bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mission Statements as a Basis for Reflection on the Priorities of the General Secondary School
Authors:   The Maria Grzegorzewska University in Warsaw, Dernowska Urszula
Published: March 2021

The article provides an analysis of general secondary school mission statements of 53 schools from the public sector in Warsaw. The purpose of the study was to gain a perspective on the school's priorities as defined by secondary schools themselves. The qualitative content analysis revealed that mission statements highlight the broad range of goals that the schools pursue. Some of these goals may be thought of in terms of educational results, while others may be seen as educational “inputs”. The obtained results show that schools share certain priorities, but there was also a range of “specific” objectives that the educational institutions pursue.
The Process of Educating Children and Young People in the Association of Catholic Scouting “Zawisza” Federation of European Scouting
Authors:   UKSW, Danecki Jerzy
Published: March 2021

Upbringing is an indispensable element of the growing up of children and youth. In the first years of life, it is the parents who exert the greatest influence on the child, trying to show the child what is right and what is wrong. Over time, when the child grows up, the parents are no longer alone in this difficult process, because they are helped by the school, the community of the Church and various associations to which children and young people can belong. This association includes the Association of Catholic Scouting "Zawisza" Federation of European Scouting. It is an association that follows a decades-old scouting tradition and is a movement based on the principles of the Roman Catholic religion.
The very Hungry Caterpillar: Story Reading as an Effective Strategy Toward Achieving Proficiency in Efl in very Young Learners
Authors:   Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia, Klapicova Edita Hornackova , Reister Megan ,   Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, USA
Published: March 2021

This article examines how the use of music, tangible objects, story-reading, hands-on activities, drama activities, and Readers Theater strategy can help very young learners to become proficient in English as a foreign language. The present study is based on an English lesson taking place in a kindergarten in Lower Austria. There were two target groups of three to six year old children, one consisting of 25 learners and one consisting of 24 learners. English as a second language was taught to them in a naturalistic way for the period of three years. The learners’ language skills and communicative competence in English were assessed through three different oral tests during the lesson. The results of the tests proved that the learners had already acquired a high level of proficiency in EFL as a result of the effective teaching strategies used in their English program and were capable of acquiring new vocabulary and meanings during the current English lesson.
К 125-летию со дня рождения лауреата Нобелевской премии академика Николая Николаевича Семенова Архитектура мезы и эффективность InGaP/Ga(In)As/Ge солнечных элементов
Authors: Калиновский В.С. , Контрош Е.В. , Гребенщикова Е.А. , Андреев В.М.
Published: March 2021

It has been shown that the mesa architecture and achieved quality of the mesa sidewall of concentrator multijunction solar cells ensured increasing their efficiency up to 36.7% at the sunlight concentration before 100 (AMO; 0.136W/cm²). Creation of the mesa structure architecture with following separation of epitaxial plates of monolithic InGaP/GaAs/Ge nanoheterostructure into chips was carried out by single step chemical wet etching in the HBr:H2O2:H2O (8:1:100) through a photoresist mask to the depth of 12-18µm. Conditions of single step etching, which ensure formation of a smooth and even side surface of the InGaP/Ga(In)As/Ge nanoheterostructure mesa containing different in composition and thickness layers have been determined. Determination of the activation energy has shown that etching occurs in the diffusion region of the heterogeneous process. In raising etchant temperature from 2 to 36˚C, a change of the tilt angle in the Ge substrate region from 4.5 to 25 angular degrees is observed, what allows optimizing the amount of concentrator solar cells and their quality at final mechanical separation of the epitaxial plate into chips.
Тепловое излучение абсолютно черного тела, движущегося в равновесном газе фотонов
Authors: Дедков Г.В. , Кясов А.А.
Published: March 2021

The dynamics, kinetics of heat transfer and the intensity of thermal radiation of an absolutely black body with its own temperature T1 moving at an arbitrary speed in an equilibrium gas of photons with its own temperature T2 independent of time are considered. Formulas are obtained for the spectral-angular and total radiation intensity, as well as for other quantities in the rest frame of the body and in the frame of reference of the photon gas. It is shown that at the initial moment the radiation intensity of spherical and disk-shaped particles of the same radius depends differently on the speed of motion and the ratio of temperatures T1 and T2. Then a quasi-stationary thermal state of bodies is established with an effective temperature depending on the velocity and temperature T2, the intensity of thermal radiation does not depend on the shape, and the kinetic energy is transformed into radiation. The characteristic time for the establishment of a quasi-stationary state is many orders of magnitude shorter than the characteristic deceleration time.
Восстановление зависимости радиационных потерь плазмы токамака по измеренному поперечному распределению излучения
Authors: Радченко В.И. , Ротман Д.Н.
Published: March 2021

Изложены теоретические основы определения плотности мощности электромагнитного излучения (радиационных потерь) в плазменном объеме, имеющем цилиндрическую симметрию, по данным для поперечного распределения мощности излучения, а также предлагаются методы решения этой задачи, которые сравниваются с известным методом Пирса. Ключевые слова: метод Пирса, метод разностного отношения, метод отрезков полос излучения, радиационные потери.
Исследование динамики формирования плазмоидов в гатчинском разряде
Authors: Zhao Shixin , Yuan Chengxun , Кудрявцев А.А. , Жеребцов О.М. , Шабанов Г.Д.
Published: March 2021

