bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indian License Plate and Vehicle Type Recognition
Authors: Sambhavi D.V.Shrija , Koushik Shruthi , Fathima Rameeza
Published: February 2023

In light of the growing number of vehicles, automated license plate recognition (ALPR) systems are much needed. The ALPR system is a widely used technology for various vehicle management processes such as law enforcement, surveillance, toll booth operations, parking lots, etc. We propose a license plate recognition system, where a neural network concept is applied. This system includes image pre-processing which helps to quickly and easily locate, segment and recognize the license plate characters, so image pre-processing is one of the important factors that affect total system performance. As we are performing the character segmentation of the license plate, the accuracy of the character recognition increases. In India, license plates are not only different in shape and size but also have different colours according to the registration or license number in India. There are 8 types of license plates in total issued by the RTO. In this effort, we identify the type of license plate by detecting the colour of the license plate. Thus vehicle registration types are recognized from the colour of the license plate detected.
A Study of Mobile Edge Computing for IOT
Authors: Rahul Punar , Singh A.J.
Published: February 2023

Edge computing is a decentralized way of computation and storing data near to the edge performing device so that necessary physical proximity can be provided to the device and the computational data produced by that device. Previous works were focused on work in relation to Edge Computing for several anonymous sectors. Edge computing developed with the growth of various IoT devices which are present in connection with the internet for give and take of data from the cloud. In case of Edge computing data is now not needed to be directly transmit to the cloud. It is only needed to be sent to the cloud after much of its processing at the edge only. Therefore the better processing of the edge requires regular efficient improvements in the parameters which are concerned with the improved functioning of the edge devices. In this paper, we have studied existing architectures of edge computing within the IOT and Mobile edge computing to throw light on various issues like Network bandwidth capacity, throughput, response time, resource utilization, cost, execution time, energy consumption, scalability, reliability, availability etc which can be further improved for efficiency in edge computing.
An Intelligent Framework for Energy Efficient Health Monitoring System Using Edge-Body Area Networks
Authors: Abirami R. , Poovammal E.
Published: February 2023

Body Area Networks (BAN) consists of sensors, microcontrollers interfaced with the wireless transceivers. BAN sensors are implanted or placed on the body's surface which allows for continuous monitoring of patients' health parameters. According to recent studies, BAN is a viable option for an effective transmission of detected parameters to the nearby health care centers. This transmission helps in energy consumption for further better diagnosis. With the advent of machine learning and Internet of Things (IoT), BAN has taken the dimension in achieving the better performance with limited threshold. Although, BANs are light weight implanted nodes, the problem in improving the performance still remains demur for researchers. This paper proposes the edge based BAN which integrates the powerful Bi layered feed forward (BLFF) learning models for efficient data transmission with lower consumption of energy. The proposed model works on the adaptive distance principle of Extreme Learning Machines (ELM) which detects the cluster head BAN network. The extensive experimentation has been carried out to find the consumption of energy in the network. Additionally, the performance of the proposed ELM-BLFF learning model has been compared with the other machine learning models which are integrated in BAN-IoT frameworks. An experimental result demonstrates that the proposed ELM-BLFF model outperforms the traditional learning model with 30% lesser in terms of energy consumption.
Driver Yawn Prediction Using Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Melvin Jharge S.R. , Rokesh B. , Dheepajyothieshwar S. , Akila K.
Published: February 2023

Driver weariness is the leading cause of road accidents, according to numerous studies. Computer vision algorithms have shown promise in detecting indicators of exhaustion from facial motions like yawning. Precision and consistent yawning recognition is difficult in the real-world driving environment due to the various facial gestures and expression of driver. Yawning causes a mouth deformation in a variety of facial activities and expressions. This paper provides a novel way to based on minor facial motion identification to address the aforementioned concerns.
We offer a for nuanced face activity recognition. Bidirectional and 3D convolutional networks are used in this network. A keyframe selection technique is used to discover the most from delicate face gestures. This method employs photo histograms to swiftly eliminate redundant frames and the median absolute deviation to locate outliers. A variety of tests are also run on the method.
Crime Prediction Using Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Ganesh Meenakshi Sundaram S. , Sujith Manda Bala Rama Phani , Aravindh Kumar V. , Durgadevi P.
Published: February 2023

In a recent survey, its observed that there is arise in crime rate in India, and due to this, many peoplefeel unsafe in this country. So to reduce it, predicting thecrime before it happens is very important. IndianGovernment uses a software called CCIS (Crime CriminalInformation System), this software is only used to storeinformation, but with the stored information, it doesn’t doanything else, the existing systems predict crime only on aday basis, but it doesn’t predict exactly at what hour is itgoing to occur, to predict it on a hour basis, accuracy isimportant, so to analyze and predict crime, the accuraciesof machine learning algorithms such as KNN, Decision treeand Random forest are compared in order to use the bestfor analysis and prediction.
Facial Landmark and Mask Detection System
Authors: Bhattacharjee Nandila , Dubey Sakshi , Siddhartha Shriya
Published: February 2023

