bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated With Poor Quality of Life of Transgender People
Authors: Coswosck Kaio Henrique Cesconetto , Moreira Juliana Almeida , Navarro Joel Hirtz do Nascimento , Guandalini Valdete Regina , Marques-Rocha Jose Luiz 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Background
The term transgender (TRANS) may be used for people whose gender identity differs from the one assigned at birth. A large part of this population segment faces social (lack of social support, discrimination, rejection, transphobia) and psychological (anxiety, depression) challenges. These factors, in turn, may negatively impact the quality of life (QoL) of these individuals. The aim of this study is to identify factors that influence the quality of life of transgender people when compared with cisgender people (CIS).
Methods
Cross-sectional case-control study with non-probability sample, conducted with transgender and cisgender adults living in a southeastern Brazilian state. The research questionnaire was accessed electronically and comprised sociodemographic, health, and QoL information. QoL was assessed through the Short-Form 6 dimensions (SF-6D) instrument. Multivariate logistic regression was used to verify the participation of the independent variables in QoL. Odds ratio (OR) values and their respective confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. The analyses were carried out in the SPSS® software, version 22.0, with a significance level of 5%.
Results
The sample included 65 transgender and 78 cisgender individuals. The cisgender group showed a predominance of people with higher education (p = 0.002) and higher income (p = 0.000) when compared with the transgender group. Transgender participants had worse QoL score (p = 0.014) and the same was observed when QoL was assessed by dimension (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, having an income between 1 to 3 minimum wages (MW) reduced by 94.6% (OR = 0.054, CI = 0.004–0.707, p = 0.026) the chances of having better QoL, when compared with those with income higher than 3 MW. Living in the state’s capital reduced the chances of having better QoL by 96.2% (OR = 0.038, CI = 0.004–0.387, p = 0.006) when compared with those living in the countryside.
Conclusion
The transgender population showed worse QoL when compared with the cisgender population, with income and place of residence being the factors that influenced this indicator.
Factors Associated With Diabetes-related Distress Among Asian Patients With Poorly Controlled Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus: a Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care
Authors: Guo Xiaoxuan , Wong Pang Nee Frida , Koh Yi Ling Eileen , Tan Ngiap Chuan 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Background: Diabetes-related distress (DRD) is a negative emotional state related to the burden of living with diabetes mellitus. It has been associated with poor self-care and glycaemic control. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the factors associated with DRD among urban Asian patients with poorly controlled type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in primary care in Singapore. The factors included demographics, diabetes history, medical co-morbidities, mood disorders and social history. Methods: Patients with T2DM and HbA1c of 8% or more were recruited from 2 public primary care centres in Singapore. They were administered a questionnaire survey to identify DRD based on the Problem Area In Diabetes (PAID) scale. Their anxiety and depression were screened using GAD-7 and PHQ-9, and quality of life (QOL) measured using the EQ-5D-5L. Their clinical data, including HbA1c, comorbidities and medications, were extracted from the electronic medical recordsResults: Among the 356 subjects, the prevalence of DRD was 17.4%. DRD was significantly associated with younger age (AOR (95% CI) = 0.93 (0.89-0.97), p=0.001), ex-smoker status (AOR (95% CI) = 22.30 (2.43-204.71), p=0.006) and history of kidney disease (AOR (95% CI) = 3.41 (1.39-8.35), p=0.007). Those who screened positive for depression (AOR (95% CI) = 4.98 (1.19-20.86), p=0.028) were almost five times more likely to have DRD. Quality of life was lower among those with DRD (EQ5D index score AOR (95% CI) = 0.11 (0.01-0.97), p=0.047), who also tended to feel that diabetes pharmacotherapy interfered with their normal life (AOR (95% CI) = 2.89 (1.38-6.08), p=0.005).Conclusion: About 1 in 6 patients with poorly controlled T2DM had DRD. Younger age, ex-smoker status, history of kidney disease, and those with depressive symptoms were most at risk.
