bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Circulatory and ventilatory power markers in patients with diabetes mellitus – influence of glycemic control
Authors:   Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Santos Letícia Menegalli , da Silva Claudio Donisete ,   Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Lorevice Laura Beatriz ,   Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monteiro Clara Italiano ,   Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Ricci Paula Angelica ,   Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Borghi-Silva Audrey ,   Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Mendes Renata Gonçalves ,   Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Published: December 2022

Introduction and aim. Cardiorespiratory function has been shown to be impaired in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Some deficiencies in cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET)-derived variables are known, however, the influence of glycemic control on cardiovascular integrity indices as circulatory power (CP) and ventilatory power (VP), deserve to be instigated. The aim was to investigate the influence of glycemic control on CP and VP indices in T2DM. Material and methods. T2DM individuals of both sexes aged between 40 and 64 years were allocated into two groups: Good glycemic control (GGC, n=11; HbA1c≤7%) and insufficient glycemic control (IGC, n=26; HbA1c>7%). All participants underwent a CPET on a treadmill using a gas analyzer and a laboratory blood test. CP values were obtained by the product of peak of oxygen uptake and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and VP by dividing SBP by the ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO2 slope). The level of significance was set at p<0.05. Results. No baseline differences were found between the groups, except for the expected fasting glucose and glycated hemoglobin. No differences were found between GGC and IGC groups for CP (4756.05±1061.67 and 4434.15±1247.83 mmHg.ml.kg-1min-1, p=0.460) and VP (5.85±1.08 and 5.86±1.31 mmHg, p=0.978), respectively. Conclusion. CP and VP were similar in individuals with T2DM regardless of glycemic control. Predictive ability of these variables in health outcomes deserves to be further investigated in T2DM.
The relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the sexual life quality of nurses
Authors:   Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology Nursing, Bartın University, Bartın, Turkey, Ekrem Ebru Cirban , Erciyas Şeyma Kilci ,   Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology Nursing, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Turkey
Published: December 2022

Introduction and aim. Sexuality is one of the basic human needs. The coronavirus has adversely affected every aspect of people’s lives. The nurses who were in the closest contact with the patients were affected more negatively due to the many unknowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the sexual quality of life of nurses. Material and methods. The sample of this descriptive-cross-sectional study consisted of 390 nurses who met the inclusion criteria. The data were collected over the social networks between November 2020-January 2021. The data were collected through social networks using the “Personal Information Form” and “Quality of Sexual Life Scale-Women” using the self-report method. Results. The mean age of the nurses was 32.44±6.83, and 59.2% of them had a university level education. The mean score of the women’s sexual quality of life scale was calculated as 87.37±20.83. It has been determined that there is a statistically significant difference between the scores obtained from the sexual life quality scale according to the status of the nurses having (p<0.05). Conclusion. In the COVID-19 pandemic, it was determined that the sexual life quality of nurses was above the medium level and their sexual life was adversely affected.
“Silybum marianum” – properties and application in medicine – a review
Authors:   Student’s Biochemical Science Club URCell, Medical College of The University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland, Sowińska Marta , Szpunar Magdalena ,   Student’s Biochemical Science Club URCell, Medical College of The University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
Published: December 2022

Introduction and aim. The subject of this article is milk thistle – a plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. Due to its properties, it has a beneficial effect on the functioning of important organs and systems of the human body. The aim of this paper was to review information on milk thistle, its use in medicine and the description of some of the chemical compounds due to which it owes its healing properties. Material and methods. The article is a review of the publicly available literature on milk thistle, the chemical composition of its compounds and its use in medicine. Analysis of the literature. Current information about “Silybum marianum” is presented. Conclusion. Milk thistle is a valuable medicinal plant due to the presence of numerous antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. The benefits of supplementation with ingredients derived from milk thistle, their negligible interaction with other drugs and the lack of significant side effects, known so far, indicate that the plant described in the article can be a good medicine and a preventive measure against diseases affecting our society.
Comparison of conventional syringe anesthesia and three computer-aided anesthesia systems (Quicksleeper, SleeperOne, and The Wand)
Authors:   Department of Oral Surgery and Periodontology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland, Singh Nisha , Wyzga Sylvia ,   Department of Oral Surgery and Periodontology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland, Yune Jessica ,   Department of Oral Surgery and Periodontology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland, Mathur Gauri ,   Department of Oral Surgery and Periodontology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland, Błochowiak Katarzyna ,   Department of Oral Surgery and Periodontology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
Published: December 2022

