bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness and sustainability of a politically responsive institutional capacity strengthening project for improving evidence-informed decision making in the health sector in Kenya: a mixed methods evaluation
Authors: Murunga Violet Ibukayo , Abdullahi Leila , Mukiira Carol , Oronje Rose Ndakala
Published: June 2023

Background: Weak individual and institutional capacities for evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) are among the factors that have been identified as barriers to EIDM in many low- and middle-income countries. EIDM capacity strengthening initiatives targeting policymakers and researchers have largely focused on improving individual knowledge, attitudes and skills and neglected political and institutional influences. This paper presents results of an evaluation of a programme that aimed to enhance institutional capacity for use of health research in decision-making by the MoH in Kenya.
Methods: The ‘Heightening Institutional Capacity for Government Use of Health Research (HIGH-Res)’ was implemented from 2019 to 2022 and targeted Ministry of Health policymakers, researchers and their institutions. The HIGH-Res project design, interventions and implementation were informed by a continuous context analysis at its inception and throughout the implementation phase to ensure its relevance. A theory-based evaluation using mixed methods was conducted during the last quarter of the project’s implementation drawing data from the HIGH-Res project documents, training post-tests, in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of project beneficiaries and individuals not involved in the project interventions, and structured discussions with the project team. The qualitative data was analysed using a thematic approach and the quantitative data was analysed descriptively.
Results: The project’s expected results were partially achieved and this was facilitated by: the project team’s EIDM expertise, diligent follow-up support and collaborative approach; MoH and research institutions’ leadership support for the project; the EIDM mandate and interest of policymakers and researchers involved in the project; and the high demand for local evidence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fewer barriers to the project’s success were cited including bureaucracy at national level. Many opportunities for sustaining the project’s success were identified but some bottlenecks to the sustainability of the project’s outcomes were also noted including the short lifespan of the project, which left some interventions unfinished, coupled with insufficient government investments in EIDM.
Conclusions : We conclude that politically responsive institutional EIDM capacity strengthening initiatives targeting African MoH policymakers and researchers and their institutions can be successful in the short-term. Longer term funding for such projects and sustained government investments are necessary for their sustainability.
Mapping method from human to robot arms with different kinematics
Authors: bai keqiang , li xin
Published: June 2023

The accurate modeling from human arms to humanoid machine arms is the premise of humanoid robot's anthropomorphic compliant movement. In this paper, a mapping method simulating human upper limb motion mechanism is proposed to solve this problem. This method reconstructs the human arm model quickly and maps it to the dual arm robot model. Firstly, the movement mechanism of human upper limb is analyzed and the upper limb model is established. According to the human double arm kinematics theory, the calculation of arm motion rotation center and the analysis of force and torque are carried out. Then the mapping concept is used to start from the human morphological structure, establish a robot model similar to the arm structure and motion of the human hand, and generate the anthropomorphic configuration. At last, the data collected from the movement of human double arms are matched with the robot model, and the experiment verifies the feasibility of the proposed mapping method.
Simulation of bi-direction pedestrian flow in corridor based on direction fuzzy visual field
Authors: Li Shiwei , Li Qianqian , Zhong Ganglong , Zhang Yuzhao
Published: June 2023

Bi-direction pedestrian flow movement in corridor is a dynamic and complex giant system because of the diversity in their psychological characteristics. By controlling experiment, this paper defines the direction fuzzy visual field (DFVF) to describe the heterogeneity of pedestrians. It uses the various static and dynamic factors in DFVF to modify the traditional model of cellular automata (CA). The modified model simulates bi-directional pedestrian's movement in corridor, illustrates the bi-direction pedestrian flow density-speed curve and density-volume curve, and observes the pedestrians self-organization phenomena in the process of simulation. Meanwhile, it analyses the effects of pedestrian density and pedestrian facility scale on evacuation time, and studies the interaction between pedestrians in order to reveal the inherent law of bi-directional pedestrian flow in this complex system. Simulation results indicate that evacuation time is approximately an exponential increasing trend changing with pedestrian density, the length of corridor is a key factor on evacuation time, and expanding the system width is an effective way to control evacuation time. There have three states in the condition of different pedestrian density when the system reaches steady state: the status of strolling flow, the status of flows in directional separated lanes, and the status of dynamic multi-lane flow.
Combined effects of electrophoresis and thermophoresis in Darcy Forchheimer flow of trihybrid nanofluid over a Riga plate:Yamada-Ota and Xue models
Authors: Abbas Munawar , Khan Nargis , Younis Jihad , Hashmi Muhammad Sadiq
Published: June 2023

