bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A real world feasibility trial of the PLAYshop: an intervention to facilitate parent engagement in developing their child’s physical literacy
Authors: Lane Cassandra , Reno Kendra , Predy Madison , Carson Valerie , Wright Chris , Morton Kayla , Naylor Patti-Jean
Published: April 2020

Background

Development of physical literacy, defined as “the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life”, can support children’s physically active behaviors and consequent health benefits. Little research exploring interventions to improve children's physical literacy exist, although substantive evidence shows parents play a key role in children's physically active behaviors and development of fundamental movement skills. The purpose of this study is to explore a novel, physical literacy intervention designed to assist parents to engage with their child in purposeful play; play that facilitates the development of physical literacy.
Methods

The PLAYshop was a 75-minute workshop to build parents' self-efficacy to support their child’s physical literacy through interactive activities and educational messages as well as educational resources focused on core physical literacy concepts. We collected quantitative pre- and post-workshop surveys of parents’ satisfaction, knowledge, confidence and intention to adopt practices as well as qualitative follow-up implementation focused interviews from both parents and facilitators. We used paired t-tests to examine changes in parents' self-reported physical literacy knowledge and confidence and thematic analysis of interviews to explore workshop feasibility.
Results

Six workshops were delivered to 33 parents of young children (3–8 years of age). 23 parents completed both pre- and post-workshop surveys. Follow-up interviews were completed with 11 parents and four workshop facilitators. Parents’ self-reported knowledge and confidence to support their child’s physical literacy development significantly increased after PLAYshop participation. Further, the majority of parents were satisfied with the workshop and motivated to apply workshop learnings at-home with their child. Workshop facilitators identified seven workshop strengths (e.g., workshop champions and skilled facilitators) and four challenges (e.g., recruitment and unfavorable spaces).
Conclusions

The PLAYshop was perceived positively by parents and facilitators and appeared to improve parent self-efficacy and intention to promote physical literacy with their child. Recruitment and attendance were key implementation challenges. The findings from this real world trial address an important evidence gap, highlighting areas for adaptations to improve the intervention and recruitment and suggesting that the PLAYshop is ready for efficacy testing in a more rigorous randomized controlled trial.
Functional biomarker signatures of circulating T-cells and its association with distinct clinical status of leprosy patients and their respective household contacts
Authors: Marçal Pedro Henrique Ferreira , Gama Rafael Silva , Pereira Lorena Bruna de Oliveira , Filho Olindo Assis Martins , Pinheiro Roberta Olmo , Sarno Euzenir Nunes , Moraes Milton Ozório , Fraga Lucia Alves de Oliveira
Published: April 2020

Background: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease classified into two subgroups for therapeutic purposes: paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB), closely related to the host immune responses. In this context it is noteworthy looking for immunological biomarkers applicable as complementary diagnostic tools as well as a laboratorial strategy to detect subclinical leprosy in household contacts. Methods: The main goal of the present study was to characterize the global cytokine signatures of CD4 + and CD8 + T-cells from leprosy patients with distinct clinical forms and their respective household contacts (HHC) upon in vitro antigen-specific stimuli. Short-term culture of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was done. After incubation, cells were harvested and prepared for surface and intracytoplasmic cytokine staining Results: The cytokine signature analysis demonstrated that leprosy patients presented a polyfunctional profile of T-cells subsets, with increased frequency of IFN-γ + T-cell subsets along with IL-10 + and IL-4 + from CD4 + T-cells. Moreover, L(PB) displayed a polyfunctional profile characterized by enhanced percentage of IFN-γ + , IL-10 + and IL-4 + produced by most T-cell subsets, as compared to L(MB) that presented a more restricted cytokine functional profile mediated by IL-10 + and IL-4 + T-cells with minor contribution of IFN-γ produced by CD4 + T-cells. Noteworthy was that HHC(MB) exhibited enhanced frequency of IFN-γ + T-cells, contrasting with HHC(PB) that presented a cytokine profile limited to IL-10 and IL-4. Conclusions: Together, our findings provide additional immunological features associated with leprosy and household contacts. These data provide evidence that biomarkers of immune response can be useful complementary diagnostic/prognostic tools as well as insights that household contacts may present subclinical infection. Keywords: leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae , cytokines, household contacts
Safety and Efficacy of Hemispherical with Flattened Pole Dual-Mobility Acetabular Cup in Revision or Complex Hip Arthroplasty: The SYMCOR-2 study
Authors: Estour Gilles , Bonin Nicolas , Loïc Schneider , Guyen Olivier , Daoud Frederic Christopher
Published: April 2020

