bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Desjudicialização da saúde e diálogos interinstitucionais em Minas Gerais: a análise do Acordo de Cooperação Técnica para a gestão dos medicamentos Ranibizumabe e Aflibercept
Authors: Castro Maria Cecília de Almeida , Netto Felipe Tristão Silva , dos Santos Fausto Pereira , de Castro Mônica Silva Monteiro , Figueiredo Iara Veloso Oliveira
Published: September 2024

Objective: to understand the judicialization of health in Brazil and analyze, from the perspective of health de-judicialization, the Technical Cooperation Agreement signed on December 2, 2021, between the State Health Departmentof Minas Gerais , the State Attorney General's Office of Minas Gerais, and the State Public Defender's Office of Minas Gerais for the management of the medications Ranibizumab and Aflibercept. Method: a narrative review of the literature on the judicialization of health and an exploratory study based on documentary analysis of the antecedents of the Technical Cooperation Agreement were carried out. Results and discussions: Self-composition and consensual resolution of conflicts by the Public Administration has broad legal support and, in the current legal and administrative scenario, is the most effective and efficient means of realizing the underlying public interest, notably the right to health, promoting its dejudicialization. This scenario points to the potential for new solutions, including the implementation of interinstitutional dialogues, such as the Technical Cooperation Agreement studied, which is expected to serve as the embryo for a permanent trend in the management of the judicialization of health within the scope of State Health Departmentof Minas Gerais. Final considerations: ahe cooperation agreement studied has great potential for the dejudicialization of actions with requests for ophthalmological medicines, in addition to others whose incorporations are proposed within it. It also promotes synergistic and convergent action by actors involved in judicialization. The perspective is that, from this milestone, these legal actions will decrease and patients will begin to be served through the United Health System administrative supply route.
Submission: 03/19/24| Review: 08/16/24| Approval: 09/01/24
Masks Down: Diplomacy and Regime Stability in the Post‐Covid‐19 Era
Authors: Feldman Nizan , Lutmar Carmela , Mandler Leah
Published: September 2024

Natural disasters can create peaceful diplomatic interactions between conflicting parties, be they warring states or warring domestic factions. Advocates of “disaster diplomacy” argue that while events such as epidemics, earthquakes, floods, windstorms, and tsunamis result in human tragedies, they also generate opportunities for international cooperation, even between enemies. Conversely, natural disasters can also create rifts between friends and allies. Case studies of individual disasters show that while these events sometimes facilitate diplomatic efforts, they may also emphasize existing differences, creating rifts and exacerbating conflicts. The Covid-19 pandemic represents a unique opportunity to test the disaster diplomacy hypothesis on a rare global health crisis that affected many nations of various regime types and with various relations between them. We argue that pandemics and large-scale emergencies can change the rules of the diplomatic game by exposing states’ genuine interests while disregarding international community norms. As such, the Covid-19 pandemic is tearing off the masks from states’ faces, opening paths to cooperation with unexpected partners while creating rifts between yesterday’s allies. We thus argue that post-Covid-19 diplomacy may be characterized by previously rare tendencies such as “trading with the enemy” on the one hand and abandonment of international agreements on the other. Moreover, on the domestic front, such crises tend to exhibit strong fluctuations in regime type, with a clear shift toward populist parties. Additionally, this article provides two alternative explanations for these phenomena and offers an in-depth analysis of two case studies.
“Livability” and “Ungratefulness”: A Refugee Critique of the Law and Humanitarianism
Authors: Lê Espiritu Yến , Vang Ma
Published: September 2024

Critical refugee studies (CRS) conceptualizes refugees’ lived experience as a site of theory‐making and knowledge production with and for refugees. As co‐founders of the Critical Refugee Studies Collective (CRSC), and as scholars with refugee backgrounds, we theorize alongside our refugee partners to offer a refugee critique of refugee law and humanitarianism. Departing from the 1951 Refugee Convention definition of “refugee,” whose restrictive legal and historical framing cannot account for the complex conditions that displace human beings, we offer the concept of “livability” to name the mundane, creative, and fearless possibilities of living that undergird refugees’ claims to move audaciously. Furthermore, departing from humanitarian narratives that expect refugees to be forever thankful for having been rescued, we propose the concept of “ungratefulness” to describe refugee refusal to exhibit gratitude and deference for the space they have been allowed. Our critique emerged from sustained engagement with refugee partners through in‐person and virtual gatherings organized by the CRSC. Together, we argue that livability and ungratefulness constitute examples of “epistemic disobedience” of the colonial and unilateral knowledge production about refugees, as they call attention to distinctly discernible refugee agency and epistemology that break with the historically appointed role of refugees as seen entirely through a lens of precarity and gratitude.
BIG DATA, BUSINESS PROCESSES, AND MATHEMATICAL ALGORITHMS FOR MULTI-OBJECTIVE MANAGERIAL DECISION OPTIMIZATION
Authors: Barilla David , Isgò Valeria , Verdini Tommaso
Published: September 2024