The results of studies of the Gatchina discharge carried out at the Harbin Technological University (China) are presented. The Gatchina discharge is mainly used to create an analogue of ball lightning in the ordinary atmosphere of a laboratory. Most of the research on this discharge by various groups of scientists is devoted to the study of the first phase of the discharge, when an electric discharge is galvanically coupled to an electrode. This is due to the fact that many researchers consider this phase of the discharge to be decisive for the subsequent long-term existence of an autonomous luminous formation - the second phase of the discharge. In this paper, in comparison with similar works, the leader-streamer process on the water surface was demonstrated more fully and with a better resolution. The use of the filter made it possible to better show the role of leaders, streamers, and the ionization region in the immediate vicinity of the water surface and to clarify some of the processes occurring in the autonomous phase of the discharge. In the wavelength range of 400-500 nm, the autonomous luminous formation showed a longer lifetime in the form of a spherical shape than when observed in "white" light. With a sharp increase in the amount of substance introduced to the cathode, a new physical effect was recorded, which consists in the fact that in the medium of an ordinary atmosphere, a complex formation of a white color is formed without losing contact with the electrode (cathode). By varying the electrical conductivity and initial voltage, an unexpectedly small luminous formation with a diameter of 15-17 mm was obtained for the first time, which was not previously observed in a Gatchina discharge. Key words: Gatchina discharge, plasmoid, long-lived luminous formations, plasma sheet, space charge, virtual cathode, ball lightning. By varying the electrical conductivity and the initial voltage, an unexpectedly small luminous formation with a diameter of 15-17 mm was obtained for the first time, which was not previously observed in the Gatchina discharge.
Модуляция магнитоупругой связи при ферромагнитном резонансе в пленках феррит-гранатов
Authors: Полулях С.Н. , Бержанский В.Н. , Семук Е.Ю. , Белотелов В.И. , Ветошко П.М. , Попов В.В. , Шапошников А.Н. , Чернов А.И.
Published: March 2021

Исследован низкополевой ферромагнитный резонанс в эпитаксиальных пленках ферритов-гранатов различного состава с анизотропией "легкая плоскость". В спектрах ферромагнитного резонанса, полученных путем частотной развертки, для ряда образцов обнаружена модуляция интенсивности спектральной линии набором узких, шириной порядка 100 kHz, равноотстоящих друг от друга по частоте линий. Частотный интервал между линиями согласуется с резонансом стоячих мод поперечных упругих колебаний по толщине структуры пленка-подложка для образцов разной толщины. Глубина модуляции уменьшается с увеличением частоты, что обусловлено зависимостью магнитоупругой связи от частоты моды упругих колебаний. Для одних образцов глубина модуляции уменьшается монотонно, а других --- осциллируя, что связано с сильным и слабым поверхностным закреплением спинов соответственно. Обсуждены влияние интерфейса пленка-подложка и гибридизация упругих и спиновых мод колебаний в условиях магнитоакустического резонанса. Ключевые слова: ферромагнитный резонанс, магнитоупругие взаимодействия, эпитаксиальные пленки феррит-гранатов.
Локальная структура медных центров в цеолите Сu-морденит, образованных в процессе твердофазного синтеза
Authors: Прядченко В.В. , Сухарина Г.Б. , Ермакова А.М. , Базовая С.В. , Курзина T.И. , Дурыманов В.А. , Толстопятенко В.А. , Срабионян В.В. , Авакян Л.A. , Бугаев Л.A.
Published: March 2021

Изучено влияние температурных условий синтеза на структуру ближнего окружения атомов меди в цеолитах Cu-морденитах, полученных методом твердофазного ионного обмена. С помощью двух взаимодополняющих методов --- спектроскопии рентгеновского поглощения и теории функционала плотности --- определены модели локальной атомной структуры активных центров меди в цеолите Cu-морденит при температурах 300 и 400oC. Установлено, что при 300oС среди ближайших соседей атома меди нет других атомов меди (одноцентровая модель), тогда как при 400oC структура центра содержит не менее двух атомов меди, формирующих мостиковые структуры типа Cu-O-Cu. Определены структурные параметры Сu-O-связей. Ключевые слова: цеолиты, мордениты, спектроскопия рентгеновского поглощения, метод DFT.
Мощные СВЧ-фотодиоды на основе гетероструктур InAlAs/InGaAs, синтезируемых методом молекулярно-лучевой эпитаксии
Authors: Журавлев К.С. , Гилинский A.M. , Чистохин И.Б. , Валишева Н.А. , Дмитриев Д.В. , Торопов А.И. , Аксенов М.С. , Чиж А.Л. , Микитчук К.Б.
Published: March 2021

Описаны конструкция и технологии изготовления мощных СВЧ-мезафотодиодов с барьером Шоттки диаметром от 10 до 40 μm и обратной засветкой через подложку на основе гетероструктур InAlAs/InGaAs/InP, выращиваемых методом молекулярно-лучевой эпитаксии. Рабочая частота фотодиодов диаметром 10 μm составляет 40 GHz, а максимальная выходная СВЧ-мощность на частоте 20 GHz для фотодиодов диаметром 15 μm достигает 58 mW. Коэффициент амплитудно-фазового преобразования составил 1.5 rad/W, что превосходит литературные данные и делает данную конструкцию фотодиодов перспективной для применения в системах генерации и передачи аналоговых СВЧ-сигналов с высокими требованиями к фазовым шумам. Ключевые слова: мощные СВЧ-фотодиоды, гетероструктуры InAlAs/InGaAs, барьер Шоттки, планарная технология.
Траекторный анализ в коллекторе с многоступенчатой рекуперацией энергии для прототипа гиротрона DEMO. Часть II. Тороидальное магнитное поле
Authors: Лукша О.И. , Трофимов П.А. , Мануилов В.Н. , Глявин М.Ю.
Published: March 2021