Background: This study estimated the short-term clinical safety and efficacy of hemispherical with flattened pole cobalt-chromium metal-back dual-mobility acetabular cup with porous outer hydroxyapatite coating and anchoring screw and pods (HFPC-DMR-HA) or cement fixation (HFPC-DM-CEM), in revision or complex total hip arthroplasty.Methods: Single-center retrospective observational cohort study of consecutively operated patients who underwent THA with an HFPC-DMR-HA or HFPC-DM-CEM cup 2 years prior to study start. Prospective 2-year follow-up with letter and phone questionnaires.Results: Sampling frame: 203 patients including 9.85% in the two cohorts with 15 HFPC-DMR-HA and 5 HFPC-DM-CEM. 3 (20%) and 2 (40%) patients were lost to follow-up, respectively. Median age was 85.6 years (range: 45.1 ; 93.3) and 78.8 (range: 68.8 ; 86.9). Median follow-up (years): HFPC-DMR-HA: 2.3, HFPC-DM-CEM: 3.3. Clinical indications: HFPC-DMR-HA 67% revision & 33% primary THAs, HFPC-DM-CEM 100% revision. Primary endpoint: 2-year implant survival rate: HFPC-DMR-HA 93% [59, 99], HFPC-DM-CEM 100%. Prosthetic dislocation: HFPC-DMR-HA 1 (6.7%), HFPC-DM-CEM 0%. Secondary endpoint: Modified HHS (pain & functional subscore) improved with HFPC-DMR-HA from baseline 26.8 [14.9, 38.7] to 82.2 [73.5, 90.9] at 2-year follow-up (p<0.0001); HFPC-DM-CEM from 41.6 [24.9, 58.3] to 80.7 [55.8, 100].Conclusions: The authors deemed the short-term outcomes with these acetabular cups in revision or complex total hip arthroplasty to be satisfactory.Study registration: clinicaltrials.gov NCT04209426.
How can we characterize medical simulation environment as a specific type of medical environment?
Authors: Mamcarz Izabela , Torres Anna , Mamcarz Piotr , Radczuk Natalia , Torres Kamil
Published: April 2020

Background: In order to improve the quality of courses in simulation, it is necessary to get to know the educational environment. The objective of this study was to adapt the DREEM scale and to present a new questionnaire called QuESST, that allows to define medical simulation environment as a specific type of educational environment.Methods: The DREEM scale was translated and adapted into Polish conditions. A new tool – QuESST questionnaire was developed to complete the data with medical simulation environment aspects. Reliability, t-test, Component Analysis as well as correlation between the two methods were assessed in a sample of medical science students (N=312).Results: Statistical analysis presented a good reliability of the Polish translation of the DREEM scale (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,95). The t-test for the DREEM questionnaire was stable and reliable relevant (t=-,584, p=,562). Significant strong correlation was reported with the DREEM and QuESST tool (r=0,559, p£ 0.001). Also, moderate and high correlations were found with the overall result of QuESST and the results of individual DREEM subscales.Conclusions: The QuESST scale may be considered helpful in determining the medical simulation environment conditions and can be used to supplement the DREEM scale to create an effective educational environment with medical simulation.
NLRP3 inflammasome activation contributes to remifentanil-induced postoperative hyperalgesia via regulation of NMDA receptor NR1 subunit phosphorylation and GLT-1
Authors: Yuan Yuan , Wang Chenxu , Dong Beibei , Xie Keliang , Yu Yonghao
Published: April 2020

Background Although remifentanil provides perfect analgesia during operations, postoperative remifentanil-induced hyperalgesia (RIH) might be a challenge to anaesthetists. Increasingly, the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) signalling pathway are being implicated in the initiation and maintenance of these conditions. In the present work, we examined the hypothesis that NLRP3 inflammasome activation contributes to RIH via regulation of NMDA receptor NR1 subunit phosphorylation and glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) by interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Methods We first tested the changes in thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia at baseline (24 h before remifentanil infusion) and 2 h, 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h after remifentanil infusion in a rat model of incisional pain. Then, the expression of IL-1β and GLT-1 and phosphorylation of NMDA receptor NR1 subunits (Phospho-NR1) in the L4–L6 spinal cord segments were measured. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of IL-1ra, a selective IL-1β inhibitor, on behavioural tests of RIH and on the expression of GLT-1 and Phospho-NR1. In addition, we measured the expression of TLR4, P2X7R, NLRP3 and caspase-1, which are indicators of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Finally, we investigated the effects of (+)-naloxone (a TLR4 inhibitor), A438079 (a P2X7R inhibitor) and ac-YVADcmk (a caspase-1 inhibitor), which are all selective NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors, on behavioural tests of RIH and on the expression of IL-1β, GLT-1 and Phospho-NR1. Results The initiation and maintenance of RIH was mediated by a previously unidentified mechanism--namely, remifentanil-induced spinal NLRP3 inflammasome activation and the associated release of IL-1β. Remifentanil induced significant postoperative hyperalgesia, as indicated by behavioural tests, which were markedly improved by pretreatment with IL-1ra and NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors. Moreover, remifentanil infusion decreased the expression of GLT-1 and increased Phospho-NR1 in the spinal cord, which were reversed by pretreatment with IL-1ra and NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors. More importantly, remifentanil infusion increased IL-1β expression and activated NLRP3 inflammasomes, which were significantly attenuated by NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors. Conclusion The above results suggest that NLRP3 inflammasome activation contributes to RIH via regulation of Phospho-NR1 and GLT-1 by IL-1β. Inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation or IL-1β may be an effective and novel option for the treatment of RIH.
Chaotic model for COVID-19 growth-factor
Authors: Fernandes Thiago de Salazar e
Published: April 2020

