Steppe Eagle in the Republic of Kalmykia (Russia): Results of the 2021 Survey

The article presents the results of the Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) study in the Republic of Kalmykia. 135 breeding territories of eagles were examined and 155 birds were observed during summer registrations and counts. The average distribution density of the occupied breeding territories in 2021 in the main part of the area was 2.15 (1.54–2.99)/100 km², in the zone of the large number of food resources – 5.72 (4.45–7.35)/100 km². The percentage of occupied breeding territories was 71%, and 43% of the occupied territories were successful. The number of nestlings in broods ranged from 1 to 3, averaging 1.81±0.69 per successful nest (n=43) and 0.73±0.95 per occupied nest (n=105). The percentage of nests with dead clutches and nestlings was high at all surveyed plots. The main diet of eagles during the breeding period included the Little Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus pygmaeus) (44%) and several additional prey items. A preliminary assessment of habitat suitability for the Steppe Eagle in terms of food conditions was carried out using GIS methods. Based on the registration data and clarification of the breeding range borders (47086.7 km²), the number of the Steppe Eagle in Kalmykia was re-estimated at 789 (587–1059) pairs. The signs indicating a negative trend in the population intensified: the percentage of immature birds in breeding pairs was 27%, the percentage of abandoned breeding territories was 19%. There is a consolidation of breeding groups in the population nucleus with a simultaneous decrease in breeding density at the periphery. Among the negative anthropogenic factors in 2021 there were the following: mass mortality on power lines, destruction of the food potential by the locals, disturbance during breeding, probable taking away of nestlings from nests.

Azithromycin consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia, 2020

Background. During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was great enthusiasm for the use of azithromycin with or without hydroxychloroquine. Objectives. We analyzed azithromycin consumption in Croatia in 2020 and compared this to the period 2017-2019. Methods. Azithromycin consumption was evaluated using the IQVIA Adriatic d.o.o. database which collects data on azithromycin distribution from wholesale pharmacies to hospital and non-hospital pharmacies in Croatia. We analyzed data for the period from January 2017 to December 2020. Azithromycin distribution was measured as days of therapy (DOT) and reported as per 1000 inhabitants or per 1000 inhabitant-days. Results. In the period 2017-2020, total azithromycin DOT in Croatia increased in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 (1.76, 1.91, 1.91 and 2.01/1000 inhabitant-days, respectively). Non-hospital pharmacies received 2.18 times and hospital pharmacies 4.39 times more DOT units/1000 inhabitants of azithromycin in March 2020 compared to the average distribution rate in March 2017-2019. During the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic (November and December 2020) azithromycin distribution increased considerably in hospital (3.62 and 3.19 times, respectively) and non-hospital pharmacies (1.93 and 1.84 times, respectively) compared to the average consumption in the same months in 2017-2019. Conclusions. Our data showed increased azithromycin distribution in the period 2017-2020 which indicates azithromycin overuse. Preliminary information on COVID-19 treatments with a desire to offer and try what is available even in the absence of strong scientific evidence may have influenced practices of antimicrobial prescriptions.

Hubungan Kadar Hb Pre Tranfusi Dengan Kualitas Hidup Penderita Talasemia Di Rsud Dr. Hi Abdul Moeloek Provinsi Lampung