The results of modeling of a collector with four-stage recovery of the residual beam energy for the prototype gyrotron designed for the DEMO project are presented. For spatial separation of electrons with different energies, the azimuthal magnetic formed by a toroidal solenoid is used. An increase of the recovery efficiency and a decrease of the flow of electrons reflected from the collector are achieved by reducing the spread of radial position of the leading centers of electron trajectories at the optimal parameters of the toroidal solenoid, as well as by using a sectioned electron beam. Trajectory analysis of the spent beam with electron velocity and coordinate distributions close to those obtained in experiments with high-power gyrotrons showed the possibility of achieving an overall efficiency of the gyrotron higher than 80 %, which is close to the maximum efficiency at ideal separation of electron beam fractions with different energies.
Effects of an mHealth App (Kencom) With Integrated Functions for Healthy Lifestyles on Physical Activity Levels and Cardiovascular Risk Biomarkers: Observational Study of 12,602 Users
Authors: Hamaya Rikuta , Fukuda Hiroshi , Takebayashi Masaki , Mori Masaki , Matsushima Ryuji , Nakano Ken , Miyake Kuniaki , Tani Yoshiaki , Yokokawa Hirohide
Published: March 2021

Background

Mobile health (mHealth) apps are considered to be potentially powerful tools for improving lifestyles and preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD), although only few have undergone large, well-designed epidemiological research. “kencom” is a novel mHealth app with integrated functions for healthy lifestyles such as monitoring daily health/step data, providing tailored health information, or facilitating physical activity through group-based game events. The app is linked to large-scale Japanese insurance claims databases and annual health check-up databases, thus comprising a large longitudinal cohort.

Objective

We aimed to assess the effects of kencom on physical activity levels and CVD risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus in a large population in Japan.

Methods

Daily step count, annual health check-up data, and insurance claim data of the kencom users were integrated within the kencom system. Step analysis was conducted by comparing the 1-year average daily step count before and after kencom registration. In the CVD risk analysis, changes in CVD biomarkers following kencom registration were evaluated among the users grouped into the quintile according to their change in step count.

Results

A total of 12,602 kencom users were included for the step analysis and 5473 for the CVD risk analysis. The participants were generally healthy and their mean age was 44.1 (SD 10.2) years. The daily step count significantly increased following kencom registration by a mean of 510 steps/day (P<.001). In particular, participation in “Arukatsu” events held twice a year within the app was associated with a remarkable increase in step counts. In the CVD risk analysis, the users of the highest quintile in daily step change had, compared with those of the lowest quartile, a significant reduction in weight (–0.92 kg, P<.001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (–2.78 mg/dL, P=.004), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c; –0.04%, P=.004), and increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (+1.91 mg/dL, P<.001) after adjustment of confounders.

Conclusions

The framework of kencom successfully integrated the Japanese health data from multiple data sources to generate a large, longitudinal data set. The use of the kencom app was significantly associated with enhanced physical activity, which might lead to weight loss and improvement in lipid profile.
Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Patient Management at the Time of a Pandemic: The Role of Voice Technology
Authors: Jadczyk Tomasz , Wojakowski Wojciech , Tendera Michal , Henry Timothy D , Egnaczyk Gregory , Shreenivas Satya
Published: March 2021

Artificial intelligence–driven voice technology deployed on mobile phones and smart speakers has the potential to improve patient management and organizational workflow. Voice chatbots have been already implemented in health care–leveraging innovative telehealth solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. They allow for automatic acute care triaging and chronic disease management, including remote monitoring, preventive care, patient intake, and referral assistance. This paper focuses on the current clinical needs and applications of artificial intelligence–driven voice chatbots to drive operational effectiveness and improve patient experience and outcomes.
Classification Models for COVID-19 Test Prioritization in Brazil: Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Viana dos Santos Santana Íris , CM da Silveira Andressa , Sobrinho Álvaro , Chaves e Silva Lenardo , Dias da Silva Leandro , Santos Danilo F S , Gurjão Edmar C , Perkusich Angelo
Published: March 2021

Background

Controlling the COVID-19 outbreak in Brazil is a challenge due to the population’s size and urban density, inefficient maintenance of social distancing and testing strategies, and limited availability of testing resources.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to effectively prioritize patients who are symptomatic for testing to assist early COVID-19 detection in Brazil, addressing problems related to inefficient testing and control strategies.

Methods

Raw data from 55,676 Brazilians were preprocessed, and the chi-square test was used to confirm the relevance of the following features: gender, health professional, fever, sore throat, dyspnea, olfactory disorders, cough, coryza, taste disorders, and headache. Classification models were implemented relying on preprocessed data sets; supervised learning; and the algorithms multilayer perceptron (MLP), gradient boosting machine (GBM), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), k-nearest neighbors (KNN), support vector machine (SVM), and logistic regression (LR). The models’ performances were analyzed using 10-fold cross-validation, classification metrics, and the Friedman and Nemenyi statistical tests. The permutation feature importance method was applied for ranking the features used by the classification models with the highest performances.

Results

Gender, fever, and dyspnea were among the highest-ranked features used by the classification models. The comparative analysis presents MLP, GBM, DT, RF, XGBoost, and SVM as the highest performance models with similar results. KNN and LR were outperformed by the other algorithms. Applying the easy interpretability as an additional comparison criterion, the DT was considered the most suitable model.

