bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vital Protocol for Reliability and Accuracy of PolyWareTM Measurements
Authors: Lee Jong Min , Baek Seung-Hoon , Lee Yeon Soo
Published: March 2021

Introduction: PolyWareTM software (PW) has been an exclusively used software in most polyethylene wear studies of total hip arthroplasty (THA). We found that PolyWareTM (PW) measurements can be significantly inaccurate and unrepeatable depending on imaging conditions or subjective manipulation choices. In this regard, this study reveals the required conditions to achieve the best accuracy and reliability of the PW measurements.Results: Among all the imported X-ray images, those with a resolution of 1076×1076 exhibited the best standard deviation in wear measurements as small as 0.01 mm and the least occurrences of blurriness. The edge detection area specified as non-squared and off the femoral head center exhibited the most occurrence of blurriness. At the X-ray scanning moment, an eccentric placement of the femoral head center by 15 cm superior to the X-ray beam center led to an acetabular anteversion measurement error up to 5.3°.Conclusion: Because PW has been an exclusively used polyethylene wear measurement tool, revealing its error sources and making the countermeasure are of great importance. The results request researchers to observe the following conditions; 1) the original X-ray image be 1076×1076 squared X-ray images, 2) the edge detection area be specified as a square with edge lengths of 5 times the diameter of the femoral head centered at the femoral head center, 3) the femoral head center or acetabular center be placed as close to the center line of the X-ray beam as possible, at the X-ray scanning moment.
A comparison of modelling the spatio-temporal pattern of disease: a case study of schistosomiasis in Anhui Province, China
Authors: Su Qing , Bergquist Robert , Ke Yongwen , Dai Jianjun , He Zonggui , Gao Fenghua , Zhang Zhijie , Hu Yi
Published: March 2021

Background: Various methods have been proposed in modelling spatio-temporal pattern of diseases in recent years. The construction of the spatio-temporal models can be either descriptive methods or dynamic. While the former mainly explores correlations by functions, the latter also depicts the process of transmission quantitatively. In this study, we aim to evaluate the differences in model fitting between a descriptive, spatio-temporal model and dynamic spatio-temporal model of schistosomiasis transmission in Guichi, Anhui Province, China. Methods: The parasitological and environmental data at the village level from 1991 to 2014 were obtained by cross-sectional survey. The space-time changes of schistosomiasis risk were explored by two different spatio-temporal models, the Fixed Rank Kriging (FRK) model and the Integral-Difference Equation (IDE) model, and the performance of the two models in fitting schistosomiasis risk were compared.Results: In both models, the average daily precipitation and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) are significantly positively associated with schistosomiasis prevalence while distance to water bodies, the hours of daylight and day land surface temperature (LSTday) are significantly negatively associated. The overall root mean squared prediction error (MSPE) of the Integral-Difference Equation (IDE) and the FRK model were 0.35e-02 and 0.54e-02, respectively, and the correlation between the predicted and observed values of the IDE model (0.71) (p<0.01) was larger than the FRK one (0.53) (p=0.02). Our results also showed that the prediction error of the IDE model is lower than that of FRK model.Conclusions: Regions close to rivers are key areas for further implementation of schistosomiasis prevention and control strategies. The IDE model fits better than the descriptive FRK model in capturing the geographic variation of schistosomiasis. Dynamic Spatio-temporal models have the advantage of quantifying the process of disease transmission and may provide more accurate predictions, which is of great importance with reference to future modelling.
Firm Performance Under Financial Constraints: Evidence from Sub-Saharan African Firms
Authors: Abdisa Lamessa , Hawitibo Alemu Lambamo
Published: March 2021

Business environment in which a firm operates has an important impact on firm performance. This study examined the impact of credit constraint and power outages on the firm’s investment decision using World Bank Enterprise Survey data collected from firms operating in 13 SSA countries. The study employed a two-part model and the Heckman selection model to estimate the impact of lack of access to finance and poor power supply on a firm’s decision to invest in self-generation. The result obtained suggest that there is a negative correlation between credit constraint and a firm’s decision to invest in self-generation. This indicates that credit constraint negatively affects a firm’s decision to invest in self-generation and firms that are credit constrained have less incentive to invest in self-generation compared to those that are not credit constrained. To test the robustness of the result obtained, alternative definitions of credit constraints were used. Results from alternative regressions using different definitions of credit constraints show that credit constraint affects a firm’s decision to invest in self-generation but not the volume of investment.
Synthesis of zero-valent iron/biochar by carbothermal reduction from wood waste and iron mud for removing rhodamine B
Authors: Chen Chao , Liu Jianguo , Gen Chao , Liu Qin , Zhu Xuetao , Qi Wenzhi , Wang Fan
Published: March 2021