Experience and confidence in health technologies: evidence from malaria testing and treatment in Western Kenya
Authors: Mangeni Judith Nekesa , Abel Lucy , Taylor Steve M. , Obala Andrew , Prudhomme Wendy , Saran Indrani 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Background
Low adoption of effective health technologies increases illness morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the case of malaria, effective tools such as malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and artemisinin-combination therapies (ACTs) are both under-used and used inappropriately. Individuals’ confidence in RDTs and ACTs likely affects the uptake of these tools.
Methods
In a cohort of 36 households (280 individuals) in Western Kenya observed for 30 months starting in June 2017, we examined if experience with RDTs and ACTs changes people’s beliefs about these technologies and how those beliefs affect treatment behavior. Household members requested a free RDT from the study team any time they suspected a malaria illness, and positive RDT results treated with a free ACT. We conducted annual, monthly, and sick visit surveys to elicit beliefs about the accuracy of malaria RDT results and the effectiveness of ACTs. Beliefs were elicited on a 5-point Likert scale from “very unlikely” to “very likely.”
Results
Over the study period, the proportion of survey respondents that said a hypothetical negative RDT result was “very likely” to be correct increased from approximately 55–75%. Controlling for initial beliefs, people who had been tested at least once with an RDT in the past year had 3.6 times higher odds (95% CI [1 1.718 7.679], P = 0.001) of saying a negative RDT was “very likely” to be correct. Confidence in testing is associated with treatment behavior: those who believed a negative RDT was “very likely” to be correct had 1.78 times higher odds (95% CI [1.079 2.934], P = 0.024) of adhering to a negative RDT result (by not taking ACTs) than those who were less certain about the accuracy of negative RDTs. Adherence to a negative test also affects subsequent beliefs: controlling for prior beliefs, those who adhered to their previous test result had approximately twice the odds (OR = 2.19, 95% CI [1.661 2.904], P < 0.001) of saying that a hypothetical negative RDT was “very likely” to be correct compared to those who did not.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that greater experience with RDTs can not only increase people’s confidence in their accuracy but also improve adherence to the test result.
Establishment of a Zimbabwe National SME sector, a major priority to enhance the performance of the national economy
Authors: Musabayana Godfrey Tambudzayi , Mutambara Emmanuel , Ngwenya Tony 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
A sound administration strategy is an effective tool to improve the performance SMEs. The establishment of a national SME sector will assist in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes that aim to improve the performance of SMEs. The administration of the SMEs by the Ministry of Women affairs, Community and Small and Medium Enterprises Development has failed to improve the performance of SMEs. This study established that the administration of SMEs by the ministry lacks value addition and value creation, technological innovation and research and development and it is disjointed from the implementers, hence the need to establish a new Zimbabwe National SME sector which can improve the performance of SMEs. The mixed method research was used in the study following the sequential exploratory strategy which employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The study followed the dominant sequential mixed strategy which collected data in two phases The findings of the study will assist the government to establish a new SME sector that will address the plight of the SMEs. From the study, the researcher deduces that the ministry responsible for SMEs is overwhelmed with responsibilities and is not reaching out to the SMEs. The researcher proposed the structure of a new Zimbabwe National SME sector that focusses on the improvement of SME performance.
The cold effect of ambient temperature on acute aortic dissection hospital admission: utilizing distributed lag nonlinear analysis
Authors: Zhang Qian-Ru , Li Kai-Di , Wang Yi-Yu , Wang Hua , Li Xian-Bao , Zhu Ji-Rong , Li Bao-Zhu 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
The effects of ambient temperature on acute aortic dissection (AAD) admissions in China have not been well addressed. So, the aim of study was to explore the effect of ambient daily mean temperature for AAD admissions, especially in Hefei, China. Data on daily mean temperature, daily maximum temperature, daily minimum temperature, air pressure, relative humidity and AAD admissions in Hefei were obtained between 2015 and 2020. Distributed lag non-linear model was employed to determine the association between daily ambient temperature and AAD admissions. Relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated based on gender, age group and hypertensive status. A total number of 1648 AAD admitted cases were documented. A non-linear acute effect of cold temperature on AAD was evaluated. Compared with median reference temperature (17.56 °C), the cumulative RR of extreme low temperature increased the risk of AAD admissions. The cumulative effect was at lag 0 day (RR: 1.639, 95% CI: 1.120, 2.398), and got the peak at lag 3 days (RR: 2.176, 95% CI: 1.345, 3.519). Then the effect size was gradually reduced until lag 8 days (RR: 1.953, 95% CI: 1.010, 3.776). The impact of extreme low temperature on AAD admissions was found to be more obvious in male, the elderly, and hypertensive patients. Overall, exposure to extreme low temperature was associated with increasing AAD daily admissions risk in Hefei, China.
