bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simulated postnasal mucus fails to reproduce the symptoms of postnasal drip in rhinitics but only in healthy subjects
Authors: Rimmer J. , Hellgren J. , Harvey R.J.
Published: January 2022

Background: Post nasal drip (PND) is a very common symptom associated with upper respiratory tract disorders. While easy to visualize, the concept of PND due to an increased volume of secretions which move from the posterior nasal choanae into the posterior nasopharynx/oropharynx may be overly simplistic. PND could also be associated with altered viscosity of nasal secretions. An alternative hypothesis is that the sensation of PND is due to mucosal inflammation resulting in heightened cough or irritant throat sensory dysfunction. The impact of viscous secretions on the symptoms of PND is assessed. Methods: Healthy subjects and rhinitis patients were recruited. Patients were asked about PND symptoms with a 9 item PNDSS questionnaire at baseline and after the insertion of two different viscosities of artificial mucus utilizing hydroxypropyl methylcellulose at 1% and 4%. Results: Sixty six patients were recruited. As expected, rhinitics had an increased sense of PND compared to healthy subjects at baseline. However, only healthy subjects could detect the increased viscosity of secretions and where rhinitics failed to respond. Cough was not induced in either group. Conclusion: The mechanisms of PND in chronic patients and those with rhinitis are likely to have other aetiologies other than simply increased or more viscous secretions.
COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis in a Series of Complete Autopsies from the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Farias Maria Eduarda , Santana Monique Freire , Ferreira Luiz , Borba Mayla , Silva-Neto João , Brito-Sousa José Diego , Baía-da-Silva Djane Clarys , João Guilherme Pivoto , Val Fernando , Simão Mariana , Souza João Vicente , Naveca Felipe , Melo Gisely , Monteiro Wuelton , Lacerda Marcus
Published: January 2022

Between April and July 2020, and, therefore, prior to the broad recommendation of corticosteroids for severe COVID-19, a total of 50 full autopsies were performed in Manaus. We confirmed two invasive cases of aspergillosis through histopathology and gene sequencing (4%) in our autopsy series. The confirmed invasive aspergillosis incidence seems much lower than expected based on the “probable and possible” definitions, and an individualized approach should be considered for each country scenario. Interestingly, a prolonged length of stay in the intensive care unit was not observed in any of the cases. Timely diagnosis and treatment of fungal infection can reduce mortality rates.
COVID-19 Serology Control Panel Using the Dried-Tube Specimen Method
Authors: Windsor William J. , Knight Vijaya , Merkel Patricia A. , Lamb Molly M. , Tucker Heidi R. , Carson Kyle , Howard Kelly M. , Yates Jennifer L. , Santiago Mario L. , McCarthy Mary K. , Morrison Thomas E. , Kedl Ross M. , Frazer-Abel Ashley , Guo Kejun , Andersen Gillian , Huey Leah , Barrett Bradley S. , Colón-Franco Jessica M. , Lee William T. , Chu May C.
Published: January 2022

The dried-tube specimen (DTS) procedure was used to develop the COVID-19 serology control panel (CSCP). The DTS offers the benefit of shipping materials without a cold chain, allowing for greater access without deterioration of material integrity. Samples in the panel were sourced from COVID-19 convalescent persons from March to May 2020. The immunoglobulin subtypes (total Ig, IgM, and IgG) and their respective reactivity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 nucleocapsid, spike, and receptor-binding domain antigens of the samples were delineated and compared with the WHO International Standard to elucidate the exact binding antibody units of each CSCP sample and ensure the CSCP provides adequate reactivity for different types of serological test platforms. We distribute the CSCP as a kit with five coded tubes to laboratories around the world to be used to compare test kits for external quality assurance, for harmonizing laboratory testing, and for use as training materials for laboratory workers.
A rare disease with pregnancy: Castleman case report
Authors: Karaman Özen Esra , Kılıççı Çetin , Önder Pelin Özdemir
Published: January 2022

Castleman’s disease was first described by Castleman et al. in 1956 as a non-lymphoproliferative disease. Castleman’s disease (CD), or angiofollicular lymphoid hyperplasia, is a rare disease with unknown etiology that can be easily misdiagnosed as lymphoma, neoplasm, or infection. Very few cases of pelvic origin and observed in pregnancy have been reported in the literature and are usually asymptomatic. Preoperative diagnosis is very difficult due to nonspecific imaging findings and rarity; most cases are diagnosed based on postoperative pathological examination. In this paper, a case of a 36-year-old pregnant woman suspected of adnexal origin in the uterine posterolateral, which was detected incidentally by ultrasound, was presented. The patient underwent a successful mass excision. Pathology of mass observed to be in the pelvic retroperitoneum was detected as localized unicentric and hyaline vascular CD. The study was conducted to discuss the diagnostic tools and perioperative management needed to identify the retroperitoneal unicentric Castleman case
Effect of an educational programme on critical care nurses’ competence at two tertiary hospitals in Malawi
Authors: Gundo Rodwell , Gundo Beatrice , Chirwa Ellen , Dickinson Annette , Mearns Gael Janine
Published: January 2022