COVID-19 commonly known as Coronavirus is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. This pandemic can be prevented by wearing a face mask after taking the vaccines that have arrived in the market, A vast trial led by researchers at Yale University and Stanford Medicine came up with the conclusion that if a person’s mouth and nose is covered by a face mask they would have a lesser chance of getting infected by COVID-19. To contribute towards global health, this project aims to develop an alert system for face mask detection in public places. Our system tries to achieve this using Keras, TensorFlow, MobileNet, OpenCV, PyTorch, and R-CNN. The proposed work also does Facial landmark detection which can be further extended in the future with face mask detection for applied in Biometric applications. This paper is aimed towards creating a real-time and highly precise technique which efficiently identifies faces that are masked, unmasked, and incorrectly masked and alerts in the case of anomalies to ensure that masks are worn properly.
A Step towards Blockchain Scalability Resolution
Authors: Goel Aayush , Suseela G.
Published: February 2023

After mainframes, people computers, the internet, mobile communications, and social media, blockchain has been dubbed the sixth disruptive technology. For system decentralization, it is referred to as a distributed peer-to-peer (P2P) database enabler. There is a scalability issue that is a major roadblock to widespread Blockchain adoption. The goal of this study is to overcome the barriers that are preventing this technology from becoming as widely accepted as it was designed to be. This research provides the groundwork for an improved blockchain by identifying the right balance between block size and block interval, switching to a better consensus mechanism like PoS, and indicating sharding.
Shopper’s Cart
Authors: Thiagarajan D. , Arsath Roshan T.S. , Arun Aditya R. , Dinesh E.
Published: February 2023

This task Online Grocery Shopping is one of most recent usefulness upgrade instruments utilized broadly by all associations any place there is a need of booking of objection by means of administrator and investigation of protests which are made or are forthcoming. Our site C2C.com is an internet based grievance the board framework where the issues of the clients can be enrolled on the web and settled by the various degrees of architects. Likewise adaptability is given to the clients can without much of a stretch determination their issues by speaking with engineer over web. C2C.com is a site that goes about as an extension among client and friends wherein client straightforwardly register their grumbling to organization through web. Absence of paper developments gives objection the board activities a speed which was never imagined in manual mode. Site permits client to enroll protest and consequently timetables and prompts administrators to source grumbling to concerned departments. CRM abbreviation represents Customer Relationship Management and it is characterized as the idea which permits we to sort out the deals and contact the board subtleties which we want to maintain our business on an everyday basis. The following prime exercises are done in the CRM Manager. Make a rundown of business contacts. Advance the different items and sell the really. Record the items that we sell. Keep a welcoming relationship with the clients. Oversee and keep up with the data set. Essentially the CRM suite proposed fulfills the need of any association to have a superior relationship with the client through legitimate client criticism cycle separated from keeping up with the different client information and overseeing them.
Placing Controllers Using Latency Metrics in a Smart Grid Implementing Software- Defined Networking Architecture
Authors: Jeya R. , Venkatakrishnan G R. , Nagarajan Vaishnav
Published: February 2023

Smart grids add software and sensors to the existing power grids that will give utilities and individual’s access to information that they can understand and react to make changes quickly. They employ bi-directional communication between electricity endpoints and power stations. They help power stations with managing electricity demand and perform dynamic pricing. For instance, by using smart meters at home, consumers can view the price of electricity throughout the day and schedule tasks such that their energy bills are minimized. Deploying a smart grid comes with its own challenges. Managing the network of a smart grid is very complex and time consuming. The communication system comprises of devices that use different protocols for communication. This leads to interoperability problems and frequent intervention of the network administrator to make changes to the network configuration. By using the software-defined networking architecture, the control plane is separated from the data-forwarding plane. It allows network administrators to make configuration changes to the network from a device that centrally controls network components. One of the major challenges in SDN is the placement of controller (s) in the network. It affects the primary objective of setting up a network – fast and reliable communication of data. In this paper, we introduce the networking paradigm of smart grids and SDN architecture and go on to propose a method to find the optimal solution for the placement of controller (s) in a smart grid that uses SDN architecture.
Preserving Data Integrity in Legal Documents Using On-Chain NFTs
Authors: Karnatak Arpit , Suseela G.
Published: February 2023

Data integrity and tamper-proofing are of paramount importance in legal documents. To mitigate these issues of data tampering and data corruption in a centralized system, blockchain technology and Non-fungible tokens can be used. Blockchain is used to establish a trust-less system, eliminating the need for a facilitator or a centralized body to validate the correctness of data. Non Fungible Tokens can be used for their properties of immutability. The limitations of traditional NFTs such as data security and data corruption in a centralized and decentralized storage services are also discussed and a new method for data storage is proposed, i.e. On-Chain NFTs and their possible advantages and disadvantages, and how they provide an additional layer of security, making it more reliable than our current Off-Chain Non Fungible Token standards. Three novel approaches have been proposed, along with their respective pros and cons.
An Extractive Question Answering System for the Tamil Language
Authors: Krishnan Aravind , Sriram Srinivasa Ramanujan , Ganesan Balaji Vishnu Raj , Sridhar S.
Published: February 2023

