bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Selection of Feasible Leaching Method for Recovery of Heavy Metals from E-waste using Analytic Hierarchy Approach
Authors: Minocha Garima , khandegar vinita , Acharya Sanigdha
Published: September 2021

Amount of e-waste is increasing tremendously over the years, from almost getting doubled each year. 40 % e-waste consists of many metals and precious metals. The rapid growth in technology development is alarming, as a result more and more e-waste is generating. This leads to myriad problems for handling or management of e-waste. Traditional methods of disposal of e-waste such as landfilling, composting and incineration is major threat to the environment and life. In this study recovery of metals through hydro-metallurgical process such as thiosulfate (M1), iodide (M2) aqua-regia (M3) and thiourea (M4) leaching methods were compared in terms of economic feasibility, environmental impact and reagent reuse in order to find out a feasible leaching method using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The selection of feasible leaching method has been performed by applying the Saaty, ranking. From the final ranking are, thiosulfate (M1) scored = 0.09, iodide (M2) = 0.16, aqua-regia (M3) = 0.39 and thiourea (M4) = 0.39. From the result M3 and M4 are the feasible method for recovery of heavy metals from E-waste.
Prevalence and associated factors of Female genital mutilation among reproductive age women’s of Damot Gale woreda, Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study, 2018
Authors: Anjulo Bargude Balta , Lambebo Amanuel Fanta
Published: September 2021

Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is estimated to have been practiced on at least 200 million girls and women in 30 countries around the world. Clitoridoctomy is the most common type of FGM in Ethiopia.Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the magnitude of Female Genital Mutilation and associated factors among women’s in Damot Gale Woreda of Wolayita zone.Methods: A quantitative community-based cross-sectional study was used. Face-to-face interviews with prepared questionnaires were used to collect data. SPSS version 20 software was used to analyze the data. The prevalence of FGM was determined using descriptive statistics. The researchers utilized a bivariate and multivariate logistic regression model to find independent determinants of FGM.Result: 296 women were circumcised out of a total of 333, indicating that FGM is prevalent in the research area (88.9%). Mother education (AOR: 0.454, 95% CI: 0.209-0.984), age (AOR-1.86, 95% CI: 0.42-0.98)), knowledge that FGM causes health problems (AOR: 0.356, 95% CI: 0.145-0.877), and support for tradition (AOR: 14.595, 95% CI: 3.391-6.807) were all independently linked to FGM.Conclusion: Prevalence of FGM was associated with age, education, Knowledge of health problems and Tradition.
Exploring the Intersectionality of Family SES and Gender with Psychosocial, Behavioural and Environmental Determinants of Physical Activity in Dutch Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Braga André Mamede Soares , Erdem Özcan , Noordzij Gera , Merkelbach Inge , Kocken Paul , Denktas Semiha
Published: September 2021

BackgroundExamining the determinants of adolescent’s physical activity (PA) and how they may differ according to the intersection of gender and family socioeconomic status (SES) can support the development of tailored interventions to more effectively promote adolescents’ PA. This study explored how the influence of psychosocial, behavioural and environmental determinants on adolescent’s PA differed according to gender and family SES. MethodsThis study used data from the Dutch survey Health Monitor Youth 2015. Adolescents (n=9,068) aged 12-19 were included for the study. The associations between psychosocial, behavioural, and environmental determinants and PA (days per week engaging in at least one hour of PA) were examined with multilevel linear regression analysis. Potential interactions between these determinants, gender and family SES were explored.ResultsOn average, adolescents engaged in at least one hour of PA for 4,2 days per week. Poor self-perceived health, low peer social support, and a weak connection with the environment were all associated with lower PA in adolescents. Daily smoking, cannabis use, risk of problematic gaming and social media use, as well as lack of daily consumption of fruit, vegetables, water and breakfast were associated with lower PA, whereas binge drinking was not. Interactions revealed that poor self-perceived health was associated with lower PA in adolescents from moderate- and high-SES families, but not in low-SES adolescents, whereas cannabis use was only associated with lower PA amongst low-SES adolescents. Low peer social support was associated with lower PA across all groups, but it was most strongly associated with lower PA amongst male adolescents from low-SES families than in other subgroups. Amongst low-SES males, low peer social support was associated with a 1.47 reduction in days engaging in sufficient PA, compared with a 0.69 reduction for high-SES males.ConclusionsThis study identified several psychosocial, behavioural and environmental determinants that can be targeted to potentially increase adolescent’s PA. We also found that correlates of PA differed according to the intersection of gender and family SES. Our findings suggest that PA interventions should be tailored according to gender and SES to address the specific needs, barriers and facilitators of different subgroups.
Synthetic Datasets for Numeric Uncertainty Quantification
Authors: Kabir Hussain Mohammed Dipu , Abdar Moloud , Khosravi Abbas , Nahavandi Darius , Mohamed Shady , Sriniva Dipti , Nahavandi Saeid , Suganthan Ponnuthurai Nagaratnam
Published: September 2021

