bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Agronomic and Crude Protein Content Performance of Desi and Kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties across locations in Ethiopia
Authors: Gebeyaw Mekonnen , Fikre Asnake , Abate Alemu , Setotaw Tesfahun Alemu
Published: March 2024

An experiment was carried out in Adet, Debre Zeit, and Fogera stations, with eight Desi and twelve Kabuli type chickpea varieties laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Teketay and Geletu varieties of Desi type chickpea had the greatest combined mean grain yield values of 1803.6 kg/ha and 1608.9 kg/ha, respectively.While Dhera (1840.8 kg/ha), Hora (1818 kg/ha), and Koka (1727.7kg/ha) had the greatest mean grain yield values among the Kabuli type chickpea varieties. In Adet station, Teketay (1960 kg/ha) was top producer among Desi type chickpea varieties while Koka (1411.3 kg/ha) and Dhera (1176.7kg/ha) had the highest mean grain yields. The Desi type chickpea variety Eshete (2933.3Kg/ha) produced the greatest mean value of grain yield at DebreZeit station, followed by Teketay (2433.3Kg/ha) and Geletu (2100.0Kg/ha). Similarly, Hora (3433.3Kg/ha), Dhera (3333.3Kg/ha), and Ejere (3066.7Kg/ha) obtained the greatest mean value of grain yield in Kabuli type chickpea varieties. In general, Fogera station was poorer in performance. The Desi type chickpea variety Natoli produced the greatest mean value of grain at Fogera Station (1161.7kg/ha), followed by Dalota (1074.3 kg/ha) and Teketay (1017.3 kg/ha). The majority of Kabuli type chickpea varieties performed poorly at Fogera station, with Ejere recording the greatest mean grain yield (1028.33kg/ha), followed by Koka (1025 kg/ha), Habru (1015 kg/ha), and Dhera (1012.67 kg/ha).In context, farmers and other chickpea growers of similar Ethiopian agroecosystems can adopt the varieties that were suggested for both general and specific adaptation.
Study on the Effects of the National Volume-Based Procurement of Chemical Drugs on Chinese Patent Medicines: Lipid-Lowering Drugs as an Example
Authors: Yang Zhao , Han Xiao , Liang Pei , Zhao Xiaoting , Zhu Qiyun , Ye Hui , Jiang Bin
Published: March 2024

Background
China implemented National Volume-Based Procurement (NVBP) to reduce drug prices while also changing the structure of medication in medical institutions. However, the effects of NVBP on Chinese patent medicines are unknown.
Methods
In this study, we examine the effect of the policy on bid-winning chemical drugs (atorvastatin and rosuvastatin) on the availability and affordability of lipid-lowering Chinese patent medicines (Xuezhikang and Zhibitai). We also investigated changes in defined daily doses (DDDs) and expenditures across all levels of hospitals and discussed their underlying influencing factors.
Results
The unit prices of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin were cut by 25–96%, with minor fluctuations in the prices of Zhibitai and Xuezhikang. Following the policy's implementation, the average affordability of atorvastatin increased from 0.242 to 0.014, while that of rosuvastatin increased from 0.247 to 0.019. The DDDs for atorvastatin and rosuvastatin increased, while total expenditures decreased at all levels of hospitals. Both at the national level and in all levels of hospitals, the policy had no significant impact on Zhibitai and Xuezhikang's DDDs or expenditures.
Conclusions
The NVBP has demonstrated an initial cost-saving effect in the short term by including high-quality and widely used lipid-lowering drugs. The policy has a significant impact on lipid-lowering chemical drugs, whereas Chinese patent medicines was little affected. Overall, doctors have not reduced their use of Chinese patent medicines, and there is no obvious substitution relationship between the two, demonstrating the specificity of Chinese patent medicines in clinical use.
A novel strategy of infusion of ceftazidime-avibactam plus aztreonam for the treatment of infections due to OXA48 & NDM producing carbapenem resistantKlebsiella pneumoniae: Time is of the essence
Authors: Soman Rajeev , Gandhi Aashna , Kedare Noopur , Joe Geethu , Patil Saiprasad , Pednekar Amullya , Barkate Hanmant
Published: March 2024

Purpose: Ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) along with aztreonam (ATM) is widely used off-label in clinical practice in India for OXA48 plus NDM producing carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR Kp). If the level of AVI is maintained at 2.5 mg/ml, it protects ATM from OXA48 and allows it to act against NDM producing CR Kp, for which the MIC to ATM has been found in a published report to be 2 mg/ml. Extrapolative considerations suggest that if CAZ-AVI is infused over 3 hours & ATM over the 2nd half, half an hour after starting the CAZ-AVI infusion, it may be possible to maintain levels of AVI above 2.5 mg/ml & ATM levels above 4 times the assumed MIC of 2 mg/ml, for more than 50% of the dosing interval. This may be a worthwhile strategy for both good efficacy & resistance suppression.
Methods: Plasma samples for levels of CAZ, AVI & ATM were collected at 1, 3, 5 h after infusing the drugs in the above-mentioned manner. Drug levels were measured at the Laboratori de Referència de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.
Results: In this pharmacokinetic proof-of-concept study in 5 consecutive adult patients infected with CR Kp, all levels of ATM at 5 h after beginning the infusion were at or above 20 mg/ml.
Conclusion: T > 4xMIC for 50% of the dosing interval was easily achieved in all the patients. This PK/PD index is higher than that needed for optimal killing & is considered as the PK/PD index for resistance suppression.
Wait-free Algorithms: the Burden of the Past
Authors: Bédin Denis , Lépine François , Mostéfaoui Achour , Perez Damien , Perrin Matthieu
Published: March 2024

Herlihy proved that compare-and-set (CAS) is universal in the classical computing system model composed of an a priori known number of processes.
For this, he proposed the first
universal construction capable of emulating any data structure with a sequential specification.
It has recently been proved that CAS is still universal in the infinite arrival
computing model, a model where any number of processes can be created on the fly.

