bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two-Dimensional Analysis of Digital Images through Vector Graphic Editors in Dentistry: New Calibration and Analysis Protocol Based on a Scoping Review
Authors: Rodríguez-López Samuel , Escobedo Martínez Matías Ferrán , Junquera Luis , García-Pola María
Published: April 2021

This review was carried out to analyse the functions of three Vector Graphic Editor applications (VGEs) applicable to clinical or research practice, and through this we propose a two-dimensional image analysis protocol in a VGE. We adapted the review method from the PRISMA-ScR protocol. Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched until June 2020 with the following keywords: Vector Graphics Editor, Vector Graphics Editor Dentistry, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Illustrator Dentistry, Coreldraw, Coreldraw Dentistry, Inkscape, Inkscape Dentistry. The publications found described the functions of the following VGEs: Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, and Inkscape. The possibility of replicating the procedures to perform the VGE functions was analysed using each study’s data. The search yielded 1032 publications. After the selection, 21 articles met the eligibility criteria. They described eight VGE functions: line tracing, landmarks tracing, linear measurement recording, angular measurement recording, image calibration, image overlay, file transfer, and vector graphics development. The features offered by the VGEs bring great precision and objectivity to two-dimensional image analysis. The image analysis and editing procedures are currently not protocolised. Thus, a protocol for image calibration and measurement recording is proposed in order to guarantee the protocol’s replication.
Active Transportation to School. Utopia or a Strategy for a Healthy Life in Adolescence
Authors: Loureiro Nuno , Marques Adilson , Loureiro Vânia , de Matos Margarida Gaspar
Published: April 2021

The way adolescents travel to school can be an important contribution to achieving their daily physical activity recommendations. The main objective of this research is to know which variables are associated with the mode of transportation used to and from school by Portuguese adolescents. The 2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children questionnaire was applied to 5695 adolescents with an average age of 15.5 (SD ± 1.8), 53.9% of whom were female. The associations were studied by applying χ2 tests and multivariate logistic regression models. In this study, 36.5% of the participants reported walking or cycling to school. Active transportation to school is associated with age (OR = 1.3; p < 0.05), sufficient physical activity (OR = 1.2; p < 0.05), adequate number of hours of sleep (OR = 1.2; p < 0.05), perception of happiness (OR = 1.2; p < 0.05) and living near the school (OR = 2.4; p < 0.05). The results revealed that adolescents’ choice to travel to/from school using an active mode of transportation increased with age, physical activity, hours of sleep, perception of happiness, and living near the school.
Predictors of Adolescent Depressive Symptoms
Authors: Malinauskiene Vilija , Malinauskas Romualdas
Published: April 2021

The present study expands the existing literature and supplements today’s knowledge on the relationship between personal, psychosocial and lifestyle factors and depressive symptoms among adolescents. The study aimed to investigate the variety of depressive symptoms predictors—personal resources, adverse school and family, health, lifestyle-related (sense of coherence, self-esteem, school involvement, negative acts at school, family stress and violence, psychosomatic health complaints, physical activity, smoking, alcohol) as well as gender, employing hierarchical linear regression analysis in a large representative sample of adolescents (N = 2212) in Kaunas, Lithuania. Four blocks of predictors were employed in hierarchical linear regression analysis. In the final model 64.9% of depressive symptoms were explained by all the predictors. Sense of coherence was the strongest predictor of depressive symptoms (standardized regression coefficient β = −605, p < 0.001 in the first model and β = −263, p < 0.001 in the final model after adjustment for all other independent variables) and accounted for 36.6% of variance. In conclusion, this study supports the notion that depressive symptoms among adolescents have multifactorial origins with many predictors showing significant effect seizes. Therefore, high sense of coherence and self-esteem, school involvement, higher levels of physical activity would be protective and influence lower levels of depressive symptoms among adolescents. Exposure to negative acts at school and negative experiences in the family, psychosomatic health complaints, smoking would increase the probability of depressive symptoms. Girls are more prone to depression as compared to boys.
Neuroinflammation in Post-Ischemic Neurodegeneration of the Brain: Friend, Foe, or Both?
Authors: Pluta Ryszard , Januszewski Sławomir , Czuczwar Stanisław J.
Published: April 2021

One of the leading causes of neurological mortality, disability, and dementia worldwide is cerebral ischemia. Among the many pathological phenomena, the immune system plays an important role in the development of post-ischemic degeneration of the brain, leading to the development of neuroinflammatory changes in the brain. After cerebral ischemia, the developing neuroinflammation causes additional damage to the brain cells, but on the other hand it also plays a beneficial role in repair activities. Inflammatory mediators are sources of signals that stimulate cells in the brain and promote penetration, e.g., T lymphocytes, monocytes, platelets, macrophages, leukocytes, and neutrophils from systemic circulation to the brain ischemic area, and this phenomenon contributes to further irreversible ischemic brain damage. In this review, we focus on the issues related to the neuroinflammation that occurs in the brain tissue after ischemia, with particular emphasis on ischemic stroke and its potential treatment strategies.
Weak Electromagnetic Fields Accelerate Fusion of Myoblasts
Authors: Adler Dana , Shapira Zehavit , Weiss Shimon , Shainberg Asher , Katz Abram
Published: April 2021