In the field of Natural Language Processing, Question Answering is a cardinal task that has garnered a lot of attention. With the development of multiple language models, question answering systems have been developed and deployed to facilitate enhanced information retrieval. These systems, however, have been implemented to a large extent only in English. Our objective was to create such a question answering system for the Tamil Language. We decided to use XLM-RoBERTa as our language model, which has been trained on a variety of datasets. We have also employed a hand-annotated dataset for the purpose of validation. We trained the model on two types of datasets, the first one being only in Tamil, whereas the other one being a mixture of Indian languages along with Tamil. The results were satisfactory in both cases. Given the huge amount of computational power the model required for training, we utilized the Colab Pro Plus cloud GPU from Google to satisfy our demands. We will also be publishing our dataset on huggingface so that fellow researchers can use it for further analysis.
Revisiting Folger’s pouch in double-chambered right ventricle
Authors: Sachdeva Sakshi , Bhatt Dheeraj Deo , Kumar Dinesh
Published: February 2023

Folger’s pouch is a right ventricular outflow pouch arising from the distal low-pressure chamber in double-chambered right ventricle. It is rarely described on echocardiogram due to difficult visualization and lack of knowledge of its existence. Retrospective assessment of echocardiogram after an angiocardiographic evaluation demonstrates the pouch in a modified high parasternal view.
Pharmacokinetics of rifampicin, isoniazid & pyrazinamide during daily & intermittent dosing: A preliminary study
Authors: Ramachandran Geetha , Kumar A.K. Hemanth , Kannan T. , Thangakunam Balamugesh , Shankar Deepa , Christopher Devasahayam J.
Published: February 2023

Background & objectives:

The National Tuberculosis (TB) Control Programme has transitioned from thrice-weekly to daily drug treatment regimens in India. This preliminary study was conceived to compare the pharmacokinetics of rifampicin (RMP), isoniazid (INH) and pyrazinamide (PZA) in TB patients being treated with daily and thrice weekly anti-TB treatment (ATT).

Methods:

This prospective observational study was undertaken in 49 newly diagnosed adult TB patients receiving either daily ATT (n=22) or thrice-weekly ATT (n=27). Plasma RMP, INH and PZA were estimated by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Results:

The peak concentration (Cmax) of RMP was significantly higher (RMP: 8.5 µg/ml vs. 5.5 µg/ml; P=0.003) and Cmax of INH was significantly lower (INH: 4.8 µg/ml vs. 10.9 µg/ml; P<0.001) in case of daily dosing compared to thrice-weekly ATT. Cmax of drugs and doses was significantly correlated. A higher proportion of patients had subtherapeutic RMP Cmax (8.0 µg/ml) during thrice-weekly compared to daily ATT (78% vs. 36%; P=0.004). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that Cmax of RMP was significantly influenced by the dosing rhythm, pulmonary TB and Cmax of INH and PZA by the mg/kg doses.

Interpretation & conclusions:

RMP concentrations were higher and INH concentrations were lower during daily ATT, suggesting that INH doses may need to be increased in case of a daily regimen. Larger studies are, however, required using higher INH doses when monitoring for adverse drug reactions and treatment outcomes.
Quality assurance of malaria rapid diagnostic tests
Authors: Srivastava Bina , Sharma Supriya , Ahmed Naseem , Kumari Preeti , Gahtori Renuka , Sinha Swati , Kumar Sandeep , Sanalkumar M. , Mahale Paras , Swarnkar Deendayal , Anvikar Anupkumar R.
Published: February 2023

Background & objectives:

India targets malaria elimination by 2030 in a phased manner, so malaria’s assured diagnosis is crucial. Introduction of rapid diagnostic kits in India in 2010 has revolutionized malaria surveillance. The storage temperature of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), kit components and handling in transportations impact the results of RDTs. Therefore, quality assurance (QA) is required before it reaches end-users. The Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR-NIMR) has a World Health Organization (WHO) recognized lot-testing laboratory facility to assure the quality of RDTs.

Methods:

The ICMR-NIMR receives RDTs from different manufacturing companies as well as various agencies such as National and State Programmes and Central Medical Services Society. The WHO standard protocol is followed to conduct all the tests, including long-term and post-dispatch testing.

Results:

A total of 323 lots tested during January 2014-March 2021 were received from different agencies. Amongst them, 299 lots passed the quality of test and 24 failed. In long-term testing, 179 lots were tested and only nine failed. A total of 7741 RDTs were received from end-users for post-dispatch testing of which 7540 qualified the QA test with a score of 97.4 per cent.