The physical phenomena of Darcy-Forchheimer flow of trihybrid nanofluid over a Riga plate with the influence of electrophoresis and thermophoresis on the particle deposition and non-uniform heat generation in a porous medium is discussed in this article. In a Marangoni convective flow, this study examined the impact of electrophoresis and thermophoresis on the rate at which aerosol particles deposited across a Riga plate. One of the most basic processes for moving tiny particles across a temperature gradient is known as thermophoretic particle deposition, and it is significant to both aero-solution and electrical engineering. Trihybrid nanofluid containing Cobalt iron oxide (COFe2O4) Manganese Zinc iron oxide (MnZnFeO4 ) and Molybdenum disulfide ( MOS2) nanoparticles, and based fluid water is used. For the case of trihybrid nanoparticles, the Xue and Yamada-Ota nanofluid models have been expanded. The required similarity transformations are used to translate the set of governing equations into a collection of ODEs. The HAM is used to analytically solve these simplified equations. For the embedded non-dimensional parameters, the graphic exploration of the velocity, concentration and thermal fields is made. According to our observation, increasing values of the Marangoni convection parameter enhance the velocity profile and decrease temperature and concentration distributions.
Prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms in taxi drivers: a cross-sectional web-based survey
Authors: Musco Stefani , Lombardo Riccardo , Cicione Antonio , Gemma Luca , Morselli Simone , Galo Maria , Serni Sergio , Campi Riccardo , De Nunzio Cosimo , Marzi Vincenzo Li
Published: June 2023

Purpose:
Aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of LUTS in taxi drivers.
Methods
Between February 24th 2021 and March 26th 2021 a web based survey was administered to Taxi drivers in the city of Florence. Taxi drivers were evaluated with baseline characteristics such as: age, BMI, smoking, career length, comorbidities, and treatment. LUTS were evaluated using the international prostate symptom score (IPSS) and the Overactive Bladder (OAB) score. As well sexual function was evaluated using the International Index Erectile Function (IIEF) and FSFI (Female Sexual Function Index) questionnaires. Risk factors for LUTS were evaluated using regression analysis.
Results
The overall response rate was 64.6% (537/830 taxi drivers filled the questionnaires). Among them, 449 (83.6%) were men and 88 (16.4%) females. Overall, median IPSS was 5 (2/9) and median OAB score was 10 (7/14). On multivariate binary regression analysis age>50 (OR:1.60; p<0,05), Smoking (OR:1.57; p<0,05), chronic treatment (OR:1.57; p<0,05), recurrent cystitis (OR: 2.66; p<0,05) and chronic pelvic pain (OR:4.94; p<0,05) were independent risk factors for moderate/severe LUTS. On multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, risk factors for erectile dysfunction were age older than 50 years (OR=3.64; p<0.05) and urinary incontinence (OR=5.53; p0.005).
Conclusions
According to our web-based survey, Taxi drivers in the metropolitan city of Florence had non-negligible symptomatic LUTS and even sexual dysfunction. Our data suggest as LUTS are particular influenced by several life style and behavioural factors as type and duration of work.
Investigation of the Psychological Status of COVID-19 Patients and its Influence on Defecation in Jinshan Fangcang Shelter Hospital in Shanghai, China
Authors: Xiao Changfang , Yao Yibo , Ding Yaqing , Xu Yipeng , Wu jingwen , Wang Chen
Published: June 2023

Objective: To investigate the psychological state of asymptomatic COVID-19-infected patients in Fangcang Shelter Hospital and the influence of the psychological state on defecation.
Methods:The psychological status, defecation disorder and anorectal diseases of asymptomatic COVID-19-infected patients admitted to a shelter hospital in the Jinshan District of Shanghai were investigated using an online questionnaire from May 1 to May 7, 2022.
Results: A total of 568 valid questionnaires were received, and the respondents who had defecation disorders before entering the Fangcang Shelter Hospital were excluded. A total of 452 questionnaires were included for data analysis; 111 subjects had anxiety, and the detection rate of anxiety was 24.6% (111/452). The detection rate of difficult defecation was 39.6% (179/452). The incidence of difficult defecation was 57.7% (64/111) among the subjects with anxiety, and 33.7% (115/341) among the subjects without anxiety. The incidence of difficult defecation in the subjects with anxiety was significantly higher than that in subjects without anxiety (P<0.001). The proportion of patients with dry stool (Bristol type 1-2), anal mass prolapse after defecation and perianal pain was higher in the group with difficulty in defecation than in the group without difficulty in defecation (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Asymptomatic COVID-19 patients had anxiety at the Fangcang Shelter Hospital. Anxiety may lead to difficulty in defecation and induce anorectal diseases.
Health and economic impact associated with rheumatoid arthritis discharges: A cost analysis of a two-year cohort in Mexico.
Authors: Mendoza-Gutierrez Carlos Fernando , Montiel-Ojeda Diana , Vargas-Chanes Delfino , Cisneros-González Nelly , Fernández-Gárate José Esteban , Godina-Ortiz Blanca , Clark Patricia
Published: June 2023