Conclusions

The DT classification model can effectively (with a mean accuracy≥89.12%) assist COVID-19 test prioritization in Brazil. The model can be applied to recommend the prioritizing of a patient who is symptomatic for COVID-19 testing.
Epidemiology of Diphtheria in Yemen, 2017-2018: Surveillance Data Analysis
Authors: Moghalles Suaad Ameen , Aboasba Basher Ahmed , Alamad Mohammed Abdullah , Khader Yousef Saleh
Published: March 2021

Background

As a consequence of war and the collapse of the health system in Yemen, which prevented many people from accessing health facilities to obtain primary health care, vaccination coverage was affected, leading to a deadly diphtheria epidemic at the end of 2017.

Objective

This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of diphtheria in Yemen and determine its incidence and case fatality rate.

Methods

Data were obtained from the diphtheria surveillance program 2017-2018, using case definitions of the World Health Organization. A probable case was defined as a case involving a person having laryngitis, pharyngitis, or tonsillitis and an adherent membrane of the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nose. A confirmed case was defined as a probable case that was laboratory confirmed or linked epidemiologically to a laboratory-confirmed case. Data from the Central Statistical Organization was used to calculate the incidence per 100,000 population. A P value <.05 was considered significant.

Results

A total of 2243 cases were reported during the period between July 2017 and August 2018. About 49% (1090/2243, 48.6%) of the cases were males. About 44% (978/2243, 43.6%) of the cases involved children aged 5 to 15 years. Respiratory tract infection was the predominant symptom (2044/2243, 91.1%), followed by pseudomembrane (1822/2243, 81.2%). Based on the vaccination status, the percentages of partially vaccinated, vaccinated, unvaccinated, and unknown status patients were 6.6% (148/2243), 30.8% (690/2243), 48.6% (10902243), and 14.0% (315/2243), respectively. The overall incidence of diphtheria was 8 per 100,000 population. The highest incidence was among the age group <15 years (11 per 100,000 population), and the lowest incidence was among the age group ≥15 years (5 per 100,000 population). The overall case fatality rate among all age groups was 5%, and it was higher (10%) in the age group <5 years. Five governorates that were difficult to access (Raymah, Abyan, Sa'ada, Lahj, and Al Jawf) had a very high case fatality rate (22%).

Conclusions

Diphtheria affected a large number of people in Yemen in 2017-2018. The majority of patients were partially or not vaccinated. Children aged ≤15 years were more affected, with higher fatality among children aged <5 years. Five governorates that were difficult to access had a case fatality rate twice that of the World Health Organization estimate (5%-10%). To control the diphtheria epidemic in Yemen, it is recommended to increase routine vaccination coverage and booster immunizations, increase public health awareness toward diphtheria, and strengthen the surveillance system for early detection and immediate response.
Impact of the Protracted War in Yemen on the Acute Flaccid Paralysis Surveillance System: Retrospective Descriptive Analysis
Authors: Al-Dubaiee Riham , AL Qassimi Mutaher , Al-Dar Ahmed , Al Serouri Abdulwahed , Khader Yousef
Published: March 2021

Background

Highly sensitive acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance, which includes immediate case investigation and specimen collection, is critical for achieving global polio eradication. In Yemen, the Acute Flaccid Paralysis Surveillance System (AFPSS) was launched in 1998 to achieve the polio eradication target. Although Yemen was certified as a polio-free country in 2009, the protracted war since 2015 has placed the country at risk for polio reemergence.

Objective

The objectives of this analysis were to evaluate the performance of the Yemen AFPSS at both the national and governorate levels, and to assess the impact of the ongoing war on the performance.

Methods

Retrospective descriptive analysis was performed on Yemen secondary AFP surveillance data for the years 2014 (before the war) and 2015-2017 (during the war). Data comprising all children <15 years old reported as having AFP were included in the analysis. AFP surveillance performance was evaluated using World Health Organization–specified AFP surveillance indicators.

Results

At the national level, all indicators were met before and after the war except for “lab results received within ≤28 days,” which was unmet since the war erupted. Furthermore, the indicator “stool specimens arriving at a central level within ≤3 days” was unmet after the war but only in 2017. At the governorate level, although the indicators “adequacy” and “stool specimens arriving at the laboratory in good condition” were met before the war in all governorates, the former indicator was unmet in 9 (41%) governorates since the war erupted and the latter indicator was also unmet in 9 governorates (41%) but only in 2017.

Conclusions

The findings show that some AFP surveillance indicators were negatively impacted by eruption of the war in Yemen due to closure of the Sana’a capital airport and postponement of sample shipment to the reference laboratory, which remained under long-term poor storage conditions. To ensure rapid detection of polio cases, improving specimen collection, storage, and transportation, together with proper and timely shipment of specimens to the reference laboratory should be considered.
Mobile-learning experience to improve skills in the design of therapeutic exercise programmes in physiotherapy students: perception, satisfaction and students demand. (Preprint)
Authors: Pastora-Bernal José-Manuel , Moreno-Morales Noelia , Estebanez-Pérez María-José , Molina-Torres Guadalupe , Fernandez-Navarro Rocío , Martín-Valero Rocío
Published: March 2021

BACKGROUND

The use of mobile apps in health care is growing. Current and future practitioners must be equipped with the skills to utilize apps in patient care. The use of training tools in physiotherapy students presents low levels of barriers to its use and a high number of benefits for the student and the educator. One of the most widely used physiotherapy clinical skills, regardless of the clinical situation, is the design of therapeutic exercise programmes. No evidence is available using m-learning tools to design therapeutic exercise programme skills. This study evaluate the potential for m-learning in clinical skills acquisition using an exercise prescription app.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the students' perception as an innovative learning experience identifying aspects to be improved and their perception respect to traditional teaching.

