bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Green finance for energy transition, climate action and sustainable development: overview of concepts, applications, implementation and challenges
Authors: Bhattacharyya Rupsha ,   Applied Systems Analysis, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai-400 094, India,   Heavy Water Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai-400 085, India
Published: December 2021

The solutions to mankind's greatest problems today lie in the simultaneous development, adoption and deployment of a combination of technological, socio-political, cultural and financial initiatives and mechanisms. The present work serves as a brief compilation of concepts and information pertaining to the broad domain of green finance, particularly for a readership with non-financial background. Green finance indicates the deployment of private and public capital towards projects that not only prevent environmental degradation and related impacts such as climate change and air pollution but also generate a host of social benefits and adequate financial returns for the investors. Thus, green finance embodies several cross-cutting concepts. The various global events leading to the development of the current state of green finance, the typical forms and instruments involved, the regulatory framework and issuance process for these instruments and the various international agencies and organizations developing and making use of green finance schemes for identified beneficiary projects are briefly described in this work. Financial disclosures and the role of regulators and investors in strengthening green finance schemes are discussed, along with a summary of the current thought leadership and current academic research in this domain. The challenges in green finance are also enumerated and a few perspectives for the future are presented.
3D-Chaotic discrete system of vector borne diseases using environment factor with deep analysis
Authors: Salih Shaymaa H. ,   Department of Mathematics, College of Science, Mustansiriyah University, Iraq, Al-Saidi Nadia M. G. ,   Department of Applied Sciences, University of Technology, Iraq
Published: December 2021

Vector-Borne Disease (VBD) is a disease that consequences as of an infection communicated to humans and other animals by blood-feeding anthropoids, like mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks. Instances of VBDs include Dengue infection, Lyme infection, West Nile virus, and malaria. In this effort, we formulate a parametric discrete-time chaotic system that involves an environmental factor causing VBD. Our suggestion is to study how the inclusion of the parasitic transmission media (PTM) in the system would impact the analysis results. We consider a chaotic formula of the PTM impact, separating two types of functions, the host and the parasite. The considered applications are typically characterized by chaotic dynamics, and thus chaotic systems are suitable for their modeling, with corresponding model parameters, that depend on control measures. Dynamical performances of the suggested system and its global stability are considered.
Rotational worker vaccination provides indirect protection to vulnerable groups in regions with low COVID-19 prevalence
Authors: Martignoni Maria M. ,   Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Memorial University of Newfoundland, NL, Canada, Rahman Proton , Hurford Amy ,   Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, NL, Canada,   Biology Department and Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Memorial University of Newfoundland, NL, Canada
Published: December 2021

As COVID-19 vaccines become available, different model-based approaches have been developed to evaluate strategic priorities for vaccine allocation to reduce severe illness. One strategy is to directly prioritize groups that are likely to experience medical complications due to COVID-19, such as older adults. A second strategy is to limit community spread by reducing importations, for example by vaccinating members of the mobile labour force, such as rotational workers. This second strategy may be appropriate for regions with low disease prevalence, where importations are a substantial fraction of all cases and reducing the importation rate reduces the risk of community outbreaks, which can provide significant indirect protection for vulnerable individuals. Current studies have focused on comparing vaccination strategies in the absence of importations, and have not considered allocating vaccines to reduce the importation rate. Here, we provide an analytical criteria to compare the reduction in the risk of hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) admission over four months when either older adults or rotational workers are prioritized for vaccination. Vaccinating rotational workers (assumed to be 6,000 individuals and about 1% of the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) population) could reduce the average risk of hospitalization and ICU admission by 42%, if no community spread is observed at the time of vaccination, because epidemic spread is reduced and vulnerable individuals are indirectly protected. In contrast, vaccinating all individuals aged 75 and older (about 43,300 individuals, or 8% of the NL population) would lead to a 24% reduction in the average risk of hospitalization, and to a 45% reduction in the average risk of ICU admission, because a large number of individuals at high risk from COVID-19 are now vaccinated. Therefore, reducing the risk of hospitalization and ICU admission of the susceptible population by reducing case importations would require a significantly lower number of vaccines. Benefits of vaccinating rotational workers decrease with increasing infection prevalence in the community. Prioritizing members of the mobile labour force should be considered as an efficient strategy to indirectly protect vulnerable groups from COVID-19 exposure in regions with low disease prevalence.
Study of implicit-impulsive differential equations involving Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative
Authors: Sitthiwirattham Thanin ,   Mathematics Department, Faculty of Science and Technology, Suan Dusit University, Bangkok, Thailand, Gul Rozi , Shah Kamal , Mahariq Ibrahim , Soontharanon Jarunee , Ansari Khursheed J. ,   Department of Mathematics, University of Malakand, Chakdara Dir (Lower), Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Pakistan,   Department of Mathematics and General Sciences, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,   College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Kuwait,   Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Applied Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand,   Department of Mathematics, College of Science, King Khalid University, 61413, Abha, Saudi Arabia
Published: December 2021

