bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Strategic Airline Service Review in the Time of the COVID-19 Crisis
Authors: Tansitpong Praowpan
Published: April 2022

This study extracted airline data from several online source to examines operational and service strategy of the airline industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results have suggested that airlines were losing market shares in this pandemic situation except for those with high assets. In addition, this study utilizes text analytics techniques to provide insight into service characteristics that distinguish positive from negative reviews. The results suggest that satisfied travelers are demanding services with high empathy and responsiveness, while negative reviewers frequently complaints about insufficient operational aspects such as ground operations, mishandled baggage, system glitches, and staff management on handling cancellation.
Innovation in Business Intelligence Systems
Authors: Daradkeh Mohammad
Published: April 2022

Innovation crowdsourcing communities play a central role for companies to advance their innovation capabilities and portfolio by leveraging crowd intelligence and knowledge. However, it remains unclear how the mechanisms and structure of innovation crowdsourcing communities affect firms' innovation performance. Based on the open innovation theory and knowledge-based view (KBV), this study develops a research model to investigate how the structure and mechanisms of innovation crowdsourcing influence firms' knowledge management and innovation performance. The model was tested using structural equation modeling based on a dataset from the Microsoft community for business intelligence tools. The results show that both organizational and technical mechanisms of the community positively influence the community structure. The community structure positively influences knowledge acquisition, knowledge transformation, and the size and diversity of crowd participation. In turn, innovation crowdsourcing mechanisms and knowledge transformation have a strong influence on innovation performance.
Understanding Online Health Community Users' Payment Intention
Authors: Zhou Tao
Published: April 2022

Users often lack the motivation to pay for health information and services in online health communities (OHC). This may undermine the sustainable development of OHC. Integrating both perspectives of perceived value and trust, this research identified the factors affecting OHC users’ payment intention. The results indicated that payment intention is influenced by both functional value and trust. Functional value includes price utility and information quality, whereas trust includes trust in doctors and trust in community. We did not find the effect of emotional value and social value on payment intention. The results imply that OHC need to create a trustworthy climate and offer utilitarian value to users in order to facilitate their payment intention.
Applications of Fog Computing and Internet of Things in Indian Smart Cities
Authors: Priyadarshinee Pragati
Published: April 2022

Fog-computing and Internet of Things (IoT) together will work as a robust enabling technology for the success of a Smart city. Hence, the study focuses on the critical success factors based on Fog computing-IoT (FIoT) to bring success in Indian Smart cities by introducing a two-stage neural network that includes structural equation modeling and artificial neural network (SEM-ANN) hybrid approach. The research article introduces a new factor, Fog Computing (FC). IoT is again sub-divided into three more factors like the Internet of People (IoP), Internet of Services (IoS), and Internet of Energy (IoE) as the independent variables. 13 Smart cities and 379 respondents are involved in this study in India. The data analysis is done through two-stage SEM and ANN, which measures linear and non-linear relationships. From SEM output, it is identified that the IoE, Internet of People (IoP), and IoS have some significant positive effects on FIOT. The SEM accepted variables are considered the input for the next layer of ANN analysis that identified IoS as FIOT.
Hierarchical Clustering of Surface Roughness Using Acoustic Emission Signals
Authors: Hweju Zvikomborero , Abou-El-Hossein Khaled
Published: April 2022

The interaction among cutting parameters during the turning process is complex and non-linear, hence making linear predicting methods unsuitable for use. This study is a presentation of hierarchical clustering of surface roughness using acoustic emission signals during single point diamond turning of RSA-443. The intention of the study is to establish if clusters generated by portioning algorithms can be reliably used to understand the internal structure of data. Acquisition of acoustic emission signals has been achieved by a Kistler Piezotron sensor. AE root mean square, prominent frequency and peak rate are extracted from the processed captured AE signals while surface roughness is physically measured using a Kistler Taylor Hobson Profilometer. Validation of the generated clusters has been achieved by using the Purity measure. The computed purity is 1, which is an exhibition of the high quality of the hierarchical clustering result. Hence, clustering can be reliably utilized to understand the internal structure of surface roughness data during single point diamond turning.
Seismic Behavior for the Main Nave and Cloister of an XVIII Century Masonry Convent in Morelia, Mexico
Authors: Mejía Lidia , Ruiz Guillermo Martínez , Navarrete Bertha A. Olmos , Guerrero José M. Jara
Published: April 2022

In this paper, the seismic behavior of the main nave and cloister of the Guadalupe Church and San Diego Convent is studied, a structure dating from the 18th century and built in the historic center of the city of Morelia, Mexico, considering a set of 9 real seismic acceleration records of September 19 2017 earthquake obtained at seismic stations located near the epicenter but at almost 100 kilometers from this building, which were used first without any scale factor and then a scale factor was applied to reach the expected maximum peak accelerations of the ground at the site for probabilistic return periods of 475 years and 975 years.
Effect of Sintering Aids on Performance of Manganese Tailings Permeable Bricks
Authors: Yang Xue Qing , Wang Zhuo , Song Jie Guang , Zhong Lu
Published: April 2022

