bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A preliminary assessment of microplastic occurrence and their potential risk as pollutant transport vectors: A case study in Phu Ly, Ha Nam, Vietnam
Authors: Thanh Thao Le , Thuy Tram Nguyen , Thu Ha Hoang Thi , Leermakers Martine , Ngo Huong Thi Thuy
Published: January 2023

Nowadays, microplastics are a global concern due to their potential environmental risks. However, there is currently a scarcity of data on the presence and health risks of microplastics in Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam. This study investigated the levels of microplastics (MPs) in surface waters and sediments in Phu Ly, Ha Nam, Vietnam. MP concentrations range from 0.17 to 6.2 µg L− 1 in surface water and 3.74 to 31.23 mg kg− 1 wet-weight of sediment, respectively. Nine trace metals (TMs), including Cd, Pb, Co, Ni, Mn, Cr, As, Cu, and Zn, were detected to associate with MPs in surface water in a concentration range of 0.0004–42.75 mg/g. We hypothesized that the TMs adsorbed on the surface of MPs were strongly correlated with environmental pollution levels and hydrodynamic conditions. MPs can be viewed as transport vehicles for TMs in the aquatic environment. The link between AMR bacteria/ genes and MPs is weak, but the role of MPs in the transportation of those risks cannot be dismissed. Although the HQs of TMs associated with MPs in this study were less than 1, indicating low health risks from the pollutants, regular monitoring of MPs and other environmental concerns such as TMs and AMR are needed due to the high mobility of MPs in the ecological system.
Clinical impact of the Accelerate PhenoTest® BC system on patients with Gram-negative bacteremia and high risk of antimicrobial resistance: A prospective before-after implementation study
Authors: Tal Brosh-Nissimov , Anka Tzur , Daniel Grupel , Amos Cahan , Nir Ma'aravi , Maya Heled-Akiva , Hassan Joamis , Hanna Leskes , Barenboim Erez , Nadav Sorek
Published: January 2023

Background: The Accelerate PhenoTest® BC system (AXDX) is a novel assay for rapid bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility (AST). We report an evaluation of its impact on treatment of patients with Gram-negative bacteremia (GNB) with a high risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Methods: A prospective single-center evaluation before and after implementation of AXDX in addition to standard-of-care (SOC) microbiology and antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). Patients with GNB reported during laboratory working hours and prespecified risk factors for AMR were included. The primary outcome was an ASP-oriented beneficial antimicrobial change, defined as either an escalation of an inappropriate empiric treatment or de-escalation of a broad-spectrum treatment of a susceptible organism. Main secondary outcomes were time to an appropriate treatment, antimicrobial treatment duration, length of stay (LOS) and mortality.
Results: Included were 46 and 57 patients in the pre- and post-intervention periods, respectively. The median time to an AST-oriented beneficial change was 29.2 hours vs. 49.6 hours, respectively (p<0.0001). There were no significant differences in the time to appropriate treatment, LOS or mortality. Antimicrobial treatment duration was longer during the intervention period (10 vs. 8 days, p=0.007). AXDX failed to correctly identify pathogens in all 6 cases of polymicrobial bacteremia. In two cases patient care was potentially compromised due to inappropriate de-escalation.
Conclusions: AXDX implementation resulted in a 20.4-hour shorter time to an ASP-oriented beneficial antimicrobial change. This should be weighed against the higher costs, the lack of other proven clinical benefits and the potential harm from mis-identification of polymicrobial bacteremias.
Low frequency electrical waves in ensembles of proteinoid microspheres
Authors: Mougkogiannis Panagiotis , Adamatzky Andrew
Published: January 2023

Proteinoids (thermal proteins) are produced by heating amino acids to their melting point and initiation of polymerisation to produce polymeric chains. Amino acid-like molecules, or proteinoids, can condense at high temperatures to create aggregation structures called proteinoid microspheres, which have been reported to exhibit strong electrical oscillations. When the amino acids L-Glutamic acid (L-Glu) and L-Aspartic acid (L-Asp) were combined with electric fields of varying frequencies and intensities, electrical activity resulted. We recorded electrical activity of the proteinoid microspheres’ ensembles via a pair of differential electrodes. This is analogous to extracellular recording in physiology or EEG in neuroscience but at micro-level. We discovered that the ensembles produce spikes of electrical potential, an average duration of each spike is 26 min and average amplitude is 1 mV. The spikes are typically grouped in trains of two spikes. The electrical activity of the ensembles can be tuned by external stimulation because ensembles of proteinoid microspheres can generate and propagate electrical activity when exposed to electric fields.
Immunotoxicity of methanol extract of Entomopathogenic fungi, Aspergillus niger (OM514698) against House fly (Musca domestica) larva
Authors: MANICKKAM JAYAKUMAR , MOSES JEMIMAH PERSIS
Published: January 2023