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a highly prevalent disease. Patients undergo various medical and pharmacological treatments, which have an economic impact on hospitals. The aim of this study was to estimate the direct economic costs of IMSS resources used to provide healthcare to adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis in 2016-2017.
Methods: Data of patients aged >18 years with AR were obtained from databases and public information sources to estimate the use of IMSS resources for the target population. Total costs were estimated by means of the macro-costing method, employing the diagnosis-related group (DRG). Each DRG of the IMSS was constructed with one of the diagnoses and the respective combination of clinical characteristics included in the ICD-9.
Results: The total cost per year of furnishing inpatient care to RA patients was found to be $170,099,794 MXN ($9,096,245.67 USD) for 2016 and $167,039,481 MXN ($8,932,592.57 USD) for 2017, implying an enormous economic impact on the government budget for Mexican public health services.
Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the costs of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular surgery accounted for the highest costs of RA care at the IMSS in 2016 and 2017. Further studies are needed that include the cost of drugs and other indirect costs in addition to our results to get the most accurate approximation of the cost of living with RA.
Investigation of the Structural and Optical Properties of Cu 2 SnS 3 Nanostructures Thin Films for Solar Cell Application
Authors: Saleh Layth A. , Khodair Ziad T. , Mohammad Ali M. , Mubarak Tahseen H. , Khadom Anees A.
Published: June 2023

In this study, an n-type silicon wafer's diode laser (red-650nm) is used to generate 30 mW n-type porous silicon by illuminating the surface of n-type substrates. To obtain a 0.785 cm2 etched area, a double-concave lens was used. Cu2SnS3 (CTS) thin films on glass substrates were deposited using a low-cost spin coating process. X-ray diffraction was used to study the structural properties of a Cu2SnS3 thin film. The films feature a polycrystalline tetragonal structure with a preferential orientation along the (112) plane, according to the researchers. As the annealing temperature was raised, the size of the crystallites grew larger. At temperatures of 200, 250, and 300ᵒC, FE-SEM pictures revealed that Cu2SnS3's surface was denser, with fewer voids. The grain size grows larger, and the surface morphology becomes rougher, according to AFM. As the annealing temperature was increased, the band gap of Cu2SnS3 thin films fell from 2-1.65 eV. With a high absorption coefficient of 104 cm− 1, CTS thin films show a direct optical band gap. The p-type character of the developed CTS films is confirmed by hall measurements. For a thin film annealed at 300 oC, the carrier concentration, resistivity, and mobility are 1.231×1023 cm− 3, 9.987 ×10− 7 Ω cm and 50.78cm2 V− 1 S− 1, respectively. The conversion efficiency of Al/Cu2SnS3/n-PSi/Al was 3.7 percent at 300 oC, according to the findings.
Weyl cones revealed by the anomalous Nernst effect in MnBi4Te7
Authors: Zeugner Alexander , Folkers Laura , Hess Christian , Büchner Bernd , Isaeva Anna , Marré Daniele , Caglieris Federico , Ceccardi Michele
Published: June 2023

The recently discovered magnetic topological insulators (MnBi2Te4)(Bi2Te3)n, n = 0-4, are an ideal playground to study the influence of magnetic properties on band topology, giving access to diverse quantum states in a single compound. In the low temperature-antiferromagnetic state and vanishing magnetic field, the n=1 system is a topological insulator protected by a combination of time reversal and a translation symmetries. It has been argued that, when the antiferromagnetic phase is forced to a the fully spin polarized state by the application of an external magnetic field, this system develops Weyl cones in the conduction band, which become accessible in presence of an intrinsic electronic doping. In this work, we experimentally prove the raising of field-induced Weyl state through the detection of an instrinsic anomalous Nernst effect in a bulk single crystal of MnBi4Te7.
River freshwater effects on the South-East Asian ocean dynamics
Authors: Capuano Tonia Astrid , Herrmann Marine , Dobbler Delphine , Koch-Larrouy Ariane , Weiss Lisa , Maes Christophe
Published: June 2023

River freshwater fluxes are fundamental inputs for regional and global ocean models. Nonetheless, most models are currently forced by climatological runoff data, encompassing several limitations and resulting in significant biases in the simulated ocean conditions. This study evaluates daily river discharge into South East Asia (SEA), a region having one of the greatest runoffs in the world. The discharge data are provided at 1/10° resolution by the Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS) reanalysis through comparison with observed river discharge records and climatology. The advantages of using such a high resolution runoff product in a regional numerical ocean simulation are assessed by looking at its impact on the variability and distribution of the simulated sea surface salinity (SSS), mesoscale processes and particles’ Lagrangian dispersion within the Indonesian seas. Our results show a satisfying performance of the GloFAS product for the major rivers of the South China Sea, while no systematic errors were identified in the remaining areas of interest. Finally, for a realistic modeling of the whole SEA region, we underline the importance of using accurate river discharges in order to properly reproduce the local mesoscale dynamics, which play a key role in shaping the SSS patterns and affect the surface stranding of marine debris.
Concentration, spatial distribution, and source apportionment of heavy metals in agricultural soils from the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, Tibet Plateau
Authors: Xiao Fangjing , Cui Xiaomei , Zhao Yuanzhao , Fu Jianjie , Yu Tao , Bu Duo , Zhang Qiangying
Published: June 2023

