bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complementarities in Production and Trade between ASEAN Countries and India
Authors: Kaur Sandeep , Deepika -
Published: August 2023

The share of Indiaâ€™s export to WANA (West Asia and North Africa) is 22.5 percent, followed by EU (European Union) 21.2 percent and North America 15.5 Percent, ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) 10.3 percent, South Asia 4.6 percent and Latin America 3.3 percent (Government of India, Economic survey 2010-11). As compared to other blocs (WANA, North America and EU) the share of Indiaâ€™s exports to ASEAN is low. Thus there is need to examine the reasons for low trade of India with ASEAN nations.Â  In the light of this, the present paper has been undertaken to study competitiveness or complementarities in production and trade among India and ASEAN nations and to study the pattern of intra -regional trade of ASEAN nations. There is substantial range of existing complementarities between ASEAN and India. As most of the ASEAN countries are heavily dependent on imported drugs and health care equipments, therefore India could also cooperate with ASEAN in pharmaceutical and health care service sectors. India Shares Sea boundaries with three ASEAN countries namely Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand. Thus in terms of transport cost, India has benefit to trade with ASEAN. So, India should look at expanding sea transport linkages to promote trade, tourism and other economic activities.
Agro Based (Central) Public Sector Enterprises: Performance Indicators, Capital and Labour Productivity
Authors: Chawla R. L. , Pandey Alok Kumar , Dixit Annapurna
Published: August 2023

Following Indiaâ€™s independence, it was widely recognized and accepted that agriculture remains the backbone of the economy. Mainly two types of innovations came into prominence to develop agriculture sector- one, institutional changes and at the second place technological innovations. Among the institutional changes â€œland to the tillerâ€ was the avowed objective and this led to abolition of Zamindari system in various states, launching of Bhoodan Movement and promoting cooperative farming. This was also supplemented with technological innovations- starting of multipurpose hydropower projects and later on â€˜Green Revolutionâ€™ with four major components. The present paper has attempted to estimate marginal productivity of labour and capital for agro based central public sector enterprises in Indian industry for the period 2002-2007, and the results are quite mixed. The empirical evidence of the present paper has established the fact that elasticity as well as marginal productivity of labour was highly insignificant in case of public sector agro enterprises.
Offshore Financial Centers: Recent Evolution and Likely Future Trends
Authors: SantillÃ¡n-Salgado Roberto J.
Published: August 2023

The origins of the world-wide distributed Offshore Financial Centers are related to the surge of the Eurocurrency markets during the 1950s and 1960s. After a first stage of rapid expansion, many of those OFCs reached a consolidation stage and remained, even after most of the original drivers for their creation were no longer present. Their insertion as part of the complex mechanisms of the global financial markets is driven byÂ  the high skilled financial services as well as the usually benign fiscal treatment the host countries give to multinational institutions established in their territory. As a consequence of the 2007-2009 Financial Crisis, the more advanced nations have formed a new group called the G20, with the aim to improve the coordination of different dimensions of the international economic environment. In its first reunions the G20 have focused in discussing the changes that are needed at the level of the financial architecture and the regulations that apply to international financial markets, with the intention to minimize the probability of another episode of financial crisis in the future. The changes that are likely to follow the G20 initiatives will change the operating conditions and affect the competitive advantages of the OFCs, but will also represent new opportunities for business. This work briefly explores the historical background of the OFCs phenomenon, analyzes its current situation and discusses its likely future trends, based on the OFCsâ€™ most recent environmental changes.
The Indian Budget 2011-12: A Step towards Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development
Authors: Verma Renu
Published: August 2023

The budget of 2011 presented on Feb 28th2 2011 by the then Indian finance minister reveals the governmentâ€™s pro agriculture mandate. It clearly indicates that agriculture and rural development are at the top in the priority list of the government. The present budget is a reflection of notion that government is true to its promises of bringing the smile back to the farmers. Many provisions made in the budget would certainly boost the agriculture and rural development. No doubt that this budget is a move in the direction of direction of sustainable agriculture and rural development. This article examines various initiatives of the budget 2011-10 taken for agricultural and rural development. An effort has been made to analyze the impact of these initiatives on Indian agriculture and rural development and to suggest various measures for the future growth of agriculture and rural economy.
Exploring the relationships between the employee creativity and economic development in Taiwan
Authors: Chang Cheng-Ping
Published: August 2023

This research examines the relationships between employee creativity and economic development. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, tests of reliability and validity, independent t tests, single factor variance analysis, ScheffÃ© posterior comparisons, Pearson product moment correlation analysis, stepwise multiple regression analysis, and so on.
Study of causes of increased potentials of alternating current traction rail network by registration of data in united time mode
Authors:   Far Eastern State Transport University (FESTU), Tryapkin Evgeniy Yuryevich , Ignatenko Ivan Vladimirovich ,   Far Eastern State Transport University (FESTU), Vlasenko Sergey Anatolyevich ,   Far Eastern State Transport University (FESTU), Shurova Natalya Konstantinovna ,   Far Eastern State Transport University (FESTU)
Published: August 2023

