bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Controlling Both the E- and Z-Selectivity of Alkyne Hydrogenation by Two Cyclic (Alkyl)(amino)carbene Ligands with Chromium Catalysis
Authors: Ling Liang , Zhang Xue , Zhao Lixing , Hu Chenyang , Liu Liu Leo , Luo Meiming , Zeng Xiaoming
Published: July 2022

Stereochemical control in the hydrogenation of alkynes with low-cost metal catalysts, an important technology in industry for the production of olefins that are central to the materials, food, pharmaceutical, and petrochemical arenas, has been a long-standing challenge. Here, we report on the E- and Z-selectivity in the hydrogenation of alkynes, controlled by two carbene ligands with cost-effective chromium catalysis. A cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene ligand that contain a phosphino anchor enables the hydrogenation of alkynes in a trans-addition manner, selectively formation of E-olefins. With an imino anchor-incorporated carbene ligand, the stereoselectivity can be turned, giving mainly Z-isomers. This ligand-enabled geometrical stereoinversion strategy by one metal catalysis overrides common methods in control of the E- and Z-selectivity with two different metal catalysis, allowing for highly efficient and on-demand access to both E- and Z-olefins in a stereo-complementary fashion. Mechanistic studies indicate that the different steric and electronic effect between these two carbene ligands may dominate the selective forming E- or Z-olefins in control of the stereochemistry.
Bull spermatozoa selected by thermotaxis exhibit high DNA integrity, specific head morphometry, and improve ICSI outcome
Authors: Ruiz Sara , Mazzarella Rosane , Navarrete-López Paula , Fernández-González Raúl , de Frutos Celia , Maroto Maria , Cucala Claudia , Beltrán-Breña Paula , Lombó Marta , Rizos Dimitrios , Gutiérrez-Adán Alfonso
Published: July 2022

Background: Sperm migration by thermotaxis is a guidance mechanism that operates along the oviduct and it has proved to be a valid method for selecting spermatozoa with low DNA fragmentation (SDF) in mice, humans, and stallions. This study aimed to analyse if bull spermatozoa could be selected by thermotaxis and to assess their quality in terms of SDF as well as determine the presence of a specific sperm subpopulation based on sperm morphometry and assess their fertilizing capacity by ICSI. Methods: We used frozen-thawed sperm from 6 bulls and sperm selection by thermotaxis was performed with TALP medium supplemented with 25 mM of HEPES and 5 mM of caffeine. In these conditions, sperm selection was achieved, obtaining a net thermotaxis of 3.6%. Subsequently, we analysed the SDF of the migrated and not-migrated spermatozoa using the neutral COMET assay, and we evaluated the size of the sperm head using Hemacolor® staining with Motic Images Plus 3 software. Additionally, migrated and not-migrated spermatozoa by thermotaxis were used to fertilize bovine in vitro matured (IVM) oocytes by ICSI, a very inefficient procedure in cattle that is only successful when the oocyte is artificially activated. Results: The results showed lower SDF (χ², p<0.0001, 13.3% reduction, n=7) and lower head size parameters (length and width, p<0.01; and perimeter and area, P<0.001; n=4) in those spermatozoa migrated in comparison to those not-migrated. The distribution of sperm subpopulations structure varied between groups, highlighting cluster 2, characterized by spermatozoa with small head size, and high ellipticity and elongated heads, as the most abundant in the thermotaxis migrated group. When performed ICSI (without oocyte artificial activation) with the thermotactic sperm, the blastocyst rate was 28.6±11.9% in the group microinjected with the thermotactic spermatozoa vs. 10.0±8.3% in the group of not-migrated sperm. Conclusion: Our results showed that bull sperm selection by thermotaxis have a much higher DNA integrity, small and elongated head size parameters, and different sperm subpopulation structure than the not-selected spermatozoa. Additionally, we evidenced that thermotactic spermatozoa improve ICSI success rates.
Moral Preferences over Taboo Trade-offs in the Time of Coronavirus
Authors: Mantovani Marco , Filippin Antonio
Published: July 2022

Covid-19 brought to the forefront of the political agenda the trade-off between health and economic activities. Leveraging theoretical and empirical tools from economics, we estimate moral preferences over fatalities and jobs losses due to the pandemic in Italy, the UK and the US. The exercise is based on a choice experiment spanning these preferences in a wide space of possible combinations of the two outcomes. This exercise allows us to estimate how people respond to the severity of the economic and/or health toll. On average, about 95% of the weight in the participants' utility function goes to health, and respondents’ stable traits (such as political orientation or risk aversion) influence attitudes more than their personal experiences with the consequences of the pandemic. Most importantly, policy responses look misaligned with estimated preferences. Italy adopted more stringent containment measures, while Italian respondents display a relatively weaker pro-health attitude. We stress-test this result and find it is robust: it does not stem either from a reaction to the policies adopted or from differences in fundamentals, such as labor market conditions and health costs.Classification: Social Sciences - Economic Sciences
Effect of Acidic Media During the Hydrothermal Leaching of NiTi Alloy
Authors: Ozgun Muhammed İhsan , Batibay Ahmet Burcin , Unal Bayram , Eker Yasin Ramazan , Terlemez Arslan
Published: July 2022