This study proposes a new process to synthesize zero-valent iron/biochar (Fe0-BC) by carbothermal reduction using wood waste and iron mud as raw materials under different temperature. The characterization results showed that the Fe0-BC synthesized at 1200ºC (Fe0-BC-1200) possessed favorable adsorption capacity with the specific surface area of 103.18 m2/g, and that the zero-valent iron (Fe0) particles were uniformly dispersed on the biochar surface. The removal efficiency of rhodamine B (RB) was determined to evaluate the performance of the prepared Fe0-BC. Fe0-BC-1200 presented the best performance on RB removal, which mainly ascribe to that more Fe0 particles generated at higher temperature. The equilibrium adsorption capacity reached 49.93 mg/g when the initial RB concentration and the Fe0-BC-1200 dosage were 100 mg/L and 2g/L, respectively, and the pseudo-second-order model was suitable to fit the removal experimental data. LCMC and XRD analyses revealed that the removal mechanism included the physical adsorption of biochar and the redox reaction of Fe0. Moreover, copper existed in the iron mud was also reduced to Cu0, which was beneficial to catalyze the oxidation of iron, the degradation of RB was promoted at the same time.
Remote Temperature Sensor Based on Tamm Resonance
Authors: Zaky Zaky A. , Ahmed Ashour M. , Aly Arafa
Published: March 2021

A highly-sensitive remote temperature sensor based on Tamm resonance is proposed using a one-dimensional photonic crystal. The proposed structure is prism/Ag/Toluene/SiO2 /(PSi1/PSi2)N/Si. The transfer matrix method is used to discuss the interaction between the structure and the S-polarization of the incident radiation waves. We optimized the structure by studying the effect of the incident angle, the thickness of the first and second layers of the photonic crystal unit cell, the porosity of them, and the thickness of the toluene layer. High sensitivity, high signal-to-noise ratio, and very low resolution are achieved due to the coupling between the porous silicon photonic crystal properties and Tamm resonance that makes it very distinguished compared to previous works.
Enzymatic, Morphological and Genotoxic Effects of Benzo[a]pyrene in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss)
Authors: Fanali Lara , Oliveira Classius de , Sturve Joachim
Published: March 2021

Fish have defense systems that are capable of repairing damages caused by xenobiotics like benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), so the aims of this study were to identify BaP toxicity in melanomacrophages (MMs) cytoskeleton, evaluate the melanin area in MMs and analyze genotoxicity. Rainbow trout juveniles (n = 24) were split in 48h and 7d treatments that received 2 mg/kg of BaP. After the experiment, blood samples were collected and liver was removed, to proceed with the analysis: EROD activity, MMs melanin area quantification, melanosomes movements, and a genotoxicity test. The results revealed increased in EROD activity after 48h and 7d BaP exposure. The group 7d displayed a reduction in MMs pigmented area, melanosomes aggregation, in addition to an increased frequency of micronuclei. By means of the EROD assay, it was possible to confirm the activation of BaP biotransformation system. The impairment of the melanosomes’ movements possibly by an inactivation of the protein responsible for the pigment dispersion consequently affects the melanin area and thus might negatively impact the MMs detoxification capacity. In addition to this cytotoxicity, the increased frequency of micronucleus might also indicate the genotoxicity of BaP in this important fish species.
Expansion of the Plasmodium falciparum Kelch 13 R622I mutation in Northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Alemayehu Aberham A. , Castaneda-Mogollon Daniel , Tesfa Habtie , Getie Sisay , Mohon Abu Naser , Balasingam Nirujah , Bayih Abebe G. , Pillai Dylan
Published: March 2021

According to the WHO, almost two thirds of the Ethiopian population are at risk of contracting malaria, where infection with Plasmodium falciparum accounts for approximately 60% of cases today. The risk of artemisinin resistance spreading from SE Asia to Africa is a major concern. We conducted a 28-day in vivo efficacy trial of Artemether-Lumefantrine (Co-Artem) for treatment of uncomplicated malaria (n = 97) in the Gondar Region, North West Ethiopia in 2017–2018. Our results confirmed 100% adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) with no parasites observed at day 3 by microscopy. Further analysis of day 0 samples showed the expansion of a kelch13 mutation R622I to 9.5% from 2.4% of isolates reported three years earlier. Closer examination of the R622I mutation in vitro is warranted.
A Novel Method for Designing Substitution Boxes Based on Mobius Group
Authors: Arshad Bilal , Siddiqui Nasir , Hussain Zamir
Published: March 2021

It is as of now realized that the use of web in the present period is expanding very quickly, numerous users are sharing open and private data over web/internet. They need to ensure security of information. Encryption is one of the most significant viewpoint which is helpful to verify secret data. In encryption, cryptography assume a significant role. There are many algorithms accessible to shield information from unapproved access. In this work, we will use the strategy for cryptography to build up an algorithm which is increasingly viable for correspondence and information trade. In this study, we use a procedure to assemble new substitution boxes (S-boxes) parallel to coset diagram for the action of Mobius group [1] on projective line over . Afterward, the analyses of constructed S-boxes are performed on the basis of algebraic and statistical analysis.
Facile One-step Redox Synthesis of Bi2o2co3/bi2o3/bi Ternary Photocatalyst Without Additional Carbon Source
Authors: Chen Qiao , Lan Xuefang , Zhu Guihua , Wang Lili , Shi Jinsheng
Published: March 2021