This paper explores the complexity issues related to the wait-free CAS-based universal constructions.
We first prove that CAS does not allow to implement wait-free and linearizable visible objects in the infinite arrival model
with a space complexity bounded by the number of active processes.
We then show that this lower bound is tight, in the sense that this dependency can be made as low as desired
by proposing a wait-free and linearizable universal construction, using the CAS operation,
whose space complexity dependancy on the number of ever issued operations is defined by a parameter
that can be linked to any unbounded function.

This paper also proves that the lower bound obtained for CAS-based algorithms might be avoided by the use of other synchronization primitives.
As an example, we explore algorithms based on the memory-to-memory swap special instruction, that exchanges the content of two shared registers.
We propose a universal construction based on memory-to-memory swap whose complexity only depends on the contention, and we illustrate how compare-and-set
and memory-to-memory swap can be used jointly within a wait-free queue algorithm.
Conceptual design of a cryocooler and investigation of the effect of design parameters on cryocooler performance
Authors: Hamzeh Morteza , Kachabi Amirreza , Andayesh Mohammad , Fadaei Mohammad Heidar Khamsehei
Published: March 2024

Pulse tube cryocooler has low vibration and high reliability because of the lack of displacer in the cold area. This advantage cause development of these cryocoolers. In some applications such as MRI systems which need cryocoolers for cooling magnet, using them will improve the imaging quality.
In this article, the steps of designing a pulse tube cryocooler which is able to be installed in MRI systems will be introduced. As conceptual design is a vital section of any design project, this part has been totally studied; Necessary data has been gathered and developed in order to have best function in the pulse tube system. Preliminary design with help of two analyses (Phasor and Isotherm analysis) is introduced to designers and important parameters are obtained. Then investigation of the effect of some design parameters like valve timing, reservoir volume and pressure ratio using isothermal analysis has been done on cryocooler performance.
Huge endometrioma mimicking ovarian malignancy : a case report
Authors: Hsu Yu Chen , Hsu Keng-Fu
Published: March 2024

Background
Endometriosis is a very common disease, yet sometimes it is hard to be diagnosed. Typical symptoms include pelvic pain and infertility. However, it could present with a variety of symptoms depending on different type of endometriosis. There are also a variety of imaging findings indicative of endometriosis with varying sizes and locations. Huge ovarian mass accompanied with mass-effect symptoms was not usual in typical endometriosis, and may be considered as ovarian malignancy at initial diagnosis.
Case presentation
A middle-aged woman presented with dyspnea, lower leg edema, and abdominal dullness for 2-3 years. Laboratory exam showed severe anemia, severe hypokalemia, impaired renal function, and metabolic acidosis. Abdominal sonography and computed tomography (CT) showed huge pelvic mass 35x33x28cm with solid part. Exploratory laparotomy revealed right ovarian endometrioma and endometriosis of sigmoid colon. After operation, she had much less dyspnea and abdominal dullness, while renal function was only partially improved with bilateral ureteral stents remained in place.
Conclusion
We presented a case report of huge endometrioma mimicking ovarian malignancy. The atypical symptoms and image findings were uncommon for endometriosis. We thus shared this case for help further differential diagnosis of huge pelvic mass.
Exploring the Structural Diversity of Novel 3-Substituted Coumarins as Potent Inhibitors of Tumor-Associated Carbonic Anhydrases: Expanding the Pharmacological Space for Anticancer Drug Discovery
Authors: Matar Islam K. , Al-Hussain Sami A. , Muhammad Zeinab A. , Al-Ali Maha , Zaki Magdi E. A. , Gomha Sobhi M. , El-khouly Ahmed S.
Published: March 2024

Background
Innovations in cancer chemotherapy continue to occupy the priority list of demands to ensure our health security. The vast chemical space provides a plethora of anticancer discovery opportunities, however, limited by the boundaries of synthetic feasibility.
Objective
Expand the established pharmacological space of tumor-associated carbonic anhydrases by exploring the synthetically feasible chemical space of 3-substituted coumarins.
Method
A series of 52 novel 3-substituted coumarins were randomly sketched by our team of synthetic chemists with priority given to synthetic feasibility. The pharmacological potentials of the novel coumarin series were computationally estimated using a machine-learning approach exploiting both chemical and statistical inference. 17 members of the novel series were predicted to possess cytotoxic activity against HeLa cells by interfering with the tumor-associated carbonic anhydrases IX and XII. Those 17 compounds were synthesized and biologically tested against HeLa cells, subsequently; the 3 most potent compounds were assayed against carbonic anhydrases I, II, IX, and XII employing Acetazolamide as a reference. The molecular binding mechanism of those 3 chosen compounds with the four enzyme isoforms was studied using molecular docking simulation.
Result
Most of the compounds exhibited competent inhibitory activity against HeLa cells. The carbonic anhydrase inhibition results unveiled the powerful but non-selective nature of those suicide inhibitors.
Conclusion
Novel 3-substituted coumarins have been dispatched to join the pharmacological space of tumor-associated carbonic anhydrases’ suicide inhibitors.
Deciphering the Immunotoxicity of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles (E171) in Mouse Leukocytes through Single-Cell RNA Sequencing
Authors: Perumalsamy Haribalan , Xiao Xiao , Han Hyoung-Yun , Oh Jung-Hwa , Yoon Seokjoo , Heo Min Beom , Lee Tae Geol , Kim Hyun-Yi , Yoon Tae Hyun
Published: March 2024