Introduction and aim. The purpose of this study was to compare different Computerized-Controlled Local Anesthetic Delivery (CCLAD) systems to one another in addition to the conventional syringe. Material and method. The CCLAD systems chosen for this study are the Quicksleeper, SleeperOne, and The Wand. These are discussed in categorical objectives, including the following: duration of anesthesia, analgesic effect, locality; anxiolytic effect; advantages and disadvantages; comfort and safety of use; limitations. Analysis of the literature. The research found that many factors influence the effectiveness of dental injections, and the CCLAD systems are designed to reduce the ones that cause negative experiences. The injection systems are unique in their descriptions but show many similarities. Conclusion. The research concluded that each device has its advantages and disadvantages and that its efficiency depends on outlying factors, independent of the injection system used.
Predictors of blood pressure levels, knowledge and practices of adult hypertensives attending a Secondary Health Care Centre in South-Western Nigeria
Authors:   Consultant Family Physician, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, Azeez Ismaheel Aderogba , Dairo Magbagbeola David ,   Consultant Community Physician, Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, Akinyemi Joshua Odunayo ,   Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, Idowu Olufemi Philippe ,   Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
Published: December 2022

Introduction and aim. The prevalence of hypertension is increasing with accompanying poor control. The aim of this study was to assess the predictors of knowledge and practices of adult hypertensives. Material and method. The study was a prospective (before and after) study with health education as the intervention. A simple random sampling technique with computer-generated random numbers was used to recruit 386 patients. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23. Logistic regressions were used to determine the predictors of knowledge and practices. Results. Those who had tertiary education were about four times more likely to have good knowledge of hypertension than those who had secondary education (OR=0.256; 95% CI=0.106–0.617). The females were about 1.73 times more likely to have good practices of hypertension than males (OR=1.729; 95% CI=1.008–2.966). For every 1 unit increase in the body mass index, there was a statistically significant increase in diastolic blood pressure by about 0.22 units (95% CI=0.046–0.394, p=0.013). The health education had a positive impact on the blood pressure reduction. Conclusion. The predictors of knowledge of hypertension, practices of hypertensives and diastolic blood pressure were level of education, sex, and body mass index respectively.
High school teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs: A mixed method research
Authors: Ozcan Mehmet
Published: December 2022

The aim of this study is to reveal high school teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs with an explanatory sequential design, which is one of the mixed method research designs. Quantitative data of the research were analysed by package program, and qualitative data were analysed by content analysis method. Three hundred and twenty-nine high school teachers participated in the quantitative part of the research and 15 high school teachers participated in the qualitative part of the study. In the quantitative section of the study, the “Teacher Self-Efficacy Belief Scale” was used and in the qualitative dimension an interview form consisting of four research questions were asked. As a result of the research, it was revealed that the factors affecting the academic self-efficacy beliefs of the participants were scientific research, postgraduate education, in-service training, following up-to-date resources, individual development and communication; the factors affecting professional self-efficacy beliefs were the use of different teaching principles and methods, in-service training, personal development, graduate education, communication, professional sharing and experience; the factors affecting social self-efficacy beliefs were social activities, school activities, communication, harmony and sharing; and the factors affecting intellectual self-efficacy beliefs were following periodicals, following the agenda, scientific-philosophical reading, activities and organisations, personal development and travel.
Examination of the Licensure Differences of Mental Health Professionals in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Athletic Departments
Authors: Beasley Lauren , Hardin Robin , Smith Zachary T. , Magliocca John
Published: December 2022

The high rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, and other mental health disorders among collegiate student-athletes have resulted in the need for appropriate mental health services. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has released a best practices guide for mental health in college sport that includes licensed psychologists (LP), licensed clinical social workers (LCSW), and licensed professional counselors (LPC) as competent to provide mental health services to student-athletes. However, an examination of the differences between these three licenses is absent from the literature. This essay offers an overview on these differences to clarify the purview of each license as there is confusion surrounding the different types of professionals that can provide mental health services. A detailed description of what is means to hold an LP, LCSW, and LPC distinction is provided, followed by a discussion of the difference between mental health licensure and certification as a certified mental performance consultant (CMPC). This will assist administrators, athletic administrators, and student-athletes in making informed decisions about mental health care.
„I Am Not Going”: Determinants of Social Activity before Poland’s Ghost Election
Authors:   Nicolaus Copernicus Univeristy (Poland), Rezmer-Płotka Kamila
Published: December 2022

The article analyses political opposition toward the date of presidential elections and conducting them in the correspondence form on May 10, 2020, in Poland. The study is embedded in the theories of quasi-militant democracy and the emergence of social movements. The method used in the study is the qualitative analysis of media messages of the main news websites in Poland. Mainly in terms of the activity and arguments of citizens against the elections in the form of correspondence. The presidential elections revealed the imperious relationship between the government and citizens in Poland’s becoming quasimilitant democracy. The emphasis was on the elements regarding the organisation of elections on May 10 that could impact a social movement’s emergence. The most significant role in stopping the May 10 elections was played by institutional opposition in the form of local self-governments’ civil disobedience and the Senate’s action, which efficiently blocked the party’s initiative. The article accounts for how election matters determined the social mobilisation and activity of the new social movement. This paper’s main finding is that institutional opposition may prevail over the social one in the pandemic.
International Institutions in China’s Foreign Policy: The Case of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Authors:   Nicolaus Copernicus University (Poland), Ostrowski Szymon
Published: December 2022