Construction of heterojunction and decoration of cocatalyst are two vital strategies to accelerate migration of charge carriers. However, the fabrication routs of multi-composites are usually complex and expensive. In this work, Bi2O2CO3/Bi2O3/Bi ternary composite was fabricated via a facile one-step redox reaction. Ethylene glycol was selected as the solvent during the whole reaction process. Moreover, ethylene glycol as an excellent reductant can reduce Bi3+ into metallic Bi0 and itself is oxidized to CO32-, which would react with Bi2O3 to generate Bi2O2CO3 without additional carbon source. Component proportions in ternary composites were optimized by the control of the ratios of raw materials. Under simulate solar light, Bi-based ternary composites exhibited enhanced photodegradation efficiencies for multifarious pollutants in comparison with single and binary samples. The enhanced photocatalytic activities were ascribed to accelerated migration rate of charge carriers owing to the construction of heterojunction and decoration of cocatalyst.
TiO2 Nanoparticles Anchoring on Two-Dimensional Bi2Se3 Nanosheet As An Enhanced Visible Light Catalyst
Authors: Guo Chengbin , Hu Rong , Qiao Hui , Duan Chenguang , Qi Xiang
Published: March 2021

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely studied in the field of photocatalysis. However, the development of TiO2 was limited by the photoresponse only in the ultraviolet region and the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. In this work, TiO2 and two-dimensional (2D) bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3) hybrid nanosheets (TiO2/Bi2Se3 HNs) have been prepared via a simple ultrasonic route. X-ray diffraction pattern and Raman spectra were carried out to confirm that as-prepared samples were pure and well crystalized. Besides, the microstructure characterization proves that 2D Bi2Se3 nanosheets have high specific surface area and can serve as a stable platform to construct the intimate interaction with TiO2. Furthermore, photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurements demonstrate that the TiO2/Bi2Se3 HNs exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance under visible light, which were much better than pure TiO2 and Bi2Se3. More importantly, the photocurrent density was quite stable and only dropped by 10% after 125 cycles. In summary, the improved photocatalytic activity is due to the unique characteristic of 2D Bi2Se3 nanosheets, such as maximized reaction sites and good electrical conductivity, and the positive coupling effect of the TiO2/Bi2Se3 heterojunction. This study indicates that TiO2/Bi2Se3 HNs photocatalysts have excellent potential for photocatalytic application.
An investigation into the extent of Lodox imaging usage in South Africa: Radiographer’s perspective
Authors: Thambura Julius Muchui , du Plessis Jeanette G.E , McCrindle Cheryl M E , Cronje Tanita
Published: March 2021

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Comparative Study of Hot Air Drying and Microwave Drying for Dewatered Sludge
Authors: Wulyapash Wittawat , Phongphiphat Awassada , Towprayoon Sirintornthep
Published: March 2021

Large amounts of sludge are generated from wastewater treatment in seafood processing industries. Most of the dewatered sludge in Thailand is not utilized and disposed by landfilling. The dried sludge utilization as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) is an alternative solution due to the gross calorific value (GCV), which is greater than 21.9 MJ/kg. However, the key obstacle is its high moisture content of 87.4% (wet basis). Therefore, drying methods using hot air and microwave techniques were investigated for preparing dried sludge. The effects of hot air temperatures (100-150 °C) and microwave power levels (100-800 W) were compared on drying kinetics, specific energy consumption (SEC), and characteristics of the dried products. The results showed that drying times were decreased by increasing the hot air temperatures. In the same way, the increase in microwave power levels decreased the drying time. The application of microwaves contributed to reducing the drying time by more than 46% compared to the hot air. The reduction of drying times resulted in the saving SEC. The GCV of the dried sludge decreased with the decrease in the volatile matter (VM) due to the high component of VM as 79.5-80.3% (dry ash-free basis). The sludge dried by the microwaves showed a lower GCV than the hot air products. However, dried sludges still had high GCV (≥ 20.8 MJ/kg). Furthermore, the minimal variation of the product characteristics demonstrated that the microwave technique could be applied as an alternative drying method with a rapid process compared to the conventional hot air technique.
The impacts of governance on Environmental Pollution in some countries of Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa: The Evidence from panel Quantile Regression and Causality
Authors: Bildirici Melike
Published: March 2021

In some countries of the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, it was studied the impacts of governance and FDI on environmental pollution over the period of 1996–2018 by the Panel Quantile and Granger causality methods. The countries were selected by considering two different measurements, EPI (2020) and governance index (2020). Accordingly EPI(2020), these countries have low scores in terms of environmental quality and in governance index(2020), they have bad governance scores because of inefficient regulatory structures, government bureaucracy, weak law enforcement, etc. Panel Quantile regression revealed the evidence of the long-run relation among the environmental pollution, the governance and FDI. Accordingly Quantile regression results, governance has the greatest positive effect on CO2 emission. Both traditional and Dumitrescu-Hurlin (DH) causality methods found the evidence of causality among governance and environmental pollution in the context of two parameters of governance, as the evidences of unidirectional causal nexus from political governance and FDI to environmental pollution and from economic governance, and FDI to environmental pollution.
Symmetry and relative equilibria of a bicycle system moving on a revolution surface
Authors: Xiong Jiaming , Liu Caishan
Published: March 2021