The paper considers results of straight instrumental study of rail line parameters in conditions of operating section of traction network that allow assessing influence of non-sinusoidality and current value on the process of creation of «rail - ground» potential. The paper presents a formula for a particular case of calculation of voltage form on a rail line section. As a result, this function may be an element of calculation of electrical processes in 25kV alternating current back rail network.
Optimization of transport service of sinter production with the consideration for traffic dynamics
Authors:   Lipetsk State Technical University (LGTU), Popov Alexey Timofeevich , Suslova Olga Anatolyevna ,   Lipetsk State Technical University (LGTU), Voronkova Elena Alexandrovna ,   Lipetsk State Technical University (LGTU)
Published: August 2023

The paper considers features of transport service of sinter production with the consideration for traffic dynamics. Over a long period of time during which the problem hadn’t been studied, the enterprise faced serious technological transformations. Intensification of production processes set new tasks for industrial transport. The task consisted in creation of a mathematical model of a production and transport system for optimization of operation of sinter production with raw materials traffic. The mathematical model is based on a dynamic transportation problem with delays.
Characteristics of outpatient gynecology oncology services before and after COVID-19 pandemic at Ulin Regional General Hospital, Banjarmasin, Indonesia
Authors: Waluyo Setyo Teguh , Armanza Ferry , Yuseran Hariadi , Halim Kevin Stanley
Published: August 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

The characteristics of gynecology oncology services at Ulin Regional General Hospital before and after the COVID-19 pandemic were evaluated.
There was a decrease of 19% in the number of visits by Gynecology Oncology Clinic patients at Ulin Regional General Hospital between the period of March 2019 - February 2020 and March 2020 - February 2021.

 
ABSTRACT
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the Gynecology Oncology Outpatient Clinic at Ulin Hospital Banjarmasin before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive study utilized existing patient data from the Gynecology Oncology Outpatient Clinic at Ulin Hospital Banjarmasin covering the period from March 2019 to February 2021. The study received ethical approval from the Ulin General Hospital ethics committee with clearance number 10/I-Reg Research/RSUDU/23. The collected data was presented in a tabular format to compare the service characteristics before the pandemic (March 2019 - February 2020) and after the pandemic (March 2020 – February 2021).
Results: During the periods of March 2019 – February 2020 and March 2020 – February 2021, there was a reduction of 19% in patient visits. The number of patients undergoing treatment also decreased, from 1081 patients (53.9%) in the period of March 2019 – February 2020 to 926 patients (46.1%) in the period of March 2020 – February 2021. Notably, there was a decrease in the number of patients undergoing surgical procedures, dropping from 76 patients (70.4%) in the period of March 2019 – February 2020 to 32 patients (29.6%) in the period of March 2020 – February 2021. A similar trend was seen in patients receiving chemotherapy, with the count decreasing from 1005 patients (52.9%) in the period of March 2019 – February 2020 to 894 patients (47.1%) in the period of March 2020 – February 2021. These changes were attributed to various hospital measures implemented to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including a reduction in outpatient clinic visits and the temporary suspension of surgical procedures from March 2020 to October 2020 to minimize potential exposure.
Conclusion: The study highlights a noticeable decline in both the frequency of visits to the Gynecology Oncology Outpatient Clinic at Ulin Regional General Hospital Banjarmasin and the number of patients receiving treatment during the periods before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Is maternal pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index associated with type of Congenital Heart Disease in offspring?
Authors: Fachryandini Nofita , Hidayat Taufiq , Ernawati Ernawati , A Rahman Mahrus
Published: August 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

The most common CHD was atrial septal defect for acyanotic CHD and Tetralogy of Fallot for cyanotic CHD.
There was no association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and type of CHD in offspring.

 
ABSTRACT
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and type of congenital heart disease (CHD) in offspring.
Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study involved all mothers of children with CHD who visited Pediatric Outpatient Unit at Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia, from January to December 2019. The maternal data were obtained from the KIA's (Maternal and Child Health) book or through anamnesis by telephone, while the offspring’s data were collected from medical records. The data were analyzed using the Chi-Square test. Significance was determined at a 5% level (p <0.05).
Results: We studied 117 mothers of children with CHD. The most frequent maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) was normal (BMI 17-23 kg/m2) accounting for 56.4% of the study population. The most common CHD was atrial septal defect (33.3%) among acyanotic patients and Tetralogy of Fallot (8.5%) among cyanotic patients. The Chi-Square test showed p=0.958 for the association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and type of CHD in offspring.
Conclusion: There was no association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and type of CHD in offspring.
Impact of COVID-19 on the histopathological aspect of the placenta during pregnancy
Authors: Anak Agung Ngurah Jaya Kusuma
Published: August 2023