BackgroundCritical care specialty deals with the complex needs of critically ill patients. Nurses who provide critical care are expected to possess the appropriate knowledge and skills required for the care of critically ill patients. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an educational programme on the competence of critical care nurses at two tertiary hospitals in Lilongwe and Blantyre, Malawi.MethodsA quantitative pre- and post-test design was applied. The training programme was delivered to nurses (n = 41) who worked in intensive care and adult high dependency units at two tertiary hospitals. The effect of the training was assessed through participants’ self-assessment of competence on the Intensive and Critical Care Nursing Competence Scale and a list of 10 additional competencies before and after the training.ResultsThe participants’ scores on the Intensive and Critical Care Nursing Competence Scale before the training, M = 608.2, SD = 59.6 increased significantly after the training, M = 684.7, SD = 29.7, p <.0001 (two-tailed). Similarly, there was a significant increase in the participants’ scores on the additional competencies after the training, p <.0001 (two-tailed). ConclusionThe programme could be used for upskilling nurses in critical care settings in Malawi and other developing countries with a similar context.
The relationship between intimate partner violence and HIV outcomes among pregnant women living with HIV in Malawi
Authors: C. Wetzel Elizabeth , Tembo Tapiwa , J. Abrams Elaine , Mazenga Alick , Chitani Mike J. , Ahmed Saeed , Yu Xiaoying , Kim Maria H
Published: January 2022

BackgroundIntimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health concern particularly in pregnancy where IPV can have negative health implications for the mother and child. Data suggest IPV disproportionately affects pregnant women living with HIV (PWLWH) compared to those without HIV. HIV-related outcomes are worse among women experiencing IPV. Despite this knowledge, there is paucity of data concerning PWLWH and IPV in Malawi, where there is a high HIV prevalence (10.6%). ObjectivesWe aim to characterize IPV amongst PWLWH in Malawi and describe its relationship to demographic characteristics, psychosocial factors, and HIV-related outcomes. MethodsThis analysis used data from the VITAL Start pilot study, which is a video-based intervention targeting retention and ART adherence amongst PWLWH in Malawi. PWLWH not on ART were recruited at antenatal clinic and given study questionnaires to assess demographics, IPV, and psychosocial factors. Questionnaires were also administered at one-month follow-up to assess outcomes related to HIV. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used to explore the risk factors associated with IPV.ResultsThirty-nine percent of participants reported ever experiencing IPV from their current partner. The majority (53%) reporting IPV experienced more than one type of violence. IPV was associated with being married (p=0.04) and depression (p<0.0001) in the univariable analysis. For women retained at one-month, IPV was associated with reporting a missed ART dose in the past month but not with adherence measured by pill count.ConclusionsA large proportion of PWLWH experienced IPV from their current partner and IPV was associated with worse self-reported ART adherence at one-month follow-up. Further evidence is needed to understand how IPV impacts PWLWH throughout postpartum and beyond. Given the detrimental impact on health outcomes among PWLWH in Malawi, additional focus on IPV is essential to identify mechanisms to prevent, screen, and manage IPV among this population.
Re-forming property to address eco-social fragmentation and rift
Authors: Davies Margaret
Published: January 2022

Two concepts that bridge the nature-human divide may help to diagnose and address some of the present and future problems of eco-social change in a legal context. ‘Fragmentation’ refers to loss and degradation of the habitat of nonhuman life. It is also a useful concept for understanding the fracturing of the material conditions for human life in a modern globalised world. The notion of ‘metabolic rift’, derived from Marx by John Bellamy Foster, refers to a break in the human-nonhuman circulation of natural materials, brought on by industrial agriculture and urbanisation. These related ideas provide a frame for exploring the connections between social and environmental justice and the role played by legal forms such as private property. In keeping with the imperative to re-form legal concepts to account for eco-social existence, the article presents a view of property as human and nonhuman habitat. This approach aims to use law to help recreate the conditions for the constructive inter-dependence of social and environmental goods.
Climate change, environmental justice and the unusual capacities of posthumans
Authors: Fox Nick J , Alldred Pam
Published: January 2022

In this article, we theorize and develop a posthumanist and new materialist approach to sustainable development policy. We trace a humanist and anthropocentric emphasis in policy discussions of ‘sustainable’ development that reaches back almost 50 years, and still underpins recent United Nations (UN) statements. This UN approach has tied policies to counter environmental challenges such as anthropogenic climate change firmly to sustaining and extending future human prosperity. By contrast, we chart a path beyond humanism and anthropocentrism, to establish a posthumanist environmentalism. This acknowledges human matter as an integral (rather than opposed) element within an all-encompassing ‘environment’. Posthumanism simultaneously rejects the homogeneity implied by terms such as ‘humanity’ or ‘human species’, as based on a stereotypical ‘human’ that turns out to be white, male and from the global North. Instead, ‘posthumans’ are heterogeneous, gaining a diverse range of context-specific capacities with other matter. Some of these capacities (such as empathy, altruism, conceptual thinking and modelling futures) are highly unusual and – paradoxically – may be key to addressing the current crises of environmental degradation and anthropogenic climate change.
Response-abilities of care in more-than-human worlds
Authors: Petersmann Marie-Catherine
Published: January 2022