The new COVID-19 Pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 initiated in the world a largest quarantine, due to is exponential capacity of the virus in spreading from human contact. In the present work, it was evaluated the dynamics of such spreading by the indicator of growth-factor, and applied to it the space phase of the time series, the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) of the series, and the fractal dimension of the space phase. It was possible to notice a strange attractor in the space phase of the growth-factor, indicating that the process is chaotic deterministic. The value of the alpha coefficient by DFA showed to be less than 0.5, characteristic of long-range memory of the series, in which large events precedes small events. The fractal dimension of the phase space was a fractal number, between 1 and 2, another indicator that the exponential growth-rate of the virus spreading among humans is fractal. These results, even with small number of data, is pointing that the spread of COVID-19 is fractal.
The impact of pulse oximetry and Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) training on antibiotic prescribing practices in rural Malawi: a mixed-methods study
Authors: Sylvies Fiona , Nyirenda Lucy , Blair Alden , Baltzell Kimberly
Published: April 2020

Background. The misdiagnosis of non-malarial fever in sub-Saharan Africa has contributed to the significant burden of pediatric pneumonia and the inappropriate use of antibiotics in this region. This study aims to assess the impact of 1) portable pulse oximeters and 2) Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) continued education training on the diagnosis and treatment of non-malarial fever amongst pediatric patients being treated by the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance (GAIA) in rural Malawi. Methods. This study involved a logbook review to compare treatment patterns between five GAIA mobile clinics in Mulanje, Malawi during April-June 2019. An intervention study design was employed with four study groups: 1) 2016 control, 2) 2019 control, 3) IMCI-only, and 4) IMCI and pulse oximeter. A total of 3,504 patient logbook records were included based on these inclusion criteria: age under five years, febrile, malaria-negative, and treated during the dry season. A qualitative questionnaire was distributed to the participating GAIA providers. Fisher’s Exact Testing and odds ratios were calculated to compare the prescriptive practices between each study group and reported with 95% confidence intervals. Results. The pre- and post-exam scores for the providers who participated in the IMCI training showed an increase in content knowledge and understanding (p<0.01). The antibiotic prescription rates in each study group were 75% (2016 control), 85% (2019 control), 84% (IMCI only), and 42% (IMCI + pulse oximeter) (p<0.01). An increase in pneumonia diagnoses was detected for patients who received pulse oximeter evaluation with an oxygen saturation <95% (p<0.01). No significant changes in antibiotic prescribing practices were detected in the IMCI-only group (p>0.05). However, provider responses to the qualitative questionnaires indicated alternative benefits of the training including improved illness classification and increased provider confidence. Conclusion. Clinics that implemented both the IMCI course and pulse oximeters exhibited a significant decrease in antibiotic prescription rates, thus highlighting the potential of this tool in combatting antibiotic overconsumption in low-resource settings. Additionally, the pulse oximeters demonstrated the capacity to improve detection of pediatric pneumonia. GAIA staff appreciated the IMCI continued education training, however it did not appear to significantly impact antibiotic prescription rates and/or pneumonia diagnosis.
An extremely rare case of choroid plexus carcinoma in third ventricle of an infant – Case report and review of literature
Authors: Tavallaii Amin , Keykhosravi Ehsan , Rezaee Hamid , Khamoushi Mohsen
Published: April 2020

Background: Choroid plexus tumors are rare intraventricular tumors. Most of these tumors are benign choroid plexus papillomas. Choroid plexus carcinoma is the most malignant choroid plexus tumor and comprise a small percentage of these tumors. Most common location of these tumors are lateral ventricle and fourth ventricle in pediatric and adult patients respectively. Rare locations such as third ventricle are reported in the literature with 55 reports of choroid plexus papilloma and just 3 cases of carcinoma located in third ventricle. Case description: we present an extremely rare case of choroid plexus carcinoma of third ventricle in a 9 months old boy which was resected successfully through transcortical-transforaminal approach along with a review of literature available around different aspects of these tumors.Conclusion: Choroid plexus carcinomas even in rare locations such as third ventricle can be effectively resected through transcortical-transforaminal approach, although post-operative subdural effusion can be a potential complication.
18F-FDG PET/CT uptake in COVID-19: case report of a patient with lung metastases after treatment of nasal cavity malignancy
Authors: Feng Hongyan , Bu Lihong
Published: April 2020

Background: In high COVID-19 prevalence region, COVID-19 disease may be incidental found in non-specific symptoms or asymptomatic patient with history of tumor who underwent 18F-FDG-PET/CT for standard oncologic indications.Case presentation: A 51-year-old woman with a 4-year history of adenoid cystic carcinoma of nasal cavity underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT for restaging during COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan. Pneumonia lesions were characterized by 18F-FDG uptake ground-glass opacities (GGOs) and multifocal high 18F-FDG-avid patchy consolidation, and without lymph node involvement and pleural effusion. Furthermore, multiple 18F-FDG-positive lung and lumbar metastases were observed. Finally, a diagnosis of COVID-19 was made based on a positive real-time fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid. Conclusion: The non-specific symptoms or asymptomatic cancer patients presenting 18F-FDG-positive GGOs and patchy consolidation lesions in lung may favor COVID-19, who should be quickly SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid tested and monitored.
Synergic Development of Energy Efficacious Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Ashraf Shahzad
Published: April 2020