The entomopathogenic fungus obtained from insect cadaver was identified using preliminary morphological identification and species confirmation using DNA extraction by CTAB method. The entomopathogenic fungus strain was identified as Aspergillus niger (OM514698). Methanolic extract of fungal pathogen A. niger (OM514698) was tested against larval populations of House fly, Musca domestica at five different concentrations. At higher concentration (2%), 62% mortality was observed. The LC50 and LC90 values were 1.56% and 3.18% respectively. The interaction between the toxic metabolites and the housefly larva were studied based on their immune response. The immune response includes Total Haemocyte Count (THC), Differential Haemocyte Count (DHC), Phenoloxidase activity. The Total Haemocyte Count (943.7cells/mm3) decreased in comparison with control (1774.6 cells/mm3). Five different types of cells such as Prohaemocytes, Plasmatocytes, Granulocytes, Spherulocytes and Oenocytoids were observed. In the current study, the number of prohaemocytes, granulocytes, spherulocytes and oenocytoids were increased in treated than control. Phenoloxidase activity increased than control when treated with methanol extracts of A. niger (OM514698). GC-MS analysis of methanol extracts of A. niger have shown two major compounds such as 3-Deoxy-d-mannitol (37.34%) and d-Mannose (30.77%). The results specify that methanol extract from A. niger (OM514698) could be used as immunosuppressant in the management of House fly larval population.
Seismic event classification based on a two-step convolutional neural network
Authors: Yue Long , Qu Junhao , Zhou Shaohui , Qu Bao’an , Zhang Yanwei , Xu Qingfeng
Published: January 2023

The identification of unnatural earthquake events is one of the tasks of earthquake rapid report. The identification accuracy is of great significance for improving the quality of earthquake catalogue and seismological research. In this work, a seven-layer convolution neural network model was constructed to identify unnatural earthquakes. First, the three-component seismic waveform was used as input to obtain the waveform image classifier, and then the time-frequency spectrum of explosion and collapse was used as input to obtain the time-frequency spectrum classifier. The two classifiers were used to identify earthquake, explosion and collapse. The model was trained and tested using 3386 seismic events of Shandong seismic network from 2017 to 2022. The events identified as explosion events by the waveform image classifier were reidentified by the time-frequency spectrum classifier. Finally, the identification accuracy of natural earthquake, explosion and collapse is 97.50%, 95.87% and 86.84% respectively, with an average identification accuracy of 96.13%. The experimental results show that the two-step convolution neural network can extract the characteristics of seismic signals from different angles, and get a good result in seismic event classification.
Azotobacter chroococcum encapsulated Chitosan/PVA composite nanofiber coated seeds for enhancing germination, seedling vigor and growth of green gram (Vigna radiata)
Authors: S KUMUTHAN M , A Lakshmanan , KG Sabarinathan , KS Subramanian , M Latha , K Raja , M Gomathi
Published: January 2023

Seed treatment with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is an idyllic tool for improving germination, growth and productivity of crop. However, the maintenance of viable microorganisms in biofertilizers is a major issue during the seed and soil application. In this work, a superlative methodology was made for encapsulation of Azotobacter chroococcum in Chitosan/Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite nanofiber by electrospin technique and evaluated its effect in improving green gram seed quality. The morphology and functional group of microbes loaded in Chitosan/PVA nanofibers were characterized and confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscope and FT-IR. The results of microbial plating technique showed that nanofiber has maintained the viability of microbes for prolonged time. In addition, Exopolysaccharide and IAA production by Azotobacter chroococcum loaded in nanofiber was estimated and found with constructive outcomes. The bio-efficacy studies exposed that the seeds coated with Azotobacter chroococcum loaded nanofiber, improved the germination percentage, seedling vigor, plant height, plant root length, plant biomass, nodule count and nodules fresh weight. This study concluded that immobilizing PGPR bacteria in nanofiber could improve prolonged shelf-life of microbes and as a potential seed invigoration technique for smart delivery of microbes, and efficient colonization at rhizosphere for better emergence and growth.
Non-destructive Detection of Total Acid of Red Globe Grapes Based on Map Fusion Technique
Authors: GAO SHENG , XU Jianhua
Published: January 2023

Total acid is an important indicator of the internal quality of red globe grapes. This paper proposed a non-destructive method for the determination of total acid of red globe grapes based on hyperspectral fusion technique. A non-linear LSSVM prediction model based on spectral information, image information and the fusion of the two was built respectively for total acid. The results showed that the MSC-CARS-SPA-LSSVM model of samples about total acid built by fusing the spectra after feature wavelength extraction using the MSC-CARS-SPA algorithm and the image information after dimensionality reduction by the PCA algorithm using the graph fusion technique worked best. The correlation coefficients of the prediction sets of the optimal LSSVM model was 0.9907, which improved the accuracy over the unilateral models based on spectral or image information. A new method for nondestructive detection of total acid of red globe grapes by map fusion technique was discovered.
RETRACTED: Breast Cancer Classification using Improved Hybrid Model by Leveraging Slime Mould Algorithm and Whale Optimization Algorithm
Authors: VAKA ANJI REDDY , Vaka Anji Reddy , Soni Badal , Abualigah Laith
Published: January 2023

