bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide on patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Wu Wubin , Liu LiZhi , Chen Jiacai
Published: December 2021

Objective: To investigate the effect of recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide on patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome. Methods: 80 patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome diagnosed and treated in our hospital from January 2017
to December 2019 were randomly divided into study group (n = 41) and control group (n = 39). All patients were treated with basal therapy, the control group was treated with isosorbide dinitrate, and the study group was treated with recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide on the basis
of the control group. The changes of cardiac function indexes, renal function indexes and hemodynamic parameters before and after treatment were observed and compared between the two groups. Results: The total effective rate of the study group was 87.80%, which was significantly higher than
that of the control group (69.23%) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD), left ventricular end-systolic dimension (LVESD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), hemodynamic parameters’ cardiac index (CI), central
venous pressure (CVP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI) and glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between the two groups before treatment (P>0.05). After treatment, LVEDD, LVESD and SVRI were all decreased than that before treatment in the two groups,
LVEF, CI, CVP, MAP and eGFR were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05), and LVEDD, LVESD and SVRI in the study group were lower than those in the control group, and LVEF, CI, CVP, MAP and eGFR were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Recombinant human brain
natriuretic peptide is effective in the treatment of non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome, which is beneficial not only for the recovery of cardiac function, but also for the improvement of hemodynamic staus and renal function.
Development and Implementation of Electronic Library for Protection of Copyrights
Authors: ATALAR Celal
Published: December 2021

Today, many different publications such as journals and books are presented in electronic environment. Copyright concept is still discussed about the distribution of the books and paid publications digitally. The main objective of electronic library application to be developed is to display a certain part of the books and publications including the information that the users intend to reach. In this study, such operations as the search of phrases within various portable document format (PDF) documents like e-books, theses and technical reports or on the bookmarks of the documents, and the generation of its results as a PDF document have been showed. It has been viewed that the phrase search process gives more accurate results than the search on bookmarks, but is slower. As a result of the studies conducted on PDF documents specially created according to parameters such as file size, number of pages, content type and number of bookmarks, it has been observed that these parameters affect search performance at different degrees. In addition, an open source plug-in that can perform these operations has been also developed for the electronic library application. The plug-in developed independently of electronic library application in Java programming language can easily be added to the web applications. Apart from the plug-in, there is also a lot of information required for users to create and manage their own PDF documents.
The clinical study of dermatophytosis in a tertiary care hospital of konkan region, Maharashtra
Authors: Raju U Ketan , Bobade Hanamant G , Mishra Anil
Published: December 2021

Dermatophytes are aerobic fungi that produce proteases that digest keratin and allows colonization, invasion and infection of the stratum corneum of the skin, the hair shaft, and the nail.

This study was an attempt on the part of the author to find out the incidence and various clinico-epidemiological characteristics of Dermatophytosis in skin OPD of Tertiary care Hospital, B.K.L.W.R.M.C., Dervan.

The study was carried on 2444 patients of Dermatophytosis attending the OPD, out of which 49.79% of the cases were Tinea Cruris (TC). The age group of 11-20 years showed maximum prevalence of Dermatophytosis (22.17%). 58% of the patients had diffuse lesions. Body involvement was seen in 87% of cases. Itching was the most common condition associated with Dermatophytosis. 35% of the patients reported with family history of Tinea Cruris.

Circumscribed variety of TC was found to be most common variant mostly observed in 2and 4 decade, with a male preponderance. Groin was the most common site with multiple lesions. Nail changes was most commonly associated with TC.
Assessment of clinical and etiological factors in nail dyschromias
Authors: S Shwetha , C Lalitha , G S Asha
Published: December 2021

Healthy nails appear smooth and have consistent coloring. Nail dyschromias have a wide variety of presentation. There are numerous causes of discoloration of the nail affecting the nail plate, nail attachments, or the substance of the nail. Different pattern of nail dyschromias can point out certain dermatological or systemic diseases.

To evaluate the causes of nail dyschromias in our clinical setting.

 Cross sectional observational study.

200 patients presenting with nail dyschromias were included in the study from April 2015 to July 2015. Detailed history was taken and cause for nail dyschromias was evaluated.

 115(57.5%) were males and 85(42.05%) were females.

The most seen nail dyschromia in this study was melanonychia (86.5%) followed by leukonychia (5%), blue chromonychia (5%), brown chromonychia (2%) yellow chromonychia (1.5%). The cause of nail dyschromias were:60 cases(33.33%) were due to antiretroviral drugs, 25(12.5%) due to HIV, 30(15%) physiological melanonychia, 7(3.5% of onychomycosis, 8(4%) of lichen planus, 7(3.5%) of eczema, 15(7.5%) vitamin B12 deficiency,   10(5%) chemotherapy induced blue chromonychia, 3(1.5%) haematoma, 10(5%) leukonychia, 3(1.5%) jaundice 2(1%) Addison’s disease induced, 3(1.5%) cosmetic induced and 17(7.5%) due to other dermatological and systemic conditions.