Weak electromagnetic fields (WEF) alter Ca2+ handling in skeletal muscle myotubes. Owing to the involvement of Ca2+ in muscle development, we investigated whether WEF affects fusion of myoblasts in culture. Rat primary myoblast cultures were exposed to WEF (1.75 µT, 16 Hz) for up to six days. Under control conditions, cell fusion and creatine kinase (CK) activity increased in parallel and peaked at 4–6 days. WEF enhanced the extent of fusion after one and two days (by ~40%) vs. control, but not thereafter. Exposure to WEF also enhanced CK activity after two days (almost four-fold), but not afterwards. Incorporation of 3H-thymidine into DNA was enhanced by one-day exposure to WEF (~40%), indicating increased cell replication. Using the potentiometric fluorescent dye di-8-ANEPPS, we found that exposure of cells to 150 mM KCl resulted in depolarization of the cell membrane. However, prior exposure of cells to WEF for one day followed by addition of KCl resulted in hyperpolarization of the cell membrane. Acute exposure of cells to WEF also resulted in hyperpolarization of the cell membrane. Twenty-four hour incubation of myoblasts with gambogic acid, an inhibitor of the inward rectifying K+ channel 2.1 (Kir2.1), did not affect cell fusion, WEF-mediated acceleration of fusion or hyperpolarization. These data demonstrate that WEF accelerates fusion of myoblasts, resulting in myotube formation. The WEF effect is associated with hyperpolarization but WEF does not appear to mediate its effects on fusion by activating Kir2.1 channels.
Functionalization of Synthetic Bone Substitutes
Authors: Busch André , Jäger Marcus , Mayer Constantin , Sowislok Andrea
Published: April 2021

Bone substitutes have been applied to treat osseous defects for a long time. To prevent implant related infection (IRI) and enhance bone healing functionalized biomaterials, antibiotics and osteoinductive substances have been introduced. This study gives an overview of the current available surface-coated bone substitutes and provides an outlook for future perspectives.
Decoy Technology as a Promising Therapeutic Tool for Atherosclerosis
Authors: Mahjoubin-Tehran Maryam , Teng Yong , Jalili Amin , Aghaee-Bakhtiari Seyed Hamid , Markin Alexander M. , Sahebkar Amirhossein
Published: April 2021

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been classified into several types of disease, of which atherosclerosis is the most prevalent. Atherosclerosis is characterized as an inflammatory chronic disease which is caused by the formation of lesions in the arterial wall. Subsequently, lesion progression and disruption ultimately lead to heart disease and stroke. The development of atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of approximately 50% of all deaths in westernized societies. Countless studies have aimed to improve therapeutic approaches for atherosclerosis treatment; however, it remains high on the global list of challenges toward healthy and long lives. Some patients with familial hypercholesterolemia could not get intended LDL-C goals even with high doses of traditional therapies such as statins, with many of them being unable to tolerate statins because of the harsh side effects. Furthermore, even in patients achieving target LDL-C levels, the residual risk of traditional therapies is still significant thus highlighting the necessity of ongoing research for more effective therapeutic approaches with minimal side effects. Decoy-based drug candidates represent an opportunity to inhibit regulatory pathways that promote atherosclerosis. In this review, the potential roles of decoys in the treatment of atherosclerosis were described based on the in vitro and in vivo findings.
Radiation Enhancer Effect of Platinum Nanoparticles in Breast Cancer Cell Lines: In Vitro and In Silico Analyses
Authors: Hullo Marie , Grall Romain , Perrot Yann , Mathé Cécile , Ménard Véronique , Yang Xiaomin , Lacombe Sandrine , Porcel Erika , Villagrasa Carmen , Chevillard Sylvie , Bourneuf Emmanuelle
Published: April 2021

High-Z metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are new players in the therapeutic arsenal against cancer, especially radioresistant cells. Indeed, the presence of these NPs inside malignant cells is believed to enhance the effect of ionizing radiation by locally increasing the dose deposition. In this context, the potential of platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) as radiosensitizers was investigated in two breast cancer cell lines, T47D and MDA-MB-231, showing a different radiation sensitivity. PtNPs were internalized in the two cell lines and localized in lysosomes and multivesicular bodies. Analyses of cell responses in terms of clonogenicity, survival, mortality, cell-cycle distribution, oxidative stress, and DNA double-strand breaks did not reveal any significant enhancement effect when cells were pre-exposed to PtNPs before being irradiated, as compared to radiation alone. This result is different from that reported in a previous study performed, under the same conditions, on cervical cancer HeLa cells. This shows that the efficacy of radio-enhancement is strongly cell-type-dependent. Simulation of the early stage ionization processes, taking into account the irradiation characteristics and realistic physical parameters in the biological sample, indicated that PtNPs could weakly increase the dose deposition (by 3%) in the immediate vicinity of the nanoparticles. Some features that are potentially responsible for the biological effect could not be taken into account in the simulation. Thus, chemical and biological effects could explain this discrepancy. For instance, we showed that, in these breast cancer cell lines, PtNPs exhibited ambivalent redox properties, with an antioxidant potential which could counteract the radio-enhancement effect. This work shows that the efficacy of PtNPs for enhancing radiation effects is strongly cell-dependent and that no effect is observed in the case of the breast cancer cell lines T47D and MDA-MB-231. Thus, more extensive experiments using other relevant biological models are needed in order to evaluate such combined strategies, since several clinical trials have already demonstrated the success of combining nanoagents with radiotherapy in the treatment of a range of tumor types.
Genomics of Viral Hepatitis-Associated Liver Tumors
Authors: Péneau Camille , Zucman-Rossi Jessica , Nault Jean-Charles
Published: April 2021