As a kind of sponge city water-permeable material, permeable brick has good water permeability, chemical stability, corrosion resistance and weather resistance. Therefore, the development of permeable brick also broadens the engineering application market for its application. The discharge of a large amount of manganese slag will cause serious environmental pollution, and the problem of manganese tailings accumulation is serious. There is no ideal treatment method at present. In this paper, manganese tailings slag is used as the main raw material to prepare sponge city permeable bricks, thereby turning waste into treasure. Through research, the permeable brick with MgO used as sintering aid has very low compressive strength and good water permeability. CaO used as a sintering aid has high compressive strength and low water permeability. The porosity and water permeability of permeable bricks increase with the increase of CaCO3, but the compressive strength is opposite. In comparison, the permeable bricks prepared with three different sintering aids, 3% CaCO3 and 2% MgO as sintering aids have good water permeability and superior compressive strength. The permeability coefficient of the permeable brick prepared with 3%CaCO3 and 2%MgO as sintering aids is 2.0×10-2cm/s, and the compressive strength is 1.3MPa.
Review on Smart Factory Operations: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Yang Yu Xue , Su Xiang , Lu Jian , Xu Ye Wei
Published: April 2022

Over the last few years, existing and emerging Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and artificial intelligence have been changing the way that factories conduct their manufacturing activities. Operation system of smart factories has been of great interest to researchers in recent years. However, the research concerning operations for the smart factory is still at the nascent stage. To address this need, we conduct a citation and co-citation analysis on smart factory operation system research published in the 11-year period from 2010-2020. A total of 351 papers were selected from Web of Science database. In the citation analysis, we depend on the degree centrality and betweenness centrality to identify 36 important papers. In addition, our main path analysis reveals the role of ICT in facilitating fast development of operation in smart factory. In the co-citation analysis, we identify four major research themes: resource reconfiguration, predictive production planning model, collaborative scheduling mechanism and technology basis of logistics. This is among the first studies to examine the knowledge structure of smart factory operations research by using evidence-based analysis methods. Recommendations for the future research directions have suggested based on our analysis.
Electronic Structure of Tl4CdI6: First-Principles Calculations and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Measurements
Authors: Luzhnyi Ivan , Bekenev Valerij , Denysyuk Natalia , Khyzhun Oleg
Published: April 2022

We report on experimental and theoretical studies of the electronic structure of ternary Tl4CdI6 alloy. Our XPS results indicate low hygroscopicity of its surface. The first-principle calculations indicate that the valence-band region of Tl4CdI6 is dominated by contributions of I 5p states (mainly at the top and the central portion), while its bottom is prevailed by contributions of Tl 6s states. The theoretical data indicate that the Tl4CdI6 compound is a direct gap semiconductor with the band gap value of Eg = 2.03 eV. The calculations reveal that the significant covalent component (in addition to ionic component) is characteristic for the chemical Tl–I and Cd–I bonds of Tl4CdI6.
Numerical Analysis Nucleation and Growth Conditions of Single-Crystallinity Control during Laser Surface Modification of Ni-Based Single-Crystal Superalloy Part I: Thermal and Chemical Determinants
Authors: Gao Zhi Guo
Published: April 2022

Nucleation and growth conditions of single-crystallinity control are convincingly elaborated by multi-scale mathematical modeling of heat and mass transport to totally abate undesirable weld defects, e.g. disoriented crystal and hot cracking inside molten pool of nonequilibrium crystallization, in order to illustrate the usefulness of predictive capability through theory and experiment procedures. Crystal growth is complicated by crystallinity-dependent thermal and chemical driving forces in front of dendrite tip during viable laser surface modification of Ni-based single-crystal superalloy. These two thermal metallurgical determinants play crucial role in crack-insusceptible columnar crystal growth, which is favorably oriented throughout weld depth. There is particular challenge in complete elimination of disoriented crystal, i.e. stray grain formation, for acceptable surface quality. Conservative (001)/[100] crystalline orientation is desired to diminish Al concentration and supersaturation, and morphologically satisfy epitaxial growth kinetics to successfully lessen central cracking with satisfactory variability of laser power and welding speed. Comparatively, (001)/[110] crystalline orientation is disadvantageous to asymmetrically augment Al concentration and supersaturation and aggressively increase interface instability, microstructure heterogeneity and hot cracking vulnerability along disoriented crystal boundaries. Disoriented crystal is increasingly withstood if the Al concentration and supersaturation in front of dendrite tip are low enough and crack-unsusceptible part is relatively large enough in case of attractive (001)/[100] crystalline orientation with optimal range of heat input to ameliorate microstructure homogeneity. Crystalline orientation region varies with diverse welding configurations, and epitaxy across solid/liquid interface is also sensitive to heat input of laser processing, which necessitate high efficient welding conditions optimization. Considerable effort is made to distinguish diffusion-driven crystal growth between a series of combinations of multiple welding conditions, such as critical welding configuration and heat input. Metallographically, the morphologies of crystal growth and hot cracking are experimentally observed to consistently support kinetics calculation result and well explain correlation between solidification behavior and crystal growth.
Research and Analysis on the Micro-Morphology of Hollow Alumina-Based Fibers Prepared by Using Reeds as Templates
Authors: Li Xiao Tong , Li Hui Lai , Gu Yu Wei , Wang Tian Chi
Published: April 2022