This article is devoted to investigate a class of non-local initial value problem of implicit-impulsive fractional differential equations (IFDEs) with the participation of the Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative (CFFD). By means of Krasnoselskii's fixed-point theorem and Banach's contraction principle, the results of existence and uniqueness are obtained. Furthermore, we establish some results of Hyers-Ulam (H-U) and generalized Hyers-Ulam (g-H-U) stability. Finally, an example is provided to demonstrate our results.
Human-Machine Interface-Based Robotic Wheel Chair Control
Authors: Kakkar Deepti , Raman Ashish
Published: December 2021

This chapter presents the P300-based human machine interference (HMI) systems control robotic wheel chair (RWC) prototype in right, left, forward, backward, and stop positions. Four different targets letters are used to elicit the P300 waves, flickering in the low frequency region, by using oddball paradigms and displayed on a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen by Lab-VIEW. After the pre-processing and taking one second time window, feature is extracted by using discrete wavelet transform (DWT). Three different classifiers—two based on ANNs pattern recognition neural network (PRNN) and feed forward neural network (FFNN) and the and other one based on support vector machine (SVM)—are used. Those three techniques are designed and compared with the different accuracies among them.
Investigating the Impact of Gamification in Children Using GSR
Authors: Sahansra Sonali Rani , Sharma Anshu
Published: December 2021

This study aimed to investigate the impact of game-based learning on student performance. For this reason, an empirical study was conducted which comprises the comparison of traditional learning and game-based learning. The participants were lower primary school students of age group 6-8 years. GSR NUL-217 logger sensor was used to record the physiological signals of each participant in real time. An Android-based game intervention named “KidsZoneApp” was developed which included mathematics and English lesson plans according to the student's curriculum. The collected log data was used to calculate the changes in different dimensions of completing the task. ANOVA yielded a very significant difference between game-based learning and traditional learning groups. Overall, the results showed that game-based learning contributed to increased students' performance levels. Significantly, students under game-based learning completed the task in lesser time as compared to traditional learning.
Role of Graph Theory in Computational Neuroscience
Authors: Marwaha Hitesh , Sharma Anurag , Sharma Vikrant
Published: December 2021

Neuroscience is the study of the brain and its impact on behavior and cognitive functions. Computational neuroscience is the subfield that deals with the study of the ability of the brain to think and compute. It also analyzes various electrical and chemical signals that take place in the brain to represent and process the information. In this chapter, a special focus will be given on the processing of signals by the brain to solve the problems. In the second section of the chapter, the role of graph theory is discussed to analyze the pattern of neurons. Graph-based analysis reveals meaningful information about the topological architecture of human brain networks. The graph-based analysis also discloses the networks in which most nodes are not neighbors of each other but can be reached from every other node by a small number of steps. In the end, it is concluded that by using the various operations of graph theory, the vertex centrality, betweenness, etc. can be computed to identify the dominant neurons for solving different types of computational problems.
Wakefield Formation Due to a Short Electron Beam in Quantum Nanowires
Authors: Ali Shahid , Kourakis Ioannis
Published: December 2021

The basic properties of classical and quantum plasmas are discussed. Quantum plasmas behave differently due to high densities and low temperatures at nanometer scale in contrast to classical ones which are characterized by low densities and high temperatures. A literature survey is made to investigate the plasma phenomenon with quantum mechanical effects. Classical and quantum viewpoints are also presented to understand the free electron gas in metals. In particular, the excitation of stable plasmon wakefield is studied due to a short electron pulse propagating in axial direction of nanowire. The latter contains degenerate electrons and classical static ions. By using the Trivelpiece-Gould configuration and Fourier transform techniques, a general dispersion is obtained for the electrostatic plasmons and analyzed numerically. Nevertheless, an evolution equation for the wakefield is derived and carried out the stability analysis. In a gold nanowire, the amplitudes of wakefield become significantly modified by the variation of quantum diffraction, quantum exchange-correlations and mode quantization in the radial direction. The present findings may prove useful for investigating new radiation sources in the extreme-ultraviolet range.
Atmosphere Non-Thermal Plasma for Seed Treatment
Authors: Safaai Siti Sarah , Agun Linda , Redzuan Norizah , Ahmad Norhayati
Published: December 2021

Cold plasma has attracted lots of attention among researchers because it has a wide range of applications, such as the automotive industry, textile industry, microelectronics, packaging, biomedical technology, food preservation, and agricultural sectors. Scientists have shown a great interest in non-thermal plasma because of its advantages such as low temperature, scalable size, low operation cost, flexible operation, and high electron and reactive specie density. Also, non-thermal plasma can be operated at atmospheric pressure, which is an advantage in the agriculture industry rather than operating in a vacuum. Recently atmospheric cold plasma pressure was selected as one of the plasma technologies applied in the agricultural industry for treating the surface of the seed with environmentally friendly technology that produces no hazardous waste. DBD plasma is one of the cold plasma techniques, which can be easily triggered at atmospheric pressure and room temperature.
Value Analysis and Prediction Through Machine Learning Techniques for Popular Basketball Brands
Authors: Michaud Jason
Published: December 2021