Considering Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) in today’s scenario, sending and receiving uninterrupted sensory data remains a challenge to achieve with minimal latency and energy consumption as low as possible. Energy consumption is exponentially growing in computing devices such as computers, embedded systems, portable devices, and wireless sensor networks. Extensive research has been in practice recently to minimize energy consumption without compromising the Quality of Service (QoS) that is to provide data to the requester node with minimum Delay and high Reliability. This article analyzes the Synergic development of energy efficacious wireless sensor networks (SDEE) which aims to reduce energy demand by reducing the overhead packet in the network and also provides the requester with a minimum delay by collecting data requests from the next cache node in the vicinity of the requester or sink node. The findings of the simulation clearly show that energy usage is lower when the empirical grid model is used against the star / cluster model when the parameters are the same.
Development of Hyperset Paging mechanism
Authors: Hussain Akhter
Published: April 2020

Algorithms for page replacement play important roles in virtual memory management, especially in paging operating systems. Page substitution happens when the required page is not retained in the memory (file fault) or the free accessible file is not adequate to fulfill the requirement. It is either there are none or the amount of free sites is fewer than the required total. Two regular page replacements were hybridized as Hybrid Page replacements (HRA) in this analysis (LRU and OptimalOPT algorithms recently used). For its service, HRA is based on the principle of OPT and LRU. The HRA was determined by comparing the page failures caused with the default algorithms First InFirst Out FIFO, LRU and Optimal. Tests showed the amount of frames through to 4 and beyond the HRA outperformed FIFO, OPT and LRU.
Modelling based in the stochastic dynamics for the time evolution of the COVID-19
Authors: Lima L. S.
Published: April 2020

The stochastic differential equation (SDE) corresponding to nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation where the nonlinearity appearing in this evolution equation can be interpreted as providing an effective description of a system of particles interacting is obtained. Additionally, we propose a stochastic model for time dynamics of the COVID-19 based in the set of data supported by the Brazilian health agencies.
Risk assessment and visualisation of COVID-19 in Zhejiang Province of China: a ‘five- colour chart’ directing disease control and work resumption
Authors: He Fan , Shang Xiaopeng , Ling Feng , Chen Zhiping , Fu Tiehong , Lin Junfen , Wang Zhen
Published: April 2020

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019 in Wuhan, Zhejiang has become the province with the largest number of cases. The aim of this article is to present Zhejiang province’s experience of establishing an accurate and smart control mechanism for epidemic prevention and control and resumption of work and production using a ‘five-colour epidemic chart’. The number of confirmed cases, proportion of local cases, and occurrence of clustered outbreaks were used as evaluation indicators to calculate the county-level epidemic risk and were assigned different weight coefficients; the absence of cases for 3 and 7 consecutive days was used as the adjustment index. When the first chart was published on February 9, there were 1 very-high-risk, 12 high-risk, and 12 low-risk counties. Under the five-colour chart, Zhejiang began to adopt precise measures to prevent and control the epidemic and resume work and production. By February 24, the low-risk counties had expanded to 82, with no high-risk and very-high-risk counties. The epidemic situation in Zhejiang province has been effectively controlled. The experience of epidemic prevention and control in Zhejiang is worthy to be emulated and learned by other countries and regions
Electro-activated persulfate oxidation of malachite green by boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode: effect of degradation process parameters
Authors: Miao Dongtian , Liu Guoshuai , Wei Qiuping , Hu Naixiu , Zheng Kuangzhi , Zhu Chengwu , Liu Ting , Zhou Kechao , Yu Zhiming , Ma Li
Published: April 2020

In this paper, boron-doped diamond (BDD) electro-activated persulfate was studied to decompose malachite green (MG). The degradation results indicate that the decolorization performance of MG for the BDD electro-activated persulfate (BDD-EAP) system is 3.37 times that of BDD electrochemical oxidation (BDD-EO) system, and BDD-EAP system also exhibited an enhanced total organic content (TOC) removal (2.2 times) compared with BDD-EO system. Besides, the degradation parameters such as persulfate concentration, current density, and pH were studied in detail. In a wider range of pH (2–10), the MG can be efficiently removed (>95%) in 0.02 M persulfate solution with a low current density of 1.7 mA/cm2 after 30 min. The BDD-EAP technology decomposes organic compounds without the diffusion limitation and avoids pH adjustment, which makes the EO treatment of organic wastewater more efficient and more economical.
Performance evaluation of photolytic and electrochemical oxidation processes for enhanced degradation of food dyes laden wastewater
Authors: Sartaj Seema , Ali Nisar , Khan Adnan , Malik Sumeet , Bilal Muhammad , Khan Menhad , Ali Nauman , Hussain Sajjad , Khan Hammad , Khan Sabir
Published: April 2020

