bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analisis Motivasi Belajar Matematika Siswa di Era Pandemik Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19)
Authors: Indrastuti Devi , Hidajat Djatmiko , Wulandari Andhika Ayu
Published: June 2021

Pemanfaatan perkembangan teknologi sangat bermanfaat dalam dunia pendidikan. Terlebih lagi dengan mewabahnya virus Corona yang mulai memasuki Indonesia awal tahun 2020 ini. Oleh karena itu dunia pendidikan Indonesia yang semula dilakukan secara luring kini dilakukan secara daring. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui motivasi belajar Matematika siswa secara daring yang melibatkan 24 siswa pada salah satu SMA di Sukoharjo. Metode penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan deskriptif. Teknik pengumpulan data yang dilakukan peneliti yaitu melalui instrumen angket motivasi sebanyak 17 pernyataan dengan memanfaatkan Google Classroom. Pernyataan-pernyataan dalam angket merupakan pernyataan yang dijabarkan dari indikator-indikator mengenai motivasi belajar matematika siswa secara daring. Berdasarkan nilai rata-rata dan standar deviasi yang didapat dari hasil angket, menghasilkan rata-rata nilai 84,04 dan standar deviasinya 28,81. Berdasarkan batas kategori pencapaian hasil, 100% siswa tergolong memiliki motivasi belajar matematika secara daring yang Sedang. Selain itu, pengujian validitas menunjukkan bahwa semua item pernyataan angket tersebut valid karena rhitung > rtabel dan nilai Cronbach Alpha 0,91 yang artinya nilai terbut lebih besar dari nilai koefisien reliabilitas (0,60).

 

Technological development’s use is very useful in the education world. Moreover, the outbreak of Corona virus began to enter Indonesia in early 2020. Therefore, the education world in Indonesia was originally done offline but now being carried out online. This study aims to determine the students' motivation to learn Mathematics online involving 24 students at one high school in Sukoharjo. This research method is qualitative research with a descriptive approach. Data collection technique used by researchers 17 questionnaire instrument using Google Classroom. The statements in the questionnaire elaborated from indicators regarding student’s motivation to learn mathematics online. Based on the average value and standard deviation obtained from the questionnaire results, the average value is 84.04 and the standard deviation is 28.81. Based on the achievement category limit, 100% of students are classified as having middle online mathematics learning motivation. In addition, the validity test shows that all items of the questionnaire statement are valid because rcount> rtable and the Cronbach Alpha value is 0.91, which means that the value is greater than the value of the reliability coefficient (0.60).
Indonesian Political Kleptocracy and Oligarchy: A Critical Review from the Perspective of Islamic Law
Authors: Marwing Anita
Published: June 2021

This study discusses corruption in the Indonesian political system from Islamic law, particularly regarding the Kleptocracy and political oligarchy. One of the most basic corruption causes comes from an internal personality factor, human’s character; greedy and consumptive. Additionally, some factors also come from human external factors, namely the perpetrators' coercion because they are tied to a system. Corruption is carried out not only by individuals but also in cooperation/conspiracy between the bureaucracy and corporations and political parties. Elites called them Kleptocracy and political oligarchy. This research is descriptive qualitative research with an approach based on legal analysis. This research has found several things. First, corruption in the Indonesian political system can be categorized into acts of Ghulul (treachery), Risywah (Gratification/bribery), Khiyanah (Unfaithful), Sariqah (theft), and Hirabah (Grand Theft/ Robbery). Second. The strategy to eradicate corruption in an Islamic perspective can be carried out by imposing sanctions, including sanctions in the world's dimensions and the hereafter. This research encourages the strengthening of the socio-religious system, especially among religious leaders, as a preventive and curative form of handling corruption in the political system in Indonesia.Penelitian ini membahas tentang korupsi dalam sistem politik Indonesia dalam perspektif hukum Islam, khususnya tentang kleptokrasi dan oligarki politik. Salah satu faktor penyebab korupsi yang paling mendasar adalah faktor kepribadian internal yang tamak, rakus dan konsumtif. Selain itu ada faktor yang memberi pengaruh lebih besar yakni faktor yang datang dari luar diri manusia, karena korupsi yang terjadi dewasa ini kadang adanya unsur keterpaksaan pelaku sebab terikat dalam sebuah sistem. Korupsi saat ini tidak hanya dilakukan oleh perorangan melainkan dalam bentuk kerjasama/persekongkolan antara birokrasi dan korporasi serta para elit-elit partai politik yang disebut dengan kleptokrasi dan oligarki politik. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif deskriptif dengan pendekatan berdasarkan legal hukum analisis. Dalam penelitian ini menemukan beberapa hal. Pertama, korupsi dalam dalam sistem politik Indonesia dapat dikategorikan dalam perbuatan Ghulul (Berkhianat), Risywah (Gratifikasi/suap), Khiyanah (Khianat), Sariqah (pencurian), dan Hirabah (Pencurian Besar/Perampokan). Kedua. Strategi pengentasan korupsi dalam perspektif Islam dapat dilakukan dengan pemberian sanksi yang meliputi sanksi berdimensi dunia dan akhirat. Riset ini mendorong penguatan sistem sosio-religi terutama keadaan para pemuka agama sebagai bentuk preventif dan kuratif penanganan korupsi dalam sistem politik di Indonesia.
Incineration as a Means of CO2 Reduction
Authors: Chin Aleong Ashley Renae , Jagai Rodney R.
Published: June 2021

Incineration is a method of waste management, which is quickly taking a prominent role in munic ipa l authorities all over the world. The introduction of smokeless incinerators aids in decreasing adverse environmental impacts, making this technology a viable alternative to landfills.