For popular sports brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Puma, value often depends upon the performance of star athletes and the success of professional leagues. These leagues and players are watched closely by many around the world, and exposure to a brand may ultimately cause someone to buy a product. This can be explored statistically, and the interconnectedness of brands, athletes, and the sport of basketball are covered in this chapter. Specifically, data about the NBA and Google Ngrams data are explored in relation to the stock price of these various sports brands. This is done through both statistical analysis and machine learning models. Ultimately, it was concluded that these factors do influence the stock price of Nike, Adidas, and Puma. This conclusion is supported by the machine learning models where this diverse dataset was utilized to accurately predict the stock price of sports brands.
Prioritization of Soil Erosion-Susceptible Sub-Watersheds Using Multi-Criteria Decision Method in the Lesser Himalayas
Authors: Pandey Shachi , Kumar Parmanand , Panwar Vijender Pal , Nautiyal Raman
Published: December 2021

Watersheds in the Lesser Himalayan region are highly susceptible to natural hazards, particularly those instigated by action and movement of water, such as soil erosion, flood, and mass movements of lands. Hilly watersheds with diversified land use and fragile ecosystems are responsible for accelerating soil erosion. Soil erosion is one of the most implicit hazards as it degrades water and soil quality in a watershed. The study prioritizes the soil erosion-susceptible zones in the Tons river watershed (India) in the Lesser Himalayan region. The interrelationships and role of morphometry, soil quality, slope, and land use together as four components in soil erosion are studied. Remote sensing data and multi-criteria decision method (MCDM) framework has been used to estimate soil erosion susceptibility of sub-watersheds. Results showed that morphometric parameters like elongation ratio and slope of sub-watersheds play a major role in determining the state of erosion.
Torrential Floods and Soil Erosion
Authors: Đikić Slađan
Published: December 2021

Floods on large rivers and torrential floods are the most common natural disasters in the Republic of Serbia. Floods on rivers are natural phenomena that go far beyond the framework of water management and hydro-technical measures. Given the distribution of hilly and mountainous areas in the Republic of Serbia and the developed hydrographic network, torrential floods occur very often, almost every year. Torrential floods and soil erosion are inseparable natural phenomena that shaped the relief long before the appearance of living beings on Earth. Erosion processes are difficult to notice and slow and are most often noticed only when large areas are exposed, and then the problem of erosion becomes a difficult-to-solve or unsolvable problem. For the classification of erosion processes in the Republic of Serbia, the EPM method (erosion potential method) is used, which classifies erosion into five categories that have their own quantitative characteristics.
Organization, Information, and Human Capital
Authors: Shawyun Teay
Published: December 2021

Organization performance management (OPM) has been the threshold of profit and non-profit organizations for a century. OPM took off in the education arena in the past decades with the call for greater responsibility/accountability for education quality assurance and accreditation (QAA). This chapter proposes a strategic performance management system (SPMS) based on MBNQA/EFQM performance excellence frameworks to assess HEI organizational performance. It demonstrates that leadership is the precursor of HEI performance management in other performance criteria through three case studies in Thailand and Saudi Arabia. The HEI assessment of its processes/results using Process ADLI (approach, deployment, learning, integration) and Results LeTCI (levels, trends, comparisons, integration) shows that organization/infor/human capitals (OC/IC/HC) integration, individual/organization learning, and organization agility are the critical foundations for HEI successful OPM.
Coaching Components That Create Success
Authors: White Jennifer
Published: December 2021

This chapter begins with an explanation of coaching and a brief overview of the benefits of coaching. Next, the characteristics of adult learners are described through adult learning theories and principles that provide the foundation for successful coaching. Evidence-based components from research of coaching are presented with practical strategies for implementation. For example, activities such as building rapport, developing and monitoring goals, conducting observations through video, and providing reflective feedback are presented. Additionally, real-world scenarios from the field for both pre-service and practicing teachers are included. The goal is to equip teacher educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to implement aspects of coaching into any class or PD to increase teacher success and student learning.
Beyond the Classroom
Authors: Boggs Olivia
Published: December 2021

The growing dilemma of teacher job turnover has severely handicapped the fundamental responsibility of school districts to maintain a committed and stable instructional force. Using the lens of organizational systems theory, this chapter explores ways in which building leaders can actively increase job embeddedness of teachers and staff by constructing collaborative perspectives of teaching and learning. A systems approach where disciplines are integrated and community culture is respected can result in teachers being more engaged in school-wide pedagogy, feeling less isolated, and developing a convivial sense of fidelity which can lead to job satisfaction and commitment to remain.
Influence of Institutional Factors on the Employees’ Frustration in Public Sector and the Moderating Effect of Gender - A Study in Eastern Province of Sri Lanka
Authors: Mahinthan S. , Sivalogathasan V.
Published: December 2021