Finding the relative equilibria and analyzing their stabilities are of great significance to revealing the intrinsic properties of mechanical systems and developing effective controller. In this paper, we study the symmetry and relative equilibria of a bicycle system moving on a revolution surface. We note that the symmetry group of the bicycle is a three-dimensional Abelian Lie group, and the rolling condition of the two wheels produces four time-invariant first-order linear constraints to the bicycle system. Therefore, we can classify the bicycle dynamics as a general Voronets system whose Lagrangian and constraint distribution are kept invariant under the action of the symmetry group. Applying the Voronets equations to the bicycle dynamics, we obtain a seven-dimensional reduced dynamic system on the reduced constraint space. This system takes time-reversal and lateral symmetries, and has two kinds of relative equilibria: the static equilibria and the dynamic equilibria. Further theoretical analysis shows that both kinds of relative equilibria form one-parameter solution families, and their Jacobian matrices take some specific properties. We then show that a static equilibrium cannot be stable unless all the eigenvalues of the Jacobian matrix are located at the imaginary axis of the complex plane. The stability of the dynamic equilibria is studied by limiting the reduced dynamic system to an invariant manifold, which is established based on the conservation of energy of the system. We prove in a strict mathematical sense that the dynamic equilibria may be Lyapunov stable, but cannot be asymptotically stable. Finally, we employ symbolic computation to carry out numerical simulations in conjunction with the benchmark parameters of a Whipple bicycle. How the revolution surface affects the relative equilibria and their stabilities is then investigated through our numerical simulations.
Determinants of Pulse Rate change and Time-To Default from Treatment among Congestive Heart Failure Patients in Felege- Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia; comparison of separate and joint models
Authors: Moyehodie Yikeber Abebaw , Yesuf Kasim Mohammed , Sied Adem Aragaw , Masresha Bezanesh Melese
Published: March 2021

Background: Globally, heart failure is a rapidly growing public health issue with an estimated prevalence of >37.7 million individuals. It is a shared chronic phase of cardiac functional impairment secondary to many etiologies. The main purpose of this study was to identify factors that affect the longitudinal changes of pulse rate and survival endpoints, time-to default among Congestive Heart Failure Patients in Felege- Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.Methods: Hospital based retrospective studies were conducted among 302 congestive heart failure patients who were 15 years old or older and who were on treatment follow-up from the first February 2016 to thirty-one December 2018 in Felege-Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. First, data were analyzed using linear mixed model and survival models separately, and then the joint models of both sub-models were analyzed by linked their shared unobserved random effects using a shared parameter model. Results: Out of the total 302 CHF treatment followers, 103 (34.1%) of the patients were defaulting from treatment. The mean pulse rate of female and male patients was 87.25 and 90.20, respectively. Averagely 51.12 % of blood in the left ventricle is pushed out with each heartbeat. The results for separate and joint models were quite similar to each other but not identical. However, the estimated association parameter (α) in the joint model is (HR=1.0311, 95%CI: 1.0033,1.0597, P=0.0278), providing there is evidence of a positive association between the survival and the longitudinal sub-models. Thus, defaulting is more likely to occur in patients with higher pulse rates. Patients, being male, hypertensive, CKD, pneumonic, and NYHA class IV patients were associated with a higher risk of defaulting. Age, LVIF, follow-up time in a month had a negative significant effect and NYHA class, and male gender had a positive significant effect on average evaluation of pulse rate of patients. Conclusions: The patient who are male, NYHA class IV, had low LVIF and comorbid with hypertensive, CKD, pneumonia were risk factors of pulse rate change and defaulting from treatment of CHF patients. The joint model was preferred for simultaneous analyses of repeated measurement and survival data.
Do clinical trials meet current care needs? Views of digestive oncology specialists in Galicia (Spain) using the Delphi method
Authors: Montes Ana Fernández , Lago Nieves Martínez , Gomez Juan de la Cámara , Vázquez Elena María Brozos , Folgar Sonia Candamio , Campos Marta Carmona , Castiñeiras Antía Cousillas , Rúa Marta Covela , Martín Elena Gallardo , Villarroel Paula González , Suarez Begoña Graña , Fernández Mónica Jorge , Augusto María Luz Pellón , Aldana Guillermo Quintero , Reinoso Carlos Romero , Fernández Mercedes Salgado , Rivera Francisca Vázquez , Ayuso_Álvarez Ana , Méndez José Carlos Méndez , Culqui Dante R , group Righ sens Working
Published: March 2021

Background: In recent years, abundant scientific evidence has been generated based on clinical trials (CT) in the field of oncology. In spite of this, there are still major disagreements among the group when it comes to establishing a treatment and therapies for these kinds of patients. The general objective of this paper is to find out the extent to which decision-making is based on knowledge of the most recent CT. Its specific objectives are to pinpoint difficulties with decision-making based on the CT performed and find out the motivations patients and clinicians have when taking part in a CT.Methodology: Combined, prospective study, based on the Delphi method.Results: A lack of correspondence between the people who take part in CT and patients who come for consultation has been identified. Healthcare professionals' motivations for taking part in a CT include finding better treatment for the patient and boosting their research career. A need for training in analysing and interpreting CT has also been identified and a lack of trust in the results of CT financed by the pharmaceutical industry itself has been perceived. Conclusion: There is a difficulty in selecting oncological treatment due to the lack of correspondence between the patients included in the CT and patients seen in consultation. In this process, real world data studies may be highly useful, as may be providing this group with greater training in interpreting CT and their results. Aiding the professional progression of their research career is an incentive for clinicians to participate in a CT.
Phosphorus Recovery From Waste Activated Sludge by Sponge Iron Seeded Crystallization of Vivianite and Process Optimization With Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Wu Guoding , Zeng Wei , Li Shuaishuai , Jia Ziyue , Peng Yongzhen
Published: March 2021