Modern designs and advancements in incineration processes focus on enhancements in energy efficiency and reductions in emissions of CO2, thus creating an avenue for sustainable energy. It is a means to combat organic substances in waste and separate dangerous gases and particulates from flue gas. Modern incinerators have efficient emission control systems that use multiple techniques for the elimination, at source, of potentially hazardous emissions and automatically control the rate of combustion. Smokeless combustion can be achieved through a combination of temperature, time and turbulence.

The range of test incinerators used for this study covers a broad spectrum of usage reduces munic ipa l solid waste to a mere 0.3% of its original state. Reductions in CO2 are directly correlated to decreases in the amount of waste to be transported to off-site landfills, thus reducing the number of trips to and from same. Such reductions are in tandem with the goal of carbon neutrality, or rather, carbon net-zero, which requires the sequestration of an equal amount of CO2 produced. Comparisons are provided for reductions of CO2 as a result of the reduction in the burning of diesel by backload refuse trucks. Case studies are presented for communities with a significant general waste generation where CO2 emission from the waste pickup and transport to and from landfills are compared to that of CO2 emissions after the installation of a smokeless incinerator unit in a central community area. The most significant finding is that CO2 emissions are reduced by approximately 50% in most cases, with the introduction of these units. The introduction of these smokeless incinerator units can combat waste management woes in a shorter space of time, in parallel with achieving environmental targets such as that of Carbon Neutrality.
Transcriptomic Analysis in the Striatum Reveals an Involvement of Nurr1 in Social Behavior of Prenatally Valproic Acid-Exposed Mice
Authors: Kim Hyunju , Yang Eun-Jeong , Kim Han-Byeol , Jo Eun hwa , Woo Ran-Sook , Kim Seonghan , Hye-Sun Kim
Published: June 2021

BackgroundThe striatum of the basal ganglia is the major subcortical component of the mammalian forebrain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have implicated surface deformation of the striatum in the brains of patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their correlation with behavioral phenotypes. MethodsUsing RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), we analyzed transcriptome alteration in striatal tissues from 10-week-old prenatally valproic acid (VPA)-exposed BALB/c male mice. To investigate the relationship of Nurr1 with synaptic and social deficit, we activated the expression level of nuclear receptor related 1 protein (Nurr1) by i.p. injection of amodiaquine (AQ) for 2 weeks. Furthermore, we employed lentiviral system to inhibit the Nurr1 expression and provide evidence for the role of Nurr1 in social behavior. ResultsTranscriptomic analysis showed higher levels of genes related to synaptic function of neurons in striatal tissues from the prenatally VPA-exposed mice. Among those genes, Nurr1 expression was significantly upregulated. The treatment with AQ, which has been known to be a ligand for Nurr1, to saline-exposed mice mimicked social deficits and synaptic abnormality observed in prenatally VPA-exposed mice. Moreover, viral inhibition of Nurr1 markedly improved social deficits in prenatally VPA-exposed mice. LimitationsThis study did not identify the mechanism of how Nurr1 activation regulates striatum-related circuit. Identification of the mechanism will provide explanation for behavioral impairments in prenatally VPA-exposed mice.ConclusionsTaken together, these results suggest that the increase in Nurr1 expression in the striatum is a mechanism related to the changes in synaptic deficits and behavioral phenotypes of VPA-induced ASD mouse model.
A New Multi-objective Comprehensive Optimization Model for Design of Anti-slide Piles
Authors: Xu Chao , Xue Lei , Cui Yuan , Guo Songfeng , Zhai Mengyang , Bu Fengchang , Wang Haoyu
Published: June 2021

Landslides have posed a huge threat to the ecological environment and human society all over the world. As the most conventional reinforcement method, anti-slide piles are widely used in the reinforcement of slopes. Currently, more and more attentions have been paid to the low-cost and high-efficiency optimal design of anti-slide piles. However, limitations in the method of the optimization design for slope reinforced with piles still exist. In this paper, a new multi-objective comprehensive optimization method was proposed for the optimization of the slope reinforced with anti-slide piles. The factor of safety, internal force and deflection of piles were selected as the optimization indexes and the optimization index weight was determined by integrating the subjective and objective weight. The influence of the pile location, pile length and pile spacing on the reinforcement effect was analyzed by the numerical simulation. Through the simulation case analysis, the proposed model had achieved good effects on the optimization design of anti-slide piles, which could effectively reduce the engineering costs. The optimization results showed that the best reinforcement effect for the homogeneous slope could be obtained when the anti-slide piles with the critical pile length and small pile spacing was located in the middle of the slope. This provides a new solution for the optimization design of other types of complex slopes, and has broad application prospects.
Methods to support evidence-informed decision-making in the midst of COVID- 19: Creation and evolution of a rapid review service from the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools
Authors: Neil-Sztramko Sarah , Belita Emily , Traynor Robyn L. , Clark Emily , Hagerman Leah , Dobbins Maureen
Published: June 2021