Workplace frustration can undermine the energy, enthusiasm, and performance of employees’ best talent. It affects the efficiency and the productivity of the work force of the public sector due to various institutional factors such as poor communication, resource constraint, unclear authority, poor promotion system and salary structure etc. This study focuses on the influence of institutional factors on workplace frustration and covers the moderating effect of gender. The data were collected through the questionnaire survey. The questionnaires were delivered for more than two hundred male and female employees working in central and provincial organizations in Eastern province. According to the results, the combined institutional factors have more than the moderate correlation with the frustration. At the same time each institutional factor also has individual correlation with employee’s frustration but the correlation varies from weak to good. Accordingly, the salary structure in the government sector has more influence to create frustration while the communication has weak correlation with frustration. Further, the results of t-test revealed that there is a significant difference between male and female employees in respect of frustration and the female employees have more frustration than males. However, as per the results of multiple regression analysis to check the moderation, the gender has no moderating effect on the relationship between institutional factors and frustration.in the public sector of Sri Lanka.
Milestones in the History of Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease
Authors: Loukopoulos Dimitris
Published: December 2021

The inherited hemoglobin disorders are a challenging topic for many reasons; they are caused by a variety of interesting molecular mechanisms, have a complicated pathophysiology, they constitute a multifaceted medical problem with pain and misery for the patients and unhappiness for their families, create several diagnostic and therapeutic questions, and they have a huge social and economic impact across the countries where they occur in high frequencies.
Review of Endocrine Complications in Adult Patients with β-Thalassaemia Major
Authors: Tzoulis Ploutarchos
Published: December 2021

Endocrine abnormalities are amongst the most common complications of β-thalassaemia major (TM). This is an overview of endocrinopathies of adult patients with β-thalassaemia major, excluding osteoporosis and fertility issues. This review will focus on emerging evidence in the last 5 years with regards to endocrinopathies in patients with TM.
Feasibility of Risk Reducing Salpingo-Oophorectomy at the Time of Abdominal Surgery for Correction of Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Urinary Incontinence
Authors: Azadi Ali , Bradley James A. , Marchand Greg J. , Lorenz Douglas J. , Doering David , Ostergard Donald R.
Published: December 2021

Objective:

The objective of this study is to assess the perioperative outcomes when prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) is performed concomitantly with surgery to repair pelvic organ prolapse (POP) or stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Materials and Methods:

This is a retrospective case–control study of patients who underwent abdominal surgery for the correction of POP and/or SUI with or without concomitant BSO at a tertiary care center. The primary outcome measures were postsurgery length of hospitalization, estimated blood loss, and 30-day readmission rate. The secondary outcome measure was detection of ovarian cancer precursor lesions.

Results:

We identified 734 patients who had surgery for POP and/or SUI. The control group contained 385 patients, and the BSO group contained 349 patients. There was no difference between the control and BSO groups in the postsurgery length of stay (LOS) (35.2 h vs. 34.1 h; P = 0.49), and all-cause 30-day readmission rate (14.2% vs. 11.6%; P = 0.3085). However, there was decreased blood loss (40.8 ml vs. 67.2 ml, P < 0.0001) in the BSO group compared to the control group. Sub-analysis of primary outcomes in postmenopausal women (age > 55) showed decreased postsurgery LOS (33.4 h vs. 37.4 h; P = 0.0208) and decreased blood loss (35.9 ml vs. 82.7 ml; P < 0.0001) in the BSO group compared to control.

Conclusion:

Secondary to the lack of additional complications, we recommend surgeons give more consideration to finding appropriate candidates for a risk reducing BSO at time of abdominal surgery to repair POP or SUI.
Primary Ovarian Leiomyoma Associated with Multiple Uterine Leiomyomas
Authors: Kitamura Yoshihiro , Ito Fumitake , Kokabu Tetsuya , Mori Taisuke , Kusuki Izumi , Kitawaki Jo
Published: December 2021

Ovarian leiomyomas are very rare. We report the case of a primary ovarian leiomyoma accompanied by multiple uterine leiomyomas. A 50-year-old woman was referred to our department for heavy menstruation, and a hot spot in the uterine lumen was observed on positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT). Cervical and endometrial cytology and tumor marker tests were negative. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging revealed an endometrial polyp and submucosal leiomyoma in the uterine lumen and a 5-cm right ovarian tumor. Laparoscopic total hysterectomy, right salpingo-oophorectomy, and left salpingectomy were performed for radical treatment. Histopathology showed that ovarian tumors contained interlacing bundles of fusiform cells encircled by normal ovarian tissue. Immunohistochemical staining showed strong and diffuse positive staining for α-smooth muscle actin. We diagnosed the tumor as a primary ovarian leiomyoma because the leiomyoma was localized in the ovary and was larger than the size of uterine leiomyomas. No metastatic lesion was found on PET-CT. There was no tumor recurrence at the 6-month follow-up.
Management of Herpes Zoster (Visarpa) through Ayurvedic approach
Authors: Gupta Arun
Published: December 2021