The cellular and immunological responses in the immune system after exposure to TiO2 NPs/E171 are poorly understood. Therefore, comprehensive single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) analysis was used to explore the unique heterogeneous response upon TiO2 NPs/E171 treatment in Sprague-Dawley rats. Firstly, granulocyte G1 activated innate immune response through the upregulation of genes involved in pro-inflammatory cytokine mediated cytotoxicity. Whereas NK cells resulted in heterogeneity role depending on the subsets where NK1 significantly inhibited cytotoxicity, whereas NK2 and NK3 subsets activated pro-B cell population & inhibited T cell mediated cytotoxicity respectively. While NKT_1 activated innate inflammatory responses which was confirmed by cytotoxic CD8 + T killer cell suppression. Similarly, NKT_2 cells promote inflammatory response by releasing lytic granules and MHC-I complex inhibition to arrest cytotoxic T killer cell responses. Conversely, NKT_3 suppressed inflammatory response by release of anti-inflammatory cytokines suggesting the functional heterogeneity of NKT subset. The formation of MHC-I or MHC-II complexes with T-cell subsets resulted in neither B and T cell dysfunction nor cytotoxic T killer cell inhibition suppressing adaptive immune response. This study not only masks the drawbacks of utilizing homogeneous immune cell types, but also provides a full understanding of high-dimensional heterogeneous immunological response at the single cell level.
Improvement of nucleotide content of Cordyceps tenuipes by Schisandra chinensis: fermentation process optimization and application prospects
Authors: Li Anni , Zhu Qiang , Li Yuting , Yang Lu , Chen Zhihao , Zhou Xiang , Xia Yanqiu
Published: March 2024

Nucleotides are important components and the main indicators for judging Cordyceps quality. To increase the nucleoside content of Cordyceps tenuipes for enhancing the efficacy activity. In this paper, the mixed fermentation process of Schisandra chinensis and C. tenuipes was systematically studied, and it was proposed that the fermentation products aqueous extract (S-ZAE) had antioxidant activity and anti-AChE ability. Herein, the results of a single factor showed that S. chinensis, yeast extract, inoculum amount, and pH had significant effects on nucleotide synthesis, and these four factors were used as the factor of response surface optimization. The results of response surface optimization were 3% glucose, 0.25% KH2PO4, 2.1% yeast extract, and S. chinensis 0.49% (m/v), the optimal fermentation conditions were 25℃, inoculum 5.8% (v/v), pH 3.8, 6 d. The yield of total nucleotides in the scale-up culture was 0.64 ± 0.027 mg/mL, which was 10.67 times that before optimization, and S-ZAE has good antioxidant and anti-AChE activities. This fermentation method has the advantage of industrialization, and its fermentation products have the potential to become good functional foods or natural therapeutic agents.
Poly-CAM: High resolution Class Activation Map for Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Englebert Alexandre , Cornu Olivier , De Vleeschouwer Christophe
Published: March 2024

The demand for explainable AI continues to rise alongside advancements in deep learning technology. Existing methods such as convolutional neural networks often struggle to accurately pinpoint the image features justifying a network's prediction due to low-resolution saliency maps (e.g., CAM), smooth visualizations from perturbation-based techniques, or numerous isolated peaky spots in gradient-based approaches. In response, our work seeks to merge information from earlier and later layers within the network to create high-resolution class activation maps that not only maintain a level of competitiveness with previous art in terms of insertion-deletion faithfulness metrics but also significantly surpass it regarding the precision of localizing class-specific features.
Deep Hunting Social Optimization Algorithm Enabled Deep Neuro Fuzzy Network for Facial Expression Recognition
Authors: Komala K , Jayadevappa D , AP Manjunatha Manjunatha
Published: March 2024

Recently, a number of researchers have been able to identify human emotions from facial expressions. Realistically speaking, emotion communication is a transient and multimodal process, which makes identifying human emotions difficult. This paper proposes an effective model for multimodal facial expression recognition using the Deer Hunting Social Optimization Algorithm (DHSOA) based Deep Neuro Fuzzy Network (DNFN) in order to overcome such problems in the existing models and achieve outstanding performance in the field of human facial expression recognition. In this work, input video and input electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are considered for additional processing. The feature selection stage uses DHSOA to select appropriate features from input video and EEG signal phases. In contrast, the suggested DHSOA-based DNFN for facial video has a maximum accuracy of 0.910, a precision of 0.899, and a recall of 0.900.
Mechanisms of Secondary Biogenic Coalbed Methane Formation in Bituminous Coal Seams: A Joint Experimental and Multi-Omics Study
Authors: Zhang Xun , Liu Bingjun , Xue Sheng , Chen Jian , Zheng Chunshan , Yang Yang , Zhou Tianyao , Wang Junyu , Zhang Jingbei
Published: March 2024