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Early Desaturation is a Predictor of Mortality in COPD
Authors: García-Talavera Ignacio , Figueira Juan Marco , Golpe Rafael , Esteban Cristobal , Amado Carlos , Aramburu Amaia , Perez Lina , Conde-Martel Alicia
Published: January 2023

Background Oxygen desaturation during exercise is mainly observed in severe cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is associated with a worse prognosis, but little is known about the type of desaturation that causes the greatest risk of mortality.
Purpose of the research Does early desaturation produce higher mortality than other type of desaturation.?
Basic procedures We studied all of the 6-minute walk tests performed periodically at a tertiary hospital over a period of 12 years in patients with moderate or severe COPD. We classified patients as non-desaturators if they did not suffer a drop in oxygen saturation (SpO2 <88%) during the test, early desaturators if the time until desaturation was <1 minute, and late desaturators if it was longer than 1 minute. The average length of follow-up per patient was 5.6 years.
Main Findings Of the 319 patients analyzed, 126 non-desaturators, 91 non-early desaturators and 102 early desaturators were identified. The mortality analysis showed that early desaturators had a mortality of 73%, while it was 38% for non-early desaturators and 28% for non-desaturators, with a survival of 5.9 years compared to 7.5 years and 9.6 years, respectively (hazard ratio of 3.50; CI 95% 2.3-5.3; p <0.0001).
Principal Conclusions The early desaturation seen in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is associated with greater mortality and is likely responsible for the poor prognosis shown globally in patients who desaturate. Patients with early desaturation have an almost 4-year shorter survival with respect to non-desaturators, and they thus require closer observation.
Adaptive Holt Winter Autoregressive Model for IoT Forecasting
Authors: Sawalha Samer , Al-Naymat Ghazi
Published: January 2023

In business and industry, forecasting the future values of a time series is an age-old and widely utilized data analysis strategy. IoT temporal data, used in various applications, is one of the most well-known examples of such a time series. The main problem is to forecast a future window of the data using the provided IoT temporal data. Many forecasting models that deal with such data were proposed, such as Rolling Window, SVR-RBF, ARIMA, etc. However, in the training process, these models use all available data or a previous direct window of data. As a result, the training data may contain irrelevant data patterns to the current situation, lowering the total forecasting accuracy. This paper proposes a new adaptive forecasting model called AHW-SWA by creating two models based on the Exponential Smoothing method. The first model is trained using the previous direct window of data. The second model uses an extracted data window from the far historical data with a pattern most similar to the current situation. Then an adaptive process is used to balance the predicted values from both models to achieve higher accuracy. AHW-SWA model reduces the overall forecasting error by comparing the extracted and the latest data patterns. Our model outperforms well-known models, including Rolling Window, SVR-RBF, and ARIMA.
Owner attitudes and landscape parameters drive stand structure and valuable habitats in small-scale private forests of Lower Saxony (Germany)
Authors: Hansen Peter , Tiebel Malin , Plieninger Tobias , Mölder Andreas
Published: January 2023

Small-scale private forests cover large areas in Europe and often contain structures and habitats of high nature conservation value that are increasingly put under pressure due to a rising interest in fuelwood and wood products. We investigate the distribution of variables like living wood and deadwood volumes, management intensity, diversity and density of tree-related microhabitats recorded in 81 small-scale private forest parcels in the Lower Saxon Hills (northwest Germany). We provide an assessment of the influence of predictors like the individual forest owners’ goals and activities, as stated by them in a quantitative survey, as well as topographical parameters like parcel size, slope, landscape fragmentation and forest continuity. Our results indicate that there are two types of valuable structures in small-scale private forests: (a) slowly evolving structures like large-diameter living wood and tree-related microhabitats which mostly depend on topographical parameters that act on longer time scales, and (b) fast evolving structures like deadwood that are influenced by both owner attitudes and topographical parameters. The resulting implications for integrative forest and conservation management are discussed.
Myocardial rotational mechanics assessed by echocardiography and myocardial fibrosis are related to the formation of apical aneurysms in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Dai Silu , Wu Lina , Shi Wenqiang , Qin Junchang , Zhang Tao , Hou Suyun , Gao Ke , Han Zhengyang , Zhang Ruifang , Duan Huican
Published: January 2023