Book Review: Elżbieta Proń, International Institutions in China’s Foreign Policy: The Case of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Toruń 2021, pp. 303.
Insurrectionist Anarchism and Liberational Violence: New Ideas and Trends
Authors:   Polish Air Force University (Poland), Posłuszna Elżbieta
Published: December 2022

The paper characterises contemporary fighting anarchism from the ideological, tactical, and organisational perspectives. An analysis is carried out that examines the activities of the groups revoking insurrectionism, which today entails three ideological trends, namely social, individualistic (illegalism), and ecological. In the author’s intention, the characteristics should serve practical goals, i.e., forming a prognosis regarding the phenomenon's future and drawing possible ways to counteract its proliferation in a further perspective. Contemporary anarchism, due to its intellectual allure (liberationist individualism), broadening the scope of its goals (with the liberation of non-human beings), adopting loose organisational forms, as well as employing the leaderless resistance strategy and swarming, is a phenomenon that has significant development potential. The development of anarchism, due to ongoing socio-political processes (the collapse of the existing mechanisms of social control and political representation, globalisation, informatisation) and the widely spreading ideology of individualism will lead to, as it seems, progressive radicalism, both in ideology and used methods.
Assessment of the Labour Market During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors:   Military University of Technology (Poland), Borucka Anna , Chapska Marta ,   Military University of Technology (Poland), Żaboklicka Ewa ,   Military University of Technology (Poland), Parczewski Rafał ,   Military University of Technology (Poland)
Published: December 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted governments to take radical measures to contain the virus and protect their citizens. These included successive restrictions on social distance, which have led to closing many enterprises in various industries and dismissing their employees. Introducing restrictions has significantly weakened many countries’ economies. Stock markets have noted sharp declines. Therefore, public protection has led to severe consequences for the labour market. Attempts at defining them have been undertaken in the body of literature. However, they focus mainly on analysing selected indicators. According to the authors, it is worth analysing the correlation between the number of deaths as the variable that best reflects the disease’s severity and selected unemployment rates. It was assumed that the number of deaths is a factor significantly distinguishing the periods before and after the pandemic. Therefore, it is possible to assess the correlation between the pandemic and the labour market condition.
Defence Diplomacy of Selected States – Searching for a Universal Model of Defence Diplomacy
Authors:   War Studies University (Poland), Drab Lech
Published: December 2022

Defence diplomacy is increasingly important in modern states’ foreign and security policies. The ever-expanding circle of issues of interest fosters the strengthening of the role and importance of defence diplomacy. Alongside the traditional areas of military cooperation based on dialogue and support, other areas of interaction serving international security are becoming more visible. Each state has a different set of instruments at its disposal, and they try to shape defence diplomacy in their own way, taking into account the specificities of their own national interests and the environments in which they operate. Despite their natural differences, there is a common understanding that defence diplomacy can enhance trust and transparency in international relations. Nevertheless, with all the similarities in states or international security organisations, it is not easy to talk about a universal model of defence diplomacy. The wide range of diplomatic instruments allows each state to select and adapt them to the specific situation and the conditions dictated by geopolitics or geo-economics in the relevant international policy areas.
Restoring the Distinctiveness of Politics: On the Political and the Forms of Rule
Authors:   Warsaw University (Poland), Bates Clifford Angell , Shelley Trevor ,   Arizona State University (United States)
Published: December 2022

We argue that the current understanding of politics is caught in a tug of war between “economistic” and “postmodern” views, neither of which captures the distinctiveness of political rule and consequently instills confusion among citizens and misplaced expectations from leaders. Drawing largely on Aristotle, who warned precisely against this error, we consider the logic of mastery and contrast it to paternal rule. Then we discuss the voluntary nature of economic activity to distinguish it from the involuntary nature of mastery, before turning to discuss the political proper, which is a combination or mixture of these two that nevertheless makes it qualitatively distinct. These distinctions help us to better appreciate what is a likeness between political and economic, on the one hand, and between political and paternal, on the other while realising that political rule is not exhausted by either economic or paternal alone. The paper seeks to show that political rule finds itself as an in-between condition that balances itself against despotic, mastery, and the kind of care that paternal rule points to.
Electroreduction of silicon from the NaI–KI–K2SiF6 melt for lithium-ion power sources
Authors: Abdurakhimova Rayana K. , Laptev Michail V. , Leonova Natalia M. , Leonova Anastasia M. , Schmygalev Alexander S. , Suzdaltsev Andrey V.
Published: December 2022