Virus-related liver carcinogenesis is one of the main contributors of cancer-related death worldwide mainly due to the impact of chronic hepatitis B and C infections. Three mechanisms have been proposed to explain the oncogenic properties of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection: induction of chronic inflammation and cirrhosis, expression of HBV oncogenic proteins, and insertional mutagenesis into the genome of infected hepatocytes. Hepatitis B insertional mutagenesis modifies the function of cancer driver genes and could promote chromosomal instability. In contrast, hepatitis C virus promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence mainly through cirrhosis development whereas the direct oncogenic role of the virus in human remains debated. Finally, adeno associated virus type 2 (AAV2), a defective DNA virus, has been associated with occurrence of HCC harboring insertional mutagenesis of the virus. Since these tumors developed in a non-cirrhotic context and in the absence of a known etiological factor, AAV2 appears to be the direct cause of tumor development in these patients via a mechanism of insertional mutagenesis altering similar oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes targeted by HBV. A better understanding of virus-related oncogenesis will be helpful to develop new preventive strategies and therapies directed against specific alterations observed in virus-related HCC.
Immunoglobulin-Storing Histiocytosis: A Case Based Systemic Review
Authors: Wiese-Hansen Hanne , Leh Friedemann , Lodvir Hemsing Anette , Reikvam Håkon
Published: April 2021

Crystal-storing histiocytosis (CSH) is a rare event in disorders associated with monoclonal gammopathy and is mostly associated with the accumulation of immunoglobulins (Igs) in the cytoplasm of histiocytes. In this article, we present a case of a 75-year-old female with IgG kappa monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and signs of a non-crystallized version of immunoglobulin-storing histiocytosis (IgSH) in a vertebra corpus. Furthermore, we performed a literature review based on all cases of storing histiocytosis identified by literature search between 1987 and 2020 and identified 140 cases in total. The median age at diagnosis was 60 years (range 18–91), with an equal sex distribution (51% men). The majority of the patients had an underlying neoplastic B-cell disorder, most often multiple myeloma (MM), MGUS, or lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL). The main affected organ systems or tissue sites were bone (n = 52), followed by head and neck (n = 31), kidney (n = 23), lung (n = 20), and gastrointestinal (GI)-tract (n = 18). IgG was the main immunoglobulin class involved, and most cases were associated with kappa light chain expression. We conclude that IgSH is a rare disease entity but should be considered with unusual findings in several organ systems associated with monoclonal gammopathy, especially with kappa light chain expression.
Use of the Renal Artery Doppler to Identify Small for Gestational Age Fetuses at Risk for Adverse Neonatal Outcomes
Authors: Contag Stephen , Visentin Silvia , Goetzinger Katherine , Cosmi Erich
Published: April 2021

Objective: To measure the sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) for an adverse neonatal outcome among growth-restricted fetuses (FGR) comparing the cerebral–placental ratio (CPR) with the cerebral–renal ratio (CRR). Methods: Retrospective analysis of 92 women who underwent prenatal ultrasound at the University of Maryland and the University of Padua. Renal, middle cerebral and umbilical artery Doppler waveforms were recorded for all scans during the third trimester. The last scan prior to delivery was included for analysis. We calculated the test characteristics of the pulsatility indices (PI) of the umbilical and renal arteries in addition to the derived CPR and CRR to detect a composite adverse neonatal outcome. Results: The test characteristics of the four Doppler ratios to detect increased risk for the composite neonatal outcome demonstrated that the umbilical artery pulsatility index had the best test performance (sensitivity 64% (95% CI: 47–82%), PPV 24% (95% CI: 21–27), and positive likelihood ratio 2.7 (95% CI: 1.4–5.2)). There was no benefit to using the CRR compared with the CPR. The agreement between tests was moderate to poor (Kappa value CPR compared with CRR: 0.5 (95%CI 0.4–0.70), renal artery PI:−0.1 (95% CI −0.2–0.0), umbilical artery PI: 0.5 (95% CI 0.4–0.7)). Only the umbilical artery had an area under the receiver operating curve that was significantly better compared with the CPR as a reference (p-value < 0.01). Conclusions: The data that we present do not support the use of renal artery Doppler as a useful clinical test to identify a fetus at risk for an adverse neonatal outcome. Within the various indices applied to this population, umbilical artery Doppler performed the best in identifying the fetuses at risk for an adverse perinatal outcome.
Influence of Chêneau-Brace Therapy on Lumbar and Thoracic Spine and Its Interdependency with Cervical Spine Alignment in Patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS)
Authors: Pepke Wojciech , El Zeneiny Aly , Almansour Haidara , Bruckner Thomas , Hemmer Stefan , Akbar Michael
Published: April 2021