In this study, 112 agricultural topsoil samples were collected from the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin (YZRB) and its two tributaries, and the concentrations, spatial distribution, source apportionment, and potential ecological risk of eight heavy metals (Cd, Hg, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni and As) were analyzed. The mean concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cd, As, Hg and Pb were 33.91, 28.21, 86.93, 109.04, 73.58, 0.12, 21.49 and 0.05 mg/kg respectively. Except for Pb, the concentration of heavy metals in soil exceeded the corresponding local background values, but did not exceed the national soil pollution risk screening values. In terms of spatial distribution, it showed that the heavy metals were enriched in the Nianchu River, and followed by Lhasa River and YZRB mainstream. Furthermore, the ecological risks were ordered as Hg > Cd > As > Ni > Cu > Pb > Cr > Zn, and the potential ecological risk index of the YZRB fell in the range of moderate ecological risk. The high risk areas were near the greenhouses of the Nianchu River, which was mainly related to agricultural activities. In addition, the positive matrix factorization results showed traffic, agricultural activities, soil parent material, and atmospheric transport sources were the four sources in soils of the YZRB. This work will provide scientific reference for the comprehensive prevention and control of heavy metal pollution in soils of agricultural facilities in the YZRB of Tibetan Plateau.
Modeling and analysis of a periodic delays spatialdiffusion HIV model with three-stage infection process
Authors: Wu Peng
Published: June 2023

considering the antiviral antiviral drugs can act on the fusion, reverse transcription, and buddingstages of HIV infected cells, in this paper, we formulate a two periodic delays heterogeneous spacediffusion HIV model with three-stage infection process to study the effects of periodic antiviral treatment and spatial heterogeneity on HIV infection process. We first study the well-posedness of the fullsystem incorporates the ultimate boundedness, the global existence of the solution and the existenceof strong global attractor for ω-periodic semiflow for the model. We derive the basic reproductionnumber R0, which is defined as the spectral radius of the next generation operator. We further provethat R0 is a threshold for the elimination and persistence of HIV infection by comparison principle andpersistence theory for nonautonomous system, i.e., the HIV infection will be eliminated when R0 < 1and will persist when R0 > 1. In the spatial homogeneous case, we obtain the explicit expression of R0and show the global attractivity of the positive steady state by using the fluctuation method. Somenumerical simulations are conducted to illustrate the theoretical results and our works suggest thatboth spatial heterogeneity and periodic delays caused by periodic antiviral therapy have a remarkableimpact on the progression of HIV infection and should not be overlooked in clinical treatment process.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Developmental Age: 22-item Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire for an Observational Descriptive Investigation
Authors: Cremonini Francesca , Zucchini Ludovica , Pellitteri Federica , Lombardo Luca
Published: June 2023

Objectives:
To perform an observational descriptive study of the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) in a population of children, evaluating the prevalence and role of sex and age variables.
Materials and Methods:
The 22-item Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ) was administered to parents of children aged 3 to 12 years. The questionnaire is a very simple tool because it allows to indicate patients with possible OSAS diagnosis through a cut-off of 0.33.
The anonymous diagnostic questionnaire, available in digital format, was administered to the population under study by link or QR code. Only the questionnaires completed in all their parts were recorded and analyzed
Results:
832 questionnaires were collected. 154 subjects obtained a PSQ score > 0.33 and the prevalence of OSAS was 18.51%. The Chi-square test showed a statistically significant association between the PSQ score > 0.33 and male sex. The higher prevalence of subjects with a value of PSQ > 0.33 (n = 277) are aged 3-4-5 years, followed by the 6-7-8 range in the group with PSQ score > 0.33, p < 0.05.
Conclusions:
The prevalence of OSAS was 18.51% in children aged 3-12 years. The variables male biological sex and the age group 3-8 year were statistically significant for subjects with OSAS diagnosis.
Clinical Relevance:
This study underlines the use of the 22-item Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire as a first screening tool to identify children at risk of OSAS.
Distortion prediction method for large-scale additive metal components based on feature partitioning and temperature function method
Authors: Li Bobo , Zhang Jiong , Yin Jun , Gao Enze , Yang Guang
Published: June 2023

Laser deposition manufacturing (LDM) technology provides the potential to manufacture large, difficult-to-process metal components for aerospace and other applications. However, the residual stresses resulting from the considerable temperature gradients in the LDM process can cause distortion and even cracking of the fabricated components. Quickly predicting the distortion of large additive metal components is critical to achieving distortion control and high-quality forming of large components. Based on the principle of LDM technology, this paper proposes a partitioning method based on typical geometric features for aerospace titanium alloy frames, beams, and wall plates. It establishes a rapid prediction method for distortion of large additive metal components based on feature partitioning and temperature function method (TFM) by considering the effect of critical parameters of temperature function on distortion prediction. The results show that the prediction of additive component distortion by this method agrees with the traditional method and experimental results. Furthermore, the computational efficiency of the method has improved by 96% compared to the traditional approach, meeting the need for rapid distortion prediction in large metal additive components.
Comparison of post-operative pain following mesh fixation using human fibrin glue versus staples in transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair
Authors: Malla Siva Sai Kumar , Rattu Pawan Kumar , Ali Shadan , Andley Manoj
Published: June 2023