METHODS

A descriptive study in five health sciences faculties in Spain during the 2018-2021 academic years. The use of the tool is carried out under the supervision of physiotherapy teachers in diverse disciplines. During this m-learning experience, students are engaged with didactic, workshop, and project-based experiences focused on finding, evaluating, and using the exercise prescription app in patient care. This app educational experience was integrated into different subjects.

RESULTS

m-learning tool to design therapeutic exercise programme is considered and innovative instrument (score 3.68 likert scale) that brings improvements in the learning of physiotherapy students with a high degree of satisfaction (average score 3.41 likert scale). Students demand more support from teachers and better mobile applications that allow them to self-learning and retrain their skills. It is considered a useful and necessary tool, compatible with traditional education.

CONCLUSIONS

Our research provides new knowledge using mobile innovative technologies enhancing learning skills. Students strongly recommend the use of the m-learning tool along the physiotherapy academic period.
Provider Perception of Frailty Is Associated with Dialysis Decision Making in Patients with Advanced CKD
Authors: Brar Ranveer S. , Whitlock Reid H. , Komenda Paul V.J. , Rigatto Claudio , Prasad Bhanu , Bohm Clara , Tangri Navdeep
Published: March 2021

Background and objectives

Frailty is common in patients with CKD. Little is known about the prevalence of frailty and its effect on prognosis and decisions surrounding dialysis modalities in patients with advanced CKD (eGFR<30 ml/min per 1.73 m2). Our objective was to determine the agreement between different frailty measures and physical function and their association with dialysis modality choice (home based versus in-center) and all-cause mortality in patients with advanced CKD.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements

Our study was a prospective, multicenter, cohort study. In 603 patients with advanced CKD, we collected demographics, comorbidities, and laboratory results in addition to objective (Fried frailty criteria) and subjective measures of frailty (physician and nurse impressions) and physical function (Short Physical Performance Battery). Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association of frailty with dialysis modality choice and all-cause mortality, respectively.

Results

The prevalence of frailty varied with assessment tool used (Fried frailty criteria, 34%; Short Physical Performance Battery, 55%; physician impression, 44%; nurse impression, 36%). The agreement between all frailty and physical function measures was poor. We had 227 patients reach kidney failure and decide on a dialysis therapy, and 226 patients died during a mean follow-up of 1455 days. After adjusting for age, sex, and comorbid conditions, the Fried criteria and Short Physical Performance Battery were associated with a two-fold higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.96; 95% confidence interval, 1.47 to 2.61 and hazard ratio, 1.96; 95% confidence interval,1.42 to 2.76, respectively). Patients deemed as frail by physician and nurse frailty impressions were three to four times more likely to choose in-center dialysis (odds ratio, 3.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.56 to 7.44; odds ratio, 3.87; 95% confidence interval, 1.76 to 8.51, respectively).

Conclusions

We found that the agreement between objective and subjective measures of frailty and physical function was poor. Objective measures of frailty and physical function were associated with mortality, and subjective measures of frailty were associated with dialysis modality choice.
‎INSERTION OF A CONTRA-CONTINUOUS FUNCTION BETWEEN TWO ‎‎COMPARABLE CONTRA-$\alpha-$CONTINUOUS (CONTRA-$C-$CONTINUOUS) FUNCTIONS
Authors: Mirmiran Majid , Naderi Binesh
Published: March 2021

‎A necessary and sufficient condition in terms of lower cut sets ‎are given for the insertion of a contra-continuous function ‎between two comparable real-valued functions on such topological ‎spaces that kernel of sets are open‎.
OCCURRENCE OF STABLE ROUGH FRACTIONAL INTEGRAL INCLUSION
Authors: Ibrahim Rabha W. , Jahangiri Jay
Published: March 2021

In the present paper, we generalize the Fredholm type integral operator, by using the fractional rough kernel. We also deal with the Ulam-Hyers stability for rough fractional integral inclusion and utilize the weakly Picard operator method as well as the generalized Covitz-Nadler ﬁxed point theorem.
FIXED-CIRCLE PROBLEM ON S-METRIC SPACES WITH A GEOMETRIC VIEWPOINT
Authors: Özgur Nihal Y. , Tas Nihal
Published: March 2021

Recently, a new geometric approach called the fixed-circle problem has been introduced to fixed-point theory. The problem has been studied using different techniques on metric spaces. In this paper, we consider the fixed-circle problem on S-metric spaces. We investigate existence and uniqueness conditions for fixed circles of self-mappings on an S-metric space. Some examples of self-mappings having fixed circles are also given.
MAHALANOBIS DISTANCE AND ITS APPLICATION FOR DETECTING MULTIVARIATE OUTLIERS
Authors: Ghorbani Hamid
Published: March 2021

While methods of detecting outliers is frequently implemented by statisticians when analyzing univariate data, identifying outliers in multivariate data pose challenges that univariate data do not. In this paper, after short reviewing some tools for univariate outliers detection, the Mahalanobis distance, as a famous multivariate statistical distances, and its ability to detect multivariate outliers are discussed. As an application the univariate and multivariate outliers of a real data set has been detected using R software environment for statistical computing.
THE WEIGHT HIERARCHY OF HADAMARD CODES
Authors: Farhang Baftani Farzaneh , Maimani Hamid Reza
Published: March 2021