This article rethinks the doctrines of responsibility and protection in international environmental law in light of notions of response-abilities and care in more-than-human worlds. Inspired by the intersecting strands of new materialist, relational and posthuman literatures, and informed by critiques of them by decolonial, indigenous and black scholars, the analysis works with onto-epistemologies of becoming that posit an inseparability of being, knowing and acting with(in) the Anthropocene/s. Through the notion of response-abilities of care, the article reconfigures how the destructive and the restorative relations between humans and nonhumans could be construed beyond a narrow understanding of state sovereignty, territorial jurisdiction, liberal human-centred notions of individuated agency and the strict causal nexus between victim and perpetrator. The analysis concludes by reflecting on how law could remain open to emergent, unfolding and contingent potentialities of entangled human-nonhuman relations, and questions law’s capacity to recognize and respond to the agency and alterity of nonhumans. These configurations exceed the schema of responsibility and protection that organizes even international environmental law’s most progressive theories and practices, such as granting ‘rights to nature’.
Alter-transitional justice; transforming unjust relations with the more-than-human
Authors: Celermajer Danielle , O’Brien Anne Therese
Published: January 2022

Drawing on the emerging field of multispecies justice, this article seeks to understand how the idea of transitional justice, capaciously understood, might be put to work to transform unjust relations between humans and the more-than-human. Reflecting on concerns in the literatures on animals and the environment concerning the cogency of addressing past wrongs against the more-than-human by using a justice framework, the article sets out a foundational agenda for transitional justice and a conceptual framework responsive to the ontological diversity of beings and communities other than humans. Focusing on soil specifically, the article explores the problem of developing transitional justice approaches for transforming relations that involve systemic violence where such violence is not acknowledged because the harmed being – soil – is not recognized as the type of community to which justice might be owed. To illustrate proto-transitional justice, the article considers both the work of regenerative farmers and emergent collaborations between farmers and visual artists to explore how engagements with the arts of relating to the more-than-human might move the as yet private transformations of relations with soil into a more public, albeit incipient, process of justice.
A Logic for Monitoring Dynamic Networks of Spatially-distributed Cyber-Physical Systems
Authors: Nenzi L. , Bartocci E. , Bortolussi L. , Loreti M.
Published: January 2022

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) consist of inter-wined computational (cyber) and
physical components interacting through sensors and/or actuators. Computational
elements are networked at every scale and can communicate with each other and
with humans. Nodes can join and leave the network at any time or they can move
to different spatial locations. In this scenario, monitoring spatial and
temporal properties plays a key role in the understanding of how complex
behaviors can emerge from local and dynamic interactions. We revisit here the
Spatio-Temporal Reach and Escape Logic (STREL), a logic-based formal language
designed to express and monitor spatio-temporal requirements over the execution
of mobile and spatially distributed CPS. STREL considers the physical space in
which CPS entities (nodes of the graph) are arranged as a weighted graph
representing their dynamic topological configuration. Both nodes and edges
include attributes modeling physical and logical quantities that can evolve
over time. STREL combines the Signal Temporal Logic with two spatial modalities
reach and escape that operate over the weighted graph. From these basic
operators, we can derive other important spatial modalities such as everywhere,
somewhere and surround. We propose both qualitative and quantitative semantics
based on constraint semiring algebraic structure. We provide an offline
monitoring algorithm for STREL and we show the feasibility of our approach with
the application to two case studies: monitoring spatio-temporal requirements
over a simulated mobile ad-hoc sensor network and a simulated epidemic
spreading model for COVID19.
Design of a Personalized Recommendation System for Learning Resources based on Collaborative Filtering
Authors: Zhong Mingxia , Ding Rongtao
Published: January 2022

At present, personalized recommendation system has become an indispensable technology in the fields of e-commerce, social network and news recommendation. However, the development of personalized recommendation system in the field of education and teaching is relatively slow with lack of corresponding application.In the era of Internet Plus, many colleges have adopted online learning platforms amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. Overwhelmed with online learning tasks, many college students are overload by learning resources and unable to keep orientation in learning. It is difficult for them to access interested learning resources accurately and efficiently. Therefore, the personalized recommendation of learning resources has become a research hotspot. This paper focuses on how to develop an effective personalized recommendation system for teaching resources and improve the accuracy of recommendation. Based on the data on learning behaviors of the online learning platform of our university, the authors explored the classic cold start problem of the popular collaborative filtering algorithm, and improved the algorithm based on the data features of the platform. Specifically, the data on learning behaviors were extracted and screened by knowledge graph. The screened data were combined with the collaborative filtering algorithm to recommend learning resources. Experimental results show that the improved algorithm effectively solved the loss of orientation in learning, and the similarity and accuracy of recommended learning resources surpassed 90%. Our algorithm can fully satisfy the personalized needs of students, and provide a reference solution to the personalized education service of intelligent online learning platforms.
EEG Dipole Source Localization using Deep Neural Network
Authors: Hui Zeng , Ying Li , Lingyue Wang , Ning Yin , Shuo Yang
Published: January 2022