Objectives：Apical aneurysm is a high-risk subgroup in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We aimed to explore the change of left ventricular (LV) function and myocardial fibrosis and the relationship between them and the formation of apical aneurysms in patients with HCM.
Methods and results: The study enrolled 25 HCM patients without apical aneurysms and 20 HCM patients with apical aneurysms. The presence of an apical aneurysm was determined by echocardiography or CMR. LV function was assessed by speckle-tracking echocardiography and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was assessed by CMR. Patients with HCM in two groups had similar left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strain (GCS), global radial strain (GRS), and global area strain (GAS). However, HCM patients with apical aneurysms had worse twist (7.49 ± 4.52° vs. 11.82 ± 5.55°, P=0.007), torsion (1.32 ± 0.81°/cm vs. 2.34 ± 0.98°/cm, P=0.001), and higher LGE than HCM patients without apical aneurysms. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that torsion (OR: 21.23; 95% CI: 1.27 to 354.26; P=0.03) and LGE (OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.36; P=0.03) were independent parameters of apical aneurysm events in patients with HCM. When applying a cutoff value of 1.25° for torsion and LGE into a baseline model with clinical and conventional echocardiographic parameters, the new model showed a significant incremental value of torsion and LGE (P<0.001) in identifying apical aneurysm events in HCM patients. The C-statistic for this model increased from 0.65 to 0.90 when adding torsion and LGE.
Conclusion: HCM patients with apical aneurysms have impaired rotational mechanics and more pronounced fibrosis. Torsion and LGE are independent markers of apical aneurysm events in patients with HCM and could provide incremental value to baseline models in identifying apical aneurysms.
Trends in BMI-metabolic phenotypes in the United States from 1999-2018 using three definitions for metabolic health
Authors: Choi Daesung , Gujral Unjali , Narayan KM Venkat , Patel Shivani
Published: January 2023

Objective: While a rise in bodyweight obesity has been clearly documented in US adults, changes in metabolically unhealthy obesity have not been well-studied. We report national trends in composite metabolic bodyweight phenotypes in the United States using three different criteria to define metabolic unhealthy status.
Methods: Individuals ages 30-79 assessed in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2018 were analyzed. Adults were categorized into six groups based on body mass index (BMI) and metabolic morbidity using three definitions: Adult Treatment Panel criteria-III (ATP-III), a strict definition, and insulin resistance. We estimated the age-standardized prevalence of six metabolic-BMI phenotypes and proportion of metabolically unhealthy status within each BMI classification between over time.
Results: We found considerable heterogeneity by the definition of metabolic morbidity. The prevalence of metabolic morbidity based on ATP-III and the strict definitions were stable from 1999-2018. However, the prevalence of metabolically unhealthy individuals considerably increased over the study period in all sample and weight categories when insulin resistance was used.
Conclusions: Despite the overall increase in metabolically unhealthy obesity over time, the pattern varied considerably among the three definitions for unhealthy metabolic health.
Exposure of a lead smelter in East Java, Indonesia: Characteristic, spatial distribution and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in soils
Authors: Lestiani Diah Dwiana , Syahfitri Woro Yatu Niken , Adventini Natalia , Kurniawati Syukria , Damastuti Endah , Santoso Muhayatun , Biswas Biplab , Mukhtar Rita
Published: January 2023

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Tailoring of Structural and Optical Properties of Electrosprayed β-Ga2O3 Nanostructures via Self- Assembly
Authors: Kumar Ashish , Singh Lokendra , Bag Ankush
Published: January 2023

The present article demonstrates the fabrication of various β-Gallium Oxide (Ga2O3) nanostructures (NSs) by low-cost and scalable electrospraying (ES) methods via self-assembly (SA). The effect of the annealing sequences on the self-assembled β-Ga2O3 NSs has been detailed. The comparative studies of NSs and nanoflakes (NFs) growth with annealing effect at different stages of self-assembly time (SAT) have been explored further. The fabricated NSs and NFs have been investigated using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The comparative study of categorized growth samples shows better crystalline quality when moving from the category 1 (C1) sample to the category 3 (C3) sample. The annealing sequences with SAT play a significant role in crystal formation and its quality, optical properties, and morphology of the Ga2O3 NSs. The optical properties of NSs have been derived from the normal incidence of absorbance measurements. The maximum observed energy band gap is ~5.40 eV. Traps and impurities play a critical role in the formation and deformation of energy bands in crystals. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra further reveal the variation in the intensity of luminescence of different emission bands due to the variation in the number of defect states and impurities in the NSs.
Functional connectivity alterations in patients with post-stroke epilepsy based on source-level EEG and graph theory
Authors: Lee Dong Ah , Jang Taeik , Kang Jaeho , Park Seongho , Park Kang Min
Published: January 2023