Silicon and silicon-based materials are increasingly used in microelectronics, metallurgy and power generation. To date the active study aimed at the development of silicon materials to be used in devices for solar energy conversion, accumulation and storage is underway. In addition, silicon is a promising anode material for lithium-ion fuel cells. In the present paper a possibility of silicon electroreduction from the NaI–KI–K2SiF6 melt in the argon atmosphere is studied. With this aim in view the electrolysis of the NaI–KI–K2SiF6 melt with glassy carbon cathode was performed under galvanostatic and potentiostatic regimes at the temperatures ranging from 650 to 750 °С. The morphology, phase and elemental analyses of the obtained silicon deposits were performed after their separation from the electrolytes by the ICP, SEM-EDX, XRD and Raman spectroscopy methods. Fiber and thread-like silicon samples of 60 to 320 nm in dimeter with admixtures concentrations (mainly oxygen) from 1.2 to 4.6 wt.% were experimentally synthesized. The obtained samples were tested as possible Si/C composite anodes for lithium-ion power sources. The discharge capacity of such power sources after 30 cycles of lithiation-delithiation ranged from 440 to 565 mAh·g–1 and the coloumbic efficiency ranged from 89 to 91%.
Synthesis, recyclization under the action of methanol and analgetic activity of N'-(5-aryl-2-oxofuran-3(2H)-ylidene)furan-2-carbohydrazides
Authors: Igidov Sergei N. , Gorbunova Irina A. , Turyshev Aleksey Yu. , Shipilovskikh Daria A. , Kozlov Danil A. , Rogova Anna S. , Makhmudov Ramiz R. , Silaichev Pavel S. , Igidov Nazim M.
Published: December 2022

New methyl 5-aryl-1-(furan-2-carbonyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylates were obtained via decyclization reaction of N'-(5-aryl-2-oxofuran-3(2H)-ylidene)furan-2-carbohydrazides under the action of methanol. Starting N'-(5-aryl-2-oxofuran-3(2H)-ylidene)furan-2-carbohydrazides were obtained by intramolecular cyclization of substituted 4-aryl-2-[2-(furan-2-ylcarbonyl)hydrazinylidene]-4-oxobutanoic acids in propionic anhydride. The structure of the compounds obtained was confirmed by the 1H NMR spectroscopy, IR spectrometry and elemental analysis methods. Analgesic activity of some obtained compounds was studied by the “hot plate” method on outbred white mice of both sexes with intraperitoneal injection.
Brain Tumor Identification using Dilated U-Net based CNN
Authors: Saida D. , Premchand P.
Published: December 2022

The identification of brain tumor consumes time and therefore it is important to develop an automated system using an imaging technique. The classification of brain tumor into benign or malignant is performed by using Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI). From the MRI based brain tumor images, the extraction of features is essential for pattern recognition that determines the object based on the color, names, shapes, or more. Therefore, the classifiers are dependent on the strength of features such as shape, color, etc., Yet, the classifiers are dependent on the features that are extracted using deep learning classifiers which are dependent on the features that were extracted. The deep learning algorithm in the medical domain showed interest in the computer vision researchers which consumed time during the process of execution. The proposed Dilated UNet model expands the receptive field for the extraction of multi scale context information. Based on the high resolution conditions, the large scale feature maps and high-resolution conditions are generated using large scale feature maps. It provides rich spatial information that was applied for performing semantic segmentation. Semantic image segmentation is achieved using a U-Net as it adds an expansive path to generate classifications of the pixels belonging to features found in the source image. The existing Kernel based SVM model obtained accuracy of 99.15%, Non-Dominated Sorted Genetic Algorithm-Convolutional Neural Network (NSGA -CNN) obtained accuracy of 99%, Deep Elman Neural network with adaptive fuzzy clustering obtained accuracy of 98%, 3D Context Deep Supervised U-Net obtained accuracy of 92%. Whereas, the proposed Dilated U-Net-based CNN model obtained accuracy of 99.5% better when compared with the existing models.
Türk Vergi Hukukunda Uzlaşma Müessesesi ve OECD Üyesi Seçilmiş Ülke Örnekleri ile Karşılaştırılması
Authors: TOKER Aysu , TEKİN Ahmet
Published: December 2022