Background

The COVID-19 public health crisis has produced an immense and quickly evolving body of evidence. This research speed and volume, along with variability in quality, could overwhelm public health decision-makers striving to make timely decisions based on the best available evidence. In response to this challenge, the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools developed a Rapid Evidence Service, building on internationally accepted rapid review methodologies, to address priority COVID-19 public health questions.
Methods

Each week, we receive requests from public health decision-makers and frame the prioritized topics into searchable questions. We develop and conduct a comprehensive search strategy and critically appraise all relevant evidence using validated tools. We synthesize the findings into a final report that includes key messages, with a rating of the certainty of the evidence using GRADE, as well as an overview of evidence and remaining knowledge gaps. Rapid reviews are typically completed and disseminated within two weeks.
Results

As of May 12, 2021, we have answered more than 29 distinct questions and completed 28 updates as new evidence emerged. Reviews receive an average of 200 downloads per week, with some reaching up to 5000. To date reviews have been accessed and cited around the world, and a more fulsome evaluation of impact on decision making is planned.
Conclusions

The development, evolution, and lessons learned from our process, presented here, provides a real-world example of how review-level evidence can be made available – rapidly and rigorously, and in response to decision-makers’ needs – during an unprecedented public health crisis.
Landscape -scale habitat associations in an urban Stock Dove Columba oenas population
Authors: Richardson James Elliot , Lees Alexander , Marsden Stuart
Published: June 2021

While some species are known to thrive in urban areas, urban expansion is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Columbids such as feral Rock Doves Columba livia domestica and Common Woodpigeon Columba palumbus have adapted extremely well to the urban environment in Europe and beyond, but the Stock Dove Columba oenas, a bird of farmland and woodland edge in the UK and of national conservation concern, is encountered far more rarely in urban areas. Here we explore the multi-scale landscape associations of the little-studied Stock Dove within the urban matrix of Greater Manchester, UK, as a step towards identifying its long-term conservation needs. We built a pilot model from historical citizen science records to identify potentially occupied patches within the city, and then surveyed these patches for Stock Dove during Spring 2019. We combined the survey results with citizen science records from the same period. We described the habitat and landscape characteristics of these patches using four variables at different scales and twelve unscaled variables. We used a three-stage random forest approach to identify a subset of these variables for interpretation and a subset for prediction for the presence of Stock Dove within these patches. Key variables for predicting Stock Dove presence were their relative abundance in the region immediately beyond the core urban area, the greenness (NDVI) of the environment around patches, and the canopy cover of individual trees over 20m high within patches. Stock Doves tended to be associated with habitats with more surface water during the non-breeding season than the breeding season. Our results highlight the importance of large trees within urban greenspace and the importance of softer boundaries around urban patches for Stock Doves. While Stock Dove share many traits with species that are successful in the urban environment, they remain relatively poor urban adapters.
NCC-BCBM, A Nomogram Prognostic Model In Breast Cancer Patients With Bone Metastases
Authors: Zhai Jie , Liu Qiang , Bai Ping , Wang Zhongzhao , Fang Yi , Wang Jing
Published: June 2021

Accurate prediction tools to facilitate risk stratification and therapeutic strategies for breast cancer patients with bone metastasis (BCBM) are lacking. We constructed and validated a new nomogram prognostic model, named NCC-BCBM, for breast cancer patients with bone metastasis using a large BCBM cohort from the SEER database. Clinical information for 8655 patients diagnosed from 2011 to 2013 was collected to develop the model. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomogram were evaluated by concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve. The model was further validated in an independent cohort of 4634 BCBM patient. The following clinical variables were enrolled in the final prognostic model: age, race, surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, laterality, grade, molecular subtype, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC T) stage, AJCC N stage and extra metastatic sites except bone. The C-index for the developed model in training cohort was 0.702 (95% CI, 0.696 to 0.709). The calibration curve for probability of 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival showed good agreement between prediction by nomogram and direct observation. C-index that validated in an independent cohort was 0.748 (95% CI, 0.737 to 0.759). We developed and validated a nomogram prognostic model for BCBM patients and it resulted in good performance.
Press needle for the Prevention of Aspiration Pneumonia in Elderly People: Study Protocol for a Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled trial.
Authors: Kaneko Soichiro , Kikuchi Akiko , Takayama Shin , Arita Ryutaro , Seki Yumika , Numata Takehiro , Kamiya Tetsuharu , Ishii Tadashi
Published: June 2021