Coal seam microbes, as endogenous drivers of secondary biogenic gas production in coal seams, might be related to methane production in coal seams. In this study, we carried out anaerobic indoor culture experiments of microorganisms from three different depths of bituminous coal seams in Huainan mining area, and revealed the secondary biogas generation mechanism of bituminous coal seams by using the combined analysis of macro-genome and metabolism multi-omics. The results showed that the cumulative mass molar concentrations (Molality) of biomethane production increased with the increase of the coal seam depth in two consecutive cycles; At the genus level, there were significant differences in the bacterial and archaeal community structures corresponding to the three coal seams 1#, 6#, and 9#, with correlations of R bacterial = 0.368 and R archaeal = 0.463, respectively; Vad and Vi of coal were significantly correlated with differences in genus-level composition of bacteria and archaea; the largest difference in functional genes related to the methanogenic metabolic pathway was observed before and after incubation of coal bed microorganisms, with an average positive growth of 42%; meanwhile, a total of 11 classes of carbon metabolism homologues closely related to methanogenesis were detected in the liquid metabolites of coal bed microbes after 60 days of incubation. Finally, the fatty acid, amino acid and carbohydrate synergistic methanogenic metabolic pathway was reconstructed based on KEGG database; the expression level of mcrA gene within the metabolic pathway of the 1# deep coal sample was significantly higher than that of the other two groups (p < 0.05 for significance), and the efficient expression of this functional gene at the front end of the methanogenic pathway facilitates the conversion of bituminous coal organic matter to methane. Therefore, coal quality (Vad) is likely to be one of the key factors causing diversity in microbial community composition and metabolic function differences in different coal seams.
Trajectories of long-term exposure to PCB153 and Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) air pollution and risk of breast cancer
Authors: Desnavailles Pauline , Praud Delphine , Provost Blandine Le , Kobayashi Hidetaka , Deygas Floriane , Amadou Amina , Coudon Thomas , Grassot Lény , Faure Elodie , Couvidat Florian , Severi Gianluca , Mancini Francesca Romana , Fervers Béatrice , Proust-Lima Cécile , Leffondré Karen
Published: March 2024

Background: While genetic, hormonal, and lifestyle factors partially elucidate the incidence of breast cancer, emerging research has underscored the potential contribution of air pollution. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), are of particular concern due to endocrine-disrupting properties, and accumulation in various environmental matrices and human adipose tissue owing to poor biodegradability.
Objective: To identify distinct lifetime trajectories of exposure to PCB153 and BaP, and estimate their associations with breast cancer risk.
Methods: We used data from the XENAIR case-control study, nested within the ongoing prospective French E3N cohort which enrolled 98,995 women aged 40-65 years in 1990-1991. Cases were incident cases of primary invasive breast cancer diagnosed from cohort entry to 2011. Controls were randomly selected by incidence density sampling, and individually matched to cases on delay since cohort entry, and date, age, department of residence, and menopausal status at cohort entry. Annual mean outdoor PCB153 and BaP concentrations at residential addresses from 1990 to 2011 were estimated using the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model. Latent class mixed models were used to identify profiles of exposure trajectories from cohort entry to the index date, and conditional logistic regression to estimate their association with the odds of breast cancer.
Results: 5058 cases and 5059 controls contributed to the analysis. Five profiles of trajectories of PCB153 exposure were identified. The class with the highest PCB153 concentrations had a 69% increased odds of breast cancer compared to the class with the lowest concentrations (95% CI 1.08, 2.64), after adjustment for education and matching factors. We found no association between identified BaP trajectories and breast cancer.
Conclusions: Our results support an association between long term exposure to PCB153 and the risk of breast cancer, and encourage further studies to account for lifetime exposure to persistent organic pollutants.
Applying Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Theory to the Understanding of Residency Program Director Well-being
Authors: Robertson Kyle A. , Byram Jessica
Published: March 2024

Background and Objective:
Literature on well-being of physicians and residency program directors (PD), has shown a prevalence of burnout of 50% in physicians, and 20–30% in PDs. However, few studies have explored engagement, or meaningful aspects of a physicians’ work and no study in the PD community. Therefore, this study explored the experiences of PDs and associate program directors (APD) as they encountered burnout, engagement, and every combination thereof.
Methods
A qualitative methodology was utilized to include longitudinal and cross-sectional data collection phases with all participants recruited via email. Phase 1 participants (n = 3) included two PDs and one (APD) from a midwestern university. Phase 1 included three semi-structured interviews and direct observations. Phase 2 participants (n = 5 PDs) completed a single semi-structured interview. All interviews and field notes were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, with subsequent deductive application of Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory.
Results
Findings were multiple sub-themes situated within four major themes: It Takes a Village, Integration of the “Hats” They Wear, Motivation and the Meaning of Their Career, and Coping. Exploring the sub-themes via JD-R theory allowed contextualization of how job demands, job resources, personal resources, job crafting, interact thus adding a broader conceptualization of how PD and APD experienced their roles.
Conclusion
This study describes the experiences of PDs and APDs embedded in their social context of responsibilities. The results indicate an understanding of how the individual experiences their job demands influenced by job and personal resources, and further how proactively engaging with their environment enables for a deeper appreciation of engagement and burnout.
Nurturing with Nature: The Efficacy of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Microbe for Cocoa Sector Environmental Management in Ghana
Authors: Muhammed Hajara , Kaba James S. , Yamoah Fred A. , Abunyewa Akwasi A. , Kwashie Godswill K.S , Issahaku Ibrahim , Agyei Ernest K. , Ntiamoah Priscilla , Mas-Ud Mustapha , Appiah-Kubi Zippora
Published: March 2024