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still classified as a world pandemic. This disease can affect numerous systems of the human body. Pregnant women are classified as a vulnerable group since COVID-19 can cause high morbidity and mortality. Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) acts as a COVID-19 receptor, and this receptor is also present in the placenta. The placenta plays a significant part in the fetus, especially protecting it from harmful conditions. Since only a few studies are available, COVID-19’s influence on the placenta in pregnancy needs to be discussed further. The SARS-CoV-2-infected pregnant woman’s placenta showed histopathological alterations. Viral particles were detected on syncytiotrophoblast and chorionic villi vascular endothelial cells. Some studies show inflammatory conditions are not prominent in SARS-CoV-2 positive infection. This, perhaps due to the placenta’s immunological reaction, plays a significant role. The SARS-CoV-2 disorder tends to cause abnormalities within the placental tissue. Fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM) and maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) are the most frequent findings from the studies included.
Development of small molecules for disrupting pathological amyloid aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases
Authors: Cao Tianyi , Li Xiang , Li Dan , Tao Youqi
Published: August 2023

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), encompassing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are often characterized by the formation of pathological amyloid aggregates, predominantly composed of proteins like amyloid-β, tau, α-synuclein, TDP-43, and others. These amyloid aggregates inflict significant neuronal harm and incite inflammation. This review underscores the potential of small molecules as innovative therapeutic interventions, designed to influence the formation, stability, and breakdown of these pathological amyloid aggregates, which could potentially modify the disease’s progression and minimize its neurotoxic effects. This review first sketches the pathways and mechanisms involved in amyloid aggregation, followed by an in-depth analysis of recent advances in formulating small molecules that directly target these damaging aggregates. This includes various strategies such as inhibiting fibril formation, fostering off-pathway non-toxic oligomers or amorphous aggregates, disaggregating established pathological amyloid fibrils, and enhancing the protein quality control system to combat amyloid aggregation. In the end, this review identifies the challenges and opportunities involved in transitioning these molecules into effective treatments, focusing on critical factors such as penetration of the blood-brain barrier, target specificity, and safety considerations. This review, thus, presents a comprehensive overview of the potential role of small molecules in tackling NDs typified by amyloid aggregation.
Pollution status, distribution, source analysis, and risk assessment of OCPs in soil from the Hexi Corridor in Northwest China
Authors: He Rui , Yuan Longmiao , Jiang Yufeng , Jia Zhanrong , Ding Weixuan , Yang Zhongwei
Published: August 2023

Since OCPs with different historical usage and atmospheric input may show varied environmental behaviors and risks to the local residents and relevant research on underdeveloped areas in the middle latitudes of China is lacking, it is essential to classify the contamination status and sources of OCPs from these middle latitudes areas and to evaluate the related health risks to humans. Fifty soil samples were collected and analyzed within five cities in the Hexi Corridor in Northwest China. The ranges of ∑24OCPs, ∑DDTs, and ∑HCHs concentrations in the soil samples were 23.1-393 ng/g, 4.96-167 ng/g, and 3.40-97.5 ng/g, respectively. The residual OCPs in soil were dominated by DDTs and HCHs, accounting for 38.7% and 16.1% of ∑24OCPs. Source analysis shows that the HCHs come from historical application and possible recent pesticide use, and DDTs are mainly from early application residues that formed in aerobic environments created by agriculture ploughing, which aerates the soil. The risk assessment showed that the soil in the Hexi Corridor may have a potential risk of residual OCPs, and the carcinogenic risk (CR) was 1.90 × 10-7-6.12 × 10-7 for adults and 5.6 × 10-7-1.8 × 10-6 for children, but the hazardous index (HI) was 0.0093 to 0.2817 for adults and 0.032 to 0.932 for children. Only a few samples showed values higher than the acceptable range for children. Therefore, in this study area, there is a low health risk to local residents. Nevertheless, our results provide a strong rationale for ongoing risk assessment and management and, hopefully, eradication of OCPs in the environment.
A systematic review of real-world applications of genome sequencing for newborn screening
Authors: Magnifico Giuditta , Artuso Irene , Benvenuti Stefano
Published: August 2023

Aim: With the costs of genomic sequencing falling quickly and an ever-increasing number of clinical laboratories equipped with new-generation sequencing machines, healthcare systems around the world are getting ready to enter the era of genomic newborn screening (NBS). However, the adoption of Genomic Sequencing (GS), encompassing whole-exome sequencing (WES) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS), in NBS programs raises a number of clinical, ethical, and legal questions as well as organizational and economic challenges. This systematic review is part of a feasibility study to assess the introduction of WGS for NBS in Lombardy region with the specific aim of gathering evidence from existing pilots in the field whose results have been published.

Methods: Three different sources were identified for the selection of articles in order to obtain a various and unbiased set of publications. 33 articles were retained for analysis to answer the following questions: 1. Clinical: Does genomic sequencing demonstrate clinical utility in the context of NBS? What are the limitations of these kind of programs? 2. Societal: What are the social, ethical and psychological implications of using GS for NBS? 3. Governance: What are the legal, economic, and organizational challenges for GS-based NBS programs?