In-plane ferroelectric tunnel junctions based on 2D α-In2Se3/semiconductor heterostructures
Authors: Yang Qiong , Liu Zifang , Jiang Jie , Hou Pengfei , sun lizhong , Tsymbal Evgeny 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) have been extensively studied due to their great potential in the application of high-density and non-volatile memories. Recently, α-In2Se3 was found to exhibit robust in-plane and out-of-plane ferroelectric polarizations at a monolayer thickness, which is ideal to serve as a ferroelectric component in miniaturized ferroelectric devices. In this work, we design two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures composed of an α-In2Se3 ferroelectric and a hexagonal IV-VI semiconductor (SnTe and PbSe) and propose an in-plane FTJ based on these heterostructures. Our first-principles calculations show that the designed heterostructures exhibit a pronounced band tuning property, where ferroelectric polarization reversal leads to transition between insulating and metallic states. We demonstrate that the in-plane FTJ exhibits two distinct transport regimes, tunneling and metallic, for the OFF and ON states, respectively, leading to a giant tunneling electroresistance effect with the ON/OFF ratio exceeding 5 ´ 103. Our results offer a promising approach for the high-density ferroelectric memory based on the 2D In2Se3/semiconductor heterostructures and ferroelectric tunnel junctions.
Investigation of selected physico-chemical quality parameters in industrial wastewater by electrocoagulation process, Ethiopia
Authors: Tibebe Dessie , Negash Almaz , Mulugeta Marye , Kassa Yezbie , Moges Zerubabel , Yenealem Dereje 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Nowadays, there are more than fourteen major state and private owned textile industries and garment factories in Ethiopia. However, these textile effluents are directly discharged without treatment to the surrounding environment, as a result, the pollutants bring serious problem to the surrounding community including health such as skin diseases, asthma, abortion, carcinogenic effect, biodiversity loss and mutagenic effect on the. The main objective of this study is characterization and treatment of the textile effluent using aluminum electrodes in the electrocoagulation process. EC experimental setups were designed and different parameters were optimized. Electrocoagulation treatment process eliminates physicochemical quality indicators such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC); turbidity, biological oxygen demand (BOD), ammonia; nitrate, nitrite, total nitrogen (TN) and phosphate were determined using standard procedures. From the result, the maximum removal efficiency of phosphate, ammonia, TN, electrical conductivity, turbidity and BOD were obtained 97, 87, 88, 89, 99 and 66%, respectively. Analyses of the electrochemically generated sludge by X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that the expected crystalline aluminum oxides (bayerite (Al(OH)3 diaspore (AlO(OH)) were found in the sludge. The amorphous phase was also found in the floc. Therefore, a treatment technology was good and encourages the community to apply the technique for the treatment of textile effluent before discharging into the environment.