Examination of nail should always be a part of routine cutaneous examination and presentation with nail dyschromias should be worked up with the help of a good history and examination. Careful examination of the nail may help in identifying the root cause and many a times unravels some underlying systemic disorder
Association of metabolic syndrome in patients of vitiligo
Authors: Jat Yashdeep , Varma Krishnendra , Kumar Ujjwal , Mahadik Aishwarya
Published: December 2021

The metabolic syndrome is the term used to describe a constellations of metabolic derangements that includes insulin resistance, hypertension, Dyslipidemia, central or visceral obesity, type 2 DM & accelerated cardiovascular disease. An oxidative imbalance is responsible for the development of both metabolic syndrome & vitiligo.

In the present study we have evaluated the association of metabolic syndrome with Vitiligo.

In this observational cross-sectional study we selected 40 subjects attending skin OPD with age matched 40 controls and assessed the waist circumference, blood pressure, serum triglyceride level, cholesterol and high-density cholesterol along with Fasting blood glucose level at tertiary care Hospital. A detailed history including age, gender, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking and onset of vitiligo was taken. The MetS criteria were defined by National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III 2005 (ATP III) guidelines.

We identified metabolic syndrome in 15 subjects with vitiligo and 6 subjects without vitiligo. The P value came 0.022 which is statistically significant. Active vitiligo, segmental vitiligo and increased duration of vitiligo were determined to be independent predictors of metabolic syndrome.

The risk of developing metabolic syndrome is increased in patients of vitiligo. Screening and the close follow up of the patients of vitiligo with clinical feature such as in unstable, segmental vitiligo with increased duration is necessary for the early diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome to reduce the morbidity & mortality of the patients
Different patterns of cutaneous manifestation of diabetes mellitus type-2 observed in tertiary care centre of South West Rajasthan
Authors: Gupta Kalpana , Bareth Anurag , Agrawal Charul
Published: December 2021

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common endocrinal disorder caused by complex interaction of genetics and environmental factors. Various dermatological features are known to be cutaneous markers of diabetes mellitus like diabetic dermatopathy, acrochordons, acanthosis nigricans and bullous diabeticorum, etc.

An observational cross-sectional study on a total of 400 patients of Diabetes Mellitus Type-2. A complete cutaneous examination was done in all cases to observe for the presence of any specific or nonspecific dermatosis. All the statistical tests were two sided and P-value <0.05 was considered as significant level.

This study showed that in specific cutaneous disorders, Acrochordon 138(34.5%) was the most common manifestation which was followed by, Bacterial Infections 93(23.5%), Dermatophytosis 77(19.2%), Candidiasis 76(19%), Acanthosis nigricans 50(12.5%) and Onychomycosis 33(8.25%) in decreasing order. Xerosis 259(64.7%) was the commonest manifestation in non-specific cutaneous disorders followed by, Generalized pruritus 200(50%), Seborrheic keratosis 35(8.75%) in decreasing order.

Cutaneous manifestations are quite common in uncontrolled (HbA1c>7gm) type 2 diabetes mellitus as compare to controlled group. Uncontrolled group is more prone to develop diabetic complication like hypertension, diabetic retinopathy and peripheral neuropathy etc. It is concluded that, Diabetes mellitus Type-2 involves the skin quite often and whenever patients present with multiple skin manifestation and then diabetic statusshould be checked and controlled.
Nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis presenting as papilloma: A case report
Authors: Mufti Shagufta Tahir , Mehdiratta Shreya , Tahir Salim , Faridi M.M.A.
Published: December 2021

Nevus Lipomatosus Cutaneous Superficialis (NLCS) is an uncommon hamartomatous lesion of the skin. NLCS is classified into two clinical forms classic and solitary. Some authors consider this lesion as a type of connective tissue nevus. We report a rare case of solitary NLCS in a 69 year old male with a long history of pedunculated swelling in the right gluteal cleft with review of literature. On gross appearance the lesion was a grey brown, exophytic, cerebriform, smooth skin covered soft tissue mass measuring 4.5 cms in the largest dimension with a broad peduncle attached. On histopathological examination the lesion showed superficial and deep dermal infiltration of the adipose tissue with distortion of the dermal collagen.
Nodular trichoblastoma or basal cell carcinoma: A diagnostic dilemma of clinical significance
Authors: Kaira Vaanika , Kaira Pankaj , Verma Mamta
Published: December 2021

Nodular Trichoblastoma (TB) is a rare and benign adnexal tumor originating from rudimentary hair follicles. Adnexal neoplasms show complex clinical and histological features. A panel of immunohistochemical (IHC) markers helps in distinguishing tumors of follicular origin from other cutaneous tumors especially Basal cell carcinoma (BCC). We herein describe the histological and immunohistochemical features of TB which clinically and histologically mimiced BCC.
The Centrality of Education for Indigenous Income Mobility in Canada
Authors: Haan Michael , Chuatico Georgina , Cornetet Jules
Published: December 2021

In this article, we employ a multinomial logistic regression model to determine which factors predict middle- and upper income class belonging among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. We examine the impact of identity, education, occupation, and urbanization on income status. The positive impact of higher education is captured by the model; however, post-secondary education has a greater impact on some Indigenous groups than others. We present interaction terms between education and identity to show that investment in higher education is crucial to Indigenous people’s income attainment; however, some identity groups benefit more than others.
Agrupación difusa como herramienta para reducir la subjetividad en el diagnóstico de aisladores poliméricos
Authors: Da Costa Souza João Pedro , Guedes da Costa Edson , Medeiros Martins Nobrega Luiz Augusto , Albuquerque Dias Bruno , Leite Neto Antonio Francisco
Published: December 2021