Electroencephalography (EEG) inverse problem is a typical inverse problem, in which the electrical activity within the brain is reconstructed based on EEG data collected from the scalp electrodes. In this paper, the four-layer concentric head model is used for simulation firstly, four deep neural network models including a multilayer perceptron (MLP) model and three convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are adopted to solve EEG inverse problem based on equal current dipole (ECD) model. In the simulations, 100,000 samples are generated randomly, of which 60% are used for network training and 20% are used for cross-validation. Eventually, the generalization performance of the model using the optimal function is measured by the errors in the rest 20% testing set. The experimental results show that the absolute error, relative error, mean positioning error and standard deviation of the four models are extremely low. The CNN with 6 convolutional layers and 3 pooling layers (CNN-3) is the best model. Its absolute error is about 0.015, its relative error is about 0.005, and its dipole position error is 0.040±0.029 cm. Furthermore, we use CNN-3 for source localization of the real EEG data in Working Memory. The results are in accord with physiological experience. The deep neural network method in our study needs fewer calculation parameters, takes less time, and has better positioning results.
An Automatic Detection and Online Quality Inspection Method for Workpiece Surface Cracks based on Machine Vision
Authors: Mao Cuili , Ma Wen
Published: January 2022

The wide application of intelligent manufacturing technologies imposes higher requirements for the quality inspection of industrial products; however, the existing industrial product quality inspection methods generally have a few shortcomings such as requiring many inspectors, too complicated methods, difficulty in realizing standardized monitoring, and the low inspection efficiency, etc. Targeting at these problems, this paper proposed an automatic detection and online quality inspection method for workpiece surface cracks based on the machine vision technology. At first, it proposed a vision-field environment calibration method, gave the specific method for workpiece shape feature recognition and size measurement based on machine vision, and achieved the on-line monitoring of workpiece quality problems such as feature defects and size deviations. Then, this study integrated the multi-scale attention module and the up-sampling module that can restore the locations of image pixels based on the high-level and low-level hybrid feature maps, built a workpiece crack extraction network, and realized workpiece crack feature extraction, crack type classification, and damage degree division. At last, experimental results verified the effectiveness of the proposed method, and this paper provided a reference for the application of machine vision technology in other fields.
Oil Prices, Emission Permits Trade of Carbon, and the Dependence Between Their Quantiles
Authors: Zhang Baoshuai , Zhou Yuqin
Published: January 2022

The relations between carbon and oil market is concerned by many scholars but little research has focused on the dependence between their quantiles. We use Quantile on Quantile Regression method to study the impact of WTI crude oil price and Daqing crude oil price on carbon price and use wavelet analysis to clean and decompose the time series. Results show that the impact of crude oil on carbon is heterogeneous. Research based on the original sequence shows that crude oil price has a positive impact on carbon price at all quantile levels. Research based on decomposition sequence shows that the positive impact of crude oil on carbon begins to weaken, the zero effect begins to increase, and the negative impact also begins to appear. However, the negative impact on carbon price becomes stronger with the stability of the time series data obtained from the decomposition of crude oil price series gradually improving, while the positive impact gradually weakens.
Bovine mastitis caused by rapid-growth environmental mycobacteria
Authors: Cvetnić Luka , Benić Miroslav , Cvetnić Željko , Duvnjak Sanja , Reil Irena , Zdelar-Tuk Maja , Cvetnić Marija , Katalinić-Janković Vera , Habrun Boris , Kompes Gordan , Špičić Silvio
Published: January 2022