Vergi idaresi ile vergi mükellefi arasında kaynağı vergiye dayanan anlaşmazlıklar vergi uyuşmazlığı olarak ifade edilmektedir. Ortaya çıkan bu uyuşmazlıklar, idari ve yargı aşamasında olmak üzere iki şekilde çözüme kavuşturulmaktadır. Vergi uyuşmazlıklarının idari aşamada çözüm yolları arasında en sık tercih edileni ise uzlaşma müessesesidir. Uzlaşma müessesesi, idare ile mükellefi bir araya getirmek yoluyla karşılıklı görüşme ve pazarlık yöntemine dayanarak, uyuşmazlığın yargı yoluna başvurulmadan kısa süre içerisinde çözüme kavuşturulması noktasında önemli bir yere sahiptir. Günümüzde yaygın ve etkin bir şekilde kullanılan uzlaşma müessesesi aracılığıyla vergi uyuşmazlıklarının büyük bir bölümü çözüme kavuşturulmaktadır. Uzlaşma müessesesi, vergi idaresi ile mükellef arasında ortaya çıkan uyuşmazlıkları yargı organlarına taşınmadan hızlı bir şekilde çözümlemek, kamu alacağının bir an önce tahsil edilmesini sağlamak ve yargı organlarının üzerindeki iş yükünü hafifletmek gibi amaçlar doğrultusunda uygulamaya konulmuştur.Bir ülkede uygulanan uzlaşma sistemi, o ülkedeki uzlaşma sonuçları üzerinde etkili olabilmektedir. Bu çalışmada 2017-2021 yılları arasındaki Türkiye uzlaşma verileri incelenerek, ülkemizde uygulanan uzlaşma müessesesinin ortaya çıkardığı sonuçlar değerlendirilmiştir. Ayrıca uzlaşma müessesesi, uygulanan uzlaşma sistemi açısından uluslararası benzerlik veya farklılık gösterebilmektedir. OECD ülkelerinde de uygulamaları bulunan uzlaşma müessesesi, OECD üyesi ülkelerden Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, Almanya, İngiltere, Fransa ve Avustralya olmak üzere seçili beş ülke kapsamında incelenerek, ülkemizde uygulanan uzlaşma müessesesi ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Bu noktada, ülkemizde uygulanan uzlaşma müessesesinin gelişimi için yararlı olacağı düşünülen ülke uygulamalarından örnekler ile uzlaşma müessesesi nitelik ve etkinlik bakımından uluslararası değerlendirilerek gelişimine katkıda bulunmak amaçlanmıştır.
Constituição e propriedade no mundo luso-brasileiro e as guerras de Independência (1822-1825)
Authors: Galves Marcelo Cheche , Costa Yuri
Published: December 2022

RESUMO O texto analisa a questão do direito constitucional à propriedade no mundo luso-brasileiro em meio às guerras de Independência. Para tanto, aponta para a secundarização do tema por uma historiografia clássica dedicada à Independência e ressalta avanços importantes constituídos mais recentemente; em seguida, explora os sentidos do conceito de propriedade nas constituições de Portugal (1822 e 1826) e do Brasil (1824) e a dinâmica das negociações que culminaram com a assinatura do Tratado de Paz e Aliança e a instituição da Comissão Mista Brasil-Portugal, responsável pela análise das reclamações sobre os prejuízos que portugueses e brasileiros sofreram durante as guerras. Contudo, ressalta a anterioridade da discussão sobre o ressarcimento de eventuais prejuízos, em relação a negociações sobre o Reconhecimento da Independência, fundamentada, acreditamos, em preceitos que ganhavam foro constitucional naquele momento.
Semi-automated discrete-element modelling of arch structures incorporating SfM photogrammetry
Authors: Kassotakis Nicko , Sarhosis Vasilis , Peppa Maria-Valasia , Mills Jon P
Published: December 2022

This paper presents Image2DEM, a framework for the semi-automated structural analysis of arches. Numerical models of arch specimens were semi-automatically developed from structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry, by employing image-processing techniques, to bypass laborious computer-aided design (Cad)-based processes. Then, the numerical models of the proposed framework were assessed by comparison with a conventional Cad-based framework in terms of (a) geometrical agreement (i.e. joint and block properties) and (b) structural capacity agreement (i.e. stiffness, load multipliers and normal forces between joints at each hinge formation). The results firstly demonstrated SfM photogrammetry as an effective avenue of structural surveying for numerical modelling. Afterwards, the numerical models developed from the proposed and conventional frameworks were demonstrated to have good agreement in terms of geometry. Furthermore, good agreement was also found in the predicted structural capacity, with differences in structural capacity of less than 7%. Although only the potential to capture both the geometry and structural capacity of small-scale arch structures was demonstrated here, this study lays the foundation for automated geometry acquisition for arches for their structural analysis.
Vital parameters in Spanish alpine skiers training at altitude and their relationship to human health
Authors: Javier Conde-Pipo , Ignacio Valenzuela-Barranco , Rafael Peñafiel , Maria Jose Jimenez-Casquet , Alejandro Lopez-Moro , Miguel Mariscal-Arcas
Published: December 2022