O diagnóstico das condições operacionais de isoladores poliméricos é um tema pertinente de estudo e pode apresentar elevada carga de subjetividade. Assim, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo propor uma metodologia, baseada em agrupamento difuso (fuzzy clustering), para reduzir a subjetividade no diagnóstico de isoladores poliméricos. Foram ensaiados 60 isoladores poliméricos de tensão nominal de 138 kV com diferentes níveis de degradação. Os isoladores foram classificados inicialmente a partir de inspeção visual em três níveis de degradação: baixo, intermediário e crítico. Em seguida, os isoladores foram submetidos às seguintes técnicas de monitoramento: detecção de radiação ultravioleta, termografia infravermelha e detecção de ruído ultrassônico. Os dados oriundos das inspeções foram extraídos e processados. Para cada método de inspeção, as amostras foram agrupadas em três conjuntos a partir de agrupamento difuso. Os conjuntos foram então associados a cada nível de degradação a partir da análise minuciosa dos dados. Um diagnóstico foi estabelecido considerando os agrupamentos relativos às três técnicas utilizadas e os resultados foram comparados ao diagnóstico oriundo da inspeção visual, sendo o estado mais crítico entre os dois considerados. Constatou-se que 5 dos isoladores apresentaram nível de degradação mais elevado do que o estabelecido a partir de inspeção visual, de modo que a metodologia utilizada asseguraria a retirada ou supervisão mais conservadora dos isoladores. A metodologia proposta reduz a subjetividade do diagnóstico de isoladores poliméricos, inserindo um fator não supervisionado na classificação do seu estado operacional.
The Searching for Self-Identity in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go
Authors: Munfangati Rahmi , Handayani Aisyah Nur
Published: December 2021

Self-identity is an aspect that every human in the world has. Without it, a person is in danger of being negatively affected by those around him/her and by the outside world. Some people are grappling with this identity-forming phase in their search for self-definition. This is reflected in Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Therefore, this research aims to describe the main characters' search for self-identity as seen in the novel. The type of this research was library research. This research applied a psychological approach, and the data were analyzed using the descriptive qualitative method. The results showed that Kathy and Tommy's quest to find their true selves occurred in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood stages. Narrated by Kathy, she flashed back the memories of how they, Kathy and Tommy, are puzzled because of too many mysteries in Hailsham, the boarding school where they live. They connected each puzzle which could be the answer. But, in the novel, the question they belong to for being different brought them to another question. The process of findings itself flowed as long as they grew. In the end, they found information about their identity as a clone and as an individual.
The Students’ Needs in Developing EFL Materials ICT Based
Authors: Muthmainnah  , Aeni Nur , Galal Mohammed , Varghese K. J. , Castillo Fides Del , Ghofur Abd.
Published: December 2021

In developing English communication skills, the student's needs, wants, and lacks are crucial. The materials given should be suitable for the students' wants. These issues are vital in developing any English materials on ICT-based. This study explores the students' needs, wants, and lacks in learning English by developing suitable materials with the ICT-based. The mixed approach was used in this study. The researchers distributed the survey to 350 students from Indonesia and other countries (Kosovo, Kuwait, Ghana, Pakistan, Philippines, India, and United Kingdom) involved in the Share to Care Community in collecting the data. They were assigned to fill the Google form about their needs in learning English. The result showed that the students need materials that fulfill their needs. It should be related to today's facts, easy enough to share with, and easy to access by the students' technologies devices, then using both target languages L2 and L1 to deliver the materials. While teaching, the lecturers used any method; role-playing is the most common, followed by oral reports, games, outdoor learning, and blended learning. Most of the students from several countries intended to have ICT in their learning process.
Westernization and Colonization of the Mind in Chinua Achebe’s “Dead Men’s Path”
Authors: Kusumawardani Maria Regina Anna Hadi
Published: December 2021

British occupation in Nigeria has brought several impacts to the native land and also the indigenous people. Westernization and colonization of the mind are two inseparable effects of colonialism. These two issues are oftentimes depicted in literary works focusing on colonialism as their theme. The aim of this study is to analyze the issues of westernization and colonization of the mind raised in Chinua Achebe's "Dead Men's Path." The data were taken from quotes that prove the existence of these issues from a short story entitled “Dead Men’s Path” by Chinua Achebe and analyzed them using Homi Bhabha’s theory of mimicry and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s theory of colonization of the mind. The results showed that westernization and colonization of the mind have affected Michael Obi, the main character in the story. Westernization influences Obi to adopt modern life and Western thoughts that show the process of mimicry, while colonization of the mind makes Obi downgrades Nigerian cultures. The issue of the management of land was also found in the story as a continuation of the previous problems. “Dead Men’s Path” by Chinua Achebe reveals that British colonialism has changed the perspectives of Nigerian elites, as seen in Michael Obi’s story.
De Holocausto (1978) a Chernobyl (2019): ¿Qué puede hacer el audiovisual ante un pasado traumático y un futuro amenazado?
Authors:   Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feldman Ilana
Published: December 2021