The use of Big Data and the engineering of business processes are becoming increasingly important for managing the business of companies and large international corporate groups. For more successful outcomes, even for complex interventions such as those of the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), the use of mathematical models to assist management decisions represents a significant lever to optimize time, costs, and planned overall performance. This analytical approach strengthens traditional qualitative techniques like SWOT analysis and finds useful application in the optimal definition of any form of PPP (Public-Private Partnership), such as the recent “Partnership for Innovation” (PPI) included in the new procurement code. The scientific work developed from the systematic analysis of processes proposes a particular multi-objective mathematical model that uses a system of vectors in an m-dimensional reference space.
Changing the Еendency to Deviant Behavior in the Process of Professional Formation of Military Personnel
Authors: Gvozdeva A.A.
Published: September 2024

High physical and psychological stress has a negative and even detrimental effect on military personnel, which can lead to maladaptive and deviant forms of behavior. It is relevant to study the dynamics of the tendency to deviant behavior as military personnel grow professionally. Purpose: to study the differences in the manifestation of a tendency to deviant behavior in military personnel of different official categories: privates, corporals, sergeants and warrant officers; contract and conscription employees, persons with higher education and secondary education. Methods: Scales of propensity to addictive behavior; Questionnaire of propensity to delinquent and addictive behavior (DAB-2); SADS-30 (Suicidality, aggression, drug addiction, substance abuse); Questionnaire for detecting early signs of alcoholism; Questionnaire for diagnosing Bass-Perry aggression-24; factor analysis, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis criteria. Subjects: 42 male military personnel of different job categories (under contract, conscription; privates, corporals, sergeants and warrant officers), aged 18—30 years. Results: it was found that the propensity to drug addiction is less pronounced in contract employees (p≤0.05) and in non-commissioned and junior officers (p≤0.05). Factor analysis has shown that most deviations constitute a single factor, which includes indicators of aggression both towards others and towards oneself; one can note a reduced tendency to delinquent and other forms of deviant behavior, but an increased risk of going into addictive or suicidal behavior. This is also accompanied by a low focus on military service. Conclusions: during the study, it was found that there are differences in the manifestation of a tendency to deviant behavior among military personnel of different official categories: privates, corporals, sergeants and warrant officers. Continuing to serve in the army (under contract) is associated with a decrease in the tendency to manifest deviations.
Physics-informed Machine Learning Framework for Seismic Fragility Analysis of Steel Structures
Authors: Bailey Bond Robert , Ren Pu , Fong James , Sun Hao , Hajjar Jerome F.
Published: September 2024

The seismic assessment of structures is a critical step to increase community resilience under earthquake hazards. This research aims to develop a Physics-reinforced Machine Learning (PrML) paradigm for metamodeling of nonlinear structures under seismic hazards using artificial intelligence. Structural metamodeling, a reduced-fidelity surrogate model to a more complex structural model, enables more efficient performance-based design and analysis, optimizing structural designs and ease the computational effort for reliability fragility analysis, leading to globally efficient designs while maintaining required levels of accuracy. The growing availability of high-performance computing has improved this analysis by providing the ability to evaluate higher order numerical models. However, more complex models of the seismic response of various civil structures demand increasing amounts of computing power. In addition, computational cost greatly increases with numerous iterations to account for optimization and stochastic loading (e.g., Monte Carlo simulations or Incremental Dynamic Analysis). To address the large computational burden, simpler models are desired for seismic assessment with fragility analysis. Physics reinforced Machine Learning integrates physics knowledge (e.g., scientific principles, laws of physics) into the traditional machine learning architectures, offering physically bounded, interpretable models that require less data than traditional methods. This research introduces a PrML framework to develop fragility curves using the combination of neural networks of domain knowledge. The first aim involves clustering and selecting ground motions for nonlinear response analysis of archetype buildings, ensuring that selected ground motions will include as few ground motions as possible while still expressing all the key representative events the structure will probabilistically experience in its lifetime. The second aim constructs structural PrML metamodels to capture the nonlinear behavior of these buildings utilizing the nonlinear Equation of Motion (EOM). Embedding physical principles, like the general form of the EOM, into the learning process will inform the system to stay within known physical bounds, resulting in interpretable results, robust inferencing, and the capability of dealing with incomplete and scarce data. The third and final aim applies the metamodels to probabilistic seismic response prediction, fragility analysis, and seismic performance factor development. The efficiency and accuracy of this approach are evaluated against existing physics-based fragility analysis methods.
Engineering Zinc Ion Hybrid Supercapacitor Performance of Graphitic Carbon Nitride Embedded Iron Oxide (Hematite)
Authors: Yetiman Sevda , Kılıç Dokan Fatma , Aker Dilek , Özdemir Ahmet , Onses Mustafa Serdar , Yılmaz Erkan , Şahmetlioğlu Ertuğrul
Published: September 2024

Zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSC) gain high traction due to the prosperous unification of batteries and supercapacitors. Especially with graphene discovery nano carbonaceous materials have been the most investigated types in energy storage (ES) utilization including ZHSC. Among carbonaceous materials, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) possessing polymeric layers, quasi graphene arouses extreme interest due to its low-impact structure with economical yet chemical and mechanical stability inflicted by high nitrogen contents. Herein, we aim to examine the g-C3N4 doping effect on the electrochemical performance of hematite (α-Fe2O3) for ZHSC application. The assembled ZHSC device managed to reach the potential window of 2.0 volts with an efficient specific capacitance (Sc) of 280 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1. Moreover, the highest energy and power densities were 38.8 Wh kg-1 and 20 kW kg-1 respectively. With this remarkable efficiency, the α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 composite material can be considered a promising cathode material for ZHSC
Investigation of solution behavior of Differential Equations by Sumudu methods of random complex Partial Differential Equations
Authors: Merdan Mehmet , Merdan Merve , Şahin Rıdvan
Published: September 2024

In this study, solutions of random complex partial differential equations were found using the two-dimensional Sumudu transformation method(STM). The initial conditions of a deterministic equation or the non-homogeneous part of the equation are transformed into random variables to obtain a random complex partial differential equation. With the help of the properties of two-dimensional Sumudu and inverse Sumudu transformation, an approximate analytical solution of a complex partial differential equation with random constant coefficients was obtained by selecting a random variable with an initial condition of Normal and Gamma distribution. The probability characteristics of the resulting solutions, such as expected value and variance, were obtained and graphically shown with the help of the Maple package program.
Brunnipila calyculiformis (Schumach.) Baral: A Novel Record for Türkiye
Authors: Acar İsmail , Karabıyık Halide
Published: September 2024

The research subject of this study is a specimen of Brunnipila collected from the Biga (Çanakkale) district in 2024. The specimen, which is characterised by outward facing brown hairs and densely septate hairs with crystals on top, was identified as B. calyculiformis (Schumach.) Baral, as a new record for members of the Ascomycota in Türkiye, based on morphological characters in accordance with the data obtained from field studies and laboratory analyses. In this manuscript the macro- and micromorphological characteristics of the new record were described and illustrated. This new record will contribute to the macrofungal diversity of Türkiye and the distribution of the genus Brunnipila
Production of GeOx Films at Different Oxygen Flow Rates and Different Annealing Temperatures and Examination of Energy Band Gaps using Kubelka Munk Method
Authors: Özdemir Ayfer , Kızıl Şahide Gülizar , Senadim Tuzemen Ebru
Published: September 2024

In this study, GeOx films were grown on silicon substrates using the Radio Frequency (RF) Magnetron Sputtering method at different oxygen flow rates and annealing temperatures. The films were produced at a substrate temperature of 250°C and a working pressure of 13 mTorr. Subsequently, the films were annealed at temperatures of 300°C, 500°C, 600°C, 700°C, 900°C, and 1000°C. Total and diffuse reflection measurements were performed to investigate the optical properties of the films. Energy band gaps were determined using diffuse reflection measurements and they were calculated using the Kubelka-Munk method. It was observed that the energy band gap increased with increasing oxygen ratio. Additionally, annealing temperatures were found to cause changes in the energy band gaps.
Effects of Different Doses of Biochar Applications on Yield and Nutrient Element Concentrations on Wheat Grown under Salt Stress
Authors: Demirbaş Halil Göktan , Sönmez Osman , Demirbaş Ahmet , Kılıç Fatma Nur
Published: September 2024

In the study, the effects of different doses of biochar applications on the yield and nutrient uptake of wheat grown under salt stress in greenhouse conditions were investigated. The study was conducted in 2 kg capacity plastic pots with three replications using a random plot design. In the study, salt doses were applied as 0 dS m-1, 6 dS m-1 and 12 dS m-1 (in the form of NaCl), and biochar doses (BC) were applied as 0%, 0.5%, 1% and 2% W/W. At the end of the study, the dry matter yield of wheat plant and sodium (Na), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) concentrations were determined. Study results showed that BC applications increased the dry matter production of the plant, and the highest was obtained with 2% BC application at 6 6 dS m-1 salt dose, 1.85 g pot-1. However, due to increasing salt doses, BC applications had no effect on the phosphorus and potassium concentrations of the wheat plant, except for calcium, and decreases were determined in the average values. In the study, although all BC applications increased iron, zinc, manganese and copper concentrations compared to the control, when evaluated in terms of average values, decreases were detected in the microelement concentrations of the plant due to increasing salt doses
Effects of group-based versus individual physical exercise programs for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: R. de Jesus Júnior Everaldo , de L. Lopes Clécio , Gomes Neto Mansueto , De F. Dantas Glauko André , Mendes Maranhão Diógenes C. , D. de A. Angelo Fernando , Trombini-Souza Francis , A. da Silva Tarcísio F.
Published: September 2024