In this paper, we propose ten synthetic datasets for point prediction and numeric uncertainty quantification (UQ). These datasets are split into train, validation, and test sets for model benchmarking. Equations and the description of each dataset are provided in detail. We also present representative shallow neural network (NN) training and Random Vector Functional Link (RVFL) training examples. Both training train models for the point prediction. We perform uncertainty quantification with the consideration of a gaussian and homoscedastic distribution. As the distribution consideration and models are rudimental, much room exists for further explorations and improvements. The dataset and scripts are available at the following link: https://github.com/dipuk0506/UQ-Data
Mesoporous Silica Encapsulated Iron Oxide-Silver Heterodimeric Nanoparticles and Their Applications in Multi-Responsive Drug Release
Authors: Sun Xiaoting , Zhang Xiaohui , Yang Huazhe , Wang Xiaohong
Published: September 2021

Background

Metal based nanomaterials play essential roles in the fields of cancer diagnosis and therapy, drug delivery and exploration. As a novel kind of metal nanocomposites, magnetic-plasmonic nanohybrids are promising candidates in combined therapy. However, few studies have demonstrated the multi-responsive drug delivery properties of the nanohybrids. In this work, novel Fe3O4-Ag heterodimer nanoparticles coated with mesoporous SiO2 were prepared for multi-responsive drug release applications.
Results

Seed growth method was employed to form the heterodimer particles, and a layer of mesoporous silica was coated on the particle to improve the biocompatibility of metal nanoparticles, which also acted as drug loading and release component. Characterized via infrared spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, the particles were confirmed to appear a Janus like structure with Fe3O4 and Ag hemispheres encapsulating in silica. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) was loaded on the surface of the particles for drug delivery. The drug loading efficiency, release performance and the apoptosis action of the particles on MCF-7 cells were investigated in vitro. The results showed that DOX was successfully loaded on the particles with encapsulation efficiency of 88.3% and drug loading of 30.6%. And the release amount after 48 h increased from 10.05 ± 0.19% to 68.53 ± 8.20% as the environment was tuned to acidic, indicating an obvious pH response of the particles. Simultaneously, due to the photothermal effect of Ag hemispheres, the particles had exhibited an enhanced drug release stimulated by 808 nm near infrared (NIR) irradiation. And the results of apoptosis assay were in accord with the drug release profiles. Besides, the particles could well respond to an external magnetic field, which is beneficial to particle location or recovery.
Conclusion

The as-prepared particles exhibit good magnetic and photothermal properties originating from Fe3O4 and Ag hemispheres respectively, which are desired features in magnetic hyperthermia and photothermal therapy. The particles also possess pH and NIR light responsive drug release properties, enabling triggered and targeted drug delivery.
Cost-Benefit Analysis and Financial Viability of Household Biogas Plant Installation in Aleta Wondo District, Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Gedefa Tale , Melka Yoseph , Sime Getachew
Published: September 2021

Background: Installation of biogas plants has both costs and incomes; installation and maintenance service demand financial costs and reduction of costs for purchasing firewood, kerosene and chemical fertilizers are benefits or incomes. This study investigates the cost-benefit analysis and financial viability related to biogas plant installation in Southern Ethiopia. Method: A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select sample households. A total of 105 adopter households were selected for household survey.Results and conclusion: The installation cost took the largest share of the total cost of installation and was one of the main constraints that hindered installation. Installation increased household income by reducing the costs incurred for buying firewood, kerosene and chemical fertilizers. Relatively, lower plant size was more profitable than larger plant size. Installation under the subsidy scheme was more financially viable at 10 % discount rate than its counterparts. The profitability of lower plant size was more sensitive to changes in the discount rate, the level of expenditure saving and input price than larger plant size, under an assumption and without subsidy. Installation of low cost plants could more attract the engagement of a large number of rural households with low economic capacity. Besides, installation of lower plant sizes could more substantially enhance household income by saving costs incurred for buying firewood, kerosene and chemical fertilizers.
Effects of Novel Cognitive Stimulating Activities (CSAs) on Cognitive Decline and Depressive Symptom: A Naturalistic Study
Authors: Ng Ted Kheng Siang , Feng Lei , Chua Ru Yuan , Goh Lee Gan , Kua Ee Heok , Mahendran Rathi
Published: September 2021