Al2O3 fiber has high temperature resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, and low density. It is a good thermal insulation material. Reed is one of the most widely distributed angiosperms. The short cilia of the reed have a hollow structure, which can improve the thermal insulation performance of the fiber. Using reed fibers as a biological template, Al2O3 fibers with a hollow structure were prepared. After the reed fibers were immersed in the precursor solution, they were dried and sintered at a high temperature to obtain Al2O3 hollow fibers. The fibers replicated the hollow structure and the excellent continuity of the reed fibers.
Cutting Forces Impact on the Spindle Path during Robotic Milling
Authors: Lounici Billel , Ouali Mohammed , Osmani El Hadi
Published: April 2022

Offline programming is a critical step in the implementation of various robotic tasks such as pick-and-place, welding, cutting, and milling. This paper describes a simulation study that analyses the accuracy of the robot's path tracking, during tasks that require the robot tool to interact with the environment, while considering the current operating conditions. To accurately determine the actual position of the Tool Center Point (TCP) and the associated orientation of the end effector, the study will first establish a robot model that takes into account the elasto-static behavior during the milling process that generates significant contact forces on the end effector. Then, an offline simulation tool is developed within the SolidWorks® CAD environment. The analysis of simulation results from multiple scenarios revealed that the tool/material contact forces were the main source of the robot's deviation from its nominal trajectories. Moreover, the range of positioning errors varies according to the architecture of the robot and the workpiece emplacement. Depending on the working conditions, the tool deflection ranges from 0.1 mm to 0.75 mm in the or cutting directions and increases as one moves away from the reference frame, while the Cartesian orientation deviation is negligible (less than 1°).
Effect of Solution Temperature on Microstructure and Properties of Mg-2Zn-0.5Zr-1.5Dy Alloy
Authors: Gong Yuan , He Jun Guang , Shi Hui Na , Wen Jiu Ba
Published: April 2022

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of solution temperature on the microstructure and properties of Mg-2Zn-0.5Zr-1.5Dy alloy was studied by optical microscopy (OM), immersion experiment and electrochemical experiment. The results show that the alloy has the best comprehensive properties when the solution temperature is 470°C. The minimum average grain size was 97 μm. The Icorr and Eb of as-cast alloy are-3.55 μA/cm2 and-1.27 V, respectively, according to polarization curve fitting. With the increase of solution temperature, the value of Icorr first decreases and then increases, and Eb first increases and then decreases. After solution treatment at 470°C, Icorr and Eb are 1.41 μA/cm2 and-1.14 V, respectively.
New Low-Temperature Method of Synthesis of Boron Carbide Matrix Ceramics Ultra-Dispersive Powders and their Spark Plasma Sintering
Authors: Chkhartishvili Levan , Mikeladze Archil , Jalabadze Nikoloz , Nadaraia Lili , Korkia Tamar , Chedia Roin
Published: April 2022

The ultra-dispersive powders of pre-ceramic precursors for boron carbide based composites were obtained by relatively low-temperature (at 200 – 1000 °C) synthesis from liquid charges containing available compounds such as salts and oxides. Boron carbide matrix ceramics were compacted by their reactive spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1500 – 1700 °C. It is noted that the X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks corresponding (m)ZrO2 and WC phases presented in the synthetic pre-ceramic precursors disappear after the SPS is conducted at 1500 °C. It is established that the addition of tungsten and cobalt compounds promotes both the low-temperature synthesis of ceramic components and sintering processes of their powders. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis showed that the ceramics contain a small amount of Co (0.8 – 2 wt.%). The density of samples of cobalt-containing ceramics B4C–ZrB2–W2B5–Co is higher compared to that of cobalt-free ceramics B4C–ZrB2–W2B5.
Influence of a Micro-Arc Oxidation/Poly-Lactic Acid Composite Coating on Corrosion Resistance of Extruded Mg-2Zn-0.5Zr-1.5Dy (Mass%) Alloy
Authors: Li Huan , Wen Jiu Ba , Jin Jie , Liu Ya , He Jun Guang
Published: April 2022

Micro-arc oxidation (MAO) coating can significantly slow down the repaid degradation rate of biodegradable magnesium alloy, but the porous characteristics of the coating cannot provide long-term protection to magnesium alloy. In this paper, poly-lactic acid (PLA) was used to seal the porous MAO coating on the surface of extruded Mg-2Zn-0.5Zr-1.5Dy (mass%) magnesium alloy by a dipping coating method. Assessments were conducted by electrochemical experiment, immersion test, and hydrogen evolution experiment. The result shows that after the MAO-coated sample was dipped in PLA solution four times, the PLA could largely seal the porous and cracks of the MAO coating, and a dense MAO/PLA composite coating with a thickness of ~ 50 μm was prepared. The MAO/PLA composite coating provides good and stable protection to the alloy under 0~56 d immersion in the simulated body fluid than the single MAO coating, which shows an excellent application potential in the field of biodegradable magnesium alloy.
Structure and Wear Behavior of (Ti,Cr)C-Ni Detonation Sprayed Coatings
Authors: Storozhenko Maryna , Umanskyi Oleksandr , Terentyev Oleksandr , Chevychelova Tatiana , Varchenko Viktor , Haltsov Konstantin , Gubin Yuriy , Koval Oleksandr , Brazhevsky Valera , Chernyshov Oleksandr , Bevz Vitalii , Pakula Dmytro
Published: April 2022