Background: Pneumonia is the fifth most common cause of death among the Japanese, with 97% of deaths occurring among elderly people aged 65 years or older. The incidence ratio of aspiration pneumonia is high for elderly people. Therefore, prophylaxis is important in geriatric medicine. In our previous studies, we reported that stimulation to the acupoints at ST36 and KI3 of the lower limbs with press needle improved the swallowing function of patients with dysphagia. The improvement of swallowing function may prevent aspiration pneumonia. The aim of this study is to investigate the protective efficacy of using press needle stimulation in the lower limbs for aspiration pneumonia.Methods/design: This is a multi-center, randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. A total of 140 patients with cerebrovascular disorder with a history of aspiration pneumonia will be recruited from six centers and randomly assigned to either the real press needle group or the sham press needle group in a 1:1 ratio. The press needle will be replaced twice a week. Treatment will be administered bilaterally at acupoints ST36 and KI3. The primary outcome is the frequency of onset of aspiration pneumonia. The secondary outcome is improvement of the latent time of swallowing reflex (LTSR). The investigation period is of 12-month. The primary outcome will be evaluated throughout the period, and secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 1st month, 6th month, and at the end of the investigation period.Discussion: This study will evaluate the effects of press needle on prevention of aspiration pneumonia and improvement of swallowing function of patients. The results of this study will help support the prophylaxis of aspiration pneumonia.Trial registration: UMIN000023123, registered on July 12th, 2016; https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000026460
The Efficacy And Safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) To The Patient With Dizziness In Emergency Department — A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Chiu Chih-Wen , Lee Tsung-Chieh , Chen Chia-Yun , Lo Lun-Chien
Published: June 2021

• Background: A new way of heat treatment with far-infrared and / or acupuncture on acupoints is studied to treat the stubborn dizziness of patients.• Methods: A single-blinded 4-arms parallel randomized controlled trial is designed: arm of acupuncture, arm of far-infrared, arm of acupuncture plus far-infrared, arm of placebo with no far-infrared. There are four acupoints on left limbs and four acupoints on right limbs correspondingly, named as Neiguan (PC6), Hegu (LI4), Zusanli (ST36), and Taichong (LR3). The intervention time is 20 minutes for each. After treatment, visual analogue scale of dizziness, dizziness handicap intervention questionnaire and heart rate variability are used to measure and evaluate the results.• Discussion: This is a prior study in use of far-infrared and / or acupuncture on acupoints for the treatment of stubborn dizziness. It promotes the basis to further acupoints treatment according to the concept of traditional Chinese medicine.• Trial registration: It was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with number NCT04415307 on date June 1, 2020.
Wireless Home Automation System Using Wi-Fi And GSM
Authors: Stalin N. , Shobanadevi N.
Published: June 2021

In recent scenario the home automation system has rapidly evolved with specific advantages using internetand Wi-Fi. This paper based on the GSM technology used to send the very short message service to operate the devices connected in the common node. The home assisting software has installed in smart phone to make the system simple. A smart home automation system based on Zigbee wireless communication is used to monitor and control the devices which are connected to the common test bed simultaneously minimize the energy cost.
Polymeric Formulations of Liquid Inoculants with Rhizobia Exopolysaccharides Increase Survival and Symbiotic Efficiency of Bradyrhizobium Strains with Cowpea and Soybean
Authors: Farias Thiago Palhares , Soares Bruno Lima , D’Eça Claudio Sérgio Barbosa , Moreira Fatima M S
Published: June 2021

We studied the survival of four elite strains of Bradyrhizobium in liquid inoculants with three formulations with EPS extracted from other rhizobia genera, and their symbiotic efficiency, with soybean and cowpea, in a greenhouse. For this purpose, we verified the utility of formulations for maintaining the cell viability of strains by counting the colony forming units (CFU) per milliliter of the liquid inoculants with formulations over 90 days. Survival of the soybean inoculant strains, 29W and CPAC15, in the PEPS formulation had the largest number of CFU (> 1010 mL− 1) after 90 days. For the cowpea inoculant strains, INPA3-1B and UFLA3-84, the formulations REPS1 had the largest number of CFU (> 1010 mL− 1) after 90 days. Symbiotic efficiency in soybean of the formulations PEPS and REPS2 was higher than that shown by the commercial inoculant. For cowpea, the three formulations with EPS showed symbiotic efficiency bigger than that of the commercial inoculant.
Development of a Core Outcome Set for Clinical Trials of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Lung Cancer: a Study Protocol
Authors: Zhang Mingyan , Chua Hui Zi , Niu Bohan , Li Kai , Zhang Junhua
Published: June 2021