There is a scarcity of naturalistic follow-up studies on cognitive stimulating activities (CSAs), particularly in a real-world setting. We investigated a pooled novel CSA intervention to prevent cognitive decline amongst community-dwelling older adults without dementia. Within a cohort of older adults (N=991), four single-blinded randomized controlled trials involving four novel CSAs were conducted with a subset of the cohort (n=264). At cohort’s 5-year follow-up, we examined if involvements in the CSAs improved cognition, compared to controls (n=727). The primary outcomes were changes in global cognition and cognitive domain scores measured by the mini-mental state examination (MMSE). Exploratory subgroup analyses stratified by baseline cognitive status and the number of CSAs were also conducted. Compared to the control group, there was a small improvement in the CSA group on the total MMSE score (d=0.108) and MMSE-immediate recall score (d=0.199). Furthermore, subgroup analyses revealed medium effect sizes of improvements (d=0.420) in cognitive domains in MCI (versus cognitively healthy) and those involved in two CSAs (versus one CSA). In summary, a CSA intervention improved cognition. MCI and those involved in two CSAs gained greater benefits from the CSAs. These sustained improvements in cognitive functions could have a significant impact on delaying or preventing dementia.
Killing Underweighted Low Viable New-Born Piglets – A First Step to a Reliable and Comprehensive Decision
Authors: Geiping Lukas , Hartmann Maria , Kreienbrock Lothar , Beilage Elisabeth grosse
Published: September 2021

Background

The aim of this study was to estimate the mortality risk within the first days of life for underweight or low-vital neonatal piglets. This risk estimation should start a discussion concerning the pre-conditions for the killing of compromised new-born piglets for the prevention of unnecessary pain and suffering. In a field study, various clinical and laboratory variables were examined in 529 piglets out of four farms. Body weight, crown-rump-length, rectal temperature, a 4-stage vitality score, an intrauterine-growth-retardation score, glucose, lactate, haemoglobin and immunocrit were assessed on the first day of life. Vitality was scored by three factors: movement, abdominal palpation and colour of the skin. Afterwards death or survival of the piglets was monitored up until the fifth day of age.
Results

Body weight, crown-rump-length, rectal temperature, vitality score, IUGR-score, glucose and immunocrit were significantly associated with the probability of death (univariate model, p = < 0.0001). The final predictive multivariate model comprised the factors body weight, rectal temperature and vitality score. Piglets with a rectal temperature ≤ 37.5°C and moderate vitality score were found to have the highest probability to die until day 5 of age.
Conclusion

The clinical findings, identified by this model, allow the estimation of mortality risk for a new-born piglet within the first days of life. In a further analysis veterinarians, farmers and ethics need to clarify which probability of death justifies the killing of a new-born piglet.
Study on Spatial Measurement and Influence Mecha- nism of the Correlation between Traditional Villages and River Systems:A case study of Hunan, China
Authors: Zhang Suifeng , jiang difei
Published: September 2021

River systems acts as the critical factor for site selection. In the process of rural evolution, river adaptability created by human settlement is fading away due to inadequate understanding of inherent spatial characteristics. To better understand the inherent law of the applicability of traditional villages river systems , this study proposed the concept of inheritance based on spatial measurement of the correlation between traditional villages and river systems. With the help of GIS10.8 and SPSS26.0 software, this study takes 658 national traditional villages of Hunan and domestic river systems as an example to measure the spatial correlation characteristics,which concludes spatial pattern, spatial density and spatial distance. Summarize the similarity and differences characteristics of spatial distribution. Analyse and interpret the impact index of spatial correlation through the stepwise regression model. The results actually showed that traditional villages are uneven distributed along river systems, which are mainly affected by minority population, elevation and farming industry. In addition, traditional villages are less with the increase of spatial distance from river systems. The values of spatial quantitative measurement and mechanism can reflect the traditional survival wisdom.It can guide significance for spatial growth mechanism of integration with environment and provide references for future conservation and utilization of spatial heritage sustainability.
Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of JUNCAO for Biogas Production: Structure and Functional Analysis of Microbial Communities Based on High-Throughput Sequencing
Authors: Qiu Yuyang , Lei Yating , Zhao Hui , He Xiaoyu , Huang Ying , Liu Bin
Published: September 2021

JUNCAO, as energy grass, was used in mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD) to produce methane, which has a huge market potential in biomass energy. This study was to investigate the characteristics of MAD of Arundo donax cv. Lvzhou No.1 (Lvzhou No.1) and Pennisetum giganteum z.x.lin (P. giganteum) (the growth cycle of 5 months), explore the relationship between microbial community structure and its function during MAD process. The results showed that the cumulative biogas production of Lvzhou No.1 and P. giganteum reached up to 370.37 mL/g VS and 313.04 mL/g VS, respectively. And the maximum methane concentration of both reached 75%. The volatile fatty acid (VFA) showed a trend of increasing at first then decreasing. Microbiota analysis based on high-throughput sequencing technology showed that the same microflora could differentiate into different microflora due to different fermentation materials. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were the dominant bacterial phyla with two predominant genera of Unidentified_Clostridiales and Romboutsia. In addition, Euryarchaeota and Methanosaeta were the dominant archaeal phyla and genus, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the production of acidic substances in this system was mainly the reaction effect of bacteria, and the methanogenic function was mainly associated with the dominant flora of archaea. In conclusion, this study would provide new evidence for MAD of JUNCAO as new energy resources, which would pave the way for large-scale MAD of energy plants in the future.
Detection of Email Spam using Natural Language Processing Based Random Forest Approach
Authors: Rayan Alanazi , Taloba Ahmed I.
Published: September 2021