Purpose
Postoperative pain and other potential complications related to fixation of mesh prostheses using staples and other traumatic penetrating devices in laparoscopic trans-abdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) hernioplasty prompted us to explore the use of non-traumatic human fibrin glue for mesh fixation. The aim of the current study was to compare postoperative pain in patients who underwent TAPP inguinal hernia repair, where the mesh fixation was done using human fibrin glue and staples.
Methods
The current study was a randomized controlled trial done between January 2021 and June 2022. Patients with a diagnosis of primary, uncomplicated, inguinal hernia were included in the study. 72 patients were enrolled, and after randomization, patients were allocated into two groups of 36: an experimental group where mesh was fixed with human fibrin glue and a control group with tackers. At one month after surgery, postoperative pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).
Results
No significant difference was seen in the total time for surgery between the experimental arm and the control arm. There was a significant difference in duration of hospital stay between the mesh fixation with fibrin glue and with tackers (p < 0.05). Patients in the fibrin glue group had a lower incidence of seroma formation within the 7th postoperative day, lesser postoperative pain, and better quality of life (QoL) at 1 month post-op.
Conclusion
Considering the better outcomes of the technique, fibrin glue fixation should be preferred over tackers for mesh fixation in TAPP.
The Wong-Zakai approximations of stochastic inertial manifolds for evolution equations
Authors: Zhao Junyilang , Shen Jun
Published: June 2023

In this paper, we study the Wong-Zakai approximations given by a stationary process via the Wiener shift and their associated dynamics of a class of stochastic evolution equations with an additive white noise. We show the existence of solutions as well as stochastic inertial manifolds for both the approximation systems and the original system. Furthermore, we prove that solutions and stochastic inertial manifolds of the approximation system are approaching to those of the original system respectively in the sense of probability.
Robust Enhanced Collaborative Filtering Without Explicit Noise Filtering
Authors: Fan Rong , Wang Zhenhai , Guo Yunlong , Xu Yuhao , Wang Zhiru , Li Weimin
Published: June 2023

Graph convolutional neural networks have been successfully applied to collaborative filtering to capture high-quality user–item representations. Despite their remarkable performance, there are still limitations that hinder further improvement of recommender systems. Most existing recommender systems utilize implicit feedback data for model training; however, this approach inevitably introduces adversarial interaction noise. The conventional graph-based collaborative filtering method fails to effectively filter out this noise and, instead amplifies its impact, resulting in degraded model performance. To address this issue, we propose a robustness-enhanced collaborative filtering graph neural network model that does not rely on explicit noise filtering. Our approach involves simulating user–item interactions that do not exist in practice as adversarial interaction noise using random noise. To mitigate the impact of this noise in hidden feedback, we replace them with randomly selected partial nodes based on the principle of mutual information maximization. This approach not only improves model performance but also enhances the robustness of the model. Through experimental demonstrations on three benchmark datasets, our model exhibits significant improvement, thereby validating the effectiveness and interpretability of our proposed approach.
Optimization of parameters for image denoising algorithm pertaining to Generalized Caputo-Febrizio Fractional Operator
Authors: Gaur Sanjay , Khan A.M.
Published: June 2023

The aim of the present paper is to optimize the values of different parameters related to the image denoising algorithm involving Caputo Febrizio fractional integral operator of non-singular type with the Mittag-Leffler function in generalized form. The algorithm aims to find the coefficients of a kernel to remove out the noise from images. The optimization of kernel coefficients are done on the basis of the different numerical parameters like Mean Square Error (MSE), Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Structure Similarity Index measure (SSIM) and Image Enhancement Factor (IEF). The performance of the proposed algorithm is investigated through above mentioned numeric parameters and visual perception with the other prevailed algorithms Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed optimized kernel based on generalized fractional operator performs favorably compared to state of the art methods. The uniqueness of the paper is to highlight the optimized values of performance parameters for different values of fractional orders.
Mathematics subject classification: 345A08, 68U10, 94A08.
Determination of the binary diffusion coefficients and interaction viscosities of the systems carbon dioxide-nitrogen and ethane-methane in the dilute gas phase from accurate experimental viscosity data using the kinetic theory of gases
Authors: Vogel Eckhard , Bich Eckard , Hellmann Robert
Published: June 2023

The results of viscosity measurements at moderate densities on the two gaseous mixtures carbon dioxide-nitrogen and ethane-methane including the pure gases between 253.15 K and 473.15 K, originally performed by Humberg et al. at Ruhr University Bo\-chum, Germany, using a rotating-cylinder viscometer between 0.1 MPa and 2.0 MPa, were employed to determine the interaction viscosity, eta12(0), and the product of molar density and diffusion coefficient, (rho D12)(0), each in the limit of zero density. The isothermal viscosity data were evaluated by those authors with density series restricted to the second order at most to derive the zero-density viscosities and initial density viscosity coefficients, etamix(0) and etamix(1), for the mixtures, as well as, etai(0) and etai(1) (i=1,2), respectively, for the pure gases. Humberg et al. have already compared their etamix(0) and etai(0) data for carbon dioxide-nitrogen and ethane-methane with corresponding viscosity values theoretically computed for the nonspherical potentials of the intermolecular interaction. Now we employed etamix(0) and etamix(1) as well as etai(0) and etai(1) in two procedures to derive eta12(0) values. For this, we needed A12* values (ratio between effective cross-sections of viscosity and diffusion). But the second procedure applying the initial density viscosity coefficients etamix(1) and etai(1) failed to yield reasonable eta12(0) values. The first procedure should provide the best results when it is possible to use A12* values computed for the nonspherical potential. The effect is comparatively small if eta12(0) is determined. But if (rho D12)(0) is calculated from eta12(0) using A12* values for the nonspherical potential, the impact is several percent. Moreover, the experimentally based eta12(0) and (rho D12)(0) data agree with theoretically calculated values for the nonspherical potentials.
Kreative Ideen für den eigenen Hausgarten: eine gemütliche mediterrane Sitzecke entsteht
Authors: Heukemes Dominik
Published: June 2023