As a novel phosphorus recovery product, vivianite (Fe3(PO4)2·8H2O) has attracted much attention due to its enormous recycling potential and foreseeable economic value. Taking sponge iron as seed material, the effect of different reaction conditions on the recovery of phosphorus in waste activated sludge by vivianite crystallization was studied. Through single factor test, the optimal conditions for vivianite formation were in the pH range of 5.5–6.0 with Fe/P molar ratio of 1.5. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to analyze the components of the crystals. The results showed that the vivianite produced with sponge iron as the seed crystal were larger and thicker (300-700 μm) than other seed (200-300 μm) and without seed (50-100 μm). Moreover, vivianite, which was synthesized with sponge iron as seed, was obviously magnetic and could be separated from sludge by rubidium magnet. The Box-Behnken design of the response surface methodology was used to optimize the phosphorus-recovery process with sponge iron (maximum phosphorus recovery rate was 83.17%), and the interaction effect of parameters was also examined. PH had a significant effect on the formation of vivianite. In summary, this research verifies the feasibility of using sponge iron as seed crystal to recover phosphorus in the form of vivianite from waste activated sludge, which is conducive to the subsequent separation and utilization of vivianite.
Negative Permittivity Behavior in Silver/Polyaniline Metacomposites Induced by the Low-Frequency Plasmonic Oscillation
Authors: Tian Jiahong , Fan Runhua , Wang Zongxiang , Xin Jiahao , Wang Zhongyang
Published: March 2021

Silver/polyaniline (Ag/PANI) composites were prepared by an in-situ synthesis method. Interestingly, the permittivity changed from positive to negative along with the formation of percolation network. The plasma oscillations of free electrons from the network made a dominant effect on the negative permittivity behavior. Further investigation based on equivalent circuit analysis revealed that the composites with negative permittivity presented inductive character. The epsilon-negative composites can be applied to electromagnetic shielding, absorbing and attenuation.
Contrasting Suitability and Ambition in Regional Carbon Mitigation
Authors: Du Mingxi , Liu Yu , Cui Qi , Lin Jintai , Liu Yawen , Liu Qiuyu , Tong Dan , Feng Kuishuang , Hubacek Klaus
Published: March 2021

Substantially enhancing carbon mitigation ambition is a crucial step towards achieving the Paris climate goal. Yet this attempt is hampered by poor knowledge on the net economic effect of mitigation for each emitter, by taking into account potential cost and benefit. Here we use a global economic model with regional and sectoral disaggregation details to assess the mitigation costs for 27 major emitting countries and regions, and further contrast the costs against the potential benefits of mitigation valued as avoided social cost of carbon. We find substantial variabilities across these emitters in both cost and benefit of mitigating each ton of carbon dioxide and, more importantly, a strong negative spatial correlation between cost and benefit. The relative suitability of carbon mitigation, defined as the ratio of normalized benefit to normalized cost, shows great spatial mismatch with the mitigation ambition of emitters indicated in their first intended nationally determined contributions. China is relatively suitable for domestic carbon mitigation and could largely enhance their mitigation ambition. The European Union, which is economically less suitable to reduce domestic emissions, could work with many developing countries which are more suitable but less capable to reduce emissions. Our work provides important information to improve concerted climate action and formulate more efficient mitigation strategy.
Siting MSW landfills via the integration of DEMATEL-ANP and clustering algorithm in a fuzzy logic environment (Case Study: Lanzhou, China)
Authors: Liu Jiamin , Li Yueshi , Xiao Bin , Jiao Jizong
Published: March 2021

The siting of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfills is a complex decision based process that involves multiple hydrogeological, morphological, environmental, climatic, and socio-economic criteria. In a fuzzy logic environment, DEMATEL and ANP methods were employed to comprehensively consider uncertainty, fuzziness of data and the subjective scoring and stability of results to enhance the spatial decision-making process. Primarily, 21 criteria were identified in five groups through the Delphi method at 30m resolution, criteria weights were determined via the integration of DEMATEL and ANP, and seven sets of membership functions were simulated to obtain the best fuzzy logic environment. Combining GIS spatial analysis and the three clustering algorithms (DBSCAN, HDBSCAN, and OPTICS), candidate sites that satisfied the landfill conditions were identified, and the spatial distribution characteristics and reachability were analyzed. These sites were subsequently ranked utilizing the MOORA, WASPAS, COPRAS, and TOPSIS methods to verify the reliability of the results by conducting sensitivity analysis. This paper focuses on a flexible and novel framework for the selection of MSW landfill sites for Lanzhou, which is a semi-arid valley basin city in China. In contrast to common techniques, this model not only made the best recommendation scientifically and efficiently but could also provide accurate assessment data for decision makers in landfill construction and high-quality urban development.
Sentiment Analysis on Twitter Data by Using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM)
Authors: G Usha Devi , K Priyan M , Babu Gokulnath Chandra , Karthick Gayathri
Published: March 2021