This study reports the influence of Ni content on the structure and wear resistance of (Ti, Cr)C-based coatings. The (Ti,Cr)C-based composite powders, cladded with 18, 25 and 33 wt.% Ni were used to deposite coatings on stainless steel substrate by detonation spraying technique. The thickness of the coatings reaches 350-500 μm, the porosity is about 2%. The (Ti,Cr)C-Ni coatings have a dense lamellar microstructure with uniform distribution of refractory particles and metal binder. The wear behavior of the coatings against steel ring were investigated by dry sliding wear tests. Depending on the Ni content the sliding wear loss of the (Ti,Cr)C-based coatings was 1,2-2 times less than that of (Ti,Cr)C detonation-sprayed coating. The investigation of worn surfaces revealed that the wear mechanism of the (Ti,Cr)C-based coatings with Ni content increase changes from abrasive to oxidative.
Laser Spot Welding a Three-Layered Panel in Different Spatial Positions
Authors: Bernatskyi Artemii , Berdnikova Olena M. , Kushnarova Olha , Klochkov Illia , Motrunich Sviatoslav
Published: April 2022

The aim of the work is a comparative analysis of structural features and mechanical characteristics of spot welded joints of thin-sheet stainless steels 03Х11Н10М2T and 12Х18Н10Т, produced by laser welding in different welding positions. The change in the welding position from vertical to flat allowed extend the ranges of variation of welding modes from about ±5% to about ±10%, at which it is possible to produce a welded joint with satisfactory shape and mechanical characteristics. Higher strength is typical for welded joints obtained in a flat position. It also concerns the maximum value of the shear stress, which for the flat position is higher by approximately 10%, and the average value, which is higher by approximately 24%. In addition, the results of mechanical shear tests of these joints have a significantly lower dispersion.
Modeling and Predictive Control of an Automatic Launch and Recycling System for USV Based on NAR Neural Network
Authors: Liu Xiuyan , Guo Tingting , Song Dalei , Li Juan , Wang Xiaofeng
Published: April 2022

Abstract Every launch and recycling system of an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) needs to be specially designed for every ship and relies on manual operation to hook and unhook, which results in a high-cost, high-risk, and low success rate. To solve these difficult problems,
this study develops a new type of launch and recycle (L&R) system for USVs that realizes automatic guidance docking, launch, and recycling between ships and the USV. The contributions of this paper are mainly: (1) A new type of automatic launch and recycling system with cable-throwing,
guiding, and locking mechanisms is proposed to achieve an efficient and automatic physical connection between the USV and ship crane and overcome the problem of the launch and recycling tasks needing manual assistance for the USV. (2) A dynamic predictive approach that combines an estimation
of the motion trajectory for the cable-throwing ball (abbreviated as the ball) under multiple disturbances and an attitude predictive model based on a nonlinear autoregressive neural network for USVs is proposed. The proposed approach realizes the accurate prediction of the launch moment for
the ball based on the physical connection between the USV and ship and raises the success rate of launching and recycling in harsh environments. Offshore experiments showed that the system requires only 80 s and the success rate is 100% during the launch of a USV; additionally, the system
requires no more than 190 s and the success rate is 99% to recycle a USV. Compared to the baseline for L&R method, the proposed method in this paper reduces the application costs and promotes the L&R success rate for the USV. The actual working results show that the developed automatic
system is versatile, safe, and highly efficient and meets the requirements of practical applications.
Seakeeping Design Optimization of KRISO Container Ship (KCS) Ship Form Considering Wave Action
Authors: Sun Yu-Hang , Zhang Bao-Ji
Published: April 2022