Retracing the cultural history of the reception of the TV series Holocaust (1978) as it redefined the politics of the State and put the testimony for the first time at the centre of the cultural field, undermining how the Jewish genocide was perceived until then, the article aims at discuss —by the contributions of Annette Wieviorka and Georges Didi-Huberman, among others— through a comparison with the hbo series Chernobyl (2019) and other cinematographic productions, what audio-visual is capable of in front of different forms of State violence, of a traumatic past and of a threatened future.
Doing lines: refrains and copyists in the Cantigas de Santa Maria
Authors:   University of Oxford, United Kingdom, Parkinson Stephen
Published: December 2021

In the manuscripts of the Cantigas de Santa Maria, the refrains following each strophe, as well as the rubrics preceding each poem, are copied in red ink, into spaces left after the copying of the body of the text in black ink. This creates two specific constraints: the need to fit text into predetermined spaces, and the repetition inherent in copying the same text many times over. The task was probably delegated to junior copyists, meaning that many pages have more than one hand represented. Close study of the copying of refrains reveals that the copyists used a range of devices to vary and justify the text of refrains, and that copying could proceed across the whole page rather than column by column.
REGIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND ETHICAL RISKS OF MEDICAL TOURISM (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE VOLGOGRAD REGION)
Authors: Shchekin Gennady Y. , Reimer Maria V. , Ivanov Konstantin V.
Published: December 2021

Abstract. The article examines medical tourism as a promising area of modern health care within the framework of the federal project "Development of the export of medical services", part of the national project "Health". The authors examine the possibilities of regional health care within the framework of the project "Development of medical services export in the Volgograd region". The data on the number and geography of visitors, financial revenues to the regional budget for the ensuring, paid medical services are presented. The risks of regional health care that hinder the development of medical tourism are described and the ways to avoid them are indicated. At the present stage of the development of Russian healthcare, the provision of medical tourism services is not legally formalized, so more attention should be paid to ethical regulation in this area.
A homokfásítás alkonya és az ártérfásítás hajnala
Authors: Tölgyesi Csaba , Bátori Zoltán , Deák Balázs , Erdős László , Hábenczyus Alida Anna , Kukla Luca Sára , Török Péter , Valkó Orsolya , Kelemen András
Published: December 2021

A Duna-Tisza közi homokhátságon az 1970-es évektől jelentős szárazodás figyelhető meg, mely veszélyezteti a térség gazdasági termelékenységét és a vízigényes élőhelyek fennmaradását. Jelenleg nincs konszenzus a szárazodást kiváltó tényezők egymáshoz viszonyított szerepéről. A legellentmondásosabb a homokfásítás kérdése, mely a homoki erdőgazdálkodás nagy múltja miatt „tabunak” számít. Jelen munkánkban a homokhátság erdeinek hidrológiai hatásait tekintjük át, és levezetjük, hogy negatív vízmérleget generálnak, így szárító hatásuk megkérdőjelezhetetlen. Míg több, a szárazodásban közrejátszó tényező szerepe csökkenő tendenciát mutat, a homoki erdőké arányában növekszik, így új erdők telepítése nem ajánlott, sőt, az erdőborítás csökkentése indokolt a letermelésre kerülő faültetvények  újratelepítésének mellőzésével. A fásítás súlypontját folyóink ártereibe érdemes áthelyezni, melynek együtt kellene járnia azok kibővítésével, azaz az árterek részleges restaurációjával.
Ajánlások földikutya-állományok egyedszámváltozásának egységes nyomon követeséhez
Authors: Moldován Orsolya , Schneider Viktor , Szél László , Németh Attila
Published: December 2021

A földikutyák Magyarország legveszélyeztetettebb emlősállatai közé tartoznak. Kizárólagosan talajlakó életmódjuk miatt állományaik egyedszámának meghatározása, állományváltozásaik nyomon követése roppant nehéz feladat, pedig nagy szükség lenne megbízható állományadatokra. Az 1980-as évek óta számos kezdeményezés történt monitorozásuk módszertanának kidolgozására. Publikációnkban áttekintjük a hazai természetvédelmi gyakorlatban a földikutya-állományok egyedszámának nyomon követesére alkalmazott módszereket. Az utóbbi években öszszegyűlt gyakorlati tapasztalatok alapján megvitatjuk az olyan, állományfelmérések során felmerülő nehézségeket, mint a földikutya-túrások azonosítása, az élőhelyek talajtani sokfélesége által okozott módszertani problémák, vagy az állományfelmérés időpontjának megválasztási nehézségei. Javaslatokat fogalmazunk meg egy egységes, a Kárpát-medence-szerte bárhol alkalmazható földikutyamonitorozási protokoll kidolgozásához.
A Natura 2000 területek természetvédelmi jelentősége az agrártájban: esettanulmány a lőkösházi Turai-gyep tájban betöltött szerepéről
Authors: Bozó László , Rozgonyi János , Csathó András István
Published: December 2021

