bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High and daily exposure to precariousness negatively impacts the prescriptions of general practitioners to precarious populations: an observational pharmaco-epidemiological study investigating inequalities in access to health care in France
Authors: BIRAULT François , BONHEUR Lakshmipriva LE , CLODION Sandivanie , JAAFARI Nematollah , PERAULT-POCHAT Marie-Christine , THIRIOUX Bérangère
Published: June 2021

Background

The association between precariousness and lack of access to health care is well-documented. Prescribing drugs is one promising marker for this health care inequality. A recent study, carried out on the entire French population, has developed a new measurement model based on the 20 most prescribed molecules. It reports that drugs, targeting diseases known to more affect precarious populations, are under-prescribed by general practitioners (GP) to these populations. If these findings highlight unequal drugs prescriptions between populations despite epidemiological factors, it is still unknown whether a high and daily exposure to precariousness negatively impacts GPs prescriptions. Here, we investigated whether there are more inequalities in prescriptions of GPs who are highly and daily exposed to precariousness, compared to GPs who are less exposed to precariousness.
Methods

This retrospective pharmaco-epidemiological study compared the Defined Daily Dose relative to different reimbursed drugs prescribed by GPs to precarious and non-precarious patients in four French regions respectively with low and high precariousness prevalence in 2015. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVAs (Sphericity correction: Greenhouse-Geisser; Post-Hoc Tests, Bonferroni corrected).
Results

2 out of 20 molecules were significantly over-prescribed (tamsulosine and timolol) and 7 were under-prescribed (amoxicillin, econazole, ciclopirox, prednisolone, paracetamol, cromolyn sodium, ibuprofen) to precarious populations in regions with high precariousness prevalence.
Conclusions

The over-reimbursement of tamsulosine and timolol did not reflect the negative impact of exposure to precariousness on the GPs prescriptions but a failure of the health system to compensate for inequalities in access to chirurgical treatments. In contrast, the under-reimbursement of amoxicillin, ciclopirox and econazole indicated an effect of the exposure to precariousness on GPs’ prescriptions, these molecules targeting acute diseases that affect more significantly precarious than non-precarious populations. The same explanation is probably suitable for the under-reimbursement of prednisolone, paracetamol, cromolyn sodium, and ibuprofen, although their various indications render difficult to delimitate the clinical purpose at the basis of their prescription. We assume that exhausting working conditions, repeated exposures to difficult living conditions, and repeated experiences of failure impairs empathic skills in GPs, leading to burnout which negatively impacts the quality of care and, thus, prescriptions.
Palliative radiotherapy for painful lymph node metastases
Authors: Yamaguchi Kohsei , Saito Tetsuo , Toya Ryo , Tomitaka Etsushi , Matsuyama Tomohiko , Fukugawa Yoshiyuki , Watakabe Takahiro , Otsuka Hirohito , Oya Natsuo
Published: June 2021

Background: There is limited evidence concerning radiotherapy for painful lymph node metastases (PLM). We evaluated the effectiveness of radiotherapy for PLM using the International Consensus Endpoint in a subgroup analysis of a prospective observational study.Methods: In the primary study, 302 patients received radiotherapy for painful tumors. Among them, those treated with palliative radiotherapy for PLM were analyzed in the present study. We used the Brief Pain Inventory short form to evaluate the intensity of pain and the pain interference in patient's life. We collected the Brief Pain Inventory and analgesic data at baseline and at 1, 2, and 3 months after the start of radiotherapy. Pain response was assessed using the International Consensus Endpoint. Patients were diagnosed with a predominance of other pain (POP) if non-index pain of a malignant or unknown origin was present and had a greater 'worst pain' score than the index pain.Results: Radiotherapy for PLM was performed on 25 patients. In total, 15 (60%) patients experienced a pain response. The pain response rates for evaluable patients were 66%, 67%, and 57% at 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow-ups, respectively. At baseline and at 1, 2, and 3 months, the median index pain scores were 7, 2, 0, and 0.5, respectively. At 1 month, all pain interference scores were significantly reduced from baseline. Four (16%) patients experienced POP within three months.Conclusion: Radiotherapy for PLM improved pain intensity and pain interference. Palliative radiotherapy may be a viable treatment option for PLM.
Investigation of tool-workpiece contact rate and milling force in elliptical ultrasonic vibration assisted milling
Authors: Li Zongyuan , Zhu Lida , Yang Zhichao , Ma Jian , Cao Wenbin
Published: June 2021

Elliptical ultrasonic vibration assisted milling (EUVAM) is widely used as an efficient processing method for hard-to-machining materials such as titanium alloy, superalloy, and hard-brittle materials. To uncover the mechanism of the intermittent cutting characteristics in EUVAM, the tool-workpiece contact rate model is developed by combining with the kinematic relationship between the tool edge and the workpiece in the process. According to the analysis of the contact rate model, the phenomenon that the contact rate increases rapidly with the time-varying tooth position angle in one-dimensional ultrasonic vibration assisted milling can be improved in EUVAM. In addition, considering the variation of window function and undeformed cutting thickness, a force model is established. And the experiment of EUVAM is performed to verify the model of ultrasonic milling force, and the influence of process parameters (amplitude, cutting speed, feed rate and cutting depth) on ultrasonic milling force is also analyzed.
Conjunctival sac bacterial culture of patients using levofloxacin eye drops before cataract surgery: A real-world, retrospective study
Authors: Wang Zhenyu , Zhang Pei , Huang Chen , Guo Yining , Dong Xuhe , Li Xuemin
Published: June 2021