Nickel and titanium-based alloys are commonly used for engineering or medical applications. At the end of their lifetime NiTi alloys are recycled as additive materials. Separate recovery of metals present in NiTi alloy is possible via hydrometallurgical methods, however NiTi alloys are highly resistive towards corrosion. Different mineral acids (H2SO4, HCl, HNO3, H3PO4) have been investigated and the effect of presence of H2O2 in leaching medium has also been explored. Different leaching yields have been observed and correlation between them according to treatment conditions have been established. Microstructure and chemical properties of alloys were characterized by SEM, XRF and EDS techniques. Among mineral acids, H2SO4 and HCl illustrated the highest extraction efficiencies. Nevertheless addition of hydrogen peroxide decreased this efficiency severely. Throughout kinetics of dissolution were obtained through decreased leaching efficiency with addition of hydrogen peroxide.
The effect of gray ramus communicans nerve block on radicular pain in patients with lumbosacral radicular pain who underwent transforaminal epidural block
Authors: Sanatkar Mehdi , Pestehei Seyed Khalil , Khajehnasiri Alireza , Yazdi Nader Ali Nazemian
Published: July 2022

Background
Lumbosacral radicular pain (LRP) is usually caused by herniation of intervertebral discs and is characterized by pain arising in the back and radiating to the lower extremities. The current study evaluated the efficacy of gray ramus communicans nerve block (GRCNB) in decreasing LRP in patients with intervertebral disc herniation who underwent transforaminal epidural block.
Method
Thirty patients with magnetic resonance imaging indicating a disc herniation on the L4-L5 level participated in this study. All patients were randomly divided into two groups: one whose members underwent GRCNB (n = 15) after transforaminal epidural block, and a second group (n = 15) whose members underwent only transforaminal epidural block on L4-L5 on the affected side. Follow-up after the procedure ran for a period ranging from 6 to 10 months (mean = 8.2 ± 2.1 months) for radicular pain score and the need for analgesics.
Results
Mean age of the patients was 54.8 ± 18.4 years (range: 30–65 years). LRP duration in all patients before the procedure was 6–24 months (mean: 12 ± 10.9 months), and there was no significant difference between the two groups. A greater reduction in the numerical rating scale (NRS) one week, 1, and 6 months after the procedure was observed in the group with GRCNB compared to the other group. The reduction in need for analgesics one week, 1, and 6 months after the procedure was statistically significant in the group with GRCNB compared to the group without GRCNB. No major complications were observed in any of the patients in either group.
Conclusion
GRCNB is effective in reducing radicular pain and the need for analgesics in patients with lumbosacral radicular pain.
ULP Radio Frequency Receiver for mm-wave Applications using 130 nm CMOS with Harvesting DC Supplies
Authors: Mansour Marwa , Mansour Islam
Published: July 2022

This paper presents an Ultra-Low-Power (ULP), high integration, and wide bandwidth low-IF radio frequency receiver for millimeter-wave (mm-wave) applications using 130 nm CMOS technology. The proposed radio receiver is composed of a low-noise driver stage implemented using a complementary current reuse common gate with an active shunt feedback configuration, and an in-phase/quadrature of phase (I/Q) demodulator. The driver stage is used to expand the input RF impedance matching with acceptable linearity and gain at an ultra-low DC power dissipation. Moreover, the transformer coupling between the trans-conductance and switching stages is used to separate the DC bias between those two stages, the transformer is a high coupling factor wideband width 5-ports transformer. The DC supplies of the proposed mm-wave radio frequency receiver are implemented using two energy-harvesting voltage doubler designs. The proposed mm-wave radio receiver dissipates 0.475 mW from a 1.1 V DC supply and it has a power conversion gain (CG) of 6.3 dB with 3-dB frequency bandwidth of about 10 GHz (22-32GHz). The two energy-harvesting systems are implemented on the RO4003C substrate material and using the HSMS2852 Schottky diode. The first suggested RF voltage doubler with series resonance feedback and parallel resonance operates at dual frequency bands of 850 and 1400MHz and obtains a peak conversion efficiency of 59%, saturated output DC voltage is 2.5V, and the conversion efficiency is 40% at RF input power of -10dBm. The proposed voltage doubler achieves the required DC supply parameters (1.1V and 450uA) at an RF input power of 0dBm. Otherwise, the second suggested negative voltage rectifier has a maximum simulated conversion efficiency of 65%, saturated negative DC voltage is -3.5V at RF input power of 8 dBm, and the conversion efficiency is 45% at RF input power of -10dBm. The suggested negative voltage rectifier obtains the required DC supply parameters (-0.5V and no current condition) at -10dBm input power.
Relationship between intraoperative mean arterial pressure and acute kidney injury after robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy
Authors: Kim Tae Lim , Kim Namo , Shin Hye Jung , Cho Matthew R. , Choi Kwan Woong , Kim So Yeon
Published: July 2022