Békés megye déli részén az agrárterületek a teljes külterület közel 90%-át teszik ki, míg a természetvédelmileg értékes élőhelyek csak szigetszerűen, kis fragmentumokban maradtak fenn. Dolgozatunkban ebből a földrajzi régióból, a lőkösházi Turai-gyep Natura 2000 területről közlünk madártani és növénytani adatokat a 2010 és 2020 közötti időszakból. A terepi munka során összesen 170 madárfaj jelenlétét mutattuk ki a területről, amelyek közül 57 faj rendszeresen vagy alkalmilag fészkelt a gyepen. A fészkelők között több olyan védett és fokozottan védett faj is akad, amely a térség más részein nem költ. A botanikai adatgyűjtés során is előkerültek védett, a tájban egyébként igen ritka fajok, míg egy fokozottan védett rovarfaj (nagy szikibagoly – Gortyna borelii lunata) előfordulása szintén a terület fontosságát jelzi. Eredményeink  egyértelműen jelzik, hogy a még megmaradt természetes élőhelyfoltok kulcsfontosságúak a térség biodiverzitásának fenntartásában, eltűnésük több faj lokális–regionális kipusztulását okozná.
ANALYSIS OF THE VOLUME OF PASSENGERS AND CARGO IN RAIL AND ROAD TRANSPORT IN POLAND IN 2009-2019
Authors: MACIOSZEK Elżbieta
Published: December 2021

Transport plays an important role in the economy of any country. Efficient and developed transport infrastructure of various modes of transport significantly affects the availability of transport services, and consequently, the well-being of citizens. This article presents an analysis of the volume of passengers and cargo transport using rail and road transport in Poland in 2009-2019. These analyses were carried out based on data obtained from the Central Statistical Office. All data concerns Polish entities that provide services in the field of passenger and freight transport in Poland and focuses on such information as the volume of passengers and cargo by individual means of transport, broken down into domestic and international transport. Further, the presented analyses concern the length of the available rail and road routes, tracks, the size of the rolling stock as well as the groups of transported loads.
NATURE AND ORIGIN OF MAJOR SECURITY CONCERNS AND POTENTIAL THREATS TO THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY
Authors: MELNYK Oleksiy , ONYSHCHENKO Svitlana , KORYAKIN Kostyantin
Published: December 2021

During the last decades, maritime security has always stood as a separate critical problem for both shipowners and crews of sea-going ships, characterized by alternating periods of relative stability and periods of occurrence and growth of new threats, which proceeded from times of sailing fleet to an epoch of iron steam shipbuilding. Certainly, it is difficult to overestimate the significant role of the scientific community, which has been researching this problem for a long time, studying its scientific and practical sides. The professional experience of seafarers in sufficient measure, served as a basis of interest to this question, has led to the development of strategies and complex measures, which until now provided safety for ships and their crewmembers. Without recent advances in maritime security, shipping as an industry would not be able to reach the current level of reliability in shipping processes. Each generation of humanity has prioritized maritime security, contributing to improving its standards and stressing the importance of continuous development of the theoretical base. At least 23 million tons of cargo and 55,000 passengers move daily by water transport, so the concept of maritime safety applies not only to the safety of life at sea, ship and cargo security but also to the prevention of maritime accidents and pollution. The increasing share of sea and river transport in the international cargo and passenger turnover leads to the need to increase demands on maritime safety and security.
ASSESSMENT OF THE TRANSPORT INTENSITY OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMY
Authors: MINDUR Leszek , MINDUR Maciej
Published: December 2021

The excessive increase in transport intensity is one of the negative impacts on the economy. The costs borne due to transport activities are indirectly expressed by the volume of carriages (in tons) and by the scope of transport activity (in ton-kilometers). The result of social and economic activities are global product values and national incomes. This article shows the research on transport activity expressed through transport activity (in ton-kilometers) for all means of transport in total, the results of social and economic activities expressed using the gross domestic product, as well as shaping transport intensity of national economies in selected European countries. The analysis of the course of the exponential function curves, as well as polynomial curves has been carried out, and conclusions have been formulated on their bases.
METHODS FOR ASSESSING THE TECHNICAL CONDITION OF BEARING HUBS IN MEANS OF TRANSPORT
Authors: STANIK Zbigniew , KUBIK Andrzej , HADRYŚ Damian , CSISZÁR Csaba
Published: December 2021

This article presents two methods of testing bearing hubs, which may supplement the existing subjective and unreliable methods of diagnostics of rolling bearings used in wheel bearing hubs of motor vehicles and other means of road transport. One of the most important elements responsible for the safety of a vehicle is the bearing hub. Regular monitoring of the technical condition of bearings should become an obligation at vehicle inspection stations when carrying out a technical inspection of a vehicle, authorising it to travel on public roads. This article presents the results of vehicle tests with signs of damage to rolling bearings, using two test stands: one on which the dynamic balancer acted as a device for accelerating the wheel, and the other, which was designed as a test dedicated to automotive rolling bearings, where a dynamic weighbridge was used as the wheel drive, made it impossible to test the wheel at lower rotational speeds. The newly designed and manufactured bearing testing device eliminates the disadvantages of the previous stand, and additionally, enables the measurement of a fully loaded bearing hub, which enables the simulation of real operating conditions on the bearing hub.
Human Hepatocyte Nuclear Factors (HNF1 and LXRb) Regulates CYP7A1 in HIV-Infected Black South African Women with Gallstone Disease: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Kinoo Suman Mewa , Nagiah Savania , Naidoo Pragalathan , Singh Bhugwan , Chuturgoon Anil A.
Published: December 2021