Purpose

To reveal the association between clinical factors and conjunctival sac bacterial load and offer prophylaxis suggestions.
Methods

We retrieved real-world data (RWD) of patients using levofloxacin preoperatively. Retrieved data included information on the conjunctival sac bacterial culture, gender, presence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM), and history of hospital-based surgeries. Data was analyzed using SPSS 24.0.
Results

RWD of 15,415 cases (patients) were retrieved. Among these patients, 5,866 (38.1%) were males and 9,549 (61.9%) females. 5,960 (38.7%) patients had a history of hypertension, and 3,493 (22.7%) patients had a history of DM. 7,555 (49.0%) patients had a history of hospital-based operations. There were 274 (1.8%) positive bacterial cultures. Male patients with hypertension and DM may be at increased risk of having positive bacterial cultures (P < 0.05). Staphylococcus epidermidis (n = 56, 20.4%), Kocuria rosea (n = 37, 13.5%), and Micrococcus luteus (n = 32, 11.7%) were the top 3 isolated strains. Most bacterial strains were resistant to various antibiotics except rifampin, and 82.5% (33 of 40 isolates) of Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates had multidrug antibiotic resistance. Numbers of culture-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates in the male group and non-DM group were greater than those in the female and DM groups, respectively. Micrococcus luteus (n = 11, 8.8%) was found less frequently in non-hypertension group than in hypertension group.
Conclusion

Gender and the presence of hypertension and DM are risk factors for greater conjunctival sac bacterial loads. We offer a prophylactic suggestion based on the combined use of levofloxacin and rifampin. However, this approach may aggravate risk of multidrug resistance.
Preparation and characterization of PANI/MWCNT/RGO ternary composites as electrode materials for supercapacitors
Authors: Dai Huimin , Rong Li , Su Siyu , Cui Yifan , Lin Yueming , Zhang Liang , Zhu Xiaohong
Published: June 2021

Electrode materials for supercapacitors are being extensively studied at present, the structural and electrochemcial properties of which are still required to be further improved. Hence, a series of polyaniline/reduced graphene oxide binary composites (PANI/RGO, PG-i, i=2, 4, 5) and polyaniline/multi-walled carbon nanotubes/reduced graphene oxide ternary composites (PANI/MWCNT/RGO, PCG-i, i=2, 4, 5) were prepared by a facile hydrothermal method. The morphology, structure and electrochemical performance of these samples are systematically analyzed and discussed. Analysis exhibits that all the samples have abundant pore structure. By changing the ratio of components, PCG-5 shows superior comprehensive electrochemical performance, including a high specific capacitance of 478 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, a considerable capacitance retention (63.56%, from 1 to 20 A g-1, and 55.33%, from 1 to 50 A g-1) and an extraordinary cycling stability (66.28% after 3500 cycles, at 2 A g-1) in 1 M H2SO4. The results prove that the PANI/MWCNT/RGO ternary composite has great potential as supercapacitor electrodes.
Whole body muscle activity during weightlifting exercise evaluated by positron emission tomography
Authors: Yoshimizu Rikuto , Nakase Junsuke , Mochizuki Takafumi , Takata Yasushi , Shimozaki Kengo , Asai Kazuki , Toyooka Kazu , Kimura Mitsuhiro , Kinuya Seigo , Tsuchiya Hiroyuki
Published: June 2021

BackgroundThis study investigated the whole-body skeletal muscle activity pattern of hang power clean (HPC), a major weight training exercise, using positron emission tomography (PET).MethodTwelve college weightlifting athletes performed three sets of HPC 20 times with a barbell set to 40 kg both before and after an intravenous injection of 37 MBq 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). PET-computed tomography images were obtained 50 min after FDG injection. Regions of interest were defined within 71 muscles. The standardized uptake value was calculated to examine the FDG uptake of muscle tissue per unit volume, and FDG accumulation was compared to the control group. The Mann–Whitney U-test was used to evaluate the differences in the mean SUV between groups. The difference between SUVs of the right and left muscles was evaluated by a paired t-test. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsFDG accumulation within the vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, and vastus medialis was higher than that of the rectus femoris. FDG accumulation within the triceps surae muscle was significantly higher only in the soleus. In the trunk and hip muscles, FDG accumulation of only the erector spinae was significantly increased. In all skeletal muscles, there was no difference between SUVs of the right and left muscles.ConclusionsThe monoarticular muscles in the lower limbs were active in HPC. In contrast, deep muscles in the trunk and hip were not active during HPC. HPC is not suitable for core training and needs to be supplemented with other training.
Spatial analysis of logistics ecological efficiency and its influencing factors in China: based on Super-SBM-Undesirable and spatial Dubin models
Authors: Bai Dongling , Dong Qianli , Khan Syed Abdul Rehman , Chen Yan , Wang Dongfang , Yang Lei
Published: June 2021