We aimed to investigate the relationship between intraoperative mean arterial pressure (MAP) and acute kidney injury (AKI) occurrence after robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP), as well as the relationship between MAP and the maximal increase in serum creatinine (SCr) levels. We retrospectively evaluated the medical records of 750 patients who underwent RALP. The average real variability (ARV)-MAP, standard deviation (SD)-MAP, time-weighted average (TWA)-MAP, area under threshold (AUT)-65 mmHg, and area above threshold (AAT)-120 mmHg were calculated using MAPs collected within a 10-s interval. Eighteen (2.4%) patients developed postoperative AKI. None of the five MAP parameters could predict postoperative AKI, with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for ARV-MAP, SD-MAP, TWA-MAP, AUT-65 mmHg, and AAT-120 mmHg being 0.561 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.424–0.697), 0.561 (95% CI, 0.417–0.704), 0.584 (95% CI, 0.458–0.709), 0.590 (95% CI, 0.462–0.718), and 0.626 (95% CI, 0.499–0.753), respectively. ARV-MAP (per 15-mmHg/min increase) and TWA-MAP (per 30-mmHg increase) were positively correlated with delta-SCr levels (β = 0.21, P = 0.010 and β = 0.14, P = 0.002; respectively). However, the resulting increases did not cause AKI. Therefore, intraoperative MAP changes may not be a determining factor for AKI after RALP.
Care Arrangement of People with Dementia in Karachi, Pakistan using 10/66 Protocol
Authors: Khan Qurat ul ain
Published: July 2022

Purpose:Pakistan is a low middle-income country (LMIC) in South Asia with a rising population. This study used the 10/66 protocol to understand care arrangement and resources of people with dementia (PWD) in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods:The study was carried out using 10/66 protocol for mild and moderate dementia patients living in the community. This assessed characteristics of patients and caregivers, the economic impact of caregiving, and resources available to care for people with dementia (PWD). Results: 128 PWD and their caregivers from the urban community of Karachi were included in the study. About two thirds of the PWD had not completed high school. The average gross national product (GNP) per PWD per capita was $140. Majority of the caregivers were married women, family members, and full-time housewives between the age groups of 30 to 50. Three quarters of the caregivers comprised of the patients’ children or spouse residing with the patient, in a 2-to-3-bedroom house with a median household size of 4. Majority of the time of the caregivers’ day was spent with the PWD. Only 20% of the PWD had sought medical help in the last 3 months, with a preference for private medical facilities even though 50% suffered from comorbid conditions. Conclusions: In Pakistan majority of PWD are dependent on female family members for care. Caregiver roles are full time responsibilities with little to no burden shared by others. There is low monthly GNP per PWD with a high cost of medical needs of PWD.
Deformation characteristics and forming force limits of multi-point forming with individually controlled force-displacement
Authors: Jia Bin-bin , Chen Gang , Wang Wei-Wei , Shen Yan , Gu Yanxia
Published: July 2022

To solve the problem of springback in traditional multi-point forming (MPF), a new multi-point forming process, namely, multi-point forming with individually controlled force-displacement (MPF-ICFD), was proposed. The core idea of this process is to simultaneously apply a normal force to the upper and lower sides of a sheet during the whole forming process. Therefore, the deformation sequence of the sheet metal is changed from local constraint overall deformation in the traditional MPF process to global constraint local deformation in the MPF-ICFD process, which is beneficial for improving the deformation uniformity and reducing the sheet springback. In this work, the deformation characteristics and forming force limits of MPF-ICFD were studied through mechanical analyses, numerical simulations and experiments. The results show that, compared with the traditional MPF, the springback of sheet metal is significantly reduced, and the uniformities of the strain and wall thickness are significantly improved in the MPF-ICFD. The influence of the sheet thickness on the upper limit of the forming force is more significant than that on the lower limit. For an aluminium alloy sheet with a wall thickness of 1.5-3 mm, the upper and lower limits of forming force of a single head change linearly from 6.3 kN to 12.6 kN and from 0.5 kN to 1 kN, respectively.
Discovery of a secondary roughness phenomenon during an experiment confirming a new hypothesis concerning the “Ball nose milling with a tilt angle milling strategy”
Authors: Vyšata Jiří , Gombár Miroslav , šulcová Petra
Published: July 2022

Background: During ball-nose milling using the presently popular tool-dragging strategy (by this is meant ball nose milling with a tilt angle milling strategy ‒ in the further text, the shorter designation "tool-dragging strategy" will be used), a considerable force component acts in the direction perpendicular to the normal plane of the surface of the machined part and, actually, also to the vector of feeding speed. They tend to cause tool vibration in the direction of their action. Aim: The aim was to confirm, by an experiment, the theory that during ball-nose milling using the tool-dragging strategy, its additional lateral tilt might improve the cutting conditions and contribute to the stabilisation of the cutting process. Thanks to that, it may be possible to achieve higher productiveness in machining using a slim tool. Methods: The main experiment was a full-factor experiment with repetition and randomization. It had three factors: The main factor was the angle of lateral tilt, which was in 19 levels, the other two were the tool RPMs and the feeding speed, both of them in three levels. The total number of tests was 342. As responses, cutting forces, acoustic emissions (in a limited extent), and surface roughness were measured. During the experiment, it was discovered that with positive lateral tilt angles of the tool, its mark was divided into two perceivably separated bands, one of which was of significantly higher surface quality than the mark tool with no lateral tilt.Results: For the cutting force response model, the experiment confirmed the hypothesis with a determination coefficient value of 93 %. For the models of the other responses, the factor was lower, still, they were in conformity with the hypothesis. Conclusion: The results of the research may confirm that, if using a slim ball nose tool for finishing operations is necessary, suitable lateral tilt could help achieve better cutting stability and surface quality or higher machining productiveness. As a side effect, the phenomenon of a secondary surface with startlingly better roughness value was newly observed when a lateral tilt was used. This is also described in the article.
Genomic analysis and biological properties of a novel Serratia liquefaciens phage
Authors: Zhang Jing , Ning Houqi , Wang Jingxue
Published: July 2022