Chêneau-brace is an effective therapy tool for treatment in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Data on potential interdependent changes of the sagittal profile including the cervical spine are still sparse. The purpose of this study was to evaluate in-brace changes of the thoracic and lumbar spine and their influence on the pelvis and the cervical spine and apical vertebral rotation was reported. Ninety-three patients with AIS undergoing Chêneau-bracing were included. Patients were stratified by lumbar, thoracic and global spine alignment into normolordotic vs. hyperlordotic or normokyphotic vs. hypokyphotic or anteriorly aligned vs. posteriorly aligned groups. The coronal Cobb angle was significantly decreased in all groups indicating good correction while in-brace therapy. Sagittally, in-brace treatment led to significant flattening of lumbar lordosis (LL) in all stratified groups. Thoracic kyphosis (TK) was significantly flattened in the normokyphotic group, but no TK changes were noticed in the hypokyphotic group. Pelvic tilt (PT) stayed unchanged during the in-brace therapy. Chêneau-brace showed marginal changes in the lower cervical spine but had no influence on the upper cervical spine. The apical vertebral axis in primary and secondary curves was unchanged during the first radiological follow-up. Results from this study contribute to better understanding of initial spine behavior in sagittal and axial plane in the context of bracing.
Local Climate Zone Mapping Using Multi-Source Free Available Datasets on Google Earth Engine Platform
Authors: Shi Lingfei , Ling Feng
Published: April 2021

As one of the widely concerned urban climate issues, urban heat island (UHI) has been studied using the local climate zone (LCZ) classification scheme in recent years. More and more effort has been focused on improving LCZ mapping accuracy. It has become a prevalent trend to take advantage of multi-source images in LCZ mapping. To this end, this paper tried to utilize multi-source freely available datasets: Sentinel-2 multispectral instrument (MSI), Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Luojia1-01 nighttime light (NTL), and Open Street Map (OSM) datasets to produce the 10 m LCZ classification result using Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Additionally, the derived datasets of Sentinel-2 MSI data were also exploited in LCZ classification, such as spectral indexes (SI) and gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) datasets. The different dataset combinations were designed to evaluate the particular dataset’s contribution to LCZ classification. It was found that: (1) The synergistic use of Sentinel-2 MSI and Sentinel-1 SAR data can improve the accuracy of LCZ classification; (2) The multi-seasonal information of Sentinel data also has a good contribution to LCZ classification; (3) OSM, GLCM, SI, and NTL datasets have some positive contribution to LCZ classification when individually adding them to the seasonal Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 datasets; (4) It is not an absolute right way to improve LCZ classification accuracy by combining as many datasets as possible. With the help of the GEE, this study provides the potential to generate more accurate LCZ mapping on a large scale, which is significant for urban development.
Comparison of Vertically Integrated Fluxes of Atmospheric Water Vapor According to Satellite Radiothermovision, Radiosondes, and Reanalysis
Authors: Ermakov Dmitry , Kuzmin Alexey , Pashinov Evgeny , Sterlyadkin Victor , Chernushich Andrey , Sharkov Eugene
Published: April 2021

The atmospheric advection of water vapor is one of the most important components of the planetary hydrological cycle. Radiosondes are a means for regular observations of water vapor fluxes. However, their data are sparse in space and time. A more complete picture is provided by reanalysis assimilating these data. However, a statistically representative check of the reanalysis estimates of the water vapor fluxes far from regularly operating weather stations is difficult. The previously proposed and developed method of satellite radiothermovision makes it possible to reconstruct the vertically integrated advective water vapor fluxes from satellite microwave radiometry. In this work, for the first time, the results of direct comparisons of long (5 year) time series of zonal vertically integrated daily water vapor fluxes based on the data of radiosondes, reanalysis, and satellite radiothermovision are performed and presented. It is shown that all the data series are statistically reliably correlated (at a confidence level of 0.995). The regression factor between the fluxes from reanalysis and satellite radiothermovision was close to 1, but with a noticeable bias (the latter were about 60 kg/(m·s) less on average). Grounds are given for the hypothesis that calculations based on satellite radiothermovision mainly characterize water vapor fluxes in the lower troposphere (up to heights of about 4 km). Its verification, as well as the analysis of the noted cases of violation of the correlation between the fluxes from satellite radiothermovision and reanalysis, requires further research.
Fabrication of Small-Pixel CdZnTe Sensors and Characterization with X-rays
Authors: Tsigaridas Stergios , Zanettini Silvia , Bettelli Manuele , Amadè Nicola Sarzi , Calestani Davide , Ponchut Cyril , Zappettini Andrea
Published: April 2021

Over the past few years, sensors made from high-Z compound semiconductors have attracted quite some attention for use in applications which require the direct detection of X-rays in the energy range 30–100 keV. One of the candidate materials with promising properties is cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe). In the context of this article, we have developed pixelated sensors from CdZnTe crystals grown by Boron oxide encapsulated vertical Bridgman technique. We demonstrate the successful fabrication of CdZnTe pixel sensors with a fine pitch of 55 m and thickness of 1 mm and 2 mm. The sensors were bonded on Timepix readout chips to evaluate their response to X-rays provided by conventional sources. Despite the issues related to single-chip fabrication procedure, reasonable uniformity was achieved along with low leakage current values at room temperature. In addition, the sensors show stable performance over time at moderate incoming fluxes, below 106 photons mm−2s−1.
Condiciones de trabajo de SIAHO en las universidades públicas de la Costa Oriental del Lago de Maracaibo
Authors: Borrero Manuel
Published: April 2021