Selbst in einer kleinen Ecke am Haus lässt sich ein gemütlicher mediterraner Sitzplatz einrichten. Die Verwendung von Natursteinen in Kombination mit geeigneten Pflanzen vermittelt ein südliches Flair.
Phytochemical profiling of the different organs of Cupressus sempervirens L. by LC-HR/MS
Authors: EROL Ebru
Published: June 2023

Cupressus sempervirens L. which is largely used in traditional medicine was collected from the Florya Atatürk Forest (İstanbul, Türkiye) to investigate the phytochemical profiling and antioxidant capacity of the seeds and cones. The antioxidant activities of hexane and methanol extracts of C. sempervirens L. were assessed in vitro using five complementary methods, including the β-carotene-linoleic acid assay for lipid peroxidation activity, the DPPH•, ABTS• assays for radical-scavenging activity, the CUPRAC method, and metal chelating methods. In addition, the phenolic profiling of the methanol extracts of the seeds and cones was analyzed using LC-HR/MS, for the first time. According to the findings, the antioxidant activity of the methanol extract obtained from seeds appears to be higher than that of cones in all assays. The methanol extracts of the seeds showed higher activity with an IC50: 24.081.06, IC50: 6.080.19, and A0.5: 18.600.63 µg/mL in the DPPH•, ABTS•, and CUPRAC assays, respectively than the BHA, and α-TOC. Also, the methanol extract of the cones showed strong activity with an IC50: 38.870.03 and A0.5:103.534.33 in ABTS• scavenging and CUPRAC assays. Moreover, twenty-eight phenolics were determined in the seeds while twenty-one phenolics were determined in the cones of the C. sempervirens using LC-HR/MS. The amounts of fumaric acid, vanilic acid, (-)-epicatechin, quercetin, hispidulin 7-glucoside, hyperoside, and quercitrin in the seeds are higher than those in the cones. Therefore, the results suggested that there was a strong relationship between the antioxidant activities of the extracts and their phenolic ingredients.
Psychological contract breach and withdrawal behavior: Mediating role of psychological ownership of job and organization in Nepal
Authors: Bhattarai Ganesh , Bahadur Budhathoki Prem
Published: June 2023

Employees cannot benefit more from formal and legal relationships alone, and a framework for addressing their psychological aspects at the workplace is essential. Therefore, this study aims to gauge the direct effect of psychological contract breaches on employee withdrawal behaviors and ownerships and the mediating role of ownerships in the relationship between psychological contract breaches and withdrawal behaviors in Nepal. This study adopted the cross-sectional survey to gather the perceptional data on a 5-point Likert scale from the 701 staff members working in the Nepali travel and tourism business. The hypotheses were tested via the positivist research philosophy and deductive reasoning approach aligning with the social exchange and equity theories. The study used structural equation modeling for data screening and analysis. The current study revealed a positive impact of psychological contract breach on predicting psychological-withdrawal behavior (B = .22, p < .001) and physical-withdrawal behavior (B = .18, p < .001) and a negative impact of psychological contract breach on job-based ownership (B = –.15, p < .001) and organization-based ownership (B = –.19, p < .001). Job-based ownership mediated the relationship between psychological contract breach and psychological-withdrawal behavior (B = .08, p < .001) and between psychological contract breach and physical-withdrawal behavior (B = .06, p < .001). Finally, organization-based ownership mediated the relationship between psychological contract breach and psychological-withdrawal behavior (B = .02, p < .01) and between psychological contract breach and physical-withdrawal behavior (B = .05, p < .001).
Hesitation to vaccination for COVID-19 among the Brazilian adult population
Authors: Pott Junior Henrique , Pott Eveline Tonelotto Barbosa
Published: June 2023

Background: This study assessed the perceptions and attitudes of the Brazilian adult population about COVID-19 vaccines, seeking to identify which factors are associated with vaccine hesitancy and lack of trust in vaccines to support individual or group strategies for welcoming and guidance.

Methods: This is a national survey using a self-report web instrument in a representative sample of the Brazilian adult population (N=1700). The survey included sociodemographic and quality of life (QoL) questions, general information on COVID-19, and a vaccine-specific questionnaire.