A novel lytic Serratia liquefaciens phage, named vB_Slq_MQ-4, was isolated from sewage. BLASTn analysis showed that the genome sequence of phage vB_Slq_MQ-4 shared only 15% query coverage with that of Escherichia phage vB_EcoM-ep3 with 80.52% identity. Genomic analysis demonstrated that phage vB_Slq_MQ-4 consists of a 43,534 bp of dsDNA with 56% GC content and might be a new member of the family Myoviridae . Moreover, vB_Slq_MQ-4 has strong lytic performance with the shorter latent period (10 min) and the higher burst size (267 PFU per cell) as well as wide range of thermal (below 70℃) and pH tolerance (pH 4-12).
Barriers to hospital-based phase II Cardiac Rehabilitation among Coronary Heart Disease patients in China: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: liu hui , xie xiaoqi , chen qiongshan
Published: July 2022

AimsTo investigate barriers to hospital-based phase II cardiac rehabilitation among coronary heart disease patients in China and to explore the deeper reasons.Design An explanatory sequential mixed method design.Methods This study was conducted in a university hospital in China from July 2021 to December 2021.160 patients completed the survey by using the Cardiac Rehabilitation Barrier Scale and then 17 patients participated in the unstructured face- to- face interviews. Inductive qualitative content analysis was used to analyze data.Results Patients who are working or do not have healthcare insurance are less likely to participate in cardiac rehabilitation, while patients after percutaneous coronary intervention or have participated in phase I cardiac rehabilitation were more likely to take the program. The main barriers were distance (3.29±1.565), transportation (2.99±1.503), cost (2.76±1.425), doing exercise at home (2.69±1.509) and time constrain (2.48±1.496). Six themes were identified, logistics factors, social support, misunderstanding of cardiac rehabilitation, program and health system-level factors, impression on cardiac rehabilitation team and psychological distress. The first four themes confirmed the quantitative results and provide a deeper explanation for the quantitative results. The last two themes were new information emerged in the qualitative phase.ConclusionThis mixed methods study provided a better understanding of the barriers to hospital-based phase II cardiac rehabilitation among coronary heart disease patients in the Chinese context. It is time to move from barriers to solutions. Innovative program might be considered to overcome some of these barriers. Additionally, psychosocial interventions should be conducted to transform patient’s cognition problems and build trusted nurse(doctor)-patient relationship.
Autonomous Digitizer Calibration of a Monte Carlo Detector Model through Evolutionary Simulation
Authors: Herald Matthew , Nicușan Andrei , Wheldon Tzany Kokalova , Windows-Yule Christopher , Seville Jonathan
Published: July 2022

Simulating the response of a radiation detector is a modelling challenge due to the stochastic nature of radiation, often complex geometries, and multi-stage signal-processing. While sophisticated tools for Monte Carlo simulation have been developed for radiation transport, emulating signal-processing and data loss must be accomplished using a simplified model of the electronics called the digitizer. Due to a large number of free parameters, calibrating a digitizer quickly becomes an optimisation problem. To address this, we propose using evolutionary algorithms to perform digitizer calibrations. We demonstrate this by calibrating a digitizer for the Phillips/ACAC Forte, which contains six free parameters. The accuracy of solutions is quantified via a cost function measuring the absolute percent difference between simulated and experimental coincidence count rates across a robust characterisation data set, including three detector configurations and a range of source activities. Ultimately, this calibration produces a count rate response with 5.8\% mean difference to the experiment, improving from 18.3\% difference when manually calibrated. Using evolutionary algorithms for model calibration is a notable advancement because this method is autonomous, fault-tolerant, and achieved through a direct comparison of simulation to reality. The software used in this work has been made freely available through a GitHub repository.
Monitoring the neural activity associated with praying in Sahaja Yoga Meditation
Authors: Pérez-Díaz Óscar , Barrós-Loscertales Alfonso , Schjoedt Uffe , González-Mora José L. , Rubia Katya , Suero José , Hernández Sergio Elías
Published: July 2022