Rapid-growth mycobacteria were isolated from two cases of cow mastitis with similar clinical appearance and within a narrow time frame. Mycobacteria were isolated on blood esculine agar. The isolated mycobacteria were Gram stained, Ziehl-Nielsen stained and tested for growth at 25°C, 37°C and 42°C, iron uptake, growth on Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) agar with and without 5% NaCl, arylsulphatase (3 days), tween 80 hydrolysis, tellurite reduction, nitrate reductase and niacin synthesis. Molecular identification was performed using the Mycobacteria GenoType CM and AS tests (Hain Diagnostika, Nehren, Germany). One isolate was additionally sequenced for the hsp65, rpoB, 16S rRNA gene sequence and transcribed spacer sequence (ITS) DNA. Susceptibility testing of isolates was performed on the Sensititre Rapmycol plate (TREK Diagnostic Systems Ltd.) for trimethoprim/sulfamethoxasole, linezolid, ciprofloxacin, imipenem, moxifloxacin, cefepime, cefoxitin, amoxicillin / clavulanic acid, amikacin, ceftriaxone, doxycycline, minocycline, tigecycline, tobramycine and clarythromycine. Gram-positive acid-resistant rods were observed in stained smears. Both strains grew at 25°C, 37°C and 42°C on LJ medium, and on LJ medium containing 5 % NaCl. The conventional biochemical tests for iron uptake, arylsulphatase (3 days), Tween 80 hydrolysis, tellurite reduction and nitrate reductase were positive, while the niacin test was negative. Both isolates were identified by the GenoType Mycobacterium CM as Mycobacterium fortuitum II/ Mycobacterium mageritense, while application of the GenoType Mycobacterium AS kit identified both isolates as belonging to the species Mycobacterium smegmatis. Analysis of the isolate sequences (strain DS) for 16S ribosomal RNA confirmed a 100% identical result with Mycobacterium smegmatis strain INHR2. According to the CLSI criteria, both strains were sensitive to sulfametoxazole/trimethoprim, linezolid, doxicycline, amikacin and tobramycin. The strains differed in their sensitivity to cefoxitim, and both strains were resistant to clarithromycin. There was a strong difference between the isolates in sensitivity toward cefoxitime and tigecycline.
Cost-Effective Customizable Indoor Environmental Quality Monitoring System
Authors: Al-Rawi Mohammad Ayad , Chand Praneel , Evangelista Archie Van Mendoza
Published: January 2022

Poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has become a global concern for World Health Organization (WHO), and its impact on health and well-being has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To monitor and sanitize indoor air, this study develops a cost-effective and customizable IEQ monitoring system to detect unhealthy and low-comfort air levels. This system uses ThingSpeak (MATLAB), microcontrollers (Arduino Uno), and various low-cost sensors to measure indoor air quality (IAQ) and IEQ in terms of gas, particulate matter, temperature, sound level, and ultraviolet (UV) light. The presented system is validated with respect to temperature, relative humidity, and particulate matter by benchmarking against the Camfil air image sensor manufactured by Camfil AB, Stockholm, Sweden. The average error of temperature, relative humidity, and PM2.5 are 0.55%, 5.13%, and 3.45%, respectively.
Development of Solar Desalination Units Using Solar Concentrators or/and Internal Reflectors
Authors: Mohammed Mokhtar , Mourad Taha Janan
Published: January 2022

Solar distillation is one of the oldest and simplest technologies for desalination of salty water using renewable energy, namely solar energy, and the main problem of solar distillers is the low freshwater yield in contrast to the amount of energy input from the sun. To overcome the problem, this study develops three solar desalination units by using solar concentrators or/and internal reflectors, and compares the performance of three developed systems with the one of a conventional solar distiller under the climatic conditions of the Rabat region of Morocco. The three systems are: the solar distiller with a solar concentrator, the solar distiller with internal reflectors, and the solar distiller with a solar concentrator and internal reflectors. The energy balance equations of the systems are numerically resolved to utilize MATLAB software. The findings indicate that the utilization of the internal reflectors, the solar concentrator, and the solar concentrator and internal reflectors give better performance compared to the conventional solar distiller.
Dynamic Power Management Model for a Wireless Sensor Node
Authors: Kallimani Rakhee , Iyer Sridhar
Published: January 2022

Dynamic power management (DPM) is an efficient technique to design low-power and energy-efficient nodes for wireless sensor networks. This article demonstrates the stochastic behaviour of an input event arrival which is modelled with first-in first-out (FIFO) queue and a single server. An event-driven sensor node is developed based on semi-Markov model. The article investigates the factors affecting the performance of the individual sensor node with detailed analysis considering power consumption and lifetime to be the performance metrics under study. The results demonstrate the impact of the change in event arrival and the probability of change detection on the performance of the node. It is observed that (i) the number of generated events increases with the change in the average value of the distribution which affects the service time in turn resulting in a variation of the server utilization, and that (ii) the increase in the detection probability increases the power consumption decreasing the lifetime of the node.
On the embedding problem of central cyclic extensions of abelian groups
Authors: Michailov Ivo , Dimitrov Ivaylo , Ivanov Ivan
Published: January 2022

In this report we find the obstruction of the embedding problem related to a central cyclic extension of an arbitrary abelian group.
Correlation between hamstring tightness and time duration of disease in knee osteoarthritis: an observational cross-sectional study.
Authors: Mahant (PT) Dr. Muskan , Shukla (PT) Dr. Yagna
Published: January 2022