Results: There is a general consensus in the literature on the key principles that should guide the adoption of GS in NBS, such as the inclusion of actionable genes only, the need for informed consent from the parents, the right of the newborn to an open future, which means the exclusion of late-onset diseases even when those are considered treatable. However, there are still several differences in how these principles are detailed and applied.

Conclusion: Real-world evidence from a handful of pilot projects (namely BabySeq and NC-Nexus, both carried out in the USA) have been published recently; however, this evidence is not yet sufficient to put an end to the broad and animated debate on the use of GS for NBS. Ethical, legal, and social issues still constitute great challenges and major barriers to wide and uniform adoption of GS in NBS. On the clinical side, a number of issues remain unaddressed, such as the benefits and limitations of the different approaches (targeted sequencing, GS only versus GS+standard NBS), the genes/diseases to include and the frequency of incidental findings, identification of carrier status, and variants of uncertain significance (VUS). Further pilots and consultations with involved stakeholders will be necessary before GS-based NBS can be accepted and systematically implemented in national healthcare programs.
MOBILIDADE URBANA NO CONTEXTO DA EXPANSÃO TERRITORIAL DO BAIRRO BENEDITO BENTES, EM MACEIÓ/ALAGOAS
Authors: André Franklin Luiz Ramos , Silva Gilcileide Rodrigues da
Published: August 2023

Este artigo versa sobre as mudanças no espaço geográfico e a expansão do bairro Benedito Bentes, na cidade de Maceió, capital de Alagoas. O objetivo principal do estudo desenvolvido foi analisar as políticas públicas voltadas à mobilidade urbana do bairro, buscando conhecer seus avanços e percalços para assegurar um sistema viário seguro à população. A partir de uma fundamentação teórica relacionada à temática, foi feito um levantamento dos indicadores da quantidade de veículos que circulam no bairro, bem como do número de sinistros no período de 2018 a 2022. A pesquisa foi do tipo não aplicada e considerou o conceito de território formado pelo conjunto de ações e objetos dispostos pela ação humana no meio. Na análise, partiu-se da compreensão das políticas públicas como a soma de atividades dos governos executadas diretamente, ou através de delegação e da mobilidade urbana, para facilitar o deslocamento das pessoas e de bens na cidade, com o objetivo de desenvolver atividades econômicas e sociais no perímetro urbano de cidades ou aglomerações urbanas. Os resultados indicaram que ainda há muito a se fazer para as políticas públicas voltadas à mobilidade urbana sejam de fato efetivas, valorizando a harmonia de seus usuários para que o lazer, em larga escala, melhore sua qualidade de vida.
MAIS DE UMA DÉCADA DE EXISTÊNCIA DO PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM GEOGRAFIA – PPGG/UFT
Authors: Santos Roberto Souza
Published: August 2023

O presente artigo tem como objetivo abordar a trajetória do autor em suas pesquisas científicas na área da geoterritorial no curso de Pós-graduação em Geografia no Campus Universitário de Porto Nacional. O texto problematiza o método teórico na área da Geografia Humana quanto a interpretação da realidade social estabelecida no espaço social. O método científico não deve ser tratado numa perspectiva disciplinar e sim interdisciplinar. Não há métodos exclusivos para determinadas ciências e, a ciência geográfica não trabalha com um único método. Historicamente, a ciência geográfica é caracterizada por uma pluralidade metodológica. Cabe aos geógrafos escolher o método teórico de sua escolha. Relata a trajetória das pesquisas teóricas e empíricas desenvolvidas pelo autor durante a sua atuação no Mestrado em Geografia em Porto Nacional e as suas expectativas quanto ao trabalho de futuras pesquisas científicas no curso. A metodologia trabalhada no texto baseou-se em uma revisão bibliográfica e em um relato das pesquisas empíricas do autor.
ZONEAMENTO DA ZONA DE AMORTECIMENTO DO RESERVATÓRIO CAIÇARA (MARCELINO VIEIRA-RIO GRANDE DO NORTE/BRASIL) ENQUANTO SUBSÍDIO A GESTÃO E AO GERENCIAMENTO
Authors: Junior Aluizio Bezerra , Guedes Josiel de Alencar , Alves Agassiel de Medeiros
Published: August 2023

O reservatório Caiçara tem suportado considerável pressão sobre o sistema ambiental. Logo, o presente estudo teve como objetivo elaborar um zoneamento na zona de amortecimento do reservatório, a fim de avaliar os níveis de pressão antrópica, e, também, classificar o Índice de Comprometimento Ambiental (ICA). Os procedimentos metodológicos, utilizou-se das técnicas e métodos de Geoprocessamento e Sensoriamento Remoto em SIG, aliado ao cálculo do ICA, segundo equações não computacionais. Os resultados, mostrou que o zoneamento, criou quatros zonas de usos diferenciados, para, a partir de então, conhecer suas pressões antrópicas, podendo assim determinar o cálculo do ICA, buscando com isso apontar as medidas gerenciais. Espera-se que essa pesquisa seja capaz de subsidiar a gestão e o gerenciamento, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento sustentável da área..
IDENTIFICAÇÃO E CARACTERIZAÇÃO DE FEIÇÕES EXOCÁRSTICAS NO ENTORNO DO RIO AZUIS, AURORA DO TOCANTINS - TOCANTINS
Authors: Alves Luiz Ricardo Ferreira , Morais Fernando de
Published: August 2023