Abstract Combined with the optimization method, the seakeeping optimization design problem under regular waves is studied on the basis of potential flow theory. The Rankine source method and deep-water Stokes wave theory are used to design the energy-saving ship form in the
actual navigation. Taking the bow and stern waterlines of the Korea Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering container ship as the optimization design area, the free-form deformation method is used to realize the parametric modeling and geometric reconstruction of the hull. Taking the minimum
wave added resistance and the minimum sum of heave and pitch amplitude as the objective function, the Sobol algorithm and improved non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) are used to optimize the hull design while ensuring the necessary displacement volume. This study confirmed that
the seakeeping performance of the optimized ship is the best. The results show that the wave added resistance of the optimized ship is reduced by 6.344%, and the sum of heave and pitch amplitude is reduced by 3.475%. Therefore, the feasibility of the proposed optimization method can be verified.
Time to recognition, aetiology, antibiotic sensitivity pattern and outcome of sepsis (sepsis 2 definition) in a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka
Authors: Jayasekera MMPT , De Costa NDP , Gunarathne WMMKB , Senarathne MCJ , Malkanthi KMS
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Patients with sepsis or severe sepsis usually present to the Emergency Department (ED). The overall mortality rate for patients admitted with severe sepsis is 35% - approximately five times higher than that of ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Prompt recognition and treatment are essential to improve survival.  Our aim was to study the time to recognition, identify aetiology, and obtain antibiotic sensitivity patterns and outcome of patients presenting with suspected sepsis.
Methodology: A prospective observational study including all patients suspected of having sepsis was carried out from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, at the Emergency Department (ED) of the Provincial General Hospital Kurunegala, Sri Lanka. The study instrument was a data sheet comprising of the surviving sepsis guidelines (Sepsis 2) of the United Kingdom and demographics and background information from patient records. All the patients were followed up for one month.
Results: One hundred and four patients (Age:61 ±17, 54.8% males) were studied. Blood culture results were available in 94 patients (90.4%) of which 19 (20%) were positive. The most common organisms identified were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) (42%) and Escherichia coli (42%). Door to blood culture time was 38.6 ± 26.7 minutes with 98% having blood cultures taken within 45 minutes of admission. Door to antibiotic time was 43.3 ±27.2 minutes. The most common primary foci of infection were pneumonia (34.6%) and cellulitis (28.8%). All CoNS were sensitive to teicoplanin and vancomycin, while all Escherichia coli isolates were sensitive to meropenem. The median (IQR) duration of hospital stay was 6 (3 to 9.1) days.
The in-hospital mortality was 30 (28.9%) and 30-day mortality was 36 (34.6%). There was no statistical significance regarding mortality among blood culture positive and negative patients.
Conclusion: The sepsis bundle had been activated within 45 minutes in most of our patients. The outcome of sepsis at our hospital is better than data published from other centres around the world.
Rare cause of sepsis in an immunocompromised child with acute lymphocytic leukaemia - A Case Report
Authors: Thabrew H , Sigera LSM , Jayawardena MN , Galappaththi J , Egodawela P , Gunasekera SP , Gunasekera DS , Jayasekera PI
Published: April 2022

Haematological malignancies are at a high risk of fungal infection and subsequent high mortality. A patient with a relapsed acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) and a rare fungal infection is presented.
A four-year-old patient with ALL relapsed after 3 years of remission. He presented with a papular, erythematous rash mainly on the limbs and trunk, accompanied with high intermittent fever which did not respond to broad spectrum antibiotics.
Histopathological examination of a skin biopsy revealed yeast cells. Trichosporon species was isolated on culture. Voriconazole was started according to sensitivity test results and a brief response was demonstrated. Clinical deterioration was seen with worsening of the underlying malignancy. Amphotericin B was added with poor response. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his disease process without recovery from fever, skin rash or the malignancy.
Trichosporon species is a rare infection even in patients with haematological malignancies. Recovery from neutropenia is an important prognostic factor in the treatment of trichosporonosis.
Union of science and clinical virology: the way forward to face challenges
Authors: Noordeen Faseeha
Published: April 2022

No abstract available.
Effects of Adding Oral Clonidine to Standard Treatments on Pain Intensity of Patients with Acute Renal Colic
Authors: Esmailian Mehrdad , Golshani Keihan , Tavakolifard Negah , Amiri Alireza
Published: April 2022

Background:

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of adding oral clonidine to standard treatments on pain intensity in patients with acute renal colic.

Materials and Methods:

This is a randomized clinical trial that was performed in 2020 in Isfahan. The study population consisted of 200 patients with renal colic. Pain of the patients was assessed using Visual Analog Scale. Patients were then randomized into 4 groups of 50 patients. Group A received 0.1 mg/kg morphine and clonidine tablets (0.2 mg). Group B received morphine and placebo. Group C received 30 mg ketorolac and clonidine tablets. Group D received 30 mg ketorolac and placebo tablets. Pain of patients was assessed. 0.05 mg/kg morphine was administered and repeated every 40 min if the pain was not reduced.

Results:

Our data showed that there was a significant difference between pains of patient by the time of admission in groups (P = 0.04). However, no significant differences were observed between pains of patients in different measuring times (P > 0.05). Using general linear model, we showed that the decreases in pain scores of each group were significant (P < 0.05) but there were no significant differences in pains of patients in different measuring times (P > 0.05). Our data showed that Group A and Group C had lowest frequencies of morphine administrations while Groups B and D had the highest frequencies (P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

We showed that administration of clonidine in patients with renal colic resulted in better pain control and lower morphine injections.
Evaluation of Chemical Oxygen Demand and Color Removal from Leachate Using Coagulation/Flocculation Combined with Advanced Oxidation Process
Authors: Tousizadeh Sepideh , Arbabi Mohsen , Tondro Elaheh , Sedehi Morteza , Arbabi Arman
Published: April 2022

Background:

One of the basic practices in the field of waste management is the collection and treatment of leachate. Leachate from municipal waste due to high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and dark color is a potential pollutant of the environment, which causes a lot of problems in the absence of treatment and direct discharge to the environment. This study aimed to determine the efficiency of ultrasonic process in combination with coagulation and flocculation process using sodium ferrate in COD and color reduction.