Sahaja Yoga Meditation draws on many religious traditions and uses a variety of techniques including Christian prayer to reach a state known as thoughtless awareness, or mental silence. Based on previous evidence that Christian prayer activates areas associated with social cognition, e.g., medial prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction and precuneus, we hypothesized that praying in Sahaja Yoga Meditation would recruit a similar pattern of activity. Sixteen experienced Sahaja Yoga Meditation practitioners were scanned using task based functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging while performing formalized and improvised forms of praying, associated with the achievement of the meditative state of mental silence, and their equivalent secular tasks. Our results showed the deactivation of bilateral thalamus during both prayers compared to secular conditions and the activation in the medial prefrontal cortex that was reduced by religious and formalized secular speech conditions but increased during improvised secular speech. This suggests that the perception of the surroundings mediated by the thalamus is unemployed during these prayers probably due to the inner concentration established and that improvised speech affects the medial prefrontal cortex differently depending if it is used in religious or secular conditions, which does not happen with formalized speech and may be related to the effects of meditation on psychiatric disorders. Our findings suggest that praying by Sahaja Yoga Meditation practitioners is neurophenomenologically different from the social cognitive attempt of praying within Christian praying practices.
Unlocking the potential of private finance for forest and landscape restoration
Authors: Löfqvist Sara , Garrett Rachael , Ghazoul Jaboury
Published: July 2022

Private finance is necessary to scale forest and landscape restoration to deliver global commitments, yet finance levels remain insufficient. To understand why funding remains low despite growing interest, we conduct semi-structured interviews with financial actors and restoration finance practitioners to examine what incentives and barriers corporations and asset managers experience in financing restoration, and what type of restoration projects and regions different finance actors are likely to fund. Next, we assess how current financial barriers might be overcome. We find that there are market incentives for corporate entities to finance restoration for carbon drawdown, sustainable branding, and to promote sustainability in supply chains. Conversely, asset managers face strong barriers as projects are deemed high risk and with low prospects for sufficient return on investments. Through enhanced markets for restoration benefits, complementary public policies, and financial instruments, private finance for restoration can be scaled for a wider variety of restoration projects.
The Effect of Digital Storytelling on Nursing Students’ Compliance with Isolation Precautions and Their Knowledge Levels: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: BAYRAM Sule BIYIK , GULNAR Emel , CALISKAN Nurcan , KILIC Cigdem TORUN
Published: July 2022

Aim
This study investigated the effect of digital storytelling on nursing students’ knowledge levels and compliance with isolation precautions.
Background
Background: Nursing students should learn about isolation precautions and how to comply with them. Turkey has shifted to distance learning since the COVID-19 pandemic began. This has been challenging for nursing students, as they have had difficulty acquiring the required knowledge and developing the right attitudes and skills for their future careers. Digital storytelling is an active teaching tool that can help nursing students master the curriculum and improve their skills.
Design:
This study was a pretest-posttest open-label randomized controlled trial.
Method
Data were collected using a Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire (DCQ), the Isolation Knowledge Test (IKT), the Questionnaire of Students’ Opinions on Digital Storytelling (QSODS), and the Scale of Compliance with Isolation Precautions (SCIP). The experimental group attended a digital storytelling activity, while the control group received an education based on the curriculum. The data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test, the Wilcoxon test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the Spearman correlation test.
Results
The experimental group had significantly higher posttest IKT and SCIP scores than the control group (p ˂ .05). Both groups had lower IKT and SCIP scores two months after the experiment, but the change was much smaller in the experimental group.
Conclusion
Digital storytelling helps nursing students learn about isolation precautions and how to comply with them. Digital storytelling also promotes learning retention. In conclusion, digital tools are effective in distance learning.
The morphological classification and clinical significance of atlas vertebral artery sulcus based on Computed Tomography three-dimensional reconstruction
Authors: Hu Dingxiang , Li Changhui , Chen Liang , Ma Chenxi , Huang He , Zheng Ruiqing
Published: July 2022

Objective The purpose of this study was to research the morphological classification and clinical significance of Vertebral artery groove on atlas based on CT three-dimensional reconstruction.Methods Methods Three-dimensional reconstruction images of 300 adult atlases were collected. A total of 600 atlas vertebral artery sulcuses were selected in this study. The depth required for grinding drilling(ao), width ( cd ), length ( ab ), height ( H ), lateral wall thickness ( L1 ), inner wall thickness ( L2 ), medial angle (∠α) and the cephalad angle to the transverse plane of atlas pedicle (∠β) were measured.Results CT three-dimensional reconstruction images showed that there were five types of atlas vertebral artery sulcus : no process type (494, 82.33%), upper process type (29,483 % ), lower process type(25,4.17%), double process type(19,3.17%), posterior ring type(33, 5.50 % ). the ao of no protrusion type was the shortest ; L2 of the lower protrusion type was the smallest ; L2 was greater than L1 ; the double protrusion type had the smallest H ; the ∠ α and ∠ β of no protrusion type werethe smallest.Conclusion Among the five types, the no protruding type was the most ( 83.33 % ), and the ∠ α and ∠ β of no protrusion type were the smallest. When screw pedicle screws were inserted, the above two angles should not be too large. Male’s ao was longer than female’s. When using high speed grinding drill to drill the opening, male needsed to drill deeper than female’s, otherwise the nail track was easy to deviate.
Avocado spatial expansion in Mexico: Could the energy use of pruning residues offset GHG emissions?
Authors: Tauro Raul , Armendáriz-Arnez Cynthia , Franch-Pardo Ivan , Manrique Silvina , Charre-Medellin Juan , Ortega-Riascos Cristian , Soria-Gonzalez Jose
Published: July 2022