Despite the proven effectiveness of fertility-promoting microbes such as Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to minimize the adverse effects of environmental deterioration and climate change, there is limited understanding on its efficacy to improve cocoa resilience in Ghana. Cocoa mortality (70%) caused by climate change induced drought within two years of transplanting to the field is a major constrain to farmers’ productivity. We assessed the effect of morphologically identified AMF and K on the biochemical characteristics of cocoa and its field survival from 2019 to 2022. The AMF inoculum was prepared using the trap-culture technique. Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines predicted leaf chlorophyll and Phosphorus uptake as the key factor influencing cocoa survival and resilience under field condition. The results have implications for cocoa breeding, productivity, sustainability of cocoa agricultural systems as well as K nutrition and AMF as bio-stimulant under drought conditions.
The Statistical Stability of Clavicle Fracture Management: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials with Fragility Analysis
Authors: Megafu Michael N. , Du Jour Elisabeth Point , Nguyen Janet T. , Megafu Emmanuel C. , Mian Hassan S. , Singhal Sulabh S. , III Paul Tornetta , Parisien Robert L.
Published: March 2024

Purpose
This study applied the fragility index (FI) and fragility quotient (FQ) to evaluate the degree of statistical fragility in the clavicle fracture literature.
Methods
This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A PubMed systematic search strategy was used to find all dichotomous data for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in clavicle fracture research from 2000 to 2022. The FI of each outcome was calculated by reversing a single outcome event until significance was reversed. The FQ was calculated by dividing each fragility index by the study sample size. The interquartile range (IQR) was also calculated for the FI and FQ.
Results
Of the 2967 articles screened, 81 met the search criteria, with 30 RCTs evaluating clavicle fractures included for analysis. There were 250 total outcomes, where 62 significant and 188 nonsignificant outcomes were identified. The overall FI and FQ were 4 (IQR 3–5) and 0.045 (IQR 0.024–0.080). Statistically significant and nonsignificant outcomes had an FI of 3.5 (IQR 2–7) and 4 (IQR 3–5), respectively. Regarding loss to follow-up (LTF), 63.3% (19) reported LTF greater or equal to the overall FI of 4.
Conclusions
Relying solely on P values to assess clavicle fracture RCTs may be deceptive and challenge the studies' validity. When scrutinizing management algorithms relying on statistical analysis, we recommend including the FI and FQ alongside the P value.
Impact of soil moisture regimes on greenhouse gas emissions, soil microbial biomass and enzymatic activity in long-term fertilized paddy soil
Authors: Shah Asad , Huang Jing , Han Tianfu , Khan Muhammad Numan , Tadesse Kiya Adare , Daba Nano Alemu , Khan Sajeela , Ullah Sami , Sardar Muhammad Fahad , Fahad Shah , Zhang Huimin
Published: March 2024

Two potent greenhouse gases that are mostly found in agricultural soils are methane and nitrous oxide. This study monitored how different moisture regimes influence microbial stoichiometry, enzymatic activity and greenhouse gas emissions in paddy soils. The results revealed that 60% water-filled pore spaces (WFPS) produced higher amounts of N2O than flooded soil, while compared with 60% WFPS, flooded soil significantly stimulated CH4 production. High N2O flux values were recorded at 2.3, 3.1 and 3.5 µgkg− 1 in 60% WFPS in the control and treated with NPK and NPKM, respectively. In flooded soil, the highest CH4 flux values were recorded at 1.7, 3.2 and 3.8 µgkg− 1 in control, mineral fertilizer, and chemical fertilizer combine with manure treatments, respectively. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) increased 15–27% under high moisture content. The highest microbial biomass carbon (MBC) was recorded in flooded conditions and was 8–12% higher than in the 60% WFPS soil. The microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) was 14–21% higher in flooded soil than in the 60% WFPS soil. In the flooded condition, the microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP) was 4–22% greater than in the 60% WFPS soil. The urease enzyme was significantly increased by 42–54% in flooded soil compared with 60% WFPS soil. Under long-term fertilization, the NPKM treatment significantly increased β-glucosidase (BG) and acid phosphatase (AP) enzyme activities, whereas the moisture content contributed 1.2–6.1% and 2-6.6% of the effects on BG and AP, respectively. DOC, MBC and pH showed a significant positive relationship with cumulative CH4, while DOC showed a significant relationship with cumulative N2O. In the random forest model, soil moisture, MBC, DOC, pH and enzymatic activities were the most significant factors for GHG emissions. The PLS-PM analysis showed that soil properties and enzymes possessed a significantly significant direct impact on CH4 and N2O emissions, while SMB had a highly positive indirect effect on CH4 and N2O emissions.
Investigation of Effect of Ultrasound (Lipus) Therapy on Healing in Achilles Tendinopathy Model Created by Type 1 Collagenase
Authors: KURTULMUŞ TUHAN , ÇELEBİ MEHMET EMİN , BEKTAŞ EBUBEKİR , ARICAN DEM DİCLE , KÜÇÜKYILDIRIM BEDRİ ONUR , DEMİRKOL METEHAN
Published: March 2024