Materials and Methods:

In this experimental study, all experiments were performed in batch conditions and with changing process variables such as pH and sonication time, and the effect of three parameters, including ultrasonic reaction time (15, 30, and 45 min), pH (2, 4, 5/5, and 7), and coagulant dosage (from 1 to 150 g/l) on the COD reduction and color removal, was evaluated. Coagulant concentration and then the removal efficiency of COD and color were analyzed by ANOVA using SPSS 18.

Results:

The COD reduction and color removal were 87.05% and 88.6% in optimal condition (using 120 g/L of sodium ferrate at pH 5.5), with coagulation/flocculation, after ultrasound (15 min). Ultrasound (15 min) + sodium ferrate (without coagulation/flocculation) achieved 46.25% of COD reduction and 90.35% of color elimination, whereas the ultrasonic process alone allowed removing the COD and color in the leachate by less than 50%.

Conclusion:

The results indicate that C–F followed by ultrasonic can be used to efficiently reduce the organic matter and color from municipal waste leachate, and it would be an ideal option for leachate treatment.
The role of prostate-specific antigen density and negative multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging in excluding prostate cancer for biopsy-naïve men: clinical outcomes from a high-volume center in China
Authors: Zhang Chi-Chen , Tu Xiang , Lin Tian-Hai , Cai Di-Ming , Yang Ling , Nie Ling , Qiu Shi , Liu Zhen-Hua , Jin Kun , Li Jia-Kun , Xiong Xing-Yu , Yang Lu , Wei Qiang
Published: April 2022

This study aimed to assess the role of prostate-specific antigen density (PSAD) and negative multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) in predicting prostate cancer for biopsy-naïve men based on a large cohort of the Chinese population. From a prostate biopsy database between March 2017 and July 2021, we retrospectively identified 240 biopsy-naïve patients with negative prebiopsy mpMRI (Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 [PI-RADS v2] score <3). Logistic regression analysis was performed to select the potential predictors for clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were performed to assess the diagnostic accuracy. The negative predictive values of mpMRI in excluding any cancer and csPCa were 83.8% (201/240) and 90.8% (218/240), respectively. ROC curve analysis indicated that PSAD was the most promising predictor, with an AUC value of 0.786 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.699–0.874), and multiparametric logistic regression analysis confirmed that higher PSAD remained a significant marker for predicting csPCa (odds ratio [OR]: 10.99, 95% CI: 2.75–44.02, P < 0.001). Combining negative mpMRI and PSAD below 0.20 ng ml−2 obviously increased the predictive value in excluding PCa (91.0%, 101/111) or csPCa (100.0%, 111/111). If a PSAD below 0.20 ng ml−2 was set as the criterion to omit biopsy, nearly 46.3% of patients (463 per 1000) with negative mpMRI could safely avoid unnecessary biopsy, with approximately 4.2% of patients (42 per 1000) at risk of missed diagnosis of PCa and no patients with csPCa missed. A PI-RADS v2 score <3 and a PSAD <0.20 ng ml−2 could be potential criteria for the Chinese population to omit prompt biopsy safely.
The Effect of Application of Sonic Vibration on the Bond Strength of Glass Fiber Post to Root Dentin using Duo-link and Theracem cements
Authors: Hoseini Maryam , Malekipour Mohammad Reza , Shirani Farzaneh
Published: April 2022

Background:

This study investigated the impact of sonic vibration on the root dentin-glass fiber post bond strength using two resin cements.

Materials and methods:

Forty single-canal teeth were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10): Theracem self-adhesive using sonic vibration, Duo-link cement using sonic vibration and abrasion, Theracem self-adhesive, and Duo-link cement. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, Tukey test, and independent t test (α = 0.05).

Results:

In the coronal region, the bond strength was not significantly different among the four groups (P = 0.331). In the apical region, the bond strength was significantly higher in the Duo-link cement using sonic vibration than in the Theracem cement using sonic vibration (P = 0.010) and Theracem cement using the conventional method (P = 0.007).

Conclusion:

Sonic vibration has positively affects the push-out bond strength of glass fiber post to root dentin using Duo-link cement.
Influence of Monowave and Polywave LED Unites on G-Aenial Resin Composites’ Polymerization
Authors: Ghaemi Azadeh , Molayi Milad , Chaharmahali Rayan
Published: April 2022

Objectives:

Trimethylbenzoyldiphenylphosphine oxide and phenylpropanedione photoinitiator components in resin composites have been used widely due to their white color. However, it seems that there are some limitations in the required polymerization initiator wavelength. This study aimed to evaluate the polywave and monowave light-activating devices (LEDs) on polymerization and shrinkage strain of two dental composites with different photoinitiator systems.

Methods:

In this experimental study, 24 samples were prepared in two groups, including G-Aenial A2 and bleach composites. Each group was divided into two subgroups: one cured by monowave LED unit and the other by polywave device. Then shrinkage strain of samples was evaluated using bonded disk technique.