Avocado orchards in Mexico are constantly being expanded to meet the increasing demand for the fruit in the national and international markets. The land-use change (LUC) caused by this expansion has numerous negative impacts, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to the loss of forest cover and the open burning of biomass. The present study is a timely evaluation of a complex environmental problem through an integrative approach. We analyze LUC between the years 1974–2017 at a local scale (1:25,000), calculate emissions from LUC, and estimate the energy potential of pruning residues as an alternative to revalue waste and mitigate the negative impacts of avocado cultivation. Our results show that land-use conversions emitted 390.5 Gg CO2 into the atmosphere, of which 91% came from conversions to avocado orchards. Emissions of GHG from open biomass burning amounted to an additional 1.9 to 0.21 Gg CO2e released into the atmosphere per year. Given that around 2500 dry tons of avocado pruning residues are generated annually in the study region, their use for energy generation could replace 50 TJ/year of fossil fuels, offsetting the energy used in orchards and mitigating around 6.4 Gg CO2e per year. Based on our results, we recommend incorporating pruning residues as an energy generation strategy for avocado sustainable development.
A Study of Empathy Levels among Nursing Interns: A cross- sectional Study
Authors: Ghazwani Suaad , Alshowkan Amira , Alsaleh Najla
Published: July 2022

Background: Empathy is one of the therapeutic communication techniques used to help the client feel better. However, the level of empathy was not identified during nursing internship program. The aim was to examine the level of self-reported empathy among nursing interns. Methods: The study was a descriptive, cross-sectional in nature. A total of 135 nursing interns fill in the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Data was analyzed through the SPSS program. An independent –sample t-test and one way- ANOVA was used to explore differences in the degree of empathy with respect to academic and sociodemographic factors. Results: The study found that nursing interns are generally geared toward a high level of empathy. There was statistical significant difference in the mean level of subscales of perspective-taking and empathic concern between males and females. Additionally, nursing interns who are less than 23 years old scored high in the subscale of perspective-taking. Married nursing interns and who preferred nursing as a profession scored higher in the subscale of empathic concern than unmarried ones and who did not preferred nursing as a profession. Conclusion: Perspective taking incresed with younger male nursing interns, this reflects high cognitive flexibility with younger age nursing interns. Morover, the empathic concern incresed with male married nuring interns who preferred nursing as a profession. This implies that they should engage in continuous reflection and educational activities as part of their clinical training as nursing interns in order to improve their empathic attitudes.
Dose-response of benazepril on biomarkers of the classical and alternative pathways of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in dogs
Authors: Sotillo Samantha , Ward Jessica L. , Guillot Emilie , Domenig Oliver , Yuan Lingnan , Smith Joseph S. , Gabriel Vojtech , Iennarella-Servantez Chelsea A. , Mochel Jonathan P.
Published: July 2022

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) such as benazepril are commonly prescribed in both humans and dogs with heart disease to mitigate the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS); however, the dose-dependent effects of benazepril on comprehensive RAAS components remain unknown. In this study, nine purpose-bred healthy dogs received three different dosages of oral benazepril (0.125 mg/kg, 0.25 mg/kg, or 0.5 mg/kg) in a randomized crossover design following induction of RAAS activation by consuming a low-sodium diet. Blood samples were collected at serial time intervals after benazepril dosing to measure plasma benazeprilat (active metabolite of benazepril) and serum RAAS biomarkers. Blood pressure and echocardiogram were performed at baseline and after each benazepril administration. Time-weighted averages for RAAS biomarkers for 12 hours post-dose and hemodynamic variables were compared between dosing groups using Wilcoxon rank-sum testing. Compared to the lowest dosage of benazepril (0.125 mg/kg), the highest dosage (0.5 mg/kg) resulted in lower time-weighted average values of angiotensin (Ang) II (-38%, P = 0.004), Ang1-5 (-53%, P = 0.001), ACE-S (surrogate for ACE activity; -59%, P = 0.0002), and ALT-S (surrogate for alternative RAAS activity; -22%, P = 0.004), and higher values of AngI (+ 78%, P = 0.014) and PRA-S (surrogate for plasma renin activity; +58%, P = 0.040). There were no relevant differences between dosing groups for blood pressure or echocardiographic variables. Knowledge of dose-dependent alterations in biomarkers of the classical and alternative RAAS pathways could help inform clinical trials for dosage optimization in both dogs and humans.
Just Dance: Detection of human body reenactment fake videos
Authors: Alamayreh Omran , Fascella Carmelo , Mandelli Sara , Tondi Benedetta , Bestagini Paolo , Barni Mauro
Published: July 2022