Improving the logistics ecological efficiency (LEE) has become a significant part of ensuring a sustainable development and tackling environmental pollution. Previous studies in the logistics industry seldom considered air pollutants and the association of spatial information. Therefore, innovatively considering SO2, NOx, and PM, this study adopted the Super-SBM-Undesirable model to calculate the LEE of 30 provinces in China from 2004 to 2017, and thereafter, developed information-based matrix to explore its influencing factors by using the spatial Dubin model. The results indicated that: (1) The overall LEE during the study period was low, presenting a U-shaped trend of an initial decrease and subsequent rise, and significant regional differences with the decreasing gradient pattern of the “Eastern-Central-Western.” (2) A spatial directionality distributed from the northeast to southwest, and a significant spatial autocorrelation were observed. (3) The industrial structure had the greatest positive influence on the local LEE, followed by the urbanization level, technology innovation level, environmental regulation, while the energy intensity was identified as the main inhibiting factor, followed by the economic level, energy structure and opening level. (4) The LEE had a significant positive spillover effect; the energy intensity and environmental regulation positively affected the LEE in neighboring areas, while the opening level had negative impacts. In addition, policy recommendations for enhancing the LEE were made.
A Nucleolus-Based Quota Allocation Model for the Bitcoin-Refunded Blockchain Network
Authors: Bolonhez Eduardo , Silva Thuener , Santos Bruno Fanzeres dos
Published: June 2021

The Bitcoin operates in a Blockchain network under which a group of participants are responsible for adding new blocks into the chain. These participants are called miners and the ones that successfully add a block into the network receive a reward for their work. As the technology evolved over the years, this "mining" process has become more challenging with miners facing long periods without positive cash flow, while still having costs associated. This resulting business architecture has driving participants away from the technology, jeopardizing its operations, and defying its progression. In order to cope with this issue, an alternative to provide miners' financial sustainability is to join a mining pool, which main purpose is to mitigate this cash flow sparsity by sharing the (more-recurrent) rewards obtained by the group. Therefore, in this work, we propose a reward sharing methodology for mining pools based on the Nucleolus of a stochastic cooperative game. A risk-averse value functional based on the Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) is used to characterize the game's certainty equivalent. Two numerical experiments were conducted in this work: (i) one based on a small, illustrative network; and (ii) one derived from real data of the Bitcoin-refunded Blockchain network. The focus of the experiments is on the incremental value of the proposed methodology over using intuitive allocations (uniform and based on computational power) and in what extent the relative increase in the mining likelihood by playing as a group benefits the pool stability. Finally, we discuss and numerically analyze a nested procedure based on the proposed Nucleolus-based allocation seeking for higher "fairness" in sharing the pool rewards.
COVID-19 was found in A Patient's CSF Who Presented with A Severe form of Guillain Barre Syndrome; A Successful Sudanese Story: A Case Report
Authors: Ibrahim Etedal Ahmed A. , Ahmed Khabab Abbasher Hussien Mohamed , Salah Elmuntasir Taha
Published: June 2021

Background:

Neurological manifestation and complications are common due to the coronavirus infectious disease COVID-19. It affects higher functions, cranial nerves and the motor system. It can lead to headaches, convulsions, mental and psychological changes like delirium and insomnia. Guillain Barre syndrome rarely occurs as a consequence of or in co-incidence with COVID-19. The authors report a case of Guillain Barre syndrome as an example of a success story in managing a complicated case of COVID-19 in an elderly male with signs of a poor prognosis.
Case presentation:

A previously healthy 70-year-old man presented (on the 25th of June, 2020) with a fever and cough followed by quadriplegia and facial weakness one week later. He tested positive for COVID-19, and a nerve conduction study revealed demyelinating neuropathy consistent with Guillain Barre syndrome. He received treatment in the form of intravenous immunoglobulin with marked improvement despite poor prognostic features.
Conclusion:

Patients with COVID-19 can present with any symptoms, including diseases of the nervous system and peripheral nerves such as Guillain Barre syndrome, which respond very well to IVIG treatment despite poor prognostic factors such as old age, gender, rapid onset of complete paralysis, lymphopenia and a ground-glass appearance on CT chest scans, which all existed in this case.
Defect Engineering of BCZT–based Piezoelectric Ceramics with High Piezoelectric Properties
Authors: Wang Xinjian , Huan Yu , Zhu Yixuan , Zhang Peng , Yang Wenlong , Li Peng , Wei Tao , Li Longtu , Wang Xiaohui
Published: June 2021