Interpretation & conclusions:

RDTs received for quality testing showed compliance with QA evaluation of malaria RDTs based on the protocol recommended by the WHO. However, continuous monitoring of the quality of RDTs is required under QA programme. Quality-assured RDTs have a major role, especially in areas where low parasitaemia of parasites persists.
Prevalence of normoalbuminuric chronic kidney disease among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus from India
Authors: Jayakumari Chellamma , Gomez Ramesh , Dipin Sasidharan , Jayakumar R. V. , Vijayakumar Karthik , Sreenath Ravindranath , Ajeesh Thulaseedharan , Jabbar Puthiyaveettil Khadar , Das Darvin Vamadevan , Gopi Giri Vishnu , Seena Thadathil Pandarakandy , Nair Abilash
Published: February 2023

Background & objectives:

A subset of diabetic individuals are known to develop progressive renal insufficiency without albuminuria, referred to as normoalbuminuric chronic kidney disease (NACKD). There is, however, a paucity of studies regarding this condition in India. So, this study, aimed to find the prevalence of normoalbuminuric renal dysfunction and its clinical associations in diabetic Indian population.

Methods:

Medical record search of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at a tertiary care centre was done. Based on the urinary albumin:creatinine ratio (>30 mg/g creatinine) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (e-GFR) (<60 ml/min/1.73m2), individuals were classified as having, (i) no kidney disease (NKD), (ii) chronic kidney disease (CKD), (iii) albuminuria alone (ALB), (iv) normoalbuminuric low e-GFR (NACKD) and (v) albuminuria with low e-GFR albuminuric CKD (ACKD). Furthermore, the clinical and biochemical parameters of these groups were also compared.

Results:

Data from 3534 diabetes patients with a mean age of 53.8±10.9 yr and mean duration of diabetes of 10.3±7.5 yr were available for the analysis. NACKD constituted 39.1 per cent of the patients with reduced e-GFR, NACKD was found in 2.1 per cent and ACKD in 3.4 per cent of all diabetic patients. Compared to NKD patients, was found an independent association between NACKD and higher age, male sex, lower body weight and statin intake but not with glycated haemoglobin, fasting and postprandial plasma glucose. Patients with NACKD were found to be older than those with ACKD. Retinopathy was found to be more prevalent in the ACKD patients, whereas the rates of macrovascular complications were found to be similar between the groups. The prevalence of NACKD relative to ACKD decreased in CKD stages 3b, 4 and 5.

Interpretation & conclusions:

The results of this study suggest that NACKD constituted greater than one third of patients with diabetes and decreased e-GFR, which showed a strong association with age but not with duration or severity of hyperglycaemia or the presence of retinopathy. Both NACKD and ACKD showed similar associations with macrovascular disease.
Inferring Stock Status of Painted Spiny Lobster (Panulirus versicolor) in Aru Islands Waters, Indonesia
Authors: Kembaren Duranta Diandria , Suman Ali
Published: February 2023

Three of six commercial spiny lobster species in Indonesian waters was found in Aru Islands waters which exploited continuously using drift gillnet and the catch was dominated by painted spiny lobster (Panulirus versicolor). To ensure the sustainability of the lobster stock, fisheries should be managed properly based on the best available science. In data-limited fisheries, length composition data are most common form information available for researchers and managers since its relatively cheap and simple to collect. In this study, we evaluate the stock status of P. versicolor in Aru Islands waters using three length-based methods: 1) length-converted catch curve (LCCC), 2) length-based spawning potential ratio (LB-SPR) and 3) length-based Bayesian biomass (LBB). The result showed that the mean length at catch of P. versicolor was 80.9 mm in carapace length. Furthermore, the three methods agree that the current status of painted spiny lobster stock seems to be fully exploited where the exploitation rate, the spawning potential ratio, and relative stock size (B/BMSY) were 54%, 35%, and 85%, respectively. Thus, for sustainability of this stock, it is highly recommended to catch P. versicolor at size greater than 80 mm in carapace length.
О размерности пространства слабо аддитивных функционалов
Authors: Jiemuratov Rzamurat Esenmuratovich
Published: February 2023

В работе установлены важные, востребованные свойства
слабо аддитивных, сохраняющих порядок, нормированных функционалов.
Приведены разные интерпретации слабо аддитивного,
сохраняющего порядок, нормированного функционала,
и доказана его непрерывность как функции, зависящей от множества,
лежащего на заданном компакте. Используя эти результаты,
построен пример, показывающий, что пространство $O(X)$
слабо аддитивных, сохраняющих порядок, нормированных функционалов
не вкладывается ни в какое пространство конечной (даже счетной)
алгебраической размерности, как только компакт $X$ содержит
более одной точки.
Библиография: 21 название.
Некоторые алгебраические свойства полиномов Эрмита-Паде
Authors: Suetin Sergey Pavlovich
Published: February 2023