O presente estudo teve como objetivo identificar e analisar as feições de relevo que integram a área cárstica no entorno do rio Azuis, situada no município de Aurora do Tocantins, região sudeste do estado do Tocantins. A fim de atender tal proposição, foi elaborada uma carta geomorfológica em escala de detalhe (1:25.000) com base na adaptação de procedimentos metodológicos das escolas francesa e holandesa de cartografia geomorfológica. De modo geral, foram verificadas feições exocársticas, como maciços calcários, surgências, sumidouros, dolinas, uvalas e poljés. Processos geomorfológicos responsáveis pela configuração do relevo foram identificados, confirmando o grande potencial para estudos dos sistemas cársticos, bem como dos atrativos naturais.
MINERAÇÃO E A PRODUÇÃO DO ESPAÇO URBANO EM CANAÃ DOS CARAJÁS-PARÁ
Authors: Carmo Ednalva Lima
Published: August 2023

O objetivo deste artigo é compreender a produção do espaço urbano em Canaã dos Carajás-PA, a partir da mineração e dos recursos dela advindos. Observa-se que o crescimento da cidade está diretamente ligado à exploração mineral e aos recursos gerados por essa atividade. O período de análise abrange de 2000 a 2020; no entanto, é necessário recuar até a década de 70 para uma compreensão mais aprofundada do funcionamento da mineração na configuração do espaço urbano. A pesquisa procura revelar aspectos do modo de vida dos colonos durante a época dos Centros de Desenvolvimento Regionais - CEDERE, bem como as transformações ocorridas após o início da exploração mineral conduzida pela empresa Vale. Para tanto, são utilizados dados secundários obtidos a partir de documentos oficiais, como o Plano Diretor Municipal de Canaã dos Carajás, mapas e estatísticas fornecidas pelo IBGE e pela Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico do município em questão. Além disso, faz-se uso de literatura atual e clássica sobre a cidade, e são realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com os moradores locais. Os resultados destacam que a mineração desempenha um papel fundamental na modernização e na expansão urbana de Canaã dos Carajás.
Net Energy Gain from a Berry Geometrical Phase: Low-Energy Perturbations of the Strong Interaction and the QCD Mass Gap
Authors: Gibbons Mark
Published: August 2023

Berry curvature is deemed responsible for generating mechanical work in a strongly metastable system containing dynamically responsive clathrate hydrate structures within a crystal-fluid material. High energy degeneracy in the associated chemistry produces local stability and false vacuum conditions that lead to non-extensive and non-additive contributions in the fundamental thermodynamic relation. The reciprocating action of a piston expander also confirms a net energy gain despite the crystal-fluid material maintaining almost constant density. Hyperbolic curvature produces non-extensive volume changes attributed to gluon emission and absorption in a U(2) electroweak symmetry group synchronized across the condensed matter system, the embedding vacuum manifold and associated quantum interactions. The property of asymptotic freedom is apparent across these three domains providing evidence for scale-invariance that dominates both the macro- and micro-scales of an associated Ginzburg-Landau superconducting phase transition. External pressure perturbations of the low-energy system initiate ‘rolling’ critical responses that conserve energy and momentum across the synchronized U(2) group and also reveal an emergent gauge field. Corresponding emergence of the Ginzburg-Landau superconducting phase transition is consistent with gauge-invariant coupling of this scalar field to the Yang-Mills action of QCD. The discovery of an energy gap in the gradient energy term of the system Lagrangian is associated with a critical correlation length and consistent with a complex energy band gap in the Berry phase. Coupled with the emergence and absorption of the Higgs-like scalar field, a mechanism for describing the QCD mass gap arises.
Limb Salvage and Survival in Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia: The Need for Fast-Track Team-Based Approach
Authors: Ventoruzzo Giorgio , Mazzitelli Giulia , Ruzzi Umberto , Liistro Francesco , Scatena Alessia , Martelli Eugenio
Published: August 2023

Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia (CLTI) represents the end stage form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and is associated to very poor prognosis with high risk of limb loss and mortality. It can be considered very similar to a terminal cancer disease reflecting a large impact on quality of life and healthcare costs. The aim of this study is to offer an overview of the relationship between CLTI, limb salvage and mortality with a focus on the need of a fast-track team-based management, that’s a driver to achieve better survival results. This review can be useful to improve management of this growing impact disease, and promote standardisation of care and communication between specialist and non-specialist health care professionals.
Challenges and Advantages of Distributed Fiber Optic Strain Monitoring in and on the Cementitious Matrix of Concrete Beams.
Authors: Weisbrich Martin , Meßerer Dennis , Holschemacher Klaus
Published: August 2023