The intrinsic conduction mechanism and optimal sintering atmosphere of (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 (BCZT) ceramics was regulated by doping Mn element in this work. By Hall and impedance analysis, the undoped BCZT ceramics exhibit a typical n–type conduction mechanism, and the electron concentration decreases with the increasing oxygen partial pressure. Therefore, the undoped ceramics exhibit best electrical properties (d33 = 585 pC/N, kp = 56%) in O2. A handful of Mn doping element would transfer the conduction mechanism from n-type into p–type. And the hole concentration reduces with the decreasing oxygen partial pressure for Mn-doped BCZT ceramics. Therefore, the Mn-doped ceramics sintered in N2 have the highest insulation resistance and best piezoelectric properties (d33 = 505 pC/N, kp = 50%). The experimental results demonstrate that the doping Mn element can effectively adjusts the intrinsic conduction mechanism and then predicts the optimal atmosphere.
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Large/Giant Gallstones: Case Report and Brief Review of Literature.
Authors: Shrestha Anup , Bhattarai Shachee , Shrestha Shreya , Chand Manoj , Bhattarai Abhishek
Published: June 2021

Background Gallstones disease (GSD) is the most common biliary pathology. GSD is one of the common surgical problems in which lead people admit to the hospital in Nepal. Its prevalence is found to be 4.87%. The size of a gallstone is important, as giant/large gallstones have a higher risk of complications and present technical difficulties during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Open cholecystectomy is preferred in most cases with giant gallstones. With the availability of experienced laparoscopic surgeons and modern laparoscopic equipment LC is also feasible in large/giant gallstones. In this case report, we report 2 cases of one large and one giant gallstone each which were successfully done laparoscopically.Case Presentation Case 1 A 51 years old female presented with 5 months history of intermittent right upper quadrant colicky pain related to fatty food with no significant past medical and surgical history.Ultrasound abdomen showed normal gallbladder with multiple gallstones, largest measuring approximately 4cms. She was planned for elective LC. The gallbladder was removed out after extension of the infra-umbilical incision. On the cut section, we found multiple gallstones with one large gallstone measuring 4*3.3*3 cm and weighted 23.2 gm. Her post-operative period was uneventful. Case 2﻿ A 39 years old female, known case of hypertension under calcium channel blocker(CCB) and angiotensin receptor blocker(ARBs) presented with 5 months history of intermittent right upper quadrant colicky pain related to fatty foods with non-significant surgical history. Ultrasound abdomen showed a normal gallbladder with a single large gallstone (approximately 4.7 cm). Elective LC was performed and the gallbladder was removed out after extension of infraumbilical incision. On the cut section, we found a single giant gallstone measuring 5* 3*2.8 cm and weighted 24.7 gm. Her post-operative period was uneventful.Conclusion Large/giant gallstones are associated with a high risk of complications and cholecystectomy is warranted in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Even for large/giant gallstones, LC appears to be the treatment of choice over open cholecystectomy and should be performed by an experienced laparoscopic surgeon, taking into consideration the possibility of conversion to open in case of inability to expose the anatomy and any intraoperative technical difficulties.
Thermodynamic Performance Study on the Novel Efficient Flow Pattern Global Construction Evaporator
Authors: Zhong Tianming , Bai Haoxian , Ding LIxing , Xie Yu , Chen Shu , Luo Yuhe , Zhou Guang
Published: June 2021

To improve in-tube evaporation heat transfer at low quality, a novel evaporator based on efficient flow pattern global construction heat transfer enhancement mechanism is built, called the efficient flow pattern global construction evaporator (EFGE). The numerical analysis and experimental study of the thermodynamic performance of the EFGE are performed. Results show that the evaporation heat transfer coefficient (HTC) of the EFGE is 0.34–1.04 times that of a common parallel flow evaporator (PFE) and the pressure drop of the EFGE is only 80–116% of that of a common PFE at quality 0.9. The theoretical nonuniformity of the evaporation HTC between low- and high-quality flow is approximately 12–67%, which 55–72% of the pressure drop. The numerical analysis results are in good agreement with the finding that the EFGE has better thermodynamic performance than the PFE in terms of friction power reduction and minimum entropy generation number.
Workplace Bullying and Patient's Safety: A Timelag Study
Authors: Hamid Sarah
Published: June 2021

Objectives. Using transformational theory and Chaos the research intends to explain the impact of workplace bullying on dental profession, threat it poses to dental patient safety and investigating the power of perceived co-worker social support to diminish the aftermath of workplace bullying.Material and Methods. The study is quantitative, descriptive and causal in nature. Data were collected in two-time lags from 267 dental professionals by using convenience sampling technique.Results. Findings of the study indicates that the workplace bullying among dental professionals is strongly linked with job stress, turnover intention and job performance which in turn challenges the safety of patient. Perceived co-worker social support is directly linked with job performance and organizational citizenship behaviour. Study highlights the power of Perceived co-workers social support in weakening the relationship between workplace bullying and turnover intention and Job performance of victim of bullying.Conclusion. The role of Perceived co-worker support on victims diminishes the cost associated with intention to leave and Job performance, offering recommendations to health care managers and medical educationists. Anti-bullying policies should be communicated among dental students, across educational institute & implemented under strict supervision of institutional management. The issue should be taken seriously, proper allocation of time, resources, anti-bullying policies should be communicated, fellows should be encouraged to help victims to report act. Bullying culture blooming among health care providers challenges the quality care to patients, only by utilizing the significant role played by co-workers this research highlights ways to overcome risks to quality care and safety of patients.
Antenatal anticoagulant therapy and neonatal hemorrhagic syndrome. Case report.
Authors: Sagaidac Irina , Cernetchi Olga , Rotaru Dorina
Published: June 2021