An unsolicited means of digital communications in the internet world is the spam email, which could be sent to an individual or a group of individuals or a company. These spam emails may cause serious threat to the user i.e., the email addresses used for any online registrations may be collected by the malignant third parties (spammers) and they expose the genuine user to various kinds of attacks. Another method of spamming is by creating a temporary email register and receive emails that can be terminated after some certain amount of time. This method is well suited for misusing those temporary email addresses for sending free spam emails without revealing the spammers real account details. These attacks create major problems like theft of user credentials, lack of storage, etc. Hence it is essential to introduce an efficient detection mechanismthrough feature extraction and classification for detecting spam emails and temporary email addresses. This can be accomplished through a novel Natural Language Processing based Random Forest (NLP-RF) approach. With the help of our proposed approach, the spam emails are reduced and this method improves the accuracy of spam email filtering, since the use of NLP makes the system to detect the natural languages spoken by people and the Random Forest approach uses multiple decision trees and uses a random node for filtering the spams.
Algorithms for Covid-19 Outbreak using Soft Set Theory: Estimation and Application
Authors: DALKILIÇ ORHAN
Published: September 2021

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a novel pandemic disease. COVID-19 originates from SARS-COV2 and represents the cause of a potentially fatal disease as a global public health problem. However, we have to renew our knowledge about the symptoms of this disease day by day. If we look generally; although the main symptoms seen in this epidemic are fever, cough and shortness of breath, cases without symptoms are also reported. Moreover, in severe cases, pneumonia, severe respiratory failure, kidney failure and death may develop. In this paper, it is suggested that all the different symptoms that may occur in various regions of the world should be taken into consideration and each region should be evaluated within itself. Moreover, in order to have an idea of the general situation, it was taken into account in the average case. For this, two algorithms were built by using soft set theory. The first of the algorithms focuses on the analysis of the relationships between the symptoms and aims to measure a possible effect of the symptoms on each other. The second one aims to identify the most dominant symptom. The results obtained by utilizing both algorithms argue that it is more useful to examine different regions in order to better manage the epidemic. Moreover, some consistent results have been obtained as to which parameters a person should show first in order to Covid test.
Maternal Childhood Trauma and Perinatal Distress Predict Infants’ Attention From 6 to 18 Months
Authors: Tu Hsing-Fen , Skalkidou Alkistis , Lindskog Marcus , Gredebäck Gustaf
Published: September 2021

Maternal distress is repeatedly reported to have negative impacts on the cognitive development in children. Studies examining the association between maternal distress and the development of attention in infancy are few. This study investigated the longitudinal relationships between maternal distress (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and exposure to childhood trauma) and the development of attention in infancy in 118 mother-infant dyads. We found that maternal exposure to non-interpersonal traumatic events in childhood and a large degree of anxiety during the 2nd trimester was associated with less attention of the infants to audio-visual stimuli at 6, 10, and 18 months. In addition, exposure to interpersonal traumatic events in childhood was identified as a moderator of the negative effect of maternal anxiety during the 2nd trimester on the development of attention in infants. We discuss the possible mechanisms accounting for these cross-generational effects. Our findings underscore the importance of maternal mental health to the development of attention in infancy and address the need for early screening of maternal mental health during pregnancy.
Population Trend, Crop Loss Assessment & Acaricidal Management of Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks) (Acari: Tarsonemidae) Infesting Mungbean Under Gangetic Basin Of West Bengal, India
Authors: Bhowmik Sagarika , Yadav Sunil Kumar , Karmakar Krishna
Published: September 2021

Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek), also known as green gram, is one of the important pulse crops grown in West Bengal, India. Mungbean is affected by various insect and non-insect pests, among which the yellow mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks) plays an important role amounting huge crop loss. The peak population of the mite (23.2 mites/sq.cm leaf area) encountered during the initial budding stage of the crop and declined thereafter at the end of flowering stage. A tune of 50–80 % crop loss was estimated due to its infestation. Among seven acaricides tested, Dicofol, Diafenthiouron and Spiromesifen showed higher efficacy against the mite than the other acaricides used. The yellow mite is a regular and major pest of mungbean which appeared in a severe form in the farmer field especially during pre-kharif season which can be manage successfully by application of two successive round of acaricides like diafenthiouron or dicofol at 10 days interval during early reproductive stage of the crop that ensure the flowering and fruit setting of the crop giving satisfactory yield. The present study provides an important finding regarding the peak season of infestation by yellow mite and the effective measures to be taken against it which will help the mung bean growers to combat the loss from this havoc.
Obesity And Its Related Factors Among University Medical Students In Syria: A Cross- Sectional Study
Authors: Naeem Ahmad , AlJaber Yazen , Kakaje Ameer , Ghareeb Amjad , Said Bayan Al
Published: September 2021