Herpes zoster is a viral skin infection though uncommon in childhood can be caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus due to lower immunity. This clinical entity can be compared with Visarpa (~vesicular or bullous eruptions). Visarpa is a clinical syndrome in which vitiated Vata-Pitta dosha along with vitiated Rakta (~blood plasma) cause progressive skin lesions, which are painful and look like scalds or burns, and require Pitta allaying internal and local treatment. An 8-year-old female child presented along with her father with the vesicular lesions on her left cheek associated with mild fever, itching, and pain on the local lesion. She was administered with 125 mg of Kamadudha rasa (plain) thrice a day before meals with milk and Pinda taila for local application on the facial lesions. The patient reported on the 5th day with significant relief in the size and shape of the facial lesions and other symptoms. The scars limited to minimal without any inflammatory signs by the 7th day of follow-up. Kamadudha rasa and Pinda taila are two readily available and cost-effective compound ayurvedic formulations, which can be used in the management of herpes zoster infection, especially in low-resource settings.
Practical application of Langhana therapy in the management of dyslipidaemia
Authors: Choudhary Anita , Vyas Mahesh , Bhojani Meera K , Pathak Pankaj
Published: December 2021

Dyslipidemia, in current times, is gradually increasing the incidences of heart disease and associated risks. Globally, one-third of ischemic heart diseases are caused due to the high levels of cholesterol. Dyslipidemia is a major cause of disease burden in both the developed and developing world as a risk factor for ischemic heart disease and stroke. In Ayurveda, dyslipidemia can be correlated with Medo dushti (~vitiated fatty tissue). The deranged lipid or fat molecules can be compared to Ama in the body. Ama is a type of Rasa pradoshaja vikara. Acharya Charaka has explained Langhana (~fasting) therapy in Rasaja vyadhi (~disease due to vitiated Rasa) that is known to initiate important cellular repair processes and causes changes in hormone levels to make accessible the available body fat. Langhana therapy is also beneficial for the maintenance of lipid profiles. Fasting by focusing Ayurveda protocol aids in the improvement of the lipid profiles in healthy, obese, and dyslipidemia patients. In the present case report, a 50-year-old male patient was treated with Langhana karma. After 10 days of strictly following the Ayurveda protocol of Langhana therapy, the serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides levels were decreased, inferring that the Langhana therapy is effective in the management of dyslipidemia.
A comparison of the efficacy of single-dose cefazolin versus single-dose cefazolin plus 7-day mupirocin ointment wound application in preventing surgical site infection among patients undergoing major obstetric and gynecologic procedures at a tertiary university hospital
Authors: Cheng Mary Grace O. , Reyes Lylah D. , Co Jennifer T.
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND:

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common complication among all surgical cases. It is the most common nosocomial infection identified in the developing world with pooled incidence of 11.8 per 100 surgical procedures. In our institution, the SSI rate in major obstetric and gynecologic cases in years 2000–2013 is 12.68%.

OBJECTIVE:

To compare the efficacy of a single-dose cefazolin versus a single dose cefazolin plus 7-day mupirocin ointment wound application in preventing SSI among women undergoing major obstetric and gynecologic abdominal surgical procedures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

The study included are 164 female participants, aged 18–65 years old who underwent major obstetric and gynecologic surgical procedures. Participants were randomly assigned to Groups A and B, wherein all participants were given single dose of 2 g cefazolin, intravenous, 30 min before skin incision. For the participants in Group B, an additional 7-day application of mupirocin ointment on incisional wound during the postoperative period was given. Assessment for occurrence of SSI and healing time using a standardized collection tool and Southampton wound scoring system, respectively, was done on the 8th, 15th, and 30th postoperative days.

RESULTS:

The incidence of SSI is 2.45% (4 out of 164 participants). It was slightly higher in the Cefazolin only arm having three cases, while only one case in the Cefazolin plus mupirocin group. However, the difference of SSI occurrence between the two groups is not statistically significant. Wound healing time was also evaluated which was comparable between treatment groups.

CONCLUSION:

Single dose Cefazolin plus 7-day once daily Mupirocin ointment application is comparable to single dose of cefazolin in preventing SSI in patients undergoing major low-risk obstetric and gynecologic surgeries. Therefore, the addition of mupirocin in uncomplicated major obstetric and gynecologic surgical cases is not cost-beneficial.
A cross-sectional survey of dentists' use of digital radiographic techniques in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al Sadhan Ra′ed
Published: December 2021

Introduction:

Undergraduate oral and maxillofacial radiology curricula are currently undergoing a reform process that is moving toward digital-based radiology that requires dedicated resources to train dental students to the field experience. It is not known if the time is appropriate to totally shift from training students on conventional analog film-based radiology to training them on digital images and the choice of digital system in intraoral and extraoral radiography.

Aim:

The aim of this study is to assess availability and utilization of the digital radiographic techniques by dental clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using a cross-sectional descriptive, epidemiological survey.

Materials and Methods:

The study included dental departments of nine main governmental hospitals, six dental schools in Riyadh and a representative selected sample of the private dental clinics in Riyadh that included 40 dental clinics. A self-administered e-survey regarding the use of analog or digital radiographic intraoral and extraoral techniques was made. Descriptive statistics are reported in forms of means and range.