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease worldwide and is associated with a high rate of disability and poor quality of life. However, little is known about the therapeutic effects of group-based versus individual-based physical exercise protocols. Objective: To investigate the effects of individual versus group-based physical exercises on pain intensity and functional outcomes in people with knee OA. Methods: MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE, and PEDro databases were searched from the earliest date available to July 2023. Study quality was evaluated using the PEDro scale. Mean difference (MD), standardized mean difference (SMD), and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random effect model. Results: Six studies, with 763 patients, met the study criteria. Group-based physical exercises improved pain intensity (VAS 0-100) MD -17.2 (95% CI: -22.2 to -12.3), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale MD -0.54 (95% CI: -1.0 to -0.08), WOMAC function subscale MD -2.1 (95% CI: -4.1 to -0.08) compared to individual modality. No significant difference regarding muscle strength and exercise tolerance was found for participants in the group-based physical exercises compared with individual physical ones. Conclusion: Group-based physical exercise was more successful in reducing pain intensity and functional impairment in patients with knee OA than individual exercise programs. Both group-based and individual physical exercise programs enhanced muscle strength and 6-minute walk distance.
Improving the Foreshock Traffic Light Systems for Real-Time Discrimination Between Foreshocks and Aftershocks
Authors: Gulia Laura , Wiemer Stefan , Biondini Emanuele , Enescu Bogdan , Vannucci Gianfranco
Published: September 2024

After a moderate-to-large earthquake, Civil Protection, scientists, the population, and decision makers immediately ask: “Was this the mainshock, or is a bigger event yet to come?” According to the current state of the art, the probability that an even larger event will occur within five days and 10 km after a moderate earthquake is typically 5%. Recent work proposes that a more specific answer to this question is possible (Gulia and Wiemer, 2019). The method allows real-time discrimination between foreshocks and aftershocks in well-monitored regions. However, so far, some expert judgments are required to adapt the technique to the case-specific data, such as defining the overall magnitude of completeness and the duration of the short-term aftershock incompleteness. Here, we introduce and retrospectively test an improved version of the foreshock traffic light system (FTLS) approach that successfully overcomes the aforementioned limits using the b-positive estimator (van der Elst, 2021). With these improvements, an FTLS assessment can be fully automated as early as one hour after an M ≥6 event without requiring expert judgments. We also test the updated approach on six additional sequences; the results align with the FTLS hypothesis.
Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Muhasebe Dersine Yönelik Tutum ve Bakış Açılarının Başarı Faktörleriyle İlişkileri
Authors: Yaylalı İpek
Published: September 2024

Bu çalışmada İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi İşletme ve Yönetim Bilimleri Fakültesi lisans öğrencilerinin muhasebe dersine ilişkin tutum ve bakış açılarının başarı faktörlerini nasıl etkilediği ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır. Bununla birlikte öğrencilerin muhasebe dersine olan tutum ve bakış açılarının demografik özelliklere göre farklılık gösterip göstermediği de tespit edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Araştırmada anket yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Anket, İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi İşletme ve Yönetim Bilimleri Fakültesi Yönetim Bilişim Sistemleri, İnsan Kaynakları Yönetimi, Havacılık Yönetimi ve Bankacılık ve Sigortacılık programlarında öğrenim gören 399 öğrenci üzerinde uygulanmıştır. Elde edilen anket verileri SPSS 22 programında analize tabi tutulmuştur. Analiz sonuçlarına göre öğrencilerin, üniversite müfredatı kapsamında bulunan muhasebe dersine yönelik tutumlarının başarı faktörü üzerinde anlamlı bir etkisi olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Aynı zamanda bakış açılarının öğrencilerin başarı faktörleri üzerinde anlamlı ve pozitif yönde bir etkisi olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Gruplar arası fark testlerinin analiz sonuçları, mezun olunan lise türüne göre muhasebe dersine yönelik isteksizlik değişkeninin farklılık gösterdiğini ortaya koymuştur.
Erken Evlilik Yapmış Yaşlı Bireylerin Evlilik Deneyimleri Üzerine Bir Çalışma
Authors: Tuna Uysal Meyrem
Published: September 2024

Toplumsal bir sorun olan erken evlilik, bireyleri yaşamı boyunca fiziksel, bilişsel ve toplumsal olarak etkileyen bir deneyimdir. Bu deneyim her ne kadar çocuk yaşta yaşansa da bireyin gençlik, yetişkinlik ve yaşlılık dönemlerinde de önemli yansımaları bulunmaktadır. Çalışma erken evlilik yapan yaşlı bireylerin evlilik sürecindeki deneyimlerini ele almayı amaçlamaktadır. Burdur ilinde erken evlilik yapmış 8 yaşlı kadın ve 8 yaşlı erkek olmak üzere toplam 16 yaşlı katılımcı ile yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılarak yapılan çalışmada yüz yüze derinlemesine görüşme tekniği tercih edilmiştir. Katılımcılara, amaçlı örneklem kullanılarak kartopu yöntemiyle ulaşılmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda, katılımcıların erken evlilikleri baskı, zorluk ve korku olarak tanımladıkları, ekonomik yetersizlikler ve geleneksel kültürel kodlar nedeniyle evlilik yaptıkları belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca çalışmada katılımcıların erken evliğe karşı çıktıkları tespit edilmiştir.
Consumir moda lenta: ¿cómo la exclusividad y la equidad promueven el comportamiento de compra de moda sostenible?
Authors: Ramírez González Daniel Eduardo , Ortegón Cortázar Leonardo , Soler Mahecha Catalina
Published: September 2024