ABSTRACT: THE RELATIONSHIP OF PRE-TRANSFUSION HB LEVEL WITH QUALITY OF LIFE OF THALASSEMIA PATIENTS IN RSUD Dr. Hi ABDUL MOELOEK, LAMPUNG PROVINCE Background: Thalassemia is a chronic disease that can significantly affect the patient's quality of life, which is caused by the disease itself and the effects of the therapy given. Patients with thalassemia in Dr. H Abdoel Moeloek Hospital Lampung Province from year to year showed an increasing trend, namely in 2012 as many as 75 people, in 2013 as many as 87 people, and in 2014 as many as 102 people.Purpose: To determine the relationship between Hb levels before transfusion with the quality of life of thalassemia patients. Hi Abdul Moeloek Lampung ProvinceResearch Methods: This type of research is a quantitative, analytical observation design, with a cross-sectional design. The study population was all pediatric thalassemia patients at Dr. Hospital. Hi Abdul Moeloek, Lampung Province for the period January – October 2019 with a total of 146 patients. The sample is 60 people. Collecting data using observation sheets and questionnaires. The data analysis technique used a regression test.Results: The average distribution of Hb levels before transfusion of the research subjects was 7.11 with the lowest value being 6.8 and the highest being 7.4. The distribution of the average quality of life of the subjects of this study was 60.72 with the lowest value of 27 and the highest 93. There was a significant relationship between pre-transfusion Hb Levels and Quality of Life of Thalassemia Patients at Abdul Moeloek Hospital Bandar Lampung in 2019 (p-value 0.000 ).Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between Hb levels before transfusion with Quality of Life of Thalassemia Patients. It is recommended to monitor Hb levels before transfusion and comply with transfusions and consume iron chelation regularly so that the growth of their children can be normal like other children. Keywords: Hb levels before transfusion, Quality of Life, Thalassemia Patients INTISARI: HUBUNGAN KADAR HB PRE TRANFUSI DENGAN KUALITAS HIDUP PENDERITA TALASEMIA DI RSUD Dr. Hi ABDUL MOELOEK PROVINSI LAMPUNG Latar Belakang : Thalasemia adalah salah satu penyakit kronis yang dapat mempengaruhi kualitas hidup penderita secara nyata, yang diakibatkan penyakitnya sendiri maupun efek terapi yang diberikan. Penderita thalasemia di RSUD Dr H Abdoel Moeloek Provinsi Lampung, dari tahun ketahun menunjukkan trend mengalami kenaikan, yaitu tahun 2012 berjumlah 75 orang, tahun 2013 berjumlah 87 orang dan tahun 2014 tercatat 102 orang.Tujuan penelitian: Diketahui hubungan kadar Hb Pre Transfusi dengan kualitas hidup penderita Talasemia Di RSUD Dr. Hi Abdul Moeloek Provinsi LampungMetode Penelitian : Jenis penelitian kuantitatif, rancangan observasi analitik, dengan desain cross sectional. Populasi penelitian adalah semua pasien Talasemia anak di RSUD Dr. Hi Abdul Moeloek Provinsi Lampung periode Januari - Oktober 2019 sejumlah 146 pasien. Sampel 60 orang. Pengambilan data menggunakan lembar observasi dan kuesioner. Teknik analisis data menggunakan uji regresi.Hasil penelitian : Distribusi rata-rata kadar Hb Pre tranfusi subyek penelitian ini adalah 7,11 dengan nilai terendah 6,8 dan tertinggi 7.4. Distribusi rata-rata kualitas hidup subyek penelitian ini adalah 60,72 dengan nilai terendah 27 dan tertinggi 93. Ada hubungan antara hubungan yang signifikan antara Kadar Hb Pre Transfusi Dengan Kualitas Hidup Penderita Talasemia di Rumah Sakit Abdul Moeloek Bandar Lampung tahun 2019 (p value 0,000).Kesimpulan : Ada hubungan antara hubungan yang signifikan antara Kadar Hb Pre Transfusi Dengan Kualitas Hidup Penderita Talasemia. Disarankan agar melakukan pemantauan terhadap Kadar Hb Pre Transfusi dan patuh menjalani tranfusi serta mengkonsumsi kelasi besi secara teratur agar pertumbuhan anaknya dapat normal seperti anak-anak lainnya. Kata Kunci : Kadar Hb Pre Transfusi, Kualitas Hidup, Penderita Talasemia

Quantitative of Mass Transfer in Liquid-Liquid Operations of Oil-Alcohol-Glycerin Systems

The effects of mass transfer were quantified for the effective performance of mixtures between partially miscible phases, or for the promotion of their separations. To consolidate the analysis of heterogeneous liquid–liquid processes, variations in the composition of the liquid phases over the evolution of contact operations were considered, detailing the physical mechanisms involved in the mixtures of oil (soy, sunflower) and alcohol (methanol, ethanol), and in the separation between biodiesel and glycerin. Based on experimental evaluations, the average distribution coefficients for triglycerides (oil-alcohol) and glycerol (biodiesel-glycerin) were estimated at 1.31 and 1.46, and 3.42 × 10−2 and 4.06 × 10–2, for soybean and sunflower, respectively, while their mass transfer coefficients, depending on their concentration ranges in the phase, varied in orders of magnitude from 10−2 s−1 to 10–4 s−1. Including the values of the physical parameters, a heterogeneous model for the alkaline transesterification of soybean oil (methanol, ethanol, NaOH, 25°C, 40°C, 60°C, 600 rpm) was validated.

Decision fusion method for fault diagnosis based on closeness and Dempster-Shafer theory

Decision fusion is an effective way to resolve the conflict of diagnosis results. Aiming at the problem that Dempster-Shafer (DS) theory deals with the high conflict of evidence and produces wrong results, a decision fusion algorithm for fault diagnosis based on closeness and DS theory is proposed. Firstly, the relevant concepts of DS theory are introduced, and the normal distribution membership function is used as the evidence closeness. Secondly, the harmonic average is introduced, and the weight of each evidence is established according to the product of closeness of each evidence and its harmonic average. Thirdly, the weight of conflicting evidence is regularized, and the final decision fusion result is obtained by using the Dempster’s rule. Lastly, the simulation and application examples are designed. Simulation and application results show that the method can effectively reduce the impact of diagnostic information conflicts and improve the accuracy of decision fusion. What’s more, the method considers the overall average distribution of evidence in the identification framework, it can reduce evidence conflicts while preserving important diagnostic information.