Bacterial bioindicators for biological status classification along a continental river
Authors: Eiler Alexander , Fontaine Laurent , Pin Lorenzo , Savio Domenico , Friberg Nikolai , Kirschner Alexander , Farnleitner Andreas 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Despite the importance of bacteria in aquatic ecosystems and their predictable diversity patterns across space and time, biomonitoring tools for status assessment relying on these organisms are widely lacking. This is partly due to insufficient data and models to identify reliable microbial predictors. Here, we used metabarcoding in combination with multivariate statistics and machine learning to identify bacterial bioindicators for existing biological status classification systems based on macroinvertebrates as well as for prediction of chlorophyll a concentration along the Danube River. Bacterial beta-diversity dynamics followed environmental gradients and the observed associations highlighted potential bioindicators at different taxonomic levels. Spatio-temporal links spanning the microbial communities along the river allowed accurate prediction of downstream biological status from upstream information. Network analysis on Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASV) identified as good indicators revealed informational redundancy among taxa, which coincided with taxonomic relatedness. The redundancy among bacterial bioindicators revealed mutually exclusive taxa, which allow accurate biological status modeling using only a few ASVs holding sufficient shares of non-redundant information. Our study shows bacterial indicators are robust for biological status classification and therefore should be considered for integration into bioassessment schemes such as ecological status classification in the EU Water Framework Directive.
Plasmonic characteristics of the graphene-photonic crystal composite structure in the IR regime
Authors: Zhang Yue , Xiong Tao , Dong Dandan , Wang Wei , Sun Cheng 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
In this work a graphene-photonic crystal composite structure is proposed, in which graphene nanoribbons are placed on top of a photonic crystal that is composed of two alternating dielectric materials. The optical properties of the composite structure are investigated in the infrared regime, by varying the Fermi energy, the layer number of the graphene, as well as the polarization angle of the incident light. Plasmonic resonance effects are revealed and the resonance wavelength, the peak width, and the peak intensity are determined. Quantitatively, the polarization-angle dependent peak intensity is well fitted to a trigonometric function. It is demonstrated that the resonance peak is quite sensitive to the dielectric material that is adjacent to the graphene. It is also shown that the structure has a high sensitivity of 7660 nm/RIU to the refractive index of the surrounding environment, with a figure of merit of 6.38. Based on the results, the graphene-photonic crystal composite structure proposed in this work may have potential applications in designing of plasmonic devices, such as ones that can be used to detect subtle variations in the refractive index of surrounding environments.
Gender equity in the health workforce: Analysis of national data in China
Authors: Yu Wenya , Liu Xiang , Chen Hong , Tian Jiahe , Cao Zilong , Li Meina , Mu Wei , Ge Yang 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Background: Gender equity in the health workforce benefits a lot for health and economic development, and the use of gender data can better reflect problems and monitor progress in gender equity. The aim of this study was to dissect the gender equity issues in China to contribute the gender equity in the health workforce.Methods: Data on gender compositions in the health workforce were extracted from the China Health Statistics Yearbook (2011-2020) and a national survey publication.Results: The descriptive analysis results showed that women accounted for the majority of the health workforce in China, especially among nurses, technicians and administrators, which also indicated that most female health workers always play a role of auxiliary medical work. The completely opposite gender compositions were observed in community health centers and maternal and children’s health hospitals, and village health clinics. In the former two institutions, women dominated in all occupations, while in the latter one, women only accounted for a small proportion, even including nurses. Female scientists only accounted for a small proportion of academicians.Conclusions: To accelerate the gender equity in the health workforce in China, policies should further guide to break through cultural malady to create a better environment for women. It should encourage men to give more support for women, and protect girls to have equal higher education opportunities as boys. Gender data in China should be given more attention to reflect and promote gender equity in the health workforce.
Application of Factorial and Binomial identities in Communication and Cybersecurity
Authors: Annamalai Chinnaraji 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This paper presents application of the binomial and factorial identities and expansions that are used in communication and cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting the computing systems, communication networks, data and programs from cyber-attacks. Its objective is to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks and protect against the unauthorized exploitation of systems and networks. For this purposes, we need a strong security mathematical algorithm like RSA algorithm and Elliptic Curve Cryptography. In this connection, computing technique based on factorial and binomial identities is developed for the researchers who are working in communication and cybersecurity.