The support of an $(n, M, d)$ binary code  $C$ over the set $\mathbf{A}=\{0,1\}$ is the set of all coordinate positions $i$, such  that  at  least two codewords  have distinct entry  in  coordinate $i$.  The  $r$th  generalized  Hamming  weight  $d_r(C)$,  $1\leq r\leq 1+log_2n+1$,  of  $C$  is  defined  as  the minimum  of  the  cardinalities  of  the  supports  of  all subset  of  $C$ of cardinality $2^{r-1}+1$.  The  sequence $(d_1(C), d_2(C), \ldots, d_k(C))$ is called the Hamming weight hierarchy (HWH) of $C$. In this paper we obtain HWH for $(2^k-1, 2^k, 2^{k-1}$ binary Hadamard code corresponding to Sylvester Hadamard matrix $H_{2^k}$ and we show that    $$d_r=2^{k-r} (2^r -1).$$ Also we compute the HWH of all $(4n-1, 4n, 2n)$ Hadamard code for $2\leq n\leq 8$.
SOLVING THE FUZZY INITIAL VALUE PROBLEM WITH NEGATIVE COEFFICIENT BY USING FUZZY LAPLACE TRANSFORM
Authors: Gültekin Çitil Hülya
Published: March 2021

In this paper, the fuzzy initial value problem with negative coeﬃcient is solved by using fuzzy Laplace transform and generalized diﬀerentiability. The solutions are found and the comparison results are given.
NEW FIXED POINT RESULTS FOR T-CONTRACTIVE MAPPING WITH c-DISTANCE IN CONE METRIC SPACES
Authors: Dubey Anil Kumar , Mishra Urmila , Singh Nirmal Kumar , Pandey Mithilesh Deo
Published: March 2021

In this article, we generalize and improve the results of Fadail et al.[Z. M. Fadail and S. M. Abusalim, Int. Jour. of Math. Anal., Vol. 11, No. 8(2017), pp. 397-405.] and Dubey et al.[AnilKumar Dubey and Urmila Mishra, Non. Func. Anal. Appl., Vol. 22, No. 2(2017), pp 275-286.] under the concept of a c-distance in cone metric spaces. We prove the existence and uniqueness of the fixed point for T -contractive type mapping under the concept of c-distance in cone metric spaces.
I-LOCALIZED SEQUENCES IN METRIC SPACES
Authors: Nabiev Anar Adiloğlu , Savaş Ekrem , Gürdal Mehmet
Published: March 2021

In this paper we have introduced the I-localized and the I^{∗}-localized sequences in metric spaces and investigate some basics properties of the I-localized sequences related with I-Cauchy sequences. Also we have obtained some necessary and sufficient conditions for the I-localized sequences to be an I-Cauchy sequences. It is also defined uniformly the I-localized sequences on metric spaces and its relation with I-Cauchy sequences has been  obtained.
HYPERBOLIC TYPE SOLUTIONS FOR THE COUPLE BOITI-LEON-PEMPINELLI SYSTEM
Authors: Yokus Asif , Durur Hülya , Ahmad Hijaz
Published: March 2021

In this paper, the (1/G')-expansion method is used to solve the coupled Boiti-Leon-Pempinelli (CBLP) system. The proposed method was used to construct hyperbolic type solutions of the nonlinear evolution equations. To asses the applicability and effectiveness of this method, some nonlinear evolution equations have been investigated in this study. It is shown that with the help of symbolic computation, the (1/G')-expansion method provides a powerful and straightforward mathematical tool for solving nonlinear partial differential equations.
The Levinson-Type Formula for a class of Sturm-Liouville Equation
Authors: Goktas Sertac , Mamedov Khanlar R.
Published: March 2021

The boundary value problem \[-{\psi}''+q(x)\psi={\lambda}^2 \psi, \quad 0<x<\infty,\] \[{\psi}'(0)-(\alpha_{0}+\alpha_{1}\lambda){\psi}(0)=0 \] is considered, where $\lambda$ is a spectral parameter, $ q(x) $ is real-valued function such that \begin{equation*} \int\limits_{0}^{\infty}(1+x)|q(x)|dx<\infty \end{equation*} with $\alpha_{0}, \alpha_{1}\geq0$ ( $\alpha_{0},\alpha_{1}\in \mathbb{R}$). In this paper, for the above-mentioned boundary value problem, the scattering data is considered and the characteristics properties (such as continuity of the scattering function $ S(\lambda) $ and giving the Levinson-type formula) of this data are studied.{\small \bf Keywords. }{Scattering data, scattering function, Gelfand-Levitan-Marchenko equation, Levinson-type formula.}
Preliminary screening, isolation and identification of microbial phytase producers from soil
Authors: Nagar Akshita , Kamble Asmita , Singh Harinder
Published: March 2021

Phytate is a widely found form of phosphate in plant seeds that can be hydrolysed by phytase enzyme to release phosphate and myo-inositol intermediates. Phytase has been mainly used in feed and aquaculture to reduce the anti-nutritional effect and eutrophication caused by phytate. The present study focused on preliminary screening, isolation and characterization of phytase producers from soil. A total of eleven soil samples were collected and screened by plate assay on phytase screening media followed by isolation of phytase producers to obtain pure cultures. Biochemical assays, 16s rDNA restriction fragment length polymorphism and 16s rDNA sequencing were performed for identification of phytase producers. The intracellular and extracellular phytase activity was measured by a modified Heinonen method at pH 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5. The activity of bacterial phytase producers (PSD5TSB, CD5, VD5 FD5O, FD2 and FD5T) was compared with the wild type Escherichia coli phytase. The optimum pH for enzyme activity from the soil isolates was observed at pH 5. From soil samples from eleven different sources, presence of bacterial phytase producers was confirmed in four soil samples by this preliminary screening method. The simple plate screening and activity assay helped in isolating phytase producers from soil, which can be used as potential candidates for phytase production.
Atrial fibrillation: the impact of anxiety and depression on patients' needs
Authors: Polikandrioti Maria
Published: March 2021