Neonatal hemorrhagic syndrome, which affects several principal organs during the early neonatal period, denotes a deficiency of vitamin K and coagulation factors, respectively.This article presents the case of a patient that gave birth at term, who had congenital heart disease and required several prior surgical interventions including corrected transposition of the great vessels via ventricular septal defect (VSD) repair, atrial septal defect (in childhood) and tricuspid valve replacement (6 years ago), mitral regurgitation (MR), grade I pulmonary regurgitation (PR), grade II mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation, and grade II heart failure based on the New York Health Association (NYHA) classification. Throughout the pregnancy the patient administered large doses of anticoagulant, specifically Acenocumarolum, until the moment she gave birth. The vaginal delivery was spontaneous, contrary to the recommendations given to the pregnant woman in a secondary healthcare institution. At birth, the newborn was in satisfactory condition, with 8/9 on the Apgar score. However, the newborn’s condition worsened over time, suspected of having neonatal hemorrhagic syndrome caused by medications administered by the mother. Forty-eight hours after birth the newborn died.Anticoagulant therapy cannot be considered absolutely safe during pregnancy because it presents risks for the development of hemodynamic disorders, not only for the mother, but also for the newborn. In such cases, it is recommended that a multidisciplinary team work together to inform the mother about possible complications, collaboratively establish the duration of treatment with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), establish a plan for monitoring the pregnancy and determining in which institution the mother and newborn can benefit from qualified medical assistance, taking into consideration the higher incidence of perinatal mortality in such cases (10-30%).
Acupuncture as Adjunctive Therapy for Acute Renal Colic Caused by Urinary Calculi: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Cao Ying , Tu Jian-Feng , Shi Guang-Xia , Wang Li-Qiong , Jia Lian-Cheng , Li Bo , Liu Bao-Li , Yao Wei-Hai , Pei Xiao-Lu , Qu Zhi-Cheng , Liu Cun-Zhi
Published: June 2021

BackgroundAcute renal colic caused by urinary calculi (ARCUC) has a considerable impact on quality of life. Acupuncture might be a potential treatment option. However, the evidence is limited. We will conduct this trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture as adjunctive treatment to diclofenac for ARCUC.Methods/designA total of 80 eligible patients who are diagnosed of urinary stone renal colic will be randomly allocated to the acupuncture group or the sham acupuncture group. Each patient will receive 1 session of acupuncture or sham acupuncture. The primary outcome will be the response rate of patients achieving a reduction of >50% on visual analogue score (VAS) from baseline to 10 minutes after treatment. Secondary outcomes will include the VAS, remedial analgesia, re-visit and admission rate, blinding assessment, credibility and expectancy, and adverse event. All patients who receive randomization will be included in the intent-to-treat analysis.DiscussionThe finding of this trial will provide evidence on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treatment of ARCUC. The results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberChiCTR 1900025202. Registered on 16 August 2019. (http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=40496)
Two-Weeks of Twice-Daily Prism Adaptation Treatment does not Improve Posture or Gait in Parkinson’s Disease: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Bultitude Janet H , Pidgeon Dawna M , LeBlanc Pauline R , Jeffreys Charlotte A , Alexandre Faith P , Lee Stephen L
Published: June 2021

BackgroundGait difficulties in Parkinson’s disease have been related to problems shifting center of gravity forward. We previously showed reduced forward stepping latencies for people with Parkinson’s disease after one session of adaptation to upward visual shifts, which produces downward motor after-effects and potentially shifts center of gravity forward. Here we tested if repeated prism adaptation improved gait and postural control in Parkinson’s disease through a parallel, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial.MethodsWe recruited participants with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease aged 40 – 80 and meeting any one of three clinical criteria: 1) Hoehn and Yahr Stage II.5 – IV; 2) Scoring > 0 on the gait, freezing of gait, and/or postural stability items of the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale; or 3) Timed Up and Go > 12 seconds. Sealed envelope style randomization allocated participants to two weeks of twice-daily prism adaptation or sham treatment. Participants, care givers, and those assessing the outcomes were blinded to group assignment. Primary outcomes were changes in postural control measured using the Berg Balance Scale; and the Limits of Stability, Sensory Organisation, and Motor Control tests from the Smart EquiTest system. Secondary outcomes included other physiotherapy and questionnaire measures. Outcomes were assessed at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center immediately before and after the treatment period, with further long-term postal follow-up over two months. Outcomes were analysed using Analyses of Variance with follow-up t-tests. ResultsEighteen participants were allocated to undergo prism adaptation, of which sixteen were analysed. Thirteen participants were allocated to undergo sham treatment, and all were analysed. The prism adaptation group showed increased forward stepping velocity on the Limits of Stability test (Pre: M=2.33, SEM=0.24; post: M=2.88, SEM=0.26; t(15)=3.2, p=.005, d=.819). The sham group showed no such change (Pre: M=2.13, SEM=0.22; 1d post: M=2.24, SEM=0.22; t(13)=.636, p=.537, d=.176). However, there were no group differences for any other outcome measures, and no indications that prism adaptation produced functional improvements in posture, gait, or activities of daily living. ConclusionsPrism adaptation does not improve gait or postural control in Parkinson’s disease. Trial RegistrationRegistered prospectively at ClinicalTrials.gov, 5th March 2015, NCT02380859, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02380859.
Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula Guilu Xian on in vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer Outcome in Older Women with Low Prognosis: Study Protocol for a Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized Double-Blind Study
Authors: Sun Zhengao , Ma Yingjie , Cao Xianling , Zhang Yi , Gao Dandan , Wang Xinlei , Li Li
Published: June 2021