Results: The vast majority of our sample expressed favorable opinions regarding COVID-19 vaccination, but there was also a minor fraction (2.2%) of respondents who are hesitant about COVID-19 vaccination. Most of them were males within the age range of 30 to 59 years and reported that their reasons for vaccine hesitation are mainly due to uncertainty about safety (57.9%) and efficacy (36.8%) of vaccines, followed by concern with their development, that is, the issue of timing and the adoption of a new development technology (28.9%). Further, while the impact of groups and peers on those who hesitate to vaccinate was not clear, their perception of a low risk of contracting the disease is evident.

Conclusions: There is a need to develop targeted strategies to increase effective communication about the risks and benefits of COVID-19 vaccines. Uncertainty about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, the timing, and the adoption of new development techniques affect significantly the perceptions on the vaccine COVID-19 acceptance.
A shock-capturing meshless method for solving the one-dimensional Saint-Venant equations on a highly variable topography
Authors: Satyaprasad D. , Kuiry Soumendra Nath , Sundar S.
Published: June 2023

The Saint-Venant equations are numerically solved to simulate free surface flows in one dimension. A Riemann solver is needed to compute the numerical flux for capturing shocks and flow discontinuities occurring in flow situations such as hydraulic jump, dam-break wave propagation, or bore wave propagation. A Riemann solver that captures shocks and flow discontinuities is not yet reported to be implemented within the framework of a meshless method for solving the Saint-Venant equations. Therefore, a wide range of free surface flow problems cannot be simulated by the available meshless methods. In this study, a shock-capturing meshless method is proposed for simulating one-dimensional (1D) flows on a highly variable topography. The Harten–Lax–van Leer Riemann solver is used for computing the convective flux in the proposed meshless method. Spatial derivatives in the Saint-Venant equations and the reconstruction of conservative variables for flux terms are computed using a weighted least square approximation. The proposed method is tested for various numerically challenging problems and laboratory experiments on different flow regimes. The proposed highly accurate shock-capturing meshless method has the potential to be extended to solve the two-dimensional (2D) shallow water equations without any mesh requirements.
Fixed-bed column sorption kinetic rates on the removal of both biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in domestic greywater by using palm kernel activated carbon
Authors: Oteng-Peprah Michael , Obeng Peter Appiah , Acheampong Mike Agbesi , Anang Michael Akrofi
Published: June 2023

The increasing organic loads, specifically biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), in water bodies has necessitated greywater treatment before disposal. Limited studies have explored sorption kinetics of BOD5 and COD removal using activated carbon from palm kernel shell in fixed-bed columns. This study investigated continuous sorption using activated carbon from palm kernel in removing BOD5 and COD from domestic greywater. The activated carbon had a density of 0.46 g cm−3 and a surface area of 584 m2 g−1. The experiment was conducted in a 37 cm high, 2.5 cm diameter Perspex column, with varying flowrates of 5–15 mL min−1, and bed depths of 10, 15, and 20 cm. Greywater with BOD5 concentration of 251 mg L−1 and COD of 421 mg L−1 was used for this study. Effluent was collected at specified time intervals, analyzed for BOD5 and COD, and fitted to the Thomas, Yoon–Nelson, Adams–Bohart, and Bed Depth Service Time (BDST) models. The Yoon–Nelson model exhibited good agreement, as compared to Thomas and BDST while the Adams–Bohart model showed lower fit. The adsorbent demonstrated sorption capacities of 34 mg g−1 for BOD5 and 56 mg g−1 for COD, suggesting its potential for greywater treatment, particularly in BOD5 and COD removal.
The effect of water footprint and economic growth on environmental degradation: applications of optimization modeling
Authors: Li Yunrong , Dou Yuanyuan
Published: June 2023

In this study, the effect of economic growth, energy consumption, biological capacity, and trade liberalization on the economic water footprint of consumption as an indicator of environmental degradation was investigated. An optimization framework was developed to find the maximum values of economic water footprint based on environmental, ecological, energy, and technical constraints. The results of the study showed that the simulated relationship can be used together to estimate long-term relationships between variables, there is a positive and significant relationship between ecological footprint and biological capacity and a negative and significant relationship between trade globalization and economic water footprint. The middle form of the ecological footprint N also increases energy consumption leading to an increase in the economic water footprint. Moreover, the results showed that there is a relationship with economic growth, and this indicates that the increase in economic growth in this region will lead to further destruction of the environment.
Vanadyum bileşiklerinin kanserdeki terapötik uygulamaları
Authors: GÖK Fazilet , EKİN Suat
Published: June 2023