Purpose:We investigated the differences in functional connectivity based on the source-level electroencephalography (EEG) analysis between stroke patients with and without post-stroke epilepsy (PSE).
Methods: Thirty stroke patients with PSE and 35 stroke patients without PSE were enrolled. EEG was conducted during a resting state period. We used a Brainstorm program for source estimation and the connectivity matrix. Data were processed according to EEG frequency bands. We used a BRAPH program to apply a graph theoretical analysis.
Results: In the beta band, radius and diameter were increased in patients with PSE than in those without PSE (2.699 vs. 2.579, p=0.003; 2.261 vs. 2.171, p=0.003). In the low gamma band, radius was increased in patients with PSE than in those without PSE (2.808 vs. 2.617, p=0.004). In the high gamma band, the radius, diameter, eccentricity, and characteristic path length were increased (1.828 vs. 1.559, p=0.001; 2.653 vs. 2.306, p=0.002; 2.212 vs. 1.913, p=0.001; 1.425 vs. 1.286, p=0.002), whereas average strength, global efficiency, local efficiency, mean clustering coefficient, and transitivity were decreased in patients with PSE than in those without PSE (49.955 vs. 55.055, p=0.001; 0.756 vs. 0.827, p=0.001; 4.795 vs. 5.741, p=0.002; 0.727 vs. 0.810, p=0.001; 1.091 vs. 1.215, p=0.001). However, in the delta, theta, and alpha bands, none of the functional connectivity measures were different between groups.
Conclusion: We demonstrated significant alterations of functional connectivity in patients with PSE, who have decreased segregation and integration in brain network, compared to those without PSE.
Soil-Solid Raft Interaction Analysis Subjected To Seismic Forces
Authors: Prabhu Prasad , Mutalikdesai V. G.
Published: January 2023

The response of a raft foundation to seismic loading, and examines the changes in soil consideration and importance factor suggested in the latest seismic codes, IS 1893-2002 and IS 1893-2016. The two methods of analysis suggested by IS 2950-1981 code, rigid and flexible approaches for vertical and evenly distributed loads are examined. Literature review reveals that soil-structure interaction and finite element analysis are used in analysis and design of raft foundation. A case study is conducted to compare the manual calculations and rigid method with finite element methods and soft computing techniques. The results of the study conclude that the deflection, bending moment and soil pressure per meter width are effectively expressed in terms of relative stiffness factor, and that the magnitude of maximum bending moment increases with increase in the relative stiffness. The established variation patterns of contact pressures may not be applicable for raft under dynamic loading condition.
One-step Multiple Kernel k−means Clustering Based on Block Diagonal Property
Authors: Chen Cuiling , Wei Jian , Li Zhi
Published: January 2023

Multiple kernel k-means clustering (MKKC) can effiffifficiently incorporate multiple base kernels to generate an optimal kernel. However, many existing MKKC methods all need two-step operation: learning clustering indicator matrix and performing clustering on it. These results are not necessarily optimal because the optimal values of two steps are not equivalent to those of original problem. To address this issue, in this paper we propose a novel algorithm named one-step multiple kernel k-means clustering based on block diagonal property(OSMKKC-BD). By imposing a block diagonal constraint on the product of indicator matrix and its transpose and enhancing its block diagonalization, this algorithm can promote the indicator matrix to get explicit clustering indicator, so as to implement one-step clustering. Furthermore, a simple kernel weighting strategy is used to obtain an optimal kernel, and boosts the quality of optimal kernel. In addition, a three-step iterative algorithm is designed to solve the corresponding optimization problem, in which the Riemann conjugate gradient iterative method is used to solve the optimization problem about the indicator matrix. Finally, by extensive experiments on ten real data sets and comparison of clustering results with the state-of-the-art MKKC methods, it is concluded that OSMKKC-BD is effffective.
Statistical games to predict mortality and length of hospital stay after cardiac surgery
Authors: Tzikos Georgios , Alexiou Ioannis , Tsagkaropoulos Sokratis , Menni Alexandra-Eleftheria , Chatziantoniou Georgios , Papavramidis Theodosios , Grosomanidis Vasilios , Stavrou George , Kotzampassi Katerina
Published: January 2023

Purpose
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are widely accepted indices positively correlated with the disease severity, progression, and mortality. Since in a previous study we had correlated nutritional parameters with morbidity and mortality in cardiac surgery patients, we decided to perform a post-hoc analysis to test whether these parameters are also correlated with the NLR and PLR indices.
Methods
NLR and PLR were calculated on days 0, 3, 5, and 7 postoperatively. ROC curve was generated to assess their prognostic value and multivariate logistic analysis to identify independent risk factors for 90day mortality.
Results
Analysis was performed on 179 patients-data, 11 of which (6.15%) died within 90 days. The discriminatory performance for predicting 90day mortality was better for NLR7 (AUC = 0.925, 95%CI: 0.865–0.984) than for NLR5 (AUC = 0.810, 95%CI: 0.678–0.942), the respective cut-off points being 7.10 and 6.60. PLR3 exhibited a significantly strong discriminatory performance (AUC = 0.714, 95%CI: 0.581–0.847), with a cut-off point of 126.34. Similarly, a significant discriminative performance was prominent for PLR3, NLR5, and NLR7 with respect to the length of hospital stay. Moreover, NLR7 (OR: 2.143, 95% CI: 1.076–4.267, p = 0.030) and ICU length of stay (OR:1.361, 95% CI: 1.045–1.774, p = 0.022) were significant independent risk factors.
Conclusion
NLR and PLR are efficient predictive factors for 90day mortality and hospital length of stay in cardiac surgery patients. Owing to the simplicity of determining NLR and PLR, their postoperative monitoring may offer a reliable predictor of patients’ outcomes in terms of length of stay and mortality.
Does Top Management Competencies, Internal Control Systems, and E-procurement Contributes to Procurement Fraud Prevention
Authors: Maria Maria , Darusalam Darusalam , Yulsiati Henny , Said Jamaliah
Published: January 2023