Twitter sentiment analysis is an automated process of analyzing the text data which determining the opinion or feeling of public tweets from the various fields. For example, in marketing field, political field huge number of tweets is posting with hash tags every moment via internet from one user to another user. This sentiment analysis is a challenging task for the researchers mainly to correct interpretation of context in which certain tweet words are difficult to evaluate what truly is negative and positive statement from the huge corpus of tweet data. This problem violates the integrity of the system and the user reliability can be significantly reduced. In this paper, we identify the each tweet word and we are assigning a meaning into it. The feature work is combined with tweet words, word2vec, stop words and integrated into the deep learning techniques of Convolution neural network model and Long short Term Memory, these algorithms can identify the pattern of stop word counts with its own strategy. Those two models are well trained and applied for IMDB dataset which contains 50,000 movie reviews. With huge amount of twitter data is processed for predicting the sentimental tweets for classification. With the proposed methodology, the samples are experimentally collected from the real-time environment can be discriminated well and the efficacy of the system is improved. The result of Deep Learning algorithms aims to rate the review tweets and also able to identify movie review with testing accuracy as 87.74% and 88.02%.
Performance Analysis of Computational Intelligence Correction
Authors: Arasavali Nalini , Gottapu Sasibhushanarao
Published: March 2021

Kalman ﬁlter (KF) is a widely used navigation algorithm, especially for precise positioning applications. However, the exact ﬁlter parameters must be deﬁned a priori to use standard Kalman ﬁlters for coping with low error values. But for the dynamic system model, the covariance of process noise is a priori entirely undeﬁned, which results in diﬃculties and challenges in the implementation of the conventional Kalman ﬁlter. Kalman Filter with recursive covariance estimation applied to solve those complicated functional issues, which can also be used in many other applications involving Kalaman ﬁltering technology, a modiﬁed Kalman ﬁlter called MKF-RCE. While this is a better approach, KF with SAR tuned covariance has been proposed to resolve the problem of estimation for the dynamic model. The data collected at (x: 706970.9093 m, y: 6035941.0226 m, z: 1930009.5821 m) used to illustrate the performance analysis of KF with recursive covariance and KF with computational intelligence correction by means of SAR (Search and Rescue) tuned covariance, when the covariance matrices of process and measurement noises are completely unknown in advance.
Green chemical synthesis for well-defined and sharply distributed SiO2@FexOy particles
Authors: Florencia Leis , Andrés Long Leonel , Ana Di Virgilio , Arnal Pablo
Published: March 2021

Using a non-toxic precursor, we created a green chemical synthesis for colloidal spheres with a core@shell structure having a silica core and an iron oxide shell (SiO2@FexOy). Our synthesis pathway enabled an iron oxide shell formation with a 9 ± 6 nm thick shell onto colloidal silica spheres (ca. 700 nm). SiO2@FexOy particles reduced A549 cell viability and induced DNA damage. SiO2@FexOy particles showed the potential for removing fluoride from water.
Generalised SEIR modelling of the COVID-19 pandemic course: data quality issues and structural analysis
Authors: Mendes Jorge M. , Coelho Pedro S.
Published: March 2021

Successive generalisations of the basic SEIR model have been proposed to accommodate the different needs of the organisations handling the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. These generalisations have not been able until today to represent the potential of the epidemic to overwhelm hospital capacity until today. This work builds on previous generalisations, including a new compartment for hospital occupancy that allows accounting for the infected patients that need for specialised medical attention. Consequently, a deeper understanding of the hospitalisations rate and probability as well as of the recovery rates for hospitalised and non-hospitalised individuals is achieved, offering new information and predictions of crucial importance for the planning of the health systems and global epidemic response. Additionally, a new methodology to calibrate epidemic flows between compartments is proposed. We conclude that the two-step calibration procedure is able to recalibrate non-error-free data and showed crucial to reconstruct the series in a specific situation characterised by significant errors over the official recovery cases. The performed modelling also allowed to understand how effective the several interventions (lockdown or other mobility restriction measures) were, offering insight for helping public authorities to set the timing and intensity of the measures in order to avoid the implosion of the health systems.
Heterogeneous Choice of Environmental Strategy for Heavily Polluting Firms Under Institutional Pressure in China
Authors: Wang Sen , Yin Jianhua , Zhu Xiaomei
Published: March 2021

The impact of institutional pressure on the environmental strategy was analyzed and the heterogeneous choices available for corporate environmental strategy. A total of 597 publicly listed companies in heavily polluting industries were selected using multiple Logit models for empirical research. The results show that more companies choose environmental leadership strategies when the policy pressure is greatest; however, more companies choose pollution prevention strategies when the regulatory and public pressures are greatest; finally, organizations with more redundant resources and strong asset specificity are more inclined to choose environmental leadership strategies as institutional pressures increase. The findings provide a decision-making framework to promote environmental protection measures related to policy formulation, government supervision and public participation. Our study also provides empirical evidence to guide environmental strategic choices for heavily polluting enterprises.
Compact and Hexaband Rectangular Microstrip Patch Antenna for Wireless Applications
Authors: kinagi Revansiddappa S , Yadahalli RAVI M , Patil Siddarama R
Published: March 2021