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, which is expected to expand enormously due to population ageing. The aim of the present study was to explore the significance of AF patients' needs and the associated factors as well as the impact of anxiety and depression on these needs. The sample of the study included 215 AF hospitalized patients. Data were collected by the completion of a questionnaire which, in addition to patients' characteristics, it also included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the questionnaire "Needs of hospitalized patients with coronary artery disease", that is evaluating the significance of the following 6 categories of needs: a) for support and guidance, b) for information from medical and nursing staff, c) for communication with other patients and family, d) for individualization of care and participation, e) to trust the medical and nursing staff and f) to meet emotional and physical needs. The statistical significance level was p<0.05. Of the 215 participants, 68.4% were men and 67.5% were > 60 years old. Moreover, 47.5% of the participants experienced anxiety and 29.5% depression. The need for support, to be informed and to trust the medical and nursing staff considered to be of high significance by the patients (median 29,20 and 6, respectively). Anxiety and depression were significantly associated with all patients' needs (p<0.05) apart from the need to meet the emotional and physical needs and the need to trust the medical and nursing staff, which were not associated with anxiety levels. In terms of patients' needs, those who reported to be little or not at all informed about their disease considered of a higher significance the need for support and guidance (p=0.030), the need to be informed and to trus the medical and nursing staff (p=0.001 and p=0.012, respectively) and the need for communication with other patients and family (p=0.007). The need for individualization of care and participation in it, was considered more significant by patients aged >70 years and those having no children (p=0.039 and p=0.029, respectively) while the need for communication with other patients and family was considered more significant by women (p=0.028). The present findings emphasize the importance of providing care tailored to meet the needs of AF patients who experience anxiety and depression.
IMAGENS CRESPUSCULARES: COLUMBANO E RAUL BRANDÃO NO PORTUGAL FINISSECULAR OITOCENTISTA
Authors: Valentim Jorge
Published: March 2021

Uma visão da arte do fim-de-século português: do declínio do Naturalismo ao despontar do Decadentismo. A pintura de Columbano e a ficção de Raul Brandão como casos tutelares do cenário português finissecular. Cores e sons na composição das cenas da vila/vida crepuscular. Antero de Quental e Húmus: diálogos intersemióticos na composição das imagens crepusculares portuguesas.
Sedimentabilidad de partículas floculentas en aguas con alto contenido de color y baja turbiedad, coaguladas con FeCl3 + PAC versus PAC
Authors: Fernández Javier , Montenegro Susana , Ledezma Cristina , Yanza Jeffrey
Published: March 2021

Las fuentes naturales con alto contenido de color y baja turbiedad, características de una fuente superficial de páramo, pueden limitar el proceso de una planta potabilizadora, ya que se genera una baja velocidad de sedimentación de los flóculos formados en el proceso de coagulación. El objetivo de este documento es presentar el resultado de la investigación realizada al comparar la sedimentación producida por la combinación de cloruro férrico (FeCl3) e hidroxicloruro de aluminio (PAC), usados como coagulante primario y auxiliar de coagulación, respectivamente, versus PAC como coagulante primario. El estudio se desarrolló a escala de laboratorio utilizando pruebas de jarras y un agua natural con las características previamente mencionadas. Para cada opción de tratamiento se determinaron las curvas de sedimentación y se ajustaron a regresiones lineales, las cuales fueron comparadas estadísticamente. Asimismo, para cada curva, se estableció la eficiencia y la turbiedad teórica para tres velocidades de sedimentación: 1.3 cm/s, 0.9 cm/s y 0.6 cm/s. Los resultados indicaron que los dos procesos eran diferentes (p=0.000) y que el uso de FeCl3+PAC genera mayores velocidades de sedimentación de las partículas floculentas y menores turbiedades residuales teóricas, lo que permite mejorar la eficiencia del proceso de sedimentación. El estudio concluyó que el uso de FeCl3 en combinación con PAC representa una mejor opción técnica en comparación con el PAC como coagulante primario, ya que además de permitir la optimización del proceso de sedimentación, podría ayudar a aumentar la filtración y reducir el consumo de agua de lavado de filtros.
Comparative effectiveness of dimethyl fumarate in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Bosco-Lévy Pauline , Debouverie Marc , Brochet Bruno , Guillemin Francis , Louapre Céline , Maillart Elisabeth , Heinzlef Olivier , Lignot Severine , Diez Pauline , Abouelfath Abdelilah , Lassalle Regis , Blin Patrick , Droz cecile
Published: March 2021