Background: Mediterranean lifestyle has consistently been shown to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Physical activity is beneficial to health, although it needs to be carefully studied in extreme conditions. Hypertension depends on sedentary lifestyles, stress, and bad habits such as excessive consumption of food and salt. Chronic sleep deprivation alone has been associated with cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. The patient must be educated. Aim: The main objective of this study was to evaluate parameters of non-invasive health such as blood pressure and heart rate in the federated population in winter sports in Andalusia (Spain) relating to body composition. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study. Sample of 234 subjects currently federated in the Andalusian Federation of Winter Sports (Spain). Ages between 12-30yrs (51.6% women, 48.4% men). Subjects carried out surveys with a physical examination, blood pressure measurements, electrocardiogram performance, and parameters to assess body composition. Results: None of the younger male subjects had hypotension or bradycardia (76.6% normotensive, 80.4% normal heart rate). None of the adults had hypotension or tachycardia (82.4% normotensive) and none of the women had bradycardia. Mean weight values (men and women) with a tendency to significance (p = 0.064). %Fat means of men was 19.18% (SD: 5.90) and 23.61% (SD: 8.91) for women. For systolic and diastolic tensions no differences were found by gender. There is no correlation between systolic and diastolic blood pressure with body composition or nutrient intake, however, there is a negative correlation between hours of sleep and blood pressure (p < 0.001). Conclusion: %fat can inform of the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Performing intense aerobic physical exercise can cause sinus bradycardia at rest. Sleeping and having a restful and deep sleep reduces the risk of suffering from high blood pressure. Assessing blood pressure and anthropometric measurements is important to estimate the general health of children, adolescents, and adults. This is the case with alpine skiing in the south of Spain where the athlete lives in these conditions. Future works related to this population living in high-altitude conditions should be studied to see the impact of altitude on the health and sporting performance of acclimatized people.
Current trends in heterogeneous systems: A review
Authors: Gajendra Sharma , Prashant Poudel
Published: December 2022

Looking at the heterogeneous system, this paper touches on the architecture of heterogeneous systems, program models, and some challenges in this field. Heterogeneous systems have become an important development trend in the current high-performance computing field. Heterogeneous systems can be seen from smartwatches, mobile phones and laptops to server systems. This paper will explore different types of heterogeneous systems such as CPU-GPU architecture, and ARM big. Little architecture. The program model for different types of heterogeneous systems where we will see how different architecture heterogeneous systems work. Then we will see some of the challenges in the heterogeneous system and finally some recommendations for future work.
A lateral flow-based at-home test for detection of SARS-CoV-2 v2
Authors: Xu Peng
Published: December 2022

***This protocol was a finalist in the XPRIZE Global Rapid Covid Testing competition*** We have developed a highly sensitive and specific LAMP(loop-mediated amplification)-based assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 that can potentially be used for at-home and point-of-care (POC) testing. The assay includes only three simple steps: (1) heat inactivate the sample mixed with lysis buffer and add LAMP reagent mix, (2) incubate the reaction on a heating device, and (3) read the result by inserting a lateral flow strip into the tube. Performance is comparable to gold-standard RT-PCR testing, as the assay is based on nucleic acid detection rather than antigen detection which is used by the majority of lateral flow strip-based assays. There is minimal pre-processing involved and no bulky instrumentation needed, and non-lab professionals can follow the instructions and understand the results easily. The assay targets the SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein (N) gene and is capable of detecting as low as 4.0 copies per reaction (0.5 copies/μL) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, demonstrating no cross-reactivity with a panel of 20 other respiratory pathogens. Furthermore, the test can be run on multiple sample types, including nasopharyngeal and/or oropharyngeal swab and saliva samples. Overall, this assay provides a rapid (sample-to-answer turnaround time of ~40 min), accurate, and affordable solution to the challenge of at-home diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2.
nCoV-2019 Illumina Miniseq sequencing protocol (2,000bp amplicon) v1
Authors: Gomez-Gil Bruno
Published: December 2022

This is a fork of the protocol https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.bh7hj9j6 but modified for tiled 2000bp amplicons, tagmentation with Nextera XT, indexing, and sequencing with the Illumina Miniseq platform. It has already produced very good sequences. Much of this protocol is base on this paper: https://doi.org/10.1093/biomethods/bpaa014
Enteric neuron activity in the mouse colon and responses to lumbosacral stimulation v2
Authors: Smith-Edwards Kristen
Published: December 2022

This protocol describes the steps for calcium imaging activity in the enteric nervous system (ENS) and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in isolated colons and ex vivo lumbosacral spinal cord-colon preparations from GCaMP mice.
A GIS workflow for the identification of corridors of geomorphic river recovery across landscapes v1
Authors: Agnew Danelle
Published: December 2022