Results and Discussion:

For intraoral radiographic examinations, most clinics (90.9%) used digital systems. Solid-state detectors such as charge-coupled device (CCD) and complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensors were the most popular type digital intraoral sensors (94%) and only 13 locations (26%) used digital photostimulable phosphors plates. For panoramic radiography, almost all (98.1%) used digital systems. Again, the solid-state detectors were the most common digital panoramic system (96.4%). Most respondents had a digital information system to store, retrieve, and display digital radiographs (92.7%), whereas only four locations (5.9%) used hard-copy films or paper prints.

Conclusion:

Digital imagining is more common than film-based imaging in intraoral radiography in and panoramic radiography in the different dental care delivery sites in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A Short Term Follow up for Intracavernosal Injection of Platelet Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction
Authors: Wong Shin-Mei , Chiang Bing-Juin , Chen Hui-Chun , Wu Yi-No , Lin Ying-Hung , Liao Chun-Hou
Published: December 2021

Purpose:

The objective of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of intracavernosal platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED).

Materials and Methods:

Between September 2018 and September 2020, thirty participants with ED were enrolled in this prospective single-arm study. All participants received three sessions of intracavernosal PRP injection. Oral phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors or testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) without a change in dosing was permitted during the treatment period. Efficacy was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), Erectile Hardness Score (EHS), Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP) 2 and 3, and Global Assessment Question, every 2 weeks after each treatment session. Any adverse events were recorded.

Results:

The mean age of participants was 54.93 years. Oral PDE5 inhibitors were prescribed to 76.7% of participants (n = 23), and 50% of participants (n = 15) received concurrent TRT. A significant improvement in erectile function was measured by an average of 4.556 points in IIEF-5 (P < 0.001) and 0.72 points in EHS (P < 0.001). In total, 4 (13.3%) and 15 (50%) participants reported “no” to “yes” in SEP2 and SEP3 questions after therapy, respectively. Overall, 82.8% of participants agreed that the study therapy improved erectile function. No significant adverse events were reported.

Conclusion:

This single-arm prospective study revealed that preliminary experience with penile PRP significantly improves erectile function without obvious adverse events.
Comparison of Trimodal Therapy Versus Radical Cystectomy for Each Stage of Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer
Authors: Tseng Wen-Hsin , Huang Steven K. , Liu Chien-Liang , Kuo Jinn-Rung , Hun Shun-Hsing , Chen Chun-Hao , Su Chia-Cheng , Wang Jhih-Cheng , Lee Kau-Han , Hsieh Kun-Lin , Chiu Allen W.
Published: December 2021

Purpose:

Radical cystectomy (RC) has long been the standard of care for the management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, an increasing trend of bladder-sparing trimodal therapy (TMT) using maximal transurethral resection of bladder tumor, followed by radiation therapy (RT) with concomitant radiosensitizing chemotherapy, has been advocated. We compared the differences regarding long-term oncological outcomes between patients who accepted RC or TMT for MIBC.

Materials and Methods:

Between January 2012 and December 2018, 207 patients were diagnosed with MIBC at our center. We excluded patients with metastasis disease, received other treatments, and lost to follow-up. The patients were categorized into Group 1 (TMT) and Group 2 (RC). Both the groups with each tumor stage were compared for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates, and the risk factors for recurrence and survival were assessed.

Results:

In total, 58 (48.7%) patients in Group 1 underwent TMT and 61 (51.3%) patients in Group 2 underwent RC. The mean follow-up was 39.8 months. The 3-year DFS rates were 44.1% and 69.7% for Groups 1 and 2, respectively (P = 0.003). The 3-year OS rates were 61.7% and 72.5% for Groups 1 and 2, respectively (P = 0.226). We also analyzed the DFS with each stage, and the results showed a lower DFS rate for T2 and N0 stages.

Conclusion:

There was no significant survival benefit for MIBC with either RC or TMT. However, RC is associated with better outcome of DFS rate, especially for patients with early stages of MIBC in stages T2 and N0.
Recommendations for the Use of Next-Generation Sequencing and the Molecular Tumor Board for Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Report from KSMO and KCSG Precision Medicine Networking Group
Authors: Yoon Shinkyo , Kim Miso , Hong Yong Sang , Kim Han Sang , Kim Seung Tae , Kim Jihun , Yun Hongseok , Yoo Changhoon , Ahn Hee Kyung , Kim Hyo Song , Lee In Hee , Kim In-Ho , Park Inkeun , Jeong Jae Ho , Cheon Jaekyung , Kim Jin Won , Yun Jina , Lim Sun Min , Cha Yongjun , Jang Se Jin , Zang Dae Young , Kim Tae Won , Kang Jin Hyoung , Kim Jee Hyun
Published: December 2021

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is becoming essential in the fields of precision oncology. With implementation of NGS in daily clinic, the needs for continued education, facilitated interpretation of NGS results and optimal treatment delivery based on NGS results have been addressed. Molecular tumor board (MTB) is multidisciplinary approach to keep pace with the growing knowledge of complex molecular alterations in patients with advanced solid cancer. Although guidelines for NGS use and MTB have been developed in western countries, there is limitation for reflection of Korea’s public health environment and daily clinical practice. These recommendations provide a critical guidance from NGS panel testing to final treatment decision based on MTB discussion.
Spherical coverings and X-raying convex bodies of constant width
Authors: Bondarenko Andriy , Prymak Andriy , Radchenko Danylo
Published: December 2021