El estudio buscó identificar las condiciones de trabajo de seguridad industrial, ambiente e higiene ocupacional en las universidades públicas de la Costa Oriental del Lago de Maracaibo. Metodológicamente, la investigación se tipificó como descriptiva, con diseño de campo, no experimental y transeccional. La población estuvo constituida por los trabajadores de mantenimiento y supervisores de SIAHO de las universidades bajo estudio. Para la recolección de datos se utilizó la encuesta mediante un cuestionario, conformado por 18 ítems con escala de frecuencia, validado a través del juicio de expertos y cuya confiabilidad (Alfa de Cronbach), fue de 0,96. El análisis de los datos se realizó mediante la estadística descriptiva, con base en la media aritmética. Se concluye que existe alta presencia para identificar las condiciones de trabajo inseguro, incidente, accidente de trabajo y orden – limpieza como condiciones bajo las cuales se realiza la ejecución de las tareas.
Literature review on Health Knowledge Management in the last 10 years (2009-2019)
Authors: Rosário Albérico Manuel Fernandes Travassos , Vilaça Filipa Isabel de Almeida Fernandes , Raimundo Ricardo , Cruz Rui Manuel Nunes
Published: April 2021

Health care institutions (HCI in further text) are in constant interplay with their context, generating ensuing opportunities and threats. Knowledge management has been paramount when it comes to integrating state-of-art technologies in order to improve system efficiency and decision processes in hospital management outputs. Thus, it is pivotal to explain the role of knowledge management in hospital management. Research of peer-reviewed articles published from 2009 to 2019, and obtained via the Scopus database, was carried out based on two key subjects, ‘knowledge management’ and ‘health care institutions’. The research was performed through a descriptive, quantitative and qualitative analysis of the most cited 47 scientific articles found in the SCOPUS database. We conclude that 'knowledge management' (KM in further text) has become an important research area in terms of HCI management. The article identifies the central themes in KM research in HCI. However, the area on KM literature is highly fragmented, requiring development. Based on an analysis of the collected literature, we identified the key research themes and resulting development patterns, namely, the integration and interoperability of knowledge from different sources into a single platform, occupational safety, the need to ascertain quality and pertinent information among general web information, culture and social behaviour and data security. We posit that KM effectively facilitates the utilization of healthcare information resources and management decision making in hospitals.
Comunidades profesionales de aprendizaje: de la gestión empresarial a la gestión educativa
Authors: Inga Sergio Morales
Published: April 2021

Desde finales de los años 80’s, la gestión educativa ha dado un vuelco de paradigma. Alguna vez basada en estrategias pedagógicas individualistas y jerárquicas, hoy defiende su carácter reflexivo y colaborativo. Originadas en la gestión empresarial, las comunidades profesionales de aprendizaje han demostrado un impacto positivo en gestión educativa. Mediante una exhaustiva revisión bibliográfica, la presente investigación explora la teoría de las comunidades profesionales de aprendizaje, analizando sus componentes principales: estructura organizativa flexible, liderazgo compartido, valores organizacionales, visión compartida y cultura escolar colaborativa. Finalmente, se discuten las implicancias de comprender el problema de la educación peruana desde una perspectiva organizacional.
Profile of fungal keratitis in a Sub-Himalayan territory of north India
Authors: Verma Anil Kumar , Sood Anuradha , Chauhan Anil , Tuli Rajeev , Jaryal Subhash Chand
Published: April 2021

Aim: To study the microbiological and epidemiological profile of patients with suppurative corneal ulcer presenting in a rural referral center situated in a Sub-Himalayan territory of north India. The study was conducted to evaluate the epidemiology and frequency of mycotic keratitis among the patients of suppurative corneal ulcer and to identify various fungal species as etiological agents.

Methods: Corneal scrapings from 56 patients of suppurative corneal ulcers were subjected to direct microscopy and culture.

Results: Of the 56 cases of suppurative corneal ulcer investigated, fungal etiology was identified in 18 (32%) cases. Most of the patients (82.1%) worked in agriculture. Trivial trauma with vegetative matter was the most common predisposing factor. Fusarium and Acremonium species were the most common fungi isolated, followed by Aspergillus. Four cases of rare mycotic keratitis caused by Paecilomyces lilacinus, Scedosporium apiospermum, Monilia sitophila, and Ulocladium species were detected. Four cases were smear positive (10% KOH wet mount) but culture negative. Analysis of KOH wet mount was done using culture as gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity of KOH wet mount was 71.43% and 90.48%, respectively.