IntroductionIn recent years, the prevalence of infertility has significantly increased and has become a global reproductive health problem. The female ovarian reserves have been shown to decrease progressively with an increase in age. Besides, the rate of embryo implantation and clinical pregnancy also decreases. Traditional Chinese medicine has been widely applied in assisted reproductive technology. It is reported to have a significant influence on improving the quality of oocytes, improving endometrial receptivity, increasing clinical pregnancy rate, reducing pregnancy-related complications, etc. Therefore, this study will investigate the effect of Guilu Xian, a traditional Chinese medicine formula on IVF-ET outcome in older women with low prognosis.Methods and analysisThis trial is a prospective, multicenter, randomized double-blind clinical trial. A total of 120 infertile patients with low prognosis and receiving IVF or ICSI in 3 public hospitals in China will be randomly divided into two parallel groups: Guilu Xian group (n = 60) and placebo group (n = 60). Patients in both groups will be treated with antagonist regimens to promote ovulation, and all the patients will be required to take the medication from the 2nd to 4th day of the menstrual cycle to the day of egg retrieval. A comparison of the total number of oocytes obtained, the fertilization rate, clinical pregnancy rate, embryo quality, embryo implantation rate and early spontaneous abortion rate between the experimental group and the placebo group will be performed. This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ChiCTR1900028255).
Cosmetic Stay-green Trait in Snap Bean and the Event Cascade That Reduces Seed Germination and Emergence
Authors: Cirak Melike , Myers James R.
Published: June 2021

The persistent color (pc) trait in snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a member of the stay-green gene family and falls into the cosmetic subclass. Cosmetic stay-green variants remain green but lose photosynthetic competence during senescence. It is an economically useful trait in snap bean as a result of its effects on pod quality. The trait produces a dark-green, uniform appearance of fresh pods, but has other pleiotropic effects, including a light-green seed color, bleached-white cotyledons on emergence, and foliage and pods that remain green even while senescing. One additional pleiotropic effect is reduced field germination and emergence compared with white- and colored-seeded genotypes. Nevertheless, with the aid of seed-applied fungicides, pc types occupy ≈40% of commercial snap bean acreage in the United States. This research project was aimed at understanding why and how germination and emergence is affected in pc beans. The effect is thought to be related to soil-borne pathogens because fungicide treatment of pc seeds increases germination and emergence rates to levels comparable to treated white- and colored-seeded genotypes. For our experiments, we increased seeds of 45 experimental lines and commercial cultivars (25 of which were pc) under uniform growing conditions. Initial experiments documented that, in the laboratory, all seeds analyzed in a tetrazolium test had high viability. Furthermore, untreated seeds of pc and non-pc types germinated in the laboratory showed no difference in germinability, whereas in the field, germination of pc types was reduced significantly. In addition, pc types showed substantially greater infection rates of seeds and seedlings, with the main pathogen being Fusarium oxysporum Schl. f. sp. phaseoli Kendrick & Snyder. Water uptake by green pc seeds was significantly more rapid than white and colored seeds. Measurements of electrical conductivity revealed that pc types had greater solute leakage than other seed types. When seed anatomic structure was examined, pc types had a significantly thinner testa, especially the osteosclereid layer. The reduction in germination and emergence appears to begin with a thinner, more fragile testa showing increased cracking that may happen during seed harvest and conditioning (but certainly does happen during imbibition), allowing more rapid water uptake during germination that leads to testa rupture. Increased and rapid solute diffusion into the surrounding spermosphere stimulates and attracts pathogens to colonize the seeds before seedlings can become established. Seed handling and conditioning processes before planting could be modified to improve field emergence and stand establishment. Selection for thicker testa may also mitigate some of the damage observed during germination of pc cultivars.
Extended residual coherence with a financial application
Authors: Zhang Xuze , Kedem Benjamin
Published: June 2021

Residual coherence is a graphical tool for selecting potential second-order interaction terms as functions of a single time series and its lags. This paper extends the notion of residual coherence to account for interaction terms of multiple time series. Moreover, an alternative criterion, integrated spectrum, is proposed to facilitate this graphical selection. A financial market application shows that new insights can be gained regarding implied market volatility.
Estimating completion and breakoff functions in a business web survey
Authors: Žmuk Berislav
Published: June 2021