Vanadyum (V), çoğu memeli dokusunun endojen bir bileşenidir. Vanadyumun önemi insanlarda ve hayvanlarda hala net olmasa da, daha düşük konsantrasyonlarda mikroorganizmalar, bitkiler ve hayvanlar için gereklidir ve canlı organizmalardaki eksikliği birçok yan etkiyle ilişkilidir. Hücrelerde, vanadat ve fosfatın kısmen benzerliğinden dolayı, vanadyum bileşikleri çok sayıda sinyal yolunu ve transkripsiyon faktörünü aktive etmiştir. Bu da vanadyum bazlı terapötiklerin uygulanmasını güçlendirmiştir. Ancak, bu spesifik olmayan biyo-aktivitenin çeşitli yan etkileri de görülmektedir. Reaktif oksijen türleri oluşturarak oksidatif strese neden olabilir. Vanadyumun insülini taklit etme etkisinden dolayı diyabeti tedavi etmek ve gücü artırmak için çok sayıda hapın ve diğer diyet takviyelerinin bir bileşeni haline gelmiştir. Kan hemoglobini, V eksikliğinden etkilenmez, ancak V eksikliği olan diyetler amino asit metabolizmasını değiştirmeden kreatinin, trigliseritler, β-lipoprotein ve enzim benzeri glutamil transferaz ve sitrat asit döngüsünün aktivitelerini arttırır. Kolesterol düzeylerini, kalp hastalığını, sifilizi, tüberkülozu, anemiyi ve ödemi azalttığı, hemoglobin ve miyoglobinin oksijen afinitesinin artırılmasında rol oynadığı, iyot metabolizması ve tiroid fonksiyonu için gerekli olduğu bildirilmektedir. Kemiklerde kalsiyum birikimini kolaylaştırıp kemik kolajen sentezi ile, osteojenik ve osteoblastik aktivite için gereklidir, diyabetik koşullarda potansiyel bir antioksidan ajan olarak hareket eder. Vanadyum bileşikleri birçok alanda olduğu gibi kanseri tedavi etmede de rol oynar. 20. yüzyılın ortalarında, çeşitli çalışmalar, vanadyum bileşiklerinin kanser hücrelerinin apoptozunu, proliferasyonunu ve dönüşümünü düzenleyen potansiyel ajanlar olarak tanımlamışlardır. Vanadyum bileşikleri, bileşiğinin dozuna ve tipine bağlı olarak hem pro- hem de anti-tümör özellikler sergilemişlerdir. Düşük konsantrasyonlarda vanadyum tümör hücrelerinin çoğalmasını uyarırken, yüksek konsantrasyonlar inhibe edebilmektedirler. Bu derleme makalede, farklı kanser türleri için sentezlenen vanadyum bileşikleri ve bunların terapötik etkilerine değinilmiştir.
EXAMINING THE MEDIATING ROLE OF DIGITAL CULTURE ON DIGITAL TALENT IN THE TELECOMMUNICATION SECTOR
Authors:   Postgraduate Management Science, IPB University, Indonesia, Khaira Nurul , Triyonggo Yunus ,   The National Movement for Competent Indonesia (GNIK), Indonesia, Sukmawati Anggraini ,   Departement of Management, IPB University, Indonesia
Published: June 2023

The digital era is an era that cannot be avoided anymore. This era is characterized by the development of technology and the rapid flow of information. This digital transformation means that employees must have digital skills to adapt to the times. PT Telkom Indonesia Tbk (Telkom), the largest telkom company in Indonesia, also faces challenges in preparing digital talent that suits the company's needs in the future. One of these challenges is the existence of a talent war that results in each company having to be able to compete. The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics of digital talent and analyze the influence of HR management, digital literacy, HR risk, digital leadership, and digital culture on PT Telkom Indonesia's digital talent. This study uses primary data obtained from 140 respondents of PT Telkom Indonesia employees from 14 work locations of digital talent employees. The method used in this research is Structural Equation Modeling - Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) analysis. The results of this study indicate that HR management, digital literacy, HR risk, digital leadership, and digital culture affect digital talent. Then, digital culture can mediate HR management, digital literacy, HR risk on digital talent. Meanwhile, digital culture does not successfully mediate digital leadership. The managerial implication of this research is that companies are expected to know the factors that form digital talent so that companies can prepare the right methods in managing digital talent.
DO CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP AFFECT PRODUCT QUALITY? EVIDENCE FROM CULINARY MSMEs
Authors:   Parahyangan Catholic University, Indonesia, Marianti Maria Merry , Pratikna Rizka Nugraha ,   Parahyangan Catholic University, Indonesia, Fernando Fernando ,   Parahyangan Catholic University, Indonesia, Muntu Cindy Keziea ,   Parahyangan Catholic University, Indonesia
Published: June 2023

The creative economy actors in Bandung City are dominated by culinary MSMEs. To survive in a competitive environment, culinary MSMEs owners need to have creativity and innovation to create quality products. Several researchers have found that leadership is an important factor in business development. Applying a creative and innovative leadership style is considered suitable for the culinary business because it can encourage creative and innovative behavior in the workplace, improve product quality, and meet customer expectations. This research aims to determine how creative and innovative leadership affects product quality (food, beverages, and services). This research also examines the direct impact of each aspect of creative and innovative leadership on product quality. The population of this research refers to the culinary MSMEs of Bandung City. The sampling technique used is the convenience sampling method. The sample used in this study was 102 respondents who were employees of various culinary MSMEs in Bandung City. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to test the proposed hypotheses. According to the findings of the data analysis, creative and innovative leadership has a positive impact on product quality. The dimension "inspiring creativity and innovation" has been shown to positively and significantly affect product quality. Based on the analysis results, creative and innovative leadership influences 41.4% of the quality of culinary products. This research also provides valuable recommendations for culinary business owners, especially in Bandung City, to support efforts to improve the quality of their products so they can compete in a competitive environment.