Distributed fiber optic strain measurement techniques have become increasingly important in recent years, especially in the field of structural health monitoring of reinforced concrete structures. Numerous publications show the various monitoring possibilities from bridges to special heavy structures. The present study is intended to demonstrate the possibilities, but also the challenges, of distributed fiber optic strain measurement in reinforced concrete structures. For this purpose, concrete beams for 3-point bending tests were equipped with optical fibers on the reinforcement and concrete surface as well as in the concrete matrix in order to record the strains in the compression and tension zone. In parallel, an analytical approach based on the maximum strains in the uncracked and cracked states was performed using the Eurocode~2 interpolation coefficient. In principle, the structural design correlates with the measured values, but the strains are underestimated, especially in the cracked zone. During load increase, structural distortions in the compression zone affected the strain signal, making reliable evaluation in this zone difficult. The information content of distributed fiber optic strain measurement in reinforced concrete structures can offer tremendous opportunities. Future research should consider all aspects of the bond, sensor selection and positioning. In addition, there is a lack of information on the long-term stability of the joint and the fiber coating, as well as the effects of dynamic loading.
DiabeticSense: A Non-Invasive Multi-Sensor IoT-based System for Diabetes Detection Using Breath
Authors: Kapur Ritu , Kumar Yashwant , Sharma Swati , Rastogi Vedant , Sharma Shivani , Kanwar Vikrant , Sharma Tarun , Dutt Varun
Published: August 2023

Diabetes mellitus is a widespread chronic metabolic disorder demanding regular blood glucose level surveillance (BGLs). Current invasive techniques, such as finger-prick tests, often result in discomfort for patients, leading to infrequent monitoring and potential health complications. The primary objective of this study was to design a novel, portable, non-invasive system for diabetes detection using breath samples, named as DiabeticSense, an affordable digital health device for early detection, encouraging immediate intervention. The device employed MOSFET-based electrochemical sensors to assess volatile organic compounds in breath samples, whose concentrations differ between diabetic and non-diabetic individuals. The system merged body vital signs with sensor voltages obtained by processing breath sample data to predict diabetic conditions. Our research used readings from 100 patients at a nationally recognised hospital to form the dataset. Data was then processed 10 using a Gradient Boosting Classifier model, and performance was cross-validated. The proposed system attained a promising accuracy of 86.6%, marking an improvement of 20.72% over an existing regression technique. The developed device introduces a non-invasive, cost-effective, and user-friendly solution for preliminary diabetes detection. It has the potential to increase patient adherence to regular monitoring.
Numerical Analysis of Solid Core Photonic Crystal Fiber Based on Plasmonic Materials for Analytes Refractive Index Sensing
Authors: Bilal Muhammad Musavir , Thottoli Ajmal , Lopez-Aguayo Servando
Published: August 2023

In this study, we presented a simple highly sensitive sensor based on commercially available solid core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for measuring the refractive index (RI) of analytes. The numerical simulation based on the finite element method (FEM) has been examined to compute the optical properties such as confinement loss, power spectrum, and transmission intensity of the sensor. The most sensitive and inert plasmonic materials (gold and silver) have been assumed to be coated inside the fiber with the range of analytes RI from 1.32 to 1.40. The performance of the proposed sensor has been evaluated by tracing the several optical features like wavelength sensitivity, amplitude sensitivity, resolution of the sensor, and figure of merit. As a result, the comparative study between silver and gold elements has been carried out in which the maximum sensitivity received as 1.15 μm/RIU and 1.10 μm/RIU respectively. Whereas, on the base of power spectrum the obtained sensitivity was 513 μm/RIU for the gold layer. Moreover, the effect of other structural parameters (air holes and plasmonic layers thickness) on the sensing performance has been taken into an account. According to the simulation analysis and results, this sensor would have a great potential in various sensing applications of biomedical and liquid refractive index.
Research on the Influencing Factors and Countermeasures of Moderate Scale Operation of Tea Farmers' Digital Literacy Improvement Behavior Under the Background of Digital Intelligence Empowerment
Authors: Lin Dongkai , Fu Bingsheng , Xie Kexiao , Zheng Wanhe , Chang Linjie , Lin Jinke
Published: August 2023