Background: Lung cancer (LC) is currently the leading cause of cancer death globally. LC accounts for a high mortality and incidence rate of cancer in both men and women. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy, though effective for some patients, have strong side effects and most of them only have palliative effect. Though many studies reported the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment on LC, the lack of methodological quality in clinical trials resulted in heterogeneous reporting of outcomes, making it difficult to compare and combine in different trials, limiting the validity of meta-analysis and reducing the value of clinical studies. A core outcome set (COS) could reduce outcome reporting bias and heterogeneity across studies of LC using TCM-related interventions. The aim of this study is to develop a standardized COS for LC in TCM clinical trials (COS-TCM-LC) to improve the methodological quality of TCM clinical studies to serve as a guidance in healthcare decision making for LC.Methods: The study has been developed according to the Core Outcome Set-STAandards for Development standards for the design of a COS study. The study process consisted 4 stages as follows: (1) Identifying a list of potential outcomes through systematic reviews of TCM RCTs and 2 clinical registry databases, qualitative surveys on patients and healthcare professionals to form an outcome pool and finally establishing a preliminary checklist of outcomes. (2) Selection of stakeholder groups. (3) Representatives of stakeholder groups will be invited to participate in a two-round Delphi survey. (4) A face-to-face consensus meeting will be held to determine the final COS-TCM-LC.Discussion: In this study protocol, we have followed the guidelines of COS-STAndardized Protocol (STAP) statement and checked the items in COS-STAndards for Developement (STAD). Developing a COS-TCM-LC will improve the quality of future RCTs on LC with the TCM interventions and promote better evidence-based clinical decision-making.Trial registration: This study is registered with the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials database as study 1483 (http://www.comet-initiative.org/studies/details/1483).
Application of Transversus Thoracis Muscle Plane Plus Rectus Sheath Block in the Perioperative Pain Management of Cardiac Surgery：Study Protocol of a Randomized Double-blind Controlled Trial
Authors: Luo Jierong , Lu Chengxiang , Zhou Haitao , Ou Guokun , Xu Lixin , Zheng Bin
Published: June 2021

BackgroundTraditional cardiac surgical anesthesia is characterized by the use of large doses of opioids, accompanied by side effects such as oversedation, respiratory depression, long ventilator duration, prolonged ICU stay, opioid tolerance, addiction, and postoperative delirium. Fast track cardiac anesthesia under the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) concept requires quick recovery, rapid extubation, reduced perioperative opioid dosage and shorter ICU stay. An emerging regional block technique, transverse thoracic muscle plane block (TTPB) covers the Thoracic 2-6 (T2-T6) intercostal nerves and recluse sheath block (RSB), which can effectively relieve perioperative pain during median sternotomy. Bilateral TTPB plus RSB is expected to be a new analgesic mode in perioperative thoracotomy.MethodsThis is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel controlled clinical trial. Eighty patients planning to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting or heart valve surgery via median sternotomy were randomly assigned 1:1 to the experimental group or control group. After general anesthesia, all subjects were injected with 0.3% ropivacaine (experimental group) or 0.9% normal saline (control group) 15ml (TTPB)and 10ml (RSB) on each side after insertion guided by B-ultrasound by anesthesiologist. The main outcomes were the threshold of incision pain and the total amount of analgesics used during the operation and 48h after the operation. Secondary outcomes were as follows: postoperative VAS score, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in ICU, and hospitalization cost. In addition, random assignment is a computer program that generates random results. Patients, operators, and evaluators were grouped in a blind manner.DiscussionThe TTPB plus RSB on transthoracic median incision heart surgery is just a ramification of nerve block anesthesia. Thanks to the visualization development of ultrasound, the safety factor of TTPB and RSB is greatly improved and the block effect is more accurate, which provides a guarantee for the application. This study will provide evidence-based medical evidence and clinical data support for the application of TTPB and RSB in cardiac surgery.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04838132. Registered 8 April 2021.Verson1.2. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04838132?term=NCT04838132&draw=2&rank=1
Evaluating the Implementation of a National COVID-19 Hospital Guideline in Wales
Authors: Jefferies Rhys , Ponsford Mark J , Barry Simon
Published: June 2021

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic created a unique situation where a national clinical guideline would address uncertainty, and provide a trusted source for up-to-date information and advice. We developed a dynamic online infrastructure together with a dedicated implementation team to deliver this at scale and pace. The guideline was implemented through a digital implementation framework (SIMPSI framework) deploying facilitators to maximise guideline adoption, particularly targeting senior clinical decision makers (consultants) involved with the care of COVID-infected patients across six Health Boards (HB) in Wales. Methods We evaluated guideline implementation using the Taxonomy of Implementation Outcomes Model. The primary outcome was consultant engagement, with a target of 193 registrations. We assessed wider impact through analysis of guideline platform activity and a user survey, with additional sensitivity analysis to derive penetration ratios, catchment population, clinical staff, acute beds, and COVID-19 admissions. ResultsThe guideline platform had 4521 total registrants, with over 170,000 page views during the first wave. We exceeded the target nearly six-fold (1159 consultant registrants). This represented 45% of all medical consultants in Wales, and made up the highest proportion of guideline registrants of all professional groups (23%, 1159/4521). We observed significant variation in guideline penetration across the six HBs, ranging from 31% to 74% of consultants registered. The HB with highest penetration had the most active guideline facilitator. The HB with the lowest penetration was the region first impacted and most affected by COVID-19 at the time of guideline publication (37% inpatients of peak, versus 10% or less for the other HBs). ConclusionWe utilised a digital implementation framework to construct a system that could be rapidly applied throughout all hospitals in Wales. Whilst we exceeded the intended target demonstrating full implementation, we identified two key factors to account for differences in the penetration rates across the different HBs. First, an experienced and active facilitator with the capacity to undertake the role was associated with significantly better penetration. Second, timeliness of implementation was crucial as evidenced by lower penetrance is the one HB that was impacted earliest by COVID-19 at the time of guideline dissemination. Nevertheless, the rapid implementation of the guideline has coincided with Wales demonstrating more favourable intensive care survival rates and maintaining one of the lowest mortality rates when compared to the UK as a whole for the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clinical Impact of Pharmaceutical Consultations in Patients Treated for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial (BPCObs study).
Authors: Hachemi Djamila , Leguelinel-Blache Géraldine , Bouvet Sophie , Roux-Marson Clarisse , Ray Patrice , Plouvier Nathalie , Kinowski Jean-Marie , Dubois Florent
Published: June 2021

BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an irreversible chronic respiratory disease whose evolution depends on the patient’s adherence to inhaler devices. Pharmacists may play a role in adherence to medication therapy in hospital and in primary care interacting with patients to provide advice on proper use. This paper presents the protocol for a randomized controlled trial conducted at a university hospital to assess the clinical impact of pharmaceutical consultations on COPD exacerbations, medical care, adherence to inhaler devices and quality of life. MethodsThis trial will include 226 COPD patients treated with inhaler devices: 94 in a control group with the usual hospital care, 66 receiving a pharmaceutical consultation at the hospital and 66 receiving several pharmaceutical consultations at their community pharmacy. The aim of these interventions is to inform patients about COPD and medication therapy, train them in the proper use of inhaler devices and make them aware of good therapeutic adherence. Patients will be randomized to either the control group or the experimental hospital group by the clinical pharmacist at the hospital. Community pharmacists will include patients in the experimental community group. All patients will be monitored for 12 months by their community pharmacists (CPs). The primary outcome is the mean number of COPD exacerbations. Secondary outcomes include the number of medical consultations, emergency visits and hospitalizations; patients’ adherence to inhaler devices and ability to use them and quality of life. DiscussionOur study is the first randomized controlled trial in France to assess the effect of pharmaceutical interventions on COPD exacerbations. Study limitations include patient recruitment and the CPs’ adherence to follow-up. Indeed, the success of this trial depends on the willingness of CPs to collect the data. However, we envisage this work as the first step towards building a network of CPs trained for clinical research. Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, NCT03704545. Registered on October 12th, 2018. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03704545?cond=COPD&cntry=FR&city=nimes&draw=2&rank=1
Abnormal Ship Behavior Detection after the Closure of AIS Based on Radar Data
Authors: Zhang Tao , Liu Chuanchang , Wen Bodong
Published: June 2021

In marine transportation, most ships are equipped with AIS devices. The AIS data sent by these devices can help maritime authorities to manage ships in relevant sea areas. However, AIS is a self-reporting system, when a ship is engaged in illegal activities, the AIS device may be turned off. Therefore, after the AIS is closed, if the ship's behavior during a certain period of time is different from the ship's behavior before the closure of AIS, the different behavior is likely to represent that the ship is conducting illegal activities. This behavior is considered abnormal and needs to be detected in time. Based on radar trajectory data, the detection of abnormal ship behavior is studied from two aspects: speed and direction. In order to improve the intelligent level of abnormal ship behavior detection, the abnormal speed behavior detection algorithm combined with rules and clustering (ASBD-RC) and the abnormal direction behavior detection algorithm combined with partition and the earth mover's distance (ADBD-PE) are proposed. The ASBD-RC algorithm can reduce the influence of noise and sea clutter on abnormal speed behavior detection. The ADBD-PE algorithm can effectively partition and identify trajectory segments with abnormal direction. In the experiment, based on the real and simulated radar trajectories, the abnormal behaviors of ships under different scenarios are generated. The experimental results show that in most scenarios, the ASBD-RC algorithm and the ADBD-PE algorithm can effectively detect abnormal ship behavior. And compared with other algorithms, the proposed two algorithms have better and more stable detection results.
A Homomorphic Encryption Based Location Privacy Preservation Scheme for Crowdsensing Tasks Allocation
Authors: Zheng Xiaodong , Yuan Qi , Wang Bo , Zhang Lei
Published: June 2021