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is gradually developing articular diseases that originate in the cartilage and affects the underlying bone, soft tissues as well as synovial fluid. OA usually occurs late in life and mainly it affects the hand and large weight-bearing joints such as the knee and hip. The knee joint is largely affected due to its weight-bearing nature. In many studies, this functional loss is related to muscular weakness caused by OA in particular the quadriceps and hamstring muscles. Flexibility is the ability of a muscle to lengthen and allow one joint [or more than one joint in a series] to move through a range of motion. The hamstring muscle group have tendency to shorten and the tightening results in increased patello-femoral compressive force, which may eventually lead to patello-femoral syndrome often associated with osteoarthritis. Method: Seventeen patients with knee osteoarthritis matched with the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Sit and Reach test was used to evaluate the hamstring tightness. Goniometer was used to evaluate knee active range of motion Spearman’s correlation was used to determine the relationship between hamstring tightness and duration of disease in knee osteoarthritis. Result: The present study found significant inverse correlation (r = -0.07) between hamstring tightness and duration of disease such that the hamstring flexibility decreases with increase in the duration of knee osteoarthritis. However, the correlation between duration of disease and knee active range of motion was negligible (r = 0.25). Conclusion: The results states that hamstring tightness and duration of the disease in knee osteoarthritis are correlated. Further research is indicated with a larger sample size. Keywords: Knee osteoarthritis, hamstring tightness, osteoarthritis.
Problematic of Legal Protection Against Women after Ratification the Job Creation Act under the ILO Conventions
Authors: Patriana Silvia Fadhilah
Published: January 2022

It is felt that the overlapping regulations in Indonesia have hampered government programs so far. So that President Jokowi sparked a new regulation, namely the omnibus law with the aim of simplifying regulations in Indonesia so that the omnibus law is believed to be the most relevant solution today. However, this caused a strong reaction by the workers, because it was considered to have the potential to make workers experience marginalization again in the interests of economic development. This research was conducted using a normative juridical approach and intends to explain how legal protection for workers, especially women workers, after the ratification of Law number 11 of 2020 concerning job creation based on International Labour Organization. The results of the research found that no changes were found regarding women's rights in the omnibus law which was also reviewed based on the ILO convention
Closest Pair Algorithms in 2D space,a commentary on complexity and reductions
Authors:   Master ofScience, Texas Tech, Sunder Anand
Published: January 2022

One of the most challenging problems in computational geometry is closest pair of points given n points. Brute force algorithms[1] and Divide and conquer[1] have been verified and the lowest complexity of attributed to latter class of algorithms, with worst case being for the former being . We propose a method of partitioning the set of n-points based on the least area rectangle that can circumscribe these points
O BISPO PEDRO CASALDÁLIGA E SUA OPÇÃO PREFERENCIAL NA LUTA PELA TERRA NO NORTE ARAGUAIA
Authors: Freitas Marinho Claudiney de , Palmeira Costa Delismar , Rosinke João Germano , Freitas Marinho Ubiranei de
Published: January 2022

O campesinato e as comunidades indígenas enquanto células sociais sempre se viram à mercê da estrutura dominante do modo de produção capitalista. Todavia, parte da Igreja Católica comprometida com as questões sociais conflitivas do campo, se engajou na luta de camponeses e indígenas pela posse de suas terras, seja por meio de atuações políticas ou através de atos práticos. Em virtude disto, o objetivo desse texto é mostrar o papel do Bispo Pedro Casaldáliga na luta pela terra na microrregião geográfica denominada Norte Araguaia, cuja delimitação e localização se dão no estado do Mato Grosso. Para tanto, foi realizada uma ampla investigação histórica/geográfica acerca da vida e atuação política e prática dessa figura memorável, o que também pressupôs uma revisão teórica da própria discussão do campesinato, bem como da Teologia da Libertação.
Rare Case of Cryptococcal Meningitis in Non-HIV Patient with Mantle Cell Lymphoma Associated with Acalabrutinib (Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor)
Authors:   Medical Education, Saint Michael’s Medical Center • Newark, USA, Krunal Trivedi , Kinjal Patel ,   Medical Education, Saint Michael’s Medical Center • Newark, USA
Published: January 2022

Cryptococcus neoformans infections are more common among immunosuppressed individuals, causing the most widespread opportunistic CNS infection among HIV-positive patients [1]. Specifically, those with cellular immunosuppression, such as patients with HIV positive CD4 counts less than 100. When a patient presents with atypical symptoms, it can be difficult to diagnose due to its infrequent presentation in HIV negative patients. Due to the rarity of encounters in HIV-negative patients, when atypical symptoms are present, it poses a diagnostic challenge. Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare subtype of non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma that is known to be associated with cellular immunosuppression [2]. This demonstrates the need for early diagnosis and recognition of cryptococcal infections and as a physician should be vigilant to diagnose cryptococcal who is on Acalabrutinib with MCL [3]. CLL patients receiving ibrutinib should be evaluated for cryptococcal infection, which is potentially life threatening if overlooked [4]. Meningitis caused by Cryptococcus mainly presents with fever and altered mental status but in this case, our patient 78-year-old male with mantle cell lymphoma, undergoing a regimen of Rituximab-Bendamustine (BR) in combination with acalabrutinib (TKI), presented with hypotension to ED in June 2021. Cryptococcal infection in patient receiving ibrutinib were mostly reported in patients with Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, who have poor immune reconstitution. Here we are reporting case of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in patient with MCL on acalabrutinib which is never reported before.
A Disparity in COVID Numbers: Simulation of Trump v. Obama
Authors: Lee Ethan , Oh Brian
Published: January 2022