A Compact Corner Split Ring with Split C Slot Rectangular Microstrip patch Antenna (CCSR-SCS) fed by a 50 Ω microstripline is discussed. A Corner split ring with C shaped slot has been etched in rectangular microstrip antenna. The slot increases the length of the surface current for the dominant mode TM 10 leading to the decrease in resonance frequency. The size reduction along with proposed antenna Hexaband is obtained with the antenna and it is best suited for wireless communication. The proposed work is simulated using 3DEM of Mentorgraphics. The results show that Hexaband with compactness is achieved.
Genome sequencing of the neotype strain CBS 554.65 reveals the MAT1-2 locus of Aspergillus niger
Authors: Ellena Valeria , Seekles Sjoerd J. , Ram Arthur F.J. , Steiger Matthias G.
Published: March 2021

Background

Aspergillus niger is a ubiquitous filamentous fungus widely employed as a cell factory thanks to its abilities to produce a wide range of organic acids and enzymes. Due to its economic importance and its role as model organism to study fungal fermentation, its genome was one of the first Aspergillus genomes to be sequenced in 2007. Nowadays, the genome sequences of at least five other A. niger strains are available. These, however, do not include the neotype strain CBS 554.65.
Results

In this study, the genome of CBS 554.65 was sequenced with PacBio. A high-quality nuclear genome sequence consisting of 17 contigs with a N50 value of 4.07 Mbp was obtained. The sequencing covered all the 8 centromeric regions of the chromosomes. In addition, a complete circular mitochondrial DNA assembly was obtained. In silico analyses revealed the presence of a MAT1-2-1 gene in this genome, contrary to the so far sequenced A. niger strains, which all contain a MAT1-1-1 gene. An alignment at the MAT locus showed a different position of the MAT1-1-1 gene of ATCC 1015 compared to the MAT1-2-1 gene of CBS 554.65, relative to the surrounding genes. In addition, 24 other sequenced isolates of A. niger showed a 1:1 ratio of MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 loci. While the genetic organization of the MAT1-2 locus of CBS 554.65 is similar to what is found in other aspergilli, the genetic organization of the MAT1-1 locus is flipped in all sequenced strains.
Conclusions

This study, besides providing a high-quality genome sequence of an important A. niger strain, suggests the occurrence of genetic flipping or switching events at the MAT1-1 locus of A. niger. These results provide new insights in the mating system of A. niger and could contribute to the investigation and potential discovery of sexuality of this so far asexual fungal species.
Association Between Past Oral Contraceptive Use and the Prevalence of Hypertension in Postmenopausal Women: The Fifth (2010–2012) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V)
Authors: Lee JungJu , Jeong Hyunsuk , Yoon Joo Hee , Yim Hyeon Woo
Published: March 2021

Background: There is little evidence as to whether the use of oral contraceptives(OC) during the fertile years affects the development of postmenopausal hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of past use of OC on the development of hypertension in postmenopausal women. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted using data from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of postmenopausal women. Subjects were classified into three groups based on past OC use duration: nonusers, short-term users(0–30months), and long-term users(≥30 months). We evaluated the development of hypertension in women after menopause. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify the association between the use of OC during the fertile years and the prevalence of hypertension after menopause following adjustment for potential confounding factors. Results: Of the 3,386 postmenopausal women, 2,713 were nonusers of OC, 489 were short-term users, and 184 were long-term users. Women who had used OC for 30 months or more had a significantly greater prevalence of hypertension after menopause than those who had never taken OC. The association between taking OC for 30 months or more during the fertile years and the prevalence of hypertension after menopause was significant following adjustment for potential confounding factors (aOR:1.92; 95%CI:1.22–3.00). Conclusion: This study identified an association between past OC use and an increased prevalence of hypertension in postmenopausal women. Our results suggest that long-term use of OC during the fertile years can be an important risk factor for subsequent hypertension after menopause.
Evaluation of Sovodak (Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir) Treatment Outcome in COVID-19 Patient's Compared with Kaletra (Lopinavir/ritonavir): a Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Yadollahzadeh Mahdi , Eskandari Mohana , Roham Maryam , Zamani Farhad , Laali Azadeh , Kalantari Saeed , Yassin Zeynab , movahedi Erfaneh , Farrokhpour Mohsen , Zeiaei Mohamad Taghei , Rezaie Nader , Izadi Shirin , Rahimian Neda , Moetamed Nima , Aliakbar Amirhossein , Soleimany Fatemeh , Karampoor Sajad , Ashrafi G. Hossein , Tameshkel Fahimeh Safarnezhad , Ranjbar Mitra , Makiani Mahin Jamshidi , Niya Mohammad Hadi Karbalaie
Published: March 2021