Пусть $[f_0,…,f_m]$ - набор формальных рядов по неотрицательным степеням
переменной $1/z$ и с условием $f_j(\infty)\ne 0$. Предполагается, что этот набор
находится в "общем положении". Для заданного набора рядов и $(m+1)$-мерных
мультииндексов $\mathbf n_k\in\mathbb N^{m+1}$, $k=0,…,m$, приводятся
конструкции полиномов Эрмита-Паде 1-го и 2-го типов степеней $\le n$ и $\le mn$
соответственно обладающие следующим свойством. Пусть $M_1(z)$ и $M_2(z)$ - две
$(m+1)\times(m+1)$ полиномиальные матрицы,
$M_1(z),M_2(z)\in\operatorname{GL}(m+1,\mathbb C[z])$,
порожденные полиномами Эрмита-Паде 1-го и 2-го типов, соответствующих
мультиндексам $\mathbf n_k\in\mathbb N^{m+1}$, $k=0,…,m$. Тогда
выполняется тождество
$$
M_1(z)M_2^{\mathrm T}(z)\equiv I,
\qquad
M_1(0)=M_2(0)=I,
$$
где $I$ - единичная $(m+1)\times(m+1)$-матрица.
Результат мотивирован рядом новых приложений полиномов Эрмита-Паде,
возникших недавно в связи с исследованиями свойств монодромии фуксовых
систем дифференциальных уравнений.
Библиография: 12 названий.
Соотношения Фробениуса для ассоциативных Ли нильпотентных алгебр
Authors: Pchelintsev Sergey Valentinovich
Published: February 2023

Доказано, что относительно свободная ассоциативная
Ли нильпотентная алгебра класса $l$
над полем конечной характеристики $p$ удовлетворяет
аддитивному соотношению Фробениуса
$(a+b)^{p^s}=a^{p^s}+b^{p^s}$ тогда и только тогда,
когда $l\leqslant p^s-p^{s-1}+1$. Доказано также,
что при указанных ограничениях на класс Ли нильпотентности
выполнено мультипликавное соотношение Фробениуса
$(a\cdot b)^{p^s}=a^{p^s}\cdot b^{p^s}$
Библиография: 6 наименований.
О степенных рядах, связанных с многомерными рекордами
Authors: Lebedev Alexey Viktorovich
Published: February 2023

В работе вводится функция, определяемая степенным рядом по вероятностям многомерных рекордов
в последовательности независимых одинаково распределенных случайных векторов с непрерывными
компонентами. В одномерном случае данная функция всегда одинаковая, но в многомерном существует
большое разнообразие таких функций, определяемых копулами распределений. Представлен
вероятностный смысл введенной функции и ее производных. Дан способ расчета с помощью
функции распределения Кендалла. Введены понятия благоприятности копул для рекордов,
распределения рекордного момента
и среднего рекордного момента (без учета очередности). Приведены примеры.
Библиография: 14 названий.
О решении квантовой задачи трех тел
в окрестности трехчастичного направления рассеяния вперед
Authors: Budylin Alexander Mikhajlovich , Levin Sergei Borisovich
Published: February 2023

Рассматривается асимптотика решения задачи рассеяния
трех трехмерных кулоновских квантовых частиц
в окрестности трехчастичного направления рассеяния вперед.
Библиография: 19 названий.
Preventing Osteoporosis, Sarcopenia and Obesity to Care about Quality of Life
Authors: Cacciatore Stefano , Massaro Claudia , Landi Francesco
Published: February 2023

A recent review by Kumari and Khanna examined the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity using various comorbidities, diagnostic markers, and possible therapeutic approaches. The authors discussed the strong impact of sarcopenic obesity on quality of life (QoL) and physical health. In addition, there are significant interactions among bone, muscle, and adipose tissue, and the concomitant presence of osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and obesity, termed osteosarcopenic obesity, represents a terrible trio for postmenopausal women and older adults as each of these conditions is associated with adverse outcomes in terms of morbidity, mortality, and QoL in several domains. Timely diagnosis, prevention, and pro-health education are crucial for improving QoL in patients with osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and obesity. Education and prevention play a pivotal role in the long term for individuals to have longer and healthier lives. Osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and obesity share modifiable risk factors that may benefit from physical activity, a healthy and balanced diet, and lifestyle changes. “Prevention is better than cure” and planning are proven strategies for individuals and sustainable healthcare.
Characteristics and outcomes of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease admitted to the intensive care unit due to acute hypercapnic respiratory failure
Authors: Akbaş Türkay , Güneş Harun
Published: February 2023