A joint PCR-based gene-targeting method using electroporation in the pathogenic fungus Trichosporon asahii
Authors: Matsumoto Yasuhiko , Nagamachi Tae , Yoshikawa Asami , Yamada Tsuyoshi , Sugita Takashi 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Trichosporon asahii is a pathogenic fungus that causes deep-seated fungal infections in immunocompromised patients. Established methods for generating gene-deficient T. asahii mutants exist, but the frequency of obtaining transformants by electroporation remains low. In the present study, we optimized the conditions for gene transfer by electroporation using a ku70 gene-deficient mutant with high recombination efficiency. Introducing a DNA fragment by electroporation into T. asahii cells on Sabouraud dextrose agar to generate a cnb1 gene-deficient mutant and incubating for 1 day led to the growth of approximately 100 transformants. When the incubation period was extended to 2 days or 5 days, however, only 2 or no transformants, respectively, were grown. The highest number of transformants was grown by electroporation when a square wave at 1.8 kV (9 kV/cm) was applied for 5 ms. In addition, the number of transformants increased with an increase in the length of the homologous region, and transformants did not grow when the homologous region was less than 500 base pairs. A DNA fragment was produced for deletion of the cnb1 gene by joint PCR, and the cnb1 gene-deficient mutant was obtained by introducing the DNA fragment by electroporation. These results indicate that DNA fragments produced by joint PCR can be used to generate gene-deficient mutants of T. asahii through gene transfer by electroporation.
Investigating thermal stability, mechanical and thermal properties for Si/Ge core-shell nanowires at atomic scale
Authors: dandan zhao , Cui Yang , li jing , Sun Naipeng , Zhang Lin 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations using Tersoff potential are performed to study the structure, atomic pressure and mechanical properties as well as thermal properties for Si/Ge core-shell nanowires with different core-shell ratios at different temperatures. Potential energy and pair distribution functions indicate structural features of these nanowires at different temperatures. During uniaxial tensile along the wire axis at different temperature, different stages including elasticity, plasticity, necking, and fracture are characterized through stress-strain curves, Young’s modulus and tensile strength are obtained. The simulation results indicate that as the temperature increases, the elasticity during the stretching process becomes less apparent. The Young’s modulus of the Ge@Si and Si@Ge nanowires at room temperature show differences with changing the core-shell ratio. In addition, the atomic level pressures show the differences of these atoms under compression or tension, and the temperature and strain significantly affect the pressure distribution in these wires. Phonon density of states with varying the composition and strain suggest different vibration modes at room temperature, and then the heat capacities of these nanowires are determined.
High-resolution imaging in acoustic microscopy using deep learning
Authors: BANERJEE PRAGYAN , AKARTE SHIVAM MILIND , KUMAR PRAKHAR , SHAMSUZZAMAN MUHAMMAD , AGARWAL KRISHNA , BUTOLA ANKIT , PRASAD DILIP K. , MELANDSØ FRANK , ANOWARUL HABIB 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Acoustic microscopy is a cutting-edge label-free imaging technique to visualize surface and internal structure of industrial and biological specimens. Focusing high-frequency acoustic waves to the object followed by detection of echo signals results in the final acoustic image. However, resolution of the acoustic image depends on the signal to noise ration, step size, and frequency of the transducer. In this work, we propose a deep learning enabled high-resolution imaging in acoustic microscopy. The approach is based on training various generative adversarial networks (GAN) to transform low-resolution transducer limited images into super-resolved images. Total five different type of GAN model i.e., SRGAN, ESRGAN, IMDN, DBPN-RES-MR64-3, and SwinIR is used to show 2.5 times resolution enhancement in acoustic images. The performance of the trained model is evaluated by calculating PSNR and SSIM between the network predicted and ground truth images. SwinIR provided an average SSIM AND PSNR of 0.92 and 35, respectively. A biological sample was tested on the model and it resulted in a SSIM score of 0.8778 and PSNR score of 32.93. Our acoustic microscopy +GAN framework is applicable for various industrial applications such as electronic manufacturing, micro-structural characterization of material and other biomedical applications in general.