Wastewater containing dyes is considered as the top-priority pollutant when discharged into the environment. Herein, we report for the applicability of 254 nm ultraviolet light and electrochemical process using a titanium ruthenium oxide anode for the degradation of Allura red and erythrosine dyes. During the photolytic process, 95% of Allura red dye (50 ppm) was removed after 1 h at pH 12 and 35 °C, whereas 90% color removal of erythrosine dye (50 ppm) was achieved after 6 h of treatment at pH 6.0 and 30 °C. On the other hand, 99.60% of Allura red dye (200 ppm) was removed within 5 min by the electrochemical process applying a current density (5 mA cm−2) at pH 5.0 and 0.1 mol L−1 sodium chloride (NaCl) electrolytic medium. Similarly, 99.61% of erythrosine dye (50 ppm) degradation was achieved after 10 min at a current density of 8 mA cm−2, pH 6.0, and 0.1 mol L−1 of NaCl electrolyte. The minimum energy consumption value for Allura red and erythrosine dyes (0.196 and 0.941 kWh m–3, respectively) was calculated at optimum current densities of 5 and 8 mA cm−2. The results demonstrated that the electrochemical process is more efficient at removing dyes in a shorter time than the photolytic process since it generates powerful oxidants like the chlorine molecule, hypochlorous acid, and hypochlorite on the surface of the anode and initiates a chain reaction to oxidize the dyes molecules.
Sector externo, crecimiento económico y bienestar en Baja California: 1970-1988
Authors: García Montaño Jorge
Published: April 2020

El presente trabajo tiene el objetivo de presentar los efectos del desarrollo del sector externo de Baja California en el crecimiento de la economía local y en relación con algunos indicadores del bienestar social. También se estudian algunos indicadores nacionales comparativos entre la entidad y los promedios nacionales, tal que permitan ubicar las especificidades del desarrollo de Baja California. El trabajo se divide en varios apartados: ciclos económicos, comportamiento del sector externo y sus relaciones con el producto interno bruto y la inflación. Todas estas variables interactúan en este estudio macroeconómico regional.La conclusión, hace referencia a que en Baja California el sector externo cumple el papel determinante para el crecimiento económico y el bienestar social; por lo tanto, cualquier trastorno negativo en sus variables desagregadas impacta inmediatamente las tasas de crecimiento y los niveles de vida de la población bajaca1iforniana, fundamentalmente los cambios extraordinarios del tipo de cambio peso-dólar y los ajustes de las políticas en comercio exterior. De ahí la actualidad del estudio, dado que el Tratado de Libre Comercio de México con Estados Unidos y Canadá tendrá, seguramente, importantes impactos en la entidad.
El problema de la salud en los Estados Unidos
Authors: Montiel Ziegler Elsie L.
Published: April 2020

El alto costo de la atención a la salud es uno de los principales problemas internos que ha enfrentado la sociedad norteamericana en los últimos meses. Existe un acuerdo general acerca de la necesidad de reducir los costos sin afectar el derecho de todos los norteamericanos a la atención de sus necesidades de salud.La crisis que afecta al sistema de salud de los Estados Unidos involucra varios aspectos: los costos han ido creciendo rápidamente, de manera que la nación gasta más del 12% de su producto interno bruto en salud (más que cualquier otra nación industrializada); hay un número cada vez más grande de ciudadanos que carecen de seguro de salud; casi todos los estados de la unión americana se quejan de déficits presupuestales causados por su participación en los programas federales MEDICAID y MEDICARE, que atienden las necesidades de atención médica de los pobres y los ancianos. Ante los urgentes llamados a una reestructuración del sistema varias propuestas han sido elaboradas. Sin embargo, todavía no se logra un consenso acerca de cómo reestructurar el sistemaEste artículo analiza los principales problemas que ocupan el debate sobre la salud, así corno sus principales consecuencias, menciona algunas de las distintas propuestas de solución, y por último, hace un comentario acerca de la factibilidad y de los obstáculos que enfrentaría una refonna global al sistema de salud.
Reestructuración industrial: Subcontratación internacional, cambio tecnológico y flexibilidad en la maquiladora
Authors: Barajas Escamilla Ma. del Rocío
Published: April 2020

Este artículo se enfoca especialmente sobre los planteamientos teóricos que han dado sustento al fenómeno de la reestructuración industrial en el mundo y en México; a la explicación de los determinantes de la subcontratación y su relación con el cambio tecnológico; y los sistemas de trabajo flexibles. Para ello, se ha utilizado como marco de estudio la industria maquiladora de exportación en México, con la finalidad de observar dicha relación, en la visión de que la evolución y desempeño de esta industria no sólo sea contemplada en forma aislada y como producto de las condiciones internas del país, sino fundamentalmente como resultado de una situación específica de la economía internacional. Como consecuencia de la reestructuración productiva, se está dando una mayor segmentación de los procesos productivos y esto a la vez estimula el crecimiento de las actividades de subcontratación en países en desarrollo como México. Actualmente en la maquiladora mexicana se incorporan nuevas tecnologías, a la vez que se instrumentan los últimos sistemas organizacionales que han venido a revolucionar la manufactura, la cual se caracteriza por la dualidad tecnológica, es decir, introducción de tecnología microelectrónica, que combina ensamble simple y tradicional.
El curso del desarrollo tecnológico y la subcontratación en el programa maquilador mexicano: La experiencia del este asiático
Authors: Castillo Víctor M. , Ramírez Acosta Ramón de Jesús
Published: April 2020