Previous studies of excess deaths and infections have come out about the coronavirus during President Donald J. Trump’s administration. With President Trump’s inactions, funding cuts, and statements underestimating the impact of COVID, there have been criticisms about how President Trump handled the coronavirus throughout his presidential term. It brings about the question -- What would the case number of COVID deaths and infections be like if President Barack H. Obama, the prior president, was in office? This study uses an open source Python simulation in order to estimate the number of COVID deaths and infections estimated under Trump and Obama’s administration. By doing a case study between the two, these results provide information regarding the number of lives that could potentially have been saved along with potential insight into finding preventative measures to save lives.
Competition or Catastrophe: A Mixed Method Study on the Influence of Class Rank on Course Decisions
Authors: Breuer Shannon , Grosenbacher Kimberly
Published: January 2022

This study analyzed the extent to which class rank competition influences individual class selection by juniors at a high school in the Texas Hill Country and determined if its effects vary among students of different rankings. Students of both high and low rankings were interviewed to determine their perceptions towards, and behavior in response to academic competition. Subject responses generally correlated to one of three themes: class rank as an academic motivator, the influence of ranking on mental health, and student suggested improvements. The results suggested that GPA played a significant role in many student’s decisions concerning their courses, specifically in encouraging them to take AP, Dual Credit, and Honors classes- regardless of whether they were high or low ranking.
The Demographic Analyses of Undiagnosed and Misdiagnosed Cancer Cases via Autopsy Data
Authors: Godla Aishvarya , Zloza Andrew , Rossi Marco
Published: January 2022

Cancer is one of the most common causes of death. Recent increases in undiagnosed and misdiagnosed cancer cases at autopsies suggests that the presence of cancer is more prevalent in the general population than previously thought. Such cases may be different in certain populations with regard to key demographic characteristics (age, race, gender, etc.). Therefore, this study aimed to identify trends in these undiagnosed cases of different cancer types. The data suggest that cancers of the lung, gastrointestinal tract, and prostate gland were frequently undiagnosed/misdiagnosed, while cancers of the breast and brain are rarely missed. The data also show that the presence of undetected prostate cancer is likely not different, to a significant degree, in younger versus older age groups. This indicates that cancer possibly manifests early in human life but remains undetected for several decades. However, further research is required to confirm this hypothesis. The data suggests that the prevalence of undetected cancer is highest in African-Americans compared to other races/ethnicities such as European and Asian. With regard to gender, the prevalence of undetected cancer appears to be higher in men than women. To conclusively validate these findings, further research is needed including concurrent and prospective analyses on live cases.
The right to comfort in the century of the self
Authors: Ferreira Zara
Published: January 2022

After the war, the world was divided between two main powers, a Western capitalist bloc led by the USA, and an Eastern communist bloc, driven by the USSR. From Japan to Mexico, the post-war years were ones of prosperous economic growth and profound social transformation. It was the time of re-housing families split apart and of rebuilding destroyed cities, but it was also the time of democratic rebirth, the definition of individual and collective freedoms and rights, and of belief in the open society envisaged by Karl Popper. Simultaneously, it was the time of the biggest migrations from the countryside, revealing a large faith in the city, and of baby booms, revealing a new hope in humanity. (...) Whether through welfare state systems, as mainly evidenced in Western Europe, under the prospects launched by the Plan Marshall (1947), or through the establishment of local housing authorities funded or semi-funded by the government, or through the support of private companies, civil organizations or associations, the time had come for the large-scale application of the principles of modern architecture and engineering developed before the war. From the Spanish polígonos residenciales to the German großsiedlungen, ambitious housing programs were established in order to improve the citizens’ living conditions and health standards, as an answer to the housing shortage, and as a symbol of a new egalitarian society: comfort would no longer only be found in bourgeois houses.
The Influence of Nitrogen Fertilization on Waterlogging Stresses in Fagus sylvatica L. and Quercus robur L.
Authors: Percival Glynn , Keary Ian
Published: January 2022

The aims of this study were to determine the influence of nitrogen (N) fertilizers on tree tolerance under prolonged waterlogging conditions and investigate the effect of N fertilization on aiding tree recovery from waterlogging damage using containerized English oak (waterlogging-intermediate) and European beech (waterlogging-sensitive) as test species. English oak proved to be more waterlogging-tolerant than European beech. Tree vitality as measured by chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic rates, leaf chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, leaf and root protein concentration, and foliar N content was consistently higher in trees in which N fertilizers were added to the waterlogged solutions compared with trees waterlogged with tapwater only for 18 days. Measurement of light absorbance, light trapping, electron transport, and dissipation fluxes per leaf cross-section of photosystem II after the 18-day waterlogging period indicated a beneficial influence of N fertilization on leaf photosynthetic processes at the cessation of the waterlogging period. Addition of N induced greater resource allocation in favor of roots over shoots in both tree species. At the cessation of the 18-day waterlogging period and after a 10-day regeneration period, growth (leaf area, shoot, root, total plant dry weight) was constantly higher in N waterlogged trees compared with non-N waterlogged ones. In a separate study, recovery rates of trees as measured by chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic rates, leaf chlorophyll content, and stomatal conductance over a 6-week period after the cessation of 18 days waterlogging were 30% to 50% higher in N-fertilized trees compared with non-N-fertilized trees irrespective of species. In all cases, nonfertilized trees had the least capacity for recovery. In addition, leaf area, shoot, root, and total plant dry weight were higher in N-fertilized trees compared with nonfertilized ones. Results of this investigation indicate 1) applications of N fertilizers enhance the tolerance of trees under prolonged waterlogged conditions; and 2) applications of N fertilizers after waterlogging stress would be of benefit to improve tree recovery rates and growth. From a practical point of view, N fertilization 14.5 g (0.51 oz) or greater N per liter (0.26 gal) of water is tentatively suggested based on preliminary results of this study.
Keeping Up the Urban Forest: Predictors of Tree Maintenance in Small Southern Towns in the United States
Authors: Lewis Bonnie , Boulahanis John
Published: January 2022