Results:

Results showed the shrinkage strain of A2 and bleach composites using PW device was significantly greater than MW device. In addition, the A2 composite shrinkage action polymerized with MW device was significantly lower than shrinkage action of A2 and bleach composite using PW machine.

Conclusion:

The findings of this study revealed that polywave LEDs were more beneficial for the polymerization of resin composites.
Nasal Reconstruction due to Basal-Cell Carcinoma using Dental Implants
Authors: Haghighat Abbas , Momeni Hasan , Yeganeh Farzad , Haghani Yamin , Nazarifar Arezoo Mazaheri
Published: April 2022

Facial defects affect a patient’s quality of life in different aspects of psychologic health, social contacts, and functional abilities. Our report describes a 65-year-old patient who was undergone rhinectomy surgery due to nasal basal-cell carcinoma. We considered to rehabilitate the nose using two dental implants and a reversed triangle abutment to gain the best retention results for the final nasal prosthetic. The implant-supported prosthetics does not need surgery on the patient for graft, tissue transfer, or such procedures. It can effectively restore the nose in a satisfactory esthetic manner.
Experiences, Challenges, and Their Mitigation during COVID Convalescent Plasma Donation Management
Authors: Aggarwal Geet , Tiwari Aseem Kumar , Pabbi Swati , Marik Arghyadeep , Rawat Ganesh , Sharma Jyoti , Joseph Nixon P , Vashisth Vikash , Sharma Govind
Published: April 2022

Background and Objectives:

ICMR conducted a multicentric trial “PLACID” that allowed COVID convalescent plasma (CCP) as an experimental drug for the management of moderate COVID-19 disease and the authors' institute was one of the participating centers. The efficacy of CCP in COVID-19 is still debatable. However, unlike therapeutic efficacy, there is not enough literature on issues and challenges faced by health-care institutions in donor recruitment, and the entire vein-to-vein process and approach of CCP transfusion. The authors would like to share their experiences, challenges faced, and their mitigation during the course of donor recruitment, screening, testing, apheresis donation, storage, inventory management, and issue and transfusion of CCP including the regulatory provisions, as their evolution.

Methods:

This retrospective study was conducted over a period of 7 months at a large tertiary care hospital in north India. Based on ICMR guidelines, the study analyzed the screening process and donation from all consecutive potential CCP donors. The study also identified various issues and challenges faced by the institute and how they were resolved.

Results:

Prospective donors registered at the blood center were 843. Majority were males (96.6%), first-time CCP donors (93%), age interval 31–45 years (52.2%), who had a history of mild COVID-19 symptoms (86.9%), and were home-quarantined (83.8%). The most common blood group was B positive (50.6%). Only 6.3% of donors were deferred due to the absence of anti-COVID-19 antibodies. Of 843, 705 selected CCP donors donated 1488 CCP units and six donors (0.8%) experienced mild adverse reactions. Challenges faced by authors included donor recruitment, lack of regulatory approval for plasmapheresis, revisions of COVID-specific selection criteria, no “anti-COVID-19 antibody” kit, and CCP inventory management.

Conclusion:

This study provides real-world comprehensive data on process management of CCP donors and their donations. This understanding of the process, its challenges, and their mitigation could be a template for any possible future pandemic.
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange using Continuous Flow Cell Separator Machine in a Neuromyelitis Optica Patient Outcome and Analysis
Authors: Mukherjee Sourav , Das Sudipta Sekhar , Sen Subrata
Published: April 2022

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory central nervous system syndrome, associated with serum aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G antibodies. Autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4-IgG), the principal water channel on astrocyte foot processes at the blood brain barrier, are pathogenic in NMO. Acute attacks are managed by high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone, if symptoms fail to resolve, plasma exchange is considered. Here, we present a case of NMO spectrum disorder in a 20 year old lady, failed to pharmacotherapy, was managed by plasma exchange using Spectra Optia Cell Separator machine. Detailed plasma exchange protocol, disease progression and outcome was analysed in this study.
Blood Donors and Their Deferral Pattern in a University Hospital, Nepal
Authors: Koju Surendra , Bhatt Rajendra Dev , Shankhadev Ramita , Twitwi Rosna
Published: April 2022

Background and Objectives:

Blood transfusion is a life-saving procedure and the selection of healthy blood donors is essential steps for safe blood transfusion. Proper selection of blood donors is needed for the safety of both blood donors and recipients. The aim of this study was to assess the demographic profile of blood donors and determine the frequency and reason of donor deferral in a university hospital of Nepal.

Methods:

This hospital-based retrospective study was carried out in the Blood Bank Unit of the tertiary care center of Nepal. Data were collected from the record book maintained in the blood bank from January 2016 to December 2020. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel 2010 for descriptive analysis.