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of dimethyl fumarate (DMF) on
annual rate of relapse (ARR) and disability progression in multiple
sclerosis (MS) compared to injectable immunomodulators (IMM),
teriflunomide (TERI) and fingolimob (FTY), in real life setting.
Methods: A population-based cohort study was conducted using data of the
French nationwide claims database, SNDS. All patients initiating IMM,
TERI, FTY or DMF between July 1, 2015 and December 12, 2017, with 4.5
years of database history and 1 to 3.5 years of follow-up were included
in this study. DMF patients were 1:1 matched to IMM, TERI or FTY using a
high dimensional Propensity Score. Negative binomial regression and a
logistic regression models were used to estimate the relative risk (RR ±
[95% CI]) of ARR and the Odds Ratio (OR ± [95% CI]) of
disability progression, respectively. Results: Overall, 9 304 subjects
were identified: 29.0% initiated DMF, 33.2% TERI, 5.6% FTY and 32.2%
an IMM. The matched cohorts consisted of 1779 DMF- IMM, patients, 1679
DMF-TERI patients, and 376 DMF-FTY patients. DMF significantly reduced
ARR compared to IMM (RR 0.72 [0.61 - 0.86]) and TERI (0.81 [0.68 -
0.96]) and did not show any significant difference when compared with
FTY The risk of the progression of MS specific disability was not
significantly different for any matched cohorts. Interpretation: DMF is
associated with lower risk of relapse for patients with RRMS than other
first-line RRMS agents (TERI and IIM).
Upfront Neck Dissection in Chemoradiotherapy for p16-Negative Oropharyngeal Cancer with Neck Metastases: A Retrospective study
Authors: Fang Wei Chen , Lee Tsung Lun , Tai Shyh-Kuan , Chang Chia-Fan , Hsu Yen-Bin , Chu Pen-Yuan , Wang Yi-Fen , Yang Muh-Hwa , Chang Peter Mu-Hsin , Wang Ling-Wei
Published: March 2021

Objective: To determine the role of upfront neck dissection (ND) in
patient survival and regional control of p16-negative oropharyngeal
squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) with neck metastases. Design:
Retrospective study. Participants: Patients with p16-negative OPSCC with
neck metastases, diagnosed between January 1, 2011 and December 31,
2017, and treated with upfront ND followed by chemoradiotherapy (ND +
CCRT) or primary chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Main outcome measures:
Recurrence and survival rates were analysed using the Kaplan-Meier
method. Results: Data of 67 patients with p16-negative cN+ OPSCC were
analysed. Of them, 23 (34.3%) received ND + CCRT and 44 (65.7%)
received primary CCRT. At a median follow-up of 37.9 months, the 3-year
neck recurrence rate was significantly lower in the ND + CCRT group than
in the CCRT group (0% vs. 19%, p=0.031). This trend was more obvious
in patients with neck metastases ≥3 cm (0% vs. 32.1%, p=0.045).
Survival outcomes were comparable between the groups; notably, the ND +
CCRT group received a significantly lower dose of radiotherapy (3-year
disease-specific survival: 77.3% and 75.3%, p=0.968, respectively;
3-year disease-free survival: 77.3% and 70.1%, p=0.457, respectively;
3-year overall survival: 62% and 61.8%, p=0.771, respectively between
the ND + CCRT and CCRT groups). Conclusion: Upfront ND was significantly
beneficial for regional control and resulted in comparable oncological
outcomes with a significantly reduced radiation dose. These results
findings can help guide the development of a standardised treatment plan
for p16-negative OPSCC. Additional prospective studies with larger
sample sizes are warranted.
PATTERNS OF RESPONSE AND DRUGS INVOLVED IN HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS TO BETA-LACTAMS IN CHILDREN.
Authors: Torres-Rojas Isabel , Perez Diana , Somoza-Alvarez Maria Luisa , Diaz Elisa Haroun , Pfeifer Ana María Prieto-Moreno , Jimenez-Rodriguez Teodorikec , Fernandez Javier , Blanca Miguel , Canto Gabriela , Blanca-Lopez Natalia
Published: March 2021

Background Beta-lactams generate different allergenic determinants that
induce selective or cross-reactive drug hypersensitivity reactions
(DHRs). We aimed to identify the drugs involved, the selectivity of the
response, the mechanism, and the value of the different diagnostic tests
for establishing a diagnosis in children evaluated for DHRs to
beta-lactams. Methods Prospective study evaluating children aged under
16 years reporting DHRs to beta-lactams. Reactions were classified as
immediate and nonimmediate reactions. The work-up included sIgE, skin
testing and drug provocation tests (DPTs) for immediate reactions and
patch testing and DPTs for nonimmediate ones. Results Of the 510
included children, 133 were evaluated for immediate reactions and
confirmed in 8.3%. Skin test/in vitro IgE contributed to diagnosing
half of the cases. Selective reactions occurred with amoxicillin (63%),
followed by common penicillin determinants (27%) and cephalosporins
(0.9%). Among nonimmediate reactions (11,4% of the 377 children
evaluated), most required DPTs, 52.7% of which were positive at 6–7
days of drug challenge. Selective reactions were identified with
amoxicillin (80%), penicillin G (7.5%), cephalosporins (7.5%), and
clavulanic acid (5%). Urticaria and maculopapular exanthema were the
most frequent entities. Conclusions There were few confirmed cases of
either type of reaction. Skin testing proved less valuable in
nonimmediate reactions, over half of which would also have been lost in
a short DPT protocol. Selective responders to amoxicillin were more
likely to have nonimmediate reactions, while clavulanic acid-selectivity
was exclusive to the nonimmediate typology. Over half the cases with
DPTs required 6-7 days of treatment for DHR confirmation.
LEFT VENTRICULAR MYOCARDIAL NON COMPACTION IN A CHILD AFFECTED BY CRI DU CHAT SYNDROME
Authors: MARCI' MARCELLO
Published: March 2021

The following is a case report of an infant born with cri du chat
syndrome that has evidence of left ventricular non compaction . Cri du
chat syndrome is a rare association of growth retardation, intellectual
severe disability, hypertelorism and typical catlike cry, typically
combined to congenital heart defect, the occurrence of myocardial non
compaction among the associated cardiac anomalies has not been reported
so far.