Background: This study aimed to describe the clinical course, outcomes, and prognostic factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure.Methods: This retrospective study involved patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure due to COPD of any cause admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) support between December 2015 and February 2020. Results: One hundred patients were evaluated. The main causes of acute hypercapnic respiratory failure were bronchitis, pneumonia, and heart failure. The patients’ mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score was 23.0±7.2, and their IMV rate was 43%. ICU, in-hospital, and 90-day mortality rates were 21%, 29%, and 39%, respectively. Non-survivors had greater pneumonia, shock within the first 24 hours of admission, IMV, vasopressor use, and renal replacement therapy, along with higher APACHE II scores, lower admission albumin levels and PaO2/FiO2 ratios, and longer ICU and hospital stays than survivors. Logistic regression analysis identified APACHE II score (odds ratio [OR], 1.157; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.017–1.317; P=0.026), admission PaO2/FiO2 ratio (OR, 0.989; 95% CI, 0.978–0.999; P=0.046), and vasopressor use (OR, 8.827; 95% CI, 1.650–47.215; P=0.011) as predictors of ICU mortality. APACHE II score (OR, 1.099; 95% CI, 1.021–1.182; P=0.011) and admission albumin levels (OR, 0.169; 95% CI, 0.056–0.514; P=0.002) emerged as predictors of 90-day mortality.Conclusions: APACHE II scores, the PaO2/FiO2 ratio, vasopressor use, and albumin levels are significant short-term mortality predictors in severely ill COPD patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure.
Theoretical definition of nurse–conscious mechanically ventilated patient communication: a scoping review with qualitative content analysis
Authors: Ghiasvand Arezoo Mohamadkhani , Hosseini Meimanat , Atashzadeh-Shoorideh Foroozan
Published: February 2023

Providing critical nursing care for conscious mechanically ventilated patients is mediated via effective communication. This study aimed to identify and map the antecedents, attributes, consequences, and definition of nurse–conscious mechanically ventilated patient communication (N-CMVPC). This scoping review was conducted by searching the Cochrane Library and the CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, between 2001 and 2021. The keywords queried included "nurses," "mechanically ventilated patients," "mechanical ventilation," "intubated patients," "communication," "interaction," "relationships," "nurse–patient communication," "nurse–patient relations," "intensive care units," and "critical care." Studies related to communication with healthcare personnel or family members were excluded. The results indicated that N-CMVPC manifests as a set of attributes in communication experiences, emotions, methods, and behaviors of the nurse and the patient and is classified into three main themes, nurse communication, patient communication, and quantitative-qualitative aspects. N-CMVPC is a complex, multidimensional, and multi-factor concept. It is often nurse-controlled and can express itself as questions, sentences, or commands in the context of experiences, feelings, and positive or negative behaviors involving the nurse and the patient.
Selection of appropriate reference creatinine estimate for acute kidney injury diagnosis in patients with severe trauma
Authors: Lee Kangho , Ryu Dongyeon , Kim Hohyun , Park Sungjin , Lee Sangbong , Park Chanik , Kim Gilhwan , Kim Sunhyun , Lee Nahyeon
Published: February 2023

Background: In patients with severe trauma, the diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) is important because it is a predictive factor for poor prognosis and can affect patient care. The diagnosis and staging of AKI are based on change in serum creatinine (SCr) levels from baseline. However, baseline creatinine levels in patients with traumatic injuries are often unknown, making the diagnosis of AKI in trauma patients difficult. This study aimed to enhance the accuracy of AKI diagnosis in trauma patients by presenting an appropriate reference creatinine estimate (RCE).Methods: We reviewed adult patients with severe trauma requiring intensive care unit admission between 2015 and 2019 (n=3,228) at a single regional trauma center in South Korea. AKI was diagnosed based on the current guideline published by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes organization. AKI was determined using the following RCEs: estimated SCr75-modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD), trauma MDRD (TMDRD), admission creatinine level, and first-day creatinine nadir. We assessed inclusivity, prognostic ability, and incrementality using the different RCEs.Results: The incidence of AKI varied from 15% to 46% according to the RCE used. The receiver operating characteristic curve of TMDRD used to predict mortality and the need for renal replacement therapy (RRT) had the highest value and was statistically significant (0.797, P<0.001; 0.890, P=0.002, respectively). In addition, the use of TMDRD resulted in a mortality prognostic ability and the need for RRT was incremental with AKI stage.Conclusions: In this study, TMDRD was feasible as a RCE, resulting in optimal post-traumatic AKI diagnosis and prognosis.
Structural Equation Modelling of Public Construction Procurement Systems Implementation in Nigeria
Authors: Aliu N. O. , Oyewobi L. O. , Anifowose M. O. , Ganiyu B. O.
Published: February 2023