Conclusion: Direct microscopy and culture has a greater diagnostic value in the management of suppurative corneal ulcer. The authors have observed changes in the pattern of organisms identified as cause of fungal keratitis in the region. Rare species of fungi may also be detected if corneal scrapings are collected for direct microscopy and culture from all the cases of suppurative corneal ulcers greater than 2 mm.
Empowered Mobility: Supply Chain Thinking for Youth in Foster Care
Authors:   Woodbury University, Richmond Deborah
Published: April 2021

The application of global container logistics to high mobility children, such as those in foster care, asks designers to consider an empathic, human-centered approach to an institutionalized system of involuntary mobility, which can result in as many as 3-4 family “placements” per year for some children. In spite of grim statistics for youth in foster care related to graduation, teen pregnancy, drug use and imprisonment, these children develop many positive resiliencies around adaptability, emotional intelligence, empathy and efficiency. Working with a non-profit serving youth in foster care in Watts, Los Angeles, called Peace4Kids, whose motto is “community as family,” the concept of a “mobile village” was born. Following their lead, paired with a deep understanding of consumer culture’s collective intelligence around moving goods through cities, an innovative strategy was used to create a literal delivery platform for educational programming, in partnership with other non-profits, around food equity, social justice and eventually other vocational skills such as apparel arts, machine arts, fine arts and early education.
Preserving What? Design Strategies for a Post-Revolutionary Cuba
Authors:   Marywood University, Shamanna Jayashree , Fuentes Gabriel ,   Marywood University
Published: April 2021

The Cuban Revolution’s neglect of Havana (as part of a broader socialist project) simultaneously ruined and preserved its architectural and urban fabric. On one hand, Havana is crumbling, its fifty-plus year lack of maintenance inscribed on its cracked, decayed surfaces and the voids where buildings once stood; on the other, its formal urban fabric—its scale, dimensions, proportions, contrasts, continuities, solid/void relationships, rhythms, public spaces, and landscapes—remain intact. A free-market Cuba, while inevitable, leaves the city vulnerable to unsustainable urban development. And while many anticipate preservation, restoration, and urban development—particularly of Havana’s historic core (La Habana Vieja)—”business as usual” preservation practices resist rampant (read: neoliberal) development primarily through narrow strategies of exclusion (where, what, how, and why not to build), museumizing Havana as “a city frozen in time.”Seeking a third option at the intersection of this socialist/capitalist divide, this paper describes 4 student projects from THE CUBA STUDIO, a collaborative Integrative Urban Studio at Marywood University’s School of Architecture. Over the course of 16 weeks, students in THE CUBA STUDIO speculated urban futures for a post-revolutionary Havana–strategizing ways of preserving Havana’s architectural and urban fabric in the face of an emerging political and economic shift that is opening, albeit gradually, Cuba to global market forces. And rather than submitting to these forces, the work critically engages them toward socio-cultural ends. Some driving questions were: What kind of spatial politics do we deploy while retrofitting Havana? How will the social, political, and economic changes of an “open” Cuba affect Havana’s urban fabric? What role does preservation play? For that matter, what does preservation really mean and by what criteria are sites included in the preservation frame? What relationships are there (or could there be) between preservation, tourism, infrastructure, education, housing, and public space? In the process, students established systematic research agendas to reveal opportunities for integrated“soft” and “hard” interventions (i.e. siting and programing), constructing ecologies across a range of disciplinary territories including (but not limited to): architecture, urban design, historic preservation/ restoration, art, landscape urbanism, infrastructure,science + technology, economics, sustainability, urban policy, sociology, and cultural/political theory. An explicit goal of the studio was to expand and leverage“preservation” (as an idea, a discipline, and a practice) toward flexible and inclusive design strategies that frame precise architectural interventions at a range of temporal and geographic scales.
Unlearning Architecture(s)
Authors:   Universidad Veritas, Delgado Ivan
Published: April 2021

Much of an architect´s training occurs by a process of elimination. We must unlearn many things to learn the new ones; in our particular Costa Rican educational context learning to produce correct architecture seems to start with the assumption that most of what we see in our cities is wrong. But when it comes to construction we move between two traditions: the academic one and the informal one. These traditions seem to dismiss each other, an architect would consider the products of informality ingenuous, a person operating within the informal tradition in need of the materialization of the preconceived idea of a house would normally consider an architecta luxury. According to the National Architectural College 23% of overall construction lacked permits in 2014, a percentage slightly higher than the previous year, this nevertheless renders only partial understanding the phenomenon. Which of the two traditions accounts for the majority of what is built in this country? What significant informal knowledge percolates to the present after a much longer presence than formal education and how is it transmitted? What role does representation play in the informal tradition ? are instructions drawn or narrated ?… How do architects unlearn what they do not understand in full? A house designed by the author in the rural North of Costa Rica functions as a catalyst for further investigation on how the upbringing of an architect collides with more traditional ways of building. In a village where, no other architect has practiced before the author discovers several categories of construction, from the temporary huts vendors use to sell fruits and milking parlors, to houses that have been built following traditional “recipes”. The house learns lessons of practicality from these structures and is informed by their aesthetics. It also employs the old“vara” (0.84 m) as the unit of measurement in an attempt to make itself communicable to local builders. In practice, due to the lack of skill for reading formal construction drawings, the instructions to build the house end up being narrated rather than read. This paper will study informal construction in Costa Rica which is symptomatic of Latin America in general particularly in rurality where it occurs the most. It will collect information from specific cases on how decisions where made and how they were transmitted, and will look for ways to hierarchize them in order to identify which are part of a basic set of instructions (or recipe, meaning there can be small creative variations of the ingredients) and which take place as more significant deviations from those instructions. It will also propose ways to convey the graphic implications of this information that is compatible with the inflections that occur in the orality of these particular context, and finally it will put forward a discussion on ways for an architect to learn from and operate within it, anticipating that our built environment takes shape as a trade-off between both traditions.
Finanzas públicas y empleo
Authors:   Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Soto Esquivel Roberto
Published: April 2021