How to motivate sustainable fashion purchasing behavior is relevant to the success of sustainable ventures, products, and brands that requires further understanding. This study aimed to analyze the motivational factors that promote sustainable fashion purchasing behavior. To this end, a structural equation model was used to contrast the motivational factors of equity, functionality, localism, authenticity, and exclusivity, and their effects on sustainable fashion purchasing behavior based on a sample of 408 sustainable consumers. The results, after applying an exploratory and confirmatory methodology, suggest that exclusivity and equity are the key motivations to promote sustainable fashion purchasing behavior. The findings also indicate that functionality is a relevant factor, but does not necessarily favor sustainable fashion purchasing behavior.
An Early Management System for Subscriber Equipment Installation
Authors: Moorhead Simon
Published: September 2024

The Journal revisits an historic paper from 1970 detailing the introduction of a computer-based Subscriber Installation Management Control System.
Editorial: Operational AI
Authors: Campbell Leith H
Published: September 2024

This editorial provides some reasoning behind the decision to publish the Special Issue section on “Perspectives on Machine Learning”. It also outlines the other content of this September issue and introduces the new Managing Editor of the Journal to take over in 2025.
Exploring Digital Proficiency Among Mothers of School-going Children in Kerala
Authors: Arya V S , Sreejith S , Rekha Pillai
Published: September 2024

Early exposure to social and digital media in this digital age greatly influences children’s lives, leading to an increasing number of parents and educators becoming concerned about the potential negative effects of excessive screen time. By investigating mothers’ digital competencies as informal educators, this study fills a significant research gap. The paper emphasises women as mentors, highlighting their responsibility to supervise and guide their children’s use of digital devices in an era of pervasive connectedness. Using a modified version of the DigCompEdu framework, the study focuses on two essential elements: empowering children; and fostering their understanding of digital competence areas. A thousand homemakers from two wards of the Kochi Corporation area in the Ernakulam district, Kerala, India are included in the study. Discriminant analysis is used to identify four important skill areas that demonstrate significant group differences – between Novice, Basic, Independent, and Proficient user groups. Results imply that tailoring digital literacy programs to mothers’ varying proficiency levels can enhance their ability to navigate digital parenting effectively. Additionally, integrating sociodemographic factors into interventions can ensure relevance and efficacy in addressing digital competence disparities among mothers.
Feature-Level Fusion Multi-Sensor Aggregation Temporal Network for Smartphone-Based Human Activity Recognition
Authors: Raja Sekaran Sarmela , Pang Ying Han , Lim Zheng You , Ooi Shih Yin
Published: September 2024

Smartphone-based Human Activity Recognition (HAR) identifies human movements using inertial signals gathered from multiple smartphone sensors. Generally, these signals are stacked as one (data-level fusion) and fed into deep learning algorithms for feature extractions. This research studies feature-level fusion, individually processing inertial signals from each sensor, and proposes a lightweight deep temporal learning model, Feature-Level Fusion Multi-Sensor Aggregation Temporal Network (FLF-MSATN), that performs feature extraction on inertial signals from each sensor separately. The raw signals, segmented into equally sized time windows, are passed into individual Dilated-Pooled Convolutional Heads (DPC Heads) for temporal feature analysis. Each DPC Head has a spatiotemporal block containing dilated causal convolutions and average pooling, to extract underlying patterns. The DPC Heads’ outputs are concatenated and passed into a Global Average Pooling layer to generate a condensed confidence map before activity classification. FLF-MSATN is assessed using a subject-independent protocol on a publicly available HAR dataset, UCI HAR, and a self-collected HAR dataset, achieving 96.67% and 82.70% accuracies, respectively. A Data-Level Fusion MSATN is built to compare and verify the model performance attained by the proposed FLF-MSATN. The empirical results show that implementing FLF-MSATN enhances the accuracy by ~3.4% for UCI HAR and ~9.68% for self-collected datasets.
Winter Wheat Experiments to Optimize Sowing Dates and Densities in a High-Yielding Environment in New Zealand: Field Experiments and AgMIP-Wheat Multi-Model Simulations
Authors: Martre Pierre , Dueri Sibylle , Brown Hamish , Asseng Senthold , Ewert Frank , Webber Heidi , George Mike , Craigie Rob , Guarin Jose , Pequeno Diego , Stella Tommaso , Ahmed Mukhtar , Alderman Phillip , Basso Bruno , Berger Andres , Bracho Mujica Gennady , Cammarano Davide , Chen Yi , Dumont Benjamin , Rezaei Ehsan , Fereres Elias , Ferrise Roberto , Gaiser Thomas , Gao Yujing , Garcia-Vila Margarita , Gayler Sebastian , Hochman Zvi , Hoogenboom Gerrit , Kersebaum Kurt , Nendel Claas , Olesen Jørgen , Padovan Gloria , Palosuo Taru , Priesack Eckart , Pullens Johannes , Rodríguez Alfredo , Rötter Reimund , Ruiz Ramos Margarita , Semenov Mikhail , Senapati Nimai , Siebert Stefan , Srivastava Amit , Stöckle Claudio , Supit Iwan , Tao Fulu , Thorburn Peter , Wang Enli , Weber Tobias , Xiao Liujun , Zhao Chuang , Zhao Jin , Zhao Zhigan , Zhu Yan
Published: September 2024