Background: Obesity is a world-wide pandemic that has many contributing factors. Healthcare personnel has a crucial role in health promotion and is considered the role models for the general population. We aim to evaluate the BMI and physical activity (PA) of medical students their association with multiple variables, including psychological.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted in Damascus University. Paper-based questionnaires were distributed that included International PA Questionnaire short version (IPAQ-S7S) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS 21).Results: The mean BMI was 23.5. Males had significantly higher BMI than females by 2.5 kg/m2. Shisha smoking, alcohol, family history, daily number of meals, high-fat meals, eating after midnight, physical activity, and having either moderate to severe depression, anxiety, and/or stress were all significantly associated with higher BMI (p<0.05). However, economic status, mean grades, marital status, living conditions, eating vegetables regularly, and number of snacks consumed did not significantly affect BMI. Low PA was found in 23.2% and was only associated with male gender. Conclusion: Our study found an association between obesity and the psychological factors among medical students. Smoking, fatty food and eating rates were also associated with obesity, while economic status was not. Low PA was prevalent among medical students and was associated with worse mental health which might reflect BMI being indirectly affected by war. This high BMI and low PA in medical students are particularly concerning and require rapid intervention.
Inhomogeneous chiral condensates in low-energy color-superconductivity models of QCD
Authors:   , Lakaschus Philip
Published: September 2021

This thesis explores the phase diagrams of the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (NJL) and quark-meson (QM) model in the mean-field approximation and beyond. The focus lies in the investigation of the interplay between inhomogeneous chiral condensates and two-flavor color superconductivity. In the first part of this thesis, we study the NJL model with 2SC diquarks in the mean-field approximation and determine the dispersion relations for quasiparticle excitations for generic spatial modulations of the chiral condensate in the presence of a homogeneous 2SC-diquark condensate, provided that the dispersion relations in the absence of color superconductivity are known. We then compare two different Ansätze for the chiral order parameter, the chiral density wave (CDW) and the real-kink crystal (RKC). For both Ansätze we find for specific diquark couplings a so-called coexistence phase where both the inhomogeneous chiral condensate and the diquark condensate coexist. Increasing the diquark coupling disfavors the coexistence phase in favor of a pure diquark phase. On the other hand, decreasing the diquark coupling favors the inhomogeneous phase over the coexistence phase. In the second part of this thesis the functional renormalization group is employed to study the phase diagram of the quark-meson-diquark model. We observe that the region of the phase diagram found in previous studies, where the entropy density takes on unphysical negative values, vanishes when including diquark degrees of freedom. Furthermore, we perform a stability analysis of the homogeneous phase and compare the results with those of previous studies. We find that an increasing diquark coupling leads to a smaller region of instability as the 2SC phase extends to a smaller chemical potential. We also find a region where simultaneously an instability occurs and a non-vanishing diquark condensate forms, which is an indication of the existence of a coexistence phase in accordance with the results of the first part of this work.
Effects of Foliar Spraying with Different Concentrations of Selenium Fertilizer on the Development, Nutrient Absorption, and Quality of Citrus Fruits
Authors: Wen Mingxia , Wang Peng , Gao Weiqin , Wu Shaohui , Huang Bei
Published: September 2021

Selenium (Se) fertilizer has a good effect on many field crops, but there are few reports on the application of Se fertilizer on citrus. We investigated the effects of 0 mg/L (CK, water treatment), 50 mg/L, 100 mg/L, 150 mg/L, and 200 mg/L sodium selenite aqueous solutions on the growth, nutrition, and fruit quality of 15-year-old citrus unshiu (Citrus reticulata Blanco cv. Succosa). The results showed that a low concentration of Se fertilizer promoted the growth and development of the citrus plan, and a high concentration of Se fertilizer was found to slightly inhibit the growth and development of the plant. Among the different treatment groups, 150 mg/L selenium fertilizer showed have the best effect on these evaluated parameters. The results thus suggest that 150 mg/L of Se fertilizer promotes the formation of chlorophyll in the leaves of the test plant and increases the longitudinal and transverse diameter of the fruits and weight of single fruit, significantly enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the leaves, promoting the absorption of nutrients in the leaves, increasing the contents of total sugar and vitamin, and decreasing the acidity in the fruits and the pericarp thickness. It also promoted the accumulation of the total selenium content in the leaves and fruits and consequently improved the quality of the fruits. These results showed that appropriate concentration of Se treatment can improve the activity of antioxidant enzymes to enhance plant stress resistance, regulate the content of sugar and acid in fruits, and improve the quality of fruits.
Supraoptimal Root-zone Temperatures Affect Dahlia Growth and Development
Authors: Schneck Karen K. , Boyer Cheryl R. , Miller Chad T.
Published: September 2021