Government is always the biggest spending agency in many countries, and this signifies a huge opportunity for government procurement fraud. Failure to implement strong measures for fraud prevention may lead to financial losses and a bad reputation for the country. In Indonesia, procurement fraud has been classified as one of the major components of fraud. Therefore, there is a crucial need for extensive studies to understand factors that may contribute to the fraud prevention strategy among government agencies in Indonesia. This paper examines three factors that may promote procurement fraud prevention among government agencies in Palembang City. The three factors are top management competencies, e-procurement and internal control system. Questionnaires were distributed to employees in the procurement department of 51 government agencies in Palembang, the most reported procurement fraud cases in Indonesia. Data were thoroughly analysed using multiple regression analysis with the SPSS analysis tool. The finding revealed that internal control systems and e-procurement significantly contributed to fraud prevention programs. However, the top management competencies showed a negative relationship with procurement fraud prevention. In addition, this study found the implementation of e-procurement and internal control systems was an important tool in to fight against fraud. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical support in confirming the critical role of the internal control system and e-procurement in enhancing fraud mitigation mechanisms.
Modifications of 24-h movement behaviors to prevent obesity in retirement: A natural experiment using compositional data analysis
Authors: Suorsa Kristin , gupta nidhi , Leskinen Tuija , Andersen Lars L. , Pasanen Jesse , Hettiarachchi Pasan , Johansson Peter J. , Pentti Jaana , Vahtera Jussi , Stenholm Sari
Published: January 2023

Background Retirement is associated with a more passive lifestyle, and may therefore lead to weight gain. This study aims to investigate longitudinal associations between changes in 24-h movement behaviors and obesity indicators in relation to the transition from work to retirement. Methods The study population included 213 retiring public sector workers (mean age 63.5 years, standard deviation 1.1) from the Finnish Retirement and Aging study. Before and after retirement with a 1-year lag, participants wore an Axivity accelerometer on their thigh and filled in a daily log for at least four days to measure daily time spent sleeping, in sedentary behavior (SED), light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Also their body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference was measured twice. Compositional linear regression analysis and isotemporal substitution analysis were used to study associations between changes in 24-h movement behaviors and changes in obesity indicators. Results An increase in MVPA in relation to sleep, SED and LPA was associated with a decreasing BMI (β=-0.60, p = 0.04) and waist circumference (β=-2.14, p = 0.05) over one year from before retirement to after retirement. In contrast, increasing sleep in relation to SED, LPA and MVPA was associated with an increasing BMI (β = 1.34, p = 0.02). Reallocating 60 minutes from MVPA to SED or sleep was estimated to increase BMI by on average 0.8 − 0.9 kg/m2and waist circumference by 3.0 cm during one year. Conclusions In the transition from work to retirement, increase in MVPA and sleep in relation the remaining behaviors were associated with improvement and worsening, respectively, in obesity indicators. Common life-transitions, like retirement, should be taken into account, when giving recommendations and guidance for physically active life style and sleep.
A Pattern of Stable Isotopes and a Helical Toroidal Wave Orbital model
Authors: Lin Jingfeng , Lin Guangyi
Published: January 2023

We investigate a pattern of isotopes with the highest isotopic abundance, the number of nucleons of some stable nuclides tends to A = S(S + 1)-2, this means that S is probably the number of shells. Therefore, we present an arrangement pattern of the magic numbers. Further, based on some simple patterns in atomic nuclei, such as shell structures, magic numbers and collective modes, we developed a helical toroidal wave orbital model to explore the microstructure of isotopes that matches the proposed arrangement pattern.
On the use of surface roughness parameters
Authors: Persson B. N.J.
Published: January 2023

In most practical applications surface roughness is characterized by just one or two parameters (numbers). I show that the standard maximum surface height parameters fluctuate strongly between different surface realizations (or measurements), and should not be used in the design of engineering components. I show how some roughness parameters depends on the size of the roll-off region in the surface roughness power spectra, and introduce a new height parameter which is very reproducible. The numerical results presented agree well with experimental observations.
Repellent and deterrent effects of natural products against diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus)
Authors: Kavita  , Sharma Sanjay Kumar , Sood A.K.
Published: January 2023