This paper describes the data set that was used to test the accuracy of twenty-nine crop models in simulating the effect of changing sowing dates and sowing densities on wheat productivity for a high-yielding environment in New Zealand. The data includes one winter wheat cultivar (Wakanui) grown during six consecutive years, from 2012-2013 to 2017-2018, at two farms located in Leeston and Wakanui in Canterbury, New Zealand. The simulations were carried out in the framework of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project for wheat (AgMIP-Wheat). Data include local daily weather data, soil profile characteristics and initial conditions, crop measurements at maturity (grain, stem, chaff and leaf dry weight, ear number and grain number, grain unit dry weight), and at stem elongation and anthesis (total above ground dry biomass, leaf number per stem and leaf area index). Several in-season measurements of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the fraction of intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (FIPAR) are also available. The crop model simulations include both daily in-season and end-of-season results from twenty-nine wheat models.
User Sentiment Analysis Towards Islamic Banking Applications in Indonesia
Authors: Arif Lubis Fauzi
Published: September 2024

This study aims to analyze user sentiment towards Islamic banking applications in Indonesia, focusing on Islamic banking applications that have the lowest ratings on Google Playstore. The analysis was conducted to understand perceptions, satisfaction, and factors that influence user experience towards both applications in the context of Islamic economics. The research method used is a quantitative approach with sentiment analysis techniques on user reviews taken from Google Playstore. Data was collected by scraping user reviews and analyzed using the Natural Language Processing (NLP) method to identify positive and negative sentiments. In addition, descriptive analysis was used to explore the main themes that emerged in the user reviews. The results showed that the trust factor was the main contributor to positive sentiment, reaching 45.16% of the total positive sentiment. The feature factor was also significant, contributing 27.90%, while the Sharia aspect factor contributed 6.29%. The technical and service factors contributed 11.61% and 5.97%, respectively. These findings indicate that trust in the application, including security and integrity, as well as relevant features, is an essential element in shaping positive user sentiment. This study provides valuable insights for Islamic banking application developers and related parties to understand user needs and expectations. In addition, these findings highlight the importance of improving aspects of trust and application features to increase user satisfaction and loyalty. These findings contribute to the literature on Islamic economics and Islamic banking app development in the digital era and provide practical guidance to improve application performance in the Indonesian digital banking market.
Frequency of pulmonary hypertension in chronic kidney disease patients (stages 3, 4, 5) at a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Zahidul Islam M. , Akter Tania , Mijanur Rahman A. K. M.
Published: September 2024

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a challenging issue for health care providers and major burden for health care. Cardiovascular disease is a well-recognized and important source of mortality in a patient with chronic kidney disease. The aim of this study was to observe the frequency of pulmonary hypertension in chronic kidney disease patients at tertiary care hospital.
Methods: This cross sectional observational study was conducted in the Department of Medicine, Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka Cantonment, Bangladesh over a period of six months from 17th November 2019 to 16th May 2020.
Results: It was observed that majority, e.g., 28.0% patients belonged to age 41-50 years, mean age was found 41.4±9.7 years in Group-A and 42.1±8.5 years in Group-B. On evaluation of eGER, maximum patients (e.g., 61%) had <15 ml/min/1.73 m2, followed by 24.0% of patients had 15-29 ml/min/1.73 m2 and 15.0% case detected 30-59 ml/min/1.73 m2. Standard 2D, M mode echocardiographic was conducted in all patients. In this study, mPAP<25.0 mmHg was detected in 31 (62.0%) and 45 (90.0%) in group A and group B respectively. Overall prevalence of pulmonary hypertension was 24.0%. On comparison between groups, it is evident that frequency of pulmonary hypertension was predominant in patients with chronic kidney disease on maintenance haemodialysis than patients with chronic kidney disease without maintenance haemodialysis (38.0% vs. 10.0% respectively).
Conclusions: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is common in patients with chronic kidney disease and is an independent predictor of mortality.
Correlation between blood group and autoantibodies formation in multi-transfused thalassaemia patients
Authors: Al-Mamun A. B. M. , Ashadul Islam M. , Fatema Kaniz , Chakrabarty Tonusree , Islam Kashfia , Karim Tanzin Ara
Published: September 2024

Background: Thalassemia is a prevalent genetic disorder of hemoglobin synthesis, characterized by reduced production or absence of one or more globin chains, requiring frequent blood transfusions that can lead to complications such as autoantibody formation. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between blood group and the formation of autoantibodies in thalassemia patients who have received multiple blood transfusions.
Methods: This cross-sectional study at the Department of Transfusion Medicine, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, conducted from October 2017 to September 2018, included 384 thalassemia patients who received at least 10 units of red cell concentrate. Participants were selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, with informed consent obtained. Data collection involved patient interviews, clinical examinations, and hematological tests. Statistical analysis using SPSS version 23.0 included Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and t-tests, with significance set at p<0.05.
Results: Among 384 patients, the most common blood group was B+ (46.2%). Coombs' test results showed DCT positivity in 3.1% of 384 patients, ICT positivity in 7.5%, and both DCT and ICT in 4.2%. Most patients (92.3%) had their first transfusion after age 2, with 84.6% receiving transfusions every 2-4 weeks.
Conclusions: In conclusion, B positive blood group thalassemia patients receiving frequent transfusions are at a higher risk of autoantibody formation, and Rhesus phenotype-matched blood with pre-storage leukodepletion is recommended to mitigate this risk.
Multidrug resistance Acinetobacter species in ventilator associated pneumonia patients in MICU
Authors: Iravane Jyoti A. , Harbade Mangala S. , Shaji Eby P. , Onkari Amruta
Published: September 2024