Bezdek and Kiss showed that existence of origin-symmetric coverings of unit sphere in
${\mathbb {E}}^n$
by at most
$2^n$
congruent spherical caps with radius not exceeding
$\arccos \sqrt {\frac {n-1}{2n}}$
implies the X-ray conjecture and the illumination conjecture for convex bodies of constant width in
${\mathbb {E}}^n$
, and constructed such coverings for
$4\le n\le 6$
. Here, we give such constructions with fewer than
$2^n$
caps for
$5\le n\le 15$
.

For the illumination number of any convex body of constant width in
${\mathbb {E}}^n$
, Schramm proved an upper estimate with exponential growth of order
$(3/2)^{n/2}$
. In particular, that estimate is less than
$3\cdot 2^{n-2}$
for
$n\ge 16$
, confirming the abovementioned conjectures for the class of convex bodies of constant width. Thus, our result settles the outstanding cases
$7\le n\le 15$
.

We also show how to calculate the covering radius of a given discrete point set on the sphere efficiently on a computer.
Distribution symmetry of toral eigenfunctions
Authors: Martínez Ángel D. , Torres de Lizaur Francisco
Published: December 2021

In this paper we study a number of conjectures on the behavior of the value distribution of eigenfunctions. On the two dimensional torus, we observe that the symmetry conjecture holds in the strongest possible sense. On the other hand, we provide a counterexample for higher dimensional tori, which relies on a computer-assisted argument. Moreover we prove a theorem on the distribution symmetry of a certain class of trigonometric polynomials that might be of independent interest.
Partial Gaussian sums and the Pólya–Vinogradov inequality for primitive characters
Authors: Bordignon Matteo
Published: December 2021

In this paper we obtain a new fully explicit constant for the Pólya–Vinogradov inequality for primitive characters. Given a primitive character

\chi

modulo

q

, we prove the following upper bound:

\Big| \sum_{1 \le n\le N} \chi(n) \Big|\le c \sqrt{q} \log q,

where

c=3/(4\pi^2)+o_q(1)

for even characters and

c=3/(8\pi)+o_q(1)

for odd characters, with explicit

o_q(1)

terms. This improves a result of Frolenkov and Soundararajan for large

q

. We proceed, following Hildebrand, to obtain the explicit version of a result by Montgomery–Vaughan on partial Gaussian sums and an explicit Burgess-like result on convoluted Dirichlet characters.
EXPERIÊNCIA DE PROJETO DE INSTALAÇÕES HIDROSSANITÁRIAS EM BIM DURANTE O ENSINO NÃO PRESENCIAL
Authors: Leepkaln Carlos Eduardo , Da Silva Rosa Inaê , De Mesquita Brandão Milena
Published: December 2021

RESUMO: A partir de janeiro de 2021, a utilização do Building Information Model (BIM) em obras e serviços de engenharia da esfera pública federal tornou-se obrigatória. No entanto, os cursos de graduação em Engenharia Civil abordam de maneira superficial essa metodologia, reduzindo-a muitas vezes a uma forma de representação gráfica, simplesmente. Sendo assim, o objetivo deste artigo é relatar uma experiência de projeto hidrossanitário para edifícios residenciais multifamiliares desenvolvido em uma unidade curricular não presencial em um curso de graduação de Engenharia Civil. Testou-se a utilização do método BIM na realização de um projeto hidrossanitário predial e constatou-se que apesar do ensino ser remoto, a realização do projeto foi eficiente, rápida e dinâmica.
REALIDADE AUMENTADA EM SISTEMAS HIDROSSANITÁRIOS RESIDENCIAIS
Authors: Endres João Pedro , Brião Vandré Barbosa , Cartana Fernandes Vera Maria
Published: December 2021

RESUMO: O uso de RA nos projetos dos sistemas hidrossanitários teve como objetivo estudar a aplicabilidade da Realidade Aumentada (RA) na execução dos projetos de sistemas hidrossanitários em edificações. A metodologia da pesquisa seguiu primeiramente com testes de precisão do método de rastreamento por visualização de marcadores e do aplicativo Augin, constatando nos piores casos 0,5 cm de distorção do sistema virtual para o real. Depois disso foram aplicados modelos em RA em 6 edificações de diferentes padrões construtivos. Por fim se fez uma pesquisa de satisfação com os instaladores de cada edificação e constatou-se excelente aceitação do método, não havendo diferenças nos resultados em relação ao padrão de qualidade das obras, universalizando assim o uso dessa tecnologia no setor da construção civil.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NIDANA AND NIDANAPARIVARJANA IN HRIDROGA
Authors: M V Namratha , Jain Prashanth , Markande Geetha B
Published: December 2021