Aim: There is a significant rate of outpatient consultations for tendinopathy symptoms nowadays. With the increase in daily pace, conservative treatments that can expedite recuperation have become more important. In the present study, we examined how low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) affected healing in rats in a model of tendinopathy induced by type 1 collagenase.
Method: The research was conducted on 69 Wistar albino female rats with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy. Following modeling, LIPUS therapy was initiated in eight groups at 1, 7, and 15 days. Treatment was extended for one and two weeks. Achilles tendons were removed from the treatment and control groups on the 15th, 21st, 30th, and 45th days for biomechanical and pathologic examination. PRISMA guidelines were adhered to during the planning stages of our study.
Results: In comparison to the control groups, LIPUS treatment administered in the first days of the proliferation phase increased tensile strength by approximately 30%, modulus of elasticity by approximately 53%, a fibrillar appearance by approximately 53%, and inflammation by approximately 53-33% in a lesser time. It was also demonstrated that starting treatment in the first days of the proliferation phase resulted in comparable success even with 1-week treatment compared to 2-week treatment.
Conclusions: The use of LIPUS in the treatment of tendinopathy yielded positive results. Its capacity to shorten recuperation time has piqued the interest of conservative treatment approaches. As a result, more clinical research is required. Keywords: Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound, rat, collagenase type 1, tendinopathy
Characterization of Heat-Processed Artificial Lightweight Aggregates from Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic Waste
Authors: Uche Chikadibia Kalu Awa , Abubakar Sani Aliyu , Nnamchi Stephen Ndubuisi , Mundu Muhamad Mustafa
Published: March 2024

Plastic waste is an undeniable source of pollution that threatens the existence of the earth’s flora and fauna. The bulk of plastic wastes generated globally does not go through the proper methods of disposal but is carelessly discarded into the aquatic or terrestrial environment. Current recycling efforts are largely inadequate and disposal in landfills is still fraught with environmental and land use challenges. The proper disposal of plastic waste, as well as mitigating the environmental, social, and health impacts of extracting natural aggregates can be achieved by incorporating plastic waste as aggregates in the construction industry. This paper presents a characterization of aggregates manufactured from polyethylene terephthalate plastic waste using thermal/mechanical methods. Morphological, intrinsic and mechanical characteristics of the produced aggregates were established using standard procedures and equipment. The results of morphological characterization show a dense graded aggregate with fineness modulus of 4.25, flakiness index of 26% and elongation index of 16%. Intrinsic characterization yielded particle density of 1330kg/m3, bulk density of coarse aggregates of 715kg/m3 and water absorption of 0.445%. Mechanical characteristics of aggregates were evaluated, with compressive strength of 50Mpa, Aggregate Crushing Value of 37%, Ten Percent Fines Value of 71KN, Aggregate Impact Value of 24% and Aggregate Abrasion Value of 20%. The characteristics of PET aggregates confirm their suitability for application in structural lightweight concrete and rigid pavement. The produced PET aggregates can be considered in mix design as a total or partial replacement of natural aggregates in concrete.
Evaluation and Ranking of Cement Alternatives in South Africa Using Combine Life Cycle Assessment and Multi- criteria Decision-Making Methods
Authors: Ige Oluwafemi Ezekiel , Von Kallon Daramy Vandi , Desai Dawood
Published: March 2024

Choosing the most suitable alternatives can be challenging in process engineering. Typically, there is a need to evaluate and rank alternatives using various criteria, such as environmental impact, when making decisions. This paper employs a novel integration of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods to evaluate the sustainability of different cement alternatives in South Africa. The LCA assesses the environmental impact, considering 18 midpoint categories, while Complex Proportional Assessment (COPRAS) and Additive Ratio Assessment (ARAS) methods were used as MCDA methods to rank and select the best alternatives. Across 18 impact categories, including global warming, ozone depletion, ecotoxicity, and resource scarcity, CEM I cement exhibited notable global warming emissions, ranking fourth. COPRAS and ARAS methods systematically ranked alternatives based on impact categories, consistently identifying CEM II/B-V cement as the most preferred alternative. This top ranking was attributed to its low environmental impact and high utility score. Notably, CEM III/A cement, despite low global warming emissions, ranked least preferred due to concerns about raw material-related environmental impacts. The paper highlights environmental hotspots for each cement type and underscores the importance of sustainable fuel and raw material selection in production. The results emphasize the necessity of reducing clinker content, exploring alternative fuels and raw materials, and adopting interventions like carbon capture and storage to enhance sustainability in cement production. The paper concludes that the integrated LCA and MCDM approach provides valuable insights for decision-makers in the cement industry, aiding the pursuit of more sustainable practices and calling for further research on the environmental impact of specific raw materials and fuels.
Levels, sources, and risk of heavy metals in soils from northwest and eastern industrial areas of China
Authors: Xiao Kai , Zhou Yousong , Zhang Yongqiang , Donglei Fu , Lu Senlin , Rabin Mominul Haque , Chowdhury Abrar
Published: March 2024