The provision of a simplified GIS workflow to analyse the Open Access NSW River Styles database provides non-technical GIS users in river management with the ability to quickly and efficiently obtain information to assist them in catchment-scale rehabilitation prioritisation. Publicly available GIS software, and a digital elevation model (DEM) were used to demonstrate the ease of analysis for those with some GIS skills, to establish where corridors of geomorphic river recovery occur or could be built at-scale. Rather than a ‘single use’ report, this novel application of GIS methods is designed to be used by those responsible for river management, replicated across landscapes and adjusted according to preferences. Decision making becomes more cost effective, and adaptive to local circumstances and changing river management priorities. The method could also be adjusted and applied to other river monitoring and condition databases.
Secuencia rápida de inducción e intubación: una revisión narrativa
Authors: Martínez-Hurtado Valeria , Aristizábal-Hincapié Mateo , Zamudio-Burbano Mario Andrés
Published: December 2022

A pesar de los avances tecnológicos y el desarrollo de habilidades no técnicas, las muertes prevenibles por fallas en el manejo avanzado de la vía aérea aún son un problema en la atención del paciente inestable. Una de las estrategias descritas para mejorar el porcentaje de éxito de la intubación al primer intento, y posiblemente disminuir complicaciones, es la secuencia rápida de inducción e intubación, una intervención compleja que requiere preparación del personal de salud. Desde su descripción original han existido profundizaciones, nuevas intervenciones y cambios, por lo que existe la necesidad de hacer una síntesis de estas evidencias.
En este artículo se presenta una revisión narrativa sobre el tema basada en una búsqueda no sistemática, la cual resultó en una aproximación a las acciones e intervenciones más representativas a criterio de los autores, resaltando la valoración de la vía aérea, la preparación de los equipos críticos, el adecuado posicionamiento según el tipo de población, las estrategias de preoxigenación, la preestabilización de la causa subyacente, el resumen de los medicamentos inductores y relajantes neuromusculares, las estrategias alternas de intubación, como la videolaringoscopia, y los cuidados posintubación, que incluyen la estrategia de fijación de doble vector y parámetros iniciales de ventilación.
Reflections on nursing students’ fear and anxiety arising from clinical practicums
Authors: Cruz Araújo Agostinho Antônio , De Godoy Simone , Arena Ventura Carla Aparecida , Rodolfo Silva Ítalo , Santos de Almeida Emerson Willian , Costa Mendes Isabel Amélia
Published: December 2022

Background. Anxiety and fear are emotional responses that may emerge when individuals anticipate threats. Undergraduate nursing students may experience feelings of hopelessness and anguish in the clinical learning experience, directly impacting their academic performance. This study aims to reflect upon the fear and anxiety faced by nursing students during clinical training.

Synopsis of Contents. Two thematic axes were focused: Students’ perception regarding preceptorship attitudes and positions; Relational teaching-learning processes and their influence on the students’ professional identity. Preceptors are expected to encourage the establishment and maintenance of good relationships in the collaborative network in which students are included, especially with the multi-professional health team, to have more comprehensive academic support.

Conclusion. The role and importance of each individual in academic training, such as students and professors, is emphasized, seeking to promote positive experiences in the teaching-learning process to enable undergraduate students to more effectively develop moral sensitivity and take responsibility for patient-centered care.
How the West Controls Pharmaceutical Prices: Lessons for Malaysia
Authors:   School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia 11800 Gelugor, Penang, Malaysia
Published: December 2022

Drug price in Malaysia has increased substantially over the years. Malaysian policymakers may learn from the Western countries on how to control pharmaceutical spending. We conducted a review to assess the pharmaceutical strategies adopted in Western countries to curb pharmaceutical pricing and compared it with the current Malaysian system. The study found that the European countries adopted a regulated pharmaceutical market. In this regulated market, the price of the drugs will be determined using external reference pricing. The reimbursement and pricing of the drugs are also based on a set of guidelines rather than arbitrary nature. Additionally, the health technology assessment in the European countries utilised rating systems to categorise the added therapeutic benefit of the drugs. This rating system will add more information for price negotiation between the government and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Furthermore, cost-effectiveness analysis is also being incorporated into the decision-making process to ascertain the optimal use of scarce health resources. On top of that, pooled procurement system has been established in order to benefit from the higher volume purchasing. These measures may help Malaysia to ensure that the pharmaceutical spending remain sustainable and that Malaysians, will continue to have access toward a high-quality and affordable healthcare in the future.
Risk Factors for Severe Outcomes in Extended- Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) Bacteremia: A Single-center Study
Authors:   Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Published: December 2022