Impact of photoreceptor density in a 3D simulation of panretinal laser photocoagulation

Background During panretinal photocoagulation (PRP), the outer retina, especially the photoreceptors, are destroyed. During such procedures, the impact of the retinal photocoagulation, which is performed in the same photocoagulated area, may change if it is applied to different locations with different photoreceptor densities. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the influence of photoreceptor density on PRP. Methods We constructed a three-dimensional (3D) average distribution of photoreceptors with 3D computer-aided design (CAD) software using previously derived photoreceptor density data and calculated the number of photoreceptors destroyed by scatter PRP and full-scatter PRP (size 400-μm on the retina, spacing 1.0 spot) using a geometry-based simulation. To investigate the impact of photoreceptor density on PRP, we calculated the ratio of the number of photoreceptors destroyed to the total number of photoreceptors, termed the photoreceptor destruction index. Results In this 3D simulation, the total number of photoreceptors was 96,571,900. The total number of photoreceptors destroyed by scatter PRP and full-scatter PRP were 15,608,200 and 19,120,600, respectively, and the respective photoreceptor destruction indexes were 16.2 and 19.8%, respectively. Conclusions Scatter PRP is expected to have 4/5 of the number of photoreceptors destroyed by full-scatter PRP.

Full-length SMRT transcriptome sequencing and microsatellite characterization in Paulownia catalpifolia

Paulownia catalpifolia is an important, fast-growing timber species known for its high density, color and texture. However, few transcriptomic and genetic studies have been conducted in P. catalpifolia. In this study, single-molecule real-time sequencing technology was applied to obtain the full-length transcriptome of P. catalpifolia leaves treated with varying degrees of drought stress. The sequencing data were then used to search for microsatellites, or simple sequence repeats (SSRs). A total of 28.83 Gb data were generated, 25,969 high-quality (HQ) transcripts with an average length of 1624 bp were acquired after removing the redundant reads, and 25,602 HQ transcripts (98.59%) were annotated using public databases. Among the HQ transcripts, 16,722 intact coding sequences, 149 long non-coding RNAs and 179 alternative splicing events were predicted, respectively. A total of 7367 SSR loci were distributed throughout 6293 HQ transcripts, of which 763 complex SSRs and 6604 complete SSRs. The SSR appearance frequency was 28.37%, and the average distribution distance was 5.59 kb. Among the 6604 complete SSR loci, 1–3 nucleotide repeats were dominant, occupying 97.85% of the total SSR loci, of which mono-, di- and tri-nucleotide repeats were 44.68%, 33.86% and 19.31%, respectively. We detected 112 repeat motifs, of which A/T (42.64%), AG/CT (12.22%), GA/TC (9.63%), GAA/TTC (1.57%) and CCA/TGG (1.54%) were most common in mono-, di- and tri-nucleotide repeats, respectively. The length of the repeat SSR motifs was 10–88 bp, and 4997 (75.67%) were ≤ 20 bp. This study provides a novel full-length transcriptome reference for P. catalpifolia and will facilitate the identification of germplasm resources and breeding of new drought-resistant P. catalpifolia varieties.

The Need for Ethnoracial Equity in Artificial Intelligence for Diabetes Management: Review and Recommendations

There is clear evidence to suggest that diabetes does not affect all populations equally. Among adults living with diabetes, those from ethnoracial minority communities—foreign-born, immigrant, refugee, and culturally marginalized—are at increased risk of poor health outcomes. Artificial intelligence (AI) is actively being researched as a means of improving diabetes management and care; however, several factors may predispose AI to ethnoracial bias. To better understand whether diabetes AI interventions are being designed in an ethnoracially equitable manner, we conducted a secondary analysis of 141 articles included in a 2018 review by Contreras and Vehi entitled “Artificial Intelligence for Diabetes Management and Decision Support: Literature Review.” Two members of our research team independently reviewed each article and selected those reporting ethnoracial data for further analysis. Only 10 articles (7.1%) were ultimately selected for secondary analysis in our case study. Of the 131 excluded articles, 118 (90.1%) failed to mention participants’ ethnic or racial backgrounds. The included articles reported ethnoracial data under various categories, including race (n=6), ethnicity (n=2), race/ethnicity (n=3), and percentage of Caucasian participants (n=1). Among articles specifically reporting race, the average distribution was 69.5% White, 17.1% Black, and 3.7% Asian. Only 2 articles reported inclusion of Native American participants. Given the clear ethnic and racial differences in diabetes biomarkers, prevalence, and outcomes, the inclusion of ethnoracial training data is likely to improve the accuracy of predictive models. Such considerations are imperative in AI-based tools, which are predisposed to negative biases due to their black-box nature and proneness to distributional shift. Based on our findings, we propose a short questionnaire to assess ethnoracial equity in research describing AI-based diabetes interventions. At this unprecedented time in history, AI can either mitigate or exacerbate disparities in health care. Future accounts of the infancy of diabetes AI must reflect our early and decisive action to confront ethnoracial inequities before they are coded into our systems and perpetuate the very biases we aim to eliminate. If we take deliberate and meaningful steps now toward training our algorithms to be ethnoracially inclusive, we can architect innovations in diabetes care that are bound by the diverse fabric of our society.