A business web survey should be of an appropriate length. On the one hand it should include all the questions which are important to the researcher, but on the other hand, it should not be too long as the breakoff rate in this case tends to be high, resulting in a low response rate. In consequence, the researcher is forced to invest more time and money in order to reach a sample size which would enable an appropriately performed statistical analysis. In this paper, completion and breakoff times are observed and compared across different questionnaire and respondent characteristics. A regression modelling approach has been adopted to estimate the completion and breakoff functions to help a researcher determine which respondents completed a questionnaire and which broke it off too quickly or too slowly. By omitting such respondents, a researcher is able to obtain the relevant estimates more efficiently. In addition, the completion and breakoff functions offer a better insight into the completion and breakoff development rates, allowing the researcher to make a better-informed decision as to whether the survey requires any modifications or not.
A Bayes algorithm for model compatibility and comparison of ARMA(p,q) models
Authors: Tripathi Praveen Kumar , Sen Rijji , Upadhyay S. K.
Published: June 2021

The paper presents a Bayes analysis of an autoregressive-moving average model and its components based on exact likelihood and weak priors for the parameters where the priors are defined so that they incorporate stationarity and invertibility restrictions naturally. A Gibbs-Metropolis hybrid scheme is used to draw posterior-based inferences for the models under consideration. The compatibility of the models with the data is examined using the Ljung-Box-Pierce chi-square-based statistic. The paper also compares different compatible models through the posterior predictive loss criterion in order to recommend the most appropriate one. For a numerical illustration of the above, data on the Indian gross domestic product growth rate at constant prices are considered. Differencing the data once prior to conducting the analysis ensured their stationarity. Retrospective short-term predictions of the data are provided based on the final recommended model. The considered methodology is expected to offer an easy and precise method for economic data analysis.
Spatial sampling methods modified by model use1
Authors: ak Tomasz B
Published: June 2021

Recent years have seen an intensive development in the field of spatial sampling methods, which generally focus on a balanced distribution of the sample in space. Adaptive sampling methods constitute another dynamic direction in the sampling theory. The issue raised in this article involves the combination of these directions. Five of the commonly known spatial sampling methods have been analysed. The experiment was designed to include statistical model in the sampling procedure. As in the case of adaptive methods, it serves to modify drawing probabilities during sampling. The necessary theory of this sampling modification has been developed and presented. An experiment using artificial data was conducted in order to analyse the efficiency of the model modification in comparison with the primary methods.
The relationship between ideology and voting preferences in the time perspective: An indicator of the ideological maturation of a young democracy?
Authors: Milas Goran , Milčić Boris
Published: June 2021

Much research has been conducted on the relationship between ideology, voter preferences and electoral choice. However, due to the complexity of the relationship, differences in the understanding of ideology and the diversity of political systems, the issue has not yet been fully explored. Current research approaches the problems by monitoring the dynamics of change in the association between ideological position and party preferences over time in Croatia. Data for the study were collected in three surveys conducted in 2003 (N=1248), 2014 (N=1000) and 2016 (N=750) on nationally representative samples of the Croatian adult population. The ideological position of an individual was measured in two ways, using General Social Attitude Scale (SAS_G) and left-right dimension self-placement. Political party preferences were measured by the reported electoral choice in the previous elections and the expressed voting choice in the forthcoming elections. The results of the current study indicate a ste-ady increase in the correlation between ideological factors and political preferences over the years. In the paper we argue that the observed increase in the corresponden-ce between one’s own ideology and the preference for a political party could be an additional indicator of democratic consolidation in transitional and post-transitional countries like Croatia. However, unlike the democratic consolidation taking place on the outside and involving the construction of democratic institutions, this is a change in the minds of citizens who broaden and deepen their political culture, knowledge of ideology, political competence and are becoming more aware of implications of their own electoral decisions.
ATTITUDES ABOUT CANNABIS AND CANNABIS USE IN TWO CONSECUTIVE STUDIES AMONG THE GENERAL POPULATION IN CROATIA
Authors: Glavak Tkalić Renata , Razum Josip , Wertag Anja
Published: June 2021

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Croatia. Although some peo-ple seem to use cannabis without adverse consequences, widespread cannabis use still poses a significant burden on public health. The aims of this study ware to determine if prevalence of cannabis use and cannabis attitudes changed between the two study waves, and to determine wich groups regarding cannabis user and attitudes exist in the Croatian general population and did they change between the two study waves. The re-search was conducted on two representative samples of Croatian citizens aged betwe-en 15 and 64 years, first collected in 2011 (N=4756), and second in 2015 (N=4992). Cross-sectional design was employed, and face-to-face survey was used in data collec-tion. In the current study, data on the prevalence and extent of cannabis use, attitudes on cannabis use and policies regarding cannabis use, risk perception of cannabis use, as well as relevant characteristics of respondents were used. Data were analyzed using confidence intervals and latent class analysis (LCA). Cannabis use increased between the two study waves and the attitudes became more favorable. Three classes were obta-ined in the LCA in both waves: “non-users – cannabis conservative” (the biggest cla-ss), “rare to occasional users – cannabis liberal” (medium sized class) and “moderate to heavy users – very cannabis liberal” (the smallest class). The size of classes changed between the waves, with the latter two classes increasing in size in 2015. Results are discussed in the context of recent legal and societal events in Croatian society which might have driven the discovered changes in cannabis use and attitudes. Key words: attitudes about cannabis, cannabis use, prevalence of cannabis use, ge-neral population, Croatia
One loop verification of SMEFT Ward Identities
Authors: corbett Tyler , Trott Michael
Published: June 2021