Expanded-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) bacteremia often leads to severe outcomes like mortality and treatment failure. This study aimed to identify risk factors in patients with ESBL bacteremia. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted among patients aged 13 years and above who were admitted to Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM) due to ESBL bacteremia between the period of January 2015 and August 2019. Patients with polymicrobial bacteremia were excluded. The all-cause in HCTM mortality rate was 30.2%, while the infection-related mortality rate was 22.5%. The risk factors of all-cause in-hospital mortality include hypertension, diabetes mellitus, skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), urinary catheterisation and mechanical ventilation. The independent risk factor associated with mortality was mechanical ventilation (AOR 3.12; CI 1.06-9.18; p = 0.04). No association found between appropriate empirical antibiotic treatment with mortality (p = 0.74), treatment success (p = 0.71) or length of hospital stay (p = 0.84). However, appropriate definitive treatment was associated with a lower mortality rate (p<0.01) and higher treatment success (p<0.01). Mechanical ventilation was the only independent risk factor significantly associated with mortality, while appropriate definitive treatment was associated with a lower mortality rate and higher treatment success.
Anterior Segment Data Comparison by Age and Gender
Authors:   Hitit University Corum Education and Training Hospital, 19000, Corum, Turkey.
Published: December 2022

The aim of this study was to record anterior segment indices in Corum and surrounding regions and to compare these data according to age and gender. A total of 566 (265 male, 301 female) patient data sets were reviewed. Age groups were formed as group lower age (GLA) (aged 18-39 years, 140 male, 143 female) and group higher age (GHA) (aged 40-65 years, 125 male, 158 female). Evaluated indices were corneal central thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior chamber angle (ACA), flat keratometry (K1), steep keratometry (K2) and average keratometry (Kavg). The ACD (3.71 + 0.36 mm for GLA and 3.23 + 0.44 mm for GHA), ACA (43.22 + 6.39 for GLA and 37.76 + 8.700 for GHA) and K2 (44.49 + 1.69D for GLA and 43.99 + 1.53D for GHA) results were all significantly lower in GHA compared with GLA (p<0.0001, p<0.0001 and p=0.001, respectively). Men had higher ACD values (p=0.002) than women. Women's ACAs were narrower (p<0.0001) than men. Women showed higher keratometry results as opposed to men (p<0.0001 for all). However, when gender comparison was done among GLA, there was no difference of ACD and ACA between genders. We showed our regional anterior segment results were different from other regions in the country. In addition, we showed that the significant differences of ACD and ACA did not present below the age of 40, as opposed with previous literature. It was suggested that gender combined with age gave significant differences of ACD and ACA, but not gender alone.
Factors Associated with Sleep Quality Among Malaysian Undergraduate Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors:   Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Published: December 2022

Poor sleep quality has become a public health concern due to its association with several health risks. Recent studies had shown that university students had poor sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this study aimed to determine the factors associated with sleep quality among undergraduate students in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study involved 377 undergraduates from public and private universities in Malaysia. The study ws conducted between 16 June 2021 to 31 July 2021. Respondents completed an online survey reagarding to their sociodemographic background, sleep quality, chronotype pattern, night eating syndrome, food security, physical activity, internet addiction and self-reported body weight and height. There was poor sleep quality in 62.3% of the respondents. Respondents who were Malay (AOR = 3.84, 95% CI =2.07-7.11), in the arts stream (AOR = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.20-5.42) and internet-addicted (AOR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.22-3.77) had higher risk of poor sleep quality. Respondents who lived in a rented house (AOR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.16-0.88), were sophomores (AOR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.25-0.99) and were the morning chronotype (AOR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.17-0.72) had lower risk for developing poor sleep quality. This study underscored the high prevalence of poor sleep quality among undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings suggested that by preventing internet addiction and the evening chronotype can improve sleep quality.
Reanimator: from Test Data to Code and Back
Authors:   Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), Saint-Petersburg, 195251, Russian Federation, Abdullin A. M. , Itsykson V. M. ,   Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), Saint-Petersburg, 195251, Russian Federation
Published: December 2022

State-of-the-art automatic testing tools can efficiently detect various kinds of errors in software projects; however, these errors often cannot be automatically extracted to a standalone reproducing test case, a feature valuable for the purposes of further software maintenance. Objects present the main difficulty, as generating code to construct an object given its state is hard, due to the encapsulation principle. In this paper we present an approach called Reanimator that, given an object representation, is able to generate a valid code snippet which constructs this object using its publicly available API. Reanimator can be applied to any automatic testing tool to help it generate reproducing test cases for detected failures. We implemented our approach as a part of an automatic testing tool called Kex and evaluated it on a number of open-source projects from GitHub. Evaluation results showed that our approach is compatible with the state of the art techniques.