Ayurveda is the oldest medical science of human civilization which helps in preventing diseases and promoting health and longevity. Cardiovascular diseases are chronic disease pathology with acute manifestation and is a major cause of death in both the elderly and middle-aged. Nidana is the foremost component of Nidana Panchaka, which not only gives knowledge about causative factors of diseases but also helps in planning treatment protocol. Cardi- ovascular disorders as per Ayurveda can be studied under the spectrum of Hridroga. Over nourishment accompa- nied with physical inactivity leading to Santarpana state is well known to cause plethora of diseases like Hridroga. Consumption of food having mutual contradictory qualities results in morbid accumulation of Kapha and Meda in Raktamarga heralding Margavarana. It is said that the best treatment is Nidanaparivarjana i.e, to abstain from the causative factors. This paper deals with all the Nidanas of Hridroga and the importance of Nidanaparivarjana in preventing them.
Keywords: Hridroga, Cardiovascular diseases, Nidana, Nidanaparivarjana
A REVIEW ARTICLE ON THE EFFICACY OF AYURVEDIC DRUGS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MUTRAVEHA STROTAS
Authors: 1 Ritu , 2 Kulbhushan
Published: December 2021

Ayurveda an ocean of knowledge talks about almost every form of life. It suggests to us how to live and how to lives a healthy life. In Ayurveda, there is a vast knowledge of diseases and their management. Here we are discussing some drugs which are to be mentioned very much efficient in treating Urinary tract infections. Drugs like Punarnava, Goksuru, Kasa, etc. all having properties to treat this disease condition. By understanding the actions and properties of these we can use them either in a single form or can also make a formulation for treating such disorders. Here we conduct this review to give a small contribution to Ayurveda literature.
A REVIEW ON CLINICAL IMPORTANCE OF PANCHAKARMA IN VRANA SHASTI UPAKRAMAS
Authors: Jana Dipanjan , Das Raghunath , Majumdar Durbadal , Kundu Suman
Published: December 2021

Panchakarma is a fundamental part of Ayurveda. It is chiefly constituted of especially deliberate five procedures for detoxification of the body. These include Vamana (emesis therapy), Virechana (purgation therapy), Basti (therapeutic enema), Nasya (errhine therapy) and Raktamokshana (bloodletting therapy). Acharya Sushruta father of surgery mainly deals with Chaladanta in Sushruta Samhita. Shalya Tantra. It is carried out with the help of different surgical apparatuses like Yantra, Shastra and Anushastra. Panchakarma is not only a sohana (bio- purificatory) process but involves a wide range of therapeutics such as samana(therapeutic) brahmana (rejuvenat- ing), Ropana (healing), lekhana (scraping), prasamak (soothing). Acharya susruta explained widely Vranasasti- upakram as with applications in the practice of Shalya Tantra i.e, Ayurvedic discipline of surgery. Numerous tex- tual references are available where the procedures of Panchakarma and up karmas have been adopted as an im- portant measure to Vrana Ropana along with the institution of surgical mediation directly or partially.
Keywords: Panchakarma, Vrana, Vrana Swastiuakram, Shalya Tantra, Rakta-Mokshana.
Impact of Online Education on Student Learning during the Pandemic
Authors: Kohli Hermeet , Donna Wampole  , Amarpreet Kohli
Published: December 2021

Using qualitative exploratory research, we documented the experiences of 90 undergraduate and graduate students on how online education was affecting their learning during the pandemic. Data was collected from School of Social Work students at a northeastern public university in the United States. The participants were unsatisfied with the unexpected disruption to online education. However, they had adjusted to digital learning, and stated that they would rather have subpar education than put self and others in danger due to COVID-19. The major challenges that the students encountered are: (a) struggle with online education, (b) difficulty connecting with instructors, (c) lack of motivation, (d) losses, (e) difficulty accessing other learning resources, and (f) unsafe/inaccessible home environment. Recommendations are provided for instructors and administrators to support students in these challenging times.
Make a Match Techniques in Cooperative Learning: Innovations to Improve Student Learning Outcomes, Student Learning Activities and Teacher Performance
Authors: Viyayanti  , PakGuru Dwikoranto
Published: December 2021

The purpose of this study is to describe improving student learning outcomes, describe student activities, describe teacher performance after applying the make a match technique in cooperative learning. This learning improvement is carried out by classroom action research, with steps of planning, implementing, observing, revising. The research subjects were 34 students in the chemistry class of Vocational School 1 Cerme Gresik. Data were analyzed descriptively quantitatively. The results of the class average score before the action was 70. Students who scored above the Minimum Completeness Criteria (MCC) 76 were 16 students (47%) with the highest score of 92 and students who scored below the MCC were 18 students (53%) with the lowest score of 40. After taking action in cycle 1 the average grade of 79. Students who scored above or equal to the MCC were 26 students (76%) with the highest score of 100 and students who scored below the MCC were 8 students (24%) with the lowest score of 52. Cycle 2 the average grade of 84. Students who scored above the MCC were 31 students (91%) with the highest score of 100, while students who scored below the MCC as many as 3 students (9%) with the lowest score of 64. The students' attention, activity, and enthusiasm for learning increased. Teacher performance in learning has increased.