Background: Female sex, high estrogen levels, aging, obesity and dyslipidemia are some of the risk factors associated with gallstone formation. HIV infected patients on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) are more prone to hypercholesterolemia. Bile acid synthesis is initiated by cholesterol 7-alpha hydroxylase (CYP7A1) and regulated by hepatocyte nuclear factors (HNF1α, HNF4α and LXRb).Aim/ Objective: To evaluate the expression of HNF1α, HNF4α, LXRb and miRNAs (HNF4α specific: miR-194-5p and miR-122*_1) that regulate CYP7A1 transcription in HIV-infected Black South African women on cART and presenting with gallstones relative to HIV negative patients with gallstone disease. Methods: Females (n = 96) presenting with gallstone disease were stratified based on HIV status. The gene expression of CYP7A1, HNF1α, HNF4α, LXRb, miR-194-5p and miR-122*_1 was determined using RT-qPCR. Messenger RNA and miRNA levels were reported as fold change expressed as 2-ΔΔCt (RQ min; RQ max). Fold changes >2 and <0.5 were considered significant. Results: HIV-infected females were older in age (p = 0.0267) and displayed higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) (p = 0.0419), CYP7A1 [2.078-fold (RQ min: 1.278; RQ max: 3.381)], LXRb [2.595-fold (RQ min: 2.001; RQ max: 3.000)] and HNF1α [3.428 (RQ min: 1.806; RQ max: 6.507] levels. HNF4α [0.642-fold (RQ min: 0.266; RQ max: 1.55)], miR-194-5p [0.527-fold (RQ min: 0.37; RQ max: 0.752)] and miR-122*_1 [0.595-fold (RQ min: 0.332; RQ max: 1.066)] levels were lower in HIV-infected females. Conclusions: HIV-infected women with gallstone disease displayed higher LDL-c levels and increased bile acid synthesis which was evident by the elevated expression of CYP7A1, HNF1α and LXRb. This could have been further influenced by cART and aging.
Study on the Effect of Removing the Slide Wire Screw on Locking Plate by Nail Groove Reconstruction Method
Authors: Zheng Guanglei , Qi Yingjie
Published: December 2021

Background: This paper is to describe and evaluate the nail groove reconstruction method in removing slide wire screw on locking plate. Then compare the method with tungsten steel drilling nail method, to explore a new method of removing slide wire screw on locking plate.Method: A total of 1254 patients with removal fracture internal fixation devices were collected from the Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University from July 2015 to September 2021, of which 62 cases met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All patients were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group. 31 people per group. There were 19 males and 12 females in the experimental group, the age of patients was 35.68±11.70years; while 18 males and 13 females in the control group, the age of patients was 36.27±10.37years. Nail groove reconstruction method was used in the experimental group, and the tungsten steel drilling nail method was used in the control group. Collect and count surgical-related indicators, the data of two groups were compared and analyzed from four aspects: intraoperative blood loss, operation time, incision healing time and limb function recovery time.Result: All slide wire screws were removed successfully, and all patients had no serious postoperative complications such as internal fixation retention and neurovascular injury. The experimental group was better than the control group in the following three aspects: the amount of intraoperative blood loss, the operative time, the recovery time of limb function, and the differences were statistically significant(p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in incision healing time between the two groups.Conclusion: The nail groove reconstruction method has less damage to the bone and soft tissue, less intraoperative blood loss, shorter operation time, and faster postoperative recovery of limb function. The nail groove reconstruction method is a simple and effective method, it has obvious advantages compared with the traditional method.
Usability and Acceptability of Oral Fluid Hepatitis C Self-testing Among People Who Inject Drugs in Coastal Kenya: a Cross-sectional Pilot Study
Authors: Reipold Elena Ivanova , Fajardo Emmanuel , Juma Emily , Bukusi David , Aza Elkin Bermudez , Jamil Muhammad S. , Johnson Cheryl Case , Farquhar Carey , Easterbrook Philippa , Monroe-Wise Aliza
Published: December 2021

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are disproportionally affected by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and many remain undiagnosed. HCV self-testing (HCVST) may be an effective approach to increase testing uptake, but has rarely been used among PWID. We assessed the usability and acceptability of HCVST among PWID in Kenya. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study nested within a cohort study between August and December 2020 on Kenya’s North Coast region. Participants were handed a prototype oral fluid HCVST kit and asked to conduct the test relying on the instructions for use. Usability was assessed by documenting errors made and difficulties faced by participants. Acceptability was assessed using an interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire. Results: Among 150 participants, 19% were female and 65.3% had primary level education or lower. 71.3% made at least one error, 56.7% experienced some difficulty during at least one step, and the majority of participants (78%) required assistance during at least one step of the procedure. Most common errors occurred when placing the tube into the stand (18%), collecting the oral fluid sample (24%) and timing of reading results (53%). There was a strong association between presence of symptoms of opiate withdrawals and observed errors (94% vs 62%; p=0.016) in a sub-group of 74 participants assessed. Inter-reader and inter-operator concordance were 97.7% (kappa: 0.92) and 99.2% (kappa: 0.95), respectively. Acceptability assessed by asking whether participants would choose to use HCVST prior to and after conducting HCVST was 98% and 95%, respectively. Conclusions: We found a high acceptability of oral fluid HCVST among PWID. User errors were common and were associated with the presence of withdrawal symptoms among users. Despite errors, most participants were able to obtain and interpret results correctly. These findings suggest that this group of users may benefit from greater messaging and education including options to receive direct assistance when self-testing for HCV.
Midwives’ Survey of Their Weight Management Practice Before and After the GLOWING Guideline Implementation Intervention: A Pilot Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: Heslehurst Nicola , McParlin Catherine , Sniehotta Falko F , Rankin Judith , McColl Elaine
Published: December 2021