A mail survey of mayors of small towns in 13 southern states assessed the importance of urban forests and current urban forest practices. Topics covered were local tree management practices, resource allocation, and community influence. The findings, based on the responses of 504 mayors, indicate that small southern towns vary widely in their support of urban and community forests. Descriptive and multivariate analysis showing the relative effects of several predictors of basic tree maintenance indicate that basic solutions are near at hand. A clear linkage of state resources and organizational structure to local tree maintenance supports the important role played by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and its support for state agencies. In addition, the particular challenges communities face are outweighed by other factors.
Approaches Within the 50 United States to Meeting Federal Requirements for Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Programs
Authors: Hauer Richard , Johnson Gary
Published: January 2022

Urban and Community Forestry (U&CF) program capacity within the 50 United States was derived through four indicator areas that included the state U&CF program coordinator, volunteer coordination, state U&CF council, and strategic plan. The agency and administrative unit where the program resides, year of program initiation, staffing levels and expertise area, additional non-U&CF responsibilities of staff, and coordination of U&CF within a state were further studied. Each state had an U&CF program coordinator (most were full-time), practiced varying volunteer coordination approaches, had a state U&CF council, and had a regularly updated strategic plan. Most states had additional regional U&CF staff with the majority of their time devoted to U&CF activities with a mean 4.2 (median, 3.2) full-time equivalents of total U&CF staff in a state. Occasionally, non-U&CF duties were conducted by U&CF staff with fire control, forest stewardship, special projects, and forest health most commonly given as other areas conducted by U&CF staff. Most state U&CF programs used a variety of approaches to support volunteer-based U&CF efforts in a state. All states now have a U&CF coordinator with 95% of their duties associated with U&CF activities. State U&CF councils vary in their membership and approaches for coordination of U&CF within a state.
Tree Pulling Tests of Large Shade Trees in the Genus Acer
Authors: Kane Brian , Clouston Peggi
Published: January 2022

Shade trees provide many benefits but can cause damage if they fail. Despite the potential for costly litigation that sometimes arises when damage occurs, there are no investigations of bending moments and stresses involved in failure of shade trees. Twenty-four shade trees of three species in the genus Acer were pulled to failure at a suburban property in Massachusetts, U.S. The maximum load and distance to failure were used to calculate maximum bending moment; stress at the point of failure was calculated from bending moment and stem cross-sectional dimensions. No trees uprooted, and failures were categorized as either stem at a lateral branch(es) or the attachment of codominant stems. Failures of codominant stems required one-half of the stress of stem failures. Similarly, failures of codominant stems occurred at only 45% of wood strength, whereas stem failures occurred at 79% of wood strength. Prediction of maximum bending moment from tree morphometric data was more reliable than prediction of maximum stress from tree morphometric data. Prediction of maximum bending moment and stress was more reliable for stem failures than codominant failures. Results are compared with similar tests on conifers. Implications of findings are discussed with respect to risk assessment of shade trees.
Determining the Age of Streetside Trees with Diameter at Breast Height-based Multifactorial Model
Authors: Lukaszkiewicz Jan , Kosmala Marek
Published: January 2022

This article evaluates the possibility of determining tree age based simultaneously on diameter at breast height (dbh) (1.3 m [4.3 ft]) and total tree height using common lime, common ash, and horsechestnut species. The first step was the identification and measuring groups of trees growing in similar conditions (streetside trees in Warsaw area, Poland) in which planting ages were known (mainly from archives). Next, multifactorial regression model was developed describing the growth of both tree parameters (dbh and height) over time. In the majority of cases, plotting tree age against diameter and height yielded a regression coefficient r value and determination coefficient r 2value above 0.9. For graphic interpretation of elaborated multifactorial models, nomograms were applied. This kind of graph allows explaining tree age based on both dbh and height of trees. Another step was verification. The resulting model was applied to unrelated groups of trees of known age. Mean bias values were established for each model. The difference between the actual age and mean age calculated with the model was less than ±15%. Presented model, although not meant for application to individual trees, might be useful to determine the age of groups of trees growing along streets and roads.