Various procurement methods have been deployed by government organisations to deliver vital infrastructure to support socio-economic development in different spheres of life in Nigeria. However, there is a lack of empirical understanding relating to the contribution of public procurement process, barriers, drivers and selection criteria combined to project delivery in Nigeria context. This study identified five major constructs which were conceptualised to establish how different procurement options influence project delivery. The constructs were operationalized and developed into a questionnaire in a cross-sectional study. Data were sought from professionals involved in the management, design and operations of construction projects in Lagos and Abuja (i.e. project managers, architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, and procurement officers). The data were analysed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in order to determine the link among the constructs interrogated. The findings indicated that all the latent variables included in the conceptual model jointly contributed 59 per cent of variance explained. It was also revealed that drivers of procurement selection and selection criteria are significantly related to effective project delivery. Findings from this research show that for project to be successful in terms of cost, time, and other characteristics as stated in this paper, the most critical approaches to adopt are design-and-build and collaborative procurement. This implies that making the correct choice of construction procurement strategies is a recipe for project success. Government authorities and business organizations seeking infrastructure and procurement system improvements at various levels could use the developed model to improve project delivery.
Assessment of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology in Transport Logistics in Nigeria
Authors: Yahaya I , Saidu I , Suleiman S , Muhammad-Jamil A , Leje M. I , Aiyu B. A
Published: February 2023

The logistic technologies for effective and efficient ‘transport operations’ in the areas of stock tracking, machine tracking, workers tracking, time tracking, stock sizes and shape, location identification, and stock routing and schedule shipment are deficient in the Nigerian construction industry, when compared to manufacturing and retailing sectors which are known to have fully adopted the RFID technology in these operations for effective performance. This article assessed the benefits of RFID technology for transport logistic operations in the construction industry. Lagos State and the F.C.T. Abuja, Nigeria were the selected geographical study areas, from which 5 manufacturing companies, 5 retailing companies and 5 construction projects were purposively selected. Mixed methods research strategy was used. The research instruments included an observation guide (quantitative) and interviews (qualitative). The collected quantitative data were analysed, using descriptive analytical tools: frequencies and percentiles. The qualitative data was analysed, using the thematic method. The study found that 80% and 60% of the manufacturing and retailing sectors respectively, observed, adopted RFID technology for transportation processing operations. The study revealed further that, RFID technology was not utilised in construction for transportation purposes. It was found that the key benefits of utilising the RFID technology are: improved degree of material traceability; improves safety of resources; improvement in control of material; easy to tracking of materials on site; check on the availability of materials; and allows for contactless identification in construction. It can be concluded that implementation of RFID technology in construction would translate into improvement in material control, checking, tracking, safety and traceability onsite.
Evaluation of EGM96 and EGM08 based on GPS/Levelling Heights in Egypt
Authors: Aziz Khaled Mahmoud Abdel , Rashwan Karim Samir , Saba Nasr
Published: February 2023

The heights determined by  Global Positioning System (GPS) refer to the ellipsoid called the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84).  Global Geopotential Models (GGMs) that are available on GNSS commercial software are generally used to transform  ellipsoidal heights to orthometric heights. In this study, the geoid heights of GPS/Levelling were computed to evaluate the accuracy of the geoid heights obtained from two GGMs, namely, the Earth Gravitational Model 96 (EGM96) and the Earth Gravitational Model 08 (EGM08). Seventeen (17) GPS/Levelling stations of the High Accuracy Reference Network (HARN) over Egypt were used for this purpose. The standard deviations for the differences between the geoid heights obtained through GPS/Levelling and those obtained from EGM96 and EGM08 were determined as  ± 1.212 m and ± 0.543 m, respectively. This research confirms that the geoid heights obtained from EGM08 are closer to the geoid heights determined using GPS/Levelling over Egypt.
Evaluating Misinformation on YouTube about Washing Produce Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemi
Authors:   School of Occupational and Public Health, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5B 2K3, Verma Geena
Published: February 2023

be videos have been a significant source of public health and food safety misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the washing of produce with soap and other substances was promoted in the early stages of the pandemic through YouTube videos. Therefore, we conducted a study to analyze produce washing messaging in YouTube videos posted during, compared to prior to, the COVID-19 pandemic. Videos were identified via targeted keyword searches. Produce washing methods were coded and classified according to government recommendations. A total of 100 YouTube videos were identified and analyzed; 66 videos were posted during the pandemic and 34 before the pandemic. Of the 100 videos, 70 contained nonfactual information about produce washing. Videos posted by bloggers were more likely to contain nonfactual information compared to videos posted by the government and organizations (78 versus 29%). Videos posted during the pandemic were more likely to have nonfactual information than those posted before the pandemic (56 versus 17%). This study found that individual bloggers contributed to the spread of misinformation about produce washing in YouTube videos, resulting in potentially harmful behavior changes among consumers. Efforts are needed from food safety educators and public health officials to improve the accuracy of food safety information disseminated on YouTube.
Fresh Produce Harvesting Equipment – A Review of Cleaning and Sanitizing Practices and Related Science
Authors:   iDecisionSciences, LLC, Bellevue, WA 98009, USA  2Factor IV Solutions, LLC, Atascadero, CA 93422, USA, Leaman Susan
Published: February 2023