In the context of digital empowerment, the digital literacy level of tea farmers has a significant impact on the intelligent development and transformation of the tea industry. This study extends the original model of UTAUT theory by introducing Personal innovativeness theory and Self-efficacy theory, and constructs a new model to explore the influencing factors of moderate scale tea farmers' digital literacy improvement behavior. There are a total of 22 research hypotheses. Using structural equation modeling and collecting questionnaire data for analysis, the following research results were obtained: (1) Performance expectancy, social influence, effort expectancy, personal innovativeness and self-efficacy all significantly positively affect the willingness of tea farmers to improve their digital literacy, and then according to the path coefficient, in descending order, social influence (0.226)>self-efficacy (0.224)>effort expectancy (0.178)>performance expectancy (0.157)> personal innovativeness (0.155); (2) Facilitating condition and willingness to improve digital literacy have a significant positive impact on tea farmers' digital literacy improvement behavior，and then from the size of the path coefficient, the willingness to improve (0.271)>facilitating condition (0.106); (3) The willingness of tea farmers to improve their digital literacy plays a complete mediating role between personal innovativeness and self-efficacy on their digital literacy improvement behavior, and partially mediates between performance expectancy, social influence, and effort expectancy on their digital literacy improvement behavior, and according to the proportion of indirect effects, the order is effort expectancy (27%), performance expectancy (47%), and social influence (49%); (4) The gender and age of tea farmers have a significant positive moderating effect on the impact of performance expectancy on the willingness to improve digital literacy; age and experience have a significant positive moderating effect on the impact of effort expectancy on the willingness to improve digital literacy; the age of tea farmers has a significant positive moderating effect on the improvement of digital literacy behavior through facilitating condition. This study extends the applicability of the UTAUT theoretical model and proposes strategies to improve the digital literacy of tea farmers, providing practical guidance for tea farmers to improve their digital literacy and providing reference for research related to farmers' digital literacy.
Minimum Cost Design for Rectangular Isolated Footings Taking into Account That the Column Is Located in Any Part of the Footing
Authors: Luévanos-Rojas Arnulfo
Published: August 2023

This work presents a new model to obtain the minimum cost design for a rectangular isolated footing, taking into account that the column is located in any part of the footing. The methodology is developed by integration to obtain the moments, bending shear and punching shear according to the American Concrete Institute ACI 318-14. This document presents the simplified and precise equations of the four moments, four bending shears and one punching shear acting on the footing. Some designs have been developed by the trial and error method to determine the footing dimensions, and later the thickness and steel area of the footing are obtained. Some authors present the minimum cost design for a rectangular isolated footing taking into account that the column is located in the center of gravity of the footing, and other authors present very complex algorithm. Numerical examples are presented to obtain the minimum cost design of rectangular isolated footings under biaxial bending, and some results are compared with those of other authors considering the same conditions. The new model presents a smaller contact area with the soil and a lower design cost than those presented by other authors.
Evaluation of Clinical Outcomes after Poor-Quality Embryo Transfer and Prognostic Parameters
Authors: KADIOĞLU Nezaket , KAHYAOĞLU Inci , KAPLANOĞLU İskender , DİLBAZ Serdar , ENGIN ÜSTÜN Yaprak
Published: August 2023

We aimed to investigate the clinical results following poor-quality embryo transfer and the parameters to foresee the prognosis. In this study, 2123 cycles that had day 3 and day 5 single-fresh embryo with a poor-quality embryo transfers and a good-quality embryo transfers were compared. The cycles according to transfer day were evaluated by conducting a subgroup analysis. The correlation between all the obtained demographic characteristics, controlled ovarian stimulation parameters and cycle results were analysed. Clinical pregnancy was established in 53 patients that underwent transfer in the poor-quality embryo group (14.9%). Of these patients, 36 had live birth (live birth rate per clinical pregnancy 67.9%). In cleavage-stage embryos, live birth rates per clinical pregnancy were higher in poor-quality blastocyst transfer. When analysing the factors affecting live births in poor-quality embryo group, as the total gonadotropin dose increases, the probability of live birth decreases, as in the probability of hCG positivity. In conclusion; although the probability of pregnant is low, when clinical pregnancy is established, there is a high chance of having a live birth after poor-quality embryo transfers. This could be regarded as an acceptable option in cycles when only poor-quality embryos were available.
The Role of Nutrients in Plant and Herbivore Interactions
Authors: Zeng Ming
Published: August 2023

Nutrients are the driving force of plant and herbivore interactions. Different elements and fertilization levels in soil, or artificially fertilized substrates can have a direct impact on plant defense responses. Meanwhile, nutrient levels mediated by root associated microbes can indirectly affect plant-herbivore interactions. Nutrient uptake promoted by beneficial mycorrhizal fungi or rhizobacteria interacting with roots can stimulate plant tolerance to herbivore attack, as evidenced by herbivore performance, plant nutrient status, plant biomass allocation and compensatory growth. In return, herbivory affects nutrient fluxes between plants and their associated beneficial microbes. Furthermore, aboveground and belowground herbivory can affect the nutrient exchange between plants and soil microbial communities, mainly for carbon-and nitrogen-based resources supporting herbivores´ life cycles. These ecological interactions are governed by jasmonic acid (JA) and key enzymes on the molecular level. This review summarizes the current scientific literature on the role of nutrients in plant-herbivore interactions. This will support efforts to optimize plant defense strategy via managing nutrient variance.
A Comprehensive Analysis of the Latest Automatic Applications of Artificial Intelligence in the Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Polanco Carlos , Posadas-Sánchez Rosalinda , Vargas-Alarcón Gilberto
Published: August 2023