Al iniciarse la década de los noventa, la industria maquiladora se ha consolidado como sector en términos cualitativos (generación de empleo y obtención de divisas), pero también en su desarrollo, que a medida que avanza el tiempo pesa más en la estructura económica y social del país (sobre todo en la frontera norte), en la que pudieran resultar importantes beneficios indirectos, dentro de otro escenario, caracterizado por las extemalidades de una nueva industria maquiladora (NIM). Nueva en el sentido de su posible contribución al desenvolvimiento del país en aspectos como apoyo a la infraestructura, transferencia y generación de tecnología, en el sentido de impulso a industrias satélites y complementarias a través de la utilización de insumos y la subcontratación, esto en una dimensión más cualitativa del proceso, donde la NIM debe ser entendida en el marco de referencia de las modificaciones y cambios estructurales que la economía esta generando (en materia de políticaeconómica).Ante esta perspectiva, el presente trabajo pretende dar respuesta a la interrogante: ¿es posible repetir la experiencia asiática en aspectos de subcontratación y adaptación de tecnología en la frontera norte de México?Como conclusión preliminar se plantea: la NIM, dentro de un marco de planificación estatal, podría convertirse en instrumento de apoyo importante, vía transferencia de tecnología y subcontratación, para una transición hacia niveles más altos de industrialización.
Transferencia de tecnología en la industria maquiladora: Un ensayo de interpretación y búsqueda de conceptos
Authors: Salazar Sandoval Elena
Published: April 2020

A partir de los años ochenta se observan ciertos cambios en la industria maquiladora mexicana, como la segmentación de procesos productivos más complejos que implican la introducción de maquinaria y equipo sofisticado. Este cambio en la utilización de maquinaria de tecnología más avanzada es condición necesaria, aunque no suficiente, para abrir la perspectiva de la existencia de transferencia de tecnología (TT) en la maquiladora. El análisis de la TT se hace dificil de determinar, puesto que los trabajos que estudian el cambio tecnológico en la maquiladora manejan una gran variedad de conceptos con diferente significado y un mismo concepto de TT para una diversidad de nuevos aspectos. En este sentido, este trabajo presenta una propuesta de definición de conceptos que pretende ayudar a conocer el proceso de TT en la maquiladora, la etapa en que se encuentra, grado de asimilación y definición de conceptos. Con base en este planteamiento se aplicó una encuesta piloto en las maquiladoras de la industria eléctrica electrónica y metal-mecánica en la ciudad de Mexicali, que permite plantear supuestos sobre el proceso de TT. Las conclusiones señalan que el cambio tecnológico en la maquila es de proceso y no de producto, que los conocimientos tecnológicos fundamentales están disponibles al personal que los maneja; se visualiza asimilación de tecnología, sin embargo, no se observa una etapa más avanzada de TT como investigación y desarrollo.
An Evidence-Based Review of Antitussive Herbs Containing Essential Oils in Traditional Persian Medicine
Authors: Hosseinkhani Ayda , Ziaian Bijan , Hessami Kamran , Kashkooe Ali , Pasalar Mehdi
Published: April 2020

Background:

Cough is one of the most common medical symptoms for which medical
advice is sought. Although cough is a protective reflex responsible for clearing the airways from
secretions and foreign bodies, it can be a troublesome symptom that causes discomfort to patients.
Due to the increasing interest in herbal remedies in both developed and developing countries, in
the current study, we aimed to overview medicinal herbs containing essential oils used as antitussive
agents according to Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) textbooks. We summarized the relevant
scientific evidence on their possible pharmacological effects.

Methods:

To collect the evidence for the treatment of cough or “seaal” (cough in ancient books)
from TPM sources, five main medicinal Persian manuscripts were studied. The antitussive herbs
were listed and their scientific names were identified and authenticated following botanical reference
books. ScienceDirect and PubMed online databases were searched for related mechanisms of
action of the reported medicinal plants.

Results:

Forty-nine herbs containing essential oils have been recommended in TPM for the treatment
of cough; 21 of them had at least one known mechanism of action for cough suppression in
the scientific literature. According to this review, most of the cited medicinal plants were assessed
for either nitric oxide inhibitory or antitussive/expectorant activities.

Conclusion:

In addition to advantageous effects of antitussive herbs recommended by TPM, the
present review highlighted some recent evidence-based data on these promising herbs that could
be used as an outline for future research on their medicinal use.
Chain-breaking/Preventive Antioxidant, Urate-lowering, and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Pure Curcumin
Authors: Bisset Seghira , Sobhi Widad , Bensouici Chawki , Khenchouche Abdelhalim
Published: April 2020

Background:

Several researches have shown that therapeutic compounds or phytochemicals
from natural sources are important in the food as it is valuable in pharmaceutical industries due
to their fewer side effects and potent against various diseases. Curcumin, a major polyphenol derived
from turmeric spice, which used in many foods, has a wide range of biological activities, with quite a
safety.

Objective:

The goal of this study was to investigate the antioxidant, urate-lowering, and antiinflammatory
effects of pure curcumin.

Methods:

The antioxidant activity was evaluated for chain-breaking antioxidant effect (radicalscavenging
and reducing abilities assays) and for preventive antioxidant effect with metal chelating
assay, the urate-lowering was assayed on aspectrophotometer by measuring the inhibition of uric acid
production by xanthine oxidase (XO) enzyme, and the anti-inflammatory effect was estimated using
in vitro albumin denaturation inhibition.

