbstractPurpose Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is widely used, but the sensitivity and specificity of the findings are highly user-dependent. There are many different approaches to ultrasound training. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of hands-on practice when learning POCUS.Methods Junior doctors with no or limited ultrasound experience were included in the study and divided into three groups. They all completed a Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) course with different amounts of hands-on practice: 40 minutes (n=67), 60 minutes (n=12), and 90 minutes of hands-on time (n=27). By the end of the course, they all completed a previously validated test.Results More hands-on time improved the mean test scores and decreased the test time. The scores of the 40-, 60-, and 90-minute groups were 11.6 (SD 2.1), 12.8 (SD 2.5), and 13.7 (SD 2.5), respectively (p<0.001). The 90-minute group completed the test significantly faster than the other two groups (20 versus 26 minutes, p=0.003). A large inter-individual variation was seen.Conclusion The necessary amount of hands-on training is unknown. This study demonstrates that performance increases with prolonged hands-on time but the inter-individual variation among trainees is very large, thereby making it impossible to define the “optimal” time. This supports the use of the concept of mastery learning where each individual trainee can continue training until proficiency is reached.
Otoacoustic Emission Findings in Rett Syndrome
Authors: Nicholas Sarah , Kei Joseph , Woodyatt Gail , McPherson Bradley 
Published: May 2022

AbstractRett syndrome is a neurologic disorder affecting mainly females after a seemingly normal 6 to 18 months of life. The resulting developmental disabilities include apparent dementia and loss of acquired language, social skills, and purposeful hand use. The present investigation assessed 10 individuals with Rett syndrome and a control group matched for age and sex. The present study aimed to determine the clinical feasibility of obtaining otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) from the Rett syndrome group and to compare the characteristics of the transient evoked and distortion-product OAEs obtained from the two subject groups. Results indicated that OAE evaluation is a clinically feasible method of assessing individuals with Rett syndrome. The Rett syndrome group had less robust OAEs, especially in the higher frequencies, when compared to the control group. Seven of the Rett syndrome group were identified as having reduced or absent OAEs in at least one ear. These findings suggest a need for hearing screening at an early age and monitoring of hearing on a regular basis.
Abbreviations: ABR = auditory brainstem response, DPOAEs = distortion-product otoacoustic emissions, LVR = late vertex response, MLR = middle latency response, OAE = otoacoustic emission, SNR = signal-to-noise ratio, TEOAEs = transient evoked otoacoustic emissions, VRA = visual reinforcement audiometry, WWR = whole-wave reproducibility
Investment guarantees in financial products: an analysis of consumer preferences
Authors: Luca Daliana , Schmeiser Hato , Schreiber Florian 
Published: May 2022

AbstractWe analyze the preferences of 1180 German consumers for investment guarantees in financial products by means of choice-based conjoint and latent class analysis. Based on the segment-level partworth utility profiles, we then identify the most important investment guarantee features, analyze consumer demand in a realistic market setting, and test whether individual purchasing behavior can be explained by socioeconomic characteristics. Our results show that two buyer and two nonbuyer segments exist. Although their willingness to buy varies significantly, we document only a small degree of heterogeneity with respect to the individual guarantee attributes and levels. Across the sample, the guarantee period is most important, followed by the volatility of the underlying fund, and the up-front premium. Finally, we illustrate that particularly those socioeconomic characteristics with an impact on individuals’ financial situation are promising predictors of their willingness to purchase investment guarantees.