Four farm made natural products viz. Agniastra, Brahmastra, Darekastra, Dashparni each applied @ 10 per cent concentration and one commercial product Neem Baan containing azadirachtin @ 0.0005 per cent were evaluated for repellence and oviposition deterrence against Plutella xylostella using ‘Leaf dip’ method of bioassay under laboratory conditions. In ‘No choice’ test, repellence of natural products to adults of P. xylostella varied from 20.8–82.3 per cent up to 4h after adult release. However, in ‘Choice’ test, it varied from 10.4–70.4 per cent. Similarly, deterrence to oviposition by females of P. xylostella varied from 15.9–63.9 and 21.7–56.3 per cent up to 4h after adult release in ‘No choice’ and ‘Choice’ tests, respectively.
Forecasting The Impact of Vaccination on Daily Cases in Turkey for Covid-19
Authors: YILDIZ Enes , KELEK Muhammed Mustafa , HOCAOĞLU Fatih Onur , OĞUZ Yüksel
Published: January 2023

This study, it is aimed to investigate the effect of the vaccine on the cases in the fight against Covid-19, which threatens the whole world. The number of Covid-19 cases, which were tried to be reduced with various precautions worldwide and in Turkey, has become a new hope with the start of vaccination. The increase in the effect of the vaccination, which started in January 2021, brought the need to examine the vaccination rate in three groups as slow, medium, and fast. In this study, different scenarios were tried in the number of vaccinations applied in Turkey, and the daily number of cases until December 2021 was forecasted by Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). The effect of restrictions and vaccination on the number of Covid-19 cases was investigated. Different training algorithms were used, and the best success rate was found with the comparison method. Accurate forecasting of cases will let policymakers take precautions on time. Moreover, the effect of vaccination on cases should be investigated.
Paradigms and Success Stories of Natural Products in Drug Discovery
Against Neurodegenerative Disorders (NDDs)
Authors: Singh Sukhwinder , Chib Shivani , Akhtar Md. Jawaid , Kumar Bhupinder , Chawla Pooja A. , Bhatia Rohit
Published: January 2023

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) are multifaceted complex disorders that have put a
great health and economic burden around the globe nowadays. The multi-factorial nature of NDDs has
presented a great challenge in drug discovery and continuous efforts are in progress in search of suitable
therapeutic candidates. Nature has a great wealth of active principles in its lap that has cured the
human population since ancient times. Natural products have revealed several benefits over conventional
synthetic medications and scientists have shifted their vision towards exploring the therapeutic
potentials of natural products in the past few years. The structural mimicking of natural compounds to
endogenous ligands has presented them as a potential therapeutic candidate to prevent the development
of NDDs. In the presented review, authors have summarized demographical facts about various
NDDs including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD) and
various types of sclerosis in the brain. The significant findings of new active principles of natural
origin along with their therapeutic potentials on NDDs have been included. Also, a description of clinical
trials and patents on natural products has been enlisted in this compilation. Although natural products
have shown promising success in drug discovery against NDDs, still their use is associated with
several ethical issues which need to be solved in the upcoming time.
Prevalence and Management of Low Back Pain Among Health Workers in a Privately Owned Teaching Hospital in Nigeria
Authors: Olatubi Matthew Idowu , Alabi Boluwatife Deborah , Ademuyiwa Grace Oluwaranti , Ojo Iyanuoluwa Oreofe
Published: January 2023

Aim:

This study assessed the prevalence and management of LBP among health workers in a private teaching hospital in South West Nigeria.

Background:

Healthcare workers (HCWs) often experience low back pain (LBP) more than any other category of workers. While a lot has been documented about the prevalence of LBP among different categories of workers, little is known about how health workers manage LBP.

Objectives:

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and management of LBP among health workers in a private teaching hospital in South West Nigeria. Associations between variables: (a) sociodemographic variables (i.e., age, gender) and the prevalence of low back pain, and (b) interference with activities of daily living across different categories of health workers, were evaluated.

Methods:

A cross-sectional design was employed in this study. One hundred and eighty-nine HCWs were randomly selected from the wards and units of the hospital. The LBP questionnaire and the Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire were used for data collection. Data were analysed using descriptive (mean and percentages) and inferential (chi-square and ANOVA) statistics.

Results:

The prevalence of LBP among health workers was found to be 87.3%. Moreover, most of the health workers massage their back (78.3%), engage in exercise (72.0%), and use analgesics (69.3%) as a means of managing LBP. Furthermore, there was no significant relationship between gender (X2 = 0.31, P>0.05), age (X2 = 1.52, P>0.05), marital status (X2 = 2.93, P>0.05) of HCWs and prevalence of LBP. However, a significant difference was reported in the mean interference of LBP with activities of daily living across the different categories of healthcare workers that participated in the study (F= (7,181) 3.58, P = 0.01).