Background: Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is defined as pneumonia that develops 48-72 hours after endotracheal intubation and is characterized by the presence of a new or progressive infiltrate, symptoms of systemic infection, respiratory distress, and the microbiological discovery of a causal agent. There is a substantial attributable death rate linked to VAP caused by Acinetobacter species.
Methods: A hospital-based retrospective study was conducted from June 2023 to June 2024 at GMCH, Aurangabad. Six hundred thirteen (613) endotracheal aspirate samples were obtained from patients admitted in intensive care unit. Semi-quantitative processing of the samples was done using accepted microbiological methods. According to CLSI guidelines, antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done.
Results: Out of 613 samples, organism isolated were Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Enterobacter cloacae. Thirty-seven (37) VAP cases were found from 613 samples; sixteen (16) of them (43%) developed VAP as a result of multidrug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii. Eleven (69%) of the sixteen VAP cases exhibited minocycline sensitivity. Nine out of 16 VAP cases (56%) had a fatal outcome as a result of the MDR Acinetobacter species.
Conclusions: According to this study, minocycline is the most effective drug against MDR Acinetobacter species. To lower mortality and morbidity in VAP patients, it is important to identify the organism and follow IPC procedures, which include hand hygiene techniques, bundle care approach, disinfections, screening of the patient's environment, development of an antimicrobial stewardship program, and frequent surveillance.
A comparative assessment of hand grip exercise and 6-minute walk test in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients
Authors: Kumar Toyaj , Verma Dileep , Singh Shraddha , Bajpai Manish , Srivastava Anand , Rao Ankita , Haque Shiraza , Gautam Pankaj
Published: September 2024

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading disease often under-discussed and underdiagnosed causing persistent and chronic obstruction of upper airways. Patients not only suffer respiratory dysfunctions but also, peripheral muscle dysfunction and atrophy leading to muscle fatigue, reduced muscle strength, and endurance impacting exercise capacity, physical activity levels, and decreased ability to perform daily tasks. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines highlight the need to enhance functional status through assessments like Hand Grip Strength and a 6-minute walk test. The study aimed at a comparative assessment of these exercises in COPD patients along with spirometry for diagnosis, and grading and to find out their combined advantages in COPD management.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 110 patients at the Department of Physiology, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, using a questionnaire, and both tests were performed on COPD patients to determine the effectiveness depending on the severity and spirometry results.
Results: The recruited patients were classified as per GOLD stages in 4 categories, as disease severity increased, functional and exercise capacity was reduced. There was a negative correlation between GOLD stages and 6-minute walk strength, maximum grip strength, and mean endurance time of COPD patients with r-values of -5.672, -6.874, and -5.879 respectively.
Conclusion: COPD patients suffer from functional dysfunctions and exercise limitations, early diagnosis is crucial to limit the severity, and functional tests can play a significant role in determining the health outcomes and improving the quality of life.
Mammography and ultrasound evaluation of palpable breast lesion with histopathological correlation
Authors: Kotiya Neha , Kardam Narendra Kumar , Gehlot Kushal Babu , Ola Sandeep Kumar , Choudhary Mayank
Published: September 2024

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. Histological examination enables us to confirm the findings of mammography and sonography of the breast. Although a definitive diagnosis is possible with imaging features, histopathology and cytology are generally performed for obtaining a confirmed diagnosis. Aim of the study was to evaluate the breast lesions according to BI- RADS by using two different radiological procedures (non-invasive method) with correlation of FNAC.
Methods: This hospital-based prospective study was conducted in RNTMC Udaipur. All patients were subjected to digital mammography on HOLOGIC M-IV mammography machine in which two imaging projections of each breast, craniocaudal (CC) and mediolateral oblique (MLO) views were taken.
Results: On mammography, out of 90, 80 had palpable masses and 10 occult. Ultrasound was able to detect 88 cases and was normal in 2. Out of 88 lesions detected on sonomammography, 58 were solid and the rest were cystic or predominantly cystic lesions. Majority masses were located in the upper outer quadrant of bilateral breasts (41 masses), followed by the retro-areolar region (15 masses) and the upper inner and lower outer quadrant (10 masses) each. In upper outer quadrant 22(53.6%) out of 41 of the masses were benign while the remaining were malignant 19 (46%).
Conclusions: We conclude that with the combination of two noninvasive procedures, mammography and ultrasound; we can almost achieve the accuracy of the FNAC (invasive procedure) in detecting breast malignancy.
Cognitive function in hypothyroid patients: a tertiary care-based cross-sectional study
Authors: Jamatia S. N. Naithok , Debbarma Aghore , Debbarma Mahendra , Debbarma Pranab , Debbarma Tanusri , Singnarpi Evatryn , Debbarma Bikash
Published: September 2024