En un entorno de crisis económica, las políticas de empleo son necesarias. No se busca sustituir el empleo privado, sino complementarlo. El salario asignado puede tomar como referente el salario tradicional que ofrece el sector privado. En el mediano plazo, un programa de este tipo puede sustituir a otros de corte asistenciales, que no combaten la pobreza, sino que simplemente la administran.
Una guerra fallida. Combatir la pobreza sin acometer las causas
Authors:   Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Veltmeyer Henry
Published: April 2021

¿Por qué la pobreza, uno de los problemas socioeconómicos más apremiantes para el desarrollo y la ética de la humanidad, no puede ser resuelta a pesar de que existen recursos suficientes para hacerlo? Para responder a esta pregunta, es necesario en primer lugar entender lo que significa “pobreza”, cómo se define y mide; en segundo, revisar las explicaciones dominantes sobre la problemática de la pobreza, particularmente aquéllas que se utilizan para orientar las intervenciones de las instituciones internacionales de desarrollo y la mayoría de los gobiernos nacionales; y, en tercer lugar, examinar cuáles acciones se han llevado a cabo, y cuáles no, en la lucha contra la pobreza.
Mitos de la reforma laboral en México
Authors:   Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, López Bolaños Alejandro
Published: April 2021

En los últimos años, la reforma laboral, que permita formas más flexibles de contratación, ha sido presentada como condición necesaria para alentar el crecimiento económico y reducir el desempleo, además de incrementar la productividad empresarial, diversificar las oportunidades de empleo y aumentar la inversión extranjera.
Ayudas a la banca en la Eurozona: socializar pérdidas y privatizar beneficios
Authors:   Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Casais Padilla Enrique
Published: April 2021

La crisis e incertidumbre que padece el sector financiero mundial en 2012 es de tal magnitud que, para muchos expertos, el “tsunami” que pudiera desencadenarse sería mucho más grave que el ocurrido en 2008 con la quiebra de Lehman Brothers. La “barra libre” de liquidez para las principales entidades financieras iniciada por la Reserva Federal de Estados Unidos (FED) ha tenido continuidad por el Banco Central Europeo (BCE) en la Eurozona en 2011 y 2012. No obstante, estas billonarias ayudas concedidas sólo suponen alivios temporales, que en ningún caso van a arreglar los graves problemas de las principales entidades mundiales, mientras se legitiman beneficios especulativos obtenidos durante el periodo de auge que, una vez más, deberán ser soportados por los contribuyentes.
MANAGEMENT OF SEVERE PREECLAMPSIA IN COMPLETE HEART BLOCK: A RARE COMBINATION
Authors: Singh Anju , P Sivaranjani , Singla Rimpi , Khanal Suraj
Published: April 2021

Complete heart block is rare during pregnancy. It may be congenital or acquired. There are no proper guidelines regarding its management, posing a great challenge for obstetricians .It is further compounded, if it is associated with severe preeclampsia. Normal physiological hemodynamics and cardiac changes pose challenges in the setting of cardiac lesions like congenital heart block .When it is associated with preeclampsia it has profound effects over the cardiac function. Pregnancy with rare combination of complete heart block and severe preeclampsia warrants cautious use of antihypertensive drugs and pacemaker implantation. Commonly used antihypertensives drugs like labetalol used as the rst line of treatment in preeclampsia is contraindicated in case of complete heart block. Here we present challenges faced and its management by a multidisciplinary team when a case of complete heart block associated with severe preeclampsia reported in emergency at term gestation
ADHESIVE GLUE Vs SUBCUTICULAR SUTURING IN THYROIDECTOMY
Authors: K N Anil Kumar , Kumar H Ashwin
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND: Suturing has been the commonest method of surgical wound closure that is being practiced because of good results of skin closure. With adhesive glue being an alternative for skin closure which is less time consuming, comfortable, without the risk of needle prick injury and leaves behind a cosmetically acceptable scar. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to compare subcuticular suturing versus adhesive glue for skin closure in thyroidectomy with respect to clinical outcome which included postoperative pain, wound complications, wound dehiscence and cosmesis. MATERIALAND METHODS: This prospective study of 100 cases of skin closure using subcuticular suturing versus adhesive in thyroidectomy was carried out at BGS Global institute of medical science and Hospital, Bangalore with the aim of comparing suturing versus adhesive glue, with respect to clinical outcome which included postoperative pain, wound complications, wound dehiscence and cosmesis. RESULT: 100 patients divided into 2 groups, randomly underwent subcuticular suturing and adhesive glue skin closure. Post- operative pain was less in glue group (p value <0.001) and wound complications were comparable in both groups. CONCLUSION: Octylcyanoacrylate provides an effective and reliable means of skin closure and yields similar cosmetic results as with subcuticular skin sutures. The incidences of wound complications are comparable in both the groups. However the severity of postoperative pain is lesser in the adhesive group.
Traditional and Kalman Filter-Based GNSS Receiver Structures for Ionospheric Scintillation Monitoring and Mitigation
Authors: Lopes Rafael , Antreich Felix , Kuga Hélio
Published: April 2021