In the last few years, research on the detection of AI-generated videos has focused exclusively on detecting facial manipulations known as deepfakes. Much less attention has been paid to the detection of artificial non-facial fake videos. In this paper, we address a new forensic task, namely, the detection of fake videos of human body reenactment. To this purpose, we consider videos generated by the “Everybody Dance Now” framework. To accomplish our task, we have constructed and released a novel dataset of fake videos of this kind, referred to as FakeDance dataset. Additionally, we propose two forgery detectors to study the detectability of FakeDance kind of videos. The first one exploits spatial-temporal clues of a given video by means of hand-crafted descriptors, whereas the second detector is an end-to-end detector based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) trained on purpose. Both detectors have their peculiarities and strengths, working well in different operative scenarios. We believe that our proposed dataset together with the two detectors will contribute to the research on the detection of non-facial fake videos generated by means of AI.
Impact of macroeconomic factors on bank performance in Bangladesh
Authors: Islam Hasibul , Islam Md. Saidul , Soumia Lalmi , Apon Tasfiqure Amin , Tarin Tanzika Imam
Published: July 2022

The present study investigates the impact of macroeconomic factors on the performance of banks in Bangladesh. The study analyzed 35 commercial banks consisting of both Islamic and conventional banks in Bangladesh from 2015 to 2020. The data was analyzed using the random effect regression model. Return on assets (ROA) is the dependent variable while macroeconomic variables such as GDP growth (GDPG), inflation (INF), and unemployment (UNEP) are the independent variables. The regression results showed that GDP growth and unemployment rate have a significant impact on the return on assets for banks in Bangladesh banks. There was no significant impact between inflation and return on assets.JEL: D00, D02, E02, F62
Fascicle dynamics of the tibialis anterior muscle reflect whole-body walking economy
Authors: Kwak Samuel Taihoon , Chang Young-Hui
Published: July 2022

Humans can inherently adapt their gait pattern in a way that minimizes the metabolic cost of transport, or walking economy, within a few steps, which is faster than any known direct physiological sensor of metabolic energy. Instead, walking economy may be indirectly sensed through mechanoreceptors that correlate with the metabolic cost per step to make such gait adaptations. We tested whether velocity feedback from tibialis anterior (TA) muscle fascicles during the collisional phase of walking could potentially act to indirectly sense walking economy. As participants walked within a range of steady-state speeds and step frequencies, we observed that TA fascicles lengthen on almost every step. Moreover, the average peak fascicle velocity experienced during lengthening reflected the metabolic cost of transport of the given walking condition. We observed that the peak TA muscle activation occurred earlier than could be explained by a short latency reflex response. The activation of the TA muscle just prior to heel strike may serve as a prediction of the magnitude of the ground collision and its associated energy loss. In this scenario, any unexpected length change experienced by the TA fascicle would serve as an error signal to the nervous system and provide additional information about energy lost per step. Our work helps provide a biomechanical framework to understand the possible neural mechanisms underlying the rapid optimization of walking economy.
Knowledge and Practices Towards Diabetes Mellitus Among Adults Visiting Bole Sub-city and Lideta Sub-city Public Health Centres, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Authors: Amenu Guta Gurmessa
Published: July 2022

Background: Limited knowledge about diabetes risk factors in addition to high diseaseprevalence is common in low-income countries. Identification of the level of knowledge and practice related to diabetes among the general population is essential in putting way forward for the prevention of diabetes mellitus. In Ethiopia, there is limited information about the knowledge and practice of the population towards Diabetes Mellitus. This study evaluated knowledge and practices related to diabetes in the population of Bole and Lideta sub cities, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Objectives: To assess knowledge and practices and factors associated with good practice towards Diabetes Mellitus among adults visiting public health centres in Bole sub-city and Lideta sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Methods: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among non-diabetic adults visiting public health centers using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The study was done in two selected health centers from March 01, 2021, to April 15, 2021.The respondents were selected by systematic random sampling at the health center level. The analysis was done using STATA version 14. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine factors associated with practice towards DM.Results: Out of 412 respondents participated and the response rate was 97.8%. About 58.7% of the participants were knowledgeable and 67.2% had good practice towards DM prevention. In the multivariate analysis, being a government/private employee, previous training on diabetes, and having good knowledge were associated significantly with practice. The odds of good practice regarding DM prevention among Government/private employee study participants were 2.2 times higher than the odds of good practice for housewives [AOR = 2.2(1.16,4.3)]. The odds of good practice regarding DM among respondents who had previous training on DM were 2.6 times greater than the odds of good practice for study subjects with no previous training on DM [AOR = 2.6(1,6.2)]. The odds of good practice regarding DM prevention among participants who had good knowledge levels were 2 times higher than the odds of good practice for participants with poor knowledge levels about diabetes [AOR = 2(1.3,3.3)].Conclusion and Recommendation: Low knowledge and practice towards DM prevention were seen indicating the need for health education. Improving knowledge and good practice towards DM needs to be integrated into existing health care systems.
If all else fails: Impact of silicon accumulation in maize leaves on volatile emissions and oviposition site selection of Spodoptera exigua Hübner
Authors: Leroy Nicolas , Martin Clément , Arias Anthony Arguelles , Cornélis Jean-Thomas , Verheggen François Jean
Published: July 2022