The heavy metal pollution caused by widespread industrial activities is an important and difficult issue for environmental pollution control in China. It adversely affects human health and the ecosystem. However, the relevant research on heavy metals contamination in typical petrochemical (PIA) and coking industries areas (CIA) was few. In this study, a total of 24 and 21 surface topsoil (< 20 cm) samples were collected in petrochemical and coking industrial areas, respectively. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), and potential ecological risk index (ERI) were calculated to assess the Cu, Pb, Ni, Co, Cr, Zn, V, and Mn pollution levels in soils. The hazard index (HI), carcinogenic risk (CR), and non-carcinogenic risk (NCR) were used to assess the human health risk of heavy metals. The mean levels (mg/kg) of heavy metals were ranked as Mn (601.25) > Zn (154.63) > Cr (76.78) > V (76.04) > Cu (39.11) > Pb (36.88) > Ni (31.73) > Co (12.97) in PIA, and Mn (915.14) > Zn (307.64) > Cr (115.98) > Pb (93.20) > V (92.56) > Cu (44.42) > Ni (34.45) > Co (16.65) in CIA, respectively. Pollution indices indicated that the extent of heavy metals contamination in CIA soils is higher than PIA. Source apportionment of heavy metals in soil was performed using Spearman's correlation coefficient, principal component analysis (PCA) and matrix cluster analysis, suggesting that industrial activities and the transshipment process were the major contributors to heavy metals. About NCR, the THI values were higher than 1 in both typical industrial areas, implying that there is potential health risk to humans. Except for the CR values of Pb for children and adults in both industrial areas and the CR values of Cr for adults in PIA, the CR are between 1.00 × 10− 6 and 1.00 × 10− 4, other heavy metals of the CR values were higher than 1\(\times\)10−4. This result reflects the fact that there were seriously adverse impacts on human health. Overall, the NCR and CR of the heavy metals for different populations ranked as follows: children > adults and Cu, Ni, Co, and Cr were identified as the major contributors to CR and NCR. The result of the present study provides timely information for developing control and management strategies to reduce soil contamination by heavy metals in typical petrochemical and coking industries areas.
Advancing Supercapacitors: Examining Modified MCM-48 as a Superior Electrode Material
Authors: Kalita Arnab , Kashyap Trishanku , Saikia Pranjal , Talukdar Anup Kumar
Published: March 2024

Supercapacitors have gained prominence owing to their exceptional cyclic efficiency, reversible charge/discharge rates and high specific power density. In this study, Fe was integrated into the MCM-48 framework to create a modified mesoporous structure to be used as supercapacitor electrodes. The materials were thoroughly characterized using various techniques, including XRD, XPS, UV-Vis (DRS), FT-IR, N2 adsorption-desorption analysis, SEM with EDX, TEM and TGA. Cyclic voltammetry and galvanometric charge-discharge studies revealed that the Fe-MCM-48 sample with Si:Fe molar ratio of 20 (Fe-MCM-48 (20)) exhibited ideal supercapacitor behaviour, showcasing higher capacitance value of up to 787 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g−1. The modified material also demonstrated excellent specific energy (up to 109.3 W h kg−1) and specific power (up to 240 W kg−1). These results suggest the potential practical applicability of this material as an electrode material in supercapacitors.
Perception of patients’ rights in clinical services among clients attending the outpatientdepartment at the Mawenzi Regional Referral Hospital, Tanzania
Authors: Ernest Bahat , Ochieng Joseph , Kwagala Betty
Published: March 2024

Ethical principles and patients’ rights should guide all encounters with patients. Failure to observe ethical guidelines can lead to patient dissatisfaction and medical malpractice, and without an appropriate understanding of the patient’s rights, the healthcare team may at times be prone to various tendencies, such as failure to respect patient autonomy, such as acting in a paternalist manner or making clinical decisions on behalf of the patient or family. Another way to do so can occur, including cases in which not all options, risks or side effects may be appropriately disclosed. This study explored the awareness of patients’ rights to clinical services among clients attending the outpatient department at the Mawenzi Regional Referral Hospital.
Methods: This was an exploratory cross-sectional study design that employed qualitative methods for data collection. The study was carried out among 34 clients attending the outpatient department at Mawenzi Regional Referral Hospital in the Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania: the medical unit, the Care and Treatment Clinic (CTC) unit, the gynecology unit, and the TB and leprosy unit. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 participants, while 14 participants participated in group discussions. The data were analysed via inductive thematic analysis, which allowed the data to identify and determine the themes in this study, which were then presented in the form of extracts or quotes. Nvivo 12 software was used to support the data analysis.
Results: The majority of the participants perceived that patients' rights were well implemented in health facilities and that they were satisfied with them. The minority stated that they are not satisfied with patients' rights because of various challenges that cause their rights to be poorly implemented. The main reasons for the poor implementation and dissatisfaction suggested were corruption in health facilities, the beating of patients, wastage of time while in health care facilities, poor communication with some health care providers, a shortage of medical equipment and healthcare providers, gaps in existing regulations, and follow-up.
Conclusions: To enhance satisfaction with patients' rights, there is a need for more sensitization of patients' rights through the client's service charter for health facilities and a relevant health policy to guide the implementation of patients' rights.
ESG disclosure and financial performance: Empirical study of Vietnamese commercial banks
Authors: Thi Thu Loan Bui , Thi Lan Anh Tran , Hoang Trang
Published: March 2024