Conclusion:

The prevalence of LBP is high among HCWs that participated in the study. Therefore, it is recommended that HCWs might use massage, engage in exercise, and take analgesics as a means to combat LBP.
Conventional vs. Microwave-assisted Synthesis: A Comparative Study on
The Synthesis of Tri-substituted imidazoles
Authors: Bansode Deepali , Goel Tanvi , Jain Naman Vijaykumar
Published: January 2023

Background:

The organic and peptide synthesis, various nanotechnology, and biochemistry processes are being carried out using microwave irradiation. The use of microwaves for synthesis has increased in the past two decades. The microwave offers several advantages such as ease of handling, lesser reaction times, quality of the product, and eco-friendly, which is green. The conventional method of synthesis, on the other hand, requires a longer time, is difficult to handle and maintenance of temperature is also difficult. The use of microwave-assisted reactions over conventional methods is advantageous in medicinal chemistry research as they will be less time-consuming and crucial in drug discovery and development. On the other side, they might not work in bulk synthesis due to their limited capacity for loading the reaction mixture.

Objective:

The present work aims to compare reaction time, temperature and percentage of yield of the microwave-assisted synthesis method against the conventional method.

Method:

A novel, simple, and green method was developed for the synthesis of tri-substituted imidazoles by microwave irradiation. Both derivatives from conventional and microwave-assisted synthesis were characterized by IR spectroscopy, Mass spectrometry, and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The same derivatives were also synthesized by the conventional method for comparison.

Result:

A comparison of both methods was made by comparing the reaction time and the percentage yield. It was found that microwave-assisted reactions produced greater yield in the minimal time, though at different reaction temperatures.

Conclusion:

It can be concluded from the present comparison study that the use of the microwave for synthesis provides numerous advantages; thus, newer molecules are developed quickly anthat are developed quickly. To further proceed in this direction and to produce evidences, synthesis of more derivatives may be required. The only disadvantage is that it cannot be used for bulk synthesis of the compounds.
Economía del conocimiento desde la visión del territorio
Authors: Vergara-Romero Arnaldo , Morejón-Calixto Sayonara , Márquez-Sánchez Fidel , Medina-Burgos Jhasming
Published: January 2023

La desigualdad de los territorios, tanto a nivel de espacio y escala son analizadas desde la heterogeneidad en el ámbito económico, social y ambiental, esto se compara en cualquier división política-administrativa para gestionar el desarrollo económico. Desde el análisis de la sociedad del conocimiento, se considera que la sociedad y los territorios orientan a la aplicación de una economía del conocimiento. Esta investigación cubre el objetivo de analizar la economía del conocimiento dentro de la sociedad entre el espacio y el territorio para base de análisis integrales de desarrollo endógeno o local. Una de las reflexiones que se pueden sustentar es que actualmente explorar todas las oportunidades que ofrece la nueva revolución tecnológica y la reorganización de los procesos productivos y capital humano local de acuerdo a las nuevas tendencias de los mercados globales.
microzonificación urbana en zonas perifericas degradadas por erosión en la parroquia Lumbaqui, Ecuador
Authors: Morales Corozo Juan Pablo
Published: January 2023

La dinámica social de una región se ve influenciado por las condiciones socioeconómicas donde las zonas periféricas de un sector se ven afectadas por las alteraciones de los ecosistemas. La obligación de incorporar dentro de los planes de desarrollo y ordenamiento territorial incluir la gestión de riesgos de desastres partiendo del diagnóstico en los componentes económico, biofísico, y social tomando a consideración como el pilar fundamental para el uso y ocupación del suelo. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo establecer las zonas vulnerables ubicadas en la periferie del área urbana consolidada de la parroquia Lumbaqui del cantón Gonzalo Pizarro, a la vez ser un insumo referencial para la elaboración y aplicabilidad de políticas locales para la restricción de construcciones en zonas de riesgos a fin de resguardar la integridad de los ciudadanos modificando la dinámica social en los sectores donse se pude dar origen a eventos peligrosos o desastres. Los cambios de uso de suelo debido a las construcciones ilegales en zonas no consideradas dentro de la planificación urbana han provocado problemas serios de degradación podrían ocasionar riesgos de desastres.
The US Residency Selection Process After the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Pass/Fail Change: Overview for Applicants and Educators
Authors: Ozair Ahmad , Bhat Vivek , Detchou Donald K E
Published: January 2023

The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1, arguably the most significant assessment in the USMLE examination series, changed from a 3-digit score to a pass/fail outcome in January 2022. Given the rapidly evolving body of literature on this subject, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the historical context and impact of this change on various stakeholders involved in residency selection. For this, relevant keyword-based searches were performed in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus to identify relevant literature. Given the unique history of USMLE Step 1 in the US residency selection process and the score’s correlation with future performance in board-certifying examinations in different specialties, this scoring change is predicted to significantly impact US Doctor of Medicine students, US Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine students, international medical graduates, and residency program directors, among others. The significance and the rationale of the pass/fail change along with the implications for both residency applicants and educators are also summarized in this paper. Although medical programs, academic institutions, and residency organizing bodies across the United States have swiftly stepped up to ensure a seamless transition and have attempted to ensure equity for all, the conversion process carries considerable uncertainty for residency applicants. For educators, the increasing number of applications conflicts with holistic application screening, leading to the expected greater use of objective measures, with USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge likely becoming the preferred screening tool in lieu of Step 1.