Results:

Curcumin showed a significant and good chain-breaking antioxidant effect, both in free radical-
scavenging assays (Galvinoxyl radical, ABTS, and hydroxyl radical), and in reducing abilities
methods (reducing power, Cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity and O-phenanthroline assays). In
preventive antioxidant effect, assessed with the metal chelating assay, curcumin showed significant
effect but with high concentration compared with standard. In the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system,
curcumin significantly inhibited uric acid production (IC50=0.71 ± 0.06 mg/mL). Regarding antiinflammatory
activity, curcumin showed significant inhibition of albumin denaturation with an IC50
value of 1181.69 ± 1.11μg/mL.

Conclusion:

These results indicated that curcumin showed promising antioxidant, anti-gout and antiinflammatory
properties and might be used as potential, natural drugs against oxidative and inflammation-
related diseases.
Safety and Efficacy of Proctosoll Allevia in the Management of Haemorrhoidal Disease in Adults: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Sturiale Alessandro , Gallo Gaetano , Brusciano Luigi , Cacace Concetta , Cafaro Danilo , Celedon Porzio Felipe , Naldini Gabriele
Published: April 2020

Introduction:

Hemorrhoidal Disease (HD) is a very common anorectal disorder that affects
millions of people around the world and represents a major medical and socioeconomic problem.
The aim of the present study was to assess the safety and efficacy of Proctosoll Allevia® in patients
affected by symptomatic HD in comparison with the results obtained from a control group.

Material and Methods:

From January to February 2019, all the patients referred to the outpatient
clinic of Rajalakshmi Hospital, who were complaining of first or second degree hemorrhoidal symptoms,
were enrolled in the study. They were randomly assigned to either of the 2 arms. Group 1: patients
were treated with the Proctosoll Allevia® and were under a controlled diet. Group 2: patients
were only under a controlled diet without any treatment - control group.

Results:

A total of 51 subjects were screened and 45 (13 F- 32 M) enrolled in the study. All the patients
treated with topical application of the cream showed a statistically significant improvement of
symptoms within 14 days from the beginning of the therapy if compared to patients who were treated
only with a controlled diet. No major adverse events associated with the use of the new product were
recorded.

Discussion:

The treatment of I-II degree symptomatic HD with Proctosoll Allevia® has demonstrated
to be promising with a good profile of tolerability, safety and efficacy.
Optimized Energy Efficient and QoS Aware Routing Protocol for WBAN
Authors: Kaur Tejinder , Kaur Navneet , Sidhu Gurleen
Published: April 2020

The expansion of an average lifetime and increased cost of health analysis have resulted
in effective methods for healthcare monitoring. A Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) is used
for continuous monitoring of patients to enhance health care and quality of life. As the sensors
worn on the human body have a small size, low transmission power and restricted battery, which
necessitate the development of energy-efficient routing protocols for increasing the network lifetime.
This paper proposes an Optimized Energy Efficient and Quality-of-Service aware Routing
Protocol (OEEQR) to achieve longer network lifetime, energy efficiency, lower delay and high
throughput. In the proposed protocol, the cost function with residual energy, distance and path loss
as its parameters is optimized using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique. The proposed
cost function determines the best feasible next hop to send the data to the sink.
Effect of Varying Drying Temperature on the Soluble Sugar and Nutritional Content of Banana
Authors: Alagbe E.E , Amlabu Y.S , Daniel E.O , Ojewumi M.E
Published: April 2020

Aims:

In this work, the effect of drying temperature on the available carbohydrate is investigated.

Background:

Nigerian climate favours the cultivation of banana and it is a ready fruit delight in almost all homes. Hybrids and polypoids of the species musa acuminata and musa balbisiana are very common. Unfortunately, post-harvest losses of 40 – 60%, of this energy rich fruit are encountered yearly. Drying is an age long method of preservation which has stood the test of time. Bananas are known to possess high carbohydrates with low glycaemic index which makes it a healthy fruit or snack.

Objective:

To determine the optimum drying temperature for the drying of Banana fruit.

Methods:

The banana fruit was peeled and sliced to about 5 mm thick and dried in a tray dryer at varying temperatures of 40 °C, 50 °C, 60 °C and 70 °C. The control sample was air dried at the average prevailing temperature of 30 °C.

Results:

Results obtained showed that increased drying temperature favoured more loss of moisture from the samples and in turn, favoured an increase in the available carbohydrate in the dried fruit. The ash, fat and crude fibre content marginally changed with drying temperature.

Conclusion:

The optimum temperature for treated and untreated samples, from the results obtained, were 60 °C and 70 °C respectively.

Drying impacts positively on the available sugar in the Banana fruit.
Measuring Patient’s Orofacial Estheticsin in Prosthodontics: A Scoping Review of a Current Instrument
Authors: Mursid Saraventi , Maharani Diah Ayu , Kusdhany Lindawati
Published: April 2020

Objective:

Although prosthodontic treatment is aimed at improving oral function, esthetics has become the most common motivation for treatment. To ensure successful outcomes, valid and reliable instruments for comprehensively evaluating the esthetic aspects of prosthodontic treatment from both clinician perspective and patient self-assessment are needed. The literature on measurement tools used in prosthodontics to evaluate orofacial esthetic aspects was also studied.

Methods:

A scoping review was conducted to map existing instruments such as a questionnaire, index, or scale designed to evaluate orofacial esthetics by clinician and patient for prosthodontic treatment.