Background: Weight management is a priority for maternity services due to pregnancy risks and long-term health implications for women and babies. Pregnancy interventions significantly improve maternal diet, physical activity, weight, and some pregnancy outcomes. There are complex barriers, underpinned by self-efficacy, to midwives’ implementation of UK guidelines. The GLOWING intervention uses social cognitive theory (SCT) to address evidence-based barriers to practice, with the aim of supporting midwives’ implementation of guidelines into routine practice.Methods: An external rehearsal pilot cluster randomised controlled trial in four NHS Trusts (clusters) in England, UK. Clusters were randomised to intervention arm where all eligible midwives received the intervention, or control arm which received no intervention. A random sample of 100 midwives were invited to complete questionnaires pre- and post-intervention. UK guideline recommendations were grouped into communication-related behaviours (weight and risk communication) and support/intervention-related behaviours (diet/nutrition, physical activity, weight management, referrals/signposting). Questionnaires were developed using SCT constructs (self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, intentions, behaviours) and 7-point Likert scale. Data were converted to a 0-100 scale, where higher scores were more positive. Descriptive statistics compared intervention and control arms, pre- and post-intervention.Results: Seventy-four midwives consented and 68 returned questionnaires. Pre-intervention, self-efficacy for support/intervention-related behaviours scored lowest. In the control arm, there was limited difference between the pre- and post-intervention scores. Post-intervention, the mean scores were consistently higher in the intervention than control arm, particularly for support/intervention self-efficacy (71.4, SD 17.1 and 58.4, SD 20.1). Mean self-efficacy was higher post-intervention than pre-intervention for all behaviour categories in the intervention arm: weight communication (76.3, SD 16.7 vs. 67.2, SD 21.1), risk communication (79.4, SD 16.4, vs. 68.6, SD 14.9), diet/nutrition/physical activity (76.4, SD 16.0 vs. 49.3, SD 16.5), weight management (72.1, SD 18.3 vs. 48.3, SD 19.8), referrals/signposting (63.3, SD 26.0 vs. 47.9, SD 17.3), and consistently higher than controls.Conclusions: This study supports the theoretical models used to develop GLOWING, particularly that low self-efficacy is core to implementation barriers. Results suggest that the intervention is successfully targeting self-efficacy, which could have a positive impact on guideline implementation. A future definitive trial is required to determine effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Trial registration: ISRCTN46869894, retrospectively registered 25/05/2016, http://isrctn.com/ISRCTN46869894
Quantitative Characterization of Bamboo Cortex’structure Based on X-ray Microtomography
Authors: Wang Xianke , Chen Lin , Huang Bin , Yuan Jin , Shang Lili , Zhang Shuqin , Chen Meiling , Fang Changhua , Fei Benhua
Published: December 2021

Bamboo is a natural fiber composite with layered structure. Millions of years of evolution have endowed bamboo with the most effective structure in nature. The ingenious microstructure provides bamboo with excellent mechanical properties. Bamboo culm is composed of the cortex, a middle layer, and a pith ring. The cortex refers to the area starting from the periphery of the culm wall to the vascular bundles. The present study obtained the two-dimensional microstructure of bamboo cortex cells by optical microscopy and characterized the three-dimensional structure through high-resolution X-ray microtomography (µCT). Based on the analysis, the bamboo cortex cells were classified into four layers: epidermis layer, hypodermis layer, transitional layer, and parenchyma layer. The average pore volume of the bamboo cortex was about 1.54×10-6 mm3, the porosity was 36.1%, and the relative density was 0.639. The epidermis layer, hypodermis layer, transition layer, and parenchyma layer cells had a cell cavity volume of 917.81 µm3, 714.22 µm3, 1258.19 µm3, and 3117.65 µm3, respectively, an average length3d (L) of 19.38 µm, 25.84 µm, 26.46 µm, and 34.88 µm, respectively, an average breadth3d (W) of 14.11 µm, 9.44 µm, 15.22 µm, and 16.6 µm, respectively, and sphericity of 0.85, 0.76, 0.75, and 0.78, respectively. Studies on bamboo anatomical structure, especially three-dimensional digital characterization, will enrich the bamboo microstructure database. Besides, the three-dimensional structure of the bamboo cortex revealed in this study can provide a reference for optimizing composite material hierarchy and biomimetic design.
PolyMyalgia Rheumatica Treatment With Methotrexate in Optimal Dose in an Early Disease Phase (PMR MODE): Study Protocol for a Multicenter Double-blind Placebo Controlled Trial.
Authors: Bolhuis Thomas , Marsman Diane E. , Broeder Nathan den , Broeder Alfons A. den , Maas Aatke van der
Published: December 2021

BackgroundPolymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory rheumatic disease affecting people older than 50, resulting in pain and stiffness of the neck, shoulder-, and pelvic girdle. To date, glucocorticoids (GC) remain the cornerstone of treatment, but these have several drawbacks. Firstly, a large proportion of patients do not achieve GC-free remission within either the first (over 70%) or second year of treatment (over 50%). Secondly, GC-related adverse events (AE) occur in up to 65% of patients and can be severe.The current EULAR/ACR guidelines for PMR recommend early introduction of methotrexate (MTX) as a GC sparing agent in patients at risk for worse prognosis. However, earlier trials of low to medium quality only studied MTX dosages of 7.5–10 mg/week with no to modest effect. These doses may be suboptimal as MTX is recommended in higher doses (25 mg/week) for other inflammatory rheumatic diseases. The exact role, timing and dose of MTX in PMR remains unclear and therefore our objective is to study the efficacy of MTX 25 mg/week in recently diagnosed PMR patients. MethodsWe set up a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled superiority trial (PMR MODE) to assess the efficacy of MTX 25 mg/week versus placebo in a 1:1 ratio in 100 recently diagnosed PMR patients according to the 2012 EULAR/ACR criteria. All patients will receive prednisolone 15mg/day, tapered to 0 mg over the course of 24 weeks. In case of primary non-response or disease relapse prednisolone dose will be temporarily increased. Assessments will take place at baseline, 4, 12, 24, 32, and 52 weeks. The primary outcome is the difference in proportion of patients in GC-free remission at week 52. DiscussionNo relapsing PMR patients were chosen, since the the possible benefits of MTX may not outweigh the risks at low doses and effect modification may occur. Accelerated tapering was chosen in order to more easily identify a GC-sparing effect if one exist. A composite endpoint of GC-free remission was chosen as a clinically relevant endpoint for both patients and rheumatologist and may reduce second order (treatment) effects. Trial registrationDutch trial registration, NL8366 Registered on 2020-02-10
Liquidity risk and regulation in the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) banking industry
Authors: Amin Syajarul Imna Mohd , Abdul-Rahman Aisyah , Malim Nurhafiza Abdul Kader
Published: December 2021

The recurring crises have evidenced poor liquidity risk management and ineffective
regulation in banking. Consequently, banking regulations have undergone continuous reforms to bolster stability in the banking system. Nonetheless, theoretical and empirical evidence provide conflicting results that warrant comprehensive research, particularly for emerging Islamic banking. This study examines the role of banking regulation on the liquidity risk of 245 conventional banks and 68 Islamic banks from selected 14 Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) from 2000 to 2017 utilising the dynamic panel GMM (generalized method of moments) technique. We measure liquidity risk using the Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) and the total financing-to-total deposits and short-term funding (LDEP). Meanwhile, the regulatory measures are asset restriction (AR), private monitoring (PM), supervisory power (SP) and capital requirements (CR). The findings suggest that regulation has a limited impact on bank liquidity risk. The CR supports the value creation of regulation through the reduction in banks’ liquidity risks, while PM and SP are agency costs of regulation that lead to higher liquidity risks. The impact of CR is lower on liquidity risk in Islamic banking than conventional ones, probably due to limited Islamic liquidity risk management facilities. Thus, regulators should strengthen Islamic liquidity risk instruments and markets to facilitate Islamic banking growth.
Firm’s size, mandatory adoption of IFRS and corporate risk disclosure among
listed non-financial firms in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alsheikh Awatif , Hassan Mohamat Sabri , Mohd-Saleh Norman , Abdullah Mohd Hafizuddin-Syah bin , Alsheikh Warda
Published: December 2021

This study examines the relationship between the mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the disclosures of corporate risk among non-financial firms in Saudi Arabia. Based on the observation of 320 firm-year from 2015 until 2017, this study reveals a positive relationship between the mandatory adoption of IFRS and the corporate risk disclosures. The relationship holds when we decompose corporate risk disclosures into financial and non-financial risk disclosures. The results are consistent for both the pooled Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and random effects estimations. Additionally, the result is steady with all primary categories except risk management. We also provide evidence that large firms are more likely to adopt IFRS and reveal more risk information than small firms. This study’s findings are relevant for market regulators
in their attempt to improve corporate risk disclosures among listed firms in Saudi Arabia.
The influence of liquidity risk on efficiency in rural banks: the moderating role of interbank borrowing fund
Authors: Zafrizal Meliza , Yakob Rubayah , Low Soo Wah
Published: December 2021

High competition in Indonesian banking sectors has resulted in the non-survival of rural banks in Indonesia in the long run. The lack of third-party funding becomes one of the most important factors that cause many rural banks to face liquidity risk. Hence, many rural banks use interbank borrowing fund as an alternative source of funding in order to meet their liquidity requirement. Moreover, this risk also leads to many rural banks in Indonesia having to deal with low efficiency problem. This research examines not only the influence of liquidity risk on efficiency but also the role of interbank borrowing fund as a moderator variable. Random effect regression analysis reveals that liquidity risk has negative influence on efficiency. Furthermore, as moderator variable, interbank borrowing fund is shown to enhance the influence of liquidity risk on efficiency. This research becomes guidance for rural banks in managing their liquidity risk and efficiency. In addition, this research also can provide direction for authority in setting some regulation regarding to rural banks’ activities in interbank market.