Occurrence, identification, and antibiogram signatures of selected Enterobacteriaceae from Tsomo and Tyhume rivers in the Eastern Cape Province, Republic of South Africa

The increasing occurrence of multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in clinical and environmental settings has been seen globally as a complex public health challenge, mostly in the developing nations where they significantly impact freshwater used for a variety of domestic purposes and irrigation. This paper detail the occurrence and antibiogram signatures of the Enterobacteriaceae community in Tsomo and Tyhume rivers within the Eastern Cape Province, the Republic of South Africa, using standard methods. The average distribution of the presumptive Enterobacteriaceae in the rivers ranged from 1 × 102 CFU/100ml to 1.95 × 104 CFU/100ml. We confirmed 56 (70.8%) out of 79 presumptive Enterobacteriaceae isolated being species within the family Enterobacteriaceae through the Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight technique. Citrobacter-, Enterobacter-, Klebsiella species, and Escherichia coli were selected (n = 40) due to their pathogenic potentials for antibiogram profiling. The results of the antibiotic susceptibility testing gave a revelation that all the isolates were phenotypically multidrug-resistant. The resistance against ampicillin (95%), tetracycline and doxycycline (88%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (85%) antibiotics were most prevalent. The Multiple Antibiotic Resistance indices stretched from 0.22 to 0.94, with the highest index observed in a C. freundii isolate. Molecular characterisation using the PCR technique revealed the dominance of blaTEM (30%; 12/40) among the eight groups of β-lactams resistance determinants assayed. The prevalence of others was blaCTX-M genes including group 1, 2 and 9 (27.5%), blaSHV (20%), blaOXA-1-like (10%), blaPER (2.5%), and blaVEB (0%). The frequencies of the resistance determinants for the carbapenems were blaKPC (17.6%), blaGES (11.8%), blaIMP (11.8%), blaVIM (11.8%), and blaOXA-48-like (5.9%). Out of the six plasmid-mediated AmpC (pAmpC) genes investigated blaACC, blaEBC, blaFOX, blaCIT, blaDHA, and blaMOX, only the first four were detected. In this category, the most dominant was blaEBC, with 18.4% (7/38). The prevalence of the non-β-lactamases include tetA (33.3%), tetB (30.5%), tetC (2.8%), tetD (11.1%), tetK (0%), tetM (13.9%), catI (12%), catII (68%), sulI (14.3%), sulII (22.9%) and aadA (8.3%). Notably, a C. koseri harboured 42.8% (12/28) of the genes assayed for which includes five of the ESBL genes (including the only blaPER detected in this study), two of the pAmpC resistance genes (blaACC and blaCIT), and five of the non-β-lactamase genes. This study gives the first report on C. koseri exhibiting the co-occurrence of ESBL/AmpC β-lactamase genes from the environment to the best of our knowledge. The detection of a blaPER producing Citrobacter spp. in this study is remarkable. These findings provide evidence that freshwater serves as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance determinants, which can then be easily transferred to human beings via the food chain and water.

A characteristic turning point between summer and autumn in north China

It is generally believed that seasonal alternation is a gradual process marked by temperature. Explored from a large data set containing 1,686,528 data points of temperature, humidity and sunshine duration, we established a seasonal dynamic model of north China. Based on the model, we discovered a turning point on the 220th day in the annual average distribution of humidity and sunshine duration, which can be used as a characteristic node to define the date of summer-autumn alternation in north China. Our results demonstrate that the alternation of summer and autumn is not a gradual process in this region, but a mutation in the annual distributions of humidity and sunshine duration, thus revealing the statistical invariance based on the local knowledge. The study also shows that humidity and sunshine duration can better reflect the climate characteristics of north China than temperature. Because the model is region-specific, the proposed method using big data can be further extended to quantitatively define other seasonal alternations and explore other climate characteristics in different regions, so as to benefit indigenous knowledge-based climate prediction.