Dahlia (Dahlia ×hybrida) is an important floriculture crop that has gained popularity in recent years. Greenhouse growers have recently reported a phenomenon known as “dahlia decline,” that can affect potted dahlias in greenhouse production. The crop exhibits graying foliage, root decline, and plant death, and the phenomenon has reportedly caused partial or total crop loss and has no known initiating factor. We hypothesized that plant exposure to supraoptimal root-zone temperatures (RZTs) during production may decrease dahlia root quality, especially above 40 °C and could initiate dahlia decline. Because there is a lack of understanding on how supraoptimal RZT may impact dahlia growth and development, experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of supraoptimal RZTs on seven dahlia cultivars in Spring 2019 and 2020. Dahlias were grown for 4 to 5 weeks in the greenhouse and then root zones were exposed to ≈22 (control), 35, 40, 45, or 50 °C using a water bath. Root quality was rated before treatment and rated weekly after the hot water bath treatment, along with vegetative growth parameters for 4 weeks. In both years, significant decline in root ratings were observed. ‘XXL Veracruz’ and ‘XXL Sunset’ average root ratings decreased after a 45 and 50 °C treatments in year 2 and both cultivars demonstrated increased root rating averages by 3 weeks after treatment. Cultivars exhibited a significant increase in root rating in the final observations when compared with root ratings taken 1 week posttreatment even if the initial decline after treatment was not significant. Overall plant height was significantly impacted, resulting in shorter heights in both years for all cultivars as treatment temperatures increased to 50 °C in comparison with the control and 35 °C, and a few cultivars exhibited significantly shorter height at 40 and 45 °C. Ultimately, our research did not show typical plant responses that were consistent with reported dahlia decline, but we were better able to characterize dahlia response to supraoptimal RZT.
Viability and DNA Damage of Buccal Mucosa Cells in Patients Exposed to Panoramic X-ray
Authors: Yanuaryska Ryna Dwi , Atmoko Afit Aditya , Suryani Isti Rahayu , Shantiningsih Ratna
Published: September 2021

Panoramic X-ray is well known to cause DNA damage and induces cellular death. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of radiation exposure from panoramic radiography on human buccal mucosa cells by assessing the cell viability using the simple-trypan blue exclusion test. The genotoxicity effect was evaluated by assessing comet assay score. This research included a total of 20 healthy patients who had panoramic radiography for a routine dental examination. Buccal mucosa cells were collected from all participants before X-ray exposure and at 30 min or 24 h after exposure in Groups 1 and 2, respectively, and subjected to a comet assay and trypan blue exclusion test to assess cell viability and DNA damage. Cell viability was calculated as the ratio of live (translucent) to total counted cells. Comet assay output images were analysed using OpenComet software and a visual score by measuring the percentages of tail DNA and summing the visual score, respectively. A statistically significant (p < 0.05) reduce in cell viability was observed at 30 min after exposure, furthermore there is no more reduction after 24 h. Both comet assay measurements showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the percentage of tail DNA and visual score at 30 min after exposure, then tend to decrease after 24 h of exposure, although it was not significant (p > 0.05). The results showed that panoramic radiography interfered cell viability and induced DNA damage in buccal mucosa cells within 30 min after exposure, but these effects were ceased after 24 h.
Experimental Analysis of Attacks on RSA & Rabin Cryptosystems using Quantum Shor’s Algorithm
Authors: Thombre Ritu , Jajodia Babita
Published: September 2021

In this world of massive communication networks, data security and confidentiality are of crucial importance for maintaining secured private communication and protecting information against eavesdropping attacks. Existing cryptosystems provide data security and confidentiality by the use of encryption and signature algorithms for secured communication. Classical computers use cryptographic algorithms that use the product of two large prime numbers for generating public and private keys. These classical algorithms are based on the fact that integer factorization is a non-deterministic polynomial-time (NP) problem and requires super-polynomial time making it impossible for large enough integers. Shor’s algorithm is a well-known algorithm for factoring large integers in polynomial time and takes only O(b3) time and O(b) space on b-bit number inputs. Shor’s algorithm poses a potential threat to the current security system with the ongoing advancements of Quantum computers. This paper discusses how Shor’s algorithm will be able to break integer factorization-based cryptographic algorithms, for example, Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and Rabin Algorithms. As a proof of concept, experimental analysis of Quantum Shor’s algorithm on existing public-key cryptosystems using IBM Quantum Experience is performed for factorizing integers of moderate length (seven bits) due to limitations of thirty-two qubits in present IBM quantum computers. In a nutshell, this work will demonstrate how Shor’s algorithm poses threat to confidentiality and authentication services.
Application of fiber optics in water distribution networks for leak detection and localization: a mixed methodology-based review
Authors: Ibrahim Kabir , Tariq Salman , Bakhtawar Beenish , Zayed Tarek
Published: September 2021