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infection and treatment are significant health organizations' concerns worldwide. Although there is no proven drug license against the virus, a variety of components have under investigation. In this regard, the present study was intended to evaluate the consequences of Sovodak (Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir) treatment in COVID-19 patients compared with Kaletra (Lopinavir/ritonavir). Methods: This study was conducted as a randomized trial using 120 COVID19 confirmed cases between August 19th and September 19th, 2020, in which subjects were classified into two treatment groups, 58 (Sovodak group) and 54 (Kaletra group). Related statistical operations calculated significant outcomes such as survival rate and hazard ratio via SPSS v.16. Sovodak was composed of Sofosbuvir 400mg and Daclatasvir 60mg, and Kaletra included Lopinavir 400 mg and ritonavir 100 mg. Results: We observed that there was no significant difference concerning the comorbidities, death, ICU admission, remission. Besides, Kaletra had a higher rate of discharge versus Sovodak (HR=1.551 (95% CI=1.008-2.386), P-value=0.046), and a better outcome was observed in patients receiving Conclusion: Sovodak compared to Kaletra by Hazard plot. Sovodak (Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir) therapy in COVID19 cases was accompanied by a significantly higher survival rate and better outcome than Kaletra (Lopinavir/ritonavir).
Investigating social media statistics of usage and its determinant factors in students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in 2018: A cross-sectional study.
Authors: Bozorgpanah Hiva , Moradi Ghobad , Bahrami Pourya , Noori Elham , Ezati Mohammad Pourya , Soleimani Nazanine , Yousefi Fayegh
Published: March 2021

Background and Aim: the present study was conducted to investigate social media statistics of usage and its determinant factors in students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in 2018.Materials and Methods: This study is a cross-sectional-analytical study. The total of 380 students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences were randomly selected by Probability Proportional to Size Sampling method, from the lists of the students in each faculty. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, organized in four sections. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics by SPSS software version 21.Results: Based on the results of this study 373 (98.2%) of the sample students were on social media, which the most popular ones among them were Telegram (94.1%), Instagram (78.8%) and Whatsapp (61.9%), respectively. The average time spent on social media among students was reported to be 2.78 hours per day and is a significant difference between age groups in terms of attitudes toward using social media (P = 0.031).Conclusion: the results of this study suggested that the majority of students use social media. Since improper use of social media can exert unfortunate effects on different aspects of life of students, and negatively influence their education.
Predictors of Response and Remission From Depression at 6-months of Treatment Within an Integrated Care Program
Authors: Jeffrey Jessica , Klomhaus Alex , Aralis Hilary , Barrera Wendy , Rosenberg Shanna , Grossman Mark , Lester Patricia
Published: March 2021

Background: Increased understanding of patient- and system-level factors associated with depression treatment outcomes could help guide the delivery and design of behavioral health services within primary care settings. Methods: Using routine behavioral health screening and EHR data, we identified a sample of 615 adult patients receiving depression treatment within an integrated care program. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) data was analyzed for the 6 months following initiation of treatment. Multinomial regression models were estimated to identify factors associated with depression treatment response (PHQ-9 < 10) and remission (PHQ-9 < 5).Results: At 6 months, 47% and 16% of patients demonstrated response and remission, respectively. Baseline trauma symptoms and suicidal ideation were significantly associated with decreased odds of achieving remission (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.45 (0.23, 0.88) and OR = 0.49 (0.29, 0.82), respectively). In fully adjusted models, baseline suicidal ideation remained significant (OR = 0.53 (0.31, 0.89)). Conclusions: Routine screening for depression and trauma symptoms at baseline should be considered when designing depression treatment services in real-world settings. After controlling for baseline depression symptoms, the presence of suicidal ideation predicts reduced likelihood of remission.
Impact of Over-exploitation in Coastal Groundwater on the Variations in Submarine Groundwater Discharge Rate in a Complex Two Aquifer System by Finite Element Modelling: A Case Study From South India
Authors: Rajaveni Sundara Pandian , Indu Sumadevi Nair , Brindha Karthikeyan , Elango Lakshmanan
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of coastal groundwater over-exploitation on the variations in submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) flux rate and seawater exchange flux across the seabed. As a case study, numerical modelling techniques were applied to a complex multi-aquifer system located north of Chennai, India, which has been affected since the mid-1970s by overexploitation and seawater intrusion. Because of the relatively high hydraulic conductivity, the model shows a higher amount of seawater inflow in the central part of the region. From 2000 to 2012, the movement of seawater has increased from 17,000 m3/day to 24,500 m3/day due to groundwater overexploitation from the semi-confined aquifer. However, the quantum of flux from the sea to the aquifer has been reduced from the year 2006 due to the termination of pumping from a well field supplying a part of the city’s water supply. Model simulations show that fresh groundwater of 43,312 m3/day and saltwater of 43,815 m3/day will be discharged to the aquifer by the end of 2030. In addition to the prevailing condition, various management scenarios were also predicted to prevent the degradation of groundwater quality due to seawater intrusion. By adopting managed aquifer recharge methods, saltwater intrusion (rate of 4408 m3/day) can be reduced and SGD (rate of 22414 m3/day) rate increased. Findings from this study are expected to enhance the understanding of SGD and freshwater budget in coastal areas and in creating integrated coastal management plans.