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure becomes vital for banks to be transparent and accountable for their investments and lending decisions to shareholders, regulators, and society. The potential enhancement of shareholder value through ESG disclosure is still inconsistent. Empirical studies on the association between ESG disclosure and financial performance are mixed and limited in emerging economies. This study aims to examine whether ESG disclosure impacts the financial performance of 24 Vietnamese commercial banks in terms of return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and net interest margin (NIM). The study uses the feasible generalized least squares estimation method based on panel data from 2018 to 2022. The study employs content analysis on 12 themes related to environmental, social, and governance pillars to score policy disclosure based on the Fair Finance Guide Methodology. The results highlight the positive effects of ESG policy disclosure, individual environment disclosure (E), and individual governance disclosure (G) on bank financial performance. Notably, ESG, E, and G have the largest influence on ROE, with coefficients of 0.051, 0.036, and 0.027, respectively, at a 5% significance level. However, the study does not provide evidence of a statistically significant association between social disclosure and financial performance. These results provide empirical evidence for regulators and bank managers to shape ESG policies and practices aligning with international standards.
AcknowledgmentESG disclosure score of 11 banks as primary data in this study is conducted under the project coordinated by the Fair Finance Vietnam coalition, as part of Fair Finance International.
Downscaling of wind fields on the east coast of India using deep convolutional neural networks and their applications in storm surge computations
Authors: Kolukula Siva Srinivas , Murty P. L. N. , Baduru Balaji , Sharath D. , P. A. Francis
Published: March 2024

Downscaling is reconstructing data from low to high resolution, capturing local effects and magnitudes. Widely employed methods for downscaling are dynamic and statistical methods with pros and cons. With ample data, machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques can be employed to learn mapping from low to high resolution. This article investigates convolutional neural network capabilities for downscaling winds. The speed and direction of the wind are guided by a complex relation among pressure, Coriolis force, friction, and temperature, which leads to highly nonlinear wind patterns and poses a significant challenge for downscaling. The problem can be formulated as a super-resolution technique called a super-resolution convolutional neural network (SRCNN) for data reconstruction. Few variations of SRCNN are studied for wind downscaling. Six years of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) wind datasets along the east coast of India are used in the current study and are downscaled up to four times. Downscaled winds provide better results than traditional interpolation methods. Simulations for an extreme event are conducted with SRCNN downscaled winds and are compared against interpolation methods and original data. The numerical simulation results show that DL-based methods provide results closer to the ground truth than interpolation methods.
Identification of Genes Encoded Toxin-Antitoxin System in
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Strains from Clinical Sample
Authors: Sundaram Karthikeyan , Kagithakara Vajravelu Leela , Velayutham Ravichandiran , Mohan Utpal
Published: March 2024

Background:

The toxin-antitoxin system is a genetic element that is highly present in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), the causative agent of tuberculosis. The toxin-antitoxin sys-tem comprises toxin protein and antitoxin protein or non-encoded RNA interacting with each other and inhibiting toxin activity. M. Tuberculosis has more classes of TA loci than non-tubercle bacilli and other microbes, including VapBC, HigBA, MazEF, ParDE, RelBE, MbcTA, PemIK, DarTG, MenTA, one tripartite type II TAC chaperone system, and hypothetical proteins.

Aims:

The study aims to demonstrate the genes encoded toxin-antitoxin system in mycobacterium tuberculosis strains from clinical samples.

Materials and Methods:

The pulmonary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis clinical samples were collected, and smear microscopy (Ziehl-Neelsen staining) was performed for the detection of high bacilli (3+) count, followed by nucleic acid amplification assay. Bacterial culture and growth assay, genomic DNA extraction, and polymerase chain reaction were also carried out.

Results:

The positive PTB and EPTB samples were determined by 3+ in microscopy smear [20], and the total count of tubercle bacilli determined by NAAT assay was 8.0×1005 in sputum and 1.3×1004 CFU/ml in tissue abscess. Moreover, the genomic DNA was extracted from culture, and the amplification of Rv1044 and Rv1045 genes in 624 and 412 base pairs (between 600-700 and 400-500 in ladder), respectively, in the H37Rv and clinical samples was observed.

Conclusion:

It has been found that Rv1044 and Rv1045 are hypothetical proteins with 624 and 882 base pairs belonging to the AbiEi/AbiEii family of toxin-antitoxin loci. Moreover, the signifi-cant identification of TA-encoded loci genes may allow for the investigation of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Combinatory Analysis
Authors: Abderrahmane Horimek
Published: March 2024

This chapter presents in detail the calculation techniques for random experiments
with a high number of outcomes that are generally impossible to calculate classically. The
outcomes can be the number of favorable cases or that of possible ones, necessary to calculate
the probability value. It is enough to imagine the situation well, to know which law should be
used.
Departamento de Magdalena :anexo 6
Authors: Pérez Velásquez Juan Carlos , Hernández Villamizar Anais Cristina , Moreno Valderrama Maria Nancy , Osorio Cardona Jairo Antonio , Zuluaga Mogollón María Victoria
Published: March 2024

El presente documento se preparo con el fin de proveer información básica a nivel departamental del desempeño sectorial, sus vínculos con la orientación de la ciencia , la tecnología, la innovación y las demandas del sector sobre conocimiento técnico para focalizar la investigación publica,articular capacidades, aunar esfuerzos para superar problemas productivos, mejorar la competitividad y aprovechar oportunidades del mercado en distintas cadenas de productividad priorizadas en el departamento.