Background: Estimation of cognitive impairment among hypothyroid individuals plays an important role in intervening in the disease progress at the earliest. The present study was conducted to measure the cognitive impairment in a hypothyroid state.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 260 sample of hypothyroid patients at Agartala Government Medical College Hospital from January to June 2024 using a case record form where pregnant state, acute illnesses, and co-morbidities were excluded. The General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition scale was used to measure the cognitive impairment. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used using SPSS vs 21.0.
Results: Out of 260 cases of hypothyroidism, 32.7% have cognitive impairment. Only 16.9% of the subjects with sub-clinical states showed cognitive impairment but 58% of them with visible clinical manifestations showed cognitive impairment (p-value .001). The cognitive function was more impaired among males (51.8%) than females (28.0%) which is found to be statistically significant (p-value .004).
Conclusions: The study concluded that every third person had cognitive impairment among hypothyroid patients. Clinical hypothyroidism, advance age, and males were associated with cognitive impairment. Newly diagnosed cases were found to show increased impairment.
Comparison of corneal ulcer size and depth measurement by slit lamp and anterior segment optical coherence tomography
Authors: Sharma Alok , Singh Arun Kumar , Gupta Alka , Sharma Kumudini , Maurya Rajendra Prakash , Gangwar Deepti
Published: September 2024

To evaluate the correlation between corneal ulcer size and depth measurements using slit lamp biomicroscopy and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).

A prospective, observational study was conducted on 100 patients with corneal ulcers at the Hind Institute of Medical Sciences after taking clearance from the ethical committee. Corneal ulcer parameters, including width, height, and depth, were measured and compared using both slit lamp biomicroscopy and AS-OCT.

The mean age of patients was 45.74±13.61 years ranging from 22 to 78 years. Majority of patients were males (75%). Right eye was involved among more than half of patients (65%) followed by left eye (35%). The length and depth of infiltrate was significantly (p=0.001) lower by SLIT LAMP than ASOCT method observed by both the observers. The breadth of infiltrate was significantly (p<0.05) higher by SLIT LAMP than ASOCT method observed by both the observers. Corneal thickness measured by ASOCT was significantly (p=0.04) lower evaluated by observer 1 (637.76±135.26) than observer 2 (640.66±130.16). Highly significant positive (p=0.0001) correlation was found between SLIT and ASOCT in all the measurements evaluated by both the observers.

AS-OCT provides accurate and non-invasive measurements of corneal ulcer depth, which is not possible with slit lamp biomicroscopy. The use of AS-OCT as an adjunctive modality can enhance diagnosis and management of corneal ulcers. This study highlights the utility of AS-OCT in monitoring disease activity and providing valuable imaging guidelines for clinicians.
Effect of trabeculectomy with mitomycin C versus ologen implant in reducing intraocular pressure: A comparative study in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma
Authors: Desinayak Naresh , Shree Pallavi
Published: September 2024

: To compare the efficacy of mitomycin C (MMC) and Ologen implant (OLO) as adjuvants in Trabeculectomy in patients with POAG in eastern India.

: It was a hospital based prospective randomized parallel group comparative study from November 2019 to April 2021. Forty eyes of forty patients of POAG with inadequate intraocular pressure (IOP) control were enrolled and randomly divided them into two groups of twenty. Group A (MMC) patients underwent MMC trabeculectomy, while Group B (OLO) patients underwent OLO trabeculectomy. All the cases were followed up post-operatively for six months, and the recorded IOP of each visit was analyses using software R 4.0.3 and R-studio.

: The preoperative IOP for the OLO group was 34.0 mmHg (IQR: 30.75 – 38.0), while for the MMC intervention group it was 36.50 mmHg (IQR: 31- 42). The difference in IOP between the two groups was insignificant (p= 0.24). On the first postoperative day, the IOP in the MMC group was 10.05 ± 3.65 mmHg and in the OLO group it was 10.35 ± 2.13 mmHg. Seven days after surgery, the mean IOP in MMC group was 9.45 ± 3.0 mmHg, while it was 11.50 ± 2.52 mmHg in the OLO group. One month after surgery, the mean IOP in the MMC group was 11.15 ± 4.25 mmHg, whereas it was 11.50±5.02 mmHg in OLO group. At 3 months postoperatively, the mean IOP in the MMC group was 12.25± 5.17 mmHg, while it was 12.70± 1.84 mmHg in the OLO group. Six months after surgery, the mean IOP in the MMC group was 10.50± 2.72 mmHg, whereas in the OLO group it was 13.35± 2.94 mmHg. In both the groups, there was significant reduction of IOP (p value < 0.05) observed in all postoperative visits.

: In trabeculectomy surgery on POAG eyes, the MMC and OLO implants both successfully lower IOP. Between the two groups, there was no statistically significant difference in the success rate.