In the process of crowdsensing, tasks allocation is an important part for the precise as well as the quality of feedback results. However, during this process, the applicants, the publisher and the authorized agency may aware the location of each other, and then threaten the privacy of them. Thus, in order to cope with the problem of privacy violation during the process of tasks allocation, in this paper, based on the basic idea of homomorphic encryption, an encrypted grids matching scheme is proposed (short for EGMS) to provide privacy preservation service for each entity that participates in the process of crowdsensing. In this scheme, the grids used for tasks allocation are encrypted firstly, so the task matching with applicants and publisher also in an encrypted environment. Next, locations used for allocation as well as locations that applicants can provide services are secrets for each other, so that the location privacy of applicants and publisher can be preserved. At last, applicants of task feedback results of each grid that they located in, and the publisher gets these results, and the whole process of crowdsensing is finished. At the last part of this paper, two types of security analysis are given to prove the security between applicants and the publisher. Then several groups of experimental verification that simulates the task allocation are used to test the security and efficiency of EGMS, and the results are compared with other similar schemes, so as to further demonstrate the superiority of proposed scheme.
Low Energy Routing Protocol for Oil and Gas Pipeline Internet of Things
Authors: Liu Miao , Huo Zhuo-Miao , Zhang Jie , Yao Rong , Sun Zhen-Xing
Published: June 2021

Nodes in the Internet of Things of oil and gas pipelines are linearly distributed according to the direction of pipelines, so it is difficult to realize timely and large-scale battery replacement. Therefore, effective energy management has always been a key factor restricting the performance of the IoT of oil and gas pipelines.In addition, the end-to-end delay determines the response time of pipeline safety accidents and is also a key parameter to improve the real-time performance of the network. Considering energy effciency and delay comprehensively, this paper proposes PIOT-LPRP (Pipeline Internet of Things - Low Power Routing Protocol) protocol. The remaining energy of nodes and the distance between nodes and sink nodes are used as indicators to select candidate forwarding nodes in opportunistic routing to achieve energy balance in the network. The use of energy collection technology to extend the service life of the network. By choosing the node which is far away from the transmission as the forwarding node, the number of hops of data transmission can be effectively reduced, so as to reduce the end-to-end delay of the network. The simulation results show that PIOT-LPRP can effectively take into account the network life and network latency, and improve the network performance, by comparing with the classical opportunistic routing protocol EXOR, the same type of protocol RE-OR, and the HER protocol using energy harvesting technology.
Analgesic Effect of a 5% Lidocaine Patch in Patients With Opioid Treatment-Resistant Neuropathic Cancer Pain
Authors: Tsai Jui-hung , Liu I-Ting , Su Pei-Fang , Huang Ying-Tzu , Chiu Ge-Lin , Chen Yu-Yeh , Lai Wei-Shu , Lin Peng-Chan
Published: June 2021

PurposeLimited efficacy has been observed when using morphine to treat neuropathic pain. Lidocaine patches reduce neuropathic pain in post-herpetic neuralgia, but their benefits for cancer-related neuropathic pain remain unclear. This study aimed to demonstrate a useful treatment for cancer-related neuropathic pain. The primary endpoint was pain intensity evaluated by the visual analog scale (VAS). The secondary endpoints were the pain relief score and the quality of analgesic treatment. MethodsWe assessed the efficacy and safety of lidocaine patches in patients experiencing neuropathic cancer pain. Terminal cancer patients with opioid treatment resistance participated in the 3-day study. ResultsThe results showed a statistically significant difference in the median VAS over three days (Kruskal-Wallis test, P<0.0001). The median VAS pain intensity from Day 1 to Day 3 was 4.0 with 95% C.I. (3.3, 5.0), 3.0 (2.5, 3.5) and 2.5 (2.0, 3.0), respectively. The difference between the median VAS pain intensities of any two days was statistically significant (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P < 0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference in the pain relief score or the quality of analgesic treatment. Conclusion﻿In this study, the 5% lidocaine transdermal patch reduced the VAS pain intensity in neuropathic cancer patients with morphine resistance. The transdermal patch is generally useful and well-tolerated.
Caffeine as a Pollution Marker for Shallow Groundwaters in a Peri-Urban Area of Campinas / São Paulo – Brazil
Authors: Rupias Osvaldo Jorge Brito , Pereira Sueli Yoshinaga , de Abreu Ana Elisa Silva , Marques Adriana , de Alencar Joana Miranda
Published: June 2021

The presence of emerging contaminants, including caffeine, in groundwater can represent an anthropogenic contamination that can impact human health. The present research aims to use caffeine as a wastewater pollution marker of shallow groundwaters in the peri-urban area of Campinas/SP. For a better evaluation of caffeine as an anthropogenic marker, more conventional markers were also analyzed, such as Cl-, NO3-, K+, B, NH4+, NO2- and DOC, and physicochemical parameters such as pH, Eh and EC. Two samplings campaign were done, the first in April (wet season) and the second in August 2019 (dry season), where 18 domestic wells, one sample from the river and one sample from an abandoned meander were selected points to collect water for physicochemical analysis. Nine wells and an abandoned meander waters were selected for the analysis of caffeine. Results show correlations between NO3- and Cl- indicating apport of domestic septic tanks sewage in groundwater. Caffeine, however, was detected in three samples and quantified in one during the wet season and was detected in two samples and quantified in one during the dry season. In the area, caffeine and nitrate have opposite behavior due to reducing conditions of the environment. The study area is rich in dissolved organic carbon, so the conditions for caffeine conservation are not ideal, because it degrades rapidly in groundwaters rich in bacteria and organic matter. Even in this scenario, caffeine was detected in groundwater in the study area, providing unambiguous evidence of anthropogenic pollution of the phreatic aquifer.
Concomitant Bilateral Intravitreal Injection of Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor: Experience in Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: ÖZEN SERKAN , Koc Hakan , Kaptı Hasan Burhanettin , Ozer Murat Atabey
Published: June 2021