The definition of artificial intelligence (AI) is the capacity of a computer or machine to mimic or simulate human intelligence. AI has been applied in different areas, including medicine. In cardiology, AI techniques have revolutionized the field of cardiac diagnosis, enabling the detection and prediction of cardiovascular diseases to be more accurate and efficient. This article provides an overview of machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks as they pertain to cardiac diagnosis. We will investigate how these techniques harness the power of data and algorithms to analyze complex patterns in cardiac data, thereby facilitating early detection, risk assessment, and treatment decision-making.
Exploring the Solubility Limits of Edaravone in Neat Solvents and Binary Mixtures: Experimental and Machine Learning Study
Authors: Przybyłek Maciej , Jeliński Tomasz , Mianowana Magdalena , Misiak Kinga , Cysewski Piotr
Published: August 2023

This study explores the Edaravone solubility space encompassing both neat and binary dissolution media. The efforts were made toward revealing the concentration limits inherently associated with common pure and mixed solvents. For this purpose, the published solubility data of the title drug were scrupulously inspected and cured. This enabled to make the dataset consistent and coherent. However, the lack of some important types of solvents in the collection called for an extension of the available pool of Edaravone solubility data. Hence, new measurements were performed for collecting Edaravone solubility in polar non-protic and polar di-protic media. Such an extended set of data was used for tuning the parameters of regressors models and formulating the ensemble for predicting new data. In both phases, namely the model training and ensemble formulation, close attention was paid not only to minimizing the deviation of computed values from the experimental ones but also to ensuring the high predictive power and computing solubility for new systems. Furthermore, the environmental friendliness characteristics determined based on the common green solvent selection criteria was included in the analysis. Our applied protocol led to the conclusion that the solubility space defined by ordinary solvents is limited, and it is unlikely to find solvents that are more suited for Edaravone dissolution than those depicted in this manuscript. The theoretical framework presented in this study provides a precise guide for conducting experiments, saving time and resources in the pursuit of new findings.
Biomimetic System Based on Reconstituted Macrophage Membranes for Analyzing and Selection of Higher-Affinity Ligands Specific to Mannose Receptor to Develop the Macrophage-Focused Medicines
Authors: Zlotnikov Igor D. , Kudryashova Elena V.
Published: August 2023

Progress in macrophage research is crucial for numerous applications in medicine, including cancer and infectious diseases. However, the existing methods to manipulate living macrophages are labor intense and inconvenient. Here we show that macrophage membranes can be reconstituted after storage for months at 4C, with their CD206 receptor selectivity and specificity being similar to that in the living cells. Then, we have developed a mannose ligand, specific to CD206, linked with PEG as IR spectroscopy marker to detect binding with the macrophage receptor. PEG was selected due to its unique adsorption band of C-O-C group at IR spectra, which does not overlap with other biomolecule’s spectroscopic feature. Next, competitive binding assay versus the PEG-bound ligand, has enabled selection of other higher-affinity ligands specific to CD206. Further, those higher-affinity ligands were used to differentiate activated macrophages in patient’s bronchoalveolar (BAL) or nasopharyngeal (NPL) lavage. CD206- control cells (HEK293T) showed only non-specific binding. Therefore, biochips based on reconstituted macrophage membranes as well as PEG-trimannoside as an IR spectroscopic marker, can be used to develop new methods facilitating macrophage research and macrophage-focused drug discovery.
Evaluating Stacked Methylation Markers for Blood-Based Multicancer Detection
Authors: Funderburk Karen , Bang-Christensen Sara R. , Miller Brendan F. , Tan Hua , Margolin Gennady , Petrykowska Hanna M. , Baugher Catherine , Jameel Nader , Holland David , Altman Naomi S. , Elnitski Laura
Published: August 2023

Abstract: The ability to detect several types of cancer using a non-invasive, blood-based test holds the potential to revolutionize oncology screening. We mined tumor methylation array data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) covering 14 cancer types and identified two novel, broadly oc-curring methylation markers at TLX1 and GALR1. To evaluate their performance as a general-ized blood-based screening approach, along with our previously reported methylation bi-omarker, ZNF154, we rigorously assessed each marker individually or combined. Utilizing the TCGA methylation data and applying logistic regression models within each individual cancer type, we found that the three-marker combination significantly increased the average area under the ROC curve (AUC) across the 14 tumor types compared to single markers (p= 1.158e-10; Friedman test). Furthermore, we simulated dilutions of tumor DNA into healthy blood cell DNA and demonstrated increased AUC of combined markers across all dilution levels. Finally, we evaluated assay performance in bisulfite sequenced DNA from patient tumors and plasma, in-cluding early-stage samples. When combining all three markers the assay achieved 100% sensi-tivity and specificity, as demonstrated in lung cancer plasma samples. In patient plasma from hepatocellular carcinoma, ZNF154 alone yielded the highest combined sensitivity and specificity values averaging 68% and 72%, whereas multiple markers could achieve higher sensitivity or specificity, but not both. Altogether this study presents a comprehensive pipeline for the identifi-cation, testing and validation of multi-cancer methylation biomarkers with a considerable poten-tial for detecting a broad range of cancer types in patient blood samples.