Results:

Of the 27 studies evaluated, the Orofacial Esthetic Scale (OES) was used mostly for evaluating a patient’s esthetic perception. The ‘Dental Esthetic Screening Index’ (DESI) was found as the most currently developed instrument with objective quantification for the clinical situation having good reliability and validity. The Prosthetic Esthetic Index (PEI) also has sufficient psychometric properties as an objective assessment tool for clinicians. But the PEI and the DESI are still rarely used in research and practice. Teeth color and position were determined to be the most important factors in recognizing esthetic impairment. Following tooth analysis (appearance, color, alignment, space, proportion, and wear), gingival appearance, smile analysis, facial analysis, and unaesthetic restoration or prosthesis were the most important esthetic factors identified.

Conclusion:

Esthetics is subjective and is influenced by many factors. Instruments for subjective and objective evaluation are needed to determine the esthetic perceptions of clinicians and patients. OES, PEI and DESI were found to be relevant instruments for this.
Sylc Air Polishing Versus Fluoride Varnish Application in Managing Dentin Hypersensitivity in Non-Carious Cervical Lesions: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Ahmed Dina Ezz Eldin Mohamed , Abielhassan Mohsen Hussein , Hamza Heba Salah Eldin , Haridy Mohamed Fouad , Mamdouh Mai
Published: April 2020

Objective:

To determine the effectiveness of Sylc (a bioactive glass-based powder) delivered by an air polishing system compared to fluoride varnish application in managing Dentin Hypersensitivity (DH).

Methods:

This study was a double-blinded randomized clinical trial where 50 participants with DH in at least one tooth with a non-carious cervical lesion were included and randomized into two groups (25 participants each) to receive either Sylc air polishing or fluoride varnish application. Baseline and post-intervention measurements of pain were carried out using evaporative, thermal and tactile stimuli using a modified visual analog scale at 3 minutes, 1, 2, 3and 4 weeks, 6 months and 1 year post-intervention. Data for pain intensity was recorded and analyzed for each group.

Results:

For the three stimuli used, Sylc air polishing showed statistically significant reduction of pain intensity (P<0.05) after 3 weeks and up to 1 year post-intervention. Fluoride varnish application showed a statistically significant reduction of pain intensity in evaporative and thermal stimuli at 1 week post-intervention only.

Conclusion:

Sylc air polishing was effective in relieving pain due to DH after 3 weeks and up to 1 year post-intervention, which showed that it can be used as a long-term treatment for DH.
Influence of Night Rainfall on Stopping Sight Distance on Dark Roadways
Authors: J.E Ben-Edigbe , O. O Makinde
Published: April 2020

Aim:

To investigate the influence of night rainfall on stopping sight distance on dark roadways.

Background:

This study fills the research gap in stopping sight distance by looking at night rainfall impact on stopping sight distance on dark roadways.

Objectives:

To determine stopping sight distance under night rainfall (light, moderate and heavy) on dark roadways and compare the results with stopping sight distance under dry night on dark roadways.

Methods:

In a ‘with and without’ night rainfall impact studies, traffic volume, speed, vehicle type and rainfall data were collected at selected sites. All surveyed sites had rain gauge within the catchment area of about 1km. Rainfall intensity was divided into three groups (light, moderate, and heavy). Dry weather data were used as a control parameter.

Results:

Results show that the average SSD decrease attributed to light rainfall is 15.2m (14%), moderate rainfall 18.3m (16.8%), and heavy rainfall 21.2m (19.2%).

Conclusion:

Based on the results and findings, it is correct to conclude that the effect of night rainfall on dark roadways stopping sight distance is somewhat aberrant. It is also correct to suggest that night rainfall on dark roadways will cause a decrease in perception distance travel delay, an increase in braking distance and stopping sight distance.
Melatonin Receptor as a Drug Target for Neuroprotection
Authors: Wongprayoon Pawaris , Govitrapong Piyarat
Published: April 2020

Background::

Melatonin, a neurohormone secreted from the pineal gland, circulates
throughout the body and then mediates several physiological functions. The pharmacological effects
of melatonin can be mediated through its direct antioxidant activity and receptor-dependent
signaling.

Objective:

This article will mainly review receptor-dependent signaling. Human melatonin receptors
include melatonin receptor type 1 (MT1) and melatonin receptor type 2 (MT2), which are widely
distributed throughout the brain.

Result:

Several lines of evidence have revealed the involvement of the melatonergic system in different
neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer’s disease pathology negatively affects the melatonergic
system. Melatonin effectively inhibits β-amyloid (Aβ) synthesis and fibril formation. These effects
are reversed by pharmacological melatonin receptor blockade. Reductions in MT1 and MT2 expression
in the amygdala and substantia nigra pars compacta have been reported in Parkinson’s disease
patients. The protective roles of melatonin against ischemic insults via its receptors have also
been demonstrated. Melatonin has been reported to enhance neurogenesis through MT2 activation
in cerebral ischemic/reperfusion mice. The neurogenic effects of melatonin on mesenchymal stem
cells are particularly mediated through MT2.

Conclusion:

Understanding the roles of melatonin receptors in neuroprotection against diseases
may lead to the development of specific analogs with specificity and potency greater than those of
the original compound. These successfully developed compounds may serve as candidate preventive
and disease-modifying agents in the future.