Results:

A total of 3697 individuals came for blood donation during the study period; among them, 2802 (75.8%) were male and 895 (24.2%) were female. Total number of voluntary donation were 2175 (58.8%), while 1522 (41.2%) were family/replacement donation. Among all donors, 351 (9.5%) donors were deferred for different reasons. The most common cause of donor deferral was hypertension (15.0%), followed by medication (14.0%), while anemia (32.8%) was the leading cause of deferral in female donors. Out of total deferral cases, 92.6% of donors were temporary deferral, while 7.4% were deferred permanently.

Conclusion:

Most deferrals were temporarily due to hypertension, medication, and anemia. Awareness about these causes of deferral can increases the donor pool.
Assessment of Hemoglobin Content of Packed Red Cells
Authors: Jain Romesh , Sachdev Suchet , Marwaha Neelam , Gupta Anubhav
Published: April 2022

Background and Objectives:

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion continues to be administered on the basis of conventional wisdom and the notion of an average benefit per unit. The present study was aimed at estimating the hemoglobin (Hb) content in packed red blood cell (PRBC) units in three types of blood donors: Replacement blood donor (RD), First time voluntary blood donors (FTVD), and Regular/Repeat voluntary blood donors (RTVD).

Methods:

A total of 900 blood donors were divided equally into three groups of blood donors. Within each group, 100 collections were done in Double 350 ml, Triple 450 ml and quadruple 450 ml blood bags, respectively. The Hb concentration of the PRBC unit was done after the collection of representative samples from the PRBC unit. The volume of the PRBC unit was estimated by the formula: Weight of PRBC divided by its specific gravity. The net Hb content in the PRBC unit was calculated by the formula: Hb of PRBC multiply by its volume.

Results:

Net Hb content of 900 PRBC units were in the range of 30.77–87.36 g; mean was 52.91 ± 9.99 g. Net Hb content of PRBC bag was lower in PRBC prepared from RD as compared to FTVD and RTVD. We observed a range of net Hb content in the PRBC units and Hb content strongly correlated with the volume of PRBC.

Conclusion:

The present study shows that there is a range of Hb content of PRBC units. Adopting a policy of optimizing the dosage of RBC transfusion could have the potential to significantly improve RBC use and decrease patient exposure to allogeneic blood.
Current State of Blood Transfusion Service in Mongolia
Authors: Namjil Erdenebayar , Gan-Ochir Munkhsoyol , Natsagdorj Yanjindulam
Published: April 2022

In 1963, Mongolian blood transfusion service was established officially with the independent creation of Blood Transfusion Central Station in Ulaanbaatar. In the following year of 1964, rural blood centers were organized under the provincial central hospitals in all provinces, thus blood transfusion care and service has started nationwide. As part of the continuous improvement of the legal framework for the blood transfusion sector, the Donor Law of Mongolia was adopted in 2000, amended in 2012, and revised in 2018. In 1994, Mongolian blood transfusion service has shifted from paid blood donation practice to the nonremunerated and has achieved a 100% voluntary nonremunerated blood donor, in 2016. The World Health Organization recommends that in low- and middle-income countries, the share of blood donors in the total population to be 1.5. As of 2020, this figure has reached at 1.8% in Ulaanbaatar. The National Center for Transfusion Medicine (NCTM) has introduced drastic technological innovations in blood and blood products (BBP) production periodically. Since 2007, the NCTM has been implementing three international standards in its activity including requirements for quality and competence for medical laboratories MNS ISO 15189:2015, quality management system MNS ISO 9001:2016, and occupational health and safety management system OHSAS 18001:2007/MNS OHSAS 18001/2012. In 2020, the Mongolian blood transfusion service provided safe and quality assured BBP to health care organizations with 100% of fulfillment nationwide.
Comparison of the effect of propofol and isoflurane on hemodynamic parameters and stress response hormones during Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy surgery
Authors: Ghomeishi Ali , Mohtadi Ahmad Reza , Behaeen Kaveh , Nesioonpour Sholeh , Sheida Golbad Elham , Bakhtiari Nima
Published: April 2022

Background and Aims:

General anesthesia induces endocrine, immunologic, and metabolic responses.Anesthetic drugs affect endocrine system by changing the level of stress hormones and hemodynamic of the patient . The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of propofol and isoflurane on hemodynamic parameters and stress-induced hormones in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) surgery.

Material and Methods:

Seventy patients of elective LC were included in this study. Patients were randomly divided into two equal groups of 35 patients; group P received propofol (70–120 μg/kg/min) and group I received isoflurane (mac: 1.28%) as anesthesia maintenance. The following parameters were monitored, checked, and recorded from preanesthesia period to 10 min after PACU entry according to a planned method: hemodynamic parameters (heart rate and mean atrial pressure), level of blood sugar, and serum epinephrine level.

Results:

Heart rate and mean atrial pressure changes did not show significant differences between the two groups in all stage (P > 0.05), but isoflurane group tolerated lower fluctuating changes. Blood glucose and serum epinephrine level rise in the isoflurane group were significantly higher than the propofol group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Maintenance anesthesia by inhalation gas base on isoflurane has not shown a significant difference with total intravenous anesthesia base on propofol on hemodynamic parameter. However, propofol has a consistent effect on decreasing stress hormone and suggested for LC surgery.