Purpose: To report the concomitant bilateral intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injection preference rates of patients before and after the Covid-19 outbreak and to evaluate whether this practice is safe when compared to unilateral injection. Materials and Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective study including consecutive series of 198 eyes of 112 patients received bilateral same-day (concomitant) or unilateral anti-VEGF injections of bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and aflibercept in the operating-room between January 2020 and January 2021. One-year medical record data including preference of bilateral over unilateral injection and adverse events were reviewed with 3-month intervals as before and after Covid-19 pandemic due to the labile Covid-19 outbreak course.Results: A total of 504 injections with 234 concomitant bilateral (%46) were administered to 112 patients. The study group consisted of 58 neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD- 63.7% had bilateral nAMD), 46 diabetic macular edema (DME- 67.3% had bilateral DME) and 8 macular edema complicating retinal vein occlusion (RVO- 25% had bilateral RVO) patients. Of the injections, 156 (31%) were bevacizumab, 144 (29%) were aflibercept, and 204 (40%) were ranibizumab. The mean follow-up time per patient was 7.4 ± 4.3 months (range 4-11 months) and the mean number of injections was 3.6 ± 2.1 (range 2-10). None of the patients experienced serious vision-threatening complications or non-ocular adverse events. 85% of patients whose both eyes involved strongly preferred concomitant bilateral injection during Covid-19 pandemic while it was %35 before Covid-19 (P<0.001). The ratio of the number of concomitant bilateral injections to a total of injections increased from 30% to 57% after Covid-19 (P=0.03). Only 3 patients (2.6%) requested alternating unilateral injections after receiving the second concomitant bilateral injections.Conclusion: Concomitant bilateral injection approach was preferred by the majority of patients and did not increase the adverse event rate when applied under meticulous precautions; This intravitreal injection option may be preferred during still ongoing pandemic to reduce the clinical visits of patients at risk of Covid-19 related mortality due to their comorbidities and age.
System Lifetime and Performance Improvement in Wireless Sensor Networks by having Improved Energy Distributed Unequal Clustering Protocol
Authors: T Ashok , R Prabakaran
Published: June 2021

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is becoming a very important area of research in today’s world and contributes a lot in the field of technology. Reducing energy consumption and improving the network lifetime is the key factor to be considered.Clustering provides an effective way for prolonging the lifetime of a wireless sensor network. Current clustering algorithms usually utilize two techniques, selecting cluster heads with more residual energy and rotating cluster heads periodically, to distribute the energy consumption among nodes in each cluster and extend the network lifetime. Also, it comprises various sensor nodes to detect different parameters. Among those non-replaceable batteries plays a greater part. Hence the system with such networks is essential that the sensor nodes consume as little energy as possible.To address the problem, we propose anovel model namely enhanced energy distributed unequal clustering which is mainly utilized for tackling energy consumption issues in multi-hop remote sensor systems. In the proposed method with an area of base station and energy are given significance as clustering parameters. Because of these parameters, diverse nodes are assigned. Here, another methodology has been proposed to enhance the working of EDUC, by electing cluster heads considering several nodes in the neighborhood. The incorporation of the area data for calculation of the opposition radii gives better adjusting of energy in correlation with the current methodology. The technique utilized is of holding similar bunches for a couple of rounds and is successful in decreasing the clustering overhead. The execution of the proposed convention has been assessed under three distinct scenarios and contrasted and existing conventions through reenactments. The outcomes demonstrate that the proposed plan beats the current conventions regarding system lifetime and performances in all the scenarios in terms of delay, energy consumption, packet loss ratio, and packet received ratio.
Design of Two-Stage Differential Amplifier with Stacked Transistors for Biomedical Applications
Authors: Jain Prateek , Sharma Shambhu Dayal , Joshi Amit M.
Published: June 2021

In this paper, CMOS based optimized two stage differential amplifier circuit for convenient biomedical signal conditioning system is presented. A low-power, low noise & high CMRR differential amplifier is designed for portable ECG signal conditioning using MOS based low pass filter with stacked transistors. The stack transistors with MOS which is connected at output terminal optimize the design for ECG signal conditioning and other biomedical device signal conditioning. The presented amplifier is designed with standard 45nm CMOS process technology at a 0.85 V supply voltage. The simulation results are derived using Cadence Analog Virtuoso Spectre Simulator. The simulation results show that the presented differential amplifier has a common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of 178dB at 100Hz, power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of 68 dB and power dissipation of 1.5μW. The input referred (IR) noise is 3.83μV/√f and slew rate is 11volt/μsec. These obtained performance parameters is better and efficient compared to conventional differential amplifier. The noise performance is improved using proposed design compared to previous designed differential amplifier.