This work has been submitted to the IEEE for possible
publication. Copyright may be transferred without notice, after
which this version may no longer be accessible.
Minat Siswa Tunagrahita dalam Pembelajaran Pendidikan Jasmani
Authors: Solihin Akhmad Olih , Sriningsih  , Diki
Published: April 2021

Penelitian ini bertujuan ingin mengetahui seberapa besar minat siswa tunagrahita dalam mengikuti pembelajaran pendidikan jasmani. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode pendekatan survey kuantitatif. Populasi yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh siswa di SLB B/C Yatira Cimahi kelas Besar tahun ajaran 2015/2016 yang berjumlah 12 orang, terdiri dari 3 siswa tunarungu dan 9 siswa tunagrahita. Pemilihan sampel penelitian menggunakan teknik purposive sampling sehingga terpilih 9 orang siswa tunagrahita. Instrumen penelitian yang digunakan adalah angket tertutup. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa minat siswa tunagrahita dalam mengikuti pembelajaran pendidikan jasmani berada dalam bobot 11. Maka dapat diambil kesimpulan bahwa minat siswa dalam mengikuti pembelajaran pendidikan jasmani sangat tinggi.
Hubungan antara Kecemasan dan Motivasi dengan Prestasi Atlet Bola Voli di Masa Pandemi Covid-19
Authors: Aep rohendi  , Budiman Ali , Cipta Mohamad Gelar
Published: April 2021

Penelitian  ini bertujuan  untuk  mengetahui apakah kecemasan dan motivasi  memiliki hubungan dengan prestasi atlet bola voli PBV Pasundan di masa pandemi covid-19 Metode dalam penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif dengan korelasional, populasi  dalam penelitian  ini atlet PBV Pasundan yang berusia 19 tahun berjumlah 12 atlet, teknik sampling meggunakan purposive sampling, adapun sampel dalam penelitian ini ialah 12  orang.  Instrument menggunakan  angket kuisioner dengan skala likert, teknik analisis data menggunakan analisis data statistika dengan berbantuan aplikasi spss versi 24. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa (1)Terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara   kecemasan   dengan   prestasi   atlet,   dengan   kata   lain   semakin   bisa ditanggulangi  serta  diminimalisir  kecemasan  setiap  atlet  maka  akan  memiliki kecenderungan  dapat  meningkatkan  prestasi  atlet  itu  sendiri  terhadap  tim.  (2) Terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara motivasi dengan prestasi atlet,  dengan kata lain semakin tinggi motivasi atlet untuk berprestasi maka memiliki kecenderungan  dapat  meningkatkan  prestasi  atlet  itu  sendiri  terhadap  tim.  (3) Terdapat  hubungan  yang  signifikan  antara  kecemasan   dan  motivasi  dengan prestasi atlet PBV Pasundan.
Optimal Energy Management and Sizing of a Community Smart Microgrid Using Demand Side Management with Load Uncertainty
Authors: KUMAR MANEESH , Tyagi Barjeev
Published: April 2021

This paper presents an optimal energy management and sizing of a smart community microgrid (MG) with the uncertainty in load demand. An isolated small scale microgrid is considered with no access to the main supply grid. For simplicity, a small community of 15 houses located in a remote area is considered, and the loads are divided into controllable and uncontrollable categories. Demand side management (DSM) is being utilized to produce a feasible alteration to the controllable part of the load. The Overall problem is formulated to fix the optimal size of distributed generations (DGs) used in the MG by using a heuristic approach to minimize the net cost-based optimization problem. This cost includes initial capital costs, operation, and maintenance costs, and other running costs associated with MG. The optimization is completed in two parts. The first part of optimization is done without DSM implementation, and second part optimization is done on the modified system peak load after DSM implementation. Quantitative results on a numerical case study give an optimal number of distributed generation (DGs), their corresponding optimal ratings, optimal cost value, reduction in carbon footprint, and annual cost savings in the form of CO2 emission tax.
Bioprospecting of Environmental Yeast Rhodotorula Isolated from Indian Ocean for the Production of Beta Carotene/Pre-Vitamin A
Authors: Yaseen Misbah M.
Published: April 2021

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Nosema ceranae: A Newly Emerged Microsporidia in Honey Bee Colony in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan
Authors: Hameed Mehwish
Published: April 2021

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A Note on Application of Linear Algebra in Biology
Authors: Zekraoui Hanifa
Published: April 2021

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Usability Evaluation of Parental Control App- Norton Family
Authors: Obaid Suaryya
Published: April 2021

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Potential of Plant Extracts to Combat Various Pathogenic Clinical Isolates: An In Vitro Analysis
Authors: Siddiqui Ayesha
Published: April 2021

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SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Options
Authors: Abbasi Kanwal
Published: April 2021

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