Silicon (Si) fertilization alleviates biotic stresses in plants. Silicon enhances plant resistance against phytophagous insects through physical and biochemical mechanisms. In particular, Si modifies jasmonic acid levels and the emissions of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). Here, we investigated whether Si accumulation in the tissues of maize leaves modifies the emissions of constitutive and herbivore-induced plant volatiles, with cascade deterrent effects on oviposition site selection by Spodoptera exigua Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Maize plants were cultivated in a hydroponic system under three Si concentrations, resulting in three groups of plants expressing different Si concentrations in their tissues (0.31 ± 0.04, 4.69 ± 0.49, and 9.56 ± 0.30 g Si. Kg− 1 DW). We collected volatiles from undamaged and caterpillar-infested plants, and found that Si concentration in plant tissues had no significant impact. Jasmonic acid content was high in insect-infested plants, but was similar across all Si treatments. Oviposition site selection bioassays using fertilized S. exigua females showed that Si concentration in plant tissues did not affect the number of eggs laid on Si-treated plant. In conclusion, our study shows that the Si content in maize tissues does not impact the semiochemical interactions with S. exigua.
Does the continuation of low-dose acetylsalicylic acid during the perioperative period of thyroidectomy increase the risk of cervical haematoma? A 1-year experience of two Italian centers
Authors: Canu Gian Luigi , Medas Fabio , Cappellacci Federico , Giordano Alessio Biagio Filippo , Casti Francesco , Grifoni Lucrezia , Feroci Francesco , Calò Pietro Giorgio
Published: July 2022

Background: A growing number of patients taking antiplatelet drugs, mainly low-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) (75–150 mg/day), for primary or secondary prevention of thrombotic events, are encountered in every field of surgery. While the bleeding risk due to the continuation of these medications during the perioperative period has been adequately investigated in several surgical specialties, in thyroid surgery it still needs to be clarified.The main aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of cervical haematoma in patients receiving low-dose acetylsalicylic acid, specifically ASA 100 mg/day, during the perioperative period of thyroidectomy.Methods: Patients undergoing thyroidectomy in two high-volume thyroid surgery centers in Italy, between January 2021 and December 2021, were retrospectively analysed. Enrolled patients were divided into two groups: those not taking ASA were included in Group A, while those receiving this drug in Group B.Results: A total of 412 patients underwent thyroidectomy during the study period. Among them, 29 (7.04%) were taking ASA: 15 (51.72%) for primary prevention and 14 (48.28%) for secondary prevention. Based on the inclusion criteria, 351 patients were enrolled: 322 were included in Group A and 29 in Group B. In Group A, there were 4 (1.24%) cervical haematomas not requiring surgical revision of haemostasis, 4 (1.24%) cervical haematomas requiring surgical revision of haemostasis, 50 (15.53%) cases of postoperative hypoparathyroidism, 14 (4.35%) unilateral RLN lesions and 4 (1.24%) wound infections. In Group B, there were 1 (3.45%) cervical haematoma requiring surgical revision of haemostasis, 3 (10.34%) cases of postoperative hypoparathyroidism and 2 (6.90%) unilateral RLN lesions. No statistically significant difference was found in terms of complications between the two groups.Conclusions: Continuation of ASA 100 mg/day during the perioperative period of thyroidectomy did not increase the occurrence of cervical haematoma and the other early complications of thyroid surgery. Based on our findings, we believe that in patients receiving this drug, either for primary or secondary prevention of thrombotic events, its discontinuation during the perioperative period of thyroidectomy is not necessary.
Molecular Finger Printing of Thirteen Pakistani Mid-season Mango (Mangifera Indica L.) Varieties by Using Ssr Markers
Authors: Rauf Sheeba , Sharif Hamza , Babar Muhammad , Gul Almass , Shaukat Faiza , Bukhari Birra , Mehvish Ambreen , Raza Samad , Kiran Sidra , Qureshi Muhammad Ahsan , Zafar Muhammad Shahzad , Sharif Naseem , Bukhari Syed Inam Ullah Shah
Published: July 2022

Present study was performed to identify the genetic make-up of thirteen mid-season mango verities i.e.Zardalu, Banganpali, Taimuria, Saleh Bhai, Badia Muna Syed, Intikhab, Anmole, Bombay Alphanso, Ghulab Khas, Pan, Lahotia, Kachnaliwala, and Jo villagey by applying seventy SSR markers, data collected on genetic diversity estimation bifurcated the varieties into three clusters. cluster 1, enclosed three varieties namely Bombay Alphonso, Intikhab, and Anmole together in genetic resemblance. Similarly, the cluster 2 assembled seven varieties i.e. Jo Village, Taimuria, Zardalu, Bagan Palli, Saleh Bhai, Badia and Munna Syed, making it the larger cluster. Lastly, the genetic similarity of the remaining four varieties such as Pan, Ghulab Khas, Lahotia, and Kachnalwala was found in close proximity. The current study singled out three unique fingerprints amongst the seventy SSRs applied. Baganpali cultivar contained unique fingerprints against primer MiKVR_a010; Gulab khas cultivar showcased unique characters against primer MiKVR_a052 and another distinguished fingerprint was observed in mango cv Baganpali against primerMiKVR_a109. It was an indication that these varieties possessed specific genotypic behavior against applied markers. It is concluded that these varieties can play a significant role in improving the genetic makeup of mango varieties and can divulge useful features for varietal selection in a breeding program.