During produce harvesting operations, various types of tools, equipment, and containers have direct contact with crops. Best practices for harvesting equipment include routine cleaning and sanitation of food-contact surfaces and areas adjacent to food-contact surfaces. Studies investigating transfer of human pathogens to produce during harvesting operations have revealed numerous crop-contact points with the potential to serve as conduits for pathogen transfer, including harvesting machinery, knives, conveyors, cutting boards, harvest bins and cartons, and cleaning equipment. When these surfaces are contaminated with human pathogens, the pathogens can be transferred to crops during harvesting activities. Minimizing and controlling microbial hazards to prevent contamination of produce during harvesting operations in both indoor and outdoor settings presents challenges that require a transformative level of risk awareness and vigilance from all involved in management and operations. Although new technologies are being explored to improve equipment cleanability, prevention combined with robust cleaning and sanitizing methods remain the most critical maintenance aspects of harvesting equipment that is at low risk for contamination. As part of the produce industry’s continuous efforts to enhance the safety of harvested fresh produce crops, this review summarizes scientific findings that harvesting equipment operators can utilize to evaluate and further inform current cleaning and sanitation practices.
Gournay, Marie le Jar de (1565–1645)
Authors: Deslauriers Marguerite
Published: February 2023

Marie de Gournay was a 17th-century French essayist and polemicist. She is most well known for her contribution to discussions of the French language, and for her uncompromising and lucid feminism. Gournay argued for the equality of the sexes at a time when that was an extremely uncommon stance. Most authors engaged in the long-running ‘querelle des femmes’ (or ‘debate about women’) advanced the idea that either women or men were superior. Gournay anticipated the egalitarianism that post-Cartesian feminists espoused later in the century, and was the first woman to do so. Her claim for equality was based on an understanding of sexual difference as restricted to the body, and limited to the functions of reproduction. In this, too, she was before her time, since most participants in the debate took bodily differences to be both important and indicative of intellectual and moral differences between the sexes. Gournay insisted on the sameness of men and women in all intellectual, moral and hence social and political respects.

She embraced a conception of human nature as essentially rational, and emphasized the importance of education for the full development of reason. Since she believed that knowledge was the basis of virtue, she advocated education as a necessary condition for moral maturity.

Gournay was influenced by the work of Montaigne, and adopted from him a critical attitude to received opinion. She advocated caution in accepting customary norms, and encouraged independent judgment as the best means toward cultivating reason and acquiring virtue.
Psychologism
Authors: Porta Mario González
Published: February 2023

Psychologism is a form of reductionism, either of a certain discipline to psychology, or of a certain type of objects to psychological entities, whereby a certain consensus believes that said reductionism necessarily entails relativism and scepticism.

Notwithstanding psychologism’s place in any realm of philosophy, or even beyond, it had particular relevance in logic. Given that ‘logic’ in the nineteenth century comprises what we today call logic proper, epistemology, and semantics, we can therefore differentiate between three basic types of psychologism and corresponding anti-psychologism.

Psychologism as a theoretic trend with numerous manifestations in the history of philosophy, must be distinguished from the ‘quarrel over psychologism’ (Psychologismusstreit), a historical-philosophical process which receives most emphasis in Germany from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century.

In what follows we shall approach the topic from two points of view, namely, systematic and historical. The first offers a clarification of the concept of psychologism and its types and explores the main theses and arguments either in favour of psychologism or against it. The second distinguishes two main ramifications of the Psychologismusstreit, to wit, the neo-Kantian and logical realist, linking both in diverse ways to Kant and other processes that, despite being interrelated with the Psychologismusstreit, are different from it. The exposition will close with a consideration of this topic’s development in its contemporary framework.
Help and beneficence
Authors: Murphy Liam
Published: February 2023

Which people are we morally required to help, and to what extent? In a world where the basic needs of many millions remain unmet, this is a philosophical question of great practical urgency. A minimal position is that while it is always praiseworthy to help someone, we are morally required to help only those to whom we stand in some special relation. In addition to the objection that it is too minimal, this view faces difficulties in accounting for emergency cases, in which one could, for example, save a stranger’s life at little cost to oneself. More stringent views that place no restrictions on the range of people to be helped do not have these difficulties; they do, however, raise the intractable problem of how much we must sacrifice for the sake of others.
Honour
Authors: Demetriou Dan
Published: February 2023

Given its psychological and sociological importance, especially in non-liberal societies, honour may be the most undertheorised normative phenomenon. Philosophical neglect of honour is due partly to its doubtful moral bona fides: honour-typical motives have been usually viewed by philosophers in both the Christian and liberal West as either non-moral or immoral but replaced by morally sounder ones. More practically, honour (and what is usually translated into the English ‘honour’) connotes a number of apparently contradictory meanings, further bedevilling analyses. Four particularly salient conceptions of honour emerge in the anthropological, literary, and philosophical research on honour: honour as prestige, honour as the ethos characteristic of ‘cultures of honour’, honour as honestas, and honour as agonism.