We verify Standard Model Effective Field Theory Ward identities
to one loop order when background field gauge is used to quantize the theory.
The results we present lay the foundation of next to leading order automatic generation of results
in the SMEFT, in both the perturbative and non-perturbative expansion using the geoSMEFT
formalism, and background field gauge.
Quantitative analysis of the impacts of climate and land-cover changes on urban flood runoffs: a case of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Authors: Mzava Philip , Valimba Patrick , Nobert Joel
Published: June 2021

Over the past half-century, the risk of urban flooding in Dar es Salaam has increased due to changes in land cover coupled with climatic changes. This paper aimed to quantify the impacts of climate and land-cover changes on the magnitudes and frequencies of flood runoffs in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A calibrated and validated SWAT rainfall-runoff model was used to generate flood hydrographs for the period 1969–2050 using historical rainfall data and projected rainfall based on the CORDEX-Africa regional climate model. Results showed that climate change has a greater impact on change in peak flows than land-cover change when the two are treated separately in theory. It was observed that, in the past, the probability of occurrence of urban flooding in the study area was likely to be increased up to 1.5-fold by climate change relative to land-cover change. In the future, this figure is estimated to decrease to 1.1-fold. The coupled effects of climate and land-cover changes cause a much bigger impact on change in peak flows than any separate scenario; this scenario represents the actual scenario on the ground. From the combined effects of climate and land-cover changes, the magnitudes of mean peak flows were determined to increase between 34.4 and 58.6% in the future relative to the past. However, the change in peak flows from combined effects of climate and land-cover changes will decrease by 36.3% in the future relative to the past; owing to the lesser variations in climate and land-cover changes in the future compared with those of the past.
Remote sensing applications for reservoir water level monitoring, sustainable water surface management, and environmental risks in Quang Nam province, Vietnam
Authors: Quang Dinh Nhat , Linh Nguyen Khanh , Tam Ho Sy , Viet Nguyen Trung
Published: June 2021

Monitoring surface water provides vital information in water management; however, limited data is a fundamental challenge for most developing countries, such as Vietnam. Based on advanced remote sensing technologies, the authors proposed a methodology to process satellite images and use their outcomes to extract surface water in water resource management of Quang Nam province. Results of the proposed study show good agreement with in situ measurement data when the obtained Overall Accuracy and Kappa Coefficient were greater than 90% and 0.99, respectively. Three potential applications based on the surface water results are selected to discuss sustainable water management in Quang Nam province. Firstly, reservoir operating processes can be examined, enhanced, and even developed through long-term extracted water levels, which are the interpolation results between the extracted surface water area and the water level–area–volume curve. Secondly, the long-term morphological change for the Truong Giang river case between 1990 and 2019 can also be detected from the Water Frequency Index performance and provided additional information regarding permanent and seasonal water changes. Lastly, the flood inundation extent was extracted and separated from permanent water to assess the damage of the Mirinae typhoon on 2 November 2009 in terms of population and crop aspects.
Degradation and Mineralization of Pesticide Isoprocarb by Electro Fenton Process
Authors:   Université de Rennes 1, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes, CNRS, Bakhti Hayet ,   Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Laboratoire de Chimie Analytique et  d’Électrochimie, Ben Hamida Najib ,   Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Laboratoire de Chimie Analytique et  d’Électrochimie, Hauchard Didier ,   Université de Rennes 1, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes, CNRS
Published: June 2021

Electro Fenton with volumic cathode consisting of granules of carbon graphite was applied to degrade the insecticide Isoprocarb in aqueous solutions. The effects of various factors including current intensity and pesticide initial concentration were investigated in order to obtain the best experimental conditions for its degradation and mineralization. Kinetic studies determined that the insecticide removal followed a pseudo first order. The absolute rate constant for the oxidation of Isoprocarb by hydroxyl radicals were determined as 3.32 × 109 L mol−1 s−1 by competitive kinetics method taking benzoic acid as reference compound. In this work, we have also studied the mineralization of aqueous solutions of this insecticide in term of total organic carbon (TOC). After 3 hours of electrolysis, and at I = 800 mA, more than 40 % of the organic carbon presented in the solution is mineralized. Various aromatic by-products, principally formed by oxidation of the pesticide, accompanied by hydroxylation of the aromatic cycle, have been identified. Thus, the oxidative opening of the aromatic ring leads to the formation of carboxylic acids and nitrate ions. The biodegradability of Isoprocarb is estimated by the measurement of its Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5