This study reviews the state-of-the-art application of fiber optics in water distribution networks for leak detection and localization. The use of fiber optics in the oil and gas sector has been well established; however, its potential in water pipelines is not evident owing to limited research. This study, therefore, presents the research developments of fiber optics in water leak detection and localization using the mixed methodology approach by integrating bibliometric and systematic analyses. A scientometric analysis is carried out to analyze the science maps of (1) journal sources, (2) contributing countries, and (3) co-occurrence of influential keywords. The systematic analysis evaluates the use of eight types of fiber optics, such as accelerometer-based fiber optics and hydrophone-based fiber optics, in water leak detection and localization. The review reveals five important directions for future research such as real network-based studies and the development of hybrid techniques.
Statistical analysis of extreme weather events in the Diyala River basin, Iraq
Authors: Naqi Noor M. , Al-Jiboori Monim H. , Al-Madhhachi Abdul-Sahib T.
Published: September 2021

Extreme climate and weather events have direct impacts on human life, the environment, and resources. The Diyala River basin is shared between Iraq and Iran, which makes it vulnerable not only to climate change effects but also to upstream control. Therefore, understanding and predicting extreme events is an essential step to help decision-makers make proactive plans to reduce expected damages. The pattern of extreme events has been identified using climate extreme indices developed by the World Meteorological Organization and Expert Team on Climate Change Detection Indices using ClimPACT2 software. Data were obtained from three meteorological stations in Iraq (Sulaymania, Khanakin, and Baghdad) and one in Iran (Sanandaj) over a period of 20 years (2000–2020). Results for temperature showed seven statistically significant positive trends for only three indices (annual number of days with daily maximum temperature of >35°, difference between daily maximum and daily minimum temperatures, and percentage of days with maximum temperature of >90th percentile, indicating an increase in that temperature). Baghdad station had positive temperature trends for all indices. Trends for precipitation were nearly all nonsignificant and difficult to anticipate compared with those for temperature. Percentile-based indices showed more dry and warm events than wet and cold.
Temporal change of extreme precipitation intensity–duration–frequency relationships in Thailand
Authors: Yamoat N. , Hanchoowong R. , Sriboonlue S. , Kangrang A.
Published: September 2021

Due to climate change, many research studies have derived the updated extreme precipitation intensity–duration–frequency relationship (IDF curve) from forecasted sub-hourly rainfall intensity time series, which is one of the most important tools for the planning and designing of hydraulic infrastructures. In this study, the IDF curves (1990–2016) of the six regions and procedures are used in accordance with those of the Royal Irrigation Department (RID)’s study (1950–1988). Each set of IDF relationships consists of 81 intensity values which are the combination of nine durations and nine return periods. The intensity ratios of this study and RID are compared. A greater-than-1 ratio indicates extreme intensity increment from the past to the present. Considering 81 ratios for each region, the number of greater-than-1 ratios for the North, Northeast, Central, East, West, and South regions are 8, 2, 31, 34, 6, and 7, respectively. These ratio numbers are far below 81 which means that the majority of extreme rainfall intensities do not increase from the past to the present. The study found that using accurate historical sub-hourly rainfall time series to create a set of IDF curves would be more reliable than using forecasted rainfall modeling.
Method to identify composition and production phases of spring runoff in high-latitude mid-temperate regions: a case study in the Second Songhua River Basin, China
Authors: Cidan Yangzong , Li Hongyan , Yang Wei , Tian Lin
Published: September 2021

Simulation and forecasting of runoff play an important role in the early warning and prevention of drought and flood disasters. To improve the accuracy of spring runoff simulations, it is important to identify spring runoff production patterns under the combined effect of snow and frozen soil. Based on the theory of the hydrological cycle, three important parameters, which include surface and subsurface runoff, precipitation and temperature, were selected for this study. The trend analysis, statistical analysis and Eckhardt's recursive numerical filtering method were used to qualitatively identify the production patterns of spring runoff, the start and end dates and stage periods of the production patterns. Based on the qualitative identification results, the contribution of each production runoff to the total annual runoff and the total annual spring runoff is quantitatively assessed. The results of the study show that the spring runoff production patterns in the Second Songhua River Basin can be divided into snowmelt runoff, frozen soil conditions of snowmelt–rainfall runoff and rainfall runoff under frozen soil conditions; the snowmelt production is from 21 March, the frozen soil conditions production is from 21 April and the frozen soil ablation ended on 15 June; the shortest phases of each production pattern last 28, 20 and 18 days and the longest last 31, 26 and 24 days. This research provides the basis for improving the principles of production runoff calculation in spring runoff simulation methods.
Modelling temperature dynamics in sewer systems – comparing mechanistic and conceptual modelling approaches
Authors: Saagi R. , Arnell M. , Reyes D. , Wärff C. , Ahlström M. , Jeppsson U.
Published: September 2021

The vast majority of the energy consumed for urban water services is used to heat tap water. Heat recovery from wastewater is consequently an area of rapidly growing concern, both in research and by commercial interest, promoting the path towards a circular economy. To facilitate a system-wide evaluation of heat recovery from wastewater, this paper compares two one-dimensional models (mechanistic and conceptual) that can describe wastewater temperature dynamics in sewer pipe systems. The models are applied to successfully predict downstream wastewater temperature for sewer stretches in two Swedish cities (Linköping and Malmö). The root mean squared errors for the mechanistic model (Linköping Dataset1 – 0.33 °C; Linköping Dataset2 – 0.28 °C; Malmö – 0.40 °C) and the conceptual model (Linköping Dataset1 – 0.32 °C; Linköping Dataset2 – 0.20 °C; Malmö – 0.44 °C) indicate that both models have similar predictive capabilities, encouraging the use of conceptual models to reduce data requirements and model calibration efforts. Both models are freely distributed and can be easily integrated with wastewater generation and treatment models to facilitate system-wide wastewater temperature dynamics analysis.
The effect of drill exercise and reaction speed on the drive accuracy of beginner table tennis athletes
Authors: Suisdareni Suisdareni , Tomoliyus Tomoliyus
Published: September 2021

This study aimed to test (1) the differences of drill practice effect of a constant set of rising repetition and rising set of repetition continually on drive accuracy (forehand and backhand drive) for the beginner table tennis athletes, (2) the differences of the effect of high and low reaction speed on the drive accuracy (forehand and backhand drive) for the beginner table tennis athletes in Yogyakarta, and (3) the relation between drill practice and reaction speed on improving the drive accuracy (forehand and backhand drive) for the beginner table tennis athletes in Yogyakarta. This research used an experiment with a 2 x 2 factorial design. The sample was 20 beginner table tennis athletes in Yogyakarta, taken with random technique from a population of 38 athletes. The instrument for measuring reaction speed was the ruler drop test and for measuring the forehand and backhand drives was the precision of the drive accuracy. The data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA at significance level α = 0.05. The results of the study were as follows. (1) There were significant differences in the effect of a constant set of rising repetition and rising set of repetitions continually to drive accuracy (forehand and backhand drive) for the beginner table tennis athletes, as proven by the value of F = 7.538 and p = 0.014 <0, 05. The drill practice of a constant set of rising repetition was higher than the drill practice of a rising group of repetition always. (2) There was a significant difference effect of high and low reaction speeds to drive accuracy (forehand and backhand drive) for the beginner table tennis athletes, as proven by the value of F = 21.442 and p = 0.000 <0.05. High reaction speed was better than low reaction speed. (3) There was a significant relation between drill practice and reaction speed on improving punch drive accuracy (forehand and backhand drive) for beginner table tennis athletes, as proven by the value of F = 136.398 and p = 0.000 <0.05.
The COVID-19 Study of Healthcare and Support Personnel (CHAMPS): Protocol for a Longitudinal Observational Study
Authors: Kaufmann Peter G , Havens Donna S , Mensinger Janell L , Bradley Patricia K , Brom Heather M , Copel Linda C , Costello Alexander , D'Annunzio Christine , Dean Durning Jennifer , Maldonado Linda , Barrow McKenzie Ann , Smeltzer Suzanne C , Yost Jennifer ,   CHAMPS Study Investigators
Published: September 2021

Background

Early in the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was evident that health care workers, first responders, and other essential workers would face significant stress and workplace demands related to equipment shortages and rapidly growing infections in the general population. Although the effects of other sources of stress on health have been documented, the effects of these unique conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the long-term health and well-being of the health care workforce are not known.

Objective

The COVID-19 Study of Healthcare and Support Personnel (CHAMPS) was designed to document early and longitudinal effects of the pandemic on the mental and physical health of essential workers engaged in health care. We will investigate mediators and moderators of these effects and evaluate the influence of exposure to stress, including morbidity and mortality, over time. We will also examine the effect of protective factors and resilience on health outcomes.

Methods

The study cohort is a convenience sample recruited nationally through communities, professional organizations, networks, social media, and snowball sampling. Recruitment took place for 13 months to obtain an estimated sample of 2762 adults who provided self-reported information administered on the web through structured questionnaires about their work environment, mental and physical health, and psychosocial factors. Follow-up questionnaires will be administered after 6 months and annually thereafter to ascertain changes in health, well-being, and lifestyle. Participants who consented to be recontacted form the longitudinal cohort and the CHAMPS Registry may be contacted to ascertain their interest in ancillary studies for which they may be eligible.

Results

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board and launched in May 2020, with grants from Travere Therapeutics Inc, McKesson Corporation, anonymous donors, and internal funding from the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University. Recruitment ended in June 2021 after enrolling 2762 participants, 1534 of whom agreed to participate in the longitudinal study and the registry as well as to be contacted about eligibility for future studies.

Conclusions

The CHAMPS Study and Registry will enable the acquisition of detailed data on the effects of extended psychosocial and workplace stress on morbidity and mortality and serve as a platform for ancillary studies related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04370821; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04370821

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/30757